South Africa: Eskom remains committed to completing Kusile on schedule Eskom says it remains committed to completing Kusile power station within the 2024/25 financial year. The Eskom board and management are committed to completing Kusile power station within the revised, board-approved completion date in the 2024/25 financial year, and within the project budget of R161.4 billion, excluding interest during construction. This project budget remains unchanged, said Deputy President David Mabuza when responding to oral questions in the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday. The Deputy President had been asked what action has government, as the overseer of Eskom, taken to ensure the project goes according to schedule, and whether the plans were sufficient for the success of the project. Mabuza said the Eskom board and management have been driving efforts to complete Kusile to meet the target date. Resolving the issues hindering completion of the project has also been prioritised. Through the annual shareholder compact, Eskom is measured on the delivery of major milestones for both Medupi and Kusile projects. The status of the project schedule, progress and mitigation actions are monitored through regular executive engagements with the Department of Public Enterprises. The Deputy President said delays at Unit 4 to Unit 6 were due to contractor financial, commercial and contractual issues. However, the project team is pursuing rigorous schedule recovery plans for achievements of milestones that are at risk. We are advised that the plans are sufficient to complete the Kusile project within the set target dates. The commercial operation target dates for the remaining three units are January 2023 for Unit 4, December 2023 for Unit 5 and May 2024 for Unit 6. Furthermore, we can report that during our visit to Kusile Power Station last month, the Political Task Team on Eskom was encouraged by the progress being made and the commitment by management to implement appropriate risk management plans and design defect modifications. The Deputy President said measures have been put in place to strengthen project monitoring, oversight and assurance capability, which will result in increased controls over productivity, and ensure contractor and suppliers quality inputs to avoid schedule and cost overruns. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Hong Kong: HK should embrace patriotism Chief Executive Carrie Lam My thanks to Bauhinia Magazine for organising this event, putting a timely spotlight on the Communist Party of China which will shortly celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding. I particularly welcome this English-speaking event as the ideology and success of this largest governing party in the world should be told globally, clear and loud. The Communist Party of China took root with its first National Congress in Shanghai in 1921. The 13 delegates in attendance on that historic day represented less than 60 members. Today, the Communist Party of China is the longest-ruling Communist Party in history and the largest ruling party in the world, counting a membership of over 90 million people. The partys longevity is a clear reflection of its unprecedented success, its boundless ability to reach out and respond to the needs and the ambitions of the people of China. I am not about to cover the historic and continuing achievements and singular advantages of the party in 10 minutes, or 10 days. This welcome seminar, and the expert speakers gathered today, will certainly make a start on that. But let me touch on just a few highlights to capture something of the weight, the worth, the remarkable scope and significance of the party to our nation. Let us first look at the economic performance, for it very much reflects a countrys level of development and, more importantly, the living standard of its people. After overcoming an initial difficult period, China has made unparalleled economic progress, especially over the past 40 or so years since its reform and opening up began in 1978. Over the past 40 years, China averaged annual GDP growth of over 9%, at constant prices. Over the same period, the world economy grew less than 3%. China today is already the pre-eminent engine driving the global economy. Last year, Chinas GDP grew 2.3%, the only major economy to realise positive growth in the year of the pandemic. It is expected that China will contribute more than one third of global economic growth in 2021. Chinas economy surged past Germanys in 2007, and Japans three years later, taking its proud place as the worlds second-largest economy. At the same time, China is now the largest industrial manufacturer, largest goods trader and largest foreign exchange reserve holder. Chinese peoples livelihood has improved significantly. Its gross domestic product per capita rose from merely about US$200 in 1978 to over US$10,000 today. Even more remarkably, over the past four decades, China has lifted 850 million people out of poverty. At the end of 2020, it eliminated extreme poverty. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a signal achievement for a nation that today counts 20% of the worlds population. More than a Chinese milestone, its eradication serves as a landmark in human history. It demonstrates that our country, and the Communist Party of China as its ruling party, always puts its people first. This people first principle has also been clearly demonstrated in our countrys fight against COVID-19. As pointed out by General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, ... we must put people and their lives first. The battle with COVID-19 is one for the people and by the people. What has happened proves that to completely defeat the virus, we must put people's lives and health front and centre, demonstrate a great sense of political responsibility and courage, and make extraordinary responses to an extraordinary challenge. No effort must be spared to attend every case, save every patient, and truly respect the value and dignity of every human life. He is true to his word. Like all countries in the world, China has been hard hit by COVID-19, with the virus costing thousands of lives, challenging the health system, and calling a halt to social and economic activities. In the face of this unprecedented challenge, the Communist Party of China has shown great leadership and determination and taken resolute actions to combat the pandemic. The results are there for all to see. The number of infections has been minimised, and China is the first major economy in the world to put the pandemic under control and allow normality to very much resume. Chinas actions are not only for the benefit of its own people, but also for the world. The stringent actions taken by China at the early stage of the pandemic have bought valuable time for the world to make preparations. China has also mounted a massive global humanitarian operation during the pandemic, providing free vaccines and medical supplies to developing countries in need. The nations response to COVID-19, as well as its many achievements over the past decades, speak of the unique advantages enjoyed by the country under the ruling of the Communist Party of China. Such unique advantages include extraordinary capability in organisation and mobilisation, in planning and co-ordination, as well as in implementation. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, China managed to make quick decisions and mobilise all forces in the fight against the pandemic. Medical teams and equipment from different provinces were swiftly gathered to provide support to places suffering from outbreaks. People from all walks of life proactively joined the fight and made their contributions. Medical staff in public hospitals worked days and nights to care for the patients, while grassroots organisations and personnel provided support to tens of thousands of people during lockdowns. Perhaps the most impressive of all, large-scale temporary hospitals were put up within days to care for the patients. During the outbreak in Wuhan, the Huoshenshan Hospital and Leishenshan Hospital were put up in 10 and 12 days respectively. The unique advantages of China are also clear in infrastructure construction. Chinas first high-speed railway, the Beijing-Tianjin line, opened in 2008. By the end of 2020, Chinas high-speed railway tracks already stretched for 38,000 km, doubling the figure in just five years time. No other nation in the world can claim a domestic railway of such size or significance. This is what people called the speed of China, made possible under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. As an inseparable part of China, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has benefited hugely from the country. The country provides a safe haven for Hong Kong in times of turmoil, giving us a shot in the arm when needed. For example, it has rendered support for Hong Kong to ride out and overcome the serious threats to our financial stability posed by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the life and health risks and economic recession caused by the 2003 SARS outbreak, the negative impact of the 2008 global financial tsunami, and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the country always embraces Hong Kong in its overall development, as evident by the important roles given to Hong Kong in major national strategies such as the Belt & Road Initiative, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, as well as in the recently approved 14th Five-year Plan of the nation. But the most important of all, the central government and the Communist Party of China have always been committed to the thorough implementation of this great concept of one country, two systems. Put forth by Deng Xiaoping, the great concept not only successfully resolved the issues left over by history, making it possible for Hong Kong to return to the embrace of our motherland, but also ensured the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. Over the past two years when Hong Kong faced unprecedented challenges, the central government and the Communist Party of China have stayed true to the original intention of one country, two systems, and always acted in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law. The implementation of the National Security Law since June 30 last year has effectively restored stability in Hong Kong society, while the recent improvement to the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will ensure patriots administering Hong Kong. These two key initiatives fully demonstrate the central government's and the Communist Partys unwavering determination in upholding one country, two systems, and they will go a long way towards ensuring the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. Ladies and gentlemen, history has told us that the Communist Party of China has been able to lead the country to overcome difficulties and challenges, bring prosperity to the country and improve peoples livelihood. As our country continues to make strides towards the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation, there will be more challenges in the future, but they too, will be overwhelmingly met, managed and surmounted by the Communist Party of China and the people of China. Now that Hong Kong has been put back on its right course under the partys declared institutional strength of one country, two systems, we should make our contribution to the Chinese dream by embracing patriotism, national pride, team spirit and hard work and putting peoples interest first. Chief Executive Carrie Lam gave these remarks at the International Symposium on the Communist Party of Chinas History of 100 Years on June 16. This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Manuel Serrano to present at the 8th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting 2021 Wednesday, June 16, 2021 -- Manuel Serrano, PhD., will present the latest research on the topic In vivo rejuvenation using the Yamanaka factors at the worlds' largest annual Aging Research and Drug Discovery conference (8th ARDD). Dr Manuel Serrano is the ICREA Professor and Group Leader at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB). Manuel Serrano obtained his PhD in 1991, at the University of Madrid (UAM). From 1991 to 1996, Serrano worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the team of David Beach in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY. Manuel established his research group in 1997, first in Madrid, and then, in 2017, in Barcelona, at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB). Manuel Serrano is recognized in the fields of tumor suppression, senescence, aging and reprogramming. In 1993, he reported the discovery of the gene p16. This gene is among the most important anti-cancer genes and a key inducer of cellular senescence. Serrano pioneered the generation of genetically-modified mice resistant to cancer. The Serrano laboratory demonstrated that cellular reprogramming into pluripotency is possible within tissues in vivo (Advance of the Year 2013, according to Nature Medicine). The focus of his laboratory is to apply their knowledge on senescence and reprogramming to treat degenerative diseases and aging. "We are trying to understand the process of rejuvenation in tissues using transgenic mice with inducible expression of the Yamanaka factors." said Manuel Serrano, PhD, ICREA Professor and Group Leader at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB). The conference proceedings of the ARDD are commonly published in peer-reviewed journals with the talks openly available at http://www. agingpharma. org . Please review the conference proceedings for 2019 and 2020. "Aging is emerging as a druggable condition with multiple pharmaceuticals able to alter the pace of aging in model organisms. The ARDD brings together all levels of the field to discuss the most pressing obstacles in our attempt to find efficacious interventions and molecules to target aging. The 2021 conference is the best yet with top level speakers from around the globe. I'm extremely excited to be able to meet them in person at the University of Copenhagen in late summer.", said Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, MD, Ph.D., University of Copenhagen. "Aging research is growing faster than ever on both academia and industry fronts. The ARDD meeting unites experts from different fields and backgrounds, sharing with us their latest groundbreaking research and developments. Our last ARDD meeting took place online and was a great success. This year's event will be a hybrid meeting with virtual and in-person attendees. I am particularly excited that being part of the ARDD 2021 meeting will provide an amazing opportunity for young scientists presenting their own work as well as meeting the experts in the field." said Daniela Bakula, Ph.D., University of Copenhagen "Aging research is gaining traction in the biopharmaceutical industry. To my knowledge, 6 out of the top 30 pharmaceutical companies in the world prioritized aging research for early-stage discovery or therapeutic pipeline development and several companies employ artificial intelligence for this purpose. We organize the annual ARDD conference for eight years in a row and the level of interest in aging biomarkers and noticed exponential growth in registrations over the past two years", said Alex Zhavoronkov, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, and the founder of Deep Longevity. Building on the success of the ARDD conferences, the organizers developed the "Longevity Medicine" course series with some of the courses offered free of charge at Longevity.Degree covered in the recent Lanced Healthy Longevity paper titled "Longevity medicine: upskilling the physicians of tomorrow". ### About Aging Research for Drug Discovery Conference At ARDD, leaders in the aging, longevity, and drug discovery field will describe the latest progress in the molecular, cellular and organismal basis of aging and the search for interventions. Furthermore, the meeting will include opinion leaders in AI to discuss the latest advances of this technology in the biopharmaceutical sector and how this can be applied to interventions. Notably, this year we are expanding with a workshop specifically for physicians where the leading-edge knowledge of clinical interventions for healthy longevity will be described. ARRD intends to bridge clinical, academic and commercial research and foster collaborations that will result in practical solutions to one of humanity's most challenging problems: aging. Our quest? To extend the healthy lifespan of everyone on the planet. About Scheibye-Knudsen Lab In the Scheibye-Knudsen lab we use in silico, in vitro and in vivo models to understand the cellular and organismal consequences of DNA damage with the aim of developing interventions. We have discovered that DNA damage leads to changes in certain metabolites and that replenishment of these molecules may alter the rate of aging in model organisms. These findings suggest that normal aging and age-associated diseases may be malleable to similar interventions. The hope is to develop interventions that will allow everyone to live healthier, happier and more productive lives. About Deep Longevity Deep Longevity has been acquired by Regent Pacific (SEHK:0575.HK), whose shares are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Deep Longevity is developing explainable artificial intelligence systems to track the rate of aging at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, system, physiological, and psychological levels. It is also developing systems for the emerging field of longevity medicine enabling physicians to make better decisions on the interventions that may slow down, or reverse the aging processes. Deep Longevity developed Longevity as a Service (LaaS) solution to integrate multiple deep biomarkers of aging dubbed "deep aging clocks" to provide a universal multifactorial measure of human biological age. Originally incubated by Insilico Medicine, Deep Longevity started its independent journey in 2020 after securing a round of funding from the most credible venture capitalists specializing in biotechnology, longevity, and artificial intelligence. ETP Ventures, Human Longevity and Performance Impact Venture Fund, BOLD Capital Partners, Longevity Vision Fund, LongeVC, co-founder of Oculus, Michael Antonov, and other expert AI and biotechnology investors supported the company. Deep Longevity established a research partnership with one of the most prominent longevity organizations, Human Longevity, Inc. to provide a range of aging clocks to the network of advanced physicians and researchers. https:/ / deeplongevity. com/ About Regent Pacific (SEHK:0575.HK) Regent Pacific is a diversified investment group based in Hong Kong currently holding various corporate and strategic investments focusing on the healthcare, wellness and life sciences sectors. The Group has a strong track record of investments and has returned approximately US$298 million to shareholders in the 21 years of financial reporting since its initial public offering. https:/ / www. regentpac. com/ This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Early encounter of microbes and fetal immune system during second trimester of gestation 2 June 2021, Singapore - The human fetal immune system begins to develop early during gestation, however, factors responsible for fetal immune-priming remain elusive. Using multiple complementary approaches, Dr Florent Ginhoux from A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Professor Jerry Chan from KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), Professor Salvatore Albani from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Translational Immunology Institute, with collaborators from Cambridge University explored potential exposure to microbial agents in-utero. The team identified live microbes across fetal organs that stimulate activation of fetal T-cells during the second trimester of gestation. Study published in scientific journal, Cell, on 24 June 2021. The team profiled microbes across fetal organs using 16S-rRNA gene sequencing and detected low but consistent microbial signal in fetal gut, skin, placenta and lungs, in the second trimester of gestation. They identified several live bacterial strains including Staphylococcus and Lactobacillus in fetal tissues, which induced in vitro activation of memory T-cells in fetal mesenteric lymph-node, supporting the role of microbial exposure in fetal immune-priming. Finally, using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA) in situ hybridisation (RNA-ISH), discrete localisation of bacteria-like structures and eubacterial-RNA were visualised within the 14th week fetal gut lumen. These findings indicate selective presence of live microbes in fetal organs during second trimester of gestation and have broader implications on the establishment of immune competency and priming before birth. The findings demonstrate that healthy human fetal tissues (in the second trimester of gestation) contain effector memory T-cells, a sparse biomass of bacteria and an active memory T-cell response towards fetal bacteria. It also demonstrates direct spatial localisation of bacterial entities, localised within the lumen of developing fetal gut, during second trimester of gestation. Dr Florent Ginhoux, Senior Principal Investigator, SIgN and co-last author of the study said, "Our study demonstrates that such microbial presence primes the fetal immune system, thereby putting early microbial memory in the context of fetal immune priming, a concept not explored before in fetal immunity. It will be interesting to explore the precise nature of these microbial antigen-specific circulatory and immune cells that reside in human fetal organ tissues, and their potential role in imparting selective defence against pathogenic microbes in neonatal and adult life. Taken together, these findings have wider implications in understanding the key factors involved in fetal immune system development and priming in utero, which may set the basis for life-long human health and immunity of the organism." ### Co-last author of the study, Professor Jerry Chan, Senior Consultant, Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), and Senior National Medical Research Council Clinician Scientist said, "This study shows us that the vertical transmission of microbial organisms from mother to child through a yet unknown mechanism may have important implications in imparting influences such as immune education or priming to the baby in both immunity (including auto-immunity) and tolerance in later life. From a clinical standpoint, this finding adds to our understanding of how the fetus or newborn may respond to infections or intrauterine stem cell transplantation." Co-senior author of the study, Professor Salvatore Albani, Director of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Translational Immunology Institute and Professor of Medicine at Duke-NUS said, "This study is a paramount example of a multidisciplinary, truly translational approach to improve our understanding of how our immune system develops and relates to the environment. It shatters the notion of the fetus living in an isolated, privileged immune environment and emphasises the importance of the maternal-fetal interface in the context of environmental challenges and experiences. The research approach taken relies on high dimensionality techniques which enable the depiction and the dissection of the fetal Immunome systematically. This research bears important immediate translational implications as it will affect current and future approaches to manipulation of the immune system in prenatal and perinatal age." Co-last author of the study, Naomi McGovern, PhD, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, UK, said: "This study provides valuable insight into fetal immunology and demonstrates that complex immune priming events occur during gestation. It shows that fetal dendritic cells are sensitive to diverse signaling cues and can initiate appropriate responses that are required for healthy fetal development. " More information on the study, "Microbial exposure during early human development primes fetal immune cells" can be found via the team's published paper in Cell: https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1016/ j. cell. 2021. 04. 039 About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore's lead public sector R&D agency. Through open innovation, we collaborate with our partners in both the public and private sectors to benefit the economy and society. As a Science and Technology Organisation, A*STAR bridges the gap between academia and industry. Our research creates economic growth and jobs for Singapore, and enhances lives by improving societal outcomes in healthcare, urban living, and sustainability. A*STAR plays a key role in nurturing scientific talent and leaders for the wider research community and industry. A*STAR's R&D activities span biomedical sciences to physical sciences and engineering, with research entities primarily located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis. For ongoing news, visit http://www. a-star. edu. sg . About KK Women's and Children's Hospital KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) is Singapore's largest tertiary referral centre for Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Neonatology. Founded in 1858, the academic medical institution specialises in the management of high-risk conditions in women and children. A team of about 500 specialists adopt a compassionate, multi-disciplinary and holistic approach to treatment, and harness medical innovations and technology to deliver the best medical care possible. As an Academic Medical Centre, KKH is a major teaching hospital for all three medical schools in Singapore, Duke-NUS Medical School, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. The 830-bed hospital also runs the largest specialist training programme for Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics in the country. Both programmes are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education International (ACGME-I), and are highly rated for the high quality of clinical teaching and the commitment to translational research. For more information, please visit http://www. kkh. com. sg . About SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre About Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) SingHealth, Singapore's largest public healthcare cluster, is committed to providing affordable, accessible and quality healthcare to patients. With a network of acute hospitals, national specialty centres, polyclinics and community hospitals offering over 40 clinical specialties, it delivers comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and integrated care. Beyond tertiary and specialist care, SingHealth partners community care providers to enable patients to receive the right care at their homes. As part of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, SingHealth also focuses on advancing education and research to continuously improve care outcomes for patients. For more information, please visit: http://www. singhealth. com. sg Members of the SingHealth group Hospitals (Tertiary Specialty Care): Singapore General Hospital, Changi General Hospital, Sengkang General Hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital National Specialty Centres (Tertiary Specialty Care): National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Dental Centre Singapore, National Heart Centre Singapore, National Neuroscience Institute, and Singapore National Eye Centre SingHealth Polyclinics (Primary Care): Bedok, Bukit Merah, Marine Parade, Outram, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Sengkang, Tampines, Eunos (expected completion: 2020) and Tampines North (expected completion: 2022) SingHealth Community Hospitals (Intermediate and Long-term Care): Bright Vision Hospital, Sengkang Community Hospital, and Outram Community Hospital About Duke-NUS Medical School Duke-NUS is Singapore's flagship graduate entry medical school, established in 2005 with a strategic, government-led partnership between two world-class institutions: Duke University School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Through an innovative curriculum, students at Duke-NUS are nurtured to become multi-faceted 'Clinicians Plus' poised to steer the healthcare and biomedical ecosystem in Singapore and beyond. A leader in ground-breaking research and translational innovation, Duke-NUS has gained international renown through its five signature research programmes and nine centres. The enduring impact of its discoveries is amplified by its successful Academic Medicine partnership with Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Singapore's largest healthcare group. This strategic alliance has spawned 15 Academic Clinical Programmes, which harness multi-disciplinary research and education to transform medicine and improve lives. For more information, please visit http://www. duke-nus. edu. sg About the University of Cambridge The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. To date, 110 affiliates of the University have won the Nobel Prize. Founded in 1209, the University comprises 31 autonomous Colleges, which admit undergraduates and provide small-group tuition, and 150 departments, faculties and institutions. Cambridge is a global university. Its 19,000 student body includes 3,700 international students from 120 countries. Cambridge researchers collaborate with colleagues worldwide, and the University has established larger-scale partnerships in Asia, Africa and America. The University sits at the heart of the 'Cambridge cluster', which employs 60,000 people and has in excess of 12 billion in turnover generated annually by the 4,700 knowledge-intensive firms in and around the city. The city publishes 341 patents per 100,000 residents. http://www. cam. ac. uk This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. RTHK: Bar set low for landmark US-Russian summit With deep disagreements likely and expectations of solving them low, US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin sat down in a lakeside Geneva villa on Wednesday for their first summit since Biden took office. Both have said they hope their talks can lead to more stable and predictable relations, even though they are at odds over everything from arms control and cyber-hacking to election interference and Ukraine. Putin and Biden shook hands on arrival before going inside. "Mr President, I'd like to thank you for your initiative to meet today," Putin said, sitting next to Biden, adding: "US and Russian relations have a lot of issues accumulated that require the highest level meeting." Biden said they would try to determine areas of cooperation and mutual interest. "It is always better to meet face to face." Aides had earlier downplayed hopes for the summit. "We're not expecting a big set of deliverables out of this meeting," a senior US official told reporters, saying the leaders were expected to talk for four or five hours. "I'm not sure that any agreements will be reached," said Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov. The first bilateral round lasted almost two hours, the TASS news agency cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. The two leaders were taking a short break before resuming with a larger group, the RIA news agency said. Continued discussions were expected to include US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Relations between Moscow and Washington have been deteriorating for years, notably with Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, its 2015 intervention in Syria and US charges of meddling in the 2016 election that brought Donald Trump to the White House which Moscow denied. They sank further in March when Biden said he thought Putin was a "killer", prompting Russia to recall its ambassador to Washington for consultations. The United States recalled its ambassador in April. The senior US official said the United States was looking at "areas where working together can advance our national interests and make the world safer". Peskov said the two presidents would "need to determine how to proceed with the heads of the diplomatic missions", according to Russian news agencies. While the issues may be vexing, the immediate surroundings of Villa La Grange, an elegant mansion set in a 30-hectare (75-acre) park overlooking Lake Geneva, will be serene. The summit perimeter was under heavy police guard. Arms control is one domain where progress has historically been possible despite wider disagreements. In February, Russia and the United States extended for five years the New START treaty, which caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads they can deploy and limits the land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them. The senior US official said Biden would also define areas of vital national interest where Russian misconduct would bring a response. Biden signed an executive order in April giving Washington wide latitude to impose sanctions on Moscow. In a sign of the strain in ties, the talks will not include any meals, and Putin, 68, and Biden, 78, are expected to hold separate news conferences rather than a joint one. "No breaking of bread," said the senior US official. Vladimir Frolov, a former Russian diplomat, told Reuters Putin wanted Russia to be treated with respect, as members of the Soviet Politburo were in the 1960s-1980s, with "a symbolic recognition of Russia's geopolitical parity with the US". "In exchange, they (Moscow) would be willing to cut back on some of the loony stuff," Frolov said. This might mean "no poisonings, no physical violence, no arrests/kidnappings of US and Russian nationals; no interference in domestic politics". Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center think-tank, set the bar low for Wednesday's talks. "The principal takeaway, in the positive sense, from the Geneva meeting would be making sure that the United States and Russia did not come to blows physically, so that a military collision is averted," he said. In contrast to Trump, whose 2018 summit with Putin in Helsinki included a meeting accompanied only by interpreters, Biden and Putin are not expected to have any solo dealings. Standing beside Putin in Helsinki, Trump refused to blame him for meddling in the 2016 US election, casting doubt on the findings of his own intelligence agencies and sparking a storm of domestic criticism. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. RTHK: Israel strikes Gaza in response to balloon bombs Israel carried out strikes on Gaza early on Wednesday after Palestinian militants sent incendiary balloons into the south of the country, the first flare-up since a major conflict killed hundreds last month. Tensions later rose again in the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli army said they shot a Palestinian woman, alleging she had attempted to ram soldiers with a car and then stab them. The strikes on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza were the first under the new coalition government headed by Naftali Bennett, who took over on Sunday after ousting longtime prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The renewed violence came a day after more than a thousand Jewish ultranationalist demonstrators bearing Israeli flags poured into Jerusalem's flashpoint Old City, with scores of police deployed and international monitors urging calm. According to Palestinian sources, the Israeli air force targeted at least one site east of Khan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said that in response to "arson balloons", its "fighter jets struck military compounds belonging to the Hamas terror organisation". It said "facilities and meeting sites for terror operatives" in Khan Yunis were targeted. There was no indication of any casualties. Israel's military added that it was "prepared for any scenario, including a resumption of hostilities, in the face of continuing terror activities from the Gaza Strip." Israeli firefighters on Wednesday afternoon said they were battling to put out "several fires around the Gaza Strip... started by incendiary balloons". The violence is the first flare-up between Israel and Palestinian militants since a ceasefire took effect on May 21, ending 11 days of heavy fighting that killed 260 Palestinians including some fighters, according to Gaza authorities. In Israel, 13 people were killed, including a soldier, by rockets and missiles fired from Gaza, the police and army said. In the West Bank on Wednesday, a Palestinian woman was shot after attempting to drive into Israeli soldiers in a car and attack them with a knife, the military said. The Palestinian health ministry said the woman died of her wounds. The incident took place near Hizma, south of Ramallah. Official Palestinian news website Wafa identified the woman as Mai Afana, 29, from the town of Abu Dis, just outside Jerusalem. But her uncle Hani Afana said the family rejected the claim that the young mother had tried to kill Israeli soldiers, saying she "took this road by mistake," and that she "did not attempt to carry out an attack". The previous day saw more than a thousand Israelis take to the streets of annexed east Jerusalem in a delayed and controversial march by nationalist and far-right activists. Both the United Nations and the United States had called for restraint before the march, which Bennett's new government authorised. The so-called March of the Flags celebrates the anniversary of the city's "reunification" after Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967 and annexed it, a move not recognised by most of the international community. With tensions high, Israeli police were deployed in numbers for the delayed March, blocking roads and firing stun grenades and foam-tipped bullets to disperse Palestinians from the route. Medics said 33 Palestinians were wounded. Police said two officers were injured and 17 people arrested. The march triggered protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and prompted rebukes and warnings from Israel's allies. Throngs of mostly young religious men sang, danced and waved flags at the Damascus Gate entrance to the Old City, which was cleared of its usual Palestinian crowds. Some chanted "Death to Arabs" before others persuaded them to stop. The march came just two days after Netanyahu was ousted following 12 straight years in power, toppled by an ideologically divided coalition including, for the first time in Israel's history, an Arab party. Bennett is himself a Jewish nationalist, but Netanyahu's allies accused the new premier of treachery for allying with Arabs and the left. Yair Lapid, the architect of the new government, tweeted he believed the march had to be allowed, but that "it's inconceivable how you can hold an Israeli flag and shout, 'Death to Arabs' at the same time." Mansour Abbas, whose Islamic conservative party Raam is vital to the new coalition, called Tuesday's march a "provocation" that should have been cancelled. Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Wednesday sent Bennett a letter of "warm congratulations" for becoming prime minister, before the new premier called Rabat an "important friend and partner" in return. Morocco last year agreed to normalise ties with Israel - one of four Arab nations to do so under a Washington-backed deal - in a move condemned by the Palestinians as a "stab in the back". (AFP) This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Summer Thyme is named a Pew Scholar in the biomedical sciences BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Summer Thyme, Ph.D., has been named as one of 22 early-career researchers selected to join the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. These scientists will receive funding from the Pew Charitable Trusts over the next four years as they investigate timely questions surrounding human health and disease. This is the fourth prestigious early-stage investigator award for Thyme, an assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurobiology. In spring 2020, she was awarded a Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship in Neuroscience, in fall 2020 she was awarded a Mallinckrodt Grant by the St. Louis-based Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation, and recently in 2021 she was awarded an Alkermes Pathways Research Award. The 2021 class of Pew Scholars -- all of whom are early-career junior faculty -- join more than 1,000 other scientists who have received awards from Pew since 1985. Only one application per institution is allowed. Current scholars have opportunities to meet annually, share ongoing research and exchange perspectives across the health sciences field. "Pew has a history of supporting talented researchers who are committed to understanding intricate scientific processes," said Susan K. Urahn, Pew's president and CEO. "Our newest cohort of scholars is joining a large community of accomplished scientists who are dedicated to uncovering new solutions to significant biomedical challenges." The 2021 scholars were chosen from 198 applicants nominated by leading academic institutions and researchers across the United States. This year's class includes scientists exploring the genetic evolution of cancer cells, how regulatory RNAs influence embryonic development and how animals select specific types of foods for their nutritional needs. Thyme is one of five Pew Biomedical Scholars who will make up the sixth class of the Kathryn W. Davis Aging Brain Scholars. They are supported by the Kathryn W. Davis Peace by Pieces Fund, an initiative to increase understanding of the processes and conditions of the brain as it ages. Davis was a philanthropist who in her long and rich life was a supporter of medical research and held great optimism about the potential of young people to forge new paths of discovery. In her research, Thyme is developing new methods for dissecting the genetic underpinnings of neurodevelopmental disease. She does this by studying zebrafish, which share more than 70 percent of their genes with humans. Zebrafish are inch-long, minnow-like fish with five blue stripes. Their genome has been completely sequenced, and their brains are transparent and have architecture and cell types similar to those of mammals. This transparency enables visualization of brain development and neural activity. Thyme's Pew Scholar grant support will provide $75,000 a year for four years. "I am honored to be named a Pew Scholar," Thyme said, "and I am thankful for the supportive environment of UAB and the Department of Neurobiology that helped make this possible." "Dr. Thyme has exceeded all of our already high expectations," said Craig M. Powell, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Neurobiology. "Her work is poised to make a huge impact on neuropsychiatric disorders for decades to come. We are very proud of her accomplishments in under two years on our faculty." Thyme is the third UAB researcher to be named a Pew Scholar, after George M. Shaw, M.D., Ph.D., in 1986, and Guillermo Marques, Ph.D., in 2004. Shaw is now at the University of Pennsylvania, and Marques is at the University of Minnesota. Thyme earned bachelor's degrees in biology and chemistry at Scripps College. She completed her Ph.D. studying protein engineering at the University of Washington, where she was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. At Harvard University, Thyme was a Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Research Fellow and a National Institutes of Mental Health K99/R00 recipient in Alexander Schier's laboratory, establishing the expertise with zebrafish that has laid the groundwork for her research at UAB. With Schier, she generated over a hundred zebrafish mutants for schizophrenia-associated genes and assessed their brain activity, brain structure and behavior. ### This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Predicting the spread of invasive carp using river water flows For more than two decades, Duane Chapman, a fish biologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), has been chasing the spread of invasive carp, a family of fish originally from Europe and Asia, which individually are known as bighead carp, black carp, grass carp and silver carp. After their introduction to the U.S. in the 1970s by way of aquatic farms, they escaped into the Mississippi River and began to reproduce, causing widespread economic and environmental damage as they out-competed native fish populations for food and other resources. Now, Chapman and his colleague Robert Jacobson, a research hydrologist from the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, are partnering with University of Missouri researchers to use an approximately $200,000 grant from the USGS Aquatic Invasive Species Competitive Grants Program to develop a three-dimensional (3D) model to better predict how the variable dynamics of river water flows -- currents and water turbulence -- influence the spread of invasive carp throughout the U.S. Invasive carp reproduce in rivers, and can lay thousands of eggs at a time that can drift for miles in river flows before hatching. "These carp can live in lakes and other bodies of water, but only spawn, or reproduce, in rivers," said Chapman, a co-investigator on the grant. "We hope this new model will be able to improve our ability to forecast where the ideal or non-ideal locations are for the survival of carp offspring. Also, while we are primarily focused on this invasive species, we also believe that this model, with some modifications, has the potential to help with predicting the survival of other fish species, such as the endangered pallid sturgeon." The ability of four invasive carp to spread easily into new habitats has scientists like Chapman concerned for the ecological well-being of ecosystems that have not been touched yet, such as the Great Lakes, where the introduction of invasive carp could potentially damage the region's commercial fishing industry, valued in the billions of dollars each year. Chapman said the new model will also allow scientists to better determine what types of countermeasures might be used to reduce the population of invasive carp. Binbin Wang, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and lead investigator on the grant, said the current approach to study the spread of invasive carp offspring in water flow utilizes only one- or two-dimensional models, which are useful but are limited in the ability to accurately measure the variable dynamics that occur in rivers. Wang, whose research focuses on the physics of fluid dynamics such as water, is excited to see a potential real-world application of his research. "River flows are highly three-dimensional in nature," Wang said. "For this particular project, we are looking at various intensities of turbulent water flow. Turbulence is essentially highly organized chaotic motion. River turbulence is also critical in spreading out the eggs of invasive carp. Imagine if you are stirring a coffee cup. A three-dimensional flow needs to be created in order to mix the coffee with any additional ingredients so the ingredients go not only back and forth across the cup, but also up and down so they are mixed thoroughly. We are using this approach to allow scientists to better understand the fundamental mechanisms that can either help or hinder the survival of fish eggs in a river system." The multi-year project is scheduled to be completed in fall 2023, and includes a field test of the model utilizing an area of the Lower Missouri River. The testing site was chosen because the ecological structure of the area is similar to many other large rivers in the U.S., such as the Mississippi River. ### This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Are zoos inadvertently complicit in wildlife trade? The case of a rare Borneo lizard Should zoos display legally protected species that have been smuggled out of their range countries? A new study suggests that a pause and rethink may be needed, as it reports that accredited zoos have acquired a rare and legally protected reptile, the earless monitor lizard endemic to Borneo, without any evidence that the animals were legally exported. The earless monitor lizard occurs only on the island of Borneo and has been described as a "miniature Godzilla" and "the Holy Grail of Herpetology." Discovered by western scientists almost 150 years ago, for most of this period the species was known largely from pickled specimens in natural history collections, and wasn't recorded from the wild for decades. In the 1970s, the three countries that make up Borneo - Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei - added it to their protected species lists. This means that the species can neither be legally traded within these countries, nor legally exported out of them. Despite legal protection and lack of export permissions, reptile enthusiasts and unscrupulous traders have long been smuggling small numbers of earless monitor lizards out of Indonesia and Malaysia, eventually bringing them to Europe. This greatly accelerated in 2012, when the species' rediscovery was announced in a scientific journal. In 2016, all 183 countries that are signatory to the Convention on international trade in endangered species agreed to regulate global trade in earless monitor lizards in order to limit the negative effects of smuggling on wild populations. Agreed export numbers were set at zero. Enforcing the laws has proven to be challenging, however, and to date only two smuggling attempts have been thwarted. In both cases, German smugglers were apprehended at Indonesian airports while attempting to move respectively eight and seventeen earless monitor lizards out of the country. The first zoo that proudly announced it had obtained earless monitor lizards was Japan's iZoo in 2013. This zoo is not accredited, and the ways in which the animals were obtained remain questionable. In Europe, the first zoos to openly display earless monitor lizards were located in Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic. The animals were obtained from what zoos referred to as "private individuals" or "dedicated hobby breeders", and, in one instance, from iZoo. Just like in Japan, how these animals ended up in Europe is questionable, but perhaps not illegal - and it is evident that no export permits were ever issued. In recent years, more and more zoos in Europe, and since the beginning of this year also in the United States, have started displaying earless monitor lizards. Some cases were part of zoo exchanges, others were obtained from private individuals, and a handful were placed in zoos by authorities after they were seized, but it is clear that many were at one point illegally exported out of Indonesia, Malaysia or Brunei, or were illegally imported into non-range countries. The acquisition of these protected lizards by zoos is neither in line with the intentions of national laws of their countries of origin, nor with international wildlife trade regulations. Moreover, it is diametrically opposed to the commitments the international zoo community has made to address illegal wildlife trade. "To me, the current situation concerning the purchasing and proudly displaying of earless monitor lizards by accredited zoos can be compared with a road safety organisation posting online videos of its CEO doing wheelies on a motorbike and then adding that it was done on a private road where neither wearing a helmet nor having a driver's licence is required," said Vincent Nijman of the Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, author of the study that was published in the open-access journal Nature Conservation. "Both may be legal in a technical sense, but the optics are not good." "Modern, scientifically managed zoos are increasingly organising themselves with set ethical values and binding standards which go beyond national legislation on conservation and sustainability, but, unfortunately, this still only counts for a small proportion of zoos worldwide," said Dr Chris R. Shepherd, Executive Director of Monitor Research Conservation Society. "Zoos that continue to obtain animals that have been illegally acquired, directly or indirectly, are often fuelling the illegal wildlife trade, supporting organised crime networks and possibly contributing to the decline in some species." Seven years ago, the price for a single earless monitor lizard was in the order of EUR 8,000 to 10,000 , so any zoo or hobbyist wanting to have one or more pairs had to make a serious financial commitment. These high prices put a restriction on the number of people that wanted to acquire them and could afford them. It probably also gave potential buyers a tacit reminder that the trade was illicit. In recent years, however, prices have come down, to less than EUR 1,000. Now that earless monitor lizards are more affordable, and with accredited zoos giving a sense of legitimacy, Nijman is concerned that it might become more and more acceptable to keep these rare animals as pets. "When I grew up in the 1970s, it was still perfectly acceptable for what we now see as accredited zoos to regularly buy rare and globally threatened birds, mammals and reptiles from commercial animal traders. Few questions were asked about the legitimacy of this animal trade. This has dramatically changed for the better, and now many of the animals we see in zoos today have been bred in captivity, either in the zoo itself, or in partner zoos", Nijman said. He added that in many ways zoos are a force for good in the global challenge to preserve species and conserve habitats. "It is imperative that these efforts are genuinely adopted by all in the zoo community, and, when there is doubt about the legitimacy of animals in trade, that a cautionary approach is adopted." ### Original source: Nijman V (2021) Zoos consenting to the illegal wildlife trade - the earless monitor lizard as a case study. Nature Conservation 44: 69-79. https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 3897/ natureconservation. 44. 65124 This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Advocating reimbursement parity for nurse practitioners PHILADELPHIA (June 16, 2021) - The current Medicare reimbursement policy for nurse practitioners (NPs) allows NPs to directly bill Medicare for services that they perform, but they are reimbursed at only 85% of the physician rate. A growing number of states are granting full practice authority to nurse practitioners. Even more states have loosened practice restrictions due to COVID-19. Both of these reasons illustrate why payment parity is essential. In an article in The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, Alycia Bischof, MSN, APRN, PNP-BC, Senior Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing), argues that given the increased role of NPs (particularly during the pandemic) and their proven ability to provide care comparable to physicians, Congress should allow Medicare to increase the NP reimbursement rate to 100% of the physician pay rate. "The COVID- 19 pandemic serendipitously led to the removal of many restrictions on NP practice, a positive change that needs to become permanent. This is the time for NPs to seize the opportunity to work with MedPAC to achieve full reimbursement for care provided," she says. In the article, she summarizes the evolution of the practice of NPs and the rationale for reimbursement parity for nurse practitioners. She also outlines the potential benefits of providing NPs with 100% reimbursement, including incentivizing them to practice in primary care settings where there is a shortage. Bischof encourages nurse advocacy groups and researchers to direct future studies to investigate how full practice authority and the removal of practice barriers due to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the level of care that NPs provide. "Such studies can then be used to support further evolution of reimbursement policy, if NPs indeed produce an equal or better product than physicians," she says. ### The co-author of the article is Sherry A. Greenberg, PhD, RN, GNP-BC, FGSA, FAANP, FAAN, of Seton Hall University College of Nursing. The article "Post COVID-19 Reimbursement Parity for Nurse Practitioners" is available online. About the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is one of the world's leading schools of nursing. For the sixth year in a row, it is ranked the #1 nursing school in the world by QS University and is consistently ranked highly in the U.S. News & World Report annual list of best graduate schools. Penn Nursing is ranked as one of the top schools of nursing in funding from the National Institutes of Health. Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists and nurse leaders to meet the health needs of a global society through innovation in research, education, and practice. Follow Penn Nursing on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, & Instagram. This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The give and take of mega-flares from stars The long relationships between stars and the planets around them - including the Sun and the Earth - may be even more complex than previously thought. This is one conclusion of a new study involving thousands of stars using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. By conducting the largest survey ever of star-forming regions in X-rays, a team of researchers has helped outline the link between very powerful flares, or outbursts, from youthful stars, and the impact they could have on planets in orbit. "Our work tells us how the Sun may have behaved and affected the young Earth billions of years ago," said Kostantin Getman of Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania who led the study. "In some ways, this is our ultimate origin story: how the Earth and Solar System came to be." The scientists examined Chandra's X-ray data of more than 24,000 stars in 40 different regions where stars are forming. They captured over a thousand stars that gave off flares that are vastly more energetic than the most powerful flare ever observed by modern astronomers on the Sun, the "Solar Carrington Event" in 1859. "Super" flares are at least one hundred thousand times more energetic than the Carrington Event and "mega" flares up to 10 million times more energetic. These powerful flares observed by Chandra in this work occur in all of the star-forming regions and among young stars of all different masses, including those similar to the Sun. They are also seen at all different stages in the evolution of young stars, ranging from early stages when the star is heavily embedded in dust and gas and surrounded by a large planet-forming disk, to later stages when planets would have formed and the disks are gone. The stars in the study have ages estimated to be less than 5 million years, compared to the Sun's age of 4.5 billion years. The team found several super-flares occur per week for each young star, averaged over the whole sample, and about two mega-flares every year. "We want to know what kinds of impact - good and bad - these flares have on the early lives of planets," said co-author Eric Feigelson, also of Penn State. "Flares this powerful can have major implications." Over the past two decades, scientists have argued that these giant flares can help "give" planets to still-forming stars by driving gas away from disks of material that surround them. This can trigger the formation of pebbles and other small rocky material that is a crucial step for planets to form. On the other hand, these flares may "take away" from planets that have already formed by blasting any atmospheres with powerful radiation, possibly resulting in their complete evaporation and destruction in less than 5 million years. The researchers also performed detailed modeling of 55 bright super- and mega-flares and found that most of them resemble long-lasting flares seen on the Sun that produce "coronal mass ejections," powerful ejections of charged particles that can damage planetary atmospheres. The Solar Carrington Event involved such an ejection. This work is also important for understanding the flares themselves. The team found that the properties of the flares, such as their brightness and frequency, are the same for young stars with and without planet-forming disks. This implies that the flares are likely similar to those seen on the Sun, with loops of magnetic field having both footprints on the surface of the star, rather than one anchored to the disk and one to the star. "We've found that these giant flares are like ones on the Sun but are just greatly magnified in energy and frequency, and the size of their magnetic loops," said co-author Gordon Garmire from the Huntingdon Institute for X-ray Astronomy in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania". Understanding these stellar outbursts may help us understand the most powerful flares and coronal mass ejections from the Sun." ### This work was presented at the recent meeting of the American Astronomical Society meeting and is described in two papers accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal and available here and here [arXiv URL to be added for Paper II]. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Mystery of Betelgeuse's dip in brightness solved When Betelgeuse, a bright orange star in the constellation of Orion, became visibly darker in late 2019 and early 2020, the astronomy community was puzzled. A team of astronomers have now published new images of the star's surface, taken using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), that clearly show how its brightness changed. The new research reveals that the star was partially concealed by a cloud of dust, a discovery that solves the mystery of the "Great Dimming" of Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse's dip in brightness -- a change noticeable even to the naked eye -- led Miguel Montarges and his team to point ESO's VLT (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ teles-instr/ paranal-observatory/ vlt/ ) towards the star in late 2019. An image from December 2019, when compared to an earlier image taken in January of the same year (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ videos/ eso2003c/ ), showed that the stellar surface was significantly darker, especially in the southern region. But the astronomers weren't sure why. The team continued observing the star during its Great Dimming, capturing two other never-before-seen images in January 2020 (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ images/ eso2109d/ ) and March 2020 (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ images/ eso2109c/ ). By April 2020, the star had returned to its normal brightness. "For once, we were seeing the appearance of a star changing in real time on a scale of weeks," says Montarges, from the Observatoire de Paris, France, and KU Leuven, Belgium. The images now published (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ videos/ eso2109b/ ) are the only ones we have that show Betelgeuse's surface changing in brightness over time. In their new study, published today in Nature, the team revealed that the mysterious dimming was caused by a dusty veil shading the star, which in turn was the result of a drop in temperature on Betelgeuse's stellar surface. Betelgeuse's surface regularly changes as giant bubbles of gas move, shrink and swell within the star. The team concludes that some time before the Great Dimming, the star ejected a large gas bubble that moved away from it. When a patch of the surface cooled down shortly after, that temperature decrease was enough for the gas to condense into solid dust (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ videos/ eso2109c/ ). "We have directly witnessed the formation of so-called stardust," says Montarges, whose study provides evidence that dust formation can occur very quickly and close to a star's surface. "The dust expelled from cool evolved stars, such as the ejection we've just witnessed, could go on to become the building blocks of terrestrial planets and life," adds Emily Cannon, from KU Leuven, who was also involved in the study. Rather than just the result of a dusty outburst, there was some speculation online that Betelgeuse's drop in brightness could signal its imminent death in a spectacular supernova explosion. A supernova hasn't been observed in our galaxy since the 17th century (https:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Kepler 's_Supernova), so present-day astronomers aren't entirely sure what to expect from a star in the lead-up to such an event. However, this new research confirms that Betelgeuse's Great Dimming was not an early sign that the star was heading towards its dramatic fate. Witnessing the dimming of such a recognisable star was exciting for professional and amateur astronomers alike, as summed up by Cannon: "Looking up at the stars at night, these tiny, twinkling dots of light seem perpetual. The dimming of Betelgeuse breaks this illusion." The team used the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ teles-instr/ paranal-observatory/ vlt/ vlt-instr/ sphere/ ) instrument on ESO's VLT to directly image the surface of Betelgeuse, alongside data from the GRAVITY (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ teles-instr/ paranal-observatory/ vlt/ vlt-instr/ gravity/ ) instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ teles-instr/ technology/ interferometry/ ), to monitor the star throughout the dimming. The telescopes, located at ESO's Paranal Observatory (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ teles-instr/ paranal-observatory/ ) in Chile's Atacama Desert, were a "vital diagnostic tool in uncovering the cause of this dimming event," says Cannon. "We were able to observe the star not just as a point but could resolve the details of its surface and monitor it throughout the event," Montarges adds. Montarges and Cannon are looking forward to what the future of astronomy, in particular what ESO's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT - https:/ / elt. eso. org/ ), will bring to their study of Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star (https:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Red_supergiant_star ). "With the ability to reach unparalleled spatial resolutions, the ELT will enable us to directly image Betelgeuse in remarkable detail," says Cannon. "It will also significantly expand the sample of red supergiants for which we can resolve the surface through direct imaging, further helping us to unravel the mysteries behind the winds of these massive stars." ### More information This research was presented in the paper "A dusty veil shading Betelgeuse during its Great Dimming" (https:/ / www. nature. com/ articles/ s41586-021-03546-8 ) (https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1038/ s41586-021-03546-8 ) to appear in Nature. The team is composed of M. Montarges (LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Universite PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Universite, Universite de Paris France [LESIA] and Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Belgium [KU Leuven]), E. Cannon (KU Leuven), E. Lagadec (Universite Cote d'Azur, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, Nice, France [OCA]), A. de Koter (Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands and KU Leuven), P. Kervella (LESIA), J. Sanchez-Bermudez (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany [MPIA] and Instituto de Astronomia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico), C. Paladini (European Southern Observatory, Santiago, Chile [ESO-Chile]), F. Cantalloube (MPIA), L. Decin (KU Leuven and School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, UK), P. Scicluna (ESO-Chile), K. Kravchenko (Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Germany), A. K. Dupree (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, USA), S. Ridgway (NSF's NOIRLab, Tucson, AZ, USA), M. Wittkowski (European Southern Observatory, Garching bei Munchen, Germany [ESO-Garching]), N. Anugu (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA and School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, UK [Exeter]), R. Norris (Physics Department, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, USA), G. Rau (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Exoplanets & Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, Greenbelt, MD, USA [NASA Goddard] and Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC USA), G. Perrin (LESIA), A. Chiavassa (OCA), S. Kraus (Exeter), J. D. Monnier (Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA [Michigan]), F. Millour (OCA), J.-B. Le Bouquin (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, Grenoble, France and Michigan), X. Haubois (ESO-Chile), B. Lopez (OCA), P. Stee (OCA), and W. Danchi (NASA Goddard). ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It has 16 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world's largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky". Links * Research paper - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ archives/ releases/ sciencepapers/ eso2109/ eso2109a. pdf * Behind the Paper blog post published on Nature Communities (not available during the embargo period) - https:/ / astronomycommunity. nature. com/ posts/ imaging-the-great-dimming-of-betelgeuse * Photos of the VLT and VLTI - http://www. eso. org/ public/ images/ archive/ category/ paranal/ * For journalists: subscribe to receive our releases under embargo in your language] - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ outreach/ pressmedia/ #epodpress_form * For scientists: got a story? Pitch your research - http://eso. org/ sci/ publications/ announcements/ sciann17277. html Contacts Miguel Montarges LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, PSL University Paris, France Tel: +33 (0)1 45 07 76 95 Email: miguel.montarges@observatoiredeparis.psl.eu Emily Cannon Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven Leuven, Belgium Email: emily.cannon@kuleuven.be Barbara Ferreira ESO Media Manager Garching bei Munchen, Germany Tel: +49 89 3200 6670 Cell: +49 151 241 664 00 Email: press@eso.org This story has been published on: 2021-06-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. by Mathias Hariyadi City authorities revoked the building permit 10 years ago. Since then, the Indonesian Christian Church has been embroiled in a legal battle to reclaim the building. Last Sunday, Bogor Mayor Bima announced that a new plot of land had been offered to settle the issue, but Christians want court rulings to be respected. Jakarta (AsiaNews) The legal dispute with the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI[*]) over its Yasmin Church compound is over, this according to Bima Arya Sugiarto, Mayor of Bogor (West Java), a claim disputed by Bona Sigalingging, the Churchs lawyer. In a recent statement, Bogors mayor announced that city authorities had granted the GKI new land to build their church. Last Sunday, Mr Bima boasted that he had put an end to a conflict with the local Protestant Church, which had festered for more than 10 years pitting local Christians against Muslims. For Sigalingging, the matter will be settled only when court orders recognising that the Yasmin church had proper building permits are fully implemented. Instead, the City of Bogor wants to give the GKI some 1,668 square metres of land in another part of the city to build its place of worship. However, building a church in Indonesia is very complicated and can take between five to 10 years before all the permits are granted. The procedure requires a building permit (Izin Mendirikan Bangunan or IMB in Indonesian), released by local authorities, plus the agreement of a certain number of residents living near the site of the would-be church as well as the support of the local interfaith dialogue group. In past years, Bogor authorities have often responded to the demands of Islamist groups against the country's religious minorities. In 2008, they issued an injunction against the Yasmin Church, following protests by radical groups opposed the enlargement of the Christian place of worship. Eventually, the Provincial Administrative Court in Bandung ruled in favour of the Church. The Supreme Court did the same in 2010, ordering the City to rescind the injunction. Despite such orders, Bima's predecessor, Diani Budiarto, revoked the Yasmin church building permit in 2011. Since then, the church compound has remained off-limits by city order. During a virtual press conference, Muhammad Isnur of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation said that Mayor Bimas offer is an example of a poor leadership by local authorities. This is an abuse of power, Isnur explained. The mayor has shown no respect for the Supreme Court and other state agencies. Granting new land is not the best solution to end this example of intolerance in Bogor. [*] Gereja Kristen Indonesia. 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. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Baoneng New Energy Vehicle Group (Baoneng NEV), the NEV unit of Chinese property conglomerate Baoneng Group, will locate its headquarters in Guangzhou Development District, according to an agreement Baoneng Group inked with local authority. Baoneng, Guangzhou Development District signing agreement; photo credit: Baoneng Group As part of the strategic cooperation, state-owned companies in Guangzhou Development District will pour 12 billion yuan ($1.873 billion) in Baoneng NEV. Under the agreement, Baoneng NEV will build the headquarters into a NEV base that integrates functions of manufacturing, R&D, and operation. Before signing the new agreement, Baoneng Group has launched several projects in Guangzhou Development District, including a NEV production base, a power battery manufacturing base, and its headquarters for investment business. Baoneng Group established its automobile arm, namely Baoneng Motor, in 2017. At the Auto China 2020, Baoneng Motor unveiled its self-developed xEV platform that is compatible with multiple power solutions like BEV (battery electric vehicle), PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) and REEV (range-extended electric vehicle). The first vehicle based on the platform rolled off the production line while the company announcing the production start of its self-owned Xi'an plant in November 2020. Baoneng Motor also set up an automotive software company last year to support its in-house development of software and intelligent driving technologies. Named Foresea Seven Swords, the subsidiary engages in the R&D of smart car architecture, automotive-grade chips, car-to-cloud distributed computing platform, autonomous driving system, intelligent cockpit, vehicle control system, cloud service platform and other technical products. Shanghai, ChinaZF Asia Pacific Region is consolidating headquarter functions with inauguration of a new office building in Shanghai, getting ready for future growth. Photo credit: ZF The 8-story new office building, unveiled on June 16, will become a new leadership center for the region to enhance operation efficiency and move toward next generation mobility. It further reinforces the companys long-term commitment to China and Asia Pacific market. We are doubling down on China we continue to invest in and lead from China. We are making China as the home room for our product lines and our global functions, said Dr. Holger Klein, member of the Board of Management (BOM) of ZF Group. Shanghai, with two tech centers and a shared service center, is important part of global infrastructure. Another global function, an IT innovation center, will be created here, leveraging Chinas eco-system. "This year marks the 40th anniversary of our entry into China market, and we have already set up nearly 50 production enterprises and four R&D centers across the country, said Ms. Renee Wang, President of ZF China and Senior Vice President Operations for the Asia-Pacific Region. ZF has gone through a journey of China sales, China manufacturingand China R &D.We will continue to deeply cultivate the Chinese market, make investment, enhance innovation and development capabilities. At the same time, ZF will promote digital manufacturing, strengthen the local management team and work with China to build the next generation of mobility." Photo credit: ZF The new office building is located in the Caohejing New Technology Development Zone, Shanghai. With 8 floors and a space of 12,690 square meters, it will house nearly 1,000 employees by the end of 2021. The new headquarters will build the companys capability in the region, as one ZF, making it as a leadership hub, which helps to maximize business synergy, and ensure enough buffer for future growth. Photo credit: ZF In the new workplace, ZF is promoting the concept of "Office 3.0", which advocates digitalization, sustainability, agility and collaboration. People will find a harmonized office culture between various global ZF functions. For example, nobody owns a fixed seat, which will facilitate communication and collaboration. ZF Asia Pacific headquarters are based in Shanghai, with its facilities mainly located in Caohejing of Xuhui District, Jiuting Town of Songjiang District and Anting Town of Jiading District. The Asia Pacific headquarters in Caohejing is the central hub for ZF's Asia Pacific business units and functions, bringing together business units and functions that were previously located in different office locations. The Jiuting campus in Songjiang District will continue to serve as ZF China headquarters, and is positioned as ZF's advanced innovation center, R&D center and shared service center, including R&D bases for electric drives, chassis technology and industry technology. The Anting Technology Center (ATC) in Jiading District will become the R&D base for ZF's automated driving, active and passive safety technologies. These three office locations will form a golden triangle, and the trinity will achieve functional optimization and synergy effects. The Asia-Pacific region is gaining weight in the global map of ZF Group. In 2020, ZF generated 32.6 billion Euros in global sales, with nearly 25 percent coming from Asia-Pacific Region. Maryland Counseling Ban Case Continues with New Defendant NEWS PROVIDED BY Liberty Counsel June 16, 2021 GREENBELT, Md., June 16, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- In Doyle v. Hogan, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to the district court yesterday, leaving the door open to amend the complaint to add Maryland's State Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists as the defendants instead of the governor and attorney governor. Liberty Counsel represents Christopher Doyle, a licensed professional counselor in Virginia and Maryland. Doyle is challenging Maryland's SB 1028, which was signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan and went into effect on October 1, 2018. Doyle counsels minors who voluntarily seek his help and are struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions, behaviors and identity. Doyle's counseling is provided solely through speech, but it is prohibited by Maryland's counseling ban because the state disapproves Doyle's viewpoint. The lower court issued an opinion finding that the governor and attorney general lack enforcement authority and are therefore not proper defendants. In reaching this conclusion, the Court of Appeals disagreed with U.S. District Judge Deborah Chasanow, who ruled that the governor and attorney general were proper defendants. The Court of Appeals then stated that Maryland's State Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists can enforce the law and is a proper defendant. Liberty Counsel will now file an amended complaint in the district court to list the State Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists as a defendant. At the end of the day, it will likely be the same AG defending the case as defended the original case. The Fourth Circuit did say this case raises "an interesting First Amendment question that would be a matter of first impression in this Circuit." The district court previously refused to apply the Supreme Court's decision in National Institute for Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra (NIFLA). The district court relied upon the decisions in Pickup v. Brown and King v. Governor of New Jersey, both of which held that counseling bans like Maryland's are permissible under the First Amendment because licensed counselors engage in "professional speech or conduct" and not fully protected speech when counseling clients. But in NIFLA, the Supreme Court specifically overruled both decisions by name, writing there is no such category as "professional speech." NIFLA warned about creating speech categories and then relegating the speech to a lower First Amendment protection. The Maryland district court ignored NIFLA's abrogation of Pickup and King and repeated their error by assigning less First Amendment protection to Doyle's counseling speech. Last year, Liberty Counsel successfully struck down two similar laws in which the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the change counsel bans violate the First Amendment. Liberty Counsel's Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "The Maryland counseling ban condemns minors to struggle with unwanted sexual and gender identities without the ability to seek the help they want. This is an unconstitutional speech restriction that violates the First Amendment because counselors should be permitted to assist clients in their self-determined goals. The Supreme Court has already ruled that professional speech is not a First Amendment orphan. It is just a matter of time before we bring one of these laws to the Supreme Court and strike down all of them throughout the country." Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost SOURCE Liberty Counsel CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org Related Links lc.org/ News Vietnam Vietnam records 176 more Covid-19 patients in Wednesday noon report Smartphone app launched to aid persons with disabilities A new smartphone app is aiming to make the lives of disabled people in Vietnam easier by giving them better access to support. People attend the launch of the smart phone app - NKT - for persons with disabilities. Photo Courtesy of UNDP The NKT app gives people with disabilities, particularly survivors from accidents with explosive ordnance, the chance to provide and access data about their disabilities and print a disability certificate to receive Government assistance and communicate other needs to authorities. The digital platform at nkt.btxh.gov.vn for registry and information management for persons with disabilities (PwD) was launched on Tuesday in Hanoi as part of the Korea-Vietnam Mine Action Project (KV-MAP). The project partners are the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Vietnam National Mine Action Center (VNMAC) with support from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA). An estimated more than 6 million people in Vietnam, accounting for 7 per cent of the population, live with a disability. The digital platform aims to make their lives easier and support the provision of needs-based assistance. Information registered in the database will be kept confidential. This application is very user-friendly and easy-to-navigate. This is a great application for persons with disabilities, said Tran Le Quyen, a sign language teacher at the Support and Connect Deaf People to Society (SCDeaf) organisation. With this application, I can update and access data anytime, anywhere I want, said Cao Ngoc Hung, a 31-year-old javelin athlete who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil. When logging into this application, I can register my information on my disability level with the local authority. For people with disabilities in remote areas, using this application saves them from travelling and enables them to update their needs and then receive appropriate support from the Government and different projects." For social protection officers, the digital platform transforms the management of support for persons with disabilities. It enables MOLISA and its provincial departments to develop the national database with timely and accurate information on persons with disabilities in support of evidence-based policymaking and targeted assistance. The digital platform has been successfully tested in Quang Binh, Binh inh, Khanh Hoa, Thanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, Quang Nam and Vinh Long provinces, as well as Hue and a Nang cities, with 90,000 persons with disabilities having already agreed to be registered. These include the 75,000 people who decided to register when the initial district-level pilot was scaled up to a provincial-level assessment covering both Quang Binh and Binh inh, thanks to the Korea-Vietnam Mine Action Project. This experience helped make the online platform ready for use throughout Vietnam, and this has become easier with the launch of the app for smartphones using either iOS or Android operating systems. We will promote these applications widely, while at the same time continue developing the skills of social workers enabling them to meet the needs of those they serve, said Nguyen Van Hoi, Vice Minister of MOLISA. The platform is entirely web-based and the data is centrally stored and managed. With 70 per cent of Vietnamese people owning a smartphone, the app was developed for such devices, enhancing the access to services for the population. The application is currently being upgraded with additional support functions to assist people during registration. At the launch of the digital platform, UNDP Resident Representative Caitlin Wiesen emphasised the importance of promoting innovative solutions to solve issues for persons with disabilities, who are among the most vulnerable populations in society and have been disproportionally affected by COVID-19. The UNDP rapid assessment of socio-economic impacts of COVID 19 on PwD showed that 24 per cent of the respondents did not have a disability certificate, which limited their ability to access the services and assistance they need, she said. Cho Han-Deog, Country Director of KOICA Viet Nam Office said the availability of the app was a commendable initiative contributing to the greater goal of Viet Nam to make society more inclusive. I am happy to see persons with disabilities, including survivors from accidents with explosive ordnance, now will have easier access to social assistance, he said. Six passengers banned from flying for violating regulations The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam has banned six passengers from flying after they violated safety regulations. A passenger opened the exit slide and refused to pay fines A passenger from Quang Ninh Province was banned from flying for nine months from June 20 to March 19, 2022. He smoked in the plane's toilet during a flight on March 16 and didn't comply with the instructions to stop. A passenger born in 1993 from Ha Giang Province was also banned from flying for nine months after he opened the exit slide on the plane and refused to pay fines. Four other passengers from Hanoi, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and Phu Quoc used fake papers to board planes. All four passengers refused to pay fines and will be banned from flying for 12 months from June 20 to June 19, 2022. The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam asked the airports and airlines to update data to recognise the banned passengers. Official documents will be sent to the police, customs departments and related firms. The Northern Airport Authority, Southern Airport Authority and Middle Airport Authority will be responsible for notifying the passengers. News Vietnam 155 more Covid-19 patients confirmed, Wednesday tally rises to 423 News Headlines Vietnam to launch largest ever COVID-19 vaccination campaign China-Europe freight train adds new route to Germany's Hamburg Xinhua) 16:54, June 15, 2021 LANZHOU, June 15 (Xinhua) -- A new freight train route has been launched, linking Hamburg in Germany and the city of Wuwei in northwest China's Gansu Province, local authorities said on Tuesday. A train carrying 771 tonnes of containers with a total value of approximately 36.3 million yuan (5.67 million U.S. dollars) departed from Wuwei on Sunday, inaugurating the service. The train is expected to arrive in Hamburg in early July after traveling through China's Alataw Pass, said the Gansu (Wuwei) international inland port administration committee. It is the land port's first China-Europe freight train to Hamburg, also its second China-Europe freight train to Germany this year. The goods aboard the new route's first train are mainly auto parts, office supplies, household appliances and intelligent package delivery lockers. The train will travel approximately 8,700 km to reach its final destination in Germany. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) How the CPC sustains Chinese people's support Xinhua) 08:27, June 16, 2021 Combo photo taken on July 15, 2020 shows villagers' smiles in Shenshan Village of Jinggangshan, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Going over the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC), it is an unassailable fact that the Party always has the support of the people. International polls have indicated over and again that Chinese people's approval ratings of the CPC and the government rank the highest worldwide. Last year, a report by Harvard University based on its survey in China spanning 13 years shows that the Chinese people's overall satisfaction toward the central government exceeds 93 percent. So how does the CPC sustain this widespread support over a century? EVERYTHING IS FOR THE PEOPLE Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said the Party has won the people's wholehearted support because it has always served the people with heart and soul and strived for the well-being of all ethnic groups. It is enshrined in the CPC Constitution that the Party has no special interests of its own. "In its own work, the Party shall follow the mass line, seeing that everything is for the people and everything relies on the people." Passing down generations of Chinese leaders and CPC members, this people-oriented philosophy has been the underlying dynamic for the CPC to lead the Chinese people fighting for national independence and striving for socialist modernization. Since the start of the reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, more than 770 million people had been lifted out of poverty in continuous poverty relief efforts led by the CPC. In early 2021, Xi declared that China had eliminated absolute poverty. "What we have seen is a party that had never let down its guard, a party that has been consistently toiling on behalf of the Chinese people, appreciating its historic role and the choice by the Chinese people and history," said Charles Onanaiju, director of Nigeria's Center for China Studies. The people-oriented approach of governance also demonstrated its strength in the country's battle against coronavirus last year. China emerged among the first countries to contain the virus. It made COVID-19 treatment free-of-charge, pledging to treat every patient and leave no one unattended. "We saved lives at all costs. We never gave up no matter how old a patient was or how serious their condition was," Xi said. The oldest COVID-19 patient saved in China is 108 years old. "The leadership of the CPC clearly has the support of the people of China," said Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club, who spoke to friends in China about Wuhan's lockdown. "The basic position of the CPC has been, is, and will continue to be all about the people, hear the people, and get the policies right to meet the needs of the people." ROOTED IN THE PEOPLE Recalling his meeting with Xi years ago, Perry said, "I looked into his eyes as he was talking. I could see a man who'd experienced poverty, who'd experienced the life of the peasants of China." Many Chinese leaders started their careers from the grassroots, going through the difficulties ordinary people face and understanding their needs, which laid a solid foundation for their practical and people-oriented approach in formulating national policies. "Meat would not grace our tables for months at a time," Xi once said, referring to the days when he was sent to Liangjiahe Village in northwest China's Shaanxi Province as a farmer some five decades ago. "How I wished to treat my fellow villagers to meat at least once." From a junior local official to China's top leader, Xi has always held dear the wish he had made. Ensuring the rural poor improve their lot has been his motivation all along. Many senior officials share similar experiences. They have worked in remote areas and shouldered grave tasks. They have proved their capability in promoting regional and national development in various positions. Laurence J. Brahm, a senior international fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, studied this unique characteristic of the CPC leadership and concluded: "They know the entire structure of the economy and the psychology of people in being able to address their needs and respond accordingly." In just decades, the Party led the country's massive transformation, bringing huge economic and social benefits to the people. China's per capita disposable income reached 32,189 yuan (about 5,024 U.S. dollars) in 2020, more than double the level in 2010, with 400 million middle-income earners of its total population of over 1.4 billion. The country has the largest social security system globally, with basic medical insurance covering over 1.3 billion people and basic old-age insurance covering about 1 billion. The average life expectancy of the Chinese has risen to 77.3 years. British scholar and political commentator Martin Jacques said he believed the reason why the CPC enjoys a lot of support is that it managed to deliver a tremendous transformation for the Chinese people. RESOLUTELY FIGHTING CORRUPTION Corruption, a common problem faced by all political parties, is a disease people hate most. And it is precisely what the CPC is determined to address thoroughly. Since 2012, the Party has investigated and punished corrupt officials -- including some high-ranking officials -- on a scale unseen in decades. Xi said: "We will strike both the 'tigers' (high-ranking corrupt officials) and swat the 'flies' (low-ranking corrupt officials), and advance the system under which officials don't dare to, are unable to, and have no desire to commit acts of corruption as a whole." Ahmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban, secretary-general of the Egyptian Socialist Party, believes that a significant factor behind the CPC's success is its ability to keep itself clean through continuous anti-corruption campaigns. Moreover, the Party has combined internal supervision with state and public scrutiny, coordinating it with legal, democratic, auditing, and judicial supervision and also scrutiny by public opinion. Together, they create a powerful synergy for conducting oversight. The resolute fight against corruption has resulted in surging public support. According to a survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics, 97.3 percent of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the improvement of Party conduct, the working practices of government officials, and social morality. "History has provided ample proof that the state is the people, and the people are the state," Xi said. "With the people's trust and support, the Party can overcome all hardships and remain invincible." (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun) U.S. should stop its gesture politics disguised by epidemic control 08:57, June 16, 2021 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily Some U.S. politicians have frequently played the Taiwan card since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, trying to interfere in Chinas domestic affairs with excuse of the disease. Recently, three U.S. senators visited Taiwan, promising to donate 750,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses. After that, other U.S. senators announced to convene a hearing on strengthening the so-called U.S.-Taiwan relationship, calling the U.S. administration to expedite its vaccine commitment for Taiwan and stand ready to field additional requests from the region. That was quite a show put on by these U.S. politicians. However, its an obvious political calculation to sow discord between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan and destroy peace in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan is facing serious threats from COVID-19. The mortality rate in the region is way higher than the global average, and peoples lives and health at stake there. To control the spread of virus remains the most urgent task for the region. The central government of China places high importance on the health and wellbeing of the Taiwan compatriots, and has always expressed its readiness to offer as much assistance as possible for them to tide over difficulties, and provide them the COVID-19 vaccines produced by the Chinese mainland that have been listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency use. Over 80 percent of the residents in Taiwan said they are willing to receive the vaccines from the Chinese mainland. However, Taiwans Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ignored the voice of the people and is obsessed with politicizing the vaccines. While making excuses to prevent the Taiwan compatriots from using vaccines from the Chinese mainland, the political party joined hands with some U.S. politicians to sow discord between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan under the disguise of epidemic control, showing indifference to the health and lives of the people in Taiwan. U.S. vaccine aid for Taiwan is a camouflage, and what the White House truly aims at is to interfere in Chinas domestic affairs. Washingtons vaccine offer is merely a slogan and will never be realized. Recently, some people suggested that the White House distribute its vaccine resources to key regions for largest strategic results. Out of such intention, some U.S. politicians took Taiwan as a priority. Even if the 750,000 doses of American vaccines are delivered as promised, they are chickenfeed for the 23 million people in Taiwan. By hyping the so-called assistance, which is both short in number and never executed, the U.S. just exposed its political intentions. The Chinese government will never accept such political show that aims at interfering in Chinas domestic affairs, and neither will the Chinese people. Over the past year, the White House has frequently challenged the one-China principle with the COVID-19 epidemic as an excuse - sending its health officials to Taiwan, proposing to list Taiwan in the World Health Assembly (WHA), and announcing its vaccine aid for the region in a high profile. However, the U.S. is never to succeed in its efforts to sow discord between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. The WHA refused to include a proposal on Taiwans participation in its agenda, which fully indicated that the one-China principle is recognized by the international community and tolerates no challenge. Some U.S. politicians, taking Taiwan question as a tool to pressure China, are playing with fire. They obviously underestimated Chinas resolution and determination to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue for China-U.S. relations, and the one-China principle remains a political foundation for the relationship between the two countries and a limit that should never be crossed. Washington must understand that the Chinese government will never compromise on Taiwan question, and Chinas resolve to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity is unshakable. The U.S. said it follows the one-China policy and abides by the three China-U.S. joint communiques. Therefore it shall walk the talk and immediately stop any form of official contact with Taiwan. It must handle Taiwan-related issues cautiously, and not send any wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces, so as to avoid further damage to China-U.S. relations, as well as the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by Peoples Daily to express its views on foreign policy.) (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) China plans to bring back samples from Mars around 2030 08:59, June 16, 2021 By Feng Hua ( People's Daily China plans to launch a mission around 2030 to bring back samples from Mars, according to a press conference held by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on June 12 in Beijing following the complete success of Chinas first Mars exploration mission of orbiting, landing, and roving the red planet in one mission by Tianwen-1. Photo taken on Oct. 30, 2020, shows models of the lander and rover of Chinas first Mars probe Tianwen-1 exhibited at the 2020 Global Technology Transfer Fair held in east Chinas Shanghai. (Peoples Daily Online/Long Wei) Besides, the country intends to launch a mission around 2025 to send a probe to fly around, land on, collect and return samples from a near-Earth asteroid and then orbit a main-belt comet for exploration. A Jovian system exploration mission and interplanetary exploration mission will also be launched in the near future, said officials from the CNSA. The success of Tianwen-1 represents a symbolic achievement in the independent innovation and leapfrog development of Chinas space exploration cause, and marks six firsts in the history of the countrys aerospace industry, said Xu Hongliang, spokesperson of the CNSA, at the press conference. According to Xu, the Tianwen-1 probe symbolizes the first time China sent a probe into an Earth-Mars transfer orbit, the countrys first interplanetary flight, the first time Chinas probe realized soft landing on a planet other than Earth, the first time China had a probe rove on the surface of an extraterrestrial planet for exploration, the first time China realized data measurement and control as well as communication over a distance of 400 million kilometers, and the first time China obtained first-hand scientific data from Mars. Tianwen-1 not only left Chinas footprints on Mars for the first time, but completed orbiting, landing and roving on the red planet in one mission, which fully demonstrated the wisdom of Chinese aerospace engineers and indicated that the country has come to the forefront of the world in planetary exploration, Xu said. Featuring a high starting point, great difficulty, and a multitude of challenges, Chinas first Mars exploration mission has faced many problems since the demonstration stage, such as new environment, long distance, long time delay and a huge number of links in the mission, Xu noted. Photo taken on Oct. 30, 2020, shows models of the lander and rover of Chinas first Mars probe Tianwen-1 exhibited at the 2020 Global Technology Transfer Fair held in east Chinas Shanghai. (Peoples Daily Online/Long Wei) The probes descent from its parking orbit to the surface of Mars is the link with the highest risk in the Tianwen-1 mission, said Sun Zezhou, chief designer of the Tianwen-1 probe, who explained that during the link, the spacecraft not only had to deal with the unfamiliar and capricious atmospheric environment of the red planet, but needed to complete a dozen of key operations independently. The CNSA also unveiled key plans of Chinas aerospace industry during the countrys 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) and the next years at the press conference. According to decisions and arrangements made for building Chinas strength in aerospace, the country will advance comprehensive development of space technology, space science, and space application, in a bid to mainly enhance aerospace science and technologys role in driving innovation and supporting economic and social development, and actively carry out more extensive international exchanges and cooperation, said the CNSA. Chinas planetary exploration missions will adhere to the basic principle of overall planning, step-by-step implementation, and continuous development, and give overall consideration to the development of engineering technologies and needs of research on hot-spot scientific problems, said Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of Chinas first Mars exploration mission. The country will, with Mars exploration as the focus and main line, push forward with its planetary exploration missions along the path designed to realize orbiting, landing, and roving in step one, and complete collection and return of samples in step two by 2030, Zhang added. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) SCO members to open up new prospects for development 09:03, June 16, 2021 By He Yin ( People's Daily Visitors watch the model of Chinese-made aircraft C919 at the 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organization International Investment and Trade Expo held in Qingdao, east Chinas Shandong province, April 28, 2021. (Peoples Daily Online/Wang Haibin) Since it was founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has traveled an extraordinary journey over the past 20 years and grown into a major constructive force in the Eurasian region and global affairs. Committed to the Shanghai Spirit, SCO members have enhanced cooperation in the political, economic, security, people-to-people and cultural fields, setting an example for a new type of international relations that features mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation. As an important founding member of the SCO, China has greatly contributed to the development of the organization. The SCO has always stuck to its original aspiration and mission of jointly striving for stability and promoting development over the past two decades. From combating the three evil forces of separatism, extremism and terrorism to carrying out all-round cooperation, SCO members have forged a constructive partnership featuring non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, creating a new model for regional cooperation and making new contributions to regional peace and development. The combined GDP of SCO member states has reached nearly $20 trillion, over 13 times more than that when the organization was established. Besides, SCO members total value of foreign trade has reached $6.6 trillion, an increase of 100 times from 20 years ago. The SCO stands as a comprehensive regional cooperation organization that covers the largest area and population in the world, as well as an important force for promoting global peace and development. It is generally believed by the international community that the SCO is exerting an ever-growing and more profound influence on the world. Since it was established, the SCO has creatively initiated and followed through the Shanghai Spirit, which champions mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development. The Shanghai Spirit has vitality and value that transcend geography boundaries and time. Against the backdrop of profound changes unseen in a century, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, member states of the SCO have firmly carried forward the Shanghai Spirit, supported each other in fighting the virus, and actively pushed ahead with cooperation in various fields, infusing positive energy into the steady development of the SCO, global fight against the pandemic, as well as multilateral cooperation. Faced with the complex and fast-changing international situation, which is characterized by mounting unilateralism and protectionism, frequent regional hotspot issues and severe security threats, the international community looks forward to the SCO continuously contributing wisdom and strength to tackling global challenges, improving global governance, safeguarding and practicing multilateralism, and defending international fairness and justice. Over the past two decades, China has always been committed to promoting the development of the SCO, and unremittingly strived for regional safety and stability as well as development and prosperity of countries involved. Since 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping has attended meetings of the Council of Heads of Member States of the SCO for eight consecutive years, calling on SCO member states to jointly build a closer SCO community with a shared future, and proposing a series of important cooperation initiatives, which received positive responses from various parties. Xis vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind was written into the Qingdao Declaration signed following the 18th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO held in 2018, and made a common aspiration of all member states of the SCO. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) put forward by Xi has synergized with SCO members national development strategies as well as region-wide cooperation initiatives such as the Eurasian Economic Union, generating major opportunities for regional development. Last year, Xi proposed building a community of health for all, a community of security for all, a community of development for all, and a community of cultural exchanges for all under the framework of the SCO for the first time. Xis proposals have enriched and developed the connotations of the Shanghai Spirit, boosted countries confidence in and charted the way forward for promoting the development of the SCO in the post-pandemic era. Standing at a new historical starting point, the SCO shoulders new expectations and new responsibilities in the new era. Its believed that the SCO members will continue carrying forward the Shanghai Spirit, enhancing solidarity and mutual trust and deepening cooperation in various fields to open up new prospects for the development of the SCO. China will continuously strive for building a closer SCO community with a shared future together with other SCO members, and make new contributions to building a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) China to launch Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship on June 17 Xinhua) 09:16, June 16, 2021 JIUQUAN, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship will be launched at 9:22 a.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Wednesday. The spaceship will take three male astronauts -- Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo -- into space for the construction of China's space station, said Ji Qiming, assistant to the director of the CMSA, at a press conference held at the launch center. After entering orbit, the spaceship will conduct a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the in-orbit space station core module Tianhe, forming a complex with the core module and the cargo craft Tianzhou-2. The astronauts aboard Shenzhou-12 will be stationed in the core module and remain in orbit for three months. The launch will be carried out with a Long March-2F carrier rocket, which will be filled with propellant on Wednesday morning, Ji said. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun) Chinese vaccines prove their safety, efficacy: Lao deputy PM Xinhua) 10:11, June 16, 2021 Chinese ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong (R) and Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) central committee politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune attend the handover ceremony of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines in Vientiane, Laos, on June 15, 2021. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) The Lao deputy prime minister said that at the critical time when the new wave of epidemic hits the country, China once again extends a helping hand timely, providing a new batch of vaccine assistance, which is a valuable and tremendous support to the epidemic prevention and control in Laos. VIENTIANE, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Laos has arranged for the administering of China's COVID-19 vaccines nationwide, which have fully proved their safety and efficacy, Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) central committee politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune said. At the handover ceremony for the fourth batch of Chinese government-donated COVID-19 vaccines, held at the Ministry of Health of Laos on Tuesday, the Lao deputy prime minister said that at the critical time when the new wave of epidemic hits the country, China once again extends a helping hand timely, providing a new batch of vaccine assistance, which is a valuable and tremendous support to the epidemic prevention and control in Laos. Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) central committee politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune speaks during the handover ceremony of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines in Vientiane, Laos, on June 15, 2021. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) Kikeo also said that the Lao side attaches great importance to the health of Chinese citizens and overseas Chinese in Laos, providing them, just like the Lao citizens, with free vaccination services. Jiang Zaidong, the Chinese ambassador to Laos, said in his speech at the ceremony that he was informed that 85 percent of Lao's vaccinated population were administered with China's donated vaccines. Workers unload China-donated COVID-19 vaccines from a Chinese cargo plane in Vientiane, Laos, on June 14, 2021. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) "We believe that the new batch of vaccines will promptly and effectively fill the vaccine gap in Laos and make positive contribution to the Lao people's coming victory over the epidemic," said the Chinese ambassador. The new batch of Chinese government-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Wattay International Airport in Lao capital Vientiane on Monday. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun) EU, U.S. agree truce in 17-year dispute over aircraft subsidies Xinhua) 10:23, June 16, 2021 Airbus A330neo aircraft receives a water cannon salute upon its arrival at Entebbe International Airport in Wakiso District, Central Region of Uganda, Feb. 2, 2021. (Photo by Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua) The dispute over subsidies for U.S. planemaker Boeing and its European rival Airbus has seen parallel cases filed at the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2004. Von der Leyen said in a statement that the EU-US summit with visiting U.S. President Joe Biden had begun with a breakthrough on the long-standing issue. BRUSSELS, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and the United States have agreed on a truce in their long-standing conflict over aircraft subsidies, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said here Tuesday. "Today we move from litigation to cooperation," she tweeted. The dispute over subsidies for U.S. planemaker Boeing and its European rival Airbus has seen parallel cases filed at the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2004. Von der Leyen said in a statement that the EU-US summit with visiting U.S. President Joe Biden had begun with a breakthrough on the long-standing issue. Both sides had agreed in March to a four-month suspension of tariffs on 11.5 billion U.S. dollars of goods from EU wine to U.S. tobacco and spirits, which they had imposed during the dispute. During the EU-US summit, both sides agreed to remove the tariffs for five years until they continue discussions on an overarching deal on the subsidies. Australia's national airline Qantas's last Boeing 747 passenger jumbo jet prepares to take off in Sydney, Australia, on July 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei) "With the agreement on Boeing-Airbus, we have taken a major step in resolving the longest trade dispute in the history of the WTO. I am happy to see that after intensive work between the European Commission and the U.S. administration, our transatlantic partnership is on its way to reaching cruising speed," von der Leyen said in a statement. This showed the new spirit of cooperation between the EU and the U.S. and that "we can solve the other issues to our mutual benefit," she noted. The dispute started in 2004 when the United States filed a case at the WTO against the EU, arguing that the bloc was illegally subsidizing the Europe's large civil aircraft manufacturer Airbus. The EU also filed a complaint against the U.S. in May 2005, alleging unlawful support to Boeing. Following a series of WTO decisions, both the U.S. and the EU imposed punitive tariffs on each other's exports, affecting in total value of 11.5 billion U.S. dollars of trade between the two sides. As a result, EU and U.S. businesses have had to pay over 3.3 billion U.S. dollars in duties. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun) MOC official says to support Hong Kong in participating in economic cooperation zones overseas Xinhua) 11:26, June 16, 2021 HONG KONG, June 15 (Xinhua) -- An official of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Tuesday expressed support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in giving full play to its advantages to participate in economic cooperation zones overseas. Speaking at an online seminar, Li Yongjun, an official in charge of outbound investment and economic cooperation at the MOC said Hong Kong has rich experience in professional services and encouraged Hong Kong businesses to provide cooperation zones overseas with services in areas including law, finance and environmental protection. Hong Kong companies can also team up with mainland partners, Li said. Denis Yip Shing-fai, the Belt and Road commissioner of the HKSAR government, said the economic cooperation zones overseas provide perfect access for Hong Kong businesses to explore overseas markets. With unique advantages of being internationalized and professional, Hong Kong businesses can contribute to multiple areas of professional services, Yip said. The online conference was organized to help Hong Kong businesses to tap on opportunities in five economic cooperation zones established by Chinese mainland businesses in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Comorian president expresses gratitude to Chinese medical aid team Xinhua) 11:30, June 16, 2021 MORONI, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Comorian President Azali Assoumani on Tuesday expressed his gratitude to the Chinese medical aid team sent to Comoros, saying that their mission "has been a complete success." In a speech during a farewell ceremony for the medical team in Moroni, the capital city of Comoros, Azali said that they have brilliantly discharged their mission. According to him, the Chinese medical aid team arrived in the country as part of China's medical assistance to Comoros. "The Comorian government remained committed to action, in concert with the Chinese government, in order to always strengthen the deep bonds of friendship, which was forged by the Chinese and Comorian peoples," said Azali. Taking this opportunity, Azali also elevated all members of the Chinese medical mission to Comoros to the rank of Knight of the Order of the Green Crescent of the Comoros. The Chinese medical team consists of 12 medical experts, who specialize in such areas as respiratory and critical care medicine, public health, laboratory testing, traditional Chinese medicine and other fields, and come from several hospitals in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Why China has no "systemic challenges" to the international order (CGTN) 11:32, June 16, 2021 A Chinese Mission to the EU spokesperson responded to a question concerning the NATO Summit's Communique on Tuesday. China urged NATO member states to view China's development in a "rational manner" and stop using the "China threat" theory to create confrontation and geopolitical competition. Here's the full text. Q: On June 14, leaders from NATO member states issued a Communique after the Summit, claiming that China presents "systemic challenges" to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to Alliance security. It mentions issues including China's "coercive policies", rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal and "opaque" military modernization. It also says that NATO maintains a constructive dialogue with China where possible and welcomes opportunities to engage with China on common challenges such as climate change. What's your comment? A: We took note of the references to China in the NATO Summit's Communique. By claiming that China presents so-called "systemic challenges", NATO is slandering China's peaceful development and misjudging the international situation and its own role. It represents a continuation of the Cold War mentality and bloc politics. China is committed to a defense policy that is defensive in nature. Our pursuit of defense and military modernization is justified, reasonable, open and transparent. China's defense budget in 2021 is 1.35 trillion yuan (about $ 209 billion). That is just 1.3 percent of its GDP, even less than NATO's minimum 2 percent. In contrast, the total military expenditure of 30 NATO member states is expected to reach $1.17 trillion in 2021, more than half of the total global military expenditure and 5.6 times that of China. The people of the world can see clearly who has military bases all over the world and who is flexing muscles by sending aircraft carriers all over the world. The number of Chinese nuclear weapons is by no means in the same league with NATO member states such as the United States. According to think tanks from Sweden and the U.S., NATO member states have nearly 20 times more nuclear warheads than China. China always follows the principle of no-first-use of nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstance, and committed itself unconditionally not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones. I would like to ask whether NATO and its member states, which are striving for "peace, security and stability", can make the same commitment as China? China is committed to peaceful development. But we will never forget the historical tragedy of the bombing of China's embassy in Yugoslavia, and we will never forget the human tragedy of the destruction of our compatriots' families. We will never give up our right to uphold peace, and will stand firm in defending our sovereignty, security and development interests. We will follow very closely NATO's strategic adjustment and its policy adjustment towards China. China will not present "systemic challenges" to anyone, but we will not sit by and do nothing if "systemic challenges" come closer to us. China urges NATO to view China's development in a rational manner, stop hyping up in any form the so-called "China threat", and stop taking China's legitimate interests and rights as an excuse to manipulate bloc politics, create confrontation and fuel geopolitical competition. Instead, NATO should devote more of its energy to promoting dialogue and cooperation and making more efforts that are truly conducive to upholding international and regional security and stability. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun) China's unpaid blood donations total 15.53 million in 2020 People's Daily Online) 13:14, June 16, 2021 China's blood emergency supply capacity has been continuously ramped up thanks to the establishment of a national-level blood guarantee mechanism and strengthened management in blood allocation. The number of blood donations from voluntary unpaid donors soared from 328,000 in 1998 to a staggering 15.53 million in 2020, an increase of 47 times, according to statistics recently released by the National Health Commission (NHC). A recovered coronavirus patient from Huanan seafood market holds a certificate for blood donation while donating plasma at Wuhan Blood Center in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) Guo Yanhong, an inspector with the NHC, disclosed that with the establishment of a voluntary blood donation system in China, a total of 452 blood banks have now been built across the country. In addition to the rapid rise in unpaid blood donations, the rate of voluntary blood donations also increased -- from 4.8 per thousand in 1998 to 11.1 per thousand in 2020. Moreover, the past five years have seen the volume of voluntary blood collected and the number of unpaid blood donations jump by 17 percent and 17.9 percent respectively compared with five years earlier. China's emergency blood supply capability has been continuously strengthened, said Guo, adding that during the fight against COVID-19, 12 provinces delivered blood to Hubei province, the former epicenter of the epidemic, nearly 60 times, sending a total of 13.93 million milliliters and providing a solid guarantee for the anti-epidemic efforts. Furthermore, China's level of informatization in blood management and donor services has been continuously improved. According to Guo, in 2019, China established and launched the national blood management information system, which realized the dynamic management and interconnection of information on blood collection, supply, testing, deployment, inventory and blood donor data of 452 blood banks across the country. "The epidemic had little impact on voluntary blood donations in China," Guo revealed, adding that from January to April this year, the number of unpaid blood donations nationwide reached 5.119 million, with 8.845 million units of blood donation, an increase of 4 percent and 4.5 percent respectively over the same period in 2019. Since June, the national blood stock has been sufficient for more than 12 days of use, higher than the seven-day safety line, while the platelet inventory can be used for roughly 2.2 days, higher than the one-day safety line, according to the test results of the national blood management information system. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Chinese FM calls for building closer SCO community with shared future Xinhua) 13:37, June 16, 2021 Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi sends a video message to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Day reception held in Beijing, China, on June 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao) BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi sent a video message on Tuesday to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Day reception on the 20th anniversary of the organization's founding, calling for joint efforts to accelerate the building of a community with a shared future. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has blazed a cooperation and development path that suits the regional conditions and meets the needs of all parties, Wang said. He made a four-pronged proposal on the future development of the SCO, including setting a new paradigm of a community with a shared future, unleashing new growth drivers for win-win cooperation, promoting mutual learning among civilizations and shouldering new responsibilities of global governance. "We should inherit and carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, and strengthen the exchange of experience in state governance," he said. Wang called for remaining united in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and making concerted efforts to crack down on the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism. "We should speed up the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of the SCO countries and regional cooperation initiatives, and carry out more cooperation in high-tech fields such as digital economy and artificial intelligence," he said. On cultural exchanges, Wang said he hoped more exchanges and cooperation could be conducted within such sectors as youth, women, think tanks and the media, with non-governmental friendly institutions playing a greater role. He also called on the SCO to defend the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and carry forward true multilateralism. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Business matchmaking event bridges cooperation between China, New Zealand in solar energy Xinhua) 14:46, June 16, 2021 AUCKLAND, New Zealand, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Working in the solar industry for seven years, businessman Anindiya Rai has been looking for potential customers in both China and New Zealand at a business matchmaking event here. The event, organized by the China Construction Bank Corporation (CCB) New Zealand Branch on Tuesday, was aimed to promote bilateral business opportunities in the solar energy sector. New Zealand is committed to net-zero emissions of all greenhouse gases other than biogenic methane by 2050, in an addition to a 24 to 47 percent reduction below 2017 biogenic methane emissions, by 2050, including a 10 percent reduction below 2017 biogenic methane emissions by 2030. In June last year, the New Zealand government made changes to the country's Emissions Trading Scheme with a broader range of compliance tools, including net emissions cap, new penalties, phasing out industrial allocations and units auction. These strategic and operational reforms could bring substantial business opportunities for Rai and his company Lucid Consulting in New Zealand. "In New Zealand, we have ample solar resources. I see great opportunities in the solar energy sector. Unlike other green energy that requires huge one-off infrastructure investment, solar energy is accessible at every level. A household can have their own solar energy," said Rai. Rai was excited to see a group of targeting customers and suppliers and many service companies turning out in the event. To him, this means big wins for the New Zealand solar energy sector. "Matchmaking event like this brings the supply and demand together. Customers may directly access solar energy suppliers like Huawei. And there is the solar finance provided by the bank, which solves the funding issue for solar projects," he said. On Tuesday, another New Zealand solar energy company, Forward Solar, signed a contract worth 20 million New Zealand dollars online virtually with a Chinese company in the matchmaking event. Hu Bofei, Deputy General Manager, International Business Department of China Construction Bank, said, "The matchmaking and contracts signing is what we have initiated to help both New Zealand and Chinese solar companies with effective and boundless financial and platform supporting services." Huang Yuefeng, the economic and commercial counsellor from the Chinese Embassy to New Zealand, was also pleased to witness the matchmaking and contract signing. "New Zealand and China have shown great resilience in bilateral trade through the COVID-19 pandemic. In the post-COVID-19 recovery, our two countries are exploring new ways and channels to promote bilateral cooperation. Green energy, climate change and environmental protection are areas where both countries could explore innovative cooperation," said Huang. Huang was looking forward to the event creating a more comprehensive platform and further opportunities for future bilateral cooperation in the solar energy sector. (1 New Zealand dollar equals 0.7135 U.S. dollar) (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Interview: CPC's achievements unrivalled in history, says former Cypriot president Xinhua) 15:23, June 16, 2021 NICOSIA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has made brilliant achievements that were hard to attain in history, and will create new miracles in the time to come, George Vassiliou, former president of Cyprus, has said. "One can only admire the CPC for its achievements," said Vassiliou, also the founder of the Cypriot United Democrats party, in a recent interview with Xinhua. He said that over the past 40 years, China's gross domestic product (GDP) has been growing at a pace described by the World Bank as "the fastest sustained expansion by a major economy in history." Such a growth rate has enabled China to double its GDP every eight years, he noted, citing data from the bank. Speaking of the factors behind the feat, the ex-president pointed to the CPC's close relationship with the Chinese people, which "is the vital precondition for everything," and the party's vision for future development. Thanks to these aspects, the Chinese ruling party is able to formulate policies based on national condition and safeguard the smooth functioning of the rule of law by bringing concrete anti-graft results, thereby continues to lead the country forward, Vassiliou said. Under the CPC leadership, people have seen "a huge improvement in their (the Chinese people's) standards of living, and the strict implementation of the rule of law ... and the party has proved that it is able to face the various challenges that arise," he said. Vassiliou stressed that the CPC has pushed forward the coordinated urban and rural development via such measures as tax policies, regional polices, and promoting technical training, while seeking an even broader space to develop, by deepening the reform and putting more efforts in the ever-opening of the Chinese market. "I want to pinpoint that I am admiring the success of the economic policies adopted by the party in the last decades," he said, adding that eradicating absolute poverty was "a unique achievement for which the whole world is admiring." Vassiliou said his "firm belief" is that the policies will still be effective in the future and worthy of continuing to be implemented. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Offering guests the chance to immerse themselves fully in the style and ambience of the period when the Reverso was born, the pop-up cafe will open in Shanghai in June, and this autumn in Paris the birthplace of the Art Deco movement. Secret de fruits rouges Jaeger-LeCoultre An Homage to Art Deco Born in the 1920s, Art Deco style was distinguished by a streamlined geometry that rejected traditional ornamentation and perfectly captured the spirit of modernity and progress that defined its time. Created in 1931 and infused with this same spirit, the Reverso was a radical departure from the norms of traditional watch design. Its ingenious functionality and highly distinctive aesthetic epitomised the progressive values that had transformed every area of design, from architecture, automobiles and graphic art, to furniture, films and fashion. As a quintessential expression of Art Deco style, 1931 Cafe will evoke the elegant interior of a 1930s ocean liner and the glamour of a film set. Using a black-and-white palette and infused with a warm and flattering light, the design incorporates signature Art Deco materials chrome, velvet, glass and lacquered wood and features a marble floor with an inlaid geometric pattern typical of the era. Every detail has been custom-designed, from the frosted-glass chandelier dominating the centre of the room, to the chairs featuring three metal bands that echo the three gadroons on a Reverso case. A Unique Collaboration with Chef Nina Metayer Completing the design, a special collection of cakes and pastries has been created by Nina Metayer. Twice named Pastry Chef of the Year, the young Paris-based chef is celebrated for her originality, artistry and exceptional flavours. For 1931 Cafe, Chef Metayer has designed these sweet treats not only to echo the Art Deco aesthetic of the interior design but also to take guests on a journey to JaegerLeCoultres home in the Vallee de Joux. Nina Metayer Jaeger-LeCoultre By using flavours from the Valley, such as mountain berries, nuts and honey and, of course, Swiss chocolate she is inviting guests to experience the world through different flavours, as well as to enjoy pastry that has been elevated to a finely handcrafted art form. Among the pieces created exclusively for 1931 Cafe are a delightful surprise that alludes to the snowy landscape of the Jura in winter while hiding a burst of summer fruit in its centre, and an elegant, rectangular confection of hazelnuts and chocolate that pays direct tribute to Art Deco style. What appealed to me greatly about this collaboration with Jaeger-LeCoultre was the idea of bringing together two very different expressions of craftsmanship in one project, says Nina Metayer. The pastry chef and the watchmaker share the same deep values and our gestures are driven by the same desire: not to create for ourselves but to excel for the pleasure of the recipient. Soupir Chocolat Jaeger-LeCoultre From Paris to Shanghai a Story of Style The two cities chosen as locations for 1931 Cafe played significant roles in the story of Art Deco. Paris was its birthplace, with prototypical elements of the new style first appearing in the citys architecture and applied arts in the 1920s. The defining moment came in 1925, when the French capital hosted the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes. This was the catalyst for the global flowering of a style that remained dominant throughout the 1930s although the term Art Deco, derived from the exhibitions name, was coined by art historians only in the late 1960s. In the history of Shanghai, Art Deco also has a unique place. Blending East and West, the distinctive Chinese Art Deco style blossomed during the 1930s, as the city became a social, cultural and economic hub of East Asia. This heritage makes it especially fitting to inaugurate the 1931 Cafe in Shanghai, offering its residents and visitors the opportunity to experience the aesthetic and cultural world that gave birth to the Reverso design. Opening from 13th June until 15th August, the 1931 Cafe will be located at K11, the art and fashion hub in the centre of Shanghai. In the autumn, as 1931 Cafe, it will be recreated in a new location in the heart of Paris As Father's Day approaches, the percentage of panicked children worldwide realising that they have absolutely no idea what to buy rises steeply. You want to get your father something nice, something that matches his personality, something that hopefully shows how much you appreciate him. (In other words, forget the tie.) Which timepiece would you choose to be his ally in facing the challenges, both great and small, of everyday life? Check out our recommendations below and let us know how it goes on Sunday! 1) The visionary who remembers Is he a forward thinker whos constantly thinking about how to remain two steps ahead in his business? At the same time, do family and tradition mean the world to him? Having this combination of farsightedness combined with feet-on-the-ground pragmatism allows him to take the best of the past and turn it into the engine of tomorrow. In this case, we recommend the FB 1RS.6 Chronometer by Ferdinand Berthoud. The exclusive timepieces by this brand reinterpret the original work of the eponymous 18th-century master watchmaker. Chronometer FB 1RS.6 Ferdinand Berthoud The FB 1R model features a novel type of regulator display and a tourbillon movement with fusee-chain transmission. The innovative approach lies in the possibility of acquiring the rarity of a high-precision mechanism while having the freedom to choose the shape of the case: octagonal or round. Limited to just 20 pieces, this watch retains the best of tradition while combining it with the best of modern technology. 2) The passionate eccentric Your father has two passions in life: watchmaking and cars. Its impossible for him to separate them or place one above the other! On top of that, he's not afraid of originality. The ICON Damascus model from Meccaniche Veloci will be perfect for his wrist. The brand's signature design, the QuattroValvole, takes its name from the Italian term for the four valves of an engine cylinder, and has a dial with four time zones and a mechanical self-winding movement. The damask steel used for the ICON's dial was forged by a craftsman in northern Milan. Stretched and folded many times during forging, this technique creates a metal characterised by a wave-like surface pattern, giving a shiny and opaque appearance to the dial. An original and unique watch for all those who love life. QuattroValvole Meccaniche Veloce 3) The Tribal Chief For him, unity is strength. Hes careful about who he has in his circle, but he also trusts them with his life. Then the ROMA SYNERGY BY Kari Voutilainen from Schwarz Etienne is the perfect piece for him. This watch collaboration, bearing the name of the brand and also that of the famous watchmaker, embodies more than a simple partnership, but a true relationship of trust between the two parties, covering the design, the manufacture of the dial and the finishing of the movement. Its dial is available in two colours, "ocean blue" or "sand grey". Its central area is decorated with a "fish scale" motif. The name Schwarz Etienne is presented on a cartouche below the 12 o'clock position. The small seconds display, dotted with a wave-shaped guilloche pattern, occupies a large part of the bottom of the dial. Finally, a silver plate pays tribute to the contribution of Kari Voutilainen. Schwarz Etienne is a watch brand with over a century of experience in the production of watch components, but it is resolutely forward-looking, choosing to share its history with the best of its time. ROMA SYNERGY BY Kari Voutilainen Schwarz Etienne 4) The relentless perfectionist Is he the type of person who constantly pushes himself and his limits? Does he always want to be better than he was yesterday? Then for him, theres no better watch than the Submariner in white gold from Rolex. The Submariner, a watch closely linked to the history of diving, was launched in 1953 at the Baselworld watch fair. The first diver's watch to be waterproof to a depth of 100m, it has never ceased to renew itself while staying true to its history. This 2020 edition features refined lines, a black dial and a dark blue ceramic bezel. Proof that a model can be re-invented for decades, the Submariner is the ideal companion for those seek nothing less than perfection! Submariner Rolex Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there! Since its widely-anticipated establishment 20 years ago, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has grown into a significant constructive force in the Eurasian region. At the landmark Qingdao summit of the SCO in 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for concerted efforts to build an SCO community with a shared future, which has injected fresh impetus into the Shanghai Spirit and charted the course for regional and global peace and development. In the Qingdao Declaration, the SCO members made "building a community with a shared future for humanity" a common concept, which has become the member states' most important political consensus and set the goal for their future efforts. To propel the SCO towards a greater role in promoting regional and global prosperity, the Chinese president has expounded his insightful vision on building a community with a shared future for mankind on various occasions. From 2014 to 2016, Xi repeatedly mentioned a community of common destiny and a community of common interests in his speeches at the SCO. "All member states, old and new, should work in close coordination, deepen mutual trust and increase mutual support in their endeavor to build a community of shared future featuring equality, mutual support, solidarity and sharing of weal and woe," Xi said at the 17th Meeting of the Council of Heads of States of the SCO in 2017. At the Qingdao summit in 2018, Xi elaborated on his vision on upholding "innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development," pursuing "common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security," promoting "open and inclusive cooperation for win-win outcomes," championing "equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness between civilizations," and following "the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration in engaging in global governance." In June 2019, Xi called for efforts to make the SCO an example of solidarity and mutual trust, common security, mutually beneficial cooperation, inclusiveness and mutual learning, which has further specified the goals and tasks of building an SCO community with a shared future. While attending the 20th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in 2020 via video link, the Chinese president deepened the concept of an SCO community with a shared future by putting forward "a community of health for us all," "a community of security for us all," "a community of development for us all" and "a community of cultural exchanges for us all." "I would like to emphasize that the China-proposed ideas of building a community with (a) shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative have stood test within the framework of the SCO," said former SCO Secretary-General Bolat Nurgaliyev. In recent years, Xi has put forward a series of concepts and propositions on SCO-related occasions, said Li Ziguo, director of the Department for European-Central Asian Studies of the China Institute of International Studies. All of these concepts and propositions, Li said, have not only enriched the Shanghai Spirit, but also provided pragmatic and effective measures for as well as added new impetus to the SCO. Enditem Wang Zongfu, an 87-year-old veteran, tells members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) the history of the Party in Outang community of Hefei, capital of East Chinas Anhui province, June 15, 2021. The community launched a campaign featuring Party history education on the day, inviting veterans to educate volunteers and militiamen about the Party history. (Photo by Liu Yucai) Wang Zongfu, an 87-year-old veteran, tells members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) the history of the Party in Outang community of Hefei, capital of East Chinas Anhui province, June 15, 2021. The community launched a campaign featuring Party history education on the day, inviting veterans to educate volunteers and militiamen about the Party history. (Photo by Liu Yucai) Wang Zongfu, an 87-year-old veteran, tells members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) the history of the Party in Outang community of Hefei, capital of East Chinas Anhui province, June 15, 2021. The community launched a campaign featuring Party history education on the day, inviting veterans to educate volunteers and militiamen about the Party history. (Photo by Liu Yucai) During the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, 55,000 passengers were transported in Hefei Xinqiao International Airport by more than 182 flights each day on average, according to the airport on Tuesday. After the Spring Festival this year, conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic are stabilized and the aviation market is gradually recovering. During the May Day holiday, the airport transported more than 190,000 passengers, a number which equaled to the pre-pandemic level basically. However, since May 13, new cases have been reported in Guangzhou and Hefei, which induced a decrease in passenger number. During that period, the number of outbound flights each day was less than 100, and the number of outbound passengers was below 10,000. With the end of the National College Entrance Exam and arrival of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, it was not until June 11 that the airport's outbound flights and passenger volume exceeded 100 and 10,000 again. It is expected that in middle and late June, with the end of the senior high school entrance examination and the start of summer vacation, the aviation tourism market will gradually boom. According to data in civil aviation sales system, the numbers of flights and passengers will increase day by day in the coming week. (By Yang Zixuan) 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. State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe attends the 8th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus video conference on June 16, 2021. [Photo/mod.gov.cn] The Chinese military's will to safeguard the nation's core interests including issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the South China Sea is unshakable, China's defense minister said on Wednesday. According to the Ministry of National Defense, State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe said during the 8th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus video conference on Wednesday that the world is experiencing multiple crises, with factors of instability and uncertainty on the rise. Therefore, various countries should enhance solidarity and collaboration, uphold fairness and justice, safeguard international order and maintain an open and inclusive attitude in order to facilitate exchanges and mutual learning while jointly building a community with a shared future for mankind, Wei said. Wei stressed that China will be an adamant contributor to world peace, global development and the international order. The nation's military development can strengthen global efforts to meet those goals, he said. China attaches great importance to security cooperation with other countries, as well as to understanding and respecting other nations' reasonable concerns, Wei said, adding that its national interests must also be sufficiently respected and protected. The Chinese military's resolve and determination to safeguard the nation's core interests is steadfast, he said. The Asian-Pacific region will see both opportunities and challenges in its future. Various parties should uphold a global security view that is common, comprehensive, collaborative and sustainable in nature, Wei said. Countries should utilize the mechanisms offered by the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus to jointly build a safe environment. China will proactively take part in cooperation under the framework and contribute more to regional peace and stability, Wei said. By Andrew Korybko U.S. President Joe Biden addresses a news conference on the sidelines of the NATO summit at NATO headquarters in Brussels, June 14, 2021. /VCG Editor's note: Andrew Korybko is a Moscow-based American political analyst. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN. The U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) published a communique after its Brussels summit on Monday which contained several very strong criticisms against China. Paragraph 3 described China's "growing influence and international policies" as a "challenge" that will need to be collectively addressed by its 30 members. Paragraph 55, meanwhile, asserted that "China's stated ambitions and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to Alliance security" as well as supposedly represent "coercive policies which stand at odds to the fundamental values" of the bloc. It then proceeded to criticize China's alleged expansion of its nuclear arsenal, lack of transparency thereof, military cooperation with Russia and use of disinformation. It was highly condescending for the alliance to demand that China "uphold its international commitments and to act responsibly in the international system, including in the space, cyber, and maritime domains, in keeping with its role as a major power." The next paragraph, 56, built upon these demands by calling on China "to engage meaningfully in dialogue, confidence-building, and transparency measures regarding its nuclear capabilities and doctrine." The wording very strongly implies that China isn't doing any of this already but that the NATO countries all are, which isn't true. In other words, these are nothing more than projections of NATO's own self onto China for the purpose of misportraying the People's Republic as a major threat to the world. This conforms to the self-interested and counterproductive trend of provoking a new Cold War. Another alarming part of the communique can be found early on in one of the items describing the NATO 2030 vision. Point e of paragraph 6 envisions NATO increasing "dialogue" and "practical cooperation" with what it describes as its partners in the Asia-Pacific. It also talks about strengthening engagement with "key global actors and other new interlocutors beyond the Euro-Atlantic area, including from Africa, Asia and Latin America." Leaders pose for a group photo before a meeting at the NATO headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, June 14, 2021. /VCG Paragraph 73 specifies that some of these countries include Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea. These references prove that NATO is actively planning to expand beyond its home region of the Euro-Atlantic region into what the U.S. has recently taken to calling the Indo-Pacific. If there's any silver lining, it's that India wasn't mentioned in the text at all despite its close security partnership with the U.S. Coming on the heels of the G7 Summit's communique just the day prior, there's no longer any doubt that U.S. President Biden is assembling a coalition of countries to "contain" China through economic and military means. This is a very dangerous reinvention of this (old) Cold War-era relic that should have been dismantled after the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, seeing as how its raison d'etre was to contain it. Instead, NATO sought to reinvent itself first by carrying out so-called "humanitarian interventions" in Bosnia and the former Yugoslavia, after which it joined the U.S.' so-called "Global War On Terror." Nowadays, it's reinventing itself once more as a conventional military tool to be employed by the U.S. in what it describes as its "great power competition" with China. In reality, however, not all of NATO will participate in the U.S.' anti-Chinese crusade. The only countries with the military capabilities to comfortably operate outside of their home region are America itself, France, Italy, Turkey and the UK. All others require some level of support from those leading members and are thus incapable of extra-regional unilateral military action. The very fact that the U.S. is calling on its allies and their Asia-Pacific partners to assist its so-called "Pivot to Asia" speaks to how weak America's strategic position has become in recent years. The U.S. knows that it cannot "contain" China on its own, hence the need to de facto contract its partners' military services under the false pretext of the "rule of law" and "international norms" in order to make this hierarchical relationship less obvious to their domestic audiences who might be offended by it. There's no reason why the NATO countries and their regional partners should go along with this. Doing so would only prove their counterproductive submissiveness to the U.S. and greatly endanger global security. It was never China which posed a threat to the rule of law and international norms, but the U.S. Following in America's footsteps is, therefore, the worst possible strategic decision that any country can make, especially at this sensitive time in human history when the world must urgently come together to combat COVID-19 and jointly rebuild the global economy. The Cold War mentality, the military-industrial complex, zero-sum games and brinksmanship all belong in the past. Just as the G7 is outdated in today's rapidly transforming world, so too is NATO, with the latter especially deserving of being thrown into the trash can of history for the sake of humanity. The PLA Xinjiang Military Command recently organized troops in Xinjiang to carry out activities under the theme "We're with the Heroes." Photo: WeChat account of PLA Xinjiang Military Command "I would rather sacrifice my life than lose one inch of my country's territory," soldiers with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Xinjiang Military Command said after they had recently participated in activities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The command recently organized troops in Xinjiang to carry out activities under the theme "We're with the Heroes" to learn how PLA heroes, including the martyrs of the Galwan Valley conflict, defended and guarded the country's borders. The command did not reveal when those activities were held but released the information on Tuesday, the day that marked the first anniversary of the Galwan Valley clash. The troops where the martyrs served vowed: "If war comes, I will not hesitate to rush like you to dedicate my last heartbeat to our motherland" Chen Hongjun, one of the four martyrs, was awarded by the Central Military Commission the title of "border-defending hero" while first-class merits were awarded to the three other martyrs - Chen Xiangrong, Xiao Siyuan and Wang Zhuoran. The four martyrs earned deep respect across the country for their courage and bravery. Crowds visited the martyrs' hometowns, where they were buried, to pay their respects during the Tomb-sweeping Day in early April. Ru Siping, a senior master sergeant, said when sweeping tombs for martyrs at the Shiquanhe Martyrs Cemetery, "They sacrificed for the country, were loyal to the Party and dedicated to the people, and they will always be an example for us to learn from." A brigade from the PLA Xinjinag Military Command also went to Kangxiwa Martyrs Cemetery. Some said when they saw martyrs of similar age they felt a heavy responsibility on their shoulders, and vowed to charge forward as long as the motherland needs them. Other brigades in the military command also inspired patriotic fervor among soldiers by organizing speech contests and seminars, and also by reviewing their oath taken while joining the CPC. Chinese netizens also honored and expressed gratitude on social media to Chinese frontier soldiers and officers who sacrificed their lives in the deadly military clash that broke out on June 15 last year. Some experts warned India not to attempt to provoke fresh conflicts along the border, as it would only result in unbearable consequences for India. Beijing says NATO's description that China poses "systemic challenges" to the international community is an exaggeration. China's mission to the European Union issued a statement Tuesday in response to a communique issued by the leaders of the trans-Atlantic alliance the day before. In that statement, NATO leaders pledged to join forces against China's increasingly aggressive military posture, which it said threatened "the rules-based international order." The mission said NATO's accusations were "a slander on China's peaceful development, a misjudgment of the international situation and its own role, and a continuation of the Cold War mentality and organizational political psychology." The United States has surpassed 600,000 dead from COVID-19, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported Tuesday. The count spans from the beginning of the pandemic 15 months ago. While the numbers of new COVID-19 cases and daily deaths in the United States have fallen steadily in recent weeks, the milestone is a harsh reminder of the toll the pandemic has taken and is still taking. U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday acknowledged the approaching milestone, saying that while new cases and deaths are dropping dramatically in the U.S., "there's still too many lives being lost," and "now is not the time to let our guard down." In the United Kingdom, meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced late Monday that the government would be pushing back by nearly four weeks its "road map out of lockdown" date -- from June 21 to July 19 -- on which all COVID-19-related restrictions would be lifted. Speaking to reporters, Johnson said the decision was based on a surge in COVID-19 infections caused by the delta variant of the virus in certain parts of the country. He said July 19 will be "a terminus date" that will allow the country to proceed with full reopening. The first vaccinations could be given as early as Wednesday, according to Mexican Assistant Health Secretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell. The doses will be given to those over 18 in four border towns, Tijuana, Mexicali, Ciudad Juarez and Reynosa. The goal is to end essential travel restrictions on the border. Mexico has received 1.35 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson, single-dose COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States. Mexico's vaccination program has used a mix of vaccines and so far, has been focused on people 40 and older. It has administered about 26 million shots, according to the Associated Press. After an upsurge in December and January, cases have been declining across the country until a spike of 8 percent this week attributed to a breakout along the Caribbean coast. Earlier this month, the Biden administration said the U.S. would donate up to 80 million vaccine doses worldwide by the end of the month. Moon is the first Korean president to visit Spain in 14 years and the trip marks over 70 years of diplomatic ties. President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday visited Madrid City Hall on the first day of a state visit to Spain. Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida presented Moon with the ceremonial golden key to the city as a symbol of future exchanges between the two countries. "I believe this key of fortune will bring good luck not only for me, but [Korea] and the Korean Peninsula," Moon said. "I will open the door for overcoming the pandemic with this key." On arrival, Moon and the first lady Kim Jung-sook were received with military honors at the royal palace by Spain's King Felipe VI and the queen and later given a royal banquet at the palace. Moon is also set to meet Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to discuss tackling the pandemic and economic cooperation and attend a business forum in Barcelona. He will return to Korea on Thursday after his eight-day trip to Europe. The ruling Minjoo Party is promising voters more holidays this year by pushing through a bill that has been moldering on the books for some time. The plan is to introduce more substitute holidays if a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday. Currently only Lunar New Year, Chuseok and Children's Day are substituted the following weekday if they fall on a weekend. The first holiday to benefit will be Liberation Day on Aug. 15, which is a Sunday this year. "Many workers were disappointed because too many public holidays fall on a weekend this year," MP floor leader Yun Ho-jung said in a party meeting Tuesday. "We're going to pass the pending bill in June to give the missing holidays back to the people." The main opposition People Power Party welcomed the move and said it would not oppose it. Japan has denied that there are plans for President Moon Jae-in to visit Tokyo during the Olympics next month. The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Tuesday that the two countries were "fine-tuning" Moon's visit to Tokyo on July 23 in time for the opening of the Olympic Games. It claimed Moon sent a message that he wants to visit Japan in return for then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Korea during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. But the Japanese government wants to be seen to be tough on Korea amid festering historical conflict between the neighbors to shore up its dwindling popularity among hardline voters. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, asked by reporters about the report, irritably declined to answer what he called a "presumptive" question and insisted they stick to "fact." A senior Cheong Wa Dae official said, "We're leaving all possibilities open, but it doesn't make much sense to talk about a visit before we can even be sure that the Olympics will go ahead as scheduled." New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Sunny along with a few clouds. High 94F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Woburn, MA (01801) Today Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. Cooler. High 67F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Rain showers in the evening becoming a steady light rain overnight. Low 58F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. The method forms nanomaterials through the chemical element reaction of one or several gaseous elements or compounds on a heated substrate. It has the advantages of good uniformity and can be deposited on the entire substrate. The disadvantage is that th... Researchers from St. Petersburg State University in Russia have developed a new type of polymer-based solid battery that can be charged in a few seconds. This new type of battery "excellent performance" in the case of fast charging and low temperature wo... Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. 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. Embarking on a state tour to tout the American Rescue Plan to Hoosier communities, a former senator and former state superintendent stopped in Kokomo to discuss the importance of the millions coming into Howard County governments and schools. Former U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly and former Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jennifer McCormick spoke to a crowd at Rodgers Pavilion in Highland Park following a meeting of the Howard County Democrat Party to give acclaim to President Joe Bidens American Rescue Plan (ARP). Through the ARP, Howard County government, city of Kokomo government, and every school in the county stand to gain over $50 million in federal funding. Howard County is receiving around $16 million in funding, and the city of Kokomo has received the first half of its $19.8 million allotment from the ARP. Greentown and Russiaville are receiving $490,000 and $230,000, respectively. Likewise, school corporations have received or will receive large chunks of the ARP as well. Kokomo School Corporation is set to receive the largest chunk of funding for area schools, to the tune of $14,683,307.26. In addition, Northwestern School Corporation will receive $1,278,461.57, while Eastern Howard School Corporation is set to bank $741,195.25. Western School Corporation will get $1,785,284.08, while Taylor Community School Corporation will receive $1,853,453.80. While schools are required to use at least 20 percent of the funding for summer, after-school, and other extended learning programs, the funds also can be utilized to fight the spread of COVID-19 through sanitization and the purchasing of personal protective equipment. The former superintendent of public instruction said schools also can use the funds for the expansion of air quality systems within schools, such as HVAC and ventilation systems. McCormick, who ended her tenure as the last elected superintendent of public instruction in January, lauded the ARP, particularly on how it can help students and schools address areas of need that too often fall by the wayside in Indiana, such as social and emotional learning (SEL) initiatives for students. According to statistics discussed by McCormick, Indiana is third in the nation for teen suicide attempts and in the top five states for teen suicide contemplation. ARP funding, she said, can and should be invested into SEL programs, citing the celebration of Pride Month as an example as to why. Im concerned because many of the SEL issues that were dealing with, sometimes its students who identify as LGBTQ because they need those supports. Their families need supports, McCormick said. And for us, the state, to bury the data that shows us, Get it together is not helping anyone. These dollars help target some of those programs and some of those services. It is truly, truly a game-changer. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Following McCormick, Donnelly defended the ARP and compared the ramifications of COVID-19 to the recession of 2008 in terms of impact on families and the economy. Donnelly particularly took issue with the criticism that it costs too much. One of the things Ive heard said, [ARP] costs too much, Donnelly said. Let me tell you about costs too much. Costs too much was that stupid tax bill that gave money to our corporations, and not a dime of it was paid for. It was a situation where they took your money out of the treasury, and they gave it to the corporations, who by the way werent even asking for it. Business after business that I talked said, This makes no sense, because were taking money out of the treasury. Our business is going well. Things are going strong, and it created $2 trillion in debt. $2 trillion. Donnelly cited the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, a bill that reduced tax rates for businesses and individuals. Lauded by Republicans and condemned by Democrats, the bill was signed in 2017 by then-president Donald Trump. Namely, the bill cut the highest corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that over $2 trillion would be added to the national debt as a result of the bill. While Donnelly condemned the bill, both in 2017 when it was passed and now, Senator Todd Young voted for it. Likewise, current Senator Mike Braun, who took Donnellys senate seat in 2018, expressed support for it, according to a 2018 article from the Indy Star. Both Braun and Young voted against Bidens ARP bill. In an interview following his speech in Kokomo, Donnelly said that when utilizing dollars from the ARP bill, local leaders should focus on finding the best way to use their respective allotments regardless of politics. Im going to let the local leaders here make that decision, Donnelly said. Thats what we elect them for, and the effort was to make sure that funds would be there to help. I hope they use their judgment and not worry about politics or anything like that and just look and say, Wheres the best use for Kokomo and Howard County? Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Kokomo, IN (46901) Today Sunny along with a few clouds. High around 75F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear skies. Low 52F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Angels & Airwaves sent a capsule into Space to announce their first album in seven years. Tom DeLonge's band will release their sixth studio album, 'Lifeforms', on September 24. And the former Blink-182 star and UFO researcher and his bandmates teamed up with Sent Into Space to reveal their news of a new record and tour by launching a renewable hydrogen capsule, "which played an out-of-this-world premiere of the entire album along with displaying the tour and album information", into Space. On the main theme running through the follow-up to 2014's 'The Dream Walker', Tom said in a press release: "This album for me is a journey through different relationships, different points of view, and how we each have our own life path. The group - which is completed by David Kennedy, IIan Rubin, and Matt Rubano - have also released the second single, 'Restless Souls', which is "an honest letter from humanity to God". Tom explained: Restless Souls in many ways is an honest letter from God to humanity - because life seems to always be looking for ways to inspire, clarify and teach us when things become more difficult." The lead single, 'Euphoria', was released in May. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Angels & Airwaves kick off their extensive world tour on September 29 in Riverside, California, and after touring much of North America, they will head to Europe and the UK in March 2022. Meanwhile, earlier this year, Tom sold his copyright rights to Blink-182's back catalogue. The 'I Miss You' rockers' ex lead co-vocalist and guitarist announced the sale to Hipgnosis Songs - a British Guernsey-registered music investment and song management company - and revealed that the partnership, which saw the firm acquire a total of 157 tracks, would enable him to "create more music for many decades to come". He said in a statement: "It is an honour to have been playing music for so many years and to be in a position to partner with the great team at Hipgnosis to support my work. "This is now a perfect opportunity for me to not only celebrate my past, but to also give me the foundation to create more music for many decades to come." Merck Mercuriadis of Hipgnosis added: "If you're under 27 years old and making music they are a seminal band. They had angst, they had energy, they had humour but most importantly they had incredible songs and Tom is at the core of that. It's an honour to welcome him into the Hipgnosis Family." Tom left the band - who are made up of original members Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, as well as Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba - in 2015. HAMMOND The U.S. attorney will not retry a former Gary official on public corruption charges. Acting U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay asked a federal judge to dismiss fraud charges that have been pending for seven years against Ethel Shelton. WATCH NOW: Riding Shotgun with NWI Cops Patrolling Lowell with Cpl. Aaron Crawford U.S. District Court Judge Joseph S. Van Bokkelen granted the U.S. attorney's motion Wednesday and ordered Shelton be reimbursed for payments she made on her court-imposed fine and other costs. The request came a month after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago overturned a 2018 jury verdict against Shelton. Her defense attorney, Andrea E. Gambino, of Chicago, predicted last month a new trial would be pointless after the appeals court ruled that so much of the evidence against Shelton was improperly gathered by the FBI. Shelton had been an executive secretary between 2003 and 2014 to then Calumet Township Trustee Mary Elgin. The office provides poor relief assistance to Gary residents. Federal prosecutors charged Shelton, 76, of Gary, in 2014 with helping Elgin extort township government employees for contributions to Elgins election fund. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Elgin pleaded guilty in May 2017 to extortion and failing to pay $6,311 in federal income taxes. Elgin served 10 months in prison. Shelton pleaded not guilty and went to trial. A federal jury found her guilty April 16, 2018, of two fraud counts. A judge sentenced Shelton to 366 days probation, fined her $2,000 and ordered her to pay $15,000 in restitution to the township. Gambino successfully argued to the federal appeals court that almost all of the evidence prosecutors used against Shelton in the 2018 trial was tainted by an illegal search conducted by an FBI informant. The appeals court ruled the informant, a co-worker with Shelton, improperly went into her office without permission, looking for incriminating documents and copying them. Last month, the appeals judges stated the FBI should have first obtained permission from a court magistrate to do this. On Tuesday, the U.S. attorneys office filed a motion to dismiss the charges pending against Shelton. The U.S. attorney also recommended the court reimburse Shelton for $3,175 she already has paid in fines and restitution. Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LEGAL NOTICE IF YOU PURCHASED ONE OF MORE OF THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS: (1) Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner; (2) Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner (Fresh); (3) Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner (Lemon); (4) Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner (Lavender); (5) Simple Green Oxy Solve Total Outdoor Cleaner; (6) Simple Green Oxy Solve House and Siding Cleaner; (7) Simple Green Oxy Solve Concrete and Driveway Cleaner; (8) Simple Green Oxy Solve Deck and Fence Cleaner; (9) Simple Green Wash & Wax; (10) Simple Green All-Purpose Wipes; (11) Simple Green All-Purpose Wipes (Lemon); (12) Simple Green Multi-Purpose Foaming Cleaner; (13) Simple Green Carpet Cleaner; (14) Simple Green Marine All-Purpose Boat Cleaner; (15) Simple Green Heavy Duty BBQ & Grill Cleaner; (16) Simple Green Heavy Duty BBQ & Grill Cleaner (Aerosol); (17) Simple Green Oxy Dog Stain & Odor Oxidizer; (18) Simple Green Bio Dog; (19) Simple Green Advanced Dog Bio Boost Stain & Odor Remover; (20) Simple Green Cat Pet Stain & Odor Remover; and (21) Simple Green Outdoor Odor Eliminator, in any size or packaging type ("SETTLEMENT CLASS PRODUCTS") , BETWEEN MAY 12, 2016 AND May 17, 2021, THEN YOU COULD BE ENTITLED TO MONEY FROM A CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT O'Brien et al. v. Sunshine Makers, Inc., San Bernardino Superior Court, Case No. CIV-SB-2027994 WHAT IS THIS NOTICE ABOUT? A lawsuit brought by Christopher O'Brien and Tiffany Kipikasha ("Plaintiffs") pending in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Bernardino ("Litigation") may affect your rights. The Litigation resolves two lawsuits alleging Sunshine Makers, Inc. ("Defendant") deceptively advertised, labeled, and packaged the Settlement Class Products as being "non-toxic" despite the products allegedly posing a risk of harm. Defendant denies these allegations, including denying that its products are toxic. The Court did not rule in favor of Plaintiffs or Defendant. The parties instead agreed to settle. The other lawsuit included within this settlement was brought by Plaintiff Michelle Moran in Moran v. Sunshine Makers, Inc., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Case No. 4:20-cv-03242. AM I A MEMBER OF THE CLASS? The class is defined as all persons residing in the United States who purchased one or more Settlement Class Products between May 12, 2016 and May 17, 2021. WHAT DOES THE SETTLEMENT PROVIDE? With Court approval, the settlement provides cash payments based on the number of Settlement Class Products purchased and the number of Valid Claims submitted. Class members with proof of purchase may submit a claim for $3.00 for each Settlement Class Product purchased. Class members without proof of purchase may submit a claim for up to $30.00. These amounts will be increased proportionally (pro rata) if the total amount of claims does not exhaust all settlement funds and reduced proportionally (pro rata dilution) if the total amount of claims exceeds the settlement funds. The settlement also agrees to remove certain representations from the Settlement Class Product labels. WHAT ARE MY RIGHTS? You have three options: 1. You Can Accept the Settlement. Class Members who wish to receive a Cash Payment must submit a Claim Form on or before August 16, 2021 either online at www.SimpleGreenNonToxicSettlement.com or by mailing it to Digital Settlement Group, LLC; P.O. Box 301; Valparaiso, IN 46384. If you don't submit a timely Claim Form and don't exclude yourself from the settlement, you will be bound by the settlement and will not receive a Cash Payment. If you stay in the Class, you will be bound by all orders and judgments of the Court, and you won't be able to sue or continue to sue Defendant as part of any other lawsuit involving the same claims as in this lawsuit. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute 2. You Can Object to the Settlement. You can ask the Court to deny approval of the Settlement or any part of the Settlement by objecting with the Court. You can't ask the Court to order a larger settlement. If you want the lawsuit to continue instead of settling, you must object. You may hire your own lawyer to appear in Court for you if you wish; however, you will be responsible for paying your lawyer. Objections will be considered by the Court only if filed in writing and mailed by August 16, 2021 to Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, San Bernardino District Civil Division, 247 West Third Street, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0210 and also mailed to counsel for the parties. Objections must state your name, address, telephone number, name of this Litigation, factual and legal grounds for your objection, name, address, telephone number, and email address of any attorney representing you and any case in which you or your attorney has objected to a class action settlement previously and the result of that objection. 3. You Can "Opt Out" of the Settlement. If you exclude yourself from the Class which is sometimes called "opting-out" of the Class you won't get a payment from the settlement but won't be barred from asserting claims against Defendant in a separate lawsuit. Such notice shall include your name, address, telephone number, and signature and a statement that you want to be excluded from the lawsuit O'Brien et al. v. Sunshine Makers, Inc., Case No. CIV-SB-2027994. Send the written notice postmarked by August 16, 2021 to Digital Settlement Group, LLC; P.O. Box 301; Valparaiso, IN 46384. THE FAIRNESS HEARING On September 21, 2021, at 10:00 am, the Court will hold a hearing at the San Bernardino Superior Court to approve: (1) the proposed settlement as fair, reasonable, and adequate; and (2) the application for Plaintiffs' attorneys' fees of up to $1,450,000, plus costs and expenses, and payment of up to $5,000 to each of the named plaintiffs. Class Members who support the proposed settlement do not need to appear at the hearing or take any other action to indicate their approval. HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION? Please visit www.SimpleGreenNonToxicSettlement.com or contact Class Counsel at info@clarksonlawfirm.com, or call the Settlement Administrator at 1-877-426-0034. BY ORDER OF SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/settlement-administrator-digital-settlement-group-reminds-potential-class-members-that-they-could-be-eligible-to-receive-a-payment-from-a-class-action-settlement-if-they-purchased-certain-simple-green-products-301312991.html SOURCE Digital Settlement Group Press Release June 15, 2021 Pangilinan appeals to govt: Finalize position on Bayanihan 3 in bolstering anti-Covid response SENATOR Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan wants the government to promptly make a decision on Bayanihan 3 so that the Senate can take action as needed. "The Secretary of Health is saying he needs 66 billion [pesos] between July and December to address the vaccine rollout. The National Treasurer has not issued any certification for the availability of funds for Bayanihan 3. I am not sure what the direction is. There is no certified measure to address this. Does the government have a position on Bayanihan 3?" Pangilinan asked. At the request of Pangilinan, together with Senators Nancy Binay, Frank Drilon, Leila De Lima, Risa Hontiveros, and Ralph Recto, the Senate on Tuesday reconvened the Senate Committee of the Whole to find out how the national Covid-19 vaccination program is being rolled out. At the hearing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque raised the issue of needing an additional 66 billion pesos from July to December to fund testing, maintenance, and other operating expenses, as well as additional hiring as supposedly planned for Bayanihan 3. Pangilinan, however, pointed out that with 15 days left before July starts, the government doesn't have a position on Bayanihan 3 yet despite the assertion of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) that it needs the law. "Why is there no certification, because there are no funds? Of course that should come from the National Treasury. We can rush it. We can work on it, and I think we should in the Senate. But precisely, what is the policy direction? The IATF says they need it, the national treasurer says there is no certification. So where are we?" he said. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said that while it supports Bayanihan 3, a certification from the Bureau of Treasury for the availability of funds is still needed. DBM said that following an Executive Order by the President, agencies are now identifying possible savings that may be used to augment the funding requirement needed to combat the pandemic while waiting for the final funding requirements from the Department of Health. The Department of Finance, for its part, committed to take up the matter in the next meeting of the Development Budget Coordinating Committee (DBCC). The DBCC is composed of the Secretary of Budget and Management as chairman; the Director-General of the NEDA Secretariat as co-chairman; and the Executive Secretary, Secretary of Finance, and the Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines as members. It sets fiscal targets such as the key tax and spending priorities while avoiding an unsustainable rise in the burden of public debt. With 15 days left also before Bayanihan to Recover as One or Bayanihan 2 expires, Pangilinan raised concerns over the 173 billion pesos unreleased and unspent under Bayanihan 2. While the Secretary of Health recommends an extension, no concrete action has been taken by the government. "That extension, likewise, we don't know where we are in that regard That too is an issue that needs clarification. Malaking halaga ang 173 billion at kailangan ngayon ng ating mga kababayan dahil milyon na nga ang walang trabaho at gutom at dumadami ang Covid cases sa Iloilo, Davao, Tacloban, at iba pa," Pangilinan said. (The Department of Finance has yet to clarify whether the 173 billion pesos can be funded and realigned, and has instead echoed DBM's position on sourcing funding from the unspent budget of other government agencies). As of 31 May 2021, about 660.5 billion pesos has already been released to fund the country's Covid-19 response, with 16 billion pesos used as payment for vaccines. The Philippines has so far received 12,705,870 doses of Covid-19 vaccines, with 6,680,000 procured and paid for by the national government. Press Release June 16, 2021 De Lima welcomes inhibition of Judge handling one of her trumped-up drug cases Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 205 Presiding Judge Liezel Aquiatan has voluntarily inhibited herself from hearing one of the two remaining drug charges against Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima. Aquiatan first issued an Order denying De Lima's Motion for Voluntary Inhibition, prompting De Lima to file a 16-page Motion for Reconsideration last May 24, saying that the magistrate brushed aside without any serious consideration the clear grounds that she raised questioning her impartiality and moral courage in continuing to preside over the case. Among the grounds that De Lima cited in her recent motion include what she deemed as Aquiatan's "despotic manner" in refusing to consider the arguments in her Unopposed Motion for Bail "on the grossly erroneous premise that the Demurrer to Evidence 'already amply covered everything.'" De Lima said that Aquiatan admitted that she did not consider the arguments in the Motion for Bail in the belief that the Demurrer to Evidence "already covered everything," which makes it clear she might not have actually read the motion for bail, for it raised issues that are appropriate for bail, but not for demurrer. In her Motion for Voluntary Inhibition, De Lima presented clear evidence of the lopsidedness of the Presiding Judge's Orders, which the latter still seems to continue to ignore and pretend as if such are not borne by the records. De Lima said that Aquiatan failed to uphold her duty to junk the drug case despite the failure of Prosecution to present sufficient competent evidence that would link her in the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison, stressing that "there was no evidence whatsoever of any overt act of conspiracy." "How can there be conspiracy when the very elements of illegal drug trading itself - the drug traded, its quantity, the identity of the buyer and seller, and the consideration of the illegal drug sale - were not proven at all," De Lima added. De Lima also pointed out that the Presiding Judge was attempting to find evidence of her guilt by proving the guilt of persons who are not even on trial, and who have all testified under oath that they never had any dealings with her. According to the Senator's camp, a clear indication that the Judge bent backwards to justify her continued unjust detention is Judge Aquiatan's unusual directive found at the end of the Feb. 17, 2021 Omnibus Order, stating that Senator De Lima's acquittal is conditioned on defending the wisdom of decisions made by a high-level inter-agency task force that included PDEA, NBI, PNP, and other agencies in 2014, when the charge is about alleged delivery of money in 2012, two full years before the Bilibid raid. "Clearly, the Judge was not only grasping at straws, she was borrowing events from the future to hide the total absence of evidence, ignoring that those are outside the coverage of the case before her," the Senator said. In a 70-page Motion for Reconsideration of the denial of demurrer filed last Feb. 22, which Aquiatan also denied, De Lima accused Aquiatan of cherry picking to suit the Prosecution's narrative, while totally disregarding the arguments and cross-examinations conducted by her counsels. "We welcome Judge Aquiatan's voluntary inhibition from handling my case. This is an opportunity to have a presiding judge who will dispense true justice in this case without fear or favor," De Lima said. Aquiatan is the 5th judge who voluntarily inhibited from De Lima's cases. Two other judges have availed of early retirement, which brings to a total of seven (7) judges exiting from the cases. Press Release June 16, 2021 De Lima on ICC probe on gov'ts drug war: Duterte's days are coming to an end Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has welcomed the International Criminal Court's (ICC) full-blown investigation of the thousands of killings under the Duterte regime's murderous war on drugs. De Lima made the statement after outgoing ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced last June 14 that she has sought permission for a full-blown investigation to follow her office's preliminary examination into the allegations against Duterte and others involved in the current administration's drug war. "I most gladly welcome the decision of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, the Honorable Fatou Bensouda, to proceed with the investigation of the drug war killings as a possible case of the 'Crime Against Humanity of Murder' under the Rome Statute," De Lima said in her Dispatch from Crame No. 1075. De Lima added that the recent development means that Duterte's days are "coming to an end," stressing that the only question now is whether Duterte's own death will come as a boon and save him from the trial and judgment of the ICC for his crimes against humanity. "He might actually be entertaining that notion now, better to die first than to suffer the humiliation of being dragged in chains to The Hague as one of the few individuals in history to be tried as hostis humani generis, an enemy of mankind," she stated. Bensouda said last June 14 that a preliminary examination found reason to believe crimes against humanity had been committed during Duterte's crackdown on drugs between July 1, 2016, and March 16, 2019. Notably, the dates cover the period between when Duterte launched his anti-narcotics campaign shortly after winning a six-year presidential term and when he withdrew the Philippines from the court. Aside from applying for an authorization with the Pre-Trial Chamber (PTC) to open an investigation into the alleged crimes against humanity committed under Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor also seeks to probe into the killings in Davao City from 2011 to 2016. In March 2018, Duterte ordered the withdrawal of the Philippines from the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC, and while the withdrawal was formalized on March 17, 2019, Bensouda proceeded with her probe. De Lima said Filipinos should "pray for Duterte's long life and good health" because his death would be unfair to the thousands of poor Filipinos killed under his orders. "It would be an injustice for him to escape his coming trial and conviction by the grace of an early departure from this world. No, that should not happen. Let us all pray for Duterte's long life and good health, so that he may go through the ICC trial that would follow his arrest after the start of the investigation of the Office of the Prosecutor," she said. "All power, no matter how absolute, is always fleeting. Only justice is permanent. Let it be done though the heavens fall," she added. In a separate statement, De Lima reminded that no one can play with the law of humanity and use his own set of rules. "Kahit pa ang pangalan mo ay Duterte. So the International Criminal Court is now at your door, behind it are thousands of victims of your bloodbath," she said. Notably, De Lima filed a communication to the ICC in October 2017 to complement the allegations made by the late Atty. Jude Sabio, and former lawmakers Antonio Trillanes and Gary Alejano against Duterte. The communication included statements of self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato and retired police officer Arturo Lascanas, that they killed people in Davao City upon the orders of then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Trillanes and Alejano, meanwhile, said thousands more were killed in the war on drugs since Duterte became president in 2016. It may also be recalled that De Lima is the first Philippine official to investigate extrajudicial killings attributed to Duterte, the first being in 2009 where she exposed Duterte's involvement in the vigilante group known as the "Davao Death Squad" during her term as Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). De Lima later introduced Senate Resolution No. 9 on July 13, 2016 calling for an investigation into the spate of extrajudicial killings in the government's all-out war on drugs and delivered a privilege speech about the matter last Aug. 2, 2016, which earned the ire of Duterte resulting to the Senator's ongoing political persecution. Press Release June 16, 2021 Lacson to IATF: Find 'Middle Ground' for Balikbayans, Returning Residents More at: https://pinglacson.net/2021/06/16/lacson-to-iatf-find-middle-ground-for-balikbayans-returning-residents/ Small adjustments by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) in implementing health protocols can be a big help to our balikbayans and returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). This is because balikbayans have had to spend thousands of pesos and suffer much inconvenience including several days' "quarantine" at a hotel, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson and Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III said. "Find the middle ground. We cannot be too stiff, too stringent. May occasion dapat na flexible tayo (There are times we should be flexible)," Lacson said at the hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole on the government's COVID-19 vaccination program Tuesday. Lacson cited the case of an office employee who returned from abroad earlier this year, but was told to spend six nights at a hotel where many other balikbayans were quarantined, at P10,000 per room per night. Yet, Lacson said the employee could have been safer at home undergoing isolation. "You can just imagine what an ordinary employee returning to the Philippines has to go through. More than the inconvenience, he or she has to spend for hotel accommodations, swab tests, and related items," he said. In contrast, Lacson cited the flexibility showed by the Cebu provincial government, which implemented its own rules for testing and quarantining returning Cebu residents, including allowing returning residents to go home as soon as negative results come out - thus saving them from inconvenience and heavy financial burden. For his part, Sotto noted the system in the United States is flexible as well. He quoted a friend who said that when one arrives in the United States and is fully vaccinated, he/she can proceed. If not, he/she is asked if he/she wants to be vaccinated. On the other hand, Sotto noted that while the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) would shoulder the quarantine costs of returning OFWs, OWWA funds may use contributions from OFWs. Pangilinan supports lowering income tax of private schools SENATOR Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan supports calls to lower the tax rate imposed on private learning institutions to 10 percent so as not to affect the schooling of around four million students amid the pandemic. Pangilinan issued the pronouncement after the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) increased the corporate income tax collected from private schools to 25 percent pursuant to the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Law. "Mabigat na pasanin ito para sa mga private schools dahil katumbas ito ng 150 porsiyentong pagtaas sa karaniwan nilang binabayaran," said Pangilinan. The senator said the increase could lead to closure of more private learning institutions that have been badly hit by the pandemic. It was reported that around 800 private schools have been forced to shut down after students have shifted to distance learning since last year. "Ngunit mas mabigat ito sa mga magulang at mga estudyanteng nag-aaral sa mga private schools dahil sa kanila ipapasa ang pagtaas na ito," he added. The House Committee on Ways and Means recently passed a measure that brings back the income tax rate to the previous 10 percent, from the 25 percent that the BIR is eyeing. It would also allow private schools to avail of the one percent tax rate from July 2020 to June 2023 under the CREATE Law. Press Release June 16, 2021 Poe seeks better road and safety signs to lessen accidents Sen. Grace Poe is seeking to lessen car accidents and other hazards by mandating government agencies to set up road and other public safety signages that follow international standards. Poe filed Senate Bill No. 2293 or the Public Safety Signages Accountability Act for government to provide citizens with timely and correct information on traffic instructions, road hazards and other warning signages. "Articles and images of faulty or questionable signages have been reported throughout the years and such still remain as evident threats to both motorists and pedestrians," Poe said. Road accidents in the National Capital Region cost roughly one life a day on the average. In 2019 alone, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) registered 121,771 road crashes, 372 of which were fatal. Despite the mobility restrictions in 2020, the MMDA still registered 65,032 road crashes that cost 337 lives. While other factors contribute to accidents, Poe said installing visible road signs at ideal distances is clearly a must to protect and save many lives. Under Poe's bill, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will take charge of the public safety signs on national roads, while the MMDA oversees national roads in Metro Manila and local government units take responsibility for local roads. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB), meanwhile, will be asked to update the geohazard map and identify areas susceptible to floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and the like, and coordinate with the DPWH and MMDA on setting up the necessary signs. In case of death or injury due to the lack or absence of a proper safety signage in an area identified as potentially risky, government officers who will be found remiss after due process may face the penalty of suspension of one month and a day to three months for the first offense, suspension of up to six months for the second offense, up to one year and a day for the third offense, and dismissal from service on the fourth offense. The Philippines ratified the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals in 1973 to harmonize the country's traffic signs and symbols with international standards and promote road safety. In what was, so far, the best baseball game of the week, the Jaguars pulled their 33rd win out of the fire and salvaged a gem of a start from their star pitcher. The State of New York in the U.S has declared December 2, 2021, as Emirati Day to mark the UAEs 50th Independence Day, Zawya reports. The move was announced by Senator Kevin Thomas of New York State, the Dubai-based media notes. Im honored to stand and introduce this legislative resolution to commemorate the 50th Independence Day of the UAE by declaring December 2, 2021, as Emirati Day in New York State, Thomas said while addressing the Senate. Im pleased to have the opportunity to recognize this important event by declaring December 2, 2021, as Emirati Day in the state of New York. And congratulations to the UAE as well, Thomas added. The UAE-born senator who moved to the states in 1995 with his family at the age of 10, praised the development of the Gulf country into a regional economic hub. The UAE has a rich history rooted in trade and tied to Islam Today, the UAE is a modern oil-exporting country with a highly-diversified economy, with Dubai in particular developing into a global city and a hub for tourism, retail and finance and home to the worlds tallest building, Burj Khalifa, the Palm Islands and other architectural wonders, he said. The Arab country declared its independence on December 1971 after six emirates agreed on a federal constitution. Georgian businessman and right-wing politician urges government to cancel Tbilisi Pride events By Veronika Malinboym Georgian businessman, a right-wing politician, and founder of the Unity, Essence, Hope movement urged the Georgian government to cancel Tbilisi pride events scheduled for July 1-5. Vasadze stated that the events will lead to societal unrest like in previous years and gave the government time until June 25 to cancel them, or else face peoples reaction.Today is June 15, we are giving a deadline until June 25. Our government has ten days to cancel Tbilisi Pride in order to avoid escalation and confrontation processes within our society and to discredit Georgia in the region," Vasadze said.Vasadze also added that regardless of whether the Georgian government decides to cancel it, Tbilisi Pride events will not occur anyways because people will gather and stop these anti-Christian and anti-Georgian activities.Leader of the Tbilisi Pride Giorgi Tabagari called on the authorities to respond to Vasadzes statements appropriately and noted that it is because of the governments inaction that Vasadze is capable of spreading his violent and hateful statements:This man was openly abusing people in 2019 and then the state did nothing to stop him, the prosecutors office did nothing. The result of this inaction is that Levan continues to do the same in 2021. He openly lobbies for the adoption of Russian laws in Georgia, threatening the security of people and the state! This man is a threat to the security of the country and the state must respond accordingly, Tabagari said.Tbilisi Pride events of 2021 aimed at boosting societys awareness of the LGBT issues is scheduled for July 1-5. On July 5, the activists will march in solidarity with other social movements down Rustaveli avenue. With the death of billionaire Chris Kirubi, many people are coming out with stories of their interactions with the man. Some of them are nice stories of a man who was caring and understanding especially with the youth. However, some of the stories are not so nice. Boniface Mwangi is the latest to come out with his own CK story. Writing on Twitter yesterday, the activist recalled an incident in 2012 when Kirubi requested a meeting with him. This was after Mwangis organization, Pawa254, published a story detailing alleged corrupt dealings of the businessman. Kirubi reached out to Boniface through a mutual friend and indeed secured a meeting. According to the activist, Kirubi told him that he was not planning to sue, but was capable of harming him. In 2012-2013 @Pawa254 was running a website called Mavulture. We used to publish stories of powerful crooks. We did a story on Chris Kirubi and he requested for a meeting through a mutual friend.When we met, he threatened me, he said You know l wont sue you but l can harm you. he tweeted. In 2012-2013 @Pawa254 was running a website called Mavulture. We used to publish stories of powerful crooks. We did a story on Chris Kirubi and he requested for a meeting through a mutual friend.When we met, he threatened me, he said "You know l won't sue you but l can harm you". pic.twitter.com/qSVHYVFHJP Boniface Mwangi (@bonifacemwangi) June 15, 2021 Boniface added that they decided to shut down the Mavulture website after receiving so many threats. The social media personality Bridget Achieng has sought the help of KFCB Boss Ezekiel Mutua after her nude pictures were leaked online. The former Nairobi Diaries actress reached out to Mutua via Instagram and posted a screenshot of her message to the KFCB boss. In the message, Bridget Achieng asked Ezekiel Mutua to take action against blogger Edgar Obare. The writer of Achiengs message blamed the gossipmonger for sharing the nudes on his Instagram platform. I see you following up on music with bad content and thats good but how about people who post others nudity on social media without thinking if someone has a family or not. Im talking about Edgar Obare who posted Bridget Achieng nude photos on Instagram even after she begged him not to do it cause she has a son and she doesnt want the son to one day see, the message read in part. It adds: Who fights for us women who are body shamed, abused and bullied on social media? Bridget Achieng further suggested that legal action should be taken against Edgar Obare, and urged Ezekiel Mutua: Please do something. Meanwhile, the reality TV actress has put her sons Instagram account up for sale, saying she is trying to protect her son. Good Morning guys I have been going through a lot and it made think hard about a lot of things, like if, one day my son gets bullied the same way I have been, I will not be able to forgive myself thats why I will protect him at all cost. Kenyas most famous wheeler-dealer, Jimmy Wanjigi has declared interest in being Kenyas 5th president. Wanjigi is joining a crowded race to succeed Uhuru Kenyatta. He will go head to head with some of the names he has supported and brought together politically. The businessman gained national recognition in 2017 when his support for Raila Odinga brought him head to head with the government. His massive home was famously raided by the police, who camped there for hours but could not locate him, only for him to reappear minutes after they left. The working theory is that he hid in a secret underground bunker within his compound. Wanjigi has claimed in the past that he single-handedly brought together the UhuRuto duo about a decade ago. He famously said that the Jubilee government was formed in his Muthaiga home. This current regime of Uhuru Kenyatta, this is a home they know. It is a home they have visited. It is a home they have eaten with my family. In fact, their government was formed in this home, he stated during a press conference where he accused Uhuru of persecuting him. Read: 1980: The Year Uhuru Kenyatta, Jimmy Wanjigi, Jimmy Kibaki Acted Together at the National Theater He added that after the 2013 election loss, Raila and Uhuru met at his home to shake hands. I also want to say further after the last general election in 2013, it is this home here that Baba (Raila Odinga) agreed to come to shake hands with Uhuru Kenyatta after the Supreme Court had upheld his victory, said Mr Wanjigi. It is in this home on Easter Monday that Baba agreed to come and I remember praying excessively that day because I said Im such a blessed man that in this home and my family to have 10 million plus Kenyans in my home. I felt very blessed. It is here that a peace declaration was accepted and a progress forward to Uhurus own acceptance of leadership in 2013. It is this same home that the same regime has come to desecrate. Now, speaking to the Standard newspaper, Wanjigi says he is done playing kingmaker. This time he wants to be king. This time I shall not be king making. I shall address the rest of your questions at the appropriate juncture, he said. Jimmy Wanjigi hails from a political family, being the son of former Kamukunji MP and cabinet minister Maina Wanjigi. He may not have the political clout of fellow presidential aspirants like William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi, Mukhisa Kituyi etc. but certainly has the money to match any of them. Read: Police Completely Unable To Penetrate Jimmy Wanjigis Bunker A 27-year-old man surrendered himself to authorities after he reportedly killed his wife in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County. Solomon Kiplimo allegedly killed his 23-year-old partner in the wee hours of Monday, June 14 after he caught her in bed with another man. According to the Standard, Kiplimo, who works in Nairobi, traveled to Iten, 350 kilometers away, on Sunday, June 13 to confront his wife after being informed that she was cheating on him. Following his arrival, Kiplimo asked his neighbours where his wifes alleged lover, identified as Dan Mwangi, lived. Confirming the incident, Keiyo North Sub-County Police Commander Tom Makori said Kiplimo then proceeded to Mwangis house and found his wife in bed with her lover. In the wee hours of Monday morning, he(Kiplimo) stormed Mwangis house in Kapsho Estate and found his wife in bed with the man. He, immediately, began assaulting the two. Mwangi, however, escaped. The suspect, thereafter, whipped out a kitchen knife and stabbed his wife multiple times in the stomach and chest, said the police boss. He added: Neighbours allegedly told him that while he was away, his wife was living with her suspected lover in his house. Thats was why he traveled from Nairobi to Iten; to confirm or dismiss his neighbours allegations. Makori said Kiplimo turned himself in at the Iten Police Station at 9:30 am Tuesday and confessed to killing his wife. Police are looking for Mwangi to record a statement that would shed more light on the circumstances leading to the womans death. We cant say he (Mwangi) is a suspect in the womans death. He and the woman were of age, and whatever they were doing is not an offence in law, said Makori. The body of thedeceased was moved to Iten County Referral Hospital morgue pending a postmortem. According to information published by the U.S. Department of Defense on June 15, 2021, the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is operating in the South China Sea for the first time during its 2021 deployment. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan during a visit to Hong Kong (Picture source: ArabNews) While in the South China Sea, the strike group is conducting maritime security operations, which include flight operations with fixed and rotary wing aircraft, maritime strike exercises, and coordinated tactical training between surface and air units. Carrier operations in the South China Sea are part of the U.S. Navys routine presence in the Indo-Pacific. The carrier strike group includes the Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, and embarked staffs of Task Force 70 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67), and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97). Most recently, the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) operated with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Anzac-class frigate HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155) in the South China Sea, June 6 - 11. Wilbur and Ballarat demonstrated the Navys commitment to work with like-minded allies and partners to preserve international order in the South China Sea. USS Shiloh (CG-67) is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser of the United States Navy, named in remembrance of the Battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War. She was built at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The USS Shiloh was the first missile defense-capable ship to be deployed in Japan, at Yokosuka base. The 9,957-ton cruiser is armed with Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors for shooting down medium-range ballistic missiles tracked by the high-performance Aegis radar system. Gabrielle Dudley (left) and Hank Klibanoff have been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve on the Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board to examine government records of unpunished, racially motivated murders of Black Americans during the modern civil rights era. Their goal is to expand and expedite the release of these records to the public. Two Emory experts have been nominated to serve on the national Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board to examine government records of unpunished, racially motivated murders of Black Americans during the modern civil rights era (from the mid 1940s to the late 1960s) and make those records easier to access. Gabrielle Dudley is an instruction archivist with Emorys Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, where she partners with faculty to design undergraduate and graduate courses and assignments. She also finds ways for faculty to use resources from the Rose Library in their classes, such as the extensive collection related to the civil rights era. Hank Klibanoff is professor of practice in English and creative writing and director of the Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Klibanoff also is creator and host of Buried Truths, a podcast produced by Atlanta NPR station WABE and based on the Cold Cases course he teaches. In its first three seasons, Buried Truths has won Peabody, Robert F. Kennedy and Edward R. Murrow awards, as well as an American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award. Dudley and Klibanoff have taught together twice, leading a first-year seminar on writing about race. Theyve held class at the Rose Library, where students examined the Roses collections of journalists who covered civil rights. They are two of four board nominees President Joe Biden announced on June 11. A fifth nominee will be named later and all five will await U.S. Senate confirmation before beginning their work. Klibanoff calls the law establishing the board significant, partly because of its bipartisan support and partly because of its purpose. This is not a board to investigate civil rights cold cases, he says. Its not about putting anybody in jail for any crime. Its more about getting history right and expediting the general publics ability to access more records in the governments possession regarding these cases. Even with the federal Freedom of Information Act in place, Klibanoff says access to civil rights cold cases has been a challenge for years. Its not that people were trying to hide things, they just didnt always have good documentation of when records were transferred from the FBI to the National Archives. Under the law creating the review board, all federal agencies are required to hand over to the board any papers related to these cases. The board will then go through all the papers with an eye toward releasing information about as many as possible. The work will involve reviewing thousands of pages of documents. Its such an honor to be nominated to work on this board, Dudley says. As an instruction archivist, I find ways to bring the past to the present, to bring history closer to students. Establishing this board in light of current times shows that the past truly is the present. At the same time that Biden announced his nominations to the Civil Rights Cold Cases Review Board, he also nominated Emory alumnus Carlton Waterhouse, an international expert on environmental law and environmental justice, as assistant administrator of land and emergency management with the Environmental Protection Agency. Waterhouse earned his PhD in social ethics from Emorys Laney Graduate School. On June 15, President Gregory L. Fenves met with leaders of the student-led Plastic Free Emory Project and signed the Break Free from Plastic pledge, which outlines a five-year plan for reducing unnecessary single-use plastics on Emorys Atlanta and Oxford campuses. President Gregory L. Fenves met with leaders of the student-led initiative Plastic Free Emory Project on June 15 and signed the Break Free from Plastic Pledge, which outlines a five-year plan for reducing unnecessary single-use plastics on Emorys Atlanta and Oxford campuses. By 2026, Emory University and Oxford College pledge to: Establish a Plastic Free Task Force to engage stakeholders to enact the pledge. Implement a year-by-year single-use plastics reduction strategy. Continue to use viable alternatives and implement purchasing guidelines to eliminate the procurement of unnecessary single-use plastics in the future. Further invest in education, resources and infrastructure to reduce single-use plastics on individual and institutional levels. Increase efforts to eliminate plastic bags, plastic straws and styrofoam in accordance with the City of Atlantas Ordinance 19-O-1418. A nationally recognized sustainability leader, Emory is the first higher education institution in Georgia to make a pledge of this kind and the only active student-led campaign in the state, according to Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN). The pledge reinforces Emorys commitment to divert 95 percent of its waste from landfills by 2025, reduce Emorys total greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. We applaud the student leaders of the Plastic Free Emory Project who have done an exemplary job of presenting the pledge to senior leadership and gaining support from a broad coalition of campus stakeholders, says Ciannat Howett, associate vice president for resilience, sustainability and economic inclusion. We join them in celebrating this commitment by Emory to single-use plastics reduction in support of our Sustainability Vision and the City of Atlantas efforts. Students CJ OBrien and Nithya Narayanaswamy co-founded Plastic Free Emory. This pledge shows that student-led activism has the power to enact real change, says OBrien, who graduated this year from Emorys Laney Graduate School with a masters degree in development practice. College campuses are essentially living laboratories, where students have the unique opportunity to create sustainability projects at a small scale, that can then be translated to implement change in the real world, on a larger scale. By passing this pledge we will be joining a global movement, and we hope it will inspire even more campuses, businesses and cities in Georgia and beyond to adopt a plan to phase out unnecessary single-use plastic. OBrien adds, As young people, we know that we must take action against plastic pollution for the sake of future generations, and we cannot do it alone. We thank Emory University and President Fenves for taking this step and committing to such an important initiative in his first year of presidency. Narayanaswamy completed her first two years at Emorys Oxford College this year and will continue to Emory College on the Atlanta campus in the fall. The Break Free From Plastic Pledge is a testament to the power of unity in diversity within the Emory community, she says. Each step of this incredible journey towards sustainability has been possible only because of the diverse perspectives and experiences that have come together from our fellow students, advisers and stakeholders. Narayanaswamy notes, Addressing the single-use plastics crisis means tapping into the plurality that unites us, and that is exactly what this pledge represents; Our stories, voices and power united to create change. We are excited to see Emory University take steps towards tackling the single-use plastics crisis. Reduce, repair, restore, reuse The pledge will support a cultural shift at Emory towards a reduce, repair, restore and reuse mentality, encouraging materials reuse and mindful consumption and seeking to bridge the gap between personal responsibility and institutional policy. Pollutants from plastic production, use and disposal are a significant and growing source of harm to both human and planetary health. Phasing out single-use plastics is a critical step toward source reductions, which the Environmental Protection Agency classifies as the highest impact form of pollution prevention. Reducing unnecessary single-use plastic is crucial to fighting for environmental justice as plastic has a hand in climate change and exploiting communities of color, international communities and the natural environment. In 2018, PLAN created a global #BreakFreeFromPlastic campus pledge, which provided a guideline and useful tools to eliminate single-use plastic on college and university campuses. To date, over 60 colleges and universities have active student-led campaigns and 16 have officially signed PLANs Break Free From Plastic pledge. Emorys pledge aligns with the City of Atlantas recently enacted ordinance to eliminate plastic bags, plastic straws and styrofoam and sets a roadmap for eradication of unnecessary single-use plastics in the community. The next step for Plastic Free Emory involves putting together a Plastic Free Task Force to follow through on the five-year plan detailed in the pledge. The Plastic Free Task Force will continue to engage with Emory stakeholders, administrative groups, departments and students, and research viable alternatives to help Emory break free from plastic. Plastic Free Emory is recruiting motivated members from diverse departments, backgrounds and majors for the task force. To apply to the Plastic Free Task Force, visit tinyurl.com/PlasticFreeTaskforce. For more information or questions, email nsnaray@emory.edu. Microblogging platform Twitter has lost its legal indemnity in India because of its failure to comply with the new IT rules. The new rules required social media platforms to appoint key officers in the country. The loss of indemnity was highlighted on Tuesday after a case was filed against the social media giant over a viral video. Government sources said that the platform is set to lose its intermediary status. Twitter is the only social media platform to not adhere to the rules, sources said. "Twitter to lose its status as intermediary platform in India as it does not comply with new guidelines, it is the only social media platform among mainstream that has not adhered to new laws," government sources said to news agency ANI. This means that Twitter is liable for penal actions as per Indian law. "We are keeping the MeitY apprised of the progress at every step of the process. An interim Chief Compliance Officer has been retained and details will be shared with the Ministry directly soon. Twitter continues to make every effort to comply with the new Guidelines," said a Twitter spokesperson on the development. The UP Police have further filed an FIR naming Twitter and others over a video of assault on an elderly Muslim man in Ghaziabad, dated June 5. As Twitter does not enjoy legal indemnity any more, they are liable for penal action. "No communal angle to incident. Twitter has done nothing to stop video from going viral," said Ghaziabad Police in an FIR. An FIR was registered against nine names, including Twitter and some journalists, in connection with the incident in Loni where an elderly man was thrashed and his beard was cut off. Twitter has not responded to the query on the FIR filed by the UP Police yet. Twitter had said on Tuesday that as per one of the rules, it had appointed an interim chief compliance officer. It said that it will soon share the details with the government. "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," a Twitter spokesperson had said last week. As per the new IT rules, non-compliance can lead to the social media platform concerned about losing their intermediary status and the platforms could also be liable for criminal action in case of a complaint. Intermediary status provides these platforms the immunity from liabilities over any third-party data hosted by them. Also read: 'Will comply with new IT rules, need more time': Twitter tells Centre Also read: Govt issues one last notice to Twitter to comply with IT rules Sensex and Nifty were likely to open higher today amid positive global cues. On Tuesday, Sensex and Nifty closed at record highs led by gains in heavyweights such as Reliance, Infosys, and HDFC twins amid largely positive global cues. Sensex ended 221.52 points or 0.42 per cent higher at 52,773 and Nifty gained 57.40 points or 0.36 per cent to settle at a fresh high of 15,869. Here's a look at stocks to watch out for today. Bank of Baroda: State-owned Bank of Baroda (BOB) is working towards providing a flexible working model to its employees aimed at striking a work-life balance and productivity enhancement in the long run. The work environment went through a sea change during the pandemic and employees are able to work from home and office, the bank said in its annual report for 2020-21. Jubilant FoodWorks: The firm, which operates fast-food chains Domino's Pizza and Dunkin' Donuts, reported over three fold rise in its consolidated net profit at Rs 105.30 crore in Q4. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 32.53 crore in the corresponding period a year ago. Infosys: Officials of the Finance Ministry will meet with senior level representatives of Infosys on June 22, 2021, to discuss issues and glitches related to the new e-filing portal of the Income Tax Department. Aster DM Healthcare: Motherson Medical, a part of auto component major Motherson Group, has joined hands with the research arm of Aster DM Healthcare to test and validate diagnostic devices and solutions. The company and MIMS Research Foundation Trust have come together to impact lives globally by delivering innovative and technology-driven diagnostic solutions. LIC Housing Finance: The company reported a 5 percent fall in its profit after tax at Rs 398.92 crore in Q4 due to higher provisioning for bad loans. It had reported a profit after tax of Rs 421.43 crore in the year ago period. Easy Trip Planners: The online travel company reported a multi-fold rise in its consolidated net profit to Rs 30.46 crore for the March-ended quarter. The company posted a net profit of Rs 3.38 crore for the January-March quarter a year ago. Newgen Software: Three promoters of the technology firm offloaded shares worth over Rs 335 crore through open market transactions. The shares sold by the promoters - Diwakar Nigam, Priyadarshini Nigam and T S Varadarajan - represent 10.55 % stake in the company. Together, they sold 73.81 lakh shares of the firm at an average price of Rs 454 a unit, block deal data on the BSE showed. Anupam Rasayan: The chemicals maker has repaid debt worth Rs 530 crore from the net proceeds of its recently completed initial public offering and will clear an additional Rs 30 crore debt by next quarter ending September, 2021. The company had raised Rs 760 crore through its Initial Public Offering (IPO). Power Finance Corporation: The state-run firm reported a multifold rise in its consolidated net profit to Rs 3,906.05 crore in the January-March quarter mainly on the back of higher revenues. The consolidated net profit of the company was Rs 693.71 crore in the quarter ended on March 31. Canara Bank: The state-owned lender said it would be the lead sponsor of National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL) or bad bank with 12 per cent stake in the entity. Bad bank refers to a financial institution that takes over bad assets of lenders and undertakes resolution. Whirlpool of India: The consumer durables maker reported a 40.84 per cent rise in consolidated profit to Rs 130.06 crore in Q4 on account of higher revenue from operations. The firm had posted a profit of Rs 92.34 crore during the January-March quarter of the previous financial year. Highlights Jio has begun 5G trials in Mumbai using its indigenously developed equipment. Jio has applied for 5G trials in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Gujarat. The development comes days after Airtel kicked off its 5G trials in Gurgaons Cyber Hub area. Jio has begun 5G trials in Mumbai using its indigenously developed equipment. The telecom giant is said to be in talks with Nokia, Samsung and Ericsson for trials it will carry out in other cities. Jio has applied for 5G trials in Delhi, Hyderabad and Gujarat. According to an online report, Jio's 5G network went live soon after receiving a trial spectrum from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). It is not clear how much speed Jio was able to attain during the trial. Sources told ET that Jio worked with both mid and mm wave bands in Mumbai for 5G field trials. As per the report, the 5G trial is bigger in terms of sites deployed in Mumbai. Jio will soon begin trials in other cities. It has applied for trials in Delhi, Hyderabad and Gujarat. The development comes days after Airtel kicked off its 5G trials in Gurgaon's Cyber Hub area. Airtel, too, carried out the trials in the middle band spectrum of 3500 Mhz. The 5G network of Airtel was able to deliver a throughput of over 1 Gbps speed, according to reports. DoT has allocated spectrum to Airtel in four Indian telecom circles including Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Delhi. The telco is likely to test the mid-spectrum in other regions of the country. Airtel has been allotted the 5G trial spectrum in 3500 MHz, 28 GHz and 700 MHz. Airtel announced that its network is 5G ready earlier this year. Airtel is working with Ericson 5G network gear for its 5G trials. Last month DoT gave permissions to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to conduct trials for the use and applications of 5G technology in India. The duration of the trials, at present, is for a period of 6 months, which includes a time period of 2 months for procurement and setting up of the equipment. However, according to reports, the 5G network could take over a year to become widely available for all users. Users will not be required to switch SIM cards when the network is available for them. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is yet to hold auctions for the 5G spectrum in India. Earlier this year, the Standing Committee on Information Technology was informed that 5G will roll out in India to some extent for specific uses, by the end of the calendar year 2021 or beginning of 2022, as 4G is expected to continue in India for at least another 5-6 years. 5G technology is expected to deliver improved user experience in terms of data download rates (expected to be 10 times that of 4G), up to three times greater spectrum efficiency, and ultra-low latency. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: The New Braunfels Fire Department's dive team arrives to assist in the search of a missing swimmer on Monday, June 14, 2021 in the Guadalupe River at the FM 1117 bridge. The man was reported missing on Sunday, June 13, 2021 after he and another woman saved two children from drowning. [June 16, 2021] Enterprise Connect Unveils 2021 Conference Program; Microsoft, RingCentral and Zoom Are First Announced Keynotes Enterprise Connect, the leading conference and exhibition for enterprise communications and collaboration, today unveils its Conference Program, which includes access to expert-led conference sessions and keynote presentations from Microsoft, RingCentral (News - Alert) and Zoom. Enterprise Connect will take place September 27-29 at the Gaylord Palms hotel in Orlando, Florida. Register here. For more than 30 years, Enterprise Connect (News - Alert) has been the leading conference and exhibition for enterprise communications and collaboration in North America. Enterprise Connect brings corporate IT decision makers together with industry vendors, analysts, consultants, and channel partners to focus on the issues central to enterprise communications. Over three days, Enterprise Connect offers a conference program that showcases the latest systems, software, services and applications. Eric Krapf, General Manager, Enterprise Connect said, "We're excited to return to in-person events. By implementing our AllSecure guidelines, we are committed to delivering a safe event for our community. As always, the Enterprise Connect program will provide in-depth, expert-led content as well as opportunities to network and explore industry technology providers. We look forward to bringing the industry together in-person for the first time in a year and a half. If you are an enterprise communications and collaboration professional, we hope you can join us this Fall in Orlando." Enterprise Connect Conference Program Nicole Herskowitz, General Manager, Microsoft Teams will present the Microsoft keynote address on September 27. Herskowitz is responsible for Microsoft Teams product marketing. Prior to the Teams business, Herskowitz spent over five years leading product and developer audience marketing for Microsoft Azure. She also held leadership roles on the Visual Studio, SharePoint and Project businesses. During her nearly 20 years at Microsoft, Herskowitz's responsibilities have included product management, product marketing and sales strategy and execution functions in both worldwide and European offices. Prior to Microsoft, Herskowitz worked for startup focused on a customer relationship management SaaS (News - Alert) solution for small businesses. Herskowitz also worked as a strategy and technology consultant at Arthur Andersen. Anand Eswaran, President & Chief Operating Officer, RingCentral will present the RingCentral keynote address on September 28. Eswaran leads Product, Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Services, Customer Care, Operations, IT and Human Resources for the provider of global enterprise cloud communications, collaboration, and contact center solutions. Prior to RingCentral, he led Microsoft Services, Industry & Digital, Customer Care, and Customer Success, a global team of 24,000 professionals. He also held senior management positions at SAP (News - Alert) , HP, Vignette (now OpenText) and Braun Consulting (now Fair Isaac). Eswaran is a founding member of the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA) and served on the executive advisory board for 12 years. Harry Moseley, Global CIO, Zoom will present the Zoom keynote address on September 28. Moseley brings to Zoom a blend of transformational leadership, disruptive innovation and corporate growth strategies. As the former CIO & Managing Director for KPMG, Moseley was responsible for technology and innovation to support the firm's competitive growth. Over five years he identified and replaced legacy technology to dramatically improve productivity, security, and reliability. Before joining KPMG, Moseley served as CIO & Senior Managing Director - Partner for Blackstone, where he led the company's transformation to the world's best digital alternative assetmanager. Prior to Blackstone, Moseley was a Managing Director for Credit Suisse, where he served as the CIO of Global Investment Banking, and Global Co-Head of Application Development / Co-CIO of the firm. Before Credit Suisse, Moseley served as CTO & Managing Director for UBS Americas. The Conference Program will offer more than 40 sessions spanning eight tracks that encompass critical industry topics including: Contact Center and Customer Experience Video/AV Collaboration Collaboration Platforms Practical AI Embedded Communications & APIs Unified Communications (News - Alert) & UCaaS Workplace Strategies Management, Networks & Security View the complete conference program here. Enterprise Connect Highlights Women in Communications provides opportunities for women in the industry to build their knowledge and personal networks. provides opportunities for women in the industry to build their knowledge and personal networks. Enterprise Connect provides networking opportunities for enterprise communications and collaboration professionals to connect. Media interested in a media pass, email Meryl Franzman at meryl.franzman@informa.com. For additional information on exhibition or sponsorship opportunities, contact Michael Leahy at Michael.Leay@informa.com. Click here for more information or to register to attend Enterprise Connect. Stay connected with Enterprise Connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Enterprise Connect is taking steps to ensure attendee, exhibitor and partner safety. Enterprise Connect will adapt parent company Informa's AllSecure Plan at the event. AllSecure is Informa's approach to ensuring the highest standards of safety, hygiene, cleanliness and operational effectiveness for all exhibitors, attendees, speakers and press. Learn more about Enterprise Connect's health and safety plan here. About Enterprise Connect For more than 30 years, Enterprise Connect has been the leading conference and exhibition for enterprise communications and collaboration in North America. Enterprise Connect brings corporate IT decision makers together with the industry's vendors, analysts and consultants to focus on the issues central to enterprise communications. Enterprise Connect owns and produces No Jitter, (nojitter.com), providing daily blogging and analysis of enterprise communications, and it also serves the community with a weekly email newsletter, research surveys and a Webinar Series. For more information, visit enterpriseconnect.com/orlando. Enterprise Connect is brought to you by Informa Tech. About Informa Tech Informa Tech is a market leading provider of integrated research, media, training and events to the global Technology community. We're an international business of more than 600 colleagues, operating in more than 20 markets. Our aim is to inspire the Technology community to design, build and run a better digital world through research, media, training and event brands that inform, educate and connect. Over 7,000 professionals subscribe to our research, with 225,000 delegates attending our events and over 18,000 students participating in our training programs each year, and nearly 4 million people visiting our digital communities each month. Learn more about Informa Tech. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005091/en/ [ Back To SIP Trunking Home's Homepage ] Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on June 16, 2021 2021/06/16 The Paper: The US-EU summit took place in Brussels on June 15. The statement of the summit mentioned China-related issues including Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and accused China of economic coercion and disinformation campaigns. According to the statement, the US and the EU intend to closely consult and cooperate in the framework of their respective similar multi-faceted approaches to China, and coordinate on their constructive engagement with China on issues such as climate change and non-proliferation, and on certain regional issues. Do you have any comment? Zhao Lijian: The content in the US-EU summit statement has gone far beyond the scope of normal development of bilateral relations. China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to such moves to groundlessly interfere in China's domestic affairs, and create and spread disinformation. The US and the EU should reflect on their own serious problems and they are in no position to lecture others. We oppose imposing one's own interest and requirement on other countries, forming small cliques and bloc politics targeting a third party, and dividing the world with ideology as the yardstick. The US and the EU should follow the trend of the times for peace, development and win-win cooperation, abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, practice true multilateralism, and make their due contribution to the international community's efforts to fight the epidemic together and meet global challenges. Reuters: It is reported that the US and the EU reached an understanding on relevant issues in the aviation sector and agreed to cooperate to address China's "non-market practice" in this area. Do you have any comment? Zhao Lijian: I noted relevant reports and would like to make three points: First, how the US and the EU grow their bilateral relationship is their own business, but they should not make an issue out of China at every turn, hype up the so-called "China threat" out of thin air and make China a target when it's not even in the room. Still less should they form a small clique against China. This narrow-minded mentality is beneath the US and the EU. Second, China does not accept the unjustified accusation of "non-market practice". China always firmly supports multilateral trading system and conducts international economic and trade cooperation in the spirit of equality and mutual benefit. As to who wantonly resorts to bullying and sanctions, who excels at long-arm jurisdiction and who abuses state power to groundlessly suppress other countries' companies, the international community has a clear answer. Third, as major forces in the world, China, the US and the EU should join hands to combat global challenges. We hope the US and the EU can play an active and constructive role in this regard, rather than the opposite. China News Service: We learned that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed an agreement with the Islamic Development Bank. Can you confirm this and offer more details? Zhao Lijian: On June 14, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed an agreement with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), an agency under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), on assisting the bank members in building anti-epidemic public health laboratories. According to the agreement, China supports 11 Islamic countries in Africa in equipment procurement for anti-epidemic public health laboratories and personnel training to help relevant countries improve anti-epidemic capabilities. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has pulled through difficult times together with Islamic countries with mutual assistance, setting an example of fighting the epidemic in solidarity and acting in the spirit of a community with a shared future for mankind. The OIC and the IsDB highly commended China's assistance, calling the cooperation a milestone which marks stronger exchange and cooperation on COVID-19 response and public health between China and the OIC members. China and Islamic countries enjoy traditional, profound friendship and close cooperation. China attaches great importance to developing its relations with the OIC and is ready to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the OIC and its subordinate agencies, and elevate China's relations with the Islamic world and the OIC to a new level. Bloomberg News: The Biden administration is said to be engaging with China in an effort to win the approval for Boeing's 737 MAX planes to fly again in China. Can you confirm this? Zhao Lijian: China's position on the relevant issue is consistent and clear. China's civil aviation authorities always upholds three principles: First, aircraft alteration must be approved for airworthiness. Second, pilots must be fully and effectively retrained. Third, the conclusion of the investigation of the two accidents must be clear and the improvement measures effective. It is learned that the competent civil aviation authorities of China have been in communication with the US Federal Aviation Administration and the relevant US company on relevant issues. They are actively advancing the relevant work in an orderly fashion. If you are interested in the specific situation, please refer to the competent authorities. China Arab TV: The US is asking the UAE to remove Huawei equipment from its networks or the US may refuse to sell it the F-35. What's your opinion on this? Zhao Lijian: Over the years, Chinese companies including Huawei have actively participated in the economic development of the UAE and made important contributions to the economic and social development of the UAE, which has been highly recognized by our cooperation partners in the UAE. China and the UAE have maintained regular communication on bilateral relations and issues of common interest and we share broad consensus. We both believe that China-UAE cooperation serves the common interests of both sides and benefits the two peoples. It has nothing to do with a third party and allows no interference by any third party. AFP: Belgian lawmakers have put forward a resolution warning of a risk of genocide against the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on this? Zhao Lijian: The relevant lawmaker maliciously spread lies and misinformation and gravely undermined China's sovereignty and interests. China has already decided to sanction him. We talked about truth and facts on Xinjiang for too many times. The allegation of "genocide" in Xinjiang is a total rumor and lie fabricated by people with ulterior motives. The real intention is to disrupt Xinjiang's social stability and contain China's development. China is firmly resolved to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests and uphold development, stability and ethnic unity in Xinjiang. We urge anti-China politicians with ulterior motives on the Belgian side to respect fact, stop seeking political manipulation by taking advantage of Xinjiang-related issues and interfering in China's domestic affairs in the name of human rights and avoid damaging the overall interest of China-Belgium relations. Beijing Daily: On June 15, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said that it would not be in Australia's interests to "be reckless with trading relationships that fund and drive our country's prosperity and our nation forward". He said that this isn't about giving in, but there needed to be a national reset in that relationship. Does China have any comment on that? Zhao Lijian: China maintains that a sound and stable China-Australia relationship is in the fundamental interests of the two countries, and that the practical cooperation of mutual benefit between the two sides is conducive to the well-being of the two peoples. For quite some time, people from different social sectors in Australia have expressed concern about the way the Australian government approaches relations with China. The Australian government should heed these constructive opinions, face up to and reflect on the crux of the setback in bilateral relations, abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological bias, earnestly uphold the principle of mutual respect and equal treatment, and act in ways conducive to enhancing mutual trust and promoting practical cooperation. Bloomberg News: A question about the Chinese air force sending aircraft close to Taiwan in recent days. Can you confirm this? Zhao Lijian: This is not a diplomatic issue. Please refer to competent authorities. Shenzhen TV: According to media reports, the first five months of 2021 in the US turns out to be the deadliest in terms of gun violence compared with the same period of previous two decades. Some analysts believe that the underlying cause is the long-standing racial inequality and other human rights issues that have long beset the country. What is China's comment on this? Zhao Lijian: For the US, 2020 was the deadliest gun violence year in two decades. In the first five months of 2021, gun violence killed over 8,100 people in the US, which means that about 54 lives were lost per day. This is even worse than the first five months in 2020. That's 14 more deaths per day than the average toll during the same period of the previous six years. That is to say, every time the minute hand of the clock completes one round, at least two people die of gun violence. This is really saddening and thought-provoking. The rate of gun violence-related crimes in the US has remained high over the past years, ranking No.1 in the world. This is only the tip of the iceberg of the long-standing human rights problems in the United States, including racism, police violence, child labor and forced labor. George Floyd's choking cry of "I cannot breathe" remains a sobering call, Asian-Americans are still traumatized by discrimination and attacks, and the rights of half a million child farmwrokers are not guaranteed. Is this "the city upon the hill" or "beacon of human rights" the US claims to be? If one can't even keep his own house in order, how can we expect him to make the world better? The US not only turns a blind eye to its domestic human rights problems, but also uses human rights issues as a pretext to exert pressure on other countries and interfere in their internal affairs. The US is ill, but still pretends to be a doctor, who takes the pulse and comes up with a prescription for others. Hiding one's troubles and taking no remedial measures often makes the illness incurable. Facts have repeatedly proved that the US has no right to act as a defender of human rights. Some US politicians had better put their own house in order before meddling in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. Reuters: On the Taishan nuclear power plant, though China has said the faults with the fuel rods have not caused any external radiation, the French side is saying that there are still technical problems that need to be resolved. What's your response? Zhao Lijian: I already shared relevant information yesterday. China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment (National Nuclear Safety Administration) also responded to relevant issue today. For more details, you may refer to the competent authorities. Xinhua News Agency: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the US recently published a new study which analyzed more than 24,000 stored blood samples contributed by participants across all 50 states during the first three months of 2020, and concluded that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was present in the US as far back as December 2019, weeks before the first officially reported cases on January 19, 2020. I wonder if China has a comment on that? Zhao Lijian: This once again proves that origin tracing is a complex scientific matter that involves multiple places in the world. It requires cooperation of scientists worldwide in order to prevent possible risks in the future and protect life and health of people of all countries. In the early days of the outbreak, health experts and media outlets in many countries pointed out that the epidemic broke out in various places around the world. A research published in the European Journal of Epidemiology suggests that SARS-CoV-2 infection may have occurred in Europe in November 2019. According to a US CDC report, COVID-19 may have existed in the US in December 2019. The chief epidemiologist at Sweden's Public Health Agency said that it's likely that there were individual cases of coronavirus in Sweden in November 2019. According to a study released by the National Cancer Institute (INT) in Milan, the coronavirus may have been circulating in Italy since the summer of 2019. Recently, Professor Ju Liya, a doctor of immunology at the Pasteur Institute in France said in an exclusive interview that judging from the overall situation of the epidemic, it is an obvious fact that COVID-19 has multiple origins and broke out in multiple places. Virus is the common enemy of mankind. The international community should respect the fact that the coronavirus broke out in multiple places in the world. In the next stage of origin studies led by the WHO, we should take a global vision and conduct research in different countries and multiple places instead of focusing on one area only. China has invited WHO experts to come to China twice. We hope other countries can cooperate with the WHO on the origin studies in an open, transparent and scientific manner as China did, and make due contribution to promoting global solidarity against the virus and saving more lives. CCTV: The US Embassy to Trinidad and Tobago has attracted online attention and triggered discussions after announcing that it has donated 80 vials of Pfizer vaccine to the island nation on June 14. Do you have any comment? Zhao Lijian: Vaccines are an important weapon to save lives and fight the epidemic. China welcomes countries that have the conditions and capabilities, especially those with vaccine stockpiles far exceeding their own needs, to provide more vaccines to developing countries and provide them with tangible assistance in the fight against the epidemic. China has been taking concrete actions to honor its pledge of making vaccines a global public good. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, China has upheld the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind and a global community of health for all and made important contributions to the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries, which has been widely welcomed by the international community, including countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Chinese government has donated 100,000 COVID-19 doses of vaccines to Trinidad and Tobago, and 200,000 doses of Chinese vaccines purchased by the government of Trinidad and Tobago also arrived in the country yesterday. In fact, China has provided more than 350 million doses of vaccines to the international community, including vaccine assistance to more than 80 countries and vaccine export to more than 40 countries. At the same time, China has carried out technology transfer and joint production with a number of developing countries to rapidly advance the large-scale production of vaccines. China has announced to provide an initial 10 million doses to COVAX designated for emergency use in developing countries, and will continue to make efforts to ensure equitable access to vaccines in developing countries. The Triple Crown for pacers and trotters kicks off on June 25 when Yonkers Raceway will play host to eliminations (if necessary) for the $500,000 MGM Yonkers Trot and MGM Grand Messenger Pace. The finals for both events takes place on Friday, July 2. There is no shortage of equine star power eligible to the two marquee events, and with the schedule impacted by the shift of major stakes from June to September at Woodbine Mohawk Park, a strong showing is expected at the historic hilltop oval. Two of the top three leading money-winning trotters as two-year-olds On A Streak and In Range are on the list of 44 colts and geldings eligible to the Yonkers Trot. If the appearance by On A Streak over the track on June 10 is any indication, the Luc Blais trainee should be headed for the elimination next Friday. With Andrew McCarthy in the bike, the Breeders Crown winner from last year went wire-to-wire in 1:57 to win by just under a length. In Range, owner of a 10-5-4-0 record as a two-year-old and already a 1:52.3 winner in 2021, will be among the entrants according to his trainer Marcus Melander. The son of Bar Hopping has never raced over a half-mile track and was only third in his last start at The Meadowlands, but the trainer isnt concerned. I think he will handle [the track] very well, said Melander, who also trains eligible Dancinginthedark M but wont be sending him to the race. He needed that race at The Meadowlands after the miscue at Pocono. Another confirmed starter according to trainer Chuck Sylvester is Arnold N Dicky. Another son of Bar Hopping, he won four of 10 races in 2020 and is coming off a career-best 1:52.3 win at Harrahs Philadelphia on June 10. Two more horses that seem likely to show up are racing against each other on Friday night at Vernon Downs in the Empire Breeders Classic. Ahundreddollarbill and In Communicado have been New York Sire Stakes regulars and both have won over a half-mile track. The potential field of starters in the MGM Grand Messenger are just as impressive as the Yonkers Trot and includes new Scioto Downs track record holder Heart Of Chewbacca. The Ohio-bred with nine wins in 12 career starts stopped the clock in 1:48.4 at the Columbus-based track on June 12 and will be heading east for the Messenger according to trainer Ron Burke, who also said Indiana Sire Stakes winner Brookview Bullet will make the trip. American Courage, who won the Reynolds at Yonkers on May 7 in 1:52 and won on June 12 at Pocono in 1:49.4, will be among the starters according to trainer Travis Alexander, as will fellow Reynolds winner (1:53) Whichwaytothebeach, who is undefeated in four 2021 starts for trainer Brett Pelling. Trainer Tony Alagna has a number of horses eligible including the 3-for-3-in-2021 Abuckabett Hanover, 2020 Metro winner Exploit and Simon Says Hanover, a multi-race winner already this year. The latter pair appeared to be testing the waters for the Messenger as Exploit was used hard to make the lead and held on in 1:53.2 and Simon Says Hanover was a powerful first-over 1:52.3 winner over the track on Tuesday (June 15). Alagna confirmed on Wednesday that Exploit and Simon Says Hanover are expected to enter the Messenger and that even Abuckabett Hanover could be in attendance. We are going to train Abuckabett Hanover before the races [at Yonkers] on Thursday. Depending on how he goes well make a decision. If we arent happy, he wont race, said Alagna, who would be skipping a leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes by entering the Messenger. Hes already won two legs and the final conflicts with the North America Cup. Billy Clyde and Crunch Hanover are two more who showed up on June 15 to take a stroll around the newly resurfaced Yonkers oval and found it very much to their liking. Billy Clyde went wire-to-wire in 1:52 4/5 for trainer Ray Schnittker and driver Mark MacDonald while Crunch Hanover took the same path with Scott Zeron in the bike for trainer Linda Toscano in 1:53.3. Last years Governors Cup winner Always A Miki might be making his half-mile track debut in the Messenger after a solid 1:50.4 win at Philadelphia on June 13. Trainer Nancy Takter said I think so when asked if the colt by Always B Miki would be in attendance. Both the Yonkers Trot and Messenger Pace offer the possibility of supplementing into the races for $30,000, just 12 percent of the winners share in the $500,000 finals. Entries for the Yonkers Trot and Messenger Pace, along with the New York New York Mile and Park MGM Pace filly companion elimination are due by 3:00 PM on Monday, June 21. Yonkers Raceway races Monday to Friday weekly with a first-race post-time of 7:15 p.m. (Yonkers) Google Pay announced further expansion in the footprint of bank partners offering cards tokenisation on the Google Pay app, a feature that enables users to make debit or credit card payments through a secure digital token attached to their phone without having to physically share their credit or debit card details. After successfully rolling out tokenization with Kotak Mahindra Bank, SBI Cards and Axis Bank, Google Pay has now added debit cards by SBI, IndusInd Bank and Federal Bank and Credit cards by IndusInd Bank and HSBC India to its slate. The feature also works with online merchants, delivering more native and seamless OTP experiences without redirecting users to 3D Secure sites. With tokenization, Google Pay will enable safe and secure omnichannel experiences to help consumers: Use Near-field communication (NFC) capable devices/ phones to make contactless payments at over 2.5 million Visa merchant locations Scan and pay at more than 1.5 million Bharat QR enabled merchants Pay bills and recharges from within their Google Pay app using their credit card SBI is the countrys largest issuer of debit cards and combined with IndusInd Bank, Federal Bank & HSBC credit cards, the development extends the facility of tokenization to millions of card users in India. Speaking about the roll out, Sajith Sivanandan, Business Head: Google Pay and NBU APAC said, Were committed to offer the most secure payments experience to our growing base of users, and tokenization helps to replace sensitive data such as credit and debit card numbers with tokens, eliminating any chances of fraud. We are hopeful that the tokenisation feature will further encourage users to transact securely and safely in the current times and expand merchant transactions both online and offline. The addition of SBI and Federal debit cards, IndusInd Bank debit & credit cards and HSBC credit cards helps extend this offering to millions of card users on the Visa network. We are working closely with other banking partners to further expand the adoption of card based payments with tokenization in India. Commenting on the launch, TR Ramachandran, Group Country Manager, Visa, India & South Asia said, Were delighted to partner Google Pay and banks such as SBI and HSBC, on the tokenization initiative in India. With tokenized, contactless forms of payment, millions of mobile first users will be able to use their credit and debit cards on Google Pay, bolstering confidence in a large segment that is new to digital. Visa has already issued over two billion token credentials globally and with Google Pay live in India, we expect to add significantly to those numbers. Commenting on the development, Ravindra Pandey, DY. Managing Director (Strategy) & Chief Digital Officer, SBI said, We believe the tokenization of SBI debit cards will provide a contactless, hassle-free and comfortable card payments experience to SBI customers. The tokenization of SBI Debit Cards with Google Pay would also enable our customers to foray into tap & pay mechanism without worrying about carrying their debit cards with them while going shopping. We at SBI always believe in working towards enhancing customer delight by offering customized and smart products and service to them. Commenting on this new feature, Ramakrishnan S, Head-Wealth & Personal Banking at HSBC India said, We have been keenly focused on delivering a more convenient and secure banking experience to our customers. We believe that our partnership with Google Pay through tokenization will be critical in ensuring that the security of our customers credit card details are not compromised. We are the first multinational Bank in the country to go live with this capability. Our customers will benefit from the additional safety of using their mobile phone instead of the physical plastic card whilst shopping at merchant stores. I would like to thank Visa, our network partner, for enabling this collaboration. Our focus continues to be on delivering secure, efficient and convenient banking, supported by technology and innovations. Speaking about the proposition, Mr. Ritesh Saxena, Head Direct Banking, IndusInd Bank said, said, We, at IndusInd Bank put customer convenience and security at the centre of everything that we do. In keeping with this vision, we are delighted to partner with Google Pay to introduce tokenization as a payment method for our debit and credit card holders. Tokenization offers a secured ecosystem that facilitates cardholders to undertake both mobile application based as well as in-store payments, in a convenient manner. Consumers can use the tokens to make purchases like they would with an actual payment card, while merchants can complete a transaction without having to store any sensitive data. Moreover, it does not require merchants to make major changes to their current payment acceptance systems, thereby providing both customers and merchants with a seamless payment experience. We look forward to co-creating more such innovative propositions that will enhance their banking experience. Commenting on this new feature, Shalini Warrier, Executive Director, Federal Bank said, Tokenization of debit cards is yet another key initiative in living up to our mantra of Digital at the fore, human at the core. With this feature, offered in association with Google Pay, our debit cardholders will have access to a contactless, convenient & quick card payment experience. Customers will no longer have to worry about carrying their cards or wallets and they can pay with just a Tap through mobile phone while shopping at physical outlets. In addition to the ease of payments, there is also an additional layer of security on the card details To enable the tap and pay feature using the smartphone phone, users will have to do a one-time set up by entering their card details and follow it by entering the OTP they get from the bank to add their card to the Google Pay app. After the registration, the feature can be used to make payments at NFC-enabled terminals. Tokenization is fast being accepted across merchants with a view to provide users secure checkout experiences and facilitating card transactions. Cards can also be used to make purchases at large online merchants such as Myntra, Yatra, Dunzo and many others. Tokenized cards are also supported on Google Pay for use cases such as mobile recharges, bill payments, insurance payments and many others. Central Park Towers, the largest single-owned office development within Dubai International Financial Centres Free Zone, has announced the signing of 21 new lease agreements in 2020 involving more than 110,450 sq ft area. The mixed development property continues to grow year after year as DIFC's most desirable location for businesses due to its attractive lease terms, unmatched amenities and services, said a statement from its developer Arady Developments. The bespoke office complex is home to more than 90 companies and is one of the largest in DIFC with 855,682 sq. ft. of office space. Despite the global economic headwinds, Central Park Towers witnessed positive leasing results last year, and continued attracting new tenants looking for a combination of premium office space, a convenient location offering value for money, and flexible and attractive lease terms within Dubais business community. Last year, Central Park Towers was home to 26 per cent government entities and 74 per cent private companies, demonstrating the developments unmatched proposition due to its central location, unparalleled services, better parking ratio for employees and visitors with a myriad of retail offerings, stated Arady Developments. Central Park Towers is a booming office destination chosen by many government organisations, financial institutions and international institutions. It houses two key government departments: the UAE Federal Tax Authority and the UAE Ministry of Economy, it added. CEO and Chairman Arady Developments said: "The sustained growth delivered last year is testament to the unique proposition of Central Park Towers. In 2020, we observed that more and more companies and government entities are selecting it as the result of the unparalleled value we provide to our discerning clients through our unique offering that combines location, efficiency, and world-class standards of design and amenities." "With the growing demand for convenient and practical office spaces, Central Park Towers epitomizes convenience with its designed and furnished spaces that allow businesses to be operational immediately," stated the Arady Developments chief. "Building on this momentum and by leveraging our highly effective and holistic model with our sustainable strategies, it is well-positioned for sustainable growth and success in 2021 and beyond," he added. On the successful leasing strategy for the development, Nemo Stojanovik, Head of Leasing at Central Park Towers, said: "Weve had fantastic leasing success at Central Park Towers and delighted to add 21 new lease agreements. These partnerships are a testament to our commitment to provide an ideal combination of convenience and value, along with the highest health and safety standards." "We have seen a growing interest amongst tenants for a versatile space, which caters to needs while creating opportunities. At Central Park Towers, work, life, and leisure happen simultaneously, interwoven with the most vibrant financial neighbourhood in Dubai DIFC," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Sixty per cent of the B2B invoices on credit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were not settled on time, which is significantly higher than the 50% average for Asia as a whole, a report said. On average, it took businesses 40 days to collect payment from overdue invoices, according to the results of the latest Payment Practices Barometer survey conducted in Asia by Atradius, a global provider of credit insurance, surety and collection services. More importantly, 8% of the B2B invoices in the UAE were write-offs, up considerably from 1% in last years survey results. Over half (52%) of businesses also reported an increase in administrative costs associated with the management of accounts receivable, mostly spent on maintaining a credit department dedicated to assessing and monitoring customer credit risk. The survey also revealed that the value of sales through open credit in the UAE dropped year-on-year, from 64% to 50%, which may reflect a contraction in sales amid the pandemic. However, more businesses polled in the UAE (37%) than in other markets across Asia (26%) increased the frequency of using open credit. Encouraging repeat business and winning new customers are the two most common reasons for the use of open credit, highlighting the pivotal role that this practice plays in enabling trade. Looking ahead, compared with Asia (37%) overall, far more businesses polled in the UAE (53%) believe that their Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), the average number of days to collect payment for credit sales, will deteriorate over the coming months. Respondents indicated that the greatest challenges to business profitability in 2021 will be maintaining adequate cash flow (29%), followed by falling demand for products and services (20%) and the containment of costs (16%). Despite these concerns, half of businesses surveyed in the UAE are optimistic about an improvement in their business performance over the next 12 months. Twice as many respondents in the UAE (32%) as in Asia (15%) believe this anticipated improvement will be mainly due to increased exports, which may reflect the UAE being one of the worlds most dynamic markets in export trade. The optimism among surveyed UAE businesses on their performance may reflect future opportunities in the UAEs credit sale market, as the economy is supported by one of the worlds highest COVID-19 vaccination rates as of late May, said Schuyler DSouza, Managing Director Middle East at Atradius. However, expectations of a rapid rebound may be fragile amid valid concerns about challenges to business profitability. Under these circumstances, businesses in the UAE should assess how to strengthen their credit management processes to be more comprehensive and efficient. In particular, businesses should frequently adjust payment terms to reflect varying credit risk profiles and ensure effective invoice collection. TradeArabia News Service The Mena region saw three IPOs raise total proceeds of $294.8 million during the first quarter of 2021, a 64% drop in proceeds raised when compared with the same period in 2020, according to the EY Mena IPO Eye Q1 2021 report. The three issuances were in the transport, power and utilities and real estate sectors. Despite expectations for an increase in activity after an uptick in issuances in Q4 2020 - which saw four IPOs and $925 million in proceeds the IPO market in the Mena region had a slow start to 2021. Continued uncertainty around the impact of the ongoing pandemic has affected the Mena markets even as oil prices have continued their recovery and vaccination roll outs have been gaining speed across the region. Globally, Q1 2021 has been the best-performing first quarter by deal number and proceeds in the last 20 years, despite the trend of Q1 being a slower period. The first quarter of 2021 saw 430 IPOs compared to 233 in Q1 2020 as well as $105.6 billion in proceeds, up 271% when compared to the same quarter last year. The surge in momentum can be attributed to the ample liquidity in the financial systems; the accelerated growth of technology and new economy companies propelled by the pandemic; speculative and opportunistic transactions; and platforms that have made retail investing more accessible to the general public and young generations. Matthew Benson, EY Mena Strategy and Transactions Leader, said: The Mena regions IPO market was off to a slower than expected start in 2021, despite expectations for an increase in IPO activity after an uptick and stronger performance in Q4 of 2020, with total proceeds down by 64% in Q1 2021 when compared to the same period last year. The three IPOs during this quarter, which raised a total of $295m in proceeds, demonstrated strong investor demand in the market, particularly in KSA hence we expect IPO activity to bounce back over the coming months while economic conditions in the region continue to improve, aided by the accelerated vaccine rollouts and the possibility of reaching herd immunity against Covid-19. The Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) continued to be the Mena regions top listing venue in Q1, with two listings totalling $281.6 million, which represented 96% of the total amount raised by Mena IPO candidates during the quarter. The previous year, it had four listings totalling $1.45 billion, representing 78% of the total amount raised by Mena IPO candidates in 2020. The first listing on the Tadawul for 2021, Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies, raised $144 million by floating 30% of its shares. The offering was heavily oversubscribed, with the retail offering being oversubscribed by 1,511% and the institutional offering by 6,320%. That IPO was followed by that of Theeb Rent a Car Company, which offered 30% of its shares to the public and raised $138 million. As with Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies, the Theeb IPO was heavily oversubscribed, with strong demand leading an oversubscription of 6,010% for the institutional tranche and 3,385% for the retail offering. New initiatives announced in UAE amid economic recovery During Q1 2021, UAE financial institutions announced a few key initiatives as the country continues to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) announced a new ADX One strategy, which aims to double market capitalization over the next three years, increase market liquidity and further improve market efficiency. The new strategy will include initiatives to launch derivatives trading, an investor relations guide, as well as a program to support research coverage of stocks. The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) also announced that it expects economic activity in to continue to pick up, supporting positive growth of 2.5% during 2021. The CBUAE expects a full recovery in 2022, with overall real GDP increasing 3.5% while the non-oil real GDP is forecasted to rise by 3.9%. Bahrain adopts new standards In Bahrain, the Bahrain Bourse announced new plans to adopt the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) for listed companies effective from July 11, 2021, which is broadly in line with its overall strategy to enhance transparency and efficiency in Bahrains capital market and to meet best international practices. As part of this initiative, the Bahrain Bourse plans to conduct various awareness sessions and workshops with stakeholders and the public to raise awareness. The current sectorial indices will no longer be calculated with historical values continuing to be accessible on Bahrain Bourses website. Gregory Hughes, EY Mena IPO and Transaction Diligence Leader, said: As we look at the remainder of 2021 and beyond, there are many reasons to be optimistic about the upcoming quarters ahead. A strong IPO pipeline in key Mena markets across sectors, coupled with various government initiatives to deepen the capital markets, particularly in KSA and the UAE, should help bring more IPOs to markets in the region. Additionally, the underlying economic factors within the region remain strong and we anticipate that future IPO activity in the Mena region will reflect the overall positive signs that we are beginning to see. TradeArabia News Service CrediMax has launched its latest service through its digital wallet "MaxWallet", where users will be able to register their CrediMax Credit Cards and use the service with any merchant. This new service comes within the framework of CrediMax's keenness to provide quality services that meet the aspirations of customers, enrich their experience, and ensure that they obtain the best services in accordance with the most advanced digital trends. Ahmed A. Seyadi, CrediMax Chief Executive commented: "We have developed a clear roadmap for our digital journey with a focus on making our services easier and more responsive to customer needs. CrediMax is keen to adopting digital innovations that enhance the development of the financial and banking sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain, supporting the kingdom's plans of digital transformation, and contributing to modernising the Bahraini economy. -- TradeArabia News Service Three60 Energy Group, a leading independent energy service company offering complete asset life cycle solutions, has appointed Gareth Broxton as the new engineering director who joins the companys Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning (EPCC) team. With a global remit, Broxton will be responsible for technical assurance and customer focused delivery. He will also play a critical role in managing and developing the groups multi-disciplined engineering team to meet growing demand from operators for fit-for-purpose solutions that support a low carbon future. A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Broxton brings almost two decades of experience in the upstream and midstream oil and gas sector to the role having worked across the full asset lifecycle from Feed through to decommissioning. He joins from Wood, where he held a number of senior technical and project management roles across the UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Throughout his career, Broxton has supported major operators to deliver key EPCC project scopes including Shell, Repsol Sinopec, EnQuest, Taqa and TotalEnergies. On his appointment, Broxton said: "I am thrilled to join Three60 Energy having followed the success of the business for many years. I have been impressed by the teams unwavering dedication to quality and responsiveness which is embedded in the culture of the business, and is reflected in the elevated level of customer focus." "It is an exciting time to join as the company continues to evolve and has very ambitious growth targets in the next three to five years. As well as managing a highly skilled multi-disciplined engineering team, I am looking forward to working with a growing customer base to help them solve their engineering challenges," he added. Welcoming him into the fold, Alasdair Smith, Managing Director for Three60 Energys EPCC services, said: "Broxton brings an impressive technical track record in multi-discipline engineering and project management. He has already demonstrated strong alignment with our values of integrity, ownership, challenge and collaboration." "With a natural ability to develop strong relationships with colleagues and customers alike, and delivering impressive technical solutions to address industry needs, he is ideally suited to the role. I am looking forward to working with Broxton as he further strengthens our engineering offering, and supports our future growth as a result," he added. Broxton said he believed there is a real opportunity to make a difference. "To achieve the ambitious net zero targets requires a significant reduction in carbon emissions, and the future energy mix will include renewables such as solar, onshore and offshore wind, and hydrogen.' "The acceleration of both emission, reduction and renewables projects will require the right technical solutions and engineering expertise to deliver at scale. We will strengthen Three60 Energys already strong engineering offering so we can support our customers on their energy transition journey, and help them embrace a low carbon future," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Abu Dhabi Precast, a leading precast manufacturer in the UAE, said it has entered into an agreement with Index InfoTech, a leading business transformation consulting company, to deploy Epicor Software Corporations award-winning Cloud ERP solution to help address various operational challenges. One of the leading companies in the precast construction industry in the region, Abu Dhabi Precast has been manufacturing precast concrete products since 2001. They have built an enviable reputation for the quality of services coupled with excellent stakeholder relationships. With state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and a team of domain experts, the company is committed to continuous improvement and delivering the highest quality product through process optimization and implementation of cutting-edge technologies. Despite the parent group already using another well-known ERP, ADP found it challenging to map their precast specific requirements to a generic manufacturing ERP. Explaining the decision to deploy Epicor ERP, Jushak Rahman Chukkan, Operations Director at ADP, said: Epicors verticalized precast concrete solution, which was designed by their UAE partner Index InfoTech, could cater to almost all our business scenarios out of the box and needed minor customization." "The solution became even more compelling as all features are available on the cloud, a consideration of great significance, particularly in light of the pandemic," he stated. "Furthermore, Index InfoTech has already established a strong track record of successful implementations of this precast specific solution at several leading manufacturers in the region. This really gave us the confidence that this solution was the right fit for our business," he added. Chukkan said ADP chose Epicor specifically for their precast specific vertical solution which was developed by its UAE-based partner. By implementing the new concrete and precast specific ERP, ADP will have access to critical features like Revenue Recognition, Scheduling and Material Requirement Planning, Project Management, Transport and Contractor management from day one, as opposed to any other solution that would require heavy customizations to achieve similar functionality. The ability of Epicor to also integrate with design solutions and third-party project management products will ensure that users can hit the ground running as the project goes live, he added. Murtaza Ezzi, CEO of Index Infotech, said: "Running mostly disparate, legacy ERP systems, our customers were struggling to run processes, achieve efficiency, increase production, or reduce costs all critical success factors in the manufacturing sector." "Through our membership in the National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) the worlds largest Precast Concrete body headquartered in US we have perfected some of the industry best practices and are now able to provide an end-to-end solution that addresses key requirements of the industry. I have no doubt that our solution will give our customers the growth platform they need and I am delighted with the way the concrete industry is responding to our solution," he added. Paul Flannery, VP of International Channel Sales at Epicor, expressed delight at Abu Dhabi Precast's deal with Epicor ERP for this crucial project. "Abu Dhabi Precast are in great hands with a wealth of industry expertise from Index, but also Epicors vertical specialization will enable them to realize the full benefits of an Epicor Cloud solution. I look forward to seeing how the project progresses," he added.-TradeArabia News Service The Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport Branch in Sharjah (AASTS) has signed an agreement with Dubai Police to cooperate in education, training and research in maritime security. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Dr Ismail Abdel Ghaffar Ismail Farag, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, and Major General Prof Dr Mohammed Ahmed bin Fahd, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of Academic and Training Affairs at Dubai Police. The MoU opens the door for cooperation in employing academic capabilities and resources to develop training in maritime safety and security, as well as enhance communication, coordination, and sharing of knowledge and experiences; leading to joint work in training. Dr Farag said: This agreement is part of comprehensive preparations at the Academy to enhance our role as a major partner with the UAE in preparing for the next 50 years. The UAE is a leading global maritime hub and its maritime sector is one of the best worldwide in terms of infrastructure, ports and operational resources. Through our branch in Sharjah, we play a role by preparing highly-qualified Emiratis to lead the maritime sector. We hope that our graduates will be part of the celebrations of the UAE leadership and people when the last barrel of oil is exported in fifty years. Major General Prof. Dr. Mohammed Ahmed bin Fahd said: "This agreement comes at a crucial time for us at Dubai Police. The Emirate's coast is unique compared to other coasts in the region. Our coastline is constantly growing and changing. There is continuous development of real estate projects, waterfronts, and marinas for luxury yachts, ships and boats. Moreover, Dubais ports are among the most active, receiving over 21,000 ships and giant tankers annually. This makes the traditional ways of maritime protection and safety inadequate, and forces us to adopt modern technologies such as the Internet of Things, robots, autonomous boats, and artificial intelligence to strengthen our security tools. All of this requires special training and preparation for our people. The agreement includes cooperation in many areas including maritime education and training, studies in maritime security, providing training courses in maritime security, in addition to benefiting from the Academys capabilities in artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things to build a system of smart and advanced sensors that monitor all indicators necessary to build a comprehensive and accurate picture of the state of the marine environment in Dubai, supporting the development of blue economy and environmental sustainability. This is part of a comprehensive plan to provide specialised research in vital areas such as marine oil pollution, sea water quality, and the preservation of natural marine reserves, within the Sustainable Development Goals. Dr Capt Ahmed Youssef, Associate Dean, College of Maritime Transport and Technology, AASTS said: "This cooperation will also reflect positively on our students who will have the opportunity to train and deal with security and maritime safety experts in Dubai Police, to learn from them and acquire new skills. This will give a competitive advantage to our students at AASTS, compared to other maritime academies and even traditional universities. It will open up new fields of work for our students to whom we pledged that the degree they will receive from AASTS will be among the best university degrees worldwide. The agreement also includes developing an awareness programme in the UAE to promote all joint activities, attract more candidates for maritime studies, coordinate public participation in events, hold conferences and workshops in maritime security, as well as cooperate in maritime legislation and laws. Marasi News platform has announced its full support for this campaign, by allocating a permanent space to publish and cover all news related to this partnership. TradeArabia News Service The American University of Iraq in Sulaimani (AUIS) a not-for-profit university and operated for the public benefit, is aiming to improve the lives of students and their families through a new scholarship campaign called We Share the Future. The scholarships are intended to provide an American-style education to young people from all over Iraq and its Kurdistan region, regardless of their social, ethnic and sectarian background. I returned home to Baghdad after my graduation and accepted a position with a major bank where I serve as a compliance officer, according to Basma, an Iraqi, AUIS female graduate who recently received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. The strong ethics and discipline that I acquired during my studies at AUIS have helped me to succeed on the job. The scholarships are intended to help support AUIS students like Basma. According to UNICEF, in recent years, Iraq has allocated less than 6% of its national budget to the education sector, placing it at the bottom rank of Middle East countries. Currently, $3.2 million school-aged Iraqi children are out of school: a disproportionate amount of them girls. For those students who do graduate from high school, access to higher education can seem out of reach or impossible. To address gender disparity of those receiving a higher education, half of the scholarships will be allotted to women college students. Seeking further support for the scholarship fund, any company working in Iraq is eligible to contribute to the scholarships as part of their corporate social responsibility campaign. The goal is to help students prepare for quality, high-paying jobs in Iraqs commercial and government sectors. Recipients of the scholarships not only have their lives, but their families lives, change for the better, said AUIS President Bruce Walker Ferguson. The investment in an educated workforce from corporate community support is key to enabling AUIS to attract students from diverse backgrounds and creates a powerful engine both for student success and for the countrys economic growth, social benefit, and regional security. Creating Impact Caliburn International, a US-based company which has had a long-standing presence in Iraq with its subsidiaries Sallyport, Janus Global Operations, and Comprehensive Health Services, has become the first to fund the We Share the Future campaign with an initial commitment of $250,000. Caliburn CEO Bob Stalick said: The new scholarship program is another way we can give back to the people of Iraq, where we have worked for many years and have established deep relationships and a respect for the people. He noted that to help develop and support the future workforce in the region, it is critical for the next generation to have the academic and technological background, as well as the critical thinking skills and the collaborative mindset needed to grow. Caliburn announced in April that it intends to break into two independent companies, Acuity International and Valiance Humanitarian. The company expects the separation into two companies to be completed by fall of 2021. Seeking Additional Support The campaign is seeking additional US companies doing business in Iraq to follow Caliburns lead and support new undergraduate scholarships that will further develop the educated and skilled workforce needed to rebuild and sustain the country. Having corporations working in Iraq, like Sallyport and Janus (part of the Caliburn family), partner with the University provides job prospects for AUIS students upon graduation. Graduates of AUIS have the skill sets and worldview to benefit both their employers and their country. AUIS alumni are among the most sought-after university graduates in Iraq, with 80% employed full-time, overwhelmingly in the private sector, or pursuing graduate studies in the US, Europe, and beyond. The AUIS has a charitable organization set up to receive corporate support: The American University of Iraq Foundation (AUIF) is recognized by the IRS as a not-for-profit charitable organization, so any donations to the We Share the Future campaign are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law, a statement said. TradeArabia News Service Boeing and Turkish Technic have announced a renewed tailored parts package agreement, extending the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) providers current contract by three years. The contract will enable Turkish Technic to reinforce its efficiency, reliability and access to a global network of parts and component services. "Our renewed parts agreement with Boeing is a testament to our commitment to providing the best final product to our customers, said Mikail Akbulut, president and CEO, Turkish Technic. Without a doubt, the cooperation between Turkish Technic and Boeing is another milestone in meeting the demands of the market. Through this agreement, Turkish Technic will continue to streamline maintenance operations with price and availability benefits from the renewal agreement. This Tailored Parts Package three year renewal expands the companies previous agreement with 9,000 part numbers. The parts include a range of Boeing and supplier parts sourced through both Boeing and partner entities. As our industry continues to manage challenges caused by the pandemic and subsequent recovery, our partners are committed to finding unique solutions that will provide the value to their organization and final product for their customer, said Ted Colbert, president and chief executive officer, Boeing Global Services. We greatly appreciate that Turkish Technic has continued to place their trust in Boeings large and cost competitive supply network, gaining predictability and flexibility with the custom agreement. Turkish Technic is one of the worlds leading aviation services providers, with comprehensive maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification and reconfiguration services performed by highly qualified workforce from around the world. Turkish Technic supports aircraft operators and owners globally with encompassing component pooling, design, certification and production services. Commercial and government customers can access more than 13 million parts with Boeing, as well as 24/7 technical expertise and support on a broad range of spare parts issues. TradeArabia News Service Creating a more sustainable yacht industry and helping to protect the worlds oceans are the main goals driving a new partnership between AkzoNobels Yacht Coatings business and the Water Revolution Foundation. Having already made a long-term commitment to bring positive change to the industry, the business will share its expert knowledge and insight, which has been acquired over many decades of developing pioneering solutions for customers around the world. Established in 2018, the Water Revolution Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that works to preserve the worlds oceans by helping the yacht industry to drive down its environmental impact. We have a natural connection with the Water Revolution Foundation and share the same goals, in that we both want to create a more eco-conscious and more sustainable yacht industry, explains Jean-Michel Gauthier, Director of AkzoNobels Marine and Protective Coatings business, which includes the Yacht Coatings activities. We pride ourselves on our sustainable products and, by teaming up with the Foundation, we are committed to conserving our oceans. We look forward to working closely together and are excited about what we can both achieve. Adds Robert van Tol, Executive Director at the Water Revolution Foundation: AkzoNobel has shown its leadership in sustainability for many years and we are united in our passion and ambitions to build a more environment-friendly sector. Were pleased to welcome them on board as an official partner and we very much look forward to working together to drive and accelerate change in the superyacht industry. AkzoNobel will specifically share knowledge gained through developing some of the most innovative primers, fillers, topcoats and underwater hull coatings available on the market supplied through its International and Awlgrip ranges. As part of the new partnership, the Water Revolution Foundation and the wider yacht markets will also benefit from AkzoNobels extensive technology experience in multiple sectors, including the automotive, aerospace and powder industries. Having successfully launched its People. Planet. Paint. approach to sustainable business, the companys sustainability performance continues to be recognized externally by several influential rating agencies. For example, AkzoNobel has received the highest possible MSCI rating (AAA) for six consecutive years and is part of the Clean 2000 a ranking of the companies with the highest revenue from sustainable solutions.-- TradeArabia News Service Aveva, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, will host its fourth Aveva World Digital (AWD) conference on June 17, 2021. Aimed at leaders and decision makers interested in innovative industrial technology, to deliver digital transformation and strengthen resilience in a challenging environment, this is the first joint Aveva and PI System event since the company acquired OSIsoft earlier this year. The half-day event will explore how data-led insights infused with artificial intelligence (AI) can help organisations optimise their value chains for long-term business growth, Aveva said in a statement. Avevas recently appointed CEO, Peter Herweck, will kick-off proceedings with a session that lays out how Performance Intelligence, the concept developed by Aveva to explain the outcome of combining information, artificial intelligence and human insight. Also, in the presenter line-up will be Nicole Malachowski, the first female United States Air Force fighter pilot to be part of the elite Thunderbirds squadron, who will address resilience and innovation by speaking from her own debilitating experience with Lyme Disease. Having lost the ability to read, write, walk, and fly, the one-time advisor to former US First Lady Michelle Obama tapped into her aerodynamic training bounce back a secret she will share with AWD attendees. I am looking forward to virtually engaging our customers and partners at my first AVEVA World Digital as the company CEO and the first for former OSIsoft customers. Over the past year, digital transformation has demonstrated how trusted data and artificial intelligence can reshape the future of industries, as well as create new experiences and business opportunities, commented Peter Herweck, CEO, Aveva. We have witnessed how Cloud, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) continue to drive operational resilience in a digital-first environment. Today, Avevas software is enabling organisations, throughout the globe, to harness greater efficiencies, increase agility and accelerate growth - all key factors in also advancing sustainability for industries. Other keynote speakers will include a mix of Aveva and former OSIsoft speakers - Lisa Johnston, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer, Aveva, Norton Green, Director of Executive Engagements, Aveva; Rob McGreevy, Executive Vice President of Operations Business, Aveva and Ronan de Hooge, Head of Information Management Business Unit, Aveva. A customer panel session comprising Aveva and heritage OSIsoft customers, including Enbridge, Nutrien and General Mills, will end proceedings.TradeArabia News Service Kaspersky has uncovered a long-standing cyberespionage campaign against Persian-speaking individuals in Iran. The group behind the malicious activitydubbed Ferocious Kittenhas been active since at least 2015 and delivers a custom malware called MarkiRAT that steals data and can execute commands on the victims machine. The malware also has variants that can hijack the infected users Chrome browser and their Telegram app. In March of this year, a suspicious lure document was uploaded to VirusTotal and brought to the publics knowledge through a post on Twitter. Upon noticing the Tweet, Kaspersky researchers decided to investigate further. What they found was a 6-year long surveillance campaign against Persian-speaking individuals in Iran. They have since dubbed the actor behind the campaign Ferocious Kitten. Ferocious Kitten, active since at least 2015, targets its victims with decoy documents containing malicious macros. These documents are disguised as images or videos that depict action against the Iranian regime (protests or footage from resistance camps). The initial messages within the decoy documents attempt to convince the target to enable the attached images or videos. If the victim agrees, then malicious executables are dropped to the targeted system, while the decoy content is displayed on the screen. Kaspersky researchers were able to uncover several other MarkiRAT variants. One has the ability to intercept the execution of Telegram and launch the malware along with it. It does so by searching the infected device for Telegrams internal data repository. If present, MarkiRAT copies itself to this repository and then modifies the shortcut that launches Telegram to execute this modified repository with the application itself. Another variant modifies the devices Chrome browser shortcut in a similar way to the variant targeting Telegram. The result is that, each time the user starts Chrome, the real application is run and the MarkiRAT payload is executed alongside it. Yet another variant is a back doored version of Psiphon, an open source VPN tool often used to bypass internet censorship. Kaspersky has also found evidence that the actors have developed malicious implants targeting Android devices, although researchers were unable to obtain any specific samples for analysis. The victims of this campaign appear to be Persian-speaking and located within Iran. The content of the decoy documents suggests the attackers are specifically going after supporters of protest movements within the country. While the MarkiRAT malware and accompanying toolset isnt particularly sophisticated, it is interesting that the group created such specialised variants for Chrome and Telegram. It suggests the threat actors are focused more on adapting their existing toolset to their target environments rather than enriching it with features and capabilities. Its also quite possible that the group is running several campaigns targeting different platforms, comments Mark Lechtik, Senior Security Researcher with the Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT). We also found a more recent plain variant using a downloader instead of an embedded payload. This suggests the group is still very much active and may be in the process of modifying their tactics, techniques, and procedures, adds Paul Rascagneres, Senior Security Researcher with GReAT. Ferocious Kittens victimology and TTPs are similar to other actors in the region, namely Domestic Kitten and Rampant Kitten. Together, they form a wider ecosystem of surveillance campaigns in Iran. These types of threat groups dont appear to be frequently covered, which makes it possible for them to fly under the radar for long periods of time and makes it easier for them to reuse their infrastructure and toolsets, comments Aseel Kayal, Security Researcher with GReAT. -- TradeArabia News Service Kuwait has appointed Mohammad Al Shatti as its new governor of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), replacing Haitham Al Ghais, who is now the Vice President of International Marketing for state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corp. Al Ghais was previously the delegation's No. 3 official as Opec national representative, said a statement from Opec. In its biggest shuffle in the Opec delegation, Kuwait has promoted Al Shatti to its second-ranking envoy to the organization, behind oil minister Mohammed Al Fares, while the Opec national representative role will be filled by Sheikh Abdullah Al Sabah. Currently the organization's fifth largest member by crude output, Kuwait is a close ally of Saudi Arabia, Opec's biggest producer. It had pumped 2.36 million barrels per day (mbpd) of crude oil in May, in line with its quota, according to the latest S&P Global Platts survey of Opec production. Naqel Express, a leading express logistics and supply chain company in Saudi Arabia with the largest seamless network, is powering ahead with a raft of initiatives in the Kingdom and globally. In alignment with the Kingdoms Vision 2030 initiative, Naqel has unleashed new investments of over SR200 million ($53 million) in the western province of Saudi Arabia to further facilitate imports and trading with the three continents connecting the Kingdom. Accordingly, Anef Bin Ahmad Abanomi, President of Saudi Post and Chairman of Naqel Express, has inaugurated Naqels new gateway facilities at King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) and new pharma and cold chain warehouse facilities in Jeddah. Commenting on these developments, Eng Ammar Al Harbi, Director of Gateway, Naqel Express, says: With this expansion, we have strengthened our handling and clearance capabilities in all three major airports in the Kingdom. These airport facilities will facilitate smooth exports and imports into the Kingdom from all around the world. Fahad Al Salhi, Chief of Solutions Division, Naqel Express, says: Our new state-of-the-art warehousing facilities in Jeddah will facilitate storage, inventory control, packaging and distribution of imported goods across the Kingdom and rest of the Gulf region, complementing our cold supply chain solutions offered within the region. He adds: The facility is equipped with the highest standards in the cold chain industry, offering various solutions catering to the specific requirements of pharmaceutical, healthcare, FMCG and other related industrial sectors. Besides, Naqel has also invested in the development of new warehousing and facilities in Asir and Riyadh that will support warehousing and fulfillment requirements of businesses from a cross-section of industrial sectors in the Kingdom. With continued expansion across all Gulf countries and by increasing its footprint and presence in the source countries of the US, Europe, UK and China, Naqel aims to establish its leadership position in the region. With these investments, Naqel is going from strength to strength with its people and network and gearing up for accelerated growth aligned with Kingdoms Vision 2030 goals. Tradearabia News Service Airports Council International (ACI) World and the five ACI regions in collaboration with members have created a long-term carbon goal for their member airports: ACI member airports at a global level commit to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and urge governments to provide the necessary support in this endeavour. Climate change is a global challenge requiring an urgent global response given the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes (IPCC) recent call to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. ACIs long term carbon goal relates to the carbon emissions under the direct control of airport operators and will be a crucial component of the aviation industrys contribution towards this global effort. Airports have long taken a leadership role in addressing, minimising, and mitigating the environmental impacts of aviation. This has been demonstrated through their ability to decrease emissions over the last 10 years, supported and enabled by Airport Carbon Accreditation despite significant traffic growth in that time. Building upon the commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 initially launched by ACI EUROPE in June 2019, ACI has created this ambitious long-term carbon goal to drive further action and support the decarbonization efforts of airports as they respond to the climate challenge. The climate crisis requires bold action at the local, regional and global level and the goal we have set for airport members will help to drive action and identify common challenges and opportunities that can be tackled together, ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. We set out to work with all ACI Regions and our membership globally to establish a net zero goal at a global level that airports can commit to reaching, and we urge governments to provide the necessary support for this crucial endeavour." The sustainability of the whole aviation sector is crucial for the present and future of the industry, it is our passport to a return to growth, and the industry has invested billions in measures and practices which have made significant progress in reducing its environmental impact." Through a combination of new technology, operational efficiencies and infrastructure improvements, more than 10 billion tonnes of CO2 have been averted by the industry since 1990, but we must build on this and accelerate our collective efforts to decarbonise." Airports cannot do this alone, however, and this is just the first step. If they are to realize this ambitious target, they must work closely with the wider aviation community and count on the support of governments and key stakeholders to address, minimise and mitigate the environmental impacts of continued aviation growth over the long term. Airports are an integral part of the response to climate change but ACI recognizes that each airport, country, and region is different. The long-term carbon goal is ambitious and aspirational and intended to be adopted by individual airports in accordance with local conditions, with the support of local governments, to a timeline towards net zero by 2050 that works for them. This is illustrated by ACI EUROPEs announcement - made during its recent Aviation Sustainability Summit - that 235 airports in the region have committed to net zero by 2050 but also that 91 airports are now set to achieve net zero by 2030. ACI also believes that aviation is crucial for the global economic recovery from the impact and effects of Covid-19 as the industrys global economic impact direct, indirect, induced and catalytic contributes trillions to world gross domestic product, supports millions of jobs, and fosters sustainable development. ACI World and the ACI Regions take a leadership role in the aviation industry in promoting development which actively addresses environmental impacts while also ensuring delivery of the undoubted economic and social benefits of aviation to the communities we serve in a way that promotes their sustainability, Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. The aviation industrys permission to operate and grow will only be granted when the communities we serve are an integral part of the work that airports, the wider aviation community, and governments are doing, together with proactive climate action which is even more critical in the recovery efforts from the pandemic. The study underlying the setting of the goal was conducted by ACI World with consultants ICF and Airbiz, sponsored by Hong Kong International Airport, Oman Airports, the Schiphol Group, San Francisco International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Vancouver Airport Authority, and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority; the study was also sponsored by EXOLUM, World Fuel Services, and Terpel. - TradeArabia News Service Recent partnering between RwandAir and TAL Aviation will provide wider opportunities for residents, tourists and businessmen in Italy wishing to travel to and within Rwanda and to other parts of Africa. Since August of last year, RwandAir has gradually resumed commercial flights across its global network, including most of its African routes, as well as some long-haul destinations such as London Heathrow, Brussels and Dubai. RwandAirs fleet comprises Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier aircraft. To ensure the health and safety of its customers as its number one priority, RwandAir has published a Five-Step Health & Safety Guide to provide for a clean and secure onboard experience. Our Italian team is ready and eager to promote, and passionate about selling the airline in Italy, welcoming customers on board RwandAir and flying them with confidence, commented Nissim Sagis, TAL Aviations Chief Commercial Officer.-- TradeArabia News Service Malta is now offering quarantine-free travel for UAE residents, after Emirates has officially announced that it will resume three weekly services to Malta via Larnaca, Cyprus, starting July 14. Having established itself as a safe destination, with elaborate vaccination plans and a low number of Covid cases, Malta - the newly added country to Abu Dhabis green list - is a wonderful island destination home to dazzling crystalline beaches, impressive historical and cultural sights, UNESCO archaeological attractions, and a wide array of fun-packed activities. Emirates will operate three weekly flights through the already existing Larnaca service on the two-class Boeing 777-300ER. The flights will be on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and they will arrive in Larnaca first, then resume to Malta. Based on Emirates guidelines, UAE travellers visiting Malta; who are over the age of 5, are required to hold a negative Covid-19 test certificate for a test taken within 72 hours of arrival in Malta. Passengers must also present a completed Passenger Locator Form (PLF) and a negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate at check-in to be accepted for travel to Malta. Recently, Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) has cooperated with local hotels to launch the Incentives for Free Independent Travelers (FIT), where MTA will incentivise independent travellers visiting the Maltese Islands to book their holiday stays in five-, four-, and three-star hotels directly through discounted rates. Malta is home to five Michelin star restaurants that act as an exceptional gateway to Maltas gastronomical traditions. It is also the set of many Hollywood productions including the movies Gladiator and Troy, as well as the international hit series Game of Thrones which had one of its seasons shot in the historical city of Mdina. Residents of the UAE now have the option to spend their long-awaited holiday in the beautiful Maltese islands in the heart of the Mediterranean. The Maltese islands are the perfect summer destination for families and groups, with moderate temperatures all year round, a thrilling collection of family-friendly water and land activities, a charming urban scene and much more. - TradeArabia News Service TIME Hotels held the soft opening of its much-anticipated TIME Asma Hotel in Dubais Al Barsha shopping district on June 15. The new four-star property boasts management team consisting entirely of women, including the hotel manager Alexandra Kelner and 80 per cent of the hotels employees. Commenting, TIME Hotels CEO Mohamed Awadalla, said: It has always been integral to our corporate strategy to diversify our workforce and offer equal opportunities to all members of staff." Under the leadership of Alexandra, all areas of the hotel operation will be managed by women, from HR to sales, F&B, finance, front office and housekeeping even our executive chef is a woman." I am sure that this talented all-female management team will provide inspiration to all women who want to carve out a successful career in hospitality, added Awadalla. The hotel, which will have its grand opening in September, consists of 232 rooms over six floors with a gym, which has exclusive opening times for women, swimming pool, jacuzzi, four meeting rooms, a business centre and two restaurants, for both male and female guests. Zaytuna, serves Middle Eastern cuisine, with an open kitchen in a market-style setting and La Dolce Vita as the name would suggest is a casual, Italian-themed restaurant. Moreover, there are floors reserved exclusively for female travellers with dedicated services, including: female room service, a female-only check-in counter and guest relations. Other features include bespoke beauty products, in-room beauty treatments, as well as enhanced amenities in each room. The hotel will also offer dedicated parking spaces for women. According to Catalyst, a global organisation that promotes women in the workplace, in 2019, the proportion of women in senior management roles globally grew to 29 per cent, the highest number ever recorded and 87 per cent of global mid-market companies had at least one woman in a senior management role in 2020. Indeed, French national Kelners advancement is a classic example of career development. Having graduated from the School of Management in Yvelines, near Paris, she held senior positions in hotels in France and the UAE, leading teams across housekeeping and rooms division. Once regional and international travel restrictions are relaxed, more women will be travelling on business than ever before. Many women may well be travelling alone and I believe it will be comforting for them to have the option of staying in a hotel where 80 per cent of the staff are women, with dedicated floors and in-room amenities, said Alexandra Kelner, Hotel Manager, TIME Asma Hotel. The hotel is also located just five minutes from Mall of the Emirates and as such is expecting healthy demand from local and regional visitors for short leisure breaks, particularly women and families. With the summer heat approaching, TIME Asma is ideally located for a weekend of retail therapy, said Kelner. - TradeArabia News Service Help India! The past two months have left the residents of the north Indian state of Bihar reel under the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 as the death toll mounted to record-breaking levels. In this TCN Ground Report, we recount the trauma and shock that the citizens went through. Nafis Haider and Shaheen Muddassir | TwoCircles.net Support TwoCircles BIHAR Panic, confusion and trauma are rife among people in the north Indian state of Bihar amid the second wave of coronavirus that has devastated the country. Locals said that the poor response mechanism of the state government and surge in deaths that the state witnessed due to Covid-19 has left them in shock and trauma. Even though the government on June 15 announced relaxations in the lockdown-related restrictions and extended the night curfew for another one week from June 16 to 22, the locals said that the period of trauma is far from over. The past two months have left the residents of Bihar reel under the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 as the death toll mounted to record-breaking levels in the state and across the country. Reflecting on the Covid-19 situation in the state seen in the last few months, Moin Ansari, from Phulwari Sharif Patna, told TwoCircles.net, We are left with nothing here. Our locality does not have a good hospital and the nearby hospitals which provide good medical service are charging hefty amounts from patients. We are not even able to find the necessary medicines for Covid-19. The condition of my locality is really bad. Ansari, who owns a shop in the local market said. Ansari said that due to the Covid-19 lockdown the market has been severely impacted. There is no other means of livelihood for me. Most of the people here are like that, he said. Ansari added that it is becoming difficult even to find bread and butter for my family. Days after the Bihar government found 71 dead bodies in the river Ganga in the Buxar district of the state in May, more bodies were also fished out near the Gulabi ghat in Patna, which also included the dead body of a child. With the corpses found floating in the Ganga ghat in Patna suspected of victims of Covid-19, the residents living in the nearby colonies were left traumatized. The residents are still reeling from the trauma. Shadaab Khan, a resident of Haroon Nagar colony explained the chaotic state of things. People were not coming out of their homes to give medicines to those suffering from Covid-19. You cannot depend on even your neighbours as everyone is afraid they will catch the disease. The old people were the first to die during the month of Ramadan. People were so traumatized by the number of deaths from this colony alone that we had to call off the practice of announcement of death from the mosque, Khan said. People from the region are blaming the inefficiency of the Bihar government for failing to test people arriving from other states. Locals said that many villages which had zero cases later witnessed a rise in Covid-19 positive patients and subsequent deaths. In a high-level meeting last month, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar showed concern about proper testing and quarantine of migrants who are coming back to Bihar amid the second wave of Covid-19, but, as per locals, nothing concrete happened on the ground. Locals who spoke to TwoCircles.net also complained of poor testing at government hospitals. Tasneem Malik, who recovered from Covid-19 in late May told TwoCircles.net that in early May he developed high fever, diarrhoea and had other symptoms associated with the coronavirus. I, obviously, went for a Covid-19 test, but the report came negative, adding, However, after two days when my health condition worsened, I went for another test and I came Covid-19 positive. Locals said that the government is downplaying the count of Covid-19 positive cases by pronouncing people negative even though they are positive. Between May 5 and May 15, the positivity rate has come down from around 15% to 5%. The decline in positivity rate can be attributed to the effect of lockdown but such a sharp decline has raised suspicions of data manipulation. On March 18, Bihar recorded the highest single-day Covid-19 deaths as 111 persons succumbed to the virus. Locals, however, maintained that the death toll is much higher than what is projected in the official data. The claim of the locals is substantiated by the inconsistencies in the death toll of Buxar district reported by Bihars chief secretary and the Patna divisional commissioner. The chief secretary submitted a report in the Patna High Court in May that since March 1 only six deaths due to Covid-19 had taken place in Buxar, while the divisional commissioners affidavit mentioned between 5 May and 14 May, 789 cremations were conducted at just one cremation ground of the district. Bihar is worst state for healthcare workers Due to the inadequate health infrastructure in the state, the exponential rise in Covid-19 cases has only made the situation worse. Reports said that the exhausted healthcare workers, including doctors at the hospital, are made to work in a severe infectious environment without proper equipment. The Indian Medical Association in its report in May said that out of 269 doctors who died in the second wave of Covid-19, as many as 78 were from Bihar. The required strength of doctors in Bihar is around 17,000, but there are only 8,000 doctors in the state. The death of doctors due to Covid-19 was accompanied by an already shortage of staff. The Indian army created two field hospitals to assist the Bihar government in fighting the rising number of cases but compared to the rising demands of doctors and beds in the city, locals said that they are a mere eyewash. Although, on June 11, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that, 1.30 crore people have been vaccinated for Covid-19 across the state, locals reeling from Covid-19 trauma said that the state will take some time to get back to normal life. Shaheen Muddassir studies History at Jamia Millia Islamia and Nafis Haider studies Political Science at Aligarh Muslim University. By Pete Mecca Arranging an interview quickly turns into something even more exciting when the veteran suggests, Lets just fire up the old Stearman and fly down to Peach State Aerodrome for lunch at Barnstormers Grill. Then we can fly back for an interview at my house. Needless to say, nobody had to twist my arm. The grass airfield in Williamson, GA is also home to the Candler Field Museum and the Civil Air Patrol. Pilots who frequent Barnstormers are seasoned aviators with thousands of hours behind the controls of contemporary aircraft, but these guys would feel right at home inside the cockpit of a WWI era Sopwith Camel, a French Spad, or the Fokker Dreidecker (tri-plane) of Red Barron renown. Loiter around the grass field long enough and you may see a floppy-eared Beagle land his dog house. John Laughter can recite Barnstormers menu by heart from one too many hamburgers and gooey desserts shared with other daring young men and their flying machines. Thing is, many of the flyboys are no longer young and their machines are older than they are, but in aviation older means an enormous amount of hard-earned experience by trial and error, sometimes even the death of a wingman. As a Navy fighter pilot Laughter flew into the most heavily defended country of his era, a place called North Vietnam. This is his story. I was born into a family of aviators in Horse Shoe, NC. My dad served with the 101st Airborne in WWII. He was severely wounded on the 2nd day of the Normandy invasion which ended his military career but that didnt stop him from becoming a private pilot, even with a steel pin in his leg. Dad soloed after 4 hours of instruction. My mom had a fear of flying but conquered that fear to become the first licensed female pilot in western North Carolina. My uncle trained young pilots during WWII using the Stearman biplane. He became a commercial airline pilot and took me for my first flight in a Globe/Temco Swift. I fell in love with aviation and decided then and there I wanted to be a fighter pilot then a commercial pilot. I remember going to the airfield with the family when I was 10 years old and sitting in the cockpit of a Stearman duster. I bought that same Stearman in 1985. Johns third year of college at East Carolina gave him the opportunity to fulfill his aviation dream. Navy recruiters were on campus and offered me a ride in a T-34 (Beachcraft Mentor). Of course I took the ride then said to myself, Yep, this is for me. I signed up and arrived in Pensacola in Dec of 64. I figured the US Navy had a plane waiting for me with my name on it, but I soon found out things didnt work that way. John said of his youthful rebellious nature, You know, after joining the Navy I realized everything my dad had taught me made sense. Dad was a disciplined man, and it helped me become the aviator I am today. Pre Flight School at Pensacola paved the way for primary flight school at Saufley Field. John recalled, I soloed in the T-34 and learned basic acrobatics but kept wondering if jets or props would be in my future. Luckily I got jets and was sent to Meridian, MS to master the T-2 (North American Buckeye). Proficient behind the controls of a Buckeye, John returned to Pensacola for gunnery school and carrier qual (qualification). Carrier landings and takeoffs would be mastered on the legendary USS Lexington stationed in the Gulf of Mexico. His thoughts on his first carrier landing, I didnt think that much of it because of all the training the Navy had given me. Everything went as I had been briefed. My first shot (catapult) off the carrier was perfectexciting, but perfect. Next port-of-call: Chase Field in Beeville, TX, to train on the F-9 Cougar and F-11 Grumman Tiger. One F-11 training mission caused a bit of a problem. I was rolling in on target in the Gulf during gunnery training when the low oil pressure warning light came on. I headed for Corpus Christi and called in my emergency. Im on a precautionary approach and let the gear downthen the darn plane falls out of the sky. Normal thrust failed, the gear is sucked back up, engine power was not normal, so Im just hoping for the best. I made it to the short runway but had to shut down the engine on final approach and dead stick it back down to earth. I made it okay. All his experience, all his training, all he ever learned about flying would now come into play. Assigned to VF-124 squadron at Miramar near San Diego, John mastered the F-8 Vought Crusader supersonic Navy fighter, a wonderful plane, he stated, Plus I married my forever sweetheart, the beautiful Carole Bowden. After winning Caroles affection, John reported to the Sundowners of VF-111 and by April of 67 set sail for Westpac aboard the USS Oriskany. His destination was Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam. Upon arrival: We had experienced guys on the Oriskany from the year before who briefed us on their experiences, but it didnt help too much because of the new targets, the capitol city of Hanoi and the major port of Haiphong. I flew iron hand combat escort for A-4 Skyhawks, a few flak suppression missions with Zuni missiles, TarCap, Barcap, Migcap, and photo recon escort. We lost one plane per day the first week, then didnt lose a plane for one day only, then lost two the next day. My F-8 was the C model without hard points on the wing. We carried 4 Zuni rockets or 4 Sidewinders. The E model F-8s carried bombs because they had hard points on their wings. Tactics: A Skyhawk would fly an Iron Hand mission and launch a Shrike missile at a SAM (surface to air missile) location. The Shrike would fly right down the SAMs radar beam and destroy the site, unless they saw it coming and quickly shut down their system. Our Crusaders would protect the A-4s plus escort strike forces into their target. We actually drew the SAMs toward us and away from the strike force. One tactic was to let loose a Zuni toward Hanoi to make the SAM operators shut down their radar because the Zuni looked like a Shrike coming at you. The North Vietnamese had 37mm, 57mm, 85mm, and I think some 100mm guns plus SAMs. One of their tactics was to form a cone of anti-aircraft fire which our planes were forced to maneuver through. If we missed the target wed have to go back another day and fly through the cone again. On losing a pilot: It was tough. Youre sitting in a briefing room with 30 pilots and you know that one probably isnt coming back. You just hope its not your day to be that missing pilot. On our first cruise the A-4 Skyhawks took a pounding, about 28 planes either lost or damaged. We also used wet-winging to improve our survival rate. If youre shot up and leaking fuel and lucky enough to reach the sea then an aerial fuel tanker would hook up to you and keep pumping fuel into your plane to replace the fuel being leaked. Some holes in our planes were large enough to stick your head through. The cameraman: One of our pilots named Stattin used his own 8mm camera to film our missions. We called him Cecil B. DeStattin. On one mission he was filming SAMs heading our way when he realized a SAM was heading right for him. He broke hard to avoid the missile but the 400lb warhead exploded and peppered his aircraft with shrapnel. He made it back but with over 100 holes in his plane. We continued to hit the enemy hard and did not back down because of our losses. We did the best we could under the circumstances and did it for our wingman and our squadron. The war protests back home didnt bother us at all. Their tour complete, the Oriskany headed for Hong Kong during Christmas. That didnt last long, John said. The replacement carrier was delayed so we had to go back in action for 10 days in January of 68. Those 10 days cost us 2 more planes and 2 more pilots. Thus ended the bloodiest combat cruise of the Vietnam War. Special note: Up against enemy Mig fighters, the Crusaders earned the nicknames Mig Master and Last of the Gunfighters. Migs did not come up against the Crusaders very often because they would probably lose the engagement. The final tally was 19-3 in favor of the Crusaders, the best of the war. On Laughters first cruise his squadron only had one Mig engagement: 6 Migs against 1 Crusader and ended with 1 Mig shot down. Once home in San Diego a reserve F-8 squadron called up by President Johnson took over the fighter planes. Well, that didnt work out too well, John said. Most if not all of the reserve pilots were commercial airline pilots. They took over the squadrons airplanes but bellyached about everything, including their loss of pay. Then the Navy discovered these guys couldnt land on carriers at night. The Navy sent them home then gave us back our planes. John recalled an important event during his first tour. I forgot to tell you about the USS Forrestal disaster. Our sister carrier was launching planes from the VF-11 Squadron on July 29, 1967 when a Zuni missile misfired on the flight deck. The wayward Zuni struck a fully fueled and armed A-4 piloted by future Senator and Presidential candidate John McCain. The resulting explosions and fire killed 134 men, injured 161, and destroyed 21 aircraft. Some of the pilots and aircraft that survived the conflagration were sent over to our carrier, the Oriskany, so the support missions could continue. In late October we struck the thermal power plant in Hanoi. It was on that mission that John McCain went down and became a POW. You know, our newest weapon at that time was the Walleye (first in a series of smart bombs) that our pilots knew very little about. But the North Vietnamese had all the information they needed on the Walleye; they knew how to jam or evade the weapon. We basically had a traitor in the U.S. And let me mention Jane Fonda. The photo of her sitting in the seat of a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun irked all of us; it was hard to swallow. We were on the receiving end of the gun and her actions only encouraged our enemies. Most of us still hold a grudge about that but we dont dwell on it. Johns second tour on Yankee Station wasnt a cake walk but did offer less of a risk. President Johnson had initiated another bombing halt which took Hanoi and Haiphong plus other important targets off the bombing list. We still had losses but not as severe as the first tour of duty. We did our job; we served our country, and we were proud of our service. John Laughter flew a total of 155 combat missions into North Vietnam. His Crusader never received a hit, not one scratch. Yeah, I was lucky; I know that. Grinning, John said, I guess my Guardian Angel received a lot of overtime pay. How good is a combat experienced Navy pilot? John Laughter received high marks at the very first Top Gun school, helped develop new tactics to fight enemy Mig fighters, transferred to the East Coast and flew F-4 Phantom Jets off the refurbished USS Forrestal as a member of the legendary VF-11 Red Ripper Squadron, and served as a weapons training officer. On hitting the silk: I was in test squadron VX-4 at Point Magu, CA. We normally used the Pacific Missile Range as our primary operating area. On day while maneuvering behind an F-4 during a simulated dogfight my F-8 went out of control and rolled to the right. One of the connecting rods had broken. I managed to regain some control but could only perform right turns. After struggling with the aircraft for about 15 minutes I knew it was time to eject. We were over the desert, very few houses, and I maneuvered toward the barren mountains. I pulled the handle then the rocket seat ejected me out of the aircraft. It would take me a lifetime to explain my thoughts during the few seconds before the chute opened, but I can tell you this, when that orange and white parachute deployed it was without a doubt the most beautiful thing Id ever seen. After all of Johns careful planning and piloting, the F-8 still landed in a guys backyard. John recalled, The jet just spun in. No injuries occurred on the ground, but there was not one piece of the jet you couldnt pick up in your hand. The Crusaders engine was found buried 28 feet into the ground. After 8 years flying Navy jets, John decided on a career in commercial aviation. He retired in 2003 from Northwest Airlines. Asked how many different aircraft he had flown, John replied, It would be easier for me to name the planes I havent flown. His final thoughts on the war in Vietnam: Vietnam was a terrible war that was terribly managed. We wasted a lot of good people, then in the end we gave it all away. For me, it was a good time in my life, learning who I am and what I am and operating under pressure. But you know, we have heard no more Vietnams, never again, yet we see them doing the same thing over and over and losing everything weve gained. I just dont get it. Pete Mecca is a Vietnam veteran. For story consideration visit his website at aveteransstory.us and click on contact us. From the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institutions newsletter One hundred years ago on June 15, 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first African American woman and the first woman of Native American descent to earn a pilots license. The license was issued by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the aviation licensing body of Europe Bessie moved to France to learn to fly because the skies werent open to her as a Black woman in the United States. Bessie Coleman, byname of Elizabeth Coleman, (born January 26, 1892, Atlanta, Texas, U.S.died April 30, 1926, Jacksonville, Florida), American aviator and a star of early aviation exhibitions and air shows. One of 13 children, Coleman grew up in Waxahatchie, Texas, where her mathematical aptitude freed her from working in the cotton fields. She attended college in Langston, Oklahoma, briefly, before moving to Chicago, where she worked as a manicurist and restaurant manager and became interested in the then new profession of aviation. Discrimination thwarted Colemans attempts to enter aviation schools in the United States. Undaunted, she learned French and in 1920 was accepted at the Caudron Brothers School of Aviation in Le Crotoy, France. Black philanthropists Robert Abbott, founder of the Chicago Defender, and Jesse Binga, a banker, assisted with her tuition. On June 15, 1921, she became the first American woman to obtain an international pilots license from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. In further training in France, she specialized in stunt flying and parachuting; her exploits were captured on newsreel films. She returned to the United States, where racial and gender biases precluded her becoming a commercial pilot. Stunt flying, or barnstorming, was her only career option. Coleman staged the first public flight by an African American woman in America on Labor Day, September 3, 1922. She became a popular flier at aerial shows, though she refused to perform before segregated audiences in the South. Speaking at schools and churches, she encouraged blacks interest in aviation. She also raised money to found a school to train black aviators. Before she could found her school, however, during a rehearsal for an aerial show, the plane carrying Coleman spun out of control, catapulting her 2,000 feet to her death. Bessie Colemans personal drive and accomplishments are truly inspiring and her remarkable journey reflects the racist and sexist struggles many faced across the nation, and worldwide, in the 1920s both in the air and on the ground. Bessies story is one that deserves to be widely known and celebrated. Learn more about Bessie Colemans journey to the skies and the challenges she had to overcome to achieve her dreams in curator Dorothy Cochranes new blog Celebrating the Centennial of Bessie Coleman as the First Licensed African American Woman Pilot. Colemans life and legacy arent just limited to aviation. In the air and on the ground, she made history, changed history, and witnessed history. Get a glimpse at the barrier breaking, fearless, multifaceted woman she was in Bessie Coleman: Five Stories You May Not Know. Discover more resources about Bessie Coleman and the legacy she left behind on the Museums Bessie Coleman webpage. By Li Dongdong and Sun Xingwei BEIJING, June 15 -- Recently, the PLA airborne troops carried out a drill on battlefield first aid in central China's Hubei Province. With several large transport planes roaring in the air, a total of 60 military medics, together with various materials and equipment, parachuted from the cabin one after another. After landing, the medics freed themselves from parachute gears, collected airdropped materials, and began to set up the functional field rescue center, assembling medical tents and equipment. Quick and vertical entry into the battlefield is the unique advantage of the airborne medical team, as introduced by Cheng Wenguang, commander of the airborne medical detachment. In the past, medical personnel and equipment landed separately and their reorganization was time-consuming, which restricted the capacity of rapid battlefield first aid. In recent years, airdrop platforms suitable for carrying medical equipment have been developed in succession in a bid to improve the efficiency of rapid airdrop. In addition, more than 20 types of medical equipment suitable for airlift and airdrop have been innovated. In all, the assembly time for medical members in airborne landing has been shortened step by step. According to the head of the PLA airborne troops hospital, since its establishment, the airborne medical detachment has been continuously improving its abilities of airborne landing in complex weather conditions, precise positioning and assembly, and mass casualty treatment. BEIJING, June 16 -- The 8th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus was held via video link on June 16. Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe attended the meeting and made a statement. Gen. Wei said that todays world is facing multiple crises rarely seen in history and various destabilizing and uncertain factors are on the rise. All countries should adhere to a shared destiny, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, uphold fairness and justice, safeguard international rule of law, persevere with openness and inclusiveness, promote exchanges and mutual learning, and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind. He pointed out that China is committed to safeguarding world peace, contributing to global development and maintaining the international order. The development of China's military is part of the growth of the worlds peace forces. Wei added that China attaches great importance to security cooperation with other countries and fully understands and respects their legitimate concerns. China's national interests must also be fully respected and safeguarded. On issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea, China is determined to safeguard the countrys core interests. Wei also stated that as the Asia-Pacific region faces both opportunities and challenges in the future, all parties should adhere to a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable global security concept, jointly build and make good use of the mechanism of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus, and create a security pattern featuring joint contribution and shared benefits. China will take an active part in cooperation within the mechanism, firmly support other countries, expand cooperation fields and make greater contributions to regional peace and stability. The meeting participants expressed their views on the international and regional security situation and related issues. The meeting discussed and adopted the Bandar Seri Begawan Joint Declaration on the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus. With 28 military aircraft, yesterday the Chinese carried out the most massive raid in months. A response to the G7, which called for a peaceful solution to the dispute between China and Taiwan. The Asian giant's aircraft flew over an area crossed by a US aircraft carrier. Experts: Beijing wants to intimidate its opponents. Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Chinas air raids into Taiwans skies are a response to interference from foreign countries that conspire with Tsai Ing-wens government for the independence of the island. This is what Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Chinese Office for Taiwanese Affairs, said this morning after yesterday 28 military aircraft of the People's Liberation Army passed the Taipei aerial identification zone: the most massive raid since last September, when Beijing has begun to intensify its air sorties into the Taiwan Strait. The Taipei Defense Ministry pointed out that the Chinese have deployed one anti-submarine aircraft, one electric warfare aircraft, four bombers, two radar control aircraft and 20 fighter jets. The operation came two days after the G7 countries called for the status quo to be maintained in the Taiwan Strait, encouraging Beijing and Taipei to find a peaceful solution to their disputes. Communist China considers Taiwan a "rebel" province, to be reconquered even by force if necessary. The Chinese air force also flew over the southern tip of the island, near the Bashi Channel, which divides Taiwan from the Philippines: a probable message to the United States. Yesterday a US aircraft carrier and its combat group crossed the sea passage to reach the South China Sea, which the Chinese claim almost in full. According to several observers, with its repeated incursions China wants to intimidate Taipei and Washington, as well as send the message to the international community that it will not back down on its territorial claims. Taiwanese analysts also note that the Chinese leadership launches these operations to soften the more nationalist fringes of the regime. by Fady Noun About forty bishops from Lebanon, the Arab world and the diaspora will gather from 14 to 19 June. An appointment that precedes the ecumenical meeting on July 1st, announced by the Pope. The themes include the social, economic and financial crisis, liturgy, seminaries and the formation of priests. Beirut (AsiaNews) - The Maronite Church has begun its annual Synod (June 14-19, 2021) in the presence of about forty bishops from Lebanon, the Arab world and the diaspora. The meetings will continue throughout the current week and will close on the weekend with the publication of a final press release. The agenda takes in some problems of an internal nature: liturgy, seminaries and priestly formation, the situation of overseas dioceses, as well as the serious social questions launched as a challenge to the Maronite Church and closely linked to the economic and financial crisis. Finally, the so-called "national" question: The Maronite patriarch's campaign in favour of the proclamation of positive neutrality in Lebanon and the holding of an international conference under the aegis of the United Nations, dedicated to Lebanon. In a speech delivered at the opening of the meeting, Patriarch Beshara Rai stressed that the days of spiritual retreat that preceded the work of the synod "reinforced our convictions, that the Maronite Church be a source of hope and that it is in this virtue that she walks with her people. He therefore made a particular mention of solidarity [] which protects the community from disintegration, from wandering and from getting lost. Taking into account the dangers highlighted by the patriarch, many expect this session of the synod to focus more on the situation of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, rather than on the dioceses of the diaspora. Insisting on the word "hope", the patriarch referred - in his opening address - to the title of the Apostolic Exhortation "A new hope for Lebanon", published on May 17, 1997, following the 1995 synod held in Rome under the presidency of St. John Paul II. A careful observer underlines that the Churches of Lebanon are being invited to return to this exhortation and its message. A true lesson on coexistence, this exhortation specified at the time: "Having lived side by side for long centuries, sometimes in peace and collaboration, sometimes in confrontation and conflicts, Christians and Muslims in Lebanon must find respectful dialogue of the sensitivities of the people and of the different communities, the indispensable way to welcome and build society ". And it adds: The Lebanese must not forget this long experience of relationships, which they are called to tirelessly renew for the good of the people and the whole nation. For men of good will, it is unthinkable that members of the same human community, living in the same land, come to distrust one another, to oppose and exclude each other in the name of their respective religions. In fact, the synod on Lebanon was held in the presence of the representatives of the Eastern Catholic Churches, but also in the presence of "fraternal observers" from the Orthodox world and representatives of the three Lebanese communities, Sunni, Shiite and Druze. Food insecurity In his opening remarks the patriarch did not fail to denounce - no longer finding strong enough words in his homilies - what he defines as the "negligence of those responsible who block the executive power and that of the economic and financial capacities of the state. Or, again, the fact that "half of the Lebanese people live in conditions of food insecurity" or, finally, the generalization of a chaos that progressively spreads to the administration, the borders, the port and the airport, as well as the worsening of the migratory movement, especially of the youth. There is no need to remember, that the Lebanese pound has already lost 90% of its value, that food and medical equipment are monopolized by importers, that some elements of vital basic care, such as dialysis, are threatened. Powdered milk has disappeared from pharmacy shelves, and the requests for food aid in the form of rice or sugar by public employees whose salaries no longer exceed, in value, 30 dollars or employees who find themselves out of work from one day to the next and have to wait several hours to fill up with petrol while politicians weigh the pros and cons of each ministerial appointment for weeks on end. Finally, the synod should also address, through the "national question", the ecumenical meeting program which is scheduled in Rome on July 1st, on the initiative of Pope Francis, and to which all the religious leaders of the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Churches present in Lebanon are invited. Since last month, the military has been cracking down on resistance forces in eastern Myanmar, shelling several churches, this despite an appeal by Catholic leaders to spare religious buildings. Yesterday was the second day of Aung San Suu Kyi's trial. Yangon (AsiaNews) Less than a month after launching an offensive to defeat anti-regime forces in eastern Myanmar, the military junta has wrecked at least eight churches. Christian leaders had asked soldiers to spare the places of worship, but their appeal was not heeded. We told them there are no armed groups hiding in our churches, just people taking shelter [from the fighting], said a Catholic priest who took part in talks with military officers during the early stages of the conflict. They know that were housing the elderly, children and women, he added. This is just a planned, deliberate action. According to local residents, soldiers also set up camp in church compounds. On Sunday, a group of soldiers broke into a Catholic convent in the Archdiocese of Mandalay and questioned priests for alleged links to the anti-coup movement. After they were taken to a police station, the clergymen were questioned for almost 24 hours, one of the priests said anonymously. On 25 May, following an attack against the Church of the Sacred Heart in Kayan Tharyar that killed four people, Cardinal Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, issued a statement asking the junta not to target places of worship. Attacks on religious buildings continued, however. On 6 June, the military shelled the Church of Mary Queen of Peace in Daw Ngan Kha, Kayah State. The regime justified the action claiming that local terrorists use churches to launch their offensives. We would never use churches as cover, said one of resistance fighters. We value religious buildings. Why would we use them to kill people? Priests can no longer stay in churches, explained Father Celso Ba Shwe. Churches in these conflict zones arent safe for the displaced anymore. But we still have to make sure they're okay, so the priests can't stay there, either, he explained. Meanwhile, the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the civilian government deposed by the military in February, entered its second day, yesterday. The prosecution presented arguments that she incited public disorder, but overall she faces seven charges. Many observers believe that the junta's goal is to prevent Suu Kyi from participating in any future elections. Her lawyers refused to disclose details of yesterday's proceedings, but noted that the 75-year-old was in better condition than on the first day when she appeared unwell. Now 26, the young man was accused of fomenting unrest and sowing discord. A photo on his mobile phone used as evidence against him. The family only learned of the execution at a later stage. Last year Riyadh announced a moratorium on the death penalty for children under 18. Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) -Riyadh has executed a boy sentenced to death for crimes committed when he was only 17, once more denying the repeated proclamations on the moratorium on the death penalty for minors. The victim is Mustafa Hashem al-Darwish (pictured), arrested in 2015 for crimes related to street protests against the leaders of the Wahhabi kingdom. The young man was indicted for forming a terrorist cell and fomenting an armed revolt. Human rights activists and NGOs have repeatedly called for the suspension of his execution, underlining that his sentence is part of an unfair trial characterized by formal defects. Amnesty International and Reprive recalled that the 26-year-old had retracted the confession forcibly extracted through torture. The Saudi authorities have never wanted to comment or deny the allegations. Reuters report that charges included "trying to disturb security with riots" and "sowing discord." A photo on his mobile phone used as evidence against him deemed "offensive to the security forces" and his participation in over 10 "demonstrations" of protests between 2011 and 2012. Hashem al-Darwish's family received no communication of the imminent execution and only learned about it from reading the news on the internet. The sentence was carried out in Damman, an oil-rich town in the Eastern Province. "How can they execute a boy because of a photograph on his phone?," his family said in a statement. "Since his arrest, we have known nothing but pain. It is a living death for the whole family." In April last year, King Salman issued a decree, ending death sentences for crimes committed by minors and commuting the sentence to up to 10 years in a juvenile prison. However, at the time of publication of the act the date of entry into force of the reform was not indicated, while activist groups warned that the death penalty always remains valid. Moreover, the UN convention for the rights of the child, which Riyadh has signed, states that the death penalty should not be applied for crimes committed by minors. A common practice in the Wahhabi kingdom, among the nations in the world with the greatest number of incidences of repression of human rights, perpetrated also and above all by state apparatuses. Activist group Reprive reports that Saudi Arabia has already executed in the first six months of 2021 the same number of people killed by the executioner in all of 2020. Bangladeshs prime minister made the announcement while only 3.5 per cent of the countrys population got one dose against COVID-19. COVAX pledged to deliver a million new doses by August, but the virus continues to spread. Dhaka (AsiaNews/Agencies) Bangladesh will sign an agreement with South Korea to establish an international institute to produce vaccines, including for COVID-19. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the announcement today in reply to a question tabled in Parliament about the countrys vaccination campaign. The matter of ratification and approval of the Cabinet is under process, the Prime Minister explained, noting that her government has taken the initiative to produce COVID-19 vaccines in the country, as well as import them from foreign sources. Hasina noted that bilateral talks are underway with countries that have already developed vaccines so that Bangladesh can acquire necessary technologies. She added that three Bangladeshi firms Incepta Pharmaceuticals, Popular Pharmaceuticals, and Healthcare Pharmaceuticals have already been vetted regarding their capacity to produce COVID-19 vaccines, while Globe Biotech Ltd is currently examining bangavax, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The evolving pandemic in Bangladesh continues to worry. So far, only 5,822,177 people or 3.5 per cent of the population have been given at least one dose of a COVID -19 vaccine. The current positivity rate stands at 16.62 while 3,956 new cases have been reported in the last 24 hours with 60 deaths (13,282 since the start of the pandemic). India's decision to curtail its exports has heavily penalised Bangladesh. The countrys Health Minister, Zahid Maleque, announced that COVAX, the World Health Organisations initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19, pledged a million doses by August. But more are needed. With regard to the agreement with South Korea, it is part of a broader plan of economic cooperation between the two countries. Noting that South Korea played a key role in developing Bangladesh's garment industry, making it the world's second-largest exporter, South Korean Ambassador Lee Jang-Keun highlighted the importance of furthering bilateral trade in other sectors such as bio-pharmaceuticals and ICT. by Nirmala Carvalho Abraham Tagit Sorang, 24, succeeded with the support of his local Catholic association. On the roof of the world, he placed a rosary in the snow. Now he hopes trekking can create jobs in the area which still has many untouched peaks. For the Bishop of Itanagar, he is an example for all young people. Mumbai (AsiaNews) Abraham Tagit Sorang has become the youngest climber from Arunachal Pradesh to reach the summit of Everest. The 24-year-old, who is a member of the Arunachal Pradesh Catholic Association, reached the top of the world's highest peak on the morning of 31 May and returned home last Sunday, 13 June. An ethnic Nyishi and a native of Sepaha, a village in Kra-Daadi district, Sorang attends St Marys Parish in Itanagar, where he was responsible for young people and active in community life. Reaching the top of Mount Everest did not come easy, he said. It took four years to begin my climb. Among the many other factors, financial constrain almost stopped my journey. Fortunately for him, the Arunachal Pradesh Catholic Association (APCA) came to his aid. Had it not been for APCA, my journey to Mt Everest would not have even started, said the young man. They began a crowd funding campaign through their WhatsApp group to help me with the required funds. What is more, I have been blessed by the prayerful support of people across the state and the powerful protection of Mother Mary. Sorang is particularly devoted to Our Lady. On Everest he brought with him a small statue of the Virgin, which he placed on the snow along with a rosary, as seen in the picture he shared on social media, along with another shot that shows him with the flag of the Catholic association. I was baptised into the Catholic Church in 2000, he told AsiaNews, but my parents were Baptists. I studied at the St Claret School from pre-school and felt a strong call to be a Catholic. After my mother died in 2003, Mother Mary became my mother and, on every expedition, I have carried my Rosary and a picture of Mother Mary. For Bishop John Thomas of Itanagar, Sorang is a model for all young people, Father Felix Anthony told AsiaNews. Although from a remote village, he was not defined by his milieu. He strove to excel and Everest was the target he set for himself, said Fr Anthony. May he inspire the young people of Arunachal Pradesh, beset by unfavourable situations, to search for higher peaks on their path to success. Arunachal Pradesh State authorities and Federal Minister for Youth Kiren Rijiju also congratulated the young Catholic. For its part, Sorang hopes that this venture will inspire the local government to take measures to develop adventure tourism in the state. Many peaks in Arunachal Pradesh have not yet been scaled, like the Kangto Peak, Sorang noted. With adventure tourism many unemployed youth can earn a living as guides, porters or even as trekking organisers in the State. Its the second technical issue this week for Southwest, which said flights were disrupted Monday due to issues at a third-party weather data provider involving weather information needed to safely operate flights. Southwest said it is still investigating the causes of the technology issues. The Democratic mayor said businesses and workplaces would be able to maintain their own mask mandates, and encouraged residents to be courteous to one another as they encounter people and policies they may not agree with. And city buildings, such as City Hall, would not open immediately to the public or for full employee use, he added. Despite Johnson & Johnsons sparse use in the U.S., public health experts have said it holds several strategic advantages over the other two authorized vaccines. The single-dose series could be ideal for transient populations and those who live in remote areas, as well as those who remain skeptical about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which use new messenger RNA technology to produce an antibody response in the body. The comments from the governor today were very encouraging for us, Mosier said. We have said for some time now that we want to get back to school as we know it as soon as we possibly can. Mayo, who lives in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood, cant use sidewalks to reach the post office or the Light Rail. Jackson, a resident of Loch Raven, cant travel by wheelchair to go shopping. When Goodlaxson is invited to go somewhere, she said she has to first get in the car and scout out the area to see if she can make it over the sidewalk. During the June 13 arrest of Anderson, bystanders can be heard shouting at officers in the background of a video posted to social media. Three other Black teenagers, Kamere Day, 19, Khalil Warren, 19, and Jahtique John Lewis, 18, also were taken into custody, one of whom officers shot with a Taser. Police said the four teens resisted arrest and yelled obscenities at the arresting officers. Police said they were charged with resisting arrest, among other offenses. All four teenagers were from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Alan Wilner, a retired Court of Appeals judge who chairs the courts Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, said the body proposed the rule because some scientific studies have found that a persons prefrontal cortex doesnt fully mature until around the age of 25. That part of the brain is responsible for executive function and rational reasoning and its late development is the reason some argue that young adults and teenagers will commit violent acts without a full comprehension of the consequences. At least six states have in recent weeks either adopted or advanced legislation aimed at limiting how public school teachers can discuss race and race relations in their classrooms. Often couched under the misused term, critical race theory, they would ban from curriculum any serious look at institutional racism. Oh, it would be all very well to admit whites held ownership of Black people for a large chunk of this countrys history, but connect the dots from that to the social maladies of today from urban poverty to the murder of George Floyd? States like Oklahoma are drawing a line. Some of it seems downright comical, like the Sooner States ban on teaching that moral character is inherently determined by his or her race or sex, which no legitimate teacher would countenance. Nor would it be taught under critical race theory, which technically refers to an academic concept having to do with how racism is a social construct woven into laws and policies, but is now often used by conservatives as a catch-all for all explorations of systemic bias and privilege. Heres a conundrum: When Republicans such as Sen. Mitt Romney or Rep. Liz Cheney publicly disagreed with President Donald Trump on the charges of a rigged election, they were praised by Democrats for their courage, independence of thought and defense of democracy. However, when a Democratic politician such as Sen. Joe Manchin disagrees with President Joe Biden, he receives no such praise. To the contrary, the West Virginia senator has been vilified by fellow Democrats as a fool, selfish promoter, or harbinger of the end of democracy (Robert B. Reich: Is this the beginning of the end of American democracy? June 10). I wish the pandemic were over. But it is not. State leaders should reconsider and require masks and other mitigation which have been extensively proven to help prevent transmission in all school settings this fall and for summer school where students facing other risks should be fairly protected. This otherwise commendable resolution was hijacked by Speaker Pelosi to continue pushing her claims that January 6th was an armed insurrection, which has legal meanings, and punishments, Harris said in a statement to The Star Democrat, an Eastern Shore newspaper. The sixth-term congressman represents parts of Baltimore, Carroll and Harford counties, as well as the Eastern Shore. remaining of Thank you for supporting local, independent journalism! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Sexual violence raises e-cigarette use among sexual minority teens, but not heterosexual peers Researchers call for mental health and substance use interventions that support students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and unsure of sexual identity This study serves as a call to action for school administrators and public health officials to target interventions toward at-risk groups, as students may perceive e-cigarettes as less dangerous than traditional tobacco products, and therefore a safer method to consume nicotine or other substances. BUFFALO, N.Y. Experiencing sexual violence is significantly linked to increased e-cigarette use among sexual minority high school students, but not heterosexual students, according to a University at Buffalo study. The research, published in Addictive Behaviors, sought to clarify the complex relationships between sexual violence, suicidality (suicidal thoughts and plans, and feelings of sadness), and e-cigarette use among United States teens. Suicidality was not directly tied to e-cigarette use, the study found. The findings suggest the need for improved school-based mental health and substance use interventions for victims of sexual violence who are also sexual minorities, as sexual minority youth may be more likely than their heterosexual peers to turn to substance abuse to cope with victimization, discrimination and stigmatization, says first author Courtney Doxbeck, doctoral candidate in the UB Graduate School of Education. Sexual minority students often experience rejection, harassment and abuse at the hands of friends, family and coworkers during a highly influential period of growth when they need social support the most. Such victimization and stigmatization may negatively impact their physical or mental health and lead to engaging in harmful health behaviors later in life, says Doxbeck. Although suicidality and sexual violence have been linked to substance abuse in the U.S., few studies have captured their potential relationships with e-cigarette use, which has become the most popular tobacco product among youth, she says. This study serves as a call to action for school administrators and public health officials to target interventions toward at-risk groups, as students may perceive e-cigarettes as less dangerous than traditional tobacco products, and therefore a safer method to consume nicotine or other substances, says Doxbeck. Additional investigators include Joseph Jaeger, doctoral candidate in the UB Graduate School of Education; and Jacob Bleasdale, doctoral candidate in the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions. The researchers analyzed the 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which assessed the health behaviors of more than 7,900 U.S. high school students. Buffalo, WY (82834) Today Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. ESE winds shifting to NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. The home and its famous owner received local press attention with the release of his autobiography over a decade ago. Taking a peek into his home in the listing photos offers a window into the mans creature comforts, from his man cave to his office, where he prepped for the show at the height of the pandemic. Selected in VaxCash drawing Sunday, Santana Portillo Dominguez said she received her COVID-19 vaccination at the beginning of the year as a precaution at work, the lottery agency said in announcing the winner. Maryland senior living centers and nursing homes were closed for much of the year to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which took a heavy toll on the lives of elderly Americans. The 2020 agreement with the government, which was among the documents recently made public by congressional investigators, promised Emergent $542 million to reserve the three plants for periods ranging from three to 20 months. Until last week, the suspended factory in Baltimores Bayview section had failed to deliver a single usable vaccine dose, and then only with a special warning from the Food and Drug Administration. In addition, the production lines at the two other sites in the Camden section of Baltimore and in Rockville, Maryland have mostly sat idle. Working with Ceron-Ruiz since his election has been a phenomenal experience as its evident that hes committed himself to learn as much as he can before he formally takes his position, Jackson said. Hes diligent, not afraid to ask questions, eager to learn the ropes, and focused on doing his part to represent the 130,000+ students of PGCPS. Being a student board member is no easy task, but Im sure Alvaro will rise to the occasion and be the SMOB the moment calls him to be. The doses must be received by Sept. 1 but its strongly encouraged for students to complete the second dose at least two weeks before returning to campus, McDaniel stated. Vaccine documents must be emailed to the colleges Wellness Center at wellness@mcdaniel.edu. Those who participated in the campus clinic in the spring already have their vaccination on file. He and his significant other have worked hard over the years and were looking forward to retirement, Wilson said. Now, the property has been relisted, and he believes he will have to sell it for a lower price than what AleCraft was offering. Other breweries found the location desirable and had expressed interest in the property, too. In May, after consultation with the county health department, HCPS stated the students participating in July 4 parades who had not been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus would have to wear a mask, and those who played wind instruments such as the clarinet or trumpet would need to have a bell cover to prevent the aerosolized spread of the virus. The students, as well as their teacher, wore masks as they interacted with each other or sat their desks some of which had plexiglass shields on them doing activities on paper such as word searches or drawing. Some expressed surprise as they came in that the last day of school would be device free, as students throughout Harford County Public Schools have been using laptops daily, whether learning in school or remotely. In 1916, it was built as a high-rise flour mill so it has a long history as a flour mill but that is no longer possible, so the issue is how do you preserve the building as best as you can in 2021 or going forward? Tufaro said. Were adding no new footprint to the property, were not adding any paving to the site, its basically being restored. When India did begin to reopen last summer, internal travel was allowed in the country, making it possible for Sheths employees to go back to work creating outfits. That lasted for months as India eased restrictions; by February of this year, however, cases began rising and, when spring hit, India saw a huge second surge. Numbers there remain high, with 3,300 confirmed deaths in India on Monday; in the U.S., there were 145. We applaud Kianna for all of her hard work in achieving that prestigious honor. This organizations extensive outreach initiatives give back to the community, none more so than their military-dependent scholarships, which average $50,000 in annual awards. Kianna first applied for a Scholarship during the 2017-2018 Club Year and we have been happy to see her apply and win subsequent years. We wish Kianna congratulations on her graduation and know she will do big things in life. This is about transparency and accountability and its also about demystifying the courtroom, which is intentionally designed to be confusing and intimidating for the vast majority of people, Soderberg said in a statement. This is also about solidarity: Reporters, lawyers, and advocates are all part of this lawsuit because we share a common goal of wanting more information to be available to all people. Many philanthropists are very, kind of, controlling, he added. They think they have the best ideas. They pick and choose carefully who to give money to (in order) to find groups that are willing to carry out their ideas. And MacKenzie Scott is doing something quite differently. Shes finding groups who have their own ideas and empowering them to do their work. Biden first floated the meeting in an April phone call in which he informed Putin that he would be expelling several Russian diplomats and imposing sanctions against dozens of people and companies, part of an effort to hold the Kremlin accountable for interference in last years presidential election and the hacking of federal agencies. The bottom line is I think that this City Council has mismanaged both the budget and the bureaucracy over the last less than four years, Gallagher said in an interview Wednesday. Its really not a partisan issue. Its about reducing the size and cost of government. As COVID-19 ravaged through Maryland, Anne Arundel County Executive Pittman, along with Gov. Larry Hogan and other leaders, closed schools and businesses, a decision Haire has been critical of. She referenced testimony she heard at a County Council meeting of a movie theater owner who had his business closed because it was not deemed essential. Political leaders across the country closed many businesses and stopped activities to limit the spread of COVID-19. The county executive has since rescinded these restrictions, and his emergency power has been removed as the pandemic wanes, though more than 600 county residents died amid the disaster. The Tribal Council elections are coming up and Char-Koosta News has new election logos. We can't decide which is the best. That's where you come in. Check out the logo options below and then vote. Which logo do you prefer? Answer below! You voted: Following the collapse of Corinthian and other beleaguered for-profit colleges, the Obama administration moved to make it easier for students to get loans erased. But the overhaul was reversed by the Trump administration, which later wrote its own rules making it tougher to get relief. In changing the rules, then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said it had become too easy to get loans forgiven. While Southwests problems Wednesday were far more extensive than at other U.S. airlines American canceled about 40 flights and delayed nearly 90 more, according to FlightAware it was an improvement over the previous two days. The 98-year-old business is closed until Thursday, when it will begin the approximate two-month process to sell off its inventory. The building, known for the big red T sign that towers over the store, will be demolished and replaced by apartments, according to siblings and third-generation store owners Steve and Pam Lipshutz. Small steps have already been taken to give kids a better chance in life. One is a scholarship program called Invest in Kids, which offers tax breaks to those who donate. The scholarships go to needy families. There was a 2017 bipartisan agreement in Illinois to create the program. Gov J.B. Pritzker, the weak, indecisive Democrat enthralled by the public teachers unions, tried to kill it. He compared it, derisively, to a corporate tax loophole. The teachers unions saw the scholarship program as a threat to their power. The attacks bring to mind what Biden recalls his own father saying: Dont compare me to the almighty; compare me to the alternative. It doesnt seem to occur to Bowman that if not for Manchin, the Senate would be under the control of the real Mitch McConnell, who would use a GOP majority to block Biden on almost every front. For Manchin to align himself with Ocasio-Cortez would produce a different type of voter suppression of West Virginians willing to cast their ballots for him. Mark Loafman: Its a moving target. Whats making everybody in the public health world a little bit cautious is that there are a small percentage of people that are vaccinated who will contract the infection. What were telling people in low-risk settings, like being outdoors, physically distanced with people that are vaccinated indoors, an outdoor dining experience, even going to the ballpark or out to a picnic event in the open, its generally very safe right now. Its not 0% risk. So, if you have a loved one at home who is incredibly susceptible, those folks should continue to use the mask. We just need to get comfortable with this level of variability. But ISBE Superintendent Carmen Ayala said that since the arrival of the pandemic, the health and safety of students and staff have been the top priorities, and officials are committed to providing the best information possible, while also continuing to follow the science and data. There is responsibility, he said, in taking care of campers. But, he added, Those kids want to be there, and they want to be having fun with you. They look up to you, they want to jump in the pool like you, they want to go down the zip line like you go down the zip line. Its kind of cool to be that role model. The unrestricted money came from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott and her husband Dan Jewett as part of their well-publicized donations of $2.74 billion, given to hundreds of organizations their charity team identified as equity-oriented, nonprofit projects working in areas that have been neglected. The gifts also included $40 million to UIC. The bad news? The new advisory board has, as far as I can see, no significant Chicago connections. There is certainly an argument to be made that all of these show runners, producers and agents wont help it better connect with its audience here, nor will they necessarily help it diversify that audience, which is what many of its current staffers and performers want to see. Those of us who care about Chicagos history as a generator of cultural content for the rest of the nation and world, as distinct from being a gritty location, will need to keep watch. But as we all know, its tough to fight the hegemony of the coasts. Dear Confused: People with responsibility for sick family members dont always get a lot of advance notice that theyre needed at home. Certainly, the pandemic accelerated many such decisions; last year, with the growing awareness that as the country was basically shutting down, they knew their own ability to travel and relocate might be severely restricted. The unrest has provided the first test of the cease-fire at a time when Egyptian mediators have been working to reach a longer-term agreement. It comes as tensions have risen again in Jerusalem, as they did before the recent war, leading Gazas Hamas rulers to fire a barrage of rockets at the holy city on May 10. The fighting claimed more than 250 Palestinian lives and killed 13 people in Israel. But All Seasons is staking out territory that some mainstream publishers are wary to venture into, by courting former Trump officials who staunchly supported the president through the bitter end of his administration, including those who echoed the presidents false claims that the election was rigged. The company plans to release a book in the fall by Mark Meadows, President Donald Trumps former chief of staff, and another by Peter Navarro, Trumps former trade adviser. Its founding was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal. The pipeline, mostly built during the Trump era, was about 95% complete by the time Biden took office, and it was unclear whether he could have stopped it even if he tried. In explaining his decision, Biden said that imposing the sanctions would be counterproductive in terms of our European relations. The Trump administration sued last year to block the release of Boltons book, The Room Where It Happened, and to recover copies of the book that had already been distributed. The book, released in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, offered a behind-the-scenes, and unflattering, account of Trumps foreign policy dealings. It described how Trump asked Chinas President Xi Jinping to help the Americans reelection prospects and how Trump had pressured his Ukraine counterpart for politically charged investigations. Young is also calling on Lightfoot to support an ordinance that would address police search warrants. Last month, CPD revised its policy for executing search warrants with new safeguards such as requiring the presence of a female member of the department and one ranked at lieutenant or above, but Young said the proposed ordinance would take reforms further. The ordinance was introduced in the City Council in February and referred to the Committee on Public Safety. Four men and a woman suffered gunshot wounds during the attack in the 3800 block of West Monroe Street about 9:20 p.m., authorities said in a media notification. One of the people was in critical condition after the shooting, but four others had been listed in good condition, officials said. As Creekmore began to walk away from the car, she pointed a black object in Neelys direction, but hed gotten into the car, drove off and crashed into a small park a few blocks away. When police officers found him still responsive, he was able to tell police Creekmore shot him and named her as his girlfriend and by her first name, which was captured by at last one officers body camera. Since proceedings have resumed, Erickson said that he has tried to negotiate a settlement with the attorney generals office but said the office is hiding behind an arcane loophole in the law to avoid paying Earvins family. He said the State Employee Indemnification Act, which gives the attorney general the discretion to decide whether to compensate families in similar cases, sets a precedent for correctional officers to act maliciously without consequence. I want to hear directly from them what happened, and I want to see with my own eyes where they were and get a sense of whats actually going on, Cassidy said. In my experience, many years of being in this role, the stories that you hear from the inmates and the stories that you hear from the facility administrators are wildly different, and the only way to know is to actually go there. Now UIC, which received $40 million, and Kennedy-King, which received $5 million and is part of the citys community college network, will use the contributions to support vulnerable students. The gifts, which represent the largest donation from a single person in either schools history, are unique because they come unrestricted, meaning the schools can decide how to allocate them free from donor influence. Authorities said Johnson is the man who approached a 16-year-old girl at about 7:30 p.m. on June 7 as she walked along the path, just north of Yorkhouse Road in Beach Park. He came out of a line of trees, grabbed the girl by the neck and threw her to the ground, where he forcefully removed her clothes and then sexually attacked her, officials said. The district court argued that Garbutt collected the evidence when he was in Sheltons office when he stopped by to see her or dropping something off in her office. But, the court of appeals stated that Garbutt searched his co-workers offices more often than not, very early in the morning before they arrived to the office. Australia's film and television industry is to receive a major funding boost to encourage local and international movie-makers to continue shooting on location in the state of Queensland. The funding, worth 71 million Australian dollars (about 57.4 million U.S. dollars) was announced in the state's annual budget released on Tuesday. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the money would "cement Queensland's reputation as a production powerhouse, create jobs and support the state's economic recovery." "From competitive incentives and first-rate studio facilities, to highly skilled local crews and diverse locations; it's no surprise that screen production demand is at an all-time high in Queensland," she said. Recent big productions filmed in Queensland include Thor: Ragnarok, Aquaman, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Godzilla vs Kong, Love and Monsters, Escape from Spiderhead, Thirteen Lives, Ticket To Paradise and Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic. "From big blockbusters to local productions, this is about having a pipeline of projects to support a sustainable industry and to create local jobs; from crew right through the supply chain to set designers, construction workers, drivers and hospitality," Palaszczuk said. News of the funding has been welcomed by Screen Queensland chief executive Kylie Munnich who said it would "increase the volume of Queensland-grown screen projects we can finance, and support development programs we can offer to emerging creative talent." "This budget also benefits the regions, with a significant injection of funds to expand the screen industry in the north of the state and build on the skills and expertise of screen practitioners based there," Munnich said. Productions now filming in Queensland include Ron Howard's Thirteen Lives and Season Two of the Amazon Original series the Wilds starring Rachel Griffiths. Upcoming productions include the much-anticipated Ticket To Paradise, starring Academy Award winners George Clooney and Julia Roberts. When was the last time you visited a museum where almost every collection could be touched? In the ancient city of Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu province, lawyer Mitch Dudek from the United States built a private museum where visitors can have direct contact with all the exhibits on display. "The museum is named Six Arts because it is about the six senses and stimulating all of your senses. You can touch things. You can smell things. It's different from other museums," says Dudek. Founded in 2018, the four-story museum now houses more than 40,000 Chinese antiques dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), with another 60,000 items stored in warehouses. The antiques include wooden beds, folding screens, sedan chairs, washbasins and stone statues, among others. "The collections not only help revisit old times, but also render a sense of beauty," says Xu Yun, a visitor from Shanghai. "There is even a smell of herbs emanating from the medicine boxes here." Xu says that most of the antiques were items of daily use in Chinese families before the 1990s, which have been overshadowed by new designs and styles. Having never seen or used such items in his own country, Dudek is seized with a strong admiration of the delicate designs and complicated carvings of these old items. "I think they are just beautiful, and I should collect them," says Dudek, adding that the condition of most items may deteriorate once randomly packed in the warehouses or ramshackle residences, but they could shine again via meticulous renovation and waxing. Born in Ohio state in the US, Dudek came to China to study at Tsinghua University in the early 1980s. He moved to Shanghai in 1998 and later became a partner at law firm Morgan Lewis. He has been living in Shanghai since then. Out of interest, Dudek started to collect Chinese antiques about 30 years ago. Back then, the poor transportation facilities and communication means prevented him from quickly tracing the items. The owners could only tell him how special and beautiful these items were via the telephone. To obtain more details about items he was interested in, Dudek would have to personally travel across the country by slow train, which could take him several days to reach the intended destination. "But it gave me a good chance to practice my Chinese by talking with different passengers during the long journey," says Dudek. He adds that most of his museum collections are from shabby houses and buildings being pulled down in remote rural areas. "Usually, their owners may discard the old items and buy modern furniture for their new houses," he says. Over the past decades, he also witnessed the great transformation of China in different aspects. "When I first came to China, I felt the country lagged far behind the US, but the gap between the two countries is narrowing," he says. As more people learn about his interest in Chinese antiques, they offered some of their belongings. "Collections in the museum have become more varied and abundant. Now, I plan to invite scholars and craftsmen to discover more cultural and historical stories behind them," he says. However, it is hard to run a private museum solely on ticketing revenue. "We have also opened a hotel and a restaurant which we hope will share the burden of the museum," says Dudek. "And we will look for other ways that are culturally significant to help with our finances of the museum." You are here: Business China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, expanded 12.5 percent year on year in May as the country's economy continued to recover steadily, official data showed on Tuesday. Total power use was 672.4 billion kWh last month, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA). In May, power consumption by primary and secondary industries rose 13.9 percent and 11.5 percent from a year ago, respectively, while that used by tertiary industry surged 23.4 percent year on year. The secondary industry was the major driver of the growth in the total power consumption during the period, contributing to around 65 percent of the total increase, said the NEA. Residential power consumption registered a 5.6-percent yearly increase in May. In the first five months of the year, China's power consumption totaled 3.23 trillion kWh, up 17.7 percent year on year, data from the NEA showed. China's economy grew 18.3 percent year on year in the first quarter, as strong domestic and foreign demand powered recovery from a low base in early 2020 when COVID-19 stalled the world's second-largest economy. China's central authorities have released a five-year plan on carrying out publicity and education to raise public awareness of the law, in a bid to facilitate economic and social development in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). The plan circulated by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council and formulated by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Justice, is the eighth of its kind, aiming to create a sound legal environment for fully building a modern socialist China. The country is looking to significantly improve legal awareness among the public and law-based social governance, as well as to build a more integrated system of law education by 2025, according to the plan. Stressing the importance of publicizing the Constitution and the Civil Code, the plan notes that activities should be held on studying the Constitution, while the content of the Civil Code should be included in the national education system. The document puts forward several measures to nurture a socialist culture of rule of law, such as creating high-quality art works and productions, enhancing the preservation of the legacy that the CPC led the Chinese people to develop the rule of law in the revolutionary period, and strengthening international communication and cooperation in the field. The application of new technologies and media is encouraged to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of people, thus improving the accuracy and effectiveness of law-publicity products. Endless practice with discarded materials until her arms hurt too much to lift the tools was how Xue Ying spent after-work hours after starting her career as an aviation technician in December 1992. She said nobody had asked her to do so; it was merely her aspiration and persistence. Back then, she noticed a marked difference in appearance and precision between the products of Boeing and those used by Chinese aircraft, and aspired to build world-class aircraft. It was ambitious indeed, but Xue saw her endeavor paying off over the years, though it did not come easily. Weathering challenges The team Xue was in at a factory of AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group Company Ltd. was in charge of assembling the detachable leading edge of the vertical fin, or more specifically, fixing four pieces of aluminum skin manually. Due to high precision requirements, it allowed little room for faults. Xue became the team leader in 2000 by virtue of her excellent skills gained through diligent practice, but challenges also came along. In the same year, Boeing ordered the leading edges of vertical fins for its 737-700 aircraft from the company, requiring no more than 10 scratches throughout the skin of the whole aircraft. However, the number of scratches on the aircraft of Xue's company was mostly over 100 at that time. Xue said that, despite the part's high quality, the skin with metal glows was more delicate than human skin, and one could probably leave a scratch on it with fingernails. A scratch as deep as the diameter of a hair would ruin such a piece of skin, which was worth over 10,000 yuan (US$1,561). When other workers were at a loss about what to do, Xue came up with an innovative protection method. She volunteered to make trials in her after-work time when many others were unwilling to work extra time. "Personal losses seem to have never been taken into my account," she said. "I merely think a CPC member should be different, should try things that others are unwilling to do, and should share the experience after achieving success." Over three months, Xue and her team improved various tools, took multiple protection measures, and ran many tests, eventually meeting the requirement and lifting the production efficiency by 25%. In addition, Boeing also required that after fixing the 7.2-meter-long and 60-kilogram skin with a rivet on one end, they should press the other end with a thumb in a force of merely less than five pounds to fit it perfectly tight with over 300 holes on the fin. This time again, Xue fulfilled the task together with the research team she set up through 40 days and nights of experiments, winning praise from Boeing. Working as a CPC member In 2004, Xue became a CPC member at her work site. She talked about her aspiration for joining the Party at a group interview held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing on April 29, two days before the International Workers' Day. She said, "I am one of those on the frontline of production. As a community-level Party member, I should do more solid work." Over the years, she has indeed done lots of "solid work." Together with her team, she made over 100 inventions and innovations to improve technologies and optimize production and operations. She also set up a model worker team in her company to tackle tough obstacles in technology and equipment, and organized discussions with model workers from other companies and industries. She has had five apprentices, all of whom have become the backbone on the production line, and she also helped poor university students to continue their education while calling on professional women to be confident and self-reliant. Honors like national model worker also followed, but Xue remained humble as always. "I am a frontline technician at AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group Company Ltd., birthplace of China's large transport aircraft," she said of herself at the group interview. Xue said she felt very motivated to see the country promoting the craftsmanship spirit and making outstanding craftsmen role models for society in the new era. Witnessing rise of aviation industry Xue, now 48, has been working in the aviation industry for nearly three decades. Though doing the same thing for decades is perhaps a boring job to others, Xue said the dedication to the seemingly easy job makes the outcome completely different, directly affecting product quality and even affecting the image of "made in China." Seeing that this year marks the 70th anniversary of China's aviation industry, she said she has witnessed the rise of the industry over the years. "China has sent more aircraft into the sky, as China's aviation industry closes the gap with other aviation powers, shifting from 'made in China' to 'created in China.'" "The industry has grown from zero to a modern one over the past seven decades," Xue said. "It demonstrates that only under the leadership of the CPC, can the country create such remarkable achievements, and that building China into an aviation power in the new era is no longer a distant dream, so we always believe that faith in mind helps to overcome challenges." A Chinese mainland spokesperson urged Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority to facilitate the entry of COVID-19 vaccines, instead of setting up obstacles, for the sake of the health of Taiwan people. Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said a recent survey conducted on the island showed that 63 percent of Taiwan residents support purchasing BioNTech vaccines through Shanghai-based Fosun Pharma. Fosun has expressed its willingness to provide to Taiwan the BioNTech vaccines it took part in researching and purchasing, but the DPP authority is blocking the effort, said Ma. "Does the DPP consider its own interests more important than the lives and well-being of the public?" Ma asked, urging the DPP to create favorable conditions to facilitate the entry of the vaccines. Flash Experts have warned of the potential risks of emerging highly transmissible COVID-19 variants as the United States reached the grim milestone of 600,000 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday. The milestone is a sobering reminder that hundreds of Americans are still dying each day even as the nation begins to enter its "new normal", said an ABC report. With the nationwide case count topping 33.4 million, the death toll across the United States rose to 600,012 as of 12:22 pm local time (1622 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. California topped the national death toll list, standing at 63,191. New York reported the country's second largest deaths of 53,558, followed by Texas with 51,940 deaths and Florida with 37,265 deaths, the CSSE tally showed. The milestone came as more U.S. states are on their ways to full reopening. New York and California dropped nearly all COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday. According to the new health order released by the California Department of Public Health, almost all industry and business sectors may return to usual operations with no capacity limits or physical distancing requirements. Masks are no longer required for fully vaccinated individuals in most public settings. Along with the vaccination rollout nationwide, the United States has witnessed continuous drops of new infections, deaths and hospitalizations since the peak in January, according to data of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Zhang Zuofeng, professor of epidemiology and associate dean for research with the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Xinhua that both the incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19 have dropped over 90 percent compared with those in January this year. As vaccination rates continue to rise, the growth rates of new infections and deaths will continue to decrease, he said. About 43.9 percent of the U.S. population have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Tuesday, and 52.6 percent of the population has received at least one dose, according to data of the CDC. U.S. President Joe Biden has set a national goal to have 70 percent of the U.S. population get at least one shot by the July 4 holiday. But the goal is expected to fall short as COVID-19 vaccination rates decrease from spring highs, said a CNN report. Less than half of adults living in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wyoming have received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to CDC data. The loosening of restrictions and decreasing of vaccination rates may leave some areas vulnerable to potential pandemic hotspots and risking the progress the nation has made. Experts are concerned that the Delta variant, which was first discovered in India, is on track to become a dominant strain of coronavirus in the United States. The Delta variant, known by the scientific name B.1.617.2, has spread from where it was first discovered in India to over 60 countries, according to the World Health Organization. This variant is highly transmissible, greater than the Alpha variant which is currently the dominant strain in the United States, Zhang told Xinhua. It may be associated with an increased disease severity, such as hospitalization risk, compared to Alpha, he added. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said the Delta variant could lead to new outbreaks in the fall, with unvaccinated Americans being the most at risk. The CDC has elevated the Delta variant from "variant of interest" to "variants of concern". Zhang urged more people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to keep the variant from taking hold. He also stressed the importance of keeping social distance, wearing masks and personal hygiene as vaccines could not offer 100 percent protection. Flash Documents obtained by a U.S. congressional panel and released Tuesday showed that former President Donald Trump pressured the Department of Justice (DOJ) to back his claims that the results of the 2020 election were fraudulent. The documents, provided to the House Oversight and Reform Committee, showed efforts by Trump, his then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and the former president's private attorney Kurt Olsen to ask the DOJ to investigate claims of election fraud between December 2020 and January 2021. What was made public were emails Trump's assistant sent on Dec. 14 -- the day the Electoral College met to certify results in all 50 states -- to then-Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and then-Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue containing materials and "talking points" about election fraud claims in the state of Michigan. Some 40 minutes after the email to Rosen was sent, Trump announced that then-Attorney General Bill Barr, who disputed the former president's claims about the election, would step down, and that Rosen will replace him in an acting capacity. Donoghue relayed the same materials to the U.S. attorneys for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, shortly before his promotion to Acting Deputy Attorney General was announced. The revelations showed that Trump on Dec. 29 used official White House channels to send Rosen, Donoghue, and Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall a 54-page legal brief demanding that the Supreme Court "declare that the Electoral College votes cast" in six states that Trump lost "cannot be counted," and that a "special election" must be held in each one. On the same day, Olsen, Trump's personal lawyer, also sent emails to senior DOJ officials urging them to file a complaint in the Supreme Court to overturn the election results. It also came to light that Meadows, then Trump's chief of staff, on at least five occasions directed DOJ officials to investigate baseless fraud claims. "These documents show that President Trump tried to corrupt our nation's chief law enforcement agency in a brazen attempt to overturn an election that he lost," Representative Carolyn Maloney, Democrat of New York State who chairs the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said in a statement. The committee has requested that Meadows, Donoghue and other Trump DOJ officials appear for transcribed interviews. It had on May 21 requested that Rosen testify through a transcribed interview. "Those who aided or witnessed President Trump's unlawful actions must answer the Committee's questions about this attempted subversion of democracy. My Committee is committed to ensuring that the events leading to the violent January 6 insurrection are fully investigated," Maloney said. Flash Four people were killed and four others injured at a gathering inside a home on the South Side of Chicago Tuesday morning. Chicago police responded to a call after 5:30 a.m. (1030 GMT) following an argument at a gathering inside a residence, where shots were fired, local media quoted Chicago police. Four people were pronounced dead at the scene. Four others were wounded and taken to hospital, with two in critical condition, according to police. "Circumstances surrounding the shooting are still under investigation," police said in a media notification. Chicago is notorious for shooting crimes in the United States. According to the Chicago Tribune crime team which tracks shooting victims in Chicago, 1,587 people have been shot so far this year in the city, 195 more than in 2020. Flash King Philippe of Belgium met with visiting U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday at the Royal Palace. During the meeting in the presence of Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, the two talked on key issues including the coronavirus pandemic, dialogue between the European Union (EU) and the United States, and climate change. Brussels is the second leg of Biden's European tour after attending the G7 summit in Britain. On Monday, Biden attended the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit held at its headquarters in Brussels. His task at this meeting was principally to regain the trust of the military allies and to repair internal divisions that emerged in NATO during the years under his predecessor Donald Trump. Biden's arrival drew several protests in front of the U.S. Embassy in Belgium, and near the NATO headquarters. The arrival of the U.S. president has temporarily triggered a blizzard of security measures enforced throughout the city, with direct flight patrols over the EU headquarters for days. Some 4,000 police and security officers, or 10 percent of Belgium's total police force, were deployed in view of the NATO summit, according to information quoted on Monday by Belgian broadcasting station RTBF. On Tuesday afternoon, Biden is scheduled to attend the EU-US summit in Brussels, before leaving for Geneva to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The EU will be represented by Charles Michel, president of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. Flash Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday said that China highly appreciates Russian President Vladimir Putin's positive remarks on China-Russia relations, noting that China is full of confidence in the development of the bilateral ties. Zhao made the remarks during a daily press briefing in response to a query on Putin's remarks in an interview with U.S. television network NBC. Putin said "we have developed a strategic partnership relationship between Russia and China that previously had not been achieved in the history of our nations, a high level of trust and cooperation in all areas: in politics, in the economy, in the area of technology...." He expressed support to China on issues related to Xinjiang and Taiwan and refuted attempts to sabotage China-Russia relations. Zhao said that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, bilateral relations between China and Russia have withstood the test of the changing international landscape, setting an example of a new type of major-country relationship. "The two countries have firmly supported each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, and the mutual political trust and strategic cooperation between the two has been continuously consolidated and enhanced," said the spokesperson. In the first five months of this year, the bilateral economic and trade volume surged by 23.6 percent, injecting strong impetus and confidence into the world economy, which is struggling to recover. "Together, we have resisted political viruses, safeguarded the outcome of the victory of World War II and international equity and justice, and firmly defended genuine multilateralism and international equity and justice. Together, we have become an important force for stability in a turbulent world," Zhao said. "It is fair to say that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era is all-dimensional and all-weather. Sky is the limit for down-to-earth China-Russia cooperation, and we are full of confidence in the development of bilateral relations," Zhao added. He said that in one month's time, the two sides would mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between China and Russia, which is of special significance to bilateral relations. "With this as the focus, the two sides will fully implement the consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, revisit the original aspiration of signing the treaty for enduring friendship and win-win cooperation, advance China-Russia cooperation at a higher starting point, in a broader scope and at a deeper level, and inject impetus into global strategic stability and world economic recovery. As a Chinese proverb says, "true gold fears no fire," said Zhao, adding that "we have to tell those who try every means to drive a wedge between China and Russia that any attempt to undermine China-Russia relations is doomed to fail." "We hope they will not go further down the path of zero-sum game and political confrontation of blocs, but return to the right path of building a community with a shared future for mankind and play a constructive role in safeguarding world peace, stability and development," said Zhao. Flash Laos has arranged for the administering of China's COVID-19 vaccines nationwide, which have fully proved their safety and efficacy, Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) central committee politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune said. At the handover ceremony for the fourth batch of Chinese government-donated COVID-19 vaccines, held at the Ministry of Health of Laos on Tuesday, the Lao deputy prime minister said that at the critical time when the new wave of epidemic hits the country, China once again extends a helping hand timely, providing a new batch of vaccine assistance, which is a valuable and tremendous support to the epidemic prevention and control in Laos. Kikeo also said that the Lao side attaches great importance to the health of Chinese citizens and overseas Chinese in Laos, providing them, just like the Lao citizens, with free vaccination services. Jiang Zaidong, the Chinese ambassador to Laos, said in his speech at the ceremony that he was informed that 85 percent of Lao's vaccinated population were administered with China's donated vaccines. "We believe that the new batch of vaccines will promptly and effectively fill the vaccine gap in Laos and make positive contribution to the Lao people's coming victory over the epidemic," said the Chinese ambassador. The new batch of Chinese government-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Wattay International Airport in Lao capital Vientiane on Monday. Choteau, MT (59422) Today Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Jolene Grover has had enough of school authorities forcing students to comply with trans policies. The 14 year old who formerly attended a Loudoun County public school called out school board members who, "in the name of inclusivity" enabled biological males to enter restrooms and locker rooms of biological females through its trans policies. Her remarks went viral last week, when she blasted the school board for forcing girls to comply with rules that are "an affront to female students." "Your policies are dangerous and rooted in sexism," Grover accused the Loudoun County School Board in Virginia, as reported by the New York Post. "You do this in the name of inclusivity while ignoring the girls who will pay the price. Your policies choose boys' wants over girls' needs." The teen who was fighting to protect young girls from trans policies lamented that boys are "reading erotica in classrooms next to girls," the same boys will be allowed to share restrooms and locker rooms with girls, putting the female students in danger. She argued that "Everyone knows what a boy is - even you," which meant that biological males should be designated to their own public spaces. Grover no longer attends a Loudoun County public school and instead is being homeschooled. She recounted how she once visited a guidance counselor to express her concerns over the school's trans policies, but was dismissed and told that girls can use the stalls in the bathroom instead. Since then, she has been determined to blow the whistle on the school's trans policies that place girls in danger. "I also speak out because there are too many cowardly adults who are remaining quiet about this issue," Grover argued. "I want adults to stop calling me brave for fighting a battle that wasn't mine to begin with." The teen added that she is speaking out for her friends who still attend the school and are afraid of speaking out about its trans policies. Grover's mother, Nastassia, who previously wrote to condemn gender identity ideology and how it endangers women's rights, was vocal about supporting her daughter, saying, "Outrage is important. It motivates people to speak out and to fight for what they believe in. Righteous indignation leaves no room for fear." According to the Christian Post, Grover's mother lamented that for now, the only solution to keep children and girls safe from trans policies is for conservative parents to homeschool their kids instead. She criticized the Democratic Party for being a "lost cause" on issues such as transgenderism and called on the Republican Party to come together and be the party of the "common, moral working man." The teen's mother also called out organizations such as Equality Virginia and the Human Rights Campaign for being the "puppet masters pulling the strings," organizations that are "too financially and politically powerful to ignore" who are also "complicit in lies and child abuse." Virginia is currently being led by Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. Its 11 seats at the House of Representatives are held by a majority of seven Democrats and four Republicans. The East Turkistan Government in Exile and the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement (ETNAM) have together compiled and submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court proving how China continues to capture and persecute Uyghurs who fled to other countries in an attempt to escape the CCP's human rights abuses against the Muslim minorities. The ICC's Office of the Prosecutor received a "hefty dossier" of evidence on Thursday on behalf of the two groups showing how Uyghurs who escaped to Tajikistan have been repatriated back to China. According to the Christian Post, a legal team acting on behalf of ETNAM had filed a complaint with the ICC in July 2020, urging them to launch an investigation on CCP officials for their treatment of Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang province, which the group characterized as "genocide and crimes against humanity." The ICC failed to address the complaint but with the new evidence filed, the lawyers believe that they and the Uyghurs they represent will finally be heard and that the Chinese government will be looked into by the ICC. Nikita Bernardi, who leads public outreach to call on the ICC to investigate China's human rights abuses against the Uyghurs, led a webinar on Monday, which was attended by the legal team and the leadership of the East Turkistan Government in Exile and the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement. There, they discussed the "hefty dossier" of evidence that aims to "establish jurisdiction for the ICC over crimes committed by Chinese authorities against Uyghurs." During the webinar, a member of the legal team by the name of Rodney Dixon alleged that at least "85% to 90% of the Uyghur population" in Tajikistan were "targeted" by the Chinese and moved back to China. Dixon reported that the Chinese authorities ran a "very sophisticated and cunning campaign" to covertly bring back Uyghurs from Tajikistan to China, where they can be "targeted, controlled and persecuted." He alleged that there were about a hundred more Uyghurs left in Tajikistan that were under control of Chinese operatives in a "toxic environment." While Dixon and the rest of the legal team kept mum on the evidence citing confidentiality, the U.K. Times reported that "Chinese Public Security Bureau operatives" in Tajikistan have raided several bazaars where Uyghurs often work. They collaborate with local Tajik police to detain Uyghurs and accuse them of lacking the necessary paperwork to be employed in Tajikistan. The filing revealed how an entire bazaar was raided by Chinese authorities who captured the Uyghurs in small groups of about 10 Uyghurs each "to avoid attention." According to the report, the Chinese consulate in Tajikistan is also working to hinder Uyghurs from obtaining the necessary employment documentation to allow them to work there. Reuters reported that outgoing ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda believed that the reports submitted last year did not warrant an investigation. The lawyers who filed the dossier are hoping for a change of heart in the incoming ICC prosecutor, British barrister Karim Khan, who will decide if the new evidence is weighty enough to launch an investigation. He takes office today. Franklin Graham, the president of Samaritan's Purse, issued a warning on Tuesday concerning the encroachment of socialism and communism from within the country. "America is under attack from within. Godless socialism and communism are threatening our very way of life in this country and the inroads already made are shocking. Even though no one has fired a shot, the battle is raging and we'd better wake up before it's too late," he wrote on Facebook. "Even though no one has fired a shot, the battle is raging and we'd better wake up before it's too late," he said, implying that some people are wearing blinders and aren't aware of the perils that lie ahead. Graham highlighted the example of Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector who attended an Ivy League university and was surprised to discover that the institution was more concerned with political correctness instead of teaching students to exercise critical thinking. "Yeonmi told the media that it seems like 'people here are just dying to give their rights and power to the government.' That is what scares me the most. That's what should scare us as well," Graham went on. Graham also said that communism is the ultimate goal of socialism, and that communism has always been the church's adversary. Under this form of government, by estimation, thousands of pastors, priests, and other religiously affiliated individuals throughout Russia, Eastern Europe, and China, have been persecuted and even executed. From a North Korean's perspective During an interview with Fox News, Yeonmi Park said, "I thought America was different, but I saw so many similarities to what I saw in North Korea that I started worrying." Park, 27, is one of several hundred North Korean defectors who have moved to the United States. She transferred to Columbia University from a South Korean university in 2016 and was horrified by what she saw there. A university staff member reprimanded her during orientation, she said, for admitting that she liked classic literature such as Jane Austen's novels. She was also taken aback and perplexed by the problems around gender and language, with every class requiring students to declare their chosen pronouns, which she found shocking and confusing. People in North Korea, she claims, are duped by propaganda because they are not trained to think critically, as is the case in other communist countries. Park, on the other hand, voiced her dissatisfaction after seeing firsthand the level of American ignorance. She pointed out that in North Korea, they don't have access to the internet nor the luxury to explore the wealth of knowledge from great thinkers. "But here, while having everything, people choose to be brainwashed. And they deny it." Park was 13 years old when she and her mother made their first attempt to flee the harsh government in North Korea. After crossing the frozen Yalu River into China, they were captured by human traffickers who sold them into slavery. Through the help of Christian missionaries, they were able to escape to Mongolia, where they continued their journey through the Gobi Desert until they finally reached South Korea. In 2015, she released her book "In Order to Live," in which she recounted what it was like to live in one of the world's most cruel dictatorships, as well as the terrible path she traveled to achieve liberation from her captors. The pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has been arrested for the second time after his congregation conducted an outdoor worship session at an unknown site following the local government's decision to shut the church building. Pastor Tim Stephens, according to Christian Post, was arrested Monday after refusing to follow by the Alberta Health Services order to cease from conducting worship services that do not meet the COVID-19 provincial regulations. "He was arrested for hosting an illegal outdoor gathering that did not comply with current restrictions," police told CBC News. As reported by Rebel News, the group gathered at an unknown location for services throughout the weekend. Notwithstanding, an armed police helicopter flew above the crowd as the service proceeded. Rebel News said that it's unclear if authorities were actively looking for them or just stumbled upon their meeting. Minutes later, police cars were spotted surrounding the area, but they, at least, reportedly did not attempt to interrupt the service or make arrests. However, according to the Calgary Herald, officers made the arrest at Pastor Stephen's residence on Monday afternoon. His children can be seen on video footage of the arrest, which was taken by Rebel News, sobbing uncontrollably as their father is carried away. Canadian reporter Adam Soos approached the police and questioned as to "why Jason Kenney gets a free pass and you're arresting pastors across the province." The police did not comment on that. CP noted that the reporter's remark was made in response to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's meal with cabinet members on June 1 that did not adhere to the province's public health regulations that were strictly imposed on churches. A call for prayer from his wife The arrest of Tim Stephens for conducting an outdoor service and his refusal to sign the bail condition that would keep him in police prison until his next court appearance on June 28 were announced on Twitter by Stephens' wife, Raquel, early Tuesday morning. Along with the pastor's Monday tweet indicating that police are on their way to arrest him, Raquel added a section from the pastor's letter to his children after his arrest last month. "The government has now seized both Fairview's building and her pastor," she wrote. "AHS still wants Tim to tell people what to wear, where to stand,and to forbid some people from being the church," she noted, but she remained hopeful that her husband's imprisonment would strengthen their faith and embolden them to obey Christ regardless of the cost. She also asked for prayers for her husband's immediate release. Sean Feucht, the "Let Us Worship" leader, reacted to the unsettling footage of Pastor Tim's arrest by stating it that "shows how crazy communist Canada has become." "The scariest part is how apathetic we've become to this sort of thing in 2021," he commented. Lawyer's thoughts Stephens is currently represented by Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. "It appears that Premier Kenney's government is targeting its enemies, those who are speaking out against lockdown restrictions and for Charter freedoms," said Jay Cameron, the lawyer. "Punishing dissent" and not "public safety," he claimed, was the driving force behind barring Fairview Baptist members from the church's services and arresting Pastor Tim Stephens. In his first public appearance since being freed from jail in January, Kwame Kilpatrick, the former Mayor of Detroit, gave a sermon at a local church on Sunday. Fox News said that Kilpatrick did not talk to the reporters as he made his way to Detroit's Historic Little Rock Baptist Church. Kilpatrick first spoke to a congregation inside, remembering the day he said God called him in prison. "One day the Chaplain came to me and he said, 'I want you to be worship leader,' and I was scared because I never had been worship leader and then he told me, 'It's not really about you. That's what the Lord moved me to tell you, that's what you're going to do,'" he told them. Kilpatrick also shared his experiences serving in the chapel, where he spent 6 1/2 years of his eight years in jail before being invited to deliver a sermon. His testimony included his time in solitary confinement, during which he claimed to have sensed the prayers of the public for him. "I learned it's alright to be honest with God because He knows anyway, I learned how to pray with no one around, I learned how to worship with no audience, I learned how to preach with not a single person in the room," he went on. Now speaking as a free man, he said, "God said you're the one who came back." His appeal to Trump According to the Christian Post, Kilpatrick was one of the 70 people whose sentences were commuted by former President Donald Trump before leaving office. The 45th White House noted that "during his incarceration, Mr. Kilpatrick has taught public speaking classes and has led Bible Study groups with his fellow inmates." Following his conviction in 2013 and a 28-year prison term after being found guilty of numerous corruption offenses, Kilpatrick only spent seven years of his sentence. As a result of his conviction, Kilpatrick was denied all of his previous appeals, reports Detroit Free Press. Nonetheless, he was able to persuade Trump that he was deserving of an early release, claiming that he had been unfairly targeted by the media, hustled by the government, and punished unfairly. Kilpatrick was freed when Trump determined that he was not a danger to the society and that he had made full restitution for his previous misdeeds. His personal ministry In an interview with Deadline Detroit, Kilpatrick was asked if he has any plans to start a church after being invited to preach. "Good question," he answered. "I think it's dangerous for people to just say, 'Hey I'm going to open up a church.' I think that's what the problem is with the state of the, quote, unquote, church of today. People are so turned off by it." He explained that this requires a call from God, but he will do it if he's led to it and a way is opened for him in a specific church. He did, however, talk about the ministry opportunities he had while incarcerated in prison. In addition to being chosen as a worship leader or delivering a sermon during chapel time, his room became a counseling space where listened to troubled inmates. "I know that's what I'm supposed to be doing," he said of his shift to ministry away from politics, Deadline Detroit noted. "I can't imagine doing anything else for the rest of my life." Kilpatrick will be attending theological seminary school at Columbia University in the fall. President Joe Biden's declining condition physically and mentally was on full display during this week's G7, where he appeared to struggle to answer questions from members of the media, who have been pre-selected. It is a safe assumption that he would have anticipated the questions and would have been prepared to answer them. The Democratic POTUS was also late for a NATO press conference and refused to provide a reason for his two-and-a-half-hour long tardiness. Red State points out that President Biden's declining condition is growing more evident with each public appearance by the 78 year old, who turns a year older in November, just three months before he hits his first year mark as president. According to the report, President Biden was late for 2 hours and 30 minutes. He then gave a short speech, after which he took questions from media reporters "from a pre-selected list prepared by his handlers." The following day, the U.S. President did not attend an early morning mass with Pope Francis. According to the Catholic News Agency, the President's entourage had "originally requested for Biden to attend Mass with the pope early in the morning" but the Vatican appeared to have uninvited the Democratic President "after considering the impact that Biden receiving Holy Communion from the pope would have on the discussions the USCCB is planning to have during their meeting starting Wednesday, June 16." In March, the New York Post suggested that President Biden's declining condition physically and mentally was being overlooked by mainstream media after he tripped twice going up the stairs to board Air Force One in March. The White House was quick to say that the president "did not even require any attention from the medical team." But not everyone is convinced. A growing number of Americans are concerned about President Biden's declining condition. In February, Insider reported that 33% of Americans expressed dissatisfaction over the president's mental sharpness. The Insider poll surveyed 1,154 Americans in February, just a month following the POTUS' inauguration. Survey respondents were asked "How confident do you feel about President Biden's mental sharpness and ability to do the job of president?" The poll revealed that 22.8% were "not at all confident," while 10.8% said they were "not so confident." 17.7% appeared to be unconvinced, saying that they were only "somewhat confident." The poll shows that the public is becoming more aware of President Biden's declining condition. After all, he did have two brain aneurysms in the late 1980s, as reported by NBC News, with one "later complicated by subsequent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism." The White House insists, however, that the 78 year old Democratic President's past health and medical conditions are "under control," which upon closer inspection indicates that there are current "conditions" that need to be "controlled." The specifics of these "conditions" have not been disclosed. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill giving students a "moment of silence" to pray before each class, allowing them to exercise religious freedom. According to the state's website, DeSantis signed House Bill 529 or the "Moments Of Silence In Public Schools Act" in a gathering at the Shul of Bal Harbour with the Florida Legislature and the Jewish community leaders. "Every family in our state should be able to send their children to school and know that they will be protected from harm and be able to practice their faith," DeSantis said to the assembly. HB 529, introduced by Representative Randy Fine this January, instructs principals to require teachers to set aside a time for some moments of silence for the students to pray in whatever form they know how. It also engages parents to participate in the undertaking by guiding children at home on how best to use the said time of silence for prayer, as well as, provide the opportunity to identify if their children suffer some mental illness or are undergoing tough challenges they can help with. "The Legislature finds that in today's hectic society too few persons are able to experience even a moment of quiet reflecting before plunging headlong into the activities of daily life," the bill's literature pointed out. "Young persons are particularly affected by the absence of an opportunity for a moment of quiet reflection," it stressed. "The Legislature finds that our youth, and society as a whole, would be well served if students in the public schools were afforded a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day." Though the bill permits the study of the Bible and religion, it prohibits "teachers from making suggestions as to the nature of any reflection that a student may engage in during the moment of silence. It specifies that the moment of silence be done at the first period class of students and should last for at least one minute but not more than two minutes daily. The bill encourages the students to freely practice their faith as it protects them from the interference of other students and their actual participation in the period set aside for silent prayer every morning. To take effect on July 1, the bill passed the House of Representatives last March 18 with a 94-24 vote and the Senate last April 22 with a 32-6 vote. Florida Speaker of the House of Representatives Chris Sprowls expressed in Twitter the signing of the bill and pointed out its importance in empowering the youth as well. "Today @GovRonDeSantis signed @VoteRandyFine bill to ensure schools set time for a moment of silence. I find great solace in prayer & while others may disagree with my choice it is a decision that is too often robbed from today's youth. Now we empower students to make that choice," Sprowls said on Tuesday. Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran echoed Sprowls and said empowerment even extends to the student's family as well, especially in line with the issue of mental health that impacts the youth, their families, and their schools. "HB 529 empowers families to begin those ongoing conversations with their child on what they might reflect on during the moment of silence, and help them use this time as an opportunity to prepare for the upcoming day," Corcoran raised. Fine, on the other hand, pointed out the "big impact" these small moments of silence in a child's daily life have in assisting them finding their purpose and direction in life. Fine hopes that through the daily moments of silence each child will "become emotionally centered" such that they will find their higher purpose in life. DeSantis also signed House Bill 805 alongside HB 509 in support of the Jewish community and provides them volunteer ambulance services to operate called the Hatzalah. The Christian Post reported that HB 509 only expands a current law implemented in Florida schools that was designed to merely "encourage" them to have "silent prayer" for students. The Christian Post also revealed that not everyone was pleased with the signing of the bill such as the Devon Graham of American Atheists who found it as a "backdoor" of mandating prayer in the classroom. A Christian business owner from California reportedly lost 90% of his handcrafted wooden flag sales because of Big Tech Facebook's arbitrary "community standards". CBN News said Your American Flag Store owner James Staake was shut down by Facebook early this year for supposed violations to their "community standards." Staake's handcrafted flags are unique since they come with patriotic and religious themes. Staake learned he was suspended by Facebook only after noticing that his website traffic and sales dropped. "We didn't notice it right away. We just saw a pretty steep decline in our website visits and sales. After a few days of seeing that, I started digging into what was really going on. Called Shopify and it was clear they weren't going to help. When I went to place an ad on Facebook, that's when I found out our app privileges had been suspended," Staake narrated during an interview with Newsmax' Rob Schmitt last February. Newsmax reported that Staake was cancelled in Facebook because his flags were considered "Trump merchandise," although he said they have various types of flags that commemorate various occasions in American history, various groups of interests, and even highlights the various Amendments. Staake elaborated that every time he tried to advertise in Facebook he would get the error message, "Your Advertising Access Is Restricted." He said he didn't receive any concrete reason from Facebook why his account was suspended except a message saying the products they sell "go against community standards." Schmitt raised the vagueness of that message and questioned if it actually meant Facebook doesn't allow the American flag being posted in their platform. Schmitt also said Big Tech's action is infuriating considering small businesses are already struggling due to the pandemic. "We kind of seeing it happening, we just never thought we'd go this far to where they'd actually pull all of our rights to advertise complete for any flag. You know, it's a shame. It's shocking. It hurts," Staake said. Staake also revealed that this affected his business negatively in January where they lost 90% of sales and only survived because of repeat customers and friends as far as England. He expressed his gratitude to all those who "stepped up" and helped him keep going with the business that kept their "morale up." "Every sale to a small business owner--every single sale to us is a blessing," he stressed. "Every single sale that comes through, every customer is like an answered prayer. So all small business owner would feel the same. So you stop seeing those sales, it really shocks you. It hurts you." Schmitt also said it was "scary" due to the extent the Big Tech company can really manipulate and affect growth of small businesses. The Center for American Liberty has filed a lawsuit in May to defend the case of James Staake initially with PayPal who demonetized the later's business by freezing his earned revenues totalling $35,000. The Center for American Liberty has given Paypal until last May 26 to unfreeze Staake's account and transfer 100% of his funds to him. In addition, the Center is also gathering donations for Staake since he is unable to operate accordingly while his funds are frozen on top of Facebook blocking him "from running advertisements on" their platform and Shopify removing "specific flags from the Your American Flag Store's website including the state flag of Texas and an American flag featuring President Trump." A call to stand up Despite the difficult challenge he and his family is facing right now due to Big Tech's censorship of views contrary to their preferred narrative, Staake says his faith in God remains strong and that he will not let this experience go to waste. "As a father who has worked tirelessly to build a company from the idea of my 6 year old son, as a husband having to hear my wife fight back tears on her pillow as we fall asleep because of the uncertainty of tomorrow this has caused, and as a business owner having to explain to our customers what has happened, my heart has been broken, but my resolve has only been strengthened," Staake said in a Facebook post. "My faith in God is impenetrable, and his plan for me is clear," Staake added. "I will be the example for my family that will instill their own impenetrable faith in God... this challenge is a blessing perhaps a calling. I will not squander it." Staake is now calling on Americans, particularly those "whose livelihoods have been attacked for political gains," whose "hearts have been broken" and whose "faith has withered" amid the current hostility in the country, to stand up side by side and help one another in this desperate time. A Christian Pakistani couple who were acquitted early this month from death row are now reportedly facing death threats from Muslims. The Christian Headlines said the couple fear for their lives as Islamic extremists have launched a campaign to have them murdered even they have not yet been released from jail. In addition, the presiding court's lawyer is also afraid for his life after receiving threats from the Islamic extremists who accuse him of "collaborating" with the couple. Saif Ul Malook, the lawyer, told Christian Headlines in an interview regarding the threat. "The social media are being flooded with hate posts against us and the two judges who ordered the couple's release. The lives of all of us involved in the case are at great peril," Malook disclosed. "These messages from influential clerics belonging to various religious parties are prompting millions of Pakistani Muslims to kill us so that 'they may go to paradise.' It's incentives like these that prompt poor Muslims to commit murders in cold blood," he added. As previously reported, Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar were acquitted for the false blasphemy charges that kept them imprisoned for seven years and lined-up for death row. The Lahore High Court acquitted the couple last June 3 after findings showed that they were forced to admit to the charges by the Pakistan police who arrested them in July 2013. Emmanuel was actually tortured infront of his family by the police as a means to arrive at the admission. Besides him, Malook also revealed even the judges are accused of acting on the pressure of the international community in freeing the couple. "This is absurd, because even though the appeal was most likely taken up and concluded within three days due to pressure of the EU resolution, the verdict was passed on merit," Malook clarified. The Christian Headlines explained that the European Union Parliament passed a resolution two months ago on the review of Pakistan's "GSP+ status" with the increase of "blasphemy accusations in the country." The EU resolution was passed on a 662-3 vote that excluded 26 abstainees. The European Union particularly cited the case of the couple when it appealed for a review on the status. The EU pointed out that, "the evidence on which the couple were convicted can be considered deeply flawed," considering as well that it was "postponed multiple times." Malook stressed that even though he is a "devout Muslim" his duty to defend Christians come as part of his profession as a lawyer. "I'm a devout Muslim, and I love the Prophet Muhammad in the same way the other Muslims do. Defending Christians who are accused of blasphemy is my legal, constitutional and Islamic duty," he raised. "I'm not doing anything un-Islamic. Islam teaches us that if we kill one innocent person, we have killed the whole of humanity, but sadly a large number of my Muslims brothers are bent upon maligning our peaceful and just religion," he said. Malook also said that the situation could get worse than the October 18 campaign of Islamist zealots for acquitting Aasiya Noreen also known as Asia Bibi, who the justice system convicted for blasphemy. He said the Islamist extremists then "brought the country to a standstill." Following the formation of Israel's 36th government, many Christian leaders and Evangelicals declared continuous support for the country despite Benjamin Netanyahu's shift as a member of the opposition against the new coalition headed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Though Netanyahu articulated strong criticism towards Bennett, a number of leaders still conveyed their confidence on the latter, The Christian Post reported. Joel Rosenberg, founder of The Joshua Fund, wrote that the Christians' love for Israel is not bound to a person but based on the "Abrahamic covenant" and the command stated in the Bible to bless the nation and the Jews. He urged Christians to pray and support the state regardless of its leader. Rosenberg is also hopeful of a good relationship between evangelicals and Bennett, along with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. Johnnie Moore, the Congress of Christian Leaders president, said that it is not appropriate for American evangelicals to intervene with Israel's internal affairs beyond "praising" its democracy. "Even though most evangelical leaders have enjoyed a tremendous friendship with Netanyahu- which will continue - their friendship with Israel transcends the machinations of Israel's politics and its political parties," he added. Nikki Haley also declared that the United States will continue to stand with Israel regardless of its leader. In a tweet, the former U.S. Ambassador to United Nations expressed her appreciation on Netanyahu for his contributions to the Jewish state. She then congratulated Bennett. "We are committed to the undeniable bond between the US & Israel," she further said. But Haley warned against reviving the Iran nuclear deal. "The one thing we don't want to see happen is giving money back to Iran and have the world be a more dangerous place," she said. Former Arkansas governor and former Baptist pastor Mike Huckabee said that he has "high hopes" on Bennett's executive skills to keep Israel's stability and security but is concerned whether the new coalition will have a "consensus without capitulation" on critical issues such as the Abraham Accords and sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. Huckabee stated that his "personal friend" Netanyahu's "statecraft" resulted to "unprecedented" prosperity, peace and security to the state and the Middle East. He added that it will take time for the new leadership to develop the same level of relationships that Netanyahu had built during his 15 years in power. However, the former politician argued that Israel's current status is solely because of God. "Having said that, Israel is where it is because of God, not any one man or political party," Huckabee said. Georgia pastor Jentezen Franklin also congratulated the country for its new government and called for Christians to pray for Israel. He was also hoping for an "open and congenial relationship" with the current leadership as Christians had under Netanyahu. Moreover, the pastor mentioned that the former prime minister "deserves credit for his extraordinary efforts" on strengthening the state's economy, building foreign relationships and establishing peace and security in the Middle East. He also noted of Netanyahu's handling of the pandemic, calling it "the envy of the world." "Bibi has not only been one of Israel's longest-serving prime ministers but one of its historic leaders. Evangelicals are proud of our friendship with Netanyahu, a friendship that will continue," Franklin added. Calvary Church pastor Skip Heitzig said that he will pray for Bennett, stating that his support for Israel is due to the covenant that God has established with the Jews and not because of politics or the politicians. "As the only nation on the face of the earth to have been created by a sovereign act of God, Israel has given us the Bible, the prophets, and most importantly the Messiah," he continued. He is also grateful with Netanyahu's leadership that has brought security to the state. On the other hand, Mike Evans, founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team and Friends of Zion Heritage Center, criticized the recent Israeli election, comparing it to a striptease show wherein people involved are "unpleasant, vulgar and disgusting." He said that he was fascinated with Israel before for being "beautiful, attractive and seductive" but has now turned horrifying to him. Further, he claimed that the recent election was done "to crucify a man they hate," referring to Netanyahu, destroying the nation. The founder also called the newly elected officials as "amateur nobodies" who are "making a mockery" of the country. Evans then vowed to "spend the rest of [his] life fighting for Israel, adding that he now "understand[s] how the Holocaust happened." An audio app is currently being considered as an effective avenue to share the Word of God. Clubhouse is an audio-based social media application where people can freely talk and share about ideas. CNBC described the experience of using it as a mix of listening to a podcast, scrolling Twitter feed and attending a conference. With funding from Andreessen Horowitz amounting $12 million, Clubhouse developers Paul Davison and Rohan Seth created the application in 2020. People can only join the app through invitations. Existing users can invite others. Users are issued certain number of invites that can be shared with other people. One can get more if a user contributes a lot. Virtual rooms are available on the platform where users can join. Upon entry on a certain room, audio switches on and they can hear the people speaking. Only the room creator can decide who can speak. Conversations cannot be recorded or saved on the app. The application is getting popular among celebrities including Oprah, Kevin Hart, Drake, Chris Rock and Ashton Kutcher. It reportedly focuses on individuals considered as elite clientele that it has become a sort of status symbol. The app is gaining more users. Christians are now utilizing the platform to engage people in sharing the Gospel. Francina Norman, founder of Francina Norman Ministries, shared that the application has become a medium for the group to reach out the lost. "We started having altar calls. And so, when we started having altar calls, we've had over 600 people get saved so far. So we've formed a network. Once they get saved, I form a team that will follow up and then they will tell us what country they're from, what state they're from, and then we will assign them a local church. So it's causing churches to grow, ministries to grow," Norman stated, captured by CBN News. Caroline Adegun, founder of a faith-based club, "But GOD," launched a Christian community of more than 20,000 members on the platform. The club aims to network, empower and support its members. It also intends to support parents and people struggling during the pandemic. The group holds a weekly program on various topics. The founder said that the engagement of believers on the application has caused positive impact. "We have received thousands of messages from members who are being healed and growing in faith because of our community," Adegun revealed. JimDre Westbrook, an author and entrepreneur, created the "God Ideas" club on the platform. The creator aims to "impact 10 million people through moderating 1000 rooms by 2023." Entrepreneurs are the intended market of the club but it also offers a number of other topics. The group holds Bible reading on weekday mornings and hosts rooms weekly for discussions on business, wellness and relationships. The room, "Kingdombosses Connect," was also formed on Clubhouse for Christian entrepreneurs. Founder Tiffany Bethea shared that she created the club to help "kingdom entrepreneurs stay focused on the God of the work while we are doing the work of God." It also hosts a room for other conversations such as therapy, purpose and marketing. "Kingdomboss as a community existed before Clubhouse. However, our presence on this app has absolutely exploded and placed us in front of new people from around the world. It has deepened our ability to collaborate and joint venture also as an organization," Bethea said. The launch of a pro-free speech book publisher by two former publishing executives who will make their presses available to conservatives whose platforms have been canceled, is starting to attract attention. WND reports that Louise Burke, the former president and publisher of Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books Group, and Kate Hartson, the editorial director of Hachette Book Group's Center Street imprint, teamed up to found All Seasons Press LLC, a conservative publishing house. The company's launch coincides with allegations by some conservatives that a significant portion of the country's news media, publishers, and major social media platforms are censoring them. They want to find options that better promote freedom of expression. On Tuesday, they told The Wall Street Journal that as the political climate in the United States has grown more divided, authors have increasingly had difficulty getting their works published by big publishing companies. Burke, who is deeply concerned and somewhat indignant at the present state of free speech and freedom of the press, has also said that she is "concerned about the canceling of voices that traditionally were always allowed to publish and are meeting resistance from mainstream publishers, particularly former Trump administration members." In the report by the Wall Street Journal, All Seasons Press has already committed to publish books by at least two officials who served in the administration of former President Donald Trump. To be completed by year's end, the new publishing house will publish books by former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro. "In a publishing world that has devolved into a Cancel Culture, Virtue Signaling cesspool, it is refreshing to see a new publishing house emerge willing to print books such as my forthcoming volume in the Fall that will speak truth to power," said Navarro to WSJ. Rush Limbaugh's long time radio producer James Golden book as well as an unannounced fourth book will also be published in the falls, noted the WSJ. Ms. Hartson, who is now the editor in chief of All Seasons Press, refused to reveal the title of the fourth book scheduled for publication in 2021, but she did say that the publisher will prioritize writers with big followings, usually those who appear on radio or television, as well as journalists and politicians. For the next year, All Seasons hope to print 10 books. The company, according to Ms. Burke, is fully funded, but she refused to disclose who the financial supporters are for their own protection from the cancel mob. "I don't want people coming to their houses or bullying them on Twitter simply for supporting the First Amendment," she said to WSJ. As a new printing press, All Seasons will compete against large publishing companies that have conservative-focused labels of their own, as well as with other independent publishers. Regnery and Republic Book Publishers, which was founded in the autumn of 2019 by Al Regnery, the former president and publisher of Regnery Publishing, and Eric Kampmann, the owner of Beaufort Books Inc., are among these companies. Post Hill Press LLC, a conservative publishing company with imprints spanning from pop culture to current affairs, is another indie competitor worth mentioning. "There is competition," Burked acknowledged, "but there's room for another publisher, especially one that will be as independent as we are." The Vermont (USA) rams devastated the Australian wool industry when introduced in the 1880s and the effects are still being felt 140 years later. The breeders in Vermont bred their sheep to produce more wool by increasing the number of wrinkles in the skin. They believed their sheep, which were cutting more weight than the Australian merinos, would advance the wool industry here so, in the 1880s, 12 of the so-called Vermont rams arrived in Australia. Fleece weights were important Since many Australian stud men were talked into believing these sheep would improve wool weights, their use spread rapidly, urged on by the Vermont breeders who thought they were the saviours of the Australian industry. Yes, the Vermont sheep cut higher fleece weights but the clean yield was low. The greater grease content brought about more flystrike, the wool was shorter in staple length and uneven, with lower lambing percentages. Devastation Their introduction had a devastating effect on many famous fine-wool studs and many of the stud masters were slow to see the disadvantages of the breed, still believing wrinkly sheep would turn out to be the best option because of their greater fleece weight. The average wool producers throughout Australia soon saw the problems with increasing flystrike, less money for their wool and fewer lambs. The problem then, in changing back to clean-bodied sheep, was their inability to buy suitable rams. The industry was swamped by wrinkly sheep. Clean-bodied sheep are better Ever since the early 20th century, wool producers have struggled to decrease the number of wrinkles on the bodies of their sheep with varying degrees of success. Even into the 1950s and 60s, some stud masters still believed wrinkly sheep produced more wool and would not change but by the 1970s, even the most ardent believers in wrinkly sheep had seen the light and altered their breeding priorities. Up until the Vermont sheep arrived in Australia, the wool industry was progressing at a frenetic pace with the wool clip considered to be the best in the world, fetching prices in England and Europe from woollen mills no other wool could achieve. It was fine, had a long staple length and good strength, stretch and elasticity, was clean, bright and soft. German breeders started the Merino trend The Merino breed now so famous in Australia and New Zealand had its beginnings in the 16th century when German breeders crossed Spanish merinos with Saxon sheep in order to produce a dense, fine style type of wool from sheep adapted to their environment. This breed had been imported into South Africa and as it was closer and less costly than bringing sheep from Europe, these were what John MacArthur, Governor King and others chose to import to Australia. The industry progressed at an enormous pace once the Great Divide was crossed in the 1820s. Soon there were millions The Australian climate was so good for wool production, there were nearly two million sheep in Australia by 1830 and by 1836, Australia had won the wool trade war with Germany. Manufacturers there started importing Australian wool in 1845. Other breeders entered the industry over the next few decades, the most influential being Eliza and John Furlong, John Murray and the Peppin brothers who introduced Rambouille blood lines, perhaps the most significant improvement in the Australian merino breed. These merinos were fast becoming known as growing the finest wool and much effort was made by breeders to increase the size of the sheep, increase the yield and then make the wool finer. They had clean bodies without wrinkles and could cut up to 5 pounds (approx. 2kg) of wool (it is not unusual for the modern merino to cut 7kg of wool). So, where did these Vermont sheep originate? Similar sheep to the German breed were introduced into America in 1802 and by 1835, Vermont had over one million sheep and adjoining states had similar numbers. In order to beat off their competition, the breeders in Vermont selectively bred their sheep to increase the fleece weight and so came about the Vermont style of sheep with their whole body covered in wrinkles. Wrinkly is bound for the butcher I was recently given a wrinkly lamb by a breeder who wanted nothing to do with it. It was a strong throwback to the Vermont sheep and demonstrates how the wool industry in Australia still suffers from decisions made all those years ago and stud breeders unwillingness to admit they were wrong. No chance this lamb will breed on, hes destined for the butcher shop but his type still appear irregularly in flocks across the country. I know personally how shearers dislike this type of sheep. In our Christian walk too, we can be led astray by teachings which sound good at the time but eventually lead to destabilisation and then devastation. The Answer? Know your Bible. Are you old enough to remember the film Three Amigos? If you aren't it was a 1986 film starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short. The basic synopsis is three American actors accept an invitation to a Mexican village to perform their on-screen bandit fighter roles, unaware that it is the real thing. I thought of them this movie recently as a third Canadian Pastor was arrested for keeping their church open. As the three amigos never thought they would ever actually risk their lives to save someone, I doubt Tim Stephens, Artur Pawlowski, James Coates ever thought they would go to jail for holding a church service. All three Pastors believe the orders to close their churches goes against their Canadian Charter rights, (mans law) and the Bible (God's law). There is no doubt in my mind that they believe what they say they do, their willingness to get arrested, go to jail and fight it in the courts shows this. For Australians keep following Melbourne Pastor Paul Furlong he has already had multiple dealings with the Victorian Police and his family Im sure would appreciate your prayers. Watching episode 5 of the second season of The Chosen recently and their depiction of the example John the Baptist set resonates loud and clear. During the episode he says to Jesus I know I'm doing the right thing when I get arrested. In all these examples from the fictitious, to the real historical and present day examples we can find varied examples of living out what we believe regardless of the cost to our life. As the state of Victoria in Australia has gone into another lock down churches have again closed their doors. The government continues to not provide the public to whom they are meant to serve the information they have used to make this decision. Where ever you are reading this from please pray for those suffering from tyrannical governments. I wish I could say I was this passionate about the persecution in countries like China and Iran before western countries started resembling them but I wasn't. I can say when the people in western countries are victorious over the evil that is trying to gain the upper hand, I won't stop. I pledge to you I won't be as complacent in my comfortable world as I was previously. Are you willing to pledge the same? Triumph Once we have triumphed will you continue the fight to help those not in your neighbourhood? Or will you be too battle fatigued and give up? As much as there are things we can and must do in the natural, don't forget this is also a spiritual battle. Don't forget to pray. Spend time away from all distractions communicating with your creator. Mediate in his word and draw strength from a closer relationship with him. Then help encourage others. The Three Amigos put their lives on the line when they were faced with doing so, or living the rest of their lives knowing they didnt. John the Baptist knew he was risking jail time every time he spoke out against what was happening that wasnt according to Gods plan. Three Pastors so far have been arrested in Canada for standing up to their government. How many Christians around the world every day are persecuted for their faith that we dont hear about? If we dont fight to retain our freedom of speech in countries where we have taken the ability to speak out against evil for granted then who will fight for those in even more dire situations? Recall I used this in one of my last articles for 2020. I re share it again now: First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me Martin Niemoller I thought that was the end of this article I usually end them with a quote but alas Ive just learned of another Canadian Pastor who as I write is in hiding after a warrant for his arrest was issued. Tobias Tissen a Pastor from Manitoba, Canada has been quoted as saying History is repeating itself with our religious freedoms under continued assault. My parents faced persecution in Germany for homeschooling their children because they wanted to protect us from the 'political agenda' of public schooling. That is what pushed them to move to Canada. If I go back further in my lineage, I have ancestors who were persecuted, jailed and in some instances killed under the tyranny of the Soviet Union for their devotion to Christianity. They took a stand for their religion, and now I find history is repeating itself." This is what I find most concerning; that it only requires a little study of history to see where this could be leading too.. Let me leave you this month with this encouragement from Tobias. "As Christians and as Canadians, we pray and intercede to God for help and protection. And when that is lost, I want you to be assured that God will not let them destroy his church. We need to stand together and be there for each other. Unity will get us through these times with our heads held high and in unwavering devotion to our values and each other. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. 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Scope of the Global TMT steel Bar Market Global TMT steel Bar Market by Diameter Type: 6-8 MM 8-12 MM 12 mm & Above Global TMT steel Bar Market by Application Type: Residential Commercial Infrastructure Global TMT steel Bar Market by Grade Type: Fe-415 Fe-500 Fe-550 Fe-600 Others Global Elevator and Escalator Market by Region: North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Latin America Request For Report Discounts @https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/11074 Key Player Analyzed in Global Elevator and Escalator Market: ArcelorMittal Zenica Balkan Steel Engineering Ltd. Essar Steel HBIS Group HUS Ltd. Metalopromet d. o. o. Kula MM D SIDERAL S.H.P.K. SIJ Group TATA Stee Global Veterinary Anesthesia Equipment Market was valued US$ 0.95 Bn in 2017 and is expected to reach US$ 1.75 Bn by 2026, at a CAGR of 7.94% during a forecast period. The veterinary anesthesia equipment market is segmented into product, animal, end-use, and region. In terms of product, global veterinary anesthesia equipment market is segmented into complete anesthesia machines, ventilators, vaporizers, waste gas management systems, gas delivery management systems, and accessories. Based on an animal, global veterinary anesthesia equipment market is divided into small, and large. Further end-use, global veterinary anesthesia equipment market is split into hospitals & clinics, and others. Based on regions, the global veterinary anesthesia equipment market is divided into five main regions are America, Europe, Asia-pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. In terms of product, complete anesthesia machine is the most prominent product segment in the market due to the growing adoption of integrated solutions by veterinary professionals as these solutions offer work efficiency. Increasing product offering by manufacturers is also supplementing the growth of the complete anesthesia machine segment. Based on animals, large animal type segment is dominant in terms of revenue due to high consumption of milk, meat, and other products is resulting into strong demand for large animals and thus, demand for healthcare services to treat these animals is increasing. The small animal segment comprises companions. It is projected to register lucrative growth during the forecast period owing to rising pet ownership due to significant health associated benefits in humans. Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/11113 On the basis of end-use, hospitals & clinics segment expected to witness lucrative growth during the forecast period due to the high penetration of animal health clinics and hospitals across the developed nations. Surging demand for outpatient facilities for animals and the increasing number of veterinary surgeries are some of the factors augmenting the growth of the hospitals & clinics segment. The other segment is inclusive of reference laboratories, emergency facilities, and other animal care centers. Increasing pet adoption and the growing number of veterinary surgical procedures are the key factors driving the global veterinary anesthesia equipment market. In addition, rising incidence of chronic diseases in companion animals and mounting cases of accidental injuries in animals are also propelling the growth of the global veterinary anesthesia equipment market. Recent advancements in drug development procedures in the field of animal medicine are also boosting the adoption of veterinary anesthesia equipment. Furthermore, a high inclination of government organizations towards animal welfare is one of the key contributing factors. The high cost of instruments and lower animal health awareness in developing countries are hindering the growth of global veterinary anesthesia equipment market. Animal orals diseases in cats and dogs represent a primary source of challenge for veterinarians. Increasing need of veterinary machines for animal dental surgery creates numerous opportunities of veterinary anesthesia machines manufactures. Based on region, Asia Pacific is expected to witness lucrative CAGR during the forecast period due to increase pet adoption and growing demand for animal health services. An increasing number of pets is estimated to boost the veterinary service market size over the forecast years. The key players in the global veterinary anesthesia equipment market include Dispomed, JD Medical, Midmark, Kent Scientific, Smiths Medical, Mindray Medical International, Vetland Medical, Supera Anesthesia Innovations, Hallowell Engineering & Manufacturing, Soar Medical Tech, Miden Medical, AM Bickford, Rothacher-Medical GmbH, Medical Developments International, Zhong Ke Base Medical Technology, and RWD Life Science. Scope of Global Veterinary Anesthesia Equipment Market: Request for Report Discount: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/11113 Global Veterinary Anesthesia Equipment Market, by Product: Complete Anesthesia Machines Ventilators Vaporizers Waste Gas Management Systems Gas Delivery Management Systems Accessories Global Veterinary Anesthesia Equipment Market, by Animal: Small Large Global Veterinary Anesthesia Equipment Market, by End-use: Hospitals & Clinics Others Global Veterinary Anesthesia Equipment Market, by Region North America Europe Middle East & Africa Asia Pacific Latin America Key players operating in Global Veterinary Anesthesia Equipment Market: Dispomed JD Medical Midmark Kent Scientific Smiths Medical Mindray Medical International Vetland Medical Supera Anesthesia Innovations Hallowell Engineering & Manufacturing Soar Medical Tech Miden Medical AM Bickford Rothacher-Medical GmbH Medical Developments International Zhong Ke Base Medical Technology RWD Life Science Place a Direct Purchase Order @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/11113/Single Gene synthesis is one of the powerful and flexible molecule engineering tool in synthetic biology for chemical DNA synthesis. From the first artificial gene synthesis in 1970 by Gobind Khoranas group, there occurs subsequent improvements in DNA synthesis, sequencing, amplification and automation. Various regional as well as global market players are present for providing the commercial gene synthesis services. Gene synthesis technology has revolutionized the biology research these days. These synthetic genes are used by researchers for various life science research domains such as cancer biology, neuroscience, virology, antibody engineering, biochemistry, genetics and others. The gene synthesis market has seen a robust growth in the industrial end user segment these days for commercial applications. Continuous research is going on for novel gene synthesis assisting the production of sustainable biofuels and the enzymes for therapeutics. Gene synthesis has also been considered more economical than the classical cloning and mutagenesis procedures. The achievements by the life science researchers and scientists in the recent years have expanded the understanding of biological systems at the molecular level which generated more opportunities and growths in life science research and applications. Request a Sample of this Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5924 Thus, there is a continuous growth opportunities for manufacturing companies for focusing towards this end user segment which can be used to create well-designed products and services. Advancements in the technology such as microchip based gene synthesis would also going to be helpful in the market growth and significantly increasing the throughput. Gene Synthesis Market: Drivers & Restraints Research & developments associated with the gene synthesis as well as continuous improvement in the technological processes such as protein purification and molecular separation technology helps in driving the market by developing fast, reliable and cost effective solutions. Cuts in the federal fundings for various academic research projects, intensifying competition leading to price reduction, technical limitations in the production process etc. limits the market growth for gene synthesis services. Gene Synthesis Market: Segmentation Segmentation by Product Type: Custom Gene Synthesis Gene Library Synthesis Segmentation by Application: Research and Development Academic Industrial Diagnosis Therapeutics Segmentation by End User Biopharmaceutical Companies Academic and Research Institutes Contract Research Organizations Get Full Report Buy Now @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/5924 Gene Synthesis Market: Overview Companies involved in the Gene Synthesis services market strategize to strengthening their sales force and expanding their production facilities in different geographies such as IDT recently completed a multi-year expansion of its production facility in Leuven by the vision of expanding their customer base in Europe and MEA. Furthermore, the market has number of established global players which possess a high entry barrier for the new players as more than 60% of the gene synthesis market is driven by top 5 players across the globe. Geographical expansion and expansion of manufacturing capacities are another key opportunity which would be helping companies in brand improvement and market penetration. With a great competition in the synthetic biology market and the presence of various regional players, companies are focused on their services improvisations by delivering fast and cost effective oligonucleotide with high purity. Gene Synthesis Market: Region-wise Outlook Geographically, North America is the leading market for gene synthesis services owing to the high demand by academic institutes as well as biopharmaceutical companies. The presence of large number of players in the market with their strong distribution channel also supports the market growth in the region. This is followed by the Western Europe market supported by the increasing R&D expenditure by pharmaceutical and biotech companies for up gradation of technology and production output. Asia Pacific market represents the highest growth rate over the globe with China leading the market. The growth is due to the increasing investment by government as well as private organizations to support the growth of synthetic biology and its applications. Latin America followed by MEA represents the lowest market share in the Gene synthesis market owing to limited resources available in the region as well as low consumption trends. Gene Synthesis Market Treatment Market: Key Players Some of the players in the Gene Synthesis market includes Genewiz, OriGene Technologies, Inc., ATDBio Ltd., Bioneer Corporation, Eurofins Scientific, Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., Atum, Eurogentec, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., GenScript Biotech Corporation and others. The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geographies, application, and industry. Request for Report Ask A Question @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-5924 Regional analysis includes: North America (U.S., Canada) Latin America (Mexico. Brazil) Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain) Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia) Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand) Japan Middle East and Africa (GCC Countries, S. Africa, Northern Africa) The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies. Computer Numerical Control Machines Market Growth & Trends The global computer numerical control machines market size is expected to reach USD 126.27 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 7.5% from 2021 to 2028, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. The rising need for minimizing operating costs and errors in machine components and increasing efficiency in manpower deployment has led to the increased demand for automation and CNC machines. Governments across the globe have imposed restrictions on transportation owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in port closures. Factors, such as reduced availability of air transportation facilities and stringent border controls, are delaying the procurement of raw materials and components. The resulting delay in the shipment of products to customers is further adding to operational costs. While the situation is adversely affecting profitability and competitiveness, market players are also losing ground in the market as customers are looking to approach alternative suppliers. Technological proliferation has enabled manufacturers to use the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning in controllers. The use of these technologies in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machines led to the development of software applications that are compatible with PCs and smart devices, which allows operators and supervisors to control the machines remotely. Furthermore, the use of IoT is expected to bring about several innovations in terms of automation in the field, which would help save time and improve the productivity of companies. Manufacturers are increasingly focusing on current technological trends in the field of software to enhance the connectivity of machines with operators and improve flexibility on the shop floor area. Several companies are investing in R&D activities to improve the equipment design in a way that reduces the floor space required and allows multiple operations to be carried out by the same equipment, thereby improving the productivity of the plant. This is anticipated to boost the market growth. Request a free sample copy or view report summary: Computer Numerical Control Machines Market Report Computer Numerical Control Machines Market Report Highlights The milling machines segment is anticipated to register the fastest CAGR from 2021 to 2028 as a result of rising demand for this type of equipment owing to features, such as multi-functionality and reduced time requirements The automotive segment is expected to register the maximum growth rate over the forecast period due to the rising product demand in this segment for producing components in less time and achieving a fine finish Asia Pacific accounted for the largest market share, in terms of revenue, and is projected to expand further at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period The increased focus on infrastructural development and digitization of industries in Asia Pacific is anticipated to drive the regional market growth Access Press Release@ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-computer-numerical-controls-cnc-machines-market Computer Numerical Control Machines Market Segmentation Grand View Research has segmented the global computer numerical control machines market based on type, end use, and region: CNC Machines Type Outlook (Volume, Thousand Units; Revenue, USD Billion, 2016 - 2028) Lathe Milling Laser Grinding Welding Winding Others CNC Machines End use Outlook (Volume, Thousand Units; Revenue, USD Billion, 2016 - 2028) Automotive Aerospace & Defense Construction Equipment Power & Energy Industrial Others CNC Machines Regional Outlook (Volume, Thousand Units; Revenue, USD Billion, 2016 - 2028) North America The U.S. Canada Europe France Germany Italy Asia Pacific China India Japan Latin America Mexico Middle East & Africa List of Key Players of Computer Numerical Control Machines Market Amada Co., Ltd. Amera Seiki Fanuc Corp. Datron AG DMG Mori Dalian Machine Tool Group (DMTG) Corp. Haas Automation, Inc. Okuma Corp. Shenyang Machine Tool Co., Ltd. (SMTCL) Hurco Companies, Inc. Yamazaki Mazak Corp. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare. Vietnam, 16 June 2021 In the construction industry, several advanced types of equipment make construction easier for the worker. There are several advancements that everyone likes because advanced equipment help to complete the work safely and faster. In the past, whenever individuals need to carry heavy loads and had to shift heavy items from the ground floor to the top floor, then they had to do a lot of hard work, and they need more workers to shift the heavier items, but now it has become easier for workers to shift the heavier items in the upper position with the help of the forklift truck that is also regarded as telehandler forklift. It is actually used for multi-function in the construction industry and makes the work easier. It can be used to lift heavy loads to those areas where it is quite hard for everyone to reach. There are several kinds of accessories that are included in various forklifts. A forklift minimizes the time and effort that are involved in shifting heavy loads from one place to another place. There are several attachments available for different kinds of works in the construction industry, and it is quite difficult for some people to choose one attachment. The right attachment helps the individuals to complete the tasks effectively. The most significant attachment of the telehandler forklift is a fork that helps to lift Concrete block, Pallets, Steel bars and pipes, Beams, Industrial pipes, Packaged goods, and several other heavy items. There are many individuals who need to hire a forklift for rent, and Forklift rental service is offered by thousands of platforms in the online world. Among all the platforms, MH Rental is considered the most trustworthy platform that provides ideal services to everyone. If needed, interested individuals can click here or visit our official website to know more about telehandler forklift. With the help of this platform, you can hire several kinds of trucks to lift heavy loads according to the environment. Usually, a multi-function forklift can lift approximately 5445 kg at once to a height of 20m. There are several parameters of multi-function forklifts that you must consider before renting a forklift. One must consider the engine size because a big engine size provides more power, due to which the machine will be able to lift heavier items efficiently. You can hire a telehandler forklift according to your need in the construction place. When the thing comes to driving modes, multi-functions forklifts contain three modes, like standard, four wheels, and cow crab mode. It is the only platform that can help you to get the best telehandler forklift on rent at a very affordable renting price. Better is to click here or visit our official website to know more about Forklift rental. Website : http://xenangmh.com/xe-nang-da-nang-telehandler-la-gi-khi-nao-nen-su-dung-no/ Litchfield (06759) Today Periods of rain. High 69F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Mark Vergnano, CEO of global chemistry company The Chemours Company and a member of the class of 1980, told The Courant he and his wife wanted to help the university while driving a more equitable workforce. In the next decade, the U.S. will need to fill about a million STEM-related jobs, but women and people of color are drastically underrepresented in those fields, he said. This is a visual representation of the striped bass molecule that is being studied by William & Mary Professor Myriam Cotten with the use of a nuclear magnetic resonance machine which is similar to a medical MRI machine. The molecule is being studied because it protects the fish from certain deadly bacteria. - Original Source: Virginia Media (Robert Ostermaier) The Governors Office worked hard with our institutional research experts to look at the experiences of other states and build a model that ensures equity and access utilizing a blended class rank percentile, no application fees, and a streamlined application process, Sean Bradbury, director of government relations for the community colleges and state universities, said in an email. Our university leaders are excited to see this legislation pass and are eager to get to work on designing and building out this important program. The process, he said, confirms what we knew when we began this legislative session: there was going to be a lot of emotion on this bill, there was going to be a lot of ideas about this bill and the vote count was always going to be very, very close. After Lamonts office made its concerns known, senators hastily adopted a second amendment. It stated that those applicants must have an average household income of less than 300% of the state median over the three tax years immediately preceding the persons application or was a resident of a disproportionately impacted area for no less than five of the 10 years immediately preceding their application. Other criteria include people who were incarcerated for the sale, possession or cultivation of cannabis or had a parent, spouse or child who was imprisoned for such an offense. Towns around this state have been told year after year by Connecticuts Native American tribes that their nicknames and mascots are horribly offensive, said Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, who pushed for the measure. Some towns have taken the proper steps to change, while others continue to ignore common decency and continue to disrespect our tribal partners who were here long, long before any city or town was ever incorporated. If certain cities and towns wont listen to their fellow citizens, then they can certainly do without the tribal money that they are showing such disrespect toward. Cut Bank, MT (59427) Today Sunny along with a few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight A few clouds from time to time. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 54F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Lyndon German Staff writer Lyndon German is a Virginia native born in Mechanicsville. After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2016, he went on to work for the Hopewell News, the Progress Index, the Richmond Free Press and Virginia Public Media. He has a passion for news, radio, podcasts and the NBA. For a while, that was fine. Like most kids, Nguyen wasnt all that interested in whatever his parents were doing before he came along. But as he got older, the need to fill in the blanks got stronger. Writing fiction became his way of getting at the truth, and with the help of the many New Orleans refugees who were happy to share their experiences of loss, survival and resilience, he was able to tell the story he needed to tell in exactly the way he wanted to tell it. Using five fictional characters, St. Clair details the history of Juneteenth, how it came to be and the struggles the five Black citizens had in finding freedom, and some of the barriers that are still in place today. Theyll talk about pursuing education, owning land and their efforts to reconnect with family members. Theyll even talk about those who were reluctant to leave the plantations behind for fear of what theyd encounter on their own. Those eligible for early release must have less than one year left on their sentence and an approved plan to return home, among other qualifications. An algorithm determines whether inmates have a low or medium risk of recidivism another standard offenders must meet for an early release. Everyone has gifts, but its just about motivating people to use their gifts to help others, Hahne said. We all have needs and we all have gifts, and its exciting to me to be able to pair those two up. Chennai: Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Sunday said that the Chief Minister MK Stalin will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week and request for more COVID vaccines. Speaking to ANI, Subramanian said, "When Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin meets PM Modi in Delhi next week he will request to provide more vaccine doses to Tamil Nadu." "Death numbers are expected to decrease in coming days. Vaccination is the only solution to get rid of corona infection so people should come forward to get Vaccination," he added. Health Minister Ma Subramanian, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan, Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi jointly reviewed the vaccination drive which is going on for vegetable shop vendors in Chennai Koyambedu. Speaking about the drive, Subramanian said, "Koyambedu market was a hot spot in first wave. So Chennai corporation, CMDA, and health department are in the Vaccination drive process here. 9,655 people have been vaccinated in Koyambedu. More than 10,000 will get administered today which will be a huge number per day in a single place." "Vendors are eager to get vaccinated. We have received 1.6 vaccine doses, out of which 98 lakh vaccine doses have been used till now, as per CM's advice," he added. He also informed that the Tamil Nadu government is probably the first in India where handicapped were vaccinated at their place. 5000 handicapped have been vaccinated in the state. Jagan was holding a review meeting with Collectors and SPs on the Covid situation and other issues during the Spandana video conference. (Photo: Twitter @AndhraPradeshCM) VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday stated that Covid-19 curfew would continue in AP after June 20 but the government would give further relaxations. Taking note of the gradual decline in infections, the CM said it was a good sign and congratulated the entire staff involved in Covid management in the state. He stated that the partial curfew imposed from May 5 yielded good results, as the number of cases was dropping. He informed that three modern children hospitals would be set up in Visakhapatnam, Guntur and Tirupati and asked Collectors to identify lands for the hospitals. He was holding a review meeting with Collectors and SPs on the Covid situation and other issues during the Spandana video conference. The Chief Minister directed the officials to brace for the third wave in the wake of studies children would be hit hard by it. He ordered all preparations and arrangements of facilities for specialised treatment to the children. He asked for an action plan to set up the three major childrens hospitals. He asked the officials to check on the quality of ICU beds at teaching hospitals and provision of medical care to infants and ensure that oxygen beds at community health centres and area hospitals. Also, he stressed on providing training to the nurses in the treatment of children. He told the officials not to think that Covid would ever reach zero and focus should be laid on vaccination. Although 3.5 crore people have to be vaccinated, so far only 26,33,351 received two doses of vaccine, and 6,90,710 received a single dose of vaccine. There was a long way to go, he said. Masks, sanitisers, and social distance should continue to be a part of our lives, he said. In regard to testing, he instructed the authorities to conduct only RT-PCR tests to those having Covid symptoms and get them treated immediately. He also stressed on conducting fever surveys every week in all villages for quick tracing and treating. Jagan Mohan Reddy congratulated the Collectors for successful implementation of YSR Aarogyasri as 89 per cent of the patients took treatment under the scheme. As on date, over 16,000 people were undergoing Covid treatment in the state and of them more than 14,000 were being treated under Aarogyasri. Officials were asked to keep tabs on Aarogyasri implementation at private hospitals. They should not brook any violations. The Chief Minister informed that it was decided to give lands as an incentive to set up 16 private multi and super-speciality hospitals in each district center and each corporation, if anyone is ready to invest Rs 100 crore or more in the next three years. Speaking of the 104 call center, the CM reiterated the need to ensure it serves as Covid one-stop centers. Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel on Wednesday once again ruled out the possibility of a leadership change in the State, even as senior Minister K S Eshwarappa acknowledged that a section within the party is of the view that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa should be replaced. The statements have come as the BJP national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh's three-day visit to the State begins on Wednesday amid speculations in some quarters about leadership change. "There is no question of leadership change. Chief Minister Yediyurppa will remain in the post for the next two years," Kateel told reporters. However, Rural Development Minister K S Eshwarappa conceded that some within the party are proposing that the Chief Minister should be replaced. "What you are saying is right, some have proposed that the Chief Minister should be changed, while a few others are proposing that he (Yediyurappa) should continue as the Chief Minister; a few have even gone to Delhi and come back," Eshwarappa said in response to a question. Eshwarappa, however, expressed hope that all issues would be resolved, as Singh would meet Ministers, legislators and MPs and elicit their opinion and share the same with the central leadership. Eshwarappa, also a former State BJP president, on March 31 met the Governor Vajubhai Vala and submitted to him a five-page letter on "serious lapses and authoritarian ways of running the administration" by the Chief Minister. As part of his three-day visit, Singh would be holding a meeting with all the Ministers this evening, and during the next two days he would have one-on-one meetings with legislators and Ministers who want to meet him, and finally on Friday he would take part in the State BJP core committee meeting, party sources said. Speculations have been rife for some time now that a section of the ruling BJP is trying to push for unseating Yediyurappa. However, Singh had recently ruled out replacing the Chief Minister and asserted that Yediyurappa would continue in the top post. His visit comes amid growing disgruntlement among a section of BJP legislators like Hubli-Dharwad MLA Arvind Bellad and Tourism Minister C P Yogeshwar who have made visits to Delhi to meet national leaders and expressed the feeling of some legislators against Yediyurappa's style of functioning and requested them to rein in the Chief Minister. Leaders like MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and MLC A H Vishwanath have been embarrassing the government with their statements against the functioning of the government and the Chief Minister, alleging interference from Yediyurappa's younger son and state BJP vice president B Y Vijayendra in administration. Also, the governments Chief Whip V Sunil Kumar has publicly asked BJP leadership to provide a "platform, where legislators can air their grievances. This even as some BJP legislators are said to be pushing for convening a legislature party meeting, pointing at certain decisions taken by the government, its functioning, handling of the COVID crisis and alleged instances of corruption, among others. Amid all these activities and speculations, Yediyurappa had earlier said he would continue in the top post as long as the BJP high command has confidence in him, and he had no confusion about it. He subsequently asserted that there was no confusion in the State BJP on the issue of leadership and that he would work for the development of the State during the remaining two years of the term. Earlier too, there have been speculations in some quarters that the BJP high command is mulling leadership change in Karnataka considering the 78-year-old Yediyurappa's advancing age. Though the BJP had officially rejected outright such speculation in the past, it refuses to die down, with some within the party like senior MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal giving credence to it with his statements, setting repeated deadlines for Yediyurappa's exit. Vishakhapatnam: Nearly 40 per cent of the public toilets in Vizag city have been rated as 'bad' or 'average' by the general public. The ratings were shown under the public health category on the City Dashboard page of the official website of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) www.gvmc.gov.in When Deccan Chronicle checked the website on June 15, a total of 7,61,913 persons expressed their opinion on public toilets'. Nearly 40 per cent of the respondents felt the toilets were average or bad. Nearly 19 per cent of those in the survey said the toilets were `bad while 21 per cent said these were of average quality. Vizag-based India Youth for Society member M Jagadeesh Kumar, who takes up environmental friendly activities in the city, said, the below-middle class people are comfortable with the toilets as per their observations, but the authorities would need to put in some extra efforts to make the toilets usable by the above-middle-class and tourists. A tourist said the corporation would do well to set up new toilets or at least mobile toilets at RK Beach and Tenneti Park. The existing toilets were not sufficient to cater to the needs of the visitors, he said. GVMC chief medical officer KSLG Sastry told DC he also checked the feedback on the GVMC website. We took the feedback and will improve the condition of the toilets. The corporation requested the public to give genuine feedback on the toilets and their maintenance with details like photographs, contact details and address for immediate response from their team. The city has 328 toilets including 248 community toilets across the 98 wards under eight zones in GVMC limits. There were plans of developing the toilets and adding a few more toilets in the city, Sastry said. Pointers: - 7,61,913 persons gave feedback - 4,54,412 rated Good' - 1,63,253 rated 'Bad' - 1,44,248 rated Average' - City has total 328 toilets - 248 community toilets - 80 public toilets Sudhakaran has been known as the party's face in Kannur, a traditional Left fortress. Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader K Sudhakaran on Wednesday took charge as the new president of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee here and urged leaders and workers to go in unison to revive the past glory of the grand-old party in the state. If the leaders and workers are ready to work tirelessly for the next five years, the Congress could surely make a strong come back in the southern state, he said after assuming charge at Indira Bhavan, the party headquarters here. Reacting to the ruling CPI(M)'s allegations over his BJP-RSS link, KS, as Sudhakaran is known among his followers, said any attempt to isolate him by stamping him as a BJP man was not going to bring any desired result. "The CPI(M) is afraid of the Congress. It fears that the Congress will make a strong come back in the state. The Congress leaders and activists should be ready to set aside their personal interests and work tirelessly for regaining party's strength," Sudhakaran said. He also asked all Congress carders to take a pledge to ensure the comeback of the party by the next Parliament election. Besides an array of senior state leaders and AICC representatives, a large number of party workers flocked to Indira Bhavan to have a glimpse of KS taking over the new responsibility. Earlier, he received a guard of honour from the volunteers of Seva Dal, the grassroot frontal organisation of the Congress, at Indira Bhavan, where former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and outgoing party president, Mullappally Ramachandran welcomed him. Apart from Sudhakaran, Kodikkunnil Suesh MP and P T Thomas and T Siddhique, both MLAs, also took charge as the new working presidents of the party's state unit. The Congress high command had last week picked the 73-year old leader for the top post replacing Mullappally Ramachandran after the national party suffered drubbing in the crucial assembly polls held in April. Currently representing Kannur constituency in the Lok Sabha, he was also a four-time MLA and served as a minister in the A K Antony cabinet during the 2001-2004 period. A firebrand leader and an arch critic of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Sudhakaran has been known as the party's face in Kannur, a traditional Left fortress. Known for his sharp speeches and daring personality, he has a strong follower base in northKerala especially in the politically volatile Kannur. Soon after the party-led UDF suffered a mauling in the assembly elections from the ruling LDF and settled with just 41 seats, there had been a clamour for leadership change in the state unit of the Congress. Sudhakaran's appointment was generally viewed as a strong message from the party high command to the leaders and workers in the state to rise above group equations. New Delhi: Army Chief Gen. M.M. Naravane on Tuesday paid homage to 20 Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives fighting Chinese PLA troops in the Galwan Valley last year while defending the nations territorial integrity and sovereignty. Gen. Naravane said their valour will be eternally etched in the nations memory. The Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps also remembered the martyrs of Galwan on the first anniversary of the clash. In a solemn ceremony, Maj. Gen. Akash Kaushik, chief of staff, Fire and Fury Corps, laid a wreath at the iconic Leh War Memorial on the occasion. The nation will remain eternally grateful to these gallant soldiers who fought in the most difficult high-altitude terrain and made the supreme sacrifice in service of the nation, the Army said. The Indian Army lost 20 soldiers, including Col. B. Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of 16 Bihar, during the clash on June 15 last year. A statue of Col. Babu was unveiled Tuesday at Suryapet by Telangana minister K.T. Rama Rao. Col. Babu was from Suryapet, 140 km from Hyderabad. During the clash, Indian observers counted over 60 Chinese casualties being picked up on stretchers and taken back. Only in February this year, China for the first time officially acknowledged four of its soldiers were killed and one officer seriously injured in the Galwan clash. Senior about-to-retire babus of two BJP-ruled states are a miffed lot with the appointment of former Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Anup Chandra Pandey as the new Election Commissioner of India having been done and dusted in a surprise move. But it was clearly in the works in Delhi, long before the skirmishes between UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and the Big Two spilt out into the open. Thanks to the need for surprise, even babus in his home cadre were left gasping. Many see the appointment of Mr Pandey as the Centres initial steps to focus on retaining Uttar Pradesh and remote central control on the coming Assembly polls. But the incumbents will walk on eggs since the ghost of election commissioners past still lurks over Nirvachan Bhavan. This because an appropriate landing spot has not yet been found for former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora. Mr Pandey has joined Sushil Chandra and Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar at the poll panel. Not surprisingly, given Mr Pandeys background questions are being raised about his appointment. Some point out the significance of the fact that all three election commissioners are from UP! Current CEC Sushil Chandra did a long stint in the states revenue department and EC Rajiv Kumar is a former finance secretary of the state. Besides his tenure as the state chief secretary under chief minister Yogi Adityanath until 2019, Mr Pandey was also the states industrial development commissioner. Prepare for more babu surprises to emerge in and around UP as the polls draw near. A twist in the Air India tale? The Air India disinvestment has got stuck between a rock and a hard landing! The second wave of the Covid pandemic has now delayed it further. It is beginning to seem that the government may have been a trifle too ambitious and optimistic about closing this chapter. While there is no dearth of suitors of the beleaguered carrier, the civil aviation ministry babus have come up against a new stumbling block the potential seizure of Air Indias assets by Cairn Energy, after India lost the tax dispute case against the company in an international arbitration tribunal. Civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola actually now has a new headache to deal with, even as the government is still to finalize the timeline for completion of the stake sale or the valuation of the airline and its assets. Too many loose ends! The loss to Cairn is a major blow and loss of face for the Modi sarkar. Of course, the Centre says that it will defend any attempt by Cairn to take over the airlines assets and has in fact challenged the arbitration award, but until the case is resolved and the award overturned in Indias favour, Kharola and his cohorts in the Civil Aviation Ministry cannot rest easy. In fact, as a result of this new threat, civil aviation babus are now scurrying between their ministry and the Law Ministry to deal with this legal threat. This saga may have a few more seasons left to go. Babu crisis at the Centre There is a crisis of babus in the Modi sarkar. The department of personnel and training (DOPT) secretary Deepak Khandekar has informed his multiple bosses that despite the government repeatedly requesting the states to depute more officers at the Centre nothing is moving, and nobody is willing. It has reportedly asked for more officers at the deputy secretary, director and joint secretary levels. Most states however say they are dealing with their own shortage of officers, leading to senior state officials holding several portfolios in many states. Though both Karnataka and Himachal have promised to help recently, this to-ing and fro-ing has been going on for several months now, with the states response to the Centre being seen as decidedly poor. Sources say that the department of personnel and training (DoPT) has made a fresh request to the states last week stating that their lack of appropriate response to the Centres request is creating a cadre management problem for the Centre. But sources say there is a veiled new warning in the Modi sarkars latest missive to the states on the issue. Apparently, the letter from DoPT says that the cadres who have not sent adequate nominations for the central staffing scheme at various may find that they have to settle for fewer additional senior duty posts in the future. Will the states take note? Is this a babu pushback or due to political masters unwilling to allow their best to migrate to Delhi? Share a babu experience! Follow dilipthecherian@Twitter.com. Lets multiply the effect. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Turtle's tale reveals dual fishing threat The story of a turtle caught twice in fishing nets reveals a dual threat facing many ocean animals. The female loggerhead turtle, called "Thunderbird", was entangled in ghost (abandoned) fishing gear in the Mediterranean last year, and was subsequently fitted with a satellite tag and freed. Researchers tracked the turtle as it swam through the Strait of Gibraltar and headed south along the coast of Africa. But then signals became erratic, before a final position from the tag showed the turtle on land near a major fishing port in Dakar, Senegal, suggesting it was unintentionally caught by a fishing vessel, probably a trawler. "The turtle was found entangled in ghost fishing gear by Save the Med Foundation in July 2020, and taken to the Palma Aquarium rescue centre in Mallorca," said Dr David March, of the universities of Exeter and Barcelona. "We attached a satellite tag before she was released on 11 August, which allowed us to track her epic journey of 6,000 km through the Western Mediterranean and the waters off West Africa. "Thunderbird raised an early warning when she entered into the Alboran Sea, a challenging area because of its strong currents and high density of marine traffic, which could result in a high risk of boat collision." At that time, the local network of the Mediterranean Ghost FADs was asked to keep an eye out for potential stranding or bycatch (accidental catch by humans fishing). Fortunately, Thunderbird managed to swim up-current out of the Mediterranean in November through Gibraltar Strait. Most adult turtles that move out from the Mediterranean swim towards America, as they were born in Florida or the Caribbean. But surprisingly, Thunderbird swam along the West African coast. This can be explained because a small proportion of the turtles from the Western Mediterranean were born in Cape Verde, where they migrate to once they become adults, said Professor Lluis Cardona, of the University of Barcelona and Institut de Recerca de Biosdiversitat (IRBio). The satellite tag provided depth data, so the researchers could see the turtle was spending most of the time at the surface in the Mediterranean, then diving near the sea-bottom along the West African coast. "In February this year, the turtle was off Senegal when we stopped receiving regular updates from the tag," Dr March said. "Then the final signal on 17 March was on land, near the main harbour in Dakar. "It is always a challenging task to know what makes tag stop transmitting data, so we checked tag data to find out more about potential causes. "After checking that battery and tag sensors worked correctly, we used the Global Fishing Watch portal to overlap the track of the turtle with fishing vessels. "We found out that the last dive recorded by the satellite tag was near a fishing ground used by trawlers. "All this suggests the turtle was bycaught by a fishing vessel and taken back to the port. We dont know if Thunderbird was released alive after capture, or died as consequence of the bycatch event." Researchers are using satellite data on boat movements and working with partners in Senegal to try and find the boat that caught the turtle, in the hope of finding out more information about the fate of Thunderbird. Dr March is part of a project created to reduce bycatch off West Africa, funded by the MAVA Foundation and run by the University of Barcelona and Birdlife International, and a coalition of partners in West Africa and at international level. "There is a lot of unregulated or illegal fishing off West Africa, and we are working with local partners and fishing companies to adapt fishing gear and methods to minimise bycatch of sea turtles," said Ahmed Diame, of Birdlife International. "We are also identifying the main bycatch hotspots such as the place this turtle was caught." Speaking about the area where the turtle was first found entangled, Ricardo Sagarminaga, of Alnitak, said: "After a reduction of bycatch in longline fishing over the years, entanglement in debris and ghost gear has become the major threat for sea turtles in the Balearic Islands." Dr March added: "The epic journey of this turtle illustrates two of the major threats that many marine species face entanglement in ghost fishing gear, and bycatch in industrial fisheries. "We must urgently address both issues to limit their impact on a wide range of marine species and ecosystems." Thunderbird was tagged within the framework of Oceanographic turtles, a joint programme by the Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB), Alnitak, Palma Aquarium Foundation and the University of Exeter, with the support of NOAA NMFS. The trajectories of these turtles can be followed from this website: http://seaturtle.socib.es/es/turtle-viewer/ "And if we dont change course and start reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, we are on track for anywhere between 2C and 4C global warming by the end of this century, possibly even higher." - Professor Richard Betts MBE University of Exeter plays a leading role in latest UK Climate Change Risk Assessment Action to improve the nations resilience is failing to keep pace with the impacts of a warming planet and increasing climate risks facing the UK. That is the conclusion of a comprehensive independent assessment led by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) which considered a catalogue of risks and opportunities affecting every aspect of life in the UK. The University of Exeter played a key role, with the Universitys Professor Richard Betts MBE leading the Technical Report which formed the scientific core of the assessment. The UK is experiencing widespread changes in the climate; average land temperature has risen by around 1.2C from pre-industrial levels, UK sea levels have risen by 16cm since 1900 and episodes of extreme heat are becoming more frequent. Since the CCCs last assessment five years ago, over 570,000 new homes have been built that are not resilient to future high temperatures and since 2018 over 4,000 heat-related deaths have been recorded in England. Professor Betts, who is a member of the Universitys Global Systems Institute, said: We are heating the global climate by causing greenhouse gases to build up in the atmosphere. "Further change is already locked-in, so we urgently need to prepare for that. "And if we dont change course and start reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, we are on track for anywhere between 2C and 4C global warming by the end of this century, possibly even higher. "The impacts of this would be profound and severe around the world, including here in the UK. Professor Betts is also Head of Climate Impacts Research at the Met Office Hadley Centre, where his colleagues produced the UKCP18 Climate Projections which are central to the climate change risk assessment. People, nature and infrastructure are already vulnerable to a range of climate impacts today and these will only increase in the coming years as the climate continues to change. The longer action to address these risks is delayed, the higher the costs the Government and the UK public will face. The Climate Change Committee say that leadership from the UK Government and Governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland must result in increasing efforts to adapt to climate change to ensure that societal, economic and environmental goals remain achievable in the face of climate change. Baroness Brown, Chair of the CCCs Adaptation Committee, said: The severity of the risks we face must not be underestimated. "These risks will not disappear as the world moves to Net Zero; many of them are already locked in. "By better understanding and preparing for the coming changes, the UK can prosper, protecting its people, its economy and its natural environment. "A detailed, effective action plan that prepares the UK for climate change is now essential and needed urgently." UK-wide, nearly 60% of the risks and opportunities assessed in the 1,500-page report have been given the highest urgency score. The CCC identifies eight priority risk areas which need immediate attention, at the latest in the next two years: 1. Risks to the viability and diversity of terrestrial and freshwater habitats and species from multiple hazards. 2. Risks to soil health from increased flooding and drought. 3. Risks to natural carbon stores and sequestration from multiple hazards, leading to increased emissions. 4. Risks to crops, livestock and commercial trees from multiple climate hazards. 5. Risks to supply of food, goods and vital services due to climate-related collapse of supply chains and distribution networks. 6. Risks to people and the economy from climate-related failure of the power system. 7. Risks to human health, wellbeing and productivity from increased exposure to heat in homes and other buildings. 8. Multiple risks to the UK from climate change impacts overseas. The report notes that there are strong benefits from taking effective adaptation action. The assessment identifies a range of steps that will have benefits in the next five years if implemented on a wide scale, such as building design and retrofit, habitat creation and improved access to information on climate impacts. University of Exeter scientists also contributed to the risk assessment as authors of some the Technical Report chapters and by carrying out new research to underpin the assessment. Dame Julia Slingo FRS holds an honorary position at the University of Exeter and led the Climate Science chapter. Professor Claire Belcher led a major review of climate change and wildfire risks in the UK, while Dr Mattia Mancini, Professor Ian Bateman, Professor Brett Day, Dr Nathan Owen and Dr Carlo Fezzi, from the University of Exeter Business School's Land, Environment and Economics Policy Institute (LEEP) analysed climate change impacts on land use and agricultural emissions. Dr Tim Johns made a detailed comparison of old and new climate projections. Importantly, while the changing climate also creates some opportunities for the UK, these do not offset the risks and also require early action to realise. Does this story bring some value to you? Please consider a small donation to help fund our content. We rely solely on support from our adver... Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Users and supporters of Microsoft and its Windows Operating System (OS) will might not be waiting for the June 24 Livestream Event as screenshots that might reveal the new look of the rumored Windows 11 are leaked online. According to The Verge, the said screenshots was first leaked through Baidu, a Chinese forum site. In a forum post, the user showed the screenshots containing an Apple Mac-esque taskbar and the usual Windows user interface in the Home screen with the redesigned icons. Another screenshot shows the System Specifications, which tells the Windows OS version the system is running. It reads "Windows 11 Pro" and it is under the "Windows Feature Experience Pack 321.14700.0.3" bundle with the "21996.1" OS build. here's a first look at Windows 11. There's a new Start menu, rounded corners, a new startup sound, and more https://t.co/VDS08QPsl5 pic.twitter.com/OkCyX3TtmI Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 15, 2021 Other screenshots of what supposed to be Windows 11 are also spread like wildfire inside Baidu, including a Setup window where they can install the said Windows OS, including its other versions as according to the screenshot, the rumored Windows 11 has a Home, Education, and Pro Editions. READ ALSO: Microsoft Windows 11: System Requirements, Features, Release Date, Livestream, and MORE The Verge said that the interface and the Start menu may look similar to ones that was originally found in Windows 10X, a supposedly new version of the Windows 10 that was made for those devices that uses dual screens, but was eventually scrapped. A New Face The said screenshots were confirmed by The Verge after downloading a copy from a link that was posted in several forum sites and in social media. According to its writer, Tom Warren, one of the biggest changes that they would see in Windows 11 is the taskbar, which its icons were neatly centered and arranged. Aside from that change, they also cleaned up the tray area and installed a new Start button along with its menu. According to PCMag.com, the Start menu, which looks like the simplified version of the one that was currently seen in Windows 10 minus the Live Tiles, was simplified to emphasize pinned and recommended apps, as well as commands such as shutting down and restarting the device. If users don't like the said center placement, they can move the Start button and the taskbar apps to the left-hand side just like the interface in the Windows 10. The Verge added that Windows 11 will likely look like a refined version of Windows 10 more than a new OS because of the availability of the Dark Mode for the former. Other cosmetic and functional changes that were made for Windows 11 includes the use of rounded corners in their menus, snap controls that can cascade active windows in the desktop, and a new icon in the task bar -- the Widgets. According to The Verge, Microsoft is rumored to bring back their Widgets feature for Windows 11. The Widgets were the updated version of the Microsoft Gadgets that was first featured in Microsoft Vista. This feature gives specialized applications that can be used in the desktop including clocks, calendars, search tools, slide show aiders, and web browsers. On the other hand, several old-school features like the Control Panel and the Task Manager are still existing in the rumored Windows 11 OS. However, The Verge clarified that the said leaked Windows 11 OS has not been updated with an overhauled Microsoft Store, a feature that was hinted by the company to come with the mentioned OS. As for Microsoft, they did not post any comments regarding the leak. However, they still promote the said June 24 Livestream in their recent Tweet in their Windows Twitter page. Will the New OS Released for Free? Despite of the leaks that is circling around the web, many people are still eagerly waiting for the announcement from Microsoft within the June 24 Livestream. Along with it is the question if the Windows 11 would be a free OS upgrade or not. According to Tech Advisor, the new Windows OS will might be costly, however Microsoft might likely to retain the free upgrade option just like the one for Windows 10. Windows Central then cleared that the company would still formally announce the release date as well as the price of Windows 11. If the new OS rolls out, many people would buy its copy for a hefty price much like the other Windows OS. However, much like in Windows 10, users will receive free upgrades that will be included in Windows 11. As for the price to upgrade into Windows 11, Tech Advisor said that it might be the same price as to that of Windows 10, with its Home Version costs $139, its Pro Version costs $199.99, and its Pro for Workstations Version costs $309. READ ALSO: 'Safari' Extensions on iOS15 Guide: How to Install, Manage the Extension in your iPhone, iPad 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 574-583-5121 or email cgrace@thehj.com. Wharton, TX (77488) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mainly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Citibank Korea's head office in Seoul / Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung Citibank Korea's CEO, Yoo Myung-soon The image captured from the website of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee shows Daniel Kritenbrink, nominee for assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, delivering opening remarks in a confirmation hearing in Washington, June 15. Yonhap Strict and continued enforcement of sanctions on North Korea while also seeking to engage with the reclusive state diplomatically are important to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the nominee for U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs said Tuesday. Daniel Kritenbrink also said he would try to find ways to further strengthen sanctions on the North if confirmed. "As I noted at the outset, the Biden-Harris administration is committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. And, if confirmed, I would support an approach that relies both on sanctions enforcement and deterrence, as well as a practical calibrated approach, open to diplomacy," he said in his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "If confirmed, I would be delighted to learn more about the BRINK Act and how we can strengthen the sanctions regime, but Senator, I do agree enforcing the sanctions regime with the tools that we have...is vitally important to the denuclearization goals that we have," he said when asked about the possible role of the sanctions regime can play in putting pressure on North Korea. The BRINK Act or Banking Restrictions Involving North Korea Act is a 2017 bill that sought to cut off the North's access to the international banking system, which was prompted by the death of a then 22-year-old U.S. student, Otto Warmbier, who died six days after he was released from the North after a yearlong detention on charges of stealing a propaganda poster. The proposed bill failed to pass U.S. Congress. North Korea still faces various U.S. and international sanctions, including those under U.N. Security Council resolutions, that prohibit U.N. members and their businesses from doing business with the North, especially in energy and arms-related areas. The Joe Biden administration sought to engage with Pyongyang in February, then again in April when its monthlong review of North Korea policy came to end. North Korea reportedly remains unresponsive to the U.S. overtures. The U.S. ambassador to Vietnam highlighted the importance of efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy. "President Biden has stated we remain committed to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and will work with allies to address that threat through diplomacy and deterrence," he told the Senate committee in the hearing. "If confirmed, I will work to ensure North Korea and others abide by UN Security Council resolutions while supporting a calibrated and practical diplomatic approach that prioritizes the security of the United States, our allies, and our deployed military forces," the nominee added. Kritenbrink said strengthening U.S. alliances will be the first of his six priorities as an assistant secretary of state, which also include the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. "Our network of alliances and partnerships is our greatest strategic asset, enabling us to pool our strengths to advance shared interests, deter common threats, and promote universal values including our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is rules-based and unconstrained by coercion," he said in his opening remarks submitted to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "If confirmed, strengthening these relationships will be my top priority. The priority placed on our treaty alliances was demonstrated by President Biden's hosting of his Japanese and Republic of Korea counterparts in April and May," added Kritenbrink. Biden hosted his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, in Washington on May 21, which marked his second in-person meeting with a foreign leader since taking office in January. Biden's first in-person summit was held in April with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. (Yonhap) Rep. Song Young-gil, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during his speech at the National Assembly in Seoul, June 16. Yonhap The head of South Korea's ruling party on Wednesday proposed the installation of small modular reactors (SMRs) in North Korea, calling it a useful way to supply energy to the country when it is free from nuclear weapons. "Under the precondition of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, SMRs could be a useful way to supply energy to North Korea that has many mountainous regions and a shortage of power transmission and distribution networks," Rep. Song Young-gil, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), said in his speech to a parliamentary plenary session. "SMR is highly likely to emerge as an effective energy source for Middle Eastern nations or countries with heavy geographical restrictions." The party chief made the proposal as part of his broader vision to help his country attain carbon neutrality. "There are barriers to attaining complete carbon neutrality only based on renewable energy. It will be inevitable to come up with an energy mix that taps into hydrogen and nuclear energy (as well) for a pretty long while," Song noted. South Korea is currently gearing up to harness SMRs as one of its new growth engines to lead the global market. During their summit last month, President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to join hands in making inroads into foreign markets for nuclear power plants. SMR is a type of lower-maintenance nuclear fission reactor that is smaller than conventional reactors. Song also pledged his party's support for the commercialization of the indigenous artificial sun technology. The DP leader also requested President Moon open a new government ministry in charge of policies catering to young people. "(We) need comprehensive, long-term policies for young people ... I propose the president appoint a new special minister of youth issues to be in charge of housing, employment and education issues for young people." The proposal was made in the wake of the sensational election of 36-year-old Lee Jun-seok as the new leader of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) last week. His election brought to the fore the growing voting power of young people as well as their growing discontent with the political establishment. "I wish (the PPP), overcoming the impeachment (of former conservative Park Geun-hye), will evolve into a reasonable conservative party," Song said of the PPP. "It will be the beginning of a new change," he said, referring to Lee's recent expression of interest in forming a standing consultative body with the ruling party and the government. The DP chief also vowed close cooperation with the government to facilitate the payment of the second round of universal COVID-19 stimulus checks as early as before the summer vacation season. (Yonhap) An inmate infected with COVID-19 holds up a message, which reads that eight patients are confined to a single cell, through a window at Seoul Dongbu Detention Center in eastern Seoul in this Dec. 29, 2020 photo. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon By Bahk Eun-ji The nation's human rights watchdog said Wednesday that the government's response to mass infections at correctional facilities months ago was insufficient, and recommended improvements to the medical and quarantine systems for inmates by upgrading emergency response guidelines and manuals. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) expressed this opinion in response to petitions filed by four inmates against the Ministry of Justice and heads of two detention centers Dongbu Detention Center in eastern Seoul and Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. The NHRCK said it had confirmed that the correctional facilities failed to properly respond to the mass infections in December last year and January this year, and thus the inmates' right to health was infringed on. According to its investigation, the Dongbu Detention Center did not notify the inmates of the COVID-19 test results and refused to confirm the results when asked. Shortly after the Dongbu center received the results of the first virus tests for all inmates on Dec. 18, 185 prisoners who had been in close contact with the two who tested positive were kept on standby in one space for four hours, without proper quarantine rules such as personal distancing. They all tested negative in the first test, but 98 percent of them were later confirmed positive by Dec. 31. It was shown that correctional officers there hadn't noticed for 41 minutes that one inmate had lost consciousness and collapsed although he had been under camera surveillance. It took another 16 minutes for them to attend to him directly and CPR was not carried out immediately. Officers there also did not even know that they should transfer patients to a state-designated hospital in Gyeonggi Province in such coronavirus-related emergency situations. The prisoner died while they were discussing his transfer to a medical institution. The heads of the two detention centers claimed that they tried their best, explaining that it was inevitable due to limitations in the number of medical personnel and overcrowding of correctional facilities at the time. However, the NHRCK said the justice ministry should have established an emergency transfer plan in advance. "Correctional facilities have a high risk of mass infection as people stay in closed cells without keeping distance from each other," it said. "They should have prepared adequate quarantine measures in advance." Citizens receive COVID-19 shots at a vaccination center in Nowon District, Seoul, Wednesday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, over 13.21 million people, or 25.7 percent of the entire population, have received as least one shot of a vaccine as of Tuesday, fulfilling the government's goal of vaccinating 13 million people by the end of June ahead of schedule. Yonhap From left to right: Spain's Queen Letizia, Spain's King Felipe VI, President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook pose for the media before an official dinner at the Royal palace in Madrid, June 15. AP-Yonhap South Korean President Moon Jae-in received a "golden key" from Spain on Tuesday, as he expressed hope that it would bring big luck to the Korean Peninsula. He also said that he would open the door of overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic with the key. The president was given the gift by the mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, during a visit to City Hall in accordance with a longtime tradition for a foreign state guest in Spain. The mayor said the key means that the door of Madrid is always open, stressing the importance of bilateral exchanges. Moon then attended a welcoming dinner hosted by King Felipe VI. He pointed out that South Korea and Spain are similar to each other in that their people have achieved economic development and democratization. The president expressed hope that the two nations will cooperate on such common tasks as responding to the fourth industrial era and attaining green growth. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, second right, salutes President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook before an official dinner at the Royal palace in Madrid, June 15. AP-Yonhap South Korea will work toward advancing its relationship with Japan frayed by common history issues, a key presidential official said Wednesday, amid news that Japan canceled agreed-upon talks between the leaders of the two nations during the recent Group of Seven (G-7) summit. According to a Seoul foreign ministry official, Japan canceled a tentative agreement to hold a "pull-aside" meeting between their leaders on the sidelines of the recent G-7 summit held in Cornwall, Britain, taking issue with South Korea's annual drill to safeguard the East Sea territory. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, however, did have some face time with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, exchanging greetings before an expanded session of the summit on Saturday. Moon, along with leaders of Australia, India and South Africa, was invited as a guest to this year's G-7 gathering. "I'm aware that both countries worked a lot toward the (canceled) talks," Park Soo-hyun, Cheong Wa Dae's senior secretary for public communication, said in a radio interview with KBS. Park, however, stopped short of going into further details, saying that revealing more would be "inappropriate in terms of developing the bilateral relationship." The secretary also stressed that Seoul "will continue to work toward the advancement of the South Korea-Japan relationship," while expressing regret that the news coverage on Moon's G-7 attendance and European visit was focused on the canceled meeting with Suga. On recent Seoul-Beijing ties following last month's summit between Moon and U.S. President Joe Biden, Park stated that China was not necessarily "speaking tough" on the summit outcome and that Beijing also "fully understands" Seoul's position of underscoring its alliance with Washington. Park also explained that Seoul's proposal for COVID-19 vaccine cooperation with Pyongyang is predicated on the condition that issues of domestic vaccinations and supplies are completely resolved. On Monday, Moon said, if North Korea agrees, South Korea will push proactively for cooperation with the communist country on COVID-19 vaccine supplies. The statement was made during a press conference in Vienna after summit talks with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van der Bellen. (Yonhap) German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel, sixth from right; former Korean Ambassador Choi Seok-young, fifth from right; European Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairperson Dirk Lukat, fourth from right; and Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry President and CEO Martin Henkelmann, third from right, pose for a photo during the "10 Years Anniversary of EU-Korea FTA: Updating and Modernizing a Successful Trade Deal" event at the Millennium Hilton Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry By Kwon Mee-yoo The Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and the German Embassy in Korea, together with the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) and the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK), held an event to commemorate the occasion, seeking to update and upgrade the trade deal to keep up with the times. In 2011, Korea and the European Union implemented the exemplary trade deal, and Korea became the EU's first Asian partner to ink an FTA. The FTA has proven to be successful for both partners, fostering a high level of market liberalization, and served as a platform for bilateral trade and investment. The amount of trade between the EU and Korea jumped about 45 percent from 60 billion euros to 90 billion euros in the past 10 years. German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel said that the EU-Korea FTA stands out as a clear symbol against protectionism. "It underlines both the EU and Korea's strong commitment to a rules-based international trade order. Therefore, the 10th anniversary is a reason to celebrate. But it is also an excellent opportunity to reflect on our trade relations with a future-oriented look," the ambassador said during the event, titled "10 Years Anniversary of EU-Korea FTA: Updating and Modernizing a Successful Trade Deal," at the Millennium Hilton Seoul, Tuesday. "Over the past years, new trade-related areas have evolved and will continue to grow, as we are steadily overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic. Areas such as digitization, digital trade and e-commerce are prospering. Many companies in Europe and Korea have voiced their strong support for updating the FTA in relevant fields. We support companies in this endeavor. We are convinced that a modernized FTA would be in the high interest of all parties," the ambassador added. Martin Henkelmann, president and CEO of KGCCI, also emphasized the need to update the FTA to reflect the fast-changing environment. "The EU-Korea FTA has been a benchmark for other FTAs and a strong signal of two economic global key players for enhancing the unrestricted exchange of goods. Ten years later, it is the right time to take stock: the global economic environment has changed and the needs of the businesses in Korea and the EU have evolved. A modernized EU-Korea FTA would once again stand out as a forceful signal for rules-based global trade, which is the foundation for the success of Korean and European companies," Henkelmann said. ECCK Chairperson and Schenker Korea CEO Dirk Lukat, as well as Robin Hoenig, divisional head of the Trade Policy Competence Centre (Asia/ASEAN) at the Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, gave keynote speeches. Lukat spoke of how the EU-Korea FTA provides broader product variety for both Korean and European consumers, as European wine and beer are easily found in Korean supermarkets, whereas Korean televisions and cars are popular in Europe. "The world has changed in the last 10 years, and the way we live and do business has changed. A static FTA will over time lose its effectiveness, whereas economic partners and trade among trading partners governed by a more progressive FTA will prosper. Thus, it is my belief that a modernized EU-Korea FTA is needed," Lukat said. Hoenig gave examples of possible areas of update in the FTA, such as trade formalities and procedures in the rules of origin, as well as digital trade provisions and sectorial annexes addressing non-tariff measures. During the panel discussion, Choi Seok-young, a former Korean ambassador who led the signing of the EU-Korea FTA and is now a senior adviser at Lee & Ko, mentioned the differences between Korea and the EU despite the satisfactory score card of the deal during the last decade. "It is a testament of healthy trade relations that both sides have been closely working together on numerous bilateral trade agenda items, such as automobiles, sustainable development, labor issues and rules on steel safeguards, SPS and GIs among others. Both sides should also expand the scope of cooperation beyond the areas of trade and investment to ensure that the playing fields are level," Choi said. Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Lee Jun-seok speaks during a general meeting of party lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday, three days after he was elected as the new main opposition leader. Yonhap By Jung Da-min Debates have risen over an idea presented by Lee Jun-seok, the young leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), to select candidates for next year's local elections through a qualifying exam of computer skills, reading comprehension and presentation ability. The idea is aimed at selecting candidates "fairly" regardless of their age, past experience or connections with party leadership, so more talented and young people with little experience in politics can run in the elections. However, some raise doubts whether such skills would prove people's qualification as good politicians. During his appearance on a radio show of local broadcaster MBC, Monday, Lee said he would introduce a qualifying examination to verify if candidates applying for the party's nomination to run in the local elections slated for June 1 next year have the "basic" skills and abilities needed to serve as local government leaders. Lee also said all of the candidates, including the current local government chiefs of the PPP such as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, would also need to take the examination if they want to be PPP candidates again. "The test would be applied equally to everyone who wants to become a PPP candidate in the next local elections," Lee said. "I don't want anything shameful to happen, but if an incumbent local government chief cannot pass the test, their failure may rather prove that this system is necessary." According to what Lee has been mentioning since before he became the new main opposition leader, the qualification test is likely to consist of data interpretation, presentation skills, reading comprehension and computer literacy, such as the ability to use Microsoft spreadsheet program Excel. Lee said he believes that the new qualification examination system would offer equal opportunities for potential candidates and open the door for more political rookies. But he said the examination will be only for minimum verification of their qualifications and is not intended to grade potential candidates, adding they could take the test several times if they do not pass it at first. Main opposition People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok, right, and minor opposition People's Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo grip hands during Lee's courtesy visit to Ahn at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday, five days after Lee was elected to lead the PPP. Yonhap By Sandip Kumar Mishra COVID-19, a once-in-a-century kind of pandemic, seems to have dealt an unprecedented blow to the North Korean economy. Even before the pandemic, North Korea's economy was reeling under the weight of U.S.-led sanctions over its nuclear program. The bilateral trade with China was one of the key drivers of the sanctions-impaired North Korean economy. Trade with China constituted about 90 percent of North Korea's external commerce. But with the sealing of North Korea's border with China to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was reportedly an 80-percent plunge in bilateral trade. Not surprisingly, the pandemic, coupled with sanctions, may have broken the backbone of the North Korean economy. To deal with the pandemic-induced economic hardship, North Korea has announced several desperate measures during the past year, beginning with admitting the failure of its five-year plans in August 2020. Sacking the director of North Korea's Department of Economic Affairs, Kim Tu-il, on Feb. 5 of this year, who was appointed just a month before, was one such desperate measure. After the Workers' Party four-day plenary meeting, he was sacked for not being innovative enough in drafting the goals for the first year of the new five-year plan. The goals set out for the next year in the action plan, presented by Kim Tu-il in the plenary meeting, were considered to have "passive and self-protecting tendencies." Kim Jong-un reportedly said that "the Cabinet failed to play a leading role in mapping out the plans of key economic fields, and almost mechanically brought together the numbers drafted by the ministries." The 8th Congress of the Workers' Party was held from Jan. 5 to 12, and a new five-year plan was announced. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un openly expressed his disappointment with the past five-year plans as they "failed tremendously in almost every sector" and cited it as the reason for the premature conclusion of the previous five-year plan last December, which otherwise was supposed to have ended in April 2021. The appointment of Vice Premier O Su-yong to replace Kim Tu-il means that North Korea is trying hard to find a way to move forward. Since external trade has dried up, domestic activities and innovative strategies are considered to be the only ways out. North Korea wants to increase iron and steel production and investments, as well as focus on infrastructure, transportation, construction and commerce. There have been several reports specifically on how North Korea set its sights on the cement and construction industries. Kim Jong-un appears to be mindful that these goals do not remain just on paper, but are realized on the ground. North Korea has recently been making efforts to reform its economic system. Kim Jong-un wrote a letter to the labor organization of North Korea for an "uncompromising struggle" against anti-socialist and non-socialist practices. He also appealed for a "great leap forward" every five years to reactivate the national economy and improve people's standard of living. On the ground also, there are reports that the regime has begun to interfere with individual economic activities and is trying to eradicate private business outside the public market. These measures have recently intensified. There are also reports that North Korea has ordered curbs on privately cultivated land (sotoji) in mountainous areas. Fortunately, after partially opening its border trade with China, North Korea's imports from the neighboring country increased up to $12.97 million in March from just $3,000 in February. A further jump of 120 percent was seen in April when imports reached $28.75 million. However, even with the revival of North Korea-China trade, everything will depend on the future course of the pandemic, while the North will have to keep struggling to revive its economy in the coming months. Actually, North Korea appears to be doing a lot within its narrow framework, but the possibility of any real revival is very thin as the framework itself is being reviewed. Promoting innovation, suppressing individual market activities and stressing socialist collectivism are not consistent with one another. It's being said that Kim Jong-un has focused more on the economic leg of the "byungjin" policy of simultaneously developing the military and the economy from early 2018, but the outcome has been dismal, at least so far. Similarly, these desperate moves in the past year may make lots of news, but their probable impact will not be substantial. It is important to underscore that the economic performance of North Korea will have significant bearings on its strategic choices. The new U.S. administration of President Joe Biden has been in the process of unveiling its North Korea policy, and the moribund North Korean economy will restrict Kim Jong-un's negotiating positions. The author (sandipmishra10@gmail.com) is an associate professor at the Centre for East Asian Studies, in the School of International Studies, the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. Time for National Assembly to act to pass anti-discrimination law Anti-discrimination legislation is gaining fresh traction as a National Assembly petition calling for the prohibition of discrimination based on gender, religion, race and sexual orientation among others has received the support of over 100,000 people. The online petition, which was posted May 24 by a former job applicant to Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., garnered the more than 100,000 signatures, Monday, meeting the condition for the Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee to review it. The job applicant argued that she was the victim of gender discrimination at a job interview with the company last November. At the time, one of the interviewers asked her if she agreed that women should receive lower salaries than men because women do not serve in the military. In her post, the applicant said, "I realized then that I could become the object of ostracism and hatred at any time." That more than 100,000 people signed the petition in such a short span of time seems to stem from the broader populace's realization that anyone in our society can become the subject of discrimination and hatred without an anti-discrimination law. The petition is also a wake-up call to the Assembly, reaffirming the urgency of anti-discrimination legislation. Anti-discrimination bills have been submitted to the Assembly repeatedly since the first was presented in 2007. But most of them have been withdrawn and discarded without proper discussions due largely to the inclusion of provisions outlawing discrimination against LGBTI people, which is opposed vehemently by some Protestant groups. An anti-discrimination bill proposed by the minor opposition Justice Party is currently pending at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Given the people's strong aspiration for enacting a law outlawing every type of discrimination, it's time for the Assembly to act resolutely. In particular, attention is drawn to the country's two major parties that have turned a deaf ear to calls for eliminating discrimination, aware of the backlash from the Protestant community. A society tolerating discrimination against minorities simply for being different is no longer a valid proposition. An official poster for Krafton's flagship FPS game 'Playerunknown's Battlegrounds' / Courtesy of Krafton By Kim Hyun-bin Krafton, well-known for its first person shooting (FPS) game "Playerunknown's Battlegrounds" that was a hit globally, is set to go public in July with an anticipated share price of between 458,000 won and 557,000 won. The initial public offering is expected to be the largest in Korean business history to date at an estimated 5.6 trillion won ($5 billion), exceeding the previous record held by Samsung Life at 4.8 trillion won. The company plans to release 10.06 million shares consisting of 7.03 million new shares and 303,230 existing ones offered to entities and individuals with special relationships. From June 28 through July 7, the company is scheduled to hold a two-week book building session for institutional investors and plans to accept public subscriptions July 14 and 15. It has chosen Mirae Asset Securities as the lead manager to oversee the process with co-hosts Credit Suisse, NH Investment & Securities, Citigroup Global Market Security, and JP Morgan. Samsung Securities is the underwriter. Krafton will allow public subscriptions at multiple brokerage houses if registered with the Korea Exchange (KRX) before June 18. Due to the allowance to subscribe through multiple brokerage houses, it is expected to reel in record breaking deposits. SKIET, SK Innovation's battery materials business listing in late April holds the current record of 80.9 trillion won in deposits. The size of the desired capital to be raised is between 4.6 trillion won and 5.6 trillion won, which will make Krafton the largest gaming company in the country. Its market capitalization is expected to increase to be between 23 trillion and 29 trillion won based on this, passing the current leader NCsoft which has a market capitalization of 18.6 trillion won, followed by Netmarble at 11.3 trillion won and Kakao Games, 4.2 trillion won. In the first quarter, it reported 461 billion won in sales with an operating profit of 227.2 billion won. Overseas sales accounted for 94 percent of the total at 439 billion won. Krafton has been listed in seven Guinness World Records including for reaching the fastest $100 million in profits among others. In 2017, the company launched "Battlegrounds" for PCs and consoles and sold more than 70 million copies. The success led to the launch of the mobile version, which saw over 1 billion global downloads in April 2021. Samsung Display's campus in Asan, South Chungcheong Province / Courtesy of Samsung Display By Kim Bo-eun Samsung is facing its first possible workers' walkout after group head Lee Jae-yong made a key pledge to better protect workers' rights last year. The union of Samsung's display manufacturing affiliate decided Wednesday to take collective action over its differences with management in wage negotiations. Samsung Display is fretting over the union's move since how it will handle the issue will set the tone for the nation's largest conglomerate's relationships with its other subsidiaries' unions. Market observers are paying keen attention to the publicized labor-management conflict as this is taking place after Lee stated in May last year that the conglomerate would comply with laws guaranteeing workers' rights. Samsung Display's union plans to stage a partial strike June 21, after talks with management were suspended last week. Managers gave union representatives a list Tuesday of the minimum number of workers needed to continue plant operations if the union stages a walkout. This is among the final steps taken prior to launching a strike. "Talks have been suspended after the union voted against a management proposal last week. We are now following the final steps before taking action," Kim Jong-soo, vice chairman of Samsung Display's union said, Wednesday. "The union will stage a rally June 21 with six union members beginning a strike. We plan to carry out the walkout on a gradual basis." It appears the union is taking a cautious approach, given this would be the first strike at a Samsung affiliate, if executed, following the Samsung chief's promise. Samsung Display declined to comment on the matter. The union acquired 91 percent support from members through a vote last month to take collective action. A labor ministry-affiliated committee then suspended mediation after determining differences between labor and management were too difficult to narrow down. This has enabled the union to secure the right to stage a legal strike. The union has demanded a 6.8 percent wage hike for this year based on the company's handsome earnings last year, but management has maintained it cannot go beyond a 4.5 percent increase that was agreed to at a labor-management council. The firm's wage hike for 2019 was 3.5 percent, and for 2020 2.5 percent. The union is also calling for a rise in hazard pay, given this has remained frozen for a decade. Calls for better compensation are growing as workers at leading tech firms have become more vocal in terms of demanding greater pay. Such demands were earlier seen at SK hynix, SK Telecom and Naver. Samsung is operating a compliance committee, which was set up in February last year after a court order to ensure the conglomerate abides by labor laws. The committee held a meeting Tuesday, where affiliates each reported the status of negotiations between unions and management. Samsung Display's union was launched in February last year under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions it has about 2,400 members, which is 13 percent of the company's workforce. Over 20 unions represent Samsung's affiliates. By Kim Yoo-chul President Moon Jae-in's goal is to help South Korea become a global vaccine hub, and given the country's strengths in manufacturing, his ambition is, in theory, achievable and deliverable. South Korea is home to the world's two-largest memory chipmakers: Samsung and SK hynix. Because of the similarities in the complexities of semiconductor production and contract development and manufacturing (CDM) in the biologics oriented sector, a growing number of domestic companies are jumping into the CDM(O) organization market. Specifically, both the semiconductor and CDMO industries are required to have high-quality manufacturing capabilities and maintain long-term partnerships with clients. Plus, customers are always welcoming new entrants as they explore alternative suppliers, mostly because of "cost." Also, the United States and Europe are the leaders in the biopharmaceutical industry, with South Korea and China taking roles as CDMO suppliers. South Korea's manufacturing capability in the production of memory chips, displays, household appliances, chemicals, steel and construction, have made remarkable contributions to the country's economic prosperity, and based on their similarities, the CDMO business has the potential to become the country's "next" breakthrough. But analysts are stressing that the country's role in the promising global biopharmaceutical industry could be expanded if the country invests more, beyond just bulky and thinner-margin CDMOs, and instead sees substantial progress in widening companies' patent portfolios and honing the original technologies used in messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. One critical aspect of mRNA vaccine technology is the "delivery system," the method widely being used to protect the mRNA from possible degradation and which facilitates uptake into human cells. What highlights mRNA vaccines the most is that they are well-positioned for use in an expanded range of different infectious diseases, such as Zika, HIV and various types of cancer. Health experts say that mRNA vaccines constitute the most critical "new" technology in fighting future epidemics and another pandemic. "Because of mRNA's ability to become a kind of platform technology, local companies must invest more into research of this messenger function, the core part of mRNA. If the country's leading CDMO companies, such as Samsung Biologics and SK Bioscience, can see progress in terms of getting a number of relevant patents, then that will make them more powerful, and help them avoid worries about possible margin cuts," said a senior fund manager at a Europe-based investment bank, in Seoul by telephone. On the sidelines of President Moon's recent summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, the CEO of Moderna confirmed earlier reports from The Korea Times that the U.S. biopharmaceutical company was reviewing a plan to possibly build a plant here, although specific details regarding this are as yet unknown. President Moon Jae-in, center, poses with Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim, left and Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel during a vaccine partnership event held between Korea and the United States at a hotel in Washington, D.C., May 22. While Moderna executives reportedly told South Korean government officials that it may transfer its patented mRNA technology to Korean companies, questions remain about how far South Korea could advance as a vaccine hub if Samsung Biologics, the world's top-tier CDMO firm, only agrees to a "fill and finish" manufacturing deal with Moderna. Because the latest agreement signifies that Moderna's mRNA vaccine will be shipped from the United States for packaging and distribution in Korea only, which is also the equivalent of the Samsung affiliate becoming just an assembly line for the U.S. firm, much more government effort is necessary to prevent the country from being treated as just another supply partner. Korea's LNP-based mRNA bet Korea is getting closer with Moderna, as the Korea National Institute of Health signed an agreement to collaborate on mRNA vaccine research here. The trade ministry also signed an agreement with the U.S. biotechnology company to explore local manufacturing opportunities for mRNA vaccines here. The government announced various incentive programs for local companies that put the spotlight on developing mRNA vaccines, as it doesn't make sense for Korean companies to be involved in commercializing them merely based on CDMO strengths. The administration is also betting on lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) based mRNA technology, because one of the keys to protecting foreign mRNA from being destroyed by the immune system post-injection are delivery systems, including LNPs. Effective LNPs are crucial for new mRNA vaccines and therapies, DNA gene therapies and even Crispr gene-editing therapies, according to reports and some experts. Moderna has 24 LNP-based mRNA development programs in its portfolios, with at least 14 having entered actual clinical studies, the company said. This photo shows Samsung Biologics' drug product manufacturing process, provided by the company, Sunday. Courtesy of Samsung Biologics President Moon Jae-in and Doosan Infracore Chairman Park Yong-maan, third from left, pose with other participants of the South Korea-Spain Green and Digital Business Forum in Madrid, Wednesday, on the occasion of Moon's state visit to Spain. Yonhap By Yi Whan-woo Members of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce held their first in-person meeting since the COVID-19 outbreak on the occasion of President Moon Jae-in's state visit to Spain this week. The South Korea-Spain Green and Digital Business Forum held in Madrid, Wednesday (local time), was jointly organized with the state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), and its opening was attended by President Moon Jae-in and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Led by Doosan Infracore Chairman Park Yong-maan, who also chairs the Korean team in the Korea-Spain Economic Cooperation Council, and Spanish Chamber of Commerce President Jose Luis Bonet, the two groups mainly discussed ways to bolster cooperation in green growth, digital technology and startups. Other KCCI members included LG Energy Solution (LGES) CEO Kim Jong-hyun, GS Energy CEO Huh Yong-soo and Hanwha Solutions CEO Kim Hee-cheol. Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Moon Sung-wook and KOTRA CEO Yu Jeong-yeol also participated. Among the Spanish participants were Oskar Goitia, the chairman of the Spanish side of the Korea-Spain Economic Cooperation Council, Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism Reyes Maroto, Ambassador to Korea Juan Ignacio Morro and Confederation of Business President Antonio Garamendi. Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim, left, and Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel, exchange agreements during a vaccine partnership event at a hotel in Washington, D.C., May 22, with President Moon Jae-in in attendance. Yonhap By Baek Byung-yeul Samsung Biologics is on course to manufacture U.S. biotech firm Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, its CEO John Rim said, highlighting the global bio industry's efforts in the battle against the pandemic. "As most recently announced, we are fully committed to leveraging our experience in manufacturing technologies to support the aseptic fill and finish of Moderna's mRNA-1273 vaccine with quality, speed and efficiency to aid in the fight against this global crisis," Rim said during the BIO Digital event online, Tuesday. BIO Digital is a virtual version of the BIO International Convention, a major trading conference in the biotech industry. Samsung has taken part in the annual event since its establishment in 2011 and has met with its clients online since the conference was converted to a virtual format last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's event kicked off on June 10 and will run until June 18. The drug-manufacturing arm of Samsung Group inked a deal with Moderna during President Moon Jae-in's visit to Washington, D.C., in May. Moderna produces its COVID-19 vaccine using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Under the contract, Samsung will roll out hundreds of millions of doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine starting in the third quarter of this year. At a time when Korea has gone all out to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates, the deal will clearly help the country secure enough vaccine supplies. Health authorities here said they are talking with Moderna to use its vaccines produced in Korea for distribution to Koreans. The CEO added that Samsung Biologics will construct an additional facility to produce mRNA drug substances for the Moderna vaccine. "We will also be adding a dedicated production suite for mRNA bulk drug substance to our existing facility by the first half of 2022, which will enable us to rapidly manufacture and supply future vaccines and treatments against multiple targets," Rim said. A vial of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine / AFP-Yonhap A man uses a pickaxe to dig as fortune seekers flock to the village after pictures and videos were shared on social media to show people celebrating after finding what they believe to be diamonds, in the village of KwaHlathi outside Ladysmith, South Africa, June 14. Reuters-Yonhap Single mother Lihle Magudulela spat out a mouthful of dirt as she sucked on a stone dug up from a hillside in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, convinced she might have found a diamond. Thousands have flocked to the outskirts of KwaHlathi village, more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Johannesburg, after a cattle herder last week unearthed a handful of unidentified crystal-like stones. News of the finding spread fast, triggering a rush to the site despite messages of caution by the government warning the stones could be worthless. At dawn, men and women upturned clumps of soil with shovels and picks and frantically rummaged through the earth with their bare hands. Many found more of the mysterious stones and set them aside in small dirt-encrusted piles. "They are real," beamed Magudulela, in her 40s and struggling to feed her three children. "I'm going to buy a car, a house, send my kids to private school," she told AFP. The prospect of finding a diamond sent glimmering ripples of hope to one of the poorest regions of South Africa as the coronavirus pandemic worsened decades of extremely high unemployment levels. The country, internationally renowned for its mineral wealth, still holds a record for the world's largest ever rough diamond discovery the Cullinan found in 1905 in the small mining town by the same name. South Africa is also the birthplace of the Kimberley Process, an international certification scheme to keep conflict diamonds off the market. "We are poor, we are unemployed. But this could change everything," said Precious, 38, who did not wish to give her full name. She had spent the night digging, with her teenage son and baby daughter. The boy clutched a transparent crystal the size of a ping pong ball. "They are not tired, we are looking for money," Precious exclaimed. A man shows an unidentified stone as fortune seekers flock to the village after pictures and videos were shared on social media to show people celebrating after finding what they believe to be diamonds, in the village of KwaHlathi outside Ladysmith, South Africa, June 14. Reuters-Yonhap TWICE is receiving rave reviews about their singing, following their "Alcohol-Free" live performance! On June 15, TWICE members appeared as special guests on the YouTube channel, Genius. The K-pop representative girl group then held a live performance for their latest track, "Alcohol-Free." Thanks to this performance, TWICE has proven their position as an all-rounder team as they drew interest for their improved vocals. TWICE's Vocals in "Alcohol-Free" Live Performance Garner Praise On Wednesday, the media company Genius welcomed TWICE as the latest group to appear in their segment, Open Mic. In the video, the members attracted attention for their stunning visuals, and amazed viewers for their dreamy charms. But what caught the attention of K-pop fans the most was TWICE's stable vocals! The members capped off the live performance smoothly, without any signs of difficulties even on the part with high notes and raps. Due to this, TWICE's singing ability easily received praises from fans and viewers. While some remained skeptical about the performance, its MR Removed video proved them wrong! MR Removed Video of TWICE's "Alcohol-Free" Impresses Viewers Hyeongiee, a popular MR removed YouTube channel, uploaded an MR removed version of TWICE's "Alcohol-Free" live performance. As of writing, it's already attracted approximately 400,000 views with more than 8,000 likes. The released video contains only the voices of TWICE members, without its music recording (MR). As a result, viewers could hear the mellifluous voices of the members in more detail, and TWICE indeed, this time, showcased their incredible singing skills not only in rap parts but also in high notes. After watching the video, internet users praised the group, saying, "TWICE singing ability is crazy," "Did they eat CDs?" "TWICE showed perfect singing ability after intense practice," and "The video is going to explode (become viral)." @https://www.instagram.com/p/CPGWT-PrrwD/?utm_medium=copy_link@ TWICE pre-released their new song "Alcohol-Free" simultaneously with its music video on June 9. It is the title track of its 10th mini-album, "Taste of Love," officially released on the June 11. Upon its release, the "Alcohol-Free" music video surpassed 79 million views on June 16 as of 1 p.m. KST. The speedy increase in its views raises expectations that it will be the 15th MV of TWICE to accumulate 100 million views. It also achieved remarkable results on domestic and international charts. The 10th mini album "Taste of Love" topped the daily chart of the Hanteo Chart album as of June 14, the fourth day of its release. As of the morning of June 15, "Alcohol-Free" topped the real-time charts of various music sites, including Bugs, MelOn, Genie Music, and Flo. The music video topped YouTube's music video trending worldwide on the morning of June 12, and has maintained its No. 1 popularity in Korea as of the afternoon of June 15. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: TWICE Becomes the Girl Group with the Most Music Videos Having over 100 Million Views Worldwide For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz. KpopStarz owns this article. Written by Eunice Dawson You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Corrections Unit Caseworker - $20.00 Hourly Location of position: Nebraska Corr. Center for Women, 1107 Recharge Road, York, NE 68467 Examples of Work The duties for this position include: observe, monitor, and coordinate inmate activities, including unit sanitation, clothing exchange, food service, medical distribution, mail distribution, and room and unit inspections. Must be alert to security, health and safety situations. Guides, observes, and documents inmate behavior for the purpose of establishing/following rehabilitation/treatment plans and discipline. Writes reports on inspections, inmate grievances, disciplinary actions, and inmate performance. Trains inmates in specific task and job practices of sanitation. Observes inmates in the housing unit area to detect abnormalities, problems, or unrest and to initiate corrective actions. Instructs inmates on the rules and regulations of the unit and expected behavior. Counsel inmates, including crisis intervention, to assist them in adapting to the prison environment; solving problems; filing grievances; and planning for treatment changes, furloughs, and parole. Participate in disciplinary and security actions including counts, searches, and use of force. May transport inmates on travel orders. Overtime, voluntary and mandatory, includes weekends, holidays and double-shifts. Qualifications / Requirements REQUIREMENTS: Associate's degree in criminal justice, behavioral science, human services or related field OR two years of experience working with persons referred through the legal system. Must be at least 18 years of age. No felony or domestic abuse related convictions. PREFERRED: Bilingual skills in English and Spanish desired. OTHER: Must have a valid driver's license. Transcripts required prior to appointment. Applicants accepting a job offer must pass the following pre-employment exams in this order: medical exam, and at a randomly announced time, pass a drug test. Once at the Staff Training Academy, must successfully complete the fully paid Nebraska Corrections Training Program. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Knowledge of: organizational structure; administrative regulations; operational memorandums; unit policies and procedures; counseling techniques and procedures; programs and opportunities open to inmates; caseload management. Ability to: communicate effectively with inmates, staff, and the public; exercise leadership and sound judgment; operate within established guidelines; plan, assign, and monitor the work of others; effectively counsel inmates/offenders; write reports and make recommendations; observe inmates/offenders and detect problems or unrest; understand and apply instructions. recblid 5v93fhnc7c2gqjinjb4d25el1b53jr Description We are seeking a Branch Driver to join our Platt team in Beaverton, OR! Summary: This position delivers products to customers from Platt branch locations. It is responsible for ensuring that deliveries are prepared to meet customer requirements in the most efficient manner. Essential Functions: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Assist in preparing orders to be loaded onto truck and delivered each day. When necessary, repack any orders and ensure outbound shipments are accurate and free of damage. Determine that all material for each order is correct (quantity and type of material) before departure. Load customer orders properly on the truck. Ensure all appropriate documentation is thoroughly completed at the time of delivery, including customer packing list and branch manifest. Post in the branch a documented daily delivery schedule, including departure time/s and required route schedule. Deliver product to the customer in a safe and timely manner. Maintain the branch vehicle(s) and alert the supervisor of repair and servicing needs. Perform a daily vehicle inspection and complete appropriate documentation. Keep vehicle clean, serviced and maintained in accordance with the Owner's Manual and Platt's maintenance requirements. Alert supervisor when repair or servicing is needed. Obtain and maintain a DOT physical / Medical card and have it renewed every 2 years. Other Duties and Responsibilities: Perform other tasks in the branch, including warehouse duties such as, accurately checking in freight, restocking product, cleaning warehouse and inventory counts when needed. Assist customers at the pickup counter when needed. Data Entry. Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. The individual must be at least 21 years old with a minimum of 3 years of personal driving experience and with an acceptable driving record. Obtain and maintain a DOT physical / Medical card and have it renewed every 2 years. This position requires a valid drivers license issued by the State of the position applied to with an acceptable driving record and 3 years of personal driving experience. Knowledge/Experience/Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Ability to operate forklifts and vehicles in a variety of weather and traffic conditions. Excellent organizational and time management skills. Strong time management and customer service skills. Good attention to detail. Willingness to adhere to assigned routes, schedules, safety procedures, and transportation laws. Acceptable driving record. Experience with Microsoft Outlook and the internet. Language Skills: This position requires the ability to communicate effectively, write legibly, read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals; as well as the ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Mathematical Skills: This position requires the ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Reasoning Ability: The individual must be self-motivated and task orientated. Must have the ability to handle multiple tasks. Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to solve problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations. Certificates, Licenses, Registration: This position requires a valid drivers license issued by the State of the position applied to with an acceptable driving record and 3 years of personal driving experience. Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands and fingers to handle, feel or operate objects, tools or controls, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is frequently required to stand, talk and hear. The employee is occasionally required to walk, sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl. The employee must frequently lift or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift or move up to 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. Work Environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to airborne particles due to high levels of dust and dirt. The warehouse environment has no means of temperature control; therefore, the temperature is dependent upon weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Our Benefits Include: Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance Life Insurance Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance 401K with Employer Match Paid vacation and sick time 8 paid company holidays plus 3 flexible personal days per year Tuition Reimbursement Health & Wellness Programs Flexible Spending Accounts HSA Accounts Commuter Transit Benefits Additional Optional Insurance such as Pet Insurance, Legal Assistance, Critical Illness, Home and Auto Insurance to name a few. Employee Discount Programs Professional Training & Development Programs Career Advancement Opportunities We like to promote from within! Branch Driver 108351 Beaverton Platt Supply Chain Warehouse/Drivers recblid pn8pw53489fj6fhgbltgz69v8q04jl Requirements None PHYTEC America is a leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of embedded System on Modules (SOMs). Our SOMs are insert-ready hardware, designed around advanced system on chips (SoCs), with accompanying Linux and Android Board Support Packages (BSPs). Device designers and manufacturers leverage PHYTEC SOMs, BSPs and design services to quickly and easily bring complex products to market. Our SOMs have been deployed in thousands of cutting-edge applications ranging from supercomputers, advanced robotics, medical devices, edge compute engines, enterprise infrastructure, renewable energy, automation, and more. PHYTEC is seeking a motivated IT Systems Administrator for its office on Bainbridge Island. This position will be responsible for maintaining PHYTEC's entire network infrastructure with both backend server administration alongside frontend work assisting employees with their IT issues. Other duties will include maintaining our VoIP phone system, SAP ERP frontend and backend work, Confluence and Jira administration and occasional tool development. Your Responsibilities: Troubleshooting, fixing, monitoring and maintaining: 50+ Linux servers (physical and virtual that include a mix of Dell, HP, and SuperMicro systems) 5+ Windows servers (physical and virtual) Windows, Linux, and MacOS desktops and devices PBX Phone system (server, phones, and cell app) 100+ services running on a combination of 60+ virtual machines and physical servers Fortinet networking equipment (firewall appliance and switches) Servers, systems, and networking equipment in remote facilities Quickbooks Enterprise VPN services (OpenVPN, IPSec, Wireguard) Onsite and offsite backups Documenting network topology, servers, and services Implementing, troubleshooting, and maintaining SAP ERP system Configuring, administering, and maintaining Confluence and Jira projects, permissions, workflows, etc... Maintaining network security Periodic travel between Bainbridge Island and Seattle offices Servicing IT desk to address internal user issues (computer, phone, wifi, etc...) for 25+ employees Office365 administration Installation, setup, and teardown of new and old equipment (servers, network switches, wifi routers etc...) Your Qualifications: 2-4 year degree in an IT related field or equivalent work experience At least 3+ years experience with Linux server administration At least 1+ years experience with Windows server administration Strong understanding of firewalls, routers, switches, VLANs and how packets traverse a network through routers/gateways and switching fabric Must be capable of responding on short notice 24/7 for IT emergencies Strong writing and documentation skills Strong debugging skills with little assistance Lift up to 50lbs Preferred Skills: Confluence and Jira administration, configuration and maintenance Familiarity with Office365 and Outlook administration Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc...) MySQL replication Nagios/Icinga2 monitoring of servers and services bind9 DNS OpenVPN, IPSec VPN, and Wireguard VPN vSphere/ESXi hypervisor management and virtual machines Veeam backup and replication Backuppc, rsync, and other backup and replication strategies Server hardware buildup, teardown and maintenance (RAM, HDDs/SSDs, CPUs, RAID, I/O cards, etc...) Bash scripting, Python, C/C++, PHP, Javascript, jQuery, MySQL Fluency in German will be an added advantage What we offer you: PHYTEC America has the energy of a startup on a stable foundation of over thirty-five years of success in the United States, Europe, China, and India. This means you will be part of a fast-moving and dynamic working environment where flexibility and adaptability are key attributes needed for success. We also value work-life balance and provide a comprehensive benefits package, including company-paid medical, vision, and dental for you and your dependents; an employer-matched 401(k) plan; a profit-based bonus plan; and generous vacation and sick-leave benefits. Your salary is dependent upon qualifications and experience. Job Location Bainbridge Island, Washington Hours Full-time (40 hours/week), Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm + 24/7 on-call in emergencies PHYTEC America LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and requires all qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or any other protected class. recblid bmhd186md5ksrsae5c6id3wei8n3tp Shipping Supervisor STRONGARM DESIGNS provides the ideal HMI solution to the healthcare, bio-pharmaceutical, food, and other industries. We are diligently seeking to hire a candidate for operation of our machines in our miscellaneous fabrication area. This position provides machined and fabricated components supporting our entire line of products including CleanMount, Vertica, Mobile Stations, and Suite-Stations. Join a team and company with endless innovative visions in a rapidly growing, leading industry! JOB DESCRIPTION: Responsible for assisting the Shipping Manager to ensure all items are prepared, shipped, and received on time while complying with company policy. REQUIREMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: High-energy individual who is able to stand, bend, lift, and/or walk for 2+ hours at a time. Ability to lift up to 80lbs. Experience working with shipping tools. (Drills, nail guns, staple guns, wrenches, etc.) Forklift experience is preferred. Responsible for scheduling both domestic and international outgoing and incoming shipments. Provide sales team with freight quotes and tracking numbers for shipments. Coordinate daily shipments with the Production Manager. Maintaining inventory levels and ordering supplies as needed Instruct employees on procedures, practices, and standards regarding employee guidelines, safety procedures, quality procedures, continuous improvement, verbal and written instructions, schedules, and other STRONGARM operating practices and company initiatives. Continually review and ensure that procedures, practices, and standards are being followed. Assist Shipping Manager to develop strategies for continuous improvement. DESIRED INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: A willingness to learn and take direction Ability to lead a team Continuous Improvement professionally and personally Works well with others and with little supervision Positive attitude and driven WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER THE RIGHT INDIVIDUAL IS THE FOLLOWING: Competitive compensation based on experience and certification PTO, Sick, and personal days 401K, Health insurance, vision, dental Continuous improvement company philosophy STRONGARM swag Yearly employee reviews A place to grow professionally and personally 25 coke machine STRONGARM SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR COVID-19: Safety protocols at STRONGARM include disinfecting high touch areas every day, every two hours: door handles, bathroom stalls, etc. They include mandatory masks, social distancing, and temperature checks. Hand sanitizer is available at every workstation. Employees are encouraged to stay home if they experience any related symptoms and the company offers an extra 2 weeks paid time off for COVID-19 related reasons. Click to apply today! recblid suy6tk2xtu8n26c5sn9k53cungfqk3 Location: Katowice Location: Monterrey Location: Milwaukee - Wisconsin Job Description JOB SUMMARY: Rockwell Automation is looking for a New Product Introduction Quality Engineering individual contributor to join our team. The incumbent will help develop and implement robust preventive quality plans to build quality into product design and processes. In this role working in a matrixed and dynamic environment with creativity, attention to detail and effective communication is key. The incumbent will play a major role and manage all quality expectations in projects that bring a new product from a concept to launch into the marketplace. This position also has interactions with internal and external customer. Information Processing Capability: Read and interpret technical product documentation with understanding of product usage within customer application and environment Provides design input and fit for use to product development teams Helps develop and implements New Product Introduction (NPI) quality planning to build quality into the design Helps perform risk assessment and implements early preventive mitigation plans Analytical and problem-solving competency to drive performance results Uses dashboards and metrics to drive on-going continuous improvement Leads Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) and ensures corrective and preventive action planning, addresses true and systemic root cause and eliminates repeats Applies quality design methodologies, tools and techniques (e.g. Design for Six Sigma, Design for Reliability, Failure Mode Effect Analysis, etc.) incrementally and throughout product development Support and participate in predictive modeling and lead Reliability assessments on life cycle conditions of the sub-system, PCA component, product, and/or system Temperament Pursues tasks with a sense of urgency, and develops/implements timely actions Focus on prevention, timely issue resolution and contributing to team Demonstrates collaboration and partnership with peers, Key Stakeholders (KSHs) and team Works well in a matrix organization and accepts shared accountability Balances priorities and communicates well to team, stakeholders and management Accepts Role Requirements: Maintains accountability for high quality performance throughout product lifecycle Presents and communicates quality readouts to appropriate leadership as required Manages varying priorities and collaborates across multiple KSHs and disciplines, internal and external customers Participate and support key employee initiatives including the employee engagement survey, culture of inclusion initiatives and ethics MinimumEXPERIENCE AND EDUCATIONrequirements: Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or similar technical degree Minimum of 5 years in quality, manufacturing or field service engineering Minimum of 3 years in New Product Introduction (NPI) Proven effective communication across all organizational levels Drives results with cross-functional team within a complex matrix organization Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to drive performance results Strong experience in continuous improvement and QA tools and methodologies Proficiency in Microsoft applications (Primarily Excel and PowerPoint, Power BI) Desired Qualifications: Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning system, preferably SAP. Certification in LEAN Six Sigma tools and methodologies (i.e., Green Belt / Black Belt), CQE, AQE A working knowledge of DFSS, APQP and Df(x) methodologies Provide key inputs into HW, SW/FW, and product requirements with basic understanding of product, application and system level Basic understanding of the environment inclusive of products and infrastructure that must work together to achieve the desired customer outcome Project Management or Project Management Professional certification Master of Science or MBA is a plus TRAVEL Up to 10% and may include global travel #LI-ZN1 If you already subscribe to our eEdition edition, sign up for FREE access to our online edition. Thanks for reading the El Campo Leader News. Magnolia, AR (71754) Today Thunderstorms likely. High near 85F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. 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. You can get the same great milkshake flavors that youll find at the PA Farm Show - vanilla, chocolate and half & half (also known as mix). Milkshakes are $5 each. Roca was promoted to assistant chief of operations just last August, following the retirement of Stephen Vangelo. At the time, Granitz said Roca was integral to his long-term departmental restructuring plan, focused on continuity of leadership and assuring our officers have the resources they need to serve our residents. The amendment would allow the canned alcoholic drinks, known by some as ready-to-drink or RTD beverages, to be sold by beer distributors. Moran said that would lead to some people going to a distributor to buy a case of 24 or 30 mixed drinks, rather than going to a bar or restaurant for drinks. Burley, ID (83318) Today Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 93F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. As a current print subscriber, you receive 24/7 access to our website and online e-edition at no additional charge. All you have to do is activate your access. To activate digital access, you will need your account number. You can find your account number on any recent subscription notice or bill. Today's Headlines Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! Breaking news Sign up for breaking news alerts from morning-times.com!!! Week in Sports Get a weekly local sports round-up from www.morning-times.com every Saturday morning!!! Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. State Panel on Naga issue reconstituted; June 19 Dimapur meeting cancelled Correspondent KOHIMA, JUN 16 (NPN) | Publish Date: 6/16/2021 1:00:35 PM IST With extension of the State-wide complete lockdown announced on Wednesday, the first meeting of Core Committee of Parliamentary Committee on Naga Political Issue scheduled on June 19 at Dimapur has been cancelled. Confirming this, planning & coordination, land revenue and parliamentary affairs minister Neiba Kronu, however, could not tell Nagaland Post when the next meeting will be held. Panel reconstituted: Meanwhile, in partial modification to the notification of June 10, the Parliamentary Committee comprising all the 60 members of State Assembly and two MPs from Nagaland was reconstituted. As per the new notification issued by chief secretary J Alam, chief minister Neiphiu Rio is the committees convener, deputy CM Y Patton and leader of opposition TR Zeliang its co-conveners, planning & coordination, land revenue and parliamentary affairs minister Neiba Kronu as member secretary and all ministers, advisers, members of parliament and MLAs its members. Likewise, the Core Committee of Parliamentary Committee on Naga Political Issue will comprise of Rio as its convener, Patton and Zeliang as its co-conveners and Kronu as its member secretary. The Core Committee members will consist NDPP ministers-- G Kaito Aye, Metsubo Jamir; advisers-- R Khing, Toshi Wungtung; BJP ministers-- Pangnyu Phom, P Paiwang Konyak, Jacob Zhimomi; advisers-- Mmhonlumo Kikon, H Haying; Independent-- minister Tongpang Ozukum and NPF legislators-- Imkong L Imchen, Yitachu, Dr Chotisuh Sazo, YM Yollow Konyak, Muthingnyuba Sangtam and H Chuba Chang. The notification stated that the Parliamentary Committee would discuss matters relating to Naga political issue and play the role of a facilitator in the ongoing peace talks between Government of India and Naga political groups. Some kind of skin disease associated with white spots and lesions is mysteriously appearing in Malaysia's whitetip reef sharks, and several reports suggest it was caused by rising sea temperatures in the region. Whitetip reef sharks are generally slender and short, with broad head. They are known as common tourist and diving attraction. With the ability to pump water over their gills, they are able to stay still at the bottom of clear waters. During the day, they spend most of their time resting inside caves or reefs. At night, they emerge to hunt smaller fishes such as bony fishes, crustaceans, and octopus in groups. In terms of shelter, they usually just stay within perimeters of their home reef for months or years, and returns to the same shelter frequently. In April, a photo taken by an underwater photographer went viral on social media. Captured was one of the reef sharks exhibiting white spots and lesions on its head off Sabah state on Borneo island. Marine biologists are currently investigating the 'mystery skin disease' afflicted to reef sharks in the area. The Blame on the Island's Warming Waters Reef sharks are most commonly living in the reefs of the Indo-Pacific and nocturnal in nature. They gather around reef drop-offs off Borneo to feed on small fishes brought up by the rising sea current in the island. Experts from state's university and government and conservation groups and divers from the Sipadan island, a famous diving destination near Borneo, attempted to diagnose the skin disease that appeared in the group of sharks. Common assumption was the rising sea surface temperature at Sipadan which had reached 29.5 degrees Celsius in May might have caused the disease. This is 1 degree higher than the extreme change in temperature in 1985. Senior marine biologist Davies Austin Spiji, with non-profit conservation group Reef Guardian, pinned the skin sickness to the warming ocean. "We can almost certainly pin the warming ocean as having a role in what we are seeing with the sickly sharks in Sipadan," Spiji said. He added that human activities were not considered to have factored the illness as the Sipadan Island is known to be a marine protected area since 1st October of 2009. Fishing and other industrial activities nearby are also strictly prohibited in Sipadan. Also read: Tiger Sharks Still Unafraid Even in Hurricane Season, Says New Study Collecting Shark Specimens Since the team of experts were currently unable to catch some of the infected sharks with their few attempts, they cannot fully diagnose the situation without testing some samples. Mabel Manjaji-Matsumoto, a senior lecturer with the Borneo Marine Research Institute of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, said that their attempt in May has failed but the team might try again in July. "If we can get shark specimens, we will surely at least be able to find out the pathogenic cause of the lesions," he noted. A professor in aquatic veterinary studies also added that the sightings of coral bleaching definitely suggests that changes are happening there due to high temperatures. Also read: Deep Sea Mystery: Ultra-Black Fishes Absorb Light and 'Disappear' Into the Darkness As Australia's rat pandemic destroys everything in its wake, a farmer's wife awoke to a mouse nibbling on her eyeball. Last week, the lady was brought to the hospital after waking up terrified, as tens of millions of rogue mice terrorized towns around the country. According to The New York Times, she is one of several casualties of the epidemic, which has been regarded as the deadliest in more than 30 years. Rat Infestation Another farmer was deep sleeping when tiny scuttling over his face awoke him. "I felt a tickly, hairy feel as it moved from behind my ear across my face," Mick Harris, who lives in Narromine, some 250 miles inland from Sydney, said. "It gave me the creeps." I sprang out of bed as my hair sprang up. "I didn't sleep a wink for the rest of the night - until I captured the mouse in a trap under the bed." His wife had a similar nightmare a few weeks before when she felt something nibbling on her wedding ring finger while sleeping. "She was horrified," Mick, 35, added. We have two small children. Outbreak There have been requests for the mouse plague to be considered a "natural catastrophe" so that aggrieved Australians may claim insurance benefits after their homes have been burned down, their cars have been wrecked, and their crops have been decimated. Horrible outbreaks have been inflicting devastation on rural communities for nearly a year, stretching 1,000 kilometers from Brisbane to Melbourne. Rats and mice are seeking warmer places to reside as the Australian winter sets in. Related Article: Chaos Ensues as Swarms of Cicadas Disturb Weather Radar, Causing Car Accident Property Damage The rats ate through electrical lines, causing a home fire in Narrabri, New South Wales, and damage to automobiles. Mum-of-three Shirilee Jackson, 31, of Mandagery, NSW, claims that a swarm of rats and mice destroyed her automobile beyond repair in just one night. "Ten grand (5,474) worth of damage," she told A Current Affair. I've awoken at 5 a.m. to find the seatbelts chewed, as well as the heating unit, flooring, headrest, and child's car seat. "In a matter of 10 hours, it's unbelievable." Insurance Mrs. Jackson claimed to have insurance and attempted to file a claim but was informed she couldn't. Customers have been advised by major insurance firms in Australia that basic house and contents insurance and auto insurance do not cover rats and mice unless there are other impacts, such as fire or floods. The damage caused by the rat infestation is becoming worse, according to Andrew McKenzie, a technician in Orange, NSW, who says he's "now getting up to four cars a day." One driver he spoke with reported his brakes failed at a critical crossroads, while another reported her car nearly caught fire. Agricultural and Economic Burden The infestation is putting people's livelihoods in jeopardy in rural regions. To keep mice from climbing up the legs of their beds and tables, people are submerging them in buckets of water. Anne Cullen, a farmer from Coonamble, NSW, has been killing 50 mice a day by hand as they take over her home and hay stockpiles. Eris Fleming, another farmer, said he spends hours emptying buckets of water intended to capture mice, which often contain more than 300 dead rodents. People are "tired" of dealing with mice, according to mouse plague expert Steve Henry of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. "They run across your bed at night, and you have to clear them out of the traps in the morning," he stated. Mouse Biology According to the Daily Mail Australia, two mice may start a colony of over 400 mice in just three months, quickly multiplying to tens of thousands. A mouse may live for two or three years, and females can begin breeding as soon as they are six weeks old. Every three weeks, they may give birth to 10 kids, and the mother can become pregnant again the next day. Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall, who announced the plan as part of a $50 million package to combat the infestation, claimed the poison would be "the equivalent of napalming mice" over the afflicted areas. The mice probably descended from rodent stowaways on British prison ships about 250 years ago. Also Read: Scientist Claims That Wasps Aren't Just Pointless Creatures For the most recent updates about the environment and the animal kingdom, don't forget to follow Nature World News! The tipping point for irreversible global warming may have already been provoked, the expert who led the biggest-ever tour to the Arctic warned on Tuesday. Sea Ice in the Arctic Markus Rex said: "The vanishing of summer sea ice in the Arctic is one of the initial landmines in this minefield, one of the tipping points that we set off first when we push warming very far, and one can essentially inquire if we haven't already trampled on this mine and already set off the beginning of the explosion." Rex led the biggest mission in the world to the North Pole, an expedition that involves 300 scientists from 20 countries. In October, the expedition got back to Germany after 389 days drifting through the Arctic, taking home devastating evidence of a dying Arctic Ocean and warnings of ice-free summers in just decades. The $165-million (140-million-euro) expedition also brought 150 terabytes of data and over 1,000 ice samples back. Summarizing their initial discoveries, Rex said scientists discovered that the Arctic sea ice had retreated "more rapidly in the spring of 2020 than since the beginning of records" and that "the dispersal of the sea ice in the summer was only half as great as decades ago." Also Read: No, Man-Made Climate Change Is NOT Responsible for Half of Arctic Sea Ice Loss Ice Sheet Formation The ice was only partly as thick and temperatures measured 10 degrees higher than during the Fram expedition tackled by tourers and scientists Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen in the 1890s. Due to the smaller sea ice surface, the ocean was able to take in more heat in the summer, in turn implying that ice sheet formation in the autumn was slower than normal. Urging quick action to halt warming, Rex added: "Only evaluation in years to come will let us determine if we can still rescue the year-round Arctic sea ice through vigorous climate protection or whether we have already passed this crucial tipping point in the climate system." In 2015, world leaders had agreed under the Paris agreement to take action to check global warming to well less than 2 degrees Celsius, and to 1.5 degrees Celsius preferably, compared with pre-industrial levels. Analysis of the Findings A specialist in sea ice physics, Stefanie Arndt, said it was "painful to know that we are likely the last generation who can be faced with an Arctic which still has a sea ice cover in the summer." Arndt while describing observations of seals and other animals in the habitat of polar said this sea ice cover is shrinking gradually and it is an essential living space for polar bears. The data gathered during the expedition included readings on the atmosphere, sea ice, ecosystems, and ocean. Several hundred scientific publications analyzing the discoveries are expected to be released between 2021 and 2023. Related Article: Did you Know? Arctic Sea MIGHT Already be Ice-Free by 2024 For more news, updates about the Arctic and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News! THE late former President Robert Mugabes daughter Bona and her husband Simbarashe Mutsahuni have approached the High Court challenging the Statutory Instrument (SI) 41 of 2020 published to reduce their 1 800-hectare Mazowe farm. The couple cited Lands minister Anxious Masuka and Attorney-General Prince Machaya as respondents. This was after Masuka published the Rural Land (Farm Sizes) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020 (No 2) (SI 41 of 2020) on February 14, 2020, to facilitate the reduction of commercial sizes for redistribution to other farmers. Mutsahuni and his wife said the SI was unconstitutional as the minister failed to consider important issues that were brought about the new law. The applicant has a direct interest in this matter, having been affected by the application of the provisions of SI 41 of 2020, said Mutsahuni in his founding affidavit. The amendment was done in terms of section 21 of the Land Commission Act (Chapter 20;29) repealing provisions of the Rural Land (Farm Sizes) Regulations, 1999, published in SI 419 of 1999. In substance, SI 41 of 2020 sought to alter the sizes of land which can be held under the various natural regions in Zimbabwe. The couple is a holder of an offer letter under Model A2 Phase II, in respect of Subdivision Consolidation measuring 1 804, 9719 hectares of Sigaro Farm, Mazowe district in Mashonaland province, which was granted on June 22, 2017 by the Lands minister. Acting in terms of SI 41 of 2020, the minister proceeded to withdraw the aforesaid offer letter with an express intention to reduce the extent of the land which we hold under the offer letter. This was unfair because it is common cause that the new SI came into effect when the old SI 419 of 1999, was in full effect, Mutsahuni submitted. Despite this, it is also common cause that the minister did not adhere to the provisions of these regulations and proceeded to allocate individuals land sizes beyond the prescribed sizes under SI 419 of 1999. Pursuant to the promulgation of SI 41 of 2020, the minister has sought to pursue a rigid adherence to the new farm sizes stated therein. Mutsahuni said the SI was arbitrary in that its consequence was that it was applied retrospectively without regard to the nature and extent of investments made by any farmer who historically would have been on the farm. He said they were not given any discretion to consider the suitability of the prescribed farm size against the extent of any investments made by farmer affected and the extent of utilisation. The matter is yet to be heard. HEALTH authorities in Beitbridge have cleared 48 people who had been put on mandatory quarantine in the border town on Monday to complete the process at their homes. The group was given the green light to travel to their final destinations after an Indian returnee they had travelled with from Johannesburg on Sunday and had a fake health clearance certificate, tested negative for Covid-19 yesterday. The travellers arrived in the country aboard a Munhenzva bus which was intercepted by port health authorities. Beitbridge District Medical Officer Dr Lenos Samhere said following the discovery of a fake clearance certificate, all passengers were quarantined pending testing. We had to conduct PCR tests on all the 50 people who had travelled in that bus and 48 including the woman who came from India, tested negative, said Dr Samhere. He said the remaining two who were coming from South Africa tested positive to the ordinary Covid-19 variant and were on isolation pending further management. We have cleared the rest of the passengers to go and self-quarantine at their final destinations, said Dr Samhere. He said the woman who had a history of travelling to India where there is a more virulent Covid-19 variant, allegedly acquired a fake health clearance certificate. Dr Samhere said the matter was picked by the Rapid Response Team during a routine Covid-19 screening at the border. Zimbabwe has been lauded internationally for its Covid-19 response that has kept infections relatively low. Chronicle ZAPUs Matabeleland South Province has elected Sibangilizwe Nkomo, son of the late former vice president of Zimbabwe and founding party president, Joshua Nkomo, as its preferred presidential candidate ahead of the partys elective congress slated for August this year. Nkomo was elected at the partys provincial elections on Saturday beating long-time Matabeleland South Provincial Chairman Matthew Sibanda, current Secretary-General, Dr Strike Mkandla and Sithembiso Mpofu (party member based in the United Kingdom). He received a total of 68 votes, while Sibanda came second with 24 votes, Dr Mkandla received 17 votes and Mpofu managed to rake in 12 votes. The elective provincial conference that was held at ZAPU regional offices is meant to elect provincial executives, discuss policy proposals for submissions at the incoming elective congress and nomination of national executive council members. I want to thank all of you who placed your trust in me. I will not disappoint you. You have given me the confidence to strengthen ZAPU politically so that it wins the national vote in 2023, he said. Please support me with love, respect and unity. There must be no fights, as we uplift our party. We must have Ubuntu and this is one word my late mother (Mafuyana) fostered in me. Ubuntu must carry us as we go on because we now live in a world without it. Sources said Nkomo has emerged as a dark horse in the presidency race with his nomination setting tongues wagging within the party structures with some members accusing him of not being a card-carrying member and ineligible to contest for the presidency. Nkomo recently resigned from his post as Chair of the Joshua Nkomo Legacy Restoration Project Trust and the Joshua Nkomo Cultural Movement to venture full time into politics. The provincial elective congress also saw Ndodana Moyo, outgoing deputy national organising secretary, elected as the new Matabeleland South Chairman. After our elective provincial conference, structures voted for an executive to replace the one that was led by Sibanda. The structure also voted for the provincial preferred presidential candidate Nkomo, who will then face off with other party presidential candidates come congress, he said. Moyo noted that he would now focus on channelling energies towards advancing the cause of his home province. I will be concentrating on one province full-time unlike when I was in the NEC. I want to push for Matabeleland South issues and start actively advocating for locals to register to be voters. I will preach unity in the party and externally continue preaching the Devolution of Power agenda, in all fraternities that are Education, employment opportunities, the land so that locals benefit first as the land issue was the reason why ZPRA, our armed wing went to war, he told CITE. I will also continue pushing the Zanu-PF government to respect us as a people. Moyo said Matabeleland South was affected by the government-sponsored Gukurahundi genocide citing that locals were still struggling to access documentation. People dont have birth certificates, making life difficult for the victims and that must be corrected. This is one of the issues I will be championing because you find that some of our locals cross the border illegally without documentation then struggle again when seeking employment in South Africa or Botswana, said the new provincial chairperson. Cite.org.zw A CHINHOYI-BASED prisons officer who was arraigned before the courts on charges of insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week has been called for a disciplinary hearing. Peter Kudzai Mushonga is being charged for using traitorous and disloyal words regarding the President or the government. He is being charged according to section 3(1) of the Prisons (Staff) (Discipline) Regulations 1984 (using traitorous or disloyal words regarding the President or the government) or alternatively being guilty of any other act, conduct, disorder, or neglect of duty to the prejudice of good order or discipline. When he appeared in court last week, Mushonga was being represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights lawyer Kudzai Choga. Allegations were that Mushonga insulted Mnangagwa by posting a comment on social media platforms, which had a picture attached showing the President and traditional chiefs genuflecting to the statue of Mbuya Nehanda. Mushonga is alleged to have commented that: I wish all those kneeling in respect of the statue of the goddess go mad. Newsday Out of the eight cases, six people were asymptomatic and two had mild symptoms, according to Bayleys statement. He added that everyone who tested positive for COVID-19, as well as the hundreds of other crew members, have been place under quarantine and are being monitored by a medical team. 5. Transfer the springform pan to a cooling rack and let the cookie cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Run a butter knife around the inside edge of the springform pan to loosen the edges of the cookie from the pan. Unlock and remove the side of the pan. Use an icing spatula or a wide metal spatula to loosen the bottom of the cookie from the pan and transfer the cookie to a cutting board. Cut the cookie into wedges and serve warm. City public schools can now squeeze as many people as they want in outdoor graduation ceremonies as long as they keep up with masks and social distance. This undated file photo provided by the Rutgers Law School shows U.S. District Judge Esther Salas during a conference at the Rutgers Law School in Newark, N.J. On Sunday, July 19, 2020, a gunman posing as a FedEx delivery person went to Salas' North Brunswick, N.J., home and started shooting, wounding her husband, the defense lawyer Mark Anderl, and killing her son, Daniel Anderl. (AP) Shes cited the sorry state of the jail on the Brooklyn waterfront as a reason to release her on bail while awaiting trial for allegedly grooming and trafficking underage victims of her former flame, Jeffrey Epstein. Balbin and Reyes were both stocking food and prepping meals as catering attendants for Great Performances/Artists As Waitresses, Inc. until their bosses informed them that May 28 would be their last day. The company mandates the COVID vaccine for its employees, the women said. Police immediately focused on Wright, who lives up the block, as a suspect. The pair had been at odds with each other, though it wasnt clear why. A 27-year-old motorcyclist died after he rear-ended a car just outside Citi Field in Queens, flew off his bike into the air and slammed into a column for the elevated subway, police said Wednesday. The girl was asleep about 1 a.m. in her home near Broadway and Bond St. when the assailant climbed up the fire escape into her bedroom window, cops said. She woke up to him pleasuring himself on her feet, cops said. Officers also found Alexander Jackson suffering from a gunshot wound to the foot inside the residence. The 20-year-old was rushed to UnityPoint Health-St. Lukes Hospital for treatment and taken into custody in connection with the shootings upon his release. The grieving mother added at a press conference on Tuesday that the last time she saw her son was at his birthday party in May 2020, just more than a year before his remains were discovered stuffed in a plastic container inside a motel in Jasper. Her lawyer said shed been waiting to speak out on the matter until the body was officially identified as Samuel, which happened on June 9. The victim had been living at Hacienda for 26 years in a vegetative state after a near drowning incident that deprived her brain of oxygen. According to the judge, the woman also suffered from other congenital issues such as seizures from the time she was born. In a statement, Nashville police officials said that Robert Miquel Johnson, 31, was facing criminal homicide charges following an investigation that began on May 2 when the body of Pamela Paz, 44, was found in a parking area underneath an overpass in Nashville. On May 7, 2019, Erickson along with his accomplice Alex McKinney entered the STEM School Highlands Ranch, and opened fire on the students, killing Kendrick Castillo, 18, and injuring eight others. This defendant lured one victim after another with fake modeling ads, false promises and deceptive front companies, ultimately devolving to threats to coerce these women into making sex videos, U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in the release. Even when victims told Garcia how the scheme had devastated their lives, he showed no regard for their well-being. The crime was utterly callous in nature and there is no excuse or justification for his conduct, which was driven purely by greed. The harm inflicted by this defendant will last a lifetime for his victims. Hopefully todays sentence will offer them a sense of justice. Project Veritas released Heckers conversations with her bosses at KRIV, in which the higher-ups decide not to pursue stories about Bitcoin and tell her not to promote hydroxychloroquine as a miracle cure for COVID-19, because it is not. There was only one person sitting at the defense table accused of this crime. I think she probably trusted that the government had it right. But she didnt see the evidence. I dont fault her at all for mistakenly believing Mr. Biles was responsible. He wasnt. Thats why we have trials, Patituce said. Earlier this week he posted a screenshot of the email on his Facebook page, writing that,as an Asian American and member of the LGBTQ+ community, I must stand up against hate speech and call it out when I see it. As a City Councilmember and a candidate running for election, its my duty to reach my constituents, listen to what is important to them and make informed decisions. Braz was showing him a newly acquired handgun and in the process it was an unintentional discharge which struck the victim in the neck, Woburn Police Department Chief Bob Rufo Jr. told People. Braz told people that he thought the gun was unloaded with the safety engaged. I am going to wait a little bit in terms of announcing the rest of my mayoral ballot, because I think we might have some news for you all in the next little while, Yang told reporters, seemingly hinting at a cross-endorsement, as he spoke in front of about 20 sign-toting supporters. George Floyds tragic murder at the hands of police ignited a movement for reform, the effects of which are still being felt today. As someone who has spent decades fighting against police violence and for racial justice and who himself was beaten by police it was deeply painful to see yet another Black life cut short, Adams said Wednesday. But I also took heart in seeing so many people take to the streets demanding change in the wake of Mr. Floyds death. I am so grateful to receive the endorsement of his brother Terrence, who has been an outspoken voice for justice. Ive known Maya for many years now. She was an awesome partner when I was a member of Congress for 12 years, he said in a written statement. To think that Maya Wiley is possibly going to be the next mayor of New York City is an exciting possibility for the entire country. New York City is Americas city, its the biggest city in the country. Please pick the best person to represent you. That person is Maya Wiley. A potty-mouthed City Council wannabe in Queens has gone after a number of women on social media along with joking about rape and apparently challenging a man to a fight after getting into an argument on Facebook. I said what will change their behavior is if the rest of the world reacts to them and it diminishes their standing in the world. Im not confident of anything. Im just stating a fact, the president said. As writers and as fans we are so ready for the Great Broadway Comeback and are so glad that our show can be a part of it. Cant wait to be back with the entire team and our wonderful cast, crew, and orchestra. In the legal documents, filed last Wednesday, the judge declared: Marital or domestic partnership status is terminated, and the parties are restored to the status of single persons. Mannion has developed a highly-profitable business by selling copies of photographs of JAY-Z on (his) website and retail store, and by selling licenses to others to use Jay-Zs image. Mannion has done so on the arrogant assumption that because he took those photographs, he can do with them as he pleases, the filing alleges. Do you know of other Fathers Day events? Find me @PConnPie on Twitter and Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun things, follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. And with so many other celebrations in June Black Music Appreciation Month, Caribbean Heritage Month and what in certain cases people are looking at as Black Lives Matter Month, its almost like June has become another Black History Month. A celebration of Juneteenth right now, which so many people are doing, brings joy and also efficacy into our community, Chandler said. A K-9 officer sent a police dog after Swett when he crashed into a ditch shortly afterward, according to records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times. Swett ignored the officers orders and backed into the dog, but the officer picked up K-9 Cash before the dog could be run over, the publication reported. She was referring to the only Jewish State among the 22 surrounding Arab nations, and the only Democracy in the Middle East, Israel, the alert said. According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), demonizing and applying a standard on Israel that is not applied to any other country is a form of antisemitism. During her speech, Ms. Cheng also left Jews out when she listed minorities that have been victims of hate crimes, even though Jews are the most targeted of any religious minorities. ITT made repeated and significant misrepresentations to students related to how much they could expect to earn and the jobs they could obtain after graduation, the department said. In reality, borrowers repeatedly stated that including ITT attendance on resumes made it harder for them to find employment, and their job prospects were not improved by attending ITT. Congresswoman Murphys office had been following this situation closely for months with us and we deeply appreciate her advocacy and todays action and her concern for the river, Jeanette Schreiber, who live nears the Little Wekiva and is chief legal officer for the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. May all my decisions be wise and may I always have the right temperament, she said. So this was always my goal, my dream. ... I do my best whether people agree with me or disagree with me. Im not going to satisfy everybody every day. I do my best to do what I believe is right and what I believe is just, because thats the purpose of my job. It mandates that state and local governments must use E-Verify before hiring anyone (as if Floridas estimated 775,000 undocumented employees are working in the states park system or highway patrol). But it tells private employers without government contracts that they can either use E-Verify or just let employees fill out their own forms vouching for their immigration status. Which one do you think companies exploiting illegal labor would choose? But its unclear how many officers will be sent, what theyll be doing when they get there or how much it will cost state taxpayers. DeSantis said those details havent been finalized yet, but said theyll be gone for 16 days, the length requested by Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona and Gov. Greg Abbot of Texas. Im here today to say health and wellness has always been one of our foundational responsibilities to ourselves. It has never been the role of government to be legally and lawfully enforcing and dictating health and wellness, said Mike Carnevale, who was arrested three times last summer. So today is something I am really grateful for. Normally, tickets are $67.95 ($41.95 for ages 3-10), and they include a three-course dinner and the show that features pirate captain Sebastian the Black, a magical mermaid, the Governors Gala and a terrifying leviathan, the attractions website says. There are also dueling pirates and acrobatics involved. Oswego, NY (13126) Today Rain with thunderstorms by evening. High around 70F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms. Low 59F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) Fulani herders and the Armed Forces of Nigeria are bickering over reports that two military aircraft conducted multiple airstrikes in which over 1,000 cows were killed in Fulani settlements in Keana and Doma Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State, northcentral Nigeria Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Gambia has made considerable progress in improving access to education, especially for girls, the UN Children's Education Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. 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 Golden Swan mineralisation remains open in both plunge directions, as high priority drilling continues to delineate extensions in both directions. The company is targeting a maiden resource in the September 2021 quarter. ( ) (OTCMKTS:PSDNF) (FRA:NYG) has returned more strong assay results from resource definition drilling underway at the Golden Swan discovery of its Black Swan Nickel Project in Western Australia. Assays have highlighted a series of high-grade nickel intersections of: 10.55 metres at 3.17% nickel; 9.5 metres at 3.8% nickel and 31 metres at 2.41% nickel; and 1-metre at 14.5% nickel. Additionally, one drill hole intersected two metres of massive sulphide mineralisation (visually >80% total sulphide content), which has been geologically logged as pyrrhotite-pentlandite with matrix chalcopyrite with assays pending. The program remains ahead of schedule with 29 holes completed as of June 14, 2021, for a total of 8,171 metres out of the planned 57 holes for 13,000 metres. Maiden resource in third quarter Poseidon managing director and CEO Peter Harold said: Drilling has continued on the resource definition program at Golden Swan with more high-grade intersections reported. With each hole our understanding of the Golden Swan mineralisation increases. Our geological team is also utilising this program to create more EM platforms to allow us to test the greater potential of the Southern Terrace to host more massive sulphide mineralisation. We will continue to release drill hole data as it comes to hand, culminating in the maiden Golden Swan Resource during the September 2021 quarter. Golden Swan long section showing current pierce points and drill results. Southern Terrace prospectivity Further DHEM platforms have been established to explore for additional massive sulphide trends along the Southern Terrace. The companys increased knowledge of the uneven topography of the Southern Terrace surface indicates that the Golden Swan mineralisation defined to date is not a unique occurrence - suggesting other mineralised zones may exist within the Southern Terrace area. Outer holes to the Golden Swan trend are being drilled and cased with PVC to allow for future DHEM surveys to test outside of the known mineralisation. DHEM surveys will be conducted in the next few weeks with follow up drilling to occur shortly afterwards if new DHEM anomalies are detected. Li is the founder and current CEO of Morris Commercial Ltd PLC ( ) has appointed Dr Qu Li as a non-executive director to the board with immediate effect. Dr Li is an entrepreneur, investor and businesswoman with over 30 years of experience in corporate mergers and acquisitions, development and restructuring, and financing and investments. Li is also the founder and current chief executive of Morris Commercial Ltd, a British car manufacturing company which produces zero emission full battery electric vehicles using the iconic original Morris design. She obtained her PhD from Leeds University in Materials Engineering and has held various senior positions and directorship in both private and public companies. "We are very pleased that Qu has agreed to join the board of Braveheart, said chief executive Trevor Brown. I am confident that Qu's broad experience in technical innovation and problem solving will be an important asset to the company as it moves into the next stages of its evolution." Li will also be a member of the Remuneration and the Audit and Compliance committees. Nearly half of Black respondents reported having experienced racism at work, while women felt held back in their careers by mediocre male middle managers Businesses in the City have been put in the spotlight as two reports are showing challenges faced by ethnic minorities and women in the office. Nearly half of Black employees have experienced racism at work, along with 26% East Asian, 23% South Asia and 24% of mixed Race workers, according to a study conducted by City Mental Health Alliance in partnership with PLC ( ). Over half of the total said the experience had negatively impacted their mental health and wellbeing. Almost half of South Asian (46%), East Asian (45%) and Black employees (43%) reported that they felt like they needed to change aspects of their behaviour to fit in at work, compared to only a quarter (27%) of White British people. The pandemic has made the situation worse, according to researchers, with respondents from ethnic minorities more likely to have had a traumatic personal or family experience or death of a loved one. Businesses have a responsibility and an opportunity to build not only diverse, but also inclusive and mentally healthy workplaces, said Poppy Jaman, chief executive at City Mental Health Alliance. I have seen an outpouring of commitment to action from business on the mental health and the inclusion agenda over the last year, so the momentum is there. In terms of gender, research by Women In Banking and Finance and the London School of Economics showed that women in finance feel their careers are hampered by mediocre male middle managers playing internal politics. These managers were also found to fake empathy when managing women, the Financial Times reported. The report, supported by major City names such as such as , Barclays ( ) and Citi, as well as the Financial Conduct Authority, said respondents felt that men were had more room for mistakes or to be average performers. Grace Lordan, an associate professor at the LSE and founding director of The Inclusion Initiative, told the FT the progress made in the financials sector its nowhere near equality Were still very, very far away from equality. Plans expected to be revealed later today by the government will also include a new arbitration service Struggling retail and hospitality businesses are set to be safe from eviction for unpaid rent for another six months, according to reports today. The government is set to extend the ban on commercial evictions until 2022, The Telegraph reported, prompting a welcome response from occupiers and anger from owners. Curbs on landlords taking a tenants goods and selling them to recoup rent arrears are also expected to be extended. Hospitality sector bosses had predicted a wave of closures if measures supporting the industry had ended as scheduled on 1 July. At a Treasury Select Committee hearing earlier this month, representatives from the travel, hospitality and retail sector said 5bn in overdue rent had accrued during lockdowns. UKHospitality boss Kate Nicholls said a third of its members expect to receive rent demands as soon as the deadline passed, even if some were still shut. In a statement today, Nicholls said that if the report was true it would 'banish a grim shadow that has hung menacingly over hospitality' since the Covid crisis began. Plans expected to be revealed later today by the government will also include a new arbitration service to help resolve disputes between tenants and landlords. Nicholls added: It will form a strong bedrock for negotiated settlements that can help heal the damaged that the pandemic has wrought, and will be a positive signal that the Government has been listening to our sector, and acted to ease its plight. Landlord bodies called on the government to make sure that well-capitalised companies are not allowed to exploit the moratoriums to avoid paying rent. Shares in retail property owners fell on the report with PlC ( ) down 4.2% to 39.6p, PLC ( ) 1% lower at 696p and British land PLC ( ) off1.5% to 497.8p. Create your account: sign up and get ahead on news and events NO INVESTMENT ADVICE The Company is a publisher. You understand and agree that no content published on the Site constitutes a recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is... In exchange for publishing services rendered by the Company on behalf of named herein, including the promotion by the Company of in any Content on the Site, the Company receives from said issuer annual cash... Special interest group Public Citizen said in an open letter that the FDA should have rejected the drug and that its surprise approval "raised false hope for millions of Alzheimers disease patients" A US consumer rights group has said the acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Janet Woodcock and other officials should immediately resign over the regulators approval of s ( ) controversial Alzheimers drug, aducanumab. In an open letter on Wednesday, Public Citizen, a Washington DC-based special interest group and think tank founded by former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, described the FDAs approval of aducanumab last week as reckless, highlighting the nearly unanimous conclusion of an independent advisory panel of experts that there was insufficient evidence that the drug was effective. The group also pointed to what it said was an inappropriate and unprecedented collaboration between the agency and Biogen during the data analysis stage of key clinical trials. Biogen had stopped a phase III trial of the drug in March 2019 on a recommendation it would not meet its final endpoint, only to start it again in October after reviewing the data further. The FDAs decision to go against the recommendation of the advisory panel was also unusual, however, upon granting approval the regulator said it wanted more trial work done through confirmatory studies, although the company has nine years to complete these. Public Citizen contends that the FDA should have rejected the drug and required that the company conduct another large, placebo-controlled clinical trial before giving any further consideration to approving aducanumab to treat Alzheimers disease. Approving aducanumab despite the lack of evidence of effectiveness has raised false hope for millions of Alzheimers disease patients, the organisation said. The letter also derided Biogens pricing of the drug at US$56,000 per year, which analysts at previously said was much higher than expected, as an exorbitant cost which threatens to bankrupt the Medicare program. The FDAs decision to approve aducanumab for anyone with Alzheimers disease, regardless of severity, showed a stunning disregard for science, eviscerated the agencys standards for approving new drugs, and ranks as one of the most irresponsible and egregious decisions in the history of the agency. The sheer recklessness of the FDAs approval of aducanumab cannot be overstated. This decision is a disastrous blow to the agencys credibility, public health and the financial sustainability of the Medicare program, added Michael Carome, director of Public Citizens Health Research Group. Biogen shares were up 0.8% at US$399 in mid-morning trading in New York. A major mining contract, covering work at Firefinchs flagship gold asset, has gone to a JV vehicle operated by an international mining contractor and a Malian owned and operated business. Firefinch Ltd (ASX:FFX) has awarded a key US$360 million open pit mining contract covering expansion work at its Morila Gold Project in Mali to a joint venture (JV) vehicle. International mining contractor Mota-Engil and Malian owned and operated contractor Inter-Mining Services established the JV and ultimately secured the major contract. Under the deal, both JV companies will conduct site preparation and mining operations at the Viper and Ntiola satellite pits, as well as phase one mining at the Morila Super Pit. Firefinch, which is focused on its flagship Morila the gorilla gold asset in Mali, West Africa, undertook an extensive tendering process to source the contractor. An important milestone Firefinch managing director Dr Michael Anderson said: I am very pleased that we have been able to award the mining contract for the Morila Super Pit and satellites to Mota-Engil and Malian owned and operated Inter Mining Services. The joint venture will bring together the capability to operate at scale, and a well-established locally owned and operated business that will maximise local content. It was great to have spent time at Morila and in Bamako this month, where we executed this important milestone. We have identified a solution that brings both local content and the technical capability required to undertake our open pit mining for future years. Next steps Now it has secured a contractor for work at the Morlia Super Pit and its satellites, Firefinch has outlined the JVs first steps. In August this year, the vehicle is scheduled to begin work at the Viper and Ntiola satellite pits. Following this, mining at the Morila Super Pit is slated to kick off in 2022s first quarter. It comes after Firefinch uncovered further high-grade gold during an exploration campaign at the Viper mineralised system last week. Over the course of infill and extensional reverse circulation drilling, the ASX-lister intersected a best result of 6 metres at 11.34 g/t gold from 74 metres, including 2 metres at 29.2 g/t in hole VIPRC121. The fresh gold results will be included in a revised mineral resource estimate, which will then form part of the broader Morila life of mine update. The company is elated with strong support from a range of new investors that helped facilitate reinstatement to the ASX and provides financial flexibility to progress an active work schedule at Koongie Park Copper-Zinc Project. The capital injection provides financial flexibility to progress the 75% earn-in of Koongie Park. ( ) has had a stellar reinstatement to official quotation on the Australian Securities Exchange after completing a public share offer to raise around $7 million through the issue of 35 million shares as well as 17.5 million options exercisable at 25 cents expiring June 2023. The capital raising initiative was oversubscribed and provides financial flexibility to progress the 75% earn-in of the Koongie Park Copper-Zinc Project in WA. As a part of the funding exercise, the company has issued 60.2 million shares, creating a market capitalisation of $12 million and an enterprise value of $5 million upon reinstatement of official quotation. Auspicious debut The company had an auspicious debut on its relisting on Tuesday with shares trading in the range of 15 to 17 cents and almost 8.34 million shares changing hands. After closing at 16 cents, AKN has been as much as 6.3% higher today to 17 cents. Pleased to receive strong support CEO Paul Williams said: We are very pleased to have received such strong support from a range of new investors and to have completed this capital raise, which will allow for our reinstatement to the ASX, as well as the financial flexibility to progress an active works schedule at Koongie Park. Over the recent months, the company has satisfied a number of conditions to progress the Koongie Park earn-in, and also assembled a leading board and management team with a significant degree of technical, financial and commercial experience. Strategy for Koongie Park Koongie Park project is in the highly mineralised Halls Creek region of WA and comprises two mining and eight exploration licences covering 500 square kilometres. The company has a clear strategy for development of the project, which will include a 7,000 metres reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling program to commence in August. Koongie Park tenures are highly prospective for the discovery of further volcanic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits and extensions. The purpose of the drilling will include: Infill drilling of the Sandiego and Onedin deposits; Improving interpretation for future resource estimation (designed to update the existing JORC 2012 mineral resource estimates of 6.36 million tonnes at 1.3% copper, 4.1% zinc 0.3 g/t gold and 26 g/t silver); Test potential resource extensions; and Obtain fresh diamond core samples for metallurgical test work. Williams said: The company has developed a clear strategy for the Koongie Park project, with all activities designed to expand the existing project resources and create a potential pathway towards production within the next three to four years. Regional exploration The company has also started regional exploration activities including re-interpretation of existing regional and local electromagnetic and magnetic geophysical survey data plus geochemical data to drive future target identification and further drilling. It also intends to proceed with metallurgical test work to establish a processing solution for the near-surface oxide and transitional ores at the Onedin deposit, as well as reviewing, optimising and updating previous feasibility studies undertaken at Sandiego. This PFS has effectively endorsed the companys strategy to initially focus on entering the global HPA market, says chairman. The PFS has KRRs potential as a producer of high value high purity alumina (HPA). (ASX:KKR) has confirmed its proposed Kwinana plants technical and economical viability, as a pre-feasibility study (PFS) for its High Purity Alumina Project was released. The PFS forecast a production rate of 9,000 tonnes per annum of 99.99% high purity alumina (HPA) once at full production, with project revenue of more than $7 billion over 25 years. This proposed plant at Kwinana near Perth is where KRR will produce HPA, sourced from an industrial chemical feedstock and utilising its HPA refining process known as ARC - highlighting the Aluminium feedstock, the use of only Recrystallisation steps in purification and final Calcination. PFS affirms HPA focus King River chairman Anthony Barton said the PFS was an important milestone for the company. This PFS has effectively endorsed our strategy to initially focus on entering the global HPA market, then consider developments at a later date of other high value/high purity commodities sourced from the Speewah vanadium-titanium and fluorspar deposits, he said. The details Highlights of the PFS include: Production rate of 9,000 tonnes per annum of high purity alumina of 4N purity; Unit cash costs of A$8,987 per tonne HPA, or A$8.99 per kg HPA, during full production; Annual EBITDA of A$193 million; Annual pre-tax free cash flow of A$190 million; Pre-production project capital cost estimate of A$203.4 million; Project NPV before tax of A$1,043 million and IRR before tax of 50.8%; 25-year project revenue of A$7,027 million; 25-year project revenue of A$4,715 million; and 25-year project free cash flow of A$4,438 million. It also flagged the potential for King River to become a major global producer of HPA, outside of Japan, USA, Europe and China. Supports transition Barton said: These very positive study outcomes support the Kwinana Projects transition immediately towards a more detailed definitive feasibility study. Once in full production, the Kwinana Project has been modelled to deliver pre-tax $190 million average annual operating free cash flow. Shares have been almost 13% higher intra-day to 3.6 cents. Forecast HPA growth HPA is an essential ingredient in the production of LEDs and lithium-ion battery separators, both of which are used in clean energy and high technology applications, such as lighting and electric vehicles (EV) - as such, demand for HPA is expected to increase. The forecasted growth for HPA in excess of 99.99% purity (4N+) to 2028 is expected to be 53,000 tonnes, a compound annual growth rate of 13.7%. Currently, 4N+ HPA is fetching around US$24 per kilogram in over-the-counter large transactions. What makes King River different King River plans to produce HPA via a processing plant at Kwinana using locally produced or imported aluminium chemical feedstock. The companys ARC HPA process flowsheet uses conventional crystallisation purification and calcination technologies and unit components, and readily sourced reagents. This flowsheet has been demonstrated through laboratory-scale test-work to produce high recoveries of alumina into a high purity HPA product and is considered commercially scalable. The ARC HPA process has evolved through numerous laboratory leaching and precipitation studies undertaken on the mineral concentrates produced from KRRs Speewah Strategic Metal deposits in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, Barton added. Up next for Kwinana is a definitive feasibility study (DFS). In the meantime, it has started the development of a mini pilot plant to demonstrate that its process works at a larger scale. - Daniel Paproth Panther Metals invests in or acquires companies or projects within the natural resources sector which have the potential for growth and value generation over the medium to long term. The company will utilise their extensive international network to identify opportunities in base, precious and energy metals. The company will focus its search on highly attractive and established and politically stable mining jurisdictions such as Australia, North America and Canada. Commencement of grade control drilling is a key de-risking step within the companys strategy of development and further resource growth at the Bellevue Gold Project. ( ) (OTCMKTS:BELGF) has received a host of strong grade control drilling results from the southern region of the planned Tribune open pit that demonstrate the continuity of high-grade mineralisation at its Bellevue Gold Project in Western Australia. Highlights of the grade control drilling program include: 5 metres at 76.4 g/t gold from 55 metres including 2 metres at 176.6 g/t; 5 metres at 31.7 g/t from 43 metres; 5 metres at 30.5 g/t from 28 metres; 2 metres at 48.9 g/t from 20 metres; 5 metres at 17.1 g/t from 52 metres; 3 metres at 24.8 g/t from 42 metres; 5 metres at 14.5 g/t from 27 metres; and 5 metres at 12.5 g/t from 35 metres. De-risking project development The results demonstrate the excellent continuity of the high-grade mineralisation at Bellevue and further de-risk the project as well as reinforcing the robustness of the resource within the planned open pit development at Bellevue. Bellevue managing director Steve Parsons said: "These results provide more firm evidence that not only is the Bellevue mineralisation exceptionally high grade, but it also exhibits strong continuity. Whilst expected, the continuity is highly valuable because it helps underpin the de-risking and the successful development of the project. Long section looking east showing the area of the reported grade control RC drilling. Looking forward Bellevue now has two rigs exclusively drilling grade control at Tribune, one of which is dedicated to the open pit areas and the other to the early underground development areas. Assays for the Tribune diamond drilling are pending due to the prioritisation of Marceline and Deacon North drilling ahead of the Stage 2 Feasibility Study. In addition, step-out and infill drilling is ongoing at both the Marceline and Deacon North lodes with four surface rigs and two underground rigs targeting further resource growth. Underground development continues ahead of schedule with more than 2 kilometres of development completed. The Armand and Marceline declines are currently being accessed in conjunction with the rehabilitation of the existing decline. Shares have been as much as 5.5% higher to A$0.975 while the company's market cap was approximately A$710.7 million pre-open. At Einarson, Snowline is hoping to test the Jupiter zone, a 3 kilometre-long anomalous gold-in-soil values with mineralized quartz boulders that have assayed up to 25.2 grams per ton gold Snowline Gold Corp ( ) (OTCPINK:SNWGF) has said it is getting ready to kick off a new drill program at its Einarson gold project in Yukon, Canada. The Vancouver-based junior said it has mobilized a drill rig to the 61,000-hectare property in preparation for a 1,500 metre Phase I program consisting of between 200 to 300-metre shallow holes. Phase II will build on the surface exploration and drill results with an additional 1,500 metres that will cover targets on Einarson and the nearby Rogue project. Einarson encompasses multiple kilometres-scale geochemical anomalies prospective for Carlin-type gold deposits and multiple instances of structurally controlled quartz mineralization with grab samples grading up to 34.2 grams per ton (g/t) gold. Snowline is hoping to test a newly-defined zone at Einarson known as Jupiter, a three kilometre-long anomalous gold-in-soil values with mineralized quartz boulders that have assayed up to 25.2 g/t gold. The company told investors it believes the style of mineralization at Jupiter shows similarities to Newfound Golds Queensway project or Kirkland Lake Golds Fosterville mine. "We are very excited to begin drilling at Jupiter," said Scott Berdahl, COO of Snowline, in a statement. "Our first-ever drill programme will build on several campaigns of mineral discovery and target-defining exploration. The broad areal extent, high-grade surface samples, and geological similarities to large epizonal gold deposits make Jupiter a very prospective target." Snowline boasts one of Yukons largest mineral portfolios at more than 90,000 hectares, with more than 72,000 hectares in the famed Selwyn Basin that is home to both Einarson and Rogue. Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas Snowline Gold (CSE: SGD OTC: SNWGF) CEO Nikolas Matysek joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news the company has begun their 2021 drill program at their flagship project Einarson Project in the Yukon Territory. Matysek telling Proactive they are very excited to get the drill turning on the Jupiter Zone which so far has only seen surface work that had some compelling results. Reitzik will work closely with Cloud Nine management to "establish Cloud Nine as a leader in decentralized networks and storage technologies" among other initiatives Reitzik co-founded and managed public and private technologies for more than 20 years, serving as the CEO of DMG Blockchain Solutions ( ) ( ) (FRA:1JI0) announced it has appointed blockchain veteran Dan Reitzik as special advisor to the companys board of directors. The technology company, which specializes in decentralized network and storage, said Reitzik will work closely with Cloud Nine management to identify additional product areas, open up new lines of business, commercialize the company's latest technology products, build significant strategic distribution relationships, and establish Cloud Nine as a leader in decentralized networks and storage technologies. Reitzik co-founded and managed public and private technologies for more than 20 years, serving as the CEO of DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc ( ) until March 2021. We are very excited to welcome Dan to Cloud Nine, Cloud Nine President Sefton Fincham said in a statement. His extensive experience and significant expertise in blockchain solutions and corporate finance will be invaluable to Cloud Nine during its current phase of major technology developments. The entire board and executive team look forward to working closely with Dan and benefiting from his insights and perspectives as we move toward rapidly growing our business and becoming a global decentralized technology leader. Reitzik added that it was a great honour to join the Vancouver-based company. "Cryptocurrency was the first successful use case of decentralized and blockchain technology, and I am confident that decentralized networks and data storage will be just as successful, Reitzik said. Through its ownership of Limitless Technology, Cloud Nine has the proprietary technology and products for this massive decentralized movement, and I am excited to be a part of this growing technology company." Cloud Nine is a diversified technology company that focuses on leveraging its proprietary Web 3.0 technology products to enable the decentralized movement for consumers and business. Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas (CSE: HM) CEO Branden Haynes and Vice President of Investor Relations Clemence Bertrand joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news the company has signed an option to acquire 100% interest in a Gold Project in Quebec called Lava. Haynes telling Proactive the property is comprised of 41 mineral claims and about 2061 hectares. The Property is northeast of the city of Val dOr. Haynes talks about what he liked about the project, some of the historical work that has been done, and what they are planning to do this summer. "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 Chinese poachers who crossed Russian border to catch frogs sentenced to jail terms flickr.com/blurdom 11:54 16/06/2021 MOSCOW, June 16 (RAPSI) A court in Primorsky Krai sentenced two Chinese citizens, who had illegally crossed the Russian border to catch frogs and fish, to 19 and 18 months in a penal colony, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation informs RAPSI. Federal Security Service (FSB) operatives, who arrested the men, found 268 illegally caught individuals of Far Eastern frogs and 12 individuals of fish. As established by the court, two foreign citizens, acting as co-conspirators to extract aquatic biological resources (frogs and fish) on the territory of the Primorsky Krai, without proper permission, without having documents for the right to enter Russia, illegally crossed the state border of the Russian Federation, the statement reads. Chinese citizens were found guilty of illegal crossing of the state border of the Russian Federation without valid documents for the right to enter the country and without proper permission obtained in the manner prescribed by law, committed by a group of persons acting in collusion. Russian MPs back harsh punishment for arms traffic RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 12:37 16/06/2021 MOSCOW, June 16 (RAPSI) The lower house of Russian parliament finally passed an initiative on severe punishment for illegal trafficking in weapons and explosives on Wednesday, a statement on the website of the State Duma reads. The initiative envisages imprisonment for up to 12 years for illegal producing and trafficking in large caliber firearms, ammunition and explosives. Sale of blasting compositions will be punishable by prison terms for up to 20 years. Moreover, the legislative proposal stipulates imprisonment for up to 4 years for illegal producing and sale of air weapon with the projectile force upwards of 7.5 joules. Currently, such actions are punishable under administrative legislation. State Duma lawmakers adopt ban on public demonstration of Nazi leaders RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 15:26 16/06/2021 MOSCOW, June 16 (RAPSI) A bill prohibiting public demonstration of images of Nazi Germany leaders passed its third and final reading in Russias State Duma on Wednesday. The initiative bans demonstration of extremist images of leaders, organizations or movements declared criminal in accordance with the ruling of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg as insulting people of all ethnic groups and memory of the Great Patriotic Wars victims. Under the draft law, absence of propaganda and Nazism justification or cases when such images are used to create negative attitute towards the Nazi ideology will be exception. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Over 1.5 lakh schools, recognized by the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Board (UPBEB), which were closed till June 30 due to the pandemic, will now reopen on July 1 for teachers and academic staff. According to an order issued on Tuesday night by secretary, UPBEB, Pratap Singh Baghel, students will not attend schools till further orders. "Schools may call teachers and employees based on requirement," the order said. For schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), the respective school management committees (SMCs) will decide on calling teachers and administrative staff from July 1. "SMCs will be authorized to take any decision for schools other than UPBEB," said Baghel. After reopening, government schools will undertake activities to ensure 100 per cent enrolment of students, distribution of food security allowance (for mid-day meal) and free books to students in a time-bound manner. Schools have also been asked to finish the tasks under 'Operation Kayakalp', which aims at providing basic facilities like toilets, boundary walls, drinking water and other amenities. Schools have also been instructed to continue e-pathshala under Mission Prerna till the children begin to return to the campus. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that the Code of Conduct negotiations will lead to positive outcomes in the South China Sea as tension escalated in the waters, causing concern all the nations in the region and beyond. The minister asserted that India supports freedom of navigation, over flight, and unimpeded commerce in these international waterways. Singh was referring to escalating territorial tensions in the South China Sea in recent weeks. China lays claim to nearly all of the South China Sea while other countries also claim parts of the region leading to territorial disputes in the region. China's sweeping claims of sovereignty over the sea have antagonized competing claimants Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Earlier this month, Malaysia scrambled jets to intercept Chinese aircraft it accused of breaching its airspace. The persistent presence of Chinese vessels in its economic zone, Philippines has protested. Seeing threats from China, Vietnam expanded its maritime forces and Indonesia decided to bolster its Navy. Addressing the 8th meeting of defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Singh said India calls for a free, open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific, based upon respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and adherence to international rules and laws. The ministers gathered online for a meeting hosted by Brunei, this year's ASEAN chair. "India has strengthened its cooperative engagements in the Indo-Pacific based on converging visions and values for promotion of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region," the minister said. Premised upon the centrality of ASEAN, India supports utilization of ASEAN-led mechanisms as important platforms for implementation of our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific, he asserted. India's engagement with the South East Asian region, of which ASEAN has been a primary component, is based on its 'Act East Policy' announced by Prime Minister Narender Modi in November 2014. Key elements of this policy are to promote economic cooperation, cultural ties and develop strategic relationships with countries in the Indo-Pacific region through continuous engagement at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels. "Maritime security challenges are another area of concern to India," the minister said. The Sea lanes of Communication are critical for peace, stability, prosperity and development of the Indo-Pacific region. In this regard, developments in the South China Sea have attracted attention in the region and beyond, Singh said. "India supports freedom of navigation, over flight, and unimpeded commerce in these international waterways," he said. India hopes that the Code of Conduct negotiations will lead to outcomes that are in keeping with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and do not prejudice the legitimate rights and interests of nations that are not party to these discussions. The minister also spoke about terrorism and cyber threats during his address to his counterparts. Talking about terrorism, Singh said terrorism and radicalization are the gravest threats to peace and security that the world is facing today. India shares global concerns about terrorism and believes that, in an era when networking amongst terrorists is reaching alarming proportions, only through collective cooperation can the terror organizations and their networks be fully disrupted, the perpetrators identified and held accountable, and strong measures be undertaken against those who encourage, support and finance terrorism and provide sanctuary to terrorists. "As a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), India remains committed to combat financing of terrorism,a the minister said. Cyber threats loom large as demonstrated by incidents of ransomware, Wannacry attacks and crypto currency thefts and are a cause of concern. A multi-stakeholder approach, guided by democratic values, with a governance structure that is open and inclusive and a secure, open and stable internet with due respect to sovereignty of countries, would drive the future of cyberspace. He also said that India shares a deep connect with ASEAN and has continued its active engagement in many areas contributing to regional peace and stability, particularly through ASEAN led mechanisms. A day after her rebel legislators met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati mounted a blistering attack on SP. She blamed the 'divisive and hatred-filled forces' of planting stories in the media about the BSP legislators defecting to other parties. In a series of tweets, she termed the reports as a 'mirage' of sorts. She said, "These MLAs have already been suspended when they were prompted to defeat a Dalit candidate at the behest of SP and a corporate entity. However, there is no split in BSP." She further said, "If the SP was honest about these legislators, it would not have left them out. The SP knows that if it takes these MLAs, then there would be a revolt in SP because there are many MLAs there who are ready to join the BSP." The BSP president went on to state that, "Everyone knows that the character of Samajwadi Party is always anti-Dalit and nothing has changed over the years. The SP governments have never worked for the welfare of Dalits. Their government even changed back the name of Bhadohi which had been changed to Sant Ravidas Nagar." Mayawati said that the media reports of suspended BSP MLAs meeting SP leadership seems to be because of the upcoming Zila Panchayat elections. It may be recalled that the rebel BSP legislators had met SP president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday and later BSP MLA Aslam Raini said that they would form a separate party as soon as they reached the requisite number of 12. He said that at present, there are 11 MLAs who have revolted against the BSP leadership. The BSP has 19 MLAs in the state Assembly and two of them --Lalji Varma and Ram Achal Rajbhar -- were recently expelled from the party. Seven MLAs had earlier been suspended last year by the BSP and two more had joined the rebel group later. Ravi Shankar Prasad A day after micro-blogging platform Twitter said that it has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said that the US-based company has failed to comply to the new intermediary guidelines. In a series of tweets, the minister came down hard on the platform over its reluctance to comply with the new norms. "There are numerous queries arising as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbour provision. However, the simple fact of the matter is that Twitter has failed to comply with the Intermediary Guidelines that came into effect from the 26th of May," Prasad said. He also said that Twitter was given multiple opportunities to comply with the same, however it has "deliberately chosen" the path of non-compliance. Observing that the culture of India varies like its large geography, he said in another tweet: "In certain scenarios, with the amplification of social media, even a small spark can cause a fire, especially with the menace of fake news. This was one of the objectives of bringing the Intermediary Guidelines." "What happened in UP was illustrative of Twitter's arbitrariness in fighting fake news. While Twitter has been over enthusiastic about its fact checking mechanism, it's failure to act in multiple cases like UP is perplexing & indicates its inconsistency in fighting misinformation," he said. Ravi Shankar Prasad said that it is astounding that Twitter which portrays itself as the flag bearer of free speech, chooses the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to the intermediary guidelines. "Further, what is perplexing is that Twitter fails to address the grievances of users by refusing to set up process as mandated by the law of the land. Additionally, it chooses a policy of flagging manipulates media, only when it suits, its likes and dislikes," he said. Further, in another development, official sources have said that Twitter has lost its status as intermediary platform in India as it has not complied with new guidelines. The European Union (EU) and the United States held their first summit in seven years on Tuesday as US President Joe Biden was on his first overseas trip since taking office to revamp the transatlantic ties. During the summit in Brussels, Biden met European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the leaders agreed to cooperate more on trade, investment and preparation for future global health challenges, the Xinhua news agency reported. Von der Leyen told a press conference following the summit that bilateral trade and investment between the two sides were "unrivaled," and the trade was worth almost one trillion euros in 2020 despite the Covid-19 pandemic, she said. The EU and the US agreed on a truce in their long-standing conflict over aircraft subsidies. The dispute over subsidies for US planemaker Boeing and its European rival Airbus has resulted in parallel cases filed at the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2004. Both sides had agreed in March to a four-month suspension of tariffs on $11.5 billion of goods from EU wine to US tobacco and spirits, which they had imposed during the dispute. During the summit, both sides agreed to remove the tariffs for five years until they continue discussions on an overarching deal on the subsidies. They also agreed to establish an EU-US Trade and Technology Council with a view to expand bilateral trade and investments and discuss how to avoid new unjustified technical barriers and how to cooperate in areas with high potential from both economies. According to a joint statement issued after the summit, the leaders set a Joint Transatlantic Agenda for the post-pandemic era and commit to regular dialogue to take stock of progress. On the Covid-19 vaccines, they agreed to set up a joint task force to move faster and quicker to help vaccinate the world. Biden arrived in Brussels from Cornwall, Britain, where he attended the Group of Seven summit. He joined the leaders of other NATO members for a summit in Brussels on Monday. Following the EU-US summit, Biden left for Geneva, where he would meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/16/2021 -- According to the new market research report "Disposable Medical Device Sensors Market by Product (Biosensor, Image sensor, Accelerometer), Type (Strip Sensors, Invasive Sensors, Wearable Sensors), Application (Diagnostic Testing, Therapeutics, Patient Monitoring, Imaging) - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Disposable Medical Device Sensors Market is projected to reach USD 9.4 billion by 2026 from USD 6.5 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 7.7% during the forecast period. Browse in-depth TOC on "Disposable Medical Device Sensors Market" 163 Tables 34 Figures 206 Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=1259 The Market growth is largely driven by rising concerns over hospital-acquired infections and contamination, the increasing incidence of target conditions, the growing demand for home-based medical care devices, significant technological advancements in the last few years, and government support for R&D activities for these devices. Biosensors segment accounted for the larger share of the global disposable medical device sensors market in 2020. Based on products, the medical device sensors market is segmented into biosensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, image sensors, and other sensors. The biosensors segment accounted for the largest share in 2020. The large share of this segment can be attributed to the wide usage of these sensors in glucose test strips, infectious disease test strips, pregnancy test strips, drug and alcohol test strips, and continuous blood glucose monitoring. By type, the Strip Sensors segment accounted for the largest market share in 2020. Based on type, disposable medical device sensors are segmented into strip sensors, wearable sensors, invasive sensors, and ingestible sensors. The strip sensors segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2020. The large share of this segment can be attributed to the extensive usage of glucose test strips and infectious disease test strips and the increasing prevalence of diabetes and other infectious diseases across the globe. The widespread adoption of these sensors in diagnostic applications due to their varied benefits, such as cost-effectiveness, ease of use, non-infectious nature, and faster results, also supports market growth. By Application, Diagnostic Testing accounted for the largest market share in 2020 Based on applications, the disposable medical device sensors market is segmented into patient monitoring, diagnostic testing, therapeutics, and imaging. The diagnostic testing segment accounted for the largest share in 2020. The large share of this application segment can primarily be attributed to the rising incidence of lifestyle diseases across the globe. The widespread usage of glucose test strips, infectious disease test strips, and pregnancy test strips in homes as well as in clinics is another factor driving the market growth. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=1259 The medical device sensors market is divided into five regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. North America dominated the global market. The large share of the North American region is mainly attributed to the rising incidence of HAIs and chronic diseases in the region. Further, the availability of technologically advanced sensor-based disposable medical devices due to the presence of major players in the North American region also support the market growth. The major players in the disposable medical device sensors market are Abbott (US), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Switzerland), Medtronic (Ireland), Texas Instrument (US), Platinum Equity Advisors LLC (US), NXP Semiconductors (Netherlands), General Electric Company (US), TE Connectivity (Switzerland), STMicroelectronics (Switzerland), Honeywell International Inc. (US), Analog Devices, Inc. (US), Smiths Group Plc (UK), and Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands) Speak to Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=1259 Kington, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/16/2021 -- There is a limit to how much information can be stored within a QuickBooks company file. For Pro and Premiere, a company file cannot exceed 250Mb and for Enterprise, it cannot exceed 1.5GB. Moreover, QuickBooks Premier and Pro have a hard limit of 14,500 names in the data file. A name is a customer, vendor, account, employee, item or other name. Once that limit is reached for the combined list of names, an upgrade to the costlier QuickBooks Enterprise would be called for," E-Tech's John Rocha said. Users find that common indicators of corrupt files include getting booted out of the company file, sudden shut downs without reason, company file cannot be opened, important information is missing from the company file, balance sheets are out of balance and contain incorrect information, transactions cannot be saved or are missing from records, foreign symbols are replacing names or numbers and the company file is lagging Condensing or SuperCondensing a data file does not only bring down the size of a data file but also removes any unused lists from the file. E-Tech offers an exclusive service to reduce the list size based on specific criteria specified. With E-Tech'sList Reduction Services, users are able to regain control over their data, keeping it specific to customers, vendors or items. The List Size Reduction Service reduces list items in a data file without the loss of any historical transactions. For more information on this service, visit https://quickbooksrecovery.co.uk/quickbooks-file-data-services/quickbooks-list-reduction-service/ About E-Tech E-Tech is the leading service provider of QuickBooks File Repair, Data Recovery, QuickBooks Conversion and QuickBooks SDK programming in the UK and Ireland. In their 20 years plus of experience with Intuit QuickBooks, they have assisted over 1000 satisfied customers with their requirements. E-Tech UK covers US, UK, Canadian, Australian versions which include Reckon Accounts, and New Zealand versions of QuickBooks through PC and Mac platforms. For media inquiries regarding E-Tech, individuals are encouraged to contact Media Relations Director, Melanie Ann via email at Melanie@e-tech.ca. To learn more about the company, visit: https://quickbooksrecovery.co.uk/. Media Contact Melanie Ann E-Tech 61 Bridge St. Kington HR5 3DJ Melanie@e-tech.ca www.quickbooksrecovery.co.uk In the lead-up to our virtual June Convocation 2021 (June 24-29) we'll be sharing stories from across our eight faculties about some of our amazing graduands. You can read more stories here. Be sure to share your convocation celebrations with the hashtag #MySFUGrad. By Michael Wu SFU philosophy student Bianca Verjee started her life at SFU with an interest in psychology. However, after exploring courses in psychology as well as computer science, linguistics, and cognitive science, she found herself drawn toward the philosophical aspects of those disciplines and pursued philosophy as a major for her BA program. Verjee says courses like PHIL 203: Metaphysics and PHIL 421W: Advanced Topics in Ethical Theory Reasons and Rationality really sparked her curiosity. However, another side of the discipline solidified her switch. In philosophy, people actually take the time to hear and fully understand the points of others before giving a reply. Argumentation isnt about being right, or who speaks the most; its about finding the right answer together. Verjee explains that, during discussions with friends and family, she had frequently been told that she needed to be more assertive and would frequently be talked over and criticized for being too particular. However, in a philosophy classroom, she found the environment to be quite different. Philosophy is about truth and discovery, she states. I learned that good argumentation is about clarity and precision, and I was never criticized for being too particular. Finding her voice in philosophy was a revelation. Realizing that her biggest strengths were her patience and ability to teach, Verjee set her sights on becoming a philosophy professor, and began pursuing a minor in educational psychology to complement her degree. Verjees affinity for education and languages also led her to take American Sign Language (ASL) classes, where she fell in love with the language and began to learn more about Deaf culture. She was surprised to learn that SFU did not have an ASL club, and Verjee took it upon herself to start the SFU American Sign Language Club, where she strove to bring awareness of Deaf culture and to help students learn ASL. In our meetings, we watched videos to learn about Deaf culture and played games to practice communicating visually. I also arranged field trips to Deaf events in the community, such as the annual Deaf Deaf World event at Vancouver Community College. Verjee also helped create a community online by creating the Facebook group, ASL Enthusiasts. The group is very active and has more than 200 members (the majority of whom are from Greater Vancouver), and everyone is engaged in Deaf culture and learning ASL. The highlight of running the ASL club was sharing my passion for ASL with other students and being able to raise awareness about Deaf culture and the challenges faced by the Deaf community. I also gained valuable leadership skills, Verjee says. Verjee also spent time during her degree volunteering as a writing and learning peer educator at SFU. As a peer educator, Verjee worked with fellow students on their assignments, and helped them learn and practice strategies for academic success like study skills, note-taking, time management, exam preparation, and a variety of academic writing strategies. It was a challenging but very rewarding experience, she says. The appreciation expressed by the students I worked with and the look of relief when they received help with an assignment they were stressed about made this experience really meaningful. It also provided me with a great boost of confidence to know that I will be a successful educator, Verjee adds. With a passion for teaching and her sights on a career in academia, Verjee will begin her MA in philosophy at UBC this fall, and says she looks forward to continuing her fascination with philosophical ideas. Verjee has already spoken at two philosophy conferences and has one journal article publication under her belt, with another on the way. She plans to continue engaging with complex ideas and looks forward to attending more conferences in the future. When asked what words of wisdom she can offer new undergraduate students, Verjee maintains that patience is a virtue. Philosophy is a very complex subject that can be hard to wrap your head around. The readings are densely packed with ideas, and introductory classes are often a bit dry (though they are an important foundation). However, once you get it and start exploring topics beyond the introductory material, the subject matter is truly fascinating, and you will gain skills in reading, writing, and argumentation that will serve you well in whatever you do in the future. Everything seems prepared: the U.S. ambassador with CIA credentials, a dirty tricks man with a habit of going to the embassy for help and with a record of asking the United States to malign the left, a grand old man with an allergy to his own people, and a candidate whose father was backed by the oligarchy when he conducted a self-coup in 1992. by Jose Carlos Llerena Robles and Vijay Prashad Pedro Castillo of the Peru Libre party has already begun to receive congratulations from around the world. It is beyond doubt that he won the June 6 presidential election. The Peruvian electoral authority, ONPE, announced the final results: Castillo won 50.127 percent of the vote (8.84 million votes), while his opponent in the second round, Keiko Fujimori of Fuerza Popular, won 49.873 percent (8.79 million votes). This is with 100 percent of the votes. By all accounts, Fujimori has lost the election. Pedro Castillo However, Fujimorithe candidate of the righthas refused to concede. In fact, she has hired the very best of Perus legal minds to challenge the election results. Within hours of the election tallies being available, Fujimoris team filed 134 challenges within the window of opportunity; they have another 811 challenges in hand. Anyone who knows the Peruvian legal fraternity will realize that some of the most important names are on the Fujimori roster: Echecopar; Ghersi; Miranda & Amado; Payet, Rey, Cauvi, Perez; Rodrigo, Elias & Medrano; Rubio Leguia Normand; and Rebaza, Alcazar & De Las Casas. In Lima alone, the team had more than 30 lawyers at work. The Fujimori team had assembled these lawyers before the vote, anticipating the possibility of a Castillo victory and the need to tie him up in the courts. The white-collar legal army put in place a racist lawfare strategy; their entire game has been to invalidate the votes that are at the core of Castillos support base, namely the Indigenous communities of Peru. The United States appointed a new ambassador to Peru. Her name is Lisa Kenna, a former adviser to former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a nine-year veteran at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and a U.S. secretary of state official in Iraq. Just before the election, Ambassador Kenna released a video, in which she spoke of the close ties between the United States and Peru and of the need for a peaceful transition from one president to another. The presidential transition sets an example for the whole region, she said, as if anticipating a serious challenge. If anyone would know about interference in the electoral process in Latin America, it would be the United States. It would also be key members inside the team of Keiko Fujimori, such as Fernando Rospigliosi. Rospigliosi, a former interior minister under President Alejandro Toledo, joined the Fujimori team for just this kind of contest (for years, Rospigliosi had been very critical of the crimes committed by Fujimoris father, President Alberto Fujimori, who is now serving a prison sentence). Working with the U.S. Embassy is on the resume of Rospigliosi. In 2005, the former left-leaning military officer Ollanta Humala was set to enter the presidential race in April 2006. Every indication suggested that Humala, who had attempted a coup against Keiko Fujimoris father President Alberto Fujimori in 2000, has mass support. Some even thought that Humala would follow both Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia to draw Peru leftward. In that period, Rospigliosi went to the U.S. Embassy to seek support in preventing a Humala victory in 2006. On November 18, 2005, Rospigliosi and ex-Director of National Defense Ruben Vargas came for lunch to the embassy. They offered their concern over prospects that ultranationalist Ollanta Humala is establishing himself as a political force to be reckoned with. Rospigliosi and Vargas both worked for an NGO called Capital Humano y Social (CHS), which was under contract with the U.S. governments Law Enforcement and Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS). Both Rospigliosi and Vargas asked the U.S. Embassy to urge their communications contractor Nexum to monitor coverage of Humala and promote anti-Humala news and commentary in the coca regions. They wanted the U.S. Embassy to use its considerable resources to undermine Humala. These are old-fashioned dirty tricks. The United States was worried about Humala, about his statements against the U.S. military presence in Peru and his ties to Hugo Chavez. What Rospigliosi and Vargas said to the U.S. Embassy pleased the U.S. Humala lost the election in 2006. He would win in 2011, beating Keiko Fujimori; but by 2011, Humala had established himself as a candidate of the neoliberals, someone who the United States saw as harmless and useful. On May 19, 2011, Humala signed a text that yoked him to the neoliberal agenda (Compromiso en Defensa de la Democracia). At the gathering, he was blessed by Perus right-wing godfather, the novelist Mario Vargas Llosa. Vargas Llosa is a key figure here, using the prestige of his 2010 Nobel Prize in literature as weight. As results came in that Pedro Castillo has swept rural Peru, Vargas Llosa disparaged voters in the rural areas; he warned that Peru would become like Venezuela and that it would be a catastrophe for Peru. Marinated in the bile of racism, Vargas Llosa joined other intellectuals of the extreme right to belittle the Peruvian working class and peasantry, hoping that such remarks would give sufficient cover to the coup process underway inside the ONPE. Everything seems prepared: the U.S. ambassador with CIA credentials, a dirty tricks man with a habit of going to the embassy for help and with a record of asking the United States to malign the left, a grand old man with an allergy to his own people, and a candidate whose father was backed by the oligarchy when he conducted a self-coup in 1992. Pedro Castillo continues to hold the streets. The crowds will gather. They do not want their election to be stolen. But there is fear in Peru. Darker forces swirl about. Will the people be able to defeat them? This article was produced by Globetrotter. Jose Carlos Llerena Robles is a popular educator, member of the Peruvian organization, La Junta, and representative of the Peruvian chapter of Alba Movimientos. Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter. He is the chief editor of LeftWord Books and the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He is a senior non-resident fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. He has written more than 20 books, including The Darker Nations and The Poorer Nations. His latest book is Washington Bullets, with an introduction by Evo Morales Ayma. 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ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS). This will be a Multipoint Telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio between the ISS and students from these two schools. Students will take turns asking their questions of ISS Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, amateur radio call sign KG5FYG. French is the language expected to be used during the contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners who are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the ARISS radio telebridge station. ARISS team member Jan Poppeliers in Aartselaar, Belgium using radio call sign ON4ISS, will serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio station. Each student asking a question on the ARISS radio will be conferenced in from home or social-distanced at school. The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for June 17, 2021 at 1:40 pm CEST (La Norville, France) (11:40 UTC, 7:40 am EDT, 6:40 am CDT, 5:40 am MDT, 4:40 am PDT). Course preparations and learning activities prior to this ARISS contact have been a combined effort between two schools: College Albert Camus (Middle School) and Universite Paris-Saclay; and members of the amateur radio club of Viry-Chatillon (F5KEE). College Albert Camus (about 300 students ages 11-15) is in La Norville in a rural area, about 40 km south of Paris. The school provides students a classical STEM French curriculum with additional courses/activities focused on space-related sciences. Universite Paris-Saclay, in the Orsay/Gif/Saclay area offers Bachelor, Master and Doctorate programs, including mathematics, physics, medicine, and agriculture. The University internal colleges offer programs in science and engineering, life sciences and health, social sciences and humanities. Its 275 labs shared with CEA, CNRS, ONERA (French research labs) involve 48,000 students, 9,000 teachers and teacher-researchers, and 11,000 technical and administrative staff. Members of the amateur radio club of Viry-Chatillon offer students instruction on radio communicationactivities/workshops on radio theory/practice, intro to Morse code, antenna-building, fox-hunting, radio receiver building, and amateur radio regulations. The club will support the school during the contact. View the live stream of the upcoming ARISS radio contact at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04k4RGNxlgU&list=TLPQMTUwNjIwMjGIS3GJchfc6g&index=2 As time allows, students will ask these questions: 1. Avez-vous ressenti au second decollage les memes emotions quau premier? 2. A votre retour dans lISS avez-vous retrouve vos reflexes? 3. Quest-ce que vous trouvez complique en apesanteur? 4. Quelle est linfluence de lapesanteur sur les 5 sens? 5. Dans lEspace reve-t-on quon est en apesanteur? 6. Quelles sortes dexperiences realisez-vous dans lISS? 7. Quelles responsabilites aurez-vous en tant que commandant de bord? 8. Quest ce qui est le plus important pour vous derriere le nom de votre mission ALPHA? 9. Faites-vous des choses differemment lors de votre 2eme mission? 10. Quand on est en sortie extra vehiculaire, est-ce quon pense a lEspace autour de soi? 11. Appreciez-vous de la meme maniere les plats de Thierry Marx et Raphael Haumont qui ont ete prepares pour vous dans lEspace? 12. Quest-ce qui vous emerveille le plus dans lEspace? 13. Quel principal conseil pouvez-vous donner a la future selection des astronautes? 14. Quelle influence esperez-vous avoir sur la jeunesse? 15. Vu de lespace, qu'observez-vous de la presence de lHomme et de ses degats? 16. Pensez-vous que l'on pourra trouver les moyens d'une alimentation durable lors d'un long voyage spatial, par exemple avec des micro-algues? 17. En quoi votre experience sur l'ISS permet de preparer les prochaines missions vers Mars? 18. Quelles competences de votre formation vous sont utiles aujourdhui pour commander cette mission? 19. Comment gerez-vous psychologiquement la presence du vide? Translation 1. Did you feel the same emotions on the second launch as you did on the first one? 2. When you returned to the ISS, did you get back into your old habits? 3. What do you find complicated in zero gravity? 4. What is the influence of weightlessness onto the five senses? 5. In space, do we dream that we are weightless? 6. What kind of experiments do you perform on the ISS? 7. What responsibilities will you have as the ISS captain? 8. What is the most important thing for you behind the name of the mission ALPHA? 9. Are you doing things any differently on your second mission? 10. When you're on an EVA, do you think about the space all around you? 11. Do you enjoy Thierry Marxs and Raphael Haumonts dishes as much in space as you do on the ground? 12. What amazes you most about Space? 13. What advice would you give to the future selection of astronauts? 14. What influence do you hope to have on the younger generation? 15. As seen from space, what can you make of the presence of humankind and its damage? 16. Do you think we will be able to find a type of sustainable food which could be grown or cultivated during a long space trip, such as micro-algae? 17. How does your experience on the ISS help prepare for future crewed missions to Mars? 18. What skills acquired through your educational background and training are useful to you today to command this mission? 19. How do you psychologically deal with the presence of emptiness of space? ARISS Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASAs Space communications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org Media Contact: Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and @ARISS_status. New York (United Nations) 16 June 2021 (SPS)- The Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the UN, Nkopane Monyane, condemned the Moroccan attack against Sharawi civilians last November 13, 2020, calling on the UN General Assemblys Committee on Decolonisation to list the Western Sahara in order to get firsthand information on the latest development. While it is the obligation of all Member States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all peoples, it is disturbing that the Sahrawi people still endure the inhumane treatment meted by the armed Moroccan forces. We condemn all forms of attacks to the civilian population, Lesotho Permanent Representative stressed. He further urged the Committee to ensure its presence on the ground, as this will be vital to finding first-hand information regarding the circumstances on the ground. Further, we urge the Special Committee to show commitment through intense outcome based intense support to efforts of the UN Secretary-General in the relaunch of the peace process negotiations between the Frente POLISARIO and Morocco. Following is the full text of the statement, delivered by Lesotho Ambassador before the UN General Assembly's Committee on Decoloniation last Monday: ------------------------ Statement of H. E. Nkopane Monyane, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the United Nations during the C-24 Substantive Session - 14 June 2021 on the Questions of Western Sahara. Madam Chair Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, The question of Western Sahara has been on the Agenda of the UN for decades. Despite the UN General Assembly resolutions that have, over the called for the decolonization of Western Sahara and enabling its people to exercise their inalienable right to self- determination, the situation regrettably remains unresolved. Madam Chair Lesotho is deeply concerned about the contravention of the commitments under the OAU Settlement Plan that both parties welcomed three decades ago. This situation sadly undermines the integrity of our valued organization. We deeply condemn the November 2020 attacks into the Buffer Strip in Guerguerat that subjected civilian protesters to injury, groundless arrests, torture, and death. While it is the obligation of all Member States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all peoples, it is disturbing that the Sahrawi people still endure the inhumane treatment meted by the armed Moroccan forces. We condemn all forms of attacks to the civilian population and urge both parties to cease hostilities and engage in talks genuinely aimed at achieving a long- lasting solution and promoting human rights of the Sahrawi people. Madam Chair It is now three decades since the Security Council approved the Settlement Plan and subsequently established the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). It is however, deplorable that the self-determination referendum has not been held. In furtherance of this impasse the appointment of a Special Representative has been, for all too obvious reasons been blocked while the community of nations watches. We therefore reiterate our call to the Security Council to urgently facilitate a free and fair referendum on self-determination of the Sahrawi people in line with the General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 1960 comprehending the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to colonial countries and Peoples. Madam Chair While the current situation in Western Sahara is dire, it is appalling that the last visiting mission of the Special Committee on Decolonization was in 1975 - thirty one years ago. We therefore urge the Committee to ensure its presence on the ground, as this will be vital to finding first-hand information regarding the circumstances on the ground. Further, we urge the Special Committee to show commitment through intense outcome based intense support to efforts of the UN Secretary-General in the relaunch of the peace process negotiations between the Frente POLISARIO and Morocco. In conclusion Mr. President, Lesotho wishes to reiterate its call upon parties involved in the conflict on Western Sahara, to refrain from all destructive attempts intended to divert even the little progress that has been achieved thus far. Mr President It is regrettable that Western Sahara remains the only colony on the Continent of Africa in deliberate contravention of the principles of the United Nations Charter and the relevant United Nations resolutions. It is even more regrettable that the deplorable treatment is meted out to the People of Western Sahaby an African neighbor. I Thank you." (SPS) 090/500/60 (SPS) Student demonstrations came alongside manifestations and strikes by workers from all sectors. Their protests rattled the elite consensus, which since the fall of Pinochet in 1990 had not attempted to write a new Constitution for the country or bothered to formulate a path out of neoliberal suffocation. by Vijay Prashad and Taroa Zuniga Silva Javiera Reyes, who is 31 years old, is the new mayor of the Santiago municipality of Lo Espejo in Chile. I grew up in a home where [former President of Chile] Salvador Allende was always the good guy, she told us, and [military dictator] Augusto Pinochet was a tyrant. That marked my life. Reyes comment reflects the old divides that have convulsed Chiles politics since General Augusto Pinochets coup detat against former President Salvador Allende of the Popular Unity coalition on September 11, 1973. Javiera Reyes Almost 50 years have gone by and yet Chile is still influenced by the legacy of that coup and of the Pinochet dictatorship, which lasted from 1973 to 1990. The May 2021 election that propelled Reyes to the mayors office in Lo Espejo also voted in a new Constitutional Convention to rewrite the Pinochet-era Constitution of 1980. Reyes victory and the gains made by the left alliance to shape the new Constitution suggest that it is Allendes legacy that will shape the future and not that of Pinochet. Reyes is a member of the Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), which has rooted itself deeply in Chiles society over the past 109 years. A PCCh leaderDaniel Jaduewill be the lefts candidate in the presidential election to be held in November 2021. Jadue, like Reyes, is a mayor of a municipality in Chiles vast capital city of Santiago (a third of Chiles 18 million people live in Santiago). In the May 2021 election, he was re-elected to the mayoralty of Recoleta, which he has governed since 2012. There is a historical continuity in [PCChs] policy, Jadue told us, with the same horizonupdated, of course. No one is thinking of taking up statist projects [again] or socialism as it has been tried, but there is undoubtedly a historical continuity, and we are in one way or another participants in the dream of the people who in the 1970s sought to build a fairer country and who today seek exactly the same thing. Vote Without Fear Jadue leads in the November 2021 general election polls to replace Chiles right-wing President Sebastian Pinera. Already, the press has started reporting about the various stances taken by Jadue during his life, particularly his association in the 1980s with Palestinian activism. The smearing of candidates of the left has become part of the electoral process in Latin America: the extreme-right press in Ecuador said that the left-leaning candidate for president, Andres Arauz, had taken money from the Colombian left-wing guerrilla group ELN (National Liberation Army). The right-wing press also reported that Perus current presidential candidate Pedro Castillo, who is leading by a narrow margin, was similar to Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), which is a guerilla insurgency in Peru. Jadue dismisses these claims made against the leftist candidates. I want my entire record to be visible because I have nothing to hide, Jadue said when he spoke to us. The communists participated in the elections held on May 15 and 16 under the slogan Vote Without Fear (Vota Sin Miedo). This slogan comes from a long history, which is part of the partys legacy. The PCCh was banned, and its members were subjected to persecution over three periods: 1927-1931, 1948-1958, and 1973-1990. Pinochets dictatorship killed thousands of communists, including many key leaders. A swath of Chiles society was gripped by fear brought about by Allendes socialism, which was essentially a result of the hatred cultivated during Pinochets dictatorship. During this time, it takes courage to stand with the communists. Fear of communism has been diminishing, Reyes told us, because the PCCh elected officials have shown their constituents efficiency and compassion through their governance. Jadues Recoleta has become a showcase, with a municipal pharmacy, optical shop, bookstore and record store, open university, and real estate project operating free of any profit motive under Jadues vision as the mayor of the municipality. Javiera Reyes says that her communism is rooted in her conception of a municipal government that starts with the universalization of rights and the capacity to create conditions for a good life. The project of municipal socialism starts with health, education and common spaces, says Reyes. It is a project that is democratic and open to the community. Unlike Chiles right-wing mayors, the communist mayors in Santiago such as Reyes, Jadue and Iraci Hassler (who was elected in May 2021 to the mayoralty of Santiago Centro) put the role of women at the core of their policies, including mechanisms to tackle violence against women. They want to create a society without fear in the broadest sense possible. Penguin Revolution In 2006, students across Chile protested the privatization of education. Their mass struggle was called the Penguin Revolution because of their black-and-white school uniforms. The Penguin Revolution in 2006 was my first [introduction] to politics, Reyes told us. Reyes and Hassler both participated in the massive protests in 2011 and 2013 over the inequalities that marked the secondary and university education in the country. Reyes joined the PCCh during that period. Other students who are currently Chilean politicians, such as Camila Vallejo and Karol Cariola as well as Hassler, were already communists. Student demonstrations came alongside manifestations and strikes by workers from all sectors. Their protests rattled the elite consensus, which since the fall of Pinochet in 1990 had not attempted to write a new Constitution for the country or bothered to formulate a path out of neoliberal suffocation. In October 2019, high school students protested the rise of fares for public transport. This wave of protests, which is ongoing, began to define Chiles political life. With the slogan its not 30 pesos, its 30 years, the students have highlighted the need for a new Constitution. A New Chile Chile has the lowest electoral participation rate in Latin America. After 17 years of dictatorship, trust in the state structures had practically disappeared. Voting was compulsory until 2009, although registration to vote was not compulsory. Young people did not register with the electoral service (Servel). The demand for a new Constitution was a wake-up call for the youth. Data shows that more than half of Chiles young people between 18 and 29 years of age voted in the election, with women constituting 52.9 percent of the voters. Women and young people will shape the Constitutional Convention, just as women and young women in particularsuch as Reyes and Hasslerhave taken over the mayors offices. The 155-member Constitutional Convention is filled with young people like Reyes and Hassler, a sizable section of the left. The right wing was unable to win one-third of the convention, which would have given it veto power. This means that the new Constitution, which will be drafted in the next nine months, will have a progressive character. On June 18, Jadue faces a primary against Gabriel Boric, another student leader and now a leader of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front). All indications suggest that Jadue will prevail over Boric and then meet the candidates of the right in November. He will be the third communist to run for the presidency, following Elias Lafertte Gavino (1931 and 1932) and Gladys Marin (1999). If the polls are accurate, Jadue will be the first communist president of Chile. This article was produced by Globetrotter. Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter. He is the chief editor of LeftWord Books and the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He is a senior non-resident fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. He has written more than 20 books, including The Darker Nations and The Poorer Nations. His latest book is Washington Bullets, with an introduction by Evo Morales Ayma. Taroa Zuniga Silva is a writing fellow and the Spanish media coordinator for Globetrotter. She is the co-editor with Giordana Garcia Sojo of Venezuela, Vortice de la Guerra del Siglo XXI (2020) and is a member of the Secretaria de Mujeres Inmigrantes en Chile. She also is a member of the Mecha Cooperativa, a project of the Ejercito Comunicacional de Liberacion. State administration has shut down due to rail, health, bank and civil servants being AWOL and the countrys economy has collapsed by Ashok K Mehta Military coups, if successful, have instant rewards. Failure produces retribution of the worst kind. In stable democracies, the military is seen to be under civilian control and acting as per the Constitution. In totalitarian States like China, the military acts under the political guidance of the Chinese Communist Party power flowing out of the barrel of the gun. Finding the right civilian-military balance is not easy in developing countries. The most recent power friction was in Mali, the Colonels coup, enacted twice in six months, by the same Colonel. One of the Sudan coups was triggered by civil society. Coups were rampant in South America, then Africa and south-east Asia. Pakistan is a rare balance of military- civil authority where military has always (except a brief period after 1991) called the shots. In Turkey, the Ataturk design has been overturned and military put in its place, its constitutional rights abrogated. South Korea and Indonesia make interesting case studies in transfer of power to civilian authorities. There is no template for a coup, only an SOP. Countries under the Commonwealth have fared better in fixing the right civil-military equilibrium. Myanmar is a unique case of military-guided democracy where the third coup has just crossed 135 days and follows a 2008 military-drafted Constitution designed to produce a disciplined democracy via the military-supported Union Solidarity Development Party. According to the UN Human Rights office, 873 civilians have been killed and approximately 5,000 protestors detained and Myanmar has gone from being a fragile democracy to human rights catastrophe. Popular resistance to the coup has resulted in closure of State administration due to rail, health, bank and civil servants being AWOL and collapse of economy with criminal networks taking over underground markets. The junta claims law and order is under control, fewer protests and killings and military returning to employing non-lethal pacification methods. Dissent is less visible on the streets and in militarys estimate, resistance has peaked though it will not acknowledge this publicly. The resistance, comprising a shadow National Unity Government, Civil Disobedience Movement and a Peoples Defence Force supported by at least four ethnic armed organisations, has not lost steam even after four months. Attacks on military and police posts in the border States of Shan, Chin and Karen have attracted brutal reprisals. Unless the junta is reined in, Myanmarese fear an implosion (civil war) or/and explosion that would produce hundreds upon thousands more refugees fleeing to Thailand, India and China. Sanctions by the international fora instruments to regulate the behaviour of the military have not worked. A regional process of conflict termination and dispute resolution has made no headway even in selecting the Asean envoy eight weeks after it held a meeting in Jakarta on April 24, which produced a wobbly five-point consensus locating an exit strategy for the military based on constructive dialogue, release of all prisoners, ceasefire and restoration of normality. The UN, G7 and India, among others, have supported the Asean peace initiative. China has signalled its willingness to help if and when the regional process fails. Suspicion about Chinese hand in the coup is rampant in the country as Beijings stakes are very high. Most of the arson is of Chinese assets which two months ago was estimated at $37mn. Over the years, a love-hate relationship has developed between China and the military. But, more recently, China had established very productive relations with the NLD leadership. It is clear the junta will not allow the Chinese to meddle in its internal affairs, especially when anti-China sentiment is high and rising. This is a Godsend for military supremo Gen Min Aung Hlaing who has removed the retirement age of 65 for him to serve indefinitely beyond July. The kangaroo court set up by him to try NLD leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, met for the first time on May 24 and again on Monday. Her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw said that shes being charged with sedition and corruption to keep her out of the scene and smear her prestige euphemistically banning Suu Kyi and her party from politics and despatching her into oblivion is the juntas exit strategy for her. The UN rights office has called the charges absurd and bogus. In its latest report, the Asian Network For Free Elections monitoring group has said that the results of the 2020 general elections were by and large representative of the will of the people. Gen Hlaing pines for the Thai model and is an ardent admirer of Thai Generals. He has an excellent backchannel with former General and now Prime Minister, PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha. Gen Hlaing has said elections will be held when the situation will permit. At play are two exit strategies with different endgames. The regional process or Asean initiative seeks to restore the hybrid power-sharing model through a negotiated solution as exit for the military. The Generals endgame is to debar NLD and retire Suu Kyi to ensure a USDP electoral victory. In the Burma coup, it is advantage Gen Hlaing. (The writer, a retired Major General, was Commander, IPKF South, Sri Lanka, and founder member of the Defence Planning Staff, currently the Integrated Defence Staff. The views expressed are personal.) Lake Charles, LA (70615) Today Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours. Thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. High around 90F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low around 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. All of the ships 1,400 crew members were vaccinated June 4 and would be considered fully vaccinated on Friday, well ahead of the cruise, Bayley said. The positive cases were identified after the vaccinations but before they were fully effective, he said in a statement posted Tuesday night on Facebook. The independent companies that issued and offered the notes are not owned by Seeman Holtz and they are the entities named in the lawsuit. Seeman Holtz does not own an interest in these independent companies. Additionally, there is collateral to back these notes and the management of the independent companies is working to address any investor concerns, the spokesman said. Police released a description of the suspect earlier in the day. He was described as thin, with brown hair and brown eyes, and wearing black shorts with no shirt. The attempted sexual assault happened at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday near a canal in on the south side of West Boynton Beach Boulevard, west of Jog Road. The majority of the area appears to be densely populated, with suburban homes lining the streets in nearly every direction. The sheriffs office said the teen lives in the area. The best thing we can do is keep living our best lives and be in support of freedom and rights for all other populations that are sidelined or have to struggle in that regard so that we can bring everyone up together and show the rest of the world that better for one is better for all, she said. This gift is a sign of trust and validation of our direction, and of the promising work that lies ahead for us and all our partners, Broward College said in a news release. Together we can build a better Broward. We began this important work with limited investment, and now, we are well on our way to achieving our bold objectives. The issue has evolved into a legal and political battle between DeSantis and the federal Centers for Disease Control, centering on whether state or federal authority governs cruises that use Florida ports. Cruise ships became an early face of the coronavirus pandemic last year when infections were spreading quickly on board and some ships had trouble finding places that would allow them to dock and disembark passengers. In another loss last month, a judge ruled against the Sheriffs Office to reinstate two deputies who were fired for allegedly failing to confront the Parkland school shooter in February 2018. Tony had been in office five months before he fired deputies Brian Miller and Joshua Stambaugh in June 2019, though under state law such an action could not be taken more than 180 days after the incident for which they were being disciplined. Of course, its all part of the culture wars and his attempt to recast himself from unsuccessful presidential candidate to warrior against the woke as he faces a potentially competitive reelection contest next year. Apparently, hes even trying to create a 2.0 version of Republicans attacks on Democrats as socialists which succeeded among many voters in Miami-Dade County except for 2024 hes going after Communist China, with his campaign sending targeted emails to specific anti-China voters, according to Axios. Agencies with K-9 operations should compile statistics on encounters the same way they track use of force incidents. After all, any K-9 contact could be considered a use of force. Agencies also should determine where K-9 bites lie in the use of force continuum. Is it reasonable and necessary to use a force that leads to a suspect being injured or hospitalized for refusing to come out of the bushes? After several months of investigations, officers from the specialist robbery unit of the National Police have made arrests and broken up a gang of thieves that was breaking into properties without leaving any trace of how they had gained access. According to sources, the criminals didnt leave the slightest hint of their presence in the property - they were so meticulous that they left the home as it was when the residents left. Owners were puzzled by having been the victims of a theft without anything being forced. And there were even those who even became suspicious of someone from their household due to the tidy way in which personal effects had been stolen from their home. With the arrests made in recent weeks, the National Police consider the gang, originally from Eastern Europe, disbanded. The break-in technique used by this group, which has been revealed by the police, consists of inserting a key with deformable aluminium sheets into the lock, which, with very precise movements, copied the notches and marks of the original key. From this they made a master key that allowed them to open the door without leaving any trace that the lock had been forced, because, in reality, it hadn't. The Junta de Andalucia has decided to advance giving the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine from twelve weeks after the first jab to ten weeks. The Ministry of Healths decision to bring forward the date of the second appointment follows concern about how the Indian variant is spreading in the UK. People who have already received an appointment to complete their full vaccination with the AstraZeneca formula will receive an SMS text message or telephone call to change it. The change of appointments will begin with people who are over 60 years old and will continue with those who are younger. Community transmission of the Indian variant has been recorded in other Spanish regions such as Madrid and Catalonia but, so far, Andalucia has only reported isolated, imported cases. However, there is a concern that the region could suffer from transmission in the community, especially with the start of the summer tourist season. The AstraZeneca vaccine prevents hospitalisation by 92 per cent, in fully-vaccinated people, according to data published by Public Health England. However, the protection against the Indian variant with a single dose is much lower and the effectiveness only increases after the second jab. Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has spoken, for the first time, about the end of the mandatory requirement to wear face masks outdoors, this Wednesday (16 June). He did so just hours before a meeting of the countrys Interterritorial Council of the National Health System (CISNS) between the Ministry of Health and the regions where the end of this coronavirus control measure is likely to be the main topic of debate. During his speech at a business meeting with the president of South Korea, Moon Jae In, who is on a state visit to Spain, the PM did not want to specify the precise moment when the mask will no longer be mandatory in public spaces outdoors, but most regions are betting that it could be between the end of June and the beginning of July. The head of government said that the epidemiological situation in Spain is improving, particularly due to the fact that "we have reached cruising speed in vaccinations". "In a few days we will have more than 15 million people fully vaccinated and, in a few weeks, 50 per cent of the population will have at least one dose. The roadmap is clear. Total vaccination is the bridge to full recovery, said Sanchez. 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 712-243-2624 or email circ@ant-news.com. if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi... 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. If you already subscribe to our print edition, sign up for FREE access to our online edition. Thanks for reading The Henderson News. Note: Special one-year subscription at a reduced price for first-time subscribers or for subscriptions that have been expired for at least one year those living in Jackson County and the Cherokee Indian Reservation (28719) addresses qualify. Offer good through Friday, Aug. 2, 2019. We accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover; we do not accept AMEX. Work is in ist final stages on The Residences, Dorchester Collection, a key luxury development in Dubai featuring a 5-star hotel and 39 high-end residences overlooking the marina at Marasi Drive in the Burj Khalifa District, with the completion targeted for later in the year. The Residences, Dorchester Collection, Dubai, has made significant progress in recent months, with a number of key milestones and accomplishments since the turn of the year, according to BSBG, an international design architect and executive architect with studios in London (UK), Dubai and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). BSBG was engaged midway through the concept stage as the executive architect and lead consultant for the project, working alongside concept architects Foster + Partners. Once the detailed design was complete, BSBG was novated to contractor Roberts Constructions under a Design & Build contract to see the project through to completion. The project is designed by Foster + Partners, and is comprised of two separate towers interlinked at various points by expansive open landscaped podiums, the hallmark of which are a series of free-standing white concrete columns standing at 36 m tall, stated the top design architect. "The landscape design is now in progress, and from our side BSBG is in the process of compiling the documents for the Building Permit BP 8 submission to Dubai Municipality," remarked BSBG Associate Hameed Syed, while providing the latest construction update. "Roberts Constructions achieved 10 million safe man hours on 10th March 2021, which was a great achievement, and they are currently preparing to handover the basement level 2 car park, and all apartments in the residential tower over to the client for commencing their fit-out works," stated Syed. "Externally, the facade is very close to completion, and many will have noticed that the concrete columns in the void of both the Residential and Hotel towers have been completed and the scaffoldings are now removed," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Netix Global, a leading smart building solutions provider headquartered in Schiphol-Rijk (Netherlands), is set to launch its Netix Novus Partner Programme in the region this September. A subsidiary of the SB Group International, Netix Global is a vendor-neutral iIBMS automation solutions provider, with a strong focus on sustainable smart buildings, smart cities, and energy efficiency. The company's global presence currently extends from Europe to the Middle East, US, India, Singapore, with upcoming debuts in Canada and Australia. The programme is aimed at driving a brownfield revolution in open protocol building automation solutions; as well as to empower building owners, operators, and Netix partners, with cutting-edge automation tools for seamless system integration. The programme will be unveiled during a press conference-cum-launch being held at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Live-streamed across 20 countries, this first-of-its kind hybrid industry event for the region will see over 1000 attendees from across the globe, joining digitally and in person. Netix Global BV plans to curate the conference-cum-launch as a platform that brings together eminent voices, industry experts, opinion makers, and thought leaders in the building automation and maintenance space. The conference tracks will address challenges and opportunities for the industry, across Energy, Automation, Sustainability, and Smart Building Solutions. According to Netix Global, the programme has already elicited strong interest among Netix partners across Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman, and India, well before the official launch. ODS Global, a Dubai-based company with a strong connected buildings, smart cities, sustainability and energy efficiency focus, has signed up as the first Platinum Partner under the programme, owing to their success the use of Netix solutions in several major projects in the UAE. Our relationship with Netix has helped us add several high profile clients to our portfolio, remarked Priyesh Bhatia, General Manager, ODS Global. "Netix's IoT and AI-based open protocol solutions played a crucial role in ODS Global being awarded contracts for 19 vertical communities, by Emaar, across Downtown Dubai and Dubai Creek Harbour; a three year maintenance contract for the building automation systems of 24 Damac Properties towers; the upgrade and maintenance of 3 Mazaya Towers' buildings; and system integration projects at the Jafza Convention Centre, the BVLGARI Resort in Jumeirah Bay, the Pullman Hotel, and the Emirates Airlines Staff Accommodation in Dubai, he added. Al Baraka Islamic Bank (AIB) has announced the successful handover of the first villa in Danat Al Baraka project, located in Jannusan, Bahrain. This comes following the banks announcement of exclusive financing offers under the Mazaya programme, in cooperation with the Eskan Bank and the Ministry of Housing, to provide housing solutions that are designed to meet the needs of Bahraini citizens. Built on a 73,514-sq-m area, Danat Al Baraka project features 211 modern villas with four different contemporary designs, each consisting of two floors with four rooms, a spacious hall, a kitchen and annex for a domestic worker, and a garage consisting of two parking spaces. It is considered the fifth in a series of Danat projects, which includes Danat Al Madina, Danat Al Riffa, Danat Al Seef and Danat Al Lawzi. Speaking at the handover ceremony, Fatema AlAlawi, the head of retail banking at Al Baraka Islamic Bank, said: "We are thrilled beyond words to be able to fulfill our part in meeting the residential needs of citizens and contributing to the development process, through the launch of holistic housing solutions that aims to raise the standards of living." "Thanks to the speed and efficiency of the financing procedures at our bank, we were able to successfully complete the handover of first house in the Danat Al Barakas project in record time," he stated. "Also a special thanks to the Ministry of Housing and Eskan Bank for their cooperation and speedy process that helped us deliver these high-quality services," said AlAlawi. This speedy handover reflects the endeavors and relentless efforts of our team to develop the quality of services provided to meet the needs of our esteemed customers, while ensuring that their banking transactions are completed efficiently and effectively," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Bahrain Bourse gave webinar attendees an in-depth overview of best practices in investor relations, and addressed how the nature of investor relations has changed and shared best practices for companies. This is in line with the Bourses aim to highlight the importance of investor relations functions and the effect of implementing investor relations best practices on the valuation and competitiveness of listed companies in the market. The Investor Relations Best Practice Guide Launch' webinar, brought together members from the Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA), IR practitioners, and other experienced investor relations and capital markets professionals. These included Andrew Tarbuck, Chair of the Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA); John Gollifer, General Manager MEIRA; Nishit Lakhotia,Head of Research of SICO; and Eline Hilal, Director of Investor Relations, Insurance & Corporate Secretary at Alba. The panel shared recent and relevant case studies about issuers that have implemented the practice, recent developments of investor relations in the region, and discussed the impact of the IR role on fair market valuation. Additional topics include investor targeting and use of management time for virtual investor meetings to budgeting and analyst calls. Marwa Al-Maskati, Director of Marketing and Business Development, Bahrain Bourse, and Board MEIRA, said: We are facing uncertain and difficult times impacting the nature of IR communication, and the purpose of this event is to provide guidance and clarity for listed companies to structure effective IR programs and strategies. The event highlighted the importance of our investor relations best practice guide and how it supports in creating a solid framework." She added: It is absolutely crucial, especially now, to have in place long-term effective investor relations programmes within listed companies to foster efficiency and enable transparency between all the parties including companies, investors, and analysts. "We find intricacies within individual markets, but it's important to note that the strong culture of providing information to the market, providing access to companies and being consistently transparent will always remain the same. Tarbuck said: As the GCC markets join the ranks of other international markets, it is important that we share successful case studies that further prove how invaluable the investor relations guide can be. Events and discussions such as these reflect our ongoing efforts and commitment to effectively engage with the investment community. The nature of IR has changed and it is our role to make sure companies can navigate this new terrain by utilising the IR best practice guide and the other resources. Bahrain Bourse launched the Investor Relations Guide in collaboration with MEIRA in late May 2021 to promote investor relations in the Kingdoms capital market, provide a framework for listed companies, and enhance corporate governance and transparency. --Tradearabia News Service Oman Air Holidays has partnered with WebBeds (a division of Webjet Limited) to enhance its digital booking experience and provide greater choice, flexibility and convenience to guests in search of innovative custom holiday packages in Oman. WebBeds global distribution network will be available to Oman Air Holidays as well as its outstations in international markets through seamless platform-to-platform API connectivity providing access to WebBeds extensive inventory of accommodation and other services including tailor-made travel arrangements, transfers and guided excursions. Mundher Al Shaikhani, Senior Manager at Oman Air Holidays, explained how the partnership with WebBeds brings booking versatility, expediency and reliability to travellers around the world in search of custom stays and experiences in Oman. Oman has captured the worlds imagination as a unique bucket-list destination in the Middle East and demand for a wide range of accommodation across the country has increased significantly in recent years. Our partnership with WebBeds boosts the inventory of rooms and services available to customers of Oman Air Holidays and allows us to provide real-time pricing and availability when creating our fly-and-stay itineraries and tailored packages. WebBeds is delighted to be part of this exciting partnership with Oman Air Holidays, powering its accommodation offering, enabling travellers to access and book flights, accommodations and attractions all in one convenient site. With our extensive global inventory of over 368,000 properties, including over 150 in Oman, we are confident travellers would be able to find an accommodation best suited for their vacation needs, said Amr Ezzeldin, WebBeds President for Middle East and Africa. As Omans leading Fly & Stay booking gateway, Oman Air Holidays is the preferred online destination for visitors to Oman in search of customised flight and accommodation packages, and for international flight and hotel packages available to outbound travellers. Integration with multi-award-winning Oman Air offers flexible pricing options and ease of connectivity to Muscat as well as onward travel to domestic destinations across the Sultanate. Oman Air Holidays was recently awarded the Safe Travels Stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and in March this year Oman Air received the Skytrax five-Star Covid-19 Airline Safety Rating and the Skytrax five-Star Covid-19 Lounge Safety Rating at Muscat International Airport. - TradeArabia News Service UNWTOs African Member States will work together to establish a new narrative for tourism across the continent. To better realise tourisms potential to drive recovery, UNWTO and its Members will also work with the African Union and the private sector to promote the continent to new global audiences through positive, people-centred storytelling and effective branding. With tourism recognised as an essential pillar of sustainable and inclusive development for the continent, UNWTO welcomed high-level delegates to the first Regional Conference on Strengthening Brand Africa. The conference featured the participation of the political leadership of host country Namibia, alongside public and private sector leaders from across the continent. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili welcomed the common determination to rethink as well as restart tourism. African destinations must take the lead in celebrating and promoting the continents vibrant culture, youthful energy and entrepreneur spirit, and its rich gastronomy, he said. Windhoek Pledge puts people first On the back of a series of workshops and a Ministerial Think Tank, UNWTOs African Member States unanimously endorsed the Windhoek Pledge on Advocating Brand Africa. Under the terms of the Windhoek Pledge, Members will engage both public and private sector stakeholders as well as local communities to build a new, inspiring narrative for tourism across the continent. They will identify positive, human-centred stories, and through strengthened partnerships with the media, showcase them to the world, reaching new and diverse tourism source markets. Over the coming weeks, UNWTO will work with all signatories to create a common roadmap towards establishing Brand Africa. This will include establishing common values and goals and identifying funding needs and opportunities as well as providing branding toolkits for destinations, including guidelines and recommendations and training and capacity building in market intelligence, digital marketing and data management. Bilateral meetings show support for tourism Alongside the conference, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili held high-level talks on the restart of tourism with President of Namibia Hage Geingob, as well as with the countrys Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and with the African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry Albert Muchanga. - TradeArabia News Service Chandigarh, Jun 15 (UNI) Categorically rejecting the Oppositions allegations on supply of vaccines to some private hospitals and procurement of Fateh Kits as politically motivated, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said there was no question of the state government making profits amid the pandemic, which it was battling hard to save lives. Lashing out at the Akalis and AAP for spreading misinformation to further their political ambitions and weakening the states war against Covid by raising non-issues, the Chief Minister charged the two parties with making motivated hue and cry to push their electoral agendas with an eye on the 2022 Assembly elections. Asserting that the state government had not indulged in any wrongdoing, the Chief Minister said quick and unusual decisions have to be taken in an emergency war-like situation. All protocols were strictly followed and emergency ruled were invoked to meet the crisis, he added. All decisions were taken in the interest of the people of the state, and all due procedures were followed, he said, terming media reports on alleged scams as nothing but sensationalism. 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. 2021 GCS Cultural Awards Call for Nominations Gibraltar Cultural Services, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, is opening the nomination process for this years Cultural Awards, which aim to celebrate the best of Gibraltars arts and culture. The GCS 2021 Cultural Awards will look at achievements ranging from 1st July 2020 to 30th June 2021, with the public encouraged to nominate individuals or groups, events, projects, and organisations throughout this specific one-year window. The categories are: Junior Award 15 years and under An individual or group of artists that has/have shown potential or has/have displayed real talent, during the last year. Youth Award 16 to 25 years An individual or group of artists that has/have shown potential or has/have displayed real talent, during the last year. Senior Award 26 years and over An individual or group of artists that has/have shown potential or has/have displayed real talent, during the last year. Best Education Project A project that has shown the power of the arts and culture, engaging the community, and creating high-quality artistic outputs and lasting impact. The Cultural Ambassador Award An artist or artistic endeavor which has promoted Gibraltars talent or the Rock as a destination to a wider audience, or helped put the Rock on the map, during the last year. The Gibraltar Cultural Services Award A discretionary award given to an individual or group based on an extraordinary achievement in that particular year. The Ministry of Culture Lifetime Achievement Award An award which recognises dedication, commitment, and services to the Arts. Minister for Culture, Prof. Dr John Cortes commented, These awards provide a valuable and much needed recognition of the role that Culture plays in our community and of the huge number of people who work hard within the world of the Arts. I urge people to respond and to send in their nominations, especially looking back on this past year when so many have been working tirelessly and against the odds to keep culture alive and relevant. It also gives the community a chance to be involved in the process and recognise those they feel deserve the nomination. The public is invited to submit their nominations by category in writing to Gibraltar Cultural Services, addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, GCS, 308 Main Street or via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Alternatively, you can complete a nomination form at the John Mackintosh Hall Reception. Closing date is Friday 16th July 2021. This years Cultural Awards Ceremony is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 3rd November 2021. Proceeds from the public telephone vote, which will run for some of the categories, will be donated to the GBC Open Day Fund. In partnership with the Container Control Programme (CCP) operated jointly by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the WCO COPES Programme1 organized a training course which was delivered online from 13 to 16 June 2021 in Iraq. The training course brought together 28 officials from Iraqi Customs, Police, Border Ports Commission and other law enforcement agencies in three locations. In its fight against the transportation of illicit goods in sea or air containers, the CCP is setting up Port Control Units and Air Cargo Control Units at key seaports and airports of recipient countries. Personnel working in these units are therefore benefiting from training courses provided for the purpose of improving their capacity in relation to risk management and targeting to detect illicit cargo and, subsequently, to establish Customs infringements and gather evidence. Trained officers are thus able to expedite effective controls while minimizing disruption to the flow of legitimate trade. This COPES training was organized to strengthen the enforcement capacities of the participants. The agenda for the week was structured around the full spectrum of Customs enforcement activities, from the establishment of a violation, its documentation, methods for gathering evidence and conducting seizures, storing seized evidence material all the way to presenting the case in legal / judicial proceedings. The participants appreciated the training which assisted in broadening the understanding that detections of illicit goods need sound and proper investigative and documentary procedures to become successful cases in the legal / judicial proceedings to follow. The CCP-COPES training for Iraq was funded by the US Department of State Export Control and related Border Security programme / EXBS and the European Union (Instrument for Stability and Peace). For further information about the COPES Programme, please send your request to: COPES@wcoomd.org. For further information about CCP, please send your request to:Norbert.Steilen@wcoomd.org. The 25th Meeting of the Revised Kyoto Convention Management Committee (RKC/MC) was held from 7 to 10 June 2021. Over 100 Participants joined the virtual Meeting via the KUDO platform. This RKC/MC meeting mainly focused on progressing the comprehensive review of the RKC with the goal of concluding Step 2 of the four-step framework. The four-step framework is an approach comprising the submission of proposals and development of recommendations as Step 1; assessment of developed recommendations against the RKC, its Guidelines and other existing WCO instruments and tools as Step 2; consideration of developed recommendations against agreed criteria for possible amendment to the RKC as Step 3, and development of amendment proposals in line with Article 6 and 15 of the RKC as Step 4. During the 24th RKC/MC Meeting, the Secretariat provided an update and the first draft of the findings of Step 2 that had been undertaken in consultation with proponents. Concepts were placed under various categories with a corresponding conclusion on how each component would be pursued. At this Meeting, the RKC/MC continued Step 2 with detailed discussions on the remaining concepts, including AEO, e-declarations, advance rulings, free zones, express/expedited shipments, structure, monitoring etc. As a result, the RKC/MC concluded Step 2 by the set deadline. To summarize Step 2, the Secretariat made a short presentation on the current status of proposals. Out of the 203 components considered under Step 2, 46% were assigned to categories 1 (potential amendment of the RKC) and 7 (potential amendment of the RKC and its Guidelines), to proceed for further considerations under Step 3, which entails consideration of developed proposals/recommendations against agreed criteria. Moreover, fruitful discussions took place regarding the way forward concerning Step 3 of the four-step framework, bearing in mind the criteria agreed upon during the 22nd RKC/MC Meeting. With this, the Committee is set to commence Step 3 at the next Meeting and thereafter embark on Step 4 where discussions on possible text could commence. The RKC/MC aims to finalize the four-step framework by March 2023. In his opening remarks, the Director of the Compliance and Facilitation Directorate, Mr. Pranab Kumar Das, expressed his satisfaction with the increase in the number of Contracting Parties from 127 to 128 since the last meeting held in March 2021. He warmly welcomed Jamaica as a new RKC Contracting party to the RKC. During this Meeting, Jamaica shared its experience on challenges faced in the accession process and the solutions found. Over the very productive four day Meeting, the RKC/MC provided guidance to Guatemala and other countries of the Americas region on their compliance with the RKC provisions so as to support them in their accession process. The next RKC/MC will be 13-17 September 2021. GRAND CANE, La. Thousands of people attended the Big W Trail Ride held outside of Grand Cane village limits Saturday. The crowds left some residents unhappy. Many attendees parked in business lots, on the sides of roads, and in residential areas in Grand Cane. Residents posted on social media about the overflow of cars, trash that was left behind, and a shooting that happened. Click here for a full story on events surrounding the event. Sunday afternoon, KTBS visited Grand Cane and the site of the trail ride. Roads were cleaned up and the area was quiet. The Whitaker family spoke with KTBS off camera regarding the event. The family explained that they can't control what people do, but their goal is to provide a family-safe atmosphere for everybody. The family said the trail rides had been happening for over 40 years. However, it started off as a family gathering; they rode horses and had fun. Now the event is the same, but on a much larger scale. The family said there have been larger crowds than normal over the past five years. But after pandemic restrictions dropped this year, an even larger crowd showed up. The family estimated about 3,000-4,000 in attendance. DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office estimated around 7,000. Wendell Whitaker said they they would have less issues if they had support from DeSoto deputies. Ahead of the event, they requested eight off-duty deputies as security but none volunteered. Instead, they had to hire private security, which is an option in the special events permit issued by the DeSoto Police Jury. KTBS reached out to DPSO regarding what the Whitakers said about security for their event. Sheriff Jayson Richardson said the Whitakers did ask for off-duty deputies to work security. Even though the permit doesnt set a number, Richardson they would have to hire a minimum of eight because of the increasing problems with violence, large crowds and shots fired at the trail rides. However, since no deputies wanted to work the trail ride, the Whitakers were told that last week they would need to hire other security. There have been two major events in the parish since COVID-19 restrictions lifted, both were trail rides. Someone was shot at the first one in May, then again Saturday night. KTBS spoke with Grand Cane Mayor Marsha Richardson, no relation to the sheriff, to get her take on the event. She said she wasn't aware the event was taking place over the weekend. "Grand Cane has no problem with the Whitaker trail ride; it's gone on for years," said Richardson. "They are responsible, fun, loving people who love their horses and like to trail ride. Marsha Richardson said the issue is the event draws additional crowds as the night goes on. "We were overwhelmed with the crowd," said Marsha Richardson. "We hope that the Police Jury will see fit to move their after party to a more public location. Maybe the airport, where it's more open and parking, plenty of parking." Marsha Richardson did acknowledge there was a lot of trash left. Her concern was the ability to accommodate attendees parking and safety hazards surrounding parking. In the end, she said she doesn't want anything to deter anyone from coming to Grand Cane and welcomes visitors. West Hartford (06107) Today A steady rain early. Showers with perhaps a rumble of thunder developing in the afternoon. Cooler. High 71F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Occasional rain. Low 58F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Marshall County Schools Names New Superintendent By West Kentucky Star Staff MARSHALL COUNTY - There is a new leader at the helm of the Marshall County School District as the board of education announced Steve Miracle as the new superintendent during a special called meeting on Tuesday.Miracle will replace current superintendent Trent Lovett who is retiring at the end of the month after 13 years as superintendent.Miracle is a Navy veteran having enlisted in the Navy after graduating from Henry County High School in Tennessee.He then went on to earn a Bachelors degree in education from Kentucky State University and Masters degree and Rank II in Education Administration from the University of Louisville. Miracle earned his Doctorate from the University of Louisville this past March.Miracle has worked in education for the past 21 years, most recently serving as the principal of Bullitt Central High School. He was also a finalist for Kentucky Superintendent of the Year in 2019 while serving as Trimble County's superintendent.Miracle will officially begin his three-year term as the district's new superintendent on July 1. Paducah Man's Sex Crime Trial Dismissed By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - The trial of a Paducah man charged with sex offenses ended abruptly on Monday.David Tindell was in McCracken Circuit Court, facing charges of use of electronic communications to procure a minor for sex, and possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor. The charges stem from an arrest in September 2019, when police said they found child porn after investigating conversations on social media between Tindell and a child.Commonwealth's Attorney Dan Boaz told West Kentucky Star the victim in the alleged crime was not physically or emotionally able to testify at the trial, so Judge Tim Kaltenbach issued a directed verdict, dismissing the case. Police Identify Vehicle Break-In Suspect By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - Thanks to the publics assistance, McCracken County Sheriffs Office has been able to identify a suspect in a recent string of vehicle break-ins.Detectives said the suspect is 20-year-old Mariah Day of Bloomington, Indiana.Detectives learned that Day has fled out of state since the thefts. They have obtained warrants for her arrest and are working with out of state authorities in an attempt to locate Day.The thefts were reported late last week in the area of Valor Court, Clarkline Road and Champion Lane.Several people said their vehicles had been gone through during the overnight hours. Firearms, cash and other various items were all stolen from the vehicles.Residential security cameras in the area captured the same person going through multiple vehicles. Paducah Shooting Suspect Turns Himself In By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - A wanted suspect in a shooting from Sunday night in Paducah has been arrested after turning himself in.According to the Paducah Police Department 29-year-old Stanley D. Crume of Cairo, Illinois turned himself in to authorities Wednesday morning and was arrested on a warrant charging him with first-degree wanton endangerment.Sunday night, officers were called to multiple reports of shots fired in the area of Glenwood Drive. No injuries were reported, but one home on Glenwood Drive was struck by gunfire.Officers allege that Crume went to a home on Glenwood Drive looking for someone related to 20-year-old Darrius White, who was killed in the Colony Drive shooting on June 8. Crume reportedly produced a handgun, and an argument ensued. Authorities say that Crume then fled and fired multiple shots as he ran. Brownsville's Beech Grove Road To Remain Open By West Kentucky Star Staff FULTON COUNTY - The Fulton County Fiscal Court chose not to close a section of roadway in the Brownsville community at their meeting on Tuesday.The board members had discussed options of Beech Grove Road, which joins two sections of the rural community.Fulton County Attorney Rick Major researched options, and made a presentation at the meeting.The Fiscal Court voted unanimously for a travel at your own risk minimal maintenance designation, and will place signs at both ends of the road that point out the situation. Missing Mayfield Teen Found Safe By West Kentucky Star Staff MAYFIELD - The Mayfield Police Department is reporting that the missing teen has been found and is safe.Mayfield Police are looking for a missing teen.Police said 16-year-old Sabrina J. Rainey was last seen about 11 pm on June 8 as she went to bed at her home in Mayfield.She is 5'4" tall and weighs 101 pounds.Sabrina was last seen wearing military pattern camo pants, white Fila shoes and a silver ring on one finger.Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact Mayfield Police using their 24-hour non-emergency number at 270-247-1621. Callers can remain anonymous. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 22:40:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close As Shanghai Cooperation Organization turns 20 on June 15 this year, experts look back at its achievements and look to its future. Watch GLOBALink to find out. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 23:10:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Dozens of dragon boat athletes raced in Cairo's Nile River in Egypt to celebrate China's annual Dragon Boat Festival, a tradition festival that has a history of more than 2,500 years. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 23:30:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Aerial photo taken on April 27, 2021 shows staff members working at the 500-KV Jinshan electricity substation in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. (Xinhua/Liu Chan) BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, expanded 12.5 percent year on year in May as the country's economy continued to recover steadily, official data showed on Tuesday. Total power use was 672.4 billion kWh last month, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA). In May, power consumption by primary and secondary industries rose 13.9 percent and 11.5 percent from a year ago, respectively, while that used by tertiary industries surged 23.4 percent year on year. The secondary industry was the major driver of the growth in the total power consumption during the period, contributing to around 65 percent of the total increase, said the NEA. Residential power consumption registered a 5.6-percent yearly increase in May. In the first five months of the year, China's power consumption totaled 3.23 trillion kWh, up 17.7 percent year on year, data from the NEA showed. China's economy grew 18.3 percent year on year in the first quarter, as strong domestic and foreign demand powered recovery from a low base in early 2020 when COVID-19 stalled the world's second-largest economy. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 23:34:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Comorian President Azali Assoumani awards a medal and honorary certificate to Meng Qiang, head of the Chinese medical aid team, in Moroni, Comoros, June 15, 2021. Comorian President Azali Assoumani on Tuesday expressed his gratitude to the Chinese medical aid team sent to Comoros, saying that their mission "has been a complete success." Taking this opportunity, Azali also elevated all members of the Chinese medical mission to Comoros to the rank of Knight of the Order of the Green Crescent of the Comoros. (Photo by Wang Chunguang/Xinhua) MORONI, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Comorian President Azali Assoumani on Tuesday expressed his gratitude to the Chinese medical aid team sent to Comoros, saying that their mission "has been a complete success." In a speech during a farewell ceremony for the medical team in Moroni, the capital city of Comoros, Azali said that they have brilliantly discharged their mission. According to him, the Chinese medical aid team arrived in the country as part of China's medical assistance to Comoros. "The Comorian government remained committed to action, in concert with the Chinese government, in order to always strengthen the deep bonds of friendship, which was forged by the Chinese and Comorian peoples," said Azali. Taking this opportunity, Azali also elevated all members of the Chinese medical mission to Comoros to the rank of Knight of the Order of the Green Crescent of the Comoros. The Chinese medical team consists of 12 medical experts, who specialize in such areas as respiratory and critical care medicine, public health, laboratory testing, traditional Chinese medicine and other fields, and come from several hospitals in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 23:39:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Combo photo taken on July 15, 2020 shows villagers' smiles in Shenshan Village of Jinggangshan, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Going over the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC), it is an unassailable fact that the Party always has the support of the people. International polls have indicated over and again that Chinese people's approval ratings of the CPC and the government rank the highest worldwide. Last year, a report by Harvard University based on its survey in China spanning 13 years shows that the Chinese people's overall satisfaction toward the central government exceeds 93 percent. So how does the CPC sustain this widespread support over a century? EVERYTHING IS FOR THE PEOPLE Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said the Party has won the people's wholehearted support because it has always served the people with heart and soul and strived for the well-being of all ethnic groups. It is enshrined in the CPC Constitution that the Party has no special interests of its own. "In its own work, the Party shall follow the mass line, seeing that everything is for the people and everything relies on the people." Passing down generations of Chinese leaders and CPC members, this people-oriented philosophy has been the underlying dynamic for the CPC to lead the Chinese people fighting for national independence and striving for socialist modernization. Since the start of the reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, more than 770 million people had been lifted out of poverty in continuous poverty relief efforts led by the CPC. In early 2021, Xi declared that China had eliminated absolute poverty. "What we have seen is a party that had never let down its guard, a party that has been consistently toiling on behalf of the Chinese people, appreciating its historic role and the choice by the Chinese people and history," said Charles Onanaiju, director of Nigeria's Center for China Studies. The people-oriented approach of governance also demonstrated its strength in the country's battle against coronavirus last year. China emerged among the first countries to contain the virus. It made COVID-19 treatment free-of-charge, pledging to treat every patient and leave no one unattended. "We saved lives at all costs. We never gave up no matter how old a patient was or how serious their condition was," Xi said. The oldest COVID-19 patient saved in China is 108 years old. "The leadership of the CPC clearly has the support of the people of China," said Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club, who spoke to friends in China about Wuhan's lockdown. "The basic position of the CPC has been, is, and will continue to be all about the people, hear the people, and get the policies right to meet the needs of the people." ROOTED IN THE PEOPLE Recalling his meeting with Xi years ago, Perry said, "I looked into his eyes as he was talking. I could see a man who'd experienced poverty, who'd experienced the life of the peasants of China." Many Chinese leaders started their careers from the grassroots, going through the difficulties ordinary people face and understanding their needs, which laid a solid foundation for their practical and people-oriented approach in formulating national policies. "Meat would not grace our tables for months at a time," Xi once said, referring to the days when he was sent to Liangjiahe Village in northwest China's Shaanxi Province as a farmer some five decades ago. "How I wished to treat my fellow villagers to meat at least once." From a junior local official to China's top leader, Xi has always held dear the wish he had made. Ensuring the rural poor improve their lot has been his motivation all along. Many senior officials share similar experiences. They have worked in remote areas and shouldered grave tasks. They have proved their capability in promoting regional and national development in various positions. Laurence J. Brahm, a senior international fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, studied this unique characteristic of the CPC leadership and concluded: "They know the entire structure of the economy and the psychology of people in being able to address their needs and respond accordingly." In just decades, the Party led the country's massive transformation, bringing huge economic and social benefits to the people. China's per capita disposable income reached 32,189 yuan (about 5,024 U.S. dollars) in 2020, more than double the level in 2010, with 400 million middle-income earners of its total population of over 1.4 billion. The country has the largest social security system globally, with basic medical insurance covering over 1.3 billion people and basic old-age insurance covering about 1 billion. The average life expectancy of the Chinese has risen to 77.3 years. British scholar and political commentator Martin Jacques said he believed the reason why the CPC enjoys a lot of support is that it managed to deliver a tremendous transformation for the Chinese people. RESOLUTELY FIGHTING CORRUPTION Corruption, a common problem faced by all political parties, is a disease people hate most. And it is precisely what the CPC is determined to address thoroughly. Since 2012, the Party has investigated and punished corrupt officials -- including some high-ranking officials -- on a scale unseen in decades. Xi said: "We will strike both the 'tigers' (high-ranking corrupt officials) and swat the 'flies' (low-ranking corrupt officials), and advance the system under which officials don't dare to, are unable to, and have no desire to commit acts of corruption as a whole." Ahmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban, secretary-general of the Egyptian Socialist Party, believes that a significant factor behind the CPC's success is its ability to keep itself clean through continuous anti-corruption campaigns. Moreover, the Party has combined internal supervision with state and public scrutiny, coordinating it with legal, democratic, auditing, and judicial supervision and also scrutiny by public opinion. Together, they create a powerful synergy for conducting oversight. The resolute fight against corruption has resulted in surging public support. According to a survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics, 97.3 percent of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the improvement of Party conduct, the working practices of government officials, and social morality. "History has provided ample proof that the state is the people, and the people are the state," Xi said. "With the people's trust and support, the Party can overcome all hardships and remain invincible." Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 23:45:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A staff member interacts with students during an "open day" activity held by the Supreme People's Procuratorate in Beijing, May 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Yin Gang) BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- China's central authorities have released a five-year plan on carrying out publicity and education to raise public awareness of the law, in a bid to facilitate economic and social development in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). The plan circulated by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council and formulated by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Justice, is the eighth of its kind, aiming to create a sound legal environment for fully building a modern socialist China. The country is looking to significantly improve legal awareness among the public and law-based social governance, as well as to build a more integrated system of law education by 2025, according to the plan. Stressing the importance of publicizing the Constitution and the Civil Code, the plan notes that activities should be held on studying the Constitution, while the content of the Civil Code should be included in the national education system. The document puts forward several measures to nurture a socialist culture of rule of law, such as creating high-quality art works and productions, enhancing the preservation of the legacy that the CPC led the Chinese people to develop the rule of law in the revolutionary period, and strengthening international communication and cooperation in the field. The application of new technologies and media is encouraged to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of people, thus improving the accuracy and effectiveness of law-publicity products. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 23:48:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Aerial photo taken on June 14, 2021 shows a herd of wild Asian elephants in Shijie Township of Yimen County, Yuxi City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua) KUNMING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The wandering wild Asian elephant herd that has caught global attention has headed 1.3 km northwest in Shijie Township in the city of Yuxi, in southwest China's Yunnan Province. A male elephant, which strayed 10 days ago, is now about 19.1 km away from the herd, and all the 15 elephants are safe and sound, according to the headquarters in charge of monitoring their migration. The animals have entered forests after taking food from farmland, complicating the efforts to guide and monitor them and take safety precautions. The herd traveled about 500 km from their forest home in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture before reaching Kunming, the provincial capital, late on June 2. 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, which are mostly found in Yunnan, are under A-level state protection in China. Thanks to enhanced protection efforts, the wild elephant population in the province has grown to about 300, up from 193 in the 1980s. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 00:13:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Poorer nations are likely unsatisfied with the vaccine initiative proposed by the Group of Seven (G7) nations, Professor Muzaherul Huq, former Southeast Asia Region adviser at the World Health Organization, told Xinhua in an interview Tuesday. It will be "immoral" for G7 countries to take advantage of this COVID-19 and vaccine crisis, said Huq, as G7 leaders on Sunday wrapped up their summit in the midst of protesters taking to the street and accusing the leaders of making empty promises. In a joint communique issued after the summit, G7 leaders belatedly pledged to provide 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines to less developed countries, while experts insist the world needs 11 billion doses instead. If the G7 countries are really sincere in helping poorer nations in this vaccine crisis, patent protection must be waived to allow all countries to produce vaccines, said Huq, adding that assistance with technology transfers and raw materials is also essential. No country is safe until every country is safe, he said, adding that the world must immunise 70 percent of the population and ensure availability of sufficient vaccines for poorer nations. "We all know the pandemic can only be controlled if all countries, including the poor countries, achieve their goal of vaccination within a 2-year time frame," Huq noted. Meanwhile, developing countries will be disappointed if the G7 uses vaccines as "a card to gain support" in some way, said Huq. The G7 pledge "can be a starter if more promises come from them to support with more vaccines," he said. "Moreover, a time limit should be there for the availability of these vaccines." Huq also expressed hope that "a humanitarian attitude will prevail in helping the poorer countries with vaccines and other support to save lives." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 00:45:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) central committee politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune speaks during the handover ceremony of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines in Vientiane, Laos, on June 15, 2021. A batch of Chinese government-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Wattay International Airport in Laos on Monday with a handover ceremony held upon their arrival. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) VIENTIANE, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Laos has arranged for the administering of China's COVID-19 vaccines nationwide, which have fully proved their safety and efficacy, Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) central committee politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune said. At the handover ceremony for the fourth batch of Chinese government-donated COVID-19 vaccines, held at the Ministry of Health of Laos on Tuesday, the Lao deputy prime minister said that at the critical time when the new wave of epidemic hits the country, China once again extends a helping hand timely, providing a new batch of vaccine assistance, which is a valuable and tremendous support to the epidemic prevention and control in Laos. Kikeo also said that the Lao side attaches great importance to the health of Chinese citizens and overseas Chinese in Laos, providing them, just like the Lao citizens, with free vaccination services. Jiang Zaidong, the Chinese ambassador to Laos, said in his speech at the ceremony that he was informed that 85 percent of Lao's vaccinated population were administered with China's donated vaccines. "We believe that the new batch of vaccines will promptly and effectively fill the vaccine gap in Laos and make positive contribution to the Lao people's coming victory over the epidemic," said the Chinese ambassador. The new batch of Chinese government-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Wattay International Airport in Lao capital Vientiane on Monday. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 06:54:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A pedestrian walks past a memorial installation for those who died of COVID-19 outside Green-Wood Cemetery in New York, the United States, on June 14, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) The loosening of restrictions and decreasing of vaccination rates may leave some areas vulnerable to potential pandemic hotspots and risking the progress the nation has made. Experts are concerned that the Delta variant is on track to become a dominant strain of coronavirus in the United States. WASHINGTON, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Experts have warned of the potential risks of emerging highly transmissible COVID-19 variants as the United States reached the grim milestone of 600,000 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday. The milestone is a sobering reminder that hundreds of Americans are still dying each day even as the nation begins to enter its "new normal", said an ABC report. With the nationwide case count topping 33.4 million, the death toll across the United States rose to 600,012 as of 12:22 p.m. local time (1622 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. California topped the national death toll list, standing at 63,191. New York reported the country's second largest deaths of 53,558, followed by Texas with 51,940 deaths and Florida with 37,265 deaths, the CSSE tally showed. The milestone came as more U.S. states are on their ways to full reopening. New York and California dropped nearly all COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday. According to the new health order released by the California Department of Public Health, almost all industry and business sectors may return to usual operations with no capacity limits or physical distancing requirements. Masks are no longer required for fully vaccinated individuals in most public settings. Along with the vaccination rollout nationwide, the United States has witnessed continuous drops of new infections, deaths and hospitalizations since the peak in January, according to data of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People enjoy themselves during a flower festival in New York, the United States, June 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) Zhang Zuofeng, professor of epidemiology and associate dean for research with the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Xinhua that both the incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19 have dropped over 90 percent compared with those in January this year. As vaccination rates continue to rise, the growth rates of new infections and deaths will continue to decrease, he said. About 43.9 percent of the U.S. population have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Tuesday, and 52.6 percent of the population has received at least one dose, according to data of the CDC. U.S. President Joe Biden has set a national goal to have 70 percent of the U.S. population get at least one shot by the July 4 holiday. But the goal is expected to fall short as COVID-19 vaccination rates decrease from spring highs, said a CNN report. Less than half of adults living in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wyoming have received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to CDC data. The loosening of restrictions and decreasing of vaccination rates may leave some areas vulnerable to potential pandemic hotspots and risking the progress the nation has made. Experts are concerned that the Delta variant, which was first discovered in India, is on track to become a dominant strain of coronavirus in the United States. A cyclist rides by the Lincoln Memorial at the National Mall in Washington D.C., the United States, June 12, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) The Delta variant, known by the scientific name B.1.617.2, has spread from where it was first discovered in India to over 60 countries, according to the World Health Organization. This variant is highly transmissible, greater than the Alpha variant which is currently the dominant strain in the United States, Zhang told Xinhua. It may be associated with an increased disease severity, such as hospitalization risk, compared to Alpha, he added. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said the Delta variant could lead to new outbreaks in the fall, with unvaccinated Americans being the most at risk. The CDC has elevated the Delta variant from "variant of interest" to "variants of concern". Zhang urged more people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to keep the variant from taking hold. He also stressed the importance of keeping social distance, wearing masks and personal hygiene as vaccines could not offer 100 percent protection. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 09:08:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close This undated photo shows Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng (C), Liu Boming (R) and Tang Hongbo who will carry out the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceflight mission. (Photo by Xu Bu/Xinhua) JIUQUAN, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship will be launched at 9:22 a.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Wednesday. The spaceship will take three male astronauts -- Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo -- into space for the construction of China's space station, said Ji Qiming, assistant to the director of the CMSA, at a press conference held at the launch center. After entering orbit, the spaceship will conduct a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the in-orbit space station core module Tianhe, forming a complex with the core module and the cargo craft Tianzhou-2. The astronauts aboard Shenzhou-12 will be stationed in the core module and remain in orbit for three months. The launch will be carried out with a Long March-2F carrier rocket, which will be filled with propellant on Wednesday morning, Ji said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 11:04:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Jamil Bhatti ISLAMABAD, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has helped the world tackle several challenges, while bringing peace, stability, and development opportunities to the region, said a Pakistani analyst. After 20 years of growth, the SCO has evolved into a vital and vibrant organization, representing half of the global population and one-fifth of the world's economy, Akhtar Nawaz Janjua, senior analyst at the Center for Global & Strategic Studies in Islamabad told Xinhua in a recent interview. The analyst, who has attended several SCO sessions, said that the core secret of the organization's success is its sincerity of purpose. Janjua said that if "all the countries which want to join as observers or dialogue partners, and they think positively in line with the spirit of the SCO, I think the world stands to gain in general and this region in particular." The SCO marks its 20th founding anniversary on Tuesday. Janjua said that the concepts of win-win cooperation and mutual support have become more important than ever before for members during the COVID-19 pandemic. The SCO "is not a military alliance," Janjua said. "It is an organization which looks for a win-win cooperation, a shared destiny," with additional support from the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which has unleashed enormous development opportunities for the whole region by promoting connectivity. The SCO has opened horizons and brought new opportunities for Pakistan after the South Asian nation became a full member in 2017, the analyst noted, adding that Pakistan's Gwadar port under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor offers connectivity services to SCO members states. Highlighting Pakistan's successful fight against terrorism in the country, the analyst said Pakistan has been offering its expertise on fighting terrorism, militancy and separatism at the SCO forum. In November 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the 20th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO and stressed the need to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit and deepen solidarity and collaboration. Xi stressed the need to step up anti-epidemic cooperation and build a community of health; to safeguard security and stability and build a community of security; to deepen practical cooperation and build a community of development; and to nourish people-to-people amity and build a community of cultural exchanges. The analyst hailed the proposals and termed them as an ideal path to achieve prosperity, saying "the world would be a peaceful place to live in" if they were adopted. According to the expert, China has implemented Xi's proposals under the SCO banner, especially the need to build a community of health, by sharing its experience with COVID-19 and exporting medical aid such as vaccines to other countries, including Pakistan. If the SCO members continue to ensure the true implementation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, SCO regions would witness stability and prosperity, Janjua said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 11:18:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A press conference on the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceflight mission is held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on June 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Ju Zhenhua) JIUQUAN, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship is expected to be launched at 9:22 a.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Wednesday. The spaceship will take three male astronauts -- Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo -- into space for the construction of China's space station, said Ji Qiming, assistant to the director of the CMSA, at a press conference held at the launch center. After entering orbit, the spaceship will conduct a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the in-orbit space station core module Tianhe, forming a complex with the core module and the cargo craft Tianzhou-2. The astronauts aboard Shenzhou-12 will be stationed in the core module and remain in orbit for three months. The launch will be carried out with a Long March-2F carrier rocket, which will be filled with propellant on Wednesday morning, Ji said. China launched the space station core module Tianhe on April 29 and the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-2 on May 29. According to Ji, the complex of the two spacecraft has been in good condition, with all equipment operating normally. The complex has moved into an orbit at an altitude of 390 kilometers, ready for the rendezvous and docking as well as the entry of the astronauts, Ji said. All systems conducting the Shenzhou-12 mission have undergone the comprehensive rehearsal, the crew is in good shape, and all pre-launch preparations are in order, Ji added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 13:20:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The European Union (EU) and the United States held their first summit in seven years on Tuesday as U.S. President Joe Biden was on his first overseas trip since taking office to revamp the transatlantic ties. During the EU-U.S. summit in Brussels, both sides agreed to remove the tariffs for five years until they continue discussions on an overarching deal on the subsidies. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 14:31:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The just concluded Group of Seven (G7) summit failed to re-energize the spirit of multilateralism required to tackle global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, terrorism and economic shocks, a Kenyan expert said on Tuesday. Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, said the G7 summit only succeeded in endorsing lofty proclamations on how to fix global challenges without coming up with tangible solutions. He singled out the lackluster response to the COVID-19 pandemic by Western nations whose obsession with the virus origin and hoarding of vaccines, presents serious bottlenecks to its containment. "On COVID-19 global pandemic, the leaders' call for a united action comes a little too late," Adhere told Xinhua in an interview in Nairobi. He said that a bungled response to the pandemic has led to colossal loss of lives in the United States, adding that other G7 members also have failed to initiate practical measures to cushion their populace from the virus. The Kenyan scholar condemned the rampant vaccine nationalism in the Western world that has taken a heavy toll on Africa states where COVID-19 cases are surging. He said that about 1.5 percent of the African population has received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines while huge stockpiles are expiring in the United States. Absence of a concrete budgetary allocation and negligible consensus on how to rebuild the global economy exposed the dwindling clout of Western nations, he said. "What is even more disheartening is that the Summit appears keen to reinvent colonialism in which member countries will be designated spheres of influence," said Adhere. He said that developing countries are averse to colonial designs of some western powers and are keen on cooperation with allies who demonstrate respect, sincerity and ability to forge consensus. Adhere condemned a lopsided view of multilateralism espoused by major Western economies, saying that attempts to exclude countries like China will undermine efforts to tackle challenges that humanity is facing. "In addition, to push a major economy like China to the periphery only serves to step down the full multilateral potential of the United Nations family," said Adhere. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 15:13:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JIUQUAN, June 16 (Xinhua) -- China plans to carry out more extensive and in-depth international cooperation on its space station, making it a space lab for the benefit of all mankind, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Wednesday. China plans to deepen cooperation concerning the function expansion of the space station, space science and applications, joint flight of Chinese and foreign astronauts, and transformation of technological achievements, said Ji Qiming, assistant to the CMSA director, at a press conference. The scientific experiment cabinets aboard China's space station have been equipped with standard ports for diversified payloads to carry out international research, said Ji. In March 2016, the CMSA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) signed a memorandum of understanding to invite UN member states to conduct scientific experiments aboard China's space station. In May 2018, 27 countries brought forward 42 cooperation proposals after the two agencies sent out the invitation. In June 2019, China released the first batch of nine jointly-selected international cooperation projects, involving 17 countries in aerospace medicine, life sciences and biotechnology, microgravity physics and combustion science, astronomy, and other emerging technologies. China has been cooperating with France, Italy and Pakistan on space experiments in fields like basic physics, space medicine and space astronomy. Ji noted that China and Russia have maintained sound and productive cooperation in the crewed spaceflight field. Both sides are maintaining exchanges in low-Earth orbit space station and crewed deep space exploration, and more cooperation is expected. He added that China and Russia will have more joint experimental projects to make due contributions to the exploration of outer space for mankind. As for the joint flight of Chinese and foreign astronauts, many countries and regions have expressed the willingness to cooperate with China, said Ji. "We welcome cooperation in this regard in general," he said, "It is believed that, in the near future, after the completion of the Chinese space station, we will see Chinese and foreign astronauts fly and work together." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 15:16:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HAVANA, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. embargo affects hiring of Cuban maritime workers by international cargo and cruise ships companies, a high-ranking official told a press conference Tuesday. Rafael Peraza Santiago, director of state operated company SELECMAR, said that Cuban sailors are not allowed to be hired by U.S. cargo and cruise ships companies due to the U.S. unilateral policy toward the country. "If the U.S. blockade were lifted, 3,500 sailors from Cuba could be working for overseas companies. We have very skilled and trained personnel, " he said. Peraza said that the U.S. embargo has caused SELECMAR 11 million U.S. dollars worth loss between March 2019 and December 2020. First imposed in 1962, the U.S. embargo was intensified during former U.S. President Donald Trump administration, which banned U.S. flights to Cuban cities except Havana, barred U.S. cruise ships and yachts from visiting the Caribbean nation, and limited remittances that Cuban-Americans send to their families on the island. On June 23, Cuba will present its annual draft resolution against the embargo before the United Nations General Assembly. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 15:19:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ACCRA, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Ghanian police were placed on a high alert following reports that suspected bandits are planning to attack communities in Northern Ghana along the border with Burkina Faso, a police statement said Tuesday. "Reports indicate that a Burkina Faso-based bandits are allegedly launching attacks in communities along the Burkina Faso-Ghana border. They are planning to launch attacks on the Bolgatanga townships and its environs including areas in Tamale in the coming days," the statement said. According to the police, the suspected bandits, "in possession of military grade weapons, may have already infiltrated Ghana at yet to be identified locations in the northern regions, and are poised to launch the attacks any moment from now." The Ghana police administration has directed all commanders in the country to increase patrol to quell the planned attacks as several attacks have happened in recent months at the border. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 15:34:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported 2,395 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, the highest daily count since the start of the pandemic the country's health ministry said Wednesday. This is the seventh straight day of record new infections, bringing the national tally to 83,128, the ministry said. Of the latest confirmed cases, 561 are children aged 17 or under, the ministry said, urging citizens to avoid crowded places and maintain good personal hygiene habits to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. Meanwhile, nine fatalities and 827 recoveries from the coronavirus were reported in the past day, taking the national counts to 403 and 58,649 respectively, the ministry said. The Asian country launched a national vaccination campaign in late February, aiming to vaccinate at least 60 percent of its 3.3 million population. About 1,667,800 people have been vaccinated so far, according to the health ministry. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 15:50:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Mao Pengfei, Nguon Sovan PHNOM PENH, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Long Daneat, a 23-year-old Cambodian student majoring food science and engineering in a Chinese university, was very excited after receiving the three-volume book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" from Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian weeks ago. The third-year university student at Jiangnan University in Wuxi city, east China's Jiangsu Province, had his mind set on the book in April 2017 when he saw Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen launched the book's Khmer version. At present, Daneat stays in Cambodia and has studied online for one and a half years since January 2020. But the pandemic didn't hold back the young man's eagerness for the book. "China's successful experience in fighting against COVID-19 is a testament of the efficiency and advantages of the Chinese way of governance. I really want to know more about it," he said. The book is a three-volume collection of speeches and writings by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. News of the publication of the book's third volume last year aroused his thirst for better understanding of the governance of China. However, it was not easy to acquire the latest issue here in Cambodia, because many book stores were closed. "I sent a message to the Chinese embassy on Facebook to ask for a copy of the book," said Daneat. "I know they must be very busy, but I wanted to give it a try." His endeavors paid off on May 31 when the Chinese ambassador provided him the book upon his request. "To my surprise, Ambassador Wang replied to me very fast and offered me five books: three Chinese version volumes, one Khmer version book and one English version book." "I feel very excited to get the book because I have never expected that the ambassador would reply to me since I'm just a student," he said. "I really appreciate his humbleness and kindness." Daneat said he was keen to read the book since he first heard of it, because he wanted to learn about Xi's thoughts and strategies on governance, the Chinese Dream, roadmaps for long-run development and promoting a sense of a community with a shared future for mankind. He said that he has finished 63 pages of the book so far, and what impressed him the most was Xi's aspiration to bring a better life for the Chinese people. "This book really caught my interest because it was written by a revered leader, who has a long-term and clear vision to build a prosperous China," he said. "This book is a really great book that taught great lessons from experiences, and many of Cambodian government officials have admired and recommended it to youth to read." Daneat said he had lived in China for two and a half years and loved his life there very much, adding that he would use the book to learn better about China. "It is a meaningful gift for me and I will see it as one of my most valuable things," he said, adding that he will share good thoughts in these books with his classmates when he finishes reading all of them. Talking about the quick response to Daneat's need, Wang told Xinhua that he hopes Daneat will work hard in learning Chinese to better understand the Chinese culture and introduce the splendid Cambodian culture to his Chinese friends. "I hope that Daneat can grow to be a bridge for the mutual learning between Chinese and Cambodian cultures and a successor of China-Cambodia friendship," said Wang. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 16:19:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Villagers take a rest after fleeing their houses to higher ground after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in Maluku, Indonesia, on June 16, 2021. A 6.1-magnitude earthquake triggered a small tsunami, damaged scores of houses and forced dozens of people to flee homes in Maluku province's island of Seram in Indonesia Wednesday, an official said. (Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency/Handout via Xinhua) JAKARTA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- A 6.1-magnitude earthquake triggered a small tsunami, damaged scores of houses and forced dozens of people to flee homes in Maluku province's island of Seram in Indonesia Wednesday, an official said. A video footage sent to Xinhua showed sea waters with the height of less than one meter entered coastal areas in Maluku Tengah district, triggering panic among residents. Several houses were destroyed and residents fled homes to safer grounds, Sais Salong, secretary of the provincial disaster management agency, told Xinhua by phone. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties after the earthquake, he said. A risk assessment on the impacts of the small tsunami and the jolts of the quake has been undertaken by the disaster agency officials, he added. The quake hit at 11:43 a.m. Jakarta time (0443 GMT) with the epicenter at 67 km southeast of Maluku Tengah district and the shallow at 10 km under the earth, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency. The intensity of the quake was felt at MMI III (Modified Mercalli Intensity) in Tehoru sub-district in the district, the district capital of Masohi, Bula sub-district in Seram Bagian Timur district, and Kairatu sub-district in Seram Bagian Barat district. The tremors were also felt at MMI II in the provincial capital of Ambon, it said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 16:21:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported one imported case of COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking the tally to 11,881. Hong Kong has seen no new local COVID-19 cases for nine consecutive days. The imported case involved a man who arrived from Sri Lanka, according to the CHP. A total of 33 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 3 million doses have been administered so far. Some 1.79 million people, or about 26.3 percent of the eligible population, have taken at least one shot of the vaccine, including more than 1.21 million people fully vaccinated. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 16:42:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Wang Chenxi, Li Mi JIUQUAN, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Among the three crew members aboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship, Tang Hongbo is a space rookie. After preparing for over a decade, Tang's space dream is finally coming true. CONFIDENCE, EXPECTATION "I am very proud to be selected into the Shenzhou-12 spaceship crew," Tang said at a press conference on Wednesday. "This is my first spaceflight mission, and pressure is inevitable," the 45-year-old astronaut said, "But after 11 years of learning, training and testing, I am full of confidence in myself and our team." Born in 1975, Tang joined the People's Liberation Army in 1995 and clocked 1,159 hours of safe flight. He became a member of the second batch of Chinese astronauts in 2010. He was selected as a backup crew member for Shenzhou-11 in 2016. The Shenzhou-12 spaceship is expected to be launched on Thursday morning. This will be the first manned mission during the construction of China's space station, and the crew will stay in orbit for three months. When asked about his expectation for this mission, he answered with a smile. "I believe we crew members will work together to build the space station as our home in space. I also hope to meet with astronauts from other countries in the space station in the near future." LONG PREPARATION It has been 11 years since Tang was selected into the second batch of Chinese astronauts. The second batch includes seven Chinese astronauts. Among them, Liu Yang, Wang Yaping and Chen Dong participated in space missions in Shenzhou-9, Shenzhou-10 and Shenzhou-11 respectively. "When Liu, Wang and Chen flew into space, I asked myself when could I realize my space dream and use what I have learned?" Tang told himself to "start from scratch," and keep training with devotion and diligence like a fresh trainee for his space dream. "Tang is modest and always eager to learn. I have full confidence in this crew, and I trust Tang very much," said Nie Haisheng, another member of the Shenzhou-12 crew, which also include Liu Boming. UNDERWATER CHALLENGE In his training preparation, Tang was confident about his physical strength and endurance. "I could get very tired during training, but I would always get over it." In the underwater training designed for extravehicular activities (EVA), however, he met an unexpected challenge -- he was having a hard time getting used to the extravehicular spacesuit. "I am not used to wearing a watch or hanging any additional things on my body. At the beginning of underwater training, I felt restless and just wanted to get rid of the suit right away." The setback troubled him. "I have prepared for so many years, is this the end of it?" Tang asked Liu Boming for advice. Liu told him that he had to overcome it by himself. He found some tricks, such as turning down the temperature inside the extravehicular suit to make himself calmer. He also learned psychological self-adjustment methods taught by the training center. When Tang felt unbearable in the suit, he would take a break and used the techniques he learned to calm down. Then he would get back into the suit and continue training. Gradually he was able to work in the extravehicular suit for hours without feeling uncomfortable. "Tang is the most hardworking one in the second batch, very diligent in study and reliable in work. He will be a good help to us," said Liu Boming. Enditem (Huang Ming, Li Guoli and Zhang Mimi also contributed to the story.) Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 17:30:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) and Uganda plan to import medical oxygen from neighboring Kenya as a virulent second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate the country, a WHO official said on Wednesday. Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, WHO representative to Uganda, told Xinhua by telephone that health authorities are working to increase oxygen supply to address the nationwide shortages, caused by a high demand in the wake of surging COVID-19 cases. "We are working with the Ministry of Health to increase oxygen supply including options to import from Kenya," said Woldemariam. Uganda's ministry of health on Monday announced that the country is running short of medical oxygen as health officials continue to grapple with the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic. Diana Atwine, permanent secretary at the ministry of health, told local media that there was a high demand for oxygen due to a surge in the number of COVID-19 patients in High Dependency Units and Intensive Care Units (ICU) nationwide. Uganda reported on Tuesday 1,422 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 64,251, and 25 deaths, the highest daily increase that brought the fatalities to 459, according to the official figures. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 17:35:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan reported on Wednesday 647 new COVID-19 cases, raising the national tally of infections to 111,990. According to the Republican Headquarters for Combating COVID-19, total recoveries reached 103,565 after 308 more recoveries were reported in the past 24 hours, while the death toll from the virus rose to 1,912. (Kyrgyzstan-Coronavirus-Headquarters) - - - - ACCRA -- Ghanian police were placed on a high alert following reports that suspected bandits are planning to attack communities in Northern Ghana along the border with Burkina Faso, a police statement said Tuesday. "Reports indicate that a Burkina Faso-based bandits are allegedly launching attacks in communities along the Burkina Faso-Ghana border. They are planning to launch attacks on the Bolgatanga townships and its environs including areas in Tamale in the coming days," the statement said. (Ghana-Burkina Faso-Security) - - - - WASHINGTON -- The White House on Tuesday unveiled a national strategy for countering domestic terrorism, which U.S. media said is long overdue and may have a limited effect when implemented. The strategy, unveiled in a 32-page document and aimed at coordinating interagency efforts, comprises four pillars: improving the sharing of domestic terrorism-related information among law enforcement agencies, preventing domestic terrorism and mobilization to violence, investigating domestic extremist groups to disrupt and deter their activities, and confronting racism and bigotry that have been the longstanding drivers of domestic terrorism. (US-Domestic Terrorism-Strategy) - - - - MEXICO CITY -- At least 12 people were killed and 13 others injured when a passenger bus overturned on Tuesday on a highway in Mexico's northeast state of Tamaulipas, state authorities told Xinhua. Pedro Beltran, coordinator of Civil Protection in the border city of Reynosa, said in an interview that nine of the victims died instantly, including the driver, and "three other people lost their lives while being treated at the hospital." (Mexico-Accident-Death) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 17:57:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Robotic arms assemble engines on an assembly line at a workshop of the Weichai Power Co., Ltd. in Weifang City, east China's Shandong province, April 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Guo Xulei) BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) -- China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, went up 8.8 percent year on year in May as production demand continued to recover, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Wednesday. The figure was up 13.6 percent from the level in 2019, bringing the average growth for the past two years to 6.6 percent, NBS data showed. In the first five months, industrial output gained 17.8 percent year on year, resulting in average two-year growth of 7 percent. The industrial output is used to measure the activity of designated large enterprises with an annual business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 3.12 million U.S. dollars). In a breakdown by ownership, the private sector's output increased 9.1 percent year on year last month, while the output of state-controlled enterprises rose 7.7 percent. The manufacturing sector's output jumped 9 percent year on year in May and the mining sector saw its output increase 3.2 percent, NBS data showed. China's high-tech manufacturing sector is gaining steam on the backdrop of the country's innovation-driven strategy, said NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui. Last month, the sector's output expanded 17.5 percent with an average two-year growth of 13.1 percent. In May, the purchasing managers' index for China's manufacturing sector came in at 51, remaining in the expansion zone for the 15th consecutive month, previous NBS data showed. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 18:29:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BONN, Germany, June 16 (Xinhua) -- International cooperation is paramount to combating desertification and drought, which is important for post-pandemic economic recovery, an UN official has said. The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought will fall on Thursday with focus on "turning degraded land into healthy land." "The theme is really about how land can contribute to economic recovery," Ibrahim Thiaw, undersecretary-general and executive-secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), told Xinhua in a recent interview. Thiaw noted that restoring degraded land brings economic resilience, creates jobs, raises incomes and increases food security. In some countries, up to 80 percent of the economy is dependent on the primary sector -- agriculture, livestock, fisheries and so forth. To rebuild the economy, people have to think about herders, farmers, fisherman and women which form the communal economy, and land restoration means a lot for them, said Thiaw. According to UNCCD's statistics, up to 3.2 billion people in the world are directly or indirectly affected by land degradation and around 40 percent of the landmass in the world is affected by land degradation. Thiaw said there are close links between land degradation and forced migration as well as conflicts. "People cannot produce anymore in their land, so they are forced to flee," Thiaw said. "When resources are being scarce and the demand is high, you see it in Africa, you see it in the Middle East. You have a number of conflicts that are linked to access to land and water." Thiaw called for international cooperation to address the problem and urged countries to share resources, technologies and experience. Thiaw said he is impressed by the efforts the Chinese government and local communities have made in land restoration and combat desertification by creating "value chains." "It brings the real economy. It is not only good for nature, but it is also good for people. When people can benefit from their efforts, when they can see the results in terms of economic benefits, then they will care about nature. Then they will understand why it is important to restore ecosystems," Thiaw said. Talking about his visits to China, including his visit to Taklamakan Desert, one of the most arid regions in China, Thiaw said he witnessed some other examples of how private investments in barren land have made production and tourism possible. Thiaw said the examples in China can show to the world how local communities can benefit from land restoration. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 20:20:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GENEVA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday that a new variant of COVID-19, named Lambda, was identified in 29 countries and notably in South America where it is believed to have originated. First identified in Peru, the Lambda lineage was classified as a global Variant of Interest on Monday due to an "elevated prevalence" in South America, the WHO said in its weekly update. Lambda has been rampant in Peru where 81 percent of COVID-19 cases since April 2021 were associated with this variant, authorities reported. In Chile, it was detected in 32 percent of all submitted sequences in the last 60 days, and only outclassed by the Gamma variant which was first identified in Brazil. Other countries such as Argentina and Ecuador have also reported elevated prevalence of the new variant. The WHO reported that the Lambda lineage carries mutations that might increase transmissibility or strengthen the virus's resistance to antibodies. However, evidence is too limited for the moment, the Geneva-based organization said, and more studies are required to understand better the Lambda variant. Variants of Interest, unlike Variants of Concern that have made headlines in newspapers worldwide, are monitored by health organizations but are not proved yet to be significant threats to public health. The most recent example is the Delta variant. It was first identified in India and was labeled as a Variant of Interest until May 11, 2021, when its rapid spread around the world prompted the WHO to classify it as a Variant of Concern. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 20:30:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday urged relevant countries to properly handle Taiwan-related issues and not to send wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces. Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to the Taiwan-related content in the G7 summit communique. He urged relevant countries to contribute to the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait with concrete actions. Taiwan is a part of China and the Taiwan question is China's internal affairs that brook no foreign interference, Ma said. He denounced the United States' repeated wrong words and deeds concerning the Taiwan question that violate the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques. Ma also slammed the United States for its attempt to hook in other countries to play the "Taiwan card" together with it. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 20:53:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MACAO, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government announced on Wednesday that the Macao Economic and Cultural Office in the Taiwan region would suspend its operations from Saturday. Fully taking into account the needs of Macao residents in Taiwan, the SAR government said a 24-hour telephone hotline set up by the Macao Government Tourism Office would be addressing general inquires, and providing other services and assistance requested by Macao residents in Taiwan, during the period of operation suspension. The telephone hotline would also provide people in Taiwan with information about Macao, the government said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 21:54:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Wang Jinye, Wang Minghao, Li Laifang and Li Kun TIANJIN, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Duan Jiannan, a public servant in north China's Tianjin Municipality, no longer has to get up early to avoid the morning rush, as a smart system operating locally helps ease traffic congestion to a large extent. "The red lights lasting forever are nowhere to be found. As soon as I drive to the intersection, I get a green light," said Duan, 29. In the Tianjin Binhai New Area (BNA), where Duan's home is located, a smart urban administration system called "urban brain" optimizes the operation of traffic lights to reduce vehicle waiting time and avoid traffic jams. With the use of this high-tech system, morning rush hour now ends 30 minutes earlier. A national-level new area, the BNA aims to become a smart and green model that is livable and suitable for business. It will be built as one of the "twin cities" together with the Tianjin city proper some 60 km away, according to Tianjin's 2021-2025 development plan. "What we want to build is not only high-end industrial clusters, but also a beautiful city with humanistic care. We will integrate the industrial characteristics into urban construction, making the BNA a livable and business-friendly city," said Lian Maojun, Party chief of the BNA. SMART MODEL BUILT ON SALINE LAND A perfect example embodying the smart and green development concept is the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (SSTEC) in the BNA. Breaking ground on saline and alkaline land in 2008, the SSTEC is a cooperation project between China and Singapore. "If the eco-city can be built here, the experience we gain can be copied in other cities," said Yan Xu, a local official. The "urban brain" administration system in the SSTEC not only eases traffic congestion but also visualizes the underground pipes on screens as one of the measures adopted to build a "sponge city." Other measures include the building of scenic wetlands and permeable pavements for rainwater storage, said Yang Yong, deputy director of the SSTEC administrative committee. To cut emissions, solar panels are installed on building rooftops, outdoor benches and even garbage cans, with driverless electric buses ferrying passengers. The SSTEC is also renowned for spawning high-tech companies. As of January, more than 8,500 companies were registered in the eco-city with a population of about 100,000. Besides, 60 percent of the companies are smart or associated with technology. Employees assemble drones at the Tianjin i-Kingtec Co., Ltd. in the Binhai New Area, north China's Tianjin Municipality, Dec. 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo) A new "5G+AI" lab with full 5G coverage was inaugurated last month for 5G-related start-up companies, such as Aima, an electric bicycle producer involved in developing technology-based safe bikes for delivery personnel, and Deepinfar Ocean Technology, a company in the R&D, manufacturing and sale of underwater robots. "The lab can accelerate the incubation by pre-verifying the feasibility of 5G products before the commercial use of 5G network," said Zeng Yansheng, director of the lab. Life in the eco-city has also become smarter, thanks to technology. By running on a smart and sensor-equipped track, joggers can obtain their running speed and calorie consumption information on the display at the entrance. The benches next to the track are equipped with solar-powered wireless mobile chargers and can also serve as a stereo system. In the Sino-Singapore Friendship Library, robots are used to shelve books and help readers find those they want to read. "I can borrow a book by scanning its barcode, and return it with my face scanned. The sorting robots will take care of the rest of the procedures," said the public servant Duan, who lives in the SSTEC. LIVABLE BEAUTIFUL CITY Driven by reform and innovation, the BNA has been developed into a growth engine with industrial clusters surrounding the Bohai Bay in north China. Currently, the BNA's GDP accounts for about half of the entire Tianjin Municipality. To improve the urban services, the BNA has prioritized the integrated development of the industries and the city to attract people working there to settle down. High-quality schools and hospitals have been built, including Tianjin Juilliard, the first overseas campus of New York's Juilliard School. The master's degree awarded by this institution is accredited in the United States. Heavy investment has also been poured to improve the ecology. Aerial photo taken on June 5, 2021 shows a seaside park in the Binhai New Area of north China's Tianjin. (Xinhua/Li Ran) Nandi Coastal Trail Park, which used to be a tidal flat covered with grayish-brown sludge, has now become a new choice for residents to spend their leisure time. "The original tidal flat wetland with poor ecosystem was redesigned to be an eco-friendly public space, functioning as a flood barrier," said Yang Jian, deputy general manager of Tianjin Binhai Tourism Area Investment Holding Co. Ltd., adding that even many Beijingers drive to the public space to spend their weekends. Cui Jie, deputy director of the SSTEC Construction Bureau, said that due to the ecosystem restoration efforts, Tianjin has seen about 10,000 relict gulls, 80 percent of its total population in the world, return in recent years. Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, the relict gulls have very strict requirements for their habitat. In the newly-built Binhai Cultural Center, a complex combining multiple cultural functions, residents can enjoy concerts, stage performances, modern art tours and immersive high-tech experiences. The library with a spherical, mirrored auditorium featuring terraced shelves in the center has attracted many readers as well as visitors taking selfies. People visit the Tianjin Binhai New Area Library in Tianjin, north China, Sept. 12, 2020. (Photo by Zhao Zishuo/Xinhua) The BNA Party chief Lian said the number of people who commute to the BNA for work but live in the Tianjin city proper has decreased to about 40,000 now from some 300,000 in early 2016, indicating that the BNA has turned from an industrial area into a livable city. "More and more newcomers have been attracted to buy an apartment and raise their children here," said Lian. (Xinhua correspondents Zhang Yuqi and Lyu Qiuping contributed to the story.) Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 22:05:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Police officers patrol outside the G7 media center in Falmouth, Cornwall, Britain, on June 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan) With common challenges facing the world, countries across the globe should adhere to the philosophy of openness, cooperation, mutual respect and shared benefits. The exclusive mindset as well as confrontational and zero-sum mentalities are outdated in modern times as they run against the goal of common development and undermine the foundation of international cooperation. by Xinhua writer Wang Lei BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Group of Seven (G7) countries have announced the launch of the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative, a global infrastructure development plan they said would meet the tremendous needs in low- and middle-income countries. However, widely seen as a tool to counter China's growing influence in many parts of the world, the plan is nothing but another product of the exclusive group's deeply-entrenched ideological prejudice and confrontational thinking. As major industrialized countries with advanced technologies and abundant experience, the G7 is welcome to shoulder its due global responsibility to help poorer countries tackle pressing issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, and enhance their economic growth and development. However, the ideologically-biased B3W plan makes the world skeptical about the G7's true purpose: Will those rich countries follow their commitments and act sincerely like what they have elaborated in the statement, or is it just a political anti-China show under the guise of supporting global development? British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, Britain, on June 10, 2021. (Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua) It is not strange that the international community feels suspicious. In recent years, some Western countries, especially the United States, have repeatedly hyped up the so-called "China threat," deliberately creating confrontation and fueling conflicts between China and the rest of the world. Their malicious acts have severely eroded mutual trust between countries and disrupted global solidarity and cooperation which are highly essential to and badly needed in the human race's pursuit of sustainable and common development. Currently, people in a large number of third-world countries are still struggling with extreme poverty, low income and inequality in health and education. The international community needs to work together to help address the huge development deficits. With common challenges facing the world, countries across the globe should adhere to the philosophy of openness, cooperation, mutual respect and shared benefits. The exclusive mindset as well as confrontational and zero-sum mentalities are outdated in modern times as they run against the goal of common development and undermine the foundation of international cooperation. For years, China has been making sincere efforts in promoting South-South cooperation, and working closely with partners worldwide to support the independent development of developing countries and help boost their industrialization process by training local workers, building infrastructure, facilitating investment and expanding trade relations. People work on the construction site of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC)'s Central Business District (CBD) project in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, about 50 kilometers east of Cairo, on June 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) China's cooperation with other developing countries features equality and mutual benefits, and attaches no political conditions. It always remains open and inclusive to any other friendly and sincere participators to seek shared benefits and make joint contributions to long-term development and common prosperity. While the lethal coronavirus is still ravaging the world and the post-recession rebound is expected to be uneven across countries, the troubled world is crying for more equitable distributions of medical resources and vaccines, as well as more opportunities and room for growth and development. What those wealthy countries have done is far from enough. During a virtual news conference at the G7 Summit, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for G7 nations to fulfill their pledge to deliver 100 billion U.S. dollars in climate finance every year to developing countries, an action he described fundamental to build trust and meet the climate actions goals. On Monday, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock slammed the group for failing to come up with a global vaccination plan. "These sporadic, small-scale, charitable handouts from rich countries to poor countries is not a serious plan and it will not bring the pandemic to an end," he said. China is ready to cooperate with all genuine partners to provide more global public goods for the benefits of all. Global cooperation is needed more than ever, and the rich bloc is advised to abandon its ideological confrontations and stop creating differences and disputes, and play a positive role in global development with an open and cooperative mind. Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 22:32:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's horticulture sector plans to diversify its export markets in order to boost its revenues, the industry said on Wednesday. Okisegere Ojepat, CEO of the Fresh Produce Consortium of Kenya, told journalists in Nairobi that the European Union on average absorbs 70 percent of flowers, vegetables and fruits sold overseas. "We are looking to reduce our reliance on a single market and enhance exports to North America, Middle East and Asia," Ojepat said during a briefing on the proposed changes in Kenya's agricultural policy. Data from the ministry of agriculture indicate that the east African nation earned 148 billion shillings (1.37 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020 with flowers providing the bulk of the revenues. Ojepat added that more markets for the country's perishable agricultural products will mean more income for farmers. He observed that in order to meet growing demand for Kenya's produce, the industry is adopting modern technology in order to increase productivity per unit area. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 22:51:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TAIPEI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan on Wednesday reported 170 COVID-19 cases, including 167 local infections, and 18 deaths from the disease, the island's disease monitoring agency said. Of the 11,907 confirmed cases between May 11 to Monday, 6,373 people, or 53.5 percent, have recovered and left quarantine, the agency said. Among the new local infections reported on Wednesday, 85 were men and 82 were women, aged from under 5 to over 90, who showed symptoms between June 1 and Tuesday. The 18 deaths included nine men and nine women, aged in their 30s to 90s, who passed away between June 6 and Monday. On the same day, Taiwan reported three imported COVID-19 cases, all from the Philippines. The total number of confirmed cases on the island since the epidemic began has risen to 13,409, including 12,195 local ones. A total of 478 deaths have been recorded, the agency said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 22:53:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attends a symposium with heads of the central committees of non-Communist parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) in Beijing, capital of China, June 16, 2021. The symposium was convened by the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee to discuss research results on strengthening national strategic capacity in science and technology. The research was conducted by relevant non-Communist parties and organizations. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Wang Yang Wednesday called on non-Communist parties and people's organizations to continue conducting consultations and building consensus and make contributions to building China into a leader in science and technology. Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks while attending a symposium with heads of the central committees of non-Communist parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC). The symposium was convened by the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee to discuss research results on strengthening national strategic capacity in science and technology. The research was conducted by relevant non-Communist parties and organizations. Wang called on the non-Communist parties and organizations to give full play to their advantages in talent and intelligence and take an active part in implementing major national scientific projects. The heads of the central committees of the participant non-Communist parties and the ACFIC pointed out the problems and obstacles in enhancing China's strategic scientific and technological strengths. They also raised suggestions on improving related legislation, accelerating public health system reforms, and supporting enterprises in leading scientific innovation, among others. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 23:22:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Wednesday called on the newly elected Israeli government to take brave decisions for reaching a peace deal in the region, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement. "The new government represents the choice of the Israeli people," he said, adding Egypt looks forward to working with the new Israeli government to push the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and to establish an independent Palestinian state. "Egypt works on exploring the efforts that will lead to the peace in the region and reaching an agreement based on the two-state solution," the statement said. - - - - WELLINGTON -- "There is a huge amount of data to support this being a natural event," said David Hayman, a professor of infectious disease ecology at Massey University in New Zealand, referring to the emergence of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. "The joint World Health Organisation (WHO)-convened report has not excluded any hypotheses, but ranked them on the basis of current evidence and research required. Essentially, I am in agreement with the conclusions presented by WHO," Hayman told Xinhua in a recent interview. "To date, there is nothing but some circumstantial evidence that SARS-CoV-2 escaped from a laboratory," said the scientist, who reiterated that he still does not see any signs of human intervention of the virus according to all the evidence and data scientists have got so far. - - - - LONDON -- Ensuring that spreading vaccines as widely as possible around the globe is "imperative" to fight the COVID-19 pandemic amid a surge of variants, a British expert said in a recent interview with Xinhua. Uma Kambhampati from the University of Reading in England said that the rapid spread of the Delta variant, which was first identified in India, not only in India, but in clusters around the globe including Britain, is a warning sign for any country who thinks they are safe if their own vaccination rollout is going to plan. "Look at the Delta variant (in Britain) ... it is absolutely the case given how easy it is to travel and how hard it is for us to prevent such travel," Kambhampati told Xinhua. "That if it (COVID-19) is there anywhere in the world, it is there everywhere." - - - - LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that it doesn't look like that COVID-19 originated from a lab in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, local media reported. "At the moment the advice we've had is that it doesn't look like this particular disease of a zoonotic origin came from a lab," Johnson said Sunday in his closing press conference at the Group of Seven summit in Britain's southwestern resort of Carbis Bay, a seaside resort and village in Cornwall. "I do think there's a problem with zoonotic diseases and this is clearly something we need to focus on," he said. Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain's "best information" remained that COVID-19 "jumped" from animals to humans. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 23:27:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KATHMANDU -- At least eight people have died while around a dozen others including Chinese and Indian nationals are reportedly missing in floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains in the Sindhupalchowk district of Nepal, officials said Wednesday. Incessant rains from Monday evening led to floods and landslides that inflicted loss of lives and properties. "Seven people have died while around a dozen others are reported missing," Arun Pokharel, chief district officer in Sindhupalchowk, told Xinhua. "We are still collecting the reports about loss of lives and properties." (Nepal-Flood-Deaths) - - - - CAIRO -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Wednesday called on the newly elected Israeli government to take brave decisions for reaching a peace deal in the region, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement. "The new government represents the choice of the Israeli people," he said, adding Egypt looks forward to working with the new Israeli government to push the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and to establish an independent Palestinian state. (Egypt-Israel-Palestine) - - - - KINSHASA -- Three people were killed in a plane crash Wednesday at Kavumu airport in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to Radio Okapi, a UN-run radio station. The three killed in the plane crash were two crew members and one passenger, said Radio Okapi in a tweet. (DR Congo-Plane Crash-Casualty) - - - - ABUJA -- Seven people were killed following a petrol tanker explosion in Nigeria's southwestern state of Ogun on Wednesday, local authorities said. Two others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the incident at Ajilete, a town in the southwestern state on Wednesday morning, said Akinwunmi Olaluwoye, head of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Ogun. (Nigeria-Tanker Explosion-Death) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-17 00:36:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUSAKA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's first president Kenneth Kaunda has made a steady recovery and was responding well to treatment, his office said on Wednesday. Rodrick Ngolo, Administrative Assistant in the Office of the First President said the former president's condition has improved from the time he was admitted. "As of this afternoon, his condition is very stable. He has made remarkable progress in his recovery," he told Xinhua in a telephone interview. He however said the former president could not be discharged as doctors were still monitoring him. Kaunda, 97, was hospitalized at a military hospital in Lusaka, the country's capital on Monday. Preliminary tests had indicated that he had pneumonia. Kaunda ruled Zambia from 1964 when the country got its independence from Britain to 1991. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-17 00:43:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on June 16, 2021 shows guests attending the opening ceremony of the international symposium on the Communist Party of China's history of 100 years in Hong Kong, south China. The international symposium was held Wednesday in Hong Kong to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), with the attendance of scholars, political figures and business elites from home and abroad. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) HONG KONG, June 16 (Xinhua) -- An international symposium was held Wednesday in Hong Kong to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), with the attendance of scholars, political figures and business elites from home and abroad. When addressing the forum, Carrie Lam, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said the country and the CPC as its ruling party always put its people first, citing that unparalleled economic progress have been achieved and 850 million people have been lifted out of poverty over the past decades. The central government and the CPC have always been committed to the thorough implementation of the great concept of "one country, two systems," she said. The implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong has effectively restored stability and the improvement to the electoral system will ensure "patriots administering Hong Kong," which shows the central government's and the CPC's unwavering determination in upholding "one country, two systems" and ensuring the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, Lam said. Faced with multiple challenges in the past two years brought about by the turbulence over the extradition bill, the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the external environment, the CPC has enacted the national security law in the HKSAR, improved its electoral systems, and maintained Hong Kong's constitutional order, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Tan Tieniu said in his speech. The CPC also supports Hong Kong's participation in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong's integration into the national economy to maintain Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, he said. Looking ahead, Tan believes that Hong Kong's future is bound to be even brighter. With the implementation of the national security law in the HKSAR and the improvement of the HKSAR's electoral system, Hong Kong has gone through a major transformation from chaos to stability, and "one country, two systems" has entered another stage of enduring success, Liu Guangyuan, commissioner of the Chinese foreign ministry in the HKSAR said. The commissioner's office will more vigorously oppose external interference, serve Hong Kong's development and put people at the center, and join hands with the Hong Kong community to take diplomatic work relating to Hong Kong to new heights, he said. Mao Chaofeng, chairman of Bauhinia Culture Group Co., Ltd. said the CPC has pioneered, advanced and upheld the cause of "one country, two systems." During the past two decades, the CPC has remained committed to safeguarding Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and the enduring success of the practice of "one country, two systems," he said. More than 300 people attended the forum in person or remotely, discussing topics including the CPC's contribution to the world. The event was organized by the liaison office and Bauhinia Culture Group. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-17 00:47:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan and Somali foreign ministers spoke on phone Wednesday where they resolved to improve bilateral ties between the two neighboring countries. Kenya's foreign affairs cabinet secretary Raychelle Omano and Somali foreign minister Mohamed Abdirizak Mohamud reaffirmed the need to expeditiously reopen their two respective missions. "The ministers expressed a strong wish to improve trade, security and cultural relations between Kenya and Somalia," Kenya's foreign ministry said in a statement issued in Nairobi. The two ministers also emphasized the importance of normalizing diplomatic relations between the two countries. They also agreed to keep bilateral diplomatic channels of communications open between the two capitals in all matters of future diplomatic relations. The thawing of relations between the two nations came after Kenya on June 10 lifted its ban on flights to and from Somalia after a nearly one-month ban amid a diplomatic spat between the two countries. Somalia later welcomed the resumption of flights and reiterated its commitment to restore and accelerate diplomatic, trade, and people-to-people relations for the prosperity of Somalia and Kenya. Somalia in December 2020 severed its diplomatic ties with neighboring Kenya, accusing Nairobi of frequently violating Mogadishu's sovereignty. Mogadishu restored diplomatic relations with Nairobi on May 5 with mediation by Qatar. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-17 00:53:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Aerial photo taken on June 15, 2021 shows the Phonethong bridge under construction in Vientiane, Laos. The China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group (CREC-5) has completed the construction of the main structure of the longest bridge along the China-Laos Railway, the Phonethong super major bridge. The Chinese engineering company, the CREC-5, told Xinhua on Wednesday that with the last pier cemented on Monday, the main structure of the Phonethong super major bridge, the longest China-Laos Railway bridge with a length of 7,528.56 meters and 231 piers, was completed. (CREC-5/Handout via Xinhua) VIENTIANE, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group (CREC-5) has completed the construction of the main structure of the longest bridge along the China-Laos Railway, the Phonethong super major bridge. The Chinese engineering company, the CREC-5, told Xinhua on Wednesday that with the last pier cemented on Monday, the main structure of the Phonethong super major bridge, the longest China-Laos Railway bridge with a length of 7,528.56 meters and 231 piers, was completed. The construction of the Phonethong bridge was kicked off in last July in Lao capital Vientiane, the southern end of the China-Laos Railway. The CREC-5 engineering team has overcome a series of difficulties including the lengthy rainy season, complex geological conditions and the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, to advance the bridge's construction. The China-Laos Railway's construction has been confronted with huge challenges and difficulties in the epidemic, but the work progressing in an orderly and balanced manner has strengthened the confidence in the timely completion of the railway by this December, Bounthong Chitmany, Vice President of Laos said, when talking to Xiao Qianwen, general manager of the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd., which is responsible for the construction and operation of the railways. The China-Laos Railway is a docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub. The over-400-km railway will run from Boten border gate in northern Laos bordering China, to Vientiane with an operating speed of 160 km per hour. The electrified passenger and cargo railway is built with the full application of the Chinese management and technical standards. The construction of the project started in December 2016 and is scheduled to be completed and open to traffic in December 2021. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-17 01:35:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A medical worker administers a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Sale, Morocco, on June 16, 2021. Morocco's COVID-19 tally rose to 524,975 on Wednesday as 500 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, 9,369,489 people have received so far the first vaccine shot against COVID-19 in the country, and 7,683,878 people have received the second dose. (Photo by Chadi/Xinhua) RABAT, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Morocco's COVID-19 tally rose to 524,975 on Wednesday as 500 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours. According to a statement by the Ministry of Health, the death toll rose to 9,221 with four new fatalities during the last 24 hours, while 192 people are in intensive care units. The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 512,097 after 303 new ones were added, the statement said. The COVID-19 fatality rate in Morocco stands at 1.8 percent while the recovery rate is 97.6 percent. Meanwhile, 9,369,489 people have received so far the first vaccine shot against COVID-19 in the country, and 7,683,878 people have received the second dose. The North African country launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on Jan. 28 after the arrival of the first shipment of China's Sinopharm vaccines. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-17 02:20:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RABAT, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan King Mohammed VI sent congratulations to Israel's new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, official radio "Aloula" reported on Wednesday. King Mohammed VI expressed to Bennett his "warm congratulations on his election as prime minister of the State of Israel, and best wishes for success," it added. He also conveyed to Bennett the "determination of the Kingdom of Morocco to continue its active role, in favor of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, in order to guarantee that all peoples in the region live side by side in peaceful, stable environment." Morocco and Israel agreed on Dec. 22, 2020 to establish full diplomatic relations. The Israeli parliament on Sunday approved a new coalition government, sending Benjamin Netanyahu to the opposition after a record 12-year rule. Bennett was sworn in as the new prime minister on Sunday night. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-17 03:38:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua Writer Tan Jingjing WASHINGTON, June 16 (Xinhua) -- More rapid COVID-19 vaccination rollout across the United States, combined with other precaution measures, are essential to prevent emerging coronavirus variants from causing new outbreaks, a leading expert told Xinhua on Wednesday. The United States has reached another grim milestone Tuesday with over 600,000 coronavirus deaths and more than 33.4 million confirmed cases. The country remains the nation worst hit by the pandemic, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the global cases and over 15 percent of the global deaths. Though progress has been seen in key COVID-19 indicators since peak in January, emerging coronavirus variants, including the Delta variant which was first discovered in India, are posing new threats. "This variant is very dangerous and highly transmissible, greater than the Alpha variant which is currently the dominant strain in the United States," Zhang Zuofeng, professor of epidemiology and associate dean for research with the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Xinhua in an interview. It may be associated with an increased disease severity, such as hospitalization risk, compared to Alpha, he added. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has elevated the Delta variant from "variant of interest" to "variant of concern." Currently, a total of six variants were classified by the CDC as "variants of concern." The Alpha variant, the dominant strain, has led to 69.5 percent of new COVID-19 infections across the country, according to the latest CDC data. Zhang said whether the Delta variant would replace the Alpha variant to become the dominant strain in the United States depends on the vaccination rate. "If the vaccination rollout is not fast enough, the Delta variant may progress to a dominant strain, and may also evolve into even more dangerous mutant," he noted. People unvaccinated and partially vaccinated are most at risk, as study suggests strong protection from COVID-19 vaccines against variants after two doses, Zhang said. The Pfizer/BioNTech shot is 96 percent effective against hospitalization of those infected with the delta variant after two doses, according to an analysis announced Monday by health authorities in Britain. Those results are comparable with the protection offered against the alpha variant, which first emerged in Britain, the data show. Zhang urged more people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to keep the variant from taking hold. He also stressed the importance of keeping social distance, wearing masks and personal hygiene as vaccines could not offer 100 percent protection. Research is still underway on how long the protection from COVID-19 vaccines will last, and when a booster is required, Zhang told Xinhua. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-17 06:55:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GENEVA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday lashed out at the United States on arms control, human rights, cyber-attacks, among other issues, after "constructive" talks with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden. "As for the general assessment, I believe there was no hostility at all," Putin said during his solo press briefing, adding that the meeting, the first of its kind since Biden took office in January, was "open" and with "no pressure of the parties on each other." Putin said that the two sides "differ in many respects" but "showed willingness to understand each other and seek ways to bring the positions closer," and the pivotal face-to-face discussions, held at the 18th century Villa La Grange in Geneva, was "quite constructive." Although the two sides have agreed to allow their ambassadors to return to Moscow and Washington respectively, and to launch a strategic stability dialogue for future arms control and risk reduction measures, the Russian head of state refuted critics against Russia on such issues as policy predictability, human rights and cyber-security. "The West believes that the Russian policy is unpredictable. Well, let me reciprocate. The U.S. withdrawal from the ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) Treaty in 2002 wasn't predictable," Putin told journalists. As for human rights issues, Putin cited the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, the U.S. attacks in Afghanistan, and the existence of the Guantanamo Bay prison. "One single strike can kill ... (about) 120 people. All right, assuming this was a mistake that happens in a war, but shooting from a drone, (at) an unarmed crowd, clearly the civilian crowd, what is this about? How would you call that? And who's responsible for this?" said Putin. "And how would you call this person? Who is the killer now?" he asked. On cyberattacks, Putin said that it is of vital importance in the world in general, "for the United States in particular, and for Russia as well in the same volume." Putin noted that his country has not yet received any response from the U.S. to Russia's dozens of requests regarding cyberattacks so far since last year. While describing the entire meetings as "good and positive", Biden somehow warned at his separate press conference that he will "take action" if the U.S. continues to be interfered by other countries during its presidential elections. "I made it clear that we will not tolerate attempts to violate our democratic sovereignty or destabilize our democratic elections, and we would respond," Biden said. "The bottom line as I told President Putin was that we need to have some basic rules ... that we can all abide by." The U.S. president added that he gave his Russian counterpart a list of 16 specific entities, ranging from the energy sector to water systems, which were defined by the U.S. as critical infrastructures and should be off-limits to attack by cyber or any other means. "The last thing he (Putin) wants now is a Cold War with the U.S. ... I don't think he's looking for a Cold War with the United States," he said. However, Putin attributed the worsening of bilateral relations to the American side. "All steps in regard to the deterioration in the Russian-American relations were not initiated by us, and they were taken by the American side," he said. "On the whole, we do realize what our American partners speak about, and they know well what we speak about, when it comes to the so-called 'red lines'," Putin said. "But I must sincerely say that we are still far from making emphases and starting to make divisions." Although the two sides discussed a wide range of issues from climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, arms control, cyberattacks, to regional conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, a joint statement from both sides focused on a bilateral strategic stability dialogue for future arms control and risk reduction measures. The two nuclear powers have "demonstrated that, even in periods of tension, they are able to make progress on our shared goals of ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere, reducing the risk of armed conflicts and the threat of nuclear war," said the statement. As "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," the two sides "will embark together on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in the near future," seeking to "lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures," it said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-17 06:58:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen (L) and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa give a press conference at the Pavilion of Knowledge - Ciencia Viva Science Centre in Lisbon, Portugal, June 16, 2021. Von der Leyen announced here on Wednesday the approval of the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), which intends to "profoundly transform the economy" of the country. (Photo by Pedro Fiuza/Xinhua) LISBON, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The president of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, announced here on Wednesday the approval of the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), which intends to "profoundly transform the economy" of the country. "Today I am very happy to announce that the EC has decided to give the 'green light' to the Portuguese recovery plan, after excellent cooperation with the Portuguese authorities," said von der Leyen after her meeting with Prime Minister Antonio Costa in Lisbon. The Portuguese recovery plan was the first to be approved among the 27 member states of the European Union (EU), foreseeing projects worth 16.6 billion euros (19.9 billion U.S. dollars). "The planned reforms and investments will make Portugal come out of this crisis stronger and more resilient," she said, adding that the Portuguese plan "clearly met the demanding criteria" established by the European Commission. She said that the Portuguese PRR is not only "ambitious," presenting "a vision of the future," but also "will help to create a better future for Portugal, for the Portuguese and the EU." According to her, the objective of the European executive is to send "the first funds in July" this year. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 16:17:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARARE, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Food insecurity in Zimbabwe fell to 27 percent this year from 56 percent last year, following a bumper harvest in 2021, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Tuesday. The percentage translates into around 2.9 million rural individuals requiring 262,856 metric tonnes of cereal, Mutsvangwa told a post-cabinet media briefing, citing the 2021 Rural Livelihoods Assessment Report produced by the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC). The drastic fall reflected the government's determined efforts to fight hunger and ensure a food surplus economy, she said. Zimbabwe is expecting to produce about 2.8 million tonnes of maize this year, a record output in more than a decade, against annual national consumption of 1.8 million tonnes. "A targeted movement of food from surplus areas to vulnerable areas will be undertaken since the country is generally expecting 828,263 metric tonnes of cereal surplus, according to the 2021 Second Round Crop Assessment Report," Mutsvangwa said. According to the ZIMVAC report, nutrition has also improved across the country, with 99 percent of people not experiencing food insufficiency, she said. The government is ready to provide the required support for those urban dwellers who may experience food insufficiency, she said. "Development partners and donor agencies are encouraged to procure food from inside the country as imports will not be necessary," she added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 19:58:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 974 refugees from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have arrived in Uganda over the last several days through the porous border of the western district of Bundibugyo, a relief agency said here Wednesday. Irene Nakasiita, Uganda Red Cross Society spokesperson, told Xinhua Wednesday that majority of the refugees are children and women. "About 664 are children and 175 are women," she said, noting that 135 are men. Nakasiita said the greatest worry is not being able to trace some incoming refugees since they go straight to interact with their extended family members and stay there. As COVID-19 cases escalate, there is also fear that new cases could be imported by the refugees. "There is a need for access to safe water, food, medical care, COVID-19 prevention services, masks and hand washing facilities," she said, warning more refugees would cross into the country unless fighting stops. Military chiefs of the two neighboring countries last month held discussions about the deteriorating security situation in Beni North Kivu Province, a region where several militia groups including Uganda's Allied Democratic Forces continue to wreak havoc. United Nations Commissioner for Refugees figures here show that Uganda hosts 1.4 million refugees mainly from neighboring South Sudan, DRC and Rwanda. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 21:58:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Wednesday called on the newly elected Israeli government to take brave decisions for reaching a peace deal in the region, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement. "The new government represents the choice of the Israeli people," he said, adding Egypt looks forward to working with the new Israeli government to push the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and to establish an independent Palestinian state. Shoukry's remarks came during a meeting with his visiting Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn. "Egypt works on exploring the efforts that will lead to the peace in the region and reaching an agreement based on the two-state solution," the statement said. Israel's parliament approved on Sunday a new coalition government led by nationalist Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid, ending the record 12-year rule of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-17 00:53:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YAOUNDE, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Two people have died and three others were injured Tuesday in Cameroon's North region after a storm swept across Benoue division of the region, a government official said on Wednesday. Benoue division's prefect Oumarou Wabi told reporters that the tragedy happened when violent wind uprooted an old tree and it fell on a car that was carrying five people. "Two died on the spot and three others were seriously injured. They are responding to treatment. We have asked municipal authorities to identify old trees risky to the population and take them off," Wabi said. The storm also destroyed property including houses. Local authorities have asked residents to stay indoors. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 11:11:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Japan's exports in May soared 49.6 percent from a year ago, the sharpest monthly rise in 41 years, owing to robust demand for automobiles and related parts, the government said in a report on Wednesday. According to the Finance Ministry, exports of goods in the reporting period hit 6.26 trillion yen (56.85 billion U.S. dollars), logging the fastest pace of increase since April 1980 when exports jumped 51.4 percent. The ministry said exports expanded for a third successive month in May, due in part to a more than 28-percent year-on-year decline booked in May 2020 in the wake of the early downside effects after the outbreak of the pandemic, including supply chain problems and an overall drop in global demand. The Finance Ministry's preliminary data also showed that imports leapt in the reporting month, jumping 27.9 percent to 6.45 trillion yen (58.58 billion U.S. dollars) and marking the fourth consecutive month of increase. Japan's goods trade balance with the rest of the world stood at a deficit for the first time in four months of 187.15 billion yen (1.69 billion U.S. dollars), the ministry's data showed. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 12:56:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VIENTIANE, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Lao health authorities are rolling out the second round of vaccination program, aiming to immunize hundreds of thousands of people against COVID-19. Inoculations of the first doses of Pfizer vaccine and Sinopharm vaccine began on Tuesday. The second doses will be given 21-28 days later, local daily Vientiane Times on Wednesday quoted Phonepaseuth Ounaphom, director general of the Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion under the Lao Ministry of Health, as saying. The Pfizer vaccine is provided by the World Health Organization-led COVAX Facility. A new batch of Sinopharm vaccine provided by the Chinese government arrived in Laos on Monday. The Pfizer vaccine will be given to 50,300 people over the age of 60 and those with underlying health conditions. Other priority groups are government officials, medical staff, those who work in border areas, and people who regularly cross the border. So far, Laos has received about 2,136,620 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including 132,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and 1,000 doses of Sputnik V. As of Saturday, some 712,793 people had received their first dose of vaccine, while 385,921 had been given a second dose, according to the Ministry of Health. The latest delivery of Sinopharm and Pfizer vaccines will add fuel to the government's efforts to vaccinate 50 percent of the population by the end of 2021. The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 recorded in Laos is 2,025, with 1,905 recoveries. Laos confirmed its first two COVID-19 cases on March 24 last year. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 13:48:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Agricultural machines are displayed at Fieldays, the biggest agribusiness event in New Zealand, at Mystery Creek of Hamilton, New Zealand, June 17, 2021. This year's Fieldays opened to the public on Wednesday since the last physical Fieldays was held in 2019. Fieldays is a renowned platform for launching cutting edge agricultural technology. With over 1,000 exhibitors, the latest innovations, health check-ups, advice on agricultural careers and education, competitions, food and beverage options, the four-day event based on a 114-hectare site at Mystery Creek of Hamilton drew people from New Zealand and even abroad - both as exhibitors and visitors. (Xinhua/Guo Lei) HAMILTON, New Zealand, June 16 (Xinhua) -- This year's Fieldays, the biggest agribusiness event in New Zealand, opened to the public on Wednesday since the last physical Fieldays was held in 2019. Fieldays is a renowned platform for launching cutting edge agricultural technology. With over 1,000 exhibitors, the latest innovations, health check-ups, advice on agricultural careers and education, competitions, food and beverage options, the four-day event based on a 114-hectare site at Mystery Creek of Hamilton drew people from New Zealand and even abroad - both as exhibitors and visitors. Peter Nation, Chief Executive of the New Zealand National Fieldays Society, said, "We are honored to be in a position to host an in-person event while many countries across the world cannot." "Two years without a physical event, having to go through what COVID-19 dealt last year, and then all the work we've had to do to put this event back together," he said. Fieldays Online, launched during COVID-19 in 2020, also made a return. Last year it had 90,455 visitors and viewers from more than 75 countries and regions. Nation expected sales at the event to be high, as farmers should have some extra cash flow due to high dairy payout indications and strength in most agricultural sectors. "After the challenging year-and-a-half we have had facing the effects of COVID-19, it will be fantastic for our exhibitors to generate cash flow and grow their business at Fieldays. In turn, this will boost the earnings of the primary sector." The Tractor and Machinery Association had also seen strong sales this year, indicating that New Zealand primary industry was in a good shape, according to Nation. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 15:05:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SUVA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Fiji reported the fifth death from COVID-19 while the Ministry of Health Wednesday pleaded with the public to adhere to the protocols as the country moves into day 59 of the second COVID-19 wave. The deceased was a 73-year-old patient who tested positive 12 days ago after he was admitted at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, capital of Fiji, for almost a month for a severe non-COVID related illness. A total of 116 new COVID-19 cases with one death were recorded in the last 24 hours. Of the 116 new cases, 93 are connected to existing clusters. The new cases represent a new daily record, breaking the previous high of 105 cases three days ago. Fiji's Ministry of Health permanent secretary James Fong said people should do all they can to protect themselves and their loved ones from this virus. There have now been a total of 1,252 cases under the outbreak that started in April 2021. Fong confirmed that 32 more people have recovered. There are now 943 active cases in isolation while a total of 114,386 samples have been tested since April 2021, with 157,247 tested since testing began last year in Fiji. Currently, the Suva-Lami-Nausori containment zone in Suva still maintains a curfew from 6:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. every day while the western side of Viti Levu is under a curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. local time. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 18:28:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SYDNEY, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Climate change is causing "feminization" of green turtle populations, and a study in Australia shows irrigation could potentially reverse the male drought. The research, a part of the Turtle Cooling Project by The University of Queensland (UQ), found that a single application of seawater could theoretically create male hatchlings. The findings were published in the scientific journal Marine Ecology Progress Series. The project, conducted in the 2019-2020 turtle nesting season, has been investigating shade structures and freshwater or seawater irrigation as possible ways to cool turtle nests to generate male turtles. In the research, turtle nests were given a one-off application of either 50 liters of seawater or 50 liters of freshwater, equal to about 100-120 millimeters of rain, while control nests received no irrigation. Both the seawater and freshwater-treated nests saw an immediate 1.3 degrees Celsius drop in temperature, which lasted four days, while control nest temperatures remained constant. According to researchers, global warming is highly problematic for the future of green turtle populations in the world. "Rising temperatures, caused by climate change, is to be blamed for the lack of male hatchling production," Dr. David Booth from UQ said. Booth added that the incubation temperature of eggs determines the sex of sea turtles, with a warmer nest resulting in more females. "In 2018, scientists revealed that more than 99 percent of green turtles being born in the northern Great Barrier Reef are female," Booth said. "If we reach a situation where no males are being produced, then the northern Great Barrier Reef population of green turtles will go into a rapid decline," he said. Seawater irrigation was also trialled in the Conflict Islands, Papua New Guinea, with sand temperatures in this region cooled by about 2 degrees Celsius when seawater irrigation was applied. Researchers said the results were extremely promising, and the seawater irrigation method was worth further investigation. "Seawater now needs to be trialled on a larger scale at other rookeries, like Raine Island, that are in critical need of male production," said World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Australia Marine Species Conservation Project Officer Caitlin Smith, the lead author of the paper. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 22:05:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JAKARTA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian police have handled 19,229 drug smuggling cases and arrested 24,878 suspects from January to June 2021, a police officer said on Wednesday. The National Police Chief Listyo Sigit said the suspects hid drugs in packages of imported goods or smuggled them from ships to ships through small ports. In these cases, officers confiscated 7,696 kg of crystal methamphetamine, 2,100 kg of marijuana, 7.3 kg of heroin, 34.3 kg of gorilla tobacco, and 239,277 ecstasy pills. Sigit explained that the drugs entered Indonesia from the Golden Triangle syndicate on areas bordering Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos, the Golden Crescent syndicate in Afghanistan, and the Indonesia-Netherlands network. To keep the young generations away from drugs, the police have formed a Zero Narcotics Village movement, which encourages local residents to actively monitor their living areas and report on drug cases. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 22:23:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KATHMANDU, June 16 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people have died while around a dozen others including Chinese and Indian nationals are reportedly missing in floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains in the Sindhupalchowk district of Nepal, officials said Wednesday. Incessant rains from Monday evening led to floods and landslides that inflicted loss of lives and properties. "Seven people have died while around a dozen others are reported missing," Arun Pokharel, chief district officer in Sindhupalchowk, told Xinhua. "We are still collecting the reports about loss of lives and properties." The Melamchi drinking water project that supplies water to the Kathmandu Valley was damaged in heavy rains as well, and Camp 5 on the construction site was destroyed. "Three Chinese and four Indians from the construction site are missing," Rajendra Prasad Pant, spokesman with the Melamchi Water Supply Development Board, told Xinhua. "The rescue operation to trace them is going on." Pant said 18 workers have been rescued and they are receiving treatment in Kathmandu. The Chinese embassy in Kathmandu confirmed the missing of three Chinese nationals, saying the body of one of them has been found, making the death toll stand at eight. On Wednesday morning, the Nepali government mobilized 250 soldiers and police officers from Kathmandu to support the security forces in Sindhupalchowk. Every year Nepal suffers huge loss of lives and properties in landslides and floods triggered by heavy monsoon rainfalls. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 09:47:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LJUBLJANA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Slovenian government announced on Tuesday that the state of pandemic, which was declared last October, would not be extended. "Today is the last day of the pandemic. The epidemiological situation in Slovenia is favorable, thanks to all those who respected the measures and decided to get vaccinated," the government spokeswoman Maja Bratusa said at a press conference. The government will continue to help social welfare institutions, and provide funds for additional employment, and employees will continue to be entitled to bonuses for work in difficult conditions, said Mateja Ribic, state secretary of the Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. However, the monthly automatic extension of the exercise of rights from public funds ceases, Ribic added. Civil servants will no longer receive bonuses in the amount of 65 percent of their paychecks. Those health care and social service workers who work in direct contact with patients will still receive a 30 percent bonus with their basic salaries. It is still necessary to provide 10 square meters per person at events without fixed seats, three meters distance between tables and a maximum of 75 percent occupancy of accommodation. The government officials recommend that activities take place outdoors, while indoor spaces should be regularly ventilated. Protective masks are still mandatory in enclosed public spaces. On Sunday, only 24 infections were confirmed in Slovenia, which is the lowest confirmed number of infections since August last year. A total of 122 people are hospitalized, with 40 of them in intensive care. The seven-day average of daily cases decreased by 15 to 132. So far, 552,551 Slovenians were fully vaccinated, which accounts for 26.3 percent of the population, according to the National Institute of Public Health. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 21:33:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SKOPJE, June 16 (Xinhua) -- North Macedonia's government decided on Wednesday to lift the COVID-19-related night-time (12 midnight to 4 a.m.) curfew and some other restrictions. The decision was based on Tuesday's recommendations of the country's Commission for Infectious Diseases to further relax the restrictive measures as the number of new coronavirus cases and fatalities in the country has dropped significantly. Events, concerts and parties can again be organized in the country but only outdoors at 50 percent capacity and with the participation of no more than 1,000 people. Weddings and other celebrations are now also allowed with 50 percent capacity, instead of the maximum 100 guests under the previous rules. The limit on the working hours of hospitality facilities, including bars and restaurants, as well as gas stations, casinos and betting shops has also been lifted. On Tuesday, the country's Health Ministry reported 29 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of confirmed cases in North Macedonia to 155,568, with 149,676 recoveries and 5,472 fatalities. The COVID-19 vaccination campaign is underway in the country. To date, 452,424 people have been vaccinated, of whom 193,029 have received both doses. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 22:24:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LISBON, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese health authorities began to issue the EU (European Union) Digital COVID Certificate on Wednesday, which will allow free transit in the bloc's 27 member countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. According to the authorities, the so-called "COVID-19 passport" will be granted to those who have already been vaccinated, recovered from the disease, and those who present a negative result in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. The Certificate can be requested and received over the internet free of charge for Portuguese residents. It's also available through a smartphone application integrated with other EU countries. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, on her visit to Portugal on Wednesday, was the first to publicly test the system. "I am now starting my tour of the 27 Member States within the framework of 'NextGenerationEU', our recovery and resilience plan, and I am very curious to test and see how this certificate works," she said, adding that the system is already in use in 15 member states. Portugal has administered at least 6.96 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines so far, according to the health authorities. As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in an increasing number of countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines. A total of 287 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 102 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on June 15. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-16 15:24:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HAVANA, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The 13th edition of Cuba's International Convention on Environment and Development will take place virtually on July 6-9 for the first time, a senior official told a press conference Tuesday. Maritza Garcia, president of the island's Environment Agency, said that researchers from Cuba, the United States, Mexico, Italy and Germany, among other countries, had already confirmed their participation in the event. "We will promote cooperation between countries in the fields of science, sustainable economic growth, social development, and human dignity," she said. Celso Pazos, the director general of Havana's National Institute of Meteorology, told Xinhua that the island will present new predictions for climate scenarios on the island from 2050 to 2100, which will contribute to updating data related to coastal floods across the country. "It is very important to asses climate change impact on different sectors of society, ranging from agriculture to public health," he said. At present, Cuba continues to work on the implementation of Tarea Vida (Life Task), a governmental program aimed at ameliorating climate change impact on coastal areas vulnerable to the rise of sea levels in the coming decades. Additionally, scientific authorities on the island have given priority to restoration of ecosystems, reforestation in rural and urban areas as well as protection of biodiversity in reserves. Omar Cantillo, the director of protected areas at the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, told Xinhua that the island's environmental strategy involves state institutions and people at the grassroots level. "Cuba has 215 protected areas, accounting for 20 percent of the country's forest area. This is not a trivial matter," he said. Enditem MEXICO CITY Mexico's president said Tuesday he plans to make the National Guard part of the army, erasing the thin pretense of a civilian-controlled force that was used to gain approval for its creation two years ago. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador dissolved the former Federal Police soon after taking office in late 2018, saying the force was corrupt. He replaced it with the National Guard under the nominal control of the civilian Public Safety Department. The idea was that the 100,000-member guard could gradually allow the army to withdraw from law enforcement duties. But the vast majority of recruits, officers and training always came from the military, often on loan. Lopez Obrador said Tuesday he planned to propose a constitutional amendment to make the National Guard part of the Defense Department, to ensure its budget would not be cut by subsequent administrations. The last national law enforcement force created in Mexico the Gendarmes created by Lopez Obrador's predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto suffered exactly that fate. But the army's involvement in civilian policing has drawn complaints from the opposition and human rights groups, who say they only way out of Mexico's persistent high levels of violence is to clean up and strengthen the often corrupt, underfunded and poorly trained civilian police forces. Critics say the army's involvement in numerous human rights abuses proves it is neither trained nor suited for law enforcement. Lopez Obrador has vastly expanded the military's role in Mexico's economy and policing. He has put the military in charge of seaports and customs inspections, and has given the navy part ownership of the multi-modal rail and port link across the country's southern isthmus. In December, he gave the army operating control and any profits from another of his pet projects, the Maya Train across the Yucatan Peninsula. The army would use any profits to finance military pensions, though it is not clear the project will make money. Army engineers are already in charge of building many of Mexico's infrastructure projects. While Mexican generals played leading roles in the 1910-17 revolution and post-revolutionary governments in the 1920s and 1930s, since the 1940s the army has been unusual in Latin America in that it has rigorously stayed out of politics and the general economy. In return, a long succession of Mexican presidents made the army off-limits to outside scrutiny. By tradition, there has never been a civilian defense secretary, and the president does not directly name the person for that post, choosing from a list of acceptable generals submitted by the army. The president is a big fan of the military, saying it is patriotic, honest institution. He does not want his pet projects to be privatized by subsequent administrations, and sees the military, which has traditionally enjoyed both respect and autonomy, as a safe place for them. aillarionov Heading to Canossa Detestable submission: Explaining Bidens summitry with Putin The main mystery of Joe Bidens upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin is the lack of a clarity of why the American president needs it. In order to realize the uniqueness of the upcoming summit, it makes sense to pay attention to the surprising oddities of its preparation. Biden requested the meeting, through his NSC chief and Putins counterpart First, the meeting was initiated not by Vladimir Putin, but by Joe Biden. It was Biden who called Putin on April 13. A few weeks earlier, the US president seemed to agree with a journalists opinion that the Kremlin owner is a killer. Putins subsequent personal offer to debate to Biden publicly was followed by an insulting refusal from Bidens press secretary. But less than a month after the noisy interview and the humiliating refusal, Biden himself called Putin. Moreover, he not only phoned, but personally invited Putin to participate in both a multilateral meeting on climate issues and a bilateral summit between them. Henry IV and Gregory VII Summit in Canossa, January 28, 1077 Secondly, the organizers of the summit on both sides are not the top diplomats, but the presidential aides for national security. Not Antony Blinken and Sergei Lavrov, but Jake Sullivan and Nikolai Patrushev. Sullivan has 12 years experience at the State Department. Patrushev spent 47 years in the Soviet and Russian political police the Soviet KGB and the Russian FSB. Why did the Biden administration choose Patrushev, and not Lavrov, as its liaison for the summit? We dont know. It is an unusual partnership. As head of the FSB, Patrushev became infamous for publicly confirming that his men planted a massive explosive device seized by local police from the basement of a residential building in Ryazan in September, 1999. The bomb, which would have leveled the apartment block, had been planted by FSB officers, apparently on Patrushevs order, or at least with his knowledge. The incident appeared to be part of several deadly apartment bombings that Putin used as a pretext to take political power. Subsequently, as secretary of Putins Security Council, Patrushev became known as a supporter of a preventive nuclear strike, including against a country that does not possess nuclear weapons. Why the American president had Sullivan and not Blinken prepare his summit with Putin, making Patrushev his partner on the Russian side, is unknown. Biden thus empowered Patrushev, one of the most anti-American hawks in the Kremlin, against both the Russian Foreign Ministry and the US Department of State. Patrushev is anything but a negotiatior, yet he has already anticipated reaching agreements with Biden: on a number of positions, we can count on the development of mutually acceptable solutions. Biden hasnt followed up on any of his long-held anti-Putin programs. Hes done the opposite. Thirdly, less than five months into his term in the White House, Joe Biden has done nothing about Vladimir Putin and his regime that he was advised, recommended, urged to do by his Democratic Party allies in their numerous reports, concepts, strategies, and policies that formulated what had promise as a robust response to the aggressive actions of the Kremlin. The most striking thing is that as President of the United States, Biden has done nothing about Putin that he had accused President Trump of not wanting to do. He did nothing about what he, Biden, personally proposed to do about Putin in his joint article with Michael Carpenter, How to Stand Up to the Kremlin , just three years ago. Fourth, in the same bare five months of his stay in the White House, Biden took many of the exact opposite steps that he demanded to be taken three years ago. Some of his actions cannot be called otherwise than multibillion-dollar financial and geopolitical gifts to Putin. If President Trump had taken those actions, he would have been branded by mainstream media, justly, as an unscrupulous Putin accomplice. In particular, Biden: immediately extended the latest Strategic Arms Reduction (START-3) treaty for five years (and not for a year or two, as, for example, recommended last summer by the current Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland); last summer by the current Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland); stopped the construction of the Canadian-American Keystone XL oil pipeline; refused to apply the sanctions established by Congress against the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, in particular against the projects general manager, former East German Stasi secret police man Matthias Warnig. Biden thus allowed Putins favored infrastructure project to complete its line B, and now Gazprom is doing everything possible to quickly complete the construction of line A; refused to increase military aid to Ukraine, which is a victim of the Kremlins unprovoked aggression that has been going on for more than seven years; abruptly ordered two American destroyers heading for the Black Sea to return as Putin concentrated Russian troops along the Russian-Ukrainian border and in the occupied Ukrainian territories; without waiting for the results of investigations, publicly denied the involvement of the Russian authorities in cyber attacks on vital economic infrastructure in the United States the Colonial Pipeline, whose closure caused a multistate fuel crisis, and the network JCB poultry processing plants. Fifth, Biden provided Putin with an unthinkable foreign policy breakthrough and diplomatic triumph that helped break the Russian strongman out of his relative international isolation. By inviting Putin to a meeting of leaders of 40 states on climate issues, Biden legalized Putins participation in high-level international events in which the Kremlin chief had not taken part for a long time. Putins trip to Geneva, at Bidens invitation, will mark Putins first trip to a Western country since January 2020. The summit with Biden presented Putin an opportunity to give his June 14th NBC interview as a first one with US media since 2018. Biden gushed over Putins faceless, colorless, substance-free speech at the climate summit: Im very heartened by President Putins call yesterday for the world to collaborate and advanced carbon dioxide removal. And the United States looks forward to working with Russia and other countries in that endeavor. It has a great promise. Every few days either Biden himself or his administration officials informed Washington and the world about how Biden longs for a meeting with Putin, how he hopes for the success of negotiations with him. Putin didnt share the joy. Up to his June 14 NBC interview, Putin never publicly commented on his upcoming meeting with Biden. In other words, it was Biden, not Putin, who advertised the meeting, and who created and sustained the expectations of the summit. Peace Through Weakness? Sixth, although Bidens people have said more than once that the president would meet with Putin from a position of strength , his actions and his statements in fact testify to the opposite of Bidens glaring weakness. Biden said that he was heading to meet with Putin after the G7, NATO and US-EU summits, after meetings, according to Sullivan , with 35 to 36 heads of state, which, according to the plan, should symbolize the unification of enormous power. But it actually highlights Bidens personal weakness. The need for him to meet multilaterally means that he is too lightweight on his own to meet with Putin without substantial external advance reinforcement. In the entire history of US-Soviet and US-Russian summits, it has never happened that the American president tried to increase his political weight through meetings the day before with his allies and friends. For his part, before the Geneva summit, Putin did not meet with any of his allies and satellites, which underscores Putins self-sufficiency and self-confidence in comparison with Bidens apparent over-eagerness. Bidens approach to the summit diminished his stature and strengthened Putin. Seventh, the most recent comments from Biden and those accompanying him are already signs of self-deprecation. When a journalist asked Biden why he refused to hold a joint press conference, Biden replied : this is not a contest about who can do better in front of a press conference to try to embarrass each other It is difficult to find an example of a more obvious admission that, in the eyes of Biden himself, the joint press conference is the very contest that he would certainly lose. First Lady Jill Biden made the situation worse, announcing that the president was overprepared. White House press secretary Jen Psakis attempt at damage-control turned out to be a real embarrassment : Well, what I think she meant by that I also know she said which I agree with, from having many conversations with him is that foreign policy, national security, you know, engaging on the world stage is an area that has been a central focus of his 50 years in public life and public office . It so happened that for a meeting with Putin, for whom he had so many unflattering words, and whom he himself called a killer just three months ago, Biden had indeed been preparing for 50 years. It is impossible to imagine that the preparation for any international meeting, no matter how important it may be, any president American, Russian, or any other would be able to take 50 years. Many unanswered questions Naturally, the question arises: Why? Why did Biden invite Putin at all? Why does he want to meet him? What does he want to discuss with him? What does he want to negotiate with him? Why has Biden already taken so many steps that would be unusual for any American president? Why did he not do what was expected of him, and what Biden himself had promised for years that he would do? Why is he going to a meeting, the agenda of which was not formed until the very last moment, the formats of discussions of which still have not been determined, with no deliverables expected, and with no traditional joint press conference to announce any results or even extend a standard diplomatic protocol? Why did Biden have this summit arranged from his National Security Council staff in the White House with an old KGB man as the Kremlin counterpart, and not through traditional and established diplomatic channels? When Biden himself, his national security advisor Sullivan, and other representatives of the US administration were asked these and similar questions, no intelligible answers were received. Only an empty refrain that we want a stable and predictable relationship. At best, it then enumerates a bland vinaigrette of traditional themes international stability, disarmament, regional problems, cyber terrorism, climate. But their very predictability, and even the way in which these topics are enumerated, without any meaningful filling, inspiration and expected results, which require no urgent meeting at all, indicate that, obviously, there is something else. There is a hidden reason why Biden asked for this summit with Putin. Biden has awakened to the threat from China and now he needs Putin Despite no official information or substantive leaks on either side, one can assume what topic Biden may discuss with Putin in Geneva. There seems to be no other issue that occupies a more important place in Bidens foreign policy strategy than the unfolding confrontation with China. Within this topic: Biden launched the Quad initiative the formation of a soft alliance between the United States and India, Japan, and Australia; Biden removed the taboo from discussing the Wuhan Virological Institute lab-leak theory; lab-leak theory; Prior to this trip, Biden had personal meetings with only two foreign leaders the Prime Minister of Japan and the President of Korea; At the G7 summit in Cornwall, Biden held a separate meeting with the leaders of Great Britain and Australia; In the communique of the Group of Seven, a special place was occupied by the topic of countering China, with Italy abruptly considering its participation in the Belt-and-Road Initiative; At the NATO summit, confrontation with China was given a central place. Success in a serious and long-term wrestling with China is unlikely without pulling Russia away from its embrace of Beijing. Or without achieving at least Russian neutrality. And then, therefore, it is necessary to come to an agreement with Putin. Despite everything that Putin has done. And despite everything that Biden said about Putins deeds and Putin himself. But Putin cannot be carried away by stories about democracy and progressivism, nor can he be intimidated by climate alarms and discussions of the state of human rights in Russia and Belarus. Putin can only be attracted by the satisfaction of his real interests. And Putins material interests lie in Europe. Road to Canossa That is why Biden allowed Putin to complete the construction of Nord Stream 2. That is why Biden refused to increase military aid to Ukraine. That is why, having met before the start of his first trip abroad with the leaders of Japan and Korea, Biden refused to meet with the presidents of Ukraine and Poland (at the very last moment he met the Polish President Andrzej Duda in Brussels). And even the German chancellor will visit Washington only a month after Bidens meeting with Putin. That is why, as it just emerged, the NATO alliance plans to stop deploying ground-based nuclear missiles in Europe, following President Bidens meeting with fellow heads of state. That is why Biden, back on April 2, 2021, publicly supported Ukraines Euro-Atlantic aspirations and did not object to mentioning his personal support for Ukraines full membership in NATO then, two months later, he demanded that the Ukrainian press release on his telephone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky be corrected to eliminate references to his support for Ukraines NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP). That is why at his June 14 press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels Biden categorically rejected the granting of the MAP to Ukraine. In doing so, he paves the way for a repeat of the 2008 story. Then, taking advantage of the refusal to grant the MAP to Georgia at the NATO summit in Bucharest, Putin invaded Georgia four months later and occupied 20 percent of its territory. That is why, at the same press conference, by saying nothing how he would prevent torturing political prisoners in Russia, Biden de facto gave Putin the green light to maul the Russian opposition. Q : What it will mean for the U.S.-Russia relationship if Aleksey Navalny were to die or be killed in prison? Biden : And Navalnys death would be another indication that Russia has little or no intention of abiding by basic fundamental human rights. It would be a tragedy. It would do nothing but hurt his relationships with the rest of the world, in my view, and with me. The fundamental meaning of all these actions is obvious it is an attempt to lure Putin into a large-scale geopolitical deal in the unfolding grand confrontation with China, obtaining at least Russias neutrality in exchange for satisfying Putins geopolitical wishes in Europe. Bidens actions remind those of us born in the Old World as the Road to Canossa. The expression recalls a humiliating ritual of a powerful Holy Roman Emperor from the Middle Ages who pleaded for an audience with the pope, trudging through a blizzard to meet the church leader at a castle in Canossa, Italy. On finding himself locked out of the castle at the popes orders, the emperor spent three days on his knees at the gate, naked except for a punishing hair shirt, to beg forgiveness. After the third day, the pope granted the humiliated emperors wish. But despite Bidens all efforts, his attempt to negotiate a stable and predictable relationship with Russia deal is doomed to failure. Putin will not agree to it. He has already stated in his interview with NBC: We can see attempts at destroying the relationship between Russia and China. We can see that those attempts are being made in practical policies I have set forth my position for you I understand that whats beginning is a certain kind of confrontation with China. Everybody understands it. We can see it However we have developed a strategic partnership relationship between Russia and China that previously had not been achieved in the history of our nations Complete misunderstanding of such a person as Putin, a fundamental US inability to deal with him, as well as Bidens boundless willingness to sacrifice the life and freedom of millions of Europeans to the tyrant and aggressor, turned the American presidents position of strength into detestable submission, and his planned triumphal march to Geneva into a stable and predictable as well as humiliating road to Canossa. https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/heading-to-canossa-detestable-submission-explaining-bidens-summitry-with-putin/ Tags: , , , , , , , , From: (Anonymous) Date: June 16th, 2021 01:45 am (UTC) (Link) . From: Serge78122808 Date: June 16th, 2021 04:59 am (UTC) (Link) , . , , . From: (Anonymous) Date: June 16th, 2021 05:50 am (UTC) (Link) , . " "() . , . https:// twitter.com/pani_walewska/status/1400008307461529602 From: bayantheone Date: June 16th, 2021 01:20 pm (UTC) (Link) )))))) From: (Anonymous) Date: June 16th, 2021 05:58 am (UTC) (Link) [derik_536]: [derik_536] - , : , "-2", . , , ((( "". From: ulwr Date: June 16th, 2021 06:30 am (UTC) (Link) It seems that the principal problem with Biden is that he is oblivious as to what does it mean to be US President. He seems to be of the opinion that it's simply yet another opportunity to strengthen and expand his family business and improve his financial standing, same as he has been doing when occupying other political posts up to and including that of Vice President. The idea that being the leader of the world's most powerful country means, among other things, being its face on the world arena seems to have gone right over his head. It doesn't seem to occur to him that openly groveling before a foreign dictator for personal gain might be acceptable for a low-level clerk, but for the President it's an extremely poor form and disgrace to the whole country. Such things are, however, to be expected when instead of a popularly elected leader you have an illegitimate usurper, especially if, as the case may be, in terms of cognitive and social abilities their best years have long since passed. London: Scott Morrison has told a beaming Queen that she was quite the hit at the G7 summit Britain hosted in Cornwall on the weekend. Images of the Queen cutting a cake for volunteers during the weekends events with a ceremonial sword instead of a knife prompted laughter from Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, who were watching on. The Queen cuts a cake with a ceremonial sword. Getty The Prime Minister appeared to refer to the hilarity when he ended his UK tour with a trip to Windsor Castle to visit the Queen. So you were down there but I didnt see you, in Cornwall, she said, smiling warmly. The prime minister told the Queen that Australia, which is not a member of the G7, was invited as an extension partner to the talks. You were quite the hit, everyone was talking about you at dinner the next night, he told the monarch. Oh Lord, were they really? the Queen responded, as she looked down at the floor. They were, they were thrilled to see you, Mr Morrison said. Her Majesty received the Australian Prime Minister on Tuesday morning local-time in the Oak Room of Windsor Castle, where she has been staying during the pandemic. Queen Elizabeth II receives Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison during an audience in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle. AP Mr Morrison was scheduled to arrive at 11am, and around 45 minutes later Buckingham Palace issued a short statement. The Queen today received The Hon. Scott Morrison MP (Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia) in Audience at Windsor Castle, the statement said. Photographs of the pair show the Queen smiling warmly. She wore a bright yellow dress with a blue floral pattern and pearls; Mr Morrison was dressed in a suit and light blue tie. Mr Morrison said afterwards that he was honoured to have an audience with the Queen. We had a good conversation and I was able to pass on in person Australias condolences on the recent loss of Prince Philip, he said in a tweet. The details of what else was discussed are not known because conversations with the Queen are supposed to be kept strictly confidential to avoid compromising her political neutrality. But on the weekend US President Joe Biden provided a rare insight when he revealed that during his 45-minute audience, the monarch inquired about Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russias leader Vladimir Putin. The pair, who have both been vaccinated against COVID-19, were photographed standing close to each other. It is the second time Mr Morrison has met the monarch. In 2019, he and his wife Jenny visited Buckingham Palace and presented her with a book about racehorse Winx. The Queen is an avid horseracing enthusiast. Mr Morrison made the trip to Windsor, near Heathrow, straight after leaving Downing Street where he and his British counterpart Boris Johnson announced a new free trade deal that will allow younger people to live and work in each others countries. He is now on his prime ministerial jet to Paris where he will meet French President Emmanuel Macron. #Mininter alcanza cifra record al incinerar mas de 30 toneladas de droga decomisadas al narcotrafico. Ministro @PePeElice destaca trabajo coordinado de las instancias del Estado en la lucha contra el trafico ilicito de drogas. ???Mas informacion: https://t.co/3FaAE4m3mN pic.twitter.com/Wywe3mIuaN Felicitaciones a la lider y activista indigena peruana, Liz Chicaje, por haber recibido el premio Goldman en reconocimiento a su dedicacion en favor de la proteccion de nuestra Amazonia. https://t.co/BG8ZiZTWpC He also encouraged people to redouble efforts to maintain the social bubble as a key self-care strategy to curb the transmission of the virus. Likewise, he mentioned that information on the Delta variant has been collected in the areas near the place where the case was detected supported by the INS-CDC brigades sent to Arequipa region. ? #NotaDePrensa INS brinda recomendaciones tras aparicion de la variante Delta. ??Enterate mas??https://t.co/7XkeVANfqH pic.twitter.com/9yxQH0hhu6 YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has sent a congratulatory letter to President of China, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, on the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Party, the Armenian Presidents Office told Armenpress. Armenia attaches importance to the further development of friendly relations with China. I am confident that the Armenian-Chinese mutually beneficial cooperation will continue strengthening and deepening for the benefit of our countries and nations. Highly valuing the effective reforms being carried out in China by the Communist Partys and your leadership, I wish you new achievements, and to the good people of China welfare and peace, the Armenian President said in his letter. President Sarkissian also congratulated Xi Jinping on the occasion of his birthday, wishing all the best. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Civil Contract party led by caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan will hold a march in Yerevan today in the evening. It will launch at 19:00 in Zeytun administrative district. I invite our beloved residents of Yerevan, Zeytun to that meeting, Pashinyan said during the partys pre-election campaign in Syunik province. Talking about the June 20 snap parliamentary elections, he urged everyone to definitely participate in the elections and vote in their favor. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenias caretaker minister of high technological industry Hayk Chobanyan met with general director of the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities Dmitry Rogozin in St. Petersburg on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2021), the ministry told Armenpress. During the meeting they discussed the possible cooperation within the frames of space development in Armenia. Hayk Chobanyan highlighted the importance of development of space services, technologies in Armenia and the cooperation within this framework. The officials also touched upon the signing process of an inter-state agreement between Armenia and Russia, the implementation of joint projects, promotion of Russian companies in Armenia in the context of space activity development and a number of other issues. The tax privileges set by the Armenian legislation are favorable for this purpose. At the end of the meeting Hayk Chobanyan invited Dmitry Rogozin to take part in the 6th STARMUS international festival on science and art in Armenia on September 5-10, 2022. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan STEPANAKERT, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh has issued a statement on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the occupation of the Shahumyan region of Artsakh, the ministry told Armenpress. The statement says: These days mark the 29th anniversary of the occupation of the Shahumyan region of the Republic of Artsakh. As a result of a large-scale offensive launched on June 12, 1992, the Shahumyan region had been completely captured by the Azerbaijani armed forces by mid-June 1992. During the occupation, the Azerbaijani army committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity, including deliberate execution of people who tried to leave the occupied settlements, extrajudicial killings of prisoners and hostages, preventing the evacuation of civilians, shelling from heavy weapons civilian infrastructure. As a result of the occupation of the Shahumyan region and the ensuing ethnic cleansing, about twenty Armenian villages were looted, burned and destroyed, over 20 thousand people were forced to leave their homes and became internally displaced persons and refugees, hundreds of people were brutally killed or have gone missing. The subsequent offensive of the Azerbaijani armed forces on the Martakert region led to the occupation of almost half of Artsakh and drove the Republic to the verge of humanitarian catastrophe. However, thanks to their unshakable spirit and strong will, perseverance and selfless struggle, the people of Artsakh, with the support of All Armenians, managed to undermine Azerbaijan's plans to annihilate the Republic of Artsakh and its citizens. In September-November 2020, Azerbaijan, with the direct military participation of Turkey and international terrorists, again tried to implement its criminal and xenophobic plans and do what it failed to do in 1991-94. In the course of the new armed aggression, Azerbaijan and its supporting forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity on an even larger scale and with greater regularity. The new war has led to even greater human suffering, a new wave of refugees and internally displaced persons, and the occupation of a large part of the Republic of Artsakh. The Shahumyan region is an integral part of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the historical territory of Artsakh, where our people realized their inalienable right to self-determination and subsequently established their statehood. The de-occupation of the Shahumyan region and other territories of Artsakh occupied in 1991-1994, 2016 and 2020, along with the recognition of the right to self-determination exercised by its people, is a key element of a comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict and the establishment of a lasting peace in the region. The ongoing illegal occupation of the territories of Artsakh is a constant source of threats to regional peace and security in the South Caucasus. YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. A 20-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), led by Georgios Katrougalos (Greece, UEL), will travel to Armenia to observe the conduct of the early parliamentary elections, alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), PACE reported on its website. The delegation will meet representatives of political parties and coalitions, the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, as well as representatives of civil society and the media, before observing the ballot on 20 June. A member of the Venice Commission the Council of Europe's group of independent legal experts will provide legal support during the visit. A joint press conference is scheduled in Yerevan on Monday 21 June (place and time to be confirmed). YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed hope that the talks with his US counterpart Joe Biden will be productive, TASS reports. Mr. President, I want to thank you for your initiative of todays meeting, the Russian head of state said on Wednesday in his opening remarks at the Geneva talks addressing Biden. I know that you had a long trip, a lot of work. Nevertheless, many issues that require top-level discussion have accumulated in Russian-American relations, Putin noted. I hope that our meeting will be productive. The talks between the Russian and US presidents are taking place in the Villa La Grange library. Top Russian and US diplomats Sergey Lavrov and Antony Blinken as well as interpreters are in the library along with the two leaders. YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. 2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, who is leading the Armenia alliances electoral list for the June 20 snap polls, considers the upcoming elections as crucial. Just several days have been left, and the election is crucial. This is an election between having dignified peace or continuing the life on ones knees. This is an election between having a real drastic growth or increase in unemployment, poverty and migration, he said during their alliances pre-election campaign in Maralik town. He stated that over the past three years migration rate has been higher from that of the past 25 years. The ex-President assures that they are the political force which can ensure the countrys security. We are the political force which can ensure the countrys security, drastic economic growth. We have done this once, it has been before your eyes, and it will happen for the second time, he added. Robert Kocharyan stated that they are holding such meetings being sure that they are coming to power, noting that they are trying to use such meetings for getting better acquainted with the local issues. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Civil Contract party led by caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan honored the memory of all fallen heroes during the meeting with the residents of Yeghegnadzor on the sidelines of the pre-election campaign in Vayots Dzor province. In his remarks Pashinyan said during these 10 days of the campaign the people have developed the political process and reached it to a pre-revolutionary situation. There is a revolutionary situation in Armenia today, with the difference that 3 years ago we were conducting peaceful, velvet revolution. This time as well the time for peaceful, but steel, rather than velvet, revolution has come. Tomorrow, on June 17, at 20:00, there will be time for truth, and the Armenian citizens should gather in the Republic Square of Yerevan to show the obvious that there is no game before the people, he said. The early parliamentary elections in Armenia will be held on June 20. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, 16 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 16 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.81 drams to 514.87 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.98 drams to 624.18 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 7.16 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.87 drams to 726.74 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 56.86 drams to 30873.85 drams. Silver price down by 2.46 drams to 457.29 drams. Platinum price down by 13.50 drams to 19119.24 drams. YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenian and Swiss politicians, representatives of various organizations and members of the Armenian community have gathered amid the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden, The meeting between the two Presidents is taking place at ''La Grange'' villa. The protesters are demanding the leaders of the great powers for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and urged them to condemn the overt aggression of Azerbaijan against Armenia and Artsakh. In an interview with ARMENPRESS, music producer Ani Gasparyan who lives in Switzerland and participated in the protest said that the members of the Swiss government have referred to the term ''genocide'' used by Biden and noted that the international community expects further practical steps. The demonstrators spoke about the horrors of the 44-day Artsakh war, noting that Artsakh has lost human, territorial, as well as cultural values, while Azerbaijan continues to show aggression against the peoples of both Armenia and Artsakh, threatening their security. This is proved by the penetration of the Azerbaijani armed forces into the sovereign territory of Armenia in different directions since May 12. The demonstrators called on the leaders of the superpowers to visit the monument dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Geneva, not to forget the history, as there is a danger of its repetition. Australia's Immigration minister Alex Hawke has defended the extraordinary amount of taxpayers' money spent to keep a Sri Lankan family in detention, despite growing pressure to let them return to their community in Queensland. The Tamil asylum-seeker Murugappan family who have been detained on Christmas Island for the past two years were allowed to reunite on Tuesday after the youngest daughter was medically evacuated with her mother to Perth last week. With the government facing growing calls to end the detention of the girls Tharnicaa, 4, and Kopika, 6 who were born in Australia and their parents, the Immigration Minister moved yesterday to allow them to be reunited in Western Australia where Tharnicaa is being treated for pneumonia and sepsis. Father Nades and Kopika of the Biloela family boarding a plane bound for Perth on Tuesday. Source: AAP Appearing on ABC's 7.30 program on Tuesday night, Mr Hawke sought to justify the harsh and expensive treatment of the family. "According to senate estimates, the cost of detaining the family on Christmas Island from August 2019 to January this year was $6.7 million, including $2.3 million for detention, food, cleaning and school costs, $1.2 million for travel costs and $100,000 for medical costs plus others," said host Leigh Sales. "Who is the contractor running up that money for a family of four for food training and school?" For less than 18 months, "that's a lot of money right? $6.7 million dollars." In response, Mr Hawke conceded the cost of border protection is high but said it was "money well spent". "The cost of not having a border regime is much higher in human life," he said. When pressed on why it was so expensive for a family of four, the minister said operating facilities in remote parts of Australia is expensive. "We don't make any bones about that ... It is money well spent in border protection." Story continues 'How is that not cruel?' Mt Hawke, who with the stroke of a pen could exercise his ministerial power to allow the family to return to their community in the rural Queensland town of Biloela where locals have campaigned to have them back, was pressed on whether the government's position was cruel. Australia's tough border regime largely has bipartisan support, but its controversial offshore detention program has drawn criticism from the United Nations over human rights violations. There is growing pressure on the government over its cruel treatment of the family. Source: AAP Sales asked the immigration minister if it was cruel to specifically persecute those who arrived in the country by boat. The policy is sending potentially legitimate refugees home to countries where they could face persecution, torture or even death because of the method of their travel. How is that not cruel? she asked. Mr Hawke refuted the characterisation, saying Australia adhered to its international obligations to asylum seekers. Well, no, that is actually not right. So if someone is found to engage Australia's protection obligations, we have to take account of it, he argued. No visa for Biloela family forthcoming The familys case to be granted asylum in Australia and not to be deported continues go through the court system. At each stage they have found to not be entitled to protection, Mr Hawke said. Protesters holding placards outside the Federal Court in Melbourne in 2019. Source: Getty In Tuesday's statement announcing the family would be allowed to reunite in detention in Perth, the immigration minister said there was no move towards a visa. "Today's decision does not create a pathway to a visa," Mr Hawke said on Tuesday. "I will consider at a future date whether to lift the statutory bar presently preventing members of the family from reapplying for temporary protection, for which they have been previously rejected." 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. NSW Health is investigating a case of Covid-19 in Sydneys eastern suburbs. The health department said on Wednesday afternoon a man in his 60s had returned a positive test and he will be included in Wednesday's numbers. He is not a returned traveller but works as a driver which includes transporting international flight crew. Health authorities are now undertaking genomic testing to determine the source of infection. People undergo Covid testing at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Source: AAP NSW Health also issued a list of venues visited by the man. Anyone who attended Bondi Junction's Event Cinema's Sunday screening of Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard on Sunday from 1.30-4pm is being urged to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of the result. The department issued a list of more possible exposure sites around Bondi and Vaucluse including David Jones and Myer. Anyone who went to these venues is being told to get tested and self-isolate until NSW Health issues more information. Possible exposure sites Belle Cafe, Vaucluse Friday, 9.15am-9.50am Sourdough Bakery, Bondi Junction Friday, 12.40pm-1.10pm Belle Cafe, Vaucluse Saturday, 10.20am-10.45am David Jones, Bondi Junction Saturday, 11am-11.40am Myer Bondi, Bondi Junction Saturday, 11.40am-12.15pm Washoku Vaucluse Saturday, 12pm-1.30pm Belle Cafe, Vaucluse Saturday, 1.20pm-1.50pm Belle Cafe, Vaucluse Sunday, 11.30am-12pm Rocco's, Vaucluse Monday, 10.55am-11.30am Coles East Village Shopping Centre, Zetland Monday, 11am-1pm Taste Growers, East Village Shopping Centre, Zetland Monday, 11am-1pm Wax Car Wash Cafe, Redfern Monday, 12pm-3pm Belle Cafe, Vaucluse Tuesday, 9.50am-10.25am Celeste Catering Macquarie Park Cemetery Cafe Tuesday, 1pm-1.20pm It follows news late on Tuesday of coronavirus transmission in Sydneys Radisson Blu quarantine hotel. Story continues A returned traveller, who was staying on the fourth floor of the hotel, is believed to have caught the virus from a couple who were staying on the same floor in an adjacent room. David Jones at Bondi Junction is listed as a possible exposure site. Source: AAP (file pic) All three travellers arrived in Sydney on the same flight from Doha, Qatar on June 1. According to NSW Health, it is unclear how and where transmission occurred. 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. Yemen's foreign minister warned Friday that Huthi rebels could thwart a renewed diplomatic push for peace as they scramble to seize a key city before discussing any ceasefire. In an interview with AFP, Ahmed bin Mubarak said Omani mediators had made progress in efforts to broker a ceasefire, but urged Europe to maintain pressure on the rebels. And he suggested that the Huthis' backer Iran had backed recent bloody attacks, alleging Tehran wants to use Yemen as a bargaining chip to maintain leverage in nuclear talks with world powers in Vienna. "There is a lot of hope in Yemen, and also challenges," said the 52-year-old official, who has been foreign minister in President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's embattled government since December 2020. Yemen has been left devastated by a civil war between the Saudi-backed government and the Iran-backed Huthi since 2014, and millions of civilians are on the brink of famine. On Saturday, Omani officials and senior Huthis travelled to the rebel-controlled capital of Sanaa to push for a ceasefire. Oman has ties with both Tehran and western powers and is acting as a mediator. Hadi's government is backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, which on Thursday announced it had halted attacks on Huthi targets to pave the way to ceasefire talks. The UN and US envoys to Yemen, Martin Griffiths and Tim Lenderking, along with Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif have met the Omanis, and some officials see a diplomatic opening. But bin Mubarak, who is in Europe lobbying officials to take a strong line on the Huthis and hold them to account, alleged that the rebels had snubbed the diplomatic outreach. "The Omani are playing a vital role ... For that reason, I think they sent their delegation to Sanaa to discuss with the Huthi political leadership," he told AFP. "Yet, we didn't receive any feedback from from them. The only feedback that we received was just two brutal attacks that took place, yesterday and the day before." Story continues - Military illusions - According to the government, in the latest attacks, Huthi ballistic missiles and booby-trapped drones hit civilian targets including a gas station and a women's detention centre. Official sources say more than 20 people have been killed since Saturday, including a child, women and medical personnel. For bin Mubarak, the attacks were a sign hardline Huthi factions want to keep the conflict going until they seize the northern city of Marib, which would shift Yemen's balance of power decisively. "I think there are those, the hardliners, who believe that they have the divine right to rule Yemen, those that still have some illusions about military victory," he said. "And they are pushing hard into Marib, so they don't want anything happening before, you know, capturing Marib," he said, referring to the last significant pocket of government territory in the north. "If something happened in Marib, that will totally and tragically change the political scene and the humanitarian scene," he said. "All what we have been through before Marib, it will be totally, different after Marib. Marib is hosting not less than two million refugees and IDPs." The Huthi have demanded that the Saudi-led coalition, which controls Yemen's airspace but has failed to stop the rebel ground advance, allow Sanaa airport to reopen. But bin Mubarak said that had long been a pillar of the UN-backed ceasefire plan which must be accepted as a package -- and should not be a pre-condition of talks. The attacks, meanwhile, he said, showed the rebels' complete lack of respect for the internationally-backed envoys in Sanaa -- and he sees Tehran's hand behind them. "I think that the Iranians don't want to see any movement in the Yemeni file before they ensure something in Vienna. We don't accept that. We don't want Yemen to be held hostage by the Iranians," he said. Representatives from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- all party to the 2015 Iran nuclear accord -- have been meeting with Iran since early April. - New approach - At stake is whether the United States, which pulled out under former president Donald Trump, will return to the deal, which grants Iran sanctions relief in exchange for controls on its nuclear programme. Iran has stepped up nuclear activities that were curtailed under the deal and European powers are keen to get both Tehran and Washington back on board. But bin Mubarak noted that the US has this week imposed sanctions on several Huthi rebels, in part to pressure them to end their Marib offensive. Speaking after he met senior EU officials, bin Mubarak thanked Europe for its humanitarian support to 28 million hungry Yemenis but warned this would have to continue until the Huthi come to the table. "And that was was my message to them: That it's the time to adopt a new approach, by the European Union," he said, calling for EU sanctions on the Huthi. "It's time to bring peace back." dc/arp/wai Govt-and-politics alert NEW YORK STATE Most New York COVID-19 restrictions lifted as state hits vaccine threshold Kevin Rivoli, The Citizen People receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a Cayuga County Health Department vaccine clinic at Fingerlakes Mall March 11. New York State is reopening from most COVID-19 restrictions, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday afternoon. The governor said that more than 70% of New York state adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, meeting a threshold he set last week that would trigger an easing of most of the state's restrictions that have been in place during the 15-month pandemic. "This is a momentous day," Cuomo said from One World Trade Center. "It's been a long, long road. "Life is about interacting. Now we get back to living, and life." The changes go into effect statewide, although many counties, including Cayuga at 57.6% of adults with at least one vaccine dose, remain below the 70% level. For the Central New York region, first-dose vaccines have been administered to 70.5% of adults. Cuomo said many of the state's landmarks will be lit up in blue and gold while fireworks displays would be held throughout the state Tuesday night. That includes the expo center and main gate at the New York State Fairgrounds in central New York, and the fairgrounds will be one of the fireworks sites. "It's our way of saying thank you all across the state to essential workers, to celebrate our reopening, our reimagining," the governor said, "and to remind New Yorkers to get vaccinated, so you don't need the essential workers again." Cuomo said the state went from the highest COVID-19 positivity rate in the country, 48.16%, to the lowest in the country at 0.40% today, citing Johns Hopkins University statistics. "What New York has done has been extraordinary," Cuomo said. Restrictions being lifted in most commercial settings include social distancing, capacity limits, cleaning requirements, health screening protocols, as well as contact tracing preparations. "The state mandates that have proven right and correct and brought us through this pandemic are relaxed as of today, effective immediately," Cuomo said. State mask policy still follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which requires unvaccinated individuals to wear masks and maintain social distancing. After state restrictions are lifted, businesses may implement other health precautions for their employees and patrons, including requiring masks and 6 feet of social distancing. The state's COVID-19 guidelines will still apply to several categories including large-scale event venues, pre-K to 12 schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes and health care settings until more New Yorkers are vaccinated. The governor had announced on June 7 that the state would fully reopen, with some caveats, when the state hit the 70% mark. "That's not to say 70% is the end," Cuomo said. "We want to do more. But it is a testament to the people of New York." In his 41-minute speech, Cuomo listed the state's accomplishments during the pandemic, paid tribute to former Gov. Mario Cuomo on his late father's birthday, and drew comparisons to New York's recovery from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. "On 9/11, we got knocked on our rear end, and there are a lot of similarities," the governor said. "Remember those who said New York would never come back ... you know we came back, and we are standing in a monument to coming back better than ever before. While state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt welcomed the governor's announcement, he also used the moment to again call for an end to the emergency powers Cuomo still retains. "Instead of taxpayer funded firework shows celebrating his own lack of leadership, the Governor should mark this occasion by ending the state of emergency and reinstating the Legislature as a co-equal branch of government," Ortt said in a statement. "Only then can we fully repeal unnecessary restrictions like masks mandates for school children." "The recovery was not automatic, it was not spontaneous we had to restore confidence and restore faith and restore security. ... You knock us down, we get back up. We get back stronger and taller than ever before, because that's who we are. ... We rise as New Yorkers." On June 7, the state had 68.6% of adults with one dose of the vaccine. Near the end of the June 7 news conference, Cuomo asked his staff to take a guess on which day the state would hit 70%. His staff's guesses ranged from a week to a month. Cuomo guessed eight days. On Monday, the governor set the stage for today's announcement by announcing that the number had reached 69.9% during a news conference in Syracuse. Cayuga County testing and vaccine clinics The Cayuga County Health Department will hold a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, June 17, at Victory Fire House, 12009 Route 38. The Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines will be offered at the clinic. Children under age 18 can get vaccinated at the clinic, but they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The Cayuga County Emergency Services Office will hold a walk-in rapid-result clinic for people who are not experiencing symptoms from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 17, at Cayuga Community College, 197 Franklin St., Auburn. The clinic will be held in the Spartan Hall cafeteria, and visitors are asked to park in the lot and follow signs for where to enter. People are asked to prepare to wait at the site for up to 30 minutes for their results. Participants must wear face masks and observe social distancing. Visitors are asked to park in the lot and follow the signs. There is no residency requirement for the clinic. If you go. WHAT: Cindy Avery signs copies of her book, "My Father's Journey," and participates in a Q&A WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 19 WHERE: United Ministry of Aurora, 337 Main St., Aurora INFO: Copies of the book can be purchased on Amazon; there will be a small number of books available for purchase at the event Three months after voting against the COVID-19 relief bill that created the program, U.S. Rep. John Katko is supporting legislation that would add $60 billion to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Katko, R-Camillus, is a co-sponsor of the bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, to replenish the fund overseen by the Small Business Administration. The American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that Congress approved and President Joe Biden signed in March, included $28.6 billion for restaurants. According to Blumenauer, more than 362,000 businesses applied for nearly $75 billion in aid far more than the appropriation for the program. Restaurants can receive funding to replace revenue losses during the pandemic. Awards of up to $10 million are available for each business, with no more than $5 million for each location. When Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, no Republicans voted for the legislation. Katko criticized it as a "massive partisan spending package," but acknowledged that there were provisions he liked, including "expanded support for struggling businesses." Last year, he co-sponsored legislation introduced by Blumenauer to create a $120 billion fund to help restaurants affected by the pandemic. New York state reached a positive milestone this week in the ongoing recovery from the global COVID-19 pandemic, and while we are happy to toast the good news, we hope that people don't take this latest vaccination update as a sign that the danger has passed. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday struck a celebratory tone in announcing that 70% of adults in New York have had at least one dose of vaccine. The number, he said, "means that we can now return to life as we know it." But as impressive as the 70% percent figure may appear, it doesn't tell the whole story. The number represents adults, not children. And it doesn't guarantee those who have gotten their first dose of vaccine are going to follow through and get their second. It also doesn't represent anywhere near a uniform vaccination rate across the state. The percentage of Cayuga County adults receiving their first shot most recently stood at 57.6%, which means there is still a lot of work to be done to get the local population to the point where the virus will stop spreading. The pandemic brought with it more than 15 months of misery. Businesses were forced to close, and some of them will never reopen. Schoolchildren struggled to learn on computer screens. Worst of all, thousands of people succumbed to the illness, including 89 in Auburn and Cayuga County. General Motors Co will supply electric batteries and hydrogen fuel cell systems for rail supplier Wabtec Corp's locomotives, in a move extending the No. 1 US automaker's reach outside the automotive sector. Wabtec, based in Pittsburgh, is developing locomotives powered by electric batteries and hydrogen fuel cells in response to rail industry demand to eliminate carbon emissions. It has a test electric locomotive model and intends to build a second-generation version, with deliveries starting in 2023. "The rail industry is on the cusp of a sustainable transformation with the introduction of batteries and hydrogen to power locomotive fleets," Wabtec Chief Executive Rafael Santana said in a statement. Under the nonbinding memorandum of understanding, GM will supply Ultium electric batteries and Hydrotec hydrogen fuel cell power cubes. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Wabtec's decision to deploy GM's Ultium battery and Hydrotec hydrogen fuel cell systems further validates our advanced technology," GM President Mark Reuss said. Ultium is a key part of GM's strategy to roll out efficient and cost-effective electric vehicles, and closing a deal with Wabtec would help spread development costs over a larger volume of batteries. GM is developing a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered commercial truck with truck maker Navistar. GM's Ultium batteries will be built by the company's joint venture with South Korea battery maker LG Energy Solution, which is building plants in Ohio and Tennessee. The hydrogen fuel-cell systems will be assembled by GM's joint venture with Honda in Brownstown, Michigan. Last month, Wabtec announced that its FLXdrive all-electric locomotive, during a test program with BNSF Railway in California, delivered more than an 11% average reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for the entire train - the equivalent of over 6,200 gallons of diesel fuel saved and about 69 tons of CO2 emissions reduced. It is also developing hydrogen fuel-cell-powered locomotives. The 430,000-pound electric locomotive, with a battery capacity of 2.4-megawatt hours (MWh), uses 18,000 lithium-ion battery cells, Wabtec's chief technology officer, Eric Gebhardt, said in a recent interview. It generates its energy largely through regenerative braking. The company intends to build a second-generation electric locomotive with a battery capacity of more than 6 MWh, a level it says can reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up to 30%. Gebhardt compared that capacity to 100 Tesla vehicles. Wabtec expects to begin shipments of the second-generation electric locomotive in mid-2023, he said. The company has not disclosed volume targets. Lordstown Motors Corp. shares took their biggest one-day drop ever after its two top executives stepped down and the electric truckmakers board found evidence of inaccurate statements, dimming the shine of the onetime SPAC star. Chief Executive Officer Steve Burns and Chief Financial Officer Julio Rodriguez have resigned from the company, effective immediately, the company said in a statement Monday. Burns declined to comment about his exit in a text message. It is the latest setback for the company, which warned last week it might not have enough cash to fund the development of its first truck or even survive the next 12 months if it cant raise more capital. In March, the startup disclosed a Securities and Exchange Commission probe of its operations after a short seller said its technology was flawed and that preorders for its truck were nonbinding. Shares of the company sank 19% to close at $9.26 -- the lowest in almost three weeks. The stock is down 54% this year and more than 70% below its closing high of $31.40 in September. It may come under further selling pressure from potential stock disposals" by Burns, who is the single largest shareholder with a 26.5% stake, Adam Jonas, an analyst at Morgan Stanley who recently pulled his rating on Lordstown, wrote in a research note. Lordstown is one of a slew of electric-vehicle startups that have gone public through mergers with so-called special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, which have been controversial because theyve made public companies out of young ventures with little in the way of revenue or commercially viable products. It combined with DiamondPeak Holdings in an October deal that netted Lordstown $675 million. The company said in a separate statement that a board investigation concluded it had made misstatements about its vehicle preorders. The probe cited instances when the startup inaccurately claimed preorders came from commercial fleets, instead of from third-party management companies or influencers" that didnt plan to purchase trucks directly. It also found that some of the preorders were placed by ostensible buyers unlikely to have the resources to complete the orders or whose commitments were too vague or infirm to be appropriately included in the total number of preorders disclosed." In a March report, short-seller Hindenburg Research called the 100,000 preorders for its truck fictitious." As recently as last month, Burns told analysts on a conference call that Lordstown had halted preorders at 100,000 vehicles but had begun accepting an additional 23,000 vehicle purchase agreements," most of which included down payments. Lordstowns board concluded that other allegations made by short seller Hindenburg Research in March were false and misleading" in many aspects. Interim CEO The companys lead independent director, Angela Strand, has been named executive chairwoman, and she will oversee the company until a new CEO is identified. Becky Roof, who has previously served as an interim finance chief at other corporations, will do the same at Lordstown. We remain committed to delivering on our production and commercialization objectives, holding ourselves to the highest standards of operation and performance and creating value for shareholders," Strand said in the statement. Short seller Hindenburg alleged that Burns had been forced out of his former company, electric-van maker Workhorse Group Inc. He left that company in 2019 and founded Lordstown. Burns denied Hindenburgs allegations. Burnss abrupt departure and Lordstowns finding that it made misstatements under his tenure are eerily similar to what transpired at Nikola Corp., another electric-vehicle startup that went public via a blank-check company. Nikolas founder and CEO also stepped down after Hindenburg targeted the company for misleading investors, something the startup later confirmed. Lordstown drew attention to itself when it acquired a shuttered General Motors Co. factory in Youngstown, Ohio, where it plans to manufacture its own vehicles. The move was lauded by President Donald Trumps administration after he had promised to bring back work to the thousands of workers who lost jobs when the plant was closed in 2019. Commercialization Shift The exit of Lordstowns two top executives comes at a difficult time for the company as it attempts to transition from research and development into commercial production of its first model. The company is trying to build a unique electric pickup -- with a motor at each wheel. That makes it an engineering challenge. It is working with technology licensed from Elaphe Propulsion Technologies of Slovenia to produce the motors. Lordstowns board rejected an allegation from short seller Hindenburg that the technology isnt workable in a commercial vehicle. While hub motors have not previously been used at scale in commercially-produced passenger vehicles, the hub motor technology licensed from Elaphe is viable," it said in the report. But Morgan Stanleys Jonas said the technology may prove to be a headwind Lordstown can do without in the post-Burns era. It is our understanding that Steve Burns was the primary proponent of the hub motor system," he said. While a change of architecture would add as much as a year or two to the start of production, we believe moving to an alternative motor strategy or an entirely different product and go-to-market strategy altogether may be required to preserve sustainable equity value." LOS ANGELESThis week is International Mens Health Week 2021, with the goal of increasing awareness of male health issues on a global level. Each year since June 1994, the Mens Health Network has focused on the week ending on the U.S. Fathers Day holiday to share prevention tools, educational materials, and advocacy opportunities with men and their families worldwide. This year, Swiss Navy is participating in Mens Health Week by sharing wellness tips from their own resident intimate health advisor, Dr. Sunny Rodgers. Were so appreciative to have Sunny as part of our team and value her help and insight into sexual health matters, said Briana Watkins, M.D. Science Labs VP of sales and marketing. Sunny always brings another level of expertise to our trainings and offerings for retailers and consumers, and helps people look at our Swiss Navy products in a different light. Swiss Navy encourages people to use Mens Health Week as an opportunity to make your own positive difference in the lives of men. Wellness Tips for Mens Health Week: Wear Blue! Wear Blue Day is a prominent part of Mens Health Week in support of the fight against prostate cancer. Studies have shown that masturbating may protect people with penises against prostate cancer, according to The Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne. And, according to the Boston University School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School studies, men who ejaculate 21 times or more during a one-month period were less likely to develop prostate cancer. In the spirit of Mens Health Week, consider wearing blue to show your support. Or, gift the man in your life Swiss Navy Premium Masturbation Cream in support of their health. Have a Health Screening According to the Mayo Clinic, some medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart ailments, can restrict blood flow to veins and arteries, which can result in erectile issues. Book a health screening appointment for yourself or encourage the men in your life to get checked out. Support Heart Health Fitness can go a long way in supporting heart health. While exercise options are varied, Healthline reports men burn an average of 4 calories per minute during sex, which may be a more fun option for cardio sessions. For more information that focuses on the health of men and their families, visit menshealthlibrary.org. WASSERBILLIG/LUXEMBOURGLubricant manufacturer pjur calls its Digital Days Partner Summit, which took place online June 9-11, a "success in several respects." "We would like to thank all global pjur customers who support pjur's vision and want to actively shape the future," pjur group CEO Alexander Giebel said. "With the participation in the pjur Digital Days Partner Summit, but also their commitment over the past 12 months, they have made a significant contribution to the worldwide success of the pjur brand. Danke! Thank you! Merci!" The official event page offers impressions from participants of the Partner Summit, as well as videos of the event's two raffle drawings. The company announced that the winners of those drawings, who will each receive a new iPad, are Jurijs Ohrimenko of Latvia's Ixis/Sexy Style, and Kerstin Noll of Germany's Lust Der Sinne Kassel. The company asks that participants from the event submit feedback using the questionnaire that will be sent to them via email. For more information about the pjur Digital Days Partner Summit, visit www.pjur.com/digitaldays. Park rangers were flown into the location with the park helicopter, and all resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Crocker and one other member of the trip were then flown by helicopter out of the canyon, Baird said. Crocker was transported to the Coconino County Medical Examiners office. Hance Rapid is known as one of the larger, and potentially more deadly, rapids on the upper half of the river. It is one that Baird said even seasoned river runners often scout before each run in order to get a look at the rapid and plan their approach before entering. It is not known whether the group scouted the rapid. "The hydraulics of the river are pretty incredible for that rapid and yesterday, the river is a little lower than normal. It's running about 8,000 cubic feet per second, Baird said. [The hole] is definitely one of the biggest features in that rapid as well as just a lot of rocks too, especially on river right. It is not known how many other people were on the trip, but besides Crocker and the other member who was flown out, Baird said the trip will continue on its proposed itinerary down the river. There were no other injuries. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} I have seen what the Sunday market started as, she said. I have seen how the community comes out and supports and loves the Sunday market. ...It really is to experience a sense of community and I wanted to create that [in the downtown area] as well. While the downtown market is very similar to the farmer's market already occurring on Sunday nights, part of its origin comes from the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been a conversation off and on for many, many years, Babbott said. What has changed is the reality that the pandemic really made people look at downtown spaces differently. It made businesses, the community and local government ask questions about what new opportunities can we collaborate on to keep our downtown businesses vibrant and successful. He mentioned a street closure early on that allowed businesses to expand into an open air environment. Eventually, the hope is for the market to become a signature event in Flagstaff. The letter also highlighted the infrastructure improvements that had taken place over the past seven years, the universitys overall financial strength and the completion of a diversity strategic plan. The university was designated a Hispanic-serving institution during Chengs tenure. After more than 40 years in higher education I can proudly say that one of my finest accomplishments is leaving NAU in a very strong position, having spent the last seven years building on its foundation and history as a student-centered institution and expanding its mission of student success, Cheng said. Cruz Riveras address During his address, which was live streamed to the university community on Monday, Cruz Rivera once again emphasized a commitment to open communication during the transition. He has in the past said he wants tasks like hiring to be transparent with input from university stakeholders. I want to remind you that your voice matters to me and that I will continue to invite new ideas and suggestions, he said in Mondays address. I value and commit to open dialogue and a consultative leadership approach. A heat wave sweeping through the western United States again toppled daily highs across northern Arizona, with more record-breaking temperatures on the way. Flagstaff reported a high of 94 degrees Tuesday, breaking the previous daily record of 92 degrees set in 1974. The record mark was just three degrees short of the all-time high in Flagstaff of 97 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Other areas such as Prescott, Winslow and the Grand Canyon also recorded record highs, with excessive heat warnings issued for areas below 5,000 feet attitude, remaining in effect until at least 6 p.m. Friday. In Flagstaff, temperatures in the low 90s are set to persist through the weekend. The forecast suggests record-high temperatures are to be expected over the next several days, peaking midweek. The high of 92 degrees Wednesday matched the daily record set in 1940. The hot temperatures come on the cusp of Arizonas monsoon season, which began Wednesday, but the NWS has said monsoons are unlikely to reach the Flagstaff area until early July. That is about typical for the calendar year, according to weather officials. The conditions raise concerns about why it is taking more than a month on average to release the children when most have family in the United States. More staffing has been added since the emergency shelters were opened this spring amid an unprecedented arrival of migrant children, and the flows have subsided. I think there is a general consensus that no child should be in these emergency shelters for more than two weeks, said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy counsel for the advocacy group American Immigration Council. Lawyers and advocates question why most of the children are at unlicensed shelters. As of May 31, nearly 9,000 children were kept at unlicensed sites, compared with 7,200 at licensed shelters, court filings by the U.S. government said. While the unlicensed facilities were running at near capacity in May, the licensed facilities were only about half full, according to a report filed by the agency tasked with the children's care. Advocates say the government should be pouring more resources into the safe release of children, and those without relatives or a family friend, known as a sponsor, should be immediately going to licensed facilities that are required to have a care worker for every eight children during the day and a mental health clinician per every 12 children. Dunne and I disagree on many basic issues, mainly her glaring dislike of everything Egyptian. Dunne was barred from entering Egypt in 2014, and since then the original backlash against Egypt that caused her entry to be refused in the first place has flared up repeatedly. In An Open Letter to Michele Dunne, written in 2018 and published in Al-Ahram Weekly, I denounced her writings and the vendetta she has been carrying out against Egypt, so for me to partly agree with the gist of her views has been a jaw-dropper. This could largely be the influence of her co-writer, Wehrey, or the fact that the core of her publication is not about Egypt at all but is about the Arab states in general. It concludes that the US approach to the Arab states has been faulty, anchored in conventional arms transfers, brick-and-mortar military basing, and bilateral ties with autocratic Arab states. The US has pumped weapons and military support into the region when it should have been promoting and aiding economic development. Today, it should shift its support from military support to diplomacy and development. I am in total agreement with this, and I would say it is high time, too. According to Dunne, one of the strongest arguments for change in the status quo is due to its having not delivered on the promise of stabilising the region or advancing US interests. Again, Im in total agreement. The region has not been stabilised, partly due to the intrusive role the US has played. The mass of the people if anything detest US manipulation and coercion, limiting the advancement of US interests further. Another compelling argument for why the status quo is no longer tenable in the Middle East comes from the immense changes underway within Arab states themselves. I tend to agree here, too. The Middle East has changed considerably since 2011, some countries for the worse, others for the better. Either way, all countries loathe the meddling and prying of powerful states in their own business. Worse, it has often implicated the United States in those allies abuses at home and made US policymakers reluctant to criticise them for fear of losing access for US forces. Here my agreement with Dunne begins to abate. First, for fear of losing access for US forces illustrates what the US has always done: have its forces access and utilise the Middle East for its own benefit. Second, Dunnes comment neglects to mention the role the US has played in instigating wars across the region and, hence, the need for further purchases of arms by countries in the region. Dunne does not bring up the US role in destroying the countries it has supplied with weapons or even the countries it has bombarded with such weapons. Fundamentally, the comment fails to detail the role the US has played in obliterating many Arab countries. Iraq is one example, where the US was the primary cause of its downfall and its inability to recover even 18 years after the US-led invasion. The US destroyed Iraq and then ludicrously stayed on to save the country from its own doing. Dunnes comment also fails to mention the role the US played in destroying Libya. It supplied former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafis opponents with arms and conducted airstrikes so as to destroy his regime and air defences, ultimately forcing him to step down. Today, Libya remains a hotbed for an ongoing proxy war, after US and coalition forces retreated leaving the Libyans to deal with the shambles. In Syria, the US failed when it armed and trained the rebel Free Syrian Army, allowing it to gain more steam. According to a US Department of State fact sheet, in northwest Syria, from 2012 to 2018, the United States provided non-humanitarian assistance to bolster the Syrian opposition. Lets dig deeper. According to Dunnes publication, one of the reasons the US needs to change its approach in the Middle East is the decline in the global demand for oil. This is key. It implies that while oil was lucrative, the US was supportive. Now as the value of and the need for oil subsides, the US should change its ways. Rather a remarkable revelation, isnt it? The contributors also avoid mentioning the Israeli role in the region. The US is committed to standing by Israel no matter what ills Israel persists on masterminding. The unconditional and undeniable approval of the US for Israels every move leaves neighbouring countries in a bind, having to purchase defencive weapons whether they want to or not. Security assistance has also not succeeded in building up the militaries of regional Arab partners to levels where they can credibly defend themselves without US help or can participate, in a significant way, in US-led multilateral operations, the publication says. I wonder why any Middle Eastern countries would want to join a US-led multilateral operation. Besides, Egypt has a powerful security apparatus and ranks 13th out of 140 countries having the most powerful armies in the world. It has also managed to diversify its weapons purchasing, and it has turned to Europe, especially France, and Russia and China for weapons supplies. Yes, Egypt can and will defend itself without US help. Echoing its predecessors, the Biden administration is arguing that the Middle East has long been consuming a disproportionate share of US attention and resources, the publication says. I beg to differ: the disproportion is due to the USs unequivocal interest in the area. It was in the interest of the US to remain involved and to take part in effecting change in the Middle East. Today, despite the publications call for a more distant role, it is highly unlikely that the US will let other players get too friendly or partake in cozier ties with the Arab states while it disappears out of the picture. Though US security policy with the Arab states has long needed a major overhaul, the writers in this collection do not present solutions for how the United States can do just that, and they do not explicitly explain how it can be achieved. In all fairness, the collection is focused on how to advantage US interests; very little has been thought out as to how the change will advantage the Middle East. I thus cant see myself agreeing with Michele Dunne for long. *The writer is the author of Cairo Rewind on the First Two Years of Egypts Revolution, 2011-2013. 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 The street was open to traffic Wednesday afternoon. Though obstructions to traffic were removed, a memorial featuring messages in chalk and flowers left by mourners remained intact. The Minnesota National Guard tweeted that at the request of the city it was prepared to send about 100 soldiers to Minneapolis in the event of unrest. Witnesses have said Kraus was driving an SUV when he struck a parked car, sending it into the crowd of demonstrators. Police said protesters pulled Kraus from his vehicle and witnesses reported demonstrators struck him. Kraus was arrested and treated for injuries at a hospital. Kraus has five convictions for driving while impaired dating back to a 2007 incident, according to online court records. At one point, he told officers that the SUV he was driving on Sunday was in another person's name because he had no license due to his drunken driving offenses, the complaint says. Court records show his drivers license was canceled in 2013. A Wednesday update from Crow Agency Bureau of Indian Affairs Fire and Aviation reported that the Buffalo Pasture fire in the Little Bull Elk Canyon of the Bighorn Mountains had so far grown little beyond the 250 acres it reached Tuesday. Fire officials expect to be working for weeks on the fire, which is burning on part of the Crow Indian Reservation. Air resources and elite crews were diverted from the fire Wednesday to work higher priority incidents nearby, according to the fire update. The fire is burning in dense timber, with 800 to 1,000 tons per acre of wood and it's been deemed unsafe for firefighters to dig line until the fire cools significantly. Retardant drops have slowed the fire's initial run north toward Bighorn Lake, which is about 7 miles from the fire site, according to the fire update. Limestone walls have boxed in some of the fire's edge and lookouts will continue to watch the fire using UTVs positioned on Little Bull Elk Ridge to the southwest of the fire. Tribal Game Wardens have closed the mountains at Cowboy Camp near Windy Point. Resources ordered for the fire include a heavy and light helicopter, hotshot crew, water tender, local firefighting crew, and camp crew. North of Billings, Musselshell County Disaster and Emergency Services responded Wednesday to a timber fire at Woody Drive and Slater Road. That area is located roughly 2 miles southeast of Roundup. DES reported that the fire was contained shortly after 5 p.m. In Billings, crews from Lockwood Fire Department and Blue Creek Volunteer Fire Department quickly doused a grass fire on Coburn Road near Four Dances Recreation Area Wednesday afternoon. The fire in a hay field burned less than 5 acres. The Montana Army National Guard wants to expand its helicopter operations to better serve Eastern Montana and has its eye on Billings. Currently, the closest base for serving the eastern side of the state is in Helena, which can be a 90-minute flight from Billings. "The planning process has been in the works for a few years," said Maj. Rob Allinson, public affairs officer with the Montana Army National Guard. The Guard has long wanted to set up what's known as a Limited Army Aviation Support Facility in Yellowstone County. With the nearest site sitting in Helena, the entire eastern side of the state has become one of the biggest gaps in Army aviation coverage in the country, Allinson said. "Establishing flight operations out of Billings will allow the (Montana Army National Guard) to respond to natural disasters and emergency situations with significantly quicker response times in Eastern Montana," Allinson said in a statement. It would be productive to say What have you noticed in your department? Why have people responded poorly to this? Towe said. We need to have these conversations in order to find solutions. Ambrin Masood, an associate professor for the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Services at MSUB, created the survey. She said the results are critical to the mission of educating the public. The whole point of educating people is collaborating, Masood said We cannot educate without first knowing the question. It needs to be a team effort. Masood explained that the group is one unified body, rather than a collection of smaller groups. Masood, who is from Asia and is Muslim, is a part of the alliance. She said it is important for more people to learn from other groups, which the alliance hopes to encourage by holding public meetings to talk about different cultures. We want to give people a space to open up and talk about their unique backgrounds, Towe said. The next steps the alliance plans to take include sending the poll out to members of the community to hear about issues from the larger Billings area. Further down the line, Towe hopes to lobby for projects or guidance in local and state government. Love 30 Funny 21 Wow 1 Sad 4 Angry 41 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. Russian President Vladimir Putin contradicted the evidence Wednesday when he asserted Russians are not a leading source of cyberattacks on the United States and other countries. They are. Putin also accused the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny of leaving Russia unlawfully to seek medical treatment, ignoring the fact he was flown from the country in a coma. And he distorted the circumstances of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as he sought to equate that attack with the threats his government contends with from political opposition in Russia. A look at his claims in the news conference that followed his summit with President Joe Biden. PUTIN: From American sources, it follows that most of the cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the cyber realm of the United States. Second place is Canada. Then two Latin American countries. Afterward comes Great Britain. Russia is not on the list of countries from where from the cyber space of which most of the various cyberattacks are carried out. THE FACTS: This portrayal defies the record. Putin did not identify the source of the list he cited. But Russian-based digital malfeasance is well established by U.S. officials and security researchers alike. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had several conversations with Manchin about the bill over the weekend. And President Joe Biden said earlier this month during a speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that he would fight like heck to pass the bill. Still, the White House has largely let Democrats on Capitol Hill take the lead on negotiations around the legislation, and its not clear if Biden would support the compromise Manchin has proposed. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the latest developments. As the fight in Congress drags on, the Biden administration is taking steps to address voting at the state level. Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered a speech last week that described ways in which the Justice Department would step up its efforts to protect voting rights. Garland said the department would double the number of voter enfranchisement lawyers in the Civil Rights Division and focus more closely on new voting laws for possible discrimination. Biden also tasked Vice President Kamala Harris with taking the lead on the issue. This week she ramped up her focus on voting rights. McQuillan said that the hope is that the investigation can be completed and turned over to the county attorney next week. After evacuations were ordered in areas around Red Lodge at about 4 p.m. Tuesday evening, fire officials feared the approaching blaze could force the evacuation of the resort town, bustling this time of year with tourists and summer residents. As of this morning (Wednesday), there are no plans to evacuate Red Lodge, said Billy Chapman, a spokesman for the Custer Gallatin National Forest. Red Lodge Fire Chief Tom Kuntz was asked during the community meeting what the threat to Red Lodge is. Kuntz said weather and wind influence that judgment and that right now the threat is low. He explained that such a scenario would require the fire to go west into a west fork and then a west wind would be needed to continue pushing the fire up towards the town. "That would be the situation that would put Red Lodge truly at risk," he said. "Currently where we sit I would say it's a lower risk to Red Lodge, right now." One of the ongoing concerns is the damage that could be caused if the fire moves into the Rock Creek drainage, Kuntz said. He said that if Trump had not befriended members of the group, so to speak, they would be heroes right now. Reeder said the mainstream media tried to derail Trump. He mentioned our name and we were done, he said. We are just like you, Reeder said. We love our country, almost to a fault. If you befriend us and we befriend you, we will have your back to the bitter end. I took this bull by the horns and said I am going to do it. I love my veterans, he said, telling those who criticize the Proud Boys: Its a free country, but please educate yourself before you slander. He denied claims that Proud Boys is a racist organization, noting the ethnic diversity within national leadership. He also said the event was focused on helping heroes. Any time I can raise money for veterans I will try to do it, Reeder said. He said he did not realize he had to approach the actual post commander. He said his wife approached a worker in the bar and they agreed. Reeder said he has since apologized profusely. He said he would like to have the poker run, remove the Proud Boys name from the event, and make a donation to the VFW. Its a pretty big jump, and we are expecting extreme fire weather today, Chapman said Tuesday morning of the fire's size. While burning north through timber, grass and sage, the Robertson Draw fire has caused spot fires, and personnel battling the fire at the beginning of the day included two hand crews and two helicopters. As of Tuesday evening, there was no containment estimate for the fire. A total of 80 personnel were reported to be assigned to the fire Tuesday morning. Due to the extreme weather today, we are also trying to make it known that this fire has the potential to spark into the Main Fork of Rock Creek, Chapman said Tuesday morning. Going into the day fire officials were concerned about low relative humidity, hot temperatures and strong gusty winds that could create erratic fire behavior. There were expectations that the fire would grow Tuesday, and the initial goals were to keep the fire north of Line Creek, west of the U.S. Forest Service boundary along the face of the Beartooth Mountains, south of South Grove Creek and east of the Line Creek Plateau. Firefighters had planned to assess and implement structure protection and also implement back burning efforts while continuing to build fire lines. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Voters won't be asked to sign off on recreational marijuana, at least for now. One petition would seek to legalize marijuana for medical use. The other would decriminalize it. After being submitted to the Wyoming secretary of state Friday, they await legal review before a signature effort begins as soon as this summer. It's a daunting challenge that is rarely completed. Voters haven't approved a ballot initiative a railroad safety measure since 1992. The last initiatives to get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, both involving term limits, narrowly failed at the polls in 1996. Eight efforts have failed to get enough signatures since, including the 2017 medical marijuana petition. Wyoming is among 26 states that allow public referendums, and its process demands commitment and strategy. Organizers must gather valid signatures from 15% of voters in the previous general election from each of at least 16 of the states 23 counties. Nonetheless, Wyoming NORML Director Bennett Sondeno predicted the group that supports changing marijuana laws would be able to get enough valid signatures for both measures in three to six months. The law allows 18 months. Were going to get it done this time, Sondeno said. Now we have a new administration, committed to public lands for all and Im glad we are at a time of reassessment where land and people are considered over corporations and profits. Im encouraged and believe its not too late to reclaim what weve lost if we act now. My fellow veterans and I fought for this country and the promises America holds for us. These promises include the safeguarding of our nations public lands for all communities and the preservation of these spaces for future generations to enjoy as we have. In Montana, Senator Jon Tester has exceeded expectations in his support for veterans during the past year of the pandemic, and I encourage him to continue to support the health and welfare of veterans by prioritizing public lands over private corporate interests. Despite these lands belonging to the taxpayers, the current federal leasing process is skewed in favor of energy corporations with little to no transparency for the American public. Montanans deserve a better and fairer return on these lands. This just in: Summer is actually happening this year. Restaurants, bars and shops are crowded with patrons. Concerts and other gigs are bringing sweet music to the masses. The beautifully revamped Alberta Bair Theater is indeed "bringing the excitement of the performing arts" to us, starting this week with Rimrock Hot Club. The Billings Mustangs are enjoying the full-throated support of their fan base. The Mustangs come home for a six-game set against Grand Junction, starting Wednesday. The Yellowstone Valley Farmers' Market is getting ready to return July 17. And MontanaFair plans to be back with all the fun you can enjoy come August. We are absolutely thrilled to see such a robust recovery underway. There's just one thing that bothers us: 34.58. That's the percentage of age-eligible Yellowstone County residents that is fully vaccinated. Some 39.23 percent have had at least one shot. Those numbers are far too low, given the thousands of (unmasked) folks who are going about their back-to-normal summer activities. They are significantly below the statewide totals of 41.86 percent fully vaccinated and 47.87 percent with at least one shot. Two men are in custody in connection with incidents last Thursday and Friday that Bismarck police say involved assault, kidnapping and forcible entry to homes. Steven Bruhn, 37, of Bismarck, is charged with robbery, court records show. He was arrested Wednesday afternoon, Police Lt. Luke Gardiner said. Jacob Nimz, 32, whose address is unknown, was arrested Saturday in Campbell County, South Dakota, after a pursuit there involving multiple law enforcement agencies. He is under arrest on suspicion of robbery, theft, kidnapping, assault, criminal mischief and interfering with an emergency phone call, Gardiner said. Formal charges were pending. Bismarck police on Thursday responded to a 911 call from a Riverview Avenue apartment in which dispatchers heard a woman screaming. The woman, who knows Nimz and Bruhn, later told police that they cut off the power to her apartment, choked and punched her and stole a backpack that contained $1,000 worth of electronic equipment. Her injuries did not require medical attention. The Mandan City Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to ban the private use of fireworks for the Fourth of July holiday, citing extreme drought conditions throughout the state. Fire Chief Steve Nardello recommended the commission ban the pyrotechnics, saying the recent precipitation the area received is already gone. "It's not my pleasure to do this," Nardello said. "I did check with the weather service. They don't expect that we'll have enough precipitation." Nearly all of North Dakota is in some form of drought, and dry conditions have led to nearly 1,400 wildfires this year. The commission banned the use of fireworks on July 3 and 4, when city ordinance would otherwise allow residents to use them. A violation of the ban is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine. Additional charges could result if a fire is caused by fireworks. Nardello added that he wanted to give the public a heads up so they don't spend money on fireworks. The sale of fireworks is still allowed. The fireworks at Mandan Rodeo Days, which is a public display, will go ahead. Nardello said a certified pyrotechnician will be required and that extra firefighters will be on standby. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., had objected in the previous Congress to a bill to celebrate Juneteenth as a federal holiday because of the cost and lack of debate, he said. Johnson noted that he has supported resolutions recognizing the significance of Juneteenth, but he was concerned the new holiday would give federal employees another day off at a cost of about $600 million per year. While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter. Therefore, I do not intend to object, Johnson said in a statement before Tuesday's vote. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and had 60 co-sponsors. He tweeted Monday: We have a long road towards racial justice in the United States and we cannot get there without acknowledging our nations original sin of slavery. It is long past time to make Juneteenth a federal holiday." The vast majority of states recognize Juneteenth as a holiday or have an official observance of the day, and most states hold celebrations. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia and Washington. Under the legislation, the federal holiday would be known as Juneteenth National Independence Day. 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 "Based on the size of our department, there are going to be requests that will come in exceeding the $50 million in '21-'23," Human Services Chief Financial Officer Arnie Strebe said. One Human Services item Wednesday was revised from $100 million of federal funds to $31.6 million. Council on the Arts Executive Director Kim Konikow said if the caps prevent her agency from doing private-sourced fundraising for programs, the new law conflicts with building public-private relationships. "It's a fair statement because it's a potential unintended consequence of caps that would limit agencies like yours from seeking grants which don't even require a state match," the governor told Konikow. She said the Council "can't always count on the Legislature to give what's needed" for new programs. State lawmakers are now eyeing the fall for addressing the new law. That's when the Legislature will meet in a special session for redrawing legislative districts. Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, has tasked an interim committee with reviewing the new law and reporting recommendations in October. Holmberg has said the Legislature was "a little sloppy in what we passed. It does need to be corrected." The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality and other state agencies are responsible for monitoring the KT site and any other sites that get approval. Its estimated that the state will need between three and five facilities to meet the demand for disposal. The state believes it has the right procedures in place for inspecting and monitoring the waste sites. Agencies should be prepared to tweak their policies if they learn more in the future. Some North Dakotans might prefer that we continue to ship the waste to other states. The term radioactive tends to make some people nervous. However, trucking the waste to other states raises safety concerns over possible accidents. In the past some ignored the requirements to dispose of the waste. Hundreds of bags of filter socks, which often contain radioactive material, were found dumped in an abandoned Divide County gas station in 2014. It wasnt the only case of its kind. More recently, radioactive waste from North Dakota was illegally dumped in an Oregon landfill. Hopefully, having radioactive waste disposal sites in the state will discourage illegal dumping. The state needs to handle the waste it generates and not expect other states to do so even though they get paid for it. State agencies should be diligent about enforcement of rules regarding the disposal of the waste. Violators should be treated firmly. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 This week's selection comes from Finlay McIntosh, World & Traditional Rights intern for Unlocking our Sound Heritage. In 1978, the writer, musician and scholar David Toop travelled to the Upper Orinoco region in the Venezuelan Amazon to record the Yanomami indigenous people and their songs, rituals and ceremonies. While these recordings were released on the album Lost Shadows: In Defence of the Soul (Yanomami Shamanism, Songs, Ritual, 1978), Toop also kindly donated the unedited field recordings to the British Library, where they have been digitised through the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project. Toop writes: Im very happy that my Yanomami recordings will be available for digital access for two reasons. One is that the Yanomami are again undergoing a crisis due to the combined effects of the pandemic and a ruthless encroachment into their territory by illegal mining, so any attention focused on the Yanomami is a good thing. The second reason is connected to the first. I believe all people can benefit from exposure to the rich and diverse forms of encounter, counsel and negotiation that exist or have existed in world cultures, unfamiliar or strange as they may seem, because they can suggest alternate ways of listening to others, gaining understanding and resolving apparently intractable problems. Any narrowing of listening models is a bad thing. Torokoiwa (a Yanomami shaman) and daughter. Photograph by Odile Laperche. One of the recordings that stood out to me was his recording of wayamou a type of ceremonial dialogue that the Yanomami use to negotiate relationships, maintain peace and resolve conflicts between different communities. Wayamou is conducted at night and is performed in pairs, with one member from each community taking part. One participant will lead, and depending on whether the communities are on good or bad terms, he will criticise and reprimand the other participant, or submit requests and proposals to them. The speaker will adopt a heavily metaphorical manner of speaking to conduct these conversations diplomatically and avoid addressing sensitive subjects too directly. The other participant will then repeat the phrases, words and syllables uttered by the speaker sometimes identically and sometimes with slight variations to show agreement with the speaker or at least an understanding of his point of view. Afterwards, the participants swap roles so both have a chance to speak. The pair is then replaced by series of other pairs and discussions continue throughout the night. It is a duel of persuasion and negotiation, where participants have the opportunity to put words, ideas and desires in each others mouth. Ideally, by dawn, solutions or compromises to the communities problems will have been reached. Wayamou, recorded by David Toop [BL REF C1162/8 C1] The controversial anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon once described wayamou as: something like a fast game of Ping-Pong, with the melodic, staccato phrases as the ball. We hear how the speakers throw these words and phrases between each other, creating colliding rhythms and echoing crescendos that are abruptly punctuated with sharp accents. At certain points, you can even hear the respondent replying so fast that he is speaking at the same time as the lead participant, guessing what the lead is saying before he has even said it. I was so enthralled by this amazingly fast and complex dialogue that I didnt even stop to think about what they could be saying. However, when reading the liner notes to Lost Shadows, I was surprised to learn that there was a false start to the recording: The recording seems to be going well, but Emilio jumps up, clearly angry, and stops them. What they have been saying is that the foreigners are stupid to want to record their music and they are going to trick us out of many gifts. Perhaps this should not come as a surprise. Here the wayamou had been stripped of its social function: there was no relationship to negotiate, no conflict to resolve or peace to maintain. When asked to perform under these conditions, what would there be to speak about? Even if they are just talking about how foreigners are stupid to want to record their music, it is still an undeniably captivating recording ... and I dont think we are stupid for wanting to listen to it! If you are interested in learning more about the Yanomami, photographer Claudia Andujars exhibition The Yanomami Struggle will be running at the Barbican from June 17 to August 29 2021. Filmmaker and anthropologist Luiz Bolognesis film A Ultima Floresta (The Last Forest) will also be showing at the Berlinale on 19 and 20 June, 2021. Further reading and listening: Kelly Luciani, Jose Antonio. 2017. On Yanomami Ceremonial Dialogues: A Political Aesthetic of Metaphorical Agency. Journal de la Societe des Americanistes 103, no. 1: 179-214. Chagnon, Napoleon A. 1992. Yanomamo: The Last Days of Eden. San Diego, New York, London: Harcourt Brace & Company. Toop, David. 2015. Lost Shadows: In Defence of the Soul (Yanomami Shamanism, Songs, Ritual, 1978). Sub Rosa. Follow @BLSoundHeritage and @soundarchive for all the latest news. I can't tell you how many people, mostly that identify as women, that have said they don't feel comfortable going to certain parks or natural places alone. It's a shame because the solitude that's brought about by nature is the thing that draws them in. But it's also the thing that deters people, said Molly Dreyer, Feminist Bird Club of Buffalo co-chair. Going out as a group can help you feel more empowered as a female or as a feminist birder. The club hosts monthly outings at various parks throughout the area for feminist birders of all skill levels to go out in nature and identify species in a casual, no-pressure setting. This is not always the case with mixed birding groups where strong personalities may set a different tone. When someone is new and trying to identify a bird in front of them or gets excited and thinks that it is something, but then they're quickly corrected. That can be really disheartening, added Dreyer. It can turn you off of the hobby pretty quickly, because it's kind of a moment of embarrassment or you feel like you didn't know as much as you should, when in reality it can be hard to get into birding. Proper planning is vital because their most popular menu item also requires the most time to prepare, Laia said. The shredded beef for birria tacos requires roughly 16 hours to reach the proper tenderness, cooking down in the consomme at low heat to intensify flavor until it falls off the bone. While the owners thought five pounds of beef would suffice for their start on South Park, the inventory has quickly ramped up to 45 pounds thanks to demand. Buster must be quick and alert to maintain the flattop, which can accommodate 40 tacos at once. "Once it's gone it's 'hands up' gone," Laia said. The Philly steak taco (also three for $12, nine for $25) is another customer favorite, featuring shaved steak, mozzarella cheese, onions and steak sauce, served with house-smoked queso for dipping. The jerk chicken taco (three for $15, nine for $35) weaves in pico de gallo, grilled pineapple and colby Jack cheese for color and flavor. On June 3, George Will wrote All laws regulating campaigns are enacted by people with conflicts of interest interests in advantaging themselves and disadvantaging challengers. Thank goodness The News editorial board stopped reading their newspaper after penning A minor aggravation, which appeared on the previous page. The editorial praised the functionality of the two-party system, a $20 trillion-plus national debt raised in a generation proves this, and called for the elimination of third political parties, except for the Libertarians, who escaped The News censure and are useful, it appears, as some sort of safety valve for the conscience if a Republican candidate is particularly odious. Upon reading this editorial, cheers rang out from fans of democracy in Havana and Pyongyang. Voters there know that family dynasties make for the best rulers, and fair competition in political races is for suckers and losers. Our 1995-2010 interregnum and the fact that over half the people eligible didnt vote in the 2018 gubernatorial election can easily be explained away. It is clear that Americans should not have to endure the nuisance of minor political parties with their qualified candidates espousing sound ideas. There are just too many choices, and two national political parties are clearly enough. So with most capacity and distancing restrictions being lifted, is it safe for vaccinated individuals to have dinner at packed restaurants and work out in crowded gyms? For the most part, yes, Russo said. Exceptions would be if you have a compromised immune system, are elderly and frail, or are living with someone who is, he added. For those who aren't vaccinated, however, now is the time to get your shot, and now is the time for health care providers to maintain the vaccination push, he said. While risks should remain low throughout summer, when most socializing is done outdoors, it'll be a different story as Thanksgiving approaches and everyone starts gathering indoors once again. Those who have contracted Covid-19 may also be under the false assumption that they are already sufficiently protected, even though their natural immunity may not guard against the many virus variants that have been spreading globally, he said. "The people who havent been vaccinated are still at risk," he said, "and the virus will find them." +2 Border restrictions could be eased in late July or August, top Canadian official says Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's intergovernmental affairs minister, said at a virtual news conference that the government is developing a plan that could involve "a phased adjustment of border measures in July or later in August." Other caveats At that event, Rep. Brian Higgins envisioned a Canada Day celebration at the Peace Bridge on July 1, where President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would meet to reopen the border. "I think that would be a great demonstration of binational agreement, recognizing the good work of public health officials who guided us through this and we're just following their recommendations," Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat, said. He noted that public health officials say it's safe for people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to go without masks and to socialize without social distancing. That being the case, he said there's no reason why vaccinated people should not be allowed to cross the border. Higgins' wish for a July 1 opening celebration came in response to a question regarding when panelists think the border will reopen. Every panelist took a dimmer view than the Buffalo congressman, a co-chair of the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group. Wayne Easter, a member of the Canadian Parliament and also a co-chair of that panel, said: "My heart is where Brian's is as well opening quickly July 1st or 4th. But I actually think it'll be a phased approach, and I think we'll see quite an expansion of that phased approach as we get into the last of July." It includes a Grand Assembly staircase just inside the entrance and hives where students can spread out, plug in, study alone or collaborate. The New York Higher Education Capital Matching Grant Program, state brownfield tax credits and Catholic Health each provided about $5 million toward the project. Individual, corporate and foundation donors have covered most of the rest of the cost. Catholic Health supported the project because it aligns with its mission and needs, said Joyce Markiewicz, chief business development officer. The HUB is more than just a building with a clinic, said Markiewicz, Catholic Health senior leader for the project. It is a destination for both students and the community to learn from one another while supporting the workforce development needs of Buffalos West Side and improving access to care for this woefully underserved area. The third floor features a conference room that can host large college and community gatherings. Two weddings already have been booked. A man who allegedly fled from officers was arrested on several charges after a K9 helped track him down in a wooded area, according to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. Stephen J. Rucinski, 38, was charged with three misdemeanors in the early morning of June 9 after being tracked down by K9 Frankie. A deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop near the intersection of Selden Road and Route 19 in LeRoy when Rucinski allegedly fled into a wooded area north of Selden. Deputy Andrew Mullen and Frankie arrived on scene, and Frankie completed a successful track of Rucinski, who was taken into custody without incident, officials said. Rucinski was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree obstructing governmental administration, second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation as well as a license plate lamp violation. He was released and is scheduled to return to court at 5 p.m. on July 6. OLAF FUB SEZ: A recent Tweet from author Joyce Carol Oates, born in Lockport on this date in 1938: When/if we talk to ourselves, to whom are we speaking? . . . BACK TO NORMAL The Singles Social Club will celebrate its return from the pandemic shutdown with a Welcome Back Dance from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday in the Buff Social Club, 2565 Young St., Niagara Falls. Music by BJ the DJ. For more info, call 550-1232 or visit the Singles Social Club page on Facebook. Also returning from shutdown is Docs Archery inside the Wurlitzer Building, 908 Niagara Falls Blvd., North Tonawanda. Under new ownership, its been renovated with an eight-lane indoor range and a new Technohunt digital shooting system. For info, call 693-2703. . . . TIME TO EAT Trinity Old Lutheran Church, 3445 Sheridan Drive near Sweet Home Road, Amherst, will offer a Chiavettas chicken barbecue from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday. Dinners are $12, drive-through only. For more info, call 836-4868. . . . Erie County residents filling out early voting ballots or heading to the polls in Tuesday's primaries have one particularly pressing question to answer: Who should be the countys next sheriff? But its time to ponder an even more fundamental issue: Should we even be voting on this particular office? Retiring Sheriff Tim Howards four-term reign of error dozens of inmates dying in county lockups and the resulting claims paid by taxpayers, the escape and subsequent murder of a state trooper by Ralph Bucky Phillips, and Howards pledge not to enforce laws he doesnt like cant end soon enough. Ordinarily we might just say good riddance when he retires, confident that no successor could be as bad while also mindful of the aphorism that hard cases make bad law. That warning should give us pause about tampering with the structure of government because of one outlier official. But the fact that so many of Howards would-be successors mimic his disregard for the law indicates he could be more than just a one-off. Despite running to be the countys top law enforcement officer, several Republican and independent candidates seem not to understand what the term means, particularly when it comes to the states dreaded SAFE Act. The government intended to sell the plane to France, but Adolf Hitler canceled that plan by conquering France before the plane could be shipped. The Pentagon sold it to the British instead. "Diamond Lil" was involved in a training accident when being flown by a Royal Air Force crew that came to the U.S., Robitaille said. The damaged plane was converted to a transport after being repaired and never did get to Europe. But the B-24 has been airworthy for 80 years. The B-29 was manufactured in the spring of 1945, but the war ended before "Fifi" could reach the battle zone. Other B-29s were used to drop the atomic bombs, and that would have been Fifi's assignment if there had been a war with the Soviet Union. "It was used to train crews to drop atomic bombs during the Cold War," Robitaille said. "Fifi" has been touring since 1974. We are proud to host an event that honors military aviation history, a subject of great pride for all of us here in Western New York," said Helen Tederous, spokeswoman for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, which owns the Falls airport. Rides and admission tickets for the show can be booked online at airpowertour.org. Admission is $20 for those who want to look at the planes or go inside their cockpits. The charge is $10 for ages 11 to 17; kids under 10 can attend for free. The display runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The bomber rides occur during morning hours from July 3-5. 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. The tit-for-tat duties victimized companies that have nothing to do with aircraft production, from French winemakers and German cookie bakers in Europe to spirits producers in the United States, among many others. Tuesday's agreement brought a measure of relief to companies on both sides of the Atlantic. For about 20 years, we have been at each others throat, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said. We have been too busy fighting each other. In March, weeks after Biden took office, the two sides agreed to suspend the tariffs. That suspension, which began March 11, was to last for four months. The agreement announced Tuesday will officially take effect July 11 and will put the tariffs on hold for five years. Its obviously a good sign they agreed to something, said William Reinsch, a former U.S. trade official who is now an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The truce, he said, will add an element of certainty and sanity to trans-Atlantic trade. ROCKTON, Ill. (AP) An industrial firefighting team continued battling a fire Tuesday that has consumed an chemical plant in northern Illinois and forced the evacuation of nearby homes and businesses. Before pouring fire-fighting foam on the Chemtool plant in Rockton, Louisiana-based U.S. Fire Pumps dug a trench around the facility and installed absorbent booms along the Rock River to prevent residual material from escaping into the village's source of drinking water. Rockton fire Chief Kirk Wilson said the smoke plume from the fire has dissipated substantially as a result of U.S. Fire Pumps' effort "This is their forte. This is what they do," Wilson said, adding the company has larger pumps and a larger delivery capability to battle the fire than local fire departments. "At this point in time we have detected no visible runoff into the waterway (that) is just west of Chemtool and to our main waterway. Despite the fire being under control, Wilson said the fire is not completely out. This is going to continue to burn. When were in the overhaul stage and were moving debris around, things may flair up, Wilson said. But we want to assure the public that it is under control. It is contained in the area of origin in the building where the fire occurred. The Associated Press began investigating the loss and theft of military firearms by asking a simple question in 2011: How many guns are unaccounted for across the Army, Marines Corps, Navy and Air Force? AP was told the answer could be found in the Department of Defense Small Arms and Light Weapons Registry. That centralized database, which the Army oversees, tracks the life cycle of rifles, pistols, shotguns, machine guns and more. Getting data from the registry, however, would require a formal Freedom of Information Act request. That request, filed in 2012, came to Charles Royal, then the longtime Army civilian employee who was in charge of the registry at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Royal was accustomed to inquiries. Military and civilian law enforcement agencies would call him thousands of times each year, often because they were looking for a military weapon or had recovered one. In response to APs request, Royal pulled data on missing weapons, then showed the results to his boss. After he got it, he said, We cant be letting this out like this, said Royal. His boss didnt say exactly why, but Royal, who is now retired, said the release he prepared was heavily scrutinized within the Army. Last October, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law legislation declaring Juneteenth a state holiday, as a way to recognize the achievements of the Black community and provide an opportunity for self-reflection on the systematic injustices our society still faces today. His decision follows that of at least 45 states and the District of Columbia, which, since 1980, have moved to officially recognize Juneteenth. However, New York is one of only four states to make Juneteenth a paid state holiday for employees. Cuomos decision to officially recognize the celebration of the abolition of slavery in the United States comes at an opportune time. Following multiple incidents of police brutality and the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other Black Americans, coupled with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Juneteenth holds an increased significance this year. Lets go back to the days origins. On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared slaves free if they lived in the states that seceded from the union. In Galveston, Texas, an enslaved community got the news and rejoiced. But it came on June 19, 1865, two and a half years later. Now thats delayed gratification. Why does it seem harder and harder for Amherst Supervisor Brian Kulpa to be honest with Amherst residents? Why does he continue to hide from residents and use the pandemic as an excuse not to hold in-person Town Board meetings? In The Buffalo News, Kulpa recently said, There is a pandemic. Guess what? There is the same pandemic in Tonawanda, Orchard Park, Hamburg and even next door in the Village of Williamsville, and all of them are holding in-person meetings for their residents. Kulpa also uses the excuse that he cant hold in-person meetings until new tables and chairs are delivered for council chambers. You mean to tell me Amherst cant find some temporary tables and chairs to use until new ones arrive? People move into houses every day without all their furniture. What a ridiculous excuse. In that newspaper article Kulpa also stated, I dont have anything to hide. Really? Then why not hold in-person meetings in the auditorium at the Harlem Road Community Center, or at the Amherst Senior Center or one of the libraries, until he gets his new tables and chairs? Why keep hiding? 8 Excellent Books By Immigrant Authors To Read This National Immigrant Heritage Month June 2021 marks the eighth annual National Immigrant Heritage Month , a time to acknowledge and honor the contributions and achievements of immigrants in the United States. Despite the country's designation as a "Nation of Immigrants," immigration has always beenand in the new Biden Administration, continues to bea controversial issue (most recently with Vice President Kamala Harris telling migrants do not come to the United States during a visit to Guatemala). The migrant crisis at the border is ongoing , the refugee crisis worldwide is at historic highs , and despite the many contributions of immigrants (particularly during the pandemic) , they are often still demonized by many in the United States. So this June, now more than ever, it's important to honor immigrants and all they have done for the United States. To that end, here are 8 books by immigrant authors whose works are not only great examples of said contributions, but also deepen our understanding of the immigrant experience in America, and thus of the country as a whole. 1. Refuge: A Novel by Dina Nayeri Image via Penguin Random House At 10 years old, Nayeri immigrated to Oklahoma from Tehran. Refuge is a semi autobiographical novel that tells the story of Niloo, a young Iranian girl whose family is split apart when she, her mother, and brother immigrate to the United States, leaving her father behind in Tehran. Following the impact of this monumental event into her adulthood, tracing her and her fathers relationship over several decades, and reckoning with the worlds current refugee crisis, Refuge is a novel about the people and places we call home and what we owe to each other once it has been lost. ADVERTISEMENT 2. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo Image via Hatchette Book Group NoViolet Bulawayo is originally from Zimbabwe and now lives in California as a professor at Stanford University. In her debut novel, the reader follows Darling, a young Zimbabwean girl, who is growing up amongst the violence and uncertainty of a corrupt government until she moves to America to live with her aunt. In this new country, however, she faces new struggles. She is undocumented, far away from her friends and family in Zimbabwe, and must conform to American expectations of a teenager. Caught between two countries and feeling like she doesnt entirely belong in either, We Need New Names is a heart-wrenching coming of age story. 3. Happiness, Like Water by Chinelo Okparanta Image via Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Okparanta, author of Under the Udala Trees, was born and raised in Nigeria before coming to the United States for college. Her debut short story collection explores the lives of Nigerian women both at home and abroad, as they navigate relationships, family, sexuality, class, and struggle to build lives for themselves in places both new and old. ADVERTISEMENT 4. Monkey Bridge by Lan Cao Image via Penguin Random House Lan Cao was born in Saigon and was sent by her family to live in Connecticut at the end of the Vietnam War. Monkey Bridge is told in two intertwining storiesone that follows a young woman named Mai as she navigates life in the United States after leaving Vietnam, and another, much darker story that follows Mais mother, Thanh, as she uncovers family secrets and past betrayals, all leading up to a mysterious event that continues to haunt her. 5. How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez Image via Algonquin Books At 10 years old, Alvarez moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic, and many of her works are centered around Dominican characters and issues of immigration. In her debut novel, four sisters, Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofia, and their family flee to New York from the Dominican Republic, after their father is involved in a failed attempt to overthrow the countrys dictator. In this new country, they must navigate two culturesthe Dominican culture their parents hold onto and the American culture to which they have just been introduced, and are anxious to embracein ways that are both exciting and painful. 6. Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn Image via W.W. Norton & Company Nicole Dennis-Benn was born and raised in Jamaica and now lives in New York City. Patsy follows the title character as she leaves Jamaica, and her daughter, to pursue her dreams of living in the United States. Patsys idealized imaginings of life in the U.S. are soon dashed, however, as the realities of poverty, racism, and life as an undocumented immigrant set in. In this novel, Dennis-Benn delivers a moving and unflinching exploration of mother-daughter relationships, gender and sexuality, and immigration in America. 7. The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui Image via Abrams Books Thi Bui was born in Vietnam, and came to the United States with her family amongst the boat people refugees fleeing the Vietnam War. The Best We Could Do is a graphic memoir, telling the story of her familys journey. Through powerful illustrations and a narrative that doesnt try to simplify their story or experiences, Bui heartwrenchingly depicts displacement, identity, trauma, and family relationships that span decades and continents in one incredible book. 8. Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang Image via Penguin Random House Set in New York, where Zhang moved after leaving Shanghai at a young age, her debut short story collection, Sour Heart, explores the immigrant experience in seven coming of age stories that span countries and generations. In stories that are both dark and funny, Zhang explores girlhood and growing up in an immigrant family through the collections young narrators as they navigate adolescence, and grapple with shifting definitions of home. More from BUST Trace The Multigenerational Highs And Lows Of Cuban-American Womanhood In Gabriela Garcia's "Of Women And Salt" Director Ekwa Msangi And Actor Jayme Lawson Tell An Intimate Immigration Story With "Farewell Amor": BUST Interview "The Journey Of Monalisa" Weaves Themes of Friendship, Immigration, And Life As A "Gender-Neutral Two-Spirit" In New York Natalie Frate is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology with a BS in Sociology and Anthropology and SOAS, University of London with an MA in Comparative Literature. She is currently pursuing a degree in Experimental Humanities at NYU and waiting out the pandemic in her hometown, Cleveland, OH. She enjoys reading books, wearing clothes, and eating food with her friends. Follow her on Instagram @natalieroseindigo (Bloomberg) -- Moderna Inc. said the U.S. government would buy 200 million more doses of its vaccine in a deal that included the potential for buying other Covid candidates in testing, including booster shots. European Union government envoys agreed to lift travel restrictions for U.S. residents, a diplomat familiar with the meeting said, the latest step toward a return to normal. Japans government decided to lift the state of emergency for Tokyo and other areas. The U.K. Parliament will vote on prolonging Englands pandemic restrictions, with members of Prime Minister Boris Johnsons conservative party saying this extension must be the last, 15 months after the country first went into lockdown. Key Developments: Global Tracker: Cases exceed 176.7 million; deaths pass 3.8 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 2.42 billion doses administeredJapans Dr. Fauci damps olympic mood with call to ban fansPockets of unvaccinated Americans threaten to prolong pandemicPhuket sandbox offers model for Asia as travel bubbles failSubscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloombergs Prognosis team here. CureVac Covid Shot Falls Short (4:45 p.m.) CureVac NV said its Covid-19 vaccine was 47% effective, falling well short of the high bar set by other messenger RNA shots in a preliminary analysis of a large study muddied by the spread of virus variants. The interim analysis of data from about 40,000 volunteers included 134 Covid cases, the German company said in a statement. CureVac declined to say how many who got the shot got sick or how many received a placebo. But the results suggest the vaccine works less well for older people than in a younger population, Chief Technology Officer Mariola Fotin-Mleczek said in an interview Wednesday. Though preliminary, the results throw the future of the vaccine into question as wealthy nations around the world move swiftly to inoculate their populations with shots already available. Still, CureVac will finish its trial and plans to gain approval, Chief Executive Officer Franz-Werner Haas said. Story continues South Africa Cases Up Most Since January (4:35 p.m. NY) South Africa, which is battling a third coronavirus wave, recorded 13,246 new cases over the past 24 hours, according to data released by the Health Ministry. Thats the highest daily increase since January. N.Y. Positivity Rate Matches Record Low (2:05 p.m. NY) New York state had a Covid-19 positivity rate of 0.35% on Tuesday, matching the record low set Saturday, according to Governor Andrew Cuomos office. As we acknowledge how far we have come in our battle with Covid thanks to the courage of our heroic essential workers and the determination of all New Yorkers who helped bend the curve, we must also recognize that our work continues, Cuomo said in a statement. To date, New York has administered nearly 20.3 million coronavirus vaccines. The state officially hit Cuomos benchmark of 70% of New York adults receiving at least one Covid-19 shot on Tuesday, allowing nearly all coronavirus mandates to be lifted immediately. The only precautions still in place are recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, such as wearing masks on public transit. U.K. to Mandate Shots for Care Home Workers (1:15 p.m. NY) Nursing home workers in England will be required to have a Covid-19 vaccination or risk losing their jobs. New legislation will require people working in Care Quality Commission-accredited care homes to be fully vaccinated with two doses from October, the Department for Health and Social Care said on Wednesday in a statement. The measure wont apply to those who are medically exempt, and is subject to parliamentary approval, it said. There will also be a 16-week grace period. U.K. Extends Commercial Eviction Ban (1:10 p.m. NY) The U.K. extended its ban on evictions of commercial tenants by nine months to protect Covid 19-hit businesses from losing their premises while pandemic restrictions are still in place. The ban had been due to end on June 30, but Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay on Wednesday told the House of Commons the government would extend it until March 25 next year. In the meantime, he said, the government plans to establish a binding arbitration protest for tenants and landlords who are unable to reach agreement on repayment programs. Germany to Exceed 50% Threshold This Week (10:20 a.m. NY) Germany will this week pass the threshold of vaccinating 50% of the population against Covid-19 with at least one dose, according to Health Minister Jens Spahn. This shows that we continue to set a very good pace, especially on second doses, Spahn said at a news conference after talks with regional counterparts. We are seeing with the delta variant in the U.K. that its above all the second dose that provides full protection and its therefore very, very important that it happens at the right time. Through Tuesday, 48.9% of the German population, or 40.7 million people, had received at least their first shot, and just under 28% were fully vaccinated. Spahn said Germany is aiming to inoculate 75%-80% as not everyone will want to get immunized. Moderna Says U.S. Buys More Vaccine Doses (8:08 a.m. NY) Moderna said the U.S. governments deal to purchase of an additional 200 million vaccine doses came with an option to purchase other candidates from the drugmakers pipeline. The new doses bring the total amount of Moderna vaccine ordered by the U.S. to 500 million doses, of which 217 million doses had already been delivered as of June 14, the company said. Pandemic to Last Two Years for U.K.s Hopkins (7:10 a.m. NY) Coronavirus variants will continue to emerge and we will not be through this pandemic until the whole world has the ability to get vaccinated, Susan Hopkins, deputy director of Public Health Englands National Infection Service, said at a House of Commons science committee meeting. And that realistically is two years away. EU Doesnt See J&J Meeting Deliveries (7:09 a.m. NY) The European Union doesnt expect Johnson & Johnson to fulfill its commitment for 55 million vaccine deliveries this quarter, a spokesman of the blocs executive arm said. While the European Commission isnt in a position to give a precise estimate of how many vaccines the drugmaker will deliver this quarter, its spokesman told reporters in Brussels that the delay wont derail the blocs plans to vaccinate 70% of its adult population this summer. Moscow Orders Inoculations as Infections Spike (6:48 a.m. NY) Moscow ordered service-sector and municipal workers to get vaccinated amid a spike in infections, as the Kremlin denied any reversal in Russian President Vladimir Putins opposition to compulsory inoculation. At least 60% of workers at consumer-facing businesses and city employees, including health professionals and teachers, must receive a dose of one of Russias domestically developed vaccines by July 15. Japan to Lift Virus State of Emergency (6:56 a.m. NY) Japan decided to lift the coronavirus state of emergency for Tokyo and other areas, excluding Okinawa prefecture, when it expires June 20, broadcaster NHK reported. Strong virus measures will be in place for the seven of the nine areas where the emergency is lifted, including the capital and Osaka, the report said. 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. MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that a run for vice president in next year's elections was a "good idea" because he has unfinished business, including solving the country's drug problem. Duterte, who is barred by the constitution from seeking re-election, will end his six-year term in June 2022, but his party was encouraging him to run again for office, as vice president. "There are a lot of people pushing me to run for vice president. It is a good idea, particularly if we talk about the drug problem," Duterte said in a speech. "I am scared for the next generation". His remarks came a day after a prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that permission had been sought for a formal investigation into thousands of killings in a war on drugs waged by Duterte since 2016. Presidential spokesperson, Harry Roque, said Duterte would not cooperate with the ICC because the Philippines had withdrawn its membership. The ICC's Rome Statute, however, gives it jurisdiction with crimes committed while a country was a member. Rumours have swirled that Duterte might try to stay in power by endorsing a presidential bid by his top aide and incumbent senator, Christopher "Bong" Go, while contesting the separate vice-presidential election. Opinion polls show Duterte remains hugely popular in the Philippines, despite the huge drugs war death toll. But Duterte on Wednesday said he had made a promise to an ally, congressman Martin Romualdez, the nephew of former first lady Imelda Marcos, that he would support him should he decide to run for vice president. "If Romualdez runs, I am out. If he doesn't, I am out, maybe," Duterte said. (Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty) Hindus take over a northeast Calgary street for a colourful party to mark the end of Ganesh Chaturthi. (Dan McGarvey/CBC - image credit) A group of Hindus in Alberta wants their religion included in Alberta's proposed new K-6 curriculum at an earlier stage. They say kids should learn about different religions beginning in Grade 2 instead of waiting until Grade 6. Hinduism is the religion followed by the majority of people in India as well countries like Nepal and Fiji, with an estimated 900 million worshipers worldwide. Hinduism has no founder or scripture and no common set of teachings like other religions, and it stretches back thousands of years. "They have Christianity, Judaism and Islam in Grade 2 but somehow Hinduism might have been missed," said Dharmesh Goradia with the Hindu Cultural Society of Central Alberta. "Maybe it was overlooked?" Goradia says the number of Hindus in Alberta is increasing in and outside of the province's major cities and that should be reflected in the curriculum. He says Hinduism is the world's third largest religion and there are now Hindus throughout Alberta, from Lethbridge all the way to Fort McMurray. "Our request to the government and education ministry is to include Hinduism as well along with the other three religions," Goradia said. "We also want Indian culture and heritage to be added." Submitted by Dharmesh Goradia The draft curriculum has been widely panned by experts, advocates, parents and most school districts. Concerns range from parts of it appearing to have been plagiarized to some proposed outcomes being developmentally inappropriate. The government is spending $6 million this year developing resources and preparing teachers to test the new curriculum in some elementary classrooms, beginning in September. A rally will take place in Red Deer on Saturday to raise awareness of the Hindu community's request to be included at an earlier stage of the curriculum. Letters are also being written to MLAs, including Education Minister Adriana LaGrange. Goradia says there might also be rallies in Calgary and Edmonton. Story continues The province claims the new draft curriculum is the first in Alberta to include detailed information about the Hindu religion but says world religions are not a focus in Grade 2. "This content will be taught in Grade 6, with students learning about major world religions such as Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Sikhism," said government spokesperson Nicole Sparrow. "Alberta Education has met with multiple representatives from Hindu associations, and is planning to meet with the Hindu Culture Society of Central Alberta in the coming weeks to hear their feedback," Sparrow added. The province says all Albertans are encouraged to provide feedback on the draft K-6 curriculum, which will help refine the draft curriculum before it's implemented across the province in the fall of 2022. The IEA said last week that oil demand is set to rise above pre-COVID levels by the end of 2022. Photo: Getty Oil prices have soared to near two-year highs supported by a recovery in demand from the coronavirus pandemic and a drop in US crude inventories. Both benchmarks rose to record highs in recent days after hitting rock bottom last year as investors bet on looming supply crunch. Crude (CL=F) was trading up 1.1% to $72.91 (51.70) and Brent (BZ=F) was up 1.2% to $74.87. On Monday, US crude prices hit their highest level in over two-and-a-half years. Prices kept rising on Tuesday, adding nearly 2% to trade at $72.12 after the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported that inventories fell by 8.5 million barrels, according to sources. Oil prices have also been pushed higher as the threat of extra supply coming to the market from Iran faded. Watch: Were experiencing fear of missing out in the oil market, says analyst Last week, the US dashed hopes of Iranian crude exports returning. US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that even if America reached a nuclear deal with Iran, hundreds of sanctions on Tehran would remain in place. Indirect discussions between the two nations resumed over the weekend, and Iran said on Monday it reached a deal with the US over lifting industrial sanctions including energy, Bloomberg reported. Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for Irans Foreign Ministry, told Bloomberg that "technical, political, legal and practical issues remain". Crude oil was trading up 1.1% to $72.91 around 4:40PM in London. Chart: Yahoo Finance Analysts at ING also believe one concern for the oil market is the lack of investment and the implications this will have on oil balance in the years to come. ING highlighted Angola, where production has been falling for years. Angola's production dropped below the agreed Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) levels. ING says OPEC+ cuts could be a catalyst for the country's decline. "In May Angola produced around 1.12 million barrels per day (mbd), whilst under the deal, they could have produced around 1.28 mbd. So, as we see OPEC+ easing output cuts it is safe to assume that Angolan oil output is unlikely to increase. If anything, it will probably continue to trend lower," ING said. Story continues Read more: IEA: Oil demand will exceed pre-COVID levels by end of 2022 It comes after the International Energy Agency (IEA) last week said oil demand is set to rise above pre-COVID levels by the end of 2022. The Paris-based body expects consumption to rebound by 5.4 million barrels per day (bd) this year as vaccines are rolled out and economies reopen. Consumption declined by a record 8.6 million bd in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic took a hold. It expects a further 3.1 million bd increase in 2022, to average 99.5 million bd with an increase at the end of the year that will surpass the level of demand before the COVID pandemic. Countries outside the OPEC+ group are expected to boost output by 1.6 million bd next year, to exceed 2019 levels. While, OPEC+ countries will have 6.9 million bd of spare capacity even after lifting production by 2 million bd over the May-July period. Watch: UAE oil deal infuriates Israeli environmentalists Finish this article for as low as $1 when you purchase a day pass. Just click the sign up button to purchase. If you are already a subscriber, just click log in to continue reading. Trouble may be on the horizon for Wisconsin school districts, including Chippewa Falls. The Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee took up K-12 Education funding on Thursday, May 27 and the projections coming out of those meetings are troubling for the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District. As it sits currently, the CFAUSD would lose approximately $800,000 in projected revenue, state aid would be decreased and property taxes are likely to increase. ESSER federal dollars are still uncertain at this time as well, as this financial planning process likely will not be resolved until this fall (far after the district budget plan is due). Chippewa Falls current property tax rate is 1.45%. It is currently unknown what it would increase to should the projected revenue loss be realized. I think the goal is trying to use federal money, instead of state money, to get through the next couple of years, Business Manager Chad Trowbridge said. Outside of a referendum, there arent a lot of opportunities to raise additional funds. The concern we have is that these are base building funds. If we had a four-year plan, we might feel a little easier about that, but once the federal funding runs out it would (leave) our situation pretty dire with declined enrollment and decreased revenue. Overall, the tone was more businesslike than Putin's 2018 summit with then-President Donald Trump, who embraced some of Putin's unlikely statements about election interference but was considered somewhat amateurish and unpredictable by the Russians. At this faceoff, though Putin raised doubt that the U.S.-Russia relationship could soon return to a measure of equilibrium of years past, he suggested that Biden was someone he could work with. The meeting was actually very efficient, Putin said. It was substantive, it was specific. It was aimed at achieving results, and one of them was pushing back the frontiers of trust. The summit had a somewhat awkward beginning both men appeared to avoid looking directly at each other during a brief and chaotic photo opportunity before a scrum of jostling reporters. It ended sooner than expected. Biden said that was because they had covered all the key areas and then looked at each other like, OK, what next? Then Biden answered his own question What is going to happen next is we are going to be able to look back, look ahead in three to six months and say Did the things we agreed to sit down and try to work out, did it work? Twelve-year-old Maya Jadhav of Fitchburg will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee semifinals as the only representative from Wisconsin to pass the grueling quarterfinals round. After successfully spelling two words and defining another, Maya, a seventh-grade student at Fitchburgs Eagle School and the 2021 Badger State Spelling Bee co-champion, will be one of 30 competitors moving on to the national semifinals at the end of June. This is Mayas third year in the national bee and her second time going to the semifinals. She tied for 42nd place in 2018 and 41st in 2019 at the national bee, though this is the farthest, in national placement, she has made it in the competition. Maya was also the 2019 state bee champion and was a two-time champion of the Madison All-City Spelling Bee. Maya said she was grateful to make it to the quarterfinals knowing a lot of other strong competitors did not. Looking forward to the semifinals, she said she feels prepared to tackle whatever words come her way. Im really proud to represent Wisconsin, she said. LONDON (AP) Britain is losing the race to adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change, including worsening heat and floods, a government-appointed panel of experts said Wednesday. The Climate Change Committee, set up to advise the U.K. government, said the level of global warming that is already inevitable would cause power cuts, expensive and dangerous overheating in homes, and damage to nature, crops and food supplies. It said the government must act urgently to ensure that Britain is prepared. In a 140-page report released, by chance, on what is forecast to be the hottest day of the year in the U.K. the committee said in recent years the gap between the level of risk we face and the level of adaptation underway has widened. It said the governments pledge to cut planet-warming carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 by embracing renewable energy, reducing pollution, planting trees and other measures would not address the effects of climate change that are already underway. Editors note: Czar Kristoff is an artist, educator, and publisher. His works have been exhibited in various galleries and museums around the world such as the Showroom MAMA Rotterdam, Jogja National Museum, Bangkok Arts and Culture Center, and Vargas Museum Manila. He is the recipient of the second Portfolio Art Prize, a grant program funded by the sales of a portfolio commissioned by Italian Ambassador Giorgio Guglielmino and Hugo Bunzl, available through the Drawing Room Gallery. When I started formalizing my photography practice, I was consuming a lot of images from the West/Global North, most of them were made by cis male photographers. I am not really sure why but maybe my/our conditioning (as a result of colonialism and contemporary media) play a big role in deciding where/how to look. Or maybe because of the awareness that photography originated in Europe that they hold a certain power of telling what is a good and bad image? Assimilating as a form of belonging. But I was able to take a detour through this project called Laguna Daily, which started in late 2013 or early 2014. The project (initially) documents everyday architectures such as shelters, clothing and design, in my neighborhood using an old model smartphone. Making photographs in low-fi quality, a total opposite of what modern photography should be, provides and/or stands for. I mostly shot during lunch time. "Photography aims for permanence. But in order for the archive, for the memorial, for the images to exist in the long run, it requires caretaking. What if care is limited?" Portrait by JL JAVIER. Workspace photo by CZAR KRISTOFF I was able to expand the project as long-term research and in other forms. And this particular work Part Wall, Part Door, Part 3 (2020), was a great opportunity to (re)assemble these images/ideas I have been gathering through the years. Images of informal and unfinished tarpaulin structures, which my friend Clara Balaguer refers to as a form of vernacular architecture. Tarpaulin is often used in big construction sites to cover the structure but in many cases both in rural and urban areas, tarpaulin becomes part of the building itself, whether temporarily or long term. They become (part of) a wall, (part of) a door, (part of) a roof, (part of) a floor, (part of) a window, etc. Because it is lightweight, can endure extreme climate conditions, accessible (in the rural areas they recycle campaign or advertisement posters), and most importantly its adaptive nature (it can be rolled, folded, etc.) somehow the material mimics the nipa or bamboo used in the construction of a bahay kubo, which I find really interesting. What would shelter look like in the future when all the natural resources are gone? How would we define or construct a home in the midst of a crisis? The printing format I used for this work is blueprinting, which fades through time when exposed to extreme light or alkaline environments. I really wanted to extend or maybe emphasize the ephemerality of the subject, which contradicts what photography is used for, to memorialize time and space. Photography aims for permanence. But in order for the archive, for the memorial, for the images to exist in the long run, it requires caretaking. What if care is limited? What would happen to the memorial if it is abandoned? Would we still consider them as valuable? Part Wall, Part Door, Part 3 was part of To Be Determined active cell at the Fictioning Comfort group exhibition at Showroom MAMA, Rotterdam in 2020. Organized by WorkNot Collective. Documentation courtesy of Ernie Buts. Photo courtesy of CZAR KRISTOFF The installation of Part Wall, Part Door, Part 3 was made possible using postcard plastic curtains. Mimicking the tarp itself or in Claras words, the sachet, which does not only serve as display/vessel of the product but also act as burloloy/decor/part of the architecture of the sari-sari store. The realization of this project became possible with the help of Clara (and I want to emphasize this because of her direct involvement in the project) who shared her platform, resources and valuable insight not only to me but also to other artists that were part of the exhibition. And I will be forever grateful for her generosity and care. Returning to image (making), maybe by constantly questioning what is a proper way of documenting/way of looking and being loyal to the ephemerality of materials and/or memory, is a way to reverse the colonial gaze? It is something that I have been trying to articulate in my work throughout the years. How to reclaim ones identity, memory and power through (re)constructing (image and) space. And if it is even possible. Czar Kristoff photographed in Laguna. (Right) A portion of Kristoff's workspace in Laguna. Portrait by JL JAVIER. Workspace photo by CZAR KRISTOFF With that being said, theres another work I want to talk about called To Destroy Is To Build (2019-2021). In the middle of 2019 I stumbled upon these demolition videos on my Instagram explore feed. And I found it really interesting not only because of the fact that the algorithm did a great job in providing me material but also to find them on the platform. Instagram was a space for nice and beautiful pictures/moments back when it started but through the years it transformed into something else. Maybe because of the Facebook acquisition or I dont know. News agencies and other institutions started using it, meme and horoscopes accounts proliferated, it became also a space for artists to showcase their/our work and life and so on. There are many types of images uploaded every day and what we see on our feed is only a portion of that digital (dumpsite) infrastructure. According to a study, there are 95 million images (both still and moving) uploaded every day. If we see documentation as a form to honor time and memory, like a monument, the act of sharing the documentation online somehow resembles a (public) ceremony, to celebrate such a monument. In this particular project, I was curious whose monument(s) we are celebrating. First edition of "To Destroy Is To Build" is still available via Artbooks PH. The new edition (exhibited at MO_Space in Taguig) will be available soon. Photo courtesy of CZAR KRISTOFF I took screenshots of these videos and gathered them digitally, printed them on offset sheets (made of aluminum) and reproduced them via offset printing. In the exhibition at MO_Space, I stack the reproduction together, allowing the images (of collapsing buildings) to be (re)constructed again. And in this process, I realized that maybe the gesture of documentation, distribution (on social media platforms, through taking screenshots) and reproduction are ways to sustain the collapse, not particularly aiming to save them but to see the possibility that these symbols of patriarchy, greed, displacement, violence and power can be taken down. I do not think this project is about the celebration of destruction but the opportunity of creation. And it is not about reclamation of power by replacing a monument with another monument but a proposition that monuments could also be temporary, which in this case is made of paper instead of metal or concrete, that can be folded and opened whenever we want, and can be brought to any destination. Kristoff currently lives and works in Laguna. Portrait by JL JAVIER. Workspace photo by CZAR KRISTOFF *** I started with photography more than ten years ago. It was a hobby in the beginning and it turned into a passion after learning its other potential uses as artistic practice, as a tool for social change, as historical evidence, etc. through Youtube videos, pirated readings and conversations I had with peers both working inside and outside of local art and cultural ecology. And through the years, I have noticed the change in my practice. Not particularly on the materials I used, the themes, or images I make but on how I deal with my fears. Once equipped with knowledge, and I am not limiting this to intellectual knowledge but spiritual, social and emotional knowledge, the possibilities of ones growth (in material and immaterial sense) could blossom. Re-enacting memories is a method to embody people, embody space and/or time, that makes an impact on us. And after embodying negative memories for a long time, I realized I want to focus on beautiful ones when I was with my friends and mentors, learning together, sharing time and space. In 2018, I started self-organizing bi-annual workshops in Laguna focusing on self-publishing and vernacular design. Surprisingly, people from the city were willing to travel to the outskirts to learn and listen. I made fliers with a minimum design knowledge using MS Word. I used my social media to promote the workshop and then I collaborated with local coffee shops to be the host space. They provided air-conditioning, projector, etc. In some instances, I also worked with computer/printing shops to publish the participants output. The Temporary UnReLearning (URL) Academy discussed publishing theory/methods and then used an internet cafe as the production spot. Photo courtesy of CZAR KRISTOFF Eventually it transformed into something bigger and I decided to create Temporary UnReLearning (URL) Academy. In the first series, I invited my peers to be my co-teachers, Cru Camara, Jem Magbanua, Aly Cabral, Mariano and Abbey Batocabe in collaboration with Dulo, as our host space. For the workshop I facilitated, we used the host space to talk about publishing theory/methods and then an internet cafe as the production spot. I asked the students to listen simultaneously to an ambient record via Youtube. And then afterwards they had to transcribe what they heard using shapes, images or text on MS Word. And they had to do the exercise in three cycles. In the end, each of them made a three-page visual transcription. Introducing the participants that artistic production should not be limited to formal spaces (in some way queering the idea of school or studio) but also to vernacular methods and tools on publishing, research and design and also meditation. At the moment, Temporary URL Academy operates as a shadow library, inspired by Sucat Xerox HOHOL and counter-institutional platforms and organizations that came before us. Us meaning the past, present, and future collaborators of URL. *** "Art making may sound like going to a park but it is more like going to a casino, it is a gamble." Portrait by JL JAVIER. Workspace photo by CZAR KRISTOFF I was raised in the Bicol region which we all know is a typhoon-prone area. To experience extreme calamities constantly at a young age made an impact into my memory. Calamities outside and within the confinement of my home. So the idea of space (in the material and immaterial sense) for me has always been temporary and migratory. And I think with photography, publishing, and pedagogy, they allowed me to be the architect to the forms I want to save from collapsing, and to those I permit to let go. Choosing when to surrender is integral to the reclamation and/or reconstruction of self. I am currently living in my apartment in Laguna. This is also my physical studio and storage. But in the beginning of the lockdown I was living with my family for practical reasons. Since there is lack of institutional funding when it comes to artistic and cultural work in the Philippines and if theres any, you have to go through multiple layers and know the right people and that part is really laborious, so most of us fund our own artistic projects. Although I am not sure if this is also the case for my colleagues. Art making may sound like going to a park but it is more like going to a casino, it is a gamble, which pains me as I type this text. That we are willing to risk our financial security just to continue with our practice; that we are willing to disregard the violence of some institutions and gatekeepers just to secure a playground; that we are willing to travel long hours and skip meals just to feel we belong. "I was raised in the Bicol region which we all know is a typhoon-prone area. To experience extreme calamities constantly at a young age made an impact into my memory." Photo by JL JAVIER And with that being said, I think being unable to occupy these risky spaces allowed me to magnify the possibilities of being able to practice outside the institutional context or simply exist without thinking if the things we do are creative. The labor of care that friends and family have provided or shared during these times of uncertainty, for me, is the most beautiful and powerful form of shelter that one can occupy. *** "To Destroy is to Build" is available through Artbooks. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) A Filipino teacher in Phoenix, Arizona has been recognized for effectively using music and culture in educating his students in science and other related subjects. John Carlo Tulinao is among the recipients of this years Shell Urban Science Educator Development Award, which provides support for outstanding diverse educators in pursuit of professional development according to awarding body, the National Science Teaching Association. This award is not just a reminder of what Im doing as a teacher but alsoreflects my journey as a Filipino, educator John Carlo Tulinao told CNN Philippines on Wednesday, noting being a Filipino is a gift and privilege he must capitalize on. Tulinao, a first grade Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) teacher at the Amberlea Elementary School, recounted how his superintendent tapped him to create a program that uses music as a springboard to academic learning after seeing him teach subjects in a musical manner. It was a challenge to me at all because how are you going to use music in teaching technology and engineering and science and math? said the educator, recounting his initial struggle with executing what was asked of him. Luckily, Tulinao was able to look back on his past experiences and realized the answer was right in front of him: the culture of the Kalinga people. Music to them is a part of their daily lives. When they plant crops, they sing. When they need to heal somebody, they sing, said the educator. They do not isolate the concept of music to what they are doing. This different perspective empowered Tulinao to create the curriculum he wanted to come up with. Music has science; music has math; music has physics. And if Im going to ask my students to create something, that is engineering. That makes the subject more meaningful to my student and also to me as an educator because I love what Im doing, he mused. The National Science Teaching Association announced in April the recipients of its 2021 NSTA Teacher Awards program, which honors K12 educators for outstanding work and achievement in science education. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 15) - A dynamite explosion killed the head of Barangay Pajo in Balud, Masbate and three others Tuesday afternoon. Local police said the blast happened at the house of barangay chairperson Lina Recto. The other fatalities were identified as Mac-Mac Dela Cruz, Ronelyn Bulala, and Aisa Sese. Seven others were wounded, including two minors. They were all rushed to the Balud Municipal Hospital. Authorities say dynamites are usually used in illegal fishing. The Masbate Provincial Explosive Ordnance and Canine Unit and the Provincial Laboratory Crime Office are conducting an investigation. Taipei, Taiwan (CNN) Twenty-eight Chinese military planes flew into Taiwan's Air Defense Identified Zones (ADIZ) Tuesday the largest incursion since the self-ruled island began regularly reporting such actions last year, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Defense. Tuesday's flights which included fighter jets, bombers, and anti-submarine and early warning aircraft surpassed the previous peak of 25 planes reported on April 12. Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, even though the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades. While there was no immediate comment from Beijing on Tuesday's flights, the news comes after the Group of Seven leaders issued a joint statement on Sunday scolding China for a series of issues and underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait comments China condemned as "slander." Taiwan has complained in recent months of repeated missions by China's air force near the island, concentrated in the southwestern part of its air defense zone near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands. The US Federal Aviation Administration defines an ADIZ as "a designated area of airspace over land or water within which a country requires the immediate and positive identification, location and air traffic control of aircraft in the interest of the country's national security." An ADIZ is not the same as sovereign airspace, which extends 12 nautical miles from a nation's shore. The latest Chinese mission involved 14 J-16 and six J-11 fighters, as well as four H-6 bombers, which can carry nuclear weapons, and the anti-submarine, electronic warfare and early warning aircraft, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said. The ministry added that Taiwanese combat aircraft were dispatched to intercept and warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were also deployed to monitor them. Not only did the Chinese aircraft fly in an area close to the Pratas Islands, but the bombers and some of the fighters flew around the southern part of Taiwan close to the bottom tip of the island, according to a map the ministry provided. China's Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. China has in the past described such missions as necessary to protect the country's sovereignty and deal with "collusion" between Taipei and Washington, which have no formal diplomatic ties. China describes Taiwan as its most sensitive territorial issue and a red line the United States should not cross. It has never renounced the possible use of force to ensure eventual unification. (CNN) Officials in Europe are yet again ratcheting up the pressure on Silicon Valley titans. The European Union's top court ruled Tuesday that tech giants regulated by privacy officials primarily in one EU country can still face legal action by privacy officials based in another member country. The ruling opens the door to more litigation against Big Tech by country-level European data watchdogs. Separately, the UK's antitrust regulator said Tuesday it is investigating Apple and Google's dominance in mobile operating systems, app stores and web browsers. The announcements mark the latest governmental challenges to Big Tech across the Atlantic, where scrutiny by regulators and policymakers have added to US policymakers' own efforts to rein in large, dominant platforms. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the two companies' power in mobile ecosystems could be leading to higher prices in apps and digital advertising, as well as potentially reduced innovation and less competition. "Apple and Google control the major gateways through which people download apps or browse the web on their mobiles -- whether they want to shop, play games, stream music or watch TV," said CMA chief executive Andrea Coscelli in a statement. "We're looking into whether this could be creating problems for consumers and the businesses that want to reach people through their phones." Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, Google said its Android operating system "provides people with more choice than any other mobile platform in deciding which apps they use, and enables thousands of developers and manufacturers to build successful businesses. We welcome the CMA's efforts to understand the details and differences between platforms before designing new rules." The CMA is already looking into Apple's App Store and Google's new web-based tracking proposals, but Coscelli said the new initiative is much broader. In April, the CMA established a Digital Markets Unit in preparation to regulate large tech platforms once Parliament passes new laws granting it that authority. Coscelli said the newly announced investigation is intended to give the new unit the evidence it needs to "hit the ground running" when its powers are finally established. Tuesday's ruling by the European Court of Justice, meanwhile, could create greater legal exposure for Facebook. Despite being primarily regulated by Irish data protection authorities, Facebook may still be held liable in Belgium for alleged violations of Europe's data privacy law, known as GDPR, the Court said. In order to successfully prosecute an alleged violation, the Court added, a lower court must determine that Belgian data authorities appropriately followed all other procedures laid out in GDPR, and that the enforcement occurred under one of the exceptions that permits another EU country to intervene. The original case, brought by Belgian officials in 2015, alleged that Facebook had collected and used the data of Belgian citizens without their consent. Facebook successfully appealed the outcome of that case, persuading a Belgian appellate court that the country's data regulator lacked jurisdiction because Facebook's European headquarters is in Ireland. The Court of Justice ruling effectively reverses that finding, giving other countries a potential avenue to sue not just Facebook for alleged privacy law violations, but also other tech giants based in Ireland, including Apple, Google and Twitter. Under a mechanism known as "one-stop shop," the EU's privacy law allows companies to be regulated by a "lead supervisory authority" for data based in the same country as the companies' main establishment or regional headquarters. The mechanism is intended to streamline oversight. But the law also allows privacy agencies of other member countries to circumvent the lead authority in "urgent" situations and when all the users affected by a case live only within that country, the Court said. In a statement, Facebook welcomed what it described as the Court's decision reaffirming the dominant role of lead data authorities and the ability of other privacy regulators to step in only in exceptional scenarios under the law. "We are pleased that the CJEU has upheld the value and principles of the one-stop-shop mechanism, and highlighted its importance in ensuring the efficient and consistent application of GDPR across the EU," said Jack Gilbert, an associate general counsel at Facebook, in a statement. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Europe ramps up pressure on tech giants." (CNN) A French court has ordered IKEA to pay a 1 million ($1.2 million) fine after finding the Swedish retailer guilty of improperly using employee data. The judgment was announced Tuesday by a court in Versailles. The French subsidiary of IKEA was on trial alongside 15 people including former executives over an alleged "spying system" deployed against current and prospective employees between 2009 and 2012, according to court documents. IKEA France's former CEO, Jean-Louis Baillot, was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence and fined 50,000 ($60,500), according to the judgment. Baillot denied any wrongdoing during the trial. The judgment details how IKEA France paid private investigators to obtain private information on current and prospective employees. Court documents also reveal demands for an investigation into a "model employee" who had "from one day to the next become very militant." In another instance, according to prosecutors, an internal audit recommended "a discreet and thorough investigation" of one employee to uncover any activity in his life that could lead to a police investigation and legal grounds to remove him from the company. "IKEA France has always strongly condemned these old facts," the company said in a statement following the verdict, "and has apologized for this situation which seriously undermined the company's values and ethical standards." The company said that it has implemented measures to prevent a repeat of such practices. French labor union Confederation Generale du Travail (CGT), one of the plaintiffs in the case, described the verdict as "a great victory for workers." The sanctions on IKEA and some of its former executives "will serve as an example and will dissuade companies from spying on their employees and union representatives in the future," a statement from CGT said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "IKEA fined $1 million for spying on workers in France." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) Hospitals in the Bicol Region are struggling to accommodate COVID-19 patients as all six provinces see a surge of new infections in the past weeks, with medical experts saying the region could eventually suffer the same fate as India. Dr. Eloisa Pornillos, the president of Philippine College of Physicians - Bicol chapter, said on Wednesday that private and public hospitals in the region are 100% full and there is a shortage of medical devices such as ventilators and high-flow nasal cannulas. Although the situation is dire in government facilities, the official said it is worse in private hospitals as they also deal with shortage of healthcare workers. "What is suffering right now is the private hospitals because the nurses are going to the government hospitals because they pay better," she told CNN Philippines. On Monday, several medical groups in Bicol flagged the "worsening" surge of cases in May and June due to localized transmission sweeping most parts of the region. They recorded an average of 183 new cases daily, with Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon as the biggest source of new infections. In a joint letter addressed to Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano, the Albay Medical Society, Camarines Sur Medical Society, Philippine Medical Association-Bicol, and the Philippine College of Physicians-Bicol called for stricter quarantine restrictions. They asked that the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon be placed under the strictest enhanced community quarantine. If not, they warned that the region may see a situation similar to India, which experienced a deadly second wave in May. "If the current situation is not addressed, it is our fear that what is happening in India may not be far behind," the medical groups said. For his part, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said facility-based isolation for COVID-19 cases would slow the spread of the coronavirus in the region. "Karamihan po sa mga nakikita nilang positive for COVID-19 ay nagho-home quarantine," he said in a briefing. [Translation: Most of the positive COVID-19 cases they are seeing in Bicol are undergoing home quarantine.] "Nakipag-usap at [nakipagkasundo] na kami sa mayors doon po lalong lalo na sa Legazpi area na talagang magtayo sila ng isolation centers para ma-isolate kaagad ang positive cases nila...Kapag ginawa nila ito, bababa talaga ang transmission," he added. [Translation: We have talked and agreed with Bicol mayors, including Legazpi, to put up isolation centers so they can immediately isolate positive cases. If they do this, the rate of transmission will go down.] Meanwhile, Sorsogon Governor Francis Escudero disagreed with the statement of Pornillos that hospitals in the province are now full. The occupancy rate of our quarantine facilities in Sorsogon is only 38% while that of COVID beds is 56%, he said on Twitter. Please consult, or at least talk with us before writing or speaking in 'our behalf'. Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara extended the less restrictive general community quarantine over the province for the second half of June despite the spike in cases. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) President Rodrigo Duterte renewed his call for Congress to swiftly pass three economic bills easing restrictions on foreign investors, as well as measures on tax reform. Duterte made the reiteration in a speech on Wednesday, as he stressed the need to take more concrete steps to help revive the badly-hit economy. "I ask Congress to act on these legislative measures, so that they can be sent back to the desk for signature at the earliest possible time," he said during the ceremonial re-enactment of the signing of several bills in Malacanang. The President specified the Retail Trade Liberalization Act, the Foreign Investments Act, and the Public Service Act, which he earlier certified as urgent. By easing rules on foreign businesses to attract more investors, the government said the passage of these measures will help spur economic growth and provide more job opportunities to Filipinos. Duterte also asked that priority be given to the last two packages of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program: the Valuation Reform Act (VRA) and the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA). "I hope that when both houses of Congress resume session this year, priority will be given to the remaining flagship programs of my administration," Duterte said. The proposed VRA - which seeks to establish a single valuation base for property-related taxes of the national and local governments - will help increase government revenues without hiking the existing tax rates or devising new tax impositions. Meanwhile, the PIFITA aims to overhaul the tax scheme for all kinds of passive income. It would do so by imposing a uniform 15% tax rate on interest and dividend income, which are currently at 20% and 10%, respectively. It also provides that banks and other financial firms would have to impose a flat 5% gross receipts tax, from the previous 1-7% rates. Taxes for insurance and health maintenance organization premiums would be unified at 2%. Congress is currently on a two-month break since June 5 and will resume session on July 26, in time for the President's State of the Nation Address. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) People are allowed to remove their face shields while working or walking outdoors, a health official said Wednesday. "Ang face shields kailangan naman talaga iyan 'pag nasa indoor ka, 'pag nasa mall ka, pag may interaction ka na face-to-face sa inside," Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said in a media briefing. [Translation: Face shields are required when you are indoors, when you are in a mall, or interacting with others face-to-face inside an establishment.] "Pag nasa outside naman kasi, alam naman natin ang risk of transmission is very low. Lalong lalo na 'pag naglalakad ka lang sa kalye, o kaya nagtatrabaho ka kasi maka-affect iyong moist nito, pwede niyo ho tanggalin 'yan," he added. [Translation: But we know the risk of transmission outside is very low, especially when you are just walking or working. The moisture on the face shield can affect one's ability to work so you can take it off during the conduct of the activity.] When asked about Vega's statement, Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said: "This has always been the standing policy." But she said local governments are allowed to implement stricter public health standards, in accordance with the existing laws and guidelines of the national government. Vega's statement raised confusion among netizens, who said they were not aware of the exemptions on the use of face shields. A joint memorandum circular on guidelines issued on Jan. 29 2021 by various government agencies, including the Department of Health, exempts the following from using face shields while outside of their homes: -individuals whose safety or ability to work would be severely affected by visual or respiratory impairment due to face shield -those who wear goggles or other forms of eye protection for their work -those who cannot remove face shields on their own, including people with medical conditions -children below two years old -those who are doing physical exercises (face shield should be worn before and after the activity) -people who are eating in public spaces (face shield should be worn before and after the activity) -passengers of motor vehicles (face shield should be worn before and after the ride) Speaking to CNN Philippines The Final Word, Vergeire reiterated that Vegas remarks were in line with the circular, adding that there are only specific instances where the wearing of face shield outdoors is needed, like when in crowded areas. Lifting of the face shield policy? DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said the government could look into the proposals to drop the face shield rule once the country's COVID-19 vaccination rate improves. Duque made the remark after Senate President Tito Sotto asked him during a Senate hearing if they are considering discontinuing the use of face shields. "Siguro, your honor, pagka malaki-laki na po ang coverage natin ng bakuna baka pwede na po nating pag-aralan yun pong minumungkahi ng ibang mga grupo na baka pwedeng huwag na gumamit ng face shield," the health chief told Sotto. [Translation: Maybe, your honor, once our coverage improves, we can study the proposals of various groups to stop the use of face shields.] But for now, he said, they are asking the public to continue wearing face shield as it provides another layer of protection. In response, Sotto said the DOH must conduct the study now, and not wait for the situation to get better. Vergeire also said they had an afternoon meeting with experts and the IATF technical working group on how to loosen up restrictions in spite of increasing infections in other areas. She added that a recommendation is ready and will be discussed in the IATF. However, she also emphasized the reason why they are pushing for the continued use of face shields, which is to ensure greater protection from infection. She noted that observing all health protocols together - the wearing of face masks and shields, and social distancing - will give one adequate protection. The Philippines, which has over 100 million people, has administered close to seven million COVID-19 vaccine doses, mostly as first shots, as of June 16, according to the latest DOH data. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) The cities of Makati and Muntinlupa, and Rizal province are still under the high risk level in terms of bed occupancy in intensive care units for COVID-19 patients, the country's treatment czar said Wednesday. The classification means 70 to 85% of the ICU beds are occupied. "Mayroon kaming nakikita rin na mga cities kagaya ng Makati at Muntinlupa na medyo nasa high-risk position at saka sa Rizal province ito iyong medyo mataas ang kanilang ICU utilization," Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said. Vega said the limited number of allocated beds may be one of the main reasons behind the high utilization rate. The official urged hospitals to tap the services of the One Hospital Command Center, which finds facilities that have vacant beds for COVID-19 patients, as he noted the overall occupancy in the National Capital Region falls under the safe level. "Dito sa Metro Manila collectively, makikita natin bumaba naman talaga ang usage ng ICU at critical care beds," the czar said. [Translation: Here in Metro Manila, we can see the usage of ICU at critical care beds was lower.] "In fact, ang utilization rate ng mga ICU [beds] dito sa Metro Manila ay bumaba na sa mga 50%. Nasa low-risk category na siya," he added. [Translation: In fact, utilization rate of ICU beds here in Metro Manila went down to 50%. It is in the low-risk category already.] He said the government was able to increase the ICU beds by around 400 and open field hospitals in Metro Manila since March 28, which is why the ICU occupancy rate improved. During the early stages of the surge in March, social media was flooded with stories of families of COVID-19 patients from Metro Manila going to outlying provinces in search of medical attention. Some were not able to make it inside health facilities even hours after waiting in line to be accommodated. The Philippines has so far recorded 1,332,832 million cases nationwide, of which 23,121 resulted in deaths. Meanwhile, 1,253,541 have been tagged as recovered. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) - Tourists of all ages from Metro Manila and four nearby provinces can travel for leisure to areas under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) until June 30, according to the Department of Tourism. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat on Wednesday also clarified that restrictions have been relaxed, even for elders and minors, since June 1. She said the Inter-Agency Task Force initially allowed the movement of people traveling in and out of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal - or NCR Plus - only until June 15. "This extended liberal movement of people will allow the DOT and local government units to revive the jobs of displaced tourism workers," Puyat said in a statement. The latest resolution from IATF allows interzonal travel between areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) and MGCQ for leisure purposes. However, tourists from Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal may only undertake point-to-point travel to GCQ and MGCQ areas. Tourists below 18 years old and above 65 must have negative RT-PCR test results before traveling. Other protocols and restrictions will depend on the DOT and the local government unit of destination. Puyat added that outdoor tourist attractions in GCQ areas - including NCR and Bulacan - may operate at 50% capacity while destinations in Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal may operate at 30% capacity until June 30. Museums and indoor historical sites will be allowed to operate at 50% capacity in GCQ areas and 30% in NCR and Bulacan. But they are still not allowed to open in Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal. Metro Manila and Bulacan have shifted to GCQ with "some restrictions" while Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal will remain under GCQ with "heightened restrictions" for the remainder of June. Philippine Travel Agencies Association spokesperson Rose Levey said they welcome the extension, but hope this will be go beyond the end of June. "We are happy with our government that they relaxed restrictions for leisure travels, but we hope that this is not until June 30 and that they will extend it further...so we can bring back our jobs and help the displaced tourism workers," she told CNN Philippines' The Final Word on Thursday. Levey also said the government should formulate a set of uniform travel protocols, since different local governments currently have different guidelines that confuse travelers. Among those they recommend are lesser restrictions for vaccinated individuals, and accepting antigen test or saliva test for entry instead of the more expensive swab test. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed criminal and administrative cases against 11 officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, who were sued in 2019 by several employees of the agency. In a decision released to the media on Wednesday, Ombudsman Samuel Martires acquitted the following former and current officials for insufficient evidence that they are guilty of abuse of authority, as well as of graft and corruption: - Roy Ferrer - Celestina Ma. Jude dela Serna - Ruben John Basa - Dennis Mas - Shirley Domingo - Rodolfo del Rosario, Jr. - Raul Dominic Badilla - Israel Pargas - Angelito Grande - Lawrence Mijares - Leila Tuazon They were suspended by Martires in August last year after being accused of successively filing baseless administrative cases against seven employees from 2017 to 2019. The employees alleged these were done for the single unified purpose of oppressing and harassing them." They added they were subjected to unwarranted reassignments without their consent. According to the seven complainants, the officials did these as "retaliation after they themselves sued several executives before the Ombudsman, as well as testified on possible areas of graft and corruption within the agency before the House of Representatives. The employees also said the cases against them were filed after they refused to "cooperate" with the management on the accreditation of fraudulent healthcare institutions. The Ombudsman, however, ruled it cannot be established that the 11 acted in conspiracy and with intent to cause injustice to the complainants. It added it cannot be said the filing of cases and the reassignment have caused undue injury. Unless the contrary is proved by sufficient evidence, respondents enjoy the presumption of regularity in the performance of official functions, it said. The preventive suspension of the 11 officials last year came amid an ongoing probe into alleged corruption within the state health insurer, following accusations officials have stolen some 15 billion using different fraudulent schemes. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) The Supreme Court has dismissed the plea of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles to be temporarily released from detention on humanitarian grounds amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Napoles tagged as the mastermind of the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam had filed a motion for recognizance/bail or house arrest for humanitarian reason, claiming she is at risk of contracting the coronavirus inside prison due to her diabetes. But in a 13-page resolution made public on Wednesday, the high court denied her bid, citing her earlier conviction. "Napoles' allegation is a question of fact which is not within the province of this Court to determine. Neither can the Court take judicial notice of her medical condition," the ruling read. "However, even assuming that she is indeed suffering from diabetes, that, in itself, is not sufficient to grant her provisional liberty, post-conviction," it added, further noting that one's presumption of innocence and Constitutional right to bail end "after the accused's conviction of a capital offense." Napoles is the alleged brains behind the pork barrel scam, where funds allotted for lawmakers' projects were funneled into bogus non-government organizations. EXPLAINER: What you need to know about the PDAF scam Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) Cagayan De Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez insisted on Wednesday that Mindanao was "neglected" in the national government's vaccine allocation amid rise in COVID-19 cases in the region. Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, Rodriguez slammed the lack of urgency in the response of vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. and other members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to their plea to increase the supply of doses in Cagayan de Oro. "First, I don't listen to Vince (Dizon) nor Secretary Galvez anymore," a frustrated Rodriguez said. "They don't respond to our letters." "I dont know about the other places of Mindanao but yes, we have received 35,100 (doses yesterday)," he also said. "But I have to be mad at all of them at the committee on Mindanao affairs. Thats the problem, it is a reaction. Not an action." At the hearing of the House Committee on Mindanao Affairs on Monday, Rodriguez said he wrote to Galvez on May 12 and May 20, following reports from the OCTA Research group that Cagayan de Oro was among the cities considered an area of concern due to the spike in COVID-19 cases. He said he did not receive any response until he addressed the matter in the hearing. Rodriguez was referring to over 35,000 Pfizer doses recently delivered to Cagayan de Oro. Sec. Vince Dizon, deputy chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, also told The Source that another 21,000 Sinovac doses were sent to the city, totaling 56,000 doses. Dizon added that Cagayan de Oro, being the center of Northern Mindanao, will receive "a lion's share of doses" as supply stabilizes in the coming weeks. He said over 420,000 doses were already delivered to Northern Mindanao alone. "Hindi naman sa nakakalimutan," Dizon said. "Wala pong nakakalimutang area. Pero ang gusto lang naming ipaliwanag sa aming (It's not that they are being neglected. We do not intend to neglect any area. But we just want to explain to our) local leaders ay right now, there is still a scarcity of vaccines," "But we want to assure that every vaccine will be distributed as fast as we can to those who need it the most," he added. The testing czar also said the national government is doing "everything in its power" to send vaccines and to support local officials dealing with surges in all parts of the country. The Health Department is closely monitoring the Visayas and Mindanao due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The OCTA Research group also said provinces such as Negros Oriental, Leyte and Agusan del Norte are having a significant increase in new cases, while Iloilo, Cagayan, Misamis Oriental, Negros Oriental, and Agusan del Norte have reported high healthcare utilization rates. READ: DOH, OCTA monitor Visayas, Mindanao over increase in COVID-19 cases CNN Philippines' Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report. Today is Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Let's get caught up. These headlines are in the news this morning: President Biden is encouraging nationwide celebrations on July 4 to celebrate freedom from the coronavirus; Biden talks trade ahead of summit with Putin; and Katie Ledecky coasts to Olympics where a challenge awaits. Read on for these stories, other top headlines, celebrity birthdays and more. TOP STORIES White House to host July 4 'independence from virus' bash WASHINGTON (AP) Cue the fireworks. President Joe Biden wants to imbue Independence Day with new meaning this year by encouraging nationwide celebrations to mark the countrys effective return to normalcy after 16 months of coronavirus pandemic disruption. Even as the U.S. is set to cross the grim milestone of 600,000 deaths from the virus on Tuesday, the White House is expressing growing certainty that July Fourth will serve as a breakthrough moment in the nations recovery. That's even though the U.S. is not expected to quite reach its goal of having 70% of adults vaccinated by the holiday. Down on the Southwest border, business is booming criminal business, that is. The federal government steadfastly refuses to protect the border or the interior. Since Day 1, the Biden administration has announced to the world that protections that President Trump put into place would be canceled, and that both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security would be neutered. Those ill-advised White House decisions have enabled drug and human traffickers to make small fortunes transporting their cargo to the United States, where taxpayers will foot the bill for housing, education and eventually a host of other affirmative benefits. Not a peep from Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris or the presidents cabinet about the unfairness or the devastating long-term effects their indifference will have on the nation. But for enterprising criminals, the income potential from Bidens willful neglect is virtually unlimited. Its been fun, she said. People make it what it is. Its nice to have a lot of good customers. Joyce added shes been happy to see her son continue their familys agricultural roots. Runge also said one of his biggest joys is assisting locals. Its just great helping them be successful and find the stuff that they need to make it work for them, he said. Ive always enjoyed that. The Columbus Feed & Hatchery have staff knowledge about different chicks, Runge said. He said Lori Humlicek, is the one who is quite knowledgeable about the baby chickens. He credited her for ordering the chicks and knowing all the different breeds at the Hatchery. She can tell you what theyre going to look like when they grow up, he said. She can come up and if there are four different kinds of (chicks) she can tell you what they all are. Humlicek said she enjoys helping out folks who come out in the store. She said it's been nice working there because she lives on a farm, which made it an easy transition when she started around three years ago. A new industry is set to take off in Nebraska. If it works out as backers hope, it would create jobs in the state and offer financial advantages for the states ethanol producers. In addition, the industry could have significant implications in the effort to combat climate change. The groundwork was laid by state Sen. Mike Floods LB650, which all but one legislator voted to pass last month. Since then, multiple companies have announced plans to contract with ethanol producers in Nebraska to filter carbon dioxide and permanently store that element in the ground either in the state or piped elsewhere. Other production facilities, such as power and fertilizer plants, are also eligible to participate. Heres how it works: Instead of allowing carbon dioxide to emit from a producers stacks, those stacks would be capped and route the carbon dioxide to a series of compressors. The carbon dioxide is then converted into a transportable form such as liquid and stored well below the surface at least 2,600 feet below. When the opportunity arose to help her alma mater, Kelli Schoch said she knew she wanted to spend time this summer at Lakeview High School. Through Nebraska Community Foundations hometown intern program, Schoch - who currently attends Chadron State College - is aiding the Lakeview Education Foundation (LEF) this summer. I thought it would be a great way to give back to the school and the foundation that did a lot for me to go to college, said Schoch, a 2019 Lakeview graduate. Its certainly a good organization and its something to give back (to). Schoch started back in May but will wrap up her internship in early August. Currently, Schoch helps with the posters for Lakeview's upcoming Big Red Night - which is on July 30 - while also organizing a document with the donations that come into the LEF. Additionally, she will assist in setting up for the Big Red Night event. Since President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was sworn into office in January, our country has seen a dramatic shift in national policy and how the federal government treats states. From tax hikes to new regulations, the Biden-Harris Administration has charted a more liberal course than the Trump Administration. Over the last couple of weeks, Ive been traveling the state highlighting the threat that President Bidens 30 x 30 plan poses to Nebraska, but that isnt the only issue of concern at the federal level. There are several different issues on the horizon that could affect Nebraskas ag economy. Ill briefly highlight a few of them here. Meat Processing Investigation: The meat processing industry has been consolidating for years. This has left producers with very limited options when marketing their cattle. In light of this, there have been questions about pricing in the industry. While processors are making about $900 a head, I am concerned that high prices paid on the boxed beef side have not always translated into higher prices paid to producers. Over the last several years, the producers share of profits has declined, while the price of fresh beef has jumped. In May 2020, President Trump tasked the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the business practices of our nations four largest meat processors. At that time, the DOJs anti-trust division began looking into allegations of anti-competitive practices in the beef industry. Last month, I joined five other Governors in sending a letter to DOJ seeking an update on its investigation. It has now been over a year since DOJ began its probe. Both livestock producers and consumers deserve to know the status of the investigation. The DOJ also needs to prioritize its work to ensure fairness for producers and consumers and to restore trust within the cattle industry. You can read the full letter at www.Governor.Nebraska.gov. For Landon, that means a continuation of the online offerings that carried the theaters banner during the pandemic, as well as some far-ranging changes in the way in-house audiences are treated, from safety protocols to seat comfort and ticket prices. As audiences adjust to sharing the same air space again, barriers both physical and financial need to be removed. Landon ponders another moment. Now that I think about it, maybe we have changed fundamentally. One thing the isolation of the pandemic has brought home to live-theater operators is just how fragile the business truly can be. Take live audiences out of the financial equation for a year or more, and the financial outlook quickly turns grim. But Landon believes that merely going back to Open Stages pre-COVUID model is a non-starter. We need to restart in a smart way, he said. Theres a lot of people who just wanted to go back to normal. I dont want that. Weve found new ways to entertain, and we want to keep elements of that in our offerings. We want people to be able to access us in many ways. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The confusion came from residents who had called state and county officials because they were either dissatisfied that the dam was being rebuilt or dissatisfied that the structure was too high and causing standing water, Stoner said. The stone finger sticking out into the Conodoguinet was for construction purposes and not the final reconstruction of the rock dam, according to Stoner; the finished product would have been adjusted to meet the height that the dam stood at before. But as soon as the DEP and corps heard about it, they ordered everything to be ripped out. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Confusion This appears to be the result of confusion over what sort of dam existed prior to bridge construction, and if this constitutes a causeway, according to emails between the county and DEP that Commissioner Jean Foschi referenced during Mondays meeting. The rock dam was shown on the countys bridge construction plans as approved by the DEP, Foschi said, but the DEP referenced the dam in later emails as a causeway for which the county did not obtain a permit. PITTSBURGH A western Pennsylvania judge will mediate a dispute over a statue of explorer Christopher Columbus in a Pittsburgh park. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John McVay declared an impasse in the dispute between the city of Pittsburgh and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America over the Columbus statue in Schenley Park, the Tribune-Review reported. McVay issued an order last week instructing the parties to identify who will participate from each side during the mediation, which has not been scheduled. City crews last fall covered the 13-foot statue, which was erected in 1955, in advance of Columbus Day. The Pittsburgh Art Commission voted unanimously to remove the statue and Mayor Bill Peduto agreed, but the Italian Sons and Daughters of America filed a lawsuit. McVay granted an injunction halting the removal but urged the parties to try to reach consensus, saying historical figures are people and necessarily come with heroic qualities along with character flaws but also saying racism, slavery and prejudice must always be condemned and rejected by our city. Thats why Russia is constantly meddling in Western elections (including our own in 2016), spreading disinformation on social media and using Russian hackers to target state and local governments. Its also why Russias propaganda machine loves to amplify Americas domestic shortcomings, real and alleged. The idea that Biden (or anyone) can talk Putin out of his perceived self-interest is ludicrous. Someone who has clung to power through murder and oppression cant be made to see the light with finger-wagging bromides about democracy and the rule of law. Russians who make those arguments to him get put in jail. Biden would be well-served to tell Putin simply and bluntly that there will be concrete consequences to his actions assuming Biden is willing to follow through. Beyond that, Biden should take a page from Putin himself. The Russian dictator sees these summits as a propaganda opportunity, domestically and internationally. Biden should, too. For understandable reasons, propaganda has taken on a negative connotation, suggesting pernicious state misinformation. But propaganda was originally about propagating the faith, specifically Catholicism. To his credit, Biden seems to be sincerely interested in propagating the faith of democracy, the rule of law and Western resolve. He wont be able to persuade Putin of any of that. But thats not the audience that matters. There are people throughout Russia who need to hear it and in America, too. Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast. His Twitter handle is @JonahDispatch. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 More than 4,700 graduates receive degrees at Iowa State University this spring Hailey Weir of Farmington was one of around 4,000 spring graduates who took part in commencement exercises held May 7 and 8 at Iowa State University. Weir graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural and Life Sciences Education. Iowa State awarded 4,176 undergraduate degrees, 609 graduate degrees and 143 veterinary medicine degrees. Students had the opportunity to attend in-person ceremonies and celebrations at Hilton Coliseum and Jack Trice Stadium, which were livestreamed for those who preferred a virtual option. She was also among 10,500 Iowa State University students recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being named to the 2021 spring semester deans list. Students named to the deans list must have earned a grade point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.00 school while carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours of graded coursework. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 BJC HealthCare announced Tuesday that it will require COVID-19 vaccines for employees. The system will require employees to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 15. BJC said in a press release that the mid-September deadline was set in anticipation of the upcoming flu season. Colder, dryer weather can make it easier for viruses to spread, and some health experts are concerned that the autumn will bring increased transmission of COVID-19. BJC President/CEO Rich Liekweg said in a statement that 75% of the system's employees have already been vaccinated. "As a health care provider, major employer and a community leader, BJC wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep our patients, our valued workforce, and our communities safe," Liekweg said. "The available vaccines are among the most effective and safest ever developed." BJC HealthCare, as of last year, had 29,305 employees in the St. Louis area. The system has 15 hospitals, and spans the greater metropolitan area, southern Illinois and southeast Missouri. Washington University announced in late April that the vaccines would be required for students. At the time, the university said employees were strongly encouraged to get vaccinated, but not mandated to. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} It was shocking, it really was, she added. In August, she will get to meet Cox in a special scholarship presentation. Cox served 33 years in the United State Marine Corps as a naval aviator and did two tours of duty in Vietnam. Beard knew when enrolled that she was eligible for the scholarship but didnt think she would be the one chosen. I thought that there would be somebody who has more (Native American) blood than I did and would be a better fit for it, she said. But I'm really happy to receive it. As soon as she found out, she wanted to call her grandfather, Carl Lee, who is half Cherokee and is accountant for the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation does several of their own private scholarships through them and since I live in Missouri, I didn't like, meet their requirements for it, she explained. I had just told him that they had not been able to award me any money the day before I found out about it. So he was he was so excited for me. Beard has already applied for federal loan money, but now she gets to cancel them. Her major is undeclared right now, but shes thinking of possibly double majoring in marketing and design. But the county has said its the citys, according to Ransic, citing what was said at previous meetings. That might be true, sir, Bryan answered. But I'm denying the fact that Rice Road is in the city limits of Desloge. So that's why I was denying, not what Mr. (David) Kater said or Mr. (Harold) Gallaher. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Rasnic and the other residents are concerned that the increased traffic will disrupt their peaceful neighborhood and make it dangerous for people to walk and kids to ride their bikes. The residents stated they had no issue with the subdivision itself, just with the use of Rice Road. Steve Pasternak, another Adams Road resident, brought with him an original survey of road, which he said showed that neither the county nor the city have easement to the road. He again expressed his concern with Kater, who is currently an associate commissioner and was the mayor of Desloge up until the end of last year, and his surveying/informing the residents of Rice Road about the expansion. Pasternak wanted to know why Desloge Public Works Director Jason Harris was with Kater if the city has nothing to do with it. In the previous drought, it took (the reservoirs) three years to get this low as they are in the second year of this drought, Lund said. The lakes record low is 646 feet (197 meters), but the Department of Water Resources projects it will dip below that sometime in August or September. If that happens, the state will have to close the boat ramps for the first time ever because of low water levels, according to Aaron Wright, public safety chief for the Northern Buttes District of California State Parks. The only boat access to the lake would be an old dirt road that was built during the dams construction in the late 1960s. We have a reservoir up there thats going to be not usable. And so now what? said Eric Smith, an Oroville City Council member and president of its chamber of commerce. The water level is so low at Lake Mendocino, along the Russian River in Northern California, that state officials last week reduced the amount of water heading to 930 farmers, businesses and other junior water-rights holders. Unless we immediately reduce diversions, there is a real risk of Lake Mendocino emptying by the end of this year, said Erik Ekdahl, deputy director for the State Water Boards Division of Water Rights. Vanuatu is expected to resume Tahitian lime export to NZ this year after several months of temporary cessation. Photo: MALFFB We were planning to hold the races no matter what and would adjust based on how many people we could have. Some events ran with limited crowds, but were lucky in that were at the end of the year, she said. When the restrictions were lifted, we knew we could be back at full speed. Despite canceling the races last year, the foundation noted that sponsor support for the event remains strong, with most returning after last years hiatus. We are so grateful for the continued support of our sponsors and our audience, Strawther said. The sense of investment from our racegoers and sponsors is truly heartwarming. Accordingly, race organizers are hoping to parlay that support with a couple of new features this year aimed at promoting local businesses and tourism. In partnership with the Orange County Office of Economic Development and Tourism, the races will host a Locally Made Market that will highlight three home-based businesses. As a race day sponsor, the tourism office has a tent in the vendor village annually at the races. This year, theyre offering that space and the access to nearly 20,000 race day patrons who come with it to local entrepreneurs. NEW YORK Prayers have been answered for The Book of Mormon fans. The Tony-winning stage musical will return to Broadway on Nov. 5, producer Anne Garefino announced Wednesday of the raunchy comedy. Broadway shows have been shuttered since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When Broadway shut down, so many amazing and talented people were put out of work, many of whom had become family to us, said the shows authors, Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez, in a joint statement Wednesday. As writers and as fans we are so ready for the Great Broadway Comeback and are so glad that our show can be a part of it. Cant wait to be back with the entire team and our wonderful cast, crew, and orchestra. The Book of Mormon, which opened on Broadway in 2011, won nine Tony Awards honors that year, including best musical. The comedy centers on a pair of Latter-day Saints missionaries who are assigned to spread the word of their religion in Uganda. The show, which also won the Grammy for best musical theater album in 2012, plays at the Eugene ONeill Theatre. Miyares focused on his support for requiring able-bodied people receiving Medicaid services to search for jobs. Miyares said he supports protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Herring replied: Hes always been opposed to the Affordable Care Act and protections for pre-existing conditions are part of it. Herring touted his efforts to win legislation he said would reduce gun violence, while Miyares said his focus would be on arresting violent criminals, especially repeat offenders. If you want somebody whos going to go after gun violence, that will be me going after the criminals using the guns, Miyares said. He said Herring turned down federal money to combat gun violence because he did not want to obey the federal rule that said if you picked up an illegal immigrant ... using a gun in the commission of a felony, you have to report them to ICE. Miyares dodged a question asking for his position on universal background checks, limits on magazine capacity, and a ban on assault weapons. Herring said he supported all of those. Miyares brought up cases of inmates who had been freed from prison on parole. Who signed off on that? Who was the parole boards lawyer? Mark Herring was, he said. Bangladesh: 18 held for violating fishing ban June 16,2021 | Source: The Independent As many as 18 fishermen have been arrested during a river police operation against unauthorised fishing in the Megna River in Rabnabad. Acting on a tip-off, a river police team conducted a drive and arrested the 18 fishermen and seized their four trawlers, fishing nets and one mound of fish on Friday afternoon. Legal action will be taken against those held for fishing against the government ban, said a senior officer of Kalapara Upazila Fisheries Department. Last month, the Bangladesh government imposed a 65-day ban, from May 20 to July 23, on fishing in the Bay of Bengal. The ban was imposed in the interest of the national economy, Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim then said. All commercial trawlers have been asked to comply with the ban. Sri Lanka: Tons of toxic cargo: How a fire aboard a container ship has caused one of the worst environmental disasters country has ever seen by Sarah Cahlan, Ruby Mellen, Atthar Mirza and Elyse Samuels June 16,2021 | Source: The Washington Post The waters off Sri Lankas capital of Colombo seem calmer now, more than two weeks after a blazing 610-foot container ship lit up the coastline. Most of the X-Press Pearl, a four-month-old Singapore-flagged container ship, has settled on the bottom of the sea. But the ocean has already begun to tell its own story. Lifeless fish are washing up on Sri Lankas sands, plastic pellets lodged in their gills. Those pellets have also covered picturesque beaches, lapped ashore by the waves. Dead turtles and birds have been reported on the coast as well, although the connection to the ship is still being investigated. Satellite imagery released last week showed discolored water near the site of the disaster that some feared indicated an oil spill. On June 12, X-Press Feeders, the company that owns the ship, shared in a news statement that a gray sheen was observed emanating from the vessel but that there were no confirmed reports of fuel oil pollution. The government has not officially reported an oil spill. A spokesperson for the Sri Lankan navy, which has been investigating the site, told The Washington Post that samples are being tested to ascertain the composition of the slick. Experts say the catastrophic effects of the disaster are only beginning to take hold. The ships cargo, now partly on the ocean floor, contains toxic chemicals and harmful items that could devastate Sri Lankas marine wildlife, as well as its fishing communities. To better understand how this happened and the potential effect on Sri Lankas environment and economy, The Post mapped the ships path, had experts analyze its cargo, geo-located photos and videos of the debris on the countrys shores, and acquired models of the extent of its spread. The analysis shows the impact on Sri Lankas western coastline and the potential of further environmental damage that some experts worry will take years to repair. Aboard the ship were nearly 1,500 containers, dozens of which contained dangerous goods, including nitric acid, sodium methoxide and methanol. In addition to the chemicals, the small plastic pellets pose a danger to marine life. Its very close to a nuclear disaster, what has happened here, said Muditha Katuwawala, a coordinator at the Pearl Protectors, a volunteer organization committed to protecting Sri Lankas marine life. This is not a problem just in Sri Lanka. In the coming weeks, this is going to be a regional problem. The fire According to X-Press Feeders, the ship reported smoke from the cargo hold near the port of Colombo on May 20. The next day, the ship reported a fire on deck. Sri Lankas government activated firefighting tugs and a helicopter to battle the blaze. One day later, an explosion was heard on the X-Press Pearl. Satellite imagery captured May 22, the day of the explosion, shows the fire and smoke rising from the ship. On May 25, five days after the first signs of smoke, another explosion was heard. The X-Press Pearls crew and a firefighting team that had been brought on board were evacuated. On June 2, the ship started to sink, ultimately hitting the ocean floor 68 feet below. As of Tuesday, 25 days after the fire began, the vessel remains at sea, raising concerns among environmentalists about the possibility that oil and other dangerous chemicals might leak into the ocean. It is still unclear what caused the fire, but Andrew Leahy, a spokesman for X-Press Feeders, said a leaking container of nitric acid a compound used to make fertilizer and plastic is one of the many aspects in the lead-up to the fire which is now under investigation. The company said the ships crew applied to the ports in Hamad, Qatar, and Hazira, India, to offload the leaking container, but the ports denied the requests because they said they did not have experts available to handle the container. The Post contacted both ports for comment but did not receive a response. The dangers Close to 1,500 containers were aboard the ship. According to X-Press Feeders, 81 of them contained dangerous goods, including 25 metric tons of nitric acid. The Post obtained a copy of the manifest for the ship, which details all of the cargo on board. The companys spokesman declined to comment on the document. The Post verified its contents by tracing serial numbers of the cargo containers back to the X-Press Pearl through various shipping company websites. The Sri Lankan navy, whose divers have been inspecting the disaster site, said June 6 that no abnormality had been observed in the water. But scientists who focus on the region fear that if the chemicals seep into the ocean, they could leave a delicate marine ecosystem in distress. Many chemicals easily react with water, said Dureshika Markovich, a California-based biochemist who works in a lab that handles toxic chemicals. Ajantha Perera, a Sri Lankan environmental activist and scientist, said that any change to the pH of the water could alter sensitive algae, which in turn could kill parts of the coral reef that would push fish away from the area if there is no longer a food source for them. It could become a dead region, Perera said. Because once the coral reef is gone, then the fishery would also go down. So we are looking at years, if ever, for regeneration. Although not themselves toxic, the plastic pellets, known as nurdles, can strangle small sea creatures. When scattered on sandy beaches, they can cause the temperature of the ground to rise, affecting the incubation of turtle eggs. The most long-lasting event and widespread for the region is definitely the plastic, said Charitha Pattiaratchi, a professor at the University of Western Australias Ocean Institute. They are in the ocean forever, he added. The fallout Nurdles have been recorded on a stretch of about 230 miles along the western coast of Sri Lanka, according to data obtained from a nurdle tracker run by the marine conservation research and education organization Oceanswell, which uses crowdsourced data to identify the spread of pellets along Sri Lankas beaches. The pollution isnt constrained only to the beaches. A computer model by Pattiaratchi at the University of Western Australia shows where the plastic pellets have most likely spread and where they will continue to spread based on ocean currents, wind speeds and ocean density changes. The Post re-created a model to show the potential extent of the nurdles based on data collected from Pattiaratchis team. Herman Kumara, head of Sri Lankas National Fisheries Solidarity Movement, said the disaster will be damaging to both the marine life and the people who depend on it, as the government banned some fishermen from going out to sea. The area where the ship burnt and sunk is a very rich fish breeding and feeding ground. Immediately, people are reluctant to eat fish, so there is a huge threat to the income of fishermen, he said, adding that the fishing economy in that part of the country could totally collapse. As of Tuesday, the X-Press Pearl remains in the ocean, partly submerged. Leahy, the X-Press Feeders spokesman, said that once the ship settles, an assessment of the vessel and cargo and an investigation of the fire will be completed. Sri Lankan officials are investigating and working to mitigate the potential damage. As of May 26, the countrys Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) reported that 42,000 bags of debris were collected from 138 beaches. As of June 10, MEPA said it had collected 1,075 tons of waste. But the plastic spill remains overwhelming and unprecedented. Pattiaratchi said it was probably the worst nurdle spill in Sri Lankas history. As time goes on, he predicts, the pellets will continue to disperse, arriving in Indonesia in about 60 days, before reversing course during monsoon season later in the year to reach India, Sri Lanka again, the Maldives and perhaps Somalia, ending up in Cocos-Keeling Island and Christmas Island in one to two years. 1996-2021 The Washington Post Tamil Nadu: Indian fishers riled by SL moves to create new fish breeding grounds by Dinasena Ratugamage June 16,2021 | Source: The Island Fishermen from Rameswaran will hold a protest today (16) against Sri Lankas decision to submerge 20 old buses in the seas off Jaffna to create breeding grounds for fish. Members of 17 fisheries associations in Tamil Nadu and Rameswaran claim that this will affect their yield as more fish will be attracted to the breeding grounds created by submerged buses. The Ministry said that sinking those buses was nothing new and that such buses provided a hard surface for invertebrates to live on, some of which could not live on the sand bottom that is naturally there. Some fish are not fast swimmers, so they need a structure to provide both food and shelter; they wouldnt, for example, be able to outswim a shark, but they could duck into the shelter instead, a Sri Lankan fisheries association representative said. However N. Devadas, the head of the Indian fishermens association in Rameswaram, said that they would also hand over a petition against that decision to the Sri Lankan government. Sri Lanka has been submerging old SLTB buses in the deep sea for many years as a part of the Deep Sea Fish Development Project. Cyber Biden revokes Trump's unenforced Chinese app bans President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday aimed at protecting Americans' sensitive data from foreign adversaries, which effectively revokes several actions his predecessor took to address threats posed by using web services from countries like China. The new action will overturn three executive orders former President Donald Trump issued against Chinese social media apps like Tik Tok and WeChat. Those previous orders, which never took effect because of legal challenges, sought to ban the use of the popular apps in the U.S. The order also establishes new timelines for agencies to assess "the risk associated with connected software applications" owned or operated by foreign adversaries, and specifically mentions China as one of several adversaries which "continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States." In addition, the White House is requesting recommendations from Cabinet leaders within four months to "protect against harm from the unrestricted sale of, transfer of, or access to United States persons' sensitive data, including personally identifiable information, personal health information, and genetic information." During the final months of his tenure in the Oval Office, Trump claimed the use of apps like Tik Tok and WeChat gave China potential data collection capabilities which threatened to provide Beijing with access to Americans' sensitive personal information. He then demanded the American government receive a cut of the sales if Tik Tok's parent company were to sell off its U.S. assets to Microsoft. The former president also prohibited transactions associated with Chinese payment apps like Alipay. Much of the enforcement for Trump's executive orders was left up to the new administration, which has pushed tough stances on China around data collection, malicious cyber activity and intellectual property. The White House order also addresses human rights in its latest action, stating that consequences may be imposed on any person or entity who owns or operates connected software applications and engages in human rights abuses. This article first appeared on FCW, a Defense Systems partner site. Congress Biden's cyber nominees face Senate in wake of cyberattacks President Joe Biden's nominees for the country's top two cybersecurity positions received smooth hearings on Thursday from a Senate panel, but the hearing underscored the precarious situation the federal government faces in securing its networks and conducting oversight of critical industrial sectors. Jen Easterly, tapped to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Chris Inglis, the former National Security Agency deputy director and the choice to fill the new national cyber director role faced the Senate as the White House confronts a range of devastating cyberattacks ranging from the supply chain compromise that infected SolarWinds to the recent temporary shutdown of Colonial Pipeline following a ransomware attack. Those attacks, and others, came up at the hearing on Thursday where Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) questioned both nominees about the prospect of imposing mandatory cybersecurity standards and breach notification requirements on critical infrastructure providers. Both Easterly and Inglis largely agreed the current system of "voluntary standards" was not working and signaled they would support changes. "I don't have a sense across the board, but it seems to me that voluntary standards are probably not getting the job done," said Easterly. "There probably is some sort of role for making some of these standards mandatory, to include [breach] notification." House and Senate lawmakers earlier this week repeatedly questioned Colonial Pipeline chief Joseph Blount about when his company notified certain government agencies in the hours following Darkside's ransomware attack. Lawmakers also pressed Blount to explain why his company "refused" voluntary cybersecurity assessments offered by the Transportation Safety Administration. Blount defended his company's actions at both hearings, stating the only reason Colonial did not proactively contact CISA is because they understood the FBI planned to do so already. Regarding the TSA assessments, Blount took issue with the word "refused" and said the delays were a matter of timing and schedule, not of willingness. At one point, the energy executive indicated to lawmakers he planned to contact the head of TSA to inquire why his company was being perceived as insubordinate with the agency's requests. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) asked the nominees their beliefs on paying ransoms. Inglis said he did not think it is appropriate for businesses to pay a ransom but acknowledged that companies are sometimes left with little choice in the matter. We need to "hold accountable companies not so much for paying the ransom, but for being in a position where they had to pay the ransom in the first place, for the failure to prepare for that. That is where I think the point of accountability should be placed." Colonial Pipeline ended up paying a $4.3 million ransom to Darkside, which Blount defended as the right choice and the FBI later partially recovered. Multiple news organizations this week reported the U.S. arm of an international meat-packing company, which was also hit with a ransomware attack, paid an $11 million ransom. More internally to the federal government, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), the panel's ranking member, expressed frustration to Easterly and Inglis about a lack of cooperation from CISA and the federal chief information security officer. Portman described letters he and the panel's chairman, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), recently sent seeking information about Einstein, a premiere CISA cybersecurity program, and the federal governments practices on cybersecurity more generally. To date, Portman said, he has only received old or heavily redacted documents and a "list of public websites" in response to the letters. CISA's responses to Peters' and Portman's letters are particularly pertinent as the two lawmakers oversee Einstein's scheduled re-authorization in 2022. This article first appeared on FCW, a Defense Systems partner site. Two counties in the northwest could still see limits lifted before the whole state. Clatsop and Tillamook are over 62% and if they keep up the same rate of vaccination could move to lower level next week. For many counties the statewide 70% mark is likely their only path out of the restrictions on restaurants, events, shops and socializing that come with high risk levels. There are currently nine counties at what is now the state's top risk status. Marion, Jefferson and Linn have given at least one shot to more than half their population. Umatilla and Malheur are below 40%. Columbia, Crook, Douglas and Klamath are in between. While the end of June seems a likely time frame to reach 70% with at least one vaccine shot, the main goal has been to reach President Joe Biden's hope for a normalization of life by the July 4 holiday. Oregon Health Authority officials and vaccination partners are making a more assertive effort to get into the community and offer shots at workplaces, shops, schools and shopping areas. The state is also trying to appeal to the wallets of those who haven't yet stepped up to get inoculated. WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration has sued to block the merger of two of the world's largest insurance brokers, asserting the deal could eliminate competition, raise prices and hamper innovation for U.S. businesses, employers and unions that use the companies' services. The Justice Department on Wednesday announced the antitrust suit filed in federal court in Washington seeking to stop AONs proposed $30 billion acquisition of rival benefits and risk consultant Willis Towers Watson. Justice Department officials said the proposed merger would bring together two of the Big Three" global insurance brokers the third is Marsh McLennan and eliminate competition in five markets. They are property, casualty and financial risk, health benefits, actuarial services for certain pension plans, retiree insurance exchanges and reinsurance. The companies provide guidance to many major U.S. companies on administering health and retirement benefits, with the aim of keeping costs down by managing risk. From the tone of their joint statement Wednesday, the companies appeared inclined to contest the government's case. They said the Justice Department's action reflects a lack of understanding of our business, the clients we serve and the marketplaces in which we operate." Religion featured Denton's 'wokeness' conference draws protest, rebuke from MLK's daughter Al Key/DRC file photo Denton Bible Church, at 2300 E. University Drive, was the site of last weekends Wokeness & the Gospel conference, co-hosted by First Baptist Church of Lindale, Metro Bible Church of Southlake and Equip to Serve. A Denton church is drawing national attention after hosting a conference that declared wokeness the most insidious and dangerous and pervasive ideology ever encountered by the churchs senior pastor. The Rev. Tommy Nelson, Denton Bible Churchs senior pastor, and the Rev. Charles Stolfus, an associate pastor at the church, were among the panelists at Wokeness & the Gospel on Friday and Saturday. The conference at Denton Bible was an examination of wokeness, a progressive political movement that has surged on social media in the past decade. The movement is largely preoccupied with social justice, especially promoting anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-homophobia, anti-transphobia and anti-ableism. Officials said more than 1,600 people registered for the conference, but conference leaders said they dont yet have a final attendance count. People came from all over the country, Stolfus said, and streaming video of both days can be viewed for $20. Tommy Nelson The whole purpose of this is to examine the whole idea of wokeness, Nelson said in a video announcing the conference, posted to social media in March. I am 70 years old. I have been in the ministry almost 50 years, and this is the most insidious and dangerous and pervasive ideology that I have ever seen in all of my life, in all of my ministry. And it is dangerous to the Christian church as well as to our culture. In the announcement, Nelson said the conference was meant to shine a light on the real meaning of wokeness and examine its compatibility with Christianity. The conference also would examine the proper Christian social justice practice if wokeness isnt compatible with Christianity. The conclusion was stated plainly on the conference website, which characterized the event as a study of the new moralism and its incompatibility with the Cross. What does wokeness mean? Stolfus and Nelson, who declined an interview and agreed to answer questions only by email, said social media has helped proponents of wokeness reduce Americans to their race, sex and sexual orientation. Nelson didnt respond to submitted questions. Wokeness does not see people as individuals created in the image and likeness of God, Stolfus said. It categorizes the people according to their group identity, whether male or female, Black or white, gay or straight. People are categorized then as either an oppressor or as an oppressed individual according to their group identities. What this pernicious ideology is costing all people is dignity and individuality and personal responsibility. The critical issue is not so much what this ideology is costing white people or white men, but rather [what] it would cost all people. Are we to be judged as individuals based upon our own responsible choices or on what our ancestors supposedly did several hundred years ago? Stolfus said. Are we all entitled to equal justice and fair treatment under the law or should the playing field be purposely tilted in favor of one group as opposed to another? Should we advance what are in effect racist policies in an effort ostensibly to correct perceived racism? The answer to these questions seems self-evident. Especially as a Christian. The two-day conference drew a small protest by Denton Interfaith Community Action, a grassroots group that formed to respond to the rhetoric of the conference, the founder said. We couldnt find another group that was willing to find an intersection of social justice and faith in this instance, said founder Nathan Graham, a Denton County resident and a Lutheran. We felt this was really harmful rhetoric coming into the community. We felt that it required a response from people of faith. Differing definitions Denton Interfaith Community Action includes local members of United Methodist, Episcopal and Lutheran churches, as well as a local Buddhist, several Unitarian Universalists and Jewish people. Graham said the distaste for rhetoric that demonizes social justice brought the small group together. They rode to Denton Bible Church on Saturday evening, where Graham said a security official and a police officer approached them in the parking lot and told them they were trespassing. When we protested on Saturday, our every move was watched. We came with our van with all of our materials, and we pulled into the very first space. It isnt even connected to the rest of the parking lot. They waited until we were over that line to serve us with a warning. It just showed what vindictive view of the world and the Bible they have, Graham said. The group stood near the entrance of the church holding signs that read Love your neighbor as yourself and Unity over creed. Drivers on University Drive could see the protesters and Graham said they heard a few honks and saw quite a few people giving a thumbs-down gesture. Which is funny considering our signs had messages that it would be hard to disagree with, especially for people who care about this theology, he said. Graham said the groups goal was to confront the rhetoric rather than criticize any particular church. The protesters and the panelists have different definitions of wokeness. Stolfus said wokeness refers to an ideology that believes America is inherently racist. Wokeness describes the belief among some who claim to have been awakened to the idea that American society is so irredeemably racist that it must be overthrown through moral, political and economic revolution, he said. It is an insidious belief system that holds that America is a nation founded on white supremacy and oppression and that these forces must be rooted out by any means necessary. In this belief system, individuals are to be judged as complicit in this oppression or as victims of oppression based upon their group identity whether they are Black or white, or male or female. Graham said the term originated in the Black community and means being alert to injustice especially racism in society and in your surroundings. Wokeness, on the side of critics, has come to mean any social justice, Graham said. Evangelicals are really on about critical race theory right now. Connections to Marxism? In an episode of the podcast Iron Sharpens Iron recorded in May, Nelson told host Chris Arnzen that wokeness has warped into a sort of Trojan horse for Marxism and communism, and that it is actively converting non-racist white people into racists. Five episodes of Iron Sharpens Iron are embedded on the Wokeness & the Gospel website, as well as an episode of Just Thinking, by panelist Darrell Harrison, a fellow of the Black Theology and Leadership Institute at Princeton Theological Seminary. In the podcast, Nelson said civil rights activists today have perverted the work of Martin Luther King Jr., with Arnzen saying activists have instead taken their cues from the Nation of Islam, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has deemed a hate group because of its antipathy toward Jews, white people and LGBT people. Nelson emphasized Kings commitment to peaceful protest. Martin Luther Kings idea was let justice flow down like waters and righteous like an ever-flowing stream. Were cashing our check on the Constitution, we will not do this violently. Well appeal to conscience. That this is right, Nelson said. Nelson said King butted heads with activist Stokely Carmichael and all the rest. They wanted it by any means necessary. And some of them just wanted to leave and start their own Black nation, Nelson said. And so he had this conflict with those people. Nelson said proponents of wokeness have abandoned Kings ideals and methods, and are setting the stage for bloodshed. But Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and CEO of The King Center, offered a stinging rebuke when she learned of the conference in March. In a retweet of Nelsons first video announcement of Wokeness and the Gospel, Bernice King, who is herself a minister, indicted the conference as an initiative with no resemblance to her fathers work or legacy. Very telling that instead of a conference on ending racism and white supremacy, theres this, King said. Christians collectively could do so much to evict racism from society, beginning with churches, fellowships and conventions. Then she urged followers on Twitter to delve into her fathers own words to understand his lifes work. Read my fathers Letter from Birmingham Jail, King said. Very telling that instead of a conference on ending racism and white supremacy, theres this. Christians collectively could do so much to evict racism from society, beginning with churches, fellowships, and conventions. Read my fathers Letter from Birmingham Jail. https://t.co/fT82bXRQrx Be A King (@BerniceKing) March 24, 2021 Stolfus said Nelsons sentiments about wokeness being an avatar of communism are rooted in what they see as a Marxist reading of American institutions. I think we would see wokeness, and specifically critical race theory, as a neo-Marxist ideology. In place of the old Marxist dichotomy of oppressor and oppressed, the worker being oppressed by the ruling class, we have the identity categories of white and black. But the conclusion is the same. In order to liberate the oppressed, class society must be fundamentally transformed and then their words deconstructed to make room for a new order, Stolfus said. An extraordinary amount of pressure is being placed upon corporations to adopt policies that are not really anti-racist or anti-sexist. In many cases, these policies actively discriminate against certain groups and promote a certain ideology that favors the normalization of the LGBTQ identity. Graham said critics of wokeness are conjuring old communist ghosts as a scare tactic. When attention is drawn to the suffering and oppression of some groups, and work starts being done to address this, privileged people start to get worried. They start to fear that something is going to be taken from them, Graham said. Im not heterosexual, but I am a white Christian man. That is not a fear of mine, but I know that fear is the thing that is driving this this has all happened before. During the McCarthy Red Scare, the ideas about communism were really about going after Jews, Blacks and women in Hollywood. Duty of Christians? The conferences panelists said the only way for Americans to end racism, heal lingering wounds and reconcile the country is to convert Americans to Christianity. The Gospel is the only agent that can change hearts, they said, and deliver Americans to the promised land civil rights activists dream of. We do indeed affirm that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only avenue by which a true unity can be achieved, Stolfus said. However, there is this nagging problem of sin. All of us, Christians included, have to battle the persistent problem of sin and temptation. Christians believe that the means of grace are perfectly effective to achieve this end, but we imperfectly avail ourselves of these means. Graham said Christians have a duty to confront racism, within their own churches and beyond the church doors. The work of unity shouldnt be shouldered by people of color alone, he said. We have always been taught that it is our job as white allies to confront the racist rhetoric, Graham said. Its not just the job of Black and brown people to confront systems of oppression. A response needs to be made. Especially at the intersection of our society and faith. I think the actual churches, because they have this notion of us versus them, dont always make that response. I think they underestimate the influence they have. Quote "We felt this was really harmful rhetoric coming into the community. We felt that it required a response from people of faith." Nathan Graham, a Denton County resident who founded Denton Interfaith Community Action * Username This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Choose wisely! Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has signed a bill that essentially bans Chinas Huawei from being involved in the countrys 5G networks amid national security concerns. The bill was approved by Prime Minister Florin Citu in April, and the parliament subsequently passed the bill. The law says that telecommunications companies may not be considered in Romania due to risks, threats or vulnerabilities to national security, according to Euronews. It also requires that companies wanting to supply technologies and equipment for Romanias 5G network request the opinion of the Supreme Defense Council, which is chaired by President Iohannis. According to Reuters, the bill stems from a 2019 U.S.-Romania memorandum under which the two governments had stated that as part of a risk-based security approach, careful and complete evaluation of 5G vendors is necessary, with those controlled by a foreign government and lacking a transparent ownership structure having been ruled out. Romania was a staunch ally of Washington even before joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2004. Washington regards Huawei as an arm of Chinas Communist Partys global surveillance machinery. The Romanian Senate recently passed a draft law initiated by the government regarding the 5G security regulations, which could remove Huawei from the list of suppliers of hardware and software used in Romanian 5G networks, giving a blow to China. National regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced two big initiatives: a licensing review and the approval of 73 new satellite permits. The NCC announced this week that it has initiated a process for the review of the existing licensing structure in the countrys telecoms industry. While its not entirely clear what this will entail, the NCC has said that the review was prompted by technological advances and the convergence of technologies and services, and will reflect new licensing trends in line with international standards, while providing opportunities for improved revenue for the government. Equally important is the fact that the existing regime is a good 20 years old. Thus, a review of the terms and conditions of the various licence categories, and consultations with industry stakeholders, which will be carried out by an in-house Standing Committee, may well be overdue. A draft framework for new and amended licences will follow the review and consultations, said the NCC. This news follows another big NCC announcement this time affecting the satellite sector, which last week heard that the NCC had approved 73 commercial satellite permits in the country. The space landing permits allow various satellite providers to offer commercial satellite broadband services to users in Nigeria. Well-known names such as Intelsat, Eutelsat, Avanti, Hylas, Yahsat, Inmarsat and Iridium are just a few of the recipients of permits covering C band, Ku band, Ka band, L band, XL band, VHF band, Q/V bands, S-band and 3GPP band. The landing permits cover a period of three to 13 years, depending on the provider. Omantel has successfully tested the 5G High Band at its headquarters in Madinat al Irfan under the supervision of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the Sultanate of Oman. Conducting the tests with Ericsson, Omantel said it used the 5G millimeter wave (mmWave), bandwidth, and "demonstrated enhanced network capabilities" that can now be rolled out to consumers and businesses across the Sultanate. According to a press release from the Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company, the trial demonstrated Omantels ability to deliver multi-gigabit speeds to end users with eight-cell carrier aggregation functionalities using Ericssons state-of-the-art Street macro mm-Wave solution and advanced 5G software features. The trial used a carrier bandwidth of 800MHz at 26GHz, it said. Abdullah Al-Balushi, country manager of Ericsson Oman said: 5G is ready to transform industries and society. Omantel will enjoy a boost in capacity and multi-gigabit speeds over the air with fixed wireless access. Ericssons millimeter wave technology supports Omantel in achieving record-breaking peak data rates and massive 5G capacity paving the way to enable Oman Vision 2040. The trial demonstrated Omantels ability to deliver multi-gigabit speeds to end-users with eight-cell carrier aggregation functionalities using Ericssons state-of-the-art Street macro mmWave solution and advanced 5G software features. Dr. Ali Al Hashmi General Manager of Networks at Omantel said, mmWave 5G technology is a cornerstone of upcoming 5G networks, allowing for faster data speeds and much higher bandwidth than ever before. The success of the 5G test with Ericsson paves the way for many more applications as 5G has opened up possibilities of newer, smarter solutions in every area of daily life and business. Omantel is happy to have partnered with Ericsson for this and look forward to exciting new applications as Oman Vision 2040 opens a new chapter in Omans ICT landscape. Is Cubas New Policy Towards MSMEs a Response to Brussels? If the Government has decided to support MSMEs now, it is likely because it is enticed by the lure of European money. The Cuban government certainly "shines" for its decidedly deliberate decisionmaking. In the last 62 years, things have only happened when and if it suited the regime. Public opinion, economic benefit and the people's rights are only taken into consideration once the State, after it has decided to do something in its own interest, seeks to wrap it up in good intentions for the populace. Often the Government spends years and not just a few mulling over an issue, "investigating" what is already known and about which there is plenty of international experience, including that of pre-Castro Cuba; and then creates commissions that study it, then micro-experiments that it fine-tunes to its liking, then a pilot plan in a municipality that is only later extended to the province ... And then one must wait for a congress of the Party, the ANAP, the Pioneros, or whatever occurs to them, to take the final step, which is always a little one. In view of the calamitous state of the country's infrastructure, the infinite difficulties the people are suffering daily, the gloomy scenario in light of the lack of medicines and basic foods, how can the authorities be so cynical and move so slowly (and claim that it is for the good of the people) towards the urgent and radical transformations the Cuban economy needs? The only thing forcing Castroism to change are the circumstances spawned by its own ineptitude. If it weren't for the fact that it no longer has an international victim to exploit, we would not even be seeing these timid, hesitant and very sluggish steps towards some degree of economic freedom if permits for ventures that do not usually go beyond earning basic levels of subsistence can be classified as such. Along this line came the recent announcement that the Council of Ministers approved a "refinement for actors in the Cuban economy", which includes socialist state enterprises, non-agricultural cooperatives, MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), and the self-employed." This, when it would be so simple to deregulate private property and grant people freedom! But this will not happen; Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced that "initially (the MSMEs) will not engage in some professional activities, including those that can be carried out by self-employed workers." The Government is in no hurry. It is probing and experimenting, terrified of losing the control it wields over the people, and dreading the emergence of an autonomous social sector that could live without the State, or even confront it. The people's dependence on the State is an unshakable, basic principle of Castroist doctrine. Nor have the Cuban authorities lost all hope that, at some point, they will find another source of external funding (if only Biden listened to them...) so that they can then halt and quash any advances towards individual freedom, as they have done on previous occasions. So, why now the announcement that they "approved" this "refinement" (God only knows what that means) affecting the country's economic actors? Why now, after so much posturing, have they tackled this issue? Clearly, approving the MSMEs pains them, which is why they will be saddled with more restrictions than "self-employment." The natural thing would be for it to be integrated, not for it to exist in parallel to the MSMEs, because, what are a cobbler, a farmer or a slushie seller if not businesspeople? The reason why they have done so now may be closely related to a recent news item: the mediation of the Cuba Humanista platform, led by the Christian Democrat Yaxys Cires, who appealed to the US State Department and the European Union, the latter showing willingness to "support the development of capacities and access to financing by Cubas non-State sector." Financing? Anyone who has seen the old show Sabado Gigante, on Univision, will remember its catchphrase: "Where's the dough, where are the bills, where's the money?" And that is, now the Cuban Government's "Hail Mary full of grace..." and it more willing than Judas to do anything for a few coins. If the European Union has money to help Cuban MSMEs, "the only thing missing to get our hands on that jackpot is to create them," the Communist government, characterized by its passion for capitalists money, must reason. To finish where we began: the only sure thing in Castroist Cuba is that nothing happens if the Government does not deem it to be in its best interest. If it is moving to bolster MSMEs now, it is probably because it is enticed by the prospect of European money. Even as we return to in-person dealings with the world, some of the realities that emerged in the last two years may be here to stay. Not least because we may want them to, including having greater control over schedules previously shackled by a corporate world order that regulated how and With the love and loyalty sportsmen share with their four-legged friends, we had an extremely successful inaugural contest last year with nearly 200 entries, said ALBBAA Director Pam Swanner. The Black Belt region is well known as home of the Field Trial Capitol of the World and the Bass Capitol of the World, but it also offers plenty of other dog-friendly activities as well. We wanted to highlight sporting dogs as well as non-sporting dogs that are out in nature or experiencing an adventure with their owners in our beautiful region. We encourage folks to get out there and explore the outdoors! State begins Compass Lake probe The Floridan has learned that the state attorney has begun an investigation into protests by Compass Lake residents over the sale and development of land once platted as a public street. Reports are that 20 subpoenas will be served in connection with the case. Developments came to light in May, when more than 90 residents petitioned Gov. Askew for help. They asked the governor to help them regain possession of the street already deeded to private individuals by the county and also for his help preventing other of the platted streets from being tendered by the county to private individuals. The board action residents are protesting happened Oct. 28, 1969, when W.G. Hinson, a Marianna Realtor, asked commissioners for a quitclaim deed to one of the streets. Upon the advice of County Attorney Cowherd the Board had no interest or title to said property, the Board approved the request, minutes of that meeting said. The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce will be using its June Power Lunch to host the Central Panhandle Association of Realtors. The event will be held Tuesday, June 22, at Rivertown Community Church, 4534 Lafayette St., in Marianna. Networking and food service begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by the program at noon. The Central Panhandle Association of REALTORS is launching a new program for area employers: the CPAR Employer-Assisted Housing (EAH) Program. Amanda Corbin, the 2021 CPAR President, and Denise Myers, the CPAR Chipola Director, will present the details and benefits of the program. Many businesses are facing great challenges in finding and retaining employees right now. It is making headlines nationwide. Employer-Assisted Housing is a powerful benefit that area employers can offer to their staff that not only helps them recruit and retain employees but also has benefits for the workforce and the community at large. Employer-Assisted Housing is an employee benefit in the same sense as health insurance or a 401k, but it specifically concentrates on breaking down barriers to homeownership. The CPAR EAH Program focuses on four core areas to help employees create a plan to become a homeowner: homebuyer education, credit guidance, financial assistance, and optional employer benefits. The green, metal box was stuffed inside a bright pink pillowcase and stashed in the bushes behind Christopher Zacherys house. He hauled it out for a better look. Stenciled on the box: Cartridges for weapons. Inside were 30 armor-piercing grenades. I was scared, said Zachery, who runs a construction company. And confused. How did these high-powered explosives end up in his southwest Atlanta backyard? Where did they come from? Investigators determined the waylaid grenades were last seen eight month prior on an ammunition train that rolled out from Florida. Someone had stolen them somewhere on the rails to Pennsylvania, another example in an Associated Press investigation that shows how the militarys vast supply chain is susceptible to theft. Marines call the squat, 40mm rounds that appeared in Zacherys yard on that sunny morning in February 2018 40 mike-mikes. Theyre linked together to feed into an MK 19 launcher, a weapon that is like a machinegun for grenades, able every second to shoot one nearly a mile. Awaiting the bomb unit, Atlanta police evacuated five houses in both directions, as well as neighbors across the street. The rounds can penetrate three inches of steel and have a kill radius of nearly 50 feet. HONG KONG (AP) Hong Kong is still Chinas wealthiest, most capitalist city. Its vistas of skyscrapers and sea framed by dragon-backed emerald peaks are as stunning as ever. But a year after Beijing imposed a harsh national security law on the former British colony, the civil liberties that raised hopes for more democracy among many of its 7 million people are fading. We work together and we bond together. Were here as much as we are at home, he said. He added that the shooting made him nervous about going back to work for fear that somebody is going to walk in the door and shoot you." Ann Walters told Al.com that Dobbins was her grandson, and that he had been working at the factory for nearly a year, saving up to buy a home and a car. He was a perfect gentleman, everybody will tell you. He was good to everybody and put his family first, she said. Mueller Co., based in Cleveland, Tennessee, is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Mueller Water Products Inc., which calls itself a leading maker of water distribution and measurement products in North America. More than 400 people work at the plant in Albertville, giving the city in northwest Alabama its nickname of Fire Hydrant Capital of the World. In a statement read aloud by the police chief, company officials said they were shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific tragedy, and committed to providing help and support to the victims families. State and local governments must redraw lines for congressional, legislative and other electoral districts once every 10 years following the U.S. Census to balance population. The process helps determine which party will hold power for the following decade. Georgia's current maps were drawn to sharply favor Republicans. The state's overall population rose nearly 10% to 10.7 million people over the decade, but more detailed Census results are expected to show uneven growth, with most new residents concentrated in Atlanta and along the coast. Many rural areas may have lost population. The ideal U.S. House district will have 765,136 residents, while state Senate districts will average 191,284 and state House districts will average 59,511 people. Republicans drew Georgia's congressional map in 2010 with an eye to putting 10 seats into their party's hands. However, Democrat Lucy McBath in 2018 wrested away the 6th District, while Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux won the 7th District last year, leaving Republicans with an 8-6 majority of congressional seats. The GOP is widely expected to try to redraw at least one of those seats to make it more favorable to a Republican challenger. A plan to guide and devise strategies for development of Dothans Highway 84 East corridor has been set in motion. During Tuesdays city administrative meeting, project lead Bob Wilkerson, long-range planner for City of Dothan, recommended choosing Design Workshop to help design overlay districts along the corridor. Overlay districts have been implemented by Dothans planning department in the past to create incentives and strategies for development in targeted areas, but have largely been used downtown. Wilkerson believes the long-range 84 East Corridor Plan released in 2018 commissioned by the city to Design Workshop has already stimulated some development, some of which is not in line with the citys vision. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} With that in mind, we felt like we really needed to get this in place so that we can see this development come alive in the way that we intended in the plan and you all and the planning commission envisioned back in 2018-2019, Wilkerson said to commissioners. Wilkerson said Design Workshop submitted a clear proposal for the scope of work and contract negotiations will begin soon. There is simply insufficient caselaw to conclude with certainty that citizenship will have no effect on the legal status of the faa Samoa, or the American Samoan way of life, the ruling said. The constitutional issues that would arise in the context of America Samoas unique culture and social structure would be unusual, if not entirely novel, and therefore unpredictable. Drawing on the views of the American Samoa people is one of the more gratifying aspects of the ruling, said Michael Williams, an attorney representing the American Samoa government, which intervened to oppose the lawsuit. It is also vindication for the principle that the people of American Samoa should determine their own status in accordance with Samoan culture and traditions, he said. A path toward U.S. citizenship exists for those who want it. But some say its costly and cumbersome. Non-citizen nationals of American Samoa are entitled to work and travel freely in the United States and receive certain advantages in the naturalization process. Neil Weare, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, said they are disappointed by the ruling, and are reviewing next steps. Options include asking a wider panel of appeals court judges to hear the case or taking it to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, the privatization plan has been thwarted by the private prison firms inability to garner financing. In May, Bloomberg News reported that all three banks that were to finance the venture were backing out completely. The lease plan expired on June 1. Therefore, the route that legislative leaders prefer is that the state own the prisons and pass a bond issue to pay for them. Legislative leaders primarily and importantly finance committee chairmen Steve Clouse of Ozark and Arthur Orr of Decatur believe that there needs to be a special session called by Ivey to address the building of three new mens prisons and floating a bond issue to pay for them with the state owning the prisons. Clouse has brought up another valid reason for there to be a special session regarding prisons. The state received guidelines in the waning hours of the session from the Treasury Department on using the $4 billion Alabama is expected to receive for state and local governments under the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress. The legislature will be the appropriator of that money. It may well could be used by the state for prisons. I wish to give my kudos to the Dothan Eagle Opinion editor for including the Anti-Muslim hatred opinion by the Montreal Gazette. While we have very few Muslims in our area, anti-Muslim sentiment is very high, which is wrong. I would venture to say that more than 90% of those in the Tri-State area have never met a Muslim. Ive met and worked with Muslims in my younger days while in the Marines in the Middle East. Most were fine, decent people who had many of the same concerns as parents similar to parents in our area, wanting a better, safer life for their children, good jobs, and good health for themselves. As a country with 3.35 million Muslims (1.1%), we need the ability to view them as Americans, which most are multi-generational Americans with some having roots going back to the 1600s in the U.S. In fact, 23% are American converts to Islam from other religions. Muslims have defended the U.S. in all major wars from the Revolutionary War to the War in Afghanistan. Over 5,000 are currently serving our country. Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City where Auto Investment Group is set to be located. Photo by Shutterstock/Binh Ho image. The CEO of Auto Investment Group, a company dubbed mega for its outsized plans despite being impecunious, said it has a revenue target of $1 billion for 2022. The company, which seeks to raise capital of VND500 trillion ($21.8 billion), or 7 percent of Vietnams GDP, wants to become a tech company that "represents Vietnam in competing with global giants," Nguyen Vu Quoc Anh, 35, said at an online press briefing Tuesday. "Honestly I have nothing; I have no money." He said he would raise funds from large companies like Vingroup and FPT and by working with global investment funds. The company targets revenues of $434 million this year, $1 billion next year and $30-50 billion in the next 20-30 years mostly from selling software products. Vingroup, the largest private company in Vietnam, reported revenues of less than $5 billion last year. Anh said his company only needs around $200 million to "begin operating." The company, which is registered at the Bitexco Financial Tower in HCMCs District 1, is required to raise the capital within 90 days from May 20, when it was incorporated. Promotional poster of Korean Cultural Center's Covid-19 design contest. Photo courtesy of the center. The South Korean Cultural Center and the Korea Creative Content Agency have jointly launched a Covid-19 design contest for Vietnamese citizens. KCC is accepting entries starting from June 11 to 6 p.m. on July 15. Each contestant can submit one entry in the form of a poster or illustration and must feature a message encouraging people around the world to fight the global pandemic. The contest has a total prize pool of VND100 million (over $4,300) and top winners will be awarded with certificate of merit from South Korea's embassy, KCC and KOCCA. The best artworks will be exhibited and awarded at the center in August. South Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Park Noh-wan said the contest aims to inspire the public of both countries to join hands to win the Covid-19 fight. Contestants can visit KCC's Facebook page for further information. Nguyen Van Thai poses as he holds the Goldman Prize, June 2021. Photo by Save Vietnam Wildlife. A man who has devoted his life to protecting pangolins, the world's most trafficked mammal, is among six recipients of the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize. Nguyen Van Thai, 39, is the director and founder of non-profit Save Vietnam's Wildlife (SVW), which helped rescue 1,540 pangolins from the illegal wildlife trade just between 2014 and 2020. Thai also established Vietnams first anti-poaching unit, which has since 2018 destroyed 9,701 animal traps, dismantled 775 illegal camps, confiscated 78 guns, and arrested 558 poachers, leading to a significant decline in illegal activities at the Pu Mat National Park in the central Nghe An Province. Instituted in 1989 the Goldman Environmental Prize, known as the Green Nobel, seeks to "honor grassroots environmental heroes by recognizing individuals for sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk." Thai said he was "surprised" to be a recipient of the prize. "I am very proud as all efforts in wildlife conservation have been recognized, not only in Vietnam, but around the world." Thai is the second Vietnamese to win the award after Nguy Thi Khanh, director of Green Innovation and Development Center, who received it in 2018 for doing research that prompted government agencies to take up long-term sustainable projects that have helped reduce dependence on coal. Pangolins are considered the worlds most heavily trafficked mammal despite an international ban on their trading, reportedly accounting for as much as 20 percent of all illegal wildlife trade as heavy demand for their meat, scales and blood threatens them with extinction. All eight pangolin species across the world are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. The animal is hunted in Vietnam and neighboring countries for its meat and the alleged medicinal properties of its scales. An investigation last year by the Netherlands-based Wildlife Justice Commission found that in both 2018 and 2019 more than 500 kilograms of shipments each were seized at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and five ports in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hai Phong, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau. The Goldman Environmental Prize is given to six people each year from Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South & Central America. This year the other five recipients are all women. Gloria Majiga-Kamoto of Malawi has fought the plastics industry and galvanized a movement in support of a national ban on thin plastics. Kimiko Hirata of Japan has led a campaign that resulted in the cancellation of 13 coal power plants. Maida Bilal of Bosnia and Herzegovina fought to cancel two proposed dams on the Kruscica River in 2018. Sharon Lavigne of the U.S. successfully stopped the construction of a $1.25-billion plastics manufacturing plant alongside the Mississippi River in Louisiana. Liz Chicaje Churay of Peru has fought to create the Yaguas National Park, of which size can be compared as more than two million acres of Amazonian rainforests. Each of them receives a $200,000 cash prize aside from a bronze sculpture called the Ouroboros, which depicts a serpent biting its tail, a symbol of natures power of renewal. Children in quarantine, some issues for authorities to consider A woman in HCMC recently told me it would be very difficult for her mentally ill child and the whole family if they are forced to quarantine. Pham Minh Triet During the previous wave of infection, her neighborhood was placed under lockdown after a resident tested positive for Covid-19. Fortunately, everyone in her family tested negative and so did not have to go to a government quarantine. But health workers had informed her that should anyone in her family test positive, her child would have to be quarantined too. The child, unable to move or speak without assistance, has needed 24-hour care since birth. "If forced to go into quarantine my child will probably die," the woman said, asking me if I had any solution. I have looked up regulations on medical quarantine for children. A document from the Ministry of Health merely says children under five can be isolated at home while those aged five to 15 would have to quarantine at government-run facilities. There are no separate provisions for disabled children. The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has policies to support children staying at quarantine centers and those that test positive for Covid. They include fully covering treatment costs, provision of essential supplies and psychological support. But from a professional perspective, I would like to add some equally important notes. Children might be in the low-risk group for Covid, but its impact on their mental health is far from insignificant. A study in China found that children might experience psychological issues such as insecurity, having nightmares, anxiety, decreased appetite, sleep disturbance, fear of losing relatives, decreased attention span, and irritability. It said 13-37 percent of children were affected. In another study in the U.S., 40 percent of parents found that their children showed signs of stress and anxiety caused by being quarantined. One of my patients, a middle school student studying in Europe, was severely affected mentally during the previous Covid wave. She went to the airport by herself with the intention of returning to Vietnam, but all flights were canceled. Alone, with no relatives by her side, she had a panic attack and had to be hospitalized for a while. Though her condition has improved, the psychological trauma is still affecting her daily life and ability to study. And that is just the impact on normal children. For disabled children, the impact is often more severe due to poor adaptability and a lack of supportive medical services amid the pandemic. The majority of children with autism often have violent reactions when placed in a new environment without a long period of preparation beforehand. In the case of children with cerebral palsy, medical quarantine will clearly affect their and their families' daily lives, and put even more burden on the healthcare system, which is already overloaded due to the pandemic. Many studies also found a number of other factors likely to trigger psychological and psychiatric disorders in children. Most notably, children without relatives by their side and children with parents suffering from stress and anxiety are more likely to be affected than children with "normal" parents. Children wait to be picked up by their parents after finishing 21 days of quarantine at their kindergarten school in Bac Giang Province, northern Vietnam, May 30, 2021. Photo by Le Loi Kindergarten. Vietnam has so far quarantined over 4,000 children without relatives by their side. While there are no statistics on their mental health, I am afraid the number of children who must be psychologically affected is not small. One of the important conditions to help children achieve mental stability is creating a quarantine and treatment environment similar to the environment they live in every day. If possible, quarantining should be done in schools similar to ones the children go to. This is especially important for children of kindergarten age who would struggle in a military camp environment. That is why I believe it is very important for teachers to participate in the fight against the pandemic. In addition to taking care of children onsite, teachers could also help them through online means. I know many passionate teachers that would be ready to organize online storytelling sessions for children during the pandemic. Being able to meet and talk to parents or relatives on a regular basis could also help improve children's morale. Face-to-face visits that comply with anti-pandemic regulations or online meetings could be a solution, but the relatives need to remain calm during the visits so as not to spark anxiety in the children. With my experience working at the Department of Psychology, Children's Hospital No.1, I believe that social workers could assist quarantined children together with health workers. They could play with the children, help them study, organize group activities for them, calm them down, and identify children with psychological issues so that they can receive help from experts. Finally, arming the children with basic information about Covid could help protect them. Like for the national program on HIV/AIDS prevention and control for children, documents compiled in the form of comics that include questions such as what Covid-19 is, how it spreads and why quarantine is necessary will be useful. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already compiled such documents, and these are provided for free on its website. To return to the woman I mentioned earlier, I told her I had yet to find an answer in the case of her child and disabled children in general. "What is the solution according to you?" I asked in return. Her instant reply: "I just hope that if something happens, my child will be allowed to be quarantined at home so that we can take care." *Pham Minh Triet is a doctor and former head of the Psychology Department at the Children's Hospital No.1 in Ho Chi Minh City. The opinions expressed are his own. A Vietnam Airlines aircraft lands at San Francisco International Airport in the U.S., May 8, 2020. Photo courtesy of San Francisco International Airport. Vietnam Airlines will operate a flight from Hanoi to Virginia in the U.S. next Tuesday to repatriate Americans stranded in Vietnam due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. The flight would leave at 9:45 a.m. and reach Washington Dulles Airport at 3:45 p.m. local time, the U.S. embassy said. Only U.S. passport holders can fly and the fare will be determined by Vietnam Airlines. Those interested should register by 5 p.m. Thursday, the embassy said. Vietnam has been grappling with a new coronavirus wave with 8,088 cases reported in 40 of its 63 cities and provinces since it broke out seven weeks ago. Last year Vietnam Airlines operated dozens of flights to ferry home American citizens. Vietnam suspended all international flights in March last year as a Covid containment measure and thousands of foreigners are stuck in the country. Speaking at the Paris Summit on Sudan, US Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power declared that the 2019 overthrow of Sudans dictator reaffirmed that no matter where it beats, the human heart yearns for dignity. No matter how comfortable dictators feel, no matter how steep the odds they will step aside, those who hold on to power for decades are not in fact immune to the will of their people. The United States is committed to supporting Sudan as it pursues its democratic transition. Administrator Power commended Sudans Civilian-Led Transitional Government for its political and economic reforms, especially its vocal support of womens rights. Even as Sudan works to turn the page from the Bashir regime, Darfur is still the site of bitter violence, with periodic interethnic violence and attacks by militias. The government of Sudan has deployed additional troops in an effort to restore calm, observed Administrator Power, and we urge continued efforts to negotiate a stable peace in a region that has witnessed decades of horrific violence and trauma. As the Civilian-led Transitional Government takes steps to ensure the physical security of the Sudanese people, it is important to also note the strides taken to provide economic security. The central banks decision to float the Sudanese pound will help promote long-term economic stability. Additional planned reforms to private sector regulations will help attract much needed foreign investment. The bold step to remove fuel subsidies was a necessary step to help right size the national budget and meet IMF requirements for debt forgiveness. But Sudans lenders and partners must do their part as well. Key to that effort is helping relieve the $60 billion debt that Sudan has accrued over the years. The United States has been a strong proponent of debt relief. Sudan recently cleared its arrears with the World Bank after the United States provided a $1.15 billion bridge loan: a crucial step to unlocking additional avenues of economic support. The United States is committed to providing grants to help fill remaining financing gaps. The European Union, UK, France, Italy, and Sweden have agreed to do likewise. This support will be critical to jumpstarting the Sudanese economy and ensuring the country has additional resources to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States is committed to supporting democratic and economic reforms in Sudan and assisting the countrys reintegration into the global community. . . . . . . . . . . . . Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Minor amounts of sulfide ore could be toll milled at another companys roaster, he said. Mine access will require a new road. The project site is reached from Highway 278 about 15 miles south of Carlin. Exploration continues and could extend the life of the proposed mine, with drilling beginning in mid-May for this season, including at the two proposed pit areas and on deposits quite distant from those, Radford said in a phone interview. Gold Standard also had a very active season in 2020, and those results are just coming now, he said. Probably the most exciting thing is that the Pinion pit extends to the south and is open. Radford said the work of assay labs in Nevada slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic and during a time of high gold prices that boosted exploration in the state, making more work for labs. The company released an update on Dark Star on April 26 that stated the drilling continued to show that mineralization remains open to the east at the Dark Star Main deposit, and drilling designed to assess pit-wall stability and design intersected oxide mineralization along the West Fault. Why do you feel that these industries are worth defending or advocating for? Because we cant live without them. Its really simple. We have to have the materials that a mine produces, regardless of what it is even coal. We cannot have power generation without fossil fuels to back up all of our wind and solar, et cetera. I think that wind and solar get a big pass in terms of environmental impact. They have their own environmental impact, and if you research far enough, youll learn that wind power, for example, will never pay for itself. It costs so much in terms of fossil fuel energy just to make the towers themselves, let alone how much energy they produce and how quickly they wear out in terms of use, and how much it costs to decommission and take apart, and then they are not recyclable. So there are all these environmental tradeoffs that go on forever, and that is well-known for mining and logging, but it is not well-known for everything that everyone wishes they could replace them with. Its a never-ending battle and never-ending misinformation campaign from environmental zealots that want you to think something is possible that hasnt clearly been thought through in a lot of ways. ELKO The golden skeleton is coming home! On May 21, Great Basin College first-year radiology student, Daniel Moore won the Nevada Society of Radiologic Technologists (NvSRT) Conference Annual Student Bowl. Daniel competed against first and second-year radiology students from around the state representing GBC, TMCC and UNLV in this fun and competitive challenge. The NvSRT exists to promote excellence in medical imaging. It is our hope that through this society all Nevada medical imaging professionals and therapists can join in solidarity for quality patient care. Through advocacy and education, the NvSRT is committed to providing the leadership needed to maintain a high standard for Nevada radiology. For more information visit their website at www.nvsrt.org/home.html Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In its seventh year, the conference, features a competition in which students are asked a variety of profession-based questions ranging from physics, positioning, patient care, radiation biology and protection and more. Students are eliminated for incorrect responses. Daniel was the last student remaining in the challenge, making him the 2021 winner and bringing back the golden skeleton trophy to Great Basin College. Voth said in an email that NGM is operating under the assumption that hay will cost more than last year and is planning accordingly. The yearly volatility of the hay market has caused us to re-evaluate how and when we feed hay to cattle. He said that with the help of the U.S. Bureau of Land Managements Elko office and other stakeholders, we have started into the new Outcome Based Grazing Program, which gives us more flexibility when we use some of our allotments. We are in the process of moving our season of use to later in the year. This would not only alleviate some of our dependence on hay but could also yield a very positive effect on the grazing permits by simply mixing up the time and timing that cattle are in a specific pasture. Spratling said that the demand for cattle is not as high because there are not enough grassy pastures or feedlot space for all the cattle ranchers in the West looking to sell, and corn is at an all-time high. Corn is fed at feedlots. Meanwhile, beef is costing consumers more because packing plants are driving the train right now and say they are at capacity, Spratling said. Ranchers in Elko County arent seeing any reflections of the high prices of beef at the grocery store. The charges above do not imply guilt. Under the law, everyone is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The letter said Kelly would keep only two executive orders in place. One mandated that state-licensed nursing homes test their residents and staff regularly for COVID-19, and another granting temporary permission for medical personnel and students to give COVID-19 vaccinations. Lawrence said those orders would expire at the end of Tuesday. That shouldn't affect the ability of pharmacies to give the shots, but he said paramedics and medical and nursing students won't be able to do so. The state Department of Health and Environment might have the authority to require nursing home testing. Lawrence said. He and other Democratic officials said the state will lose $14.5 million a month in extra federal aid for 63,000 households an average of $230 a month each. Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes said the extra food aid frees up money that families can use to pay rent and utility bills. "We're asking them once again to pick and choose on how they will survive, Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said during a Statehouse news conference. POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) A Utah teen who was stomped by a bull at the Idaho High School Rodeo Association State Finals over the weekend is recovering well, family members said. Brock Hansen, 17, of Hyrum, Utah was hired to be a cowboy protector for the competition in Pocatello, Idaho, the Idaho State Journal reported. Cowboy protectors are tasked with grabbing bulls by the head and directing them to run away from fallen cowboys. Hansen who is among the nations top freestyle bullfighters in his age group and hopes to go pro lost his footing on loose dirt Saturday while grappling with a bull named Microbrew. He could not roll away before the bull stomped with full force on his back. The blow broke the wing of a vertebrae in Hansens lower back. Hansens strong back muscles held his spine in place, however, and doctors expect he will make a full recovery. This hit he took, God was looking over him, his father, Ron Hansen said. You dont take hits like that and walk away from them. A new covid-19 vaccine could be on the way after American biotechnology company Novavax announced on Monday that clinical trials of its new shot had been successful. The third phase of clinical trials, comprising of nearly 30,000 participants from the United States and Mexico, reportedly showed the Novavax vaccine to be safe and 90.4% effective at preventing infection. Furthermore, the vaccine was found to be 93% effective against some variants and 100% effective at preventing moderate and severe disease. A statement from Novavaxs president of research and development Dr. Gregory Glenn read: These data show consistent, high levels of efficacy and reaffirm the ability of the vaccine to prevent covid-19 amid ongoing genetic evolution of the virus. When will the Novavax vaccine be available in the United States? The vaccine has recorded very impressive results in clinical trials but it may be a while before it becomes available in the US. Upon announcing the new data, Novavax said that they may not apply for emergency authorisation from the Food and Drug Administration until late September. The picture has shifted significantly since last December, when health regulators around the world were desperately searching for viable vaccines. Recent reports suggest that a number of states are now facing the prospect of seeing millions of doses expire before they can be used, reflecting the sudden drop in demand for the shots. Given that the US already has a surplus of the three already authorised vaccines, the FDA may well require Novavax to apply for the full license before it can be approved for use. Novavax could be used to boost the global vaccination effort The US is currently vaccinating fewer than one million people per day, down from a high of 3.3 million in April. Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, said it is vital that doses are not wasted: That would be a real outrage, given the need to get vaccines to some under-vaccinated communities in the US and the glaring gap in vaccinations and the inequity of vaccinations that we have globally. There is hope that the Novavax shots could provide a solution to the global problem because it is easier to store and transport that the alternatives. At the moment, shortages of the materials required to manufacture the vaccines are hampering production but there is hope that Novavax will be producing up to 100 million doses a month by September. This was actually Novavaxs aim while developing the vaccine and company CEO Stanley Erck confirmed: Many of our first doses will go to low- and middle-income countries, and that was the goal to begin with. On Wednesday President Joe Biden held an in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first time the two men had met since Biden took office earlier this year. The summit was held at the lakeside Villa La Grange in Geneva, where the first Geneva Convention was signed in 1864. The meeting lasted for three hours and 21 minutes, shorter than the White House had projected but both leaders appeared content with the progress made. Following the closed-doors meeting both men held separate press conferences to outline how they felt the summit went. Heres what was discussed Biden aims for strategic stability Upon taking the stage in Geneva after the summit, Biden seemed cautiously optimistic about the days work and said they had covered so much during the talks. He added: The reason it didn't go longer is when was the last time two heads of state spent two hours in direct conversation directly across the table going into excruciating detail? You may know of a time, but I don't. Biden spoke about his belief that the meeting may help pave the way for an improvement of relations between the two super-powers saying that they had agreed to launch a "bilateral strategy stability dialogue. [But] are we closer to a major strategic stability talks and progress? Biden questioned, That's going to be the test. Mixed results on cyber security and arms control In recent years the United States has suffered a number of cyber-attacks on key infrastructure, with Russian-sponsored agents reportedly involved in the attacks. Earlier this year it was found that the Pentagon, intelligence agencies, nuclear labs and a number of Fortune 500 companies were using software that is thought to have been compromised by Russian hackers. To avoid a repeat, Biden said he had issued Putin with a list of 16 sectors that must not be targeted in future, saying: "critical infrastructure should be off-limits. Putin refused to accept responsibility for the cyber-attacks on US-based organisations, which suggests that it will take more persuasion from Biden to win any real concessions on that issue. One area where progress does appear possible is in regards to arms control. In February the two nations extended their New START Treaty for an additional five years, limiting the number of strategic nuclear warheads and submarine-based missiles and bombers that each nation is permitted to possess. After the summit, both Putin and Biden said the two nations shared a responsibility for nuclear stability, Biden raises the issue of interference in American democracy One of the most inflammatory elements of the US-Russian diplomatic relationship in recent years was the interference in American elections. In a meeting with Putin in Helsinki in 2018 former President Trump dismissed his own intelligence agencys findings that Russia had sought to manipulate the result of the 2016 Presidential Election. In Geneva Biden was much firmer on the subject, saying in the press conference: "I made it clear that we will not tolerate attempts to violate our democratic sovereignty or destabilize our democratic elections, and we would respond. Biden added that he would continue to raise issues of fundamental human rights, perhaps hinting at the continued imprisonment of Russian opposition leader and vocal Putin critic Aleksei Navalny. No concessions were secured on the subject of political prisoners at this stage but both leaders seemed content with the tone of the meeting. There has been no hostility, Putin told reporters after the summit in Geneva. On the contrary, our meeting took place in a constructive spirit. Chinese ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong (R) and Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) central committee politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune attend the handover ceremony of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines in Vientiane, Laos, on June 15, 2021. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) The Lao deputy prime minister said that at the critical time when the new wave of epidemic hits the country, China once again extends a helping hand timely, providing a new batch of vaccine assistance, which is a valuable and tremendous support to the epidemic prevention and control in Laos. VIENTIANE, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Laos has arranged for the administering of China's COVID-19 vaccines nationwide, which have fully proved their safety and efficacy, Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) central committee politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune said. At the handover ceremony for the fourth batch of Chinese government-donated COVID-19 vaccines, held at the Ministry of Health of Laos on Tuesday, the Lao deputy prime minister said that at the critical time when the new wave of epidemic hits the country, China once again extends a helping hand timely, providing a new batch of vaccine assistance, which is a valuable and tremendous support to the epidemic prevention and control in Laos. Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) central committee politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune speaks during the handover ceremony of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines in Vientiane, Laos, on June 15, 2021. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) Kikeo also said that the Lao side attaches great importance to the health of Chinese citizens and overseas Chinese in Laos, providing them, just like the Lao citizens, with free vaccination services. Jiang Zaidong, the Chinese ambassador to Laos, said in his speech at the ceremony that he was informed that 85 percent of Lao's vaccinated population were administered with China's donated vaccines. Workers unload China-donated COVID-19 vaccines from a Chinese cargo plane in Vientiane, Laos, on June 14, 2021. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) "We believe that the new batch of vaccines will promptly and effectively fill the vaccine gap in Laos and make positive contribution to the Lao people's coming victory over the epidemic," said the Chinese ambassador. The new batch of Chinese government-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Wattay International Airport in Lao capital Vientiane on Monday. -- As an important founding member of the SCO, China has been calling for concerted efforts to build a closer SCO community with a shared future, which has offered the organization and the world an inspiring vision to jointly tackle emerging challenges. -- At the landmark Qingdao summit of the SCO in 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the building of an SCO community with a shared future, which has enriched the Shanghai Spirit, a core value of the SCO that champions mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development. -- While attending the 20th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in 2020 via video link, the Chinese president deepened the concept of an SCO community with a shared future by putting forward "a community of health for us all," "a community of security for us all," "a community of development for us all" and "a community of cultural exchanges for us all." BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- After 20 years of growth, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has evolved into one of the major mechanisms promoting regional and global stability and prosperity. As an important founding member of the SCO, China has been calling for concerted efforts to build a closer SCO community with a shared future, which has offered the organization and the world an inspiring vision to jointly tackle emerging challenges. People visit the 2021 SCO International Investment and Trade Expo in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) SCO COMMUNITY WITH SHARED FUTURE At the landmark Qingdao summit of the SCO in 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the building of an SCO community with a shared future, which has enriched the Shanghai Spirit, a core value of the SCO that champions mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development. In the Qingdao Declaration, the SCO members made "building a community with a shared future for humanity" a common concept, which has become the member states' most important political consensus and set the goal for their future efforts. To propel the SCO towards a greater role in promoting regional and global prosperity, the Chinese president has expounded his insightful vision on building a community with a shared future for mankind on various occasions. From 2014 to 2016, Xi repeatedly mentioned a community of common destiny and a community of common interests in his speeches at the SCO. "All member states, old and new, should work in close coordination, deepen mutual trust and increase mutual support in their endeavor to build a community of shared future featuring equality, mutual support, solidarity and sharing of weal and woe," Xi said at the 17th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in 2017. At the Qingdao summit in 2018, Xi elaborated on his vision on upholding "innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development," pursuing "common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security," promoting "open and inclusive cooperation for win-win outcomes," championing "equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness between civilizations," and following "the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration in engaging in global governance." People visit the 2021 SCO International Investment and Trade Expo in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) In June 2019, Xi called for efforts to make the SCO an example of solidarity and mutual trust, common security, mutually beneficial cooperation, inclusiveness and mutual learning, which has further specified the goals and tasks of building an SCO community with a shared future. "I would like to emphasize that the China-proposed ideas of building a community with (a) shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative have stood test within the framework of the SCO," said former SCO Secretary-General Bolat Nurgaliyev. EVOLVING VISION The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the surging problems that have been plaguing human beings, and also provided the SCO members with an opportunity to build a closer community with a shared future. While attending the 20th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in 2020 via video link, the Chinese president deepened the concept of an SCO community with a shared future by putting forward "a community of health for us all," "a community of security for us all," "a community of development for us all" and "a community of cultural exchanges for us all." Guided by the vision of building "a community of health for us all," China has provided COVID-19 vaccines to Uzbekistan, donated anti-epidemic materials to Kyrgyzstan, and sent medical experts to Russia and Kazakhstan. At the same time, traditional and non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, extremism, drug proliferation and cyber security issues continue to emerge. The vision of building "a community of security for us all" generates a new perspective on solving these problems in a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable manner. From signing the anti-extremism convention and conducting joint military drills to cracking down on Internet-based propagation of extremist ideology and pushing forward the peace process in Afghanistan, the SCO has witnessed burgeoning security cooperation among its members on regional and international arenas. Meanwhile, "a community of development for us all" is taking shape. As Xi pointed out, "True development is development for all and good development is sustainable." File photo taken on Nov. 9, 2020 shows a train carrying tires, auto parts, electronic components and other goods from Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) preparing to leave the Qingdao multimodal transportation center in the China-SCO local economic and trade cooperation demonstration zone in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) Major projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, SCO training and demonstration base for agricultural technology exchange and China-SCO local economic and trade cooperation demonstration zone have brought tangible benefits for local people. In recent years, the world has also encountered turbulence of unilateralism and protectionism, with some voices advocating "clash of civilizations" and inciting prejudice and hatred. However, each civilization, Xi said, is distinct and none is superior to others. "We need to promote mutual learning between our civilizations and enhance good-neighborliness and friendship between our countries." GLOBAL CONTRIBUTOR Covering over 60 percent of the Eurasian landmass and nearly half of the world's population, the SCO is well-known for its growing role in maintaining regional stability and boosting common prosperity. "One of the main goals and objectives of the SCO is to promote comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development in the region through joint actions based on equal partnership of the member states, in order to steadily improve the living conditions of peoples," Kabuljon Sabirov, director of the Tashkent-based SCO's Public Diplomacy Center, told Xinhua. As an increasingly important cooperation mechanism and platform, the SCO has also won worldwide recognition as it has never accepted the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game thoughts, and has strived for a shared future and a new type of international relations. File photo taken on July 16, 2018 shows attendees of the third Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Youth Campus taking selfies in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) The SCO sets a good example for a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation, said Li Ziguo, director of the Department for European-Central Asian Studies of the China Institute of International Studies. Since its founding 20 years ago, the SCO has continuously developed and expanded, and its influence has been continuously improved, Li said, adding that the SCO has successfully explored a new type of cooperation and development path for regional organizations. The formation of the SCO, with an aim "to create stable mechanisms of interaction, a platform for constant political dialogue and regional economic cooperation," was a turning point in the development of mankind, Sabirov said. "The SCO was and is a collective response of the peoples of a vast region to the challenges of our time," he said. The SCO, which marks its 20th founding anniversary on June 15, has grown into a major force in facilitating the realization of lasting peace and common development, said Nurgaliyev. "China better understands that one's own well-being depends on the successful development of his neighbors. If your neighbor has a more successful economy, you can benefit from it," Nurgaliyev noted. "Turning 20 years old, the SCO has walked a glorious path. There is a very high level of mutual trust and understanding, with member states ready to jointly respond to challenges on the international agenda," he said. [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) central committee politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune speaks during the handover ceremony of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines in Vientiane, Laos, on June 15, 2021. A batch of Chinese government-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Wattay International Airport in Laos on Monday with a handover ceremony held upon their arrival. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) VIENTIANE, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Laos has arranged for the administering of China's COVID-19 vaccines nationwide, which have fully proved their safety and efficacy, Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) central committee politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune said. At the handover ceremony for the fourth batch of Chinese government-donated COVID-19 vaccines, held at the Ministry of Health of Laos on Tuesday, the Lao deputy prime minister said that at the critical time when the new wave of epidemic hits the country, China once again extends a helping hand timely, providing a new batch of vaccine assistance, which is a valuable and tremendous support to the epidemic prevention and control in Laos. Kikeo also said that the Lao side attaches great importance to the health of Chinese citizens and overseas Chinese in Laos, providing them, just like the Lao citizens, with free vaccination services. Jiang Zaidong, the Chinese ambassador to Laos, said in his speech at the ceremony that he was informed that 85 percent of Lao's vaccinated population were administered with China's donated vaccines. "We believe that the new batch of vaccines will promptly and effectively fill the vaccine gap in Laos and make positive contribution to the Lao people's coming victory over the epidemic," said the Chinese ambassador. The new batch of Chinese government-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Wattay International Airport in Lao capital Vientiane on Monday. Enditem 3 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths (on the screen) briefs a Security Council meeting on the situation in Yemen at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 15, 2021. Griffiths on Tuesday called for ending the war in Yemen without delay, while highlighting the importance of the UN-facilitated political process. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, June 15 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths on Tuesday called for ending the war in Yemen without delay, while highlighting the importance of the UN-facilitated political process. "Let us, for the sake of Yemen, end this war without delay so that we can begin the real and final battle, the battle for peace," said Griffiths, the special envoy for Yemen, who gave his final briefing in that post to the Security Council. "Yemen needs a pluralistic political future, and the UN-facilitated political process must pave the way for them to achieve just that," he added. "We know very well what the people want. It is precisely what this Council wants: stability based on rights and freedoms. Yemen needs, for its survival and the welfare of its citizens, a government that is accountable to its people and united in support of fundamental rights, and an open and prosperous economy," said the special envoy. Griffiths stressed that a nationwide ceasefire would have "undeniable humanitarian value" and that the continued closure of Sanaa airport and the port of Hodeidah are "unjustifiable" and must end. He said that he has learned during his three years on the job that leaders in Yemen have come close to choosing peace over war but, time and time again, when one side is ready to compromise, the other side is not. Mark Lowcock, whom Griffiths will shortly replace as Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that May was the deadliest month this year for civilians, with 60 civilians killed. He said the Ansar Allah offensive in Marib continues to threaten millions of people and he called once more for a nationwide ceasefire and for the parties to spare civilians and civilian objects. Lowcock noted the work humanitarians have done to prevent famine in Yemen but added that two brushes with famine in the last three years are not a success. Enditem 2 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] Cabinet to offer Rada to allocate additional UAH 1.4 bln for program to combat COVID-19, in particular for vaccines procurement Shmyhal The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will propose to the Verkhovna Rada to allocate an additional UAH 1.4 billion for the program to combat coronavirus, in particular for the purchase of vaccines, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal informed. "The government will propose to the Verkhovna Rada to allocate an additional UAH 1.4 billion for the program to combat coronavirus, and in particular for the purchase of vaccines. Today we have approved a relevant bill to avoid further funding problems," Shmyhal said at a government meeting on Wednesday. The prime minister recalled that in total there are agreements in Ukraine for the supply of more than 40 million doses in 2021, some of these supplies have already been paid for, and advance payments are being made for the other part. "An additional UAH 1.4 billion will be directed to a special budget fund from customs clearance of cars with European license plates," he added. Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova will hold a meeting at the U.S. State Department on Wednesday, the day of talks between U.S. and Russian Presidents Joseph Biden and Vladimir Putin. As follows from the schedule for June 16, published on the website of the State Department, Markarova will meet with Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker. The meeting is scheduled for 19.00 local time. As reported, a Russian-American summit will be held in Geneva on Wednesday. Also, the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, will hold talks (the conversation is scheduled to start at 13.15 local time). A press conference of the President of the Russian Federation on the results of the summit is scheduled for 18.00. The American side plans to hold Biden's press conference after Putin. Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko proposed to the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UCF) to reconsider its decisions. "Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko met with representatives from experts and applicants of the UCF to continue the dialogue to stabilize the situation around the institute [...] The Minister invited the Supervisory Board to reconsider its decisions," the ministry's press service said. It is reported that, formally, the Ministry of Culture cannot cancel the competitions that are determined by the Supervisory Board of the UCF, and its other decisions, since the legislation does not provide for the norms for control of the Supervisory Board. During the meeting, the issue of additional competition for the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence was also discussed. "Large-scale events to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Independence of Ukraine are planned in pursuance of the decree of the President of Ukraine No. 459/2020, in order to support their holding, the UCF has introduced an additional grant program," the ministry said. Among other things, Tkachenko said that the Ministry of Culture is now working out amendments to the law, which would improve the procedure for forming the UCF's Supervisory Board and terminating the powers of its members. As reported, executive director of the UCF Vladyslav Berkovsky says that he does not see any crisis in the work of the Foundation, and also does not see any legal grounds for canceling the decisions of the Foundation's Supervisory Board. Earlier, UCF experts signed an open letter to the Prime Minister and Minister of Culture demanding to facilitate the dissolution of the Foundation's Supervisory Board and cancel its decision on projects with high ratings. Border guards of Mukacheve detachment, together with their colleagues from Hungary, have conducted the first joint patrol of the Ukrainian-Hungarian border this year. According to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, joint patrols have been suspended since March last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "The patrolling of the Ukrainian-Hungarian border yesterday was carried out across the territory of Hungary opposite the area of responsibility of Luzhnyky Border Service Department," it was reported. It is noted that only law enforcement officers who have been vaccinated against coronavirus are allowed to patrol. Border guards of Ukraine and Hungary began joint patrols of the Ukrainian-Hungarian border in 2014. Such patrols are carried out both on the territory of Ukraine and on the territory of Hungary. Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed the return of assets belonging to Ukraine and illegally appropriated by former high-ranking officials and related individuals and legal entities from abroad, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) said. "More than $360 million have now been blocked in foreign jurisdictions, which were found in criminal investigations into only two former high-ranking officials and one former MP. Ukrainian assets have been found in the United States, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Antigua and Barbuda, etc. Everywhere these funds have a different status, but our task is the same to return them to the state. We must make every effort international legal cooperation in criminal proceedings related to corruption and money laundering, as well as diplomatic dialogue to intensify these processes," Venediktova said. Kuleba, in turn, stressed that the fight against corruption remains one of the key priorities of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the entire team. "The head of state has set a clear task: to return to Ukraine the assets stolen during the years of independence. At the same time, the corrupt officials not only robbed the state treasury, but also actively hid the appropriated assets abroad. Therefore, the involvement of the Foreign Ministry here is essential. We have agreed with the Prosecutor General's Office to make additional efforts to search for and detect illegally appropriated assets abroad and negotiate with foreign states on ways to return them," Kuleba said. The parties agreed to coordinate the efforts of departments in the field of the identification and return of stolen funds hidden abroad. The Prosecutor General's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are also initiating the conclusion of intergovernmental agreements on the terms of the return of confiscated assets. Last year, Ukrainian aviation faced many challenges, so there were almost no encouraging forecasts regarding the resumption of flights or the opening of new directions. However, immediately after the lifting of restrictions on flights, the Ukrainian airline WINDROSE carried out its first domestic flight. It was a bright start for a new stage in the company's development, the goal of which is to raise the culture of transportation in our country to a higher level. In February 2020, WINDROSE CEO Volodymyr Kamenchuk announced the launch of a new project. "WINDROSE has been providing services of tourist transportation to different parts of the world for more than 16 years. Subsequently, it became clear that it was time to apply our experience to domestic flights. This year we are launching a new domestic program that will connect the large cities of our country with convenient and fast flights." The network started with the six largest Ukrainian cities. However, over the year, the flight map extended to 12 destinations: Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Kherson, Zaporizhia and Mykolaiv, and in June of this year new routes were opened to Uzhgorod, Kryvy Rih and Chernivtsi. With the start of the new program, WINDROSE has renewed its fleet - domestic flights are carried out mainly on board ATR 72-600 aircraft. These are aircraft of increased safety, reliability and comfort, specially designed for regional flights. A new modern trend is to fly within Ukraine. "Creating a habit of flying within Ukraine is now our main goal. During this year we have made a lot of efforts to make Ukrainians know as much as possible about this opportunity. We are already seeing the result and the shifts are very positive. First of all, Ukrainians must understand that to travel by plane across the country is accessible and comfortable," PR manager of the company Iryna Levenko said. Now the company is developing a network of domestic transportation and successfully opening new directions. We hope that soon Ukrainians will be convinced of the availability and speed of domestic flights and travel around Ukraine with the reliable wings of WINDROSE Airline. MacKenzie Scott is seen at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in Beverly Hills, California (Photo : REUTERS/Danny Moloshok) Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced on Tuesday that she has donated $2.7 billion to nearly 300 organizations focused on what she described as "categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked." Scott, who became one of the world's richest women upon her 2019 divorce from Amazon.com In founder Jeff Bezos, has since given away more than $8 billion in three rounds of contributions - each made public via a surprise announcement. Advertisement Last year, amid the coronavirus pandemic, she donated more than $4 billion to food banks and emergency relief funds, months after she announced $1.7 billion in grants to causes such as racial equality, LGBTQ rights and climate change. Scott, who is now married to Dan Jewett, a Seattle science teacher, received a 4% stake in Amazon as part of her divorce and has promised to give away the vast majority of her fortune. The 51-year-old is worth around $60 billion, according to Forbes, making her the 20th-richest person in the world. In a blog post on the website Medium, Scott said she and Jewett grappled with how to announce the donations due to their discomfort with becoming the center of the story, rather than the groups they intend to benefit. "Me, Dan, a constellation of researchers and administrators and advisors - we are all attempting to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change," she wrote. "In this effort, we are governed by a humbling belief that it would be better if disproportionate wealth were not concentrated in a small number of hands." The groups range from higher education institutions such as schools in the California and Texas state university systems and community colleges, to arts centers such as the Apollo Theater, and to organizations dedicated to racial and gender equity. Biden and Putin summit: Where they disagree and where they might compromise Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden during their meeting in Moscow (Photo : REUTERS/Alexander Natruskin/File Photo) Don't expect a major breakthrough at a summit on Wednesday between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, given relations between Washington and Moscow are their most strained in years. "We're not expecting a big set of deliverables out of this meeting," a senior official told reporters aboard Air Force One. The two leaders are expected to talk for four of five hours, the U.S. official said. Advertisement Both leaders say they hope the Geneva meeting, their first in-person encounter since Biden became president in January, can lead to stable and predictable relations, even though they remain at odds over everything from Syria to Ukraine. Despite their disagreements, they could make some modest progress. CYBER/RANSOMWARE Ransomware attacks by criminals reportedly linked to Russia that have twice targeted critical American infrastructure are a concern for the United States. The FBI has not disclosed any evidence showing Russian government involvement in the attacks on U.S. fuel transporter Colonial Pipeline Co and meatpacker JBS SA of Brazil, and Putin says the idea that Russia was responsible is absurd. But Biden intends to bring up the issue and has suggested he wants Russian authorities to crack down on such cybercriminals. Putin has said Moscow would be willing to hand over suspects if any deal cuts both ways. Biden is also likely to raise U.S. concerns over Russian cyber meddling in U.S. politics, something Moscow, which is pushing for a cyber non-interference pact, denies. HUMAN RIGHTS, NAVALNY Biden has said his administration will prioritise the global promotion of human rights and democracy and not shy away from warning countries over their records. Washington has criticised Moscow over its treatment and alleged poisoning of Navalny, and says he should be freed. The Kremlin, which denies the poisoning, has said Russian politics is a domestic matter and Washington should stay out of it. It says it will not take lectures from a country it casts as having many human rights problems of its own. NUCLEAR ARMS The world's two biggest nuclear powers are keen to talk arms control to ensure stable relations between their militaries. In February, they extended for five years the New START treaty, which limits the numbers of strategic nuclear warheads, missiles and bombers each can deploy. Moscow is keen on a longer extension that would include newer systems. After the 2019 demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Russia also wants to do a deal that neither side deploy certain land-based missiles in Europe. UKRAINE The United States has been Ukraine's most powerful ally since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, a move that pushed Moscow's ties with the West to post-Cold War lows. A build-up of Russian forces in Crimea and near Ukraine's borders earlier this year worried Washington, which wants Russia to return Crimea and Kyiv to regain control of a swath of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists. NATO leaders on Monday reiterated a 2008 decision that Ukraine could one day join, but Biden said Kyiv had to root out corruption and meet other criteria first. Putin had said Ukraine was a "red line" and he wants Washington to steer clear. He has baulked at the idea of Ukrainian membership of NATO, said Crimea is Russian, and told Kyiv it needs to talk to separatists in eastern Ukraine if it wants the territory back in any form. AMBASSADORS, CONSULAR SERVICES The status of foreign missions is one area where both sides believe there may be scope for progress. Russia recalled Anatoly Antonov, its ambassador to Washington, in March after Biden said he believed Putin was a "killer," while John Sullivan, the U.S. ambassador to Moscow, returned to Washington for consultations in April. An agreement for both diplomats to return to their posts would send a signal that some progress had been made. There may also be room for a mini-deal on visas and embassy staffing. Russia, in response to U.S. sanctions, has imposed limits on the number of local staff the U.S. embassy can employ, forcing Washington to cut consular services. It has also withdrawn from an agreement that eased restrictions on diplomats travelling around each other's countries. PRISONERS Russia is holding former U.S. marine Paul Whelan on an espionage conviction, and Trevor Reed, another former U.S. marine, for an alleged assault on a police officer. Both deny wrongdoing. Their families have pressed for their release ahead of the summit. Asked if he would consider a prisoner swap, Putin told NBC News: "Yes, yes of course." Whelan's Russian lawyer has previously suggested Moscow would be interested in a deal that brought arms dealer Viktor Bout home as well as Konstantin Yaroshenko, a pilot convicted of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the United States. BELARUS The Kremlin has said it expects Putin and Biden to discuss Belarus, a close Russian ally plunged into crisis last year when street protests erupted over what demonstrators said was a rigged presidential election. With Moscow's help, veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko has so far ridden out the storm by carrying out a brutal crackdown. His grounding last month of a commercial airliner and arrest of a dissident blogger on board drew Western outrage. Biden is likely to challenge Putin over his support for Lukashenko and question him about plans to push ahead with integrating the two countries economically and politically. Putin regards Belarus as part of Russia's sphere of influence and the two leaders are unlikely to see eye to eye. SYRIA Biden will question Putin on Moscow's apparent reluctance to continue a U.N-backed cross-border aid operation into Syria whose mandate is due to expire next month, and urge Putin to support it, a U.S. official said. U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock last month appealed to the Security Council not to cut a cross-border aid "lifeline" to some 3 million Syrians in the country's north. Putin told NBC that Russia thought the West should distribute any aid it provides to Syria via the central government, accusing it of not doing so to try to avoid President Bashar al-Assad. A Southwest Airline Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft lands at Victorville Airport in Victorville, California, U.S., (Photo : REUTERS/Mike Blake) Southwest Airlines canceled nearly 300 flights Wednesday and delayed more than 500 a day after it was forced to temporarily halt operations over a computer glitch. The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it had issued a temporary nationwide groundstop at the request of Southwest Airlines to resolve a computer reservation issue. Advertisement "While our technology issues from Tuesday have been resolved, we are still experiencing a small number of cancellations and delays across our network as we continue working to resume normal operations," airline spokesman Dan Landson said. Tuesday's groundstop lasted about 45 minutes, and ended at 2:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday (1830 GMT), the FAA said. FlightAware.com, a flight tracking website said Southwest had canceled 315 flights Wednesday through 2 p.m. EDT, or 8% of those scheduled, and delayed a further 562. Southwest said it had canceled about 500 flights Tuesday and delayed hundreds of others after the stoppage, which it said was the result of "intermittent performance issues with our network connectivity." Southwest delayed nearly 1,300 flights on Tuesday, or 37% of its flights. Earlier Southwest reported a separate issue that required a groundstop Monday after its "third-party weather data provider experienced intermittent performance issues ... preventing transmission of weather information that is required to safely operate our aircraft." The airline said that issue affected several hundred flights and was resolved after 11 p.m. CDT Monday. Putin says satisfied with Biden explanation for calling him a "killer" Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a bilateral meeting with Swiss President Guy Parmelin, after the U.S.-Russia summit, in Geneva (Photo : REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/Pool) Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that U.S. President Joe Biden had phoned him to explain why he had called him "a killer" in March and that the explanation he had offered had satisfied Putin. Putin was speaking at a news conference after a summit with Biden in Geneva. Advertisement Biden in an ABC News interview broadcast in March said "I do" when asked if he believed Putin was a killer. That prompted Russia to recall its Washington ambassador for consultations, and the U.S. ambassador to Moscow returned home for consultations later too. Biden and Putin agreed to return their ambassadors at Wednesday's summit. "As regards those sharp declarations what can I say, we're all familiar with them," said Putin, referring to Biden's ABC interview. "President Biden phoned me afterwards and we exchanged views on the subject. These explanations suited me," said Putin. The Russian leader went on to list what he said he regarded as numerous human rights violations by U.S. authorities and accused the U.S. military of being responsible for the murder of civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq. "Who takes responsibility for that?," said Putin. "Who is the murderer?" Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks alongside William F. Sweeney Jr., assistant director-in-charge of the New York Office, (Photo : REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo) Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite fighting U.S. federal sex trafficking charges, remains subjected to raw sewage, water deprivation, "hyper-surveillance" by overbearing guards and other unacceptable treatment in jail, according to her lawyer. Maxwell, 59, is preparing for a possible November trial on charges she procured four underage girls for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse. Maxwell has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted. Advertisement In a Tuesday night filing, lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said Maxwell was forced to change cells at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after raw sewage last week permeated her cell. Sternheim also said guards are still able to read Maxwell's confidential legal papers and monitor her meetings with lawyers, and that neither Maxwell nor her lawyers were allowed water during a four-hour meeting on Sunday. Despite complaints about Maxwell's treatment, "little if anything has been done," Sternheim wrote. "The ever-changing rules are negatively impacting Ms. Maxwell's ability to prepare for trial," Sternheim added. "The hyper-surveillance of Ms. Maxwell and counsel during legal visits is highly inappropriate and invasive." Sternheim's letter was in response to a June 7 letter from prosecutors that said guards can see but cannot hear Maxwell's discussions with the lawyers. Prosecutors also said Maxwell still gets more time than any other inmate at the Brooklyn jail to use a computer and review evidence, and at least as much time to talk with her lawyers. They also said Maxwell remains "physically healthy." The office of U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss in Manhattan declined to comment on Sternheim's letter. The letter from prosecutors was made public on Wednesday. Maxwell is the daughter of the late British publishing magnate Robert Maxwell, and a former girlfriend and longtime associate of Epstein. She has been denied bail three times by U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, who oversees the case, and twice by a federal appeals court. Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 after pleading not guilty to sex trafficking charges. New York City's medical examiner called the death a suicide. The first conference, convened in January 2020, aimed to promote a ceasefire in the conflict over Tripoli and forge a roadmap to enable the creation of a new interim executive to manage the country until parliamentary and presidential elections were held by December 2021. Despite the progress that has been made since then, there remain sharp differences between the main Libyan stakeholders over the steps that need to be taken to hold the elections. There is a strong chance that the second Berlin Conference could yield substantial changes in the Berlin roadmap in order to avert failure and a possible slide back into war. It took over half a year after Berlin I for the parties to reach a ceasefire. Once it took hold, the UN sponsored the creation of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), an assembly of representatives of different components of Libyan society charged with forming the new executive. After a series of meetings in Tunis and Geneva from November 2020 through the first months of this year, the LPDF succeeded in creating a new Libyan Presidency Council and a new Government of National Unity (GNU) and in reunifying the divided Libyan House of Representatives (HoR). The reunified parliament convened in March to give a vote of confidence to the new government, although its members are still at odds over the measures in the roadmap. In order for elections to go ahead as planned on 24 December, Libyan lawmakers and other decision-makers still need to agree on the budget for the new executive authority, fill several key offices, approve the legal basis for the elections and draw up the electoral laws for the parliamentary and presidential elections. One camp is also insisting on a constitutional referendum before the elections are held. Some security-related steps also have to be taken to ensure a safe climate for the elections, among them unifying the military and security establishments, securing the coastal road between Sirte and Misrata, and removing all foreign fighters and mercenaries from the country, as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement between members of the UN-sponsored Joint Libyan Military Committee in Geneva last autumn. Differences over such issues are not limited to the Libyan stakeholders. Some of the regional and international participants in the Berlin Conference in 2020 are advancing particular views on the disputed questions and on the order of priorities. In order to cap the tensions and to keep the tangle of local and foreign interests from throttling the political process, Germany in partnership with the UN has called for the second Berlin Conference to be held on 23 June. The agenda will focus on three main issues: the elections, withdrawing mercenaries and foreign military advisers and forces, and creating a unified Libyan security force. Meanwhile, the HoR and the High Council of State (HCS) have been unable to settle their differences on the legal basis for the elections that the LPDF legal committee submitted for approval last month. Fifty-one members of the 200-member HoR and 91 members of the 145-member HCS have insisted on holding a referendum on the constitution adopted by the Libyan Constituent Assembly in July 2017, a step the HCS had also previously opposed in 2018. The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has not commented on the joint statement issued by the 142 advocates of a constitutional referendum. Some voices from this camp have also called for the reconstitution of the Supreme Electoral Commission, a suggestion the Western powers oppose because it would prevent the elections being held on time in December. Some participants in the Berlin I Conference have been dragging their heels on implementing their obligations to withdraw the mercenaries and military advisers they poured into the country to help their proxies. However, this is only one of the problems that cloud the future unification of the Libyan military and security establishment, despite the major inroads that have been achieved towards this end thanks to Egyptian mediating efforts, leading to the unification of the Libyan army command in 2018 and the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire in 2020. A conducive environment at all levels is required in order to furnish the solid foundations needed to proceed to free-and-fair elections in Libya, the results of which can be accepted by all. Above all, the major Libyan stakeholders have yet to meet the commitment they made to Libyas international partners to do what is necessary to ensure the success of the roadmap adopted by the LPDF in November 2020. This includes implementing UN Security Council Resolutions 2570 and 2571. Other inhibiting factors are the lack of a unified European stance on key issues and the Russian-Turkish rivalry in Libya. The Libyan crisis has thus far generated numerous attempts to shape and promote the peace process. These include the 55-point, UN-endorsed Berlin process with its political, security and economic tracks, the outputs of previous UN-sponsored meetings between the Libyan factions such as the 2015 Skhirat Agreement, the Roadmap to an Interim Phase for a Comprehensive Solution and the Executive Authority Powers, documents adopted by the LPDF in Tunisia in November 2020, and the Bouznika Understandings reached between the HoR and the HCS in March and April on executive offices, the legal basis for the elections, and the electoral laws. These multiple frames-of-reference, with their ambiguities and contradictions, offer plenty of room for the various players to manoeuvre. But the main goal must be to promote a peace settlement that all the Libyan parties can commit to and ensure that outside actors genuinely support the UN-facilitated process. *A version of this article appears in print in the 17 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: The Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb has called on the international, Arab, Islamic, and African communities to support Egypt and Sudan in preserving their water rights. In a statement issued on Tuesday night, El-Tayyeb demanded the international community address the claims of ownership of the River Nile by some countries that harm the lives of the peoples of the two downstream countries Egypt and Sudan. For almost a decade, Egypt and Sudan have been pushing towards a comprehensive and legally binding agreement with Ethiopia over its near-complete dam which is being built on the Blue Nile before commencing its second filling next month. However, Addis Ababa has repeatedly refused to sign a binding instrument on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), seeking instead to draft guidelines that can be modified any time at its discretion. Addis Ababas officials have repeatedly announced they would fill GERDs 74 billion cubic metres (bcm) reservoir with 13.5 bcm starting 22 July to raise the amount of water to 18.4 bcm, up from the 4.9 bcm it secured in 2020, with or without a deal. "All religions agree that the ownership of natural resources necessary for people's livelihood, like rivers, are public property, and it is not right in any case, and under any circumstances, to be left to the property of an individual, individuals, or a state to have the exclusive disposal of them excluding all other countries participating in this [international] natural source," El-Tayeb said. "The prohibition, confinement, or restriction [of water] on others is a deprivation of one of the rights of God Almighty and whoever does that is an unjust and aggressor," the leader of the Sunni Muslim world's top religious institution said, calling on the responsible authorities locally, regionally, and internationally to protect the rights of people from such "perversion and corruption in land." He also hailed the Egyptian and Sudanese diplomatic efforts for adopting serious negotiations and striving to find solutions that preserve the rights of all, the statement said. While Addis Ababa argues the GERD issue is a matter of Ethiopian national sovereignty, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri made it clear in May that there is no sovereignty when it comes to an international river. The foreign minister also stressed that Egypt will not accept harm caused by irresponsible behaviour, and will steadfastly defend its water rights. Short link: Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki met with visiting Chief of the US National Guard Bureau Daniel Hokanson and his accompanying delegation on Monday. The meeting tackled issues of common interest in light of current regional and international developments and their impacts on the Middle East's stability as well as ways of boosting military cooperation between the two countries' armed forces. Zaki hailed the strategic partnership binding the Egyptian and US armed forces in different domains, stressing Egypt's willingness to expand the horizon of joint military cooperation. Meanwhile, Hokanson lauded the strong friendship and coordination with the Egyptian Armed Forces, saying he is looking forward to more cooperation in the coming period. Zaki also witnessed the signing of a partnership agreement between the Armed Forces and the Texas Army National Guard to enhance aspects of military cooperation. The US military delegation is officially visiting Egypt for a number of days. Short link: Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi affirmed on Tuesday his country's full readiness to defend the Egyptian and Sudanese rights in the River Nile waters. Jerandi's remarks came during his speech at the Arab League's (AL) extraordinary meeting of Arab foreign ministers over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis in Doha on Tuesday. The AL's GERD-focused meeting was held in light of the stalled negotiations of the Ethiopian dam between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia since April and Addis Ababa's imminent unilateral second-year filling of the $4.8 billion hydropower project, which the two downstream countries reject without forging a legally binding deal over its filling and operation. Jerandi also reiterated his country's stance expressed by Tunisian President Kais Saeid in supporting Egypt and Sudan in preserving their water interests, considering the matter an Arab national water security. During a joint press conference in April with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo, Saeid affirmed that his country would never accept Egypts water security to be compromised. Saeid's statement came few days after the collapse of the 6,000-megawatt dam's last round of talks which was sponsored by the African Union (AU) and aimed to revive the already stalled negotiations since January was held in the AUs chair country, the DR Congo, in April but failed to stir the stagnant water, with both Egypt and Sudan blaming Ethiopias intransigence. In a resolution issued on Tuesday, the AL stressed its rejection of any measures that would undermine the water share of Egypt and Sudan, calling for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to intervene in the crisis which risks aggravated tensions in the region. On Saturday, Egypt sent a letter, which Ahram Online exclusively had a copy of, to the president of the UNSC expressing its objection to Addis Ababa's plan to move ahead unilaterally with the second filling of the GERD in July in the absence of a legally binding agreement. Egypt fears the massive $4.8 billion hydropower project will significantly diminish its water supply, while Sudan fears it would threaten the lives of millions of its people and risk its national security. Short link: Egypt "is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati told British Minister of Trade and Energy Anne-Marie Trevelyan during a meeting in Cairo on Wednesday. Egypt needs 114 billion cubic metres (bcm) annually, but it receives an average of 60 bcm only, mainly from the River Nile in light of the very limited amounts of rainwater and groundwater in the desert, Abdel-Ati said. The countrys population, estimated at over 100 million, is expected to increase by 75 million by 2050, which will add more pressure on Egypts water resources, he noted. Egypts annual share of water is 560 m3 per person, cabinet figures show, placing the country well below the international threshold for water scarcity. When annual water supplies drop below 1,000 m3 per person, according to the UN, the population faces water scarcity, and below 500 cubic metres "absolute scarcity." The Egyptian minister noted that the gap is compensated by the reuse of agricultural wastewater and groundwater in the Valley and Delta, in addition to importing food products that would otherwise consume 34 bcm of water annually to produce. In a previous statement by Abdel-Ati, he explained that Egypt overcomes water scarcity by importing 54 percent of its virtual water, which is the embedded water required to produce commodities, and reusing 42 percent of renewable energy in Egypt. Egypt has drawn a strategy for its water resources until 2050, at a cost of up to EGP 900 billion, he said. It has also developed a four-pronged National Water Resources Plan, running through 2037 and based on rationalising water use, improving water quality, providing additional water resources, and creating a climate suitable for optimal water management, the minister added. Under this strategy, many projects are being implemented to increase the capacity of the water system to deal with water challenges, including wastewater treatment, seawater desalination, rehabilitation and lining of canals, and switching from surface to modern irrigation systems in agriculture. Abdel-Ati stressed that "Egypt is one of the countries most affected by climate change," which has negative repercussions on its water resources and threatens sustainable development and peoples right to access water. This comes, he adds, in light of the rising sea levels and the impact of climate change on the sources of the River Nile. Many extreme climatic phenomena also come into play, such as heat waves, cold waves and torrential rains, which affect the economic, social, and environmental sectors in the country. Abdel-Ati referred to the effect of climate change on agriculture, food security, energy, health, coastal areas, and Egypts northern lakes. Egypt is also facing the risk of losing 12-15 percent of its lands in the Delta, which are the most fertile, as a result of the expected rise in sea levels and the intrusion of saline water, which affects the quality of groundwater, Abdel-Ati pointed out. The meeting between Abdel-Ati and Trevelyan was attended by Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad. It also tackled means to boost joint cooperation in the field of water resources and confronting the repercussions of global warming. Short link: Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed the latest developments in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue and the Palestinian territories with Luxembourgs Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn in Cairo, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. In a press conference held following their talks, Shoukry said that they also discussed developments in Libya. Aside from regional developments, the top diplomats discussed ways to boost bilateral relations between Egypt and Luxembourg, especially economic cooperation between the two countries. During the press conference, the foreign minister expressed his appreciation for Luxembourgs support of Egypt. From his side, Luxembourg Minister Jean Asselborn said that the relations between the two countries are strong and that they agreed to boost economic relations between them through Luxembourgish companies. He added that Luxembourg was working to prepare agreements to boost economic cooperation, revealing that efforts are under way to sign an agreement on avoiding double taxation, and that this would boost trade cooperation between the two sides. Concerning the human rights issues, he said he did not come to Egypt to give lessons about human rights, yet he encouraged more countries to respect them. Asselbon commented on GERD issue in the press conference, saying that he hoped that the international community would find a solution to this problem. The Luxembourg FM stated his country understood the Egyptian perspective, but that it could not prod Ethiopia into doing anything. Luxembourg is trying to contribute to the solution, he said. Praising Egypts efforts to reach and maintain a ceasefire deal between the Palestinian factions and Israel, Asselborn regretted the European Unions failure to reach a consensus to facillitate a ceasefire deal. He said the EU spent years focusing on the Iranian and Saudi files and neglected the Palestinian-Israeli file. Noting that establishing a Palestinian state is not a threat to Israel, Luxembourg's top diplomat wished the new Israeli government would choose peace. Short link: Egypt sent a new batch of humanitarian assistance to Beirut on Wednesday to support the people of Lebanon in their current crisis, the Egyptian Armed Forces announced. Acting on directives of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the General Command of the Armed Forces ordered the dispatch of the Halayeb transport ship to Lebanon with large quantities of humanitarian assistance on board. The ship set sail from Suez's Adibiya port to Beirut harbor as part of Egypt's continued support of Lebanon. From their side, the Lebanese officials expressed appreciation for continued Egyptian support of their country to help it overcome its current crisis. Short link: Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said the stances adopted by the Ethiopian side regarding an agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) affirm Ethiopia's intransigence and "attempts to evade the goal." Shoukry made the remarks Wednesday in response to journalists' questions on the outcome of his visit to Doha and the Arab foreign ministers meeting on GERD. His comments came during a joint press conference with Luxembourgs Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean Asselborn, currently visiting Cairo. The consultative meeting of the Arab League Council was held at the request of Egypt and Sudan, to discuss the Ethiopian dam issue, Shoukry said, noting that the council issued a decision in which it supported the Egyptian-Sudanese position and the water rights of both countries. It also called on Ethiopia to take more flexible positions and seek to reach an agreement on filling and operating the GERD, he added. Shoukry said Egypt has sought, over ten years, to reach an agreement that ensures the shared ownership of the Nile River, as well as Ethiopia's right to development without harming the water interests of the two downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan. He recalled that Cairo and Khartoum have made concessions and showed flexibility in order to "provide an opportunity for brothers in Ethiopia to improve the standard of living and achieve development." "But so far we have found no political will on the part of the Ethiopian side to sign an agreement that has been formulated in Washington. The Ethiopian negotiator participated and agreed on all its terms, and then backtracked when the time came for signing it," the foreign minister added. Shoukry also highlighted the great efforts exerted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, which were followed with other endeavors from the DR Congos leader in the same regard, noting that Cairo sought to resume negotiations. However, negotiations have been disrupted due to the Ethiopian sides refusal to resume them, he said, stressing that all those stances reflect Ethiopias intransigence. Shoukry pointed out that Egypt has sought to change the situation through all political means and urged the international community to assume its responsibilities, since the situation may result in heightened tensions that could have negative impacts on security and stability in the region, as well as across all Africa. The Egyptian foreign minister noted that Cairo asked Addis Ababa to imitate Europe's successful experiences in the field of water resources management, in addition to relevant success stories in Africa, where there are committees that manage the Niger and Senegal rivers. Benefiting from such good experiences could have been very much possible had it not been for the Ethiopian sides intransigence and insistence to impose its will by claiming absolute sovereignty over an international river, in violation of international law, he added. For his side, Asselbon commented on GERD issue in the press conference, saying that he hoped that the international community would find a solution to this problem. The Luxembourg FM stated his country understood the Egyptian perspective, but that it could not prod Ethiopia into doing anything. Luxembourg is trying to contribute to the solution, he said. Asselborn also said that Luxembourg was working to prepare agreements to boost economic cooperation, revealing that efforts are under way to sign an agreement on avoiding double taxation. He said that this would boost trade cooperation between the two sides. Concerning the human rights issues, he said he did not come to Egypt to give lessons about human rights, yet he encouraged more countries to respect them. Praising Egypts efforts to reach and maintain a ceasefire deal between the Palestinian factions and Israel, Asselborn regretted the European Unions failure to reach a consensus to facillitate a ceasefire deal. He said the EU spent years focusing on the Iranian and Saudi files and neglected the Palestinian-Israeli file. Noting that establishing a Palestinian state is not a threat to Israel, Luxembourg's top diplomat wished the new Israeli government would choose peace. Short link: US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry asserted Egypt is already in a position which enables the country to lead in transition to renewable energy. Egypt has chances for becoming the first country in solar and renewable energies worldwide, Kerry told reporters following talks with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the Foreign Ministry's HQ on Wednesday. Shoukry and Kerry held talks earlier to discuss recent concerning the climate change issue as well as cooperation in the field of renewable energy Kerry further said Egypt has been chosen to play host and chair an upcoming meeting of a UN conference for climate "COP 27" in 2022. So the US is working together with Egypt as far as next steps are concerned, added Kerry. In statements after the talks, Shoukry reiterated Egypt's commitment to strategic partnership and cooperation with the US. Climate change is a topic to build on to boost joint cooperation, said Shoukry. He said he met with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad and Shoukry to discuss ways of promoting cooperation on the climate change file. During his meeting with the Prime Minister, US special presidential envoy said that his country will encourage US companies to invest in Egypt in the fields of renewable energy and electric vehicles, Cabinet Spokesperson Nader Saad said He also extended thanks to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi for Egypt's commitment towards environmental and climate change issues. Kerry added he was keen to make Egypt his first stop in his regional tour, highlighting Egypt's efforts to establish the largest solar station in the world. From his side, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly hailed the strategic Egyptian-US ties, stressing that the US is a key partner to Egypt. Madbouly welcomed growing investments of the US companies in Egypt, noting that he would work on removing all obstacles facing US investors. He reviewed Egypt's efforts to address climate change, referring to plans for getting cars to operate by natural gas in lieu of diesel oil. He also noted that the country has encouraged the use of electric cars in order to achieve sustainable development goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Prime Minister added in the meeting that Egypt is working on expanding the establishment of water desalination stations, highlighting its issuance of green bonds. Short link: Health Minister Hala Zayed said on Wednesday that Egypt is going to produce 40 million COVID-19 vaccine doses locally in six months. In a video conference meeting with Germanys State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Health Sabine Weiss, Zayed stated that Egypt is producing 100% of the COVID-19 treatment protocol medications locally. The two ministers discussed the latest developments of Coronavirus in Egypt, where Minister Hala Zayed shared that Egypt has a low rate of infections despite its large population. She also noted that despite having three waves of the Coronavirus pandemic, the highest single-day tally of cases has never exceeded 1,700 in Egypt. Zayed and Weiss discussed ways to boost medical cooperation between the two countries, especially between the German federal government agency and research institute responsible for disease control and prevention, the Robert Koch Institute, and the Egyptian Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Egypt is currently manufacturing two million doses of the Sinovac vaccine through the production lines of the country's drugmaker VACSERA as part of a wider deal with the Chinese company to produce a total of 40 million doses by the end of 2021. The local production of the Sinovac vaccine was approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for emergency use on 1 June and by the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) in April. Egypt's aim is to become a vaccine manufacturing hub for Africa, after meeting local needs. Egypt is also in talks to locally manufacture the British AstraZeneca vaccine, according to previous statements by Health Minister Hala Zayed. Short link: Ethiopia's U.N. ambassador said Tuesday that Eritrean troops who have been fighting with his country's forces in a war against the Tigray region's fugitive leaders ``will definitely leave soon,'' a move that would be welcomed by many including the United Nations whose humanitarian chief accused the Eritreans of using starvation as ``a weapon of war.'' The war in Tigray was the subject of an informal closed meeting of the U.N. Security Council where aid chief Mark Lowcock warned that over 350,000 people were in famine conditions, with deaths from starvation already reported and Ethiopia's U.N. envoy Taye Atske Selassie Amde disputed the famine-related data but said there is ``food insecurity'' in Tigray and expressed gratitude for donor help. Lowcock strongly defended the data released last week showing that 350,000 people are facing famine and over 2 million are just a step away . It was released by The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification known as the IPC, which is a global partnership of 15 U.N. agencies and international humanitarian organizations, and uses five categories of food security ranging from people who have enough to eat to those facing ``Famine-Humanitarian Catastrophe.'' In his briefing to the Security Council obtained by The Associated Press, Lowcock called the IPC ``the world's most sophisticated, authoritative, comprehensive, professionally rigorous assessment'' and said if it was wrong, ``it is because it is too optimistic.'' ``The Tigray administration have reported deaths from starvation,'' he said. ``The situation is set to get worse in the coming months, not only in Tigray, but in (neighboring) Afar and Amhara as well.'' Lowcock said the more than 350,000 people in famine ``catastrophe'' conditions is a larger number than the world has seen anywhere in the world since 250,000 Somalis lost their lives to famine in 2011. The largely agricultural Tigray region of about 5.5 million people already had a food security problem amid a locust outbreak when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Nov. 4 announced fighting between his forces and those of the defiant regional government. Tigray leaders dominated Ethiopia for almost three decades but were sidelined after Abiy introduced reforms that won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. No one knows how many thousands of civilians or combatants have been killed. More than 50,000 have fled into neighboring Sudan. Though Abiy declared victory in late November, Ethiopia's military and allied fighters remain active including troops from neighboring Eritrea, a bitter enemy of the now-fugitive officials who once led Tigray. In addition to Eritrean soldiers using starvation as ``a weapon of war,'' Lowcock told the Security Council that ``rape is being used systematically to terrorize women and girls. ... Displaced people are being rounded up, beaten and threatened. Aid workers have been killed, interrogated, beaten, blocked from taking aid to the starving and suffering and told not to come back.'' He warned that without an end to the war and a political solution in Tigray, protection of civilians, and the departure of Eritrean soldiers who are responsible for ``substantial violations'' of international humanitarian law, ``no one should be surprised to see a re-run of 1984.'' In the disastrous famine of 1984-85, about 2 million Africans died of starvation or famine-related ailments, about half of them in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Prime Minister Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in late March that the Eritreans had agreed to go. Asked when they would leave, Ethiopia's Amde told reporters after the council meeting that ``there is a commitment from my government, and the Eritreans are very clear as well, that it is a matter of sorting out some technical and procedural issues. Our expectation is they will definitely leave soon.'' Britain's U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said, ``there can be no further delay.'' ``Farmers have been unable to plant next year's crops due to the violence,'' she told reporters. ``The window for them to do so is about to close. And while the violence continues, it is not only condemning the people of Tigray to desperate hunger this year, but next year, too.'' Woodward stressed that the lives of millions of people hang in the balance. ``The solution is clear: a cease-fire, humanitarian access and political dialogue,'' she said. Woodward said the United Kingdom has announced a further 16.7 million pounds ($23.4 million) in aid for Ethiopia, bringing the total to 47.7 million pounds ($66.8 million) since the conflict began eight months ago. Ambassador Amde singled out the contributions from the UK and China. Lowcock said the United States ``is the only donor who has stepped up in any sort of meaningful way so far.'' He stressed that funding is needed now ``to prevent the famine from getting worse.'' The three African members of the Security Council _ Tunisia, Niger, Kenya joined by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines _ issued a statement late Tuesday expressing ``concern for the humanitarian needs faced by 17.1 million Ethiopians including people in the Tigray region'' and called for stepped up aid. The 14 point statement never mentions famine and warns the council that any action it takes ``must recognize and respond to the reality that Ethiopia is finalizing preparations for an election that is barely a week away.`` Short link: United Nations experts said on Wednesday they had been unable to find evidence of direct support by Islamic State for an Islamist militia in eastern Congo, which was blacklisted in March by Washington as a terrorist group. Experts on Central Africa have been debating whether the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), blamed for increasing violence over the past two years in eastern Congo, has genuine links with the Islamic State group based in the Middle East, sometimes known as ISIS or ISIL. The ADF has publicly aligned itself with Islamic State, which in turn has claimed responsibility for some of its attacks. The United States referred to the ADF as "ISIS-DRC" when it added it to its terrorism blacklist. read more In its latest report, the UN Group of Experts on the Congo said the ADF and Islamic State both benefited from making public statements that link them with each other. Such statements were "complementing and amplifying ADF local propaganda, and suggesting increased global reach for ISIL," the report said. But it added: "The Group did not however find conclusive evidence of ISIL command and control over ADF operations, nor of ISIL direct support to ADF, either financial, human or material." It found the ADF was getting better at making bombs using expertise from fighters recruited from East Africa, but that these bombs were used for "tactical, offensive, defensive and harassment purposes rather than as a terrorist tool". The ADF has committed a spate of brutal reprisal attacks on civilians since the army began operations against it in late 2019. The group killed around 850 people last year in Congos restive east, according to UN figures, and violence has persisted this year with almost weekly attacks. The militia has strengthened its reach through recruitment, superior command over terrain and planting bombs that outstripped the capabilities of the Congolese army, the experts said. They advised the Congolese government to improve the army's intelligence and technical capabilities, while increasing efforts to negotiate with the group to disengage and disarm. Short link: French forces have captured in Mali a man they describe as a "high-ranking fighter of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara" (EIGS), the French army's chief of staff said on Wednesday. Dadi Ould Chouaib, also known as Abou Dardar, was arrested on June 11 in the flashpoint "tri-border" region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, the site of frequent attacks by jihadist groups, the army official said. He was carrying "an automatic weapon, a night vision telescope, a combat vest, a telephone and a radio", but surrendered without resistance. Dardar was formerly a member of the Al-Qaeda-linked Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), many of whose fighters joined EIGS. First arrested in 2014, he was handed over to the Mali authorities. But he was one of around 200 jihadist prisoners released in October 2020 in exchange for four hostages, including French aid worker Sophie Petronin. Dardar is suspected to have been one of the armed men who mutilated three people at a market in Tin Hama in the north of Mali on May 2, cutting off their hands and feet, according to local sources. According to the UN's Mali mission, MINUSMA, the armed men were presumed to belong to EIGS. Dardar's arrest will come as welcome news for France, after President Emmanuel Macron promised in February to step up efforts to "decapitate" al-Qaeda-linked insurgent groups in the semi-arid region. France's strategy is to target the leaders of the militant groups. Its military presence in the Sahel, Operation Barkhane, recently called for the elimination of a high-ranking fighter of the Al-Qaeda group in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), an adversary of the EIGS in the area. Baye Ag Bakabo was responsible for the kidnapping and death of two French RFI journalists, Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, murdered in Kidal (northern Mali) on November 2, 2013. Macron recently announced that France, the former colonial power in the region, will wind down its 5,100-strong Barkhane force that has battled jihadists in the Sahel since 2013. Macron said earlier this month he sees France's future presence as being part of the so-called Takuba international task force in the Sahel in which "hundreds" of French soldiers would form the "backbone". It would mean the closure of French bases and the use of special forces who would be focused on anti-terror operations and military training, he said. But Macron's plans have fuelled fears that certain areas of the Sahel, in particular northern Mali, will pass completely into the hands of jihadist groups, as the local states seem unable to restore their authority in the region. Short link: The Israeli occupation military says it is reining in a controversial practice of conducting late-night raids of Palestinian homes in the West Bank aimed at gathering information about the houses and their inhabitants. The military has in the past defended the practice, known as ``intelligence mapping,'' as a necessary measure to counter militant groups. But human rights groups say the policy served only to intimidate civilians. Under the practice, soldiers would rouse families in the middle of the night to document the dimensions and inhabitants of homes in the occupied territory. Rights groups said the raids, conducted in homes where no one was suspected of illegal activities, served no strategic purpose and caused deep psychological trauma. The change in policy came half a year after Yesh Din, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, and Breaking the Silence, three Israeli activist groups, published a report on what they described as ``arbitrary invasions'' of private Palestinian homes. They said the practice ``effectively serves as a means to oppress and intimidate the Palestinian population and increase control over it.'' Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war. While the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority administers autonomous zones within the territory, Israel retains overall control and frequently conducts military raids even in Palestinian-controlled areas. Today, almost 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, according to official Palestinian figures, alongside nearly half a million Israeli settlers. The Palestinians seek the entire West Bank as the heartland of an independent state, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Israel says the West Bank is disputed territory whose fate should be resolved through negotiations. Most of the international community considers the West Bank occupied territory and Israeli settlements to be illegal and obstacles to peace. In a letter to Yesh Din on Tuesday, the army said its raids ``were not random operations`` and were ``intended for an operational-intelligence purpose.'' It said there were strict guidelines for such operations ``in order to minimize the damage and disturbance to the residents' quality of life.'' Nonetheless, it said the raids would be halted ``except in exceptional circumstances.'' The Israeli military confirmed the decision, saying any future cases would be carried out only under the command of high ranking officials. Yesh Din executive director Lior Amihai called the military's decision ``very significant.'' ``Home invasions are inherent to the apartheid regime in place in the West Bank and we will continue to expose and challenge this and other practices until human rights are respected for all,'' he said. Breaking the Silence Executive Director Avner Gvaryahu said that it was ``an important outcome'' of the groups' report, ``but fundamentally this is not going to bring an end to the occupation or (end) harm to Palestinians.'' The announcement came less than a month after widespread unrest in the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and within Israeli cities during May's 11-day Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. The conflict erupted after Hamas launched rockets at Israeli cities following weeks of mounting tensions and violent crackdown by the Israeli occupation police against the Palestinian protesters in the contested city of Jerusalem. Short link: Indias government on Wednesday defended its decision to double the gap between the two doses of the AstraZeneca (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine to up to 16 weeks, after three scientific advisers said there was no agreement on such a wide interval. Reuters reported on Tuesday that the government increased the gap last month without the approval of the scientific group that it said recommended the move, citing three members of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) advisory body. In multiple statements on Wednesday, the government said the interval was increased based on scientific evidence after thorough discussions among members of NTAGI as well as its working group on COVID-19 in two meetings held in May. The AstraZeneca shot, made locally and branded Covishield, accounts for nearly 90% of the 259 million doses administered in India, where some states have curtailed vaccination programmes over supply constraints. The government said a NTAGI working group on May 10 initially recommended increasing the dosing interval to 12-16 weeks, a proposal that was subsequently taken up by a larger NTAGI committee on May 13. The committee advised that "as per the COVID-19 working group recommendation, a dosing interval of a minimum three months between two doses of Covishield vaccine was recommended", the government said in a statement. According to the minutes of an NTAGI meeting held on May 28, the interval was increased based on real-world data from Britain that showed 65% to 88% protection after the first dose, if the gap was up to 12 weeks. "Therefore, based on the real-world evidence, dose intervals between two doses of Covishield was increased from 4-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks," said the minutes published on the health ministry's website. J.P. Muliyil, a member of the COVID working group, had told Reuters on Tuesday there had been discussions within the NTAGI on increasing the vaccine dosage interval but that the body had not specifically recommended 12-16 weeks. NTAGI members had told Reuters that the group had no data concerning the effects of a gap beyond 12 weeks. N.K. Arora, chairman of the NTAGI working group, said in a statement that the decision to expand the gap to up to 16 weeks had been made to provide "flexibility" for those who may not be able to get the second dose at 12 weeks. Short link: A first summit between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart was "constructive", Vladimir Putin said Wednesday after the talks in Geneva ended. "The conversation was absolutely constructive", Putin told reporters, adding that the sides had agreed for their ambassadors to return in a small gesture of healing in their strained relations. The ambassadors "will return to their place of work. When exactly is a purely technical question," Putin told reporters after the summit, which lasted about three and a half hours. Diplomatic relations between Moscow and Washington had all but broken down since Biden took office in January. After Biden likened Putin to a "killer", Russia in March took the rare step of recalling its ambassador Anatoly Antonov. The US envoy, John Sullivan, likewise returned to Washington. Despite tensions, the summit at an elegant villa on the shore of Lake Geneva got off to a good start, with the two leaders shaking hands and striking cautiously positive notes. Biden, who was set to hold a separate press conference later, pressed Putin to replace the combustible US-Russian stand-off with a more "predictable" relationship between "two great powers" capable of agreeing to disagree. He stressed his desire to take US-Russian relations off their increasingly unstable trajectory, in which Washington accuses the Kremlin of everything from meddling in elections to cyberwarfare. "It's always better to meet face to face," he told Putin as they met in the villa's library, with a globe placed between them. "We are trying to determine where we have a mutual interest, where we can cooperate; and where we don't, establish a predictable and rational way in which we disagree -- two great powers," Biden said. Putin noted at the start of the meeting that "a lot of issues" need addressing "at the highest level" and that he hoped the meeting would be "productive". At his press conference after the summit, Putin signalled progress in a number of areas, including an agreement to "start consultations on cybersecurity". - Cold War, new problems- Biden's apparent offer of a more understanding -- if not necessarily a friendly relationship -- went a long way toward what Putin is reportedly seeking: increased respect on the world stage. The reference to the United States and Russia as "two great powers" was sure to please the Kremlin leader, who has dominated his country for two decades, infuriating the West with invasions of Ukraine and Georgia, and often brutal crushing of political dissent. Expectations were low for anything more than a modest thaw in relations. Illustrating the frostiness, there was no shared meal during the talks, which were attended by the two countries' foreign ministers and later by an expanded group of officials. The choice of Geneva recalled the Cold War summit between US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the Swiss city in 1985. The summit villa, encircled with barbed wire, was under intense security. Grey patrol boats cruised along the lake front and heavily-armed camouflaged troops stood guard at a nearby yacht marina. But in contrast with 1985, tensions are less about strategic nuclear weapons and competing ideologies than what the Biden administration sees as an increasingly rogue regime. From cyberattacks on American entities and meddling in the last two US presidential elections, to human rights violations and aggression against Ukraine and other European countries, Washington's list of allegations against the Kremlin runs long. Putin came to the summit arguing that Moscow is simply challenging US hegemony -- part of a bid to promote a so-called "multi-polar" world that has seen Russia draw close with the US's arguably even more powerful adversary China. In a pre-summit interview with NBC News, he scoffed at allegations that he had anything to do with cyberattacks or the near-fatal poisoning of one of his last remaining domestic opponents, Alexei Navalny. - 'Worthy adversary' - Biden, ending an intensive first foreign trip as president, arrived in Geneva after summits with NATO and the European Union in Brussels, and a G7 summit in Britain. While in Brussels, he said he would detail his "red lines." "I'm not looking for conflict," he said, but "we will respond if Russia continues its harmful activities". However, Biden, who had previously characterised Putin as a "killer", upgraded the Russian leader to "worthy adversary". And for all the rhetoric, the White House and Kremlin both say they are open to doing business in a limited way. Officials point to the recent extension of the New START nuclear arms limitation treaty as an example of successful diplomacy. Unlike in 2018, when Biden's predecessor Donald Trump met Putin in Helsinki, there was to be no joint press conference at the end of the summit. The US side clearly wanted to avoid the optics of having Biden sharing that kind of platform with the Russian president. In 2018, Trump caused a stir by saying, as Putin stood beside him, that he believed the Kremlin leader over his own intelligence services when it came to accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election bringing Trump to power. Short link: The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, announced on Wednesday the launch of an advisory programme that aims to help 100 private healthcare providers at least, improving their patient care systems and broadening access to safe and quality healthcare in the country. The IFC said that the programme also targets supporting Egypts goal of achieving universal health coverage by 2030. Through its Egypt Quality Advisory Programme, the IFC is expected to advise private healthcare service providers across Egypt on enhancing patient safety practices and upgrading their quality assurance systems, ensuring they comply with national requirements and delivering the best quality care. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the urgent need for strong and resilient health systems. Egypts ambition of achieving universal health coverage can only be achieved through a combination of public and private providers working together. For universal healthcare, quality is a prerequisite. The IFCs support for private healthcare in Egypt is well-aligned with our broader strategy of fostering inclusive growth in the country. said Walid Labadi, the IFCs country manager for Egypt, Yemen, and Libya. The three-year initiative will be implemented in partnership with the government of the Netherlands, and will support medical facilities and institutions across Egypt, including in Cairo, Port Said, Ismailiya, Sinai, Aswan, Luxor, Matrouh, and Qena. Egypts government passed a comprehensive health insurance law in 2017 to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage. The IFC is supporting this effort by providing investments and advisory services to private sector health operators in the country. Since 2007, the IFC has invested and mobilised more than $310 million to support hospitals, clinics, and other health infrastructure in Egypt. In its FY2021/2022 budget, which will be rolled out as of 1 July, Egypts health sectors allocations are expected to increase by 16.27 percent to reach EGP 108.8 billion, up from EGP 93.5 billion in the current FY2020/2021. Short link: The date of the anticipated meeting is yet to be scheduled. The meeting is expected to be held in Cairo and will be headed by Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and the vice president of Economic Affairs in South Sudan, in line with the agreement signed in 2012 to facilitate the establishment of the joint committee. Egypts Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat chairs the joint committee meetings at the ministerial and preparatory levels, streamlining the development plans and efforts from both sides. The coordination meeting, chaired by Tarek El-Shaarawy, the advisor to the minister of international cooperation for cabinet affairs and supervisor of the Arab-African cooperation sector, looked into existing cooperation between Egypt and South Sudan, where a large number of Egyptian projects are already in action. Egypt has already developed three schools in South Sudan, and a branch of the Alexandria University is currently being constructed, according to the international cooperation ministry. Moreover, bilateral cooperation focuses on the establishment of electricity networks in four cities, among many other projects. During the meeting, El-Shaarawy stressed that Egypt has great interest in supporting the development agenda in South Sudan. The meeting looked into the importance of contributing to the development process in South Sudan, and in maximising joint benefits, capabilities, and natural resources that are available in line with the political leadership directives aimed at supporting development efforts across the African continent. The joint cooperation also allows for Egypt to share its experience for the benefit of the people of South Sudan. The meeting also focused on the cohesive affiliation between the two countries in the water, irrigation, health, and education sectors and how to expand cooperation in other areas through the establishment of a suitable business ecosystem that will allow for more investment and increase the volume of trade exchange. The meeting also reviewed exchanged documents that will be signed during the Supreme Committee meeting, and the outcome of the technical visits made by delegations from the Egyptian ministries to South Sudan aiming to streamline the efforts and lay down a clear vision for bilateral partnership. Egypt has signed development financing agreements with France that amount to 1.76 billion this week in light of the new financing package between Egypt and France for 2021/2026, Egypts Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat announced on Wednesday. The agreements came as an outcome of the meetings held during the visit of Frances Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire, and Remy Rioux, the chief executive officer of the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), alongside their accompanying delegation, to Egypt. Al-Mashat expounded that the total sum includes 776 million from the French Treasury and 990 million from the AFD. The finance also came under the framework of strengthening cooperation and bilateral economic relations between Egypt and France and is in accordance with the roadmap agreed upon during Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis last visit to France in December to meet French President Emmanuel Macron. Following the aforementioned presidential visit, negotiations had begun on the new financing packaging in coordination with the Ministry of International Cooperation and the concerned entities in Egypt to determine financing needs and priority projects, according to Al-Mashat. From its side, France had sent two missions in February and in June to complete the discussions regarding the development programme before the final signature this week. Details of the Funded Projects During the French delegations visit, development financing agreements covering various sectors, particularly transportation, amounting to 1.37 billion were signed. Egypts government signed a project to supply 55 trains for the first line of the Cairo Metro with a development financing of 776 million that will go to the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) provided by the French Treasury. The agreement is in support of Egypts plans to develop the transportation sector, enhance sustainable infrastructure, and improve services for the people. Under the development financing from the AFD, a number of other projects will receive support, namely the rehabilitation of the Mansoura Damietta railway line with a total value of 95 million; the rehabilitation of the Abu Qir Metro with a value of 250 million; the Aswan, Toshka, and Wadi Halfa Railway Construction project; and the Al- Rubiky - 10th of Ramadan - Belbeis Railway Line with a value of 250 million. The government also inked a development financing agreement to improve electricity subsidy policies with a value of 75 million that will benefit the Ministry of Finance. Another agreement worth 50 million was signed as well to launch a regional control centre in Alexandria for the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy. Within the framework of the states agenda to preserve water resources, enhance sustainability, and develop the infrastructure sector, a development financing agreement worth 52 million to implement a sewage treatment plant in Helwan, 68 million to implement a sewage treatment plant in East Alexandria, 50 million to implement the third phase of the Gabal Al-Asfar Wastewater Treatment Plant, and 68 million to implement a wholesale market in Alexandria from which the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade will benefit, were signed. Al-Mashat explained that the development financing provided by the aforementioned agreements is considered soft financing, characterised by long grace and reimbursement periods of up to 25 years, providing the state with the necessary time to implement projects that directly benefit the people, and then pay back under easier conditions. She pointed to two other agreements that were signed; the first to implement the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS) worth 150 million, and the second to implement a French University project in Egypt worth 12 million. The development cooperation portfolio between Egypt and France amounts to 7.5 billion. Ever since 1974, Egypt has secured development funds worth 7.5 billion through 42 protocols that support economic growth in the country. France has supported the implementation of many crucial projects, such as the construction of three metro lines, the renovations of the Qasr Al-Ainy hospital, the establishment of an information system in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the construction of power stations, the expansion and development of telephone stations across governorates, the expansion of drinking water and sewage treatment plants, and the development of an air monitoring system, according to the international cooperation ministry. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt targets increasing its tax revenues by 15 percent during the current FY 2020/2021, which ends on 30 June, said Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait. Maait's statement came at a seminar held with a delegation of South Korean investors, organised by the South Korea Embassy in Egypt. The minister explained to the investors that Egypts expansion in the e-invoice system has improved the efficiency of the tax system, adding that 1,300 companies in the Egyptian market have submitted 13 million documents to registrate since the system was launched in February. Egypt is moving ahead with its structural reforms to improve the atmosphere of doing business and attract more foreign investors to the market that is replete with investment opportunities, Maait said at the meeting. Egypt is focused on enhancing the private sectors role in the development process, being the driver for economic growth, Maait added. The minister lauded the bilateral partnership with South Korea, applauding the joint cooperation and its successful investment experiences in the Egyptian market. Maait said he is looking forward to the visit of the South Korean president, which is anticipated soon after it had been postponed due to the pandemic. South Korean Ambassador to Egypt Hong Jin-wook praised Egypt's efforts to eliminate the obstacles Korean companies face in Egypt. He added that Korean companies are exploring the investment opportunities in the Egyptian market. In early 2021, South Korea announced that it plans to increase its investments in Africa, with a special focus on Egypt as a hub for the African, Middle East, and European markets. Trade exchange between Egypt and South Korea recorded $1.59 billion in 2019, rising to about $2 billion in 2020, according to Egypts Ministry of Trade and Industry. The trade balance between the two countries reached $518 million in the third quarter of 2020, dominated by engineering and electronic goods, furniture, ready-made garments, chemical products, fertilisers, and medical industries, according to the finance ministry. Short link: The African Development Bank (AfDB) approved an 83 million (approximately $100 million) loan on Wednesday to finance the second phase of Egypts Electricity and Green Growth Support Program (EGGSP II). AfDB said the funding is part of its budgetary support to Egypts government to strengthen its electricity infrastructure, which is expected to bolster the private sector and accelerate recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. The EGGSP seeks to enhance the power sectors financial sustainability, governance and operations. It will also advance the provision of clean, reliable energy to drive green growth. Egypts successful reforms in the sector have led to greater private investment in utility-scale renewable energy projects, according the AfDB. Egypts Vision 2030 instills the sustainability ethos across all sectors. Energy and Electricity are among the top sectors in Egypts international development cooperations portfolio, pushing towards a green reform, said Egypts Minister of International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat. She added that as 2021 is the year of private sector engagement, EGGSP will contribute towards sustainable growth and job creation and catalyze the development of Egyptian private entities. Malinne Blomberg, AfDBs deputy director general for the North Africa region highlighted that the AfDB continues to actively engage with the Egyptian government and private sector companies to support the countrys medium-term development plan and economic reforms, with a particular focus on economic infrastructure such as energy, transport, water and sanitation, as well as industrialization. In addition to the African Development Bank, Agence Francaise de Developpement and Japan International Cooperation Agency have also provided financial support to the EGGSP. Short link: An exhibition of works by Dr. Sherif Nashed took place at Ziad Bakir hall of the Cairo Opera House, between 5 and 10 June. Titled Nature, the exhibition presented Nasheds drawings on glass/mosaic in addition to a few acrylic paintings by his 16-year-old daughter, Karen. Having spent years in Canada and France and returning to Egypt only four years ago, this is the first time for Nashed to showcase his art to a large public of busy capital. He revealed to Ahram Online that art has fascinated him since a very young age, and now he parallels his day job as an ophthalmology surgeon with this creative passion. I was first introduced to drawing on glass by a school teacher. Ever since, I have been practicing this art form and it became my main hobby, Nashed said. Nashed does not have an academic background in arts, and he took a short course on mosaic, yet his passion and self-development led to the creation of many artworks which, until the Nature exhibition, he kept in his home, clinic, or shared with friends. Throughout the years, he also experimented with oils, charcoal, and a bit of sculpting, yet it is mosaic and painting on glass that speaks to him the most. The exhibition presented Nasheds encounters with nature, his favorite theme. I like to watch everything around me. I combine birds, trees, landscapes, and other elements I find in nature. I observe what surrounds me and translate it into art. I never repeat my works, each is unique in its own way, he reminisces. Nashed is among numerous medicine practitioners who find their refuge in art. Though apparently very different, both fields meet on numerous levels; for example, medicine and art require great observational skills and on point critical thinking, they both rely on brain centres that focus on details and correlation. Moreover, art helps one to look at life from a variety of perspectives, as well as cultivate compassion, one of the key virtues in medicine. Eye surgeons must excel in precision, Nashed comments. It is in mosaic and painting on glass that I find my world; this is where precision meets many emotions, resulting with this creative work. I always like to look outside the box; I play with different objects, he explained, giving examples of home items, like a table, that he would renovate using his creative skills. Nashed adds that, like him, his daughter Karen is not linked to art academically, yet she enjoys painting. The exhibition presented four of her works, where her acrylics shifted between nature and surrealist portraits. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Short link: Egypt's Culture Minister Ines Abdel-Dayem announced the launch of the Year of Humanitarian Exchange between Egypt and Russia with 23 cultural activities scheduled to take place throughout the upcoming 12 months. The launch event will take place at the Cairo Opera House, on Friday 18 June with the presence of Abdel-Dayem; Olga Yarilova, representative of the Russian Federation and deputy minister of culture; Magdy Saber, chairman of the Cairo Opera alongside a number of ministers, ambassadors and leaders of the Ministry of Culture. The event will also include a performance of Beryozka (Berezka) Dance Ensemble, one of the internationally renowned and oldest Russian dance troupes, founded by Russian choreographer and dancer Nadezhda Nadezhdina in 1948 in the Soviet Union. Over 20 artistic events will follow throughout the year including seminars, book fairs, art and traditional crafts exhibitions, discussions on the effects of Russian literature on Egyptian literature, as well as a series of exchange between Russian and Egyptian artists. Closing the year, in May 2022, a showcase of Egyptian art will take place in Moscow, Russia. It is worth adding that Russia has been chosen as the guest of honor for the currently ongoing Ismailia International Festival for Documentary and Short Films (16-22 June). For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Short link: According to Ibrahim Al-Heneidi, chair of the House of Representatives Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee, a new draft law aims to facilitate the dismissal of civil servants who support the terrorist-designated Muslim Brotherhood. The draft law, submitted by MP Ali Badr, was overwhelmingly approved by the Houses Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee and reflects the governments keenness to rid the administrative system of Muslim Brotherhood and terrorist elements, said Al-Heneidi. Al-Heneidi says the draft, which seeks to amend the Law on Non-Disciplinary Dismissal of Civil Servants (10/1972), will strengthen national security. Badr told the Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee on 6 June that there is a pressing need to combat terrorist elements within the states administrative system. Cabinet ministers have lately complained in parliament that they lack the legal tools to rid their ministries of employees espousing terrorist thoughts and ideologies, said Badr. The new draft law will allow cabinet ministers to dismiss employees with proven links to the Muslim Brotherhood and other terrorist-designated groups. The draft law allows employees to appeal against their dismissal and return to their jobs if their names are removed from the relevant terrorist lists. Last month Minister of Transport Kamel Al-Wazir told MPs that the Railway Authority has 162 Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated employees who consistently undermine the authoritys work and urged MPs to change the law to allow the Railway Authority to rid itself of the forces of darkness and evil. Minister of Waqf (Religious Endowments) Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa also told the media last week that there are a lot of sleeper Muslim Brotherhood cells in government ministries. The Brotherhood leadership spends a great deal on these cells to promote its agenda in government circles and stir up trouble, claimed Gomaa. Independent MP Mustafa Bakri warned that the draft law might be unconstitutional. I think we need an independent judicial committee to judge whether this draft law is constitutional, said Bakri. It is difficult to determine who is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and who is not, and there are concerns that the law could lead to the dismissal of civil servants for arbitrary reasons. In response, Deputy Justice Minister Ibrahim Shaarawi pointed out that the draft allows state employees to appeal any dismissal decision before the administrative courts and in doing so is fully in line with the constitution. Atef Meghawri, head of the parliamentary group of the Tagammu Party, told Al-Ahram Weekly that in its current form of the 1972 Civil Service Law makes it difficult to dismiss state employees who espouse radical ideologies. There is a pressing need to change this law after extremist and terrorist groups were able to infiltrate government circles in recent years, mostly in the form of sleeper cells, said Meghawri. When the Muslim Brotherhood was in power between 2012 and 2013 its members spread in all government sectors. It is essential MPs move quickly to help cabinet ministers dismiss elements with suspected links to the Brotherhood or to any other terrorist-designated group. Meghawri argued the bill drafted by Badr and approved by the Houses Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee is covered by Article 237 of the 2014 constitution which stipulates the state must combat all forms of terrorism and track its sources of funding. MP Essam Alaa told the Weekly the move against the Muslim Brotherhood came after cabinet ministers discovered that some government employees were using their jobs to promote the groups agenda. The current civil service law prohibits state employees from using their jobs to serve radical agendas or publish confidential information on social media but in recent years employees have ignored the prohibitions. It was important that the law be amended to fight this phenomenon, and protect the state from the Muslim Brotherhoods wicked plans, said Alaa. *A version of this article appears in print in the 17 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: The extraordinary meeting of the Council of the Arab League (AL) at the ministerial level in Doha has called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to hold an urgent meeting to discuss ways to launch a negotiating process on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and facilitate a legally binding agreement protecting the interests of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia.Expressing their concern about the deadlocked GERD negotiations, the foreign ministers attending underlined the importance of negotiating with good will and called on Ethiopia to halt any unilateral action that may harm Egypt and Sudan.On the same day Ethiopian Water, Irrigation, and Energy Minister Sileshi Bekele said the second filling of the GERDs reservoir will go as per the schedule.The second round filling will continue and it has nothing to do with any other issue. The level of the construction of the dam in the coming rainy season will dictate the filling, he said following the Meeting of Eastern Nile Council of Ministers in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.Nonetheless, the AL committee comprising representatives from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Morocco, formed to secure political support for Egypt and Sudan on the GERD file in the UN General Assembly in New York, is continuing its work.A diplomatic source in New York close to the committee did not pin much hope on the UNSC or on the Arab committee pushing forward the GERD file.The committee has exerted great efforts but the UN does not have the will to deal with the issue, he told Al-Ahram Weekly.Professor of international law Ayman Salama told the Weekly that as non-permanent members of the UNSC, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates could play a useful role.While international and regional organisations like the AL have the right to ask the UNSC to assume its responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security, Salama explained, it is up to the UNSC to decide first whether the issue GERD represents a genuine threat to international peace and security.The UNSC must then decide to reconvene and take over from the AU after it had voted unanimously last June to refer it to the African organisation, Salama added.In a joint press conference following the Doha meeting, AL Secretary-General Ahmed Abul-Gheit said: I sensed clear Arab support for Egypt and Sudan based on the realisation that the security of both countries is part of Arab national security.Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdul-Rahman Al-Thani said measures should be taken to avert unilateral acts that harm Egypt and Sudan. Doha supports Egypt and Sudans water rights. Filling the dams reservoir should be carried out under rules that protect the rights of both states, he told the press conference.Tuesdays meeting of Arab foreign ministers is a strong political expression and sends a message that Ethiopia must consider, said Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri in an interview with Al-Jazeera on Monday.It is not the only message that Egypt and Sudan have sent to Ethiopia in an attempt to resolve the dam file.Egypt and Sudan are keeping all doors open, says Abbas Sharaki, professor of geology and water resources at Cairo University. They issued a joint statement calling for coordination on the regional, continental and international levels, and the AL meeting showed that Cairo and Khartoum have the support of regional states.Although Egypt and Sudan have declared that AU talks have reached a dead end, Sharaki says neither has ruled the track out completely.The AL meeting was held in Doha at the request of Egypt and Sudan to discuss ways to combat foreign interference in Arab regional security and reaffirm Arab solidarity with Egypt and Sudan over GERD.Professor of political science Tarek Fahmi points to other moves to bring negotiations back on track. In addition to this weeks AL extraordinary meeting supported by Doha, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman met in Sharm El-Sheikh, and Ahmed bin Kattan, the Saudi minister of state for African affairs, visited Ethiopia where he met Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed while carrying an important message of support for Egypt from King Salman.Are there behind-the-curtain mediations, wondered Fahmi. Cairo would certainly welcome any meditation that will resolve the dam crisis.Egypt has already sent a second letter to the president of the UNSC outlining its objections to Addis Ababas plans to unilaterally embark on a second filling of the dams reservoir next month without first securing a legally binding agreement with the downstream countries. The letter blamed the failure of AU-sponsored talks on Ethiopias intransigence and called for the active engagement of the international community to reach a peaceful settlement to this matter.Fahmi said the timing of the letter was important. In May, Washington issued a statement urging the resumption of AU-mediated negotiations in line with the 2015 Declaration of Principles and the outcomes of the July 2020 AU summit on GERD, but no further action was taken. And US envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman concluded his visit to Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Congo last month without results.Sharaki argues that sending the letter to the UNSC places additional diplomatic pressure on resolving an issue that affects not just one country or two but will impact the entire region. He expects Sudan will send a similar letter soon. The two states may then submit specific requests to the Security Council which could include asking the council to assume its responsibility in maintaining security in the region by sponsoring negotiations until a legally binding agreement is reached.Both Egypt and Sudan sent letters to the UNSC last year expressing concern that Ethiopia had started to fill the dam without prior agreement.In June, the UNSC held an open session over the GERD dispute on Egypts request. During the session, the council urged Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan to reach a consensus and warned against unilateral actions.The AL meeting in Doha came less than a week after Shoukris visit together with Egypts irrigation minister to Khartoum in order to coordinate with Sudan over ways to counter the negative impacts of any second filling. The two states issued a joint statement urging concerted international efforts to help settle the GERD dispute and called on the international community to recognise the dangers of Ethiopia forcing a fait accompli on the downstream states.While Egypt and Sudan demand a legally binding agreement with Ethiopia over GERD, Addis Ababa wants only guidelines that can be modified at Ethiopias discretion. It has repeatedly declared that it will commence a second filling on 22 July with or without a deal with the downstream countries. *A version of this article appears in print in the 17 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: In Nasr city, Cairo, stands Mama Mahrousa; an Egyptian restaurant of a special nature. The boutique restaurant takes pride in staff that partially consists of employees with special abilities and can accommodate guests of the same nature. I loved cooking since I was a young child. I learnt cooking from TV, reading books, and asking chefs working in the culinary field, Mahrousa Salem, co-owner of Mama Mahrousa, told Ahram Online. Salem has been in the culinary field for five years now. Salem mastered her culinary crafts despite being crippled and confined to a wheelchair. The 40-year-old is married to a husband who cannot work due to his severe illness and is a mother to a daughter and son. She started her own food catering business from home. Every day she would go to the market to purchase goods and fresh vegetables. I would take orders by phone, return home to prepare and cook the food, and then drive my tricycle to deliver the hot food hot on time to the customers, she explains. It was a matter of time before she became popular among her neighbours and friends with her delicious homemade recipes. Salem and a group of partners then invested their money in a restaurant. I contribute with my time and efforts. I had one condition before starting the business: a small share of the annual profit is to be dedicated to providing job vacancies for disabled people in the restaurant, she says. Salem takes part in the whole process: loading and unloading materials on a truck, transporting goods from one place to another on her Tricycle. No meal eaten is better than the meal you eat from your own, she adds. Friendly decor Mahmoud Younis, director of Mama Mahrousa, describes the place as entirely made of wood. It is a natural substance. It gives a distinctive look and rich beauty. It is a small establishment with a capacity for 50 people, he says. The restaurant opened three months ago with the aim of creating job opportunities for disabled people to help them be self-dependent and earn money, he comments. The staff has employees with disabilities, including chefs, order takers, waiters, and kitchen staff. It helps guests with disabilities feel comfortable, Younis adds. The restaurant is fully equipped and accessible for both abled or disabled customers, with easy access to the entrance and exit and no steps or stairs. The floor is firm and non-slippery, there is enough space between tables and chairs for smoother movement, the tables are adjusted with the right height for wheelchairs users, and In the bathroom, some of the hand washing basins and toilets are adjusted to accommodate people with disabilities. I am 29 years-old. I worked in several jobs, but this is the first time to acquire a job in the food industry, says Ahmed Said, a waiter in Mama Mahrousa. Said also suffers from leg impairment and is a wheelchair user. He is a student in high school that is working and studying at the same time. I want to save money to pay all tuition fees so I can enter the faculty of commerce next year, he says. Said says that acquiring a job is a challenge. It is not so easy to find a job. Business owners refuse to hire employees with disabilities, he adds. The restaurant specialises in oriental Egyptian cuisine. People miss the unique taste and flavours of Egyptian oriental food in the countryside and the smells of grandmas cooking, Salem says. I created the menu. The items are unique in taste, flavour, and presentation. The menu includes soups, appetizers, main courses, salads, desserts, and drinks, Khames Nour El-Din, executive chef of Mama Mahrousa, told Ahramonline. Nour El-din takes pride in his 13 years of experience as a chef specialised in Italian, international, and oriental food. I am working with high standards of food hygiene and safety, plus good personal hygiene, safe storage, sanitation, hand washing, and changing gloves and masks, he confirms. In our kitchen, we use healthy preparation and cooking methods, he adds. I am so glad to work with [disabled people]. They are passionate and have an eagerness to learn, Nour El-Din says. I share my experience as a chef and teach them the basics of cooking, hygiene safety, and culinary arts, he adds. On a personal level, they inspire me to never give up. Disability never stops them from achieving great things, Nour El-Din concludes. Short link: The Tuesday meeting of Arab foreign ministers to affirm solidarity with Egypt and Sudan in their dispute with Ethiopia over the dangerous effects of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was an important first step in intensive efforts by the two downstream countries to win world support and understanding on this vital issue. Arab ministers not only expressed verbal support through a routine statement, they also pledged to back Egypt and Sudan in any diplomatic effort they will launch on the regional and international levels to prevent Ethiopia from inflicting harm on the water rights and interests of both countries. Wealthy Arab Gulf nations that maintain huge investments in Ethiopia, including the host country of the foreign ministers meeting, Qatar, can definitely play a role in persuading Addis Ababa that it cannot turn the River Nile into an exclusively Ethiopian river, and must respect Egypt and Sudans historical rights and water shares as stated in internationally binding agreements. The fact that the meeting was held in Doha, and not at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, is in itself a sign that there is genuine change in official Arab stands, and a readiness to provide tangible support. While Egypt has constantly enjoyed the backing of influential Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the recent rapprochement between Cairo and Doha has added strength to efforts to convince Ethiopia to interact positively with numerous proposals made by Egypt and Sudan, to ensure that the GERD will not cause drought in Egypt, threatening the lives and agricultural income of millions of people. With Arab backing for Egypt and Sudan, the two countries will at the same time continue to work on gaining African support. Ethiopia, which houses the headquarters of the African Union, has set an extremely negative example of how to solve its dispute within an African framework. It is indeed ironic that while Addis Ababa has insisted that it would only accept African mediation in its dispute with Egypt and Sudan over the GERD, it has turned down all initiatives made by influential African leaders, including South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo, both the previous and current chairs of the AU. Seeking the support of African nations, and especially Nile Basin countries, has been a cornerstone in Egypts diplomatic efforts since the GERD crisis escalated in the past two years. President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi paid visits to several African countries, and regularly receives African leaders in Cairo. Regardless of the GERD dispute, the president and government have promoted cooperation with fellow countries in the continent as a top priority, serving the interests of both sides. The support and understanding Egypt and Sudan enjoy on both the Arab and African levels should also be a message to the rest of the world that the GERD dispute is a serious and dangerous one that affects regional and international peace and security. Such a message must be clearly conveyed when Egypt and Sudan decide to take their case to the United Nations Security Council again that is, if Ethiopia continues to disregard the demand by the two countries to reach a binding agreement on all details related to the filling of the GERD prior to the second phase. In all disagreements Egypt has had with any other country, Cairo has taken a calm and balanced attitude, with the president avoiding verbal exchanges or public statements that can make the situation worse. However, the president has been very firm and clear in marking Egypts red lines. Egypts water interests are certainly among the most important of those if not the most important. Close coordination between Egypt and Sudan on all levels, and their diplomatic efforts on the Arab, African, European, and American fronts should send a clear message to the entire world that the two countries have spared no effort to peacefully solve their disagreement with Ethiopia. Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia have been neighbours that shared the same drinking water for thousands of years. This alone should have been a good enough reason to cooperate to solve their differences, rather than Ethiopia taking unilateral actions that clearly threaten its neighbours. Egypt will always remain keen to maintain close and warm ties with Ethiopia as well as other fellow African nations, but it cannot stay put while the lives of its people face a threat of such magnitude. There are many ways to reach solutions that serve the interests of all three countries, but to declare the River Nile an exclusively Ethiopian waterway not only violates international laws and agreements, but also confirms the suspicion that the present Ethiopian government has no intention to solve its dispute with Egypt and Sudan. Short link: Egypts Minister Al-Mashat announces details of 1.76 bln development financing agreements inked with France Doaa A.Moneim, , Wednesday 16 Jun 2021 The development cooperation portfolio between Egypt and France amounts to 7.5 billion Egypt has signed development financing agreements with France that amount to 1.76 billion this week in light of the new financing package between Egypt and France for 2021/2026, Egypts Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat announced on Wednesday. The agreements came as an outcome of the meetings held during the visit of Frances Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire, and Remy Rioux, the chief executive officer of the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), alongside their accompanying delegation, to Egypt. Al-Mashat expounded that the total sum includes 776 million from the French Treasury and 990 million from the AFD. The finance also came under the framework of strengthening cooperation and bilateral economic relations between Egypt and France and is in accordance with the roadmap agreed upon during Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis last visit to France in December to meet French President Emmanuel Macron. Following the aforementioned presidential visit, negotiations had begun on the new financing packaging in coordination with the Ministry of International Cooperation and the concerned entities in Egypt to determine financing needs and priority projects, according to Al-Mashat. From its side, France had sent two missions in February and in June to complete the discussions regarding the development programme before the final signature this week. Details of the Funded Projects During the French delegations visit, development financing agreements covering various sectors, particularly transportation, amounting to1.37 billion were signed. Egypts government signed a project to supply 55 trains for the first line of the Cairo Metro with a development financing of 776 million that will go to the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) provided by the French Treasury. The agreement is in support of Egypts plans to develop the transportation sector, enhance sustainable infrastructure, and improve services for the people. Under the development financing from the AFD, a number of other projects will receive support, namely the rehabilitation of the Mansoura Damietta railway line with a total value of 95 million; the rehabilitation of the Abu Qir Metro with a value of 250 million; the Aswan, Toshka, and Wadi Halfa Railway Construction project; and the Al- Rubiky - 10th of Ramadan - Belbeis Railway Line with a value of 250 million. The government also inked a development financing agreement to improve electricity subsidy policies with a value of75 million that will benefit the Ministry of Finance. Another agreement worth 50 million was signed as well to launch a regional control centre in Alexandria for the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy. Within the framework of the states agenda to preserve water resources, enhance sustainability, and develop the infrastructure sector, a development financing agreement worth 52 million to implement a sewage treatment plant in Helwan, 68 million to implement a sewage treatment plant in East Alexandria, 50 million to implement the third phase of the Gabal Al-Asfar Wastewater Treatment Plant, and 68 million to implement a wholesale market in Alexandria from which the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade will benefit, were signed. Al-Mashat explained that the development financing provided by the aforementioned agreements is considered soft financing, characterised by long grace and reimbursement periods of up to 25 years, providing the state with the necessary time to implement projects that directly benefit the people, and then pay back under easier conditions. She pointed to two other agreements that were signed; the first to implement the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS) worth 150 million, and the second to implement a French University project in Egypt worth 12 million. The development cooperation portfolio between Egypt and France amounts to 7.5 billion. Ever since 1974, Egypt has secured development funds worth 7.5 billion through 42 protocols that support economic growth in the country. France has supported the implementation of many crucial projects, such as the construction of three metro lines, the renovations of the Qasr Al-Ainy hospital,the establishment of an information system in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the construction of power stations, the expansion and development of telephone stations across governorates, the expansion of drinking water and sewage treatment plants, and the development of an air monitoring system, according to the international cooperation ministry. https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/414395.aspx KYODO NEWS - Jun 16, 2021 - 22:14 | All, Japan A parliamentary committee decided Wednesday to refer a high court judge to an impeachment court for posting inappropriate messages on social media that were offensive to parties in two separate trials in 2017 and 2018. The decision makes Kiichi Okaguchi, 55, of the Sendai High Court, the ninth judge ever to be referred to the Judge Impeachment Court in Japan, and the first for expression of views. Seven judges have been dismissed by the court to date. While the parliamentary committee for the prosecution of judges has not disclosed the reason for its decision, it is believed to have found grounds for dismissal based on a series of posts that constituted misconduct for a judge. In 2017, Okaguchi posted on his personal Twitter account about the murder of a high school girl in Tokyo, saying, "A man who has a propensity to be sexually aroused by watching a woman being strangled and agonized. A 17-year-old woman who was mercilessly murdered by such a man." Almost two years after the tweet, he posted on Facebook that "the bereaved family has been brainwashed by the Tokyo High Court office to criticize me." In 2018, Okaguchi came under fire again when he tweeted about a civil suit concerning dog ownership, in which he apparently blamed the original pet owner. The relevant parties in the two cases requested that Okaguchi be dismissed, with other similar requests made after he criticized a bill that would extend the retirement age of prosecutors on a radio program. Yumiko Iwase, the 53-year-old mother of the murdered high school girl, expressed relief at the parliamentary committee's decision, saying, "I hope the impeachment trial will clearly show that (Okaguchi's actions) are unacceptable." But a lawyer for Okaguchi said "the decision is extremely regrettable" and that "it is a serious threat to the independence, human rights and freedom of expression of judges." The committee questioned Okaguchi on two occasions while investigating the complaints. The Supreme Court has twice taken disciplinary action against Okaguchi, once in 2018 and again last year, saying that he had "undermined the public's trust in judges." "While we are not aware of the details of the case, we take it very seriously that the judge has been referred (for dismissal)," a spokesperson for the Supreme Court said. Okaguchi, who was appointed as a judge in 1994, served at the Mito District Court, Osaka High Court, and Tokyo High Court before joining the Sendai High Court in April 2019. KYODO NEWS - Jun 16, 2021 - 21:59 | All, Japan, Coronavirus The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in May was down 99.6 percent from the pre-pandemic year of 2019 as a result of tougher travel restrictions to prevent the spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants, government data showed Wednesday. The figure rose to 10,000 from 1,663 a year earlier but remained at an extremely low level, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization, as Tokyo is maintaining the restrictions with few signs of infections abating. With the Tokyo Olympics set to start next month, Japan continues to ban the entry of foreign travelers in principle amid rising COVID-19 infections triggered by the variants. Japan has also tightened its border controls, extending quarantine periods for travelers who have recently been to certain countries affected by the variants. In May, visitors from China totaled 1,800, down 99.8 percent from 2019 at 756,365, according to the data. Those from South Korea and the United States were 1,000, respectively, followed by 600 from the Philippines. The data showed that 30,100 Japanese nationals left the country last month, down 97.9 percent from 2019. KYODO NEWS - Jun 16, 2021 - 13:23 | World, All, Japan Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi underscored the "importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait" in a meeting Wednesday that included his peers from ASEAN and other countries such as China and the United States. Speaking in relation to the situation surrounding the East and South China seas, the minister said Japan expects the issue to be resolved peacefully through direct dialogue between the parties concerned. The ASEAN Defense Ministers-Plus meeting, hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and chaired by member Brunei, was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic. In his remarks, Kishi also criticized a Chinese law implemented in February that allows China's coast guard to use weapons against foreign ships the country sees as illegally entering its waters. "This law contains provisions that are problematic from the point of view of consistency with international law, such as ambiguities where it can be applied in waters, as well as the authority to use weapons," the minister told his counterparts. China has laid claims to a group of Japanese-administered islands in the East China Sea that are called Senkaku in Japan, and Diaoyu in China, and has frequently sent coast guard ships to waters around them. In the South China Sea, China has overlapping claims with several ASEAN countries and Taiwan, and has raised concerns by militarizing outposts it has built in disputed areas of the sea. KYODO NEWS - Jun 16, 2021 - 00:06 | All, Japan Mizuho Financial Group Inc. said Tuesday its President and Group CEO Tatsufumi Sakai and 10 other executives will take pay cuts over a series of system failures that hit Mizuho Bank earlier this year, including many of its automated teller machines. The measure was announced after a third-party panel concluded earlier in the day that the failures were due to poor operation and management rather than system defects. "We take harsh criticism seriously," Sakai said in a press conference as he apologized to those affected by the system failures. He will have his remuneration halved for six months, while Mizuho Bank President Koji Fujiwara will receive a 50 percent pay cut for four months. Satoshi Ishii, deputy president of Mizuho Bank and head of the financial group's information technology and systems, will have his remuneration cut by 40 percent for four months. The other eight executives will take pay cuts of 10 to 20 percent for four months. Four system problems occurred over about two weeks from Feb. 28, temporarily suspending over 4,300, or about 80 percent, of Mizuho's ATMs operating nationwide and leaving more than 5,000 bank cards and bank books stuck inside them. When asked about the possibility that the executives would resign, Sakai denied there would be any leadership change, for the time being, saying the group will focus on measures to prevent a recurrence. The parent of one of Japan's top three commercial banks said it will set up a panel to promptly implement preventive measures, such as holding drills against system failure and enhancing the communicative environment in the group by abolishing some senior positions. Sakai also said Mizuho Bank will recruit executives from IBM Japan Ltd. to oversee systems management. Related coverage: Mizuho FG says Hitachi hardware behind March system failure Mizuho scraps plan to replace banking arm head after system failures Mizuho Bank blames switch to digital passbook for ATM outage The third-party panel consisting of lawyers and system management experts said in a report that human errors such as in the placement of technology-related staff and the company culture of hesitating to speak up during emergency situations to avoid liability issues caused the problem. The report also said Fujiwara first learned about the ATM problems through news reports on the internet, suggesting the bungled initial response delayed information sharing with the management. No common system defects were found in the four failures, the report said. Prior to the first breakdown in February, when most of the bank cards and books became unreturnable, the report said the bank failed to identify the risk of running out of memory in the system as personnel rotation had prevented staff knowledgeable about the system from being involved closely in its operation. On Feb. 28, its systems were overwhelmed when updating the status of fixed deposit accounts and processing other transactions. The report said similar ATM problems occurred in 2018 and 2019, causing a total of about 2,000 bank cards and bank books to become stuck in machines, but they were not made public, and the company failed to review the settings of its ATMs. Sakai said the issue in 2018 was not publicly announced as the bank knew who to return the bank cards and bank books to and deemed it was able to handle the situation. The report said the case in 2019 was not reported to the management team due to the small number of complaints. The panel also said that Mizuho lacked consideration for its customers as it took only a reactive approach in the wake of ATM failures and forced many users to wait on site without any information. The Financial Services Agency plans to issue a business improvement order against Mizuho, according to sources familiar with the matter. The financial group had also suffered large-scale system failures in April 2002 and March 2011. KYODO NEWS - Jun 16, 2021 - 11:13 | World, All North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has expressed concern over his country's food situation after its agriculture industry was devastated by powerful typhoons and flooding last year, state-run media reported Wednesday. At a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea that kicked off Tuesday, Kim said the food situation is "getting tense" for the people and instructed party officials to "take a positive measure for settling the problem," according to the official Korean Central News Agency. During the plenary meeting, the first since February, the ruling party is expected to discuss how to prop up the nation's farming sector and anti-epidemic measures, in addition to analyzing international and domestic situations. North Korea claims it has had no coronavirus infections. Amid fears the virus -- first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 -- may spread across its borders, the country has cut off traffic to and from China and Russia since early last year. North Korea is believed to be vulnerable to infectious diseases against a backdrop of chronic shortages of food and medical supplies triggered by international economic sanctions aimed at thwarting Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions. Previously, it barred foreigners from entering the nation during the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014. North Korea's economy, meanwhile, has languished further as the pandemic has stifled its trade with China and the agricultural industry has become sluggish, likely making it more difficult for its citizens to receive adequate daily necessities, including food. Related coverage: South Korea ready to cooperate with North Korea on COVID-19 vaccine: Moon FOCUS: China's border city with North Korea suffers blockage, tourism loss North Korea's Kim vows to strengthen army amid rapid situation change New Delhi: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung on Thursday expressed his willingness to hold dialogue with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to defuse the crisis in Darjeeling and asserted that his fight was for Gorkha identity. In his first direct interaction with reporters following a long and violent agitation in Darjeeling last year, Gurung also rejected Banerjee's accusation that he was a separatist, saying his party's demands were within the purview of Indian Constitution and he believed in national integrity. He claimed that the state police had implicated him and his party's workers in false criminal cases and sought an independent enquiry into the matter. His party leaders said Gurung was booked in over 350 cases and had been on a run before the Supreme Court asked the police to not take any coercive measure against him after he filed a plea there. Asked if he was willing to hold dialogue with Banerjee, he answered in affirmative. "I'm ready for dialogue.Dialogue is the way ahead," he said. Though his party has been demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of West Bengal, he did not touch upon the issue in his today's comments. "Our agitation is for Gorkha identity," he said. Also Read: GJM suspends party president Bimal Gurung, 13 others for 6 months He said he had nothing against the people of Bengal but the language and culture of Gorkhas were distinct from them and whatever they were demanding was within the ambit of the Constitution. Gurung accused the state government of acting in an one-sided" manner following the start of an agitation in Darjeeling in June last year. Eleven Gorkhas died in police and other violent action, he said. Gurung also appealed for peace and asked his supporters to stay away from any illegal activity. In his absence, a group of other Gorkha leaders led by Vinay Tamang had claimed to be the real representatives of people. Banerjee appointed Tamang as the head of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) after Gurung, who was its chief, and his associates resigned. Also Read: GJM supporters give Barun Bhujel, who died in police custody, tribute in Kalimpong People close to Gurung have claimed that the Trinamool Congress had propped up Tamang but the GJM leader remained the "real leader" of Gorkhas. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Bus services were restored in Tamil Nadu on Thursday after transport workers withdrew their eight- day old strike over wage-related issues. In a huge relief to the public, especially ahead of the harvest festival "Pongal" falling on January 14, buses were seen plying normally on roads since this morning. The government has declared a holiday for schools and colleges in view of Pongal, resulting in five-day holidays for students. CITU leader A Soundarrajan had last night announced that the indefinite strike was being "temporarily" called off, shortly after the Madras High Court appointed an arbitrator to settle their wage dispute with the government. "The strike is being temporarily withdrawn keeping in mind the welfare of the people of the state," he had said, adding that workers would resume work from this morning. Workers of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), owing allegiance to 17 trade unions, including those affiliated to the DMK and Left parties, had launched the strike on January 4 following the failure of talks with the government on wage revision. While the unions wanted a 2.57 times hike, the government offered only 2.44, resulting in the stalemate. The workers struck work citing other demands also like pending dues for serving and retired personnel. The strike had severely crippled the public sector bus services causing immense hardship to the public, including office-goers in cities, though the government tried to maintain services by roping in temporary drivers and private buses. The AIADMK-backed union, besides some others, had not participated in the protests. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday confirmed the meeting held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Lt General (retd.) Nasir Khan Janjua in Bangkok. MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, I am agreeing that talks took place. Our issue was eliminating terrorism from the region. We of course raised the issue of cross-border terrorism in those talks, added the MEA spokesperson. He further said, We have said terror and talks cannot go together but terror can definitely go ahead. Also read: Pakistan must curb Hafiz Saeed, other terror groups to ensure better relations with India, says Husain Haqqani The confirmation on the meeting comes around a week after media of the two countries India and Pakistan reported that Doval met his Pakistani counterpart Lt General (retd) Janjua in Bangkok. According to media reports, the meeting between the security advisor of the both the countries took place a day after jailed former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav met his family in Islamabad. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Air warriors fly high, but some of them prefer to kiss the sky without being in the comfort of a cockpit. A team of five air warriors of the Indian Air Force (IAF) summited Mt Vinson in the icy Antarctica in the last week of December. The force also claims to be the first defence body to summit all major seven peaks across seven continents. Before Mt Vinson, different teams of the Air Force had summited Mt Everest (Asia), Mt Carstenz Pyramid (Indonesia- Australisa continent), Mt Elbrus (Russia-Europe), Mt Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mt Aconcagua (Argentina-South America), Mt McKinley/Denali (Alaska-North America) over the last two decades. Led by Captain R C Tripathi, the only air warrior to be part of all the seven expeditions, the team was flagged off by Air Chief B S Dhanoa in December last. Trekking on a huge barren landmass, which is a continent in itself, is a daunting task, admits Tripathi. "Summiting every peak is different. You have different challenges in terms of topography, climate and logistics," he said. From snow storms that piled up a huge mass of snow outside their tents to the sun which refused to get weary even after shining all day, or the sub-zero temperatures to the arduous treks, the five Air Force personnel saw it all. "This trek was particularly challenging because we had sledged our luggage, which we had not done before for any of our treks," Tripathi said. On their arrival in Delhi, Tripathi, Wing Co S S Mallik, Squadron Leader Rajesh Mookhi, Sergeant R D Kale and Corp Pawan Kumar-- were felicitated by the Air Force chief, both for their feat and for returning back safely. "When you conquer all the six peaks and you have the last one left, you tend to do mistakes. My only worry was your safety," the Air Force chief told the mountaineers. The fear seems justified as the force lost two of its personnel during a 2005 expedition to summit Mt Everest. "We dedicate our success to Sqdrn Ldr S S Chaitanya and Sgt Shantanu, whom we lost during our Mt Everest expedition in 2005. We dedicate this achievement to all our martyrs," Tripathi said. But how does it feel to summit the peaks in all continents? "Mountaineering is a sport where nobody is there to clap for you or cheer you. No one can see the pain and agony. You are on your own in the wilderness. You just have to feel the achievement," Tripathi added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said that the threat of CBRN (Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) weapons are becoming a reality. He said that the threat is particularly from the non-state actors. The Chief emphasized that the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) should work in a direction to develop technologies to counter such CBRN threats. The Army Chief stressed on the need modern weapons and technology. He said that we have to look at what we require to fight the future wars. We have to get systems that are best suited for our requirements. DRDO is a premier research and development body under the ministry of defence (MOD). It has developed state-of-the-art military equipment including battle tank Arjuna. With many terrorist organizations using chemical warfare as a strategy, the Army Chief wants DRDO to work in the direction to counter such threats. Speaking on the recent cases of reported intrusion along the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh, the Army supremo said that China is exerting pressure. We are dealing with it. Yes we should try that it is not escalated. We will not allow our territory to intruded. Troops are earmarked, should a situation arise our troops are ready to cater. General Rawat, who had previously also highlighted on the need for technologically advanced weapons and equipment, said that threat from CBRN weapons is fast becoming a concern. #WATCH Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat addresses the media in Delhi https://t.co/tUz8dpC3Jc ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: A Pawan Hans helicopter carrying seven people, including five senior ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) officers, crashed in the Arabian Sea on Saturday morning. Four bodies have been recovered from the sea after the debris of the chopper was located, according to the Coast Guard. The chopper, Dauphin N3, bearing registration number VT-PWA was on way to the offshore site of ONGC from the Juhu helicopter base and went missing after took off from Juhu airport at 10.25 am in Mumbai. The chopper was scheduled to land at the designated oil rig at Mumbai High at 11 AM, the sources said. Search operations are on, they added. The Navy said it had deployed its stealth frigate INS Tegfor the search operation while surveillance aircraft P8i is also being press into service. The Coast Guard said that it has diverted ships which were at sea and also those sailing from Mumbai. "A Dornier aircraft and helicopters from Daman (near Dahanu) have also been launched," a Coast Guard spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that "some debris has been located", but did not say if it belonged to the chopper. Four bodies have been recovered from the site. Rescue operation is still going on. Indian Coast Guard continues Search and Rescue operations. Four bodies have been recovered at sea near debris of #ONGC helicopter. #Mumbai pic.twitter.com/KDzcXiKpzT ANI (@ANI) January 13, 2018 Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman assured that all possible assitance will be provided by Indian Navy and Indian Coastal Guard. @indiannavy and @IndiaCoastGuard are extending all possible assistance in the #SAR Search and Rescue of @ONGC_ helicopter and pax on board. Wish for their safety. @DefenceMinIndia @dpradhanbjp Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) January 13, 2018 Spoke to Defence Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharamanji & requested for help from Coast Guard and other agencies in the search and rescue operations ;CMDONGC has rushed to Mumbai;pray for safety of the ONGC officers and the pilots pic.twitter.com/sBNwfHGP0a Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) January 13, 2018 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Senior BJP leader and former Minister of Finance Yashwant Sinha on Saturday held a press conference at his Noida residence on the current judicial crisis. Sinha described the press conference of the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court as absolutely unprecedented and that the most important take away when the national interest is at stake ordinary rules of business do not apply. He, however, made it clear that he does not intend to interfere with the internal matters of the judiciary but whatever the judges said should be probed thoroughly and the findings should be made public in the larger interests of democracy and integrity and honour of judiciary. He demanded a probe into the circumstances that led the judges to take this step and the cases that they alleged were being referred to selected benches and judges. Taking on his party, Sinha said the senior members of the BJP and senior ministers of the Modi government should look into the matter with utmost urgency and transparency. He said when four senior-most judges of the apex court are levelling such serious charges against the CJI and others then it seems that the country is heading towards the Emergency like it was way back in 1975. I call upon senior ministers to shed their inhibitions and fears and come forward because this is the need of the hour. What the judges have said is the feeling of millions of Indians. They do not either have the opportunity or the courage to express themselves, said Sinha. What the judges are hinting at is loud and clear. I hope we get at the truth of Judge Loya's death. I stand firmly with the four judges and instead of criticising them let us concentrate on the issues raised by them. If the highest court is compromised then democracy is in peril, added Sinha. Where is the parliament of India? Why is there no debate in the Parliament? Who wants that a few cases should be heard by selected judges? These are very pertinent and serious questions that need to be answered. Sadly everyone in the BJP and the government is scared of losing their post so no one is taking up this issue. The CJI should call a meeting of all the senior judges and address all the contentious issues to reach a lasting solution, suggested Sinha. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's convoy was attacked in the Nandar village of Buxar district during his Samiksha yatra on Friday. While Kumar escaped unhurt in the attack, at least 2 security men sustained an injury in stone pelting by some of the villagers. Nitish Kumar visited the village to take stock of the development. Reports claimed that many villagers were anguished after the proposed seven development works did take place in the area. Soon after the attack, Nitish Kumar left the village for next programme at Haryana Farm. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: Working with countries like India, Russia and China is a good not bad thing, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday. He was responding to criticism of his desire to improve relationship with Moscow. Working with countries, whether its Russia or China or India, or any of the countries that surround this world and encompass this world, is a very good thing. Thats not a bad thing, he told reporters at a joint White House news conference with Prime Minister, Norway, Erna Solberg. Trump said he was for strongest military, massive oil and gas and a lot of energy. Putin (Russian President Vladimir Putin) cant love that, he added. Trump said it was very much better having to do with North Korea where the US currently has a problem. That should have never been my problem. It should have been a problem solved many years ago when it was much less dangerous. But it was given to him, along with a big mess of other things, he noted. Also Read: US President Donald Trump open to talks with North Korea He blamed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his presidential rival in 2016 elections, saying she was not was not for a strong military. Hillary, my opponent, was for windmills, and she was for other types of energy that dont have the same capacities at this moment certainly, he said. Trump said it was a lot better to work with other countries. Were working with China on North Korea. Were working with various other countries, and I think were doing very well. We had a great talk, as you know and as you reported. We had a great talk this morning with President Moon (of South Korea), and I think that a lot of good things are happening. Were going to see what happens, the US president said. Solberg said Norway has a very good relationship with Russia. As a neighbouring country we do day-to-day work on things that we have to solve for the people and the economic activity that is in that area, which is a fragile area for the whole world, she said. Norway share border with Russia. Responding to a question on allegations of Russian interference in elections in European countries, Solberg said her government has found no such evidence in Norway. I think that its up to every political system and countries to scrutinise and discuss their own political agenda in their countries. And I respect that very much and that this is an issue for American politics, she said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said India will not allow its territory to be invaded by anyone, asserting that China may be a powerful country but India is not a weak nation either. The time had come for India to shift focus to its northern border, he said, and added that the country was capable of handling China's assertiveness along it. Amid aggressive Chinese efforts to increase its influence in the region, the Army chief said India cannot allow its neighbors to drift away to China. "China is a powerful country but we are not a weak nation," Rawat told reporters here. To a question about Chinese incursions into India, he said, "We will not allow our territory to be invaded by anyone." Referring to the US' warnings to Pakistan over its handling of terrorism, Rawat said India will have to wait and see its impact. Terrorists are a disposable commodity in Pakistan and the Indian Army approach has been to ensure that it feels the pain, he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launches 31 satellites, including three of India and 28 of six other countries. PSLV-C40 was launched from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. This is ISROs first launch in 2018 and also the first after the unsuccessful mission of IRNSS-1H in August last year. What is PSLV-C40? India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in its forty-second flight (PSLV-C40), will launch the 710 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite for earth observation and 30 co-passenger satellites together weighing about 613 kg at lift-off. Comprises of: The co-passenger satellites comprise of one Microsatellite and one Nanosatellite from India as well as 3 Microsatellites and 25 Nanosatellites from six countries, namely, Canada, Finland, France, Republic of Korea, UK, and the USA. The total weight of all the 31 satellites carried onboard PSLV-C40 is about 1323 kg. The 28 International customer satellites are being launched as part of the commercial arrangements between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), a Government of India company under Department of Space (DOS), the commercial arm of ISRO and the International customers. Here are the Live updates: #12:08 AM: Our strides in space will help our citizens & enhance our development journey. I want to once again congratulate our scientists: PM Narendra Modi on launch of India's 100th satellite Cartosat-2 series # 12:07 AM: Our ISRO scientists have made us proud yet again. ISRO today created a century in satellite launching. Farmers, fishermen & scientists of the nation will be helped in getting ground details with this success: PM Narendra Modi # 11:55 AM: In the last 3-4 years, it is primarily the personal intervention & patronage provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that team ISRO has been able to carry one success after the other in a serial form: Jitendra Singh, MoS (Department of Space) PMO pic.twitter.com/aylpFFJ6Xw ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 # 11.08 AM: Reactions are pouring in after ISROs successful launch. BJP president Amit Shah says the launch takes India far ahead in space research and technology. Taking to Twitter, he adds, (ISRO) dedication and consistency has made the world sit up & acknowledge the calibre of Indian scientists. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says ISRO has achieved a great feat and made the country proud. #11:07 AM: Union Minsiter Smriti Irani has called it a hallmark of Indian scientific aptitude & indicative of the perseverance and proficiency of Team @isro. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje calls its a proud moment for India. #11.06 AM: Union Minister Rajnath Singh has hailed ISROs achievement as well. Congratulations to team @isro on the successful launch of its 100th satellite with Cartosat 2 Series Satellite Mission. The scientists at ISRO have made the nation proud with their successes on several occasions. They have done it again by hitting a century, he tweets. # 11.05 AM: Union Minister Vijay Goel salutes ISRO scientists for the success. He tweets, Salute to all @isro scientists for this historic feat! Wishing them many more milestones & centuries. #PSLV #ISRO4NewIndia. #11.02 AM: Regarding Augusts unsuccessful mission, he says, Each time you encounter a problem, you come out of it with a rectification. Theres no need to worry about failures or set backs. # 11:12 AM: PSLV's capability of putting multiple satellites into orbit and satellites into multiple orbit both are being done in a single mission practically. Progressively PSLV has better capability: AS Kiran Kumar, ISRO # 10:59 AM: In this mission, everything went as planned and we have been able to put all 30 satellites into orbit: AS Kiran Kumar, ISRO # 10:47 AM: #WATCH ISRO addresses media after launch of India's 100th satellite Cartosat-2 series at Sriharikota https://t.co/tzKtNgC7CZ ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 # 10:36 AM: My heartiest congratulations to ISRO & its scientists on the successful launch of PSLV today. This success in the New Year will bring benefits of the country's rapid strides in space technology to our citizens, farmers, fishermen etc: Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File pic) pic.twitter.com/VP8SsvI4Kw ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 # 10:06 AM: During the last PSLV launch we had problems, today what has happened proves that the problem was properly addressed and rectified. Happy to give this new year gift to the country: AS Kiran, ISRO # 09:58 AM: PSLV-C40 successfully places Cartosat-2 series satellite into sun synchronous orbit: ISRO # 09.57 AM: In a new year gift to the country, PSLV-C40 has successfully launched Cartosat-2, says the ISRO chairman. # 09:57 AM: Satellite Cartosat-2 series launch: All nano satellites separated pic.twitter.com/DEq9CUPZF6 ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 # 09.52 AM: All nano satellites have been separated. PSLV-C40 has successfully placed Cartosat-2 series satellite into sun synchronous orbit. # 09: 46 AM: Space agency successfully launches 100 satellite # 09: 45 AM: The PSLV-C40 vehicle is undertaking its 42nd mission. Its carrying 31 satellites, including the Cartosat-2 series. The satellite was launched at 9.29 am. #09:43 AM: Both Kiran Kumar and K Sivan are seated beside each other monitoring the launch. Sivan will take over as chief of ISRO from Kumar today. # 09.41 AM: Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu congratulates the ISRO team for the launch of its 100th satellite. Taking to Twitter, he says, I congratulate the entire team of @isro for the successful launch of 100th satellite #PSLVC40 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota today. # 09:38 AM: Satellite Cartosat-2 series launch: Third stage has separated and fourth stage engine ignited # 09:35 AM: Payload fairing has successfully separated from satellite Cartosat-2 series that was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota # 09:32 AM: Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launches 100th satellite Cartosat-2 series from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota # 09:30 AM: Everything normal # 09:29 AM: ISRO's PSLV-C40 carrying Cartosat-2 series satellite and 30 other spacecraft lifts off from Sriharikota. # 09.23 AM: Its about three minutes till the mission commences. # 09.04 AM: The satellite will be launched shortly. # 08.45 AM: Todays is the third satellite in the series, after Cartosat-2A and 2B. # 08.15 AM: Onboard the PSLV-C40 today are satellites from six other countries including Canada, Finland, France, Korea, the UK and the US. India, too, is sending one micro and nano satellite. # 07:21 AM: Isro's trusted workhorse PSLV will carry the weather observation 'Cartosat-2' series satellite and 30 co-passengers at lift-off. # 07:21 AM: At two hours, 21 minutes and 62 seconds, this will be the longest flight of the four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). # 07:09 AM: Indian Space Research Organisation to launch Cartosat-2 Series satellite on PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. # 05:59 AM: For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Four of the top justices of the Supreme Court of India - Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph on Friday wrote a letter to CJI Dipak Misra asking him to take remedial measures to maintain the overall functioning of the justice delivery system of the apex court. In the letter, the four judges also expressed serious concerns on certain orders passed by the apex court. Below is the full text of Supreme Court judges letter to CJI Dipak Misra Dear Chief Justice, It is with great anguish and concern that we have thought it proper to address this letter to you so as to highlight certain judicial orders passed by this court which has adversely affected the overall functioning of the justice delivery system and the independence of the High Courts besides impacting the administrative functioning of the office of the Honourable Chief Justice of India. From the date of establishment of three chartered High Courts of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, certain traditions and conventions in the judicial administration have been well established. The traditions were embraced by this court which came into existence almost a century after the above mentioned chartered High Courts. These traditions have their roots in the anglo-saxion jurisprudence and practice. Once of the well settled principles is that the Chief Justice is the master of the roster with a privilege to determine the roster, necessity in multi-numbered courts for an orderly transaction of business and appropriate arrangements with respect to matter with which member/Bench of this court (as the case may be) is required to deal with which case or class of cases is to be made. The convention of recognising the privilege of the Chief Justice to form the roster and assign cases to different members/benches of the court is a convention devised for a disciplined and efficient transaction of business of the court but no a recognition of any superior authority, legal or factual of the Chief Justice over his colleagues. It is too well settled in the jurisprudence of this country that the Chief Justice is only the first amongst the equals nothing more or nothing less. In the matter of the determination of the roster there are well settled and time-honoured conventions guiding the Chief Justice, be the conventions dealing with the strength of the Bench which is required to deal with a particular case or the composition thereof. Also Read | Let people decide CJI Dipak Misras impeachment, say top SC judges in extraordinary press briefing A necessary corollary to the above-mentioned principle is the member of any multi-numbered judicial body including this court would not arrogate to themselves the authority to deal with and pronounce upon matter which ought to be heard by appropriate benches, both composition wise and strength wise with due regard to the roster fixed. Any departure from the above two rules would not only lead to unpleasant and undesirable consequences of creating doubt in the body politic about the integrity of the institution. Not to talk about the chaos that would result from such departure. We are sorry to say that off late the twin rules mentioned above have not been strictly adhered to. There have been instances where case has far-reaching consequences for the nation and the institution had been assigned by the Chief Justice of this court selectively to the benches of their presence with any rationable basis for such assignment. This must be quarded against at all costs. We are not mentioning details only to avoid embarrassing the institution but note that such departures have already damaged the image of this institution of some extent. In the above context, we deem it proper to address you presently with regard the order dated 27th October, 2017, in R B Luthra vs. Union of India to the effect that there should be no further delay in finalising the Memorandum of Procedure in the larger public interest. When the Memorandum of Procedure was a subject matter of a decision of a Constitution Bench of this court in Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association and Anr. vs Union of India, [(2016) 5 SCC 1] it is difficult to understand as to how any other bench could have dealt with the matter. The above apart, subsequent to the decision of the Constitution Bench, detailed discussions were held by collegium of five judges (including yourself) and the Memorandum of Procedure was finalised and sent by then Honourable Chief Justice of India to the Government of India in March 2017. The Government of India has not responded to the communication and in view of this silence, it must be taken that the Memorandum of Procedure as finalised by the collegium has been accepted by the Government of India on the basis of the order of this court in Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (Supra). There was, therefore, no occasion for the bench to make any observation with regard to the finalisation of the Memorandum of Procedure or that issue cannot linger on for an indefinite period. #FLASH Judges J.Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph release 7 page letter, that they wrote to the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. pic.twitter.com/2dQ5fzTDF8 ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 On 4th July, 2017, a bench of seven judges of this court decided In Re Honourable Shri Justice C S Karnan [(2017) 1 SCC 1]. In that decision (referred to in R P Luthra) two of us observed that there is a need to revisit the process of appointment of judges and to set up a mechanism for corrective measures other than impeachment. No observation was made by any of the seven learned judges with regard to the Memorandum of Procedure. Any issue with regard to the Memorandum of Procedure should be discussed in the Chief Justices conference and by the Full Court. Such a matter of great importance, if at all required to be taken on the judicial side, should be dealt with by none other than a Constitution Bench. Also Read | Supreme Court: Unfortunate and dangerous for democracy, says Former LS speaker Somnath Chatterjee The above development must be viewed with serious concern. The Honourable Chief Justice of India is duty bound to rectify the situation and take appropriate remedial measures after a full discussion with the other members of the collegium and at a later stage, if required, with other Honourable Judges of this court. Once the issue arising from the order dates 27th October, 2017, in R P Luthra vs Union of India, mentioned above, is adequately addressed by you and if it becomes so necessary, we will apprise you specifically of the other judicial orders passed by this court which would require to be similarly dealt with. With kind regards, J. Chelameswar Ranjan Gogoi Madam B Lokur Kurian Joseph For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In the middle of the ongoing war of words between US President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un, Trump, on Friday, has out of the blue insinuated he could be having a good relationship with Kim. Trump though refused to divulge any details and did not say if the two had spoken. "I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong-Un," Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an interview. "I have relationships with people. I think you people are surprised." The paper reported that Trump did not give any inkling if the two bitter rivals have had established any contacts as of yet. This comes at a time when the two countries are in a state of an altercation over North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes which could be used to target the United States and her allies. Trump has repeatedly insulted the North Korean leader, describing him as mad and a "rocket man." Asked if he had spoken to Kim, Trump said "I don't want to comment on it. I'm not saying I have or haven't. I just don't want to comment." (With Agency inputs) For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Jigar Sanghvi and Kripesh Sanghvi, One Above pub co-owners wanted in connection with the December 29 Kamala Mills fire that claimed 14 lives, were arrested on Wednesday, police said. The Sanghvi brothers, who were on the run since the incident, were arrested from the Andheri area here, additional commissioner of police S Jaikumar told PTI. The police had arrested Vishal Kariya, a hotelier, for allegedly giving shelter to the Sanghvi brothers and Abhijeet Mankarowners of the 1 Above pub on Tuesday. The trio have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other offences under the Indian Penal Code. Police had also announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information about their whereabouts. Mankar was still absconding. On December 29, fire had swept through the 1 Above and adjacent Mojos Bistro resto pub in Kamala Mills compound in central Mumbai, resulting in the death of 14 people. On Thursday morning, Abhijeet Mankar, the third owner of the restaurant was arrested from Marine Lines. The 30-year-old hotelier was on the run along with co-owners of the pub, Kripesh and Jigar, since the day of the incident. Our team arrested owner of the 1 Above pub, Abhijeet Mankar, from Marine Lines in the early hours, Ahmed Pathan, Senior Police Inspector, N M Joshi Marg Police Station told PTI. Also Read: Kamala Mills fire: Hotelier held for sheltering 1 Above pub owners "During the interrogation of the duo, we got the information about Mankars whereabouts and apprehended him from Marine Lines," Pathan said. Now our teams are in search of Yug Tulli, owner of Mojos Bistro pub, who is also on the run, another police official said. "Tulli was spotted at Hyderabad airport on Tuesday, but was unable to fly. He later disappeared from the spot. Our teams are trying to trace him in Hyderabad," he said. The hearing on Tullis anticipatory bail application is scheduled today, following which further action will be decided according to the orders of the court, he said. All the arrested accused will be produced before the Bhoiwada Court on Thursday afternoon, the official added. According to police, the action was taken on the basis of Fire Brigade report, which said the fire broke out from Mojos Bistro and spread to 1 Above. The sections of culpable homicide not amounting to murder were added against the owners of Mojos Bistro, they said. On December 29, fire had swept through 1 Above and adjacent Mojos Bistro resto pub in Kamala Mills compound in central Mumbai, resulting in the death of 14 people. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In an unprecedented move, four of the five senior most Supreme Court judges on Friday addressed a press conference and attacked Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. During the press conference, senior judge Justice J Chelameswar said that all their efforts had failed and unless the Supreme Court is not preserved, democracy cannot be protected. Chelameswar, who was accompanied by Justices Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph at the press conference, said they had met CJI Dipak Misra on Friday morning and raised issues affecting the institution. We met CJI with a specific request which unfortunately couldnt convince him that we were right therefore, we were left with no choice except to communicate it to the nation that please take care of the institution, Justice Chelameswar said. Sometimes administration of the Supreme Court is not in order and many things which are less than desirable have happened in the last few months, he added. When reporters asked about the issues, the top court judges said they included allocation of cases by CJI Dipak Misra. The hard-hitting remarks against the CJI come on a day when Supreme Court took up for consideration the issue of alleged mysterious death of special CBI judge B H Loya, who was hearing the sensitive Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case. Also Read: Supreme Court judges' row: Congress President Rahul Gandhi demands probe into death of Judge Loya Here are the live updates: # Anna Hazare: The areas of concern flagged by the four senior judges of the apex court show that there is some kind of a nexus between some people in this government and some judges. # BJPs Sambit Patra: Surprised and pained that Congress which has been rejected number of times by people in elections is trying to gain political mileage. # Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee: Unfortunate and dangerous for democracy. It'll create more problems than solve. Since the judges have spoken they've done disservice to country because if judiciary is weakened, questions arise in people's minds, it already has. # Former Maharashtra Advocate General Shrihari Aney: They wouldn't have taken the step without thinking. If it has fallen upon them to take action, it's up to us to understand what led to that. # Rahul Gandhi: Points raised by the Hon judges need to be looked into carefully, even Justice Loya's death needs to be investigated properly. Observations made by Hon Judges are extremely disturbing and have far reaching consequences. Points raised by the Hon judges need to be looked into carefully, even Justice Loya's death needs to be investigated properly. # Congress leader RS Surjewala: Observations made by Hon Judges are extremely disturbing and have far reaching consequences. # Attorney General K K Venugopal: The unprecedented move by the four senior Supreme Court judges in holding a press conference could have been avoided. The judges will now have to act in statesmanship to ensure complete harmony. # MoS Law PP Chaudhary: The judiciary is independent and reputed. They will resolve it themselves. # Former judge R S Sodhi criticised the appeal made by four judges of the Supreme Court of India, said they showed Chief Justice Dipak Misra in a poor light, reports ANI. # Former judge R S Sodhi: Issues do not matter, but it is their complaint on administration that matters. They are only four,but there are 23 others. These four got together and showed the chief justice in poor light. It is immature and childish behaviour. I think all four judges should be impeached. # Shrihari Aney, former Attorney General: They wouldn't have taken the step without thinking. If it has fallen upon them to take action, it's up to us to understand what led to that. # Kiran Rijiju, MoS Home: Defence lawyers are raising issues just to delay matter but we have requisite things in India for fair trial of Vijay Mallya or anybody. So they need not worry about conditions of trial in India or should not cast aspersion on independence of our judiciary. # Supreme Court Bar Association to meet in New Delhi on January 13 to discuss the aftermath of the press conference held by four senior judges. # Former Union law minister Hansraj Bhardwaj: Judiciary must remain pillar of democracy. Its responsibility of (the) law minister to see how it functions. # Former Union law minister Hansraj Bhardwaj: Its the loss of prestige of the entire institution. If you lose publics trust what remains?" Congress leader and senior advocate Kapil Sibal to meet party president Rahul Gandhi at 5pm. To discuss over the press conference called by the four Supreme Court judges. # Congress: Democracy is in danger. # PB Sawant, former Supreme Court judge: If Judges had to come before the media and take this unprecedented step. This means that there is a serious dispute.] # Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to law minister RS Prasad about the allegations made by the 4 Supreme Court judges: ANI quoting sources. # Justice RS Sodhi (Retd): I think all four judges should be impeached. They have no right to sit there and deliver verdicts anymore. # Justice RS Sodhi (Retd): This trade unionism is wrong. Democracy in danger is not for them to say. We have parliament, courts, police functioning. # There must be some serious reason that they were left with no other option but to hold a Press Conference. But what connection Loya has with this? I know nothing about this & I don't want to make comments about any political matter: Mukul Mudgal, retired HC judge # Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra met the Attorney General KK Venugopal over the allegations made by the 4 Supreme Court judges, reported ANI. Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra met the Attorney General KK Venugopal over the allegations made by the 4 Supreme Court judges: Sources (file pics) pic.twitter.com/a5yp2W7pkn ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 # I think it's a historic Press Conference. It was very well done. I think we, the people of India, have a right to know what is going on within the judiciary & I welcome this: Indira Jaising, Supreme Court advocate on PC by 4 Supreme Court judges # Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Law Minister RS Prasad about the allegations made by the 4 Supreme Court judges: ANI # Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra to address the media at 2 pm, Attorney General to also accompany him. Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra to address the media at 2 pm, Attorney General to also accompany him. pic.twitter.com/0CLVtBsyv2 ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 # CJI Dipak Mishra has called Attorney General KK Venugopal to his chambers. After this PC CJI calls AG KK Venugopal to his chambers pic.twitter.com/k0rmgpC1AS News Nation (@NewsNationTV) January 12, 2018 # We can't criticize them, they are men of great integrity & have sacrificed a lot of their legal career, where they could've made money as senior counsels. We must respect them. PM must ensure that the 4 judges & CJI, in fact, whole SC come to one opinion & proceed further: S.Swamy We can't criticize them, they are men of great integrity & have sacrificed a lot of their legal career, where they could've made money as senior counsels. We must respect them. PM must ensure that the 4 judges & CJI, in fact whole SC come to one opinion & proceed further: S.Swamy pic.twitter.com/dYj6MJPhkO ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 # "It is certainly a very serious development which has cast a huge shadow on the Chief Justice. Somebody had to confront the situation, where CJ is blatantly misusing his powers, hence the unprecedented step": Prashant Bhushan, lawyer & politician # This is a black day for Judiciary. Today's press conference would cause a bad precedent. From now on every common man could look at all judicial order with suspicion. Every judgement will be questioned: Ujjwal Nikam, senior lawyer # Deeply sad & pained, also feel a sense of agony that highest court of land should come under such severe stress that forces judges to address the media: Salman Khurshid, senior advocate on a press conference by 4 Supreme Court judges. # It's quite shocking. There must have been compelling reasons for the senior-most judges to have adopted this course of action. One could see pain on their faces while they were speaking: KTS Tulsi, advocate SC on 4 judges' letter to CJI # It is too well settled in the jurisprudence of this country that the Chief Justice is only first amongst the equals- nothing more or nothing less: Supreme Court Judges in letter to Chief Justice of India # It is with great anguish&concern that we thought it proper to highlight certain judicial orders passed by this Court that adversely affected functioning of justice delivery system & independence of HCs besides impacting administrative functioning of CJI's office: SC Judges to CJI # Prime Minister Narendra Modi has summoned Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. # Supreme Court Judge J.Chelameswar says, 'All 4 of us are convinced that unless this institution (Supreme Court) is preserved & it maintains its equanimity, democracy will survive in this country, or any country. #WATCH: Supreme Court Judge J.Chelameswar says, 'All 4 of us are convinced that unless this institution (Supreme Court) is preserved & it maintains its equanimity, democracy will survive in this country, or any country. pic.twitter.com/FBYSeLClH6 ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 # Nobody is breaking the rank and it is discharge of debt to nation which we have done: Justice Gogoi # Four of us are convinced, the democracy will not survive. We met CJI this morning, with specific request but we could not convince him. We had no choice but to communicate to the nation to take care of the institution. We place it before people of country, Justice Gogoi said. # Judges J.Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph release 7-page letter, that they wrote to the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. #FLASH Judges J.Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph release 7 page letter, that they wrote to the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. pic.twitter.com/2dQ5fzTDF8 ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 # All our efforts have failed and we are all convinced that unless this institution is not preserved, democracy cant be protected in the country, Justice Chelameswar said. # Let the nation decide that: Justice J.Chelameswar on if the CJI should be impeached # "Sometimes the administration of the SC is not in order and many things which have happened in the last few months," says Justice Chelameswar. Supreme Court Judges Kurian Joseph, J.Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi and Madan Lokur to address the media shortly #Delhi (names in order of seating) pic.twitter.com/hzONls1b4I ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2018 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Buxer: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumars convoy was attacked at Nandar village in Buxar district during his Vikas Samiksha Yatra on Friday. Attackers hurled stones at the chief minister and his cavalcade. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was rescued safely. Two security personnel part of the CM convoy have suffered serious injuries. They were rushed to the local hospital, said a police officer. The villagers wanted Nitish Kumar to visit Dalit Basti. However, the CM didn't visit the Basti. Angry villagers including women in large numbers hurled stones and bricks at the CM cavalcade. The Bihar CM is on a state-wide tour since December 12 to take a stock of state government's development schemes over the years. Earlier this month, a group of youngsters had waved black flags at the chief minister during a public meeting in Saharsa district. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In yet another incident of police taking on robbers in Noida, 2 criminals were shot during an encounter at Phase 2 on Saturday. According to reports, the culprits had fired upon the vehicle of a factory owner and demanded extortion money of Rs 2 Crore. 2 criminals shot during an encounter in Noida Phase 2. The men had fired upon the vehicle of a factory owner and demanded extortion money of Rs 2 Crore, the news agency ANI tweeted. Moreover, police have arrested 3 criminals including 2 injured during the operation. They have also rescued 3 pistols and phone which had been used to demand extortion money from the factory owner. This is not the first encounter in and around Noida. Earlier, on October 4, 2017, a 27-year-old noted gangster was shot dead by the police allegedly in a late-night encounter in Sector Chi 4, Greater Noida. Also Read: Two terrorists gunned down in forest area of Anantnag's Larnoo in J&K On December 14, a 30-year-old man was shot and injured during another encounter with Ghaziabad police in Vaishali. On November 13, a robber sustained a bullet injury during retaliatory firing by police near Vaishali metro station. This was after a duo barged into the jewellery shop and shot the owner during the robbery bid. New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday conducted raids at senior Congress leader P Chidambarams son Karti Chidambarams premises in Delhi and Chennai. The raids were conducted in connection with a money laundering case. The raids were being carried since early morning, as per the official sources. Nothing was recovered from Karti's house during the raid. ED on Thursday had issued fresh summons to Karti Chidambaram to appear before it on January 16 after he failed to appear before the agency. The probe agency had registered a case against Karti and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in May 2017. ED had also carried out raids in the premises of Kartis relatives and others on December 1, 2017. The law enforcement agency has alleged that Karti received money from Peter and Indrani Mukerjea owned INX media so as to avoid the tax probe against it. Karti is facing investigation in connection with the role of facilitating the approval of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to INX Media Limited in 2006. During that period his father P Chidambaram was the Union Finance Minister. It was alleged that Karti received Rs 3.5 crore for assisting INX media in getting FIPB approval. The ED raids in Chennai have concluded. Reacting to ED raids senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, Not surprised by the malicious vendetta being unleashed against senior Congress leaders including P Chidambaram and his son. Everyday PM Modi and his government use ED & CBI as captive puppets to seek revenge from the opposition. Not surprised by the malicious vendetta being unleashed against senior Congress leaders including P Chidambaram & his son. Everyday PM Modi & his govt use ED & CBI as captive puppets to seek revenge from opposition: Randeep Surjewala on ED raids at Karti Chidambaram's premises pic.twitter.com/g2x1fw2HvC ANI (@ANI) January 13, 2018 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: India on Friday reaffirmed its space prowess and commercial launch capabilities by launching its 100th satellite but this is not enough as ISRO is preparing Chandrayaan-2 to undergo moon landing simulation tests at Mahendragiri. Chandrayaan-2 is India's second lunar exploration mission after the famous Chandrayaan-1 launched in October 2008. Developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), scientists will make a landing attempt in the first quarter of 2018. The lunar mission will be launched using a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk II) which includes a lunar orbiter, lander and rover, all made in India. India will also be the first country in last four years to land on the Moon. In 2013, Chinas unmanned Yutu rover had done this with month-long walk on the planet. Chandrayaan-1 Launch| Watch Video "It is on schedule. We have to find out whether it is in March or not," ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar told reporters here in a response to a question. Speaking after the successful orbiting of 31 satellites, including weather observation Cartosat-2 Series craft, by the PSLV-C40, he said the Chandrayan-II satellite was getting ready at the ISRO Satellite Centre. Director of ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu S Somanath said tests related to Chandrayan-2 were underway at the centre also. "What we are trying to do is to prove the ability to do a soft landing (the rover). Tests are on to demonstrate soft landing in a simulated way," he said. Terming it as a "wonderful task", he said "we are trying to complete it in a short span of time and that is going onright now". To a query on whether there was possibility of ISRO carrying out manned space mission, Kumar said, "The possibility was always there for taking up such a mission but the government has to decide by giving resources." On the future launches to be taken up by ISRO in 2018, Kumar said the next launch will be a communication satellite. The GSLV-MkII first stage had been assembled and already completed integration. "They are going through process and it is targeted sometime next month (for launch)," he said. Beyond that, there would be MkIII and another PSLV which will carry navigation satellite IRNSS-1I. "We also have a number of launches almost every month one launch and we are going to work towards that", Kumar, who is retiring later this month, said. "We are trying to push the launch envelope to such an extent so that we have three of GSLV category and nine of PSLV category (this year). It is still quite a tough task", he said. Referring to the unsuccessful launch of IRNSS-1H on 31 August last year, he said it was a peculiar case. "Very marginal deviation created a problem. Not withstanding that what we did is we went through a rigorous process of analysing and have made the system more robust", the ISRO chief said. Kumar said to identify the cause of the incident, a team was formed which carried out various simulations and review process were taken up by the scientists. "Each time you encounter a problem you come out of it. You need not worry about the failure. If you have not failed it means, you have not tried hard enough. So, we need not worry about set backs", he said. Kumar said launch vehicle technology was a very complex thing and in spite of hundreds of successes, there can still be a failure. "That is why it is called as risky business. So what we need to clearly understand is that each time make the system more and more robust, learn the deficiency and keep improving", he added. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) Director K Sivan, who has been named the successor to Kumar, termed as 'excellent' today's launch and credited the entire ISRO team for the success. He also noted that many international customers approached the ISRO for the launch immediately after the PSLV-C39 failure and it showed the confidence that they have in the agency's workhorse launch vehicle. "We will be definitely meeting their expectations in the future also. This mission is definitely showing the green flag for the exciting high profile missions in 2018 such as the Chandryaan 2, GSLV mk 3 then GSAT-11," he said. Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre P Kunhikrishnan lauded ISRO scientists for opening the year with a success. This mission proved the effectiveness of all corrective measures taken in PSLV C-40 "making the vehicle more robust and reliable," he said. Multiple projects were underway at the spaceport to ramp up ISRO's launch capabilities, he said. He said the second vehicle assembly building project was in the final phase of completion and it would meet the future launch requirements from the second launch pad. With PTI Inputs For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: President Donald Trump reportedly lashed out on Friday in a meeting with lawmakers about immigration reform, demanding to know why the US should accept citizens from what he called "shithole" countries. Trump sat down with senators and Congressmen at the White House to discuss a proposed bipartisan deal that would limit immigrants from bringing family members into the country and restrict the green card visa lottery in exchange for shielding hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation. "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?" Trump said, according to people briefed on the meeting who spoke with The Washington Post. The New York Times later reported the same comment, citing unnamed people with direct knowledge of the meeting. The president was referring to African countries and Haiti and then suggested the United States should welcome immigrants from places like Norway, whose prime minister met with Trump on Wednesday. The comments alarmed and mystified the people attending the meeting. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Dick Durbin came to the White House to outline their bipartisan compromise but found themselves in the room with several Republican immigration hardliners. Graham and Durbin are leading efforts to codify protections for so-called "dreamers," immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children. In exchange, the deal would end extended family chain migration. It also reportedly would cut the visa lottery program by half and prioritise certain countries in the system, instead of scrapping it altogether as several Republicans have suggested as part of an agreement. The president and lawmakers are in the midst of intense negotiations about how to shield nearly 800,000 "dreamers" from deportation. Last year, Trump scrapped the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that protected the immigrants and set a deadline of March 5 for Congress to legislate a fix. The White House did not deny the account of Trump's use of language but instead suggested the president was "fighting for permanent solutions" that strengthen the nation, in part through the use of a merit-based immigration system. "Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people," White House spokesman Raj Shah said in a statement. "He will always reject temporary, weak and dangerous stopgap measures that threaten the lives of hardworking Americans, and undercut immigrants who seek a better life in the United States through a legal pathway." Some Democrats seized on Trump's slur to suggest he is anti-immigrant. "We always knew that President Trump doesn't like people from certain countries or people or certain colours," Congressman Luis Gutierrez said. "We can now we say with 100% confidence that the president is a racist who does not share the values enshrined in our Constitution." For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Indian government's chief legal advisor K K Venugopal on Friday said that the unprecedented move by the four senior Supreme Court judges in holding a press conference "could have been avoided". The judges would now have to act in "statesmanship" to ensure complete harmony. Venugopal, who had a meeting with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra after the press conference, spoke to PTI on much persuation and expressed hope that all judges, including the CJI, would rise to the occasion and "wholy neutralize" the "divisiveness". "What has happened today could have been avoided. The judges will now have to act in statesmanship and ensure that the divisiveness is wholly neutralized and total harmony and mutual understanding will prevail in future," he said. "This is what all of us at the bar want and I am sure that the judges, including the CJI, will rise to the occasion," he said, but declined to come out with details of his deliberations with the CJI and others. "I had promised to the judges that I would not speak to the media," Venugopal said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Seoni: A minor girl allegedly committed suicide at a village in Seoni district, with her family claiming that she took the extreme step after repeatedly being harassed by a man on her way to school, the police said on Thursday. The 16-year-girl, a student of class 10, consumed a poisonous substance at her home on Wednesday. She was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared her dead, Additional Superintendent of Police Gopal Khandel said. The girl did not blame anyone in her suicide, he said. However, her brother blamed harassment by a 22-year-old man behind her taking the extreme step. "I was away with my father at the farm. When I returned home for lunch, I saw my sister groaning in pain. Also read: Also read: Photograph on social media leads woman to suicide, 3 booked "She said that she had consumed poison as she was fed up with harassment by the man... We took her to a hospital but she was declared dead on arrival," he said. The brother claimed that the man had earlier been warned not to harass her, but he kept on doing it and she was distressed due to it. The additional superintendent of police, however, said no complaint of eve-teasing has been registered at the local police station. The police have started an investigation by recording the statements of the girl's mother and brother, he said. The Haj Committee of India announced about cancelling all the applications for the pilgrimage this year on Tuesday. The reason mentioned is Saudi Arabia has stated that only a limited number of people residing in the Kingdom will be allowed to perform Haj due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a circular, the committee mentioned that the Ministry of Haj and Umrah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has issued a statement viewing the not so good condition across the world. The ministry informed that due to coronavirus conditions it has decided to allow citizens and residents inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia only to attend Haj this year in limited numbers and international Haj has been cancelled. Haj Committee of India's Chief Executive Officer Maqsood Ahmed Khan signed the circular. The circular further read, "Hence it has been decided by the Haj Committee of India that all the applications for Haj-2021 stands cancelled. Last year also the same thing happened, government had decided that Muslims from India will not travel to Saudi Arabia for Haj 2020 after the Kingdom conveyed that pilgrims should not be sent in the wake of the coronavirus cases surge. US and European Union in their first summit seeks to end trade disputes PM Modi addresses UN meeting, gave idea to improve barren land in Kutch Delhi AIIMS to resume out-patient services in a phased manner from June 18 onwards SYDNEY Australia's second-largest city Melbourne will further ease restrictions from Thursday midnight notwithstanding a surge in Covid cases. The Health Department has confirmed that the new cases were linked to the known outbreak in the Southbank apartment complex in inner Melbourne. The state authority announced on Wednesday that the 25km travel limit across Victoria will be lifted, opening up travel between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. The mandatory masks will also only apply indoors. "Distance has kept us apart but kept us safe and saved lives. But Victoria's at its best when we're together," said acting premier James Merlino during the press conference. At the same time, Victoria continued to ramp up its vaccination and testing efforts, completing 17,538 tests and administering 14,870 vaccine doses on June 15, bringing Victoria's total number of vaccinations to 831,856. Global Covid Roundup: The other worst countries with over 3 million cases are Brazil (17,533,221), France (5,806,255), Turkey (5,342,028), Russia (5,176,051), the UK (4,596,987), Italy (4,247,032), Argentina (4,172,742), Colombia (3,802,052), Spain (3,745,199), Germany (3,725,383) and Iran (3,049,648), the CSSE figures showed. Nepal landslides, flood: Over four dozen people are feared missing US COVID deaths cross the grim landmark of 600,000 as country reopens US and European Union in their first summit seeks to end trade disputes Patna: The Met department has issued a warning for the next 48 hours in Bihar. An alert has been sounded for heavy rains in East and West Champaran, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga, Shivhar, Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj and Purnia. At the same time, according to met department information, many areas will receive rain for five days now. Heavy rain is said to be likely in the coastal areas of Gandak river in Bihar. Red alert is on in Siwan, Gopalganj, West and East Champaran. It has been raining heavily for the last two to three days. Good rain was also recorded in various areas of the state on Tuesday. It may be recalled that the Gandak river has been in spate due to rain in Nepal for the past 48 hours. Meanwhile, due to discharge of 2.64 lakh cusecs of water from Valmikinagar Barrage at 4 pm on Tuesday, the Gandak river has crossed the danger mark and reached 50 cm above the danger mark in Pathara. It is estimated to reach one and a half to two metres and above by Wednesday. The water level of the river is rising rapidly, threatening to flood 215 villages in the lower reaches of the district. Two people were killed on Tuesday evening when heavy rains hit Siwan due to lightning. The accident occurred while working in the field. The incident took place at Sisai Tola Murarpur in Goreyakothi police station area. Both Brijkishore Prasad and Soman Chaudhary had gone to work in the field when the accident took place. Both were severely scorched by lightning. He was brought to Sadar Hospital for treatment where doctors declared him brought dead. NIA announce Rs 10 lakh reward on info about suspects in Delhi's Israel embassy blast Del Monte launches Indias first packaged King Coconut Water Bihar: Monsoon rain caused water logging in Sadar hospital On April 14, India allowed the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to purchase and import electricity from the energy exchange market of Indias NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited. Accordingly, the NEA has started purchasing electricity from the Indian market at a competitive rate when needed. However, India has been reluctant to arrange for the sale of Nepals electricity through the same market. The authority has not got permission for the export and sale of excess electricity in the Indian market even after months of seeking permission. This has led to confusion over the management of excess electricity generated during the rainy season. The NEA fears it might have to waste electricity, as much as 900 megawatts, if that could not be exported to India this rainy season. Expecting excess production It is mentioned in the budget plan for the coming fiscal year that 1,629 megawatts of electricity will be added to the national grid by completing various hydropower projects. It is projected to generate 228 megawatts from Upper Tamakoshi, 11 megawatts from Rasuwagadhi, 56 megawatts from two projects in Sanjen, 37 megawatts from Upper Trishuli 3B, 40 megawatts from Rahughat, 102 megawatts from Madhya Bhotekoshi and 155 megawatts from other private projects. If the generated electricity is connected to the transmission line as per the production target, it has to be exported even in the daytime besides nighttime. For that, the government has already given pre-approval to the NEA to sell electricity in the day-ahead and term-ahead markets of India. But, the NEA fears that Nepal might have to lose millions of rupees in the rainy season due to the delay in obtaining approval from India although it had issued the Conduct of Business Rules (CRB) in February last year for the very purpose. File: NEA official Hitendra Dev Shakya In the first phase, the NEA had proposed to sell the 456 megawatts and 45 megawatts of electricity generated at Upper Tamakoshi and Bhotekoshi projects respectively in the Indian energy exchange market during the rainy season. Despite sending the required documents for that, India has not responded yet. Likewise, some units of Upper Tamakoshi are expected to start commercial production by July. Consequently, 500 megawatts will be added to the electric power system by September, informs Hitendra Dev Shakya, the NEA managing director. At present, the authority has an installed hydropower capacity of 1,400 megawatts. There is an internal demand of only 900 megawatts at night, says Shakya, We may have to export 900 megawatts at night by August-September. The NEA is afraid that such excess electricity might go to waste. Madhu Bhetwal, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy, says the NEA is participating in various bids called for the sale of electricity in India. Necessary initiatives are also being taken to sell electricity through the day-ahead market. Recently, the energy secretary has talked to his Indian counterpart. Risk of resource wastage If permission is not given to export electricity to the Indian market before the rainy season, it is likely that more electricity will go to waste this year than last year. In the previous rainy season, up to 300 megawatts of electricity had gone to waste in Nepal. The NEA is worried that a large amount of electricity will be waste during the rainy season this year. As there is no power export agreement at the government level, India is not obliged to buy Nepals surplus electricity. In the rainy season of 2019, the NEA had exported electricity worth more than Rs 800 million to India. But now, electricity consumption in India has also declined since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country last year. When the water levels in rivers decrease in winter, the electricity generated in Nepal is not sufficient to meet the domestic demand, thus electricity has to be imported from India to meet the demand. However, during the rainy season, except during peak hours, the electricity generated in Nepal sufficiently meets the domestic demand. But, at night, as the consumption decreases, the plants have to shut down and electricity has to be wasted. During the rainy season, when it rains, the water levels in the rivers increase, subsequently the production of electricity also increases. At that time, all the hydropower projects can be operated at full capacity. In such a situation, the NEA has been shutting down the production units of its projects as the production is more than the demand. It is termed as an energy spill. Nepal Electricity Authority The NEA has to compensate the private producers for their energy spill as they have entered into a purchase agreement in the take or pay model. Low domestic consumption The governments plan to consume more electricity during the rainy season is in limbo. Till last fiscal year, electricity consumption per person was 260 units. The target was to increase it by 90 units to reach 350 units in the current fiscal year. However, it is unlikely to reach 300 units by the end of this year. It is because factories and hotels have not been able to operate at full capacity due to the imposed prohibitory order as of now. Due to this, the demand for electricity has not been able to rise. In this case, the next few months will be a big challenge for the NEA to not waste too much electricity. However, in the absence of a policy to encourage per-person energy consumption in the country, the issue of increasing consumption has been limited to papers. To increase electricity consumption, the government has reduced taxes on induction cookers, electric vehicles and electrical appliances as announced in the budget speech. Shakya says that there is no alternative to exporting excess electricity as this policy will not increase consumption immediately. If the export route is not opened, a lot of electricity could be wasted, he asserts, We are trying to prevent that from happening. An earthquake ripped through the South Island of New Zealand on September 2, 2010, its epicenter narrowly missing the city of Christchurch by about 40 kilometers, or 25 miles. Disaster struck nearly six months later, when an aftershock centered on the city, killing 185 people and injuring many more. The sequence also caused an estimated 40 billion dollars in damage. In response, the New Zealand government formed the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission to investigate the aftermath and building failures in particular. They developed a list of recommendations for the New Zealand government to act on. "There was very strong motivation behind actually implementing change," said professor Rick Henry, a senior lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Auckland. "To our advantage as engineers, we had some tangible recommendations we could point to that needed to be addressed." These recommendations formed the basis for revisions to the New Zealand Concrete Structures Standard NZS 3101 and subsequently the U.S. Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete ACI 318. Henry and colleagues generated first-of-its-kind data on lightly reinforced concrete walls commonly used in multi-story buildings in areas with low or moderate seismicity all over the world. The dataset was published and made publicly available on the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) DesignSafe cyberinfrastructure, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. Rick Henry and Yiqiu Lu, a research fellow in Henry's lab at the University of Auckland, were awarded a DesignSafe Dataset Award 2021, which recognized the dataset's diverse contributions to natural hazards research. "In the earthquake engineering space, we see DesignSafe as the most visible platform where publishing that data would allow the most users to find and use it," Henry said. The researchers began their investigations by being puzzled over wall damage they saw caused by the Canterbury earthquake. They noticed a lack of distributed cracks at points engineers call 'plastic hinges,' such as at the base of the wall, where they expected more bending in response to the ground shaking. "There was very little cracking in walls that should have sustained large deformations," Henry explained. "Investigators found that all of the steel reinforcement had fractured or broken. It was hidden damage within the wall that raised a lot of the concerns around, why did we get that?" Henry and Lu focused on simulating seismic demands on walls in the lab, testing 11 wall components with about 80 sensors to measure their deformations and strains to increasingly applied loads that simulated seismic actions of larger and larger earthquakes. The high-quality documentation and dataset they generated includes details of the test walls, their material properties, test setup, the instrumentation plan, loading protocol, test sequences, test observations, crack patterns, photos, videos, time-lapse animations, and sensor data. A paper on the dataset was published in the March 2021 issue of the Journal of Structural Engineering of the American Society of Civil Engineers. "We looked at how we place limits on wall design to ensure that we get the required performance we need," Henry said. "There hadn't been much in the way of testing around what we'd deemed as lightly reinforced walls." Much of what Henry's lab does when they're trying to understand structural responses is either to test physical components or to develop numerical simulation. He emphasized that they go hand-in-hand. "Sometimes we see things in earthquakes, and sometimes we see things in the lab," he said. "They all help us to improve our understanding of it. One really useful outcome of doing physical testing is that we can then use that to calibrate and verify models that might be used for designing buildings." He explained that earthquake engineering fits broadly into two categories. One is for existing buildings that might not have been designed up to current standards. "Can we predict and understand what buildings are going to do during earthquakes," posited Henry. "In particular, how do we need to intervene or strengthen them to improve their performance?" Secondly, there is the category of new buildings and the general improvement of the design process. "Most of what we focus on is applied in that applied end of research. To be able to put what we've done into practice and see a change in new design or some engineering practices as a result of our work is the objective of what we're doing." Henry said. Funding for Henry's work on wall testing came from the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), and more recently from the New Zealand Center for Earthquake Resilience (QuakeCORE), which is a collaborating organization with DesignSafe. ### DesignSafe is a comprehensive cyberinfrastructure that is part of the NSF-funded Natural Hazard Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) and provides cloud-based tools to manage, analyze, understand, and publish critical data for research to understand the impacts of natural hazards. The capabilities within the DesignSafe infrastructure are available at no-cost to all researchers working in natural hazards. The cyberinfrastructure and software development team is located at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin, with a team of natural hazards researchers from the University of Texas, the Florida Institute of Technology, and Rice University comprising the senior management team. NHERI is supported by multiple grants from the National Science Foundation, including the DesignSafe Cyberinfrastructure, Award #1520817. Urges that failure to do so puts the lives of them and their families at risk and creates a national security issue for future military operations WASHINGTON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With less than 100 days remaining before the Sept. 11 deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan, The American Legion demands that the U.S. government act now to extract Afghan interpreters who assisted U.S. troops during the Global War on Terrorism. Failure to do so puts the lives of these translators and their families in serious jeopardy as they face death threats from ISIS, the Taliban, Al Qaeda and others because of their service to the United States. The American Legion demands the U.S. government act now to extract Afghan interpreters before Sept. 11 troop withdrawal deadline Since the 9-11 terror attacks, the United States has employed thousands of local Afghan translators to help U.S. forces during the war. In exchange for their help, the United States promised a pathway to U.S. citizenship for Afghan interpreters and their families. Not honoring this promise creates an enormous national security issue for future military operations. "Our wartime allies saved countless American lives despite grave dangers to themselves and their families," American Legion National Commander James W. "Bill" Oxford said. "It would be a moral failure to withdraw our troops and leave behind the brave Afghan interpreters who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. troops through multiple operations." Congress passed the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009. The act provides special immigrant visas (SIVs) to Afghans who worked for at least one year as translators or interpreters, or who were employed by, or on behalf of, the U.S. government in Afghanistan. The visa allows these wartime allies to resettle in the United States. To qualify, visa applicants must demonstrate that their lives were threatened because of their work in support of a U.S. mission. As of April 2021, there are approximately 18,000 Afghan interpreters in limbo under the SIV program due to bureaucratic red tape and limited spots. Story continues "The current SIV process will not work, as it takes an average of 800+ days, and we have less than 100," said Steven A. Brennan, chairman of The American Legion's National Security Commission. "The American Legion strongly encourages the U.S. government to prioritize the protection of our allies and their families by creating and implementing an immediate plan to extract these heroes. Not honoring our promises creates an enormous national security risk in the future because other countries will be unwilling to help us." This is not a new issue. The United States has conducted evacuations before at a far greater scale. In 1975, the United States evacuated approximately 130,000 Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon. Most of these refugees were held temporarily in Guam before being transported to the continental United States to finish visa processing. Again in 1996, the United States evacuated thousands of Kurds at the end of the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War, also temporarily holding them in Guam. Despite those efforts, thousands were still left behind and killed in Vietnam and Iraq. "We have experience with this type of evacuation in times of crisis," Brennan added. "The current environment in Afghanistan clearly merits similar action but with even better results." About The American Legion With a current membership of nearly 2 million veterans, The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans' affairs, Americanism and youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 12,000 posts across the nation. Contact: Judy Welage Email: JWelage@1stdegree.com Phone: (917) 697-9838 The American Legion Emblem (PRNewsfoto/The American Legion) Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-american-legion-demands-the-us-government-act-now-to-extract-afghan-interpreters-before-sept-11-troop-withdrawal-deadline-301314115.html SOURCE The American Legion Merged eCommerce practice taps into USD 100B opportunity across Southeast Asia Awake Asia is the biggest regional eCommerce enabler operating in Southeast Asia partnering with over 120 brands KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ADA launches the region's first integrated eCommerce practice through a merger with Awake Asia, where both parties come together to champion and fulfil the needs of brands moving towards online channels across 10 markets in South and Southeast Asia, including South Korea and Vietnam. Awake Asia joins ADA to Form Regional End-to-End eCommerce Practice The integrated eCommerce practice brings together Awake Asia's deep eCommerce expertise with ADA's media, creative, and analytics solutions to drive online sales for brands through: Digital media execution integrated with eCommerce operations; customer-centric strategies and activations; performance linking external media spend to online sales. Utilising client's customer data and third party data sets to derive shopper insights, personalise content and to cross and upsell via eCommerce channels. Optimising customer touchpoints across super apps and owned apps and websites; deploy Marketing Technology solutions like customer data platforms (CDP); attribution tools to track and optimise conversion funnel. With this merger, ADA welcomes over 150 eCommerce specialists driving eCommerce growth for clients such as P&G, Unilever, BMW, and Wyeth; and eCommerce partners including Shopee, Tokopedia, and Lazada amongst others. As more brands are forced to adapt to capture the "great migration" of consumers from offline to online, business owners are still in the dark on how to navigate the challenges to maximise return on investment. This opportunity is expected to surge to USD 100 billion in Southeast Asia, with compound annual growth rate (CAGR) expected to rise by 24.6% (2017 2025). Learn more about ADA's eCommerce solutions here: https://ada-asia.com/end-to-end-e-commerce-solutions/. Story continues Connect with ADA in South Korea here: https://ada-asia.com/korea/. About ADA ADA is a data and artificial intelligence company that designs and executes integrated digital, analytics, and marketing solutions. Operating across 10 markets in South and Southeast Asia, ADA partners with leading brands to drive their digital and data maturity, and achieve their business goals. We are anchored on the following main services: Providing business insights, data enrichment, and advanced analytics Understanding the consumer mindset and designing data-driven creative marketing strategies Executing end-to-end digital marketing solutions for growth hacking, funnel optimisation, and goal optimisation ADA complements its unique digital expertise with deep proprietary data of 375 Million consumers. ADA Logo (PRNewsfoto/ADA) SOURCE ADA How big is the market in India for a neobank aimed at teenagers? Scores of high-profile investors are backing a startup to find out. Bangalore-based FamPay said on Wednesday it has raised $38 million in its Series A round led by Elevation Capital. General Catalyst, Rocketship VC, Greenoaks Capital and existing investors Sequoia Capital India, Y Combinator, Global Founders Capital and Venture Highway also participated in the new round, which brings FamPay's to-date raise to $42.7 million. The size of the new investment makes it one of the largest Series A rounds in India. TechCrunch reported early this month that FamPay was in talks with Elevation Capital to raise a new round. Founded by Sambhav Jain and Kush Taneja (pictured above) -- both of whom graduated from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee in 2019 -- FamPay enables teenagers to make online and offline payments. The thesis behind the startup, said Jain in an interview with TechCrunch, is to provide financial literacy to teenagers, who additionally have limited options to open a bank account in India at a young age. Through gamification, the startup said its making lessons about money fun for youngsters. Unlike in the U.S., where its common for teenagers to get jobs at restaurants and other places and understand how to handle money at a young age, a similar tradition doesnt exist in India. After gathering the consent from parents, FamPay provides teenagers with an app to make online purchases, as well as plastic cards -- the only numberless card of its kind in the country -- for offline transactions. Parents credit money to their childrens FamPay accounts and get to keep track of high-ticket spendings. In other markets, including the U.S., a number of startups including Greenlight, Step and Till Financial are chasing to serve the teenagers, but in India, there currently is no startup looking to solve the financial access problem for teenagers, said Mridul Arora, a partner at Elevation Capital, in an interview with TechCrunch. Story continues It could prove to be a good issue to solve -- India has the largest adolescent population in the world. If youre able to serve them at a young age, over a course of time, you stand to become their go-to product for a lot of things, Arora said. FamPay is serving a population that is very attractive and at the same time underserved. The current offerings of FamPay are just the beginning, said Jain. Eventually the startup wishes to provide a range of services and serve as a neobank for youngsters to retain them with the platform forever, he said, though he didnt wish to share currently what those services might be. Image Credits: FamPay Teens represent the most tech-savvy generation, as they havent seen a world without the internet, he said. They adapt to technology faster than any other target audience and their first exposure with the internet comes from the likes of Instagram and Netflix. This leads to higher expectations from the products that they prefer to use. We are unique in approaching banking from a whole new lens with our recipe of community and gamification to match the Gen Z vibe. I dont look at FamPay just as a payments service. If the team is able to execute this, FamPay can become a very powerful gateway product to teenagers in India and their financial life. It can become a neobank, and it also has the opportunity to do something around social, community and commerce, said Arora. During their college life, Jain and Taneja collaborated and built an app and worked at a number of startups, including social network ShareChat, logistics firm Rivigo and video streaming service Hotstar. Jain said their work with startups in the early days paved the idea to explore a future in this ecosystem. Prior to arriving at FamPay, Jain said the duo had thought about several more ideas for a startup. The early days of FamPay were uniquely challenging to the founders, who had to convince their parents about their decision to do a startup rather than joining firms or startups as had most of their peers from college. Until being selected by Y Combinator, Jain said he didnt even fully understand a cap table and dilutions. He credited entrepreneurs such as Kunal Shah (founder of CRED) and Amrish Rau (CEO of Pine Labs) for being generous with their time and guidance. They also wrote some of the earliest checks to the startup. The startup, which has amassed over 2 million registered users, plans to deploy the fresh capital to expand its user base and product offerings, and hire engineers. It is also looking for people to join its leadership team, said Jain. Project brings integration into the power grid to offer the latest in research and innovation for customers, students and professors ATLANTA, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power today announced, in collaboration with Georgia Tech, the opening of the 1.4 MW microgrid project in Tech Square at Spring and 5th streets in Metro Atlanta. Microgrids are self-contained power systems co-located with the facilities they serve that include generation resources, storage systems and energy management systems. Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO for Georgia Power speaks at opening of microgrid project with Georgia Tech. The Tech Square Microgrid, which was approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission in the company's Integrated Resource Plan, is being used to evaluate how a microgrid can effectively integrate into and operate as part of the overall electrical grid. Additionally, it will serve as a living laboratory for Georgia Tech professors and students who will use the asset to gather data on controllers, cybersecurity devices and energy economics. "The Tech Square Microgrid is a proven innovative project that will help us better understand microgrids to help service our customers. It brings energy storage and data front and center for research. The Microgrid's distributed energy resources are vital to enhancing grid resiliency and bringing sustainable energy solutions to Georgia's communities," said Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO for Georgia Power. "Georgia Tech is one of the nation's leading research institutions and has been an integral partner in allowing their students and teachers to learn how these systems will interact not only with our grid, but also with the CODA building on the Georgia Tech campus. It's by collectively working together through projects like this that we will build a brighter energy future for our state." The microgrid will provide Georgia Power with insight on how smart energy management systems, such as the one installed at the CODA data center, can interact with the grid to achieve optimal utilization of energy. In addition, it will also provide teaching and learning opportunities for Georgia Tech professors and students. Story continues "Georgia Tech is committed to addressing the most consequential challenges of our time," said Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera. "That involves advancing science and technology, developing leaders who can create and deploy new solutions, and leading by example with our own practices. This microgrid is a great illustration of the latter. In our partnership with Georgia Power and the Georgia Public Service Commission, we will be developing and adopting some of the most advanced, efficient, and responsible energy solutions available in the hope we can serve as an example for others." The installation includes fuel cells, battery storage, diesel generators and a natural gas generator, and it is adaptive to new and additional distributed energy resources. It is designed to also accommodate microturbines, solar panels and electric vehicle chargers in the future. All components will be placed on a platform and obscured from view with seven-foot-high fencing and gate access along Williams Street in Atlanta. The fencing will have a mural designed and commissioned by Atlanta based artist Georgia F. Baker III to be finished later this year. About Georgia Power Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power). About Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society. Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO for Georgia Power joins Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera, PSC Commissioner McDonald and others at microgrid project ribbon cutting. Georgia Power logo. (PRNewsFoto/Georgia Power) Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/georgia-power-celebrates-opening-of-microgrid-project-with-georgia-tech-301314218.html SOURCE Georgia Power CanNor invests over $1.2 million in the Nechalacho Rare Earth Demonstration Project YELLOWKNIFE, NT, June 16, 2021 /CNW/ - Resource development remains a principal driver for developing a strong, diverse, dynamic and sustainable economy in Northwest Territories. The Government of Canada is committed to working with Indigenous organizations, businesses and communities in NWT, and across Canada, to support sustainable mining of critical minerals for the green economy, help stimulate the Northern economy and create employment opportunities for Northerners and Indigenous peoples. Federal government supports Indigenous economic development project in NWT Today, Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, on behalf of the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for CanNor, announced an investment of over $1.2 million to support the Cheetah Resources Corporation's (Cheetah) Nechalacho Rare Earth Demonstration Project. This investment supports sustainable resource development in NWT. The Nechalacho Rare Earth Demonstration Project involves the extraction and beneficiation of rare earth elements. Cheetah anticipates this project will illustrate the economic feasibility of rare earth element oxide extraction in the NWT, leading to full commercial extraction and sorting, and a developed mine. This mechanically-based beneficiation process will have a smaller environmental impact due to the elimination of tailing ponds that typically accompany metal mining. For this project, Cheetah is working with the Det'on Cho Corporation, the economic development arm of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, and has an agreement with the Det'on Cho Nahanni Construction Corporation to manage and operate on-site extraction activities at the Nechalacho Rare Earth Demonstration Project. CanNor's investment in this project will help promote economic development in NWT and will create jobs for Indigenous peoples and Northerners. The demonstration project is expected to create 22 jobs, expand 5 jobs and maintain an additional 2 jobs. Story continues Today's announcement is further proof of the Government of Canada's commitment to innovative and sustainable resource development in NWT. Support for initiatives like this are essential to the recovery, diversification and long term economic sustainability of northern and Indigenous communities. Quotes "With this investment made through CanNor, our government is advancing a responsible, sustainable resource development opportunity while supporting Indigenous and northern communities. We are proud to continue supporting the growth of a strong territorial economy and creating good jobs in the North." - The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for CanNor "This investment from CanNor will help Cheetah and the Det'on Cho Corporation seize on an important partnership opportunity and develop a local resource project right here in NWT. Being able to process rare earth elements in an innovative, responsible and sustainable way is a key step in growing NWT's resource development sector. I'm excited to see the difference that this investment will make and how this project proceeds, as well as how it will benefit local Indigenous communities on their path to self-sufficiency and prosperity." - Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament, Northwest Territories "We are pleased to receive this support from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency which validates our strategy to create a sustainable rare earth production facility in Canada that will generate significant Indigenous and Northern economic and employment benefits for local communities." - Geoff Atkins - Managing Director Vital Metals "We are excited to partner on this project with the Det'on Cho Nahanni Construction Corporation. It's a first of its kind mining project in Canada, where we are mining on our own traditional lands." - Paul Gruner, President and CEO of Det'on Cho Management LP Quick facts CanNor is investing $1,261,579 towards a two-year project to support the beneficiation of rare earth elements (REEs) at the Nechalacho Rare Earth Demonstration Project. Through a repayable contribution, CanNor's funding supports the purchase of a high-tech sensor based sorting machine and the associated engineering and set-up costs. This project aims to demonstrate the economic feasibility of the development of a mine. Cheetah's Nechalacho Demonstration Project, located 100 kilometres southeast of Yellowknife, will produce rare earth elements, which are minerals used in technologies that will help move Canada to a low carbon economy, such as the manufacturing of electric vehicles, renewable energy production, electronics and aerospace (e.g. for cell phones, computers, wind turbines and medical devices). The demonstration project will use an innovative high-tech sensor based sorting technology for ore sorting on site to concentrate rare earth element oxides before shipping for further processing. This will significantly reduce the amount of water and diesel used, and eliminate chemicals and tailings from the mining process. Cheetah and Det'on Cho are showcasing their partnership as an example of how industry and Indigenous groups can work together on major resource development projects. Associated Links Stay connected Find more services and information at Canada.ca/ISED. Follow CanNor on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. SOURCE Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2021/16/c0375.html Multi-state cannabis operator Holistic Industries celebrated the grand opening of Liberty Madison Heights, its new cannabis headquarters and superstore in Michigan on Friday, June 11th. Located at 29600 Stephenson Highway, the 64,000 square-foot facility is the largest of its kind in Southeast Michigan. It features a provisioning center, as well as cultivation and processing facilities all under one roof. The company renovated the vacant Fairlanes Bowl property to create a beautiful, environmentally-friendly store that will also serve as an engine of economic development for the city by creating 150 new jobs. Holistic also boasts Liberty provisioning centers in Detroit and Ann Arbor. "Life Is Better" On Saturday, Liberty Madison Heights hosted a Life is Better Block Party and food drive in partnership with the Madison Heights Food Pantry. Patrick Lane, senior vice president of partnerships at Benzinga, and Chief Zinger Jason Raznick attended the opening and commented: In a message given by CEO Josh Genderson, Rabbi James Kahn, Madison Heights Mayor Roslyn Grafstein and others, Holistic Industries, doing business as Liberty Cannabis, seemed to focus on the community impact of their new store opening and what that would bring to the Michigan market, said Patrick Lane, senior vice president of partnerships at Benzinga, who attended the opening. They talked about the different events that they planned on sponsoring in the area, the different community opportunities they were involving themselves in everything from painting murals to planting trees. It definitely seemed like the focus was community impact. Grafstein added, Madison Heights continues our economic development by welcoming companies that are committed to making a positive impact in our community. From tree planting and mural painting in our parks to forming a community advisory board and impact fund, Holistic Industries continues to deliver on its promise to invest in Madison Heights. We are honored to have Liberty as part of our community. Story continues Not Just A Store, A Destination Liberty Madison Heights was designed to be more than just a store. Its being conceived as a destination for customers and patients. One particularly pertinent quote from Rabbi James Kahn related to doing things the Holistic way. What that means is looking past the general business of cannabis and more towards creating real social change, which I found pretty well with the audience. Overall, it was very exciting to see the influx of capacity that the store will bring to the market: over eight thousand pounds of flower that they'll be siphoning into the Michigan market, Lane added. Liberty also features a dedicated space for cannabis education, a terpene bar and a greenhouse structure for events. The store carries more than 60 brands. Its an honor to be welcomed to the Madison Heights community by the Mayor, Chamber of Commerce, key stakeholders and its residents. We believe that life is better with cannabis and will continue to fund projects and initiatives that are important to the city, concluded Josh Genderson, CEO of Holistic Industries. We will always prioritize our regional focus and investment in the local community with the goal of being the best place to work, shop and invest in cannabis. See more from Benzinga 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Jani Tuomi, Co-founder of imaware, was interviewed on the Mission Matters Innovation Podcast by Adam Torres. Jani Tuomi was interviewed on the Mission Matters Innovation Podcast by Adam Torres. Jani Tuomi, Co-founder of imaware, was interviewed on the Mission Matters Innovation Podcast by Adam Torres. Jani Tuomi, Co-founder of imaware, was interviewed on the Mission Matters Innovation Podcast by Adam Torres. Beverly Hills , June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In this insightful interview, Jani Tuomi, Co-Founder of imaware, walks us through his journey into the healthcare sector and discusses the importance of self-care. Emphasizing the need for health awareness, he also talks about the growing field of self-testing and medical analysis to prevent future ailments. Listen to the full interview of Jani Tuomi with Adam Torres on Mission Matters Innovation Podcast. From a product and technology background, Jani shared little connection with the healthcare industry in his early days. After witnessing a critical health condition in his family, Jani was struck by self-medical analysis, following which imaware was born. Due to his exposure to technology during college, Jani holds a unique advantage to blend healthcare with technology. Discussing the possible future developments, Tuomi talked about advancements in connecting doctors with their patients efficiently, lab softwares to show detailed results, and medical testing. The Company and Its Services Jani talked about how imaware is a healthcare-mission-led company that focuses on the idea that at-home easy to complete health tests are a better option for many people rather than relying on traditional lab testing. Instead of getting sick care after the disease, it is better to practice true healthcare and screen for conditions at home before symptoms show, says Jani. imaware provides affordable health screening tests across mens and womens health, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune diseases... These tests provide a detailed biomarker analysis, in a fast and efficient manner. The tests can also be used to help doctors who are remotely connected with their patients and need medical reports for consultations, shared Jani. Story continues The reports provided by imaware are understandable and accurate. Anyone above the age of 18, can purchase tests. COVID and The Learnings The unexpected pandemic also provided an opportunity for imaware to help thousands of people have access to at-home and remote Covid-19 testing options. The company arranged specialized medical support for the elderly and those with disabilities who could not access public testing options. Sharing his learnings, Jani placed high regard for communication, perseverance, and carrying a determined spirit to continue despite the challenges of building a disruptive company. Pieces of Advice Janis advice for people just starting their entrepreneurial journey, is to ask them to take that first step. Having confidence when you begin is essential for everything else to become apparent. If you can believe in yourself, then others will believe you, shared Jani. About imaware: Headquartered in Texas, imaware is a digital health platform that offers advanced at-home tests that empower people to take control of their health. With over 15 tests including screening for Covid-19, imaware has provided an essential healthcare service to thousands of Americans for conditions such as cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, and autoimmune disorders. For more information, visit imaware.health. Media Communications Inquiries: adamtorres@missionmatters.com Publicist for Adam Torres and Mission Matters Media KISS PR Brand Story PressWire Brand Publicity Partners KissPR.com For more details, visit Kisspr.com. KISS PR Digital PR & Marketing powers the Mission Matters Business podcast with brand storytelling. T: 972.437.8942 Attachment VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / In Kerryn Amyes' pursuit of a career that consciously contributes to humanity she discovered her calling as a top PR publicist at Mindful Media PR. In creating opportunities for mindful companies across the world to share their stories in top-tier press, Amyes is driving the change she's long dreamed of seeing in the world. "Every day I now get to talk to people who share the same values as me and create ways to get their stories out to the masses," excitedly shared Kerryn Amyes, the Sr. PR publicist behind, Mindful Media , one of today's Top 7 PR And Branding Firms For Entrepreneurs according to a recent Forbes article. For Amyes, her passion for PR began in her early twenties. Starting with global online casting service StarNow.com to orchestrating 6-figure PR projects for 5-Star Hotels. Her extensive experience driving brand awareness and customer conversions through the power of PR in the world's most prestigious industries has seamlessly transitioned to the world of press where she now creates optimal experiences for clients, audience members, and followers. Today, the rising star is placing not only herself but the clients she brings to Mindful Media on the map as recognized and respected industry leaders. About Mindful Media Growing from a mere start-up in June of 2020 to a seven-figure success today, Mindful Media is a Vancouver-based industry-leading PR firm made up of passionate powerhouses determined to drive the change they wish to see in the world one piece of press at a time. Founded on the basis of working with mindful brands and businesses across the globe, Mindful Media is intent on sharing the stories of how these disruptive companies are creating conscious change in the world. Through securing placements in top tier press, including Forbes, USA Today, Business Insider, and Yahoo Finance, Mindful Media drives web traffic, increases SEO ranking, and builds positive brand awareness for their clients through the power of the written word and media attention. Story continues For those who wonder how important public relations really is, industry statistics and predictions are proving just how powerful it can be. From 2020 to 2021, the public relations market is expected to grow from $88.13 billion to $97.13 billion. The reason behind this 10.2% annual growth rate? Companies, especially in the wake of COVID19, are recognizing how important their public image is as competition increases across all industries. Now, more than ever before, brands and businesses need to establish a digital presence. The simplest and most effective way to create this presence is to reach audiences where they're already at - top-tier press outlets. In realizing this, Amyes dove headfirst into the PR press industry, leveraging her rich and diverse experience across numerous industries to provide invaluable offerings for brands and businesses seeking to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving world. The Kerryn Amyes Success Story Brought onto the team in early 2021, Amyes has since proven her immense value in creating genuine client connections, providing the 5-star experience she's spent over a decade cultivating and determining unique and creative ways to share client stories. With a career history of sensational feats, Amyes holds a portfolio of PR accomplishments that few can rival. As the former Marketing Communications Manager for the then Langham, now Cordis, 5-star Hotel in Auckland, the New Zealand native spearheaded multiple PR events for the Hotel hosting international celebrities, athletes and politicians. Her ability to turn vision to reality includes project managing the television commercial used to showcase the 5-star Hotel's $35M rebrand to the public, attracting countless first-time guests and affirming Amyes ability to understand and create captivating content. Amyes successfully pulled off the operation, producing a high-quality commercial intent to capture the essence of the new brand. Along with this, Amyes executed the Lobby Lounge Launch Party of the newly rebranded Cordis Hotel. "I decided to host a glamorous High Tea event, inviting 20 of New Zealand's Top Social Media Influencers," she fondly remembered. The expertly executed event had these influential individuals enchanted by the insta-worthy decor, delicious cuisine, and 5-Star hospitality, sharing the experience on their social feeds to millions of followers. This instantly drove traffic towards the Hotel, earning it a name as "the place" to go. "For me, it's not just about serving the client," Amyes reflected. "It's about anticipating what they need before they even realize it themselves. This is a mentality I developed throughout my years of working in 5-star Hotels that continues to serve me in my career today." Becoming Mindful Media's Top Publicist Despite rising the corporate ladder in her previous roles at luxury hotels and working with industry-leading brands, Amyes admits to discovering her true passion and purpose in the world of Mindful Media's press empire. "Mindful Media aligns with my values. I've spent a significant part of my career working with luxury brands and though I've had amazing opportunities to build a substantial career in those roles, I also had a deeper desire to align with individuals who are consciously creating a better world" Amyes expressed. "Working with Mindful Media has provided the contribution to humanity that I have longed for in my career. There's always going to be people making a positive impact, and I want to help put them on the map for the world to appreciate." As the number one publicist of Mindful Media, Amyes is bringing to life the stories of entrepreneurs eager to share their message with the world. Her keen insight into what her clients need to achieve success and determination to drive that change is seeing entrepreneurial brands from all industries thrive in today's increasingly competitive digitally fueled market. For many, Amyes provides an inspiring example that taking action on your intuition has the potential to create a massive impact both inwardly and outwardly. "I firmly believe that the right role is out there for everyone, you just have to be willing to let go of what is comfortable in order to discover it" informed the New Zealand-born powerhouse. Acquiring her level of expertise by residing in multiple countries and working across numerous areas of marketing and public relations Amyes has experienced more than most. "Living in different countries requires learning a whole new market, new trends and new terminology which has provided me with a global understanding of the PR industry". For those looking to establish their digital presence honestly, consciously, and effectively, Kerryn Amyes is the PR specialist making that happen. Her unparalleled ability to predict what steps need to be taken to cultivate brand awareness and virality is taking the world of press by storm. Connect with Kerryn Amyes today and learn how to take your business to new heights the honest way. kerryn@mindfulmediapr.com https://www.mindfulmediapr.com/ Media Contact: Courtney James, Editor info@mindfulmediapr.com 677-672-8882 www.mindfulmediapr.com SOURCE: Mindful Media PR View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/651554/Rising-PR-Titan-Kerryn-Amyes-Shares-How-She-Became-Mindful-Medias-Top-Tier-Publicist-By-Aligning-With-Her-Values NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Danimer Scientific, Inc. ("Danimer" or the "Company") (NYSE: DNMR) and certain of its officers and directors. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and docketed under 21-cv-02708, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Danimer securities between December 30, 2020 and March 19, 2021, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP) If you are a shareholder who purchased Danimer securities during the Class Period, you have until July 13, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Danimer was formerly known as "Live Oak Acquisition Corp." ("Live Oak"), a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company. In December 2020, Live Oak consummated a business combination with Meredian Holdings Group, Inc., doing business as Danimer Scientific ("Legacy Danimer"), a performance polymer company specializing in bioplastic replacements for traditional petrochemical-based plastics (the "Business Combination"). Following the Business Combination, Live Oak changed its name to "Danimer Scientific, Inc.," changed its business to Legacy Danimer's business, and replaced its management with Legacy Danimer's management. Story continues Since 2020, Legacy Danimerand, following the Business Combination, Danimerhas sold polyhydroxyalkanoates commercially under its proprietary "Nodax" brand name for usage in a wide variety of plastic applications including water bottles, straws, and food containers, among others. The Company has touted Nodax as a 100% biodegradable, renewable, and sustainable plastic, which is purportedly superior to traditional plastics because of its advanced biodegradability. The Company attributes Nodax's advanced biodegradability to microorganisms in nature that eat the bioplastic. The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Danimer had deficient internal controls; (ii) as a result, the Company had misrepresented, inter alia, its operations' size and regulatory compliance; (iii) Defendants had overstated Nodax's biodegradability, particularly in oceans and landfills; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On March 20, 2021, the Wall Street Journal ("WSJ") published an article entitled "Plastic Straws That Quickly Biodegrade in the Ocean, Not Quite, Scientists Say" addressing, among other things, Danimer's claims that Nodax breaks down far more quickly than fossil-fuel plastics. The WSJ article alleged that, according to several experts on biodegradable plastics, "many claims about Nodax are exaggerated and misleading." While Danimer reportedly asserts its claims are factual, the article cites at least one expert as stating that making broad claims about Nodax's biodegradability "is not accurate" and is "greenwashing." On March 22, 2021, the first trading day following the publication of the WSJ article, Danimer's stock price fell $6.43 per share, or 12.87%, to close at $43.55 per share on March 22, 2021. Following the end of the Class Period, on April 22, 2021, Spruce Point Capital Management ("Spruce Point") published a report on Danimer, noting, among other red flags, various inconsistencies with Legacy Danimer's (and Danimer's) historical and present claims regarding the size of its operations, Nodax's makeup and degradability, and the Company's expected profitability. Following the publication of the Spruce Point report, Danimer's stock price fell $2.01 per share, or 8.04%, to close at $22.99 per share on April 22, 2021. Then, on May 4, 2021, Spruce Point published another report on Danimer alleging that the Company had "wildly overstated" production figures, pricing, and financial projections based on documents Spruce Point had acquired from the Commonwealth of Kentucky's Department of Environmental Protection under the Freedom of Information Act, all of which cast serious doubt on the integrity of the Company's internal controls. Following the publication of this second Spruce Point report, Danimer's stock price fell $1.49 per share, or 6.31%, to close at $22.14 per share on April 22, 2021. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP rswilloughby@pomlaw.com 888-476-6529 ext. 7980 Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholder-alert--pomerantz-law-firm-reminds-shareholders-with-losses-on-their-investment-in-danimer-scientific-inc-of-class-action-lawsuit-and-upcoming-deadline--dnmr-301314162.html SOURCE Pomerantz LLP OTTAWA, ON, June 16, 2021 /CNW/ - The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create stress and anxiety for many Canadians, particularly those who do not have ready access to their regular support networks. Through the Wellness Together Canada online portal, people of all ages across the country can access immediate, free and confidential mental health and substance use supports, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I am happy to share that Canada's elimination status for measles, rubella and Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) has been officially re-verified. The term elimination is used when the measles and rubella viruses are no longer circulating after a period of 12 months or greater in the presence of a good quality surveillance system. Since 1983, with the introduction of routine measles, mumps, and rubella containing vaccine (MMR) to all infants in Canada, the number of reported cases has decreased by 99%. Canada first obtained elimination status in 1998 for measles, 2000 for CRS and 2005 for rubella and through our robust national surveillance system and public health infrastructure, we contribute to ongoing global efforts to reach a world free of measles, rubella and CRS. The region of the Americas is currently the only World Health Organization (WHO) region to have obtained the elimination status for measles, rubella and CRS. However, Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) advises that disruption of immunization services, even for short periods, can result in an accumulation of susceptible individuals, leading to a higher likelihood of vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) outbreaks. Such outbreaks may result in VPD-related deaths and an increased burden on healthcare systems already strained by the response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, once COVID-19 public health measures are relaxed and international borders are re-opened, risk for VPDs may increase as people start to travel or congregate again in settings where diseases are readily transmitted. Story continues Making efforts as soon as possible to get and keep vaccinations up to date will protect you and your loved ones from serious and potentially life-threatening infectious diseases, while protecting Canada's progress in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases and elimination of measles and rubella/CRS. Every vaccination counts and by keeping immunizations up to date during childhood and through adulthood, we are protecting our health and health of our families, loved ones and communities. As COVID-19 activity continues in Canada, we are tracking a range of epidemiological indicators to monitor where the disease is most active, where it is spreading and how it is impacting the health of Canadians and public health, laboratory and healthcare capacity. At the same time, the Public Health Agency of Canada is providing Canadians with regular updates on COVID-19 vaccines administered, vaccination coverage and ongoing monitoring of vaccine safety across the country. The following is the latest summary on national numbers and trends, and the actions we all need to be taking to reduce infection rates, while vaccination programs expand, including acceleration of second dose programs, to better protect people and communities across the country. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,404,093 cases of COVID-19 and 25,972 deaths reported in Canada; these cumulative numbers tell us about the overall burden of COVID-19 illness to date. They also tell us, together with results of serological studies, that a large majority of Canadians remain susceptible to COVID-19. However, as vaccination programs expand at an accelerated pace, there is increasing optimism that widespread, stronger and longer lasting immunity can be achieved by fully vaccinating a high proportion of Canadians over the coming weeks and months. As immunity is still building up across the population, public health measures and individual precautions remain crucial for COVID-19 control. Thanks to public health measures in place and people across Canada continuing with individual precautions, the strong and steady declines in disease trends continues, with reported active cases down by 83% since the peak of the third wave in Canada. The latest national-level data show a continued downward trend in disease activity with an average of 1,240 cases reported daily during the latest 7 day period (June 9-15), down 29% compared to the week prior. Until vaccine coverage is sufficiently high to impact disease transmission more broadly in the community, we must sustain a high degree of caution to drive infection rates down to a low, manageable level, and not ease restrictions too soon or too quickly where infection rates are high. With the considerable decline in infection rates nationally, the overall number of people experiencing severe and critical illness is also steadily declining. Provincial and territorial data indicate that an average of 1,537 people with COVID-19 were being treated in Canadian hospitals each day during the most recent 7-day period (June 9-15), which is 21% fewer than last week. This includes, on average 694 people who were being treated in intensive care units (ICU), 18% fewer than last week. Likewise, the latest 7-day average of 24 deaths reported daily (June 9-15) is continuing to decline, showing a 24% decrease compared to the week prior. Overall, variants of concern (VOCs) represent the majority of recently reported COVID-19 cases across the country. Four VOCs (B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma), and B.1.617.2 (Delta)) have been detected in most provinces and territories. While the Alpha variant continues to account for the majority of genetically sequenced variants in Canada, we are observing an increase in the Delta variant in some parts of Canada. As Canada continues to monitor and assess genetic variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including impacts in the Canadian context, we know that vaccination, in combination with public health and individual measures, are working to reduce spread of COVID-19. As vaccine eligibility continues to expand, Canadians are encouraged to get vaccinated and support others to get vaccinated as soon as they are able. As well, with provinces and territories accelerating second dose programs, those who are eligible are urged to get fully vaccinated, including getting the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series. The second immune-boosting dose substantially lowers our personal risk of infection and serious harms, provides stronger protection against certain variants of concern, including the Delta variant, and may make immunity last longer. Canadians are reminded that it is safe and effective to receive one vaccine product for your first dose and a different vaccine product for your second dose to complete your two-dose vaccine series for optimal protection from COVID-19. However, regardless of our vaccination status while COVID-19 is still circulating, it is important to remain vigilant, continue following local public health advice, and consistently maintain individual practices that keep us and our families safer, even as the positive impacts of COVID-19 vaccines are building: stay home/self-isolate if you have any symptoms, think about the risks and reduce non-essential activities and outings to a minimum, avoid all non-essential travel, and maintain individual protective practices of physical distancing, hand, cough and surface hygiene and wearing a well-fitted and properly worn face mask as appropriate (including in shared spaces, indoors or outdoors, with people from outside of your immediate household). For more information regarding the risks and benefits of vaccination, I encourage Canadians to reach out to your local public health authorities, healthcare provider, or other trusted and credible sources, such as Canada.ca and Immunize.ca. Working together, Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, Canada's Chief Medical Officers of Health and other health professionals across the country are closely monitoring vaccine safety, effectiveness and optimal use to adapt approaches. As the science and situation evolves, we are committed to providing clear and evidence-informed guidance in order to keep everyone in Canada safe and healthy. Canadians can also go the extra mile by sharing credible information on COVID-19 risks and prevention practices and measures to reduce COVID-19 in communities. Read my backgrounder to access more COVID-19 Information and Resources on ways to reduce the risks and protect yourself and others, including information on COVID-19 vaccination. SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2021/16/c0956.html TELUS Optik and Pik TV customers can access a curated Celebrate Pride collection of films TELUS will donate the full cost of every Pride Month video on demand rental to help members of the LGBTQ+ community find safety from persecution VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In celebration of Pride Month, TELUS is donating the full cost of movie rentals - up to $15,000 - from the Celebrate Pride collection in the On Demand library to Rainbow Railroad Canada . From now until June 30, the full cost of rentals from the curated Celebrate Pride collection will be donated by TELUS to support Rainbow Railroad, a community-led not-for-profit organization supporting LGBTQ+ people around the world to find safety from persecution. All Optik and Pik TV customers can be entertained and inspired by watching titles from the collection of 39 films including award-winning and iconic features such as Ammonite, Boy Erased, Milk, Moonlight, and Rocketman. Rentals cost between $5 and $7. At TELUS, we believe that embracing and celebrating the diversity of every team members unique talents, experiences, and perspectives leads the way to innovation, says Zainul Mawji, Executive Vice-President of Home Solutions at TELUS. Many of us are celebrating Pride differently this year, and the Celebrate Pride collection gives customers of all ages the chance to celebrate Pride Month from the comfort of their homes, while continuing to educate themselves and their families about LGBTQ+ rights in a way that gives back to the community. We are honoured to partner with the Rainbow Railroad for this initiative as we stand united to acknowledge the importance of diversity, equality, and inclusion. Optik and Pik TV customers can also access a curated selection of free titles from TELUS Originals, STORYHIVE, and YouTube playlists available on the Community Connections channel, channel 345. Customers can watch Canadian films celebrating BIPOC and LGBTQ+ voices such as Jesse Jams produced by Alyson Richards and Trevor Anderson, Just Another Beautiful Family produced by Katherine and Nick North, and The Day Don Died produced by Ana Carrizales. TELUS also offers Optik customers OUTtv, the worlds first & Canada's only LGBTQ+ television network on channel 414. Since 2000, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $5 million and volunteered thousands of hours of service to LGBTQ+ organizations from coast to coast. The full list of featured titles in the Celebrate Pride collection can be found on the home screen of Optik and Pik TV. For more information on Optik and Pik TV, visit telus.com/tv . Story continues About TELUS TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with $16 billion in annual revenue and 16 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. We leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. In 2020, TELUS was recognized as having the fastest wireless network in the world, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better. TELUS Health is Canadas leader in digital health technology, improving access to health and wellness services and revolutionizing the flow of health information across the continuum of care. TELUS Agriculture provides innovative digital solutions throughout the agriculture value chain, supporting better food outcomes from improved agri-business data insights and processes. TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that delivers next-generation AI and content management solutions for global brands across the technology and games, ecommerce and FinTech, communications and media, healthcare, travel and hospitality sectors. TELUS and TELUS International operate in 25+ countries around the world. Together, lets make the future friendly. Driven by our passionate social purpose to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS, our team members and retirees to contribute more than $820 million and 1.6 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world. For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com , follow us @TELUSNews on Twitter and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram. For media inquiries, please contact: Chelsey Rajzer TELUS Public Relations chelsey.rajzer@telus.com Rueil Malmaison, 16 June 2021 VINCI Construction awarded contract to provide facilities management services for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence Maintenance works across 59 sites comprising 6,200 buildings and infrastructure assets A 7-year contract worth 491 million and potentially 850 million of billable works VINCI Facilities UK Ltd (a VINCI Construction subsidiary based in the United Kingdom) has been awarded the contract covering hard facilities management, grounds maintenance and capital works for the Ministry of Defences built estate across the south-east of the United Kingdom. This seven-year contract is worth 491 million (423 million) for its facility management component. It could be supplemented by a 850 million (732 million) works program. It also includes an option to extend for three years. The contract, covering 59 sites comprising 6,200 buildings and infrastructure assets, will sustain employment for over 800 people, either directly or indirectly. VINCI Facilities will use all its experience to improve the predictive management of the Ministry of Defences built estate and the lived experience for its staff. About VINCI VINCI is a global player in concessions, construction and energy businesses, employing more than 217,000 people in some 100 countries. We design, finance, build and operate infrastructure and facilities that help improve daily life and mobility for all. Because we believe in all-round performance, we are committed to operating in an environmentally, socially responsible and ethical manner. And because our projects are in the public interest, we consider that reaching out to all our stakeholders and engaging in dialogue with them is essential in the conduct of our business activities. Based on that approach, VINCIs ambition is to create long-term value for its customers, shareholders, employees, partners and society in general. www.vinci.com This press release is an official information document of the VINCI Group Story continues PRESS CONTACT VINCI Press Department Tel: +33 (0)1 47 16 31 82 media.relations@vinci.com Attachment CHANTILLY, Va., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- VTG, an industry-leading provider of force modernization and digital transformation solutions, announced that it has won a $27 million, full and open, single-award, prime contract to support the Naval Sea Systems Command in overseeing and executing its Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, and assisting in the expedient transition of SBIR and STTR technologies, products and services to the fleet. John Hassoun | VTG CEO and President (PRNewsfoto/VTG) "We are honored to support NAVSEA in harnessing the creativity, agility and entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses to deliver the highest-priority technology needs of the Navy," said John Hassoun, VTG president and CEO. "We look forward to leveraging our expertise across the defense and intelligence sectors to increase small business participation in federally funded research and development, foster collaboration between small firms and nonprofit research institutions, and stimulate the exciting technological innovations that will transform our nation's sea power and benefit our national economy." Under the five-year contract, VTG will provide program and project support services to the NAVSEA SBIR/STTR programs by defining focus areas, developing topics and identifying small business proposals and contractors to participate in the program. The company will also be responsible for supplying expertise and knowledge to assist the program manager in developing strategies and plans, as well as policies, processes and procedures to increase the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the SBIR/STTR programs. The work will primarily be performed at the Washington Navy Yard. The SBIR program originated in 1982 as the government's primary mechanism for engaging small technology businesses in R&D. It was designed to spur technological innovation, help meet federal R&D needs, increase private sector commercialization of innovations resulting from federally funded investments and encourage participation by minority and disadvantaged persons. The Navy has taken part in the SBIR program since its inception and has developed the highest commercialization success rate in the Defense Department. Last September, NAVSEA SBIR/STTR received the prestigious DoD Vanguard award for recognition of its outstanding work in supporting the Navy's goal to "rapidly and adaptively procure innovative technologies from small businesses." Story continues About VTG VTG delivers force modernization and digital transformation solutions that expand America's competitive advantage in the modern battlespace. Headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, VTG provides full lifecycle engineering for naval, aerospace, network, and digital requirements. Whether at sea, in the air, on land, or in cyberspace, VTG delivers Tomorrow's Transformation Today. For more information, visit us at www.VTGdefense.com. Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vtg-awarded-navsea-prime-contract-to-expedite-delivery-of-innovative-technologies-to-the-fleet-301313469.html SOURCE VTG List of the Companies Profiled in the Market: Lincoln Electric (Ohio, United States), KOBE STEEL, LTD (Hyogo, Japan), ESAB (Maryland, United States), ZULFI (Al Zulfi, Saudi Arabia), KISWEL CO., LTD. (Seoul, Korea), CS HOLDINGS CO., LTD. ( Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea), RME MIDDLE EAST (Dubai, UAE), voestalpine BOHLER Edelstahl GmbH (Linz, Upperaustria), capilla (Leopoldshohe, Germany), Tianjin Golden Bridge Welding Materials Group International Trading Co., Ltd. (Tianjin, P. R. China), Miller Electric Mfg. LLC (Wisconsin, United States) Pune, India, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report, The welding market size is projected to reach USD 27.22 billion by the end of 2027. The presence of several large scale companies offering rental services will provide impetus to the growth of the overall market. According to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled Welding Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product Type (Welding Equipment and Consumables), By Process Type (Arc, Spot, MIG/TIG, Laser and Others), By Application (Automotive, Building & Construction, Heavy Engineering, Railway & Shipbuilding, Oil & Gas and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027, the market was worth USD 19.53 billion in 2019 and will exhibit a CAGR of 4.3 % during the forecast period 2020-2027. Request a Sample Copy https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/welding-market-101657 List of companies profiled in the Welding Market t: Lincoln Electric (Ohio, United States) KOBE STEEL, LTD (Hyogo, Japan) ESAB (Maryland, United States) ZULFI (Al Zulfi, Saudi Arabia) KISWEL CO., LTD. (Seoul, Korea) CS HOLDINGS CO., LTD. ( Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea) RME MIDDLE EAST (Dubai, UAE) voestalpine BOHLER Edelstahl GmbH (Linz, Upperaustria) capilla (Leopoldshohe, Germany) Tianjin Golden Bridge Welding Materials Group International Trading Co., Ltd. (Tianjin, P. R. China) Miller Electric Mfg. LLC (Wisconsin, United States) Story continues To get to know more about the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market, Please Visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/welding-market-101657 The concept of welding has significantly evolved over the years. Initially, the process was used only in smaller metals and components. Technological advancements and discoveries in the material associated with the process have enabled a wider application scope. The massive investments in the research and development of welding by large scale companies across the world will have a huge impact on the growth of the overall market in the coming years. The concept of automated welding is taking over manufacturing activities is taking over manufacturing activities and the increasing applications give the platform for these manufacturers. The demand-supply gap between welding companies to the adoption of robotic components will create several growth opportunities for the companies in this sector. Covid-19 Pandemic Proving Damaging for Welding Companies due to Stagnancy in Fabrication and Construction Industry The recent coronavirus outbreak has affected several industries across the world, with most businesses facing significant losses. The economic losses during and as a result of the pandemic have proven damaging to an extent that several businesses have been forced to shut down completely. The efforts taken to curb the spread of the disease have had a negative impact on manufacturers across all sectors. With several manufacturing sectors coming to a halt, welding businesses have been affected significantly in the past few months. Increasing Number of Company Mergers will have a Positive Impact on Market Growth The report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the overall market in recent years. Among all factor, the increasing number of company mergers and acquisitions has made the highest impact on market growth. Due to healthy market competition, companies are looking to adopt newer strategies with the aim of expanding their consumer base as well as establishing a strong brand presence. In April 2019, Lincoln Electric announced that it has completed the acquisition of Baker Industries Inc. The latter is involved in distribution of custom tooling. The company is involved in the development of custom tooling parts and fixtures. It serves automotive and aerospace markets. Lincolns acquisition of Baker Industries indicates the potential held by welding service offerings across the world. Request for Customization https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/welding-market-101657 Asia Pacific to Emerge Dominant in the Global Market; Increasing Construction and Engineering Activities will Emerge in Favor of Market Growth The report analyses the ongoing market trends across five major regions, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Among all regions, the market in Asia Pacific is projected to emerge dominant in the coming years. The increasing construction and engineering activities in countries such as India and China will create several growth opportunities for the companies operating in the regional market. As of 2019, the market in Asia Pacific was worth USD 7.04 billion and this value is projected to rise at a considerable pace in the coming years. Industry Developments: September, 2019: - Lincoln Electric announced the launch of new GTAW (TIG) cut lengths with high silicon formulations using stainless steel alloys for the clean and high-quality welding process. Check Discount https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/check-discount/welding-market-101657 Table of Content Introduction Definition, By Segment Research Methodology/Approach Data Sources Executive Summary Market Dynamics Macro and Micro Economic Indicators Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities and Trends Impact of COVID-19 Short-term Impact Long-term Impact Competition Landscape Business Strategies Adopted by Key Players Consolidated SWOT Analysis of Key Players Porters Five Force Analysis Global Market Share Analysis and Matrix, 2019 Key Market Insights and Analysis, By Segments Global Welding Market Size Estimates and Forecasts (Quantitative Data), By Segments, 2016-2027 By Product Type (Value) Welding Equipment Consumables By Process Type (Value) Arc Welding Spot Welding MIG/TIG Welding Laser Welding Others (Gas Welding, etc.) By Application (Value) Automobile Building & Construction Heavy Engineering Railway & Shipbuilding Oil & Gas Others (Aerospace, etc.) By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Latin America North America Welding Market Size Estimates and Forecasts (Quantitative Data), By Segments, 2016-2027 By Product Type (Value) Welding Equipment Consumables By Process Type (Value) Arc Welding Spot Welding MIG/TIG Welding Laser Welding Others (Gas Welding, etc.) By Application (Value) Automobile Building & Construction Heavy Engineering Railway & Shipbuilding Oil & Gas Others (Aerospace, etc.) By Country (Value) United States Canada TOC Continued! Speak to Our Analyst- https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/welding-market-101657 Have a Look at Related Research Insights: Welding Consumables Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Type (Stick Electrodes, Solid Wires, Flux-cored Wires and SAW Wires & Fluxes), By Application (Heavy Engineering, Automotive, Railways, Construction, Shipbuilding and others) and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Welding Electrodes Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Type (Stick Electrodes and Coiled Wires), By Industry (Automotive, Building & Construction, Oil & Gas and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 Welding Equipment Market Size , Share & Industry Analysis, By Technology (Arc Welding, Resistance Spot Welding, MIG/TIG Welding, Laser Beam Welding, and Others), By Automation Type (Automatic, Semi-Automatic, and Manual), By Application (Automotive, Building & Construction, Heavy Engineering, Railway & Shipbuilding, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Welding Wires Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Wire, Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Wire and Others), By Industry (Automotive, Building & Construction, Oil & Gas and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Engine Driven Welders Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Welding Current (Less Than 300 Amp, 300-500 Amp, 500 Amp and above), By Engine Brand (Kubota, Kohler, Perkins, and others), By End Use Application (Mining, Pipeline, Construction, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 About Us: Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Contact Us: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US :+1 424 253 0390 UK : +44 2071 939123 APAC : +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fortune-business-insights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FortuneBusinessInsightsPvtLtd Read Press Release: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/welding-market-9358 At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were endless memes, jokes, and projections about an unprecedented quarantine baby boom. Needless to say, that didnt happen. Healthcare providers said that abortion demand was higher than ever. The Guttmacher Institute reported that 34% of American women were more careful about contraceptive use in 2020. And according to data from 29 state health departments, December 2020 saw a 7.3% decrease in births. Phil Cohen, a University of Maryland sociologist, told CBS News that this was the most drastic decline hed noticed since 1964. Concerns about the pandemic have definitely led many people to rethink their pregnancy plans around one third of women said they now want fewer children, or they want to wait to have children, because of COVID. Data from the Guttmacher Institute showed that Black women, Hispanic women, and lower-income women were significantly more likely than white and higher-income women to report this change. Its a statistic that makes sense: These are the same women more likely to be essential workers during the pandemic, and research shows that Black women are three times more likely to die of COVID than white men. But, much like the pandemic exacerbated many already-existing problems in America, the birth rate drop just speaks to a trend weve been seeing for years. In 2018, U.S. birth rates decreased to the lowest level in 32 years. The average parent is also getting older and older. This can be attributed to several factors: A big one is that more women are in the workforce, and they either want to focus on their career instead of parenthood or reach certain goals first. Were also, thankfully, starting to normalize the decision to be child-free. But many studies show that some of the most predominant reasons people arent having children (or are waiting to have children) are financial. Over a year before COVID hit, the New York Times interviewed nearly 2,000 individuals who said they had or expected to have fewer children than they wanted. Of the sample, 64% said they were concerned about the costs of childcare; 49% said they were worried about the economy. These concerns werent unfounded. Even before the pandemic devastated the U.S. economy, it was harder than ever to afford parenthood. Millennials, who are now between 25 and 40 years old, have a disproportionate amount of student loan debt, and Gen Z is on track to have even more. Numbers show that, generation by generation, people are becoming less and less likely to outearn their parents. Story continues All the while, the cost of having a child has reached a staggering high. In 1985, the average family spent $87 a week on childcare expenses, and by 2010, that number was up to $148. As of 2020, the average U.S. parent pays $4,500 out of pocket just to deliver a baby and thats assuming they have health insurance, which many people dont. Over the course of 18 years, a median-income, two-parent family is likely to spend around $284,570 raising one child. Its a major financial commitment, and as Cohen told Vox, People make long-term decisions when they feel certain about the future, and they put off long-term decisions when they dont. The past year has added new difficulties for new and hopeful parents. One woman previously told Refinery29 that she wanted to have a third child, but shes struggled to find a new job after she was laid off last spring. As months went by, it felt more and more unlikely that she would be able to afford another child. It doesnt really feel like my choice that this delay is happening. It feels forced on me, and thats frustrating, said the woman, whose name was changed for privacy. But COVID-19 isnt the only reason people have delayed or decided against having kids, and the problem of affording parenthood wont go away when we return to a so-called normal. The pandemic itself didnt create these problems it only worsened the stark disparities that were already there. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here? Has COVID Created Fertility Inequality? What It's Like Getting The Vaccine While Pregnant How Quarantine Changed The Way We Spend Money Such disputes have to be resolved diplomatically and not just by walking away from an agreement that has been largely successful for all nations. According to Thomas Countryman of the Arms Control Association (ACA), The Open Skies Treaty has helped preserve the post-Cold War peace. But then Russia began its process of withdrawing from the Open Skies Treaty. President Biden has also surprisingly decided not to rejoin the treaty since he took office. Time is historically the best negotiator. Time should be allowed to resolve any disputes with Russia, real or perceived, over the Open Skies Treaty. Instead of withdrawing from treaties and the world, we need to recapture Ikes and Bushs imagination for peace and expand Open Skies. First, President Biden should announce the U.S. is rejoining the Open Skies Treaty and put into effect the legal remedies necessary to do this. Second, we must encourage Russia to remain in Open Skies and meet to resolve differences over the pact. The Open Skies initiative should then be expanded to include more countries, including China. President Biden should also seek to include India, Pakistan, North Korea and other nations. We can encourage cooperation and peace to prevent unnecessary arms races. A Spotsylvania County man pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday for heading a conspiracy in which numerous illegally purchased firearms were sold in Virginia and Maryland. Jesus Funez Fuentes, 37, was convicted in federal court in Alexandria of conspiracy and possessing ammunition as a prohibited person. He will face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 20. The straw purchasing of firearms poses a significant threat to our communities by placing guns in the hands of unlicensed and potentially dangerous individuals, said Raj Parekh, acting U.S. Attorney. According to federal court records, Fuentes got two Spotsylvania women to purchase a total of 62 guns for him between August 2018 and January 2020. Fuentes couldnt legally make the purchases himself because of a 2011 felony conviction in New York on a firearms-related offense. Fuentes sometimes accompanied the women into stores, pointing out the guns and related items that he wanted. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Maria Antonia Lovos, 31, and Shelby Lee Apperson, 37, made the purchases at about a dozen stores, including three in the Fredericksburg area. They then turned the guns over to Fuentes, who sold them for a profit. The Stafford School Board's policy states that "citizen comment which is profane, abusive, or which threatens imminent physical harm shall be ruled out-of-order by the chairman." The Fredericksburg School Board asks that speakers address the board chairman during public comments. At Monday's meeting, Livingston District representative Kirk Twigg called some of the possible revisions "ridiculous" and "garbage." He also said the revisions would infringe on free speech rights, though Parrish said nothing presented would restrict the content of public comment and other board members said that would never be their intention. "[Parrish] has already identified that this has nothing to do with stifling anyone's free speech," said Vice Chair Lorita Daniels. "It has to do with clarifying what it means for the public to participate." Battlefield District representative Baron Braswell, who has been the target of the recent public comments many have found troubling, said he does not want to see any changes made to the policy currently in place. PRIMARY or convention? Whats the best way for political parties to pick a winner? In Virginia, the Republicans opted to go for a convention this spring. About 39,000 people went to the trouble to make their voices heard. The Democrats chose to hold a primary. Almost half a million people (488,000) voted. Conventional wisdom indicates that the more participation you have, the more the outcome will favor fresh faces and go against the old-boy status quo. However, the Democratic primary chose Terry McAuliffe, a white guy who has already been governor once, for the top spot. It gave us Mark Herring, seeking his third term as attorney general. The only new blood came in the form of Del. Hala Ayala, the nominee for lieutenant governor. Ayala is the daughter of a Salvadoran and North African immigrant father and an Irish and Lebanese mother. The GOP, employing the 21st century version of the smoke-filled room, nominated Glenn Youngkin for governor. Youngkin is a white private-equity guy with lots of cash and little political experience. It nominated Winsome Sears for lieutenant governor. Shes a Jamaican immigrant and former member of the House of Delegates. For attorney general, it chose Jason Miyares, a state delegate whose mother immigrated from communist Cuba in 1965. ELMWOOD A fun family event will be held at Elmwoods Farmers Market on June 26 in recognition of Keep Nebraska Beautiful Day. The day will focus the states attention on the importance of keeping Nebraska communities clean, green and beautiful, said Linda Behrns, executive director of Keep Cass County Beautiful. Nebraskans are encouraged to volunteer in their communities that day to pick up litter, plant or display flowers, beautify neighborhoods and work to end littering in the state, Behrns said. Keep Nebraska Beautiful affiliates across the state will be observing the day with a variety of events, she said. Locally, Keep Cass County Beautiful will be celebrating the day with activities and education at the Elmwood Farmers Market in the Bess Streeter Aldrich Park in Elmwood from 8 a.m. until noon. Families are welcome to bring their children and learn a new craft, take a nature discovery walk in the park, learn how to compost and more, Behrns said. Hanging flower baskets will be available for sale in time to beautify family decks for the Fourth of July, she added. 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. By the time the group returned home, it was 1:30 a.m. Monday. I got up and I was in Omaha by noon the next day and I was at the Holland Center from noon to 7 p.m., she said. It was kind of a crazy weekend, but it was really awesome because it was like I went from doing my last high school thing with Fremont kids to then doing my last high school thing with theater kids. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} During the showcase, Engel performed The Mad Hatter from the Broadway musical Wonderland as part of a medley with other finalists. Engel said the opportunity to perform at the showcase also allowed her to meet new performers, many of whom were preparing to enter college themselves. I think all but two of us were seniors, so just having that shared experience of this kind of being our last time on stage and performing and then talking about what we were going to do in the future was really awesome, she said. It was just a whole lot of laughter and just celebrating each other and being really grateful to do the showcase in person and perform for people again. For Shannon Engels mother Michelle Engel, the showcase was a moment to reflect on years of hard work. He talked about the hope, encouragement and joy that can be found in Christ. This world is not all that there is, Ratcliff said. There is something far beyond this world, far beyond our imagination. Ken Phares of the Nickerson Volunteer Fire Department expressed his sympathy. I would like to offer the family, the friends my sincerest condolences on behalf of myself and Im sure I speak for Nickerson, Hooper, Uehling, Scribner fire departments as well as the sheriffs office and State Patrol, Phares said. Please understand that those folks felt every last bit of it. Phares said he didnt know Huisman well, but recalled seeing him at Walmart. The thing I noticed with Josh is, there was nothing in this world that could make him unhappy, he said. The kid made everybodys day great. Kat told what a special person Jaymasin was to her. Its only once in a lifetime that you get to meet someone like that and if you ever do meet someone like that, please cherish them, Kat said. Please cherish your family and friends and, yes, you may argue, but theyre the only friends and family you have. At a press conference, the interior minister admitted it was no real contest. The actual competition in the elections is not a very serious one ... considering the actions of the Guardian Council," said Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli. We can say that the reasons are the weak competition and the coronavirus situation. That left Khamenei and top officials the task to try lure the disillusioned public back to the polls. Iranian authorities have promoted voter turnout as validation for their style of governance after the 1979 Islamic Revolution installed the clerically overseen system that endures today. Khamenei lashed out against Iran's enemies for discouraging people from voting. He accused American and British media and their mercenaries of killing themselves to question the elections and weaken popular participation. He also acknowledged that many ordinary Iranians, impoverished and battered by years of heavy American sanctions, may not see the benefit of political participation. "But not voting because of (economic) complaints is not correct," Khamenei said. The Taliban has vowed for years that it will kill any Afghans who have worked for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, branding them traitors. With all foreign troops leaving the country by September, the tens of thousands of Afghans who have worked in support roles are gripped by fear and panic. Their worries are well grounded. The Taliban has killed hundreds of Afghans who have worked for foreign military forces and their family members over the years. Those fears have been exacerbated by intensifying violence and Taliban gains on the battlefield in recent months. Since the start of the withdrawal on May 1, the militant group has seized dozens of districts, military bases, and besieged towns and cities, fueling fears that it could topple the Western-backed Afghan government. The United States and some countries with troops departing Afghanistan have created special immigration programs to help endangered Afghan workers leave Afghanistan. But many Afghans who have applied complain that they have been left in a no-man's-land after not hearing back -- sometimes for years -- from foreign immigration authorities. Advocacy groups say the programs are proceeding too slowly and may not cover all former Afghan employees who may be at risk. An estimated 300,000 Afghan civilians have worked for international forces in some capacity since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, including as cooks, cleaners, manual laborers, mechanics, interpreters, and security guards. Grave Danger We are in grave danger, says Abdul Wakil, who worked as a security guard from 2004 to 2008 at Bagram Airfield, the U.S. militarys largest base in Afghanistan. Not just us, but also our families. The Taliban will kill us. With foreign troops leaving, the Taliban could take over the country again, says Wakil. In that case everyone would be in danger, but especially us. Around 300 Afghans who worked for the U.S. military or their family members have been killed since 2016, according to No One Left Behind, a U.S. nongovernmental organization that works with Afghan interpreters to help them relocate to the United States. The group estimates that on average two interpreters a month have been killed this year. The death toll increased to five during May. Afghan interpreters working for foreign forces have been particularly susceptible to militant attacks. They are often sought out by militants, who have labeled them "spies" for acting as the eyes and ears of the foreign "occupiers." The Taliban on June 7 issued a statement assuring Afghans who worked with international troops in the past that they will not be targeted if they show remorse for their past actions andnot engage in such activities in the future that amount to treason against Islam and the country. But there is widespread mistrust of the Taliban's assurances of safety. The Taliban is growing stronger every day, says Abdul Karim, a 28-year-old interpreter who has worked for the U.S. military since 2015. That means our lives are becoming more perilous every day. The militant group has long targeted civilians it accuses of working for the Afghan government or foreigners. In January, the Taliban killed an Afghan who had worked for the U.S. military for some 12 years and had been waiting for a visa to relocate to the United States. Other former Afghan interpreters say they have received death threats from the Taliban. Bogged Down In Bureaucracy Advocacy groups and rights watchdogs have urged Western nations to accelerate programs to resettle former Afghan employees who are increasingly at risk from the Taliban. Around 18,000 Afghan applicants are still awaiting a decision on their U.S. Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applications. The SIV program was created in 2009 and is modeled on a similar scheme for Iraqis. Afghans must prove an ongoing threat and at least one year's employment by the American government to get a visa. The Pentagon has said it is developing options to possibly evacuate Afghans considered at risk from the Taliban because of their work with American troops. But the White House has yet to authorize any expedited plans. U.S. lawmakers have called for the thousands of Afghans to be evacuated before international troops pull out, fearing they could be slaughtered by the Taliban. Lawmakers say processing visas could take more than two years to complete, possibly subjecting former Afghan staff to revenge attacks by the Taliban. Britain started expediting the relocation of Afghan staff on April 1. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on May 31 that it was only right we accelerate the relocation of those who may be at risk of reprisals, adding that the country owed a debt of gratitude to local staff employed by British forces. More than 1,360 former Afghan employees and their families have already been relocated to Britain. But thousands of applications have yet to be processed. The government has loosened requirements for applicants. But the Sulha Alliance, a group campaigning for Afghan interpreters working for Britains military, said London's policy of rejecting applicants who had been fired, many of them for minor offenses, was a point of concern. Other countries that have had troops fighting in Afghanistan, such as Australia and Germany, have not expedited resettlement. The countries now withdrawing from Afghanistan have been far too slow in developing evacuation, relocation, and resettlement plans for their former Afghan employees, said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. They should recognize that normal pathways will be too slow and that expedited timetables are needed for Afghans and their families who could be hunted down because of their work for coalition forces. Feeling Betrayed Afghans who have worked for foreign forces usually hide their identities and keep a low profile. But many have vented their frustration in public recently. Hundreds have staged rallies in the capital, Kabul, in recent weeks, demanding those Western nations they worked for relocate them outside of Afghanistan. Many of them are angry and feel betrayed, having risked their lives to help their foreign allies. They also complain that the process of attaining visas is overly complicated and places an unrealistic burden on applicants to prove they face a risk. We helped the Americans and now we want them to help us, says Baryalai Rahimi, an Afghan interpreter who worked with U.S. Special Forces. Mohammad Wasel, a 32-year-old from the northern province of Kapisa, says he has a medal of commendation from a U.S. commander for whom he worked. But he says he does not know why his application has been rejected. We have helped [the foreign forces], we have risked our lives, and now they are leaving, says Wasel, who worked as an interpreter for U.S. forces from 2009 to 2012. Its their turn to help us. With reporting by RFE/RL correspondents in the provinces of Balkh, Parwan, and Kabul. Amnesty International is urging the Afghan authorities to investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of a recent series of deadly attacks against civilians amounting to war crimes. The targeting of civilians with near total impunity continues unabated, Samira Hamidi, the London-based human rights watchdogs South Asia campaigner, said in a statement on June 16, after at least 24 civilians were killed across Afghanistan in just over a week. While peace talks falter and preparations for the full withdrawal of international forces gathers pace, its Afghanistans civilians who are paying the brutal price of this conflict. Health workers, humanitarians, human rights defenders, and journalists have been particularly targeted in a wave of assassinations since peace talks launched in Qatar in September 2020 between the Afghan government and the Taliban, with at least 24 of them being killed since the beginning of the year, according to Amnesty International. With the exception of one of these killings, no other investigations have taken place, and nobody has been brought to justice in any of the cases, it added. The watchdogs plea comes after gunmen on June 15 targeted polio vaccination teams in the eastern province of Nangarhar, killing five health workers and wounding four others. Three days earlier, two car bombs killed at least seven civilians and wounded six others in an area of Kabul largely populated by members of the Shiite Hazara minority. There were no claims of responsibility for these attacks. This weeks incidents followed the killing of 10 Afghans working for a mine-clearance organization in the northern province of Baghlan on June 8 in an attack claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group. Sixteen workers were also wounded. Amnesty International also noted that two doctors were also killed in separate attacks in Parwan and Farah provinces over the past week. In recent months we have seen appalling attacks on schoolchildren, health workers, humanitarians and other civilians in busy streets and markets. Deliberately attacking medical personnel, humanitarian workers and other civilians are war crimes, Hamidi said. She called on the Afghan authorities to end this cycle of impunity by launching independent and effective investigations into attacks on civilians and bring those responsible to justice. All parties to the conflict must take all measures necessary to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law, while the international community should make the protection of civilians and of minorities a central component of their ongoing support of the peace process, she added. Meanwhile, the European Union's acting special envoy for Afghanistan said that time is running out for peace negotiations and more needed to be done to boost the negotiations as international forces withdraw from the war-torn country. "Time is getting shorter as we speak," Tomas Niklasson, told Reuters during a visit to Islamabad. "There has been no or very little progress on substance, so from that perspective more has to be done." The stalled intra-Afghan talks in Doha largely broke off in April, when the United States announced it would pull out its forces by September 11 following a May 1 deadline the previous U.S. administration had agreed with the Taliban. With reporting by Reuters Pakistan banned the entry of seven lawmakers into the parliament building in Islamabad following a scuffle in which opposition and ruling party MPs hurled copies of the budget book and shouted abuses at one another. The June 16 ban followed the altercation a day earlier when members of Prime Minister Imran Khans ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party began shouting abuses at opposition members as Shehbaz Sharif, president of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), the leading opposition party, began making a speech. Opposition MPs have been protesting on the parliament floor since the budget session began on June 12. A ruling from the speaker's office on June 16 said seven parliamentarians had "violated the rules" and interrupted proceedings. "These members are required not to enter into the precincts of the Parliament House till further orders," said the notification. Those barred from the building included both opposition and government MPs: Ali Gohar Khan, Chaudhry Hamid Hameed, Sheikh Rohale Asghar, Faheem Khan, Abdul Majeed Khan, Ali Nawaz Awan, and Syed Agha Rafiullah. On June 15, the speaker made repeated calls for order in the house. But the two sides continued a tense standoff with security staff, and politicians on both sides suffered minor injuries from objects being thrown. The speaker, Asad Qaisar, postponed the session and said in a tweet that action would be taken against all those who disturbed the June 15 proceedings. Political Meltdown Videos of the confrontation in the parliament in which senior MPs are shown hurling vulgar epithets insulting each others female relatives quickly went viral on social media, drawing widespread condemnation. "Disgusting and shameful behavior. What kind of message are we conveying to our people and the world?" Jalil Abbas Jilani, a former foreign secretary for Pakistan, wrote on Twitter as he shared a video of a ruling party MP from Islamabad shouting abuses at his opponents. One of the most-watched videos shows the PTIs Awan trying to advance on his opponents with abusive language while holding a copy of the voluminous budget book. Other MPs attempted to restrain him, but he hurled the budget book at PML-N MP Asghar. According to Pakistan's budget tradition, it is the opposition leader who speaks on the budget first and for as long as he wishes. However, government MPs interrupted Shehbaz Sharifs speech despite calls for order. Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry stopped short of criticizing the MPs for disturbing order in the House. He said the ruling party would respond in kind because the opposition had previously tried to interrupt the prime minister in the past. Simmering Resentment Pakistans opposition parties have labeled Prime Minister Imran Khan a "selected" prime minister, who, in their view, was chosen by the military establishment. The opposition also calls the July 2018 election a "highly rigged" process, and they accuse the military of manipulating the vote in favor of the PTI. Although both the military and the government reject charges of interference and rigging, military spokesmen and political leaders -- including Khan himself -- have often maintained that the army and the government are on the same page. Four army generals ruled the country for nearly half of its 72 years history. Democracy returned to Pakistan with the death of General Zia ul Haq in a mysterious plane crash in August 1988. Haq had deposed the government of Pakistan's first elected prime minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, in July 1977 and took over the reins of power. However, four elected governments were prematurely deposed between 1988 to 1999 due to political infighting and meddling by the military. The culmination point was the October 12, 1999, bloodless coup by General Pervez Musharraf, who deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and exiled his family to Saudi Arabia. Musharrafs resignation in 2007 as the chief of army staff opened the way for fresh elections in the country, which heralded a new era based on political tolerance. The two mainstream parties -- Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and PML-N -- learned to compromise and strengthened democratic norms, which made it harder for the military to get a foot in. "What happened on June 15 was something pre-planned. Those people were involved who are imposed on us by the invisible forces," said Mohsin Dawar, an MP from the tribal region, while alluding to the military. Dawar witnessed the June 15 skirmish and joined other lawmakers in stopping politicians from punching each other. "This will only benefit the undemocratic forces in Pakistan. I would call this an attack on democracy in Pakistan," he told Radio Mashaal on June 16. Farhatullah Babar, a veteran politician and leader of the PPP, said the episode is unfortunate for his countrys democracy. Those wanting to see parliament, parliamentarians and symbols of democracy degraded are happy today, he tweeted. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Partly cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High near 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, then becoming mainly clear overnight. Low 58F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Georgia, AWS launch cloud talent initiative Georgia is partnering with Amazon Web Services to provide cloud computing training and education to 5,500 high-school and technical college students by 2024. A collaborative initiative between the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), the Georgia Department of Education, the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and AWS will offer courses and credentials that equip students with skills needed for in-demand cloud computing jobs. Georgia will work with the AWS Academy to provide educational institutions with no-cost, ready-to-teach cloud computing curricula, according to a press statement. Teachers at participating institutions will receive instructor training from AWS experts and have access to a limited number of free AWS certification exams so they can qualify to become AWS Academy-accredited educators. Students can also access self-paced online training courses and labs from AWS. AWS Academy offers courses and learning resources that enable students to develop a range of skills in the AWS Cloud. Courses cover foundations of cloud computing, developing, architecting, operations, machine learning and data analytics. The lessons are delivered through online courses, hands-on labs and project work. In Atlanta, the number of tech jobs has increased by 46% since 2010, but there are over 125,000 cloud computing jobs unfilled in Georgia, according to Economic Modeling Specialist International. AWS will work with TAG to funnel new cloud talent -- even those tech workers in rural areas -- to in-demand careers in cloud computing with TAG member companies. Members of TAG expect us to fuel the innovation economy, TAG President and CEO Larry Williams said. The path between skilled workers and company needs runs through all communities, including those in rural parts of a state. In our home state, we partner with TCSG to develop and recruit talent right where they live in rural Georgia so they are ready to work remotely for top technology companies, including AWS. The tech industry in Georgia is rapidly growing with exciting job opportunities for Georgians, Gov. Brian Kemp said. This collaboration with AWS will ensure our citizens have access to innovative training and education to help prepare them for tech jobs in Georgia. Data on short-term rentals helps county collect occupancy tax Cloud-based technology is helping Placer County, Calif., ensure that operators of short-term rentals comply with a transient occupancy tax (TOT) that supports the local government services. Placer has a policy requiring that operators register their units and remit a 10% TOT every quarter that they collect from guests. However, not everyone knows about or adheres to the requirement, said Doug Jastrow, the countys revenue services manager. We want to find people that are not complying so we can keep the playing field level, Jastrow said. Tourism is important to the area, which sits on Lake Tahoes north shore. In Placer, the number of short-term rentals grew from 2,602 in fiscal 2012-13 to almost 3,500 in fiscal 2017-18. Over that time, the total TOT short-term rental revenue was $48.8 million. The county started using Deckard Technologies Rentalscape platform to identify, track and report short-term rental registrations, bookings and TOT payments in December 2020. The cloud-based platform -- Rentalscape is hosted by Amazon Web Services -- is accessible from anywhere. Users log in and access a dashboard or map view to see what properties are complying with the policy. The application uses data from public sources such as parcel information, ads from short-term rental companies like Airbnb and VRBO and other data such as imagery from Google Street View. It ingests the data, standardizes it and then applies machine learning to determine matches and inconsistencies between the datasets. Rentalscape, which updates the data daily, lets users like Jastrow see all of a propertys past and future bookings, how much TOT a property owner should have paid based on the available data, and whether it is TOT-certified. The printed and digital reports are in CSV, JSON and XLS formats that other applications can use for further analytics. We line up ownership parcels and records, we line up permits, we line up licenses, Deckard CEO Nickolas Del Pego said. Were going through all of those rental ads and pulling down copies. Were comparing it to what government knows and doesnt know. Because the technology can match an ad to the parcel data, it can provide exact addresses and owner contact data. With that, Jastrow and his team can notify operators who are out of compliance and request back taxes. Whats more, revenue officials can identify potential gaps in tax remittance. For instance, someone may be paying the county $1,000 each quarter, but Rentalscape can show that the operator is bringing in more than $10,000 and should be paying more tax. Owners can dispute the Rentalscape numbers, but the system ensures Placer County does not have to rely solely on the honor system for TOT payments. Every single property thats renting, whether theyre registered or not, has what I would call a property card, Del Pego said. Its got all their pictures sitting there from their ad so that you can see them. Its got links to the ads. Its got links to the history of every scrape weve made of the ad ever. Its got the calendar so you can see when theyre taking bookings and not taking bookings. The county worked with Deckard to set up an online portal for landlords that walks them through the process for TOT certification and compliance and allows them to remit payments. Theyre able to do it securely, Jastrow said. Theres an email verification process, so no sensitive information is being provided to someone that isnt associated with that property. Before using Rentalscape, the countys revenue employees researched online platforms to try to identify addresses of rental units. But with the online platforms, youre never going to get an address until the property is booked so if youre just browsing, you cant see what a specific address is, Jastrow said. We didnt have a competent ability to find those properties that were being advertised online. This tracking capability is particularly important as tourism picks up with the post-pandemic reopening. In 2019, a report found 90% of property owners were in compliance, but during the pandemic some landlords closed their TOT certificates because the governor and county health officer issued orders in April 2020 prohibiting commercial short-term rentals, Jastrow said. Before the pandemic, the county had issued about 5,000 TOT certificates, but that has fallen to 4,700, he added. Despite that, the countys short-term rental market is approaching the record numbers it reached in fiscal 2018-19. In April, it hit $3.4 million in bookings, compared to $3.6 million in April 2019. From October through April 2021, one staffer said that they and other coworkers continued to insist to management that they needed to address the hiring situation by getting in as many applicants, at a solid starting wage, as possible. On April 22, a staffer said that workers shared a list of grievances in a sort-of meeting with management. They said issues were related to the stocking for liquor, which management addressed, as well as hiring. It all finally broke last Friday, one of the former staff workers said, when two workers put in their two-week notices. By the end of the next day, management at the restaurant had prohibited the two from entering the restaurant entirely. A third kitchen staff member was going to college, which left the restaurant with no kitchen staff. In a mix of solidarity and frustration, the former workers said that at least one bartender and server also quit over the weekend. Im very, very sad; it was a wonderful place to be, said one staff member. Its a shame it was managed the way it was Were just really disappointed they (management) wouldnt listen to us." One other way Weinstein's move could have been blocked was by an objection from New York's governor, but Gable said there was no such action by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Weinstein, appearing via video from the Wende prison, placed his hands on his mask-covered face after Case announced his decision. Earlier in the hearing, Weinstein had the mask drooping from his right ear as he sat in what appeared to be a prison meeting room. In addition to concerns about Weinstein's health, Effman questioned the legitimacy of extradition paperwork filed by Los Angeles authorities, which he said was defective because it listed only some of the charges. We are challenging the paperwork because its not right. Its wrong... They just copied the form and changed the date," Effman told Case. Gable said the paperwork absolutely met the requirements of the extradition agreement. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Officials at the public water system for the city of Des Moines on Monday asked customers to begin using water wisely and cut lawn irrigation by 25% as water usage reached new highs and drought conditions slowed the flow of rivers. The combination of high demand and low water flow resulted in Des Moines Water Works demand reaching 90% of capacity on Friday. The utility that serves 500,000 customers in central Iowa said it delivered nearly 90 million gallons of water that day. We have taken proactive steps to ensure we have enough water for customers, but the Raccoon River is low enough that you can walk across it. Now, we are asking our customers to do their part and use water wisely. CEO Ted Corrigan said. The flow rate in the Raccoon River, which is a major water source for the DMWW, is down to less than 300 cubic feet per second compared the median flow of 4,000 cubic feet per second. The average high temperature for Des Moines for the first 13 days of June was 88, significantly above the normal of 79.9, according to the National Weather Service. The city has had 0.02 inches of rain this month. The average is 5.26 inches. In my nearly 50 years of farming in northern Iowa, I have learned not just the importance but the need to diversify and intensify. Thats why my sons and I grow corn, feed cattle, feed pigs, harvest wind and closely monitor the global agricultural commodity market. We are an interconnected world and for farmers like us in Iowa to stay competitive, we have to maximize the value of the land. Wind energy is a great way to do that as it doesnt take up much land and provides a steady revenue stream for us and supports our community with big tax revenue. I was recently made aware of the proposed Worth County anti-wind ordinance. One example of how this is designed to block new wind farms is the massive 1,600-foot setbacks from non-participating landowners property lines. This would enable one landowner who owns as little as a 40-acre parcel to block wind development on 378 acres surrounding their land. I am not in the business of telling my neighbors what they can and cannot legally build on their private land, and I am certainly not happy to see the county government taking property rights from some landowners and giving them to others. My father-in-law, Roland Babe Hovland, was only 17 years old when he landed in France. He lied about his age so he could enlist and go fight for his country. He killed Nazi soldiers. For over a year he fought for freedom. He saw many of his own killed in battle. When he returned home, he arrived in New York City via ship. Needless to say, he saw things that no 17-year-old should have to see. Every year, on June 6, my husband and I remember Babe by getting out a small suitcase of his that is filled with items from his service. There is a small Bible and his military dog tags along with a Nazi arm band that he took off a soldier that he killed. We hold each item in our hands and pray for all those who served and died and thank his dad, as we know he can hear us, in his eternal home. If not for his dad and all the military soldiers and countries who fought against such evil forces, our country may not be as free as we are today. GRAND OPENING: Southside Community Learning Center, 524 Chatham Ave., will hold a grand opening at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact DRHA Executive Learning Directors, Larissa Deedrich, at ldeedrich@drhava.com THURSDAY, JUNE 24 THURSDAY PADDLE: Slow-paced kayak trip on the Dan River at Camilla Williams Park from 6 to 8 p.m. for $14 for ages 10 and up. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Register by Monday before the program by calling Danville Parks and Recreation at 434-799-5150. SATURDAY, JUNE 26 FREE COMMUNITY HOT DOG LUNCH: A free community hot dog lunch will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 409 Arnett Blvd. Food can be picked up in the parking lot only. A HISTORY OF THE MILTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: A history of the Milton Presbyterian Church will be presented at 11 a.m. by Martha Bradsher Spencer in Milton, N.C. A tour of the church will follow the presentation. Appalachian Power is going to move a 2-mile-long portion of an electric transmission line from three lots at the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill to help improve the value of the property. Danville City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to enter into a support agreement with the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority for the project, as requested by the Virginia Tobacco Commission. The tobacco commission is providing a $4.5 million deferred loan at 1.5% interest per year for the project. RIFA then would provide those dollars to Appalachian Power. In return the company has agreed to to refund all or part of the project each time a new customer locates to those three lots and enters into a capacity contract for at least 1 megawatt for a 5-year period, Danville Economic Development Director Corrie T. Bobe wrote in a letter to City Council. This 3,700-acre, uncertified megasite in southwestern Pittsylvania County is owned by RIFA. RIFA wanted the line moved from a 200-acre pad at Berry Hill to reduce risk for companies interested in the site and to get certification for the park. To accommodate this growth, RIFA has agreed to enter into a ground lease with the company for a parcel of land within the Cyber Park and will provide the company the option to purchase it at a later date, Bobe said. In return, RIFA will retain a land clawback option, which will give RIFA the right to buy the land in the event the company no longer owns the phase-two production facility, the company discontinues full-time business for a period of 90 days, the company changes the nature of its business, or the building is not being used in the same manner it was used on the performance date. Details In addition, incentives include state grants and a loan in exchange for at least $800,000 in capital investment and creation of eight full-time jobs with an average yearly base wage of at least $73,000 during the first phase, and at least $6.4 million in investment and creation of an additional 37 full-time jobs with an average annual base wage of at least $62,000 during phase two in the Cyber Park. MEP Ltd., a maker of plastic and metal components, plans to bring 45 jobs and $6.4 million in investment to the Cyber Park, Gov. Ralph Northam announced June 7. GENEVA A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned that Putin's talks with U.S. President Joe Biden will not be easy or likely yield any breakthroughs. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told The Associated Press a few hours before the Russia-U.S. summit in Geneva on Wednesday that the topics on the broad agenda are mostly problematic." "We have many long-neglected questions that need to be trawled through. Thats why President Putin is arriving with an attitude to frankly and constructively set questions and try to find solutions, Peskov said. No, this day cannot become historic, and we shouldnt expect any breakthroughs. The situation is too difficult in Russian-American relations," he continued. "However, the fact that the two presidents agreed to meet and finally start to speak openly about the problems is already an achievement. We can say that without having started yet, the summit already has a positive result, but we should not await breakthroughs. Peskov said the bilateral issues Russia wants to discuss include strategic stability, arms control, cooperation in regional conflicts, cooperation on the pandemic, and climate change. Update, 4 p.m. Wednesday: The American Council on Education's blog highlights this new report on college enrollment and retention from The College Board (aka the SAT people). The report has a lot of data in its 57 pages, but here's a stat that goes to what I wrote about above: The retention rate went up at four-year public universities but declined at community colleges. That's another reason why four-year public universities saw minimal changes to enrollment while community colleges are losing so many students. Staff writer John Newsom covers higher education for the News & Record of Greensboro and the Winston-Salem Journal. Have something to say about this blog post? Email him at john.newsom@greensboro.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @JohnNewsomNR. Support his coverage of higher education. Click here and here to learn about digital subscriptions the News & Record and the Journal. By the time you add in the cost of training and the reduction in manpower that occurs while the training is taking place, we felt it was best to wait until the prices come down. Don Slavick, executive director of the United States Police Canine Association, told The Associated Press that the trend is everywhere. Once you train a behavior in a dog, that never goes away. They dont want any mistakes, so that is why they want to bring in new dogs, he said. The Virginia State Police is retiring 13 K-9s, and Sgt. Scott Amos, the canine training coordinator, says the replacements are in training now, learning how to alert for ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines, but not marijuana. Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith said his department had one K-9 that served as a patrol dog and was not trained to sniff drugs, but other small departments are not so lucky. Cumberland County, located just west of Richmond and with a population about the same as the city of Martinsville, has a sheriffs office with 17 people and one drug-sniffing dog named Mambo thats being forced to retire. The siblings were working to help Guilford Preparatory Academy meet its need for 150 computers and a school in another state meet its need for 200 computers to take exams in early May, Martinca said. Our visa was valid until 2023, but we had two schools that had a crisis, Martinca said. Me and my sister eventually lost track of time fulfilling that need of providing 250 computers to kids, and we accidentally missed our May 3 deadline to renew the I-94 (a form used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to keep track of people who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents) but still with a valid visa. We couldnt fly, so we drove up to the Canada border late on May 20 to renew our I-94. After their arrest, the siblings visa was canceled. They were told if they go to court and cant prove that they were not late, they would get deported and banned from the United States for three to 10 years, Martinca said. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Instead, we took a voluntary departure, so they offered us 30 days to leave the United States, Martinca said. They told us to move back to Canada within 30 days, like we dont want you here. ... Literally tens of thousands of children dont have computers and they are asking us to just walk away. There were no new cases, hospitalizations or deaths reported Sunday in the health district, and there have been only 50 cases in June. The 7-day average is at 3. On Friday, though, the Virginia Department of Health reported there are now 37 cases of variants of the novel coronavirus in the West Piedmont Health District, up by five from last week. All but two of the cases are the B.1.1.7 variant the most prevalent in the states 2,358 cases statewide. There have been 12 hospitalizations in the district caused by variants, an increase of 1 from last week, but no deaths. There have been 32 deaths statewide. Its unclear why the district still shows a potential for a surge, but UVa officials recently highlighted Patrick County among Virginia localities with the lowest vaccination rates. Patrick County is up to 33.5% of residents having had at least one shot of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, and 29.4% are fully vaccinated, meaning they have had a second shot of those vaccines or one of Johnson & Johnson. Statewide 56.8% of residents have had one shot, and 47.4% are fully vaccinated, which are well below the levels of herd immunity that doctors are are pursuing. GREENSBORO A raccoon that was found on Lindley Road has tested positive for rabies, the Guilford County health department said in a news release Wednesday. This is the fourth confirmed case of animal rabies in 2021, the health department said. North Carolina law requires that all pets (cats, dogs and ferrets), whether living inside or outside, aged 4 months or older be vaccinated against rabies. The health department urges pet owners to supervise their pets when they are outdoors, which might prevent contact with wild animals that may have rabies. Rabies circulates throughout the year. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Here are some tips from the health department to help prevent you or your family from being exposed to the rabies virus: Avoid direct contact with wildlife, dead or alive. Do not approach, try to play with, touch, rescue or treat any wildlife. If you find a sick or injured animal, contact animal control at 336-641-5990. Avoid any animal displaying unnatural behavior. Wild animals are not usually friendly so be very careful if one approaches you. Do not try to separate fighting animals. CHICAGO (AP) Five people standing outside on Chicago's West Side were shot in a violent end to a day that began with a mass shooting on the city's South Side that left four people dead and four more injured, police said. Four men and one woman were shot about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday near Garfield Park, possibly "by multiple offenders," police said. They were rushed to area hospitals, where a 38-year-old man was listed in critical condition while the others were listed in good condition. The shooting came about 16 hours after three women and a man were fatally shot and four other people suffered gunshot wounds inside a house on the South Side. Shermetria L. Williams, 19, of the suburb of Harvey, was among the dead, the Cook County Medical Examiners office said Wednesday. The office on Tuesday identified another victim as Ratanya Aryiel Rogers, 28, of Chicago. The names of the other two will be released after next of kin have been notified, the office said. An N.C. Court of Appeals judge has been cleared of charges that he tried to run over Black Lives Matter protesters in Fayetteville last month, his attorney said Monday. An independent prosecutor dismissed the case against John Tyson, who began serving his second term on the statewide court in 2014. The case was dismissed because of lack of evidence. False allegations should be dismissed, said attorney David T. Courie in a news release. It is bad enough to be falsely charged and suffer a rush to judgment by some despite the evidence, but it need not be followed up by a blind prosecution. In May, Myah Warren filed charges of assault with a deadly weapon against Tyson in Cumberland County. Courie said Cumberland County prosecutors recused themselves from the case of the Fayetteville resident, who has served in county office. Independent prosecutors reviewed the evidence, he said, and found no basis for the charges because witness statements did not match video evidence. Warren said she was holding a Black Lives Matter sign at a downtown Fayetteville demonstration at the Market House when she saw a car circle twice, nearly striking her on the second pass. In the Army, they are often junior soldiers, according to Col. Kenneth Williams, director of supply under the Armys G-4 Logistics branch. This is a young guy or gal, Williams said. This is a person normally on their first tour of duty. So you can see that we put great responsibility on our soldiers immediately when they come in. Armorers have access both to firearms and the spare parts kept for repairs. These upper receivers, lower receivers and trigger assemblies can be used to make new guns or enhance existing ones. Weve seen issues like that in the past where an armorer might build an M16 automatic assault rifle from military parts, said Mark Ridley, a former deputy director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. You have to be really concerned with certain armorers and how they build small arms and small weapons. In 2014, NCIS began investigating the theft of weapons parts from Special Boat Team Twelve, a Navy unit based in Coronado, Calif. Four M4 trigger assemblies that could make a civilian AR-15 fully automatic were missing. Investigators found an armory inventory manager was manipulating electronic records by moving items or claiming they had been transferred. The parts were never recovered and the case was closed after federal prosecutors declined to file charges. OFALLON, Mo. A swath of southern Missouri is seeing a big rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations at just the wrong time as tourists eager to get out after being cooped up for a year make their way to popular destinations like Branson and Lake of the Ozarks. Data from the state health departments COVID-19 dashboard on Wednesday showed 206 people hospitalized with the virus in southwestern Missouri nearly double the 111 hospitalizations from that region at the start of May. The number of people in intensive care units in the region has tripled from 22 a month-and-a-half ago to 65 now. Meanwhile, statewide hospitalizations have remained steady since March. Health experts cite two factors driving the surge: The presence of the faster-spreading Delta variant, and a reluctance among residents to get vaccinated. While 52.6% of Americans have initiated vaccination, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most southern Missouri counties are well short of 40%. Branson sits in Taney and Stone counties, where the vaccination rates as of Wednesday were 27.4% and 28.4% respectively. Miller County, at Lake of the Ozarks, had a vaccination rate of 22.9%. Joe Biden was elected president and soon enough reversed Donald Trumps reduction of illegal southern border crossings to the point that we now have the highest influx in 20 years. The human suffering has been excruciating, the publicity has been poisonous and so Biden walked away from the problem, handing it to Vice President Kamala Harris who almost disappeared and has since demonstrated why that was a good idea. She finally ended up in Guatemala, a primary source of young people risking their lives in tortuous, thug-infested, sometimes deadly desert treks to the United States. Sounding like the audacious Trump himself, Harris said cut it out. Dont come north anymore. We are not going to let you in. Here are thoughts repulsive to some and a delight to others even if insufficiently backed up with action to keep many out. Along with smugglers abetting thousands of American drug deaths, illegal immigrants are rushing the border in record numbers even as TV reporters almost seem more on hand to greet them than border agents. One person less in sight than winter snow has been Harris, who didnt seem to understand when an interviewer asked why she had not gone to the border. She replied with an incomprehensible joke about not going to Europe either. Biden practically invited the immigrants when, among other moves, he freed refuges to wander in America without hearings. $423 million investment will create 496 new jobs over the next eight years COLUMBIA, S.C. Governor Henry McMaster and the S.C. Department of Commerce today announced that E. & J. Gallo Winery (Gallo), a global wine and spirits company, will build a new state-of-the-art production facility and distribution center in Chester County to support future business growth and its long-term innovation plans. The $423 million investment will create 496 new jobs over the next eight years. Gallos investment will transform Chester County and contribute greatly to South Carolinas economic prosperity. Creating a business environment in which world-class brands can grow and thrive is critical to South Carolinas long-term economic success, especially in our rural communities, said Governor Henry McMaster. We are glad for their partnership and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship. Providing bottling and canning capacity as well as warehousing and distribution for the companys growing portfolio of wine and spirit brands, the new South Carolina facility will allow Gallo to better meet customer demand on the East Coast, while reducing its overall carbon footprint. Given Chester Countys proximity to the Port of Charleston, this new location will also serve as a hub for Gallos import and export business. We could not be more appreciative of the collaboration and support shown by the state of South Carolina, the South Carolina Department of Commerce, and those in Chester County along with all of the public and private entities who have embraced this project throughout the planning process and have welcomed us to the community, said Gallo CEO, Ernest J. Gallo. Construction on the new facility is set to begin almost immediately, with the first phase of the project on track to be completed in October of 2022. Gallo is working closely with readySC to prepare for hiring and various workforce training needs. Individuals interested in joining the Gallo team should visit www.gallocareers.com/southcarolina for more information. The Coordinating Council for Economic Development has approved job development credits related to this project. A $16 million Rural Infrastructure Fund grant was also awarded to Chester County to assist with costs of the project. Last month, the S.C. Department of Commerce went before the Joint Bond Review Committee and the State Fiscal Accountability Authority and received authorization for $8 million in bonds to offset costs of off-site mitigation under the Economic Development Bond Act. " " Scientists may not know exactly why body temperatures are declining, but researchers have been able to confirm that they're below 98.6 F outside of places like the U.S. and U.K. Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images Feeling under the weather? Chances are you or your doctor will grab a thermometer, take your temperature and hope for the familiar 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) everyone recognizes as "normal." But what is normal, and why does it matter? Despite the fixation on 98.6 F, clinicians recognize that there is no single universal "normal" body temperature for everyone at all times. Throughout the day, your body temperature can vary by as much as 1 F (0.56 C), at its lowest in the early morning and highest in the late afternoon. It changes when you are sick, goes up during and after exercise, varies across the menstrual cycle and varies between individuals. It also tends to decline with age. In other words, body temperature is an indicator of what's going on within your body, like a metabolic thermostat. An intriguing study from earlier this year found that normal body temperature is about 97.5 F (36.4 C) in Americans at least those in Palo Alto, California, where the researchers took hundreds of thousands of temperature readings. That meant that in the U.S., normal body temperature has been dropping over the past 150 years. People run cooler today than they did two centuries ago. The 98.6 F standard for "normal body temperature" was first established by the German physician Carl Wunderlich in 1867 after studying 25,000 people in Leipzig. But anecdotally, lower body temperatures in healthy adults have been widely reported. And a study in 2017 among 35,000 adults in the U.K. observed a lower average body temperature of 97.9 F (36.6 C). What might cause these subtle but important changes? And are these provocative hints of changes in human physiology occurring only in urban, industrialized settings like the U.S. and U.K.? One leading hypothesis is that thanks to improved hygiene, sanitation and medical treatment, people today experience fewer of the infections that would trigger higher body temperatures. In our study, we were able to test that idea directly in a unique setting: among Tsimane horticulturalist-foragers of the Bolivian Amazon. " " People swim and wash clothes in a river in the Amazon region. Researchers wanted to see if the pattern of body temperatures trending downward held up outside of industrialized areas, so they headed to the Bolivian Amazon to find out. Julio Etchart/ullstein bild via Getty Images Advertisement Tracking Temperature in the Tsimane The Tsimane live in a remote area with little access to modern amenities, and we know from firsthand experience that infections are common from the common cold to intestinal worms to tuberculosis. Having worked with the Tsimane studying a variety of topics related to health and aging for two decades, our team had a rich opportunity to observe whether body temperatures were similarly declining in this tropical environment where infections are common. As part of our ongoing Tsimane Health and Life History Project, a mobile team of Bolivian physicians and researchers has been traveling from village to village monitoring health while treating patients. They record clinical diagnoses and lab measures of infection at each patient visit. When we first started working in Bolivia back in 2002, Tsimane body temperatures were similar to what was found in Germany and the U.S. two centuries ago: averaging at 98.6 F. But over a relatively short period of 16 years, we observed a rapid decline in average body temperature in this population. The decline is steep: 0.09 F (0.05 C) per year. Today Tsimane body temperatures are roughly 97.7 F (36.5 C). In other words, in less than two decades we're seeing about the same level of decline as that observed in the U.S. over approximately two centuries. We can say this with confidence, as our analysis is based on a large sample (about 18,000 observations of almost 5,500 adults), and we statistically control for multiple other factors that might affect body temperature, like ambient temperature and body mass. More importantly, while having certain ailments, like respiratory or skin infections, was associated with higher body temperature during a medical visit, adjusting for these infections did not account for the steep decline in body temperature over time. Advertisement A Clear Drop, Unclear Why So why have body temperatures decreased over time, both for Americans and Tsimane? Fortunately, we had data available from our long-term research in Bolivia to address some possibilities. For example, declines might be due to the rise of modern health care and lower rates of lingering mild infections now compared to in the past. But while it may be the case that health has generally improved in Bolivia over the past two decades, infections are still widespread among the Tsimane. Our results suggest that reduced incidence of infection alone can't explain the observed body temperature declines. It could be that people are in better condition, and so their bodies don't need to work as hard to fight infection. Or more access to antibiotics and other treatments means that duration of infection is lower now than in the past. It's also possible that greater use of certain medications like ibuprofen or aspirin may reduce inflammation and be reflected in the lower temperatures. However, while lab measures of system-wide inflammation were associated with higher body temperature during patient visits, accounting for this in our analyses did not affect our estimate of the amount that body temperature declined per year. Another possible explanation for the historical declines in body temperature is that bodies now don't need to work as much to regulate internal body temperature because of air conditioners in the summer and heaters in the winter. While Tsimane body temperatures do change with the time of year and weather patterns, the Tsimane don't use any advanced technology to regulate their body temperature. They do, however, have more access to clothes and blankets than they previously did. Understanding why body temperatures are declining remains an open question for scientists to explore. Whatever the reason, though, we can confirm that body temperatures are below 98.6 F outside of places like the U.S. and U.K. even in rural and tropical areas with minimal public health infrastructure, where infections are still the major killers. We hope that our findings inspire more studies about how improved conditions might lower body temperature. As it's fast and easy to measure, body temperature might one day prove to be a simple but useful indicator, like life expectancy, that provides new insight into population health. Michael Gurven is a professor of anthropology at University of California Santa Barbara and Thomas Kraft is a postdoctoral scholar in anthropology at the University of California Santa Barbara as well. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can find the original article here. The heat wave currently smoldering across the western half of Montana shattered daily temperature records Monday. The Helena Regional Airport reported a high temperature Monday of 104 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the previous high for that calendar day of 96 degrees set in 1987, according to the National Weather Service's Great Falls Forecast Office. The temperature in Helena was also the highest in the state Monday. NWS Meteorologist Paul Nutter said 13 locations across north-central and southwestern Montana set daily temperature highs yesterday. "It's pretty unusual to see this many records set in one weather event," Nutter said of the early season heat wave that is more typically seen in later summer months. "While not unprecedented, it is unusual to be this hot this early." Additionally, the area has seen little precipitation lately. Nutter said the multi-day rain events typical of June in western Montana have largely been absent this year. As such, southeastern portions of Lewis and Clark County are under a red flag warning, meaning critical fire weather conditions are occurring now. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures all contribute to extreme fire behavior. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Tuesday installed an energetic critic of Big Tech as a top federal regulator at a time when the industry is under intense pressure from Congress, regulators and state attorneys general. The selection of legal scholar Lina Khan to head the Federal Trade Commission is seen as signaling a tough stance toward tech giants Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple. Khan was sworn in as FTC chair just hours after the Senate confirmed her as one of five members of the commission on a 69-28 vote. Khan has been a professor at Columbia University Law School and burst onto the antitrust scene with her massive scholarly work in 2017 as a Yale law student, Amazons Antitrust Paradox. She helped lay the foundation for a new way of looking at antitrust law beyond the impact of big-company market dominance on consumer prices. As counsel to a House Judiciary antitrust panel in 2019 and 2020, she played a key role in a sweeping bipartisan investigation of the market power of the tech giants. At 32, she is believed to be the youngest chair in the history of the FTC, which polices competition and consumer protection in industry generally as well as digital privacy. Ending elder abuse for good will take collective action from all of us, he said, adding all generations are vulnerable when it comes to being cheated, but seniors are more so. Attorney General Austin Knudsen said Montana has the sixth oldest population in the country and the oldest in the West. I think we can all agree that those who prey on the elderly are the worst kind of criminals, he said. Knudsen said his department investigates cases of elder abuse, which include allegations of terrible living conditions and medications being withheld. Knudsen said senior citizens in Montana have lost up to seven figures from crooks. We need to stop scammers before it starts, he said, noting that money is a scammers life blood. He said the best advice he could can give to Montanans is to never give money or ID information to anyone over the phone. Mike Grove, president of Bank of the Rockies, said the bank industry has a specific role to play in the prevention of elder abuse. And he called their efforts to fight elder abuse a mission. Wednesday marks the three-year anniversary since Jermain Charlo vanished from Missoula in 2018, triggering one of the areas most notable missing person cases. Her family still has little in the way of answers, but her case remains open and active. Its devastating to know that its been this long and we still dont have her home, said Charlos aunt, Danielle Garcia. Charlo went missing on June 16, 2018. She was last seen on security camera footage from the Missoula Housing Authority which showed her near the Badlander, a downtown Missoula bar, about 1 a.m. June 16. The video shows her walking down the alley, heading towards Higgins Avenue. The lead investigator, Missoula Police Det. Guy Baker, said there are three leads officials have been following since the beginning of the investigation: sex trafficking, drug activity or that what happened to Charlo involves someone she previously had a relationship with. All three of these theories are still being looked into, and none of them have been ruled out. However, one of them has come to the forefront, Baker noted. He couldnt elaborate more. Finding Charlo becomes more and more difficult with each passing day. The rights to hunt, fish and access our public lands are ingrained in Montanas Constitution, our states heritage, and in the hearts and minds of the people you elect to represent you in Helena. Republican legislators include landowners, avid hunters, fishermen and women, competitive shooters, hikers, ATV riders, boaters, skiers and outdoor enthusiasts of all types. Montanas outdoor heritage is our way of life and policies that impact the outdoor experience are near and dear to our hearts. Montana would not be Montana without the ability to live, work and play outside. Republicans in the Legislature worked this session to better manage wildlife and predator populations, reduce extreme environmental efforts to shut off access to public lands, and reform our states outdoor management agencies. We have seen growing pressure in recent years among our game animal populations, public and private lands, recreation, and predators such as wolves and grizzlies. The Montana Supreme Court has recently been attacked as part of a sustained effort to undermine the judicial branch in Montana so that it cannot perform its constitutional role of acting as a check on the executive and legislative branches. The attack is political, and the attackers can produce no evidence that the court is underperforming, because, in fact, empirical evidence shows the opposite. Performance of the Montana Supreme Court has, since 2008, been measured every other year by means of a survey that produces data that is valid, reliable and usable in rating the court. Remarkably, the Montana Supreme Courts overall average approval rating in 2020 was 90%. In the 12 years from 2008 to 2020, the courts performance has consistently improved from an impressive 72% in 2008 to 90% in 2018 and 2020. The survey participants are those who most closely observe the workings of the court: lawyers who argue cases in front of the justices, state court trial judges whose decisions are appealed to the court, and law school faculty who research and study the court and its decisions for purposes of teaching and scholarly writing. Their survey input is anonymous. State Rep. Matt Regier, who happens to be my neighbor, recently penned a letter to every newspaper in Montana lamenting the new ticketed entry system into Glacier National Park. In this same letter he also stated, try today and get a camping spot at one of our state parks and you will be met with frustration. I would respectfully like to remind Regier that access to Glacier Park hasnt changed if you are willing to wake up a little earlier and make it there by 6 a.m. I would also like to remind Regier that, as an elected state representative, he is directly responsible for the funding and management of our state parks, which have been setting new records in visitation every year for over a decade. Regier and his legislative colleagues even found it wise to cut our state parks division's base budget by half a million dollars this session. Perhaps its time for the state of Montana to stop spending $10 million every budget cycle on out-of-state advertising to bring more people to our state parks. Maybe its time to keep these funds in Montana by investing in our state parks and public access sites. I look forward to the good work of Rep. Regier and his colleagues during the next legislative session to address his concerns. Will Hammerquist is owner and operator of the Polebridge Mercantile & Bakery in Polebridge. Love 6 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 DECATUR The Decatur Police Department has released an image of a woman and are asking for the public's help identifying her. DECATUR The Noon Kiwanis will collect household items and personal hygiene products in the parking lot of the Decatur Club from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 22, to benefit graduates of The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope program. Pathway of Hope helps individuals who have been served by The Salvation Army's Men's Shelter or other programs to move into their own homes. Oftentimes, the individuals don't have basic household items of their own. Donations of beds, fans, dishes, cooking and eating utensils, and hygiene items like paper towels, toilet paper, soap and shampoo can be dropped off to Kiwanis members. A Salvation Army truck will be on site to transport the items. One of the goals of the programs is to help people attain self-sufficiency, and moving into a residence of their own is a big accomplishment. Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. NEW YORK (AP) Rita Moreno emigrated with her mother from Puerto Rico at age five. By six, she was dancing at Greenwich Village nightclubs. By 16, she was working full time. By 20, she was in Singin in the Rain. In the documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It, Norman Lear says: I cant think of anyone Ive ever met in the business who lived the American dream more than Rita Moreno." In the decades that followed, Moreno won a Tony, a Grammy, an Emmy and and Oscar, for West Side Story. (Her entire acceptance speech: I can't believe it. ) With seemingly infinite spiritedness, she has epitomized the best of show business while also being a victim to its cruelties. That has made Moreno, who co-stars in Steven Spielberg's upcoming "West Side Story remake, a heroic figure to Latinos, and to others. I have never given up, she said in a recent interview by Zoom from her home in Berkeley, California. The reason for the conversation was Mariem Perez Riera's intimate and invigorating documentary, which opens in theaters Friday after playing virtually at the Sundance Film Festival and in an outdoor premiere at the Tribeca Festival. The film opens with Moreno preparing a Cuban themed party for her 87th birthday. And I demand costumes, the screen legend says with a smile. But as upbeat as Moreno remains, Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It also deals frankly with the many turbulences of Moreno's life: being positioned as the Spanish Elizabeth Taylor and the stereotyped casting that followed; a long and painful relationship with Marlon Brando; the abuse of her agent; a confining marriage. Moreno was likewise forthright in an interview with The Associated Press while occasionally reaching for a tissue for springtime allergies. All that cocaine, the 89-year-old joked. Remarks have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity. AP: What struck me most watching the film is that despite going through what would defeat or embitter most, you seem to have emerged with such joy and appreciation for life. MORENO: I have a very strong constitution. Maybe you inherit it. Maybe its due to learning how to cope with my tumultuous life through psychotherapy. I really credit that for helping me through some really, really bad times. My mom was like that, too. And you know what? I have a feeling that a lot of people who are outliers have strong constitutions because its either sink or swim, right? And I think you learn early on in life that swimming is preferable to sinking. AP: How early did you learn that? MORENO: The first test, I think, was learning English in kindergarten when I didnt know a word, not a word. Thats the first thing that happened to me literally when I came to this country. Children are impressively resilient. And then, in a way, theyre also extremely tender and fragile. I think the reason I ending up having such a hard time in life is that I ran into a racial bias very early on. When youre young I mean 5, 6, 7 and people call you bad names like spic or garlic mouth or gold tooth, like in West Side Story, youre tender, youre a child. You believe these things. You believe that youre not worthy. You dont know why, but you know that theres something wrong with you. AP: Do you remember the first time you performed? MORENO: Oh, yeah. It was for my grandpa in Puerto Rico to a rhumba record. Shaking my little booty. And he loved it. He was clapping in time to the music. And I was thinking: Wow, this is fun. And hes loving this. I like this a lot. I mean, I was born to be a performer. I think some people are just wired that way. I was just born to perform and please people and that got out of hand, too. AP: You said you wanted to be completely honest in the film but were there some things that were difficult to be candid about? You speak about being raped by your agent. MORENO: Oh, yeah. That was difficult. And talking about my husband (cardiologist Lenny Gordon, who died in 2010) was difficult in a different way. In so many ways he was a remarkable man. He was loving. Ive never seen a more devoted grandfather and father and husband. But what happened with us is that he was a controlling person. I have a theory that when some people have relationships, they make a contract with each other that is never spoken or verbalized. In our case, it was Ill be the little girl and Ill be charming and I will please you. But you have to be my daddy and take care of me and protect me. That was our agreement. It was never spoken. But thats what it was. I didnt realize it until one day I wanted to start growing up and the marriage was not working. Its so much not a part of who I am. Plus, I was brought up that way. You have to please the man. But I suffered a lot. I remember times when Id say I was going to go to the grocery store and Id go somewhere to park the car and cry. AP: Your life seems to be this long process of unlearning the wrong things you were told about yourself. MORENO: What a wonderful way to put it. Youre absolutely on the money. I had to learn that I was a person of value like all other people. But its very difficult when you learn something from childhood. Its not as though I came to this country when I was 20 and learned something different. I was a little girl and youre very impressionable. You believe that you dont have value. You dont know why you dont have it, but you believe it. And, man, that is so hard to get rid of. You know, theres still a little girl with me, but the difference is that I can now send her to her room. Theres still a nasty little girl in me who says, I told you that couldnt happen. And Im now able to say: Go to your room! AP: Your central therapy session followed years with Marlon Brando. In your memoir, you spoke about him as your greatest lover but your time with him was torturous. MORENO: Heres whats hilarious to me. It was he who said to me: You need help. You need therapy. So the lunatic is telling the crazy woman that she needs help! (Laughs). But he was right! He was right. I remember the day he said that to me, I thought: Yeah, but hes crazy as a loon! AP: Its not everyone that dates Elvis just to make Brando jealous, as you did. Are you sometimes amazed by the life youve led? MORENO: Yes. But I have to say that after I saw the documentary for the very first time my daughter and I saw it together I left the screening room saying, Wow, thats quite a life Ive led! (Laughs) But you dont think that way about yourself. Very likely, if you had something like this done about you, you would also say the same thing about yourself. AP: In watching what has and hasn't changed in that time, what stands out to you? You were there when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his I Have a Dream speech. MORENO: I feel extremely fortunate that Im still around to see the sea changes that are taking place. Ill be 90 in December and I dont think Im going to see the womens movement really progress more because I wont be around. But Ive seen it change. Ive seen a change in such meaningful ways and Im grateful for that. What still concerns me mightily and profoundly is that Hispanics havent gotten their hold on our profession, I dont know what the hell is wrong. I dont know what is not working right. The Black community has done incredibly and I have nothing but the deepest admiration for the Black professional community. Theyve done it and I think we can take some lessons from them. But where is our Moonlight? Why are we not advancing? AP: Do you have any answers? MORENO: We tend in this country to silo ourselves. We are Puerto Rican and then we are also Mexican. We are also Argentinian. We are Spanish Spain. And somehow those twains havent really met and coalesced the way we need to. That may be the answer. But its very complicated. People forget that were not just Hispanic. We are from other countries. Maybe the answer, or the beginning of the answer, lies in a summit, some kind of summit. Im not going to see that. My age forbids it. But I sure as hell hope something happens. I cant believe were still struggling the way we are. And when we do something thats Latino, it doesnt do as well. One Day at a Time (a Netflix sitcom begun in 2017) was hilarious. It was marvelous. It was no accident because it had Norman Lear who chose the writers. And we lasted three and a half seasons. You wonder: Why didnt that happen? AP: Many would attribute it to the entrenched biases in Hollywood. MORENO: Its one of the very few things about my career that really makes me sad. A lot of the reviews for this documentary were fabulous. A number of the critics said something to the effect of: Its sad to think that this woman might have had a real career in films had she not had this career when she had it. And I think thats true. I think its very, very true. I want to say Ive been robbed. But you know, what good does that do? AP: After West Side Story, youve said you were offered only similar, stereotypical roles for years. MORENO: Those were brutal. Brutal! When I got the Oscar and the Golden Globe, I thought: OK, finally. And thats not what happened at all. In fact, it was the opposite. I was offered more Anita-type roles when I was offered something, which was not that frequent. I made a decision not to accept any more of those kinds of roles. It was a lot of coffee pourers, housewives and stuff. I said Im not going to do them anymore. Ha-ha, I showed them. I didnt make a movie for seven years. I mean, how stubborn can you get? AP: You recently revisited West Side Story with Spielberg. How was that? MORENO: It was just grand. Ive been a fan of Stevens work for years. When he called, he offered me a part in West Side Story. I nearly peed my pants because this is Steven Spielberg, one of my idols. I said to him that I would love to do a cameo, but I said, You dont really want me to do that, do you? And he said, Oh, no, no. Its a part. Its a real part. Tony Kushner wrote it for you. First of all, Tony Kushners writing the script? What! I was thrilled. I was excited the way a child would be excited. Tony kept adding to the part. Its a wonderful part. It was one of the best experiences of my life. AP: I dont imagine you do, but do you have any regrets? MORENO: If I cant have all the movies I always wanted to be in which are all the Meryl Streep movies, I wanted to be her but if I cant do that, Ive done pretty well, considering. And I think Ive left an important legacy in a very, very meaningful sense and that is: That I have never gave up. I have never given up. I just cling and hang on to what is important to me. A great deal of that has to do with self-respect and earning respect. AP: I know its early, but have you picked out a theme for your 90th birthday in December? MORENO: I think its going to be Puerto Rico. (Laughs.) It means the food. It means people have to dress a certain way. Im probably going to say Puerto Rico in the 30s. Ill make them wear Panama hats. Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP. 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 A northern Illinois chemical plant that was rocked by an explosion and massive fires that prompted evacuations was inspected by a federal agency less than a month before the blast sent debris raining down onto nearby areas. Inspectors from the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Health and Safety Administration on May 20 investigated a complaint at Chemtool Inc., a plant near the Wisconsin border, WLS-TV reported. Fires continued to burn Tuesday following Monday's explosion. A summary record of that inspection does not explain what was being inspected at the Rockton-area plant that manufactures lubricants, grease products and other fluids. That record states only that the complaint involved safety and health, and the case remains open, the station reported. OSHA officials said they have six months to complete their investigation involving the plant, and no further information will be made public until that work is finished, WLS-TV reported. There are no other outstanding cases or any violations in U.S. records pertaining to the plant. A company spokesperson said that Chemtool has been safely operating since 2008, employing about 200 employees, and Chemtool said all employees on site "at the onset of the fire got out without anyone getting hurt." Chemtool has no U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violations during at least the last three years, the station reported. Fires continued burning Tuesday at the ruins of the plant, where helicopter footage showed plumes of dark smoke still rising as fire crews directed water onto a portion of the smoldering site. Blackened and collapsed portions of the plant were visible along with fire-damaged semi-trailers. A message seeking an update on fire crews' efforts was left Tuesday for a spokeswoman with the Rockton Fire Department. Fire Chief Kirk Wilson said Monday that about 70 employees were evacuated safely from the plant, and that one firefighter suffered a minor injury following the explosion. Chemtool's parent company, Lubrizol Corp., later said there were closer to 50 employees present when the plant was evacuated. Fire officials had ordered a mandatory evacuation of homes and businesses near the plant, but later in the day, Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office expanded the evacuation zone from a 1-mile radius to a 2-mile radius from the plant "out of an abundance of caution." Pritzker's office also encouraged people within that zone to wear masks to prevent them from inhaling soot. Rockton is located in Winnebago County, near the Wisconsin border, about 95 miles northwest of Chicago. Trisha Diduch, the planning and development administrator for Rockton, said Monday that she estimated that about 1,000 people were affected by the evacuation order. A message seeking an update on the evacuations was left Tuesday for Rockton officials. Chemtool, which touts itself as the largest manufacturer of grease in the Americas, has been in business since 1963. Its was purchased nearly eight years ago by the global chemical firm Lubrizol, owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CHICAGO Illinois lawmakers returned to Springfield Tuesday to take up a major overhaul of energy policy, which includes state subsidies to keep nuclear power plants open, and an elected Chicago school board. Both issues are outstanding following a whirlwind session that ended June 1 and resulted in a $42 billion budget. The Senate was scheduled to meet Tuesday and the House on Wednesday. Here's a closer look: THE BACKGROUND Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to make Illinois a completely renewable-energy state by 2050 with tighter controls on utilities, following a bribery scandal involving electric company Commonwealth Edison. Last August, the first-term Democrat released an extensive plan with goals for addressing climate change, pollution and sustainable jobs. But legislators left Springfield earlier this month without an agreement on a proposal seeking to close coal-fired power plants by 2035, including Prairie State Generating Station in southern Illinois. Some lawmakers and unions sought an exemption over concerns about jobs and communities that invested in Prairie State and would have to pay off bonds after its closure. There's also urgency because Exelon, parent of Illinois' largest electric utility ComEd, has said that without a state bailout, it will shut down two nuclear plants this year. Pritzker has proposed a sweeping plan, which was still being negotiated Tuesday. ON THE TABLE Pritzker's proposal billed as one that protects consumers and the climate calls for nearly $700 million in state subsidies over five years to bail out three nuclear plants. It would also close coal plants by 2035 and natural gas-fired plants by 2045, according to an outline from Pritzker's office. Illinois would invest more in solar and wind energy, offering a $4,000 rebate for electric vehicle buyers and overhaul how consumer rates are set, according to the outline that shows average residential customers would pay nearly $3 more each month. Pritzker's also wants more ethics and accountability measures, including an investigation of how rates were used in connection with a ComEd bribery scandal that led to charges against multiple people and implicated former House Speaker Michael Madigan. OPPONENTS AND SUPPORTERS Business groups reject the proposal, saying it will hurt consumers and communities due to higher consumer bills. Unions' concerns include job losses. More than 50 lawmakers sent Pritzker a letter warning of devastating consequences for communities including the possibility that the closures could make the electric grid less reliable. However, environmentalists say the plan would lead to reduced pollution and back the commitment to renewable energy. Dozens of legislators supporting the plan issued a May statement saying utilities have dictated energy policy and that they wouldn't support a bill that was simply a handout for utilities. Pritzker's office said his plan helps consumers and the environment. Illinois can and must lead on clean energy, and it must lead in the light of day ethically, honestly, and toward the collective goal of empowering Illinoisans to lead the U.S. in transitioning to a clean energy economy, his office said. ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD The House planned to consider a proposal to create a 21-member elected school board in Chicago starting in 2027. The Senate has already approved it. Pritzker supports the idea. The plan calls for phasing out current practice where Chicago's mayor appoints board members. Starting in 2025, there would be 10 appointed members with others elected in November 2024. Two years later, all 21 members 20 from specific districts plus one board president elected at large would be chosen by voters and sworn in by January 2027. Supporters, including the Chicago Teachers Union, say an elected board gives residents more say and better represents a diverse city. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has rejected it as unwieldy. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Democrats sprawling voting rights bill, known on Capitol Hill as HR 1, is dead. Officially, the bill is still clinging to life. But Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, the majority partys stubbornly maverick 50th vote, signed its writ of execution recently, complaining that the bill looked too partisan to him. That made HR 1s demise inevitable; even its advocates knew it was unlikely to get 50 votes in its current form let alone survive a filibuster, which requires 60 votes to overcome. The problem with HR 1 is that, unpalatable as it may be for other Democrats to admit, Manchin is right. As election law expert and reform advocate Richard L. Hasen of UC Irvine noted, the bill is a wish list of progressive proposals. It includes federally mandated automatic voter registration and minimum standards for absentee voting, good things that most Republicans oppose ostensibly because they would be federal incursions into an area normally left to the states, but also because they might make it easier for Democrats to win elections. And the bill doesnt stop there. It also includes more exotic measures like a public financing system for congressional elections, new ethics rules for the Supreme Court, and campaign finance reforms that Democrats have sought for more than a decade. HR 1s collapse comes at a time when electoral democracy is under threat. Republican-controlled state legislatures are still passing new laws to make it harder to vote. So its time to stop mourning HR 1, which has always been a long shot, and start thinking about what needs to happen next. First, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York should take Manchin at his word that he genuinely wants to pass bipartisan voting reforms, and ask him to convene his vaunted negotiating group of 20 Senate centrists to work on them. Some parts of HR 1 have broader support than others, including minimum early-voting standards and ballot security measures that are eminently worth passing. Democrats should expand a second election reform measure, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which Manchin says he supports. The bill would update the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which required states with a history of racially discriminatory laws to seek Justice Department approval for new election rules. The Supreme Court effectively gutted the law in 2013, but left room for Congress to pass an improved, updated version. Perhaps most urgent, Congress needs to make it harder for anti-democratic politicians to overturn the results of the next presidential election. That means rewriting the 1877 Electoral Count Act, a once-forgotten but justly maligned statute that President Donald Trump tried to use last year to block the certification of Joe Bidens electoral vote. The 1877 law was passed in an attempt to establish rules for Congress to decide the outcome of a presidential election when states fail to report clear or uncontested results but in its first major test in practice, it proved to be an ungainly mess. The law allows state legislatures to overrule their own voters in the event of a failed election, without defining what a failed election might be. Last year, Trump and his allies appealed to legislators in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Arizona all states Biden won to award their electoral votes to him instead. None of the legislatures complied, but theres no guarantee that future candidates wont try the same gambit. Theres no guarantee, of course, that any of those reforms will attract enough Republican support in the 50-50 Senate to overcome a filibuster. But with democracy at risk, all 100 senators should be required to vote on them and explain their decisions to the people. Doyle McManus is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Those of us whove dreamed of extraterrestrial life since sci-fi-drenched childhoods are awaiting the federal governments forthcoming report on UFOs. And yet the report is unlikely to change any minds. Which makes the controversy over unidentified flying objects a lot like everything else these days and a good candidate to teach us a thing or two about the value of cognitive humility. Lets start with some data. Pollsters tell us that one American in three believes that weve had extraterrestrial visitors. And for once! theres no partisan divide. According to Gallup, Democrats (32%) and Republicans (30%) are about equally likely to believe that at least some UFOs are alien spacecraft. Belief is somewhat higher among independents, at a robust 38%. (And maybe higher still in Roswell, New Mexico.) Somebodys right; somebodys wrong. Should we decide who by relying on official pronouncements? According to multiple leaks, the congressionally mandated report from the Director of National Intelligence, due any day, will say that the government has no evidence of extraterrestrial visitors. Does it follow that those who believe otherwise are to take the current argot living in a realm thats fact-free? Ill go with no but its important to understand why. For enthusiasts, the toughest challenge has always been Fermis paradox: If the universe contains other civilizations more advanced than ours, why havent we found any sign? Our searches have come up nil, even in regions weve swept with care. Happily, if youre among the believers, you have plenty of ripostes to choose from. Readers of Liu Cixins Three-Body Problem trilogy are familiar with the theory that extraterrestrials are quite rationally hiding their locations, to avoid being destroyed by more powerful extraterrestrials. Another idea, proposed by the economist Robin Hanson and his collaborators, is that any grabby civilizations out there have expanded so rapidly that we cant detect the signs. Why not? Because their rapid expansions came after the signals we can observe departed their distant galaxies billions of years ago. A third possibility is that more advanced aliens exist, and theyre neither hiding nor grabby but instead have found a path of technological evolution that doesnt leave the sorts of signals were capable of searching for. Fair enough. On the other hand, the conspiratorially minded might conclude that the U.S. government knows weve had visitors and is hiding the truth. (Cue Independence Day.) For those who take this view, the claims by various government agencies to have no evidence that UFOs are alien spacecraft might serve only to deepen suspicion. After all, if a massive conspiracy has been hiding the truth for decades, the conspirators are hardly going to disclose the details just because Congress says so. Besides, according to The New York Times, there will be something for everyone in the report. A number of the UFOs spotted by military aircraft over the years remain unidentified. But this should come as no surprise. We turn out not to be good at changing our minds. Our political divisions make this tendency worse. Committed political partisans not only have trouble altering their views on contested political issues; even in everyday life, they seem to suffer from a more general cognitive inflexibility. Cognitive humility involves recognizing our biases and shortcomings, in part by cultivating a realistic estimate of our own knowledge and powers of reason. Its a skill that matters. On many contested issues, we tend to make up our minds on which expert to trust only after we know which one takes the same view we do. Theres no reason to expect the UFO debate to be any different. Stephen L. Carter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 ABINGDON, Va. Ned Beatty the Oscar-nominated character actor who died Sunday at age 83 appeared onstage at Abingdons Barter Theatre for several summers. Its unfortunate, Rick Rose, the Barters retired producing artistic director from 1992-2019, said of Beattys death. Best known for his roles in the movies Deliverance and Superman, Beatty spent his early acting career, 1959-1964, performing in various roles such as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1959) under the guidance of Barter Theatre founder Robert Porterfield. Beatty lived in a home on Valley Street in Abingdon for a while, Rose said. I almost became a minister, and that stage turned out to be my seminary, Beatty once said about the Barter Theatre, which is the state theater of Virginia. Literally, there is nothing better for a young actor to do than be in a company like this, Beatty said. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Beyond the Barter, Beatty became an acclaimed star of screen, stage and television. He played a city slicker exploring the backwoods of the South in 1972s controversial Deliverance, filmed along the South Carolina-Georgia border. One difference between then and now: Then there was lots of federal money available for school construction. In 1938, the federal government paid 45% of the costs of local school construction a byproduct of the New Deals Works Progress Administration. Today federal funding for construction amounts to less than 1%. Instead, the burden is almost entirely on local governments i.e., local taxpayers but the cost of building a new school is often beyond the means of many localities that might gently be described as economically distressed. The states role has been intermittent. There was a burst of school funding in the early 50s a near-death political challenge by insurgent Francis Pickens Miller, who campaigned on a school construction platform, essentially forced Gov. John Battle to commit to funding. Thats why you see so many schools that were built in the 1950s. There just hasnt been any similar political challenge since. The question is whether there will be this time. This commission is a modest start, but also know how many commissions issue reports that never get acted on. A reader with radicalized right-wing political sentiments continually leaves erroneous feedback to posts about the opinion pages of the Bristol Herald Courier concerning immigrants, particularly those from the southern border. This person has an extreme dislike for Mexicans, refers to California as Mexifornia and has recently warned that illegal immigrants would be coming to Southwest Virginia to increase the poverty rate. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, immigrants contribute to the economy rather than detract from it. They work at high rates and make up more than a third of the workforce in some industries. Their geographic mobility helps local economies respond to worker shortages, smoothing out bumps that could otherwise weaken the economy. Immigrant workers help support the aging native-born population, increasing the number of workers as compared to retirees and bolstering the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. And children born to immigrant families are upwardly mobile, promising future benefits not only to their families, but to the U.S. economy overall. A weekend of events is planned in observance of Emancipation Day, more commonly known as Juneteenth. Juneteenth is the widely observed day where slavery was officially abolished in America. This occurred on June 19, 1865, when U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston, Texas, and announced that slavery had been abolished two and a half years earlier by President Lincoln. The Catawba County Truth & Reconciliation Committee in conjunction with Catawba County Branch NAACP will host a three-day celebration of Black and Brown culture, history and entrepreneurship, according to a recent news release. These events are free and open to the public. Activities include a vigil and tribute Friday at 7 p.m. on the grounds of the 1924 Courthouse in Newton. It will be a gathering on Friday to hold a vigil, a remembrance, said Kenyon Kelly, president of the Catawba Valley Heritage Alliance and co-chair of the Catawba County Truth and Reconciliation Committee. There will be a voter registration table, other tables with educational materials, and the Truth and Reconciliation Committee will have a table with our ongoing petition as well as information about our latest community project. BANGKOK (AP) Thailand plans to fully reopen to vaccinated foreign visitors by mid-October as the government seeks to restart the crucial coronavirus-devastated tourism industry, the prime minister announced Wednesday. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said fully inoculated foreign visitors and returning Thai citizens must be allowed entry without quarantine or other inconvenient restrictions, and that his goal is to open up the country within 120 days. Prayuth acknowledged that the push to re-open might create problems. I know this decision comes with some risk because, when we open the country, there will be an increase in infections, no matter how good our precautions, he said. But I think when we take into consideration the economic needs of the people, the time has come for us to take that calculated risk. Tourism is a major contributor to Thailand's economy and employs millions of people. The country attracted nearly 40 million foreign arrivals in 2019, which plunged in 2020 because of an entry ban to control the coronavirus. Prayuth said the government would reconsider the reopening only if a serious situation develops. The government had previously targeted next January for reopening the country. Indentured servants first arrived in America shortly after the settlement of Jamestown. The earliest settlers soon realized that they had lots of land to care for but no one to care for it. Since passage to the Colonies was far too expensive for all but the wealthy, the Virginia Company developed the system of indentured servitude to attract workers. Indentured servants became vital to the colonial economy. The estimates put the number of indentured servants at one-half to two-thirds of all European immigrants who came to the American colonies. Thats an awful lot of people. Servants typically worked four to seven years in exchange for passage, room, board, lodging and freedom dues. For those that completed their work they received their freedom package. This included 25 acres of land, a years worth of corn, arms, a cow and new clothes. In 1619 the first Black Africans came to Virginia. With no slave laws in place, they were treated as indentured servants, and were given the exact same opportunities for freedom dues as the white European indentured servants. " " All eyes are on Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegate Fannie Lou Hamer as she speaks out for the meeting of her delegates prior to the formal meeting of the Democratic National Convention. Bettmann/Getty Images The words of Civil Rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer have resounded across generations: "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired." They've been co-opted in memes, written on protest signs and uttered by contemporary activists and organizers. It makes sense that the pithy statement would resonate, since people still deal with frustration over social injustices. Hamer is rightfully celebrated for her oratory skills, and her legacy lives on in part through her speeches and testimonies. But Hamer had a storied life beyond her suffering, and her contributions aren't limited to the adages that have stuck with us over the years. Advertisement Hamer and her parents were sharecroppers, or farmers who worked land that someone else owned in exchange for a share of the crop that they produced. She picked cotton and worked as a time and record keeper on a plantation in Mississippi. Sharecropping was a notoriously exploitative practice that was popular in the wake of the Civil War, and Hamer's family lived in poverty. Hamer was conscious of the racial and economic inequality she faced every day, and she was drawn to do something about it herself. She claimed that she did not know Black people could register to vote, but Dr. Kate Clifford Larson, a historian and author of the forthcoming book "Walk With Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer," says that was a myth that Hamer herself spread. "She knew full well that they could/should be able to if it were not for the voter restrictions imposed on Mississippians and the oppressive nature of the ways those restrictions were used specifically to deny Blacks the right to vote," Larson says, in an email interview. "She had participated in NAACP membership drives and met with Mississippi civil rights leaders during the 1950s." But it wasn't until 1962 that she and 17 other people tried to register to vote in Indianola, Mississippi. In order to register, the volunteers had to pass literacy tests, which were often used to keep Black people from voting. Hamer was not only denied her right to vote, but she was also dismissed from the plantation where she worked because of her attempt to register. It was a pivotal moment. For the rest of her life, Hamer would be knee-deep in politics and activism. " " Fannie Lou Hamer joined the protest outside Convention Hall over seating the Mississippi delegates to the Democratic National Convention in 1964. Left to right, Dr. Aaron Henry, Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party head; Hamer; and the parents of slain civil rights worker Michael Schwerner. Bettmann/Getty Images Voter suppression tactics like literacy tests and poll taxes were rampant, and voting rights activists faced violence and terrorism. But Hamer was dedicated to the cause, and she worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a civil rights group that organized voter registration drives in the South as a field organizer. Mississippi had historically low levels of Black voter participation, but Hamer had "Mississippi in her bones," as civil rights activist Bob Moses said in the PBS documentary "Freedom Summer." She spoke with Black people in rural counties in Mississippi about registering to vote, and she gained support in places where enthusiasm for voting was low, policies preventing Black people from voting proliferated, and the threat of violence against Black people interested in politics loomed. Hamer was determined to make the state a better place for Black people. Eventually she became the field secretary for SNCC, and while she was in that role, the organization's voter registration drives added thousands of Black voters to the rolls. In the summer of 1964, hundreds of volunteers converged in Mississippi to increase the number of Black registered voters in the state. Hamer was one of the key organizers of this project, known as Freedom Summer. A small percentage of the total number of Black Mississippians who tried to register to vote were successful. But the project did lead to the creation of Freedom Schools (temporary, free schools for African Americans, meant to help them organize for civil rights) and it raised awareness about the disenfranchisement of Black people in Mississippi. It also marked a turning point in the civil rights movement. The effort got a lot of media attention, and it was a significant moment in the buildup to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In tandem with the Freedom Summer effort, Hamer also co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) in 1964. Mississippi's Democratic Party was all white, pro-segregation and had a history of blocking Black voter participation. The MFDP aimed to challenge the legitimacy of the Mississippi Democratic Party and to expand representation to Black people. When MFDP delegates went to the Democratic National Convention in August, they testified in front of the Credentials Committee to demand that they be seated in the convention. Hamer's testimony was powerful. " " Some of the keynote speakers at the opening of the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971 (L-R): Betty Smith, former vice-chairman of the GOP in Wisconsin; Dorothy Haener, international representative, women's department, United Automobile Workers Union; Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights leader from Mississippi; and Gloria Steinem, member, the Democratic National Policy Council. Bettmann/Getty Images "If the freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America," Hamer said. "Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off of the hooks because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings, in America?" Hamer's voice was one of her most prominent features her speeches and songs were captivating. "She challenged audiences to open their minds and see the immediacy of the moment through her gifted interpretations of Bible passages," says Larson. "She spoke from her own experience, thus connecting her to everyday people." Hamer died in 1977, after many more years of activism, political involvement and community building. Though voter registration and political representation are still issues that organizers are navigating today in the U.S., Hamer's words and actions continue to inspire contemporary movements for justice and human rights. Now That's Interesting In 1969, Hamer founded the Freedom Farm Cooperative, a project that allowed several thousand people to grow crops and collectively own land in Sunflower County, Mississippi. Colorado Ballot Initiative 16 is one of the most ambitious ballot strategies pursued in the name of pushing animal agriculture into extinction. The intel, Activists going for livestocks jugular details a few of the most pressing bullet points of the proposed legislation. The ballot initiative remains on hold pending a review from the Colorado Supreme Court that is expected in late June or early July. The states six major livestock associations are arguing that the initiative is too broad by state laws and uses inciteful language. They are hopeful that even if the Supreme Court allows it to garner signatures and potentially end up on the November 2022 ballot, Colorado voters wont pass it. During the June 2 Hoards Dairyman DairyLivestream sponsored by Select Sires. Colorado Livestock Associations (CLA) Bill Hammerich described some of the sentiments hes heard from Colorado legislators and business. Just in a very informal setting, we have been contacted not just CLA, but the other entities here involved by a number of non-ag organizations, businesses, and entities who are adamantly opposed to this initiative, he said. This is not just about cows and pigs in Colorado. There is a huge economic ripple effect here that is going to impact especially our rural counties here in Colorado. It would be devastating. There are now a majority of the county commissioners in Colorado who have come out officially opposed to it, he continued. Our attorney general is on the record through Twitter that he is adamantly opposed to it and will fight against it. Our governor has even indicated that this will not be good for Colorado. In fact, Hammerich believes Colorado livestock owners should be hopeful that level heads will prevail in this case and prevent the implementation of such a law. That is not formal polling by any means, but I think our stance is today that if we as the livestock industry go about this in the right way, we have a chance if were not successful at the Supreme Court to be successful at the ballot box, he concluded. To watch the recording of the June 2 DairyLivestream, go to the link above. The program recording is now also available as an audio-only podcast. Click here to listen or download. An ongoing series of events The next broadcast of DairyLivestream will be on Wednesday, June 30 at 11 a.m. CDT. Each episode is designed for panelists to answer over 30 minutes of audience questions. If you havent joined a DairyLivestream broadcast yet, register here. Registering once registers you for all future events. To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com. (c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2021 June 10, 2021 ACS state manager, Mandy Watson; Deloitte partner Aaron Hill; South Australian branch vice-chair, Jo Stewart-Rattray; The Hon. David Pisoni, SA Minister for Innovation and Skills; ACS CEO Rupert Grayston; and SA chair Chris Radbone at the Adelaide Digital Pulse event. The South Australian tech workforce outpaced the rest of the nation during the COVID pandemic but will lag the rest of the nation over the next five years. That's according to the ACS Australia's Digital Pulse 2021 report, which was launched in South Australia this week with local branch chair Chris Radbone and ACS President Dr Ian Oppermann welcoming David Pisoni MP, state minister for Innovation and Skills. The report found South Australias IT sector workforce currently numbers 34,761 people, up by just over a thousand from 2019, a growth rate of 5.8%. However, that rate is forecast to slow to 4.6% per annum over the next five years, below the national predicted increase of 5.4%. ACS President Dr Ian Oppermann said South Australias technology workforce did well during the pandemic, however the states sector is forecast to lag the rest of the nation. South Australia has some unique tech initiatives including the Australian Space Agency, the impressive Lot14 which itself includes the space-propulsion developer Neumann Space and the Australian Institute of Machine Learning (AIML). "It will be important grow the states technology workforce to maximise the benefits offered by these initiatives. With advances in fields like machine learning and workplace automation, industry and government will see increased reliance on IT professionals in coming years, so we would like to see SA at the same levels as the rest of the country. Doha, Jun 15 (PTI) In a surprise move, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad here in Qatars capital and exchanged perspectives on the war-torn nation and the region during his second visit to the key Gulf nation in a week. India, a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan, has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. 'Met with @US4AfghanPeace Zalmay Khalilzad in Doha. Continued our exchange of perspectives on Afghanistan and the region,' Jaishankar tweeted. The meeting with Khalilzad was not previously announced by the External Affairs Ministry. The US and the Taliban signed a landmark deal in Doha on February 29, 2020 after multiple rounds of negotiations to bring lasting peace in war-torn Afghanistan and allow US troops to return home from America's longest war. India has been keenly following the evolving political situation after the US signed the peace deal with the Taliban. The deal provided for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, effectively drawing curtains on Washington's 18-year war with Taliban in the country. In early March, Jaishankar and Khalilzad spoke over phone and discussed the developments pertaining to the Afghan peace talks. In the same month, Jaishankar attended the 9th Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference in Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, where he voiced 'grave concern over violence and bloodshed in Afghanistan and said that there is need for a genuine double peace in and around the war-torn country. The negotiating parties should engage in good faith, with a serious commitment towards reaching a political solution, he told the conference which was also attended by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Jaishankar also said that India has been supportive of all the efforts being made to accelerate the dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban, including intra-Afghan negotiations. Story continues India remains committed to steadfastly supporting Afghanistan during its transition. Its development partnership of USD 3 billion, including more than 550 Community Development Projects covering all 34 provinces, is aimed at making Afghanistan a self-sustaining nation, he said. In November also, Jaishankar and Khalilzad had held talks during the latter's India visit on the historic peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government and related issues. On September 12, 2020, an Indian delegation attended the inaugural ceremony of the intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha while Jaishankar joined it through a video conference. Jaishankar also met his Jordanian and Palestinian counterparts Ayman Safadi and Dr Riyad al-Maliki at Doha airport on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar met Qatars foreign and defence ministers and discussed bilateral cooperation with them and exchanged views on global and regional issues. 'Good to meet DPM & FM @MBA_AlThani of Qatar in Doha today. Appreciated Qatar's solidarity during the Covid second wave. Discussed our bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional issues,' he tweeted. He also met another Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah and discussed global and regional developments with him. On his way to Kuwait, Jaishankar had a brief stopover in Doha on June 9 during which he met Qatar's National Security Advisor Mohamed Bin Ahmed Al Mesned and thanked him for the Gulf nation's support and solidarity in Indias fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Jaishankar arrived here from Kenya where he was on a three-day visit to strengthen India's relations with the major East African country. He called on Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and handed over a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to him. PTI ZH AKJ ZH ZH ARTHUR After a two year break one because of Mother Nature and the other because of the COVID-19 pandemic the Amish Country Tractor Cruise is set to hit the road on Saturday, June 19. People are ready to get out and have something to do, said Cruise Director Jim Fleming. So far, we have participants coming from Mississippi and West Virginia. Registration for the 36-mile cruise will begin at 6 a.m. at Yoders Kitchen in Arthur. It will depart at 8:30 a.m. There will be a 10 a.m. rest stop at Wind Swept Farms west of Arthur and lunch will be served at Heritage Family Farms northeast of Arthur. The cruise is expected to return to Arthur by 2:30 p.m. Funds raised from the cruise will go toward scholarships to agriculture students at Arthur-Lovington- Atwood-Hammond High School. For more information contact Jim Fleming at 217-791-1026 or by email at fbjf1964@consolidated.net. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CHARLESTON Jessica Meadows has announced her departure next month as the president of the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce. Meadows, who has served in the position since 2019, has decided to pursue a masters degree in counseling with her alma mater, Eastern Illinois University, where she originally graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications. Meadows briefly lived in Colorado, working for the chamber on a part-time basis during the pandemic, before returning to Illinois in January. She then served as president full time. The announcement comes as the Charleston Chamber and the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce are moving toward a possible merger. Meadows said she will remain on staff through the completion of the merger vote. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} "This is a perfect time for me to pursue another career path," Meadows said in a news release. "It will also allow the new board and leadership to pick their own staff team in the important days ahead." "Jessica has provided great enthusiasm for the CACC these past couple of years and we thank her for serving us in the most challenging times during a global pandemic," said Jeff Baker, chairman of the Charleston Chamber's board of directors. According to Baker, one of Meadows' duties was to help obtain grant funds during the pandemic. She eventually assisted both member and non-member local businesses in receiving $250,000 in grant funds. I thank the CACC for the opportunity provided me and believe their success will continue, Meadows said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 MATTOON The City Council approved the $6.7 million next phase of a multiyear project Tuesday that aims to improve the sanitary and storm sewer system on the north side of town. The council authorized a loan agreement with the Illinois Environmental Protection Association to fund this sewer work and hired Stark Excavating of Bloomington to carry it out, plus Crawford, Murphy & Tilly of Springfield to provide construction engineering assistance as needed. "It's a requirement by Illinois EPA that we capture the storm overflows from our system on the north side of town and convey it to the treatment facility, which we constructed (in 2016-2017) on North Sixth Street near Riley Creek," said Public Works Director Dean Barber during the council meeting. Stark Excavating will install 6,600 feet of piping to connect the combined sewer overflow treatment facility at 2521 N. Sixth St. to the overflow locations. The contractor also will construct new dedicated sanitary sewers in this area on 10th and 11th streets from Piatt Avenue north, and will convert the existing sewer system there to dedicated storm sewers. Barber said the work will begin in July and take a year to complete. He said the project's subsequent phase will require right-of-way negotiations on the north side and another IEPA loan application. He said the entire IEPA mandated project has been planned for 12 years and will ultimately cost $20 million. The city plans to pay off the IEPA loans over time with water and sewer revenue. In other matters, the council voted to employ Ashley Orr and Blake Craft as probationary patrol officers to fill staffing vacancies in the Mattoon Police Department, effective July 6. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Chief Sam Gaines said Orr is a Mattoon native and Army veteran who currently works for the Coles County Sheriff's Office. He said Craft is a Charleston native who has been working in construction. Both are Eastern Illinois University graduates. Other council actions included: Purchasing a 2021 truck-mounted sewer jet/vacuum from Coe Equipment of Rochester for $378,131 through water and sewer fund revenue. Approving plans for the reconstruction of the 14th Street alley return behind the First Mid Bank & Trust building at 1321 Charleston Ave. Approving plans for replacing the primary pump at the waste water treatment plant. Allocating a $2,500 hotel/motel tax fund grant to the Coles County Modified Midget Racing Association in support of the June 15 Tuesday Night Throw Down and $1,000 to the Rabbit Renegades RBA in support of the July 23-24 Summer Rabbit Show. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. On Thursday, the U.S. Labor Department listed North Carolina with 161,225 PEUC recipients as of May 22, as well as 1,505 PUA participants as of May 29 and 81,061 continuing claims as of May 22. Return to work push All 26 states with Republican governors and legislatures, including Georgia, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, have chosen to discontinue participating in the PEUC and PUA programs or are considering it. Those benefits ended Saturday in Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi and Missouri. According to think tank The Century Foundation, those four states have turned down a combined $1.8 billion in remaining federal UI benefits. A similar push is being made on Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper by North Carolinas Republican U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, as well as several Republican legislative leaders. The N.C. House approved June 3 by a 71-36 vote Senate Bill 116, which would compel the Cooper administration to withdraw from the programs before Sept. 6. On Monday, the Senate voted 47-0 to reject the Houses gut-and-replacement legislation. It is unclear whether there will be a concurrence committee formed in an attempt to reach a compromise on the legislation. After a virtual event last year, the local Juneteenth Festival is back June 17-20 with live musical performances, spoken word, dance groups, food, exhibits, a variety of vendors and more. But the virtual experience has not disappeared. Triad Cultural Arts, the festivals organizer, decided to present a combined in-person and virtual event for the 17th annual Juneteenth Festival because people have inquired about virtual components for some of the activities. Various celebrations will be at different locations on June 17, 18 and 20 with the actual festival on June 19 in Biotech Place and outside in Bailey Park in Innovation Quarter. The footprint will be larger this year, Cheryl Harry, founding director of Triad Cultural Arts, said. Typically, the festivals main performance stage was the stage at Bailey Park, but the main performance stage will be at the end of the park this year. In addition, parts of Patterson Avenue and Fifth streets near Bailey Park will be blocked off. Until early last week, people were asked to register for the festival, but registrations are no longer required now that Innovation Quarter is following CDC mask and social distancing guidelines. The chase ended at the Sheetz gas station at 12290 N.C. 150 when the Camrys driver pulled into the gas station and stopped, police said. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Stovall is accused of failing to open his car door after the chase ended, another warrant said. Officers broke the Camrys window to arrest Stovall, the warrant said. Stovall also is accused of possessing metallic knuckles. Stovall is charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, careless and reckless driving, fleeing to elude arrest and carrying a concealed weapon, police said. Stovall also is charged misdemeanor resisting a public officer and with a probation violation. Stovall is listed as an absconder from state parole supervision, according to a state correction record. Stovall served one year and five months in prison from November 2019 to June 2020, the record shows. Stovall was convicted of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia in August 2018. Stovall was being held Wednesday evening in the Forsyth County jail with his bond set at $100,000 on the assault, weapon and traffic offenses and no bond allowed on the probation violation charge, police said. Almost all of the patients being admitted to our hospitals have not been vaccinated, Priest said. The higher we can get our vaccination totals up to, the better off our communities will be and the more protected we will be from COVID-19 variants. Priest said he has not seen definitive proof that any local patients have died related to a COVID-19 variant strain. Vaccinations DHHS reported that, as of noon Tuesday, 4.29 million adult North Carolinians are considered fully vaccinated, or 51% of the population. About 3.98 million North Carolinians have gotten two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, while 317,185 have gotten the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. When including 12- to 17-year-olds, 48% of people 12 and older are fully vaccinated statewide. About 79% of North Carolinians 65 and older are fully vaccinated. DHHS lists 178,164 Forsyth residents as partially vaccinated, or 47%, while 165,871 are fully vaccinated, or 43% of the county population. The combined number of first- and second-dose vaccinations in North Carolina has declined steadily since reaching a weekly peak of 511,934 in early April. Forsyth County reported no new COVID-19 cases for the first time since the pandemic began 15 months ago. Having no new cases was tempered by the county reporting two additional COVID-19 deaths, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. DHHS lists COVID-19 cases and deaths on the day they are confirmed by medical providers and public health officials, so people may have been infected or may have died days before their cases were counted. Forsyths case count remained at 36,839, while the death toll is at 408, including 20 so far in June. Dr. Christopher Ohl, an infectious diseases expert at Wake Forest Baptist Health, said Monday the majority of recent deaths in Forsyth are not due to a change in severity or variants of the COVID-19 virus. He said the victims varied in ages. The average daily case count over the past 14 days has dropped from the mid-40s in early May to 16 as of Monday, according to Joshua Swift, the countys health director. Yet, Swift and other local public health officials remain concerned that Forsyth could experience clusters of new cases, particularly among unvaccinated individuals. Forsyth County prosecutor said two men robbed a 50-year-old man of $20 and a cellphone after one of them punched him in the head and he fell. He died later. But one of the men's attorneys said that the alleged victim moved against the men, who were standing near a ledge, aggressively, causing her client to fear for his life. Garrett Knajdek said his sister, Deona M. Knajdek, of Minneapolis, was the protester who was killed, the Star Tribune reported. She was to have celebrated her 32nd birthday on Wednesday, he said. "She was using her car as a street blockade, and another vehicle struck her vehicle and her vehicle struck her," said the 29-year-old brother, who learned the details from police and his mother. He said his sister had 11- and 13-year-old daughters, and was actively involved in issues surrounding justice. "She constantly (was) sacrificing herself for everyone around her," he said, "no matter the cost, obviously." The driver and those who were injured have not been identified. Police said the driver's motive was not immediately known. A statement from police said a preliminary investigation indicated that the use of drugs or alcohol by the driver may be a contributing factor in the crash. Police said besides the woman who died, three other protesters had been injured. The extent of their injuries was not released. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} WarHorse, in partnership with the Nebraska Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, has proposed a $220 million casino resort at Lincoln Race Course that will include more than 1,200 gaming stations, a 196-room hotel, event space, five or six restaurants and other amenities such as a spa. It plans to put up a temporary casino with more than 300 slot machines as soon as it is able to get a gaming license, which could be later this year. Big Red Keno, which is the keno operator for the city of Lincoln and Lancaster County, said in a statement that it filed the lawsuit to protect its gaming rights at Lincoln Race Course and to enforce the provision in its lease that gives it the right to operate expanded gambling at the track. "Despite Big Red Kenos efforts to discuss the matter with Lincoln Race Course, Lincoln Race Course refused to honor the contract and has proceeded to breach the contract by moving forward with services from another provider," the statement said. In a letter that was included in the lawsuit filing, an attorney for Omaha Exposition & Racing Inc., the company that operates Lincoln Race Course, said it is not the entity that is building a casino, therefore it is not breaching terms of its lease with Big Red Keno. The fact that Cliff and I have worked together for so long, its just a continuation of the work that weve got going, she said. During his time in Omaha, Robertson navigated a clash with Blue Cross Blue Shield and steered the health system through the COVID-19 pandemic. Robertson, 58, said one of the things hes most proud of during his time in Omaha is the relationship the health system forged with Creighton University. It was established a little more than a year before he arrived and eventually led to moving and expanding Creightons academic medical center. To me, that relationship is strong and incredibly well-aligned, he said. They are our best partner, and I think they would consider us their best partner. Coming out of the pandemic, Wojtalewicz said, the health system, like others, faces challenges with nursing shortages and will be working to stabilize its workforce. But she said part of her role will be listening. We know what we know from our past and all of our years of experience, she said. But what do we need to do differently as we come off a really unprecedented time. President Joe Biden has set a goal of having at least 70% of adults with at least one shot of the vaccine by July 4, and Lopez said she believes Lancaster County will reach that goal. There is a clear age-related dividing line when it comes to vaccinations, however. Nearly 75% of county residents 45 and older are fully vaccinated, but less than half of people under 45 are. Lopez said some of that is due to the fact that vaccines have not been available as long for younger age groups as they have for older age groups. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Still, there is a long way to go to reach the county's ultimate goal of having 75% of all residents vaccinated. For those who are fully vaccinated, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird noted that public health risks from the pandemic are "minimal and mostly a thing of the past." Lopez said most COVID-19 cases in the county now are due to close contact rather than community spread. She also said that, of the fully vaccinated people who were exposed to COVID-19 and wound up getting infected, almost all cases have been mild and none of them have required hospitalization. On the other hand, she said, the vast majority of people getting seriously ill have not been vaccinated. Of course, they were expecting the phone call to come from someone in Sacramento or the surrounding areas not from someone over 1,400 miles away. Three years later, Calvin Freouf of Scottsbluff called Ben Martinez, one of the family members who stayed behind but lived at a different house in Scottsbluff. Freouf was a neighbor to the Martinez family before they left the house, and he was the one who discovered the white German shepherd sniffing around the old Martinez home in March 1964. Ben headed over right away. When he arrived, he called, Chinook! and the dog came bounding over to him. Chinook responded to his name and to several commands given by Ben. He even seemed to recognize Bens son, Ben Jr., who was only 2 years old when Chinook left Scottsbluff for Sacramento. Somehow, Chinook managed to trek halfway across the country through desert, mountains and more to come home. When the rest of the Martinez family who had been on the initial California trip got the news that Chinook was back, they couldnt believe it. Antonio, who had moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the military and was working at a brokerage firm, jumped on the next flight to see his long-lost pup. A 31-year-old Lincoln man who was shot in the face on Saturday near 60th and Adams streets has died, and police are asking for help in their investigation. Deontae Abron died Tuesday at an Omaha hospital, Assistant Lincoln Police Chief Michon Morrow said at a Wednesday morning news conference. Officers responded to a report of a fight involving dozens of people in the area at about 4 a.m. Saturday, where they found Abron, who had suffered injuries to his face from a single gunshot wound. Investigators believe multiple gunshots were fired and shell casings were recovered, but Morrow declined to reveal the type of gun used. Morrow said a home in the area had been damaged, but investigators said Wednesday they were still unsure which house hosted the party that later devolved into the shooting. Police have conducted several interviews and canvassed the area but are asking for witnesses to come forward and for the public's help in identifying where the party began, Morrow said. They also believe multiple people who fled from the scene may have recorded what happened on their cellphones and police want to review any video. Three Houston men have been arrested in Lincoln after they were caught breaking into the local Best Buy in an apparent effort to steal more than 20 electronic devices, including several MacBooks and iPads, according to police. Lincoln Police Officer Erin Spilker said Reginald Thomas, 20; Gary Simmons II, 20; and Devin Drake, 21, were all arrested on suspicion of burglary and possession of burglar's tools at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. Spilker said officers responded to the Best Buy near 70th and O streets, where witnesses reported seeing people banging on the doors of the store. When officers arrived, one of the men ran out Best Buy's front door and away from officers, but he was caught and taken into custody, Spilker said. Another man tried to leave the business through an emergency exit but retreated when he found officers outside the door, according to police. Officers ultimately entered the store and arrested two men inside, Spilker said. Police found 26 Apple devices stacked near the front door, which had been cut open with a metal saw, Spilker said. The damage done to the door was an estimated $7,000. Reading loss due to the pandemic was not as significant as drops in other subjects, but the effects were still there, said Lisa Oltman, K-6 language arts curriculum specialist. "We have done really well in the pandemic, but what we're trying to do is we want to get us back where we need to be," she said. Additionally, the 39 new interventionists hired with federal money can also work with students struggling in math, one of the subjects hit hard during the pandemic at LPS. The road to intervention first starts with assessment. State law requires students from kindergarten to third grade to be evaluated in reading and math proficiency multiple times a year. Students who don't meet the required threshold are then identified for intervention as a means of catching them up to their grade level. Reviews of LPS' intervention programs happen annually to find what best serves the interests of students, Olson said, and this most recent change represents that. "By having more opportunities for students to get that intervention, I think this is the best route to go." Contact the writer at zhammack@journalstar.com or 402-473-7225. On Twitter @zach_hammack Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly 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. Regarding legislation, he said no state senator has picked up the issue, but that could change next year. Later in the show, a second caller, Howard of West Point, referred back to the exchange and asked the governor to define his concept of critical race theory. So, the critical race theory and I cant think of the author right off the top of my head who wrote about this really had a theory that, at the high level, is one that really starts creating those divisions between us about defining who we are based on race and that sort of thing and really not about how to bring us together as Americans rather than and dividing us and also having a lot of very socialist-type ideas about how that would be implemented in our state," Ricketts said, recommending the caller read about it. Rather than looking at how people are different, he advocated for finding common ground and how to come together as Americans. Presented with the governors definitions, Jones said she didn't "hear a firm understanding of the objective of critical race theory. I hear a lot of innuendos, she said, adding that it is common for someone whos asked for the definition not to know it. The Lancaster Event Center is looking to connect local RV owners willing to rent their units with families coming to Lincoln for the National High School Finals Rodeo. RV owners are asked to sign up by June 28 to rent units to rodeo contestant families for days between July 15-24, according to a news release. Up to 1,700 high school competitors will come to Lincoln from 42 states, Canada and Mexico for the rodeo, with performances beginning July 18. About 30,000 people are expected to travel to Lincoln for the event. While some stay in hotels, many will make their home on the large campground at the event center. Many people traveling to the rodeo live too far away to bring their own RVs and renting RVs set up at the fairgrounds is a convenient option for contestant families, the news release said. The availability of rental RVs from local private parties is a key way that host communities make visitors feel welcome for this international event," Lancaster Event Center managing director Amy Dickerson said. RV owners typically charge about $100 a night to rent units to contestant families, the release said, and $500 is a moderate deposit amount. A Grand Island woman allegedly went on a rampage against her soon-to-be ex-husband Saturday, damaging his TV, wrecking his pickup and taking his dog. Daymara Destrades-Concepcion, 30, was arrested early Saturday for burglary and two counts of criminal mischief totaling $3,500 or more. Darick Villarrela-Leyva, 29, told police that Destrades-Concepcion, his soon-to-be ex-wife, entered his home at 311 Hall St. without his permission to damage his TV, mirror and drinking tumbler, then took his dog. The woman eventually located Villarrela-Leyva and intentionally wrecked her vehicle into his pickup, causing damage, according to the Grand Island Police Departments Monday media report. That damage was done at 407 S. Locust St. Officers tracked Destrades-Concepcion down at her residence at 588 S. Stuhr Road. The dog was recovered. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} A boost to tax collections could trip a provision in state law funneling more money into a new property tax relief program this year. Lawmakers passed a bill (LB1107) in 2020 directing $125 million to a refundable income tax credit program, which was expected to refund about 6% of the taxes paid to support K-12 education this year. Instead, property owners could see as much as 20% of their school tax bills refunded due to a provision in LB1107 designed to funnel more money into the tax credit if Nebraska sees revenue growth exceed 3.5% annually. Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, who helped negotiate the deal, which included tax incentives for businesses and money for a project at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said the amount tagged for property tax relief this year will likely surpass the $375 million expected to be in the program by 2025. "This is a simple way of getting more dollars into the hands of taxpayers to generate property tax relief," Briese said. "In my view, it's a de facto way of putting more state dollars into K-12 education." Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS The Associated Press contributed to this story. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem indicated Tuesday that she will try again to hold a fireworks display over Mount Rushmore to celebrate Independence Day on the heels of President Joe Biden's announcement that the White House will be hosting its own independence from the virus bash. The National Parks Service in March denied the states application to hold the pyrotechnic display, reasoning that fireworks caused safety concerns at the monument, local Native American tribes objected to the celebration being held on land they hold as sacred, and a mass gathering could still defy coronavirus precautions. In an effort to overturn that decision, the Republican governor has written a letter to the president, bashed Biden in the media, and sued the U.S. Department of the Interior. All of those efforts have failed. But after Biden announced Tuesday that he would be encouraging nationwide celebrations to mark the countrys effective return to normalcy, Noem said on Twitter that she would resubmit a request to hold fireworks at the monument on Saturday, July 3. SOUTH SIOUX CITY The South Sioux City Council has approved payment of $500,000 to settle its part in 16 lawsuits filed against the city and a now-defunct biogas plant by homeowners who accused the plant of sending rancid fumes through the city sewer system and ruining their homes. The settlement calls for the city, Big Ox Energy, three insurance companies and two other companies to pay a combined $1.75 million, which will be divided among the homeowners. The city council approved South Sioux City's portion Monday. Big Ox began operations in September 2016, separating solids from industry wastewater to create methane. The plant sold the methane and injected it into a nearby natural gas pipeline. Big Ox was subject to odor complaints soon after it began operations and was cited for numerous environmental violations until it shut down in 2019. Lets be candid. Im a lot closer to Harris and President Joe Bidens positions than I am to former President Donald Trump on immigration and almost every other issue. But that only makes me all the more frustrated when I see the current veep display the same tone deafness that too often has caused other rising Democrats to lose touch with whats really troubling the mostly white working-class and middle-class GOP base that used to be a lot more receptive to Democrats. Immigration has become a defining issue for both parties in much the same way that the two parties differ on other issues, such as domestic crime and poverty. The right prioritizes law and order while the left emphasizes root causes. In fact, both challenges need to be met. But in todays hyperpolarized political atmosphere, seldom do solutions come together to jointly confront the problems. Instead, our government is so deeply divided that a flip of party control in Washington beginning perhaps with next years midterm elections could bring a reversal on Bidens efforts to bring a more humane policy than what Trump left behind. Harris and the rest of Team Biden need to come up with more clear and succinct assurances to dispel the partisan fearmongering that only further divides us. Clarence Page writes for the Chicago Tribune. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Imagine that some people are worried that supporting the Equality Act may curtail their own rights, but the truth is it doesnt. It simply makes sure that people are not discriminated against for who they are or who they love, and it makes sure people are treated how we ourselves would want to be treated. It comes down to basic dignity and respect. My family has deep roots in Nebraska, settling here nine years before the state motto Equality before the law was adopted back in 1857. For generations, Nebraskans have been committed to doing what is right and just and now is the time for us to fulfill that vision. Personally, I like to fight for the underdog. Many times, small businesses like mine are just that. Doing all we can to make our impact, we need every advantage we can get. Basic protections for LGBTQ people help everyone in Nebraska. Growing up here I was instilled with a belief that all people have the ability to follow their dreams. We now have the opportunity to remove the barriers that have kept many from doing just that. I hope Sen. Deb Fischer will show leadership and seize the opportunity to help pass this important law. By negotiating in good faith and finding common ground, our senators can send a powerful message of inclusion to all Americans. In doing so, we will help everyones bottom line. Lyn Wineman is president of KidGlov, a boutique advertising agency with offices in Lincoln and Omaha, and is also a member of Nebraska Competes, a nonpartisan coalition of businesses supporting the passage of the Equality Act. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Local topical alert Community, close friends rally around woman battling cancer Dee Holzel / DEE HOLZEL, dee.holzel@journaltimes.com Andrea Beaugrand-Jorgensen, front and center, is surrounded by her "angels" during a fundraiser Saturday in Caledonia. Front row from left, Karen Rasmussen, Beaugrand-Jorgensen and Terra Petro. Back row from left, Jessica Malacara, Alissa Malacara and Erica Jensen. Editors Note: This story was first published on June 16, 2021. CALEDONIA When Andrea Beaugrand-Jorgensen was diagnosed with colon cancer in February at the age of 39, there were things she did not have, chiefly health insurance. Working part-time, she did not have $800/month to buy into her employers benefits package. Later, when she became too sick to work, she would not have a paycheck to support herself and her 12-year-old daughter. However, as is typical of people who are genuine and kind, she was rich in people who loved her. Dee Holzel / DEE HOLZEL dee.holzel@journaltimes.com Andrea Beaugrand-Jorgensen, left, and Alissa Malacara said they cannot remember a time when they did not know each other, as their mothers were best friends. Andreas Angels A committee of friends and family was formed to support her, even though most of them didnt know each other beforehand. There was Alissa Malacara, who could not remember a time when she did not know Beaugrand-Jorgensen because their mothers were best friends. Dee Holzel / DEE HOLZEL dee.holzel@journaltimes.com Andrea Beaugrand-Jorgensen and Karen Rasmussen are shown at a recent benefit. The two have been friends long enough to be family, they said. There was Karen Rasmussen, who mentored Beaugrand-Jorgensen when she first became a hair dresser and remained a dear friend. There was Terra Petro, who doesnt cry unless shes talking about her cousins illness. These women and many others came together to support Beaugrand-Jorgensen, her daughter and family. They call the committee Andreas Angels. Were definitely friends for life now, Malacara said. We all love her and were rallying for her. How to donate Go to gofund.me/86f0314a to donate to support Andrea Beaugrand-Jorgensen as she battles terminal colon cancer or to learn more about her journey. GoFundMe raises $23K, and thats just the start Beaugrand-Jorgensens friends and family did not want to just talk about supporting her. They wanted to do something really meaningful to ease her situation. The first effort, a GoFundMe page, was launched in late February by Malacara. It has raised more than $23,000 as of this week. Then Malacara decided to throw a benefit event. It was all just a little idea one day, Malacara said. Dee Holzel / DEE HOLZEL dee.holzel@journaltimes.com More than 200 baskets were raffled off at a recent benefit for Andrea Beaugrand-Jorgensen. The committee which organized the benefit said the success of the event was due to the generous friends, family, businesses and even strangers who stepped up to help. The committee met every Sunday at Rasmussens business, The Main Credentials salon, 309 Main St., Racine, for months until the little idea became a large event held at Fountain Hall in Sturtevant on June 6 with two live bands, a DJ, face painting, cookie decorating, a bake sale and raffle baskets. The committee members could not say enough about the generosity of the community, who donated food, gift certificates and more than 200 gift baskets that could be raffled off. Businesses, friends, family and even people they had never met demonstrated an amazing benevolence in taking the benefit from just an idea to a success that raised $24,800. Dee Holzel / DEE HOLZEL dee.holzel@journaltimes.com Andrea Beaugrand-Jorgensen at a recent rummage sale hosted by Andrea's Angels, the committee working to support her during her battle with Stage 4 colon cancer. The third event was a large yard sale held on Saturday that raised $3,068. With all three fundraisers they raised $51,728. Malacara said the money is not just for Beaugrand-Jorgensens most immediate needs, but to ensure she has money to create memories with her daughter, such as an upcoming trip to Disney World. For her part, it would ease Beaugrand-Jorgensens mind if there were money tucked away in a trust account for her daughters future. Bad diagnosis getting worse Cancers of the colon and rectum, frequently referred to as colorectal cancer, are still relatively rare in people younger than 50. But it is quickly becoming the deadliest cancer for people under age 50. According to the National Institutes of Health-National Cancer Institute, colorectal cancer is the deadliest for men and the third-deadliest for women, behind breast and lung cancer, in adults ages 20-49. Worse, these rates are climbing doubling since the 1990s, even as rates among those older than 50 decrease, due primarily to early screening. The recommended age for colorectal cancer screening has been lowered from 50 to 45. Beaugrand-Jorgensen had just turned 39 years old when she was diagnosed. Dee Holzel / DEE HOLZEL dee.holzel@journaltimes.com Andrea's Angels are selling T-shirts to help raise money for their friend who has stage four colon cancer. Sharing her story The woman who found it difficult to be the center of attention, at yet another benefit thrown on her behalf Saturday in Caledonia, agreed to share her story not to draw attention to herself but to the realities of cancer in young adults, particularly the rise of colon cancer. In the early stages of the disease, the patient may experience no symptoms. According to the NIH-NCI, the early symptoms could include a change in bowel habits that may include diarrhea or constipation. There could also be blood in the persons stool or constant abdominal pain. For Beaugrand-Jorgensen, the first symptom was vomiting, on occasion, which she attributed to stress. The second symptom was an extended stomach that grew and grew until she began to look pregnant. Then came the pain. That is when she pursued medical attention. I had seen Andrea the week before, and she looked fine, Malacara said. When she sent me the picture a week later of her extended stomach, it was crazy it happened so fast. Then came the bad news: colon cancer, stage 4. More bad news: the cancer had metastasized from her colon to her liver, stomach lining, and hip bone. Then the worst news: Her condition was terminal. Staying positive Despite the devastating news, Beaugrand-Jorgensen works to stay positive. She is keeping a journal for her daughter and writes letters to her for special occasions, such as a high school graduation, just in case she is not there to say what she wants to say in person. She plans to try applying to Medicaid again and will pursue local programs that help people with terminal illnesses. She also plans to continue to raise awareness of cancer in young adults and to encourage people to go to the doctor earlier rather than later. Beaugrand-Jorgensen continues to live by her motto, the one she turned into a tattoo when she was 30: Dream as if youll live forever and live as if you only have today Her friends and family continue to work on her behalf, adopting the motto on the T-shirts theyre selling that read: Her Fight is Our Fight: Andrea Strong. Andreas Angels include: Alissa Malacara, Karen Rasmussen, Terra Petro, Jessica Malacara, Erica Jensen, Katy Petro, Katie Nissen, Amy Michelson, Rebecca Welter, Jody Andersen, Natalie Caspers, Danielle Love, Chelsea Sullivan, Danielle Fliss, Tuna Kueny and Sheryl Petro. As Wisconsin citizens, we would not accept the Joint Finance Committee turning to our friends and family members who are business owners and had a tax-free PPP loan forgiven, and declaring they now would have a dramatic tax increaseespecially when the state has a healthy rainy day fund. We should not be willing to accept the Joint Finance Committees decision to harm our K-12 school system at a time when the state has the resources to support the increases in funding Governor Evers proposed. Unfortunately, the committees decision has created an even worse situation for our schools. The U.S. Department of Education has already communicated that the vote places the stimulus money earmarked for Wisconsin schools at risk. This would be like the federal government suddenly requiring all businesses in the state to pay back their PPP loans. Business owners rightfully argue that, for their companies to be successful, they need certainty and the ability to plan ahead. The Joint Finance Committees decision has required school districts to hit the pause button on their planning for the next school year. They have no idea if they will receive any additional funds from the state, nor whether they will be eligible to receive the federal stimulus dollars. During the trip, they took her cellphone and wallet. Robb allegedly pointed what appeared to be a gun investigators later learned the handguns used were fake but looked real at her for the entire ride. When Howell and Robb arrived in Milwaukee, they locked the woman and her daughters in the basement of Robbs house. Howell and Robb told the woman that they kidnapped her so she could give them access to the bank vault the next morning. The children were given Happy Meals to eat but slept on blankets that had been thrown on the floor. They were also given a bucket to use as a toilet. In the early-morning hours of the next day, the woman and her two children were transported to the Racine Wells Fargo where she was threatened with a gun and told to disable the alarm with her security code, which she did. The suspects entered the vault and put an undisclosed amount of cash into bags before fleeing in the womans car, leaving the woman and her daughters behind. The woman then activated the banks alarm system and found a customer at the outside ATM, who called police. Police responded at 6:42 a.m. Sometime in March, cement barriers were placed in front of the Erickson Truck-n-Parts' entrance on Frontage Road, blocking the only way the owners could get in and out. The village is mum about what's going on, even after one of the Ericksons was cited for trespassing on his own property. An attorney representing the Ericksons wrote in a letter to a Mount Pleasant official: "In Catch-22 fashion, my client has been directed to clean up its property, but its owners and employees are not allowed on the premises." A CDC-led study published in December 2020 that analyzed 7,000 samples from American Red Cross blood donations suggested the virus infected some Americans as early as the middle of December 2019. The latest study, published Tuesday online by the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, is by a team including researchers at the National Institutes of Health. They analyzed blood samples from more than 24,000 people across the country, collected in the first three months of 2020 as part of a long-term study called "All Of Us" that seeks to track 1 million Americans over years to study health. Like the CDC study, these researchers looked for antibodies in the blood that are taken as evidence of coronavirus infection, and can be detected as early as two weeks after a person is first infected. The researchers say nine study participants five from Illinois, and one each from Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin were infected earlier than any COVID-19 case was ever reported in those states. One of the Illinois cases was infected as early as Christmas Eve, said Keri Althoff, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the study's lead author. The Best Little Floorhouse in Texas Your choice for flooring in Central Texas! Your flooring is more than just the surface you walk on it's an integral part of your home. With over 35 years of flooring experience, The Best Little Floorhouse in Texas has the resources and knowled Killeen, TX (76540) Today Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 92F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low around 75F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. 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 Even in defeat, President Donald Trump's acerbic brand of politics is likely to resonate for generations. Here's a look at his likely legacy and next steps. The E.R.A., or Equal Rights Amendment, has been in the news lately, having just this year reached the threshold of ratification by the required number of states. Wisconsin has played an important part in the history of equal rights for women. In 1919, Wisconsin was the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment, granting full voting rights to most U.S. women. In 1920, Wisconsin native Carrie (Lane) Chapman Catt founded the League of Women Voters. And in 1921, a century ago, our state was the first to pass an Equal Rights bill. Equal rights for both women and men was a plank in the Republican partys platform in Wisconsin at that time. Wisconsin Republicans, as led by Bob LaFollette, were very progressive. And legislators wanted to do what they could for women, who now had the power to vote them in or out of office. The purpose of the Wisconsin Equal Rights Law was to remove discriminations against women, and to give them equal rights before the law. It specifically stated that women shall have the same rights and privileges under the law as men in the exercise of suffrage, freedom of contract, choice of residence for voting purposes, jury service, holding office, holding and conveying property, care and custody of children and in all other respects. McIntosh Memorial Library has teamed up with the Folk Art Collective to offer a variety of programming via Zoom that highlights work of folk artists in Mexico. The Mexican artists came together in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to face their struggles together. Laci Sheldon, childrens librarian, said the programing came about after she got to know Gabriela Marvan, an artist originally from Cuernavaca, Mexico, whos been a resident of Viroqua for three years. Marvans art form is cartoneria a form of paper mache that uses wire and clay for molds, and is stronger than traditional papier mache. In July of last year, Marvan presented a pinatas workshop for the library via Zoom. Sheldon said that first workshop planted a seed in Marvans mind to connect the Folk Art Collective, which she is a part of, with audiences in Wisconsin in collaboration with the library. The next workshop was in December, and featured Pedro Netzahualcoyotl weaving with natural dyes. Sheldon said he is an indigenous Mexican who has 13 looms and uses wool from sheep farmers in his small community in his work. We got calls from Colorado Minnesota, Chicago and Mexico, Sheldon said. June is Dairy Month, and here in Wisconsin were celebrating our hardworking dairy farmers. After a difficult year, its great to be spending weekends at farms across Wisconsin again thanking our farmers, speaking with neighbors, and enjoying pancakes and Wisconsins finest milk. This month is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of dairy farming across the state. For centuries, the dairy industry has been the backbone of our local economies, supporting jobs and creating opportunities in our communities. Wisconsin is home to nearly 8,000 dairy farms and the sector as whole contributes $43.4 billion to the local economy. The COVID-19 crisis has been challenging for our dairy farmers and they have demonstrated a resilience thats inspiring to all. Especially as we build back from this pandemic, its critical that we take steps to secure the future of Wisconsin dairy by putting in place policies that give our dairy farmers the tools they need to thrive. Thats why I recently released my comprehensive Family Farm Action Plan. The key principles include preserving family dairy farming, expanding exports and enforcing trade agreements, ensuring rural broadband access, protecting organic standards, and supporting land and water conservation programs. We must continue to support the family farms that give so much to our rural communities. It would be easy to label Luca, which arrives Friday on Disney+, minor Pixar. Its visuals, while beguiling, don't push new digital ground the way many Pixar animations have. There isn't an existential journey into the mind, beyond the grave or into the heavens. It's a couple of kids coming of age over a sun-kissed summer. But I think the modesty of Luca is part of what makes it great. As much as Pixar's recent output ("Soul," Onward, Coco) has been daringly conceptual, it has sometimes felt as though the studio and its artists are too focused on charting new narrative territory. Luca, Pixar's shortest feature since its first ("Toy Story"), is modest, straightforward and classical. It feels like Pixar's page out of Italo Calvino's Italian Folktales. Casarosa's film comes and goes like a soft summer breeze, but that doesn't stop it from being utterly charming and, by the time of its magnificent final shot, a little devastating, too. In sweet sea monsters that just want to do what other kids do, Luca finds a simple and beautiful metaphor for all those who feel like they need to hide themselves to fit in. It left me, anyway, with a fish-eating grin. A rally and fundraiser is also scheduled later this month, hosted by Alpha News, the Minnesota-based, far-right group that has featured Altman in several videos. Ticket holders to the rally will have a private dinner with Altman prior to the event, which is also being live streamed. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Critics of Altman have similarly garnered thousands of signatures on online petitions calling for his removal. Its unclear if Altman continues to give sermons and preside over St. James the Less pending the resignation request, but videos and audio of services appear to show him giving sermons the last few Sundays. Altmans rhetoric has reached audiences around the world and has caused a divide in the religious community, with many Catholics flocking to his support while others separate themselves from the priest. Other reporting shows that priests requested to resign or be removed from active ministry still remain ordained, a separate action than the loss of clerical state, or laicization, which removes someone as a member of the clergy rather than from employment. Members of the armed forces will be able to attend Country Boom music festival next month for free thanks to a local donation. The Weber Group, a family-run local hospitality, health care and development group, will foot the bill for all active military members, veterans and their immediate family members for the West Salem country music event, the groups announced Wednesday. Our U.S. Armed Forces ensure the safety and wellbeing of our country. Honoring our heroes for their commitment and service is part of our everyday mission, said CEO Libby Weber in a statement. Our contribution towards veterans admission is a meager token of our appreciation and gratitude for their noble service, Weber said. We hope they can celebrate and enjoy their family and friends at Country Boom. All members of the U.S. military, active or former, and immediate family members will be able to receive free general admission tickets. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Three-day passes for the festival currently start at $85, with day passes ranging from $25-$50. The idea for the display started with a quote: Dont be afraid to show off your true colors. Campbell, 41, who is an interior designer, said the quote reminded him of a paintbrush with many colors on it and thought, Let me incorporate that into the design. He made a paintbrush out of Styrofoam, which they installed on the roof. They hung fabric in the various rainbow colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet down from the brush and over the entrance to their porch. The quote is displayed on the steps of their home, and Vazquez painted a path that goes over the sidewalk and to the street in the same six colors. After having so many people come by taking photos of and with the rainbow display, the couple decided to start a fundraiser for the Trevor Project, a national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth. For us, its become a way to give back to the community, and a friend of (Vazquezs) suggested that we ask for donations to a cause, Campbell said. There are a lot of places not as diverse as Chicago where the kids really need (the Trevor Project). Their fundraiser went live Monday, and so far has raised more than $1,900 of its $10,000 goal. That is what these conversations over the last few months have been about, Devine said. Since each power plant is different it is unclear if it will be five or ten years. Columbia County officials have been upset with the lack of information from Alliant on what will happen at the current site. Columbia County Chair told the Board of Supervisors in May that Alliant has not been forthcoming with plans for the 3,000-acre site in Pacific. Cindy Tomlinson, of Alliant Energy said, Prior to our announcement in February 2021, we had met with officials from the town of Pacific, city of Portage and Columbia County about accelerating the retirement of the Columbia Energy Center. These conversations began last summer, though we have been meeting with local officials for years, as part of our commitment to building stronger communities. Tomlinson said they are still in the first steps of planning and arent withholding information. She said Alliant has not released any plans because the company is still in the planning phase for decommissioning the Columbia Energy Center. Producing such Republican-friendly maps will be harder this time around, with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in office, meaning the state's new political boundaries will likely be decided by the courts. Policing bills Also Wednesday, the state Assembly passed a wide-ranging package of policing bills that would ban police chokeholds in most cases, though Republicans delayed passage of a bill that would create a statewide use of force standard and require officers to report and intervene in cases where use of force standards are violated. The dozen policing bills the Assembly passed on Wednesday mostly by voice vote would also require the Department of Justice to collect information on how often no-knock warrants are authorized and executed as well as on use of force incidents, including demographic information. Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday said he intends to sign that bill into law. The bills originated from the work of the bipartisan Speaker's Task Force on Racial Disparities that took place in the wake of nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism following the Minneapolis police killing of Black man George Floyd. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is now tracking a new variant of COVID-19, the Delta variant, as a variant of concern in the state and is encouraging residents to keep getting vaccinated to protect against its spread. The Delta strain, which officials say is fueling the COVID-19 surge in the United Kingdom, was previously listed as a variant of interest but has now been elevated to a variant of concern, DHS said. Thats because the Delta variant is more contagious and vaccines might be less effective against it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Antibody treatments also have the potential to be less effective against the Delta variant, which was first identified in India in October 2020. DHS said the vaccines available in the U.S. have been shown to provide some protection against the Delta variant. Its unclear whether the variant has an impact on how severe of a case someone might get. Industrial Goliaths have accumulated a powerful grip on global agriculture: In the U.S. alone, four processing companies slaughter more than 80% of the beef; four meatpacking companies process roughly two thirds of the nations hogs; and five companies control about 60% of the broiler chicken market. The Biden administration and Congress must clarify and strengthen antitrust laws so that they more clearly apply to largescale food production. And the president should continue to appoint people within the USDA and the DOJ who are willing to challenge the interests of industrial operators a stance thats long been politically unfavorable for politicians in both parties. Not since Upton Sinclairs eye-opening novel The Jungle has the American meat industry faced a more significant paradigm shift, and Biden and Congress must get out in front of it. If they dont, the U.S. and the world wont be able to maintain a reliable protein supply in an era defined by disruption. Amanda Little is a professor of journalism and science writing at Vanderbilt University. She is the author of a Bloomberg Opinion series on the fate of food after COVID-19 as well as the book The Fate of Food: What Well Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. After a year of uncertainty and financial upheaval, Americans have become more thrifty. Most adult citizens received more than a thousand dollars of stimulus money from the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a survey from the New York Federal Reserve, citizens spent less than 30% of all stimulus funds, generally opting to save the money or lower their debt rather than pump it back into the economy. In light of the tumult of recent years, saving is a perfectly logical strategy. Paying off debt generally earns a thumbs-up from financial advisers. However, as the economy continues to heat up, spending some of those funds would inject the cash back into the market and could help brighten moods after a particularly difficult year for the country. Financial experts in typical times advise paying off high-interest debt and building an emergency fund. But these arent typical times. Many citizens have remained trapped indoors in the last year either from fear of contracting the coronavirus or due to government-imposed lockdowns. Now that those rules are lifting and vaccines are widely available, its more than alright to drop some cash on a special treat or trip or something fun, especially for those who didnt lose work during the lockdowns. "Paciencia y fe." That's how Lancaster native Alexander Diaz described chasing his dreams as a dancer. The Spanish terms for "patience and faith" are also quoted in the movie In The Heights, which Diaz himself appears in. Diaz appears in three scenes of the movie as a dancer during dance numbers for the songs In The Heights, 96,000 and When You're Home." As the biggest project he has done to date, Diaz was in awe when he saw himself on a billboard in Times Square for the first time. "I turned around and was just so shocked, because I had no idea," he said. "I was so speechless, and it was crazy but an amazing, amazing feeling once I kind of really took a sec to take it all in." Additionally, Diaz has competed on "So You Think You Can Dance," performed in the 2020 MTV's Video Music Awards as a part of Keke Palmer's performance, danced in one of Jimmy Fallon's 7-Second Celebrations and has participated in a handful of other projects. Diaz is also the co-captain of the Brooklyn Nets' Team Hype dance team. During his work on "In The Heights," Diaz had opportunities to meet actor Anthony Ramos the movie's lead and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda. Ramos took the dancers, Diaz included, out for dinner the last day of shooting as well as took them to an after party following the pre-screening of the movie. "[Ramos] really was amazing during this whole project and really showed us as dancers so much love and so much appreciation for us being a part of the project," Diaz said. Reflecting on seeing himself on the big screen, Diaz reminisced on watching movies with his family as he was growing up and how his family is "a big movie family." Diaz took his mother, father and sister with him to a pre-screening of the film on Mother's Day, which was the first time he got to see his name listed in the film's credits. Being able to share the moment with his family, he said, brought the whole experience full-circle with his childhood "It was one of those things that just was so surreal," Diaz said. Diaz didn't initially plan on making a career out of dancing, but his passion for dancing kept growing as time went on and and he began taking it more seriously. Diaz was introduced to dance around the age of 15 when he started breakdancing. When he was 18, he started training at Morton's Dance Center in Landisville at 21, he made the big decision to move to New York City. Diaz said that if he told his 15-year-old self that he would one day be in a Lin-Manuel Miranda movie about his Latin roots, he wouldn't believe it. "Being Latino, the story behind the movie just resonates so much," Diaz said, adding that his own parents had to make many sacrifices for the opportunities that he has. Making it to the big screen has pushed Diaz to train and work even harder. He said he is determined to get more movie and TV opportunities, as well improve his acting skills with the goal of landing roles with spoken lines. Diaz also hopes his journey would inspire others to chase their own dreams. "Your dreams are one hundred percent possible," he said. "It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, whether you're from Lancaster, Pennsylvania or from New York City. If you have a dream, it's possible; you just got to have some patience and faith." Another local connection to the In the Heights film is Lancaster native and McCaskey High School graduate Eliseo Roman, who sang on the soundtrack for the film, along with several other original Broadway cast members. In that original 2008 Broadway cast, Roman portrayed Piragua Guy, the water ice-seller played by Lin-Manuel Miranda in the current film. The soundtrack recording was done in November 2019 at the 37 Arts theater complex in New York, where In the Heights first played off Broadway (also with Roman in the cast) in 2007. Roman recently made his directorial debut with Dutch Apple Dinner Theatres production of On Your Feet! He played Gloria Estefans father in the original Broadway cast of the musical. For 40 years, Lancaster County has been a trailblazer in farmland preservation, but a new report from the Lancaster Farmland Trust released Wednesday says declining levels of local-government funding and encroaching suburban development are threatening long-term progress. The report, titled The State of Farmland Preservation in Lancaster County, claims the county is losing farmland each year largely due to a growing population, and recommends county officials devote $125 million to farmland preservation by 2030 about the total amount local officials allocated in the previous 37 years, according to data from the report. Such a large increase in funding from the county would follow a recent decline, according to the report. Between 2010 and 2020, the countys funding to preserve farms dropped by 40%, the report says. In 2021, such funding totaled about $2 million. Its part of an ultimate goal to double the 115,238 acres already preserved by 2040. That would account for more than half of all land in Lancaster County zoned for agriculture, according to the report. We know that growth is coming and we know that were losing farmland, and at some point in the future those two are going to come together, said Karen Martynick, executive director at the Lancaster Farmland Trust. If were not careful and dont make the right decisions, were going to look around and say, What happened? What happened to our farms? Virtual Panel Thursday at 4 p.m., the Farm Trust will lead a virtual panel discussion at LNP Studios on the reports findings and recommendations. A livestream of the event will be available on the LNP|LancasterOnline Facebook page. In emails, all three county commissioners said they remain strong supporters of farmland preservation and cited the fact that the county has more acres of farmland than anywhere else in the nation. But that success ironically contributes to the growing challenge to preserve more farmland, according to Liam Migdail, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. You have access to really fresh local food, you have these pastoral kinds of views, this rural-type atmosphere thats also a population center people want to live there, said Migdail, who lives in Manheim Township. So, you have this situation where theres incredible pressure on that farmland because theres so much of a push for development. For that reason the report also recommends municipal officials, mainly in rural and suburban townships, double down on zoning and planning practices that restrict commercial and residential developments to areas already slated for new development. The release of the report comes as the LFT delivers a final fundraising push to reach its $7.5 million-goal in a capital campaign started more than two years ago. The organization needs just $600,000 to get there, Martynick said. The $7.5 million is whats needed to clear out the trusts list of 50 farm owners waiting to sell their lands development rights, which essentially precludes future owners from building on the existing farmland. Last year the Steinman Foundation announced a $2 million grant to the capital campaign, its largest-ever single contribution. The Steinman Foundation is a local family foundation funded by the companies that comprise Steinman Communications, including LNP Media Group. LFT announced last year that Beverly Peggy Steinman, chairman emeritus of Steinman Communications, is an honorary co-chair of the Farmland Trusts capital campaign. The countys Agricultural Preserve Board, which also purchases development rights from farmers, has a backlog of its own, about 200 property owners waiting to strike a deal, according to the report. I think I can say this with certainty: there is not another county in the United States where there are 250 farms waiting to be preserved, Martynick said. The demand is there, but its an expensive undertaking for government agencies and nonprofit groups like the LFT, which assists mainly Plain-sect families who want a preservation option outside the public sector. The process works through a type of deed restriction called a conservation easement. A farm owner that wants to make sure the land remains farmland in perpetuity essentially sells the rights to develop the land for other purposes to an outside entity like the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board or a trust like the LFT. In so doing, the current owner removes the ability for future owners to build on or convert the farmland to something else. Because land where a developer can potentially build a new subdivision or shopping center is more valuable than property restricted to farming, buying up those development rights doesnt come cheap. According to the report, the Preserve Board has paid on average of about $2,800 an acre over more than 1,000 conservation easements since 1989. Farm owners have to agree to sell their development rights to LFT for well below market value, the report says. The nonprofit has bought development rights through 529 easements for an average of $545 per acre since 1988, and has a maximum purchase price of $1,500 an acre. All options on the table The biggest responsibility in protecting farmland lays with municipalities, Martynick said, where officials control land-use and zoning rules in Pennsylvania. Rural townships in particular are ground zero for the collision of farms and population growth, according to the report. The LFT report cites data from the countys places2040 comprehensive plan showing that Rapho, Mount Joy and Penn townships saw the biggest growth in population between 2010 and 2018 in the county. The report recommends various zoning and planning tools for township officials to use for farmland preservation. One, transfer of development rights, is a program that allows farm owners to sell their development rights to a developer who can then use those rights to build elsewhere with some new privileges otherwise not permitted by zoning. That can be more density than otherwise allowed, or fewer stormwater management requirements, for instance. Caernarvon, Manheim, Penn, Warwick, West Hempfield and West Lampeter townships have all enacted transfer of development rights ordinances already, according to the report. Other recommendations for townships include agricultural zoning that limits how many homes or subdivisions can exist on each property. This precludes future owners from splitting up a farm into a new residential development. The report also highlights Honey Brook Township in Chester County, where in 2005 voters approved a half-percent increase to a local income tax to fund preservation efforts. Republican County Commissioner Josh Parsons said in an email that Lancaster Countys preservation program is still a leader and that county funding has been stable since he entered office. He said funding has allowed the county to steadily work through the list of people who want to preserve their farms. Obviously, we have to balance the cost with the rest of our budget needs, Parsons said, citing the countys improved fiscal picture in recent years. Republican Commissioner Ray DAgostino pointed to his support of proposed legislation in Harrisburg that would provide private land trusts like LFT with some direct state funding for farmland preservation. This is not universally supported around the state because it can be seen as competition for funding, DAgostino said. However, given the close working relationship between the County and the LFT, we would see it as a win-win. Democratic Commissioner Craig Lehman said he will continue to support farmland preservation funding. Editor's note: This article has been updated to include comment from Kreider's attorney, Patrick G. Geckle. A Lancaster police officer arbitrarily sprayed an East Lampeter Township woman and her juvenile son with a chemical irritant during demonstrations for racial justice last year, a new court filing claims. Lori Kreider claims she and her then-10-year-old son were approached by an unnamed officer as they stood at Prince and West Chestnut streets around 8:30 p.m. on May 30 when the officer sprayed them with mace or a similar chemical irritant without any warning, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Kreider and the boy have both suffered physical and psychological pain as well as financial losses since the incident, their attorney, Patrick G. Geckle claims in the lawsuit. The lawsuit lists the City of Lancaster, former Police Chief Jarrad Berkihiser and the unnamed police officer as defendants. "Ms. Kreider and her son are grateful that the court system provides a means to protect their, and everyone's, First Amendment right to peacefully express themselves," Geckle said in an email. "Unfortunately, this case is another in a long line of cases where a police officer who takes an oath to defend the Constitution violates that oath. " Kreider and her son had been inspired by calls for racial justice and police accountability and participated in peaceful demonstrations in Lancaster city, Geckle said. The officer, who was masked, approached Kreider as she was holding a sign with a picture of a Lancaster police detective that stated This is what police brutality looks like while her son was sitting on a curb eating a slice of pizza. The officer inspected Kreiders sign for several seconds before spraying her and her son directly into the face and eyes, the lawsuit alleges, saying the can of chemical irritant the officer was spraying was held only inches from Kreiders face. Several bystanders came to the aid of the pair, who were taken to a police station for medical attention but were turned away by an unknown Lancaster police officer, according to the lawsuit, which says the officer refused provide aid to Kreider and her son and refused to allow them entrance into the station. Paramedics later examined the two and assisted in washing off the irritant. After returning home Kreider noticed that her son had chemical burns on his neck and torso, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit did not state the severity of the boy's burns, though it claims he "suffered and continues to suffer physical and psychological pain and suffering, some or all of which may be permanent." Kreider and her son where unarmed, peaceful and not engaging in any behavior which could have been considered threatening to anyone at the time, the lawsuit alleges, saying the two also did not resist the officer. The officers action was not a reasonable use of force under the circumstances and was done arbitrarily with malice and a deliberate indifference in violation of Kreider and her sons First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, the court filing states. The lawsuit also claims the officers action constituted assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Berkihiser and the city of Lancaster encouraged, tolerated, ratified and have been deliberately indifferent to unreasonable and excessive police force and have failed to identify and take disciplinary action against officers who were the subject of misconduct claims, the lawsuit further alleges. Kreider is seeking compensatory and punitive damages as well as attorneys fees and a jury trial. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A St. Paul man accused of speeding up and driving into a group of protesters in Minneapolis while he was drunk, killing one person, was charged Wednesday with intentional second-degree murder. Prosecutors say Nicholas Kraus, 35, was visibly intoxicated Sunday night when he sped up and tried to jump a car that was being used as a barricade by protesters in the citys Uptown neighborhood. Thirty-one-year-old Deona Knajdek, also known as Deona Erickson, was killed. Theres nothing in the criminal complaint to suggest Kraus actions were motivated by political views or anger at protesters. The murder count alleges Kraus intended to cause death, but his actions were not premeditated. Hes also charged with two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, for injuring two other protesters. According to the criminal complaint, Kraus told officers he saw the car and believed he needed to get over it. He said he saw people in the area, but he accelerated in order to try and jump the barricade and acknowledged that he did not attempt to brake, the complaint says. It also says he admitted that he thought he might have hit someone. Kraus will make his first court appearance Thursday and it wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney to comment on his behalf. He's being held at the Hennepin County jail, which does not take messages for people in custody. Protests have been ongoing in Uptown since members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force fatally shot Winston Boogie Smith Jr., a 32-year-old Black man and father of three, on June 3. Authorities said they were trying to arrest Smith on a warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm when he displayed a handgun from inside a parked SUV. Authorities also say evidence shows Smith fired his gun from inside the SUV, but a female passenger has said she never saw him with a gun. Minneapolis has been on edge since the death of George Floyd, who died last year after an officer used his knee to pin Floyd's neck to the ground, and the fatal police shooting of another Black man, Daunte Wright, in a nearby suburb. On Tuesday, city crews began clearing and reopening streets near the site of Smiths shooting and Knajdeks death, but after police left, protesters moved back in and blocked traffic. Police say 30 people were arrested Tuesday night, with most receiving misdemeanor citations. The street was open to traffic Wednesday afternoon. Though obstructions to traffic were removed, a memorial featuring messages in chalk and flowers left by mourners remained intact. The Minnesota National Guard tweeted that at the request of the city it was prepared to send about 100 soldiers to Minneapolis in the event of unrest. Witnesses have said Kraus was driving an SUV when he struck a parked car, sending it into the crowd of demonstrators. Police said protesters pulled Kraus from his vehicle and witnesses reported demonstrators struck him. Kraus was arrested and treated for injuries at a hospital. Kraus has five convictions for driving while impaired dating back to a 2007 incident, according to online court records. At one point, he told officers that the SUV he was driving on Sunday was in another person's name because he had no license due to his drunken driving offenses, the complaint says. Court records show his drivers license was canceled in 2013. A search warrant affidavit seeking a blood sample from Kraus says he admitted several times that he was the driver, without being asked, but when asked specific questions he gave illogical and irrelevant answers. Kraus told police his name was Jesus Christ and Tim Burton, that he had been a carpenter for 2,000 years, and that he wanted to get his children to the Super Bowl, the affidavit says. The officer tried to perform a field sobriety test, but Kraus was unable to follow directions and would not keep his eyes open long enough to complete the test," the affidavit said. Results from the blood tests are pending. Other injuries and deaths have been reported involving vehicles at protests across the U.S. as people have increasingly taken to the streets to press their grievances. In Minneapolis, marching onto freeways has become a common tactic. Last year, a semitrailer rolled into a crowd marching on a closed freeway. No one was seriously injured. Republican politicians in several states, including Oklahoma, Florida and Iowa, have sought legal immunity for drivers who hit protesters. Associated Press/Report for America writer Mohamed Ibrahim contributed to this report. This story has been corrected to show the day of Kraus first appearance is Thursday. Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler said Tuesday he returned $38,500 in campaign contributions from political action committees associated with the skill games industry. Cutlers decision follows the lead of Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman and Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, who both returned campaign contributions from the skill games industry last week (as first reported by the York Daily Record). The moves come as the legislature appears to be ready to regulate or ban skill games, which have popped up in bars, fraternal organizations and gas stations across the state thanks to a questionable loophole in state law that proponents say exempt the machines from rules governing traditional slot machines. In Cutlers case, he returned contributions from Operators for Skill PAC, which lobbies on behalf of skill game operators and manufacturers. He was the top recipient of donations from the PAC before returning the donations. He also said that, as a rule, he returns contributions from groups representing the traditional casino industry. When the Legislature voted in 2017 to allow video-gaming terminals to be installed in select truck stops starting in 2019, Cutler and other Lancaster lawmakers successfully added a provision giving local municipalities the power to opt-out of having the gambling machines in their jurisdictions. Games of skill often operated under the Pennsylvania Skill name are unregulated slot machine lookalikes that are distinctly different from video gaming terminals (known as VGTs), which are games of chance that were legalized in the state in 2019. A 2014 Beaver County court ruling found that skill games require a level of skill that is not currently covered by the states gaming laws. Pennsylvania State Police and Pace-O-Matic are still involved in two Commonwealth Court cases filed in 2018 that will likely decide whether the machines are legal though the court urged the Legislature to take action. Pennsylvania State Police said during a House hearing Monday they believe there are more than 40,000 skill machines installed around the state a steep increase since 2019, when officials estimated there were only 10,000 machines statewide. Cutler believes the skill machines should be regulated at an equal or greater level than traditional gambling devices if theyre even legal, his spokesperson Mike Straub said. [Cutler] has major concerns with the skill games because theyre in nontraditional gaming venues, so hes been very open about the concerns, Straub added. Because these skill games are unregulated, they are not required to pay the hefty 54% tax that gambling establishments and VGTs pay. Other local recipients As calls to regulate these so-called games of skill have grown, so has Skill PACs political contributions. The PAC sent more than $640,000 to Pennsylvania lawmakers last year a $200,000 increase over the previous year, according to campaign finance records. Three other Lancaster County lawmakers reported contributions from the skill games PAC: Sen. Scott Martin, R-Martic Township, received $4,000 in 2020 and $500 in 2019; Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster city, received $1,500 in 2020 and $500 in 2019 and Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Mount Joy, received $1,000 in 2019. Aument said he was unaware he received a contribution from the PAC. Once he confirms it with his campaign treasurer, he said he plans to return it. Martin did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether they plan to return the contributions. Sturla said he will not return the contributions and noted he has long been a proponent of regulating the machines, which gets blocked by legislators that are beholden to the casino industry. The fact that the industry is unregulated is the fault of the legislature, not the industry or the establishments that host the machines, he added. Correction: An earlier version of this story misreported that Rep. Brett Miller received a contribution from the Operators for Skill PAC. The PAC has since said it was a filing error, and he did not receive any contribution. GENEVA Geneva can breathe a sigh of relief after hosting a U.S.-Russia summit. President Joe Biden is aboard Air Force One and is on his way back to Washington after Wednesdays meeting at an 18th century lakeside villa. Russian President Vladimir Putin had already departed for Moscow aboard his plane by the time Air Force One took off. Both leaders flew out of Switzerland after holding solo news conferences after meeting for more than three hours. Security was tight and access extremely limited to areas around the summit site. GENEVA -- President Joe Biden has expressed regret for some sharp words to a reporter who questioned him about the success of his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The initial exchange came at the press conference after Bidens meeting with Putin in Geneva on Wednesday. When a reporter asked Biden how he could consider the summit a success when Putin came out of it still denying responsibility for cyberattacks or other alleged wrongdoing, Biden shot back, If you cant understand that youre in the wrong business. But Biden came over to reporters at his next step shortly after that, before getting on Air Force One. Biden told the reporters he had been a wise guy in his answer, and expressed regret for having been short. Biden also spoke positively again about the summit and his meetings with allies on the weeklong trip, which was meant in part to show the U.S. engaging again after President Donald Trumps withdrawal from U.S. allies. I think we, the country, has put a different face on where weve been and where were going Biden told reporters before getting on Air Force One. GENEVA President Joe Biden says after his meeting with President Vladimir Putin that he is not going to walk away from the plight of two Americans detained in Russia. Speaking to reporters, Biden says he raised the imprisonment of Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed in his meeting with Putin. Speaking to reporters after the meeting in Geneva, Biden said: We discussed it. Im going to follow through with that discussion. Putin opened the door to possible discussions about a prisoner swap with the U.S. for the release of the Americans and said those conversations would continue. The U.S. did not immediately comment on Putins characterization of the discussion. GENEVA -- Joe Biden says he and Vladimir Putin finished their presidential summit early thanks to having briskly worked through each mans full agenda for the talks. Biden told reporters after Wednesdays meeting in Geneva that the two men sat across the table at their meeting site talking through each issue in excruciating detail. At the end of that, we looked at each other like, Ok, what next? Biden said. We had covered so much." Administration officials had said they expected the session at a Geneva villa to run four to five hours. GENEVA President Joe Biden said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to further discussions on keeping certain types of critical infrastructure off-limits to cyberattacks. Biden also said they will have additional talks on the pursuit of criminals carrying out ransomware attacks. Biden told reporters in Geneva that 16 types of critical infrastructure should be off limits to cyberattacks, period. He said that includes the energy and water sector. It comes after a ransomware attack in May on one of the largest pipeline operators in the U.S. forced the shutdown of fuel supplies to much of the East Coast for nearly a week. That attack is blamed on a Russian criminal gang. Russia has not cooperated with criminal investigations of ransomware and does not extradite suspects to the U.S. GENEVA President Joe Biden says he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed in detail the next steps our countries should take on arms control measures to reduce the risk of war. At a news conference, Biden said this means that diplomats and military experts from both countries will meet for what he called a strategic stability dialogue to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures. He did not say when the talks would begin. The idea is to work out a way to set the stage for negotiations on an arms control deal to succeed the New START treaty that is set to expire in 2026. GENEVA President Joe Biden says he stressed human rights issues in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That includes the cases of two Americans who Biden says are wrongfully imprisoned in Russia. Biden also says hell continue to raise concerns about cases like Alexei Navalny, the jailed leader of the Russian opposition to Putin. Biden adds that hell keep on airing concerns about issues of fundamental human rights because thats what we are. Biden commented after a nearly four-hour meeting with Putin in Geneva on Wednesday. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed U.S. President Joe Biden as a constructive and highly experienced leader after their summit in Geneva. Speaking at a news conference after Wednesdays talks, Putin said he believes that he and Biden were speaking the same language despite sharp disagreements on a variety of issues. He said that Biden is a very constructive, balanced ... and extremely experienced. The Russian leader noted that he appreciated Biden making some recollections about his family, about what his mon was telling him. These are important things even though they arent directly linked to the business, they show the level, the quality of his moral values, he said of the U.S. president. Its all very attractive. Asked about Bidens description of him as a killer in an interview earlier this year, Putin responded that the U.S. president explained himself in a phone call. He argued that we dont have to look each other in the eye and soul and make pledges of eternal love and friendship, adding that we defend the interests of our countries and peoples and our relations always have primarily pragmatic character. GENEVA President Joe Biden gave Vladimir Putin something close to both mens style to mark their first presidential summit together a pair of custom aviator sunglasses. Biden in particular is known for wearing aviator shades, and is sometimes parodied for them. The White House announced the gifts at the close of the two mens summit in Geneva on Wednesday. The custom aviators given the Russian president were a brand manufactured in Massachusetts and designed for fighter pilots. The U.S. leader also gave Putin a crystal sculpture of an American bison made by a New York-based glass company. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed that their two nations will start consultations on cybersecurity. After a meeting with Biden in Geneva, Putin said: We believe that cybersecurity is important for the world in general, for the U.S. in particular, and for Russia as well. The Russian president said that the two countries just need to abandon various insinuations, sit down at the expert level and start working in the interests of the U.S. and Russia. Putin charged that most of the cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the cyber realm of the United States, with Canada, two Latin American countries he didnt name and Britain next on the list. However, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have been attributed by the United States and the European Union to Russias GRU military intelligence agency, including the NotPetya virus that did more than $10 billion in economic damage in 2017, hitting companies including shipping giant Maersk, the pharmaceutical company Merck and food company Mondolez. While the U.S., Canada and Britain all engage in cyberespionage, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have come either from state-backed Russian hackers or Russian-speaking ransomware criminals who operate with impunity in Russia and allied nations. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says opposition leader Alexei Navalny got what he deserved when he was handed a prison sentence. Navalny, Putins most ardent political foe, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin an accusation that Russian officials reject. In February, Navalny was given a 2 1/2-year prison term for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated. Speaking Wednesday after a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Putin said Navalny received his due punishment for violating the terms of his probation, adding that he was aware that he was facing a prison sentence when he returned to Russia. He deliberately moved to be arrested, Putin said, sticking to his habit of not mentioning Navalny by name. Last week, a Moscow court outlawed the organizations founded by Navalny by labeling them extremist, the latest move in a campaign to silence dissent and bar Kremlin critics from running for parliament in September. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says an agreement has been reached to conduct U.S.-Russian negotiations on limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Speaking after a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Putin said they agreed that the U.S. State Department and the Russian Foreign Ministry would work out details for the talks. Russia has long called for the start of strategic stability talks to potentially replace the New START treaty limiting nuclear weapons after it expires in 2026. Washington broke off talks with Moscow in 2014 in response to Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea and its military intervention in support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. Talks resumed in 2017 but gained little traction and failed to produce an agreement on extending the New START treaty during the Trump administration. Shortly after Biden took office in January, the two sides agreed to a five-year extension of the pact just days before it was due to expire. Moscow has said its ready to include its prospective doomsday weapons such as the Poseidon atomic-powered, nuclear-armed underwater drone and the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile in the talks on condition the U.S. brings its missile defense and possible space-based weapons into the equation. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the tone of the talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday as constructive and said there was no hostility during the talks. His remarks came at a news conference after he and Biden met in Geneva for a high-stakes summit amid tensions between the West and the Kremlin. Our assessment of many issues differ, but in my view both sides demonstrated the desire to understand each other and looks for ways to get our positions closer, Putin said. The conversation was rather constructive, he added. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says he and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed to return their ambassadors to their posts in a bid to lower tensions. Putin made the announcement at a news conference following a summit on Wednesday with Biden in Geneva. The return of ambassadors follows a diplomatic tug-of-war that saw deep cuts in diplomatic personnel. Russias ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, was recalled from Washington about three months ago after Biden described Putin as a killer. U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan left Moscow almost two months ago after Russia suggested he return to Washington for consultations. GENEVA President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have concluded their meetings in Geneva, the White House said. The pair met for nearly four hours on Wednesday, first in a smaller session and later in a larger meeting that was expanded to include more officials from both sides and which lasted about 65 minutes. Putin and then Biden are scheduled to hold press conferences before departing the summit site. GENEVA -- Several posters dedicated to the imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appeared in Geneva on Wednesday, the day of the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden. Navalny, Putins most vocal critic, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin an accusation that Russian officials reject. Biden has condemned Navalnys poisoning and subsequent arrest, and was expected to raise the issue on Wednesday. The posters, which were written in both English and French and were taken down on Wednesday evening, read: Navalny poisoned with Novichok. And still no investigation? How come, President Putin? On Tuesday, a few dozen supporters of Navalny protested in Geneva, hoping to send a message to Putin. HELSINKI NATO member Estonia says two Russian fighter jets violated its airspace this week, in what it claimed was the fourth such incident this year. Two Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighters entered Estonias airspace in the vicinity of Hiiumaa, a Baltic Sea island belonging to Estonia, without permission and spent there less than one minute Tuesday morning, Estonias military said in a statement. It added that the transponders on the Russian planes werent switched on, they hadnt filed a flight plan and there was no two-way radio communication with the Estonian air traffic service. The Russian Embassy charge daffaires was summoned to the Estonian Foreign Ministry and handed over a note on the incident on Wednesday. BRUSSELS The European Unions top diplomat is warning that the blocs testy relations with Russia will probably get worse and that EU member countries must not let Moscow divide them. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said ties with Russia are at the lowest level and the likelihood they will improve soon remains a distant prospect. His remarks came Wednesday as President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin were meeting in Geneva for a high-stakes summit amid tensions between the West and the Kremlin. Borrell's comments were made as he unveiled his recommendations Wednesday for new strategy toward Russia. EU leaders will debate it at their next summit on June 24-25. But EU member countries are deeply divided over the best approach to take with Moscow. Russia is the EUs biggest natural gas supplier and plays a pivotal role in a series of international conflicts and issues. GENEVA -- A former U.S. ambassador to Russia says he can guess why U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not have a joint news conference after their summit in Geneva on Wednesday. Michael McFaul, who served as U.S. Ambassador in Moscow between 2012 and 2014, recalled that the last joint press conference between Putin and a U.S. president Donald Trump in Helsinki in 2018 was terrible for American national interests. The Helsinki news conference was considered a win for the Russian side after Trump appeared to side with Putin over his own security agencies on allegations of Russian election interference. This year, the White House opted against a joint news conference after the summit between Putin and Biden, deciding it did not want to appear to elevate Putin at a time when the U.S. president is urging European allies to pressure Putin to cut out myriad provocations. After the talks, Putin and Biden are scheduled to hold their own separate news conferences, one after another. GENEVA The Swiss government is going to reimburse scores of Geneva businesses that have been forced to close because of security measures linked to the Russia-U.S. summit on Wednesday. Geneva officials adopted a decree Wednesday to compensate the owners of shops that ended up inside the security perimeter set up around the meeting of Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. Laurent Paoliello, a spokesman for the regional security department, said the funds would come from the federal government, but cautioned that it wouldnt be a blank check. He said the payments would be doled out after a thorough analysis over the coming weeks of revenue shortfalls by what he said could amount to about 100 enterprises. GENEVA Peace activists unfurled a huge banner in Lake Geneva on Wednesday calling on the Russian and U.S. presidents to slash their nuclear arsenals. Campaigners in a sailboat spread the banner, reading Peace and Security Through Disarmament, in the water so that it could be seen from the sky soon before Russian President Vladimir Putin landed at the Geneva airport for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. It was an initiative by Swiss anti-nuclear group Campax, which is urging the leaders to not only get rid of existing warheads but also stop investing in developing new ones, arguing that would set an example for other nuclear powers. The action was among multiple mini-protests around Wednesdays summit, their first since Biden took office. The leaders are expected to talk about arms control. Anti-nuclear groups say the U.S. and Russia account for nearly 90% of the worlds nuclear arsenals. GENEVA -- President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have finished the first round of their summit talks Wednesday and are proceeding to the first of two larger meetings in Geneva. Biden and Putin first met accompanied by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a pair of translators. Two additional sessions are planned Wednesday afternoon with the leaders to be joined by additional aides and translators. On the U.S. side, the larger meetings are set to include Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan and National Security Council Russia experts Eric Green and Stergos Kaloudis. The Russian delegation is to include Lavrov, Putins foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, Lavrovs deputy Sergei Ryabkov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian military Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russian ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov, as well as Kremlin envoys on Ukraine and Syria and Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Overall, the summit is projected to last four to five hours before each leader holds a press conference. - GENEVA President Joe Bidens summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin began with minutes of unusually fierce shoving and shouting among U.S. and Russian journalists and security forces. Organizers at Wednesdays summit in Geneva opened the meeting room to journalists for whats normally a few minutes of news media filming and shouting questions before talks start. On Wednesday, however, Russian and U.S. security forces and officials initially blocked journalists as they tried to enter the room. The scene then devolved into minutes of chaos inside the meeting room. American journalists described Russian security and news media grabbing them by the arms and clothes to try to hold them back. U.S. journalists tried to shoulder their way in, and a U.S. reporter was knocked to the ground. Before the scene calmed, some in the crowd shouted they were being crushed in the melee. Biden and Putin initially sat awkwardly in front of the press, but then watched and at times laughed at the tumult. WASHINGTON The White House says that President Joe Biden was not suggesting to reporters that he trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin with his reaction to a reporter's question in Geneva. At the start of a high-stakes summit in Geneva, Biden appeared to suggest that he can take the Russian leader at his word, nodding his head during a photo opportunity when asked by a reporter if Putin can be trusted. Communications director Kate Bedingfield said later there was a chaotic scrum with reporters shouting over each other in that moment. She argued that Biden was very clearly not responding to any one question when a journalist asked if he trusted Putin. Journalists and security officials were shoving to get into the small room where Biden and Putin are meeting. Bedingfield said Biden was nodding in acknowledgment to the press generally. She noted that Biden on Monday told reporters that his approach with Putin would be to verify, then trust. Biden's press secretary Jen Psaki later said that the president wasnt responding to any question or anything other than the chaos. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked President Joe Biden and expressed wishes for a productive meeting as the two kicked off their meeting in Geneva Wednesday. Putin told Biden upon first meeting him he was thankful for the gathering as he knew the U.S. president had a long trip and lots of work. But the Russian president emphasized that there are lots of questions accumulated in Russia-U.S. relations that require discussion on the highest level. The two are expected to address everything from cybercrime to Russias alleged interference in U.S. elections during their meeting. Biden, who has spoken to Putin over the phone, told the Russian leader that it is always better to meet face to face. GENEVA Swiss President Guy Parmelin welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden for the start of their summit under blue skies, wishing them a fruitful dialogue in Geneva -- which he touted as a city of peace. It was a moment in the sun for Switzerland both literally and figuratively. Parmelin, whom Swiss media have poked fun at for his allegedly poor English, spoke in French -- his native language and one historically associated with fine diplomacy. He used the opportunity to promote Switzerlands image for neutrality and as a hub of international diplomacy. Switzerland is very honored to welcome you for this summit, and it is delighted -- in line with its tradition of good offices -- to support dialogue and mutual understanding, said Parmelin, flanked by Putin and Biden on the steps of Villa La Grange, the 18th century manor house overlooking Lake Geneva that hosted the landmark U.S.-Russia summit on Wednesday. I wish you both, Mr. Presidents, a fruitful dialogue in the interest of your two countries and the world, he said. He then quipped Best wishes, and goodbye in both English and Russian. GENEVA President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are starting their diplomatic talks in Geneva. The two were first greeted by the Swiss president before sitting down for a small meeting that includes just Biden, Putin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with a translator for each side. Theyll then move to larger talks, which will include more senior aides and are expected to last hours. The two plan to discuss everything from cybercrime to Russias alleged interference in Americas elections, as well as arms control and Russias intrusion in Ukraine. Both sides have played down expectations for any major breakthroughs, but both Biden and Putin have stressed the need to restore more stable relations between the two nations. GENEVA -- President Joe Biden has arrived at the 18th-century manor house in Geneva where hell hold high-profile talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden is set to meet in person with the Russian president for the first time in a decade. He last met Putin when the Russian leader was prime minister and Biden was serving as vice president, in March of 2011. He has since called Putin both a killer and a worthy adversary. The two are likely to discuss some issues that also were central to their 2011 meeting, like trade and arms control. But this meeting comes at a low point in diplomatic relations between the two nations. Biden says he hopes to find areas of cooperation with Putin, but hes also expected to confront the Russian president on cybercrime, Russias interference in U.S. elections and other issues that have contributed to frosty relations between the two countries. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is frequently late at high-level meetings, arrived on time at the 18th century Villa La Grange in Geneva for his high-stakes summit with President Joe Biden. The Russian leader landed in Geneva and traveled to the summit venue, located in the Swiss city's largest park, in a Russian-made Aurus limousine that was airlifted from Moscow for the summit along with a fleet of other vehicles. Putin, 68, who has received a Russian-made vaccine against the coronavirus, wasnt wearing a mask. However members of his delegation were wearing masks. GENEVA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived at a lakeside villa in Geneva for his summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. The two leaders are set to start their meeting accompanied by their top diplomats and a pair of translators. Other senior officials plan to join them for two successive rounds of talks that are expected to last for several hours Wednesday. Topics on the summit agenda include strategic stability, cyber security, climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and the Arctic. Putin and Biden also are expected to cover regional crises in Ukraine, Syria and Libya, as well as the Iranian nuclear program and Afghanistan. Putins foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, sought to moderate expectations for the summit but strongly emphasized the meetings importance amid the strained ties between Moscow and Washington. Its the first such meeting that takes place at a time when the bilateral relations are extremely bad, Ushakov told reporters this week. Both parties realize its time to start dealing with the issues that have piled up. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the Swiss city of Geneva for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. Their meeting comes amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions. The summit agenda covers a broad range of issues, from arms control and cybercrime to the pandemic and a diplomatic tug-of-war between Moscow and Washington. The White House and the Kremlin have sought to downplay expectations for Wednesdays summit. But Biden and Putin have both emphasized the importance of a direct dialogue to try to negotiate a more stable and predictable relationship despite the sharp policy differences between the United States and Russia. Ties between the two powers have remained at post-Cold War lows over Moscows 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimean peninsula, accusations of Russian interference in elections, hacking attacks and other irritants. The two leaders are scheduled to meet for four or five hours at a lakeside mansion. GENEVA The acting chief of protocol for the Geneva region says staff members at the villa where U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting will keep face masks on during the summit even if the two leaders don't. Geneva authorities require the wearing of masks in public, though there are exceptions. The requirement holds particularly in places with a lot of pedestrian traffic, such as shopping areas. Marion Bordier Bueschi, who is managing the grand lakeside mansion that will serve as the summit site, told The Associated Press that staffers inside Villa La Grange were already wearing masks. She said Putin and Biden would likely not wear masks during their talks on Wednesday. She noted that both leaders have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 have dropped across Switzerland, and authorities are planning steps to ease the mask requirement later this month. GENEVA U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are both coming to the summit table in Geneva with their own agendas and non-negotiable red lines. There will be no talk of a reset in U.S.-Russian relations. Biden and his aides have made clear that he will not follow in the footsteps of his recent predecessors by aiming to radically alter the United States ties to Russia. Instead, the White House is looking to move toward a more predictable relationship and attempt to rein in Russias disruptive behavior. Biden will push Putin on Wednesday to stop meddling in democratic elections, to ease tensions with Ukraine and to stop giving safe harbor to hackers carrying out cyber and ransomware attacks. Aides believe that lowering the temperature with Russia will also reinforce the United States ties to democracies existing in Moscows shadow. Putin also wont be expecting a new detente to mend the rift caused by Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. Nor does he count on a rollback of the crippling U.S. and EU sanctions that have restricted Moscows access to global financial markets and top Western technologies. Putins task now is more modest to spell out Russias top security concerns and try to restore basic channels of communication that would prevent an even more dangerous destabilization. The main red line for Moscow is Ukraines aspirations to join NATO. GENEVA A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned that Putin's talks with U.S. President Joe Biden will not be easy or likely yield any breakthroughs. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told The Associated Press a few hours before the Russia-U.S. summit in Geneva on Wednesday that the topics on the broad agenda are mostly problematic." "We have many long-neglected questions that need to be trawled through. Thats why President Putin is arriving with an attitude to frankly and constructively set questions and try to find solutions, Peskov said. No, this day cannot become historic, and we shouldnt expect any breakthroughs. The situation is too difficult in Russian-American relations," he continued. "However, the fact that the two presidents agreed to meet and finally start to speak openly about the problems is already an achievement. We can say that without having started yet, the summit already has a positive result, but we should not await breakthroughs. Peskov said the bilateral issues Russia wants to discuss include strategic stability, arms control, cooperation in regional conflicts, cooperation on the pandemic, and climate change. GENEVA U.S. President Joe Biden and Russias Vladimir Putin are set to meet for their highly anticipated summit in the Swiss city of Geneva. Its a moment of high-stakes diplomacy that comes as both leaders agree that U.S.-Russian relations are at an all-time low. For four months, the two leaders have traded sharp rhetoric. Biden has repeatedly called out Putin for malicious cyberattacks by Russian-based hackers on U.S. interests, for disregard of democracy in the jailing of Russias top opposition leader and for interfering in American elections. Their talks on Wednesday are expected to last four to five hours. In advance, both sides set out to lower expectations. Arrangements for the meeting have been carefully choreographed and vigorously negotiated by both sides. Putin and his entourage will arrive first at the summit site: Villa La Grange, a grand lakeside mansion set in Genevas biggest park. Next come Biden and his team. Swiss President Guy Parmelin will greet the two leaders. Biden and Putin first will hold a relatively intimate meeting joined by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The talks will then expand to include five senior aides on each side. After the meeting concludes, Putin is scheduled to hold a solo news conference, with Biden following suit. The White House opted against a joint news conference, deciding it did not want to appear to elevate Putin at a time when the president is urging European allies to pressure Putin to cut out myriad provocations. THE ISSUE: (State) lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree charter school reform is crucial though the groups diverge ideologically on the details, LNP | LancasterOnlines Gillian McGoldrick wrote in a June 9 article. That story detailed Senate Bill 1, the plan introduced by state Sen. Scott Martin, R-Martic Township, who chairs the Senate Education Committee. Elements of Martins original proposal (which was amended Tuesday) included transferring authority to approve new charter schools from local school boards to a new statewide commission and significantly expanding Pennsylvanias Educational Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs. State Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward plans to bring SB 1 up for consideration today, McGoldrick reported. We consider this the key sentence in McGoldricks June 9 article about SB 1: Martin said ... he is willing to negotiate with the House and the governor to develop a final product that is not an ideological statement piece, but something that can be enacted into law and make a real difference in the lives of Pennsylvania students and families. This must happen. We are overdue for negotiations and compromises that result in meaningful action in Harrisburg. Martins reference to developing a final product indicates his willingness to keep revising SB 1 more on that in a moment and to craft legislation that can pass the GOP-led General Assembly with bipartisan support and gain the signature of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. This willingness on Martins part is good news. Because his bill remains insufficient toward the aim of accomplishing consequential charter school reform. But its a two-way street. Democrats and the governor must understand that no reforms can get to Wolfs desk without sufficient Republican support. There must be give and take. In our June 4 editorial, we acknowledged the crucial role that quality charter schools can serve in educating Pennsylvania students. But the current system is broken, to the detriment of both students and public schools. We must have reforms that bring performance standards and transparency for charter schools. Accountability is especially necessary for the states vastly underperforming cybercharter schools. In addition to establishing those performance standards, the proposal Wolf supports would also put a moratorium on approving new cybercharter schools; create a ceiling for cybercharter enrollment at low-performing schools; and require charter schools to be subject to the state's Right-to-Know Law. And crucially, under the Democrats proposal, charter school funding formulas the amount school districts pay per student for those from their district who attend charters and cybercharters would be better aligned with actual costs. Wolf says his realignment of these funding formulas would save $395 million that could be directed back into public education. All of these aforementioned aspects of charter reform belong in the final version of Martins bill. Welcome amendment Superintendents of all 16 Lancaster County school districts (along with the presidents of the districts respective teacher unions) wrote a letter to Martin last week indicating their collective disappointment over what is and isnt included in his legislation, LNP | LancasterOnlines McGoldrick wrote in Tuesdays edition. While the bill includes some charter accountability provisions, we are fascinated that a number of logical charter accountability and transparency provisions were not included in the bill, despite the fact that they were included in HB 97 legislation you supported on July 9, 2017, the letter stated. Melding SB 1 with past reforms Martin has supported and elements of the Democrats proposal is a good avenue to ensuring that meaningful accountability measures are ultimately passed into law. In the letter, school officials also highlighted their concern with the portion of SB 1 that would, as McGoldrick writes, create a Public Charter School Commission with the power to approve new charter schools over the objections of local school districts. That concern has seemingly been heard, loud and clear. The provision for the creation of a state commission was dropped from the bill Tuesday via an amendment approved by the State Education Committee, McGoldrick reported. Martin said he proposed the commission because of conflict between the GOP-controlled Legislature and Gov. Tom Wolf that led the states charter appeals board to be virtually nonexistent, as WHYY reported last month, McGoldrick reported. (Martin) removed that language Tuesday, thanks to progress in negotiations with Wolf to appoint new members to the charter appeals board so it can begin hearing appeals again, he said. Thats an encouraging development. We hope the talks between Martin and key Democrats on other aspects of charter reform continue, because theres room for more compromise. McGoldrick reported that Martins bill would boost the availability of school choice by increasing the number of scholarships currently funded by the Educational Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs. These programs allow corporations or businesses to redirect a portion of their state taxes to fund scholarships. Private schools, religious schools, pre-K programs and public school foundations all can benefit from the Educational Improvement Tax Credit, while students attending a low-performing public school may be able to attend a higher-performing public school through the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program. We agree with criticism that Martins proposed increases for these programs go too far, too quickly. WHYY reported on June 7 that state Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Allegheny, believes the scope of Martins proposal would represent a massive tax break for corporations that would only increase exponentially, thanks to a provision that would increase the credits by 25% every year so long as 90% of the available funds were in use the previous year. This means that these tax credits will grow to $1 billion in five years, $3 billion dollars in 10 years, and $8.5 billion in 15 years, Williams asserted in the WHYY coverage. Williams own charter reform proposal, Senate Bill 27, is the one Gov. Wolf is advocating for. Martin is correct about the need for more scholarships, but he should tread more conservatively in boosting the availability of tax credits. Going lower on that part of the plan will likely be needed to bring Democrats and the governor on board. Even then, state lawmakers should be mindful that every tax credit granted means less revenue for Pennsylvania, which more often than not finds itself struggling to fund its many needs at budget time. Ultimately, theres room on both sides for continuing to negotiate Pennsylvania charter school reform that provides increased school choice, is significantly fairer about the costs paid by public schools and ensures through accountability that every educational choice in the state is a quality one. Hopefully this is something that unifies us, when it comes to opportunities for kids, Martin told McGoldrick. We agree. But its going to take some more old-fashioned conversation and compromise to get it across the finish line. Swiss Anti-CO2 Vote Blows Back into Germany June 15, 2021 (EIRNS)The defeat of the new CO2 law in Switzerland has blown back into Germany as would be expected. Bild Zeitung, the countrys largest circulating tabloid, has an editorial today entitled the Peoples Voice, saying, The referendum in Switzerland is also a lesson for Germany and shows that not everything that is considered a consensus at party conferences and talk shows is also in the population. Not even the hot topic of climate protection.... While referenda are not possible in Germany because of the Basic Law, nonetheless its citizens are anxiously wondering whether they will soon have to do without their vacation and their car. Whether the state will really give them something back after making gasoline more expensive for the first time. The editorial warns that after the Swiss vote, every German politician should ask himself: do they really still know what people think? Or has he long since distanced himself from the will of the voters? It is dangerous to hang the party-political flag in the wind instead of listening to the peoples voice. Otherwise those who are no longer heard will go to the radicals. It is interesting to note that in the last weeks the polls show that the Green Party went from a super-high of 30 percent, down to 20 percent while the liberal Free Democratic Party, which is the most anti-Green party and is lucky when it crosses the 5 percent mark, is polling as high as 12 percent. So, politicians are going to think twice, with elections coming up in September, whether trying to out-Green the Green party will be the path to political suicide. In the European Scientist, Swiss chemical engineer Michel de Rougemont penned a commentary on the referendum entitled A Nice Democratic Flop for the Climate Urgency, pointing out that Switzerland is the first country in the world where the citizens themselves had the right to vote on climate-change legislation, and it was voted down. While he wrote that the vote does not mean that more than half the Swiss electorate are climate skeptics, the negative vote of the Swiss citizens is rather a sign of distrust: they dislike complex and costly measures that have little prospect for efficacy. They also hate policies consisting of punitive measures and behavioral constraints. But above all, they do not easily accept the climate emergency, as the propaganda keeps harping on, and which the other half of the citizens gullibly adopt. How many times would humankind have become extinct, should all the announced catastrophic urgencies have materialized? He concluded that Switzerland should reverse its policy of phasing out nuclear energy, writing, As we cannot anymore count on neighbors to palliate capacity losses after closing our nuclear power plants, it is now high time to plan for new and better ones. NATO 2030 Constitutes a Plot against Sovereignty, for Globalization and for a New World War PARIS, June 15, 2021 (EIRNS)Among the accomplishments at the short NATO annual summit of June 14 was the approval of the NATO 2030 Agenda, a radical proposal for a vast reform of NATOs strategy, to replace the previous such document 10 years ago, when the alleged threat by China and Russia against the Alliance was not yet identified. The implications of this reform are such that last March, a group of some 40 retired generals and colonels of the French Army Center for Inter-army Evaluations (CRI), risked publishing a scathing report in a major magazine, Capital, accusing the proposed reform of 1) violation of national sovereignty, 2) globalization the NATO structure, and 3) trying to bring Europe onboard with a U.S. war against Russia and China. On May 28, it was the French Defense Ministry which told the media that the French response to a proposal circulated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, calling for a 20 billion increase in spending for NATO, based on that report was: No, thank you. The Defense Ministry was furious to learn about the proposal from the media, and asked whether NATO were now demanding the dilution of the national sovereignty of all member states in NATO, because France would not be able to modernize its own defense while assuming such costs for NATO. Macron said he would insist on further explanations from NATO. The context for the 2030 agenda is the need to reinforce unity among the allies, in order to deal with a highly degraded strategic environment due to the double threat from Russia and China. Entitled United for a New Era, it is actually a proposal for a kind of political putsch by NATO. NATO, they claim, has been able to organize, since 2014, when Russia allegedly annexed Crimea, the most important reinforcement of a collective defense ever to have been carried out in a generation. The challenge is now to be able to carry out a political adaptation to accompany the progress carried out in the military sphere. In its introductory remarks, the report says NATO is called upon to become strengthen its role as the unique and essential forum to which Allies turn on all major national security challenges.... Allies should strive to hold national policies to the line of policy developed at NATO. ... NATO should institute a practice of intra-Alliance consultations ahead of meetings of other international organizations ... speaking with one voice on global affairs. It calls for consultations ... before or informally on the margins of meetings of e.g., the United Nations, G20, and other fora.... To establish full unity, the report proposes to increase the number of foreign and defense ministerials, as well as cooperation between NATO and the EU, above the heads of nation-states, by creating an institutional channel of political liaison between the international staff of the Alliance and the European External Action Service, the EUs diplomatic agency. With the pretext of responding more swiftly to current threats, it is proposed that the rule of unanimity, through which decisions in the North Atlantic Council are adopted to this day, be abrogated, such that It should consider bolstering the Secretary Generals chief executive role in order to make decisions on routine matters and to bring difficult issues into the open at an early stage. It is also proposed that NATO should create a more structured mechanism to support the establishment of coalitions inside existing Alliance structures and should examine ways to time-limit decision making in crisis. Finally, the report also announces the worldwide expansion of NATO. NATOs Open Door Policy should be upheld and reinvigorated, it says, listing the countries which NATO is cultivating for partnerships or memberships: Sweden and Finland, in the north; Georgia, Ukraine, and Bosnia Herzegovina, in the east; Tunisia and Jordan in the Mediterranean and in Africa; partnerships with the EU and the G5 Sahel. Also targeted is the Indo-Pacific, where reinforced partnerships are envisaged with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, in existing organizations: NATO+4, NATO-Pacific partnership, or NATO/Quad dialogue. NATO should begin internal discussions about a possible future partnership with India. However, these partnerships will not be like those in the past. Partnership cannot be a substitute to membership, which alone carries the benefit of Article 5. ... While preserving the distinction between Allies and partners and the decision-making autonomy of Allies, NATO must leverage and develop partnerships in a more deliberative and proactive manner to actively shape the security environment and promote NATO goals in support of its core tasks and missions. Macron and Merkel Remain Polite to Biden but Defend Conditions PARIS, June 15, 2021 (EIRNS)Following Bidens proposals at the G7 and the NATO summits, a clear opposition has surfaced in France against the idea that Europe become a battering ram for the U.S. against Russia and China. German Chancellor Angela Merkel seems also to be cautiously on the same line. The June 10 editorial in Frances main conservative daily, Le Figaro, entitled Joe Biden at the G7 Summit: Conditional Friendship, first reflects relief from the Europeans at Bidens reaffirmation that the U.S. is back on the multilateral agenda and that it has reconfirmed the U.S. nuclear umbrella over Europe. However, Figaro immediately goes on to state unambiguously: Let there be no misunderstanding.... Biden will not be content with some friendly pats on the back.... He has one central objective: Enroll the U.S. allies in the geopolitical competition he is launching against China. The Europeans would be wrong to underestimate the Chinese obsession of Joe Biden and of the American Congress which just voted up a $250 billion appropriation to beat Beijing in the technological race. Washington wants to project NATO into the China Sea and mobilize the G7 behind an plan for aid to poor countries offering an alternative to the Chinese Belt and Road. We can recall George Bush putting all nations under a binary choice after 9/11. Joe Biden may be tempted to engage in that same route of with us or against us, but Europeans are not happy with the prospect of a new Cold War which would put them under the [U.S.] grip. To escape the suffocating embrace of the American friend without tearing apart the Western blocs unity, the Allies must impose conditions on the President: consultation, proportionality, engagementthe terms of a true partnership. It is up to them, then, to take up the role of mediators if they dont want to become hostages. The article from Le Mondes Brussels correspondent Jean-Pierre Stroobants, after the NATO summit similarly describes the European opposition to a kind of Cold War against China, but reports that, in order to not introduce a dissonant voice in the renewed trans-Atlantic get together, they finally agreed to sign a communique which designates China as a systemic challenge to the world order. The communique also expresses concerns over China, which it says is rapidly developing its nuclear arsenal and which is militarily cooperating in Russian exercises in the Euro-Atlantic area. However, it also calls for a constructive dialogue with China where possible, and on condition that Beijing uphold its international commitments and to act responsibly in the international system, including in the space, cyber, and maritime domains. Opposition to the double enemy-bashing of Russia and China is even coming from staunch Atlanticists, such as Yves Boyer of the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS), who, after the summit, called on the G7 to stop targeting China and Russia, which can only strengthen the alliance between them. The Lebanon City Council on Wednesday approved a budget of just over $73.5 million for the 2021-22 fiscal year. The total budget, which includes both operating costs and capital spending, is up 16% over the budget for the previous fiscal year. Looking solely at the operations, the budget allocates $39 million for the next fiscal year, an increase of $7.8 million over the previous year and an increase of nearly 25%. Much of this increased spending is due to an influx of federal funds. The city of Lebanon will receive $3.5 million from the American Rescue Plan. The city also received just under $600,000 in federal funds from the first Coronavirus Relief Act. That money was incorporated in the 2020-21 budget and helped the city manage some of its increased costs during the pandemic. Another reason for the increase in the budget is the expected return to normalcy following the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020-21 budget was intentionally conservative. For example, the city anticipated reduced property tax collections due to the economic downturn. Looking back, it is now clear that this did not take place and the citys property tax proceeds were not impacted. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Lebanon Express. As a result, the city is basing the upcoming budget on normal property tax projections.Total property tax revenue is projected to be up 5% in 2021-22. The Lebanon school board is continuing to examine its options for a potential bond measure in 2022. Lebanon Community Schools has the opportunity to receive between $4 million and $8 million in state matching funds if voters approve a bond to pay for necessary maintenance and improvements. The question is how large a bond and how high a property tax rate voters will be willing to approve. The board members discussed the issue during their public session on Thursday, June 10. The discussion centered on the Lebanon Community Pool, which needs extensive repairs. The price tag for a full remodel of the pool is about $9.5 million. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Lebanon Express. Superintendent Bo Yates asked the board if they support the pool project in that form. What I need is some direction on if you feel comfortable with us moving forward in this process at that price point, where that is going to be a total rehab, Yates said. School board chair Tom Oliver said the decision will ultimately fall to the voters. He is interested in hearing from the community before putting the bond on the ballot. The district is currently working to hire a polling firm which will survey voters later this summer or in the early fall. The program was rarely used until 2015, when the Education Department received thousands of claims from former students of Corinthian Colleges. The chain of for-profit colleges had recently shut down following findings that it lied to students about job placement rates. Following the collapse of Corinthian and other beleaguered for-profit colleges, the Obama administration moved to make it easier for students to get loans erased. But the overhaul was reversed by the Trump administration, which later wrote its own rules making it tougher to get relief. In changing the rules, then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said it had become too easy to get loans forgiven. Cardona began chipping away at DeVos rules in March when he rescinded a formula that allowed the Education Department to give only partial loan discharges to students whose claims were approved. All borrowers granted relief will now get their loans cleared in full. Bazata said it is the employees who do the hard work out in the field and they are what make the business run the way it does. He also thanked the Lexington community who has been supportive over the years, I couldnt imagine being anywhere else. The Jim Kelly Memorial Award is normally awarded at the banquet, but Blessin said the award winner couldnt be present during the banquet, so they would wait to present it at the next banquet in February 2022. Instead, an award for employee of the year was presented to chamber Administrative Assistant Cynthia Boyd for her work while the chamber looks to hire a new Executive Director. Blessin said she has stepped up to take on many projects, such as the banquet itself. Boyd took the microphone and said for those who know her, its not often I dont have a lot to say. She thanked everyone for taking her calls when she was asking for assistance, resources or support. The event switched gears to honor those involved in agriculture in the area and present the Farm Family of the Year. Boyd presented Charles Chuck Drake as the Ag Employee of the Year. China successfully launched the first module of its planned space station from the Wenchang launch site in the southern island of Hainan, according to the China National Space Administration. A rocket carrying three veteran astronauts bound for China's orbiting space station module will launch from the Gobi Desert in the country's north in just over 24 hours, China's space agency announced Wednesday. The three men, Nie Haisheng, 56, Liu Boming, 54, and Tang Hongbo, 45, will become the first Chinese astronauts to land on the initial stages of the space station, called Tiangong or Heavenly Palace, which is still under construction in a low Earth orbit. China's Manned Space Engineering Office made the announcement at a news conference on Wednesday, saying the launch would take place at 9:22 a.m. Beijing time (9:22 p.m. ET) Thursday from Jiuquan Space Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. The mission, called Shenzhou-12 or Divine Vessel, is the first of four planned Tiangong missions, according to state media, and marks a significant milestone in China's rapidly expanding space program. In the past seven months, the country's scientists have already successfully landed exploratory rovers on the moon in December and on Mars in May. The march was seen as the first major test for Israel's new government, led by right-wing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. In the past, Bennett had pushed former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take a tougher stance against Hamas and the launching of incendiary balloons according to Israeli media. After the Israeli airstrikes, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kassem said on Twitter, "The Zionist bombing of the Gaza Strip is a failed attempt to stop our people's solidarity and resistance with the Holy City, and to cover up the unprecedented state of confusion for the Zionist establishment in organizing the so-called 'flag-march.' " Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza did not immediately respond with rocket fire into Israel, but the situation along the Israel-Gaza border remains extremely tense, and the possibility of an imminent and serious escalation cannot be ruled out. Eleven days of war Wednesday's airstrikes come a month after the worst violence in years between Israel and Hamas. Over 11 days from May 10, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a devastating aerial bombardment of Gaza, while the Palestinian militant group Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel. Lewiston, ID (83501) Today Sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 101F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. W winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 15 mph. The case of an Orcutt wine bar owner charged with violating COVID-19 health orders was dismissed June 15 by a Santa Barbara County judge. Kurt Hixenbaugh, 49, who owns Vino et Amicis in Orcutt, did not close his bar following a statewide lockdown order in December and, as a result, he was charged with four misdemeanors, including two counts of violating the states stay-at-home emergency health order and two counts of violating the county health officers order on Dec. 11, 2020 and Jan. 21, 2020. Superior Court Judge Kay Kuns presided over the June 15 hearing and dismissed the charges upon request from Deputy District Attorney Marina Santisteban. Kuns said she made her decision "in the interests of justice," citing California Penal Code 1385. Hixenbaugh's case was dismissed the same day the state Department of Public Health lifted coronavirus restrictions on businesses, including capacity limits and physical distancing requirements. +3 Santa Barbara, SLO counties reach yellow tier, allowing for expanded business capacity Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County fitness centers, restaurants and bars can expand indoor operations prior to the state's planned June Vino et Amicis closed for the initial lockdown that started in March 2020 before reopening in May. The bar then closed again in July but remained open for to-go orders. The patio was reopened in August, followed by indoor dining in September. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a Dec. 3 stay-at-home order that limited the operations of certain businesses, requiring the bar to close operations, but Hixenbaugh's business remained open. During a previous interview, Hixenbaugh said the numbers didnt justify the restrictions. He added that no one in his family had tested positive for the coronavirus and that no cases were traced back to his bar. That same month, coronavirus cases in Santa Barbara County peaked at more than 7,200, according to local health data. A Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control agent visited the bar after receiving complaints and witnessed the health order violations during his visits on Dec. 11 and Jan. 21, before submitting a report to the District Attorneys Office on Feb. 11. The District Attorney's Office filed an official complaint on March 26. Hixenbaugh said his interactions with the ABC agent were cordial during their visits, although he was informed by the department in March that he would be fined $3,000 for violating the orders, which he paid. Thats when Hixenbaugh retained Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham, who represents Orcutt in the state Legislature and still holds an attorney license. Cunningham did not immediately return calls for comment. Santa Barbara County supervisors and health officials focused on vaccinations but found uncertainty about how mask requirements in classrooms this fall could affect students during an update on the pandemic June 15. Van Do-Reynoso, director of the County Public Health Department, explained what lifting the states Blueprint for a Safer Economy means for residents and businesses and clarified some of the restrictions still in place as the economy reopens. "Today is the day we have been waiting for for such a long time," Do-Reynoso said. "It's been 453 days since Gov. Gavin Newsom issued California's first stay-at-home order." She added, "June 15th marks the beginning of our journey towards full recovery from COVID-19 pandemic." +3 Santa Barbara County Fire Department already staffed up for heat, red flag warnings Santa Barbara County Fire Department staffing was increased even before the excessive heat and red flag warnings were issued Monday by the National Weather Service office in Oxnard, Fire Chief Mark Hartwig said Tuesday. Chairman and 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson also noted the county reported no new cases of the disease June 14. "We can't remember a time when we had zero cases other than before our first case, which was on March 15, 2020," Do-Reynoso agreed. Do-Reynoso provided statistics on vaccinations in the county that showed 55.6% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated and 64.2% of those eligible had received at least one dose, although only 47.1% of the entire county population is fully vaccinated. The three oldest age groups, spanning from 50 to 75 and older, have the highest vaccination rate, with 69% to 74% fully vaccinated, while only 48% and 49% of the two age groups from 16 to 49 are fully vaccinated and 17% of the 12-to-15 age group is fully vaccinated. Do-Reynoso said the county is now focusing its vaccination efforts on that youngest age group. Dr. Henning Ansorg, the countys health officer, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may release vaccines for use in children ages 2 to 12 in the fall. He added that the state has created special school nurse and education specialists dedicated to COVID-19. He said one nurse will be assigned to North County schools and one to South Coast schools this fall. But in response to board questions, Do-Reynoso said its unknown if the requirement for students to wear masks in classrooms will be lifted or still in effect when the new school year starts in the fall. Chairman and 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson said there is a lot of underlying frustration in the public and hes heard a lot of teenagers say they dont intend to get a second dose of the vaccine if they will still have to wear masks in the classroom in the fall. Nelson said the state is taking the wrong approach to encouraging vaccinations by still requiring masks in classrooms. Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said hes hearing a lot of people say theyre hesitant about getting vaccinated because the vaccines have only been approved for emergency use. He said he hopes when vaccines receive full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there will be a big rush of people wanting to get the vaccine but he also said he didnt think that was likely. Nelson cautioned against beating people up over personal choice, but 1st District Supervisor Das Williams said not getting vaccinated goes beyond that. It is not just about a personal decision, Williams said. It is not just about a decision to protect yourself. Its about protecting other people. Local hard rock band Echoswitch will kick off the concert series on June 23, featuring Solvang Mayor Charlie Uhrig as part of its lineup. A 2020 report by the research arm of the Wisconsin Counties Association found that Wisconsin's level of broadband accessibility is lower than the national average and 35 other states. The Republican measure would be financed through bonds, the details of which were not included in the proposal passed Tuesday night. Assuming the bonds are issued over 20 years, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates a total interest cost of $35 million. Democrats argued the state should take advantage of its current rosy budget estimates and pay for the grants upfront rather than taking on debt. "Who the hell borrows $125 million for something that could very well be obsolete when its paid off in 20 years?" asked Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton. "It's not like a road where you can patch it and fix it along the way." "I really believe that this body had a chance to take a significant step, a real step forward," Bowen said. "But I'd rather we take a real step than a stunted, hindered baby step." Rep. LaKeshia Myers, D-Milwaukee, said she understood that feeling, but argued that "a slow drip leads to a mighty stream." "Today Im hoping that this is a part of that drip," Myers, who has authored legislation banning no-knock warrants, said. "I think this is not the end. The task force may be over but the work doesnt stop. We continue to do the work." Steineke and Stubbs echoed Myers' comments, with Stubbs calling for "less talk and more action." "Whether its me or somebody else sitting in these seats, these conversations have to continue to happen. We have to continue to make progress. Its not just about police reform, its about education and economic development," Steineke said. "Im certain things will come out of this that bring us farther than we are today." Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. A proposal in Evers' budget to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from one month to one year was modified to instead extend coverage to three months. Asked about the change, co-chair Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, said it's "a step in the right direction." Democrats criticized that decision, along with Republicans' refusal to include several items from Evers' proposal aimed at reducing racial disparities in health outcomes including Medicaid funding for doulas and grant funding for community organizations aimed at improving the health of Black women and babies. "We are going to go through another budget process and ignore those individuals that need our help the most. There is no doubt in my mind that if the tables were reversed and these statistics were happening to white children in Wausau, or anywhere else than Milwaukee, we would be doing something about it," said Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee. "From where Im sitting, those individuals that were most vulnerable, our infants, our babies of color, got absolutely nothing." Wisconsin's Assembly easily approved a bipartisan measure Wednesday that would allow more people convicted of some crimes to remove them from their records. The chamber quickly approved the measure on a voice vote with no discussion. It now heads to the Senate. The bill, which the Assembly has passed twice before but has never advanced out of the Legislature, removes the age limit for offenders to petition a court to get a crime removed from their record if they have successfully completed their sentence. If a crime is expunged, it is not considered a conviction for employment, according to the bill, which outlines a process for expungement. But he didn't stop his proselytizing while in uniform, accusing everyone from Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt to Harry Truman and Dean Acheson of being communists, all the while contending that putting Blacks in white schools was obscene, leading new President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to ask for and get his resignation. Many in the public wondered how many Edwin Walkers were leading the military. After he was out of his leadership role in the U.S. Army, he helped organize protests to keep James Meredith, an African-American veteran, from enrolling at the all-white University of Mississippi. His continued conduct and outrageous comments made news for years, and after Kennedy's assassination in 1963 there was suspicion that he may have had a role in it. That suspicion turned out in the end to be completely false because the assassination's investigation revealed that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had also once tried to shoot Walker. I recount all this because I can't help but wonder if today's Army officer corps is as embarrassed by the actions of our latest rogue general, Michael Flynn, who recently was captured on video claiming that a coup like the one that occurred recently in Myanmar is what this country needs. Part of our job as legislators is to encourage the healthy exchange of ideas without airing personal grievances against individual members, explains Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton. Representative Steineke claimed he was being called racist and has now threatened to stop scheduling Democratic resolutions out of spite. There will be those who suggest that this is just the latest example of our degenerating politics. Some may even imagine that there is plenty of guilt to go around. But the blame-both-sides response is wrongheaded, and intellectually dishonest. Wisconsin legislators have, historically, been able to disagree on issues and, yet, maintain the basic functioning of the Assembly. Conservative Republicans used to go out of their way to assure that proposals from liberal Democrats were heard, and honestly debated. Democrats did the same. Indeed, legislators as distinct as Republican Mel Laird and Democrat Gaylord Nelson who served with one another in the state Senate in the 1940s and 1950s would praise one another for their shared commitment to making the process work for Wisconsinites. Now, Steineke is tossing aside past practice and, in so doing, making the Assembly a less collegial, and less functional, chamber. Apartments typically have limited options for security. Consider using these tips to protect your apartment home. TOWN OF QUINCY Six people were arrested following an armed burglary and vehicle pursuit through a campground in Adams County. At approximately 2:35 p.m. on June 12, deputies responded to the 2400 block of 18th Avenue in the town of Quincy, for a reported burglary in progress, according to a June 14 press release from the Adams County Sheriffs Office. Deputies arrived in the area and attempted to stop the suspect's vehicle, a white Ford Edge SUV, but the driver fled. Deputies said the vehicle pursuit continued through the area, ultimately entering the camping section of Castle Rock County Park. The suspects vehicle became disabled in the park, where four suspects from the car were detained. Deputies said one other suspect, later determined to be the driver, was found walking away and one additional suspect was pointed out by other campers. Both were detained. The investigation revealed a firearm and ammunition taken during the burglary were allegedly thrown from the suspect vehicle during the pursuit. The firearm and ammunition were recovered and seized by officers. The suspect vehicle was impounded by the sheriffs office. The investigation determined the victim knew one of the suspects, according to the sheriffs office. AP was told the answer could be found in the Department of Defense Small Arms and Light Weapons Registry. That centralized database, which the Army oversees, tracks the life cycle of rifles, pistols, shotguns, machine guns and more -- from supply depots to unit armories, through deployments, until the weapon is destroyed or sold. Getting data from the registry, however, would require a formal Freedom of Information Act request. That request, filed in 2012, came to Charles Royal, then the longtime Army civilian employee who was in charge of the registry at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Royal was accustomed to inquiries. Military and civilian law enforcement agencies would call him thousands of times each year, often because they were looking for a military weapon or had recovered one. In response to APs request, Royal pulled and double-checked data on missing weapons. Royal then showed the results to his boss, the deputy commander of his department. After he got it, he said, We cant be letting this out like this, said Royal, who retired in 2014, in an interview last year. His boss didnt say exactly why, but Royal said the release he prepared on weapons loss was heavily scrutinized within the Army. Its mouth was plugged by planting clumps of smooth cordgrass a few feet apart wherever the bottom was a foot (30.5 centimeters) or less below the surface. While the grass traps sediment, new shoots spring up from underground stems. It catches good and it starts walking out, Osborn said. Grass also gets planted along other parts of the shoreline. At one spot, a few lines of grass run alongside the bank for about 20 or 30 yards (18 to 27 meters). One of last years hurricanes -- either Laura or Delta -- pulled out a wide swath of grass behind the scraggly row. Osborn said the company also has plugged at least 15 of the many canals created by oil companies as shortcuts through the marsh. Oil companies that wanted to work in the area plugged some of them as part of their contracts, he said. Marsh restoration around Avery Island has the added benefit of helping protect cities and towns to the north, said Mark Shirley of Louisiana Sea Grant. Storm surge and hurricane protection is directly related to the marshland between you and the Gulf of Mexico, he said. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with a man later identified as Anthony Harrison. Harrison had a large amount of blood on his clothing and a cut on one of his fingers. Harrison stated he cut someone and the knife was still in the house. The officer located the knife lying on the floor in the living room and observed the knife had blood on it. Harrison stated he was asleep in the living room and was awoken by the victim, claiming the victim attacked him. Harrison claimed that his roommate attacked him because his roommate is a homosexual. Harrison then said he was getting sick of this (expletive) gay (expletive). When he stated this, the officer observed Harrison was using an angry tone, turned red and clenched his teeth. Harrison made a statement about making good on his threats referring to the victim, admitted the knife was his and he was in an altercation with the victim. An investigator spoke with someone else who had been in the house and witnessed part of the fight. That man stated he was sleeping on the couch when he was awoken by Harrison and the victim arguing, that they were standing in the front hallway by the door and grappling. MEXICO CITY (AP) The Mexican resort of Cozumel on Wednesday welcomed the first arrival of a cruise ship carrying passengers since the coronavirus pandemic essentially collapsed the industry. Officials in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo welcomed Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas as it arrived from Nassau in The Bahamas at the arrival at the worlds busiest stopover for cruise ships. The cruise line requires all passengers 16 and over to be fully vaccinated. Those that arent have to get COVID-19 tests. Gov. Carlos Joaquin said about 5% of passengers aboard the ship about 150 youths or those with chronic health conditions havent been vaccinated and would be subject to special rules. State and federal health officials were on hand to oversee the arrival. The company proposed that the non-vaccinated group can only disembark on excursion packages with sanitary bubble protocols, not just to any place, Joaquin said. As you can see, these cruise ships have very strict conditions. The cruise line touted the trip as a chance to venture into Maya history during a visit to Cozumel. After 14 years at Hilldale, Pasquals Cantina is moving to Middleton. The new location will be at 6712 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. It formerly housed the Middleton location of Pizza Brutta, owner Benjamin Roberts said. He expects it to open in late August. Meanwhile, the Southwestern-style restaurant will have its last day on Madisons Near West Side on June 27, he said. In the interim, before Middleton opens, Roberts said his staff will work at his two other locations: Verona and East Washington Avenue, which is reopening on July 6 after closing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. His Hilldale lease had come to term, Roberts said, adding that he wants to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Hilldale customers who have made our restaurant a tremendous success. Kate Hagen, a spokesperson for Hilldale, said the shopping center will hopefully announce the replacement in a few weeks. Tim Guilfoil and Libby Healy opened the original Pasquals Southwestern Style Deli at 2534 Monroe St. in 1986. They expanded into a neighboring storefront, spun off a branch in Minneapolis, and in 1989 opened a location on Atwood Avenue next to the Barrymore Theatre. Two families were displaced after a sprinkler system put out a blaze in a Far West Side apartment building on Tuesday night, the Madison Fire Department reported. Shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday, fire crews responded to a water flow alarm at a 45-unit apartment complex in the 7900 block of Tree Lane, Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Bernadette Galvez said in a report. Arriving firefighters found no smoke or flames showing, though the fire alarm was sounding and people were evacuating the apartments. Crews went to the second floor, where they saw light gray smoke coming from one of the apartments, Galvez said. While Ladder 2 requested an upgrade to a full fire response and Madison police for crowd control, firefighters found gray smoke in the apartment, but did not feel heat as they determined that a sprinkler had activated in one of the bedrooms, Galvez said. Two apartments sustained an estimated $25,000 in damage and two families totaling three adults and five children were displaced. The Red Cross was assisting the families with temporary housing and other emergency needs, Glavez said. The sprinkler prevented the fire from causing major damage or spreading to other apartments, Galvez said, adding that the cause is under investigation. 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. When an agent from the state Division of Criminal Investigation contacted the 17-year-old Friday night, she said her mother, Durkee, had said she wanted to put the victim out of her misery. She said Durkee told her she hoped her grandmother would fall, or that Durkee could smother her with a pillow, or that she would die in a fire at the home, or a tornado would hit the house. Several hours later, police located Durkee and her younger daughter at the Super 8 Motel in Delavan. They forced their way into her room when she did not answer the door. Durkee told police she lived at the home with her 2-year-old daughter and her grandmother, who was in poor health. She had advanced Parkinsons disease and diabetes, was blind, and had suffered a stroke in March. She was bedridden much of the time, Durkee said, and required constant assistance. But as her health declined, she feared going to a nursing home, Durkee said. She claimed her grandmother said she did not want to live anymore and wanted to be with her late husband. On June 7, as Durkee made dinner, she said she and her grandmother talked about Durkee helping end her life. Durkee said she didnt know how she would do that. As part of the Sun Prairie community conversations on race, equity and inclusion, facilitators with the Las Vegas-based Courageous Conversation Global Foundation are to host six meetings over Zoom between Monday and June 30, with five meetings reserved for specific races East Indian, Asian, white, Black and Latino and one intended to be multiracial. An announcement of the meetings on the citys website says they are open to the public, but it is respectfully requested that individuals only sign up for the intraracial conversations for the race that they identify with. WILL deputy counsel Dan Lennington said the firm isnt commenting on whether it intends to sue if the city and school district go ahead with the groups, but would make a decision on what to do next by Monday. He said WILL learned about the effort from concerned parents in the school district. In their letter, the city and school district list several large companies they say use race-based employee affinity groups. They declined to say if people will be turned away from any of the Sun Prairie groups because of their race or how much Courageous Conversations is being paid. Where available, take advantage of the preapproval process to find out what kind of mortgage youre likely to qualify for. Not only can mortgage preapproval right-size your expectations when shopping for a homeand a lenderits an excellent way to show sellers youre serious when its time to make an offer. Preapproval can also shorten the application and final approval process because you already have easy access to documentation of personal details like your credit score, income and assets. Down Payment Options Down payment options for retirees are more diverse than for traditional mortgages. Depending on how you calculate your monthly income, you may only need to put 5% of the purchase price, as is often the case with the drawdown from retirement method. However, this number is typically higher for asset depletion-based incomes and could be closer to 30%. Retirees can also make a traditional down payment by pulling cash from an IRA or other tax-deferred retirement accountbut these withdrawals are treated as taxable income. Seeking Alternative Finance Options Under federal law, a refugee is someone who is of special humanitarian concern to the United States, is persecuted in their country of origin based on a protected group with which they identify, and has not resettled in another country. Refugees who reside within the US have received a referral to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, have filled out an application and been interviewed by the appropriate authorities, and have proven that they meet the necessary criteria. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In most cases, McFarland said, refugees dont choose what country they relocate to. While some refugees find themselves fleeing their war-torn home countries, others begin the process of becoming a refugee to escape prison sentences or death because of the color of their skin or their same-sex marriage. Those whose applications are approved receive a medical examination, a cultural orientation, help with their travel plans, and a loan for their travel to the U.S. The CSI Refugee Center steps in once they have made it to the U.S. Each year, the CSI Refugee Center hosts an event to celebrate World Refugee Day and to give Twin Falls residents the opportunity to learn more about different cultures and to hear stories from local refugees. TWIN FALLS A man and woman from Twin Falls have been sentenced to probation and fines for lying about being caregivers for a person who was actually out of the country. Shahrieh Movaffaghi, 47, and Mahyar Khazei, 46, had previously pleaded guilty to fraudulently billing Medicaid for care they falsely said they had provided to a Medicaid patient, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden announced Wednesday. The two were sentenced Friday. An investigation revealed that both Movaffaghi and Khazei were caregivers for the same individual between 2016 and 2018. At times, both asserted they had provided care to the individual and submitted hours to be paid with Medicaid funds. However, evidence obtained by federal law enforcement agencies showed the patient was out of the country when her purported care had been administered. As a result of the fraudulent billings, both Movaffaghi and Khazei were paid for care they didnt administer. Fifth District Judge Benjamin Cluff sentenced Movaffaghi to three years in prison but suspended the sentence in favor of three years of probation. Movaffaghi was also ordered to serve 150 hours of community service over the next two years. She will pay a $250 fine, court costs and restitution totaling $8,952. BOISE Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin has chosen Pete Coulson to sit on her indoctrination task force, replacing Idaho School Boards Association President-elect Jason Knopp, who left the task force June 4. Knopp withdrew after the forces first meeting in objection to its lack of education professionals and partisan campaigning. Coulson has worked in school administration, social work and numerous activities involving young people, according to a McGeachin news release, which provided no additional biographical information. A man by the same name introduced McGeachin as she announced shed run for governor last month, according to McGeachins campaign website and the Idaho Press. Someone with the same name has also appeared on conservative East Idaho pundit Bill Colleys Fox News Radio show multiple times, talking about race. A LinkedIn page under the name Pete Coulson lists motivational speaker and Idaho Department of Correction research analyst as current occupations. Petes experience and wisdom will be a welcome addition to our task force. I look forward to working with him and hearing his input on these critically important matters, McGeachin said in the release. BOISE Officials with Reclaim Idaho have paused efforts to collect signatures for a new education funding ballot initiative as they await a new financial analysis of the initiative from the state. But new documents the Idaho Capital Sun obtained late Monday afternoon raise uncertainty about whether the state analyzed the most up-to-date version of Reclaim Idahos ballot initiative. If the division analyzed outdated ballot language, it would make the Reclaim Idaho initiative appear much costlier to taxpayers than the organization has promoted. The signature drive is on pause until the Secretary of States clock runs out, which is Wednesday, Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville said in a telephone interview Monday afternoon. Beyond that, we need to decide whether to begin collecting signatures, which is our right under the law. Mayville announced last Thursday that the Secretary of States office had given Reclaim Idaho volunteers the go-ahead to collect signatures for a ballot initiative last week. But then on Friday, Reclaim Idaho leaders announced on social media that they would pause the signature drive until the state supplied a financial analysis of the ballot initiative, which is called a fiscal impact statement. CHICAGO (AP) Two Chicago educational institutions have received donations from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the largest gifts from a single person in their histories, officials said Tuesday. Kennedy-King College, a branch of City Colleges of Chicago, was given $5 million by Scott. The University of Illinois-Chicago received $40 million from the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Ms. Scotts extremely generous donation will advance the lives of students who are poised to make great contributions to our city, our state and our world, said UIC Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis. "Her gift is a vote of confidence in the mission of public higher education and in UIC. City College officials say the money is the largest single private donation ever given Kennedy-King. The donation is part of $2.7 billion given to 286 organizations by Scott. Forbes Magazine has reported Kennedy-King College, which serves a largely African-American student body, is considered one of the top 10 community colleges in the country as determined by Academic Influence. We are dedicated to realizing the full potential of each one of our talented students, said Kennedy-King College President Greg A. Thomas, adding college officials are deeply grateful to Ms. Scott for the gift. Today is Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Let's get caught up. These headlines are in the news this morning: President Biden, Russia's Putin sit down for long-anticipated, high-stakes summit in Geneva; Senate approves bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday; and the US West is facing sweltering heat, risk of wildfires. Read on for these stories, other top headlines, celebrity birthdays and more. TOP STORIES Biden and Putin open summit with a handshake GENEVA President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are starting their diplomatic talks in Geneva. The two were first greeted by the Swiss president before sitting down for a small meeting that includes just Biden, Putin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with a translator for each side. Theyll then move to larger talks, which will include more senior aides and are expected to last hours. The two plan to discuss everything from cybercrime to Russias alleged interference in Americas elections, as well as arms control and Russias intrusion in Ukraine. BOISE, Idaho (AP) Unemployed Idaho residents could get kicked out of a state benefits program if they don't follow new job-seeking requirements that went into effect this month. People receiving unemployment benefits now have two business days to apply for a job opening after receiving a referral from the Idaho Department of Labor, the Idaho Statesman reported. If they don't, they could lose their unemployment benefits. Once a job is referred, the claimant must apply for the job or act on that referral, Idaho Department of Labor director Jani Revier said. In the past, when referrals were made, there were no consequences if they didn't follow up. State workforce consultants will check with the potential employer to verify that the person applied for the referred job. Previously, the labor department didn't track whether people followed up on referrals. Idaho has had a tight labor market in recent years. The unemployment rate was consistently either at or below 3% from September 2018 until after the coronavirus emerged in Idaho in March 2020. Revier said economists consider a region to have full employment when the jobless rate is at 4% or lower. The victim lived at Hacienda for 26 years, until the birth of her son, who is now being cared for by her parents. The woman has been in a vegetative state since she was a young child. Campagnolo wrote the cause of her condition is unclear. When she was around 2 years old, she suffered a near drowning that deprived her brain of oxygen, though there also was testimony that she had congenital issues, such as seizure disorders, from shortly after her birth, the judge wrote. Lawyers for the family have said Hacienda missed signs that the woman was carrying a baby, such as her weight gain and swollen belly, and that she delivered the boy without pain medications. Their lawsuit also alleged the state did a poor job of monitoring Haciendas operations. Campagnolo said medical records showed Gear didnt conduct regular examinations of the woman for at least three years before he was transferred in September 2018. Even though the womans mother had requested that her daughter be cared for by only women, evidence shows Sutherland and other men had cared for her over the years, Campagnolo wrote. The judge said the womans mother made the requests after she was told her daughter may have been the victim of a sexual assault in 2002. A Scottish man who tried to evade justice by fleeing to the United States, where he faked his death at a California beach, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for rape and other sexual offenses, authorities in Scotland said. Kim Avis was found guilty of of raping three women and sexually assaulting a minor following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, Scotland, last month. The 57-year-old was convicted of 13 charges related to sexual offences that occurred between 2006 and 2017, and an additional charge of failing to attend a previous trial date after he fled to America, the Scotland prosecutors office said. Avis was sentenced last week to 12 years in prison for the sexual offenses and three years for failing to appear at an initial trial in March 2019. Avis was on bail when he flew into Los Angeles International Airport in February 2019, using the name Ken Gordon-Avis. Several days later, his teenage son reported him missing at Monastery Beach off the coast of Carmel, California, after he said Avis went for a nighttime swim in treacherous waters. Searchers found no trace off the area sometimes called Mortuary Beach for its deadly reputation. DALLAS (AP) Southwest Airlines said it was working Tuesday to restore normal operations after a technology-related issue interfered with flights for the second straight day. By midafternoon, the nations fourth-largest airline had canceled about 500 flights and delayed nearly 1,300 others, according to tracking service FlightAware. The combination of cancellations and delays affected about half of Southwests planned flights for the day. The Federal Aviation Administration held up all Southwest departures for about 45 minutes while the company worked to fix a computer issue, an agency spokeswoman said. Spokesman for Dallas-based Southwest said a problem with connectivity of the airline's technology systems started around midday Tuesday. Southwest is in the process of resuming normal operations after a brief pause in our flight activity resulting from intermittent performance issues with our network connectivity Tuesday afternoon, the spokesman, Dan Landson, said in an email. He said crews were working to limit flight disruptions, and urged customers to check their flight status Southwests website or seek help from the airlines airport agents. Two men from Estonia have been convicted of federal cybercrime charges involving ransomware and other attacks on computer systems around the globe. Oleg Koshkin, 41, was convicted Tuesday by a jury in U.S. District Court in Hartford of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse as well as aiding and abetting computer fraud and abuse. His co-defendant, Pavel Tsurkan, 33, pleaded guilty Wednesday to aiding and abetting the unauthorized access to a protected computer. Prosecutors said Koshkin, a Russian national who lived in Estonia, and Tsurken who lived in both Estonia and Thailand, operated an online encryption service known as Crypt4U, which helped conceal malware infections from antivirus software. That technology allowed hackers to infect computer systems around the world between September 2013 and December 2017, including in Connecticut, prosecutors said. In a statement Wednesday, Banpro General Manager Juan Carlos Arguello expressed confidence that the situation would be cleared up. Before joining Banpro, Rivas Anduray held high-level positions in the Central Bank and Finance Ministry during the government of President Enrique Bolanos, who died Monday. In 2011, he showed up at the newspaper El Nuevo Diario to announce that Banpro had purchased it. The paper closed in 2019 under pressure from the government. Journalist Letzira Sevilla, who worked at the paper then, said Dr. Rivas came infrequently to the paper, but we all knew his professionalism and humanity." She said Rivas Anduray helped pay for her hospital bills last year when she suffered from COVID-19. I pray there is justice in his case and for all of the political prisoners. Rivas Anduray is the 16th person arrested since late May for allegedly committing crimes against the state. Most of the others were potential candidates for the presidential elections Nov. 7 or opposition party leaders. His arrest came the same day that the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States approved a resolution condemning the arrests and demanding their immediate release. The Virginia State Police is asking the public to help locate a driver that witnesses say caused a sheriffs deputy to crash his car, causing serious injuries. The wreck happened at about 3:15 p.m. on May 23, when Henry County Sheriffs Investigator T.W. Farmer, 52, of Martinsville swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle and veered off of AL Philpott Highway, about 200 feet east of Sugar Tree Road, a VSP release said. Trooper M.G. Mays is trying to locate the driver of a vehicle witnesses describe as a silver Ford F150 pickup truck. The model year was not included in the release, and no other identifying details were provided. Farmer was transported to an undisclosed hospital and is recovering from unspecified serious injuries, the release stated. He was driving an unmarked 2015 Ford Taurus westbound in the right lane on A.L. Philpott Highway, when a vehicle in the left lane made a sudden lane change to the right lane. Farmer swerved to avoid hitting the oncoming vehicle and veered off the right side of the highway, striking several signs and then an embankment, the release said. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Researchers have been investigating an intriguing theory that links autism to having an 'extreme male brain' but have found it is not that simple. James Cook University researcher Dr. Liza van Eijk conducted the study, in collaboration with Associate Professor Brendan Zietsch at The University of Queensland. Dr. van Eijk said autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is four times more common in males than females and has been linked to male-typical behavior. "Men score on average lower on empathy tasks than women, while adults with ASD, irrespective of their sex, score the lowest. "Conversely, men score on average higher than women on an attention-to-detail task, while individuals with ASD score the highest," said Dr. van Eijk. She said there are several differences in the regions of male and female brains, in both size and shape, so the question arises whether ASD is related to a more male-typical brain, a popular theory known as the 'Extreme Male Brain' hypothesis. But this theory had not been subject to rigorous, direct tests. "We derived a data-driven measure of individual differences along a malefemale dimension based on sex differences in subcortical brain shape, or brain maleness. Consistent with the Extreme Male Brain hypothesis, we found a higher mean brain maleness score in the ASD group than in controls," said Dr. van Eijk. In addition, brain maleness scores showed positive associations with autistic symptoms. But once the researchers accounted for differences in brain size, the difference in brain maleness scores between the ASD group and controls disappeared, and no association between brain maleness with autistic symptoms remained. Dr. van Eijk said large longitudinal studies are needed to unravel ASD-related brain and behavioral changes and to examine whether these changes are associated with sex differences, in particular during early development. Explore further Scientists identify new differences between the sexes in age-related changes to brain stem cells More information: Liza van Eijk et al, Testing the extreme male brain hypothesis: Is autism spectrum disorder associated with a more maletypical brain?, Autism Research (2021). Journal information: Autism Research Liza van Eijk et al, Testing the extreme male brain hypothesis: Is autism spectrum disorder associated with a more maletypical brain?,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/aur.2537 Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that strikes nearly 5,000 people in the U.S. every year. About 10% of ALS cases are inherited or familial, often caused by an error in the C9orf72 gene. Compared to sporadic or non-familial ALS, C90rf72 patients are considered to have a more aggressive disease course. Evidence points to the immune system in disease progression in C90rf72 patients, but we know little of what players are involved. New research from the Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center identified an increased inflammatory signal in C90rf72 patients compared to other ALS patients, pointing to immune characteristics that distinguish this subgroup of ALS patients and informing potential anti-inflammatory therapies. The study was published in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration on April 30, 2021. In comprehensive analyses, the researchers collected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), via a small puncture in the spine, as well as serum from 15 C9orf72 patients, 9 sporadic ALS patients and 14 control patients, and conducted a test to measure the levels of around 40 different immune molecules and chemicals. They found an increase in pro-inflammatory molecules in the serum and CSF of both sporadic and C9orf72 ALS patients compared to controls, but the increase was more pronounced in C9orf72 patients. These findings point to important distinguishing characteristics of this subgroup of ALS patients, which could be detectable in a peripheral test of serum. Serum tests would be less invasive than testing CSF. The results also indicate that any future strategies for developing anti-inflammatory treatments would benefit from distinguishing the C9orf72 subtype from other types of ALS. The researchers are looking to build a bank of patient samples to continue studying key differences between patient subtypes. "This is a step in better characterizing this sub-population of ALS patients," says senior author Hristelina Ilieva, MD, Ph.D., assistant professor and medical director of the Weinberg ALS Center, "and an impetus to continue the search for biomarkers for this disease." Explore further Autoimmune diseases in ALS patients linked to genetic mutation More information: Gabriel Pinilla et al, Increased synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines in C9ORF72 patients, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration (2021). Gabriel Pinilla et al, Increased synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines in C9ORF72 patients,(2021). DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2021.1912100 A new research review offers good news for migraine sufferers: There are more pain-relieving options than ever. In an analysis of over 100 published studies, researchers found that several drug classes showed good evidence that they ease the pain of a migraine-in-progress. Some of those medications have only become available in the past few years, opening up new options for migraine sufferers who don't get enough relief from old standby drugs. Experts said the widening field of migraine treatments, which also include nerve-stimulating devices, is encouraging. "It's great news there are now many effective treatments available," said Dr. Rebecca Burch, a neurologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. For any one patient, she noted, finding the right treatment may take some trial-and-errorso persistence is key. "Stick with it. Don't give up hope," Burch said. "If the first treatment doesn't work, that doesn't mean nothing will." Burch co-wrote an editorial that accompanied the research review in the June 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The analysiswhich looked at 115 clinical trials and 15 previous evidence reviewsoffers a needed update, said lead author Dr. Juliana VanderPluym. "Over the past three years or so, a number of new migraine therapies have become available," said VanderPluym, an assistant professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. They include the oral medications lasmiditan (Reyvow), which acts on a receptor for the hormone serotonin; and two "gepants" called ubrogepant (Ubrelvy) and rimegepant (Nurtec). Gepants interfere with CGRP, a small protein released by the trigeminal nerve that plays a key role in generating migraine misery. The review found, unsurprisingly, strong evidence supporting long-used migraine treatmentsnamely, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and aspirin, and a class of migraine-specific drugs called triptans. All of those medications beat placebos in reducing pain two hours into a migraine attack, and one day later. Meanwhile, both lasmiditan and the gepants looked good when it came to reducing or erasing pain two hours into an attack, and one day later. (The strength of the evidence was graded as "moderate" to "high.") But for the most part, triptans remain the first choice for treating acute migraines, Burch said. Triptans work by targeting serotonin (in a different way than lasmiditan). They are often effective at dulling pain, but a downside is they constrict blood vessels. That means people at increased risk of heart attack or stroke typically cannot use them. For some other patients, Burch said, triptans simply do not work, or the side effectslike numbness, dizziness and sleepinessmake them difficult to take. That's where alternatives come inthough so, too, can the practical issues of cost and insurance coverage. Both gepants and lasmiditan are expensive, VanderPluym pointed out. So insurance plans, she said, often require patients to try two triptans, or sometimes more, before they will cover the pricier drugs. Medications are not the only treatment option, though. The review found that several nerve-stimulating devices outperformed "sham" devices in easing migraine pain. The gadgets are used at home and employ electric or magnetic pulses to stimulate certain nerves involved in pain signaling. "Devices are a great option for patients who want to avoid medications, or as an add-on to medication," VanderPluym said. But both she and Burch pointed to one barrier: Cost. Insurance typically does not cover the devices, so patients can face high out-of-pocket expenses. The review also highlights a medication class that should not be used for migraine painopioids. The drugs, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, carry the risks of dangerous side effects and addiction. And when it comes to migraine pain, they simply do not work, Burch said. The bottom line, according to VanderPluym, is that the "right" migraine treatment plan varies from person to personand effectiveness, safety and cost all matter. For people with longstanding migraines, she noted, this could be a good time to revisit their treatment plan with their doctor. Some might find the newer options are worth a try, VanderPluym said. The study was funded by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. VanderPluym has consulted for or received research funds from drugmakers Teva and Amgen. Explore further New type of drug might ease migraines More information: The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more on Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more on migraines. 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Many thousands of people need to return to Australia, and many at home wish to reunite with partners and family abroad. A move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to quarantine is a way to make this happenincluding home quarantine for vaccinated returnees. The federal government implemented home quarantine over a short period in March 2020, before switching to mandatory hotel quarantine for returned residents and other incoming passengers. But the considerably changed circumstancesmost importantly, access to effective vaccinescalls for its reintroduction despite caution among politicians and the community. The low rate of positive cases, and proven effectiveness of further safeguards to limit breaches, make home quarantine a persuasive strategy. It's worth remembering people who contract COVID, and their contacts, have successfully self-isolated at home since the pandemic began. How will we make sure it's safe? There are several protective layers which would ensure extremely limited risk of home quarantine for fully vaccinated returned overseas travelers. The first is requiring a negative COVID test within three days of departure, which is currently a requirement for all returnees. The second is COVID vaccination. Recent studies indicate full vaccination provides 60-90% infection risk reduction. In cases where fully vaccinated people do get infected, these "breakthrough cases" are less infectious. We have "fit for purpose" quarantine facilities for pre-departure test-negative vaccinated returnees from low caseload countrieslots of them. They're called HOMES. #StrandedAussies #LoveIsNotTourism Greg Dore (@GregDore2) June 3, 2021 It's also important to test returnees in home quarantine. A positive case would trigger testing of any contacts and may extend self-isolation. Also, high levels of testing in the broader community can ensure early detection of outbreaks, enabling a rapid public health response to limit spread, if it did leak out of home quarantine. The risk would be extremely low Data from hotel quarantine in New South Wales, which takes around half of returned travelers in Australia, suggests home quarantine for fully vaccinated returnees would likely present an extremely low risk. In 2021, NSW has screened around 4,700 returnees a week, with the proportion of positive cases detected during quarantine averaging around 0.6%. From March 1, since vaccination has become more accessible, only eight of 406 positive cases were fully vaccinated. Unfortunately we don't have the overall data on how many returnees were fully vaccinated, but even if only 1020%, this would equate to a positive rate of around 6-12 per 10,000 among the vaccinated. This is considerably lower than the overall rate of 66 COVID cases per 10,000 since March 1. If home quarantine was initially restricted to fully vaccinated returnees from countries with low to moderate caseloads, the rate would be lower again, probably less than five per 10,000. If NSW increased their quarantine intake by taking an extra 2,500 per week from this population into home quarantine, it would equate to maybe a few positive cases per month, compared to around 120 cases per month in hotel quarantine. As vaccination uptake increases, this capacity could be expanded, with reduced hotel quarantine requirements. Will people comply? The enormous desire for stranded Australian residents, overseas partners and family of residents in Australia to return and reunite should ensure a high level of compliance with home quarantine. Home quarantine has been successfully implemented in other countries with elimination strategies such as Taiwan and Singapore. Taiwan's system was deployed rapidly and has 99.7% compliance. Singapore uses a grading system to enable lower-risk returnee residents to do seven days in home quarantine, with a negative test required for release on day seven. Two major reviews of the hotel quarantine systemthe Victorian government-commissioned Coate report, and the national review of hotel quarantinerecommended implementing home quarantine with monitoring technology, such as electronic bracelets. Their recommendations were made prior to the approval of vaccines. Recent data suggests the current hotel quarantine system has harmful effects. Research published in the Medical Journal of Australia in April found mental health issues were responsible for 19% of all emergency department presentations among people in NSW hotel quarantine. It's highly likely home quarantine would be more beneficial for the mental health of returnees. What are the barriers? Issues which would need to be sorted through include: methods for determining how risky different countries are how returnees can prove they've been vaccinated how we would test returnees and home-based contacts, and how frequently and how long home quarantine would be for. But none of these are insurmountable, and small-scale home quarantine already exists in the ACT. Health authorities could ensure returnees can collect their own COVID testing samples, for example by doing nasal swabs or collecting saliva themselves. This would reduce contact with health workers. Home quarantine is undoubtedly being considered by major Australian COVID policy committees, along with other measures to enable a larger number of returnees and to increase the safety of the quarantine system. Australians' excessive caution continues to have direct consequences for the well-being of many thousands of stranded Australian residents, together with non-resident partners and family members desperate to return. It's time to change this situation and make their human rights a public health priority. Explore further Australia's COVID success under threat as Melbourne goes into lockdown This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain We probably cannot slow the rate at which we get older because of biological constraints, an unprecedented study of lifespan statistics in human and non-human primates has confirmed. The study set out to test the 'invariant rate of aging' hypothesis, which says that a species has a relatively fixed rate of aging from adulthood. An international collaboration of scientists from 14 countries, including Jose Manuel Aburto from Oxford's Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, analyzed age-specific birth and death data spanning centuries and continents. Led by Fernando Colchero, University of Southern Denmark and Susan Alberts, Duke University, North Carolina, the study was a huge endeavor requiring monitoring wild populations of primates over several decades. Jose Manuel Aburto says, "Our findings support the theory that, rather than slowing down death, more people are living much longer due to a reduction in mortality at younger ages. We compared birth and death data from humans and non-human primates and found this general pattern of mortality was the same in all of them. This suggests that biological, rather than environmental factors, ultimately control longevity. "The statistics confirmed that individuals live longer as health and living conditions improve, which leads to increasing longevity across an entire population. Nevertheless, a steep rise in death rates, as years advance into old age, is clear to see in all species. "The debate over how long we can live has divided the academic community for decades. Some scholars argue human lifespan has no limit, while others say the opposite. But what has been missing is research comparing lifespans of multiple animal populations with humans, to work out what is driving mortality. Our study plugs that gap. This extraordinarily diverse collection of data enabled us to compare mortality differences both within and between species." The team analyzed data from primates, our closest genetic relatives, and therefore most likely to shed light on our biology. The research team analyzed information from 30 primate species, 17 in the wild and 13 in zoos, including gorillas, baboons, chimpanzees and guenons. And it examined birth and death records from nine diverse human populations in 17th to 20th century Europe, the Caribbean and Ukraine, and two hunter gatherer groups between 1900 and 2000. All the datasets examined by the team revealed the same general pattern of mortality: A high risk of death in infancy that rapidly declines in the immature and teenage years, remains low until early adulthood, and then continually rises in advancing age. Jose Manuel Aburto says, "Our findings confirm that, in historical populations, life expectancy was low because many people died young. But as medical, social, and environmental improvements continued, life expectancy increased. More and more people get to live much longer now. However, the trajectory toward death in old age has not changed. This study suggests evolutionary biology trumps everything, and so far, medical advances have been unable to beat these biological constraints." The team hopes its findings will lead to greater understanding of the ecology and evolution of a wide range of animal species worldwide and contribute to their conservation. More information: The Long Lives of Primates and the 'Invariant Rate of Ageing' Hypothesis, Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23894-3 Journal information: Nature Communications The Long Lives of Primates and the 'Invariant Rate of Ageing' Hypothesis, Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles isolated from a patient. Credit: NIAID Research published today in the Journal of General Virology has identified missed cases of SARS-CoV-2 by retrospective testing of throat swabs. Researchers at the University of Nottingham screened 1,660 routine diagnostic specimens which had been collected at a Nottingham hospital between 2 January and 11 March 2020 and tested for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR. At this stage of the pandemic, there was very little COVID-19 testing available in hospitals, and to qualify patients had to meet a strict criterion, including recent travel to certain countries in Asia or contact with a known positive case. Three previously unidentified cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were identified by the retrospective screening, including one from a 75-year-old female whose positive swab was collected on 21 February 2020. This patient, referred to as Patient 1, died on 3 March; two days before the first official death from COVID-19 was recorded in the UK. Patient 1 had not recently traveled abroad or been in contact with anyone known to have COVID-19 and so did not qualify for a PCR test at the time. In addition to being the first death, the researchers believe that Patient 1 is also the earliest described case of community transmission in the UK. The further newly-identified cases occurred in a 64-year-old male and a 66-year-old male, both of whom showed signs of chest infections, and both of whom recovered. The samples were collected on 2 March and 8 March 2020 respectively. International travel was only removed as an essential criterion for a SARS-CoV-2 test on 12 March 2020. The research group collaborated with the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) to sequence the SARS-CoV-2 isolates collected from the swabs used in the study, and found evidence of community transmission in Nottingham as early as February 2020. Through this genome sequence data, the group identified multiple introductions of the virus into Nottingham during late February and the month of March, many of which were a distinct lineage of the virus which dominated early phases of the outbreak within the region. Based on the findings, the researchers suggest that testing should have been made available to hospital patients with compatible symptoms but no travel history earlier in the pandemic response. More information: Joseph G. Chappell et al, Retrospective screening of routine respiratory samples revealed undetected community transmission and missed intervention opportunities for SARS-CoV-2 in the United Kingdom, Journal of General Virology (2021). Joseph G. Chappell et al, Retrospective screening of routine respiratory samples revealed undetected community transmission and missed intervention opportunities for SARS-CoV-2 in the United Kingdom,(2021). DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001595 Provided by Microbiology Society Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain New research published in BMJ Open shows that community pharmacy could play a 'key clinical role' in the future role of COVID-19 vaccination programmes, according to a study led by Aston University in Birmingham, UK, in collaboration with UK and international researchers. The team found that community pharmacists, as a 'skilled clinical workforce', could positively contribute, supporting the community in which they serveby playing a critical role in ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. The researchers working on the PERISCOPE study found that community pharmacy is uniquely placed to support individuals, because it is seen by the public as a credible, trustworthy service, which could be key to any future clinical role it might play, especially where addressing vaccine hesitancy in 'hard to reach' communities. They are therefore calling on decision-makers to endorse and provide their support for a clearly defined public health role for community pharmacy. Across the UK, community pharmacy is a critical part of primary care. According to the Kings Fund, as of the end of March 2019, there were more than 11,500 community pharmacies in England alone. It is viewed as one of the four pillars of the primary care system, along with general practice, optical services and dentistry. It has also, in areas of the UK, helped to deliver COVID-19 vaccinations. The study included partners from the Universities of Sheffield, Oxford, Hull and Bradford in the UK, as well as internationally, the University of British Columbia and University of Tasmania. The group reviewed more than a hundred documents including peer reviewed articles, blogs and websites on the role of community pharmacy during COVID-19 and other previous pandemics. Their findings were discussed with more than 30 health professionals and members of the public, to ensure that the findings made sense in the real world. Health professionals included pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, dispensers, counter assistants, and GPs, together with members of the public from a range of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Several recommendations were made by the researchers from the findings of the study. Most significantly the group found it was imperative that policy and practice should focus on the clinical role of community pharmacy. Dr. Ian Maidment, reader in clinical pharmacy at Aston University and former community pharmacist leading PERSICOPE, said: "We need to use community pharmacy to a much greater extent for COVID-19 vaccination, particularly for boosters against new variants such as the Delta (Indian) variant. The current model (for example, the large hubs) may not be sustainable in the longer term, particularly if annual COVID-19 vaccination is required. "Our work found some key ways to make this happen. The easy access and local convenience of high street pharmacies makes them an ideal location for vaccinating at-risk populations." The study includes guidance for policy makers: Have a clear role for community pharmacy in response to the public health agenda, with that role championed by decision-makers Involve frontline community pharmacists in the development of policy and service specification in relation to vaccination Provide prompt, clear, consistent guidelines with adequate detail and enough flexibility to allow community pharmacies to adapt the guidelines to meet the needs of their local population Provide adequate funding and reimbursement for the delivery and necessary adaptations of any new services community pharmacies are asked to deliver * Provide pharmacy teams with adequate systems to deliver this new role and then trust them to deliver. Hadar Zaman, head of pharmacy and medical sciences at University of Bradford and a community pharmacist, said: "Our research has highlighted the important role community pharmacy has played in overcoming vaccine hesitancy, particularly in ethnic minority communities who have been disproportionately affected by COVID and subsequent mortality. "What comes out very strongly, especially in areas of high social deprivation, is that community pharmacists have worked very closely with their local communities addressing concerns around vaccine safety. "It is through these strongly rooted relationships in local communities that we will ensure vaccine uptake rates in ethnic minority and the wider population can be further improved. Therefore, community pharmacy needs to be seen as an essential delivery partner if the Government is to achieve its national vaccination coverage in the short and long term". PERISCOPE searched for the best evidence across the world and the team included international collaborators. The findings therefore have international relevance. Maura MacPhee, professor of nursing, University of British Columbia and member of the research team, said: "Our review findings and recommendations for decision-makers, community pharmacists and pharmacy users are adaptable and relevant internationally, including my country, Canada, where community pharmacy has a major role to play in COVID-19 vaccination programmes." Juanita Breen, also a member of the PERISCOPE team and associate professor of dementia studies at Wicking Dementia Centre, School of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, added: "This study demonstrates how pharmacists can contribute towards this important public health initiative and enhance the uptake of the vaccine. "It provides important learnings for other countries on how best to utilise the skills of our most accessible health professionalthe community pharmacist." Professor Claire Anderson, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's English Board said: "This research clearly demonstrates the vital role community pharmacy has played during the pandemic, providing essential advice to communities and tackling health inequalities in areas of high social deprivation. "Policy makers and commissioners need to take forward the recommendations of this research and ensure the strengths of the community pharmacy network are maximised for the benefits of patients." Alastair Buxton, director of NHS Services at the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, said: "This research provides a timely examination of the role community pharmacy teams have played in supporting their communities to fight back against COVID-19. "By keeping their doors open throughout, pharmacies have maintained day-to-day activities, and managed increased demand for many servicesincluding advice on the management of minor illness. They have also substantially increased the number of flu vaccinations administered and played a key part in the COVID-19 vaccination programme. "These findings will help guide policy in the later stages of the pandemic and guide practice in any future pandemics." Tony Kelly, a diabetes ambassador, Diabetes Strategic Patient PartnerNHS Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group and member of PERISCOPE, said: "Community pharmacists are ideally placed at the forefront of the vaccination agenda as they are the nucleus of ethnically diverse communities and are often the first point of contact for most people." "Clubbing" of the fingers is a classic features of Cystic Fibrosis, although not present in many patients. Credit: Jerry Nick, M.D./ Wikipedia UNC School of Medicine scientists led a collaboration of researchers to demonstrate a potentially powerful new strategy for treating cystic fibrosis (CF) and potentially a wide range of other diseases. It involves small, nucleic acid molecules called oligonucleotides that can correct some of the gene defects that underlie CF but are not addressed by existing modulator therapies. The researchers used a new delivery method that overcomes traditional obstacles of getting oligonucleotides into lung cells. As the scientists reported in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, they demonstrated the striking effectiveness of their approach in cells derived from a CF patient and in mice. "With our oligonucleotide delivery platform, we were able to restore the activity of the protein that does not work normally in CF, and we saw a prolonged effect with just one modest dose, so we're really excited about the potential of this strategy," said study senior author Silvia Kreda, Ph.D., an associate professor in the UNC Department of Medicine and the UNC Department Biochemistry & Biophysics, and a member of the Marsico Lung Institute at the UNC School of Medicine. Protein expression (green) in mouse lung treated with an oligonucleotide plus OEC, correcting splicing defect in cells. Credit: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine Kreda and her lab collaborated on the study with a team headed by Rudolph Juliano, Ph.D., Boshamer Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the UNC Department of Pharmacology, and co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of the biotech startup Initos Pharmaceuticals. About 30,000 people in the United States have CF, an inherited disorder in which gene mutations cause the functional absence of an important protein called CFTR. Absent CFTR, the mucus lining the lungs and upper airways becomes dehydrated and highly susceptible to bacterial infections, which occur frequently and lead to progressive lung damage. Treatments for CF now include CFTR modulator drugs, which effectively restore partial CFTR function in many cases. However, CFTR modulators cannot help roughly ten percent of CF patients, often because the underlying gene defect is of the type known as a splicing defect. CF and splicing defects Splicing is a process that occurs when genes are copied outor transcribedinto temporary strands of RNA. A complex of enzymes and other molecules then chops up the RNA strand and re-assembles them, typically after deleting certain unwanted segments. Splicing occurs for most human genes, and cells can re-assemble the RNA segments in different ways so different versions of a protein can be made from a single gene. However, defects in splicing can lead to many diseasesincluding CF when CFTR's gene transcript is mis-spliced. In principle, properly designed oligonucleotides can correct some kinds of splicing defects. In recent years the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two "splice switching oligonucleotide" therapies for inherited muscular diseases. In practice, though, getting oligonucleotides into cells, and to the locations within cells where they can correct RNA splicing defects, has been extremely challenging for some organs. "It has been especially difficult to get significant concentrations of oligonucleotides into the lungs to target pulmonary diseases," Kreda said. Therapeutic oligonucleotides, when injected into the blood, have to run a long gauntlet of biological systems that are designed to keep the body safe from viruses and other unwanted molecules. Even when oligonucleotides get into cells, the most usually are trapped within vesicles called endosomes, and are sent back outside the cell or degraded by enzymes before they can ever do their work. A new delivery strategy The strategy developed by Kreda, Juliano, and their colleagues overcomes these obstacles by adding two new features to splice switching oligonucleotides: Firstly, the oligonucleotides are connected to short, protein-like molecules called peptides that are designed to help them to distribute in the body and get into cells. Secondly, there is a separate treatment with small molecules called OECs, developed by Juliano and Initos, which help the therapeutic oligonucleotides escape their entrapment within endosomes. The researchers demonstrated this combined approach in cultured airway cells from a human CF patient with a common splicing-defect mutation. "Adding it just once to these cells, at a relatively low concentration, essentially corrected CFTR to a normal level of functioning, with no evidence of toxicity to the cells," Kreda said. The results were much better with than without OECs, and improved with OEC dose. There is no mouse model for splicing-defect CF, but the researchers successfully tested their general approach using a different oligonucleotide in a mouse model of a splicing defect affecting a reporter gene. In these experiments, the researchers observed that the correction of the splicing defect in the mouse lungs lasted for at least three weeks after a single treatmenthinting that patients taking such therapies might need only sporadic dosing. The researchers now plan further preclinical studies of their potential CF treatment in preparation for possible clinical trials. Explore further Biochemists report a way to stop the immortality of cancer cells with oligonucleotides More information: Yan Dang et al, Enhanced delivery of peptide-morpholino oligonucleotides with a small molecule to correct splicing defects in the lung, Nucleic Acids Research (2021). Journal information: Nucleic Acids Research Yan Dang et al, Enhanced delivery of peptide-morpholino oligonucleotides with a small molecule to correct splicing defects in the lung,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab488 Credit: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne Stimulation of the nervous system with neurotechnology has opened up new avenues for treating human disorders, such as prosthetic arms and legs that restore the sense of touch in amputees, prosthetic fingertips that provide detailed sensory feedback with varying touch resolution, and intraneural stimulation to help the blind by giving sensations of sight. Scientists in a European collaboration have shown that optic nerve stimulation is a promising neurotechnology to help the blind, with the constraint that current technology has the capacity of providing only simple visual signals. Nevertheless, the scientists' vision (no pun intended) is to design these simple visual signals to be meaningful in assisting the blind with daily living. Optic nerve stimulation also avoids invasive procedures like directly stimulating the brain's visual cortex. But how does one go about optimizing stimulation of the optic nerve to produce consistent and meaningful visual sensations? Now, the results of a collaboration between EPFL, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, published today in Patterns, show that a new stimulation protocol of the optic nerve is a promising way for developing personalized visual signals to help the blindthat also take into account signals from the visual cortex. The protocol has been tested for the moment on artificial neural networks known to simulate the entire visual system, called convolutional neural networks (CNN) usually used in computer vision for detecting and classifying objects. The scientists also performed psychophysical tests on ten healthy subjects that imitate what one would see from optic nerve stimulation, showing that successful object identification is compatible with results obtained from the CNN. "We are not just trying to stimulate the optic nerve to elicit a visual perception," explains Simone Romeni, EPFL scientist and first author of the study. "We are developing a way to optimize stimulation protocols that takes into account how the entire visual system responds to optic nerve stimulation." "The research shows that you can optimize optic nerve stimulation using machine learning approaches. It shows more generally the full potential of machine learning to optimize stimulation protocols for neuroprosthetic devices," continues Silvestro Micera, EPFL Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational Neural Engineering and Professor of Bioelectronics at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. Credit: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne Restoring sight, but with limited resolution The idea is to stimulate the optic nerve to induce phosphenes, the sensation of light in a region of one's field of view. The EPFL scientists plan to use intraneural electrodes, ones that pierce through the nerve instead of being wrapped around it, but there are still tremendous constraints on the resulting perceived image. The constraint comes from the physiology of the optic nerve compared to the dimensions of electrode technology. The intraneural electrode consists of stimulation sites, and these are few in number compared to the million axons bundled up in the optic nerve, the latter being no more than a few millimeters in diameter. In other words, a given stimulation site reaches hundreds to thousands of surrounding nerve fibers or axons coming from the retina, leading to very coarse electrical stimulation. Tuning this coarse electrical stimulation is a major challenge for all neuroprosthetics in general, but even more so for optical signals which are extremely complex compared to signals providing sensory feedback from upper and lower limbs, for instance. The scientists work is the first to feature automatic optimization of optic nerve stimulation protocols. "The most relevant conceptual advancement is linked to the fact that for the first time, we have defined the problem of optimizing nerve stimulation by 'closing the loop' on cortical activation patterns," explains Romeni. "In our model, the idea that we could exploit cortical signals to guide nerve stimulation produced results comparable to and better than the theoretical optimum for current approaches to nerve stimulation optimization." "Our study shows that it is possible to elicit desired activity patterns in deep layers of a CNN that simulate cortical visual areas. The next step is to understand what patterns should be evoked in order to induce percepts of arbitrary visual objects," continues Davide Zoccolan, Professor of Neurophysiology and Head of SISSA Visual Neuroscience Lab. "To meet this challenge, we are now working on building predictive models of neuronal responses based on CNNs. These models will learn the "tuning" of visual cortical neurons based on their responses to a battery of visual images, thus uncovering the mapping between image space and response space that is central for sight restoration." Credit: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne Clinical trials and the future ciphers For the moment, the EPFL intraneural electrodes have not yet been tested in people. With clinical trials planned within the next year in a collaboration with Italian partners at Policlinico Gemelli in Rome, the same place where implants for hand amputees were performed, the scientists wonder what the future volunteers will actually see. "The translation to patients will require dealing with intersubject variability, a well-known problem in neuroprosthetics," says Romeni. "We are far from understanding everything about the nervous system and we know that the current technology has intrinsic limitations. Our method will help to tackle both and to deal with how the brain interprets stimulation, hopefully leading to more natural and effective protocols." The challenges are tremendous, but the scientists are taking the steps to turn the vision into reality. Explore further Optic nerve stimulation to aid the blind Political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and Iraq On June 14, 2021 the regular round of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs was held in Baghdad. The event was co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Mikalai Barysevich and Senior Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq Nizar Al-Khairallah. The consultations were coincided with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Iraq. Background information. The previous round of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs was held in 2019 during the visit of the Senior Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq Nizar Al-Khairallah in Minsk. During the consultations, a wide spectrum of issues of Belarusian-Iraqi relations was discussed, including the cooperation in the field of education, humanitarian area and legal framework improvement. A special attention was paid to enhancing trade and economic relations as the priority area of cooperation between the two countries. On June 14-15, 2021 the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus also met with Ministers of Industry and Minerals, Agriculture, Trade, Education and Scientific Research of Iraq, as well as with the President of the Baghdad Chamber of Commerce and the President of the University of Baghdad. The negotiations resulted in the agreement to discuss in the near future on the level of leadership of the relevant ministries specific areas of interaction in industrial cooperation, agriculture, education. The Iraqi Side confirmed its readiness to send a business delegation through channels of the chambers of commerce of the two countries at the earliest convenience. print version There were little kids in Christmas pajamas at Bucks Pizza and we walked by and were just wowed, Ishu said. I dont know if they were having a pajama party, but it was so cute. We got back on the plane and I said to her, I felt like we were in a Hallmark movie, Merrill said. I said lets go home and pack. Once the couple knew Morganton was their new home, they wanted to settle down and plant their roots. The desire to open a business was always there, but they wanted to wait until it was the right time to open one. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} We knew we wanted to start a business at some point, we werent going to do it right away, Ishu said. This ended up being a good move for us because COVID happened. So we had a year and a half where, I am an artist, so we did my art and he framed everything for me and we sold it on Etsy. Craig is also a great craftsman and he sold cutting boards and things like that, so we had good success with our Etsy shop. It was called Merrill Mischief, so we just kept the name. Police say the victim and the suspect in a fatal stabbing in Butte on Saturday had been in town about two weeks after coming here from Colorado. The fire, which Broadwater County Sheriff Wynn Meehan said was caused by a downed power line in the south end of the Big Belt Mountains in the Townsend Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, was reported about 3:45 p.m. Sunday. The forest service said responders saw a fallen tree had caused a downed power line, however, they said the cause of the fire was still under investigation. Earlier in the day, the U.S. Forest Service posted that its plans were for ground crews to keep building hand lines and dozer lines directly along the fires perimeter. It said helicopters will be used to support the ground crews throughout the fire and along the fires perimeter. A reconnaissance flight was ordered for Tuesday to get a good visual of the entire fire. "It doesn't look good up there," Townsend City Clerk Coleen Ward said, looking at the plumes of smoke from town. She said it was still quite a few miles from town and had not impacted the air quality because there was a breeze. "I was really struck by the fact that in 17 pages of discussions outlining the budget there really is no recognition for the production on our federal land and the role that plays," Murkowski said. In light of the court ruling, she told Haaland: "I expect to hear your plans to resume implementation of those lease sales. We expect you to follow the law." Haaland, a former Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico, responded, "I will always follow the law." Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana also appeared impatient with Haaland, saying the review ordered by Biden nearly two months before Haaland took office in mid-March appeared to be dragging on. "As this review rolls on, a leasing pause gives folks in the oil and gas industry a lot of uncertainty," Tester said. "It's getting harder and harder to extend that trust without hard information in the review." Tester asked Haaland when the review will "be ready for prime time." Officials have "said all along early summer ... so my guess is they'll be getting it sometime in the near future," Haaland said. "I'm taking that as it'll be out in the next month," Tester replied. Haaland did not commit to a firm timetable. The Basin Creek project provides an outstanding example for future renewable energy projects to follow, including its environmentally conscious design to its expansive public outreach. On the latter, in addition to stories in the local news, project developers mailed over 240 letters to area property owners and made dozens of home visits, calls and emails to answer residents questions and to offer appropriate measures for the changing viewshed. The project team hosted two informational open houses, attended by 70 neighbors. Despite this transparency and outreach, there is still misunderstanding. Many opponents of the project declined offers to learn more and instead, spread misinformation and opinions not based in facts. The following information addresses some of these misunderstandings: The project will not permanently destroy the landscape. Montana law requires developers to post a financial bond so the site will be returned to its undeveloped state upon retirement of the solar field. All disturbed land will be reseeded with native grasses, wildflowers and small shrubs and controlled for weeds after construction. Religious foundation? Second Amendment rights - regardless of your stance upon them and their importance to you as a Montanan and American - are truly rights perceived to allow one to use violence. Regardless of if in self-defense or not, to use a firearm against another human is violence. And I see at times people saying that the second amendment is a God given right. But if one looks at the world's major religions - at their core teachings - violence is far as stated as any kind of right. Of the seven major religions Christianity 2.38 Billion, Moslem 1.91 B, Hinduism 1.25 B, Buddhism 0.51 B, Chinese (three main components) 0.39 B, Sikhism 0.026 B and Judaism 0.015 B for a total of about 6,480,700,000 people in the world (83% of people); none of the basic doctrines recommend or call for aggression or violence initiated by a human against another. During public comment, several of the 20 people who had attended the meeting spoke against the study. Most of the people who spoke owned land along Highway 38 and felt the city had overstepped its bounds by doing a survey on land outside of the city limits. Dave Walton objected that the landowners on Highway 38 were not involved in the process, saying they should have been brought in early on. Many of the other landowners objected to the idea of a developer bringing some kind of large industry to the area that would disrupt their land. Im a property owner in that area and I want to go on record as saying I am not in favor of being annexed into the City of Wilton, Robert Walton said. I am fifth or sixth generation and I am planning on passing my land down the line as long as they want to keep it. And your survey you put out and asked about shopping in Wilton we had every one of those stores in Wilton you mentioned people said we need and people went to Muscatine, to Walmart because people would rather buy something from China. We had two hardware stores and three grocery stores. The people in Wilton and the surrounding community have no one to blame but themselves, because they didnt patronize the businesses when they were here. Regardless, Meatball's Sandwich Company of Bettendorf has seen a sizable community response. The shop sold out of bread and had to close early over the weekend. On Monday, it sold out of pickle wraps. "I never thought pickle wraps could get so huge," Meatball's Sandwich Company owner Kyle Yohe said. Local Davenport restaurant Cavort partnered with Meatball's Sandwich Company over the weekend, selling pickle wraps for $5 and donating all the proceeds to the River Bend Food Bank. When they ran out of wraps, they sold pickle-wrap dip instead. Cavort co-owner Alex Nagel said they'd raised $315 total, and expected a couple of more donations to come in the next days. People who bought wraps and dip were entered into a drawing to receive one of two $25 gift cards to Meatball's Sandwich Company. "We just thought it was something lighthearted to change the narrative from what it was when it started off," Nagel said. Other businesses have hopped in the pickle jar, sharing memes and offering their own takes on the recipe. LoPiez, for example, decided to change up its cheese pizza by adding sliced pickle wraps on top. There's also urgency because Exelon, parent of Illinois' largest electric utility ComEd, has said that without a state bailout, it will shut down two nuclear plants later this year. ON THE TABLE The Senate was scheduled to take up the issue Tuesday, but negotiations didn't produce a bill. The Senate adjourned after approving Pritzkers proposed changes to the state budget that effective date errors. The governor's energy proposal pitched as one that protects consumers and the climate calls for nearly $700 million in state subsidies over five years to bail out three nuclear plants. It would also close coal plants by 2035 and natural gas-fired plants by 2045, according to an outline from Pritzker's office. Illinois would invest more in solar and wind energy, offering a $4,000 rebate for electric vehicle buyers and overhaul how consumer rates are set, according to the outline that shows average residential customers would pay nearly $3 more each month. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by this tragic situation, said university spokeswoman Anne Bassett, who said counseling and other services were available for students and employees. Alex Jackson graduated from Kennedy High in 2019, a year before his sister graduated, according to a spokeswoman for the Cedar Rapids school district. He played the flute and his sister played the oboe in the school's symphony band in 2019. Sabrina Jackson introduced then-presidential candidate Andrew Yang when he visited Cedar Rapids to discuss global warming in December 2019, according to news reports. Alex Jackson became an Eagle Scout in 2017 after working with the Save Cedar Rapids Heritage organization on a project to fix up a historic home. He spent hours painting the walls and ceiling of the home, originally built in the late 1800s, so that low-income families could move in, according to Boy Scouts of America Troop 766. Alex Jackson had no prior criminal record in Iowa, not an even a speeding ticket, according to a search of the states online court database. His parents and sister also had no record of legal troubles in Iowa. Before moving to Cedar Rapids in 2011, the family had previously lived in Oregon. Kim Kardashian West has paid tribute to her eldest daughter North West on her eighth birthday and revealed the special gift she is creating for her. Americans will once again be able to travel to Ireland starting on July 19, and Tourism Ireland has launched a multimillion-dollar campaign to help people get there. According to Reuters, the country has had the strongest restrictions during the pandemic, imposing fines on travelers and two-week quarantines on incoming travelers from more than 50 countries. This next step in reopening will allow anyone with an approved vaccination to travel freely throughout the EU, of which Ireland is a member. Children between ages 7 and 18 who havent been vaccinated must test negative for COVID-19 in order to enter. Unvaccinated adults must also test negative and quarantine until they receive a second negative test result. Northern Ireland will not yet be reopening to tourists, the government citing the large spread of the Indian variant as being the main reason. Tourism Ireland has launched a $4.2 million promotional campaign today to build on the desire to travel to Ireland. Americans are one of the biggest drivers of the countrys tourism economy. Two million of its 11.3 million visitors in 2019 were North Americans, creating $2.3 billion in revenue. A man lays on the street outside Pennsylvania Station transit hub in New York City on June 11, 2021. Amazon.com Inc.s planned new Africa headquarters in Cape Town is to draw demonstrations Wednesday as indigenous people protest its construction on a heritage site. A march will take place between a central museum and a statue of 17th-century colonialist Jan van Riebeeck in opposition to the project, which was announced in April as part of a 4 billion-rand ($291 million) mixed-use development on the outskirts of the South African parliamentary capital. While the City of Cape Town which approved the site has said the move will create thousands of jobs and give a boost to the Covid-19-ravaged economy, the plan quickly drew criticism from members of the Khoisan people, the original settlers on the land. There are now 50,000 objections from various parties, according to Tauriq Jenkins of the Goringhaicona Khoena Council, a Khoi traditional group. Opposition is based on environmental and heritage grounds, he said, citing the floodplain location and the site of early battles between his people and Portuguese settlers more than 500 years ago. Companies like Amazon are expatriating particular kinds of menace which they would not do in their own countries, Jenkins said. The march is scheduled for the South African public vacation known as Youth Day, with commemorates the 1976 Soweto Uprising of school children against apartheid education policies. While Amazon Web Services has been present in sub-Saharan Africa for some time, with clients including Johannesburg-based lender Absa Group Ltd. and Nigerian payments firm Flutterwave Inc., the online-retail operation has yet to build a significant presence. Yet e-commerce on the continent is just starting to take off. A string of firms such as Jumia Technologies AG are looking to take advantage of faster internet speeds and the growth in mobile payments. There has been extensive input on how the Khoi heritage of the area would be respected and memorialized, a spokesman for Cape Towns mayoral office said in emailed comments, adding that some indigenous groups are supporting the development. Environmental issues regarding the floodplain are also being addressed, the city said at the time the venture was announced in April. Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust, which is developing the project, couldnt be reached. Amazon didnt respond to a request for comment. Jenkins and other opponents are determined to derail the project, pledging to physically try and stop bulldozers from beginning work on the land. They instead want the area to be designated a world heritage site. Amazon has the wealth and power of the Dutch East India Company back in the day, Jenkins said, referring to the colonial-era trading company. Now read: New Amazon headquarters in Cape Town faces legal challenge Regulators are worried about hidden risks to investors and even the financial system stemming from a fast-growing corner of the crypto market meant to be immune from volatility. Their focus is on so-called stablecoins, a form of cryptocurrency that has a fixed price, typically one dollar, and is backed by real-money reserves. At the end of May, the total market capitalization of stablecoins, which include ones offered by crypto firms Tether and Centre, broke $100 billion. But in recent weeks, lawmakers and officials from the Federal Reserve and the administration have expressed alarm both in public and private that some consumers wont actually be protected should one of the firms not have the backing they purport to have. They also say the growing size of stablecoins has created a situation where huge amounts of U.S. dollar-equivalent coins are being exchanged without touching the U.S. banking system, potentially blinding regulators to illicit finance. Theyre dangerous to both their users and, as they grow, to the broader financial system, said Lev Menand, an academic fellow at Columbia Law School, in testimony to a Senate Banking subcommittee last week. Administration officials have expressed concern to representatives of stablecoin issuers in recent weeks that consumers dont understand that money held in a stablecoin isnt protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and that, in some cases, they could potentially lose money on a stablecoin, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to describe confidential discussions. The person said officials are also worried that criminals could use stablecoins to transfer money without having to touch a bank, meaning that they could avoid protections meant to catch money laundering and other illicit activity. Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren compared stablecoins to wildcat notes issued by poorly capitalized banks in the 19th century that later stuck many of their holders with large losses, speaking at a Senate Banking subcommittee hearing last week. Warren said that if the Federal Reserve were to issue its own digital currency, consumers could get the benefits of a stablecoin without that kind of risk. The U.S. and other nations are already considering launching their own digital currencies. Those coins, known as central bank digital currencies, would be direct competitors to stablecoins. Later this year, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston plans to publish research and open-source code showing technology that could underpin a digital dollar. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said lawmakers will likely need to weigh in for the project to advance and that the process could take years. Last month, in a statement on the Feds progress in researching a CBDC, Powell said that stablecoins could pose risks to the financial system. As stablecoins use increases, so must our attention to the appropriate regulatory and oversight framework, Powell said. Days after Powells statement, Fed Governor Lael Brainard in a speech gave her own warning, saying that widening use of stablecoins could fragment the financial system, potentially raising costs for U.S. households and businesses. Brainard and other Fed officials have warned that if privately-issued stablecoins become widely used, but consumers then lose confidence in them, it could result in the kind of run on the bank panic that threatens financial stability. As cryptocurrency trading has exploded, so has the use of stablecoins. Right now, investors primarily use stablecoins as a place to park money on cryptocurrency exchanges without having to transfer cash back to their bank accounts. The largest by far, with a market capitalization of $62.6 billion, is Tether, which is incorporated in Hong Kong. U.S. Dollar Coin, or USDC, has a market value of $23.8 billion and was created by the Centre Consortium, a partnership between crypto payments firm Circle Internet Financial Inc. and U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase Global Inc. Early stablecoin controversies circled around Tether International Ltd., which originally said its coins were completely backed by cash. In February, New Yorks attorney general said the company for years didnt actually have the cash it said it did and banned Tether from trading with New York residents. Now the company says Tethers coin is backed not just by cash, but by assets including commercial paper, corporate bonds and precious metals. The Centre Consortium says each U.S. Dollar Coin is backed by a dollar held in a bank account. Tether embraces transparency and regulation, said Tether General Counsel Stuart Hoegner, in a statement, noting that the company is registered as a money-services business with the Treasury Department. Hoegner said Tether doesnt currently accept U.S. customers and is pursuing audits for past years of Tethers reserves. We continue to look for avenues of regulation globally and are pursuing regimes in several countries, he said. Centre didnt respond to a request for comment. Other than continuing work on a potential central bank digital currency and increasing what stablecoin firms have to disclose to consumers, its unclear what regulators can do to slow stablecoins rapid growth. Timothy Massad, former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, in a May op-ed said the Securities and Exchange Commission could regulate stablecoins in a similar way to money-market funds, which arent FDIC-insured and faced stress during the 2008 financial crisis. One bill introduced in Congress last year would require stablecoin issuers to have a banking charter and get approval from the Fed, among other agencies, though the bill is unlikely to become law. The most immediate way that some stablecoins might come under attack is from enforcers, such as what happened with the New York attorney general, who could pursue issuers for lying to consumers, said Josh Lipsky, director of the Atlantic Councils GeoEconomics Center. Lipsky said stablecoin issuers could eventually work in tandem with international governments projects to issue their own digital currencies but that the U.S. and others will have to develop regulations to ensure consumers arent hurt. The way its marketed is that youre getting a dollar, but stablecoins are not always that stable, Lipsky said. In this short memoir, Kwak does a lot of things, and he does them all well. He writes a harrowing ticktock of his experience. He augments this with skillful reportage to explain what was going on beyond that atrium. He contrasts the lives of the wealthy white passengers with those of the crew members, many from the Philippines and Eastern Europe. And he reconsiders his life. As waves wash over the side and passengers curl into balls and as the crew continues to serve them buffet dinners and clean up after them Kwak takes stock. A decade into his career, travel writing was getting tedious. ("I used to put up with all that hassle for the sheer joy of seeing the world. These days, assignments felt more like procrastination before I'd start my real grown-up life.") He considers his relationship with his Korean parents his stoic mother's battle with cancer, his father's traumatic experience fleeing Japan by boat after the war. And he thinks about his 16-year relationship with his partner, Hannes, and how it has lost not just its zest but its fun. "Have I been too afraid of heartbreak to actually live?" he wonders. "And has that fear colored every choice I've made?" UPDATE: CalVet reports that power was restored shortly before 4 p.m. Power went out to the Veterans Home campus in Yountville on Tuesday afternoon and was out about a day, even as temperatures were expected to spike into triple digits. Multiple residents told the Register that power went out sometime before 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Several of the larger buildings had backup generators but the dorm buildings did not. One employee, who asked not to be named, said the residential buildings had only emergency lighting. CalVet, the state agency that runs the sprawling complex, said the problem was a power switch box on the grounds. After first saying repairs could take as long as three days, electricians were able to restore power shortly before 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Good news is that all of the generators turned on immediately and the Home implemented power outage protocols, including setting up cooling stations and charging stations, CalVet said in a written statement as electricians worked on the problem. It said independent living rooms were without power, but nursing care residents had power via generators. NEW ORLEANS (AP) The Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water was blocked Tuesday by a federal judge in Louisiana who ordered that plans continue for lease sales that were delayed for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska waters and all eligible onshore properties. The decision is a blow to Democratic President Joe Biden's efforts to rapidly transition the nation away from fossil fuels and thereby stave off the worst effects of climate change, including catastrophic droughts, floods and wildfires. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty's ruling came in a lawsuit filed in March by Louisiana Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states. Doughty said his ruling applies nationwide. It grants a preliminary injunction technically a halt to the suspension pending further arguments on the merits of the case. The omission of any rational explanation in cancelling the lease sales, and in enacting the Pause, results in this Court ruling that Plaintiff States also have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of this claim, he wrote. WASHINGTON (AP) The Navy never had to look too hard to fill its elite SEAL force. For years, eager recruits poured in to try out for naval special warfare teams but they were overwhelmingly white. Now, Naval Special Warfare Command leaders are trying to turn that around, developing programs to seek out recruits from more diverse regions of the country. We have been passive in the way that we recruit, Were SEAL Team. Come find us, said Rear Adm. H. Wyman Howard III, top commander for Naval Special Warfare, in an interview with The Associated Press. Now, he said, we have to go where diversity lives." Army leaders have been doing some of the same things. Lt. Gen. Fran Beaudette, head of Army Special Operations Command, said they have loosened some restrictions on who can try out for special forces units which included requirements on the amount of time in the service or in rank a soldier had done. And the Army has created new, specialized teams to better reach out to more diverse populations. The effort comes as the military and the nation struggles with racism, extremism and hate crimes. Leaders see greater diversity as a way to combat extremism in the ranks, even as they increase other training and education programs. According to the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an agency within the IRS, many people facing delays with their ITIN applications during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, the IRS received more than 1 million ITIN applications, according to the group. About 600,000 undocumented immigrants in California are ITIN filers. That's one-third of the estimated 2 million undocumented immigrants living in the state. As of June 7, about 542,000 Californians filed taxes using ITINs, according to Newsom's press office. That could amount to potentially $458 million in payments for the state's undocumented immigrants. Sasha Feldstein, economic justice policy manager at the California Immigrant Policy Center, is urging the state to develop its own excluded workers fund that would provide relief for undocumented residents who didn't qualify to receive unemployment benefits or the federal stimulus payments. "From an equity perspective, there is still a huge, huge gap to fill," Feldstein said. "So many working Californians continue to be excluded because they either do not have an ITIN or (are) unable to get an ITIN in order to receive that credit." Outreach to undocumented households At Baskin-Robbins on Tennessee Street, owner Ali Singh said masks are still mandatory, with corporate policy intact until at least June 28. Again, it's per Cal-OSHA's stance. So while the heat may bring out more customers escaping their non-air conditioned homes, people will still need to mask up, Singh said. And yes, some customers aren't thrilled. "Some people are not very cooperative, some are very understanding," Singh said. And if customers enter the business with no mask, "we'll ask them to wear a mask. They can't be inside without. We can always help them outside the store. You don't want to turn them away, but you want to keep people safe." The two banks closest to Baskin-Robbins WestAmerica and Wells Fargo haven't received word as of Monday if the mandatory mask policy is getting modified. Most individuals questioned are taking a cautious approach to any eased restrictions. The vaccinated Tracy Waldo Hellmann of Benicia said she will continue wearing masks at indoor businesses "at places I can't social distance or do not know if the people I'm around are vaccinated." "I'll continue to wear a mask inside of public places. Outside, not so much," said the "fully-vaccinated" Sherry Davis of Vallejo. Indeed, San Jose ratepayers pay more, even though San Jose Clean Energy procures electricity that is 30% cheaper than investor-owned PG&Es and 90% of SJCEs power comes from zero-greenhouse-gas power sources. Like other local community-choice utilities, SJCE doesnt have to pay PG&Es hefty executive salaries, shareholder dividends or excessive debt service. If the PCIA fee were calculated equitably, these advantages would enable SJCE ratepayers to consistently enjoy lower rates. But this year, many wont because of the hefty PCIA fee. PCIA fees came into being to ensure that former customers of big investor-owned utilities those residents and businesses who switched to lower-cost, greener community-choice providers bore their fair share of the utilities above-market costs of state-mandated investments in legacy power plants and older electricity supply contracts. To be sure, SJCE and other community-choice utilities pay less for greener electricity because they entered energy markets more recently. Newsom contends that the AR-15 is "nothing more than a weapon of war." If so, it presumably wouldn't be constitutionally protected for private use. Benitez himself referred to "a modern rifle" as a military weapon, writing it "can also be useful for war. In fact, it is an ideal firearm for militia service." The AR-15, when equipped with a high-capacity magazine, is a military-style weapon. But it doesn't quite rise to the Army's M16 killing capabilities. The civilian rifle is semiautomatic, requiring a new squeeze of the trigger for each bullet fired. The military rifle is capable of automatic fire commonly three-round bursts with one trigger squeeze. UC Berkeley law school dean Erwin Chemerinsky, a widely respected constitutional scholar, believes that the Supreme Court has only protected firearms that were common when the 2nd Amendment was adopted in 1791. In a recent Times opinion piece, Chemerinsky quoted the Heller ruling as stating that this constitutional limitation is "supported by the historical tradition of prohibiting the carrying of 'dangerous and unusual weapons.'" The Napa Planning Commission is presented once again with an amazing opportunity to approve a project that will provide critical workforce housing. The Napa Housing Coalition enthusiastically supports Monarch Landing, Napa Valley Community Housings (NVCH) latest housing development. This well-conceived project proposes to develop 77 units of infill affordable housing in the city of Napa. There currently exists an overwhelming need for employee housing in Napa County especially in the price range affordable to local average salaries. A couple of facts: 1. According to California Housing Partnership 2,989 low-income renter households in Napa County do not have access to an affordable home. (chpc.net) 2. The National Low Income Housing Coalitions Out of Reach report states a minimum wage worker in Napa County earning $13 per hour needs to work 84 hours a week more than two full-time jobs - to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment. Its been a nightmare getting labels and glass, said Gretchen. Due to COVID, everything is delayed. Labels that used to take a week or so to receive are taking six to eight weeks and prices are going up on everything. On top of those challenges in the wine industry, and like many Napa wineries, the 2020 fires took their toll on Red Thread Wines. We lost the crop to smoke taint, she explained. There will be some nice 2020 wines from other grape harvests; the ones that were picked early. We pick later; late September to early October. The fire came up to, but stopped short of, their Angwin property. They had to evacuate and stayed in Napa for the duration. Gretchen realized the damage to their friends and neighbors homes and belongings and started a clothing drive. The clothing was available at the Rutherford Grange. Now people cant get insurance and new regulations go into effect Oct. 1. Anyone who wants to increase their occupancy or density, whether commercial or residential, will have to install upgrades. Things like ADA bathrooms or paving the road from their location to the main road. Small family farms will be affected, and small wineries will have to sell. Still, the Brakesmans are optimistic and share their positive outlook. According to information released on the Twitter account of DGPR Pakistan Navy, on June 15, 2021, the steel cutting ceremony of the 4th MILGEM-Class corvette for the Pakistan Navy was held on June 15, 2021, at KS&EW (Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited). Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link The steel cutting ceremony for the 4th MILGEM Class Ship for the Pakistan Navy was held on June 15, 2021, at KS&EW (Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited). (Picture source ASFAT Twitter account) In 2018, the Turkish company ASFAT has signed a contract with the Pakistan Navy to build four MILGEM-class corvettes. During the edition 2018 of IDEAS, defense exhibition, Pakistan Navy officials stated that, under the agreement, the fourth ship will be entirely designed and constructed in Pakistan which will become the first Jinnah-class frigate. This strengthens the idea that the fourth ship will spur a new line of frigates. According to the Tweet, two corvettes will be built in Turkey and two in Pakistan at the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited (KS&EW). The MILGEM ships build for the Pakistani Navy is based on the Ada-class corvette but modification requested by Pakistan including the use of 16 vertical launch system (VLS) able to fire the LY-80 surface-to-air missile. The HQ-16, which is the land export version of the LY-80 is already in service with the Pakistani army since 2017. Most of the subsystems will be supplied by the Turkish company Aselsan. The Pakistani Navy MILGEM ship will be fitted with the SMART-S Mk2 search and targeting radar. It is an active phased array radar offering an instrumented range of 250 km. The radar can detect and track up to 500 airborne and surface targets. The ship will be also equipped with the Aselsan ARES-2NC electronic support measures (ESM) suite which allows passive monitoring as well as categorize and record enemy radar and communication signals. The Ada-class ship is powered by combined diesel and gas (CODAG) propulsion systems that will include one gas turbine engine, two diesel engines, and 2 shafts. The ship will be able to reach a top speed of 30 knots(56 km/h) with a maximum cruising range of 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h). 118 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Seven villagers with symptoms of anthrax are hospitalized in Gyumri Armenia President visits US ambassador 130 countries support introduction of global minimum tax for multinational corporations New Zealand to ban most single-use plastics by 2025 Al Pacinos rental home in Beverly Hills to be demolished? Newspaper: Armenia Investigative Committee dismissals have interesting backstory Newspaper: Why Armenia ex-President Sargsyan calls 7 "I Have Honor" bloc MP candidates to him? World Bank pledges $20bn in funding coronavirus vaccine purchases, deployment Newspaper: Why is coronavirus-related reality in Armenia being kept secret? Armenia Ombudsman calls on Artsakh-Armenians to remove or block phone numbers, personal data on social networks Armenia acting minister: Two new electric trains to transport passengers to and from Yerevan and Gyumri soon Body of 33-year-old man found hanged in Armenia's Lori Province Karabakh State Minister: I also have questions regarding loss of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd villages Armenia Ambassador to Ukraine hands copies of credentials to Ukrainian MFA leadership Erdogan defends Turkey's withdrawal from Istanbul Convention Parliament of Morocco recognizes 'third sex' 11 apprehended during opening ceremony of Tbilisi Pride Week Armenian analyst: Opposition could have won the elections, if it used the right technologies Adam Schiff: We have been able to secure more than $52,000,000 in funding for Armenia and Artsakh Court declares head of Armenia's Odzun village as victim under criminal case, there is no accused Direct flights to and from Kazakhstan and Armenia restored Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of 2 more soldiers found in Hadrut, Varanda and Jrakan Karabakh Security Council Secretary discusses issues related to water supply and power supply Armenian analyst: Turkey wants to do everything possible to absorb Azerbaijani army, turn it into subdivision 'Armenia' bloc to apply to Constitutional Court with demand to annul results of elections in coming days Catholicos Aram I meets with Pope Francis at Vatican Independent MP sues Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker Lena Nazaryan for calling her 'an idiot' Digest: US House calls for at least $50m aid to Armenia, New Jersey recognizes Artsakh independence Did China's Ambassador to Azerbaijan talk about the "Zangezur corridor"? Armenia 3rd President sends congratulatory message to China's Jinping FM: Armenian statehood will become geopolitically disabled without Artsakh Armenia fuel company owner Barsegh Beglaryan says he won't plead guilty and didn't incite anyone Armenia 1st Military Unit participants in recent Artsakh war are solemnly demobilized (PHOTOS) Armenia Environment Ministry: 1,650 structures being dismantled in lakeside zone of Lake Sevan Armenia acting PM's ex-chief of staff to serve as Member of Parliament Karabakh President makes new appointment Karabakh: Searches for remains of servicemen continue in southern direction not under Artsakh's control Armenia ex-President Sargsyan on criminal charge against him: The accusation is completely false Google to change rules for finding information on web Azerbaijan declares impossibility of Armenia lawyers defending Armenian captives in Baku Armenia Parliament approves several amendments to existing laws Dollar holding steady in Armenia Republican Party of Armenia vice-president summoned to Investigative Committee after returning from Brussels Armenia acting PM attends meeting dedicated to 103rd anniversary of prosecutor's office Karabakh State Minister: Artsakh is planning to build a few reservoirs Karabakh State Minister: Artsakh should prepare for elections, but under one condition Faction of Armenia acting PM's political party votes against the bill that it introduced Armenia Special Investigation Service ex-chief's son, official Narek Shahinyan stabbed in Yerevan Kuwait announces launch of its first own satellite on Falcon 9 launch vehicle Total amount of US assistance to Armenia to increase by $12.94m Armenia President sends congratulatory message to Canada PM Armenia acting territorial administration and infrastructure minister on news about being appointed Deputy PM Judicial farce against Armenian captives continues in Azerbaijan Oil rises in price Artsakh state minister believes Russian peacekeepers presence is not limited to 5 years Additional opportunities created to organize protection of right to self-determination, says Karabakh state minister Court hearing over case of Armenia 3rd President and company owner taking place Artsakh state minister: Azerbaijan will no longer use Karmir Shuka-Shushi road soon Armenia PM staff has new chief Armenia becomes 2nd country after US to grant patent to computer programs Armenia provides additional funding to Karabakh The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh welcomes the recognition of Artsakh by New Jersey Armenia acting economy minister: Twice as many agricultural products already exported as in 2019, 2020 Three new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh Pashinyan: Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021 has risen from 3.2% to 6% Armenia acting premier makes new appointment 126 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenian acting PM to Chinese President: Armenia is eager to further develop friendly relations with China Pashinyan to Trudeau: Armenia-Canada cooperation has great potential for furtherance Job search system within EEU, including Armenia, in operation as of today House of Representatives members call for at least $50m in US aid to Armenia in fiscal year 2022 China will bash the heads of those who try to enslave it, says Xi Jinping Newspaper: When will Armenia newly elected parliament convene first session? Newspaper: Quite interesting developments taking place at departments of Armenia state Newspaper: Armenia Judicial Department head included in criminal case Israel asks Washington to put off reopening of US Consulate in Jerusalem 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 Wednesdays meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden will begin at 1:35pm local time at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland. This is noted in the working schedule of the head of the US administration, which was released by the White House on Tuesday. Prior to that, however, a traditional photoshoot is planned. The schedule emphasizes that the talks in the expanded format will start at 2:55pm local timeand without the press. At the same time, it is noted that the American leader will continue his extended bilateral meeting with the Russian President at 4:40pm local time. According to the document, Biden will hold a news conference after the meeting with Putin; but the White House does not specify as to when it will kick off. After that, Biden will return to Washington by the presidential plane, but the exact time of arrival is not specified either. Moreover, as expected, the Russian President will hold a news conference first. Alongside the meeting of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden that kicked off today at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Armenian and Swiss politicians, members of various organizations and members of the local Armenian community gathered at the square facing the villa and demanded that the two presidents take action for recognition of the Armenian Genocide and urged them to condemn Azerbaijans blatant aggression against Armenia and Azerbaijan. During a conversation with Armenpress news agency, Switzerland-based Armenian music producer Ani Gasparyan, who was one of the demonstrators, said Swiss government officials have touched upon the fact that Biden used the term genocide and stated that the international community is waiting for future steps. The demonstrators spoke out about the 44-day war in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), noting that Artsakh suffered human, territorial and cultural losses and that Azerbaijan continues to be aggressive against the peoples of Armenia and Artsakh by posing a threat to their security, evidence of which is the fact that Azerbaijani Armed Forces have been infiltrating into the sovereign territory of Armenia since May 12. The demonstrators called on the leaders of the superpowers to visit the monument to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide placed in Geneva and not forget the history since there is a risk of repetition. Gasparyan added that one of the demonstrators touched upon Armenian prisoners of war, reminding that nearly 200 Armenian prisoners of war are still in prisons in Azerbaijan seven months after the end of the war and that Baku is persistently against their return to Armenia. The municipal authorities of Geneva have addressed the Federal Council of Switzerland with the demand to condemn Azerbaijans aggression against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. The demonstrators recalled that the authorities of Geneva had submitted an application to the Federal Council of Switzerland back in November 2020, urging the Council to condemn Azerbaijans aggression against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, even though certain figures had responded to the application with silence. Story Highlights 48% of online law students rated their program as "good" or "excellent" Diverse teaching methods improved perceptions of online programs Online, in-person students participate similarly in extracurriculars WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced law schools across the U.S. to shift their programs completely online. Prior to the pandemic, no American Bar Association-accredited law school offered a fully online degree program, and fewer than ten offered hybrid programs. As a result, even if their universities had the infrastructure to support the migration of their courses to an online platform, faculty may not have had the experience needed to make such a rapid transition. Moreover, few students had any exposure to -- let alone a preference for -- an online legal education. To quantify the impact of these challenges on law students' education, AccessLex partnered with Gallup to produce Law School in a Pandemic: Student Perspectives on Distance Learning and Lessons for the Future, a nationally representative study of currently-enrolled U.S. law students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research finds that while law students report a strong preference for in-person education, there are several indications that this unprecedented period of emergency remote teaching may provide a useful foundation for future distance learning J.D. programs. Less Than Half of Online J.D. Students Say Program Was Good or Excellent The AccessLex-Gallup survey, conducted Feb. 25 to March 24, asked law students about their classroom experiences prior to and during the pandemic. About nine in 10 students said that they took at least half of their fall 2020 and spring 2021 courses online, including nearly eight in 10 who said they were mostly or completely online during that period. This represents a significant shift in the legal education landscape, as only 2% of second-year (2L) and third-year (3L) students said they had taken any of their law courses online prior to the pandemic. The format of the courses had a noticeable impact on how students viewed the quality of their program. Just under half (48%) of students who learned mostly or completely online in spring 2021 rated their J.D. program as "good" or "excellent." In contrast, 73% of students who were learning mostly or completely in person said the same. How would you rate the quality of your current J.D. program during the COVID-19 pandemic? Mostly or completely in-person Equally online and in-person Mostly or completely online % % % Excellent 21 8 11 Good 52 49 37 Fair 23 34 36 Poor 4 9 16 AccessLex-Gallup, 2021 While students attending primarily in person were more positive than online students about the quality of their program, the data suggest the pre-pandemic experiences of 2L and 3L students may have influenced their perceptions of the overall quality of their program. First-year students (1L) without any prior in-person J.D. experience to compare it with were noticeably more positive about their programs during the pandemic. This is irrespective of their course format as 64% of 1L students said their J.D. program during the pandemic was good or excellent, compared with 43% of 2L and 3L students who said the same. Horizontal stacked bar graph. Law students' perceptions of the quality of their programs, by year. 64% of first year students rate their programs as excellent or good, compared with 46% of second year students and 40% of third year students. Highest Rated Online Programs Used Most Diverse Array of Teaching Methods Though the overwhelming majority of students completed most of their courses online in the 2020 academic year, the data suggest that faculty largely employed the same teaching methods, regardless of whether they taught online or in person. Please indicate how many of your law school courses have used the following during the COVID-19 pandemic. Percentage "all" or "most" Mostly or completely in person Equally online and in person Mostly or completely online % % % Live lectures from faculty 88 80 89 The Socratic method 66 56 51 Written assignments 27 32 40 Online discussions 18 30 36 Quizzes 14 17 23 Skills-based instruction 19 14 17 Group projects or other collective work 9 8 13 Pre-recorded lectures 8 5 8 Guest lectures 7 6 7 AccessLex-Gallup, 2021 Students who were primarily taking their courses online were at least as likely as their in-person peers to say that most or all of their courses utilized live lectures from faculty, group work and guest lectures. Written assignments, online discussions and quizzes were used more frequently for instruction taking place mostly online than mostly in person, although the rank order of use was the same for both environments. One method used more frequently in person than online is the Socratic method. This is a common technique in law classes that involves asking students questions meant to help them think more critically about legal arguments, court decisions and hypothetical scenarios adapted from the facts and law in those cases. About 66% of students who learned mostly or completely in person said the majority of their courses employed the Socratic method, compared with 51% of those learning mostly or completely online. Although distance learning courses relied more heavily on online discussions and formal assessments, this did not seem to detract from the distance-learning experience. Rather, the students learning remotely who were most likely to rate their J.D. program as "excellent" were those whose courses employed a wide variety of approaches. Please indicate how many of your law school courses have used the following during the COVID-19 pandemic. - Percentage "all courses" or "most courses" among students taking most or all of their courses online in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 Results among students who rate the quality of their program during the pandemic as Excellent Good Fair Poor % % % % Live lectures from faculty 94 90 88 87 The Socratic method 65 54 50 43 Written assignments 55 44 35 34 Online discussions 63 38 32 21 Quizzes 39 25 22 11 Skills-based instruction 30 21 12 8 Group projects or other collective work 19 15 10 10 Pre-recorded lectures 12 8 6 9 Guest lectures 11 8 6 7 AccessLex-Gallup, 2021 While online students were less satisfied with the overall quality of their J.D. program, this does not seem to reflect how engaged they felt by their in-class experience. Forty-five percent of students learning mostly or completely online agreed their professors used teaching methods that engaged them, compared with 49% of students learning mostly or completely in person. Online Students as Likely or More Likely to Participate in Extracurriculars Students who completed most of their courses online during the 2020-2021 academic year were more likely than mostly in-person students to have participated in a number of extracurricular activities during the pandemic. These include holding an internship or externship and, to a lesser extent, working on their school's law review or serving as a faculty research assistant. Which of the following have you participated in since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic? Select all that apply. Mostly or completely in-person Equally online and in-person Mostly or completely online (%) (%) (%) Internship or externship 27 41 45 Faculty research assistant position 10 17 17 Law review/journal 21 27 30 Moot court or mock trial 19 22 16 AccessLex-Gallup, 2021 Bottom Line When asked to rate the quality of their J.D. program, students who were enrolled in online courses were significantly less positive about their experience. They were also less confident that their program is preparing them for postgraduation success: 34% of mostly online students strongly agreed that they believed they would graduate with the skills they needed to succeed in their chosen career path, compared with 47% of mostly in-person students. However, the underlying experience indicates that many of the components of an in-person law school experience are replicable in an online environment -- even one forced by a global pandemic. Distance learning students reported the teaching methods used in their courses were similar to those of traditional law courses and were about equally as engaging as an in-person experience, and these students were at least as likely to be involved in extracurricular or co-curricular activities as those who were in person. And without a pre-pandemic experience to compare it against, nearly two-thirds of 1L students believed the education they received was excellent or good. Though a large satisfaction gap remained in Spring 2021 between online and in-person students, the first year of significant online law school instruction has given universities the opportunity to assess the positive outcomes of this forced experiment and to identify the law school experiences that did not seem to translate to the online classroom. As vaccinations allow more students to return to campuses in the fall, it remains to be seen whether law schools will retain any aspects of the distance learning curriculum or even explore permanent online programs that have not been previously offered. To learn more, read the full report. Tania Leons music journey began at an early age when her grandparents realized she had a love for the art form. My grandmother decided to take me to a music conservatory in Cuba at just four years old because she said I was totally enamored of sound and melodies. She claims I always stood by the radio to flip through the stations to find music to dance and enjoy the rhythm to, recounted Leon. My grandfather even bought me a piano at the age of 5. Thats the beginning of my story with music. The Cuban-born composers love and dedication to music carried throughout her lifeleading her to most recently winning the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for music for her orchestral composition, Stride. I must say I have never chased after any awards, so I was in shock when I found out I won because I had no idea this was happening. I got very sentimental and started to cry. I was overwhelmed with emotion. It was an amazing feeling, said Leon. Leon, who is currently the 2021 Distinguished Composer-in-Residence for the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, explained that the award made her ruminate about different points of her life. Now, reflecting at what this award means to me personally, it truly represents all of my hard work and sacrifices Ive made over the years. And that's part of the reason why I became so emotional when I found out I received this prize, explained Leon. It made me reflect upon my arrival to the United States from Cuba many years ago, and it even made me reflect on the beginning of my music career when I started studying in Havana, Cuba. My mind all of a sudden went to all of these memory files. According to the musician, Stride is a piece that was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in the nation. I was very inspired by the life of Susan B. Anthony, who was a leader of that movement. Listening to her voice and listening to her proclamations gave me the drive to show the resilience of somebody that has so much passion to spark change in the world, Leon said. She pointed out that the title of the piece was inspired by her personal accounts of witnessing the dedication of people fighting for a cause they believe in. For example, when I arrived in the U.S., I saw the marches of Martin Luther King Jr. on television and that made a big impression on me. So, I put together a coalition of memories that had the same energy, and it gave me the idea of titling the piece Stride, she shared. Maria Schneider, artistic director of the Henry Mancini Institute. Photo: Jenny Abreu for the Frost School of Music Maria Schneider, artistic director of the Frost Schools Henry Mancini Institute, was also celebrated as a Pulitzer Prize finalist in music for her double album, Data Lords. It was released last year and features the world-class Maria Schneider Orchestra and won the Grammy Award for best large jazz ensemble album. I feel it as a great honor. Ive served on a couple of Pulitzer committees in the past, said Schneider. And I know the mountain of music they comb through, and I know the great care they take to choose a winner and any finalists. So, I know what it means to be chosen to be in this elite group. Its very exciting. She also said she is proud to be in Leons company at the Frost School of Music. The students must be loving the opportunity to work with her as well. When I've heard Tania talk about process and motivation in writing music, it sounds so similar to my own. That, to me, is powerfulto have people having similar motivations and processes to write, but to come to very different results based on each persons unique paths in life, Schneider explained. The Pulitzer Prize in music is awarded to one person each year for a distinguished composition, who is chosen from three nominated finalists. This year we congratulate two of our esteemed facultythe 2021 Pulitzer Prize winner, our Distinguished Composer in Residence, Tania Leon, and our artistic director of the Henry Mancini Institute, Maria Schneider, a nominated finalist in the jury decision, said Shelton G. Berg, dean of the Frost School. Both of these brilliantly talented composers have contributed inspiring works that are a commentary on our history and the state of the world. I join in congratulating Tania and Maria on their extraordinary achievements and am thrilled our students get to experience studying with these great music masters. Charles Mason, chair of the Department of Theory and Composition at the Frost School of Music, said he is excited and not surprised about Leons big win. Our students have been extremely fortunate to have been able to study with her one-on-one throughout the spring semester and will continue to do so during the fall term, said Mason. She is always kind and encouraging, challenging the students to broaden their music awareness and to reach further into their natural creative forces to realize that music has a voice, has something to say. Leon is excited to see what the future holds for her. My goals are always changing. One of the things I have learned in life is to be flexible with myself, which is something that is a big challenge. I want to let life show me the way, Leon remarked. She instills the same advice to her students. I sincerely hope that they take chances and risks. Not only in their writing but in the progress of their life, Leon said. Without taking risks, sometimes we dont go into the most important thing in life, which is discovery. Ajiri Uzere spent the first 14 years of her life living between both Egypt and London before later immigrating with her parents to a small town in Arkansas. While growing up there, she recalled not being afforded the opportunity to know any adults who were pursuing a career in international affairs. At that time, she was eager to repair the systemic and social issues in the world, so after being accepted into the University of Miaminearly 1,400 miles from homeshe set out on a journey to become the adult she needed as a child. When we moved, my parents and I had so little experience with the systems in the United States and the different pathways to careers, nor did we interact with individuals who have these types of careers I was interested in, said Uzere, who is vice president of Student Government. Being a first-generation student and being Nigerian, its always been, Be a lawyer, be a doctor, or be an engineer. She explained that the encouragement to pursue one of those three careers is not because of the salaries which they come with, but because of a lack of exposure to other pathways to success. Her mission is to change that for future generations who are of African descent. Now a senior, Uzere double majors in political science and psychology with minors in Spanish and public health while working assiduously to forge her own path in international development. Recently, she was accepted into the prestigious Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program. The six-week program is designed to provide undergraduates around the nation with a deeper appreciation and understanding of careers in international affairs and to enhance their skills and knowledge to pursue those careers. The Office of Academic Enhancement gave me a fighting chance to get through the programs rigorous application process, said Uzere, who is one of 20 undergraduates across the country accepted as a Rangel Scholar this year. I always start my meetings with lots of questionsI want students to feel comfortable talking about themselves and their interests in earnest, said April Dobbins, director of prestigious awards and fellowships in the Office of Academic Enhancement and a mentor to Uzere. In our first meeting, Ajiri spoke of her academic interests, life experiences, and even her family history. It was evident that she was a competitive candidate, Dobbins said, pointing out that it is normal for qualified students who come through her office to feel that they aren't strong enough to apply. In turn, Dobbins uses her own experiences to motivate and relate to students like Uzere. According to Dobbins, Uzeres academic and extracurricular track record, passion, and focus, made it easy for the offices team to enthusiastically endorse her. One thing that set her apart was that she had done her research on all awards of interest, Dobbins added. Shed thoroughly reviewed our website and came with questions specific to her interests. Armed with additional confidence, Uzere said she is certain that everything shes involved in today will permit her to fulfil her destiny of implementing programs that provide health care access to underserved communities around the globe. I want to make sure young girls arent missing out of school because they dont have access to water to take a shower . . . or a baby doesnt die because of a parents lack of education about vaccinations, she said. My dream is to be on the ground, crafting policy and working with governments to make sure that things are actually changing for the better. Uzere credits this clearer vision to being involved in diverse extracurricular programs and activities at the University. During her sophomore year, she was a participant in the Butler Center for Service and Leaderships third annual cohort-style program, Leadership UMiami. While exploring Washington, D.C. through the program, discovering concepts related to democracy and social change, she learned about her dream career. That experience honestly shifted my perspective on my career path completely because it was the first time. Id been exposed to a group of people who are interested in foreign policy and public service but not from a law perspective, said Uzere. This summer, as Uzere sets off on her newest venture, she urges younger students with similar beginnings as herself to be open-minded, research as much as possible before settling on a career, network with like-minded individuals, and recognize and confront feelings associated with imposter syndromea psychological pattern in which a person doubts their skills, talents, and accomplishmentsthe moment they may arise. Applying to the Rangel Scholar program really taught me that what is for you will be for you, said Uzere, who was in a state of shock when she read the email notifying her of her acceptance into the program. I think about the people who have poured into me since I wanted to pursue this programlike Mr. [Christopher] Clarke [director of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs], and the number of people who were on that Google document helping me edit my personal statement. Uzere said she is grateful for the community of people at the University who have helped her realize she is worthy of great opportunities and a bright future in an industry she loves. Shes elated to learn more and grow through the Rangel Scholar program this summer. I know exactly what its like to want to do something so badly, but because you dont know who to turn to, you feel like you cant do it, she said. I want to be able to help someone like myself who needed answers. I will sit down with you for hours and share with you exactly the steps I took from my own experience. Students interested in applying for prestigious awards can explore scholarship listings at oae.miami.edu or email prestigiousawards@miami.edu. Packaging unlikely as Covid source: epidemiologist Professor Benjamin Cowling from the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health says packaging isn't a major route of transmission. File photo: RTHK Benjamin Cowling speaks to RTHK's Mike Weeks Epidemiologist Benjamin Cowling said on Wednesday he was sceptical that a 17-year-old girl had contracted a mutant Covid strain from contaminated food packaging. On Tuesday, health authorities said a sample of frozen crocodile spare ribs from Thailand in the girl's freezer had tested positive. The girl became infected earlier this month, breaking Hong Kong's more than 40 days without an untraceable case. Professor Cowling from the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health said packaging wasn't a major route of transmission. "It is unlikely at this point that the infection did occur from contaminated meat packaging," said Cowling. "For this particular possibility, I think the next step is really to look at whether the virus matches." "Can we say it's the same virus on the meat packaging as the virus that infected the girl? Was it the virus on the meat packaging first, and then infecting the girl, or was it that the girl had the infection and breathed on the packaging of meat and that's how the virus got there and because it was frozen it was able to stay there?" The girl has reportedly admitted to sneezing on the package, suggesting the package was not the source of the virus. Late on Tuesday the government's Centre for Food Safety announced that it had ordered the vendor to stop selling the frozen crocodile ribs, and to provide product samples for testing. The government said at the end of May that over 10,000 samples of food and their packaging had been collected for testing. The results, including those for over 40 related crocodile products imported from Thailand, were all negative. HK shares slip as investors eye Fed rate hike clues The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong came under pressure ahead of the US Federal Reserve's policy meeting on Wednesday. Image: Shutterstock Hong Kong's benchmark index widened losses towards the end of trading on Wednesday, while most regional markets were also under pressure as investors stayed on the look out for signs of a rate hike from the US Federal Reserve. The Hang Seng Index started 29 points lower, and briefly clawed its way into positive territory before staying in the red for the rest of the day. It finished 201 points, or 0.7 percent, down at 28,436. Market turnover was HK$138.4 billion. BYD snapped three days of gains and plunged 8.2 percent to become the day's biggest blue-chip loser. Other mainland carmakers suffered as well, Great Wall Motors slid more than nine percent, while Geely lost 4.1 percent. Also weighing on the local market was Meituan the food delivery platform sinking 4.5 percent. Alibaba retreated 1.5 percent, after a report that cited a Chinese court verdict said a software developer had trawled its shopping website, Taobao, for eight months and taken billions of pieces of user information. Separately, an executive said during a media interview that the founder of the e-commerce giant, Jack Ma, has been "lying low. Financials helped offset some of the benchmarks losses. HSBC, ICBC and AIA each added more than one percent. Oil companies were helped by the commodity's bull run. PetroChina jumped up 1.4 percent and Sinopec put on 0.5 percent. But CNOOC edged down 0.2 percent. Across the border, the Shanghai Composite Index declined 1.1 percent, while the blue-chip CSI300 index was off 1.7 percent. The Shenzhen Composite tumbled 2.3 percent. Around the region, the Nikkei in Tokyo shed 0.5 percent, Taiwan inched down 0.4 percent, and Singapore was about one percent lower. But the Kospi in South Korea added 0.6 percent to reach a record closing high and Australia also gained one percent. Israel strikes Gaza in response to balloon bombs An Israeli firefighter attempts to extinguish a fire caused by an incendiary balloon launched by Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Photo: AP Israeli police tow the car that was said to be used in an attack near Hizma Junction in the West Bank. Photo: AP Israel carried out strikes on Gaza early on Wednesday after Palestinian militants sent incendiary balloons into the south of the country, the first flare-up since a major conflict killed hundreds last month. Tensions later rose again in the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli army said they shot a Palestinian woman, alleging she had attempted to ram soldiers with a car and then stab them. The strikes on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza were the first under the new coalition government headed by Naftali Bennett, who took over on Sunday after ousting longtime prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The renewed violence came a day after more than a thousand Jewish ultranationalist demonstrators bearing Israeli flags poured into Jerusalem's flashpoint Old City, with scores of police deployed and international monitors urging calm. According to Palestinian sources, the Israeli air force targeted at least one site east of Khan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said that in response to "arson balloons", its "fighter jets struck military compounds belonging to the Hamas terror organisation". It said "facilities and meeting sites for terror operatives" in Khan Yunis were targeted. There was no indication of any casualties. Israel's military added that it was "prepared for any scenario, including a resumption of hostilities, in the face of continuing terror activities from the Gaza Strip." Israeli firefighters on Wednesday afternoon said they were battling to put out "several fires around the Gaza Strip... started by incendiary balloons". The violence is the first flare-up between Israel and Palestinian militants since a ceasefire took effect on May 21, ending 11 days of heavy fighting that killed 260 Palestinians including some fighters, according to Gaza authorities. In Israel, 13 people were killed, including a soldier, by rockets and missiles fired from Gaza, the police and army said. In the West Bank on Wednesday, a Palestinian woman was shot after attempting to drive into Israeli soldiers in a car and attack them with a knife, the military said. The Palestinian health ministry said the woman died of her wounds. The incident took place near Hizma, south of Ramallah. Official Palestinian news website Wafa identified the woman as Mai Afana, 29, from the town of Abu Dis, just outside Jerusalem. (AFP) EU chief signs off on Spain, Portugal recovery plans European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hands Portugal's recovery fund document to Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa. Photo: AP Spain and Portugal became the first EU countries to win Brussels' approval on Wednesday for their recovery plans seeking funding from the bloc's multi-billion-euro coronavirus rescue fund. "The European Commission has decided to give its green light to Spain's recovery and resilience plan," commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in Madrid, just hours after she signed off on the Portuguese plan. Spain, whose economy has been particularly badly hit by the pandemic, will be the second-biggest beneficiary of the landmark 750-billion-euro (US$910-billion) recovery plan, Next Generation EU, which was drawn up nearly a year ago. "These reforms, I'm deeply convinced, will make Spain come out of the pandemic stronger than ever before," Von der Leyen said, noting that 40 percent of the funds would be driven into the green transition. "That is enormous," she said, hailing the plan as "ambitious" and "far-sighted". "Next Generation EU is our unique chance to move forward into a more green, a more digital, a more sustainable society." Spain is to receive 140 billion euros in funding. Half of the funds will be grants and the other half loans. Spain has pledged to invest a large part of it into the green transition. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said it was "a historic day for Spain" but also for Europe "because the plans approved today for Portugal and Spain open the door to a new way of .. cooperating together and responding to the challenges we face as societies." (AFP) CHICAGO Chicago police believe two people entered an Englewood home early Monday and shot eight people four fatally and seven in the head, according to a police report. About 5:45 a.m. Tuesday, officers received a call of shots fired from the second-floor residents of a house in the 6200 block of South Morgan Street on the South Side, the report based on preliminary information said. The officers entered the first-floor apartment of the house and found four people all unresponsive with gunshot wounds to the head. They were all in various rooms of the apartment. Three of the surviving victims found at the scene also had gunshot wounds to their heads, the report said. One victim, a 23-year-old man, had a through-and-through gunshot wound to the back, and he self-transported to St. Bernards Hospital in critical condition before he was transferred to the University of Chicago Medical Center. Police learned that two males came inside the house and shot all the victims, the report said. Numerous .45-caliber and 9 mm shell casings were found throughout the home, the report said. Of those who died, Shametria Williams, 19, and Ratanya Aryiel Rogers, 28, were identified by the Cook County medical examiners office. A 35-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman were also killed, but they have not yet been identified, pending notification of their family. Those who survived in addition to the 23-year-old man were a 25-year-old woman shot in the head in critical condition, a 25-year-old man with a gunshot wound lodged to the head and a graze wound to the head in fair condition, and a 41-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the head and a graze to the head in serious condition, the report said. The oldest victim was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, and the two 25-year-olds were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said. No arrests have been made. RENO, Nev., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - i-80 GOLD CORP. (TSX: IAU) (OTC: IAUCF) ("i-80", or the "Company") is pleased to announce that rehabilitation of underground drill bays is completed and underground drilling has commenced at the Company's Granite Creek ("Granite Creek" or "the Property") property located in Humbolt County, Nevada. The Company's Getchell Property has been renamed Granite Creek to avoid confusion with the Getchell open pit located at the nearby Turquoise Ridge mine property. i-80 Gold Corp Logo (CNW Group/i-80 Gold Corp) The Granite Creek Mine Project hosts both open pit and underground resources and is strategically located proximal to Nevada Gold Mines' Twin Creeks and Turquoise Ridge mines at the north end of the Battle Mountain-Eureka Trend at its intersection with the Getchell gold belt in Nevada. The Company has launched its 2021 surface and underground drilling program at Granite Creek that is expected to consist of approximately 22,000 metres of drilling. The primary goal of the 2021 drill program is to advance underground and open pit opportunities to production. Underground drilling will be focused on delineating sufficient resources for developing a nearterm development and mining plan. Ongoing surface drilling will also test near-surface mineralization for metallurgical purposes and open pit definition to advance permitting for open pit mining including heap leach processing on-site. Matt Gili, President and Chief Operating Officer of i-80 commented: "Advancing the Granite Creek Mine Project to producer status is the Company's primary focus for 2021. The large-scale drilling program is designed to increase resources, advance permitting to facilitate open pit mining, and prepare for test mining ahead of feasibility studies." Tim George, PE, is the Qualified Person for the information contained in this press release and is a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101. Story continues About i-80 Gold Corp. i-80 Gold Corp. is a Nevada-focused mining company with a goal of achieving mid-tier gold producer status. In addition to its producing mine, El Nino at South Arturo, i-80 is beginning to plan for future production growth through the potential addition of the Phases 1 & 3 projects at South Arturo, advancing the Granite Creek Project through economic studies and then on to development, and the advanced exploration for the 100%owned McCoy-Cove Property. ____________________ Certain statements in this release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including but not limited to, actual production results and costs, outcomes and timing of updated technical studies and future exploration results. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company, its projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events, performance and results and speak only as of the date of this release. Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or information, including, but not limited to: material adverse changes, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with the company to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations. Underground portal at Granite Creek Mine Project (CNW Group/i-80 Gold Corp) Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/i-80-gold-commences-underground-drilling-at-its-granite-creek-property---name-change-of-the-getchell-property-301313450.html SOURCE i-80 Gold Corp Pedestrians walk in front of a Japanese monitor showing a broadcast of ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn. Ghosn currently lives in Lebanon, which does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images Michael Taylor and his son Peter pleaded guilty to helping ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn escape Japan. Prosecutors say Ghosn, who faces charges of financial misconduct, was the brains behind his escape in a box of musical instruments. Michael Taylor previously ran a company that helped people escape from complex issues overseas, Vanity Fair reported. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Former US special forces veteran Michael Taylor, 60, and his son Peter, 28, pleaded guilty on Monday to helping ex-Nissan Motor chief Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan in a box aboard a private jet. The plan, prosecutors say, was Ghosn's idea, Nikkei Asia reported, and one he joked about as a "mission impossible" during a post-escape press conference in Beirut in January 2020. Ghosn, 67, currently lives in exile in his childhood home in Lebanon, likely chosen because it does not have an extradition agreement with Japan. He faces charges of financial misconduct that say he under-reported his pay package for five years, tried to get Nissan to cover his personal foreign exchange losses, and skimmed an additional $5 million from the motor company. The ex-Nissan chief was initially picked up by Japanese authorities on the charges in April 2019 but was able to post the $8.9 million bail. While he was out on bail, prosecutors say he began hatching his escape plan with Michael Taylor and his son. According to prosecutors, Ghosn was connected to the Taylors via his wife Carole, who met the former Green Beret during a trip to Lebanon, the Wall Street Journal reported. Though his electronic communication was limited while on bail, Ghosn was able to keep in touch with the Taylors on an unauthorized phone via an encrypted messaging app, prosecutors said, according to the Nikkei. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the Taylors arranged to smuggle Ghosn in a box designed to carry musical instruments from Japan's western Kansai International Airport in Osaka to Turkey. Story continues The plan, according to the Nikkei, was developed during Peter Taylor's trips to Tokyo to meet with Ghosn during the latter half of 2019. Ghosn paid around $1.3 million to the younger Taylor's internet marketing firm, the Nikkei said. The Japanese daily also reported that according to Michael Taylor's oral testimony, Ghosn emerged from the box as the jet flew to Turkey and did not even offer thanks to the Taylors once he had escaped Japan's borders. According to a July 2020 Vanity Fair article, Michael Taylor used to run a private military contractor called American International Security Corporation that helped dozens of clients escape complex situations overseas and charged between $20,000 to $2 million per job. Father and son were arrested by US agents in Massachusetts in May last year and were extradited to Japan this March after a months-long legal battle. Both Taylors said in court on Monday that the prosecution's summary of events was true. Sentencing for the pair will come after a second trial session scheduled late June, reported the Wall Street Journal. Read the original article on Insider Seventeen Rihanna's Savage x Fenty has released their first-ever Pride collection and, as with all thing Riri does, it goes above and beyond. In addition, SXF is making a donation of $250,000 from the sales of the capsule collection. The donation will be split between The Audre Lorde Project, The Caribbean Equality Project, INC., GLAAD, Trans Latin@ Coalition & Trans Wellness Center. SAO PAULO (AP) Argentina and Uruguay go into Friday's Copa America encounter with neither team having won in three games since November. The two sides seem unsure about which players to select for the Group A game at the Mane Garrincha stadium in Brasilia. The winner could ultimately go on to top the group and avoid an early knockout-stage meeting with defending champion Brazil, which is in Group B. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has received criticism since his team's opening 1-1 draw against Chile on Monday, a game that came a few days after a 2-2 draw with Colombia in World Cup qualifying. Scaloni appears unsure whether to use three or four defenders against Uruguay. He could also bring back Cristian Romero in the center of his rearguard in place of Lucas Martinez Quarta. If he opts for a line of three defenders, left-back Nicolas Tagliafico may miss out. Scaloni is also undecided who should accompany Lionel Messi up front. Lautaro Martinez has been short of goals for Argentina while new Barcelona signing Sergio Aguero is eager to start. Uruguay will have Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani in attack for its first game in the group, but coach Oscar Tabarez has not yet decided who will play in midfield between Giovanni Gonzalez, who normally plays as a defender for Penarol, Lucas Torreira, Rodrigo Bentancur, Nicolas de la Cruz, Federico Valverde, Matias Vecino, Facundo Torres and Jonathan Rodriguez. If Gonzalez plays, it could mean that Tabarez wants extra protection against the brilliant Messi. Suarez said: They are very strong up front but I can also make use of the frailties that every team has. Paraguay leads the group after beating Bolivia 3-1 on Monday. ____ AP journalist Debora Rey contributed to this report from Buenos Aires. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's most populous city Sydney has recorded its first locally acquired case of COVID-19 in more than a month, stoking concerns of a fresh wave of infections on Wednesday. New South Wales (NSW) state said it is not clear how the unnamed man in his 60s acquired the virus, but he was a driver who occasionally transported overseas airline crew. While authorities urgently try and determine the source of the infection, NSW warned the unnamed man went to the cinema and more than a dozen cafes and shops in Sydney's eastern suburbs, which include Bondi Beach, while potentially infectious. The emergence of a case in NSW comes as Australia's second most populous state battles to contain a cluster of COVID-19 cases. Victoria state on Wednesday recorded five COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, though all linked to known cases, but authorities said it will ease restrictions on the 5 million residents of Melbourne. From Friday, anyone in Melbourne will be allowed to travel more than 25 kms (15 miles) from their home, while mandatory masks wearing outdoors will end. Melbourne exited a two-week hard lockdown late last week, its fourth since the pandemic began, after an outbreak that has seen about 100 cases since May 24. Public gatherings will increased to 20 people while the ban on home gatherings will be lifted. Gyms can open across Melbourne but must comply to strict distancing rules and salon services can operate without masks during service. "It isn't over yet by no means ... please don't go back to behaviours that would suggest that there's absolutely no risk," Victoria state Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said during a televised media conference in Melbourne. Swift contact tracing, snap lockdowns and strict social distancing measures has helped Australia successfully combat prior outbreaks and keep its COVID-19 numbers relatively low, with just under 30,300 cases and 910 deaths. Daily cases have remained in single digits for the last nine days in Victoria while other states and territories have effectively eliminated the virus. (Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Michael Perry) GENEVA President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to begin working-level discussions in a bid to strike a long-term bargain before the only major arms control on the books expires in 2026. The U.S. commander in chief said he brought up additional nuclear arms reductions in "some detail" during the two-and-a-half-hour talk with the Russian leader on Wednesday. Our colleagues at the working level will set out the composition of the delegations and the place where theyll be working and how frequently such meetings will take place, Putin told reporters following the shorter-than-expected meeting. Putins announcement included no reference to the historic arms control statement, "A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," adopted by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 that set the table for a 1987 treaty. But, the prospects for a treaty in the coming years are threatened by Russias weapon development, raising the specter of a nuclear blitzkrieg against U.S. allies in Eastern Europe. It's not clear we'll ever get to an agreement, a U.S. official told the Washington Examiner prior to the summit. The talks might also move down a path that is less formal, and that's where you could have voluntary agreements that capture different kinds of weapons that aren't formal treaties, that don't require Senate confirmation. A joint U.S.-Russia statement said the two Cold War rivals would "embark together on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in the near future that will be deliberate and robust. Through this Dialogue, we seek to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures." The new talks, first reported by the Washington Examiner, were met with skepticism by former Trump administration officials. "The Biden administration knows that Russia, in fact, believes that a nuclear war CAN be fought & won," tweeted Marshall Billingslea, assistant treasury secretary under former President Donald Trump. "Their escalate-to-win doctrine is premised on first use against NATO. The US President is about to affirm something alongside Putin, knowing Putin to be lying." Story continues Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, National Security, Nuclear Weapons, Energy, Joe Biden, White House, Vladimir Putin, Russia Original Author: Joel Gehrke Original Location: Biden confirms new nuclear arms talks with Russia, saying he and Putin discussed in 'some detail' Joe Biden, the US President, has handed Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, a list of 16 critical infrastructure sectors that must be "off limits" from cyber attacks. After a one-day summit in Geneva, Switzerland, Mr Biden said: "I did what I came to do," and that there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings. In a partial healing of their diplomatic rift it was announced that each country's respective ambassadors will return to their posts as soon as is practically possible. They have also announced that they "will embark together on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in the near future that will be deliberate and robust." But there was also some bullish rhetoric. Mr Biden said: "We know each other well. We're not old friends. It's just business." Mr Putin criticised American soldiers, gun deaths and mass protests. The subject of Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, was raised, and Mr Biden said that if he dies in prison "the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia." Outside of political discussions, the pair talked about family and Mr Putin said he admired Mr Biden "level of his moral values." Mr Biden gifted Mr Putin a crystal sculpture of an American Bison by Steuben Glass of New York and a pair of custom Aviators made by Randolph USA. The day got off to a rocky start after journalists and security personnel engaged in a "shoving match" before they started their talks in Geneva. The two leaders spent around three hours talking - shorter than was expected - and are holding separate press conferences. 06:52 PM Biden departs In one week, he has visited the UK, Belgium and Switzerland and met with G7 leaders, Vladimir Putin and the Queen. In his first trip abroad as President he wanted to impress on others that "America is back" and the feedback has been largely positive. Story continues "I did what I came to do," he said, after the meeting with Mr Putin. He is now on the plane home to Washington DC where he is facing a growing list of domestic challenges, including passing his $2 trillion infrastructure bill. We'll be closing the live blog now, but there will be reports from our US Editor Nick Allen and our Russia Correspondent Nataliya Vasilyeva coming soon. Read them online, or buy a paper tomorrow! Biden on the plane - AP Photo/Patrick Semansky 06:40 PM An apology from Biden Joe Biden has taken a moment to address the group of reporters huddled around Air Force One and apologise for being short with them at the end of his press conference. "Sorry for being a wise guy" he said. Earlier, reporters had been shouting questions about his confidence in Vladimir Putin and he became confrontational, saying: "When did I say that? When did I say I was confident? "I'm not confident he'll change his behaviour." The plane is now moving and he is about to take off from Geneva, flying back to Washington DC this evening. 05:58 PM Last questions cause agitation Mr Biden has picked up his jacket and sunglasses but is still taking shouted questions. One reporter called him and Mr Biden "old friends" which got a short response. "We know each other well. We're not old friends. It's just business," said Mr Biden. It's all got slightly combative at the end. Another reporter asks whether he is confident that Mr Putin will change his behaviour. The president then approached the reporter asking "When did I say that? When did I say I was confident? "I'm not confident he'll change his behaviour." Another shouted question about the American prisoners in Russia receives the response "I'm not walking away from it." And with that, he was gone. 05:52 PM Again on cyber attacks Actions taken by the Russian leader "diminish" his country's standing on the world stage. "What would it be like if we engaged in activities that he's engaged in? "It diminishes the standing of a country that is desperately trying to make sure it maintains its standing as a major world power." He does say that he did not discuss taking military action as a response to ransomware attacks. 05:48 PM Protester comparisons Mr Biden is pressed on Mr Putin comparing Capitol rioters to Alexei Navalny's supporters. "It is a ridiculous comparison." It is one thing for people to literally break through barriers and get into the Capitol and another for people to peacefully protest in the street, he adds. 05:42 PM Why was the summit short? "When was the last time two heads of state spent two hours going head to head across the table?" says Mr Biden. "As we brought in the larger group we had covered so much that there was a summary done by him and me, so we had to make sure we "After two hours we looked at each other like...what next? "What happens next is in 3-6 months we sit down and say did the things we discuss work? I'm not saying all of a sudden it's going to work." 05:39 PM Cyber responses "I told him we have significant cyber capability. He doesn't know exactly what, but he knows we can respond. "The last thing he wants is a cold war." In the meantime, Mr Biden has taken off his suit jacket and placed it on the ground. It is currently 31 degrees in Geneva and humidity is 31%. 05:37 PM Trade with Russia "I don't have a problem with doing trade with Russia," as long as they play by international rules, says Mr Biden. The Russian people doing well is in everyone's interest, he adds. Joe Biden - REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque 05:34 PM Navalny Mr Biden is asked what would happen if Alexei Navalny, the jailed opposition leader, died in prison. "I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia," says Mr Putin. 05:33 PM Cyber attacks Mr Biden said he told Mr Putin that critical infrastructure should be off limits. He said that Mr Putin said "it would matter" if Russian oil pipelines were hit by a ransomware attack. "His credibility worldwide shrinks" if he interferes with elections, Mr Biden says. 05:31 PM Tone was positive "I did what I came to achieve," says Mr Biden. He wanted to identify areas where the US and Russia can work together and benefit the world. Lay out America's values and priorities "so he could hear it straight from me." Mr Biden says: "The tone was good, positive. There was no strident action taken. Disagreements were not done in a hyperbolic atmosphere." 05:26 PM Human rights "Human rights is always on the table," says Mr Biden, adding that that is not just about Russia. In a strong opening, he says "the bottom line is that they need basic rules of the road that they can all abide by." He mentions Alexei Navalny and raises the issue of Americans in Russian custody, naming Paul Whelan, a former US marine convicted of spying, and Trevor Reed, a former student, who was found guilty of assaulting a Moscow policeman. 05:23 PM Joe Biden is up "I told President Putin that my agenda is not against Russia," says Mr Biden. "It is for the American people. That is my responsibility as President." 05:16 PM Analysis There are positive signs for an improvement in relations between Russia and the United States. Expectations were low, but those low expectations were met. The restoring of ambassadors back to their posts will allow officials to hail it a success. Other than clearing that hurdle, nothing concrete has been announced, but Mr Putin had warm words for his US counterpart, noting his level of moral values. There were some brilliant questions. Mr Putin does not subject himself to press conferences like this back home, so reporters had a free pass to hold him to account on foreign soil. His replies were classic Putin - turning the issues back on America. Human rights? Guantanamo Demonstrations? George Floyd protests. Stable foreign policy? US has withdrawn from a number of treaties. Cyber attacks? They come from America. It may be that it is the spectacle rather than the substance that these talks are remembered for. Joe Biden is flexing his muscles on the world stage, while Mr Putin is positioning himself as a leader who is willing to engage with his adversaries. 04:58 PM Snap summary Key takeaways from the Putin press conference: The US ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, will return to Moscow as soon as is practically possible. Russia's ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov will also return to Moscow. Prisoner swaps may be possible. "There might be compromise solutions there," said Mr Putin. Mr Biden was forgiven for calling Mr Putin a 'killer' Mr Biden did not offer Mr Putin an invitation to the White House. Amid a Russian military buildup in the Arctic, Mr Putin said the US and Russia can cooperate. Talks were "pragmatic" and it will be "a missed opportunity" if progress is not made, said Mr Putin. There are still clear divisions on Ukraine, Alexei Navalny and cyber attacks. Putin at press conference - Mikhail Metzel\\TASS via Getty Images 04:43 PM Final question From a Canadian reporter, who has two questions from her nine-year-old daughter. Why is this relationship so complicated? and Why are young people not allowed to protest in Russia. "It is great that your daughter is engaged in these issues," says Mr Putin. "Adults and leaders of both countries meet so as to make this world safe and reliable and a prosperous household for all the inhabitants of this planet. "Children should be confident in looking forward to the future," he concludes. 04:41 PM No progress would be a missed opportunity If there are some sparks of trust, do you have more trust in this administration than that of Donald Trump? "We know what the domestic US climate is like. We know there are adversaries and supporters of Russia, and it is hard to know who will prevail. "If positive steps don't happen, it will be a missed opportunity." 04:38 PM Russian unpredictability Steve Rosenberg from the BBC says Russian foreign policy is unpredictable. "What about the US withdrawal from the Intermediate and short range missile treaty. What about the open skies treaty? Was that predictable? "What is stable about helping a coup d'etat in Ukraine? "You think we are unpredictable? I don't think so. I think we are behaving in an appropriate way for the threats against us." 04:34 PM 1-0 Russia? A football question - what is the score between the US and Russia after the talks? "There was no pressure on us," says Mr Putin. "The meeting was substantive, specific and aimed at achieving results and one of those was about pushing back the frontiers of trust." 04:33 PM Relations soured because of US Difficult to say if relations will improve. "Relations deteriorated because of the USA not because of us," says Mr Putin. 04:31 PM Trust and happiness Mr Putin is asked about whether he had established trust and happiness with Mr Biden. The translator says that Mr Putin said: "There is no happiness in life, only a mirage of it on the horizon." 04:30 PM Prisoner swap possible Mr Putin has indicated that a prisoner swap between Russia and the U.S. is possible. The Russian president said that Mr Biden raised the issue of Americans in Russian custody. He didn't name them but it is likely that this concerns Paul Whelan, a former US marine convicted of spying, and Trevor Reed, a former student, who was found guilty of assaulting a Moscow policeman. "There might be compromise solutions there," he said, adding that the Russian foreign ministry and the U.S. State Department will "work in that direction." 04:29 PM No White House invitation Mr Putin is asked if he was invited to Washington. "He did not invite me to the White House. I think we need to have the right conditions before we get to that stage." 04:28 PM Putin gets candid Another cracking question. The Russian leader is asked what he saw when he looked into Mr Biden's eyes, if he could see his soul? (Mr Biden once said that after he looked into Mr Putin's eyes he could see he had no soul.) "I would say he is a very balanced, professional man who is very experienced," says Mr Putin. "He talked a bit about his family and what his mother told him. They are important things. Maybe they are not relevant but it talks about the level of his moral values. It seems to me that we did speak the same language. "It's not about looking into eyes and finding a soul, but essentially our talks were pragmatic." 04:22 PM Putin does not want demonstrations in Russia ABC has a follow up and Mr Putin is told that the list of political opponents that are in prison or dead is long. Why will he not hold free elections? Mr Putin says that it is not clear who is murdering who. He says he sympathises with what is happening in the United States with mass demonstrations but he does not want that to happen in Russia. 04:19 PM "What are you so afraid of?" Zinger from ABC's reporter, who grills Mr Putin on Alexei Navalny and not holding free and fair elections "What are you so afraid of?" she said. Mr Putin appears frustrated and says that Navalny called for public mass demonstrations, urged minors to take part in demonstrations and they were being manipulated and used against law enforcement agencies. He says that US has had problems after "the killing of the African American" (He means George Floyd). "Fears, I don't want to talk about that. It's not relevant." 04:15 PM Arctic cooperation Putin has dismissed U.S. concerns about alleged 'militarisation' of Russia's vast Arctic region, saying that they "have no grounds," Nataliya Vasilyeva, in Geneva writes. "We're not doing anything there we didn't do before: We're restoring the Soviet infrastructure that has been erased to the ground." He said he was "deeply" convinced that the Arctic is one area where the U.S. and Russia should cooperate. 04:11 PM Biden forgiven for 'killer' jibe Asked about President Biden's "killer" remarks, Mr Putin said that the U.S. president called him after that interview came out and "provided an explanation that I found satisfactory." "I saw for myself that Mr Biden is a very experienced person," the Russian leader said, adding that the two presidents spent two hours talking one-on-one: "You don't have such long conversations with every leader." 04:09 PM Putin turns up the heat Asked about the rule of law and human rights, Mr Putin gives an angry response. Mr Putin says, through the translator, that in America you don't have time to open your mouth and you're shot dead. He takes a swipe at the number of murders in the United States every single day. In another broadside, he blames American soldiers for shooting civilians in Iraq. On human rights, he also takes aim at the US: "What about Guantanamo? It's still working and it doesn't come under any kind of law." 04:06 PM Navalny Vladimir Putin is holding a hard line on Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned Russian opposition leader. He says Navalny ignored the law, knew he risked imprisonment and knew he would be detained. Putin 04:01 PM 'No hostility' says Putin Mr Putin says he and Mr Biden agreed that both countries shared responsibility for global security and agreed to launch talks on new arms control deal, Nataliya Vasilyeva writes. "There was no hostility," he said when asked about the dynamics of his relationship with Mr Biden. "Both sides have shown willingness to understand each other and seek ways to bring our stances closer." When asked about possible cooperation in cyber security, Mr Putin said they agreed to launch consultations between the two countries on cyber security. 03:56 PM Cyber attacks "Both sides have to assume certain obligations" over cyber attacks, says the Russian leader. Mr Putin says that he was told by a US delegate that the majority of cyberattacks actually take place in the United States. 03:50 PM Vladimir Putin is up. Immediately he says that the ambassadors will return to their posts. When this will happen is now purely a technical matter. A good start. 03:48 PM How the day unfolded As we wait for Vladimir Putin to hold his press conference, the numbers are in. The first talks, between Mr Biden, Mr Putin, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov lasted 93 minutes. They then had a 45-minute break. Afterwards, a wider delegation spoke for 65 minutes. In all, they only actually spoke for just over two-and-a-half hours. The talks were "quite successful", a source in one of the delegations told Russia's Interfax news agency. 03:37 PM Meeting over The one-day summit between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin has finished after less than four hours. This is shorter than was expected, and commentators have taken it to be a worrying sign that little may have been achieved. Both leaders will give their own press conferences in the next hour and our Russia Correspondent Nataliya Vasilyeva will be in the room. Meeting room - Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS 01:56 PM First round of talks concludes Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the first round of talks involving both leaders and their foreign policy chiefs is over after an hour and 15 minutes, Nataliya Vasilyeva reports from Geneva. They will now take a break before the second round of talks, where they will be joined by five more members of their delegations. The summit is running on time at the moment, and the fact that the first discussions lasted more than an hour is being seen as a positive sign that agreements could be being thrashed out. More delegates are expected to join at around 3:30pm GMT before the anticipated press conferences at 5pm GMT. Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov - REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque 01:43 PM Video shows moment of chaos before talks This video goes a long way to explain why Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin looked slightly perplexed at the start of their meeting. As explained, there was pushing and shoving between reporters and security guards. One journalist said it was the worst she had experienced in 10 years of reporting on the White House and that people were nearly floored. The drama picks up at about 2:20 in this video and then really kicks off from 3:30. One woman shout's "stop stop" and there is another of "don't push me" at around 4 minutes. All of this in front of Mr Biden and Mr Putin. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. 01:36 PM Press conferences expected at 5pm GMT Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden will give separate press conferences after today's talks. Fiona Hill, the British-born former White House Russia adviser, says it is a "great idea" after the chaotic scenes in Helsinki with Donald Trump and Mr Putin in 2018. Speaking on CNN Ms Hill revealed how she considered pulling a fire alarm to interrupt their conference. Ms Hill said the Trump-Putin event had been "mortifying and humiliating." Mr Trump met with Mr Putin in Helsinki in 2018 - AFP PHOTO / Yuri KADOBNOV Donald Trump threw the ball to his wife, Melania - AFP PHOTO / Yuri KADOBNOV At one point, Mr Putin gave Mr Trump a football, as Russia was hosting the World Cup that summer. Mr Trump tossed it to his wife, Melania, in the crowd. She told CNN: "I first of all looked around to see if there was a fire alarm. "But we were in a rather grand building attached to the presidential palace of the Finnish president, who had lent it to us for the occasion, and I couldn't see anything that resembled a fire alarm." 01:24 PM Discussions underway Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin are locked in discussions with just two translators and one government official each. Gradually, more officials will join throughout the day and each leader will hold their own press conferences at around 6pm (5pm GMT). The key talking points are: Cyber attacks: Mr Biden has blamed the shutting down of oil pipelines and beef factories on shadowy Russian hackers. Human Rights: Washington has criticised Moscow over its treatment and alleged poisoning of Alexei Navalny, and says he should be freed. Ukraine: The US was alarmed by a build-up of Russian forces in Crimea and near the Ukranian border earlier this year. Syria: Russia wants to shut down the last humanitarian crossing into Syria from Turkey next month but Mr Biden will try to convince Mr Putin to keep it open. Arms control: Both sides have been talking about nuclear weapons as an area where they can cooperate and maintain "strategic stability". Diplomatic relations: The status of foreign missions is one area where both sides believe there may be scope for progress. Russia recalled Anatoly Antonov, its ambassador to Washington, in March after Mr Biden said he believed Putin was a "killer," while John Sullivan, the US ambassador to Moscow, returned to Washington for consultations in April. An agreement for both diplomats to return to their posts would send a signal that some progress had been made. 12:55 PM Who is hosting whom? Russian state news agency RIA has an interesting take on the protocol inside the villa. As Mr Putin arrived at Villa La Grange before his counterpart, he gets to sit on the right during the talks, it says. "In protocol language, this means the host of the summit is Russia." Putin and Biden sitting down - REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque 12:40 PM 'Shoving match' between journalists outside summit The Pool report has come through, and it paints an ugly picture of the scenes outside the room where Mr Biden and Mr Putin were meeting. "The shoving match began at a side entrance immediately as the two presidents entered the villa from the front door," it says. "Journalists from both countries rushed to enter the building but were stopped by US and Russian security and government officials. "The pool was repeatedly told to line up separately and in single file but neither side did. Instead, the journalists pushed and shoved trying to enter the building. "There was screaming and yelling as a Swiss official kept asking everyone to be quiet. Pooler was told by the US and Russia officials several times that they would not be allowed inside unless everyone was orderly. That never happened. "Finally at 1:39 pm, nine of the 13-member US pool got into the room." 12:13 PM What was said "I hope our meeting will be productive," Mr Putin said, thanking the US leader for "this initiative to meet today." Mr Biden said: "It is always better to meet face to face". Mr Putin said he was thankful for the gathering as he knew the US president "had a long trip and lots of work." This is the first meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Biden in a decade - Mikhail Metzel/TASS But the Russian president emphasised that there are "lots of questions accumulated in Russia-US relations that require discussion on the highest level." The words were warm, even if the atmosphere was a little frosty. 11:57 AM Drama in Geneva CNN is reporting that there was a bit of argy-bargy between the US and Russian press pack ahead of the meeting. Several US reporters could not get access to the room in which the two leaders are meeting. There was "pushing, shoving and yelling" according to their correspondent on the ground. Aides were trying to sort out who could and couldn't get in, but it all descended into chaos and the entire press pack was ushered out. This may explain why Mr Biden and Mr Putin were so stony faced. Mr Biden and Mr Putin watch as the press pack is ushered out - Mikhail Metzel/Pool Photo via AP 11:47 AM Inside the summit There has been an excruciatingly awkward photo opportunity inside Villa La Grange. Vladimir Putin has been joined by his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov while Mr Biden's Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has got his notebook out and is scribbling away furiously. Mr Putin and Mr Biden are embarking on five hours of talks - REUTERS/Denis Balibouse There were a few words exchanged, but the noisy scrum of photographers and camera crew made it difficult to pick anything up. The cameras did however capture the lengthy silence afterwards. 11:36 AM First pictures The first pictures have started to drop - and show Mr Biden and Mr Putin shaking hands before entering Villa La Grange. Biden and Putin shake hands - AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko The pair met on time, just after 1pm in Geneva - AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Putin and Biden - AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko 11:26 AM Joe Biden arrives The US Presidential motorcade has wound its way through the streets of Geneva and arrived at Villa La Grange. He set off at 1:09pm and arrived around 10 minutes later. Now, Swiss President Guy Parmelin is welcoming them to the country and what he calls "the city of peace." He says it is an honour to have both leaders here, speaking French. Swiss President Guy Parmelin introduces Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin - AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko The words are then translated into Russian and English by an interpreter. Both Mr Biden and Mr Putin are in dark suits. The US leader has a light blue tie, while Mr Putin's is slightly darker. The pair shook hands and then headed into the villa at 1:26pm local time. 11:19 AM Not their first meeting Vladimir Putin met with George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump during their presidencies, but also met Joe Biden in 2011 when he was vice President. As a senator, Mr Biden first travelled to the Soviet Union in 1979 and has kept a keen eye on Russia ever since. Recently, relations have soured, after an interview in which a bullish Mr Biden called Mr Putin a killer with no soul. Mr Putin dismissed it as bravado and said "it takes one to know one." Both the US ambassador to Moscow and the Russian ambassador to Washington have pulled out and relations are at their lowest point in years. That is expected to be one area in which there will be movement after this summit. The pair first met in Russia a decade ago - AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko 11:11 AM Putin arrives on time Vladimir Putin has not employed one of his favourite tricks and kept the US President waiting. The US side wanted Mr Putin to arrive first so that Mr Biden wouldn't be left twiddling his thumbs, as happened to Donald Trump in Helsinki. Previously, world leaders including Angela Merkel, Shinzo Abe and Barack Obama have all been kept waiting for more than an hour. When he met Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, the delay was just 14 minutes. Mr Putin has shaken hands with Swiss President Guy Parmelin and headed into Villa La Grange. Mr Putin arrived just before midday - DENIS BALIBOUSE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images 11:05 AM Geneva on lockdown Swathes of Geneva are under lockdown on Wednesday as Switzerland's second-largest city was getting ready to host Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin for a much-anticipated summit meeting, writes our Russia correspondent Nataliya Vasilyeva. Locals are being advised to stay at home to avoid facing countless road closures, roadblocks and security officials. The entire shore of Lake Geneva within city boundaries has been blocked for visitors, and security officials closed off bridges and roads leading to Parc la Grange, a leafy park on the lake's shore, popular with joggers and dog-walkers. There is a large military presence in Geneva - Sean Gallup/Getty Images Most of the public transport routes crossing from the city's west to the city's east on the southern shore of the lake have been scrapped, and military vehicles were spotted near Parc la Grange. Rare pedestrians on Wednesday morning were gawking from behind the security lines to the vast areas closed off for anyone other than the Russian and the U.S. delegations. Anyone with credentials allowing them to get to Villa la Grange, the summit venue in the park, had to go through at least five security checks on the way there. 10:58 AM Vladimir Putin has landed The plane carrying Russian President Vladimir Putin has touched down in Geneva and he is en route to the summit. In the build up to the summit, held on neural ground, as Donald Trump did with Mr Putin in Finland in 2018, Mr Biden said: Hes bright. Hes tough. And I have found that he is a as they say, when you used to play ball, a worthy adversary. Putin steps off his plane - ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE / POOL / AFP Mr Biden arrived in Geneva last night, and is expected to arrive at the summit after Mr Putin. 10:51 AM What is on the agenda? Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin are meeting at the luxurious Villa La Grange, a stately 18th century villa overlooking Lake Geneva. The US president has said he will raise a number of contentious issues, including cyber attacks, election interference, nuclear arms and human rights. The two leaders will begin the talks with just their top diplomats by their sides, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, along with two translators. Security has been bolstered at Villa La Grange ahead of the summit - REUTERS/Denis Balibouse An expanded meeting with six officials on each side will follow, according to a senior White House official. The official said the summit was expected to last around four or five hours, but insisted it would be business-focused with "no breaking of bread" between the two leaders. Mr Biden has also ruled out a joint press conference with Mr Putin. Aides say he will deliver remarks after the Russian leader instead. SAO PAULO (AP) Brazil coach Tite has hinted he'll continue searching for his ideal strike force in Thursday's Copa America game against Peru. Tite tested Everton Ribeiro, Everton and Gabriel Barbosa up front at practice on Tuesday instead of Lucas Paqueta, Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus, who started in Brazil's 3-0 win over Venezuela in the tournament opener on Sunday. Roberto Firmino, who was on the bench against Venezuela, didn't participate in the practice game in the time while the Brazilian soccer confederation broadcast training to the media. The coach also tried a change in defense with Thiago Silva replacing Marquinhos as Eder Militaos partner and a defensive midfield duo with Fabinho joining Fred in place of Casemiro. Tite has said the 20 days of Copa America will be used to test some things, with an eye the World Cup in Qatar next year. He and his players publicly said they were against the Copa America taking place in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic but would always answer the call for national selection. Midfielder Fred seemed to disagree with his boss, saying Brazil's national team is already in good shape for Qatar. We are a great team, we have great players. The coach and the coaching staff are doing great work. If the World Cup started today Brazil would be ready, he told a news conference. At this Copa America coach Tite can give chances in the team, that's important. He always talks about it, about us being ready when the opportunity comes,." Two years ago, Brazil comfortably beat Peru 3-1 in the 2019 Copa America final. The Peruvians then counted on striker Paolo Guerrero, who will not be at the match in Rio. Per was just coming off its first World Cup appearance in decades. Now the scenario is totally different, with Ricardo Gareca's team in the last position in South American World Cup qualifiers. Copa America is once again being played in Brazil, despite alarming COVID-19 figures, after Colombia and Argentina were dropped as tournament co-hosts. Story continues Peru had its first practice session in Brazil amid fears of contagion in the squad. On Monday, fitness coach Nestor Bonillo tested positive in Lima for the coronavirus. He did not travel to Brazil. It was not clear whether he was counted by Brazils health ministry as one of the 52 confirmed cases related to the tournament. Gareca has not confirmed his starting lineup to face Brazil. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Pressure on US Chief Justice Stephen Breyer to retire is growing: progressive Democrats are anxiously eyeing his seat, Republicans have laid down the gauntlet, and issues from abortion to voting rights could all be at stake. Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell turned up the heat Monday when he said his party would block anyone nominated to Supreme Court by Democratic President Joe Biden if Republicans regain control of the Senate in the 2022 midterm elections. No opposition majority party "would confirm a Supreme Court nominee in the middle of an election," McConnell said in a radio interview. The next presidential election is not until November 2024. But what would happen, McConnel was asked, if a seat opened up in 2023 -- theoretically with plenty of time before Americans go to the polls? "Well, we'd have to wait and see," he replied. Understanding the status of the nine justices on the highest US court requires some doublethink: the justices are appointed for life, which is supposed to guarantee their independence -- but they are chosen by the president and confirmed by the Senate, which makes their rise to the bench inherently political and forever colors their image. Under the weight of this contradiction the justices play a defining role in American life. They often rule on issues which Congress cannot agree on: the Supreme Court, for example, ended school segregation, legalized abortion and approved gay marriages. In the increasingly polarized United States the selection of a new justice has ignited multiple political crisis. In 2016, when Republicans ruled the Senate, they refused for months to confirm a justice chosen by then-Democratic president Barack Obama to fill a vacancy opened by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. By running out the clock they allowed Obama's successor -- Republican Donald Trump -- to name his own justice soon after arriving at the White House. A resignation in 2018 allowed Trump to appoint a second justice. Story continues And when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a progressive icon, died less than two months before the 2020 election, Republicans whipped through confirmation of Trump's third justice, Amy Coney Barrett, cementing a conservative majority of six out of the nine seats. The consequences could be significant. Hot-button topics including abortion, healthcare, voting and gun rights could all be impacted. - 'Politicians in robes' - In a bid to dilute conservative influence, voices on the left are now calling for more seats to be added -- a move known as "packing." Biden, once opposed to the idea, has appointed a panel to examine the measure. Their findings will be made public in the fall. Meanwhile, to safeguard the three progressive seats left, some are calling on Breyer -- the 82-year-old appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994 -- to retire while Democrats still have control of the Senate. That would ensure they can push through Biden's pick to replace him, likely maintaining the balance of the court at 6-3. "There's no question that Justice Breyer ... should retire at end of this term," Democratic lawmaker Mondaire Jones said in April. Supreme Court terms usually end in late June or early July. Progressive Democratic star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stirred the pot further when she was asked Sunday if Breyer should retire - she said she would "lean towards yes." Breyer has not responded to the growing calls, which include a billboard on a truck that reads "Breyer, retire" spotted in Washington, where the court sits. A former Senate counsel, Breyer understands the inner workings of power -- but is committed to the court's impartial image. In an April speech at Harvard University he warned that public confidence in the rule of law would decline if "the public sees judges as politicians in robes." "There's a good chance that overt political campaigns like the 'Breyer, retire' truck will backfire and drive Justice Breyer to remain on the bench," notes Christine Kexel Chabot, author of a book on the Supreme Court. But the battles of 2016 and 2020 "might illustrate how a decision to remain on the Court could create a different type of political mess," she added. The "untimely" deaths of Scalia and Ginsburg "thrust the Court into an undesirable political limelight and also left it short staffed." However it was "unclear whether these concerns will motivate Breyer," she said. Most Democratic lawmakers are staying quiet on the subject - but they are also preparing for what comes next. On Monday, they confirmed African-American Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the federal appeals court in Washington, a stepping stone to the Supreme Court. Biden has promised that, if he can, he will appoint a Black woman to the high court. chp/dax/st/ch Broward College and Florida International University were among the recipients of billionaire philanthropist Mackenzie Scotts recent gift-giving spree, receiving $70 million in donations on Tuesday. Scott, the former wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, donated $40 million to FIU and $30 million to Broward College. The University of Central Florida received a $40 million donation as well. The gifts were part of a massive campaign in which Scott donated $2.7 billion to 276 organizations. Scott has an estimated net worth of $60 billion, according to Forbes. Broward College, which has more than 63,000 students annually, will direct the $30 million donation toward its Broward UP program, which was created to offer free educational opportunities and workforce training in neighborhoods throughout Broward County. This gift is a sign of trust and validation of our direction, and of the promising work that lies ahead for us and all our partners, Broward College said in a news release. Together we can build a better Broward. We began this important work with limited investment, and now, we are well on our way to achieving our bold objectives. It is our hope that this gift will inspire others to join us in raising Broward Countys post-secondary education attainment and economic mobility for all. Florida International plans to use the money for its Next Horizons campaign, which is designed to increase scholarships and student support, the school said in a news release. This gift is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform our university, create greater opportunity for our diverse student body and in the process make an important contribution toward the betterment of our community, FIU Board of Trustees Chairman Dean C. Colson said in a news release. Police have arrested Yun Lu Li, 25, and Oliver Karafa, 28, in connection to the murder of a 39-year-old Canadian father (Getty) After a three-month search, police have arrested a glamorous young couple suspected of killing a Canadian father and badly wounding his fiancee. Yun Lucy Lu Li, 25, and her boyfriend, Oliver Karafa, 28, were in Budapest when Hungarian police arrested them on Saturday. The couple are accused of shooting father-of-three Tyler Pratt, 39, and an unnamed 26-year-old woman on 28 February in Hamilton, Ontario . Mr Pratt died, and the woman was hospitalised with serious injuries. Hamilton police say the couple flew to Europe within 24 hours of the shooting. Investigators in Hamilton and abroad worked together over the past three months resulting in the arrest of Karafa and Li in Budapest, Hungary, where they are currently being held in custody, the Hamilton Police Service said in a statement . The formal process to extradite the accused to Canada is underway. Mr Pratts mother, Jonni Yeomans, told The Daily Beast that the young woman who was injured was the mans fiancee, and was pregnant with his baby. Tragically, the baby was lost when she was shot. Weve gone through a devastating time, Ms Yeomans told the Beast. Weve lost a grandbaby through it, as well as our son. Mr Karafa and Ms Li have both been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder. Before the shooting, Ms Li appears to have been a social media influencer, and can be seen posing with her triplet sisters in multiple Instagram posts and TikTok videos . In a statement to Chinese news media, her family expressed confusion and horror over the turn her life appears to have taken. We are deeply shocked, disturbed and puzzled by Lucys involvement in the unfortunate incident, said a version of the statement translated from Chinese. Police have not said how soon they expect Ms Li and Mr Karafa to be extradited. In its statement, the Hamilton Police Service thanked Hungarian officials for their help in tracking down the fugitive couple. Hamilton Police Service wishes to recognize all the efforts of our policing partners domestically and internationally, specifically, the Hungarian Fugitive Active Search Team (FAST), for the collective efforts that resulted in the arrest of these wanted individuals, the police said. Story continues Read More Nine-year-old son is sole survivor of premeditated truck attack on Muslim family in Canada Discovery of childrens remains at indigenous schools in Canada reopens wounds among survivors Helicopter crash in Canadian Arctic leaves three dead Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock Thousands of low-income patients will see all or a portion of their medical debt erased thanks to a national charity that is buying unpaid health care bills. According to the Wall Street Journal, RIP Medical Debt, a 501 charity based out of New York, is buying $278 million of debt. The group recently reached a deal with Ballad Health, which operates hospitals throughout Tennessee and Virginia, and the relief will free an estimated 82,000 people from medical debt. The Journal reported that many of those who owed money should have qualified for free care under Ballad's policy but did not apply for it. Some of the bills are a decade old. "It's a weight on them," RIP Medical Debt executive director Allison Sesso told the outlet of the burden of bills on patients. The group's executives hope to come to similar agreements with other medical facilities. Terms of RIP Medical Debt's deal with Ballad were not disclosed. RELATED: Nebraska Doctor Allows Patients to Pay for Their Surgeries with Volunteer Work: 'It's Fair' Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock According to the group, RIP Medical Debt has relieved more than $4.5 billion in outstanding bills since its founding in 2014. Their efforts have benefitted more than 2.6 million families so far, they said on their website. The organization was started by former debt collections executives Craig Antico and Jerry Ashton. RELATED: Dad in Kansas Jailed Over Medical Debt from Son's Leukemia Treatments and Wife's Seizures "Personally, it feels incredible. To the industry itself, [it] felt like I was a traitor. They wouldn't talk to me for two or three years until they realized that we've got to help these people that can't pay and will never pay," Antico told ABC News in a December interview. "I love it," he added. "I'm the happiest guy in the world. I can't even imagine; the collection industry is a very hard industry to be in. So, thank goodness for the shift to this debt forgiveness world." Story continues RELATED VIDEO: Ciara Recalls Doctor Telling Her to Put Mask on While in Labor: He 'Was Not Playing Any Games' Allison Sesso said RIP Medical Debt does not individually select which patients get their debt forgiven. But in order to qualify, recipients must be at the 200 percent mark of the poverty line or below. "It's blind," she told ABC News. "There's no judgment here on our part." The group uses donations to purchase medical debt at a discount in bulk, the outlet said. China's government issued a warning to "foreign forces" after Taiwan reported a record 28 Chinese military planes flew over the self-governed island's airspace Tuesday, per Reuters. Why it matters: The warning and deployment of aircraft including fighter jets and bombers comes after G7 leaders issued a statement Sunday urging the Chinese government to respect human rights and calling on peace and "stability across the Taiwan Strait." Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. What they're saying: "We will never tolerate attempts to seek independence or wanton intervention in the Taiwan issue by foreign forces, so we need to make a strong response to these acts of collusion," said Chinese government spokesperson Ma Xiaoguang, according to Reuters. The big picture: The status of Taiwan, which the Chinese government claims is a breakaway province, is one of the most sensitive political issues between Washington and Beijing. The 28 aircraft deployed on Tuesday eclipses the previous record of 25 planes China's government sent to fly over Taiwan in April. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free BEIJING (Reuters) - Striking a blow for China's so-called vaccine diplomacy, state media have mocked the United States for calling attention to its donation of 80 vials of COVID-19 vaccines to Trinidad and Tobago. "Would this be selected for the Worst Public Relations Award of the Year?" the official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday in an article on WeChat, which compiled more than 10 mocking tweets by other social media users under a U.S. embassy Twitter statement announcing the donation. Duelling for global influence, Beijing and Washington have both sought to garner goodwill by pledging to supply vaccines to desperate governments amid a global shortage. Though Washington recently announced expanded efforts, Beijing got a head start by donating domestically made vaccines to emerging countries. U.S. President Joe Biden said last week that Washington will donate half a billion doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to the world's poorest countries, on top of 80 million doses it has already pledged to donate by the end of June. On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Port of Spain said on Twitter that its donation to Trinidad and Tobago includes 80 vials of the Pfizer vaccine. Typically, a vial contains five or six doses. "We believe that every vaccine counts," the embassy said. Chinese state media outlets including the Global Times and China Daily took delight at the sarcastic comments generated by the embassy tweet. "Little was given, but much was spoken on it," Xinhua said. In May, China delivered 100,000 donated doses of Sinopharm's vaccine to Trinidad and Tobago. Beijing has not disclosed an overall figure for its vaccine donations, but Reuters calculations based on publicly available data show that at least 16.82 million doses had been delivered by early June. (Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) Troubled game Cyberpunk 2077 will return to PlayStation stores from next week, Sony confirmed Wednesday, six months after it was pulled over bugs and compatibility issues. The dystopian-themed game was reportedly one of the most expensive ever made and its release was hotly anticipated, but the rollout was mired in problems. In December 2020, Sony said it was pulling the game from PlayStation stores around the world citing "customer satisfaction" after multiple complaints about glitches and even health risks. But a regulatory disclosure by the game's maker, CD Projekt Red, on Tuesday said Sony Interactive Entertainment would "reinstate the availability of the digital edition of Cyberpunk 2077 on PlayStation store, effective on 21 June 2021." In a statement Wednesday, Sony confirmed the game would be relisted this month. But it warned there could still be issues with the title if played on PlayStation 4 consoles. "Users will continue to experience performance issues with the PS4 edition while CD Projekt Red continues to improve stability across all platforms," Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) said. "SIE recommends playing the title on PS4 Pro or PS5 for the best experience," it added. The game title, which was also released on Xbox One and PCs, has been CD Projekt Red's biggest hit, and the group's president has said its launch has been a "huge lesson". The company has released a series of patches to deal with a variety of issues and was forced to add health warnings after one reviewer complained the game caused an epileptic seizure. "This was a huge lesson for us, one we will never forget - but I believe now is the time to look to the future," CD Projekt Group president and joint CEO Adam Kicinski said in April as he reviewed the firm's performance in 2020. "We remain ambitious and we are giving it our all to bring Cyberpunk to a level where everyone can fully enjoy the game, regardless of platform," he added, according to the firm's website. hih/sah/jah (Bloomberg) -- Japans powerful trade ministry, the former head of investment at its giant pension fund, and even the current prime minister. Those are the actors portrayed in a detailed description of how Toshiba Corp. allegedly tapped government allies to try to influence voting at its annual general meeting last year. Management at the more than 145-year-old manufacturer worked hand in hand with public officials in an attempt to sway the outcome, according to a 139-page report by three independent investigators elected by Toshiba stock holders to examine the issue. Its a rare public account of how Japans bureaucrats allegedly coordinated with a private company to exert control over foreign shareholders. While its unlikely to hurt Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, its already having an impact on the iconic conglomerate and may have wider implications for corporate accountability in the countrys more than $6 trillion stock market. The report is surprising, disappointing, and in some areas, deeply disturbing, four Toshiba board members -- George Raymond Zage III, Ayako Hirota Weissman, Paul J. Brough and Jerry Black -- said in a statement. On Monday, Chairman Osamu Nagayama said the board of directors sincerely accepted the points raised in the report, and would work to restore trust and transparency. The company said over the weekend it will drop two existing board members. Its the culmination of a months-long probe after Toshibas largest shareholder, Singapore-based hedge fund Effissimo Capital Management Pte., won a landmark vote calling for an independent investigation of alleged pressure on stock owners and issues with vote tabulation at the AGM. The three independent investigators, all lawyers, appointed under Effissimos shareholder proposal said they reviewed more than 778,000 emails and attachments. The report mentions in nine places that Toshiba acted in unison with the trade ministry against overseas investors. Story continues Prime Minister Suga was chief cabinet secretary at the time, one of the most powerful jobs in the government. He met with Nobuaki Kurumatani, then Toshibas chief executive officer, before the AGM, presumably for a briefing on the shareholder meeting, according to the report. Kurumatani confirmed he attended a meeting with Suga, but said he didnt talk with him individually, according to the report. The company was worried that foreign investors, which own a majority of its shares, would vote out management and appoint their own candidates. Toshiba pointed to its statement over the weekend when asked to comment for this story. At a later meeting with one of Kurumatanis subordinates, Suga said Japan could use a new law to keep the overseas shareholders under control, according to the report. He was referring to the revised Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (FEA), which restricts overseas investment in certain industries that Japan says are core to national security. Toshiba management and the trade ministry were discussing the possibility of threatening to use the law to force Effissimo to divest its shares, the report said. If we are aggressive, we can get them with the FEA, Suga said, according to the report. Suga, who would become prime minister months later when Shinzo Abe surprisingly resigned, denied making the comments. I know nothing of this, he told reporters in Tokyo last week. There was no such thing. Sugas alleged involvement has created unwelcome headlines at a time when the administration is already struggling with low approval ratings due to its handling of the pandemic and support of the publicly unpopular Olympics, but so far the impact on the prime minister has been limited. A senior government official pointed to Sugas response last week when asked to comment for this story. Its unlikely to deal a heavy blow to the administration, said Hajime Sakai, the chief fund manager at Mito Securities Co. in Tokyo. Its just one of many factors. While Suga is only briefly mentioned in the report, a man referred to as Mr. M allegedly played a more central role. Mr. M, it says, used his influence to stop Harvard Universitys endowment, a Toshiba shareholder, from voting at the AGM. The trade ministry, to which Mr. M was an adviser at the time, had given Toshiba the name of Mr. M as someone with connections to the fund, a Toshiba executive said in the report. Mr. M had a series of calls with Harvard, seeking to get it to either side with management on proposals or not vote at all, according to the report. The endowment later described to Toshibas audit committee a call that was highly inappropriate in both content and timing, according to the report. It didnt identify the caller. Farallon Capital Management, which spoke with Harvard about the matter, said Mr. M made an aggressive call and Harvard was threatened, the report said. Mr. M pointed out substantial risks that Harvard might face. Ultimately, the endowment decided not to vote, it said. While Mr. M isnt explicitly named in the report, hes identified through a tweet that the report cites as Hiromichi Mizuno, one of Japans most celebrated finance gurus. The former private equity executive rose to fame in the investing world when he became chief investment officer of Japans $1.6 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund. Trade Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama referred to him by name last week when discussing the report. Kajiyama denied that the ministry had asked Mizuno to get involved, although he said Mizuno had given it advice on occasion. He said the report didnt shed definitive light on what happened. A trade ministry spokesperson declined to comment for this story and pointed to Kajiyamas comments on the report. Reuters and the Financial Times previously reported on Mizunos involvement. Mizuno, whos currently a Tesla Inc. director and a United Nations special envoy, didnt respond to requests for comment. In the Dec. 23 tweet cited by the report, he said it was extremely regrettable that a Reuters article, citing anonymous sources, portrayed him as threatening the fund. It is easy to predict that Mr. M, in his position as a trade ministry adviser, would have a strong influence on the decisions of the foreign shareholders regarding the exercise of their voting rights, the report said. Given its fiduciary duty, it was highly unusual for Harvard not to vote, it said. Harvard Management Co. declined to comment. But beyond Mizuno, and aside from Toshibas management, a key player in the report is the trade ministry itself. For longtime watchers of Japan, the ministrys hands-on involvement in the matters of a private company may not come as such a shock. This, after all, is the organization that was often credited with orchestrating the rise of Japanese industry. The ministry coordinated with Toshiba to employ a good cop, bad cop negotiating strategy in which the ministry beat Effissimo while Toshiba interacted politely with the fund, according to the report. Bureaucrats contacted other shareholders, seeking to influence how they voted. They threatened to use the new law if voting didnt go the way they wanted, the report said. A stock exchange executive had scathing words for Toshiba when asked about the affair on Wednesday. The Tokyo bourse allowed Toshiba to return to the prestigious First Section just in January, long after Effissimo had made its complaints about the AGM public. Governance improvement at Toshiba has been very inadequate, Akira Kiyota, the chief executive officer of Japan Exchange Group Inc., the bourse operator, said at a regular press briefing. Its damaging Japanese markets in the eyes of foreign investors. Making recommendations for change wasnt in the scope of the probe, and its not clear if there will be any legal fallout. Toshibas Nagayama said the company will examine the responsibility of former CEO Kurumatani, who didnt respond to a text message seeking comment. The trade ministry doesnt plan to investigate the issue, Trade Minister Kajiyama said, on Tuesday, adding that he doesnt think everything in the report is true. For one observer, the situation shows the dangers when bureaucrats become too powerful. This is incredibly problematic, said Nobuo Gohara, a lawyer and former prosecutor. The trade ministry accumulated power during the lengthy Abe administration, he said. They think they can do whatever they like. (Adds comments from stock exchange in 26th paragraph) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2021 Bloomberg L.P. Denmark can take heart that Christian Eriksen is recovering and will be cheering them on along with the rest of the country as they try to salvage their Euro 2020 campaign against fancied Belgium in Copenhagen on Thursday. Kasper Hjulmand's talented side know that their qualification from Group B will be in jeopardy if they get the same treatment that leaders Belgium dished out to Russia on Saturday, and they need to bounce back from their traumatic 1-0 defeat by Finland. Eriksen told the world on Tuesday that he was "fine -- under the circumstances" following his sickening mid-match collapse and said he will be right behind the teammates who rallied to his side as medics rushed to save his life. Those players were still dazed when, after what UEFA called a "crisis meeting", they returned to the field some two-and-a-half hours after kick-off to finish a match which had long since been overshadowed by Eriksen's plight. That loss came after what Kasper Schmeichel described on Monday as "a position, that I personally feel that we shouldn't have been put in" as Denmark were offered the choice to complete the game that evening or Sunday afternoon. However on Tuesday coach Hjulmand said Eriksen was in daily contact with the rest of the team and was trying to gee up his friends before they face the world's top-ranked team. Hjulmand said that "no-one can replace Christian" but will be looking to harness the emotions of the home crowd at the Parken Stadium, where Denmark will have the backing of some 25,000 fans after the Scandinavian nation relaxed coronavirus restrictions. The 16,000 home fans present for the Finland match created a wall of noise in the first half as Denmark piled on the pressure, and the 'Roligans' will be in even fuller voice to cheer on their country on Thursday. Some have taken to spray-painting murals in honour of their missing star around Copenhagen. Story continues "It will be emotional for sure. But we should use these emotions for the match, and get ready to fight," Hjulmand said. - Ominous Lukaku looms - They will need all the support they can get against Eriksen's Inter Milan teammate Romelu Lukaku, whose ominous double in Belgium's 3-0 win over the Russians showed why at the age of just 28 he is by some distance Belgium's all-time record scorer with 62 goals. Belgium top Group B on goal difference ahead of Finland and can seal their passage to the knockout stage with a game to spare at the Parken. Roberto Martinez's side were hugely impressive in their opening match and have been further boosted by the news that Borussia Dortmund midfielder Alex Witsel is available again after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury which had kept him out of action since January. Witsel only began running again around a month ago but Belgium's physiotherapist Lieven Maesschalk, who guided the player's recovery, said "he isn't scared" about his return. "He is ready to play even if the risk of a relapse isn't zero," said Maesschalk on Tuesday. Team doctors suggested that the 32-year-old should get some playing time against the Danes even if he is unlikely to start the match. The news comes after playmaker Kevin De Bruyne trained with his Belgium teammates for the first time at the Euro on Monday, sparking hopes he could too play a role against the Danes. The Manchester City playmaker missed the Russia match after having surgery for nose and eye socket fractures caused by a collision with Germany defender Antonio Rudiger in the Champions League final. td/jc Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said Wednesday that he is preparing for an emotional return to Copenhagen's Parken Stadium to take on Belgium after the traumatic scenes of Christian Eriksen's collapse. Playmaker Eriksen had to be revived on the Parken pitch by medics after suddenly falling to the turf near half-time of the Danes' 1-0 loss to Finland on Saturday. On Thursday they face Group B leaders Belgium hoping to kick-start their Euro 2020 campaign in what Hjulmand believes will be a fraught affair. "It will be very emotional to return to the Parken, we expect to have incredible support from our fans and from the whole country," Hjulmand said at a press conference. "We have to be ready for that and use this energy in a positive way. "What's crazy is that the hospital where Christian is staying is not far from the stadium. He can see the stadium and he might even be able to hear everything that is happening there." If Eriksen hears anything it will be a passionate crowd of some 25,000 fans roaring Denmark on against the world's top-ranked side, who started their tournament with a 3-0 thrashing of Russia. "We're going to take advantage of that (the crowd), we're going to use that extra motivation to our advantage," said Hjulmand. "We have to play our best game, and we have to be very good individually, and that's what we're going to try and do." Danish fans are planning to stage a minute's applause during the game in support of Eriksen. "The supporters have organised for everyone to applaud for Christian in the 10th minute," the Danish FA told AFP. - 'A new situation' - Denmark's players have been offered the chance to visit the stadium in the Danish capital on Wednesday in order to see how they feel about going back, but Yussuf Poulsen said he hadn't decided whether he was going to do so. "Personally I haven't decided if I'm going to go to the stadium, and I don't think Thomas (Delaney) has either," said RB Leipzig forward Poulsen. Story continues "Let's see. I don't know how we react going back to the stadium. It's a new situation for everyone." Denmark's defeat to Finland leaves them needing to bounce back against tough opposition in order to maintain their drive for the knockout stages. Danish FA chief Jesper Moller on Wednesday backed the squad by slamming the decision to finish the match, which was postponed for nearly two hours, as "completely unacceptable", saying that the coaches and players shouldn't have been made to decide whether to play or not in that situation. "I know we're the underdogs here. There's no doubt that we're facing the best team in the world," said Hjulmand. "They're very, very good. They're the only team that reminds me of a club team." Key to stopping the rampant Belgians will be putting the brakes on Romelu Lukaku, who opened the tournament with an impressive brace against Russia on Saturday. "It's difficult to stop Lukaku once he has the ball. The best thing to do to stop him is to make sure he doesn't receive the ball," said midfielder Thomas Delaney. "It's difficult to do. We know they are a strong side with great players... It's a team with a clear philosophy. They know the way they play but it's not impossible to stop them." td/jc/mw (Getty Images/iStockphoto) A Los Angeles dentist allegedly sexually assaulted female patients while they were under anaesthesia for procedures, according to prosecutors. Emad Fathy Moawad, 50, is charged with abusing nine women, aged between 27 and 73-years-old, between 2013 and 2018, The Los Angeles Times reported. He is facing 13 counts of sexual battery by restraint, sexual penetration by force, and attempted sexual penetration against women from immigrant and low-income communities in his Oakwood office. District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement reported by the Times that theyre asking for other possible victims to come forward. This case is especially concerning because its victims are low-income people and immigrants who are less likely to report crimes due to fear, Mr Gascon said. The dental practice at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and Normandie Avenue is bordered by Los Angeles neighbourhoods like Little Bangladesh, Koreatown, Little Armenia and Thai Town. The Los Angeles Police Departments sex crimes detectives conducted a long investigation after a woman sued Mr Moawad in 2019 for sexual battery, sexual harassment and sexual violence, according to the Times. She reportedly alleged that Mr Moawad began molesting her in 2017, first by brushing up against her breasts during one visit then repeatedly touching her breasts during another visit while she was under anaesthesia. After yelling at office staff about the alleged assault moments later, the secretary is said to have replied that they couldnt do anything about it. The woman returned in August 2018 for a procedure on her veneers under local anaesthetic, in which Mr Moawad is alleged to have assaulted her. The suit says a dental assistant filmed an alleged assault in December 2018 to bring an end to the alleged abuse. Oliver Contreras/UPI/Shutterstock / Oliver Contreras/UPI/Shutterstock The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that 18,000 borrowers who attended ITT Technical Institute have been approved for the cancellation of $500 million in student loans. These borrowers will have 100% of their loans forgiven. See: College Student Eligibility for Child Tax Credit: Dont Miss Your $500 Payment Next Month Find: 9 Ways Student Debt Is Affecting Every Aspect of Americans Lives Our action today will give thousands of borrowers a fresh start and the relief they deserve after ITT repeatedly lied to them, said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. Todays action is part of the Biden-Harris Administrations continued commitment to stand up for borrowers when their institutions take advantage of them. Former students claimed that ITT made repeated misrepresentations regarding how much students could expect to earn and the jobs they could obtain after graduation between 2005 and 2016. The Department also found that ITT misled students about their ability to transfer credits to other institutions from January 2007 to October 2014. Credits rarely transferred and the educational journey of borrowers was stinted despite taking on student loan debt. Read More: 21 Budgeting Tips for College Students ITT was shut down in 2016 after the U.S. government banned the institution from enrolling students receiving federal aid, reports The Wall Street Journal. The evidence against ITT was made possible due to investigations by partners at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Iowa Office of the Attorney General, as well as Veterans Education Success. The Department stated that borrowers will be notified in the coming weeks. Discover: What To Do If You Cant Afford Your Student Loan Payments Learn: How Gen Z Plans To Avoid Student Loans To date, this brings the total loan cancellation under the Biden-Harris administration to $1.5 billion for 90,000 borrowers, according to the Department of Education. The Biden administration is aiming to address Americas crisis in student loans, reports the WSJ, with roughly $1.6 trillion in outstanding debt as of March 31. Story continues More From GOBankingRates: Last updated: June 16, 2021 This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Biden Forgives $500 Million in Student Loans for 18,000 Borrowers Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday that will require public-school students to reflect and to be able to pray as they see fit for one to two minutes each day. While state law already encourages students to participate in silent prayer, the new legislation, which goes into effect July 1, will require the daily moment of silence. The bill requires public-school principals to direct first-period teachers to hold a moment of silence each day. Its something thats important to be able to provide each student the ability, every day, to be able to reflect and to be able to pray as they see fit, DeSantis said in a speech at Shul of Bal Harbour, a Jewish community center, before signing the bill. The idea that you can just push God out of every institution, and be successful Im sorry, our founding fathers did not believe that, he added. Fifteen other states also encourage public-school students to participate in a moment of silence, according to the Associated Press. The bill instructs teachers to encourage parents to discuss the moment of silence with their children. However, teachers cant offer suggestions to students about what to do during the moment of silence. Democratic state representative Omari Hardy opposed the bill and argued that the sponsors are trying to push prayer in public schools. The Republican who sponsored the bill said that it wasnt about prayer in school. (Of course it was!) But when you question their motives, or their honesty, its called a personal attack & deemed out of order. No. The Republicans lie, and we need to call them on it every time, Hardy wrote in a tweet Monday. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. However, during a Senate floor debate in April, Republican state senator Dennis Baxley argued that the bill will give schoolchildren a silent moment to reflect. Commissioner of education Richard Corcoran said the bill empowers families to begin those ongoing conversations with their child on what they might reflect on during the moment of silence, and help them use this time as an opportunity to prepare for the upcoming day. Story continues Similarly, state representative Randy Fine said that children desperately need time for quiet reflection during times of technological, media-driven, and societal turmoil. More from National Review Fighting between government forces and an armed group in eastern DR Congo erupted on Wednesday for the fifth day running, local sources said, as a respected monitor said dozens of rebels had been killed. Members of a group called CODECO -- for Cooperative for the Development of the Congo -- launched an offensive against government troops on Saturday in Djugu, Ituri province. The Kivu Security Tracker (KST), a US-headquartered NGO that monitors violence in the region, gave a death toll of 42 rebels and two troops, while four wounded soldiers had been evacuated by UN forces. But a local source who had contacts with people on the ground said the army toll could be higher -- "there were casualties on both sides." CODECO is an armed political-religious sect that has been linked to more than 1,000 deaths since December 2017. Experts describe it as a coalition of militia groups claiming to defend ethnic Lendus in Ituri, a gold-rich province bordering Uganda and South Sudan. The Lendu have been in historic conflict with the Hema community -- tens of thousands of people on both sides died in a savage war between 1999 and 2003. In the latest clashes, CODECO gunmen seized the town of Fataki three times before being dislodged by government troops in heavy fighting, a local source said. Several hundred residents have fled to the safety of a United Nations base several kilometres (miles) away, a source with the UN peacekeeping force said. Movement on the key RN27 highway linking Ituri to Uganda has stopped. CODECO is one of more 120 armed groups that roam eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, many of them a legacy of bloody wars more than a quarter of a century ago. Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu have been placed under a "state of siege" by President Felix Tshisekedi, who has vowed to clamp down on the violence. Under this measure, civilian governors have been replaced by senior army and police officers, with the aim of speeding up decision-making. Story continues Meanwhile, Tshisekedi met with Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday on the Congolese side of their countries' border, launching a road construction project. "I know that this is a project which, when it is realised, will increase trade between our two countries," Tshisekedi said, also referring to it helping in the "fight against insecurity". st/mbb/blb/ri/dl A former presidential aide in DR Congo who had been sentenced to 20 years in a high-profile corruption case has had his term reduced by seven years on appeal, his lawyer said. Vital Kamerhe, 62, who was also a former speaker of the National Assembly, was sentenced last June for embezzling nearly $50 million (44 million euros) of public funds. "The sentence has been reduced to 13 years," Kamerhe's attorney Jean-Marie Kabengela told AFP late Tuesday after a decision by an appeal court in the capital Kinshasa. Kamerhe, who has his own political party, was a major figure in national politics before dramatically falling from grace. He had been an early contender in the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential elections in December 2018. But he cut a deal with fellow candidate Felix Tshisekedi under which he pulled out of the race and campaigned alongside him. He was then appointed chief of staff after Tshisekedi became president in January 2019. He and a prominent Lebanese businessman, Jammal Samih, were accused of siphoning off funds earmarked for building 1,500 social housing units under a programme announced by Tshisekedi after his inauguration. Samih's sentence was cut from 20 years to six, Kabengela said. A third defendant who had been sentenced to two years saw his jail term reduced to one year. Kamerhe's case became the emblem of the president's proclaimed crackdown on DR Congo's endemic corruption. He was sentenced to forced labour, a term that remains on DR Congo's statute books but is not implemented. Kamerhe has insisted that he was the victim of a "political trial" to prevent him from running for president in 2023. His appeal began last August, but proceedings were repeatedly postponed. A pro-Kamerhe demonstration in Kinshasa late Tuesday was dispersed by police, witnesses said. st/fjb/ri/mbx/wdb By Nelson Renteria and Rodrigo Campos SAN SALVADOR/NEW YORK (Reuters) -The World Bank said on Wednesday it could not assist El Salvador's bitcoin implementation given environmental and transparency drawbacks. "We are committed to helping El Salvador in numerous ways including for currency transparency and regulatory processes," said a World Bank spokesperson via email. "While the government did approach us for assistance on bitcoin, this is not something the World Bank can support given the environmental and transparency shortcomings." Earlier on Wednesday, Salvadoran Finance Minister Alejandro Zelaya said the Central America country had sought technical assistance from the Bank as it seeks to use bitcoin as a parallel legal tender alongside the U.S. dollar. El Salvador's government did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters regarding the World Bank's decision. The minister also said ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund had been successful, although the IMF said last week it saw "macroeconomic, financial and legal issues" with the country's adoption of bitcoin. Zelaya said on Wednesday the IMF was "not against" the bitcoin implementation. The IMF did not respond to a request for comment. Investors have recently demanded higher premiums to hold Salvadoran debt, on growing concerns over the completion of the IMF deal, key to patching budget gaps through 2023. On Wednesday, bonds sold off across the curve, with the 2032 issue down more than 2 cents at 96.25 cents on the dollar. The spread of Salvadoran debt to U.S. Treasuries dipped to 705 basis points after hitting on Tuesday a four-month high of 725 bps. "There is no fast track for a solution on an IMF program and even uncertainty on whether the bitcoin proposal is compatible with diplomatic U.S. (or) multilateral relations," said Siobhan Morden, head of Latin America fixed-income strategy at Amherst Pierpont Securities in New York. Story continues El Salvador this month became the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender, with President Nayib Bukele touting the cryptocurrency's potential as a remittance currency for Salvadorans overseas. This month, Bukele also pulled out of an anticorruption accord with the Organization of American States, which dismayed the U.S. government, as Washington looks to stem corruption in Central America as part of its immigration policy. "The recognition of a 'Bukele' risk premium has probably done some permanent damage to investor sentiment," Morden said in her client note. The market may be focusing too much on the news headlines, however, and not enough on the possibility of a deal with the IMF, said Shamaila Khan, head of EM debt strategies at AllianceBernstein in New York. "It is important for El Salvador to get the IMF program done. If it was lost on them, they wouldnt have the conversations," she said. "Our view is too much risk is priced in at these levels." (Reporting by Nelson Renteria in San Salvador, Karin Strohecker in London and Rodrigo Campos in New York; Editing by Diane Craft, Richard Chang and Peter Cooney) Wildlife experts made a tough decision to separate a year-old colt from his mother on North Carolinas Outer Banks. The Corolla Wild Horse Fund said in a Facebook post it made the desperate move in an attempt to save a mare sporting a potentially fatal wound. Its not known what caused the injury on 6-year-old Lizzies knee, the fund wrote, but it has become infected. She is now under watch at a rescue farm, while her son, Alex, is fending for himself, herd manager Meg Puckett told McClatchy News. However, the yearling is not alone. We moved him to an area that is not highly populated and doesnt have public roads and unloaded him near a group of horses that included a couple older mares and a very laid back stallion, Puckett said. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. She (Lizzie) did an amazing job raising a big, strong, healthy colt and now it was her turn to be taken care of. Alex was understandably upset but seems to be adjusting just fine. Lizzie is suffering from a fungal infection on one knee, which Puckett suspects was caused by decaying plant matter found in the water. Another Outer Banks horse had the same infection last summer, she said, and was saved only after having surgery. The infection on Lizzies leg was discovered last summer, and it was decided to let her wean Alex before taking action. However, Puckett said, the pair disappeared deep into the marsh over the winter, delaying a planned rescue by months. We never could find them, she wrote on Facebook. On Friday we got a call from one of the residents who had been helping us, letting us know Lizzie and Alex had shown up in her yard. So Saturday morning we jumped into action and went to rescue Lizzie. The mare is now on antibiotics, has pre-operation X-rays scheduled, and is getting her wound cleaned on a regular basis. Her swelling has already begun to ease, the fund reports. She is not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination. We will know more about what were facing in the next couple days, Puckett wrote. Story continues As with every rescue, we are going to do everything in our power to save her. In an update posted Tuesday, Puckett said Alex had been spotted that morning and was doing just fine. A photo shared on Facebook showed he had also made a friend of one of the islands shore birds. Hes alone, but there are many other horses close by, the fund reported. Hes eating and drinking, and not acting stressed out at all. One of the positive outcomes of this whole ordeal is that Alex is now in a different part of the wild horse habitat from where he was born. His bloodlines will offer a bit of genetic diversity to the horses in his new location. Erika Jayne was subpoenaed twice to give depositions on her and husband Tom Girardi's assets before she filed for divorce. Splash News Erika Jayne was subpoenaed to give depositions on her and Tom Girardi's assets, court documents say. Jayne was subpoenaed on May 28, 2020 and September 28, 2020. She filed for divorce in November. Girardi, 82, is accused of embezzling millions from widows and orphans of plane-crash victims. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Erika Jayne was subpoenaed twice to give depositions on her and husband Tom Girardi's assets just months before she filed for divorce, a new documentary has revealed. Court documents from a lawsuit that was highlighted in the ABC News special "The Housewife and the Hustler" revealed that Jayne was subpoenaed on May 28 of last year, and again on September 28. The hearings were postponed for undisclosed reasons and Jayne, 49, never sat for questioning. She filed for divorce from Girardi, 82, less than two months after the second subpoena, citing "irreconcilable differences" after 21 years of marriage. Jayne has maintained that she knew nothing about Girardi's legal troubles, which first came to light in December after the personal injury attorney was accused of embezzling millions from the widows and orphans of plane crash victims. But the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star has become increasingly entangled in all the drama. Representatives for Jayne and Girardi have not responded to Insider's requests for comment. According to the documentary, a separate court document claims that Tom Girardi gave Erika Jayne $20 million in loans from funds taken from his Los Angeles law firm Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi. Steve Eichner/NameFace/SIPA USA Court papers state that Girardi transferred the money from his firm Girardi Keese to Jayne's company EJ Global, according to the documentary - which is now available on Hulu. Insider has not been able to independently view the court filing. The special also features a never-before-aired deposition video in which Girardi - who was known for winning multimillion-dollar settlements as a personal-injury attorney - acknowledges he's broke. Story continues "At one point I had about $80 million, or $50 million in cash - that's all gone," he says in the clip. "I also had a stock portfolio of about $50 million, and that's all gone." Girardi's legal troubles came to public attention after Jayne filed for divorce in November A separate lawsuit claims that Tom Girardi gave Erika Jayne $20 million in loans from his law firm. Arturo Holmes/WireImage After the split made headlines, the class-action law firm Edelson PC filed a complaint claiming that the couple's divorce was a "sham." In October 2018, a new Boeing 737 Max plane crashed into the Java Sea just 13 minutes after taking off from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 189 passengers and crew members on board. Girardi Keese represented "nearly a dozen families" of victims of the crash in their subsequent litigation against Boeing, according to a complaint by the class-action law firm Edelson PC. The complaint, which was filed December 2 and viewed by Insider, claimed Girardi was embezzling money from the "widows and orphans" of victims of the crash. In its complaint, Edelson PC claims that Boeing transferred "substantial, but confidential," settlement amounts to Girardi Keese for the victims' families once a settlement was reached in early 2020 but that those funds were never distributed to the victims' families. It alleges that Girardi instead kept the money "for his own purposes and doled it out to his friends and family," including Jayne, and that the couple were using their divorce to hide the funds. Families of victims of the Lion Air JT 610 plane crash after a procession of flowering at the crash site of Lion Air at Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta, on October 29, 2019. Dasril Roszandi/NurPhoto via Getty Images "At the heart of this deception is Defendant Girardi and his need to fund outrageous lifestyles for himself and his soon-to-be ex-wife Erika Jayne," the complaint continues. "To keep up their celebrity status, Tom and Erika must project a public image of obscene wealth at all times, and at whatever the cost." The lawsuit cites an interview Jayne gave to E! News in 2018, revealing that she spends $40,000 a month on her "look." "Erika even performs a song called 'Exxpen$ive,' featuring the hook 'it's expensive to be me,'" the lawsuit adds. Insider's Stephanie Clifford reported in March that Jayne had since been listed in "at least five lawsuits" against Girardi. She's been listed as a codebtor for personal payments to American Express and the Bel-Air Country Club, and as co-owing money to Girardi Keese clients who had yet to receive their settlement money from cases. Neither Girardi nor Jayne responded to Insider's previous requests for comment regarding Edelson PC's lawsuit. One former 'Real Housewives' cast member said rumors of Jayne and Girardi's impending split 'had been swirling in Beverly Hills' Girardi's legal troubles came to light after Jayne filed for divorce in November. Backgrid "I was not surprised when Erika Jayne announced she was divorcing Tom Girardi," Dana Wilkey, who appeared on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," said during the documentary. "I can tell you that it may or may not have had to do with financial problems," she added with a laugh, saying she couldn't "elaborate" on the rumors. During this season of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Jayne told her fellow cast members that she thought she was "going to hold that man's hand until he died," seemingly referring to Girardi. She also insists, in a trailer for the new season, that she didn't know about the lawsuits before filing for divorce. "Orphans and widows, it makes you feel sick," Dorit Kemsley proclaims during a dinner party, directly referencing the lawsuit. "Did you know any of this?" Kyle Richards then asks Jayne. "No one knows the answer but him," Jayne responds. Meanwhile, Girardi has been forced into involuntary bankruptcy The bankruptcy trustees are now liquidating his assets to pay back creditors, according to "The Housewife and the Hustler." They're also asking for special counsel to recover assets from Jayne, who, according to the documentary, claims that many of the items were gifts to her and thus separate property. A judge held Girardi in civil contempt in December after he declined to explain why he couldn't pay $2 million to four of his clients in the Boeing case. Read the original article on Insider Jun. 16SHORT GAP, W.Va. Brock Troy pitched the final out before Mother Nature suspended the game on Monday, and he got the final nine outs on Tuesday as North Marion defeated Frankfort, 6-4, to take Game 1 of the Class AA Region I championship best-of-3 series. "They're a good team," North Marion head coach Vic Seccuro said of Frankfort. "You've just got to play hard, and we did that. We made a few mistakes here and there, but it's the old saying 'we bent a little bit, but didn't break.' So I'm real proud of that. The kids deserve credit for that. They played hard, hung in there against a pretty good and well-coached Frankfort team." Troy pitched the final 3 1/3 of the contest, yielding five hits with just one walk after starting pitcher Cole Malnick got into trouble in the fourth. Malnick went 3 2/3 with three hits allowed and five walks, four of which came in the fourth. "Cole had a great outing yesterday," said Seccuro. "The only thing that hurt was that one inning, we got the catcher's interference, we had to go back out there and finish (the inning). I think he was a little upset there. We had to go back out onto the field and we walked four batters there, it put them right back in the game. That hurt a little bit. "Brock's a senior. Brock's got to do what he's supposed to do he's got to come in and finish it up for us. He did that and I'm really proud of him." Frankfort, meanwhile, had three fielding errors that come back to cost the Falcons, with half of the Huskies' runs coming off a pair of those errors. "Give them credit, they hit the ball well," Frankfort head coach Matt Miller said. "They hit-and-run a few times. We made a mental error on a bunt that we don't make that's uncharacteristic. Other than that, baseball happens and errors happen, but you can't have that many and win a baseball game." Story continues Logan Kinser led the eight-hit Falcons, going 2 for 2 with a walk out of the 9-hole. "Logan grinds. We've been working really hard," said Miller. "He's been unlucky this year. He's hit some balls hard. And his batting average isn't great, but that doesn't matter to me it's how you hit. He's hit some balls hard right at people. Today and yesterday, he hit two balls that got through the infield because he hit them hard, and yesterday he had a four-pitch walk, good at-bat there. So, yeah, I really can't ask for much more out of Logan. He's done a really good job the past two days." When the game resumed at the start of the top of the fifth on Tuesday, Parker Kincell got the Huskies' offense going with a leadoff single as they looked to extend their 5-3 lead. After a walk and a fielder's choice, Jace Rinehart laced a ball to the right side that caused an error and allowed a run to score. The runner on first got overanxious after rounding third, and Frankfort third baseman Ben Nestor threw home to Peyton Clark to nab the runner and end the inning. The Falcons worked some two-out magic in the bottom half of the inning, with Tyler White getting a two-out infield single. With a 3-2 count and White in motion on the pitch, Colton McTaggart ripped the ball down the left-field line for an RBI single, getting Frankfort back within two, 6-4. After Falcons reliever Andrew Lynch got a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, Frankfort was unable to capitalize in the bottom half after Kinser led off with a single and Lynch hit a one-out single to left. Troy got a fielder's choice and a pop fly up the elevator shaft to the catcher to end the frame. After North Marion threatened, but ultimately didn't score, in the seventh, Troy got a fly out to second to end the game after a two-out, two-strike single by Andy Westfall. The Huskies got to Frankfort starting pitcher Brady Whitacre on Monday, loading the bases in three of the four innings played prior to the suspension. After Dylan Runner led off the game with a walk, he moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and took third on a passed ball before scoring on an RBI single by Rinehart. A walk was the only blemish on Whitacre's name in the second inning, as North Marion led 1-0 entering the third. Rinehart led off with a walk and Nikholas Tobin put runners at the corners with a hit-and-run single Tobin finished 3 for 4. Troy drove in Rinehart from third on a flare to center field to double the Huskies' lead. Still with no outs, Michael Harris squared to bunt to move both runners into scoring position, but ended up with a bunt single to load the bases after no one covered first base. The very next batter, Bryce Rhoades, ripped a bouncer hard to the left side, but an error allowed the ball to get through and two runs to come in for a 4-0 North Marion lead. The Falcons cut into the deficit in the next half inning, however, as Kinser and Whitacre hit back-to-back singles Kinser advanced to third on the hit and Whitacre moved to second on the throw to third. With one out, Andrew Lynch hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1. Whitacre was stranded on second when a strong throw to first barely beat Peyton Clark to the bag to end the inning. After Malnick singled, Rinehart walked and Tobin singled to load the bases with no outs in the fourth, Troy hit a sac fly to left to push the Huskies' edge back to four, 5-1. Whitacre worked out of trouble with a fly out to shallow center Westfall's throw home kept Rinehart at third base and a strikeout. Patience paid off for the Falcons in the home half of the fourth, with Nestor and McTaggart drawing walks before a catcher's interference call with two outs loaded the bases and extended the inning. Kinser drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-2 and, after being down 0-2 in the count, Whitacre drew a base-on-balls following a 10-pitch at-bat to make it a two-run ballgame and force Malnick, a sophomore, out of the game. Malnick threw 41 of his 84 total pitches in the inning before Troy, who entered the game in relief, got a groundout to end the inning and limit the damage. The game was delayed before North Marion stepped up to bat in the fifth after thunder could be heard above the field. Continued lightning strikes forced the suspension of the contest. "We still have to be careful because this team is tricky and they can get you right there," said Seccuro, whose Huskies will host Game 2 today at 5 p.m. "And they did, they took advantage and got the outs. And that hurts you when you're trying to get a little bit of a lead on them, you're trying to get comfortable. We couldn't do that this game we couldn't get comfortable with them." Although the Falcons (12-11) face an uphill battle, it's territory they've been in before. "We've been here before," said Miller. "Three years ago against Weir, we dropped the first game, came back and won 9-1 and 11-1, so it's not foreign to us." Game 3, if necessary, will be played on Thursday, 5 p.m., at Frankfort. Kyle Bennett is a sports reporter for the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @KyleBennettCTN. European tourists outside the Louvre in Paris. Francois Mori/AP Photo American travelers can start taking European vacations again, whether they're vaccinated or not. The European Council said Friday that member states should "gradually lift the travel restrictions." The list will be reviewed every two weeks, and will be updated as needed, the council said. See more stories on Insider's business page. The European Union has officially lifted all bans against American travelers. In a statement issued Friday, the European Council said member states are allowed to "gradually lift the travel restrictions at the external borders" for residents of 14 countries, including the US, CNN reported. The list is expected to be reviewed every two weeks and updated if necessary. The German network Deutsche Welle, France's Agence France-Presse, and Reuters news agency first reported on the plans on Wednesday. Travelers from Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Lebanon, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong are also included on the list of countries to have restrictions dropped. According to the European Council, the countries were selected based on specifications linked to the "epidemiological situation and overall response to COVID-19, as well as the reliability of the available information and data sources," CNN reported. The decision applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers, a European source with knowledge of the discussions confirmed to Insider. Individual EU countries can still choose to demand a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine upon arrival. Read the original article on Business Insider Evergy alerted customers that it would likely activate its Energy Savings Events program on Thursday, which allows it to turn up thermostats of those who have granted the utility permission to do so. The announcement on Wednesday comes as the Kansas City area and other locations in Kansas and Missouri are experiencing their first wave of excessive summer heat. Evergy said that by raising the thermostats, it will help reduce energy demand on the system during peak hours as the metro experiences extreme heat. Customers who have enrolled in Evergys Residential Thermostat programs can opt out or adjust their thermostats if it gets too warm. Evergy also announced that it is ready to meet energy demands as air conditioners whir to life, as many of the communities it serves anticipate temperatures in the triple digits. Our system is ready for summers 100-degree days and to provide reliable electricity as customers aim to stay comfortable, said Chuck Caisley, senior vice president and chief customer officer, in a news release. We appreciate the Evergy plant and field employees who work in harsh conditions to make sure our customers have the power they need. Evergy said maintenance work at power generating facilities was completed this spring to prepare for the summer season and they are available near full capacity to ensure needs are met. Improved wind conditions as the week continues will also add to the available power supply for customers. Continued investment in its power grid modernization and a predictive maintenance program will keep power reliable on hot days. Rebuilt lines carry power more efficiently and include equipment that can alert the utility to potential problems before an outage occurs, it said. If an outage occurs, the lines can make locating it easier and faster, shortening the time it takes to get power restored, Evergy said. Evergy is a member of the Southwest Power Pool, which coordinates power generation and transmission in the region. Southwest Power Pool forecasts indicate that generation resources will be able to meet customer needs. Story continues Although Southwest Power Pool issued a resource alert last week saying that regional electricity load could reach as high as 96% of its all-time regional peak this week, it announced Tuesday that it is in a position to serve the regional load with room for contingencies. No calls for customer conservation have been needed, Evergy said in its press release. In addition to the thermostat programs, energy efficiency programs available to Missouri residential customers include rebates on HVAC systems, insulation and air sealing rebates, and discounts on energy efficient LED lighting. Program details are available at https://www.evergy.com/ways-to-save/discounts. Energy saving tips for can be found on the Evergys website at https://www.evergy.com/ways-to-save/resources/energy-tips/interactive-home-tips. A former mayor in northern Mexico has been condemned to eight years in prison for his involvement in the 2017 murder of journalist Miroslava Breach, prosecutors said Wednesday. A court in Chihuahua state handed down the sentence on Tuesday to Hugo Amed Shultz, the ex-mayor of Chinipas who was arrested in December. He was ordered to pay damages and make a public apology to the victim's family for his role as an accomplice, the prosecutor's office said in a statement. Investigators said Amed Shultz, a member of the conservative National Action Party (PAN), provided information to the organized crime group that carried out the murder, which drew international condemnation. Juan Carlos Moreno, also known as "El Larry," was convicted of being the "intellectual author" of the murder and sentenced to 50 years imprisonment last August. Mexico is regularly rated by watchdog Reporters Without Borders as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. Breach, who covered the country's drug war, is one of more than 100 journalists who have been murdered in Mexico since 2000. Most of the crimes remain unpunished. Breach, a 54-year-old veteran crime and politics reporter, was shot eight times in the head on March 23, 2017, as she left her home to take her son to school. Her work included reporting on gang members who were allegedly seeking to be election candidates. According Propuesta Civica, a non-governmental organization that advocates for human rights and free expression, Amed Shultz apologized in court and expressed his condolences to the family. "I acknowledge that my role affected Miroslava's rights and I regret the consequences. The absence of Miroslava Breach as a critical voice of journalism undoubtedly affected society's right to public information," he was quoted as saying. In 2018, the United Nations, AFP and others launched an award to honor journalists who risk their lives to cover human rights abuses in Mexico, in tribute to Breach and another slain journalist, Javier Valdez. sem-dr/bfm By Laurence Frost PARIS (Reuters) -Cathay Pacific is working with Airbus to introduce "reduced crew" long-haul flights with a sole pilot in the cockpit much of the time, industry sources told Reuters. The programme, known within Airbus as Project Connect, aims to certify its A350 jet for single-pilot operations during high-altitude cruise, starting in 2025 on Cathay passenger flights, the sources said. High hurdles remain on the path to international acceptance. Once cleared, longer flights would become possible with a pair of pilots alternating rest breaks, instead of the three or four currently needed to maintain at least two in the cockpit. That promises savings for airlines, amid uncertainty over the post-pandemic economics of intercontinental flying. But it is likely to encounter resistance from pilots already hit by mass layoffs, and safety concerns about aircraft automation. Lufthansa has also worked on the single-pilot programme but currently has no plans to use it, a spokesman for the German carrier told Reuters. Cathay Pacific Airways confirmed its involvement but said no decision had been made on eventual deployment. "While we are engaging with Airbus in the development of the concept of reduced crew operations, we have not committed in any way to being the launch customer," the Hong Kong carrier said. Commercial implementation would first require extensive testing, regulatory approval and pilot training with "absolutely no compromise on safety", Cathay said. "The appropriateness and effectiveness of any such rollout as well as (the) overall cost-benefit analysis (will) ultimately depend on how the pandemic plays out." It added: "Having said that, we will continue to engage with Airbus and to support development of the concept." Airbus has previously disclosed plans to add single-pilot capability to the A350, but the airlines' participation had not been reported. Work has resumed after the COVID-19 crisis paused the programme, Chief Test Pilot Christophe Cail said. Story continues "We've proven over decades we can enhance safety by putting the latest technology in aircraft," Cail told Reuters, declining to identify project partners. "As for any design evolution, we are working with airlines." VITAL SIGNS Safe deployment will require constant monitoring of the solo pilot's alertness and vital signs by on-board systems, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has said. If the flight encounters a problem or the pilot flying is incapacitated, the resting copilot can be summoned within minutes. Both remain in the cockpit for take-off and landing. "Typically on long-haul flights when you're at cruise altitude there's very little happening in the cockpit," EASA chief Patrick Ky told a German press briefing in January. "It makes sense to say OK, instead of having two in the cockpit, we can have one in the cockpit, the other one taking a rest, provided we're implementing technical solutions which make sure that if the single one falls asleep or has any problem, there won't be any unsafe conditions." Pilot groups have voiced alarm. "We struggle to understand the rationale," said Otjan de Bruijn, head of the European Cockpit Association representing EU pilots. Invoking the 737 MAX crisis, which exposed Boeing's inappropriate links to U.S. regulators, De Bruijn said the programme's cost-cutting approach "could lead to higher risks". Single-pilot operations, currently limited to planes with up to nine passengers, would need backing from U.N. aviation body ICAO and countries whose airspace they cross. China's support is key to any Cathay deployment. EASA plans consultations this year and certification work in 2022, while acknowledging "significant risk" to the 2025 launch date, a spokesman said. In a closed-door industry briefing this year, the agency suggested reduced-crew flights would begin with a single operator, according to notes of the meeting reviewed by Reuters. EMERGENCY DESCENT Airbus has designed an A350 autopilot upgrade and flight warning system changes to help a lone pilot manage failures, sources close to the project said. Use of a specially designed unisex toilet would be possible during the shift, in coordination with air traffic control. The mid-sized plane is suitable because of its "emergency descent" feature that quickly reduces altitude without pilot input in the event of cabin depressurisation. Proponents suggest single-pilot operations may be accepted by a flying public used to crew leaving the cockpit for bathroom breaks. They also point to higher error rates from human pilots than automated systems. Both arguments miss the point, according to a source close to Lufthansa - who said the airline's executives were advised last year that the programme could not meet safety goals. Flying solo for hours is a "completely different story", the source said, citing the 2009 AF447 disaster as an example of malfunctions occurring in cruise. The Air France A330's copilots lost control after its speed sensors failed over the Atlantic, while the captain was resting. "Airbus would have had to make sure every situation can be handled autonomously without any pilot input for 15 minutes," the source said. "And that couldn't be guaranteed." Lufthansa has not withdrawn from Project Connect and remains involved as an adviser, its spokesman said. While the airline has no plans to deploy single-pilot operations, he added, "the suggestion that Lufthansa was an essential part of the project and then pulled back is not true." Single-pilot capability would add an A350 sales argument, experts say, and rival Boeing lacks an equivalent model with sufficient automation. Filippo Tomasello, a former EASA official, said the payroll and accommodation savings for long-haul crew would not be lost on airlines. "COVID may end up accelerating this evolution because it's putting tremendous economic pressure on aviation," Tomasello predicted. "If EASA certifies this solution, airlines will use it." (Reporting by Laurence Frost Additional reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney Editing by Mark Potter) Portrait of Sahra Nguyen Photo by Alex Lau / Wardrobe Styling by Joseph Episcopo / Hair and Makeup Styling by Miguel Lledo / Food Styling by Tyna Hoang / Prop Styling by Sophia Pappas In Vietnam, coffee culture is centered around community," says Sahra Nguyen, founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply. Rather than treating coffee as a sidekick to breakfast or a grab-and-go caffeine fix for boosting productivity, you go to a cafe to sit with a cup of coffee fitted with a slow-drip phin filter on top. "The coffee has its own moment," she says. READ MORE: Food & Wine Game Changers: 25 People and Companies Changing the Way We Eat and Drink Now, Vietnamese coffee culture is having its own moment here in America, in large part due to Nguyen, a child of Vietnamese refugees who grew up in Boston. In 2018, after noticing that Vietnamese beans were entirely unrepresented in specialty coffee, she launched Nguyen Coffee Supply, with the twofold mission of giving Vietnamese coffee culture and Vietnamese coffee beans pride of place. Vietnam is the second-largest producer of coffee in the world, but the majority of its beans are from the robusta species. Compared to arabica, robusta is a low-acidity, high-caffeine, and high-yield species with a reputation for being lower quality, and big corporations typically purchase Vietnam's crop for instant coffee. "Vietnam has been trapped in the cycle of commercial coffee production that is heavily controlled by companies who want to pay a really cheap price," says Nguyen. "Farmers end up growing what they know is going to sell." "We believe in building a diverse and inclusive coffee culture. It is a collective investment with everyone along the entire supply chain." Sarah Nguyen Nguyen decided to change that cycle, partnering with a farmer in Da Lat. The pair switched to more labor-intensive farming practices to cultivate better beans, which Nguyen imports green and roasts in Brooklyn. Today, she sells three styles of coffee directly to consumers: smooth and fruity Moxy (100% arabica), sweet and nutty Loyalty (half arabica and half robusta), and full-bodied Truegrit (100% robusta), along with phin filter kits. When she conducted a blind tasting with customers, the 100% robusta was the winner-all the better to enjoy Vietnamese coffee drinks. Vietnam developed its drinks, like ca phe trung (made with egg yolk and condensed milk) and coconut coffee (see recipe at right), around the bolder robusta. Now, anyone can make them with her single-origin coffees. Story continues Nguyen also works to keep her coffee connected to where it comes from. On the nearly identical menus at most serious American coffee shops, with mostly espresso-based drinks (cappuccinos, lattes, and so forth), Nguyen saw a disconnect. "There was this level of extraction happening-extracting the product in the country without enough recognition of the people," she says. "We believe in building a diverse and inclusive coffee culture. It is a collective investment with everyone along the entire supply chain." Coffee from $14 per pound, phin coffee filters from $14, nguyencoffeesupply.com Iced Coconut Coffee Ice Coconut Coffee Photo by Alex Lau / Food Styling by Tyna Hoang / Prop Styling by Sophia Pappas L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner helps distribute free meals in November at South Gate High School, part of a massive effort that he cited Tuesday in his farewell address at the Hollywood Bowl. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Austin Beutner, the outgoing leader of the Los Angeles Unified School District, took the stage of the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday to declare that the state of the city's schools is excellent. But as he focused on accomplishments, others in the audience were pondering the work ahead. The superintendent of the nation's second-largest school system read out a lengthy list of achievements, headlined by successful food and economic relief efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also noted encouraging results from a new reading and math program for the early grades, expanded partnerships with the private sector and a decentralization plan that could culminate in the sale of district headquarters. Beutner stood before school administrators, managers and staff from regional and central offices and made sure to thank them for their hard work, while also trying to define his legacy. He recently announced his decision to step down June 30 after completing his three-year contract. "If you've been paying attention this morning, you'd recognize a pattern which has emerged over these past few years," Beutner said. "Ideas that are born and bred in our schools ideas that are born and bred in Los Angeles Unified are becoming a model for the nation. And I rather like the sound of that. The future of our community, our state and our nation is in our public schools. And I'm pleased to say: The future looks very bright." School Board President Kelly Gonez called Beutner's response to the pandemic "extraordinary," saying it "set a tone for what a school district can do to support the holistic needs of students, families and communities." Campuses shifted to remote instruction on March 16, 2020, and did not offer an on-campus option until April 2021. This fall will present new and formidable challenges as the district resumes a full-time on-campus schedule. "It'll be the first time that many of our students are back on our campuses," Gonez said. "And before that, we have to convince them that it's safe. There will be a lot of effort this summer to help support students in summer school, but we'll also need to be doing extensive outreach to make sure that families know what the safety protocols are and what we're doing to keep their kids safe. Story continues "And then," she added, "there will be deep work ahead to address the trauma and the academic impacts of the last year and a half." Board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin said she was pleased with the district's enhanced emphasis on students' social and emotional needs but worries about finding credentialed staff to provide such services. She added that the district needs to focus anew on confronting systemic racial bias and on helping more students become eligible to apply to four-year state colleges. Maisie Chin, executive director of Community Asset Development Redefining Education, a South L.A. organization that works with parents, said she felt it was appropriate to acknowledge that the school district had "responded to the crisis of the past 15 months with courageous innovation and resilience." But, she added, "what's missing is that L.A. Unified still needs to be pushed to focus and center the most vulnerable, excluded and marginalized families. Many of those families walked away from the district long before the pandemic, and the responsive progress of this past year is only coming after irreparable harm, exclusion and enrollment declines have occurred." The "state of the schools" speech typically takes place before the start of a school year and is meant to take stock and set a tone going forward. COVID-19 upended that timing. The turnout on Tuesday after the end of the school year Friday was smaller than usual. These speeches are usually held in a large high school auditorium, with the district's traditional coffee cake served out front. Beutner has preferred higher-profile settings; his previous such address was at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The district provided bus transportation to the Hollywood Bowl from across the sprawling school system; many buses were nearly empty, but the audience of at least several hundred was in good spirits, applauding frequently even as temperatures in the sunbaked venue soared during students' musical performances and Beutner's talk, which lasted more than 40 minutes. Although the state is ending most pandemic restrictions, safety issues remain front of mind for many, including Beutner, who said the district worked with experts "to create the nations most comprehensive school-based COVID safety program." The effort included weekly coronavirus testing, enhanced cleaning and ventilation and, ultimately, a vaccination program. A spokeswoman for a coalition that works closely with the teachers union said she appreciated Beutner's preoccupation with safety. "We have not always agreed with Supt. Beutner, but he did a very good job of holding the line against pressure to rush to open schools during COVID, when the vast majority of LAUSD families still felt unsafe," said Ruby Gordillo, a parent leader with Reclaim Our Schools L.A. and Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment. Gordillo did not attend the event but reviewed text of Beutner's address. Another parent, who also reviewed the text, expressed frustration that campuses did not reopen until April and that other districts required more live instruction online during the period when campuses were closed. "Is Austin Beutner celebrating that LAUSD negotiated the least amount of live online instructional time of any major school district?" asked Christie Pesicka, who has a son at Playa Vista Elementary School and has been involved with a parents group that is critical of the district and the teachers union. "LAUSD definitely did set a 'new standard,' but I hope they never become a model for the nation." Many who attended the event said they enjoyed reconnecting with colleagues after a year online and look forward to the fall, although Patrick Johnson, a specialist who evaluates services for students with disabilities, admitted to trepidation. "I was a little nervous, coming out of the house to a big venue for the first time," said Johnson. He kept his mask on, even though most attendees took theirs off in the heat. The Bowl's posted policy required masks, making this a rare outbreak of disobedience among a crowd that is typically attentive to rules. Johnson was encouraged to learn of state and federal aid flooding into L.A. Unified, which Beutner, in his remarks, totaled at $5.5 billion. "From what I understand, said Johnson, "that means we're going to get things that we have wanted and needed for a long time, like new counselors, new teachers in some instances, nursing and specialized positions." But he worries about the campus dynamic given that people won't have to wear masks in public but must continue to wear them at school. Jack Foote, a field director who works with school administrators, has concerns about conflicting and evolving safety guidelines: "It's not predictable. And something we can say today may be deemed not so tomorrow." But he added that the district's newfound ability to deliver services online is something that students can benefit from moving forward. Several administrators said the work of Beutner, a businessman who had no background in education management, had impressed them. "Our superintendent has been amazing with ensuring that our students receive resources, such as technology, and also providing them with the vaccinations and regular [coronavirus] testing to ensure that our community has been safe," said Mistie Barela, principal at Sotomayor Arts and Sciences Magnet High School. She added that it will be a challenge for the district to determine how much learning loss students have suffered because of extended campus closures, "meeting them where they're at and taking them where they need to be." Times staff writer Paloma Esquivel contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Following more than seven hours of debate, the Connecticut House of Representatives avoided a threatened gubernatorial veto and approved a revised bill that would legalize marijuana in the state. The measure cleared the House by a largely party-line vote of 76 to 62. Twelve Democrats joined all but one RepublicanRep. Rick Hayes of Putnamin voting no. The bill could come up for a final vote in the Senate as soon as Thursday. Connecticuts time has finally come, declared Rep. Steven Stafstrom, a Democrat from Bridgeport, who helped shepherd the bill through the House. We take the next step as this chamber in recognizing the war on drugs has failed us and the criminalization of cannabis was the wrong course of action for our state and for our nation. Rep. Juan Candelaria, a New Haven Democrat who has been advocating for the legalization of cannabis for years, said the bill has one of the nations strongest social equity provisions. Were able to repair the wrongs of the past and ensure that these communities who have been disproportionately impacted are made whole,' Candelaria said. The sweeping, 300-page bill, which would legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older, contains a number of provisions, from setting limits on THC content to funding programs to address addiction and mental health. But for many lawmakers, the most vexing part of the legislation is the equity section, which is designed to provide those hurt by the criminalization of cannabis would have an expedited opportunity to enter the potentially lucrative market. Paul Mounds, Gov. Ned Lamonts chief of staff, said an earlier version of the bill did not meet the goals laid out during negotiations when it comes to equity and ensuring the wrongs of the past are righted. At a briefing before the debate began, House Speaker Matt Ritter said most members of the Democratic caucus are comfortable removing the language Lamont finds objectionable. After all, he said, it was not part of the original bill that lawmakers crafted in coordination with Lamonts office. Story continues The bills equity provision was a key sticking point, but it wasnt the only issue some lawmakers found objectionable. Republicans expressed opposition to the very notion of a legal marijuana market, saying it would lead to a rise in crime, a spike in addiction and a host of other societal ills. Rep. Tom ODea, R-New Canaan, said his criticism of the measure is based on science. He cited a study by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that found marijuana use among 12- to 17-year-olds rose in states that legalized cannabis. Youth use will increase,' he said. Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, noted that much of the marijuana debate focused on equity and the marijuana marketplace. I know there are good people in this chamber,' she said. I know this is motivated by wanting to right the wrongs of the past ... please, this is not the way. Take the courageous vote,' Cheeseman later urged her Democratic colleagues. Rep. William Petit, R-Plainville, spoke of the health risks associated with cannabis use and said those harms could fall heaviest on the communities the bill intends to help. A lot of what weve heard about relates to income and relates to societal equity kind of issues,' said Petit, a physician. I think it really needs to be looked at from a public health point of view. Not all of the opponents were Republicans. Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, a moderate Democrat from Westport, said he has long struggled with marijuana legalization. This is a tough vote,' Steinberg said. Frankly no state to date has done well in their first pass in introducing marijuana. ... Im still uncomfortable. I fully expect we will be back next year and the year after that making needed changes to ensure safety and reliability and equity. Steinberg introduced and later pulled an amendment that would have barred home grown cannabis in Connecticut. He ultimately voted yes on the bill. But other Democrats said the time for legalization has come. Rep. Anne Hughes, D-Easton, said the bill will help address the pain the war on drugs has caused generations of Black and brown residents of the state. I rise in support of strengthening the equity policy,' Hughes said on the floor of the House, that those with the lived experience, those harmed by this war on Black and brown people ... that they have a voice at the table ... [and] a voice of economic access. Debate over the question of social equity unfolded over the past few days, creating chaos at the Capitol and at one point, throwing the fate of legalization into question. The earlier version of the bill backed by Lamont contained a geographic definition of equity, giving preference to people from cities that have borne the brunt of the war on drugs. But late Tuesday, right before the Senate was scheduled to vote on the bill, the equity provision was changed to include people with prior marijuana convictions. At a press conference Wednesday, Jason Rojas, the House majority leader who helped craft the legislation, said it makes sense to him that people who have been hurt by the criminalization of cannabis are among those who are first in line for a license. I think its appropriate to consider someones criminal history in terms of defining an equity applicant, Rojas said. Ritter, however, echoed some of Lamonts concerns. Do I think that you should get a leg up because you got pinched [for] marijuana at 19 at Wesleyan? No, I dont, he told reporters before the House session began. The marijuana legalization effort has stalled for at least five years at the Capitol. But this year, it appeared to have fresh momentum and Lamonts strong support. Despite that, the bill only came up for debate in the Senate for the first time last week. The Senate approved the bill but because time ran out before the House could vote, the legislature convened in a special session this week to take up the bill. If the House approves the bill, it will have to go back to the Senate for a final vote. That would mark the third time that senators would be asked to decide on marijuana legalization. The Senate passed a really good marijuana bill a week ago, a bill that had been carefully negotiated over a period of time, Lamont said. There were a couple of curveballs that came in at the very last moment late last night, and I think youre going to see the House go back and pass what was the originally agreed-upon bill, and I think were going to get something passed within a week. Karen OKeefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, praised the House for moving the measure on to the Senate. Connecticut is on the cusp of becoming the latest state to legalize cannabis,' OKeefe said. This year has shown us that state legislatures are capable of rising to the challenge to end cannabis prohibition. A supermajority of Americans have made it clear that they favor a system of legalization and regulation rather than the status quo. This victory will add to the momentum towards cannabis policy reform in other states and at the federal level.' As currently drafted, the bill would allow adults 21 or older to purchase and possess up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana (or up to five ounces at home or in a vehicles glove box or trunk) starting on July 1. Retail sales of recreational cannabis in Connecticut would not start until May 2022, at the earliest. It would require warning labels for cannabis products with varying THC content and would allow home growers to cultivate up to three mature plants and three immature plants. It would also bar state lawmakers from entering the legal marijuana market for two years after they leave office. Rojas acknowledged that the path to cannabis legalization has been a difficult one. The process, he said, confirms what we knew when we began this legislative session: there was going to be a lot of emotion on this bill, there was going to be a lot of ideas about this bill and the vote count was always going to be very, very close. He added: Were ready to continue to move forward and get adult-use cannabis legalized here in Connecticut. Daniela Altimari can be reached at dnaltimari@courant.com. A federal appellate panel indicated in a unanimous ruling Tuesday that Marylands prohibition on broadcasting courtroom footage is constitutionally suspect, and sent the issue back to a lower court for more hearings. Since 1981, Maryland has banned the broadcasting of criminal proceedings, both live and taped. Members of the public can watch or obtain recordings, but cant disseminate them. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a federal district judges affirmation of that ban, citing Supreme Court rulings in finding that broadcasting of those lawfully obtained recordings cannot constitutionally be punished absent a need to further a state interest of the highest order. Nicholas Y. Riley, of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center, said there is no constitutionally sound justification for the ban. The ban is just so expansive and overbroad, we think it will be difficult for Maryland to come up with a justification, Riley said. Riley brought the challenge on behalf of journalists Brandon Soderberg and Baynard Woods, who were putting together a documentary on the Gun Trace Task Force police corruption scandal; Open Justice Baltimore and Baltimore Action Legal Team; and Quiana Johnson, a Prince Georges County activist who founded a group called Life After Release. Tribune Publishing, the parent company of the Baltimore Sun, joined 23 news organizations in an amicus brief supporting the position. This is about transparency and accountability and its also about demystifying the courtroom, which is intentionally designed to be confusing and intimidating for the vast majority of people, Soderberg said in a statement. This is also about solidarity: Reporters, lawyers, and advocates are all part of this lawsuit because we share a common goal of wanting more information to be available to all people. Attorney General Brian Froshs office defending keeping the ban in place, arguing it helps ensure fair trials and protect witnesses from intimidation. Story continues It helps guard against the harm to the trial process that would result from the distraction of jurors and the intimidation of witnesses, if they knew that their participation in criminal trials might be televised on the nightly news ... or disseminated worldwide on the internet, attorneys for the state wrote. In the initial challenge, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett, ruling without a hearing, said that there was overwhelming federal case authority upholding the constitutionality of such a restriction. He said that the ability to attend the trial and report what was observed satisfied the constitution. The interests in ensuring a fair trial, preserving order in the courtroom, and protecting the institutional accuracy of truth-seeking in a criminal trial are all directly served by the Broadcast Ban, Bennett wrote. The Fourth Circuit disagreed. The plaintiffs copies of the official court recordings of state criminal proceedings constitute truthful information that was released to the public in official court records, the judges wrote. Rules vary from state to state. The trial of Derek Chauvin in Minnesota was broadcast live daily, while other states like Maryland prohibit even after-the-fact airing of footage. In 2019, producers of the HBO documentary The Case Against Adnan Syed violated the states ban and aired courtroom footage from the Syed case. The courts have since responded by further restricting access to recordings. In Baltimore, members of the public wishing to watch footage must sign paperwork and place their cell phone in a lock box. Only audio recordings can be purchased, and only after getting approval of the administrative judge. State rules allow for broadcast of civil proceedings, but the court denied The Suns request to film when Baltimore States Attorney Marilyn Mosby took the stand in a civil suit filed against her. Notably, the federal courts do not allow broadcasting and do not provide audio or video accounts of court hearings. Not everyone who overcomes the coronavirus returns to a clean bill of health, with many enduring brain fog, fatigue and even organ damage. (Posed by a model, Getty Images) Almost a fifth of people who develop no symptoms while infected with the coronavirus go on to endure long COVID, research suggests. Not everyone who overcomes the coronavirus returns to a clean bill of health. In the UK alone, more than 1 million people who had the infection are said to have endured lingering complications while testing negative for the virus. Whether the coronavirus itself was mild or severe, long COVID patients have reported everything from brain fog and fatigue to palpitations and even organ damage. To better understand long COVID's prevalence, a team from the non-profit organisation FAIR Health in New York analysed nearly 2 million Americans from February 2020 to February 2021. Read more: Long COVID patient unable to work - over a year after catching coronavirus Results reveal 19% of the Americans who were asymptomatic for the coronavirus endured long COVID, defined as complications that persist for 30 days after testing positive for the infection. Watch: What is long COVID? "Even as the COVID-19 [the disease caused by the coronavirus] pandemic wanes, long-haul COVID persists as a public health issue affecting many Americans," said Robin Gelburd, president of FAIR Health. In the UK, official guidance recommends long COVID patients set realistic goals and join support forums. Read more: Long COVID patient 'recovered' after prioritising rest Long COVID's symptoms can be broad, with each patient having to be treated on a case-by-case basis. While most people fully recover within 12 weeks, some patients are enduring long COVID more than a year after overcoming the coronavirus itself. In the largest long COVID study to date, the FAIR Health team analysed the insurance claims made by 1.96 million Americans. Nearly one in five (19%) of the asymptomatic coronavirus carriers endured long COVID up to a month later, rising to just over a quarter (27.5%) among those who showed signs of the infection but did not require hospital care. Story continues Half (50%) of those who were hospitalised with coronavirus complications endured long COVID for up to 30 days, the results published in a white paper show. Read more: Personal trainer has health anxiety after enduring long COVID for a year Overall, pain was the most common long COVID symptom. This was followed by breathing difficulties, raised cholesterol, general discomfort or fatigue, and high blood pressure. The frequency with which certain complications occurred varied according to the patient's age, however. Among the younger individuals, intestinal issues were more common than high cholesterol. Exactly how the coronavirus causes lingering complications in some patients is unclear. (Stock, Getty Images) Long COVID was generally found to be more common among the female participants than the males. In March 2021, scientists from the University of Leicester reported white middle-aged women are most at risk of complications five months after being discharged from hospital. In the FAIR Health study, heart inflammation a relatively common issue affected the men more than the women, however. The coronavirus is said to be mild in four out of five cases, but it can become significantly more severe among the elderly. When it comes to long COVID, however, a quarter of the asymptomatic FAIR Health participants who later developed heart inflammation were aged 19 to 29. Some of the asymptomatic coronavirus patients also endured mental health complications down the line, with anxiety being the most common disorder, followed by depression. Adjustment disorders when unprecedented stress causes "significant problems" in a person's life and tic disorder fast, repetitive muscle movements that affect the body and speech were also reported. The scientists have stressed they did not compare long COVID patients against healthy individuals who never had the coronavirus. It is therefore unclear whether some of the complications would have occurred without catching the infection. The study has also not shed any light on how long COVID comes about. "Theories include persistent immune activation after the acute phase, initial damage from the virus such as damage to nerve pathways that is slow to heal and persistent presence of low-level virus," according to the scientists. Watch: Do coronavirus vaccines affect fertility? FKA twigs and Shia LaBeouf are attempting to settle the sexual battery lawsuit filed by the British singer-actress against the Transformers star last year, their lawyers said Wednesday. The parties have been engaged in productive settlement negotiations and are in the process of arranging for an early mediation, Sean Hardy, a lawyer for FKA twigs, told a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge during a remote hearing. The judge said she wanted to give the parties some opportunity to engage in mediation, (to) see if they can resolve this. She set a follow-up hearing for Dec. 15, saying, If you cant (reach a settlement), when you come back in December, I probably would give you a (trial) date in early 2023. Thats agreeable, your honor, LaBeoufs lawyer Alan Kossoff said. In a recent filing linked to the hearing, Hardy made it clear his client, whose legal name is Tahliah Barnett, is not backing down in her claims against LaBeouf and is willing to travel back to the U.S. for an expected weeklong trial once COVID restrictions and the courts backlog allow. During the course of their romantic relationship, defendant engaged in the systematic torment and physical and emotional abuse of plaintiff, Hardy wrote in the June 3 statement to the court. He said LaBeouf isolated Barnett from her family and friends and constantly threatened her physical safety. On multiple occasions, defendant physically battered plaintiff, inflicting serious bodily harm and severe emotional distress, he said. Defendant sexually battered plaintiff, by knowingly transmitting an incurable disease without plaintiffs prior knowledge or consent. He said Barnett requires ongoing medical and psychotherapeutic treatment for her injuries, which are permanent. Plaintiff will seek substantial damages, in an amount to be proven at the time of a trial by jury, but well beyond the minimum jurisdiction of this court, he wrote. Barnett went public with her claims against LaBeouf in December, saying he terrorized and assaulted her repeatedly during a relationship that started soon after they made the movie Honey Boy in 2018. Story continues Barnett, 33, said LaBeouf, 35, tried to choke her multiple times, including during one harrowing attack at a gas station in February 2019. LaBeouf threw Tahliah against the car and attempted to strangle her violently while screaming in her face, her lawsuit said. It may be surprising to you to learn that I was in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. It was hard for me to process, too, during and after, she said in a December post on Instagram. I never thought something like this would happen to me. Which is why I have decided its important for me to talk about it and try to help people understand that when you are under the coercive control of an abuser or in an intimate partner violent relationship, leaving doesnt feel like a safe or achievable option. In an email to the New York Times last year, LaBeouf did not deny the lawsuits accusations. Im not in any position to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel, he reportedly wrote. I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. Im ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say. The actor later entered inpatient treatment and parted ways with his talent agency CAA, Variety reported. Former Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is heading into a contract year with the Dallas Cowboys, but hell spend some time away from the NFL this weekend as his annual youth football camp returns to Idaho. The Pro Bowl linebacker will be in Boise on Saturday for the camp, which is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Bishop Kelly High School. Its for children, ages 6 to 16, and parents can register their child at lvecamp.com. Im excited to host this camp in my home state of Idaho, Vander Esch said in a news release. The game of football has taught me so much. I cant wait to get on the field and share my love of the game with the campers. Players will learn fundamental football skills and have the opportunity to be instructed by Vander Esch, who will be in attendance to lead certain stations and talk to campers, along with a selection of coaches from the Boise area. Players will also receive a camp T-shirt and have their photo taken with Vander Esch. The Riggins native played at Boise State from 2014 to 2017 and was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in his final season with the Broncos. The Cowboys picked him No. 19 overall in the 2018 draft, and he signed a four-year, $11.8 million deal, which included a $6.7 million signing bonus. Hes scheduled to make $2.1 million this year, but the Cowboys announced in May that they are not going to pick up the fifth-year option on Vander Eschs rookie deal, which would have guaranteed him $9.145 million in 2022. Dallas coaches said at the time that theyre hopeful they can sign him to an extension before his contract expires, but if he doesnt have a big season this fall, Vander Esch could be on the move. The 25-year-old posted 140 tackles and became the teams first rookie linebacker to make the Pro Bowl in 2018. A neck injury cost him seven games in 2019, but he bounced back in 2020 and finished third on the team with 73 tackles, despite missing six more games with injuries. Story continues Vander Esch has been productive when healthy, but the Cowboys have been looking to the future at linebacker in recent years. They picked Penn States Micah Parsons at No. 12 overall and LSUs Jabril Cox in the fourth round of this years draft. Boise State adds some muscle to 2022 recruiting class with second commit in three days Bates, Williams sign rookie deals Former Boise State cornerback Avery Williams signed his rookie contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday, and the four-year deal is expected to be worth $3.7 million. Much of that money is contingent on him making the roster every year after the Falcons picked the two-time Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year in the fifth round of this years NFL Draft. Williams attended the Falcons offseason program the past couple weeks, and despite teams wanting to see him at slot receiver and running back during the pre-draft process, he worked out mostly at cornerback, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. After joining the Broncos as a walk-on, Williams finished his college career with nine special teams touchdowns. Last season, he won the Jet Award, which goes to the best return specialist in the country, and became the first consensus All-American from Boise State since former offensive lineman Nate Potter in 2011. Former Boise State tight end John Bates signed a four-year, $4.2 million contract with the Washington Football Team, which included a $722,416 signing bonus, according to spotrac.com. Washington picked Bates in the fourth round of this years draft. He joined the Broncos as a three-star recruit in 2016, appeared in 46 games over the next four seasons and finished his college career with 47 catches for 579 yards and two touchdowns. Boise State QB commit earns prestigious invite; season ticket renewal rate jumps Five Broncos named to all-academic team Five Boise State football players were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 team this week. Defensive back Kekaula Kaniho (3.96, health science) earned the honor for the second straight year. Offensive lineman Donte Harrington (3.94, public policy), linebacker Riley Whimpey (3.82, business), punter Joel Velazquez (3.50, mechanical engineering) and wide receiver Khalil Shakir (3.37, communication) are first-time recipients. Kaniho won the FBS Senior CLASS Award last year, and on Tuesday, he was named to the LOTT Impact watch list for the second year in a row. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Boise States five selections are tied for No. 2 among FBS schools, behind Stanford, which placed seven on the team. Its the third time in the past five years that the Broncos placed five on the all-district team. Kaniho, Whimpey and Velazquez are super seniors after taking the NCAA up on its offer of an extra season of eligibility because of the coronavirus pandemic. Kaniho led the Broncos last fall with seven pass breakups. Whimpey paced the Broncos with 61 tackles last season after leading the team with 83 stops in 2018. Velazquez has been Boise States primary punter and kickoff specialist the past two seasons and handled kickoff duties in 2018. Harrington is back for his fifth year with the Broncos, and he could stay for a sixth. After missing all of the of 2019 season with a knee injury, he was approved for a medical redshirt year before the NCAA offered players extra eligibility, which leaves him two more seasons to play. Shakir, a junior, is the only underclassman in the group. After leading the team with 63 catches in 2019, he paced the Broncos again last fall with 52 receptions for 719 yards and six touchdowns. Softball: Broncos hire new head coach Boise State has hired former Oregon assistant Justin Shults as its new softball coach, the university announced Wednesday afternoon. Shults spent the past three seasons at Oregon, primarily as hitting coach, and helped the Ducks reach a NCAA regional championship game this spring. Hes replacing Maggie Huffaker, who announced in May that she was stepping down after three years as the Broncos head coach. This is an incredible opportunity, one I have been looking forward to since I began my coaching career, Shults said in a news release. Boise State is a national brand, can recruit the highest caliber of student athletes and the leadership in athletics and at the university is elite. The Broncos have done great things, and I am excited to see where we take this program moving forward. This is Shults first head coaching job. In addition to Oregon, he also spent time as an assistant at Southwestern Oklahoma State (2013-14), Miami-Ohio (2015-16) and Fresno State (2017-18). At Fresno State, he helped the Bulldogs reach the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and directed an offense that hit 50 home runs and ranked No. 5 in the country in on-base percentage (.410) in 2018. At Oregon, he coached Haley Cruse, a 2020 second-team All-American, who ranked in the top 20 nationally in hits and doubles this spring. This is an exciting day for Bronco Athletics, Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey said Wednesday. Justin Shults has been a part of great success in his career, and I believe he will build upon a solid foundation we have in place here at Boise State. His knowledge of and passion for the game and the student-athlete experience will be a tremendous asset to our team. Huffaker led the Broncos to their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history in 2019. This spring, the Broncos went 20-25 and finished fifth in the Mountain West. Dana Rohrabacher. David McNew/Getty Images Dana Rohrabacher, a former Republican congressman who represented California's 48th Congressional District for 30 years before losing re-election in 2018, confirmed on Monday that he was at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot. "I marched to protest, and I thought the election was fraudulent and it should be investigated, and I wanted to express that and be supportive of that demand," Rohrabacher told the Portland Press Herald. "But I was not there to make a scene and do things that were unacceptable for anyone to do." Rohrabacher, 73, now lives in Maine, having bid farewell to Southern California after losing his bid for re-election. He was known for his strong support of former President Donald Trump and the Kremlin, once defending Russian hacking in the 2016 presidential election from the House floor. His backing of Russian President Vladimir Putin was well-known, and in 2016, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was recorded saying there are "two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump." Over the weekend, Rohrabacher's presence at the Capitol was reported on by a Twitter account called @capitolhunters, which shared videos and images seemingly showing Rohrabacher in the crowd on Jan. 6, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was spotted at the edge of Lower West Plaza, about 500 feet from the restricted area. Previously, Rohrabacher claimed that "leftist provocateurs" started the Capitol riot, not the pro-Trump mob that stormed the building. You may also like 7 scathingly funny cartoons about Democrats' Joe Manchin problem Bernie Sanders wants to know if cannabis reporter is 'stoned' right now Democrats are in danger of losing their advantage with minority voters. That's good for democracy. Jun. 15ROWLEY A former Market Basket employee accused of seriously injuring a co-worker behind the deli counter avoided jail time on Monday after admitting to a Newburyport District Court judge he could be found guilty of assault and battery. Graham Smith, 63, of Winsor Lane, Topsfield, saw the charge continued without a finding and was placed on probation for a year. If he stays out of trouble with the law, stays away from and has no contact with his victim, and pays $535 in restitution for medical bills not covered by insurance, the charge will dropped after a year. Smith was arraigned on the charge on March 18 and released on personal recognizance. His arraignment on the felony offense came after a clerk magistrate ruled on Jan. 27 that there was enough probable cause to charge him, according to court records. A day after the assault on Sept. 10, the victim went to the Rowley Police Department and told Officer John Raffi that Smith tripped him as he walked past, causing him to land face first against a deli slicing machine. While the man avoided the blades, he sustained a broken nose, broken cheek bone, a swollen left eye, cuts to his face and a swollen right hand, according to Raffi's report. Raffi wrote that he spoke to another Market Basket employee who said he saw Smith stretch out his leg to trip the victim. The employee reported what he saw to a Market Basket manager, who began an internal investigation. In a report included in Smith's court file, the Market Basket manager wrote that Smith would "no longer be working there." The internal report also states that the witness saw Smith and the victim arguing earlier in the shift. "When (the victim) came back from break (the witness) saw (the victim) walking to the back room. This is where he saw Graham trip (the victim) on purpose. He confirmed this information with the Rowley police," the report read. When Raffi spoke to Smith about the incident, Smith said the victim had threatened him with a knife months earlier and had also threatened to harm his family. Smith said the victim had been on his case for "taking several breaks during the time they were both assigned to the deli counter." Story continues Smith also told the officer that the trip was accidental, according to Raffi's report. During Smith's arraignment, his attorney told the judge that he acted in self-defense. Dave Rogers is a staff writer with The Daily News. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008. Former Mississippi state Rep. Ashley Henley was found shot to death in a rural area in Mississippi on Sunday, according to local officials. Evidence gathered by investigators indicated a woman was mowing grass outside of a trailer in the Water Valley Boat Landing community when she was shot in the head, the North Mississippi Herald reported. County Coroner Ronnie Stark identified the victim as Henley, 40, and said on Monday her time of death had not yet been confirmed, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The results of an autopsy are expected to be released to the public next week. The Yalobusha County Sheriff's Department dispatched deputies to the scene around 10 p.m. Sunday, where multiple agencies joined the investigation and stayed on site until after 2 a.m., according to Sheriff Mark Fulco. The location marks the same spot where her sister-in-law, Kristina Michelle Jones, was found dead inside a burned trailer on Dec. 26, 2020. Assistant District Attorney Steve Jubera said detectives reported Henley was outside the same burned trailer when she was found dead. MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR SAYS IT 'MAKES SENSE' FOR SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW STATE'S ANTI-ABORTION BILL Rep. Dan Eubanks, Henley's longtime friend and former colleague, said he believes the two deaths are related. I believe she got close, or she ruffled some feathers, and whoever was responsible stepped up. I dont think it was because somebody didnt like her. They just didnt like the fact that she was poking around, trying to get answers for who had murdered her sister-in-law, Eubanks said. The Desoto County Board of Supervisors released a statement, saying, "We send prayers of comfort to her grieving family and hope justice will be served quickly." Brandon Henley, her husband, said she was a "great person" with a "great heart." He also said Yalobusha authorities have not revealed details regarding his sister's death, and no arrests have been made. Story continues Henley was a Republican and represented the 40th District from 2016 to 2020. She was defeated in her bid for reelection in a 2019 race by just 14 votes. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The Washington Examiner contacted the YCSD and Jubera but did not immediately receive a response. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Mississippi, House GOP, Republican Original Author: Kaelan Deese Original Location: Former Mississippi lawmaker found shot to death where sister-in-law was found dead Jun. 15SCRANTON In a subdued voice, former Old Forge Council President Robert Semenza on Tuesday told a federal judge he took bribes to help a business owner being sued by the borough. Dressed in a dark suit and a blue face mask, the 47-year-old replied "guilty" when asked directly by U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion how he pleaded to a felony charge of bribery. Nearly a decade after he was appointed to council to replace his father, who died in office, Semenza's time as a public official brought him to Courtroom 3 in the William J. Nealon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse for pocketing between $6,500 and $15,000. "When he took the position in council in 2012, he took it very seriously and it was a heavy responsibility," said Semenza's attorney, Jason Mattioli, adding that "there are some things that happened" which "led him down this path." Mattioli declined to elaborate Tuesday, saying it would be inappropriate to do so before Semenza is sentenced. Asked if it was related to any medical issues, he said, "not medical, but I will get into it fully. And I'll be able to comment in full after his sentence." Semenza did not speak as he exited the courthouse. Attempts to reach him later were unsuccessful. Federal prosecutors last week charged Semenza with soliciting, demanding and accepting cash in exchange for performing and promising official acts between January 2019 and February 2020. He resigned from council in May as part of the plea agreement. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and three years of supervised release. A criminal information filed against Semenza alleged he accepted bribes related to a unnamed business owner sued by the borough over a dispute about local zoning ordinances. In announcing the charge last week, acting U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler said in a statement Semenza accepted money in exchange for agreeing to vote on the business owner's behalf and to advocate for the business owner's interest before council. Story continues Semenza couched the payments as "loans," according to charging documents, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo said in court they really were just "cash bribes." Federal prosecutors did not identify the business or its owner in court Tuesday or in charging documents; Mattioli also declined to identify either. However, county court records coinciding with information in the federal paperwork indicate it is Walter Stocki Jr., owner of Scrap Enterprises, Rear 105 N. Keyser Ave. Around the end of July 2018, according to the criminal information, council obtained an injunction from the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas against a business and its owner which required it cease all activity violating the borough's zoning ordinances. The court found on or about May 9, 2019, the business owner was in violation of the July 31, 2018, injunction and ordered the owner pay a bond in excess of $5,000, according to the charging paperwork. On or about Aug. 5, 2019, council petitioned the court to hold the business owner in contempt, it stated. On July 31, 2018, Lackawanna County Judge Thomas J. Munley ordered that Stocki cease all activity on his property. On May 9, 2019, Munley gave Stocki 100 days to cease business, clean up his property and post a $20,000 bond. The borough soon after petitioned the court to hold Stocki in contempt. Reached Tuesday, Stocki declined to comment on the Semenza case. Semenza took money along with an unindicted co-conspirator referred to only as Individual No. 3 who owned and operated a consulting business in Old Forge. Individual No. 3 received thousands in dollars in payments as well and remitted a portion of it to Semenza, Caraballo said in court. Semenza will remain free pending his sentencing, which has not been set. Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5187; @jkohutTT on Twitter. Two Fort Hood soldiers were caught smuggling undocumented immigrants in South Texas, according to the Department of Justice. The active duty soldiers were in their Army uniforms and acting like they were on official business when they pulled up to a Hebbronville Border Patrol checkpoint Sunday morning. Emmanuel Oppongagyare, 20, told officers that he and his fellow soldier, Ralph Gregory Saint-Joie, 18, were on their way to San Antonio from Zapata, Mexico, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. Border Patrol pulled the men aside for further inspection, and officers found two people inside the trunk of the car, both Mexican citizens. Money was apparently the motivation for the soldiers, prosecutors say, Oppongagyare and Saint-Joie expected to receive an undetermined amount of money for transporting their passengers from McAllen to San Antonio. The soldiers were also told to wear their uniforms in order to avoid questioning from authorities, the statement said. They were scheduled to make their initial court appearance Tuesday. If convicted of alien smuggling, Oppongagyare and Saint-Joie could spend up to 10 years in prison, and face $250,000 fines. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations are still investigating the case. BMW driver abandons 182 pounds of cocaine after car crash, Texas officials say Stranger drowns after helping Texas father rescue his sons from river, officials say Fort Bragg soldier and his son arrested on cocaine trafficking charges, officials say Blob of creepy critters writhes in Texas state park, video shows. What are they? People wear protective face masks as they stroll along a street in Nantes - LOIC VENANCE/AFP Germany is to end compulsory working from home and France is to lift its face mask requirement in public as much of Europe presses ahead with reopening amid falling coronavirus infections. While the UK faces another four weeks of restrictions after the Government postponed Freedom Day to July 19, across much of continental Europe life is swiftly heading back to normal. Germany would end its requirement to work from home from June 30, Angela Merkels chief of staff said on Wednesday. Helge Braun said Mrs Merkels government would not seek to extend the countrys current emergency brake law, under which employers were obliged to order staff to work from home. If the numbers go up again, then you would have to make a new decision. Right now there is no reason to extend it, Mr Braun told Wirtshcaftswoche magazine. Several German regions have already ended the requirement to wear masks outdoors, and some have lifted restrictions on numbers at weddings and other events provided they take place outside. The German weekly infection rate has fallen to just 2.057, compared to 7,509 in the UK. Almost 49 per cent of Germans have received their first jab, and 27.6 per cent are fully vaccinated. France is to end mask-wearing in public on Thursday and lift a night-time curfew this Sunday, 10 days earlier than expected. The health situation is improving faster than we had hoped. We haven't seen such a low infection rate since last August," Jean Castex, the French prime minister, said, adding that the daily figure for new Covid cases had fallen below 5,000 nationwide with no "worrying dynamic" and that intensive care occupancy had now fallen to below 2,000. The French have been religiously wearing masks in public and have been under curfew from 11pm for the past eight months. Masks will remain compulsory inside shops, public transport and other closed public areas, and Mr Castex warned the French they must continue to wear them "in crowded places, in queues or in markets". Story continues The French had started showing signs of impatience over restrictions and social distancing was regularly flouted during France's victory over Germany in their 2020 Euro football clash on Monday night. French Health Minister Olivier Veran and Prime Minister Jean Castex give a press conference - THOMAS COEX/ AFP The government had already indicated that it would be "lenient" on anyone flouting the 11pm curfew after the game. More than 30 million French, or 45 per cent of the population, have received at least one vaccine dose and 15 million are fully vaccinated. In Spain, night clubs are to be allowed to reopen until 3am in Madrid from June 21, and the government has pledged to end the requirement to wear face masks outdoors. Soon we will take off our face masks in the street, Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister said, adding that close to 15 million Spanish residents have been completely vaccinated, and that 50 per cent of the population will have had at least one jab in a few weeks time. Almost all of Italy will become a low-risk white zone by the end of this week, the countrys health minister said on Wednesday. Currently, about 40 million Italians or two-thirds of the population, are living in white regions, where anti-Covid 19 measures are at their most relaxed, although social distancing and facemasks remain obligatory. Roberto Speranza, the health minister, will revise the latest contagion data on Friday and said regions currently designated yellow, or medium-risk, will turn white. "On Friday we will probably have 99 percent of the country as a white zone," he said. "But great care and constant work are still needed from all points of view ... because the battle is not over." There is alarm over the situation in the UK and concern that cases of the Indian or Delta variant - currently at a very low level in Italy - could spread. During the pandemic, Italy's 20 regions were classed red, orange, yellow or white depending on rates of infection. The state of emergency declared by the government in early 2020 is due to expire at the end of next month. A new investigation into the handling of ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, during the 2020 election has added fresh fuel to the national debate over the need for voting reform. Georgias secretary of state announced on Monday that his office had opened a review of allegations that key documents related to ballot drop boxes in Fulton County had gone missing, prompting a victory lap from some conservatives who have long promoted conspiracy theories about voter fraud in Georgia. New revelations that Fulton County is unable to produce all ballot drop box transfer documents will be investigated thoroughly, as we have with other counties that failed to follow Georgia rules and regulations regarding drop boxes, Brad Raffensperger said Monday. This cannot continue. GEORGIA INVESTIGATING FULTON COUNTY DROP BOX FORMS FROM 2020 ELECTION Georgia allowed the use of ballot drop boxes for the first time in 2020 in order to accommodate public health concerns amid the pandemic. Republican state lawmakers included a permanent authorization for drop boxes in the election reform bill they passed earlier this year; however, Democrats were unhappy with the provision because it reduced the number of boxes permitted from the 2020 levels. According to the rules governing the emergency use of drop boxes in the last election, anyone collecting ballots from boxes shall complete and sign a ballot transfer form upon removing the ballots from the drop box, which shall include the date, time, location and number of ballots. But Fulton County officials admitted, in response to a public records request, that some of the forms documenting when and how many ballots were removed from various drop boxes had been misplaced, prompting the secretary of states office to open its investigation. A person familiar with the situation said the Fulton County inquiry is not criminal in nature because the alleged offense would violate only the State Election Boards rules, but noted the investigation could strengthen the case for forcing out county officials who have long struggled with election issues. Story continues Under the new Georgia voting law, the State Election Board can remove and replace a county-level election board if it has failed to follow the rules for two election cycles without addressing the issues. The person noted Fulton County has been plagued with problems for far longer than two cycles. The investigation is a significant step from an official who has vehemently denied any evidence of fraud or improper election administration since former President Donald Trump took aim at Georgia. Raffensperger rebuffed Trumps unfounded attacks on how his state handled ballots and even weathered personal barbs from Trump. But it could also be a boon to Republicans arguing in favor of tightening election laws across the country in the name of security. Democrats have sought to portray state-level reforms, such as those passed over their bitter objections in Georgia this spring, as attempts to suppress minority votes. GOP lawmakers have, in many cases, framed their reforms as necessary steps to impose uniformity across counties in states where chaos and delays followed the adoption of pandemic-era voting practices. In Iowa, for example, Republicans defended a law Democrats had characterized as restrictive by stressing that the law was simply intended to offer consistent parameters for Election Day. Texas Republicans have pushed back against criticism for their election reform bill, which Democrats successfully blocked earlier this month, in part by noting that some blue counties in the state allowed different kinds of voting, such as drive-thru voting and 24-hour early voting, that were not available everywhere. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Their bill also would have required video surveillance for all areas where ballots are stored in counties with more than 100,000 residents, as well as more monitoring and documentation of the chain of custody of ballots. Advocates of election integrity measures argue that chain of custody rules are important to ensure all ballots are accounted for when counting begins and to protect against fraud. There has been no evidence of widespread fraud in Georgia or elsewhere during the 2020 election. Democrats on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, are pushing an election overhaul, a bill known as S. 1, that would strip out many of the protections state-level Republicans are currently pursuing. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Voter Fraud, Voting, 2020 Elections, Georgia, Donald Trump Original Author: Sarah Westwood Original Location: Fulton County ballot investigation underscores Republican push for election security Photograph: Ringo HW Chiu/AP Bars at full capacity. No masks for vaccinated Disneyland goers. Fans sitting side-by-side at Giants and Dodgers games. California rolled back its major public health restrictions on Tuesday, 15 months after it became the first state in the US to shut down to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Related: San Francisco may be first major US city to hit herd immunity, experts say At the stroke of midnight, the state lifted most of its restrictions on social distancing and capacity limits. Vaccinated residents can now go without masks in most settings, with some exceptions including on public transit, in healthcare facilities, homeless shelters and prisons, and indoors in K-12 schools and childcare facilities, since young children still have not been vaccinated. The move has been billed as a grand reopening, and comes at a moment of optimism for a state that was once squarely in the pandemics destructive path. This is the lifeline. This is what weve been waiting for, said Brett Winfield, the operations director for Pouring with Heart, a company that runs nearly 20 bars in Los Angeles. The relaxing of public health rules about social distancing, patron numbers and mask wearing are incredibly significant, Winfield said. Its almost impossible to make enough money to run an effective and profitable business at 50% capacity for restaurants, and up to 25% capacity for bars. Californias governor, Gavin Newsom, celebrates with other guests after the Vax for the Win lottery contest. Photograph: Ringo HW Chiu/AP Venues were expecting a big increase in patrons starting Tuesday night, he said. I think a lot of people were just literally waiting for the government to say, Its OK. Speaking on the eve of the reopening, Californias governor painted a bright picture of the summer ahead. With all due respect, eat your heart out, the rest of the United States, said Gavin Newsom. The state is not just poised to recover, its poised to come roaring back. In San Franciscos Mission district, one of the citys hardest-hit neighbourhoods, bar owner Gillian Fitzgerald said she was expecting a serious crowd this evening. Story continues I just know that a normal person that would never go out on a Tuesday will be going out on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for a few weeks, said Fitzgerald, who runs Casements, a popular bar that opened only a few months before Covid struck. The changes are being welcomed by many business owners who have struggled to keep themselves afloat. At a virtual town hall on 10 June explaining the reopening rules, Los Angeles public health officials were encouraging: yes, you can reopen your nightclub. Yes, customers can serve themselves from buffets again. While unvaccinated people are still required to wear masks indoors, officials explained, businesses are allowed to implement an honor system, letting customers self-attest to being vaccinated. Those that prefer to continue requiring masks, or to create a system to check vaccination status, can also do so. From success story to hotspot and back again Pandemic highs and lows saw California go from an early success story to the US center of the virus. As the first in the country to impose a statewide shutdown in March 2020, Californias businesses were just starting to reopen last June when cases started rising and restrictions were imposed again. Baseball fans return to bars and restaurants in San Francisco. Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters A darker reality soon set in as California hurtled toward a deadly winter. At the height of its surge, Los Angeles faced overflowing ICUs and two Covid deaths every hour. More people have tested positive for the virus in California (3.8 million and counting) and more people have died (63,000 plus) than anywhere else in the country, although the nations most populous state had a lower per-capita death rate than most others. Now, thanks in part to an effective vaccine rollout and high rates of adoption, California has achieved one of the lowest Covid rates in the country. At least 70% of adults have now had at least one dose of the vaccine, and officials have been slowly easing restrictions since the spring. Recent months have seen more diners and shoppers venturing out, schools and offices reopening, and many hoping that life in the Golden State is getting closer to some kind of normal. People are free to order at the bar, free to dance, free to mingle, and that makes our lives easier Gillian Fitzgerald, bar owner In the Mission, Casements seized the opportunity to expand outdoors in both directions, adding sidewalk tables out front and building out a charming patio in back. What was once an uninviting parking structure now feels like a backstage area at a music festival. Still, Fitzgerald and her staff are most excited not to have to police patrons to stay in line with public-health guidelines. Now people are free to order at the bar, free to dance, free to mingle, and that makes our lives easier, she said. A big part of my relief is that I dont have to be the bad guy any more. In the nearby Castro district, the venerable diner Orphan Andys has served a largely LGBTQ+ clientele for decades, with one terminus of San Franciscos famed F-Market streetcar just outside. That lines fleet of heritage rolling stock only returned in mid-May after a 14-month absence, and Michael England who has worked at Orphan Andys since it opened more than 40 years ago has noticed a difference. Business has been on the upswing, he said. It started out pretty slow, and its increasing every week. We actually are expecting a boom for Pride Week. Im finding that there are a lot of tourists in town. Silvia Guillen, 19, and her boyfriend Joseph Alvarez, 22, share a kiss at Universal Studios in Universal City, California. Photograph: Ringo HW Chiu/AP Months earlier, Orphan Andys won praise for an inventive approach to keeping its patrons safe: installing elaborate Lucite partitions to keep close-set vintage tables isolated. Theyre gone now. The mandate is not there any more, England said. While San Francisco has registered fewer than 40,000 cases and a comparatively low 550 deaths, the Latino community in the Mission suffered disproportionately. Still, signs of cautious optimism were abundant in a neighborhood filled with essential workers. At La Victoria, a bakery that has served pan dulce and other Mexican treats for more than 70 years, Jacqueline Hernandez remained masked as she worked behind the counter. Her panaderia has been open the entire time, she noted, and only now benefiting from gradually increased ridership through the Bart station one block away. Business was pretty good, actually, Hernandez said, adding that she expected it to improve further as the city reopened in earnest today. Thats what were hoping. San Francisco has immunized more than 70% of its eligible population, and even sites in pandemic-ravaged zip codes are seeing fewer people in need. Across the street from La Victoria bakery is a vaccine clinic that largely serves people of color in and around the Mission. When we opened up, we were doing 500 vaccinations a day, said Diane Jones, a nurse and community ambassador who credits the citys relative success with Covid to its experience serving marginalized communities during the HIV/Aids pandemic. That was all first doses. Im looking at yesterday and we vaccinated 144. Of those, 41 were same-day appointments, so people just dropped in. That tells you the capacity we have. Visitors arrive at Disneyland California for the reopening of the amusement park in Anaheim. Photograph: Etienne Laurent/EPA Excited to be back Public health officials and state leaders have continued to stress that the reopening doesnt mean the pandemic is over. The states rollback comes as the US marked 600,000 deaths from Covid-19 and as vaccination rates nationwide have slowed, raising fears the country will struggle to reach widespread immunity. Newsom has rolled out a series of lotteries for vaccinated residents in the hopes of encouraging more people to get their shots. And not all areas of the state are trending in a positive direction. Northern California, a region that has forcefully pushed back against mask mandates and other restrictions, has recently experienced a troubling rise in cases and hospitalization. Many question if the honor system for mask wearing will work, including the California Nurses Association, which said the new rules essentially call on businesses and essential workers to be the vaccination police. Upekshila Wickett, 26, and Valerie Grant, 26, drink margeritas at a restaurant in Santa Monica. Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters This is not a sound public health strategy, said Sandy Rending, a president of the association, which is calling on residents to keep masking up indoors and in crowds. Still, a sense of cautious enthusiasm for the future was palpable on Tuesday. Just before noon, La Cita bar, a downtown institution in Los Angeles, quietly opened its doors for the first time since 15 March 2020. Owner Carl Lofgren said he felt a combination of excitement and panic. Within minutes, a line had formed. At the very front of the line was Brian, 58, who said he was ducking into the bar while on lunch break from working downtown, and declined to give his last name. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. He had missed the people at La Cita, and said he was eager to hear updates on their lives. One of the bartenders had just gotten married before the pandemic closed the bar. Another had been planning to buy a house. What was happening now? Further down, Heather Flores, 31, waited with five longtime friends. Her group had used to meet up at least once a month to celebrate birthdays and good news, but this was the first bar meetup they had had in more than a year. Im just excited to be back, she said. Around 12.30, more than a dozen people filed into the bar at last. Woohoo! one cheered. About 10 minutes later, Brian walked out again. He had had one beer, he said, and now had to go back to his desk. Damn, it looks good in there, he said. The Associated Press contributed reporting Associated Press Honolulu police officers' use of deadly force was justified and no charges will be filed against them in a shooting that killed a Black man because an investigation found that he entered a home uninvited and physically attacked the officers, the city's prosecuting attorney said Wednesday. The April 14 shooting death of Lindani Myeni, 29, has drawn international attention, including from civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, at a time when police violence in other parts of the U.S. have prompted protests over racial injustice. Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm said his office's investigation refutes those who said the shooting shows that despite Hawaii's multicultural diversity, police are racist. House Republican leaders demanded that the Biden Education Department say whether it intends to enforce the law related to foreign funding on campus and crackdown on Chinese Communist Party influence at U.S. colleges and campuses. Rep. Jim Banks, chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, and Virginia Foxx, ranking member on the House Education Committee, sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Wednesday to express concern and request information regarding the Department of Educations administration of Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which requires higher education institutions to disclose large gifts and contracts from overseas sources to the Department because the American public deserves to know that their money is not being compromised by Communist China and other adversarial nations. The Education Department declined in May to weigh in on investigations into foreign funding on campuses initiated by the Trump administration when asked by the Washington Examiner. Department officials wouldnt comment on possible future inquiries after Trump officials increased pressure on China. The United States has ramped up efforts in recent years to confront China, including the Justice Departments China Initiative; the blacklisting of Chinese telecommunications company Huawei and other CCP-linked entities as national security threats; and a crackdown on Confucius Institutes, the Thousand Talents Program, and other Chinese influence operations. The Education Department under the Biden administration has been largely mum on the issue. DOUBTS LINGER OVER BIDEN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CONTINUING TRUMP-ERA CHINA INVESTIGATIONS The Trump Education Department conducted an expansive investigation beginning in 2019 into the influence of the Chinese Communist Party and other foreign funding on campuses nationwide, asking universities to share a host of documents about foreign gifts and connections to the CCP. The department singled out 19 different universities by the time former President Donald Trump left office, but the inquiries might now be in limbo. Story continues Information about these financial arrangements gives both Congress and the federal government valuable insight into possible security risks and conflicts of interest posed by foreign governments financial ties to U.S. colleges and universities Moreover, in 2018, the federal government invested $149 billion of taxpayer funds in colleges and universities, Banks and Foxx wrote. The FBI warned colleges a decade ago about how hostile actors use campuses for spying, propaganda hubs, and faculty recruitment. Unfortunately, too many institutions failed to take this warning seriously. The GOP representatives said the Trump administration modernized the reporting process and found over $6.5 billion in unreported gifts and contracts and opened 19 university investigations. They added, However, the Department has closed only four of those investigations to date. Moreover, you have not started or provided status updates on any other investigations into foreign gifts or contracts. We are concerned by these facts, considering it was conveyed to Congress that career civil servants at the Department and other agencies were supportive of Section 117 compliance and oversight. Confucius Institutes are now collapsing in the U.S., falling from over 100 to just over a couple dozen in a few years following pressure from the Trump administration. Examples of the threats posed by our adversaries to American universities are well documented. Confucius Institutes, once present at hundreds of American universities and colleges, have been used by Communist China to control curriculum, censor political debate, and oversee teacher hiring, event selection, and speaker engagements, Banks and Foxx wrote. For decades, colleges and universities failed to comply with statutory transparency requirements. Mike Pompeo and Betsy DeVos, who were secretary of state and education secretary, respectively, during the Trump administration, joined forces in October to warn K-12 classrooms and universities nationwide are being targeted by Chinese influence operations. The Washington Examiner asked the Education Department in May about whether it would continue the Trump administrations investigations into Chinese influence on U.S. campuses and what Cardona's concerns were about Chinas influence at U.S. schools were, but the department did not provide specifics. Institutions of higher education are required to report to the Department on certain foreign gifts and contracts, and this is an important measure in ensuring transparency and preventing improper foreign influence. Under the Biden administration, the Department has continued to carry out its statutory duties, including by collecting reports IHEs are required to file and making data publicly available, an Education Department spokesperson said in May, pointing to the online portal. The Department continues to assess how it can best address foreign influence issues in higher education while realizing the benefits of appropriately managed international partnerships. The Department declines to comment on active and potential investigations. When asked whether the Biden Education Department agreed with warnings in October 2020 from Pompeo and DeVos about the national security challenge posed by China, the spokesperson directed the Washington Examiner back to its initial statement. The Department must enforce the law and coordinate with other federal agencies to defend citizens from security threats. As Congress debates legislation to counter the threats posed by China and other adversarial nations, your commitment to carrying out the law is critical. The lack of progress we have seen on this issue since your confirmation as Secretary is alarming, and we are concerned the Department is not treating threats from China and other adversarial nations seriously," Banks and Foxx said on Wednesday. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER DeVos released a report in October that included warnings that U.S. university partnerships with foreign adversaries, most notably China, could pose a risk to national security. Last summer, the Education Department revealed that schools had anonymized $8.4 billion in foreign money, and since 2010, colleges and universities had hidden the true source of at least $600 million from China. The House Republicans pressed Cardona on a series of questions, including whether the Biden Education Department has opened any college investigations or issued any related subpoenas or if the department intends on completing the 15 open investigations. It also asked what the total amount of reported foreign gifts was through the reporting period ending in January, how many full-time staff are investigating foreign gift disclosure requirements, and what range of corrective measures the department would use to force non-compliant schools to disclose their foreign funding. Banks and Foxx also asked, What interagency memberships are you working through and what agreements do you have in place to respond to potential adversarial nation security threats? They asked for responses within two weeks. In May, a group of Republican senators also called upon Attorney General Merrick Garland not to implement an amnesty program they claimed the Justice Department was considering in the future, under which researchers at U.S. colleges and universities could disclose past foreign funding, including from China, without fear of prosecution. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Biden Administration, Joe Biden, China, Education Department, House Republicans Original Author: Jerry Dunleavy Original Location: House GOP leaders demand answers from Biden Education Department about combating CCP influence on campus A local news reporter for Fox 26 in Houston was fired after announcing on-air the company that owns the station has been "muzzling" her reporting and planned an expose with the help of Project Veritas. Ivory Hecker, a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor for the station, said she planned to release "behind the scenes" recordings about the Fox Corporation during a live broadcast on Monday. Project Veritas revealed on Tuesday that Hecker had been informed of her suspension from Fox 26, sharing a phone recording provided to the conservative activist group. Soon after, the Daily Beast reported Hecker told the news outlet she had been fired. I have been longing to part ways with this strange, slightly unhinged corporation since last August when I realized what they were, she said, adding she has "zero interest in working for another corporation. They all toe the same line. Fox 26, which confirmed to multiple news outlets that Hecker had been fired, also issued a statement on the situation. "FOX 26 adheres to the highest editorial standards of accuracy and impartiality," a spokeswoman for the station told the Washington Examiner. "This incident involves nothing more than a disgruntled former employee seeking publicity by promoting a false narrative produced through selective editing and misrepresentation." HOUSTON REPORTER SAYS NETWORK 'MUZZLING' HER AND TEASES RELEASE OF AUDIO WHILE LIVE ON-AIR On Tuesday, a video published by Project Veritas showed Hecker sitting down for an interview with the group's founder, James O'Keefe, and video and audio clips of some of her superiors at Fox 26. Hecker raised concerns about the station cracking down on reporting related to certain topics, including Bitcoin and a doctor promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. One clip claimed to show Lee Meier, assistant news director at the station, saying, "It's not just about the viewers; it's about what our CEO reads; it's about what our GM reads." Story continues CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Project Veritas has earned a mixed record for its operations, including allegations of misleading editing. In response to Fox 26, O'Keefe released a statement on Telegram noting Hecker "actually wasn't a former employee when she went live on air and sat down with Project Veritas, so [Fox 26] statement is factually incorrect." Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Fox, Houston, Texas, Media, Whistleblowers Original Author: Kaelan Deese Original Location: Houston reporter fired over Project Veritas sting More than 30,000 cases of filming with the use of hidden cameras were reported to police between 2013 and 2018 Kyung-mi (not her real name) was mocked online, sneered at by social media bullies and interrogated for hours by police and prosecutors after accusing her K-pop star boyfriend of filming her while they were having sex. She was the victim of a digital sex crime but she told the BBC that "no one was there to listen". "I was in school, young and very lonely. There was no one on my side," she said. "I really wanted to die, but I couldn't," she told us. "If I died, no one would know the truth about Jung Joon-young." Jung Joon-young rose to fame through a TV talent show and had a large base of K-pop fans across east Asia. Kyung-mi described him as an attentive, considerate boyfriend - until he filmed the couple having sex without her permission. She first went to the police in August 2016, but she said officers failed to get hold of his phone and she eventually dropped the case. She knew bringing charges against a high profile figure would be tough but she didn't expect to be treated like the accused rather than the accuser. "The police officer told me to rethink about reporting it. She said it was difficult to bring charges against a celebrity. "The prosecutor then called me, not him, in for questioning." "I was humiliated, intimidated, and I started wondering if I had actually filed a case against an innocent person." Jung Joon-young was sentenced in 2019 It took another three years before the shocking truth about the TV personality was presented to a judge. Police received a tip-off about videos on his phone in 2019 and finally issued a warrant to seize it. They found he had secretly filmed images of 12 women, including Kyung-mi, and had shared them on a chatroom with his celebrity friends. He is now serving five years in jail. A police spokesperson has also told the BBC that the officers involved in Kyung-mi's case are being investigated. Story continues 'These hate comments can kill women' Since Jung was jailed, Kyung-mi has received some support, but back in 2016 when she raised the alarm about his behaviour, few believed her. She was harassed online and friends were hard to find. "My friends said that I was ruining Jung's life. No matter how much I suffered, the media talked about me all day. "The whole country was talking about me. No one protected me." In her interview, Kyung-mi called this "secondary victimisation". She found it utterly overwhelming. "These hate comments can kill women," she told us. Unfortunately her experience of trying to report a digital sex crime to the authorities in South Korea is not unique. Human Rights Watch has compiled a detailed survey of victims in the country and found that they face major barriers to justice. Digital sex crimes are on the rise around the world. They involve mostly men secretly filming women and girls and sharing the footage. Advances in technology mean the cameras are often tiny - the size of a shirt button - and can be placed in public bathrooms, hotel rooms and changing rooms. The high-speed internet in South Korea allows the images to be quickly downloaded and shared, sometimes sold to online buyers. The spy cameras can be placed in public toilets in South Korea More than 30,000 cases of filming with the use of hidden cameras were reported to police in South Korea between 2013 and 2018. "The survivors we interviewed had had pretty consistently horrible experiences with the police," the report author Heather Barr told us. "They had often been turned away, sometimes repeatedly. "They had been interrogated about very sensitive issues in open public spaces, interrogated for hours, told it was their job to gather all the evidence, given the run around from one office to another, bullied to drop the case by police, and threatened with a criminal defamation prosecution if they did not do so. "We also heard about police taking intimate images that survivors had to provide as evidence and passing them around the station to laugh with their friends. "Imagine facing that kind of treatment when you are already going through perhaps the worst moment of your life. The experts we spoke to described this as re-traumatisation, and that's the perfect term." The BBC contacted the police in South Korea for a response and a spokesperson provided us with a full written statement which suggests they have taken a number of steps to address these issues. They told us that a Cyber Sex Crime Investigation Team has been set up in every city and province in the country. "We are establishing multiple solutions for investigation and regulation as well as victim protection and support," the statement said. The police have promised to regularly educate its officers and give victims an investigator of the same sex to help them feel more comfortable and a support centre has also been set up. 'You can kill someone without weapons' But for some, the trauma is too much. The Human Rights Watch report, which includes an online survey of more than 500 victims, found that the anguish caused by this crime was so severe it led to depression and suicidal thoughts. My team and I have also interviewed a number of spy camera victims over the last four years, including the parents of one young woman who took her own life after being secretly filmed by a colleague in her workplace changing room. She had felt she would never be free from the stigma of this abuse. "You can kill someone without using weapons," her father told me back in 2019. "The weight of the harm caused might be the same, but the effect can differ for each person - some might be able to pull through, others like my daughter might not be able to." Kyung-mi wants South Korean society to think about how they view victims of digital sex crimes. "Victims are not lowly people who you can mistreat, nor did they fall for this crime because they were stupid or clueless. "It's just they weren't lucky. You too could be a victim if you weren't lucky." She found solace in the countryside. "I dropped out of school while receiving psychiatric help. I went down to the countryside where no one knew me, and quietly read a thousand books by myself, thinking that the world had to change. Speaking to other victims of sexual violence healed me too. "I endured the pain in the hope that one day the truth will come out and social awareness will grow." Growing awareness The South Korean capital of Seoul looks glitzy and dynamic but the country remains deeply conservative. This can mean that abuse against women in certain parts of society is not taken as seriously as it should be and women are often expected to uphold certain standards and fit a stereotypical gender mould. Victims of digital sex crimes can be viewed by some as "soiled". I interviewed a woman in 2018 whose boyfriend had put a tiny spy camera in her bedroom. She said that when she told her parents, her mother blamed her for wearing "provocative clothes." Attitudes are beginning to change, but slowly. Young women in particular are realising that they can speak out. Tens of thousands took to the streets in 2018 to call for a serious crackdown on spy camera crimes with the rallying cry "my life is not your porn". Huge protests have been held demanding action on the hidden camera problem In response to the protests, some laws have been rewritten, but the punishments doled out to those found guilty have often remained low. "Every survivor and expert we spoke to was frustrated by the low sentences judges are imposing for these crimes and we found that they were right," said Heather Barr. "In 2020, 79% of those convicted of filming without consent received a suspended sentence, a fine, or sometimes both. "Filming and sharing images without consent is punishable by up to seven years under Sex Crimes Act, but that's the maximum, and there's pretty much no minimum sentence, and it's clear that the sentences being handed down now often don't feel proportionate to the harm victims have suffered." She is calling on the government to establish a commission to examine the appropriateness of current sentences and remedies for digital sex crimes. That would include allowing victims to seek damages in court in a civil case - something they can't do at the moment. Kyung-mi is also fighting for legal protection for victims to try to protect them from abuse online. "Korean society now needs to go beyond knowing the suffering of the victims and to institutionalise a system to legally protect the victim," she told us. The Ministry of Justice told the BBC that the sentencing guidelines had been changed to reflect the suffering of victims and have been in place since January this year. "This is a really urgent issue for women and girls in South Korea," said Ms Barr. "Digital sex crimes are affecting how women and girls live their lives in South Korea--how they feel in public spaces, on transportation, using toilets, what they wear, and who they trust. "It is urgently important that the government does more to prevent these crimes and to ensure justice and compensation for victims." If you've been affected by the issues raised, advice can be found here and here. LGBT protesters - REUTERS Viktor Orban stepped up his war on LGBT rights on Tuesday as Hungarys parliament passed legislation banning the promotion of homosexuality in schools. Mr Orban's government claimed that the latest in a string of anti-gay measures was aimed at protecting children and fighting paedophilia. The bill outlaws LGBT people from featuring in educational material or TV shows for the under-18s. It means that films featuring gay character or seen as promoting homosexuality could only be shown at night with an 18-plus certificate. Movies that could be affected include Bridget Jones's Diary, the Harry Potter films and Billy Elliot, broadcaster RTL Klub Hungary said. Companies would also be forbidden from running adverts showing support for the LGBT community if the commercials are thought to target under-18s. More than 5,000 people protested outside Hungarys parliament as it passed the amendments. Critics of the bill said it would severely restrict freedom of expression and children's rights. Attila Kelemen, 23, was among thousands who protested against the amendments, saying it was getting more and more uncomfortable to live in Hungary not only for gays, but practically also for everybody. To mix up homosexuality with sexual crimes is disgusting, the school psychologist told AFP. Viktor Orban - REUTERS The legislation passed with 157 votes in favour and one vote against in the parliament controlled by Mr Orban's ruling Fidesz party. The opposition boycotted the vote except for lawmakers from the far-Right Jobbik party which supported the changes. It is not clear what punishments could be meted out for those seen as breaking the new legislation. In order to ensure... the protection of children's rights, pornography and content that depicts sexuality for its own purposes or that promotes deviation from gender identity, gender reassignment and homosexuality shall not be made available to persons under the age of 18, the legal text said. Story continues Sexual education classes should not be aimed at promoting gender segregation, gender reassignment or homosexuality, it added. David Vig, director of Amnesty International Hungary, said that the law will expose people already facing a hostile environment to even greater discrimination. Last December, Hungarys parliament adopted a package of measures enshrining what the government sees as the traditional family, effectively banning adoption by same-sex couples. In May 2020, a ban on legally changing one's gender came into force, with rights groups warning this would expose transgender Hungarians to discrimination. In 2018 a government decree effectively banned universities from teaching courses on gender studies. The latest ban will put Mr Orban on another collision course with Brussels. The EU has already raised concerns with Hungary, a member state, over its media crackdowns and lack of respect for the rule of law. Clement Beaune, Frances Europe minister, said Paris would follow the issue closely. We cannot let our fellow citizens think that on fundamental subjects Europe is 'a la carte', said Mr Beaune on a visit to Vienna. The EU could impose funding restrictions on Hungary over the legislation, the bloc's equality chief told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Tuesday. To our teams, Our companies know that antidiscrimination and inclusion policies are good for business. When you know that your talents matter and your individual needs are cared for by your colleagues and company leaders, you bring your best self to work driving innovation, promoting collaboration and increasing company revenues. As CEOs and Idaho employers, we recognize the importance of ensuring everyone feels safe and included not only within our workplaces but also in the communities where we live and play. Being able to live in safety and with dignity should not stop when you leave the office. Everyone should be able to take their kids to the park, shop for groceries, rent an apartment or participate in other day-to-day activities without fear or worry of discrimination. Research shows that inclusive policies improve companies performance and ability to attract and retain top talent. A recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study found that from small, private companies to multinational, publicly owned corporations, fostering a culture that leverages acceptance and growth of all employees is critical to driving better outcomes. Companies who do well provide benefits to same-sex spouses or domestic partners and transgender people, and participate in philanthropic support of LBGTQ+ organizations, among other inclusive practices. Our companies have important policies that prohibit discrimination and harassment and promote diversity, equality and inclusion. We know that employees and prospective candidates not only look at our company policies but also our communities when considering whether to work and live in Idaho. People look for companies where they can flourish and communities where they can thrive. If they believe their friends and family members may be discriminated against, they are more likely to choose a competing offer in a state that accepts people no matter who they are, how they identify or whom they love. Story continues Treating everyone with dignity is not only the right thing to do its the smart thing, too. According to Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture, diverse and inclusive teams create more ideas, make better decisions, and execute faster on innovation. We have certainly seen that firsthand at our companies. The bottom line is no one should be harassed or discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We must demand and ensure that it doesnt happen, and we support legislation that protects all Idahoans. We will continue to strongly advocate for those human rights and ask others to join us. Its right for business growth, and its right for Idaho! Bradley Wiskirchen, CEO, Kount George Mulhern, CEO, Cradlepoint Nate Jorgensen, CEO Boise Cascade Odette C. Bolano, President & CEO, Saint Alphonsus Health System Sandeep Sahai, CEO, Clearwater Analytics, LLC Sanjay Mehrotra, President & CEO, Micron Vivek Sankaran, President & CEO, Albertsons Companies Back the Blue campaigners packed an Illinois city council meeting to demand more support for police officers. "The way [police] have been talked to, [city officials] dont stop that," Back the Blue Champaign County member Matt Stuckey said. "You have certain city council members that have asked for defunding the police, but now they come out after the murder of Officer Chris Oberheim, they say they support the police, and I think it's an absolute slap in the face." Hundreds of people packed the council meeting, with dozens of people lined up to voice their concerns. Mainly, they wanted the council to respect and support the police department. BLACK NYC DEMS WANT MORE UNIFORMED POLICE IN SUBWAYS, POLL FINDS Community members say that the citys lack of support has exacerbated an already serious gun violence crisis, News Channel 20 reported. "What's been happening in the last year is just breaking my heart," Champaign resident Jon Rector said. "Got a lot of friends out here tonight and we just need to get the attention of some people. We've got to take care of this problem with the kids and the shootings. It's just bad." RETIRED POLICE COMMISSIONER BILL BRATTON: I WOULDN'T TAKE' TOP COP JOB IN ANY MAJOR CITY Several officer wives spoke as well about the fear they suffer while their spouses go on patrol each day, WCIA reported. Speakers asked for council members to go on ride alongs to see the dangers with which police live, as well. CHICAGO SHOOTING VICTIMS INCLUDE 3 MOTHERS, 1 WHO WAS SET TO GRADUATE Others believe the city needs to address the issues leading younger people to use guns and commit violence. "Part of the system is broken right now and it can't be fixed in DC; we need to fix it here in Champaign-Urbana," Rector said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Council members listened to all comments, committing to re-evaluate the budget to make safer neighborhoods. Police in Uttar Pradesh state say that Twitter did not delete the video they termed misleading Indian police have registered a case against Twitter and prominent journalists for allegedly trying to spark communal tensions. Police say the journalists falsely insinuated that a Muslim man was beaten by Hindu men while sharing a video of the alleged incident on Twitter. Officials added that the man was beaten up by both Hindu and Muslim men due to a dispute. Most journalists have deleted the tweets but Twitter is yet to comment. The latest incident comes amid increasing tensions between the federal government and Twitter over India's new IT laws. What is alleged to have happened? The video, which went viral around 7 June, shows around five men beating up an elderly Muslim man in Ghaziabad district of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The men can also be seen cutting Abdul Samad's beard. The video, which has no audio, was shared by many, including journalists Rana Ayyub, Saba Naqvi and Mohammed Zubair. On the same day, another video of Mr Samad went viral in which he accused the men of making him chant Jai Shri Ram (Hail Lord Ram), which is used by Hindus to pray but is also used as a greeting. But police said that there was no religious angle to the incident and the men who beat up Mr Samad have been arrested. Officials added that Mr Samad provided amulets to people to bring luck and prosperity. They added that the men who beat him up were upset because he failed to bring them luck. Akhilesh Kumar Mishra, the investigating officer, told the BBC that he was also considering filing a case against Mr Samad for allegedly giving a misleading statement. Ms Ayyub said she had tweeted the video after reading and seeing news reports about the alleged incident which took place on 5 June. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Mr Zubair deleted the video saying Mr Samad's allegations were not adding up. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Some have claimed that the 5 June video could be doctored as it didn't have sound. Mr Mishra acknowledged this, saying police was trying to get the original video and find out the person who tweeted it first. Story continues What is causing tension between Twitter and the government? India's new IT rules, which came into effect from 26 May, make it mandatory for social media and OTT platforms to appoint a grievance officer who will be empowered to removed content when requested by law enforcement and judicial bodies. In addition, they would have to track the originator of a particular message if asked by a court or the government. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp were given three months in February to comply with these rules. Complying with new laws is essential for these companies to maintain their status as "intermediaries". The status protects them from criminal prosecution in case any content posted by their users violates Indian laws. Critics say the new laws are aimed at curbing freedom of expression in India, but the government denies this. Reports suggest the latest case has been filed against Twitter after it lost its "safe harbour" protection as an intermediary, due to non-compliance. But neither the government nor Twitter has confirmed this. Sources told the BBC that Twitter had not received any such order from the government. Amid the debate around the case, India IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad sent a series of tweets to criticise the social media platform for not complying with the new rules. "It is astounding that Twitter which portrays itself as the flag bearer of free speech, chooses the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to the Intermediary Guidelines," one of his tweets read. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Twitter said in a statement that it was keeping the IT ministry "apprised of the progress at every step of the process". "An interim chief compliance officer has been retained and details will be shared with the ministry directly. Twitter continues to make every effort to comply with the new guidelines," it said. The social media giant had earlier sought extra time from the government to comply with the rules and had expressed concerns over some sections of the new rules. It had earlier said it was "particularly concerned about the requirement to make an individual (the compliance officer) criminally liable for content on the platform, the requirements for proactive monitoring, and the blanket authority to seek information about our customers". ATHENS (Reuters) - Air traffic in Greece picked up strongly in May as the government eased restrictions on travel at the start of the vital summer tourist season, civil aviation authority data on Wednesday showed. International arrivals jumped more than 25-fold in May to 383,107 from just 14,273 a year earlier, during the first phase of the coronavirus pandemic, the figures showed. Greece, which generates around a fifth of its economic output from tourism, suffered its most severe fall on record in 2020 as the coronavirus halted international travel, with arrivals down 75% from the previous year. This year, as vaccination campaigns in Greece and many other countries have picked up, the government is expecting a 50% rise on last year's levels. Overall traffic at Greek airports was still down 48% for the first five months of the year, the figures showed. (Reporting by James Mackenzie, editing by Louise Heavens) A Chinese army armored personnel carrier during the Seaborne Assault contest at Russia's 2017 International Army Games, August 9, 2017. Sergei Orlov\TASS via Getty Images Tensions around Taiwan have escalated in recent months, with US officials warning of potential China action. Those warnings focus on a potential invasion attempt by China, which has increased its military activity in the area. But Taiwan and the US face a threat short of an invasion: a Chinese blockade that could cut Taipei off from the world. See more stories on Insider's business page. Perhaps no where in the world are geopolitical tensions higher today than the Taiwan Strait. In the past year, China has toughened its rhetoric toward the self-governing island, which Beijing considers a breakaway province. Chinese forces have conducted a number of live-fire drills that appear directed at Taiwan, and Chinese military flights across the median line in the Taiwan Strait and into Taipei's air-defense identification zone have hit record levels. The US has sailed warships through the strait at least five times since President Joe Biden took office in January, drawing protests from Beijing. Japan, alongside the US, has expressed support for Taiwan, and Australia is reportedly considering how to help if there is an invasion. Much of the focus has been on military preparations for deterring or fighting off a Chinese invasion. While essential, that focus misses an important threat short of a full-scale invasion: a blockade. 'Joint Blockade Campaign' Less than 3 miles separate the Chinese city of Xiamen, in the distance, and Taiwan's Kinmen islands, in the foreground, February 2, 2021. An Rong Xu/Getty Images While it's not known what an invasion of Taiwan could look like, such an action would almost certainly be extremely difficult and costly for all involved. Whether China actually has the capability to invade is also heavily debated. Taiwan's Ministry of Defense concluded last year that China was not yet able to launch a full-scale invasion. The Pentagon's most recent report on the Chinese military said such an invasion "would likely strain China's armed forces" and create "a significant political and military risk" for Beijing. But both reports acknowledge that China is capable of blockading Taiwan. This blockade, identified by the Pentagon as the "Joint Blockade Campaign," would cut off Taiwan's air and naval traffic and its information networks. Story continues "Such a blockade could be the main effort, eschewing an attempted landing altogether, or it could be part of a larger invasion campaign," Lonnie Henley, a retired US intelligence officer who twice served as Defense Intelligence Officer for East Asia, told the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in February. The Joint Blockade Campaign could also include "large-scale missile strikes and possible seizures of Taiwan's offshore islands," like the Pratas Islands in the South China Sea, according to the Pentagon. Invasions of Taiwan's Kinmen and Matsu islands, both populated, are also "within China's capabilities," the Pentagon said. A tough blockade Guided-missile frigates with the Chinese navy's South China Sea Fleet during a live-fire exercise in the South China Sea in August 2018. Chinese Ministry of National Defense The effects of a blockade could be disastrous, in large part because no one knows how long Taiwan could hold out. There have been no studies on how quickly Taiwan would consume critical materials in a crisis, or on the current status and survivability of peacetime stockpiles, or of the potential for relief convoys, according to Henley, who also served as senior China analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency. "There is no assessment of what must get through a blockade to keep Taiwan alive, what types of materiel in what quantities, or what Taiwan's domestic production of food, water, supplies, and equipment might be under wartime conditions," Henley told the commission. Cut off from the world, Taiwan could quickly run out of both military and non-military necessities. Breaking such a blockade would also be extremely difficult. China has the largest navy in the world, mostly composed of modern ships with advanced weapons and sensors, according to the Pentagon. A Chinese H-6K bomber patrolling over islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Xinhua/Liu Rui via Getty Images China's navy and air force have the largest aviation forces in the region, with some 850 fighters, bombers, and attack aircraft in China's Eastern and Southern Theaters alone. China's air force is "rapidly catching up to Western air forces," the Pentagon says. In addition to its surface fleet and aircraft, China can field some 60 submarines, and Pentagon maps even show Taiwan is completely covered by China's anti-air and anti-ship missiles. Previous conflicts - such as the Falklands War, which China has studied extensively - illustrate the difficultly of maritime resupply against even modest resistance. Even if a full-scale invasion were defeated, the blockade problem would remain. "China could continue the blockade operation indefinitely even with the severely diminished force that remained after a failed landing and months of air and naval attrition," Henley said. "US forces could probably push through a trickle of relief supplies, but not much more." Taiwanese preparations An 8-inch self-propelled artillery gun fires during a military drill in southern Taiwan, May 30, 2019. SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images A blockade without an invasion is a distinct possibility, and it's uncertain how the world would react to a blockade-only scenario. The now-defunct mutual defense treaty between Taiwan and the US didn't include Taiwan's outlying islands, and no one is sure who would help Taiwan in an invasion let alone a blockade. Experts say Taiwan and the US have to make either scenario too costly for China. While some efforts to do that, like modernizing equipment and preparing alliances (official or otherwise), may take years, some can be started relatively quickly. "The best way to deter a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan is to prepare for it, and to make it clear to Beijing and specifically Xi Jinping that it would be really dangerous to do it," Ian Easton, the senior director at the Project 2049 Institute, told Insider. Chinese army amphibious tanks land on a beach during a Sino-Russian military exercise near China's Shandong Peninsula, August 24, 2005. China Photos/Getty Images For Taiwan, a priority would be effective stockpiling of everything from food and water to military equipment. Especially important is increasing its missile arsenal, which is actually quite advanced and capable. US-made missiles could address the gaps that Taiwan's domestic manufacturing can't fill. Another priority is maintaining a large and effective reserve force. On paper, Taiwan has some 2 million personnel in its reserve system, but only about 770,000 of them can be considered fresh, and they train as little as five to seven days every two years. Taiwan plans to increase that training to at least two weeks every year by 2024 and is currently implementing a trial run of those changes, but the trial run only involves 3,000 reservists. "They should have significant advantages - and they do - and one of them should be having a very large, well-trained, ready to be mobilized reserve force," Easton said. "That would give them a tremendous advantage in the event of an attack, and today it's not there." American preparations A US sailor aboard guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance investigates a contact during a Taiwan Strait transit, March 1, 2014. Lt. j.g. John Horne/US Navy As Taiwan's closest partner, the US can also do things in the short-term to help preparations and deterrence. While the US does occasionally send small military teams and high-ranking officers to Taiwan, it does not send its highest-ranking military officials - the ones who would be in command of US forces in the region and make the critical decisions during a crisis. "These are the types of people who one day quite soon could be on the phone with the president of the United States, and they're going to have to give military advice on a situation they're going to not understand very well because they've never even been to the country that they're talking about," said Easton, author of "The Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan's Defense and American Strategy in Asia." US Sens. Tammy Duckworth, Dan Sullivan, and Chris Coons arrive at Taipei Songshan Airport in Taipei, June 6, 2021. Central News Agency/Pool via REUTERS The US could send officials responsible for the region to Taiwan to better understand realities on the ground and to send a clearer message of support. It could also include Taiwan in large-scale military exercises like the biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise. The US could also re-establish a Military Assistance Advisory Group on the island, which would consist of military advisors as trainers and liaisons, helping ensure the Taiwanese and US militaries can integrate efficiently. But those moves also come with significant risk. China regularly protests US interactions with Taiwan, which Beijing sees as violations of the US's so-called One China policy, which is meant to balance Washington's formal recognition of Beijing and its close relationship with Taipei. Moves to better prepare Taiwan to defend itself against China are also likely to anger Beijing, which may see them as the US ending its "strategic ambiguity" about whether it would defend Taiwan - a change that US officials warn could make Beijing feel it has to act. Read the original article on Business Insider Israels military said it launched airstrikes at the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night after militants in the Palestinian territory fired incendiary balloons into southern Israel. The counterattack targeting Hamas armed military compounds occurred early Wednesday morning local time and marked the first major flare-up between Israel and Gaza since May 21, when a ceasefire agreement ended eleven days of hostilities. The Israel Defense Forces said the targets were used by Hamass Khan Yunis and Gaza Brigades for terror activities. The Israeli military said in a statement that it was ready for all scenarios, including renewed fighting in the face of continued terrorist acts emanating from Gaza. The airstrike came after militants launched arson balloons from Gaza, sparking nearly two dozen fires, according to Fox News. The Hamas terror organization is responsible for all events transpiring in the Gaza Strip, and will bear the consequences for its actions, the military said in a statement. The IDF is prepared for any scenario, including a resumption of hostilities, in the face of continuing terror activities from the Gaza Strip. Authorities on both sides said there were no injuries, according to the Times of Israel. The renewed tension came after a march in East Jerusalem that celebrated the 1967 capture of the city drew hundreds of Israeli ultra-nationalists, some of whom chanted Death to Arabs. The march was considered to be a provocation by Hamas, which urged Palestinians to resist the parade. More from National Review Israel's military said it carried out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday after incendiary balloons were launched from the Palestinian territory. Why it matters: It's the first major flare-up since last month's fragile ceasefire ended 11 days of flighting between Israel and Hamas. It also comes just days after Israel's new coalition government led by Naftali Bennett took power. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free What they're saying: The Israeli military said it attacked Hamas armed compounds in Gaza City and the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. It added that Israel was "ready for all scenarios, including renewed fighting in the face of continued terrorist acts emanating from Gaza." A Hamas spokesperson, speaking to Reuters, confirmed the airstrikes, adding that Palestinians would continue their "brave resistance and defend their rights and sacred sites" in Jerusalem. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The big picture: The airstrikes came hours after hundreds of Israeli ultra-nationalists some chanting "Death to Arabs" marched to mark Israels capture of East Jerusalem in 1967, per AP. The march, considered a "provocation" by many Palestinians, was canceled by organizers last month after the Israeli government rerouted it due to rising tensions in Jerusalem. "Though there were concerns [Tuesday's] march would raise tensions, canceling it would have opened Bennett and other right-wing members of the coalition to intense criticism from those who would view it as a capitulation to Hamas," AP noted. Palestinian groups had called for a "day of rage" against the march. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid condemned those shouting racist chants, tweeting they were a disgrace to the Israeli people" and the "fact that there are radicals for whom the Israeli flag represents hatred and racism is abominable and unforgivable," per AP. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli airstrikes hit militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, and Palestinians responded by sending a series of fire-carrying balloons back across the border for a second straight day further testing the fragile cease-fire that ended last months war between Israel and Hamas. The latest round of violence was prompted by a parade of Israeli ultranationalists through contested east Jerusalem on Tuesday. Palestinians saw the march as a provocation and sent balloons into southern Israel, causing several blazes in parched farmland. Israel then carried out the airstrikes the first such raids since the May 21 cease-fire ended 11 days of fighting and more balloons followed. The airstrikes targeted facilities used by Hamas militants for meetings to plan attacks, the army said. There were no reports of injuries. The Hamas terror organization is responsible for all events transpiring in the Gaza Strip, and will bear the consequences for its actions, the army said. It added that it was prepared for any scenario, including a resumption of hostilities. By Wednesday afternoon, masked Palestinians sent a number of balloons, laden with fuses and flaming rags, into Israel. Several fires were reported. The unrest provided the first test of the cease-fire at a time when Egyptian mediators have been working to reach a longer-term agreement. It comes as tensions have risen again in Jerusalem, as they did before the recent war, leading Gaza's Hamas rulers to fire a barrage of rockets at the holy city on May 10. The fighting claimed more than 250 Palestinian lives and killed 13 people in Israel. An Egyptian security official said his government has been in direct and around-the-clock contacts with Israeli officials and the Gaza rulers to keep the cease-fire and to urge them to refrain from provocative acts. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing behind-the-scenes diplomacy, said the U.S. administration has also been in touch with Israel as part of the efforts. Story continues The two sides seem to agree "not to escalate to the tipping point, he said. And we do every effort to prevent this. The flare-up also has created a test for Israels new government, which took office early this week. The diverse coalition includes several hard-line parties as well as dovish and centrist parties, along with the first Arab faction ever to be part of an Israeli government. Keeping the delicate coalition intact will be a difficult task for the new prime minister, Naftali Bennett. In Tuesdays parade, hundreds of Israeli ultranationalists, some chanting Death to Arabs, marched in east Jerusalem in a show of force. Hamas called on Palestinians to resist the parade, which was meant to celebrate Israels capture of east Jerusalem in 1967. Palestinians consider it a provocation. In a scathing condemnation on Twitter, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who heads the centrist Yesh Atid Party, said those shouting racist slogans were a disgrace to the Israeli people. Bennett, who will hand over the prime ministers job to Lapid after two years, is a hard-line Israeli nationalist who has promised a pragmatic approach as he presides over a delicate, diverse coalition government. Though there were concerns the march would raise tensions, canceling it would have opened Bennett and other right-wing members of the coalition to intense criticism from those who would view it as a capitulation to Hamas. Mansour Abbas, whose Raam party is the first Arab faction to join an Israeli coalition, said the march was an attempt to set the region on fire for political aims, with the intention of undermining the new government. Abbas said the police and public security minister should have canceled the event. While the parade provided the immediate impetus for the balloons, Hamas is also angry because Israel has tightened its blockade of the territory since the cease-fire. The restrictions include a ban on imports of fuel for Gazas power plant and raw materials. Israel imposed the blockade after Hamas, a militant group that seeks Israels destruction, seized control of Gaza from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in 2007. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and numerous skirmishes since then. Israel says the blockade, enforced with Egypt, is needed to prevent Hamas from importing and developing weapons. One of the masked activists firing the balloons said they launched hundreds of them Tuesday and will continue sending them in response to what he described as Israeli provocations in east Jerusalem. After capturing east Jerusalem in 1967, Israel annexed the area in a move not recognized by most of the international community. It considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state. The competing claims over east Jerusalem, home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites, lie at the heart of the conflict and have sparked many rounds of violence. ___ Associated Press journalists Samy Magdy and Fares Akram in Cairo, and Wafaa Shurafa in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report. Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden On one thing Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin do agree - relations between the United States and Russia have reached a particularly low point. Mr Biden has vowed to deliver a stern message to Mr Putin at their summit in Geneva on cyber attacks, election interference and human rights. By contrast, the Kremlin sees the very fact of the summit as a triumph that recognises Mr Putin's standing on the world stage. Mr Biden has been preparing intensively for the summit. At the G7, he reportedly spent the mornings reading up for the meeting with Mr Putin and apparently asked other leaders there for their input. Asked if her husband was ready, the First Lady Jill Biden said: "He's overprepared!" A senior White House official said: "He will go into Geneva with the full support and solidarity of all of our Nato allies." The official said there would be a meeting including a small group of aides, and another larger one. Mr Biden has decided not to do a joint press conference after the meeting, in order to deny Mr Putin a platform. The US president said: "This is not a contest about who can do better in front of a press conference or try to embarrass each other." Here are six things to watch out for as the two leaders meet. 1. Red lines No major breakthroughs are expected and instead the US wants to create a manageable relationship with clearly defined boundaries that should not be crossed. "The areas where we don't agree, make it clear what the red lines are," said Mr Biden. "I'm not looking for conflict with Russia, but that we will respond if Russia continues its harmful activities." For his part Mr Putin has also been talking about red lines. Mr Putin has long said that Ukraine joining Nato would be a red line for Russia - Mikhail Klimentyev /Pool Sputnik Kremlin That includes Ukraine being admitted to Nato. On the eve of the summit Mr Putin said: "At least 50 percent of Ukrainian residents don't want entry into Nato and these are smart people. "They understand, they don't want to wind up on the firing line, they don't want to be bargaining chips or cannon fodder." Story continues Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russian in Global Affairs, said: Russia and the US need a manageable confrontation - an awareness of genuine disagreement, their priorities, and at least a basic idea about red lines. 2. Arms control Both sides have been talking about nuclear weapons as an area where they can cooperate and maintain "strategic stability". Donald Trump withdrew from the Cold-War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019 and Russia followed suit. Just weeks into his presidency Mr Biden agreed to extend the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms agreement between the two countries. Sergei Ryabkov, Russias deputy foreign minister, said arms control was something that the two countries ought to deal with immediately: We cant keep it on the back burner any longer." Relations between Russia and the US are now as hostile as they were during the Cold War, which in a way makes it easier for both parties to produce something tangible at the summit that can be touted as an achievement. "The time for all sorts of resets is in the past, said Mr Ryabkov. "We should be focusing on small, specific steps which will hopefully contribute to building more mutual trust and possibly changes for the better. 3. Human rights Mr Biden will raise the poisoning and jailing of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader. Navalnys death would be another indication that Russia has little or no intention of abiding by basic fundamental human rights, the US president said on the eve of the summit. It would be a tragedy. Then there is the issue of American hostages in Russia. Paul Whelan, an American sentenced to 16 years in a Russian jail for espionage, which he denies, has appealed to Mr Biden to "take decisive action" against "hostage diplomacy". Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of espionage and arrested in Russia in December 2018, standing inside a defendants' cage during a hearing in 2019 - DIMITAR DILKOFF /AFP Similarly, the parents of Trevor Reed, another American held in Russia, said: "He's being held as a pawn to try and leverage concessions. It's time to let him come home to Texas." Mr Reed was jailed for nine years for endangering Russian police officers in an altercation, which he denies. The US ambassador said his trial was a "theatre of the absurd." The suggestion has been made that the Kremlin wants to swap them for Russian citizens in US jails. 4. Cybersecurity Mr Biden wants to nail Mr Putin down on debilitating cyber attacks that have targeted US government agencies and private companies. The most damaging recent attacks have included ones on the Colonial Pipeline, which sent petrol prices soaring, and the JBS meat production firm. Both companies had to pay millions of dollars in ransoms. Mr Putin has always denied any involvement but US intelligence agencies are clear that those responsible are in Russia. Tony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said: "No responsible country should be in the business of harbouring in any way criminal organisations engaged in cyberattacks, including ransomware. "He [Mr Biden] is going to make that very clear to President Putin. We are looking for Russian cooperation in dealing with these criminal organisations to the extent theyre operating from Russian territory. Mr Putin raised the suggestion that the two countries could exchange cyber criminals. Mr Biden said he was "open" to it and the offer was "potentially a good sign of progress." However, the White House later rowed back on the idea, denying that Mr Biden had been accepting the idea of a cyber "prisoner swap." 5. Syria Russia wants to shut down the last humanitarian crossing into Syria from Turkey next month but Mr Biden will try to convince Mr Putin to keep it open. The United Nations Security Council will vote on July 10 on whether to extend the authorisation for the Bab Al-Hawa crossing into rebel-held Idlib, where four million Syrians now live. Russia holds a veto on the vote and has previously closed all other international aid crossings, insisting that Damascus should oversee the distribution of foreign aid. US aid being inspected at the Syrian crossing point of Bab al-Hawa - TUVAN GUMRUKCU /REUTERS After 10 years of war, Moscow is eager for its client Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to cement his victory. But Mr Biden will argue that closing the crossing point will result in greater civilian suffering. With the ability to impose sanctions and as the largest single donor to UN humanitarian aid operating out of Damascus, the United States in theory should be able to impose its will. The US has immense leverage but I think they are unlikely to use it, said Elizabeth Tsurkov, a fellow with the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy. The US has tried to placate Russia instead by using carrots rather than sticks by not imposing further sanctions, she said. 6. The personal relationship Even if they do manage to agree on some things, this will be a frosty affair. Mr Biden has known Mr Putin for a long time and has never trusted him. The US president told the Russian leader in a meeting a decade ago that he had "no soul" and more recently called him a "killer" with "no soul" on television. Mr Putin, then Russia's prime minister, and Mr Biden, then US vice president, shake hands during a meeting in Moscow in 2011 - Alexander Natruskin /REUTERS In response, Mr Putin said: "It takes one to know one." "We always see our own traits in other people and think they are like how we really are," he added. State television in Russia went on to report that Mr Biden was elderly and confused. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S President Joe Biden shake hands during their meeting at the Villa la Grange in Geneva on June 16 (AP) US President Joe Biden came face to face with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Switzerland on Wednesday as talks began between the two superpowers. The pair smiled and shook hands as they met in Geneva, ahead of what are expected to be tough talks lasting as long as five hours. Mr Putin said that he hoped the talks would be productive. The one-day summit is expected to focus on issues of nuclear arms control, human rights and potential prisoner swaps between the two countries. Biden called it a discussion between two great powers and said it was always better to meet face to face. In a scene that resembled a VIP wedding but with bomb squads both leaders arrived for photo opportunities, before heading inside the bucolic 18th century villa that play host to their high-level talks. Presidents Biden and Putin were met by their Swiss host, president Guy Parmelin, in scheduled order shortly after 1pm local time. The Kremlins chief, known for making his counterparts wait, arrived first, in his new Aurus limousine. Mr Biden emerged from his vehicle approximately ten minutes later, but not before a lengthy wait for his security detail to make last minute checks. Much of central Geneva was barricaded in advance of the encounter, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putins first ever presidential summit. Barbed wire cut off the beach, park and promenade surrounding the venue. The skies above were put on high alert, watched over by military helicopters and air defence systems. The Russian side seemed as concerned with biosecurity. At 6am on Wednesday morning, they summoned journalists to the delegations hotel in central Geneva for an additional Covid test. This is Vladimir Putins first foreign trip since the beginning of the pandemic the first time he has mingled close to other mortal souls and his team appeared to be taking no chances. Against a backdrop of terrible bilateral relations, both sides have warned not to expect breakthroughs. In the build-up, the watchword for the White House has been "stabilisation. For the Kremlin, its "normalisation." Some have suggested thats already a contradiction. Story continues All the same, US-Russia summits always create a sense of expectation. A hope that bureaucracies can, however briefly, find notes of agreement at least when it comes to the thousands of strategic warheads at each others disposal. The choice of Geneva is in itself a symbolic one. It was here, 36 years ago, that Ronald Reagan first met with Mikhail Gorbachev, and began to lay down an infrastructure for nuclear disarmament. Much of that foundation has already been dismantled, with Donald Trumps decision to cancel a number of the treaties only accelerating a previous trend for US withdrawal. With Joe Biden showing greater interest in putting the breaks on a growing arms race, strategic stability is expected to form the spine of talks. Other topics for discussion will include climate change, the Arctic, and regional security issues including the Middle East, Afghanistan, North Korea and Nagorno Karabakh. A second set of issues promise to be trickier: Ukraine, sanctions, human rights and political prisoners. The United States is expected to raise concerns over the Novichok poisoning and jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the Kremlin is expected to ignore them. Officials have said the talks will progress through three stages. The first stage will incorporate small teams from both sides: presidents, foreign ministers and translators. The second will bring in a wider entourage. The limousine carrying Russian president Vladimir Putin, bottom left, next to Putin's Iljuschin Il-96 airplane, leaves the airport in a motorcade ahead of the US - Russia summit (EPA) Russias wider team will include no fewer than seven top officials, including Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and its point man on Ukraine, Dmitry Kozak. There will be no dining together and press conferences will be separate: first Vladimir Putin, then Joe Biden. The Russian leader was apparently happy for a joint press conference. The Americans decided that might not be in their interests. "Its not a competition," the US president said. Dmitry Bykov, the writer and Kremlin critic reportedly targeted in a 2019 Novichok assassination attempt, said the Mr Biden had made the correct decision in rejecting a shared platform. He also expressed hope that the United States had understood confrontation wasnt in anyones interests. "Your arms are tied, and if you try to talk with Russia in an aggressive tongue, you wont get anywhere," he said. "Try licking Russia with the language of love." Read More AP News Digest 3:30 a.m. Vladimir Putin hits out at US on gun violence: You dont have time to open your mouth and youre shot dead Iran nuclear deal hangs in balance as Islamic Republic votes Jailed opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, in Moscow in February (AP) Joe Biden told Vladimir Putin the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny would lead to "devastating" consequences for Russia as the two presidents faced off over human rights in Geneva. Following the shorter than expected US-Russia summit, the leaders confirmed discussions about Mr Navalny and two Americans wrongly imprisoned. Mr Biden told reporters after the meeting that the US would continue to raise its concerns over fundamental human rights, and said he issued a warning should Mr Navalny died while being held in a Russian prison. I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia, Ill go back to the same point. What do you think happens when hes saying its not about hurting Navalny, you know all the stuff he says to rationalise the treatment of Navalny, and then he dies in prison, Mr Biden said. I pointed out to him that, it matters a great deal when a country in fact, and they asked me why I thought it was important to continue to have problems with the president of Syria. I said because its a violation of international norms. Its called a chemical weapons treaty. It cant be trusted. Its about trust, its about their ability to influence other nations in a positive way. Speaking earlier, Mr Putin refused to mention Mr Navalny by name when asked by reporters about Russias treatment of the political dissident. Mr Putin blamed this person for his own imprisonment as he knew there was a warrant out for his arrest when returning from Germany to Russia, and deflected human rights questions by shifting to disorder during Black Lives Matter riots and the 6 January assault at the US Capitol. America just recently had very severe events after well-known events, after a killing of an African American, and an entire movement developed known as Black Lives Matter, Mr Putin said. What we saw was disorder, destruction, violations of the law, etcetera. We feel sympathy for the United States of America, but we dont want that to happen on our territory, and were doing our utmost in order to not allow it to happen. Story continues Asked about Mr Putin cracking down on opposition leaders to avoid a 6 January style riot or BLM groups to form in Russia, Mr Biden laughed and said it was a ridiculous comparison to make. Its one thing for literally criminals to break through cordon, go into the Capitol, kill a police officer, and be held unaccountable and it is for people objecting, marching on the Capitol, and saying you are not allowing me to speak freely, you are not allowing me to do A, B, C, or D. And so theyre very different criteria, Mr Biden said. The president grew frustrated with reporters when pressed on why he thought Mr Putin would change his behaviour on human rights issues, snapping multiple times at CNN reporter Kaitlin Collins for asking how he could be so confident. Im not confident of changing his behaviour, what the hell, why do you do all the time. When did I say I was confident, Mr Biden said. I said, what I said was, lets get it straight, I said what will change their behaviour is if the rest of the world reacts to them and it diminishes their standing in the world. Im not confident of anything, Im just stating the facts. When Ms Collins asked how the summit could have been constructive given Mr Putin downplayed human rights abuses and refused to say Mr Navalnys name, Mr Biden questioned the female reporters qualifications for being a journalist. If you dont understand that youre in the wrong business, Mr Biden said. Read More Biden challenges Putin on human rights, democracy and cyber hacking at Geneva summit What are you so afraid of? ABC correspondent challenges Putin on why his opponents end up dead or in jail Biden-Putin Geneva meeting: US president sorry for being wiseguy after snapping at CNN reporter A teenager was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in the October fatal shooting of a 44-year-old man in Kansas City, prosecutors said. Jayvon Hunter, 16, of Kansas City, Kansas, was also charged with armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in the Oct. 19 killing of Cristobal Gutierrez-Castillas, who was shot in the 4400 block of Tracy Avenue. Officers responded to the shooting shortly after noon that day and found Gutierrez-Castillas suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He later died at a hospital. Surveillance video showed an argument occurred before the shooting. Hunter could be heard saying, you want to fight, as he took out a gun and pointed it in the direction of three men standing near a truck, a detective wrote in charging documents. A second suspect, whose name was redacted from records released Wednesday, pointed his hand in the same direction as if he also had a gun, police said. The three men retreated and appeared to take cover. Hunter shot once, striking Gutierrez-Castillas, according to the Jackson County Prosecutors Office. He went through the victims pockets and removed his cell phone, prosecutors said. Police later found the phone. Lab technicians determined Hunter was a contributor of DNA found on it, prosecutors said. Hunter was certified to stand trial as an adult. He did not yet have an attorney listed who could be reached for comment. Gutierrez-Castillas homicide marked the 158th of 182 in what became Kansas Citys deadliest year on record. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Gun violence is the subject of a statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America and sponsored in part by Missouri Foundation for Health. As part of this project, The Star will seek the communitys help. To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org. Professor Chris Whitty, Boris Johnson and Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance - Jonathan Buckmaster/Daily Express/PA On Monday, just hours before Boris Johnson pushed back Freedom Day by four weeks, the Government published new modelling, warning that a deadly third wave was on the horizon. Under the most pessimistic scenario, Imperial College estimated Britain could experience a further 203,824 deaths by next June, while even modest estimates from other groups suggested more than 50,000 would die. Yet it has now emerged the models were based on out-of-date estimates of vaccine effectiveness, which assumed far fewer people protected by the jabs. Imperial was working on the basis that the AstraZeneca jab would reduce hospitalisations by between 77 and 87 per cent after two doses, while the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) suggested 81 to 90 per cent, and the University of Warwick put it a little higher between 86 and 95 per cent. We now know from real-world Public Health England (PHE) data that the AstraZeneca jab is 92 per cent effective against hospitalisation. The effectiveness of the Pfizer jab was also underestimated by the groups, with Imperial estimating 84 to 90 per cent, LSHTM 85 to 90 per cent and Warwick 86 to 95 per cent. PHE currently estimates it is 96 per cent. The distinction is important because it now means that both the pessimistic and central scenarios for all groups must be wrong. For Warwick, that would mean their death estimates could fall from 72,400 to 17,100. Switching to an optimistic scenario would also see Imperials death figures fall from 203,824 to 26,854. Even that is likely to be too high as even their best-case vaccine efficacy was out by five per cent. The PHE figures were made public 30 minutes after the modelling papers dropped, so it might be tempting to think that the new data came too late to make a difference. Yet at Wednesdays science and technology select committee, Dr Susan Hopkins, the deputy director of PHEs national infection service, told MPs that the Government had known about the figures since last Friday. Story continues It means that the Government published modelling data to bolster a delay despite already knowing it was out of date. All the models showed a significant wave of infections in the summer, and suggested that a pause of several weeks would save thousands of lives. Yet this was based on central estimates which now cannot be correct. Highlighting the data discrepancy at Wednesday's select committee, Aaron Bell, Conservative MP, said: The models that we seem to be relying on to justify the extension of restrictions don't appear to be using [the PHE] numbers. This is really important because the number of deaths that those numbers ultimately forecast, are for people who have had both doses, so if they have been using numbers that are now superseded, doesnt that alter the case for the continuation of restrictions? We are voting in the House of Commons on the basis of those models. And it's obviously very good news. These numbers are coming out so far ahead of even the optimistic scenarios that have been modelled. The debacle was neatly summed up by committee chair Greg Clark, who asked the panel of experts: The models would look different if we plugged in the new data? Everyones nodding. Mr Clark, the former science minister, pointed out that the pandemic had been beset by uncertainties and difficulties with modelling evidence informing government policy decisions and queried why the real-world data hadnt been given precedence. Wouldn't it have been possible given the relatively new real world data, to say actually, in the light of this data, we need a few more days to assess it, before we decide what is going to be the right implications of public policy? He called for the modellers to re-run the models based on the new data as soon as possible so that, as the Prime Minister promised, a reappraisal can be made and a change made if it's justified. Prof Hopkins said she had no doubt that the modellers would re-run the models based on the new data, yet it is likely to be too late to make a difference. Back in February, the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) also underestimated vaccine effectiveness in models used to inform the roadmap. At the time, scientists believed jabs would reduce the risk of infection between 24 and 48 per cent after the first dose, and 30 to 60 per cent after the second dose. But real world results were already showing that Pfizer was reducing the risk of infection by 70 per cent after one dose and 85 per cent after the second dose. The models were indeed re-run with the updated figures, and eye-watering death estimates reduced. Yet the roadmap was never revised and the changes never acknowledged by the Government. We can only hope this time will be different. Although cases and admissions are rising, the numbers are still very low. Dr Hopkins admitted only around one per cent of beds in the NHS are currently being used by Covid patients, with little chance of the health service being overwhelmed. This is hardly surprising when you consider that in 12 of the last 13 weeks there have been fewer deaths than expected compared with the five-year average, with England and Wales currently 4.8 per cent below the five-year average for deaths. As University of Oxford vaccine lead Professor Sir Andrew Pollard remarked at Wednesdays select committee hearing: If we dont have very high hospitalisations despite the spread, the public health crisis is over. As long as people continue to get vaccinated, he added: Were in a very good position. WASHINGTON A prediction last year that China could attempt to invade Taiwan in the next six years has put increased pressure on talks between lawmakers and U.S. Navy leadership over how to prioritize fiscal 2022 spending needs. In addition, the apparent preference of House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., to not increase Defense Department top-line spending and instead find cuts within the department to offset any additional needs is now creating another layer of complexity. The budget tension was on full display during a June 15 HASC hearing with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger and Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker. Admiral, you painted a pretty ugly picture for the future of the Navy. Given that fact, do you feel like this budget is adequate to help you take on those challenges? HASC Ranking Member Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., told Gilday in kicking off his round of questions. HASC Vice Chair Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., said more bluntly, I understand you were given a shitty top-line by the administration, and specifically the Pentagon; you didnt have a lot of good choices, but you did have choices. She then went on to question the Navys plan of prioritizing current operations and readiness over growing the fleet. At heart is the Navys calculus that its current operational tempo dictated ultimately by the secretary of defense in consultation with joint force leaders, and not shaped by the Navy itself has strained the service but is unlikely to change any time soon. So the Navy in its FY22 request asked for a 2.2 percent increase in operations and maintenance funding, even as it asked for an 8.7 percent decrease in procurement. To explain why the Navy had to fund operations at the expense of modernization, Gilday said its cost the Navy about $250 million to extend four carrier deployments in the Middle East to provide the joint force a permanent carrier presence there since May 2019 primarily meant to deter Iran from aggressive behaviors meaning that money couldnt be spent for shipbuilding or researching future platforms and weapons. Story continues Those 15 requests for forces that extended four carriers in Central Command for almost a year came at a cost of over a quarter of a billion dollars that we cant invest in modernization, Gilday said. If theres a reason to keep the carrier there then keep it there, but if theres not, use another element of the joint force to do the job and relieve the Navy of that cost. Gilday told Rogers early in the hearing that the Navy was doing the best it could to keep up current readiness and build out a future fleet while meeting the operational requirements from the Pentagon. He said current Navy top-lines allow for just a 300-ship fleet, putting the 355-ship figure borne out by several studies out of reach. What were trying to do with our investment strategy is to balance those investments across the readiness of the fleet today; the modernization with new technologies, and thats reflected as an example with a 12-percent increase in [research and development], with emphasis on hypersonics on the offensive and laser technology on the defensive to protect the fleet; the third piece is capacity, Gilday answered early in the hearing. From what Im reading, the Navy is shrinking under this budget, Rogers interrupted. Sir, for the 22 budget itself, the Navys numbers are declining. Thats correct, Gilday said, adding that the last several studies that have been done, going back five years, call for a larger, more capable fleet. And this budget doesnt get you there, Rogers said. No sir, it does not. Let me ask this: Adm. [Phil] Davidson, the recent [U.S. Indo-Pacific Command] commander, indicated that he expects a conflict with China in the next six years. In your best professional military judgment, do you agree with Admiral Davidsons assessment? Rogers continued. Sir, I think the keyword that he used there was could. And I think that that potential always exists, and I think we have to be ready any given day for anything, Gilday said. Well, you know, if you agree it could happen, I just dont know why we would agree with anything that would reduce the force structure and induce a near-term risk with China, Rogers concluded. Luria expressed similar concerns. I feel this budget is focused on a future hope for technology that we will have in order to counter a threat that might happen way out in the future. And I think that many of us in this room here and during this hearing have reflected on the fact that we need that capability today. I think that were creating a gap, and I am really concerned that the Chinese will actually find a way to exploit that gap. Still, there are no easy answers. Committee members made clear they wanted the Navy to spend money to keep its current ships in the fleet and properly maintained and modernized; they also want the Navy to invest in buying new ships for the future, to create a larger and more lethal fleet. To create that future fleet, the Navy had planned to sacrifice fleet size today by divesting older cruisers, Littoral Combat Ships and amphibious dock landing ships that, in the Navys estimation, do not have enough combat utility left in them to be worth the increasing cost of maintaining and operating them. If the committee doesnt let the Navy divest these ships and spend the money on future investments, its unclear where that money will come from. Top-line increase seems unlikely Smith is ushering HASC through its first National Defense Authorization Act cycle in a decade that didnt have sequestration looming overhead. In the past, the House and Senate budget committees had to agree to defense and non-defense spending top-lines that had to be carefully adhered to, lest the total budget creep too high and trigger automatic across-the-board cuts. This year, with sequestration over, theres intra-party and inter-party fighting over what the right level of defense spending looks like for the Biden administrations first budget. House Democrats introduced a resolution that calls for about $1.5 trillion in spending in FY22 but does not define the proper amount of military spending due to an ongoing split within the party, Defense News reported. Smith has sought forestall an epic fight over the defense spending top-line, saying its better to focus on how to spend the money effectively. Citing past spending decisions that he called wastes the Zumwalt-class destroyer program, the Littoral Combat Ship program, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, and a mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility in South Carolina that spent $7 billion before ultimately being canceled Smith said during the hearing that there is concern, and part of the reason I know that President [Joe] Biden gave such a tight number is were tired of wasting money. Smith said of the Marines decision to self-fund their Force Design 2030 efforts via divest-to-invest, thats not some sort of profound personal sacrifice; thats smart. Because no matter what youre doing, theres no doubt that theres money in there thats being wasted, that isnt being used properly. So yes, we could just give you another $30 billion, another $40 [billion], another $50 [billion], another $100[billion]; the question is, what are you doing right now that you dont need to be doing? Gilday pointed to Aegis Ashore missile defense sites that will run in Romania and Poland and possibly Guam: weve got sailors protecting dirt, thats not what we do, he said, adding that a different military service should take over that mission despite it being based on the Navys Aegis Combat System thats fielded on cruisers and destroyers. Additionally, Gilday said, were trying to decommission those 15 ships akin to what Gen. Berger is doing; we are trying to fund modernization from the inside. The cruisers right now [in their modernization program] are running 175- to 200-percent above estimated cost. Hundreds of days delayed. These ships were intended to have a 30-year service life; were out to 35. Theyre not easy decisions to make, and I accept the counter argument that we should keep these ships based on Adm. Davidsons comments, but at some point we need to be allowed to get rid of them and reinvest the savings, the Navys top officer told Smith. Divest-to-invest strategies for Navy and Marines The Marine Corps divest-to-invest plans have been better received than the Navys for the past year or two though the commandant made clear the service has reached the end of the divestment phase, and anything else Congress wants the service to do must come with additional money. We have wrung just about everything we can out of the Marine Corps internally. Were at the limits of the risk that you addressed. Weve reduced end strength, weve divested of legacy systems, weve taken every measure we can, to include a 15-percent cut in our headquarters; weve wrung it dry, Berger said. Were driven by a pacing threat that we dont control the pace at which they go. And neither me nor the CNO want to transfer risk onto the backs of a combatant commander. . We have to be ready every day, every week, and the best insurance policy we have is a naval expeditionary force thats forward. Were at the limits of what I can do internally right now. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., asked if additional money was needed. My only other option is to reduce the end strength of your Marine Corps even further, and I think thats unacceptable risk, Berger said. Earlier in the hearing, he told Rogers that he could accomplish Force Design 2030 within the budget set forth by the Pentagon, but items on the Marine Corps unfunded priorities list would help transform the Marines to a more agile and lethal force faster addressing concerns that China may not wait until 2030 to attack Taiwan. In a pacing environment like were in right now, its tough to forecast whether or not China will move faster or on the same glideslope theyre on. Were self-funding our modernization, as I explained. The items on the unfunded priority list would reduce the risk; it would allow us to move faster, Berger said. If were going to stay in front of China with a margin of advantage, then I think everything we can do in the Department of Defense to buy down that risk is in our favor. For the Navys part, though, a divest-to-invest strategy that involves cutting ships has never been well received in recent years, with the China/Taiwan concern furthering the challenge of getting this plan past Congress. Its not prudent to decommission 15 ships in the next year when China could invade Taiwan in the very near term, Luria told Gilday. Earlier in the hearing, Gilday had said that, based on past and current investments, what do we plan to deliver in 2025 and 2026? If I take a look at the undersea, well have delivered all of our Block III Virginias [attack submarines], well have delivered all of our Block IV Virginias, well be on the cusp of delivering Block Vs, and well have a longer-range more lethal undersea weapon. On the surface, well be delivering the Constellation-class frigate, well be building DDG(X), well be putting more Flight III DDGs in the water. By 2025, our plan is to have hypersonics in the Zumwalt-class destroyers. We are making continued investments in weapons with range and speed think tactical Tomahawk. If I look at aviation well have [a blend of fourth-generation F/A-18E-F Super Hornets and fifth-generation F-35C Joint Strike Fighters] in half of our air wings, six of our air wings, more than half of our air wings, by 2025, with longer-range weapons with speed. But those advances would come as the overall fleet size shrank, between the near-term decommissionings and the fact that the Navy isnt building ships at a high-enough rate to replenish them. Luria noted that a previous divest-to-invest effort pitched in 2004 was meant to free up money to support programs at the heart of the Navys Sea Power 21 plans: Zumwalt destroyers, of which there are only three today due to acquisition and cost challenges; LCS, which are still only being deployed in small numbers today; and a ForceNet network that never came to fruition. She said she worried todays plans to ditch cruisers to invest in future unmanned surface vessels and a new network under Project Overmatch would meet a similar fate. Were looking at this Battle Force 2045, a plan thats far off, a 355-ship goal that were never going to get to if we decommission more ships every year than we actually build. And it causes a great concern because I think theres an urgency what are we going to do in 2025 to counter this threat? Luria asked. Were continuing to shrink, and were continuing to divest-to-invest with strategies and capabilities that are just a hope for the future. Joe Gould contributed to this report. I had the rare opportunity to watch Vladimir Putin in action during my four-year stint serving as a senior communications aide to former Secretary of State John Kerry. Why it matters: From his timing to his baiting techniques and his postgame spin, Russia's president commands an array of tactics aimed at putting U.S. leaders on the defensive and in response mode and has decades of experience fine-tuning them. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free President Biden's arrival may be the last thing he fully controls when he and Putin meet Wednesday for their summit in Geneva. The big picture: The Russian is famous for trying to assert his authority by showing up late and then airing his nation's grievances. Biden has been counseled not to fall for Putin's trap. During my time in government, we made four trips to Moscow and one to Sochi, Russia, meeting with Putin repeatedly. The last was emblematic of the rest: Putin kept Kerry waiting for hours, finally calling him to the Kremlin at 10 p.m. This time around, the protocol has Putin arriving first, then Biden. In my book on diplomacy, "Window Seat on the World," I detailed one of Putin's prime tactics: Icing his guests lets the former KGB officer throw them off their game. Kerry toured St. Peter's Square and sat in his hotel room waiting for Putin to receive him. Another way Putin instantly puts American counterparts on the defensive is to air grievances including over a perceived lack of respect for 8 million Russian soldiers killed fighting the Nazis in World War II. What they're saying: Jon Finer, formerly the Department of State's chief of staff, once told NPR that "the advice that we tended to give to Secretary Kerry was to not take the bait" but rather to "focus, absorb and then try to pivot and focus on your own agenda so you can actually get something out of these meetings." Story continues Finer now serves as Biden's deputy national security adviser. Behind the scenes: Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be inside the room. They'll speak only if the two heads of state call on them. Lavrov is an inscrutable character who disarms his guests with his fluent English honed while serving at the United Nations for a decade and expressionless, bespectacled face. Lavrov's longtime press secretary, Maria Zakharova, often tweets out pictures during meetings a violation of diplomatic protocol. Be smart: Challenges dealing with Putin don't end when the summit concludes. Afterward, the Russians have no approval process for their public commentary. Putin tells the press what he desires. Lavrov, who must worry only about pleasing Putin, would often scribble a few remarks on a notecard and step right up to the microphone. Biden is more likely to seek feedback from Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and White House press secretary Jen Psaki before addressing the press. Sometimes the Defense Department and CIA also are first consulted about a meeting development. The bottom line: It was Biden's choice not to reward or amplify Putin with a joint news conference. Instead, Putin will go first delivering Russia's preferred storyline to international media. Biden could be left playing catch-up unless he can beat Putin at his own game. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free The Daily Beast TikTokHeres an important lesson to never underestimate the ingenuity and tenacity of kids who cant be bothered to go to school. British teenagers are reportedly using TikTok to learn how to hack lateral flow coronavirus tests to give them what look like false positive resultswhich can then potentially force their entire classes to stay at home.According to the i newspaper, wily teens have soaked tests in a dizzying array of liquids to see which might create the appearance of a positive testC As part of Gov. Ron DeSantis continued effort to hamper local governments ability to impose pandemic-related infractions, the states clemency board on Wednesday pardoned any lingering financial penalties including those against a Broward County gym owner who at one point faced potential jail time. This action is necessary so we can recover, have a good transition to our normal operations, and also, just a recognition that a lot of this stuff was way, way overboard, DeSantis said at the start of the meeting. The measure was backed by the governor and the clemency boards two other elected Republicans, Attorney General Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is running against DeSantis in 2022, was in opposition. I voted today to uphold our laws, while our so-called pro-law-enforcement governor is actively encouraging people to break the law with politically motivated stunts like this, Fried said in a statement. We have laws for a reason. We may not agree with all of them, but we are obligated to follow them as a price of a civil society. After the motion, the governor, who has boosted his national profile with his staunch opposition to pandemic-related restrictions, introduced Jillian and Mike Carnevale, the owner of Fitness1440 in Plantation. Mike Carnevale was arrested three times in a two-week period last August for not requiring customers to wear masks at the gym, in defiance of Broward Countys rules to combat COVID-19, a disease caused by a respiratory virus. Prosecutors filed two misdemeanor charges against Mike Carnevale and one misdemeanor charge against Jillian Carnevale and offered to dismiss their case after completing a diversion program, said Paula McMahon, a spokeswoman for the Broward State Attorneys office. McMahon said the office dropped the charges after DeSantis announced in May that he was ending local pandemic-related restrictions such as mask mandates. Story continues DeSantis said the countys rules were unwarranted, unreasonable restrictions on their business, and that the Carnevales were punished for exercising common sense and refusing to kowtow to the countys regulations. They were actually pending criminal prosecution in a court, DeSantis said. Imagine, we see all these criminal activities that are actually going on that we need to be stronger on and yet we are wasting time on someone who is owning a gym. The pardon came a month after DeSantis announced in an appearance on Fox News The Ingraham Angle that he planned to pardon Mike Carnevale and any Floridians who may have outstanding infractions for things like masks and social distancing. Its really amazing that Gov. Ron DeSantis has granted us clemency for this, Mike Carnevale said Wednesday. Its just affirmation that, you know, we were on to something. We were on to something. The action on Wednesday is a continuation of the governors efforts to liberate Floridians from local mandates, which he allowed at the start of the pandemic but reversed course on starting last fall. In March, DeSantis issued an executive order that halted the collection of fines and fees imposed on people or businesses that violated COVID-19-related ordinances. The governor then issued an executive order that immediately suspended local government pandemic-related restrictions such as mask mandates. City and county officials have expressed frustration at the governors efforts. It is worth noting that local actions and protocols have helped to keep Floridians safe and healthy, and Ron DeSantis has benefited from that, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said in a statement back in March. Dan Gelber, the mayor of Miami Beach, which issued hundreds of citations to people who refused to wear masks, has also called the governors efforts pretty bizarre. Obviously we werent imposing fines to make money. We were trying to create a safer environment and save lives, Gelber said in March. DeSantis, however, used the Carnevales case on Wednesday to highlight his opposition to local mandates. He said imposing COVID-19 rules on gyms did not make sense because the best thing you could do for COVID is to be in good health. But DeSantis acknowledged Mike Carnevale was an extreme case. He appears to be the only person to have faced potential jail time in connection to a pandemic-related local violation, according to Taryn Fenske, a spokeswoman for the governor. The governors office has not disclosed how many local fines and fees have been thrown out as a result of state orders. On Wednesday, DeSantis moved to wipe out all remaining fines and fees on people and businesses through the powers of Florida clemency board. Lets focus on the real criminals, and lets make sure that is where our effort is, DeSantis said. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for more federal gun control in response to the rising gun violence that has plagued her city this year. This is a national problem, Lightfoot said in response to an incident in Chicago Tuesday that saw eight people shot, leaving four dead. Lightfoot said that many of the shooting cases in the city are due to illegal guns, a problem she said is not unique to Chicago. What we will likely learn as the details become clearer is that illegal guns continue to plague us. Gun violence continues to have a deep and painful history in our city, Lightfoot said. Unfortunately, Chicago is not unique. We are part of a club of cities for which no one wants to belong, cities with mass shootings. FOUR DEAD AND FOUR WOUNDED AFTER ARGUMENT ON CHICAGO'S SOUTH SIDE The mayor then argued that cities cannot do enough on their own to stop the violence before calling on the federal government for help. Cities individually cannot tackle this problem. We just cannot. In Chicago, weve done absolutely everything possible, and we need help from the federal government, Lightfoot said. When guns are so porous that they can come across our borders as we see every single day in Chicago, we know that we have to have a multi-jurisdictional, national solution to this horrible plague of gun violence. Tuesdays violent shooting was just one of several violent events that plagued Chicago over a weekend that saw a total of 43 people shot. That number actually represented a decrease from the previous weekend, when 55 people were shot in the city. Homicides were up 22% through May in Chicago over last years numbers, even though 2020 had already seen a 50% rise in murders compared to 2019. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Lightfoot has continued to respond to the issue with calls for additional gun control, though the city already has an assault weapons ban and a strict process for prospective gun owners that includes a background check. Story continues Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Chicago, Gun Violence, Gun Control, murder Original Author: Michael Lee Original Location: Lightfoot calls for federal gun control in response to another bloody Chicago weekend Jun. 15NEW LONDON It was at an airport in Miami in 2018 that Nicole De La Cruz got her first real taste of the English language. Sure, she has been taking English classes after school at her home in Lima, Peru, in anticipation of the move to the United States but her ears weren't yet attuned to the speech of native English speakers and she had a hard time following the conversations going on around her. She was 15 at the time and said it would be years before she became confident in her English. She still claims to be "working on it." De La Cruz, now 18, graduates later this month from the Science & Technology Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut in New London, where not only has she pretty much mastered the English language but also excelled in her work despite the tribulations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In the fall, she will be attending the University of Connecticut, where she plans to focus on studies related to environmental sciences. She will be the first in her family to attend college and plans to make her parents proud. It's all her parents have ever asked for. "They worked for this. They brought me here for a reason," De La Cruz said. She admits she wasn't doing all that well in English classes prior to her move to the U.S. and had to work at it. RELATED MEDIA "I was so disappointed in myself. I changed to another academy. I put in more effort. I wanted to make friends. I was moving to a new school. I wanted to fit in to the new environment," she recalls. De la Cruz is not alone when she entered the New London school district being a non-native English speaker. About 25% of the students in the district are English language learners. She entered high school midyear as a freshman, took English as a Second Language classes and kept her focus. Her love of math and science led to her application and acceptance into the STEM Magnet High School and led her on her current path. This year she earned the highest grade in her class in a UConn environmental science class, which earned her college credits. Story continues "Nicole is an amazing young woman," STEM pathway counselor Jennie Levin said. "She moved to the United States from Peru her freshman year and had to acclimate to a new school, language and culture. She has worked very hard and been at the top of her class all four years." She made friends and got involved in afterschool activities and clubs. She is a member of the Multicultural Club and More Than Words, a group which she says meets with students from other schools and whose goal is to connect people of all races, identify issues and find solutions, "to help the community embrace and include everyone, people from different backgrounds and different countries." She remained focused throughout the COVID-19 pandemic that upturned her junior year at school. She was perhaps too focused during her time attending school virtually. "It was horrible," she said. "I tend to close myself in my room and study and read. I didn't go out much. It led to anxiety. I was basically anxious all of the time." But she wanted to protect herself and her family. "It affected my mental health. I'm doing well now because I'm back at school. Being at home without going out it's just not good for you. Now I understand that. People would say take breaks. Go out. I was just so focused. I wanted to be a good student. I forgot my essence about me." How did De La Cruz end up in New London? De La Cruz's father moved to the U.S. when she was still a toddler, to pave the way for her family's move. "He basically was looking for a better future for me, wanted to bring us more opportunities," De La Cruz said. Her mother raised her in the years leading up to the move. "I'm just trying to work hard," she said. "I have an opportunity in a country where the doors are opened to you." She plans to continue to push herself. "They always say 'Try to do well and make them proud.' They worked for that. They brought me here for a reason." De La Cruz said time will tell what her future holds but she hasn't ruled out a return to Peru. Her focus for the time being is on the environment and the impact of climate change. She said perhaps one day she will start her own nonprofit with a focus on spreading what she's learned to the "little ones." And maybe that will be back in Peru. g.smith@theday.com Jun. 16Hawaii ended restrictions on intercounty travel between the Hawaiian Islands on Tuesday and extended the quarantine exemption to domestic travelers who were fully vaccinated with at least one shot in Hawaii. Hilo resident Fabinita Franco was all smiles Tuesday as she prepared to leave Daniel K. Inouye International Airport after a work trip. "It was so easy compared to when I went to Alabama and I had to look for my health code. They don't need it anymore for Hilo, " Franco said. "I come from the Philippines, and I don't have much knowledge of computers. I'm more confident to travel now. I was nervous before." The latest change to Safe Travels helped Franco get back to work as a caregiver and represents another step toward normalcy and the broader reopening of Hawaii's tourism-dependent economy. It's also expected to drive more tourism to Hawaii and between the islands, although the largest gains won't occur until Hawaii offers vaccination exemptions to all domestic travelers or ends Safe Travels entirely. Sherilyn Kajiwara, a special-projects administrator assigned to Safe Travels Hawaii, said Tuesday during an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser at the airport that travel "is busy today, but not any busier with the new restrictions lifted than yesterday." Testing is still allowed, but more people have begun to use a vaccination card, Kajiwara said. "By 10 a.m. (Tuesday ) we had already had about 770 travelers that used the vaccination card." Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association President and CEO Mufi Hannemann said this latest loosening of some travel restrictions is not as much about bolstering tourism as it is about getting Hawaii to the next step of tourism's reopening. "We're anticipating a robust summer, and this enables it to go smoothly while demonstrating that we aren't going to sacrifice the health and safety of our community, " Hannemann said. Story continues Trans-Pacific travelers who weren't vaccinated in Hawaii still have to comply with the requirements of Safe Travels, which requires a negative COVID test from a "trusted travel partner." Gov. David Ige has said that the state would allow domestic trans-Pacific travelers who were vaccinated outside of Hawaii to begin using vaccination exemptions when 60 % of Hawaii's population is vaccinated for COVID. But even then Hawaii's not likely to see a full tourism recovery, as families make up a large portion of Hawaii's leisure tourism market and travelers 5 to 11 years old are not eligible for vaccines, so they must test to bypass the quarantine, said longtime Hawaii hotel ier Jerry Gibson. "The family market takes over from June 15 to Aug. 15, and the last thing that parents want is to be hung up by a procedural problem, " Gibson said. "We are watching the vaccination stats every day because it's very important that we make travel to Hawaii as easy as possible. We are looking forward to the day that we can open completely and get back to normal travel." Ige has said the state would end Safe Travels when 70 % of Hawaii's population is vaccinated for COVID. At that point, Ige has said he would lift essentially all travel and COVID-19 public health restrictions, including indoor mask mandates. Keith Vieira, principal of KV & Associates, Hospitality Consulting, said getting to those benchmarks is becoming increasingly important as other destinations open more fully. Vieira said he was in San Francisco on Tuesday, the first day that California lifted nearly all of its pandemic restrictions, including its mask mandate. "Fisherman's Wharf was absolutely packed, and no one was wearing a mask. Today Trader Joe's, Walmart, all of them announced no mask in the stores. You can tell today that things have changed, " he said. "The hotel that I'm staying at picked up 100 reservations just for check-in today." Vieira said the allure of Hawaii also has resulted in a strong summer, with a booking pace this week above 2019 levels. However, he said some of the bookings were made on the expectation that the state would further loosen travel restrictions, especially for fully vaccinated travelers. If that doesn't happen, Vieira said travelers might cancel or postpone trips to Hawaii and instead head to places where travel requirements are nonexistent or less expensive and easier to understand. Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman Tara Shimooka said, "Testing remains an impediment to travel, especially as many other travel destinations begin to exempt vaccinated travelers for restrictions." "We also need to see a loosening of restrictions for international travel for our state's economy to get to a full recovery, " Shimooka said. "Lastly, the screening associated with Safe Travels is costly and consumes resources that could be dedicated to other measures to ensure public health at this point in the pandemic." But she said Hawaiian was encouraged by the demand for neighbor island travel that has materialized since Ige's June 4 announcement about Tuesday's changes. "We've seen an uptick in neighbor island bookings for travel during the back half of June. The demand continues into midsummer with July bookings outperforming June levels, " Shimooka said. "Most local residents are well informed on the travel changes and are eager to travel freely throughout the islands to visit family and friends and conduct business." Kajiwara advises that travelers stay abreast of Hawaii's entry requirements by visiting the travel tab on. She said some domestic travelers have been trying to use their vaccination cards to enter Hawaii since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance that fully vaccinated travelers may travel safely in the U.S. She said another common error is failing to get a COVID test from one of the state's 38 trusted testing partners. Kajiwara said there also are still travelers who must quarantine in Hawaii because they took the wrong test, failed to meet the 72-hour testing window or didn't get back the results before boarding the plane on the last leg of their flight to Hawaii. Kajiwara said pre-clear programs offered on Hawaiian, Southwest, Alaska and United airlines have helped travelers avoid frustration by double-checking that they have met Safe Travels requirements and allowing them to bypass arrivals screening lines. On Tuesday there were 1, 693 people in travel quarantine in Hawaii. Kajiwara estimates that more than half of those quarantining were returning residents, who don't mind staying home for 10 days. "It's a very small percentage of people who have to quarantine, " Kajiwara said. "In the early days people didn't understand the program. Now word has gotten out." However, not broadly enough, said Melanie Savage, who spent more than $3, 000 to fly to Hawaii on June 3 from North Carolina with husband DaJuan Savage for a vacation, only to learn that they had to quarantine because their tests didn't come from trusted testing partners. "The ticket guy said we were all clear in Charlotte, " said Savage. "If we had known that we weren't, we wouldn't have taken the flight for eight hours and then waited in the screening line for two hours. We would have been turned around." Savage said she's not against Hawaii's COVID-related travel requirements, but she said that they should be clearer. She also said the state should consider allowing travelers who run afoul of the pre-entry requirements to bypass the quarantine with a post-arrival test. "This was our first and last trip to Hawaii. We were like caged animals in our room, " she said. "We thought, 'What the hell is this place ?' It felt like a Third World country.'" KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on Wednesday China had agreed to contribute 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines made by its drugmaker Sinovac BioTech to the Southeast Asian country. "This timely contribution will bolster the vaccination process and assist the ongoing rollout of Malaysia's National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme," Hishammuddin said. (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Martin Petty) KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah said on Wednesday the country's parliament should reconvene as soon as possible, to allow emergency ordinances and a coronavirus recovery plan to be debated by lawmakers. The king's remarks come a day after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said parliament could reopen by September at the earliest, providing that the average number of daily coronavirus infections fall below 2,000. Parliament was suspended in January after the king declared a national emergency on Muhyiddin's advice. The opposition said it was an attempt by the premier to shore up his position amid a leadership challenge. The king in a statement on Wednesday said parliament plays an important role in discussing steps taken by the government to deal with the health and economic crises caused by the coronavirus. The king also stressed on the need for a "stable and secure government administration" capable of effectively handling the epidemic and restoring the economy. To this end, the government needs to ease bureaucracy and speed up the vaccinations to ensure the country reaches herd immunity as soon as possible, as vaccination is the sole "exit strategy" from the epidemic, the king said. In a separate statement, the nine-member conference of rulers - which includes the king - said they do not see a need for the emergency to be extended beyond its Aug. 1 expiry date. The conference echoed the king's view on the need for a stable and secure government, and said that all efforts must be made to secure as much public support for inclusive measures to manage COVID-19. Malaysia has reported 4,142 deaths from the coronavirus. The country has the highest number of infections per capita in Southeast Asia, with more than 673,000 cases recorded. (Reporting by Joseph Sipalan and Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Martin Petty) (Bloomberg) -- Manhattan district attorney candidate Tali Farhadian Weinstein donated $8.2 million to her own campaign in the last few weeks, putting more money behind her bid than all of her seven opponents combined and more than any of the candidates running for New York mayor, according to public records. The wife of Saba Capital co-founder Boaz Weinstein, Farhadian Weinstein had already outstripped others vying to be Manhattans top prosecutor in terms of fundraising. Her recent gifts, made between May 20 and June 7, put her campaign total near $12.8 million. Alvin Bragg, her closest competitor for money ahead of the June 22 Democratic primary, has raised a little more than $2.3 million. In deep-blue New York, the Democratic nominee is a near-lock to win in November. Farhadian Weinsteins haul is a staggering amount for a district attorney campaign. In the race for City Hall, the most well-funded candidate, former Citigroup executive Ray McGuire, has raised a little under $12 million, while Eric Adams and Andrew Yang have each raised less than $5 million. Much of the spending in the mayoral race has been through super PACs though. Jennifer Blatus, a spokeswoman for Farhadian Weinsteins campaign, pointed a finger at other candidates, saying Farhadian Weinstein is not the only candidate who has chosen to self-fund and pointing out that a super PAC has been running critical ads targeting her. Our campaign is making sure that voters across Manhattan get a clear sense of the difference between the candidates in this race, said Blatus. Lucy Lang, the granddaughter of philanthropist Eugene Lang, is another district attorney candidate who has put money in her own race, donating $500,000 in April. But her campaign drew a sharp distinction on Tuesday. Obscenely Wealthy What Manhattan doesnt need is a hedge fund billionaire willing to spend the equivalent of one-tenth of the D.A.s office budget to make sure Wall Street runs the place, said Lang campaign manager Matthew Koos. The Manhattan district attorneys office had a budget of around $147 million for the 2020 fiscal year, according to the City Councils finance division. Story continues Bragg, who was the target of a Farhadian Weinstein push poll, has been backed by racial justice-focused super PAC Color of Change, which said in May it would spend more than $1 million on his race. Bragg spokesman Richard Fife said the campaign was honored to have the groups support. Farhadian Weinsteins last minute funneling of $8.2 million into her campaign to use on insidious push polls and mudslinging mail pieces is an attack on democracy and justice, and should be disqualifying to be district attorney, said Fife. Progressive candidate Tahanie Aboushi suggested on Twitter that Farhadian Weinstein was trying to buy her way into office. The race for district attorney comes as New York is confronting rising crime but also calls for a more equitable approach to law enforcement following the deaths of several Black people at police hands. The winner may also have to deal with the trial of the century. Former President Donald Trump has been under investigation by current District Attorney Cyrus Vance, and the New York Times reported on Tuesday night that charges against Trumps longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, could be imminent. Read More: Manhattan D.A. Hopefuls Balance Crime Rise, Social Justice Farhadian Weinstein is running as a progressive prosecutor who will bring social and racial justice reforms to the district attorneys office while still being tough on crime. A Yale Law School graduate, Rhodes Scholar and Supreme Court clerk, she worked in the Obama Justice Department as counsel to Attorney General Eric Holder, who has featured prominently in her ads, and more recently as a federal prosecutor in Brooklyn and general counsel to District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. Shes won endorsements from both the conservative New York Post and liberal Daily News. She has also attracted financial support from hedge fund heavyweights like David Einhorn, Bill Ackman and Jason Mudrick, according to state records. Farhadian Weinstein has insisted the financial support of billionaires wont sway her from prosecuting Wall Street crimes. Stephen Gillers, a New York University law professor, said he found Farhadian Weinsteins campaign spending troubling, noting that $8.2 million buys a lot of media and turnout in a primary race that could be decided by a small number of voters. Given her impressive credentials and endorsements, she might have won without her cash infusion. Gillers said. But if she does win, it will look very much like she bought the victory. That will be unfortunate. (Updates with comment from Lucy Lang campaign) 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. The Maryland NAACP called Wednesday for the suspension and independent investigation of Ocean City police officers involved in the violent arrests this month of five Black teens vaping on the boardwalk. The arrests were captured on video and drew national attention and local concern about police conduct. The videos depict separate incidents the arrest of one 18-year-old on June 6 and of four teens on June 13, in which officers confront them for vaping outside of designated areas. The June 6 video shows the teen holding his hands in the air while he is shot with a Taser. In the June 13 video, a 19-year-old is repeatedly kneed by an officer as a group of officers hold him face down on the ground. During a Wednesday news conference outside the statehouse in Annapolis, NAACP Maryland State Conference President Willie Flowers said the videos of the arrests, including images of an officer kneeing 19-year-old Brian Anderson, demonstrate excessive use of force and need to be investigated. Ocean City Police did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment. You have to come to the conclusion that people dont care about Black African people, Flowers said of the videos. Its an insult to anybody who has paid any ounce of taxes in Maryland. Ivory Smith, president of the Worcester County chapter of the NAACP, said a third-party investigation is needed, as well as improved de-escalation training for officers. The Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus also released a statement calling for an independent investigation and for the involved officers to be suspended in the interim. During the June 13 arrest of Anderson, bystanders can be heard shouting at officers in the background of a video posted to social media. Three other Black teenagers, Kamere Day, 19, Khalil Warren, 19, and Jahtique John Lewis, 18, also were taken into custody, one of whom officers shot with a Taser. Police said the four teens resisted arrest and yelled obscenities at the arresting officers. Police said they were charged with resisting arrest, among other offenses. All four teenagers were from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Story continues Ocean City police have not publicly identified the officers so far, but court records show Ocean City police Officer Nathan Jupiter was the charging officer for Anderson, Officer Patrick McElfish charged Warren and Officer T. Stoltzfus was the charging officer for day. The charging officer for Lewis is not known. Stoltzfus did not include his first name in charging documents. Flowers said the fact the young men who were arrested were tourists gives community members an opportunity to pressure for change. If Ocean City doesnt want the money of young Black men, dont give them your money, Flowers said. That video was a message to boycott Ocean City. Carl Snowden, convener of the Caucus of African American Leaders, said the assertion that the men were not complying with officers orders did not justify their actions. This isnt an issue of people not complying with the law, Snowden said. Too many people have died who have complied. Snowden said Black leadership in Maryland is more united than ever to combat incidents like those in Ocean City. If you put your hand on the hornet, the whole nest comes at you, Snowden said. Ocean City Police said in a previous statement that any use of force by officers would be subject to review by the department. Our officers are permitted to use force, per their training, to overcome exhibited resistance, the statement said. All uses of force go through a detailed review process. The uses of force from these arrests will go through a multilevel examination by the Assistant Patrol Commander, the Division Commander and then by the Office of Professional Standards. Baltimore Sun reporter Phil Davis contributed to this article Officials in a Massachusetts public school system are reportedly urging students and staff to issue complaints against one another for telling politically incorrect jokes and other "incidents of bias," according to equity protocol documents. Wellesley Public Schools maintains a policy on "Responding to Incidents of Bias or Discrimination" that outlines ways for students and parents to file reports against peers who violate the policy, according to district documents released by Parents Defending Education, a nonprofit group focused on fighting so-called activist agendas in schools. In related instances, courts have found policies such as the ones enforced by Wellesley Public Schools are a concern for First Amendment rights. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2020 that a similar peer reporting policy at the University of Texas "represents the clenched fist in the velvet glove of student speech regulation." The Wellesley policy states: "Discrimination based on ancestry, race, color, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability or any other state or federally protected category is not tolerated." LOUDOUN COUNTY TO APPEAL REINSTATEMENT OF TEACHER WHO REFUSED TO CHANGE STUDENTS' BIOLOGICAL GENDER PRONOUNS District policy framers define an incident of bias as any biased conduct, speech or expression that has an impact but may not involve criminal action, but demonstrates conscious or unconscious bias that targets individuals or groups that are part of a federally protected class." If a student notices anyone in violation of the policy, he or she is encouraged to report "any concerning pattern of biased behavior" to a district staff member or trusted adult. Students may report incidents anonymously, although the district policy noted reports without an attached identity are more difficult to investigate. The policy has existed since 2019, but Parents Defending Education only recently called it to attention. President and founder of the concerned parents group, Nicole Neily, said the policy intends to silence debate among classroom peers. Story continues "Creating the expectation that authority figures can or should adjudicate all interpersonal disputes isn't just denying children the opportunity to develop better interpersonal skills. It's also a slippery slope to big government," Neily wrote in an op-ed for Real Clear Education on Monday. A number of other school districts across the country have become embattled by parents raising issues about the curriculum their students are taught in public schools and the level of control districts can exert on free speech. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The Washington Examiner contacted Wellesley Public Schools but did not immediately receive a response. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Massachusetts, school, diversity, Woke culture Original Author: Kaelan Deese Original Location: Massachusetts school district encourages students to report peers for 'bias' violations, documents show Mitch McConnell said on Monday its highly unlikely hed allow President Joe Biden to fill a Supreme Court vacancy in 2024 if he were Senate Majority Leader, once again stirring liberals fears about the composition of the countrys highest court and the importance of next years midterm elections. I think in the middle of a presidential election, if you have a Senate of the opposite party of the president, you have to go back to the 1880s to find the last time a vacancy was filled. So I think its highly unlikely, McConnell told conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt. I dont think either party, if it controlled, if it were different from the president, would confirm a Supreme Court nominee in the middle of an election. In the fall of 2020, McConnell rushed to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, muscling through the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett in late October by a vote of 52-48. In defending that decision, he said, What was different in 2020 was we were of the same party as the president. McConnell even left open the option of keeping a Supreme Court seat vacant in 2023 if Republicans take back the Senate majority in the 2022 midterm elections. Wed have to wait and see what happens, he told Hewitt. The Kentuckian said keeping the seat of Justice Anthony Scalia open through most of 2016 when Barack Obama was president was the single most consequential thing Ive done in my time as majority leader of the Senate. I preserved the Scalia vacancy for the Gorsuch appointment, McConnell said, referencing Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and became a justice in April 2017. McConnells comments will likely be raised as a rallying cry by progressives in midterm races across the country. With a 50-50 Senate, every seat on the map will determine whether McConnell returns to power. Mitch McConnell will block any Biden nominee for the Supreme Court if Republicans control the Senate by 2024, said Keith Boykin, a liberal CNN commentator. Now tell Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema that bipartisanship is a lie and the filibuster must be eliminated. And tell Stephen Breyer to retire. After declaring bipartisanship dead, McConnell says infrastructure deal still possible Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in January 2020. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/WPA Pool/Getty Images Meghan Markle won't join Prince Harry at the unveiling of Princess Diana's statue. Royal reporters Lizzie Robinson and Victoria Ward say the duchess won't fly to the UK. The statue will be unveiled on Diana's 60th birthday on July 1. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. The Duchess of Sussex reportedly won't join Prince Harry in the UK for the unveiling of Princess Diana's statue. ITV News' royals reporter Lizzie Robinson and the Daily Telegraph's acting royal correspondent Victoria Ward wrote on Twitter that reports claiming Meghan Markle would attend the event were untrue. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Sources told Ward that Markle would not attend because she has recently given birth to the couple's second child, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. They welcomed Lilibet at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on June 4. The statue will be unveiled at Diana's former Kensington Palace home on July 1, marking what would have been her 60th birthday, Hello! Magazine reported in April. Prince Harry and Prince William announced in 2017 that Ian Rank-Broadley would design the statue. Rank-Broadley is known for his design of the Queen on British coins. "We have been touched by the kind words and memories so many people have shared about our mother over these past few months. It is clear the significance of her work is still felt by many in the UK and across the world, even 20 years after her death." the brothers said in a statement obtained by Hello! Magazine in 2017. "Ian is an extremely gifted sculptor and we know that he will create a fitting and lasting tribute to our mother. We look forward to unveiling the statue, which will allow all those who visit Kensington Palace to remember and celebrate her life and legacy," they added. Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Insider Relatives of the 43 continue to demand to know what happened to their loved ones Forensic experts have identified the remains of a student who was among a group of 43 who disappeared in the Mexican state of Guerrero in 2014. A prosecutor said tests had revealed that bone fragments found in a ravine belonged to Jhosivani Guerrero. He is the third member of the group whose remains have been found and identified. The disappearance of the 43 triggered demonstrations against impunity and state complicity in organised crime. Who were the 43? They studied at an all-male teacher training college in the town of Ayotzinapa, in western Guerrero state. The college has a history of left-wing activism and the students regularly took part in protests. On 26 September 2014, a large group of them travelled to the nearby town of Iguala to protest against what they saw as discriminatory hiring practices for teachers. As they were travelling back to their college, they were confronted by municipal police who opened fire on the buses they were travelling in. In the chaos which followed, six people were killed. Some students managed to flee to safety but 43 vanished after the clash. The police accused the students of having commandeered the buses, but survivors of the clash say they had convinced the bus drivers to take them to Ayotzinapa voluntarily. What happened to them? The first official investigation - carried out under the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto - found that the 43 were seized by corrupt municipal police officers who handed them over to members of local drugs gang Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors). The gang then took them to a rubbish dump in a place called Cocula, where they killed them and burned their bodies, the official report continued. They dumped their bones and ashes in a nearby stream, it concluded. However, that report has since been widely discredited, and a judge has issued an arrest warrant for the head of the investigation, Tomas Zeron. Story continues Mr Zeron has fled Mexico and is believed to be in Israel. What evidence has been found? So far, the remains of three students have been identified: Alexander Mora, 19, remains were identified in 2014 Christian Alfonso Rodriguez, 19, remains identified in 2020 Jhosivani Guerrero, 20, remains identified in 2021 The charred remains of Alexander Mora were reportedly found in a stream at the rubbish dump in Cocula, according to the now-discredited first investigation. Alexander Mora is one of the three students whose remains have been identified But independent investigators from the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights said that the chain of evidence had been broken when Alexander Mora's remains were retrieved. They said they could therefore not be sure whether the bone fragments had been planted to bolster the version of events that said that all the students were killed and subsequently burned at the rubbish dump. The remains of Christian Alfonso Rodriguez and Jhosivani Guerrero were found in a ravine known as La Carniceria, about 800m (half a mile) from the rubbish dump in Cocula. They have been identified by experts at the University of Innsbruck, in Austria. Where does this leave the investigation? The fact that the bone fragment found in La Carniceria ravine has been matched to Jhosivani Guerrero raises further questions about the original investigation led by Tomas Zeron. Tomas Zeron led the original investigation and is now a fugitive Mr Zeron said in 2015 that remains of Jhosivani Guerrero had been found in the stream at the rubbish dump in Cocula, which backed up the version of events given by his team at the time. But the man leading the current investigation said that the remains Mr Zeron had referred to had never been a conclusive match to Jhosivani Guerrero. The identification of Jhosivani Guerrero's remains by the University of Innsbruck is the biggest advance in the investigation since the bone fragments of Christian Alfonso Rodriguez were found last year. But with much of the forensic evidence from the original report coming under question and Mr Zeron a fugitive, the current investigators face an enormous challenge trying to piece together what happened to the 43 and where the missing remains may be. The Michigan State Senate passed a School Aid Funding supplemental appropriations bill. The entire $4.38 billion sum approved by the Senate on Tuesday afternoon is derived from federal funding, which includes $700 million of COVID-19 relief money approved last year during the administration of Donald Trump and another $3.66 billion from the American Rescue Plan signed by President Joe Biden in March. If signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, House Bill 4421 will maintain current levels of state spending from state resources and state payments to locals would remain at current year-to-date levels, according to Senate Fiscal Agency Analyst Kathryn Summers. The bill would amend the State School Aid Act to provide $4.3 billion of fiscal 2020-21 supplemental Federal appropriations as follows: $86,777,000 from the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funding for emergency assistance to nonpublic schools as provided in Federal law (Sec 11o). $93,023,000 from the Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools funding to provide services or assistance to nonpublic schools as provided in Federal law (Sec. 11o). $840,677,500 for the remaining Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) II funding distributed to districts based on their Title I, Part A allocations as provided in Federal law, bringing the total to $1,490,677,500 $3,347,849,700 in ESSER III funding distributed to districts based on their Title I, Part A allocations $5,548,500 for the remaining ESSER II administrative funding to the Department of Education, bringing the total to $8,281,500 The bill also amends Section 23b, which provides funding for summer school, before and after-school, and other programs. Amendments to this section would include allowing students to enroll in summer programming offered by any district (not just their resident district), allowing districts to use local assessments to make determinations of children with greatest need (in addition to bench mark assessment data) for summer programming, and removing requirements that summer programming be in-person. Story continues Robert McCann is executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, a coalition of school superintendents from Genesee, Wayne, Macomb, Oakland, and St. Clair counties. In a phone interview with The Center Square, McCann said theres another $350 million of federal money left on the table that the Alliance would like to see appropriated for a school equalization fund. While its nice to see this funding move closer to being made available to schools across Michigan albeit months overdue the reality is that federal relief money alone is not going to allow school districts to plan for the upcoming year, McCann said. We need the legislature to take action on a full 2021-2022 school aid budget immediately so districts have the certainty they require to prepare for the challenges ahead this fall, McCann added. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Michigan, Schools, State Original Author: Bruce Walker, The Center Square Original Location: Michigan Senate passes $4.38 billion federally funded School Aid Fund bill Chinas National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration said the move would ensure the supply and price stability of bulk commodities. Photo: Getty Mining stocks fell on Wednesday after China's announcement to release metal reserves to curb commodity prices put miners under pressure. Major mining stocks weighed heavy on the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) after falling on the news. Rio Tinto (RIO.L) declined as much as 0.9% and is currently trading 0.7% lower. Anglo American (AAL.L) dropped 2% and Antofagasta (ANTO.L) was down 1.5%, Glencore (GLEN.L) crashed 2.8% and Evraz (EVR.L) declined 1.5%. BHP Group (BHP.L) also lost ground, dropping 1.1%. "With China having driven much of the upside seen in global commodity prices over the past year, their recent efforts aimed at easing the price pressures have clearly caused major ripples throughout the sector," said Joshua Mahony, senior market analyst at IG. China said it would release the country's reserves of major industrial metals, including copper, aluminium and zinc in batches "in the near future". The country's stockpiling body Chinas National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration said the move would ensure the supply and price stability of bulk commodities. Rio Tinto shares fell as much as 0.9% on the news and are currently down 0.7%. Chart: Yahoo Finance The reserves will be released to non-ferrous metal processing and manufacturing firms via a public bidding process. It did not specify on quantities of metal to be sold, the auction process or which manufacturers will be allowed to bid. Read more: The chip shortage bringing car factories to a standstill It came as Chinese industrial data released on Wednesday showed production grew at a less than expected rates in May as chip shortages dragged down car production. Industrial output grew at 8.8% year-on-year in May 2021, against expectations of 9.2% growth, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Production was hit by a rise in COVID infections in Guandong province and fresh restrictions have impacted a number of electronic manufacturing plants located in the region, especially chips and semiconductors. Story continues "The declines in Chinese industrial production seen today highlight the pressure put on economic growth by rising input prices," said IG analyst Joshua Mahony. "With the Chinese announcing that they will start to periodically release reserves of aluminium, copper, and zinc, we are seeing that the country clearly has intentions to do all it can to quell the rise in commodity prices." The State Council said in May that it would take measures to ensure supply and stable prices for commodities, and regulators had previously warned it would adopt a zero-tolerance policy to market manipulation or hoarding of metals. The world's largest metals consumer has been struggling to tame a surge in metal prices this year fuelled by a post-COVID economic recovery, ample global liquidity and speculative buying that has dented manufacturers margins. Watch: Could mining make a comeback in Cornwall? A Minnesota man was charged with murder on Wednesday after he allegedly rammed his car into a crowd of protesters in Minneapolis, killing one person. Nicholas Kraus, 35, of St. Paul, faces one count of second-degree intentional murder and two counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Hennepin County Attorney. Police responded to the scene on late Sunday night, where they found a female victim with severe head injuries and another person with leg and rib injures, the criminal complaint said. The woman did not survive. WOMAN DEAD AND ANOTHER INJURED AFTER CAR DRIVES INTO PROTESTERS IN MINNEAPOLIS A barricade had been formed in the protest area, and police say Kraus admitted to accelerating in the direction of the barricade in an attempt to jump it despite seeing people. He allegedly said he thought he might hit someone. Kraus was reportedly drunk at the time of the incident, prosecutors said, adding that he had a suspended license and multiple convictions for driving while intoxicated. "This office is shocked by this level of violence in our streets," Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said, adding, "The defendant, Mr. Kraus, in the Uptown fatal incident in which he struck and killed a peaceful female protestor while intoxicated, and injured additional protestors, is an extreme and violent intentional act. His behavior and admittance to intentionally driving towards the protestors is one important reason why we have charged him with intentional second-degree murder." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Kraus is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Crime, Protests, Police Original Author: Haley Victory Smith Original Location: Minnesota man charged with murder after allegedly driving into protesters with car NASA/JPL/USGS NASA is finally headed back to Venus. On June 2, 2021, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced that the agency had selected two winners of its latest Discovery class spacecraft mission competition, and both are headed to the second planet from the Sun. Im a planetary scientist and a self-confessed Venus evangelist, and heres why Im so excited that humanity is going back to Venus. This is the first time since the Magellan mission in 1989 that NASA has committed to sending spacecraft to study the shrouded planet just next door. With the data these two Venus missionscalled VERITAS and DAVINCI+will collect, planetary scientists can start tackling one of the biggest mysteries in the solar system: Why is Venus, a planet almost the same size, density and age of Earth, so very different from the world humanity calls home? An Earth gone wrong? Venus is a rocky planet about the same size as Earth, but despite these similarities, it is a brutal place. Although only a little closer to the Sun than Earth, a runaway greenhouse effect means that its extremely hot at the surfaceabout 870 F (465 C), roughly the temperature of a self-cleaning oven. The pressure at the surface is a crushing 90 times the pressure at sea level on Earth. And to top it off, there are sulfuric acid clouds covering the entire planet that corrode anything passing through them. But perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Venus is that it may have once looked a lot like Earth. Recent climate models suggest that in the past the planet could have had liquid water oceans and a mild climate. It may have been habitable for as long as 3 billion years before succumbing to some sort of climate catastrophe that triggered the runaway greenhouse. The goal of these two new missions to Venus is to try to determine if Venus really was Earths twin, why it changed and whether, in general, large rocky planets become habitable oases like Earth or scorched wastelands like Venus. Story continues View of Venus captured by NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft on Feb. 7, 1974. Reuters Fresh eyes on Venus What might come as a surprise is that in the 1960s and 1970s Venus was the central focus of space exploration, like Mars is today. The U.S. and Soviet Union sent more than 30 spacecraft in total to the second planet from the sun. But since 1989, only two missions have gone to Venus, and both were focused on studying the atmospherethe European Space Agencys Venus Express and Japans Akatsuki. In contrast, the VERITAS and DAVINCI+ missions will take a holistic view by exploring the geological and climatological history of Venus as a whole, in two very different but complementary ways. The thick, global layer of sulfuric acid clouds covering Venus makes it almost impossible to see the surface with normal cameras. Thats why the VERITAS orbitershort for Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopywill carry a powerful radar system. This radar can peer through the clouds and gather images and topographic data up to 10 times higher-resolution than any previous mission to Venus. This will allow scientists to look for clues about Venus earlier climate that may be preserved in rock formations on the surface and might also answer whether the planet is geologically active today. And, finally, this exciting mission will use a special, infrared camera to peer through the atmosphere at very specific wavelengths to take the first global measurements of what Venus rocks are made ofsomething scientists know very little about. VERITAS stablemate is DAVINCI+, or Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry and Imaging. The DAVINCI+ mission also involves an orbiter, but the real star of the show will be the meter-wide atmospheric probe. The probe will drop into Venus atmosphere and free-fall through the thick clouds for about an hour before reaching the surface. On the way down, it will take samples of the atmosphere, specifically measuring a variety of gases including argon, krypton and xenon. Different climate histories for Venus would lead to different ratios of these noble gases in the atmosphereand so by analyzing these ratios, scientists will be able to work out how much water the planet formed with, and even how much water it has lost over the past 4.5 billion years. But thats not all the probe will do. Just before impacting crash landing into an area called Alpha Regio that has some of the oldest rocks on the planet, the probe will take infrared images of the surface as it comes into view through the gloom of the lower atmosphere. Those images will be the first ever taken from above the surface but below the cloud deck, showing planetary scientists Venus as never before. The volcanic peak Idunn Mons in the Imdr Regio area of Venus. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA Now is the time I have argued before for returning to Venus, so to say Im enthusiastic about these missions is an understatement. Venus may hold the key to understanding the pastand possibly the futureof Earth. As astronomers discover more and more Earth-size worlds around other stars, they need to understand whether the outcome we see on Earthblue skies, water oceans and even a thriving biosphereis the norm, or if the hellish, barren wastelands of Venus are the rule. Several decades of sustained Mars exploration have shown that each mission answers earlier questions and also raises new ones. I dont know what surprises VERITAS and DAVINCI+, scheduled to launch in the late 2020s, will uncover at Venus, but I do know theyll discover aspects of the planet that no one had ever imagined. Scientists and mission teams across the world have worked hard to realize a Decade of Venus, and its starting to pay off. In fact, only a week after NASAs announcement, the European Space Agency declared its plans for a Venus mission, too. With these new missions, its my guessmy hopethat were at the start of a new, golden age of Venus exploration. Paul K. Byrne is an associate professor of planetary science at North Carolina State University 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. Missouri Republicans are still weighing a ban on Medicaid coverage of Plan B and other contraceptives as part of a compromise on renewing a crucial tax that funds the health program. Efforts to approve the renewal fell apart in the Senate last month at the end of the regular session. GOP leaders were caught between conservative colleagues demanding the birth control provisions and Democrats, who said they were promised a tax renewal without them. Republicans now appear ready to negotiate an agreement on their own and havent sought the support of Democratic leadership. Including some form of a coverage ban would signal that top GOP officials hope to win over the most conservative and vocally anti-abortion senators. Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, met with several GOP senators on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the tax, called the Federal Reimbursement Allowance. Parson said last week he wont call a special session on the tax until a deal is on the table. But budget cuts loom without one. Failure to renew the tax, which expires Sept. 30, would deprive Medicaid of $1 billion in state funds and billions more in federal dollars. Parson has threatened to withhold funds from the budget beginning July 1 to make up for the potential shortfall. Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo told The Star on Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, following the meeting between Parson and GOP senators, told him that Republicans are working on a proposal that includes a Medicaid coverage ban on specific contraceptives. In a text message, Rowden, a Columbia Republican, told The Star the Democrats have the language in front of them. We will continue those discussions in the coming days, Rowden said. Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, said the only language he had seen came from a newsletter distributed by Missouri Times publisher Scott Faughn, which included a proposed coverage ban on the emergency contraceptives Plan B and Ella, and intrauterine devices (IUDs). The proposal also includes a ban on the abortion pill. Rizzo said Rowden told him the language in the newsletter is, in fact, what Republicans are considering. Story continues Staff for Sen. Dan Hegeman, a Cosby Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Wednesday that Hegeman has reviewed the language and supports it. Hegeman will likely file a bill to renew the tax with that language, a spokesperson said. Rowden didnt respond to a call for comment. Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones did not respond to a request for comment on the language on Wednesday afternoon but said, At this time, a special session has not been confirmed. Before meeting with the senators on Tuesday, Parson told reporters that he was going into the meeting with what we believe is language that we can all deal with. Parson said he was willing to consider the inclusion of contraceptive language if we can find a medium in there that doesnt jeopardize the provider tax. Some legislators and advocates have raised concerns that the bans could endanger federal funding for Medicaid. The federal government requires states to cover family planning services, and it requires all insurance plans to cover birth control. But a group of hard-right senators, led by Sen. Paul Wieland, an Imperial Republican, have insisted on including the ban as a condition of supporting a renewal of the provider tax. Before 2021, the General Assembly had never failed to renew the tax during its regular session. Wieland did not respond to a request for comment. You want to force people who have a moral objection to that, you want to force them to have their taxpayer money pay for it? Thats the question, said Sen. Eric Burlison, a Battlefield Republican. During the legislative session, Sen. Bob Onder, a Lake St. Louis Republican, also pushed to include a ban on dollars going toward Planned Parenthood. The compromise language under consideration doesnt appear to include the provision. There are some that are promoting a narrative that were all in agreement on everything, Onder said. I, both in our meeting with the governor and in our caucus meeting following, I was very clear to anyone who was listening that although were, I believe, very close on the abortion drug language ... we are miles apart on the issue of funding of abortion providers. House Budget Chair Cody Smith, a Carthage Republican, said last week some form of the ban would likely be part of the tax renewal. But lawmakers were struggling to determine the potential consequences of including such a ban in the Medicaid program. Not all states cover all forms of birth control some have waivers with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to not to cover Plan B but lawmakers didnt know which hard and fast rules would apply to Missouri, Smith said. If we choose not to offer some drugs inside our Medicaid programs there are potential ramifications for the entirety of our pharmacy program and specifically referring to the federal funding we rely very heavily on for our Medicaid pharmacy program, he said. So we have to be careful about keeping our Medicaid program intact while we are seeking to address some of these pro-life issues. Democrats appear unlikely to support a ban on Medicaid coverage of Plan B and other contraceptives, but Rizzo said they are researching the possible effects of the bill. Being in a special session gives minority party members less opportunity to fight a bill they dont like, he said. At first glance the language seems problematic, were doing a deep dive into the language right now, Rizzo said. It seems like it appeases the extremists in their caucus who want to deny women birth control. Images posted on social media show the fire in Kin Ma village A village in the centre of Myanmar has been burned down after clashes between the security forces and local guerrillas, leaving at least two people dead. Residents told the BBC that 200 of the 240 houses in Kin Ma were razed to the ground by the military on Tuesday. They said the incident began after forces clashed with a local militia opposed to the governing regime. Dan Chugg, UK ambassador to Myanmar, has condemned the attack. "Reports that the junta has burned down an entire village in Magway, killing elderly residents, demonstrate once again that the military continues to commit terrible crimes and has no regard for the people of Myanmar," a Facebook post read. State television however blamed the fire on "terrorists". According to Reuters news agency, MRTV reported that any media that suggested another cause was "deliberately plotting to discredit the military". Hundreds of homes were destroyed in Kin Ma, residents told the BBC One resident told the BBC that security forces clashed with a People's Defence Force (PDF) on Tuesday. Such groups were formed in the wake of the recent military coup, and have started to fight against the police and military with homemade weapons. "When the PDF members drew back, they [the security forces] came into the village and started to set alight the houses in the southern part," the resident said. "Almost the whole village was burned down to ashes.'' Another resident said the villagers fled into the woods outside Kin Ma after troops opened fire. Two elderly people however could not run and died in the fire, locals said, while a few more were reported missing. "The fire was everywhere in the village and we saw big flames," the resident said. "We had to flee for our lives from gunfire and we had to watch it from a distance." According to Reuters, the fire was so large it was recorded by Nasa's satellite fire-tracking system at 15:22 GMT on Tuesday. Myanmar's military seized power in February, alleging voter fraud in general elections held the previous year - a vote independent election monitors say was largely free and fair. Demonstrations spread across the country after the coup. Security forces responded with a brutal crackdown, killing more than 800 people and detaining close to 5,000. Republican lawmakers unveiled energy legislation Tuesday, drafted for months in secret with industry representatives, that would hasten North Carolinas transition away from coal power plants. The bill urges Duke Energy, the states largest utility and a party to the closed-door discussions, to replace the states largest existing coal plant with gas-powered generation, a project that lawmakers believe would require utilities and regulators to advance the now-stalled MVP-Southgate pipeline, according to a summary of the legislation obtained by The News & Observer. While reducing coal plants would bring climate and health benefits with lower emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, the legislation would also come at a cost: incentivizing state regulators to permit the highly controversial pipeline amid concerns about the environmental impact of its construction. In recent weeks, legislative Republicans raised alarms about the states energy infrastructure and its dependence on the Transco Pipeline as its sole source of natural gas. Following the hacking of the Colonial Pipeline, lawmakers worries about the impact of any disruption to the natural gas pipeline led the state Senate to deny the appointment of Dionne Delli-Gatti, Gov. Roy Coopers nominee to head the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. North Carolina regulators have denied a stream-crossing permit for the MVP-Southgate pipeline, which would carry natural gas from the Marcellus Shale in West Virginia through Rockingham and Alamance counties. Lawmakers said Delli-Gattis inability to explain the Cooper administrations policy on natural gas was pivotal to their decision. The legislation also includes several provisions that Duke Energy leaders have called for during calls with shareholders in recent months. During a February investor call, Lynn Good, Duke Energys CEO, said their goals for the legislation included shifting away from coal power generation, a regulatory structure that helped it pay for a cleaner mix of sources and ensuring that power generation is reliable and affordable. Story continues We remain optimistic for comprehensive energy legislation this year, aligned with our shared goals of generation transition and regulatory reforms needed to enable that change, Good said during a May 10 conference call. This is a developing story. Come back later for more updates. This story was produced with financial support from 1Earth Fund, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. In response to the state announcing it would be unveiling a new "vaccine verification system" for private businesses this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters that it is not a vaccine passport. On Tuesday, California fully reopened without capacity limits, with the state transitioning to an updated mask mandate. Masks are still required to be worn in schools and by those who do not receive the vaccine inside restaurants and other public indoor settings. The reopening allows businesses to require individuals to show paper vaccine cards to prove they dont need to wear a mask. Businesses were told by the state that they will have three options related to vaccines and mask mandates. Business owners can provide information to customers and not require anything at all. They can implement vaccine verification to determine which people must wear a mask, or they can require everyone to wear a mask. Because some individuals have already started to produce counterfeit paper cards designed to show if someone has received one or both of the COVID-19 shots, the state began developing an electronic version of the paper version. Individuals will be able to show businesses their electronic vaccine verification information from their phones. Newsom told reporters the electronic system is not a passport. Its not a requirement. Its just the ability now to have an electronic version of that paper version. Youll hear more about that in the next couple days. As it relates to technology and the tools of technology, there are opportunities to make available, different strategies to provide more secure, safe, and transparent form of verification. But again, this is voluntary. So I want to make this crystal clear before folks run with it its become so politicized, almost everything in the state, nation that theres no mandates, no requirement, no passports in that respect. Roughly half of U.S. states have banned any state agency or business, depending on the state, from requiring vaccine passports. All states that have done so are led by Republicans. Story continues Washington Examiner Videos Tags: States, News, Gavin Newsom, Coronavirus, Vaccination, Public Health, California Original Author: Bethany Blankley, The Center Square Original Location: Newsom insists COVID-19 vaccine verification system is not vaccine passport Nicholas Watt was filmed being confronted by protesters in Whitehall. Police have charged a 57-year-old man after footage emerged showing a BBC journalist being confronted and chased by anti-lockdown protesters. Martin Hockridge is charged with an offence under Section 4A of the Public Order Act, namely using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour towards another person with the intention to cause them harassment, alarm or distress, the Metropolitan Police said. Crowds gathered in Westminster on Monday to protest against the governments extension of coronavirus restrictions in England by four weeks, and footage on social media showed demonstrators shouting abuse in the face of Newsnight political editor Nicholas Watt. Watch: Prime minister condemns lockdown protesters who abused and chased BBC journalist Watt, who was wearing a BBC lanyard, was forced to run through a mob beyond a line of police officers as people shouted traitor and other slurs at him near Downing Street. Hockridge, of Harpenden, Hertfordshire, will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 29 June. Boris Johnson condemned the disgraceful footage after it quickly spread across social media. The prime minister tweeted: Disgraceful to see the hounding of Nick Watt doing his job. The media must be able to report the facts without fear or favour they are the lifeblood of our democracy. Home secretary Priti Patel Patel tweeted: The video of @BBCNewsnights Nick Watt being abused by a mob is appalling and distressing. This behaviour is never acceptable. She added: The safety of journalists is fundamental to our democracy." The BBC said in a statement: This behaviour is completely unacceptable. All journalists should be able to carry out their work without intimidation or impediment. BBC journalist Allie Hodgkins-Brown tweeted: This is awful. In Central London 2021. Disagree with us fine. Switch us off fine but no journalist deserves this. More to follow... Watch: Lockdown restrictions: What is changing? President Joe Biden meets with his Russian counterpart Valdimir Putin at the Villa la Grange in Geneva on Thursday (AFP/Getty) Joe Bidens first face-to-face meeting as president with Vladimir Putin was hotly anticipated amid deeply strained relations between their two countries. After about four hours of talks at the Villa La Grange, a historic lakeside villa in Geneva, Switzerland, Mr Putin admitted that the current US president was very different from President Trump. Mr Putin said after the two leaders met that there had been no hostility between the two, and Mr Biden later added that he had made no threats towards his counterpart. Here are some of the things that have we learned from the summit. Joe Biden snaps at CNN reporter Mr Biden snapped at CNNs Kaitlan Collins after she asked him during his press conference why he was confident that Mr Putin would change his behaviour. Im not confident hell change his behaviour what the hell, what do you do all the time? When did I say I was confident? an irritated Mr Biden responded. Later, before boarding Air Force One, Mr Biden apologised to the White House press pack travelling with him for being a wise guy in his answer to the question, according to CNNs David Chalian. Ambassadors can return to posts Mr Putin said that he and Mr Biden had agreed that their ambassadors could return to their jobs in Russia and the US. He did not put a timeframe on the return of the ambassadors, but said that was just a technical issue. Weve reached an agreement that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and the US State Department would begin consultations on the full range of interaction on the diplomatic track, said Mr Putin. Russias ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov#, was recalled to Moscow in March after Mr Biden said the country would pay a price for its interference in US elections. The US ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, returned home in April after the Biden administration imposed new sanctions on Russian individuals. US and Russia will further discuss cybersecurity issues Story continues Mr Putin said that he had agreed to discuss cybersecurity with the Biden administration, but gave no details. As for cybersecurity, we reached an agreement chiefly that we will start negotiations on that, Mr Putin added. I think thats extremely important. Mr Putin pushed back at the notion that the Russian government was behind the ransomer attack in May on the Colonial Pipeline. The US government has criticised Russia for the hack, which shut down half of the US east coasts fuel network, as the criminal gang behind it are based in the country. Prisoner swap could be on the cards Russia and the US discussed the possibility of a prisoner swap, but did not reach a final agreement. The question about American citizens that were in Russian prisons, we discussed that there could be some compromise that we enter into between the Russian Foreign Ministry and the US State Department. They will be working on it, said Mr Putin. Former US marine Paul Whelan was sentenced to 16 years for spying, while Trevor Reed, also a former US marine, is serving a nine-year prison sentence for allegedly endangering the lives of two policemen in Moscow. Neither leader invited the other to visit Neither leader extended an invite for the other to visit either Moscow or Washington DC. President Biden did not invite me as his guest, revealed Mr Putin. I didnt invite him either. I think for visits like that, for meetings like that, you need to have the proper conditions. You need to be ready. Russian leader compared jailing of opposition leader to US Capitol attack Mr Putin refused to answer questions on his imprisonment of political opponents, specifically Alexi Navalny, and compared it to the arrests of suspects in the 6 January US Capitol attack. As for who is killing whom or are throwing whom in jail, people came to the US Congress with political demands, said Mr Putin. Over 400 people had criminal charges placed on them. They face prison sentences of up to 28, maybe even 25 years. Theyre being called domestic terrorists. Mr Putin also blamed Mr Navalny, without naming him directly, for his own arrest, saying that he knew there was a warrant out for him in his home country when he returned. Mr Putin also brought up the racial justice movement in the US and the protests unleashed after the killing of George Floyd. America just recently had very severe events after well-known events, after a killing of an African American and an entire movement developed known as Black Lives Matter, said Mr Putin. What we saw was disorder, destruction, violations of the law, etcetera. We feel sympathy for the United States of America, but we dont want that to happen on our territory, and were doing our utmost in order to not allow it to happen. Mr Biden later told his own press conference that the equivalence by Mr Putin was a ridiculous comparison. Philosophic Vladimir Putin Mr Putin also displayed his philosophical side, when he told his press conference: In life there is no happiness. Theres only the spectre of happiness. No threats by Mr Biden Mr Biden told his press conference that he had not made any threats to Mr Putin. No, no, no, there were no threats, in fact, I hear that he quoted my mom today. We talked about basic, fundamental things, and I explained things on a personal basis, said Mr Biden. There were no threats, just simple assertions. I let him know where I stood and what I thought we could accomplish together, and what, ion there were violations of American sovereignty, what we would do. Future of press freedom in Russia The president was also asked about whether he thought Mr Putin was open to greater press freedom in Russia. I wouldnt put it that way, in terms of improving the climate, I would put it in terms of how much interest does he have in burnishing Russias reputation. That is a judgement I cannot make, I dont know, said Mr Biden. The gifts Mr Biden gave Mr Putin a pair of custom Aviator sunglasses made by Randolph USA, in addition to a crystal sculpture of an American bison by Steuben Glass of New York. Read More Joe Biden warns Vladimir Putin of devastating consequences if Alexei Navalny dies in prison Short and sweet: Biden and Putin claim summit gains but talks end early as tensions remain Biden gifts Putin pair of custom sunglasses and a crystal Bison at Geneva summit A federal appeals court on Wednesday affirmed that North Carolina's ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional and poses threat of prosecution to abortion providers. Why it matters: The unanimous ruling comes as the U.S. Supreme Court takes on Mississippi's restrictive ban and the constitutionality of "pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions." Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free The case: After the North Carolina legislature amended the 1973 ban a measure similar to laws in 15 other states to limit medical exemptions in 2015, the law was challenged in court. State officials chose not to defend its constitutionality, but argued the suit has no standing because the threat of prosecution is not credible since no abortion providers have been prosecuted under the ban, according to the Washington Post. What they're saying: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit rejected their argument on Wednesday. Citing "a wave of similar state action across the country" restricting abortion, Judge Diana Motz wrote in the opinion that "we cannot reasonably assume that the abortion ban that North Carolina keeps on its books is 'largely symbolic.'" "As a nation we remain deeply embroiled in debate over the legal status of abortion. While this conversation rages around us, this court cannot say that the threat of prosecution to abortion providers who violate the law is not credible." Motz, a Clinton nominee, was joined by Judges Albert Diaz and Julius Richardson, who were nominated by Obama and Trump, respectively. The big picture: GOP-led state legislatures have proposed or passed increasingly restrictive abortion bans in an effort to push the conservative-majority Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. Kim Jong Un has admitted that North Korea's food situation is "tense", state media reported Wednesday, sounding the alarm in a country that suffered a devastating famine in the 1990s in which hundreds of thousands died. The impoverished country, which is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, has long struggled to feed itself, suffering chronic food shortages. And last year the coronavirus pandemic and a series of summer storms and floods added yet more pressure on the flagging economy. At a plenary meeting of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Kim said the economy improved this year, with industrial output growing 25 percent from a year earlier, the official KCNA news agency reported Wednesday. But there had been a "series of deviations" due to a number of challenges, the North Korean leader added. "The people's food situation is now getting tense as the agricultural sector failed to fulfil its grain production plan due to the damage by typhoon last year," Kim said. A series of typhoons last summer triggered floods that destroyed thousands of homes and inundated farmland. Kim called for steps to minimise the impact of such natural disasters, saying that ensuring a good harvest was a "top priority". The meeting also discussed the "prolonged nature" of the coronavirus pandemic, KCNA reported. Pyongyang has poor medical infrastructure and a chronic shortage of medicines and analysts say a coronavirus outbreak would wreak havoc on the isolated country. The North imposed a strict lockdown when it sealed its border in January last year to stop the virus spreading from neighbouring China, where it first emerged before sweeping the world. It has long insisted that it has had no cases of the virus -- a claim that analysts doubt -- but the North has paid a huge economic price for the blockade. Story continues Trade with China, the North's economic lifeline, has slowed to a trickle, while all international aid work faces tight restrictions. The impact of the pandemic has "most likely exacerbated" the humanitarian situation in the North, with some 10.6 million people in need, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. In another admission of the North's hardship, Kim in April told citizens to buckle down for the "worst-ever situation". The nationwide famine that North Korea suffered in the 1990s killed hundreds of thousands of people after the fall of the Soviet Union left it without crucial support. sh/jah DUBLIN (Reuters) - Post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland are not a threat to the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom but simply a means of managing disruption from its exit from the European Union, Ireland's foreign minister said on Tuesday. "Don't know how many times this needs to be said before it's fully accepted as true. NI (Northern Ireland) Protocol is a technical trading arrangement to manage the disruption of Brexit for the island of Ireland to the greatest extent possible," Simon Coveney said on Twitter. "It's not about constitutional matters," he said in response to comments by Britain's Brexit minister David Frost at a parliamentary committee. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Catherine Evans) A Springfield, Ohio man wounded in a shooting called 911 for help, but was run over by a police officer as he lay bleeding in the street late Sunday night. Eric Cole, 42, was flown from the scene to a hospital where he died after midnight Monday, according to police. The Ohio State Patrol is investigating the incident, and Coles cause of death is pending results of an autopsy This was an accident, Springfield Police Chief Lee Graf said during a news conference Wednesday, flanked by city leaders. Doesnt mean its OK, but it is an accident. Officer Amanda Rosales, who has been with the department for two years, was driving to an address near a reported shooting around 11:20 p.m., Graf said. Several area residents had called the department about an apparent dispute, with men brandishing guns, which soon led to the shooting. One of those calls came from Cole, who had been shot in the left arm. He had in fact called and said he was shot, Graf said. Obviously, he was very scared, he thought he was dying. As officers were racing to the scene, there was some confusion as to the correct address, Graf said. Trying to hone in on the right location, Rosales focused on the addresses of the homes as she drove, and did not see Cole in the roadway. Rosales and fellow officers immediately stopped to render aid, Graf said. She has been placed on administrative leave and an Internal Affairs investigation has been launched. The news conference turned heated when members of Coles family began peppering Graf with questions, including if Rosales was tested for alcohol or drugs in her system. Graf said that she had not been, because there was no indication she was under the influence. A woman who identified herself as Coles sister isnt convinced. Excuse my language but there is no way in hell she did not see him ... my brother made a 911 call, he was on the phone with dispatch saying hes in the middle of the street, she said. Yall see it as an accident. I dont. I watched the video. Story continues Dash cam video from that night doesnt tell the whole story, Graf said. I would remind everyone that a camera helps us immensely but that camera focuses where its pointed. Its not an indicator of what the officer is seeing, or where theyre looking, he said. Graf asked the community for patience as the investigation continues, and promised transparency from himself and his officers. Truck driver drowns while fleeing after his semi barrels through house, Ohio cops say Fort Hood soldiers were being paid to smuggle people across Texas, feds say Stranger drowns after helping Texas father rescue his sons from river, officials say Trooper texted womans nudes to himself from her seized phone, Minnesota officials say Ramallah Palestinian leaders had hoped for a long time to get rid of Benjamin Netanyahu, but they didnt want to end up with Naftali Bennett as Israel's prime minister. The big picture: The Palestinian leadership in Ramallah considers Bennett a hardliner because he has opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state and previously called for Israel to annex Area C, which constitutes 60% of the West Bank. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free One Palestinian official who asked to remain anonymous told me that Bennett is an "extremist," but he's also inexperienced and surrounded by centrist and left-wing ministers. That could make it difficult for him to make decisions that were easy for Netanyahu to make, the official said. What they're saying: The Palestinian official told me "the end of the Netanyahu era is good news." "His only desire was to stay in power, and thus his 12-year term was a political stalemate, field escalation and settlement expansion in an attempt to maintain the right-wing support for him," the official added. Driving the news: Contrary to the norm in such cases, no official statement on the swearing-in of the new government was issued by the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, though Abbas' aides were watching the process closely. One of the only Palestinian officials who went on the record regarding the new Israeli government was Hussein Al-Sheikh, chair of the Palestinian Civil Affairs Commission. He criticized Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's remark that the new government would "improve the lives of the Palestinians and the dialogue with them on civil issues." Palestinians are not looking for better living conditions nor for civil dialogues!! Our people are seeking their salvation from occupation, freedom and independence in their state, with East Jerusalem as its capital," Al-Sheikh tweeted. What to watch: The Palestinians are currently watching how Bennett will deal with a number of burning issues, including the potential expulsions of Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan in East Jerusalem. Story continues "The U.S. is speaking against the eviction ... and Meretz party, which has ministers in the government, had been calling to stop the eviction. Will this stop the eviction? This is a big question mark for us," one Palestinian official told me. Whats next: Palestinian officials say they don't know whether progress on a political solution will be possible with Bennett at the helm, but that their attitude toward Bennett will be decided by his actions, not his words. The Palestinian leadership isn't ruling out working with the new Israeli government on confidence-building measures to improve the lives of the population, but not as a substitute for working toward establishing a Palestinian state. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. HIZMA, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot a Palestinian motorist on Wednesday who tried to ram them in the occupied West Bank and then brandished a knife, the Israeli military said. The Palestinian health ministry said the woman had died of her injuries. There was no word of Israeli casualties. The incident follows a rise in tensions after a Jewish nationalist march in Jerusalem on Tuesday drew the launch of incendiary balloons across the Gaza border and retaliatory Israeli air strikes. The Israeli military said the Palestinian woman "attempted to ram into a number of IDF (Israel Defence Forces) soldiers" near the Palestinian village of Hizma, northeast of Jerusalem. "After the car-ramming attempt, the assailant exited her vehicle with a knife drawn ... The soldiers responded with fire towards the assailant and neutralised her," the military said in a statement. There has been a rise in violent incidents in the West Bank in recent weeks. Last Thursday, Israeli special forces killed an Islamic Jihad militant and two Palestinian security men in an exchange of fire in the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Two Palestinians were killed in separate incidents on Friday and Saturday, the first during a clash with Israeli troops in the West Bank and the second while wielding a knife at military checkpoint near Jerusalem. (Writing by Rami Ayyub, Editing by Timothy Heritage) When portfolio board director Shefaly Yogendra first came to the UK, she faced many challenges getting a job. "One of the first hurdles I experienced in the UK was not having blue-chip names on my CV," she told the BBC. "Some of the other problems...were people asking if I was here legally, that they didn't believe my CV, or that I was too educated." She said women and ethnic minorities face a "structural challenge" in getting a position on boards. The vice chair of London Metropolitan University, who first came to the UK from India two decades ago, said board-level women often face disadvantages "even before they walk into the building". She blamed headhunting channels for not ensuring that CVs reach the right people. Research by career coaching firm Women on Boards UK suggests that women and ethnic minorities face challenges in getting on boards at smaller firms. It says that fewer than half of the 261 companies listed below the FTSE 350 have boards made up of 33% women, while 54% have all-male executive leadership teams. Around 37% of those firms have just one or no female directors at all, it said. And very few women were reaching the most senior roles, with only 7% being female chief executives and 16% being female chairs. Very few women are reaching the most senior roles, a new report has found More than half of the companies researched have all-male executive leadership teams, compared to 8% of companies within the FTSE 350 index. The data also showed that only 3% of board members in those 261 companies, both male and female, are directors of colour, distributed across just 16% of firms. And of these 46 directors of colour, only eight individuals are black. "Boards need to have the right culture," Ms Yogendra said. "It is not just about box-ticking, but striving to make a difference." Ms Yogendra joined London Metropolitan University's board of governors in August 2017, and is also chair of the audit committee, having previously served as chair of the governance committee. Story continues On top of this, she serves as non-executive director of London-listed JP Morgan US Smaller Companies Investment Trust and Temple Bar Investment Trust. Call to review small firms Previous reviews such as Hampton-Alexander review and the Davies review had made a positive impact on gender equality, but they only looked at bigger companies. Women on Boards has called for more scrutiny beyond this, and says many firms have made little to no progress on diversity. The company aims to help its network of 35,000 professional women take on a board roles as a non-executive director, trustee or governor, or to get to the top within their own company. "This report highlights that the job is far from done," Women on Boards UK's chief executive Fiona Hathorn said. "While progress has been made over the past several years much of this has been driven by the largest companies - there are many smaller listed companies who, with a collective market capitalisation value of 63bn, have a significant impact on the UK economy." Gemma Fleuren, a member of the operating board at Hotel Chocolat, told the BBC that women with children are often affected due to the need for flexible working. "Businesses being open to flexible and part-time roles at senior levels is critical," she said. "I think much progress in the market has been made in the last few years, and particularly in the last year through the pandemic, for flexibility in more junior roles, but many companies still won't consider it for senior or director level appointments, particularly when externally recruited." However Ms Fleuren, who works four days a week and is mum to three small children, said Hotel Chocolat supported her request for flexible working to allow her to balance commitments. "I was very lucky that Hotel Chocolat is an extremely progressive organisation and culture in this area and so was able to join the business with the flexibility I needed," she said. "I think organisations need to truly understand the value which diversity brings and also that the right person for a role will always deliver more for their business when they work in a way that fits with their lifestyle, than the wrong candidate who can work 9 to 5, 5 days a week." (Bloomberg) -- Royal Dutch Shell Plc hired a team of pricey lawyers for its defense against environmental activists in a Dutch court, and lost. A decade-old, $22 book might have upped their chances of winning. Revolution Justified: Why Only the Law Can Save Us Now, is no bestseller, ranking in the mid-600,000s in Amazons Kindle store. But the book, by environmental lawyer Roger Cox, laid out arguments that were integral to his landmark victory over the Anglo-Dutch oil giant on May 26. The book suggests two building blocks for a case such as the lawsuit against Shell. One is that theres incontrovertible evidence that warming beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius will have dire consequences for the planet, and any company that ignores that is doing so consciously. The second is that companies have a clear duty to ensure a healthy environment for the worlds citizens. The urgency is compounded, Cox says, because even if we stop emitting CO2 today, the planet will suffer increasingly grave consequences for decades to come. The damage states and multinationals have done is far greater than we can see now, says Cox, who says he sought to make the book straightforward enough to hold the interest of the general public but persuasive enough to stand up in a courtroom. Understanding this is judicially of great importance and makes intervention by the courts necessary. After four days of arguments, a court in The Hague accepted Coxs line of reasoning, ruling that Shell must slash its greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levelsa sharp increase over the 20% the company had previously pledged. Even if states do nothing or only a little, Judge Larisa Alwin said in announcing the verdict, companies have the responsibility to respect human rights. Shell says it will appeal the verdict as it feels it was unjustly singled out. But Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden on June 9 said the company will take bold but measured steps to accelerate its energy transition. Story continues What Cox has engineered seems to have been a complete victory for the plaintiffs, and the courts specificity and ambition in ordering Shell to reduce its downstream emissions are remarkable, says Michael Burger, executive director of Columbia Law Schools Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, who advises on lawsuits against oil companies. Burger says he expects attorneys filing similar lawsuits in the U.S. to cite the case as precedent. Cox, 53, based his strategy on a 2015 case he brought against the Dutch government for Urgenda, an environmental non-profit. In its verdict, the court ordered the state to cut CO2 emissions 25% from 1990 levels by 2020, but the Netherlands didnt meet the goaland Urgenda has threatened another lawsuit. Without the Urgenda case, we would never have been able to win against Shell, says Cox. If you cannot hold a state responsible for climate change, it wouldnt have been possible for a company. Laura Burgers, an assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam who studies climate change litigation, says the cases highlight the difficulty politicians have in tackling the issue. The judicial system in various countries will instead need to step in to ensure the problem gets the attention it needs. These court cases are a sign of governmental failure, Burgers says. For Cox, who studied law at Leiden University and later worked at a big law firm in nearby Rotterdam, the legal victories mark the culmination of his personal journey from apathy to activism about climate change. I was a real petrolhead, says Cox, who two decades ago moved from Rotterdam to a village in the southern Netherlands in search of a calmer place to raise his family. I was one of those people saying that 1 cm sea level more or less wouldnt matter. His epiphany was triggered by Al Gores film An Inconvenient Truth. Spurred into action by the documentary highlighting the perils of global warming, Cox arranged free viewings across the Netherlands and set up a non-profit focused on the issue. After studying legal precedents on the matter, he realized that as a lawyer he could best effect change via the courts. If I can change, anybody can, he says. Following his win over the Dutch government, a local activist group called Milieudefensie asked Cox to pursue a similar strategy against Shell. He took the case, partly funded by the group, and soon found a 2014 letter by the companys investor relations chief promising that Shell would not end up with so-called stranded assetsfacilities and reserves that cant be exploited as consumption drops or the legal barriers to tapping them become insurmountable. Reading between the lines, says Cox, Shell was indicating it would decide the pace of its transition to renewables despite international agreements on targets for reducing emissions. That standpoint, he says, put the company in violation of its duty to defend the rights of fellow citizens, an important legal principle in many countries. Two years later, shortly after the Paris Climate agreement, van Beurden questioned whether it would be possible to limit to 1.5 or even 2 degrees of global warming. Speaking on the Dutch news show Nieuwsuur, he stressed that his company would pump as much as possible to meet demand. Cox says the next battle front in climate change litigation will likely get personal. At Shells annual meeting in May, a proposal from a shareholder group that the company pursue a more aggressive transition away from fossil fuels won the backing of 30% of shareholders, though a plan from management drew 89% support. The Shell proposal envisions a big expansion in clean energy but also decades more oil and gas production. For Cox, the time to act is now, and if Shells bosses and other oil executives dont do so, he says they should be held personally liable for their failure to address climate change. CEOs must take the responsibility to explain to their shareholders why the transition must be accelerated, Cox says. The net is closing in. 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. (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc said on Wednesday its oral rheumatoid arthritis drug Xeljanz reduced death or respiratory failure in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with pneumonia in Brazil, meeting the study's main goal. Results of the study, which tested the drug in 289 hospitalized adult patients with the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Pfizer said the incidence of death or respiratory failure was 18.1% for patients treated with the drug compared to 29% for placebo. Serious adverse events occurred in 20 patients treated with the drug compared to 17 patients on placebo. Xeljanz, which belongs to a class of drugs called JAK inhibitors and also treats the autoimmune disease ulcerative colitis, has not been approved or authorized for use in any country for the treatment of COVID-19. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE's vaccine is one of the three vaccines currently approved for emergency use in the United States. (Reporting by Amruta Khandekar; Editing by Arun Koyyur) Israeli Knesset member Bezalel Smotrich, center, waves an Israeli flag together with other Jewish ultranationalists during the "March of Flags" Tuesday outside Jerusalem's Old City. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) On Tuesday, hundreds of Israeli ultranationalists, some chanting Death to Arabs, paraded in East Jerusalem in a show of force that threatened to spark renewed violence. Palestinians in Gaza responded by launching incendiary balloons that caused at least 10 fires in southern Israel. The march posed a test for Israel's fragile new government as well as the tenuous truce that ended last month's 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. Palestinians consider the march, meant to celebrate Israel's capture of East Jerusalem in 1967, to be a provocation. Hamas called on Palestinians to resist the parade, a version of which helped ignite last month's war. With music blaring, hundreds of Jewish ultranationalists gathered in front of the Damascus Gate, which leads into Jerusalem's Old City. Most appeared to be young men, and many held blue-and-white Israeli flags as they danced and sang religious songs. An Orthodox Jewish man prays in front of Jerusalem's Damascus Gate during a march celebrating the anniversary of Israel's 1967 capture of East Jerusalem. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Palestinians perform a prayer in front of Jerusalem's Damascus Gate after the end of a far-right Israeli march. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Jewish ultranationalists rally outside Jerusalem's Damascus Gate. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Israeli security officers remove Palestinians returning to congregate in front of Jerusalem's Damascus Gate. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Ultranationalist Israeli youth surround and heckle journalist Nawal Hijazi during her news broadcast near Jerusalem's Damascus Gate. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) A distressed Palestinian child was detained by Israeli security forces as they tried to break up Palestinian crowds at the Damascus Gate. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Tuesday's march took a controversial route through the Old City. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) A Palestinian man questions Israeli security forces after they pushed him as they tried to create a perimeter for the ultranationalists' rally. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Palestinians pray in front of Jerusalem's Damascus Gate after the end of a Jewish ultranationalist march. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) More visual journalism from the Los Angeles Times. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The Ottawa Police Department is seeking help from the public with finding a missing teenage girl who went out for a walk Saturday afternoon and never returned home. Aliyah Hardridge, 15, was last seen by family on June 13 in the 700 block of East Garfield Street in Ottawa, Kansas. In the days since she went missing, police have sought assistance from other law enforcement agencies, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and tracked her cellphone to the St. Louis area. The departments detectives have been in contact with authorities in Kansas City and Norfolk, Virginia, along with the FBI as they are investigating potential leads, Ottawa Police Chief Adam Weingartner said in a statement Wednesday. If any of her friends know of her whereabouts or have any idea who she may be with, please tell us, the chief said. All we want to do is locate Aliyah for her family. We need their help as they are our best chance to learn where she may have gone. The last place authorities were able to track Hardridges cellphone was somewhere near Interstate 70 in Highland, Illinois. They are unable to track the phone currently because it was likely turned off or ran out of battery, police said. The department is encouraging anyone with information of her whereabouts to call 911 immediately. Nearly three-quarters of church-going Catholics believe public officials who oppose Church teaching should not receive Communion, according to a new poll. CatholicVote poll results released Tuesday show 74 percent of Catholics who regularly attend Mass believe that officials like President Joe Biden and House speaker Nancy Pelosi who go against the churchs teaching on abortion and other important issues should not receive Communion. A large majority of practicing Catholics agreed that politicians who do so are hypocritical, while 83 percent believe the officials create confusion and disunity. Catholic politicians who advocate for policies considered gravely immoral create confusion and discord among believers, CatholicVote President Brian Burch said in a statement. Catholics concern about the flouting of Catholic social teaching by public leaders is less about politics and more about the integrity of the faith, along with reverence and respect due the Holy Eucharist. This polling data should bolster the confidence of Catholic bishops as they prepare to discuss how to recover an understanding of the beauty and richness of the sacrament among all Catholics, he said. The data is very clear: Bishops have an obligation to act. The survey results come as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is set to convene a national meeting this week to discuss whether to tell Biden and other high-profile Catholic politicians not to receive Holy Communion at Mass if they continue to be public advocates of abortion. Because President Biden is Catholic, it presents a unique problem for us, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas, chairman of the USCCBs Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said earlier this year. It can create confusion. . . . How can he say hes a devout Catholic and hes doing these things that are contrary to the churchs teaching? The USCCB has previously said that Catholics who knowingly reject Church teaching in their personal or professional lives should refrain from Communion. Story continues However, the Vatican has reportedly privately warned the American bishops against adopting a policy that would deny public officials and elected leaders access to Communion, according to the New York Times. A top Vatican leader reportedly sent a letter to the USCCB in May, calling on the bishops to exercise caution in considering denying Communion to politicians, the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) reported. Yet USCCB President Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles has pushed forward with the efforts, deciding against postponing the discussion this week. Last month, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said that priests should deny communion to pro-abortion Catholic public figures who are unwilling or unable to abandon their advocacy for abortion. If you find that you are unwilling or unable to abandon your advocacy for abortion, you should not come forward to receive Holy Communion, the archbishop told Catholic public figures. To publicly affirm the Catholic faith while at the same time publicly rejecting one of its most fundamental teachings is simply dishonest. Cordileones rebuke of public figures who support abortion came in a 17-page letter titled Before I Formed You in the Womb I Knew You. He did not name any such figures, though one of the archdioceses most famous parishioners, Pelosi, is a longtime abortion advocate. Biden also calls himself a pro-abortion Catholic, despite the Churchs teachings on the issue. I join other bishops in voicing our dismay at President Bidens aggressive support of abortion as he also flaunts his self-proclamation that he is a devout Catholic, Bishop Joseph Strickland of Texas said earlier this year. A devout Catholic does not support an anti-life agenda. I pray for his stony heart to be converted. More from National Review By Catarina Demony LISBON (Reuters) - Scrambling to save its tourism sector, Portugal said on Wednesday it would allow U.S. visitors into the country but added Nepal to a list of "red" nations amid worries about new coronavirus variants. Portugal is now open to tourists from EU countries and Britain but they must show a negative COVID-19 test result on arrival. Since June 15, rules applied to UK visitors also apply to those coming from the United States, the government said. Travellers from Japan, Australia, South Korea, China, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore and Thailand will also be able to travel to Portugal as long as their governments adopt equivalent reciprocal measures. All travellers except children under age 2 must present a negative COVID-19 test taken 72 hours before boarding. A rapid antigen test, taken 24 hours before boarding, is also valid. Although travel restrictions were eased, the rules can be reviewed whenever needed and reimposed depending on the pandemic situation in each country, the government warned. The decision to allow U.S. tourists into the country came after Britain's announcement earlier this month that it would reimpose a quarantine regime for travellers coming from Portugal, a major blow to its sun-and-sea tourism sector, after a resurgence of reported infections there. Official figures showed that around 1.2 million tourists from the United States visited Portugal in 2019 but only 135,229 managed to make it there last year as the pandemic grounded flights and forced countries to impose travel restrictions. Portugal is lifting travel restrictions on some countries but imposing new rules on others. A ban on non-essential travel applies to all non-EU and non-Schengen zone countries not listed by the government as an exception. Travellers from Nepal, where daily cases have been dropping but where the new variant of COVID-19 initially discovered in neighbouring India has been detected, must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Story continues Nepal was added to a list of countries which also includes coronavirus-ravaged India and Brazil, as well as South Africa, where a new variant was also identified. People coming from these countries to Portugal must also only be travelling for essential reasons, such as work, family or health. Portugal, which imposed a strict lockdown in January to tackle what was then the world's worst coronavirus surge, has lifted most of its lockdown restrictions. As a result the number of daily COVID-19 cases has resurged of late, though without any major spike so far in hospitalisations in contrast with earlier stages of the pandemic. A total of 2.3 million of Portugal's population of just over 10 million have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. (Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Mark Heinrich) House progressives have a message for President Biden ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin: talking is good. Driving the news: Fifteen members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are writing to Biden on Wednesday to encourage him to work with Putin on a range of issues, from arms control to climate change, Axios has learned. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. In these talks, we hope that you will prioritize ways that the United States and Russia can work together to reduce tensions in areas of dispute and cooperate on areas of global importance, wrote Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the CPC chairperson, and 14 others. The U.S. and Russia combined hold more than 90% of the worlds nuclear warheads. We believe that armed conflict between Russia and the United States would be a catastrophe for both countries, for Europe, our allies, and for the world. Why it matters: The Democratic Party, including many of its progressive members, spent the Trump years arguing for a more assertive approach toward Russia. They criticized Donald Trump for not dealing with President Putin more harshly, amid allegations the former president had been co-opted by his counterpart. The CPC letter indicates some Democrats want to revert to a foreign policy that seeks to engage and not antagonize Russia. Flashback: During the 2012 campaign, President Obama mocked his opponent, now-Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), for arguing that Russia posed a serious threat to America. He said the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back. During Trumps presidency, many Democrats, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, apologized to Romney. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free Glen McCurley, the 78-year-old man accused of murdering 17-year-old Carla Walker in 1974, pleaded not guilty during a pretrial hearing on Wednesday, as his defense sustained major losses related to the admissibility of evidence for his upcoming trial. At that trial, scheduled to begin Aug. 19, the judge ruled the prosecution can use recorded interviews in which McCurley seemingly confessed to the crime. McCurley arrived at Tarrant County Criminal District Court on Wednesday in a wheelchair. He was wearing a dark green Tarrant County jail jumpsuit. He spent much of the hearing with his head in his hands but occasionally looked around the courtroom, which was filled with several family members and friends of Carla Walker and two family members of McCurley. After decades with scant progress on solving one of Fort Worths best known cold cases, police identified McCurley through improved DNA evidence and took him into custody on Sept. 21, 2020. At a downtown Fort Worth police station, detectives Leah Wagner and Jay Bennett immediately began interviewing him. Portions of a four-hour recording were played in the courtroom Wednesday. At first, McCurley was adamant he had not committed a crime. I dont know the girl, he told the detectives. Ive never seen her. Nearly an hour into the conversation, Wagner told him, We used your DNA to find out who you were. Theres no question. We know you did this to her. We just need to know why. About 30 minutes later, according to Wagners testimony from Wednesday, McCurley confessed. (This portion of the recorded video was not played.) McCurleys defense contended the statement was inadmissible because he had not consented to waiving his right to silence. The detectives asked him if he waived these rights multiple times and at one point McCurley answered, I dont know. But McCurley continued talking for several hours. Judge Elizabeth Beach ruled he had voluntarily waived his rights and agreed to talk through the totality of the circumstances, a precedent that has been set in previous cases. Story continues She also denied a defense motion regarding yet another interview of McCurley from September. This was one was conducted by KRLD journalist Andrew Greenstein, who testified Wednesday. In the interview, McCurley said, She just gave me a hug. I gave her a kiss. I mistook her for something else. I didnt mean to do it. The defense attempted to show McCurley may have been confused about Greensteins identity and mistook him for a police officer. Greenstein said McCurley approved the interview knowing he was a journalist with KRLD, and he identified himself as a journalist at the outset of the interview and had not been influenced in any way by law enforcement. While the defense lost its motions to suppress the evidence from the interviews, they are still trying to get the DNA evidence thrown out of court, arguing the forensic technology is new and not certified by Texas. DNA experts testified for several hours Wednesday, but the defense team requested another week to work on a brief to state its position. It is not clear when Beach will make a decision. McCurley has been in jail since his arrest. As he was wheeled out of the courtroom after Wednesdays hearing, he blew a kiss to his family through a mask. Greece's parliament on Wednesday approved controversial labour reforms despite major strikes and street protests by critics who say the changes undermine hard-won workers' rights. No ferry services to Greek tourist islands were available and urban transport in the capital was disrupted by the 24-hour walkout, the second in a week. Police said more than 7,000 people demonstrated against the bill in Athens on Wednesday morning, and around 9,000 were gathered outside parliament as 158 MPs from the ruling right-wing New Democracy party approved the law in the 300-seat body. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the "deeply pro-growth" reforms would align the country with "fast-paced" European standards and bring "transparency" to union processes. One in four workers in Greece today is undeclared or partially declared to labour authorities, the prime minister said. But communist party leader Dimitris Koutsoumbas said the new system legalises a workplace "jungle" where employees will be "totally defenceless". And leftist opposition leader Alexis Tsipras denounced the law as a "return to the Middle Ages", saying: "This bill means working more for less pay and without (job) security." Public services were also shut in opposition to the new law, which promotes flexible working hours and sets tougher rules on strikes. The government says the reform introduces optional working-hour flexibility, sets rules on remote work, improves parental leave and includes safeguards against sexual harassment in the workplace. A working day of up to 10 hours is permitted under the reform. The law also aims to force unions to assure public services during strikes and make them liable for fines over disruption caused by walkouts. Unions and opposition parties say the reform undermines collective bargaining, disrupts employees' personal lives and formalises overtime exploitation by employers -- especially large businesses -- which has already been going on for years. Last week, over 16,000 people took part in separate demonstrations in Athens organised by unions and opposition parties. str-jph/gd/kjl When President Joe Biden meets Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 16, their most hotly contested issue may be Ukraine. Will the United States and its NATO allies decide to defend the country of 41 million from further Russian encroachments by making it the 31st member of NATO? For Mr. Putin, such action would cross a red line. Moscow took the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, and its military supports rebels fighting in Ukraines eastern region. It wants to keep Ukraine in its geopolitical orbit. While the Biden administration says the U.S. backs the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, its not clear what that means. Mr. Biden says he wants to put Ukrainians in a position to maintain their physical security by increasing military assistance to the country. But beyond that, the U.S. commitment is vague. Mr. Biden is far less ambiguous about what Ukrainians must do. The fact is they still have to clean up corruption, he says. For NATO to protect a members democracy by force, the integrity of that democracy must be worth defending. Since a 2014 democratic revolution in Ukraine and the election of a reformist president in 2019, Ukraine has made some progress in bringing transparency and accountability to government. It has digitized more than 30 public services, opening up information for activists to catch corrupt officials. It has digitized the government procurement system and reduced the state role in private enterprise. Corruption in the military has dropped dramatically. Other measures have helped reduce official bribery. A decade ago, nearly 40% of Ukrainians reported paying bribes. That number has fallen to 23%. The country has also improved its standing on Transparency Internationals corruption perception rankings. Yet the pace has slowed with the low-level war with Russia and COVID-19. The International Monetary Fund is withholding a $5 billion loan until it sees substantial reform. Top-level change remains weak, especially against powerful oligarchs. This has left much of the anti-corruption effort at the grassroots levels. Story continues While institutional change remains important, the key criteria for reform may be a cultural shift in local communities to demand honesty and accountability in leaders. Civil society groups are conducting corruption investigations, monitoring local decision-making, publishing information, and filing appeals about cases of corruption, according to a study published in March in the academic journal Demokratizatsiya. Based on dozens of interviews with local anti-graft activists, the study finds that legal provisions on transparency, access to public information, and open data have substantially improved, providing activists with more tools to fight corruption. Local watchdogs have discovered they are more effective when they use nonconfrontational tactics with authorities, opening a dialogue rather than using the tactic of naming and shaming. A good example of a cultural shift is a development project in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk where entrepreneurs are converting a large factory into an innovation center. Some 900 private investors have put money into the project with the key criteria being that none of the money can come from Ukraines oligarchs. Investments must be open and legal. Autocrats and oligarchs cannot concentrate power without concentrating wealth through illicit means, said Samantha Power, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, on June 7 in announcing a new initiative to improve Ukraines anti-corruption efforts. In the strategic struggle between the U.S. and Russia, Ukraines local reformers may help determine the outcome. Their expectation of honesty in governance could be the strongest defense against Russian aggression. Read this story at csmonitor.com Become a part of the Monitor community Heavy rainfall triggered severe flash flooding in the south Asian nations of Bhutan and Nepal this week, killing 11 and leaving an additional 25 missing. Heavy monsoon rainfall that arrived over parts of northeastern India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan late last week persisted throughout the weekend and much of this week. Residents in the Himalayan region of Nepal and Bhutan were caught off guard Wednesday after rivers and streams rushed out of their banks. At least 11 people were killed at a development site near the town of Melamchi, Nepal after floodwaters swept through the area early in the morning, according to Reuters. Melamchi is located to the northeast of Kathmandu, the capitol of Nepal. Partially submerged houses are seen as floodwater from the swollen Melamchi River enters the village in Sindhupalchok, Nepal, June 16, 2021. (REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar) The development site was reported to be building a drinking water project, officials said. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP According to Reuters, two helicopters were sent to the camp to rescue injured villagers while members of the country's military walked 11 hours from the nearest road to assist with evacuations. In Nepal, heavy rains Tuesday night caused the Melamchi River to burst its banks in the Sindhupalchowk district. Since Tuesday, heavy rain and flooding has damaged roads, bridges, homes and washed away farmland and livestock across the region. People gather on higher ground as flood water from the swollen Melamchi River enters the village in Sindhupalchok, Nepal, June 16, 2021. (REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar) Some witnesses reported that some residents were able to grab belongings and move to higher ground, while army helicopters rescued residents from rooftops after becoming trapped by floodwaters. The heavy rainfall in Nepal and Bhutan was fueled by a monsoon low that formed in the northern Bay of Bengal late last week. This low helped speed up the arrival of the southwest monsoon over northeastern India and has enhanced rainfall across the area and into Bangladesh and Myanmar. Story continues According to AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls, the low moved over India's northeast coast last weekend then over Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh in northern India through the beginning of the week. Partially submerged houses are seen as flood water from the swollen Melamchi River enters the village in Sindhupalchok, Nepal, June 16, 2021. (REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar) "[This monsoon low] produced heavy rainfall over central and eastern Nepal and into Bangladesh," Nicholls added. "The moist air from this low being pushed up the foothills of the Himalayas also helped enhance rainfall in the areas hardest hit." Since June 1, parts of Nepal and Bhutan have already reported over 14 inches (356 mm) of rainfall. While this monsoon low gradually dissipated over north-central India late this week, another monsoon low is forecast to follow in the first low's footsteps. This next monsoon low will keep enhanced rainfall over southern Myanmar, southern Bangladesh, northeast India, Nepal and Bhutan through the weekend. Areas of heavy rainfall can aggravate existing flooding and create new areas of flooding. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. Jun. 16A Resaca man has been sentenced to 15 years with three in prison followed by 12 on probation after pleading guilty to two counts of felony serious injury by vehicle, two counts of DUI and driving with a suspended license in Murray County Superior Court. The negotiated plea also calls for Heath Hershel Defoor, 49, to pay a $2,000 fine, court costs and other charges, to perform 300 hours of community service and to complete DUI school and substance abuse treatment at his expense. According to a grand jury indictment, on or about Sept. 13, 2014, Defoor "without malice, did cause bodily harm" to a man by "seriously disfiguring his body, his chest and spleen" by operating "a moving vehicle on and over" Highway 225 and Spring Place Resaca Road "while under the combined influence of alcohol and alprazolam and tramadol to the extent it was less safe for him to drive." Kevin Hart can make us laugh and cry, it seems, even if the vehicle was practically engineered to bring on the waterworks. In Fatherhood, on Netflix on Friday, he plays a new dad whose wife dies shortly after childbirth and hes left raising their daughter on his own. To be fair, theres been many built-in tearjerkers that have failed (remember Life Itself?). But something has to go very, very wrong for a film to mess up that kind of premise. Fatherhood doesnt just succeed on that emotional level, though its also a cut about the rest, thanks to a smart and funny and basically authentic script (director Paul Weitz and Dana Stevens) and Harts inspired casting. The story is based on Matthew Logelins memoir, Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love, about losing his wife after she gave birth to their daughter. Since its publication 10 years ago, its had a few different lives, first as a Lifetime movie, then as a Channing Tatum vehicle, before finally landing Weitz (About a Boy) as a director and Hart as his star. Hart plays Matt, a Boston professional with a beautiful wife. The film introduces him at her funeral, before cutting back to how it happened. The script does a good job at introducing you to Matt and Liz (Deborah Ayorinde) and making her more than just a bland stand-in for wife while you brace for whats coming. And of course, its not about them but Matt and his baby daughter, Maddy. He doesnt even have time to grieve. Hes got a little human to keep alive. Fatherhood smooths out many of the edges of real life. Money does not seem to be a worry for Matt, he has parents and in-laws (Alfre Woodard is terrific as his mother-in-law) who are more than willing to take him and Maddy back to Minnesota, and his early parenting trials are all presented in palatable, bite-sized does. One day is crib set-up. One day she screams a lot. Theres even a babies are hard but funny montage set to Salt-N-Pepas Push It, where we breeze through installing a car seat and almost leaving it (with a baby inside) at the grocery store. This is not a Tully-style representation of the deep exhaustion of caring for an infant. Story continues The film does a good job balancing the drama with the comedy however, and is helped by a strong supporting cast, including Lil Rel Howery and Anthony Carrigan as Matts best friends. And within the sitcom dramedy aesthetic, there are moments of truth and grace, from Matt panic-vacuuming to simulate white noise so the colic-y baby can sleep to him pleading with his mother-in-law that hell never know if hes a good parent if he doesnt get the chance to try. Its never entirely clear why he doesnt want their help or needs to move back to their hometown. Fatherhood skips forward to kindergarten, which is a little jarring, but its nice to see Maddy (Melody Hurd) with a personality and point of view and to give Hart someone other than a baby to connect with. It also allows the film to introduce a love interest (played by DeWanda Wise). You may never be surprised by where Fatherhood is going, but you forgive it, too. Its all done with a good heart. Even the cliche moments are understandable. Sometimes brutal realism is overrated when it comes to newborns in movies. And, lets be honest, youre much more likely to re-watch Fatherhood than Tully. Fatherhood, a Netflix release is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for some strong language, and suggestive material. Running time: 109 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. - MPAA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. - Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr Rhodes College will be charging unvaccinated students who are returning to campus an additional fee, but they will not be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The colleges website describes the $1,500 bill, which must be paid each semester, as a Health & Safety fee to cover the costs of mandatory testing, and it says the fees will be used to cover the laboratory and administrative cost of initial and regular testing. TEXAS TO CROWDFUND BORDER WALL, ABBOTT SAYS Before a nonvaccinated student can return to campus, he or she must also receive a negative COVID-19 test in the 14 days prior to arrival. Additionally, nonvaccinated international students can document their intent to get vaccinated upon arrival to waive the fee. Students can also get medical or religious exemptions if approved by the college. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The college specified that it is strongly recommending full vaccination for any individual who comes to campus. Flu shots are required for the fall semester. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Coronavirus, Higher Education, Vaccination, Education, Healthcare Original Author: Mike Brest Original Location: Rhodes College to charge nonvaccinated students $1,500 extra for health & service fee The New York Times Americans can now vacation in France, where the one-dose vaccination rate is 49%, according to the nonprofit Our World in Data; they can also go to Spain, where the rate is 51%, and Greece, 45%. But, with very limited exceptions, they still cannot travel to Canada, which, according to one source the University of Oxford is leading all countries globally in single-dose vaccination rates. In mid-June, to the frustration of many on both sides of the border, Canada announced it was extending res Rita Moreno speaks with Stephen Colbert (CBS) Puerto Rican star Rita Moreno has defended new musical film In the Heights from accusations of colourism. Appearing on The Late Show, Moreno said criticism of Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote the music and lyrics for the original musical, as well as producing and starring in the film really upsets her. The criticism has focused on the films lack of darker-skinned Afro-Latinx actors in lead roles. Over the weekend, a viral video from The Root showed host and producer Felice Leon confronting director Jon M Chu, and actors Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera and Gregory Diaz IV over the films casting. During the interview, Chu acknowledged that the conversation was a fair one to have, adding that he hopes more people will be encouraged to tell more stories and get out there and do it right. However, Moreno, who worked with Miranda on her documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It, praised him for his championing of the Latin and Puerto Rican communities. You can never do right, it seems, she said. This is the man who literally has brought Latino-ness and Puerto Rican-ness to America. I couldnt do it. I mean, I would love to say I did, but I couldnt. Lin-Manuel has done that, really single-handedly and I was thrilled to pieces and Im proud that he produced my documentary. She was asked by host Stephen Colbert if she meant that, while she understood why the film was being criticised, the critiques were misplaced by focusing on Miranda. Well, Im simply saying, cant you just wait a while and leave it alone? she responded. Theres a lot of people who are Puerto Rican who are also from Guatemala who are dark and who are also fair. We are all colours in Puerto Rico. This is how it is. It would be so nice if they hadnt come up with that and left it alone, just for now. Theyre really attacking the wrong person. Miranda posted a message on his social media addressing the criticism and offering an apology. Story continues I can hear the hurt and frustration over colourism, of feeling still unseen in the feedback, he said. I hear that without sufficient dark-skinned Afro-Latino representation, the work feels extractive of the community we wanted so much to represent with pride and joy. In trying to paint a mosaic of this community, we fell short. Im truly sorry. Read More Lin-Manuel Miranda apologises for falling short after colourism backlash over In the Heights In the Heights: Why you should stick around for the post-credit scene Tick, Tick BOOM! trailer leaves Andrew Garfield fans marvelling at his dreamy singing voice MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian businesses that fail to ensure the vaccination of certain employees in Moscow could be fined between 50,000 roubles and 1 million roubles ($695-$13,896), the TASS news agency cited a city official as saying on Wednesday. City authorities in Moscow announced on Wednesday that all workers with public facing roles will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the most forceful steps taken anywhere in the world to compel employees to get shots. (Reporting by Polina Ivanova; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Catherine Evans) People boarding a Ryanair plane from City Airport, Manchester Ryanair and the owner of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports have launched a legal challenge against the government over the travel traffic light system. They are calling for more transparency about how the government decides which countries qualify for the green list of safe places to visit amid the pandemic. EasyJet, Tui and IAG, the owner of British Airways, have backed the case. Ministers say the system "cautiously manages the risk of new variants". The traffic light system rates countries green, amber or red based on their Covid risk. Travellers to countries rated green will not need to isolate on their return, but they will need to take a Covid test before and after their trip. Arrivals from amber countries will need to quarantine, while red-list countries have the strictest rules, with only UK or Irish nationals, or UK residents, allowed to return - and they must pay for a 10-day stay in a government quarantine hotel. The challenge by Ryanair and Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has been put together after huge frustration within the travel industry at the inclusion of Portugal on the green list in mid-May and then its sudden removal a few weeks later. IAG, the owner of British Airways, has told the BBC it intends to join the case as an "interested party". One airline in support said: "We have been asking for more transparency for some time now and so we share the serious concerns being raised by MAG concerning the lack of transparency around government decision making." 'Make it up as they go along' On top of this, the travel industry believes the Balearic and Greek Islands should have been included on the green list of countries last month when health data was analysed. In a separate development, the bosses of Jet2 and EasyJet Holidays have told the BBC they do not understand why low infection destinations like Mallorca were left off the green list in the last review and questioned how government decisions are made. Story continues The boss of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, wants Boris Johnson to explain the scientific basis behind the system which he says the government "seems to make up" as it goes along. Further signatories to the challenge are set to be revealed on Thursday. They are demanding a fast response as the crucial summer season edges closer. The government said at the time that moving Portugal from the green to amber list was necessary because of an increase in infection rates in the country, and the emergence of the "Nepal variant", a mutation of the Delta version of the virus first detected in India. There were concerns that vaccines would not work as well on this particular mutation. The move meant that some British holidaymakers had to cut short their holidays and dash back from Portugal on extra flights put on by airlines before the country came off the green travel list in early June. Travellers the BBC spoke to said it cost them hundreds of pounds to book new flights to get home before the deadline. Travel bosses are concerned the damage of these sudden reversals will continue to erode the confidence of the British travelling public. They maintain there is huge pent-up demand to travel abroad this summer, following three coronavirus lockdowns and huge numbers of cancelled or postponed holidays. But epidemiologists worry that mass travel before more people are fully vaccinated, both in the UK and at holiday destinations, will allow the virus to spread more rapidly. And if Covid cases spiral suddenly on holiday islands, it is not clear if healthcare systems there are in a position to manage their care. A government spokesperson said: "We recognise this is a challenging period for the sector, as we seek to balance the timely reopening of international travel while safeguarding public health and protecting the vaccine roll-out." "We have provided 7bn to help support for the industry during the pandemic." The spokesperson added that the government could not comment on legal proceedings. Around the BBC - Sounds (Reuters) - America's Cup holder Team New Zealand (TNZ) has rejected its home government's offer to host a match defending its trophy in Auckland and will now look at options offshore, the sailing outfit said on Wednesday. TNZ, who retained the "Auld Mug" earlier this year in Auckland with a 7-3 victory over Italy's Luna Rossa, had been negotiating with New Zealand authorities on mounting another defence in the nation's largest city. "By all means, the end of the exclusive negotiation period does not eliminate all possibility of the event or an event being hosted in New Zealand," TNZ boss Grant Dalton said in a statement. "If resources enable an event in New Zealand we will remain open to it. But, we must explore other opportunities to ensure we can put up another successful defence." New Zealand in March accepted the Royal Yacht Squadron Racing, represented by INEOS Team UK, as challenger of record for the 37th staging of the America's Cup. The New Zealand government had pledged NZ$99 million ($71 million) in cash and in-kind support for TNZ to defend the trophy in Auckland, having already spent some NZ$250 million for the 2021 match. "Our view is that we want it to be hosted here. We've put our best foot forward, but there's also limits to what we can do," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told local radio station Radio Hauraki on Wednesday. "Because, you know, this is taxpayer-funding, ultimately - so it's got to always be a benefit to New Zealand." New Zealand media have reported Team UK have offered to fund a one-off race against TNZ around the Isle of Wight, the site of the original race in 1851. Irish media on Tuesday reported the southern Ireland city of Cork was preparing a bid for the match and had hosted a technical delegation of America's Cup organisers over the weekend. ($1 = 1.4041 New Zealand dollars) (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) A San Francisco officer on Wednesday faulted the district attorney's "criminals first agenda" for a recent string of brazen thefts at Walgreens stores throughout the area. Lt. Tracy McCray accused San Francisco officials of fostering an environment in which "crooks [know] they can just go in because there are no consequences," saying there aren't enough officers on the streets and San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin fails to prosecute crimes, such as the recent Walgreens incident, when they occur. "What happened in that Walgreens has been going on in the city for quite a while," McCray said during a segment on Fox News. "Im used to it. I mean we could have a greatest hits compilation of people just walking in and cleaning out the store shelves and security guards, the people who work there, just standing by helplessly because they cant do anything." THIEF BRAZENLY FILLS TRASH BAG WITH ITEMS IN SAN FRANCISCO WALGREENS WHILE A SECURITY GUARD RECORDS, LETS HIM RIDE BICYCLE OUT THE DOOR Outrage mounted on social media on Monday after a man was seen filling a garbage bag with what appeared to be hair products before jetting out of the drugstore on his bicycle. A security guard, who was recording the incident on video, tried to grab the individual, though he easily eluded custody. Walgreens has shuttered 17 of its stores in the San Francisco area over the past five years, and the company has said thefts in the area are 4 times more likely than anywhere else in the country as top brass has shelled out 35 times more for security personnel to guard the chains, according to ABC 7 News. McCray said Boudin, a liberal criminal justice reform advocate, is to blame for the rampant burglary. "The 'criminals first' agenda from the district attorney [is to blame] because he's not prosecuting any of those crimes as felonies [or] as a commercial burglary. [Criminals realize,] 'This is gonna get slapped down to a misdemeanor,'" she continued. Story continues McCray added that thefts under $950 are considered a misdemeanor in her area of operation, and suspected criminals are often issued citations instead of spending time in jail ahead of their court date. In some cases, she said, thieves will have their case thrown out if they skip their court appearances. ABC 7 reporter Lyanne Melendez, who first circulated the viral video of the theft, spoke out against city leadership after tagging Boudin in her tweet. "It's hard for me as a journalist to say, 'I won't be involved. I can't get involved,' I have to be sort of neutral, but this is also my city," Melendez said. I live in this city, and I see this constantly. Not only Walgreens, but cars, and my garage door has been broken into twice." "At what point do we say, 'Enough is enough. We want our city back?'" she added. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. On Wednesday, CBS This Morning co-host Tony Dokoupil drew mockery after likening the unidentified man's actions to "an act of desperation." "That reads also as an act of desperation. I mean, you're not getting rich off what you take from a Walgreens. You're getting probably something you need. I don't know the details of that particular case," he said. CBS's Vlad Duthiers quickly interjected and said, "I mean, a bag full? They looked like hair products which are valuable, and he's filling his bag full of them." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER San Francisco has had 3,366 robbery cases so far this year, a 7.2% increase compared to the same time period from last year, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The city has also had 995 robberies and 11,062 cases of larceny theft, representing drops of 14.5% and 14.4%, respectively, since last year, the police department added. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, San Francisco, California, Crime, Police, Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice Reform, Walgreens Original Author: Jake Dima Original Location: San Francisco officer faults district attorney's 'criminals first agenda' for brazen string of Walgreens thefts China has two carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, and a third one is on the way. STR/AFP via Getty Images A new analysis features high-res satellite photos of China's latest carrier under construction. China has two carriers based on an older design, but the new one should be a significant upgrade. The photos show China's "substantial progress" on its new carrier, CSIS experts said. See more stories on Insider's business page. A new satellite photo shows China making "substantial progress" on its newest aircraft carrier, according to a new analysis. Photos of the new carrier, under construction at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, have been leaking out online over the past several weeks, some images clearer than others. This week, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, DC think tank, released an analysis of the carrier's development with high-resolution satellite photos of the new carrier from Maxar Technologies. A Maxar Technologies high-resolution satellite photo shows China's third aircraft carrier under construction at Jiangnan Shipyard. CSIS/Maxar Technologies 2021 The Chinese navy has two aircraft carriers - the Liaoning and Shandong. The first ship was built from the refitted hull of an older Soviet vessel, and the other is a Chinese-built copy of the first, with some improvements. Liaoning REUTERS/Stringer The third carrier, a still unnamed ship known as Type 003, is expected to "significantly upgrade China's naval capabilities," CSIS senior fellows Matthew Funaiole and James Bermudez Jr. and associate fellow Brian Hart wrote Tuesday in their satellite imagery analysis. "When the Type 003 eventually enters service, it will be a formidable addition to China's navy and allow it to more effectively project power," they wrote. Building a larger, more modern carrier Likely similar in size to the US Navy's Kitty Hawk-class carriers - a decommissioned class of steam-powered flattops that were roughly 1,070 feet long - the third carrier is expected to be the Chinese navy's largest surface warship, the CSIS experts assessed. Additionally, the ship is expected to feature a smaller command center, or "island," and a much larger flight deck than its predecessors, freeing up space for a larger carrier air wing than the roughly 40 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft carried by the Liaoning and Shandong. Story continues A Maxar Technologies high-resolution satellite photo shows the "island" on China's third aircraft carrier, which is likely to house the ship's pilothouse and air traffic control station. CSIS/Maxar Technologies 2021 Though work on the flight deck is incomplete, there are indications that it will feature a more modern flat-top design, almost certainly with catapults, as opposed to the less efficient ski jumps seen on the other two carriers. The ski jump design of the first two carriers has put limitations on how much weaponry and fuel the heavy J-15 carrier-based fighters can launch with, reducing the combat power of the carrier. Shandong Getty Images Steam catapults or the newer electromagnetic aircraft launch system would likely solve that problem, and they would also allow the carrier to launch larger aircraft like early warning planes able to boost situational awareness. China's third carrier is expected to be conventionally-powered. There has, however, been speculation that follow-on carriers could be nuclear-powered, like the US Navy's current fleet of Nimitz- and Ford-class carriers. The CSIS report said that progress on the carrier is moving at the same pace as the construction of the Shandong, suggesting that the new ship may not be launched until next year. It could then be several more years before China gets it fitted out, through sea trials, and commissioned into service. "It is not a US carrier, as things are today," Funaiole recently told Insider, speaking of China's third aircraft carrier, "but it's still a huge step for China. It's impressive what they have been able to do in a short amount of time." Read the original article on Business Insider Santee Cooper will remain state-owned, for now, as Gov. Henry McMaster on Tuesday signed a Santee Cooper reform plan that includes increased oversight of the utility. But in a signing statement, McMaster said he will continue to push for a sale of the utility, which has $6.8 billion in debt. McMaster has been a proponent of selling the state-owned utility that provides electricity directly and indirectly to 2 million South Carolinians, but the reform package does not include a process to consider purchase offers for the utility. As I have frequently noted, there is no state agency more in need of reform or privatization than Santee Cooper, McMaster said. ...To be clear, my preference is still to privatize Santee Cooper; however, the status quo has been and continues to be unacceptable, even in the short term. The reform package includes legislative oversight on whether Santee Cooper issues long-term debt. It also replaces current board members over the course of four years. The Agency Head Salary Commission, which is comprised of lawmakers who set salaries for state agency directors, will have to approve employment contracts and severance packages of Santee Coopers CEO. Among the other aspects of the Santee Cooper reform package is approval by the Public Service Commission, which regulates investor-owned utilities in the state, when the utility wants to build new electricity generation. The reform also includes setting up a PSC-style process when Santee Cooper wants to increase rates, which would includes public notification of a rate increase proposal. The Office of Regulatory Staff, which represents the publics interest in utility rate cases, also will have input over electric rate increases. Customers and the ORS also may appeal Santee Cooper rates to the State Supreme Court if they believe there was an error on whether the law or correct process was followed correctly. Lawmakers in the reform package also evaluate the closure of the coal-fired Winyah Generating Station by 2028, as well as putting together an electric generation plan that will be meet a net zero carbon emission goal by 2050. Story continues This legislation has the potential to bring Santee Cooper into the 21st century, turning our publicly owned utility into a leader on the clean energy future our state deserves, said Natalie Olson, campaigns director for Conservation Voters of South Carolina. The State, This Week Want to know whats going on in the Grand Strand? The Upstate? The Lowcountry? Our newest South Carolina newsletter will bring you some of the best highlights of our statewide coverage. The newsletter is delivered straight to your inbox every Friday afternoon. Subscribe here. Since 2017, lawmakers have wrestled with what to do with the utility after it partnered in the failed V.C. Summer Nuclear Generating station project, which added billions to Santee Coopers debt customers will have to eventually pay even though it never generated a watt of electricity. Last year, lawmakers considered options to sell the utility, have an outside company manage it, or let Santee Cooper reform itself. All three options were rejected and lawmakers sought to craft their own reform plan. Florida-based NextEra Energy was the preferred bidder to buy Santee Cooper, but it withdrew its offer earlier this year after the Senate passed a reform plan without exploring sale options. The House had proposed having a committee of lawmakers in place for 10 years to consider offers for all or parts of Santee Cooper. The Senate, however, overwhelming voted against that idea. This story will be updated. Jun. 16Three major education groups, including the Ohio School Boards Association, backed a report this week that criticizes the Ohio Senate's school funding plan for using out-of-date information. The report, from veteran school funding analyst Howard Fleeter and the Ohio Education Policy Institute, says that the Senate's data for property valuations, income levels and student enrollment is several years behind in some spots. "By using data that is now three bienniums old, the Senate's school funding proposal will create significant disruptions and likely be much more costly in the 2024-25 biennium when property values, income and enrollment are updated," Fleeter said in his report. Ohio's House and Senate passed competing school funding plans this spring as part of their two-year budget bills. Over the next two weeks, a conference committee will attempt to reconcile the differences so the two chambers can finalize a state budget. The conference committee includes three senators (Democrat Vernon Sykes, plus Republicans Matt Dolan and Theresa Gavarone) as well as three representatives (Democrat Erica Crawley, plus Republicans Scott Oelslager and Dayton's Phil Plummer). Senate Republicans had criticized the House's bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan last month, saying it used out-of-date teacher salaries. Senators argued that the discrepancy would mean the House plan would end up costing more than the $1.99 billion increase over six years that supporters had forecast. But Fleeter said the Senate formula relies in part on property values from 2014-16 and income data from 2013-15 despite the fact that data four years more recent is available. Fleeter also points out that the Senate is still using 2017 student enrollment counts in their formula. The Ohio School Boards Association, Buckeye Association of School Administrators and Ohio Association of School Business Officials supported Fleeter's report. Story continues Senate Republican spokesman John Fortney called those education groups "special interests" in criticizing their position. "The Senate's school funding plan starts with the professional who stands at the front of the class. That's the teacher," Fortney said. "It is not surprising special-interest groups have just one special interest in mind. They're only interested in more money." But both of Ohio's teachers unions have also criticized the Senate funding plan, demanding that legislators pass the Fair School Funding Plan, which was led in part by current Republican Speaker of the House Bob Cupp, with three years of stakeholder input. Fortney said the Senate plan used the numbers it did because that data was the basis of the most recent school funding formula, the one for Fiscal Year 2019. He said the new Senate formula is "reliable to districts, sustainable long term, and accountable to taxpayers." Fleeter was critical both of Fortney's comments and the Senate plan's data. "Their model underfunds education in the upcoming biennium and will create a train wreck in the 2024-25 biennium, when they will have to update data that is over 10 years old," Fleeter said. Senate Republicans say they arrived at their $6,110 base cost per student via a formula that allocates $3,622 per student for teacher compensation. Their formula then says it uses that $3,622 figure as a multiplier to calculate some unrelated costs such as buildings/operations and district administration. Fleeter said the teacher compensation cost that the Senate plan is built on also uses teacher salary numbers that are at least a year out of date. WASHINGTON (AP) Both Republican and Democratic senators pressed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for answers Wednesday after a federal court blocked the Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. In a sharply worded ruling Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Louisiana ordered that plans for lease sales continue in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Alaska and in all eligible onshore properties nationwide. The ruling came after President Joe Biden shut down oil and gas lease sales from the nations vast public lands and waters in his first days in office, citing worries about climate change. It's a fresh decision. Our department is reviewing the judges opinion as we speak and consulting with the Justice Department, Haaland said under questioning at a Senate hearing on her departments budget. We will respect the judges decision. Any other information will be forthcoming, she said. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Interior subcommittee, said she was flabbergasted that Haaland did not address the court ruling or the government's vast oil and gas leasing program in her prepared remarks. I was really struck by the fact that in 17 pages of discussions outlining the budget there really is no recognition for the production on our federal land and the role that plays, Murkowski said. In light of the court ruling, she told Haaland: I expect to hear your plans to resume implementation of those lease sales. We expect you to follow the law." Haaland, a former Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico, responded, I will always follow the law." Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana also appeared impatient with Haaland, saying the review ordered by Biden nearly two months before Haaland took office in mid-March appeared to be dragging on. As this review rolls on, a leasing pause gives folks in the oil and gas industry a lot of uncertainty," Tester said. Its getting harder and harder to extend that trust without hard information in the review. Story continues Tester asked Haaland when the review will be ready for prime time. Officials have said all along early summer ... so my guess is theyll be getting it sometime in the near future, Haaland said. I'm taking that as itll be out in the next month, Tester replied. Haaland did not commit to a firm timetable. The back-and-forth over the leasing pause and the court decision showed the stakes of Biden's effort to reform and likely scale back the multibillion-dollar leasing program without crushing a significant sector of the U.S. economy. Doughty's ruling, in a lawsuit filed by Louisiana Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states, is a blow to Bidens efforts to transition the nation away from fossil fuels and stave off the worst effects of climate change, including catastrophic droughts, floods and wildfires. Biden and Haaland have said the leasing ban is only temporary, though officials have declined to say how long it will last. And its unclear how much legal authority the government has to stop drilling on about 23 million acres (93,000 square kilometers) previously leased to energy companies. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called the judge's decision a victory for the rule of law and American energy workers.'' Biden's illegal ban (on new lease sales) has hurt workers and deprived Wyoming and other states of a principal source of revenue that they use for public education, Barrasso said. President Biden should immediately rescind his punishing ban and let Americans get back to work. Following Biden's Jan. 27 order, the Interior Department canceled oil and gas lease sales from public lands through June affecting Nevada, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, as well as offshore sales in the Gulf of Mexico. The department also abandoned a public comment period for a planned offshore sale in Alaska. The 13 states that sued said that the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken and said that the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs. Doughty, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Donald Trump in 2017, said millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake for local governments and other public uses. JAKARTA (Reuters) - A fire broke out at an Indonesian nickel smelting facility on Halmahera island, injuring six workers, who were evacuated and receiving intensive care, operator PT Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) said on Wednesday. The fire started on Tuesday and was since under control, an IWIP representative said in a statement. "In the coming days, an investigation (for the cause of the fire) and repair will take place," the statement said. The fire affected only one of the 23 nickel smelting lines at the Weda Bay facility, the company said, and remaining lines continue to operate normally. The industrial park is one of Indonesia's national strategic projects, designed to expand its nickel processing capacity at home after the country banned exports of unprocessed ore. The park operator is a joint venture between Tsingshan, Huayou Cobalt Co., and Zhenshi Holding Group. (Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Martin Petty) JOHANNESBURG (AP) South Africa's high rate of unemployment has cast a pall over Youth Day, the holiday honoring the 45th anniversary of the Soweto student protests which played a key role in ending apartheid, the previous regime of racist, minority rule. On June 16, 1976, thousands of Black students in Johannesburg's Soweto township demonstrated against the imposition of the Dutch-based Afrikaans language in schools. Police reacted with violence and more than 100 students were killed, including 13-year-old Hector Pieterson. Pictures of Pieterson's lifeless body being carried by grieving fellow student Mbuyisa Makhubu spread across the world and highlighted the brutality of the white apartheid government against Black South Africans. When South Africa achieved majority rule and Nelson Mandela was elected president in 1994, his government honored the student protests by making June 16 a public holiday, Youth Day. South Africa is an infinitely better place than it was in 1976. Young people have opportunities that were denied to their parents and grandparents, said President Cyril Ramaphosa, addressing a virtual Youth Day event on Wednesday. However, Ramaphosa acknowledged that 27 years after the end of apartheid, the future looks dim for many of the country's young people. We know that our challenges today are many. Nearly 64% of young people in South Africa are unemployed. This is something no country can afford, he said. Ramaphosa pledged that his government will launch various initiatives to support youth-owned businesses, develop their skills in various sectors and create job opportunities. Such programs are long overdue, according to Mothibedi Mohoje, a 35-year-old entrepreneur in Soweto who operates three internet cafes in the townships and employs at least six people. As a young person in South Africa, I really feel our government is letting us down. I think they should be supporting people like myself who are creating jobs in the townships," he said. Story continues Many of us have never got jobs and we decided to start our own businesses, but we hardly get any support from the government, said Mohoje. He said some of the country's unemployed youths turn to crime and others blame foreigners for taking jobs, resulting in deadly xenophobic violence. On the anniversary of the student uprising that helped to end the country's racist system, Mohoje said that South Africa's youths need better educations and employment opportunities. On any random day, I can count 25 to 30 young people in my street who are just loitering around because they have nothing else to do, he said. South Korean authorities are failing to properly tackle the country's widespread digital sex crimes against women, which have a devastating impact on victims, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report said Wednesday. South Korea is the world's 12th largest economy and a leading technological power, but remains a male-dominated society with a poor record on women's rights. Digital sex crimes, or the sharing of intimate pictures or video without permission, are a massive problem in the country, where "molka" or spycam videos secretly filmed in public places are common, as is "revenge porn" -- private sex videos filmed or shared non-consensually by disgruntled exes. South Korean officials "in the criminal legal system - most of whom are men - often seem to simply not understand, or not accept, that these are very serious crimes," said HRW's Heather Barr, the report author. In 2019, almost 45 percent of sexual digital crime cases were dropped by the country's prosecution, compared with 19 percent of robbery cases and 27.7 percent of homicides, the report said. Even when there were convictions, it found almost 80 percent of perpetrators received just "a suspended sentence, a fine, or a combination of the two" last year. "Digital sex crimes have become so common, and so feared... they are affecting the quality of life of all women and girls," Barr said. Spycams have become so prevalent that female police officers now regularly inspect public toilets, with women telling HRW they avoided using the amenities altogether. One woman who spoke to Barr was given a clock by a male employer, which she put in her bedroom -- only later finding out the device had been streaming footage to him for over a month. Victims often feel deep shame and are socially ostracised, and an "alarming number" told HRW they had contemplated suicide. The report comes as an anti-feminist backlash grows in South Korea, with companies accused of endorsing "radical feminism" being boycotted by some men. Story continues Barr said "widely accepted harmful views" about women and girls were the root cause of the phenomenon. The government has "not sent a clear and forceful message that women and men are equal," she said. cdl/sh/reb NASHVILLE, Tennessee The Southern Baptist Convention tamped down a push from the right at its largest meeting in decades on Tuesday, electing a new president who has worked to bridge racial divides in the church and defeating an effort to make an issue of critical race theory. Ed Litton, a pastor from Alabama, won 52% of the vote in a runoff against Mike Stone, a Georgia pastor backed by a new group called the Conservative Baptist Network that has sought to move the already-conservative denomination further right. Litton, who is white, was nominated by Fred Luter, the only Black pastor to serve as president of the United States's largest Protestant denomination. Luter praised Litton's commitment to racial reconciliation and said he has dealt compassionately with the issue of sexual abuse within SBC churches, another hot-button subject at the gathering of more than 15,000 church representatives. Stone had campaigned aggressively, including speaking at churches across the country and even appearing on Fox & Friends on Tuesday before the vote. And the Conservative Baptist Network had encouraged supporters to come to the meeting as voting delegates. But in the end, the message that seemed to resonate with voters was that Stone who supported a motion to repudiate critical race theory, an academic construct for framing systemic racism that has been a target of religious and political conservatives was a divisive choice. "We're a family, and at times it seems like an incredibly dysfunctional family," Litton said after the results were announced. "But we love each other." Delegates rejected a proposal that would have explicitly denounced critical race theory. Instead, they approved a consensus measure that does not mention it by name but rejects any view that sees racism as rooted in "anything other than sin." The measure also affirmed a 1995 resolution apologizing for the history of racism in a denomination that was founded in 1845 in support of slavery and for "condoning and/or perpetuating individual and systemic racism in our lifetime." Story continues One white delegate urged the convention to denounce critical race theory by name, saying it held him "guilty because of the melanin content of my skin." But another argued the convention shouldn't be swayed by a political movement that has already seen some state legislatures ban teaching of the theory. "If some people in this room were as passionate about the gospel as they are about critical race theory, we would win this world to Christ," said James Merritt, chairman of the resolutions committee and a former convention president. Several Black pastors have voiced frustration over critical race theory debates playing out in the SBC instead of the denomination confronting systemic racism itself. The two-day meeting concludes Wednesday when delegates will consider proposals for a sweeping review of the SBC's response to abuse in its churches, an issue that recently erupted with secret recordings and leaked letters purportedly showing that some leaders tried to slow-walk efforts to hold churches accountable and to intimidate and retaliate against those who advocated on the issue. Stone was among those specifically called out. On Tuesday, Tennessee pastor Grant Gaines, speaking with a survivor at his side, proposed a task force that would oversee a review of the denomination's actions a broader investigation than the one announced last week by the SBC's Executive Committee. "I stand with SBC church abuse survivors," Gaines said. WILL ALLEN WEISSELBERG FLIP ON TRUMP? DON JR. SAYS, 'THERE'S NOTHING TO TURN ON' The convention overwhelmingly approved a resolution declaring "any person who has committed sexual abuse is permanently disqualified from holding the office of pastor." Opponents argued it precludes the possibility of an abuser repenting and transforming, but proponents from the resolution committee emphasized a scriptural injunction that pastors be "above reproach." Voters gave final approvals to constitutional amendments excluding churches that affirm ethnic discrimination or act against the convention's "beliefs regarding sexual abuse." Still to be debated was how those standards on abuse apply in practice. In an enthusiastically applauded address, outgoing president J.D. Greear, himself a target of criticism, lamented "the slander, the distortion, the character assassination, and baseless accusations" some SBC leaders have endured. While denouncing liberalism, he also criticized what he saw as power-seeking and divisiveness over secondary issues. The SBC cannot be a "cultural affinity group" or "voting bloc," Greear said, but must focus on its spiritual mission. On critical race theory, he said it arises from "a worldview at odds with the gospel," but he heeded "leaders of color who tell us that our denunciations of justice movements fall on deaf ears when we remain silent on the suffering of our neighbors." Pastor Bryan Kent of Compass Church in Mason, Michigan, commended Greear's remarks, saying that if critical race theory "has an echo of truth among our brothers and sisters of color we should not be in such a rush to condemn." Several Black pastors have already departed the SBC over what they said was racial insensitivity from overwhelmingly white leadership. Dwight McKissic, a prominent Black pastor from Texas who had planned to join that exodus if Stone won, tweeted in response to Litton's election: "God has a plan for the SBC & I want to be a part of it. Truly, racism was rejected 2day!" Jennifer Lyell, one of several survivors of sexual abuse in Southern Baptist churches who has been advocating for convention reforms, also applauded the result: "I know that no SBC President alone can resolve the systemic problems with abuse of power & unrepentant sin in SBC leadership," she tweeted. "I am immensely thankful that a shepherd who listens was elected." Some Stone supporters saw promise in his vote totals. "Tough beat," SBC Executive Committee member Rod D. Martin tweeted. "But it's the work of a single year. We fought the entire denominational machine, plus all their MSM friends. We didn't win. But this result shows we can." Stone received 36% of the votes in the first ballot, followed by Litton at 32%. That eliminated two other candidates including longtime Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler, who got 26%. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER "My prayers and congratulations are with Pastor Ed Litton as Southern Baptists continue to serve our churches and communities," Stone said in a statement after the final result was announced. Delegates also approved a strategic plan seeking to increase churches, missionaries, giving, and teenager ministry, the latest in a series of efforts to reverse steady declines in membership and baptisms over the past 15 years. Membership is now 14 million. It was standing room only in the 18,000-seat hall where, with Nashville's COVID-19 precautions lifted, attendees were packed closely without face masks. One small section was reserved for those wearing masks. Last year's annual meeting was canceled due to the pandemic. Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Religion, Southern Baptist Convention Original Author: Associated Press Original Location: Southern Baptists pick president who worked for racial unity Jun. 16Springfield police will discuss the death of a shooting victim who was hit by a police cruiser responding to the incident Sunday night. The press conference is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Just before 11:30 p.m. Sunday, police were called to the 1400 block of South Center Boulevard on a shooting. Eric Cole, 42, of Springfield, was lying in the street and hit by a police cruiser. Cole appeared to have a gunshot wound to his arm, according to police. He was transported to Miami Valley Hospital by CareFlight, where he was later pronounced dead. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office has not determined Cole's cause of manner of death at this time. Police are continuing to investigate the shooting and the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating the pedestrian strike. Members of the Springfield Police Division have met with Cole's family. This story will be updated as details are released during the press conference. Waving from the car seat, an asylum seeker father and daughter from Sri Lanka got a taste of freedom as they arrived on Australian soil on Tuesday. But they face many hurdles before they can actually live freely. The two were flown to the city of Perth to reunite with the mother and youngest daughter of the family after she became sick and was flown to a major hospital. The family have been held as the sole occupants of Australia's offshore immigration detention on Christmas Island for two years. Public anger grew when the family was recently separated and Australia's conservative government gave in to pressure and flew them off the island. But uncertainty remains over their future. The government's hardline immigration policy says anyone who arrives by boat without a valid visa is not allowed to settle in Australia. The adults fled amid civil war in Sri Lanka and arrived separately by boat in 2012. They sought asylum and were married in Australia where their daughters were born. But their asylum applications were rejected. The small town where they lived before they were detained -Biloela - has been calling for them to be freed and allowed to return to their home. The Minister for Immigration said the family's reunion on the mainland does not mean they would be given a visa to remain in Australia. For years, Darryl Peasley and Sherry Gould, two friends and members of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, heard stories about various Native American sites dotting the region around their small southern New Hampshire hometowns. There was the Indian Tie Up in Henniker, an overhanging rock formation said to have been a site where Native Americans camped or spent winters; a mineral springs sacred site in Bradford; and an old chimney in the woods in Hopkinton rumored to hold ties to Native culture. Before last summer, Mr. Peasley and Ms. Gould had visited only a few spots. Thats changed since they launched the Abenaki Trails Project in August 2020 and organized outings to explore each site with other tribe members and community partners. The project aims to create a network of sites and art installations that the public can visit to learn about Native American history and the continued presence of Native Americans in New Hampshire today. I want to prove that not only did we live here, we still live here, says Mr. Peasley, an artist who creates pouches, hats, and dance sticks in contemporary and traditional Abenaki style. Hes mulled over the idea of sharing Abenaki history more broadly ever since he heard state legislators years ago call New Hampshire a pass through state for Native Americans, an assertion he and others say is a misconception. Last summer, he and Ms. Gould decided to take action. They approached select boards and historical societies in four towns, asking to work together to better document local Native American history. Theyve held hikes, paddling trips, and spoken at community events, and they plan to branch out to two more towns this summer. On June 5 the Abenaki Trails Project and the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association launched an art show at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner. On display is a birchbark canoe made in the traditional Indigenous style by Ms. Goulds husband, Bill Gould, who is Abenaki, and Reid Schwartz, a local craftsperson. They sourced all their materials, including white birch bark, spruce root, and moss, within a five-mile radius of Warner. Story continues Bringing the Native presence into the light Even in its early stages, the Abenaki Trails Project is raising consciousness, particularly among non-Native people, says Robert Goodby, an archaeologist and anthropology professor at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire, who was invited to attend several of the groups events to offer an archaeological perspective. The Native people have always known that they have a long history here and that these sorts of sites exist. For most non-Native people, its very easy to spend your whole life living in New Hampshire and never really think about the Native presence here, and I think this is a way of bringing that presence into the light, community by community, says Dr. Goodby, who has found evidence in archaeological digs of Indigenous people living in New Hampshire for over 12,000 years. The Abenaki Trails Project aims to highlight positive relations between historic Native Americans and European settlers and dispel the myth that Native Americans disappeared from New England or that they were primarily antagonistic toward settlers. We want people to understand that Abenaki werent just what you read in history books, the murderers and marauders. They helped the colonial settlers also or they wouldnt have known how to plant corn, how to survive the winter, says Mr. Peasley on a recent afternoon at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum art show, where some of his handcrafted hats are on display. Other efforts led by Native Americans in the region are working toward similar goals. In Vermont, the Indigenous Heritage Center recently expanded an exhibit showing the continual presence of Native Americans in the region. And members of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People are involved with an effort in Boscawen, New Hampshire, to update a statue of Hannah Duston, a 17th-century English woman depicted holding the scalps of 10 Native Americans she killed. The group wants the site to include a memorial to the slain Indigenous people, more information about Abenaki history, and an explanation about why the Colonial woman was held captive. Because these initiatives are going on all over New England, Im hopeful that it will help change dialogue, says Christoph Strobel, author of Native Americans of New England and a history professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Its always a matter of how much mainstream society pays attention. I think Indigenous people for the last 400 years of New English colonization and 500 some years of other colonization have tried to make their voices heard. Living in a dual reality One of the highlights of the Abenaki Trails Project for Ms. Gould, a basketmaker, is how enjoyable the exploratory outings are, which bring together Native Americans and non-Native community partners like historians, geologists, and archaeologists. Its been a lot of fun, she says. Yet Ms. Gould still struggles, she says, with feeling like she lives in a dual reality where friends know shes Native American, but in broader society a lot of people want to think thats not true or youre trying to appropriate someone elses culture. Weve worked so long dealing with people saying, Oh, youre not legitimate, especially legislators, she adds. It doesnt help that there are no federally recognized Native American tribes in New Hampshire. The Nulhegan Band that Mr. Peasley and Ms. Gould are members of is headquartered in and recognized by Vermont. And only about 0.3% of New Hampshire residents, or roughly 4,000 people, identify as American Indian or Alaska Native alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Another 1.8% of state residents identify as two or more races, which could include Native Americans. Having Abenaki people lead an effort like the Abenaki Trails Project is important, says Dr. Goodby. For a long time if something was being said about Abenaki history and culture to the public, it was being said by people like me, by white anthropologists. I think this is a very healthy development. Volunteers with the Abenaki Trails Project are having difficulty managing all the requests for speaking events. At the same time, they have found art installations and historical plaques more costly than expected and grant funding for them harder to secure than they anticipated. But the projects impact continues to ripple out. Heather Mitchell, executive director of the Hopkinton Historical Society, says that seven years ago the society created an exhibit including a paddle trip with points of interest along the Contoocook River. None of the sites included any Native history. This summer, after participating in outings with the Abenaki Trails Project, the society plans another paddle trip that will focus exclusively on Native American points of interest. Theyll also open an exhibit related to the Abenaki Trails Project on June 17. Its had a tremendous impact already, says Ms. Mitchell. Its contributed to our knowledge. Related stories Read this story at csmonitor.com Become a part of the Monitor community A woman is dead and a father is missing after saving his children from drowning in a Texas river Sunday afternoon. Authorities are still searching for the 30-year-old man, who jumped into the Guadalupe River when two of his sons were swept away by the current, the Seguin Gazette reported. He grabbed the young boys and handed them off to a 22-year-old woman, who was on the island in the middle of the river with her family. He managed to get the boys to safety but couldnt make it out himself, WOAI reported. The woman saw him struggling and went in after him. Neither of them resurfaced. Search crews found the womans body around 9 p.m., according to KENS5. Her name was Casandra Kendrick. The fathers name has not been released, outlets report. Authorities paused search efforts at 10 p.m. Sunday but continued Monday morning. Blob of creepy critters writhes in Texas state park, video shows. What are they? Man dies after falling off boat and his friend is under arrest, Minnesota police say TikTok fetish act goes wrong (or very right), and Michigan firefighters come to rescue Dead man found inside fuel tanker truck sparks police investigation in Illinois GENEVA (AP) President Joe Biden marked his first presidential summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin with a gift, presenting his counterpart with a pair of custom aviator sunglasses. Biden is so known for wearing aviator shades that he's sometimes parodied over them. He notably kept wearing his aviators while meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on Sunday. The custom aviators are a brand manufactured in Massachusetts and designed for fighter pilots, the White House said, announcing the gifts after Biden and Putin concluded their summit in Geneva on Wednesday. The U.S. leader also gave Putin a crystal sculpture of an American bison made by a New York-based glass company. The Kremlin has not said whether and how Putin may have reciprocated. ___ What does it mean when Biden nods his head? Apparently not much, according to the White House. Biden's silent nod during a photo op Wednesday at his summit with Putin appeared to suggest that he can take Putin at his word. A reporter had shouted over colleagues to ask Biden whether Putin could be trusted. That nod set off a flurry of media speculation had Biden just indicated a new level of trust about the man he referred to days ago as a worthy adversary"? Not so fast, the White House said. Communications director Kate Bedingfield and press secretary Jen Psaki both said Biden wasn't responding to a particular question during the chaotic moments when U.S. and Russian reporters shouted over one another and struggled to get into the small room for a glimpse of the leaders. Biden was just acknowledging the media generally, they said. Bedingfield added that Biden had earlier said his approach to Putin would be to verify, then trust. ___ Some pushing and shoving between journalists and security officials is practically routine at high-level news events, but unusually fierce shoving and shouting broke out at the Biden-Putin photo op. Russian and U.S. security officials initially blocked journalists as they tried to enter the small, library-like room where the leaders sat. Story continues U.S. journalists described Russian security and news media grabbing them by the arms and clothes to try to hold them back. U.S. journalists tried to shoulder their way in, and one was knocked to the ground. Some reporters were heard screaming, Stop pushing! and Don't touch me! Others described being crushed in the melee. Biden and Putin watched awkwardly at first, then laughed at the tumult. ___ The Swiss government will reimburse scores of businesses in Geneva that were forced to close because of security measures surrounding the U.S.-Russia summit. Geneva officials adopted a decree to compensate the owners of shops that ended up inside the security perimeter set up for the meeting between Biden and Putin. Laurent Paoliello, a spokesperson for the regional security department, says the federal government will provide the funding but cautioned that it wouldnt be a blank check. The spokesperson says the payments will be distributed after an analysis of revenue shortfalls by up to 100 businesses. ___ Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report. China's government denied there had been a radioactive leak at the facility in Guangdong province The Chinese government has acknowledged damage to fuel rods at a nuclear power plant in the south of the country, but said no radioactivity had leaked. China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment said the problem was "common" with no need for concern. The admission comes after CNN reported that the US government was assessing a reported leak at the facility. The French energy firm which helps operate the plant in Guangdong province earlier reported a "performance issue". On Monday, a spokesperson for EDF said a problem with fuel rods had led to the build-up of gases, which had to be released into the atmosphere. In its report, CNN said the company had warned the US government that China's nuclear regulator had raised limits on permissible levels of radiation outside the plant to avoid shutting it down. But in a statement on Wednesday, China's environment ministry said this report was not true. The statement - its first official confirmation of the incident - said while the regulator, the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA), had reviewed the use of noble gases in a reactor, this had "nothing to do with the detection of radiation outside the nuclear plant". Noble gases - also known as inert gases - are a group of stable chemical elements which have very low reactivity. They are often used in situations where scientists do not want chemical reactions, for instance in nuclear reactors or lighting. CNN reported that the US government was looking into reports of an incident at the plant An increase in radiation levels was detected in Taishan's Unit 1 reactor, but this was within the parameters for safe operations, the ministry said. The ministry said the increase was caused by damage to the cladding of a small number of fuel rods. Fuel rods are sealed metal tubes which hold nuclear materials used to fuel the nuclear reactor. Of the 60,000 fuel rods in the reactor, the damaged ones accounted for "less than 0.01 percent", the ministry said. Story continues Its statement said "fuel-rod damage during the operation of nuclear power plants is unavoidable" and "a common phenomenon". The Taishan plant provides power for the Guangzhou and Shenzhen areas, both major manufacturing hubs. China has dozens of nuclear plants and has invested billions of dollars to develop its atomic energy sector. You may be interested in watching: File photo of J-16 air fighters over a Chinese training base Some 28 Chinese military aircraft flew into Taiwan's air defence zone on Tuesday, said its defence ministry, the largest reported incursion so far. Fighters and nuclear-capable bombers were among those in the so-called air defence identification zone (ADIZ). The incident comes after Nato leaders on Monday warned of the military challenge posed by China. While democratic Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign state, Beijing views the island as a breakaway province. According to Taipei, the Chinese mission included 14 J-16, six J-11 fighters, four nuclear capable H-6 bombers as well as anti-submarine, electronic warfare and early warning aircraft. An air defence identification zone is an area outside of a country's territory and national airspace but where foreign aircraft are still identified, monitored, and controlled in the interest of national security. It is self-declared and technically remains international airspace. The Chinese aircraft flew close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, as well as around the southern part of Taiwan itself. Map China has over recent months regularly carried out flights over the waters between the southern part of Taiwan and the Pratas Islands. On 24 January, a similar mission saw 15 aircraft entering Taiwan's air defence zone while on 12 April, Taiwan reported 25 jets. Tuesday's operation came just one day after Nato leaders at a summit in Brussels warned of the military threat posed by China, calling its behaviour a "systemic challenge". China, they said, was rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, was "opaque" about its military modernisation and was co-operating militarily with Russia. Over the weekend, G7 leaders urged China to "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms", highlighting abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority group and the crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists. Story continues Both statements were strongly criticised and dismissed by China. China and Taiwan: The basics A Kansas City Council committee this week approved tax breaks for a developer who plans to build new apartments while also fixing up the historic Katz Drug Store Building in Westport. Lux Living, based in St. Louis, proposes building a six-story, 192-unit apartment building on top of underground parking behind the Katz Building at Westport Road and Main Street. The overall cost of the project is $37.6 million. The developer sought tax breaks that exceeded what an independent analysis showed was necessary for the project, but the council committee ended up passing a reduced level of benefits Wednesday. The full council was expected to take the issue up Thursday for a final vote, but the matter was delayed until June 24. The location is seen as the east gateway into the Westport commercial district and the Katz Building and the adjoining clock tower itself is hailed as an historic landmark, owing to its distinctive Style Moderne architecture. Supporters of historic preservation lauded Lux Livings plan because it would put the old drugstore back to meaningful, long-term use. The building is currently owned by Redeemer Fellowship Church but is under contract to sell to Lux Living. The Katz Building itself would be used for a slew of amenities, most of which only residents of the apartments could use. That includes ideas like a fitness center, an audio studio and co-working space. The apartments would include a rooftop pool. Who do you serve? Its partly because of the extensive set of amenities that the Lux Living proposal drew critics for its request for tax breaks that would last for a quarter of a century. Several people at Wednesdays hearing of the Neighborhoods, Planning and Development Committee opposed Lux Livings request for breaks on their property tax bills, saying their development plan creates no benefit to the broader public, includes no affordable apartment units and incorporates a costly underground parking garage. The project is along the planned 2025 extension of the streetcar line from downtown to the Country Club Plaza. Story continues Wilson Vance said her mother was recently priced out of her longtime home in Kansas City after a developer bought the building she lived in, reflecting a broader concern of hers about the lack of affordable housing options in the city. Who do you serve? Vance asked the committee members. Do you serve the people? Or do you serve developers and their attorneys? Meanwhile, Historic Kansas City, an historic preservation advocacy organization, heartily endorsed Lux Livings plan for the Katz building. Debate over tax breaks An ordinance sponsored by City Council member Katheryn Shields originally contemplated giving the developer a 25-year break on the property taxes it would pay if the project went forward without other incentives. More specifically, the project would have 75% of its property tax bill abated for 10 years and then 37.5% for the next 15 years. Thats more than an independent consultant recommended for the Katz project. S.B. Friedman Development Advisors, the firm hired by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City to analyze development projects, concluded the project could work with a 10-year, 75% tax abatement. S.B. Freidmans report said Lux Living included several amenities that went beyond what the local multifamily market usually provides. It also said Lux Livings early plan charged conservative rent rates that did not reflect the premium that apartments can usually ask of their tenants who are so close to the streetcar. It also said Lux Livings proposal spends $3 million on amenity spaces that doesnt make money for the project. Theres a $3 million cost but its not generating any cash flow, said Lance Dorn, vice president at S.B. Friedman. Lux Living also did not apply for historic tax credits, even though the Katz Building is listed on historic registries. That indicates historic preservation is not a driving factor, said Janice Bolin, finance director for the Kansas City Public Library. Bob Long, a business development officer at the Economic Development Corporation, said the Katz Building would likely have scored low on its evaluation for historic credits because the program in Missouri generally favors commercial projects over residential. Kansas City Public Schools also objected to the request because the developer wanted more tax breaks than the S.B. Friedman analysis recommended. KCPS is a frequent critic of tax breaks for development because most developments that get incentives occur within its borders. Schools in Missouri rely on local property taxes as a key part of their budgets. I know some may think we sound like a broken record, but its because something in this city is fundamentally broken when we are considering prioritizing the wants of a private development company over the needs of public school children, said Kathleen Pointer, senior policy strategist for KCPS, at Wednesdays hearing. Especially considering your financial analysis says its unnecessary. Roxsen Koch, an attorney representing Lux Living, said the development would start producing money for taxing jurisdictions like KCPS once it opens. Because the property currently is owned by a church, it does not pay property taxes. Koch projected that taxing jurisdictions would make more than $180,000 on the first year of the development. When today, it is receiving nothing, Koch said. A compromise Ultimately, the Kansas City Neighborhood, Planning and Development Committee settled on a compromise. Instead of the 25-year tax abatement sought by Lux Living, it passed a 15-year plan that grants a 75% abatement for 10 years, followed by a five-year period where the abatement level drops to 50%. And after 10 years, the projects financial performance could be re-evaluated to see if continued tax breaks are necessary. Koch said Lux Living would have to take the compromise back to its lenders to see if this latest arrangement could meet underwriting standards. Doesnt mean they wouldnt be back to say they tried and it didnt work, Koch said. Although LGBTQ pride is celebrated year-round through media representation, music and advocacy, June marks Pride Month, a time for communities to celebrate and join forces. Last year due to COVID-19, huge celebrations normally filled with music, conversations and bright colors were canceled, and online parties and events took over. Organizations found isolation and loneliness within the LGBTQ community increased when people were unable to celebrate with others. Though Pride was upended last year, this year will be a mix of online conversations and physical embraces, showing that it is more important now than ever to cherish community. Interesting: Pride on TV: How 'Ellen,' 'Will & Grace,' 'Pose' expanded LGBTQ representation 'Express' and 'enrich' yourself with Pride For some individuals, this year may be their first Pride celebration since coming out during the pandemic. Crisis and suicide prevention resource for LGBTQ youth The Trevor Project has heard from LGBTQ young people who came out during the pandemic, some being forced back into the closet and having a difficult time navigating their newfound identity. Based on their work, the organization reported that LGBTQ youth already were physically isolated from welcoming communities or felt excluded from Pride in the past. Carrie Davis, chief community officer, said many people are isolated from affirming communities, pushing this years Pride Month as an opportunity for self-care and self-exploration. "Attend a virtual Pride parade, festival, or drag show. Express yourself through art," Davis says. "Enrich yourself with LGBTQ literature, history, and culture. The key is that theres no one way to celebrate Pride." The Project PRIDE SRQ Car Parade on Saturday started on Main Street in downtown Sarasota and proceeded toward Tamiami Trail where it reached its final destination at The Reserve. The party continued with dancing, food and drinks throughout the afternoon. Davis advises LGBTQ people to think outside of parties and parades but instead celebrate Pride in ways that are authentic, unique and shared with people who show love and support. Organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign will approach Pride by including virtual events featuring voices in the community on pressing issues and ways to advocate for change. Story continues President Alphonso David said the goal of the videos is to offer joyful but educational experiences. We hope that our offerings will bring our community together through joyful celebration and by organizing our activism to defeat threats to our community," he says. David encourages Pride newcomers to connect with the greater LGBTQ community through organization search guides or social media. He believes its important to stay involved even in a virtual space. Decide what is right for you, whether that be a virtual dance party, an affinity Pride or a discussion on the importance of centering trans and racial justice in our fight for liberation; this month will provide lots of different types of engagements, David says. Oooh: 'I'm excited to make Pride just last all year': Celebrating in person and online across US Is hybrid Pride here to stay? Landon Shonuff-is Hall, a 35-year-old South Carolina resident, remembered his first Pride experience in Columbia as a booth operator for his company. He loved seeing everyone express their pride and queerness in different ways through clothing, makeup and more. Hall could not participate in any virtual events last year, but as areas reopen, he thinks more events will be in-person and incorporate virtual aspects that worked well last year. Some successful activities Hall has seen included main locations for people to meet up with small groups, which he believes will continue to accommodate personal preferences. I plan on going to our upstate Pride even later this year when we have it and was hoping to find something not too far this month, Hall said. Its great to see we have these events in all areas of the state. The Equality Institute in Chicago has seen the positive impact of Pride events on community engagement and activism during a time of social unrest. Chief Executive Officer Bernadette Smith recalls her first Pride in Boston after her first kiss with a girl. "It was a few months after my moms reluctant acceptance and many years before I figured out how I wanted to show up in the world." Bernadette Smith sees a future of virtual and in-person celebrations continuing to provide easier access to all communities. For a long time, most people she knew who were lesbian, gay and bisexual were cisgender, white and able-bodied. Smith did not know about the history of the movement and the legacy of its Black, brown and transgender leaders. However, she found that Pride was more inclusive last year and opened many opportunities for people. She has worked with many companies throughout the country and sees a hybrid Pride model in the future. "Since there were so many virtual Pride options last year, I think that we're going to see more hybrid Pride celebrations in the future, where people who might not have previously attended a Pride parade because of social anxiety or other disabilities can feel comfortable, too," Smith said. Smith saw the importance of taking virtual Pride celebrations to the next level by expanding to games, advocacy and other forms of honoring the community. Some tips she gave: A cross-section in types of events : Have activities that will be fun, whether drag queen bingo or trivia night. Then switch to more educational activities such as allyship panels and one-on-one workshop sessions. Be mindful of diversity : Have programming for communities including people of color, people with disabilities and families. Traditional Pride parades have excluded these communities, who are often overlooked in LGBTQ education. Do more with watch parties: Instead of the normal watch party, have small events around Pride month, including book clubs or movie gatherings. Petruce Jean-Charles is a Government Watchdog Reporter for The Courier-Tribune. They are interested in what's going on in the community and are open to tips on people, businesses and issues. Contact Petruce at pjeancharles@gannett.com and follow @PetruceKetsia on Twitter. Important: What are the origins of Pride Month? And who should we thank for the LGBTQ celebration? This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pride 2021 tips for celebrating in-person or virtually with friends The S.C. Attorney Generals Office said it is still investigating the 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach, even though the man accused of driving the boat was killed last week. Citing the still-open investigation, the agencys spokesperson justified his offices refusal to release the case file and has declined to explain further. The refusal raises questions about whether the Attorney Generals office is still investigating the crash itself or what happened after the crash. Paul Murdaugh, 20 at the time and from an influential family that ran the 14th Circuit Solicitors Office for nearly a century, was indicted on three counts of boating under the influence in April 2019. He was found dead on June 7 along with his mother, Maggie, 52, in a double homicide that has shocked South Carolinians and garnered national interest. After Murdaughs death, the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers asked the Attorney Generals Office the agency prosecuting the case for the boat crash file, citing the Freedom of Information Act. We had every intention of moving forward with Paul Murdaughs prosecution, spokesperson Robert Kittle wrote in an email Monday. While the charges against him will be dismissed, the case has not been closed because the investigation is not finished. Kittle would not answer questions about why the case is still under investigation more than two years after the boat crash and after Murdaughs death. Jim Griffin, a Columbia-based attorney, represented Murdaugh in preliminary hearings on his boating under the influence charges. He said he could not think of a reason except for one that the attorney generals office would keep the case open. I can understand that they would not want to open the investigative file to disclosure because there may be information related to the murder investigation, Griffin said on Monday afternoon. Information about the current murder investigation into Paul and Maggie Murdaughs deaths has been limited and secretive from every agency involved. Story continues Investigators have not said whether the murder is connected to the boat crash investigation in any way. Six people were on the 17-foot Sea Hunt boat that crashed in Archers Creek on Feb. 24, 2019, including Paul Murdaugh and Mallory Beach. One of the passengers, Keith Anthony Cook, told a Beaufort County Sheriffs deputy at the scene that he begged Paul Murdaugh, who was driving the boat at the time of the incident, to please let him drive because he was too intoxicated to drive, according to a police report. Deputies did not interview Murdaugh at the scene. A sobriety test was not administered, either. Cooks cousin Connor Cook and Morgan Doughty, Murdaughs girlfriend, were also in the boat. In court depositions as part of a civil case brought by the Beach family, both said Murdaugh was driving the boat when it crashed. Both also said Murdaugh was drinking prior to driving the boat. Murdaugh was indicted in April 2019 and had pleaded not guilty. Former President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday a planned trip to the nation's southern border at the end of the month. Trump, who is nearly five months out of office, said he accepted an invitation from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to visit, arguing the border situation has been mishandled by President Joe Biden. ABBOTT FACES TWO MAJOR OBSTACLES IN QUEST TO FINISH TRUMP BORDER WALL "I have accepted the invitation of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to join him on an official visit to our Nations decimated Southern Border on Wednesday, June 30, 2021," he said in a tweemail. "The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in U.S history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in U.S history. Its an unmitigated disaster zone." Vice President Kamala Harris, who Biden announced in March would "lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle" to address migration issues, has been the target of criticism from the Right as she has yet to visit the U.S.-Mexico border. "Our Nation is now one giant sanctuary city where even dangerous criminals are being cut loose and set free inside the U.S interior on a daily basis," Trump added. "If this werent bad enough, Biden and Harris wont even tour the scenes of the wreckage they created, or come down and visit with the Border Patrol and [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] heroes risking their lives to defend our Nation at a time when the White House is doing everything it can to make their job totally impossible." In an interview published on Tuesday, Abbott said he would seek crowdfunding to complete Trump's border wall project in the state. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER "For everybody in the United States, everybody in the entire world that wants to help Texas build the border wall, there will be a place on there where they can contribute to Texas building the border wall," he told the conservative podcast Ruthless. Story continues Trump said he hopes his visit will "shine a spotlight on these crimes against our Nation and show the incredible people of ICE and Border Patrol that they have our unshakeable support." Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Border, Mexican border, Donald Trump, Greg Abbott, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Texas, Immigration, illegal immigration Original Author: Haley Victory Smith Original Location: Trump announces visit to 'decimated' southern border The Manhattan district attorneys office appears to have entered the final stages of a criminal tax investigation into Donald Trumps long-serving chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, setting up the possibility he could face charges this summer, according to people with knowledge of the matter. In recent weeks, a grand jury has been hearing evidence about Weisselberg, who is facing intense scrutiny from prosecutors as they seek his cooperation with a broader investigation into Trump and the Trump Organization, the people with knowledge of the matter said. The prosecutors have obtained Weisselbergs personal tax returns, the people said, providing the fullest picture yet of his finances. Even as the investigation has heated up, it remains unclear whether the prosecutors will seek an indictment of Weisselberg, which would mark the first criminal charges stemming from the long-running financial fraud investigation into Trump and his family company. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times The investigation into Weisselberg focuses partly on whether he failed to pay taxes on valuable benefits that Trump provided him and his family over the years, including apartments and leased cars as well as tens of thousands of dollars in private school tuition for at least one of his grandchildren. In general, those types of benefits are taxable, although there are some exceptions, and the rules can be murky. For months, prosecutors working for District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., a Democrat, have sought to pressure Weisselberg into cooperating with their investigation into Trump, and any deal could turn the trusted executive into a star witness against the former president. For now, Weisselberg appears to have rebuffed Vances office and continues to work at the Trump Organization. The district attorneys office recently questioned Weisselbergs top lieutenant, Jeffrey McConney, before a special grand jury hearing evidence in the Trump inquiry, people with knowledge of the matter have said. The testimony was the first sign that the grand jury was hearing evidence about Weisselberg. Story continues When hoping to turn an insider into a cooperating witness, prosecutors often seek leverage over the person, and then typically offer leniency in exchange for testimony or assistance. The Trumps have long been able to count on Weisselbergs fealty. After beginning his career working for Trumps father, Weisselberg has served as the Trump Organizations financial gatekeeper for more than two decades. Even if Weisselberg chooses not to assist the investigation into his boss, charges against him could portend trouble for Trump, signaling that the prosecutors have identified what they believe is misconduct at his family business. As part of the investigation into the fringe benefits Trump provided, Vances prosecutors have sought records for Mercedes-Benz cars leased for Weisselberg, his wife and other Trump Organization employees over the course of more than a decade, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The full scope of the investigation into Weisselberg, including whether prosecutors are considering other charges against him separate from the fringe benefits, could not be determined. It is rare for prosecutors to build a criminal case solely around a failure to pay taxes on fringe benefits. Vances wider investigation into the Trump Organization has included scrutiny of whether Trump and the company manipulated property values to obtain certain loans and tax benefits, among other potential financial crimes. A lawyer for Weisselberg, Mary Mulligan, declined to comment, as did a Trump Organization representative. Trump, a Republican, has long lashed out at the investigation, calling it a continuation of the greatest political Witch Hunt in the history of our country. A spokesperson for Vance, who has served three terms but is not running for reelection this year, declined to comment. Before recently convening the special grand jury, Vances office was already using other grand juries to issue subpoenas for documents and hear some testimony. The new panel is expected to hear from a wide range of witnesses in the coming months and, if prosecutors present charges, could vote on indictments. Still, there is no indication that the inquiry into Trump has reached that advanced stage, or even that prosecutors have decided to seek charges against the former president or his company. The New York state attorney general, Letitia James, who had been conducting a civil examination of some of the same issues that the district attorneys criminal investigation is examining, has joined Vances inquiry. She, too, has obtained Weisselbergs tax returns, people with knowledge of the matter said. While pursuing Weisselbergs cooperation, Vances prosecutors appeared to be building a picture of his financial life, securing earlier this year not only his tax returns and the underlying documents but also his personal bank records. They also asked the Trump Organization to turn over documents related to any benefits Trump or the company may have provided to other employees. The investigation has led the prosecutors to subpoena the records of Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, an Upper West Side private school, seeking information about tuition payments Trump made on behalf of at least one of Weisselbergs grandchildren. Prosecutors additionally questioned Weisselbergs former daughter-in-law, Jennifer Weisselberg, who is in the midst of a contentious custody battle with her ex-husband, Barry. Her lawyer, Duncan Levin, has said she has been interviewed six times and is cooperating with the investigation. Jennifer Weisselberg has said that prosecutors had asked her about the tuition payments as well as gifts Barry Weisselberg received from Trump, including an apartment on Central Park South and several cars that were leased for him. Barry Weisselberg manages the Trump Wollman Rink in Central Park. The prosecutors have also focused on whether Trump provided Allen Weisselberg with a Manhattan apartment. Allen Weisselbergs lawyers could argue that some of the benefits were not taxable, or that Weisselberg did not know he needed to pay taxes on them. The rules around tuition, for example, are somewhat open to interpretation. If prosecutors eventually seek charges against Weisselberg based on the fringe benefits, depending on what the evidence shows, they could choose from several potential crimes, including grand larceny, scheme to defraud or tax fraud, experts said. To prove scheme to defraud, Vances prosecutors would need to show that Weisselberg engaged in a systematic ongoing course of conduct with intent to defraud. To prove he committed tax fraud, they would have to show that he willfully failed to pay taxes on the benefits. With tax fraud, the fallout for Weisselberg would be steeper than under the scheme to defraud charge: Failing to pay more than $10,000 in taxes in a single year can be punishable by up to seven years in prison, while the penalty for scheming to defraud is a maximum of four years. Those dollar amounts could make it relatively easy for the Manhattan district attorney to make a criminal case, said Cono Namorato, a lawyer at Caplin and Drysdale and a former senior official at the Justice Departments tax division. Still, Namorato and other tax lawyers said that it would be unusual to bring such a case on failure to pay taxes on fringe benefits alone; the lawyers could think of no other recent example. Weisselberg has kept a low profile during his long tenure at the company, but his name surfaced three years ago in connection with a federal investigation into hush money paid during the 2016 presidential campaign to two women who said they had affairs with Trump. Michael Cohen, Trumps longtime fixer who helped arrange the payments to the women, has said Weisselberg was involved as well. Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal charges in 2018, is now cooperating with Vances investigation. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. 2021 The New York Times Company File image: Part of an incomplete border wall is seen in the background as asylum-seeking migrants from Central America line-up outside of a US board patrol bus after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico in La Joya, Texas, US, 20 May, 2021 (REUTERS) Former US President Donald Trump has announced that he will visit the US-Mexico border in Texas later this month as Republicans attempt to corner President Biden on handling the immigration issue. Mr Trump said he would join Texas governor Greg Abbott for a tour of the border, but the exact location of the visit was not clear. "The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in US history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in US history. Its an unmitigated disaster zone," said Mr Trump in a statement. The announcement came within days of Mr Abbott announcing at a border security summit in Del Rio that Texas will build a wall on its own. Mr Abbott slammed the Biden administrations open border policies. The former president said that what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have done, and are continuing to do on our border, is a grave and wilful dereliction of duty. We went from having border security that was the envy of the world to a lawless border that is now pitied around the world. Our nation is now one giant sanctuary city where even dangerous criminals are being cut loose and set free inside the US interior on a daily basis, he said. Mr Trump said his visit will hopefully shine a spotlight on these crimes against our nation, and show the incredible people of ICE and Border Patrol that they have our unshakeable support. Mr Abott, a Republican, had announced under the enhanced border security plan the formation of a task force, approval of $1bn (700m) in funding for border security, and building border barriers. He had also urged other states in the US to join the effort. The issue of immigration is among the most polarising ones in US politics currently. It was one of the main rallying points during the Trump administration. It continues to remain a crucial one under President Biden. Soon after becoming the US president in January, Mr Biden had reversed several of Trump administration policies regarding immigration and borders. However, his decisions have been severely criticised by the Republicans, who blame him for mishandling the issue leading to a surge in the number of migrants at the US-Mexico border. Story continues Read More At least 8 injured after Texas race track crash White House: Markets showing little worry about inflation Putin-Biden: Things to look out for at the Geneva Summit By Daina Beth Solomon MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -U.S. Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas said on Tuesday the U.S. southern border is not open to irregular migration, adding the Biden administration is developing "lawful pathways" aimed at slowing the flow of people at the border. The Homeland Security secretary's remarks during a visit to Mexico City come amid months of high migration that has become an early policy challenge for U.S. President Joe Biden, as hundreds of thousands of people flee violence and poverty in Central America and parts of Mexico. Mayorkas said both Mexico and the United States were working to curtail irregular migration. "We have challenged one another," he told a news conference. "It's not just a question of the U.S. asking of Mexico, it's a matter of what we both can do." Echoing Vice President Kamala Harris's comments to migrants during a visit to Guatemala last week, he said the government has sent a clear message to migrants: "Do not come." He emphasized that the government is working on alternatives he described as "lawful pathways," listing programs such as temporary worker visas and U.S. investment to tackle violence, corruption and weak economies in the countries with high migration rates. "We are devoted and dedicated to bringing different types of relief," Mayorkas said. Critics said the U.S. government was sending mixed messages that could fuel further migration, after Harris described the United States as a safe haven for asylum seekers only days after warning migrants they would be turned back at the border. Mayorkas noted that Title 42, a COVID-19 health order implemented under former U.S. President Donald Trump to slow migration during the pandemic, would remain in place as long as needed for public health reasons. Biden has faced growing pressure from migrant advocates and health experts to end the policy as more evidence emerges that migrants are being expelled into danger in Mexico. Story continues Mayorkas added that his department would be prepared to address border issues once the order is lifted. "It's not a tool of immigration policy," he said. In meetings with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and other top Mexican officials, Mayorkas also discussed speeding up vaccinations at the border amid efforts to phase out pandemic-related travel restrictions. The United States is not considering requiring a so-called vaccine passport for crossings, he said. Biden on Tuesday picked Latino lawyer and former U.S. senator Ken Salazar as ambassador for Mexico, whose role includes working to limit migration from Central America. Salazar in 2017 criticized Trump's migration policies, saying border relations were about "building trust, not walls." Trump on Tuesday said he would visit the Texas-Mexico border this month with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, after both complained about a rise in migrants crossing into the United States. (Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Writing by Anthony Esposito and Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Sephen Coates) (Bloomberg) -- U.S. climate envoy John Kerry pledged that Washington would give more money to help developing nations tackle climate change, as he toured the Arab Gulf and pushed major oil and gas producers to adopt cleaner energy policies. Weve got to clearly close the gap on finance, Kerry said Tuesday during an interview in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. Thats absolutely imperative. Kerrys comments come after President Joe Biden in April vowed to spend $5.7 billion annually on climate finance for less wealthy nations. He has also asked Congress to deliver $1.2 billion more to the United Nations Green Climate Fund. While thats a significant increase over previous American pledges, it falls far short of what climate activists say is necessary and what other nations have promised. Under President Barack Obama, the U.S. committed to giving $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund, which helps developing nations shift from fossil fuels to clean energy and deal with the effects of global warming. Only a third of that was actually sent before Donald Trump took office in 2017 and halted payments. Biden Disappoints Activists With $5.7 Billion for Poor Countries Kerry said Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, who he met Tuesday, expressed his very real commitment to fighting climate change. The kingdom will possibly agree to a net-zero emissions target of around 2050, according to Kerry. The Saudis dont fight the language of net-zero emissions, he said. They understand thats on the table and important. What they havent figured out is what are the things they really believe. They dont want to make idle promises. The U.S. and a few other major economies such as the European Union have committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. No country in the Middle East, home to almost half the worlds oil reserves, has done so yet. Saudi Arabia, the worlds biggest crude exporter, hasnt decided what steps it will take, said Kerry. But Washington wants it to build more renewable energy capacity. Prince Abdulaziz has previously said Saudi Arabia will generate half of its electricity from renewables such as solar and wind by 2030, and the rest from natural gas. The kingdom is also developing a hydrogen industry, hoping to become the worlds largest seller of the fuel, which is seen as crucial to slowing climate change. Story continues Kerry went to Riyadh after traveling to Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. There, he met Sultan Al Jaber, the UAEs special envoy for climate change and the head of Abu Dhabis state oil firm, Adnoc. It was Kerrys second trip to the Persian Gulf in the past two months, as he pushes major oil and gas producers to adopt cleaner policies. Cutting Coal In the interview, Kerry also discussed the meeting between Group of Seven leaders that ended on June 13 without setting a specific target date for phasing out coal power for domestic use. That was a disappointment for environmental groups pressing for stronger measures to end the use of whats considered one of the dirtiest fuels. The sticking point was the lack of alternatives for some countries that arent sure how they will be able to replace coal in their power grids, Kerry said. I think a number of countries just dont feel that they can create a date of termination at this moment. The G-7 nations did agree to halt new government funding for coal power projects in developing nations that lack emissions controls. Kerry said thats a step forward, but stressed that world leaders must do more ahead of the key United Nations climate conference set for November in Glasgow, Scotland. We have a lot of work between now and Glasgow to get completely on track, he said. (Updates lead.) 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. A U-Haul truck carrying 33 migrant men in the cargo hold was found by US Border Patrol agents near Van Horn, Texas (US Border Patrol) A truck filled with migrants suffering from heat-related illnesses was found near Van Horn, Texas, by the US Border Patrol. More than 33 individuals were found inside the U-Haul truck, according to immigration enforcement officials. Border agents found the migrants last Thursday evening after a day of near 100 degrees (38C) temperatures. The agency's Special Operations Group includes trained emergency medical technicians, who accompanied the agents when they investigated the trucks. After finding the migrants and conducting an initial assessment, 12 were taken to area hospitals for medical assistance. Border agents provided assistance for dehydration while on scene. Sean L McGoffin, the sector chief for the US Border Patrol Big Bend office, discussed the dangers of human smuggling with NBC 23, a local broadcaster. Smugglers do not care what type of misery they put people through as they take their money, he said. The Border Patrol received a tip that a human smuggling operation was occurring at a nearby McDonalds. When agents approached they found a semi-truck and a Dodge Journey. The migrants were inside. Federal authorities said that all of the migrants have or will recover from their illnesses and injuries. All of the migrants have been taken by Border Patrol and will now enter in the US's immigration enforcement system. US Homeland Security Investigations will prosecute the case. Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carrillo wrote a Facebook post discussing the incident. He revealed that the driver of the U-Haul has been taken into custody. Attending health providers advised had the immigrants not been discovered and treated they may have not survived, the Facebook post claimed. Border agents thwarted another smuggling operation involving a U-Haul near Laredo on 13 June. After stopping the truck, agents found 27 migrants inside its unventilated cargo area. The temperature inside the truck's cargo hold was 106 degrees (41C). Story continues In addition to the danger migrants face from the summer heat and the negligence of smugglers, they also must content with the coronavirus. The migrants trying to make it over the border are often placed into crowded, poorly ventilated spaces. According to the border agents who intercepted the smuggler near Laredo, none of the 27 migrants in the U-Haul were wearing face masks or any other protective from the coronavirus. All of the people involved in the Laredo smuggling attempt were put under arrest and are being processed under US Border Patrol protocols. Read More Bodies wash up on Yemen coast after reports of migrant boat sinking Video shows Kamala Harris motorcade mobbed by motorbikes in Mexico City British public fed up and demoralised by migrant crossings, Patel claims A volunteer hand recounts votes in Maricopa County, Arizona (AP) A Utah Republican lawmaker travelled to Arizona to observe a county vote recount from the presidential election, and now the legislator has said he wants a similar audit in his own state. Representative Steve Christiansen travelled to the state last week to observe the full hand recount of the vote in Maricopa County, which Joe Biden won over Donald Trump by just 10,477 votes. Following the excursion, Mr Christiansen said he would want a similar vote audit to take place in Utah. I would love to see an audit conducted in Utah, especially Salt Lake County, that mirrors this audit right here, he told far-right news network One America News during the visit. But whether that would actually happen in Utah remained unknown given the state doesnt use the voting system Dominion, which has faced the most scrutiny from people who falsely claim the election was stolen. This is all based on a preliminary investigation, Mr Christiansen told The Salt Lake Tribune. There are rumors out there that there may be issues with that equipment, but Im not sure thats been proven one way or the other. The Arizona audit last week drew several Republican legislators from across the nation such as lawmakers from Georgia, Michigan, Washington, and Oklahoma. They just want to see the audit and see what were doing, how were doing it, what procedures were using. They want to understand it, what the process is, said Rand Pullen, a former Arizona Republican Party chairman acting as a spokesperson for the audit, The Hill reports. Everybody whos seen the process has been pretty surprised about how totally secure it is. The audit, which was backed by state Republicans, involved a private firm coming into the state to host the hand recount of all votes from Maricopa County. Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based cyber security company, has never conducted an election audit before. Yet it was hired to conduct the new audit in Arizona, which has sparked backlash from Democratic lawmakers and several Republican lawmakers. Story continues State Senator Paul Boyer, who initially backed the audit, has since expressed concern about the partisan nature of the audit and the disinformation it could cause. By definition, an auditor is independent. And theyre not independent, Mr Boyer previously told The Hill. It makes me embarrassed to be a state senator at this point. Mr Trump, who has baselessly claimed the election was stolen, expressed support for the Arizona audit and pushed for something similar to take place in Pennsylvania another battleground state that the former president lost to Mr Biden. The people of Pennsylvania and America deserve to know the truth. If the Pennsylvania Senate leadership doesnt act, there is no way they will ever get re-elected! Mr Trump wrote. President Joe Biden won the state by more than 70,000 votes in 2020, and the Trump campaign has since failed to prove any election fraud took place in the state. The result of the Arizona audit was unlikely to overturn the states results in favour of Mr Trump given the margin Mr Biden won the state. Read More Manager Steve Clarke looks ahead to Scotland versus Czech Republic Euro game American Samoa culture plays role in US citizenship ruling US West swelters in record-busting heat, risking wildfires Attention all Verzuz fans patiently waiting for a battle spotlighting the women of rap. As the great Eve once said, we "Got What You Need." The next online throwdown, between Eve and Trina, will be the first to welcome two female rappers to the Verzuz stage. Eve ("Let Me Blow Ya Mind") and Trina ("B From Da Souf") will face off Wednesday at 5 p.m. Pacific on the Triller and Fite TV apps, as well as the Verzuz Instagram page. "Time to celebrate our queens!" Verzuz declared on Instagram. Created by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz at the start of the pandemic last year, Verzuz quickly became a viral sensation. The online series pairs legends mostly from hip-hop, rap, R&B and soul for friendly battles in which artists perform their songs. Previous matchups have featured Monica and Brandy, Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight and Alicia Keys and John Legend. Both Eve and Trina entered the rap scene around the turn of the century, with the former releasing her hit debut album, "Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady," in 1999 and the latter dropping hers, "Da Baddest B," in 2000. Standout numbers from Eve's first studio collection include "Gotta Man" and "Love Is Blind," while singles from Trina's inaugural LP include the title track and "Pull Over." "Honored to share this celebration with @therealeve," Trina wrote last week on Instagram. "This will be an epic night full of amazing energy .. Thank you for this opportunity @timbaland @therealswizzz Lets gooooooo." In 2017, the pair joined forces with Lil Kim for a remix of Missy Elliott and Lamb's "I'm Better." "Ayyyyyyye! My Sisters," Elliott reacted to the latest Verzuz announcement on Instagram. "This is big." Among the myriad male rappers who have participated in past Verzuz battles are the late DMX, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Nelly, Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane, T-Pain, Lil Jon, Rick Ross and 2Chainz. .On deck for the next Verzuz are rappers Bow Wow and Soulja Boy, who will square off June 26. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam held a ceremonial bill signing on legislation that provides financial assistance for higher education to students who are in the country illegally. House Bill 2123/Senate Bill 1387 will allow students who are in the state illegally to access education benefits equal to residents of the commonwealth, including in-state tuition and financial assistance programs the state provides for public and private colleges and universities. Until last year, undocumented students had to pay out-of-state tuition rates, Northam said Monday during the ceremony at Marymount University. Were all proud to have changed that. Lowering the cost barriers for children who have grown up in our schools. And now its time to give those students the opportunity to get help in paying for their education. Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, who sponsored the House version of the bill, said it will benefit communities by giving all students equal access to higher education. The legislation narrowly passed the General Assembly with support from Democratic leadership and opposition from Republican leadership. The Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates lower immigration numbers and enforcement of immigration laws, criticized the governor for signing the legislation. Being an illegal immigrant is supposed to be hard and [it should be] unappealing to stay illegally, CIS Executive Director Mark Krikorian told The Center Square. Krikorian said many of these students are in a tough spot because some were brought into the country illegally by their parents as minors. However, he said giving them taxpayer-funded financial support legitimizes illegal immigration and undermines the rule of law and the publics confidence in the government. Krikorian said higher levels of illegal immigration creates more job competition for people who are citizens of the country and requires more taxpayer resources to be used for public institutions, especially when they are low-skilled immigrants. Story continues The legislation is effective Aug. 1, 2022. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Virginia, Higher Education, State Original Author: Tyler Arnold, The Center Square Original Location: Virginia will give higher education assistance to illegal immigrants The wives of Chicago twins Pedro and Margarito Flores, who cooperated against Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, were arrested Tuesday on money laundering charges alleging they helped hide and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of their husbands drug proceeds over more than a decade. An indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court charged Vivianna Lopez, 40, also known as Mia Flores; Valerie Gaytan, 45, also known as Olivia Flores; and three others with conspiring to launder illicit drug proceeds in Chicago between 2008 and last year. Also charged in the money laundering conspiracy were the twins older brother, Armando Flores, 52, of Round Rock, Texas; Laura Lopez, 58, of Chicago; and Bianca Finnigan, 32, of Sycamore, Illinois, who is the sister of Vivianna Lopez. According to the indictment, the defendants laundered drug trafficking proceeds generated by the Flores twins, West Side drug traffickers whose decision to cooperate with federal authorities in 2008 led to arguably the biggest drug case ever brought in Chicago, with charges against El Chapo himself as well as many of his top underbosses. The Flores twins were sentenced in 2015 to 14 years in prison and were released late last year into witness protection. Its unclear where their wives were arrested or where they would appear in court. Laura Lopez and Finnigan appeared before a magistrate judge in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon where they each entered not guilty pleas. Sources said Finnigan is the sister-in-law of corrupt former Chicago cop Jerome Finnigan, who was sentenced to prison in 2011 for leading a rogue group of cops in the departments elite Special Operations Section. Court information for Armando Flores was not immediately available. The Flores wives are both the daughters of Chicago police officers and grew up in the city. Valerie Gaytan, Margarito Flores wife, was previously married to Latin Kings gang leader Rudy Kato Rangel, who was murdered at a West Side barbershop nearly two decades ago. Story continues After the Flores twins were sentenced, the wives wrote a tell-all book called Cartel Wives detailing the highs and lows of being married to drug-kingpins-turned-cartel-informants. A description of the book on Amazon.com said both wives are now living under assumed names because of the dangers posed by their husbands cooperation. To their neighbors, they are just single mothers, soccer moms, and members of the PTA, the description reads. But their personal stories could inspire the most terrifying and dramatic crime films and narco telenovelas being produced today. According to the nine-count indictment, the Flores wives maintained portions of their husbands drug proceeds at multiple locations over the course of more than 12 years, including Laura Lopezs residence in Chicago and Armando Flores residence in Texas, and used the money for the benefit of themselves, the incarcerated husbands, and others. The conspirators allegedly laundered the money through the use of currency exchanges, credit cards, money orders, gift cards, U.S. mail deliveries and other means, according to the U.S. attorneys office. The charges allege the wives spent more than $165,000 in drug money on private school tuition for their children, $100,000 in international and domestic travel, $80,000 for Vivianna Lopezs rent, and $11,000 in child support for one of their husbands kids. One of the wives also spent $31,000 of laundered drug money on her laundry business, the indictment alleged. The indictment seeks forfeiture from Vivianna Lopez and Gaytan in the amount of $504,858. Records show that as part of their unprecedented deal with federal authorities, the Flores twins forfeited about $4 million in drug proceeds to the government. During their cooperation, one of the twins drew the ire of prosecutors for purchasing a luxury vehicle for his wife, but their deal remained intact. When U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo sentenced the twins in 2015, prosecutors said they were satisfied that no other proceeds remained hidden. The judge went along with the deal not to impose a fine on the brothers, even though he was clearly skeptical. I think everyone in this city, everyone in this city thinks that you have money, Castillo said at the time, according to a transcript of the hearing. Everyone. But were not going to do anything about that. That changed last year, however, when the twins asked to be released from prison early due to the COVID-19 pandemic that was ravaging the federal prison population. In a motion last fall, prosecutors wrote, the government no longer holds the view that all recoverable proceeds were turned over. Born and raised in Chicagos Little Village neighborhood, the Flores rise in the narcotics world was due in part because of their older brother, Armando, who was arrested in Chicago in 1998 on federal narcotics charges after selling drugs out of a Cicero car dealership. When he went to prison, the twins stepped in and started selling themselves, eventually growing the business to supply buyers in Milwaukee with multikilo loads of cocaine. The twins built their drug empire using a system of couriers and henchmen whom they trusted to drive loads in vehicles outfitted with secret compartments and hydraulic trapdoors, court records show. The drugs were often picked up in broad daylight, in supermarket parking lots and outside of South Loop dollar stores, and then kept in innocuous-looking stash houses from Chicago to Aurora. Their main supplier was Guzman, whose vast operations included a fleet of 747 jets that had all the seats removed, the brothers said in sworn statements to a grand jury. The brothers said Guzmans lieutenants helped the cartel coordinate shipments of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico using submarines, speedboats and amphibious vessels to avoid law enforcement. After they agreed to flip, the brothers recorded phone calls and meetings with Guzman himself talking about massive shipments of drugs. The U.S. government helped the Flores brothers quietly leave Mexico in 2008, giving their immediate family members new identities and setting them up with $300,000 to pay for living expenses. In December 2018, Pedro Flores testified in the landmark trial against Guzman in New York, where prosecutors played phone calls that were crucial in the federal effort against the drug lord. On one call, jurors heard Guzmans own voice greeting Flores with Amigo! and discussing a price break on a shipment of heroin destined for Chicago. Guzman was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. _______ Faber resident Pamela Brice will challenge incumbent Ernie Reed, seeking his second term, for the Central District seat on the Nelson County Board of Supervisors in the November election. Brice, who is running as a Republican, said she was spurred to run after this past year, having to deal with at-home learning without reliable access to the internet during the pandemic. Thatll make you think long and hard about whats going on in your community, Brice said. There are so many people that like to run their mouths, and I guess Im a little bit one of those, but Im trying to put my money where my mouth is. If I dont participate in helping make good, positive changes, then Im part of the problem. She has held a number of jobs in the past, operated a bed-and-breakfast and started a home health care business. In an interview with the Nelson County Times, she said she often volunteers as well, which sparked her interest in what was happening in the community. The truth is I want to delve more deeply into helping people around here, but also Ive met so many people that say they need help, Brice said. I think I bring some well-rounded qualities to the position. The Morse Brothers Farm in Nelson County will receive more than $70,000 for a conservation easement to protect roughly 106 acres of farmland owned by third-generation Black farmers. According to a news release, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation on June 10 announced $4.8 million in grant funds across 22 projects from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation that will help preserve more than 6,100 acres throughout the commonwealth. I am excited to see the variety of projects that will be made possible through this round of grants as we work to preserve these spaces for future generations, Gov. Ralph Northam said in the release. The release states the grant process incorporates ConserveVirginia, the commonwealths land conservation strategy which is based on smart map technology. The projects range from conservation easements like the one awarded to Morse Brothers Farm to the acquisition and protection of a cave and karst resources in Southwest Virginia or urban parkland in Richmond. The largest grant of $500,000 was awarded to Forkland Dairy in Cumberland County for a conservation easement to protect more than 900 acres of farmland. Vice Chair Jesse Rutherford agreed, saying some of the points being made were controversial topics. He said the resolution should more focus on the fact the ACP was canceled and let the people remember their own reasons for why they opposed it. Reed said the whereas portions of the resolution being omitted were well established. They were all successful arguments to have the pipeline canceled and anyone could go through the record take a look at these and realize that none of these were effectively refuted in court, Reed said. Friends of Nelson also will hold a celebration July 10. The party was delayed last year because of COVID-19. In other news: On June 1, Nelson County received the first of its two-part installment of American Rescue Plan funding at just less than $1.45 million as part of a $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package singed into law by President Joe Biden. According to County Administrator Steve Carter, staffs recommendation was to hold a workshop in the coming months to potentially settle on uses for the money. He said the county has until 2023 to expend all of its ARP funds. Robert Brown, Virginia Department of Transportation representative for the Lynchburg District which encompasses Nelson County, reported to the board VDOT intends to widen a portion of Route 664 along Reeds Gap that has become a notorious pinch point for through tractor trailers. VDOT recently prohibited tractor trailers from using the mountainous stretch of roadway after an uptick in the number of stuck vehicles and while the restriction has eased the problem, there are still trucks that use and clog the path. Despite criticism from Harvey for widening the road, Brown said keeping the work will ultimately benefit emergency services and public safety. 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. Emmert resides near the town of Amherst and addressed the importance of expanding broadband coverage to all county residents, an area county and school officials have partnered in making strides in during the past year. Justice, who moved to Amherst County last year, said she is running for office because she loves the community. I believe the parents have a right to know whats happening in our schools, she said of making sure families are given adequate information on major policies affecting their children. She said she feels the division needs to focus on the basics of learning and what we have in common, referring to an equity lesson recently taught in schools that some county residents have said they feel is divisive. Each one of them is a history-maker, a history-changer, and thats what they need to be taught. They dont need to be taught its where you come from that decides where youre going to go, Justice said. She added teachers need more time in the classroom and less time in professional development meetings. I do believe I have the skills to be an advocate for parents and how parents being informed and being able to [give] input how these decisions are affecting their children. Bedford County Public Schools new superintendent, Marc Bergin, wants to connect with the countys stakeholders, and hes starting by talking with them face-to-face. At a meet and greet event Tuesday night, Bergin met with an intimate group of 11 students, parents, current and former division staff members, and community members at the Moneta/Smith Mountain Lake Library in Moneta. For more than an hour and a half, the group talked with Bergin and each other about how theyd like to see the division grow. Bergin said he thinks there is value to getting stakeholders in a room and allowing productive conversations about how to build upon the divisions strengths and address areas that need improvement. I know what some of the issues are, they identified some others ... I dont have the solution to all of them, but put enough people in the room and the solution will present itself, Bergin said. Tuesdays event was the first of six meet and greet sessions Bergin has scheduled at Bedford Countys public libraries and a school on Tuesday nights through June and July. Seven-year-old Hannah Rogers, a rising second grader at Goodview Elementary School, had no trouble sharing what she loved about her school and what she hopes to see more of. Erasing the stigma In August 2020, Norquist publicly announced the formation of a task force to study the matter. The goal, he said, was in part to remove the stigma of pilots talking about strange things they saw. Officials wanted to "start educating our pilots and get them to the point where they understand this is credible enough [that] we really need you to report this and you shouldn't be afraid that you're going to get grief from the department because you said this." At that point, the former official said, the small task force working the issue understood that the data surrounding these encounters -- including radar and other technical information that theoretically couldn't be spoofed or attributed to pilot misperception -- pointed to a real event. "You sort of had to get the ritual joke out of the way," Norquist said. "But everyone who dealt with it, when they saw the information understood, it is sufficiently credible [and] we need to find out why." Erasing the stigma surrounding a serious discussion of UFOs was also the goal for lawmakers in 2020 when they passed legislation requiring the Pentagon and intelligence community to provide more information about these UFO encounters, details that have, until recently, largely remained shrouded in secrecy. A Spotsylvania County man pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday for heading a conspiracy in which numerous illegally purchased firearms were sold in Virginia and Maryland. Jesus Funez Fuentes, 37, was convicted in federal court in Alexandria of conspiracy and possessing ammunition as a prohibited person. He will face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 20. "The straw purchasing of firearms poses a significant threat to our communities by placing guns in the hands of unlicensed and potentially dangerous individuals," said Raj Parekh, acting U.S. Attorney. According to federal court records, Fuentes got two Spotsylvania women to purchase a total of 62 guns for him between August 2018 and January 2020. Fuentes couldn't legally make the purchases himself because of a 2011 felony conviction in New York on a firearms-related offense. Fuentes sometimes accompanied the women into stores, pointing out the guns and related items that he wanted. Maria Antonia Lovos, 31, and Shelby Lee Apperson, 37, made the purchases at about a dozen stores, including three in the Fredericksburg area. They then turned the guns over to Fuentes, who sold them for a profit. CNN's Matthew Chance asks Russian President Vladimir Putin if he was committed to stopping cyber attacks on the United States. Hear Putin's response. President Joe Biden gifted Russian President Vladimir Putin a pair of custom aviator sunglasses made by Randolph USA during their summit on Wednesday, according to a White House official. The sunglasses are made by an American company that has provided them to the US military and its NATO partners. Biden also gifted the Russian President a crystal sculpture of an American bison -- the national mammal of the US -- made by Steuben Glass of New York, according to the official. The gift of aviators with ties to NATO is symbolic and comes on the heels of a summit of the defense alliance in Brussels that Biden attended. During that summit, Biden reaffirmed the US' commitment to the military alliance and urged western allies to better align themselves against Russia and China. The company, Randolph USA, manufactures its aviators in Massachusetts, the official said. In 1978, the company joined forces with the US military to produce the HGU-4/P Aviator, which was designed for fighter pilots, according to the official. A rare unanimous ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court has closed what some analysts are calling a loophole in the Fourth Amendments prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures by banning the seizure of firearms from a private residence without a warrant. Its telling that all nine justices were united in calling out such warrantless seizures as unconstitutional. Writing for the court in Caniglia v. Strom, Justice Clarence Thomas affirmed that the very core of the Fourth Amendment guarantees the right of a man to retreat into his own home and there be free from unreasonable governmental intrusion. Unreasonable is this case defined as the seizure of a mans guns without a court-approved warranteven though done with benign intent as a form of community caretaking. According to court documents, the case involved Rhode Island resident Edward Caniglia and what he later claimed was a non-serious plea for his wife to shoot [him] now and get it over with after he placed a non-loaded firearm on their dining room table during a marital argument. There was no domestic violence or other crime committed, although the wife left the family home for the night and called police to escort her back the next day when her husband did not answer his phone. Lane also sketched out the history of state funding for school construction, which is highly instructive. Nearly three decades ago, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission researched this and found that the state was active in school construction in the early 1900s. That changed in the 1930s when Harry Byrd was governor. He was a transportation governor who instituted state funding for roads. The trade-off: The state would get out of the school construction business. Historical irony: Today affluent and ethnically diverse Northern Virginia benefits from the roads-over-schools policies of the segregationist Byrd. One difference between then and now: Then there was lots of federal money available for school construction. In 1938, the federal government paid 45% of the costs of local school construction a byproduct of the New Deals Works Progress Administration. Today federal funding for construction amounts to less than 1%. Instead, the burden is almost entirely on local governments i.e., local taxpayers, but the cost of building a new school is often beyond the means of many localities that might gently be described as economically distressed. History indeed rings loud and clear In response to Nancy Tyrees letter of June 13 [Community Viewpoint, Todays GOP echoes terrible history], I couldnt agree more; the echoes of history and the Holocaust ring loud and clear in 21st-century America. In June 2020, media sources including NPR, The New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, and The Washington Post reported that President Trump and the White House had directed U.S. Park police to use tear gas against peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park to enable a Trump photo-op in front of St. Johns Church. This portrayal of events was quickly parroted by then-Sen. Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Last week, Interior Department Inspector General Mark Greenblatt, who served in the Obama Commerce Department, issued his official findings and concluded the media narrative was false from start to finish. Joseph Goebbels, Reich Minister of Propaganda, famously said If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. Luca (2021) Dive in for some fun with Luca, premiering on Disney+ this Friday. Set in the Italian Riviera, this computer-animated flick from Pixar Animation follows friendly sea monster Luca (Jacob Tremblay, Room, 2015) as he and his friend, Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer, It 2017), leave the ocean to go explore the human world. While there, they end up on a series of adventures, get used to the novelty of having legs and strike up a friendship with Giulia (Emma Berman, Go! Go! Corey Carson), a girl from the human world. This heartwarming film packs in all the family fun that can be expected from a Pixar film, telling a classic fish-out-of-water story (literally) in a fun new way. Written by Jesse Andrews (Every Day, 2018) and Mike Jones (Soul, 2020), Luca is directed by Enrico Cararosa (La Luna, 2011), who has worked on Pixar films across a wide variety of departments during his career. The film also features the voices of comedy greats Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) and Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show), as well as Giacomo Gianiotti (Greys Anatomy), Deyvi Stib Rodriguez (Good Boys, 2019), Marco Barricelli (The Book of Daniel, 2006) and Saverio Raimondo (Dove Mario?). Japan's government is considering lifting the coronavirus state of emergency currently issued for 10 prefectures except Okinawa. It also plans to apply intensive preventive measures to seven of them, including Tokyo and Osaka. The plan was agreed at a meeting on Wednesday between Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and the minister in charge of coronavirus response, Nishimura Yasutoshi, health minister Tamura Norihisa and others. According to the plan, the state of emergency for nine prefectures will end on Sunday. Seven of those prefectures, which are Hokkaido, Tokyo, Aichi, Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto and Fukuoka, will be placed under intensive anti-virus measures until July 11. The government has told its plan to governing parties. As for Okinawa, the government plans to extend the state of emergency until July 11 as its medical system remains under strain. Other five prefectures have been under special preventive measures. The designation for the measures will be lifted in Gifu and Mie prefectures on Sunday, but will be extended to July 11 in Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures. The government will seek advice from a panel of infectious disease experts on Thursday. If approved, the plan will be finalized at a government task force meeting. Police have located and arrested a woman accused of setting another woman on fire. Lindsy Maves, 28, was taken into custody without further incident on Monday, the Council Bluffs Police Department said. She was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, first-degree arson and willful injury. Maves is being held at the Pottawattamie County Jail. The jail booking website did not list a bond amount on Monday evening. Officers were called to New Visions Homeless Services in the 1400 block of North 15th Street just after 4:30 a.m. on Monday after an altercation between Maves and another woman. The altercation had occurred in the area, but not at the shelter, according to New Visions Director Brandy Wallar. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} During the fight, Maves allegedly sprayed a flammable substance on the woman and lit her on fire, police said. As a third person at the scene tried to put out the fire, Maves allegedly continued to attack the victim, hitting her in the face with an unknown object, police said. The woman that was injured walked to our shelter, she came to our facility to get help, Wallar said. We contacted police. She was in pretty bad shape. Im glad we were able to help. Disneyland is throwing open its gates to all tourists after allowing just California residents. Fans will be able to sit elbow-to-elbow and cheer without masks at Dodgers and Giants games. Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated by hosting a drawing in which 10 people won $1.5 million each simply for being vaccinated. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that 70% of adults in the state have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and he announced that the immediate easing of many of the restrictions will be celebrated with fireworks. What does 70% mean? It means that we can now return to life as we know it, he said. He said the state is lifting rules that had limited the size of gatherings and required some types of businesses to follow cleaning protocols, take peoples temperature or screen them for COVID-19 symptoms. Businesses will no longer have to restrict how many people they can allow inside based on the 6-foot rule. For the time being, though, New Yorkers will have to keep wearing masks in schools, subways and certain other places. DES MOINES Iowa House Democrats on Monday elected state Rep. Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights to be their new caucus leader making her the first woman to serve in that capacity. Konfrst, who served as House minority whip during the 2021 legislative session, was selected to fill the top leadership post after Rep. Todd Prichard of Charles City announced last month he was stepping down. Republicans currently hold a 59-41 edge in the Iowa House. Im honored to earn the trust of my colleagues to lead our fight to ensure Iowans voices are heard and truly represented in Des Moines, Konfrst said in a statement. I love my home state, and I believe the Legislature must do better for all Iowans. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} For too long, Republicans have put the needs of special interests ahead of Iowans needs. Its time for a change in the Iowa House, and Im ready to get to work, added Konfrst, who leads the only majority-female caucus at the State Capitol. BRUSSELS (AP) The European Unions testy relations with Russia are likely to get worse and the blocs 27 member countries must ensure that Moscow does not divide them, the EUs top diplomat warned Wednesday. Unveiling a report on ways to deal with what the Europeans believe is an increasingly authoritarian Russia hostile to the West, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the likelihood that ties will improve anytime soon remains a distant prospect. The EU, Borrell told reporters in Brussels, needs to be realistic and prepare for a further downturn of our relations with Russia, which right now are at the lowest level. His new strategy will be debated by EU leaders at a June 24-25 summit. It focuses on pushing back when Russia infringes international law or human rights, containing Moscow when it pressures the EU and engaging on issues that are in Europes interests. But member countries are deeply divided over the best approach to take with Moscow. Russia is the EUs biggest natural gas supplier. It also plays a key role in a series of international conflicts and issues, including the Iran nuclear deal and conflicts in Syria and Libya. 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. A newly begun Nebraska Public Power District construction project west of Paxton is meant to overcome problems dating to major South Platte River floods in 2013 and 2015. NPPD spokesman Mark Becker said workers are building a sedimentation basin near the Korty Diversion Dam to enable the district to reopen and limit sediment buildup in the South Platte Supply Canal. The dam and canal, also known as the Korty Canal, opened in November 1946 as the second water supply source for the New Deal-era Sutherland Project, now owned and operated by NPPD. The older part of the irrigation and hydroelectric system, completed in 1936, diverts North Platte River water just past the Keystone Diversion Dam below Kingsley Dam and Lake McConaughy. Both the Keystone Canal and the Korty Canal feed into Sutherland Reservoir. Water from there goes to Lake Maloney the systems regulating reservoir and back to the South Platte near North Platte Community Colleges North Campus. NPPD spokesman Mark Becker said the new basin will help reduce sediment buildup in the Korty Canal, a problem seriously worsened by the last decades South Platte floods. Another month, another monthly record for city sales taxes in North Platte. City Hall will receive a net $820,101 from the Nebraska Department of Revenue for April, a 15-year record for that month and third-best for any month since 2006. Lincoln Countys lodging tax also continued its recent post-pandemic recovery. Aprils net collections totaled $70,274, more than tripling the COVID-19-depressed amount of $21,327 for April 2020. Recovery for North Plattes 1.5% city sales tax started much earlier. After sagging in spring 2020 the period of Nebraskas strictest pandemic health measures monthly records now have been set nine times in 11 months. Aprils total trailed only the $849,683 received last month for March and the $829,910 in June 2020, the citys first-ever penetration of the $800,000 mark. Counting Aprils $820,101, the past 12 months have witnessed North Plattes six best sales-tax months since 2006. Net collections for January through April totaled just under $2.99 million, 25.2% higher than the same period in 2020. Theyre also 12% ahead of their pace in 2019, when local calendar-year net sales taxes reached a record $8.36 million. North Platte recently witnessed and played part in some interesting debates and outcomes on the question of governments proper role in boosting community financial well-being. In 2020s general election, the citys residents voted 3-to-1 in favor of another 10 years for our Quality Growth Fund, which annually allocates up to $650,000 of local sales tax for use in economic development. Tax increment financing and an enhanced employment area tax were approved to incentivize a private development companys refurbishing of the mall. Sen. Mike Groene, Lincoln Countys representative in the Unicameral, sponsored a bill that went on to unanimous approval from fellow senators allocating $10 million of state tax revenue over the next two years for rail park development that could help fund direct access to Union Pacific rails at a site just east of Hershey. A beef processing concern is poised to present a proposal for a $300 million plant that will include seeking TIF incentives; this proposal has not been formally made, but comments from City Council members and others in the community suggest there is much support. QGF dollars assist existing and new businesses to grow, succeed and provide good jobs for residents. Notable recent expenditures of QGF include support of housing construction through the Shot in the Arm program and support of local businesses during the pandemic with a dollar-matching incentive. Book a villa in the middle of the jungle We first stumbled upon Santa Teresa while traveling around Costa Rica on our honeymoon in 2010. Its a very natural, unmanicured stretch of sand along the Pacific Ocean. We stay in Playa Hermosa, which is at the north end of the strip; its perfect if you have kids or want nice accommodations and chill vibes. Book a beach villa through Batik Costa Rica, a really nice hotel. Ask for Rayo Verde (from $850), a home thats not listed on its site but is one of its more special offerings in that its bigger than others and is set in the most beautiful jungle landscape; it fits ten people and has a pool, a yoga palapa, an outdoor shower, and a path right down to the beach. Its so nice that if you dont want to leave and cross paths with anyone, you really dont have to. Photo: EMANUELE BASTONI/IMAGOARTS 7 a.m.: Catch a puddle jumper to Tambor If youre coming from Los Angeles, take the red-eye on Delta that gets you into San Jose at six in the morning. From there, we take a 25-minute flight to Tambor through SANSA Airlines, which I call the Indiana Jones plane; its a 12-seater and is equal parts exciting and terrifying. For under $100 round-trip, its worth it because its so fast. There is a weight limit of 30 lbs for main luggage and 10 lbs for carry-ons per person, so dont take too much (I learned this lesson the hard way): Pack a few short dresses and a pair of shoes you wont be precious about, because they will get a bit wrecked. From Tambor Airport, catch a taxi to the villa; its about 45 minutes and costs about $70. If small planes or packing light isnt your thing, you can also drive down and get a 70-minute ferry to cross the Gulf of Nicoya, but that can take six to seven hours door-to-door, depending on how many stops you make. (Driving the whole way takes even longer forever!) Either way, youll need a rental car so you can take day trips across the peninsula or to Santa Teresa and Malpais, which are all on the same 20-minute road. Make sure to rent a 4x4 even though they just started paving the main road this year, the conditions arent great, especially if it rained the night prior or an ATV. All the locals ride them while wearing bandanas and goggles because its really dusty, very Mad Max. 4:30 p.m.: Get in an afternoon surf Once you reach town, around lunchtime, youll want to eat at Couleur Cafe (Playa Hermosa) up the street. I order a fresh green juice and the veggie sandwich because its simple and on panini thats delicious. Relax around the house and drink beer by the infinity pool until your friends, who have decided to drive the whole way down from San Jose, arrive, likely around sunset. Thats when everyone goes to the beach for a surf. Get there around 4:30 p.m. and try to leave before 6:30, because it gets dark fast, and there will be hermit crabs and spiders everywhere. Theres two words that sum up Johnson not only for our students but for our staff: Shes our school mom, Auburn Junior High School Principal Ross Reed said at the Auburn City Schools Board of Education meeting in April. So many of our young teachers go to her for advice, and I go to her for advice. She has the pulse of the school, and shes just one of those outstanding educators that we are so fortunate to have not only at Auburn Junior High but in Auburn City Schools. Washington, PA (15301) Today Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 70F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 54F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Staff Writer Brad Hundt came to the Observer-Reporter in 1998 after stints at newspapers in Georgia and Michigan. He serves as editorial page editor, and has covered the arts and entertainment and worked as a municipal beat reporter. it begins Reply Thread Link This gif is sending me Reply Parent Thread Link great way to start this post. i don't need to read any more comments. Reply Parent Thread Link honestly this is my favorite scene Reply Parent Thread Link Wow. Fuck him. Shes incredibly gorgeous. Omg. WTF this is so insane Reply Thread Link I thought Leona and John Legend were friends? That doesnt invalidate Leonas experience. Chrissy seems like a selective asshole and is probably crying to her famous pals about being bullied when shes been a bully. Im sure shes been able to climb the ladder in Hollywood by being ugly towards people and manipulating. Ill say sucks Leona had to have that experience and doesnt sound like Michael is very good at his job if true. Reply Thread Link My brain is profoundly breaking from trying to keep up with this saga. Leona is advocating not to kick people when they're down but it kinda feels like she's doing that to Michael? I think I'm missing something here. Reply Thread Link Hes not down though, hes been quite happily inserting himself with the Chrissy fallout because she called him out for being racist, and framing himself as a victim of bullying. Theres other accounts of him being racist, and this is clearly another example of him bullying someone. If hes allowed to post about his experience with Chrissy, Leona is allowed to post about her experience with him. Reply Parent Thread Link hold up like bleeding love leona lewis?! like the song i sang my heart out to on the karaoke game Lips!? omg!!!!! i haven't heard of her in forever! now lemme read what she said lmfao ok i read it and this saga is just going to get messier and messier huh? lord. Edited at 2021-06-15 11:29 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link U mean International Release of Final Fantasy XIII replacement theme songstress Leona Lewis? Reply Parent Thread Link a queen!!! Reply Parent Thread Link his instagram stories in response to this show exactly the kind of person he is. instead of just apologizing for what happened, he posts what i'm sure he considers are "receipts" of her wearing his clothes at another time and emails from her reps (not her directly of course) to invalidate what she's saying. oh and from what i was googling yesterday, the incident where he claims he was wrongfully accused of being racist stems from him stealing a black woman designer's work. fuck him Reply Thread Link Oh god that reminds me of dudes like Weinstein using women working with him again as proof of his innocence. So gross. Reply Parent Thread Link im not sure what to believe Reply Parent Thread Link so i looked him up and his designs really are nothing special Reply Thread Link He was horrible on Project Runway and his stuff has not improved imo, idk how he even lucked into where he is now. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link second this Reply Parent Thread Link What season was he? I looked him up and didn't recognize him at all. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I will say Gretchen was fucking nasty to him....though now I'm wondering how staged it was Reply Parent Thread Link Yes I just remember how much he suuuucked on PR. It's crazy that of all the insanely talented designers that show featured, HE was one of the few to become a huge success. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Right? He was so bad! It's all I could think about when I saw about his posts. Reply Parent Thread Link I used to watch PR religiously and I'm kind of shocked to see his name floating around and him actually being successful like that. Wheres Daniel from Season 2? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link https://instagram.com/p/CQJd47uFFSW He should have sat there and ate his food He should have sat there and ate his food Reply Thread Link Yeah this is the stuff he mentioned as being false! But no one actually disproved it either. A few people in the previous post mentioned that he has a looooong history of drama. Not looking good! Reply Parent Thread Link I knew something was fishy with that dude. Poor Leona, thats awful. However, not a fan of using this mess to excuse Chrissy in any way Reply Thread Link i think two things can be true at once -- michael is a racist pos and chrissy is a bully Reply Thread Link Im beginning to think that everyone in fashion is garbage. Reply Thread Link Everyone. Not even Christian Siriano Reply Parent Thread Link :( What's the tea with Christian S? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link everyone Reply Parent Thread Link He responded on his IG stories saying he was confused and I guess they worked together since then? But are celebrities just going to line up calling each other out for calling out someone else? Reply Thread Link Yeah and someone from her team recently reached out to him to dress her for an upcoming performance. Of course just because she worked with him after doesnt mean what she said is untrue but if she is close with John/Chrissy and is using this as a way to come to Crissys defense, its messy. Especially with how she ended her note basically saying people should accept Crissys apology. Its all messy. Not defending this guy though. Reply Parent Thread Link I don't like him (I commented in another post rme at his "deep trauma" about Chrissy's DMs) but why frame it specifically in defense of Chrissy? This whole thing is shady as hell. Reply Thread Link Wasn't her skin darkened in West Side Story? Reply Thread Link yep and she was afraid her daughter would come out dark skinned apparently. Reply Parent Thread Link You need to understand the history of colorism in the PRican community. It's really ingrained in our older generations and really sad. Since Spain was our first colonizer PRicans were taught that the only acceptable beauty standard was white skin, blue/green eyes and light colored hair. To this day that's what's considered beautiful here even though it is changing and getting better. For example, my grandmother, my dad's mom, literally wanted nothing to do with my mom and me because we weren't fair skinned. So sadly this isn't just a Rita situation. She is the product of a very complicated and sad anti blackness history. I'm not excusing her, just trying to give you some background as to how deep this runs. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I'm so bummed for the afro-latine ppl that actually *live* in WH. especially those with darker skin Was not planning on watching it, but the fact that Stefanie Beatriz AND Dascha Polanko are in it are enough for me to pass regardless Reply Thread Link what has stefanie done? Reply Parent Thread Link Issa got a lot of negative heat for the , "rooting for everybody Black" comment at an awards show. It became a black cultural thing. Then SB white a shirt that appropriated the slogan for Latinos. She never apologized after being called out and I've never really trusted her since. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Dascha alone was enough for me to decide to never see this. Sorry to Anthony because I do enjoy some of his roles. Reply Parent Thread Link seconding the question about stefanie Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Utterly absurd statement and unfortunately discredits anything she has to say. I had to force myself to keep reading Reply Parent Thread Link This is the man who literally has brought Latino-ness and Puerto Rican-ness to America. I mean. No. I can name a ton of brown people that Americans like more than LMM before LMM. Selena for example. Cheech Marin. George Lopez. Ritchie Valenz. J Lo even. Thats all from the top of my head. Reply Thread Link Lin Manuel, the first Puerto Rican to ever entertain America Reply Parent Thread Link We should be more grateful Reply Parent Thread Link Headline: Anthropologists astonished to discover LMM invented Puerto Rico! Reply Parent Thread Link This Ricky Martin erasure! Reply Parent Thread Link Idk if she counts but Dolores Del Rio? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link iconique, groundbreaking, avant garde tbh first puerto rican to do thisiconique, groundbreaking, avant garde tbh Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Iris Chacon Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Sorry Rita but he's annoying. He annoys us and as a culture, we reject him just as we have rejected all the annoying nerds that came before. Reply Thread Link You can support In the Heights, want it to succeed and still be critical and recognize its faults. I know I want to see the movie even though I am disappointed about the lack of afro-Latinos. Reply Thread Link This is exactly where I'm at. The film is an accomplishment but should be used as an example of how to be better and how to serve our communities better. I'm worried that it being considered a flop means we won't get anything like this for years. Reply Parent Thread Link Racists studio execs dont care if a film lead by POC breaks records, they still say it wont sell. How many times had it been proven that they do sell? And how many white lead films bombed, yet they still keep getting made. Reply Parent Thread Link It sucks cause the play was everything to me when I first saw it. I felt seen with NinaI was away at grad school, had just written the worst paper in my life (lol) after studying and researching for MONTHS meeting with the professor (an expert in the field) and felt like an imposter and an idiot! Abuela Claudias song is my familys story, so really the play was everything. I felt like crying when I first watched it. That being said, the times Ive seen the play, it felt like it was made for my community, vs catering to whites. Its also been more diverse Vanessa was always darker than usnavy, for example. Also, whyd they kill off the mom? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Goddamnit Rita not you....not you Goddamnit Rita not you....not you Reply Thread Link Debra Messing looks great here. Reply Parent Thread Link Omg Susan Sarandon right here on ONTD Susan I love you Edited at 2021-06-16 11:02 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link The lack of people not knowing this is from The Red Shoes makes me sad. :( Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I wonder what it feels like, as an Afro Latino, to have all these other Latinos saying very loudly just shut up and be grateful we have anything, even if actually you dont. Reply Thread Link Yeah, It's really dismissive of the Afro-Latinos that are making the critic. Like are we not part of the community. Reply Parent Thread Link There is definitely this idea people get that social justice criticism just emanates from liberal white people. As if brown and black people have no agency or somehow don't care to stand up for themselves. Reply Parent Thread Link Its nothing we are not used to. Does not mean I am going to shut up about it. Reply Parent Thread Link Its hurtful but not surprising. Reply Parent Thread Link Im from the Heights and Afro-Latina. Ritas let it go comments are infuriating. Also, Puerto Rica IS PART OF AMERICA. She starred in West Side Story FFS. Everyone knows PR. The Heights is not a big melting pot. Dominicans are the majority. NOBODY has done a film on Dominican culture. Looks like Ill be dead before that happens. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Its a very common attitude from the Hispanic/Latine community about many things unfortunately. Reply Parent Thread Link WAIT FOR YOUR TURN, GUYS!! Its super shitty Reply Parent Thread Link Had a long conversation with a friend who lives in the Heights, born and raised and identifies as Afro-Latinx/Dominican about all of this. She and her husband and so many of her friends are rightfully upset. Reply Parent Thread Link lmao nbpoc have really mastered the craft of deflecting all criticism back to white people as if whites have a monopoly on being racist. its always wait your turn or youre blaming the wrong person whenever darker skinned people speak out against colorism, but how long are darker skinned people supposed to wait if even in 2021 these conversations are still having to be had because those who are in positions to make changes refuse to since the shit doesnt affect them directly Reply Thread Link typical white latina response Reply Thread Link LMMs background is upper middle class and he is not afrolatino. Lets talk about why he wrote In the Heights the way he did. Reply Thread Link Yup. His parents are a doctor and a political consultant. He went to one of the most prestigious high schools in the country. Reply Parent Thread Link Exactly. He is proud of his connection to PR and he has put his money where his mouth is. But why choose to write about a working class you have no connection to while in the fancy college? And there is something to be said about these colleges encouraging people to craft personal narratives that are fictitious that verge on appropriation. His father should write a memoir about his years in Washington and LMM should do another political play. Play to your strengths LMM. Reply Parent Thread Link Hes an absolute joke/fraud for these reasons and others. Im so glad that hes getting broader pushback, finally. Next is for everyone to wake up and realize that Hamilton is a mess. Reply Parent Thread Link Im simply saying, cant you just wait a while and leave it alone?" I don't know I think it's fair criticism, like it was fair to criticize CRA People can still support the movie while raising question. They are not mutual exclusive Reply Thread Link Mte. I get her point is that people are putting too much pressure on one person to represent everyone and do right by them and therefore people become harsher on this than they would a white movie, etc but to go from that to nobody is allowed to complain, its ridiculous Reply Parent Thread Link The criticism is pretty valid when you look at how pretty minimal afro-latinos are represented in Hollywood AND in our own media. Even countries like Brazil with possibly the biggest African diaspora in South America, do a shitty job with presenting them on screen. I also don't get the hate boner people seem to have for LMM, but I'm sure if he wants to continue being a creative force in Hollywood, he's gonna have to listen and come to terms with the criticism he gets. Reply Thread Link Colombia remains one of most likely candidates to stop producing oil. Not because of environmental concerns or renewables energy taking over, the reason is much more prosaic it would run out of crude. Thanks to an extensive appraising drive in the 1990s, Colombias proven crude reserves at some point totalled 3.2 billion barrels, however the gradual wearing thin could not be stopped, even the relatively recent exodus of Venezuelan oil specialists postponed the moment of depletion but never really cancelled it. Colombias Mines and Energy Ministry proudly stated that its reserves-to-production ratio did not sink any lower in 2020 and stagnated at around 2 billion barrels (equivalent to 6.3 years of production) yet this was largely on the back of lower production throughout the COVID-stricken year, not new discoveries being made. The risk of seeing its own crude reserves depleted soon looms large on the agenda of Colombian authorities and for obvious reasons Bogota has been mulling shale opportunities for quite some time already. Expected to be a pioneering moment for the Latin American nation and its Middle Magdalena Basin in particular, Colombias first-ever shale exploration tender that took place in November 2020 failed to impress. Despite rumours of US shale majors taking a close look at the bids on offer, it was only the national oil company Ecopetrol that did present an offer. ExxonMobil, along with ConocoPhilips, were the biggest market players rumoured to be looking into Colombian opportunities. It took ExxonMobil a bit more than six months to commit to Colombias shale and thus become the first foreign company to be launching a fracking-pertinent project in the country. Related: A Scorching Hot Middle East Summer Could Send Oil Prices Soaring ExxonMobil paid $53 million to land the Platero research project in the Middle Magdalena Basin. Apart from being the home of Colombias first-ever producing field, the La Cira-Infantas all the way back in 1918, the given region is now home to the smaller Magdalena crude stream. With a century-long history of oil extraction and all necessary infrastructure available for future drillers, the Middle Magdalena region is also fervently pro-trade union, being the headquarters of the USO syndicate. According to assessments cited by Ecopetrol, the Middle Magdalena Basin contains some 4-7 billion barrels of oil and some 3 TCf of natural gas. Above and beyond the official wooing of Western majors, Ecopetrol has been trying its best to get as much shale exposure as possible. It partnered with US firm Occidental Petroleum so that it can get first-hand experience from the Permian Basin on hydraulic fracturing. Thus, in spite of a relatively liberal government that seeks foreign investment, solid expertise and available infrastructure within the country, Colombias shale projects are still years away from being commissioned. The most recent factor stymieing progress further can be linked to nationwide protests taking over the streets the country, railing against the Duque Administration seeking a tax increase on individuals and businesses alike, to the extent of $6 billion. The government is quite clear about its intentions with the tax hike it wants to generate enough revenues to keep its investment grade debt rating, an endeavor that Colombias rural populace believes to take place at its immediate expense. Poorer regions, the condition of which was rendered even more precarious by the coronavirus, wasted no time in expressing their ire vis-a-vis the government. Related: $100 Oil Predictions Soar As Analysts Warn Of Supply Crisis Simultaneously to the ongoing protests, many inside Colombias political class are having qualms whether shale technologies should be buttressed, considering their questionable environmental impact. The Colombian attorney generals office wanted to derail the existing shale legislation in place, arguing that utilizing fracking technologies is incompatible with the countrys long-term environmental ambitions. Bogota pledged to become net-zero by 2050, pushing forward with its concurrent agenda of decarbonization and reforestation. In contrast to major oil producers, Colombia would find it relatively easy to decarbonize as its reserves are at an immediate risk of depletion still within the 2020s. Such a scenario, however, would leave the national oil company Ecopetrol between a rock and a hard place net profit halved year-on-year in 2020, reaching $0.47 billion, whilst the company needs funds for its ambitious portfolio of organic investments in the first half of the 2020s. What is there to do for Colombia? Well, oil production makes up some 4% of Colombias GDP and over 45% of the countrys exports. Losing such a chunk of the economy would be swiftly felt by politicians and the populace at large, a realization that loomed large with President Duque (who pledged not to support fracking when running for presidential office in 2018). The prudent way going forward would be to conclude deals with Western majors now, when the presidency is indeed under pressure yet still not as intense as it would be once campaigning for the May 2022 presidential elections kicks in. Any shale deal would be inevitably met with distrust; therefore, they need to be sweetened for the locals, providing them with a material incentive to see the connection between the survival of oil industry and their own well-being. Once this is done, the Colombian authorities will be facing the hardest task of them all ensuring that the covenant is upheld, pipeline explosions or sabotage attacks notwithstanding. By Gerald Jansen for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A Louisiana federal judge has blocked President Bidens ban on new oil leases on federal lands by issuing a preliminary injunction. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the administration had no right to stop leasing federal lands for oil and gas drilling without approval from Congress. The White House paused new oil and gas leases on federal lands in January, saying it was going to review the margin for potential changes in the existing regulation for the issuance of oil and gas leases. The immediate impacts of that pause were at the time considered likely to be negligible, but in the medium to long term, new regulations could have far-reaching consequences, not only on U.S. shale production and conventional production offshore but also on the oil revenues and budgets of the states where a large part of the drilling activity currently takes place on federal lands, such as New Mexico. The industry was quick to respond to the ban, as temporary as it may be. The Western Energy Alliance, just seven days after President Biden took office, filed a lawsuit challenging his order that banned oil and nat gas leasing on federal public lands. The WEA alleges that President Biden exceeded presidential authority and his order violates the National Environmental Policy Act, the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act, and much like Continentals lawsuit, it violates the Mineral Leasing Act, which requires the Interior Secretary to hold quarterly lease sales. Yet this was not the only lawsuit filed against the Biden administration because of the ban. Thirteen states also sued the federal government, including Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. It was on this suit that the Louisiana judge ruled, noting that the plaintiff states stood to suffer damages in the form of missed income from lease bids and bonuses from oil and gas companies. The administration said it would comply with the ruling but will continue with its review of the oil and gas lease process. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Rolling blackouts, freezing homes, and skyrocketing electricity prices. Back in February, Texas' primary electric grid suffered a one-two punch wrought by the deep freeze and off-the-charts demand for power as power plants struggled to keep up with heating demand. Power outages such as the Texas one are not only becoming much more frequent compared to the situation two decades ago but are also increasing in severity mainly due to climate stresses and a power grid that's increasingly unable to hold up. The Texas blackouts marked the third time the electric system failed to perform adequately in winter in recent years (1989, 2011, and 2021). The devastating blackouts once again brought into sharp focus the fact that the United States is relying on an aging electrical grid that's increasingly unstable, underfunded, and incapable of taking us to a new energy future. Despite being the wealthiest country in the world, the U.S. only ranks 13th in the quality of its infrastructure. Indeed, our power grid is the weakest link in the ongoing energy transition. Last year, a new study from UC Berkeley and GridLab found that it will be economically feasible for renewable energy to power 90% of a reliable grid by 2035, while only depending on natural gas for 10% of annual electricity production. Unfortunately, whereas renewable power sources have grown dramatically in recent years, our aging electrical grid is simply incapable of fully integrating them into our energy use, leading to so much potential power wasted. Yet, therein lies a great investment opportunity. A Wood Mackenzie analysis has estimated the cost of shifting the U.S. power grid to 100% renewable energy over the next 10 years at a staggering $4.5 trillion. That runs the gamut from constructing and operating new generation facilities, investing in transmission and distribution infrastructure, making capacity payments, delivering customer-facing grid edge technology, and more. President Biden's 10-year, $2 trillion American Jobs Plan seeks to re-energize the power grid, upgrade roads, bridges, and water systems and help make U.S. infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change. But that amount will hardly be enough to go the distance, and private investors will have to step up to the plate. Modernizing the power grid alone will require $300 billion per year spread out over 15 years, or double the current annual spending of $150 billion. That's why investing in companies working hard to build the next-generation grid could pay off big dividends for long-term investors. Here are our top picks, with good dividend growth opportunities serving as a safety net. Source: The Economist #1. NextEra Energy Inc. NextEra Energy Inc. NEE is a Florida-based clean energy company and America's largest electric utility holding company by market cap. NEE is the world's largest producer of wind and solar energy, with more than 50,000 megawatts of generating capacity. NextEra Energy is one of the largest utilities in the country, with two electric utilities in Florida. The company owns eight subsidiaries, with the largest, NextEra Energy Services, supplying 5 million homes in Florida with electricity. NextEra Energy Transmission integrates renewable energy and strengthens the electricity grid. NextEra is quickly establishing itself as a leader in building next-generation grids designed to handle increased loads from renewable energy. Related: Depleted Gas Stocks Force Europe To Use More Coal NextEra has been building its grid business both organically through development projects as well as inorganically through acquisitions. For example, earlier this year, NextEra acquired GridLiance for $660 million, adding 700 miles of high-voltage transmission lines across six states. Last year, NEE won regulatory approval to build a new transmission line in Western New York that will ease grid congestion and facilitate the delivery of renewable energy from the region. During the company's latest earnings call, management reiterated its 30x30 goal to install more than 30 million solar panels, or roughly 10,000 megawatts of incremental solar capacity, in Florida by 2030 through one of its subsidiaries, Florida Power & Light (FPL). Another of NEE's subsidiaries, NextEra Energy Partners LP(NYSE: NEP), is publicly listed and pays a 3.4% dividend--one of the highest in the industry. NEP acquires, manages, and owns contracted clean energy projects with a preference for businesses with stable, long-term cash flows. NextEra Energy Partners owns interests in dozens of wind and solar projects in the United States, as well as natural gas infrastructure assets in Texas. These contracted projects use leading-edge technology to generate energy from the wind and the sun. The company's management is shooting for 12-15% dividend growth through 2024, making this an ideal stock for income investors. #2. Xcel Energy Inc. Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy Inc. XEL is a leading electricity and natural gas utility serving 3.6 million customers in Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico. Xcel boasts nearly 9,000MW in operating capacity for its wind projects and another 1,600MW for solar. The company has increased solar generation by more than 4x since 2011 and plans to grow its wind generation capacity by 50% over the next couple of years. Like NextEra, Xcel Energy operates one of the biggest and fastest-growing investor-owned transmission systems with more than 20,000 miles of transmission lines across 10 states. Xcel has a goal to invest $24.3 billion through 2025 to expand its operations, with 25% of that earmarked to expand its transmission business to help support increased renewable energy deployment. One of the company's top projects is the proposed Colorado Pathway Transmission expansion that will see the company invest up to $1.7 billion to build 560 miles of new transmission lines to support 5.5 gigawatts of new renewable power generation. As part of the company's own investment thesis, Xcel shoots for consistent shareholder returns based on 5-7% annual EPS growth and similar dividend growth with a 60-70% payout ratio. The company aims to maintain a 3% dividend yield, meaning there's room for improvement on the current yield of 2.63%. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The power utility sector is one of the industries that are about to see the most dramatic change as parts of the world move towards a lower-carbon energy future. Utilities have been active in lowering their carbon footprint. However, there is still much work to do per the Paris Agreement targets and government pledges for net-zero by 2050. But theres one thing utilities seem to have underestimated: the need to digitize just as fast as they want to decarbonize. A new survey from EY has revealed that power utilities are almost completely unprepared for a digital future. While the industry is aware of the changes it must undertake to fit in a low-carbon world, the respondents in the survey cited the speed with which their company could change as the biggest challenge for adopting the technology they need to adopt for the low-carbon futurethe other challenge: money. Yet, there is an even greater challenge to the industrys transformation in tune with government emission goals. Power utilities lack the right workforce for a digital environment and have yet to find it and train it. This, according to the EY surveys respondents, is the biggest obstacle in the energy transition, with 89 percent identifying it as a challenge. Thats compared with 52 percent who said their company cannot move quickly enough for the transition and 40 percent who identify lack of sufficient funding as a challenge. Surveys like the EY one could be interpreted in different ways. The most obvious is the simplest: utilities need to pick up the pace and be faster about low-carbon and digital tech adoption to avoid getting left behind. The not-so-obvious perspective, however, is that maybe the urge to shift to renewables and EVs is a little rushed. Scientific research headlines in the media are getting increasingly grim, and the EU and the U.S. are getting increasingly ambitious with their emissions-cutting. Thats instead of devising detailed plans and sticking to them, which might have set a more palatable pace of change. This could have meant smoother sailing, given that rushed things rarely work as planned. Take President Bidens $2-trillion infrastructure plan. It envisages $174 billion in spending on the manufacturing and sales of more electric vehicles. The sum includes money for retooling car factories, grants and incentives for buyers, and incentives for charging stations. The Biden administration plans to build half a million of these across the country to encourage more people to buy EVs. There is a problem, however, and it has nothing to do with government spending plans. The Associated Press Tom Krisher wrote earlier this week that range anxiety is holding EV sales back. This is not news to those keeping an eye on the EV industry, but it may cause surprise among those who witness the litany of headlines that say millions of EVs will be on global roads in a decade or so. Before this happens, manufacturers would need to handle the range anxiety problem. Related: The Renewable Energy Revolution Has A Major Employment Problem So, back to power utilities. The general mood that the EY survey seems to have captured is one of urgency and, to a significant extent, one of inadequacy and moving too slowly. However, it may well be the other way round. It may be that agendas and priorities are moving too fast for the industry to respond adequately. Take workforce skilling and reskilling for a more digital future in the low-carbon economy. Training employees requires a certain amount of time that can only be reduced so much before it begins affecting the quality of the training. In other words, training simply cannot be rushed. According to EY, something similar applies to the adoption of digital technology. Digital investments are useful only to the extent that they can be matched with knowledge, skills, and abilities about the technology itself, its function in your organization, how it fits within your strategic vision, and your competitive position in the market, the survey report authors wrote. In other words, digital tech adoption is not an end in itself. It is a means of achieving a companys long-term goals in a changing environment. Yet, quickly or slowly, the power utility sector will need to change. It is at the forefront of the energy transition. This means it will need to handle a greater share of renewables on the grid and changing patterns of demand peaks and troughs with all the millions of EVs coming. This will be a challenging time, and some experts are warning that the transition simply isnt possible with the grid as it is right now. In such a context, avoiding rushed decisions and moves becomes even more important, not only for the power utility sector but for every sector. Thats especially true when the sector feels it is lacking in such essential aspects as workforce expertise and digital readiness. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Ironically, the wave of ESG investing in global energy markets may lead to much higher oil prices as a serious lack of capital expenditure on new fossil fuels dries up just as demand for crude continues to grow Pressure from investors, tighter emissions regulation from governments, and public protests against their business have become more or less the new normal for oil companies. What the worldor at least the most affluent parts of itseem to want from the oil industry is to stop being the oil industry. Many investors are buying into this pressure. ESG investing is all the rage, and sustainable ETFs are popping up like mushrooms after a rain. But some investors are taking a different approach. They are betting on oil. Because what many in the pressure camp seem to underestimate is the fact that the supply of oil is not the only element of the oil equation. Imagine Shell decided to stop selling petrol and diesel today, the supermajors CEO Ben van Beurden wrote in a LinkedIn post earlier this month. This would certainly cut Shells carbon emissions. But it would not help the world one bit. Demand for fuel would not change. People would fill up their cars and delivery trucks at other service stations. Van Beurden was commenting on a Dutch courts ruling that environmentalists hailed as a landmark decision, ordering Shell to reduce its emissions footprint by 45 percent from 2019 levels by 2030. Related: $100 Oil Predictions Soar As Analysts Warn Of Supply Crisis The ruling effectively requires that Shell shrinks its business, meaning it requires one company to work against itself. For any other industry, this would have been unthinkable. But not for Big Oil, which has been targeted as the single party responsible for the rising greenhouse gas emissions produced by humankind. Again, the users of the emission-generating products are being either wilfully ignored or named victims, misled by Big Oil about the harm their products do. The truth, as unpalatable as it is for many in the green transition corner, is that the world still runs on oil. Demand for oil has been rising for decades as our energy needs grow with the global population. The use of fossil fuels is also on a continual rise despitethis is importantthe boom in renewable energy capacity installations over the past decade. According to a report by a renewable energy policy network REN21, the share of coal, oil, and gas in the worlds energy mix has not changed over the past decade. So, oil demand is still on the rise, but pressure on the companies that extract oil is growing to the point where these companies are being forced to reduce their spending on future production. There is only one way such a situation could end, and it is with much higher oil prices as demand remains robust. No wonder, then, that some investors are expanding their exposure to oil, as per a Wall Street Journal report from earlier this month. Related: Judge Blocks Bidens Ban On Oil Leasing The report notes data from Wood Mackenzie that says investments in oil production dropped to $330 billion last year. Thats less than half of what was spent on oil in 2014 when Brent was trading well above $100 per barrel. The pandemic certainly had a lot to do with this. But so did the renewed push for a more renewable energy future. Lower investments in oil mean lower production going forward. This is good from an energy transition perspective but not from an oil demand perspective. And it is a long-term problem. Back in May, Rystad Energy wrote that the proven reserves of Big Oil are falling at a drastic rate: last year, the group lostmeaning failed to replace with new discoveries15 percent of its reserves. Its existing reserves could be depleted within 15 years. The world will not be off oil by then. The potentially fatal flaw in the energy transition plan is that it appears to substitute one part of the world for the whole world. Granted, there is a lot of talk about helping developing nations to wean themselves off fossil fuel and this talk even includes money but thats as far as it goes. As Oilprice commentator Syed Rizvi noted in a recent post, there are more than a billion people around the world with no access to electricity at all. Fossil fuels are for them the only source of energy. This is likely to continue to be the case for quite a while, because one other thing the energy transition proponents seem to forget is that even renewable energy is a businessand businesses require profits. Africa is a case in point: the continent has abundant solar and wind resources and yet these are not being harnessed. The reason: there are not enough paying customers for the future solar and wind farms. Investment celebrity Richard Bernstein earlier this week said traders were buying bitcoin in a bear market and ignoring oil in a bull market. Indeed, the latest trends in trading and investing seem to follow fads rather than logic. Weve got this major bull market going on in commodities, and all people are saying is that it doesnt matter, Bernstein said, as quoted by CNBC. What this shows is a major divide between trader sentiments, policies, and reality. Some traders and politicians seem to inhabit a parallel world in which bitcoin will always be a good investment even when its price is falling off a cliff, and the green energy transition is absolutely unavoidable. In the real world, bitcoin has a considerable emissions footprint and hundreds of millions of people rely on fossil fuels for their energy needs and will continue to rely on it because they cant afford renewable energy. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Although Omans fiscal breakeven price per barrel of Brent crude oil has fallen to US$61 this year, the fact that it was over US$90 on average for much of the past decade has resulted in long-term financial problems that need quick solutions. Even before its dire economic situation was made worse by another Saudi-instigated oil price war in 2020, the Sultanate had been facing a budget deficit for that year alone of at least 18 percent of GDP and budget deficits averaging at least 15 percent per year over the next five years. Oman has very limited natural resources itself by regional standards that it can use to extricate itself from its financial malaise - only around five billion barrels of estimated proved oil reserves (barely the 22nd largest in the world) and minimal natural gas reserves so has explored multiple options to bolster its budget. None of these options have panned out to the degree required to meaningfully impact Omans bottom-line budget position so last week it signaled an apparent intention to broaden and deepen its already close relations with the Iran-China axis which promises unlimited funding albeit at a potentially very heavy price. The signal that Oman may now have moved decisively into the Iran-China sphere of influence the Hotel California of global power alliances (You can check out any time you like, But you can never leave) came with comments from its oil and gas minister, Mohammed al-Rumhy, that the Sultanate wants to revive plans to import Iranian gas via a pipeline should the nuclear deal be reinstated and is also considering extending its pipeline network to Yemen. This pipeline plan was part of a broader co-operation deal made between Oman and Iran in 2013, extended in scope in 2014, and fully ratified in August 2015 that was centered on Omans importing at least 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year (bcm/y) from Iran for 25 years beginning in 2017 (equating to just less than 1 billion cubic feet per day and worth around US$60 billion at the time). The target for this was then changed to 43 bcm/y to be imported, albeit for a shorter period, of 15 years, and then finally to at least 28 bcm/y for a minimum period of 15 years. According to a statement at the time of the signing of the 2014 memorandum of understanding on the deal from the then-managing director of the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC), Mehran Amir-Moeini, the Iranian company was already working on the different contracts mechanisms for the key phases of the project, principally comprising the onshore and offshore pipeline sections, the gas pressure and measuring stations in Iran, and the gas receiving facilities in Oman. Specifically, the land section of the project would comprise around 200 kilometers of 56-inch pipeline (to be constructed in Iran), to run from Rudan to Mobarak Mount in the southern Hormozgan province, whilst the sea section would include a 192-kilometer section of 36-inch pipeline along the bed of the Oman Sea at depths of up to 1,340 meters, from Iran to Sohar Port in Oman. Related: $100 Oil Predictions Soar As Analysts Warn Of Supply Crisis Not only was this deal intended to allow for the completely free movement of Iranian gas (and later oil) via Oman through the Gulf of Oman and out into the world oil and gas markets Iran was sanctioned at that time as well, of course, and this route would augment the same sort of sanctions-free route that it was operating via Iraq but it would also allow for the advancement of Irans long-planned entry into the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market. Iran had long sought to become a world leader in the export of LNG and this ambition remains intact and to this end had arranged as part of the 2013/14/15 deal with Oman to utilize at least 25 percent of the sultanates own LNG production facilities. Once converted, the Iranian LNG would be loaded onto the specialized LNG vessels for export in return for commission payments to Oman but this process would only begin after the completion of the land and the sea pipelines. This Oman-based LNG supply would also act as a starting point for any Iran-Pakistan-China pipeline and would augment the other LNG projects that Iran was looking at that time to roll out. Irans recent activities in its huge North Pars gas site do not mark the onset of this process of Iran looking to become a force in the global LNG sector but rather marks a change of tactics due to ongoing sanctions in order to achieve the target laid out nearly 20 years ago. This target was, as a senior oil and gas industry figure spoken to by OilPrice.com highlighted again last week: To become the largest exporter of gas natural gas, LNG, and LPG [liquefied petroleum gas] combined to Europe and Western Asia, with a focus on China, and later on South Korea, and India, doubling the amount of gas currently exported to these two regions within five years of the base facilities [a combination of factors, analyzed here] being established. Another extremely beneficial synergy for the Iran-China axis of this direct route from Iran to Oman would be that it would coincide with the recent completion of Irans equally sanctions-busting Goreh-Jask pipeline that is set to eventually transport at least 1 million barrels per day of oil from its major oil fields via Goreh in the Shoaybiyeh-ye Gharbi Rural District of Khuzestan Province 1100 kilometers to the port of Jask in Hormozgan province on the Gulf of Oman. The Goreh-Jask pipeline has, of itself, expedited the finalization of the Iran-Oman gas pipeline, given the infrastructure build-out associated with it. This includes the minimum of 20 huge oil storage tanks that will be built in Omans Jask, each capable of storing 500,000 barrels of oil, in the first phase (10 million barrels total) for later loading onto very large crude carriers (VLCCs) headed from the Gulf of Oman and into the Arabian Sea and then on to the Indian Ocean. The storage capacity for Iranian oil in Oman will be increased over the next two years or less to at least 30 million barrels and the shipping facilities at Jask will be built out further to allow for extended in-port stays of all sizes of very large crude carriers and Jask will also see the creation of multiple single-point moorings (SPMs), and other infrastructure features for the import and export of crude oil and other products. Moreover, according to Omans Rumhy, Muscat is more than happy to act as a conduit for the gas pipeline that would begin in Irans supergiant South Pars non-associated natural gas field and run to Sohar in the north of Oman to link up to the existing pipeline that runs from there to Salalah near the Yemeni border, whereupon it could be extended deeper into Yemen. Related: Judge Blocks Bidens Ban On Oil Leasing As with all Iran-China (and Russia) plans for the Middle East, each piece fits beautifully together in the whole jigsaw, and this plan is clearly no exception. Not only does the Iran-Oman gas pipeline (from Irans biggest gas fields) align perfectly with the already-in-place plans for the Iran-Oman oil pipeline (from Irans biggest oil fields) from every conceivable strategic and business perspective but Irans increased presence in Oman on both of these projects will neatly fit into the increasing presence of China on the ground in Oman (and Oman is a vital link in the land and maritime routes of Beijings multi-generational power-grab project, One Belt, One Road). China has steadily built up its presence in Oman for many years and already accounts for around 90 percent of Omans oil exports and the vast majority of its petchems exports. Leveraging this, China signed a US$10 billion investment in the Duqm oil refinery - just after the implementation of the nuclear deal with Iran at the beginning of 2016 - which focuses initially on completing the Duqm refinery but the package also included a product export terminal in Duqm Port and Duqm refinery-dedicated crude storage tanks in Ras Markaz. Chinese money is also being funneled towards the construction and building out of an 11.72 square kilometer industrial park in Duqm in three areas - heavy industrial, light industrial, and mixed-use. According to the plans, all of which will be ready within the next 10 years, according to Beijing, in the light industrial zone there will be 12 projects, including the production of 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar power units, and of oil and gas tools, pipelines and drilling equipment. The mixed-use sector will focus on projects designed to improve the infrastructure for Omanis, including the construction of a US$100 million hospital, and a US$15 million school. The heavy industry sector will also see 12 projects, dealing with the production of methanol and other chemicals. By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday asked Russian President Vladimir Putin how he would feel if someone carried out a ransomware attack on Russian oil pipelines. The question was asked during a face-to-face summit on Wednesday, and comes just weeks after a Russian hacker group known as DarkSide attacked one of the United States most critical oil pipelines owned by Colonial Pipeline. That attack, which took the pipeline offline for more than a week, panicked drivers along the southeast U.S. coast and eventually ran over a thousand gas stations dry. As a result of the attack, Biden proposed a list of 16 critical infrastructure entities that would be off-limits to cyberattacks. Those would trigger a government response if targeted. Some of those 16 are energy-related infrastructure. In the wake of the attack, the Biden Administration stepped up regulations for critical infrastructure as it pertains to cybersecurity. Pipeline companies now must report cyber incidents to the Department of Homeland Security, among other things. In the days following the attack, President Biden promised to raise the matter with Putin at a proposed meeting that was at the time under discussion. The Biden Administration had in April imposed new sanctions on Russia over cyberattacks, after a Kremlin-linked computer breach infiltrated several U.S. government networks. At the time, Biden warned Putin that any actions taken against the United States would be met with proportionate repercussions. Russia has denied any involvement in the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack. President Biden has also said that the Russian government was not behind the attack but that there was evidence that the attackers lived in Russia. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Theyve done well, like CHI Health has done, he said. Theyre ready to begin the pivot toward whatever the next era of health care delivery is going to be. The more I talked to them, the more I found out, the more I thought, You know, I think this is where Im called to finish my career. Robertson said another move near and dear to his heart during his time in Omaha were the health systems efforts to deliver high-quality care while making it more affordable for patients. CHI sought contracts that revolved around value-based principles, in which doctors, hospitals and other health care providers were paid for improving patients health. In 2018, the health system signed with MDsave, an online marketplace geared toward people without insurance or with high-deductible plans that allows patients to buy vouchers for medical procedures like they do flights and lodging. Robertson said CHI is moving to expand the number of services available at rates lower than those contracted with insurers. As for the pandemic, Robertson called it both the biggest challenge of his tenure as well as the biggest blessing because of the way the health systems caregivers stepped up to serve the community. You look back now, and I just feel incredibly grateful to be associated with the caregivers that are CHI Health, he said. Ricketts acknowledged that college and first jobs might take the students out of the state, but he asked them to consider returning to put down roots later in life. We want you here in Nebraska, Ricketts said. We want you to come back. Kirshenbaum, a graduate of Burke High School, will be staying in the state and attending UNL for biochemistry. She said a scholarship from the school will help her keep college costs down. She said the university also has a relationship with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and she likes that connection. And by going to UNL, Kirshenbaum will keep a family tradition alive. Her father, grandfather and great-grandfather all attended the university. On how she achieved that top score, Kirshenbaum said she got some great advice from her teachers at Burke High School about taking the test early. She got a 35 the first time she took it in her high school career and was aiming for the top score. She used practice tests offered on the ACT website and reviewed old notebooks from her classes. She received the 36 the summer before her junior year. Rare twin tornadoes barreled through the northeast Nebraska town of Pilger seven years ago today, killing two people, injuring 20 more and forever changing the lives of the nearly 350 people who called the town home. Pilger, a Stanton County village, is 80 miles northwest of Omaha and 20 miles east of Norfolk. The storm destroyed or heavily damaged an estimated three-fourths of Pilger, including the middle school, Midwest Bank, the co-op, a convenience store, the post office, numerous houses, city hall, the firehouse and St. John Lutheran Church. The National Weather Service rated the larger tornado that tore through Pilger an EF4, capable of causing devastating damage with winds of 166 to 200 mph. The parallel twister was an EF2. Two deaths were attributed to the tornadoes. Calista Dixon, 5, died after suffering injuries inside a mobile home on Main Street in Pilger. David Herout, 74, of Clarkson, Nebraska, died when his vehicle left County Road S about 4:50 p.m. as the storms moved through. He was ejected from his vehicle, Cuming County officials said. Herout, a retired postal worker who had worked at post offices in Clarkson and Columbus, was making deliveries for an agricultural company. The Biden administration has announced a strategy to combat the threat of domestic terrorism, a plan developed with the help of a new counterterrorism program headquartered at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The new strategy, released Tuesday, comes more than five months after a mob of insurgents loyal to then-President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Bidens presidential win. Domestic terrorism driven by hate, bigotry, and other forms of extremism is a stain on the soul of America, Biden, who is traveling in Europe, said in a statement. It goes against everything our country strives for, and it poses a direct challenge to our national security, democracy, and unity. The announcement underscores a Justice Department decision to make combating domestic terrorism a top priority. The departments proposed 2022 budget includes $100 million to be used for analysts, investigators and prosecutors related to domestic terrorism. Regarding legislation, Ricketts said no state senator has picked up the issue, but that could change next year. Later in the show, a second caller, Howard of West Point, referred back to the exchange and asked the governor to define his concept of critical race theory. So, the critical race theory and I cant think of the author right off the top of my head who wrote about this really had a theory that, at the high level, is one that really starts creating those divisions between us about defining who we are based on race and that sort of thing and really not about how to bring us together as Americans rather than and dividing us and also having a lot of very socialist-type ideas about how that would be implemented in our state, Ricketts said, recommending the caller read about it. Rather than looking at how people are different, he advocated for finding common ground and how to come together as Americans. Presented with the governors definitions, Jones said she didnt hear a firm understanding of the objective of critical race theory. I hear a lot of innuendos, she said, adding that it is common for someone whos asked for the definition not to know it. PARIS (AP) A Frenchman accused of inspiring the kidnapping of a young girl arrived in his home country Wednesday to face changes following his expulsion from Malaysia. France had issued an Interpol arrest notice for Remy Daillet-Wiedemann, who was detained on immigration charges by Malaysia after living for several years in the Southeast Asian country. His return was delayed by 48 hours in transit in Singapore over concerns about his pregnant partner's health. Prosecutors accuse Daillet-Wiedemann of helping organize the mid-April abduction of an 8-year-old girl in eastern France on behalf of her mother, who had lost custody of the child. The girl and mother were found in Switzerland a few days later. His lawyer, Jean-Christophe Basson-Larbi, said Daillet-Wiedemann, his partner and three children were forced out of their hotel in Singapore and onto a commercial flight that landed Wednesday morning at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport. Daillet-Wiedemann was to be transferred immediately to the city of Nancy, in eastern France, prosecutors said. Basson-Larbi has described the allegations against his client as purely political. He is serene but resigned. He knows exactly what awaits him, Basson-Larbi said. But the president acknowledged that there may be no way to keep Putin in check. Theres no guarantee you can change a persons behavior or the behavior of his country. Autocrats have enormous power and they dont have to answer to a public, said Biden during a news conference Sunday after the Group of Seven summit in England. And the fact is that it may very well be, if I respond in kind which I will that it doesnt dissuade him and he wants to keep going. Biden had not minced words when it comes to assessing Putin. He said in an interview earlier this year that he agreed with an assessment that Putin was a killer, and he once declared that Putin didnt have a soul. That was far colder rhetoric than that of his immediate predecessors. Trump spoke warmly of Putin and was deferential to him during their one summit, held in Helsinki in 2018, in which he turned his back on his own intelligence agencies. President Barack Obamas administration, though wary of Putin, expressed hope in a reset and improvement of relations with Moscow. And George W. Bush said that he looked the man in the eye and found him very straightforward and trustworthy. I was able to get a sense of his soul," Bush said. Need an example? Recent research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows that eastern red cedar encroachment on Board of Educational Lands reduces rangeland profitability. In fact, the reduction of rangeland cost Nebraska Public Schools $2.44 million between 2006-2016 that could have been put toward supporting our K-12 public schools. According to their research, the steadily declining profitability will slowly consume school budgets at the rate of a few million dollars a year in the near term. The report and its goals promote the development of funding and education to address these kinds of conservation issues that affect both private and public lands. Nebraskans have a long list of reasons to support conservation, including the recommendations identified in the report. We cannot allow our state to be divided on such an important issue at a time when we need to be focusing our efforts on how we can help farmers and ranchers put more, not less, conservation on the ground. Nebraskans need partners such as those identified in the America the Beautiful report who will provide technical and financial assistance to work with our neighbors to build sustainable working lands. Larkin Powell lives in Lincoln and Carl Wolfe lives in Republican City. They are members of the Nebraska Chapter of The Wildlife Society and wrote this essay to reflect the chapters stance. On Jan. 3, 2021, Congressman Don Bacon took his oath of office and was sworn in for a new term as the representative of Nebraskas 2nd District. By taking this oath, Rep. Bacon made a commitment to uphold the Constitution, act as a leader and a voice of reason, and serve his constituents in Washington. Just three days later, a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol. The mob threatened the lives of congressional members and staff, including Vice President Pence. A Capitol Police officer lost his life, and many of his colleagues were left with significant injuries and lasting trauma. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called that day the saddest hed seen in Congress. Mobs dont rule America. Laws rule America, McCarthy said. Congressman Bacon upheld his oath by voting in favor of a bill (H.R. 3233) to create an independent and bipartisan commission to investigate the events of Jan. 6, 2021. In voting yes, he stood with the Capitol Police, congressional staff and all those who were put in harms way that day. The Senate failed to do its part and approve the legislation. But a congressionally approved Jan. 6 commission remains the best approach to respond to and learn from this attack. The World Bank has approved $200 million as additional funding for the Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project (EPRP). The money will enable the government to procure vaccines through the COVAX facility and deploy them for 13 million people. The project will strengthen the resilience of Ghanas health systems to better prepare for future pandemics and secure the continuation of essential health and nutritional services, including routine childhood immunisation. This is the second funding the World Bank has extended to Ghana under its fast-track package to enable developing countries to strengthen their COVID-19 responses. The first was a $100-million support in April last year to assist the country to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic as a short, medium and long-term support. That financing package included $35 million in emergency support to help Ghana provide improved response systems. Under the emergency package, Ghana was supported to prevent, detect and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through the EPRP. Background Ghana experienced a surge in infections and fatalities in January 2021, when it entered a second wave of rising infections of COVID-19. The number of daily active cases in February 2021 was as high as the peak of the first wave in June 2020. Furthermore, Ghana was confirmed to have recorded the COVID-19 variant which first appeared in South Africa. Saving lives The World Bank is happy to support this second additional financing, given the importance of preventing deaths and reducing transmission of COVID-19 among the population by providing access to COVID-19 vaccines towards accelerating economic and social recovery in Ghana, the World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Mr Pierre Laporte, said in a statement issued in Washington, DC, USA. We are also aware of the continuing difficulties in having access to COVID-19 vaccines and logistics due to global vaccine market challenges and will continue to work to address the inequity in vaccine supplies that is impacting Ghana and other developing countries. The Ghana COVID-19 EPRP second additional financing will enable the country to explore the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines from a range of sources to support Ghanas target to vaccinate 17.5 million people in a way that ensures value for money, he added. The bank said the project would also support an equitable and effective distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, in line with Ghanas National Vaccine Deployment Plan. The project will build on efforts of the existing Ghana COVID-19 EPRP by scaling up and strengthening surveillance of the pandemic, case management, increasing public acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines and COVID-19 vaccine deployment, the World Banks Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice Manager for the West African Region, Gaston Sorgho, said. He added that it would help strengthen cold chain equipment, vaccine safety monitoring and medical waste management. $125 billion Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank Group has committed over $125 billion to fight the health, economic and social impacts of the pandemic, the fastest and largest crisis response in the banks history. The financing is helping more than 100 countries strengthen their pandemic preparedness, protect the poor and jobs and jump-start a climate-friendly recovery. The bank is also providing $12 billion to help low- and middle-income countries to purchase and distribute COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments. 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 management of the university of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) says it is investing an audio-visual material captioned "Only in UPSA" circulating on social media in which a group of students are seen kneeling in-front of a lecture room. A statement issued and signed by the Registrar of the university, Dr Koryoe Anim-Wright on June 15, 2021, said the university subscribes to human and student dignity in all its forms and that when the matter is investigated, Those found culpable will be immediately taken through our disciplinary process and face the force of sanctions as outlined in our statutes. We assure members of the university community and the general public that we are actively investigating this incident, Dr Anim-Wright noted. Below is the statement The attention of management of the university of Professional Studies, (Accra (UPSA) has been drawn to an audio-visual captioned "Only in UPSA" circulating on social media in which a group of students are seen kneeling in-front of a lecture room. The university is appalled by these visuals and strongly condemns this action. We assure members of the university community and the general public that we are actively investigating this incident. Those found culpable will be immediately taken through our disciplinary process and face the force of sanctions as outlined in our statutes. The university subscribes to human and student dignity in all its forms. 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 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the Government is mobilizing resources for the local production of the coronavirus vaccines. To that end, he said his administration was keen, in the light of the geopolitics of vaccines, to provide state health institutions all the assistance to achieve that objective as soon as practicable. The President said this in relation to a question on the countrys fight against the coronavirus pandemic, during the launch of the Ghana Financing Roadmap for the realization of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) at the Jubilee House, Accra on Tuesday. He noted, Ghana, like many other developing counties, had had the fragility of their economies and the vulnerability of the various demographics exposed as a result of the pandemic. However, procuring vaccines to inoculate the mass of the people in order to get their economies running, President Akufo-Addo indicated, had become a challenge because of the global shortage of vaccines. Unfortunately, we are the victims of these world-wide shortage of vaccines. Humanity, especially the poorer less-advantaged nations are experiencing hardship in having access to vaccines, he said. The President said the situation and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic had provided very important lessons on the need for self-reliance in the areas of vaccines in the future. Ghana and other developing nations, he noted, cannot continue to rely on foreign tax payers for support in the event of a pandemic of that nature. We cannot continue to be reliant or dependent on alms and charity of foreigners and foreign tax payers for our basic sustenancewe need to be able to put in place the structures that would enable us in future not to be caught with our pants down, and that is why we have to learn and find the avenues to produce our own vaccines. Ghana has so far, through the UN-facilitated COVAX facility, received some 1.2 million doses of the Astrazeneca vaccines to carrry out its vaccination programme. So far, 350,000 people have had their required double doses, whilst a further 800,000 persons have taken first shots. Government is looking at inoculating 20 million Ghanaians by the end of the year. President Akufo-Addo said he was determined to ensure that Ghana became self-reliant in the production of vaccines. I am particularly keen on providing the assistance for the institutions of our country to do so, adding that his government was doing its best to mobilize all resources available to ensure that a roadmap being worked by the National Committee established to formulate a concrete plan for vaccine development and manufacturing in Ghana comes to fruition. He was hopeful that the Committee would soon define that roadmap and get the private sector involved at the manufacturing stage. 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 Management of the Chinese Firm, Sunda International Group says it is strictly operating within the law and with the consent of property owners at Bortianor near Accra in the blasting of rocks within the enclave. The Firm which is levelling a portion of land acquired for the construction of the biggest detergent factory in Africa, says it has no intention of endangering the lives of people living in and around the blasting site, insisting it is operating under strict supervision and in compliance with directives by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Minerals Commission. Some Residents of Bortianor, Redtop, Westhills City, Aplaku, Old Barrier and Weija SCC have raised concern over the activities of the Chinese contractors in the area. According to them, recent activities of a Chinese-owned company has been causing artificial earthquakes and tremors in the enclave. Chairman of the Westhills City Landlords and Residents Association, Reverend Antwi Wiredu said residents in the area had taken to believing that earthquakes had become rampant in the area. An investigation from the community leaders discovered that construction work at a site in the area could be the cause of the tremors. But the management of the Saunda has sought to discredit the claims by setting out the facts of the matter. According to the Assistant Project Manager of Sunda, Richard Awusi Adinkrah, the company since its entry into the enclave has maintained a good relationship with the inhabitants and is focused on maintaining it. He revealed that residents in the aforementioned enclave are given prior notice of all exercises assiciated with the blasting of rocks, adding that in instances where structural damages occur to properties, the company even takes up the responsibility of assessing and addressing it. "What we are doing is levelling the land so we can put up a factory and because part of the land is rocky we have acquired the license to blast and we have also employed technology such that when we blast there will not be stones flying but we admit that the impact of the blasting cause some damage and in this case cracks to buildings and in some instance damage to electronic gadgets mostly television sets. "But before we undertake any blast which is usually between 4:30 to 6 pm we announce to the community to be on the lookout and once its done we go around the community to check the damage and also people with identified cracks also report to us and we quickly attend to it," Mr Adinkra indicated. According to him, Sunda will continue to listen to the concerns of the community and address them where necessary. "...we have millions of dollars in investment and we have no intention of creating animosity between us and our host and that is why we go all out to help and as I speak most of our employees are from here, we have constructed inner roads, market places so you can see we have the interest of the community at heart," he added. Established in 2000, Sunda International Group is one of the international trade enterprises. The company currently has several factories producing ceramic tiles, diapers, nails, soap and other fast-moving consumer goods and also in the real estate space employing thousands of Ghanaians. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Deputy Attorney General designate, Mr Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, has registered his opposition to calls for the country to abolish the death penalty. He subscribed to the execution of persons sentenced to death by a court of competent jurisdiction. Responding to questions during his vetting before the Appointments Committee of Parliament yesterday, the nominee said anyone who killed unjustifiably also deserved to be killed in accordance with the laws of the land. If the person is a murderer, and they have to be killed, they must be killed, he stated. Opposition Some human rights institutions and activists have made a case for the country to abolish the death penalty, explaining that it violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One of such organisations, Amnesty International (AI), has described the death penalty as the ultimate cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment. AI opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime; the guilt, innocence or other characteristics of the sentenced individual; or the method used by the state to carry out the execution. Although, death sentence remains on the countrys statute books, there has not been an execution in the country since 1993. In its report of December 2011, the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) recommended that the death penalty be abolished under the new Constitution and replaced with life imprisonment without parole, and that such a move should be approved by a national referendum. In 2012, the government accepted the CRCs recommendations but implementation had not taken place. Deterrence Mr Tuah-Yeboah, who is a private legal practitioner based in Sunyani, said the execution of persons on death roll would serve as a deterrence to others. Life precious but.. The lawyer, who also described himself as a human rights activist, said life was precious and any one who decided to take someones life without any justification must suffer the death penalty. Im a realist and positivist. If we look at some of the murder cases that weve seen, especially when it comes to robbery with murder and the callous nature that some of them carry out those actions, I think we need to hold on [with the scrapping of the death penalty] at this stage. I think as we have in the USA, if this House and other stakeholders may want ,we should venture into grading murders. Some of them I subscribe to the full execution of their sentences, if it happens that they have to be killed, they must be killed, he stated. Mr Tuah Yeboah said at times the death penalty served as signals to others that it did not pay to kill. But as we have it now, people are sentenced to death, they are imprisoned at Nsawam, some of them, you may want to sympathise with them, but there are others that I think if we were to scrap the death sentence, we may have more murders, he said. Profile Mr Tuah-Yeboah is a 2002 alumnus of the Ghana School of Law. He had earlier graduated from the University of Ghana with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Law. He holds a Diploma in Business Management from ICS, Glasgow, Scotland. In 2017, he enrolled at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College where he graduated with an MSc, Defence, and International Politics. He is a 2002 Ghana School of Law Kenneth D. Laryea Best Student in Law of Evidence. Mr Tuah-Yeboah combines professional service and community service seamlessly. 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 A professor of Economics at the University of Ghana Business School, Professor Godfred Bokpin, has stressed the need to ensure inclusiveness in the countrys digitalisation agenda. He said the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation must play a leading role to ensure a level playing field for all. We should be looking at inclusivity as we go along, and the Ministry of Communications must play a leading role in levelling the playing field to ensure that no one is left behind, he stated. Prof. Bokpin was speaking at the Graphic Business/Stanbic Bank Breakfast Meeting, which was held at the Labadi Beach Hotel. The meeting was held on the theme: Digitisation: The key to unlocking the Ghanaian dream. He said although digitalisation was very important, it was one of the tools that could worsen inequality, something that had played out in Ghana recently. COVID-19 came and the universities, as a result of a directive from the government, had to migrate online, but not all our students had access. Even if you look at the digital divide between the urban and the rural areas, its too wide, he stated. Job creation Prof. Bokpin also noted that Ghanas digitalisation drive must lead to job creation. He said even though the country had taken a giant leap in terms of digitalisation, in terms of the employment share, it needed to be scaled up. If you look at the Internet economy alone in Africa, it is more than $180 billion, and if you look at the digitised economy in Africa, it is in excess of $300 billion. We should be looking at getting our fair share of this in terms of making the right investments along the lines of artificial intelligence and machine learning, he said. Involvement in tertiary education The professor of Economics also called for the use of a lot more digitalisation in Ghanas tertiary education space to ensure that graduates who exited did so with the necessary digital literacy and a digital body language. When you look at digitalization, the world has moved on and COVID-19 has fast-tracked the arrival of the fourth Industrial Revolution. The next work environment will be more working from home, so we should be looking at equipping our students and graduates with the necessary digital skills to be able to compete, he opined. We are not only talking about the Ghanaian economy but also an economy that is in excess of $2.6 trillion within the context of the operationalisation of the AfCFTA. So we should be looking at the bigger picture and whatever investment we are making today should be in the context of Africa and produce graduates who will leverage the job opportunities on the continent, Prof. Bokpin explained. A lot achieved The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of payments and e-commerce company, Hubtel, Mr Alex Bram, also speaking at the meeting, said there was a lot to be proud of in the countrys digitalisation drive, but added that there was also a lot to be done. We are one of the first African countries to adopt mobile telephony, and if you look at what we have also been able to do with the adoption of mobile money and how it is changing the economy, we have so much to be proud of, he said. The CEO of Hubtel said a lot had been done to digitise the economy and the benefits were visible. The more we digitise, the more the economy will grow and create new jobs and new ideas from businesses, he noted. Mr Abram, however, pointed out that 60 per cent of the Ghanaian population was still not connected to the Internet, which was a major challenge. Data from our two experiences with mobile telephony and mobile money suggest that if we make these systems available, people will adopt them. What it means is that people are not online in Ghana because the Internet is not available. If they make it available, we can see the adoption also going up, he stated. Encouraging crypto currencies The Director-General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), Mr Richard Okyere-Fosu, for his part, said it was necessary to encourage the use of crypto currencies, internationally tradeable electronic currencies, in the country. He said one challenge of the AfCFTA agreement was the means of settlement, as each country had its settlement processes. If I had crypto currency, it would make life a little easier, so these are some of the things we should look at; if we encourage that, it will be good for all of us, he stated. For him, what needed to be done was the creation of the necessary regulatory environment to back it. It is not new that technology often goes ahead of regulation; we all need to work together with the business community and all players to make sure we craft something that will encourage it, he stated. 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 Mr James Oppong-Boanuh, Inspector General of Police, has announced a GHS20,000.00 reward to any person who gives credible information for the arrest of the suspected robbers who killed General Constable Emmanuel Osei. Constable Osei was shot and killed at James Town by the robbers who attacked a bullion van he was escorting. Superintendent of Police Mrs Sheila Kessie Abayie Buckman, Director of Public Affairs, who made these known to the media, assured the informant (s) of their safety. She encouraged the public to be on the look out for the perpetrators of the heinous crime which also claimed the life of another. On Monday, June 14, 2021 at about 1228 hours, police received a distress call from James Town that three armed men on two unregistered motorbikes had attacked and robbed a bullion Nissan van with the registration number GT 8592 W belonging to MON- TRAN Company. Police rushed to the scene and found Constable Osei on board shot dead and the driver injured. The James Town District Police Command also found the car parked in the middle of Adedenkpo Metal Market road with glasses of three doors shattered. The body of the deceased of the National SWAT was found at the front seat bleeding from the head and other parts of the body, with his AK 47 snatched by the robbers. Wisdom, the driver of the van was not met at the scene by the police team. Eye witnesses led police to a wooden structure where the body of one Afua Badu, 40, a casualty of the shooting, was found. Madam Grace Essel, an official of the financial institution, who escaped unhurt and had taken refuge in the community was sent to the Police Hospital. Meanwhile, the bodies have been kept at the Morgue for preservation and autopsy. The gang made away with the AK 47 rifle the police officer was wielding as well as an unspecified amount of money. 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 George Bernard Shaw, a Private Legal Practitioner, has called on stakeholders in the criminal justice system to consider the inclusion of recordings of police interrogations, especially when acquiring caution statements. He said the call, by extension, was to the Rules of Court Committee and the Inspector General of Police to ensure that all interrogations were recorded at least with a mobile phone, since it was common and every police station could have one, as demanded by the Service instructions. Mr Shaw, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said; We are not asking for much because in most jurisdictions the interviews are recorded because thats the only way to get to the truth as everything will be on tape. The Legal Practitioner, who is also a Counsel in the matter involving the 14 alleged murderers of the late Major Maxwell Mahama verses the Republic, made the call ahead of a mini trial of the case. The mini trial came about as a result of objections from the Defence Counsel to the tendering of some caution and charge statements taken from the accused persons. The Court has called four witnesses to determine whether the statements were obtained voluntarily from the accused persons or not. Mr Shaw said though it might be administratively or financially expensive, at the current stage of the countrys development, mobile phones could be used to record before sophisticated recording instruments were purchased. He said the Act that governed criminal trials, (Act 30) could be amended to ensure that all police interviews were recorded to establish the truth. Mr Shaw said in cases such as beatings, cuts, and bruises, the marks sometimes disappeared before the cases were heard, with many not having medical reports. But in effect, the police will come and deny sometimes when people have been beaten mercilessly and even starve them to confess, a confession statement is taken into account for the trial and that invariably leads to injustice, Mr Shaw said. He said the main challenge was the admission of such false statements into evidence for trial. 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 Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin is calling for increased education of the public about the true mandate of parliamentarians. According to him, the misconception of the role and functions of parliament has greatly undervalued the role of the legislature in the democratic dispensation of the country and affected the effectiveness of MPs as far as the core business of the chamber is concerned. Mr Bagbin made the call at the opening of a two-day consultative meeting for West Africa-based Parliamentary Monitoring Organisations in Accra on Tuesday, 15 June 2021. The workshop, put together by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD Ghana), with support from US-based National Democratic Institute, brought together dozens of Parliamentary Monitoring Organisations (PMOs) across the sub-region to deliberate on strengthening PMOs to enhance Parliamentary openness, inclusive policies, transparency and responsiveness. Delivering his address, Mr Bagbin urged the participants to use the opportunity to chart new paths for advocacy on the role and functions of Parliament. Below is Mr Bagbins full speech REMARKS BY THE SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOUR, RT. HON. ALBAN SUMANA KINGSFORD BAGBIN, SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT, AT THE OPENING OF THE WEST AFRICA PARLIAMENTARY MONITORING ORGANIZATIONS (PMOs) CONFERENCE ON 15TH JUNE 2021 IN ACCRA Mr. Chairman Hon. Members of Parliament present Representatives of Parliamentary Monitoring Organizations Executives of the National Democratic Institute Heads and Representatives of CSOs from other West African countries Distinguished Invited Guests Friends from the media Ladies and gentlemen! I am indeed greatly honored by the invitation to be the Special Guest of Honor for the maiden West African Parliamentary Monitoring Organizations (PMOs) conference. I would like to express my appreciation to the organizers of the conference, the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and its collaborating partners the National Democratic Institute of Washington, Parliamentary Network Africa and the Ghana Network of Parliamentary Monitoring Organizations for this invitation. Let me also take this opportunity to warmly welcome our foreign participants to Accra. This conference, I am told, is the first stage towards connecting PMOs in West Africa to enable them to share best practices, learn from one another and explore effective ways of engaging Parliaments within their respective countries. I am particularly happy with this initiative, and I trust that discussions during the two-day conference will lead to enhanced ways of strengthening citizens-parliament engagements. Parliaments exist because of the citizens within their jurisdiction. Consequently, Parliaments need to reach out to citizens on constant basis and make them a part of what Parliaments do. In making these remarks, I wish I could abide by the wise counsel of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on speech-making; To be brief, be sincere, be seated. To be sincere, definitely I will. But to be brief in my remarks and be seated as a special guest of honor, is a rather tall order. The role of PMOs in sensitizing the citizenry Mr. Chairman, I cannot but make reference to the challenges that some countries in the West African sub-region such as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are currently facing. We must together as a sub-region deal with the emerging issues that confront us because they can have very serious consequences for the people within the sub-region. As legislatures we need to partner CSOs and other forward-looking organizations to assist with educating and sensitizing our citizens on the role they have to play to ensure the growth of democracy, stability and peace in the West African sub-region. I am committed to do just that as one of the key pillars of the Corporate Strategic Plan of Ghanas Parliament. The representative role of Parliaments requires the effective communication of the work of Parliament, education of the citizens on the roles and functions of Parliaments, and provision of avenues for the citizens to engage Parliament in policy discussions. Parliament is the supreme forum for the ventilation of grievances aimed at seeking redress. The MP is the communication link between his constituents and government. Through parliamentary mechanisms and tools such as Question Time, Statements, Motions, Petitions, debate on policy or bills among others, Parliament has the opportunity to draw attention of the citizens to developments within the country, explore avenues for the socio-economic growth of the country and carry the citizens along on this agenda. I believe PMOs are strongly positioned to offer support in this regard, to ensure a stronger linkage between what parliaments intend, and what actually manifests on the ground. In our current context however, the advent of technology and the increasing diversity and availability of information to citizens are pushing Parliaments to compete for the citizens attention as never before. Parliamentarians ought to be effective in communicating with, and educating the citizenry on the roles and functions of Parliaments, and to provide avenues for them to engage in policy discussions. Also, the coming into force of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), especially for countries that have signed on to it, has led to a situation in which citizens are demanding greater participation, accountability and responsiveness from Parliamentarians. There is therefore the need to reach out a lot more to citizens and engage them in parliamentary work. This is an arena that CSOs or PMOs are better positioned to support the efforts of parliaments to engage citizens and to institute procedures that will ensure that the desired impact is being achieved. It is dangerous to assume either that what has been decided will be achieved, or that what happens is what was intended, says Brian Loasby, an Economics Professor. The concept of monitoring of parliaments Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, at the base of the work of the PMOs is monitoring, which ought to be an embedded concept and an integral part of the work of parliaments. Monitoring should not be seen as an imposed control instrument or a nice to have. It is a dialogue on impact and outcome. It is an internal control measure to ensure that outcomes of the work of parliament are achieved, the processes are adhered to, transparency and accountability are assured and most importantly, the understanding and participation of the citizenry in the work of parliament is guaranteed. As we all know, what you cannot measure, you cannot monitor. Monitoring is therefore about setting a standard or target; it is about having the requisite rules, benchmarks, and tools to gather and analyse information about the performance or a set of parliamentary activities while they are ongoing. It is the systematic and routine collection of information from activities for four main purposes: (1) to appreciate and learn from the activities and experiences, and to improve the practices and activities in future; (2) to ensure internal and external accountability for the resources deployed and outcomes in such a way that it inures to the benefit of the citizenry; (3) to make decisions on how to progress with parliamentary work and the level of engagement with the citizens based on empirical evidence and facts, and (4) to promote empowerment of the citizens with respect to participation in the work of parliament. Parliaments and PMOs will have to work together to achieve this. Information and data gathered from monitoring by the PMOs therefore will be used to understand how parliamentary activities are making the desired impact. Definitely the information and data gathered will not be used to find fault but to find a remedy. I am confident that monitoring by the PMOs will focus on the measurement of the following aspects of parliamentary interventions: (1) the quantity and quality of activities or outputs what ought to be done and how to manage it; (2) the outcomes and the effects or changes that occurred as a result of the intervention, and the impact. (3) It will also look at the broader or long-term effects that were triggered by the activities. This will help provide a standard for success and achievements. Joseph M. Juran, an outstanding writer on management and leadership said: Without a standard, there is no logical basis for making a decision or taking action. Ladies and gentlemen, we all know that monitoring sometimes seem like an unaffordable luxury, an administrative burden, or an unwelcome instrument of external oversight. However, it can be a powerful tool for social and political change. It helps in assessing the difference one can make and provide vital intelligence. It assesses and demonstrates effectiveness in delivering on objectives and impacts whilst improving learning, decision-making, success factors, approaches and removal of barriers. Monitoring also contributes to empowering and motivating the partners working together on a particular cause, in this case, parliaments and the citizens. It ensures accountability on the part of key stakeholders, contributes to influencing processes, procedures and policies and to the sharing of learnings and best practices. At the end of it all, it is about measurement and control. As H. James Harrington, Chief Executive Officer of the Harrington Institute, said measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you cannot measure something, you cannot understand it. If you cannot understand it, you cannot control it. If you cannot control it, you cannot improve it. PMOs and strengthening of parliamentary work Mr. Chairman, I fully support the objectives of the Parliamentary Monitoring Organisations, given the invaluable ally that they are in the process of strengthening and promoting parliamentary work in West Africa. The monitoring that will be done by PMOs should equip parliaments to provide the required oversight responsibility over the executive arm of government. I am persuaded that education on the role and functions of parliament is critical if the electorates are to appreciate the value that Parliaments bring to the democratic process. Parliamentarians should not be seen as the main development agents by the citizens. The perceptions and expectations associated with this often leads to the neglect of the core responsibilities of MPs. This perception is highlighted in Afrobarometers research findings from Rounds four (4) through to eight. I would therefore like to charge PMOs present here to amplify their collaboration with the legislatures to embark on civic education programs to help reduce this wrong notion and increase the appreciation of the work of the legislature. I trust this conference will help to give birth to a network of West African PMOs that will be sharing experiences and challenges. I am also confident that this conference will come out with innovative ways of assisting Parliaments to be more inclusive, participatory, open, transparent, accountable and responsive to the citizens. I hope participants will find the conference very useful and provide the needed contributions to the updated research findings discussions to enrich the document and also help to reshape the work of Parliaments in West Africa. I believe that the achievement of the aims of this conference would help move West African Parliaments further along its quest for good governance and sustained democratic development in the sub-region. I wish you all fruitful deliberations. I thank you and once again, you are warmly welcome to Accra. 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 Some Chiefs in the Nsawam Adoagyeri municipality, especially Sakyikrom are passionately appealing to the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akuffo Addo and the Local government ministry to this time around appoint a unifier, disciplined, selfless person as their next MCE for their municipality. They believed that, that would have a great impact and also help improve the development and the livelihoods of the Residents in the Municipality. Speaking at a press conference called by the Sakyikrom traditional Authority, the Gyasehene of the Sakyikrom, Nana Owusu Aduomi II explained that, this is the time for Nsawam Adoagyeri as well as Sakyikrom to go far than it is now as they aren't satisfied with the performance of the out going MCE. The chiefs therefore propose Mr. Emmanuel Owusu Arthur, an Accountant by profession to be considered as the next MCE for the Municipality. The chiefs claimed their result is not solely based on the fact that, Mr. Emmanuel Owusu is a son of their land but also they've observed that he has what it takes to be a leader who is for unity. They added that, there is no harmonic relation between the Mp for the area and the incumbent MCE and it affected the NPP votes in the constituency in the 2020 general election. Such unhealthy relation almost stifled progress of the activities of the in the constituency. Considering how the MP has been now honoured by President with additional national duties, the MP Hon Frank Annorh Dompreh may have less contact schedules with his constituents than before. This thus demands that a competent person who has good working relation with the MP ought to be appointed as the next MCE to represent the Mp and president effectively in the municipality. The Abotendomehene of Sakyikrom, Nana Kwame Addo II added that such a person is Mr. Emmanuel Owusu. As he has had undoubtedly, a good working relation with the Mp when he was serving as the treasurer of the party in the constituency. Mr. Emmanuel Owusu has also demonstrated a high sense of belongingness and dedication to the Nsawam Adoagyeri municipality. As he has duly earned the trust and support of majority of the party officers in the constituency. Since he has exhibited that he's a unifier, loyalist and hard working whose ultimate aim is the progress and development of constituents in the municipality. He relates well with all the stakeholders especially traditional leaders and religious leaders in the municipality. And they believed, he together with the Mp the Municipality will see a better improvement. Source: Michael Akrofi/Peacefmomline.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 Danquah Institute founder, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has celebrated the immediate past Minister for the defunct Ministry of Inner-City and Zongo Development, Dr Mustapha Hamid for his unblemished integrity describing him as one of the most principled and honest human beings I have ever known in my life. According to the journalist cum lawyer, Dr Hamid is so honest and upright in his dealings that when he is given money to perform a task, he ends up spending less for the same job. He revealed that he is the kind of person who when assigned campaign money, will spend within budget and return the remaining funds. Hamid is the kind of person when he takes campaign money, based on a budget, and he ends up spending less than that to do the same job, he brings back the change!, he said of the former Minister in a Facebook post. Mr. Otchere-Darko shared these kind words publicly to celebrate the onetime Youth Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a founding member of the policy think tank, Danquah Institute, who celebrated his birthday on Monday. Dr. Hamid who for many years served as the spokesperson for President Akufo-Addo, during his days as an opposition leader, on Monday, June 14 clocked 50 years. The former lecturer at the University of Cape Coast was celebrated by many both within and outside the governing NPP, with many touching on his fine and endearing personality. Gabby, who said he has known Dr. Hamid for many years recounted how they first became friends during his early years as the editor of a reputable business newspaper, the High Street Journal. He also touched on the former Information Ministers days as the news editor at Choice FM and his alter invitation to him to be the editor of his paper, The Statesman. Read the unedited piece by Gabby Octchere Darko Yesterday (Monday) was the birthday of one of my best friends, Mustapha Hamid. To put it mildly, he is one of the most principled and honest human beings I have ever known in my life. A sacred trait I pray will guide and guard him for the rest of his life. Hamid is the kind of person when he takes campaign money, based on a budget, and he ends up spending less than that to do the same job, he brings back the change! Abotsi, sorry I was not around to join you yesterday. Welcome to the Club of where real life begins. Forget the hype at 40. This is it! From this time on, you start becoming even more philosophical about things you took for granted. It is not that after 50 ones performance slows down. It only matures! One becomes more efficient in how to use time and energy resources that become more and more precious as the years go by. Ive known Hamid for over two decades now. He is admirably religious, disciplined but liberal. It is this personality quirk that allows him to get on well with people. But, he resents cheats and those he considers disloyal. He is protectively Ghanaian. Jealously Danquah-Dombo-Busiast. Simply put, Hamid is a proud, humble and decent man. He is one of the very few Ghanaians I know who genuinely enjoy reading as a devout hobby! An intellectual of the highest order; loyal to his friends, his beliefs and philosophy and emotionally and intellectually defensive of the things he cherishes and holds in high devotion. Hamid was an editor of a reputable business newspaper, the High Street Journal, when we first became friends. He also became news editor at Choice FM. A couple of years later, I invited him to be the editor of The Statesman. He moved on to become the National Youth Organiser of the NPP, an acknowledgement of his years of service to the party, beginning as a foundation member of the Danquah-Busia Clubs branch at UCC in 1991. As strong an Akufo-Addo loyalist as they come, Hamid later contested and lost the general secretary position of the NPP in 2005, moving on in 2007 to become spokesperson to presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo and remained so throughout the opposition years. He, at the same time, went on to teach at Cape Coast University; became Executive Director of the Danquah Institute; achieved a PhD while teaching at Cape Coast; became a cabinet minister in 2017 and now looking forward to a new challenging chapter after attaining the ripe age of 50. His has been half a century of service with integrity and achievements, with much more to come. I consider myself lucky to be worthy of your friendship, Abotsi. Stay honest, stay true, stay loyal to family, party and country. 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 Sulemana Braimah, the executive director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has called on the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh. His call follows recent upsurge in crime activities in some parts of the country with the latest being an attack on a bullion van at Adedenkpo, a suburb of James Town in Accra on Monday leaving a police guard and a trader dead. The MFWA boss believes there are enough competent Commissioners of Police who could be appointed as IGP. The Ghana police service is a very professional institution. But why at all have we had a retired officer as IGP for close to two years? Why? None of the active COPs is competent enough to be appointed IGP? he posted on Facebook. Braimah added: I am told that in the security services, there is something called MORALE and that when it goes down, all things go down. The retired man has done his part. Its time for someone else to take over as IGP. Over to you, Mr. President. Meanwhile, the IGP has paid a visit to the family of Constable Emmanuel Osei of the National SWAT, who was murdered in cold blood by armed robbers during the bullion van attack. He pledged the police administrations resolve to bring the perpetrators to book. A psychologist has also been assigned to the family. Source: asaaseradio.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 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. " " This painting by Peter Paul Rubens is titled "The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek," c. 1626. Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images The mysterious biblical figure of Melchizedek has intrigued (and puzzled) religious thinkers and scholars for centuries. He makes a brief but significant appearance in Genesis the first book of the Hebrew Bible (known to Christians as the Old Testament) when he blesses the patriarch Abram and is introduced as the "priest of the Most High God." From that single mention, various Jewish sects and early Christians developed their own disparate interpretations of who Melchizedek was and what he represented. Some apocalyptic Jewish writers cast Melchizedek as a heaven-sent high priest who existed before the flood and would return to usher in the messiah. Meanwhile, early Christians saw Melchizedek as a "type" or precursor of Jesus Christ, in that they both derived authority from an eternal and higher priesthood. Some have wondered if Melchizedek was even Jesus Christ himself in another form. Who was the real Melchizedek? Unlike nearly everyone mentioned in Genesis and other books, Melchizedek has no recorded father, no genealogy. He is not the "son of" anyone. If a man by that name ever existed, he's been long lost to time. But exploring how the meaning of Melchizedek has been interpreted and reinterpreted over time is equally fascinating and instructive. Let's start with the account in Genesis, which appears straightforward at first, but is as problematic as they come. Advertisement Melchizedek Makes His Only Appearance Genesis 14 starts off as a chronicle of war. A group of cities, including Sodom and Gomorrah, were under the thumb of King Kedorlaomer of Elam. After 12 years of servitude, there was an uprising, which Kedorlaomer quashed with a vengeance, seizing captives and booty from the rebelling cities. Among those captured, Genesis 14 tells us, was Lot, the nephew of "Abram the Hebrew." At this point in the story, Abram was not yet Abraham because he had yet to make a covenant with God. But Abram was a wealthy and powerful landowner, so he decided to go save his nephew. Abram took 318 well-trained servants and attacked Kedorlaomer at night, chasing the enemy to Damascus and retrieving the stolen goods and people, including Lot. Here's where things get interesting. Lot and his family lived in Sodom. When Abram makes his triumphant return, he's first greeted by the king of Sodom (identified earlier in the chapter as Bera). But before the king of Sodom has a chance to talk, Genesis introduces a new character not previously mentioned in the long lists of warring kings. In verses 18-20, it says: Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying: Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand. Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. As we'll see, a lot has been made of those short verses. Here was a priest of "God Most High," understood as the one true God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam blessing Abram, who would soon become the patriarch of God's chosen people. And here was Abram paying a tithe to this high priest, whose elevated position and authority predates all of the ancient prophets. Yet right after this momentous occasion in the history of monotheism, Melchizedek disappears. In the very next verse, we're back to the king of Sodom, who offers Abram a share of the spoils, which Abram, being a righteous man, refuses. Advertisement The King of Sodom Becomes the King of Salem So how do we explain this rather awkward insertion of Melchizedek, priest-king of Salem, into the war narrative of Genesis 14? Robert Cargill, a professor of classics and religious studies at the University of Iowa, has some interesting theories. In his latest book, "Melchizedek, King of Sodom: How Scribes Invented the Biblical Priest-King," Cargill provides textual evidence from the earliest Hebrew and Greek versions of Genesis 14 that Melchizedek was originally introduced as the king of Sodom. According to Cargill, early editors of the Hebrew Bible chose to distance Abram from any positive encounters with a king of Sodom, since Sodom and Gomorrah came to be equated with vile wickedness and sin. That would explain why Melchizedek is so abruptly inserted into the narrative after the king of Sodom greets Abram. In the original version, they were the same person. Cargill asserts that the scribes switched out Sodom for Shalem, a known city in Samaria. But how, then, did we get from Shalem to Salem (translated as "peace"), a city believed to be a precursor to Jerusalem? That's the result of yet another, later textual "tampering," writes Cargill. Starting around 300 B.C.E., there was a rivalry between the Levite priests in Jerusalem (who had sole authority to sacrifice at the Jewish temple) and the Samaritans. The Samaritans worshipped the same God as the Jews but had their own priests and their own temple on Mount Gerizim in Samaria. Cargill believes that the Levite priests were the ones who changed Shalem to Salem as part of a centuries-long campaign to centralize all priesthood authority in Jerusalem and write Samaria out of the picture. And by depicting Abram as making tithes to the priest-king of Salem, it strengthened the authority of the Jerusalem priests to also demand tithes from the faithful. Advertisement Early Christians Take the Ball and Run With It While Melchizedek only appears once in the Bible, his name is invoked in two other places. The first is in Psalm 110, traditionally attributed to King David. In Psalm 110, God makes a series of promises to "my lord," a figure that could be King David himself or, in later Christian interpretations, Jesus Christ. Hidden among various pledges to crush the lord's enemies, Psalm 110 says: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." This one mention of Melchizedek in Psalm 110, together with the heavily edited episode in Genesis, provided theological framework for early Christian apologists like Paul, who were tasked with defending the divinity and authority of Jesus after his death. In the book of Hebrews, which is a letter to a young Christian community struggling to part ways with its Jewish beliefs and traditions, Paul (or someone else the authorship of this book is unclear) makes the case that Jesus Christ's power and authority supersede all of Israel's prophets and high priests. In Chapter 7 of Hebrews, an explicit connection is made between Melchizedek and Jesus. Melchizedek, Paul explains, was "king of Salem and priest of God Most High." He was both a king and a high priest, something that Jews of that time believed wasn't possible. Only Levites could be priests and only non-Levites could be king. (When King Uzziah tried to light incense in the temple, God struck him with leprosy.) Paul interpreted Psalm 110 as referring to Jesus as a "priest forever in the order of Melchizedek," which gave Jesus the same type of overriding authority as Melchizedek. For Jews who didn't believe that Jesus, a non-Levite, could perform a sacrifice (in this case, of himself) for their sins, Paul explained that Jesus's priesthood authority was eternal and everlasting. Jesus, through his death and resurrection, was a king and priest "forever" in the same way that Melchizedek was a priest-king in his day. In an ironic twist, Paul notes that Melchizedek, which means "king of righteousness," was also the king of Salem or the "king of peace." The Levite priests, by changing Shalem to Salem, inadvertently strengthened the connection between Melchizedek, the "king of peace," and Jesus, the "Prince of Peace." Advertisement The Apocryphal Adventures of Melchizedek The figure of Melchizedek clearly fascinated many readers of the Hebrew Bible. During the Second Temple period, there was a blossoming of pseudepigraphical texts, books that claimed to be written by ancient prophets and biblical figures like Moses, Adam and Eve, Enoch and others, but had much more modern authorship. The text known as 2 Enoch was probably written in the first century C.E. in Egypt, and it proposed a wild backstory for our friend Melchizedek. According to 2 Enoch, Melchizedek was born back before the great flood. Noah had a younger brother, Nir, whose aged wife became pregnant with a divinely implanted baby. Nir accused her of cheating on him and she died of grief. Nir, afraid he'd be accused of killing her, plotted with Noah to bury her secretly. But as they were digging the grave, the infant emerged from his dead mother's womb as a walking, talking 3-year-old! Nir and Noah, completely freaked out, named the baby Melchizedek and noticed that he bore the "badge of priesthood," which they took as a sign of God delivering the priestly bloodline to the Earth. The angel Michael then came down to rescue the child from the flood and hide him away in Eden. Later, Michael explained, Melchizedek would return as the priest-king of the city of Salem and begin a priestly line that would end with the messiah. Another pseudepigraphical text about Melchizedek was found among the Nag Hammadi codices. Although only a fragment, it seems to imply that Melchizedek was to be reincarnated as Jesus Christ, which is a step farther than just being a "type" for Jesus. Now That's Interesting In the 3rd century C.E., a heretical Christian sect called the Melchizedekians taught that Melchizedek was not a man at all, but a heavenly being whose power was superior to Jesus. 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Location Contact us for more detail or making reservation Website: https://bit.ly/3g6aMD3 FB: m.me/ratrihotelphuket LINE: https://lin.ee/OnbEwUT Email: reservations@ratriphuket.com TEL: 02-026-3218 (09:00 18:00) By applying the AI that social networks use to identify people in photos, an Argonne engineer discovered a new way to predict the structure of a material, given its preferred properties. The discovery may help save time and money and allow businesses to use techniques once reserved for supercomputers. Credit: Shutterstock / ktsdesign The future of clean energy is hot. Temperatures hit 800 Celsius in parts of solar energy plants and advanced nuclear reactors. Finding materials that can stand that type of heat is tough. So experts look to Mark Messner for answers. A principal mechanical engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, Messner is among a group of engineers who are discovering better ways to predict how materials will behave under high temperatures and pressures. The current prediction methods work well, but they take time and often require supercomputers, especially if you already have a set of specific material propertiese.g., stiffness, density or strengthand want to find out what type of structure a material would need to match those properties. "You would typically have to run tons of physics-based simulations to solve that problem," said Messner. Looking for a shortcut, he found that neural networks, a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that uncovers patterns in huge data sets, can accurately predict what happens to a material in extreme conditions. And they can do this much faster and easier than standard simulations can. Messner's new method found the properties of a material more than 2,000 times faster than the standard approach, as reported in an October 2019 Journal of Mechanical Design article. Many of the calculations, Messner realized, could run on a regular laptop with a graphics processing unit (GPU)instead of a supercomputer, which are often inaccessible to most businesses. This was the first time anyone had used a so-called convolutional neural networka type of neural network with a different, simpler structure that's ideal for recognizing patterns in photosto accurately recognize a material's structural properties. It is also one of the first steps in accelerating how researchers design and characterize materials, which could help us move toward a fully clean energy economy. Cats on the Internet play a role Messner began designing materials as a postdoctoral researcher at DOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where a team sought to produce structures on a 3D printer at a scale of microns, or millionths of a meter. While cutting edge, the research was slow. Could AI speed up results? At the time, technology giants in Silicon Valley had started using convolutional neural networks to recognize faces and animals in images. This inspired Messner. "My idea was that a material's structure is no different than a 3D image," he said. "It makes sense that the 3D version of this neural network will do a good job of recognizing the structure's propertiesjust like a neural network learns that an image is a cat or something else." To test his theory, Messner took four steps. He: designed a defined square with brickslike pixels; took random samples of that design and used a physics-based simulation to create 2 million data points. Those points linked his design to the desired properties of density and stiffness; fed the 2 million data points into the convolutional neural network. This trained the network to look for the correct results; used a genetic algorithm, another type of AI designed to optimize results, together with the trained convolutional neural network, to find an overall structure that would match the properties he wanted. The result? The new AI method found the right structure 2,760 times faster than the standard physics-based model (0.00075 seconds vs. 0.207 seconds, respectively). New tools boost nuclear innovation This abstract idea might transform how engineers design materialsespecially those meant to withstand conditions with high temperatures, pressures and corrosion. Messner recently joined a team of engineers from Argonne and DOE's Idaho and Los Alamos National Laboratories that is partnering with Kairos Power, a nuclear startup. The team is creating AI-based simulation tools that will help Kairos design a molten salt nuclear reactor, which, unlike current reactors, will use molten salt as a coolant. With those tools, the team will project how a specific type of stainless steel, called 316H, will behave under extreme conditions for decades. "This is a small, but vital, part of the work we are doing for Kairos Power," said Rui Hu, a nuclear engineer who is managing Argonne's role in the project. "Kairos Power wants very accurate models of how reactor components are going to behave inside its reactor to support its licensing application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We look forward to providing those models." Another promising avenue for this type of work is 3D printing. Before 3D printing caught on, engineers struggled to actually build structures like the one Messner found using AI in his 2019 paper. Yet making a structure layer by layer with a 3D printer allows for more flexibility than traditional manufacturing methods. The future of mechanical engineering may be in combining 3D printing with new AI-based techniques, said Messner. "You would give the structuredetermined by a neural networkto someone with a 3D printer and they would print it off with the properties you want," he said. "We are not quite there yet, but that's the hope." Explore further New strategy puts evolution of microscopic structures on fast track More information: Mark C. Messner, Convolutional Neural Network Surrogate Models for the Mechanical Properties of Periodic Structures, Journal of Mechanical Design (2019). Mark C. Messner, Convolutional Neural Network Surrogate Models for the Mechanical Properties of Periodic Structures,(2019). DOI: 10.1115/1.4045040 Jeff Chanton, Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor and John Widmer Winchester Professor of Oceanography, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science. Credit: FSU Photography Services Peatlands, which make up 3 percent of Earth's total land area, are known by a number of namesmoors, mires, bogs, swamps and portions of permafrost tundra. They also store a significant amount of the Earth's carbon. A research team from Florida State University and Georgia Institute of Technology are paying close attention to these complicated systems because they've found that the warming Earth is stimulating complex ecosystem changes with the end result of even more greenhouse gases being released into the air. The team's findingsone piece of a larger project studying peatland warming led by Paul Hanson of the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL)were published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. FSU environmental chemist Rachel Wilson, the study's lead author, said that warming causes more greenhouse gases to be emitted into the atmosphere because of a cascading effect and those higher emissions, if unabated, are likely to continue long-term. "First, the plant community responds to warming and produces more sugars," Wilson said. "Those sugars are then fuel for the anaerobic microorganisms that produce carbon dioxide and methane as their respiration products. This suggests that the increase in methane production at higher temperatures is not a transient effect but is likely to persist over time, worsening the climate crisis by adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere." Researchers are particularly concerned about feedback loops through which a warming climate accelerates greenhouse gas production from peatlands, which then warms the climate further. Peatlands are among the largest carbon banks on Earth's surface, holding as much carbon dioxide as the pre-industrial atmosphere. The peatland stored carbon is climate vulnerable. "As peatlands warm, more of the carbon stored there becomes susceptible to decomposition by microorganisms, which then gets released as carbon dioxide and, even more troubling, methane," Wilson said. Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor and John Widmer Winchester Professor of Oceanography Jeff Chanton, a world-renowned expert on methane, directs FSU's part of the project and has been involved since 2012. "Methane currently drives about 25 percent of the 'climate forcing," or influence on the atmosphere that traps heat and warms the earth, compared to carbon dioxide, which drives most all of the rest," Chanton said. "But methane is a stronger greenhouse gas than CO 2 by a factor of 30. The research shows that with warming conditions, the peatland carbon cycle will change from one of sequestration to emissions with an increasing methane effect. It's doubly bad." Georgia Tech microbiologist and associate chair for research Joel Kostka, who co-led the study, said that this unpleasant outcome is attenuated by the extreme conditions found in peat bogs around the world. "Although most peatlands are in northern regions, which are undergoing some of the most rapid warming on the planet, we're talking about generally cold, acidic soils where there's no oxygen," Kostka said. "Methanogens grow really slowly under these extreme conditions. We do see their activity increasing with warming, but they're not yet growing that fast." Together, the research group travels to northern Minnesota up to four times a year to collect samples at the ORNL-managed facility. FSU's researchers analyze peat for belowground carbon dioxide and methane concentrations and isotopes while Kostka's team studies samples with advanced microbiological methods. Wilson also was awarded a grant to use Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory facilities at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which allowed her to have samples analyzed using a variety of cutting-edge environmental techniques. With the help of Malak Tfaily, an FSU alumna who is now an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, they used the lab's high-resolution mass spectrometry technique, FTICR-MS, which was largely pioneered at the FSU-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. The FSU and Georgia Tech research is one part of the much larger Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments experiment, or SPRUCE, to study peatland climate feedbacks. Overseen and directed by ORNL's Hanson, a peatland in the northern Minnesota Marcell Experimental Forest is experimentally warmed to various temperatures inside of large enclosures. Both the air and peat are warmed to temperatures that simulate warmer climates. Scientists from several DOE national laboratories including ORNL, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's U.S. Forest Service, and a number of U.S. and international universities are collaborating to determine changes in vegetation, physical characteristics of the peat, and refining climate models to better capture how these climate-critical ecosystems respond to warming conditions. Explore further Study finds warming peat may boost greenhouse gases More information: Rachel M. Wilson et al, Soil metabolome response to whole-ecosystem warming at the Spruce and Peatland Responses under Changing Environments experiment, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Rachel M. Wilson et al, Soil metabolome response to whole-ecosystem warming at the Spruce and Peatland Responses under Changing Environments experiment,(2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2004192118 In this Oct. 24, 2020 file photo a Washington State Department of Agriculture worker displays an Asian giant hornet taken from a nest, in Blaine, Wash. Scientists have found a dead Asian giant hornet north of Seattle, the first so-called murder hornet found in the state this year, federal and state investigators said Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson,File Scientists have found a dead Asian giant hornet north of Seattle, the first so-called murder hornet discovered in the country this year, federal and state investigators said Wednesday. Entomologists from the state and U.S. Agriculture departments said it's the first confirmed report from Snohomish County, north of Seattle, and appears to be unrelated to the 2019 and 2020 findings of the hornets in Canada and Whatcom County, along the Canadian border, that gained widespread attention. The 2-inch-long (5-centimeter-long) invasive insects, first found near the U.S.-Canadian border in December 2019, are native to Asia and pose a threat to honeybees and native hornet species. While not particularly aggressive toward humans, their sting is extremely painful and repeated stings, though rare, can kill. The world's largest hornet is much more of a threat to honeybees that are relied on to pollinate crops. They attack hives, destroying them in mere hours and decapitating bees in what scientists call their "slaughter phase." How they got here from Asia is unclear, although it is suspected they travel on cargo ships. "Hitchhikers are a side effect of all the commerce we do globally," said Sven Spichiger, an entomologist with the state Agriculture Department who is leading the fight to eradicate the hornets. In the latest sighting, a resident found the dead hornet on his lawn near the city of Marysville and reported it June 4 to the state agency. Entomologists retrieved it June 8, reporting that it was very dried out and a male hornet. Given the time of year, that it was a male and that the specimen was exceptionally dry, entomologists believe it was an old hornet from a previous season that wasn't discovered until now, officials said. New males usually don't emerge until at least July. There is no obvious pathway for how the hornet got to Marysville, officials said. "The find is perplexing because it is too early for a male to emerge," said Dr. Osama El-Lissy, deputy administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's quarantine program. El-Lissy said the federal agency would work with state officials "to survey the area to verify whether a population exists in Snohomish County." Because it was found for the first time in that county and had different coloring than previously collected specimens in North America, the hornet was submitted to the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for final verification. On June 11, entomologists confirmed it was an Asian giant hornet. DNA testing indicated the specimen appeared to be unrelated to the hornet introductions in Whatcom County or Canada. Spichiger said the newly found hornet lacked orange bands on its abdomen and likely came from a country in southern Asia. "This new report continues to underscore how important public reporting is for all suspected invasive species, but especially Asian giant hornet," he said. In 2020, half of the confirmed Asian giant hornet sightings in Washington and all of the confirmed sightings in Canada came from the public, officials said. "We'll now be setting traps in the area and encouraging citizen scientists to trap in Snohomish and King counties," Spichiger said. "None of this would have happened without an alert resident taking the time to snap a photo and submit a report." The USDA has placed the giant hornets on the list of quarantine pests, giving Washington state more tools to help eradicate the invasive species. Explore further Another Asian giant hornet found in northwestern Washington 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Small modeling errors may accumulate faster than previously expected when physicists combine multiple gravitational wave events (such as colliding black holes) to test Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, suggest researchers at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. The findings, published June 16 in the journal iScience, suggest that catalogs with as few as 10 to 30 events with a signal-to-background noise ratio of 20 (which is typical for events used in this type of test) could provide misleading deviations from general relativity, erroneously pointing to new physics where none exists. Because this is close to the size of current catalogs used to assess Einstein's theory, the authors conclude that physicists should proceed with caution when performing such experiments. "Testing general relativity with catalogs of gravitational wave events is a very new area of research," says Christopher J. Moore, a lecturer at the School of Physics and Astronomy & Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom and the lead author of the study. "This is one of the first studies to look in detail at the importance of theoretical model errors in this new type of test. While it is well known that errors in theoretical models need to be treated carefully when you are trying to test a theory, we were surprised by how quickly small model errors can accumulate when you start combining events together in catalogs." In 1916, Einstein published his theory of general relativity, which explains how massive celestial objects warp the interconnected fabric of space and time, resulting in gravity. The theory predicts that violent outer space incidents such as black hole collisions disrupt space-time so severely that they produce ripples called gravitational waves, which zoom through space at the speed of light. Instruments such as LIGO and Virgo have now detected gravitational wave signals from dozens of merging black holes, which researchers have been using to put Einstein's theory to the test. So far, it has always passed. To push the theory even further, physicists are now testing it on catalogs of multiple grouped gravitational wave events. "When I got interested in gravitational wave research, one of the main attractions was the possibility to do new and more stringent tests of general relativity," says Riccardo Buscicchio, a Ph.D. student at the School of Physics and Astronomy & Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy and a co-author of the study. "The theory is fantastic and has already passed a hugely impressive array of other tests. But we know from other areas of physics that it can't be completely correct. Trying to find exactly where it fails is one of the most important questions in physics." However, while larger gravitational wave catalogs could bring scientists closer to the answer in the near future, they also amplify the potential for errors. Since waveform models inevitably involve some approximations, simplifications, and modeling errors, models with a high degree of accuracy for individual events could prove misleading when applied to large catalogs. To determine how waveform errors grow as catalog size increases, Moore and colleagues used simplified, linearized mock catalogs to perform large numbers of test calculations, which involved drawing signal-to-noise ratios, mismatch, and model error alignment angles for each gravitational wave event. The researchers found that the rate at which modeling errors accumulate depends on whether or not modeling errors tend to average out across many different catalog events, whether deviations have the same value for each event, and the distribution of waveform modeling errors across events. "The next step will be for us to find ways to target these specific cases using more realistic but also more computationally expensive models," says Moore. "If we are ever to have confidence in the results of such tests, we must first have as a good an understanding as possible of the errors in our models." Explore further Testing Einstein's theory of gravity from the shadows and collisions of black holes More information: iScience, Moore et al.: "Testing general relativity with gravitational-wave catalogs: the insidious nature of waveform systematics" DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102577 Journal information: iScience , Moore et al.: "Testing general relativity with gravitational-wave catalogs: the insidious nature of waveform systematics" www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext 2589-0042(21)00545-9 Whimbrel are large, striking shorebirds known for their downcurved bills, which are ideally adapted to plucking fiddler crabs from muddy burrows. Credit: Matt Aeberhard/Cornell Lab of Ornithology It's not every day that someone discovers a new-to-science bird migration spectacle. It's even more unexpected that such an encounterin this case, tens of thousands of shorebirds gathering during their annual journey northwould be just a stone's throw from a metropolitan area. But two years ago, that's exactly what happened in coastal South Carolina. In May 2019, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) biologist Felicia Sanders and a team of researchers confirmed that approximately 20,000 whimbrel were roosting at night on a small island during their spring migration. The team documented similar numbers again in 2020. This single flock includes nearly half of the declining shorebird's estimated eastern population: a staggering spectacle hiding in plain sight. The findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Wader Study. Sanders has devoted her career to protecting South Carolina's coastal birds. After decades exploring the coast, few are more familiar with the way shorebirds and seabirds use the state's salt marshes, tidal creeks and barrier islands. But when Sanders pursued a hunch about the large numbers of whimbrel she saw congregating at Deveaux Banka small island just 20 miles south of Charlestonshe could barely believe what she'd found. "A lot of people were skeptical, but after tallying results from coordinated surveys by fellow ornithologists and video documentation, we are certain of the magnitude of the flock," said Sanders. "Finding so many whimbrel here gives me hope that we can turn the tide for this and other declining shorebird species." Whimbrel are large, striking shorebirds known for their downcurved bills, which are ideally adapted to plucking fiddler crabs from muddy burrows. Like many shorebirds, they migrate incredible distances across the western hemisphere each year, facing threats including habitat loss and overhunting along the way. In the last 25 years, whimbrel declined by two-thirds across the Atlantic Flyway, the eastern portion of their population. The discovery of a roost of this sizethe largest known for the speciesis of critical importance to successfully protecting this rare shorebird. After spending the winter on the coasts of South America, whimbrel fly thousands of miles north to nest and raise young across subarctic regions of Canada and Alaska. They typically make just one stop along the way. For many of these birds, that stop is in South Carolina, where they rest and feed on rich coastal nutrients that will fuel their breeding season. At high tides and at night, when feeding habitat and other safe resting sites are inundated, whimbrel flock together for safety. They seek large, isolated offshore refuges like Deveaux Bank, where disturbances from people and predators are minimal. Credit: Matt Aeberhard/Cornell Lab of Ornithology At high tides and at night, when feeding habitat and other safe resting sites are inundated, whimbrel flock together for safety. They seek large, isolated offshore refuges like Deveaux Bank, where disturbances from people and predators are minimal. But relatively few such places remain along the Atlantic coast. "Having such a globally important phenomenon occur right here in our own backyards, that's really something to be proud of," said Sanders. "And I think it's really important to understand that biologists aren't the only ones that care about these birds. Local communities take ownership of places near their homes. It really does take a village to protect places as important as Deveaux." Riley Bradham, mayor and lifelong resident of nearby Rockville, agrees. "It's a special place," said Bradham, who has been visiting Deveaux for his entire life and working for years with SCDNR to protect birds on the sensitive island. "We all love it, but it's one of the last special places." In early 2019, Sanders' discovery inspired a collaboration between the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the University of South Carolina, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the conservation nonprofit Manomet to census and film this nocturnal roost during peak migration in April and May. For optimal visibility, the shorebird biologists, along with videographers specializing in filming sensitive wildlife, converged on Deveaux on full moon nights as flocks of whimbrel arrived during and after twilight. "We worked to visually document what Felicia and the team have uncovered here, because this truly unique spectacle underscores the value of the wild spaces still left intact on our southeastern coasts," said Andy Johnson, who led a team from the Cornell Lab's Center for Conservation Media to film the whimbrel roost. A shorebird roost of this magnitude offers a glimpse of the abundance that was once widespread across the Atlantic coast and now stands as a testament to South Carolina's commitment to coastal habitat conservation. "There's only one place in the world, one place on Earth where 20,000 whimbrel land on an ephemeral island of really insignificant size," says Chris Crolley, naturalist, guide, and CEO of Charleston-based Coastal Expeditions. "That's Deveaux Bank. Right off the coast of South Carolina. It's just phenomenal, isn't it? It's nothing less than that." More information: Felicia J. Sanders et al, Nocturnal roost on South Carolina coast supports nearly half of Atlantic coast population of Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus during northward migration, Wader Study (2021). Felicia J. Sanders et al, Nocturnal roost on South Carolina coast supports nearly half of Atlantic coast population of Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus during northward migration,(2021). DOI: 10.18194/ws.00228 Provided by South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Graphical abstract. Credit: Materials & Design (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2021.109863 A new form of lightweight, impact-resistant plastic-based 'honeycomb' structures which can sense when they have been damaged could find use in new forms of 'smart' prosthetics and medical implants, its inventors suggest. In a new paper published today in the journal Materials & Design, a University of Glasgow-led team of engineers describe how they have used 3D printing techniques to add new properties to a plastic known as polyether ether ketone, or PEEK. PEEK's mechanical properties and resistance to high temperatures and chemicals have made it useful for a wide range of applications in the aerospace, automotive and oil and gas sectors. The team added microscale carbon fibers to their cellular PEEK structures, giving the usually non-conductive material the ability to carry an electric charge throughout its structure. They wanted to investigate whether damaging their electro-conductive cellular PEEK composite would affect its electrical resistance. If so, it could give the new material the ability to 'self-sense' allowing a hip implant, for example, to report when its conductivity has changed, indicating that it has worn down and needs to be replaced. To test their design's self-sensing ability, they used 3D printing to create three different honeycomb configurationsa hexagonal structure, a cross-shaped chiral structure, and a six-sided re-entrant design using both the carbon-fiber PEEK material and conventional PEEK. Then, they subjected the cellular structures to two types of loadings to compare their respective abilities to absorb energy. In crush tests, where consistent pressure is applied until the structure collapses, each design of the carbon-fiber PEEK was outperformed by its conventional PEEK counterpart, which were able to withstand higher pressures. Credit: University of Glasgow However, in impact tests, where a weight is dropped from height onto the structures, the three carbon-fiber PEEK structures demonstrated greater resistance to damage. The hexagonal honeycomb configuration of the carbon-fiber PEEK had the best response, withstanding greater impacts than any of the others. In the crushing tests, the researchers also measured the carbon-fiber PEEK cellular structure's resistance to an electric charge as the three different structures were strained. The change in resistance to applied straina measure of damage progression known as the piezoresistive sensitivitydecreased as the compressive strain increased, leading to a near complete loss of electrical resistance when the structures were completely crushed. The different gauge factors observed for different configurations is associated with their rate of damage growth in accordance with their ability to absorb energy, suggesting that the piezoresitivity of carbon-fiber PEEK could be of benefit in creating a new generation of smart lightweight multifunctional structures. Dr. Shanmugam Kumar, of the University of Glasgow's James Watt School of Engineering, is the corresponding author of the paper. Colleagues from Khalifa University in the United Arab Emirates and the University of Cambridge in the UK also contributed to the research. Dr. Kumar said: "The unique properties of PEEK have made it invaluable to many industrial sectors, and we hope that the carbon-fiber engineered PEEK cellular structures that we've been able to build via 3D printing will open up further possibilities. "3D printing gives us a remarkable amount of control over the design and density of the cellular structure. That could allow us to build materials which more closely resemble the physiology of the native bone than the solid metal alloys traditionally used in medical implants like hip or knee replacements, potentially making them more comfortable and effective. "We hope that these cellular forms of microengineered lightweight, self-sensing PEEK we've developed will find new applications in a wide range of fields, not just in prosthetics and other medical devices but also in automobile design, aerospace engineering, and the oil and gas sector." The team's paper, titled "Energy absorption and self-sensing performance of 3D printed CF/PEEK cellular composites," is published in Materials & Design. Explore further Newly developed material could lead to lighter, safer car designs More information: J. Jefferson Andrew et al, Energy absorption and self-sensing performance of 3D printed CF/PEEK cellular composites, Materials & Design (2021). J. Jefferson Andrew et al, Energy absorption and self-sensing performance of 3D printed CF/PEEK cellular composites,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2021.109863 These images, taken with the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope, show the surface of the red supergiant star Betelgeuse during its unprecedented dimming, which happened in late 2019 and early 2020. The image on the far left, taken in January 2019, shows the star at its normal brightness, while the remaining images, from December 2019, January 2020 and March 2020, were all taken when the star's brightness had noticeably dropped, especially in its southern region. The brightness returned to normal in April 2020. Credit: ESO/M. Montarges et al. When Betelgeuse, a bright orange star in the constellation of Orion, became visibly darker in late 2019 and early 2020, the astronomy community was puzzled. A team of astronomers have now published new images of the star's surface, taken using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), that clearly show how its brightness changed. The new research reveals that the star was partially concealed by a cloud of dust, a discovery that solves the mystery of the Great Dimming of Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse's dip in brightnessa change noticeable even to the naked eyeled Miguel Montarges and his team to point ESO's VLT toward the star in late 2019. An image from December 2019, when compared to an earlier image taken in January of the same year, showed that the stellar surface was significantly darker, especially in the southern region. But the astronomers weren't sure why. The team continued observing the star during its Great Dimming, capturing two other never-before-seen images in January 2020 and March 2020. By April 2020, the star had returned to its normal brightness. "For once, we were seeing the appearance of a star changing in real time on a scale of weeks," says Montarges, from the Observatoire de Paris, France, and KU Leuven, Belgium. The images now published are the only ones we have that show Betelgeuse's surface changing in brightness over time. In their new study, published today in Nature, the team revealed that the mysterious dimming was caused by a dusty veil shading the star, which in turn was the result of a drop in temperature on Betelgeuse's stellar surface. This animation combines four real images of the red supergiant star Betelgeuse, the first taken in January 2019 and the others taken in December 2019, January 2020 and March 2020 during the star's unprecedented dimming. All images, which allow us to resolve the surface of the star, were taken with the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope. Credit: ESO/M. Montarges et al./L. Calcada Betelgeuse's surface regularly changes as giant bubbles of gas move, shrink and swell within the star. The team concludes that some time before the Great Dimming, the star ejected a large gas bubble that moved away from it. When a patch of the surface cooled down shortly after, that temperature decrease was enough for the gas to condense into solid dust. "We have directly witnessed the formation of so-called stardust," says Montarges, whose study provides evidence that dust formation can occur very quickly and close to a star's surface. "The dust expelled from cool evolved stars, such as the ejection we've just witnessed, could go on to become the building blocks of terrestrial planets and life," adds Emily Cannon, from KU Leuven, who was also involved in the study. Rather than just the result of a dusty outburst, there was some speculation online that Betelgeuse's drop in brightness could signal its imminent death in a spectacular supernova explosion. A supernova hasn't been observed in our galaxy since the 17th century, so present-day astronomers aren't entirely sure what to expect from a star in the lead-up to such an event. However, this new research confirms that Betelgeuse's Great Dimming was not an early sign that the star was heading towards its dramatic fate. Witnessing the dimming of such a recognizable star was exciting for professional and amateur astronomers alike, as summed up by Cannon: "Looking up at the stars at night, these tiny, twinkling dots of light seem perpetual. The dimming of Betelgeuse breaks this illusion." The team used the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE) instrument on ESO's VLT to directly image the surface of Betelgeuse, alongside data from the GRAVITY instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), to monitor the star throughout the dimming. The telescopes, located at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert, were a "vital diagnostic tool in uncovering the cause of this dimming event," says Cannon. "We were able to observe the star not just as a point but could resolve the details of its surface and monitor it throughout the event," Montarges adds. Montarges and Cannon are looking forward to what the future of astronomy, in particular what ESO's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), will bring to their study of Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star. "With the ability to reach unparalleled spatial resolutions, the ELT will enable us to directly image Betelgeuse in remarkable detail," says Cannon. "It will also significantly expand the sample of red supergiants for which we can resolve the surface through direct imaging, further helping us to unravel the mysteries behind the winds of these massive stars." This research was presented in the paper "A dusty veil shading Betelgeuse during its Great Dimming" to appear in Nature. Explore further ESO telescope sees surface of dim Betelgeuse More information: A dusty veil shading Betelgeuse during its Great Dimming, Nature (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03546-8 Journal information: Nature A dusty veil shading Betelgeuse during its Great Dimming,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03546-8 Figure 1. PET-CT images of mice at 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after oral administration of 20 nm polystyrene particles (top row) and 1 m polystyrene particles (bottom row). Green border: MIP, blue border: coronal slice, orange border: sagittal slice, and yellow border: transverse slice. Scale is percentage of injected dose per gram of tissue (%ID/g). Credit: Outi Keinanen et al. The accumulation of micro- and nanoplastics in the environment continues at an alarming rate. A radiolabelling technique developed at the University of Helsinki made it possible to monitor the movement and accumulation of plastics in the mouse body, as well as their elimination from it. Postdoctoral Researcher Outi Keinanen from the University of Helsinki developed a method to radiolabel plastic particles in order to observe their biodistribution on the basis of radioactivity with the help of positron emission tomography (PET). As a radiochemist, Keinanen has in her previous radiopharmaceutical studies utilized PET imaging combined with computed tomography (CT), which produces a very accurate image of the anatomical location of the radioactivity signal. In the recently completed study, radiolabelled plastic particles were fed to mice, and their elimination from the body was followed with PET-CT scans. This was the first time that the movement and location of plastic particles in a living mammalian system were observed in real time. The study utilized polystyrene particles of four different sizes: 20 nm, 220 nm, 1 m and 6 m. The journey of the radiolabelled plastic particles through the gastrointestinal tract was followed for two days (48 hours) through PET-CT scans. The study, which was recently published in Scientific Reports journal, demonstrated that most of the particles had been eliminated from the mice naturally, through feces within two days. Not much translocation of plastic particles from the gastrointestinal tract to elsewhere in the body was seen, and the smallest particles were eliminated from the body at a faster rate than the larger ones. In addition to PET imaging, the findings were verified by thoroughly measuring the radioactivity of the tissues and organs of the mice. The persistence of the radiolabel on the surface of the plastic particles was verified by collecting murine gastrointestinal tracts at several different time points after administering the particles. The gastrointestinal tracts of mice that were put down at different timepoints were cut open, ground and separated into several fractions based on size. The share of the non-attached radiolabel was very small compared to the radiolabel still attached to the plastic particles. This was proof that the monitored radiation signal described the passage of the plastic particles well. First and foremost, the study surveyed the usefulness of PET imaging in the study of micro- and nanoplastics, demonstrating that PET imaging enables accurate and non-invasive observation of plastic particles in living animals. Consequently, PET imaging may well become an important element of investigations into the health effects of plastics on mammals. "While only a single small dose of polystyrene particles was fed to the mice, people are exposed daily to a range of micro- and nanoplastics. Therefore, we cannot draw direct conclusions on the accumulation of plastics in mammals and their effects on the basis of this study alone," Keinanen notes. "In addition to ingesting plastics, the air we breathe contains small particles of plastic. Further studies are in fact in the pipeline," Keinanen promises. Next up, the researchers wish to investigate the long-term consequences of daily exposure to micro- and nanoplastics, as well as the accumulation of inhaled plastic particles in mice. In future projects, the aim is to use different plastic materials in addition to polystyrene, the type of plastic used in this study. Explore further Researchers find how tiny plastics slip through the environment More information: Outi Keinanen et al, Harnessing PET to track micro- and nanoplastics in vivo, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Outi Keinanen et al, Harnessing PET to track micro- and nanoplastics in vivo,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90929-6 The study reveale differences in life satisfaction and limited differences in personality traits between child-free individuals and parents, not-yet-parents, or childless individuals. Credit: Creative commons via Pexels Parenting is one of life's greatest joys, right? Not for everyone. New research from Michigan State University psychologists examines characteristics and satisfaction of adults who don't want children. As more people acknowledge they simply don't want to have kids, Jennifer Watling Neal and Zachary Neal, both associate professors in MSU's department of psychology, are among the first to dive deeper into how these "child-free" individuals differ from others. "Most studies haven't asked the questions necessary to distinguish 'child-free' individualsthose who choose not to have childrenfrom other types of nonparents," Jennifer Watling Neal said. "Nonparents can also include the 'not-yet-parents' who are planning to have kids, and 'childless' people who couldn't have kids due to infertility or circumstance. Previous studies simply lumped all nonparents into a single category to compare them to parents." The studypublished June 16 in PLOS ONEused a set of three questions to identify child-free individuals separately from parents and other types of nonparents. The researchers used data from a representative sample of 1,000 adults who completed MSU's State of the State Survey, conducted by the university's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. "After controlling for demographic characteristics, we found no differences in life satisfaction and limited differences in personality traits between child-free individuals and parents, not-yet-parents, or childless individuals," Zachary Neal said. "We also found that child-free individuals were more liberal than parents, and that people who aren't child-free felt substantially less warm toward child-free individuals." Beyond findings related to life satisfaction and personality traits, the research unveiled additional unexpected findings. "We were most surprised by how many child-free people there are," Jennifer Watling Neal said. "We found that more than one in four people in Michigan identified as child-free, which is much higher than the estimated prevalence rate in previous studies that relied on fertility to identify child-free individuals. These previous studies placed the rate at only 2% to 9%. We think our improved measurement may have been able to better capture individuals who identify as child-free." Given the large number of child-free adults in Michigan, more attention needs to be paid to this group, the researchers said. For example, the researchers explained that their study only included one time point, so didn't examine when people decided to be child-freehowever, they hope forthcoming research will help the public understand both when people start identifying as child-free as well as the factors that lead to this choice. Explore further The impacts of children's emotions and behavior on parenting Tadpoles. Credit: Wikipedia/bohringer friedrich An international team of researchers has confirmed a severe perkinsea infection (SPI) in captive frogs in the U.K. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, the researchers describe the circumstances surrounding the infection found in the U.K. and testing they conducted of frogs in the wild in Panama. Over the past few decades, populations of frogs and other amphibians has been declining at a rapid pace. So rapid, in fact, that scientists estimate a third of all amphibian species are at risk of extinction. Prior research has suggested that the decline is due to disease-causing microbes and loss of habitat. Some of the deaths have been attributed to frogs from one part of the world coming into contact with frogs in other parts of the world. Prior research has also shown that one type of microbe is responsible for SPI in tadpolesa pathogenic perkinsea clade. SPI, which was first observed in tadpoles in New Hampshire in 1999, leads to bloating in the liver leaving the tadpole unable to dive in water. Mortality rates for infected areas approach 95%. In recent years, infections have been seen all across North America. In this new effort, the researchers responded to a report by a non-scientist frog enthusiast who had purchased some European tree frog tadpoles at a pet store in Surry. The source of the tadpoles was not known, but testing showed them to be carrying SPI. The finding marks the first known instance of an SPI infection in the UK or Europe. The researchers also ventured to Panama to investigate reports of an outbreak of SPI in the wild. They captured 81 tadpoles at the site and found that ten of them tested positive for SPI. They suggest the two findings indicate that SPI is at the stage of spreading to other parts of the world, and because of that, they are calling for screening of amphibians that are traded internationally. They note that such trade is quite largesome in the field have estimated that $100 million is spent each year on frogs meant to be eaten. Meanwhile, they are also asking for people in the U.K. who have frogs to keep them indoors. Explore further How habitat and reproduction influence the diversity and evolution of frogs More information: Vanessa Smilansky et al, Expanded host and geographic range of tadpole associations with the Severe Perkinsea Infection group, Biology Letters (2021). Journal information: Biology Letters Vanessa Smilansky et al, Expanded host and geographic range of tadpole associations with the Severe Perkinsea Infection group,(2021). DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0166 2021 Science X Network Mother and child in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Credit: Obed Esquivel on Unsplash A study of young immigrant mothers who are survivors of sex trafficking found that the trauma affected how they parented: It made them overprotective parents in a world perceived to be unsafe, it fueled emotional withdrawal when struggling with stress and mental health symptoms, and was a barrier to building confidence as mothers. Yet, they coped with such challenges through finding meaning in the birth of their children and through social support and faith. Results of the community-based participatory research study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Copenhagen University, and ECPAT-U.S. (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking-U.S.) appear in the journal PLOS One. The researchers interviewed 14 young women (20-36 years) from Mexico and Central America who were survivors of sex trafficking to understand the effect of that experience on their relationship with their pre-school children. Recruited through the nonprofit Sanctuary for Families, participants had been forced to enter sex trafficking at an average age of 19 years, with one-third trafficked as minors. Most of these women experienced PTSD symptoms, despite having escaped their victimization 2 to 10 years earlier. Trauma's scars The study found that many sex trafficking survivors questioned their ability to be "good mothers." This negative self-perception was linked to participants' experiences of disempowerment from being trafficked for sex. Most noted that their avoidant behaviors and generalized fear often led to overprotecting their young children and foregoing opportunities for socialization with other children or adults. When children are overprotected, their independence may be discouraged, hindering the development of autonomy and increasing the risk for developing anxiety and separation issues. Conversely, mothers also discussed how moments of sadness and emotional numbness led them to feel emotionally disconnected from their children, decreasing their ability to respond to their young children's emotional needs in moments of stress. Mothers' challenges to be emotionally present during stressful moments appeared to result from the accumulation of stressors before, during, and after victimization: Neglect and abuse, forced separation from their older children, post-trafficking poverty, and migration-related stressors, rather than directly from the trafficking experiences. Fears of deportation and limited job options appeared to further contribute to their becoming stay-at-home mothers and engaging in overprotective parenting. Finding meaning in motherhood Despite these challenges, mothers found ways to copeby finding meaning in the birth of their child and using social support and faith to build confidence. All participants regarded their children as the main reason for living, for working towards a better future. Many reported experiencing strong connections to their children, with moments of joy and playfulness. The study showed how the process of reestablishing feelings of happiness and trust through motherhood can help women find meaning in life, increasing their resilience and ability to cope with the consequences of traumatic experiences. Early childhood programs appeared to help mothers experience empowerment and develop stronger bonds with their children. "We can support mothers' resiliency through government policies and programs aimed at reducing daily stressors and including mental health services, job and life skills training, and stable housing. These will facilitate women to be able to process their pain, while building confidence in their ability to be loving mothers," says first author Maria Marti Castaner, Ph.D., who carried out the research while a post-doctoral researcher at the Columbia Mailman School and is now at the Center for Migration, Ethnicity, and Health at the University of Copenhagen. Policy solutions The researchers propose several policies to support mothers who are survivors of sex trafficking. These include pre- and post-natal mental health and psychosocial support, focusing on parenting-related changes; the provision of parenting and early childhood education programs to facilitate the development of healthier parent-child relationships; measures that improve living conditions and enhance long-term opportunities to regain independence and confidence to accelerate their recovery from trauma. The latter might include English language and literacy as well as job skills. These can help women reconstruct their new identity in addition to supporting their role as mothers. Anti-trafficking agencies, nonprofit organizations working with sex trafficking survivors, and healthcare providers involved in prenatal and child health care can play a key role in identifying women (and older adolescents) in need, and in encouraging their referral to programs that offering psychosocial, parenting, and early childhood support and education. "Our project highlights the unique opportunities for partnership across legal and public health disciplines. Ultimately the well-being of these young migrant women and their children benefits from collaboration between legal and healthcare services. Such collaborations can help inform both disciplines and thus facilitate the provision of effective and more holistic care," senior author Manuela Orjuela-Grimm, MD, assistant professor of epidemiology and pediatrics says. Background on sex trafficking According to estimates from the International Labor Organization, there are approximately 4.5 million victims of sexual exploitation at any given time, and 98 percent are estimated to be women or girls. An estimated that 15,000-50,000 people are trafficked annually in the U.S. Central American women are trafficked en route to the U.S. with smugglers sometimes pass them on to traffickers. Others, especially women from Mexico, are seduced by young men who convince them with promises of a new life in new home towns only to place them in trafficking with threats of retaliation to their families. Women from Mexico and Central America typically are sold for 15-minute sex acts between 15-20 times per day on a weekday and 25-35 times per day on the weekend. When women fail to meet their quota, their traffickers frequently beat, starve, and threaten them. Survivors of sex trafficking have high rates of comorbid mental health disorders and health problems. Explore further Human trafficking in Europe disproportionately affects women, little spent on specialised support for victims More information: Marti Marti Castaner et al, How trauma related to sex trafficking challenges parenting: Insights from Mexican and Central American survivors in the US, PLOS ONE (2021). Journal information: PLoS ONE Marti Marti Castaner et al, How trauma related to sex trafficking challenges parenting: Insights from Mexican and Central American survivors in the US,(2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252606 Credit: ESA/NASA A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, according to one of the three laws of robotics imagined by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. On board humanity's only outpost in space, this obedience has turned into cooperation. Astronauts and robots are working together. The latest robot to service the International Space Station is the European Robotic Arm (ERA). This android automaton is much like a human arm. It has an elbow, shoulders and even wrists, and it the first robot able to 'walk' around the Russian part of the Space Station. The arm will be launched into space together with the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, called "Nauka," from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, on 15 July 2021. ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers is seen in this picture during his first space mission in 2004, with a scale model of the European Robotic Arm. The real thing has a length of over 11 m, and has the ability to anchor itself to the Station in multiple locations, moving backwards and forwards with a large range of motion. "I am happy to see the European Robotic Arm fly next month. It was a real pleasure to help prepare this fantastic piece of robotics for its duties on the International Space Station," says Andre, who trained under water with a real-size model of the robot at Star City, in Russia, before his spaceflight. Astronauts will find in ERA a most valuable allyit will save them precious time to do other work in space. ERA will transfer payloads from inside to outside the International Space Station, but it will also help spacewalkers by transporting them around like a cherry-picker crane. The crew can control ERA from both inside and outside the Space Station, a feature that no other robotic arm has offered before. The robotic arm can perform many tasks automatically, and it can be controlled in real time or preprogrammed. ERA's first tasks in orbit are to set up the airlock and install a large radiator for "Nauka." ERA is 100% made-in-Europe. A consortium of European companies led by Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands designed and assembled it for ESA. The story of the European Robotic Arm is one of perseveranceit has survived four changes of scenario, dealt with different space agencies and coped with budget shortfalls while keeping an international team motivated. After two decades of technical and programmatic challenges, the long-awaited premiere of ERA in space is finally happening. Explore further Russians end 7-hour spacewalk at International Space Station Impression of a GRB outflow showing the prompt phase (gamma-ray flash), reverse shock and forward shock. Credit: Nuria Jordana-Mitjans An international team of scientists, led by astrophysicists from the University of Bath in the UK, has measured the magnetic field in a far-off Gamma-Ray Burst, confirming for the first time a decades-long theoretical predictionthat the magnetic field in these blast waves becomes scrambled after the ejected material crashes into, and shocks, the surrounding medium. Black holes are formed when massive stars (at least 40 times larger than our Sun) die in a catastrophic explosion that powers a blast wave. These extremely energetic events drive out material at velocities close to the speed of light, and power bright, short-lived gamma-ray flashes that can be detected by satellites orbiting the Earthhence their name, Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). Magnetic fields may be threaded through the ejected material and, as the spinning black hole forms, these magnetic fields twist into corkscrew shapes that are thought to focus and accelerate the ejected material. The magnetic fields can't be seen directly, but their signature is encoded in the light produced by charged particles (electrons) that whiz around the magnetic field lines. Earth-bound telescopes capture this light, which has travelled for millions of years across the Universe. Head of Astrophysics at Bath and gamma-ray expert Professor Carole Mundell, said: "We measured a special property of the lightpolarisationto directly probe the physical properties of the magnetic field powering the explosion. This is a great result and solves a long-standing puzzle of these extreme cosmic blastsa puzzle I've been studying for a long time." Capturing the light early The challenge is to capture the light as soon as possible after a burst and decode the physics of the blast, the prediction being that any primordial magnetics fields will ultimately be destroyed as the expanding shock front collides with the surrounding stellar debris. This model predicts light with high levels of polarisation (>10%) soon after the burst when the large-scale primordial field is still intact and driving the outflow. Later, the light should be mostly unpolarised as the field is scrambled in the collision. Mundell's team was first to discover highly polarised light minutes after the burst that confirmed the presence of primordial fields with large-scale structure. But the picture for expanding forward shocks has proved more controversial. Teams who observed GRBs in slower timehours to a day after a burstfound low polarisation and concluded the fields had long-since been destroyed, but could not say when or how. In contrast, a team of Japanese astronomers announced an intriguing detection of 10% polarised light in a GRB, which they interpreted as a polarised forward shock with long-lasting ordered magnetic fields. Lead author of the new study, Bath Ph.D. student Nuria Jordana-Mitjans, said: "These rare observations were difficult to compare, as they probed very different timescales and physics. There was no way to reconcile them in the standard model." The mystery remained unsolved for over a decade, until the Bath team's analysis of GRB 141220A. In the new paper, published today in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Professor Mundell's team report the discovery of very low polarisation in forward-shock light detected just 90 seconds after the blast of GRB 141220A. The super-speedy observations were made possible by the team's intelligent software on the fully autonomous robotic Liverpool Telescope and the novel RINGO3 polarimeterthe instrument that logged the GRB's colour, brightness, polarisation and rate of fade. Putting together this data, the team was able to prove that: The light originated in the forward shock. The magnetic field length scales were much smaller than the Japanese team inferred. The blast was likely powered by the collapse of ordered magnetic fields in the first moments of the formation of a new black hole. The mysterious detection of polarisation by the Japanese team could be explained by a contribution of polarised light from the primordial magnetic field before it was destroyed in the shock. Ms Jordana-Mitjans said: "This new study builds on our research that has shown the most powerful GRBs can be powered by large-scale ordered magnetic fields, but only the fastest telescopes will catch a glimpse of their characteristic polarisation signal before they are lost to the blast." Professor Mundell added: "We now need to push the frontiers of technology to probe the earliest moments of these blasts, capture statistically significant numbers of bursts for polarisation studies and put our research into the wider context of real-time multimessenger follow-up of the extreme Universe." More information: N Jordana-Mitjans et al, Coherence scale of magnetic fields generated in early-time forward shocks of GRBs, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2021). Journal information: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N Jordana-Mitjans et al, Coherence scale of magnetic fields generated in early-time forward shocks of GRBs,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stab1003 Credit: Darren Carney Stunning photographs of vast, ghostly spider webs blanketing the flood-affected region of Gippsland in Victoria have gone viral online, prompting many to muse on the wonder of nature. But what's going on here? Why do spiders do this after floods and does it happen everywhere? The answer is: these webs have nothing to do with spiders trying to catch food. Spiders often use silk to move around and in this case are using long strands of web to escape from waterlogged soil. This may seem unusual, but these are just native animals doing their thing. It's crucial you don't get out the insecticide and spray them. These spiders do important work managing pests, so by killing them off you would be increasing the risk that pests such as cockroaches and mosquitoes will get out of control. Parts of #Gippsland are covered in #spider web??!! The little black dots are spiders. There is web as far as the eye can see. This is near Longford #Victoria thanks Carolyn Crossley for the video pic.twitter.com/wcAOGU9ZTu Mim Hook (@mim_cook) June 15, 2021 Using silk to move around What you're seeing online, or in person if you live locally, is an amazing natural phenomena but it's not really very complicated. We are constantly surrounded by spiders, but we don't usually see them. They are hiding in the leaf litter and in the soil. When these flood events happen, they need evacuate quickly up out of holes they live in underground. They come out en masse and use their silk to help them do that. When floods happen, spiders use silk to evacuate quickly. Credit: Darren Carney You'll often see juvenile spiders let out a long strand of silk which is caught by the wind and lifted up. The web catches onto another object such as a tree and allows the spider to climb up. Nature is awesome https://t.co/EBD5DDcApH Liam Mannix (@liammannix) June 15, 2021 That's how baby spiders (spiderlings!) disperse when they emerge from their egg sacsit's called ballooning. They have to disperse as quickly as possible because they are highly cannibalistic so they need to move away from each other swiftly and find their own sites to hunt or build their webs. That said, I doubt these webs are from baby spiders. It is more likely to be a huge number of adult spiders, of all different types, sizes and species. They're all just trying to escape the flood waters. These are definitely spiders you don't usually see above ground so they are out of their comfort zone, too. This mass evacuation of spiders, and associated blankets of silk, is not a localised thing. It is seen in other parts of Australia and around the world after flooding. It just goes to show how versatile spider silk can be. It's not just used for catching food, it's also used for locomotion and is even used by some spiders to lay a trail so they don't get lost. Don't spray them! The most important thing I need readers to know is that this is not anything to be worried about. The worst thing you could do is get out the insecticide and spray them. These spiders are making a huge contribution to pest control and you would have major pest problems if you get rid of all the spiders. The spiders will disperse on their own very quickly. In general, spiders don't like being in close proximity to each other (or humans!) and they want to get back to their homes underground. If you live in Gippsland, you probably don't even need to clear the webs away with a broom. There's no danger in doing so if you wish, but I am almost certain these webs will disperse on their own within days. Until then, enjoy this natural spectacle. I wish I could come down to see them with my own eyes! Explore further Spiders use pre-tensioned silk to hoist prey off the ground This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: CC0 Public Domain In an international study published by the journal Environment International, the University of Surrey led an international team of air pollution experts in monitoring pollution hotspots in 10 global cities: Dhaka (Bangladesh); Sao Paulo (Brazil); Guangzhou (China); Medellin (Colombia); Cairo (Egypt); Addis Ababa (Ethiopia); Chennai (India); Sulaymaniyah (Iraq); Blantyre (Malawi); and Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania). Surrey's Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) set out to investigate whether the amount of fine air pollution particles (PM2.5) drivers inhaled is connected to the duration drivers spend in pollution hotspots and socio-economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP). Across all the cities in the study, researchers found that drivers only needed to spend a short amount of time in high-pollution hotspots to inhale a significant amount of PM2.5 particles. For example, drivers in Guangzhou and Addis Ababa spent 26 and 28 per cent of their commute in hotspot areas, which contributed to 54 and 56 per cent of the total amount of air pollution inhaled on their trip. The researchers found that the cities where drivers were exposed to the highest levels of PM2.5 pollutionDar-es-Salaam, Blantyre and Dhakaalso experienced higher death rates per 100,000 commuting car population per year. The low PM2.5 levels in Medellin, Sao Paulo and Sulaymaniyah corresponded with very low death rates. The international study assessed economic losses by measuring a city's death rate caused by PM2.5 car exposure against its GDP per capita. It found that, for most cities, lower GDP linked directly to more significant economic losses caused by in-car PM2.5 exposurewith Cairo and Dar-es-Salaam being impacted the most (losses of 8.9 and 10.2 million US dollars per year, respectively). The team also found that, except for Guangzhou, cities with higher GDP per capita have less hotspot areas during an average route trip, thus decreasing the risk to drivers. Professor Prashant Kumar, Principal Investigator of CArE-Cities Project, Associate Dean (International) and Founding Director of GCARE at the University of Surrey, said that "our global collaborative project has confirmed that air pollution disproportionately affects developing countries. Many countries are caught in a vicious cycle where their low GDP leads to higher pollution exposure rate for drivers, which leads to poorer health outcomes, which further damages the economy of those cities. This is discouraging newsbut it should galvanize the international community to find and deploy measures that mitigate the health risks faced by the world's most vulnerable drivers." Professor Shi-Jie Cao, a collaborative partner from the Southeast University, explains that "if we are ever to make a world where clean air is available to all, it will take a truly global collaborative effortsuch as CArE-Cities. We hope to continue to work closely with Surrey and other global partners, sharing knowledge and expertise that will make a cleaner future a reality." Professor Adamson Muula, a collaborative partner from formerly University of Malawi and now Head of Public Health at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), concludes that "if developing countries are to not be left behind in the struggle against air pollution and climate change, it is important that we build the capacity and knowledge to gather on-the-ground data. This project is a small but a significant step in the right direction for Malawians; a direction which will lead to better decisions and cleaner air for Malawi." Explore further Drivers from the world's poorest cities who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 percent more air pollution More information: Prashant Kumar et al, Potential health risks due to in-car aerosol exposure across ten global cities, Environment International (2021). Journal information: Environment International Prashant Kumar et al, Potential health risks due to in-car aerosol exposure across ten global cities,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106688 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Transitioning to low-carbon energy production is a big climate challenge to overcome. Many countries are already looking to adopt clean heating solutions more widely, with the International Energy Agency projecting that by 2045 nearly half of global heating will be done with heat pumps. To ensure speedy uptake, governments are likely to offer subsidies to ensure these energy-efficient options actually make their way into homes and offices. A new study from Aalto University assesses the impact of heat pumps on energy consumption as well as how heat pumps should be subsidized. These devices run on electricity to warm spaces by efficiently transferring heat from one area to another, cutting buildings' carbon footprints significantly. "My research shows that a heat pump can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from heating by more than 80 percent. Electrifying heating means we can warm our homes and buildings cleanly. Heat pumps are also truly energy-efficient: they can can produce up to four units of heat for every unit of electricity," says Jussi Vimpari, a post-doctoral researcher at Aalto University. In the study, Vimpari compares the prices, rents, heating systems, and emissions from heating, and the percentage of residents' income spent on heating in all residential buildings in eight large Finnish cities, including those in the capital region of Helsinki. In Finland, city buildings are typically heated with oil, district heating, or electricity. Only 15% of heating in the country is currently done with heat pumps. An average of about 9 percent of household income was spent on heating and installing a heat pump reduced this to roughly 4 percent. The investment required for the pump was an average of 3,800 per resident, unsubsidised, with the cost recouped through lower heating in just over ten years. In Finland, the cost of the unit and its installation is subsidized up to 25-50 percent. The findings also show that neighborhoods with lower housing prices are less motivatedand likely less ableto invest in heat pumps. "In areas with high prices, the cost of the heat pump is just a small fraction of the overall cost of the home, around one percent. But in areas where homes are valued at lower prices, the relative cost of the device seems to be too large to invest," Vimpari explains. This division in purchase habits means subsidies are going to areas where homeowners are likely to buy the deviceeven without the monetary incentive. Vimpari says potential subsidies should be allocated to those who would benefit the most. "When the cost of the heat pump amounts to a larger percent of the cost of the home, the owner has less motivation and capability to make the investment. This may be especially true because income correlates with housing prices: owners may want to heat their homes more efficiently, but just cannot afford the upfront cost. If governments want to help citizens transition to clean energy, they need to think about those who need the benefits most," says Vimpari. Some countries like the United States or Germany still rely mainly on gas boilers for heating, as fuel still costs less than electricity in these markets. The European Union, however, has discussed banning gas boilers in new buildings in efforts to move away from fossil fuels; member nations like Finland promote heat pumps for their energy-efficiency, while neighboring Sweden spurred sales of the device when they introduced tax on heating oil in the 1990s. "Eventually all heating has to become non-fussil fuel based. Currently, the electrification of heating with heat pumps looks like the most efficient way to do this, as we have the means to produce emission-free electricity and heat pumps can convert that electricity to heat with very high efficiencies," Vimpari notes. Explore further Carbon heat pumps smart option for hotels in cold climates More information: Jussi Vimpari, Should energy efficiency subsidies be tied into housing prices?, Environmental Research Letters (2021). Journal information: Environmental Research Letters Jussi Vimpari, Should energy efficiency subsidies be tied into housing prices?,(2021). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/abfeee The late Jim Boyd of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville talking at the press conference in 2015 announcing the results of the DNA analysis of Kennewick Man, the Ancient One. Credit: Linus Mrk/Magus Film A ball of 4,000-year-old hair frozen in time tangled around a whalebone comb led to the first ever reconstruction of an ancient human genome just over a decade ago. The hair, which was preserved in arctic permafrost in Greenland, was collected in the 1980s and stored at a museum in Denmark. It wasn't until 2010 that evolutionary biologist Professor Eske Willerslev was able to use pioneering shotgun DNA sequencing to reconstruct the genetic history of the hair. He found it came from a man from the earliest known people to settle in Greenland known as the Saqqaq culture. It was the first time scientists had recovered an entire ancient human genome. Now a review of the first decade of ancient genomics of the Americas published in Nature today written by Professor Willerslev a Fellow of St John's College, University of Cambridge, and director of The Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, University of Copenhagen, with one of his longstanding collaborators Professor David Meltzer, an archaeologist based at Southern Methodist University, Texas, shows how the world's first analysis of an ancient genome sparked an incredible 'decade of discovery'. Professor Willerslev said: "The last ten years has been full of surprises in the understanding of the peopling of the AmericasI often feel like a child at Christmas waiting to see what exciting DNA present I am about to unwrap! What has really blown my mind is how resilient and capable the early humans we have sequenced DNA from werethey occupied extremely different environments and often populated them in a short space of time. "We were taught in school that people would stay put until the population grew to a level where the resources were exhausted. But we found people were spreading around the world just to explore, to discover, to have adventures. "The last 10 years have shown us a lot about our history and what it means to be human. We won't ever see that depth of human experience on this planet againpeople entered new areas with absolutely no idea of what was in front of them. It tells us a lot about human adaptability and how humans behave." For decades, scientists relied on archaeological findings to reconstruct the past and theories weren't always accurate. It was previously thought, that there were early non-Native American people in the Americas but the ancient DNA analysis so far has shown that all of the ancient remains found are more closely related to contemporary Native Americans than to any other population anywhere else in the world. A ball of 4,000-year-old hair frozen in time tangled around a whalebone comb led to the first ever reconstruction of an ancient human genome just over a decade ago. The hair, which was preserved in arctic permafrost in Greenland, was collected in the 1980s and stored at a museum in Denmark. It wasn't until 2010 that evolutionary biologist Professor Eske Willerslev was able to use pioneering shotgun DNA sequencing to reconstruct the genetic history of the hair. He found it came from a man from the earliest known people to settle in Greenland known as the Saqqaq culture. It was the first time scientists had recovered an entire ancient human genome. Now a review of the first decade of ancient genomics of the Americas published in Nature today (June 16, 2021) written by Professor Willerslev a Fellow of St John's College, University of Cambridge, and director of The Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, University of Copenhagen, with one of his longstanding collaborators Professor David Meltzer, an archaeologist based at Southern Methodist University, Texas, shows how the world's first analysis of an ancient genome sparked an incredible 'decade of discovery.' Credit: St John's College, University of Cambridge Professor Meltzer, who worked on the review with Professor Willerslev while the former was at St John's College as a Beaufort Visiting Scholar added: "Genomic evidence has shown connections that we didn't know existed between different cultures and populations and the absence of connections that we thought did exist. Human population history been far more complex than previously thought. "A lot of what has been discovered about the peopling of the Americas could not have been predicted. We have seen how rapidly people were moving around the world when they have a continent to themselves, there was nothing to hold them back. There was a selective advantage to seeing what was over the next hill." In 2013, scientists mapped the genome of a four-year-old boy who died in south-central Siberia 24,000 years ago. The burial of an Upper Palaeolithic Siberian child was discovered in the 1920s by Russian archaeologists near the village of Mal'ta, along the Belaya river. Sequencing of the Mal'ta genome was key as it showed the existence of a previously unsampled population that contributed to the ancestry of Siberian and Native American populations. Two years later, Professor Willerslev and his team published the first ancient Native American genome, sequenced from the remains of a baby boy ceremonially buried more than 12,000 years ago in Anzick, Montana. In 2015, their ancient genomic analysis was able to solve the mystery of Kennewick Man, one of the oldest and most complete skeletons ever found in the Americas, and one of the most controversial. The 9,000-year-old remains had been surrounded by a storm of controversy when legal jurisdiction over the skeleton became the focus of a decade of lawsuits between five Native American tribes, who claimed ownership of the man they called Ancient One, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Professor Willerslev, who has rightly learnt to be mindful of cultural sensitivities when searching for ancient DNA, has spent much of the past decade talking to tribal community members to explain his work in detail and seek their support. This meant he was able to agree with members of the Colville Tribe, based in Washington State where the remains were found, that they would donate some of their DNA to allow Professor Willerslev and his team to establish if there was a genetic link between them and Kennewick Man. Professor Eske Willerslev with Donna and Joey, two members of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone tribe, discussing the Spirit Cave individual. Credit: Linus Mrk/Magus Film. Jackie Cook, a descendant of the Colville Tribe and the repatriation specialist for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, said: "We had spent nearly 20 years trying to have the Ancient One repatriated to us. There has been a long history of distrust between scientists and our Native American tribes but when Eske presented to us about his DNA work on the Anzick child, the hair on my arms stood up. "We knew we shouldn't have to agree to DNA testing, and there were concerns that we would have to do it every time to prove cultural affiliation, but our Council members discussed it with the elders and it was agreed that any tribal member who wanted to provide DNA for the study could." The Kennewick Man genome, like the Anzick baby, revealed the man was a direct ancestor of living Native Americans. The Ancient One was duly returned to the tribes and reburied. Cook added: "We took a risk but it worked out. It was remarkable to work with Eske and we felt honoured, relieved and humbled to be able to resolve such an important case. We had oral stories that have passed down through the generations for thousands of years that we call coyote storiesteaching stories. These stories were from our ancestors about living alongside woolly mammoths and witnessing a series of floods and volcanoes erupting. As a tribe, we have always embraced science but not all history is discovered through science." Work led by Professor Willerslev was also able to identify the origins of the world's oldest natural mummy called Spirit Cave. Scientists discovered the ancient human skeleton back in 1940 but it wasn't until 2018 that a striking discovery was made that unlocked the secrets of the Ice Age tribe in the Americas. The revelation came as part of a study that genetically analysed the DNA of a series of famous and controversial ancient remains across North and South America including Spirit Cave, the Lovelock skeletons, the Lagoa Santa remains, an Inca mummy, and the oldest remains in Chilean Patagonia. Scientists sequenced 15 ancient genomes spanning from Alaska to Patagonia and were able to track the movements of the first humans as they spread across the Americas at 'astonishing' speed during the Ice Age and also how they interacted with each other in the following millennia. The team of academics not only discovered that the Spirit Cave remains was a Native American but they were able to dismiss a longstanding theory that a group called Paleoamericans existed in North America before Native Americans. Spirit Cave was returned to The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, a group of Native Americans based in Nevada, for burial. Professor Willerslev added: "Over the past decade human history has been fundamentally changed thanks to ancient genomic analysisand the incredible findings have only just begun." Explore further DNA of world's oldest natural mummy unlocks secrets of Ice Age tribes in the Americas More information: Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics, Nature (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y Journal information: Nature Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03499-y Crystal structure, showing iron atoms (red) in tantalum-sulfide structure. Credit: FLEET Magnetic-spin interactions that allow spin-manipulation by electrical control allow potential applications in energy-efficient spintronic devices. An antisymmetric exchange known as Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMI) is vital to form various chiral spin textures, such as skyrmions, and permits their potential application in energy-efficient spintronic devices. Published this week, a Chinese-Australia collaboration has for the first time illustrated that DMI can be induced in a layered material tantalum-sulfide (TaS 2 ) by intercalating iron atoms, and can further be tuned by gate-induced proton intercalation. Searching for layered materials that harbor chiral spin textures, such as skyrmions, chiral domain Walls is vital for further low-energy nanodevices, as those chiral spin textures are building blocks for topological spintronic devices and can be driven by ultra-low current density. Generally, chiral spin textures are stabilized by DMI. Therefore, introducing and controlling DMI in materials is key in searching and manipulating the chiral spin textures. "Tantalum-sulfide is one of the large family of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDCs) investigated by FLEET for low-energy applications," says the study's first author, FLEET Research Fellow Dr. Guolin Zheng (RMIT). Hall-bar device on solid proton conductor, used to measure Hall resistivity under different conditions. Credit: FLEET The team firstly successfully realized a sizable DMI in the layered material tantalum-sulfide (TaS 2 ) by intercalating Fe atoms. However, electrically controlling the DMI turns out to be challenging: "Both conventional electric-field gating, and the widely-used alternative technique of ion-liquid (Li+) gating have hit stumbling blocks in the electrical control of DMI in itinerant ferromagnets, because the electric-field and Li+ can only modulate the carriers close to the surface," explains Guolin. To address this limitation in tuning the DMI, the group at RMIT recently developed a new protonic gate technique, and successfully illustrated that DMI can be dramatically controlled by gate-induced proton intercalations. By increasing the intercalation of protons by gate voltage, the team were able to significantly change the carrier density and further tune the DMI via the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) mechanism, which refers to the coupling of nuclear magnetic moments. Credit: FLEET "The observed topological Hall resistivity after proton intercalation has been increased more than four-fold under a few volts, indicating a huge increase of DMI," says co-author A/Prof Lan Wang (also at RMIT). "The successful tuning of DMI in chiral magnet Fe-intercalated TaS 2 by protonic gate enables an electrical control of the chiral spin textures as well as the potential applications in energy-efficient spintronic devices," says co-author Prof Mingliang Tian, who is a FLEET Partner Investigator and Director of the Center's partner organization the High Magnetic Field Laboratory (Anhui Province, China). "Tailoring Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in a transition metal dichalcogenide by dual-intercalation" was published in Nature Communications in June 2021. More information: Guolin Zheng et al, Tailoring DzyaloshinskiiMoriya interaction in a transition metal dichalcogenide by dual-intercalation, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Guolin Zheng et al, Tailoring DzyaloshinskiiMoriya interaction in a transition metal dichalcogenide by dual-intercalation,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23658-z Loggerhead sea turtle. Credit: Pixabay The story of a turtle caught twice in fishing nets reveals a dual threat facing many ocean animals. The female loggerhead turtle, called "Thunderbird," was entangled in ghost (abandoned) fishing gear in the Mediterranean last year, and was subsequently fitted with a satellite tag and freed. Researchers tracked the turtle as it swam through the Strait of Gibraltar and headed south along the coast of Africa. But then signals became erratic, before a final position from the tag showed the turtle on landnear a major fishing port in Dakar, Senegal, suggesting it was unintentionally caught by a fishing vessel, probably a trawler. "The turtle was found entangled in ghost fishing gear by Save the Med Foundation in July 2020, and taken to the Palma Aquarium rescue center in Mallorca," said Dr. David March, of the universities of Exeter and Barcelona. "We attached a satellite tag before she was released on 11 August, which allowed us to track her epic journey of 6,000 km through the Western Mediterranean and the waters off West Africa. "Thunderbird raised an early warning when she entered into the Alboran Sea, a challenging area because of its strong currents and high density of marine traffic, which could result in a high risk of boat collision." At that time, the local network of the Mediterranean Ghost FADs was asked to keep an eye out for potential stranding or bycatch (accidental catch by humans fishing). Fortunately, Thunderbird managed to swim up-current out of the Mediterranean in November through Gibraltar Strait. Most adult turtles that move out from the Mediterranean swim towards America, as they were born in Florida or the Caribbean. But surprisingly, Thunderbird swam along the West African coast. "This can be explained because a small proportion of the turtles from the Western Mediterranean were born in Cape Verde, where they migrate to once they become adults," said Professor Lluis Cardona, of the University of Barcelona and Institut de Recerca de Biosdiversitat (IRBio). The satellite tag provided depth data, so the researchers could see the turtle was spending most of the time at the surface in the Mediterranean, then diving near the sea-bottom along the West African coast. "In February this year, the turtle was off Senegal when we stopped receiving regular updates from the tag," Dr. March said. "Then the final signal on 17 March was on land, near the main harbor in Dakar. "It is always a challenging task to know what makes tag stop transmitting data, so we checked tag data to find out more about potential causes. "After checking that battery and tag sensors worked correctly, we used the Global Fishing Watch portal to overlap the track of the turtle with fishing vessels. "We found out that the last dive recorded by the satellite tag was near a fishing ground used by trawlers. "All this suggests the turtle was bycaught by a fishing vessel and taken back to the port. "We dont know if Thunderbird was released alive after capture, or died as consequence of the bycatch event." Researchers are using satellite data on boat movements and working with partners in Senegal to try and find the boat that caught the turtle, in the hope of finding out more information about the fate of Thunderbird. Dr. March is part of a project created to reduce bycatch off West Africa, funded by the MAVA Foundation and run by the University of Barcelona and Birdlife International, and a coalition of partners in West Africa and at international level. "There is a lot of unregulated or illegal fishing off West Africa, and we are working with local partners and fishing companies to adapt fishing gear and methods to minimize bycatch of sea turtles," said Ahmed Diame, of Birdlife International. "We are also identifying the main bycatch hotspotssuch as the place this turtle was caught." Speaking about the area where the turtle was first found entangled, Ricardo Sagarminaga, of Alnitak, said: "After a reduction of bycatch in longline fishing over the years, entanglement in debris and ghost gear has become the major threat for sea turtles in the Balearic Islands." Dr. March added: "The epic journey of this turtle illustrates two of the major threats that many marine species faceentanglement in ghost fishing gear, and bycatch in industrial fisheries. "We must urgently address both issues to limit their impact on a wide range of marine species and ecosystems." The trajectories of these turtles can be followed from this website: http://seaturtle.socib.es/es/turtle-viewer/ Explore further Mediterranean turtles recovering at different rates Earless monitor lizard. Credit: Chien C. Lee, Wild Borneo Should zoos display legally protected species that have been smuggled out of their range countries? A new study suggests that a pause and rethink may be needed, as it reports that accredited zoos have acquired a rare and legally protected reptile, the earless monitor lizard endemic to Borneo, without any evidence that the animals were legally exported. The earless monitor lizard occurs only on the island of Borneo and has been described as a "miniature Godzilla" and "the Holy Grail of Herpetology." Discovered by western scientists almost 150 years ago, for most of this period the species was known largely from pickled specimens in natural history collections, and wasn't recorded from the wild for decades. In the 1970s, the three countries that make up BorneoIndonesia, Malaysia and Bruneiadded it to their protected species lists. This means that the species can neither be legally traded within these countries, nor legally exported out of them. Despite legal protection and lack of export permissions, reptile enthusiasts and unscrupulous traders have long been smuggling small numbers of earless monitor lizards out of Indonesia and Malaysia, eventually bringing them to Europe. This greatly accelerated in 2012, when the species' rediscovery was announced in a scientific journal. In 2016, all 183 countries that are signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species agreed to regulate global trade in earless monitor lizards in order to limit the negative effects of smuggling on wild populations. Agreed export numbers were set at zero. Enforcing the laws has proven to be challenging, however, and to date only two smuggling attempts have been thwarted. In both cases, German smugglers were apprehended at Indonesian airports while attempting to move respectively eight and seventeen earless monitor lizards out of the country. The first zoo that proudly announced it had obtained earless monitor lizards was Japan's iZoo in 2013. This zoo is not accredited, and the ways in which the animals were obtained remain questionable. In Europe, the first zoos to openly display earless monitor lizards were located in Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic. The animals were obtained from what zoos referred to as "private individuals" or "dedicated hobby breeders," and, in one instance, from iZoo. Just like in Japan, how these animals ended up in Europe is questionable, but perhaps not illegaland it is evident that no export permits were ever issued. In recent years, more and more zoos in Europe, and since the beginning of this year also in the United States, have started displaying earless monitor lizards. Some cases were part of zoo exchanges, others were obtained from private individuals, and a handful were placed in zoos by authorities after they were seized, but it is clear that many were at one point illegally exported out of Indonesia, Malaysia or Brunei, or were illegally imported into non-range countries.The acquisition of these protected lizards by zoos is neither in line with the intentions of national laws of their countries of origin, nor with international wildlife trade regulations. Moreover, it is diametrically opposed to the commitments the international zoo community has made to address illegal wildlife trade. "To me, the current situation concerning the purchasing and proudly displaying of earless monitor lizards by accredited zoos can be compared with a road safety organization posting online videos of its CEO doing wheelies on a motorbike and then adding that it was done on a private road where neither wearing a helmet nor having a driver's license is required," said Vincent Nijman of the Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, author of the study that was published in the open-access journal Nature Conservation. "Both may be legal in a technical sense, but the optics are not good." "Modern, scientifically managed zoos are increasingly organizing themselves with set ethical values and binding standards which go beyond national legislation on conservation and sustainability, but unfortunately, this still only counts for a small proportion of zoos worldwide," said Dr. Chris R. Shepherd, Executive Director of Monitor Research Conservation Society. "Zoos that continue to obtain animals that have been illegally acquired, directly or indirectly, are often fueling the illegal wildlife trade, supporting organized crime networks and possibly contributing to the decline in some species." Seven years ago, the price for a single earless monitor lizard was on the order of EUR 8,000 to 10,000, so any zoo or hobbyist wanting to have one or more pairs had to make a serious financial commitment. These high prices put a restriction on the number of people that wanted to acquire them and could afford them. It probably also gave potential buyers a tacit reminder that the trade was illicit. In recent years, however, prices have come down to less than EUR 1,000. Now that earless monitor lizards are more affordable, and with accredited zoos giving a sense of legitimacy, Nijman is concerned that it might become more and more acceptable to keep these rare animals as pets. "When I grew up in the 1970s, it was still perfectly acceptable for what we now see as accredited zoos to regularly buy rare and globally threatened birds, mammals and reptiles from commercial animal traders. Few questions were asked about the legitimacy of this animal trade. This has dramatically changed for the better, and now many of the animals we see in zoos today have been bred in captivity, either in the zoo itself, or in partner zoos," Nijman said. He added that in many ways zoos are a force for good in the global challenge to preserve species and conserve habitats. "It is imperative that these efforts are genuinely adopted by all in the zoo community, and, when there is doubt about the legitimacy of animals in trade, that a cautionary approach is adopted." Explore further Legal wildlife trade needs monitoring to reduce risk of a new pandemic More information: Vincent Nijman, Zoos consenting to the illegal wildlife trade the earless monitor lizard as a case study, Nature Conservation (2021). Journal information: Nature Conservation Vincent Nijman, Zoos consenting to the illegal wildlife trade the earless monitor lizard as a case study,(2021). DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.44.65124 When the puck drops on the Adirondack Thunder season later this year, it will be in front of a full crowd. The Thunder, on Wednesday, announced it will be hosting full crowds at Cool Insuring Arena this season after the state lifted most of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, including those on capacity, a day earlier. We are thrilled that we can welcome our great fans back into our building this season, Jeff Mead, president of the Thunder organization and general manager of Cool Insuring Arena, said in a statement. The Thunder will host its home opener on Oct. 23 against the Newfoundland Growlers. It will be the teams first game in 593 days. This is a long time coming for not only our organization but for our fantastic community who came together to help everyone get through this devastating time. We want to thank our great fan base, community and sponsors for their continued patience and support. We would also like to thank our county and city officials for their guidance. We look forward to seeing a sold-out Cool Insuring Arena on Oct. 23, Mead said. Manchin, a moderate West Virginia Democrat, has also said he would vote against the bill because it doesn't have bipartisan support. What exactly will be palatable to Manchin, however, remains unclear. He supported previous versions of the bill and has said that action on voting rights is needed. He is also supposed to provide a list of criteria that he would support or oppose to Senate leadership, though it's unclear if he has done so. Manchin has pushed for Democrats get behind a narrower piece of legislation that updates the Voting Rights Act to reinstate a requirement that new voting laws and legislative districts be subject to federal approval. His proposal would for the first time impose those requirements on all 50 states. But that bill also lacks support from Republicans, with only Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski supportive of the effort. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said both bills must pass. The voting rights bill protects us in the current elections and must pass now," Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues. The update to the Voting Rights Act, she wrote, is the foundation for future elections and must be passed in a way that is constitutionally ironclad. Any premature passage could be very damaging to its success. Pelosi spoke several times with Manchin about the bill over the weekend, according to a senior Democratic aide who was granted anonymity to confirm the private calls. An aide to Pelosi declined to comment on their discussions. 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 His rulings often upset conservatives, who accused him of sacrificing judicial restraint to promote liberal causes. In many cases, appellate courts found that his decisions had overreached. In a book about mass tort litigation, Weinstein espoused a belief in humankinds obligation to create a just society. Weinstein was born in Wichita, Kansas, but grew up in Harlem and Brooklyn. As a teenager in the 1930s, he played bit parts in Broadway shows and worked on the docks to put himself through school. He later served in World War II before launching his legal career at Columbia Law School, where he graduated in 1948. He briefly went into private practice before serving as Nassau County Attorney from 1963 to 1965. He had returned to Columbia to teach when President Johnson named him to the federal bench in 1967. The 6-foot-2 Weinstein was a stately presence in court, where he favored business suits over robes and sometimes ventured off the bench in the middle of trials to get a jurors-eye view of the proceedings. He was impatient with long-winded lawyers, critical of sentencing guidelines he felt were too harsh on low-level criminals and concerned about judges falling prey to hubris. CAPE MAY On Saturday, June 19, also known as Juneteenth, organizers are set to celebrate the opening of the Harriet Tubman Museum of Cape May. Its the third event celebrating the grand opening, including one held June 19 a year ago under strict COVID-19 protocols. There also was a more official ribbon-cutting ceremony held Sept. 17 and attended by Gov. Phil Murphy. Construction on the museum was not completed in time for the 2020 opening last June, and even if it were, the eagerly awaited museum at 632 Lafayette St. would not have been allowed to open to the public because of the pandemic. Thankfully, were finally here, said Cynthia Mullock, executive director of the museum. After years of work, the museum will finally be open regularly to visitors 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 to 5 p.m. Sundays. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children under 10 and, according to Mullock, plans are to set tour times throughout the day in the small museum. Theres been tremendous interest locally and all over the country, she said. The museum was listed in Smithsonian Magazines most anticipated museum openings of 2020 and is No. 5 on USA Todays readers choice for 10 best new museums in the country. The court could start with 11 of the countys 23 municipalities participating, according to Linda Gilmore, the county public information officer. With that number joining the regional court, the savings would be nearly $1.4 million a year, according to the county statement. Its hard to argue with these facts and figures, but again, the choice is theirs. We are merely offering the opportunity to reduce duplication and realize cost savings, he said, adding the more towns that participate, the greater the savings. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Each interested town must pass a resolution authorizing its participation in the countywide municipal court. Some have declined. In May, a subcommittee of the Somers Point City Council concluded it is not financially advantageous at this time, according to the meeting minutes, and in Margate, Mayor Michael Becker said his community already had an agreement to share courts with Longport. Im all for consolidation wherever possible, he said. But this is just a bad fit for Margate. Around the region: Atlantic County climate change group seeks public input An Atlantic County-focused climate change group will hold an open house to discuss the state The proposal calls for the use of the historic courthouse in Mays Landing for the combined municipal court. Some local police chiefs have raised concerns about added time and expense to travel to Mays Landing. NEWARK The New Jersey Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a man serving a 30-year term in the 2013 slaying of a Newark cafe owner, saying police should have read the then-teenage suspect his rights before taking his statement. The state's highest court on Tuesday reversed the conviction of 24-year-old Zakariyya Ahmad in the slaying of Joseph Flagg in October 2013, NJ.com reported. Authorities said Flagg was a father to four young children who worked as a contractor but ran the Chancellor Avenue breakfast joint on the side and often hired ex-convicts to help. Authorities said Ahmad, who was 17, was one of three teens who tried to rob the cafe in October 2013. One of the other teens shot Flagg and inadvertently wounded Ahmad, authorities said. The case before the high court centered on Ahmads interactions with police after they found him at a hospital with gunshot wounds. The state public defenders office argued Ahmad was in police custody when investigators prevented him from leaving the hospital with his family. They said he was put in the back of a marked police car and his mother was prevented from driving him home or to the police station herself. County parties have been clear they will not voluntarily cede control to an open primary system and the Legislature many of whose members are beneficiaries of the county line has shown no appetite for change. Prospects for a successful court challenge are dim as well. The judiciary has been reluctant to take on issues involving intra-party political issues, deferring to the Legislature to settle such disputes. Gov. Phil Murphy, like his predecessors in both parties, has shied away from demands to abandon the county line tradition and isnt apt to change his mind. In 2017, Murphy, who had never held elective office, won the Democratic nomination by showering millions of dollars on county organizations, winning their endorsements and clearing the field of potential opponents. County chairs and organization leaders have defended the system, arguing it guarantees the strongest candidates will be selected while weaker and less serious contenders will be weeded out. Some counties use conventions to select candidates while others use screening committees to review potential contenders, claiming both are open and fair processes. 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. President Biden, too, tried to defuse tensions in response to Scott: I dont think the American people are racist, but I think after 400 years, African Americans have been left in a position where they are so far behind the eight ball in terms of education and health, in terms of opportunity. 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. Bloomberg Opinion columnist Ramesh Ponnuru is a senior editor at National Review and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The John Lewis bill could be amended to make it retrospective as well as prospective, Weiser said although she noted that negotiating universally applicable standards for reviewing state laws would not be an easy task. Third, and perhaps most urgent, Congress needs to make it harder for politicians deemed anti-democratic to overturn the results of the next presidential election. That means rewriting the 1877 Electoral Count Act, a once-forgotten but justly maligned statute that President Donald Trump tried to use last year to block the certification of Joe Bidens electoral vote. The 1877 law was passed in an attempt to establish rules for Congress to decide the outcome of a presidential election when states fail to report clear or uncontested results but in its first major test in practice, it proved to be an ungainly mess. The law allows state legislatures to overrule their own voters in the event of a failed election, without defining what a failed election might be. Last year, Trump and his allies appealed to legislators in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Arizona all states Biden won to award their electoral votes to him instead. None of the legislatures complied, but theres no guarantee that future candidates wouldnt try the same gambit. Theres no guarantee, of course, that any of those reforms will attract enough Republican support in the 50-50 Senate to overcome a filibuster. But I think democracy is at risk and all 100 senators should be required to vote on them and explain their decisions to the people. The pandemic shutdown of the economy prompted trillions of dollars in aid to people and businesses suddenly shut or put out of work. There was also a concern nationwide that many would lose their apartments or rooms because they couldnt pay the rent. But rather than give them the money to do so, governments instead simply barred landlords from evicting those who didnt pay. The federal eviction moratorium will continue through June 30 and at that time in most states landlords will again be able to require that their tenants pay their rent. New Jersey has its own eviction moratorium and it too was supposed to end two months after the end of the health emergency declared by Gov. Phil Murphy. But a law enacted June 4 allows the governor to continue some emergency orders without the emergency. He and the Legislature will continue to prohibit landlords from evicting tenants who dont pay their rent at least through the end of this year. Helping people in financial distress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and government restrictions is of course an admirable goal for society. But putting the burden of that help for one group of private individuals entirely on another group of private individuals is obviously unfair. Margate to blame for 3 projects delays I know Mike Becker, John Amodeo and Maury Blumberg personally and like each one of them. In my opinion, they are all good, honest, nice people. That said, I think they have totally failed the residents of Margate. There are three projects going on in Margate that were supposed to be completed by Memorial Day weekend. They are 0-3. All three are delayed and incomplete. At the playground near the corner of Huntington and Amherst avenues, they tore down the old, functional playground because they were supposed to erect a new, bigger and better playground by early May. Instead, there is no playground at all. The promenade on Amherst Avenue is incomplete and ugly. The street project on Amherst Avenue between Clermont and Douglas avenues is a mess. "Phase Six" by Jim Shepard; Alfred A. Knopf (256 pages, $25.95) The other day, my husband took in the latest COVID-19 statistics and wondered: What if this were a really big one? Someone less grounded in history and science and, well, reality, might say, Huh? This isn't big? That someone, however, is not Jim Shepard, who's clearly been thinking along these lines, and probably well before this latest outbreak swelled to pandemic proportions, judging from the extent of the research evident in "Phase Six," his eighth and latest novel. It begins in a tiny settlement on the west coast of Greenland, where 11-year-old Aleq and his friend Malik, playing on the site of a new mine, acquire an ancient pathogen unearthed by the groundbreaking. While this germ quickly kills everyone in the village except Aleq, we watch with that frisson of know-it-all horror as it also begins to make its way around the globe on the breath of the small mining crew splitting up and heading home. WASHINGTON (AP) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene apologized Monday for affronting people with recent comments comparing the required wearing of safety masks in the House to the horrors of the Holocaust. "I'm truly sorry for offending people with remarks about the Holocaust," the Georgia Republican told reporters outside the Capitol, saying she had visited Washington's U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum earlier in the day. "There's no comparison and there never ever will be." Greene's comments were a rare expression of regret by the conservative agitator, a freshman whose career has included the embrace of violent and offensive conspiracy theories and angry confrontations with progressive colleagues. Her apology came more than three weeks after appearing on a conservative podcast and comparing COVID-19 safety requirements adopted by Democrats controlling the House to "a time and history where people were told to wear a gold star." She said they were "put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany. This is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about." Pelosi, D-Calif., is House speaker. Greene's comments were condemned by Republican leaders, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who called the comparison "appalling." The EPA wants the company to "provide documentation to the Illinois EPA including the cause of the fire, and an estimate of the nature and amount of any emissions of sulfuric acid mist, particulate matter, and other air contaminants emitted as a result of the fire." Health officials are continuing to monitor the air and water quality in the area and say people should wear masks while outside if they are in the evacuation zone or within three miles of Chemtool. "To date, test results do not show any health risk other than the short-term irritation one would normally experience in the presence of smoke," a news release from the Winnebago County Joint Information Center reads. "However, until further testing is completed, the one-mile evacuation order remains in effect." Snyder, who joined local, state and federal officials at Tuesday's news conference, apologized to the Rockton community. "I would just like to apologize on behalf of the company to the community. It's obviously a very severe impact, and we apologize to the people who had to be evacuated," he said. "We are here to support the community. We're going to do everything we can to do the right thing." During the pandemic, Cassidy said she heard several complaints about the housing unit they were moved to temporarily because it was not clean and had pests. I want to hear directly from them what happened and I want to see with my own eyes where they were and get a sense of whats actually going on, Cassidy said. In my experience, many years of being in this role, the stories that you hear from the inmates and the stories that you hear from the facility administrators are wildly different and the only way to know is to actually go there. She said the hunger strike highlights ongoing issues at the Logan prison. We passed a law requiring gender-informed policies so that women inmates get the kind of treatment that best practices show us have the best outcomes, she said. And we have failed to meet even that minimum standard. Logan, located about 30 miles north of Springfield, opened in 1978 and houses more than 1,000 female inmates, according to the IDOCs website. Alexis Mansfield, a senior adviser at the Womens Justice Institute, said the prison should be meeting the womens basic needs. Its an interesting reversal that again signals to us who are observing it that this is just a matter of political differences playing out in the public arena. We have to have a serious discussion about kindness in America; the rapidity with which people resort to anger and upset is really quite startling. Q: What is behind the mask shaming? LZ: There was a moment for every one of us when we realized that we were being overcome by an extraordinarily powerful force (the pandemic) that we couldnt control. People reacted to it in two very different ways. Some people wore a mask, saying I take this seriously, Im in reality and Im cautious. They have a story that involves a scientific grasp of whats going on. And for others, the mask served to remind them of a painful truth they would rather deny. For those people, seeing someone wearing a mask is very destabilizing, because heres someone wearing the visible sign of catastrophe, and they dont want to be reminded of that tragic reality. Six days later, Vannoy tried to buy an AR-15 from a gun store in Ankeny, Iowa. According to shop employees, Vannoy said he was surprised his friends hadn't asked if he'd been the gunman in a mass shooting in Colorado. He also stated he had 500 rounds of ammunition in his truck. The store denied the sale and notified the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Vannoy's possessions taken from hotel ATF agents took Vannoy into custody at the Comfort Inn in Walcott on March 25, according to Christina Trudeau, the employee working when the arrest happened and who was later charged with stealing Vannoy's belongings. Trudeau, 40, of Princeton, took Vannoy's possessions home with the help of her husband, John Daniels, 42, on March 26, prosecutors say. The couple returned the items after being confronted by police, and they were arrested in May. Trudeau said she didn't take the items out of malice; her intention was to return them to Vannoy. She maintains after Vannoy was arrested, an ATF officer told her they had collected all of the evidence they needed and she could do whatever she wanted with the rest of Vannoy's belongings. Trudeau said she wanted to find Vannoy's family and send them the items. CAMBRIDGE A $250,000 warrant has been issued for the arrest of Lorenzo S. Quintero, 50, of Kewanee after he failed to appear Wednesday in Henry County Circuit Court for sentencing for aggravated driving under the influence in a fatal car crash from 2017. The April 9, 2017, incident killed Gabina Garcia, 27, of Kewanee, Quintero's sister-in-law. The incident happened about 3:15 a.m. on Route 78 north of Kewanee when Quintero was driving his wife and Garcia home from a Davenport dance club. According to the accident reconstructionist, Quintero's vehicle drifted out of its lane through the oncoming lane and into the eastside ditch where it vaulted over a driveway, went airborne, landed and rolled. There was no evidence of evasive maneuvering. Garcia was not using a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle through the sun roof. In December of 2019, Quintero was scheduled to plead guilty to the charge but changed his mind during the plea hearing. A stipulated bench trial was held Jan. 24, 2020, in which Judge Jeffrey O'Connor found Quintero guilty of Class 2 felony aggravated driving under the influence/causing death. Quintero was scheduled for sentencing on May 6, but the hearing was continued because he was taking his wife, who has cancer, to the hospital. "I think there's great representation on the task force from all components within the community," he said. "So I think the task force can capture the needs of the community, and I don't necessarily think it needs to be public." "I would encourage distribution of the names of those involved in the task force, and I think people should be encouraged to reach out to those of us that are members," Jobgen said. "If they have ideas and things they want us to relay and try to incorporate, then do it that way versus opening up a forum where we lose the ability to perform action, because there's too much talk and we just keep talking around the same issue. ... People want action. They don't want to talk about it anymore. I think action can come from the pretty varied group of representative that are on the task force." Classrooms will be built on the south, opening to a patio. There will be a kosher-style kitchen, available for events and catering; a library that can double as a small chapel; offices, and a room with video equipment so that events, meetings or services such as funerals can be live-streamed to people who cannot attend in person. There also will be space for both congregations memorabilia, Geifman said. Religious and historic objects will be removed from their respective homes and incorporated into the new space, including three ner tamids, or Eternal Lights, that are always lighted to symbolize Gods eternal presence. Also being brought over are the oversized doors and Ten Commandments from the Rock Island synagogue, stained glass windows from Temple Emanuel, and the arks of the law, or cabinets, that enshrine the sacred Torah scrolls used for public worship, Geifman said. The building also will be home to the Jewish Federation of the Quad-Cities, a nonprofit organization formed in 1980 to provide social services to the Jewish community, especially senior citizens and children, and to be the voice of the Jewish community to the Quad-Cities at large. One of the smallest of 155 Jewish Federations in North America, it has been located in the Tri-City center. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported a COVID-19 death Wednesday in Scott County the fourth virus-related death in the Quad-Cities since last Friday. Scott County's 247th COVID-19 death since the start of the pandemic was reported as the same Iowa health officials adjusted the county's total case count, reducing the number by nine. Since the start of the pandemic, state health officials have confirmed 21,736 total cases in Scott County. The case-count adjustments throughout counties in Iowa are infrequent but not rare. Earlier this year, Iowa health officials added over 1,000 cases to the count and have reduced the new-case count by single digits several times since March. The adjustments account for individuals who may have tested positive for the virus several times before establishing they were virus free or positive tests that were later determined to be negative. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported 41 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday across the state. The new-case count remained low in Rock Island County Wednesday, where public health officials reported three new cases. A total of 14,991 cases have been confirmed since the start of the pandemic. Rock Island County's virus-related death toll remained 333. AMES Friederich Burson said he has benefited from the help offered by a nonprofit youth support services organization, and his hope is that a new state law will help others in similar need. Burson, a 17-year-old from Sioux City, spoke Wednesday at a public ceremony as Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a package of tax provisions that includes a new method for funding mental health care services across the state. Mental health care advocates and stakeholders were on hand to celebrate the new law. This will ensure that others can succeed just like I have, Burson said during the ceremony at YSS in Ames. Dozens were on hand to witness Reynolds sign into law Senate File 619, which includes a wide range of tax reforms. Mental health care advocates celebrated the legislations provision that gradually shifts the funding for mental health care services from local property taxes to the states general fund. This is by all accounts significant progress and allowed the state to avoid a second "pandemic summer." "As we literally and figuratively appreciate this new dawn, this new beginning, we stop for a moment and pause and mourn the lives of those we've lost, and continue to cherish the memories of our loved ones," said Illinois Department of Public Health director Ngozi Ezike, speaking from the Michigan Avenue bridge over the Chicago River in a video posted to social media last Friday. "But we also move forward towards a new future that is much different than we've endured in the last year and a half." IDPH announced just 165 new cases and nine additional deaths Wednesday. The department, which has sent out a press release with daily COVID-19 numbers since last March, also announced it will continue updating case counts daily but switch to a once-a-week press release. COVID-19 appears to be waning in Illinois and the country, for that matter even as variants continue to rock other countries. Still, even amid that progress, there is still a deadly virus out there and vaccination numbers are not yet where they need to be to achieve herd immunity. Among many post-pandemic challenges facing communities across the nation, Scott County has two, somewhat unique problems that require our immediate and focused attention. The first is crime. The growing amount of juvenile crime and the escalating violence is positively frightening. Whats the answer? Short-term, we must re-commit to effective crime prevention programs and increased law enforcement. Long-term, we must focus on the root causes of crime, such as declining economic opportunity. Here, there is much work to be done. With a poverty rate higher than the state as a whole, Scott County has the lowest per capita income and highest rate of unemployment among Iowas four largest counties. These facts dont excuse criminal activity, but they do help explain it. The second issue facing Scott County residents is the current, regrettable state of our Juvenile Detention Center and what to do about it. Its complicated. But, heres what we know. First, decades of research tell us that incarceration does not reduce juvenile crime. In fact, evidence suggests the opposite. We also know community-based interventions and services are more effective. So, if our goal is to reduce juvenile crime, the path forward is clear. Does this mean we dont need a juvenile detention center? No, it means we need a balanced approach. Certainly, there are youthful criminals who need to be locked-away. For the safety of all, they cannot be returned to the community without long-term, intensive rehabilitation, and maybe not even then. But, among our Scott County children, these are very, very few. Readers of Liu Cixins Three-Body Problem trilogy are familiar with the theory that extraterrestrials are quite rationally hiding their locations, to avoid being destroyed by more powerful extraterrestrials. Another idea, proposed by the economist Robin Hanson and his collaborators, is that any grabby civilizations out there have expanded so rapidly that we cant detect the signs. Why not? Because their rapid expansions came after the signals we can observe departed their distant galaxies billions of years ago: "If they were where we could see them, they would be here now instead of us." (A thought that for Hanson helps explain why, if more advanced civilizations exist, we shouldnt be trying quite so hard to contact them.) A third possibility is that more advanced aliens exist, and theyre neither hiding nor grabby but instead have found a path of technological evolution that doesnt leave the sorts of signals were capable of searching for. For the last two years, we, along with gun safety advocates, have called for raising the FOID card application fee from $10 to $20 so that a portion of that increase could fund a task force that would follow up with gun owners whove had their FOID revoked but have yet to relinquish their guns. The law requires felons to lose access to firearms, but lax enforcement allows many of those individuals to keep them. A bill proposed by Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, would set up that task force, which would conduct enforcement operations against persons whose Firearm Owners Identification Cards have been revoked or suspended ... Hoffmans bill also would create for law enforcement agencies a database of people who have had their FOID cards revoked or suspended, and would broaden background checks to include person-to-person gun purchases. Last year, the Tribune reported that 80% of people who had their FOID cards revoked had failed to document that they had gotten rid of their guns, as the law requires. State records showed that, as of February 2020, 36,600 guns belonging to people who were ineligible to possess them had remained unaccounted for in Illinois. And last, the New York Times revealed that Trump's Justice Department also took the unusual step of seizing records from U.S. House Democrats as part of the administration's investigation into leaks related to the Russia probe and other national security issues. That news, appropriately, has now drawn the attention of the department's internal watchdog. All of these revelations are deeply troubling. Press freedom is foundational to democracy. Citizens cannot hold their government accountable if they don't know what it is doing. That's why the founders of this nation made press freedom part of the First Amendment. When deployed to learn reporters' sources, government subpoenas, search warrants and gag orders are an infringement of that freedom, intended to intimidate reporters and sources alike. After news reports surfaced of President George W. Bush's warrantless wiretapping program, his administration began investigating reporters' sources. Under President Barack Obama, with Biden as vice president, the Justice Department seized journalists' records at The Associated Press in 2013, and used a search warrant to obtain the emails of a Fox News reporter. That created enough of an uproar that then-Attorney General Eric Holder tightened guidelines on leak investigations, including a ban on describing journalists as "criminal co-conspirators," as had been done with the Fox reporter. South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds said he is in favor of an independent review of what happened at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 but not the one presented to the Senate on May 28. In an exclusive interview with the Rapid City Journal, Rounds said he is convinced that the truth about what happened and who bears the responsibility for it will come to light. He didn't support the proposal before the Senate because he says more than 400 criminal cases are being processed and all of the evidence an independent investigation will need is tied up in those cases and not available to a panel seeking broader answers. "I was there January 6," Rounds said. "These individuals were clearly insurrectionists. Their intent was obviously to stop the vote count and keep us from doing our constitutional duty." Rounds said "the rest of the story will come out" even though that may be after the 2022 election cycle due to judicial timing of criminal cases. "We need all of the information about who supported this and planned it," Sen. Rounds said. "We can't get that right now. Part of the information isn't good enough." 2. Election emails A previously secret batch of emails was released by the House Oversight Committee yesterday , and the messages shed new light on how former President Donald Trump pressured the Justice Department during his quest to overturn the 2020 election results. The White House and the DOJ aren't supposed to mesh when it comes to investigations and prosecutions, in order to keep politics out of the justice system. But these latest emails show Trump was unrelenting in crossing that invisible line , and that he and his lawyers saw the DOJ as a way to legitimize their false election claims. Also of note: Jeffrey Rosen, acting attorney general in the final days of Trump's presidency, was prepared to resign rather than buy into Trump's claims. Under the Biden Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland, more and more documents concerning Trump's controversies are being released to relevant committees. 3. Coronavirus The CDC has determined the Delta variant is now a "variant of concern," a designation given to strains of the virus that scientists believe are more transmissible or can cause more severe disease. Currently, the variant, which was first discovered in India, accounts for about 10% of infections in the US, but some experts are worried it could become the dominant strain. (Currently, the dominant strain in the US is a different variant, first discovered in the UK.) It's just another reason vaccinations are important, doctors say. In fact, some pediatricians in the US say they've been vaccinating as many adults as children. It's fairly common and convenient practice, one pediatrician said, to offer vaccines to all family members who come into a pediatrician's office. The South Dakota Department of Health held its last COVID-19 media conference on Wednesday due to a significant decrease in cases. As of the week of June 6-12, the state saw an average of 13 new cases a day. As of June 16, 56% of state residents have one dose of a COVID vaccine and 51% are fully vaccinated. The state still faces challenges in getting the next 20% of South Dakotans vaccinated to reach 70%, a widely accepted figure for herd immunity. South Dakota hit 50% full vaccinations over a month ago on May 12 but only 1% more of the population has been fully vaccinated since then. When vaccines first rolled out, South Dakota was in the top three states administering them; the DOH mobilized health care providers across the state to get shots in arms. Now, as vaccination rates have slowed, the state ranks 25th in the nation for vaccinations, according to Mayo Clinic and Beckers Hospital Review. At the peak during the week of April 4-10, around 51,000 doses were administered; now, the state averages around 12,000 doses per week as of last week, according to DOH spokesperson Daniel Bucheli. As you know, last month I had the opportunity to attend the Black Hills Association of County Commissioners for their countywide meeting. Stacey Martin from Fall River County, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Coordinator presented an excellent overview of information to the commissioners and guests regarding the flaws in the states new soil reassessment table and how it drives tax assessments up higher than we have seen in over a decade. In a nutshell, the states new table moves easily soil over to cropland status doubling and, in some cases, tripling the value of the land and thus the taxes. That meeting led to an open forum last Wednesday, that was attended by AG Producers from across West River to discuss the problems and possible solutions for the over valuation of Agriculture rangeland within the States AG Productivity System. Joining in on the meeting via Zoom was David Wiest, Deputy Secretary of Department of Revenue, and Wendy Semmler, Director of the Property Tax Division. After a lengthy presentation from the Department of Revenue, the take-away for me and many others was that not only are the soil tables wrong, the formula is broken (it doesnt calculate properly). Allen Clifford Bjergo Corvallis Allen Clifford Bjergo, 85, passed away Wednesday, June 9, 2021, due to health complications. He was born September 14, 1935 in Fergus Falls, Minnesota to Adolph and Alice Bjergo. Allen grew up in Ottertail County on a stock farm and attended elementary school in a one-room schoolhouse. He took over the management of the farm during his teenage years after his father died unexpectedly. In his senior year of high school, Allen enlisted in the Army National Guard where he served as platoon sergeant in Germany and was later commissioned and recalled to serve as Deputy Chief-CORDS during the Vietnam War. In 1962, Allen earned a Bachelor's Degree from North Dakota State University. He then went to live in Norway for a year as a Fulbright Scholar at the Royal Agricultural University. He got a Master's Degree at New Mexico State University, and after returning from Vietnam, earned a Ph.D. in agricultural economics at Cornell University. He retired as a professor from Montana State University in 1993. His work also included teaching at the University of Montana. Vacation Bible Schools in the Bitterroot Valley will have activities, songs, snacks and Bible study. Seventh Day Adventist Church, 119 Westbridge Rd., Hamilton, is hosting Rocky Railway Jesus Strength Pulls Us Through 6-9 p.m. June 21-25 for children age 4 to 12 years old. There will be a special presentation for the church at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 26. Register at 406-303-1991. Faith Lutheran Church, 171 Lewis Lane, Hamilton, is hosting a free VBS (donations appreciated) July 12-16, with a theme of Micah 6:8 What does God ask of you but to do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. Children age 4 through kindergarten will meet 911:30 a.m. and be provided with snacks while children in grades 1-6 will meet 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and be provided with snacks and lunch. Register by calling 406-363-2964. I appreciate JetBlue, Breeze and our other aviation partners for including us as they invest in and test the waters of destinations like Richmond, Anderson said. Given our rising notoriety, I am confident we will continue to see flights added over the long-haul. Air travel at Richmond International Airport is bouncing back from the pandemic. The number of passengers using the airport increased in April from March, but passenger traffic for April is still nearly half of what it was before the pandemic. Traffic had plunged 96.4% in April 2020 compared with April 2019. Over the last few months, RIC has taken note of the impressive resiliency and growth of leisure and VFR [visiting friends and relatives] passenger traffic through the facility, Perry J. Miller, president and CEO of Richmond International Airport, said in a statement. Moreover, one of markets core strengths has been a very strong corporate travel component and once this segment is fully re-engaged, the Richmond region will be in a very good position to sustain transcontinental airline service. With demand for travel returning, JetBlue said it expects to see a 3% increase in October compared with October 2019. The airline is adding around 40 new routes in the coming months. Our capacity growth comes as we increase utilization of our current aircraft and continue to welcome new arrivals to the fleet including a total of eight Airbus A220s and three Airbus A321LRs by the end of the year, the airline said. MORENO: Yes. But I have to say that after I saw the documentary for the very first time my daughter and I saw it together I left the screening room saying, "Wow, that's quite a life I've led!" (Laughs) But you don't think that way about yourself. Very likely, if you had something like this done about you, you would also say the same thing about yourself. AP: In watching what has and hasn't changed in that time, what stands out to you? You were there when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. MORENO: I feel extremely fortunate that I'm still around to see the sea changes that are taking place. I'll be 90 in December and I don't think I'm going to see the women's movement really progress more because I won't be around. But I've seen it change. I've seen a change in such meaningful ways and I'm grateful for that. What still concerns me mightily and profoundly is that Hispanics haven't gotten their hold on our profession, I don't know what the hell is wrong. I don't know what is not working right. The Black community has done incredibly and I have nothing but the deepest admiration for the Black professional community. They've done it and I think we can take some lessons from them. But where is our "Moonlight"? Why are we not advancing? AP: Do you have any answers? The head of the Richmond Bar Association is pushing back against the citys tentative plans to relocate courts now housed in the John Marshall Courts Building downtown to a location near the citys jail. In a letter to the City Councils Public Safety Committee, bar association President T. OConnor Johnson said the citys circuit court judges oppose the proposed location for a new courthouse. Having discussed this with the Chief Judge of the Richmond Circuit Court, W. Reilly Marchant, I can tell you that all seven of the Circuit Court Judges oppose that location for myriad reasons, Johnson said in the letter. The jail is on Fairfield Way in the citys East End. Alleging that the administration has not consulted the courts judges, the bar association or any acting lawyers, Johnson said the committee should investigate the current state of the John Marshall Courts Building and the citys plans. While the location of the courts building may or may not be germane to the Public Safety Committee, the safety of any courthouse or public building owned by the city should be of paramount concern to this committee, the letter states. It is unknown whether or not the citys plans for a new courthouse address the safety concerns with the current building. JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) The Alaska House late Tuesday passed a state budget that would result in a $525 dividend to residents this year and leave in doubt funding for a number of programs and infrastructure projects after it failed to garner sufficient support on a key vote. House leaders left open the potential for continued talks or even possibly another vote as the special session neared its end. Special sessions can last up to 30 days. That limit would be reached on Friday. We're gonna look for a resolution that we can all live with and be happy with, and the people of Alaska will be very grateful to us, said House Speaker Louise Stutes, a Kodiak Republican. My hope is that the talks don't stop, House Minority Leader Cathy Tilton told reporters after the floor session, adding later: I would hope that we would come together and have serious conversations, where all voices are being heard. Dividends typically have been paid using earnings from the states oil-wealth fund, the Alaska Permanent Fund. But the budget agreement that advanced from a six-member conference committee on Sunday cobbled together money for dividends of about $1,100 from various sources, including the constitutional budget reserve fund that requires three-fourths support in each the House and Senate to tap. In one of the reversals, Garland restored a 2014 case that defined married women in Guatemala who are unable to leave their relationship as a group deserving of asylum, a decision that eased the way for other victims of domestic violence. In 2018, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions overturned that guidance and added that victims of gang violence also should be largely ineligible, extending the scope to large swaths of non-government actors. In another case involving a Mexican man who claimed his father was targeted by a drug cartel, Garland reversed a decision by former Attorney General William Barr that said such family ties were insufficient grounds for an asylum claim. Jason Dzubow, an immigration attorney in Washington who focuses on asylum, said he recently represented a Salvadoran family in which the husband was killed and gang members started coming after his children. While Dzubow argued they were in danger because of their family ties, he said the immigration judge denied the case, citing the Trump-era decision among the reasons. Dzubow welcomed Garland's changes but said he doesn't expect to suddenly see large numbers of Central Americans winning their asylum cases, which remain difficult under U.S. law. In a second interview, Miller said he wasn't aware of the memos, which had been distributed throughout the Army, until AP pointed them out following the first interview. "If I had the information in front of me," Miller said, "I would share it with you." Other Army officials said the internal analysis might overstate some losses. The AP's investigation began a decade ago. From the start, the Army has given conflicting information on a subject with the potential to embarrass -- and that's when it has provided information at all. A former insider described how Army officials resisted releasing details of missing guns when AP first inquired, and indeed that information was never provided. Top officials within the Army, Marines and Secretary of Defense's office said that weapon accountability is a high priority, and when the military knows a weapon is missing it does trigger a concerted response to recover it. The officials also said missing weapons are not a widespread problem and noted that the number is a tiny fraction of the military's stockpile. "We have a very large inventory of several million of these weapons," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in an interview. "We take this very seriously and we think we do a very good job. That doesn't mean that there aren't losses. It doesn't mean that there aren't mistakes made." In peddling the big lie that the election was stolen by Joe Biden, Trump allegedly tried to steal it himself by pressing Georgia Republicans to declare him the winner there, triggering a criminal investigation by a Democratic prosecutor. Trump seemingly encouraged and condoned the violent attack by his followers on the U.S. Capitol in January. And theres the damning evidence that Trumps Justice Department to track down leaks about his campaigns suspected collusion with the Kremlin in 2016 spied on Democratic members of Congress, their staffs and family by demanding their data records from Apple. This is not the preferred backdrop for an attempted subject change by a gubernatorial candidate who must embrace Trump to satiate the Republican base but must distance himself from Trump to stand a chance with suburban voters, many of them women, who are becoming reflexively Democratic largely out of revulsion for Trump. Ergo, Youngkins musing on crime and cops only brings the conversation back to Trump, said Stephen Farnsworth, a politics analyst at the University of Mary Washington. Put another way: Trumps lack of credibility on respect for the law makes it difficult for Youngkin to credibly represent himself as model of lawfulness. Not that Youngkin isnt trying. More than 3.5 million gallons of raw sewage diluted by floodwater poured into creeks in Westmoreland and King George counties over the weekend, causing state officials to temporarily shut down the harvest of oysters and clams in the area. The temporary measure started Monday and will end July 5, according to the Virginia Department of Health. It affects shellfish only, not crabs or fish, in portions of Monroe Bay in Colonial Beach, Mattox Creek in Westmoreland and Rosier Creek in Westmoreland and King George. An estimated 8 inches of rain fell in the Northern Neck on Friday, and the deluge overwhelmed operations at the Colonial Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant, said Adam Wood, a manager with the state health departments Division of Shellfish Safety. Two different releases of sewage later occurred as the influx of rain flushed out the whole system, Wood said. The plant that should have deposited treated affluent into Monroe Creek ended up releasing the chemical treatments as well as all the untreated waste into the water. Monroe Creek feeds into Monroe Bay, which then feeds into Mattox and Rosier creeks. BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union is recommending that its 27 member countries start lifting restrictions on tourists from the United States. EU members agreed Wednesday to add the U.S. to the list of countries for which they should gradually remove restrictions on non-essential travel. The move was adopted during a meeting in Brussels of permanent representatives to the bloc. The recommendation is non-binding, and national governments have authority to require test results or vaccination records and to set other entry conditions. The EU has no unified COVID-19 tourism or border policy, but has been working for months on a joint digital travel certificate for those vaccinated, freshly tested, or recently recovered from the virus. EU lawmakers endorsed the plan last week. The free certificates, which will contain a QR code with advanced security features, will allow people to move between European countries without having to quarantine or undergo extra coronavirus tests upon arrival. Several EU countries have already begun using the system, including Belgium, Spain, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Poland. The rest are expected to start using it July 1. There are many changes to the Code of Virginia that are gaining headlines this year. Yet, of the many changes that will go into effect July 1, one change that might go unnoticed is one that will affect a fundamental right under the Bill of Rights of the Virginia Constitution. In Section 8 of the Bill of Rights, Virginia citizens are granted the right in felony cases, along with misdemeanor cases under appeal, to a trial by jury. Specifically, it includes this language: That in criminal prosecutions a man hath a right to demand the cause and nature of his accusation, to be confronted with the accusers and witnesses, and to call for evidence in his favor, and he shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of his vicinage, without whose unanimous consent he cannot be found guilty. He shall not be deprived of life or liberty, except by the law of the land or the judgment of his peers, nor be compelled in any criminal proceeding to give evidence against himself, nor be put twice in jeopardy for the same offense. The General Assembly recently passed legislation that will go into effect on July 1 that preserves the right to a jury trial but shifts sentencing, unless the defendant requests otherwise, from the jury to the judge. However, in light of these gruesome numbers, the national death rate has dropped sharply since vaccinations became widely available. Deaths per day in the United States have fallen from more than 3,400 in mid-January to an average of 340. Cases have been averaging about 14,000 a day, down from a quarter-million per day over the winter, per The Associated Press. We hope this downward trend continues, and that soon this global pandemic will be a distant memory. Virginia and other states are lifting coronavirus-related restrictions. Were glad to once again visit with family and friends from whom weve been separated by shutdown orders and quarantine. We want our economy to reopen and thrive, and for students to return to their schools this fall and be taught by live not virtual teachers. But the virus still lurks. As President Joe Biden said on Monday, The Associated Press reported, while new cases and deaths are dropping, theres still too many lives being lost and now is not the time to let our guard down. There is a solution to containing the coronavirus: Get vaccinated. And you dont have to pay for it. Virginia legislators should address climate At the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in England, U.S. President Joe Biden attempted to restore our nation to a position of global leadership on climate change. But all the other leaders at the G-7 have carbon pricing in their economies and the U.S. doesn't. Pretty soon those trading partner nations will be enacting "carbon border adjustment" tariffs to pressure holdout nations like us to price their own carbon. U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-11, has sponsored a carbon bill, but none of the other members of the Virginia Congressional delegation have done so, and neither have U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats from Virginia. People notice when you talk the talk but fail to walk the walk. It's time to price carbon and return the money in a cashback, so that fossil fuels bear their true costs to our future and renewable energy will accelerate. Biden has pledged to cut our carbon emissions in half by 2030. Carbon pricing is part of making it real. Richmond is no longer the capital of the Confederacy, Mayor Levar Stoney said Thursday. As if to remove all doubt, that message was repeated by a descendant of the man on the monument. The Lost Cause is dead, said the Rev. Robert W. Lee IV. A new cause is upon us, one of equality and justice and peace and concord. Stoney summoned the words of the always-eloquent James Baldwin: History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history. Richmond has become so fixated at carrying the weight of history that it failed to realize what a burden it was, until the demonstrators made it impossible to ignore. Northam spoke of how a little girl might feel upon standing in the 100-foot Lee circle and gazing up at a 12-ton monument, six stories high. When its the biggest thing around, it sends a clear message: This is what we value the most. The monument, by its sheer scale, was designed to evoke shock and awe. It gave white supremacy a symbolic imperviousness and worse, a veneer of virtue. In 2020, we can no longer honor a system that was based on the buying and selling of enslaved people, the governor said. "Go away, please," a handler with a Russian accent said to reporters as the spray concluded Behind the scenes, press access to the summit had been highly negotiated, with equal numbers for each side. Both Russian and American officials appeared to be trying to account for who was allowed in and who must stay outside. The group of 13 American journalists, photographers and camera operators traveling with the President -- known as the press pool -- didn't all make it into the room after combative encounters with Russian media. Several reporters were left outside as the two presidents appeared for the photo-op. Members of the American media at the villa described frenzied moments inside the meeting room, with shouting and pushing, before reporters were pushed out. Aides attempted to pull the full US contingent into the room, but doors were blocked and the spray happened quickly. One reporter described being shoved to the ground in the fray. And at one point, someone put their hand around a US press member's throat. While much has been reported about the American Rescue Plan providing needed relief to pandemic-battered cities, less has been written about the potential historic economic boost this policy could have on small towns and rural communities. Not only does the legislation distribute $4 billion to support the food supply chain, $3 billion to support economic development initiatives, and $9 billion to assist rural healthcare providers, it also provides $140 million to support households residing in USDA-subsidized rural properties or who participate in USDA direct mortgage programs. On top of that, the American Rescue Plan assigns $5 billion to farmers of color-who have lost 90 percent of their land over the past century because of systemic discrimination and allocates $750 million to support the Indian Housing and Indian Community Development block grant programs. President Obamas rural recovery after the Great Recession lagged behind urban areas as employment rates largely plateaued in non-metro counties, unlike their metro counterparts. And Trumps rural recovery programs in response to his failed trade war and the outbreak of COVID-19 werent any better. His administration focused almost exclusively on narrow relief for agriculture producers, which make up less than 10% of the rural workforce. The homepage of Global Research, a Canadian website that bills itself as an independent research and media organisation, is universally bleak about the prospects of western-made Covid-19 vaccines. Covid-19 Vaccines lead to new Infections and Mortality: The evidence is overwhelming, runs one headline from May. Alarming casualty rates for mRNA vaccines warrant urgent action, says another. According to the US state department, the Montreal-based non-profit is anything but independent. Instead, it said in a report published last year, the organisation is deeply enmeshed in Russias broader disinformation and propaganda ecosystem. Global Research was a partner of another website, Strategic Culture Foundation, that is directed by Russias Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the report said. The Canada-based group has also published content from SouthFront, which the US Department of Justice designated in April alongside SCF and two others as a disinformation outlet of Russias intelligence services, in this case the FSB. President Joe Biden responds to questions from the media after delivering remarks about the Colonial Pipeline hack. Ransomware attacks attributed by the US to Russian cyber criminals forced temporary closure of the pipeline and a meatpacking company in May Evan Vucci/AP As Joe Biden prepares to meet Vladimir Putin at a summit in Geneva on Wednesday their first meeting since the US president took office the efforts by Russia-linked groups to sour opinion on Covid-19 vaccines are part of what the US sees as an intensified disinformation campaign by Moscow. In the past, the US has sought to use summits with Russia to resolve disputes over nuclear warhead numbers or to criticise Moscows invasion of Ukraine. In Geneva, the Biden administration will be focused on what it sees as Russias harmful activities in cybersphere. For the US, the disinformation operations follow a series of cyber attacks and hacking incidents which all appear to have some level of Russian involvement. US officials and experts believe they amount to an accelerated policy of sowing discontent and mistrust among the American public, aimed at undermining institutions and faith in democracy, at a time when fierce political polarisation in the US is exposing those same fissures. They are constantly exploring, looking, poking, prodding not just systems but also the American public looking for ways to cast doubt, to divide us along racial lines, along political lines, along whatever societal divisions we already have in existence, says Matthew Masterson, former senior cyber security adviser at the Department of Homeland Security now at Stanford Internet Observatory. Thats hybrid warfare in the 21st century. US officials and monitoring groups say Moscows efforts to disrupt and undermine US democracy have adapted fast to the arrival of a new administration. Misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines is just one part of that effort, they say. Clearly there is a more direct campaign against the Biden administration than there was against Trump, says Bret Schafer, a propaganda expert at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, part of the German Marshall Fund think-tank which was set up to track disinformation. Schafer has developed a tracker that collects data from 350 Twitter accounts, 27 websites and two YouTube channels that are affiliated with the Russian government or Russian state-funded media outlets. I couldnt pick out a single positive story in the past six months, he says. Biden is seeking to use the Geneva summit to help stabilise relations and resolve what he said on Sunday were actions which we think are inconsistent with international norms. The US president also said he agreed with a proposal from Putin that could allow the US and Russia to exchange cybercriminals wanted by each others governments. But few US experts on Russia believe Moscow is likely to back off in any significant way in its cyber activities. The Russians have effectively already declared war quite a long time ago in the information sphere, says Fiona Hill, former senior Russia director on the National Security Council during the Trump administration. Theyve been trying to prove that they are a major cyber force they want to create a wartime scenario so then they can sit down and agree some kind of truce with us. US officials believe misinformation about the safety of various vaccines is part of an intensified campaign by Moscow to disrupt and divide society Nam Y Huh/AP Malinformation vs disinformation The notion of disinformation wars, though long in existence, came into its own in the wake of the 2016 US presidential elections that brought Trump to power. US investigators found co-ordinated efforts by a Russian troll farm, the Internet Research Agency, to influence the polls. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the alleged caterer-turned-warlord known as Putins chef who US officials say funds the troll farm, has denied its existence and Moscow says it was not behind such efforts. But the US indicted 13 IRA employees for their involvement in the campaign and since then, Russia has remained one of the most active nations conducting clandestine influence operations, according to Facebook. US officials and researchers believe some of the recent forays into the information space have been more subtle, relying on real sources rather than inventing negative stories. One example has been the number of stories in recent weeks flagging concerns over Bidens health. In this case, the prompt was a May letter signed by 124 retired US generals who questioned the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and the mental and physical condition of the commander-in-chief, which was also widely covered by mainstream US media outlets. For experts, this is part of an effort from Russia to shift away from fake bots and personas amid a crackdown by social media platforms on inauthentic activity. Instead, they say, Russian output is citing facts found in western sources and amplifying existing voices. When it comes to US domestic narratives, theyre almost always piggybacking on something that exists, says Schafer. From the official sources we very rarely see something that you would categorise as being invented. Instead, Russia is now focused on wildly misleading context rather than making up facts: Schafer says he prefers the term malinformation to outright disinformation in such cases. The aim, say experts, is to prey on US domestic division, such as that over race relations and claims of election fraud, or to stoke culture wars on both the right and the left. Covid-19 has proved a particularly fertile area. Former White House national security aide Fiona Hill. Hill suspects Russians have previously exfiltrated data from her phones, hacked her work laptop at the time she was writing a book about Putin and regularly tailed her J Scott Applewhite/AP It is very clear that Russia is up to its old tricks, said Ned Price, a state department spokesman, in March. And in doing so is potentially putting people at risk by spreading disinformation about vaccines that we know to be saving lives every day. He added that the state departments Global Engagement Center, which has previously analysed Russias propaganda ecosystem, had identified four Russian online platforms that were directed by Moscows intelligence services and which spread disinformation about vaccines being used in the US. We have seen Russia certainly amplifying superspreaders of counter-vaccine disinformation or just Covid conspiracy theories, says Nina Jankowicz, an expert in Russian disinformation at the Wilson Centre. Russia doesnt create this stuff . . . but they latch on to pre-existing narratives, societal distrust, and amplify that. Sometimes Russia targets prominent US individuals to push influence narratives to the domestic US audience, according to a March report from the US intelligence community. It said Putin had authorised such information operations for the 2020 polls rather than repeating persistent efforts to hack election infrastructure in 2016. US lawmakers are among American citizens accused of spreading Russian propaganda. Last month, Republican senator Ted Cruz was criticised after he shared on social media a video montage that unfavourably compared a US military recruitment advert to a Russian one. Whenever theres something useful out there in the information ecosystem that makes it look like theres mud on Americas face, then theyll use that, says Graham Brookie, a former Obama administration official who is now director of the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab, which tracks open-source foreign disinformation. Its a clever engagement strategy, and it shows how divided we are. A page featuring editorial from the USAReally.com website sits on a desktop computer in the companys office in Moscow in 2018 Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg Sophisticated hacks Researchers at social media intelligence group Graphika last week revealed that the people behind a fake rightwing outlet which had been taken down in October by social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have begun targeting more niche rightwing social media platforms such as Gab, Parler and patriots.win, which are only lightly moderated. Graphika said that the campaign, which was still active, focused on spreading narratives of voter fraud, as well as highly offensive cartoons accusing Biden of senility, sexual harassment and paedophilia. Camille Francois, chief innovation officer at Graphika, says these alternative platforms were enabling Russian operatives because a lack of policies . . . means that campaigns are not being taken down, and can be more successful in their hyper-targeting of specific far-right communities. Russias cyber efforts go far beyond polarising influence campaigns, however. Officials say that direct cyber attacks are now successfully targeting the US government on a grand scale and that indirect attacks risk critical infrastructure. In April, the Biden administration blamed Moscow for a months-long hack that affected nine federal agencies and more than 100 private companies. The operatives widely believed by the US government to be part of Russias SVR hacked software from the US company SolarWinds in order to breach government and company email systems. The breach was first detected in December, but Moscow appears to have continued its campaign. In May, Microsoft said it had evidence the same group hijacked an email system to pose as the USAID development agency and carry out a phishing campaign targeting more than 150 government agencies, human rights groups and non-governmental organisations worldwide. Ransomware attacks attributed by the US to Russian cyber criminals also forced temporary closure of a commercial pipeline and meatpacking company in May. The US has not directly blamed the Kremlin, but the US Treasury earlier this year accused Russias FSB, of cultivating and co-opting one ransomware group, known as Evil Corp. The White House said it told Moscow responsible states do not harbour ransomware criminals. Pro-Trump Rioters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington on January 6. Moscows efforts to undermine US democracy have adapted fast to the new Biden administration John Minchillo/AP Andrei Soldatov, a Russian security expert at the Center for European Policy Analysis, says ransomware attacks by Russian criminals were extremely convenient for the Kremlin as US investigators are forced to ask Moscow for assistance in tracing them. You are not only dealing with a political issue but the added problem of needing to request co-operation with Russian security services, he adds. Its very smart. Andrea Kendall-Taylor, former senior US intelligence official who Biden appointed Russia director on the National Security Council before she turned it down for personal reasons, says Putin could prevent such attacks if he wanted. Its becoming more brazen and [they are] going after bigger targets. she says of Russias disruptive cyber attacks. The Biden administration is also investigating a host of suspected directed radio frequency attacks on US officials known as Havana syndrome after US officials stationed in Cuba first reported it in 2016. Similar symptoms have been reported in China and elsewhere since 2018. Although US secretary of state Antony Blinken said last week that we still simply do not know the cause of the incidents, suspicion has fallen on Moscow. Two people briefed by US intelligence officials say Russia was the most likely culprit if they were confirmed as attacks. One said there was a possibility it was a prototype intelligence-collection technique gone wrong in which the Russians might be attempting to steal data from computers and phones by pulsing radiofrequency energy towards devices that ended up also affecting people in the immediate vicinity. One of the theories is they tried it in Havana, they tweaked it and they tried it again in China, says the person. Hill says the Havana attacks, if proven to be perpetrated by Moscow, would fall into a pattern of Russian disregard for collateral damage in intelligence collection. The Russians take great pride in their novel ways of getting at you . . . in many respects its a continuation of the cold war, says Hill, who suspects Russians have previously exfiltrated data from her phones, hacked her work laptop at the time she was writing a 2015 book about Putin and regularly tailed her. They dont really care about the harm they could cause. She adds that when Russias previous use of polonium, a radioactive poison, and novichok, a nerve agent, to target opponents came to light, the revelations were not wholly unwelcome in Moscow because it signalled to Russias own citizens the dangers of spying or dissent. Its softening up the enemy, making them feel that theyre going to be defeated. A 2018 picture of a St Petersburg business centre believed, at the time, to be used by the Internet Research Agency Mstyslav Chernov/AP West plays whack-a-mole Attempting to stop Russian information operations and cyber hacks is an uphill task. Its like whack-a-mole, says James Lewis, cyber security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. I think thats why the Russians enjoy this so much; its constitutionally hard for us to take action, he adds. Russia has for years sought to lay down some form of global peace treaty for cyber space, but the US has been wary of entering any form of talks that presuppose both sides are equal, or bear equal responsibility for past cybercrimes. The Biden administration has signalled that it is actively seeking to discuss cyber attacks to establish limits and signal heavy responses if breached. It is a good thing that they have stopped this silly policy of refusing to talk with us about cyber issues, a senior Russian government official told the Financial Times. Now that is on the [Geneva] agenda we can at least discuss it, but we are far from co-operation. As one first step, the Biden administration wants to expose Russias information operations but without resorting to militarised language about cyber warfare. Bidens approach indicates he wants to solicit support from Nato, harden the resilience of critical US infrastructure and take steps to defend democracy at home and abroad. His national security adviser Jake Sullivan has promised to respond in ways seen and unseen, suggesting the US could take increasing covert cyber actions of its own. In the propaganda sphere, Todd Helmus, a disinformation expert at Rand Corporation, a US think-tank, argues that although fact-checking was helpful for certain audiences, it will not resolve the issue. Theres no single policy that addresses this problem; its very complex, he says. Others caution that the impact of Russian information operations is hard to assess. We still really lack an understanding of the effects of what Russia is doing, says Kendall-Taylor, who said rules of the road would help. But even if the Geneva summit provides some clarity, the direction of travel seems clear. This invisible war is becoming more and more real, and is becoming one of the principal tools in this hybrid war, [this] confrontation between the United States and Russia, says Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center. I see no real let-up in this confrontation. I think it will intensify . . . Im afraid, before we find a new normal. A new tool for analyzing racial disparities in Santa Barbara Countys criminal justice system numerically quantifies where youths and adults of color are more likely to become involved in the system than Whites. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Everybody knows dont play with matches and all that good stuff. Are you well versed in cooking safety? Are you well versed in home electrical safety? Things of that nature. We try to use the data we collect from running calls, or from citizens themselves and their general concerns. Obviously we know when we have a retirement community or a nursing home area were going to focus on different stuff than you would if you had an area that had primarily young families and kids. The department gets a couple of calls a week where a resident is requesting a smoke detector be installed, and that gets firefighters into homes where they can work with a resident about fire hazards and fire safety, he said. Some departments will team up with the state and with the Red Cross and do a neighborhood smoke detector blitz where firefighters go door-to-door to talk with residents about fire safety and install detectors at the same time, he said. The great thing is the program were participating in is expanding. Theyre getting more and more departments involved, Page said. Its really a way for the state and local agencies to work together to do more to prevent fires than be reactive. The SBC has passed many resolutions reaffirming the importance of human life at all stages of development, but we have yet to call for the immediate abolition of abortion without exception or compromise, the resolution stated. Past conventions had included the single exception of abortion being permissible when the physical life of the mother is in imminent danger, but Wednesday's resolution didn't mention that exception. The resolutions committee of the convention had not planned to offer this one for a vote, saying the convention's opposition to abortion was already well-established, but the delegates voted to bring it to the floor. The measure declared the murder of preborn children is a crime against humanity that must be punished equally under the law. It did not say who would be prosecuted, and whether that would include a woman procuring an abortion. A separate resolution approved the previous day, opposing taxpayer funding for abortion, called on Baptists to love, care for, and minister to women who are victimized by the unjust abortion industry. Ed Stetzer, executive director Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center, attributed the push for a second resolution to Southern Baptists' frustration with the lengthy battle on what they consider an urgent moral issue. Watch a trailer for In The Heights It was during the summer of 2019 that the cast and crew of In The Heights descended on New York to bring the cinematic adaptation of Lin-Manuel Mirandas celebrated musical to the big screen. The film was several years in the making after the critically-acclaimed show centred on a diverse Latin American community living in the Washington Heights area of the city came to a close on Broadway in 2011. Quiara Alegria Hudes was in charge of adapting her original book into a screenplay with Miranda serving as a producer and swapping his original role as lead Usnavi, a bodega shop owner with dreams of selling up and moving back to the Dominican Republic, for a more comical cameo as Piraguero, the Piragua Guy. Jon M. Chu was hired in 2016 to direct the film having spent several years making franchise sequels like Step Up 3D, G.I. Joe Retaliation and Now You See Me 2 so was looking to make a bigger contribution to the art he loved so much. Read more: Can you match the movie to the location? The rights to the film would go through several studio hands before Warner Bros. announced it would be producing the movie Miranda made Hamilton and Chu made Crazy Rich Asians while they waited for the greenlight and soon enough, some of the most exciting emerging and established names from the Latin American community had signed up to star. Yahoo Entertainment UK was invited to the films Brooklyn set to check out the action and speak to the cast and crew about the musical event. This is what we learned... Its about the American dream (L-R) Noah Catala as Graffiti Pete, Gregory Diaz IV as Sonny, Corey Hawkins as Benny and Anthony Ramos as Usnavi in In The Heights (Warner Bros.) Usnavi, played by Anthony Ramos isnt the only key player in this local story; theres Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), a wannabe fashion designer hoping to move downtown to start her label, Benny (Corey Hawkins) works for Rosarios taxi service and hopes to start a business one day himself and Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega) and her life partner Carla (Stephanie Beatriz) who are moving their beauty shop a few stops away on the subway. They are dreaming of a better life, a self-made life, and Chu said its the story of America that needs to be told. Story continues Im from a family of immigrants that came over from China and Taiwan and this is the America that I know, that I love, he said. I'm living the American Dream, my parents came here and didn't even know the language but they started a Chinese restaurant 50 years [ago]. I'm in the Hollywood business which I didn't have any connections in so I just felt very blessed and wanted to sort of tell how that feels to be in a community like that. Director Jon M Chu and concept/music & lyrics/producer Lin-Manuel Miranda on the set of Warner Bros. Pictures In The Heights (Warner Bros.) The film also explores what the meaning of home is in a diverse community made up of first, second and third generation immigrants with Latin roots but embedded in an American culture of their own definition. I came from a family that was very much about following your dreams if you work hard, said Chu, I'm not from the Washington Heights community or anything like that but feeling so many connections and that universal feeling of home, finding your home and people having dreams...I think its time for this movie made in this way. Were going through changes! A lot has changed in the world since the musical opened on Broadway in 2008 and both Miranda and Hudes made changes to their original story in order for the characters and plot to better reflect the concerns of Latin-Americans now. The character of Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV) has an expanded storyline about being an undocumented minor with other moments touching on microaggressions experienced by people of colour. (L-R) Daphne Rubin-Vega as Daniela, Stephanie Beatriz as Carla and Dascha Polanco as Cuca in Warner Bros. Pictures In The Heights (Warner Bros.) A few songs and characters were cut for time too including that of Camila Rosario, the mother of Nina. Leslie Grace, who plays Nina, said that decision has an emotional resonance for her journey as a Stanford student; everyone expects big things, including her father Kevin (Jimmy Smits) who is investing all of his money into her success, but is uncomfortable with the educational environment she was met with. Read more: The films that defined 2020 The financial restraints are still there but the pressure is just a bit deeper now because in the film I dont have a mom, Grace said. She knows that her dad is basically giving up the only memory that they have of this family business, for her to just be able to go back. Carla and Daniela, meanwhile, are no longer just co-workers but life partners. They're married in this film version, explained Beatriz, with Rubin-Vega adding, she's my kooky partner! The salon is the heart of the community (L-R) Melissa Berrera as Vanessa, Stephanie Beatriz as Carla, Leslie Grace as Nina Rosario (seated), Daphne Rubin-Vega as Daniela and Dascha Polanco as Cuca in In The Heights (Warner Bros) Carla and Danielas salon is the epicentre of this little community not least because during the heatwave of the film, it provides the locals some respite from the climbing temperatures. The salon is the only place with air conditioning, Chu said. So when you come into the salon, you feel like you're floating above the whole place. You come here to feel good about yourself, to love yourself, look good coming out and hear all the gossip. It's awesome. On set, they are shooting the salon sequence for the song 'No Me Diga', a lively number that sees clients and stylists dancing around the small space, with wigs on mannequins swinging, as they playfully muse on the romances of Nina and Benny and Usnavi and Vanessa. "We have wigs like a Greek chorus, puppeted by dancers, said production designer Nelson Coates. We were going to have loads of crazy magical things like musicians bursting from the mirrors, but at that point it felt like a step too far." The power of three in charge is Daniela, Carla and Cuca, played by Dascha Polanca, a character created for the movie. (L-R) Melissa Barrera (background l), Leslie Grace, writer/producer Quira Alegria Hudes and Daphne Rubin-Vega on the set of In The Heights (Warner Bros.) We, as a team, cover the element of unity in the community, said Polanco. Where everybody pretty much goes and divulges all the information like girls to their therapists. We are like the witches in the Scottish play! Rubin-Vega added. But this salon is more than just a forum for gossip, its a place that is not only representative of the diversity of the Latinx community today but an empowering statement of what they can inspire. Salons and women of colour in particular, have a history, Rubin-Vega said. It's a way to be empowered individually, to have your own agency. Read more: The best musicals to stream after Hamilton It's not it's not a mistake that there's lots of different kinds of Latinos in that salon, added Beatriz. Lots of different sexual orientations in that salon all existing in the same space and lifting each other in celebration. Playing this moment is not just, Hey, we're nails and hair, we're the source of where we feel comfortable, she said. We represent not only salon girls like Carla, we represent what we need to see on the screen, the stories that must be told, especially in the year 2021. Dance, dance, dance (Center l-r) Dascha Polanco as Cuca, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Daniela and Stephanie Beatriz as Carla in In The Heights (Warner Bros.) Chu feels the same way about musicals as he feels about dance: it allows powerful feelings to be expressed when simply talking doesnt emote enough. What I love about dancers, and especially street dancers themselves, is that it came out of necessity to express themselves with more than just words, the director said. Like, my body needs to express this frustration or this joy, or whatever it is, with not being taught it but just doing it. Musicals do the same for me when words aren't enough, it just needs to be expressed. So he built his dance troupe movers and shakers from the street as well as the stage who could embody the heightened emotions of this community of people with a shared culture. Grace said it was wonderful to see so many different faces come together for the dance numbers but also fill out their rich, vibrant world. There's so many real people here, you could almost know these women, real faces that would really be in the community, not just dancers, but like real people that would live in the community and all of these numbers, Grace said. In one of the numbers, Carnival, we all felt that energy of 75 plus dancers, plus the cast, and to feel the pride, the weight of what this is going to be for the community and for people around the world to see that we make things like this and that they are relatable, its groundbreaking. IN THE HEIGHTS releases in UK cinemas on 18 June. (Warner Bros.) Ramos felt just as emotional seeing New Yorkers from in and around the area turning up to watch them shoot the film. People love Lin, especially up in the Heights, he recalls. [They] would stick around and watch, people would come from other boroughs to watch on the street and from a distance to see the dance numbers and it was awesome. The show is not like Les Mis that was on Broadway for God knows how long but people were just mad fired up because this is a musical about real people, doing real things, dressed up like the everyday people who just happen to be singing. Read more: Explaining the hype behind Hamilton Hawkins too remembers the welcoming attitude of the people in the areas they were shooting, including at the Highbridge Park pool where a synchronised swimming was shot for the number '96,000', the George Washington Bridge, the street art covered tunnel at 191st Street and the streets of Washington Heights, when they werent shooting interior scenes of Usnavis bodega and the salon, sets built in a Brooklyn warehouse. Corey Hawkins as Benny in In The Heights. (Warner Bros.) This has been such an embracing thing, Hawkins said. You see guys on their motorcycles riding up doing wheelies, and Jon's like, shoot it, you know, let's let the community in. When we were shooting When You're Home in the park, people just came and brought their coolers, you couldn't tell who were in the background and who was in the movie! Chemistry from the get go With two concurrent romance storylines playing out, it was important to cast actors who could not only keep their characters grounded and down to earth but able to lift up and inspire when theyre romantic moments hit. Ramos was one of the earliest actors cast having previously appeared as Usnavi for a musical special during the Kennedy Center Honours, but when he knew Barrera was testing, he slid into her DMs. Anthony Ramos (Usnavi) and Melissa Barrera (Vanessa) (Warner Bros.) I hit her up privately on Instagram and said, you know, we're doing this chemistry test if you want to meet up, like an hour before the audition, to grab a bite so [after] we can go in there and act like we've been in love for all this time, he said. That little bit of time we had with each other I think was monumental. In the reading the chemistry was crazy. She's one of the best scene partners Ive ever had, period. Acceptance Ultimately, this is a film with acceptance in mind. Accepting who you are, your dreams, ambitions and feeling pride in your culture especially when it has found its home in a different land of opportunity. Certainly, for Ramos, it was a guiding ideal in his portrayal of Usnavi and his understanding of what this movie could offer an audience both within and outside of the Latin community. (L-R) Dascha Polanco as Cuca, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Daniela and Stephanie Beatriz as Carla (Warner Bros.) The whole movie is about listening to your heart, listening to that voice inside of you that we tend to ignore, he says, pointing to the very human habit of thinking the grass is always greener. More than ever now, social media is crazy. You look at somebodys page and see someones outfit and think I wish I had some shit like that in my closet. But its like, focus on what you have in your own closet and make the most of what is going on in there, he added. I think In The Heights is a movie about looking in your own closet as opposed to somebody else's. In The Heights is in UK cinemas on 18 June. Watch: Lin-Manuel Miranda addresses 'colourism' critiques MILAN (Reuters) - Carmaker Stellantis has not yet decided where to build its third electric battery plant in Europe on top of those planned in France and Germany, Italy's Industry Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Tuesday. "We cannot talk about a gigafactory without addressing the fundamental question about where batteries are produced. The decision has not yet been taken," Giorgetti said in a statement after meeting Stellantis representatives and unions in Rome. Giorgetti said Rome did not want any "bad surprises" on the jobs front as Stellantis goes ahead with its transition towards producing more electric vehicles. (Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari; editing by Agneiszka Flak) Relatives of coronavirus patients have faced endless queues to refill oxygen canisters in countries like Bolivia Unitaid announced Tuesday it had struck deals with two of the world's main medical oxygen producers to boost access to badly-needed supplies in poor countries fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. The international organisation, which works on innovations to prevent, diagnose and treat major diseases in poorer countries, said it had signed agreements with Air Liquide and Linde. Oxygen is vital in saving the lives of hospitalised Covid-19 patients, but the crisis has seen drastic shortages around the world. "This is the first time such an agreement has been made to help facilitate equitable access to oxygen, an essential, life-saving medicine," said Unitaid executive director Philippe Duneton. "We hope that other oxygen suppliers will now follow suit and come to the table. There is a real opportunity to change the course of history -- both for the Covid-19 pandemic, and for other areas where medical oxygen is so vital but has been often lacking." The global supply of oxygen was already constrained prior to the pandemic for treating illnesses like pneumonia -- which kills some 2.5 million people annually. But Covid-19 has significantly exacerbated the problem. The pandemic has seen desperate shortages in countries like India and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, queues outside hospitals in Venezuela, price speculation in Peru and a black market in Brazil. Latest estimates suggest that around one million critically-ill Covid-19 patients in low- and middle-income countries need 2.2 million oxygen cylinders -- 15.1 million cubic metres -- a day, Unitaid spokesman Herve Verhoosel told reporters in Geneva. He said "concerning surges" had been reported in several countries in Africa, South America and southeast Asia. Unitaid is co-leading the therapeutics pillar of the World Health Organization's Access to Covid Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) programme -- a globally-pooled hunt for coronavirus vaccines, diagnostics and treatments. Story continues Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, the WHO's ACT-A special envoy, said: "Without a much-improved supply of oxygen we will see the global numbers of people dying from Covid rising even faster. "These pioneering oxygen agreements are urgently needed to save lives." The novel coronavirus has killed more than 3.8 million people and at least 176 million people have tested positive since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP. Unitaid said it was trying to overcome obstacles such as unstable funding pledges and infrastructure gaps which were limiting the availability of bottles of medical oxygen. Unitaid and its partners are trying to mobilise resources to finance the storage of medical oxygen, and said $400 million was urgently needed. rjm/tgb Associate Professor Tang Chi Thuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the makeshift hospital treating Covid-19 patients in Cu Chi is currently treating 192 Covid-19 patients. The infirmary has conducted the first hemodialysis on Covid-19 patients The infirmary has conducted the first hemodialysis on Covid-19 patients. In addition, the Covid-19 Treatment Unit of Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital has received 10 cases of Covid-19 with respiratory failure transferred from Covid-19 Can Gio. In its document, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City requested districts each to have concentrated isolation areas have a minimum capacity of 200 beds and Thu Duc City with 600 beds. Two people are residing in one room with partitions between them in the quarantine camps. City authorities also asked local administrations to supervise the implementation of Covid-19 prevention tasks in isolation areas. Leaders in districts will be held accountable if violations occur. The Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City also proposed the establishment of concentrated medical isolation areas at hotels that are voluntarily paid by Covid-19 patients. The municipal People's Committee has approved the use of student dormitories of Ton Duc Thang University, University of Technology, and Saigon University as centralized isolation areas. According to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, the development of the Covid-19 epidemic is complicated with many chains of infection, from different infection sources plus new, fast-spreading coronavirus variants. Student dormitories will be used when the city records 500-1,000 cases of Covid-19 infections. By Thanh An - Translated by Anh Quan Big Ox previously settled a federal class action lawsuit filed by two South Sioux City homeowners who said that plant odors had interfered with local residents' ability to enjoy their life and property and had damaged property values. Terms of the settlement were confidential. Judges also have entered at least three judgments against the Wisconsin-based company for nonpayment of claims to suppliers and other service providers. Two legal disputes between the city, Big Ox and lenders remain. Wells Fargo has filed a complaint against South Sioux City in federal court seeking more than $3.3 million in past-due monthly installments it says were due as part of a 2014 tipping agreement between Big Ox and the city. The agreement was an inducement for Wells Fargo to provide financing for construction of the approximately $30 million Big Ox plant. The city council has denied the bank's claim, saying it was not filed in time and that Big Ox was in default of the agreement because it shut down the plant. The city sued Big Ox, Wells Fargo and other lenders in December for negligent misrepresentation and breach of contract and is seeking a judge's order rescinding the city's tipping agreement with Big Ox and declaring that the city does not owe the unpaid monthly fees that lenders are seeking. NEW YORK (AP) A former CIA software engineer accused of leaking secrets to WikiLeaks notified a judge Tuesday that he wants to represent himself at an October retrial on espionage charges. Joshua Schulte, 32, plans to proceed on his own behalf, defense attorney Sabrina Shroff told U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty during a court hearing. The judge then directed prosecutors to submit legal papers on issues surrounding a hearing that would be conducted to ensure Schultes right to a fair trial is protected. Shroff said the judge may have to decide if Schulte is fit to represent himself and then could assign his lawyers to assist him as what is known as standby counsel. Schulte has pleaded not guilty in the 2017 release of secrets by WikiLeaks that resulted from what prosecutors have labeled the largest leak of classified information in CIA history. The so-called Vault 7 leak revealed how the CIA hacked Apple and Android smartphones in overseas spying operations and efforts to turn internet-connected televisions into listening devices. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Tuesday installed an energetic critic of Big Tech as a top federal regulator at a time when the industry is under intense pressure from Congress, regulators and state attorneys general. That is not equity, and Governor Lamont will veto this bill if it reaches his desk in its current form, Mounds said. Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, the co-chairman of the General Assembly's Judiciary Committee and a lead proponent of the legislation, acknowledged that a late change made to the bill on Tuesday perhaps opens the gates further than many people had imagined" when it comes to determining who gets priority for marijuana-related licenses. I think what we were doing was trying to address the concerns of some people who felt like people who had records, particularly on cannabis, in the criminal justice system, would be able to participate under the system, Winfield said. I think that the initial change we made definitely allowed this to go too far, and so we made an attempt to bring it back along the lines of some of the concerns of the governor ... In doing that, clearly the governor feels as though we missed the mark. Winfield said many advocates of the bill wanted state legislators to clarify that people who've been arrested and convicted would still be eligible to participate in the new industry, given past disparate treatment for marijuana-related crimes. NEW YORK (AP) Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump and one of his top advisers during his administration, has a book deal. Broadside Books, a conservative imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced that Kushner's book will come out in early 2022. Kushner has begun working on the memoir, currently untitled, and is expected to write about everything from the Middle East to criminal justice reform to the pandemic. His book will be the definitive, thorough recounting of the administration and the truth about what happened behind closed doors, Broadside announced Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. Kushner was often at the center of the Trump administration's policies whether brokering the normalization of relationships between Israel and United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco the so-called Abraham Accords or playing a key role in a criminal justice bill passed by Congress in 2018. He has also been the subject of numerous controversies, whether for his financial dealings and potential conflicts of interest or for the administration's widely criticized handling of COVID-19. AMES -- Friederich Burson said he has benefited from the help offered by a nonprofit youth support services organization, and his hope is that a new state law will help others in similar need. Burson, a 17-year-old from Sioux City, spoke Wednesday at a public ceremony as Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a package of tax provisions that includes a new method for funding mental health care services across the state. Mental health care advocates and stakeholders were on hand to celebrate the new law. This will ensure that others can succeed just like I have, Burson said during the ceremony at YSS in Ames. Dozens were on hand to witness Reynolds sign into law Senate File 619, which includes a wide range of tax reforms. Mental health care advocates celebrated the legislations provision that gradually shifts the funding for mental health care services from local property taxes to the states general fund. However, even if the federal government reversed its decision, the state would struggle to pull the event together with July Fourth weekend just weeks away. Noems administration previously said in court that in order to have enough time to organize a fireworks event at the site, it would have to know by June 2 whether it would be allowed. The governors spokesman, Ian Fury, said Noem will reach out to the "Biden Administration to ask them to reconsider their unlawful decision. She has also said she will file an appeal of the judge's order in her lawsuit. Noem has used the issue as a political cudgel to frame herself as an opponent of Biden. She took to Twitter to lash out at the president, writing, Why are you being so hypocritical? You're having your own personal fireworks show in DC, but South Dakotans are told no? During COVID, more and more people started having trouble making ends meet. And they felt trapped: They could apply for rental assistance from the federal government, but much of that money still hasnt gone out the door. And to be eligible for assistance in the first place, you have to have already missed a payment. Its a risk. Meanwhile, the temporary protections, like the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions eviction moratorium, are winding down. So what happens to the Americans who have been depending on these measures as they remain devastated by the effects of the pandemic? With a possible eviction boom just days away, I spoke with Alieza Durana, a reporter with the Eviction Lab at Princeton University who focuses on housing, evictions, and homelessness, on Wednesdays episode of What Next. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mary Harris: As people got sick and lost their jobs, Congress first issued an eviction moratorium. This was back in the spring of 2020. It expired, last summer, and the question was, what was going to happen then? Thats how the CDC stepped in. Alieza Durana: The CDC moratorium came about because policymakers were worried that the public health and economic crisis that had affected so many householdsjob loss, health issuesmight trigger a cascade of events in which folks were unable to pay for their rent. They might then lose their home and, in the process, face increased exposure to COVID-19. So in September of last year, shortly after the CARES Act had expired, the Eviction Lab saw a big spike in evictions with the loss of the federal moratorium. Within two weeks, the Trump administration passed a CDC order through the Department of Health and Human Services to help try to buy time to keep people in their homes while they applied for rent relief and tried to find new jobs. Advertisement I remember when the CDC order came out. It felt a little strange, like, whats the CDCs jurisdiction here? Is this enforceable? Im sure you had questions like that too. Advertisement It came as a bit of a surprise that the federal eviction moratorium was being issued through the HHS, through the CDC, rather than through Congress or by executive order. It certainly took us by surprise, but it did have an immediate dampening effect on eviction filings in certain parts of the country. But because of some flaws in the way the CDC order was crafted, it left many parts of the country exposed to ongoing eviction filings. So there are many states, including our most populous ones, like Florida or Texas, where evictions have been ongoing in spite of the CDC moratorium. Advertisement How have they been ongoing? There have been numerous legal challenges to the moratorium by various realtors associations in states circuit courtsincluding the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Ohiothat the Department of Justice has been appealing. So right now, we find ourselves in a place where we have this sort of important but tattered Band-Aid that is a federal eviction moratorium. And there are many more renters now than in a typical year who have fallen behind on rent in 2020 and 2021which are not typical years by any stretch of the imagination. So were preparing for the possibility that many families who were facing evictions earlier this year but had received protection may see their eviction process start up again when the moratorium lifts on June 30. Advertisement Advertisement "Were preparing for a possible spike in eviction filings and increased risk of eviction and homelessness for millions of Americans." Alieza Durana There is a system in place thats supposed to catch these renters when the moratorium expires. Congress has set aside billions of dollars in rent relief to avert potential evictions. But local municipalities have struggled to get that money out to families. Congress allocated about $25 billion in December and then an additional $20 billion in 2021. This money has just started to trickle down to states. My understanding, from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, was that about an average of 13 percent of that $45 billion has been spent down. So having an eviction moratorium in place is really important as an emergency measure to help ensure that that money reaches communities before they lose their homes. Were seeing this play out in real time, where folks who have an eviction filed against them have applied for rental assistance but the eviction is being processed faster than theyre receiving the money. So were urging governments both at federal, state, and local level to extend the eviction moratorium until emergency rent relief measures fully reach communities. Advertisement Decades of underinvestment in our public infrastructure made it very difficult to get money out the door. Ensuring that there are organizations on the ground that have the capacity to disperse that money and know how to prioritize applications has been a big challenge. The challenges were facing right now have been decades in the making. Advertisement The Eviction Lab has new research out this week that examines the association between vaccination rates and evictions. What we found in all the sites for which we have data is that the neighborhoods where there have been the biggest barriers to access around vaccine rates, are also neighborhoods that are facing the highest eviction rates. So, to put that differently, if you live in a neighborhood that has been underserved by public health authorities or public policies. Advertisement Not only could you lose your home and your connection to community come June 30, but you could also face increased exposure to COVID-19, given that there have not only been issues with protecting folks from exposure to this life-altering virus, but also with providing them a place to call home. The Eviction Lab says renters who get kicked out carry a Scarlet E forever after. How many more renters will carry that mark after this moratorium expires? And what has the past year revealed about this rickety system that isnt really serving renters at all? The housing crisis prior to COVID-19 was partially a story of rising rents across the countryin small and large communities, in red and blue statesas well as a question of wage stagnation, how American residents have not gotten a raise in decades. At this point, in addition to that, theres a layer of racial and gender discrimination in our housing market and policies. we do see that communities of colorand in particular, Black and white women, families with children, and families experiencing domestic violence are facing a disproportionate risk of eviction. For these communities, for our communities across the United States, eviction is a cause of poverty We refer to it as the Scarlet E, that an eviction not only triggers the loss of home and connection to community, but also will ruin a persons credit, their jobs, their tenant and rental history. It affects mental and physical health deterioration as well as suicidal ideation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The implications of an eviction are quite grave for the many communities affected across the United States right now. Over the course of the pandemic, weve seen laid bare this story of two Americas: an America for whom housing security exists, one that is protected from the violence and trauma of poverty, and another America that we have effectively abandoned. Eviction should not be the solution to every landlord problem, even though that has been an underlying assumption in the United States for a very long time. We are comparing a choice that someone makes to start a business venture with a fundamental right and need for shelter just to exist as a human beingand I think we need to stop equating those two things. The issue is not that landlords should subsidize tenants in this difficult time, but rather that governments should come in and support communities through times of hardship. We need time to get money to both property owners and tenants right now, which is the process of rent relief. We simply have not had enough time to deliver on that support. So what were asking right now is feedback, making sure that the process of accessing rent relief is as easy as possible, particularly for historically marginalized communities, and at the same time making sure that this does not result in mass homelessness, which is absolutely on the table. Advertisement Advertisement Most landlords in the United States are not mom-and-pop landlords. Most landlords in the United States are owned by corporate entities. Were currently also seeing a big buying spree in the residential rental market: Large-scale venture capital investors are buying up properties across the United States, including in places like Milwaukee, where my colleague Matthew Desmond wrote the book Evicted. Landlords are seeing this as a business opportunity rather than a moment where we need to address the question of our humanity and an ability to make it through one of the biggest crises that is affected the United States in a century. What are you expecting to happen on July 1 when this moratorium is over? You said that some areas of the country are already seeing eviction levels that are back to where they previously were. Are you expecting all the other regions to bounce back as well? Advertisement We could see a couple of things happen. There might be a boom of evictions. Were certainly hoping that governments at the local, state, and federal level, consider putting more money and resources into continuing protections for tenants in many different forms: unemployment insurance assistance, food assistance, housing assistance, extending eviction moratoria. But at this point, with so few state-level eviction moratoria in place and the federal moratorium about to expire, were preparing for a possible spike in eviction filings and increased risk of eviction and homelessness for millions of Americans. Advertisement I wonder how much impact its really going to have, or whether this is a chance to remind people that the housing system has been incredibly insecure and continues to be insecure throughout the pandemic. The government acknowledged that insecurity, and thats a change, but the moratorium itself may not have been the protection we hoped it might be. Advertisement No, it wasnt the protection that wed hoped it might be, and I know we can and should demand better. Frankly, I think that the pandemic laid bare how normal the trauma of poverty and eviction are as fixtures of American life. And the housing and eviction crisis, as it deepens through the pandemic, has the potential to create a houseless generation, a permanent underclass of communities that live paycheck to paycheck through no fault of their own. And were rushing back to crisis levels right now. The Eviction Lab has a tracker that is scraping court data from five states in 29 cities. We can see that in the parts of the country that are not observing the CDC order, eviction filings are almost set back to normal levels, where we were seeing seven evictions per minute in some parts of the country. So I hope people choose to see this as a shift where we can articulate rights and human dignity for much more of America. Advertisement Advertisement Many people cant afford to pay their rent and theyre anxiously looking at this looming deadline of June 30. What would you say to someone in that position about what they should do now, with the moratorium ending? The first thing Ill say is that if youre facing an eviction right now, if youre worried about paying rent, you have a right to fight an eviction in court. There are millions of dollars in rental assistance available across the country. You may be eligible for a lawyer to help you fight the eviction and access that rental assistance. I would encourage you to talk to your neighbors, talk to your community members, document everything thats going on in your life, take photos of any communication that you receive from your landlord. The Eviction Lab has a sister site called Just Shelter, where we house a database of legal and social services across the United States. If youre looking for help, that is a good place to start. At the same time, weve seen a lot of inspiring demonstrations for fundamental human rights in the United States over the past year through the Black Lives Matter movement, through other civil rights movements, and this is a moment for us to actually build back better instead of abandoning tenants. Weve learned a lot about fixes to the housing system through the pandemic. Now is the moment to make those fixes permanent. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. Make a peace sign with your fingers, hold it against your chin, and stick your tongue out between them. (Yes, like youre performing a sex act.) Welcome to 2007. You and your friends have flat-ironed your hair within an inch of its life and are gathered around a Nikon Coolpix point-and-shoot digital camera to take photos youll later post on Facebook and, a decade later, come to regret and promptly delete. Back then, that graphic pose felt provocative, like you were doing something you shouldnt. It also felt equal parts terrifying and thrilling, if you were, like me, a closeted lesbian. Like hiding my queerness in plain sight for Facebook likes. Like it was OK to pose like this, because it was only a joke, and we were living in a post-Britney/Madonna kiss economy. It wasnt serious. It was only for attention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These memories came rushing back to my mind this weekend when Billie Eilish, the teenage musical icon who I think perhaps controls the weather, posted some photos of herself and a bunch of women on the set of her most recent music video. I love girls, reads the Instagram caption. In one shot, Eilish and another woman in the photo have their tongues sticking out. I glanced at the photo so quickly that my brain superimposed the v-face hands over their faces. Which, had they indeed done the pose and that image not just been a cerebral reflex, might have made the flurry of accusations that Eilish posted the pictures in an act queerbaiting a bit more grounded in reality. Advertisement Queerbaiting is the pratice of capitalizing on perceived queerness without, well, actually being queer. A greatgreatrecent-ish example of this was Girls, a song by Rita Ora featuring Cardi B, Bebe Rexha, and Charli XCX. With lyrics about getting red wine drunk and wanting to kiss girls, the backlash to the song was swift and harsh from out LGBTQ artists, like Hayley Kiyoko and Kehlani. Dont get me wrong: I enjoyed hearing Cardi B say the words down with the scissor as much as the next person, but the song trafficked in queer stereotypes peddled by apparently straight artists. Advertisement Ora later came out as having had relationships with both men and women, by way of her apology for the harm the song caused and why shed recorded it in the first place. (A murky turn of events given that nobody, not even celebrities who are acting out, should ever be forced to come out of the closet if they dont want to.) Cardi B and Bebe Rexha have both also talked about being bisexual and fluid, respectively, since the release of Girls. All of this perfectly encapsulates how queerbaiting works. If Rita Ora is a straight woman hawking hackneyed portrayals of queer women, its tasteless pandering. But a queer person, well, they can do that tooif they really want to. Do the lyrics to Girls feel stuck in Katy Perrys cherry-chapstick, I Kissed a Girl era of pop? Yes, absolutely. But LGBTQ folks get to deploy cliches, if thats how they want to represent their experiences. If thats how they want to make art, or, hell, just make money, OK then; go ahead. And you can, of course, be critical of those representations. What queer people cant do is just take off their queerness whenever they want to (though many are forced to do just that, or else face mortal consequences). Straight people putting it on for profit is exploitative. Advertisement Advertisement 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. Which isnt to say plenty, or at least some, straight folks havent and cant make art about LGBTQ people. Had Girls not opted for the cheapest form of representation when it comes to queer womengetting drunk and smearing some womans lipstick in a make-out session, because of course shes wearing lipstickthe song might have just been a blip on the pop charts and nothing more. But queer works by straight artists have to be imbued with depth and nuance, with research and thoughtfulness. The 2020 movie Ammonite was boring as all hell, but the sex scenes were, well, not. (While Ammonite director, Francis Lee, is gay, these particular moments were entirely choreographed by Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet, who are straight.) The lead actresses level of care in making these scenes feel authentic keeps them from veering into the artistic equivalent of a straight person dropping their hand over, limp-wristed, to imitate a gay man. (See here: James Cordens painful turn as Barry Glickman, the flamboyant Broadway burnout in The Prom. Not exactly the right vehicle for telling LGBTQ kids that it gets better.) Advertisement Consider, also, Taylor Swifts You Need to Calm Down versus her song Betty. You Need to Calm Down was a rainbow capitalism puke fest, complete with the word glad stylized GLAAD, per its official lyrics and music video. The single was the stuff of corporate-sponsored Pride parade nightmares. But Betty, on the other hand, is a simple tune with a Sixpence None the Richer vibe and a story that could be interpreted as about a relationship between two women without doing any reaching to get there. If you want to hear the song from the perspective of a male character, as Swift later explained was her intent, thats fine. But if youre, say, a gay Swiftie who fell in love with Swifts canon of songs that often omit pronouns and, by doing so, keep space for queer people to hear themselves in the lyrics, the option to listen to Betty and feel kinship is a welcome one. Its one I have to assume Swift, who described LGBTQ people in a 2019 interview with Vogue as a community that Im not a part of, was fully aware of when she wrote the song. (For what its worth, that quote was part of a longer answer about her commitment to allyship.) Advertisement Its not a perfect binary. Theres no one queer person who can act as a queerbait-o-meter. For every lesbian (me) who makes watching Carol an annual holiday event in her house, theres another who finds the film stilted by its heterosexual stars. Though before you go and make an argument about the yuckiness of foisting an LGBTQ identity onto a straight star like Swift or Cate Blanchett, let me remind you that queerness is not an insult. And if these stars are going to take advantage of queer narratives, then Im going to consider Blanchetts role as a sentient, well-fitting pantsuit in Oceans 8 to be nothing more than fan service. But the really, truly blatant stuff, like Kendall Jenner teasing a big announcement and then coming out as having acne in a Proactiv commercial thats hard to miss. Advertisement Which is why the accusations of queerbaiting some Billie Eilish fans are lobbing at the 19-year-old singer are genuinely harmful. Not to Eilish, who I hope is perfectly fine wherever she is right now, diving into a pool of money and content in the knowledge she did nothing wrong here for expressing affection for girls. Flinging the word queerbaiting around for something as mundane as a picture of Eilish and some other women posing together undermines the communitys ability to call out when the practice is actually harmful. The word used to describe Eilishs harmless Instagram photos and, lets say, Nick Jonas entire Scream Queens era cannot be the same, because the impact is not the same. The intent, Im willing to bet, isnt either. Billie Eilish posted a picture of some women shes worked with and said, literally, how she felt about them. Nothing more, nothing less. Im so glad Billie Eilish loves girls. I love them too. For more on Billie Eilish, listen to the latest episode of ICYMI, Slates podcast about whats happening online. In early June, Walt Disney World made the kind of commonplace announcement its making daily this summer: Ohana, the vaguely Hawaiian-themed restaurant at Disney Worlds Polynesian Village resort, was reopening after a yearlong closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, within moments, the eagle-eyed community of tweeters who closely follow Disney news noticed something missing on the restaurants menu: WHERE WERE THE NOODLES? my irl reaction to seeing that 'Ohana got rid of the noodles pic.twitter.com/GxSrdn2GJ7 Christine "Go Donate Blood" Rousselle (@crousselle) June 9, 2021 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For many years, it seemed, Ohana had served soba noodles in a pineapple teriyaki sauce, but now they were gone from the new menu. The Disney community lost it. Advertisement Ohana opening No noodles pic.twitter.com/HtRpbRugV8 batuu babe (@mirandaiiisms) June 8, 2021 My timeline is having a meltdown over the 'Ohana noodles...or lack thereof. pic.twitter.com/oKaw6K6BpX Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) June 8, 2021 Advertisement The sheer fact that NOODLES is trending for Ohana is PEAK Distwitter pic.twitter.com/WKyrSFhrg9 Shawn Rosell (@shawngorlando) June 9, 2021 Advertisement Thats right: Ohana was trending on Twitter, because people were mad about the noodles. And it wasnt only Twitter. Disney Twitter is closely connected to the entire online world of Disney Parks superfans, a network of blogs and Facebook groups and message boards devoted to digesting and discussing every single news tidbit or rumor about Disneyland and Disney World. No morsel is too smallno, Im serious, no morsel is too smallfor every single one of these blogs to post about it in a journalistic smorgasbord. The elimination of a menu item popular enough to have once spawned a T-shirt was certainly big enough to be written up on basically every Disney Parks blog. The yakisoba noodles are the iconic, serve-them-to-me-first dish that Ohana diehards love, wrote one blogger in a post plaintively headlined OpEd: Why We NEED Ohana Noodles Back. Disney, hear our plea! We crave Ohana noodles! Advertisement Obviously, I really wanted to try these noodles. I had to assume that Disneys take on yakisoba noodles, in a restaurant featuring visits from Stitch and Moana, would not be particularly authentic, but maybe it would be pretty good. (Many Disney things are not at all authentic but are nonetheless perfectly enjoyable, like the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular or the England pavilion at EPCOT.) Luckily, every Disney blog has published a recipe to make the noodles yourself; its sort of hard to tell in this incestuous ecosystem, but it seems like the original poster was a blog called the Recipes of Disney, whose idiosyncratic instructions are repeated across the internet, wherever Ohana noodles are loved. When I read the recipe, I thought: two CUPS of brown sugar?! But I went ahead and made them anyway. Advertisement 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. Was I tasting the real Ohana noodles? Who knows! According to Deanna, the phlebotomist by day and food blogger by night who runs Recipes of Disney, all her recipes are given to her by Walt Disney World Guest Services or a Disney Chef at the restaurant. Whether this was true or not, the noodles I made in my actual kitchen were very bad: insanely sweet, with just the tiniest hint of citrus flavor courtesy of frozen pineapple juice concentrate. They were like a childs idea of teriyaki noodles, although my actual child ate merely a couple of forkfuls before she said, Wow, this is really way too sweet. They tasted about 60 percent as good as if you just poured a bottle of Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste & Glaze on a pile of soba. This was what superfans were begging Disney to bring back? This is what inspired a Change.org petition? Yeesh. Advertisement On Saturday, of course, Disney gave those superfans their wish, posting the news to the Disney Parks TikTok: The noodles! Theyre back! What can we say but youre welcome! The blogs dutifully picked up the story, and the great wheel of content turned onward. Im not saying that Disney definitely planned to serve noodles all along and was simply toying with the fans who live and die by Disney Parks news. But I am saying that youll never see a more perfect example of how the company uses the fandom surrounding its brand to gin up enthusiasm for mediocre products. Over the weekend, Disney Twitter was filled with messages thanking Disney for bringing back the noodles, or high-fiving over how fan enthusiasm really made a difference this time. When Ohana reopens, expect to see a flood of visitors ordering plates full of sickly sweet soba noodlesanother triumph for a company that counts on its fans to make a tempest of every teacup. In the Heights, director Jon M. Chus cinematic adaptation of the 2008 Broadway smash hit, has received praise for its refreshing and multidimensional representations of the Latinx diaspora. But ever since the first trailer premiered in 2019, the film has cultivated some backlash, even prompting a public apology from its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda. The problem: the films lack of dark-skinned Afro-Latinx folks in lead roles, which critics have since called out as a product of colorism and anti-Blackness in Hollywoodand in Latinx communities as a whole. Advertisement The clip from the films initial trailer features protagonist Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) narrating the barrios gentrification while shots from the movies bigger dance scenes play in the background. All the Latinx leads featured in the trailer are white or light-skinned, where dark-skinned Afro-Latinx people are seen in the background of the hair salon or in the many ensemble dance groups. Advertisement Advertisement Though critiques of the trailer circulated on social media at the time, the pandemic ended up delaying the release of In the Heights a full year after that initial trailer. But with the renewed press cycle, the criticism once again came to the fore. Where are all of the leading dark-skinned Afro-Latinx folks? wrote the Roots Felice Leon, just ahead of the films June 11 release, in reference to both the original trailer and more recent, updated ones, including an early look at the films first eight minutes. Granted, the trailer (and film) showcased Black dancers and there were certainly Black women in the hair salon, but where are the dark-skinned Black Latinx folks with a storyline? Advertisement Leon also interviewed Chu and actors Leslie Grace (Nina) and Melissa Barrera (Vanessa) for her piece, asking them about the criticisms leveraged against In the Heights for being colorist when casting its leads. Chus response: Listen, were not going to get everything right in a movie. We tried our best on all fronts of it. I think its important to note, though, that in the audition processwhich was a long audition processthere were a lot of Afro-Latinos there, a lot of darker skinned people. And I think they were looking for just the right people for the roles, Barrera added. And because Washington Heights is a melting pot of Black and Latinx people, Jon and Lin wanted the dancers and the big numbers to feel really truthful to what the community looks like. Advertisement 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. These comments failed to satisfy those with concerns about the films racial makeup. Every interview reaffirms that the directors, actors & producers of in the heights dont even have the vocabulary to talk about colorism or anti-black racism, New York Times arts critic fellow Isabelia Herrera wrote on Twitter following Leons published interview.* Now is a moment to read, listen & learn. As the interview began to be shared widely on Twitter leading up to the films release in theaters and on HBO Max, the criticism grew louder. The reality is that Black people were once again excluded from a narrative that couldnt exist without them, wrote Monica Castillo for NPR in regard to the film. As others pointed out, the racial makeup was reminiscent of the concept of mestizaje (or racial mixing) that helped define Latinx identity as one whose value was determined by its proximity to whiteness. Advertisement So I watched #InTheHeights. Listen, Ive lived in the heights for nearly 10 years on and off - there are NOT that many light skinned folk up here, tweeted one Twitter user. The movie just wasnt black enough for me. Im glad it got made - but Dark skinned Latinos exist yall. Im tired. Advertisement The three Afro-Latinx leads in the film, Daphne Rubin-Vega (who plays Daniela), Dascha Polanco (Cuca), and Leslie Grace, are all light-skinned. And the only Black lead, Corey Hawkins Benny, is canonically also the sole non-Latinx character in the musical and film versions of In the Heights. If were going to tell Latinx stories, we should be honest about colorism and racism in our communities, Black Puerto Rican writer (and Autostraddle editor-in-chief) Carmen Phillips tweeted in response to the films omission. The decision to cut the plot of Ninas dad being anti-Black from the play and the online conversations about colorism in the movie are of the same coin. Advertisement On Monday, the films producer/composer/lyricist/co-star Lin-Manuel Miranda finally broke his silence on the issue with a statement on Twitter: I can hear the hurt and frustration over colorism, of feeling still unseen in the feedback, he wrote. I hear that without sufficient dark-skinned Afro-Latino representation, the work feels extractive of the community we wanted so much to represent with pride and joy. Im truly sorry. Fellow Boricua Rita Moreno came to Mirandas defense too. In an interview with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday to promote her new, Miranda-produced documentary, Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It, Moreno said, This is the man who literally has brought Latino-ness and Puerto Rican-ness to America. Theres a lot of people who are Puertorriquenos, who are also from Guatemala, who are dark and who are also fair. We are all colors in Puerto Rico. And this is how it is, and it would be so nice if they hadnt come up with that and just left it alone, just for now. Advertisement Neither Morenos nor Mirandas response have totally ended the debate over In the Heights and representation. When will folks learn? Better, when will folks hire different hues of Black actors, Black consultants and/or Black editors, wrote podcaster Demetria L. Lucas in an Instagram post in response to Mirandas apology. One high-ranking Black person in the room could told Miranda and Chu, you have a colorism/representation problem. According to many Afro-Latinx critics, by not more accurately and deliberately representing dark-skinned Afro-Latinx characters and the demographics of Washington Heights, In the Heights failed to do what Miranda, in his apology, claimed was his goal: represent the entirety of the Latinx community. And as Latinx media scholar Arcelia Gutierrez tweeted, My fellow non-Black Latinxs, its not up to us to accept or reject [Lin-Manuel Mirandas] apology Please take time to sit with the (extremely valid) critiques and reflect on what you mean when you advocate for Latinx representation. Read all of Slates coverage of In the Heights. The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be called Loki, but the God of Mischief is nowhere to be found in the premiere episodes most important moment. That scene comes only 14 minutes in, as Owen Wilson, the shows co-star, questions a boy in early modern France about a murder. Wilson is playing Mobius M. Mobius, a time detective whose job it is to hunt down people who have committed crimes against temporal continuity by opening up alternate realities. The boy hes questioning exists in one of these realities and has recently seen some of Mobiuss co-workers get murdered. After Mobius gets the information he needs, he quietly tells the boy to go wait outside. This aberrant timeline, we are told, is about to be reset. But theres something odd going on, and its all over Wilsons face, in the wateriness of his gaze, the slight furrow of his brow, and the tension around his lips. The tenderness with which he treated the boy has given way to an unexpected regret. It is in this moment that we get a sense of what resetting a timeline might actually entail. It might just mean that this little boy and everything else in his universe will cease to exist. It might mean Mobius job requires regularly committing murder on an unfathomable scale, and that it has finally begun to weigh on him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mobius sadness is a tell that there are more interesting layers to his character than the Loki superfan who guides the audience and protagonist through what amounts to an MCU clip show during the rest of the episode. But this discovery of unexpected depths to Mobius should not come as a surprise: Wilsons careful deployment of his inherent sadness has always been a sign that hes a far more interesting, intelligent, and idiosyncratic actor than he is usually credited for being. Some of our underestimation of him is his own faulthes only made a small handful of good films and is too often happy to glide by on his natural, laid-back charisma. But there is a thing he can do better than almost any other actor alive: embody an eccentric, wide-eyed innocence, and then find underneath it a knowing darkness. Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. 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. Wilsons sensibility is one that is particularly American. It can be found in the books of Charles Portis and Denis Johnson, in the comedies of the Coen brothers, and in the much-missed television series Lodge 49, all works in which naive, overconfident men pursue oddball dreams. These dreamers are hilarious, but they usually dont intend to bethey often take themselves a little too seriously. Their dreams are at such an angle to the world that every situation, no matter how mundane, takes on an uncanny, absurd quality as soon as they walk into it. Advertisement A gleeful embrace of absurdity is key to Wilsons performances, reinforced by his high-pitched, soft Texan drawl, eyes that seem lit by their own flame, and habit of declaring things to be crazier than a road lizard. His affable charm can make it easy to overlook how much detail and nuance he brings to his performances when he cares to. Like Robert Redford before him, Wilson at his best is a minimalist. His gestures are simple, compact, and he only moves when necessary. His face is exactly as expressive as it needs to be so you can track what his characters are thinking and feeling, but no more. Instead of trying to transcend the limitations of his limited vocal range, hes embraced them to such an extent that he appears to have found a thousand ways to say the word wow. Advertisement Advertisement Wilsons range is narrow, but theres nothing wrong with having a narrow range if you know how to use it, and Wilson appears to have had a comprehensive knowledge of his strengths and weaknesses from the start of his career. In Bottle Rocket, his very first film, which he co-wrote with his then-roommate Wes Anderson, Wilson plays Dignan, a character who is so in thrall to his dream of criminal celebrity that he has written up a 75-year plan tracing his entire lifes journey in detail. He is unsettled, nervy, always worried at every point that his best friend, Anthony (played by Wilsons brother Luke), isnt as on board with the scheme as he implies. Dignan responds to the world as a 4-year-old would: innocently, but without much empathy, filled with wonder, but capable at any moment of careening from joy to rage and back. Its hard to imagine the film working without Wilson, who turns simple low-key exchanges like answering the question Are you in the military? with No man, I just have short hair, into mini master classes of deadpan comedy. Dignan is always the butt of the joke, and Wilson and Anderson know it, but, importantly, they never allow Dignan to know it. This slight, ironic distance between Wilson and the character is also what makes him so devastatingly funny as Eli Cash, the drug-addicted, wannabe Cormac McCarthy in The Royal Tenenbaums. Cashs literary delusions lead to some of the films best gagsjust say friscalating dusklight to anyone who has seen the movie and watch them burst into gigglesbut they come from a need for approval so desperate and bottomless that Cash mails his college grades and adult press clippings to his friends mother. Although Eli is in maybe 10 minutes of Royal Tenenbaums, hes an outsize presence in the film, and Wilson, who again co-wrote the movie with Wes Anderson, charts a huge, crystal clear arc for his yearning, ridiculous character. Advertisement Advertisement After Tenenbaums, the Anderson-Wilson writing partnership ended. Over the next 20 years, Wilson turned in great performances in Andersons later films while coasting in terrible studio moneymakers. Its not only that films like Starsky & Hutch or You, Me and Dupree are bad. Its that theres nothing particularly special about his work in them. Hes meant to be the lead in Wedding Crashers, but the film belongs squarely to Vince Vaughn. In Marley & Me, he gets upstaged by a dog. His lone great non-Anderson role and performance in this period is in Midnight in Paris, which takes advantage of his twinned senses of amazement and heartache to remind us that the word nostalgia actually refers to a form of pain. Along the way have also come a series of revelations about his private lifebattles with depression and drug addiction, a child he has reportedly never met, and a suicide attemptthat suggest the melancholy in his great performances is more inherent to him than we might have originally known. Advertisement A series of revelations about his private life have suggested that the melancholy in his great performances is more inherent to him than we might have originally known. Now, after a four-year gap in which his only appearances as an actor were as a guest on a couple of episodes of Documentary Now! and as the voice of his Cars character in a Lego The Incredibles video game, Wilson is back with a slate of new films and a show set in the MCU. If theres any moment that might signal renewal, this is it. Wilsons similarly laid-back classmate at the University of TexasAustin, Matthew McConaughey, famously staged his own comeback into respectability with The Dallas Buyers Club, Magic Mike, and the first season of True Detective, but in some ways his path was clearer. McConaugheys genial on-screen presence has always come laced with danger, and danger is easier to sell than sadness. Of the movies Wilson has in the works, only Bliss, an obscure Amazon sci-fi drama, is available, but in both it and Loki, Wilson appears to have found a new sense of purpose. Lokis White CollarmeetsRick and Morty premise does not require much from its performers, but Wilson and Tom Hiddleston (another compelling actor with a narrow range) have a good chemistry. Their scenes together work in part because they are such contrasts. Hiddleston, educated at Eton and Cambridge, brings a very English-style peevish mischief. Wilson, meanwhile, responds with American can-do pluck, which, of course, is its own form of mischief. Mobius outmaneuvers Loki by allowing himself to be underestimated and then revealing he knows more than hes letting on. It works because of Wilsons sense of restraint. He allows both the viewer and Loki to discover at the same time that there might be more to Mobius than initially assumed, rather than tipping his cards at the first opportunity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bliss, written and directed by Another Earths Mike Cahill, might be sci-fi, but it couldnt be further from Loki. Its budget is small; its concerns are human-scale. It connects to no franchise, and it appears that no one has seen it. In Bliss, Wilson plays Greg Wittle, a middle-aged corporate drone who, thanks to some help from Salma Hayeks homeless Isabel Clemens, comes to believe our world is a simulation. Bliss is modeled on the novels of Philip K. Dickreality is unstable, lots of people do drugs, and the narrative keeps veering off in unexpected directionsbut it also shares with Dicks novels the feeling that it was written in one sitting, and never revised. The main reason to see it is Wilsons performance, which is as fully committed and nuanced as anything hes ever done. Wittle is a man who may be finding himself, or destroying himself, or both at the same time. He is, from the very first moment, profoundly lost. Advertisement Much like Ben Afflecks post-rehab vehicle The Way Back, Bliss contains what feel like intentional echoes of Wilsons personal life. Greg has lost his touch at work. Hes a drug addict, and depressed. Hes estranged from his kids, and not on speaking terms with their mother. Some of its appeal is perversely voyeuristic, in other words. To watch Wittle squirm in rehab as he says, This woman says shes my daughter and I believe her, is to ask oneself whether Wilson is recreating his own experience. But this link between performer and character also allows Wilson both to foreground the brokenness that his characters normally sublimate and collapse the little ironic distance that allowed audiences to enjoy his more madcap on-screen antics without finding them too dangerous. The sense of wonder is there, but its the wonder of a world-weary man in his 50s, one who is about to get a second chance. The first Biden-Putin summit didnt produce much, but something is better than nothingand at this point in Russian-American relations, its as much as one could expect. As a result of the meeting, the two sides will soon begin formal talks on strategic stability and cybersecurity. Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to Moscow and the Russian ambassador to Washingtonboth of whom had been called home near the start of Bidens presidencywill return to their posts. And discussions will also be held on humanitarian assistance to Syria, peace in Afghanistan, and ensuring that Iran doesnt obtain nuclear weapons. Advertisement Thats about all. And neither president seemed surprised. There was a lot of hype around this meeting, but it was pretty straightforward, President Joe Biden said at his post-summit press conference, which he held after Russian President Vladimir Putin held his own solo press conference. Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. 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. Biden outlined three reasons for holding the meeting, which occurred in Geneva at the end of a weeklong trip that took him to allied summits with the European Union, the G-7, and NATO. First, he has long felt that there is no substitute for face-to-face dialogue among leaders. Second, he and Putin, as possessors of nuclear arsenals that could destroy the world, share a unique responsibility to maintain stable and predictable relations. Third, we should be able to cooperate when its in our mutual interests, while where our interests differ, Biden wanted Putin to understand why I say what I say and do what I do. Advertisement The fact is, Biden doesnt want to spend much time on Russia. Hence, the meetingwhich, at 2 hours, lasted about half as long as officials had predicted. But as Biden and Putin both said afterward, its rare when presidents spend even that long in a serious, detailed discussion of world issues. In the first 90 minutes, just the two presidents spoke with each other, accompanied only by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and their translators. In the final hour, the group expanded to include several aides, including Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of staff of the Russian armed forces. (The U.S. side included State Department and National Security Council officials but no one from the Pentagon.) Biden explained that since he and Putin had covered so much in their face-to-face, the larger group found itself with little to discuss. Advertisement Advertisement That may be, but it also indicates that no one was ready or willing to discuss much beyond the bare outlines of the issues where they might cooperate and other issues where they should try to keep their differences from erupting into conflict. It is no small thing, though, that they were talking at all. Before Wednesdays meeting, relations had deteriorated to the point where there were almost no forums for heading off crises or managing routine diplomacy. Now there are. Biden said, Theres a genuine prospect of significantly improving relations between our countries without giving up a single thing in terms of our interests and valuesbut he made no rosy projections on whether that happens. Well find out in the next six months or a year whether we have a strategic dialogue that matters. [] Well be able to ask, The things we tried to work out, did they work out? Are we closer to strategic stability talks and progress? That, he said, will be the test of whether this summit was an important moment or a blip. Advertisement In his press conference, Putin was complimentary to Biden, calling him very constructive, very balanced, very experienced. But the Russian president and former KGB officer indulged in old-school Moscow rhetoric as well. Asked about his practice of jailing or murdering political opponents, he brought up Guantanamo and torture in prisons around the world. He likened the imprisoned opposition activist Alexei Navalny (whose name he wouldnt utter) to the insurrectionists who raided the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Asked about cyberattacks, he replied that the United States has a huge cyberoffensive program (true) and that Russia hardly has any such program at all (false). Advertisement Biden said that he raised the possibility of holding talks on outlawing cyberattacks against 16 areas of critical infrastructure, including energy pipelines and water supply. This is an idea thats been tossed around for several years, but given Putins denial of even the most basic facts about Russian cyberoffensives, such talksif they take placearent likely to be fruitful. Advertisement The fact is, Biden doesnt want to spend much time on Russia. He is more concerned about staving off China as a rising adversaryand about unifying Asian and European allies, in part for its own sake, in part to demonstrate the power and unity of democracies in the face of authoritarian threats and challenges. Still, Russia, though a weakened power, was too strongand, in recent years, too belligerentto ignore. Something had to be done about its armed aggression on the Ukraine border, its efforts to splinter the Western alliance, and its cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. Bidens summits this past week in Europe at least produced rallying cries on those issues. A lengthy, reportedly positive meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have been a particularly potent counter to Putins recent campaign to lure him away from NATOwhere he has alienated many members with his authoritarian waysinto an alliance with Moscow. Now with the Geneva summit, however hyped, Biden has restated the point in person and laid the groundwork forwell, its not clear for what: possibly future cooperation, possibly mere points of contact to control some future crisis before it gets out of hand. On Tuesday, the day before the summit, I wrote that if Biden and Putin were merely to announce the beginning of talks about something, anything, that would be progress enough. And so, it was progress enough. President Joe Biden wants to send Russian President Vladimir Putin a message: that the era of Donald Trump is over, that the United States wont ignore Putins crimes anymore, and that the worlds democracies are united against Russian aggression. Thats why, before his meeting with Putin in Switzerland on Wednesday, Biden conferred with European leaders and reaffirmed NATOs unity. But as Biden works to project solidarity and resolve, hes hobbled by a political base that Trump has built for Putin in the United States: a Republican Party infested with Kremlin sympathizers and opponents of NATO. Advertisement Republicans used to be tough on Russia. But when they surrendered to Trump in 2016, many of them surrendered to Putin, too. In Gallup polls before 2016, Republicans generally viewed Russia less favorably than Democrats did. Now its the other way around. In polls taken by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Republicans used to be more likely than Democrats to view Russia as a critical threat and to emphasize containment of Russian power rather than friendly cooperation. By 2017, those numbers had turned upside down: Only one in three Republicans described Russias military power as a critical threat, and most said the U.S. should focus on cooperation instead of limiting Russias power. Advertisement Advertisement Today, Trump is out of office, but the partisan realignment persists. By margins of 10 to 20 percentage points, Republicans are less likely than Democrats to agree that Russia is an enemy, less likely to express concern about the poisoning of opposition leaders and the suppression of dissent within Russia, and more likely to insist on friendly relations. Only 4 percent of Republicans, compared to 44 percent of Democrats, identify Russia as the United States greatest geopolitical threat. Only 29 percent of Republicans, compared to 51 percent of Democrats, agree that Russia is an enemy of the United States. Advertisement Many Republicans personally trust or admire Putin. Seventy-five percent of Democrats agree that he poses a threat to the United States, but only 60 percent of Republicans do. Twenty percent of Republicans and Republican leaners, compared to 12 percent of Democrats and Democratic leaners, are confident that hell do the right thing regarding world affairs. More than 60 percent of Democrats view Putin very unfavorably, but only 30 percent to 40 percent of Republicans do. In two polls taken this weekone by Morning Consult for Politico, the other by YouGov for the EconomistPutin has a better net favorable rating among Republicans than Biden does, by margins of 16 and 22 points, respectively. Advertisement These soft attitudes weaken Bidens hand. They indicate to the Kremlin that when Biden threatens to use force or impose sanctions, Republicans wont back him. Last year, in a Chicago Council poll, most Democrats endorsed the use of American troops to defend our Baltic allies from Russian invasion, but most Republicans didnt. In April, when an Economist/YouGov survey asked about new sanctions the U.S. imposed on Russia over hacking allegations, three-quarters of Democrats supported the sanctions, but fewer than half of Republicans did. Advertisement Trump has also turned Republicans against NATO. At the outset of his presidency, Republicans viewed NATO more favorably than unfavorably. Within a year, his propaganda against the alliance and its member states had reversed that. In 2017, Republicans opposed withdrawal from NATO by a ratio of more than two to one; a year later, on the same question, they were evenly divided. In 2020, a Chicago Council survey found that Republican support for NATO had fallen to its lowest level since the question was first asked in 1974. In this weeks Economist/YouGov poll, Republicans viewed NATO unfavorably by a decisive margin, 49 percent to 31 percent. And while more than 70 percent of Democrats say the U.S. should maintain its commitment to defend NATO allies when they are attacked, only 52 percent of Republicans agree. Advertisement Advertisement When Republicans are asked about France and Germany, two of our strongest NATO allies, their feelings are lukewarm at best. In a February Politico/Morning Consult survey, 58 percent of Democrats called France an ally, but only 38 percent of Republicans did. The gap was similar on Germany, and a poll for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute found almost the same results. In a February Gallup poll, only 5 percent of Democrats viewed France unfavorably, but 20 percent of Republicans did. In a survey by the Pew Research Center, roughly three-quarters of Democrats and Democratic leaners expressed confidence that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron would do the right thing, but fewer than half of Republicans agreed. Advertisement Beyond NATO, a partisan gap has opened over the whole idea of defending democracy. In a 2018 Chicago Council poll, 54 percent of Democrats said the decline of democracy around the world was a critical threat to U.S. interests. Only 36 percent of Republicans shared that view. A year later, 52 percent of Democrats said the rise of authoritarianism was a critical threat; only 30 percent of Republicans agreed. Three months ago, in a survey by the Center for American Progress, 72 percent of Democrats agreed that America has clear security and economic interests in building alliances with other democracies to protect individual rights and fight corruption. Only 52 percent of Republicans felt that way. In February, the Reagan foundation found that 71 percent of Democrats were willing to invest more money in promoting freedom abroad, but most Republicans werent. Advertisement Advertisement When Putin interfered in the 2016 U.S. election, his goal was to sow mutual distrust among Americans and weaken our country. He hoped to boost Trump, but he figured that Hillary Clinton would win, and he wanted to cripple her. Five years later, Trump has delivered more than the Kremlin could have asked for: He turned Americans against one another, attacked our institutions, attempted a coup, and relentlessly defended Russian aggression. To this day, Trump denounces our government as illegitimate. And he has built a political force that will serve Putin well in his confrontations with Biden: a Republican Party that has cooled to NATO and warmed to Russia. Two children witnessed a murder. When she was 17 years old, standing next to her 9-year-old cousin, Darnella Frazier filmed the murder of George Floyd. Last week, she won a Special Citation from the Pulitzer Board for that filming, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Many of the reactions posted online praised the teenager for her bravery and the gusto it takes to so boldly challenge false police narratives. And Fraziers decision to film a murderer committing a heinous act against another human being was certainly journalistic in essence, and its effect. Its hard to sensibly argue that a video that spurred national uprisings against racism, and which prompted an investigation that eventually led to a guilty verdict against a cop, is anything but a journalistic feat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pulitzer Board captured this element aptly in their announcement: 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. What was missing from the Pulitzer Boards commentary and the overall praise, most tellingly, is a clear acknowledgment of the distance between a reporters professional decision to go tell a story and Fraziers recording of what was done in front of herand of the burden of racism and trauma that a teenager had to bear because she took on that role. Frazier has been vocal about what it meant to her. She detailed her experiences following Floyds death in an Instagram post uploaded a year afterward. Its a nuanced glimpse of her very complicated feelings about filming such a traumatic instanceincluding how witnessing such an event, and the weight of being that conduit, has ruptured a piece of her and of her loved ones: Advertisement I am 18 now and I still hold the weight and trauma of what I witnessed a year ago. Its a little easier now, but Im not who I used to be. A part of my childhood was taken from me. My 9-year-old cousin who witnessed the same thing I did got a part of her childhood taken from her. Having to up and leave because my home was no longer safe, waking up to reporters at my door, closing my eyes at night only to see a man who is brown like me, lifeless on the ground. I couldnt sleep properly for weeks. I used to shake so bad at night my mom had to rock me to sleep. Hopping from hotel to hotel because we didnt have a home and looking over our back every day in the process. Having panic and anxiety attacks every time I seen a police car, not knowing who to trust because a lot of people are evil with bad intentions. I hold that weight. A lot of people call me a hero even though I dont see myself as one. I was just in the right place at the right time. Behind this smile, behind these awards, behind the publicity, Im a girl trying to heal from something I am reminded of every day. Everyone talks about the girl who recorded George Floyds death, but to actually be her is a different story. Advertisement Advertisement Dont forget that two children witnessed a murder. No one can righteously argue that her sharing the footage wasnt brave. Of course it was. Frazier herself, in a rare interaction with a reporter, told the Star Tribune that her decision was rooted in a desire for people to know the truth about what happened. But such a courageous act cannot be properly applauded without considering, and recognizing, the stakes. The majority of the narrative around the filming has been bastardized and morphed into one that simply praises Frazier, a Black teenager, for bearing witness to an act of police terror against a Black man. She is being applauded for being strong. The glory thrown onto strong Black women, though, tends to be as heavy as the pain, since it only serves to mask their anguish. The consequences can be dire for ones health and overall wellness. Advertisement Something is always taken from the people who are thrust into the spotlight after witnessing an act of police terror. Ramsey Orta was targeted and harassed by the NYPD after he filmed one of their officers killing Eric Garner. Feidin Santana, who filmed the death of Walter Scott, dealt with death threats and an omnipresent fear for his life. Diamond Reynolds was arrested immediately after she witnessed and livestreamed the shooting of Philando Castile. As shes wailing in the recording, anguished in the backseat, her then four-year-old consoles her. Tajai Rice, the sister of Tamir, was tackled and handcuffed by officers at the scene of her 12-year-old brothers killing. Advertisement The reframing of Fraziers experience as award-winning journalism echoes the off-key tributes to Floyd one year after his murder, thanking him for his sacrificeas if he had chosen to be a civil rights leader, rather than simply being a person who wanted to keep living and breathing in the world. The trauma that comes from bearing witness and then countering the police narrative infuses families and, as Frazier put it, fundamentally changes them. They all share justified paranoia, not wanting to be seen as a hero but as humans who are working through an immense sorrow, and to return to a time before they felt so vulnerably exposed. No citation or award can undo such harm, or two children witnessing a murder. Sen. Joe Manchin, who thus far has opposed Democrats big election reform bill, has finally made his counteroffer. On Wednesday, the West Virginian proposed a series of changes to the For the People Act that could win his vote. Democrats should grab the deal, even though it is not perfect, is still unlikely to pass, and doesnt yet address the greatest threat in upcoming elections: the danger of election subversion. Lets begin with the lay of the land: Democrats have two big voting reform bills working their way through Congress. The first, the For the People Act (also commonly known as H.R. 1 or S 1), is a gargantuan bill that does many things from limiting partisan gerrymandering to requiring a period of early voting to establishing a public financing program for congressional campaigns to reenfranchising felons who have completed their time in prison to setting up a system of Supreme Court ethics reform. The second bill, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, would restore a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court killed off in its 2013 decision Shelby County v. Holder. That preclearance law required jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to get approval from the U.S. Department of Justice or a three-judge court in D.C. for any changes in voting rules. To get federal approval, the state had to show that its changes would not make protected minorities worse off. If preclearance were still in place, Georgias recent voting law and Texas proposed voting law would have to go through close review before implementation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. 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. The For the People Act passed the House but has been stuck in the Senate. John Lewis is further behind, as House committees are seeking to build a strong legislative record for the inevitable court challenge that would follow any attempt to restore preclearance. Democrats have the slimmest of margins in the Senate, and Joe Manchin has been the sole Democratic senator not to endorse the For the People Act (though rumblings are that other Democrats signed on for messaging and are not happy with some parts of it). He has been more supportive of the John Lewis bill, but he suggested extending preclearance to all 50 states (a standard that may have a tough time before the Supreme Court). Even if Manchin signed on to support the bill, it would be the subject of a Senate filibuster. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is adamantly opposed to the bill, especially because of the campaign finance provisions he doesnt like, and Manchin so far has strongly opposed eliminating the filibuster (even just for voting rights legislation, as I proposed in Slate in 2018). Advertisement With new pressure on Manchin since he again backed the filibuster and stated his explicit opposition to the initial version of the For the People Act earlier this month, he finally released his counteroffer on Wednesday. It includes a number of the most important voting rights and campaign finance priorities of the original bill, including a requirement of 15 days of early voting in federal elections, automatic voter registration, limits on partisan gerrymandering, and improved campaign finance disclosure. Hes also on board with extending campaign finance provisions to communications on the internet and to currently nondisclosing dark money groups, prohibiting false information about when, where, and how people vote, and an updated preclearance process. Advertisement Yes, Democrats should jump at the opportunity to pass such a bill, but it is also fair to acknowledge it is far from perfect. Many of the darlings in the For the People Act are not on Manchins list, such as felon reenfranchisement, public financing of congressional elections, restructuring the often-deadlocked Federal Election Commission, and limiting state voter purges. Not only would the Manchin proposal continue to allow states to engage in voter purges, it also will require some form of voter identification for voting in federal elections, though in a more relaxed form than some of the strict rules some states have enacted. It also would weaken some of the standards for restoring preclearance under the John Lewis bill, making it harder to get a jurisdiction covered by the requirement and easier for a jurisdiction to get out from under its coverage. Advertisement Again, this is a good deal being offered to Democrats, and Democrats should grab it. Voter identification is not necessarily bad, if it is implemented fairly, has ways for people lacking ID to still vote, and is funded fully by the government. Many of the items on the Democratic wish list not here are much less urgent than what is being offered and can be pursued another time. Advertisement Most importantly, Joe Manchinthe last obstacle on the Democratic side standing in the way of voting reformsupports it, which will allow the party to put to the test Manchins attempt to get bipartisan support for a voting bill. Although Manchin opposes eliminating the filibuster, as the Intercept reported on Wednesday, he recently told the No Labels group in a call that he might support filibuster reform, perhaps even lowering the threshold from 60 votes to a lower number of senators. Its still a long shot, but as I argued back in March, the current version of the For the People Act has had no chance of passage and pushing for it rather than more urgent voting reform was wasting valuable time. Democrats can lose their Senate majority at any time with the death of an elderly Democratic senator and having Manchin on board is absolutely essential for any plan they seek to pass. Advertisement Ultimately, the biggest problem with the Manchin counteroffer is its failure to address the danger of election subversionthat Republicans are reworking state election laws to make it easier for partisan officials to miscount votes to alter election outcomes. A key provision of the For the People Act that works against election subversion is a requirement for all states to use paper ballots in all elections. Did Manchin leave that off the list because he was just listing highlights or because he opposes the provision? Or is it because West Virginia is one of the few states experimenting with internet voting? I hope it is the former: having a paper record of votes that can be counted independently by courts or other neutral bodies is an essential bulwark against election subversion. And there are other provisions for fair election review that were excluded from the initial bill and that are missing from Manchins proposal, which need to be added as well, such as those requiring transparency in the vote counting process. They say, though, not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. And Joe Manchins counteroffer is pretty, pretty good. At least its a start. The Palestinian conflict flared overnight as the Israeli military carried out airstrikes in Gaza in response to the launch of incendiary balloons by Hamas, the militant group that controls the region, that sparked as many as 25 fires near the border. Hamas said the balloons were in response to the march of at least hundreds of Israeli ultra-nationalists in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday. The procession, twice delayed, commemorating Israels capture of East Jerusalem in 1967 is considered a provocation by Palestinians. Marchers carried Israeli flags; some chanted, Death to Arabs! and May your village burn. Israeli police redirected the march away from the Muslim quarter of the city and fired rubber bullets at Palestinians, some throwing stones, trying to disrupt the march. Advertisement The back and forth threatens to undo a fragile cease-fire that has been in place since May 21 following 11 days of fighting, killing more than 250 people in Gaza and 13 people in Israel. In the meantime, however, the political landscape in Israel has shifted dramatically with new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett assuming control, ending former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus 12-year rule. The outbreak of fighting is an early test for Bennetts 2-day-old coalition government, which came to power on the promise of moving on, focussing on practical socioeconomic challenges facing the country rather than acting out old provocations and replaying old conflicts over and over again. Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. 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. The ascension of the Bennett-led coalition scrambled traditional right-wing political alliances in the country by including the left wing and an Arab party in the coalition government. That has suddenly turned many ultra-conservative settlers, like the organizers of Tuesdays march, against Bennett, a former ally and hard-liner on a host of Palestinian issues. Despite sitting to Netanyahus ideological right and heading a party that only won seven seats in the 120-member Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, Bennett is now the unlikely leader of a unity government holding a single-seat majority. After a four-year cycle that saw Israel hold four elections, each resulting in failed attempts at forming a lasting government, centrist party leader Yair Lapid brokered the new coalition. As part of the deal, the far-right Bennett will hold the office of prime minister for two years before handing over the reins to Yair Lapid, who enjoys much broader electoral support and parliamentary representation. Some of the orthodox Israeli marchers carried signs that read Bennett is a liar in response to his new political alignment. Before the march, Mr. Bennetts key Arab coalition partner, Mansour Abbas, warned that the protest by Israeli nationalists in Jerusalem could trigger a new spiral of violence like the one that rattled Israel last month, the Wall Street Journal reports. This is an attempt to set the region on fire for political purposes, said Mr. Abbas, leader of Raam, the first independent Arab Islamist party to join an Israeli coalition government. The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to award Capitol Police the Congressional Gold Medal for their role in defending the legislature during the Jan. 6 insurrection and protecting lawmakers from possible mob violence. The seemingly uncontroversial bill received 406 votes in the House, but that means that someone voted no. Twenty-one Republican someones, in fact, managed to vote against the commendation for the police. The 21 recalcitrant representativeswhich amounts to 10 percent of the Republican House caucusmake up the Trumpiest wing of the already Trumpy party. Its hard to imagine being against awarding a medal of any kind to the people who protected the Capitol from a violent mob of thousands bent on mayhem, destruction, and possibly much worse. But the mob was made up of Trump supporters, and for these reps, that made the insurrection something different, something not so bad, not really an insurrection at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. 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. I wouldnt call it an insurrection, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told reporters, summing up the groups line of thinking. What other qualms did they have? This is not a temple. That is for sure, Greene groused about the bills language that referred to the Capitol as the temple of our American Democracy. Really controversial stuff. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky also quibbled with the metaphorical flourish of calling the Capitol a temple while also defending those who invaded the not-temple that day. I think it was a mob but I dont think it was an insurrection. They were protesting and I dont approve of the way they protested, but it wasnt an insurrection. My goodness. Can you imagine what a real insurrection would look like? Massie told CNN. If they just wanted to give the police recognition, they could have done it without trying to make it partisan. Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde compared the events of Jan. 6 to a normal tourist visit to the Capitol. Advertisement And there you have it: The rehabilitation of an attack on the Capitol is in full swing. Heres the full slate of Republican no votes on the medal bill, nearly double the number of Republicans (12) who voted against a similar version of the bill in March: 1. Lauren Boebert (Colorado) 2. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia) 3. Matt Gaetz (Florida) 4. Louie Gohmert (Texas) 5. Thomas Massie (Kentucky) 6. Paul Gosar (Arizona) 7. Andy Biggs (Arizona) 8. John Rose (Tennessee) 9. Andy Harris (Maryland) 10. Barry Moore (Alabama) 11. Bob Good (Virginia) 12. Ralph Norman (South Carolina) 13. Matt Rosendale (Montana) 14. Chip Roy (Texas) 15. Warren Davidson (Ohio) 16. Scott Perry (Pennsylvania) 17. Greg Steube (Florida) 18. Andrew Clyde (Georgia) 19. Jody Hice (Georgia) 20. Mary Miller (Illinois) 21. Michael Cloud (Texas) Advertisement The House and Senate then remained in a standoff for three months over whether to honor all law enforcement who responded on Jan. 6 or to award the Congressional Gold Medal to one officer in particular, Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, who single-handedly diverted an angry mob away from the Senate chamber, the Washington Post notes. Ultimately, both chambers agreed to slightly modify the House legislation. Four Gold Medals will be awarded: one for the Capitol Police, one for the D.C. police, another for the Smithsonian Institution and another to be displayed inside the Capitol building along with a plaque that names all law enforcement agencies who helped repel the rioters that day. Last week, El Salvadors legislature voted to become the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. While the U.S. dollar will still be El Salvadors official currency, all businesses in the country will have to start accepting Bitcoin barring extenuating circumstances (like lack of technological resources), and citizens will be able to pay their taxes and debts with the cryptocurrency. The government is hoping that this futuristic economic policy will attract investment from cryptocurrency businesses, provide transformative financial resources for the 70 percent of El Salvadorans who are unbanked, and facilitate remittances, which amount to about 20 percent of the countrys gross domestic product. And, true to the madcap spirit of the Bitcoin community, El Salvadors President Nayib Bukele has already directed a state-owned geothermal electric firm to start constructing Bitcoin mining facilities that will be powered by heat from the countrys volcanoes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, critics have pointed out that the plan is very light on details and that Bitcoin is notoriously difficult to use as a day-to-day currency partly due to its volatility. In addition, theres a good chance that a large swath of businesses in the country wont even be able to feasibly accept the cryptocurrency; El Salvador has lowest rates of internet penetration in Latin America. Bukele, however, has been pointing to a small Salvadoran beach town called El Zonte where residents have been using Bitcoin for nearly two years as evidence that the cryptocurrency could help power the economy nationwide. El Zonte is a village on the Pacific coast that has a population of about 3,000 people and is popular for surfing and fishing. While a beach town might sound affluent, El Zonte is not: According to Reuters, El Zonte is visibly poor, with dirt roads and a faulty drainage system, In 2019, an anonymous donor in the U.S. reportedly began sending Bitcoin to nonprofits in the area with the aim of finding ways to build a sustainable cryptocurrency ecosystem in the community. Then nonprofit workers in El Zonte, in consultation with the donor, launched Bitcoin Beach, an initiative that injected the cryptocurrency into the local economy, set people up with digital wallets, and helped businesses set up systems to accept Bitcoin payments. Advertisement Advertisement Residents use a Venmo-like app payment system for exchanging Bitcoin, which was developed by a tech company in California called Galoy Money. Using the app, people can see which businesses accept Bitcoin and look one another up by username. This was just the perfect laboratory, said Chris Hunter, co-founder of Galoy, of El Zonte. Hunter says El Zonte was a prime location for test-driving a Bitcoin payment system because of the lack of regulatory and tax burdens, the fact that most merchants and people dont have credit cards, and dollarization of El Salvadors economy. (El Salvador is one of around a dozen countries and territories that use the U.S. dollar as their official currency.) He admits, though, that trying to get cryptocurrency systems up and running for an entire country is going to be exponentially more difficult than doing so for a 3,000-person village, and expressed skepticism that the government will meet its goal of getting the infrastructure in place by early September. To support millions of people not just holding Bitcoin but spending it too, its certainly technically feasible. But to figure that out in 90 days is a pretty tight timeline, Hunter said. Advertisement Advertisement Although there has been some success in integrating Bitcoin into El Zontes economyabout 90 percent of families in the town have made a crypto transaction, according to Bitcoin Beach, to pay for things like groceries, utilities, and medical carethe project has not been without its obstacles. Reports indicate that some residents have struggled to access the payment system because of limited data plans and lack of access to more advanced smartphones. Hunter claims that most people in the town seem to have lower-end Android phones that can support Bitcoin transactions, though he admits developers did run into some issues with getting the lower-resolution cameras on the devices to detect QR codes at local businesses. He also said that the local cell network in El Zonte is good enough for transactions. Advertisement But the reasons why crypto investors were drawn to El Zonte do not hold true throughout the country. Only 45 percent of the population in El Salvador has internet access. It remains to be seen how exactly the national government thinks it will improve connectivity, particularly in rural areas, and get powerful enough devices into peoples hands to support a bitcoin economy. Bukele has floated the idea of building a network of satellites to improve coverage, but that obviously would take quite a while to implement. Volatility remains a concern as well. In May, Bitcoin prices took a 30 percent dive after China implemented new digital currency restrictions and Tesla announced that it would no longer be accepting the cryptocurrency as payment. Around that time, Hunter says there was a corresponding decrease in the number of Bitcoin transactions in El Zonte. By all appearances, people were waiting for the value to go up again before using it. Steve Hanke, professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University and director of the Cato institutes Troubled Currencies Project, worries that average consumers and business owners wont want to constantly engage in this sort of speculation when deciding whether to use their money. Businesses tend to unload Bitcoin as fast as they can because of the fluctuating exchange rate. If you receive it in the morning, it could easily be down 5 or 10 percent by the close of business, said Hanke. Are you running a business in which youre speculating in Bitcoin, or are you running a business where youre selling clothes or shoes? Advertisement Bukele has said that the government will set up a $150 million fund so that people can immediately cash out their Bitcoin for dollars, thus shielding them from some of the volatility. The details of this part of the plan are also scant, however, and Hanke notes that theres a danger in El Salvador establishing itself as a country with permissive financial regulations thats willing to exchange dollars for Bitcoin at any time. For criminals who are in possession of large amounts of Bitcoin, El Salvador could be an attractive place to cash out. In the worst-case scenario, Hanke says, You could essentially have Bitcoin holders who want greenbacks that are in a position to basically vacuum up all of the greenbacks that exist in El Salvador, and the place would collapse without it. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. ARCHIVED - Tragedy in Galicia as 11-year-old on school trip drowns in reservoir Local authorities in the village of Carballo (A Coruna) have expressed their condolences to the family on social media. An 11-year-old schoolboy has died during a school trip to the A Fervenza reservoir in Mazaricos, A Coruna (Galicia), Emergency Services have reported. The alarm went up at 12.30 on Tuesday afternoon when emergency services received a call asking for help as a child had disappeared. A medical helicopter based in Santiago was sent to the scene, along with Maritime Rescue and coastguard teams, Guardia Civil officers, firefighters and Civil Protection members and the boys body was found shortly after they arrived. The schoolboy was visiting the reservoir along with a group of 40 pupils from the CEIP Fogar de Carballo, participating in educational and instructional activities being run by the adventure park Naturmaz. Although very little information has been released, local media have reported that the deceased was part of a small group of friends who had been kayaking in the shallows of the embalse. The child concerned was reportedly an experienced kayaker, and the group had paddled to a shallow area where they decided to pull their kayaks up onto land and bathe. They are reported by La Voz de Galicia to have removed their lifejackets in order to swim, which is why the deceased was not wearing a lifejacket. It is believed that he found himself trapped in a natural deep pit of soft silt below the water and drowned, but the Guardia Civils Judicial Police will undertake a full investigation to determine exactly what happened as at the moment the circumstances surrounding the death have yet to be clarified. Rescue services mounted a human chain out into the water attempting to locate him in the shallows and even used thermal imaging cameras in the search. His body was finally found by a fireman from the parque de Santa Comba who dived into the deeper waters and emerged on his third dive with the body of the child. All attempts to resuscitate him were futile and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Image: Google maps Leading representatives of central European countries participated in a discussion on the EU economic reboot on the first day of the GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum 2021 conference. Font size: A - | A + Although the Covid-19 recovery package agreed to in 2020 is a good tool to aid an economic reboot, it is necessary to say that it is not a permanent measure and the emphasis lies in structural reforms, said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz during a discussion at the GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum 2021 on June 15. Kurz would prefer if there were more discussion on where and how we invest the funds rather than how much to invest. The focus should be on green transition and digitisation, which both make up about 90 percent of Austrias plan. His Slovak counterpart Eduard Heger appreciated the design of the recovery package, rooted in reforms that bring in public finance. He praised the release mechanism for recovery funds, which depends on reaching milestones set up by individual countries. It is important to not spend money but invest it, Heger said. Kurz agreed that structural reforms are crucial and EU member states should not fear more control in that regard. Solidarity and economic growth Not only recovery, but also deep and structural changes are necessary after pandemic Read more The panel shared the vision and importance of solidarity of the EU. While Heger highlighted the importance of foreign policy and helping countries outside the EU, Kurz stressed that the basis for solidarity, public investments and higher social standards is competitiveness and economic growth. Solidarity is only possible if all 27 member states on their own and united are successful, Kurz said. All panelists agreed that solidarity and economic growth go hand in hand. Focus on vaccination campaign Karel Havlicek, the deputy PM of the Czech Republic, stressed the importance of small and medium enterprises for central Europe, explaining that his country set up new investing priorities in research and development as well publishing its innovation strategy. The focus is on becoming an innovative country with long-term growth. Support from the EU is needed to reduce emissions, as both the heating and electricity sectors are heavily dependent on coal, which represents a huge challenge. The best support for our economies at the moment is to continue with a strong vaccination campaign, which will mean the ultimate defeat of the pandemic. Although the pandemic hit all member states hard and resulted in the loss of lives and jobs, we are in a much better position to deal with future waves and to keep moving forward and improving the quality of life in Europe, Havlicek continued. We are not just restarting the economy, but also society, he stressed. 16. Jun 2021 at 10:59 | Compiled by Spectator staff Concerns over teaching of other cultures as study reveals students attitudes to immigrants Schools often reinforce cultural stereotypes, researchers claim. Font size: A - | A + Slovak researchers examined the way educators approach the topic of cultural diversity. They found out that stereotypes of other cultures are often promoted at schools. The research conducted by Comenius University, which was a part of a larger research project in ten countries, examined how different learning environments shape the views and perceptions young people (aged 14 to 25) have of people of other cultural backgrounds and different cultures as such. Researchers examined how given perceptions are formed in the school environment and by educational policies, curricula, cultural institutions, non-profit educational institutions, a person's family and peers. One of the most prominent manifestations of social distance is the relationship to otherness and diversity, say the experts. It clearly manifests itself in the case of ethnic minorities, marginalized groups, people of different faiths or immigrants, but also in everyday interpersonal relationships which subsequently shape what and how we get to know each other. When asked, 33 percent of young people said they did not agree with immigrants speaking their native language in public, while 24 percent said they should not be allowed to follow their own customs and traditions while in the country. A quarter said immigrants should have no right to vote in local and regional elections in Slovakia - as some immigrants can at present - while 27 percent said they would not want a neighbour of a different religious faith, and 24 percent would not want a person with a different skin colour living next to them. Experts say the findings highlight a problem of superficial and stereotypical teaching of other cultures in schools, both in Slovakia and the other countries in the study. Research team of the Comenius University, consisting of Matej Karasek, Roman Dzambazovic, Daniel Gerbery a Dusan Deak, told The Slovak Spectator there was a certain superficiality in education on cultural diversity and diversity [in general]. However, such superficiality is not limited to the teaching process itself in schools, but can be seen in educational policies, curricula, NGOs and less formal youth groups. We and our foreign colleagues often found that a good intention to get young people to accept differences resulted in emphasising [those differences], Karasek added. 16. Jun 2021 at 15:19 | Nina Hrabovska Francelova Volkswagen in Bratislava will suspend its production again The carmaker said that only the manufacture of SUV vehicles will be affected. Font size: A - | A + The Bratislava-based plant of the German carmaker Volkswagen will suspend its production of SUV models at the beginning of next week, on June 21 and 22. The reason is the persisting problem with the supplies of semiconductor components. The manufacture of small city vehicles should not be affected, the SITA newswire reported. Though the company is trying to minimise the impact of the lacking semiconductor supplies on its production, the situation will remain difficult in the coming months. Global chip shortage has reached carmakers' production lines in Slovakia Read more Thus we cannot rule out the further modification of our production plans, said Lucia Kovarovic Makayova, spokesperson of Volkswagen Slovakia, as quoted by SITA. The situation can improve in the second half of the year, she added. It is already the second time Volkswagen has had to suspend the production of SUV vehicles in its Bratislava plant due to a shortage of semiconductor components. Production was stopped on April 29, and restored only on May 14. Similarly to the currently planned suspension, the manufacture of small city vehicles was not affected. 16. Jun 2021 at 18:22 | Compiled by Spectator staff Driver Jim Marohn, Jr. scored his 5,000th victory on Tuesday night (June 15) at Yonkers Raceway, picking up the milestone win with Michael Annunziata-trained Ourlittlegeneral A (1:55, $8.10) in the fourth race on the card. With the victory, Marohn, Jr. joined his father Jim Marohn, Sr. as a member of harness racings 5,000 win club for drivers. Marohn, Sr., who was a stalwart in the colony at Yonkers for many years, won 5,358 times during his career. He retired in 2014. Marohn, Jr., 39, first started driving in 2002, winning 10 races from 76 drives. Since then, in addition to being a Yonkers regular, he has gone on to be leading driver at New Yorks Tioga Downs and Monticello Raceway, and he has 12-straight years with over 200 victories. Last year, Marohn, Jr. was the regular driver of pacing filly Test Of Faith on the New York Sire Stakes circuit. They won five of six starts together, capped with the $225,000 final at Yonkers on Sept. 12. (Yonkers Raceway) Away the 6-5 favourite, trainer-driver Brandon Campbell wired his competition with Tiempo Hanover to win the $8,100 Open Pace on Tuesday (June 15) at Century Downs. Campbell cleared command from post 5 with Tiempo Hanover heading to a :27 first quarter while Crackle N Burn settled into second and Dontpokethedragon landed in third. Maintaining his speed through a :55.1 half, Tiempo Hanover endured mild first-over pressure as Dontpokethedragon angled out of third. Though the seven-year-old Western Ideal gelding continued to speed to three-quarters in 1:23.2 and coasted to a 1:53 victory two-lengths better than Dontpokethedragon. Crackle N Burn finished third. Owned by Jodi Loftus, Dana Shore and Raymond Henry, Tiempo Hanover won his 17th race from 122 starts, earning $167,815. He paid $4.30 to win. Mike Hennessy piloted Dontpokethedragon to a runner-up finish in the afternoons feature, but his name was prominent through most of the 10-race card. The Lacombe-based reinsman visited the winners circle on six occasions starting with a dead-heat victory by Rapidash ($16.00) in the opener. He then scored with Cenalta Sunrise ($20.20) and wrapped the card with a natural grand slam by Whiplash Smile ($3.40), Chief Saratoga ($4.40), Icy Blue Scooter ($3.00) and Just A Dragon ($27.80). To view Tuesday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Tuesday Results - Century Downs. Despite not having won a race this season, P C Foreign Affair was sent away as the favourite in the NAADA Trot at Monticello Raceway Wednesday afternoon (June 16) and he didn't let his backers down. After a slow start, where driver Joe Pennacchio had his hands full as his trotter didn't hit a perfect stride when the race began, it wasn't until the first turn that P C Foreign Affair settled down to a smooth gait. He was choppy at the start, and I had all I could do to keep him from running, Pennacchio said. I had a steady hold on him, and though we got away badly from the pole position, once he flattened out, he was steady as a rock. P C Foreign Affair was near the back of the pack as Joe Lee had Railee Workable unchallenged on the lead through a :29.3 first quarter and a 1:00.2 half. Now steadily on gait, PC Foreign Affair moved off the pylons and marched forward while still in fourth. But as the field headed up the backside, Railee Workable braced for challenges first from Katkin And Coke (Chrs Petrelli), and then from PC Foreign Affair. At the three quarters Railee Workable had drawn a crowd. When the field rounded the final turn, Matt Zuccarello moved Stealing off the pylons and had him in high gear. They were quickly joined by Raceace (Alan Schwartz), and in deep stretch, four horses were noses apart nearing the finish line. P C Foreign Affair proved a head better than Stealing, with Raceace and Railee Workable also in the picture. All four horses were timed in 2:01. We got away badly and, though my horse kept hitting the bike throughout the mile, he never missed a beat and kept on trotting. And even when I got after him in the deep stretch, he was steady, Pennacchio said. The eight-year-old Cornaro Dasolo gelding is owned by Joe P Racing LLC and trained by Cory Stratton. He paid $4.90 to win. (NAADA) Rckaroundtheclock N ($2.90) completed a sweep of the Virginia O'Brien Memorial Pacing Series at Saratoga Casino Hotel and ran her North American record to eight wins in nine starts with a 1:55.4 win in Wednesday's $32,500 final. Driver Greg Merton was forced to change tactics with the daughter of A Rocknroll Dance from post seven, as several leavers to her inside forced her to settle in midfield. After leader Clemmie Hanover (Brian Cross) backed the half down to :57.2, Rckaroundtheclock N made her move. She surged first-over to attack Clemmie Hanover, who fended off the favourite for a while before succumbing to the pressure around the final turn. As Rckaroundtheclock N took the lead, though, first-leg winner American Chance (Jimmy Devaux) tipped off cover to take her best shot. Those two went toe to toe in the stretch before Rckaroundtheclock N dug in to prevail. American Chance was the runner-up; Clemmie Hanover, a second-leg winner, earned third. Amanda Kelley trains Rckaroundtheclock N, whose only defeat on North American soil came at Yonkers Raceway this spring, for the Scheigert Racing Stable. Live racing at Saratoga takes place every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with first post set for 12 noon daily. (with files from Saratoga Casino Hotel) Winning Key Farm announced Wednesday (June 16) a shift in direction of their breeding and racing operations. Early in 2021, the harness racing world lost one of its most prominent supporters and enthusiasts when longtime owner and breeder Bob Key passed away at the age of 87. Following his passing, his wife, Patty Key, had many decisions to make regarding the prospects for the future of their operation. Having always shared his passion for raising horses, Mrs. Key has made the decision for Winning Key to move forward into the commercial side of the Standardbred business. For the past several decades, Winning Key has bred and raised its stock to primarily race for the farm itself. While they have raised and raced many successful horses throughout the years, Winning Key has opted to concentrate on the production of their top broodmares. The farm has commenced a large dispersal of mares within the past couple months, with the aim to reduce their broodmare band from over 100 to about 30 top quality mares. Starting this year, Winning Key Farm will begin offering all of its yearlings for sale. Diamond Creek Farm has agreed to consign several of their best yearlings for the Lexington, Ohio Select and Standardbred Horse sales, as well as for private sale. (with files from Winning Key Farm) While most folks know how to protect themselves from the sun and heat, remembering to protect your dog or cat while out and about is also important. The Panhandle continues to report vaccination rates lower than the rest of the state, Panhandle health officials reported Monday. According to the Nebraska Department of Health Services dashboard, the Panhandle is reporting a vaccination rate of 29.7% compared to 45.1 % of Nebraskans who are fully vaccinated. Nationally, the CDC is reporting 43.9% of the total population is fully vaccinated. PPHD director Kim Engel said those areas of the state reporting higher vaccination rates are also seeing lower COVID-19 case rates. With the Panhandle at the second lowest level vaccination rate in the state, its reporting the highest level COVID-19 vaccination rate. According to the state Department of Health and Human Services dashboard, Right now, we are the most active of all the regions in Nebraska. We are at 37 cases per 100,000. Engel urged people to consider getting vaccinated. Please, if you havent yet, please consider talking to your health care provider about getting vaccinated, she said, saying that a health care provider is generally someone that we trust and is a credible source. We can stop this darn virus and hopefully not have the variants continue to spread in our area. Hoatson said he enjoys seeing the work people put into their vehicles. You cant believe the things these people go through to make it like original or as close as they can to original, he said. Its nice to see somebody do something that goes back to exactly or better than what it was when it came out of the factory. Hoatson said he hopes spectators enjoy the car show as the vehicles bring back childhood memories. I hope they enjoy seeing these old cars their dads, granddads or maybe their uncles had when they were young, he said. He also hopes the event attracts the younger generation of car enthusiasts and inspires them to hold onto their vehicles to showcase to future generations as others have done before them. We want to see those younger people in there and hopefully they will see the value in keeping a car they have now for future generations, just like some of these guys are showing their 50s, 60s and 70s cars now, Hoatson said. Some of those guys kept those cars all these years and I hope that that can happen to some of these younger people. WASHINGTON (AP) The White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are endorsing efforts to terminate the 2002 authorization of military force against Iraq, a step that supporters say is necessary to constrain presidential war powers even though it is unlikely to affect U.S. military operations around the world. Schumer announced Wednesday that he intends to bring repeal legislation to the Senate floor this year. The Iraq War has been over for nearly a decade, Schumer said. The authorization passed in 2002 is no longer necessary in 2021. The White House said in a statement earlier this week that it supports the legislation, which the House is expected to pass on Thursday, and stressed that no ongoing military activities are reliant on the 2002 authorization. It also said that President Joe Biden is committed to working with Congress to replace outdated authorizations of military force with narrower frameworks designed to ensure the U.S. can protect Americans from terrorist threats. In the 1964 presidential campaign, Republican candidate Barry Goldwater had a slogan: In your heart you know hes right. That was aimed at deflecting the stereotype about Goldwater and Republicans in general that they were an uncaring lot. It is a smear that still works to some extent for modern Democrats. Cal Thomas Cal Thomas, a columnist with Tribune Content Agency. Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. In his return to political campaigning last Saturday, former president Donald Trump channeled Goldwater when he claimed vindication for many of the positions he took during last years presidential campaign and in the four years of his administration. Speaking to a gathering of North Carolina Republicans in Greenville, Trump touted his accomplishments, including tax cuts and regulation reductions. He also criticized what he said were President Bidens insane executive orders. He might have added Middle East peace deals, including the Abraham Accords. He said President Biden is working to reverse all of his achievements and mentioned rising gas prices as a consequence that can be felt by nearly every American. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The program is free but only so many spots are available. It begins at 2:30 p.m., when summer school lets out, and students are taken home or picked up at 5 p.m. Wasson said the YMCA is helping provide transportation for students. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The program aims to keep students engaged in their education during the summer. Along with the reading program, there will be speakers who provide some inspiration as they share their experiences, Wasson said. Brian Summers also is helping organize many of the activities and speakers. She said having speakers who come from the community, like Breon Borders, a cornerback with the Tennessee Titans, helps students see themselves in successful situations in the future. So, if they can pull themselves up by their bootstraps, I can, too, Wasson said. Along with the educational focus, there also are activities and field trips planned for students to get them out of the classroom and into the real world. The after-school program also aims to help parents who are working or otherwise occupied during the day by keeping students engaged instead of just sitting at home. Wasson said the program also gives them a place to quietly study and avoid distractions, even positive ones, that might be at home. Caribbean T he Cuban ambassador to Ukraine, Natacha Diaz, denounced today the progressive intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States against the Caribbean island and its impact on the population. In an interview for the Diplomatic Chronicles program of the Rada television channel, of the Ukrainian Parliament, the diplomat explained that from April 2019 to date there has been a setback in relations between the two countries. She pointed out that in the last four years, there has been a progressive and systematic increase in the aggressiveness of US policy against the Caribbean nation and against all sovereign states that maintain or attempt to establish business with Cuba. 'Over 240 measures applied during the government of Donald Trump, with more than 50 adopted in 2020 alone, are a sign of the cruelty of this policy against the Cuban people and government,' she pointed out. Diaz drew attention to the numerous regulations issued during the previous US administration against Cuba that, in her opinion, reached unprecedented levels of hostility. Of these provisions, she gave as examples the possibility of establishing lawsuits against the Antillean nation under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act and the increased prosecution of financial and commercial transactions on the island. She also mentioned the ban on flights from the United States to all Cuban provinces, with the exception of Havana; the persecution and intimidation of companies that send fuel supplies to the nation and the campaign to discredit Cuban medical cooperation programs. She recalled that in 2020, the Trump government used the critical situation caused by Covid-19 to increase the siege against the island, which 'has hindered our ability to confront the pandemic,' she declared. The head of the Cuban diplomatic mission in Ukraine stated that the scourge of the SARS CoV-2 coronavirus generated additional challenges for the country, whose efforts to confront it 'have been significantly limited by the regulations of the US blockade,' she criticized. Diaz also rejected the 'genocidal nature of this policy' and its extraterritorial component, used by Washington to deprive her people of lung ventilators, masks, diagnostic kits and other supplies necessary to confront the disease. Resolutions are like declarations. Theyre a way to say what you mean, or to agree to something. Like what the Founding Fathers said in the Declaration of Independence. Hey, England! We wanna be free! Or, you know, something to that effect. Declarations declare what you want. Resolutions resolve to make something happen, or allow you to state your case. At its June 7 meeting, Abingdon Town Council made a couple of resolutions part of the public record. One resolution was about hoping to hop on a train. Another was about the council just plain being told what to do. The first resolution focused on the railroad with the hope and prayer that passenger rail service will one day be extended to town. The resolution shows the councils support for establishing rail service and is slated to be sent to Virginia legislators, said Town Manager Jimmy Morani. All that still has a way to go, Morani said. Its a very long-term process. Even so, Mayor Derek Webb expressed excitement. Arrested on June 13 in Rural Retreat and charged with assaulting a woman he was living with, a Wytheville Police Department patrol officer was fired on Monday. Dallas Ritchie Shumate, 23, had been with the agency since Dec. 31, 2018, Lt. Bryan Bard said. Shumate was arrested at his residence after the Wythe County Sheriffs Office responded to early morning 911 calls from a woman asking for help, according to Maj. Anthony Cline. Cline said a male could be heard in the background telling the woman to hang up the phone. Three deputies went to the residence and it took them an hour to get Shumate to answer the door, Cline said. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} A woman also came to the door, and deputies noticed she had a black eye, busted lip and marks on her neck, Cline said. At first, she denied making the 911 calls, but dispatch called the number back and a cellphone rang in her pocket, the major said. After more questioning, she told officers that Shumate assaulted her after the two had been drinking and got into an argument, Cline said. She declined medical assistance. Books will be exchanged monthly, but facilities also will receive some free books to keep, she said. The coordinator has designed reading tree posters to help monitor the childrens progress. Each child places a sticker on their reading tree when they engage in reading or have someone read to them. The goal is for each participant to fill up the tree with stickers by the conclusion of the outreach program on July 9. Morrell-Lamie will bring each participating facility a gift basket of items, including books, crayons, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes and bubbles. But thats not all. The outreach coordinator will deliver frozen treats to children and employees at each participating facility. Well be turning the transit van into an ice cream truck for the occasion, she said with a laugh. All employees at the facilities will be entered in a drawing for a free Kindle. If you see me driving the transit van, be sure to honk and wave, she said. 2021 Tails and Tales Summer Reading Challenge The result is that Virginia has a higher percentage of students with disabilities [4.6%] in more restrictive out-of-school settings than 37 other states, and Virginias out-of-school placement rate has increased over the past 10 years, the report stated. Private placement for children who are so disruptive that they cannot receive an appropriate education in their local public school isnt cheap. It can range from $22,000 to $97,000 per year. But since funds allocated under the 1992 Childrens Services Act (CSA) cannot be used for less restrictive public school special education programs, JLARC found that CSA payments to private day schools more than doubled over the past decade, ballooning from $81 million in 2010 to $186 million in 2019. Spending on private day schools has eclipsed spending on foster care, residential care and other community-based services. If these trends continue, private day spending will constitute the majority of CSA spending, JLARC noted, despite the financial disincentive it creates. 3. Democrats have become the party of Northern Virginia. For the first time, all three nominees are from there. Meanwhile, the top echelon of the partys General Assembly leadership is also all from Northern Virginia the Speaker of the House, the House Majority Leader, the Senate Majority Leader, the chairs of the House and Senate money committees. This is an unprecedented concentration of power in a single part of the state. Granted, its the most populous part of the state, but Democrats are opening themselves up to criticism that they dont really understand the whole state. (Once again, we must point out how House Democrats from Northern Virginia killed both a constitutional amendment to fix school disparities and a measure to pay for school construction in less affluent parts of the states.) In a social media age, maybe geography doesnt matter as much as it used to. Still, Republicans can legitimately claim that they, and not the Democrats, have nominated a ticket that looks more like modern-day Virginia. Democrats nominated two white men and a woman of color; Republicans nominated one white man, a Black woman and a Latino. Democrats nominated three Northern Virginians, Republicans nominated a candidate for governor who grew up in Richmond and Virginia Beach and now lives in Northern Virginia, a candidate for lieutenant governor who once represented Norfolk and now lives in Winchester, and a candidate for attorney general from Virginia Beach. +4 Black Lives Matter picnickers spend afternoon at the lake A relaxed Black Lives Matter picnic at Lake Sacajawea brought a few dozen people together for volleyball, barbecue and friendly discussion ove Emergency Support Shelter Board President Sandy Junker said the board believed the time was right and its important to recognize the holiday. Washington-Mattson has been an active and integral member of the board for years, Junker said. The women have served on the board on and off for several years, and together for the last six years, Junker said. Shes been integrally involved with committees helping to set policy with the board and for Sarah (Hancock) to move forward. Shes been integral in setting the direction of the board with strategic planning, helping the agency move forward, Junker said. Shes not one to just sit back. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Washington-Mattson said the Emergency Support Shelter board always thinks of all people, races and cultures. For them to take a bold stand as an organization to actually honor my family for the upcoming Juneteenth and from here on out I applaud them for that, for everything theyre doing, she said. Saturday event Honor has come along way in the recent past. It has gone through a tough time and is now looking to get back into the market with new launches. Honor had to split from its parent company, Huawei, last year following a dispute with the US government. The move was a strategic one as it enabled Honor to sign deals with a host of companies, including AMD, MediaTek, Micron Technology, Microsoft, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Sony among others. Now, post the split, Honor has launched its first major smartphone series -- the Honor 50 series. The Honor 50 series consists of the Honor 50, the Honor 50 Pro, and the Honor 50 SE smartphones. One of the USPs of this smartphone series is that it features support for Googles Google Mobile Services (GSM). Honor has launched the Honor 50 series in China. But it has said that its Honor 50 smartphone will arrive in international markets including France, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the UK later this year. Honor 50 series price and availability The Honor 50 costs RMB 2,699 ( 30,922 approx.), while the Honor 50 Pro costs RMB 3,699 ( 42,380 approx.). These smartphones will go on sale in China starting June 16. On the other hand, the Honor 50 SE costs RMB 2,399 ( 27,480 approx.). Honor hasnt announced the availability of the device yet. Honor 50 Pro specs The Honor 50 Pro comes with a 6.72-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G system-on-chip that is coupled with GPU Turbo X and LINK Turbo. It is available in 8GB and 12GB RAM variants and it runs on Android 11-based Magic UI 4.2. On the camera front, the Honor 50 Pro comes with a quad rear camera setup consisting of a 108MP primary camera, an 8MP wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, it has a 32MP+12MP dual selfie camera. It comes with a 4,000mAh battery with support for a 100W fast charger. Honor 50 specs The Honor 50 comes with a 6.57-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It is also powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G system-on-chip and is available in 8GB and 12GB RAM variants. Like the Pro variant, the Honor 50 also runs on Android 11-based Magic UI 4.2. The Honor 50 comes with a quad rear camera setup consisting of a 108MP primary camera, an 8MP wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, it has a single 32MP selfie camera. It is backed by a 4,300mAh battery with support for a 66W fast charger. Honor 50 SE specs The Honor 50 SE comes with a 6.78-inch LCD display and 120Hz refresh rate. It is powered by Mediateks Dimensity 900 SoC that is coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space. It runs on Android 11-based Magic UI 4.2. On the camera front, it has a 16MP front shooter and a 108MP+8MP+2MP rear camera setup. It is backed by a 4,000 mAh battery with support for 66W wired fast charging. Foldable smartphones have been popular for a while and many companies are working on making the most of it. The latest to join that list is Honor. According to reports, Honor is apparently working on its own foldable smartphone, the Honor Magic Fold, after parting ways with Huawei earlier this year. Given that Xiaomi just released the Mi Mix Fold and Google is reportedly working on a foldable device too, it is not surprising that Honor wants to give this a go too. Oppo is another company working on a foldable device as well, and reports state that Samsung is supplying panels to Oppo. However, theres nothing more we know about Oppos plans yet. A report from the Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) states that the Honor Magic Fold is going to feature in-folding panels from BOE and Visionox. There is no further information on this, however. Honor CEO George Zhao has told CNET in 2018 that Honor had plans of releasing a foldable phone in the future but the cost was prohibitive. Zhao had, at that point in time, suggested that the device might launch in 2020. For Honor I think we will find a way to make this so our target customer can have a foldable phone. I think next year; next year should be the moment, Zhao said. Given the current situations, it is highly possible that delay in manufacturing and design process due to the ongoing pandemic has pushed back Honors plans to 2021. As XDA Developers points out, the best part about the Honor Magic Fold will be that it should be completely unencumbered by the US government when it launches. Honor is going to launch a smartphone with a 5G Qualcomm chip, something that Huawei cannot do, and the next Honor device is also going to have Google Mobile Services pre-installed in the West. But, it is possible that there is not going to be a western release any time soon since most China-based companies launch their products in the home country first and globally, later. Xiaomis Mi Mix Fold is yet to be launched outside the country. Although the insecure algorithms are still implemented in modern mobile phones, the researchers do not expect them to pose a significant threat to users. Credit: RUB, Marquard The encryption algorithm GEA-1 was implemented in mobile phones in the 1990s to encrypt data connections. Since then, it has been kept secret. Now, a research team from Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (RUB), together with colleagues from France and Norway, has analyzed the algorithm and has come to the following conclusion: GEA-1 is so easy to break that it must be a deliberately weak encryption that was built in as a backdoor. Although the vulnerability is still present in many modern mobile phones, it no longer poses any significant threat to users, according to the researchers. Backdoors not useful according to researchers "Even though intelligence services and ministers of the interior understandably want such backdoors to exist, they are not at all useful," says Professor Gregor Leander, Head of the Workgroup for Symmetric Cryptography. "After all, they are not the only ones who can exploit these vulnerabilities, any other attackers can exploit them as well. Our research shows: once a backdoor is implemented, it is very difficult to remove it." Accordingly, GEA-1 should have disappeared from mobile phones as early as 2013; at least that's what the mobile phone standards say. However, the research team found the algorithm in the current Android and iOS smartphones. For the study, a team led by Dr. Christof Beierle, Dr. David Rupprecht, Lukas Stennes and Professor Gregor Leander from RUB collaborated with colleagues from Universite de Rennes and Universite Paris-Saclay as well as the French research institute Center Inria de Paris and the Norwegian research institute Simula UiB in Bergen. The team will present its findings at the Eurocrypt conference in October 2021. The paper has been available online since 16 June 2021. The project was embedded in the Bochum Cluster of Excellence CASAshort for Cyber Security in the Age of Large-Scale Adversaries , which aims at enabling sustainable IT security against large-scale attackers, most importantly national states. Lottery win more likely than weak code being a coincidence The IT security experts received the GEA-1 and GEA-2 algorithms from a source who wishes to remain anonymous and verified their authenticity in the first step. The ciphers had been used to encrypt data traffic over the 2G network, for example when sending emails or visiting websites. The researchers analyzed how exactly the algorithms work. They showed that GEA-1 generates encryption keys that are subdivided into three parts, two of which are almost identical. Due to their architecture, these keys are relatively easy to guess. According to the Bochum-based team, the properties that render the cipher so insecure can't have happened by accident. "According to our experimental analysis, having six correct numbers in the German lottery twice in a row is about as likely as having these properties of the key occur by chance," as Christof Beierle illustrates. GEA-2 algorithm likewise weakbut unintentionally so The IT experts also scrutinized the GEA-2 algorithm. It is hardly more secure than GEA-1. "GEA-2 was probably an attempt to set up a more secure successor to GEA-1," assumes Gregor Leander. "GEA-2 was hardly better, though. But at least this algorithm doesn't seem to be intentionally insecure." The encryptions that GEA-1 and GEA-2 produce are so weak that they could be used to decrypt and read live encrypted data sent over 2G. Today, most data traffic is sent over the 4G network, also called LTE. Moreover, the data is now protected with additional transport encryption. Therefore, the researchers assume that the old vulnerabilities that still exist no longer pose a serious threat to users. Manufacturers don't adhere to standards Originally, GEA-1 must not be implemented in mobile devices since 2013. "The fact that it is still happening shows that manufacturers are not following the standard properly," explains David Rupprecht. Through the mobile phone association GSMA, the Bochum-based group contacted the manufacturers before publishing their data to give them the opportunity to remove GEA-1 through software updates. In addition, they contacted ETSI, the organisation responsible for telecommunications standards, to also remove GEA-2 from phones. In the future, so ETSI's decisionsmartphones should not support GEA-2 anymore. Explore further LTE vulnerability: Attackers can impersonate other mobile phone users More information: Christof Beierle et al, Cryptanalysis of the GPRS Encryption Algorithms GEA-1 and GEA-2, Advances in Cryptology EUROCRYPT 2021 (2021). Christof Beierle et al, Cryptanalysis of the GPRS Encryption Algorithms GEA-1 and GEA-2,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-77886-6_6 China and French energy giant EDF have blamed the issues at the Taishan nuclear power station on minor fuel rod damage. A handful of damaged fuel rods is behind a build-up of radioactive gases at a nuclear power station in southern China, authorities said Wednesday, describing the problem as "common" with no need for concern. CNN reported earlier this week that the US government was assessing a report of a leak at the Taishan plant in China's southern Guangdong province, and French nuclear firm Framatomewhich helps operate the plant reported a "performance issue". There has been an increase in radioactivity in one of the plant's two nuclear power units due to five damaged fuel rods, said a joint statement by China's environment ministry and the National Nuclear Safety Administration. "Due to the influence of uncontrollable factors in fuel manufacturing, transportation, loading and other links, a small amount of fuel rod damage is inevitable," said the statement, calling it a "common phenomenon". There are more than 60,000 fuel rods in the core unit, the statement said, and the proportion of damaged rods is "less than 0.01 percent". The ministry said that the increase in radioactivity is "within the permitted range of stable operation" for nuclear power plants, and "there is no issue of radioactive leakage to the environment". Earlier this week, French energy giant EDFthe majority owner of Framatomehad also blamed the build-up of gases in one of Taishan's reactors on the deteriorating of coating on some uranium fuel rods. EDF said it was first informed about the fuel rod problem in October, but only learned about the gas build-up on Saturday. Satellite photo of the Taishan nuclear power plant in China with distances to Macau and Hong Kong. Official environmental monitoring data shows a slight increase in radiation near Taishan compared with other nuclear plants in China, but experts say this remains within the normal range of environmental radiation levels in Guangdong. Chinese authorities said the environmental monitoring results around Taishan showed that radiation levels are "normal, at the background level, and there is no leakage". Powered up in 2018, the Taishan plant was the first worldwide to operate a next-generation EPR nuclear reactora pressurised water design that has been subject to years of delays in similar European projects in Britain, France and Finland. There are now two EPR power units at Taishan, which sits close to the coastline of Guangdong and the financial hub of Hong Kong. China has dozens of nuclear plantsthe world's third-highest after the United States and Franceand has invested billions of dollars to develop its atomic energy sector. The Chinese government statement on Wednesday also denied claims in the earlier CNN report that it was raising the acceptable limit of radiation detection around the plant. The nuclear safety administration has only outlined one incident at Taishan in recent months, which happened on April 5, when it says a "small amount of radioactive gas unexpectedly entered" the water-sealed pipeline in the plant's first unit. The statement said that the incident had been inspected and the total amount of gas discharged accounted for 0.00044 percent of the annual emission limit. 2021 AFP Credit: CC0 Public Domain The Internet of Things (IoT) has been much flaunted as the future of sensors and controllers allowing remote access to environmental and other information and facilitating feedback systems that would otherwise require human intervention. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote sensing and remote control of equipment has become increasingly important. IoT devices already allow many tasks to be carried out in a wide variety of realms across industry, medicine, agriculture, environmental protection and much more. The emergence of a lethal, infectious disease that requires social distancing and increasing pressure on workers to work from home means that the IoT has an increasingly important role to play that will allow normality to continue for many systems and processes without people needing to be in the field, as it were. Given that scientists are predicting that future pandemics may well be worse still in a world of drastic climate change and the problems that brings, the IoT could be set to become the new-normal that allows life to go on despite these problems. We might even be able to position ourselves using the IoT to pre-empt the issues that will inevitably arise in the next pandemic and as climate change leads to great unpredictability in weather patterns, sea levels, and other problems. Anto Merline Manoharan of Anna University, in Chennai and M.G. Sumithra of the KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, discuss an IoT technology inextricably linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the team describes secure IoT integrated with a wireless sensor network more monitoring the health condition of an infected patient. Writing in the International Journal of Sensor Networks, the team also explains their novel encryption system to ensure patient privacy. Currently, the encryption protocol is implemented on the server, the next step will be to port that software to the IoT devices and the wireless network itself, the team adds. Explore further Remote patient monitoring may reduce need to hospitalize cancer patients More information: Anto Merline Manoharan et al, Secure data communication IoT and wireless sensor network for COVID-19, International Journal of Sensor Networks (2021). Anto Merline Manoharan et al, Secure data communication IoT and wireless sensor network for COVID-19,(2021). DOI: 10.1504/IJSNET.2021.115444 Credit: CC0 Public Domain A preview of Microsoft's new Windows 11 operating system may have been leaked online. Some purported new features include a new startup sound, Start button and centered menu, and rounded corners on the interface border. The menu can be moved to the left side of the screen, too, reported The Verge, which spotted an array of Windows 11 screenshots on Chinese social network Baidu and then found the entire operating system online. "Coupled with the dark mode that's also available, and Windows 11 starts to look like a more refined version of Windows 10 than something dramatically new," The Verge's Tom Warren wrote. Gamers might be interested to know that Windows 11 reportedly has the new Xbox app integrated "offering quick access to Xbox Game Pass games, the social parts of Xbox network, and the Xbox store," Warren wrote. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment from U.S. TODAY. Online response to the possible early glimpse of the new Windows operating system was not supportive. "Please tell me this isn't real," tweeted one viewer. Microsoft has a June 24 event scheduled to reveal "what's next" for Windows. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, during last month's Microsoft Build developers conference, said he had been test-driving the next Windows operating system and was "incredibly excited" about its prospects. "Soon we will share one of the most significant updates to Windows of the past decade to unlock greater economic opportunity for developers and creators," he said. Explore further Microsoft to unveil next generation of Windows on June 24 More information: (c)2021 U.S. Today. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Locations of verified cameras in 10 large U.S. cities for the period 20162020. Credit: Sheng, Yao & Goel. Over the past few decades, surveillance cameras, also known as closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, have become widely used by governments, law enforcement officers and private citizens to monitor public spaces, prevent crime and identify criminals. While the millions of surveillance cameras installed worldwide can play a crucial role in the prevention of crime and aid police investigations, they can also considerably restrict the privacy of citizens. When combined with emerging facial recognition technology, surveillance cameras can become even more intrusive, as they enable the identification, monitoring and tracking of individuals. Moreover, advanced surveillance systems could hinder freedom of speech, by dissuading people from participating in public gatherings or protests for fear of being identified and persecuted. While some studies have estimated the amount of CCTV cameras installed in cities worldwide, only a few have identified their exact locations. This makes it harder to assess the impact of large-scale surveillance systems and the extent to which they might be invading the privacy of citizens. Researchers at Stanford University have recently carried out a study aimed at investigating the prevalence and locations of surveillance cameras in large cities in the U.S. and in other countries worldwide. Their paper, presented at the AAAI/ACM Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Society, introduces a computer vision algorithm that can estimate the spatial distribution of surveillance cameras by analyzing Google street view and other street view images. "Our main goal was to understand the number and location of surveillance cameras in large cities around the world," Hao Sheng, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told TechXplore. "Because collecting such data manually is often prohibitively expensive, we sought to develop methods that could be easily scaled up. As digital documentation of urban landscapes and computer vision technology have both advanced considerably in recent years, we thought that applying computer vision algorithms to existing street-view images might be possible." In their study, Sheng and his colleagues followed three key steps. Firstly, they extracted street view images of 100,000 randomly sampled locations in each of the cities they examined. They specifically focused on 10 large cities in the U.S. (LA, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Washington D.C., San Francisco and Boston) and 6 other cities worldwide (Tokyo, Bangkok, London, Seoul, Singapore and Paris). Estimated camera density (cameras per km) for 10 large U.S. cities and 6 other major cities for the period 20162020. Credit: Sheng, Yao & Goel. Subsequently, the researchers ran a computer vision algorithm on the street view images they extracted to automatically detect surveillance cameras captured in them. Finally, they asked human participants to browse through the images and verify the validity of the results gathered by the algorithm (i.e., confirm whether it accurately spotted the cameras). "Our method combines the merits of computer vision models (which can be quickly deployed on millions of images) and humans (who can visually identify cameras with higher accuracy)," Sheng explained. "So, even if cameras only comprise a small percentage of street view images, we can still efficiently and accurately identify them." The analyses carried out by Sheng and his colleagues yielded several interesting results. Firstly, the researchers found that the density of cameras in cities was highly correlated with the specific uses of given locations and with the racial profile of neighborhoods. For instance, they found that cameras were more likely to be installed in a city's commercial, industrial and mixed areas than in public or residential areas. "Even after controlling for land use, we found a much higher density of cameras in majority-minority neighborhoods than in predominantly white neighborhoods," Sheng said. "We are still trying to understand the mechanism that drives these patterns, but our findings suggest that communities of color are disproportionately surveilled." The findings gathered by this team of researchers could have important implications for the future installation of CCTV cameras in urban environments. For instance, they could spark ethical debates about the reasons for the intense monitoring of racial minorities or general discussions about the impact of large-scale surveillance on citizen's privacy. In their next studies, Sheng and his colleagues plan to use the computer vision algorithm they developed to examine the prevalence of other types of cameras as well, such as doorbell cameras. Doorbell cameras, such as Google Nest and Amazon Ring, allow people to see whether someone is at the door and remotely communicate with visitors via their smartphone. In recent years, these smart doorbell systems have become particularly popular, particularly in residential neighborhoods. "Some studies estimate that the number of doorbell cameras may have surpassed traditional surveillance cameras," Sheng said. "Measuring their prevalence will thus further our understanding of the extent of surveillance in our communities. We also suspect that they may be good proxies of social trust in a neighborhood. Of course, doorbell cameras are usually smaller, thus harder to identify from street view images, which might pose new challenges for our camera detection process." Explore further Amazon's Ring to make police video requests public More information: Ethics and SocietySurveilling surveillance: estimating the prevalence of surveillance cameras with street view data. Proceedings of the AAAI/ACM Conference on Artificial Intelligence. arXiv:2105.01764 [cs.CY]. Ethics and SocietySurveilling surveillance: estimating the prevalence of surveillance cameras with street view data. Proceedings of the AAAI/ACM Conference on Artificial Intelligence. arXiv:2105.01764 [cs.CY]. arxiv.org/abs/2105.01764 2021 Science X Network Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Make no mistake: We are also in the midst of a digital pandemic of ransomware attacks. The recent ransomware attacks on Colonial Pipeline and JBS U.S. Holdings Inc.the world's largest meat processorsunderscore the growing brazen nature of organized, deliberate attacks on increasingly significant targets, and our chronic inability to defend against them. What we need is a new internet. The old one is broken. Origins of the internet Today's internet originated from the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) in the late 1960sa conglomerate of research institutions connecting military, political and industrial actors during the Cold War in the United States. It allowed for secure communications in case of conflict, and to facilitate research and development through electronic sharing of information. It was a closed, tightly controlled, highly secure, invitation-only network. The invention of the World Wide Web (WWW) by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990 led to the browser-based internet that we know today. The WWW introduced, and advocated for, an open, inclusive, universal and unconstrained mode for networks to communicate with each other. It introduced the notion of hyperlinks that a user could simply click on and be transported to a new web page on a separate network. This was the start of the unregulated, user-driven, content-rich internet. The paradox of the internet is that it was born, has grown and exists in an environment where control and access have been in constant tension and conflict. The rise of ransomware Cybercrime is a growing, highly successful and profitable industry. It is estimated by industry that cybercrime costs will grow by 15 percent per year to reach US$10.5 trillion by 2025: the third greatest "economy" in the world, after those of the U.S. States and China. A big part of this is ransomware, multi-pronged attacks capturing an organization's data and systems. Since the start of the pandemic, ransomware attacks have increased by nearly 500 percent since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The average ransom payment has also continued to climb, up 43 percent from the last quarter of 2020 to an average of over US$200,000. What is especially insidious about these attacks is that a ransom demand is often accompanied by a breach and extraction of company data, and a concurrent extortion threatening to release this data unless additional payments are made. In the first quarter of 2021, over three-quarters of ransomware attacks were tied to such a threat. Criminals have also evolved to become increasingly systemic. The recent attack on Colonial Pipelines by the hacker collective DarkSide exemplifies this. Like their state-sponsored counterparts, criminal collectives have created virtual organizations and enacted focus strategies targeting specific sectors and companies. They have infinite resources, skills and patience. They are playing a long game where targets are identified, carefully reconnoitered and only acted upon when the maximum value can be extracted. CNA Financial was attacked in late March, and paid a ransom of US$40 millionone of the biggest payments on record. The hackers were apparently interested in obtaining access to CNA's client database not only to blackmail the company itself, but to identify clients that had purchased cyberinsurance with a ransomware payment rider to identify the most lucrative targets. DarkSide are also selling ransomware packs to other hackersRansomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) is becoming a growing profit center. The FBI warns that ransomware attacks are on the rise. The new old internet Legislators have, predictably, responded to these attacks. U.S. President Joe Biden has directed federal agencies to bring all of their resources to bear on dealing with digital disruptions. The Department of Homeland Security is developing a set of mandatory rules for how pipelines, and likely other infrastructure providers, will need to safeguard their assets. While a good first step, it will not be enough, and we will continue to react, to be behind the attack curve. Intranetsclosed, proprietary networksmight hold the key to solving this threat. We foresee a new internet emerging, with two distinct sides. On one side, we'll have the wholly unfiltered, minimally regulated, Wild West internet that anyone can access. On the other side, we might see the evolution of what could be called the "World Wide Intranet," that is, widely accessible but tightly controlled websites with stringent access controls to prevent criminal activity, much like the closed corporate intranets that gained popularity two decades ago. Responsive security Large online merchants like Amazon, the government, health-care providers or other large organizations will no longer tolerate criminal assaults on their and their stakeholders' data and resources. As such, as security measures like multi-factor authentification evolve, they will increasingly be adopted by these organizations and passed onto consumers as a condition of access. As a society, we accept controls when the cost of not having them becomes greater than the restrictions they impose. We see this trend as an inevitable consequence of the growing security threats affecting not only networks but the individuals that transact with them. By 2025, the world will store 200 Zettabytes (one trillion gigabytes) of data. The accompanying growth in transactions leaves us no other choice but to tighten identity and access controls. One pathway might divide the web into one open, but inherently risky, internet and one closed, controlled, regulated and inherently untrusting one where security and privacy dominate. Explore further US recovers over half of ransom paid to pipeline hackers This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. In this April 7, 2021 file photo, a Waymo minivan arrives to pick up passengers for an autonomous vehicle ride, in Mesa, Ariz. Waymo, the self-driving car pioneer spun off from Google, isn't allowing a recent wave of executive departures to detour its plans to expand its robotic taxi service. The Mountain View, Calif., company made that clear Wednesday, June 16 by announcing it has raised another $2.5 billion from a group of investors ranging from venture capital firms such as Andreessen Horowitz to a major car dealer, AutoNation. Credit: AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File Waymo, the self-driving car pioneer spun off from Google, isn't allowing a recent wave of executive departures to detour its plans to expand its robotic taxi service. The Mountain View, California, company made that clear Wednesday by announcing it has raised another $2.5 billion from a group of investors ranging from venture capital firms such as Andreessen Horowitz to a major car dealer, AutoNation. With the latest fundraising, Waymo has raised a total of $5.7 billion in the past 15 months as it tries to build upon a driverless ride-hailing service that it has been operating in the Phoenix area. The latest fundraising comes after Waymo's longtime CEO, John Krafcik, stepped down in April, followed by the departures of the company's chief financial officer and head of automotive partnerships. Waymo is now being led by co-CEOs, Dmitri Dolgov and Tekedra Mawakana, who said the company plans to use the investment to continue to hone the technology that was first hatched inside of Google as a secret project more than a decade ago. Google later spun out Waymo as a separate subsidiary owned by the same corporate parent, Alphabet Inc. Waymo now operates as part of an Alphabet division called "Other Bets," which has lost nearly $13 billion in the past years. Even so, analysts have estimated Waymo may be worth about $30 billionan estimate reflecting the high hopes that autonomous driving technology may finally realize its promise to revolutionize the way people get around. 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. A man charges his electric car at an electrical charging point in Rivas Vaciamadrid, Spain, Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Spain is Europe's second-leading car maker but it is lagging behind when it comes to electric cars, a situation that the government aims to change by using around five billion euros of the EU pandemic recovery funds to kickstart the electric car industry. The government plans to spend big, to install a network of public recharging stations and to convince customers about the benefits of buying electric or hybrid vehicles. Credit: AP Photo/Manu Fernandez Daniel Sanchez is one of the luckier electric car owners in Spain. With a free recharging station less than a kilometer from his home just north of Barcelona, he can keep his Tesla ready to roll. "I cannot imagine stopping at a gas station ever again," the 41-year-old transport company owner said. "We feel like those people who got off a horse-drawn carriage and climbed into a car. There is no going back." Other Spaniards are considerably less enthusiastic. The dearth of places to plug in, compared to western and northern Europe, and the price of electric cars have left Spain lagging as the continent races to get greener. Now the government wants to usher the entire country into this new paradigm. The ruling left-wing coalition plans to use a chunk of the 140 billion euros ($166 billion) Spain is set to receive from the European Union's pandemic recovery plan to kickstart its electric car industry. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Madrid on Wednesday, at the start of her tour of member states to endorse their plans to deploy the massive windfall designed to erase the economic pain of the pandemic. Final approval from Brussels is expected in coming weeks. Von der Leyen met with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has compared the EU Next Generation funds to a "new Marshall Plan." Spain's Secretary of State for Industry Raul Blanco told The Associated Press that the government is aiming at spending around 5 billion euros ($6 billion) over the next three years on its electric vehicle initiative. Spain produced 2.2 million cars and trucks in 2020, second only to Germany in Europe. But only 140,000 of these were electric or hybrids, according to ANFAC, the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers. "What we are doing is accelerating a change that is already taking place," Blanco said. "This is a unique opportunity. The automakers are on board, and there are resources to carry out the investments." A leader in highspeed electric trains, Spain wants to put 250,000 more electric vehicles on its roads within two years, adding to the current 96,000. The push for electric cars should reduce CO 2 emissions by 450,000 tons, according to government projections as Spain aims to completely convert to renewable energy by 2050, in line with EU targets. "Spain can carry out these industrial activities with green energy," Blanco said. "Compared to other countries of central and eastern Europe that still rely on fossil fuels, or other countries which use nuclear, Spain can rely on renewable energies since it has wind and solar." The environmental group Greenpeace supported the push for electric vehicles but argued that the EU funds should not be used to keep clogging cities with cars. "It is vital that the aid is prioritized to help rural populations that have poorer access to other modes of alternative transport," the group said. Spain is counting on its robust car industry, and the deposits of lithiumkey to battery production for electric vehiclesthat it shares with Portugal. The goal is to establish a supply chain by encouraging private investment to build a battery factory, along with assembly plants and software design, all with the goal of driving more climate-friendly cars off production lines. A man charges his electric car at an electrical charging point in Rivas Vaciamadrid, Spain, Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Spain is Europe's second-leading car maker but it is lagging behind when it comes to electric cars, a situation that the government aims to change by using around five billion euros of the EU pandemic recovery funds to kickstart the electric car industry. The government plans to spend big, to install a network of public recharging stations and to convince customers about the benefits of buying electric or hybrid vehicles. Credit: AP Photo/Manu Fernandez The plan's success, however, faces hurdles. Spain has fewer than 2 public plug-in points per 100,000 square kilometers, compared to over 10 in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, according to a 2020 report by the European Court of Auditors. "It is a snake that bites its own tail," said Salvador Ejarque, president of Spain's Association of Electric Car Users, or AUVE. "People don't buy cars because they can't charge them, and those who can invest don't do it quickly enough because the bureaucracy is complex and slow going," The government wants to boost the total number of recharging points nationwide from 11,500 to 100,000 in three years. ANFAC, the carmakers' group, said more may be needed. "We must overcome the 'autonomy anxiety' of drivers by assuring them that charging their car is as easy as filling up with gas," spokesman Jose Lopez-Tafall told the AP. "It is necessary to set up a calendar with set goals to reach 340,000 charging points by 2030." Price, too, matters. The average annual income in Spain is 15,000 euros ($18,100) below the EU mean. Luxury cars are a rare sight in Spanish cities, where economy models and motorbikes reign. So while electric vehicles can lure more affluent Europeans, they give many Spaniards sticker shock. To overcome this, the government has already dedicated 400 million euros ($484 million) for rebates of up to 7,000 euros ($8,400) on purchases of electric and hybrid vehicles. It must also convince carmakers that Spain is their best investment bet, while Germany and France have the advantage of having major manufacturers based in their countries. Spanish carmaker SEAT, a member of the Volkswagen group, has committed to producing an electric car in the 20,000-25,000 euro range that Blanco believes will hit the price points for domestic shoppers. Ford's president for Europe, Stuart Rowley, spoke with Prime Minister Sanchez in April about "Ford's battery sourcing strategy and the importance of support from the Spanish Government in the framework of the EU Next Generation funds," the company said in a statement provided to the AP. Renault has also reaffirmed its focus on making hybrids at its Spanish plants. Labor unions have welcomed the huge public investment in an industry that provides 10% of Spain's GDP and 9% of its employment. Garbine Espejo, general secretary of industry for the CCOO trade union confederation, said the recent decision by Nissan to close plants in and near Barcelona was a warning of what could come if the private and public sector don't join hands. "Spain's auto industry is in good health," Espejo told the AP. "But if we do not seize this opportunity to transform Spain into a leader in new technologies, the impact for industry and jobs will be dire." Explore further Madrid announces 3.75 billion euro injection for car industry 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. 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. I must warn you in advance that this is not satire. This news is real. Last week, the Republican governor of Texas signed a law creating The 1836 Project, a feat of patriotic education that will celebrate the purportedly glorious founding of the Texas Republic. At his signing photo-op, Gov. Greg Abbott said: To keep Texas the best state in the nation, we can never forget WHY our state is so exceptional. The 1836 Project will ensure that future generations will understand Texas values. Together, well keep our rich history alive. The project will promote the principles that make Texas Texas, especially the states legacy of economic prosperity. Hey, bring it on! I trust that the Texas white peoples party, in its quest to provide a true education about 1836, will feature Section 9 of the original Texas Constitution: Richwood, TX (77531) Today Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High 91F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. This is to say nothing of the ongoing deregulation disaster elsewhere in the country. California has struggled with persistent reliability problems. The Maryland Office of Peoples Counsel found that households in the state were paying $34 million more per year for electricity under deregulation than if they had purchased from their utilities. The Massachusetts Attorney General has recommended unwinding deregulation in the residential market to protect customers. Utility regulators in Connecticut fined Direct Energy, a competitive electric supplier, $1.5 million for misleading marketing and sales tacticsAARP and other consumer advocates have been fighting these unscrupulous practices in the state for more than a decade. Virginia has wisely avoided going down that path. In Virginia, utilities Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power are required to provide reliable electricity to all the customers in their service area. Keeping the lights on is the foremost objective. Doing so requires substantial investment and is subject to oversight at the state and federal level. Youngkin might be wrong on the issues thats a matter of political taste but hes no Trump. And, as a blank slate politically, Youngkin will be a more elusive target for McAuliffe than Ken Cuccinelli was in 2013. Even then, McAuliffe barely won 47.7% to 45.2%. Youngkin comes off as a far more agreeable figure than Cuccinelli ever was, and he doesnt have a controversial record, either. He has no record whatsoever. McAuliffe also isnt as popular as Democrats think he is, Tuesdays landslide notwithstanding. On Nov. 3, 2017, near the end of McAuliffes term, when voters knew him best, the Roanoke College Poll found that only 43% of those surveyed approved of the job he was doing as governor. Historically, consumers often gravitate to the shiny and new, and Youngkin is this years shiny and new. Thats why we say again: Democrats discount Youngkin at their peril. 3. Democrats rebuked their left, but Republicans moved further right. The most telling votes this week came in primaries for House of Delegate nominations in both parties. Ukrainian law enforcement officials on Wednesday announced the arrest of the Clop ransomware gang, adding it disrupted the infrastructure employed in attacks targeting victims worldwide since at least 2019. As part of an international operation between the National Police of Ukraine and authorities from Interpol, Korea, and the U.S., six defendants have been accused of running a double extortion scheme wherein victims refusing to pay a ransom were threatened with the leak of sensitive financial, customer, or personal data stolen from them prior to encrypting the files. The ransomware attacks amount to $500 million in monetary damages, the National Police said, noting that "law enforcement has managed to shut down the infrastructure from which the virus spreads and block channels for legalizing criminally acquired cryptocurrencies." Police officials are said to have conducted 21 searches in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, including the homes of the defendants, resulting in the seizure of computer equipment, luxury cars, and 5 million hryvnias ($184,679) in cash. The alleged perpetrators face up to eight years in prison on charges of unauthorized interference in the work of computers, automated systems, computer networks or telecommunications networks. It's, however, not clear if the arrested individuals are affiliates or core developers of the ransomware operation. As of writing, the dark web portal that Clop uses to share stolen data dubbed CL0P^-LEAKS is still up and running, implying the complete infrastructure may not have been taken down. Since emerging on the scene in 2019, the Clop threat actor has been linked to a number of high-profile attacks as that of E-Land, Accellion, Qualys, Software AG IT, ExecuPharm, Indiabulls, as well as a number of universities like Maastricht University, Stanford University Medical School, University of Maryland, and University of California. The development comes as another ransomware group by the name of Avaddon shuttered operations and handed over the decryption keys associated with 2,934 victims to Bleeping Computer last week, likely in response to heightened scrutiny by law enforcement and governments worldwide after a spate of attacks against critical infrastructure. The Clop arrests add to a string of operations undertaken by government agencies in recent months to take down criminal activities in the cyberspace, including that of TrickBot, Emotet, ANoM, and Slilpp. Earlier this February, a joint probe involving French and Ukrainian authorities dismantled the cartel associated with Egregor ransomware. Recent graduates, he said, can expect an annual income of $65,000 to $80,000 in Nebraska. Hossain is part of a group focused on expanding the states tech workforce. As a member of the Nebraska Tech Collaborative, he works with employers and higher education partners to identify and close gaps in the labor market and build a sustainable talent pipeline in the state. Right now, theres a weakness in that pipeline, and were trying to address that by forming partnerships with schools and developing collaborative learning, Hossain said. He and UNK College of Business and Technology Dean Tim Jares have been meeting with officials from K-12 schools to discuss new ways to promote STEM education and increase the number of high school graduates interested in cybersecurity and other computer science fields. UNK already hosts a weeklong summer camp for middle school students who want to learn more about technology and cybersecurity, as well as CoderDojo events that allow youths to explore computer programming, website development, app and game design and other areas. Another potential collaboration would use UNKs facilities and faculty to connect with K-12 schools that dont have designated STEM or computer science teachers. Sharon Strouse, the executive director for the foundation, worked with Nebraska closely through mentoring, trainings and numerous phone calls. Strouse said that the Lincoln Highway was a great candidate for the byway designation because it tells a unique story of Nebraskan economics, travel and history through the landmarks along it. Strouse was able to help Nebraska tourism officials showcase the history and character of the byway in the management plan. Officials working on the application researched the highways role in Nebraska history, economics, recreation and culture. The highway runs along the historical Oregon, Mormon and California trails and the Pony Express route. There is an abundance of wildlife, including Sandhill cranes during their migration, that can be seen along the highway. Small-town wonders like historic gas stations and diners were marked as important stops on the highway. Once locations were recognized, officials said physical improvements were made along the highway to enhance the storytelling locations. These physical improvements included updating signage, removing billboards that obstruct scenic views, cleaning up along the roads and outlooks and ensuring small towns have the resources to welcome new visitors, officials said. Nebraska ranked 24th in the country with 63% of its adults having received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by last Friday. We have a good chance of meeting the July 4 70% vaccination goal set for the country by the White House. About 57% of Nebraska adults were fully vaccinated, placing the state in 22nd place for that statistic. More people have been vaccinated since Friday in our state and theres still 18 days to go before the holiday. Reaching that goal would truly be something to celebrate for Nebraska. It means that we have stepped up proactively and done what we need to do to ensure that our state doesnt experience another surge in virus cases. The state reported 234 new cases last week, almost a 50% drop from the 378 cases two weeks ago. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in the state had dropped to 28.43 last Sunday. Another good sign for Nebraska is its rank as having the fifth lowest per-capita rate of infection, behind only South Dakota, Vermont, California and Maryland. But because 16 states had rising numbers last week, including Kansas, we cant become lackadaisical. We need to continue vaccinating. Paris, TX (75460) Today Showers and a few thunderstorms likely. High near 85F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 67F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. A student at John A. Logan College, Crouse, 18, looks to a career in pediatric nursing. Miss Illinois is her first competition, being appointed recently as Miss John A. Logan College. A resident of Herrin, she said she is grateful to be competing locally. So many of the other girls have to travel, but Im grateful to be close to home, she said. Crouse said as Miss Illinois she hopes to promote pediatric health and well-being. Ashton Gentry Gentry, 20, is studying music online through the Berkeley College of Music in Boston. An avid guitarist, she will be playing electric guitar as her talent performance. The resident of Carterville said she wants to encourage others to love and appreciate music as she does, especially as a part of elementary education. Even if music isnt in the budget, there can always be ways to keep it in the school systems, she said. Janna Harner Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} For her, it has been an unusual reign. Marked by the pandemic, her time as wearing the crown was extended a second year since the competition was not held in 2020. A teacher by trade, she returned to the virtual classroom last year, while continuing duties as Miss Illinois on the side. Being Miss Illinois, I think, has helped me to learn to open up a little more and has helped me build a lot more confidence in myself, Beverly said. Hatfield said even those who do not win the title will gain from the experience. Being on stage in a live competition is a confidence-builder and what I think our organization does is allow young women to build and grow and become more aware of their own viewpoints and who they are as people as well as to develop as professionals, she said. We want them to be the people who are most competitive in the job market. She added that the demands on the winner during her reign are significant. It takes a very, very mature young woman to be Miss Illinois. Its an experience that expands your horizons. It gives you access and gives you a platform to further whatever you believe in; a sort of greater voice. It allows you to impact more people. It is a wonderful experience, Hatfield said. COLUMBIA A coroner has changed the death certificate of a mentally ill Black man who died in a South Carolina jail earlier this year to say he died by homicide, attorneys for the man's relatives said Tuesday. Although the certificate originally indicated Jamal Sutherland's manner of death was undetermined, Charleston County Coroner Bobbi ONeal amended the document earlier this month, according to a statement from attorneys Mark Peper and Gary Christmas. Sutherlands death in January gained national attention after county officials released video months later showing deputies attempting to take Sutherland to a bond court appearance the day after he was booked into jail. The footage shows that after Sutherland refused to leave his cell, deputies deployed stun guns and used pepper spray on him. I can't breathe, Sutherland said while handcuffed as one officer knelt on his back for more than two minutes. An hour later, he was pronounced dead, officials reported. The family reached this same conclusion immediately upon seeing the video of his death, the Tuesday statement reads. Thus they are pleased with the amended finding and remain steadfast in their pursuit of justice for Jamal. Harwell wrote Friday that Sigmon and Owens have failed to clearly show that electrocution violates the Eighth Amendment, citing more than a centurys worth of federal court precedent. The men's remaining legal options are running thin. Last week, a state judge evaluating a lawsuit over the new death penalty law also declined to halt their scheduled executions. The prisoners are also seeking respite from the South Carolina Supreme Court. Both men have also exhausted their traditional legal appeals. Sigmon, 63, was convicted in 2002 of killing his ex-girlfriends parents with a baseball bat in Greenville County. Owens, 43, was sentenced to death in 1999 for the shooting murder two years earlier of a convenience store clerk during an armed robbery, also in Greenville County. South Carolina is one of eight states to still use the electric chair and four to allow a firing squad, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Prison officials have not indicated a timeline for when the firing squad will be available, though they have said they are researching how other states operate their squads. There are 37 men under death sentence in South Carolina. The state's last execution took place in 2011, and its batch of lethal injection drugs expired two years later. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Just moments after Trump's assistant sent the documents, Donoghue sent the same documents to the U.S. attorneys in the Eastern and Western districts of Michigan. On Dec. 29, Trump's White House assistant emailed Rosen, Donoghue and Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall and included a draft legal brief for the Supreme Court, with a phone number where they could contact the president directly. The proposed complaint asked the court to "declare that the Electoral College votes cast" in the six battleground states that Trump lost "cannot be counted." It asked for the court to order a special election in those states. One of Trump's private attorneys then emailed senior Justice officials urging them to file the complaint. The emails show he repeatedly called Rosen's senior advisers and others in the Justice Department demanding meetings, saying he was driving from Maryland to Justice Department headquarters in Washington to meet with Rosen because he couldn't reach him. "As I said on our call, the President of the United States has seen this complaint, and he directed me last night to brief AG Rosen in person today and discuss bringing this action," he wrote in one email. "I have been instructed to report back to the President this afternoon after this meeting." About two weeks after the shooting, police got additional arrest warrants for the alleged dealer, who had already been arrested in the raid on the townhouse, and his brother, saying the pair had access to a locked closet in the apartment where a backpack containing drugs was found. Police also got arrest warrants for two women and a man who were in the apartment with Bolton. The warrants charge all three with possession of a gun by a felon after one gun was found in the kitchen and another in a bedroom. The man also had a backpack containing cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines, a warrant says. Daphne Bolton wants to know why her brother was shot and wants the officers fired and charged. She also wants no-knock warrants banned. The siblings grew up, along with an older sister who died five years ago, in a tightknit family in Mississippi. As teenagers, they moved to South Carolina with their mother after their parents divorced. Johnny Bolton never really liked school, but he was funny and well liked and drew a crowd when hed sing in public. He began using drugs in his late teens, possibly to cope with their parents divorce, his sister said. He moved to the Atlanta area as a young man. ISLANDTON, S.C. (AP) State police have released a brief timeline of events as part of their investigation into the shooting deaths of a mother and son from one of South Carolinas prominent legal families. On Tuesday, the State Law Enforcement Division released an update into their probe of the deaths of Paul Murdaugh and his mother, Maggie Murdaugh. At around 10 p.m. on June 7, police say Alex Murdaugh called 911, saying he had found the bodies of his son and wife on the family's property. According to SLED, Colleton County sheriffs deputies were dispatched and found the bodies, both of which had been shot multiple times. By 10:30 p.m., sheriff's deputies had contacted state police for help investigating the case. Just after midnight, SLED said its agents had arrived on-scene and have been working on the case since. The day after the bodies were discovered, crime scene investigators collected and submitted various items to the state police forensic lab for examination, police said. Up until Tuesday, state police had released little information about the shootings. If they fail, Democrats will pay a huge price -- probably losing the House and the Senate next year, and creating the conditions for a constitutional crisis in 2024 if the presidential election is at all close, especially if Trump is the GOP nominee. The For the People Act, which has passed the House and awaits Senate action, would effectively block the worst restrictions adopted by Republican legislatures. Since it will certainly be filibustered, however, the only way it can pass is if Democrats amend or eliminate the filibuster rule. But Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, has repeatedly rejected changes to the filibuster, and without his vote, nothing will happen. So the critical question becomes: Are there any circumstances under which Manchin can be induced to alter his view? Democrats need to take two steps. The first is to cut back the For the People Act, which weighs in at 800 pages and contains a long liberal wish list, from financing campaigns with public money to curbing the gerrymandering of congressional districts. They're good ideas, but not essential this year, and Manchin is far more likely to support a bill squarely centered on voting rights. The official start of summer is a week away. But you don't need to look at the calendar to know that the heat of the South Carolina summer is with us already. Many more hot days are ahead. With them come dangers. Not the least of them is the risk to children when they are left in hot vehicles. When its 85 degrees out, the temperature inside a car, even with the windows left slightly open, can soar to 102 degrees in 10 minutes, and can reach 120 in just half an hour. If that doesnt tell you why a child, a pet or anyone cannot be left inside a vehicle even for short periods, we dont know why not. Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children. Young children are particularly at risk, as their bodies heat up three to five times faster than an adults. When a childs internal temperature gets to 104 degrees, major organs begin to shut down. And when a childs temperature reaches 107 degrees, the child can die. Symptoms can quickly progress from flushed, dry skin and vomiting to seizures, organ failure and death. These tragedies are completely preventable. Safe Kids Worldwide is helping educate about how everyone can work together to keep kids safe from heatstroke using the acronym ACT. Job Title: Chauffeur (2 Job Opportunities) Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda Salary: UGX 33,985,552 /= Position Number: Kampala-2020-016 About US Embassy: The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda. The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador. Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Peace Corps Job Summary: The Chauffeur operates safely and efficiently an unarmored U.S. Government-owned or leased motor vehicle to transport passengers and/or cargo. Works as messenger as directed. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Chauffeur Responsibilities: As one of several motor pool chauffeurs, receives work assignments from the Dispatcher to transport State and/or other Agency personnel or cargo. Operates Embassy vehicles in the transportation of official visitors in support of U.S. Governments official activities. Assumes duty driver responsibility on a rotational basis. Incumbent may be required to make trips that require out-of-town stays. Maintains vehicle in a clean and serviceable condition, to include cleaning the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Performs basic vehicle inspection in accordance with established schedules and policies. Prepares trip reports, vehicle use and fuel logs. Estimates fuel consumption for trips. Safeguards U.S. Government property and uses U.S. Government resources efficiently, including the fuel-efficient operation of vehicles. Messengers Responsibilities: To include mail, cargo, documents pickup and delivery, as assigned. Handles cash up to $1000. Provides driver support for the Ambassador or DCM in the absence of their regularly-assigned chauffeurs, as directed. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: NOTE: All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item. The applicants for the United States US Embassy Chauffeur job opportunity should have completed high school education. Required. At least three years of professional driving experience is required. Must have a good working knowledge of the city and its environs, including driving routes and traffic patterns. Must be familiar with the location of hospitals, police and fire stations within the city and its immediate surroundings. Must hold a valid drivers license. Must have the ability to read maps and plan driving routes. Must have good verbal communication skills, and an ability to handle all persons with professionalism and discretion. Must be able to perform basic vehicle inspection and must possess intermediate level automotive maintenance skills. Must have basic computer skills to maintain reports and for communication purposes. This may be tested. Language: English level II (Limited knowledge) Reading/Writing/Speaking is required. This may be tested. How to Apply: All those interested in working with the US mission in Kampala should send their applications online at the link below. Click Here Deadline: 28th June 2021 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline This subscription will allow existing subscribers of The World to access all of our online 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 email us at admin@countrymedia.net or call us at 1-541 266 6047. The highest reported .pizza sale took place on Tuesday. 360.pizza was registered back in 2014 by a registrant out of Hong Kong. It looks like they let it expire at Dynadot and a Canadian registrant picked the domain name up around 2016. The domain name sold at Sedo for $7,273. The buyer looks to be out of the Czech Republic and is redirecting it to 360pizza.com. There have only been 12 reported .pizza domain name sales. Congrats to the seller. The Wyoming Supreme Court last week rejected a motion by the Attorney Generals Office to remove from the record the identity of a law enforcement officer whom the court found lied during testimony against Albin hemp farmers. Deputy Attorney General Jenny Craig had sought to protect the reputation of Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Jon Briggs after the Supreme Court censured a Laramie County prosecutor for allowing Briggs to twice make false testimony during a court hearing. On May 21, Craig filed a motion calling for the Supreme Court to redact Briggs name from its report on the censure and remove statements indicating he gave false testimony. The attorney claimed the court lacked the jurisdiction to determine wrongdoing on Briggs part and had denied him due process. The Supreme Court rejected that motion, ruling June 8 that the AGs office was not a party to the censure and had no standing to involve itself in the case. The Wyoming State Bar filed further evidence against Briggs prior to the decision, casting doubt on a DCI internal investigation that recommended he be cleared of wrongdoing. The Supreme Court did not cite that filing and the evidence therein in its concise ruling. Hyfield said she appreciates the support of all of those in Red Lodge volunteering their time, energy and homes in the wake of the towering blaze that is in full view from town. Hours after flames blackened most of Mt. Maurice, columns of smoke were still visible inside its remaining forest. As someone who lives in Red Lodge, seeing Mt. Maurice on fire, it does something to you, she said. A shelter for displaced residents has been set up at the Red Lodge Community Church, 308 Broadway Ave. South. Pam Peterson, pastor of the church, started welcoming evacuees Tuesday evening, just as flames started cresting over Mt. Maurice. Peterson, who is also a certified disaster chaplain, said anyone needing a place to stay is welcome indefinitely. Weve been in touch with two church families. One stayed with friends, the other stayed at a hotel, said Peterson, who the disaster management contact for all houses of worship in Carbon County. One couple and their dog arrived at the church early Wednesday morning. Rabbi Debra Kolodny and her partner arrived at their Red Lodge-area cabin after a trip to Yellowstone National Park when they saw an evacuation notice posted to their door. Unions have objected to mandatory vaccinations, in part because it treats those workers differently than the general population. The GMB union said the government should focus on persuading workers to get vaccinated rather than imposing mandates that might alienate staff members. According to the union, more than a third of care home workers have indicated they would consider leaving their jobs if they were forced to be vaccinated. The GMB called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government to improve pay and working conditions for care home employees and to bring mobile vaccination clinics to care homes to make it easier for them to receive shots. Instead, ministers are ploughing ahead with plans to strong-arm care workers into taking the vaccine without taking seriously the massive blocks these workers still face in getting jabbed, GMB national officer Rachel Harrison said. Some 84% of staff in care homes for older adults in England have had at least one dose of vaccine, and almost 69% have had both shots, according to NHS data. But vaccination rates vary across the country. In the borough of Hackney in east London, just 67% of care home workers have had their first dose and 59% have gotten two shots. 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. The Prime Minister has an open mind on the selection of a police commissioner. Asked yesterday whether as head of the Cabinet, his Government was prepared to approve a nomination coming to the Parliament for the continuation of Gary Griffith as Commissioner of Police, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said: We in the Cabinet keep an open mind on matters of national interest like that. The Cabinet has a duty to keep an open mind. The authority (Police Service Commission) advises us and we will look at the advice with an open mind as you would have seen us doing before. 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 Because of my previous association with the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), several persons have been asking why am I not commenting on the two self-government bills for Tobago. 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, There also were references to the latest GOP talking points, including Salmons promises to protect election integrity and strengthen voter ID. Salmon, more than any of the other Republican contenders, has an extensive record. As a state senator first elected in 1990, he backed various tax-cut measures. He also was behind a move to abolish both the Arizona Lottery and parimutuel wagering on horses and dogs, saying once the state did that, it could avoid having tribal casinos. Six years in the U.S. House followed, after which he stepped aside, keeping his pledge to serve no more than three terms. That led to the gubernatorial bid in 2002 when he gained the GOP nod after trouncing Secretary of State Betsey Bayless and Treasurer Carol Spinger. That teed him up to run against Democrat Janet Napolitano, who was attorney general at the time. But the race was complicated by the entry of Richard Mahoney, a former Democratic secretary of state, who ran as an independent and picked up nearly 85,000 votes, and Libertarian Barry Hess, who tallied more than 20,000. Napolitano won. A petition to recall state Rep. Mark Finchem will not continue, organizers said this week. The recall effort was facing a July 8 deadline to collect about 25,000 signatures of residents of Legislative District 11 to force a recall of the Republican lawmaker who represents an area northwest of Tucson including Oro Valley, Marana and into Pinal County. An online update from the organizer, Rural Arizonans for Accountability, said it had collected 18,000 signatures since the effort began in early March. After analyzing the number of signatures we still need, the shrinking number of days left until our deadline, and our current finances, we made the difficult decision to stop collecting signatures, the group said in a statement emailed to supporters. The group said it launched the petition drive because of Finchems dishonesty, his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, his history of spreading conspiracy theories and his failure to perform his duties as a legislator. The group said Finchem, who is running for Arizona secretary of state in 2022, is still being dishonest about his activities during the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol. Some people want it to be over when its not quite yet over, Crow told KTAR radio host Larry Gaydos, whose mother died of COVID-19 last year. Keep in mind the universities bring together thousands of students from all over the world. The University of Arizona was the focus of an outbreak that began as soon as students returned to Tucson in August and continued for weeks before they got it under control. That was a time between the periods of Duceys epic pandemic flops, when Arizona twice suffered among the worst outbreaks in the world in June-July, 2020, and again in December 2020 and January 2021. University experts were there to help him find his way out of those holes, but now hes insistent on digging again. Tim Steller is an opinion columnist. A 25-year veteran of reporting and editing, he digs into issues and stories that matter in the Tucson area, reports the results and tells you his conclusions. Contact him at tsteller@tucson.com or 520-807-7789. On Twitter: @senyorreporter Tim Steller is an opinion columnist. A 25-year veteran of reporting and editing, he digs into issues and stories that matter in the Tucson area, reports the results and tells you his conclusions. Contact him at tsteller@tucson.com or 520-807-7789. On Twitter: @senyorreporter Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. And even professional forecasters sometimes fail to get it right. Everyone is kind of interested in predictions, but none of them are good, Guido said. This is for a whole bunch of reasons, but mostly because the monsoon is a complicated phenomenon that makes our scientific ability to predict it really low. Its really not better than flipping a coin. Crimmins insists the contest is not meant to trivialize something he said is critically important to our ecosystem, agriculture and more. Instead, he said in the statement: I like to think of the fantasy monsoon (game) as an outlet for our stress and an expression of our reverence surrounding this time of year. The competition is open to anyone. Participants just have to log in to the contest website monsoonfantasy.arizona.edu and complete a short questionnaire about their monsoon experience before making their predictions. Entries are due a week before the start of each month so players cant take unfair advantage of the latest seven-day forecasts. She was on the staff of the school newspaper, a member of the National Honor Society and in the drama club. In my learnings about Daniel Pearl, I have learned that he expressed himself and his identity and bravely took on stories that were dangerous yet courageous," she wrote. I aspire not only to be myself but to be brave and courageous just like Mr. Pearl and through my passion create a legacy like his own. The scholarship is funded by contributions from the newspapers as well as Pearl's friends and colleagues from the region. The legal case in Pearl's death is ongoing. Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh, a Pakistani-British man convicted of helping lure Pearl to a meeting in Karachi, during which he was kidnapped, was acquitted by a court in Pakistan last year and released from death row to a safe house earlier this year. Pearls family and Pakistans government have appealed the acquittal and U.S. officials have expressed outrage and said it would seek Sheikhs extradition so he could face justice. Three other men convicted and sent to prison for life were also acquitted. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. We are free Americans and in these streets, we will fight and we will bleed before we allow our freedom to be taken from us, Taylor said, according to the indictment. In a video posted on his organizations YouTube channel less than a month after the election, Hostetter expressed his belief that votes for Trump had been switched to Biden and that some people at the highest levels need to be made an example of with an execution or two or three, the indictment says. Three days before the riot, Hostetter posted a message on the American Phoenix Projects Instagram account about a looming battle." Things are going to come to a head in the U.S. in the next several days. Stay tuned! he wrote. After the riot, Hostetter posted a photo on the same account of himself and Taylor with rioters in the background. He called it the 2021 version of 1776, the indictment says. That war lasted 8 years. We are just getting started, he wrote. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) When it comes to deciding whether a sperm donor should pay child support, a judge should follow the paternity laws of the state where the child is conceived, a North Carolina appeals court ruled this week. The case involved Anthony Garrelts, a North Carolina man who agreed by a verbal contract to provide artificial insemination for Ericka Glenn, who wanted to raise a child with her partner. Glenn and Garrelts met in Virginia, and the insemination and pregnancy occurred there before the child was born in late 2011. Glenn the only parent mentioned on the birth certificate moved with the child in 2014 to California, where she received public benefits. In 2019, the Department of Social Services in Warren County, North Carolina, went to court to get Garrelts to pay child support to Glenn, stating he was the childs father. Garrelts' lawyer argued that under Virginia law, a sperm donor is not a conceived child's parent. But District Court Judge Adam Keith applied North Carolina law, which he said appeared to provide no such exception. He ordered Garrelts to pay more than $13,600 in back child support, $50 per month going forward and to provide the child health insurance. Garrelts appealed. We get his testimony from that case and start to ask him questions, the jurors are not stupid, theyre going to know what that is, Raybin said. Moore said there is plenty of time until the trial, adding that they may or may not actually call Stiger as a witness. Moore added that he thinks a jury shouldn't need any expert testimony when they see video footage of the shooting. But if there are expert witnesses, Moore said, Stiger should be allowed to testify. The back-and-forth came as the prosecution and defense made their late-game arguments about what should or shouldn't be revealed to a jury. The jurors will be picked the week before the trial starts. After Moore said prosecutors don't think experts are needed because of the video available, Raybin argued the opposite. Raybin asked the judge to exclude all video evidence because of additional footage that the defense argued could have shown a key, unseen blip in the chase, but was not retained in the investigation. Moore countered that it's unlikely that the additional, unreviewed video would show anything new. In the latest sighting, a resident found the dead hornet on his lawn near the city of Marysville and reported it June 4 to the state agency. Entomologists retrieved it June 8, reporting that it was very dried out and a male hornet. Given the time of year, that it was a male and that the specimen was exceptionally dry, entomologists believe it was an old hornet from a previous season that wasnt discovered until now, officials said. New males usually dont emerge until at least July. There is no obvious pathway for how the hornet got to Marysville, officials said. The find is perplexing because it is too early for a male to emerge, said Dr. Osama El-Lissy, deputy administrator for the U.S. Department of Agricultures quarantine program. El-Lissy said the federal agency would work with state officials to survey the area to verify whether a population exists in Snohomish County. Because it was found for the first time in that county and had different coloring than previously collected specimens in North America, the hornet was submitted to the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for final verification. ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) A federal appeals court on Wednesday reinstated a lawsuit from a northern Virginia student who said her school failed to take appropriate action after she said she was sexually assaulted on a band trip. The student, who has since graduated, said administrators at Oakton High School in Fairfax County, treated her with indifference after she said another student touched her inappropriately without her consent on a school bus during an out-of-state trip in 2017. At a trial in 2019 in federal court in Alexandria, a jury found that she had indeed been assaulted. But they tossed out her case on a technicality, ruling that the school system had no actual notice of the assault. Indeed, there was clear indication from the jury that it was confused over what was required to show actual notice. The jury asked a question about the standard during its deliberations, and multiple jurors said after the case that there was a misunderstanding. In Wednesday's 2-1 ruling from a three judge-panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Judge James Wynn said it was obvious that the school had notice, given that the girl herself told administrators she'd been touched without her consent, and multiple students and parents reported the alleged assault as word got around. Toensing's law firm has said she was told she was not a target of the investigation. Jones, who was appointed her to the task by the judge, said lawyers for Giuliani and Toensing will designate documents for her review that they believe are protected by attorney-client privilege or are highly personal, such as medical records. At that point, remaining materials in each batch of items that were not designated for review will be released to prosecutors. On occasion, Jones said she may speak to government representatives if she needs additional background information to help her decide whether an item is protected by privilege. If Jones finds any of the potentially privileged documents should in fact be released to prosecutors, she will refer them to a judge to make a final decision. The process is similar to how Jones conducted a privilege review of materials seized in 2018 from Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime personal attorney who pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges and other crimes and was sentenced to three years in prison. Pendleton sold his cattle in the spring because he knew he wouldnt have pasture for them. He was expecting to get just one cut of alfalfa instead of the usual three, but even the one crop was stressed from the lack of water, he said, lowering yields. A similar situation is playing out near the California-Oregon border as drought conditions worsen across the U.S. West. Federal regulators last month shut off irrigation water to hundreds of farmers from a key reservoir and said they would not send extra water to dying salmon downstream. In Idaho, snowpack melted about three weeks early in the Big Wood Basin, according to the federal Natural Resources Conservation Services. Thats a trend scientists have said will likely intensify with climate change, and could make water supply less predictable. At the beginning of June, there was about 22,000 acre-feet of water storage, and the reservoir was 11% full. The early June water measurement has only been lower than 2021 levels once since 1917 in 1992, according to the agency. Still, in that year, farmers received more water in late June. The problem is that we went into this last winter with a very low reservoir, Thompson said. Then there was very little gain in water levels over the winter and spring. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Oseguera works with Latinas in different industries and hears firsthand why so many haven't returned to the workforce. Theyre worried about going back and getting sick, Oseguera said. My hope is also that those jobs really reconsider the way that we have been working with essential workers to not only have a secure environment but also have access to paid family leave, paid sick leave, access to fair pay, so that we can really recover from the last year of not being part of the workforce. For Ciara Fernandez Faber, going back to work also depends on the work-life balance she needs to care for her toddler. Faber, who lives in Denver, left her job as an attorney when her son's preschool closed. Her husband is a doctor, and it wasn't an option for him to stay home with him. To my experience, like, it doesnt matter what profession it is, it just seems like across the board its impacted Latina women more. I dont know if its like values that we place on work-life balance or child care issues. I dont know, Faber said. - Associated Press writers Alexandra Olson in New York City and Chris Rugaber in Arlington, Virginia, contributed to this report. - Galvan covers issues impacting Latinos in the U.S. for the APs Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/astridgalvan Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) An Arkansas man arrested for sitting with his feet on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot asked a federal judge to allow him to travel for a classic-car swap meet. Richard Barnett 's attorney, Joseph McBride of New York City, claims Barnett needs to travel to make a living. Mr. Barnetts second job of buying and selling classic cars is now his primary source of income. Consequently, his ability to travel for work is crucial to his ability to pay his bills, provide for his family and fund his legal defense. Barnett is currently only allowed to travel up to 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) from his residence while he is on home detention awaiting trial, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Petit Jean Mountain, where the car show is being held, is 200 miles (321.87 kilometers) from Gravette. Nelson said Cahill abused his discretion when he denied earlier requests to move the trial out of Hennepin County, postpone the trial and sequester the jury. Prosecutors disagreed, saying Chauvin got a fair trial and nothing requires the court to take the extraordinary step of overturning the verdict. They said the court made sound decisions to manage the trial and those decisions did not prejudice Chauvin. They cited the lengthy process of jury questioning, the fact that the judge kept the jury anonymous and that two seated jurors were dismissed because it was determined they could not be impartial after learning of the city's settlement. They also noted that each side got additional strikes, and the defense still had strikes remaining when a jury was picked. They said Nelson did not meet his burden of showing that specific jurors in this case were impacted by publicity, and each juror was carefully vetted, noting that 326 potential jurors returned answers to more than 69 written questions. A jurors mere exposure to pretrial publicity does not create a reasonable likelihood of an unfair trial, prosecutors wrote, adding: This process was well-designed to weed out biased jurors." In an interview, Farhadian Weinstein told The Associated Press that the issue would have no bearing on her handling of the Trump case, which has involved scrutiny of his tax records. In its article, part of a series on tax strategies of the wealthy, ProPublica said there was no indication the Weinsteins did anything illegal. ProPublica has an ideology that theyve been trying to put out with this series of articles, and I think its interesting and worth discussing whether we should have a wealth tax rather than an income tax, Farhadian Weinstein told the AP. But right now we have an income tax system. And so in the years that you dont earn income, you dont pay taxes. ProPublica reported that Farhadian Weinstein and her husband listed negative income for two of the four years in which they paid no federal income taxes. In the other two years, the nonprofit news organization reported, she and her husband listed about $1 million in earnings but were able to trim their bill through deductions. Boaz Weinstein took issue with ProPublica's reporting and an assertion in the article that he and Farhadian Weinstein paid a federal income tax rate of 25.9% between 2010 and 2018. TOWNSHEND, Vt. (AP) A Vermont town is divided about renaming a brook that has an outdated, racialized name, though a state agency may ultimately make the decision. The Vermont Board of Libraries is meeting Thursday to respond to a petition asking for the renaming of Negro Brook, which is located in Townshend State Park, the Brattleboro Reformer reported. Residents of Burlington first asked for the name to be changed two years ago. One of them, Evan Litwin, said the brook is the only known United States Geological Survey natural feature in Vermont that continues to have a race-based name. Steffen Gillom, president of the Windham County NAACP, supports renaming the brook after Susanna Toby, a Black woman who was an early settler of the town. No one likes it, Gillom said of the brook's current name. We definitely dont like it. So it made sense to support the change and we thought the story of Susanna Toby was compelling, and it was powerful." How did I hurt you? Oneal asked. You stabbed me, his son replied. He also described how his father set fire to the house using gasoline. Investigators say the wounded boy came out of the burning house and described what had happened. The first words that came out of this brave boy's mouth: My daddy killed my mommy, Harmon told jurors. Jurors also heard a 911 call from Barron in which she desperately sought help as Oneal yelled in the background. OK, Ronnie, I'm sorry, she says on the recording. I'm so sorry. Help me. I can't move my arm. My arm is shot up, Ronnie. Please. Oneal contended that investigators fabricated evidence to implicate him and that his son was coached on what to say. The evidence is going to show that I love my children," Oneal told jurors. The evidence will not show you that my son witnessed me beat his mom to death, nor did he witness me shoot his mom. In fact, he didn't witness much at all. The trial is expected to last through the end of next week. Oneal could get the death penalty if convicted. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. HELSINKI (AP) NATO member Estonia said Wednesday that two Russian fighter jets have violated its airspace, in what it claimed was the fourth such incident this year. Two Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighters entered the Baltic country's airspace in the vicinity of Hiiumaa, a Baltic Sea island belonging to Estonia, without permission and spent less than one minute there Tuesday morning, Estonias military said in a statement. It added that the transponders on the Russian planes werent switched on, they hadnt filed a flight plan and there was no two-way radio communication with the Estonian air traffic service. The Russian Embassy's charge daffaires was summoned to the Estonian Foreign Ministry and handed a note on the incident. In a quick response, Moscow denied the air intrusion and said the planes had performed a routine flight over the international waters of the Baltic Sea on Tuesday. The flight took place strictly in accordance with the set route. During the flight, the planes did not deviate from their route, which is confirmed by air situation data, the Russian Defense Ministry said, as quoted by the news agency Interfax. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) Malaysia's government has issued a directive ordering all civil servants to use the legal spelling of the prime minister's name, after a court earlier squashed a detention order that was signed by the leader using his more widely known unofficial spelling. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's office told all civil servants in a circular earlier June to use his real name, Mahiaddin Yasin, in all formal documents. It said this followed advice from the Attorney-General's Chambers but didn't elaborate. Mahiaddin is the leader's birth name, but he has popularly been known as Muhyiddin throughout his long political career. While pronounced slightly differently, both are variants of the same name. News of the government directive was first reported Wednesday. The move came after a High Court in April revoked a detention order the prime minister had signed using his unofficial spelling and freed a man detained for allegedly distributing drugs. The court decision raised questions about the legality of other documents he may have signed previously using his unofficial spelling. OPINION: Water is the subject of the day. How to conserve, the proposed water rate increase and building of more houses and the where the water will come from. Join the discussion, writer at letter at tucson.com/opinion. 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. If you're someone who wants to try a little bit of everything, flights are a great solution. Here are seven food and drink flights to get in Tucson, from places such as Reforma, The Screamery and Bawker Bawker. The Star's longtime columinist writes about who should be the Arizona Wildcats' next baseball coach, a new role for former Sabino standout Tod Brown and Deandre Ayton's emergence in the NBA Playoffs. The [John Lewis] bill could be amended to make it retrospective as well as prospective, Weiser said although she noted that negotiating universally applicable standards for reviewing state laws would not be an easy task. Third, and perhaps most urgent, Congress needs to make it harder for anti-democratic politicians to overturn the results of the next presidential election. That means rewriting the 1877 Electoral Count Act, a once-forgotten but justly maligned statute that President Donald Trump tried to use last year to block the certification of Joe Bidens electoral vote. The 1877 law was passed in an attempt to establish rules for Congress to decide the outcome of a presidential election when states fail to report clear or uncontested results but in its first major test in practice, it proved to be an ungainly mess. The law allows state legislatures to overrule their own voters in the event of a failed election, without defining what a failed election might be. Last year, Trump and his allies appealed to legislators in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Arizona all states Biden won to award their electoral votes to him instead. None of the legislatures complied, but theres no guarantee that future candidates wont try the same gambit. With the end of the CDC eviction moratorium in sight, Dilks said, efforts to ensure access to legal representation for those facing the threat of eviction are more important now than ever. Landlords argue that the moratoriums have essentially forced them to rent properties for free. Technically, tenants will still owe the full amount of unpaid rents when the moratorium expires, but it may prove impossible to actually collect overdue balances, landlords say. Our members want to be involved in the conversations about how we can work together to prevent evictions, said Keri Cooper, the executive director of the Tulsa Apartment Association. Evictions are costly for everyone involved, but it is the only tool available for a rental housing provider to regain their property when the resident is not paying their rent. A right to counsel wont change the ultimate outcome for tenants who arent paying rents, but it could prolong the legal process, hurting property owners financially while tenants sink deeper and deeper into debt, landlords say. We feel strongly that a right to counsel program is a broad-brush approach that ultimately will not have the impact that those advocating for it believe it will, Cooper said. In the Oklahoma area, we only have about two or three (opportunities for those with developmental disabilities), where the opportunities I had to go to post-secondary education were seemingly limitless, Robinson said. Danielle deserves to go and get a post-secondary education because weve seen the benefits of a post-secondary degree with employment and jobs, and all sorts of wage increases and things like that. Although the COVID-19 pandemic forced local contest winners to wait an additional year before competing for the state title, Robinson said the additional time was well spent on preparation. I dont think there was a drawback to waiting, I would have waited a thousand more days to serve this state and to be the person that Ive become because of this organization, Robinson said. I know that the wait definitely gave me a little bit more time to prepare things like my talent (performance) and prepare myself for the job responsibilities. Ive been out of college for two years now, and I think the development Ive seen in myself outside of college has definitely prepared me to serve our state better. Robinson will represent Oklahoma in the 100th anniversary of the Miss America competition. The contest, which will be held in Uncasville, Connecticut, is scheduled for December. The French Hen, 319 E. Archer St., will welcome Ken Bernards, owner of Napa Valleys Ancien Winery, as the restaurant will feature some of Anciens wines to accompany a special French-Asian fusion menu. The dinner will be held at 6:22 p.m. Wednesday, June 23. Ancien Winery works exclusively with pinot noir, pinot gris and chardonnay grapes, which Bernards imports whole from France and replants in his California vineyard. The menu, prepared by chef-owner Kathy Bondy and her staff, begins with a Vietnamese crepe filled with chicken, shrimp and mushrooms. This will be followed by seared scallops in a sake beurre blanc, and Croque Monsieur eggrolls. The entree is a barbecue duck confit with Asian noodles, with ginger creme brulee for dessert. Cost is $130 per person, which includes tax and gratuity. Reservations are required; call 918-492-2596 or go to frenchhentulsa.com to reserve a seat. Little Venice Fathers DayLittle Venice, 208 N. Main St. in downtown Sand Springs, will host a special La Cena Del Papa, or Fathers Day Dinner, 5 p.m. Sunday, June 20. Theres not much thats cheesy at Madres Mexican Kitchen. Madres Mexican Kitchen: Need to know Food: 4 stars Service: 4 stars Atmosphere: 4 stars Its a comment that draws a laugh from Jerry Murillo, one of the owners of this newly opened restaurant. Yeah, one of the things we wanted to do was move away from the traditional Tex-Mex approach, he said. We wanted the flavor of our food to come from the ingredients we use and the way we prepare them, instead of just covering everything in cheese sauce. Madres is located in the building that formerly housed the original Mahogany Prime Steakhouse. The space has been lightened up considerably, to give it a more open feel, but not even a cheeky bit of neon spelling out Te Amo Tequila can quite dispel the lingering upscale aura of the place. Fortunately, the food at Madres Mexican Kitchen more than lives up to its surroundings. Familiar menu items have been given some distinctive twists that elevate them above the norm one usually encounters at places with the word Mexican in their name. And Madres offers some dishes that one rarely, if ever, encounters locally. We spent about two years developing this concept, Murillo said. Weve traveled all over Mexico, and we wanted to offer dishes that are unique to the various states and regions of Mexico an elevated version of modern Mexican cuisine. During a recent lunch service, four of my colleagues joined me to sample as much of the menu as we could in as decorous a manner as possible. My choice was the cochinita pibil ($18), a Yucatan specialty of slow-braised pork thats been marinated in citrus juice and achiote, and wrapped in banana leaves. The traditional method is to braise the meat in a pit in the ground filled with live coals, but although this methodology is not feasible in a south Tulsa business area, the result was wonderfully tender, with a hint of acidity from orange juice used to marinate it. It came topped with slices of pickled red onion, black beans and a scoop of white rice (it was also supposed to be served with corn tortillas and a habanero salsa, but I didnt realize their absence until I was nearly finished). One of the best dishes ordered was the enchiladas poblanas ($13.50) and the enchiladas verdes ($13). The enchiladas poblanas were filled with roasted chicken and poblano peppers in corn tortillas that were made in-house, and topped with a rich mole sauce of incredible depth and complexity of flavor. The enchiladas verdes, also filled with chicken, had a creamy sauce made with serrano chiles that balanced the heat with a citrusy tang that was addictive. What most restaurants call fajitas are listed on Madres menu as parradillas, and the shrimp version ($17) came with a good portion of nicely grilled shrimp, a generous amount of red and green bell peppers and onions, a healthy scoop of fresh-tasting guacamole and much to the delight of the person who ordered it enough tortillas to contain it all. The one dish that was something of a disappointment was the black salmon ($18). Perhaps we were expecting something close to the sort of highly seasoned, hard-seared coating of blackened fish; what was served was roasted salmon fillet with a spotty char and not a lot of seasoning. On the other hand, the roasted Brussels sprouts that came with it were excellent these small, pearl onion-sized sprouts were tender and flavorful with none of the sulfurous quality larger examples can have. We were able to sample a wider range of foods during the photo shoot, including the pork belly chicharrones ($9.75,) which are slices of braised-then-fried pork belly topped with a tomatillo sauce that were wickedly tasty; the tacos cameron ($16), with juicy shrimp in a chile-lime butter and chipotle salsa; the pastel de chocolate ($9), a dense, rich chocolate cake topped with a large scoop of ice cream and served with a Kahlua-flavored sauce; and the mole ($18), which here was slices of grilled chicken topped with that wonderful mole sauce. Theres about 20 ingredients that go into our mole, said Sergio Villar, the restaurants executive chef. Personally, I like to eat it with plain white rice. You can taste the generations in that sauce. Villar, a native of Chihuahua, became interested in cooking when his mother would take him with her when she went to work at a local restaurant. I would watch her in the kitchen, and after a while I figured out that one could make a career out of being a cook, he said. I started out as a busboy and dishwasher, and worked my way. Villar said he had previously worked with a number of corporation restaurants; he turned down an executive chef position with P.F. Changs in order to go to work at Madres. There was another consideration; the restaurants owners, Murillo and Juan Oropezo, are his uncles. But the quality of the food, and the inventiveness of his approach, makes it obvious that Villar more than earned his position. Murillo said the restaurant focuses on seasonal ingredients as much as possible, and making everything in-house. We also make our own margarita mix each day, and our cocktails are made fresh, Murillo said. We make our own tortillas, all our sauces, we get the best seasonal vegetables we can. In fact, the only thing we have in cans here is the IPA beer at the bar. Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. After enduring six weeks on a ventilator last fall with COVID-19, Tricia Bergen didnt want to take a vaccine after hearing rumors that some shots could trigger the disease itself. I was adamant that I was not going to get it, Bergen said Tuesday. It can be difficult to know what to believe. As friends and loved ones encouraged her to reconsider, Bergen sought advice from three doctors, all of whom agreed that side effects were rare and almost always mild. Some mild or even moderate side effects would be better than you ending up in the hospital again, one told her. And Bergen had to agree. Two weeks after receiving a vaccination, the Tulsan spoke to an online forum with the Healthier Oklahoma Coalition, a group representing health-care professional organizations from around the state. Its been 16 days, and Im very glad I did it, she told the group. Most experts agree that people will eventually need booster shots to remain immune, according to data presented during the forum. A Drumright man was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday after he admitted to defrauding his employer, an Illinois energy company, in excess of $400,000 in revenues. U.S. District Judge Claire Eagan ordered David Owen West, 59, to serve a 21-month prison term followed by three years of post-custody supervision. West pleaded guilty in February to three counts of a 30-count indictment that charged him with fraud and money laundering. David West ran two criminal schemes against his employer, Petco Petroleum, and pocketed more than $400,000 worth of stolen money and product, said Acting U.S Attorney Clint Johnson. Wests criminal acts and deceit finally caught up with him. This convicted felon will spend nearly two years in federal prison thanks to the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles McLoughlin, the special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI, the U.S. Attorneys Office Asset Forfeiture investigator Don Shoemake, and retired FBI special agent Daniel Risner. The grand jury indictment issued in September alleged that West stole oil and gas products while working for Petco Petroleum, an Illinois company that hired him to manage wells and hire vendors and service companies to maintain the companys wells. State prosecutors initially had charged Ahaisse with first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, endangering others while eluding police and possession of a firearm after a former felony conviction. The McGirt ruling found that since Congress had never disestablished the 1860s-era Muscogee Nation reservation, the state did not have jurisdiction to try American Indians for major crimes occurring within the reservation. The federal indictment charged Ahaisse with three counts: first-degree murder in Indian Country, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm and ammunition while a felon in connection with the shooting of Collins. But federal prosecutors filed a felony information on Monday charging him with second-degree murder in Indian Country, a move that usually accompanies a plea agreement and the later dismissal of the original charges. Collins girlfriend, who was with Collins at the time, told police that Ahaisse forced open the door to Collins residence and shot him several times before fleeing. Before shooting Collins, Ahaisse had served time in prison for his part in the 2009 shooting death of a 14-year-old boy. Tulsas Great Raft Race has been canceled for the second year in a row, with the 2021 event affected by ongoing construction of a turnpike bridge over the Arkansas River. Event organizers recently toured the construction site, where bridge pillars for the Gilcrease Expressway extension reportedly create an unsafe and unpredictable zone for rafts, according to a news release. Safety of our participants and organizers has always been our top priority, and we dont feel its possible for a safe river passageway through the area, said Seth Erkenbeck, race director. Like many events in town, we were really looking forward to the return of the race again in 2021, but some things are out of our control. With the projected completion date of spring 2022 for bridge construction, it may be possible for the Great Raft Race to return to Tulsa next Labor Day, Erkenbeck said. The event, which began in 1973, would typically start in Sand Springs Case Community Park and end 8 miles downriver at River Parks West Festival Park. After a 24-year hiatus, it was revived in 2015. COVID-19 prompted the cancellation of last years event. The American Red Cross is calling on Tulsans to help stave off an emerging shortage of blood affecting the organization nationwide. Hospitals in the U.S. are responding to an atypically high number of trauma cases and emergency room visits, according to data released by the American Red Cross. Demand from trauma centers has climbed by 10% in 2021 compared to 2019. In addition to trauma needs, there is a great hospital demand for blood as people who deferred care during the height of the pandemic present with more advanced disease progression, requiring blood transfusions, the Red Cross said in a news release. Over the last three months, the Red Cross has distributed about 75,000 more blood products than expected to meet these needs. Dr. Sean Smith, medical director of the Hillcrest Medical Center laboratory, said Hillcrest is seeing the impact of the blood shortage firsthand and is in special need of red blood cells and platelets. The University of Oklahoma has been awarded up to $208 million over five years for a new institute for severe and high-impact weather research. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday it selected OU to host NOAAs new Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations. The program could be renewed for another five years based on successful performance. It is an extraordinary honor for the university to be selected to lead the new Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said in a statement. As Oklahomas flagship institution, our mission is to harness innovation and pathbreaking discoveries to advance society. Through the new cooperative institute and the work of hundreds of researchers, we will see profound advancements in the study of weather, leading to improved warning systems that will ultimately save lives. The mission of the institute is to conduct severe and high-impact weather research to improve understanding of severe and high-impact weather in collaboration with NOAA. Von der Leyen met with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has compared the EU Next Generation funds to a new Marshall Plan. Spains Secretary of State for Industry Raul Blanco told The Associated Press that the government is aiming at spending around 5 billion euros ($6 billion) over the next three years on its electric vehicle initiative. Spain produced 2.2 million cars and trucks in 2020, second only to Germany in Europe. But only 140,000 of these were electric or hybrids, according to ANFAC, the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers. What we are doing is accelerating a change that is already taking place, Blanco said. This is a unique opportunity. The automakers are on board, and there are resources to carry out the investments. A leader in highspeed electric trains, Spain wants to put 250,000 more electric vehicles on its roads within two years, adding to the current 96,000. The push for electric cars should reduce CO2 emissions by 450,000 tons, according to government projections as Spain aims to completely convert to renewable energy by 2050, in line with EU targets. Maxine Zarrow, a longtime Tulsa volunteer and philanthropist who along with her husband, late oilman Jack Zarrow, supported a variety of charities and social services, many of them through the efforts of the Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Foundation, died Monday, June 14. She was 95. A graveside service is set for 10 a.m. Thursday at Rose Hill Memorial Park. No visitation is planned. Fitzgerald Ivy Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. The still-thriving foundation, which the Zarrows founded together, has a history of supporting causes that were dear to the couple, with special focus on the arts, children, education, mental health and issues affecting the Jewish community. As generous with her time as with her financial resources, Maxine Zarrow also provided leadership to several nonprofit organizations and cultural institutions. In addition to the Oklahoma Arts Council, to which she was appointed in 2003 by Gov. Brad Henry, she served on boards for Mental Health Association Oklahoma, Gilcrease Museum, the Margaret Hudson Program, the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges, Family & Childrens Services Mental Health and the Greenwood Cultural Center. Oklahoma State University once again wants to thank Oklahoma leaders for fulfilling the promise to fund the states innovative and transformative match program for endowed chairs. Funding is the biggest challenge facing Oklahoma higher education institutions, and the state dollar-for-dollar match program, signed into law 35 years ago by OSU alumnus and then Gov. Henry Bellmon, incentivized donors to partner with the state to attract and retain high-achieving faculty. The program actually worked too well, and the state was forced to cap it in 2008. Right before the cap took effect, the late Boone Pickens gave a $100 million challenge match to Oklahoma State University that ignited an outpouring of giving. Boones gift demonstrated the power and potential of the state match program, but it also was a significant addition to a backlog. The state has now addressed that situation and given a huge boost to Oklahoma higher education. The endowed chair program strengthens faculty recruitment initiatives by providing a consistent source of investment to support our professors in their teaching, research and service activities in critical disciplines such as energy, engineering, agriculture and medicine. Despite executive orders issued by Gov. Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma residents are still camping out before sunrise at Department of Public Safety offices and waiting months for testing and identification cards. The Legislature set aside $6.6 million for Tulsa and Oklahoma City to host megacenters this summer to knock down the Real ID backlog, hoping to alleviate the burden on the offices for drivers tests. This was the solution last summer when the Oklahoma Employment Services Commission was overwhelmed by unemployment claims. It helped, but residents still had lingering problems with access. Both situations were results of the Legislatures consistent cuts to the agencies as tax revenue fell. Its inefficient and frustrating to citizens for the state to depend on periodic mass centers with one-time funding to provide services after reaching a crisis level. State leaders need to find more long-term solutions to keeping state services adequately resourced. DPS provides a necessary service to the workforce. It is the gatekeeper to government-issued identification, travel documents and licensed driving. No one should be shut out from that system or find it too difficult to maneuver. Vietnam has imposed an anti-dumping levy of 47.64% on some sugar products from Thailand for five years to replace a temporary tax introduced in February, the countrys industry and trade ministry said on Wednesday. The decision comes after the ministry finished an anti-dumping investigation that started last September on behalf of the domestic industry. The probe showed that subsidised sugar shipments from Thailand surged 330.4% to 1.3 million tonnes in 2020 and the imports were undermining the domestic sugar industry, the ministry said in a statement. Previously the industry ministry imposed a temporary 33.88% levy on Thai sugar in February. Sansern Samalapa, Thailands vice commerce minister, told Reuters the countrys embassy in Vietnam would initially respond by filing an objection and ask Vietnam to open another investigation to review the measures again next year. Well ask Vietnam to review this again next year and open a new investigation ...to confirm that we didnt dump in the market and to ask them to decrease the tax, said Sansern. Vietnam removed import duties on sugar imported from Southeast Asian countries in 2020, in accordance with the commitments of the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement. However, provisions allow Association of Southeast Asian Nations to impose import duties to protect the rights and interests of their domestic industries against anti-competitive behaviour. In the future, Vietnam will continue to coordinate with relevant agencies to monitor the impact of anti-dumping measures, the Vietnamese industry ministry said. Vietnam earned US$22.58 billion in exports of agricultural products in the first five months of this year, up 30.1 percent year on year, despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The countrys agricultural production increased sharply in not only output but also export value during this period, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The export revenue of major farm produce was estimated at $7.78 billion, up 13 percent. Meanwhile, livestock shipments recorded a 43.9 growth rate, generating $166 million. Seafood export value was at around $3.24 billion, up 12 percent, and forestry products fetched $7.06 billion, up 61.8 percent. Many products with high export value recorded significant growth. For example, rubber surged 58.7 percent in output and 93.9 percent in value, while cashew nuts saw an 18.3-percent spike in output and 4.9-percent increase in value. Asian countries remained the key markets of Vietnamese agro products, securing a market share of 46.5 percent, followed by Americas with 27 percent and Europe with 10.1 percent. The United States was the biggest importer with a market share of 24.6 percent, followed by China with 22.6 percent, Japan with 6.6 percent, and South Korea with 4.9 percent. China alone imported 2.5 million metric tons of fresh fruits from Vietnam between January and May, equivalent to 76.2 percent of the total volume of 2020. To promote exports, the agriculture ministry has actively supported localities, farmers, and businesses in improving production, processing and consumption of agricultural products amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Advertising their services in broad daylight, forgery service accounts on social media are promising fake degree certificates with identical design and stamps from those issued by top universities of Vietnam for the cost of just a few million Vietnamese dong. (VND1 million = US$44). To investigate these clandestine operations, a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporter went undercover and telephoned a man who claimed to provide certificate forgery services on social media. The person quoted VND4 million (US$174) for a bachelors diploma, while a masters degree could cost VND10 million ($436). Payment is only required when the final products arrive at the customers location. As if to clear the unspoken doubt in the buyers mind, the enigmatic trafficker ascertained that his forged diploma would come with ten notarized copies, plus an academic transcript. Dont worry, they cant be detected with the naked eye, he affirmed. According to the dealer, his products are made out of blank diplomas issued by higher education institutions. This particular school admits 5,000 students per academic year, so they have to prepare 5,000 blank diplomas," he claimed. "However, theres no way all of these students are going to graduate, as they will quit along the way, leaving some diplomas unfilled. The man added that he was able to source these blanks and then use the latest technology to produce identical replicas that even university officials cannot detect. Had my products been iffy, I would have been busted by now, he doubled down. Once the customer is convinced, the dealer would collect several personal details, including birth date, sex, and the university of choice that customer wants their name written next to on the diploma. The man refused to give any preview of the product before sending it off, saying some customers have dodged payment after realizing photos of their forged certificates are enough to apply for jobs. I will get the certificates delivered to you in three days," he vowed. "You can inspect it before paying." Another forgery service provider on Facebook also promised counterfeit diplomas of mint quality, with wet signatures and a fail-proof guarantee against all notary services in Vietnam, for the price of VND8 million ($349). According to the seller, his products, made from school-issued blanks, can be used to apply for jobs or promotions since employers barely ever cross-check the legitimacy of certificates with universities. However, they cannot be used in applying for masters programs, for the information on them would not match any records in the academia system. A forged diploma, as advertised by a forgery service provider on social media in Vietnam Universities perspective According to Nguyen Trung Nhan, head of academic affairs at the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, it is almost impossible for certificate blanks to be leaked from the school. The school used to purchase certificate blanks from the Ministry of Education and Training, with the quantity strictly matching the number of confirmed graduates for the year. Currently, the university is now manufacturing blanks in-house. These blanks are stored in a room with three layers of lock, the keys to which are managed separately by three departments of the university. After the list of graduates is confirmed, it requires the presence of all three departments to open the vault and obtain the correct number of blanks for certificate issuance. Even if the blanks do get sneaked outside, universities can still easily expose forged certificates via cross-examination. We receive dozens of certificate cross-checking requests every week, he said. There were times when we found 20 percent of scrutinized diplomas to be fake. The public can cross-check any certificate issued by us on the universitys official website. Bui Hoang Thang, head of academic affairs at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, also thinks that a leak of certificate blanks is highly improbable. Many recruiters are reaching out to us to cross-check the academic degrees of their candidates," Thang said. "We weed out a lot of fakes from them. Diploma blanks are issued by Vietnams official money-printing agency and are equipped with anti-counterfeiting details that can only be detected by a few people in charge, said Pham Ngoc Minh, former head of academic affairs at the Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City. With a strict manufacturing protocol, the smuggling of blanks is basically implausible. Modern printing technology can generate identical-looking copies of blanks, but I can spot a fake with just my eyes, Minh claimed. On top of that, most headhunters are cross-checking candidates' diplomas directly with the universities or through their websites, which leaves no windows for fake diplomas to pass. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Having barely got over a devastating second wave of coronavirus infections, India was gripped with alarm on Tuesday over risks of a resurgence as crowds thronged railway stations and shopping malls a day after major cities relaxed curbs on movement. The capital New Delhi, in the north, and tech hub Bengaluru, in the south, were among the cities that have begun lifting strict lockdowns as the nationwide tally of new infections dropped to its lowest level in more than two months. After a strict five-week lockdown, authorities in Delhi have fully re-opened shops and malls, and allowed restaurants to have 50% seating. Suburban rail networks can run at 50% capacity, and offices have been partially reopened. "Delhi's top #mall saw a footfall of 19,000 people last weekend- as soon as it reopened. Have we gone totally mad?" Ambrish Mithal, a doctor with a Max HealthCare hospital in New Delhi said on Twitter. "Wait for #COVID19 to explode again- and blame the government, hospitals, country." Disease experts have cautioned that a race towards resuming business as usual would compromise vaccination efforts as only about 5% of all 950 million eligible adults have been inoculated. Doctors say Delhi's near-complete re-opening is concerning. The city's authorities have said they would reimpose strict curbs if needed. Thousands died in the capital in May, as oxygen supplies all but vanished and families pleaded on social media over scarce hospital beds. Many died in parking lots, and morgues ran out of space. Yet, the city government said inoculation centres for people aged between 18 and 44 would start shutting down on Tuesday, as doses were scarce. Vehicles are pictured on a road, after authorities eased lockdown restrictions that were imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in New Delhi, India, June 8, 2021. Photo: Reuters Challenge of inoculations, testing India has been administering an average of 2.4 million shots a day. Health officials say vaccinations need to be at least four times higher to avoid a third wave of infections. At the height of the second wave in April and May as many as 170,000 people died. The Delta variant, first identified in India, has accelerated infections. And worryingly, the virus has spread to India's vast hinterland where two-thirds of the population lives and vaccinations have been even slower. As restrictions are lifted in big cities, migrant workers have begun returning from the countryside. In the southern state of Karnataka's capital Bengaluru, media reported large crowds of workers at railway stations. "Unfortunately, citizens equate the government's response to reopening, as a victory," Dr Vishal Rao, a member of the expert committee on Karnataka's COVID task force, told Reuters. Nationwide, India reported 60,471 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, the lowest since March 31, data from the health ministry showed. India added 2,726 deaths overnight, taking the overall tally to 377,031. Both the death toll and the case-load of infections, at 29.57 million, were the second highest after the United States, but experts say the official numbers are a gross underestimate. Only people who have tested positive are counted, and in India testing has been woefully inadequate. The Times of India on Tuesday reported a staggering 100,000 people were issued fake 'negative' reports for COVID-19 infections in the northern city of Haridwar when tens of thousands of Hindu devotees gathered on the banks of the Ganges river for the 'Kumbh Mela', or pitcher festival, in April. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was widely criticised for failing to call off the Kumbh - he only belatedly urged religious leaders to celebrate symbolically - and for addressing large rallies during state elections also in April. "One in every 4 tests during Kumbh was found fake. That is from just 1 sample collection agency. 8 more to go." Rijo M John, a professor at the Rajagiri College of Social Sciences in the southern city of Kochi, said on Twitter. Basically, just the tip of the iceberg. Here are today's leading news stories: COVID-19 Updates -- The Vietnamese Ministry of Health confirmed 92 new COVID-19 cases, including 91 domestic infections, on Wednesday morning, taking the national caseload to 11,284 patients, with 4,543 recoveries and 61 deaths. -- A health worker at the Binh Tan District Medical Center in Ho Chi Minh City tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday night, having participated in sample collection in virus-hit areas in the city for at least 15 times. -- A 500-bed makeshift hospital is being established in Ho Chi Minh City's Cu Chi District to prepare for treating coronavirus patients when necessary, according to the municipal People's Committee. Society -- A woman from the southernmost province of Ca Mau has been hospitalized for emergency treatment after allegedly eating poisonous horseshoe crab on Monday morning. -- A military vehicle lost its balance and overturned in the central province of Quang Nam on Tuesday night, resulting in two people being rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. -- An investigation is underway in Ho Chi Minh City after a house in District 1 was suspected of being shot multiple times with an airgun, according to the municipal authorities. -- A man and a woman from Ca Mau Province who escaped after being sent to a local quarantine center for one day have just returned to the facility, according to the provincial authorities. -- Police of Kon Tum Province in Vietnam's Central Highlands have arrested a man who evaded medical declaration and assaulted two police officers at a COVID-19 checkpoint in the province. Sports -- Despite losing 2-3 to the UAE in the last match of Group G on Tuesday, Vietnam still advanced to the third qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup for the first time in history, as one of the five best group runners-up. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on Tuesday allowed Ho Chi Minh City to purchase and import COVID-19 vaccines following the proposal of the municipal administration, the Vietnam Government Portal reported. The Ministry of Health will be responsible for licensing, as well as assessing and managing the quality of the imported vaccine doses in accordance with government regulations. In its proposition sent to the prime minister, the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee stated that the city has more than 7.2 million residents who are over 18 years old, including 1.6 million factory workers at local industrial parks. The city has only received 140,000 COVID-19 vaccine shots so far, with over 64,000 people having received their first doses and 10,000 having completed the two-dose regimen. Vaccine purchase has become a significant and urgent matter in order for the city to achieve herd immunity, with over 70 percent of its population vaccinated against COVID-19. The Ho Chi Minh City administration proposed that the government allow local businesses to negotiate with reputable vaccine manufacturers and distributors, as well as to import the doses into Vietnam. Businesses should also be allowed to coordinate with vaccination units to administer the shots to their employees. They will have to ensure safety and quality during the inoculations, while prices will be based on their contracts with vaccination units. Vietnam has documented 11,304 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday morning, with 4,543 recoveries and 61 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. The country has recorded 8,088 local infections in 40 provinces and cities since the fourth wave of transmissions started on April 27. Ho Chi Minh City ranks third in the table with 980 cases. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A health worker in charge of collecting residents samples for COVID-19 testing in Ho Chi Minh City has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The 33-year-old resides in Binh Chanh District and works at the medical center of Binh Tan District, a source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper quoted local authorities on Tuesday evening. She had been admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 treatment in Cu Chi District earlier the same day. From June 2 to 14, the health worker was sent to COVID-19 hot spots in Binh Tan District at least 15 times to collect residents samples for coronavirus testing. She previously tested negative for the novel coronavirus on June 9 but retested positive on Tuesday. The woman did not experience any symptom prior to her test result. Initial epidemiological investigation showed that six people including family members and colleagues had come into close contact with the health worker. More than 3,000 health workers have been tasked with collecting citizens samples for COVID-19 testing, according to Tang Chi Thuong, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health. They include doctors, nurses, and technicians of 48 public hospitals and more than 500 students of the University of Medicine Pham Ngoc Thach. Vietnam has documented 11,480 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday afternoon, with 4,543 recoveries and 61 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. The country has recorded 8,262 local infections in 40 provinces and cities since the fourth wave of transmissions started on April 27, including 1,015 cases in Ho Chi Minh City. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Dear readers, To prepare for the celebration of National Day on September 2, Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations co-organize the 'Ho Chi Minh City Goes Global' contest, an open forum for readers to contribute their ideas and solutions to raise the position of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City in the international arena. The contest is accompanied by two partners Global Embassy and Vietnam Signature. Once referred to as 'the Pearl of the Far East,' Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City meets all standards to become a destination for tourism, international events, and global figures. International friends and experts, however, have yet to realize what the city can bring about. So what should Ho Chi Minh City be recognized for? What can the city do to promote its brand to international friends? Contestants: All readers in Vietnam and foreign readers, including students, civil servants, experts, businessmen, and diplomats. Members of the organizing board, judging panel, and sponsors, as well as their family members are not eligible for the contest. Formats: - Articles, PowerPoint files, graphics, or video clips. (An article must not exceed 1,000 words; a video is limited to five minutes long). Entries can be presented in Vietnamese and English. - Entries have not been published in any form of media or on social networks. - Tuoi Tre and its partners are entitled to use the entries in their publications and will discuss in detail with the authors. - Contestants are responsible for the copyright of their entries in case of dispute. * Entries must be submitted from June 16 to August 15, 2021. Prizes: - Collective prizes: 1 first prize (VND50 million), 1 second prize (VND30 million), and 1 third prize (VND20 million). - Individual prizes: 1 first prize (VND30 million), 1 second prize (VND20 million), 1 third prize (VND10 million), and 5 consolation prizes (VND5 million each). Entries passing the preliminary round will be run in the print version of Tuoi Tre as well as on Tuoi Tre Online and Tuoi Tre News. The results of the contest will be announced in Tuoi Tre publications and the newspaper's National Day special edition. The judging panel consists of representatives of Tuoi Tre, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations, and reputable experts. The awards ceremony is expected to take place in late August 2021. * Please send entries to hienke@tuoitre.com.vn or to Tuoi Tre headquarters at 60A Hoang Van Thu, Ward 9, Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, with subject stating 'Application for the 'TP.HCM nang tam quoc te' (Ho Chi Minh City Goes Global) contest. Another major hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has stopped receiving new patients after a health worker tested positive for COVID-19. A source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper confirmed on Wednesday morning that the COVID-19 case is a nursing staff at the neurology department of the University Medical Center in District 5. Her husband first tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday for having such symptoms as a fever and coughing. Her test result also came back positive later the same day. The two patients have been admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 treatment in Can Gio District. A total of 336 people including all employees of the neurology department and those who came into close contact with the nurse have tested negative for COVID-19. The infirmary will also conduct COVID-19 tests on 510 inpatients. It stopped receiving new patients from Wednesday, while the neurology department has been locked down. The Pasteur Institute and Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control are scheduled to evaluate the risk at the hospital on Wednesday before making a report to the Ministry of Health. The University Medical Center, under the management of the health ministry, is one of the most crowded hospitals in the southern city, receiving about 5,000 patients per day. On Sunday, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, one of the citys COVID-19 treatment facilities, began to be isolated for a week after scores of employees contracted the novel coronavirus. Sixty fully vaccinated staff members of the hospital have been confirmed as coronavirus patients as of Wednesday afternoon. Two employees of Gia Dinh Peoples Hospital in Binh Thanh District who were linked to this cluster also tested positive later the same day. Ho Chi Minh City has so far recorded 1,015 local COVID-19 cases since the fourth transmission wave began in Vietnam on April 27. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday the second-largest increase in daily infections in Vietnam, most in an epicenter in the northern part, while almost 100 of them were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City. The country detected 414 community cases, including 398 in quarantined areas, the ministry said in a report the same day. This is second-biggest daily case jump after the health ministry saw the steepest spike of 444 cases on May 25. The nation recorded the third-strongest rise of 398 transmissions on Tuesday. Bac Giang Province, which is the largest epicenter located in the north, reported 279 of the latest patients, while its neighbor Bac Ninh Province logged 27 cases. Ho Chi Minh City registered 99 cases, its largest daily count this year, Ha Tinh Province four, Nghe An Province three, Ha Nam Province one, and Bac Kan one. Vietnam has detected 8,411 locally-transmitted infections in 40 out of its 63 provinces and cities since the ongoing fourth virus wave erupted on April 27. Bac Giang is leading the caseload with 4,680 patients, followed by Bac Ninh with 1,442, Ho Chi Minh City with 1,060, and Hanoi with 464. Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday decided to extend the enhanced social distancing measures having put in place since May 31 by two weeks to stall escalating community spread, as over 80 patients have been confirmed on a daily basis since last weekend. The Southeast Asian nation has recorded an accumulation of 11,635 infections as of Wednesday evening, including 9,980 domestic and 1,655 imported cases, according to the health ministrys statistics. The number of recovered patients has reached 4,590, including 47 reported on Wednesday, while 61 have died, most with severe pre-existing conditions. Nearly five million people have been tested in this fourth wave, the worst so far. Vietnam confirmed 106 community cases in the first wave from January 23 to April 16, 2020, 554 in the second from July 25 to December 1, 2020, and 910 in the third from January 28 to March 25, 2021. The country administered 95,421 AstraZeneca vaccine shots to medical staff and other frontline workers on Tuesday, taking the total to 1,648,072 jabs since inoculation was rolled out on March 8. A total of 59,608 have been given two injections of the vaccine. The government has set a target of securing 150 jabs, as it expects to immunize at least two-thirds of a population of almost 98 million people this year. It has received about 2.9 million AstraZeneca shots so far. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnam is about to launch the largest-ever inoculation campaign with 15,000 vaccination stations and the participation of military forces, according to Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long. Addressing a conference on the implementation of the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Tuesday afternoon, Long said that eight storage facilities will be installed, with one in the High Command of Hanoi Capital and seven in seven military regions across the nation. All storage facilities must meet Good Storage Practices (GSP) standards to ensure vaccine quality, he stated. During the campaign, all vaccination stations will be strictly supervised by an online control system, with information on the numbers of people getting vaccinated as well as vaccine doses administered to be publicized. About 15,000 vaccination stations have been assigned sufficient human resources and accounts to update and publicize the vaccination process, the number of used doses, and the number of people vaccinated, he added. The minister emphasized the need to ensure absolute safety from vaccine transportation and preservation to vaccination organization. The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses to be injected during this campaign has remained unclear, with the Vietnam News Agency reporting that it will be around 150 million. The source and time of supply were also not mentioned during Tuesdays conference. With one million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses expected to arrive in Vietnam from Japan on Wednesday, the total number of vaccine doses in the Southeast Asian country will reach nearly four million. Vietnam has administered about 1.65 million vaccine shots, with nearly 64,000 people having received two full doses so far. The proportion of vaccinated people over those who are subject to inoculation is approximately 2.1 percent, which is a low rate compared to those of other nations in the Southeast Asian region. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health confirmed 92 new COVID-19 cases, including 91 domestic infections, on Wednesday morning, taking the national caseload to 11,284 patients, with 4,543 recoveries and 61 deaths. From April 27 to Wednesday morning, 8,088 local cases were recorded in 40 of Vietnams 63 provinces and cities in the ongoing virus wave -- the fourth and the worst since the pathogen first hit the country on January 23, 2020. The nation has documented 9,657 domestic and 1,647 imported cases. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! 'Bombs of seeds' thrown by young people in the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak and Lam Dong carry the hope for reviving the deforested hills. The initiative, kick-started in May, has become a new Internet sensation and inspired other people to follow suit in Vietnam. Wrapped hope According to Pham Quang Thai, a member of the Central Highlands Association for the Protection of Natural Resources and the Environment, each bomb contains soil mixed with organic fertilizer and rice husks wrapping seeds of plants with good vitality as well as high drought tolerance. Before being thrown away, they are moistened to ensure seeds will germinate well, helping to recreate destroyed forests. The groups core members paid due attention to research and selected plants that could adapt to local soil before implementing the project. They then carried seed bombs to drop at hills that were severely damaged by deforestation. Young people and children learn how to make a seed bomb in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Photo: Khoi Minh / Tuoi Tre Thai said forest regeneration using seed bombs was pioneered in India. Based on local conditions, these seed carriers are spread by aircraft in some countries. In harsh areas, we dig holes to put seed bombs inside, creating favorable conditions for them to grow, Thai explained. Ha Vi, a 22-year-old from Dak Lak, said she found the activities interesting and meaningful. Wandering around hills to drop seed bombs is also a good way to exercise, she said. A seed starts sprouting after being thrown into a forest in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Photo: Khoi Minh / Tuoi Tre Seeds of good deeds Inspired by the initiative, some local travel agents developed experimental tours combining tourism with forest planting. Pham Thanh Tuan, founder of Bo Cong Anh Social Enterprise in Dak Lak, said the project did not only help to revive forests but also sow good seeds of environmental protection to students and young people. Therefore, we want to integrate the activity into our tour packages to attract more people to participate, he said. A tourist hangs an identification card on a tree he plants in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Photo: Khoi Minh / Tuoi Tre Besides seed bombs, tourists also brought bare seeds and seedlings to grow plants under the guidance of local forest rangers. On each plant, we hang the ID code of the person who plants it, said Tuan. As the Central Highlands region has many indigenous fruit trees, the group plans to call for the contribution of local farmers to create a seed bank. Collected seeds will then be sown in forests. It is great that those seeds we plant today will grow strongly and cover bare hills, said eleventh grader Phan Duy Nghia. Sharing the feeling, Pham Chi Ta, director of Vietnam Highland Travel Agency, said they also wanted to include seed bomb spreading in their tours. Several seeds are wrapped in a soil ball. Photo: Khoi Minh / Tuoi Tre The company will have to prepare legal procedures regarding areas they can plant forests, Ta said. However, he pinned high hopes on the activitys positive impacts on local communities. I usually have forest trips to develop tour packages and get chances to work with forest owners and management boards," he said. "I look forward to bringing tourists to damaged forests to scatter seed bombs and lend a hand in re-growing them. A young family participates in a weekend forest planting event in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Photo: Tam An / Tuoi Tre Do Xuan Dung, deputy director of Dak Laks Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the initiative should be duplicated in different localities to save dying forests. The integration of seed bomb spreading activity into tours also helps to spread this idea further. We have their back," he said. "If young people and enterprises want to approach forest owners and management boards, we can help them connect." Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Much is being debated about a mandatory login for iview from July. Amongst the new features are personalised Watchlists and Recommendations, a Viewing History, and the ability to pick up a show where you left off on another device. Managing Director David Anderson recently told a Senate Estimates committee, Were asking for people to provide an email, postcode, their year of birth, and gender, and that certainly helps us. People dont have to use their real name, they can use a pseudonym for this. If theyve come in through Google or Facebook, they can opt out of having those details shared with Google or Facebook. He added, Yes, itll be an immediate inconvenience. But the benefit that sits on the other side of this is we can at least match, if not be better than, the benefits that you get with all other streaming services. Theres a sea of content out there. I think people are quite accustomed to logging into somewhere, having an account with it, knowing that theyll get a benefit back on the other side. Anderson is right about logins being standard for subscription and advertiser-based platforms. Advertisement A login has been optional for iview since May 2020 and has been mandatory at SBS on Demand since November 2016, with little of the same blowback. Similarly, 9Now requires a login. 7plus and 10Play require a login for catch-up, but not Live, content. Yet while questions may linger around privacy or the mandatory aspect -given ABC has no advertisers- little is being asked about other upgrades to iview, such as High Definition. While ABC was first to market with iview, it has been slow to upgrade from SD, largely due to budget constraints. It wasnt until mid-2019 iview moved to a maximum of 720p for catch-up, which is classified as HD (albeit not true HD 1080p). In November 2020, all state-based Live streams of ABCs primary channel also moved from 576p to 720p. ABC also maintains low renditions to service Australians with relatively poor internet connections, particularly in rural areas, at (288p for Live and 188p for On Demand). But this still leaves some catch-up titles at less than 720p as well as Live streams of other ABC multichannels below par. By comparison SBS on Demand is 720p, 7plus is 720p, 9Now is up to 720p and 10 Play, concerningly, confirmed SD quality (presumably 576p) with plans to shift to HD in the future. The ABC is always looking to improve the quality of the content and features we offer An ABC spokesman told TV Tonight, The ABC is always looking to improve the quality of the content and features we offer audiences on ABC iview. In line with this commitment, from next month ABC iview account holders will enjoy the benefits of features such as watchlists and program recommendations. We have also improved the quality of the resolution of programs on ABC iview in recent years, including updating all state-based variants of ABC Main Channel live streams from 576p standard definition to a maximum of 720p high definition in November 2020. We will continue to improve ABC iview in line with our budget The costs in further HD remains an issue for all broadcasters, and while ABC has undergone funding freeze under the Coalition it isnt part of the refresh in July. We will continue to improve ABC iview in line with our budget and the needs and expectations of our audiences, while ensuring that our content remains accessible to all Australians, particularly those with limited internet connections, said the spokesperson. Field Trip with Curtis Stone returns for its second season to LifeStyle Food in early July. Produced by Parade Media the eight-part series follows chef & restaurateur Curtis Stone and his team travel the world seeking inspiration for their Maude restaurant in Los Angeles. Episode 1 begins in South Australia with Rome, NSW and Sonoma to follow. Curtis Stone said: I was over the moon to be able to take my team and the crew to Australia to experience my hometown and the rest of this gorgeous country. Looking back on the footage now, it gives me the travel bug and makes me homesick to revisit these old and new friends. Half of the new season was shot in Oz. I cant wait for everyone to join me for the ride. The second season of Field Trip with Curtis Stone, sees Curtis continue his global culinary adventures to uncover the taste and culture of each delicious destination with more time spent in his native country with Australian culinary icons including Maggie Beer, Jock Zonfrillo and Ben Shewry. Kicking off in Adelaide, Curtis meets the Mad Hatter of South Australias winemaking Chester Osborn, learns the rigors of sheep shearing and forages with Chef Jock Zonfrillo of Orana and the indigenous advisor to the restaurant. Curtis returns to his home state of Victoria and meets up with his brother Luke, for what have been called the best croissants outside of France. Curtis heads to Attica kitchen with chef Ben Shewry to cook with indigenous Australian ingredients and he and Luke visit one of Maudes producers of exquisite olive oil and Curtis cant return to LA without catching up with his childhood friends who throw him a traditional Greek barbeque. Unseen footage from this seasons episodes from Down Under feature in a stand-alone episode where he visits the Grand Dame of Australian cooking, Maggie Beer at her farm where they chase pheasants and cook a family style meal. Curtis takes on knife making in the Barossa Valley and rum distilling in New South Wales. His journey around the world for Field Trip takes him to Rome where he entrenches himself with the locals to experience the cuisine, gathers indigenous ingredients from the jungles and waters of Hawaii and travels to Sonoma in California where he meets an all-female fishing crew and tours the farm and kitchen of the three-starred Michelin chef Kyle Connaughton. There is no food too foreign or adventure too wild that Curtis wont try, to find the newest and most exotic flavours for him and his team from Maude to bring home. Sundays at 8pm from July 4 on Lifestyle Food. Melbourne City Council has backed Channel 31 in its campaign to a further extension of its broadcast licence, ahead of a looming switch off. On Tuesday council voted to ask Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher to again extend the licence by three years It follows repeated, and last minute, extensions for the broadcaster -along with Adelaides C44- facing a switch-off on June 30 and transition to an online only model. Last years extension granted by Minister Fletcher came at the 11th hour for the broadcasters. A recent Senate Estimates hearing questioned the strategy and immediate use of available spectrum but the Communications Department was unable to quantify its immediate use. Advertisement SA Senator Marielle Smith asked what was relevant about the date of June 30, given there would be static in its place. Is anything happening on the first of July? .Its just the date the Minister chose thats why were working towards that date. Is that correct? she asked. Pauline Sullivan, First Assistant Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development & Communications replied, It was the date the Minister chose. This week a Future Melbourne Committee agreed on the following: 1.1. Declares its support for community television station Channel 31 and the 1,100 people who work as volunteers, students and employees at the station each week. 1.2. Recognises Channel 31 as a vital community media outlet in Melbourne and Geelong which provides an important community service and has been a training ground for thousands of people working in the creative industries. 1.3. Notes that at a time when people in the creative industries are amongst the worst hit by the Covid-19, this is worst time to be closing Channel 31. 1.4. Calls on the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Commonwealth Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher to act immediately to save Channel 31 by not terminating its broadcast licence on 30 June. 1.5. Requests the Lord Mayor and/or CEO write to the Minister for Communications and Secretary of the Department of Communications and Arts to ask that Channel 31 have its broadcast licence extended for three years. 1.6. Notes the following background information for context: 1.6.1. On 30 June 2021 the Morrison Government plans to terminate the broadcasting of community TV in Australia. For Melbourne this means the loss from the airwaves of community TV station Channel 31 after 26 years of broadcasting. 1.6.2. Located on William Street in Melbournes CBD, Channel 31 has around 1,100 employees and volunteers who work on its broadcasts each week including students from RMIT and Deakin University. 1.6.3. This is not a Budget savings measure. Unlike the ABC and SBS, community TV is not government funded. Channel 31 has been a training ground for aspiring broadcasters, producers, sound engineers, directors and screenwriters. It has helped launch the careers of TV personalities who are now household names. 1.6.4. During the COVID lockdowns, Channel 31 has broadcast live-to-air religious services. The Greek Orthodox Parish, the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, the Victorian Board of Imams and the Victorian Sikh Gurduaras Council have all utilised the Channel 31. 1.6.5. The Australian Government Green Paper released in December 2020 indicates that the broadcast spectrum currently occupied by Channel 31 is not scheduled to be repurposed until 2024, possibly later. This means when it is switched off it will be replaced by nothing but white noise. Tyler, TX (75702) Today Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 87F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies early with showers developing late. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Local Gohmert files lawsuit calling House metal detector rule unconstitutional, unfair toward Republicans Michael Cavazos/LONGVIEW News-Journal U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R- Tyler, speaks in April to the Rotary Club of Longview at Pinecrest Country Club. U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, has joined a congressman from Georgia in a lawsuit that claims using metal detectors to screen House members is unconstitutional and unfairly directed toward Republicans. Gohmert and U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., filed the lawsuit Sunday in federal court in Washington against House Sergeant at Arms William Walker and House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor. In a statement, Gohmert said the metal detectors and magnetometers are an unprecedented power grab by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Gohmert and Clyde were fined in February for avoiding metal detectors on the House floor. Gohmerts appeal to the House Ethics Committee was later denied. Under a House resolution, if a person doesnt undergo the security screening in the House, the sergeant at arms can impose a $5,000 fee for a first offense and $10,000 for any subsequent offenses, taken out of a lawmakers salary. On Feb. 4, Gohmert said he complied with the rule to enter the House session and later went to the restroom before debate. In the lawsuit, Gohmert and Clyde claim the House resolution, also known as the screening rule, is imposed on Republican members of Congress, not Democrats. The lawsuit accuses several Democratic members of Congress, including Pelosi, of violating the rule but not receiving a fine. Gohmert noted that the Constitution mandates that a member of Congress cannot be detained on the way to the House chamber for a session and it is even more important that members not be intentionally impeded from voting on behalf of the over 700,000 constituents we represent. He added that the 27th Amendment forbids withholding or amending a Congress members salary in the same congressional session. The chief administrative officer of the House seeks to illegally withhold funds from my salary because of the speakers desire to manipulate and hold members of Congress hostage to her whims, especially members of the opposing party, Gohmert said in his statement. The installation of magnetometers at the House chamber door and the charging of a fine is a blatant attempt to bully House members and disrupt good order for the purpose of political optics. The lawsuit states the screening rule has prevented Republican members of the House from representing their constituents by delaying them from reaching the House chamber in time to vote. Gohmert said Tuesday the purpose of the lawsuit is to rein in Pelosis power grab. He noted that he would understand the rule if there were threats made between members of Congress, but that hasnt been the case. People should not get the wrong impression that gee I think Im too good to go through metal detectors. I go through metal detectors usually at least twice a week (such as) on planes, Gohmert said. I go through metal detectors all over the place at the entrance of the Capitol. But never in history has there ever been any kind of screening like that for members of Congress going on the House floor. In the lawsuit, Gohmert and Clyde request a judgment stating a House member declining a security screening before entering the House chamber is not engaging in disorderly behavior. They also ask that Walker or others acting under his authority cannot inhibit or delay House members from attending sessions, except for treason, felony or breach of the peace. The legislators are asking that Walker be prohibited from imposing fines in connection with the screening rule as well. He added that Pelosi is letting people know if people dont follow her rules, she will bankrupt the House members with fines. Gohmert said its been costly for constituents to not have their representative vote because of the magnetometer or metal detector. There is no set time for these votes and so sometimes were told we wont have votes until 4 or 4:30 p.m. then all of the sudden you hear theyve got votes starting now. The speaker has total discretion to hold open a vote as long as he or she want to total discretion, he said. The lawsuit is just an effort on behalf of our Republicans in the House that look you cant continue to usurp this kind of authority. Weve going to have to finally say enough. Its time even the speaker of the House abided by the Constitution. The Religious Exemption Accountability Project, or REAP, filed a class action lawsuit on March 26, 2021, charging that the U.S. Department of Education was complicit in the abuses that thousands of LGBTQ+ students endured at taxpayer-funded religious colleges and universities. A recent lawsuit has charged the U.S. Department of Education as being complicit in the abuse of LGBTQ students. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta According to the suit, those abuses include conversion therapy, expulsion, denial of housing and health care, sexual and physical abuse and harassment. The abuses also include the less visible, but no less damaging, consequences of institutionalized shame, fear, anxiety, and loneliness. REAP an organization that aims for a world where LGBTQ students on all campuses are treated equally holds the Department of Education culpable, arguing that, under the federal civil rights law Title IX, it is obligated to protect sexual and gender minority students at taxpayer-funded schools, including private and religious educational institutions. The lawsuits 33 plaintiffs include students and alumni from 25 colleges. Most of these schools including Liberty University and Baylor University are evangelical, but the list also includes one Mormon and one Seventh-Day Adventist university. Indeed, the implications of the lawsuit extend to the more than 200 religious schools that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. In 2018 these schools received US$4.2 billion in federal aid. As scholars who write extensively on evangelicalism from historical and rhetorical perspectives, we argue that, whether or not it succeeds, this lawsuit poses a serious challenge to these religious schools. Holding on to values Historian Adam Laats argued in his 2008 book, Fundamentalist U that evangelical colleges are forever engaged in a balancing act. They have had to convince accrediting bodies, faculty, and students that they are legitimate and welcoming institutions of higher education. At the same time, as Laats says, they have had to demonstrate to a skeptical evangelical public alumni, pastors, parachurch leaders and donors that they are holding fast to the spiritual and cultural imperatives that set them apart. These imperatives differ from school to school, but they can include both doctrinal commitments and lifestyle restrictions. For example, faculty are often required to affirm that the Bible is inerrant, that is, without error and factually true in all that it teaches. For another example, students and staff at many of these institutions are required to agree that they will not consume alcoholic beverages. And as Laats points out, these schools are obliged to prop up the idea that those imperatives are eternal and unchanging. Racial issues and change But it turns out that evangelical imperatives are subject to forces of change. Take, for example, the matter of race. In the mid-20th century, administrators at many of these schools insisted that their policies of racial segregation were biblically grounded and central to the Christian faith. Not coincidentally, at mid-century segregation was part of mainstream American culture, including higher education. But as the rhetoric of the civil rights movement became increasingly compelling, administrators at evangelical schools cautiously moved away from their racist practices. By the 1970s, things had changed to the point that racial segregation no longer rose to the status of an evangelical imperative. Of course, there were a few religious schools including Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina that continued to practice racial discrimination and got away with it because of the religious exemption that they claimed. All that changed in 1983 when the Supreme Court ruled, in Bob Jones University v. United States, that BJU did not get to maintain its tax-exempt status due to an interracial dating ban a policy the university claimed was based in its sincerely held religious beliefs. The Courts decision meant that BJU and similar schools had to make a choice. They could keep racist policies like the ban on interracial dating, or abandon them and retain their tax-exempt status as educational institutions. While BJU held firm for a while, by 2000 it had abandoned its interracial dating ban. Push for and resistance to change REAP is leaning on the Courts decision v. Bob Jones University as a legal precedent for its lawsuit. And this lawsuit comes at a challenging moment for evangelical schools that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. As political scientist Ryan Burge has noted drawing upon data from the General Social Survey in 2008 just 1 in 3 white evangelicals between the ages of 18 and 35 believed that same-sex couples should have the right to be married. But by 2018, it found that nearly 65% of evangelicals between 18 and 35 [supported] same-sex marriage, a change in keeping with the dramatic change in opinion in the broader culture. In response, administrators at many evangelical schools have recently adopted a conciliatory rhetoric for LGBTQ students and their sympathetic allies on and off campus. As Shane Windmeyer, co-founder of Campus Pride, a national organization devoted to working to create a safer college environment for LGBTQ students, has recently observed, most Christian colleges now want to cloud this issue and come off as supportive [of LGBTQ students] because they know itll impact recruitment and admissions. But at most of these colleges, this conciliatory rhetoric has not translated into scrapping policies that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. And there is a reason for this. As several scholars, including us, have amply documented, opposition to homosexuality is central to the Christian right, which is dominated by evangelicals and which has framed the push for LGBTQ rights as an attack on faithful Christians. The great sorting Evangelical colleges have had to play to two very different audiences when it comes to the matter of sexual orientation and gender identity. Folks in both audiences are paying close attention to the REAP lawsuit. Their responses indicate that the two-audiences strategy may no longer be tenable. See, for example, Seattle Pacific University, an evangelical school founded in 1891 and affiliated with the Free Methodist Church. On April 19 of this year, 72% of the faculty supported a vote of no confidence in its board of trustees. This came after the trustees refused to revise a policy that forbids the hiring of LGBTQ individuals and refused to modify SPUs statement on human sexuality which stipulates that the only allowable expression of sexuality is in the context of the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. Adding to the pressure is the announcement that the students and alumni are planning a campaign to discourage donations to the school and decrease enrollment at the school. In a subsequent article in the Roys Report, a Christian media outlet that reported the development, several commentators indicated a very strong opposition to any effort to end SPUs discriminatory policies. As one person noted: I am sorry to hear this once Biblical school has hired so many woke Professors. Another said: God hates all things LGBTQ. A third person observed: I am a Christian and lifelong resident of the Seattle area. I say good for the SPU Board but sad they have so many faculty with debased minds. As Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Al Mohler has put it, we are about to see a great sorting where were going to find out where every institution stands, and its not going to come with the filing of this lawsuit. Its going to come when the moment that the federal government says You can have the federally supported student aid support or you can have your convictions. Choose ye this day. This comes from a hard-line fundamentalist. On the other hand, there are administrators and faculty at evangelical colleges who see discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation as being at odds with their Christian commitments. For them, the choice is whether to accept financial donations from the segment of their constituency opposed to LGBTQ rights, or go with their convictions. There are indications that the Biden administration is seeking a compromise with these schools that claim a religious exemption that gives them the right to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. But whether or not the REAP lawsuit is successful, religious colleges and universities in the U.S. will keep getting pressed to take a stand on the status of LGBTQ students on their campuses. William Trollinger is a professor of history, and Susan L Trollinger, a professor of English, at the University of Dayton. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Thousands gather in Budapest as part of an of a rally in 2017 for LGBT+ rights (Getty Images) Amidst an increasingly draconian crackdown on civil liberties spearheaded by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his conservative Fidesz party, a new anti-LGBT+ law was passed by Hungarys parliament on Tuesday making the country the only European Union member to have such homophobic legislation. The new law explicitly bans the dissemination of material deemed to promote homosexuality and transgender identities to those under the age of eighteen, as part of an effort to protect minors. As expected, such an illiberal measure has drawn the ire of various watchdogs and campaigners both across Hungary and the rest of Europe, who deem it symptomatic of the growing repressiveness being fostered in the Central European country. Apart from the way in which this new law seemingly makes the age-old and profoundly harmful association of homosexuality with paedophilia, it could also cause tangible harm to LGBT+ children. In a country where 42 per cent of LGBT+ individuals have reportedly contemplated suicide and more than half of queer youths have reported feeling unsafe at school, cutting teenagers off from vital support networks could amount to a death sentence. What this new law most urgently highlights, however, is that the rights and protections recently afforded to the LGBT+ community cannot be taken for granted. Hungary is not the first country to recently take a step backwards on this front. In 2013, the Russian government passed the infamous gay propaganda law to which Hungarys own law has been compared that has stifled the development of a national Pride movement and has had a deeply damaging effect on the countrys LGBT+ community. Six years later, Poland witnessed the creation of LGBT-free zones, eventually taking up around a third of the countrys territory. The far right, which demonises, and occasionally uses, the LGBT+ community as part of its political ping pong game and artificial culture wars, remains a powerful force across the world. The electoral appeal of nationalist demagogues may have been dented by their failure to tackle the Covid-19 crisis, but throughout Europe, hard-right parties maintain enough support to occupy a coveted vantage point from which to launch a blitz in upcoming general elections. With the far right retaining such a strong presence within the global political landscape, no LGBT+ individual or other minority can truly feel protected. Story continues This all serves to illustrate why Pride remains just as necessary today as it was 50 years ago even in a country like the UK, where the LGBT+ community enjoys near-equality and social acceptance in pockets of the country. In London and other British cities, Pride has become such a star-studded fixture that its easy to forget what has always been at its heart: protest. While the gaudier, gimmicky commercialism that has attached itself to Pride has been rightly attacked, such criticisms are often unfairly conflated with another popular line of thought. If LGBT+ people now have equal rights, the argument usually goes, why do we need Pride or this general onslaught of rainbow media? But as hackneyed as it may sound, history has shown time and time again that rights are not set in stone, and can easily be reversed especially when right-wing parties desperately need to pander to their electorates underlying insecurities to score extra political points. Pride remains important in a world that is still too ready to gnaw at LGBT+ rights when it sees fit. Apathy is dangerous, and complacency is the first step on the path towards totalitarianism. Read More Andrew Neil is better than his Rishi Sunak interview. GB News is either going to fold quickly or get very dark The US-Russia relationship is out of the freezer but there is no big thaw Biden changed his position on Russia. Thats why his summit with Putin was a success A Fulani Muslim man prays during his pilgrimage in front of Usman dan Fodio tomb, Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria (AFP via Getty Images) On a Sunday evening in early June, popular Nigerian mega-church pastor, Chris Oyakhilome, responded to a question from one of his followers who was worried about losing his job for refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccine, as required by all staff at his workplace. Pastor Oyakhilome was addressing the issue in a special service that takes place on the first Sunday of every month, when his millions of followers around the world log in to hear the message of the month. It was streamed live from Lagos, where his Christ Embassy church has its headquarters and his meetings often pack out stadiums. In many of his sermons over the past year, which are posted on YouTube, Pastor Oyakhilome has expressed scepticism about the vaccines. And in a clip that went viral, he berated African leaders for waiting for vaccine handouts from the Western world, instead of working to develop their own. You quit, was Pastor Oyakhilomes blunt answer to his followers query. Drop it and goDont accept it. You are a child of God. Let no one intimidate you. Four out of every 10 Nigerians are unwilling to take the COVID-19 vaccine even when they become available, according to a recent survey by Nigerias NOI polls. Globally, 31 doses of the vaccine have been administered per 100 people, but in Africa it is about 3 doses per 100 people and in Nigeria just 1.1. The slow rate of vaccination is mostly due to limited supplies and distribution problems such as the lack of health infrastructure and staff. But there are also fears that vaccine hesitancy is playing a role, with a number of African countries, including Nigeria, South Sudan, and Malawi, unable to use their allocation of vaccines before the expiration dates. Without the cooperation of the continents religious leaders, when vaccine supplies do ramp up, the rollouts in countries like Nigeria are likely to fail. Pastor Taribo West preaches in his church in Lagos, on January 12, 2020 (AFP via Getty Images) An Afrobarometer survey published last year showed that more than nine in ten Africans identify with a religion. A majority say they are Christians, at 56 per cent, while one in three self-identify as Muslim. More than 40 per cent said they had contacted a religious leader at least once during the previous year, and faith leaders were more widely trusted than any other group of public leaders. Story continues Omolara Olayinka, a 50-year-old banker in Lagos, and a member of Oyakhilomes Christ Embassy church said she would be guided by her pastor: I always listen to my pastor when he speaks. I listen to his advice. He has been my pastor for so many years and I have so much faith in him. The Bible talks about us following our leaders and imitating them as they imitate Christ, she said. My pastor has been teaching about why a Christian doesnt need to take the Covid vaccine and I believe him and that is why I am not taking it. As new cases of the coronavirus trend upwards across Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned last week that the continent was on the brink of a disastrous third wave of disease. As we close in on 5 million cases and a third wave in Africa looms, many of our most vulnerable people remain dangerously exposed to Covid-19, said the WHOs regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti last week. Vaccines have been proven to prevent cases and deaths, so countries that can, must urgently share COVID-19 vaccines. Its do or die on dose sharing for Africa. But when the vaccines do arrive, the public must be ready to accept them and engaging religious leaders is crucial to this effort, say experts. What happens in Africas most populous nation Nigeria could have ripple effects across the continent. For Nigerias Muslims, who make up just over half of the population, attitudes to the vaccine have been influenced by a call from Saudi Arabia for all Haj pilgrims to Mecca to prove they had been inoculated against Covid-19. Saudi Arabia is recommending the Covid-19 vaccine for would-be pilgrims, said Hauwa Yusuf, a media consultant in her 40s who is based in the capital Abuja. No pilgrim gets on the plane without proof of being vaccinated. Beyond the general suspicions over the speed of the creation of vaccines against Covid-19 and doubts about its effectiveness, Africans have other reasons to be wary. The Western philanthropic organisations that promote the use of vaccines for all kinds of diseases have for years pushed for population control in Africa. The same people who have been advocating population control now want to save lives. For many sceptics, Western involvement reeks of a clandestine attempt to control population, leading to rumours that the vaccines sent to Africa may be designed to reduce fertility. And a video that went viral early in the pandemic showed some French doctors discussing how it would be easy to test vaccines in Africa without the usual constraints imposed in other parts of the world. Similar rumours trailed the rollout of polio vaccines in Nigerias majority Muslim north in the 1990s and early 2000s. There were suspicions that the vaccine was laced with infertility hormones as part of a US-led plot to reduce the Muslim population. Islamic clerics called on parents not to allow their children to be given vaccine and the government was forced to suspend the immunisation campaign, leading to an unprecedented number of polio infections. Even before the rollout of the polio vaccine, suspicions about Western health interventions were circulating in the region after 11 children died in a Pfizer clinical trial during a meningitis epidemic in the northern state of Kano in 1996. Fulani Muslim men pray in Masallacin Shehu Mosque, Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria (AFP via Getty Images) Around that time, Nigeria accounted for more than half of all global cases of polio. Campaigners had to go beyond political and health authorities to partner with religious leaders and Muslim clerics invited to workshops held by the Nigerian government, where misconceptions about the vaccine were aired and cleared. The Sultan of Sokoto, the highest ranking traditional and spiritual leader in northern Nigeria, publicly declared the polio vaccine safe and personally led vaccination drives. Saudi Arabia asked for proof of vaccination for Kano travellers on Haj to Mecca, which cast further doubt on the assertion that polio vaccine was part of a religious crusade against Muslims. In 2020, Nigeria finally became the last African country to be declared free from polio. Dr Chizoba Wonodi, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the founder of Women Advocates for Vaccine Access said: Religious leaders are critical. They influence a large section of the population. In Nigeria, about 99 percent of respondents in our survey said they are religious, that they consider themselves very religious, so you know that whoever is their religious leader will have a major influence on them. For Covid, we are seeing a different pattern, she said. In Nigeria previously, hesitance for childhood vaccination was more in the north and the government had established strong relationships with Muslim religious leaders and that has really paid off over timeRight now, we are seeing more problems in the (mostly Christian) south. All the surveys are showing that the hesitancy is highest in the south. Some Nigerian Christian leaders have publicly encouraged their followers to take the Covid vaccine. Matthew Ashimolowo, the founder of Kingsway International Christian Centre in London, shared photos of his own vaccination on social media. I have taken the vaccination today. Very simple and quick. I encourage all the BAME (Black, Asian and ethnic minority) community to take the vaccination. Save lives. Stay Safe. Protect yourselves. We need to do this. Lets go, he wrote in a Facebook post. The Trans-Caspian Pipeline is intended to transport Central Asias vast natural gas resources to European energy markets via the Southern Gas Corridor. It stands to significantly change Central Asia and Europes energy map, Dr. Robert M. Cutler, Senior Research Fellow and Director in the Energy Security Program at the NATO Association of Canada, and Shahmar Hajiyev, Senior Advisor at the Center of Analysis of International Relations, report in their article for The National Interest. The Trans-Caspian Pipeline (TCP) is intended to transport Central Asias vast natural gas resources to European energy markets via the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC). It is the most economically viable way to connect energy-rich countries in Central Asia with the European energy markets. The importance of the TCP lies in how the pipeline changes Central Asias energy map: it exports natural gas by bypassing Russia and Iran. However, there were previously two main barriers to the TCP: the Caspian border dispute between the five littoral states and the position of Iran and Russia that any projects in the Caspian Sea have to be agreed upon between all Caspian littoral states. The last four years, however, have seen the most remarkable and dynamic changes in the Caspian and South Caucasus regions. On August 21, 2018, after twenty years of negotiations, five Caspian littoral statesAzerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Russia, and Iranfinally signed the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. Following this, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan opened a new page in bilateral relations, culminating in their January 2021 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on joint exploration and development of a disputed offshore field, which Azerbaijan had called Kepez and Turkmenistan had called Serdar. The two countries finally agreed to rename the field Dostluk, meaning friendship in both Turkmen and Azerbaijani languages. Also, at the end of 2020, the ambitious Southern Gas Corridor to supply natural gas from the Caspian Sea directly to Europe was completed. The key obstacles to the TCPs construction have now been overcome. The Caspian Convention provides that undersea pipelines may be constructed by countries involved in the project without requiring others to first approve. Officially, Moscow and Tehran still argue that any undersea pipeline must be agreed upon between all Caspian littoral states. They refer in this connection to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention) signed in November 2003, but the way in which the Caspian Convention invokes the Tehran Convention does not make this a serious hurdle. The Azerbaijani-Turkmen MoU on the joint development of the offshore Dostluk field has opened new opportunities for energy cooperation in the Caspian Sea, raising hopes for the realization of TCP. Azerbaijan has already completed the SGC, and during January-April 2021 954 million cubic meters (mcm) of Azerbaijani gas were supplied to European energy markets. Italy purchased the largest share of Azerbaijani gas, approximately 734 mcm, and 128 mcm and 92 mcm have been delivered to Greece and Bulgaria, respectively. The TCP would be an eastward extension of SGC, increasing the latters capacity in the future. An energy deal between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan will create the backbone for transportation of Turkmen energy sources via Azerbaijans existing energy infrastructure. To export natural gas and crude oil from this offshore field to the West would be economically viable and, therefore, promotion of the TCP should be in the European Unions interest as well as Turkmenistans. The pipeline would diversify both the demand for Turkmenistans natural gas supplies and give European energy consumers access to Central Asias vast energy resources. Gas exports play a crucial role in Turkmenistans socio-economic development. The countrys national program for developing its oil and gas industry aims to increase the annual production of natural gas to 250 billion cubic meters (bcm), of which more than 70 percent will be for export. Turkmenistan does not at present have many opportunities for diversification of export routes. Its gas is exported mainly to China via the Central Asia-China pipeline. In January 2021, Turkmenistan exported 2.786 bcm of natural gas to China, which amounted to nearly 60 percent of pipeline gas supplies. In 2020, the Central Asia-China pipeline delivered over 39 bcm of natural gas to China. Russia was the major buyer of Turkmen natural gas until the 2009 explosion of the main natural gas pipeline between them. Gazprom renewed small purchases afterward but stopped them entirely in 2016. Only in 2019 did Gazprom sign a five-year contract to import natural gas from Turkmenistan, but only at the volume of 5.5 bcm per year (bcm/y). Reduced gas sales have hit Turkmenistans export revenues. Delay in implementing the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Pipeline (TAPI) is another problem for the country, so the lack of diversified export routes indeed represents a serious challenge for Turkmen gas exports. The recent increase in global natural gas prices reveals the issues importance. Completion of the Southern Gas Corridor from Azerbaijan to Italy should encourage Turkmenistan and Europe to further promote the TCP. Delivering natural gas westward via Azerbaijans existing energy infrastructure would be economically beneficial because it could decrease Ashgabats high dependence on a few export routes. The Dostluk energy deal between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan has opened a new era for energy cooperation in the Caspian Sea. This cooperation can create a backbone for the TCP and strengthen energy security in the region. Developments in the European natural gas sector make the diversification of gas supply sources and routes a crucial factor. The EU and the United States should use this opportunity to increase their support for Turkmenistans participation in the SGC. There is already legislation on the books in the United States that enables the State Department to assist the projects realization in material ways. Azerbaijan has changed the regions geopolitics after the Second Karabakh war. Now, opening transport links and strengthening regional economic integration are significant for peace and development. The TCP project holds extremely important potential for promoting peace, security, economic cooperation, and development in the South Caucasus. At the same time, it can satisfy the EUs energy requirements in the most economical way, and without contravening the principles of the European Green Deal. Also, the TCP would enable Armenia to buy gas from Turkmenistan; alternatively, Armenia could be supplied through the Georgian pipeline system if the TCP is constructed through the established Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey route. Kazakhstans Prime Minister Askar Mamin has launched the construction of a gas processing plant at the Central Asian nations biggest oilfield, Kashagan, which will further strengthen the petroleum industry. Caspian News reports that the gas processing plant will produce 1 billion cubic meters of gas per year, including commercial and liquefied gas, sulfur, and gas condensate, using feedstock from Kashagan. The facility is also expected to help increase crude oil production as it will refine raw materials from highly toxic and aggressive hydrogen sulfide present in associated natural gas. The project will give impetus to the development of the countrys gas processing industry, increase the level of oil production at Kashagan to 450,000 barrels per day, expand the resource base for further gas supply of the country and improve the environmental friendliness of oil and gas production, reads a statement published on the prime ministers website. In addition, up to 2,500 temporary jobs will be created here during the construction period, and 600 permanent jobs during the operation period. Kazakh GPC Investment company will reportedly build the plant, which is set to come online in late 2023. Previously, officials in Nur-Sultan said they were discussing the project with a group of global energy companies engaged in the development of Kashagan, including Eni, Total, Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, CNPC, and Inpex. The deal will cost the Kazakh company $860 million. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan decreased crude oil production in the past five months of the current year as exploration and extraction of its oil declined by 7.8 percent, reaching 35.5 million tons. Tengiz produced more crude oil than any other field of Kazakhstan, while Kashagan ranked second, producing 6.2 million in January-May 2021. The country exported 28.1 million tons of crude oil in the same period, according to Nurlan Nogayev, who heads the countrys energy ministry. Kazakhstan is the worlds ninth-largest crude oil exporter, accounting for three percent of the worlds total oil reserves. More than 90 percent of Kazakhstans oil is concentrated in its 15 largest fields, which include Kashagan, Tengiz, and Karachaganak. Kashagan was found in 2000 and today is considered to be one of the worlds largest discoveries of the past four decades. Located in the northern part of the Caspian Sea close to Atyrau, the giant field is believed to contain between 9 and 13 billion barrels of crude oil, according to the field operator. The field is operated through a joint venture, the North Caspian Operating Company, between Eni, KazMunayGas, Total, Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil, CNPC, and Inpex. The first offshore oil in the history of Kazakhstan was commercially produced from Kashagan in 2016. The construction of the gas processing plant at Kashagan is no coincidence. The light crude oil from the Kashagan field has a high sour gas content (H2S) and carbon dioxide (Co2). The particular challenge of Kashagan is posed by the harsh operating environment, which requires many more precautions and a much larger investment to manage the safety risks. Turkey wants to see the South Caucasus as a region of peace and stability, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. "The heroic Azerbaijani troops during the struggle, which lasted more than 40 days, liberated the lands of the country, which had been under occupation for 30 years," the foreign minister added. Azerbaijan has shown patience for many years, expressing hope for a solution to the problem through diplomatic means." "Turkey wants to see the South Caucasus as a region of peace and stability," Cavusoglu added. "Armenia and the Armenian people will benefit greatly from this. Armenia has isolated itself for years, ruined relations with its neighbors due to its mistakes. I hope it will learn a lesson from this and peace and stability will reign in the region." One of two reformists approved to run in this week's Iranian presidential election, Mohsen Mehralizadeh, withdrew his candidacy on Wednesday June 16, Iranian media reported. That leaves six hopefuls in the race for Friday's election, widely expected to be won by ultraconservative judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi. Former vice president Mehralizadeh, 64, was one of only two reformists permitted to run in the election to replace President Hassan Rouhani, who has served the maximum two consecutive terms. Mehralizadeh's withdrawal was first reported by the state IRNA news agency, which did not give a source, and then by its counterpart ISNA, which quoted a spokesman for his campaign. The spokesman gave no explanation but said an official statement would be issued "in a few hours", ISNA said. Mehralizadeh was trailing in pre-election opinion polls, the only candidate to score less than one percent of voter intentions, according to the ISPA polling institute. His departure leaves just one candidate in the race who is considered a reformist, former central bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati, 66. But the clear front-runner is Raisi, seen as close to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after the disqualification of several political figures who presented a significant challenge to him at the ballot box. A local court in Yerevan has sentenced Narek Sargsyan, the nephew of former president Serzh Sargsyan, to 5.5 years in prison. The criminal case against Narek Sargsyan was launched in June, 2018, by the National Security Service of Armenia. He was accused of illegal acquisition, sale, storage, transportation and carrying of weapons, ammunition, explosives, as well as illegal trafficking, manufacture and sale of drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors. On July 6, 2018 Sargsyan was put on the Armenian wanted list, and on July 24 on the international wanted list. He was detained in the Czech capital in 2018 December and extradited to Armenia on December 21, 2019. Since Sargsyan has been in pre-trial detention since 2018 his prison term will last 3 years 6 months and 23 days, according to the ruling. On December 24, 2019, a first instance court allowed Narek Sargsyan's arrest, but on November 13, 2020, he was released on bail of 25 million drams by a decision of the Court of Appeals. The ruling was cancelled by the Court of Cassation after a protest by the prosecutors. Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Geneva on Wednesday. The Russian leader will have his first bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden, who arrived on Tuesday and has already met with Swiss President Guy Parmelin and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis of Switzerland. Earlier, the spokesperson for the Canton of Geneva, Emmanuel Cuenod, said that Russia had not requested Switzerland for a protocol ceremony for Putin at the airport, TASS reported. The talks between the presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, will be held at the Villa La Grange in Geneva on June 16. The Swiss president will deliver a welcome speech, after which Putin and Biden will begin negotiations - first in a narrow format, then with the participation of the delegations. Under the plan, the meeting in a narrow format will last for about an hour, while the meeting in an extended format will be divided into two parts and will last approximately until 18:00 local time (19:00 Moscow time). Then the two presidents will give separate press conferences. The Kremlin press service earlier reported that the two presidents would discuss the current state of bilateral relations and their prospects, strategic stability matters as well as pressing issues on the international agenda, including the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the settlement of regional conflicts. The volume of Russian agricultural exports by the end of 2021 could reach $ 30 bln, Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko said. "I hope this level will be met at the level of $30 bln," TASS cited her as saying. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the main task is to provide the domestic market with food and only then strive for export markets. So, Russia can expand the geography of supplies, mainly due to the Asian direction, ensure the promotion of domestic brands in the world market, strengthen the positions of our exporting companies, Abramchenko said. "Those directions of development of the agro-industrial complex, which we discussed in the country's development strategy until 2030, will allow attracting at least 950 bln rubles of additional investments in the industry, creating over 400,000 jobs," the Deputy Prime Minister said. In 2020, the export of the agro-industrial complex from Russia reached $30.5 bln (+20% by 2019). The participants in a survey conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center have called doctors, rescuers, volunteers, teachers and military personnel in hotbeds of tension as the heroes of our time, the results of the poll published on the centers website on Wednesday show. "Russians consider doctors (52%), Emergencies Ministry rescuers (42%), volunteers (27%), teachers (26%) and military servicemen in hotbeds of tension (21%) to be the real heroes of our time," the report said. The majority of the respondents (89%) also noted that health workers wages, by analogy with teachers salaries, should not be lower than the average in the region. The poll was conducted on June 13, with 1,600 people having been interviewed. The maximum margin of error is less than 2.5% with 95% probability. The United States and European Union have announced an agreement to "establish an EU-U.S. high-level dialogue on Russia" to better coordinate policies and actions. The pledge came after a summit between President Joe Biden and the heads of two major EU institutions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel. "We stand united in our principled approach towards Russia and we are ready to respond decisively to its repeating pattern of negative behavior and harmful activities, which Russia must address to prevent the further deterioration of relations including on the list of so-called unfriendly states," the declaration said. The most expected and achievable outcome of tomorrow's meeting between Russian and US Presidents - Vladimir Putin and Joseph Biden - would be the return of ambassadors as a sign of the beginning of restoration of normal relations between the countries. Vladimir Vasiliev, Chief Researcher of the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza, summing up the results of preparation for negotiations between the Russian and American leaders in Geneva. First of all, the Americanist stressed that the agreements between Putin and Biden alone would not be enough to start normalizing relations. "The agreements between presidents can have both short-term and medium-term consequences. The former have more chances to be implemented, while the latter can result in instructions to ministries and departments to work out the discussed issues, which in the current internal political situation in the United States may simply end in nothing," he explained, adding that the meeting in Geneva runs the risk of repeating the meeting between Putin and Trump in Helsinki in 2018. "At that time, they reached an agreement on cooperation in the field of cybersecurity, which the Americans disavowed literally the next day under the influence of internal pressure. This pressure still affects Biden, like it affected Trump. For example, Michael McFaul, a well-known opponent of improving relations with Russia, accompanies him to Geneva. Recently Biden held a briefing with American specialists on Russia, and they are all confrontational. And as you know, in the US, presidents come and go, but experts on Russia remain. That's why the factor of internal resistance can lead to the fact that many agreements will be useless or get ambiguous interpretations," Vladimir Vasiliev warned. "The litmus test of this meeting will be restoration of full-scale diplomatic relations: firstly, the return of ambassadors, and secondly, it may ease or improve working conditions of the embassies. If no agreement on the return of ambassadors will be reached, this will be an indicator that breakthroughs should not be expected. Just yesterday, Sergey Ryabkov, who is participating in the preparation of the meeting on the Russian side, mentioned this," expert said. Is should be noted that the feeling that ambassadors will return to Moscow and Washington was also mentioned by the aide to the President of Russia Yuri Ushakov. He also said that presidents will discuss strategic stability, pandemic, the fight against cybercrime, cooperation in the economy, climate and the Arctic. Regional topics will include the situation in Ukraine, Karabakh, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan. Vietnam is anticipated to become the worlds third largest rice exporter next year with an estimated export volume reaching 6.3 million tonnes, according to the projection made by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The latest forecast has recently been released as part of the USDAs May 2021 Report about the Global Rice Outlook for 2022. The report details that the global rice output in the 2021 - 2022 crop will hit a record high of 505.4 million tonnes of milled rice, an increase of 1.9 million tonnes compared to the 2020 - 2021 crop. Most notably, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Cambodia, China, the Ivory Coast, the Republic of Korea, Paraguay, Taiwan (China), and Thailand will all witness rises in their respective rice output. In contrast, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Iraq, Madagascar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, the US, and Vietnam are all projected to record a lower output. After two consecutive years of maintaining its position as the worlds second largest rice exporter, Vietnam will rank third in terms of global rice exports next year, behind India and Thailand. In line with the rice industry restructuring scheme until 2025, Vietnam is aiming to export approximately five million tonnes annually. This decrease is attributed to the local rice industrys shifting from quantity to quality, with a specific focus on improving the value and brand of Vietnamese rice among in international market. Rice exporters have gradually begun to shift their proportion of white rice varieties to high-quality fragrant rice, while simultaneously focusing on high-end markets such as the EU, the US, and Japan. Nguyen Van Thanh, director of Phuoc Thanh IV Trading and Production Co., Ltd, says his firm has recently turned to exporting fragrant and high-quality rice, adding that along with traditional Asian markets, the company has is seeking to reap benefits from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement - EU (EVFTA). Similarly, Pham Thai Binh, general director of Trung An High-Tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company, reveals that since the beginning of the year, the firm has continuously won bids to ship rice to Asian countries and the EU. Binh added that Trung An rice is now being traded at the relatively high level of over US$578.5 per tonne. Source: VOV Firms to get help to expand rice export markets The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported the volume of rice exported reached 450,000 tonnes with a value of US$246 million last month. It is necessary to build a database of talented politicians and welcome all people in the country as well as overseas Vietnamese to register if they meet the criteria. Politicians are the most senior and the most important human resource, the core part of the political system, those who direct, guide, and lead the nation on the path of development. Their tasks are building the political program, formulating the Partys lines and States policies and laws. They hold high-ranking positions in the Party, State and Government. Good leadership is the ability that every politician must have. They not only need to have vision at the local and national levels, but also at regional and global levels, capable of working and cooperating effectively with foreign and international institutions to bring the best benefits to the country. The essential virtues they need to have are the spirit of developing the country, the spirit of innovation, burning national aspiration, and responsibility to the people. They need to dare to think, dare to do, dare to take breakthrough actions, and be brave and pioneering in the flow of the times, win people's hearts, and lead people and the country to the development in accordance with innovation and creativity. They need to have firm political stuff, not corrupted by temptations and the problems of the downside of the market economy. They must be clean, well liked, and have an attractive and appealing image before the public. Candidacy is a reasonable mechanism to select talented politicians. It is necessary to expand the sphere for selection and design an open mechanism to select the most suitable and talented politicians. It would be better to build a database of talented politicians, allowing all people in Vietnam and overseas Vietnamese to join if they can meet standards. Organizing national exams to select talented civil servants The indispensable qualities of civil servants are the spirit of serving people and businesses, professionalism and responsibility. They also need to have integrity and purity, and must not be corrupted by temptations. Organizing open, strict and competitive national exams is a suitable mechanism to find talented civil servants. The exams should be open to everyone who can meet standards and the results of the exams are the only criteria for selection. The information about the exams must be released in advance for a long enough time to allocate many people to know and for examinees to have time to prepare well for the exams. The required standards and qualifications for civil servants, as well as the information about how and when to select civil servants, need to be made transparent. The mechanism will not only select the best individuals, but also will make those who pass the fiercely competitive exams feel pride about their abilities, their work and the legitimacy of their positions, and therefore, they will be more responsible about their work. The mechanism will not only select the best individuals, but also will make those who pass the fiercely competitive exams feel pride about their abilities, their work and the legitimacy of their positions, and therefore, they will be more responsible about their work. Meanwhile, the mechanism allows to prevent useless individuals from entering the state apparatus, thereby avoiding the birds of a feather flock together vicious cycle which harms the state apparatus. It would be better to set the minimum percentage of civil servants to be recruited under this mechanism. Building, popularizing the image of talented civil servants It is necessary to make a breakthrough with wage policy to be sure that talented cadres can live on their wages. And only with a reasonable wage policy will they wholeheartedly work and dedicate themselves for the prosperity of the country. Talented officers wont be able to wholeheartedly work if they have to take extra jobs to earn their living. They wont be able to be proud of the wages of they are not enough to feed themselves, let alone their family members. Low incomes may prompt them to try illegal ways to make money from their positions, including intentionally causing difficulties to other people to clamour for money. It is necessary to pay attention to developing leadership, management, and administration and implementation capacity, especially in handling practical situations in order to improve capability and adaptability to rapid changes in the world nowadays; focus on training in foreign languages, especially English, and practicing international negotiation and presentation skills to meet the requirements of the country's deeper international integration. Along with that, talented cadres need to be imbued with the spirit of national development, have the burning desire and pride to join the contingent of talented cadres to serve the country, contributing to its rapid development to catch up with developed countries, while they not only consider this a career to just earn a living. Talented cadres are given the best conditions to succeed and serve the country, for which they can get worthy rewards. However, they must not become arrogant and conceited, but they need to share their experience and resources with others and help others succeed. It is necessary to promote social activities to promote the noble image of talented cadres, establish honorable awards and give noble titles to honor and enhance the social status of talented cadres, and create societys respect towards talented cadres. This will help encourage excellent individuals to strive to become talented cadres rather than work for foreign enterprises because of the pride of working and contributing to building and developing the country. Conclusion Vietnam has a new development opportunity, and favorable conditions to make the "Miracle of the Red River". Vietnam, with the population of 100 million, the 15th largest in the world, is enjoying a golden population period with 70 percent of population below 35 years old. Vietnam is located in an advantageous geographical position, which is more significant in Asias eventful century. It has many talents with hundreds of thousand of scientists, experts and engineers living and working in countries with advanced sciences. Moreover, Doi Moi (renovation) 1986 brought a brilliant fortune. This, plus the spectacular success in controlling Covid-19 can create momentum, motivation and confidence for the entire nation to realize the dream of becoming a dragon, walking abreast with other countries. This is the best opportunity for the entire Vietnamese nation to join hands to realize the dream of becoming a dragon. If we miss the opportunity, the golden population period will be over and the tragedy of becoming old before getting rich will come, while the first and second generations of overseas Vietnamese talents deeply attached to the homeland will become old, and the Asian century will pass and will not return. TVN High rates of turnout seen in May 23 elections: NEC Most cities and provinces reported high rates of turnout of over 90 percent in the May 23 elections exceeded, with some recording a rate of as high as 99.99 percent as of 10pm the same day, reported the National Election Council (NEC). Many livestreams, where social network gangsters feel free to curse and insult others, have been organized online, attracting thousands of likes. Dao Chi Le (left) and Phu Le Cyberspace has become a part of peoples life as everyone spends a lot of time on social networks, but analysts say that cyberspace has been polluted by acts of defamation, insults and even cheating. This behavior that deviates from standards is easily spread in cyberspace because laws and management tools are imperfect and do not cover everything in this new world. VietNamNet is publishing a series of articles on cleaning up cyberspace with a wish to reflect about the 'pollution' on cyberspace, find the causes, and suggest solutions to deal with the problem. Also, we hope that everyone will join forces to clean up cyberspace so that we can have a clean environment for everyone. Cyber trash: livestreaming for swearing and fighting It takes only half a second to find 1,050,000 results with the keyword livestream chui nhau (livestreaming to swear), or giang ho mang (social network gangsters). But with the keyword thanh chui (King of swearing), the results are 2.7 million. The results show many familiar names, including Kha Banh (pretty swell), Duong Minh Tuyen, Dung Troc Ha Dong (completely shaven Dung in Ha Dong) and Huan Hoa Hong (Huan Rose). They insult and curse others, and also post misleading, uncultured and even vulgar content. In 2017, Le Thi Dao (of Dao Chi Le) cooperated with Le Van Phu (or Phu Le, born in 1980, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi) and his wife La Thuy Kieu to film to sell goods online. Later, Dao and the couple separated and did business on their own. Kieu and Dao posted videos to curse and challenge each other to meet in real life to solve disputes. On July 18, 2020, Dao Chi Le posted a video showing her crying and denouncing La Thi Kieu for speaking ill of her. Many livestreams, where social network gangsters feel free to curse and insult others, have been organized online, attracting thousands of likes. The video, which caught the attention of the community of netizens, was heard by La Thuy Kieu. This raised the level of tension between the two sides to a new high. After a lot of online quarrels, on July 18, 2020, Phu Le sent people to meet Dao Chi Le, while promising to award VND20 million to those who beat Chi Le. On August 2, 2020, Dao Chi Le, together with two young men, livestreamed in front of Phu Les home, saying that the couple did not dare to meet Le. After that, Phu Le sent some people to harass them at Les house. Nguyen Thi Be, Les mother younger sister and Nguyen Thi Nga, Les mother, were injured by the people with an iron stick. Phu and his partners were charged with intentionally causing injury. However, the trial did not occur as planned, because the victim withdrew the denouncement. The thanh chui of 2018 was Ngo Ba Kha, born in 1993, in Bac Ninh, who became famous with hundreds of clips posted on YouTube and Facebook. Kha mostly posted videos where he swore and traced social network accounts which had comments that offended him. Kha also joined hands with Duong Minh Tuyen to post short films and videos on treating cases with the rules of the underworld. One of his most famous videos was the one which showed how he broke and burned his motorbike. The number of Khas channel views at times reached 2 million. On April 2, 2019, Kha was arrested by Bac Ninh Police for gambling and organizing gambling. He tested positive for drugs. At the hearing, Kha said he had finished the 7th grade, worked as a carpenter, went to reform school, was imprisoned once, and was once administratively handled for burning a car. Kha was sentenced to 10 years and six month imprisonment. Duong Minh Tuyen, born in 1986, is also a well known thanh chui. Tuyen was known for his livestreams and videos on Facebook and YouTube which commented on events. As of July 27, 2020, Tuyens YouTube channel had 750,000 subscribers, with a green check mark from YouTube. However, there was no profanity or swearing on Tuyens videos, but threats to beat other people. In January 2021, Ho Van Khoa, born in 1992 in Hanoi, warned Tuyen about a conflict between them. The two sides had livestreams with offensive words and threats. Through livestreams, the two sides decided to meet each other after a party at Le Van Thais home in Thanh Mien District of Hai Duong province, to solve the dispute. On January 4, Tuyen came to Thais home, but Khoa did not appear. So Tuyen livestreamed and threw down a challenge to Khoa. Replying to Tuyen, Khoa quietly came to the place where Tuyen had appeared and livestreamed and tried to shoot him. The court sentenced Khoa to 39 months in prison. However, the public is still not satisfied because there has been no judgment for those who intentionally spread toxic and harmful information to the community and society. VietNamNet Parents warned about posting photos of children on social networks In the past, Vietnamese people were willing to provide personal information and their photos, but many have decided to stop doing this because of certain risks. Hundreds of antiques and treasures of the last feudal dynasty in Vietnam - Nguyen Dynasty have drifted everywhere. Through decades of wandering, many antiques have been repatriated. The ancient capital of Hue, in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue today, is a land where many cultures such as Dong Son, Sa Huynh and Cham Pa civilization converged. It used to be the capital of Dang Trong (1) and also the capital of Vietnam during the reign of the Nguyen Dynasty. That land became a convergence point of talents and material resources of the whole country, and a place of national wealth and treasures. However, many treasures have been lost. The nine cannons cast in 1803, which are now national treasures. Based on historical documents, many antiques and treasures in Hue disappeared after historic events in the years 1775, 1862, 1885, 1945, 1947, 1972. The biggest loss in history was associated with the event called the fall of Hue capital on July 5, 1885 (2). During this event, the French army not only killed many civilians but also robbed the most precious things of the Nguyen Dynasty. According to documents by Father Pere Siefert - who witnessed this catastrophic event the French took away "228 diamonds, 266 jewels encrusted with diamonds, pearls and sapphires, 271 gold items of Empress Dowager Tu Du .... "Golden branches, jade leaves" of the Nguyen Dynasty. At the shrines worshiping kings Gia Long, Minh Mang and Thieu Tri, most things that can be taken away such as crowns, belts, mats, royal costumes ... were robbed. Most of the wealth in the royal court of the Nguyen dynasty and even the Hue nobility were stolen by the French and brought back to France. Another type of antique loss: locals discovered some antiques by accident but did not report to authorities. They sold the antiques to scrap or antiques dealers. Most artifacts of this kind have disappeared or are owned by some antique collectors. Arduous repatriation of Hues antiques After acceding to the throne in 1885, Emperor Dong Khanh tried to reclaim some treasures taken by the French. The Nguyen Dynasty spent a lot of energy and money to regain most of the most important seals and nine bronze cannons that symbolized the strength of the dynasty. Dr. Huynh Thi Anh Van, Director of the Hue Imperial Antiquities Museum, said that the museum manages more than 11,500 artifacts, of which 8,800 items are preserved in warehouses and displayed at some places such as An Dinh Palace and Can Chanh Palace. And more than 2,760 artifacts are preserved and displayed at royal tombs and other monuments in Hue. The seals of the Nguyen Dynasty are made of gold. Among the most special antiques at the museum are the desk and the dart-containing set of Emperor Tu Duc, which returned to Vietnam over 30 years ago after Vietnams lawsuit to the international court. According to historical documents, while living in France, Vietnams last Emperor Bao Dai visited a museum in Paris and he saw some Nguyen dynastys objects on display for auction. Among these items were a desk and a dart-containing set of Emperor Tu Duc and several ceramic and porcelain utensils. Bao Dai filed a lawsuit to the court in Paris to reclaim these antiques, but was denied because he could not represent Vietnam in the case, the only subject that was eligible to stand for the lawsuit. The former king reported the case to the Vietnamese Embassy in France, which then contacted relevant agencies in Vietnam. Mr. Nguyen Van Me - former Chairman of Thua Thien-Hue province said that in 1987, when he was chairman of Hue City, he received an official letter from the Vietnamese Embassy in France about the case. The local authorities set up a council with the participation of experts to prepare documents and evidence to prove the origin of the antiques and hired lawyers to prepare for the lawsuit. Having enough evidence, the Vietnamese Embassy in France filed a lawsuit to the French court and successfully reclaimed these two antiques. Dr. Hai told VietNamNet that in recent years the Hue Monuments Conservation Center has received a number of antiques from donors in France and 60 other antiques from local donators. In 2016, for the first time, 71 years after Bao Dai's abdication, a large number of Nguyen Dynasty treasures were brought from Hanoi to Hue for display. Quang Thanh - Thanh Hai - Huong Lai (To be continued...) 1 - During the 17th century and almost all the 18th century, Dang Trong was a de facto independent kingdom ruled by the Nguyen lords while they claimed to be loyal subjects of the Le emperors in Thang Long (Hanoi). 2- The fall of Hue capital is a huge historical event for Hue people. It is also an event that changed the political life of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty. This event was marked by an uprising, an ambush by Nguyen dynasty soldiers against two French bases - the Kham Su Court and the French army station in Tran Binh Dai. During this event, French soldiers slaughtered a number of Hue soldiers and people. The unparalleled antique warehouse in Hue City Mr. Hoang at a very young age was driven by a strong sense of destiny to seek old values manifested in antiques, particularly attire from Vietnams last feudal dynasty the Nguyen Dynasty. More than 600 members of foreign diplomatic missions and United Nations organizations in Vietnam have been inoculated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the past days in Hanoi. A foreign diplomat has received a COVID-19 vaccine shot in Hanoi. (Photo: MoH) The vaccination, initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, was carried out by doctors of the Central Lung Hospital in Hanoi on June 9-10. Diplomats and their staff were required to make health declaration and undergo medical check-ups before getting the jab. None of the serious reactions were reported after the vaccination, said sources from the hospital. Members of foreign diplomatic missions highly appreciated Vietnams epidemic prevention and control, especially its early COVID-19 vaccination. Meanwhile, Vietnamese diplomats and their staff in many foreign countries regions have also been vaccinated against COVID-19, with WHO-licensed vaccines such as Pfizer-BioNTech, Astra Zeneca, Moderna, Sputnik V, and Sinovac. Source: VOV Vietnam is seeking support from the private sector to secure enough funding to nail deals of 150 million COVID-19 doses in 2021 in an effort to achieve herd immunity as soon as possible. The fund has received more than VND4.79 trillion ($208.3 million) as of June 12, just a week after launching, highlighting the governments move to mobilise vaccine funding from the private sector. Photo courtesy of Vietjet Massive inoculation is crucial in the pandemic battle It is not only Vietnam, but governments around the globe are speeding up COVID-19 vaccine rollout to have at least two thirds of their populations jabbed by the end of 2021. The vaccines are universally deemed as the most effective shield to protect people against the coronavirus, raising hopes of returning life to normal. Relative normalcy has returned to several countries following their widespread COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. Many others, however, are facing difficulties in getting the vaccines due to the scarce supply and high costs. Vietnam estimates it will take around VND25.2 trillion (US$1.1 billion) to buy sufficient jabs and inoculate the whole population, which in no doubt will further strain the already tightened state budget due to the effect of the pandemic. The Ministry of Finance said that it managed to allocate more than VND14 trillion ($608.9 million). That means it is still VND11.2 trillion ($487.1 million) short. Voluntary contributions: A creative way to fight COVID-19 To finance the countrys vaccine procurement, Vietnam officially launched a public fund on June 5, 2021. The COVID-19 Vaccine Fund is a rightful initiative of Vietnamese Government to mobilise all resources available for the fight against the pandemic. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said that it is a fund of kindness, solidarity, faith, and from heart to heart to together overcome adversities and let Vietnam triumph over the COVID-19 pandemic. Kidong Park, WHO representative in Vietnam, said the mobilisation of resources to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines of the Vietnamese Government was made in a timely manner and in line with the global vaccine initiative. The United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra said this was a good initiative which had been supported by the UN for months. Several channels including bank transfer and an official website for the National COVID-19 Vaccine Fund have been introduced to receive donations from individuals, businesses and organisations in Vietnam and abroad. The fund is expected to ease the strain on the somewhat limited state budget, financially backing up Vietnamese to import, research, manufacture and distribute the vaccines. Every contribution matters According to the Ministry of Finance, the fund has received more than VND4.79 trillion ($208.3 million) as of June 12, just a week after launching, highlighting the governments move to mobilise vaccine funding from the private sector. The Ministry of Finance has planned more than VND14 trillion ($608.9 million) for the COVID-19 fight, of which VND11 trillion ($478.4 million) will soon be disbursed. Plus contributions from individuals, organisations and businesses in Vietnam and abroad, the total amount we have now is fair to middling. This is key to the vaccine import and vaccine rollout for the citizens, Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc said. Those who wish to contribute to the fight against the pandemic can visit the website at https://quyvacxincovid19.gov.vn/ to make donations publicly or anonymously via international credit cards, ATM cards, e-wallets, Internet banking, and mobile banking. All contributions via the website will be transferred directly to the funds bank account. Contributors can opt to donate to the general vaccine fund or a specific province, city, agency or organisation. They can also send supporting messages to relatives, friends, or the frontline workers. Benefactors will receive a digital donation certificate following a successful donation. Diverse ways of contributions to the fund allows flexibility for the benefactors to help Vietnam conquer the pandemic. Source: Vietnam News The two teachers elected to the National Assembly (NA) said improving education and training quality will be their top priority at the 15th NA tenure. They also have a common interest in teachers benefits and students study opportunities. Ha Anh Phuong from Huong Can High School Of the 499 newly elected NA Deputies, there are 25 lecturers, teachers and officers in the educational sector. Ha Anh Phuong, teacher at Huong Can High School in Phu Tho, said: I feel that it is a great honor to represent not only teachers but also ethnic minorities, women and young people. I hope I can understand the thoughts and wishes of voters and act as a bridge between them and NA." Phuong hopes that she can propose solutions to improve teaching and learning of English at schools in particular and improve education quality in Vietnam in general. I will also continue to share the cross-border class model and 4.0 positive teaching methods with schools inside and outside Phu Tho, so that more students can become global citizens, especially in light of the evolving challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic for the education sector, she said. In addition, I will pay attention to the issues that many Vietnamese students are facing, including reading culture, national cultural tradition preservation, and young people's safety when using the internet, she said. I believe that as a NA Deputy, the projects I am implementing, such as Happy library, Safety in cyberspace and the cross-border class model, will be given more strength, she added. Phuong is also concerned about ensuring teachers benefits. She will advocate policies which give better conditions to teachers, thus helping them to become dedicated to their profession. NA Deputy Phu Tho has also expressed attention to policies applied to ethnic minorities, because the rate of poor and near-poor households in some areas is still high compared with other localities. Nguyen Thi Ha, teacher at Luong Tai High School in Bac Ninh, said she hopes she can help create positive changes to the educational sector and local peoples lives. She will convey the wishes of voters to the NA, Government and state agencies, and help the building of policies and laws that have high feasibility, practical suitability, and high consensus among the people. The young NA Deputy said she will create a channel to collect opinions from voters, especially young voters, via the internet. Ha is concerned about the promotion of young intellectuals, who can contribute to the development of Bac Ninh and the country. She will pay a lot of attention to vocational education and career guidance for youth, so as to help them have job opportunities and do business in their hometowns. Thuy Nga The bumpy road of a 25-year-old female teacher elected to the National Assembly Nang Xo Vi, the first Brau ethnic minority female teacher elected to the NA, said she is grateful to the people of Dak Me hamlet, who contributed packages of seasoning powder and shampoo as well as emotional support so that Vi could go to school. District 2 Council Member Hector Sabido, whose district includes most of the project, said he is disappointed by the delay but relieved that $320,000 spent on the project so far will not go to waste. Waco City Manager Bradley Ford agreed and said the city can pick up the project, including the preparation work done so far, at a later date. The plan to convert Franklin into a two-way road also ties into the citys proposed Bus Rapid Transit project, which would rearrange bus routes with one central line, primarily along Franklin and Waco Drive, with smaller branching routes into other parts of the city. Council Member Jim Holmes said he does not want to lose traction on the ongoing work. But again I see the need for hitting pause here and figuring out where were at, Holmes said. Theres so many moving parts with this project. Waco Mayor Dillon Meek said he was ready to see the beautification and pedestrian improvements the conversion would include, but agrees with the decision to delay the project. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) A federal inmate imprisoned on drug charges has escaped from a minimum security facility in Tennessee, authorities said Tuesday. Cecil Corey Haggins was discovered missing from Federal Correctional Institution Memphis satellite camp in Millington on Monday night, the Bureau of Prisons said in a news release. The FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and other law enforcement agencies were informed of the escape, the bureau said. Millington is located just north of Memphis. The satellite camp is a minimum security facility and currently houses 84 male offenders, the bureau said. Haggins has been sentenced 10 years in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Over the past 18 months, at least 29 prisoners have escaped from federal lockups across the U.S., and nearly half still have not been caught, The Associated Press reported last week. At some of the institutions, doors are left unlocked, security cameras are broken and officials sometimes dont notice an inmate is missing for hours. The details of Haggins' escape have not been released by the bureau. Hornback said the criticism showed Massies lack of knowledge about his efforts to support Kentucky agriculture and his conservative voting record in the Kentucky Senate. It reflected everything thats wrong with social media, the state lawmaker said. Because you can go on there just like he did, and say anything you want to say, never have to face the person," Hornback said. "And thats what starts a lot of trouble. Last year, Hornback endorsed Massie's GOP primary opponent, Todd McMurtry. Massie won the primary in a rout on his way to reelection. Hornback's district overlaps with Massie's. Hornback, who describes himself as a strong gun-rights supporter, has promoted legislation meant to temporarily keep guns away from people deemed as threats to themselves or others. Its not about taking peoples guns away," Hornback said Wednesday. "Its about, we have a problem with gun violence. And thats more evident than ever right now because of all the mass shootings. Thats a societal problem. And if we as leaders all over the nation, if we dont discuss it and talk about it, then we never get anything accomplished. ATLANTA (AP) Election processes in Georgia's most populous county were badly managed, sloppy and chaotic, but there was no evidence of fraud, said an independent monitor who spent many hours over several months observing county election workers. Detailed notes kept by Carter Jones over the week of the general election in November and obtained by The Associated Press challenge many of the allegations of fraud and misconduct that have circulated since the election. They chronicle everything Jones saw in Fulton County from the evening of Monday, Nov. 2, the day before the election, through late Saturday, Nov. 7, when the last ballots were counted. Its not what it looks like during the election. Its what happens after the election and what it looks like at the end, Jones said in an exclusive interview with the AP on Wednesday. Fulton was able to make their numbers zero out and there was nothing that should challenge the certification of this election. Jones, who was appointed to ensure the county's compliance with a consent agreement and has previous experience working on elections in other parts of the world, said he spent nearly 270 hours observing the county's election processes and saw no evidence of any dishonesty, fraud or intentional malfeasance. Adkins told The Associated Press shortly after Hailey's disappearance that he was not involved and that he was praying for her safe return. Authorities have not said what led police to arrest Adkins, and Biddle referred questions to prosecutors in the 32nd Judicial District Attorneys Office. District Attorney Richard Thompson said in a statement that Adkins' arrest was the result of a multi-county and multi-agency effort." He declined to provide further information, saying the case is still under investigation. Adkins arrest was met with shock by some in Colorado City, a 4,500-resident town just 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Big Spring where he was taken into custody. The shock of him being arrested was my shock too because I wasnt aware of any of it, said Police Chief Charles Rice. Rice said that by the time he came to the department the case had been handed off to the Texas Rangers and the FBI. This story was first published June 15, 2021. It was updated June 16, 2021, to correct that Shawn Casey Adkins was transferred from the Howard County jail to the Mitchell County jail, where hes being held on bond, not released on bond from the Howard County jail. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation distributed grants to 15 departments, including five departments from Pennsylvania specifically and 10 to departments across the country. The $6,600 received will go toward equipment for the K-9 unit including an insert for the police vehicle that safely separates the dog from arrestees and regulates temperature. The department also requested a ballistic vest harness and other miscellaneous equipment. Ferrell said there has been an increase in the goal because the police vehicle they intended to act as the K-9 unit vehicle has had quite a bit more mileage added to it this year than they planned. What I dont want to do is invest a bunch of money into equipment for one vehicle and then a year later it disappears, Ferrell said. Ferrell has and will continue to apply for grants and fundraise because he said after they have established and trained the K-9 unit, it will continue to cost the department money. Ferrell estimates it could cost $2,000 to $4,000 annually for equipment maintenance, veterinary bills, recertification and dog food. On the flip side, Welsh said, when you have districts that are giving tours about their safety protocols, those might be targeted more to their Black and Latinx families whose communities were hit harder by the pandemic. One such effort is underway in San Antonio, where the mostly Latino school district saw enrollment drop just over 5%. Officials there project that enrollment will rise this fall but not to pre-pandemic levels. To build trust with families worried about in-person learning, district officials have been hosting town halls where families can ask experts questions about COVID-19 vaccines. The district will also continue to offer a fully virtual schooling option. School officials are working to connect with every family who left or did not enroll their child in preschool or kindergarten, whether by phone or with a home visit, Superintendent Pedro Martinez said. The district has even tasked bus drivers with calling families between routes to encourage them to register their children. UNMANNED Nine win spots on $249M Navy unmanned tech contract Nine companies have won positions on a potential eight-year, $249.7 million contract to help the Navy design and produce unmanned hardware and software platforms. Winners will compete for task orders to develop the unmanned waterborne and underwater mine countermeasures systems, the Defense Department said in its Tuesday awards digest. The Navy received 13 bids and the awardees are: Applied Research Associates Gryphon Technologies Huntington Ingalls Industries ISPA Technology Leidos Oasis Systems Peraton Science Applications International Corp. Serco Groups U.S. subsidiary Work will take place over a four-year base period with a $118.8 million initial value. An additional four individual option years would take the contract to its full ceiling amount. CONTRACTS VTG wins contract to manage Navy small business research program VTG will help the Naval Sea Systems Command manage its small business innovation research and small business technology transfer programs. Under a $27 million contract, the company will provide program and project support services. This will include defining focus areas, developing topics, and identifying proposals and contractors to participate. VTG will also help the NAVSEA program manager develop strategies, policies, and processes to improve the SBIR program under the five-year contract. "We look forward to leveraging our expertise across the defense and intelligence sectors to increase small business participation in federally funded research and development, said VTG CEO John Hassoun. The government uses the SBIR program to engage small businesses in research and development efforts that bring promising technologies closer to use. Newsom, a Democrat, faces an expected recall election and his critics have called the taxpayer-money giveaways a publicity stunt. Vaccine incentives nationwide have ranged from beer to season tickets to vacations. Ghaly said the state does not have specific data benchmarks that would prompt a return to restrictions and that local officials are expected to monitor their cases numbers and vaccination rates in the coming months. There is not a trigger, he said. More than 3.6 million people have tested positive for the virus in California and over 62,000 state residents died figures that are higher than anywhere else in the country, though the nations most populous state had a lower per capita death rate than most others. Now, California has one of the lowest rates of infection in the country below 1%, and more than 70% of adults have received at least one vaccine dose. Still, Newsom said state officials will continue to urge people to get vaccines for themselves and their children. On Tuesday, the state reported that 977 people with confirmed COVID cases were hospitalized including 251 in intensive care units. This is not a day where we announce mission accomplished, he said. Adkins told The Associated Press shortly after Hailey's disappearance that he was not involved and that he was praying for her safe return. Authorities have not said what led police to arrest Adkins, and Biddle referred questions to prosecutors in the 32nd Judicial District Attorneys Office. District Attorney Richard Thompson said in a statement that Adkins' arrest was the result of a multi-county and multi-agency effort." He declined to provide further information, saying the case is still under investigation. Adkins arrest was met with shock by some in Colorado City, a 4,500-resident town just 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Big Spring where he was taken into custody. The shock of him being arrested was my shock too because I wasnt aware of any of it, said Police Chief Charles Rice. Rice said that by the time he came to the department the case had been handed off to the Texas Rangers and the FBI. This story was first published June 15, 2021. It was updated June 16, 2021, to correct that Shawn Casey Adkins was transferred from the Howard County jail to the Mitchell County jail, where hes being held on bond, not released on bond from the Howard County jail. 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 Lubbock, TX (79423) Today Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 82F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. A steady rain arriving overnight. Low 69F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images En espanol | With warmer weather kicking in and the pandemic ebbing, many people are looking for fun outside this summer. From inexpensive mood lighting to luxury items, those looking to embrace alfresco entertaining are investing in their backyard spaces. Last year, Marisa Pollak of Nashville, Tennessee, began hosting weekly musical jams with 25 people on a stage and a dance floor in her backyard. She strung mood lights from the trees. The jams have grown to include up to 40 people this year, prompting Pollak, 56, to invest about $6,000 in a bigger, enclosed stage for year-round use. I created a magical fairyland for adults, she says. If you create something that's fun, other people want to come over. It was a way of creating community during COVID-19. Many consumers like Pollak are continuing the outdoor living trend into summer in an even bigger way. As more people get vaccinated and restrictions lift, we have a need to socialize and the safest way to do it is to entertain outside, explains Howard Wiggins, an interior designer in Nashville. People want to beautify and upgrade their backyards, patios and decks and extend their interior living space outside. If last year saw more home DIY efforts, this year is all about comfort and luxury, according to the inaugural summer trends 2021 report released May 18 by Riverbend Home, a furnishings website. From simple decorations to big-ticket purchases, people are making their backyards, patios and decks more inviting. "I'm stunned by how much people are willing to spend, says Mark Feldman, chief home officer and general manager of Riverbend Home. People are saving money as they work from home they don't have to commute, pay for gas or buy work clothes and they're investing in higher-end furnishings. They're looking at it as an investment for the long term." Here are nine ideas to enliven your backyard, patio or deck this summer. Roof Replacement Update - Townsville BST Sydney, June 15, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Sugar Terminals Limited ( NSX:SUG ) has commenced the $22 million roof replacement program at its Townsville Bulk Sugar Terminal with BESIX Watpac onsite and work well underway.More than 50 people are now replacing 415 tonnes of roof sheeting at the terminal, over an area of 35,000 square metres. This is just over three times the size of the playing surface at the new Queensland Country Bank Stadium.Initial work on the 2-year project began in March 2021 and the first roof sheets were removed in May, at the end of the 2021 cyclone season. The first stage is currently focused on Shed 2, which was commissioned in 1965 and the second stage will repeat the process on Shed 1, which dates back to 1959. The entire project is scheduled for completion in September 2022.STL Chief Executive Officer, David Quinn, said this investment demonstrated STL's long term commitment to Queensland's sugar industry and acknowledged the vital role the Townsville operations continue to play."The works in Townsville represent the final stage of a $100 million investment by STL in rejuvenating 10 large storage sheds across six Queensland sugar terminals," he said.The challenging work involves replacing ageing roofing with new aluminium cladding and upgrading and strengthening structural steel elements of the two 300-metre long sheds."All the activity is occurring at heights of up to 27 metres above ground level, so it's a technical task that requires careful planning and a strong focus on safety," Mr Quinn said.BESIX Watpac Northern Area Manager Wade Cummins said the system adopted for the project is state-of-the-art."On a roof with 35 degrees pitch, safety is paramount so we are deploying an innovative system to ensure worker safety. The system utilises a rolling platform or 'roof walker' which travels along the purlins and provides a safe and secure platform from which our workers can operate," Mr Cummins said.Port of Townsville Chief Executive Officer Ranee Crosby said the Port had a proud history of supporting Queensland's sugar industry, with the first sugar exported from Townsville's wharves in 1872."STL's Townsville bulk sugar sheds can store up to 750,000 tonnes of raw sugar at any one time, making the roof cladding vital for protecting the sugar in the tropical elements.The roof upgrades will ensure this important northern trade continues to bring economic benefits to the region for decades to come."ABOUT BESIX WATPACWith around 600 employees, BESIX Watpac is a leading Australian construction company backed by a century of global expertise and financial strength. The business specialises in complex construction across all sectors, including complex buildings, civil infrastructure, complex industrial projects and marine works. BESIX Watpac's other major projects in North Queensland include the Queensland Country Bank Stadium and Sun Metals Refinery Expansion. Watpac was founded in Brisbane in 1983 and became part of the international contractor BESIX Group in 2019.About Sugar Terminals Limited Sugar Terminals Limited (NSX:SUG) (STL) owns and operates six bulk commodity terminals in Queensland and plays a vital role in Australia's sugar market, handling over 90% of the raw sugar produced in Australia each year. STL's terminals provide 2.5 million tonnes of storage capacity and handle more than 4.6 million tonnes of commodities each year. In addition to around 4 million tonnes of bulk sugar, STL also handles more than half a million tonnes of other commodities annually, including molasses, wood pellets, gypsum and silica sands. STL has over $350 million in assets in strategic port locations across Queensland. We have in place 100 year leases with the port authorities at each of our six terminals. These leases include rolling options to extend for a further 100 year period. CEO presentation to AGM Sydney, June 15, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - This presentation has been prepared by Etherstack plc ( ASX:ESK ). The information in this presentation is for information purposes only and is not investment, financial product, legal or tax advice.This presentation contains summary information about the activities of Etherstack and subsidiaries. The information in this presentation does not purport to be complete nor does it purport to contain all the information that a prospective investor may require in evaluating a possible investment in Etherstack.Strategic business development: MCPTX (4G/5G)- In June 2020, the company entered into a Global Teaming agreement with Samsung setting out the framework for Mission Critical Push-To-Talk (MCPTT) over LTE solutions to Samsung customers, specifically being telecommunications carriers and governments, utilising Etherstack's digital LMR soft-switching technologies- In February 2021, The company entered into a US$1.2 million agreement with Samsung for solution integration activities for the telecommunications carrier market- As outlined in recent trading updates, Etherstack expects initial carrier deals to be completed and announced imminentlyStrategic business development: Defence & Govt Comms- As previously advised by management during FY2020, the company is positively exposed to government infrastructure and defence spending trends- This has translated into multiple contracts with Australian, UK, Canadian & US government entities, with over A$5m of new contracts being announced since December- Further pursuits are currently underway with expected announcements in H2 should the company be successful in awardStrategic business development: Resources- The resource sector utilises essential digital radio communications networks of the same type as used in public safety and utilities for essential operations at mining facilities- Etherstack has made a concerted push into this sector in the past 18 months and has been rewarded with multiple network awards for a major iron ore producer in the Pilbara- These resources networks are large infrastructure projects and have a similar "sticky" long term support revenue tail as government and utility infrastructure projectsBusiness as usual growth- Our traditional LMR infrastructure business continues to grow as evidenced by the continuous recurring revenue growth the company has enjoyed over the past 6 years, underpinning profitability and stability in baseline revenuesUpdated financial guidance, 27 May 2021- "The Company now expects revenue for the half year ending 30 June 2021 to be in the range of US$3.5m to US$4.0m, representing an increase over the corresponding H1 period in 2020 of between approximately 46% to 66%"- The company expects FY2021 (31 Dec) to significantly outperform FY2020To view the full presentation, please visit:About Etherstack Plc Etherstack (ASX:ESK) is a wireless technology company specialising in developing, manufacturing and licensing mission critical radio technologies for wireless equipment manufacturers and network operators around the globe. With a particular focus in the public safety, defence, utilities, transportation and resource sectors, Etherstack's technology and solutions can be found in radio communications equipment used in the most demanding situations. The company has Research and Development facilities in London, Sydney, New York and Yokohama. Excellent Drilling Results Continue At Binduli Gold Project Perth, June 16, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Horizon Minerals Limited ( ASX:HRZ ) is pleased to announce new drilling results from the 100% owned Binduli gold project area located 12km west of Kalgoorlie in the heart of the Western Australian goldfields (Figures 1 and 3*).The drilling forms part of the 50,000m CY21 program testing high priority resource definition and new discovery targets across the 1,100km2 portfolio. The aim of the program is to organically grow the project pipeline within a 75km radius of the proposed Boorara mill adding to the six core development projects under evaluation as part of the consolidated Feasibility Study.Drilling at Binduli comprised 47 RC holes for 4,713m to a maximum depth of 200m. The two-part program consisted of step out and follow up drilling at the emerging Honeyeater and Kestrel (Figure 2) discoveries and infill drilling at Coote (Figure 3*), immediately adjacent to the Crake deposit, enabling sufficient data density for the compilation of a maiden Mineral Resource estimate.HIGHLIGHTS- Follow up RC drilling program completed at the Coote, Honeyeater and Kestrel prospects, part of the Binduli project area, located 12km west of Kalgoorlie. The program comprised a total of 47 holes for 4,713m to a maximum depth of 200m- At the newly discovered Kestrel prospect, thick zones of anomalous quartz veining within the Black Flag sediments returned several significant results including:o 10m @ 2.07g/t Au from 49m including 1m @ 11.09g/t Au from 57m and 5m @ 5.22g/t Au from 94m including 1m @ 18.91g/t Au from 97m (KRC21002)o 2m @ 4.19g/t Au from 34m (KRC20005) and 1m @ 12.12g/t Au from 72m (KRC20002)- Drill hole KRC21002 occurs on the southern end of the known Kestrel mineralisation and confirms the system is open to the south and at depth- Six holes were completed at the emerging Honeyeater prospect with new and significant high-grade mineralisation intercepted including:o 4m @ 11.45g/t Au from 113m including 1m @ 32.4g/t Au from 115m (HRC20002)o 4m @ 5.15g/t Au from 93m including 1m @ 13.54g/t Au from 93m (HRC20003)- At the Coote prospect, 500m west of the 74,000oz Crake deposit, infill and extension drilling has now expanded the strike length to 400m and confirmed previous results for inclusion in the new resource model. Significant results include1:o 2m @ 1.89g/t Au from 62m, 1m @ 2.70g/t Au from 67m, 17m @ 1.67g/t Au from 78m including 1m @ 11.0g/t Au from 79m (CRC20001)o 2m @ 1.54g/t Au from 28m, 3m @ 1.10g/t Au from 58m, 10m @ 3.20g/t Au from 68m and 6m @ 1.26g/t Au from 98m (CRC20002)o 5m @ 2.28g/t Au from 56m, 3m @ 1.90g/t Au from 66m and 2m @ 1.03g/t Au from 71m (CRC20010)- Further follow up drilling is planned in the September Quarter 2021 and compilation of a maiden Mineral Resource estimate for Coote is now underwayCommenting on the drilling results, Horizon Managing Director Mr Jon Price said:"The Binduli gold project area continues to deliver excellent results and is shaping up to be a key satellite production hub with both advanced development projects at Crake and Coote in the south and emerging organic growth assets at Honeyeater and Kestrel in the north. We now look forward to new resource estimates and further results from the planned drilling in the September Quarter."To view tables and figures, please visit:About Horizon Minerals Limited Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed. Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline. Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... NEW ORLEANS The Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water was blocked Tuesday by a federal judge in Louisiana who ordered that plans continue for lease sales that were delayed for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska waters and all eligible onshore properties. The decision is a blow to Democratic President Joe Bidens efforts to rapidly transition the nation away from fossil fuels and thereby stave off the worst effects of climate change, including catastrophic droughts, floods and wildfires. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughtys ruling came in a lawsuit filed in March by Louisiana Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states. Doughty said his ruling applies nationwide. It grants a preliminary injunction technically a halt to the suspension pending further arguments on the merits of the case. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The omission of any rational explanation in cancelling the lease sales, and in enacting the Pause, results in this Court ruling that Plaintiff States also have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of this claim, he wrote. We are reviewing the judges opinion and will comply with the decision, an Interior Department statement emailed by communications director Melissa Schwartz said. The Interior Department continues to work on an interim report that will include initial findings on the state of the federal conventional energy programs, as well as outline next steps and recommendations for the Department and Congress to improve stewardship of public lands and waters, create jobs, and build a just and equitable energy future. The moratorium was imposed after Biden on Jan. 27 signed executive orders to fight climate change. The suit was filed in March. The Interior Department later canceled oil and gas lease sales from public lands through June affecting Nevada, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and the bureaus eastern region. Bidens orders included a call for Interior officials to review if the leasing program unfairly benefits companies at the expense of taxpayers, as well as the programs impact on climate change. The 13 states that sued said the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken, and that the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs. Doughty heard arguments in the case last week in Lafayette. Federal lawyers argued that the public notice and comment period doesnt apply to the suspension, that the lease sales arent required by law and that the Secretary of the Interior has broad discretion in leasing decisions. No existing lease has been cancelled as a result of any of the actions challenged here, and development activity from exploration through drilling and production has continued at similar levels as the preceding four years, lawyers for the administration argued in briefs. But Doughty sided with the plaintiff states attorneys, who argued that the delay of new leasing cost states revenue from rents and royalties. Millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake, wrote Doughty, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Donald Trump in 2017. Local government funding, jobs for Plaintiff State workers, and funds for the restoration of Louisianas Coastline are at stake, he added, alluding to a possible loss of oil and gas revenue that pays for Louisiana efforts to restore coastal wetlands. This is fantastic news for workers in Louisiana whose livelihoods are being threatened by the administrations thoughtless energy policy, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said in a statement. But not everyone was supportive of the judges decision. The judges order turns a blind eye to runaway climate pollution thats devastating our planet, said Randi Spivak, public lands program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Well keep fighting against the fossil-fuel industry and the politicians that are bought by them. Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia are the other plaintiff states. This is a victory not only for the rule of law, but also for the thousands of workers who produce affordable energy for Americans, Landry said in a statement issued shortly after the ruling. ___ Associated Press reporter Matt Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... SUPERIOR, Ariz. Several rural communities in south-central Arizona remain in evacuation mode because of a wildfire, one of several that have been burning around the state for over a week. Fire officials said Tuesday that its still not safe for residents from across roughly 60 households in El Capitan, Dripping Springs and other nearby communities to go home. The blaze grew overnight on the west, north and southeast fronts, according to the fire incident management team. More than 1,000 firefighters have focused on protecting structures and maintaining containment lines. The Telegraph Fire, south of Superior, is 68% contained. It has now scorched more than 192 square miles (497 square kilometers) and burned more than 20 structures. It was first reported June 4 and is believed to have been human caused. Meanwhile, up north near Cornville, a lower-tier fire incident management team has taken over suppression efforts of a fire that started Sunday. Fire officials say a lot of the fire activity has been slowed or stopped. The fire has burned roughly 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) and has not achieved any containment. Most of it has been away from homes and populated areas. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... New Mexico will have some royalty in the state rap royalty that is. Queen Latifah and Chris Ludacris Bridges are starring in the Netflix feature film, End of the Road, which is currently filming in Albuquerque. Emmy Award winner Beau Bridges is also co-starring. According to the New Mexico Film Office, production will take place through August. End of The Road is the story of a recently widowed woman, Brenda, who after losing her job, drives her family cross-country to start a new life. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ In the New Mexico desert, cut off from help, they must learn to fight back when they become the targets of a mysterious killer. The film is directed by Millicent Shelton and is written by David Loughery. It is based on an original screenplay by Christopher J. Moore. We are all excited to have the opportunity to shoot in New Mexico with some of the best crews and creative talent in the world. The states unique landscapes and gorgeous weather have captured our hearts, said producers Tracey Edmonds, Mark Burg and Brad Kaplan. According to the New Mexico Film Office, the production will employ approximately 156 New Mexico crew members, 5 New Mexico principal actors, and 283 New Mexico background talent. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... The calls for justice in every corner of our globe continue to get louder and louder not only because injustices continue happening across our world, but because people have been awakened, and they are not allowing our governments and ourselves to turn a blind eye to systemic violence and abuse impacting our communities. The world is being forced to reckon with the brutal reality of systemic genocide against Indigenous peoples around the world after the remains of 215 children were found in the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Southern British Columbia. Residential schools are what we in the United States have come to know as Native American boarding schools. While this story has made the news globally, this horrible discovery has been met with silence and inaction right here in New Mexico despite the well-documented history of atrocities that were carried out in our five boarding schools. While many may dismiss these events as something that happened a long time ago, the truth is, this form of systemic violence against Indigenous people has only evolved, still leading to the death of our community members every day. Our Indigenous youth in this current day face ongoing systemic injustice as a continuation of the boarding school era in other forms. Underfunded resources and support for Indigenous students contributes to high dropout rates. Indigenous youth have the same rates of PTSD as combat veterans. Indigenous families are being forced to accept an underfunded and inadequate health care system that is saturated with our friends and family who are victims of food apartheid and systemic malnutrition. Indigenous women and girls are being murdered and go missing at an outrageous rate with complete impunity for the perpetrators. And lastly, many survivors remain in our tribes and pueblos, deprived of any resources or tools to cope with the trauma they lived through as they were separated from their families and the system attempted to take away their dignity, humanity and culture leading them into a self-destructive path of substance abuse. New Mexico has an opportunity to act boldly and face our past head-on to acknowledge the atrocities carried out against Indigenous peoples. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ We call for our governor and her administration to carry out extensive investigations as to whether the boarding schools in our state hide the remains of our ancestors. Those who were robbed of their life as a by-product of forced assimilation and ultimate attempt of subduing the Indigenous people of our land in the name of white supremacy. And if this investigation exhibits the ugly truth about the violent history against our people, we demand the creation of a special task force or division charged with the recognition of the harm done against Indigenous families and communities while creating resources and spaces for healing for our survivors. No matter the results of the investigation, we as Indigenous people of this continent demand the truth. Because this is the first step to move in the right direction to address the systemic harm perpetrated against Indigenous communities. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... The rape buzzword has been circulating heavily over the last few years, becoming almost impossible to ignore. The #MeToo movement, beginning in 2016, illuminated the widespread prevalence of sexual assault, with activists prompting calls to increase prevention measures and education, while also encouraging open dialogue. With millions of people from all around the world spreading this hashtag on every social media outlet, this issue of sexual assault moved from late-night discussions among trusted friends at a dive bar to watching millions of people, men and women alike, take to the streets on the first day of Donald J. Trumps presidency in early 2017. During his reign as commander in chief, sexual assault became a widely bipartisan issue, with Republicans being swift to dismiss accusers due to a perceived lack of credibility and Democrats frantically trying to increase awareness and prevention efforts. This tango between the two parties has been ongoing since, with the Biden administration frantically trying to undo the efforts of the previous administration on this issue, and with Republicans desperately trying to hold on to fundamentalist values. The fact of the matter is that no matter ones political affiliation, sexual assault is costing Americans trillions of dollars a year. Recent estimates put the cost of rape at $122,461 per victim, including medical costs, lost productivity, criminal justice activities such as court proceedings and law enforcement efforts, among other costs. When looking at this collectively, the population economic burden of sexual assault in this country is nearly $3.1 trillion. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention itemizes this cost, reporting $1.2 trillion, 39% of total, in medical costs; $1.6 trillion, 52%, in lost work productivity among victims and perpetrators; $234 billion, 8%, in criminal justice activities; and $36 billion, 1%, in other costs, including victim property loss or damage. Furthermore, government sources pay an estimated $1 trillion, 32%, of the lifetime economic burden. Individual and institutional spending on health care is commonplace in the United States, especially for chronic medical conditions, acute accidents, maternal health care, child wellness, etc. Whats unique about sexual assault when compared to other types of costs is that the roots of rape are not based on health promotion; rather they are based on violence. Through a massive reduction of sexual assault in this country, violent crime would not only decrease, but it would also save the government millions. Inevitably, the partisan battles over the concept of rape itself will continue, but from an economic standpoint, the answer is clear: sexual assault in this country is a financial burden to the American people. Even if Republicans choose not to prioritize sexual assault, they do desire to decrease health care spending, aligning them with Democrats whether they morally agree or not. Moving forward, it is in the best interest of both parties to examine sexual assault from an economic lens in order to decrease the overall financial burden to the American people. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... This remarkable school year is over, but it will not be forgotten. The pandemic year began with our students and teachers fully remote from one another. It segued into a hybrid schedule of remote and in-person, and it ended with full in-person learning available in all districts for families that were ready to send their children back. This steady progress did not happen by accident but as a result of hard, evidence-based work. Steering this ship through the pandemic storm proved to be the most complex and demanding experience the New Mexico Public Education Department and school staff have ever faced. Our PED team quickly trained thousands of educators in remote learning, distributed millions of units of PPE, and developed new school safety policies and protocols. Administrators learned about air filtration, surveillance testing and contact tracing. Teachers learned to juggle students online in pajamas with those in the classroom wearing masks. Families learned to shift quickly from one schedule to another and to check that children had masks when they went out the door. Bus drivers learned to enforce alternate seating while navigating the streets. Janitors learned new deep-cleaning protocols. And all the while, cafeteria workers churned out millions of meals to feed children in school buildings and those still learning at home. None of this was easy, but under the leadership of our governor and with support from the Department of Health and other state agencies, we guided our students safely through the worst global crisis in a century. Now, as we celebrate our 2021 graduates and enjoy much overdue summer rest, here are key takeaways from a year we will never forget: School cases decreased. As spring wore on, teachers and staff were vaccinated, and students adapted to safety protocols. Most schools stayed open. Following the implementation of the COVID-19 watchlist in November, only four of New Mexicos 840 individual school sites had to close due to COVID-19, and only 40 closed voluntarily. We kept our educators safe. School staff were prioritized for the vaccine in March. To date, 59,687 New Mexicans who registered as educators have been fully vaccinated a number that includes early childhood and post-secondary educators. Additionally, surveillance testing in schools produced a teacher positivity rate that averaged 0.16% since February. We kept our children safe. No serious student cases were reported after full reentry on April 5. That is also the date when children ages 16 and older became eligible for the vaccine. By mid-May, almost 24,000 16- to 18-year-olds had received at least one vaccine, including more than 5,500 who participated in Student Vaccination Week, which was May 3-8. On May 13, children 12 and older became eligible and, by mid-June, more nearly 27,000 in the 12-15 age group had received at least one shot. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ We kept our communities safe. The evidence is clear: Schools did not drive community spread. Our safety protocols, contact tracing and quarantine practices helped keep the school transmission rate at less than 0.5%. Throughout April and into May, my deputies and I visited more than 30 schools to offer our help with any school reentry issues. We met with principals and classroom teachers. We sat with students in classrooms and cafeterias and watched them at recess. It was a highlight of my year to witness and share in the joy of educators and students reunited again after this turbulent year. We look forward to a 2021-22 school year that will feel both substantially more normal and that will also build on the successful innovations we adopted to adjust to the pandemic. We will welcome over 100,000 students back to in-person learning and will have robust online learning options that did not exist previously. We will continue to remember and mourn those we lost, and we will support our students and staff who need a safe and caring school community now more than ever. COVID-19 remains with us, and we must remain vigilant. But no matter what happens, New Mexicos public schools have proved they have the experience and agility to meet students needs for both safety and academic progress. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal As Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujans fate hung in the balance two weeks ago, his wife was hosting a cookout in the courthouse parking lot. She hauled in a tailgating grill, and several deputies attended the barbecue an apparent show of support for their embattled leader all the while jurors holed up in the deliberation room of the famed Tierra Amarilla courthouse could see and hear the gathering through the window. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ That alleged incident is one of several laid out in change of venue motions filed by prosecutors in a pair of cases involving Lujan, who earlier this month was on trial on felony counts of bribery of a witness and aiding or harboring a felon. That first trial ended with a hung jury June 4, but recent motions filed by prosecutor Andrea Rowley Reeb allege the trial was anything but fair. The motions also note that deputies working for Lujan controlled courthouse security throughout the proceedings, that a deputy approached one of the jurors at a gas station during the trial and that some members of the jury worried that deputies and others could hear their deliberations through the courthouse windows. Lujans defense attorney chalks up the motions to sour grapes, countering that he never witnessed any of the shenanigans that the prosecution is alleging, that jurors were fair and that the prosecutor is merely angling for a jury pool that might be more likely to convict his client. Reeb said she plans to seek a new trial in the case that resulted in a mistrial, pending the change of venue motions outcome. A hearing on that motion has yet to be set by 1st Judicial District Judge Kathleen McGarry. Reeb, the Clovis-area district attorney appointed by the state Attorney Generals Office as special prosecutor in the case, filed the motions Monday in both cases. Lujan is set for trial next month in a second case, in which hes charged with three counts of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. This trial is scheduled to take place in Santa Fe, and Reeb has asked 1st Judicial District Judge Bryan Biedscheid to change the venue in that case, too. A hearing is set for Monday. Reeb said she noticed things were off during the trial from the very beginning. She said the prosecution was placed in the jury box, and the jury couldnt see her unless she stood up. Jurors were seated throughout the courtroom, the result of COVID-19 precautions. Meanwhile, Lujan and his defense attorney Jason Bowles were in the middle of the courtroom. Bowles said the motion in the case that has been tried is a slap in the face to the jury and said its members were fair and took their oath seriously. He said Reebs request is political and is an attempt to move the trial to a county where she thinks she can win. In Reebs motions, shes requesting trials in both cases be moved to either Chaves, Dona Ana or San Juan county. The motions allege that several jurors in the Tierra Amarilla trial were approached by deputies and Lujan. The motions state that Reeb was told by one juror of being approached at a gas station by a Rio Arriba County sheriffs deputy during the trial, an encounter that left the juror frightened. Other jurors said they didnt feel comfortable reaching a verdict on Lujan because hes the sheriff and has all the power in the county, according to Reebs motions. Ive tried a lot of cases and I knew walking in, this doesnt feel right, Reeb said. Jurors are supposed to be sequestered away from defendants. New Mexico State Police called Reeb during the trial and told her the sheriffs office was rejecting calls for service, she said during an interview, adding that the deputies werent doing their jobs and were at the courthouse supporting Lujan. She said she was uncomfortable with deputies being in charge of security in the courthouse where the trial was taking place, saying they were biased in their security enforcement. Deputies allegedly scrutinized one of her investigators they thought was with the Taos County Sheriffs Office, she said. The Taos County Sheriffs Office was one of the law enforcement agencies that helped serve Lujan with search warrants and was there during his arrest. Bowles blasted the motions. Thats a real swipe at law enforcement in that motion because they did a really professional job in that trial. I have nothing but praise for all of them, he said. Bowles said he didnt witness any of the alleged wrongdoing Reeb cited in her motion. He also said she should have brought up concerns to the judge at the time she noticed them. Other jurors had already made up their minds about the case before deliberations started and they heard all the evidence, according to the motions, and some jurors also used outside information during their deliberations due to media coverage. A juror was dismissed during the trial for allegedly lying about having knowledge of the case, according to the motion. Theres a little bit of protecting the integrity of the process, Reeb said. And protecting the jurors just in their deliberations, which is why I want to move somewhere where theres no press, and its a fair trial for us, and its a fair trial for him. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal In an attempt to put the brakes on speeding and racing on Albuquerque streets, city officials are hoping to bring back automated traffic cameras, Mayor Tim Keller said during a Tuesday news conference. Unlike the widely disliked red light camera program the city used some years ago and then discontinued, a proposed new system would be mobile and target only speeding vehicles although not low-level speeders going a few miles over the limit. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Violators would receive citations that are civil, rather than criminal, and they would be handled administratively, basically like parking tickets, Keller said. Joseph Viers, the Albuquerque police commander for traffic and motor units, said, Automated enforcement can work to cut down on dangerous speeding, and officers do not have to be involved in that process directly, freeing their time to focus on other police work, particularly violent crime. Citations would be reviewed before being mailed, and motorists who receive citations would have access to an appeal process. People who cannot afford fines would be offered alternatives, such as community service. In the previous system, tickets went to the registered vehicle owner. Traffic stops, as reported by law enforcement agencies around the country, have the highest incidence for sometimes tragic confrontations between offices and civilians, Viers said. Jazmin Irazoqui-Ruiz, managing city attorney for policy, said it is important the city is making sure that we arent criminalizing our community, making sure that this is solely a civil citation process and offering alternative ways of paying for these citations so that it doesnt result in a bench warrant. Of course, none of this will occur unless the Albuquerque City Council adopts an ordinance to create the system and provide for traffic penalties under the citys civil code, Keller acknowledged. The new approach to dealing with speeders came out of the Vision Zero Action Plan, a collaboration among city departments and agencies and community partners, which formed a task force to study the problem of speeding and make recommendations for creating safer streets. Among those attending the news conference Tuesday were City Councilors Brook Bassan, Klarissa Pena and Lan Sena, who sit on the Vision Zero task force and who will propose the ordinance before the July recess, they said. If the City Council approves the proposal, a request for proposals from companies that offer traffic camera technology will be issued soon, although an exact timeline was unclear. The site of the news conference, Morningside Park, borders Lead Avenue. Lead has been identified as one of the streets where excessive speeding and vehicle racing occurs, but there are literally dozens of such problem areas around the city, Keller said. Viers said one-third of all fatal crashes in Albuquerque involve excessive speed. In 2019, there were 97 fatalities, and thats the highest its been over the past decade, he said. Further, pedestrian deaths have increased four times since 2010, he said. A Journal analysis conducted last year found that nearly one in five fatal pedestrian crashes in Albuquerque during 2019 occurred in the dimly lighted and highly congested portion of East Central between San Pedro and Eubank. Unsafe streets are a problem not just in Albuquerque. The Governors Highway Safety Association report has ranked New Mexico as having the highest pedestrian fatalities per capita for five years in a row. Public antipathy for automated traffic camera technology was apparent in Rio Rancho, which discontinued the use of red light cameras but continues using automated speed van cameras. Three of those vans were torched in the past few years. In addition, vandals have broken out the windows of other speed vans or have egged them. Redflex Traffic Systems, the Arizona-based company that operates the automated speed cameras in Rio Rancho, is the same company that provided Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces with speed van and/or red light camera technology. In 2011, Albuquerque discontinued its association with Redflex and its camera system. Santa Fe and Las Cruces discontinued using them in 2014, but Santa Fe revisited the concept of restarting a program earlier this year. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal The state Public Education Department won approval Tuesday to transfer $35 million from a state reserve fund to resolve an unexpected budgetary gap created when the U.S. Department of Education ruled against the state for missing a deadline to take credit for federal impact aid. PED Secretary Ryan Stewart in a statement Tuesday criticized the U.S. Department of Education decision, but said the state had decided not to appeal it. He told the Journal last week the silver lining was the fact that the $35 million would go directly to New Mexico school districts. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Theres not one fewer dollar going to New Mexico students because of this. Its not a loss to the state in the ultimate outcome of this, Stewart told the Journal last week. There were no federal dollars at stake. The money that now has to come from state government coffers will end up helping certain school districts. Substantial beneficiaries will be Gallup and Zuni school districts, said Adan Delgado, deputy secretary of finance and operations for the PED, who presented the transfer request to the state Board of Finance on Tuesday. Since 1975, the state has adjusted its annual appropriations to school districts through a now-controversial funding formula that considered the amount of federal impact aid districts received. The aid is designed to assist local districts that lose property tax revenue each year because of tax-exempt federal property within their boundaries. But the federal government allowed exceptions for states that proved they had equalized educational expenditures. New Mexico had applied annually to take the credit, which reduced the states contribution to certain school districts that received the federal aid. But, in April, the PED learned that its request sent more than a year earlier had been received three days after the mandated deadline. By that time, the state appropriations to local school districts had already been budgeted to reflect the initial decision last December by the federal Office of Impact Aid approving New Mexicos application. In revoking the earlier approval, the director of the federal agency apologized, saying the missed deadline in March 2020 came to light only this year. In a statement Tuesday, Stewart said the federal flip-flop was completely unprofessional and a major error. But he told the Journal last week that he took responsibility for not having systems in place to ensure New Mexico didnt miss the deadline. Delgado told the Board of Finance, which unanimously approved the request, that PED officials had been under the impression that the deadline had been waived because the state had submitted a revised application. A legal analysis by the PED showed New Mexico would likely lose if it appealed. An appeal was not a good use of our time or resources, Stewart stated. The outcome means the state will accelerate its plan, approved by the Legislature this year, to eliminate the federal impact tax credit altogether in building its school budgets. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the legislation in April, saying the long-standing practice was fundamentally unfair, disadvantaging too many Native American students and communities. The change would give certain school districts access to more than $60 million, the governors office said at the time. In effect, the work we did to end the Impact Aid credit in this past legislative session will effectively take place immediately, Stewart said in the statement issued Tuesday. The $35 million transfer will leave about $4 million in the state support reserve fund, Delgado said. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal Idaho-based solar developer Clenera LLC plans to build one of the states largest solar generating facilities to date on the West Side of Albuquerque and is asking for $430 million in industrial revenue bonds from Bernalillo County to move forward with the project. Clenera is planning a 300-megawatt solar farm on private land about 10 miles northwest of city limits, plus a 150-megawatt back-up battery storage system on the same site that can provide electricity for up to four hours when the sun isnt shining. All electricity generated by the complex, scheduled to come online in June 2023, would be sold to Public Service Company of New Mexico under a power purchase agreement PNM and Clenera signed early this year. The solar and battery projects, called Atrisco Solar LLC and Atrisco Energy Storage LLC, are part of a total of 450 MW of new solar generation and 290 MW of back-up battery storage that PNM has contracted for to replace 114 MW of electricity it currently receives from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona. PNM is giving up leases it maintains for electricity from two of Palo Verdes three generating units, although it will continue to directly own 288 MW of electric generation at the nuclear facility. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The state Public Regulation Commission must still approve PNMs request to let the Palo Verde leases expire, and to allow the utility to move forward on its contracts with Clenera, and with two other companies PNM contracted to build other facilities, said PNM Vice President for Generation Tom Fallgren. If approved by the PRC later this year, Clenera is committed to build the Atrisco facilities under the power purchasing order it already signed with PNM. But Clenera is solely responsible for its planned $430 million investment in the project, and for the IRBs its now requesting from the county, Fallgren said. We have signed a contract thats conditioned on PRC approval, Fallgren told the Journal. But PNM wont own any of the facilities under the contract. Clenera, which is headquartered in Boise, is a subsidiary of Texas-based Centaurus Renewable Energy LLC, the same company that is developing another 300-MW solar facility in McKinley County called the Arroyo Solar project. Like Atrisco, the Arroyo facility will also include a four-hour, 150-MW back-up battery system to provide some of the renewable generation thats planned to replace the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station when PNM abandons the coal plant next year. Arroyo will become the states largest solar plant to date when it comes online in June 2022, followed by the Atrisco plant in June 2023. Despite Cleneras request for IRBs which was part of Tuesdays County Commission agenda but was ultimately deferred until August company representatives told the Journal the company is not ready to discuss the Atrisco project publicly. Clenera doesnt have a comment on Atrisco Solar at this time, marketing and communications coordinator Lauren Sigler said in an email. Apart from Atrisco, PNM signed contracts for two other solar projects to replace its Palo Verde leases. That includes the 150-MW Jicarilla Solar Energy Facility to be accompanied by 40 MW of four-hour back-up battery storage plus a 100-MW stand-alone battery storage project called the Sandia Peak Grid that can provide up to two hours of electricity. The Atrisco project is aimed at directly replacing lost power from Palo Verde. The other projects, however, are aimed at increasing the reserve margin of available electric capacity PNM maintains on its grid, Fallgren said. Thats critical, because the utility is replacing the around-the-clock, 24/7 power it receives from Palo Verde with intermittent solar generation and back-up battery storage. Although battery storage is being widely adopted by utilities across the country, its still a relatively new technology that PNM is only now integrating into its grid for the first time. PNM decided not to propose any new baseload, 24/7 power like natural gas generation to the PRC as replacement for Palo Verde to pursue mandates under the states Energy Transition Act, which requires all local public utilities to transition their grids to 50% renewables by 2030, 80% by 2040, and 100% non-carbon generation by 2045. PNM could propose more natural gas in the future, but it decided not to at this time, Fallgren said. Palo Verde provides carbon-free generation, he said. So we modeled the replacement resources in concurrence with no new carbon resources. The Atrisco project alone will offset about 1.3 billion pounds of carbon emissions annually, according to the project description prepared for the Bernalillo County Commission. That equates to using about 68 million gallons of gasoline annually. In addition, PNM says ending its Palo Verde leases and replacing that electricity with low-cost solar generation and battery storage will save ratepayers between $22 million and $55 million over the next 20 years. According to Bernalillo County documents, the Atrisco project would directly create five permanent jobs and generate 327 construction jobs. Should the County Commission approve the IRBs, the company, not the county, would be responsible for repaying the bonds. However, the arrangement includes tax breaks. The company would get $29.3 million worth of personal property tax exemptions over the course of 30 years, but pay $25.7 million to the county in lieu of taxes for a net incentive of about $3.6 million, according to the county. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE The city of Santa Fe is among about 25 U.S. cities that will be experimenting with universal basic income as part of a pilot program funded through the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income project. The initiative comes on the heels of a similarly designed program in Stockton, California, in which 125 people were provided $500 per month for two years with few strings attached. Participants were able to use the money however they wanted, without any work restrictions. In Santa Fe, the program will be limited to 100 people under age 30 who have children and are attending Santa Fe Community College. They will each receive between $400 and $500 per month for the next year, thanks to a grant underwritten by Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Were focusing on low-income families trying to get community college credit and trying to get families fed so they dont have to choose between one or the other, Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber said in a phone interview. Webber said the program can be life-changing for families struggling to pay bills and to get ahead financially. He said the idea behind it is to address the vicious cycle of poverty, low education achievement and low paying jobs. While critics have called such guaranteed income programs a return to welfare, Webber said results from the program in Stockton showed that it served to lift up families rather than provide them with a handout. It provides families with a platform and builds from that platform. I think its important to give it a shot, he said, adding that a recently released assessment of the Stockton program showed that it reduced emotional stress and worked to promote people looking for better work. As weve seen direct support work during COVID times, the time is right for a pilot program like this. An analysis of the guaranteed-income program in Stockton, which ran for two years beginning in February 2019, showed participants were twice as likely to find full-time jobs and were happier and healthier. Webber said in addition to the $500,000 granted by the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income project, the Santa Fe Community Foundation will also provide funding from local sources. He said the idea is to extend the program to two years, as it takes that long to earn a certificate or degree at SFCC. SFCC President Becky Rowley said the school is excited to be a part of the program. We know that lack of financial resources keeps our students from persisting in college and completing their degrees, she said in a statement. This program will provide financial resources that allows students to achieve their goals. The Santa Fe program will set aside 15 of the 100 spots for students in the health science cohort through Expanding Opportunity for Young Families, an initiative of the Santa Fe Community Foundation. We know this guaranteed income will help the student-parents in our health science cohort cover both academic and non-academic expenses like rent and child care, making on-time college completion more feasible and increasing economic security for their children, said Rachel Kutcher of the community foundation. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... PORTLAND, Maine A Colorado couple is donating $25 million to a capital campaign for Maine Medical Center, the states largest hospital. The largest single donation to the hospital comes from John and Leslie Malone, who spend summers in Boothbay Harbor. Leslie Malone recently received cardiac care at the hospital. We were very impressed by the level of care that Leslie received at Maine Medical Center, John Malone said in a statement. We believe strongly in supporting healthcare innovation, and ensuring that all who call Maine home have access to world-class care. The donation will go to the hospitals $150 million capital improvement program. A new tower for cardiac and vascular service, which will be named for the Malones, will consolidate the hospitals cardiac and vascular care into one building. It will feature modern surgery space and 64 patient beds. John Malone, 80, is a cable television executive, former CEO of Tele-Communications Inc. and chairman of Liberty Media, which owns the Atlanta Braves. Hes also a large land owner whose holdings include 1 million acres in Maine, the Portland Press Herald reported. Malone, who serves on the board of the libertarian Cato Institute, has given tens of millions of dollars in donations to other institutions including Colorado State University, Yale University and John Hopkins University. Hes also a political donor who gave $500,000 to a political action committee that supported GOP Sen. Susan Collins reelection. With the gift, Maine Med has now raised $135 million of its $150 million goal. The project, called The Next 150, comes 150 years after the cornerstone of the original hospital was set. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Some lawmakers are trying to stop 144 U.S. cities from losing their designations as metropolitan areas as the federal government updates its standards, doubling the minimum number of residents required in a citys urban core to 100,000 people. Sens. John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, and Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, introduced legislation Tuesday that would stop the Office of Budget and Management from making the change. Under the federal governments proposal, a metro area would need double the 50,000-person threshold that has been in place for the past 70 years to count as a metropolitan statistical area. Cities losing this status, with core populations of 50,000 to 99,000 people, would become micropolitan statistical areas instead. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The lawmakers said the downgrade would cause real harm, preventing urban areas from getting designated federal funding and making them less attractive for economic development. Ive heard concerns from mayors across Arizona about how this policy change could impact their ability to support their communities by qualifying for federal transportation, housing, and other funds, Kelly said. More than a third of the current 392 metro areas would become micro areas, including state capitals such as Bismarck, N.D.; Carson City, Nevada; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Santa Fe, New Mexico; as well as the college towns of Ames, Iowa; Auburn, Alabama; Charlottesville, Virginia; Lawrence, Kansas; and State College, Pennsylvania Increasing the population threshold that is needed to be considered a metropolitan statistical area would adversely affect communities in nearly every state, including South Dakota, Thune said. Federal statisticians recommending the change say its long overdue, given that the U.S. population has more than doubled since the 50,000-person threshold was introduced in 1950. Back then, about half of U.S. residents lived in metros; now, 86% do. The Office of Budget and Management hasnt said when it will make a final decision. If approved, it wouldnt take effect until 2023. An agency spokesman didnt return an email or a phone call Wednesday. The office has said the designation is purely for statistical purposes and not to be used for funding formulas, though as a practical matter, that is how its often used. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... BIG SPRING, Texas Authorities have arrested a man in the death of a 13-year-old West Texas girl who was reported missing more than a decade ago, a police spokesman said. Texas Rangers arrested Shawn Casey Adkins on Monday on a murder charge in the killing of Hailey Dunn, said Sgt. Fred Biddle, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. He said Adkins was arrested in the area of Big Spring, a city nearly 300 miles (480 kilometers) west of Dallas. Biddle said he could not immediately provide more details on the case. Adkins was booked into the Howard County jail Monday, jail records show. From there he was transferred to the Mitchell County jail where he was being held Wednesday on a $2 million bond, said Frankie Atkinson, the jail administrator for the Mitchell County Sheriffs Office. Jail records do not list an attorney for Adkins, and neither Biddle nor Atkinson knew whether he had one. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Hailey was reported missing in December 2010. She and her mother, Billie Dunn, lived in the small West Texas town of Colorado City at the time and Adkins, who was dating Haileys mother, was named as a person of interest. Haileys body was discovered in April 2013 in a remote area near a lake about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of Colorado City. Authorities have not released a cause of death. Adkins told The Associated Press shortly after Haileys disappearance that he was not involved and that he was praying for her safe return. Authorities have not said what led police to arrest Adkins, and Biddle referred questions to prosecutors in the 32nd Judicial District Attorneys Office. District Attorney Richard Thompson said in a statement that Adkins arrest was the result of a multi-county and multi-agency effort. He declined to provide further information, saying the case is still under investigation. Adkins arrest was met with shock by some in Colorado City, a 4,500-resident town just 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Big Spring where he was taken into custody. The shock of him being arrested was my shock too because I wasnt aware of any of it, said Police Chief Charles Rice. Rice said that by the time he came to the department the case had been handed off to the Texas Rangers and the FBI. ___ This story was first published June 15, 2021. It was updated June 16, 2021, to correct that Shawn Casey Adkins was transferred from the Howard County jail to the Mitchell County jail, where hes being held on bond, not released on bond from the Howard County jail. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. New Mexico utility regulators have nearly a year to create a set of rules for governing community solar projects in the state. But utilities say they are already being flooded with applications and requests for interconnection from prospective developers. Under legislation approved earlier this year, the Public Regulation Commission has until April 2022 to finalize the rules. Given the interest, the commission during a meeting Tuesday approved an order making clear that existing rules regarding interconnections, in which solar power facilities are allowed to connect to and supply the grid with power, will remain in place until new rules are adopted. The order also says that an applications place in the queue doesnt guarantee any priority because community solar rules have yet to be established. The legislation charges the commission with creating a framework for community solar programs, said Russell Fisk, a member of the commission staff who is part of the effort. That includes a cap on how large the programs can be within each utility and other requirements for utilities, developers and subscribers. Its such a comprehensive set of rules that has to be created that any current application couldnt possibly anticipate exactly what will be in the rules, he said. The states largest utility Public Service Co. of New Mexico has received more than 170 pre-applications and interconnection requests related to community solar. Other investor-owned utilities also are getting requests, and state officials have estimated that more than four times the total expected community solar capacity for the initial two-year period that starts in 2022 already is being requested. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ State regulators were planning a workshop for later this month to talk more about the rule-making process. Supporters of the program have said it will it complement state mandates for generating more electricity from renewable resources by expanding access to solar energy for businesses and residents who cant install their own solar panels. Community solar projects open the door for households and businesses that dont have access to solar because they rent, dont have the rooftop space or cant afford the upfront costs of a photovoltaic system. Instead, developers build small, local solar facilities from which customers can subscribe and receive credit on their electricity bills for the power produced from their portion of the solar array. Under the legislation approved in March, 30% of electricity produced from each community solar facility must be reserved for low-income customers and low-income service organizations. Forty states have at least one community solar project online, with more than 3 gigawatts installed through the first quarter of 2021, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. The industry group estimates that the next five years will see the community solar market add more than 4 gigawatts nationwide. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. A man was found dead Wednesday afternoon on a street near the Petroglyph National Monument, according to Albuquerque police. Police found the body shortly after 2 p.m. near the 6400 block of Western Trail NW, and homicide detectives have responded to the area, said Rebecca Atkins, a police spokeswoman. She said the man may have been shot and pushed out of a vehicle. A yellow blanket covered the mans body, which was by the curb. This is a developing story, check back later for more information. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE After an earlier slowdown, New Mexicans are completing their COVID-19 vaccinations at a faster pace since the Department of Health started offering $100 in cash to get the shot, top health officials said Wednesday. But it isnt clear whether New Mexico will reach its goal of vaccinating 60% of adult residents by the end of Thursday the target Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration said would allow the state to fully reopen July 1. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ We really want to meet our target, Human Services Secretary David Scrase said in a public briefing Wednesday. We really want to reopen the economy. New Mexico made slow progress Wednesday toward the vaccine goal. The share of residents with all their shots rose to 58.7%, just 0.2 percentage points above Tuesdays total. During Wednesdays briefing, Scrase and Health Secretary Tracie Collins the top physicians in Lujan Grishams Cabinet did not directly answer questions about whether New Mexico would push back its reopening target if the state fails to reach the 60% goal by Thursday. They said they would review the data with Lujan Grisham on Friday before deciding how to proceed. Scrase and Collins instead focused on encouraging as many New Mexicans as possible to get either the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the second of the two doses required for the Moderna and Pfizer shots. Im not concerned at this point, Collins said, but Im keeping my eye on the data. They highlighted the states $100 cash offer to anyone who completes their vaccine shots by Thursday and the $250,000 lottery awards that will begin Friday for people who register for the states vaccine sweepstakes. Four winners will be picked this week, one from each region of New Mexico. The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is available at the Pit this week in Albuquerque, according to the University of New Mexico Health Sciences. Residents can visit vaccinenm.org to learn more and register. Thirty-four states have fully reopened by eliminating pandemic-related business restrictions and curfews, according to the AARP. They include New Mexicos neighboring states of Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma and Utah. Although the Lujan Grisham administration has relaxed business restrictions and scaled back a statewide face mask mandate in recent weeks, some restrictions remain under the states color-coded system, which factors in county-level virus trends. The restrictions now in place for all 33 New Mexico counties include limiting restaurants to 75% of capacity indoors and on patios and barring more than six patrons from sitting at the same table. The states public health order also bans public gatherings of more than 150 people. But Scrase said that other governors decisions will not impact New Mexicos decision-making. Were not using Texas data to decide whats best for New Mexico, he said, citing elevated vulnerability to the virus in New Mexico due to its small supply of hospital beds per capita and other factors. Smart investment New Mexico officials rolled out the incentive programs in recent weeks after the states COVID-19 vaccine administration rate began to slow. Scrase released data showing a 30% increase in Moderna and Pfizer booster shots in the days after the launch of the campaign offering $100 for completing vaccination. The number of Johnson & Johnson shots jumped more than fivefold, from 142 to 793. New Mexico allocated about $2.7 million of its federal stimulus funding for incentives, including the $100 cash awards, Scrase said. Meanwhile, Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said that through Tuesday, about $300,000 had been distributed through the $100 incentive, in addition to hundreds of gift cards and on-site lottery scratchers. Scrase said that the incentives are working and that the cost is small compared with the spending on COVID hospitalizations and other health care. We believe this is a smart investment, he said. The new COVID-19 variants, Scrase said, make it all the more important for people to complete their vaccine series. The first shot of the Pfizer vaccine, for example, is only 33% effective against the Delta variant but 88% effective after the second shot. The more vaccinated our population is, in general, the more resistant we are to these spreadable variants, Scrase said. The state had two more days to reach its goal of vaccinating 60% of residents 16 and older: Shots administered Wednesday and Thursday will count toward the target, and the data will be released Friday. Lujan Grisham this spring established July 1 as the target for New Mexico to lift capacity restrictions on businesses and reopen the state, although some regulations, she said, might remain in place. Lea County Manager Mike Gallagher said its still unclear how successful the vaccine incentive programs will end up being. But he said the various incentives, which include $1 million for counties whose vaccination rates rise by at least 10% over the coming days, are another tool in the governors toolbox to encourage people to get vaccinated. In Lea County, 37.3% of residents were fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, a number thats far lower than the statewide average, according to state Department of Health data. However, Gallagher said the differing business rules in New Mexico and Texas, which borders Lea County, havent necessarily been problematic. I dont think its awkward, he told the Journal. We follow the rules set by Santa Fe. Angela Mason, a manager and co-owner of Santa Fe Bite, a restaurant in the capital city, said she watches the vaccine numbers every day to see when New Mexico might lift business-capacity limits. She expects to add tables and offer seating at the counter once New Mexico relaxes the rules for restaurants. We are paying attention to what is safe and what is not, Mason said, and we want to do the best thing for our customers. COVID-19 myths dismissed Collins on Wednesday bluntly shot down a number of myths about the COVID-19 vaccine. It wont make you magnetic or infect you with COVID-19, she said, and theres no evidence it affects fertility. As with any vaccine, she said, scientists will continue to study side effects. Lets keep going, New Mexico, Collins said of the vaccine pace. Were going to make it. Case rates continue to fall. The daily average of new COVID-19 cases is at its lowest point since April of last year. New Mexico reported just 82 new coronavirus cases Wednesday and three more deaths. The virus-related death toll is 4,305. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a man charged with capital murder in the killing of a New Hampshire couple whose bodies were found in a shallow grave on a South Texas beach. Adam C. Williams, 35, is one of two people accused in the deaths of James and Michelle Butler, whose remains were discovered on Padre Island near Corpus Christi in October 2019. Williams and 34-year-old Amanda Noverr were initially accused of stealing the Butlers pickup truck, but a grand jury later indicted them for intentionally and knowingly fatally shooting the couple during a criminal transaction. During a status hearing Tuesday, prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty against Williams if he is convicted, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported. They have not said if they would request the same sentence for Noverr. Williams attended the hearing via Zoom. Jury trials had been set to start July 12 but District Judge Jack Pulcher delayed the proceedings for both defendants, citing the slow progress of crime lab testing of evidence due to COVID-19. Further status hearings were scheduled for August. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Some of this gap will be represented by intangibles not recognised in those balance sheets, but which could be even under the existing IFRS. This study is one of three that ACCA has commissioned to look at into that. Previous ones have covered R&D costs and exploration costs for extractive companies, this looks at software development costs. Software development costs whether outsourced or in-house could be expected to be a material issue for most companies, especially as the digital economy has grown. The financial statements of all listed companies using IFRS were looked at over the period 2015 to 2019 ending up with a sample of over 40,000 accounts from 39 countries. About half of companies did not refer to software costs either as an expense or capitalised as an asset. Of the half that did 64% capitalised a software asset. Both of those measures are disappointing but markedly better than we found with R&D costs. There are strong and intriguing variations in these scores between countries. Over 80% of companies in China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea referred to software development in their accounts, compared to less than 20% of companies in Mexico, Malaysia and Singapore for example. Across the whole sample, software development was more likely to be recognised as an asset by more dynamic companies for instance those that are more international, more acquisitive and more leveraged. Despite talk of digitalisation, in the period to 2019 software has not grown as a proportion of total assets in these companies. The report not only gives a picture of the current position on reporting software, but also includes some good practice examples of disclosure. The findings have implications for IASB, supporting further the case for a revision of the standard on intangibles (IAS38), but also for those relying on accounts IFRS may be global standards but this case shows like others that their implementation is not uniform across the world. WENN Movie The Nymeria Sand depicter has been officially added to the star-studded cast ensemble of the upcoming second installment of Rian Johnson's 2019 movie starring Daniel Craig. Jun 16, 2021 AceShowbiz - Jessica Henwick has joined the cast of "Knives Out 2". According to Deadline, the "Game of Thrones" star is the latest cast member to board the sequel to Rian Johnson's 2019 whodunnit. The British actress will star alongside Daniel Craig in an undisclosed role. Jessica's casting comes days after it was revealed Madelyn Cline is also set to appear. The pair join stars such as Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monae, Kathryn Hahn, and Edward Norton in the upcoming flick. Daniel will reprise his role as detective Benoit Blanc while Rian has returned to write and direct the movie after the success of the original film. Production on the project is set to begin in Greece later this summer (21) but plot details are unknown other than the James Bond star returning to solve another mystery involving a large number of suspects. Leslie recently suggested that Rian wants to "up the ante" with "Knives Out 2" and hinted that the movie will be even more "exciting" than its predecessor. The 39-year-old star said, "I might have said too much already, but suspect everyone is what I can tell you." "It's going to be fun. I think that the first movie... the success was unexpected, the Oscar nomination certainly, and people really took to it. So we want to up the ante and deliver something exciting and surprising for the fans." Instagram Celebrity The 'Hello' hitmaker has recorded a heartfelt message to the victims and the families who lost their relatives in the west London deadly blaze four years ago. Jun 16, 2021 AceShowbiz - Adele has marked the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire in west London. Monday (14Jun21) marked four years since a small kitchen fire in the high-rise turned into the deadliest domestic blaze since the Second World War, with 72 people losing their lives and another 70 injured. And the London-born star recorded a moving message in which she thanked Grenfell United - a group made up of victims and the family members of those who lost their lives in the fatal fire - for continuing to "fight the fight" as they wait for more answers in the ongoing public inquiry and seek justice. In the clip shared by the group, the "Hello" hitmaker said, "Today marks four years since the Grenfell Tower fire, and still, there are so many unanswered questions." "Still, the trial is taking way too long, and still, no one has been accountable for that night's events. And yet, Grenfell United is still out here, fighting tirelessly for the justice and for the change that not only they deserve, that their community deserve, that the whole country deserves." "And for that, I'd like to thank you. Thank you for putting your pain aside for all of these years to fight the fight. I can't imagine the kind of personal consequences that has on you. I really hope that this time next year, you will have the answers that you will need to finally, finally be able to breathe together. I love you, I'll see you soon, stay strong. We're all with you." An estimated 274,000 flats in the U.K. are still said to be fitted with the same dangerous cladding that went up in flames at Grenfell. In 2020, Adele attended a memorial event and posted a tribute on social media. The 33-year-old star wrote at the time, "Today, Sunday, is 3 years since #Grenfell. 72 lives will be forever in our hearts." Shortly after the fire, the Grammy-winner visited the scene to speak to victims and their families. WENN Celebrity The disgraced movie mogul will soon be moved from New York to Los Angeles after a judge approves plans for his extradition to face sexual assault charges. Jun 16, 2021 AceShowbiz - Harvey Weinstein is Los Angeles-bound after a New York judge approved plans for his extradition to face rape and sexual assault charges. The disgraced movie mogul has been serving a 23-year sentence in New York since March 2020 after he was convicted on two felony sex crime counts. His legal representatives are appealing the ruling but, in the meantime, Weinstein is facing 11 criminal charges accusing him of sexually assaulting five women in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles over the course of a decade. He was indicted on those counts in April, and prosecutors have now been given the green light to proceed with his extradition, after Judge Kenneth Case rejected opposition from Weinstein's lawyers during a hearing on Tuesday (15Jun21). However, prosecutors indicated Los Angeles authorities are unlikely to move the fallen producer from his cell at the Wende Correctional Facility in the Big Apple until the end of June at the earliest. Lawyers for the defence are expected to file an appeal to try and halt the extradition process, which has repeatedly been delayed since last year (20). Weinstein has denied any wrongdoing, insisting all of his sexual encounters were consensual. If convicted in Los Angeles, he faces 140 years to life in prison. The disgraced Hollywood mogul, 69, faces four counts of rape, four counts of forcible oral copulation, one count of sexual penetration by use of force, and two counts of sexual battery by restraint. WENN/Johnny Louis/Euan Cherry Celebrity After the former Donald Trump advisor picked a fight with the rapper over the life rights to the Black Mafia co-founder, the TV producer calls out the political lobbyist as a clout chaser. Jun 16, 2021 AceShowbiz - 50 Cent has got enemies everywhere and now he's clashing with Roger Stone. The rapper-turned-actor has clapped back at the conservative political consultant after the latter called the former out over Big Meech. Roger accused Fiddy of ripping off the Black Mafia co-founder with an unfair deal for his life rights as the TV producer is about to make a new series about Demetrius Flenory a.k.a. Big Meech. Catching wind of the former Donald Trump advisor's scathy remark, 50 Cent blasted him as a clout chaser. "People just looking for attention,clout chasing c**k suckers come in all different colors shapes and sizes these days," the "Power" star and co-creator posted on his Instagram page while resharing Roger's video. He continued promoting his new show as writing, "BMF COMING SOON Green Light Gang." 50 Cent's post was a response to Roger's claim that the former cheated Big Meech with unfair deal for the TV series. "50 Cent, I got a beef with you," the lobbyist said in a brief video. "You're crowing about Big Meech getting a lousy three years knocked off his sentence? The fact is his co-conspirators, his brother and another man who has the exact same sentence have already been sprung." "You ripped Big Meech off," he continued. "You got $150 million from Starz to make a movie about his life and you paid him s**t for his life rights. You're full of s**t. Free Big Meech, now." Prior to this, 50 Cent promoted his Black Mafia Family series after Big Meech scored a victory in his case, getting three years shaved off of his 30-year sentence. He now would be set free as early as 2028. Celebrating Big Meech's likely early release, the "In da Club" hitmaker shared information about the new series. "YES [grin emoji] Now you know this BMF show is gonna [bomb emoji][smoke emoji]Blow everything off the f**king TV, the real s**t different ! [stoplight emoji] Green Light Gang," he wrote on Instagram. Instagram/WENN/Adriana M. Barraza Celebrity In a new interview, the 30-year-old 'Southern Charm' star, who was previously rumored to have an affair with J.Lo's ex Alex Rodriguez, apparently takes credit for J.Lo and Ben's reunion. Jun 16, 2021 AceShowbiz - Madison LeCroy claims that she's the one who brings Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck together. In a new interview with Us Weekly, the "Southern Charm" star weighed in on the couple while apparently taking credit for their reunion. "I say you're welcome," Madison, who was rumored to have an affair with Alex Rodriguez when he was still with J.Lo, said with a laugh. "I mean, I will be honest with you. I had nothing to do with why they split, and I think everybody knows that. And if you don't know that, then that's just ridiculous, like, let's be honest." Madison made headlines back in January after her co-star Craig Conover claimed that the hairdresser had an affair with the MLB player who was still engaged to Jennifer at the time. Madison, however, insisted that she only spoke to the former New York Yankees star on the phone. "[We've] never been physical... never had any kind of anything. Just an acquaintance," she previously said, adding, "He's never physically cheated on his fiancee with me... [I] talked to him randomly, but not consistent." As for A-Rod, a source close to the athlete denied he ever "met" the TV star. After Jennifer and A-Rod called off their engagement, Madison denied any involvement in their split. "I wish them the best," Madison said when asked about the ex-couple's separation on April 15. "You kind of caught me off guard." Madison indeed seemingly has moved on from the drama as she is currently in a happy relationship with a mystery man, whom she introduced on Instagram on June 13. Sharing a glimpse of her vacation in Lake Tahoe, California with the mystery guy, the 30-year-old beauty posted a series of PDA-filled photos on the photo-sharing site. "Madhappy," so she wrote in the caption. As for J.Lo, the "Let's Get Loud" hitmaker further showed off their romance as they were caught kissing passionately during a family dinner in Malibu, California. The "Hustlers" star could be seen pulling the "Justice League" actor closer and clinging to his shoulder as he planted sweet kiss. Marvel Studios Movie A merchandise revealed by a crew member of the upcoming Taika Waititi-directed movie is believed to offer a glimpse at Jane Foster in her superhero costume. Jun 16, 2021 AceShowbiz - There are still months away before "Thor: Love and Thunder" hits theaters, but fans may have gotten the first look at Natalie Portman as Mighty Thor. A merchandise of the upcoming film is believed to have offered a glimpse at Jane Foster in her superhero costume. Over on Twitter, a picture circulated online of a T-shirt from the forthcoming Marvel film. Reportedly posted by a crew member of the movie before it was swiftly deleted, the T-shirt features Thor (Chris Hemsworth) being sandwiched between Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and the Mighty Thor. All three of them wear their superhero costumes, but it marks the first time the scientist-turned-superhero is seen as her alter-ego in her battle outfit. She wears a helmet and a cloak while wielding a hammer. As for Thor and Valkyrie, their costumes appear to be upgraded. Thor's armor has more color, with yellow veins running throughout the costume. He is still wielding Stormbreaker while the Mighty Thor takes Mjolnir. Valkyrie's outfit, meanwhile, seemingly features a little tweak on the front. "Thor: Love and Thunder" adapts elements from Jason Aaron's run on the "Mighty Thor" comic book, which sees Portman's character Jane Foster taking on the mantle and powers of Thor whilst suffering from cancer. She assumes the new identity as Mighty Thor as she becomes a hammer-wielding hero. Besides the returning stars, Christian Bale is cast as villain Gorr the God Butcher, with "Guardians of the Galaxy" actors such as Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan and Sean Gunn reprising their respective MCU roles. Filming began in January this year in Sydney, Australia and wrapped up at the beginning of June, with Taika Waititi back at the helm. The movie is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on May 6, 2022. Instagram TV If the 'Puerto Rican Princess' hopes the nude scene on her show will further excite fans, it certainly works as one fan writes on Twitter, 'I really be excited for Sunday's so I can watch Joseline's Cabaret.' Jun 16, 2021 AceShowbiz - Joseline Hernandez broke the internet with a new episode of her show, "Joseline's Cabaret". In the said episode, the TV star drove fans crazy when she went on fully naked while skinny-dipping in the water. Joseline, who is known for her bold personality, let everyone see the top part of her body as she didn't bother to blur anything out. As soon as the scene appeared, viewers' reactions erupted on Twitter. ".this how they they doing it this week on Joseline's show? ooh iight," one person wrote on Twitter alongside an NFSW picture of the racy scene. "Joseline's Cabaret is highkey interesting hold awn..," another person said, while one user believed that "Joseline is a different type of crazy." Another viewer said, "Joseline's Cabaret really is the best show on Zeus I'm sorry I love the bad girls but Baddies ATL is just.not giving what it was supposed to have gave." If Joseline hoped the nude scene would further excite fans, it certainly worked as one fan said, "I really be excited for Sunday's so I can watch Joseline's Cabaret." Catching wind of the reactions, the self-proclaimed The Puerto Rican Princess wrote on her page, "Y'all enjoy #JoselineCabaretAtlanta last night!!! We were trending again all night last night. Thank y'all and I love y'all." Joseline Hernandez thanked fans for making her show trending. That aside, Joseline recently had an online back-and-forth with Wendy Williams as she accused the TV host of being "very rude" and disrespectful. During her appearance on "The Wendy Williams Show" back in April, Joseline called out Wendy and demanded from her, saying, "I hope you're going to give me my flowers today. I hope you're going to honor how much work I've put out thereI'm an accomplished woman and I just feel like every time I come to your show, you don't give me those flowers now." "You're 35 years my senior. I should get those flowers now," she went on saying, while Wendy looked baffled by the sudden rant. "I should feel wanted by people like you. Not just me, all the other young girls," Joseline continued. Firing back at Joseline, Wendy said, "You wanted to feel wanted by me? I always say you're very entertaining. You feel undervalued? Well so do I, okay? Because you're a part of pop culture, this is what I do. But if you possibly think that I leave here every day and don't feel undervalued for something that I do, you know, as a woman, we're not gonna even talk about race. Just as a woman, I still don't make that dollar for dollar men make." Instagram Celebrity Kayla B also insinuates on Twitter that the 'Barbie Everywhere' raptress confronts her for not telling Asian about the late rapper's relationship with other women. Jun 16, 2021 AceShowbiz - The bitterness between Asian Doll and King Von's sister doesn't show a sign of eradicating even just a bit. If any, Kayla B may spark a social media feud anew with her late brother's former girlfriend after calling her out on Twitter. Kayla started ranting against the Dallas raptress on the blue-bird app on Tuesday, June 15. "Call me messy idgaf a b***h using my brother name for her own good! It's not 100000! Y'all don't know the real," she wrote in one of her posts. In another tweet, Kayla suggested that Asian confronted her for telling the latter about Von's relationship with other women. "Called me a snake for not telling on my brother wen he was f**kin b***hes !" Kayla tweeted, claiming that Asian did just the same like Von but Kayla kept her mouth shut about it from her brother. "But I didn't tell on you in Miami wen you was kissing & spending a night with n***as ! but Kayla a snake!" Alleging that Asian spread lies about her, Kayla also accused Asian of lying about getting back together with her brother. "This whole time this the b***h that's been spreading all these rumors about me ! telling his folks all these lies omg ! Wow," she continued to blast Asian. "This was when Von had just got locked up they was together nobody was single y'all can't lie for NOBODY!!!" She then stressed, "Ain't no queen Von because Von was single." Kayla additionally claimed that Asian tried to spark a fight between her and one of Von's baby mamas, while they actually have no problem between them. "I'm just blew this b***h told Mici (Von's baby mama) 'to watch her back from me cause ima back door her'," so Kayla told her followers. "I never been no snake. I'll never snake Mici, Me & mici ain't never had no problems foreal. This b***h come around starting drama with us & hiding her hand lon like that fake s**t." "Me & mici Good! It's just f**ked up that ah Mfer tryna separate us," she went on stating. "Y'all fans don't know S**t STFU. All this s**t been getting instigated by ONE Person. I been calm as hell about all this s**t. I'm sick of it now." Asian has not responded to Kayla's Twitter rant against her. Seemingly unbothered by the social media attack, she hopped on Instagram Live on Thursday to drop a freestyle. Instagram Celebrity In a sweet tribute to celebrate North's special day, the 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' star says that her eldest daughter brings 'so much love and joy' into her life. Jun 16, 2021 AceShowbiz - Kim Kardashian is celebrating North West's 8th birthday. To commemorate the special occasion, the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star shared a sweet tribute on her social media page in which she also teased about making a special gift for her eldest child. "My 1st born baby North is 8 years old today!" the CEO of KKW Beauty wrote alongside a series of behind-the-scenes photos from a First Lady-themed photo shoot for Interview magazine back in 2017. She continued in her sweet note that she posted on her Instagram feed on Tuesday, June 15, "North, one day you will see these messages all printed out for you in the books I am making for you and so hope you feel the love because you bring so much love and joy into all of our lives!" Gushing over the birthday girl, Kim went on to say, "You are the silliest, most stylish, most creative person who knows exactly what they want in life! I've never met anyone like you!" The 41-year-old reality TV star added, "I picked these BTS to post of North and I from this Steven Klein Jackie O shoot bc it just reminded me of the bond North and I share and he always captures the emotion so well!" In the snaps, Kim looked like a stylish replica of Jackie Kennedy in a powder-blue suit with black bows and her dark hair in an updo. North herself matched her mom in a matching coat with her hair up in two mini-buns. Kim also took to her Instagram Story feeds to share more photos with North. In one picture, the SKIMS founder could be seen holding her eldest daughter close while smiling at the camera. The proud mom donned a white silk mini dress, while her kid was wearing a cute brown dress. The snap was captioned, "My baby forever." Kim Kardashian shared more photos with North West via Instagram Story. Also commemorating North's birthday was Kris Jenner. "Happy birthday to our beautiful Northie!!!" the momager penned. "You are truly such a ray of sunshine and you light up every room with your amazing smile and a huge heart." Praising her granddaughter, Kris wrote, "You are so funny, talented, smart, and so creative!! You are an amazing daughter, sister, granddaughter and friend." She then ended her caption by expressing her love, saying, "I love watching you grow and I am so proud of you each and every day. I love you so so much!!!! Lovey xoxo." Instagram Celebrity While addressing his mental health and being 'very transparent,' the beauty vlogger reveals that he is selling his 'giant house' and he has 'donated and sold' all his clothes to start 'the next chapter' of his life. Jun 16, 2021 AceShowbiz - Jeffree Star has publicly announced that he just made a major life decision. Addressing his mental health in a new video that he shared on his YouTube channel, the famed beauty vlogger admitted that he felt "grateful" for making "choice to heal" by moving away from Los Angeles. "I'm starting the next chapter of my life," the beauty guru wrote in the caption of the clip he posted on Tuesday, June 15. The makeup artist continued to express his gratitude, saying, "Thank you to everyone who has stood by me through all the success AND the ugly. I love you so much." He began to remind people, "If you are struggling with mental health issues or depression, NEVER feel ashamed to ask for help. I waited too long and I'm grateful every day for making the choice to heal." Elsewhere in the note, Jeffree revealed, "There has been so many major life changes for me this year and I'm ready to share them all with you. It's time to address my mental health and be very transparent." The 35-year-old makeup enthusiast continued, "I've had so many silent personal struggles, public feuds and ALOT of mental trauma. Caused by ME, my past actions and people from my past. I've had TOO MUCH loss and have been slowly healing." "Please listen with an open heart and mind," Jeffree noted. He then announced that he planned to move away, adding, "It's time to also say goodbye to California for awhile.. I'm selling my giant house in LA, I've donated and sold all my clothes." In the nearly 26-minute clip, Jeffree shared that he finally did "reevaluate" his life. "I had so much time during COVID and lockdown and quarantine to really reevaluate my entire life," he claimed. "And I finally had a lot of time to address things that I was not ready to address with myself, was too scared to deal with my personal issues, and so many mental things that I was running from, so I'm selling this house." The Jeffree Star Cosmetics founder went on to explain that he might come back to California someday. "I need to say goodbye to California for a second," he shared. As for where he will stay, he opened up that he's going to be living in Wyoming. "You guys know I live in Wyoming part-time, now full-time, and I really needed to do it for me. Now this decision was astronomically hard," Jeffree declared. "There's so many factors in my life, and after months I think I'm ready." Elsewhere in the lengthy video, he admitted that he has been going to therapy. "I really needed help with why I react the way I react, why I do the things I do, somehow got caught up in joining this YouTube space and the beauty world," he admitted, noting that the beauty community "is insane." "I don't even think there is one anymore currently today, but I was part of the problem. I also got swept upI'll regret that forever, all the crazy things that have happened publicly," he added. "So many things will never be said." Jeffree's announcement came two weeks after he claimed that he chose to focus on "positivity" following his "childish" YouTube scandals in the past. At the time, he confessed that he is now "generally in a really good place mentally, and [he] definitely wasn't before." Instagram Music The 'I Remember' rapper, who is a close friend to Von's suspected shooter Timothy 'Lul Tim' Leeks, also confirms that Georgia's mayor indeed canceled one of his shows in November 2020. Jun 16, 2021 AceShowbiz - Quando Rondo's connection to the death of King Von has affected his career. Around eight months after the latter was fatally shot outside an Atlanta bar, the "I Remember" rapper claimed that people are "terrified" to book him on shows because of his alleged involvement. The 22-year-old made the confession in an interview with ALL AROUND TV. "Nobody wanna book me 'cause they terrified," he argued. "That's the truth. Big bruh, man, so many people callin' like, man, big bruh. I wish the fans let that s**t go, like, big bruh. The longer y'all talk about it...why is y'all hyping this s**t up?" Asked whether rumors about Georgia's mayor canceling one of his shows in November 2020 were true, Rondo insisted, "Big bruh, I put this on my daughter's life. The mayor canceled my show, big bruh. On my daughter's life." He further stressed, "Facts. No cap, big bruh. If I'm lying, my daughter die... I ain't canceling no show, big bruh." The show in question was allegedly canceled by the Mayor of Georgia and the police department after rumors spread that Lil Durk, who was close to Von, might have shown up with his crew. "The mayor and police squad of macon ga canceled the show tonight," Rondo told his fans at that time. "S**t got me highly pissed off !! I couldn't Wait To Rocc Out Literally." In a separate interview with ALL AROUND TV which was posted three weeks ago, Rondo addressed the death threats he received from his rival's fans. "Death threat all you want to, bro, f**k that s**t, that's just some words, my n***a. Go do an action," he challenged. Rondo, whose real name is Tyquian Terrel Bowman, further noted that whatever happens, he will always be with his young daughter. "I'm going home to my daughter and if I didn't, God called me," he pointed out. "But I'm going home to my daughter." Rondo has been attacked by Von's devotees since the latter died on November 6. His affiliate Timm was then arrested and booked into Fulton County Jail after he became a suspect of Von's killer. He was released in March this year after posting a $100,000 bond. WENN/Instagram Celebrity The 'Red Table Talk' presenter marks what would have been her late friend's 50th birthday by posting on Instagram a private poem written by the hip-hop star. Jun 17, 2021 AceShowbiz - Jada Pinkett Smith has celebrated what would have been Tupac Shakur's 50th birthday by sharing a never-before-released poem written by the late rap icon. The "Matrix Reloaded" star befriended Shakur while they were both students at the Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland, and she had her close pal on her mind on Tuesday (15Jun21) on the eve of the "Changes" hitmaker's birthday. In an Instagram video, Jada admitted she had initially planned to share the original handwritten poem, titled "Lost Soulz", on his special day on Wednesday, but decided to post it a little early. In the clip, she explains, "I went down memory lane. Over the years, 'Pac wrote me many letters and many poems, and I don't think this one has ever been published, honestly." "He had a song called Lost Soulz... but I believe this was the original concept, because he wrote this, I believe when he was at Rikers (Island prison in New York in 1995). I don't think he would have minded that I shared this with you guys." Jada went on to read the poem, which focused on death, out loud, including the lines, "Let me live to see what was gold in me/Before it is all too late." The accompanying caption read, "Tupac Amaru Shakur would have been 50 (at) midnight tonight! As we prepare to celebrate his legacy ... let's remember him for that which we loved most ... his way with words." "Here are a few you may have never heard before... Happy 'you goin'n to be 50 at midnight' Birthday Pac! I got next (sic)." Shakur died in a drive-by shooting in 1997, aged 25. CHICO, Calif. - California is back open meaning no more tier system, no more social distancing and no more mask rules in most situations. The calendar date may have changed, but some people are still figuring out whether to mask or unmask in Downtown Chico. Bird and Hand owner Thad Winzenz said his staff is following Cal/OSHA guidelines for now. That means you will still see masks on workers inside, but if you are a shopper that has been vaccinated, Winzenz has no problem with unmasking. "If you aren't vaccinated, you're still supposed to but we do need to take people for their word whether they are vaccinated or unvaccinated, said Winzenz. We need to rely on people being responsible and doing the greater good for their community." Bari Busby was enjoying shopping in Downtown Chico this morning and paying attention to if other people were masked up or not. "At first I thought I am breaking the rules, but he didn't have a mask on and I didn't have one on, said Busby. As people came in and came out everyone was just checking each other out, so I think at this point it looks like about 50/50." Since Winzenz owns a toy store, a lot of young kids come in. Grades K-12 still require masks for indoor school settings, so he hopes people will be aware of this as they decide whether to mask up inside Bird in Hand. Winzenz does not think it should be up to the business to police masks and people will have to just go by the honor system moving forward. RELATED: Local business ready to lift COVID-19 restrictions Tuesday Lots of shops are also open at full capacity for the first time in over a year starting today. You will still see mask signs on the windows of many places, but social distance stickers might soon disappear from the floor. The Naked Lounge Coffee Bar has been open at just 25% capacity indoors. They have also been requiring customers to wear masks inside, but starting today if you are vaccinated you can lose the mask. They also made another big change today by removing the Plexiglas that separates the counter from guests. "Well we used to have a, I would say 7-foot barrier between us and the customers and we just took that down today, said Colin Cone, barista at Naked Lounge. Others out today are still being cautious with all the lifted restrictions. "I feel like it's a big step forward, and I am kind of going into it like baby steps, said Mckenna Winzenz, an incoming senior at Chico High. I am not sure how I am feeling on it and I am still kind of adjusting to all the new openings." The coffee shop plans to bring in more indoor seating but will try to keep numbers lower than before the pandemic. The extended patio seating will continue to be an option for people as well. With the tier system ending today, most places will be open as normal with no capacity limits or social distancing required. "I think they are in a close predicament, so they should have a little bit of protection. I think eventually they should be lifted, but for now, they should take precautions, said Michael Nunley, father of grade school kids. Others like Aubrey Bryant, an incoming 6th grader at Notre Dame School in Chico, hope schools will change their mind by the fall. She has worn a mask to school day in and day out since they reopened in August. She told Action News Now that most kids keep their masks up, but it is sometimes hard for her to breathe. "These kids have worn their masks all day every day and they have never complained, but I know it would be nice to go without it, said Diane Bryant, grandmother to Aubrey. Diane hopes that even with lifted restrictions people will do their part to be safe, but for now, is enjoying the family time heading into summer. The California Department of Public Health anticipates that the CDC will change guidelines come kids returning to school in the fall. Butte County Public Health reminds unvaccinated people to still mask up in indoor public settings and businesses. Dr. Karen Ramstrom from Shasta County Public Health told Action News Now that they will be watching infection rates closely across the state this summer. They are very aware of the new Delta variant of the virus, but the best thing people can do is to get vaccinated. BALTIMORE (AP) Baltimore police say one person has been shot and killed and five others wounded after gunmen opened fire on a block with rowhouses. Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said officers responded to reports of gunshots after 2 p.m. Wednesday in the western Baltimore neighborhood. He added that the five wounded ranged from serious to critical condition. Police found two people shot while four others arrived at hospitals in private vehicles. The violence continues a spate of shootings since late last week in such cities as Chicago, Austin, Texas and Savannah, Georgia. The attacks have stoked concerns that a spike in gun violence could continue into the summer as coronavirus restrictions are eased. Luminous Power Technologies, a leading home electrical company in India has appointed Wavemaker India as its integrated media partner for all categories across Inverters, Batteries, Solar and Home Electricals. Wavemaker India will manage the brands traditional and digital media duties including media strategy & planning, media investment, media activation, and content. Wavemaker India won the account post a comprehensive multi-agency pitch. The account will be handled from their Gurugram office. IMAGEXX Awards 2021 Last Date - Monday, June 18, 2021 - ENTER NOW In todays scenario, consumers are moving increasingly towards all kinds of media for both discovery and decision-making. Wavemaker appealed to us with their experience and clarity of thought when understanding our business. With the new agency onboard, we would like to leverage their strategic thinking and execution for both traditional and digital media. We look forward to aggressively strengthening our presence and portfolio online and offline, and accelerating our growth, said Sachin Bhalla, Senior VP marketing and Solar Business, Luminous Power Technologies. Speaking on the win, Ajay Gupte, CEO - South Asia, Wavemaker said, Luminous is a strong and trustworthy brand with an array of products in the power backup, home electrical and residential solar space. We are thrilled to partner with them and create relevant engagement for the brand with our full-service media offering. This is a perfect opportunity for us to bring in our expertise and deploy our bespoke integrated planning approach that is supported by strong measurement capabilities. We look forward to creating value for Luminous and supporting its growth momentum. GAMEXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount Last Date - Monday, June 21, 2021 - ENTER NOW We are delighted to be awarded the business for Luminous, a leader in the power backup, home electrical and residential solar space category. We look forward to being their growth partners with our integrative solutioning, from analog to digital, from rural to urban and across all audience types. Proud to be their partners!, Mansi Datta, Chief Client Officer and Head North and East, Wavemaker India added on the association. In a new development, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has rejected the Indian Newspaper Societys plea to be exempted from the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Today, the industry body representing the biggest newspaper publishers in India, told I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar that newspaper websites could not be equated with other digital media and hence pleaded that they should be exempted from the guidelines. The bodys top members met over Zoom Video Conferencing. IMAGEXX Awards 2021 Last Date - Monday, June 18, 2021 - ENTER NOW Earlier, Javadekar had pointed out that newspapers digital platforms peddle a lot more information than what they print on paper, however, promised that he would look into the issue. In the latest meeting, the Ministry did not accede to the demands of the newspaper body and also rejected its plea for a six months extension before they came under the purview of the guidelines. The matter has been discussed in an emergency meeting by the President of INS with other senior members and it has been decided to get the matter examined and take further appropriate action. GAMEXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount Last Date - Monday, June 21, 2021 - ENTER NOW Richa Singh has decided to move on as chief executive officer of Niine, a hygiene and personal care startup. She was associated with the company for three years. Commenting on her exit, she said, "Three years at Niine, a young start up were full of challenges, making me a more humble and participative leader. It made me understand the need and power of focus and first hand experience and differentiate between bigger battles and smaller distractions. It wasnt easy attracting talent for a company no one knew of, and then infusing passion in hundreds that we were hiring to drive and nurture Niine like their baby, going much beyond a routine job. It stretched my capabilities, and I was often surprised with my own endless passion and energy to drive success. I soon move on to newer beginnings, handing back the reigns of Niine in able arms of its founders." Singh was instrumental in making personal hygiene products affordable to a large section of Indians through the brand called NIINE. Under her leadership, Niine gained a market share of 10-12% in North and East India Markets, and a 5% all India share. She has experience across healthcare, consumer health and consumer goods industry. During the course of her career, she has acquired diverse multi-functional as well as a multi-cultural experience. Her last stint was as the CEO for Philips Healthcare@Home. She also served as CFO for Philips - Consumer Division. Prior to that, she had stints at J&J, P&G, and Coca-Cola India, in international roles encompassing ASEAN. Australia and Japan. She has also been on the board of P&G's joint venture in Malaysia - FPG. Singh compleTed her MBA from IIM Bangalore. Established in 1992, Spykar has come a long way and has defined the rules of the fashion arena. From what started as solely a mens denim brand sold at multi-brand outlets, Spykar has expanded its portfolio to become a one-stop shop for casual wear ensemble for both men and women available pan India across 200 exclusive outlets, 900+ multi-brand outlets, all key large format stores and e-commerce portals. Besides online, Spykar has over 2,000 points of sales across 350 towns and cities of the country. IMAGEXX Awards 2021 Last Date - Monday, June 18, 2021 - ENTER NOW With stores closed and people not being able to shop physically, the apparel industry has been hit during the pandemic period. Instead, online shopping has gained pace. With the lockdowns being lifted gradually after the second wave of COVID-19, the situation is expected to return to near normalcy soon, with people returning to the shops. Revenge shopping and retail therapy after weeks of being confined to homes is also expected. Spykar as a brand has been growing year-on-year. There has been significant support from the consumers to Made in India and home-grown brands like Spykar. Even during the pandemic, the brand claims to have had good engagement with the customers. As a business, Spykar makes sure that their consumers connect well with the products that they offer. The consumers feedback and their transparency with them is important for the company. Where the lockdown is in place, availability has certainly been impacted, in other places, their spring-summer collection is available and getting good traction. In conversation with Adgully, Sanjay Vakharia, CEO, Spykar Lifestyle, speaks about the brands focus during pandemic times, Spykars media strategy to have a greater top-of-mind share, Spykars core value and more. What is the media strategy that you are looking at to maintain top-of-mind share? We have always believed in constant engagement and communication with our audience. We thought long term during the first wave of the pandemic and continue to do so. While the lockdown may affect sales, we are ensuring that we do not affect our communication with the audience. Be it relevant occasions, topical days, festivals or social media campaigns; we have kept the buzz alive and that has helped us maintain brand recall even during a difficult time. GAMEXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount Last Date - Monday, June 21, 2021 - ENTER NOW How has Spykar fortified its engagement with the youth in India? Spykar as a brand primarily targets young people; our core value is to be bold, responsible and restless. It resonates well with the fashion sense of todays youth. We serve our audience their staple, which is fashion by keeping ourselves updated with the youths changing demands, their tastes and moods, and the latest in trends. How is your role as CEO undergoing a major transformation amid the pandemic and an increasingly digital-first focus? As the stores are closed and there is no sign of physical shopping, we are focusing more on our website and other e-commerce platforms through which we sell our products. Our online platform is seeing a huge surge in this current situation and I believe sales through online retailers are expected to rise by the end of the year. As a leader, I am focusing on ensuring we sustain the business, retain the talent, and partners as we need to look at the long term vision as a brand and business and treat the current period as a tide that we need to sail through. In an omnichannel world, how has the content role of CEOs been intensified? My leadership thought is to ensure that our business keeps up with our consumers ever-changing behaviour and buying preferences to sustain this momentum well into the future. What are the new ideas for creating effective branding in a volatile world? According to me, brand strategy is the foundation of building a brand. Most businesses overlook that and jump directly into marketing. I believe consumers overall perception of our brand Spykar is more important than what we think of ourselves. Our focus is to stand out from the other brands and deliver efficient products to satisfy consumers. This will automatically build positive image through positive feedback from the consumers and thus, engage them in a better way. This will also influence others who are new to our brand. Given the constant flux in consumer behaviour, especially in pandemic times, what is your go-to strategy to understand your customers unique wants and needs? My strategy is simple to ensure uniformity. The consumer may not always know what they want, but they know what they need. Spykar is up to date with the trends and choices. We have best products and offerings according to the seasons requirements to fulfill that need. Vedix, Indias first customized Ayurvedic beauty brand which leverages the power of AI & Ayurveda, offers personalized hair care products to fix all the hair related problems, by designing the product that is just meant for you & your hair. Popular television & film actors like Rupali Ganguly (Monisha Sarabhai of Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai and Anupama), Purab Kohli (Rock On famed Killer Drummer), Barun Sobti of Iss Pyaar ko Kya Naam doon fame, were dealing with acute hair fall have finally managed to address their problem with Vedix personalized hair care regime. All they had to do was answer a few questions and an AI-driven platform matched the right products to their Vikruti (current imbalanced state of doshas). All vedix products are formulated by ayurvedic doctors in accordance with the 5,000 years old ayurvedic wisdom. Their journey started with Vedix by answering a quick questionnaire -- Vedix Personalised Questionnaire or VPQ -- which gave them a real time analysis of their hair and skin concerns and the Vedix products that will address them. It is not a secret how busy is actors life as they constantly morph into one character from the other which also demands certain physical changes. This leads to a vicious cycle of using chemical laden products which is a demand of their jobs. However, it impacts their skin and hair quality thus leading to problems like hair fall, itchy scalp, dryness, skin pigmentation and early aging. Ayurveda calls it falling out of doshas. Maintaining the balance of all the doshas is the key to stay and look beautiful and healthy. Vedix is the custodian of this tradition as the doctors at Vedix use the 5,000 years old secrets of Ayurveda to design a personalised regimen to deliver maximum efficacy for addressing specific problems impacting your hair and skin. Heres what the actors had to say about their experience: Rupali Ganguly : Barun Sobti : Purab Kohli : Sanjeeda Sheikh : Jatin Gujrati, Business Head, Vedix, says, Any number of stressful situations along with the use of chemical & harsh products can trigger hair loss. Hair fall is a collateral damage which no one asks for and is the first thing which shows signs of stress our bodies go through. At Vedix, we believe that Ayurveda if used in the correct proportion can solve all the hair and wellness related problems. We are glad that our customers share great reviews on the brand and support Vedix so strongly by actively recommending it to their peers. Vedix offers 100% Ayurvedic products without any harmful chemicals. Its use of Ayurvedic herbs such as Bhringaraja, Brahmi, Amlaki, Yashtimadhu, Datura and many others play an important role in arresting hair fall & dandruff and promoting healthy hair growth. Vedix offers a subscription based service to its customers who are looking to address their skin and hair problems. The Brand was launched in 2017 by IncNut Digital. Currently, with an ARR of Rs 160 crore, Vedix aims to reach a turnover of Rs 500 crore by 2025. For a very long time now, Public Relations has been an endless chase for the maximum press coverage for ones clients. Hence, the carpet bombing of press releases across media organisations. And clients measure the efficacy of the PR firm based on the number of press clippings facilitated by the firm. Every journalist will remember being approached by PR professionals multiple times to cover news/ release about their client, without first checking whether the news is relevant or not to the journalist and her publication. There are winds of change in the PR space today, with a conscious move to have a more qualitative approach to keeping clients in the news. It boils down to working on an effective campaign strategy based on relevant and strong consumer insights that will create interest and ignite the minds of ones core audience. The purpose should be to closely engage and educate ones audience and build credibility with a well-substantiated messaging that can help shape the desired opinion about the brand/ client. Measurements and impact come later, but what stands out is the strong idea, the right positioning and the relevance of the communication that make the PR campaign effective. Measurement in PR has always been a subject of debate and there has been no concrete solution for it so far. The most common measurement matrix that the industry has been following is calculating the advertising value (AVR) of the media coverage for a PR campaign. But that does not present the true picture in terms of evaluation. Hence, the industry needs to look more at the qualitative parameters and figure how these could be computed in the overall effectiveness of the campaign. Making a strong case for quality over quantity, Himanshu Raj, Head - Brand and Policy Communications, Mobile Premier League (MPL), said, I absolutely believe that we should focus on the quality of coverage rather than quantity. Quality media stories can create a much larger impact for a brand than just a large volume of coverage. One of the objectives of any communication strategy is to reach out to different kinds of audiences such as investors, regulators, policymakers, consumers, and so on. So, it is imperative to know your business goals before coming up with a communication strategy. Continuing further, he said, In fact, an important component to setting up your communication strategy is aligning your business goals and your audience. Once you define your audience, youll know which publication/ platform to target. Apart from the media, one should look at events, speaker opportunities, podcasts, and other interesting platforms to tell a compelling brand story. Another way to move towards quality coverage is to relook at your KPIs. We need to move away from vanity KPIs like AVE, the number of clips, coverage share of voice and look at quality metrics like tone, impact score, sentiment analysis, etc., Raj affirmed. Tackling the evaluation and measurement of PR campaigns is always challenging. The Barcelona Principles provide PR professionals with a more scientific approach to measure the PR campaigns. Anup Sharma, Independent Communications Consultant, noted that with the changing media consumption habits, how PR professionals demonstrate the effectiveness of their work has also shifted significantly in the past decade. Considering that not all PR impact can be directly quantifiable, it is important that before starting a PR campaign, the broad objectives are set. With the work scope of Public Relations firms growing beyond just a media management relation, not every aspect of communication outreach being managed by the PR firm can be quantitatively measured. It is important to note that all outputs have an impact on the outcomes, which support key business objectives and strengthen the companys bottom line, he added. Sharma further said, For traditional media coverage, in addition to the quantitative measurement, the key is to consider qualitative outcomes which can analyse the content (key messages) of the media coverage. And for the social media & online coverage, in addition to measuring awareness and engagement through the number of likes, comments, retweets, replies and shares, the key is to evaluate how these likes and shares turn into business objectives. Siddhartha Mukherjee, Founder, Brand Balance, who has cut his teeth in this industry and who has been deeply involved in the measurement front for a long time, felt that this situation is a double whammy of uninformed perception of what PR can do and the introduction of AVE/ EAVs. Elaborating on this, Mukherjee said, Clients and PR firms often do not get enough time to find the answer to the basic question Why are we doing this PR activity?. All these years, PR has suffered being generalised as news dispatch and management desk. It was not perceived as a communications tool, which can not only address brand objectives but also support clients balance sheet. Hence, the convenient way of showing value has been to churn out as many press releases as possible and carpet bomb those releases across all relevant or irrelevant media vehicles. This is what leads to the generation of volume as against value. What made this a double whammy was the introduction and blind faith in AVE/ EAVs as a unit of measurement. To change the current situation from volume to value, a genetic change is needed. The only solution for this change is to introduce the matrix of Account & Media Planning. Traditionally, these disciplines have been associated with the paid industry. It is time to extend its benefits to PR and Corporate Communications as well. Rigorous orientation and training programmes at education institutes, within PR Firms, and Corp Comm need to be designed and run round the year to bring in the desired change. Things have started changing, and a small section currently (around 5-10% of the industry), both the Corp Comm and PR firms have initiated a positive disruption of sorts by thinking and speaking the language of Account & Media Planning. The need to involve and encourage more of account and media planning will be healthier and definitely help in growing the industry, Mukherjee emphasised. Balancing out the Value Vs Volume aspect, Chetan Mahajan, CEO, The Mavericks, remarked, When volume complements value, under certain situations it can achieve the desired outcome quickly and efficiently. The communications strategy here has to be crafted keeping multiple factors in mind, including brand lifecycle, category, country, complexity, and context, etc. A young brand in a very competitive landscape (like fintech) needs a combination of value and volume, whereas a matured brand must focus on just value. In a crisis, like miscommunication around the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination, both value and volume are important, particularly in a country like India, where the media landscape is so dispersed and language diversity adds totally different dimension to mass outreach. Likewise, a campaign for a super mass-market brand will benefit more from a combination of volume and value than value alone. A classic example here would be the difference between Apple and Xiaomis communications strategy. Whereas for a premium brand volume there is no substitute to value, a B2B brand must focus on value while B2C needs to be aggressive with volume in value. In my opinion, the debate has now moved on to the intensity and frequency of volume within value v/s less is more. Its about quality with volume. While ideally quality precedes quantity, one may not necessarily need to trade-off one for the other, opined Sharmilee Daru, Founder and Director at Sharmilee Daru Consulting - PR and Communication. According to Daru, it largely depends on brand need and strategy at a particular point of time. Quantity might work for short term attention or if it needs to percolate to a certain segment or region for more buzz and reach based on product/ service. However, for the long term, I believe quality should form the basis for action, building brand perception and laying the foundation for strong reputation and image. This goes a long way while delivering message and value to the audience, she added. She further said, Having said that, in the case of quantity PR, it is necessary to ensure that it fits the requirement. India has an overly crowded and competitive work environment, hence the use of quantity PR often is assumed to help create a dent in the media ecosystem. The lack of client knowledge and understanding of PR, too, contributes to this approach often. Understanding the difference and educating the clients on possibilities, while managing quality messaging to fit the right channels, could be a way to overcome the volume vs value concern. Komal Lath, Founder, Tute Consult, opined, The focus of any PR campaign should be in getting the right message across the right channel. Its high time that as an industry we stop talking about coverage and start focusing on the messaging. By messaging, we mean, conversations that catalyse desirable consumer actions and behavioural change. In order to drive a behavioural change, you need frequency and a constant reminder. So, it is not about volume versus value, we at Tute believe in delivering valuable volume for our clients. Watch out for Adgullys #TwitterChat this Friday, June 18, 2021, on Value Vs Volume Game in PR, as leading industry experts delve deep to chart the communications course for the PR industry in the new normal. (Edited and additional inputs by Shanta Saikia) GE Aviation and Safran have relaunched an engine development program that will further develop Safrans open rotor design developed last decade as part of the companys CFM International joint venture. The two companies also signed off an agreement that enables CFM International to exist until 2050. ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> CFMs RISE (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) program will develop and test technologies for future engines that could enter service by the mid-2030s. A core part of the RISE program will be the further development of an open rotor engine, a development program started by Safran in 2008. The engine program, which received 65 million (US$77 million) of funding through the EUs Clean Sky program, was developed as far as ground testing of a demonstrator (video) in 2017 at Istres, southern France. GE Aviation said the open rotor engine, which will be developed by a joint GE / Safran engineering team is a key enabler to achieving improved fuel efficiency while delivering the same speed and cabin experience as current single-aisle aircraft. The RISE program will also use a hybrid electric power train to optimize engine efficiency while enabling electrification of many aircraft systems. The project will develop composite fan blades, heat resistant metal alloys, ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), hybrid electric capability and additive manufacturing. It also includes more than 300 separate component, module and full engine builds. A demonstrator engine is scheduled to begin testing at GE and Safran facilities around the middle of this decade and flight test soon thereafter, said the companies. Technologies matured as part of the RISE Program will also serve as the basis for a next-generation CFM engine that is planned for the mid-2030s. The programs goals include reducing fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by more than 20% compared to todays most efficient engines, as well as ensuring fulll compatibility with alternative energy sources such as Sustainable Aviation Fuels and hydrogen. John Slattery, president and CEO of GE Aviation said, The relationship between GE and Safran today is the strongest it has ever been. Together, through the RISE technology demonstration program, we are reinventing the future of flight, bringing an advanced suite of revolutionary technologies to market that will take the next generation of single-aisle aircraft to a new level of fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. Our industry is in the midst of the most challenging times we have ever faced, said Olivier Andries, CEO of Safran. We have to act now to accelerate our efforts to reduce our impact on the environment. CFM was originally created in 1974. The joint venture was renewed in 2008 for the launch of the LEAP engine program. Seventy percent of the Earth is covered in oceans, but humanitys water needs are met by less than one percent of the planets total water in Theres so much celebrating planned around this years Independence Day observances in Tekamah, it takes more than a day to hold them all. UpNest compiled census population data between 2010 and 2019, the most recent year available, to find the fastest-growing metropolitan areas. Combining this data with the Purchase-Only Housing Price Index, which measures the average change in prices of single-family homes, UpNest found how t Click for more. Bill Crane is a syndicated columnist based in Decatur. He has worked in politics for Democrats and Republicans, respects the process and will try and give you some things to think about. Your thoughts and responses to his opinions are also welcome, bill.csicrane@gmail.com. Lake Charles, Louisiana (70615) Today Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours. Thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. High around 90F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low around 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Lake Charles, Louisiana (70615) Today Partly cloudy in the morning. Thunderstorms developing later in the day. High near 90F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms in the evening, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low around 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. For the 2020-2021 admissions cycle, the English department at the University of Chicago only admitted graduate students committed to working in Black Studies. At the other end of the city, at Evanstons Northwestern University, white students took to social media not only to confess their racism but also to pledge to do better. Throughout America, faculty at colleges and universities are being required to enroll in modules (courses) on race relations, written with an eye toward critical race theory and the epistemology of Black Lives Matter. These modules have various names, but among the most common is an oxymoron titled inclusive excellence, as if everyone can be excellent by being included. The object, of course, is for colleges and universities to enroll greater numbers of those who already receive preferential treatment based on ascribed characteristics. Meanwhile, sacrosanct suppositions that represent critical race theory are increasingly becoming the norm on the college campus. Among these are: All whites are racists; systemic racism is the cause of a vast black underclass, and the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow explains every pathology to be seen in the black community. Seldom, if ever, has a single factor explained such a complicated set of social forces. To raise the question of free will and individual responsibility is a manifestation of racism or white privilege. Nothing shuts down a conversation faster than check your privilege or your white fragility is showing. Millionaire black celebrities are pointing out the privilege gap to many white Americans who live from paycheck to paycheck. The absurdity is only lost on those white people who are mired in their own guilt. When challenged, the inanity is justified in that privilege is not what youve accomplished, experienced, or how many homes you own, but what you wont experience, like being abused by the police or not being able to find a band-aid the color of your skin. Of course, white people also get killed by rogue cops, and no one has the skin color of a band-aid. But what really undermines this nonsense preached from the gospel of political correctness is that the fundamental divisions in post-industrial society are not based on race, but on distinctions that come from the division of labor or class. Our wants, needs, aspirations, and fulfillments are anchored in social class. There exists an association between racial/ethnic groups and social class as a function of history and culture, but people have class interests that transcend race. The objective of the BLM movement and its Marxist progenitors is to convince America that all social, political, and economic issues are grounded in race. Why? Because in America, a hundred years of trying to bring about a Marxist takeover based on class has failed miserably. Not because class is insignificant, but because in America social mobility, not societal destruction, is the aspiration of every generation. If you want to see true multiculturalism, turn on CNBC in the morning, where skin color takes a back seat to the ability to run a company, investment fund, or be a successful analyst. The only color people are interested in is green. The purveyors of chaos and destruction have been unsuccessful in organizing assaults on the social order by ideologies based on class. Marxism in America never took root because social mobility is higher than any place in the world. Then along came the death of George Floyd, and the race-baiters and their leftist allies saw a divisiveness that would spread into virtually every institution in society, especially in the educational system, where guilt and self-flagellation have become a substitute for rational inquiry. The simple class dichotomies of Marxism did not work, so the disseminators of chaos have replaced class with race. Ironically, to solve the race problem in America, the race-baiters would have you believe that you must eventually get rid of capitalism. This hijacking of race to promote class warfare is a piece of political incongruity evidenced by white radicals identifying with Black Lives Matter in face-offs against police lines that often comprise more blacks than do the agitators indulging their pubescent revolutionary fantasies. As the reaction infiltrates our colleges and universities, the rest of us might find ourselves caught in the middle between the purveyors of two different hatreds, neither of which bodes well for our future. Abraham H. Miller is an emeritus professor of political science and a distinguished fellow with the Haym Salomon Center. Image: Montecruz foto To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. We are living in a P.C. culture. In the past few years, weve seen multiple celebrities canceled for comments that have been taken to be offensive against African Americans or Black Lives Matter. Meanwhile, Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, get a free pass when openly insulting Black people. Theres a long list of celebrates who got canceled after they purposefully or accidentally said or tweeted offensive remarks against Black people, including remarks that were not objectively racist but were perceived as racist. For example, Roseanne Barr, Megyn Kelly, and The Flash star Hartley Sawyer were each fired from their positions after either tweeting or making remarks the cancel culture perceived as racist. Barr tweeted that President Barack Obamas adviser Valerie Jarret was the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes. She was subsequently fired from the Roseanne Barr Show. Kelly was fired for simply talking about the changing attitudes of black face on NBC. Sawyer was fired for racist and misogynistic tweets. Many individuals who have used the n-word were either fired or pressured into resigning. Papa Johns founder John Schnatter resigned from the company after he was set up to use the n-word on a conference call. Paula Deen was let go by the Food Network for admitting she said the n-word decades before. Things are different if youre a Biden. Throughout his political career, Joe Biden has regularly made racist remarks. Beginning in the 1970s, when he started his career, Biden proudly associated with segregationists and said busing would lead to a racial jungle. As a U.S. Senator, he said quoted the n-word thirteen times during Senate hearings in 1985. Just fifteen years ago, Biden said, You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. The 2020 presidential campaign again brought out Bidens inner racist. While running for president, Biden said, If you have trouble figuring out whether you are for me or Donald Trump, then you aint Black. He also said, "Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids. During Bidens more than forty years of public service, the mainstream media never criticized him for his racist rhetoric. None of Bidens comments made it difficult for him to run for president. Just this week, more revelations came from Hunter Bidens confiscated laptop revealing that the apple doesnt fall far from the tree. On Monday, June 7, 2021, it emerged that Hunter Biden sent racist text messages to his attorney George Mesires. This revelation came from Hunters laptop and was reported in the Daily Mail. Joe Bidens son continuously referred to his lawyer as the n-word. Additionally, he shared a meme of his dad calling Obama the n-word. Since this disclosure, none of the major progressive news sources have covered the story. The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, NBC, and MSNBC have all remained silent on the matter. This is a common example of the mainstream media covering up for fellow leftists. If one of Donald Trumps children had made such a comment, then the media would have crucified Trump. They would have constantly reminded the public that Trump raised awful racist children. There would have been calls for Trump to resign. He might even have been impeached over it. Back in February, President Biden accidentally said the n-word when speaking at the Virtual Munich Security Conference. While a mistake, imagine what would have happened if Trump had said the same thing as president? The press would have vilified him. Former President Donald Trump never even had to say something as remotely racist as what the Bidens said for the mainstream to crucify him. In fact, the mainstream media and Democrats perpetrated a false narrative for nearly four years accusing Trump of praising Neo-Nazis. For nearly four years Trump has been wrongly accused of praising Neo-Nazis at the Charlottesville, Virginia rally. Neo-Nazis and Antifa got into an altercation over removing Robert E. Lees statue. While Neo-Nazis and KKK were calling for violence, not everyone who participated in the protests was violent. Trump said that there were, very fine people on both sides. As he instantly made clear, he was referring to peaceful protestors who did not want the statues removed. He was not referring to either Neo-Nazis or Antifa. He condemned the Neo-Nazis during this same speech. Even though Trump condemned Neo-Nazis it did not stop the mainstream media from painting Trump as a racist. News outlets such as CNN, MSNBC, and NPR constantly accused Trump of not condemning Neo-Nazis. In fact, they blatantly lied to the public telling the public that Trump praised Neo-Nazis and the KKK. Throughout the years this lie has continued. Biden used this false narrative to challenge Trump for the presidency. In painting Trump as some evil racist, the mainstream media and Democrats convinced many voters that Trump actually is a racist. The left has continued to push this narrative to win support among African Americans. On June 8, 2021, Obama continued to push this false narrative by criticizing congressional Republicans who did not speak out about Trumps very fine people remarks in regards to the Charlottesville rally. Of course, congressional Republicans did not correct Trump because they knew he was not referring to Neo-Nazis, as would anyone who was paying attention. The liberal media are able to convince many Americans that Trump is a horrible racist because they continue to twist his words. Ironically, the ones who are really racists are Biden and his son. They, however, get a free pass when insulting African Americans because they are leftists. How is it that the party that preaches diversity and inclusion has as its leader a man who has an ugly history of insulting black people? Why are there different standards of rules when dealing with celebrities, Republicans, and Democrats over racism? As between Trump, Joe Biden, and Hunter Biden, there are only two racists: One is the man in the White House who thinks he owns the black vote; the other is his son, a White man who is fine with using the n-word. The Bidens can be racist while accusing Republicans and most Americans of being racist because of their leftist privilege. If Biden wants to root out racism, he should deal with his own family first. IMAGE: Joe Biden (cropped) by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0); Hunter Biden (YouTube screen grab). To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Environmental activists in the federal government are wasting no time recovering their Obama-era swagger and aggressively taking ground. On February 1, President Biden issued Executive Order 14008, which promotes a whole of government approach to fighting climate change. Four months later, we are starting to see what that looks like. From the Treasury Department to the Department of the Interior, the federal government is pushing a radical agenda to control more of our property and activities. For example, on May 26, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed listing the Lesser Prairie Chicken under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). That was followed by a June 4 announcement that FWS and NOAA Fisheries will roll back five ESA regulations implemented by the Trump administration. The Endangered Species Act is a favorite tool for environmental activists in and out of government. The ESA does not have a great track record of saving animals from threat or extinction. However, it is really good at filling the coffers of environmental groups through sue and settle schemes. Interestingly, it seems as if the Lesser Prairie Chicken is being used as a tool to impact farmers and shale oil companies. Its primary habitat stretches from Texas and New Mexico to Kansas. That makes the Lesser Prairie Chicken very useful to environmental groups. The Lesser in Lesser Prairie Chicken does not refer to the birds population size because the 2020 annual aerial survey by the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies shows the population has increased for eight consecutive years. The population increases are due to a multistate private effort to restore the birds critical habitat. The fact that the bird population is increasing because of the conservation efforts of landowners and businesses should raise some questions over the proposal to list these birds under the ESA. Yet, as we are learning with the word infrastructure, the definition of the word endangered is also evolving, under the Biden administration. Not to be outdone by the Lesser Prairie Chicken fiasco, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is gearing up to retake lost ground, too. On June 9, EPA announced its intent to revise the definition of WOTUS and replace the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. Environmental groups cheered the announcement. Sadly, our nations farmers and ranchers will once again face an aggressive land grab courtesy of Washington, D.C. bureaucrats. Indeed, a whole of government approach is the common thread that explains it all. Whats more, Biden recently signed an executive order titled Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad , which seeks to protect 30 percent of the nations land and ocean territories by 2030. By protect they clearly mean control. This does not mean that the federal government will need to acquire new lands twice the size of Texas because it can just control property through aggressive regulation by the Department of Interior, EPA, and other agencies. Ideologically driven federal agencies ignore any legislative provisions that get in their way. So, Section 6 of the ESA concerning cooperation with the states is brushed aside. Unless, of course, the definition of cooperation now means that states need to stand down while the federal government does whatever it wants. Not seeing much hope in cooperation from federal agencies, some states are acting to fund litigation efforts to protect the rights of property owners. Although not directly impacted by the ESA listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken, North Dakota is not immune from federal overreach. In 2015, a forward-thinking legislature passed a law forming the Federal Environmental Law Impact Committee. The committees budget was approximately $1 million for each of the first three years. However, in 2021, the North Dakota Legislature responded to a wave of executive orders in January and bumped the committees appropriation to $5 million. The legislature also boosted litigation budgets for other areas of state government, anticipating a multifront battle with the Biden administration. Kansas, Nebraska, and other states are pushing back on the 30 by 30 initiative, with Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts aggressively referring to it as a land grab. Ricketts and 14 other governors sent a letter to Biden, clarifying that the federal government does not have the authority to carry out the initiative in a refreshing -- and much-needed -- blast of federalism. Cooperation and engagement among the states is one of the best ways to counter Washington power grabs. It has also been a time-tested method of protecting our freedom and liberty from encroachment by the federal government. There are 50 states, which means there is strength in numbers. Bette Grande (bgrande@heartland.org) is CEO of the Roughrider Policy Center and is a policy advisor at The Heartland Institute. Image: Pixnio To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Before the formal meeting of the Group of Seven, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johnson met in Carbis Bay, Cornwall to discuss and strengthen traditional and historic links between the two countries. On June 10, 2021, they agreed to reaffirm those ties by updating the Atlantic Charter, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill on August 14, 1941, on a ship off the coast of Newfoundland. The charter set out a general statement of the aims of the U.S. and U.K. for the postWorld War II world. It included eight common principles: the countries agreed not to seek territorial expansion and called for liberalization of free trade, disarmament, collective security, and the right of all peoples to choose their own form of government. The charter was not a binding treaty, but it did affirm the solidarity between the two countries against Nazi aggression. The new charter is concerned with the challenge of China and Russia, and their interference through disinformation or other malign influences, including on elections, on the Western world. Among other matters, the U.S. and U.K. promise to counter modern threats, including cyber-threats, to promote free trade and human rights, to adhere to the rules-based international order, and to challenge those who seek to undermine the alliance between them and the institutions of the U.S. and U.K. However commendable the intentions of the new charter, unity was not achieved because of tension between the two leaders over Northern Ireland. This is not new. Winston Churchill once said, or is alleged to have said, "We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English." The Irish question will not go away. The problem of Northern Ireland, N.I., has become sharper and more divisive as a result of Brexit. Joe Biden, unlike President Donald Trump, has not been a supporter of Brexit, as he displayed during the 2020 presidential campaign, though he accepted the British right to leave the E.U. He warned Boris that tension in N.I. would be inflamed if he did not compromise over border checks. Joe Biden's political stance is often linked to personal and emotional folksy issues. Basic in his attitude on the question of N.I. is his affection for and emotional attachment to Ireland. He is proud of his Catholic Irish roots and his ties to County Mayo. At his first press conference as president on March 25, 2021, Biden, who is 5/8 Irish in background, mentioned that his great-grandfather had sailed in a coffin ship in the Irish sea. "They left because of what the Brits had been doing. They had no choice." Implicitly, Ireland was a victim of British oppression, of which he is critical. Biden is fond of quoting a few poems of Seamus Heaney and W.B. Yeats, especially the latter's Easter Sunday 1916: "All changed, changed utterly, a terrible beauty is born." It may be too strong to say that Biden consciously displays anti-British sentiments, or that he believes that the Irish people are still oppressed by the British, but he has been sympathetic toward the IRA, the Irish Republican Army, and to Irish nationalism, and has little concern for the Unionists in Ulster. Just before the summit in Cornwall, the most senior U.S. diplomat in London on June 3 had issued a demarche, a formal rebuke, rarely used against a close ally, that Britain's attitude on the Northern Ireland Protocol was jeopardizing the Northern Ireland peace process. Moreover, Yael Lempert, the U.S. charge d'affaires in London, linked a possible U.S.-U.K. trade deal with Britain's following the E.U.'s directives on agricultural standards. Biden, who is sympathetic to the E.U., has backed off any public confrontation and is not issuing threats or ultimatums, but in "frank diplomatic conversations," he has urged Britain to reach a negotiated settlement on border checks. To some extent, Biden appeared to back off from an extreme position. There are two factors at the core of his views: one is the conviction that the Good Friday Agreement is the foundation for peaceful coexistence in N.I., must remain in place, and must not be jeopardized by differences over trade disputes that cause instability. The other is that any trade deal between the two countries must depend on preventing the return of a "hard" border between N.I. and the Republic of Ireland. Some explanation is in order on the two crucial factors: the GFA and the Northern Ireland Protocol, which are interconnected in practice. The GFA in 1998 ended decades of sectarian violence in Ulster via a power-sharing system, a framework for peace and reconciliation in N.I., and agreed the border must remain "soft," an open border between the Republic of Ireland and N.I., which in 1998 were both parts of the E.U. and shared the same rules on trade. After Brexit, new arrangements were necessary. The E.U. requires many goods from non-E.U. countries to be inspected. This led to the Protocol, an arrangement to avoid a "hard" border between Ireland, which is in the E.U., and N.I. The agreed compromise was border checks on U.K. goods entering N.I., thus in effect a border of a kind within the U.K. This complex trade arrangement relates to the fact that Ulster is the only part of the U.K. with an E.U. land border. There are no "hard" border posts with checks on traffic. However, there is a trade barrier in the Irish sea for goods coming from Great Britain, which must face customs checks before entering N.I., even if the goods are not ending in the Republic of Ireland. The arrangement allowed a six-month grace period for the infrastructure for the checks to be put in place, and this runs to the end of June 2021. On this there are differences. Boris has not ruled out the possibility of unilaterally extending the check-free period. Brussels, though there are differences among the members of E.U., has, at its extreme, threatened a trade war if this is done. Boris has complained of the disproportionate number of checks imposed on goods from Britain to N.I. A current problem is the arrangement for shipments of chilled meat, such as sausages. Checks on these were postponed, but the deadline is close on chilled meat entering N.I. The E.U. has threatened to launch a sausage trade war if Britain overrides the Protocol. On the other hand, Boris responds that the E.U. is being too strict and threatens to use article 16 of the Protocol, which can be used to prevent serious economic, social, or environmental difficulties. People of all parties agree that the Brexit agreement and differences over trade must not jeopardize Irish peace. At the same time, all should agree that Northern Ireland is part of the U.K., that the U.K. is a single country, a single territory. The Irish problem is complex, not simply one of trade and the peace process, but also a constitutional issue and the ambiguity on which a peace settlement rests. The GFA stated that citizens could regard themselves as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose. Nationalists could opt to have Irish citizenship while Unionists, favoring adherence to the U.K., can remain British, living in parallel constitutional entities. But with Brexit, the border between N.I. and the Republic of Ireland becomes the external border of the E.U. The E.U. threatens to impose tariff quotas on British exports if Britain fails to implement customs checks. Politically, the arrangement is complex. England, Scotland, and Wales do not follow E.U. rules, but N.I. does because of its border with Ireland, an E.U. member, and therefore there are customs checks on goods entering N.I. from elsewhere in the U.K. For Boris, the unaltered implementation of the Protocol threatens the U.K.'s territorial integrity, and he promised to do whatever it takes to protect it. A possible fight is now over the sausage war. The E.U. allows the importation of only frozen processed meat from outside its borders. The sale of raw sausage meat from Britain into N.I. is permitted during the grace period until the end of June. Boris has to deal with the complex trade plan and is determined to preserve peace in Northern Ireland, but will he fight to extend unilaterally the free movement of the sausages? Perhaps some chips with the sausages might help him decide. Image: Alexas_Fotos via Pixabay, Pixabay License. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Stop me if you've heard this joke before. The Russian president and the American president decide to meet up in Geneva to work out their differences. The Russian president says, "I'm concerned for your country, sir. The same Big Tech companies that helped rig your election by paying off election workers and manipulating the flow of information to voters are now engaged in mass censorship of half the country as they protect your grip on power. Your corporate news people discarded any pretense of being an investigative 'free press' long ago and openly launder propaganda from your Intelligence Community and a small collection of multinational corporate oligarchs advancing outright lies. They spent years blaming Hillary's election loss on a 'Russian dossier' that Hillary's own campaign created, and nobody was ever brought to justice for a lie that tore your country in two and brought ours to the brink of war. "Antifa and Black Lives Matter have destroyed many of your cities and repeatedly terrorized your citizens, yet you celebrate them as heroes, while your corrupt FBI categorizes them as mere 'ideas' spreading 'hope and change.' Your Democratic Party has closed churches and punished the faithful for practicing their religion in the face of a virus that has proved far less lethal than predicted. At the same time, your government health agencies and medical journals conspired to cover up the origin of the illness in Wuhan, China, while allowing hundreds of thousands of your citizens to die by engaging in a disinformation campaign against certain generic pharmaceutical drugs that have been around for decades and proven highly effective in treating the new lab-created disease. "Your education system is teaching that racism is good if it hurts people with lighter skin color. Your military is purging members who speak out against communism. Your Justice Department has engaged in the worst kind of political persecution against conservatives, while shielding Democrats from criminal inquiries. You're encouraging anger and violence against your own citizen police forces. You're aiding drug cartels and sex traffickers at your southern border. You and your family have been bought handsomely by the Chinese Communist Party. And even though a majority of the American people believe you outright stole the 2020 election, you've criminalized those who say so as 'domestic terrorists,' thrown hundreds of political prisoners into solitary confinement without bail or trial, and excused the killing of an unarmed Air Force veteran for the crime of trespassing in the 'People's House,' even though there is ample video footage of Capitol Police inviting political protesters inside the building. "My apologies, Mr. President, but how is all of this possible in a country founded on liberty, a nation that has historically seen itself as the 'city on a hill' and the American president as the 'leader of the free world'? How can you call Russia the greatest threat to Americans' security today when your own government does such an outstanding job of threatening Americans?" The American president, listening intently, nods his head and replies, "I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir." "Wait, I'm Vladimir. You mean Obama?" What's scarier about this scenario that it strikes too close to home to be funny, or that Biden's conversation with Putin in Switzerland may go a whole lot worse than what I describe? When the White House handlers have to pre-emptively nix any possibility for a joint press conference days before the big meeting because the Russian president might make the American president look dumb and feeble, you know that nobody in Biden's orbit believes he is up for the job. What's that standard from the Constitution's 25th Amendment that Democrats dragged out for four years in their attempts to remove President Trump from office by hook or by crook? Oh, yeah presidential fitness. Wouldn't admitting that Joe Biden can't be trusted to appear alongside "Pootie-Poot" without being humiliated before the world or risking being provoked into a dementia-raddled rage or being tricked into handing Alaska back to Russia set off most alarm bells that the American president is a national security risk and not fit for office? It's not as if America is asking Sniffy-Feely to storm Normandy under fire and guns-a-blazin' hell, the Biden White House can't even be bothered to remember D-Day or the mainly white Americans who died there so Europe could be free. All we need is an American executive capable of recalling that he is president, committed to protecting America's interests, and alive enough to stand before reporters for an hour and competently answer softball questions given to him in advance by a compliant and obsequious press corps all too eager to pretend Biden's descent into dyspeptic confusion and inaudible mumbling is the result of a childhood lisp. Which part of all that is too much to ask of the "most powerful man in the world"? The standing part, the speaking English part, or the idea that Biden can appear in public that long without forgetting where he is or why he's there? If America needed any reminder that its doddering old fool of a puppet president lost what little mental fitness he once had sometime around when he was complimenting Barack Obama for being surprisingly "clean" for a black man, it has seen more than any nation should have to stomach as Bag-o-Bones stumbles around Europe. When he's not getting lost in Cornwall or being retrieved from common cafeterias by his nursemaid wife who has somehow become acting president for the duration of Joe's time in office (heh, why not, once you train a country to accept election fraud, you can train the people to accept hereditary dictatorship pretty easily), he's busy confusing military action in Syria and Libya, immediately forgetting what's said by world leaders sitting right next to him, and getting repeatedly touchy-feely with onlookers. By comparison, the queen of England looked downright youthful at the tender age of ninety-five, if for no other reason than her composed demeanor and situational awareness around guests of the G-7 summit highlighted how perpetually lost America's head of state seems to be. Biden's splash on the world stage with back-to-back fetes in Cornwall and Brussels should have been an easy showing even for a man who cannot speak or answer questions unless he is reading verbatim from remarks written down for him. Shoring up America's commitment to G-7, the NATO military alliance, and U.S.-E.U. hegemony were supposed to be simple endeavors in which Europe could embrace the new American president, celebrate the end of President Trump's "America First" policies, and jump back into the business-as-usual neoliberal global order that keeps the West's ruling class well fed and in power. Instead, Joe Biden has looked every bit the imbecile Americans already know him to be and has no doubt made more than a few Europeans wonder, as state audits of the 2020 election continue to pick up steam, how a man who so noticeably struggles with English could be elected president of an English-speaking country or how a man who routinely disparages America and Americans both at home and overseas could be chosen to represent them. No doubt the Russian president will be asking those questions, too. As one British member of Parliament remarked, though, Biden's "so senile that he probably won't remember" anyway. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. There is something you need to know because it is of overwhelming importance to America's survival as a constitutional democratic republic: the Biden administration is moving inexorably to making it a crime to oppose Biden and the Democrat party's policies. Attorney General Merrick Garland is organizing a massive task force to hunt those illusory "White supremacists," who just happen to be Trump-supporters. Moreover, the federal charging documents against many of those being held for trespassing in Congress reveal that some of the people most active in planning January 6 and encouraging others to act were FBI agents or informants. In other words, it was a set-up. On Tuesday, attorney general Merrick Garland announced that deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco, who worked in the Obama administration, will lead a "whole of government" effort to root out "domestic terrorists." These domestic terrorists, you will not be surprised to learn, are the same so-called "White supremacists" who engaged in what Democrats repeatedly call "the worst insurrection since the Civil War" on January 6. What that hyperbolic to the point of dishonest phrase describes is trespassing in Congress, something that has always been a preserve of the left. Of course, this time, it had a twist, because no Capitol police officer ever killed an unarmed leftist in cold blood. Sundance, at The Conservative Treehouse, spells out what this means: The purpose of this announcement should be crystal clear to everyone. We discussed and outlined the background previously. {Go Deep 1} and {Go Deep Two} In the background of these maneuvers Big Tech and Corporate Media have been instructed to push the "domestic extremist" narrative; and any truth-tellers are considered subversive, ie. against the interests of the U.S. government. The January 6th DC protest is being used as evidence for that narrative. Deplatforming, censorship and ultimately control of voices who would warn of the larger issues continues daily. Let me be very clear stop and hear the drums Something is about to happen. Approximately 100 million American voters are considered dissidents now. Also on Tuesday, The Revolver published the results of its review of the charging documents the FBI wrote to justify the hundreds of arrests it carried out following January 6. As you think about these charges, keep in mind, again, that the only serious physical injury occurred when a Capitol police officer shot Ashli Babbitt in cold blood, that we know that the police invited people into the Capitol, and that the Biden administration has refused to prosecute Antifa and BLM activists who grievously destroyed federal property and waged violent war against federal law enforcement: In the year leading up to 1/6 and during 1/6 itself, to what extent were the three primary militia groups (the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, and the Three Percenters) that the FBI, DOJ, Pentagon and network news have labeled most responsible for planning and executing a Capitol attack on 1/6 infiltrated by agencies of the federal government, or informants of said agencies? Exactly how many federal undercover agents or confidential informants were present at the Capitol or in the Capitol during the infamous "siege" and what roles did they play (merely passive informants or active instigators)? Finally, of all of the unindicted co-conspirators referenced in the charging documents of those indicted for crimes on 1/6, how many worked as a confidential informant or as an undercover operative for the federal government (FBI, Army Counterintelligence, etc.)? From now on, all discussion of 1/6 must give way to a laser-like focus on the questions above, with an unwavering persistence at obtaining the answers. If the narrative about 1/6 does not conform to the questions above, the American people will never learn the most important truth about what 1/6 is, and what kind of country they're really living in. If it turns out the federal government did in fact have undercover agents or confidential informants embedded within the so-called militia groups indicted for conspiring to obstruct the Senate certification on 1/6, the implications would be nothing short of seismic. Especially if such agents or informants enjoyed extremely senior-level positions within such groups. I had intended to write more about these two explosive stories but discovered that Tucker Carlson got there before me and did it better than I could have: Tucker: We are looking at growing authoritarianism | https://t.co/Vd22H3qZNZ Bookwormroom (@Bookwormroom) June 16, 2021 (You can also watch Tucker's video here.) I urge you to check out the links at The Conservative Treehouse, read the entire Revolver article, and watch Tucker's opening monologue. If you thought January 6 was America's Reichstag Fire which was exploited by the Nazis as an excuse to destroy all opposition you may well have been correct. Image: Fox News screen grab. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. President Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder, while in office, said the United States is "a nation of cowards" when it comes to race relations. He went on to say that, although there have been improvements in race relations, our country is still socially segregated. It was kind of odd to hear that from our country's first black A.G., appointed by our first black president. After all, tens of millions of whites voted for Obama against his opponent, John McCain, a white guy. Therefore, if more than half the nation wanted to be represented by a black man, wouldn't that indicate that racial barriers had been taken down? Add to that the fact that Obama was re-elected over another white guy when he bested Mitt Romney in 2012. The irony of Holder's comments is that his boss became a racially divisive leader during his eight years in office. Moreover, five years after he left the White House, our country is dealing with black hatred toward whites on an unprecedented scale. Black Lives Matter, a group that openly hates whites, tells us we must not say "all lives matter" because that is racist language. In other words, the only lives that matter are black lives. Interestingly, that roguish gang of extortionists never comments on or actively works to deter the massive number of black lives lost, at the violent hands of other blacks, each year in major cities across the country. Yet if a black thug is killed during an encounter with a white police officer, most often when resisting arrest, it's immediately leapt upon as a propaganda tool to bash all of white society. If BLM were really concerned about black lives, they'd be using some of their ill-gotten cash to pay for ads that tell people to make their complaints at the police station or the courtroom, rather than in violent clashes on the street. I learned a lot of things during my twenty years as a cop in NYC. Among them was that people who resist arrest are almost always doing so because they have a "yellow sheet," as we used to refer to lengthy arrest records; hence, they fear the longer sentences handed out to recidivists. Another lesson I learned is that everyone I arrested was "innocent." When whites decry the overtly abusive comments about their skin color, their protestations are referred to as "white fragility," AKA racism. Whites who are perceived to have more of anything than blacks are called "privileged" i.e., racists. One wonders how much privilege whites receive from such targeted programs as affirmative action. Undoubtedly, some readers of this column will call me a racist, since they don't have an intellectual argument to refute the contents. It's all part of the left-wing hustle, which seeks to control the conversation by muzzling opposition. A couple of years ago, a black University of Georgia teacher's assistant grabbed headlines when he said, "Some white people may have to die for black communities to be made whole." When questioned about his outrageous racism, Irami Osei-Frimpong, said he didn't see why people got upset. Well, I think most rational people would say his vision is seriously impaired if he can't "see" how despicable a human being he is. More recently, during a lecture at Yale University, psychiatrist Aruna Khilanani said she has fantasies about shooting white people. "I had fantasies of unloading a revolver into the head of any white person that got in my way, burying their body and wiping my bloody hands as I walked away relatively guiltless with a bounce in my step, like I did the world a f------ favor," she said. Again, irony suggests that this deranged shrink seek help from a psychiatrist. Then we come to Critical Race Theory, a radical-left philosophy that found its way into many public schools. CRT teaches kids to hate their country and to judge their classmates based on their skin color. Furthermore, it tells black children they are permanently oppressed because of their skin pigment. In addition, there's the hackneyed canard emphasizing that whites are the reason for the misery of blacks. Thankfully, parents of all races are becoming aware of such extremist agendas and are fighting back. I could go on and on with similar threats against whites, and they are numerous, but suffice to say that whites have been taking a lot of abuse. We haven't reached the point in which whites begin making similar vicious comments against blacks. Nevertheless, we keep hearing that blacks are oppressed. One can only imagine the backlash if a white professor said she fantasized about shooting blacks. Fortunately, the overwhelming number of whites and blacks are not falling for the Machiavellian tactics of hate-filled nihilists. To quote Maya Angelou, "Hate has caused many problems for the world, but it has not solved one yet." Image: Andy Witchger via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The night before last, Tucker Carlson was talking with a man from Buckhead, the expensive north side of Atlanta. They discussed the alarming increase in crime, random shootings, beatings, and violence in that neighborhood. I listened carefully and didn't hear Tucker, or his guest, mention the suspects' race. They also discussed the fear that Buckhead's hamstrung police carry with them, that they'll be blamed if something happens (i.e., if the police shoot somebody). They talked about the mayor's instructions not to give chase. They showed a video of a drive-by shooting that happened in front of a couple of police cars, something that could not more brazenly thumb criminals' noses at the cops. The police didn't chase the shooters. Instead, they gave assistance to the victims, which, I guess, isn't a bad thing, despite doing nothing to deter crime. In 2021, simply because their race wasn't mentioned, the only thing we can conclude about these violent shooters, stabbers, and beaters is that they are all Black men. Tucker and his guest circled race like a hot potato. And they didn't outright mention that the victims of the shootings, stabbings, and beatings were White. That night, they couldn't bring themselves to state the whole truth. (In the same way, the local paper in Austin, Texas refused to state the race of two shooters there on Friday.) Last night, Tucker got more specific and far braver. He opened his show with a picture of Justin Tyran Roberts, a Black man who had randomly shot five men in Georgia and Alabama. He was targeting Whites, according to the detective on the case. "Basically, [Roberts] explained throughout his life, specifically White males had taken from him," so he wanted to get even. Roberts is mentally ill, but he reflects today's zeitgeist, which is an alarming trend to condone violence against Whites because of our skin color. This is something American Whites have done to themselves, by bending over backward, trying to keep the peace. By accepting the BLM, defund the police, and "pigs in a blanket" rhetoric without a murmur of objection. This is the monster leftist Whites created by giving voice to the 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory. What kind of disaster are leftists courting, when they demand collective guilt, obeisance, and mea culpas from Whites while glossing over violent actions by Blacks? It was instructive that, on Monday night, Sean Hannity's guest was an escapee from North Korea, who couldn't stay quiet she had to point out that the way we're acting and the things they taught her in her Ivy League college are the exact same type of things she was brought up with in her homeland and that she moved mountains to escape. Desensitizing is the first step. Progressives do it by teaching kids that being White is being the oppressor, which makes all the kids hate Whites. It also makes the White kids hate not only other Whites, but themselves. They will want redemption and can achieve this by turning against family, friends, Whiteness, and becoming hateful themselves. Empathy for anyone with pale skin will become an unpardonable wrong. No matter that some of us are born that way. Pale skin is evil, guilty, oppressive, racist skin. You hear it said again and again, from "psychologists," from city leaders and politicians, and from "teachers" and school administrators. According to the left, Whites are the colonizers, are the evil slave-owners, and the oppressors. No matter that there is still slavery in Africa and in the Middle East. That's just an inconvenient truth. No matter that over two million White boys and men joined the Union Army, fighting to free the Blacks in this country from ever being slaves ever again. No matter that the "melanin gifted" population among us have better and longer lives than their African counterparts, that they have the freedom to make of themselves that which they desire, and that "the man" doesn't keep them down nearly as well as they do themselves. No matter, for that matter, that America has had a Black president, twice, and Black politicians lead cities and towns all over the country. Despite all that, Whites Americans purportedly are "systemically" racist. It's baked in the cake, irrefutable, and the perfect excuse to commit violence against anyone who is White, simply because he is White. This type of thing has happened in a few places already, and the results aren't pretty at all. Listen to that pretty girl from North Korea when she speaks. If this trend is allowed to grow and ferment even more here, in America, the results will be more violence, more hate, and more division. Better watch your back, Whitey! Better speak up now, before it's too late. Toby Ranley is a pseudonym. Image: Fox News. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Donald Trump demonstrated his mastery of two vital political skills yesterday: strategy and showmanship. By accepting Texas governor Greg Abbott's invitation to visit the border with him, the day after Abbott announced that Texas would be building a border wall now that Biden has halted federal construction efforts, Trump has cornered Biden and his putative border czarina, V.P. Harris. Here is his announcement, distributed beyond the control of the legacy media and evading Twitter's ban on Trump by being tweeted out by Curtis Houck. It is worth reading in its entirety: #BREAKING: On June 30, former President Donald Trump is going to the U.S./Mexico border with Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) pic.twitter.com/Sh930O6OB4 Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 15, 2021 After laying out how Biden's reversals of Trump's successful policies wrecked things, Trump goes for the jugular: If this weren't bad enough, Biden and Harris won't even tour the scenes of the wreckage they created, or come down and visit with the Border Patrol and ICE heroes risking their lives to defend our Nation at a time when the White House is doing everything it can to make their job totally impossible[.]" Harris's failure to visit the border already has drawn detractors on the left, especially those who emoted so heavily over the plight of "kids in cages" under Trump and now see that the problem a genuine humanitarian crisis is far worse under Biden's regime. The heartbreaking spectacle of a five-year-old boy, abandoned by coyotes, bawling over his terror, is an enduring image that can't be whitewashed away by even our agitprop media. Absolutely heartbreaking! 5 year old crying, abandoned at TX border . Sniffys America in 19 seconds pic.twitter.com/vf9dbGohBC VeBee (@VeBo1991) June 2, 2021 So, here is the dilemma for Kamala. If she lets Trump get to the border before she does, he gets the photo ops and the statements, and she looks like Cruella DeVille, indifferent to the suffering of terrified little children and oblivious to the influx of hundreds of thousands of poor people, many carrying COVID. But if she hustles off to the border to beat him to the punch, she looks as though she is dancing to his tune, manipulated into doing what she refused to do before. That's a bad look that places him in charge. So Trump has strategized like a master and left his opponents with no choice that does not serve Trump's purposes. Now comes the showmanship. Never forget that Trump is the most successful producer of reality television in the history of the medium. He knows how to construct scenarios in which people react spontaneously to stimuli that he designed, and do so in ways that are compelling to an audience. Frankly, I don't have any such skills, so I can't predict what Trump will do at the border. But I bet that it will have some highly visual components, that it will generate emotional intensity, that there will be conflict, and that there will be moments of catharsis. Those are the elements that made his Apprentice shows into mega-hits, and he is going to use them again. The border is on almost everyone's mind now. The media will try to ignore him, but it will be very hard for social media to censor all mention of this looming dramatic incident. A master is at work, and it's good to see him back at it. Photo credit: Michael Vadon, CC BY-SA 4.0 license. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. In May, Gavin Newsom announced that the mask mandate in California would be lifted by June 15. But as that arbitrary date arrives guided by neither science nor reason it is little cause for celebration. June 15 isn't a celebratory occasion, but a solemn occasion. It doesn't mark an end to tyranny and oppression, but the beginning of a new era of discrimination. As of yesterday, many employers throughout California will require proof of vaccination to receive the government-given right to breathe in fresh air and oxygen. Those who have been vaccinated will be permitted to remove their worthless face diapers, while those who have not been vaccinated will be required to keep their face diapers and muzzles on their faces. I know this because I work at a winery in Napa Valley. I received an email that states, "It is looking near-certain that the new protocols will allow advantages to all vaccinated employees, and continue some restrictions for unvaccinated employees and guests, so please take advantage of the many opportunities to get your vaccination now. I encourage anyone already vaccinated to get a copy of their vaccine card to their managers to avoid any unvaccinated restrictions in our workplace." The vaccinated will be now allowed "advantages," while the un-vaccinated will face continued restrictions? What happened to equality? This has nothing to do with health and safety, and everything to do with government coercion. This new effort, coming after all the other mandates, is the final push to break those American citizens like me who continue to resist the un-American and totalitarian transformation of America. It's the final push to permanently reverse the constitutional roles of the government and "we the people" from free men to slaves, citizen as master to citizen as servant. The latest message confirms it our rights are no longer unalienable but come from Newsom and other government officials and mortals. We must do X to receive our rights. What's next? Mandating the purchase of electric vehicles to save the planet? If this is permitted discrimination based on one's vaccinated status America as we know it will cease to exist. The precedent will be set and the floodgates opened for unlimited coercion and requirements to receive our God-given rights. This discrimination must not be tolerated. It must be rejected and condemned. Common sense, reality, and science have all proven that masks were never effective instruments of protection against COVID-19. Florida proved this when Governor DeSantis lifted mask mandates and Florida saw its cases and deaths decline, while California kept them in place and saw its cases and deaths rise. Fauci, the leading champion of the anti-science campaign to keep mask mandates in place, admitted in a private email that masks were worthless. He even stated, "I do not recommend that you wear a mask." Masks were never about health and safety and always virtue-signaling symbols of oppression and subservience. This is the new Civil Rights Movement of our time. What we are experiencing is a rapid and near-immediate regression to a period of American history before the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, and sex. In rural India, police are requiring the un-vaccinated to wear signs with a skull and crossbones. In Nazi Germany, Jews were required to wear the Star of David. In California, un-vaccinated Americans will be required to wear masks. This is sick and depraved. Employers like my own, who seek to enforce this vile and un-American practice of discrimination, are as guilty and amoral as those who refused service to blacks prior to 1964. Those who enforced segregation did so because the practice was "lawful" and legal. This didn't make the practice noble or moral. Slavery was also once an accepted practice in America. Those who engaged in the practice were also guilty and immoral. Those businesses who engage in this new practice of discrimination are spitting on the graves of every American who has given his life to fulfill the American creed freedom and equality for all. Americans must stand strong against this. We must not bend the knee. We must reject this. It is our duty. America is at present as divided as we were during the Civil War. There are free states and slave states, Americans who embrace the Constitution, and Americans who reject the Constitution. I have warned about this dangerous moment since last November when I wrote my book Uncommon Sense. I have spoken about this ad nauseam on my new podcast, The Drew Allen Show. This is the fight of our lifetimes. I'm ready. As we confront this evil, tune in to my podcast and follow me on Twitter at @drewthomasallen for updates. We must band together, lest we wish to see this country fall into totalitarian darkness. Drew Allen is the host of the Drew Allen Show podcast. He is a Texas-bred, California-based Millennial author, columnist, and political analyst. His work can be read and seen and heard at drewthomasallen.com. Image: torstensimon via Pixabay, Pixabay License. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. If Donald Trump decides to run for president again in 2024, there is little doubt that the GOP nomination is his for the taking. His support among the party faithful is so overwhelming that it is impossible to see anyone else winning primaries or caucuses. So the question is whether or not he wants to run. Like all good showmen, Trump understands that suspense holds the public's attention, so don't look for him to clear things up for us by offering a definite yes or no anytime soon. He knows that if he were to announce he is not running, there would be far less attention paid to him, and that is not Trump's idea of a good thing. Yet if Trump has inwardly decided that he doesn't want to put himself and his family through the hell of a presidential campaign and a possible four more years in office, he needs to help his successor as the GOP nominee have the best possible chance of winning. If he has a strong preference for who the nominee ought to be and if he wants the role of kingmaker (is there any doubt that he would want such power if he declines to run?), he needs to let people know without being explicit about it. The worst possible outcome for Trump would be for him to express a preference and have that preferred candidate collapse and fail to get the nomination. He needs deniability, even as he signals donors quietly about where to send their money. That's my speculative perspective on what Donald Trump, Jr. just said. Tyler O'Neil of PJ Media: Donald Trump's heir apparent has named a political heir apparent for his father, if the former president doesn't run in 2024. Donald Trump Jr. did not say whether or not his father will launch another White House bid in three years, but he did name a Republican he would support if the 45th president doesn't run for re-election. When The Washington Examiner asked Trump Jr. if his father will run in 2024, he replied with a laugh, "You'll have to ask him." So the Examiner turned to the potential primary field without Donald Trump. "If I'm going to be totally objective about it, I think, you know, what [Governor] Ron DeSantis has done in Florida is outstanding," Trump Jr. said. "I mean, he didn't fall for the narrative. I think he's learned, perhaps through watching [Donald] Trump, you know, what the media will try to do to you if you do take those kinds of stances," Trump Jr. explained. "I think he's been proven, you know, virtually 100% correct on those things." The former president's son said that DeSantis has "certainly a very bright continuing future, whether that's with my father, whether that's if my father doesn't run on his own." "I think he's a case study right now," Trump Jr. said of the Florida governor. "We need more people willing to take that on like he has." I've independently come to the same conclusion. DeSantis has an incredible track record of being spot on, leading Florida with lots of courage, shrugging off the media pressures, staying true to conservative principles, and winning over voters. Unless he screws up, has a bad scandal, or unforeseen events push someone else to the fore, DeSantis is the obvious choice if Trump doesn't run. And my sense is that Trump is enjoying not having the hassles of the presidency all the time. I don't think Don Jr. would have said this without running it by Dad. So I think that Trump Sr. wanted this message, this signal, to get out. While some may disagree, I think that DeSantis would add to Trump's vote total with people who appreciate Trump's policy successes (a booming economy, stable prices, the Abraham Accords and Jerusalem embassy, the border wall and controlled border, and much more) but who accepted the media's caricatures of him and would not give him their votes. DeSantis is just as tough, but he comes across as not brash, not impulsive, and almost a bit dull. Measured strikes me as a good word to describe DeSantis's style. For now, at least, I hope Trump decides not to run and DeSantis heads the 2024 ticket. If Trump does run, I will support him 100% and hope cheating is kept within bounds so as to permit a legitimate victory. In that case, I hope DeSantis is his running mate. But the three years until the GOP Convention is an eternity in politics, so things could change. Photo credit: Gage Skidmore (cropped), CC BY-SA 2.0 license. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. (Image source from: twitter.com/AndhraPradeshCM) YS Jagan to operate from Vizag from July 23rd:- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy had plans to shift the capital of the state to Visakhapatnam but the plans got stalled after a series of cases are filed in the High Court. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, YS Jagan has not stalled his plans. Several leaders of YSRCP recently announced that the government will be shifted to Vizag very soon. Going with the recent developments, YS Jagan is keen to shift his Camp Office to Vizag and operate from July 23rd. The official residence and the Camp Office of YS Jagan are finalized recently and the necessary arrangements are being made. AP Minister Botsa Satyanarayana is personally overlooking the programs. YS Jagan is said to have informed about shifting the capital to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and AP Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan recently. Some of the cases about shifting the capital are pending in the High Court. As of now, YS Jagan alone will work from Vizag and the other departments related to the government will be shifted at a later date. Some of the offices will operate from Amaravati and some of them from Kurnool for now. For the officials to reach the official residence of YS Jagan in Vizag, special roads are laid from Vizag airport recently. Only YS Jagan and the officials will be allowed to travel through these special lanes. The opposition parties slammed the government of Andhra Pradesh for misusing the public funds in the name of shifting the capital when the people and the courts are against it. Venkatesh and Naga Chaitanya ready to test their luck?:- The second wave of coronavirus brought a long pause for the film shoots and the theatrical run of the films. The shoots are canceled and the theatres are shut since the mid of April. With the cases coming down, the film industry is slowly getting back to work. The shoots of several films featuring young actors resume recently and those that will feature stars will start from July. There are debates going on about the theatres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The permissions for the screening of films will be given in July with 50 percent occupancy. If the night curfews are lifted, several producers are in plans to release their films from the last week of July. Venkatesh's Naarappa will be the first film to release post-pandemic. The post-production work of the film is currently in the final stages and the work will be completed in a week announced the makers. Venkatesh recently gave his nod for the release and an official release date will be announced soon. As per the update, Naarappa is expected to release in the first week of August. Naga Chaitanya also completed the shoot of Love Story and the copy is ready for release. The makers are considering August 13th release for the movie. Sekhar Kammula is the director. Venkatesh and Naga Chaitanya are the first actors to take a risk and release their films after the second wave of coronavirus. Planning a trip to Hawaii Islands: How to Plan?:- Hawaii happens to be one of the most exotic locations and has several beaches around. All those who are vaccinated will be able to travel for a holiday to Hawaii without any testing and quarantine. The government of Hawaii issued several guidelines about the travel and the state will be reopened very soon with strict entry rules. The state will be open after Hawaii reaches 60 percent vaccination rate and the people can travel with the proof of vaccination. The quarantine and testing requirements for intercountry travel will come to an end by Tuesday. As of now, Hawaii reached 53 percent of the vaccination. As Hawaiis public health outcomes improve and our economic situation appears to be stabilising, I am ending several of the emergency provisions that have been in place for over a year, told Hawaii Gov. David Ige in a statement. There are several travellers who are eagerly waiting to plan their trips to the islands. The state has been demanding negative COVID test report within 72 hours of the travel if your are looking to travel to Hawaii. The tests ranges are between 200 USD and 300 US. Even the vaccinated travellers need to take up the tests and there are various concerns about this. Several travellers have been frustrated with these experiences. There are several debates going on across the social media circles after which the Hawaii is opening for public very soon. Andover, MA (01810) Today Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. Cooler. High around 65F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 56F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. 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* (ANSAmed) - ROME, JUN 16 - (by Patrizio Nissirio) (ANSAmed) - REVINE, JUNE 16 - The road is very bumpy but the two ex-military vehicles of Avventura Italiana's drivers proceed effortlessly across the forest of beech trees that cover the mountains of Altamarca trevigiana. The smell of the 'pojat', the cone of pressed earth inside which wood becomes coal, is in the air. Ottorino Soneghet, 82, the historic memory of the hard life of charcoal burners, talks to visitors about his hard childhood, when the 'cason', simple wooden huts, hosted large families working in charcoal production. This is the Parco dei Carbonai, one of five thematic-didactic sites that have joined forces in the area, together with their municipalities - Cordignano, Sarmede, Fregona, Revine Lago, Cappella Maggiore - to reach a wider public to promote their extraordinary nature, cultural heritage, wine and food. This area of the Veneto region still needs to be discovered by those coming from faraway places. The aim of the visit is not only to have fun: the area - which includes the Prosecco hills, a UNESCO world heritage site - is rich in tradition, history, arst and crafts. One of the attractions is the Parco della Fantasia in Sarmede, a town decorated with dozens of frescoes - half way between the Byzantine style and the school of Emanuele Luzzati - of Stepan Zavrel, the Czech painter, a giant of illustration, who lived here and "created a community around him - internationally renowned artists and intellectuals were regularly in his home", explained Uberto Di Remigio, president of the foundation named after the artist. The town hosts the splendid Museum dedicated to Zavrel, where the work of illustrators from around the world can be admired and where courses on illustration and theater set design are held. The community is inspired by art and fables: even the city hall is decorated with oneiric frescos. Visitors looking for nature can explore the Parco delle Grotte of Caglieron in Fregona, on the hillside of the plateau of Cansiglio, where the action of millions of years of natural forces joined hands with that of men who have been extracting here for a long time the 'dolza' stone used in construction. The area has water reservoirs, waterfalls, streams, impressive caves and geological formations - the past of this land can be explored simply by crossing a wooden bridge. And local delicacies include the sweet Torchiato wine, a specialty, and cheese seasoned in caves. The Parco archeologico-Didattico of Livelet, instead, allows visitors to step back in the past. Here, experimental archaeology has led to the reconstruction of three stilt houses to tell the story - especially to students - of the life of ancient Veneto populations from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, on the shores of the placid lakes of Revine, of glacial origin. The area is the destination of choice of cyclists, canoeists and trekkers and includes rushes and hidden bridges. Tourists looking for 'experiences', a growing trend over the past few years, can discover local food and wine. Between a Prosecco and other excellent wines, in Cappella Maggiore - which hosts the Parco dell'Olivo - it is possible to learn everything about olive oil, visiting for example the olive oil mill of the cooperative Reitia, which shows the production process and hosts tasting courses. The area, one of the most northern locations in Europe for oil production, is also home to experimental and didactic olive groves. With tourism and mobility on the rise again after the Covid-19 crisis, there is harsh competition among Italian and international locations. In this context, the five parks in the Treviso area are offering hospitality and originality. Venice is just a few dozen kilometers away, but Altamarca still needs to be entirely discovered. (ANSAmed) Tunisia: 'Bizerte in colors' - NGO repaints old port's homes To give back life to picturesque port area (ANSAmed) - TUNIS, JUNE 16 - Giving back life to the characteristic area of the old port of Bizerte in Tunisia, repainting with vivacious colors the homes overlooking the sea, is the inspiration of the project "Bizerte in colors" promoted by civil society organization C'est a Vous De Changer Bizerte. The project, which has been ongoing for a few months, provides for the restoration of the facades of the homes around the city's old port painted in pastel colors, similar to the original ones, based on studies conducted by the National heritage institute (Inp) with the supervision of several specialists. The idea comes from the colorful houses of Cape Town, in South Africa, and because the city is in the north of the African continent, it would represent some sort of symmetry, the founder of the NGO, Ahmed Hamdoun, told Tap news agency. About 70% of the project has been realized and it will be completed in two months. The couple of homes already restored and repainted have made a good impression on foreign and local tourists. The site has also been chosen for photo sessions and videoclips, stressed Hamdoun. The organization is conducting awareness campaigns, especially among the young, to promote the area as a characteristic place for local and foreign tourism. The NGO also participated together with other organizations of civil society and the local administration in cleaning the area around the old port and presented to the city council and to the appropriate ministries another program to connect the port to the sea through a second channel. This will contribute to reduce pollution in the port, which has for years received waste water and oil from ships, said the association. Bizerte is also known as the "African Venice" for the configuration of cannels connecting the lake to the sea and which cross the city to form a central island. Bizerte has always been a refugee for seafarers, civil and military fleets. It was taken by the Turks in 1574, becoming a corsair harbor. (ANSAmed) Gaza, Israeli strikes after fire balloons launched First raid since May 21 ceasefire (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, JUNE 16 - The Israeli air force carried out a series of raids in the Gaza Strip after incendiary balloons were launched from Palestinian territory into southern Israel, according to Palestinian security sources and witnesses. The reports have been confirmed by Israeli defence forces. The incidents were the first of relevance between Israel and Gaza since the May 21 ceasefire that ended 11 days of a war that killed 260 people from the Palestinian side and 13 in Israel. They were also the first since a new coalition government has gained power in Israel, ousting prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years in office. According to Palestinian sources, the Israeli air force targeted at least one site east of the city of Khan Younes, in southern Gaza. An AFP photojournalist in Khan Younes saw the explosions. The Israeli defense force said that in response to "incendiary balloons", its "fighter jets hit military complexes belonging to the terrorist organization of Hamas". The same source added that "structures and meeting sites for terrorist agents" were targeted in Khan Younes. The incendiary balloons, which according to local firefighters caused about 20 fires in southern Israel, were launched while an ultranationalist march was taking place yesterday in the Old City of Jerusalem. (ANSAmed) Greece: new strikes organized against labor bill Parliament is scheduled to approve reform today (ANSAmed) - ATHENS, JUNE 16 - A new wave of strikes were organized on Wednesday in Greece, for the second time in a week, to protest against a controversial labor reform that should be approved in the afternoon by Parliament. The 24-hour strikes concern ferry services connecting the country's touristic islands, the capital's urban transport and a number of other public services. The bill, among other things, provides for the flexibility of working hours, with a maximum of 10 hours of work per day, as well as stricter rules against strikes. (ANSAmed) Saudi Arabia:Amnesty condemns trial of executed young Shiite Al-Darwish guilty for joining a protest march when he was a teen (ANSAmed) - ROME, JUN 16 - A youth of the Shiite minority was executed on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia after a trial that was "deeply flawed", Amnesty International reports. The youth was convicted for taking part in an anti-government protest when he was a teen. Mustafa al-Darwish was executed in the eastern city of Dammam for launching an "armed revolt" against Saudi Arabia's ruler with the am of "destabilizing the security" of the Kingdom, according to the official Saudi news agency. Darwish was arrested in May 2015 over his alleged participation in protests during the Arab Spring uprising that were held between 2011 and 2012, when he was 17, according to several human rights groups including Amnesty International. "By carrying out this execution, the Saudi Arabian authorities have displayed a deplorable disregard for the right to life", Amnesty said in a statement. "He is the latest victim of Saudi Arabia's deeply flawed justice system which regularly sees people sentenced to death after grossly unfair trials based on confessions extracted through torture". The organization Reprieve noted that authorities did not inform Darwish's family of the execution. The family learned of his death by "reading news reports online". It also denounced that the youth was held in isolation and tortured. In April last year, the Saudi kingdom announced that it would end the death penalty for those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18. "Once again, Saudi authorities have demonstrated that their promises are void", said Ali al-Dubaisi, director of the European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR). (ANSAmed) Nature, culture, wine, food reign in Altamarca trevigiana Five thematic-didactic parks are full of surprises (ANSAmed) - ROME, JUN 16 - (by Patrizio Nissirio) (ANSAmed) - REVINE, JUNE 16 - The road is very bumpy but the two ex-military vehicles of Avventura Italiana's drivers proceed effortlessly across the forest of beech trees that cover the mountains of Altamarca trevigiana. The smell of the 'pojat', the cone of pressed earth inside which wood becomes coal, is in the air. Ottorino Soneghet, 82, the historic memory of the hard life of charcoal burners, talks to visitors about his hard childhood, when the 'cason', simple wooden huts, hosted large families working in charcoal production. This is the Parco dei Carbonai, one of five thematic-didactic sites that have joined forces in the area, together with their municipalities - Cordignano, Sarmede, Fregona, Revine Lago, Cappella Maggiore - to reach a wider public to promote their extraordinary nature, cultural heritage, wine and food. This area of the Veneto region still needs to be discovered by those coming from faraway places. The aim of the visit is not only to have fun: the area - which includes the Prosecco hills, a UNESCO world heritage site - is rich in tradition, history, arst and crafts. One of the attractions is the Parco della Fantasia in Sarmede, a town decorated with dozens of frescoes - half way between the Byzantine style and the school of Emanuele Luzzati - of Stepan Zavrel, the Czech painter, a giant of illustration, who lived here and "created a community around him - internationally renowned artists and intellectuals were regularly in his home", explained Uberto Di Remigio, president of the foundation named after the artist. The town hosts the splendid Museum dedicated to Zavrel, where the work of illustrators from around the world can be admired and where courses on illustration and theater set design are held. The community is inspired by art and fables: even the city hall is decorated with oneiric frescos. Visitors looking for nature can explore the Parco delle Grotte of Caglieron in Fregona, on the hillside of the plateau of Cansiglio, where the action of millions of years of natural forces joined hands with that of men who have been extracting here for a long time the 'dolza' stone used in construction. The area has water reservoirs, waterfalls, streams, impressive caves and geological formations - the past of this land can be explored simply by crossing a wooden bridge. And local delicacies include the sweet Torchiato wine, a specialty, and cheese seasoned in caves. The Parco archeologico-Didattico of Livelet, instead, allows visitors to step back in the past. Here, experimental archaeology has led to the reconstruction of three stilt houses to tell the story - especially to students - of the life of ancient Veneto populations from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, on the shores of the placid lakes of Revine, of glacial origin. The area is the destination of choice of cyclists, canoeists and trekkers and includes rushes and hidden bridges. Tourists looking for 'experiences', a growing trend over the past few years, can discover local food and wine. Between a Prosecco and other excellent wines, in Cappello Maggiore - which hosts the Parco dell'Olivo - it is possible to learn everything about olive oil, visiting for example the olive oil mill of the cooperative Reititia, which shows the production process and hosts tasting courses. The area, one of the most northern locations in Europe for oil production, is also home to experimental and didactic olive groves. With tourism and mobility on the rise again after the Covid-19 crisis, there is harsh competition between Italian and international locations. In this context, the five parks in the Treviso area are offering hospitality and originality. Venice is just a few dozen kilometers away, but Altamarca still needs to be entirely discovered. (ANSAmed) Government intervention over Stormonts stalled Irish language laws risks destabilising Northern Irelands finely balanced devolution settlement, a DUP minister has warned. Paul Frews comments came as Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis faced calls from Sinn Fein to end the impasse over the legislation by passing it through Westminster. Mr Lewis, who is flying to Belfast later on Wednesday for further talks with local politicians, has said he is exploring all options in his efforts to keep powersharing on track. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. Economy Minister Mr Frew said: We have devolution and the Secretary of State needs to be careful that he doesnt do anything that would undermine devolution at this time. Former DUP leader Arlene Fosters resignation as first minister on Monday set a seven-day clock running within which her successor, Lagan Valley MLA Paul Givan, must be appointed. The joint nature of the office Mrs Foster shared with Sinn Fein deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill meant Ms ONeill was automatically removed from the post on Monday and she must also be nominated to the role again within those seven days. However, Sinn Fein has made clear it will not renominate a move that would collapse the devolved Executive unless the DUP agrees to press ahead with legislating on the Irish language. If one of the parties fails to renominate before 1pm next Monday, a properly functioning Executive cannot be formed and the UK Government assumes a legal responsibility to call a snap Assembly election within a reasonable timeframe. Irish language laws are an unfulfilled commitment within the 2020 deal that restored powersharing at Stormont. Mary Lou McDonald will lead a Sinn Fein delegation at talks with Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis to discuss the latest crisis to hit the fragile five-party coalition (Niall Carson/PA) New DUP leader Edwin Poots, who replaced the ousted Mrs Foster, has vowed to implement all outstanding aspects of the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) deal, including Irish language legislation. However, he has declined to give Sinn Fein an assurance that he will move on the language laws in the current Assembly mandate, a key demand of the republican party, and has insisted there are other priorities the Executive should be focusing on, including the health service and economy. Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald will lead a party delegation into talks with Mr Lewis at Stormont on Wednesday evening to discuss the latest crisis to hit the fragile five-party coalition administration in Belfast. Attending a jobs announcement in Belfast on Wednesday, Mr Frew told Mr Lewis he must be very careful with Stormonts finely balanced devolution settlement. However, the newly-appointed minister would not be drawn on the DUPs likely response if Mr Lewis does intervene to pass Irish language legislation as a way to break the stand-off. We have a devolved Assembly, we have local politicians, we have all committed to implementing New Decade, New Approach, he said. I think we just have to get on with that. So we need a delivery plan, we need something that tells us the route to progress. And, once we get that, I think we can move forward all together and bring the stability that Northern Ireland needs. Mr Frew added: The Secretary of State has to be very careful that he doesnt undermine the devolution settlement. Its finely balanced with local politicians who are making tough decisions on behalf of people. That would not be helpful for the Secretary of State or anybody to step in on that space. We have a devolved Assembly, and thats where these decisions should be taken. The Irish language laws are part of a broader package of cultural legislation in the NDNA deal which includes similar protections for Ulster Scots/British tradition and the creation of an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression. River flood defences prevent losses of 568 million a year, showing the vital need to maintain them, a new report has found. The study for ABI and insurers Flood Re by flood risk specialists at JBA Risk Management looked at the benefits of flood protection upkeep over a 30-year period under different spending scenarios. It found that without flood defences in place along rivers, losses could total 956 million a year, which was reduced to 388 million with defences, showing they delivered a benefit of 568 million a year. Flooding affects about one in six properties in England and Wales (Jonathan Brady/PA) The report also found that increasing current maintenance spending by 50% could extend the lifespan of defences by an average of eight years and that every 1 spent on maintaining existing schemes can save up to 7 in spending on new defences. It highlighted that well-funded flood defences do not breach, but if maintenance spending is cut the lifespan of the defences will reduce and overall annual costs will rise. The joint review has been released ahead of the Governments comprehensive spending review later this year. Simon Waller, executive chair at JBA Risk Management, said: The effectiveness of flood defences plays a significant role in the resilience of our communities and will continue to do so, especially with research suggesting that flooding is likely to increase in frequency and severity. Workmen prepare flood defences near the River Ouse in York (Danny Lawson/PA) James Dalton, ABIs director of general insurance policy, said: At the upcoming comprehensive spending review, we urge the Government to ensure that adequate investment is allocated to flood defence maintenance projects as well as capital as part of the new funding cycle. The flood risk in the UK is only going to worsen as a result of climate change, so it is vital that investment in flood defences keeps pace. ABI and Flood Re say that flooding is the greatest natural disaster risk in the UK, suggesting an estimated one in six properties in England and Wales, one in 11 properties in Scotland and one in 34 properties in Northern Ireland are now at risk of flooding. Since 2015, the UK Government has been investing 2.6 billion towards flooding protection in flood and coastal defence schemes. In the 2020 Budget, it announced that it will double that amount to 5.2 billion over the next six years. Good river flood defences could save 568 million each year, the research found (Danny Lawson/PA) Our primary concern must be to protect communities and families from the impact of flooding. Todays report shows that it is also financially reckless to do otherwise, said Flood Re chief executive Andy Bord. The Government must embrace the opportunity to commit additional budget to maintain our flood defences. If maintained, flood defences provide long-term security for communities which may otherwise be devastated by flooding. Protecting against flood risk is also critical to ensuring the long-term availability of affordable home insurance for those living in flood-prone areas. Digby helped save the life of a suicidal woman on the M5. (Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service) A heroic dog who is trained to help fire crew suffering from trauma has been credited with saving the life of a suicidal woman. Australian labradoodle Digby is a "defusing" dog for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, meaning he helps crews during talking therapy sessions. He was brought along to an incident where a young woman was thinking of taking her life on a bridge over the M5 near Exeter. In a post that has been retweeted over 4,000 times, the service explained that despite negotiators being at the scene, the situation was becoming increasingly worrying. Twitter thread Twitter thread Once Digby arrived the woman immediately swung her head round to look, and smiled, before a conversation about the dogs role in the service started. Happily the woman came back over the railings when asked if she wanted to come and meet Digby, the service added. A service spokesperson told Devon Live that the woman was taken into the care of mental health professionals. As well as Digbys role in helping crews from the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, he has also been trained as a therapy dog that provides contact with vulnerable people in schools, hospices and hospitals for the charity Pets as Therapy (PAT). Australian labradoodle Digby is described as a 'defusing' dog. (Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service) His handler Matt Goodman has previously spoken of how popular Digby is with crews. He said: "The crews immediately responded to Digby when he arrived at the fire station which provided a positive focus both before and during the defusing session. Digby has also been trained as a therapy dog who provides contact with vulnerable people. (Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service) The value he added was tangible. "The use of Therapy Dogs has been scientifically proven to help people who have been exposed to traumatic situations or who are dealing with very challenging situations in their lives such as ill health or learning ability. For confidential emotional support, contact The Samaritans by emailing jo@samaritans.org or calling 116 123 at any time. Watch: Therapy pooches bring canine comfort online MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin batted away a question about his crackdown on political rivals on Wednesday by changing the subject to what he said was disorder in the United States around the storming of the U.S. Capitol and Black Lives Matter. Putin, speaking after a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, said he did not want to see riots in Russia or a movement akin to Black Lives Matter movement. America just recently had very severe events, well known events after the killing of an African American. An entire movement developed, known as Black Lives Matter, Putin told reporters. What we saw was disorder, disruption, violations of the law, etc. We feel sympathy for the United States of America, but we dont want that to happen on our territory and well do our utmost in order to not allow it to happen, he said. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Polina Ivanova; editing by Andrew Osborn) Author: Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. (E-mail: awanzamir@yahoo.com). The 47th G7 summit was held on 1113 June 2021 in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The participants included the leaders of the seven G7 member states as well as representatives of the European Union. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau represented Canada, France was represented by President Emmanuel Macron, Germany was represented by Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italy was represented by Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Japan was represented by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, United States of America was represented by President Joe Biden, and United Kingdom (Host) by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The U.K. has invited Australia, India, South Korea, and South Africa as guest countries to this year's G7. Although the announced agenda was Pandemic COVID-19 and climate change on the surface merely, President Joe Biden availing this oppo and launched a new type of hybrid war against China. After this meeting, he traveled to NATO Head Qaurters in Brussels, to gang up against China. His appointment is also scheduled to meet President Putin in Geneva on 16 June. He is all set to gang up against China. China hit back at the group of the World's Seven self-claimed wealthiest democracies a day after G7 leaders adopted a rival plan to oppose Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative by helping build infrastructure in poorer nations. China had pointedly cautioned Group of Seven leaders that the days when "small" groups of countries decided the world's fate was long gone, hitting back at the world's wealthiest democracies that have sought a unified position over Beijing. "The days when a small group of countries dictated global decisions are long gone," a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London said. "We always believe that countries, big or small, strong or weak, poor or rich, are equals, and that world affairs should be handled through consultation by all countries." China believes in the U.N. charter and advocates for implementing the UN Charter in later and spirit. The Chinese embassy called on specific countries to abide by the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and uphold the central role of the U.N.There is only one system and one order in the world, and that is the international system with the U.N. as the core and the global order based on international law, not the so-called system and order advocated by a few countries, an embassy spokesperson said in response to reports that the U.S. wants to use the G7 summit as an opportunity to seek an alliance with other Western countries and maintain the "rules-based international system." There is only one set of rules, which is the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, not the so-called rules formulated by a few countries, said the spokesperson. There is only one kind of multilateralism based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, treating each other as equals, cooperating and winning together, not pseudo-multilateralism based on the interests of "small circles" and group politics, the spokesperson added. The embassy called on countries concerned to do something concrete to overcome the pandemic, address climate change and promote global economic recovery early. The re-emergence of China as a leading global power is considered to be one of the most significant geopolitical events of recent times, alongside the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union that ended the Cold War. The G7, whose leaders are meeting in southwestern England, has been searching for a coherent response to the growing assertiveness of President Xi Jinping after China's spectacular economic and military rise over the past 40 years. 'Outdated imperial mindset.' Leaders of the G-7 want to use their gathering in the English seaside resort of Carbis Bay to show the world that the wealthiest democracies can offer an alternative to China's growing clout. However, they do not have resources, nor will, even no capacity. In fact, they are trying to fool the world; they are not sincere. At the same time, China has the will, capacity, and resources. China is sincere and wanted to help the developing world. China has demonstrated the success of BRI and will keep on the win-win approach of shared destiny in the days to come. G-7 can not compete nor parallel to BRI. BRI is an innovative indigenous Chinese idea and can not be compared with the marshal Program or any other initiatives. G-7 is trying to copy China merely. G-7 leaders must understand the emerging geopolitics, realize the rise of China and the revival of Russia, and acknowledge China-Russia's potential in international affairs. They should educate themselves and re-assess the global politics from the perspective of China-Russia, before boosting high. (ASIA PACIFIC DAILY) 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 After our 2nd year of being in business, it did not take long to figure out that people absolutely love talking about health insurance! Kidding of course. However, for as much as people do not WANT to talk about it, the truth is that you MUST talk about it. Why? Read more Online Access for Print Subscribers. Do you have a print subscription with the Argus-Press? If yes, then click here to enjoy complimentary access to our Online Content! No, people are still catching the virus No, there are new variants and unvaccinated people I'm not sure We are getting close to normal Yes, all the restrictions are gone or coming off There never was a pandemic It's just the flu! Vote View Results Campbell Neurosciences Spin Off of Therapeutic Solutions Reports Synergistic Reduction of Schizophrenia in Animal Models using Low Dose Naltrexone and T Regulatory Cell Stimulation A new centre designed to supercharge the development of robotics technology is set to revolutionise the Army of the future, the British Army announces on its website. The Expeditionary Robotics Centre of Expertise (ERCoE) will bring together key defence robotics and autonomous systems projects under one focal point of knowledge and capability development, ensuring the Army and Defence can capitalise on the benefits that this disruptive technology could present. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link Some of the robotics technology and autonomous systems are already being trialled by the British Armys new Enhanced Light Force Battalion, 2 YORKS (Picture source: British Army) Some of the robotics technology and autonomous systems are already being trialled by the British Armys new Enhanced Light Force Battalion, 2 YORKS, formed as part of a 120 million three-year programme that is transforming how Future Soldiers in the infantry will operate and fight. Now the collaborative and agile-by-design approach of the ERCoE, will use innovative commercial models to see Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) working with experts from Defence, Government, academia and industry. It will allow open access to information, fresh ideas and specialist knowledge which will result in the rapid growth of expertise. Projects being investigated include Remote Platoon Vehicles, nano Uncrewed Air Systems, autonomous resupply of forward troops and how defence forms Human Machine Teams. Lt Col James Ashworth, Commanding Officer of 2 YORKS, said: 2 YORKS has just started their journey of trials and experimentation as the Armys Enhanced Light Force Battalion. This has initially seen work with the new A3 rifle, the ARILLS sight that combines both Image Intensifying and Thermal capabilities, and the Dismounted Situational Awareness technology that brings unrivalled connectivity between soldiers and their commanders. The next period of experimentation will include a fleet of six Robotic Platoon Vehicles (RPV) that have just arrived in Cyprus where 2 YORKS are based. Some of the robotics technology and autonomous systems are already being trialled by the British Armys new Enhanced Light Force Battalion, 2 YORKS (Picture source: British Army) The ERCoE comes under the stewardship of the Future Capability Group (FCG) at DE&S, the procurement arm of the Ministry of Defence, which has a direct line to market and can ensure ideas can be rapidly developed. Lt Col Iain Lamont, SO1 Robotics and Autonomous Systems at the British Army, said: The Armys Future Force Development team are delighted to be entering into a fast-paced and exciting new partnership with the ERCoE. Driven by the Armys Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Strategy, this new agile approach will enable the delivery of several exciting new developments and ensure game-changing technology enters into service as early as possible as we look to accelerate Army transformation. And James Gavin, Head of FCG, added: The CoE concept was borne out of the need and opportunity to bring together separate capability projects and people into single groupings to be more efficient and effective. Being more effective means a razor-sharp focus on exploitation and operational advantage as the goal. Co-teaming between the Army and DE&S will put the customer at the heart of what we do, exploring and delivering iteratively under an Agile by Default mindset. The group will work alongside industry experts at the Army BattleLab located at the Defence Innovation Centre in Dorset which will enable new ideas and concepts to be quickly developed and put into practice. The ERCoE has been jointly launched with Future Force Development in Army HQ and is aligned to their RAS Strategy. However, while the hub will initially focus on projects for the British Army, as the group expands and matures, it is expected to become a central hub of advice for expeditionary robotics across defence. Lt Col Ashworth added: Key to sustaining and fully exploiting this experimentation will be maintaining a connection to groups in the UK such as Tommyworks, Defence And Security Accelerator (DASA), Infantry Trials and Development Unit (ITDU) and the Expeditionary Robotics Centre of Expertise (ERCoE). Some of the robotics technology and autonomous systems are already being trialled by the British Armys new Enhanced Light Force Battalion, 2 YORKS (Picture source: British Army) Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Earlier this month, the government had given one last chance to Twitter to comply with the new IT rules New Delhi: Twitter has lost its 'safe harbour' protection in India over non-compliance with IT rules and failure to appoint key personnel mandated under the new guidelines, despite repeated reminders, and the platform will now be liable for action under the Indian Penal Code for third party unlawful content, sources said. Earlier this month, the government had given one last chance to Twitter to comply with the new IT rules, that came into effect on May 26, and had issued a stern warning that failure to adhere to the norms will lead to the platform losing exemption from liability under the IT Act. Sources in the government confirmed that Twitter has lost the safe harbour immunity, as it failed to comply with the IT rules, and appoint key executives under the new guidelines. While the resident grievance officer and the nodal contact person nominated by the company, is not an employee of Twitter Inc in India, the Ministry had also not received any concrete information on Chief Compliance Officer, the name, or details, sources said. Another source said that Twitter's intermediary status and the legal shield it had, ended automatically on May 26, given its non-compliance with new guidelines. Same is true for any other social media platform, which has not complied with the requirement under the IT rules. The government has confronted Twitter over multiple instances in the past months, including during the farmers' protest and later when it tagged political posts of several leaders of the ruling party BJP, as "manipulated media", triggering a sharp rebuke from the Centre. The last flashpoint was the delay in complying with the IT rules that mandate large digital platforms to undertake greater due diligence as well as appoint a grievance officer, a nodal officer and a chief compliance officer. These personnel have to be residents of India. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), on June 5, had said that Twitter's refusal to comply with the rules demonstrated the microblogging site's "lack of commitment and efforts towards providing a safe experience for the people of India on its platform". The IT Ministry had earlier questioned Twitter over not providing information about the Chief Compliance Officer as required under the Rules. Also, the resident grievance officer and the nodal contact person nominated by the company, is not an employee of Twitter Inc in India as prescribed in the rules, the ministry had flagged. When contacted, Twitter did not comment on queries related loss of the intermediary status. Twitter on Tuesday said it has appointed an interim Chief Compliance Officer and the details of the official will be shared directly with the IT Ministry soon. The US-based company had assured the Indian government last week that it is in advanced stages of finalising the appointment of chief compliance officer, and that it would submit additional details within a week. That deadline ended on Monday. A Twitter spokesperson on Tuesday said the company continues to make every effort to comply with the new guidelines, and is keeping the IT Ministry apprised of progress at every step of the process. Meanwhile, the government has contended that the office address in India mentioned by Twitter is that of a law firm, which is also not as per the rules. "Despite being operational in India for more than a decade, it is beyond belief that Twitter Inc has doggedly refused to create mechanism that will enable the people of India to resolve their issues on the platform in a timely and transparent manner and through fair processes, by India based, clearly identified resources," the IT ministry had said in its notice earlier this month. The ministry had on June 5, also said that though with effect from May 26, 2021, "consequences follow" given Twitter's non-compliance with rules "however, as a gesture of goodwill, Twitter Inc is hereby given one last notice to immediately comply with the rules, failing which the exemption from liability available... shall stand withdrawn and Twitter shall be liable for consequences as per the IT Act and other penal laws of India." The Ministry had warned Twitter that non-compliance will lead to "unintended consequences", including Twitter losing exemption from liability as intermediary under the IT Act. Twitter has an estimated 1.75 crore users in India, as per data cited by the government recently. The new IT rules mandate large digital platforms to undertake greater due diligence, and make them more accountable and responsible for the content that is hosted. Social media companies will also have to take down flagged content within 36 hours, and remove within 24 hours content that is flagged for issues such as nudity and pornography under the new rules. Those who had seen friends suffer from side-effects of vaccination are not willing to give up their productive days at work for vaccination It has been noted that those who were vaccinated and infected in the second wave have suffered from mild disease only. PTI Hyderabad: Vaccine hesitancy is as high as 74.53 per cent in India and it is the young from lower socio-economic class that are not willing to take the jab. Dr Randeep Guleria, director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, urged all doctors to counsel their patients to take vaccines. Fears of side-effects as also misinformation about vaccines have led to this hesitancy. Those who have seen their friends and family members suffer from the side-effects of fatigue and fever are not willing to give up their productive days at work for the vaccination. Experts say the vaccines are the only way forward to protect people from the severe disease. It has been noted that those who were vaccinated and infected in the second wave have suffered from mild disease only. This is the sign that the vaccines are working and these offer protection. The second wave is seeing a gradual decline across India and maximum people must opt for vaccination for protection, they say. As in the case of Spanish Flu, there could be a third and fourth wave but medical history has shown that these have not been very severe. Despite the emergence of new variants of the C-virus, experts state that vaccines will be tweaked according to the nature of the emerging variants. Dr Guleria said: "Coronavirus vaccines are expected to be a yearly phenomenon like the influenza vaccine. Studies are on to find out whether there can be a combined dose for both. Real-time data is showing efficacy and all must be encouraged to take the vaccine." The documented cases of Covid-19 in India are of 2.96 crore but there are undocumented cases ,which means there is a larger spread of the disease and development of antibodies. Comparing the first and second wave, experts say the caution must not be given up after the vaccination as masks are compulsory till herd immunity is achieved. For a population of 100crore, this will not be possible till December 2021 and there is the need to continue with the safety protocols. Court grants bail to three students from JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia Terming as somewhat vague the definition of a terrorist act under the stringent UAPA law and warning against its use in a cavalier manner, the high court set aside the trial court orders rejecting bail to JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita and Jamias Asif Iqbal Tanha, allowing their appeals and admitting them to regular bail. PTI New Delhi: In its anxiety to suppress dissent, the State has blurred the line between right to protest and terrorist activity and if such a mindset gains traction, it would be a "sad day for democracy", the Delhi high court observed on Tuesday while granting bail to three students from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia arrested over a year ago for the riots that followed protests against the controversial citizenship law. Terming as somewhat vague the definition of a terrorist act under the stringent UAPA law and warning against its use in a cavalier manner, the high court set aside the trial court orders rejecting bail to JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita and Jamias Asif Iqbal Tanha, allowing their appeals and admitting them to regular bail. We are of the view that the foundations of our nation stand on surer footing than to be likely to be shaken by a protest, however vicious, organised by a tribe of college students or other persons, operating as a coordination committee from the confines of a university situated in the heart of Delhi, a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup Jairam Bhambhani said. Based on the assessment of the facts, the bench said: In our opinion, the court must be careful in employing the definitional words and phrases in Section 15 in the absolute literal sense or use them lightly in a manner that would trivialise the extremely heinous offence of terrorist act, without understanding how terrorism is different even from conventional, heinous crime. The words terrorist act, including conspiracy and act preparatory to the commission of a terrorist act, were brought within the purview of UAPA by the amendment of 2004, on the heels of Parliament repealing POTA in 2004 and TADA having already been repealed in 1995, the court said. On the right to protest, the court said the government may prohibit public meetings, demonstrations or protests on streets or highways to avoid nuisance or disturbance of traffic, but it cannot close all streets or open areas for public meetings, thereby defeating the fundamental right that flows from Article 19(1)(a) 19 (1)(b) of the Constitution. Ms Narwal and Ms Kalita, both JNU Ph.D. scholars linked with womens rights group Pinjra Tod Collective, and Mr Tanha were arrested in May 2020. They were accused of being masterminds of the February 2020 violence in northeast Delhi and denied regular bail by the trial court. Ms Narwal, Ms Kalita and Mr Tanha are accused in four, three and two cases respectively relating to communal riots that broke out on February 24 last year and will now be released from jail as they have already got bail in other matters. Welcoming the high court order, student activists and bodies demanded that all political prisoners arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act should also be released. JNU Students Union president Aishe Ghosh said on Twitter: Delhi HC grants bail to Asif Iqbal Tanha, Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal in UAPA case. Release All Political Prisoners. The Left-affiliated All India Students Association (AISA) said: Delhi HC frees Asif, Devangana & Natasha! Using UAPA to silence pro-democracy student activists protesting against divisive #CAA_NRC_NPR law by Modi govt stands exposed. They also demanded the release of student activists Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others arrested under UAPA. Jamia scholar Safoora Zargar, who herself is a co-accused in the UAPA case, said it was one of the happiest days of her life. Bail to Devangana, Natasha & Asif in UAPA case. One of the happiest days of my life. Let more follow. Let justice prevail. Alhamdulillah, she tweeted. Ms Zargar was granted bail in the case in June last year. The Delhi police did not oppose the high courts decision on humanitarian grounds as she was pregnant at that time. Delhi University professor Apoorvanand, who was questioned by the police over the northeast Delhi riots in August last year, said the whole exercise was to shield the real perpetrators. He said: None of them should have been charged or arrested in the first place. All others must be freed. This whole exercise is a conspiracy to shield the real conspirators and perpetrators of the violence of Feb 2020 in Delhi. They are out and ruling us. Spreading hate, planning violence. In three separate judgments of 113, 83 and 72 pages, the high court said though the definition of terrorist act in UAPAs Section 15 is somewhat vague, it must partake the essential character of terrorism and the phrase terrorist act cannot be permitted to be applied in a cavalier manner to criminal acts that squarely fall under the IPC. We are constrained to express, that it seems, that in its anxiety to suppress dissent, in the mind of the State, the line between the constitutionally guaranteed right to protest and terrorist activity seems to be getting somewhat blurred. If this mindset gains traction, it would be a sad day for democracy, which would be in peril, the bench said, adding there was nothing to show the possible commission of a terrorist act. The high court directed Ms Narwal, Ms Kalita and Mr Tanha to surrender their passports and not to offer any inducement to prosecution witnesses or tamper with the evidence in the case. It also said the three accused shall not indulge in any unlawful activities and shall reside at the address as mentioned in records. The bench said there is absolutely nothing in the chargesheet, by way of any specific allegation, to show the possible commission of a terrorist act within Section 15 of UAPA, an act of raising funds to commit a terrorist act under Section 17 and an act of conspiracy to commit or an act preparatory to commit, a terrorist act within Section 18 UAPA. The court noted the chargesheet was filed on September 16, 2020 and there are 740 prosecution witnesses, but the trial is yet to commence, which is unlikely to begin soon in view of the truncated functioning of courts due to the prevailing second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Regarding Ms Narwal and Ms Kalita, the high court said given their educational background, profile and position in life, it sees no reason to suspect or apprehend that they are either a flight risk or that they will indulge in evidence tampering, or witness intimidation, or will otherwise impede the trial in any way. The court said no specific act is attributed to Ms Narwal, apart from the admitted fact that she engaged herself in organising anti-CAA and anti-NRC protests around the time when violence and rioting broke out in some parts of northeast Delhi. On Ms Kalita, the court said as a member of womens rights outfits and other groups, she did participate and help organise protests against the CAA and NRC in Delhi and said the right to protest, a fundamental right to assemble peaceably and without arms, is surely not outlawed and cannot be termed as a terrorist act within the meaning of UAPA, unless the ingredients of offences are clearly discernible from the allegations. It said that inflammatory speeches and organising chakka jams are not uncommon when there is widespread opposition to governmental or parliamentary actions. The bench said: Even if we assume... inflammatory speeches, chakka jams, instigation of women protesters and other actions, to which Kalita is alleged to have been party, crossed the line of peaceful protests permissible under our constitutional guarantee, that however would not amount to commission of a terrorist act or a conspiracy or an act preparatory to the commission of a terrorist act ... under UAPA. In an earlier ruling relating to Mr Tanha, the high court said the phrase terrorist act cant be permitted to be casually applied to criminal acts that fall squarely within the definition of conventional offences under the Indian Penal Code. The Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps also remembered the martyrs of Galwan on the first anniversary of the clash A statue of Col. Babu was unveiled Tuesday at Suryapet by Telangana minister K.T. Rama Rao. Col. Babu was from Suryapet, 140 km from Hyderabad. (DC) New Delhi: Army Chief Gen. M.M. Naravane on Tuesday paid homage to 20 Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives fighting Chinese PLA troops in the Galwan Valley last year while defending the nations territorial integrity and sovereignty. Gen. Naravane said their valour will be eternally etched in the nations memory. The Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps also remembered the martyrs of Galwan on the first anniversary of the clash. In a solemn ceremony, Maj. Gen. Akash Kaushik, chief of staff, Fire and Fury Corps, laid a wreath at the iconic Leh War Memorial on the occasion. The nation will remain eternally grateful to these gallant soldiers who fought in the most difficult high-altitude terrain and made the supreme sacrifice in service of the nation, the Army said. The Indian Army lost 20 soldiers, including Col. B. Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of 16 Bihar, during the clash on June 15 last year. A statue of Col. Babu was unveiled Tuesday at Suryapet by Telangana minister K.T. Rama Rao. Col. Babu was from Suryapet, 140 km from Hyderabad. During the clash, Indian observers counted over 60 Chinese casualties being picked up on stretchers and taken back. Only in February this year, China for the first time officially acknowledged four of its soldiers were killed and one officer seriously injured in the Galwan clash. He called for an open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific based upon respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of nations New Delhi: With China listening, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday called for freedom of navigation, overflights and unimpeded commerce in the South China Sea where the Chinese Navy is flexing its muscles. Mr Singh called for an open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific based upon respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of nations while addressing the eighth ASEAN defence ministers meeting Plus. The ADMM Plus is an annual meeting of the defence ministers of 10 ASEAN countries and eight dialogue partner countries -- Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States. Brunei is the ADDM Plus forums chair this year. Mr Singh also stressed on peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue. India calls for a free, open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific, based upon respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and adherence to international rules and laws, said Mr Singh in a video conference. He said maritime security challenges are an area of concern for India, adding that sea lanes of communication are critical for peace, stability, prosperity and development of the Indo-Pacific region. In this regard, developments in the South China Sea have attracted attention in the region and beyond. India supports the freedom of navigation, overflights and unimpeded commerce in these international waterways, said the defence minister. He said that India hopes that the code of conduct negotiations will lead to outcomes that are in keeping with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and do not prejudice the legitimate rights and interests of nations that are not party to these discussions. Mr Singh said India has strengthened its cooperative engagements in the Indo-Pacific based on converging visions and values for the promotion of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. Premised on the centrality of Asean, India supports the utilisation of Asean-led mechanisms as important platforms for implementation of our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific, said Mr Singh. He added that Indias engagement with the Southeast Asian region, of which ASEAN is a primary component, is based on its Act East Policy announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2014. Key elements of this policy are to promote economic cooperation, cultural ties and develop strategic relationships with countries in the Indo-Pacific region through continuous engagement at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels, he added. Paswan expelled his uncle, Paras, and four other MPs from the party, signalling that the battle for reins of the LJP is not over Both factions moved swiftly to take control of the party a day after Mr Paras, the youngest brother of Chirag Paswan's father and party founder Ram Vilas Paswan, was recognised by the Lok Sabha secretariat as the leader of the LJP in the Lower House on Monday evening. PTI New Delhi: In a free for all within the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Chirag Paswan was on Tuesday removed from the post of national president. This comes a day after five party MPs in the Lok Sabha rebelled against him in a coup led by his uncle and LJP leader, Pashupati Kumar Paras. Mr Paswan was removed after an emergency meeting of the LJP national working committee on Tuesday. On the other hand Mr Paswan expelled his uncle, Mr Paras, and four other MPs from the party, signalling that the battle for reins of the LJP is not over. The statement said, The national executive has unanimously decided to remove Pashupati Kumar Paras, Beena Devi, Mehboob Ali Kaiser, Chandan Singh and Prince Raj from the primary membership of the party with immediate effect. Chirag Paswan is authorised to take all decisions for the upcoming Assembly elections. Mr Paswan posted an emotional tweet on Tuesday and shared a letter he had written to his uncle in March. "I tried very hard to keep the party formed by my father and my family united, but I failed. Party is like a mother and we must never betray our mother. People are above all else in a democracy. I thank those who had faith in the party," he wrote. According to the Paras group, Suraj Bhan will function as working president until a new president is elected and by the end of this week, Pashupati Kumar Paras' takeover of his brother's party will be complete. While the Chirag group maintains that it still has the reins and the hold of the party, Mr Paswan was ousted on the basis of the "One Man, One Post", said the rebel MP. Both factions moved swiftly to take control of the party a day after Mr Paras, the youngest brother of Chirag Paswan's father and party founder Ram Vilas Paswan, was recognised by the Lok Sabha secretariat as the leader of the LJP in the Lower House on Monday evening. While Chirag Paswan has been isolated in the parliamentary party as all other MPs have backed Mr Paras, insiders claim that he continues to draw support from other leaders in the organisation. The matter is now likely to reach the Election Commission as both factions have claimed to represent the party. Seeds of revolt were sown last year when Chirag Paswan decided to break away from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar's Assembly election and focus his energies on defeating ally Nitish Kumar. While the LJP won just one Assembly seat out of Bihar's 243, its main contribution was to reduce the tally of JD(U) by at least 32 seats. After the polls, the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar made it amply clear that he did not want Chirag to have anything to do with the NDA or the BJP. Dhankhar urged Mamata Banerjee in a letter to deliberate on the post-poll violence in her Cabinet and sought a discussion with her The 50 BJP MLAs on Monday pressed for the use of the anti-defection law on Krishnanagar North MLA Mukul Roy for his return to the TMC from their party last week and his calls to 10 others to follow him. DC Image Kolkata: As the BJP stares at the threat of large-scale defection by its MLAs to the ruling Trinamul Congress and continuous post-poll attacks on its cadres in West Bengal, Governor Jagdeep Dhan-khar flew to New Delhi on Tuesday evening on a three-day visit to look for a way out urgently. Mr Dhankhar, according to sources, is expected to meet Union home minister Amit Shah and then Prime Minister Narendra Modi apparently to discuss a strategy under the anti-defection law to stop the BJP MLAs switch and the post-poll violence in the state. The governor tweeted that he would return to Kolkata on June 18 in the late afternoon. Mr Dhankhars itinerary came a day after two dozen MLAs in the BJPs present tally of 74 were conspicuous by their absence in their partys delegation of legislators, headed by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who met him at the Raj Bhavan. The 50 BJP MLAs on Monday pressed for the use of the anti-defection law on Krishnanagar North MLA Mukul Roy for his return to the TMC from their party last week and his calls to 10 others to follow him. Their demand carried so much priority that it topped the agenda over the post-poll violence in their deputation to the governor, who then assured them of the anti-defection laws validity in the state. Before leaving Kolkata, Mr Dhankhar, however, urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a letter to deliberate on the post-poll violence in her Cabinet and sought to have a discussion with her. The West Bengal Governor wrote: With a heavy heart I am constrained to observe your continued silence and inaction over the post-poll retributive bloodshed, violation of human rights, outrageous assa-ult on the dignity of wo-men, wanton destruction of property, perpetuation of untold miseries on political opponents the worst since Independ-ence and it ill augurs for democracy. Newborn calf serum is used only for the preparation and growth of vero cells No calf serum is used in the formulation of the final vaccine, according to the statement. (Photo: PTI/File) New Delhi: Facts have been "twisted and misrepresented" in some social media posts which suggested that indigenously developed Covaxin contains newborn calf serum, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Newborn calf serum is used only for the preparation and growth of vero cells. Serum from bovine and other animal are standard enrichment ingredient used globally for vero cell growth, it said. Vero cells are used to establish cell lines which help in the production of vaccines. This technique has been used for decades in developing vaccines against polio, rabies, and influenza. After growth, the vero cells are washed in water and with chemicals, also technically known as buffer, multiple times to make them free from newborn calf serum. The vero cells are then infected with coronavirus for viral growth, the health ministry said. The vero cells are completely destroyed in the process of viral growth. Thereafter, the grown virus is also killed (inactivated) and purified, it said. The killed or inactivated virus is then used to make the final vaccine. No calf serum is used in the formulation of the final vaccine, according to the statement. "Hence, the final vaccine (Covaxin) does not contain newborn calf serum at all and the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product." The writer, a retired Army officer, is the author of Watershed 1967, based on a forgotten war between India and China, and a member of the guest faculty at New Yorks Columbia University. Galwan began a clamour for India to widen its sphere of rivalry with China and take advantage of the oceans PLA soldiers who died in Galwan clash were never recognised by China or given honour by their country, as the fallen Indian soldiers received. (CCTV/AFP) A year has passed since Colonel Santhosh Babu and his band of gallant men from 16 Bihar Regiment laid down their lives in the Galwan clash against the PLA, the Chinese army. The fateful night, a year ago, which claimed their lives will not go down in history as yet another night of betrayal by a bete noire whose characteristic reliance on deceit and denial is well known. Instead, on this occasion, Col Babus bravehearts decided to not let the enemys surprise moves stun them. They acted fearlessly and inflicted upon an armed enemy a number of casualties they had never expected. These brave soldiers set into motion the template of Indias actions to follow in Ladakh against an enemy that had broken a soldiers code of conduct. The Indian Army redoubled the aggression and vigil against China along the LAC. Through their brave actions, they exposed Chinese doublespeak about honour and patriotism. PLA soldiers who died in Galwan clash were never recognised by China or given honour by their country, as the fallen Indian soldiers received. Col. Babu, in his death, showed that a courageous leader on ground can expose the machinations of a powerful nation known for its doublespeak. The fateful incident was followed by action in August when the Indian Army outpaced the Chinese to dominate heights of Kailash ranges in eastern Ladakh and put China at a disadvantage. On a strategic level, two countries slid down a path farther away from normalcy. The PLA increased its presence along the LAC and reinforced a robust rear infrastructure to support the forward troops. India too ramped up troop deployment and infrastructure on high priority. Galwan began a clamour for India to widen its sphere of rivalry with China and take advantage of the oceans. It opened up Chinese insecurity about Indias advantage in the region, especially the Indian Ocean region. Thus, China rebooted its influence in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar. India finally shed its inhibitions about expressing closeness to the US and finally threw its lot with the QUAD club. American interests had traditionally aroused suspicion in India, but in 2020, China made sure it was a choice thrust upon India in the face of medieval hostilities and unconcealed belligerence. Indians are sometimes misled by history to often quote that this Indian Army is no longer the Army of 1962. Such an analogy is misplaced and ludicrous. History has had two battles and standoffs between India and China since 1962. Those were in 1967 and 1987: India triumphed over China both times, once by inflicting casualties and on another occasion without firing a single bullet. Therefore, when the Indian Army took the Kailash heights in August last year and turned the tables on China, it was a reminder of 1987 instead, when the PLA was pushed back without fighting a battle. Over four decades had passed without a single bullet being fired by the two countries at each other. And then, China disrupted history. It all started with that fateful night, when Col. Babu and his band of gallants walked up to the Chinese to ask them to leave. Shaffer, racked with controversy, announces she is stepping down from OU finance role 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. Athens, TX (75751) Today Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. High 86F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Variable clouds with showers at times, and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder, especially early. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. VTOL Theres no denying how technology influenced the automotive industry over time. Were now looking at zero-emissions four-wheelers, state-of-the-art vehicles with autonomous capabilities,(vertical take-off and landing) flying cars, and so on. If you can imagine it, theyre probably working on it already.Maybe its just the nostalgia of simpler times, but theres just something about the classics that makes people go nuts and pay tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a vintage automobile. And the 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster is definitely a collectors item.This was a limited-edition model with only 2,000 or so units being built, and it absolutely killed in the late 80s.Now the talented Vietnamese carpenter behind the Woodworking Art YouTube channel brought his own homage to the iconic car and made a wooden replica of the 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster, at the request of a friend.Just like with all its projects , the artist used the famous Fujian cypress wood as a material, giving it a glossy finish. This type of wood is highly valued in Vietnam and China, thanks to its rich density, distinct aroma, and the fact that it is resilient against termites. It is an evergreen coniferous tree and it is often used for furniture and artworks.But enough rambling about timber, as the best thing to do is let you enjoy the making of the Porsche 911 Speedster. And, if youre into these kinds of collectibles, Woodworking Art has an Etsy channel where you can order such items. Most of them have a price range of $500 to $800, depending on the car. kW According to the company, anyone looking for a more subdued 911 GT3 that still retains every ounce of the excitement, the feel and the performance you expect cant go wrong with the Touring Package, especially as it comes as a no-cost equipment package.Interestingly, for the first time, the 911 GT3 Touring will arrive at U.S. dealerships (starting early 2022) with a standard seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) transmission. Meanwhile, the six-speed GT Sport manual transmission is also a free-of-charge alternative, save for California where it was deemed unavailable until further notice.As far as the rest of the credentials are concerned, the engine, transmission, suspension, wheels, and tires of the 911 GT3 Touring Package are the same as on the standard 911 GT3. This means were still dealing with the mighty 375(510 ps / 503 hp) car, but with a few omissions and changes. The most glaring detail is the missing fixed rear wing , which has been dumped in favor of an automatic rear spoiler.Theres also a unique grille, high gloss anodized aluminum silver trim strips on the side windows, a complete color-matching front fascia, as well as a bespoke GT3 with Touring Package interior. And while its certainly not cheap, at least the Touring Package doesnt incur additional charges. As such, the new version is offered at an MSRP of $161,100 (plus $1,350 for delivery, processing, and handling) on the U.S. market. Meanwhile, at home in Germany, the GT3 Touring goes for no less than 170,969 euros ($207,233)! Adaptive Cruise Control The latest and the greatest Civic yet has just arrived at dealers throughout the United States, and the most affordable specification carries a $21,700 sticker price. LX is how the base trim level is called, and you can expect up to 35 miles to the gallon (6.7 liters per 100 kilometers) combined from a 2.0-liter engine coupled to a boresome continuously variable transmission.Level up to the Sport, and youll see the EPA estimate drop to 33 miles per gallon (7.1 liters per 100 kilometers) from the same combo. The EX offers the best gas mileage and a bucketload of standard features for $24,700 excluding the $995 destination charge. Just like the EX, the fully-loaded Touring boasts a 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder engine known for oil dilution issues.The best-selling compact passenger car in the United States doesnt feature a manual transmission. Customers who really want a three-pedal setup will have to wait until the five-door hatchback rolls out later this month. As ever, the Civic Si and Civic Type R will continue to feature a six-speed manual.On that note, what do you exactly get for your money?The LX opens the list with an expanded suite of driver-assistive and safety technologies that include Traffic Jam Assist,, Lane Keeping Assist, a rear-seat reminder, and a rear seatbelt reminder. A 7.0-inch touchscreen is featured, along with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, push-button start, partial digital instrumentation, and LED headlights.The Sport adds flair in the guise of 18-inch alloys with low-profile tires (hence the worse fuel economy), black exterior accents, a chrome finisher for the exhaust, eight-speaker audio, a leather-wrapped shift knob and steering wheel, sport pedals, and a pair of paddle shifters although a continuously variable transmission doesnt really need paddle shifters.Moving on to the 1.5-liter turbo EX, this configuration flaunts blind-spot information, a one-touch power moonroof, heated seats and mirrors, and dual-zone automatic climate control. Finally, the posh Touring adds leather seats, power front seats, SiriusXM radio, satellite-based navigation, a 9.0-inch touchscreen, wireless phone mirroring, wireless phone charging, Bose premium audio, a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, and LED fog lights. First and foremost, Google has officially introduced the new app categories that expand the Android Auto ecosystem with tools specifically aimed at EVs or supposed to make finding parking and charging stations easier. Furthermore, there are new navigation apps available on Android Auto , all thanks to Google unlocking the platform for third parties.Then, Google reminds the world it has improved the messaging experience, and this is indeed a feature that users are going to live. Available globally for everybody starting this week, the new messaging hub brings all apps that allow you to chat with others under the same roof, therefore letting you access them from the launcher screen.This new feature has previously been offered only to a handful of users, but Google says its availability has been expanded to all users worldwide.The Mountain View-based search giant has officially introduced tabs in media apps, something that has previously been spotted in YouTube Music but which is now making its way to the likes of Spotify as well. Tabs make it easier to navigate in a media app and find the content you want to play, and this obviously comes in handy because nobody wants to just browse menus after menus when sitting behind the wheel.Google has also introduced a new browsing system with an A to Z button in the scroll bar, which pretty much means that finding a specific song, for example, is much easier now because you can skip directly to the first letter in the name of the artist or the song.All in all, Android Auto is clearly getting more love from Google, and this is without a doubt good news. There are over 100 million cars out there running the app , according to Googles own statistics, so these updates are critical for a growing number of drivers. If you ask me, vintage BMW s are some of the sexiest motorcycles produced during the previous century. Their iconic powerplants and unmistakable design elements were all the rage a few decades ago, and that hasnt exactly changed very much to this day. As such, there are plenty of petrolheads who wouldnt hesitate to dig into their savings whenever a classic Beemer pops up in an online auction.The readers who identify themselves with this description will be stoked to learn that a mildly modified 1980 variant of Bavarias R65 lineup is heading to the auction block at no reserve. Should you be looking to place your bid on this thing, you ought to visit Bring A Trailer before Thursday afternoon (June 17), when the auctioning period will come to an end.At the time of this article, youd need just over four grand to top the current bid. The modifications come in the forms of an aftermarket front fairing, hard-sided panniers and a juicy color scheme to round it all out. Furthermore, the engine was honored with an electronic ignition setup, as well as a premium pair of Mikuni carburetors thatll help it breathe more freely.Otherwise, this bike is pretty much your factory-spec 80 MY R65. It is put in motion thanks to an air-cooled 649cc boxer-twin mill that packs two valves per cylinder and a respectable compression ratio of 9.2:1. At around 7,250 spins per minute, the twin-cylinder powerplant will deliver a peak horsepower figure of 45 ponies to a five-speed gearbox, which feeds the oomph to a shaft final drive.When the tachometer hits 5,500 rpm, the Bavarian will churn out 36 pound-feet (50 Nm) of twist. Ultimately, this whole shebang allows the R65 to accelerate from zero to 62 mph (100 kph) in 5.9 seconds, while its top speed is rated at 108 mph (175 kph). Last but not least, the machine s odometer tells us that its been ridden for a little over 17k miles (27,000 km). Just in: Cameron County District Attorney notifies #SpaceX Boca Chica that unauthorized road closures and enforcement by contracted security officers may be in violation of state laws including felonious impersonation of a public servant. #RGV @krgv pic.twitter.com/nhM8BQQYzR Rudy Mireles (@RudyMTweets) June 15, 2021 According to the letter, Saenz had already been warned that Tesla was closing and denying access to Remedios Avenue and Joanna Street, which are public roads. He then sent his personnel on June 9 to verify the situation. Getting there, they were immediately approached, stopped, and detained by Oscar Lopez, one of the private security guards hired by Elon Musks company.Lopez told them he was a member of the SpaceX Security staff and that the members of Saenzs team could not enter. They would have to turn around and return to Highway 4. When they told him they were from the District Attorneys office, Lopez replied that they were the type that was going to make a big deal about things.What they actually did was to inform Lopez, his supervisor, and the head of SpaceX Security that the roads were public. They also warned about two possible crimes: obstructing a highway or other passageway (a Class B misdemeanor) and impersonating a public servant (a third-degree felony).Saenz then warns Patel that this conduct is unacceptable. He also states that the SpaceX senior director knew about that after being warned by Cameron County about that. The excuse the company gave at the time was that SpaceX had an overzealous security guard.SpaceX may find any other excuses in the future, but Saenz already said he would not accept them. If he discovers that the company is blocking any public roads again, any individual SpaceX employee/contractor/agent will be subject to arrest and prosecution. Even SpaceX can be criminally charged. Business Insider tried to hear from SpaceX. Much like Tesla , the company did not respond. You can see both the letter to the senior director of SpaceX and the tweet from Mireles below. If science is the new religion, then hydrogen fusion is like a sacred ceremony. Unlike any other project, the creation of a machine that can replicate the fusion power of the Sun, has brought together countries from the whole world, including the U.S., China, Japan, Korea, India, Russia, the UK, the European Union members and Switzerland. Together, they are funding and developing ITER Tokamak, the machine that will demonstrate that we can create hydroge n fusion in a controlled environment, which would profoundly change the worlds energetic future.This modern-age idol in the form of a machine needs a beating heart, so that it can come to life. Called the Central Solenoid, this heart is the largest of ITERs magnets, which is currently being build and will be comprised of a total of 6 modules. Then, it will be 59 feet (18 meters) tall and 14 feet (4.25 meters) wide. And it will weight no less than 1,000 tons.A powerful god-like machine needs a powerful heart. Its hard to imagine, but the Central Solenoid has such a powerful magnetic force that it can lift an aircraft carrier 6 feet (2 meters) into the air. Its magnetic field of 13 Tesla is about 280,000 times more powerful than the earths magnetic field. And the support structures that are being built for it have to withstand forces twice as strong as a rocke ts lift-off thrust.As part of the U.S.s contribution to ITER, the worlds most powerful magnet, the Central Solenoid, is being built by General Atomics. It took 10 years to get it from the initial design to the current development stage.The first module completed its final testing earlier this year and is now ready to be shipped to southern France, where ITER is being built.The second module will be shipped later this summer, with four more modules and a spare one also being at various stages of fabrication. Copyright 2020 by Mountain Times Publications. Digital or printed dissemination of this content without prior written consent is a violation of federal law and may be subject to legal action. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) has asked President Biden to nominate George Tsunis, a New York hotel executive and major Democratic donor, for an ambassadorship, people familiar with the matter tell Axios. Why it matters: As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez has the ability to slow-walk any ambassadorial nominee, giving the White House plenty of reasons to placate him on one specific candidate. Tsunis has a checkered political history, though. During his 2013 confirmation hearing to be ambassador to Norway, Tsunis acknowledged he had not visited the country and mistakenly referred to the countrys head of government as president, not prime minister. Tsuniss performance was lambasted by then-Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), lampooned in comedy sketches and ultimately languished in the Senate. Tsunis pulled himself out of contention in 2014. What they're saying: I have a longstanding policy on not commenting on anyone who may, or may not, become a nominee, Menendez told Axios. The White House also declined to comment. The intrigue: Tsunis is the founder and CEO of Chartwell Hotels. He has long been a Biden donor and even indicated hed support him in 2016, when the then-vice president ultimately decided not to run. During President Obama's 2012 reelection effort, Tsunis bundled $1.3 million for his campaign. Tsunis also has been a staunch supporter of Menendez and linked his interest in helping Sen. Cory Bookers (D-N.J.) 2020 presidential bid before Biden got in the race to Menendez. This is George helping Sen. Menendez help Cory Booker," Tsunis said on CNBC in March of 2019. Between the lines: Biden plans to draw mostly on political allies and former aides for his first slate of political ambassadors, and its unclear how many pure donors will make the initial cut. Even though he has had a list of potential ambassadors in hand since March, the president has delayed announcing his first political group and likely will do it later in June, after he returns from his first trip abroad. Some advisers had wanted Biden to name ambassadors for NATO and the European Union before meeting with leaders in the UK and then Brussels over the next week. Be smart: After his disastrous hearing, Tsunis made inroads with some senators, who appreciated his willingness to listen and learn. More than a quarter of the 100 U.S. hospitals with the highest revenue sued patients over unpaid medical bills between 2018 and mid-2020, according to new research by Johns Hopkins University provided exclusively to Axios. Why it matters: The report suggests that, rather than being an anomaly, patient lawsuits are relatively common across the country and among the largest providers. Most hospitals do not engage in this form of predatory billing. But for the ones that are, it threatens the great public trust in the medical profession, said Marty Makary, a lead researcher of the project. The big picture: As patients have become increasingly responsible for higher deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs, some hospitals have responded to unpaid bills by taking patients to court. Meanwhile, the cost of hospital care has continued to rise, and is often many times the rate Medicare pays for the same services. Hospitals continued these predatory billing practices even amid the pandemic last year, per the JHU researchers, although there were fewer court actions than in the previous two years. Its unclear how much of the decrease was because of the pandemic and how much was attributable to lasting changes in billing practices. Details: The study found that 26 of the hospitals filed nearly 39,000 court actions against patients. This is likely an undercount, as some court records were inaccessible. These court actions took the form of lawsuits, wage garnishments and personal property liens. Wage garnishments are court orders allowing hospitals to take part of a defendants paycheck, and a personal property lien is a legal claim that allows the holder to obtain access to an asset if a debt isnt paid. Even hospitals that didnt sue their patients often had charges that were several times the cost of care. Expand chart Data: JHU; Chart: Will Chase/Axios By the numbers: 16 hospitals provided complete data on the amount they sued patients for $71.8 million altogether. Three hospitals Westchester Medical Center, VCU Medical Center and Froedtert Hospital accounted for more than three-quarters of the total amount sought. Among hospitals for which the amounts sought were available, patients were sued for $1,842 on average. The number of court actions decreased over time, with hospitals filing nearly 21,000 in 2018, 16,510 in 2019 and only 1,661 in 2020, although the report only analyzed court records until the end of July. Between the lines: Nearly two-thirds of the hospitals that sued patients are nonprofits. Eight are government-owned, and only one is for-profit. Nonprofits also comprise around two-thirds of the top 100 hospitals, meaning they arent disproportionately likely to sue. But their nonprofit status makes them tax-exempt, in exchange for the provision of free or highly discounted care for patients who couldnt afford it. When nonprofits sue patients who can't afford to pay, if its not a violation of the letter of the...law, its certainly a violation of the spirit of it," Makary said. The other side: The American Hospital Association called collection actions a last resort." Our doors are always open, regardless of a patients ability to pay. In total, hospitals of all types have provided more than $702.51 billion in uncompensated care to patients since 2000 for which no payment was received for patients in need, said an AHA spokesperson in a statement. The reality, however, is that the health care system must be adequately financed to ensure that hospitals and health systems are able to stay open and be there for their communities in times of need. The bottom line: Even some of the hospitals with the highest revenues in the country will take patients to court over bills that are, on average, less than $2,000. Go deeper: Explore the full Axios-Johns Hopkins analysis Lordstown Motors is the quintessential business fiasco. Equal parts hubris, political pandering and regulatory failure. Why it matters: There's no indication that anyone will learn their lesson, except perhaps for some random retail investors who didn't diversify. Catch up: General Motors in early 2019 shut a manufacturing plant in Lordstown, Ohio, where around 4,500 workers had been making the Chevy Cruze. It soon sold the facility to an electric truck startup for around $16 million, with the newly named "Lordstown Motors" financing the purchase via a loan from GM. Then-Vice President Mike Pence visited Lordstown Motors, calling it "one more example of a president who is committed to making manufacturing great again." The company in 2020 went public via SPAC at a $1.6 billion valuation, despite having never made or sold one of its vehicles. Short-seller Hindenberg Research pounced in March, arguing the company had faked its pre-order information. Lordstown Motors said the accusations were false. Last week, Lordstown Motors said it doesn't have enough cash to begin production. Then, this week, it canned its CEO and CFO, after basically copping to what Hindenberg had claimed. Then it reversed course, claiming it does have enough money to begin production this year. Lordstown stock is down more than 66% from February. Axios' Joann Mueller reports: "Lordstown's chances of survival are slim, but President Rich Schmidt, a Toyota veteran who later worked for Tesla, knows that underdog feeling. His plan, outlined Tuesday: Pull out all the stops to launch production in September, then cross his fingers they can raise more capital before they're projected to go broke in May 2022." Hubris: Lordstown Motors took "fake it 'till you make it" to absurd extremes, behaving as if it had the same capital base as its much better-funded rivals. There was an air of pomposity to it, as if it were iniquitous to question those who had come to save America's Rust Belt. Special due diligence demerits for those who foisted Lordstown onto the public markets. That includes Goldman Sachs, which was exclusive financial adviser on the SPAC merger and placement agent on the PIPE. Political pandering: Lordstown is to Trump what Solyndra was to Obama. Sure, there are differences: Solyndra received tons of federal loan guarantees. It also had a commercialized product. But both got on-site VP visits by administrations eager to push an economic narrative, despite giant holes in the story. Regulatory oversight: Lordstown's public listing was enabled by a safe harbor rule that allows SPAC targets to make future projections that IPO issuers can't legally make. You can forgive the SEC for letting Lordstown through, as the SPAC boom was in its early innings, but not for its recent decision to keep that safe harbor open at least through the middle of next year. The bottom line: When a story seems too good to be true, it usually is. Marukian said the LHK could only join a government of national unity comprising all forces to be represented in Armenias next parliament. Our objective is to achieve a government of national unity, he told supporters at a campaign meeting in his hometown of Vanadzor. The balance of forces will depend on your voting, he said. No political force must get more than 20-25 percent of votes. In that case we would be able to proportionately form the government of national unity. We rule out [separately] joining any of those two forces, Marukian added, referring to Pashinians Civil Contract Party and an opposition bloc led by Kocharian. The LHK leader deplored bitter accusations and threats traded by Pashinian and Kocharian and another ex-president, Serzh Sarkisian, during the ongoing election campaign. He said both sides are ignoring grave security and economic challenges facing Armenia. For several days running, apart from speaking of violence, the incumbent prime minister has been campaigning with a hammer, complained Marukian. Serzh Sarkisian has said that he will bang a truncheon on the head of anyone attacking him with a hammer, while Robert Kocharian had said earlier that he is inviting [Pashinian] to a duel. Dear compatriots, you must evaluate the behavior of these people, said, adding that such rhetoric could lead to post-election violent clashes between supporters of the rival camps. Marukians LHK is one of the two opposition parties represented in the outgoing Armenian parliament. It garnered 6.4 percent of the vote in the last elections held in 2018. Some observers believe that the party will struggle to clear the 5 percent vote threshold for remaining represented in the National Assembly this time around. In the current parliamentary race Marukian and his associates are positioning themselves as a viable alternative to both the current government and the ex-presidents blocs. Narek Sarkisian fled Armenia shortly before his familys house in Yerevan was searched by the National Security Service (NSS) in July 2018. The NSS claimed that he asked one of his friends to hide his illegally owned guns, cocaine and other drugs in a safer place. Sarkisian reportedly produced a fake Guatemalan passport when Czech police detained him in Prague in December 2018. He was extradited to Armenia and immediately arrested there a year later. Sarkisian pleaded guilty to the accusations when he went on trial last month. He asked the presiding judge to conduct the trial under a so-called accelerated procedure that does not involve questioning of witnesses and examination of evidence presented by prosecutors. One of his lawyers, Artur Pirvazian, said they will appeal against the verdict because prosecutors altered the charges brought against his client after his extradition to Armenia. Pirvazian claimed that the prosecutors had no right to do that without Czech authorities permission. The lawyer also said that if the prison sentence is upheld by higher courts Sarkisian will remain in prison for only three and a half years because of having already been under arrest for a total of two years. Armenias Court of Appeals released Sarkisian from custody on bail last November. The higher Court of Cassation overturned that ruling and allowed investigators to send him back to jail in April. As well as rebuilding our armed forces we must also try to modernize the Russian military presence here, Kocharian, who now leads an opposition alliance running in Sundays parliamentary elections, said during a campaign trip to northwestern Shirak province bordering Turkey. This can and must be done especially considering ongoing developments in this region, he told supporters in the town of Artik. We can see Turkeys growing role, its very obvious. And its also obvious that the only country that can deter the Turkish expansion is Russia. For that reason, we need to start a very serious process with Russia to strengthen their military presence here, he said. The Russian military presence has already been expanded following last autumns Armenian-Azerbaijani war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia has specifically deployed soldiers and border guards in Armenias southeastern Syunik province to help the Armenian military defend the region against possible Azerbaijani attacks. Syunik borders Iran as well as districts southwest of Nagorno-Karabakh which were retaken by Azerbaijan during and after the six-week war stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire on November 10. Turkey provided crucial military and political support to Azerbaijan during the fighting. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlined the very close ties between the two states when he visited the Azerbaijani-controlled Karabakh town of Shushi (Shusha) on Tuesday. Erdogan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev signed there an agreement on mutual military assistance. Earlier this year, Kocharian described Turkey as the number one security threat to Armenia. He also made a case for his country deeper integration with Russia, saying that only Moscow can help Armenia rebuild its armed forces. Along with the Russian military base [in Armenia] we must also increase our weight and military might so that they reckon with us more, the 66-year-old ex-president, whose Hayastan bloc is one of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians main election challengers, said on Wednesday. We used to be a factor but have now become an appendage. We must do everything to again become a factor in the region, he said. Pashinian has also vowed to deepen Russian-Armenian ties. He stated in April that the Russian military presence is vital for Armenias national security and should become stronger soon. Cooperation with Pashinian is out of the question, a senior BHK representative, Iveta Tonoyan, told RFE/RLs Armenian Service during an election campaign rally held by the opposition party in Vanadzor. The party is not discussing the possibility of any other coalition because Prosperous Armenia is participating in the elections with a determination to win and nominate Gagik Tsarukians candidacy [for the post of prime minister,] she said. Pashinian and his Civil Contract party will have to look for coalition partners if they fail to win a majority of seats in Armenias next parliament. Tsarukian already stated late last month that he will not strike any power-sharing agreements with Pashinian as a result of the upcoming elections. He did not comment on the possibility of reaching a coalition agreement with other major opposition forces participating in the snap polls. The BHK came in a distant second in the last parliamentary elections held in December 2018, winning 8.3 percent of the vote. Tsarukian did not discuss internal political issues in his speech delivered at the Vanadzor rally. Instead he again focused on socioeconomic and national security issues. The tycoon renewed his calls for further deepening Armenias ties with Russia through a new bilateral military-political accord. Tsarukian demanded Pashinians resignation in June last year, accusing the Armenian prime minister of incompetence and misrule. Shortly afterwards he was controversially prosecuted on that he sees as politically motivated charges. He was arrested in September but freed on bail almost one month later. Like other opposition groups, the BHK has blamed Pashinian for Armenias defeat in the autumn war in Nagorno-Karabakh and demanded his resignation. It joined late last year a grouping of opposition parties that staged street protests in a bid topple the prime minister. Atlas Energy Intelligence Report on the North American Energy Service Company (ESCO) Market Indicates the Market Will Expand to $6.5 Billion by 2027 Bluefield, WV (24701) Today Showers in the morning, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. High 71F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Clear skies with a few passing clouds. Low 52F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. As work on Golden Pass LNG terminal in Sabine Pass progresses, the project is renewing its focus on local workforce development with a new interactive workforce guide. Framed in an interactive website that matches the interest of prospective workers with needed skills and even a timeline for demand on the project, setxworkforceguide.com is the joint ventures latest tool for trying to cultivate local talent. At Golden Pass, we dont just talk about our commitment to the community we have a group of people that work every day to make sure we are holding up to our commitments, said John Fraser, vice president of operations at Golden Pass. When ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum announced a final investment decision in spring 2019 to make a $10 billion investment and transition the import terminal into an export facility, it was already clear that the project would have some lofty workforce demands. According to its latest estimates, Golden Pass predicts it will have to hire for more than 200 new direct jobs at the facility after it is fully operational sometime in 2025. At least 7,000 construction positions will be created during peak construction. So far, its hired 62 direct employees and more than 560 construction employees are on site through its engineering, procurement and construction contractor, CCJV, partnership of Chiyoda Corp., McDermott International and Zachary Group. As the project gets closer to its second full year of construction and progresses into more technical work, it will need an even more diverse range of skills to get the job done. Weve made a lot of progress, but we have a lot of work left to do, so our workforce will significantly ramp up as we start to come out of the ground, erect steel, install pipe, vessels, equipment and electrical equipment, said Lisa Bliss, technical manager at Golden Pass LNG. Through initiatives of the workforce guide, the company is hoping to not only connect skilled workers looking for construction or operational jobs but also help attract new talent who might not have previously considered a career in liquid natural gas. The guide is also a complement to the partnerships the company has built with area schools since 2015, creating scholarship funds and mentorship programs for students who could be offered interviews with the company after following their training paths. A community-based approach does help ensure there are local candidates with the right kind of know-how when you need them, but it is also a natural response for a project that needs as much manpower as it can get. When the project first got the green light in 2019 from the primary backers, most of Southeast Texas, along with the rest of the nation, was experiencing record low unemployment levels. Other large industrial projects were already filling local RV parks and apartment complexes with construction workers. Golden Pass hosted informational meetings in Port Arthur to secure local vendors and contacts, even offering guidance for local entrepreneurs to create their own businesses in needed fields to meet some of its demands. More than two years later, the pandemic has created new challenges for industry and caused some companies to move back investment decisions, but Mary Ann Reid, a spokesperson with the company, said the project has adapted through adversity. Our commitment to working with our local businesses and communities has never stopped, Reid told the Enterprise. Our operations had to shift in order to maintain safety, but that meant we could keep going. jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/jd_journalism The 156th anniversary of Juneteenth is coming this Saturday, and Galveston and Houston have plenty of ways to celebrate. The anniversary commemorates the date on which slaves in Texas learned of their freedomJune 19, 1865more than two years after the Emancipation Declaration was signed. The news in Galveston resonated throughout the stateand countryas a landmark moment in the denouement of slavery in the United States. RIP: Remembering Big Mello 19 years after his death For those looking to celebrate the occasion and learn more about its history, the following events are taking place in Galveston and Houston on Saturday, June 19. Galveston Juneteenth Parade & Picnic (1 p.m.) The Juneteenth parade and picnic will begin at 26th and Ball and conclude at Wright Cuney Park. To view the parade map, click here. "Absolute Equality" mural dedication (11:30 a.m.) Senator John Cornyn and U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee will help dedicate this mural, which has been in the works for months. The art is located at 22nd & Strand. Houston Emancipation Park Juneteenth celebration (11 a.m.) Lucille's 1913 will provide 2,000 free barbecue meals to help celebrate the day at one of Houston's most historic parks. Hosted by the Emancipation Park Conservancy, the celebration will last all day. Harmonies of Liberty (3 p.m.) Hear The Voices of Houston choir group perform a spectacular free concert at Westminster UMC at 5801 San Felipe. Young, Proud, and Free (2 p.m.) Say Her Name Texas, Pride Houston, and Montrose Grace Place are hosting a makeover event for queer youth of color at Montrose Grace Place located at 2515 Waugh Dr. Juneteenth Celebration at Moonstruck Drive-In Cinema (7:30 p.m.) Starting with DJ Red's Chopped and Screwed Mixtape, this event will celebrate Black lives and feature the short film "Dortheas Blues" and the feature-length "Miss Juneteenth." Tickets are $30. Houston Children's Museum (starting at 10 a.m.) The museum will feature a family-friendly and educational Juneteenth celebration. It will include line dancing, spoken word poetry and other interactive activities. Gulf Coast Juneteenth featuring Bobby Rush (8:30 p.m.) Hear the voice of Bobby Rush and other at the annual blues and creole festival celebrating Juneteenth at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Entrance is free. Jubilee dinner (7 p.m.) Top Chef Dawn Burrell will host the celebration at the Bisong Art Gallery located at 1305 Sterrett St. Tickets are $250 per person, and tables are available for $1,200. Sugar Land Sugar Land 95 honored (11:30 a.m.) Emancipation came too late for these 95 Black men and women who were kept in slavery until their deaths. Their remains were discovered only in recent years in a mass grave. They will be honored during the celebration. Did we miss any? Let us know: jay.jordan@chron.com Beaumont police are investigating a fatal shooting reported early Wednesday morning. When they arrived in the 4400 block of Magnolia Street, they found 53-year-old Claude McField in the middle of the road with multiple gunshot wounds, according to a Beaumont Police Department Facebook post. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox Emergency medical services workers pronounced him dead on the scene. Police said a bystander gave them a description of the suspect, and officers are asking anyone with information to call 409-832-1234 or 409-833-3477. This report will be updated. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Members of the Ohio House expelled Rep. Larry Householder, the federally indicted Republican ex-speaker, Wednesday in a bipartisan vote that invoked their powers to remove a member for the first time in 150 years. The GOP-controlled House voted 75-21 to remove Householder, of Perry County, approving a resolution that stated he was not suited for office because of the indictment. The state Constitution allows expulsion for disorderly conduct without defining it. Defiant to the end, Householder reiterated his innocence in a House floor speech before the vote and predicted again he would be acquitted of accusations that he orchestrated a $60 million bribery scheme meant to approve legislation to prop up two nuclear power plants and then kill a ballot issue trying to overturn the law. I have not nor have I ever taken a bribe or solicited or been solicited for taking a bribe, Householder said. After the vote, Speaker Bob Cupp paused the House session briefly while Householder left without incident, trailed by reporters. Householder said he was returning to his southern Ohio farm Wednesday to help his wife plant tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce and sweet corn. Over the longer term, he intends to speak out against elected officials he believes unlike himself have in fact acted unconstitutionally. I can tell you this much, Householder told reporters. Fellow elected officials who didnt like public citizen Householder are really not going to like private citizen Householder. The full House took to a vote after Republican lawmakers forced the measure to the floor instead of waiting for the expulsion resolution to work through the committee process. Reps. Brian Stewart and Mark Fraizer, both Republicans representing districts that border Householders, encouraged their colleagues to do the right thing and remove Householder from his seat. If racketeering, bribery and money laundering do not constitute disorderly conduct, then frankly nothing ever could, Stewart said. Fraizer called the indictment a stain on the institution and said, "it is time for us to come together as one body. Among other Republicans voting to expel their GOP colleague were eight of the 13 remaining members Householder had recruited to help him win the speakership and Cupp. Cupp said the federal grand jury indictment was the deciding factor for him. It seems to me that clearly meets the definition in the Ohio Constitution of disorderly conduct, he said. Householder and four associates were arrested in July in an investigation connected to the nuclear bailout legislation, House Bill 6, which contained a $1 billion ratepayer-funded rescue that would have added a new fee to every electricity bill in the state and directed over $150 million a year through 2026 to the plants near Cleveland and Toledo. Householder faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Before the expulsion vote, GOP Rep. Bill Seitz of Cincinnati argued unsuccessfully that an unproven criminal indictment is not the action implied by disorderly conduct. The proper approach would be an impeachment trial or to wait for the criminal case's outcome, he said. What else are they going to bring in and say is disorderly conduct? Seitz said. State Rep. Emilia Sykes, the top House Democrat, who has been urging lawmakers to expel Householder for several months, said the disgraced lawmaker gave the chamber no choice but to act. Make no mistake, there is no joy in seeing a former Ohio speaker removed from office in disgrace, but this is our opportunity to stand against corruption and to turn a page on this dark chapter in Ohio history and begin to rebuild the Peoples trust in a government thats supposed to work for them, Sykes said in a statement. Justice, decency and common sense gave a standing ovation to todays vote to expel Mr. Householder from the Peoples House, Republican Attorney General Dave Yost tweeted shortly after the vote. A day before his colleagues voted him out, Householder appeared in front of a committee where he delivered hours-long testimony on why removing him from office would be the wrong thing to do. Just think of the precedent this will set: Allegations are enough to remove anyone from office, Householder testified Tuesday. Thats absurd. Two of Householder's co-defendants and an involved nonprofit have pleaded guilty in the case. FirstEnergy, the energy company at the heart of the latest scandal, has acknowledged in court filings making the bulk of the payments in the alleged bribery scheme. The last time the Ohio House expelled a sitting lawmaker was in 1857 when John P. Slough was removed for punching a fellow legislator. On Tuesday, Householder went on to compare the bipartisan efforts to remove him to the attempts by Congressman Adam Schiff and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to impeach former President Donald Trump earlier this year. This is clearly politically motivated and I think everyone in this room knows that, he said. In 2004, Householder left the House the first time due to term limits while he and several top advisers were under federal investigation for alleged money laundering and irregular campaign practices. The government later closed the case without filing charges. Householder ultimately returned to the chamber and, after a nasty battle, was again elected speaker in 2019. The man he beat for the job, former Republican Speaker Ryan Smith, had alleged Householder and his allies intimidated Smith's supporters during two speaker battles where Householder was either involved or running. On Wednesday, Smith tweeted simply, KARMA! ___ Farnoush Amiri is a corps members 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. GENEVA Geneva can breathe a sigh of relief after hosting a U.S.-Russia summit. President Joe Biden is aboard Air Force One and is on his way back to Washington after Wednesdays meeting at an 18th century lakeside villa. Russian President Vladimir Putin had already departed for Moscow aboard his plane by the time Air Force One took off. Both leaders flew out of Switzerland after holding solo news conferences after meeting for more than three hours. Security was tight and access extremely limited to areas around the summit site. ___ GENEVA -- President Joe Biden has expressed regret for some sharp words to a reporter who questioned him about the success of his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The initial exchange came at the press conference after Bidens meeting with Putin in Geneva on Wednesday. When a reporter asked Biden how he could consider the summit a success when Putin came out of it still denying responsibility for cyberattacks or other alleged wrongdoing, Biden shot back, If you cant understand that youre in the wrong business. But Biden came over to reporters at his next step shortly after that, before getting on Air Force One. Biden told the reporters he had been a wise guy in his answer, and expressed regret for having been short. Biden also spoke positively again about the summit and his meetings with allies on the weeklong trip, which was meant in part to show the U.S. engaging again after President Donald Trumps withdrawal from U.S. allies. I think we, the country, has put a different face on where weve been and where were going Biden told reporters before getting on Air Force One. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden says after his meeting with President Vladimir Putin that he is not going to walk away from the plight of two Americans detained in Russia. Speaking to reporters, Biden says he raised the imprisonment of Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed in his meeting with Putin. Speaking to reporters after the meeting in Geneva, Biden said: We discussed it. Im going to follow through with that discussion. Putin opened the door to possible discussions about a prisoner swap with the U.S. for the release of the Americans and said those conversations would continue. The U.S. did not immediately comment on Putins characterization of the discussion. ___ GENEVA -- Joe Biden says he and Vladimir Putin finished their presidential summit early thanks to having briskly worked through each mans full agenda for the talks. Biden told reporters after Wednesdays meeting in Geneva that the two men sat across the table at their meeting site talking through each issue in excruciating detail. At the end of that, we looked at each other like, Ok, what next? Biden said. We had covered so much." Administration officials had said they expected the session at a Geneva villa to run four to five hours. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to further discussions on keeping certain types of critical infrastructure off-limits to cyberattacks. Biden also said they will have additional talks on the pursuit of criminals carrying out ransomware attacks. Biden told reporters in Geneva that 16 types of critical infrastructure should be off limits to cyberattacks, period. He said that includes the energy and water sector. It comes after a ransomware attack in May on one of the largest pipeline operators in the U.S. forced the shutdown of fuel supplies to much of the East Coast for nearly a week. That attack is blamed on a Russian criminal gang. Russia has not cooperated with criminal investigations of ransomware and does not extradite suspects to the U.S. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden says he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed in detail the next steps our countries should take on arms control measures to reduce the risk of war. At a news conference, Biden said this means that diplomats and military experts from both countries will meet for what he called a strategic stability dialogue to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures. He did not say when the talks would begin. The idea is to work out a way to set the stage for negotiations on an arms control deal to succeed the New START treaty that is set to expire in 2026. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden says he stressed human rights issues in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That includes the cases of two Americans who Biden says are wrongfully imprisoned in Russia. Biden also says hell continue to raise concerns about cases like Alexei Navalny, the jailed leader of the Russian opposition to Putin. Biden adds that hell keep on airing concerns about issues of fundamental human rights because thats what we are. Biden commented after a nearly four-hour meeting with Putin in Geneva on Wednesday. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed U.S. President Joe Biden as a constructive and highly experienced leader after their summit in Geneva. Speaking at a news conference after Wednesdays talks, Putin said he believes that he and Biden were speaking the same language despite sharp disagreements on a variety of issues. He said that Biden is a very constructive, balanced ... and extremely experienced. The Russian leader noted that he appreciated Biden making some recollections about his family, about what his mon was telling him. These are important things even though they arent directly linked to the business, they show the level, the quality of his moral values, he said of the U.S. president. Its all very attractive. Asked about Bidens description of him as a killer in an interview earlier this year, Putin responded that the U.S. president explained himself in a phone call. He argued that we dont have to look each other in the eye and soul and make pledges of eternal love and friendship, adding that we defend the interests of our countries and peoples and our relations always have primarily pragmatic character. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden gave Vladimir Putin something close to both mens style to mark their first presidential summit together a pair of custom aviator sunglasses. Biden in particular is known for wearing aviator shades, and is sometimes parodied for them. The White House announced the gifts at the close of the two mens summit in Geneva on Wednesday. The custom aviators given the Russian president were a brand manufactured in Massachusetts and designed for fighter pilots. The U.S. leader also gave Putin a crystal sculpture of an American bison made by a New York-based glass company. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed that their two nations will start consultations on cybersecurity. After a meeting with Biden in Geneva, Putin said: We believe that cybersecurity is important for the world in general, for the U.S. in particular, and for Russia as well. The Russian president said that the two countries just need to abandon various insinuations, sit down at the expert level and start working in the interests of the U.S. and Russia. Putin charged that most of the cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the cyber realm of the United States, with Canada, two Latin American countries he didnt name and Britain next on the list. However, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have been attributed by the United States and the European Union to Russias GRU military intelligence agency, including the NotPetya virus that did more than $10 billion in economic damage in 2017, hitting companies including shipping giant Maersk, the pharmaceutical company Merck and food company Mondolez. While the U.S., Canada and Britain all engage in cyberespionage, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have come either from state-backed Russian hackers or Russian-speaking ransomware criminals who operate with impunity in Russia and allied nations. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says opposition leader Alexei Navalny got what he deserved when he was handed a prison sentence. Navalny, Putins most ardent political foe, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin an accusation that Russian officials reject. In February, Navalny was given a 2 1/2-year prison term for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated. Speaking Wednesday after a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Putin said Navalny received his due punishment for violating the terms of his probation, adding that he was aware that he was facing a prison sentence when he returned to Russia. He deliberately moved to be arrested, Putin said, sticking to his habit of not mentioning Navalny by name. Last week, a Moscow court outlawed the organizations founded by Navalny by labeling them extremist, the latest move in a campaign to silence dissent and bar Kremlin critics from running for parliament in September. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says an agreement has been reached to conduct U.S.-Russian negotiations on limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Speaking after a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Putin said they agreed that the U.S. State Department and the Russian Foreign Ministry would work out details for the talks. Russia has long called for the start of strategic stability talks to potentially replace the New START treaty limiting nuclear weapons after it expires in 2026. Washington broke off talks with Moscow in 2014 in response to Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea and its military intervention in support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. Talks resumed in 2017 but gained little traction and failed to produce an agreement on extending the New START treaty during the Trump administration. Shortly after Biden took office in January, the two sides agreed to a five-year extension of the pact just days before it was due to expire. Moscow has said its ready to include its prospective doomsday weapons such as the Poseidon atomic-powered, nuclear-armed underwater drone and the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile in the talks on condition the U.S. brings its missile defense and possible space-based weapons into the equation. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the tone of the talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday as constructive and said there was no hostility during the talks. His remarks came at a news conference after he and Biden met in Geneva for a high-stakes summit amid tensions between the West and the Kremlin. Our assessment of many issues differ, but in my view both sides demonstrated the desire to understand each other and looks for ways to get our positions closer, Putin said. The conversation was rather constructive, he added. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says he and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed to return their ambassadors to their posts in a bid to lower tensions. Putin made the announcement at a news conference following a summit on Wednesday with Biden in Geneva. The return of ambassadors follows a diplomatic tug-of-war that saw deep cuts in diplomatic personnel. Russias ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, was recalled from Washington about three months ago after Biden described Putin as a killer. U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan left Moscow almost two months ago after Russia suggested he return to Washington for consultations. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have concluded their meetings in Geneva, the White House said. The pair met for nearly four hours on Wednesday, first in a smaller session and later in a larger meeting that was expanded to include more officials from both sides and which lasted about 65 minutes. Putin and then Biden are scheduled to hold press conferences before departing the summit site. ___ GENEVA -- Several posters dedicated to the imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appeared in Geneva on Wednesday, the day of the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden. Navalny, Putins most vocal critic, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin an accusation that Russian officials reject. Biden has condemned Navalnys poisoning and subsequent arrest, and was expected to raise the issue on Wednesday. The posters, which were written in both English and French and were taken down on Wednesday evening, read: Navalny poisoned with Novichok. And still no investigation? How come, President Putin? On Tuesday, a few dozen supporters of Navalny protested in Geneva, hoping to send a message to Putin. ___ HELSINKI NATO member Estonia says two Russian fighter jets violated its airspace this week, in what it claimed was the fourth such incident this year. Two Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighters entered Estonias airspace in the vicinity of Hiiumaa, a Baltic Sea island belonging to Estonia, without permission and spent there less than one minute Tuesday morning, Estonias military said in a statement. It added that the transponders on the Russian planes werent switched on, they hadnt filed a flight plan and there was no two-way radio communication with the Estonian air traffic service. The Russian Embassy charge daffaires was summoned to the Estonian Foreign Ministry and handed over a note on the incident on Wednesday. ___ BRUSSELS The European Unions top diplomat is warning that the blocs testy relations with Russia will probably get worse and that EU member countries must not let Moscow divide them. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said ties with Russia are at the lowest level and the likelihood they will improve soon remains a distant prospect. His remarks came Wednesday as President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin were meeting in Geneva for a high-stakes summit amid tensions between the West and the Kremlin. Borrell's comments were made as he unveiled his recommendations Wednesday for new strategy toward Russia. EU leaders will debate it at their next summit on June 24-25. But EU member countries are deeply divided over the best approach to take with Moscow. Russia is the EUs biggest natural gas supplier and plays a pivotal role in a series of international conflicts and issues. __ GENEVA -- A former U.S. ambassador to Russia says he can guess why U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not have a joint news conference after their summit in Geneva on Wednesday. Michael McFaul, who served as U.S. Ambassador in Moscow between 2012 and 2014, recalled that the last joint press conference between Putin and a U.S. president Donald Trump in Helsinki in 2018 was terrible for American national interests. The Helsinki news conference was considered a win for the Russian side after Trump appeared to side with Putin over his own security agencies on allegations of Russian election interference. This year, the White House opted against a joint news conference after the summit between Putin and Biden, deciding it did not want to appear to elevate Putin at a time when the U.S. president is urging European allies to pressure Putin to cut out myriad provocations. After the talks, Putin and Biden are scheduled to hold their own separate news conferences, one after another. ___ GENEVA The Swiss government is going to reimburse scores of Geneva businesses that have been forced to close because of security measures linked to the Russia-U.S. summit on Wednesday. Geneva officials adopted a decree Wednesday to compensate the owners of shops that ended up inside the security perimeter set up around the meeting of Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. Laurent Paoliello, a spokesman for the regional security department, said the funds would come from the federal government, but cautioned that it wouldnt be a blank check. He said the payments would be doled out after a thorough analysis over the coming weeks of revenue shortfalls by what he said could amount to about 100 enterprises. ___ GENEVA Peace activists unfurled a huge banner in Lake Geneva on Wednesday calling on the Russian and U.S. presidents to slash their nuclear arsenals. Campaigners in a sailboat spread the banner, reading Peace and Security Through Disarmament, in the water so that it could be seen from the sky soon before Russian President Vladimir Putin landed at the Geneva airport for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. It was an initiative by Swiss anti-nuclear group Campax, which is urging the leaders to not only get rid of existing warheads but also stop investing in developing new ones, arguing that would set an example for other nuclear powers. The action was among multiple mini-protests around Wednesdays summit, their first since Biden took office. The leaders are expected to talk about arms control. Anti-nuclear groups say the U.S. and Russia account for nearly 90% of the worlds nuclear arsenals. ___ GENEVA -- President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have finished the first round of their summit talks Wednesday and are proceeding to the first of two larger meetings in Geneva. Biden and Putin first met accompanied by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a pair of translators. Two additional sessions are planned Wednesday afternoon with the leaders to be joined by additional aides and translators. On the U.S. side, the larger meetings are set to include Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan and National Security Council Russia experts Eric Green and Stergos Kaloudis. The Russian delegation is to include Lavrov, Putins foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, Lavrovs deputy Sergei Ryabkov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian military Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russian ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov, as well as Kremlin envoys on Ukraine and Syria and Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Overall, the summit is projected to last four to five hours before each leader holds a press conference. - GENEVA President Joe Bidens summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin began with minutes of unusually fierce shoving and shouting among U.S. and Russian journalists and security forces. Organizers at Wednesdays summit in Geneva opened the meeting room to journalists for whats normally a few minutes of news media filming and shouting questions before talks start. On Wednesday, however, Russian and U.S. security forces and officials initially blocked journalists as they tried to enter the room. The scene then devolved into minutes of chaos inside the meeting room. American journalists described Russian security and news media grabbing them by the arms and clothes to try to hold them back. U.S. journalists tried to shoulder their way in, and a U.S. reporter was knocked to the ground. Before the scene calmed, some in the crowd shouted they were being crushed in the melee. Biden and Putin initially sat awkwardly in front of the press, but then watched and at times laughed at the tumult. ___ WASHINGTON The White House says that President Joe Biden was not suggesting to reporters that he trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin with his reaction to a reporter's question in Geneva. At the start of a high-stakes summit in Geneva, Biden appeared to suggest that he can take the Russian leader at his word, nodding his head during a photo opportunity when asked by a reporter if Putin can be trusted. Communications director Kate Bedingfield said later there was a chaotic scrum with reporters shouting over each other in that moment. She argued that Biden was very clearly not responding to any one question when a journalist asked if he trusted Putin. Journalists and security officials were shoving to get into the small room where Biden and Putin are meeting. Bedingfield said Biden was nodding in acknowledgment to the press generally. She noted that Biden on Monday told reporters that his approach with Putin would be to verify, then trust. Biden's press secretary Jen Psaki later said that the president wasnt responding to any question or anything other than the chaos. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked President Joe Biden and expressed wishes for a productive meeting as the two kicked off their meeting in Geneva Wednesday. Putin told Biden upon first meeting him he was thankful for the gathering as he knew the U.S. president had a long trip and lots of work. But the Russian president emphasized that there are lots of questions accumulated in Russia-U.S. relations that require discussion on the highest level. The two are expected to address everything from cybercrime to Russias alleged interference in U.S. elections during their meeting. Biden, who has spoken to Putin over the phone, told the Russian leader that it is always better to meet face to face. ___ GENEVA Swiss President Guy Parmelin welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden for the start of their summit under blue skies, wishing them a fruitful dialogue in Geneva -- which he touted as a city of peace. It was a moment in the sun for Switzerland both literally and figuratively. Parmelin, whom Swiss media have poked fun at for his allegedly poor English, spoke in French -- his native language and one historically associated with fine diplomacy. He used the opportunity to promote Switzerlands image for neutrality and as a hub of international diplomacy. Switzerland is very honored to welcome you for this summit, and it is delighted -- in line with its tradition of good offices -- to support dialogue and mutual understanding, said Parmelin, flanked by Putin and Biden on the steps of Villa La Grange, the 18th century manor house overlooking Lake Geneva that hosted the landmark U.S.-Russia summit on Wednesday. I wish you both, Mr. Presidents, a fruitful dialogue in the interest of your two countries and the world, he said. He then quipped Best wishes, and goodbye in both English and Russian. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are starting their diplomatic talks in Geneva. The two were first greeted by the Swiss president before sitting down for a small meeting that includes just Biden, Putin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with a translator for each side. Theyll then move to larger talks, which will include more senior aides and are expected to last hours. The two plan to discuss everything from cybercrime to Russias alleged interference in Americas elections, as well as arms control and Russias intrusion in Ukraine. Both sides have played down expectations for any major breakthroughs, but both Biden and Putin have stressed the need to restore more stable relations between the two nations. ___ GENEVA -- President Joe Biden has arrived at the 18th-century manor house in Geneva where hell hold high-profile talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden is set to meet in person with the Russian president for the first time in a decade. He last met Putin when the Russian leader was prime minister and Biden was serving as vice president, in March of 2011. He has since called Putin both a killer and a worthy adversary. The two are likely to discuss some issues that also were central to their 2011 meeting, like trade and arms control. But this meeting comes at a low point in diplomatic relations between the two nations. Biden says he hopes to find areas of cooperation with Putin, but hes also expected to confront the Russian president on cybercrime, Russias interference in U.S. elections and other issues that have contributed to frosty relations between the two countries. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is frequently late at high-level meetings, arrived on time at the 18th century Villa La Grange in Geneva for his high-stakes summit with President Joe Biden. The Russian leader landed in Geneva and traveled to the summit venue, located in the Swiss city's largest park, in a Russian-made Aurus limousine that was airlifted from Moscow for the summit along with a fleet of other vehicles. Putin, 68, who has received a Russian-made vaccine against the coronavirus, wasnt wearing a mask. However members of his delegation were wearing masks. ___ GENEVA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived at a lakeside villa in Geneva for his summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. The two leaders are set to start their meeting accompanied by their top diplomats and a pair of translators. Other senior officials plan to join them for two successive rounds of talks that are expected to last for several hours Wednesday. Topics on the summit agenda include strategic stability, cyber security, climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and the Arctic. Putin and Biden also are expected to cover regional crises in Ukraine, Syria and Libya, as well as the Iranian nuclear program and Afghanistan. Putins foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, sought to moderate expectations for the summit but strongly emphasized the meetings importance amid the strained ties between Moscow and Washington. Its the first such meeting that takes place at a time when the bilateral relations are extremely bad, Ushakov told reporters this week. Both parties realize its time to start dealing with the issues that have piled up. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the Swiss city of Geneva for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. Their meeting comes amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions. The summit agenda covers a broad range of issues, from arms control and cybercrime to the pandemic and a diplomatic tug-of-war between Moscow and Washington. The White House and the Kremlin have sought to downplay expectations for Wednesdays summit. But Biden and Putin have both emphasized the importance of a direct dialogue to try to negotiate a more stable and predictable relationship despite the sharp policy differences between the United States and Russia. Ties between the two powers have remained at post-Cold War lows over Moscows 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimean peninsula, accusations of Russian interference in elections, hacking attacks and other irritants. The two leaders are scheduled to meet for four or five hours at a lakeside mansion. ___ GENEVA The acting chief of protocol for the Geneva region says staff members at the villa where U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting will keep face masks on during the summit even if the two leaders don't. Geneva authorities require the wearing of masks in public, though there are exceptions. The requirement holds particularly in places with a lot of pedestrian traffic, such as shopping areas. Marion Bordier Bueschi, who is managing the grand lakeside mansion that will serve as the summit site, told The Associated Press that staffers inside Villa La Grange were already wearing masks. She said Putin and Biden would likely not wear masks during their talks on Wednesday. She noted that both leaders have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 have dropped across Switzerland, and authorities are planning steps to ease the mask requirement later this month. ___ GENEVA U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are both coming to the summit table in Geneva with their own agendas and non-negotiable red lines. There will be no talk of a reset in U.S.-Russian relations. Biden and his aides have made clear that he will not follow in the footsteps of his recent predecessors by aiming to radically alter the United States ties to Russia. Instead, the White House is looking to move toward a more predictable relationship and attempt to rein in Russias disruptive behavior. Biden will push Putin on Wednesday to stop meddling in democratic elections, to ease tensions with Ukraine and to stop giving safe harbor to hackers carrying out cyber and ransomware attacks. Aides believe that lowering the temperature with Russia will also reinforce the United States ties to democracies existing in Moscows shadow. Putin also wont be expecting a new detente to mend the rift caused by Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. Nor does he count on a rollback of the crippling U.S. and EU sanctions that have restricted Moscows access to global financial markets and top Western technologies. Putins task now is more modest to spell out Russias top security concerns and try to restore basic channels of communication that would prevent an even more dangerous destabilization. The main red line for Moscow is Ukraines aspirations to join NATO. ___ GENEVA A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned that Putin's talks with U.S. President Joe Biden will not be easy or likely yield any breakthroughs. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told The Associated Press a few hours before the Russia-U.S. summit in Geneva on Wednesday that the topics on the broad agenda are mostly problematic." "We have many long-neglected questions that need to be trawled through. Thats why President Putin is arriving with an attitude to frankly and constructively set questions and try to find solutions, Peskov said. No, this day cannot become historic, and we shouldnt expect any breakthroughs. The situation is too difficult in Russian-American relations," he continued. "However, the fact that the two presidents agreed to meet and finally start to speak openly about the problems is already an achievement. We can say that without having started yet, the summit already has a positive result, but we should not await breakthroughs. Peskov said the bilateral issues Russia wants to discuss include strategic stability, arms control, cooperation in regional conflicts, cooperation on the pandemic, and climate change. ___ GENEVA U.S. President Joe Biden and Russias Vladimir Putin are set to meet for their highly anticipated summit in the Swiss city of Geneva. Its a moment of high-stakes diplomacy that comes as both leaders agree that U.S.-Russian relations are at an all-time low. For four months, the two leaders have traded sharp rhetoric. Biden has repeatedly called out Putin for malicious cyberattacks by Russian-based hackers on U.S. interests, for disregard of democracy in the jailing of Russias top opposition leader and for interfering in American elections. Their talks on Wednesday are expected to last four to five hours. In advance, both sides set out to lower expectations. Arrangements for the meeting have been carefully choreographed and vigorously negotiated by both sides. Putin and his entourage will arrive first at the summit site: Villa La Grange, a grand lakeside mansion set in Genevas biggest park. Next come Biden and his team. Swiss President Guy Parmelin will greet the two leaders. Biden and Putin first will hold a relatively intimate meeting joined by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The talks will then expand to include five senior aides on each side. After the meeting concludes, Putin is scheduled to hold a solo news conference, with Biden following suit. The White House opted against a joint news conference, deciding it did not want to appear to elevate Putin at a time when the president is urging European allies to pressure Putin to cut out myriad provocations. The Lamar University search committee appears to have made an excellent choice in selecting Jaime Taylor as the next president. Taylor has an outstanding academic record, with a bachelors degree in Physics and Mathematics and a masters degree and Ph.D. in Engineering Science. With a background like that, he knows how a university operates and what its professors need to succeed. He also has an impressive leadership experience, serving most recently as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Taylor will be taking over an institution that is in pretty good shape. His challenge will be to maintain the excellence that Lamar is known for and expand it as much as possible. A large public university will not stay the same over time; it will either get better or worse overall. As good as Lamar is, there is always room for improvement in some areas. Taylor needs to find those targets and pursue them aggressively. Lamar must not only produce outstanding graduates but interact with the region as much as possible in areas where its expertise can make a difference, such as community development or economic planning. The university has made tremendous progress over the past decade and is starting to gain statewide and regional recognition in many ways. Thats a tribute to every student, educator and administrator at Lamar, but again, the momentum must continue. At least Taylor is coming in as the pandemic appears to be receding. Lamar should have a fairly normal fall semester and be able to get back to pre-virus conditions. If he stays here long enough, a hurricane or two might blow our way, but Taylor of course knows that possibility exists. Whatever kinds of disruptions occur, the university must address them and then overcome them. And while we wont belabor the point, its worth noting that the search committee should have shown more respect to taxpayers by naming the real finalists for this job as state law intends instead of the sole finalist. Lamar was far more open with previous searches for presidents and it worked well, even holding a group public reception for the real finalists. Theres no reason that couldnt have happened again, but sadly, the sole finalist gambit is becoming more common. Theres no reason to think that Taylor isnt the best person to lead Lamar, but if the search committee is so confident in his skills, it could have proved it by naming the other finalists as well. Taxpayers also shouldnt be misled by the claim that some candidates wont apply if their names could be publicized. For many public jobs, thats a given, just like listing their salary. A great institution like Lamar doesnt need applicants who are nervous about being identified; if they dont have the gumption to step up and proudly throw their hat in the ring, they can stay where they are. Lamar is probably the single most important institution in Southeast Texas. As such it should maintain the highest standards of transparency and accountability. Lamar leaders fell short of that goal this time, and we hope they have learned from this experience. Texans are, once again, fed up with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and Gov. Greg Abbott. At least 151 Texans died during February's historic winter freeze and 4.5 million homes and businesses spent days suffering in the frigid cold with little to no water and even less electricity the result of a massive grid failure caused by lack of planning and not-so-smart politicians (including one who instead opted for sunny skies in Cancun). MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR: 'I hate it here' trends on social media as Texans react to lifted mask mandate Gov. Greg Abbott claimed on June 8 that the problem had been fixed, but survey says: That was a lie. Less than a full week later, everyones least favorite power regulator asked nearly 29 million residents to "set your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher" and use as little electricity as possible. Yes, in 100-degree weather, residents are being asked to "conserve energy" due to "unexpected" power plant outages and, you guessed it, record use of electricity due to hot weather. Residents were even advised to avoid using large [essential] appliances, including ovens, washing machines and dryers. This is the second time since the devastating blackouts where ERCOT has made such a request. Seriously, people are still feeling the affect of Winter Storm Uri and you're basically asking them to voluntarily relive that but with heat? In typical Texas politician form, it didnt take long for Gov. Abbott to began trending on Twitter. The hashtag #AbbottFailedTexas quickly gained traction, with Twitter users reminding the governor of his claim that "everything that needed to be done was done to fix the power grid in Texas." WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE? It's hard to believe, but Texas has been named the second 'most hated' state in the U.S. Some users pointed out the irony (and selfishness) in Gov. Abbott's strong desire to "finish what President Trump started" and build a border wall to secure Texas' border as if there aren't any real issues to focus on. Neither Gov. Abbott nor ERCOT have responded to the social media slander but, you know, they're probably used to it by now. Screengrab courtesy of Twitter/@BlueTX2022 Please get it together before the official start of summer, Texas. We can't take too much more of this. Bedford, PA (15522) Today Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 75F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 58F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. A Bangladesh government-cleared environmental impact report on a Chinese-funded coal power plant contains false information and plays down how the project will affect air quality when it becomes fully operational, said a report released Tuesday by three green groups. The parts of the report about the impact on air quality of the first unit of the Banshkhali S. Alam coal-powered project contain inconsistent data and omissions, raising serious legal questions, said a study by a trio of environmentalist NGOs. The air quality modeling is flawed, resulting in predicted pollution levels multiple times lower than would be obtained with appropriate modeling, said a study of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the Chittagong project done by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (BELA), and the Bangladesh Working Group on External Debt (BWGED). There is absolutely no mention of the health impacts of air pollutant emissions under the impact assessment. The impacts of the plants mercury emissions are completely omitted. The fact that the government cleared this EIA is an alarming indication of lack of oversight, the groups said in their joint report. It also shows the disregard for guidelines and standards by those involved in the project, they said. Its evident from the EIA analysis that the Chinese financiers and companies have knowingly allowed such a project which they wouldnt allow in their own country, BELA Chief Executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan said in a press statement. Bangladesh authorities are equally responsible for allowing such a project, which raises concern on their oversight and enforcement capacity. The plants EIA is not publicly available, which also shows the lack of transparency around the project the three groups said. The groups, however, did not say how they managed to obtain a copy of the EIA. Will take necessary measures In response to the three groups study, the Bangladesh government said it would look into their findings. The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources will share the findings with the Department of Environment, if necessary, said Mohammad Hossain, director general of power at the ministry. We will ask the authorities concerned to take necessary measures based on the findings, if needed, Hossain told BenarNews. An official at the Banshkhali S. Alam coal-powered project also called SS Power I declined to comment. I am not in a position to talk to the media, Ebadat Hossen, chief financial officer of SS Power Plant, told BenarNews. The Banshkhali S. Alam plant is scheduled to begin producing 1,320 MW of power in 2023. Seventy percent of the U.S. $2.49 billion cost of the facility was financed by China, according to information on S. Alam Groups website. The plant is being built by Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation (SEPCOIII), a subsidiary of PowerChina, a Chinese central government enterprise, according to the three groups. Coal-powered plants need to be strictly assessed and cleared due to their potential environmental impact, according to Bangladeshs Environmental Conservation Rules, the groups said. Emissions five times higher than China allows EIAs generally use models that project an estimate of the maximum air quality impact when a plant is running as designed, but the Banshkhali EIA shows average estimates, the three environmentalist groups said. There are similar inconsistencies in the numbers on particle emissions from the project, the groups said. This flawed assessment has been used to justify emissions limits for the plant that are five times higher than China allows for Sulphur dioxide and three times what it allows for oxides of Nitrogen. In addition, coal-fired power plants are the main source of mercury emissions into the air globally, the three groups noted, but Banshkhalis EIA has no data whatsoever on these emissions. The Banshkhali plant has been controversial since March 2016, when 30,000 local residents protested the planned project. Since then, 12 people have been killed in clashes with police, either for protesting the plants construction, or while agitating for allegedly unpaid wages. The approval of the plant reveals systemic problems in the process involved in allowing energy projects, said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at CREA and the author of the study released by the three groups. Bangladesh lacks meaningful environmental regulation, as do many other countries hosting China-backed energy projects. Yet the Chinese government and state-owned financiers have failed to put in place environmental and social safeguards that would prevent project developers from exploiting weak or non-existent regulatory oversight. Meanwhile, China, the worlds biggest coal user, said in April that the fossil fuel would play a less dominant role in its energy production, the Associated Press reported. Even though the country plans to build new coal-fired power plants, it wont use them on a wide scale, China said. Bangladesh, too, said something similar. Nasrul Hamid, Bangladeshs power minister, said last August that the country would review plans for 26 out of 29 coal-fired power plants. Banshkhali was not on the initial list of exempted plants, but has continued construction nonetheless, the three groups said in a press statement. In addition, Bangladesh is set to construct another coal-fired power plant. China will bear 75 percent of the $2.06 billion cost of this plant, BenarNews reported last September. Crews work on a Chinese-backed construction project at the Tejgaon Rail Station in Dhaka, June 16, 2021. China has refused to fund a rail project that a Chinese state-owned company was to build in Bangladesh after Dhaka slashed its abnormally high U.S. $2 billion cost in an unprecedented move, the South Asian nations railway minister said Wednesday. This is the first instance that the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cut the cost of a Chinese-funded project, prompting analysts to welcome the move to reduce spending for the 179-km (111-mile) Akhaura-Sylhet track project. The Chinese authorities regretted that they cannot implement the project to convert the Akhaura-Sylhet track from meter gauge to broad gauge. They withdrew after we reduced some 40 billion taka [about U.S. $472 million] from the total project cost, Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan told BenarNews. Now, the Chinese authorities expressed their inability to fund the project. We are trying to persuade them to agree to provide funds for it, he said, referring to contract negotiations for the project. Broad-gauge tracks are wider than meter-gauge tracks and offer more stability for railroad cars. The project would add a third track to the current meter-gauge rail to allow trains of either gauge to use the tracks. The Chinese embassy in Dhaka did not immediately respond to BenarNews requests for comments on the decision. The cuts in expenditure for the project drew praise from a Dhaka think-tank. There are serious criticisms about the cost of Chinese-funded projects in Bangladesh and beyond. This is the first time we see that the government has moved to reduce the inflated cost. This is a good move, Mustafizur Rahman, a scholar at the Center for Policy Dialogue, a think-tank in Dhaka, told BenarNews. This is a good start for questioning the high cost of the foreign-funded projects in Bangladesh, he said. Beijing apparently halted the project involving China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Ltd. in recent weeks but Bangladesh authorities did not publicly comment until Wednesday. Still, the two nations maintain bilateral relations mainly focused on development projects. For instance, Chinese contractors have been constructing the 6.15-km (3.8-mile) bridge over the Padma River Bangladeshs longest to connect the countrys south and southwestern regions to the rest of the country. Bilateral ties warmed during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2016, when officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide about 1.7 trillion taka ($20 billion) to Bangladesh to fund development and defense projects. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, a joint secretary of the finance ministrys economic relations division, told BenarNews that China had provided nearly 594 billion taka ($7 billion) loans linked to nine development projects since Xis Dhaka visit. In line with the MoU, the finance ministry was able to persuade Chinese authorities to agree to fund the Akhaura-Sylhet project. Railway history All development projects in Bangladesh must be approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), which is headed by the prime minister, whether funding comes from the government or a foreign source. On April 9, 2019, the ECNEC approved the rail project. The railway ministry then met with Chinese officials to establish a final cost of more than 161 billion taka ($1.9 billion). The Chinese authorities agreed to grant a loan of 106.5 billion taka ($1.25 billion), according to project documents obtained by BenarNews. No formal contract for the project was signed. Salimullah Bahar, the chief planning officer of Bangladesh Railway, told BenarNews that the officials followed specific yardsticks to establish the total cost. For instance, he said, We have guidelines to decide the cost of a one kilometer track. Late last year, government leaders questioned those costs. But (in November 2020), the prime ministers office examined the project cost, observed the expenditure to be abnormally high, and asked us to reduce it, said Sujan, the railway minister, noting the $472 million cut. Quazi Asadullah, a former additional director general of Bangladesh Railway, told BenarNews that Assam Bengal Railway Company constructed the single-line meter gauge Akhaura-Sylhet-Karimganj railway track in 1891-96 in what was British India. He said the track had not seen any major renovation since then. Due to the poor state of track, we see frequent derailments causing immense suffering for passengers, Quazi said. One derailment snaps railway communication for hours. Rescue workers carry a body bag with a victim after a landslide at an illegal gold mine in Bolaang Mongondow, a regency in Indonesias North Sulawesi province, Feb. 28, 2019. Indonesian human rights and environmental groups are calling for further investigation into the death of a local government official who had voiced opposition to a Canadian-owned gold mine on his island after police said he died of natural causes. Helmud Hontong, 58, the deputy head of the Sangihe Islands, a regency made up of islets in North Sulawesi province, died aboard a Lion Air flight from Bali to Makassar on June 9 after reportedly vomiting blood. Police on Monday said an autopsy they had conducted showed Helmud died of complications from a chronic illness. Beka Ulung Hapsara, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), said the central government in Jakarta should allow an impartial team to investigate the death. We call on the government to conduct a further investigation so that the growing speculation can be put to an end and theres clarity whether or not he died naturally, Beka Ulung told BenarNews. The officials sudden death aboard the domestic flight has sparked questions about whether foul play was involved and if it was tied to Helmuds opposition to a decision by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to grant the Vancouver-based company, Baru Gold Corp., permission to operate a gold mine on about half of Sangihe Island. Merah Johansyah, coordinator of the Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM), an activist group, said Komnas HAM should participate in an investigation into Helmuds death. We appreciate the polices swift announcement of the autopsy results, but theres still speculation among the public, Merah told BenarNews. We are urging an investigation by other institutions, including Komnas HAM, he said. He was a high-profile figure who was opposed to a mining permit, so its natural that the public makes assumptions. In April, Helmud sent a letter to Arifin Tasrif, the minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, expressing his opposition to the mining permit granted to PT Tambang Mas Sangihe (TMS). Baru Gold controls a 70 percent stake in the Sangihe gold project, with three Indonesian companies holding the remaining 30 percent interest combined, according to the companys website. The company, formerly known as East Asia Minerals, obtained an exploration license in 1997. In January 2021, the ministry extended the permit, which will remain valid until 2054. In his letter, Helmud alleged that a mining operation on Sangihe was against the law because it is a small island of 73,000 hectares (180,000 acres), making it vulnerable to environmental destruction. The letter, copies of which circulated on social media, was confirmed by the energy ministry on Sunday. Data on the ministrys website show that the companys operation on Sangihe covers 42,000 hectares (104,000 acres), or about half the island. Merah said the permits issuance potentially violated a 2014 law on the management of coastal areas and small islands, which bans mining on islets. There must be a further investigation into the mining permit issued in Sangihe, he said. Guspardi Gaus, a lawmaker from the National Mandate Party, made a similar call. If irregularities are found, law enforcement authorities must investigate, he told an online discussion, referring to the granting of the permit. Ridwan Djamaluddin, the director general of minerals and coal at the energy ministry, said officials there were considering Helmuds opposition to the mining permit. The directorate general is scheduling a meeting with authorities in the Sangihe Islands regency to discuss PT TMSs mining activities, he said in a statement on Sunday. BenarNews could not immediately reach the company for comment. A spokesman for TMS, Bob Priya Husada, said it would go ahead with its operation on Sangihe, the Tirto news website reported on Tuesday. It is not explicitly stated that there should be no mining operations under the law, Bob told Tirto. Bob said the company had conducted feasibility studies and that its activities were in line with a local bylaw. Mining activities in certain areas that are included in the PT TMS concession are allowed, he said. Autopsy results Helmuds death has reminded Indonesians of the 2004 death of a prominent human rights activist, Munir Said Thalib, who was killed by poisoning while traveling on a Garuda Indonesia flight to the Netherlands. An autopsy showed that Munir had ingested arsenic poison while on the plane. An off-duty Garuda pilot who was on the same flight with Munir, Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, was found guilty of lacing Munirs drink with arsenic. Pollycarpus was sentenced to 14 years in prison, but judges found the motive to be personal. On Monday, the North Sulawesi provincial police announced that an autopsy conducted by its forensic department had found no traces of poison in Helmuds body. Based on the preliminary results of yesterdays autopsy, it is certain that no poison or other suspicious material was found, Brig. Gen. Andi Rian Djajadi, the director of the general crimes office at National Police headquarters in Jakarta, told BenarNews. Helmud had a history of high-blood pressure and heart problems, Andi said, citing information from the dead mans family. Based on the results of yesterdays autopsy, no poison or other suspicious substances were found, Andi told BenarNews. However, he added, police had taken organ samples for further investigation and results were expected in about two weeks. Herdawati Greida Simon, a spokeswoman for the Helmud family, said he suffered from diabetes, but it was under control and he had his medicines with him at all times. The deceased did have diabetes mellitus, but he had it regularly checked, the Kumparan news site quoted Herdawati, who is Helmuds niece, as saying. His glucose numbers were not too high. In February, he had a check-up at the Gatot Soebroto Hospital (in Jakarta), the results were normal, Herdawati said, adding that Helmuds death was ordained by God. A limousine (center) carrying Al Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, the ruler of Malaysias Kedah state, approaches the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur ahead of a meeting there of the Council of Rulers, June16, 2021. Malaysias suspended parliament must reconvene as soon as possible, the countrys king said on Wednesday, while the powerful Council of Rulers demanded that a current national state of emergency not be extended beyond its Aug. 1 expiry date. After a four-hour meeting the king and his fellow rulers agreed that parliament, which was suspended five months ago, must sit again soon, the National Palace said in a statement greeted with approval from many political leaders. After reviewing opinions from a variety of people, his majesty was of the opinion that parliament sessions should be held as soon as possible, the palace said. This is to enable the emergency ordinances and the national recovery plan to be debated by the members of the House of Representatives. The meeting of the Council of Rulers took place after King Al-Sultan Abdullah Riayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah held a series of meetings with leading politicians from across the spectrum, during which many lawmakers said it was vital to reconvene parliament. The national legislature last sat on Dec. 14, 2020 and was suspended on Jan. 12, 2021 when the monarch, at Prime Minister Muyhiddin Yassins urging, declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, Muhyiddin said that parliament could meet in September at the earliest, if new COVID-19 infections fell to below 2,000 a day. The Council of Rulers, which comprises the king and fellow sultans who rule nine of Malaysias 13 states, as well as the governors of the remaining four states, all agreed that the state of emergency, should not be extended beyond Aug. 1, a separate statement from the council said. There is no need to place the country under the state of emergency after 1 Aug, 2021, said the statement signed by the Keeper of the Rulers Seal, Syed Danial Syed Ahmad. The rulers believe in the importance of respecting the mechanism of checks and balances between the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches to guarantee an administration that is fair, with integrity and accountable to the people especially on financial matters and national spending. Malay rulers wisdom and concern Many MPs and citizens had questioned why an emergency was needed to contain the pandemic when the government was already resorting to lockdowns of varying degrees to stem COVID-19 cases. Lawmakers also criticized parliament being suspended at a time when they said the legislature was needed the most. They alleged that Muhyiddin, who heads an unelected government that came to office in March 2020, was attempting to hang on to power after they said he had lost the support of his razor-thin parliamentary majority. Opposition leader and lawmaker Anwar Ibrahim hailed the rulers statements on Wednesday that called for a parliament sitting soon. Respect to the king and other Malay rulers for the decision, Anwar said on Twitter. I am waiting the next move by the government led by Muhyiddin Yassin to reconvene the parliament as soon as possible. Approval of the kings views also came from Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, lawmaker and president of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which is a member of Muhyiddins ruling coalition. UMNO respects and fully supports his majestys point of view that the parliament need to reconvene as soon as possible, Zahid said, echoing the views of his party, which has fallen out with Muhyiddin and his Bersatu party, This clearly shows the king and Malay rulers wisdom and concern for the peoples anxiety over the crisis that has befallen the country. Malaysia until recently was in the throes of a fourth wave of the pandemic, after having curbed new infections for most of last year. Cases are still high, but not soaring like they did a few weeks ago. The country reported 5,150 new infections on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases to almost 700,000. With 73 virus-related deaths in 24 hours, pandemic fatalities rose to 4,142. Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (right) talks with King Al-Sultan Abdullah Riayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah in Kuala Lumpur, Oct. 28, 2020. [Handout from National Palace via AFP] Muhyiddin a lame duck prime minister The royals firm and direct statements indicate they are not happy with the emergency because it has not lowered COVID-19 cases, said Tunku Mohar Tunku Mokhtar, an analyst at the International Islamic University of Malaysia. The fact that they come out strongly with the view that the emergency should not extend beyond Aug. 1 clearly shows their displeasure towards the current state of emergency, Mokhtar told BenarNews. In sum, the monarchs have clearly expressed their concern about the failure of the government in ensuring the well-being of the people. Muhyiddin might still try to delay reopening parliament, said Bridget Welsh, a political scientist from the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia. Muhyiddin is a lame-duck prime minister, but will do everything he can to try to reverse this, Welsh told BenarNews. Some in his cabinet have already begun to try. Soon after the Council of Rulers issued their statement, Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan, who is also minister in charge of parliament, aired his views on what the rulers meant by as soon as possible. Parliamentary session should be done as soon as possible, but the king did not say in this month or that month, he said at an online panel discussion on his party PASs website. We are now at the end of June, its very near [to September], it will definitely happen. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (left) and his daughter, Sara, arrive to attend the enthronement ceremony of Japans Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo, Oct. 22, 2019. The Philippine leaders daughter, a potential presidential candidate, said Wednesday she would help with a possible international probe into alleged extrajudicial killings carried out under the Duterte administrations war on drugs, if the government gave her permission. Sara Duterte is mayor of southern Davao City, where rights groups allege that Rodrigo Duterte, her father, targeted political foes and criminals when he served in that post before becoming president. If they need anything from the city government of Davao, we are open and willing to help, subject to the permission from the national government, Sara Duterte said over local radio here. So if the DILG tells us [to] open whatever documents they need, we [will] send it to them. We will follow, she said, referring to the Department of Interior and Local Government. In a request to the pre-trial chamber of the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Monday, then-ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda asked for the greenlight to investigate the Philippines counter-narcotics campaign. She said that tens of thousands of people may have been victims of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines from mid-2016, when Duterte took office, to March 2019. Separately, Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, was sworn in on Wednesday as the ICCs new chief prosecutor. Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the international court in 2019 to thwart its investigation into his countrys war on illegal drugs. He ascended to the presidency after an electoral campaign promise to rid the Philippines of drug addicts and dealers. Dutertes daughter, 43, is widely believed to be preparing for a presidential run next year when her father vacates the post as required by constitution-stipulated term limits. On Wednesday, when asked how she would handle a potential ICC investigation into her father, Sara Duterte said she hasnt made up her mind yet about a potential run for president next year. President Duterte, however, signaled that he may consider running for vice-president in 2022. There are a lot of people pushing me to run for vice president. Its a good idea I think, particularly if we talk about the drug problem, he said during a speech on Wednesday, according to a transcript from the presidential palace. Politicians have until October to file their candidacies for the 2022 polls. The march of justice Meanwhile, Sen. Christopher Bong Go, the presidents former personal assistant and a key ally, said on Wednesday that Dutertes war on drugs would continue until he stepped down next year, whether or not the ICC carries out its investigation. President Duterte will not stop in his campaign against illegal drugs, Go said in a statement. Ask around you, and people would tell you that they no longer fear if their children walk alone at night. The people can feel the changes, that they are more secure and have peace of mind that their children can come home safely. Dutertes spokesman, Harry Roque, said earlier this week that ICC prosecutor Bensoudas report on the Philippines was politically motivated and the president would never cooperate with an ICC probe. Sen. Leila de Lima, Dutertes arch critic, welcomed the ICC move to investigate the killings. A former head of the Commission on Human Rights, de Lima has been in prison on what she says are trumped up charges that she profited from drug trafficking. She also angered Duterte when she investigated reports of extrajudicial killings by a death squad allegedly set up by Duterte in Davao City. So the International Criminal Court is now at your door, behind it are thousands of victims of your bloodbath, she said from jail, de Lima said in a statement from prison. That is not karma. Thats the march of justice about to trounce you. This effort will raise donations to help Central Oregons creative artists musicians, visual artists, performers and creative workers by offering grants and a platform to bring attention to the talent that needs help to continue thriving in this community throughout the pandemic and beyond. More Info Bennington, VT (05201) Today A steady rain this morning. Showers with perhaps a rumble of thunder developing for the afternoon. High 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Cloudy with showers. Low 54F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Bennington, VT (05201) Today Rain early...then remaining cloudy with thundershowers developing in the afternoon. High 67F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Overcast with rain showers at times. Low around 55F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. A company that authorities say failed to deliver on a contract to supply one million N95 face masks to the state of Massachusetts and then made false statements in connection with its obligation to refund the state has agreed to pay nearly $3.5 million to settle the allegations Some pandemic-era policies that had expired on Tuesday, such as allowing restaurants to offer take-out cocktails, were quickly extended Wednesday after Republican Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill sent to him by state lawmakers In early February, Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer delivered her annual State of the City address virtually, via Pittsfield Community Television and other mediums. On Tuesday, Tyer lifted the state of emergency she invoked in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. WILLIAMSTOWN After a bit more than two years in business, marijuana shop Silver Therapeutics is looking to more than double its retail space at the Colonial Village shopping center. The main reason for the expansion, said Silver partner Brendan McKee, is to provide a better facility to work from for our team members, due to capacity limitations in the back-of-house area. This is as much for the team as for the customers. Store officials are applying to the Zoning Board of Appeals for an amendment to its special permit that would allow it to expand into an adjacent space that will be vacated by Berkshire Palate when it relocates to North Adams. The board will consider the application during a meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday in Town Hall. They will also be working with the states Cannabis Control Commission to get approvals for the expanded space. McKee said the existing store is about 700 square feet; the new space would add 1,200 square feet. Once all is said and done, he said, the existing store would serve as the back-of-house workspace, and the new space would serve as the retail store. The back of house is really tight, so, we want a larger space to accommodate our customers and staff, McKee said. And sales have been growing steadily, he said. Several thousand customers come through the store every month, McKee said. Its quite a bit. There are times when there is a line to get into the store, but the process has been streamlined out of necessity because of the coronavirus pandemic, so, the wait never is very long, he said. According to figures provided by Williamstown treasurer Rachel Vadnais, Silver Therapeutics paid $242,062 in cannabis host impact fees in fiscal 2020. So far, in fiscal 2021, Silver has paid $248,349 to the town. When it opened in April 2019 it was the first marijuana shop in North Berkshire it had 10 to 12 employees; today, it employs 20 to 25. McKee said the company will invest several hundred thousand dollars in the expansion project. He expects work to start in several months. At the same time, Silver is building a structure in Boston that will house a marijuana shop and a cultivation/manufacturing facility, which will provide more flower for the Williamstown shop as well, he noted. Weve taken some big swings and are hoping for a larger footprint in Williamstown, McKee said. Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Berkshire Palate is still open at Colonial Village. WEST STOCKBRIDGE Two business owners locked in an impasse over a privately owned road have come to a temporary resolution that will keep the street open on weekend evenings to allow access to the Truc Orient Express restaurant. The interim settlement agreement hammered out this month by attorneys for Truc and performing arts venue The Foundry will run through October. In the agreement, a copy of which was obtained by The Eagle, Foundry owner Amy Brentano agrees to keep Merritt Way open to the public at all times to allow access to Truc, and not close it during outdoor performances something she had suggested to protect audiences, but which would affect Truc as it begins its takeout service and plans for a full post-COVID reopening. The agreement also stipulates that Truc could make zoning or noise complaints against The Foundry, or other legal and administrative remedies, if it chooses to do so. It was Brentanos decision to close Merritt Way that initially drew the town last month into a quagmire of its own making. Three decades ago, town officials closed the Harris Street bridge to vehicles, leaving the Vietnamese restaurant surrounded by private property, its only official public access cut off. The dust-up has drawn supporters of both businesses into the fray, and sparked accusations of bureaucratic bungling by town officials past and present for allowing such a street grid. Theyve pitted two businesses in town against each other, said restaurant owner Truc Nguyen. In West Stockbridge road dust-up, parties talking, but court still an option WEST STOCKBRIDGE Two business owners now are trying to resolve a dispute created by decadeslong municipal negligence for a street grid that The agreement says Truc and The Foundry will work cooperatively to urgently demand that the town reopen public access by vehicle to Harris Street in a way that does not require either Nguyen or Brentano to waive, sell, transfer or otherwise forfeit any of [their] property rights. The town is on the cusp of buying an easement that would allow an entry from Moscow Road which could be completed by next summer, according to Select Board Chairman Eric Shimelonis. Officials also are planning a feasibility study for reopening the bridge to vehicles. Meanwhile, the unofficial Merritt Way, used for decades by Truc patrons and maintained by the town, still is a source of concern for Nguyen. Its always going to be looming, she said of the road, since Brentano owns it. Brentano said that while she has not yet closed the road for the events, she had considered it from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday evenings, to keep audiences safe from moving vehicles. She decided to hold shows outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic, and to continue to do so during the reopening transition unless there is pouring rain. Town officials did not require The Foundry to obtain a special permit before opening in 2019. When asked if she had any plans to get one, Brentano declined to comment. Brentano said she was aware of one noise complaint to the town about concert noise last summer; Nguyen filed one last month, also regarding concert noise last summer. Nguyen lives on the property, where her parents opened Truc 42 years ago. Brentano said she has equipment to measure decibels and is aware of permitted levels. She said last summer that she moved to the other side of her building to keep the noise from affecting nearby homeowners. The business owners, both trying to bounce back from the pandemic, say they have supported the other for the past two years. Its extraordinarily painful, Brentano said of the conflict, noting that she will continue to donate her space for fundraisers and other community events. Im really not trying to do any damage Im trying to support. On Facebook, Nguyen said that with this temporary resolution, I look forward to focusing on things which bring my family and I immense joy, the ability to nourish our friendships and customers through our cuisine and culture. The Black Times OK reports the bond, which has been set for $400,000, will be paid by Black Lives Matter Oklahoma. Bratcher has not yet been released, but it is hoped that he will be home as he awaits trial, which is set to start in October. In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, LaRue Bratcher has been behind bars for a first-degree murder charge more than a year after he shot and killed a white man allegedly trying to break into his marijuana growing business. After outrage on social media, Bratcher has been given a bond amount. RELATED: Rae Sremmurds Half-Brother Charged With First Degree Murder On May 27, 2020, around 1 a.m., Bratcher was at his grow operation warehouse when Daniel Hardwick, a 42-year-old white man, allegedly attempted to break into the business for the second consecutive night. Surveillance shows Hardwick parking his car at the rear of the business, walking to the businesss door and jostling with the door handle, trying to gain entry. He was trying to break in when the business owner, who was inside the business at the time, apparently opened fire with a handgun, striking and killing the man who was breaking in, Master Sgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department told KFOR. Right after the incident, Bratcher called police, who arrested him after finding out his business license had expired, turning it illegitimate and causing him to possess a felony amount of marijuana. Initially, he was not arrested for Hardwicks death. A day after Bratchers arrest, he was released on bond. However, a week later, the OKC district attorneys office reviewed the case and upgraded Bratchers charges to second degree murder. After refusing to accept a plea deal late last year, Bratchers charges were upgraded to first degree murder. Authorities also seized 480 marijuana plants. In May, Clay Curtis, one of the family attorneys, told Black News Channel (BNC) about the 2nd-degree murder charge, I think they've got their work cut out for them. I think they are going to have more than a tough time proving that he intentionally committed murder. If convicted on the first degree murder charge, Bratcher could receive a life sentence. Unclaimed land that is owned by neither the government nor a private entity has been discovered in the eastern North Carolina town of Ayden, and it contains more than 400 graves, some of which are believed to be those of enslaved African Americans. The nearly three acres of land does not show up on tax records in the town of nearly 5,000 people but is known to elder people living in the community as an abandoned Black graveyard. According to the News Observer, an investigation has been launched by East Carolina University into mapping the land, logging the surviving grave markers and using ground penetrating radar to find the borders. RELATED: Tulsa Mass Grave Excavation Finds Five Coffins Thought To Be 1921 Massacre Victims Charles Ewen of East Carolinas Phelps Archaeology Laboratory says work began several weeks ago and the discoveries have been surprising. There are nearly 400 graves in the cemetery, the majority of which are simple unmarked depressions in the earth, Ewen told the News Observer. It is the largest abandoned cemetery I have encountered. I have investigated over two dozen cemeteries in the past two decades. ... You can drive by it and not even know its there. The earliest marked grave is from around 1908 and the most recent is from 1963, says Ewen, who added that the ground penetrating radar will be used in the fall. The cemetery project is expected to be a three-year project and include interviews with people who have loved ones buried in the cemetery. Grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Science Foundation are funding the work, the News Observer reports. Ewen says abandoned Black cemeteries have received growing interest among anthropologists, who label them forgotten parts of the landscape and casualties of the segregation era. Experts hope to find patterns of abandonment and their causes. Brennan Walker turned pain and fear into achievement and success. Its been over three years since he was shot at for asking directions to his school, and now, hes graduating from the Alternative Center for Education in Rochester, Mich., and is on his way to college. "It doesnt mentally impact me as much as it used to, but I think about the events every day," Walker told local Detoit station WJBK of the horrific incident. On Saturday (June 12), Brennan graduated from Rochester High School and says hes a little nervous about taking the next step in his education. But he isnt nearly as fearful about that as he was when he experienced that nearly-fatal life event. When he was just 14, Walker knocked on the door of Jeff Zeigler, who is white, to ask him for directions, Zeigler assumed Brennan was a burglar and opened his front door with a shotgun and fired at the teen. RELATED: White Man Who Shot At Lost Black Teen Asking For Directions Sentenced To 4-10 Years In Prison The case made national news and led to Zeigler being sentenced to four to 10 years in prison. It understandably shook Walker and his family. "After that stuff happened to me I was in a pretty bad place as far as my schoolwork, mentally and emotionally," he said to the new station. "I wasn't really there, fully." "Watching my son be depressed made me depressed," his mother Lisa said. Brennan says it was the counseling and positive impact from teachers that helped him regain his confidence to succeed. "Eventually I pulled myself together and got through it and I became student council president at the school I was at, and I was also vice president for a while," he said. Walker was also on the debate team and competed in the battle of the books. Now, hes headed to Florida Memorial University in Miami, an HBCU, after graduating a semester early. "I kind of think I picked it just because I kind of wanted to be around more people of color and I kind of wanted to also leave Michigan because I feel like I know a lot of people here - and I want to be surrounded by new people, Brennan said. Walker is considering majoring in biology during his time in college. President Joe Biden is preparing to add an historic number of Black women to the nations federal appeals courts. USA Today reports there are currently just four Black women on the appeals bench, of more than 170 judgeships. However, that number will double to eight in Bidens first few months in office. Bidens first appellate judge cleared by the Senate was Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was confirmed on Monday (June 14) to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The Senate confirmed Jackson to the appeals court on a 53-44 vote. RELATED: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Becomes Fastest Female Sprinter Alive There are reportedly three other Black women scheduled to be confirmed for the federal appeals courts. Angel Kelley, to be nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Karen Williams, to be nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and Eunice Lee, who Biden nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, which includes parts of New York, Vermont and Connecticut. Lee is awaiting a committee vote to advance her nomination to the full U.S. Senate. Biden has moved earlier in his administration than most other presidents to appoint judges. In his first months in office, Biden has nominated as many Black women to the bench as the previous executive administration confirmed during its four years. Hundreds of outraged demonstrators took part in a protest against Democratic Senator Joe Manchin on Monday (June 14), in response to the senators opposition to a major voting rights overhaul bill. The protest was prompted by Manchins decision to not vote for the For the People Act, a voting reform package that would bring about the largest overhaul of U.S. election law in a generation if passed. Democratic leadership have billed the For the People Act as the antidote to restrictive voting laws passed in Republican states since the 2020 election. Associated Press reported that Rev. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign, called for a diverse coalition to put pressure on Manchin to reverse his opinion on voting rights. Rev. Barber proclaimed, West Virginia needs a real senator. The demonstrators then marched a mile to Manchins Charleston, West Virginia office. When the crowds leaders were told that Manchin was away in Washington, they attached a poster-sized protest letter to the front doors of the building. In response to Manchins aides offering comment cards to the crowd, Rev. Barber responded, We dont want to talk to the staff. RELATED: Sweeping Legislation That Could Strengthen Voter Power Heads To The House If passed, the For the People Act would create a standard election framework across the country and allow the federal government to enforce civil rights law. In an op-ed published Sunday (June 13), Sen. Manchin argued that the For the People Act was a partisan effort by Democrats that would stoke partisan divides. Voting and election reform that is done in a partisan manner will all but ensure partisan divisions continue to deepen, Manchin wrote. Since the 2020 election, Manchin, a moderate Democrat, has come under fire for opposing several key agenda items put forth by Democratic leadership. In addition to the For the People Act, he has also opposed President Bidens infrastructure bill and efforts to eliminate the filibuster. Chuck Overstreet, a Charleston resident who joined the march, told Associated Press, With our senator pretty much controlling this thing, we want to be here to say were not on the same page. According to the Associated Press, people from neighboring states including Kentucky and Maryland traveled by car and bus to join the protest. Weather Alert ...AREAS OF PATCHY DENSE FOG LIKELY THIS MORNING ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY... As skies continue to clear from north to south across Kentucky this morning, the combination of light winds and wet grounds from recent rains will lead to patchy fog formation across much of central Kentucky. The fog may be locally dense in spots with visibilities being reduce to below a half of a mile in some locations. This will be especially true in river valleys and in areas along creeks and streams. The fog is expected to mix out later this morning, towards sunrise as north to northeasterly winds increase across the region as high pressure continues to build into the region. Motorists traveling this morning should be aware of quick changes in visibility over short distances. Make sure to use low-beam headlights while traveling this morning. Stay tuned to NOAA weather radio and your local media for the latest weather updates. BOISE - Idaho Governor Brad Little announced on Wednesday morning that vaccinated state employees will be rewarded with four hours of paid leave. Idaho state employees can get the paid leave if they have already received or choose to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. In a Facebook post, Little added that the offer comes at no extra cost to Idaho's taxpayers. "I encourage private employers to consider offering their employees the same benefit. The COVID-19 vaccine is our best tool to protect jobs, strengthen our workforce, and save lives," said Little. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) A 20-year-old Iowa man shot and killed his parents and his younger sister at the family's Cedar Rapids home, and has been taken into custody, police said late Tuesday. Officers who responded to the home after receiving a call at 8:23 a.m. Tuesday found three family members dead inside from gunshot wounds, the Cedar Rapids Police Department said. The Indian Society for Clinical Research (ISCR), an association of clinical research professionals, has announced the appointment of Dr Sanish Davis as its President for the term 2021-23 Dr Davis holds a degree in Clinical Pharmacology and has 15 years of experience in the clinical research industry. Currently serving as the R&D Director, Global Commercial Operations (GCO)-India at Johnson & Johnson, he has taken over from Dr Chirag Trivedi who was the President of ISCR for two terms from 2017-2021. BioSpectrum reaches out to Dr Sanish Davis, President, Indian Society for Clinical Research (ISCR), Mumbai to talk about the growth and challenges in store for the clinical research sector in the post-covid world. Edited excerpts; What new initiatives have been taken to protect the rights of clinical trial subjects during and post covid world? During the initial stages of the lockdown in 2020, we faced challenges in ensuring the continuity of clinical trials due to the several restrictions that were in place which led to delayed or no hospital visits, difficulties in IMP reaching patients and so on. However, this was soon resolved as stakeholders came together to collaborate in ensuring that clinical trials could continue uninterrupted without impacting the quality and integrity of clinical trial data or patient safety. Some of the routes to ensure this included: Direct to participant shipment of investigational medicinal products (IMP) so that the patient received IMP at their homes; Home nursing care visits for the administration of IMPs and collection of biological samples; Video/teleconsultation (telemedicine) of trial participants by investigators as per the protocol; and implementation of remote monitoring of patient data. Investigators worked with Ethics Committees to best manage ongoing patients and drug supplies, report SAEs, manage study visits, and so on. In the case of studies with an NCE/NBE, new patients underwent audio-video consenting of the informed consent process especially in non-COVID-19 studies. In the case of COVID-19 studies, investigators worked with ethics committees to seek the best possible way for consenting either by reading out the form and/or audio-video taping the same with the patient or their Legally Acceptable Representative or using an impartial witness. Sponsors also communicated the implementation process to the regulators. The regulators were quick to respond in ensuring the quick implementation of digital measures to streamline processes and approvals in a pandemic world. We are hopeful that these changes will not just continue after the pandemic but that we will see an enhancement of more digital measures. Patient protection and safety are at the core of any clinical trial and that is the tenet of any clinical trial whether we are in the midst of a pandemic or not. Going forward how beneficial will be the academic and pharmaceutical industry collaboration for clinical trials in terms of increasing participation and awareness? The academic partnership is extremely important and intrinsic to the growth and success of clinical research which is why a few years ago, we established the Academic Consortium for Clinical Research in India (ACCRI) as part of ISCR. The ACCRI initiative was conceived to enhance clinical research in India through collaboration in areas of learning and development, capacity building and knowledge enhancement which would benefit academic institutions and researchers. As part of the initiative, we have done several types of research capacities building programs, including one in North East India, initiated a Remote Clinical Research Mentorship program aimed at junior/mid-level faculty in medical institutions who would like to build their career as a clinical researcher etc. We also have an annual best Academic Researcher Prizes for original research work across senior, junior and mid-level faculty positions for which ACCRI solicits original work from researchers in medical institutions from the length and breadth of the country. We strongly believe that if India has to be able to develop new drugs, biologicals/vaccines, medical devices, AYUSH products etc. then we should have an equally vibrant clinical research community that can advise developers on the best clinical development plan. Hence ISCRs strategy for developing clinical researchers of the future is with an aim to contribute to drug development for the country for diseases that have unmet medical needs. The collaboration between academia and industry, as the pandemic too has shown, is highly synergistic and mutually beneficial to both. Due to the pandemic, clinical trials have shifted to remote operations. How, do you think, we have fared upon the reliance on digital technologies? And what are the future opportunities for digital adoption? The pandemic has not just catalysed the implementation of digital technology in clinical trials but also demonstrated their efficiency in ensuring shorter timelines and greater reliability of data without compromising on patient safety. Stakeholders across the spectrum were also quick to implement digital interventions be it the regulators, ethics committees, investigators or sites. Digital technologies that leverage algorithms, data science, and health information can play a substantial role in drug development by reducing timelines for approvals and ensuring better collaboration, thus enabling institutions to bring drugs to the market faster. However, incorporating technology in clinical research requires a steep learning curve by investigators, sponsors, participants, and other stakeholders. As we move into the second half of 2021, we must make transformative use of digital platforms for better utilization of resources and building capabilities. What are your views on the approval of the vaccine taking place in India, particularly the fast-tracking of approvals for foreign vaccines? A greater need for immunisation and protection has never been felt as much as during the pandemic. The world has watched as scientists, medics and clinical researchers from the industry, academia and research institutes collaborated and created new pathways to expedite the clinical development of vaccines that will help save lives and end the pandemic. We now need to ensure better and faster access to vaccines, while also focusing on how we can use learnings from vaccine development during the pandemic to advance the development of vaccines for other diseases. Fair and equitable access to immunisation, globally, is vital as it is a key element of primary health care and brings us closer to a healthier world. Bringing safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to India required bridging clinical studies in compliance with local regulations. As there are several vaccines that have been developed in the west that have Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) based on the interim Phase III data, it becomes easy for India, being a part of the ICH (International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use) deliberations, to provide the possibility of EUA for vaccines which have EUA in major ICH countries. The government has shown flexibility in its approach of accepting efficacy and safety data generated till date globally, and then following it up with a parallel local bridging study. The local bridging study as well as the proposed initial 100 beneficiary safety monitoring during the rollout of the vaccine program with any foreign vaccine will allow the collection of safety and effectiveness data in Indian participants. Dr Manbeena Chawla (manbeena.chawla@mmactiv.com) The Ahmedabad-based company has uniquely designed to cater to aggressive ventilatory support in clinical situations for intensely ill patients Ahmedabad-based Electrotherm Solar has manufactured new-age emergency ventilators. The Electra Ventilator's unique design can cater to aggressive ventilatory support in clinical situations for intensely ill patients. It includes extensive ventilator modes like VC-ACMV (Volume Control-Assist control Mandatory Ventilation), BiPAP and High flow oxygen therapy. The ventilator bears unique features like real-time tablet-based data log, tablet-based trending data storage along with a customised healthcare application. The ventilator can serve the targeted subset of patients suffering from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19; Only 10-15per cent of the patients suffering from ARDS require ICU Ventilator. The pandemic situation inspired Kapil Shah, Director - Electra Ventilators, to engineer remote access and data portability. So that the patient report can be accessed anywhere, anytime, as every minute counts under observation. This app feeds in all the ventilator parameters directly into the live server to monitor anywhere across the world. The enhanced ventilator system has multiple benefits due to its ergonomic design. It is highly coherent in operation and is multifunctional. The lightweight model makes it very portable for emergency use by simply plug-n-play. After acquiring a Diploma in Public Relations in 2018, Keowin Knowlden immediately started working as an intern at Atmosphere Communications. This opportunity launched his PR career and after a mere two years in the industry he became an account manager at just 24-years-old. Knowlden has been part of a team who has won several awards, including a Loeries in 2018 and Prisms in 2019 and 2021... These lines were aimed at a tiny number of human beings. Certainly almost no Americans have any idea what Article 5 is part of or what it says. But Bidens words were genuinely significant. Article 5 is a clause in the North Atlantic Treaty, the founding document of NATO, which states that any armed attack against any member of the alliance shall be considered an attack against them all. This is at the core of how the U.S. runs the world and intends to keep running it in the future. It also signifies that should we face the prospect of sharing power with others today that mostly means China we may end up destroying the world. The North Atlantic Treaty is also known as the Washington Treaty, which tells you most of what you need to know about it. It was written in 1949, a time when U.S. power was so overweening that it could simply dictate terms to its allies. Most of whatever little discussion there was with other countries diplomats took place in secret over two weeks at the Pentagon. It was co-written by the delightfully-named Thomas Achilles, a State Department official who later said his boss had told him, I dont care whether entangling alliances have been considered worse than original sin ever since George Washingtons time. Weve got to negotiate a military alliance with Western Europe in peacetime and weve got to do it quickly. The public rationale for NATO was that it was a defensive alliance necessary to stop the Soviet Union from invading Western Europe. The private rationale, as articulated by Achilles, was somewhat different: At that point Western Europe was devastated, prostrate and demoralized and it badly needed confidence and energy within. With the Soviet armies halfway across Europe and still at their full wartime strength and the Communist parties the largest single political elements in France and Italy, something to inspire Soviet respect was equally essential. Some top U.S. officials did honestly think that the Soviet Union was poised to stage a military attack. Whether that belief had any basis in reality is extremely debatable; about 27 million Russians, or 1 in every 6 people in the country, had just died in World War II. The equivalent for the U.S. today would be 50 million dead Americans. Even Joseph Stalin might have had a tough time motivating the country to immediately embark on another such event. A more reasonable concern for the American government was a political, rather than military, threat. As Achilles said, there were powerful communist parties across Europe, especially in France and Italy ones that could plausibly win honest elections. The anti-communist forces in those countries needed the confidence and energy of NATO to fight back. Meanwhile, NATO would inspire Soviet respect that would hopefully lessen Russian support, material and moral, for Europes communist parties. Something else is notable about NATOs founding. The original 12 members were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the U.K., and the U.S. in hindsight, something of an all-star league of European colonialism. Its difficult today not to notice the blindingly alabaster complexion of the officials who signed the treaty. The original version of the treaty even specifies that it applied to any attack on the Algerian Departments of France. A fuller reading of history suggests that the formation of NATO helped intensify and institutionalize the Cold War. In any case, the architects of NATO would say that they were simply responding to the Cold War, already in progress at the instigation of the Soviets. A fuller reading of history suggests that the formation of NATO helped intensify and institutionalize the Cold War. The Warsaw Pact, after all, was not created until 1955, six years later, and its text is in many ways a replica of that of NATOs treaty. It even has its own Article 5 language, except its in Article 4. The unstated logic of both NATO and the Warsaw Pact was also the same. Indeed, its identical to that of similar alliances for thousands of years going back to the Delian League, founded in 478 B.C. and led by Athens. Providing protection is one key way for powerful countries to bind less powerful ones to them. The U.S. didnt create NATO because we believed that wed someday need Luxembourgs military might to save us, nor did the Soviets come up with the Warsaw Pact because they felt that way about Albania. Rather, both superpowers knew that if they didnt promise smaller countries protection, the smaller countries would feel compelled to protect themselves which would lead to them wandering off on their own with their own foreign policies. Thats no way to run a sphere of influence. NATO worked during the Cold War, both in the sense that there was no Soviet invasion and that the U.S. was able to corral Western Europe into following our instructions most of the time. A smattering of new countries joined during this period: Greece and Turkey in 1952, West Germany in 1955, and Spain in 1982. Then came the dissolution of the Soviet Union, beginning in the late 1980s. If NATOs champions were correct, it would have similarly been disbanded, its purported purpose now moot. But NATOs more skeptical critics, who claimed that it was largely an aggressive instrument of U.S. power, have clearly been proven right by time. As Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to peacefully dismantle the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, he sought assurances from the U.S. that NATO would not expand into the areas the Soviets were vacating. James Baker, President George H.W. Bushs secretary of state, told Gorbachev not once but three times that wouldnt happen. Not an inch of NATOs present military jurisdiction will spread in an eastern direction, Baker promised. NATOs goals have expanded along with its territory. Instead, in 1999 NATO incorporated the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary, a big chunk of what had been the Warsaw Pact. Then in 2004 Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia, more of the Warsaw Pact, joined, along with Latvia and Lithuania, which had actually been part of the Soviet Union. Other Eastern European countries followed, bringing NATOs current membership to 30. NATOs goals have expanded along with its territory. The U.S. has found it particularly useful as a way to create legitimacy for wars when the United Nations wont authorize them, as with the bombing of Serbia in 1999 and Libya in 2011. In both cases, the American government pointed to NATOs involvement as making the wars multilateral that is, not unilateral acts by the U.S. even though the U.S. provided the crucial firepower and neither war would have happened if America hadnt wanted them to. Russia has greeted these events with the same enthusiasm that the U.S. would if Mexico, Canada, and a newly independent Texas joined a Russian-led military alliance. Of particular concern to Russia is the possibility of Ukraine, another huge chunk of the former Soviet Union, becoming part of NATO. NATO is also looking farther afield, to the entire planet. It just released NATO 2030, which describes an an ambitious agenda to make sure NATO remains ready, strong and united for a new era of global competition. NATO needs to adopt a more global approach to tackle global challenges to Atlantic security. The head of NATO recently discussed this need with Lloyd Austin, the new U.S. secretary of defense. Oddly, it turns out that the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations Atlantic security now is largely about China, a country famously located on the Pacific. After Tuesdays summit, NATO released its formal communique, which said, among other things, that Chinas stated ambitions and assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to Alliance security. It now seems quite possible that NATO will accomplish in the near future what it did 70 years ago that is, push countries outside it into their own alliance in what they perceive as necessary self-defense. Thus just as NATO helped create the Cold War then, its well on its way to creating a sequel now. Ominously, there is essentially no discussion about this in the U.S. and Europe. As Biden said, the small number of elites who are involved in these discussions see NATO as sacred. Similarly, when advocating for the creation of NATO, then-British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin said it was necessary for the salvation of the west. As strange as it may seem for normal people, NATO is an institution of religious fervor for Western elites and therefore cannot be debated, any more than the Pope is open to debate about the Holy Trinity. And we all know how religions can lead to war. The post Meet NATO, the Dangerous Defensive Alliance Trying to Run the World appeared first on The Intercept. In this episode, Whitney and Robbie Martin of Media Roots discuss how the recent heavy promotion of UFOs by the military and intelligence communities masks a decades-old neoconservative agenda to militarize outer space as a way to indefinitely secure American military hegemony. Originally published June 12, 2021 on Rokfin.com Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. Boulder, MT (59632) Today Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 58F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. 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. Bradford, PA (16701) Today Rain. Thunderstorms possible...mainly in the afternoon. High near 65F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. At only six years of age, Paisley Connolly has reached the final two in a national fishing competition for charity. Advertisement Advertise With Us At only six years of age, Paisley Connolly has reached the final two in a national fishing competition for charity. Joined by her father, Scott, Paisley has spent the past three weeks competing in the On The Other Line Canada contest. Although Scott has been helping her along the way, Paisley has to reel in each fish herself for them to count. The fourth and final round of the elimination competition began Tuesday and will cap off with a winner announced June 22. Each round has consisted of a different challenge, with this final weeks winner determined by whichever angler catches the greatest number of species. When both competitors catch the same species, the largest of the two earn a point. Paisley is fishing against Adam Turnbull, who has spent the competition in Alberta. It has been a fun few weeks, Paisley said Tuesday during a brief lunch break from fishing at the familys home in Rapid City. Shed joined her father in fishing in Rivers first thing that morning and planned on hitting up the Assiniboine River during the afternoon, hoping to catch a few new species. The highlight of the contest thus far, Paisley said enthusiastically over the phone, has been flying in an airplane. This, Scott said, took place during their recent fishing trip up north to Flin Flon. Although Paisley was shy on the phone, her mother, Michelle, said the youngster is a fishing enthusiast, and competitive to boot. Paisley Connolly, 6, is seen with one of the fish she caught during the On The Other Line Canada fishing contest thus far. (Submitted) "Shes been going hard," Michelle said, adding she has been proud to see how dedicated her daughter has been to the cause. Paisleys enthusiasm for competitive fishing predates this contest, having earned her first angler badge at the age of two. Scott was in another national fishing competition last year, when he decided to have Paisley join him. "One of the rules in that competition was that if you had a child with you, their catches would be counted," he said. "I brought her out and she ended up out-fishing me." She had a similar enthusiasm during the winter, when shed join her father in waking up long before the sun rose to walk across a pitch-black lake, "loving every minute of it." Whichever participant comes out on top Tuesday will receive a cheque for $1,000 toward the charity of their choice, with Paisley and her family choosing Autism Canada as their recipient. Scott Connolly is seen with his six-year-old daughter, Paisley, during one of their recent fishing expeditions. (Submitted) Her brother, Dexter, 9, has autism, and Paisley said that in addition to horsing around with him, she serves as something of a bigger sister by helping look out for him. Regardless of whether Paisley comes out on top, the family wanted to do something for the cause, so they started an online fundraiser toward Autism Canada. Their goal of raising $1,500 was quickly surpassed, with $2,820 raised as of Tuesday, with another two weeks left to go. In addition to raising money, the fundraiser gets participants involved in Paisleys fishing expeditions, with every donation of $20 allowing people a chance to guess the length of the biggest fish she catches during the month. The winner will be the closest without going over and will receive a nights accommodation at Bakers Narrows Lodge and a guided fishing trip on Lake Athapapuskow. Scott said it has been a positive bonding experience with his daughter and that theyll spend the final days of the contest fishing throughout Westman. "Its been an awesome experience and were just happy to do it," he said, adding that raising money and awareness for a cause near and dear to the family has been a bonus. Paisleys progress can be tracked online at the "On The Other Line Canada" Facebook page, and the related fundraiser can be found at canadahelps.org/en/pages/paisley-fish-for-autism. tclarke@brandonsun.com Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB Returning to quick jaunts to Saskatchewan or a weekend in Ontario depends on vaccination, Manitobas premier said Tuesday following a meeting of western and northern premiers. Advertisement Advertise With Us Returning to quick jaunts to Saskatchewan or a weekend in Ontario depends on vaccination, Manitobas premier said Tuesday following a meeting of western and northern premiers. "Any question on reopening of borders is inseparably linked with vaccination uptake," Pallister said during a virtual press conference with the premiers of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut. "Clearly, the higher the uptake, the more security Canadians will enjoy. Old targets of herd immunity have disappeared as variants have arisen that increase the threat of rapid transmission, so any discussion around reduction of border barriers has to recognize the reality of the vaccine as the way out of this mess." Manitoba has already linked self-isolation-free travel to being fully vaccinated. Two weeks after getting a second dose, fully vaccinated Manitobans can travel within Canada without having to isolate for 14 days when returning home. People outside the provincial borders who are fully vaccinated can also come into Manitoba without self-isolation. The consensus among western premiers is to get back to whatever normal will now be, British Columbia premier John Horgan said, but the federal government should be taking the lead on the issue. Horgan said he wants to see a clear plan when people arrive in Canada in the coming months. "All Canadians want to get back to something resembling normal. All of us are challenging that issue of what exactly normal is going to be, and thats going to take time and patience and I would suggest caution," he said. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said he and other premiers would be bringing ideas to the federal government to make travel easier. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe echoed Pallister and said the premiers are asking the federal government for a plan on when fully vaccinated Canadians can travel internationally without quarantine. "It may be a phased-in approach that involves a test, it may be a day or two quarantine that involves a test I dont know what it is, but what we are asking the federal government for is to communicate to Canadians on what their plan is how they are going to allow for travel, because it is important," Moe said. The group of premiers also discussed fiscal and staffing challenges in the health-care system. "As we find our way out of the third wave, COVID has shown us the limitations of our health-care system, and we need to find a way to better respond moving forward," Nunavut Premier Joe Savikataaq said. He said the premiers are calling for reoccurring funding and more funding for mental health and addictions on the other side of the pandemic. The premiers are also "strongly agreeing" hate has no place in Canada, Savikataaq said, and there is a need to do better for Indigenous and Muslim communities. dmay@brandonsun.com Twitter: @DrewMay_ WHITEHORSE - A husband and wife who flew to a remote Yukon community to receive early doses of COVID-19 vaccine in January were "cavalier" and "thoughtless," a judge said after the couple pleaded guilty to violating the territory's Civil Emergency Measures Act. A nurse prepares a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Yukon Convention Centre in Whitehorse on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mike Thomas WHITEHORSE - A husband and wife who flew to a remote Yukon community to receive early doses of COVID-19 vaccine in January were "cavalier" and "thoughtless," a judge said after the couple pleaded guilty to violating the territory's Civil Emergency Measures Act. Chief Judge Michael Cozens of the Territorial Court of Yukon agreed with a joint sentencing submission for Rodney Baker, the former CEO of the Great Canadian Gaming Corp., and his wife Ekaterina Baker, who appeared remotely in a Whitehorse court on Wednesday. They pleaded guilty to two counts each of failing to self-isolate for 14 days and failing to act in a manner consistent with their declarations upon arriving in Yukon. Cozens ordered the Bakers to pay the maximum allowable fine of $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for each charge, amounting to $1,150 each. The court heard the couple from Vancouver stated their purpose for visiting was tourism and education, but two days after arriving, they boarded a chartered plane to Beaver Creek, a small community near the Alaska border where more than half the population of about 100 are members of the White River First Nation. The Bakers were vaccinated at a mobile clinic before flying back to Whitehorse, where enforcement officers intercepted them trying to leave for Vancouver, the court heard. The former gaming executive and actress were handed violation tickets and charges carrying fines, six months in jail, or both. Outlining the joint sentencing submission, Crown attorney Kelly McGill told the court there were both aggravating and mitigating factors in the Bakers' case. There was a "high level of deception" and planning involved in the trip, she said, including booking flights and pre-registering at the Beaver Creek vaccine clinic. An approximate estimate of the cost of the trip was $10,000, McGill said. The mitigating factors include the Bakers' early guilty pleas, their lack of records of prior offences and the fact they shared the results of two negative COVID-19 tests with Beaver Creek to ease community members' fears, she said. The court heard the Bakers have each donated $5,000 to the global vaccine sharing effort known as COVAX, which the judge called a "positive move," while encouraging the couple to offer reparations directly to Beaver Creek. If not for the Bakers' guilty pleas and actions after being charged, McGill said, "it may have been Crown's submission that denunciation and deterrence required (a) custodial sentence for this type of behaviour, which is completely unacceptable." The defendants are "known to be very wealthy," she said, and the joint sentencing submission was for the maximum fine allowed under territorial law. The Bakers declined an opportunity to address the court, but their lawyer said they apologize unreservedly, and they regret the significant impact of their actions. The Crown factored in the couple's "good faith donations" as part of an expression of the remorse they feel over the harm done, McGill said. Cozens said he appreciates that some people may feel jail sentences should be imposed on the Bakers, but he did not find the proposed sentence was unfit and noted that no one contracted COVID-19 as a result of the couple's actions. The psychological harm to the Beaver Creek community was evident in an impact statement read in court by Janet Vander Meer, a member of the White River First Nation, he said. Premier Sandy Silver said in a statement that while the Bakers' donation reflected remorse, they haven't yet directly apologized to the White River First Nation and the residents of Beaver Creek. "The community of Beaver Creek feels violated by the actions of the Bakers," Silver said. "They have called for an apology and they deserve one." Vander Meer said Beaver Creek's most vulnerable residents attended the same clinic as the Bakers and community members developed anxiety after the incident, fearing the next clinic might not be safe. Beaver Creek was just the second Yukon community to host a mobile vaccination clinic that had travelled more than 450 kilometres to reach them, Vander Meer said. "It was never a thought in our mind that someone would take advantage of our situation as a small, remote community," the statement said. The community is still grappling with a lack of trust, she said. by Brenna Owen in Vancouver This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. HALIFAX - New Brunswick is vaulting ahead of its Atlantic Canadian counterparts and opening up to some travellers from the rest of Canada, as COVID-19 recedes across the region. A man heads to receive a COVID-19 vaccination at a clinic in Halifax on Friday, April 16, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan HALIFAX - New Brunswick is vaulting ahead of its Atlantic Canadian counterparts and opening up to some travellers from the rest of Canada, as COVID-19 recedes across the region. Premier Blaine Higgs announced Wednesday the change would occur at midnight as the province moves into the second phase of its reopening plan, just one day after implementing Phase 1 of the strategy. "We feel that we are at a level here in New Brunswick of vaccinations, that our population is protected," Higgs told reporters during a briefing. He said the province had reached its goal of having 20 per cent of people 65 or older vaccinated with two doses of a COVID vaccine in order to trigger Phase 2. On Tuesday, New Brunswick opened its borders to residents from P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador after hitting its 75 per cent first-dose vaccination goal for those 12 years of age and over. With the changes, the province will open to travellers from across Nova Scotia after initially opening to those in border communities on Tuesday. Regional travellers will also not have to self-isolate or test for the virus, while travel registration will no longer be required. Travellers from elsewhere in Canada who have received a first dose will be allowed into the province without the need to isolate, while those who haven't had a shot will be allowed in, but will have to isolate and produce a negative test before being released from quarantine. Other changes allow restaurants, gyms and salons to operate at full capacity as long as customer contact lists are kept. Officials reported three new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and 58 active cases the lowest active case count since March. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the chief medical officer of health reported one new case of novel coronavirus during a briefing and said the province now has 35 active cases ahead of its June 23 target to permit travellers from the other three Atlantic provinces. Officials said the case count in the province had dropped to less than five per 100,000 over the last week. "All indications are that the third wave is subsiding and this reduces the risk for everyone," said Dr. Janice Fitzgerald. "Public health applies restrictions proportionate to the level of risk and we are easing restrictions as we see improvements in epidemiology and as more people get vaccinated." Fitzgerald said people entering the province won't have to self-isolate, but will have to fill out a travel form before arrival and show identification at their point of entry to prove they are a resident of the Atlantic region. She said the province remains on track to reopen to the rest of Canada on July 1 partly due to vaccination rates that as of Monday indicated that 72 per cent of people eligible have had at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine. Nova Scotia, which is also opening to regional travel along with Prince Edward Island on June 23, moved into Phase 2 of its five-step reopening plan on Tuesday, as health officials reported eight new cases of COVID-19 and a total of 92 active cases. The changes allow such things as indoor dining at restaurants and bars, a 50 per cent customer capacity for retail stores and increased gathering limits. Natasha Prall, co-owner of Fresh From The Oven, a restaurant in Greenwood, N.S., said her business has been struggling over the course of the recent lockdown and has gotten by with takeout and delivery service. Under the initial phase of the province's reopening plan, restaurants were allowed to open patios to customers, but Prall's restaurant didn't have one and eventually resorted to setting up three picnic tables. "But even with the picnic tables in place, we really didn't have much business," she said in an interview. "With Phase 2, we are hoping to go back to normal or something along those lines." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. KANESATAKE - The Mohawk Council of Kanesatake says it's surprised but pleased that Quebec is finally open to discussing the possibility of re-establishing an Indigenous police force to patrol the community northwest of Montreal, its grand chief said Wednesday. A Mohawk warrior flag flies in front of the Kanesatake Mohawk band council office in Kanesatake, Que., on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz KANESATAKE - The Mohawk Council of Kanesatake says it's surprised but pleased that Quebec is finally open to discussing the possibility of re-establishing an Indigenous police force to patrol the community northwest of Montreal, its grand chief said Wednesday. Talk of re-establishing the force comes after a massive party in Kanesatake attracted several hundred people last weekend despite COVID-19 public health restrictions on gatherings. Grand Chief Serge Otsi Simon said on Wednesday that last weekend's event at a cannabis dispensary called The Green Room, is just the latest example of an incident that needed a police response. The priority is now to re-establish trust, stability and calm in the community, he added. "People are trying to blame The Green Room, but its not just that," Simon said in an interview. "There have been other events before this one, but this was the straw that broke the camels back. There are others who have this mentality that they can do what they want, that it's their territory." Simon, who has served as grand chief for the past decade, said that mindset has become embedded in part because the federal and provincial governments have refused to intervene. The community has been without its own police force since 2004 and Quebec provincial police have patrolled the territory since 2005, but rarely venture within its boundaries. Simon said the council has been asking Quebec and Ottawa for financial help for a force ever since. Premier Francois Legault told a news conference over the weekend he was open to honouring a longtime request from the Kanesatake grand chief for a police force. Simon said Kanesatake is proactively designating a team to sit at the negotiation table, to start working on the issue. Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault also confirmed Monday that discussions have been underway "for some time" with Kanesatake about bringing back a police force, but said it's a complex discussion. "Our Indigenous police forces in Quebec are funded 52 per cent by the federal government, 48 per cent by the provincial government," Guilbault said. "There are always tripartite agreements, so there is a complexity there." Kanesatake's police force was dismantled in 2004 following internal disputes that escalated into violence as the residence of then-grand chief James Gabriel was burnt down. Tracy Cross, a former Kanesatake police chief, said he agrees that the community cannot continue to be without law enforcement, but stressed the solution needs to come from consultations. "You have to incorporate the community and have constructive consultation. If you don't, you are setting yourself up for failure," Cross said. "We need some type of security, we can't have lawlessness. We need laws in place, but our own traditional laws incorporated." Pascal Quevillon, the mayor of neighbouring municipality of Oka, said he felt the RCMP needs to be deployed for the situation to improve. What happens in Kanesatake, said Quevillon, inevitably impacts his village. "It is not by bringing a Mohawk police force that we will settle the situation," Quevillon said, adding it will take more than a local police force to restore order and take on organized crime. Kanehsatakehro:non Teiawenniserate Tomlinson, a community member and also former RCMP officer, disagreed. He said there have been enough individuals or small groups dictating what they believe is the best solution for Indigenous people, and said he prefers to promote discussion and dialogue on public safety. "The approach undertaken is completely colonial and paternalistic," Tomlinson said. "To believe that the solution to all our issues relating to development, education and culture and language can be solved by policing is delusional." This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 16, 2021. HALIFAX - The RCMP officers dispatched to apprehend an active shooter in Portapique, N.S., last spring thought they were hearing gunshots long after the shooter had killed 13 people and fled the scene, according to a newly released statement from a senior Mountie. An RCMP officer talks with a local resident before escorting them home at a roadblock in Portapique, N.S. on Wednesday, April 22, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan HALIFAX - The RCMP officers dispatched to apprehend an active shooter in Portapique, N.S., last spring thought they were hearing gunshots long after the shooter had killed 13 people and fled the scene, according to a newly released statement from a senior Mountie. The lone gunman, disguised as a Mountie and driving a replica RCMP cruiser, left the village by driving through a field around 10:35 p.m., nine minutes after the first RCMP cruiser arrived at the scene on the night of April 18, 2020, the RCMP have previously disclosed. The suspect went on to fatally shoot another nine people the next day in three other communities before he was killed by police at a gas station north of Halifax. In an affidavit sworn on June 3, RCMP Supt. Darren Campbell said officers reported hearing gunfire in the rural enclave as late as 2:50 a.m. on April 19, 2020, even though the Mounties later confirmed a witness had spotted the gunman escaping more than four hours earlier. Campbell's statement provides no explanation for the discrepancy, though there has been speculation the bangs could have been coming from homes the gunman had set on fire, including his own. The eight-page affidavit also reveals for the first time that officers in Portapique thought they had spotted the killer carrying a flashlight just after 10:45 p.m., but they lost track of the suspect when the light was switched off and the person fled into nearby woods. The person with the flashlight emerged from the woods around 2:20 a.m. and was cleared as a suspect. The senior officer said police faced further challenges early in their response when a witness reportedthere were multiple shooters in the area. The affidavit was submitted June 8 in response to a proposed class-action lawsuit in Nova Scotia Supreme Court. A law firm representing the families of victims is preparing two potential lawsuits. One of them focuses on the police response to the killings and names the RCMP and the Nova Scotia government. The other names the estate of the gunman. Campbell, the RCMP's support services officer in Nova Scotia and a 30-year veteran of the force, confirmed in his affidavit that the first 911 call from Portapique was logged at 10:01 p.m. The first caller "reported that her husband had been shot by her neighbour .... The caller added that her neighbour is a denturist and that there was a police car or police cars in the driveway and that the man 'had a big gun,' " Campbell said. Previously released court documents have confirmedthat the first person police encountered when they arrived in Portapique told the officers that his neighbour, Gabriel Wortman, had shot him and was driving a vehicle that was identical to an RCMP cruiser. Campbell's statement does not offer that level of detail but notes that 911 calls "suggested the suspect was driving a car like a police car." The public was not warned about the vehicle until 10:17 a.m. the next day. In his statement, Campbell says that some time after 10:34 p.m. on April 18, 2020, two RCMP officers entered the rural neighbourhood on foot to search for the shooter. Campbell said the officers, who were soon joined by a third Mountie, were guided by training he referred to as Immediate Action Rapid Deployment, which calls for an immediate response to active, life-threatening incidents. "These members encountered a scene involving several structure fires and heard gunshot sounds," Campbell says in the document. The Mounties tried to bring in an RCMP helicopter to help with the search, but it was grounded because of maintenance issues, the affidavit says. At 10:49 p.m., officers searching the neighbourhood found a body on Orchard Beach Drive and more gunfire was reported. At 11:32 p.m., the RCMP sent a message on Twitter advising Portapique residents to stay in their homes and lock their doors. And the public was warned to avoid the area. Campbell's statement says subsequent 911 calls alerted police to suspicious activity in other parts of the community, but those reports proved to be false. Meanwhile, after being told the suspect could be driving a decommissioned police cruiser, an RCMP officer at the scene recalled giving a speeding ticket to the suspected shooter. That officer then shared photos of the suspect's driver's licence and the vehicle he had stopped a white 2013 Ford Taurus police interceptor with reflective tape on the rear bumper. That's when the RCMP began informing other police forces about the gunman's identity. The Mounties issued a "be on the lookout" or BOLO alert, which made it clear the suspect was armed. Police learned the killer had purchased three decommissioned police cruisers in recent years, but all three were accounted for early on April 19, 2020. Two were found burned on the suspect's Portapique property and the third was located at his home in Dartmouth, N.S. There is no indication in Campbell's affidavit police were initially aware of a fourth vehicle he used during his rampage through northern and central Nova Scotia. Campbell's statement says police had established a two-kilometre lockdown perimeter around Portapique by 1 a.m. on April 19, 2020, which included four roadblocks on Highway 2, the main route through the village. That was almost two hours after the gunman parked his car about 24 kilometres away, behind a welding shop in Debert, N.S., where he spent the night. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. OTTAWA - Federal lawmakers are acknowledging Quebec's right to unilaterally change the Constitution in line with proposed reforms to the province's language law. Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet speaks during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on June 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA - Federal lawmakers are acknowledging Quebec's right to unilaterally change the Constitution in line with proposed reforms to the province's language law. In the House of Commons today, a motion from Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet that asked lawmakers to recognize that right passed 281-2 with all-party support. Blanchet's motion cleared a path for House recognition of Premier Francois Legault's attempt to amend the country's supreme law by affirming Quebec as a nation with French as its official language. The legislation, known as Bill 96, has stirred up debate as experts fret that constitutional acknowledgment of a distinct society would push courts to interpret laws differently in Quebec or hand it greater provincial power. Blanchet said Tuesday Quebecers need to know where the parties stand ahead of an election that could come this year. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said an initial Justice Department analysis concluded the province can go ahead with the changes, but some experts disagree, saying constitutional tweaks to language use require a parliamentary green light. Anthony Housefather, Liberal MP for Mount Royal in Montreal, said Tuesday that passage of Blanchet's motion does not amount to an agreement by the House to a constitutional amendment, which would require legislation, public consultation and extensive debate. The Bloc failed to pass a nearly identical motion three weeks ago, which required unanimous consent and was scuppered by a single "nay" from independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould, who also opposed this week's motion along with Independent MP Derek Sloan. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said Liberal MP Hedy Fry voted against the motion. The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times eastern): The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times eastern): 6:35 p.m. British Columbia health officials say the province ranks among the highest in the world for the number of people who have their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. They say more than 76 per cent of eligible people have received their first dose of the vaccine while 710,847 have got their second shot. The province reported 113 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 146,674. It also recorded four COVID-19-related deaths for a total of 1,738 fatalities. 5:45 p.m. Alberta is reporting 153 new cases of COVID-19 and four more deaths. The province says 255 people are in hospital, with 67 of those patients in intensive care. Fifty of the new cases are the more contagious COVID-19 variants of concern. The province also says there are 2,639 active cases and, of those, 1,903 are variants of concern. Since the pandemic began, 2,278 people in Alberta have died from the virus. 4:10 p.m. New Brunswick is moving into Phase 2 of its reopening plan. Premier Blaine Higgs says the change will occur at midnight, opening travel without the need to isolate to all of Nova Scotia after opening to P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday. Travellers from elsewhere in Canada who have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will be allowed into the province without the need to isolate, while those who haven't had a shot will have to isolate and produce a negative test before being released from quarantine. Officials reported three new COVID-19 cases today and 58 active cases -- the lowest active case count since March. 3:35 p.m. Saskatchewan is reporting 74 new cases of COVID-19 today, and two more people have died. One of the people who died was in the 80+ age group in the northwest zone of the province, and the other was in their 70s in Saskatoon. Seventy-six more people have recovered, leaving the province with 726 active cases. The highest numbers of active cases are in the Saskatoon and Regina zones, and the province is reporting no active cases in the far north central region. The province is also reporting 92 people in hospital, including 12 in intensive care. 1:35 p.m. Manitoba is reporting 144 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths. It's the fourth consecutive day that case counts have been below 200. The five-day test-positivity rate continues to drop, and stands at 9.7 per cent provincially and 9.2 per cent in Winnipeg. 1:10 p.m. Three-quarters of eligible Canadians are now partly vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccinations given on Tuesday were enough to push Canada over 24.75 million first doses, the first target on the pathway out of the pandemic. Federal modelling this spring suggested if 75 per cent of eligible Canadians got their first dose, and at least 20 per cent were fully vaccinated, we can safely start to loosen public health restrictions. When 75 per cent of eligible Canadians have both doses, we will be able to start being less strict about personal protections like social distancing and face masks. Close to 5.5 million people now have their second dose, or almost 17 per cent. There will be enough vaccine delivered to get a second dose to 75 per cent of Canadians by the end of July. 12:50 p.m. Manitoba has expanded eligibility for second doses in the general population to anyone who received a first dose on or before May 14. Health officials say that benchmark will be moved to May 18 tomorrow. All Indigenous Manitobans over aged 12, and persons with certain underlying medical conditions, can already book second doses. 12 p.m. Manitoba is hoping to have everyone aged 12 and up eligible for second doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of next week. Health officials say two large shipments of Moderna vaccine, expected this week and next, will allow the province to administer more than 20,000 doses per day. The province is planning to allow more walk-ins at vaccinations sites, to make it easier for people who don't want to book an appointment in advance. 11:55 a.m. Nova Scotia is reporting eight new cases of COVID-19 today. Health officials say five cases are in the Halifax area and three have been identified in the eastern health zone which includes Cape Breton. The province has 92 known active cases while there are five people in hospital, including four in intensive care, as a result of the virus. The province says 715,070 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Tuesday, with a total of 58,854 people having received their booster shot. 11:45 a.m. Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting one new case of COVID-19 today. Chief medical officer of health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, says the case involves a person between 30 and 49 years old and is travel-related. The province has 35 known active cases of novel coronavirus and there is no one currently in hospital as a result of being infected. Fitzgerald says as of Monday 72 per cent of people eligible have had at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine and it's anticipated the province will reach the 75 per cent mark later this week. 11:25 a.m. The Quebec government is reporting 153 new cases of COVID-19 and one additional death due to the pandemic. Hospitalizations fell by 17 to 192, while the number of people in intensive care dropped by five to 45. The province also added another 87,000 vaccine doses to its total, for a grand sum of nearly 7 million doses administered. The province has 1,606 active cases. 10:30 a.m. Ontario reports there are 384 new cases of COVID-19 in the province and 12 more deaths linked to the virus. Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 71 new cases in Waterloo, 60 in Peel Region and 54 in Toronto. The Ministry of Health says that 438 people are in hospital with the novel coronavirus 377 in intensive care and 242 on a ventilator. Premier Doug Ford says Ontario administered a record high of nearly 203,000 vaccine doses since Tuesday's report, for a total of more than 11.7 million doses given out so far. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. Harrisonburg, VA (22807) Today Isolated thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High 79F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Mainly clear skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. BHPs attempts to turbocharge its move to increase the number of female staff has landed it in a Texan court fighting a disgruntled male employee who claims he is the victim of sexual discrimination having lost his job to a less qualified female. Burak Powers has made a sexual discrimination claim against BHP. Credit: Its a turn of events that will surely elicit a response from women who have been overlooked for jobs or management positions over the past four decades as being the operation of karma. Attempting to redress decades of corporate structural gender imbalance can create losers usually the men who have traditionally been the beneficiaries of a positive skew towards them in employment and promotion. BHP has unashamedly undertaken a corporate-wide strategy of increasing female participation. The company is part of the mining industry that has long been a laggard in employing women. Residents and unions have placed Willow Grove under 24-hour watch and say they will do whatever it takes to protect the historic villa after losing their legal bid to halt work on the Parramatta Powerhouse. The Land and Environment Court ruled against the North Parramatta Residents Action Group on Wednesday paving the way for Willow Groves relocation to a new site to make way for the museum at a cost of more than $10 million. Willow Grove amid the site clearing for the Parramatta Powerhouse. Willow Groves garden and curtilage have already been swept away as part of early site works, with the Parramatta Powerhouses major construction contractor expected to be named in the coming weeks. The NSW branch of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union will continue to enforce a green ban on the removal of Willow Grove despite the courts findings. Her first novel, The Inland Sea, is told by an unnamed narrator who works as an emergency dispatch operator in an Australia on the brink of crisis with flood and fire wreaking havoc. Loading London-based indie publisher Pushkin Press released the novel as pandemic lockdowns took hold around the world. One doesnt allow oneself to allow for or to hope and expect such things. I feel incredibly lucky especially as [the novel] came out in March 2020. The world was going through a lot in March 2020 and this has really given it a new life, Watts, who teaches creative writing at Columbia and Johns Hopkins universities, said. Watts said she felt slightly homesick being away from family and friends for the shortlist announcement but the recognition was affirming after a challenging year. As a bookish kid growing up in Australia it was not only the biggest prize and the most prestigious prize but it commanded a lot of respect and it sets the canon of what we consider to be Australian literature. There are really not many countries who have a prize quite like it, she said. Andrew Pippos, left, author of Luckys, and Robbie Arnott, author of The Rain Heron. Credit:Belinda Rolland Pippos, the other debut author on the shortlist, wrote Luckys, an epic that spans 80 years and is set in the milieu of the Greek-Australian cafe, over nearly a decade. Tasmanian-based Lohreys eighth novel The Labyrinth is about a woman who retreats to a rundown shack near where her artist son has been imprisoned and becomes obsessed by the idea of creating a labyrinth by the ocean. Arnott, also from Tasmania, has followed his critically acclaimed debut Flames with The Rain Heron, which tells the story of Ren, who flees a coup in an unnamed country only to be to disturbed by a group of soldiers on a mission to capture a mythical bird. Davis Woods narrator is in the grips of grief following the death of his newborn first child in At the Edge of the Solid World, his first full-length work of fiction since he won the Viva La Novella prize in 2014. Loading The Miles Franklin, established by the will of the My Brilliant Career author and first presented in 1957, is awarded each year to a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases. Indigenous Australian novelist Tara June Winch won in 2020 with The Yield. In various ways each of this years shortlisted books investigate destructive loss: of loved ones, freedom, self and the environment. There is, of course, beauty and joy to be found, and decency and hope, largely through the embrace of community but, as the shortlist reminds us, often community is no match for more powerful force, State Library of NSW Mitchell Librarian and judging panel chair Richard Neville said. The other judges were book critics Dr Melinda Harvey, Dr Bernadette Brennan, Dr James Ley and author Sisonke Msimang. The winner will be announced on July 15. Australians have known for decades that New Zealanders are the funniest people in the world: weve been claiming hilarious Kiwis as our own since John Clarke crossed the ditch in the 70s. It would seem that the rest of the world has finally started to catch on: the international comedic tsunami that began to gather force with Flight of the Conchords has in the past 10 years truly washed over the world, from former Conchord Bret McKenzies Oscar-winning Muppet songwriting, to the rewriting of the rules of superhero movies by Taika Waititi, to the slow-burning triumph of ultra-low-key supernatural cop mockumentary Wellington Paranormal, and more: odd vowels and unbreakably deadpan delivery have hit the big time. And here comes Rose Matafeo to add a vivid new splash of colour to the Kiwi comedy palette. I dont know what it is, Matafeo muses when asked whether there is something unique about the New Zealand sense of humour that is contributing to her nations world conquest. I think we tend to have a very down-to-earth sense of humour. Because of our place in the world, we dont take ourselves too seriously. Its probably similar to the Australian sense of humour, she adds, which is very nice of her to say. Were different, and something different always gets attention. I think we tend to have a very down-to-earth sense of humour, says Rose Matafeo of the appeal of New Zealand-raised comedy. Credit:ABC Attention is certainly something Matafeo is adept at garnering. Rising to the top of the comedy scene in her native country by her early twenties, she made the move to London in 2015 and promptly set about dominating the rest of the world. In the past few years shes been impossible to miss, whether lighting up the stand-up stage her Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning special Horndog dropped on HBO last year to widespread acclaim bringing her boundless enthusiasm to an array of panel shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Taskmaster; or showcasing her acting chops in sitcoms such as Squinters and films like Baby Done. And now, her very own show: Starstruck. Created by Matafeo, Starstruck came about only after a procession of other pitches for shows met with polite rejections. It was my last try, after a long line of No, not that one. Do you have anything else? It was on a plane that inspiration struck: while flying back to New Zealand, the auteur hatched the plot of an ordinary woman tumbling inadvertently into a relationship with a celebrity. One last-ditch pitch was made, and finally the gods smiled: Starstruck was born. Senior scientists have ridiculed a decision by the CSIRO to end a highly productive climate research partnership with China, saying it was disingenuous to claim there were any national security risks. The nations top science body informed staff late last week it would not extend its Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research (CSHOR) when its partnership with the Qingdao National Marine Laboratory Centre ends in 2022, despite substantial work studying critical climate issues. The CSIRO vessel, Investigator, heading to do research in Antarctica. When the five-year CSHOR research collaboration comes to its end in June next year it will have delivered significant benefit to CSIRO, Qingdao National Marine Laboratory (QNLM), and the broader international research community by advancing understanding of the Southern Hemisphere oceans and their impact on climate, Jaclyn Brown, director of CSIROs Climate Science Centre, told staff by email. As such, CSHOR will not continue into a new phase. Researchers at home and abroad say the decision was made abruptly and followed comments in Senate estimates last month by Mike Burgess, Director-General of Security at the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, that foreign nations could use ocean research to gain an edge in submarine warfare. The judge presiding over a Twitter defamation case brought by Defence Minister Peter Dutton against a refugee advocate has told the parties the lawsuit is not amongst the biggest defamation cases ever seen in the Federal Court and ordered the men to attend mediation. Mr Dutton filed Federal Court proceedings in April against Shane Bazzi over a tweet on February 25 this year labelling him a rape apologist. Mr Bazzi was knocked back in his bid to apply for a visa to visit asylum seekers on Nauru in 2016 by the Nauru Consulate-General. Defence Minister Peter Dutton on Wednesday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Mr Dutton is the second federal Liberal minister to launch defamation proceedings this year, following Christian Porters highly-publicised case against the ABC. Mr Porter is expected to discontinue those proceedings, although this has not yet been done officially. A court fight is continuing over public access to a written defence filed by the national broadcaster in the Porter case earlier this year. A wealthy northern beaches restaurateur has been charged for his alleged role as the financier of an attempt to import almost a tonne of cocaine from South America. Mostafa Baluch, a resident of Bayview and former owner of Cervo in Northbridge on the lower north shore, was the fourth man arrested in a NSW Police investigation that has also captured two men who previously worked at Sydney Airport. Mostafa Baluch, restaurateur, has been charged in relation to a major cocaine investigation. The alleged plot to import a total three tonnes of cocaine came to the attention of organised crime squad detectives after one of the men was allegedly observed laundering large amounts of money up to $100 million in one week at the Star casino in early 2020. Police say a probe of the mans finances uncovered a significant transnational organised crime syndicate. The US Navy and Coast Guard were called in to intercept two cocaine shipments off the coasts of Colombia and Ecuador in October and April. A Sydney airline freight worker who allegedly told criminal syndicates about law enforcements interest in particular consignments has been charged over his involvement in importing 156 kilograms of drugs in fabric rolls. Australian Federal Police will allege airline freight employee Eric Grunnet, 51, and Tishan David, 36, imported 156 kilograms of pseudoephedrine in fabric rolls from India via air cargo, which was seized by Australian Border Force officers in October last year. The Australian Federal Police have charged two Sydney men for allegedly importing 156 kilograms of pseudoephedrine in fabric rolls from India. Credit:AFP Pseudoephedrine is used in clandestine labs to manufacture methamphetamine, most commonly known as speed or ice. An AFP-led investigation into the activities of an airline freight employee suspected of using his role to advise multiple criminal syndicates about law enforcement interest into incoming consignments resulted in officers executing two search warrants on Tuesday, 8 June 2021, a statement from the police said. A helicopter that crashed in the Whitsundays killing two newlyweds was over the specified weight limit, while passengers were not shown how to open the emergency exits and the pilot had 11 hours of experience flying that aircraft type, an investigation has found. The crash killed Hawaiian couple, Peter Hensel, 79, and wife Sue, 65, after the Eurocopter EC120 Colibri crashed into water near a pontoon at Hardy Reef, a popular tourist spot in the Whitsunday Islands, on the afternoon of March 21, 2018. The pair, who had travelled to Queensland on their dream honeymoon after marrying in December 2017, were pulled from the wreckage by the pilot, 35, and Mrs Hensels 33-year-old daughter and her partner, 34, who managed to swim to safety following the impact. Pete and Sue Hensel married in December and were on their honeymoon in Queensland when they were killed in a helicopter crash. An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report released on Wednesday found the helicopter that was flying to Hardy Reef, about 70 kilometres north east of Hamilton Island airport, had a combination of factors that reduced its safety margin. Brisbanes Riverside Expressway will be closed between Elizabeth and Margaret streets this weekend while a section of a new pedestrian bridge is installed at the site of the citys future casino. Tolls will be waived on the Go Between Bridge and Clem7 tunnel in either direction for the duration of the closure, between 10pm on Friday to 5am on Monday. An artists impression of the Neville Bonner Bridge, which is under construction between South Bank and the Queens Wharf casino development. Credit:Star The 40-metre, 43-tonne section of the Neville Bonner Bridge will be the first to reach out over the Brisbane River from the Queens Wharf side. The first section of bridge was positioned at South Bank, near the Brisbane Wheel, on Wednesday. The average owner-occupier in 20 Brisbane suburbs will end up paying more than 5 per cent extra on their rates bill across the next financial year, analysis of Brisbane City Council data shows. Those in the south-western suburb of Sinnamon Park are set to experience the highest average annual jump of 6.7 per cent. In 13 suburbs the rise will equate to more than $100 a year, peaking at $141.43 in inner-west Paddington. Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner said the average bill remained lower than other south-east Queensland councils, with a minimum lower than the rest of the state. Credit:Michelle Smith The detail comes after Brisbane City Council announced an average annual rate rise of 3.75 per cent across the coming financial year, the largest hike since 2016. But the actual rates detailed in the 2021-22 budget handed down on Wednesday, and the change to what residents would have to pay, differs from suburb to suburb. Ben Roberts-Smith used a prepaid mobile phone to communicate with former Australian soldiers following news reports of alleged war crimes in Afghanistan because he feared the media would intercept his calls and texts, the former special forces soldier has told the Federal Court. On the seventh day of his high-stakes defamation trial against The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Roberts-Smith broke down in tears and said he believed his life was over following articles that he says portrayed him as a war criminal and accused him of punching a woman with whom he was having an affair. Ben Roberts-Smith arrives at court on Wednesday morning. Credit:Rhett Wyman I have to watch my familys good name be dragged through the mud for nearly three years. It was and it is something that just crushes me, crushes my soul, because I gave so much to that job. And its all lies, he said. He appeared overcome by emotion as he said, now I walk down the street, people will look at me, and the first thing I think of is that they think Ive hit a woman. An American man in Sydney quarantine who has been denied entry to Queensland is awaiting a call from Gold Coast doctors after his ailing father was rushed to hospital overnight. Mark Kilian and his wife Anneli landed in Sydney from Los Angeles on Tuesday to see Mr Kilians father Frans in his final days as his body shuts down from pancreatic cancer. Mark Kilian and Anneli Gericke, trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare, are desperately hoping to see Marks father before he dies. Credit:Mark Kilian But the pair, who were vaccinated against COVID-19 weeks ago and who have returned negative COVID tests in Australia, have been stuck in hotel quarantine after Queensland Health refused to grant them travel exemptions to say goodbye to Frans, 80, who remains in a Gold Coast hospital. He was rushed to Robina Hospital on Tuesday night from his Coombabah home as his health deteriorated. The Victorian government has announced new coronavirus restrictions for Greater Melbourne and separate rules for regional areas to apply from 11.59pm on Thursday in response to the latest outbreak. Have a read of Mats rolling story keeping track of all the restrictions here. Announcing the changes, acting Premier James Merlino said the government understood the impact of isolation. We know that since the pandemic started, distance has been one of the hardest things to live with, distance from our neighbours, workplaces, places we love and people we love, he said. We know it has been for a reason, keeping our distance. We have kept ourselves and others safe. Greater Melbourne restrictions Socialising Melburnians will again be able to welcome visitors to their homes. There will be a limit of two adults per day as visitors into a home not including dependents. Public gatherings of up to 20 people are allowed. Travel limit The 25 km limit on travel outside the home will be scrapped. Movement to regional Victoria is unrestricted. Travel to Alpine Resorts is permitted if visitors have a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of departing Melbourne. Visitors will have to show proof of the test to be allowed entry to the ski fields. Masks Masks will no longer be mandatory in outside areas but will still need to be carried at all times. Masks still must be worn indoors except at home or unless an exemption applies. Masks will no longer be required in outdoors, however theyre still recommended where you cannot maintain at least a 1.5-metre distance from others, Mr Merlino said. Work If you can work from home then you should continue to work from home. Offices will be subject to a 50 per cent capacity limit or up to 20 people if the total workplace has fewer than 40 workers. Retail All retail will be open with a density limit of one person per four square metres. Hairdressers, beauty and personal care operators will be able to open under the one-person-per-four-square-metre limit and can remove masks for services. Food and drink facilities, such as food courts, can open for seated service only with a maximum patron cap of 150 people per venue and no more than 75 people indoors. Groups will be capped at 10 customers. A density quotient of one person per four square metres applies. Venues can have up to 25 patrons before the density quotient applies. Physical recreation and sport Gyms can reopen and community sport will resume for all age groups for both training and competition. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said gyms would have to operate under a density limit of one person per four square metres and would have separate limits on class sizes. Sport participants will be limited to the minimum required to facilitate the activity (such as players, coaches) and must be within venue limits. A density limit of one person per four square metres will apply and a maximum venue capacity of 150 including no more than 50 indoors. Spectators are not allowed except people required for the sport to take place such as teachers, instructors, trainers, coaches, umpires, carers, parents and guardians. Loading Football crowds Mr Merlino said there would not yet be crowds returning to AFL games in Melbourne but some fans will be allowed into the AFL blockbuster between the Geelong Cats and the Western Bulldogs scheduled for Kardinia Park on Friday night Mr Merlino said a crowd of up to 7000 people from the surrounding regions would be allowed but only for fans who are members of the two clubs playing to ensure authorities we can keep a tight record of who attends. Accommodation Can open for bookings from single households plus two adults (plus their dependants). Pubs, clubs and other entertainment and leisure venues Indoor fixed seated entertainment venues will be able to open up to 50 per cent of their maximum capacity up to a limit of 75 people per venue and a group limit of 10 people. A density limit of one person per four square metres applies. Outdoor fixed seated entertainment venues will also be allowed to open up to 50 per cent of their seated capacity up to a limit of 150 people. A density limit of 1 person per 4 square metres applies. Outdoor non-seated venues will be allowed with a limit of no more than 1000 people per space, groups capped at 20 people and a density limit of one person per four square metres. Drive-in cinemas, arcades, amusement parks, casinos, retail betting venues, electronic gaming venues and sexual services businesses will be allowed to reopen with various limits. Religion, weddings and funerals Religious gatherings and ceremonies are permitted with up to 150 people per venue, including no more than 75 indoors. A density quotient of one person per four square metres applies. Funerals (indoors and outdoors) are permitted with 75 people and those necessary to conduct the funeral. Children under 12 months old are not counted towards this cap Weddings (indoor and outdoor) are permitted with no more than 20 people (including the two people getting married, a celebrant and two witnesses). Dance floors are not permitted. Health and care facility visitation No visitors are permitted into aged care or other residential facility settings, except for end-of-life reasons and other excepted reasons such as essential care and support. Visit from a prospective resident is permitted with no more than one person accompanying. Non-essential contractors are restricted from entry. No visitors are permitted into health care settings including hospitals, except for end-of-life reasons, as a support partner for birth, or a parent to accompany a child, non-essential contractors are restricted from entry. Regional Victoria restrictions Socialising and travel Private gatherings in homes are permitted for up to five adults a day (together or separately). Dependants of the visiting adults are excluded from the cap. There are no restrictions on travel around the state for residents from regional areas. Public gatherings are permitted for up to 50 people. Work Loading If you can work from home you should still work from home. Offices will be allowed to have up to 75 per cent capacity or up to 30 people if total number of employees is fewer than 40. Entertainment and leisure Indoor fixed seated entertainment can open up to 50 per cent of seated capacity up to a maximum of 300 people per space and with a group limit of 50 people. A density quotient of one person per four square metres applies. Outdoor fixed seated entertainment can open up to 75 per cent of seated capacity up to a maximum of 1000 people per venue. Density quotient of one person per four square metres applies Religion, weddings and funerals Religious gatherings and ceremonies are permitted with up to 300 people per venue, including no more than 75 indoors. A density quotient of one person per four square metres applies. Funerals (indoors and outdoors) are permitted with 100 people and those necessary to conduct the funeral. Children under 12 months old are not counted towards this cap Weddings (indoor and outdoor) are permitted with no more than 50 people (including the two persons being married, a celebrant and two witnesses). Dance floors are not permitted. Physical recreation and sport Open with a density limit of one person per four square metres, a venue limit of 300 people per indoor space and an outdoor patron cap of 1000 people. A cap of 50 people in a group at indoor venues applies. Community sport is open for all ages, training and competition, but limited to the minimum number of people required to participate in and facilitate the activity and must be within venue limits above. Spectators allowed within venue limits. NSW recorded its first local case in 40 days on Wednesday with a man from Sydneys east testing positive. The man, in his 60s, works as a driver in a role that includes transporting international air crew. The easing of restrictions comes as concerns grow about the decline in testing numbers in Victoria. At the height of the recent coronavirus outbreaks, health officials were turning around 50,000 tests a day and over the two weeks of lockdown 559,372 tests were carried out in the state, equivalent to about a ninth of the population. Testing rates have declined in recent days to about 15,000 on Monday, a public holiday, before rising slightly to 17,538 on Tuesday. Across the country more than half of symptomatic people are not getting tested for coronavirus, with testing rates for Australians with mild symptoms, such as a sore throat and runny nose, hovering at about 48 per cent, according to FluTracking, a national project that surveys about 50,000 people each week for signs of illness. Loading Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said testing needed to become the norm for Melburnians, who would probably need to test once or twice or three times this winter. Dr Marion Kainer, head of infectious diseases at Western Health, said more infectious variants such as Delta and Kappa, had proved there can be several generations of transmission of the disease within a very short period. It is not only about getting tested, but getting tested straight away, Dr Kainer said. What we are seeing with these more infectious variants is the attack rate among households is much higher. Transmission is happening a lot faster and more frequently than it was with variants that were circulating last year in Melbourne. Last week the state government revealed a handful of infectious people who delayed COVID-19 tests, despite showing symptoms of the virus, dramatically blew out the severity of the latest outbreaks that plunged Victoria into its fourth lockdown. The Health Department has estimated that if one of the earlier cases in the cluster had been tested within 48 hours, the cluster would have spread to only 14 people, instead of 73, and the outbreak at Stratton Finance in Port Melbourne would not have occurred. The queue for a COVID-19 test at Normanby Street in South Melbourne on Wednesday. Credit:Paul Jeffers Mr Weimar revealed at the weekend he believed there were still undetected cases circulating in the community that could linger and build if they arent flushed out a task requiring at least 20,000 tests a day to keep abreast of transmission in the population. Dr Ananda-Rajah also suspects the virus is still bubbling away undetected at low levels in Melbourne, a view supported by the several missing epidemiological links between infected people. We know we havent unearthed all the cases yet, she said. A combination of factors have led to this. Firstly, we are not doing enough testing because we are falling below the 20,000 threshold and secondly, people in Victoria are extremely fatigued. They are fed-up by coronavirus and there is dangerous complacency where people who are slightly symptomatic are just not coming forward for testing. Dr Ananda-Rajah said to increase testing, health authorities needed novel measures. She suggested wastewater surveillance could be used as a trigger to deploy thousands of rapid antigen and saliva tests to suburbs deemed hotspots so people could quickly test themselves at home. However, she said follow-up screening using the traditional and more accurate polymerase chain reaction nose and throat swabs would be necessary in some cases because a negative test does not always rule out coronavirus. Spurred on by coronavirus cases in their neighbourhood, dozens of people lined up in their cars along Normanby Street outside a testing centre in South Melbourne on Wednesday morning. Hundreds more masked-up Melburnians lined up in the rain outside testing centres in Melbournes CBD. Mystery still surrounds how COVID-19 spread from a returned traveller found to be positive with the highly infectious Delta variant to families in West Melbourne, who had no contact with him. Another puzzle perplexing health officials is how the more contagious Kappa variant transmitted from a Melbourne man who undertook quarantine in South Australia before returning home to Wollert in the citys north and unwittingly seeding an outbreak that has been so far linked 73 infections. Loading Dr Kainer warned undetected chains of transmission of the virus in the community would flare up as movement increased. Testing is our eyes to see what is going on and it so important as we ease restrictions, Dr Kainer said. Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious diseases specialist at the Australian National University, said until Victoria reached herd immunity through immunisation against COVID-19, it could not afford to let testing rates drop. Anything less 80 per cent coverage and we wont necessarily have herd immunity, he said. Herd immunity occurs when a large enough proportion of the population is vaccinated against a disease, or has been infected with a disease and developed antibodies against it, preventing the virus from transmitting widely. Professor Senanayake said he was not only concerned about the short-term ramifications of outbreaks of coronavirus, but the growing phenomenon of long COVID, a lasting disorder that arises following infection with COVID-19. Surveys of thousands of people globally have revealed an extensive list of symptoms, such as fatigue, dry cough, shortness of breath, headaches and muscle aches. One study in the United States found 205 symptoms in a study of more than 3500 people. The burden of disease remains significant because the effects of this virus can linger for long time after infection, he said. Australias minimum wage will go up by almost $20 a week after the independent umpire decided that the economy had improved dramatically but it will be delayed until September for workers in retail, sparking demands from unions for profitable employers to pass the rise on early. About 2.5 million workers will get a raise because of Wednesdays decision, but the independent panel that decided it said the threat of lockdowns, pace of the vaccine rollout and the upcoming 0.5 per cent superannuation rise all weighed against a higher increase. Australias minimum wage will go up by almost $20 a week. Credit:Jessica Shapiro Most employees will see the extra money from July but it will be delayed until November for cafes, restaurants, gyms and airlines because their recovery from the pandemic has been slower. Retail workers will get their pay rise in September, setting up a clash with unions that are demanding profitable companies voluntarily pass on the wage rise early. Well campaign against them, said Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus. Supporters of Christian Porters accuser have vowed to keep pressure on the government as it took the unusual step of preventing a bill going to Parliament for an inquiry into the allegations. Greens senator Larissa Waters accused the government in the Senate chamber of thriving on secrecy after it blocked her from introducing the legislation. Jo Dyer and Senator Larissa Waters during a press conference on a proposed bill to establish an inquiry into Christian Porters fitness to be a minister. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen She said earlier she felt compelled to step into the breach and attempt to set up a commission of inquiry to decide whether Mr Porter was a fit and proper person to be a cabinet minister while he faces the accusation he raped a woman in the late 1980s, when they were both teenagers. Mr Porter strenuously denies the allegation. The booming feral horse population in Kosciuszko National Park could be removed if federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley succeeds in her bid to override the NSW governments management of the fragile alpine environment. Ms Ley is searching for a legal avenue for the federal government to force the state to reduce the population of the damaging pest animal, after she flew over the park and saw the ground was moving with horses. Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley is searching for a way to use Commonwealth powers to intervene in NSWs management of Kosciuszko National Park. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen. The feral horse population in the park has exploded over the past 20 years, rising from just 1500 to 14,000. NSW passed a law in 2018, under pressure from Deputy Premier John Barilaro, that vetoed the culling of feral horses in the park. Ms Ley said she had been surprised at what she saw in Kosciuszko when her plane flew over the park last year, and she was now combing legislation looking for a mechanism that grants her legal rights to force the reduction of feral horses in the fragile alpine landscape. The heated diplomatic relationship between the Chinese and Australian governments is not impacting liquefied natural gas exports from Woodside, according to acting chief executive Meg ONeill. Ms ONeills commentary came after West Australian Premier Mark McGowan used his speech at a national gathering of 1700 delegates from the oil and gas industry in Perth to call for a reset on the China relationship and not endanger Australias economy. Woodside acting chief executive Meg ONeill at the APPEA conference in Perth. Credit:Peter de Kruijff The Woodside boss told reporters on the sidelines of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Associations conference on Tuesday it was not having any issues with Chinese customers despite political tension around some elements of international trade. For our products and the business relationships we have were not seeing any spillover, Ms ONeill said. Singapore: China has responded forcefully to days of international condemnation, dismissing the joint statements of the G7 and NATO as attempts by the West to dictate international affairs. Declaring that era had finished, Chinas Foreign Ministry on Tuesday night appealed to countries outside the power blocs of the major democracies, arguing the United Nations was the only forum that maintained the international order. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. Credit:AP Under the current situation, the international community need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and practise true multilateralism more than ever, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. The era of one country or a bloc of countries dictating world affairs is over. Jerusalem: The Israeli military said its aircraft attacked Hamas armed compounds in the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday in response to the launching of incendiary balloons from the territory that caused fires in fields in southern Israel. In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that it was ready for all scenarios, including renewed fighting in the face of continued terrorist acts emanating from Gaza. Flames are seen after an Israeli air strike hit Hamas targets in Gaza City, breaking a ceasefire agreed last month. Credit:Getty Images Its jets struck military compounds allegedly belonging to Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. Hamas, the IDF said, was responsible for all events transpiring in the Gaza Strip, and will bear the consequences for its actions. The air force targeted at least one site east of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, according to the IDF. Washington: The press conference was a friendly affair until the very end. US President Joe Biden was walking off the podium when he heard CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins shout out a question: why was he so confident that Russian President Vladimir Putin would change his behaviour after their first meeting in Geneva? Biden, who had appeared in a good mood up to that point, snapped. A less-than-sunny Joe Biden speaks to the news media. Credit:AP What the hell? a visibly annoyed Biden shot back, pointing his finger to the sky. What do you do all the time? When did I say I was confident? Washington: Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden have described their first presidential face-to-face meeting as positive and constructive while not raising hopes of a dramatic improvement in the tense relationship between the two former Cold War rivals. The highly-anticipated meeting between the US and Russian leaders in Geneva lasted for under three hours, significantly shorter than the four-to-five hour summit both sides had previewed. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden shake hands before meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Credit:AP The most concrete outcome of the meeting was an agreement to return the US and Russian ambassadors to their respective posts in coming days. Russias US ambassador was called back to Moscow by the Kremlin in March after Biden called Putin a killer in a television interview, and the US ambassador to Russia left the country soon after. Lansdale, PA (19446) Today Cloudy with light rain this morning...then scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 79F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Electric two-wheeler firm on Wednesday said it has reduced prices of its entire product portfolio, ranging between Rs 7,209 and Rs 17,892, in the wake of recent changes in the FAME II policy. The company's Praise+ electric scooter is now priced at Rs 99,708 against Rs 1,17,600 earlier. Similarly, Praise Pro is now tagged at Rs 76,848, a drop of Rs 7,947 from Rs 84,795 earlier. Okinawa has also reduced the price of Ridge+ model to Rs 61,791 from Rs 69,000 earlier. "Lowering the prices of electric scooters in the country will serve as a stepping stone and help persuade more riders to switch from a combustion-engine model to an electric one," Managing Director and Founder Jeetender Sharma said in a statement. The company's localisation strategy has allowed it to set the bar of high-quality products that are not only transforming the perception of electric scooters in the customer minds, but achieving this without burning a hole in customer pockets, he added. "With our plans to achieve 100 per cent localisation by the end of this fiscal year, we are certain to change the face of the two-wheeler electric vehicle industry in the country," Sharma noted. Okinawa said it has already sold around 90,000 electric scooters as of May this year. The company also informed that it is in the process of investing Rs 150 crore to set up a new manufacturing facility in Rajasthan near the company's existing plant. Last week, the government made a partial modification in Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II), including increasing the demand incentive for electric two-wheelers to Rs 15,000 per KWh from the earlier uniform subsidy of Rs 10,000 per KWh for all EVs, including plug in hybrids and strong hybrids except buses. In the latest modification, the department of heavy industries also capped incentives for electric two-wheelers at 40 per cent of the cost of vehicles, up from 20 per cent earlier. On Tuesday, TVS Motor Company announced a reduction in the price of its iQube Electric scooter by Rs 11,250 in line with revision in subsidy under the FAME II Scheme. The model is now priced at Rs 1,00,777 in Delhi compared to Rs 1,12,027 earlier. (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.) Daniel Snchez is one of the luckier electric car owners in With a free recharging station less than a kilometer from his home just north of Barcelona, he can keep his Tesla ready to roll. I cannot imagine stopping at a gas station ever again," the 41-year-old transport company owner said. "We feel like those people who got off a horse-drawn carriage and climbed into a car. There is no going back. Other Spaniards are considerably less enthusiastic. The dearth of places to plug in, compared to western and northern Europe, and the price of have left lagging as the continent races to get greener. Now the government wants to usher the entire country into this new paradigm. The ruling left-wing coalition plans to use a chunk of the 140 billion euros (USD 166 billion) is set to receive from the European Union's pandemic recovery plan to kickstart its electric car industry. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to visit Madrid on Wednesday while Spain awaits the approval of its plan by Brussels. She will meet with Prime Minister Pedro Snchez, who has compared the EU Next Generation funds to a new Marshall Plan. Spain's Secretary of State for Industry Ral Blanco told The Associated Press that the government is aiming at spending around 5 billion euros (USD 6 billion) over the next three years on its electric vehicle initiative. Spain produced 2.2 million cars and trucks in 2020, second only to Germany in Europe. But only 140,000 of these were electric or hybrids, according to ANFAC, the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers. What we are doing is accelerating a change that is already taking place, Blanco said. This is a unique opportunity. The are on board, and there are resources to carry out the investments. A leader in highspeed electric trains, Spain wants to put 250,000 more electric vehicles on its roads within two years, adding to the current 96,000. The push for should reduce CO2 emissions by 450,000 tons, according to government projections as Spain aims to completely convert to renewable energy by 2050, in line with EU targets. Spain can carry out these industrial activities with green energy, Blanco said. Compared to other countries of central and eastern Europe that still rely on fossil fuels, or other countries which use nuclear, Spain can rely on renewable energies since it has wind and solar. Spain is counting on its robust car industry, and the deposits of lithium key to battery production for electric vehicles that it shares with Portugal. The goal is to establish a supply chain by encouraging private investment to build a battery factory, along with assembly plants and software design, all with the goal of driving more climate-friendly cars off production lines. The plan's success, however, faces hurdles. Spain has fewer than 2 public plug-in points per 100,000 square kilometers, compared to over 10 in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, according to a 2020 report by the European Court of Auditors. It is a snake that bites its own tail, said Salvador Ejarque, president of Spain's Association of Electric Car Users, or AUVE. People don't buy cars because they can't charge them, and those who can invest don't do it quickly enough because the bureaucracy is complex and slow going, The government wants to boost the total number of recharging points nationwide from 11,500 to 100,000 in three years. ANFAC, the carmakers' group, said more may be needed. We must overcome the autonomy anxiety' of drivers by assuring them that charging their car is as easy as filling up with gas, spokesman Jos Lpez-Tafall told the AP. It is necessary to set up a calendar with set goals to reach 340,000 charging points by 2030. Price, too, matters. The average annual income in Spain is 15,000 euros (USD 18,100) below the EU mean. Luxury cars are a rare sight in Spanish cities, where economy models and motorbikes reign. So while electric vehicles can lure more affluent Europeans, they give many Spaniards sticker shock. To overcome this, the government has already dedicated 400 million euros (USD 484 million) for rebates of up to 7,000 euros (USD 8,400) on purchases of electric and hybrid vehicles. It must also convince carmakers that Spain is their best investment bet, while Germany and France have the advantage of having major manufacturers based in their countries. Spanish carmaker SEAT, a member of the Volkswagen group, has committed to producing an electric car in the 20,000-25,000 euro range that Blanco believes will hit the price points for domestic shoppers. Ford's president for Europe, Stuart Rowley, spoke with Prime Minister Snchez in April about Ford's battery sourcing strategy and the importance of support from the Spanish Government in the framework of the EU Next Generation funds, the company said in a statement provided to the AP. Renault has also reaffirmed its focus on making hybrids at its Spanish plants. Labor unions have welcomed the huge public investment in an industry that provides 10 per cent of Spain's GDP and 9 per cent of its employment. Garbie Espejo, general secretary of industry for the CCOO trade union confederation, said the recent decision by Nissan to close plants in and near Barcelona was a warning of what could come if the private and public sector don't join hands. Spain's auto industry is in good health, Espejo told the AP. But if we do not seize this opportunity to transform Spain into a leader in new technologies, the impact for industry and jobs will be dire. (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.) Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Billionaire Mukesh Ambanis plan to conquer the Indian market with a locally assembled Google-powered smartphone is facing headwinds, with supply-chain disruptions and rising component prices suppressing production volumes, people familiar with the matter said. Ambanis Reliance Industries Ltd. originally envisioned sales in the hundreds of millions in the first years for the inexpensive device but now targets a small fraction of that at launch, the people said. The co-branded phone is set for its unveiling at the conglomerates June 24 shareholder meeting, followed by an official debut as early as August or September, the people said, asking not to be named as the plan isnt public. The tycoon wants to remake the worlds fastest-growing smartphone market much the way he did wireless services--with aggressive pricing. But any delay in the effort would be a significant setback for Reliance and its Indian manufacturing partners. Chinese rivals like Xiaomi Corp., Oppo and OnePlus have established their brands and set up local manufacturing facilities as they pursue the same audience of consumers upgrading from basic 2G devices. ALSO READ: Jio to start Jiofiber post-paid service from June 17; installation free Engineers at Reliance and Alphabet Inc.s have combined forces to tailor a device for the technology-hungry but price-sensitive country whose internet users are expected to surpass 900 million by 2025. Theyve created a hardware design and a version of the Android operating system that can deliver a high-end experience without expensive materials, according to the people. But sourcing the components has proved a hurdle after the coronavirus pandemic boosted demand for electronics globally and led to shortages. Cultural differences at Reliance and have also surfaced during the process, with the Indian company relying on a top-down operating model while the U.S. engineers are more self-directed, the people said. Thats resulted in last-minute decision making and calls in the middle of the night, in contrast to Googles usual preference for planning things months in advance. and Reliance representatives didnt respond to emails seeking comment. A meeting between Reliance and Google teams as late as last week, a mere fortnight before Ambanis planned unveiling, failed to yield any finality on the hardware specifications, the people said. Vital parts like displays and chipsets are in short supply and taking longer than usual to procure, bringing uncertainty to the decisions over hardware choices. The time to get such materials has doubled to about 60 to 75 days from the earlier 30 to 45 days because of shortages in China, which produces and supplies components for nearly every smartphone on the planet, the people said. A microprocessor going into a smartphone battery charger has nearly doubled in price to 9 cents from 5 cents in a matter of months, according to a person working for an Indian contract manufacturer in talks to assemble the Reliance-Google device. Display prices have shot up 40% and getting a chipset bulk allotment is proving extremely difficult, the person said. Delivery times for so-called surface mount technology machines that can assemble thousands of smartphone micro-components an hour have reached six months, compared with 45 to 60 days as recently as January, several people said. Soaring shipping costs have added to the challenges. A 20-foot container from China to India that cost $800 pre-pandemic jumped as high as $5,000 and now goes for $3,600, according to a person at another Indian contract manufacturer. ALSO READ: Amid pandemic, chairman Mukesh Ambani drew no salary in FY21: Reliance Reliance and Google started the project after the struck a broad alliance last July. For about nine months, Google engineers in Silicon Valley have worked on the challenge of delivering a premium software experience at a previously-unseen price. The team is trying to make the operating system more responsive and resilient to crashes with more frugal hardware. This is a familiar effort for the company, which has had several prior initiatives for making Android friendlier to more basic devices, such as with its Android One push. Ambani has drawn more than $20 billion in investments from U.S. giants including Facebook Inc., Google and Qualcomm Inc. to bolster his technology presence. Beside the new smartphone, he is set to give an update this month on collaborations with Qualcomm and Facebooks WhatsApp on 5G and e-commerce. With 16 start-ups gaining unicorn status in 2021, Indias tally has touched the 50 mark. The newest entrants to this list include Pune-based MindTickle, which is close to finalising a $100-million funding round from Softbanks Vision Fund 2, taking the companys valuation to $1.1 billion. Last year, had invested $100 million in the company at a valuation of $500 million. was looking to raise funds and did not want to let go of the chance and, hence, they are reinvesting in them, said a source close to the development. When contacted, a spokesperson declined to comment. Softbank has again started investing big in the Indian start-up and e-commerce segment. It invested in social commerce platform Meesho and Firstcry. The Japan-based player is also planning to invest around $500 million in Flipkart. Meanwhile, Saas start-up BrowserStack secured $200 million from US-based BOND in a series B round, raising its valuation to $4 billion, said media reports. The funding round also saw participation from Insight Partners and Accel. The company has so far raised $250 million and is a profitable venture. According to Venture Intelligence data, BrowserStacks valuations have risen 8x in the last three years. Industry experts have said in recent times that the Indian unicorn list is expected to rise as fund houses with access to liquidity are looking at avenues for investment. According to Preqin data, as on February 15 around 35 private equity (PE) players focused on India were raising funds with an aggregate capital target of $8 billion and close to 80 venture capital firms were looking to raise around $8.3 billion. And thats not all. According to Preqin data from June 2020, PE firms in Asia are sitting on a record $361 billion of unspent capital. A Bain & Company report said India-focused dry powder was stable at $6 billion at the end of 2020. Multiple unicorns who are category leaders in their space have been created signaling an improvement in investor sentiment as against last year. Investor appetite can also be ascertained from the fact that many high growth start-ups are planning initial public offers this year. "Start-ups which showcased their resilience during the pandemic, maintained serious growth without sacrificing on unit economics have found it easier to raise higher ticket size equity rounds. The pandemic has increased digital usage by all kinds of customers across sectors pan India & startups which are benefiting from the same are leveraging their track record to raise sizeable equity rounds and in the process some are even reaching the unicorn status," said Ankur Bansal, Co-founder and Director, BlackSoil. Source: Venture Intelligence, others Leading pump company Limited (KBL) has set up a new division in for high-end technology products, primarily used for nuclear applications. Named as the Advanced Technology Product Division (ATPD), the new division is based at the company's mother plant at Kirloskarvadi, in Maharashtra, KBL said in a statement. The company, however, did not disclose the investment details. "ATPD has primarily been built as a dedicated manufacturing division for high-end technology products, especially those used for nuclear applications," it said. It is a state-of-the-art facility spread across 6,000 sq meter area and is fully equipped with modern machines and test facilities, including special measuring instruments. It is a one-stop shop for machining, quality control checks, assembly, and testing under high pressure and high temperature. "We decided to build this dedicated unit for the upgradation of our existing products as well as the development of futuristic and technologically advanced solutions for the nuclear application segment," KBL Director and MD at SPP Pumps Limited, UK Alok Kirloskar said. KBL is among the world leaders in pumping solutions for various critical applications in the nuclear industry, the statement said. "The ATPD division marks KBL's continued commitment towards the government's Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives," the company said. KBL is the first and leading manufacturer of primary and secondary sodium pumps for Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR) in India. It is also among the only few providers of primary heat transfer pumps for the nuclear sector. Besides, the company's Concrete Volute Pumps (CVP) form an essential part of various nuclear and thermal power plants across India. "Thus, the establishment of the ATPD division is primarily aimed at further consolidating KBL's capabilities as a full-fledged dedicated provider of some of the most advanced fluid management technologies and solutions for a wide range of applications in the nuclear industry," it added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The initial public offering of Shyam Metalics and Energy garnered 121 times subscription on Wednesday, the final day of the bidding. It generated bids of over Rs 78,000 crore. The qualified institutional buyer (QIB) portion of the issue was subscribed 153 times, the high net-worth individual portion was subscribed 340 times and the retail portion was bought nearly 12 times. Shyam Metalics size was Rs 909 crore of which Rs 657 crore was fresh fundraise to help retire debt. The price band was Rs 303-306 per share. At the top end, the Kolkata-based firm will have a market capitalisation of Rs 7,805 crore on a post-diluted basis. Market players said the attractive grey market premium and bullish sentiment towards metal stocks led to a huge demand for the Most brokerages had recommended the IPO. Considering the trailing 12-month (Dec 20) adjusted earnings per share of Rs 21.02 on a post-issue basis, the company is going to list at a P/E of 14.6 times, whereas its peers, namely Tata Steel and JSW Steel, are quoting at higher P/E of 16.6 times and 21.6 times, respectively, said a note by Marwadi Financial Services. HNIs give Sona offering a miss Another IPO that closed on Wednesday was of Sona BLW Precision Forgings (Sona Comstar). It received a relatively lukewarm response with just 2.3 times subscription. The QIB portion of this issue was subscribed 3.54 times and the retail portion 1.6 times. The HNI portion was bought just 0.40 times. Through the IPO, the auto component maker raised Rs 5,250 crore in fresh capital. The issue also comprised secondary share sale worth Rs 300 crore. Mixed Day 1 for Dodla & KIMS The IPOs of Dodla Dairy and Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) garnered 1.4 times and 0.27 times subscription, respectively, on the first day of the issue. Both IPOs close on Friday. Dodla Dairy has fixed a price band of Rs 421-428 per share. At the top end, the company will be valued at Rs 2,546 crore. Prices of LED televisions are expected to rise by 3-4 per cent this month as cost of panels have gone up in the global market besides an increase in logistics expenses. It will be the second hike by the manufacturers in the last three months. In April, the prices were hiked due to a rise in operating cost on account of increased ocean freight charges, and domestic transportation costs. Brands such as Panasonic, and Thomson are considering increasing the prices of LED televisions. India & South Asia President and CEO Manish Sharma said that in line with the commodity price increase, "we are also looking at increasing prices for some of the products in the range of 3-4 per cent". Appliances India President Eric Braganza said there is no other option than to increase the price. "The panel prices have gone up. Everyone has been left with no option but to increase the price. Panel prices of 32 inches, which are largely sold in India, and large screen sizes (such) as 42 inches have gone up. Manufactures would have to take a call on price increase," he said. According to him, is also going to increase prices by 3-4 per cent from June 20. Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL), the brand licensee for French Electronics brand Thomson and US-based brand Kodak, said a hike of Rs 1,000-2,000 is expected in the coming days. "Freight charges both international as well as domestic are (at an) all-time high now. Besides, the panel prices are growing again," SPPL CEO Avneet Singh Marwah said. According to him, open cell prices for screen sizes of 40 inches and above have gone up around 3 per cent in the international market. The open cell panel is an important part of manufacturing and covers around 70 per cent of a unit. Most of the manufacturers import panels from China. "Now, ocean freight for a container from Shenzhen, China to Nhava Sheva port is costing us around USD 4,200. One-and-a-half years ago, the cost was only around USD 600," he added. Videotex International, which owns Daiwa and Shinco brands, said open cell prices are again on the rise, which will lead to an increase in prices again in the coming months. "The open cell prices since June last year went up by 300-400 per cent... during the second lockdown, there was a temporary drop in prices being offered for open cell due to overstocking by the trading However, the prices are again on the rise continuously which will lead to increase in prices again in the coming months," Videotex International Director Arjun Bajaaj said. Last year, the government restored the import duty on open cell. It had re-imposed 5 per cent customs duty on the import of open cells for TVs from October 1, 2020, after having nil duty for a year. Besides, the government had also put imports of TV under a restricted category from free to promote domestic manufacturing. Now, importers of TVs have to seek a licence from the government for the imports. TV is one of the largest segments under the entire domain of appliance and consumer electronics. It accounts for a volume of almost 17 million with an estimated sale value of almost Rs 25,000 crore. According to a joint report by the industry body, CEAMA and Frost & Sullivan, the TV market is expected to grow to 284 lakh units in 2024-25 from 175 lakh units in 2018-19. Open cell panel and the chips of the TV are predominantly imported from China besides some other markets as Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam and only the last mile assembly is done in India, as per the report. (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 National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the resolution plan of -- a promoter entity of the Resources group -- for the Videocon group. But it has pointed out that the successful resolution applicant is "paying almost nothing" as the amount offered is only 4.15 per cent of total outstanding claim. It noted the hair cut for all the creditors is 95.85 per cent and suggested to both committee of creditors (CoC) and the successful applicant an increase in the payout. The tribunal also asked the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) to look into whether confidentiality was maintained during the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP), expressing surprise at the fact that Twin Stars bid was so close to the liquidation value, which was meant to be confidential. Out of total claim amount of Rs 71,433.75 crore, claims admitted were to the tune of Rs 64,838.63 core, and the resolution plan that has been approved is for an amount of only Rs 2,962.02 crore, which only 4.15 per cent of total outstanding claim amount and the total hair cut to all the creditors is 95.85 per cent. .... adjudicating authority suggests, (and) requests both committee of creditors (CoC) and successful resolution applicant to increase the payout amount to these operational creditors, especially MSMEs, as this is the first group Consolidation resolution plan of 13 having a large number of MSMEs," the order said. The tribunal approved the resolution plan in earlier in June but the order was uploaded now. The Bench presided over by H P Chaturvedi and Ravikumar Duraisamy has also observed that by paying Rs 262 crore, or 8.84 per cent, of total amount to be given under the plan, the successful resolution applicant will get possession of all the 13 entities under the Videocon group. The cash balance available with the Videocon group is to the tune of Rs 200 crore. Since this is the commercial wisdom of the CoC and as per the various judgments of the Honble Supreme Court and by following the judicial precedents, discipline, the adjudicating authority approves the resolution plan the bench said in its observation. Videocon Industries, saddled with a debt of Rs 35,000 crore, was sent for debt resolution in December 2017 after it failed to repay bank loans. In November 2019, the ordered the consolidation of the insolvency resolution process of Videocon and 12 other group The Mumbai bench of NCLT, which adjudicated the matter, has expressed surprise that the registered valuers, who valued the assets of the group, spread over 13 with varied business interests, products, and segments, and the resolution applicant, who also valued the assets of the group, arrived at almost the same value. The fair value of the Videocon Group was Rs 4,069.95 crore, whereas the liquidation value was Rs 2,568.13 crores. The Bench has remarked that the rules of the CIRP state that the liquidation value and fair market value is kept confidential and informed to the CoC members only after finalising the resolution plan. But, in this case, the order said, the resolution bids were opened in the 15th CoC meeting, held on September 2020, wherein liquidation value and fair market value was informed to the members of CoC. Therefore, even if the confidentiality clause is in existence, in view of the facts and circumstances as discussed above, a doubt arises upon the confidentiality clause being in real-time use; therefore, we request the IBBI to examine this issue in depth so as to ensure the confidentiality clause is followed unscrupulously, without any compromise in letter and spirit by all the concerned parties, entities connected in the CIRP, the order stated. The promoters of -- the Dhoot family -- had submitted an application to the CoC under Section 12A of the (IBC) last year but failed to get the mandatory 90 per cent votes from the lenders. The lenders had cleared Twin Stars offer in December last year. The Videocon group fell into a financial crisis after the Supreme Court cancelled its wireless telephony licence in 2012 and the groups flagship company Videocon Industries investment in the telecom arm turned bad. At the same time, the loans taken by the telecom arm from Indian banks had also become non-performing assets (NPA). According to the NCLT order, shares of (VIL) and Value Industries will be delisted. In other words, equity shares will be worth nothing as seen in the case of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL). The VIL shares, which have nearly doubled from a recent low of Rs 3.86 (on May 6) to Rs 7.43 on Monday, were locked in upper circuit for at least the past five consecutive days. The upper circuit opened on Tuesday, and the stock closed 2.4 per cent lower at Rs 7.25. A notice put up on the NSE on Tuesday evening said that members of the exchange are hereby informed that the trading in equity shares of "shall be suspended w.e.f June 16, 2021 pursuant to order dated June 08, 2021 passed by the NCLT". A notice on the BSE said, "..the company has fixed Friday, 18th June 2021 as the Record Date for the purpose of delisting of equity shares from BSE and NSE." on Wednesday clarified that while new born calf serum is used in the manufacturing of viral vaccines, the final formulation of its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin is free from all impurities. "New born calf serum is used in the manufacturing of viral vaccines. It is used for the growth of cells, but neither used in growth of SARS CoV2 virus nor in the final formulation," the company said in a statement. "Covaxin is is highly purified to contain only the inactivated virus components by removing all other impurities," it added. The Hyderbad-based vaccine manufacturer clarified that bovine serum is widely used in the manufacture of vaccines globally for several decades. It also stated that the usage of new born calf serum was transparently documented in various publications for the last 9 months. --IANS ms/in (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) is all set to send the first three crew members to its new space station for three months on Thursday morning, the country's space agency announced on Wednesday. The spaceship, Shenzhou-12, with three male astronauts will be launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, Ji Qiming, assistant to the Manned Space Agency (CMSA) director, said at a press conference held at the launch centre. The spaceship will take Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo into space for the construction of China's space station. This will be the first manned mission during the construction of the space station, he said. The mission is being launched ahead of the 100-year celebrations of the ruling Communist Party of (CPC) to be held next month. After entering the orbit, the spaceship will conduct a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the in-orbit space station core module Tianhe, forming a complex with the core module and the cargo craft Tianzhou-2. The astronauts aboard Shenzhou-12 will be stationed in the core module and remain in orbit for three months. The launch will be carried out with a Long March-2F carrier rocket, which will be filled with propellant on Wednesday morning, Ji said. China launched its space station core module Tianhe on April 29. After this China now plans to complete the verification of key technologies and the in-orbit construction of the space station through multiple launches within two years. The space station still under construction is expected to be ready by next year. Yang Liwei, director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office who went into space in the Shenzhou-5 craft on October 15, 2003, said earlier that the astronauts will stay in space for three months, during which they will conduct tasks, including repair and maintenance. In all, China plans to launch 11 space missions this year and next year before the space station is ready. Three will be for modules, four for cargo spaceships and four for manned spaceships, according to official media reports. Astronauts will conduct multiple tasks outside the cabin, carrying out repair and maintenance on the spacecraft, and other construction missions, Yang said. "Astronauts coming out of the cabin will become a new routine, and the duration of such activities will be greatly expanded," he said. China's space station has been equipped with a robotic arm over which the US has raised concerns for its possible military applications. The arm, which can be stretched to 15 metres, will also play a vital role in building the space station in orbit, Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space engineering project, had said. Astronauts will team up with the robotic arm to make in-orbit space station construction and maintenance possible, Yang said. China in the past has launched several scavenger satellites fitted with robotic arms to gather and steer space debris so that it burns up in Earth's atmosphere. James Dickinson, commander of the US Space Command, told a congressional hearing in April that the technology could be used in a future system for grappling other satellites and was therefore a concern to the US military. The Chinese space station is expected to be a competitor to the ageing International Space Station (ISS), which is a modular space station in low Earth orbit. The ISS is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies -- NASA (US), Roscomos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe) and CSA (Canada). China's Tiangong is expected to be the sole space station once the ISS retires. (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.) Absconding businessman was running a "circular trade" with companies propped up by him as pearl suppliers in Hong Kong, through which he had managed to siphon off over Rs 6,345 crore borrowed from Punjab Bank, the has alleged in its supplementary charge sheet in the loan fraud case. The has alleged that Choksi made his employees directors of Shanyao Gong Si Limited and 4C's Diamond Distributors and Crown Aim, based in Hong Kong, and was controlling them. The businessman had availed LOUs and FLCs worth over Rs 6,345 crore from Punjab Bank showing purchase of fresh water pearls from these companies. The agency alleged Gitanjali Gems promoted by Choksi controlled Aston Luxury Hong Kong which is holding company of Crown Aim. It said Choksi was a director in Gitanjali Gems as well as Aston Luxury, Hong Kong. Giving details of modus operandi, the alleged that Indian companies of Choksi -- Gitanjali, Gili and Nakshatra -- sent pearl ornaments to Hong Kong where they were dismantled and extracted pearls were sent back to them by Shanyao Gong Si, 4C's Diamond Distributors and Crown Aim. Choksi availed LOCs and FLC to purchase pearls from Hong Kong-based companies whose bills were discounted by foreign lending banks on the basis of PNB guarantees. The PNB officials at the bank's Brady House branch in Mumbai issued 165 letters of undertaking (LoUs) and 58 foreign letters of credit (FLCs) during March-April 2017, against which 311 bills were discounted by Hong Kong-based companies. These LoUs and FLCs were allegedly issued to Choksi's firms without any sanctioned limit or cash margin and without making entries in the bank's central banking system to evade any scrutiny in case of a default. LoUs are a guarantee given by a bank on behalf of its client to a foreign bank. If the client does not repay to the foreign bank, the liability falls on the guarantor bank. Based on these LoUs, SBI-Mauritius, Allahabad Bank-Hong Kong, Axis Bank-Hong Kong, Bank of India-Antwerp, Canara Bank-Manama and SBI-Frankfurt lent money. "Since the accused companies did not repay the amount availed against the said fraudulent LoUs and FLCs, PNB made the payment of Rs 6,344.97 crore (USD 965.18 million), including the overdue interest, to the overseas banks, which had advanced buyer's credit and discounted the bills against the fraudulent LoUs and FLCs issued by the PNB," the supplementary charge sheet alleges. The findings were submitted by the CBI in its supplementary charge sheet filed before a special court in Mumbai last week, where it alleged that PNB was conned by its employees who were hand in glove with Choksi and his company executives and who facilitated the scam as part of a criminal conspiracy. Choksi's lawyer Vijay Aggarwal said, "This supplementary charge sheet after three years shows that it is only an attempt to cover up anomalies that the defence had pointed out in the first charge sheet. Moreover, the addition of section 201, IPC for destruction of evidence is not legally tenable as a document becomes evidence only after its filing in the court and the allegations are of a period much prior to the FIR." The CBI has found that the accused companies availed 142 buyer's credit amounting to Rs 3,011.38 crore and did not make payments on the due date "wilfully", causing loss to the bank and corresponding profits to themselves. It is alleged that Choksi and his nephew used the mechanism to get credit from foreign banks, which was not repaid, bringing the liability of over Rs 13,000 crore on PNB. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Government on Wednesday clarified that Bharat Biotechs Covaxin does not contain newborn calf serum at all and that the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product. Amid the controversy, also clarified that new born calf serum is used in the manufacturing of viral vaccines. A Health ministry statement explained that the newborn calf serum is used for preparation and growth of vero cells which are used in production of vaccines. This technique has been used for decades in Polio, Rabies, and Influenza vaccines. It is used for the growth of cells, but neither used in growth of SARS CoV2 virus nor in the final formulation. Covaxin is highly purified to contain only the inactivated virus components by removing all other impurities, the company said. These cells are then washed with water, chemicals to make them free of the newborn calf serum. The vero cells are then infected with for viral growth and in the process they are completely destroyed. The virus thereafter is killed or inactivated. The killed virus is then used to make the final vaccine. In the final vaccine formulation no calf serum is used, the health ministry said. The clarification was issued after questions were raised in social media posts over the composition of Covaxin and use of newborn calf serum. It also clarified that different kinds of bovine and other animal serum is a standard enrichment ingredient used globally for vero cell growth. A senior official in a vaccine manufacturing firm explained, "The blood is collected from the calf within three to ten days of its birth. This is very commonly used to make vaccines. Cattle blood is easier to source than other animals, and hence this is standard practice. For laboratory purposes, mostly such sera are imported. also clarified that the usage of new born calf serum was 'transparently documented' in several publications in the last nine months. The company had mentioned the same when it published animal trial study documents -which involved trials on hamsters and monkeys; in pre-clinical safety and immunogenicity study reports; in studies on neutralisation of the UK variant, the South Africa variant, the Delta variant among others. The Gurugram health department will start trials of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine within 2-3 days at a private hospital. After the trial, Sputnik V will be officially launched by the Haryana government, a senior official of the district health department told IANS. With this initiative, the Gurugram district will be among the first ones in Haryana, where the Russian-made vaccine trial will begin. A senior health official requesting anonymity said that the Sputnik V vaccine first trial will be conducted on at least 400 staffers of a private hospital. "Sputnik V will be made available in Gurugram through the state government. However, the supply chain and mechanism of vaccination will be followed accordingly. The vaccine trial will be first conducted in Gurugram," he said. The official further said a training session for the health workers related to Sputnik V vaccination and its uploading process on the Cowin-app has already been completed. Sputnik V vaccine option is also available on Cowin-app. "It was the biggest achievement of the Gurugram district to become first to administer half of its population. This could be possible because of an organised vaccination drive conducted in Gurugram. The district health department had also vaccinated Gurugram residents along with several people of Delhi and NCR. Such vaccine drives will continue in future as well," Dr M.P. Singh, district immunization officer told IANS. Apart from this, Haryana Health Minister, Anil Vij on Tuesday said that a survey done by the Government of India has ranked Gurugram first among the 24 major urban cities in the country where 49.3 per cent of its population has been vaccinated. Meanwhile, around 8,84,461 people in Gurugram have been administered corona vaccines till Tuesday. --IANS str/dpb (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.) plans to fully reopen to foreign visitors in 120 days and give at least one dose of vaccine to the majority of residents by early October to revive the tourism-reliant nations economy, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said. Some tourist destinations should be ready for fully vaccinated visitors without any quarantine requirement sooner than the wider reopening, with Phuket as the pilot, Prayuth said in a national address on Wednesday. The country aims to vaccinate 10 million people a month from July and has ordered 105.5 million doses of vaccines for this year, more than the countrys target, he said. The time has now come for us to look ahead and set a date for when we can fully open our country and start receiving visitors because re-opening the country is one of the important ways to start reducing the enormous suffering of people who have lost their ability to earn an income, Prayuth said. I am, therefore, setting a goal for us to be able to declare fully open within 120 days from today, and for tourism centers that are ready, to do so even faster. Thailands urgency to reopen stems from its dependence on tourism sector that, pre-pandemic, contributed about one-fifth of the nations economic output. Worldwide travel restrictions decimated jobs and businesses in the past year and Thailands gross domestic product has contracted for five straight quarters. Policymakers have warned the trend is likely to continue in the absence of billions of dollars earned from foreign tourists. ALSO READ: Thailand debuts locally made AstraZeneca but supplies are tight We cannot wait for a time when everyone is fully vaccinated with two shots to open the country or for when the world is free of the virus, the premier said. We must be ready to live with some risk and just try to keep it at a manageable level, and let people go back to being able to earn a living. Boost Confidence An early test of how the reopening will be received by global travelers will come in July when the popular tourist haven of Phuket will allow quarantine-free travel for vaccinated visitors. The so-called Phuket Sandbox plan is dependent on the vaccination rate among the islands residents hitting at least 70%. It currently stands at about 60%, far higher than the 5% nationwide. Setting the reopening as a national policy is a good move as tourism operators and businesses may set plans and optimize their preparations, said Somprawin Manprasert, chief economist at Bangkok-based Bank of Ayudhya Pcls research unit. A concrete plan on how to move forward will be needed too to further boost confidence. Other highlights of Prayuths address: Places of work and business must be able to operate normally and without blanket restrictions Domestic travel must be without blanket restrictions Only exception to these guidelines will be if a truly serious situation develops or seems likely to develop Orders for provincial governors to make preparations for reopening and accelerate vaccinations To get to the target of opening the country in 120 days, government will pilot with Phuket to relax some restrictions and receive visitors using a sandbox model Thais traveling abroad who are fully vaccinated must also be able to return home without quarantine By early October, almost 50 million people will have first vaccine dose will continue to seek more vaccine supplies for 2022 Prayuth said the decision to set a deadline for reopening is fraught with some risks, and when we open the country, there will be an increase in infections, no matter how good our precautions. But, I think, when we take into consideration the economic needs of people, the time has now come for us to take that calculated risk. India on Wednesday reported a net reduction of 47,946 in active cases to take its count to 865,432. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 7.39 per cent (one in 13). The country is second among the most affected countries by active cases. On Tuesday, it added 62,224 cases to take its total caseload to 29,633,105. And, with 2,542 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 379,573, or 1.28 per cent of total confirmed infections. With 2,800,458 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Tuesday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 261,972,014. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 28,388,100 or 95.8 per cent of total caseload with 107,628 new cured cases being reported on Monday. With a daily increase of 62,224 in total cases, Indias tally of coronavirus cases has risen from 29,570,881, on Tuesday to 29,633,105 an increase of 0.2%. has reached 379,573, with 2,542 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 544,036 cases in the past 7 days. India now accounts for 7.39% of all active cases globally (one in every 13 active cases), and 9.82% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths). India has so far administered 261,972,014 vaccine doses. That is 884.05 per cent of its total caseload, and 18.8 per cent of its population. Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Maharashtra (31174768), Uttar Pradesh (28683146), Gujarat (24783884), Rajasthan (24744185), and West Bengal (22226984). Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (398128), Gujarat (388022), Delhi (386845), Uttarakhand (354281), and J&K (325982). Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 13 days. The count of active cases across India on Wednesday saw a net reduction of 47,946, compared with 59,780 on Tuesday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are West Bengal (1125), Assam (475), and Manipur (301). With 107,628 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 95.80%, while fatality rate increased to at 1.28%. The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.66%), Uttarakhand (2.07%), and Maharashtra (1.93%). The rate in as many as 17 is higher than the national average. Indias new daily closed cases stand at 110,170 2,542 deaths and 107,628 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 2.3%. Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.2%. Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 329.8 days, and for deaths at 103.2 days. Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (12246), Tamil Nadu (11805), Maharashtra (7652), Andhra Pradesh (5741), and Karnataka (5041). Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Maharashtra (95.69%), Kerala (95.48%), Tamil Nadu (93.47%), and Karnataka (92.96%). India on Tuesday conducted 1,930,987 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 383,306,971. The test positivity rate recorded was 3.2%. 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 (18.68%), Maharashtra (15.42%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.46%), Kerala (12.85%), and Sikkim (12.44%). Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added are Sikkim (12.72%), Meghalaya (11.98%), Kerala (11.76%), Goa (10.48%), and Manipur (9.72%). 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 (1089660), J&K (680429), Kerala (599270), Karnataka (472503), and Uttarakhand (459332). The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (5924773), Karnataka (2777010), Kerala (2748204), Tamil Nadu (2378298), and Andhra Pradesh (1820134). Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 7,652 new cases to take its tally to 5924773. The state has added 105,549 cases in the past 10 days. Karnataka, the second-most-affected state, has reported 5041 cases to take its tally to 2777010. Kerala, the third-most-affected state by total tally, has added 12246 cases to take its tally to 2748204. Tamil Nadu has added 11805 cases to take its tally to 2378298. Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 5741 to 1820134. Uttar Pradesh has added 270 cases to take its tally to 1703207. Delhi has added 12 cases to take its tally to 1431498. Over 62,000 fresh cases reported India reported 62,224 fresh infections on Wednesday, taking the cumulative caseload to 29.63 million, according to central health ministry data. The country saw 2,542 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 379,573. The active caseload is at 865,432, while the total recoveries have surged to 28.38 million. As many as 261.9 million vaccine shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 2.8 million were given on Tuesday. Read more We didnt back doubling of vaccine dosing gap: Scientists at top advisory group The Modi government okayed doubling the interval between two shots of the Covishield vaccine without the agreement of the scientific group that it said recommended the change, said a report in Reuters that cited three members of the advisory body. The ministry of health announced a move to alter the interval from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks in May, at a time when Covid cases were soaring across the country and supplies of the vaccine were falling short. The ministry had said the extended gap was recommended by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), based on real-life evidence mainly from Britain. Yet the NTAGI scientists, classified by the Modi administration as three of the 14 "core members", said the advisory body did not have enough data to make such a recommendation, the report said. Read more Immunity in Covid-recovered patients is long-lasting: Study A new study has found that immunity in people who have recovered from Covid is long-lasting and even gets a 50-fold boost after vaccination, a report in ThePrint said. The study, published in the journal Nature, found that in Covid-recovered patients, antibodies against a protein that is known as receptor binding domain (RBD) of the novel coronavirus, and neutralising activity remain relatively stable from six to 12 months, without vaccination. The study also found that the mRNA vaccines can adequately protect against emerging mutations, the report said. Read more Bengaluru lab pursuing research on bat viruses without adequate safety The ministry of health has been engaged in a long conversation with the Department of Atomic Energy over the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bengaluru pursuing research on bat viruses without adequate safety protocols, a report in ThePrint said. The comes even as the world is debating the possibility of the novel having leaked out of a lab in China's Wuhan. The safety levels at laboratories engaged in cutting-edge scientific research has become a matter of international concern since the pandemic emerged, the report said. Read more Two doses of Covishield effective against Delta variant: UK analysis A new scientific analysis has found that two shots of the Covishield vaccine are highly effective in preventing hospitalisation due to the Delta variant, a report in The Indian Express said. Importantly, it showed no deaths among those vaccinated. The analysis was published by Public Health England. Read more Ocugen Inc, Bharat Biotech's US and Canada partner for its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, said it has chosen Jubilant HollisterStier of Spokane, Washington as its manufacturing partner for the vaccine for the North American countries. "We are fully committed to bringing Covaxin to the US and Canadian markets because we believe it has the potential to save lives by adding a weapon to the arsenal in the fight against emerging variants, J P Gabriel, Ocugen's Senior Vice President, Manufacturing and Supply Chain said in a release on Tuesday. has entered into a definitive agreement with OcugenInc, a US-based biopharmaceutical company, to co-develop, supply, and commercialise, its Covaxin for the American and Canadian markets. The US Food and Drug Administration recently 'recommended' Ocugen to pursue Biologics License Application (BLA) route for Covaxin instead of Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA). "Securing US-based manufacturing capability is a critical step as we prepare to submit our regulatory submissions to the FDA and Health Canada. Based on Bharat Biotech's strong track record of developing and commercializing vaccines globally and Jubilants proven track record in manufacturing, we are well-prepared to transition US manufacturing of Covaxin to our new partner" Gabriel further said. With two facilities in North America working to manufacture multiple COVID-19 vaccines and therapies, Jubilant remains committed to supporting efforts to eradicate this global pandemic, Pramod Yadav, CEO Jubilant Pharma Limited 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 CBI has filed a chargesheet against the former international head of the Group of Companies, Sunil Verma, and others in connection with an alleged fraud in the PNB involving an amount of over Rs 7,080 crore, in which the promoter of the group, Mehul Choksi, is wanted by the agency, officials said on Wednesday. Two officials of the Bank (PNB) -- Sagar Sawant and Sanjay Prasad -- and a director of the Gili and the Nakshtra brands under the group, Dhanesh Seth, have also been named as accused in the supplementary chargesheet filed by the (CBI), they said. The supplementary chargesheet, filed more than three years after the first chargesheet in the case against Choksi and his companies, coincides with the legal proceedings against the fugitive diamantaire in a court of Dominica, where he was arrested for "illegal entry" on May 24 after his mysterious disappearance from neighbouring Antigua and Barbuda. "This supplementary chargesheet after three years shows that it is only an attempt to cover up anomalies that the defence had pointed out in the first chargesheet. Moreover, the addition of section 201 of the IPC for destruction of evidence is not legally tenable as a document becomes evidence only after its filing in the court and the allegations are of a period much prior to the FIR," Choksi's lawyer Vijay Aggarwal said. Choksi was living in Antigua and Barbuda since 2018, after he escaped from India in the first week of January that year, weeks before the scam was reported. The diamantaire and his nephew, Nirav Modi, allegedly siphoned off over Rs 13,000 crore of public money from the PNB using letters of undertaking (LoUs) and foreign letters of credit (FLCs) by bribing officials of the bank's Brady House branch in Mumbai. From the total scam amount, Choksi's companies are accused of siphoning off Rs 7,080 crore through LoUs and FLCs, while Modi and his companies have allegedly cheated to the tune of over Rs 6,498 crore, according to the CBI. The agency's probe has so far found that 165 LoUs and 58 FLCs were issued to Choksi's companies. The CBI has claimed that its probe is continuing in the matter and the final amount siphoned off by the accused is still under investigation. The agency has slapped charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, breach of trust, disappearance of evidence, falsification of accounts, bribery and criminal misconduct by public servant in its supplementary chargesheet filed before a special court in Mumbai. The CBI probe has revealed that from 2011 to 2017, the accused officials of the PNB, in a conspiracy with Choksi and his company executives, fraudulently issued a large number of LoUs to overseas banks for obtaining buyer's credit in favour of his firms. These LoUs and FLCs were allegedly issued to Choksi's firms without any sanctioned limit or cash margin and without making entries in the bank's central banking system to evade any scrutiny in case of a default. LoUs are a guarantee given by a bank on behalf of its client to a foreign bank. In case the client does not repay to the foreign bank, the liability falls on the guarantor bank. It is alleged that Choksi and Modi used the mechanism to get credit from foreign banks, which was not repaid, bringing the liability of over Rs 13,000 crore on the PNB. The investigation has further revealed that the fraud was allegedly perpetrated despite circulars issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which was in the knowledge of senior PNB officials, the CBI has alleged. Further, the PNB officials did not implement the circulars and caution notices issued by the RBI regarding safeguarding the SWIFT (international banking messaging system) operations and instead, misrepresented the factual situation to the RBI, the agency has alleged. The PNB had accused Choksi of duping it to the tune of Rs 7,080 crore. CBI officials said the matter is still under investigation and the final figures of loss suffered by the bank can only be determined once all the LoUs are examined and the probe is complete. In addition to the 18 accused named in the first chargesheet, the agency has named four new accused in its supplementary report, including the former international head of the Group of Companies, Sunil Verma, two PNB officials -- single-window operator Sagar Sawant and AGM Sanjay Prasad -- and a director of the Gili and the Nakshtra brands under the group, Dhanesh Sheth. The supplementary chargesheet, filed more than three years after the first chargesheet in the case against Choksi and his companies, coincides with the legal proceedings against the fugitive diamantaire in a court of Dominica, where he was arrested for "illegal entry" on May 24 after his mysterious disappearance from neighbouring Antigua and Barbuda. "This supplementary chargesheet after three years shows that it is only an attempt to cover up anomalies that the defence had pointed out in the first chargesheet. Moreover, the addition of section 201 of the IPC for destruction of evidence is not legally tenable as a document becomes evidence only after its filing in the court and the allegations are of a period much prior to the FIR," Choksi's lawyer Vijay Aggarwal said. Choksi was living in Antigua and Barbuda since 2018, after he fled India in the first week of January that year, weeks before the scam was reported. The diamantaire and his nephew, Nirav Modi, have allegedly siphoned off over Rs 13,000 crore of public money from the PNB using LoUs and FLCs by bribing officials of the bank's Brady House branch. The agency has slapped charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, breach of trust, disappearance of evidence, falsification of accounts, bribery and criminal misconduct by public servant in its supplementary chargesheet. The CBI investigation has found that accused PNB official Gokulnath Shetty, in a conspiracy with Choksi, had in an "unauthorised" manner issued 165 LoUs from the PNB's Brady House branch between March 1, 2017 and April 29, 2017 on behalf of Gems (113 LoUs), Gili India Limited (35 LoUs) and Nakshatra Brands (17 LoUs) -- all accused firms -- the chargesheet has alleged. The purpose of this trade transaction was shown as purchasing fresh water pearls from Shanyao Gong Si Limited and 4Cs Diamond Distributors, both based in Hong Kong, the CBI has said. It has found that the accused companies availed 142 buyer's credit amounting to Rs 3,011.38 crore and did not make payments on the due date "wilfully", causing loss to the bank and corresponding profits to themselves. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) logged 430 new cases on Wednesday raising the overall infection count to 1.13 lakh. The new cases were identified at the end of examination of 9190 swabs. While region accounted for 340 cases, Karaikal reported 69, Yanam 11 and Mahe region 10. Six more persons succumbed to the infection raising the toll to 1702. The test positivity rate today was 4.68 percent, while fatality and recovery rates were 1.5 percent and 84.55 percent, Director of Health and Family Welfare Services S Mohan Kumar said. The health department has tested 11,84,193 samples so far and found 10,24,364 out of them to be negative. The active cases were 4495 with 695 patients taking treatment in hospitals and remaining 3800 in home isolation. Meanwhile, 36,656 health care workers and 22,681 front line workers have been inoculated so far. The department has also inoculated 2,24,506 persons coming under the category of either senior citizens or those above 45 years with co morbidities. A four-day vaccination festival commenced in more than 100 centres in the Union Territory to vaccinate all those above 18 years. A spokesman of the Health Department said the government aimed at establishing a cent percent coverage of all the eligible persons in the Union Territory. The vaccination festival would go on till June 19. Voluntary organisations like Heritage Round Table 167 played a pro active role to ensure that the vaccination festival was a success. Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan set in motion the vaccination festival at the Petit Seminaire school in the town and called upon the people to take advantage of it and get the jabs administered free of cost. She praised the efforts of the Health Department and other wings of the administration for coordinated work in implementing the vaccination festival. "The government has adequate stock of the injections and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also promised uninterrupted supply of the drug from June 21 to implementation the vaccination," she said. Tamilisai, who returned from Telangana of which she is also the Governor, said very soon Puducherry would emerge as a model for the rest of the country in covering people under vaccination to prevent spread of the pandemic. (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.) IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Tuesday unveiled the statue of Colonel B Santosh Babu, who had lost his life during the India-China face-off at Galwan Valley in last year, here in Suryapet town. A statute of Maha Vir Chakra late Colonel Santhosh Babu has been unveiled at Suryapet town in the memory the supreme sacrifice made by Colonel Santhosh Babu in the Galwan valley clash on June 15, 2020. Offering tributes to the unveiled statue of Maha Vir Chakra late Colonel Santhosh Babu, KTR said that he will be remembered for ever in the hearts of people for his supreme sacrifice. KTR said that the assistance given by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao immediately after the death of Colonel Santhosh Babu is "a fitting example that the whole nation". "The people of this nation will always stand for the family members of the Indian Army," 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 will train 5,000 youths to assist doctors and nurses as part of preparations for a possible third wave of COVID-19, Chief Minister said on Wednesday. The health assistants or community nursing assistants will be imparted two weeks' basic training in nursing and lifecare. The training will start from June 28 in batches of 500 candidates. Training applicants need to have cleared Class 12 and be at least 18 years old. Online applications for training will be received on a first come, first served basis from June 17, Kejriwal said. The health assistants will be roped in whenever their services are required during the third wave of the pandemic. They will be paid according to the number of days they work, he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh is finally overcoming the second wave of the pandemic. The state has recorded merely 310 fresh Covid cases -- the lowest daily count in over two-and-a-half months -- with positivity rate down to just 0.1 per cent. Additional chief secretary, information, Navneet Sehgal, said that this was a result of numerous proactive measures adopted by chief minister Yogi Adityanath in limiting the transmission of the virus in the densely populated state. Uttar Pradesh, he said, has also been registering a steep decline in the number of active Covid cases as the figure has dropped from a high of 3,10,783 in April to 6,496 now -- a remarkable reduction by 98 per cent. The number of active Covid cases has also gone below the 300-mark in all the districts, barring one. As many as 2,86,396 samples for the novel infection were tested in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of tests to 5,41,45,947 so far. Despite aggressive tracing and testing, Uttar Pradesh's positivity rate - which shows the level of infections among people - has been registering a steady decline for several days indicating signs that the dangerous Covid wave is receding from the state. Sehgal said that the UP Covid model of Yogi Adityanath which initially started with the T3 regime (Trace, Test and Treat) and later added aggressive vaccination in it, has done wonders. "Aggressive Vaccination is an integral pillar of the comprehensive strategy of the Uttar Pradesh government for containment and management of the pandemic, along with T3 and adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour," he said. In a recent achievement, Uttar Pradesh has crossed the milestone of administering 2.30 crore cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses. UP has outnumbered many states in terms of vaccination against Covid. So far, the state has administered as many as 2,39,49,661 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, cumulatively. Uttar Pradesh has also become self-reliant in terms of producing oxygen with as many as 14 more oxygen producing plants becoming functional in the state. As many as 100 of the 436 sanctioned oxygen plants have already been established and are functional while work on the rest is going on in Uttar Pradesh, he said. --IANS amita/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.) Hills, wildlife sanctuaries and beaches have once again become the go-to places for vacationers as states unlock after a stringent lockdown. With that, hotels in leisure destinations, particularly hills, are back in demand. The latest trend of revenge travel coincides with many states including Maharashtra and Delhi easing the Covid-19 norms. Some states such as Himachal Pradesh have also relaxed the RT-PCR test requirement for travel. Over the past fortnight, chains including ITC Hotels, Indian Hotels, and premium boutique brand like The Postcard Hotel have seen occupancy touching the optimum level across many properties. Some have even been able to sell out completely. Owing to the high demand, hotels average daily rates (ADRs) have crossed the 2019 levels. Besides hills and beaches, staycation in city hotels too is back in favour. The luxury segment will be the first to recover, said Kapil Chopra, founder and CEO, The Postcard Hotel. For instance, Post Cards newly opened property in Gir (Gujarat), commanding Rs 20,000 to 22,000 per night, has been fully booked since it opened on June 1. Most weekends are sold out, according to Chopra. The current booking trend is making Chopra hopeful that July will be a bumper month for the Goa property. The forward booking trend is very strong. It is unprecedented, he said. Weekend occupancy in leisure destinations like Karjat and Alibaug are beginning to show recovery compared to last month, pointed out Zubin Saxena, Managing Director and Vice-President Operations at Radisson Hotel Group, South Asia. We are also seeing enquiries for weddings and corporate bookings in destinations like Alibaug and Ahmedabad. However, changing government norms have made guests cautious while confirming bookings. These are still early trends and a more definitive picture will emerge over the next few weeks, according to Saxena. Others are witnessing similar trends. Our properties including ITC Grand Bharat in Gurgaon, WelcomHotel Shimla and the just launched WelcomHotel Tavleen Chail are all sold out, said the spokesperson at ITC Hotel. It reflects a positive sentiment around travel, the spokesperson added. A spokesperson at Indian Hotels said the company's hotels and resorts in destinations such as Rajasthan, Rishikesh, Theog, Corbett, Nashik have witnessed a substantial increase in occupancy. Popularity for homestays has also picked up. IHCLs ama Stays & Trails bungalows in Madh Island, Lonavala and Khadakvalsa and also South Goa have seen consecutive bookings, the spokesperson said. Manav Thadani, founder, Hotelivate, pointed out that the work from anywhere trend has really helped the homestay segment and people are checking into these properties for long stays. The duration of the stay has doubled and rates have gone up. Learning from last years lockdown, resorts in key leisure locations are fully prepared and are already running on high occupancy over weekends, said Nandivardhan Jain, CEO, Noesis Capital & Advisors. This has attracted interest from the investor community looking for value acquisition opportunities, said Jain. Even lesser known regional brands like Dehradun-based Leisure Hotels are witnessing demand. Our properties in Kasauli and Dharmshala have touched 65 per cent occupancy level from zero. No one is negotiating. People just want to get away, said Vibhas Prasad, director at the firm that manages and owns resorts and hotels in Uttarakhand, Himachal and Goa. It charges a room night ranging from Rs 12,000 to Rs 40,000. Online travel booking firms are on the same page. Vipul Prakash, Chief Operating Officer, MakeMyTrip, said the booking patterns suggested that confidence was building back in travel with cancellations being limited to only 10 per cent of overall bookings for June. This is equivalent to the number of cancellations made in February. Nishant Pitti, co-founder and CEO at EaseMyTrip, said the platform experienced a 40 per cent growth in travel bookings in the past one week for hill stations and nearby tourist spots. Majority of the bookings are still happening at the last minute instead of advance bookings that happened earlier, said Pitti. Going by the current trend, the company expects the market to grow multi-folds by next month as restrictions ease further. A Covid widow, who lost her job due to the pandemic, saw her five children being admitted to a hospital in Aligarh on June 15 for apparently going without food for days, according to PTI. After the surfaced, district magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh rushed a team of officials to investigate the matter and extend relief. The report said that after losing her job, Guddi s eldest son Ajay (20) started working as a daily wage construction worker but due to the lockdown in April during the second wave of coronavirus, he, too, lost his job and all sources of income dried up. Guddi is not alone. According to the latest report from Stranded Action Network (SWAN), a voluntary effort started in March 2020 to mobilise relief for stranded migrant workers, almost 92 per cent workers, whom the group contacted between April 21 and May 31, had not received any money from their employer. This was after restrictions were imposed and work had stopped. SWAN, supported by some of the leading civil society organisations and NGOs, is working in difficult fields. The survey, which was conducted among 1,396 worker groups, adding up to 8,023 people that included 4,836 women and children, showed that 76 per cent of the had less than Rs 200 left with them. Also, 6. 34 per cent of the were not paid their pending for completed work and 13 per cent of them were paid only partially. It also showed that around 56 per cent of workers reported that their work had stopped for more than a month. Sixty per cent of the callers in the SWAN survey comprised daily wagers, like Guddi, while 6 per cent were non-group based daily wage earners like drivers, domestic helps and so on. Around 16 per cent were self-employed. Advocating a holistic approach to deal with the humanitarian crisis inflicted due to the Covid lockdowns, SWAN said that beyond the necessary focus on vaccination and health systems, a rapid macroeconomic recovery requires an urgent response in the form of a national relief and recovery package to (a) protect life, (b) partially compensate for lost livelihoods and income, and (c) boost demand in the economy for faster overall recovery. The measures suggested by the group include expanding the free foodgrains scheme to non-ration card holders till November 2021, undertaking cash transfers of Rs 3,000 per month for the next six months to the poor and expanding work entitlements to at least 150 days along with initiating immediate public work programmes in urban centres. For income, the proposed crisis cash transfer must leverage existing direct benefit transfer systems (NREGA, PM-KISAN, PMJDY, NSAP) with new decentralised systems of direct distribution from ration shops, post offices, panchayats and other local institutions, SWAN said. It said the proposed income transfer will cost the central government an additional Rs 4.44 trillion, or 1.97 per cent of the projected 2021-22 GDP. Few lawmakers from the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the are appointed to the various committees that discuss and analyse proposed laws, scrutinise expenditure and policies, and generally hold the government of the day accountable, our analysis of parliamentary data shows. Reservation for the SC and ST communities in the has existed for seven decades. We find that SC/ST members' proportional share in the is not reflected in their presence in various committees, implying that SC/ST parliamentarians have limited influence and authority inside the country's highest legislative body. In India's first general election in 1951-52, one-fifth (20.04% of 489 seats) were reserved for SC (72) and ST (26) communities. Seven decades on, it is vital to examine if reservation--now at 24.13% or 131 of 543 Lok Sabha seats--has affected SC/ST lawmakers' influence in parliament; whether they have the opportunity to raise issues within parliament; whether they have access to important decision-making positions as committee chairpersons; whether they are members of diverse parliamentary committees, and so on. All committees must provide equal representation for SC/ST MPs, said Maansi Verma, founder of Maadhyam, an organisation that reports on legislative matters. "Lack of representation across committees can ghettoise SC/ST MPs in two ways," she told IndiaSpend. "One, by ensuring that they continue to represent reserved seats only. Second, they can only raise a narrow set of issues as members of limited standing committees." Committees and memberships has 24 departmentally-related standing committees (DRSCs)--panels that deal with corresponding ministries. For instance, the committee on agriculture will deal with matters pertaining to the agriculture ministry. Of the 24 DRSCs, 16 are handled by the Lok Sabha secretariat and eight by the Besides the 24 DRSCs, there are three financial committees--estimates, public accounts and public undertakings--that scrutinise public finances. These are distinct from the finance committee, which scrutinises the expenditure of the ministry of finance. The Lok Sabha Speaker and the Chairperson appoint members to DRSCs for their respective houses. The appointments are made based on the Speaker's/Chairperson's nomination of members of (MPs) for committees in their respective houses. Only the members to three financial committees are elected by MPs of both the houses. Read More: Reservations about quotas Committees have a term of one year. Members are usually re-nominated to the same committee to leverage their knowledge and experience on the subject matter, said Verma. Poor representation across committees Of the 543 members elected to the 17th Lok Sabha, 138--or 25.4%--belong to SC/ST communities; this is one percentage point higher than the proportion of seats (24.13%) reserved for SC/ST members in the lower house. The 25.4% SC/ST membership in the 17th Lok Sabha has not translated into a proportional increase in the SC/ST parliamentarians' presence in all 24 standing committees and three financial committees, IndiaSpend's analysis of parliamentary committee membership has found. For instance, only eight of 27 committees (24 DRSCs + three financial committees) meet or surpass the 25.4% representation of SC/ST MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha. This (proportional representation of SC/ST MPs in eight of 27 committees) has remained static since the 15th (2009-14) and 16th Lok Sabhas (2014-19). These eight committees in the 17th Lok Sabha pertain to external affairs, social justice, chemicals, coal & steel, labour, water resources, law & justice, and tourism. The highest proportion of SC/ST MPs, 59.5%, in the 17th Lok Sabha is in the social justice committee (more on this shortly) and the least (6.67%) is in the public accounts committee, the data show. In the defence committee, their membership adds up to 21.4%. The finance committee has consistently had 9.5% SC/ST MP membership in the last three Lok Sabhas. The external affairs committee is the only one among the 'big 4 ministries,' to have more than one-fourth (28.5%) SC/ST MPs, the data show; defence, finance and home affairs (the home affairs committee comes under the Rajya Sabha's purview) being the other three. SC/ST MPs' membership to three of these 'big 4' committees is higher under the 17th Lok Sabha compared to the 15th and 16th Lok Sabhas, the data show. Limited sphere of influence SC/ST parliamentarians have had over 50% representation in the social justice committee in the last three Lok Sabhas--67.7% of all members in the 15th Lok Sabha; just over half of all members (50.5%) in the 16th Lok Sabha; and 59.5% in the 17th Lok Sabha. This is also the case with the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Committee, a joint Parliamentary standing committee that analyses the reports of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, among other matters. Its membership in the 17th Lok Sabha includes 95% SC/ST MPs. This was 100% in the 16th and 98% in the 15th Lok Sabhas. It is almost never the case that an MP has membership of more than one standing committee, a Lok Sabha secretariat official told IndiaSpend on condition of anonymity. If a majority of the SC/ST parliamentarians are assigned to the social justice committee, then these MPs will not get the opportunity to weigh in on subjects other than those pertaining to social justice, the official said. Further, a handful of SC/ST MPs have been named chairpersons of standing committees in the last decade, our analysis reveals. SC/ST MPs can be considered for chairperson positions--appointed by the Lok Sabha speaker--for 16 committees, as per rule 331D of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. One SC/ST MP--former tribal affairs minister, Jual Oram--serves as the chairperson of the defence committee among all the 16 standing committees since the 17th Lok Sabha was constituted, the data show. SC/ST parliamentarians constituted 7.3% (21 of 240) of Lok Sabha DRSC chairpersons and financial committee chairpersons from 2009 to 2020, we found. The chairperson sets the agenda and direction of that committee. They have the power to cast the deciding vote, correct errors in reports and expunge unparliamentary words or phrases, among other things. Legislative experience plays an important role in being appointed as chairperson of a committee, said Verma. "The work of a committee can be quite technical, ranging from studying bills to reviewing demand for grants for a particular ministry, and the chairperson plays an important role in steering discussions." A lack of legislative experience can lead to SC/ST MPs being passed over not only for committee chairperson positions, but also from being included in the Union cabinet as ministers. Only six of 54 ministers i.e. 11% ministers in the present National Democratic Alliance-II government--are SC/ST MPs. For SC/ST MPs, leadership positions are elusive outside of too. Few members from these communities rise up to head their political parties. Of the 17 political parties that have at least three MPs in the current 17th Lok Sabha, only one has an SC/ST party leader, data show. In the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19), 18 political parties had at least three MPs in the lower house, but only two parties had SC/ST MPs as party leaders. Being the head of the party is important as it comes with membership of the business advisory committee (BAC), which includes all party leaders and the Speaker, which sets parliament's agenda and timetable. Muffled voices SC/ST MPs, irrespective of their political party affiliation, have been vocal in parliament. On average, SC/ST MPs from the Bharatiya Janata Party spoke 10 times per year in the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-14), as per our analysis of data from PRS Legislative Research (PRS), a research organisation that tracks the functioning of parliament. On average, SC/ST MPs from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) spoke 44 times per year in the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19). Data for the 17th Lok Sabha are currently unavailable due to its ongoing term. SC/ST MPs participated in debates to raise matters of national importance as well as pressing issues from their constituencies. Arjun Ram Meghwal, an SC/ST MP from Bikaner was the parliamentarian with the highest participation in Lok Sabha debates during the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-14), according to PRS. Four of the top five MPs--the others being Shailendra Kumar (Kaushambi), P.L. Punia (Barabanki) and Virendra Kumar (Tikamgarh)--to participate in debates in the same period were from reserved constituencies. In the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-2019), two of the top 10 MPs to participate in debates were members of SC/ST communities, according to PRS data. This information is unavailable for the 17th Lok Sabha because its term is still under way. Read More: India's ever-increasing reservations Asking questions on the floor of the house is another tool in an MP's toolkit to wield influence and hold the government accountable. Two of the top 10 and seven of the top 30 MPs to ask the most questions in parliament in the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-14) were from SC/ST communities, according to PRS data; the MP to raise the most number of questions on the floor of the house--Kirit Solanki from Ahmedabad West--too was a representative of a reserved constituency. In the 16th Lok Sabha, four of the top 30 MPs to pose the maximum number of questions belonged to SC/ST communities. This information for the 17th Lok Sabha is currently unavailable as its term is ongoing. Speaking in parliament is not the same as speaking out. SC/ST MPs are quiet owing to the tenth schedule, better known as the anti-defection law, which expressly forbids MPs from either voting against their political party's stance or by "voluntarily giving up their membership" of the party. "Almost all members of parliament from reserved constituencies are expected to keep quiet inside the Parliament," a former parliamentarian told IndiaSpend on condition of anonymity. "Their [SC/ST MPs'] opportunity to highlight injustices against their community comes either during [already] highlighted cases such as Hathras or during the Zero Hour, which depends upon a lottery system. Internal dissenters have invited political isolation." Diminished prospects SC/ST parliamentarians' activities--speaking up, participating in debates or raising questions--did not have a bearing on the opportunity they received from their political parties to contest again from the same constituency. For instance, the BJP did not give tickets to 53.7% of all their SC/ST MPs to contest in the 2019 general election, as per IndiaSpend's analysis of publicly available data from the Election Commission. For the 2014 general election, the BJP had denied tickets to 28% of all their SC/ST MPs, and the Congress to 26% of their sitting SC/ST MPs. This poor opportunity to contest again can be an impediment to their prospects and long-term contribution as elected representatives, said Verma of Maadhyam. (Editing by Marisha Karwa) Kia will work together with share transport network company Uber, and speed up to sell in Europe. Kia and Uber have signed a partnership that offers purchase benefits for Kia's electric cars such as Niro EV to Uber drivers in Europe. The cooperation between those two is to supply electric cars with less noise and no-carbon emission for creating a comfortable urban environment. Kia is planning to strengthen the partnership by offering electric cars to Uber drivers in 20 Europe countries. Uber has set a vision that it will operate more than 100,000 electric cars in Europe by 2025 and build no-carbon dioxide mobility platform by 2030. Through the vision, Uber is planning to convert half of Uber cars operated in seven major cities including London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid and Lisbon to electric cars. "The EV partnership with Uber will be the important milestone for mobility generation without carbon emission," said Jung Won-jeoung, a Head Manager of Kia Europe Headquarters. "Starting with offering high-tech electric cars such as Niro EV to Uber, Kia will keep trying hard to create the urban environment and roads without noise and pollution," added Jung. (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 President and Russian leader will meet in Geneva on Wednesday in a "closely watched piece of geopolitical theatre", American media reported. Ties between US and Russia have been at their worst after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. US investigators and media blame Moscow for interfering in the 2016 presidential election and helping Donald Trump win that race. The Kremlin and White House view the Geneva summit as a chance for the two presidents to map out how they will manage a difficult relationship over the next four years. Here are five things you need to know about their summit in an 18th-century Swiss villa. Agenda With a spate of ransomware attacks on US companies, the poisoning and jailing of a leading opposition in Russia, and Kremlins support for a crackdown on protesters in Belarus, there is a lot on the plate of the two leaders. According to CNN, the talks represent a critical early political trial for Biden. I had discussions with them (other world leaders) about what they thought was important from their perspective and what they thought was not important, Biden told reporters on Monday. A Kremlin aide said on Tuesday nuclear stability, climate change and cybersecurity were on the summit agenda, Reuters reported, as well as the outlook for Russian and US nationals imprisoned in either countries. The aide said he was not sure any agreements could be reached. Cooperation? Strategic stability is one area where both sides could seek greater cooperation. According to an ANI report, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US is hoping that the two presidents will come out of the meeting with clear instructions to their teams on "strategic stability." Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Kremlin, called "strategic stability" the most important subject of the summit. The expression refers to the world's two biggest nuclear powers maintaining a balance of power that prevents them from sliding into open conflict. That includes the New START arms control treaty, which the U.S. and Russia agreed to extend within days of Biden taking office, CNN reported. Both sides have an interest in having a more stable and predictable relationship in certain areas of global diplomacy, such as deepening agreements over arms control and tackling climate change. Putin had participated in Biden's virtual climate summit in April. Navalny imprisonment Biden might ask Putin about Kremlin critic Alexei Navalnys imprisonment. Experts are watching to see how specific Biden gets and whether he raises the jailing and poisoning of the Russian opposition leader and the banning of his political network. In January, Navalny flew to Russia from Berlin, where he had spent nearly half a year recovering after he was poisoned last summer in Russia. He was arrested at passport control. A month later, a Russian court sentenced Navalny to more than two years in jail for parole violations. According to several media reports, Biden warned on Monday that if Navalny died while in Russian custody, Moscows relationship with the rest of the world would further deteriorate. In an interview with USAs NBC News, Putin denied ordering a hit on Navalny and refused to guarantee that his critic would leave prison alive. Look, such decisions in this country are not made by the president, Putin said. Cybersecurity concerns Biden is also expected to raise concerns over a series of ransomware attacks and other cybersecurity concerns with Putin. Last month, a hacking group known as DarkSide with suspected ties to Russian criminals launched a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, forcing the US company to shut down approximately 5,500 miles of pipeline. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that President Biden will raise the issue of recent ransomware attacks and tell Putin that "states cannot be in the business of harboring those who are engaged in these kinds of attacks." Russia has consistently denied any involvement in cyberattacks on the U.S. government and political institutions. Putin has dismissed allegation of Russian involvement in attacks on the JBS meatpacking company and Colonial Pipeline as "nonsense" and "ridiculous." No joint press conference The decision to not hold a joint press conference was something for which White House officials had pushed. Officials have said Russia pushed for a joint press conference during negotiations about the summit, according to a CNN report. But the US resisted because they did not want to give Putin a platform like he had after a 2018 summit with former President Donald Trump in Helsinki. Later, Biden will be able to deliver his own message to reporters about the talks without the pressure of speaking alongside an adversary. Instead of potentially facing the press with dueling messages about US-Russia relations, Biden and Putin will hold solo press conferences following the summit. By Aaron Sheldrick TOKYO (Reuters) - rose nearly 1% on Wednesday, with Brent gaining for a fifth consecutive session, as falling stockpiles and a recovery in demand kept the main benchmarks at multi-year highs. was up 66 cents, or 0.9%, at $74.65 a barrel by 0445 GMT, the highest since April 2019. U.S. crude gained 58 cents, or 0.8%, to $72.70 a barrel, the highest since October 2018. "Even non-energy traders are placing bets that will continue to rise," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA. "Everyone is turning overly bullish with crude prices. The crude demand outlook is very robust as recoveries across the US, Europe and Asia, will have demand return to pre-COVID levels in the second half of next year," Moya said. U.S. oil inventories dropped by 8.5 million barrels in the week ended June 11, according to two market sources, citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Crude stocks were expected to have fallen for a fourth week in a row, dropping by about 3.3 million barrels last week, according to analysts polled by Reuters. Official government data is due out Wednesday. Executives from major oil traders said on Tuesday they expected prices to remain above $70 a barrel and demand to return to pre-pandemic levels in the second half of 2022. Vitol Chief Executive Russell Hardy said oil is likely to trade in a range between $70 and $80 a barrel for the rest of this year on the expectation that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) will retain output restraints. Even the return of Iranian exports if the United States rejoins a nuclear agreement and lifts sanctions on Tehran is unlikely to change the bullish picture, he said. "Iranian floating storage has been rising since the start of the year and the timing and the scale of the return will likely impact the OPEC+ tapering process," RBC Capital said, referring to the gradual removal of productions constraints by the producer group. (Reporting by Aaron Sheldrick. Editing by Gerry Doyle) (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.) Chinas main indicators steadied for a second month, a sign that the recovery is in a more stable phase and the is rebalancing slowly. The recovery from the pandemic has been led by a property-fueled construction boom and surging for export, with consumer spending remaining the weak link and the key to more sustainable growth. The latest data released Wednesday by the statistics bureau showed a shift toward consumption-driven demand is underway, but at a gradual pace. rose 6.6 per cent in May on a two-year average basis which strips out the impact of last years pandemic while retail sales grew 4.5 per cent, about half of its pre-pandemic rate. Investment in fixed assets such as property and land was 4.2 per cent on that basis in the five months through May, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The is recommending that member countries start lifting restrictions on tourists from the United States. EU members agreed Wednesday to add the United States to the list of countries from which restrictions on non-essential travel should be lifted. The move was adopted during a meeting in Brussels of permanent representatives to the 27-nation bloc. The recommendation is non-binding, and national governments have authority to require test results or vaccination records and to set other entry conditions. Some EU countries have already started allowing in American visitors. In addition to the U.S., the representatives of EU nations added five other countries - North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Lebanon and Taiwan - to the tourist travel list. The European Council updates the list based on epidemiological data. It gets reviewed every two weeks,. The representatives also decided to remove a reciprocity clause for the special administrative regions of China Macau and Hong Kong. The recommendations are expected to be formalised on Friday. Is the world headed for 2 more than three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union? The contours were first visible just before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in a bitter trade war that erupted between the US and China and seemed to have taken a backseat as the world struggles to control the spread of the virus. However, US President Joe Biden's remarks backing and QUAD to control China has again stoked the fires of what could happen in the 'new normal'. Five years after he wrote "Pisoners of Geography" that showed how every nation's choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas and concrete, Tim Marshall is a leading authority on foreign affairs with more than 30 years of reporting experience, in its sequel, "The Power of Geography" (Simon & Schuster), says that since then, the geography hasn't changed, but the world has. "It is apparent that we have entered deep into a 'multi-polar' era. This means the world's second-tier powers have more room to act independently of the major powers, especially as there is no 'world policemen' as there was during the I believe we will eventually head back into a form of Cold War, this time between China and the USA," Marshall told IANS in an interview. "It won't be the same as the previous one, but there will be similar pressures to choose sides. (India successfully resisted such pressures in the Soviet/USA era, but this time the geography of the new competition means India will probably not be as 'non-aligned' in the future.) So, I wanted to look at the geography of some second-tier countries/regions and how that influences not only their current behaviour in this multi-polar world, but also what role they might play in a future It's clear, for example, that the UK and Australia have made their choice and will stick with the Americans," Marshall added. Some of it was looking back at his own experiences in the regions (other than the chapter on Space of course). "The basis though is starting with the geography of the subject -- which way do its rivers flow, where are the borders, what are its ports like, what are the demographics, etc. Then a study of history and current affairs, supplemented with interviews with experts in the region," he explained, detailing the 10 regions -- Australia, The Sahel, Greece, Turkey, the UK, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Space -- that are likely to shape global and power. "All countries and regions in some way influence current affairs, but not all could be covered in the space of one book. Australia is interesting not just because of its size, but because it's a clear example of how geography constrains a country's ability to increase the size of its population, given that so much of it is uninhabitable. It is also the best example of a country making its choice ahead of the coming Cold War competition. "Iran and Saudi Arabia are both being impacted by the slow withdrawal of the USA from the Middle East as it pivots towards the Indo-Pacific region, and both countries also have their own domestic challenges to balance against this. The UK was an obvious choice because of Brexit. Greece and Turkey have entered into a period of intense competition for gas and oil in the Adriatic Sea. "The Sahel region was chosen because the problems created by colonialism, climate change, poverty, violent Islamism, conflict and migration are all coming together, making it a very volatile region. Ethiopia is in because technology may finally allow it to harness the power of the Blue Nile and alleviate poverty, but that is causing tensions with its neighbours. Finally, Space is there because I believe it is a geographic area over which there will be competition and cooperation in the future, and it is important to prepare for that," Marshall elaborated. Marshall was diplomatic editor at Sky News, and before that was working for the BBC and LBC/IRN radio. He has reported from 40 countries and covered conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Israel. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller "Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps that Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics" and the founder and editor of the current affairs site TheWhatandtheWhy.com. "I was lucky enough to report from as many as 40 countries and learn about different peoples and cultures. What I learned is that although different people can think in different ways, which are sometimes hard to follow, at heart we are all the same. I also learned early on that peace is fragile, that there are always a few people with ill intent who will seek to provoke tensions between others in order to profit from it. Sadly, we are susceptible to anxieties about the 'other'. "It has given me a somewhat 'realist' hardline approach to relations and has also persuaded me of Churchill's truth that democracy is the least worst political system by which to organize societies," Marshall concluded. (Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in) --IANS vm/dpb (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.) North Korean leader said the countrys food situation is getting tense due to typhoons last year that wiped out crops, comments that underscored farm-sector shortfalls made worse by his decision to close borders to prevent Covid. Kim told a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of his ruling Workers Party of Korea the agricultural sector failed to fulfill its grain production plan, and now is high time to give full play to the indomitable revolutionary spirit and the fighting traits of self-reliance and fortitude, the states official Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday. The North Korean leader also said the countrys has shown improvement as a whole, on the back of increased industrial output. This comes after Kim has already made a rare admission that policy was falling short when he replaced his point man in charge of the last summer. North Koreas will barely grow in 2021 after its worst contraction in decades as the country continues to struggle with the pandemic, sanctions to punish it for its nuclear and missile testing, and a lack of trade with China, Fitch Solutions said in April. The plenum was expected to be held over several days this week and could touch on issues in later sessions, specialist service NK News reported. battles chronic food shortages and Kims decision to shut the borders more than a year ago slammed the brakes on trade with China, its long-time benefactor. According to the United Nations World Food Program, one of the few humanitarian groups that has operated in reclusive North Korea, about 40% of the population is undernourished, adding food insecurity and malnutrition are widespread. has repeatedly said solving the food problem was a key to improving peoples living standards, and a rare official acknowledgment at the highest level that the food situation is becoming tense indicates how seriously Pyongyang views this issue, according to Rachel Minyoung Lee, a nonresident fellow with the 38 North Program at the Stimson Center. Read More: N Korean leader Kim Jong Un calls for meeting to review battered economy It is important to note that is using this period of national lockdown to reduce the countrys reliance on imports and develop domestic production capabilities to the extent possible, said Lee, a former U.S. government analyst specializing in Despite the economic hardships at home, Kim has rebuffed calls from the U.S. to resume nuclear disarmament negotiations, which could provide relief from sanctions choking his states paltry economy. Kim appears to be focused on taking care of internal matters for the time being rather than ratcheting up regional tensions through provocative military moves, South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook told parliament this month. --With assistance from Sam Kim. President named Lina Khan chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, an unexpected move that puts one of the most prominent advocates of aggressive antitrust enforcement against U.S. technology giants in charge of the agency. News of Khans appointment came hours after the Senate confirmed her for a seat on the FTC by a vote of 69-28. She will take over the agency from Acting Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, who has been a commissioner for three years and had been expected by some to be tapped by Biden to lead the agency permanently. Khans elevation to chairwoman marks her rapid rise to the top of U.S. antitrust enforcement. Currently a professor at Columbia Law School, just a few years ago she was a law student at Yale University. Now the 32-year-old is in charge of one of two agencies responsible for policing competition in the U.S. The other is the Justice Departments antitrust division. It is a tremendous honor to have been selected by President Biden to lead the Federal Trade Commission, Khan said in a statement after she was sworn in. I look forward to working with my colleagues to protect the public from corporate abuse. ALSO READ: Biden likely to pick FTC member Chopra to head consumer financial regulator As chairwoman, Khan will need a majority of the five-member agency to make enforcement decisions, but she will have significant control over the staff who conduct the agencys competition and consumer-protection investigations. She will join two Democrats -- Slaughter and Rohit Chopra -- who have long sought to pursue a more aggressive antitrust agenda. Khan rose to prominence with a 2017 research paper on Amazon.com Inc. that she wrote as a law student at Yale University. The paper casts the online retail giant as a harmful monopoly and argues that the company employs practices that should provoke a rethink of antitrust enforcement in the U.S. Her work put her at the forefront of an anti-monopoly movement known as the New Brandeis School that says the traditional playbook for policing mergers and anticompetitive conduct has failed, leading to concentrated economic and political power across the economy. Once on the fringes of antitrust thinking, support for breaking up tech firms and calls for overhauling antitrust laws have gone mainstream. Last week, House lawmakers introduced a series of bills that would put new restrictions on how tech firms operate and in some cases force them to exit certain businesses. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who called for breaking up tech companies when she was campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president, praised Khans appointment, calling her a fearless champion for consumers. Consolidation is choking off competition across American industries, Warren said in a statement. With Chair Khan at the helm, we have a huge opportunity to make big, structural change by reviving antitrust enforcement and fighting monopolies that threaten our economy, our society, and our democracy. Still, Khan has her detractors. When she first emerged as a possible candidate for the FTC, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah called her views on antitrust wildly out of step with a prudent approach to the law. Tech-funded advocacy organizations were quick to criticize Khans confirmation. NetChoice, whose members include Amazon and other tech companies, accused Khan of antitrust activism that it said will politicize the FTC and harm Americas economic exceptionalism. Khan has a strong career in persuading the American left of her proposed reforms to antitrust law, but the job of an FTC commissioner is to enforce antitrust laws as they are, not as the commissioner wishes they would be, Carl Szabo, NetChoices general counsel, said in a statement. Slaughter said she looked forward to working with Khan to ensure that markets work for all people. Khans nomination in March and the appointment of her Columbia colleague Tim Wu as White House adviser on competition policy signaled President was preparing to take a tougher approach to antitrust enforcement. But nearly five months into his administration, Biden has yet to nominate a leader for the Justice Departments antitrust division, which shares antitrust enforcement with the FTC. Biden didnt announce his intent to name Khan chairwoman when he nominated her. Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committees antitrust panel, which would consider Bidens choice for the antitrust division, said in an interview that she hopes the administration nominates someone for the position soon. The fact they put in Tim Wu and Lina Khan really shows that theyre interested in seriously taking on these issues, she said. The FTCs Democratic majority with Slaughter, Chopra and Khan may be short-lived. Biden nominated Chopra to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He is still awaiting Senate confirmation after the Senate Banking Committee in March split on his nomination along party lines. At her confirmation hearing, Khan told lawmakers that antitrust enforcers need to scrutinize the power that large technology companies have over digital markets, from app stores to online journalism. She called out the dominance that Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google have over app stores on mobile devices, saying terms like Apple taking 30% of the revenue earned by some developers cant be justified. The source of the power is the fact that you have basically these two main options, and so that gives these companies the power to really set the terms in this market, she said. Certain terms and conditions really lack any type of beneficial justification. After law school, Khan worked at anti-monopoly think tank Open Markets Institute and as an adviser to Chopra at the FTC. She was also counsel to the House antitrust committee, which last year concluded an investigation of Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook Inc. Khan was one of the authors of the panels report on the investigation, which accused the tech firms of abusing their roles as gatekeepers in the digital economy and in the process eroding innovation, entrepreneurship, privacy and consumer choice. It also included a series of recommendations for reforms to antitrust laws. MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire philanthropist and Jeff Bezoss ex-wife, has given $2.7 billion to a variety of charities, she wrote in a blog post Tuesday, bringing her total donations since her first giving spree in July 2020 to $8.5 billion. Scott, 51, shook up the philanthropy world last year with the pace and magnitude of her giving. This time she gave to 286 organizations from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre to racial equity funds in philanthropy and journalism. This is her first time announcing donations since she remarried to Dan Jewett, a Seattle science teacher. Me, Dan, a constellation of researchers and administrators and advisors we are all attempting to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change, Scott wrote in the post. We are governed by a humbling belief that it would be better if disproportionate were not concentrated in a small number of hands, and that the solutions are best designed and implemented by The past few years have been an extraordinary period for creation among the 0.01%. The worlds 500 richest people added $1.8 trillion to their combined fortunes just in 2020, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The gains were particularly pronounced among tech titans, including Bezos, the richest person in the world. Scott, who ended up with a 4% stake in Amazon.com Inc. following her divorce, is worth almost $60 billion. Thats even after her rapid giving thats already made her one of the most consequential philanthropists in the world. Last year she likely set a record for the largest annual distribution by a living person. Scott has been lauded by experts and philanthropy critics alike not only for the speed and scope of her gifts, but also for what organizations shes giving to -- smaller ones typically overlooked by big donors -- and for the no-strings-attached approach to the gifts. Its important to note that she has also just written checks to these organizations, leaving her own interests to the side and giving up power to the organizations shes funding, said Erik Stegman, executive director of Native Americans in Philanthropy, one of the handful of Native American organizations Scott gave to in this round. Eduardo Vilaro, chief executive officer of Ballet Hispanico, another group that received money from Scott in this latest batch, also said the unrestricted nature was important for his organization. He was made aware of the gift about a month ago when he received a call out of the blue from one of Scotts representatives. Mr. Vilaro, we love what you and the organization are doing, he remembers the person saying. We would like to bestow this gift to you. Vilaro was referred to the Bridgespan Group, a philanthropic consultant Scott is working with to do her giving, to follow up. Without specifying how much they received, Vilaro said the donation is slightly larger than their annual operating budget and the biggest its been given in its more than 50-year history. cited figures in the millions -- $20 million to the Childrens Defense Fund (a record), $10 million to the Dance Theatre of Harlem (also a record) and $1 million to the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. Faith in Action, a faith-based grassroots network, said it received a multi-million dollar gift. Still, Scott has her critics. The seeming randomness of how she chooses organizations isnt good, said Maribel Morey, a historian of philanthropy and executive director at the Miami Institute for the Social Sciences. Morey said she wishes Scott would be more transparent about how she picks recipients, especially given the significance of the donations. The public deserves to know how and why certain organizations are getting funding, Morey said. Bezos, who is worth $196 billion, has increased his own giving since their split. He committed $10 billion to fight climate change last year and has so far donated $791 million of that. Hes also planning on going to space for the first time next month. A 32-year-old Pakistani-American legal expert and big tech critic has been sworn in as Chair of the US Federal Trade Commission, becoming the youngest person ever to head the top independent agency tasked with the enforcement of civil antitrust law and promotion of consumer protection. Lina Khan -- who was nominated by President Joe Biden for the unexpired term of seven years from September 26, 2017, vice Joseph Simons -- was confirmed by the Senate with 69 to 28 votes on Tuesday. Her term will expire on September 25, 2024. It is a tremendous honour to have been selected by President Biden to lead the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Khan said after her swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday. I look forward to working with my colleagues to protect the public from corporate abuse. I'm very grateful to Acting Chairwoman Slaughter for her outstanding stewardship of the Commission," she said. Prior to becoming Chair of the FTC, Khan was an Associate Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, where she taught and wrote about antitrust law, infrastructure industries law, and the antimonopoly tradition. Her antitrust scholarship has received several awards and has been published by the Yale Law Journal, Harvard Law Review, Columbia Law Review, and University of Chicago Law Review. Khan previously served as counsel to the US House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, where she helped lead the Subcommittee's investigation into digital markets. She was also a legal advisor in the office of Commissioner Rohit Chopra at the Federal Trade Commission and legal director at the Open Markets Institute. She is a graduate of Williams College and Yale Law School. Born to Pakistani parents in London on March 3, 1989, Khan moved to the US at the age of 11. US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Chair Maria Cantwell applauded the Senate confirmation of Khan. Her confirmation comes at a critical time for our nation as consumers have spent more time online than ever before during the pandemic, from connecting with loved ones, or staying on top of the news, to making a living by working remotely, Cantwell said. "I believe in the promise of the internet and the information age, but I also believe that we need a policeman or in this case a policewoman on the beat. That is the FTC's core mission, she said. Cantwell said the government must protect consumers from the frauds and scams that have proliferated during the pandemic. "We must protect their privacy and renew our focus on cybersecurity both of which are essential to protecting our national security and infrastructure. And we have to do everything we can to help stabilise the local news ecosystem which has been severely impacted by unfair practices by the major internet advertising platforms, she said. Senator Elizabeth Warren said Biden administration's designation of Khan FTC Commissioner is a "tremendous news". Lina brings deep knowledge and expertise to this role and will be a fearless champion for consumers. Giant tech companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon deserve the growing scrutiny they are facing, and consolidation is choking off competition across American industries, she said. With Chair Khan at the helm, we have a huge opportunity to make big, structural change by reviving antitrust enforcement and fighting monopolies that threaten our economy, our society, and our democracy," Warren said. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Judy Chu congratulate Khan on her bipartisan confirmation to serve as a commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission. A legal expert with a brilliant mind, Lina helped to reframe our understanding of antitrust policy as a law student and has remained a leader in this field through her work as former counsel to the US House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law and as a faculty member at Columbia Law School, Chu said. Not only is Lina the youngest person in history to ever serve on the FTC, but she is also the daughter of Pakistani immigrant parents and a trailblazing AAPI leader who we in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus were proud to support, she said. Senator Amy Klobuchar said Khan's deep understanding of competition policy will be vital as the government strengthens antitrust enforcement. We need all hands on deck as we take on some of the biggest monopolies in the world...I look forward to working with her at the FTC as we advance efforts to protect consumer, she 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.) has witnessed the largest daily incursion as over two dozen Chinese military planes flew into the country's Air Defence Identified Zones (ADIZ) on Tuesday, said the Defence Ministry. CNN reported that 28 Chinese military planes have flown into Taiwan's ADIZ on Tuesday. It is the largest incursion since the self-ruled island began regularly reporting such actions last year. Flights -- which included fighter jets, bombers, and anti-submarine and early warning aircraft -- surpassed the previous peak of 25 planes reported on April 12. Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, even though the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades. While there was no immediate comment from Beijing on the incident, this happens after the Group of Seven leaders issued a joint statement on Sunday scolding for a series of issues and underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Strait -- comments condemned as "slander." has complained in recent months of repeated missions by China's air force near the island, concentrated in the southwestern part of its air defense zone near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands. Tensions in the Taiwan Strait are escalating. ramped up political pressure and military threats against Taiwan, with almost daily incursions into Taipei's air defence identification zone. Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means 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.) Britain's Opposition Labour Party on Wednesday escalated attacks on the government's alleged delay in adding India to the travel ban "red list", which it claims led to a spike in the Delta variant infections in the UK. During the weekly Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) session in the House of Commons, Prime Minister was forced on the defensive as he was confronted by Labour Leader Keir Starmer with dates linked with the detection of the Delta variant in India at the end of March. Starmer accused Johnson of "indecision", which led to the UK now having the "highest infection rate in Europe" of the Delta variant and also resulted in a month-long delay to an end to lockdown until July 19. Johnson retaliated by countering the allegations to reiterate that India was added to the travel ban list well before it was categorised as a variant of concern by Public Health England (PHE) on May 7. "On 24 March, a new variant was reported in India. On 1 April, India was reporting over 100,000 new infections a day, and rising. But the Prime Minister kept India off the red list until 23 April. In that time, 20,000 people came into the UK from India," said Starmer. "What on earth did the Prime Minister expect would be the consequences of that," he questioned. Johnson fought back with his own dates and stressed that the high infection rates in the UK were due to a "better understanding" of the variants, with 47 per cent of the genomic testing in the world being done in Britain. "I really think that the Leader of the Opposition should get his facts straight, because the Delta variant, as I have said, was identified in this country on 28 April, said Johnson. "We took the most drastic steps possible to put India on the red list on 23 April, before that variant was even identified. The big difference between this country and the rest of Europe is that we have had the fastest vaccine roll-out anywhere in Europe. We have a very, very high degree of protection," he said. The clash carried on as Starmer pointed out how the Opposition was arguing for India to be on the red list between April 1 and 23. "If that had happened, we would not have the Delta variant here, and it is as simple as that," he said. But Johnson branded him "Captain Hindsight and called on him to "adjust his retrospectoscope" and contested the Labour Party's data. "He says that B1617 the Delta variant was designated as under investigation on April 1. That is not the Delta variant; that is the kappa variant. It is a gamma' for the Labour party. The Delta variant, as it happens, is seeded around the world in 74 countries and, sadly, is growing, he said. The latest face off over the issue comes a day after Labour's shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, dubbed the Johnson variant as being behind the latest Delta variant infections surge due to the government lax border policy. Thomas-Symonds pointed to Johnson's planned visit to India which had to eventually be cancelled at the end of April. According to official estimates, around 20,000 passengers who could have been infected with the Delta variant arrived from India from early April until April 23, when India was officially added to the red list. A red list categorising involves a near-complete travel ban, with returning British residents required to undergo a compulsory 10-day quarantine at a government-designated hotel. (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 consecutive visits this month, Vice President Kamala Harris and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have conveyed to the most important US partner that the Biden administration is taking a more nuanced approach to immigration than its predecessor, but still asking what more can do. Mayorkas said Tuesday at the conclusion of two days of high-level meetings: We have challenged one another with respect to what more can each of us do to address the level of irregular migration that has persisted for several months. In May, encounters with migrants at the US- border inched up from April to more than 180,000, more than double the number in January, according to data from US Customs and Border Protection. Record arrivals of migrant children have been especially challenging for the Biden administration, as they were for his predecessors, with the US government picking up nearly 60,000 children traveling without their parents across the Mexican border from February to May. When then President Donald Trump threatened damaging tariffs on all Mexican imports unless did more to stem the flow of migrants in 2019, Mexico deployed its newly created National Guard to boost enforcement efforts. The Biden administration is taking what Mayorkas called a multipronged approach and he rejected any suggestion that the White House had sent mixed messages that could have encouraged more migration to the border. Harris is leading US efforts to identify and address the root causes of immigration. On her visit to Guatemala and Mexico earlier this month, she urged Central Americans not to try to reach the US border while also trying to give people a sense of hope that would encourage them to stay home. The Biden administration has struggled to show a more compassionate face on policies and undo some of Trump's harshest measures while not spurring more migration. Samantha Power, head of the US Agency for Development, has been visiting the Northern Triangle countries this week announcing new aid aimed at improving conditions there. Power and Harris have spoken against the endemic corruption in the region and the need for greater economic opportunity. Mayorkas said other elements of that approach were opening alternative legal pathways to the US, including the expansion of the Central American Minors Program announced Tuesday. The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it was expanding a newly revived effort to bring Central American children to the United States to reunite with parents legally living in the country. Trump announced in August 2017 that he was halting the Central American Minors Program in August 2017 in his crackdown on immigration. The US restarted the programme in March for children from Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador who had applied to be paroled into the United States before Trump ended the program. The expansion announced Tuesday makes eligible families whose parents are in the US with various forms of legal status, including green cards and Temporary Protected Status for designated countries afflicted by natural disasters or civil strife. Parents with pending asylum claims and people who applied for visas for crime victims before May 15 may also be eligible to bring their children from Central America. The administration didn't say how many people may be covered by the expansion but Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a joint statement that the changes will dramatically expand eligibility. The visits to the region for Harris, Mayorkas and Power were all their first foreign trips for a new administration, sending a message that the region's problems have its attention. (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.) Led by Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a group of US lawmakers has introduced a bicameral legislation to stop government use of biometric technology, including tools, which they said violates the privacy of citizens and "deepens racial bias" in policing. The and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act, introduced on Tuesday, responds to reports that hundreds of local, state and federal entities, including law enforcement agencies, have used unregulated technologies and research showing that roughly half of US adults are already in facial recognition databases. While Jayapal along with Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives, Senators Edward J Markey, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden introduced it in the Senate. The Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act would place a prohibition on the use of facial recognition technology by federal entities, which can only be lifted with an act of Congress. It also prohibits use of other biometric technologies, including voice recognition, gate recognition and recognition of other immutable physical characteristics by federal entities, which can only be lifted with an act of Congress. The Act imposes conditions on federal grant funding to state and local entities, including law enforcement, on those entities enacting their own moratoria on the use of facial recognition and biometric technology and prohibit the use of federal dollars for biometric systems. It prohibits the use of information collected via biometric technology in violation of the Act in any judicial proceedings. Facial recognition technology is not only invasive, inaccurate and unregulated, but it has also been unapologetically weaponised by law enforcement against Black people across this country. That's why I have long called on companies like Amazon to stop selling this technology, and it's why we need to immediately take additional steps to rein in its use, Jayapal said. This legislation will not only protect civil liberties but aggressively fight back against racial injustice by stopping federal entities from using facial recognition and biometric tools while stripping support for state and local law enforcement departments that continue its use, she added. Senator Markey said the legislation is about rooting out systemic racism and stopping invasive technologies from becoming irreversibly imbedded in the US society. We do not have to forgo privacy and justice for safety...We simply cannot ignore the technologies that perpetuate injustice, and that means that law enforcement should not be using facial recognition tools today, he said. According to Senator Sanders, facial recognition technology violates the privacy and civil liberties of Americans, and deepens racial bias in policing. Enough is enough. Congress must ban the use of facial recognition technology for all law enforcement, he said. Facial recognition technology has been plagued with far too many problems for any government to use it responsibly. This technology has been misused against peaceful protestors, sent innocent people to jail and has proven to misidentify Black Americans and people with dark skin at elevated rates, Senator Wyden said. We cannot allow racist, faulty facial recognition technology to continue to be used in the and criminalisation of Black and Brown communities, said Congresswoman Tlaib. According to Congresswoman Pressley, facial recognition technology is flawed and systemically biased, and has exacerbated the criminalisation and over-surveillance that black and brown communities face. By banning government use of this discriminatory technology, our bill would boldly affirm the civil liberties of every person in this country and protect their right to live free of unjust surveillance by government and law enforcement," she 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 three-day initial public offer (IPO) of Hyderabad-based Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) will open for subscription on Wednesday. Most of the brokerages recommend investors subscribe to the issue for a long-term considering healthy industry growth prospects and the company's strong track record. According to a Crisil report, the Indian healthcare industry is expected to log a CAGR of 17-18 per cent and Rs 7.1 trillion by FY24. Besides, in FY20, 68 per cent of hospital treatments, in terms of the treatment value, were carried out in private hospitals, and the number is expected to reach 72 per cent in FY24, the report said. "Renewed impetus on Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, changing demographics, increasing health awareness, medical tourism, health insurance coverage and rising income levels would be the key drivers of growth for the healthcare industry," Religare Broking said. About the issue The IPO comprises a fresh issue of Rs 200 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 23.56 million shares, amounting to Rs 1,943.70 crore, by its existing promoters and shareholders. The price band for the issue is in the range of Rs.815 - 825 and the bid lot is 18 shares and multiples thereof. The proceeds from the fresh issue will be used to repay debt of the company and its subsidiaries. Business overview KIMS is one of the largest corporate healthcare groups in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in terms of the number of patients treated and treatments offered. It operates nine multi-specialty hospitals under the 'KIMS Hospitals' brand, with an aggregate bed capacity of 3,064, including over 2,500 operational beds as of March 31, 2021. The company has a flagship hospital at Secunderabad, which, according to Crisil, is one of the largest private hospitals in India at a single location with a capacity of 1,000 beds. At the end of FY21, its nine hospitals had recorded average revenue per operating bed of Rs 20,609, and bed occupancy rate of 78 per cent. Over the period FY18-21, the company's revenues grew at a 3-year CAGR of 20.4 per cent to Rs 1,329.2 crore while profit after tax (PAT) grew at 105.2 per cent to Rs 205.5 crore and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and ammortisation (Ebitda) at 114 per cent to Rs 370.9 crore. KIMS experienced a CAGR of -3.96 per cent for their outpatient volume from 2019 to 2021 mainly due to Covid-19 related restrictions, although it was offset by 2.31 per cent growth of inpatient volume, which resulted in growth of total income, the company said. Strengths & risks Religare Broking believes that the high-quality healthcare and the company's encouraging financial performance make KIMS well-positioned to consolidate Indias large, unorganized and yet rapidly growing and underserved affordable healthcare market. Besides, KIMS has diversified revenue streams with no single specialty accounting for more than 25 per cent of its total income in the last three years. Meanwhile, analysts at GEPL Capital highlights KIMS' clinical excellence and affordable healthcare (around 20-30 per cent lower prices than peers) as the key factors behind their leadership in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Moreover, their disciplined, low-leverage approach to acquisitions has enabled them to maintain their affordable pricing model as they have grown in both Tier 1 and Tier 2-3 markets, the brokerage said. Going forward, KIMS intends to strengthen its existing hospitals and specialties and also strategically grow its presence in adjacent (Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and even central India). Meanwhile, according to analysts, recruitment and retaining of medical talent will remain a key challenge for KIMS. Besides, the fact that its revenue is highly reliant on hospitals in Telangana, adverse price regulations by government, delay in business normalcy, and risks associated with greenfield expansion are the other key areas of concerns, they noted. Brokerage recommendations Ventura expects KIMS to expand its network bed capacity to 3,800 by FY24 through a mix of brownfield and greenfield expansions while incurring a capex of around Rs 815.8 crore. As a result, the brokerage expects overall revenues to grow at a CAGR of 15.8 per cent to Rs 2,067.1 crore, PAT at 15.2 per cent to Rs 314.4 crore and Ebitda at 12.9 per cent to Rs 534.3 crore over the forecast period. It also sees KIMS becoming net debt free in FY22, owing to the company's strong internal accruals. "We value the stock at Rs 1,275 (17x FY24 EV/EBITDA). This represents a potential upside of 55 per cent from the IPO price of Rs. 825 per share (upper band) over the next 24 months. We recommend a SUBSCRIBE for long term investing," it said. "The chain's well calibrated capex and ability to provide specialty healthcare services at an affordable price along with a strong brand recall in the southern market augurs well. The chain's ability to drive judicious capex into the adjacent states and Central India will drive growth in the medium term. We recommend a SUBSCRIBE rating to the issue," GEPL Capital said. ICICI Securities, too, recommends 'SUBSCRIBE' for listing gains, owing to the company's current performance. "However, due to steep competition,expanding in others geographies may depress its financials, going ahead," it said. Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange traded 12 points lower at 15,840 around 8.50 am, indicating a flat-to-negative start for the benchmark indices. Here are the top stocks to track in today's session: Earnings Today: RITES, Asahi India Glass, Nureca, Somany Ceramics, and Welspun Enterprises are among 32 companies slated to release their quarterly earnings today. DRL: Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) on Tuesday said it has been asked to pay $46.25 million to Australia-based Hatchtech Pty Ltd as part of an asset purchase agreement between the two parties in 2015. ICICI Bank: The private sector lender has raised over Rs 2,827 crore by issuing bonds on a private placement basis. LIC Housing Finance: Mortgage financier LIC Housing Finance on Tuesday reported a 5 per cent YoY decline in its profit after tax at Rs 398.92 crore in the quarter ended in March 2021 due to higher provisioning for bad loans. Jubilant Pharmova: The firm said its subsidiary has inked a pact with US-based Ocugen Inc to manufacture COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin for the US and Canadian Dish TV: The company on Tuesday, said its board will meet next week to consider raising up to Rs 1,000 crore by issue of permissible securities. and Special Economic Zone: Fitch Ratings has placed negative outlook on the company's affirming long-term foreign-currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'BBB-'. PNB Housing Finance: National Housing Bank (NHB) has imposed a penalty of Rs 80,000 on PNB Housing Finance for not complying with loan disbursement norms in 2015. However, the company has asked the regulator to reconsider the penalty. Coal India: The company has decided to close down 23 unviable mines and it would help save the company around Rs 500 crore considering all costs, officials said on Tuesday. The worlds largest miner has shut down 82 such mines in the last three-four years. Dalmia Bharat Sugar: Dalmia Bharat Sugar and Industries on Tuesday said it is planning to increase its ethanol manufacturing capacity to 15 crore litres per annum from January 2022, from the current 8 crore litres. This move is in line with the government's decision to raise ethanol blending in auto fuels to 20 per cent by 2025 from around 8 per cent currently, the company said in a statement. Canara Bank: State-owned Canara Bank on Tuesday said it will be the lead sponsor of National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL) or bad bank with 12 per cent stake in the entity. Bad bank refers to a financial institution that takes over bad assets of lenders and undertakes resolution. GE Power India: GE Power India Ltd (GEPIL) has bagged three separate orders worth Rs 125 crore from STEAG Energy (for Vedanta), Tata Power and JSW Steel. GEPIL has received three separate orders for a combined value of Rs 125 crore (USD 16.54 million) for upgrade of the coal-fired power plants equipment from STEAG Energy (for Vedanta), Tata Power and JSW Steel, according to a statement. Videocon Industries: The company has fixed June 18 as the record date for the purpose of delisting of equity shares from BSE and NSE. Wipro: The company collaborated with Aachen-headquartered FEV to open Innovation Lab for developing Software Defined Vehicles. It has also expanded partnership with Levi Strauss & Co. to support digital commerce. Hindustan Organic Chemicals: The company reported consolidated profit at Rs 7.5 crore in Q4FY21 as against loss of Rs 20.39 crore in Q4FY20. KPI Global Infrastructure: The company signed new long term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Polycab India, Vadodara for sale of 5.70 MW solar power for their different units for a period of 20 years under Independent Power Producer business vertical. Lupin: Life Insurance Corporation of India acquired 2.019 per cent stake in via open market transaction, raising stake to 6.629 per cent from 4.61 per cent earlier. Newgen Software Technologies: Promoters sold 10.57 per cent stake in Newgen. The domestic equity benchmarks extended early losses and hit fresh intraday low in morning trade. The Nifty slipped below the 15,800 mark. Barring the Nifty FMCG index, all the sectoral indices on the NSE were in the red. Metal stocks witnessed major selling pressure. At 10:27 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 157.33 points or 0.30% to 52,615.72. The Nifty 50 index lost 67.80 points or 0.43% to 15,801.45. In broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index declined 0.65% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index slipped 0.69%. The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1257 shares rose and 1623 shares fell. A total of 131 shares were unchanged. Israel mounted airstrikes in Palestine's Gaza Strip on Wednesday, in the first attack since the end of 11 days of cross-border fighting last month. The attack was in response to incendiary balloons launched from Palestinian territory. In the commodities market, Brent crude for August 2021 settlement rose 58 cents to $74.57 a barrel. Brent crude has risen over 7% so far in June, from its close of $69.32 per barrel recorded on 31 May 2021. India is heavily dependent on oil imports for satisfying its domestic demand. A high crude price directly maps into a high trade deficit and in turn a high current account deficit (CAD). At the same time, being an important input for the aggregate economy, a crude price shock also leads to a spike in domestic inflation. COVID-19 Update: Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 176,642,863 with 3,822,685 global deaths. India reported 865,432 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 379573 deaths, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has said that pre-registration for vaccination through online registration and prior booking of appointment is not mandatory to avail COVID-19 vaccine. It said, anyone aged 18 years and above can directly go to the nearest vaccination centre wherein the vaccinator performs the on-site registration and provides vaccination. Economy: India's exports in May 2021 were $32.27 billion, as compared to $19.05 billion in May 2020, exhibiting a positive growth of 69.35%. In Rupee terms, exports were Rs 2,36,426.16 crore in May 2021, as compared to Rs 1,44,166.01 crore in May 2020, registering a positive growth of 64%. As compared to May 2019, exports in May 2021 exhibited a positive growth of 8.11% in Dollar terms and 13.53% in Rupee terms. Imports in May 2021 were $38.55 billion (Rs 2,82,453.56 crore), which is an increase of 73.64% in dollar terms and 68.15% in Rupee terms over imports of $22.20 billion (Rs 1,67,977.68 crore) in May 2020. Imports in May 2021 have registered a negative growth of (-) 17.42% in Dollar terms and (-) 13.28% in Rupee terms in comparison to May 2019. Taking merchandise and services together, overall trade deficit for April-May 2021 is estimated at $5.85 billion as compared to the surplus of $4.06 billion in April-May 2020. Buzzing Index: The Nifty FMCG index rose 0.22% to 36,002.20, extending gains for third day. The index has added 0.99% in three sessions. Jubilant Foodworks (up 2.41%), Tata Consumer Products (up 0.96%), Dabur India (up 0.47%), Emami (up 0.47%), ITC (up 0.43%), Hindustan Unilever (up 0.20%) and Procter & Gamble Hygiene (up 0.20%) advanced. United Breweries (down 1.05%), Marico (down 0.94%), Britannia Industries (down 0.60%), United Spirits (down 0.50%), Varun Beverages (down 0.47%) and Godrej Consumer (down 0.34%) declined. Earnings Today: Asahi India Glass (up 0.65%), CESC (up 0.02%), Nureca (down 0.58%), Olectra Greentech (up 2.18%), Rites (up 0.89%), RPSG Ventures (down 0.42%), Somany Ceramics (down 2.33%) and Welspun Enterprises (down 0.42%) will announce quarterly earnings today. Earnings Impact: LIC Housing Finance fell 2.56% to Rs 508.40. The housing financer's consolidated net profit declined by 9.3% to Rs 384.93 crore on 1.6% rise in total income to Rs 4,979.91 crore in Q4 March 2021 over Q4 March 2020. Separately, the company's board has approved preferential allotment of 4.54 crore shares to LIC. Post-issue, LIC's stake in LIC Housing would rise to 45.24% from 40.31% as on 31 March 2021. Lemon Tree were down 0.12% at Rs 42. On a consolidated basis, the company reported a net loss of Rs 26.72 crore in Q4 FY21, higher than net loss of Rs 19.02 crore reported in Q4 FY20. Net sales tumbled 46% YoY to Rs 95.1 crore in Q4 FY21. EBITDA margin slipped to 31.4% in Q4 FY21 from 36.5% in Q4 FY20. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On 21 June 2021 Dish TV India will consider proposal for fund raising by issue of permissible securities including through rights issue, preferential issue or through any other permissible mode or a combination thereof, subject to such regulatory/ statutory approvals as may be required on 21 June 2021. Earlier, the Board of Directors of the company at its meeting held on 17 February 2021 had approved in-principal to raise up to Rs 1000 crore in one or more tranches. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jubilant Pharmova said that its step down subsidiary, Jubilant HollisterStier LLC, has entered into a manufacturing partnership with Ocugen, Inc., for manufacturing of vaccine candidate COVAXIN for the US and Canadian markets. We are excited to expand our basket of vaccine products and meet the increasing demand from our customers for COVID-19 vaccines in the US. said Amit Arora, President Jubilant HollisterStier. With two facilities in North America working to manufacture multiple COVID-19 vaccines and therapies, we remain committed to supporting efforts to eradicate this global pandemic. stated Pramod Yadav, CEO Jubilant Pharma. Jubilant Pharma is a company incorporated under the laws of Singapore and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jubilant Pharmova. Ocugen, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing gene therapies to cure blindness diseases and developing a vaccine to save lives from COVID-19. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 15 June 2021. Shares of Jubilant Pharmova fell 1.1% to settle at Rs 754.80 yesterday. Jubilant Pharmova (formerly Jubilant Life Sciences) is a company engaged in pharmaceuticals, contract research and development services and proprietary novel drugs businesses. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The offer received bids for 38.57 lakh shares as against 1.44 crore shares on offer. The initial public offer (IPO) of Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences received bids for 38.57 lakh shares as against 1.44 crore shares on offer, according to the stock exchange data at 17:00 IST on Wednesday (16 June 2021). The issue was subscribed 0.27 times. The issue opened for bidding on Wednesday, 16 June 2021, and it will close on Friday, 18 June 2021. The price band for the IPO is set at Rs 815-825 per share. An investor can bid for a minimum of 18 equity shares and in multiples thereof. The IPO comprises fresh issue of shares aggregating up to Rs 200 crore and an offer for sale of up to 2,35,60,538 equity shares from promoters and existing shareholders. Ahead of the IPO, the company finalized allocation of 1,15,84,060 equity shares to anchor investors at Rs 825 per share aggregating to Rs 955.68 crore. The company proposes to utilize the net proceeds of the fresh issue towards repayment/pre-payment, in full or part, of certain borrowings availed by the company and by subsidiaries viz KHKPL (KIMS Hospital Kurnool), SIMSPL (Saveera Institute of Medical Science) and KHEPL (KIMS Hospital Enterprises) amounting Rs 150 crore and balance towards general corporate purposes. Total borrowing as on 31 March 2020, was at Rs 220.164 crore. Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) is one of the largest corporate healthcare groups in Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Telangana in terms of number of patients treated and treatments offered. It provides multi-disciplinary integrated healthcare services, with a focus on primary, secondary & tertiary care in tier 2-3 cities and primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary healthcare in tier 1 cities. The company operates 9 multi-specialty hospitals under the KIMS Hospitals brand, with an aggregate bed capacity of 3,064, including over 2,500 operational beds as of March 31, 2021, which is 2.2 times more beds than the second largest provider in AP and Telangana. It offers a comprehensive range of healthcare services across over 25 specialties and super specialties, including cardiac sciences, oncology, neurosciences, gastric sciences, orthopaedics, organ transplantation, renal sciences and mother & childcare. The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 201.22 crore and total income of Rs 1329.94 crore in the twelve months ended on 31 March 2021. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For consideration of USD 8.4 mn Larsen & Toubro Infotech has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cuelogic Technologies, a Pune based Digital Engineering company with a 100% subsidiary in US, Cuelogic Technologies, Inc. Cuelogic operates in the digital product engineering space. They work with customers wanting to build digital products, modernize legacy software with modern technologies leveraging cloud, AI, mobility and offer Innovation Lab as a service to fast track experimentation and capture untapped value from Digital. This acquisition will help in enhancing LTI's digital engineering practice by combining Cuelogic's people, tools, methodologies, training methodologies and onboarding structure along with its strong leadership team to support practice development, sales, and delivery. The cost of acquisition for 100% share capital of Cuelogic is USD 8.4 Million on a cash-free, debt-free basis excluding working capital adjustments and will be paid as a combination of upfront consideration, retention bonus and performance-based earn-outs. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Power stocks were trading in red, with the S&P BSE Power index decreasing 50.46 points or 1.71% at 2898.88 at 13:49 IST. Among the components of the S&P BSE Power index, Adani Transmission Ltd (down 5%), Adani Power Ltd (down 4.97%),Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (down 2.8%),Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (down 2.44%),Adani Green Energy Ltd (down 1.96%), were the top losers. Among the other losers were Siemens Ltd (down 1.28%), CESC Ltd (down 0.24%), Thermax Ltd (down 0.21%), NHPC Ltd (down 0.18%), and NTPC Ltd (down 0.08%). On the other hand, K E C International Ltd (up 1.82%), Tata Power Company Ltd (up 0.98%), and ABB India Ltd (up 0.38%) turned up. At 13:49 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 177.34 or 0.34% at 52595.71. The Nifty 50 index was down 65.25 points or 0.41% at 15804. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 76.27 points or 0.3% at 25110. The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was down 42.01 points or 0.53% at 7873.65. On BSE,1442 shares were trading in green, 1693 were trading in red and 132 were unchanged. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The issue received bids for 256.05 crore shares as against 2.10 crore shares on offer. The initial public offer (IPO) of Shyam Metalics and Energy received bids for 256.05 crore shares as against 2.10 crore shares on offer, according to the stock exchange data at 16:45 IST on Wednesday (16 June 2021). The issue was subscribed 121.40 times. The issue opened for bidding on Monday, 14 June 2021, and it will close today, 16 June 2021. The price band for the IPO was set at Rs 303-306 per share. The issue comprised of fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 909 crore comprising of a fresh issue of up to Rs 657 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to Rs 252 crore (including anchor portion of 88,21,764 equity shares). The existing shareholders selling shares in the OFS are Subham Capital, SubhamBuildwell, NarantakDealcomm, KalpataruHousefin and DoriteTracon. Total selling shareholders pre-issue shareholding was 88.22%, which shall decrease to 77.56% at the upper price band of Rs 306. Ahead of the IPO, the company finalized allocation of 88,21,764 equity shares to anchor investors at Rs 306 per share aggregating to Rs 269.94 crore. The company proposes to utilize the net proceeds of the fresh issue towards repayment and/or pre-payment, in full or part, of debt of the company and SSPL (Shyam SEL and Power), one of the subsidiaries amounting Rs 470 crore and balance towards general corporate purposes. Gross debt was Rs 886.292 crore at the end of 31 December 2020. On a consolidated basis, Shyam Metalics and Energy reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 456.32 crore and sales of Rs 3,933.08 crore in the nine months ended on 31 December 2020. ShyamMetalics and Energy is a leading integrated metal producing company based in India with a focus on long steel products and ferro alloys. It is amongst the largest producers of ferro alloys in terms of installed capacity in India, as of February 2021. The company sells intermediate and final products across the steel value chain. As of March 31, 2020, it is one of the leading players in terms of pellet capacity and the fourth largest player in the sponge iron industry in terms of sponge iron capacity in India. It is also one of the leading integrated steel and ferro alloys producers in the eastern region of India in terms of long steel products, as of March 31, 2020. The company currently export products to Nepal, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, United Kingdom, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and Japan, and is currently exploring newer geographies in North America, South America, Europe and Africa in order to increase exports. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The issue received bids for 24.43 crore shares as against 10.71 crore shares on offer. The initial public offer (IPO) of Sona BLW Precision Forgings received bids for 24.43 crore shares as against 10.71 crore shares on offer, according to the stock exchange data at 16:45 IST on Wednesday (16 June 2021). The issue was subscribed 2.28 times. The issue opened for bidding on Monday, 14 June 2021, and it will close today, 16 June 2021. The price band for the IPO was set at Rs 285-291 per share. The issue comprised of fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 5,550 crore comprising of a fresh issue of up to Rs 300 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to Rs 5,250 crore (including anchor portion of 8,58,24,742 equity shares). One of the promoters, Singapore VII Topco III, an affiliate of The Blackstone Group Inc is selling part of its stake through offer for sale aggregating upto Rs Rs 5,250 crore. Post OFS, the shareholding of Singapore VII Topco III will decline to 34.18% on expanded post issue equity down from 66.28% pre-IPO. Ahead of the IPO, the company finalized allocation of 8,58,24,742 equity shares to anchor investors at Rs 291 per share aggregating to Rs 2,497.50 crore. Proceeds from fresh issue will be used for repayment and pre-payment of identified borrowings in full availed by the company to the extent of Rs 241.117 crore and balance for general corporate purposes. Total debt of the company as end of 31 March 2021 stood at Rs 366.26 crore including long term loan of Rs 249.748 crore up from Rs 306.782 crore as end of March 2020. On a consolidated basis, the company reported a net profit of Rs 215.17 crore and sales of Rs 1,566.30 crore in the twelve months ended on 31 March 2021. Sona BLW Precision Forgings (SBPF) is primarily engaged in designing, manufacturing and supplying highly engineered, mission critical automotive systems and components such as differential assemblies, differential gears, conventional and micro-hybrid starter motors, BSG systems, EV traction motors [Brushless direct current (BLDC) motor and Permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM)] and motor control units to automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across US, Europe, India and China, for both electrified and non-electrified powertrain segments. The company is among the top ten players globally in the differential bevel gear market and in the starter motor market on the basis of respective volumes supplied to its end segments in calendar year 2020 and has been gaining global market share across products. The company is one of a few companies globally, with the ability to design high power density EV systems handling high torque requirements with a lightweight design, while meeting stringent durability, performance and NVH specifications, enabling EV manufacturers to enhance the vehicle range, acceleration and the overall efficiency. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wipro today announced that it has joined the World Economic Forum's Partnership for New Work Standards initiative to establish a healthy, resilient and equitable future of work. This initiative aims to co-create new frameworks, shape forward-thinking people policies and utilize tools and technologies to collectively build human-first work standards, with people at the heart of business. Wipro has invested in its workforce, developed new ways of working, and created a more relevant and inclusive post-pandemic work environment to seamlessly transition to a sustainable future of work. The company is also undertaking initiatives to support and equip its people with dedicated programs for physical, social, financial and mental well-being. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former leader Sunil Mondal, who had joined the before the recently held West Bengal Assembly elections, on Tuesday stated that many who left for are now feeling "uncomfortable", hinting at a possible return to "Many of those who left TMC and joined are feeling uncomfortable in BJP. They've not been accepted from the heart. Some people in BJP think it's not right to trust those who are new in the party," said Mondal. Mondal had joined BJP in December last year. This comes soon after former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice president Mukul Roy and his son Subhranshu Roy joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Kolkata in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The developments come a month after the TMC secured a landslide victory in the West Bengal assembly elections. (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.) Lok Janshakti Party leader has contested Om Birla's decision to name Pashupati Kumar Paras as the leader of the party in the House, saying it is "contrary" to provisions of his organisation. In a letter written on Tuesday, Paswan also informed Birla of the party's decision to expel five MPs, who have joined hands against him, and urged the Speaker to review the earlier decision and issue a new circular naming him as the leader in the Lok Sabha. "Since Article 26 of the Constitution of Lok Jan Shakti Party empower Central Parliamentary Board of the party to decide who would be Leader of our Party in Lok Sabha, hence, the decision of announcing Sh. Pashupati Kumar Paras MP as Leader of party in the Lok Sabha is contrary to provision of Constitution of our party," he wrote. Paswan's paternal uncle Paras has been elected as their leader by the five of party's six MPs in place of him. Both factions have now moved to control the party and project their group as the real LJP, founded by Paswan's father Ram Vilas Paswan. While the wing led by has expelled the five MPs from the party, the rival group has removed him as its president. (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.) With taking place at a much faster pace across industries especially in the tech space, domestic software firms that employee over 16 million are set to slash headcounts by a massive 3 million by 2022, which will help them save a whopping $100 billion mostly in salaries annually, says a report. The domestic IT sector employs around 16 million, of them around 9 million are employed in low-skilled services and BPO roles, according to Nasscom. Of these 9 million low-skilled services and BPO roles, 30 per cent or around 3 million will be lost by 2022, principally driven by the impact of robot process or RPA. Roughly 0.7 million roles are expected to be replaced by RPA alone and the rest due to other technological upgrades and upskilling by the domestic IT players, while it the RPA will have the worst impact in the US with a loss of almost 1 million jobs, according to a Bank of America report on Wednesday. Based on average fully-loaded employee costs of $25,000 per annum for India-based resources and $50,000 for US resources, this will release around $100 billion in annual salaries and associated expenses for corporates, the report says. "TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Tech Mahindra and Cognizant and others appear to be planning for a 3 million reduction in low-skilled roles by 2022 because of RPA up-skilling. "This is a $100-billion in reduced salary and other costs, but on the flipside, it offers a likely a $10 billion boon for IT companies that successfully implement RPA, and another a $5 billion opportunity from a vibrant new software niche by 2022. Given that robots can function for 24 hrs a day, this represents a significant saving of up to 10:1 versus the human labor, says the report. Robot process (RPA) is application of software, not physical robots, to perform routine, high-volume tasks, allowing employees to focus on more differentiated work. It differs from ordinary software applications as it mimics how the employee has worked instead of building a workflow into technology from ground up and thus minimising time to market and greatly reducing cost over the more traditional software-led approaches. Offshoring helped domestic IT sector to grow from around 1 per cent of GDP in 1998 to 7 per cent today, a highly strategic sector for its economy and has alsoc significantly outgrown their Western peers (mainly Accenture, Capgemini and Atos) with an annual revenue growth of 18 per cent between 2005 and 2019. Another key reason for the RPA-driven job loses is that many countries that had offshored their work in the past are likely to bring the jobs back to their own home markets. Developed countries will also look to increasingly bring back offshored IT jobs and either use native IT workers or domestic software robots like RPA to secure their digital supply chain and ensure future resiliency of their national technology infrastructure, reasons the report. Software offshoring began in the 1970s and the 1980s when the personal computer began to gain traction when major world players began shifting focus to trade liberalisation. However, despite such massive automation, major economies like Germany (26 per cent shortage), China (7 per cent), India (5 per cent) Korea, Brazil, Thailand Malaysia and Russia will likely face a labour shortages, warns the report, adding on the contrary South Africa, Greece, Indonesia and the Philippines will have surplus labour for the next 15 years. According to the report, faster automation is driven by the shrinking talent pool of high-skilled jobs in developing economies, the need for which will only jump, but the global high-skill talent pool is shrinking and exposing outmoded immigration systems. The report goes onto warn that emerging economies mostly India and China face the most risk of technology driven disruptions which can impact up 85 per cent of jobs in countries like Kenya and Bangladesh. India and China are at greatest risk of skills disruption, while Asean, the Persian Gulf and Japan are at the least risk. Perhaps the most worrying trend is that emerging market jobs are most at risk of automation because of the low-/mid-skilled nature of sectors like manufacturing, highlighting the risk of premature de-industrialization. India saw its manufacturing peak in 2002, while it occurred in Germany in 1970, in Mexico in 1990. (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.) New Delhi [India], June 16 (ANI/NewsVoir): MTW (Minsk Tractor Works), the Belarusian brand of agricultural machinery, has reached a long-term agreement with New Delhi-based(https://erishaagritech.com/) Erisha Agritech Private Ltd. (India) for the localization and assembly of tractors under the joint brand "DARSH BELARUS". The agreement was signed between Vitali M Volk, General Director, MTW, and Darshan Rana, Managing Director, Erisha Agritech Private Limited (A Rana Group Company). Erisha Agritech Private Limited will acquire 200 units of Belarus tractors by the end of year 2021. As part of the implementation of the deal, localization and assembly of tractors under the "DARSH BELARUS" brand will get underway at the Indian sites of Erisha Agritech Private Limited soon. Belarus tractors, first manufactured in 1950, have sold more than 5 million tractors till date. These tractors have been in use in India for over 50 years without any major repairs. The new agreement with MTW will enable Erisha Agritech Private Limited to power optimum farming solutions to farmers and provide them with high-end technology. The two companies are also looking towards inking new deals for the supply of tractors to India's neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, too in the near future. According to Darshan Rana, Managing Director, Erisha Agritech Private Limited, "The agreement signed with Minsk Tractor Works (MTW) will bring back the legacy of Belarus tractors in India. Indian farmers feel proud to be associated with the strong brand of Belarus tractors as they are known for their ruggedness, reliability and robust looks. Erisha Agritech is now a brand of choice among smart farmers in India, and we have been contributing to agricultural growth by providing innovative combine harvesters, tractors, and implements from the world's top technology partners at the most affordable prices." The Indian enterprise of the Rana Group is also the main promoter of Gomselmash in India through a 50:50 Joint Venture with OJSC "Gomselmash", of the Republic of Belarus. The JV, which was formed in 2017, operates as Gomselmash India Private Limited. "Gomselmash" is one of the largest manufacturers of agricultural machinery in the world and is the market leader in combine harvesters and other complex agricultural machinery such as forage harvesters, potato harvesters, sugarcane harvesters, and cotton harvesters. Besides, Erisha Agritech Private Limited also has an exclusive partnership with Bobruiskagromash, a Belarus company which has the expertise in hay management and dairy equipment, such as square baler, round straw baler, hay rake, silage mower and other tillage implements. Erisha Agritech Private Limited is a Rana Group company, which is into the manufacture, supply, export, sales and after sales services of agricultural machinery in India. Erisha Agritech Private Limited, which operates as per the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" mission of Government of India under the Make in India programme, has on its menu complete agriculture solutions under one roof - right from equipment that help in field preparation to crop sowing, protection to harvesting and hay management processes. The company's state-of-the-art manufacturing units are equipped with advanced machinery capable of executing bulk orders with precision. Global partners include top technology majors such as Gomselmash CJSC, MTW CJSC, Bobruisk Agromash, Lidselmash from Republic of Belarus and other partners from European countries. For more information, please visit(https://erishaagritech.com/) This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) DISCLAIMER (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following the recall notification issued by Philips in the US market, the Dutch medical equipment company will voluntarily recall impacted machines, including breathing devices and ventilators in India, an industry source confirmed to BusinessToday.In. Philips has issued a field-safety notice for the rest of the world where they are selling these devices. The field safety notice is commonly understood as the communication sent out by medical device manufacturers on the actions they may take about their products. Responding to BusinessToday.In's query, Philips India clarified, "On June 14, 2021, Philips issued a Field Safety Notice for specific Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure (Bi-Level PAP), Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), and mechanical ventilator devices. This notice and consequent precautionary actions are applicable exclusively to the specified products in India and no other products are affected or included in the same." However, this does not include Covid-19 products, including oxygen concentrators, respiratory drug delivery products, airway clearance products, ventilators Trilogy EVO, and Trilogy EVO OBM & Trilogy EV 300 sold by Philips in India. Philips also stated that customers using the impacted products should contact their physicians to determine whether they can continue using the equipment or take other appropriate actions regarding their therapy. Customers can also call its helpline number 18002587678 for support and more information. Philips has identified potential health risks related to the polyester-based polyurethane sound abatement foam component in specific Philips Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure (Bi-Level PAP), Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), and mechanical ventilator devices, also sold in India. The company said that majority of the affected devices in the advised 5-year service life are in the first-generation DreamStation product family. The risks include that the PE-PUR foam may degrade into particles, which may enter the device's air pathway and be ingested or inhaled by the user, and the foam may off-gas certain chemicals. The foam degradation may be exacerbated by the use of unapproved cleaning methods, such as ozone, and high heat and high humidity environments may also contribute to foam degradation. "We deeply regret any concern and inconvenience that patients using the affected devices will experience because of the proactive measures we are announcing today to ensure patient safety. In consultation with the relevant regulatory agencies and in close collaboration with our customers and partners, we are working hard towards a resolution, which includes the deployment of the updated instructions for use and a comprehensive repair and replacement program for the affected devices," said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips in the global press statement issued by the company. Also read: Twitter appoints interim chief compliance officer but yet to share details with Centre Also read: OnePlus Nord CE 5G creates a niche of its own Also read: HP bets big on sustainability; recycles 1.2-lakh tonne hardware in 2020 Also read: Tech Help for Zero Carbon Homes After reports of Twitter's loss of legal indemnity made headlines on Tuesday, the microblogging app has revealed why it is holding back on complying with the new IT rules that came into effect on May 26. The platform said that as per the advice of its consultants in India, Twitter is looking to establish an office before hiring for the required roles. "We are making progress with relation to establishing an appropriate local office for Twitter Inc with the advice of consultants in India. We have been advised that it is necessary for us to establish this office prior to hiring the CCO and other officers on a permanent basis," it told the government, as per sources. Meanwhile, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad fired a fresh salvo at Twitter and said the platform was given multiple opportunities to comply with the rules. He said that the microblogging site "has deliberately chosen the path of non-compliance". There are numerous queries arising as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbour provision. However, the simple fact of the matter is that Twitter has failed to comply with the Intermediary Guidelines that came into effect from the 26th of May. Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) June 16, 2021 "The culture of India varies like its large geography. In certain scenarios, with the amplification of social media, even a small spark can cause a fire, especially with the menace of fake news. This was one of the objectives of bringing the Intermediary Guidelines. It is astounding that Twitter which portrays itself as the flag bearer of free speech, chooses the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to the Intermediary Guidelines," said the minister in a series of tweets. The minister also accused Twitter of flagging fake news arbitrarily -- "only when it suits, its likes and dislikes". "What happened in UP was illustrative of Twitter's arbitrariness in fighting fake news. While Twitter has been over enthusiastic about its fact checking mechanism, its failure to act in multiple cases like UP is perplexing & indicates its inconsistency in fighting misinformation," accused the minister. Also read: Twitter loses legal indemnity due to non-compliance of new IT rules Prices of LED televisions are expected to rise by 3-4 per cent this month as cost of panels have gone up in the global market besides an increase in logistics expenses. It will be the second hike by the manufacturers in the last three months. In April, the prices were hiked due to a rise in operating cost on account of increased ocean freight charges, and domestic transportation costs. Brands such as Panasonic, Haier and Thomson are considering increasing the prices of LED televisions. Panasonic India & South Asia President and CEO Manish Sharma said that in line with the commodity price increase, "we are also looking at increasing prices for some of the products in the range of 3-4 per cent". Haier Appliances India President Eric Braganza said there is no other option than to increase the price. "The panel prices have gone up. Everyone has been left with no option but to increase the price. Panel prices of 32 inches, which are largely sold in India, and large screen sizes (such) as 42 inches have gone up. Manufactures would have to take a call on price increase," he said. According to him, Haier is also going to increase prices by 3-4 per cent from June 20. Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL), the brand licensee for French Electronics brand Thomson and US-based brand Kodak, said a hike of Rs 1,000-2,000 is expected in the coming days. "Freight charges both international as well as domestic are (at an) all-time high now. Besides, the panel prices are growing again," SPPL CEO Avneet Singh Marwah said. According to him, open cell prices for screen sizes of 40 inches and above have gone up around 3 per cent in the international market. The open cell panel is an important part of television manufacturing and covers around 70 per cent of a television unit. Most of the manufacturers import panels from China. "Now, ocean freight for a container from Shenzhen, China to Nhava Sheva port is costing us around USD 4,200. One-and-a-half years ago, the cost was only around USD 600," he added. Videotex International, which owns Daiwa and Shinco brands, said open cell prices are again on the rise, which will lead to an increase in prices again in the coming months. "The open cell prices since June last year went up by 300-400 per cent... during the second lockdown, there was a temporary drop in prices being offered for open cell due to overstocking by the trading companies. However, the prices are again on the rise continuously which will lead to increase in prices again in the coming months," Videotex International Director Arjun Bajaaj said. Last year, the government restored the import duty on open cell. It had re-imposed 5 per cent customs duty on the import of open cells for TVs from October 1, 2020, after having nil duty for a year. Besides, the government had also put imports of TV under a restricted category from free to promote domestic manufacturing. Now, importers of TVs have to seek a licence from the government for the imports. TV is one of the largest segments under the entire domain of appliance and consumer electronics. It accounts for a volume of almost 17 million with an estimated sale value of almost Rs 25,000 crore. According to a joint report by the industry body, CEAMA and Frost & Sullivan, the TV market is expected to grow to 284 lakh units in 2024-25 from 175 lakh units in 2018-19. Open cell panel and the chips of the TV are predominantly imported from China besides some other markets as Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam and only the last mile assembly is done in India, as per the report. Also Read: 'India offers what innovators need': PM Modi invites world to invest in India Also Read: Covaxin doesn't contain 'newborn calf serum', says Bharat Biotech amid row Also Read: SBI internet banking, YONO app, UPI won't be available for two hours on June 17 U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin square up on Wednesday for their first meeting since Biden took office with deep disagreements likely and expectations low for any breakthroughs. Both have said they hope their talks in a lakeside Geneva villa can lead to more stable and predictable relations, even though they remain at odds over everything from arms control and cyber-hacking to election interference and Ukraine. "We're not expecting a big set of deliverables out of this meeting," a senior U.S. official told reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden flew to Geneva, saying the two are expected to talk for four or five hours starting at around 1.30 p.m. (1130 GMT). Putin arrived in Geneva on Wednesday, Reuters TV footage showed. "I'm not sure that any agreements will be reached," said Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov. Relations have deteriorated for years, notably with Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, its 2015 intervention in Syria and U.S. charges - denied by Moscow - of its meddling in the 2016 election that brought Donald Trump to the White House. They sank further in March when Biden said he thought Putin was a "killer", prompting Russia to recall its ambassador to Washington for consultations. The United States recalled its ambassador in April. The senior U.S. official said the United States was looing at "areas where working together can advance our national interests and make the world safer." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said whether or not to send back ambassadors would be decided by the two presidents. "Today the presidents will need to determine how to proceed with the heads of the diplomatic missions," Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. While the issues may be vexing, the surroundings will be serene when the presidents meet in Villa La Grange, an elegant mansion set in a 30-hectare (nearly 75-acre) park overlooking Lake Geneva. LOCKDOWN On Wednesday, the summit perimeter was under a tight lockdown with heavy police presence. Following a their bilateral meeting, Biden and Putin will continue on to their discussions with broader U.S. and Russian delegations including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, along with interpreters. Arms control is one domain where progress has historically been possible despite wider disagreements. In February, Russia and the United States extended for five years the New START treaty, which caps their deployed strategic nuclear warheads and limits the land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them. The senior U.S. official said Biden would also define areas of vital national interest where Russian misconduct would bring a response. Biden signed an executive order in April giving Washington wide latitude to impose sanctions on Moscow. In a sign of the strained ties, the talks will not include any meals and Putin and Biden are expected to hold separate news conferences rather than a joint one. "No breaking of bread," said the senior U.S. official. Vladimir Frolov, a former Russian diplomat, told Reuters Putin wanted respectful ties and to be treated like members of the Soviet Politburo were in the 1960s-1980s, with "a symbolic recognition of Russia's geopolitical parity with the U.S." "In exchange, they (Moscow) would be willing to cut back on some of the loony stuff," Frolov said, saying he meant "no poisonings, no physical violence, no arrests/kidnappings of U.S. and Russian nationals. No interference in domestic politics." Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank, set the bar for Wednesday's talks low. "The principal takeaway, in the positive sense, from the Geneva meeting would be making sure that the United States and Russia did not come to blows physically, so that a military collision is averted," he said. In contrast to Trump, whose 2018 summit with Putin in Helsinki included a meeting accompanied only by interpreters, Biden and Putin are not expected to have any solo dealings. Standing beside Putin in Helsinki, Trump refused to blame the Russian leader for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, casting doubt on the findings of his own intelligence agencies and sparking a storm of domestic criticism. Also Read: 'India offers what innovators need': PM Modi invites world to invest in India Also Read: Covaxin doesn't contain 'newborn calf serum', says Bharat Biotech amid row Also Read: SBI internet banking, YONO app, UPI won't be available for two hours on June 17 Sensex and Nifty fell off record highs on Wednesday amid intense selling in Reliance and HDFC twins as investors turned cautious ahead of the outcome of the US Federal Reserve's policy meeting. Sensex ended 271.07 points or 0.51 per cent lower at 52,501. Nifty declined 101.70 points or 0.64 per cent to 15,767. On Tuesday, Sensex and Nifty closed at record highs led by gains in heavyweights such as Reliance, Infosys, and HDFC twins amid largely positive global cues. Sensex ended 221.52 points or 0.42 per cent higher at 52,773 and Nifty gained 57.40 points or 0.36 per cent to settle at a fresh high of 15,869. Intra day, the indices hit all time highs of 52,869 and 15,901, respectively. PowerGrid was the top loser on Sensex, falling around 2 per cent today, followed by IndusInd Bank, Reliance, L&T, UltraTech Cement and Bajaj Finance. Nestle, NTPC, ONGC, Bajaj Finserv Hindustan Unilever and Infosys were among the top Sensex gainers rising up to 1.66%. Of 30 Sensex stocks, 22 ended in the red. Investors were monitoring the two-day US Federal Reserve meeting, which is set to conclude on Wednesday. Sahaj Agrawal, Head of Research- Derivatives at Kotak Securities said, "For the short-term traders, an aggressive trade has not triggered yet for the index while stock specific move continues; advice keeping a check on leveraged positions. For investors, the broader sentiment remains positive with buying on meaningful dips advisable. Any correction on account of the FED meet outcome remains an opportunity to accumulate. IT and FMCG remain strong while select BFSI stocks can be bought at current levels." Market cap on BSE fell to Rs 229.85 crore on BSE. Market breadth was negative with 1,441 shares ending higher against 1,790 stocks falling on BSE . Metal, banking, capital goods and consumer durables shares were the top losers with their BSE indices falling 498 points, 254 points, 316 points , 358 points, respectively. BSE mid cap and small cap indices fell 218 points and 171 points, respectively. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) emerged as net buyers in the capital market as they bought shares worth Rs 633.69 crore on Tuesday, as per provisional exchange data. Meanwhile, rupee slipped 1 paisa to close at 73.32 against US dollar. The domestic currency has lost 52 paise in the last seven trading sessions. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 73.29 per dollar as against its previous close of 73.31. It hovered in the range of 73.26 to 73.38 during the day. Lack of fresh triggers from overseas markets also weighed on the local stocks as Asian markets closed mixed. Bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo ended on a negative note, while Seoul settled with gains. Equities in Europe were trading mixed in mid-session deals. International oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.14 per cent higher at USD 74.09 per barrel. Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or contributing today. Hong Kongs eight virtual banks all lost money last year, with a combined pretax loss of HK$2.4 billion ($309 million), according to a report published Tuesday. Standard Chartered-backed Mox Bank reported the largest loss at HK$456 million, followed by Livi Bank at HK$438 million. Ant Bank (Hong Kong), the virtual banking arm of Ant Group Co. Ltd., lost the least at HK$172 million, based on data compiled by consulting giant KPMG. Unsurprisingly, all the virtual banks are yet to turn around a profit as they remain focused on investing and spending on areas such as office premises, staff costs, and information technology, as well as on marketing activities to grow their customer base, KPMGs Hong Kong Banking Report 2021 stated. The eight lenders received licenses from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) in 2019 before beginning operations between March 2020 and December 2020. It is expected that over time as the number of customers and total deposits increase, we will see more of the banks expenses being offset by increasing operating income, the report said. By the end of last year, the virtual banks had attracted HK$15.8 billion in customer deposits, or 0.11% of total deposits across the entire banking sector in Hong Kong, the KPMG report showed. HKMA data show 420,000 virtual bank accounts had been opened in the Asian financial hub by the end of 2020. Chinese online insurer ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance Co. Ltd.s subsidiary ZA Bank and Mox Bank held the largest share of deposits among all virtual banks with 38% and 33% of the total, respectively, the KPMG report added. ZA Bank was the first digital bank to open in Hong Kong, while Mox Bank was officially launched in September. The virtual banks share similar strategies such as high deposit rates to attract clients, which have squeezed their profitability in the highly competitive Hong Kong market. Read more In Depth: Virtual Banks Pick a Tough Time to Launch in Hong Kong In the report, financial services partner at KPMG China Steve Cheung said that the banks should consider introducing new products and services such as credit cards and wealth management services. Right now, the banks primarily offer deposit, loan and transfer services. The virtual banks can leverage their partnerships with their key owners and stakeholders to provide value-added benefits and promotion schemes such as shopping discounts, Cheung said. Most of the banks are backed by internet or financial companies from the Chinese mainland. For example, Airstar Bank and Fusion Bank are backed by smartphone-maker Xiaomi Corp. and tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd., respectively The emergence of the virtual banks has prompted traditional lenders to enhance their digital offerings, the KPMG report added. Last year, Hong Kongs banking sector saw a drop in revenue, which has had a notable impact on overall profitability, the report said, expecting the trend to continue throughout the rest of this year and probably into 2022. Contact reporter Kelsey Cheng (kelseycheng@caixin.com) and editor Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com) Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go. Get our weekly free Must-Read newsletter. China plans to launch its Shenzhou-12 spacecraft Thursday morning to carry three astronauts to its space station in orbit, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) announced Wednesday at a press conference. The spacecraft is scheduled to blast off at 9:22 a.m. from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in North Chinas Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said Ji Qiming, assistant to the director of the CMSEO. The Shenzhou-12 will take the three men, Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, to its Tiangong space station, Ji said at the press conference. Nie, who has participated in the crewed Shenzhou-6 and Shenzhou-10 missions, will serve as the commander of this mission. All systems for the Shenzhou-12 mission have been comprehensively tested. Ji said. The flight crew is in good shape, and all preparations have been made before launch. The launch is for the first crewed mission for the construction of Chinas new space station, which it plans to finish within two years, Caixin has previously reported. Based on the plan, 11 closely-related missions will be carried out this year and next, Ji said. Among them, four will be manned launches. Four will be to launch cargo spacecraft, and three others will be to send space station modules into orbit. So far, the country has launched the space stations core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft into orbit to help with the construction. After entering orbit, Shenzhou-12 will rendezvous with the space stations core module, and eventually combine with Tianhe and the Tianzhou-2, Ji said. The astronauts will stay in the core module for about three months to carry out their tasks, which include extravehicular maintenance and replacing equipment, before taking a return capsule back down to Earth, where they will land at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia, he said. Currently, the combination of Tianhe and Tianzhou-2 is stable, and all the equipment is working normally, Ji said. The backup astronauts for the mission are Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu. Wang, who participated in the Shenzhou-10 mission, was Chinas second female astronaut to go into space, following Liu Yang. Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com) Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go. Get our weekly free Must-Read newsletter. Whats new: A Hong Kong subsidiary of Chinese lithium giant Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. (002460.SZ) plans to invest in a spodumene mine in the western African country of Mali to exploit its lithium resources, according to a Monday company filing (link in Chinese). The investment will be made through GFL International Co. Ltd., which will spend $130 million to acquire 50% of a Netherlands-based special purpose vehicle (SPV) that was created to hold the mining rights to the Mali project. After the deal is completed, GFL is likely to invest up to $40 million in exploration at the mine, the Hong Kong- and Shenzhen-listed company said. The context: The Goulamina mine has explored reserves of 108.5 million tons of spodumene, a source of lithium, which is a key raw material for certain kinds of electric-vehicle batteries. The price of lithium in China has been on the rise this year due to growth of the countrys new-energy vehicle industry. If the deal goes through, it will be the first time that Ganfeng Lithium has invested in a lithium mine in Africa. The company has invested in lithium projects in Australia, Mexico and Argentina. Related: Chinese Lithium Producer to Buy Out Mexican Sonora Project Owner Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full story in Chinese, click here. Contact reporter Guo Yingzhe (yingzheguo@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com) Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go. Get our weekly free Must-Read newsletter. Thousands of rescuers, including firefighters and medical workers, are working at the site of a massive gas pipe explosion at the Yanhu community market of Shiyan, Central China's Hubei province In todays Caixin energy news wrap: A gas explosion in central Chinas Hubei province kills at least 25 with more victims still buried; Chinas crypto mining crackdown spreads to southwest province of Yunnan; Central Asias largest wind power projects to plug in; and a Guangdong nuclear plant disputes reports of a leak. Taishan nuclear plant disputes leak reports A nuclear power plant in Taishan, South Chinas Guangdong province, disputed media reports of a possible leak, saying all environmental indicators remain normal. CNN reported Sunday that the U.S. government spent the past week assessing a report of a leak at the Taishan plant after a warning of an imminent radiological threat from Frances Framatome, which partially owns and operates the plant. Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Co. Ltd., the plants operator, said Saturday that all environmental indicators at the Taishan nuclear plant and the surrounding vicinity remain at normal levels. Gas explosion kills at least 25 in central China At least 25 people died after a gas pipe exploded in a residential community food market in Central Chinas Hubei province, leaving dozens buried in the debris, according to Chinese media and local government statements. At least 138 more were injured. The blast, which occurred around 6:30 a.m. Sunday in the city of Shiyan, caused the market in the Yanhu community to collapse, leaving many residents and vendors trapped underground, local authorities said. The cause of the blast remains under investigation. Ganfeng Lithium to invest in Mali mine A unit of Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. (002460.SZ) will acquire 50% of a Netherlands-based special purpose vehicle for $130 million, the company said Monday. The deal will give Ganfeng access to lithium from the mineral spodumene produced by the Goulamina mine project in Mali. The mine has proven reserves of 8.4 million tons of spodumene with an average grade of 1.57%. After the transaction, Ganfeng may consider putting up as much as $40 million to help develop the project. Yunnan cracks down on unauthorized crypto mining Southwest Chinas Yunnan province became the latest province to crack down on virtual currency mining, which consumes vast amounts of electricity. The Energy Administration of Yunnan issued a notice Friday ordering a probe into misappropriation and unauthorized use of electricity by bitcoin miners by the end of June, local media reported. Illegal mining activities will be shut down, a government document circulated online said. Yunnan, China's fourth-biggest bitcoin mining hub, joined several other areas restricting crypto mining, including Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Qinghai. CDB to set up special $78 billion loan for two carbon goals Policy lender China Development Bank (CDB) plans to set up a 500 billion yuan ($78 billion) special loan quota to support Chinas carbon peak and neutrality goals during the 14th Five-Year Plan. The first 100 billion yuan of loans will be issued in 2021. The funds will mainly support major projects developing water, wind and solar power, cross-region power transmission and hydrogen energy, among others. Central Asias largest wind power project to start operation The Zhanatas 100 megawatt wind power plant in Kazakhstan will be completed and start operation by the end of June, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The project, which is Central Asias largest wind power plant, was jointly backed by China Power International Holding Ltd. and Visor Kazakhstan. The plant can generate 350 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to power 1 million Kazakh homes. Guizhou deploys worlds first purely electric bulldozer The worlds first purely electric bulldozer, the SD17E-X, was officially delivered and put into service in Zunyi, Guizhou province. The equipment is the first zero-emissions bulldozer. The 240 kilowatt-hour bulldozer can operate continuously for five to six hours on a full charge. Compared with traditional fuel-powered equipment, the bulldozer can reduce running costs by more than 60%. Contact editors Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com) Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go. Follow the Chinese markets in real time with Caixin Globals new stock database. We accept many different kinds of announcements. Just click on the button below and submit a form. Submit Become A Subscriber A subscription opens up access to all our online content, including: our interactive E-Edition, a full archive of modern stories, exclusive and expanded online offerings, photo galleries from Caledonian-Record journalists, video reports from our media partners, extensive international, national and regional reporting by the Associated Press, and a wide variety of feature content. Here you'll find our latest collection of Caledonian-Record reports on the coronavirus outbreak and local response, from the beginning of April. Our January, February and March stories are here: https://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/local/our-coronavirus-coverage/collection_5885178c-692e-11e remaining of Thank you for reading! This is your last free article before you will be asked to subscribe. Already have a paid subscription? Sign in * Username This is the name that will be used to identify you within the system. 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The restaurant is being sued by landlord York Properties for being closed on Sundays. (Brad Rich photo) Members of the Unitarian Coastal Fellowship in Morehead City break ground Thursday for a new sanctuary and fellowship hall at 2900 Bridges St. in Morehead City. (Contributed photo) This zoning map of Morehead City shows available parcels, colored in yellow, of properties 10 acres in size or larger located in the R20 residential zone where the new in-law quarters use is allowed. The city council wants to expand the use to be more broadly applicable throughout the city. (Morehead City zoning map) Glen, NH (03838) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. High 64F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with showers. Low 54F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and consider subscribing for only $7 per month to get access to more articles and news as it happens. Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - In this April 1, 2019 file photo, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry talks about health care legislation he's backing in the upcoming session, in Baton Rouge, La. The Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water was blocked Tuesday by a federal judge in Louisiana. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty's ruling came in a lawsuit filed in March by Louisianas Republican attorney general, Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states. (AP Photo/Melinda Deslatte, File) The Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water was blocked Tuesday by a federal judge in Louisiana, who ordered that plans continue for lease sales that were delayed for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska waters and all eligible onshore properties. The decision is a blow to Democratic President Joe Biden's efforts to rapidly transition the nation away from fossil fuels and thereby stave off the worst effects of climate change, including catastrophic droughts, floods and wildfires. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty's ruling came in a lawsuit filed in March by Louisianas Republican attorney general, Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states. Doughty said his ruling applies nationwide. It grants a preliminary injunction technically a halt to the suspension pending further arguments on the merits of the case. The omission of any rational explanation in cancelling the lease sales, and in enacting the Pause, results in this Court ruling that Plaintiff States also have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of this claim, he wrote. We are reviewing the judges opinion and will comply with the decision," Melissa Schwartz of the Interior Department said in an email. "The Interior Department continues to work on an interim report that will include initial findings on the state of the federal conventional energy programs, as well as outline next steps and recommendations for the Department and Congress to improve stewardship of public lands and waters, create jobs, and build a just and equitable energy future. The moratorium was imposed after Biden on Jan. 27 signed executive orders to fight climate change. The suit was filed in March. The Interior Department later canceled oil and gas lease sales from public lands through June affecting Nevada, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and the bureaus eastern region. Biden's orders included a call for Interior officials to review if the leasing program unfairly benefits companies at the expense of taxpayers, as well as the program's impact on climate change. The 13 states that sued said the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken, and that the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs. Doughty heard arguments in the case last week in Lafayette. Federal lawyers argued that the public notice and comment period doesn't apply to the suspension, that the lease sales aren't required by law and that the Secretary of the Interior has broad discretion in leasing decisions. No existing lease has been cancelled as a result of any of the actions challenged here, and development activity from exploration through drilling and production has continued at similar levels as the preceding four years, lawyers for the administration argued in briefs. But Doughty sided with the plaintiff states attorneys, who argued that the delay of new leasing cost states revenue from rents and royalties. Millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake, wrote Doughty, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Donald Trump in 2017. Local government funding, jobs for Plaintiff State workers, and funds for the restoration of Louisianas Coastline are at stake, he added, alluding to a possible loss of oil and gas revenue that pays for Louisiana efforts to restore coastal wetlands. Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia are the other plaintiff states. This is a victory not only for the rule of law, but also for the thousands of workers who produce affordable energy for Americans, Landry said in a statement issued shortly after the ruling. Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - Jared Kushner does a television interview at the White House on Oct. 26, 2020, in Washington. Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump and one of his top advisers during his administration, has a book deal. Broadside Books, a conservative imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Kushners book will come out in early 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump and one of his top advisers during his administration, has a book deal. Broadside Books, a conservative imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced that Kushner's book will come out in early 2022. Kushner has begun working on the memoir, currently untitled, and is expected to write about everything from the Middle East to criminal justice reform to the pandemic. His book will be the definitive, thorough recounting of the administration and the truth about what happened behind closed doors, Broadside announced Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. Kushner was often at the center of the Trump administration's policies whether brokering the normalization of relationships between Israel and United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco the so-called Abraham Accords or playing a key role in a criminal justice bill passed by Congress in 2018. He has also been the subject of numerous controversies, whether for his financial dealings and potential conflicts of interest or for the administration's widely criticized handling of COVID-19. In April 2020, less than two months into the pandemic, Kushner labeled the White House response a great success story," dismissed the eternal lockdown crowd and also said: I think youll see by June a lot of the country should be back to normal and the hope is that by July the countrys really rocking again." The signing of Kushner comes during an ongoing debate within the book industry over which Trump officials, notably Trump himself, can be taken on without setting off a revolt at the publishing house. Thousands of Simon & Schuster employees and authors signed an open letter this spring condemning the publisher's decision to sign up former Vice President Mike Pence. At a Simon & Schuster town hall in May, employees confronted CEO Jonathan Karp, who responded that he felt the company had a mission to hear opposing sides of political debates. He also said that he did not want to publish Trump because he didn't think the former president would write an honest book. With the continuing media coverage of the Kamloops finding of what is believed to be a grave site of 215 children, I feel a need to speak. Of course the discovery is most disturbing. Nothing in this letter is intended to downplay the grief that this discovery has caused. But before bandying about terms like genocide, atrocities and mass murder in relation to this discovery, it would be well to wait for the investigation to find out the facts. Abusing children is bad enough, but murder is quite another thing. It is, in fact, unfathomable to contemplate. Back in the days of the residential school in question from 1890 to 1969 there were several pandemics that ran through populations with insufficient medications nor the vaccines we have available today. Could this explain a large number of burials? In 1918 - 19 the Spanish Flu took out between 50 and 100 million people world wide. Canada was not spared. There were several other strains of flu between 1957 and 1968 that claimed many lives. Tuberculosis is another potential cause of many deaths. One only has to look at the millions of deaths from COVID now to see the results of a runaway disease without a timely remedy. When people are dying in large numbers, it was deemed best to bury the remains as fast as possible to prevent further spread of disease. Could this explain unmarked, mass graves? Records have yet to be found - but that does not mean they do not exist. Why families were not notified is a very good question. There is no doubt evil was perpetrated upon innocent children in that time and there is no excusing such abominable behaviour. But, is the media justified in the kind of reporting that has lead - without solid information that would come from a thorough investigation - to the finger pointing, further damning of churches, and quite amazingly the knee jerk suggestion to cancel Canada Day. As for apologies... Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 gave a solemn apology to a delegation from the Assembly of First Nations for the deplorable treatment of children in residential schools. Until the facts are known on this latest finding, we cannot expect the current Pope to do anything more that express his distress over the deaths. A thorough investigation of the findings is clearly needed. Until such time, it is hoped that some perspective might prevail. Jacinta Jay Re: Keep party politics out Im proud to be running again for council here in Penticton. I chose to run in this by-election because I want a diversity of opinions shaping the decisions that affect all of us that live and work in this great city. I am enjoying this run for council hearing from my community about what you want to see here in Penticton, and I hope to get elected to work for you. If I am elected to council, I will sit as an independent. I have been transparent about my policy positions since the beginning of the campaign. No political party has any control over those policies. Party partisanship ends at the MLAs. It would be inappropriate and against party bylaws and their constitutions for party leadership to control their members. Political parties are defined and governed by their members. From the ground up the members determine the values, principles, and policies a party will follow. The leader and MLAs of the party are guided by this democratic process. It is not the other way around. That is why I am proud of being a member of a political party. Weeks ago, I was approached by Loraine Stephanson regarding her questions of my party politics. I responded that yes, I was being endorsed by the hard-working people from the Penticton NDP. Ive also been supported by the Penticton Greens and appreciate that both parties support my vision for council. Ive been vocal about councils need to focus on a solution to our housing issues. This is one of the reasons I am running, and I would work hard with all members of council to address this and other issues residents raise with me. I cant say that I have a direct line to David Eby or John Horgan but certainly I want council to work with any provincial or federal governments for Pentictons interests. If you ask any of the executive members of the Penticton NDP if I am critical of the party, you will receive a resounding yes! I dont agree with all of their policies, which is exactly how being a member works. I can vocalize my criticisms and help shape the direction of the party. I get to vote on resolutions that will affect the interior, as well as who the party leader is going to be. If elected to council I will engage in a different type of relationship between the City and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, which again, can come with criticism. Let me be clear - there is no expectation from any party that I will have to vote a certain way if I am elected. Its hard to understand why Loraine Stephanson is singling me out with only two days left of voting in this by-election. How about Kieth McIntyre being the leader of the Libertarian Party of BC? How about Jason Cox who is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada who campaigned for Peter McKay for the leadership bid? Many residents, including candidates running in this election, are members of political parties. I am not concerned by it because it is a way we have chosen to be involved in our democracy. We should be focused on just that how we are working together to address the concerns being raised in the community. I hope that the people of Penticton put their trust in me to work across all party lines on real solutions that will help to make all our lives better. Isaac Gilbert, Penticton Photo: The Canadian Press Canadian hotels are expected to only recovery slightly from the COVID-19 pandemic this year as travel restrictions linger. Commercial real estate company Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis says it expects Canadian hotel occupancy to hover around 38 per cent, up from 33 per cent last year and down from 65 per cent in 2019. Occupancy typically sits between 70 and 80 per cent in Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax/Dartmouth, Montreal and Ottawa, but CBRE believes it will range from 31 to 37 per cent in those cities this year. CBRE says the average daily rate of a hotel booking will reach $131 this year, up from $129 last year but down from $164 in 2019. It predicts the most affordable daily rate of cities surveyed will be $101 in Regina and the most expensive will be $155 in Vancouver. CBRE says the slight increases will be caused by an uptick in demand for domestic and leisure travel, but the industry will remain hampered by border closures, vaccination rates and a lack of in-person meetings and conferences. A new interactive map has been created by gathering art, language and heritage from all First Nations across British Columbia for the public to use and learn from. On Tuesday, the First Peoples Cultural Council launched the First Peoples Map the first interactive map in the country highlighting information about the diverse and living Indigenous languages, art and rich cultures in B.C. Right now, theres no map like it in Canada, says Hannah Mashon, communications officer with FPCC. The living map allows it to be updated constantly; it weaves together content from community experts "who are deeply invested in the work of Indigenous linguistic, artistic and cultural survival," notes a press release from the organization. Cathi Charles Wherry, an Elder and member of the Rama Mnjikaning First Nation who lives in W?SANE?, says the map allows people to explore rich content that they would have never really had access to before. There has been a lot of collaboration in the development of the platform that the communities are now using to create content that they want to share with the world, says Wherry. All of the content is created by communities. There's information about the 34 First Nations languages spoke across the province; you can also hear greetings and pronunciations of place names and find local art, landmarks and cultural centres. I feel like there is a real thirst right now for people to want to learn about their Indigenous neighbours and to learn about the history of the communities around them, says Mashon. BC Wildfire Service will also use the map as a tool when responding to wildfires. When we do have a report of a fire and we are sending our initial report crews, things are moving really quickly and so this is just a really handy tool to have on hand to pull up that heritage, points of interest and see what is in the area, Forrest Tower with BC Wildfire Service tells Glacier Media. The map's launch is timed with National Indigenous History Month (June) and right before National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21. Now is the best time to really celebrate and honour Indigenous knowledge keepers, Elders, and artists, and cultural heritage experts, says Mashon. I know a lot of people right now are focused on reconciliation and this is a really helpful tool for people to start that journey. Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - In this March 14, 2020 file photo, Royal Caribbean International cruise ship docked at PortMiami, among other cruise ships, as the world deals with the coronavirus outbreak in Miami. Royal Caribbean is postponing the initial voyages by one of its cruise ships after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19. The company said Wednesday, June 16, 2021, that the Odyssey of the Seas' first trip is being pushed back from July 3 to July 31. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File) Royal Caribbean International is postponing for nearly a month one of the highly anticipated first sailings from the U.S. since the pandemic began because eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19, the company's CEO said. The brand new Odyssey of the Seas was to set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 3 but is now postponed to July 31. Royal Caribbean Internationals CEO Michael Bayley said late Tuesday on Facebook that the decision had been made out of an abundance of caution," adding that the company is also rescheduling a simulation cruise scheduled for late June. While disappointing, this is the right decision for the health and well-being of our crew and guests, he said. Bayley said all 1,400 crew members aboard the Odyssey of the Seas were vaccinated on June 4, but two weeks had not passed for their bodies to build protection against the virus. Six of the crew members who tested positive are asymptomatic and two are mildly sick, he said, adding that the company has quarantined all crew members for 14 days and will continue routine testing. Company spokeswoman Lyan Sierra-Caro said the trial voyage with volunteer passengers that was originally planned for later this month would help the cruise line meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirements before resuming trips with paying passengers. The CDC has not yet approved the trial run, Sierra-Caro said. The debut of the Odyssey of the Seas was highly anticipated as cruise lines attempt a comeback after more than 15 months of not sailing from the U.S. because of the pandemic. Royal Caribbean International has said that passengers are strongly recommended to get vaccinated, adding that unvaccinated passengers must be tested for the virus and follow other measures. Celebrity Edge, also part of the Royal Caribbean Group, is set to become the first post-pandemic ship to sail from the U.S. with ticketed passengers on June 26. A Celebrity Cruises' spokeswoman told The Associated Press that Celebrity Edge is able to sail without a test run because it is following CDC guidelines allowing ships with 98% vaccinated crew and 95% vaccinated guests to skip that step. We are exceeding these guidelines, said Celebrity Cruises spokeswoman Susan Lomax in an email. A new Florida law bans businesses from requiring customers to show proof of vaccination. Gov. Ron DeSantis argues the legislation was meant to preserve individual freedom and medical privacy. Lomax said the state law stipulates that businesses may not require customers to provide any documents, but we are able to ask guests if they would like to share their vaccination status. Photo: The Canadian Press A Vancouver Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform in Vancouver on Saturday, January 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has launched an effort to gain intervener status in a human rights case involving an Indigenous man and his granddaughter over their treatment by Vancouver police while attempting to open a bank account. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a former judge who represents the union, says the organization wants to have a voice in Maxwell Johnson's case to highlight what it alleges is a history of systemic racism against Indigenous people by Vancouvers police force. Johnson, who is from the Heiltsuk Nation on B.C.'s central coast, says both he and his 12-year-old granddaughter were detained in December 2019 by Vancouver officers when they tried to open an account at the Bank of Montreal using their Indigenous status cards. His complaint to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal alleges that the bank called 911 over an identification issue because they are Indigenous, while it accuses the police of racial profiling that led to their detention and the use of handcuffs. The incident prompted an apology from the bank, which then launched an Indigenous advisory council and conducted cultural training for staff. No one from the Vancouver Police Department was immediately available for comment, but it said after the rights complaint was launched last year that the circumstances were "regrettable" and that the actions of the officers were being investigated by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip says Johnson's incident is an example of racism that Indigenous people and people of colour face every day from police. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, or activate your access, to continue reading. Pakistan's Federal budget 2021/22 has benefits for cement industry 16 June 2021 Pakistans Finance Minister, Shaukat Tarin, presented the PKR8.48trn (US$54bn) federal budget for 2021-22 in the National Assembly last week. The government had set the GDP growth target at 4.8 per cent against the expected 3.9 per cent for the outgoing financial year. In addition, Islamabad allocated a considerable fund for Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). These indirect incentives are conducive for the cement industry in Pakistan. Research experts believe and unanimously termed the budget neutral to positive for the cement industry. The government allocated PSDP at PKR2,135bn (highest ever; federal PSDP at PKR900bn against PKR650bn last year with PKR1235bn set aside for provinces) should encourage development in the country and hence, propel cement demand, analysts remarked. Additionally, the National Highway Authority allocated PKR114bn vs PKR118bn in FY21 (actual expenditure in 10MFY21 set at PKR79bn as per Planning Commission suggests augmented allocation by 44 per cent this year). Furthermore, a subsidy of PKR30bn has been earmarked for the Naya Pakistan Housing Authority alongside PKR3bn for the Naya Pakistan mark-up subsidy, which should trigger construction demand. Moreover, PKR57bn, PKR23bn, PKR6bn and PKR14bn has been set aside for Dasu, Diamir-Bhasha, Mohmand and Neelum Jhelum dams, and work on their colonies should materially pick up cement demand. The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) is yet to comment on the merits of fiscal measures. However, it had appealed to the government to abolish the FED, and reduce other duties and taxes to provide an opportunity for the manufacturers to control their cost of production and further optimise/expand their plants, which will help generate more employment and revenues for the government. Similarly, the AHCML Research raised the question that corporate income tax, fuel, and duty on coal should have been slashed to support the cement industry. Published under Buena Vista, CO (81211) Today Mostly sunny skies during the morning hours. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High around 75F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms in the evening. Clear skies overnight. Low around 50F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Chatham, VA (24531) Today Cloudy with occasional rain...mainly in the morning. High 82F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Navigating through a thicket of branches while clambering across slick boulders in a rushing mountain stream is a difficult task at the best of times. Doing so while attempting to balance 40-pound buckets of water filled with imperiled fish takes the challenge to an entirely new level.Recently, a team of scientists from the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute drove to one of the lush, high-elevation streams in the southern reaches of the Cherokee National Forest. During a brief lull between summer rainstorms, they were joined by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency representatives and the U.S.Forest Service to celebrate a homecoming for 250 long-lost residents of this gorgeous landscape: juvenile Southern Appalachian Brook Trout.Carefully navigating through a snarl of streamside vegetation, participants paused to release five or six trout at a time into pools with overhangs where the young fish could hide from predators and ambush floating insects that washed into the stream. The going was tough, but those involved in the effort to restock almost a kilometer of this pristine creek say the challenge was worth the reward of seeing Tennessee's only native trout back in its ancestral waters."The days when we release fish, especially Brook Trout, are really special moments," says Tennessee Aquarium Aquatic Conservation Biologist Dr. Bernie Kuhajda. "We're with these fish all the way from when we first bring adults into the Conservation Institute to spawn, to watching the eggs start to develop, to the juveniles that are just a few inches long and ready to release here."It really is knowing that we get to help restore trout to the full circle of life. Days like today are the culmination of all that work to put trout back into the southeastern streams where they belong."Like many Appalachian streams, this tributary of the North River in the Tellico River watershed hasn't hosted Southern Appalachian Brook Trout for almost a century. Clearcutting of forests in the early 1900s made waters in the region too warm. Combined with the introduction of Brown and Rainbow Trout, "Brookies" were effectively lost from more than 75 percent of the waterways where they once thrived.Today, thanks to changes in forestry management, a thick canopy of leaves now shades streams that once were uncovered and sun-exposed. As a result, many creeks that had become too warm are now cool enough to be restocked with Brookies, who favor the colder temperatures.TWRA began the effort to restore Brookies to their home in the 1980s. Since 2012, the Aquarium has contributed to this campaign by collecting and spawning adult broodstock, fertilizing the eggs, and raising the fry to a releasable size. After overwintering at the Aquarium's freshwater science center, conservation biologists and partnering agencies join forces each spring to release the small juveniles into sites where natural or installed barriers such as waterfalls give them the best chance to thrive without competition.After years of restocking populations in the northern region of the Cherokee National Forest, partners in this program have shifted their focus southward this year. Once experts found its waters to be healthy and free of competition from other trout, the stream selected this year was ready to receive its first class of Brookies. This release is the first for this location, which will continue to be restocked until the population in the stream is self-sustaining."When we move to a new location like this, it's a sign that we're progressing and have had some success in our effort to restore that habitat," Dr. Kuhajda says. "This is sort of a feather in our cap to start a new population in a new drainage system where we haven't worked before. It's pretty exciting."As adults, the Southern Appalachian Brook Trout stands out for its bright orange belly, fins with stark white edging, and sides mottled by brilliant dots of gold and crimson. It's a species whose beauty anglers describe with awe.More importantly, however, Brookies are true-blue Southeasterners, the region's only native trout species. That fact alone should inspire a desire to see them restored to their homes, says TWRA Regional Fisheries Program Manager Mark Thurman."The Southern Appalachian Brook Trout is definitely part of Tennessee's heritage," Mr. Thurman says. "The biodiversity in this state is incredible, and it's important for people to recognize that."We're putting a lot of work into keeping this fish out in the landscape."The Appalachian Chapter of Trout Unlimited funds the Aquarium's participation in the restoration of Southern Appalachian Brook Trout through the sale of special Brook Trout-themed vanity license plates. Since 2013, Trout Unlimited grants have provided more than $68,000 to fuel the Aquarium's propagation and release efforts.In 1989, a sister waterway to the restocked stream was the focus of a restoration effort undertaken by Trout Unlimited, TWRA, the Forest Service, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The broodstock whose offspring were released by the Aquarium this year were collected last fall from the nearby stream that was restored decades ago, a reminder that this type of conservation work happens because of long-term commitment from all partners and agencies."That's great because here we see our work from way back when paying off," says Steve Fry, chairman of the Conservation Committee for the Tennessee Council of Trout Unlimited. "It's good to see that the right strain of Southern Appalachian Brook Trout is going back in this stream again."We hope some other streams in that watershed will be able to receive Southern Appalachian Brook Trout in the future." Superior Court Judge Scott Minter sentenced Richard Marvin Smith, 53, to serve the remainder of his life in prison without the possibility of parole for a 2019 rape. Judge Minter sentenced Smith to an additional ten years to serve (the maximum) on an attempted kidnapping charge which arose from the same incident. Smith was convicted on May 13 by a Whitfield County jury following a three day trial.The States case was presented by Assistant District Attorney Mark Higgins who also represented the State at the sentencing hearing. Mr. Higgins tendered certified copies of three prior felony convictions on Smith. Prior to the rape offense in 2019, Smith had been convicted of burglary in 1986, possession of methamphetamine and cocaine in 2003 and possession of cocaine in 2005. Smiths attorney, Alan Norton, did not contest the evidence of prior convictions.Under Georgia Law, the charge of rape carries 25 years to life in prison. A person convicted of rape who has either a single prior conviction for a serious violent felony such as murder, rape, armed robbery or aggravated child molestation, or three or more prior felony convictions regardless of the prior charges, must be sentenced to the maximum sentence of life and that sentence must be served in its entirety without the possibility of parole. Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly announced on Wednesday that the city will immediately begin offering free walk-in COVID-19 vaccines closer to home for most residents, opening up the citys Community Centers for vaccinations. As I promised on the campaign trail, we are now launching an effort to make COVID-19 vaccines available in every neighborhood by opening up our community centers to residents seeking protection from this virus, Mayor Kelly said. By bringing these lifesaving vaccines directly into the communities we serve, we will help protect our most vulnerable neighbors, and speed our citys path not just to recovery, but to greater shared prosperity. The city has partnered with LifeSpring to administer the vaccines, which will be made available free of charge to residents on a first-come, first-served basis. Dr. Mary Lambert, the citys director of community health, said that by offering vaccines in a familiar place that is comfortable and convenient for residents, the city hopes to protect more Chattanoogans against resurgent mutations of COVID-19 virus that continue to circle the globe. Even though it feels like were getting back to normal, the Delta variant of this virus is rapidly spreading among the unvaccinated population and may be on track to become the dominant strain in the country and in our community, Dr. Lambert said. If we do not take these easy steps to protect ourselves and our families, we risk not only harm to life and health, but a return to social distancing, mask wearing and closure. The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control recently named the Delta variant as a variant of concern, a designation that reflects its ability to spread more rapidly and make victims sicker than previous versions of the virus. Kicking off the new vaccination campaign, both first- and second-dose Pfizer vaccines will be available at the Hixson Community center today from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with no appointment required while supplies last. Other Community Centers are planned to open as vaccination sites throughout the summer: June 23 John A Patton from 10 a.m. to noon June 23 Westside from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. June 30 Washington Hills from 10 a.m. to noon June 30 Glenwood from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. July 7 East Chatt from 10 a.m. to noon July 7 North Chatt from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. July 14 Eastdale from 10 a.m. to noon July 14 North River Civic Center from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. July 21 Avondale from 10 a.m. to noon July 21 Heritage House from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. July 28 Shepherd from 10 a.m. to noon July 28 Eastgate Senior Center from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Aug. 4 Carver from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 4 Hixson (2nd shot) from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Aug. 11 Brainerd from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 11 Westside (2nd shot) from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Aug. 18 South Chatt from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 18 Tyner from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Aug. 25 John A Patten (2nd shot) from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 25 Glenwood (2nd shot) from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The city will monitor the rollout of the vaccination program and will make adjustments as needed based on resident feedback and demand, Dr. Lambert said. The Mayors Office of Community Health is also working on additional initiatives to spur vaccination and ensure residents safety. State and federal authorities, along with local law enforcement, are investigating a report of child abuse at a Chattanooga facility that has come under fire from Tennessees Republican lawmakers for housing migrant children picked up by federal border authorities. The abuse was reported to officials with the Department of Childrens Services, accompanied by an interpreter, by a teenage boy at the facility during a surprise inspection, DCS Commissioner Jennifer Nichols told lawmakers on Wednesday. The boy reported he had witnessed abuse, not that he was the victim. The Department of Childrens Services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement are currently investigating, Nichols said. Nichols did not disclose details of the allegations made by the boy. He was one of six children selected at random by DCS inspectors for an interview. As of Tuesday, there were 41 youth housed at the facility, Nichols told lawmakers during a routine report on DCS activities during the Government Operations Joint Subcommittee on Education, Health and General Welfare. The facility was licensed by DCS to house children aged 12-17. Most are boys. DCS has the authority to conduct two unannounced site visits and one announced visit at all of the facilities they license, she said. The abuse disclosure came during one of these unannounced visits the week of May 31. One of the six children who was interviewed disclosed that he had witnessed an act that in our policy would substantiate and require an investigation into that act take place, Nichols said. A referral was made to our own hotline, she said. Local law enforcement was immediately notified. The D.A.s office was notified. Since the day after that unannounced site visit, theres been an ongoing investigation involving local law enforcement, FBI was notified, the Office of Inspector General for ORR they call that the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the federal Homeland Security have all been notified and are working in collaboration with local law enforcement and our department to investigate what this youth disclosed to Mr. Anderson that he witnessed. Mark Anderson, director of licensing for DCS, interviewed the boy. The Chattanooga facility, operated by the nonprofit Baptiste Group, offers a temporary shelter to unaccompanied migrant children until they can be placed elsewhere. The facility was licensed by DCS to provide shelter in May 2020, but is not run by DCS. The home contracts with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, to temporarily house up to 100 unaccompanied minors When news emerged of a late-night flight to Chattanooga transporting children to Tennessee in May, many state Republican leaders expressed concern over the lack of transparency from the federal government about the childrens presence. U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn, Bill Hagerty and U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, filed legislation to require the federal government to consult with states before transporting migrants to the state. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee requested the U.S. Senate conduct hearings on the unaccompanied migrant children. A special joint committee of the Tennessee Legislature meets Friday to study the issue. At Wednesdays hearing, Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, questioned how widespread abuse is at the facility. Based on everything you said, this facility did not report this abuse until it was disclosed to you.it never happened until you took the time to sit down with this individual and ask them questions that was disclosed to you, Ragan asked. DCS officials acknowledged the report of abuse did not come from staff at the facility. How do we know that there are not 40 to 50 kids over there who have abused, Ragan asked, before then expressing concern about the potential for gang involvement by the children at the facility. One thing I guarantee you is if they are of educational age, they all wind up in our schools, he said. They all wind up in our facilities. They all wind up in Tennessee. Were not talking about refugees who are coming from war torn Somalia or North Africa where people are being persecuted for just being a certain religions. These are people coming across the border, illegally, into our country that are being deemed refugees which is not even close to being who they are being sent to our communities here in Chattanooga, which is two and a half hours down the road to being dropped off to other places of Tennessee where we dont know where theyre going. We have a problem with gang violence problem in our schools. Key recruitment tool going on right here, folks. Should we not, with this unprecedented amount of refugees hitting our doorsteps, why wouldnt the department take it upon themselves to start to screen all these kids that are coming from the border just to make sure that theyre not being trafficked through our facilities. What I can tell you, sir, is that the investigation is ongoing, Nichols said. Many more youth have been interviewed and the investigation is continuing. As I said, local and federal are very involved in that interview. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has announced the application period for the 2021 Wildlife Management Area Big Game Quota Hunts, the regular elk, youth elk and WMA youth, is now underway through July 23. Entries must be submitted before midnight (CDT) July 23. The WMA hunting instruction sheet lists locations and dates for each of the quota hunts along with drawing rules and regulations. Instruction sheets can be obtained and applications made for the hunts at any TWRA license agent, TWRA regional office or online at www.gooutdoorstennessee.com. Mailed applications will not be processed into the drawing system. There is no fee for current Annual Sportsman License holders, Lifetime Sportsman License holders, or seniors possessing a Type 167 Annual Senior Citizen Sportsman License. For all other applicants, there is a non-refundable $12 permit fee for each drawing entered. There is a $1 agent fee for applications made at a license agent. When applying at a license agent, hunters must remain at the location while the application is processed to verify the information is correct on the receipt. For applications made on the internet, there is a $2 internet usage fee. If entering multiple quota hunts, a person must pay the permit and agent fee(s) for each quota hunt application submitted. The WMA (elk hunts excluded) priority point system gives a priority point for each year a hunter participates (this year a maximum of 13 points) without being successfully drawn for a hunt. Applicants drawn for a hunt last year will start over with a priority of zero. After all the drawings are conducted, leftover permits will be sold on-line on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Aug. 25 at 8 a.m. (CDT). The states 13th gun elk hunt will be held Oct. 9-15 with seven individuals selected to participate. Six of the participants will be selected through a computer drawing conducted by the TWRA. The seventh participant will be the recipient of a permit that is donated to a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), which is the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation. That permit will be issued in a raffle for the third year. Additionally, this will be the fifth year for an archery-only hunt with seven permits. Elk archery hunt dates are Sept. 25-Oct. 1. A Chattanooga man has been sentenced to 57 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon selling guns. Clinton Paul Wilborn, 47, appeared before Judge Curtis L. Collier. Wilborn earlier pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. In April 2019, investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Chattanooga Police Department Gun Team responded to Discount Depot located at 6308 Highway 58 following reports that the store operator was a convicted felon and illegally selling firearms from the business. Following a search of the premises, investigators recovered a large amount of assorted ammunition, firearm magazines, and 14 firearms - including rifles, shotguns, and pistols - hidden in various locations on the property. One of the firearms was stolen. During an interview with an ATF Special Agent, Wilborn, the store operator, admitted to possessing the firearms and said he knew it was illegal to possess firearms due to his status as a convicted felon. "This successful prosecution is the direct result of collaboration between federal and local law enforcement, "said Acting United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. "We value these relationships and look forward to continuing to work with our law enforcement partners to combat the illegal possession of firearms in the Eastern District of Tennessee." It is imperative to keep firearms out of the hands of convicted felons and to prevent the sale of illegal firearms. ATF will continue to work in conjunction with and support local law enforcement agencies to prosecute those individuals who illegally possess and sell firearms, said Terry M. Jones, Resident Agent in Charge of ATF Chattanooga Field Office. Chattanooga Chief of Police David Roddy said, The dedicated teamwork by Chattanooga Police investigators and our partners with the ATF and United States Attorney's Office has resulted, yet again, in the successful removal of crime guns and a criminal in Chattanooga. By working together, these law enforcement professionals have taken guns out of circulation and prevented a Wilborn from furthering the spread of gun violence. Special Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Brown represented the United States. He is a Special Assistant City Attorney with the Chattanooga Police Department assigned to the United States Attorneys Office to prosecute violations of federal firearm and drug laws. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive national strategy that creates local partnerships with law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce existing gun laws. Morning Pointe Senior Living donated a 10-passenger van to Skyuka Hall, an alternative learning community in the greater Chattanooga area, to provide the school with transportation after their current bus was vandalized and the catalytic converter was stolen. This bus is absolutely a divine answer to prayer, said Dr. Josh Yother, head of school at Skyuka Hall. Our old van was recently vandalized, rendering it unusable. The cost to repair it would have been astronomical. When I received the email that Morning Pointe wanted to donate a bus to our students, I knew it was not a coincidence; it was truly a miracle. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of students from Skyuka Hall would routinely volunteer at Morning Pointe Senior Living communities in the Chattanooga area. Students and residents alike benefit from Morning Pointes intergenerational programming that contributes to social and physical wellbeing. We love volunteering at Morning Pointe, said Dr. Yother. The empowerment that our students receive from spending quality time with seniors at Morning Pointe cannot be quantified. This is not the first time Morning Pointe has supported Skyuka Hall; Morning Pointe was instrumental in raising funds for us when our Mountain Creek campus had to be relocated to Eastgate Center. The work that Dr. Yother and others do at Skyuka Hall for students with alternative learning abilities is amazing, said Morning Pointe president Greg A. Vital. From time to time, we have vehicles that we repurpose for our community partners, and we are thrilled to be able to provide this bus to Skyuka Hall students. Hopefully it will provide many more trips in the near future! Morning Pointe Senior Living owns, develops, and manages 35 Morning Pointe assisted living and The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimers Center of Excellence communities in five southeastern states. Morning Pointe was founded in 1996 by Tennessee healthcare entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and Franklin Farrow. Skyuka Hall is dedicated to providing individualized learning experiences within a community that enables students with learning differences to develop academically, physically, spiritually, and socially with confidence, courage, and conviction. Founded in 2014 with eight students, the school now educates over 128 students in primary and secondary school. For over two decades, Trina and Trick Daddy have represented Miami hip-hop and shown that rappers from the 305 arent to be taken lightly. Their friendship dates back further than their time in the music industry, and their complicated relationship over the years some of which is chronicled on Love & Hip Hop: Miami has led some to question how deep their relationship actually is. Rapper Trina performs onstage during 10th Annual ONE Musicfest at Centennial Olympic Park on September 7, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia | Paras Griffin/Getty Images Trick Daddy and Trinas relationship dates back to their years at Miami Northwestern High School. Trina was a majorette and was voted Best Dressed during her senior year, while Trick ended up in prison on a cocaine trafficking charge after graduating. They both had different paths, but they shared a love for Derek Harris, also known as Hollywood, Tricks half-brother and Trinas longtime boyfriend. However, Hollywood was murdered in 1994 while Trina was still in high school. It was a very disturbing moment, she recalled in an interview with VladTV. I never really understood it. I was really young and I just didnt understand how somebody could be so great of a person and someone could do that. (l-r) Trick Daddy and Trina perform on April 9, 2001 | Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank Trick Daddy convinced Trina to become a rapper In the late 90s, Trina was working as a beautician in Miami and had no dreams of becoming a musician. Trick Daddy had already released an album and invited Trina to appear on his single Nann in 1998. I never really thought of doing music like that; I just did it for fun, she told the Broward-Palm Beach New Times. At that time, I was studying to get my real estate license. I wasnt interested in doing music; I just wanted to make real money. (L-R) Trina and Trick Daddy at Revolution on February 4, 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Thaddaeus McAdams/WireImage RELATED: Love & Hip Hop: Fans Arent Buying Trinas Apology Surrounding Her Controversial George Floyd Protest Comments Inside Trina and Trick Daddys relationship Over the years, Trina and Trick Daddy have had several public disagreements as well as reunions and displays of love. Musically, Tricks biggest criticism of Trina for nearly two decades has been her ability to cross over into other genres such as R&B as opposed to sticking to the hardcore hip-hop sound of Nann. I dont know if Trick knows what it means to evolve or not, but I do, she told the Miami New Times in 2005. Hes street and thats all hes going to ever be. I came out being street, I came out being sexy, and now Ive moved on to still being street but also being more mature and more classy You have to grow to be a superstar and not just a rap artist. A similar argument led to the demise of their joint TNT project, which was shown on Love & Hip Hop: Miami. In their first few years on the scene at the turn of the century, rumors flew that the two were an item romantically. They never confirmed a relationship, but theyve both poked fun at the idea: according to Bossip, Trick has alluded to a fling with Trina, while Trina herself named Trick among other male rappers on her 2004 single Im Leaving You (Big Ol D*ck), where she talks about bedding her peers. Since then, Trina has had semi-public relationships with rappers including Lil Wayne and French Montana. For several years now, people have wondered how the queen feels about the drama between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and the rest of the royal family. There have been constant rumors that Harry and Meghan have made decisions without informing the queen including when the couple called out libel over rumors about their daughters name, Lilibet Diana. Now, though, the queen might have just subtly showed support for Meghan and Harry in a major way at an important event. Queen Elizabeth, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle have a conversation in 2018 | Chris Jackson/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle praised the queen despite drama with royal family members When Harry and Meghan first met, life was blissful. The two moved quickly, becoming engaged in November 2017 and planning a wedding in only a few months. They wed in May 2018, but from there, rumors began to swirl that Harry and Meghan werent loving life as married royals. Rather, there was reported tension between the couple and the rest of the family. In March 2020, the two officially stepped down, and one year later, they sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a tell-all interview. Despite admitting to tension with the royals, Harry and Meghan both praised Queen Elizabeth. Harry noted that he speaks more to his grandmother now than he did as a royal member, and Meghan had nothing but kind words for her grandmother-in-law. Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and Queen Elizabeth in June 2018 | John Stillwell/WPA Pool/Getty Images RELATED: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Reportedly Spent Up to $400,000 on Their Daughters Nursery Queen Elizabeth might have just subtly showed support for Harry and Meghan Though rumors suggested things werent great between Harry, Meghan, and the queen, Harry and Meghan have both said otherwise. Queen Elizabeth released a statement earlier this year noting that Harry and Meghan still have her full support despite that they will not be returning as working royals. And now, she might have even just showed another, more subtle sign of support. According to Marie Claire, the queen wore her millet brooch to this years G7 Summit in Cornwall. The queen has been known to give subtle signs through her outfits, and this appears to be no exception. The brooch symbolizes the main crop of Botswana and was once given to the queen by the President of the Republic of Botswana. Botswana holds significant value to Harry and Meghan. Its the place where they took their first trip as a couple and notably the place where the couple realized they were in love. When Harry proposed to Meghan, he did so with a ring that had a center diamond from the African country. Many suspect the queens public wearing of the brooch was meant to indicate that Harry and Meghan will always have her full support. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle faced drama surrounding their daughters name Queen Elizabeths move comes not long after media outlets reported that the queen allegedly was never informed of Harry and Meghans name for their daughter. Variety reported that Harry and Meghans spokesperson clapped back at BBC, the outlet that initially reported the rumor, saying the couple never would have named their daughter Lilibet Diana if it hadnt had the familys support. Though the royals never spoke out about the drama, the queens brooch might have been her own way of making it clear that she stands behind Harry and Meghans daughters name. If you ever thought you were seeing double as actor Rami Malek strolled the red carpet at a gala event, you werent the first person to do so. Rami Malek was welcomed to the world by Egyptian immigrant parents in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance on May 12, 1981. He did not arrive alone. Four minutes after making his debut, Ramis happy parents, Said and Nelly Abdel-Malek, welcomed the future actors identical twin, Sami, into the world. The Mr. Robot stars has an identical twin brother often accompanies him to premieres, award ceremonies, and other public appearances. Rami Malek | Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images Early beginnings Sami and his slightly older twin brother, Rami, along with an elder sister, Jasmine, grew up in a stable, Coptic Orthodox home where Egyptian music always played, Arabic was always spoken, and academic excellence was expected. The Malek kids were well-schooled in their roots and often participated in middle-of-the-night phone calls with relatives in Samalut, Egypt, explains Eighties Kids. Rami spoke nothing but Arabic until his parents enrolled him in public school when he was four years old. Who is Rami Maleks twin brother and what do his siblings do? Equally handsome as his four-minutes-older brother, Sami Malek opted for an academic path in lieu of an illustrious Hollywood career. After a stint at UCLA where he double-majored in American Literature & Culture and African-American Studies, the younger Malek achieved a Master of Arts in Secondary English Education from Loyola Marymount University. Born in 1978, the only sister of the Malek twins currently works as an emergency room doctor at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C. Jasmine Malek, M.D. referred to her brothers as hilarious and outgoing in her profile at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. A classic twin switcheroo During a 2015 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Malek the actor shared a fun fact about his relatively unknown twin brother. The anecdote involved a classic twin switcheroo wherein Rami pretended to be Sami and actually pulled it off, revealed Lad Bible. The incident occurred when Sami was a student at UCLA. Sami needed more points to pass a class, and reciting a monologue from a Greek tragedy was the way to do it. Unfortunately, Sami wasnt up to the task. Fortunately, Rami was. As he explained to Kimmel: I deliver this monologue in front of the entire lecture hall and I get a few bits of applause, people dig it. And I think she [the professor] starts looking at me kind of accusatory, like, Where the hell did you come up with that?' Rami-as-Samis answer was a simple, Er, its just a hobby. Sami passed the class. Today, Malek is employed as an English teacher at the STEM Academy of Hollywood. Will Rami and Sami have twins? At the time of this writing, Rami and Sami Malek are unmarried without kids. If and when either does start a family, are they likely to father twins? Although one might think so, the answer is no. According to Scientific American, twinning is influenced by the mother, not the father. By the way, Sami has no Hollywood aspirations, but you can probably expect to see him alongside with his twin brother at glamorous events in the future. RELATED: Why Doesnt Rami Malek Talk About His Personal Life in Interviews? This artist is known for her support of the LGBTQ community. After years of waiting, Charli XCX fans will finally see this artist as a guest judge on the reality competition series, RuPauls Drag Race: All-Stars. Heres what we know about this artists strangely familiar hairstyle for the episode. Charli XCX performs on stage at the Thrive With Pride Concert with Charli XCX | Rich Fury/Getty Images Charli XCX will appear as a guest judge for RuPauls Drag Race: All-Stars 6 These All-Stars are ready to get all-started. Hot off of the heels of RuPauls Drag Race season 13, RuPaul announced the sixth season of the spinoff series, RuPauls Drag Race: All-Stars. In it, several fan-favorite contestants will compete for another chance at the crown and the title of Americas Next Drag Superstar. This season will include several appearances from celebrities. That includes Charli XCX, the artist behind songs like Vroom Vroom, Unlock It, and Track 10. This is a huge milestone for fans of this artist as this is her first time appearing as a judge on this reality competition series. As a result, some took to social media, sharing their love for the self-proclaimed pop icon. RELATED: Former RuPauls Drag Race Contestants Like Shea Coulee, Shangela, Aquaria, and Trixie Mattel Are Stepping up for Their Communities Some RuPauls Drag Race fans compared Charli XCXs All-Stars 6 look to the Disney Channel character Hannah Montana For the Charli era, this artist sported hues of pink in her hair. Naturally, though, Charli XCX has brown hair. For her appearance on this reality series, though, she wore a platinum blonde wig. As a result, some fans compared the artist to Disney Channels Hannah Montana, a character who had brown hair normally but a blonde wig while performing. Major congratulations to my queen Hannah Montana for being a judge on next season, Aquaria, the winner of RuPauls Drag Race season 10 tweeted jokingly. Shortly after, Charli XCX reposted the tweet. In the past, one song featured on the Disney Channel original series functioned as the lip-sync with Miley Cyrus as the guest judge. That was The Best of Both World, performed by Soju and Kahanna Montrese for season 11. RELATED: Will RuPauls Drag Race: All-Stars 6 Be on Netflix? RuPauls Drag Race previously included celebrity guest judges like Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Ariana Grande Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and Ross Matthews will join RuPaul behind the judges panel as regular judges for All-Stars 6. Other celebrities stopping by the reality competition series include Aisha Tyler, Big Freedia, Emma Roberts, Jamal Sims, Justin Simien, Tia Mowry, and Zaldy, according to Deadline. In the past, celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Daisy Ridley, and even United States Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sat behind the judges panel. Even though season 13 included some COVID-19 safety precautions, celebrities like Scarlett Johansson and Anne Hathaway virtually met with the contestants. Unlike past seasons of RuPauls Drag Race: All-Stars, these episodes will premiere exclusively on Paramounts streaming platform. To learn more about Paramount+ and to subscribe, visit their website. Hulus adaptation of Margaret Atwoods 1985 novel, The Handmaids Tale, has had audiences rooting for June Osborn since it debuted in 2017. The award-winning series doesnt pull any punches with its dark depiction of the United States torn by civil war and afflicted with pollution and declining birth rates. Recreated as Gilead by a right-wing religious faction called The Sons of Jacob, the conquered nation has become a totalitarian theocracy under which women are stripped of their rights and face harsh punishments, even death if they rebel. June, played by Elizabeth Moss, is captured trying to escape to Canada with her husband Luke and daughter Hannah. She is sentenced to be a Handmaid, one of the few remaining fertile women tasked with bearing children for the regimes commanders and their infertile wives. Renamed Offred, after her commander Fred Waterford, she struggles to survive and escape from the horror that is her new reality as a sex slave in a twisted, patriarchal nightmare. A strained reunion for Luke and June RELATED: Review: The Handmaids Tale Finally Moves Forward in Season 4 After cringing through three seasons of stark brutality, audiences were relieved when June finally escaped to Canada and reunited with her husband in episode seven of season four. That sense of relief proved to be short-lived. During the episode, Luke finds June profoundly changed by her ordeal as a Handmaid in a way that may threaten the future of their relationship. Aware that shes been traumatized, he gives her space, waiting for her to be comfortable enough to initiate intimacy. When she finally does, its anything but loving. Having just returned from confronting Waterfords abusive wife, Serena Joy, who is now imprisoned by the remnants of the U. S. government, June returns home to Luke. Energized by the experience, she takes her apparent sense of empowerment to the next level, and out on her husband. Refinery 29 recounted the scene that left some fans and Luke feeling violated. June wakes Luke with a kiss and begins to make love to him, then things take a dark turn. As he reaches up to touch her, she pins his hand down. At this point Luke wants her to stop, saying wait several times. In response, she presses her hand over his mouth and finishes the act that is clearly about control rather than intimacy. Junes non-consensual act draws harsh reactions RELATED: The Handmaids Tale: Elisabeth Moss Hints That Junes Attempts to Have a Normal Life Will Fail Unfortunately, Junes first sexual encounter with her husband mirrors the sexual abuse she has suffered. Though finally free, June is not the same person she used to be. Shes traumatized, angry, and not doing well mentally or emotionally. The scene is very disturbing, and its supposed to be. Marie Claire published some fans reactions of dismay and horror at what several of them termed rape. Can we talk about how toxic that sex scene between June and Luke was like I dont even have words for what I just saw, said one. I think the writers made a huge mistake in putting that scene with Luke and June in the episode. No one wants to see June r@pe her husband, said another. Lead executive producer Bruce Miller said he researched the way people process trauma to present what he hoped would be an accurate depiction. The UN, in general, has been incredibly helpful, connecting us with people to speak with because this really is a refugee story, he told Decider. The sexual trauma that June goes through is at the heads of the state mostly. Her sexual trauma has a political element to it, he said, adding, I just didnt want to screw it up. Because I know that recovery from trauma is not the same for everybody. Its not uncommon that the abused go on to become abusers. Hopefully, this was an awkward step toward healing for June, not a predatory trend. Only time will tell if she will ever be able to have a healthy relationship going forward. Totalitarianism will ruin your sex life Atwood made that observation at Book Con in 2017 when she and Miller came together to answer questions about the series and the book that spawned it. Naturally, there was plenty of discussion about dictatorial forms of government that require complete submission from their citizens, and the moment in time when they become totalitarian. Miller intentionally incorporated that moment in the first season of the series. Theres a scene later where June and Luke are in bed, Miller said and theyre, you know, cuddling, and shes very upset about losing her job and to me, that was just, that was the moment it became a totalitarian state. When it, when the state actually gets into your bedroom, it controls the total person. The disturbing sex scene between Luke and June in episode seven underlines the fact that the state is still in their bedroom and that Atwoods observation is spot on. We all want a fairy tale ending for June. I really, really do, said Yahlin Chang, who wrote the episode, to Refinery29. Is it realistic, given what this particular character has gone through given her years in Gilead and all the trauma and violence that has infused her life there (and some of which she has been forced to inflict), that on this particular day right after she left Gilead that she could instantly snap into a super healthy and tender intimate relationship with Luke? Obviously not. RELATED: The Handmaids Tale: How Large Is Gilead? A team of scientists from Kaunas University of Technology and Lithuanian Energy Institute proposed a method to convert lint-microfibers found in clothes dryers into energy. They not only constructed a pilot pyrolysis plant but also developed a mathematical model to calculate possible economic and environmental outcomes of the technology. Researchers estimate that by converting lint microfibers produced by 1 million people, almost 14 tons of oil, 21.5 tons of gas and nearly 10 tons of char could be produced. Each year, the global population consumes approximately 80 billion pieces of clothing and approximately 140 million worth of it goes into landfill. This is accompanied by large amounts of emissions, causing serious environmental and health problems. One of the ways to lessen the footprint of consuming clothes is to reduce the laundry impact. During a machine-washing process of textile, around 300 mg of microfiber are generated from 1 kg of textile. "Lint-microfibers are classified as microplastics. Whereas large plastic items can be sorted out and recycled relatively easily, this is not the case with microplastic - tiny plastic pieces, less than 5 mm in diameter. Large quantities of microplastic are being washed down our drains and enter our seas threatening the environment", says Dr Samy Yousef, senior researcher at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design. Dr Yousef is the leader of the inter-institutional team, which developed an eco-friendly technology to extract energy products from textile waste. For the experiment, lint-microfibers collected from the filters of the drying machines in the dormitories of KTU were collected. As the residents of the dormitories come from different cultures in Europe, Africa, Asia and America, the collected samples were very diverse. Using a pilot pyrolysis plant, built at the laboratories of Lithuanian Energy Institute, the scientists were able to extract three energy products - oil, gas and char - from the collected lint-microfiber batches. When treated thermally, the lint-microfibers decompose into energy products with around a 70 per cent conversion rate. "When we think about textile waste, we usually imagine long fabric with high crystallinity, which is contaminated with dye and dirt. Much energy is needed to turn the solid waste into liquid. However, lint-microfiber is a somewhat 'broken fiber' textile waste; it has a uniform size and shape, contains a lot of flammable compounds (resulted cotton and polyester elements), its transformation is easier", says Dr Yousef. Researchers also developed a mathematical model to evaluate the economic and environmental performance of the suggested strategy, based on the lint-microfibers generated by 1 million persons. The study shows that if applied on an industrial scale, the strategy is profitable and eco-friendly: the energy from the lint-microfiber generated by 1 million people has estimated profitability at around 100 thousand and reduced carbon footprint 42,039,000kg CO2-eq/t of lint-microfibers. "I believe that the collection system, similar to deposit-return for drink containers, could be developed based on our research. A household would bring the lint-microfiber from their drying machine filters to a collection point and receive some kind of compensation for it. We have proposed the technology and made calculations, which may be developed further", says Dr Yousef. According to research, lint-microfibers can be considered a renewable energy source that ensures sustainability and accelerates the general transition of the textile industry to a circular economy. In addition to the study described above, Dr Yousef and his research group have developed other green/eco-friendly technologies to extract cotton, glucose, and energy products from textile waste and end-of-life euro banknotes using mechanical, thermal, chemical, and biological treatments. Fur unsere Produktion am Standort Gendorf suchen wir ab sofort einen Chemiker, Verfahrensingenieur oder Chemieingenieur (m/w/d) als Betriebsassistent. Aufgaben Sie sind zustandig fur die Sicherstellung der bedarfs- und termingerechten Produktion unter Einhaltung sicherheits-, umweltschutz- und qualitatsrelevanter Anforderungen sowie wirtschaftlicher Aspekte, die Einleitung von Korrekturmanahmen bei Soll-/Ist-Abweichungen, die Koordination von Investitions-, Reparatur- und Instandhaltungsmanahmen, die Planung und Umsetzung von Projekten zur Effizienzsteigerung und Prozessoptimierung, die Einfuhrung neuer Produkte im Produktionsmastab, die betriebliche Qualitatssicherung, die Vorbereitung und Koordination von Audits, die Erstellung und Aktualisierung von Betriebsdokumenten, die Sicherheitsanalysen sowie die Anfertigung von Sicherheitsberichten und Konzessionsunterlagen, die fachliche Fuhrung der Mitarbeiter im Produktionsbetrieb. 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Die Geschaftseinheit Industrial & Consumer Specialties (ICS) ist einer der groten Anbieter von Spezialchemikalien und Anwendungslosungen fur den Konsumgutermarkt und Industriekunden. ICS vereint chemisches Fachwissen mit leistungsstarken Inhaltsstoffen und formulierungsspezifischem Fachwissen und liefert so Losungen, die sich durch das beste Preis-Leistungs-Verhaltnis auszeichnen. Clariant ist ein fokussiertes und innovatives Spezialchemieunternehmen mit Sitz in Muttenz bei Basel in der Schweiz. Im vergangenen Jahr erzielte das Unternehmen einen Umsatz von 4,399 Milliarden CHF, indem es die Talente seiner 14 000 Mitarbeiter in 50+ Landern nutzte. Das Portfolio von Clariant ist fur zukunftiges Wachstum optimiert und konzentriert sich auf drei Geschaftsbereiche: Care Chemicals, Catalysis and Natural Resources. Wir glauben, dass unser Wachstum von unseren Kunden und ihrem Erfolg abhangt. Investitionen in unsere Innovationsfahigkeit und das Schaffen einer inspirierenden Umgebung fur mutige und entschlossene Kopfe sind daher der Schlussel zum Erreichen unseres Ziels. Schlieen Sie sich uns an und helfen Sie uns durch Chemie nachhaltigen Wert fur unsere Kunden auf der ganzen Welt zu schaffen. Miss Cherokee 2019-21 Meekah Roy is crowned by Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. during the Miss Cherokee Leadership Competition in 2019. Roy served two years, instead of the usual one year, because the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the competition in 2020. In this Dec. 18, 2020, photo, pipes to be used for the Keystone XL pipeline are stored in a field near Dorchester, Nebraska. Calgary-based TC Energy, sponsor of the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline, said June 9 that it was pulling the plug on the contentious project after Canadian officials failed to convince President Joe Biden to reverse its cancellation of its permit on the day he took office. In September 2020, about 150 Christians gathered to stage an informal Psalm Sing in the parking lot of Moscow, Idahos city hall. They were there to protest the local mask mandate. Five individuals were cited by police for violating the local order to wear masks, and two were arrested for suspicion of resisting or obstructing an officer. One of the events organizers was Douglas Wilson, pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, a 900-member congregation with historical connections to Christian Reconstructionism (also known as theonomy), a movement that hopes to see earthly society governed by biblical law. One month earlier on Twitter, Wilson had framed his concerns about the issue in revealing terms: Too few see the masking orders for what they ultimately are. Our modern and very swollen state wants to get the largest possible number of people to get used to putting up with the most manifest lies. In Survival and Resistance in Evangelical America: Christian Reconstruction in the Pacific Northwest, historian Crawford Gribben recounts how in recent decades conservative evangelicals, inspired by assorted strands of theonomy and survivalism, came to settle in the Pacific Northwest. Gribben explores how this group of born-again Protestants who embrace their marginal status has thrived in the wilds of Idaho and adjoining states, proposing strategies of survival, resistance, and reconstruction in evangelical America. Turning toward triumphalism Gribben describes his book as a social history of theological ideas based on long-distance interviews of several subjects and in-person fieldwork. Rather than crafting a journalistic expose or a theological critique, Gribben employs biographical, institutional, or thematic approaches. Previous accounts of Christian Reconstructionists have tended to focus on these believers theocratic vision of a future Christian polity rather than their separation from mainstream society. Today, Gribben concludes, these practitioners of strategies of hibernation may no longer be as marginal as some have assumed. In a series of illuminating chapters, Gribben astutely examines the history of theonomist migration to the Northwest, the eschatological assumptions underlying the original Reconstructionist vision, theonomic political theory, the movements influential educational ideas, and its thoughtful and innovative use of publishing and electronic media. For these theonomists, present-day survivalism is closely linked to a future reconstruction of a godly society and Christianitys earthly triumph. Theonomy is a diverse theological movement, arising within a conservative Reformed milieu. Its central ideas were first articulated by Rousas John Rushdoony, a California-based Presbyterian pastor and the son of Armenian immigrants. Gary North, Rushdoonys estranged son-in-law, is one of many to carry its banner forward into the 21st century. Although theonomy first gained notoriety through its bold application of Mosaic law to the existing political order, more recent adherents have often sanded down its sharp edges. Among the most intriguing features of Reconstructionism is its view of human history as it relates to Christs second coming. For much of the 20th century, American evangelicals were mainly premillennialists, believing Jesus would return to earth before inaugurating a thousand-year reign of peace and prosperity (the Millennium). Premillennialism went hand in hand with pessimism about existing social conditionsif Christ needed to come before things would get better, then why waste much energy on making them better in the here and now? By the 1970s, works like Hal Lindseys best-selling The Late Great Planet Earth had popularized a premillennial eschatology that stressed cultural and moral decline and applied apocalyptic prophecies to the Cold War. Article continues below Rushdoony challenged this dominant paradigm in the early 1970s, shifting toward a postmillennial view that saw the earthly progress of Christianity as a precursor to Christs return. First in a biblical commentary and then in volume 1 of his magnum opus, the pretentiously titled The Institutes of Biblical Law, Rushdoony argued that most believers lacked faith in Christianitys ultimate triumph. The whole of Scripture, he countered, proclaims the certainty of Gods victory in time and in eternity (emphasis mine). The saints were called upon to fight for a Christian society here and now, and their victory in this world was assured. The unalloyed triumphalism of Reconstructionism appealed to some disheartened evangelicals. Douglas Wilsons evolving theology was shaped by Rushdoonys postmillennial vision, although he has subtly distanced himself from the more extreme aspects of Rushdoonys application of ancient Israels legal code. Because of years of hard work by Wilson and his followers, Gribben argues, Moscow may now be Americas most postmillennial town, with two large, thriving Reconstructionist congregations and members who play important roles in the towns social and economic life. In his chapter on the Reconstructionist understanding of government, Gribben carefully examines the historical origins of the movements odd coupling of Old Testament legal codes and libertarian politics. While other evangelicals were being drawn to Barry Goldwaters 1964 presidential campaign, Rushdoony began working for the conservative William Volker Charities Fund. The Fund played a key role in getting libertarian economist Friedrich Hayek appointed to the faculty of the University of Chicago, and it embraced Hayeks anti-statism. While Rushdoony advocated the adoption of Mosaic civil law in a reconstructed Christian political order (including stoning those who engaged in homosexual behavior or disrespected their parents), he also embraced a small-government model that would have warmed the heart of Thomas Jefferson. Theonomys focus on Old Testament regulations has had little impact on conservative public policy, but Rushdoony and Norths tireless efforts to reconcile Christian principles with libertarian governing philosophies have been quite influential among some Christian conservatives. Reconstructionists have also shaped evangelical educational theory. Rushdoony first gained attention with his forceful critique of public education. Inspired by theologian Cornelius Van Tils argument that a neutral philosophical perspective was impossible and that secular and Christian approaches were fundamentally incompatible, Rushdoony advocated Christian alternatives. By the 1990s, Wilson had become a widely acknowledged authority on homeschooling, promoting a classical curriculum based loosely on Dorothy Sayerss previously neglected essay, The Lost Tools of Learning (1947). Moreover, Wilson helped found both a seminary and a small residential liberal arts college (ambitiously christened New Saint Andrews) in Moscow. Pacific Northwest theonomists separated themselves from the public school system as part of their strategy to transform society at large. Before we can enlist in the culture war, Wilson commented, we have to have a culture. And that culture must be Christian. To promote their educational ideas and socially conservative vision, Wilson and company have creatively used both conventional book publishing (establishing Canon Press) and the internet. Behind all these ambitious efforts is the ultimate goal of cultural renewal or reconstruction. As the communitys organ, Credenda Agenda, put it bluntly, publishing is warfare. This campaign included a well-publicized series of debates between Wilson and atheist journalist Christopher Hitchens in 2009 over whether Christianity has been good for the world. (Gribben mentions the interaction with Hitchens at least five times.) Article continues below Gribbens study is a welcome contribution to our understanding of the theonomist movement. His dispassionate, non-alarmist account allows the participants to speak for themselves. Occasionally, however, Gribben seems reluctant to pursue more searching questions, and his appraisal can sometimes be muted. It provides little comfort, for instance, when Gribben reassures readers that while Rushdoony may not have approved of democracy, he didnt actually approve of its violent subversion. Allowing subjects to speak for themselves can periodically wander toward accepting their self-portraits. Still, Gribben handles complex cultural and theological questions deftly and with admirable sensitivity. Two questions Survival and Resistance in Evangelical America raises a host of fascinating questions that no single work of this sort can answer. Two such questions spring to mind. First, despite all their dismissals of benighted pietism, isnt it ironic that Rushdoony, North, and Wilson all ended up following 20th-century evangelicals in disparaging state intervention and embracing libertarianism? Despite the theonomists reverence for the Puritans, libertarian assumptions appear to trump the Puritans focus on the common good and their conception of the state as a moral agent. As such, their theonomy appears to owe more to Rand Paul than to, say, the Massachusetts Bay Colonys first governor, John Winthrop. In this sense, is it really accurate to affirm, as Gribben does, that the Moscow community has successfully resisted American modernity? Second, and more broadly, while theonomy has certainly proven influential in ways unrecognized by scholars, just how seriously should Christians take its theological and social project? Evangelicals can sometimes be taken in by the appearance of scholarship. Answering those who claimed theonomists were weighty thinkers, former First Things editor Richard John Neuhaus once commented acerbically: One might object that the argumentation of the theonomists is more often obsessive and fevered than well-reasoned, and the pedantry of bloated footnoting should not be mistaken for scholarship. One may also be permitted to doubt whether there is, in the explosion of theonomic writing, one major new idea or finding that anyone outside theonomys presuppositional circle need feel obliged to take seriously. Though downplayed by Gribben, Rushdoonys circle of fellow travelers should give any thoughtful Christian considerable pause. To note only a few red flags: In the first volume of his Institutes, Rushdoony appeared to flirt with Holocaust denial. Years later, he promoted the work of a writer who endorsed geostationary theory, which denies that the earth orbits around the sun. Gary North was among the most alarmist and apocalyptic of the Y2K prophetsat least until the clock struck midnight at the close of 1999. More recently, Wilson authored a booklet, Black & Tan, that adopted discredited Lost Cause views regarding secession and described the allegedly benign features of antebellum slavery. It is easy (especially in the age of Twitter) to confuse quantity with quality and strong opinions with wisdom. Biographer Michael McVicar once speculated that Rushdoony was one of the most frequently cited intellectuals of the American right. Survival and Resistance in Evangelical America provides an insightful exploration of the larger social and regional contexts inhabited by Rushdoonys offspring. While strict theonomists remain comparatively few, their influence has been significant in some surprising places. Lamentably, they have usually championed an approach more narrowly ideological than genuinely scriptural. Gillis J. Harp teaches history at Grove City College. He is the author of Protestants and American Conservatism: A Short History. Southern Baptists called on their denomination to launch what would be its biggest investigation into sexual abuse responses and coverup. While the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) recently commissioned its own independent inquiry through Guidepost Solutions, messengers voted at its annual meeting to transfer oversight of that investigation or launch an additional one. Thousands of messengers in the convention hall, voting with a wave of yellow cards in the air, supported the move as an additional level of accountability, while few opposed. It is the least we can do for abuse survivors. It is worth the extra effort. It is worth the money. It is worth the time and attention, said Grant Gaines, a Tennessee pastor who made the request for an outside task force with an SBC abuse victim at his side. If this investigation is worth doing, then its worth doing right. The newly elected SBC president Ed Litton will appoint the task force to serve as a middle man between third-party investigators and the Executive Committee, a decision-making body within the denomination. The Executive Committee, though it declined to consider a similar proposal to amend its own investigation just two days before, has agreed and said it will work expeditiously to apply todays motion. Scrutiny of the SBCs response to abuse has recently focused on the Executive Committee after letters leaked in the weeks leading up to the annual meeting described leaders dismissing victims, quickly clearing churches of accusation, and resisting broader efforts to address abuse. According to the motion, the investigation, backed by a group of survivors and advocates, will cover 20 years of allegations of abuse claims mishandled by the Executive Committee. It will also examine the two-year-old committee tasked with reviewing abuse and coverup as grounds for dismissal from the convention. I cant even begin to fathom going through an investigation short of what Gaines proposed, tweeted Jennifer Lyell, an SBC abuse survivor whose story of being maligned was referenced in the leaked letters. Lyell, who had served for years as a top leader at Lifeway, worried that an incomplete investigation would lead to more misleading conclusions because of leaders who use their powerand silenceto hide truth and was thankful to see the widespread support for the task force. A group of SBC pastors and leaders spoke out as a vocal minority echoing the concerns of victims and advocates, saying the scope and oversight of the investigation had to change. Some displayed green ribbons on T-shirts and social media as a symbol of solidarity with SBC survivors. One pastor who backed the task force was Troy Bush, lead pastor of Rehoboth Baptist Church in Tucker, Georgia, who blamed the Executive Committee for dismissing an inquiry involving a predatory music minister who had abused at least 10 children at multiple congregations. Bush said those reviewing the claims hadnt even contacted his church about the allegations before dropping the review. Because the Executive Committee didnt follow through doing what we consider the minimum level of inquiry, they didnt contact us, any of the victims, or any of the churches involved, we believe the Executive Committee doesnt have the ability to handle this task force or this investigation alone, Bush said. Last week, Executive Committee president Ronnie Floyd announced that the Executive Committee had hired Guidepost to conduct a third-party investigation to review recent allegations. Floyd was implicated in the leaked material, but said it was a mischaracterization of his response. As the convention debated the task force to oversee the investigation, Floyd said, The Executive Committee respects the messengers. We need this deliberative process. We know this will make this convention stronger, and that is what I want. The structure of the convention makes it difficult for its voting messengers to force entities to take actionespecially the Executive Committee, which conducts SBC business outside the annual meeting. Motions instead can direct, request, or suggest certain actions. The motion asking for the task force was initially referred by convention leaders to the Executive Committee itself, but on Wednesday afternoon the convention voted instead in favor of a task force appointed by Litton to be in charge. The task force will present a full report, along with suggested action steps, a month ahead of next years annual meeting. Jared Wellman, a Texas pastor and the most outspoken advocate for abuse victims on the 86-person Executive Committee, tried to get the Executive Committee to amend its own investigation to address those concerns the day before the meeting, but his proposal was rejected. The Executive Committee secretary Joe Knott opposed even discussing Wellmans proposal, saying theres no safer place on earth than most Southern Baptist churches. Gainess motion was drafted in partnership with North Carolina pastor Ronnie Parrott and in consult with abuse victims. The transferred investigation will be funded through the Cooperative Program, the collection funding SBC missions and ministry. Multiple messengers from the floor spoke up to oppose such funds being used for any investigations. Another pastor and advocate, Todd Benkert had also proposed the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) hire an outside audit to track sexual abuse within the convention from voluntarily participating churches, victims, and witnesses. His motion was referred to the ERLC, which could opt to do so and report on its findings at future annual meetings. I believe the ERLC will give this audit and assessment the best chance to actually be completed and not die somewhere along the way, he wrote. Daniel Patterson, acting president of the ERLC, said the commissions trustees will meet to review the proposal. We want to do everything in our power to serve Southern Baptists in the effort to make churches safe for survivors and safe from abuse, he said in a statement to CT. This motion will soon be delivered to our Board of Trustees, and I am confident I speak on their behalf in saying that we look forward to discussing together how we can serve Southern Baptists to the very best of our ability for the sake of the gospel. The convention on Tuesday adopted a resolution stating they believe any person who has committed sexual abuse is permanently disqualified from holding the office of pastor. The convention recommended all of our affiliated churches apply this standard to all positions of church leadership. Southern Baptists also approved a second and final vote on an amendment to explicitly name abuse and racism as grounds for dismissal from the SBC. Under its earlier policy, the SBC could opt to cut ties with churches that show a disregard for victims of abuse, since caring for the abused comes up in its required statement of faith, the Baptist Faith and Message. The bylaws change makes its stance clearer. Because Southern Baptists have been talking about strengthening their abuse responses and care for victims for years, some survivors and advocates are waiting to see what will come of the new measures and whether they will result in the change they want to see. When asked what would be the best outcome for the denomination, Megan Livelywho came forward two years ago with her story of SBC seminary leaders failing to take appropriate action when she reported abusesaid she is looking for truth revealed, repentance, and a cleansing of the SBC that parallels Jesus cleansing the temple. [ This article is also available in and . ] Pastor Ed Litton, championed by supporters as a force for gospel unity and racial reconciliation, was elected the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), overtaking the candidate backed by a passionate faction of conservatives. Littons election is seen as a signal of the direction of the nations largest Protestant denomination, where infighting has broken out over approaches to race, abuse, and other issues while the Conservative Baptist Network raises alarms about liberal drift and woke theology. The close race also reveals how much ground the vocal group has come to hold in the SBC within a year and a half of its founding. This vote shows we desire a leader whose character, humility, and voice for unity represents us a whole over those who call for division, said Jacki King, who serves on the steering committee for the SBC Womens Leadership Network. In a race with no clear frontrunner at a convention with a 25-year-high turnout of more than 15,000 messengers, Litton won out over Mike Stone, a pastor endorsed by fellow Conservative Baptist Network leaders, and Albert Mohler, the longtime president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Critics of the new network worried that if Stone won, that could cause the denomination to divide on political lines. They were also concerned about leaked letters alleging he resisted abuse response efforts while chair as the Executive Committee. Stone secured the highest level of support among candidates in the first round of voting and won 48 percent to Littons 52 percent in a runoff. Litton is expected to carry on the priorities set forth by outgoing president J.D. Greear and said he would continue Greears efforts to appoint women and people of color to denominational committees. Both Litton and Greear use an approved alternate name for Southern Baptists, Great Commission Baptists, as a way to signify a commitment to mission over regional identity. We are Great Commission Baptists, and were called that for a reason, Litton said. Part of what I feel like God has called me to do in this office is to help us remember why were family, and what the focus and objective of our family is, which is to get the good news, the gospel of Jesus to as many people as can hear it. Littons election followed a lively nomination speech from his friend Fred Luter, the first and only African American president of the SBC. Luter called Litton, pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama, a uniter who has uniquely shown his commitment to racial reconciliation. Luter also said, In the face of some very difficult and necessary conversation in our convention about abuse, Ed brings a very compassionate and shepherding heart. As debates and allegations around critical race theory roiled the SBC, Littons conversations with black pastors in his own community led him to speak out about racial justice on the convention level. He has led efforts for pastors in the Deep South to acknowledge and heal from their racist history and joined black pastors like Luter in opposing any movement in the SBC that seeks to distract from racial reconciliation through the gospel and that denies the reality of systemic injustice. Soft-spoken with a short, white beard, Litton has pastored Redemption for 27 years and was a church planter in Arizona before that. He and his wife Kathy represent something of a Southern Baptist power couple. Kathy Litton served as a director with the North American Mission Board before becoming the first woman elected SBC registration secretary in 2019. The couple also share a testimony rooted in tragedy. Ed Littons first wife died in a car crash 14 years ago, as did Kathys husband, who was also a Southern Baptist pastor. We both have a profound sense of suffering and pain in our lives that has changed us, and we believe changed us for the better, said Litton, quoting Psalm 34:18, that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted. He spoke to reporters after his election, saying addressing hurt and pain requires intentionality by churches and describing how the gospel underscores his commitment to racial reconciliation and caring well for abuse victims. Litton suggested the convention needs humility to listen to one another and come together around their foundational beliefs even though they disagree. This is a family, and sometimes families argue in a way that the neighbors get to see it. And thats kind of what youve been witnessing, he said. But the reality is well leave this place focused, with a direction, and I believe with a better direction for the future. He criticized the Conservative Baptist Network in remarks to CT last year, saying, Honestly, I do not understand why they exist. I do not know a single professor, seminary, or for that matter a single SBC pastor who does not wholeheartedly stand with the inerrancy of Scripture. The race showcased how influential the Conservative Baptist Network had become. As it held events online and in-person over the past year, the group rallied a campaign to get more churches to send messengers to this years convention to vote for Stone and push for stronger condemnation of critical race theory. Supporters turned out with stickers that said, Stop CRT and Beat the Biden Baptists. Tough beat, tweeted Rod D. Martin, who serves on the SBC Executive Committee and endorsed Stone. But its the work of a single year. We fought the entire denominational machine, plus all their MSM friends. We didnt win. But this result shows we can. For others in the convention, though, Littons election signaled a clear win over the new network. Some elections are tight and some are blowouts, said Griffin Gulledge, pastor of Madison Baptist Church in Madison, Georgia. The margins doesnt matter as much as the result. The result is an Ed Litton presidency, a commitment to racial reconciliation and abuse reform. That should encourage any and every Southern Baptist, and it encourages me. [ This article is also available in and . ] How evangelical teachings ruin sex and marriage for many women Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Evangelical blogger Sheila Wray Gregoire doesnt care if her critics want to brand her a feminist. She wants the Church to know that sex is for women too, and ignoring that point can ruin sex, orgasms and marriages for women. New research shows that many evangelical women are unsatisfied in the bedroom due to some evangelical beliefs, and thats the big takeaway Gregoire wants readers to get as she stages a scholarly intervention in her new book, The Great Sex Rescue: The Lies You've Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended. I just want people to know that sex is for women too and that its supposed to be something thats mutual. The big thing that I say is, God made sex to be intimate based on Genesis 4. He made it to be pleasurable, based on Song of Solomon, and he made it to be mutual, based on 1 Corinthians 7 so intimate, mutual and pleasurable. And thats a beautiful thing. What weve done in the church too often is weve reduced it to something which is only physical. Its only about a man, and were missing out on what God meant for intimacy, Gregoire, the founder of the To Love, Honor, and Vacuum blog, said in an interview with The Christian Post. The book highlights how some evangelical teachings have affected evangelical women's sex lives and marriages by looking at the results of a comprehensive survey of more than 18,000 Christian women who identify predominantly as evangelical and highly religious. We measure a number of things [evangelical teachings], and there were four in particular that were very harmful, Gregoire said. Among those harmful teachings, she said, is the practice of obligation sex in Christian marriages, which proponents like The Transformed Wife blogger, Lori Alexander, argue is good for marriages. We dont use sex to manipulate our husbands. We dont deprive our husbands sexually. We give it to him willingly and freely because we love pleasing our husbands. So women, rid yourself of that matriarchal spirit today. Just give it to the Lord. Its an idol in your life. Its hurting your marriage, could potentially destroy your marriage, Alexander, who has been married to her husband since 1980, warned in a video shared on YouTube last month. The matriarchal or Jezebel spirit, according to Daughters of Promise, uses seduction, womanly wiles, or sexual means to control men. If those dont work, it uses shame and sarcasm, scorn and arrogance. This spirit, says the ministry, specifically targets the weak and the wounded, the hurt, rebellious and rejected. It uses flattery, smooth words, prophecies and tears to seduce these targets out from under authority. Most women, Alexander argues, have the matriarchal spirit. For Gregoire, however, the Jezebel Spirit isnt a biblical concept. Jezebel Spirit is not a thing in the Bible and what shes really doing is shes giving her opinions, but she doesnt have any research to back it up, Gregoire said. She (Alexander) has said things like theres no such thing as rape in marriage, and really denies emotional abuse in all of these things and just tends to blame women for marriage problems. When asked why some Christian women dont believe in marital rape, she framed it as a misguided interpretation of the Bible. There are a lot of women who believe in hyper-complementarianism where submission means you do whatever your husband says no matter what, and that he literally owns you and you have to obey. And if thats what you think, then there cant be such a thing as rape because he owns your body. But again, thats not biblical, she explained. Gregoire said the study conducted by her team found obligated sex to be one of the biggest factors behind vaginismus among evangelical women. Vaginismus occurs "when the muscles of a womans vagina squeeze or spasm when something is entering it, like a tampon or a penis," according to WebMD. "It can range from mildly uncomfortable to quite painful." Doctors don't know why it happens, but it's usually linked to anxiety or fear of having sex. We said, 'Do you believe a wife is obligated to give a husband sex when he wants it?' And that particular belief was implicated with the biggest cause that we could find of the increased rates in sexual pain that evangelical women feel, Gregoire, who has graduate degrees in sociology and public administration, said. Christian women have twice the rate of vaginismus as the general population," she added. "Thats been well known in gynecological research for 50 years, but no one has known why. So we were able to flesh it out, and one of the really big causes is this obligation sex message. It also lowers orgasm rates, lowers arousal rates, lowers marital satisfaction, all kinds of really difficult things. The results of the survey, conducted from Nov. 1, 2019, to Jan. 5, 2020, and published earlier this year, showed, for example, that in Christian marriages that ended in divorce, women experienced orgasms less frequently than those in current marriages. Almost 50% of women reported as currently married said they almost always or always orgasmed during sex with their partner, while just 20% of women reported the same for marriages that ended in divorce, showing a correlation between a sexually satisfied wife and a sustained marriage. If you take women who have really high marital satisfaction who regularly reach orgasm and feel emotionally connected to their husbands during sex, that marriage is hardly ever going to become sexless, Gregoire argued. When people tell women you need to have sex more, theyre addressing the symptom and not the problem. The problem is not frequency, because frequency is a sign of what else is happening. I just believe that if we, as a church, if we address the orgasm gap, if we address how we talk about sex because we talk about it and make it seem really ugly to a lot of women. When you tell women, if you dont have sex hes going to watch porn or if you dont have sex hes going to lust after other women or you need to satisfy him during your period or when youre post-partum or else hes going to lust which are all things that our evangelical bestsellers say is it any wonder why women dont want to have sex? she asked. Gregoire, who has been writing about sex and marriage for 13 years and has written several books, including The Good Girls Guide to Great Sex,said she decided to research the sex lives of evangelicals after reading Christian books on marriage and sex. I hadnt actually read a lot of Christian marriage books or Christian sex books because I didnt want to plagiarize anybody, so I hadnt read a lot of the bestsellers. And then, two-and-a-half-years ago, I was looking at a debate on Twitter and they were talking about the book Love & Respect, and I have it. I had just never read it. So I pulled it out and I read the sex chapter, and I was really concerned and I started texting my team at my blog because in that chapter, Emerson Eggerichs said if your husband is typical, he has a need you dont have. "He said women dont need sex, but men do. He said a husband needs physical relief through sexual intimacy, so he made sex entirely about a mans climax. There was nothing about intimacy in that chapter. It was only about a mans climax and he never once mentioned that women could feel pleasure, and he said women cant say no. That youre not allowed to refuse sex except for prayer and fasting, she said. I started thinking, if that is what were teaching about sex in the evangelical world, no wonder weve got issues. So we decided to do a really, really big survey to find out if typical evangelical teachings around sex are affecting womens orgasm rates, womens libido rates, sexual pain and marital satisfaction, she explained. Gregoire said the study recently received ethics approval through Queen's University in Canada to submit their data set to peer-reviewed journals. We are currently working on three different papers, collaborating with pelvic floor physiotherapists and sociologists for different ones, she said. Gregoire and her team, which includes her daughter, Rebecca, an author and psychology graduate, and epidemiologist Joanna Sawatsky have had to fend off criticism about their research, but she said she believes it's being attacked because a lot of people are uncomfortable with what we found. It goes against what they believe, but we have different people working with our data set to get it peer-reviewed, she said. People may think our research isnt good, but that is a conversation that should happen in academic journals, and thats why we are submitting our research to academic journals. Which so far, no evangelical research that has ever been done has done that in the big marriage world that we know of, she said. Were spending the next 10 years ... were paying for people. Weve got research assistants, we are taking our data and were going to be publishing a lot of academic papers because thats the rigor to which we did our survey. She insists that the investment is worth it because this is a conversation that is way too important not to have. I dont really care how people see me. I think the message that sex is mutual, pleasurable and intimate should not be a controversial one. I think that thats biblical. I think thats what everybody wants. And I think the only reason that its controversial is that Ive pointed out that a lot of really big named authors have not been teaching that. I dont think its feminist to point out that God made sex to be mutual, she said. I just think thats life. Its kind of obvious. He gave women a body part where the only purpose was pleasure. Its kind of obvious thats what God wants. So I dont know why weve forgotten to talk about that. A new day for the Church: Profile of a truly dynamic church (pt 3) Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment One of the greatest tragedies that can afflict the post-pandemic church is that of getting tangled in a jungle of institutional analysis and missing an opportune momenta kairos. Pandemic panic can easily lead to shallow solutions and missed opportunities. It can force leaders to give all their energies merely to restoration of activity. Recovery of function becomes the most important goal of all. Function must arise from being, and therefore institutions in crisis must re-examine and re-connect with the ontological (their essential being) or they will miss the kairological. If churches are to benefit from theopportunities now before them, it will help to focus on two other Greek words. Bios and zoe are both translated in the New Testament as life. However, each has rich meanings and implications that are missed by not providing a more literal translation of each. Bios refers to life that enables existence in a material world and finite time. God formed Adam of the dust of the ground, providing the human biological structure that could function in a material world. Zoe often refers to life as God has it. Therefore, God breathes His life into Adam. Greek scholar Milton S. Terry, in his book, Biblical Hermeneutics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1964) carefully delineated the difference between bios and zoe. In the Greek New Testament, Zoe is holy, victorious, and, and eternal the antithesis of death, in Terrys interpretation. Bios expresses the existential life as corrupt, failing, and temporal. In all its uses, bios has reference solely to the life of man as lived in this world. Two other words are important in relation to seizing the moment of the present kairos: form, and frenzy. These have to do with spiritual energy. There are two extremes of church. To borrow imagery from Ezekiels valley of the dry bones, the form church disregards the wind, and sees the process of renewal as the restructuring of the bones. The frenzy church disdains structure, not realizing that without structure the energy of the wind is dissipated. The bionic church (whether form or frenzy), like the bionic man of a long-ago American TV series, thus has the appearance of life and structure, but is a human-contrived caricature of real life, incapable of producing the fruit of the Kingdom. Without Spirit-given energy, the form church is a dead institution. Without biblically ordered structure, the frenzy church squanders the energy. Both the church that boasts as being spirit-filled and that church that is proud of its well-ordered structure might fall into the Sardis category of churches described in Revelation 3:1, where the Lord says, I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Hence, Chuck Colsons concern I noted in Part II: we have many churches in America, but little transformation. What kind of church do we need? What should be aim of renewal and restoration in this kairological moment? If function arises from being, what is the nature of the being of the authentic church? What are the attributes of renewal that can enable a church to reimagine and the renewal that can and should come in this crucial time? After studying biblical ecclesiology, and working with churches in the United States and other nations for a half-century, this is the ontological profile I have observed in the truly dynamic, well-balanced, impactful churches: The effective churches are Jesus-centered. As I wrote in Part II, they follow the pattern of Jesus, not as a functional growth-plan, but because thats how they perceive their own ontological identity. Therefore, as noted in Part II, such churches worship, intercede, proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom, make disciples for Christ, and serve human need in Jesuss name. The effective churches are Spirit-energized. They have learned the emptiness of manipulation and fake spirituality and recognize that only the Holy Spirit can bring in the fruit of the harvest. They are therefore open to learning whatever they can about the work of the Spirit, within the boundaries of sound scriptural doctrine. The effective churches are Word-anchored. They dont quickly embrace teachings and new ideas without first analyzing them in the context of biblical revelation. They are not carried off by every wind of doctrine, no matter how potent or seemingly productive. The effective churches are Kingdom-envisioning. They understand the reach of the Kingdom of God into every sphere of life. They do not have a solipsist view that makes them think they are the only real church in town, and dont need accountability and fellowship with other parts of the body of Christ. Thus, they work together with other churches and organizations to multiply effectiveness. As I said in Part I, I believe the real church is the most important organism in the world because it impacts the world with the life and ministry of the most transformative Person ever to livethe Lord Jesus Christ. Thats why we need to raise up in this kairos, the new day churchthe Jesus Church by whatever name. The new day and its opportunities are found in the old day of the incarnational ministry of Jesus Christ and the New Testament church. May churches everywhere recover in this new day the ancient ontological identity that produced world-changing function. Baptist church ordains first known transgender pastor in denominations history Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An Indiana congregation affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has ordained who is believed to be the first confirmed transgender pastor in the denomination's history. Laura Bethany Buchleiter, a trans-identified individual who identifies as female, was ordained at University Baptist Church of Bloomington in a ceremony held last month. In an interview with The Christian Post on Tuesday, Buchleiter credited a meeting with the late progressive Christian writer Rachel Held Evans with helping to reignite a childhood interest in ordained ministry. She introduced me to communities that were both faithful and affirming of LGBTQ people. I began to study with The Reformation Project. I attended conferences, helped to organize and then traveled on the first Free Mom Hugs Tour from Oklahoma to Stonewall Inn, explained Buchleiter. I re-entered Baptist culture through Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, at a time when they were discerning their status as an open and affirming church. It was there the call to serve the Church was revived. Buchleiter told CP that the ordination was not to a specific congregation" and will initially take on the role of interim pastor for four months at a United Church of Christ congregation in Green River, Wyoming. Many, especially theological conservatives such a Texas Baptist megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, have argued that transgender ideology is inherently incompatible with Christianity. "It's not that confusing, said Jeffress in a 2016 sermon. In Matthew 19:4, God's Words are applicable. The Bible says, 'God made them from the beginning male and female,' not male, female and question mark. God has determined how many sexes there are there are two, not three." Gender identity confusion is an emotional disorder that should be treated professionally and compassionately. Gender identity confusion should not be exploited by social activists like those in the [President Barack] Obama administration who want to deny the God-given distinction between the sexes. This is a rebellion against God's plan. In response, Buchleiter told CP that I believe that to accept the complex expressions of gender we have seen throughout human history is not an affront to God's sovereignty, but a testimony to God's immense creativity. In my case, this was further demonstrated when I was diagnosed with an intersex condition, having been born with both male and some female organs, continued Buchleiter. I either had to view my body as a mistake or allow for the fact that God is truly the master creator operating outside the boundaries of gender binaries. Buchleiter also drew a parallel to Jesus acceptance of eunuchs, as explained in Matthew 19:12. However, the pastor also acknowledged that LGBTQ identity is not directly equivalent to the status of 'eunuch' in biblical times. My calling into ordained ministry is not intended to cater to the comfort of all; neither does it require the affirmation of all, said Buchleiter. University Baptist Church Pastor Annette Hill Briggs explained to CP that the ordination came after Buchleiter had two years of supervised ministry internship and graduated from seminary with a master of divinity degree. [Buchleiter] has been a member of University Baptist Church for four years in total, said Briggs, adding that the pastor was ordained after "sufficient time and experience to ascertain, experience." Briggs stressed that the church affirms Buchleiter's "obvious call of God to pastoral ministry" and a "giftedness for the work. Briggs explained that the ordination was a popular decision, as it was unanimously approved by the church. As of June, no one had left the congregation in protest. Ninety-nine percent of the response we have received locally and online has been joyfully supportive while a handful of strangers have been positively vitriolic toward me, our church, and Reverend Buchleiter, Briggs continued. None have accepted my invitation to talk together about our differences, that we might witness to our Oneness in Christ, and kindly talk about our differences. Only one person who disagrees with us has reached out in a Christ-like manner. In 1999, the church left the Southern Baptist Convention after it made Briggs its pastor despite the SBC stance against female ordination. Now affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Briggs told CP that the denomination does not have an official stance on LGBT issues, and so there is no expectation of institutional pushback for the ordination. "For Clarification: I'm not the first transgender person to be ordained in a Baptist church, I may be just the second - and the first in a CBF church," Buchleiter wrote on Facebook. "I'm very grateful for those who have gone before me, and am also very aware that we are all still pioneers in this space." Pastor Ed Litton vows to 'build bridges, not walls' in new role as SBC president Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment NASHVILLE, Tenn. Shortly after Ed Litton was elected as the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Alabama pastor vowed to build bridges, not walls during his tenure as head of the denomination. Litton, the senior pastor of Redemption Church (formerly First Baptist North Mobile), won the election in a runoff vote on Tuesday, defeating Georgia Pastor Mike Stone. Litton was nominated by SBC's first and only black president, Fred Luter, and has a long history of promoting racial reconciliation. Litton received 52% of the vote in a runoff election against Stone, the former president of the SBC's Executive Committee, who has been in the news recently over accusations he and other members of the committee mishandled sex abuse allegations. Litton received 6,834 votes in the runoff, while Stone received 6,278 votes. The election comes at a contentious time for America's largest Protestant denomination amid differing opinions on how it should handle sexual abuse and racial issues. During a press conference following the election, Litton told reporters that moving forward, he hopes the Gospel can establish unity among a largely divided SBC, which is comprised of nearly 50,000 churches. The pastor said he believes God has called him to help us remember again why were a family and what the focus and objective of our family is, which is to get the good news of the Gospel of Jesus to as many people as can hear it. In the days ahead, Southern Baptists will have to work out and iron out some of our differences, Litton said, adding that he hopes to build bridges and not walls and help the denomination return to the roots of what God has called us to do. Under his leadership, Litton said he hopes the SBC will focus on showing love to the hurting and poor. He highlighted the need for humility among SBC leaders to work out their differences. Four men were nominated for the role of president from the stage of the annual meeting: Litton, Stone, the Northwest Baptist Convention Executive Director and Treasurer Randy Adams and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. More than 15,600 messengers were registered at the time of the election, and 14,300 ballots were cast in the first four-way contest. Mohler received 3,764 votes and Adams received 673 votes. Neither advanced to the runoff. Litton, who has led his Alabama church since 1994, called pastoring the local church the highest honor of his life. Still, the pastor said he wants to do whatever he can to pull the SBC together. I think we can find that common ground [in Jesus], he said. Litton went on to address hot-button issues in the SBC, including critical race theory, the sexual abuse crisis and the role of women in the church. "At a time when conservative Southern Baptist African American leaders are questioning their connection to the convention, Ed has uniquely shown his commitment to racial reconciliation," Luter said. When it comes to the issue of sexual abuse within the SBC, Litton said he hopes to bring all of this out and expose it to the light. He said the denomination needs to work hard to ensure all their churches are safe places for people to be protected and not victimized. He called the recent reports of abuse eye-opening and said he believes Southern Baptists are concerned about the issue. Luter commended Litton for his handling of the issue of sexual abuse within SBC churches. Luter is confident that Litton can build the bridges and keep each other from fighting in the barracks. The former president said that Litton has a "compassionate and shepherding heart" who is "uniquely gifted for this role." "[W]e need him now," Luter said in his nomination speech. Though he is personally extremely conservative in his politics, Litton said he does not address political issues from the pulpit. I am to be a Gospel-centered person, he explained. When dealing with a largely Democratic administration, Litton said he will treat politicians who differ from him with dignity and respect. My job is to represent Jesus Christ wherever I go, he said, adding he represents Jesus Christ first and foremost. Just weeks removed from the resignation of former SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore following accusations from the Executive Committee that some of the political stances taken by SBC's public policy arm could hurt SBC giving, Litton called the ERLC critical to the SBC. He called on the denomination to support and not defund the agency. When asked if SBC-affiliated churches that ordain women should be kicked out of the denomination, Litton, a self-professed complementarian, simply said: Thats something were going to have to work out. Litton, a father of three, has a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion and theatre from Grand Canyon University, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Earlier in the press conference, Litton shared how he grew up in an abusive home but it was thanks to the witness of a Southern Baptist that his father converted to Christianity and turned his life around. I had a front-row seat to a miracle theres nothing God cannot do, he said. The pastor reflected on the death of his first wife, Tammy, who died in a car accident. He revealed that his second wife, Kathy, also lost her late husband in the same way. It alters the course of your life, he shared. We both have a profound sense of pain, suffering in our life that has changed us. Litton referred to himself and his wife, who is director of planter spouse development for the North American Mission Board, as Great Commission Baptists. We felt so loved by the people of this convention. ... We felt their compassion. We felt their prayers. We still do, we felt their love," he said. "We will leave this place focused, we will leave this place with a direction, and I believe a better direction, for the future. Conference attendee Steve McKinion, professor of Theology at Southeastern Seminary, told The Christian Post hes delighted by Littons election. He described the pastor as a man of deep integrity. I think he represents what, as a convention, we clearly want to be and what we want to do, McKinion said. [Littons] church has exemplified what Southern Baptists are always about, which is reconciliation with God through Christ and reconciliation with other people. He's faithful in helping people to know the Gospel and respond to it. McKinion added that he believes Southern Baptists are more unified than they may appear. Even where we have differences of opinion in applying certain things, we still believe the same Gospel and are committed to the same mission, he said. Even though it may appear that there are divisions among Southern Baptists. I think we're much more unified than other people may think, so I think we'll continue down the same path that we're on right now. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer bans funding of gay 'conversion therapy' for youth Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed an executive directive banning state and federal funding of sexual orientation therapy for youth who identify as LGBT. Critics say the directive is unnecessary because counseling for unwanted same-sex attraction has never received state or federal funding. Known as Executive Directive No. 2021-3, the measure orders the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to take actions necessary to prohibit the use of state and federal funds for the practice of conversion therapy on minors. This includes without limitation funding related to Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), child welfare services, and juvenile justice programs, continued the Executive Directive signed on Monday. All departments and autonomous agencies subject to supervision by the governor that regulate, provide, procure, or pay for medical or mental health services on behalf of Michigan residents must explore what further actions they can take to protect minors from the practice of conversion therapy as permitted by law. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the governor emailed a press release to The Christian Post in which Whitmer was quoted as saying that hate has no home in Michigan. My administration is committed to addressing the systemic barriers faced by young LGBTQ+ Michiganders so that our state is a place where they are able to reach their full potential, Whitmer stated. The actions we take today will serve as a starting point in protecting our LGBTQ+ youth from the damaging practice of conversion therapy and in ensuring that Michigan is a reflection of true inclusion. According to the Michigan governments website, while similar to executive orders, executive directives differ in that they are not officially filed with the secretary of state. Dan Jarvis, director of Research and Public Policy at the Michigan Family Forum, was critical of the executive directive, telling CP that he considered it pandering as it is a certainty that there are no state or federal dollars being spent on conversion or reparative therapy in Michigan. Helping individuals explore why they have certain attractions and how they can manage those feelings is compassionate and laudable, said Jarvis. Stifling individuals, including licensed mental health professionals, as some lawmakers have called for, is a serious violation of a person's First Amendment rights. Jarvis went on to tell CP that he believed there was a large segment of the population that struggle with same-sex attraction who are quietly suffering and wondering why they feel the way they do, and wishing that they did not feel that way. Good public policy, and a Christ-like response, allows those individuals to freely seek out mental health professionals who can help them understand themselves and live out their faith, he concluded. Mom outraged at Illinois' sex ed bill, opposes kids being taught about masturbation, anal sex Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A furious Illinois mom lashed out during a recent school board meeting over controversial sex education standards that she claims sexually grooms young children by introducing sensitive and inappropriate topics. Both chambers of the Illinois legislature recently passed S.B. 0818, a bill requiring schools that teach sex education to use the National Sex Education Standards (NSES). The bill is awaiting a signature from Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Republicans strongly opposed the bill, and it passed by a partisan vote, according to WGEM. Becky Swan, a mother and alumna of District 87 in Illinois, said the bill imposes a form of sexual harassment that begins with children as young as kindergarten and continues through the 12th grade. Swan said this nationalized sex education destroys local control over curriculum, according to a video of the school board meeting released by a local news outlet. Swan shared different elements of the sex education curriculum from the NSES guidelines that will "force" students to learn about masturbation, anal sex and transgender ideology before their teenage years, The Blaze reported. You have a hard time hearing this from me, but this is for 10 years old and up, and this bill was passed for five-year-olds, she said as she addressed the school board and Superintendent Barry Reilly. The curriculum expects students between sixth to eighth grade to define vaginal, anal and oral sex. Students at the end of second grade are expected to list medically accurate names for body parts, including the genitals. At the end of fifth grade, the standards require students to explain common human sexual development and the role of hormones (e.g., romantic and sexual feelings, masturbation, mood swings, timing of pubertal onset)," as well as differentiate between sexual orientation and gender identity." Swan showed the school board pictures from the book, It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health, which she says is used as a part of sex education in some schools. The book is written for children 10 years old and up and is one of the most banned books of the past two decades for its explicit content. According to NPR, the book includes full-color illustrations of naked people and sections on sexual orientation. Swan passionately urged the school board to pass a resolution not to allow the curriculum in the district and to ask the governor to veto the legislation. Meeting attendee Kara Brown rebutted Swans criticism and said the new sex education legislation would encourage conversations about sexual assault. Other parents at the school board meeting addressed the board about critical race theory being taught in schools. Sex education measures across the country have received pushback from concerned parents. Parents of children at a $55,000-per-year elite private school in New York City were recently outraged by controversial sex education classes where masturbation and gender identity were taught to their first graders. "Health and wellness" educator Justine Ang Fonte reportedly showed 6 and 7-year-old students a cartoon video where masturbation and gender identity were explained. Kids have no less than five classes on gender identity this is pure indoctrination, a mother of one of the private school students told The NY Post. This person should absolutely not be teaching children," she said. "Ironically, she teaches kids about consent, yet she has never gotten consent from parents about the sexually explicit and age-inappropriate material about transgender to first-graders. Fonte has resigned from the school in the wake of the outrage and will work on being an independent health educator, The New York Post reported. Southern Baptists affirm commitment to racial reconciliation without fight over critical race theory Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Southern Baptist messengers affirmed their commitment to racial reconciliation and the sufficiency of Scripture to address issues of race by adopting a resolution that avoided the contentious debate over critical race theory at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville Tuesday. Messengers affirmed their commitment to the issue with a resounding adoption of Resolution 2, which was one of 10 resolutions presented to them for adoption by the 2021 SBC Resolutions Committee. The resolution asked messengers to affirm the sufficiency of Scripture on race and racial reconciliation, condemn racism, and reject any theory or worldview that finds the ultimate identity of human beings in ethnicity or in any other group dynamic. It also asked them to reaffirm the SBCs 1995 Resolution on Racial Reconciliation. Prior to the 2021 SBC annual convention, concerns were raised by some Southern Baptists, like Pastor Dwight McKissic Sr., that the denomination would rescind Resolution 9 On Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality, which was adopted with much dissent in the summer of 2019. The resolution defined CRT as a set of analytical tools that can be useful in explaining how race has and continues to function in society. The use of the theory, which has been dismissed by critics as Marxist propaganda aimed at watering down the Gospel, and has been a lightning rod for debate and division in the denomination and evangelical circles in recent years. Pastor Kevin Apperson of North Las Vegas Baptist Church, who criticized Resolution 2 for not having the courage to address critical race theory by name, voiced his opposition to the resolution by arguing that its language is insufficient, vague, nebulous, unclear, and ambiguous. I, like many people, have flown a great distance to address an ideology which tells me that I am inherently guilty because of the melanin content of my skin. I am either, according to this theory, an ignorant oppressor or a conscious oppressor because of that melanin content. Two years ago, we approved critical race theory as a teaching tool, and now we need to address it by its name, and this resolution does not do so. Local school systems address it by critical race theory, governors call it critical race theory, state school systems call it critical race theory. If we do not have the courage to call a skunk a skunk, let's not say anything, Apperson said. Reacting to the criticism, former SBC president James Merritt, who leads Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Georgia, and also chaired the 2021 SBC Resolutions Committee, suggested messengers could make better use of their time than using it to fight over critical race theory. So fellow messengers, lets just put it on the table. It is time to find out who we are and where we are headed. I'm going to say this bluntly and plainly. If some people were as passionate about the Gospel as critical race theory, we would win this world to Christ tomorrow, he said to cheers. When I was a student at Stetson University my first semester, I read the New Testament through 27 times. I read the Bible through every year for probably the last 40 years. I found a lot about race. I found a lot about race. There is only one race, the human race. And we are all created in the image of God. I found a lot about racial reconciliation. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation, not just reconcile to man, but people to people, he continued. I didn't find CRT in the Bible. Well, correction, I did find it. It stands for Christ returns triumphantly. We got a choice. My brothers and sisters, we are not the 2019 Resolutions Committee. We are the 2021 Resolutions Committee. And we decided we are not going to limit anything to just one theory. And by the way, the same state schools that are kind of up in arms and some of these people that are against critical race theory are teaching evolution to your kids every single day. What we have done in this resolution is say, you know what? Let's just settle this issue once and for all. Yesterday, today and forever, he said. Merritt further suggested that messengers would be of better service to the Gospel if they focused on building bridges of understanding. There is a world watching out there. This is exactly what they want. This is exactly what they want to put on the front pages of their paper. Well, as the country song goes, let's give them something to talk about. We can either build bridges and tear down walls, or we can put up walls and destroy bridges, he said. Let me be plain. It doesn't take a lot of effort to blow up a bridge. One stick of dynamite [and] you will do it. But to build a bridge, it takes hard work. It takes sacrifice. And it takes a commitment to reach to the other side to the people who are not with us yet, but we are going to do everything we can to get them there, and I ask you to support this resolution, he said, as the resolution was adopted without any amendments. . Judge rules against Christian baker Jack Phillips in transgender 'birthday' cake case Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A judge has ruled that Colorado Christian baker Jack Phillips violated state anti-discrimination law by refusing to bake a pink-and-blue transgender birthday cake. Denver District Court Judge A. Bruce Jones ruled Tuesday that Phillips violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act by refusing to make the cake for Autumn Scardina. In his opinion, Jones concluded that Phillips engaged in unlawful discrimination by denying goods and services" because of Scardina's "transgender status." The ruling states that Phillips' wife had initially agreed to make a pink cake with blue frosting for about six to eight people. But the cake was rejected after Scardina disclosed the meaning behind the cake's custom design. Defendants admit that they were willing to make the requested cake until Ms. Scardina identified that she chose the colors to reflect and celebrate her identity as a transgender female, wrote Jones. Defendants are, however, willing to make cakes for non-transgender individuals that reflect that persons gender. And Defendants would gladly make an identical looking cake for other customers. Jones also wrote that it was possible that the analysis would be different if the cake design had been more intricate, artistically involved, or overtly stated a message attributable to Defendants. Defendants expressive conduct argument fails because Defendants presented no evidence that a reasonable observer would attribute any message that was conveyed by the cake to Defendants, he continued. Defendants have failed to carry their burden to show that providing the requested cake constituted any type of symbolic or expressive speech protected by the First Amendment. Alliance Defending Freedom General Counsel Kristen Waggoner, whose organization represents Phillips during his years of legal battles, vowed to appeal the decision. Radical activists and government officials are targeting artists like Jack because they wont promote messages on marriage and sexuality that violate their core convictions, said Waggoner. We will appeal this decision and continue to defend the freedom of all Americans to peacefully live and work according to their deeply held beliefs without fear of punishment. Over the past several years, Phillips has weathered extensive legal battles over his religious objections to making cakes for a same-sex wedding and a cake to celebrate transgender identity. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that Colorados Civil Rights Commission unfairly treated Phillips when it punished him for refusing to make a same-sex wedding cake in 2012. Scardina filed a lawsuit against Phillips and Masterpiece Cakeshop in June 2019 after the baker refused to make Scardinas transgender birthday cake. The lawsuit claimed that Phillips violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act and the Colorado Consumer Protection Act when he refused on religious grounds. In March, Judge Jones dropped the charge that Phillips had violated the CCPA by allegedly engaging in an unfair or deceptive trade practice. Defendants contend that Plaintiff cannot show an unfair or deceptive trade practice because the most salient materials Plaintiff allegedly relied on are not advertisements. Because the Court agrees with this contention, it need not address Defendants remaining arguments, wrote Jones. Plaintiff has failed to establish an actionable unfair or deceptive trade practice. Accordingly, summary judgment enters in Defendants favor on Plaintiffs CCPA claim. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Americans now seem to be realizing what we in the Republic of India have long accepted: Dealing with Communist China is incredibly complex and fraught with danger and deception. The Chinese Communist Party, at its heart, is about China only, and about expanding its agenda at the expense of billions of people around the world. Indias first prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru coined the term Hindi chini-bhai, bhai (Indians and Chinese are brothers). He later learned through war the bitter lesson that the Chinese governments friendship was only a ruse to capture land that belonged to India. It is said that the experience devastated Nehru. Similarly, Chinese courtship with capitalist America was only about becoming a major economic and technological world power on a par with America. Having achieved what it wanted through both legitimate and illegitimate means, the Chinese leadership does not feel any obligation to embrace the values of a free and democratic world. The CCP is the worlds expert at bait and switch. Just ask those who are living in Hong Kong. Ask the people of Taiwan. Ask Indians about the new occupation of Indian territory during the recent border clashes. Ask Australia about punishing attacks through coercive economic policies. Most importantly, ask all the Chinese citizens in mainland China who seek freedom and justice. There is a price to pay if you cross the party. Soon, it seems, the world will consolidate around the consensus that the CCP is far more insidious than we ever realized. Filled with horror and outrage, we have watched the coronavirus devastate the lives of millions of Indians. Millions have died around the world, and countless economies have been destroyed. It is no exaggeration when critics proclaim that the Chinese handling of the COVID outbreak is a serious crime. Chinas intentional effort to save face, to obscure facts, and to cover up a deadly disease which may have become deadlier because of Chinese experiments in a Wuhan lab was an atrocity. When the dust finally settles and all the evidence becomes widely available, the crimes of the Chinese government will be exposed for all the world to see. It's time for political leaders in the United States, India, Europe, and throughout the continent of Africa to recognize there is no way forward for our relationship with China under present circumstances. The status quo comes with too high a price. Either China changes its behavior, or it must face the necessary consequences from the rest of the worlds powers. Simply put, Chinas brazen flaunting of international agreements, and its incarceration of Uyghurs and other minorities, is unacceptable for the civilized world. There is still time to take specific and effective action. To quote Mike Pompeo, If the CCP will not act responsibly toward the world, the world should not protect CCP leaders assets hidden abroad. The world should enforce claims against Chinas state-owned enterprises and improper commercial activities and curtail preferential treatment of Chinese entities. Also, whatever disagreements exist on the edges of the friendship between the United States and the Republic of India, there really is one major issue which should be at the heart of our two countries' focus presently: preserving the global democracies in order to stop the Chinese leadership. India and the United States represent the worlds two most powerful democracies. I was pleased to see my beloved India join the quad along with Australia, Japan, and the United States in order to present a focused front against Chinese military threats and incursions. But more must be done by all four nations. China needs to know that the rest of the world sees it as a new imperial world power. Why are those who speak against American neo-imperialism so strangely quiet on communist Chinese imperialism? Why are powerful and wealthy Muslim nations not protesting Chinas incarceration of millions of Muslims when those same nations are always quick to condemn Islamophobia in the free world? It's time for the foreign policy of the United States and India, and of our allies, to insert our flag of democracy firmly into the ground of this chaotic new century. It is disappointing to see few Western nations lacking the spine to stand up against human rights abuses and flagrant attacks on democratic values. We must not cede this new century to the rehashing of the ideas that made much of the last century the bloodiest and most inhumane in a thousand years. Make no mistake, this is where we are headed if the free world doesnt rise up and draw the line in the sand. Free nations formed unbreakable alliances during the Cold War and against human rights abusers in every decade Ive been alive. The same was true when the Nazis rose to power. Im confident a new coalition to confront the CCP is rising, and it must succeed. Convicted porn producer calls porn industry evil business, receives 20-year sentence Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A porn actor and producer who lied to and coerced young women to perform sex videos for San Diego-based websites GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys received a 20-year sentence on Monday after pleading guilty to federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Ruben Andre Garcia admitted in December that he worked with the owners of porn sites GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys to fraudulently coerce young women from the United States and Canada to film explicit videos. Garcia and his co-defendants promised the girls he coerced that the videos would never be public and only sent to private customers outside the U.S. But the videos were posted to GirlsDoPorn, GirlsDoToys and PornHub, some of which received millions of views on some of the most heavily trafficked porn sites. As many as 20 victims testified during a sentencing hearing, and some said that Garcia sexually assaulted them, according to The Times of San Diego. Some victims told Judge Janis Sammartino that the videos continue to plague them by destroying family relationships and job prospects. Some women even attempted suicide after the videos release and still seek therapy. Ive been doing this a very long time, and I can tell you I havent had a case like this, Sammartino said during the hearing, according to Courthouse News Service. I spent most of my time this morning listening to people who were victims in this offense. You were treated in the poorest of ways, you were disregarded, treated as disposable commodities in someones quest for money. The only thing I can come up with is a greed motive." Garcia offered a short apology and acknowledged the porn industry is an evil business. The hearing marked the first time that he addressed the accusations. I would like to sincerely apologize to you to the victims and the families I was deceitful, Garcia was quoted as saying. I accept responsibility for my actions. Garcia worked for the websites from 2013 to 2019 as a recruiter and adult film performer. The websites generated millions of dollars in revenue, and the films received millions of views. The victims were forced into video shoots that lasted hours and often led to pain and bleeding. They were sometimes barricaded or trapped in a room and were sometimes threatened to force them to complete the hours-long filming. Once women discovered their videos were posted, the website owners ignored their requests to remove the videos. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, a leading organization that seeks a world free from sexual abuse by exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation and the public health harms of pornography, is grateful that survivors have received a measure of justice through Garcias sentencing. We hope that this sentence brings a measure of justice for those who were sex trafficked by Andre Garcia and GirlsDoPorn and who courageously fought for this legal victory, said NCOSE General Counsel Benjamin Bull in a statement. This reprehensible crime shows the horrible reality of the pornography industry, which is rife with abuse and coercion . This legal victory also strikes at the heart of the pornography industrys claim that verified content is safe and has the consent of the performers, Bull continued. GirlsDoPorn content was promoted as a verified partner of Pornhub, but the harrowing testimony from these GirlsDoPorn survivors and their mounting legal victories prove that the pornography industry is not and cannot ever be safe. The pornography industry is a predatory and exploitative business. Garcias co-defendants who worked for GirlsDoPorn have pleaded guilty and await their sentencing, according to The Times of San Diego. Twenty-two survivors of GirlsDoPorns sexual abuse and exploitation were awarded $12.7 million in January 2020 as part of a civil lawsuit, NCOSE reported. Over 40 GirlsDoPorn survivors have since filed a lawsuit against Pornhub for refusing to remove their coerced videos. In a statement shared in December after Garcia admitted his guilt, FBI Special Agent in Charge Suzanne Turner said that the "The FBI is committed to investigating those who prey upon trusting women and girls, causing pain and humiliation for their own personal gain." She called Garcia's guilty plea a "small victory in the ongoing battle with those who commit sex trafficking. JD Greear urges Southern Baptists not to engage in Pharisee hypocrisy on sexual abuse, racism and CRT Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Outgoing Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear warned the largest Protestant denomination in the United States against being Pharisee-like hypocrites on issues pertaining to sexual abuse, racism and how they handle critical race theory. More than 15,000 Southern Baptists came to Nashville, Tennessee, for the SBCs annual meeting, held Tuesday and Wednesday at the Music City Center. The annual meeting has garnered extensive attention from those outside of the SBC due to issues like the debate over critical race theory, traditional gender roles, and complementarian theology taking center stage. At his final address as president of the SBC, given Tuesday afternoon, Greear focused his remarks on Matthew 23, in which Jesus warned His disciples against the hypocrisy, or leaven, of the Pharisees. While speaking positively of the SBCs Conservative Resurgence, stating that the curse of liberalism is real, he added that Jesus warned that there is more than one way to lose the Gospel. There was another, said Greear. A leaven Jesus warned about also, perhaps one even more deceptive than liberalism, He called it the leaven of the Pharisees. What is most dangerous about this leaven is that it grows in the soil of orthodoxy. Greear warned that Pharisee tendencies threaten the SBC, such as focusing on the more minute parts of the law while ignoring the weightier parts, and gave examples of how he believed that looked in the modern day. Might look like any institution that creates unnecessary obstacles for victims of sexual abuse to seek justice by hiding behind legal smokescreens or [non-disclosure agreements], continued Greear. It looks like a convention that polices itself rigorously on complementarian issues, but allows female abuse victims to be mistreated and maligned. It looks like an SBC that expends more energy decrying things like CRT than they have done lamenting the devastating consequences of years of racial bigotry and discrimination. While Greear stressed that he is opposed to CRT, saying it stems from a belief system at odds with the Gospel, he added that denouncing it falls on deaf ears when we remain silent on the suffering of our neighbors. We must make certain that our zeal to clarify what we think about CRT is accompanied by a pledge to fight with them against all forms of discrimination. To make clear that we stand with our brothers and sisters of color in their suffering, he said. The outgoing president stressed the importance of racial minorities in the growth of SBC, getting a lengthy applause after he told them from the stage that we need you. Greear went on to express concern that political calculus might be elevated to divine authority, declaring that whenever the church gets in bed with politics, the church gets pregnant. And the offspring does not look like our Father in Heaven. His remarks were on the first day of the SBC's Annual Meeting, in which over 15,000 messengers attended to determine resolutions and hear reports for the Convention. CRT proponents trace their origins to the 1970s, as civil rights activists at the time responded to what they viewed as a backlash to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. According to University of Alabama professor Richard Delgado and his colleague Jean Stefancic, who co-wrote the book Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, CRT is defined as a movement comprised of activists and scholars interested in studying and transforming the relationship among race, racism, and power. The movement considers many of the same issues that conventional civil rights and ethnic studies discourses take up, but places them in a broader perspective that includes economics, history, context, group- and self-interest, and even feelings and the unconscious, wrote Delgado and Stefancic. Unlike traditional civil rights, which embraces incrementalism and step-by-step progress, critical race theory questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law. Critics of CRT have long warned of its ties to Marxist critical theory. Opponents have noted that the ideology uses Marxist tactics of class struggle to divide people among race, gender and ethnicity. Some have argued that the CRT wrongfully vilifies the United States and its history, as well as stoking its own racially-charged vitriol. Last year, The Council of Seminary Presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention released a statement denouncing racism and CRT as both being incompatible with Baptist beliefs. Albert Mohler of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said in comments released with the statement that CRT has no rightful place within an SBC seminary. Instructed by the Bible and motivated by the Gospel, we are called to stand together in opposing the sin of racism. We must make clear that racism has no rightful place within the SBC, our churches, or our entities, stated Mohler at the time. We are not to be guided by secular ideologies, but by the Word of God alone and in the love of Christ. I believe that Southern Baptists are up to this task. North Korean defector says indoctrination at Columbia Univ. crazier than Kim regime Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A North Korean defector who Christian missionaries helped escape to freedom said attending Columbia University, an Ivy League institution, was crazier, as far as its forced ideology and conformity, than the brutal Kim regime. Yeonmi Park recounted how she came to the United States to attend Columbia after transferring from a South Korean university in 2016 and was troubled to find a culture of indoctrination, which she detailed in recent interviews about her frustration while pursuing a humanities degree at the prestigious university. "I expected that I was paying this fortune, all this time and energy, to learn how to think. But they are forcing you to think the way they want you to think," Park, the author of the bestseller In Order to Live, said in an interview with Fox News. "I realized, wow, this is insane. I thought America was different, but I saw so many similarities to what I saw in North Korea that I started worrying." Park explained that a university staff member antagonized her when she said she enjoyed classic literature and authors like Jane Austen. She recounted the person telling her that such writers had a colonial mindset and were bigots and racists, and their messages were subconsciously brainwashing her. Similarly, gender issues, specifically as they pertained to language, also took the then-North Korean student by surprise. Each course at the Ivy League school began with students declaring the pronouns by which they prefer to be addressed. "English is my third language. I learned it as an adult. I sometimes still say 'he' or 'she' by mistake, and now they are going to ask me to call them 'they'? How the heck do I incorporate that into my sentences?" she asked. "It was chaos," she added. "It felt like the regression in civilization." "Even North Korea is not this nuts. ... North Korea was pretty crazy, but not this crazy," Park said, adding that she eventually learned not to say anything after several arguments with professors and students in order to maintain a good GPA and graduate. The North Korean woman made a grueling journey through Asia to escape what is arguably the most repressive nation in the world. By the time she was 13 years old, she had watched people fall dead due to starvation. At age 13, in 2007, she crossed into China with her mother over the frozen Yalu River where human traffickers captured them and sold them into slavery. She was sold for less than $300, and her mother was sold for $100. They managed to flee to Mongolia with the assistance of Christian missionaries, traversing across the Gobi desert. Park later found refuge in South Korea. Her 2015 memoir recounts how she survived North Korean oppression and what it took to escape to freedom, which she also shared in a TedTalk in 2019. In the United States, people are just dying to give their rights and power to the government. That is what scares me the most," Park, who now advocates for the human rights of North Koreans, told Fox News. "In North Korea, I literally believed that my Dear Leader [Kim Jong un] was starving," she said. "He's the fattest guy, how can anyone believe that? And then somebody showed me a photo and said, 'Look at him, he's the fattest guy. Other people are all thin.' And I was like, 'Oh my God, why did I not notice that he was fat?' Because I never learned how to think critically." "That is what is happening in America," she stressed. "People see things, but they've just completely lost the ability to think critically." Ronnie Floyd calls on So. Baptists to focus on Great Commission 'Sending missionaries is the heart of the Southern Baptist Convention' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment NASHVILLE, Tenn. As the Southern Baptist Convention grapples with a slew of hot-button issues, Ronnie Floyd, president of the SBC's Executive Committee, stressed to the thousands gathered at the annual meeting that sending missionaries out into the world is at the heart of the denomination. Sending missionaries is the heart of the Southern Baptist Convention, Floyd, a past president of the SBC and former senior pastor of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas told the more than 15,000 SBC messengers gathered on Tuesday. Oh, that doesnt mean we dont have a heart for other things. But I'm telling you doesnt matter whether you're a church, whether you're a convention, an association, a state convention, or you're a big ol commission like we are across America with all of these churches, listen, sending missionaries is what we are really about. So I challenge you, pastors and laypeople today: Go back to your churches and begin to ask God to raise up people to go to the mission fields from your churches. The urgency is now. The theme of the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting, chosen by SBC President J.D. Greear, is We are Great Commission Baptists. The denomination is wrestling with issues including sexual abuse, race relations, and a particularly tense presidential election. Floyd himself is facing calls for his resignation. But on Tuesday, he focused his message on the denominations strategic goals ahead of 2025. Vision 2025 is a call to reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state and every nation. This is the most urgent thing that we must do, he declared. Floyd said that over the next few years, the denomination plans to: Increase full-time, fully funded missionaries by a net gain of 500; Add 5,000 new congregations, giving the denomination more than 50,000 congregations; increase the number of workers in the field; address the denominations decline in reaching, baptizing and discipling 12- to 17-year-olds, and increase annual giving through the cooperative program. Oh, there are many things we can do, but what are the right things to do? he asked. What will fire our churches up? Floyd said the eternal losses of the world fall on the Church, adding: It doesn't matter what our church size is or what our financial capacity is. Together, we can send 500 more missionaries overseas. He stressed the importance of reaching teens with the Gospel. If I dont get anything else right the next four, five years we must get this right, he said. This is not the church of tomorrow. Don't say that. This is the church of today. This is the church of today and tomorrow, and it all starts with reaching them for Jesus Christ. You cannot baptize those you do not reach. You cannot disciple those you do not reach. The order is clear: We must reach baptize and disciple, teenagers. Floyd urged attendees to lend their support to Vision 2025 through prayer. We cannot be content doing ministry without the power of God, he concluded. We need to do ministry with His power and His power. When we pray, God places His power upon our lives. SBC highlights power of the Gospel in one man's testimony of forgiveness after being left for dead Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment At age 10, Chris Carrier was kidnapped, stabbed with an ice pick, shot in the head and left for dead in the Florida Everglades. Over two decades later, when his attacker finally confessed, instead of seeking retribution, Carrier shared the Gospel. Carrier shared how and why he forgave that man, whom he eventually led to Christ, at the Southern Baptist Convention's Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday. In a video testimony shown as part of the North American Mission Board's "Who's Your One?" initiative which calls on Southern Baptists to commit to pray for and share the Gospel with just one person who needs the salvation message of Jesus Christ Carrier detailed the trauma he endured and the healing he received. One Friday afternoon, as a 10-year-old Carrier got off the bus in Coral Gables, Florida, a stranger approached and told him that he was planning a party for his dad and he needed his help with the decorations. Carrier hopped into David McAllisters RV and sat in the passenger seat as the man drove out of town. McAllister then abruptly stopped the vehicle, pulled Carrier into the center of the RV, forced him onto his back and began stabbing him in the chest. He literally stood back up and said, Son, Im going to take you somewhere and Im going to drop you off, Carrier recalled. They wound up on a country road in the Everglades that was locally known as Alligator Alley. The man forced Carrier to stand near a tree a short distance away. While Carrier was looking down at the ground, McAllister pulled out a gun and aimed it at Carriers left temple. That was the last thing Carrier remembered before he awoke several days later. His dad told him when he awoke: Chris, you were kidnapped, you were shot through the head, and you were left to die in the Florida Everglades. And you were missing for six days. It was very hard to see this new normal that I was going to have to contend with, Carrier explains in the video. The ordeal precipitated a transformation in him where he recognized how God spared his life, and He could be trusted. Twenty-two years later, Carrier received a phone call from a police chief at the sheriff's department who found the man who had attempted to murder him and offered him the opportunity to meet McAllister face-to-face, which he accepted. This is the definition of awkward. What do you say to the guy who the last time you saw him tried to put a bullet through your head? he asked. When Carrier met McAllister in the nursing home where he was being cared for at the end of his life, he told him: Mr. McAllister, Id like you to know whats really been the source of my strength through all of this, and then he prayed with him. That week of visiting McAllister left an impression, and so Carrier shared the Gospel with him as best as he could. I want you to know theres nothing between you and me except our newfound friendship. I want you to know I forgive you, Carried told him. Though he was blind and physically weak, McAllister rolled over in his hospital bed and grabbed his hand as though he could see it and, through tears, said, Im sorry. McAllister then prayed to receive Christ. Greeted with enthusiastic applause from the messengers in attendance, Carrier explained in a short interview after the video concluded that it was through the love of his family and the support of his church he was drawn into the power of the Gospel and it enabled him to see what happened to him outside of first-person and how God was redeeming it. He recalled that when he received the phone call from police about meeting the man who nearly murdered him, he remembered thinking, God, you set me up, and that, all the while, the Lord had been cleansing his heart over the years for that reunion. When asked what it was like to lead the man who shot him to Christ, Carrier described it as awkward. It was simply two men in the awkwardness of our reunion and newfound friendship, seeking the grace and the presence of God in that room, he said. The annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention began Tuesday and will conclude Wednesday evening. Virginia school district to appeal order reinstating teacher opposed to transgender pronouns Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A public school district in Virginia that was ordered to reinstate a teacher punished for criticizing a proposed policy to require teachers to use trans-identified students' preferred pronouns says it will appeal the decision to the state's supreme court. Last week, a judge told the Loudon County School Board to reinstate Byron Tanner Cross, a physical education teacher at Leesburg Elementary School placed on administrative leave. In a statement last Friday, Loudoun County Public Schools said that it will file an appeal of the June 8 decision, claiming that Cross comments were harmful. LCPS respectfully disagrees with the Circuit Courts decision to issue the injunction, and it is appealing this ruling to the Supreme Court of Virginia, stated LCPS. Many students and parents at Leesburg Elementary have expressed fear, hurt and disappointment about coming to school. Addressing those concerns is paramount to the school divisions goal to provide a safe, welcoming and affirming learning environment for all students. The school district went on to state that while they respect the rights of public school employees to free speech and free exercise of religion, those rights do not outweigh the rights of students to be educated in a supportive and nurturing environment. In May, LCPS held a meeting to discuss a proposed policy that would require students and faculty alike to use the preferred pronouns of youths who identify as transgender or gender-expansive. Cross attended the meeting and spoke out against the proposal, telling the school board that he was speaking out of love for those who suffer with gender dysphoria. I love all of my students, but I will never lie to them regardless of the consequences. Im a teacher, but I serve God first and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because its against my religion, stated Cross at the meeting. Two days after the meeting, Cross was put on administrative leave with pay and prohibited from going onto any school properties unless given permission. In response, Cross filed a complaint against LCPS and was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal nonprofit that handles religious liberty cases and has won several U.S. Supreme Court cases in recent years. ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer said in a statement that he believes public schools cannot suspend someone simply for respectfully providing their opinion at a public meeting. The school district favors a certain set of beliefs on a hotly contested issue, and it wants to force Tanner to cry uncle and endorse them as well, stated Langhofer. Thats neither legal nor constitutional, and neither was the schools move to place Tanner on leave. Last week, Judge James E. Plowman of the 20th Judicial Circuit of Virginia granted Cross' request for a temporary injunction against the board's decision to place the teacher on leave. Plowman concluded that punishing Cross was extreme and an unconstitutional action since the views of the teacher, even if controversial, were nevertheless permissible. The Court agrees with Plaintiffs analysis and concludes that Defendants actions to suspend the Plaintiff, as well as the additional restrictions placed upon him, adversely affected his constitutionally protected speech, wrote the judge. Here, it was clear that the Plaintiff was speaking as a citizen, not in his official capacity. His speech was not conducted at his usual place of employment, occurred during non-working hours and at a forum where public comment was invited. The moment of silence heard around the nation Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 529 into law, mandating between one and two minutes of silence to start each day in the states public schools. Said DeSantis, The idea that you can just push God out of every institution and be successful, Im sorry, our Founding Fathers did not believe that. As for the purpose of the moment of silence, he stated at a news briefing, We think its something thats important to be able to provide each student the ability, every day, to be able to reflect and to be able to pray as they see fit. As for the involvement of teachers, the bill is explicit: A teacher may not make suggestions as to the nature of any reflection that a student may engage in during the moment of silence. So, the children will be told to remain silent for the designated period of time, during which time (within obvious parameters) they can do what they like. They can pray in whatever form they desire. They can close their eyes and rest. They can think about whats coming the rest of the day. They can imagine whatever they want to imagine. There are no guidelines and no restrictions, other than the fact that, for at least one minute but not more than two, they cannot talk. Or interact with each other in other ways. Or use their cell phones. Just silence. To quote the bill more fully, Legislature finds that in today's hectic society too few persons are able to experience even a moment of quiet reflection before plunging headlong into the activities of daily life. Young persons are particularly affected by the absence of an opportunity for a moment of quiet reflection. The Legislature finds that our youth, and society as a whole, would be well served if students in the public schools were afforded a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day. As to who can give suggestions to the students as to how they spend the daily moment of silence, the bill presents this radical idea: Each first-period classroom teacher shall encourage parents or guardians to discuss the moment of silence with their children and to make suggestions as to the best use of this time. Can you imagine that? The schools asking the parents or guardians to give input into their childrens lives while at school? These days, that sounds almost revolutionary. Three cheers for asking for parental influence! Of course, not everyone is happy with the bill, with one disruptive protester claiming, Youre playing political games with our freedom of speech! Youre playing political games! But, how, pray tell, does a moment of silence impact a students freedom of speech? And isnt it ironic that, in these days of compelled speech in our classrooms, that this protester is upset about compelled silence? Before the bill was signed into law, some Democratic legislators raised concerns that HB 529 would violate the separation of church and state. Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer, said, It would be a good thing if we could all take a moment of silence every day and reflect and meditate a little bit on things that are important to us. However, the framers of our Constitution were very careful to separate church and state. But not only has Farmer grossly overstated both the letter and the spirit of the framers, who lived in a much more Christian world (especially when it came to childrens education). Even Wikipedia noted that, In the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, it was common practice for public schools to open with an oral prayer or Bible reading. Farmer has also mistaken a moment of silence, during which a kid could think about playing video games or asking someone out on a date, for mandated prayer. Really now, isnt that the whole strategy behind simply having a moment of silence rather than a time of mandatory prayer? But Farmer was not alone in his concerns. Sen. Lori Berman said, I understand that this is a moment of silence, but I also want us all to think about what could happen in a moment of silence. Could children take out rosaries and start doing the sign of the cross and (make) other children feel uncomfortable? Could a child take out a prayer rug and start using a prayer rug? On the one hand, the bill does state that students may not interfere with other students' participation in the moment of silence, so it is clear that they could not try to distract each other. As to what liberties the students should have (from making the sign of the cross to taking out rosary beads to taking out a prayer rug), Im not sure how the legislators (or school administrators) will address this question. Perhaps the solution will be that no item of any kind can be used during the moment of silence. Either way, it is unimaginable to me that a student would be disallowed from making the sign of the cross for fear that it would make other children feel uncomfortable. Seriously? This is now a terrible threat? This is something against which we must be vigilant? Is this what America has come to? Or should a student not be allowed to make the sign of the cross before engaging in school sports? (Many professional athletes engage in this very public practice to this day.) Again, this hyper-sensitivity is the more hypocritical when we realize that, on a daily basis, students who practice a conservative religious faith are made to feel uncomfortable by the aggressive, activist curricula and agenda of the school, which is literally shoved down their face. No problem with that! But God forbid a student should make the sign of the cross while uttering a silent prayer to start the day. That would be a real threat to the psychological and emotional wellbeing of other students. In this light, it will be interesting to watch just how hysterical and irrational the reactions to this bill will be in the coming days. It will also be interesting to see how much of a crisis this period of silence will present to some students for whom two minutes of solitude will feel like an eternity. Welcome to America, 2021. Understanding systemic racism as a believer Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Brendt Hill, my neighbor, is a former resident of the "Black Bottom" community of Detroit. He is quite a character; a man full of confidence and one capable of handling with aplomb whatever life throws at him. Yet, during the course of our conversations over the years, I still detect at age 80 the sting of racism despite his many accomplishments and those of his family. Maya Angelou said it and it remains true: people never forget how you made them feel. It is always a privilege to talk with him because I always learn something interesting, since as a migrant from the Bahamas to Miami, I do not share in his experience. Here is one conclusion I have gleaned from our conversations: power facilitates access to money that maintains said power and influence over a society. Recently, he gave me a copy of an article in The Atlantic magazine about the Great Land Robbery where hundreds of black families in Mississippi were swindled out of their lands. This followed my reading about the persecution and eviction of blacks in Manhattan Beach, California, and the white restaurant owner who enslaved a functionally illiterate black man, making him work 100 hours a week for little or no pay. I have learned that the irrational pursuit of money can become so ingrained in one's mindset that it morphs into a divinely appointed right and privilege. Therefore, mankind would do anything commit any atrocity and turn a blind eye to the suffering for money. "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" 1 Timothy 6:10. Recently there have been uproar in white evangelical churches about the teaching of critical race theory as well as the schools about inclusion of the 1619 project in their curriculum. These are man-made solutions to a problem that really requires a spiritual correction. Laws and legislation grow out of circumstances where people have refused to do the correct thing. While I cannot say I support either one, I do agree that men, especially white men, must acknowledge the wrongdoing that set these grave injustices in motion in this country. Can we acknowledge that the church, namely Southern Baptists, at one time used the Bible to justify slavery? Can we acknowledge how supposedly stalwart Christians like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson fought with all their might to destroy the United States of America? Can we acknowledge the emotions of poor black students whose ancestors languished in substandard schools under that supposedly just, yet inherently evil, "separate but equal" system? The hypocrisy is palpable, and with that as the backdrop, I delved into a book that Brendt loaned to me: Black Detroit: A People's History of Self-Determination by Herb Boyd. Detroit, if you recall, had undergone the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history in 2013. While the city may be on the rebound, development is still uneven. In the afterword in Black Detroit, Ron Lockett, executive director of the Northeast Activities Center, wrote, "but the city still has major hurdles ahead with a large, unskilled and semiliterate population." Hmmm, I wonder what caused that! I learned from reading Boyds book that what happened in Detroit is a microcosm of the black experience in the Western hemisphere. Negro troops at the time were paid only $7 a month while the white troops received $10 (page 47). The average rent for white families was $30 a month; for negro families it was closer to $50 and they got worse housing for their money (page 97). The book includes a story about an 18-year-old youth named Young in 1936 who was working as an electrical apprentice at the Ford Motor Company electrical program. Although he excelled in all the tests, a white man with lower scores but whose father was a foreman at the plant, got the only job that was open (page 130). Whenever black workers were promoted, the white workers were outraged. In September of 1941, when the Packard Motor company transferred 2 black polishers to defense work, approximately 250 white workers staged a 40 minute sit-down strike, which halted the unit's operations (page 142). To those who recoil at the notion of systemic racism, you are dismissing or discounting the pain of countless people of color whose careers have been thwarted, whose dreams have been deferred, and whose very lives have been snuffed out because of the monstrous, heinous acts of racism. For emphasis, please Google: Tulsa, Oklahoma 1921. To those who so blithely dismiss the mournful complaint of the colored brother, the Bible has a blunt reminder: "He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease" Job 12:5. Jobs words are more plainly outlined in The Message version: Its easy for the well-to-do to point their fingers in blame, for the well-fixed to pour scorn on the strugglers. Crooks reside safely in high-security houses, insolent blasphemers live in luxury; theyve bought and paid for a god wholl protect them. Yes, friends, it is much easier to disregard the painful cry of another when one has not felt any of that pain. I wonder where we would be if Christ had ignored our circumstances? Nevertheless, there is a more important question. How do we get out from under? Here are three simple steps, specifically for the person of color: 1. Pursue spiritual, secular and financial education. Everyone needs a moral compass, an understanding of the dynamics of the world and the inherent nature of money. Don't waste time, resources or money on vehicles or enterprises that do not increase in value. Profit is not a dirty word. 2. Seek and seize opportunity whenever and wherever you encounter it. Do not squander an opportunity, no matter how small or insignificant it appears to be. A mighty oak starts as a small acorn. 3. Establish alliances and cooperatives with any and everyone, even people culturally different from you. A successful business does not require everyone to look alike, only think alike about achieving a particular goal. We must all be part of the same T.E.A.M., where together everyone achieves more. A rising tide must lift all boats. We take our cue from Martin Luther King, Jr., Booker T. Washington, Herschel Walker and the Delany sisters when we say that the main objective of black Americans is not a hand out or even a hand up, but only recognition and sincere repentance for the wrong that has been done to us. Our desire is a genuine opportunity to succeed or fail based on our own merits, not with someone's thumb on the scale for or against us. We want to get to that place where Sidney Poitier poignantly reminded his distressed father in the movie "Guess who's coming to dinner: "you think of yourself as a colored man, I think of myself as just a man." If the great majority of us understand that simple fact, then we will be well on the way to a more perfect country. UNICEF removes report accused of downplaying harm of porn on kids Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund has recently removed a controversial paper which critics claimed downplayed the harm of pornography on children. In April, UNICEF published a report titled Digital Age Assurance Tools and Childrens Rights Online Across the Globe, which covered topics related to children's rights and internet access. The UNICEF report, which garnered broad outrage from many who claimed that it minimized the dangers of children viewing pornography, disappeared from the groups website by late May. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which campaigned against the report, announced on Tuesday that a UNICEF spokesperson had confirmed the report's removal. We are thankful to UNICEF for responding to international concern and clarifying their position that pornography harms children, NCOSE Vice President Haley McNamara said in a statement. The research is clear that children exposed to hardcore pornography are at greater risk for social and psychological development problems, including negative impacts on mental health and increased risk of child-on-child harmful sexual behavior. The Christian Post reached out to UNICEF for a response. A spokesperson shared a link to a statement in which the organization clarifies that it recognizes that pornography "can be extremely harmful to children." "It can lead to poor mental health, sexism and objectification, sexual aggression and other negative outcomes," stated UNICEF, adding that it is "alarmed by the massive quantity of pornographic content available online and easily accessible to children." "UNICEF urges governments, the tech industry, schools, parents and communities to do everything in their power to protect children from all harmful content." The report had drawn considerable backlash, including a letter of complaint signed by nearly 500 child safety experts from 26 different nations denouncing what they called the harmful inaccuracies regarding the impact of pornography to children. This document provided many useful insights regarding the intersection of childrens rights, business and the Internet and commendably provides references to evidence and reports to substantiate statements and claims, stated the letter. However, the report as originally posted failed to provide any evidence to support its claim that there is no consensus on the degree to which pornography is harmful to children. The letter cites and quotes several studies on the negative impacts of pornography on young people, including links to sexual violence and damage to the part of the brain responsible for decision-making. Pornography teaches inaccuracies about sex to young viewers. Research has shown that exposure to pornography helps to sustain young peoples adherence to sexist, unhealthy perceptions of sex and relationships, they continued. Exposure to pornography early in adolescence can predict early sexual debut, unsafe sex, and multiple sexual partners in later adolescence. Snopes, the left-leaning fact-check website, defended the UNICEF report, arguing that the worst of claims against the UNICEF report inaccurate. A UNICEF spokesperson told Snopes that the paper was taken down "because it was being misrepresented in a way that didnt reflect UNICEFs position." The paper didnt claim that blocking children from accessing porn violates their human rights, nor did it say that exposure to it may not always be harmful, wrote Bethania Palma of Snopes. The paper instead noted that some countries render access to porn illegal for all age groups, while various countries have differing standards for what they define as porn. As a result, some educational materials dealing with sensitive topics like sexuality might be defined as porn by some governments. Palma argued that the paper didnt state that viewing porn doesnt harm children" and cited a portion of the UNICEF report that stated that the evidence is inconsistent, and there is currently no universal agreement on the nature and extent of the harm caused to children by viewing content classified as pornography. Youth pastor accused of hiding camera in bathroom, charged with child porn possession Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Florida youth pastor who was previously accused of hiding a camera in a church bathroom has now been charged with possession of child pornography. David Patrick Nims, a youth pastor at Calvary Baptist Church of Pensacola, was previously arrested after being accused of hiding a camera in a church bathroom. The Escambia County Sheriff's Office announced on Facebook Friday that they were charging Nims with possession of child pornography a week after arresting him for the earlier charge. According to the sheriffs office, investigators found more than 100 files of child pornography at Nims home, with more charges possibly being added later. None of those child victims appear to have a local connection and were not videotaped by Nims himself. The files appear to have been downloaded off the internet, the Sheriff's Office added. ECSO Special Victims Unit Investigators are still working on this case, analyzing additional digital files. More charges could be added. Earlier this month, a hidden surveillance camera was found by a teenager in the mens bathroom at Calvary Baptist Church, with authorities being called soon after the discovery. According to an arrest report cited by ABC News affiliate WEAR, the hidden camera was located at the drain pipe under the sink in the stall and faced towards the toilet he was sitting on. When police viewed the video clips from the camera, they reportedly saw a man retrieving the electronic device whom witnesses identified as Nims. All of them state it appeared Nims was installing the camera and was wearing the same clothes in the video that they saw him wearing at church that day, continued the report. Calvary Baptist Church Pastor Walt Magaha released a statement to WEAR in response to the first arrest, explaining that his church was grieved and saddened by the allegations and circumstances regarding the arrest of Patrick Nims. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement as they conduct their ongoing investigation and stand ready to provide care and ministry toward those involved and/or affected as information is shared with us, if it shared, Magaha stated. Nims was charged with one count of "video voyeurism by a person 18 or older, who is responsible for the welfare of a child younger than 16," according to NorthEscambia.com. Anyone that believes they may be a victim of Nims, or knows that someone that may be a victim, is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriffs Office. After his first arrest on the video voyeurism charge, Nims was released on a $10,000 bond hours after he was booked, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Lobster diver survives being trapped in whale's mouth, compared to Jonah Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In a story reminiscent of the Old Testament account of the prophet Jonah, a lobster diver has survived being trapped inside the mouth of a whale off the coast of Cape Cod. First reported by The Cape Cod Times, diver Michael Packard, 56, was diving to pluck lobsters from the ocean floor off the coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts, Friday morning in his second dive of the day when the dive took an unusual turn 10 feet from the ocean floor. All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove, and the next thing I knew, it was completely black, Packard said Friday afternoon after he was released from the hospital. I could sense I was moving, and I could feel the whale squeezing with the muscles in his mouth." The diver thought his death was imminent and started thinking about his sons. I was completely inside; it was completely black, Packard recounted. 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. News of Packard's encounter has spurred many comparisons of his story to that of the biblical prophet Jonah as some headlines in the media have used phrases like "Real-Life Jonah," "Jonah and the whale in real life," "Cape Code lobster diver's Jonah moment" and "A Modern Day Jonah." Unlike Jonah, however, whom Scripture says was trapped inside the belly of a giant fish for three days, the diver estimates that he was inside the whale's mouth for approximately 30 to 40 seconds before the animal surfaced. I saw light, and he started throwing his head side to side, and the next thing I knew, I was outside [in the water], the diver said. A crewman with Packard reportedly told Packards sister that he saw the whale surface and initially thought the animal was a great white shark, which he frequently sees in the coastal waters. Packard, who lives in the Cape Cod peninsula town of Wellfleet, had no broken bones from the incident and described the injuries he sustained as a lot of soft tissue damage. The diver plans to return to the waters as soon as he has recovered. Marine experts are describing what happened to Packard as so rare as to be almost non-existent, given that humpback whales are not known to be aggressive creatures, especially toward human beings. "Based on what was described, this would have to be a mistake and an accident on the part of the humpback," The Cape Cod Times quoted Jooke Robbins, director of Humpback Whale Studies at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, as saying. Robbins said that when humpbacks open their mouths to feed, it billows out like a parachute and blocks the whales forward vision. This is a reason why many of them get their mouths and jaws entangled in fishing gear, she said. "It is not something I have heard happening before," Robbins added, speaking of Packard's encounter with the mammal. "So many things would have had to happen to end up in the path of a feeding whale." Robbins added that the esophagus on nontoothed whales is too small to swallow a human. Echoing Robbins, marine biologist Iain Kerr told the Canada-based Global News Sunday that whales are not interested in humans. In 30 years, Kerr said he has only ever heard of an incident like what happened to Packard twice, adding that such encounters are likely an accident. The whale does not want a human dessert. [Packard] just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, Kerr said. Parents mourn pastor son shot dead after ministering to gunmen Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pastor Rodney Booth wants the killers of his 25-year-old son, Pastor Robert Booth of Hood Holiness Church of God in North Carolina, to know that they took a great man away from" the world. "I would want to tell the shooters they took a great man away from this Earth," Booth said in an interview with WFMY last Thursday. "You had a person who really wanted to make a difference." Friends say Robert Booth was driven to share the Gospel with anyone willing to listen. But on May 25, he was shot dead by gunmen after he ministered to them outside his home in High Point. I want people to know that it wasnt a drug deal gone bad. It wasnt him being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just Robert being Robert, helping, and his life was ended like that, Booth's friend, Brandon Smith, a fellow ministry worker, told Fox 8. According to police, the late senior pastor of Hood Holiness Church of God saw a vehicle described as a 2008 to 2010 burgundy Nissan Rogue cruising through East Village Apartment Condominiums on Ardale Drive. Booth went outside to try to find out what was going on, Smith said. And two male suspects wearing ski masks were reportedly inside the vehicle. Smith told Fox 8 that at some point during the encounter, the young preacher began sharing Gods word with the men. He believed in street ministry. He would go to the corner where the homeless were and just minister to them and just feed them, practically give you the shirt off his back, Smith explained. Gunshots soon rang out in the area, according to 911 calls, and one of the bullets struck and killed Booth. The boys is running towards the hotel. They got black masks on. Its two boys. They shot (inaudible). They look like theyre about 15 to 16 years old, one 911 caller cited by Fox 8 said. The High Point Police Department is now looking for two suspects, described as black men of varying heights. They believe that the pastors killing is connected to someone close to the victim and suspects in another High Point homicide. The late pastors parents say that while they are frustrated that no arrests have been made yet for their sons murder, they believe fear of retribution is causing witnesses to stay silent. They urge anyone with information to come forward to the police. "We are very disappointed," Deneka Booth told WFMY. "I know it's only been two weeks, but that two weeks for us is a lifetime." The parents, who affectionately called him Bert, recalled how their son had tried to minister to others with a difference. "He wasn't just this dry preacher," the mother said. "He was a grown man calling me mommy. He always had kids over at the house because they gravitated towards him. I don't think there was any instrument that he couldn't play." Bishop Kerry A.T. Thomas, the founder of Grace Ecumenical Commune of Churches, who installed Booth as lead pastor of Hood Holiness Church of God in a May 21 service, said in a statement shared on Facebook that he had never experienced a death so crushing in his 24 years of ministry. Elder Brandon Smith called me to share a situation that involved Robert. Without hesitation, I arose from my bed of comfort and maintained my watch at High Point Regional until I was allowed entry into the hospital. After 24 years of ministry, I have never experienced a death so crushing and a responsibility so arduous as to relay the message of his passing to his parents, siblings, his fiancee and church family, Thomas stated. Thomas described Booth as a zealous follower of Christ who freely shared his musical talents. When I first met Robert, he was a budding musician with a love for God and a heart for the underdog. He was accompanied by Deacon Shawn Snead, who you could not tell me was not his blood brother. We quickly became friends but unbeknownst to me, he knew that I would one day become his Pastor, Thomas wrote. Pastor Booth was the affiliate pastor that everyone wanted. I assigned him as the director of outreach over the organization, and he immediately got to work. You never had to micromanage him or recommit him to the vision because he took ownership over the weight of ministry. I literally watched him give himself to dozens of churches, funeral homes and independent artists, not for the love of money but to share his gift of music and ministry to all that would have him. When he was received, he rejoiced. When he was rejected, he mourned but he continued." He further noted that Booth played music at his installation service on May 21, showing him to be a man who was a servant first. On Friday, May 21st 2021, the Grace Ecumenical Commune of Churches came from across the country to celebrate and officially install Robert as Senior Pastor of the Hood Holiness Church of God, a work that had already been in effect throughout the City of High Point," Thomas said. "Pastor Booth, being a servant first, played at his own service. The amount of passion and genuineness displayed by this giant of a man was indicative of perhaps him knowing that he was not here to stay." Video shared on Booths Facebook page also shows that he proposed to his girlfriend just a day after he was ordained senior pastor of Hood Holiness Church of God. The Christian Post reached out Booths fiancee for comment. But a response was not received by press time. His friends remained grieved that his killers also robbed Booth's 2-year-old son of his father. There is never will, never be another Robert Booth, Smith told Fox 8. To the guys [who did this], you didnt even give him a chance to live. You didnt give him a chance to be that husband, to be that great father. You took his life before it could even begin. Virginia parent who survived Mao's 'cultural revolution' in China blasts CRT as communist threat Florida bans critical race theory from being taught in public schools Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A woman who grew up in China during Mao Zedongs Cultural Revolution condemned the teaching of critical race theory in U.S. schools, saying it's "heartbreaking" for Chinese Americans to see the communism they escaped infiltrate the country. I have been very alarmed about whats going on in our schools. You are now teaching, training our children to be social justice warriors and to loathe our country and our history, said Xi Van Fleet in a statement at the Loudoun County School Board meeting on June 8 that was later shared by The Virginia Project, a political action committee working to combat what it deems as "un-American" ideologies, including CRT. Growing up in Maos China, all of this seems very familiar, she continued. "The communist regime used the same critical theory to divide people. The only difference is they used class instead of race." Van Fleet, whose son graduated from Loudon High School in 2015, told Fox News Wednesday that she lived through the Mao's Cultural Revolution until she immigrated to the United States. The Cultural Revolution was led by Mao, a brutal dictator who purged so-called impure elements of Chinese society. The Cultural Revolution lasted from 1966 to 1976, and resulted in the death of around 1.5 million people, while millions more were imprisoned, tortured or humiliated, according to History.com. To me, and to a lot of Chinese, it is heartbreaking that we escaped communism and now we experience communism here, Van Fleet continued in her statement to the school board. CRT, which is tied to Marxist critical theory, criticizes the U.S. and Western nations as being oppressive and promoting institutional systemic racism or white supremacy. It teaches that systemic racism is ingrained in every aspect of American life. Many opponents have noted that the ideology uses Marxist tactics of class struggle to divide people among race, gender and ethnicity. Critical theory, which first arose in academic journals three decades ago, is now being taught at public schools, government agencies and business training programs. Van Fleet said CRT reminds her of growing up in Maoist China. They are a communist regime [that] uses the same critical theories to divide people, she said. The only difference is that they use class instead of race. During the cultural revolution, I witnessed students and teachers turn against each other, we changed school names to be politically correct, we were taught to denounce our heritage. The red guards destroyed everything that is not communist ... statues, books and anything else. Watch the latest video at foxnews.com Evolutionary biologist Bret Weinstein, a former professor at Evergreen State, was among the first to warn the public that critical theory, now CRT, was not going to remain an issue on college campuses but would later affect all aspects of society. The critical race theory has its roots in cultural Marxism. It should have no place in our schools, Van Fleet said as she concluded her remarks that were met with applause. "I just want Americans to know that their privilege is to be here living in America, that is just the biggest privilege," Van Fleet told Fox News. "I do not think a lot of people understand. They are thinking they are doing the right thing, be against racism sounds really good. But they are basically breaking the system that is against racism." CRT has received pushback and condemned as toxic and divisive in nature. Former President Donald Trump banned critical race theory training in federal agencies, but President Joe Biden reversed it on his first day in office. When Biden reversed Trumps ban, Christopher Rufo, a director at the Discovery Institute, announced a new coalition to stop critical race theory and wage relentless legal warfare against race theory in America's institutions. "Critical race theory is a grave threat to the American way of life. It divides Americans by race and traffics in the pernicious concepts of race essentialism, racial stereotyping, and race-based segregationall under a false pursuit of 'social justice, Rufo wrote at the time. Today, President Biden doubled-down on critical race theory in the federal government. In response, I am announcing a new coalition of legal foundations and private attorneys that will wage relentless legal warfare against race theory in America's institutions. The fight is on. pic.twitter.com/JZJYpjla1k Christopher F. Rufo ?? (@realchrisrufo) January 20, 2021 Floridas Board of Education announced Thursday that it voted 8-0 to prohibit CRT from being taught in public schools in an effort to stop the "distort[ion] historical events, according to The Washington Examiner. "Some of this stuff is, I think, really toxic," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said about CRT in a video. "I think it's going to cause a lot of divisions. I think it'll cause people to think of themselves more as a member of particular race based on 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." The woke class wants to teach kids to hate each other, rather than teaching them how to read, but we will not let them bring nonsense ideology into Floridas schools, DeSantis said in a statement. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Elisabeth Elliot was born in 1926 in Brussels to missionary parents who soon relocated to the U.S. There, at an early age, she made a personal profession of faith to follow Christ. Elisabeth soon felt Gods call to be a missionary. In 1944, with the intention of becoming a Bible translator, she enrolled at Wheaton College where she met Jim Elliot who had a similar calling for missions and with whom she had a long romance. After graduation Elisabeth trained as a Bible translator and in 1952 both she and Jim went independently to Ecuador to work as missionaries. Finally, in 1953 she and Jim married in Ecuador where, in 1955, their daughter Valerie was born. A missionary challenge at the time was a totally unreached Amazonian tribe, then known as the Aucas but now known as the Waodani. Links with this tribe, deep in the rainforest, were almost non-existent and their language was unknown. The Waodani also had a fearsome reputation for violence. (Anthropological studies have revealed that they had the highest rates of homicide ever recorded in a human society.) Drawn by the challenge of the Waodani, a group of five young American missionary men, including Jim Elliot, decided to try to reach them. After seemingly friendly initial encounters, in January 1956 they flew in only to be suddenly speared to death. The murder of these five men had an enormous impact on the United States and worldwide. The press focused not just on the events and the savage tribe involved, but also on the survivors, notably Elisabeth and baby Valerie. Elisabeth left for the States with her daughter and there, in a matter of weeks, wrote the book Through Gates of Splendor. It became a bestseller not simply because of the dramatic events it recounted but because Elisabeth, gifted with both writing ability and deep insight, had produced a remarkably powerful book. In this and subsequent books, Elisabeths depiction of her husband Jim with his inspiring quote, He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose gave the world a great example of missionary commitment. Feeling called by God to witness to those who had killed her husband, Elisabeth returned to Ecuador with her daughter. Working amongst an adjacent tribe, she prayed for an opportunity to make contact with the Waodani. Finally, a Waodani woman appeared, allowing Elisabeth to begin to learn the language and, after being promised safety, Elisabeth, her three-year-old daughter, and Rachel Saint (the sister of the murdered pilot) went to live with the Waodani. The world held its breath. The idea that Elisabeth, as a single mother, was taking her little daughter to live with the violent tribe that had killed her husband was stunning. No less shocking in the 1950s was the fact that it was a woman taking the initiative in reaching out to a murderous tribe. For two years the women and Valerie lived with the Waodani. They were accepted and, learning the language, taught the basics of Christianity. They were able to display forgiveness to those men who had slain the men they had loved, and their living demonstration of what forgiveness meant undermined the fatal Waodani culture of unending family vendettas. Eventually Elisabeth left the Waodani and worked with another tribe until 1963. Leaving for the States, she then focused on writing and speaking. She taught not just about missions work but also about many aspects of Christian living. As the 1960s brought enormous cultural changes, she found herself commenting on the role of women, where this most courageous of women took a firm position against feminism. In 1969 Elisabeth married again to a professor of theology. Tragically, he died from cancer in 1973. A widow once more, Elisabeth continued her worldwide ministry, marrying for a third time in 1977 to a hospital chaplain. For thirteen years she hosted a daily Christian radio program. With the new century it soon became apparent that Elisabeth was beginning to suffer from dementia, and she gave up public speaking before finally dying in 2015. Let me highlight three things that are striking in Elisabeth Elliots long life of faith. First, her faith showed a deep obedience to God. Elisabeth saw Christianity as something that involved a discipleship of complete obedience to Christ. It was such a discipleship that compelled her to meet with her husbands killers and forgive them. When asked to justify missionary work she simply pointed out that the church remained under the orders given by Christ. Elisabeth was convinced: To belong to Christ was to obey him. Second, her faith was marked by a profound acceptance of God. Elisabeth grappled with the suffering she experienced; the death of two husbands, the murder of fellow workers, and many other struggles. She rejected any attempt to find explanations for such events. Importantly, she taught that we must accept what we are given from God precisely because he is God. The path of obedience often leads through deep water; explanations can wait until Heaven. Finally, Elisabeths faith gave her a sturdy independence before the world. All Christian communication can either be comforting or challenging, and what Elisabeth said and wrote was always the latter. Quite simply, she refused to give what people demanded. After Elisabeth went to the Waodani there was an expectation that she would confirm the view that they were appalling savages. Instead, she wrote compellingly of how the people she had come to love had both vices and virtues. Her concern to say what she felt God wanted her to say made her independent of all other pressures. The faithful and fruitful life of Elisabeth Elliot sets a challenging example of discipleship to us today. She deserves to be remembered. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In his sermon, Learning in War-Time, C. S. Lewis stated: Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered. For Christians seeking to influence our secular culture, this often entails utilizing secular arguments for spiritual ends. For example, consider the growing movement to legalize prostitution. Oregons House Judiciary Committee is currently considering a bill that would decriminalize so-called sex work. The ACLU has come out in support of this movement. When Vice President Kamala Harris was running for president in 2019, she voiced her support as well. Advocates claim that criminalization of prostitution contributes to community violence, propagates crime, blocks access to public health resources, is an ineffective deterrent to participation in sex work, and is deeply harmful to sex workers. They add that criminalizing sex work causes workers to fear the police, making them less likely to ask for help if they face danger from a client. They say it also makes it harder for sex workers to access health care, welfare benefits, and social services. However, supporters of decriminalizing sex work should acknowledge the risks for sex workers. A self-described feminist writes that prostitution is inherently abusive, and a cause and a consequence of womens inequality. One study of prostituted women in nine countries found that 70 to 95% were physically assaulted; 60 to 75% were raped; and 89% told researchers that they urgently wanted to escape prostitution. In addition, the US Department of State warns that where prostitution is legalized or tolerated, there is a greater demand for human trafficking victims and nearly always an increase in the number of women and children trafficked into commercial sex slavery. A study published by the Harvard Law School reported that countries with legalized prostitution are associated with higher human trafficking inflows than countries where prostitution is prohibited. Children and gender transitions Lets consider another example of using secular arguments in a secular culture to advance a spiritual outcome. A physical education teacher recently made national headlines when he spoke against a policy affirming gender transitions by children. He was subsequently placed on leave from his job. A court reinstated him, but the obvious threat to those who stand against this tide is clear. Glenn T. Stanton, the director of family formation studies at Focus on the Family, writes in the Federalist that science is clearly on the teachers side. Studies show that 75 to 90% of children struggling with gender dysphoria (confusion over their gender identity) revert to identifying with their natural sex and gender by puberty. However, when adults around such children affirm their dysphoria by cooperating with name, clothing, pronoun, and other identity changes, they can make it exceedingly difficult for the child to revert to their natural sex identity as they desire. In support of this fact, Stanton refers to numerous studies from prestigious centers and scholars in the study of sexual behavior. He closes by citing the work of Dr. Kenneth Zucker, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and the current and long-time editor of the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior. Dr. Zucker led the world-renowned Child, Youth, and Family Gender Identity Clinic in Toronto for decades and was selected by the American Psychiatric Association to chair the workgroup that developed the clinical criteria for gender dysphoria. Dr. Zucker notes that the majority of young children experiencing gender dysphoria do not suffer from this condition when followed up in adolescence or adulthood. He therefore argues that supporting gender transition in children can often be the least attractive therapy option. Though I was blind, now I see Using evidence that will be persuasive for those we seek to persuade is a biblical strategy. When Paul spoke to Jews in Thessalonica, he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead (Acts 17:23). His persuasion was effective, leading a large number of people to Christ (v. 4). However, when the apostle spoke to Greek philosophers in Athens, he did not quote a single verse from the Bible, knowing that they would reject its authority. Instead, he quoted the Greek poets Epimenides and Aratus (Acts 17:28). Once again, his persuasion was effective, leading a member of the Areopagus (the leading intellectual group in their culture) to Christ (v. 34). You might be thinking that youre not the Apostle Paul or a professional cultural apologist like Glenn Stanton or myself. Heres the good news: anyone who is willing to be used by God will be used by God. You have spiritual gifts which equip and empower you for your kingdom calling (For more, see my online spiritual gifts analysis here). You have a lifetime of expertise and experience that can be used by the Spirit to declare and defend your faith. Furthermore, we can know that God will only lead us into opportunities where he intends to use us. He is already preparing the mind and heart of the next person he intends you to engage with biblical truth. He is already preparing your mind and heart for that engagement. And the story of your personal faith is more persuasive than you might imagine. When a man born blind was healed by Jesus and then called by the religious authorities to account for his healing, he told them, One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see (John 9:25). Has Jesus opened your spiritual eyes? With whom will you share the good news today? Originally published in the Denison Forum. Christian families forced to flee homes into forest after women attacked by Hindu villagers Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Ten Christian families in the east Indian state of Odisha have been living in a forest for weeks after their houses were destroyed by villagers in retaliation for filing a police complaint against a group of Hindu men who allegedly sexually harassed two Christian women as they drew water from a public well. The families have been living in fear and without light, water or a change of clothes in a forest near the Sikapai village in Rayagada districts Kalyansingpur block since mid-May, according to the United Kingdom-based nonprofit Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Tensions began on May 15 when two women went to a nearby tube well to fetch water to prepare food, CSW reported. A few Hindu villagers reportedly approached the women, tore their clothes, touched them inappropriately and told them that Christians could not use that well. The villagers also damaged the tube at the well so that the women wouldnt be able to access the water. The womens families filed a police complaint but no investigation followed. The Christians also reported the incident to administrative officials, who allegedly told them to reconvert to Hinduism. On May 25, when the attackers learned about the complaints, they destroyed the roofs of six houses belonging to Christians and also beat some of them. The following morning, a severe cyclonic storm caused flooding in the area, which destroyed the damaged houses. The families were forced to find shelter using polythene sheets and wood in the forest outside the village. CSWs founder and President Mervyn Thomas said his group is deeply concerned by the rise in crimes against minorities in India and the inadequate response from the authorities. Last June, a 14-year-old Christian boy was lynched in Kenduguda village in Odishas Malkangiri district, according toreports. The boy was allegedly crushed to death with a stone by a group of people. His body was reportedly chopped into pieces. His remains were buried in several different places. The boy and his family converted to Christianity three years earlier and had been attacked due to their conversion. Christians are estimated to make up about 2.3% of Indias population. Attacks on Christians have been on the rise since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party won the 2014 national elections. A recent report from Human Rights Watch warned that "prejudices embedded in the government" of the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have infiltrated independent institutions, such as the police and the courts, empowering nationalist groups to threaten, harass and attack religious minorities with impunity. Last year, India denied entry visas to representatives of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom who had planned to investigate reports of persecution against Muslims and Christians following the release of its report recommending the U.S. State Department designate India as a Country of Particular Concern. In a statement to CP, the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America said at the time it was deeply disappointed India did not receive the CPC designation in 2020. The national government allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity and engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence, FIACONA said. The Indian government headed by the Hindu nationalist BJP party continues to claim so conveniently that all such violence against Christians in India is isolated incidents and not the policy of the government. City pays over $35K to Christian ministry for canceling event over speakers biblically-based views Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Facing a full hearing of a lawsuit, the Edinburgh city council agreed to apologize and pay over $35,000 (25,000) to the Scotland-based Destiny Church for canceling a three-day conference because its keynote speaker, U.S. Pastor Larry Stockstill, had spoken against homosexuality and abortion. Apart from offering to pay the damages, the council has acknowledged that it had failed to meet its equalities duties to Destiny Ministries in terms of the Equality Act 2010 and therefore acted unlawfully, and that it had failed to take account of Destinys rights as protected by the European Convention on Human Rights, Christian legal firm ADF U.K. said in a statement. The authorities canceled the conference that had been scheduled to be held in Edinburghs Usher Hall last summer after some groups complained about views held by its guest speaker, Louisiana pastor Larry Stockstill, former pastor of the multicampus Bethany World Prayer Center. Stockstill is also the author of the 2007 book He Teaches My Hands to War, in which he calls homosexuality not normal behavior and not accepted by God. Along with Stockstill, the head of the U.K.-based Evangelical Alliance, Gavin Calver, was also scheduled to speak. A city council spokesperson had earlier told the Edinburgh Evening News that the event was canceled due to the keynote speakers publicly-stated views about same-sex relationships which are, in the councils opinion, offensive and discriminatory. We asked the council to change its decision but it would not. After speaking to a range of people in the Christian community, we decided that this serious infringement of religious liberty and freedom of expression had to be challenged in the courts, said Andrew Owen of Destiny Ministries, according to The Times. With this behind us we look forward to being able to make use of council premises in the future as we bring forward the good news of the Gospel, Owen added. ADF U.K. conducted a nationwide poll in which two in five students said events were frequently canceled on campus due to the views held by speakers and pressure from other student groups. Half of the Scottish students also said they felt lecturers would treat them differently if they expressed their true opinions on some important issues. Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are foundations of every free and democratic society, and must be protected for all people, ADF U.K. Legal Counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole commented. We were pleased to support Destiny Ministries in this matter because freedom of religion includes the freedom to manifest your faith in teaching, practice and observance no one should be discriminated against simply because of their faith. The case is about the right to freedom of expression and freedom of religion, Brent Haywood, litigation partner of law firm Lindsays, who represented Destiny Ministries, said in the statement. Destiny Ministries is a Christian organization which holds to orthodox biblical teaching. The cancellation of its booking was an obvious act of discrimination under the Equality Act, and an equally clear breach of the Human Rights Act. Naftali Bennett sworn in as Israels new prime minister; PLO, Hamas threaten to attack Jerusalem Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As Naftali Bennett was sworn in as Israels new prime minister Sunday, ending the rule of the longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas threatened to attack Jerusalem. The parliament approved by a razor-thin 6059 majority a new government of change led by 49-year-old Bennett, while Netanyahu, 71, pledged he would soon return to power, The Epoch Times reported, adding that as part of a deal with his centrist and left-wing coalition, Bennett will be replaced as prime minister by 57-year-old Yair Lapid in 2023. Bennett is not likely to introduce any drastic measures in relation to sensitive international issues, including policy toward the Palestinians, and has said he will focus more on healing the countrys divisions and restoring a sense of normalcy, The Associated Press reported. Netanyahus support had declined since 2009, and he was going through a corruption trial though he had denied any wrongdoing. The new prime ministers alliance includes a party that represents its 21% Arab minority, which has close family relations with the Palestinians, although Bennett is opposed to Palestinian independence and supports Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Bennett is also expected to maintain Israels hard-line stance on Iran and oppose U.S. President Joe Bidens efforts to revive its international nuclear deal, according to analysts. Bennett has briefly served as head of the West Bank settlers council, called Yesha, and as cabinet minister of diaspora affairs, education and defense in various Netanyahu-led governments. On the day of his swearing-in, the PLOs Jerusalem Department threatened to carry out an explosion to push his administration to cancel a march called Flag Parade, which is planned to be held Tuesday in celebration of Jerusalem Day, YNet News reported. In a statement, the PLO said that its violence could extend beyond Jerusalem to the Palestinian territories if the march takes place. Hamas has also reportedly issued a warning saying it had not ruled out the option of resuming rocket fire at cities across the country. Organizers of the march have reached an agreement with police and altered the route to avoid the Damascus Gate and the Old Citys Muslim Quarter, where violence could erupt, Israel Hayom reported. The parade, which is to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War, was scheduled for May 10, which was Jerusalem Day this year but was postponed after Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem, which led to 11 days of hostilities. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to the new Israeli prime minister on the phone late Sunday to congratulate Bennett and to continue to strengthen ties between the two countries, The Jerusalem Post reported. On behalf of the American people, I congratulate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and all the members of the new Israeli cabinet, Biden said in a statement. Israel has no better friend than the United States. The bond that unites our people is evidence of our shared values and decades of close cooperation. Biden added, My administration is fully committed to working with the new Israeli government to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region. The Foreign Ministry of the United Arab Emirates also congratulated both Bennett and Lapid, saying, We look forward to working together to advance regional peace, strengthen tolerance and coexistence, and embark upon a new era of cooperation in technology, trade, and investment. Juneteenth is not only a celebration of African-American people being free in Texas, but it also serves as a day to give back. JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS: The Sugar Land 95 will be honored with a special celebration on Juneteenth Houston restaurant and nonprofit Lucille's 1913 is doing just that. Lucille's 1913 is joining forces with Emancipation Park on Juneteenth to provide 2,000 meals to the community. This event marks the second time the two organizations have worked together to provide meals for Houston. Back in December, the two worked together to provide 5,000 meals in the park. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer The community event will pay homage to a Juneteenth tradition in the African American community to feast on barbecue, watermelon and red soda. While some may assume these foods are linked to stereotypes in the Black community, traditional Juneteenth foods and drinks are red. The red fruit and drink are closely tied to the West African slave trade according to culinary historian and food writer Michael Twitty, the use of red dates back "to the enslaved Yoruba and Kongo brought to Texas in the 19th century." The Juneteenth celebration is made possible with donations from H-E-B, Coca-Cola, Reliant and the Houston Food Bank. TUNE IN: Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe releases Juneteenth anthem 'Passing Through' Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz will provide PPE items and water, and the Houston Food Bank will provide boxes of groceries. The event is open to the public, but registration will be required. You can find more information on the website. While most students returned to in-person classes last year, thousands remained in the online option across Texas. But as legislation that would provide state funding for virtual school failed to pass the state Legislature this year, districts that had been preparing for an online option are shifting course. Prior to the end of the legislative session, Conroe ISD was actively making plans for a virtual school for the 2021-2022 school year, Conroe ISD spokesperson Sarah Blakelock said. The Legislature did not pass a law approving funding for this instructional option, and plans for a virtual school in Conroe ISD have been put on hold. Updates will be shared as information becomes available. CISD had already named a principal for the online school and was actively looking for a new facility to host the online-only teachers and administration. The school board was set to consider school colors for a virtual academy at the June meeting. Now, all planning has stopped. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston-area districts' plans for virtual schools dashed after Dems' walkout killed funding bill Districts were allowed to operate virtual learning options this past year under special waivers from TEA due to the pandemic. New Caney ISD is preparing to have in-person instruction only next year, but hasnt completely ruled out virtual learning for the future. In-person instruction is critical for the academic success, as well as the social and emotional well-being, of the vast majority of students, Scott Powers, executive director of Public Relations for the district, said in a statement. Should a health, or other unforeseen, emergency circumstance arise that requires a remote learning option, the district could transition to temporary remote services as it did during the 2020-2021 school year. New Caney ISD may explore potential options for providing a virtual learning program in the future. Most Splendora ISD students prefer in-person instruction so virtual will not be offered. But like other area districts, Splendora is open to the possibility. We will continue to research, learn, and work on creating the capacity and right resources to possibly support a virtual learning academy in the future, said Deitra Johnson, director of communications for the district. On HoustonChronicle.com: Early Texas standardized test scores show big declines in math, steady reading rates in high school Willis ISD announced last month, before the bill died this session, that it would only be providing in-person instruction for the 2021-22 school year. We are committed to providing a safe and high-quality education for all students, Superintendent Tim Harkrider said in a release to the community in May. The safety standards put in place this year have allowed us to provide in-person learning all year. However, local and state data show us that remote learning does not provide the same results as quality in-person learning. Remote learning was always considered a crisis response and never a permanent educational solution. Because state funding was not approved this year, Magnolia ISD also will be in-person only next school year. jamie.swinnerton@chron.com LAS VEGAS (AP) Immigration advocates in Nevada marked the ninth anniversary Tuesday of the Obama-era program shielding young immigrants from deportation but urged Congress to pass permanent protections. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, allowed people brought illegally into the country as children to legally remain. The program brought thousands of young people without legal status out of the shadows, making it easier for them to apply for college and jobs. The program's protections are temporary though and advocates have been pushing Congress to pass a permanent path to legal status, especially with a court challenge to the program looming. Weve been waiting so long for this and some days its very, very easy to want to give up," said Astrid Silva, a Las Vegas immigrant rights activist who runs the nonprofit Dream Big Nevada that connects immigrants with support and legal help. Silva, who crossed the border from Mexico at age 4 with her parents, has become a public face of the Dreamers," a name based on the never-passed proposals in Congress called the DREAM Act that would provide similar protections as DACA. Silva's organization has helped put on clinics with the nonprofit Immigrant Home Foundation to help young immigrants apply for DACA. Cristhian Barrera with the Immigrant Home Foundation said the organization has helped more than 5,600 people apply for or renew their applications since DACA started in 2012. Though there is bipartisan support for allowing Dreamers to say in the country, opponents say the law rewards people for breaking the law, encourages illegal immigration and hurts American workers. President Joe Biden has called for Congress to pass the program. The U.S. House recently passed a bill that would give DACA recipients paths to obtain permanent legal status but the legislation has stalled on Capitol Hill as Republicans have worked to redirect the focus on problems at the border. Its long overdue for Congress to act now and stop using Dreamers as a political football, Las Vegas City Councilwoman Olivia Diaz said as she appeared with Silva on Tuesday. There are an estimated 13,000 Dreamers in Nevada who built their lives in the community and deserve to have a path to citizenship, Diaz said. Their future remains on the line and could be upended by a single court decision. They live in constant fear of their families being ripped apart, despite being contributing members of our society, she said. Former President Donald Trump sought to end the program, which hundreds of thousands of young immigrants currently benefit from, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the administration's attempt to end it was unlawful. A pending federal court case in Texas is challenging whether the program's creation was legal. If the challenge is successful, it could end protections, adding urgency to those pressing Congress for a more lasting solution. Silva said that there's a lot of fear with the decision looming, especially among those who apply for DACA and must share their personal information with the U.S. government. But she urged people to have hope and continue applying for the program because it's hard to predict how the court ruling will go. Weve lived entire past nine years in and out of courts and so basing our entire lives on court decisions at this point," she said. Its not something we want to keep doing and thats why we need to have the permanent solution of Congress acting on it. Ashley Pearces daughter was set to start kindergarten last year in Marylands Montgomery County school system. But when it became clear that the year would begin online, Pearce found a nearby Catholic school offering in-person instruction and made the switch. Now Pearce is grappling with a big question: Should her child return to the local public school? Shes hesitant to uproot her daughter after shes made friends, and Pearce worries that the district might go fully virtual again if theres an uptick in coronavirus cases. Its going to be fine if we stay where we are, and that stability for my family is probably the way were going to go. As many parents across the U.S. weigh the same concerns, school districts that lost enrollment during the pandemic are looking anxiously to the fall to see how many families stick with the education choices they made over the last year. In hopes of attracting students, many districts have launched new efforts to connect with families with young children, including blanketing communities with yard signs and enlisting bus drivers to call parents. There are early signs that enrollment may not fully rebound, and the stakes are high. If enrollment does not recover, public schools that lose students eventually could see funding cuts, though pandemic relief money is boosting budgets for now. Sustained drops in enrollment could also shift the demographics of Americas public schools. A first-of-its-kind analysis by Chalkbeat and The Associated Press found that enrollment declines varied by student race and ethnicity. Enrollment in preschool to 12th grade dropped by 2.6% across 41 states last fall, and the decline was steepest among white students, whose enrollment fell more than 4%. White families decisions seemed especially swayed by whether their childs public school offered in-person learning. States where more students were learning fully virtually tended to see larger declines among white students, the Chalkbeat/AP analysis found. Meanwhile, the nation's Hispanic student population saw the biggest shift from pre-pandemic trends, with enrollment dipping 1.5% last fall a significant change, given that Hispanic students had been the countrys fastest-growing student group. That could be tied to some of the disruptions Hispanic families experienced during the pandemic, including higher rates of job losses and higher rates of death and hospitalization from COVID-19. The data underscores the complicated task ahead for schools trying to reconnect with families who left public schools for different reasons and ended up at a wide range of alternatives. Districts might have this kind of different strokes for different folks policy, said Richard Welsh, an associate professor at New York University whos studied student mobility. Were open for business and were committed to in-person learning could be more targeted to white families. On the flip side, Welsh said, when you have districts that are giving tours about their safety protocols, those might be targeted more to their Black and Latinx families whose communities were hit harder by the pandemic. One such effort is underway in San Antonio, where the mostly Latino school district saw enrollment drop just over 5%. Officials there project that enrollment will rise this fall but not to pre-pandemic levels. To build trust with families worried about in-person learning, district officials have been hosting town halls where families can ask experts questions about COVID-19 vaccines. The district will also continue to offer a fully virtual schooling option. School officials are working to connect with every family who left or did not enroll their child in preschool or kindergarten, whether by phone or with a home visit, Superintendent Pedro Martinez said. The district has even tasked bus drivers with calling families between routes to encourage them to register their children. And while Martinez is focused on the early grades, where enrollment dipped the most, he has his eye on older students too. Nearly every student in the district is from a low-income family, and many got jobs to help their families weather the pandemic. He's concerned that so many teens continued learning remotely all spring so they could continue to work, though he understands the financial pressure. Its so easy for a 16- or 17-year-old to prioritize work over school, he said. Certain pandemic schooling options, like putting young children in child care instead of kindergarten, will likely fall by the wayside. But some families may stick with private schools, especially if, like Pearce, they see them as a way to avoid uncertainty. It remains unclear exactly how many students those schools absorbed. In some states that track it, like Delaware and New Hampshire, private school enrollment grew 5% or more this year, according to data obtained by Chalkbeat and the AP. But in several others, including New York, Louisiana, Indiana and Colorado, private school enrollment fell by 3% or more, indicating families didnt switch en masse. Notably, it wasn't just the wealthy who left public schools. There were significant enrollment declines among students from low-income families and more affluent ones in the 35 states that provided data. Other families might continue to home-school their children a practice that shot up in the few states that tracked it. In New York and Virginia, for example, home schooling grew by more than 50% this year, though it remained a relatively rare choice. Regardless, districts are now ramping up their recruitment efforts, hoping to build on the small upticks they saw over the last few months as in-person learning became more widely available. In Spokane, Washington, enrollment fell by nearly 7% last fall, with the steepest declines among Asian, Black and white students. District officials have been reaching out to families via text messages and mailers and through community groups. Theyve been emphasizing the districts plan to shrink class sizes this fall, which they see as a selling point for families who want more individual attention for their children and for those with lingering fears about the coronavirus. The district assures families that it will offer both full-time in-person instruction and a virtual option. We want to create as much predictability, and try to mitigate a sense of unknown and fear, to the greatest extent possible, Superintendent Adam Swinyard said, and just let our families know that were ready and eager to be back. Researchers who track student demographics are also watching closely to see who returns. By the fall, it will be clearer if the enrollment shifts carry longer-term implications. Some districts already expect the pandemic to have a lasting effect. In Denver, officials estimate that enrollment will drop by 6% in the coming years a rate nearly double what was predicted before the pandemic. Declining birth rates and rising housing prices that drive families away are big factors, but officials believe the pandemic exacerbated those losses, especially in the youngest grades. Kindergarten applications are down considerably for the upcoming school year. The district's planning director, Sara Walsh, said the total decline could be pretty significant." But she hasn't given up on a turnaround: "I am hoping that maybe all of a sudden tons of kids show up. ___ Melanie Asmar and Samuel Park of Chalkbeat contributed to this report. Christopher Millette/AP HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge suffered a stroke Wednesday at his home in suburban Washington, D.C., a longtime aide to the former Pennsylvania governor said. Ridge was taken by ambulance from the home in Bethesda, Maryland, to a hospital for treatment, Ridge spokesman Steve Aaron said. Ridge was conscious upon arrival at the hospital and underwent a procedure that removed a blood clot, Aaron said. CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Australias highest court on Wednesday rejected a challenge to foreign interference laws in a case that involved a U.S. conservative political organization and free speech arguments. China has condemned the laws introduced in 2018 that are widely seen as a means of preventing covert Chinese interference in Australian politics, universities and other institutions. People working on behalf of a foreign powers have to be publicly registered with the Attorney-Generals Department in the interests of transparency. But LibertyWorks Inc., an Australian libertarian think tank, objected to having to register while working on communications for the American Conservative Union ahead of conferences held in Australia. LibertyWorks promotes the American group's annual political conferences. LibertyWorks argued the so-called Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act was not valid because it burdened the implied right to free speech in Australia. LibertyWorks said the registration process was onerous and therefore deterred political communication. But six of the seven High Court judges found the law was valid and any burden was justified. Even when the purpose of the foreign interference is not to damage or destabilize Australia, if left undisclosed it can impede the ability of decision-makers in Australia, Justices Susan Kiefel, Patrick Keane and Jacqueline Gleeson wrote. Attorney-General Michaelia Cash welcomed the ruling. Foreign influence activities, when conducted in an open and transparent manner, can contribute positively to public debate and are welcome in Australia, her office said in a statement. The scheme is not there to prohibit people or entities from undertaking these activities. Rather, it acknowledges that it is in the public interest that these arrangements are transparent, the statement added. LibertyWorks president Andrew Cooper could not be immediately contacted for comment. The case was the first challenge to Australias Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme. John Shi Sheng Zhang, a Chinese-born political adviser to a state government lawmaker, last month lost his High Court challenge to charges under the foreign interference laws. He remains under police investigation. The leader of a Chinese community organization in November become the first person to be charged under Australias foreign interference laws. Di Sanh Duong, 65, who lives in the Australian city of Melbourne, has a relationship with a foreign intelligence agency, police said. ST. LOUIS (AP) Two of the largest employers in the St. Louis area have announced they will require employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by fall. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that BJC HealthCare and Washington University both announced the vaccination requirements on Tuesday. The announcement comes at a time when demand for vaccines is waning in Missouri, a state that already lags behind the national average in COVID-19 immunization rate. MT. JULIET, Tenn. (AP) The death of a man in police custody in Tennessee is under investigation, officials said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said special agents are investigating the death of a man in Mt. Juliet on Monday at the request of a prosecutor. The man's name was not provided. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Gov. John Bel Edwards has agreed to turn off federal pandemic unemployment payments at the end of July in exchange for a long-term, modest boost to Louisiana's jobless benefits, announcing Wednesday that he's signed a bill that makes the trade. Republican state lawmakers and business organizations agreed to support a $28 increase in Louisiana's maximum weekly unemployment benefits increasing the payment to a maximum of $275 a week starting in January. But they added a provision into the legislation that only allowed the benefit hike to take effect if the Democratic governor ended the $300 supplemental federal pandemic unemployment benefit by July 31, weeks earlier than required. Edwards took the deal. He issued the notification in a long list of bill signings released by his office Wednesday, with no comment on his decision. With his signature on the legislation, Edwards becomes one of the first Democratic governors to announce hell end the pandemic relief aid weeks ahead of its expiration. After the legislative session wrapped up Thursday, the governor said he already had been weighing shutting down the extra federal benefits in August, ahead of the Sept. 6 federal expiration date. The 31st of July doesn't seem like a bad compromise, he said last week. Edwards said he was trying to find a reasonable balance between helping the jobless and assisting businesses that say they're having trouble finding people to fill their employee ranks. More than half of states, nearly all led by Republicans, already have announced they were turning off the federal benefits early. Louisiana's Democratic lawmakers were split on the tradeoff, which was inserted into a bill sponsored by Rep. Chad Brown, a Plaquemine Democrat, in the final hours of the legislative session. I just cant believe youre doing this, turning down federal unemployment for people who have had the hardest year of their life, Rep. Mandie Landry, a Democrat from New Orleans, said during the House debate on the measure. Brown said he had heartburn about the tradeoff, but he said that a permanent increase going forward is desperately needed. The House passed the measure with a 74-27 vote, while the Senate agreed in a 32-5 vote. Republicans and business lobbying groups had urged Edwards to sign the bill. During his end-of-session news conference, Edwards said he expected more people would be able to go back to work in August when schools open, without worrying about the expense of childcare. He suggested the long-term increase to unemployment benefits was an important goal because Louisiana has had one of the lowest weekly jobless payments in the country. Everythings a tradeoff. Reasonable people can disagree about exactly where you draw the line, he said. ___ The bill is filed as House Bill 183. ___ Follow Melinda Deslatte on Twitter at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte. LONDON (AP) The former top aide to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ramped up his criticism of the governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday, releasing what appeared to be private message exchanges in which Johnson branded his health minister hopeless. Dominic Cummings, who was Johnsons most senior adviser until late last year, published screenshots of WhatsApp exchanges, apparently with Johnson, discussing problems securing protective equipment and increasing coronavirus testing in March 2020. In one message, Johnson said Health Secretary Matt Hancock was totally (expletive) hopeless. Johnsons office would neither confirm nor deny that the messages were genuine. One of the architects of the successful campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, Cummings was appointed a top adviser when Johnson became prime minister in 2019. He left his job in November after a power struggle inside the prime ministers office. Now a fierce critic of his previous employer, he claims people died needlessly because of the government's slow and chaotic response to the coronavirus. Cummings has excoriated the government on social media and in last month testimony to Parliament, where he said Hancock should have been fired for a series of alleged lies and a litany of errors during the pandemic. 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 because of delays in ordering a succession of lockdowns. Britain has recorded almost 128,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest total in Europe. In a blog post on Wednesday, Cummings accused the government of lying about its failures and seeking to rewrite history. Hancock has strongly denied Cummings' allegations that he mishandled the outbreak and lied about whether patients were being sent from hospitals to nursing homes without being tested. Johnsons spokesman, Max Blain, declined to comment directly on the leaked messages. Im not going to be drawn on these sorts of claims, he said. He and said the prime minister had full confidence in Hancock and noted that the government has committed to hold a public inquiry into Britains handling of the pandemic next year. LEONIA, N.J. (AP) An investigation into a reported kidnapping in Philadelphia led authorities to a home in northern New Jersey where federal agents shot and killed a suspect early Wednesday, officials said. The shooting in Leonia, a town near the George Washington Bridge connecting New Jersey and New York, occurred around 6 a.m. An FBI spokesperson confirmed the incident but did not immediately give further details on the shooting or the kidnapping. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis castigated the Biden administration for what he called a disaster and an emergency at the nation's border with Mexico and said Wednesday that he would send law enforcement to Texas and Arizona, whose Republican governors have appealed to other states for help. DeSantis became the first governor to heed the call from his fellow Republicans, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to send law officers to the border to help with interdiction efforts to capture those entering the country illegally -- including those working for cartels trafficking illicit drugs to all corners of the country. We have problems in Florida that are not organic to Florida, that weve been forced to deal with over many years but particularly over the last six months, because of the failure of the Biden administration to secure our southern border and indeed to really do anything constructive about what is going on in the southern border," DeSantis said during a news conference in the state's Panhandle. Last week, Abbott and Ducey issued a letter seeking help from their fellow governors, claiming that the administration of President Joe Biden has proven unwilling or unable to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. Border states like Texas and Arizona are ground zero for this crisis and bear a disproportionate share of those burdens," their letter said, adding that "additional manpower is needed from any state that can spare it. A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the agency would continue to leverage our longstanding relationships with state and local enforcement," but deferred to state officials to speak to any steps they are taking to increase an enforcement posture. Republicans have long made border security an issue and had eagerly supported Trump's program to build walls along the nearly 2000-mile (3,220-kilometer) border between the United States and Mexico. The Biden administration has since suspended the project. Im proud to announce today that the state of Florida is answering the call. Florida has your back, DeSantis said. But the Florida governor was scant on details, including when the personnel will head to the border or how many. He said law officers would be sent as part of preexisting mutual aid agreements with other states, which are usually activated in times of emergencies. DeSantis vowed to send personnel from the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Sheriffs offices in at least nine Florida counties also are adding to the states contingent of law officers. He also mentioned other support, but his office could not immediately provide details. Last Friday, Abbott announced he would build new barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border and launch an aggressive campaign to arrest migrants. Both Abbott and DeSantis are up for reelection next year and have not ruled out running for the White House in 2024. Abbott has made immigration a key focus since Biden took office. A few weeks ago, he issued an order that would pull state licenses from more than 50 shelters that house about 4,000 migrant children. The Biden administration has threatened to sue. Trump announced Tuesday he would visit the border later this month at Abbott's invitation. Legal experts say the U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that the power to enforce immigration law is in the hands of the federal government. Large numbers of migrants have been showing up at the border, many turning themselves over to U.S. Border Patrol agents in hopes of staying to fight asylum cases. But the numbers of families and children traveling without their parents crossing into the U.S. have dropped sharply since March and April while the encounters with single adults have remained high. Overall, there were 180,034 encounters on the Mexican border in May compared with 178,854 a month earlier. Although the numbers are historically high, they are not comparable to previous years because speedy expulsions under pandemic-related powers have translated into people making repeated attempts at crossing. Americas border security crisis impacts every state and every American, DeSantis said in a statement after his press conference. The Biden Administration ended policies implemented by President Trump that were curbing illegal immigration, securing our border, and keeping Americans safe. The governor was flanked by law enforcement personnel across the state and he was joined by the state's attorney general, Ashley Moody, who sued the Biden administration earlier this year after the White House began undoing Trump border policies. Moody asserted that Biden's policies would endanger Floridians by allowing criminals to enter the country. The U.S. Army has hidden or downplayed the extent to which its firearms disappear, significantly understating losses and thefts even as some weapons are used in street crimes. The Armys pattern of secrecy and suppression dates back nearly a decade, when The Associated Press began investigating weapons accountability within the military. Officials fought the release of information for years, then offered misleading answers that contradict internal records. Military guns arent just disappearing. Stolen guns have been used in shootings, brandished to rob and threaten people and recovered in the hands of felons. Thieves sold assault rifles to a street gang. Army officials cited information that suggests only a couple of hundred firearms vanished during the 2010s. Internal Army memos that AP obtained show losses many times higher. Efforts to suppress information date to 2012, when AP filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records from a registry where all four armed services are supposed to report firearms loss or theft. The former Army insider who oversaw this registry described how he pulled an accounting of the Armys lost or stolen weapons, but learned later that his superiors blocked its release. As AP continued to press for information, including through legal challenges, the Army produced a list of missing weapons that was so clearly incomplete officials later disavowed it. They then produced a second set of records that also did not give a full count. Secrecy surrounding a sensitive topic extends beyond the Army. The Air Force wouldnt provide data on missing weapons, saying answers would have to await a federal records request AP filed 1.5 years ago. The broader Department of Defense also has not released reports of weapons losses that it receives from the armed services. It would only provide approximate totals for two years of AP's 2010 through 2019 study period. The Pentagon stopped regularly sharing information about missing weapons with Congress years ago, apparently in the 1990s. Defense Department officials said they would still notify lawmakers if a theft or loss meets the definition of being significant, but no such notification has been made since at least 2017. On Tuesday, when AP first published its investigation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., demanded during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that the Pentagon resurrect regular reporting. In a written statement to AP, the Pentagon said it looks forward to continuing to work with Congress to ensure appropriate oversight. Blumenthal also challenged Army Secretary Christine Wormuth on her branchs release of information. Id be happy to look into how weve handled this issue, Wormuth replied. She described herself as open to a new reporting requirement and said the number of military firearms obtained by civilians is likely small. Poor record-keeping in the militarys vast inventory systems means lost or stolen guns can be listed on property records as safe. Security breakdowns were evident all the way down to individual units, which have destroyed records, falsified inventory checks and ignored procedures. Brig. Gen. Duane Miller, the No. 2 law enforcement official in the Army, said that when a weapon does vanish the case is thoroughly investigated. He pointed out that weapons cases are a small fraction of the more than 10,000 felony cases Army investigators open each year. I absolutely believe that the procedures we had in place absolutely mitigated any weapon from getting lost or stolen, Miller said of his own experience as a commander. But does it happen? It sure does. ___ The Associated Press began investigating the loss and theft of military firearms by asking a simple question in 2011: How many guns are unaccounted for across the Army, Marines Corps, Navy and Air Force? AP was told the answer could be found in the Department of Defense Small Arms and Light Weapons Registry. That centralized database, which the Army oversees, tracks the life cycle of rifles, pistols, shotguns, machine guns and more -- from supply depots to unit armories, through deployments, until the weapon is destroyed or sold. Getting data from the registry, however, would require a formal Freedom of Information Act request. That request, filed in 2012, came to Charles Royal, then the longtime Army civilian employee who was in charge of the registry at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Royal was accustomed to inquiries. Military and civilian law enforcement agencies would call him thousands of times each year, often because they were looking for a military weapon or had recovered one. In response to APs request, Royal pulled and double-checked data on missing weapons. Royal then showed the results to his boss, the deputy commander of his department. After he got it, he said, We cant be letting this out like this, said Royal, who retired in 2014, in an interview last year. His boss didnt say exactly why, but Royal said the release he prepared on weapons loss was heavily scrutinized within the Army. The numbers that we were going to give was going to kind of freak everybody out to a certain extent, Royal said -- not just because they were firearms, but also because the military requires strict supervision of them. AP was unable to reach Royals supervisor and an Army spokesman had no comment on the handling of the FOIA request. In 2013, the Army said it would not release any records. The AP appealed that decision and, nearly four years later, Army lawyers agreed that registry records should be public. It wasnt until 2019 that the Army released a small batch of data. The records from the registry showed 288 firearms over six years. Though years in the making, the response was clearly incomplete. Standing in the stacks at the public library in Decatur, Alabama, last fall, Royal reviewed the seven printed pages of records that Army eventually provided AP. This is worthless, he said. Told that in multiple years, the Army reported just a single missing weapon, Royal was skeptical. Out of the millions that they handled, thats wrong, he said in a later interview. AP has appealed the FOIA release for a second time. The data werent even accurate when compared to Army criminal investigation records. Using the unique serial numbers assigned to every weapon, AP identified 19 missing firearms that were not in the registry data. This included a M240B machine gun that an Army National Guard unit reported missing in Wyoming in 2014. The Army could not explain the discrepancy. Reporters also filed another records act request for criminal cases opened by Army investigators. In response, Armys Criminal Investigation Command produced summaries of closed investigations into missing or stolen weapons, weapons parts, explosives or ammunition. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Brandon Kelley said that the records were the Armys most accurate list of physical losses. Yet again, the total from the records provided -- 230 missing rifles or handguns during the 2010s -- was a clear undercount. The records did not reflect several major closed cases and excluded open cases, which typically take years to finish. That meant any weapons investigators are actively trying to track down were not part of the total. Armys first two answers -- 288 and 230 -- are contradicted by an internal analysis, one that officials initially denied they had done. Asked in an interview whether the Army analyzes trends of missing weapons, Miller said no -- there were breakdowns of murders, rapes and property crimes, but not weapons loss or theft. I dont spend a lot of time tracking this data, Miller said. In fact, in 2019 and 2020, the Army distributed memos describing military weapons loss as having the highest importance. The numbers of missing arms and arms components remain the same or increased over the seven years covered by the memos, called ALARACTs. A trend analysis in the document cited theft and neglect as the most common factors. The memos counted 1,303 missing rifles and handguns from 2013-2019. During the same seven years, the investigative records the Army said were authoritative showed 62 lost or stolen rifles or handguns. Army officials said that some number they couldnt specify were recovered among the 1,303. The data, which could include some combat losses and may include some duplications, came from criminal investigations and incident reports. The internal memos are not an authoritative document, and were not closely checked with public release in mind, Army spokesman Kelley said. Members of Millers physical security division were tracking the data, though Miller said he wasnt personally aware of the memos until AP brought them to his attention. He said that that if he were, he would have shared them. When one weapon is lost, Im concerned. When 100 weapons are lost, Im concerned. When 500 are lost, Im concerned, Miller said in a second interview. Each armed service is supposed to inform the Office of the Secretary of Defense of losses or thefts. That office also has not released data to AP, but spokesman John Kirby gave approximate numbers of missing weapons for the past few years. The numbers were lower than APs totals. There is no effort to conceal, Kirby said. There is no effort to obstruct. ___ Hall reported from Nashville, Tennessee; LaPorta reported from Boca Raton, Florida; Pritchard reported from Los Angeles. Also contributing were Lolita Baldor and Dan Huff in Washington; Brian Barrett in New York; and Justin Myers in Chicago. __ Contact Hall at https://twitter.com/kmhall; contact LaPorta at https://twitter.com/jimlaporta; contact Pritchard at https://twitter.com/JPritchardAP __ Email APs Global Investigations Team at investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/. See other work at https://www.apnews.com/hub/ap-investigations. MONTREAL (AP) Two activist groups on Wednesday called for Canada's government to prosecute a man believed to be living in Canada who they say was involved in the massacre of more than 200 people in Guatemala in 1982. The Canadian government has been attempting to strip former Guatemalan soldier Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes of Canadian citizenship since 2017 on the grounds that he was an active participant in the massacre and lied about his role when he applied for citizenship. In documents filed in federal court, Sosa Orantes has said he was not even in the village of Las Dos Erres when the killings took place. Lawyers Without Borders Canada and the Canadian Partnership for International Justice said at a news conference that Canada shouldnt become a retirement destination for alleged war criminals and that he should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity and war crimes. In 2014, Sosa Orantes was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the United States for lying about his role in the Guatemalan civil war in his U.S. citizenship application. U.S. court records show he was released from prison in July 2019 but remained detained by immigration authorities until late 2020, and the groups say they were informed by an American nongovernmental organization that he has since been deported to Canada. The Canadian government has said in court filings it believes Sosa Orantes was a senior member of a military special forces unit and directed other soldiers as they tortured, raped and killed villagers. It also alleges he threw a grenade and fired a gun into a well where victims, some still alive, had been thrown. U.S. prosecutors have said Sosa was a member of a special forces patrol that went to Dos Erres in December 1982 to search for weapons believed stolen by guerrillas. The weapons were never found and prosecutors say the patrol decided to kill the villagers after some of the soldiers began raping the women. More than two decades later, Sosa failed to mention his military service or role in the massacre on his application to become an American citizen even though the paperwork inquired about affiliations and past crimes, prosecutors said. Sosa left Guatemala in 1985 and sought asylum in the United States, claiming he was fleeing Guatemalan guerrillas. After being denied asylum in the U.S., he visited the Canadian consulate in San Francisco to seek haven in Canada. He was granted refugee status, eventually becoming a permanent resident and citizen of Canada. He later married an American and applied for naturalization in the U.S. in 2007. CARLIN, Nev. (AP) A Department of Transportation worker was wounded and his suspected assailant died after a highway patrol chase and shootout with law enforcement officers on a remote stretch of highway in northeastern Nevada, authorities said Wednesday. The road paving crew member was shot about 10 a.m. in a State Route 278 construction zone south of the mining town of Carlin, and a trooper chased the suspect in a white Dodge Ram cargo van south toward Eureka, Highway Patrol Sgt. Matthew McLaughlin said. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Brendan Szendro, Binghamton University, State University of New York (THE CONVERSATION) Renewed fighting has erupted again between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, endangering a ceasefire instituted after an 11-day war in May. The conflict in Gaza is an early test of Israels new coalition government. Recently, parties across the political spectrum united to remove Israels scandal-plagued prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power, ending a two-year political crisis though he may maneuver his way back into power. While conducting dissertation research on the relationship between religion and state in Israel, I traced Israels chronic instability to what I believe is its core: Unlike most countries, Israel does not have a constitution. Why constitutions matter Constitutions constrain the power of governments by defining in precise terms who has what rights, what rights form the basis of legal decisions and how political power is dispersed among institutions. Israel is governed by a changeable, ever-growing body of what are called basic laws Chukei Ha-Yesod in Hebrew. The basic laws were passed individually over the past 73 years, beginning with one two-page law that described the makeup of Israels legislature, the Knesset, and citizens voting rights. Today, Israel is governed by a 124-page collection of 13 laws. Although the basic laws outline a vision of democratic rights, they remain, to paraphrase the late legal scholar Ruth Gavison, unanchored. This allows Israel to maintain an ambiguous stance on key issues central to a nations identity. First, Israel has never officially defined the relationship between religion and state. Is Israel founded on the Jewish religion? Or is it a secular state that is home to Jews, with non-Jewish minorities? That question remains unanswered. Nor has the country fully determined whether Arab Israelis and other non-Jewish citizens who make up about a quarter of its 9 million people enjoy the same rights as their Jewish counterparts. Israel also waffles on the relative power of the legislature and judiciary. The Israeli Supreme Court has used this constitutional ambiguity to retroactively subject new legislation to judicial review. Meanwhile, legislators in the Knesset have tried to weaken the courts authority over their lawmaking. Incoming Prime Minister Naftali Bennetts Yamina party, for example, has previously attempted to pass legislation allowing the Knesset to override judicial decisions. Even Israels official borders arent defined. Israel maintains it has sovereignty over the West Bank territory, but officially the West Bank is not part of Israel. So Palestinians living in the West Bank do not have rights under Israeli law, because they are not Israeli citizens. Palestinians there live under Israeli military rule, subject to military law that is unconstrained by any constitutional bounds, alongside Israeli settlers who are subject to Israeli law. This ambiguity led Yuli Tamir, an Israeli politician and academic, to quip, Is Israel even an actual country? A young democracy Israel is not the only parliamentary democracy without a formal constitution. The United Kingdom doesnt have one either. But the United Kingdom has a large body of laws accumulated over centuries of political conflict. This well-established common-law tradition, which served as one of the sources for the United States own Constitution, is the legal basis of governance in the U.K. Israel, founded in 1948, does not have such a history to fall back on. And many of its problems are common to relatively young democracies. Weak, fractured party systems and competition between ethnic and religious groups are hallmarks of the democratization process. The early U.S., for example, grappled with many such problems, too. But rule of law generally prevails in the U.S., and democracy progresses, because both the courts and legislators defer to a central document: the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution outlines the powers of each branch of government, as well as procedures for amendment. The U.S. Bill of Rights the first 10 amendments guarantees specific rights of citizens. Lets go logrolling The Netanyahu government attempted to settle some long-running disagreements about Israels identity during his most recent term in office though not necessarily with an eye toward strengthening liberal democracy. In 2018, the Knesset passed a basic law naming Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people. This effort to settle a central identity question pleased almost nobody. Left-wing and Arab Israelis objected to the tacit downgrading of Arabs to second-class status, while religious Jewish groups found the law too secular. Divisive political gambles like this became commonplace in the late stages of Netanyahus rule. As coalition politics became increasingly fragile, Netanyahu spiraled into what political scientists call logrolling: using policy trade-offs among parties in exchange for political support. This was especially the case in regard to religion, as Netanyahu bartered policies appeasing the Orthodox Jewish groups that kept him in power. In 2018, for example, Netanyahus coalition passed new legislation enforcing previously symbolic laws such as restrictions on businesses operating on the sabbath. It was a punishing move for cities like Tel Aviv with large secular populations. Similarly, Netanyahus policy of encouraging Jewish settlers to move to the West Bank and other occupied Palestinian territories and build cities was more political strategy than religious fervor. His aggressive support for Jewish nationalism increasingly alienated Israels Arab population, who have few legal avenues to challenge their treatment. [Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.] Minorities are mistreated and even subjugated in countries that have constitutions, too. But constitutions give them legal pathways to challenge that discrimination. The Netanyahu era showed that strategic politicians can exploit Israels constitutional vacuum to maintain power well beyond their popular mandate. These destabilizing issues will continue to fester as a new government takes the reins in Israel. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/how-israels-missing-constitution-deepens-divisions-between-jews-and-with-arabs-162200. IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) A 20-year-old college student charged with killing his parents and younger sister in their family home in Iowa told police that a masked intruder was to blame for the shooting deaths, according to a criminal complaint released Wednesday. Alex Jackson called 911 on Tuesday morning to report that he and his dad had been shot by a male intruder at their Cedar Rapids home, the complaint says. Officers who responded found 61-year-old Jan Jackson, 68-year-old Melissa Jackson and 19-year-old Sabrina Jackson dead from gunshot wounds in different rooms of the home. They found Alex Jackson suffering from a gunshot wound to his foot, and recovered a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle that is believed to have been the firearm used in the shootings. Alex Jackson told police that he woke up to the sound of gunfire and was shot during a struggle with a masked man over the rifle, which he claimed he and his father had left on the fireplace after cleaning it the previous night, the complaint says. Investigators found no sign of forced entry or burglary at the home, according to the complaint signed by Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden. Alex Jackson denied shooting his family members but admitted that his father had recently told him he needed to find a job or move out of the home, the complaint says. Jackson was treated for his wounded foot at a hospital before he was booked on three counts of first-degree murder late Tuesday at the Linn County jail. He made a brief initial court appearance Wednesday morning and was ordered jailed on a $3 million bond. A public defender representing him, Lindsay Garner, said he would plead not guilty after a formal charging document is filed. The case marks the first known triple homicide in Cedar Rapids since 1982 and only the second since at least 1959, according to Cedar Rapids Police Department spokesman Greg Buelow, who searched the agencys archives Wednesday. The audio of Jacksons 911 call cannot be released because it contains information of material importance to our investigation, Buelow said. The slayings shocked acquaintances of the Jackson family, who had lived in the home on Oak Leaf Court in a quiet suburban neighborhood for a decade. Friends planned a candlelight vigil to remember Sabrina and her parents for Wednesday evening at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, where she and her brother attended. Alex and Sabrina Jackson were students at the University of Iowa studying in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, according to the school's online directory. The university is located in Iowa City, about 35 miles south of their home. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by this tragic situation, said university spokeswoman Anne Bassett, who said counseling and other services were available for students and employees. Alex Jackson graduated from Kennedy High in 2019, a year before his sister graduated, according to a spokeswoman for the Cedar Rapids school district. He played the flute and his sister played the oboe in the school's symphony band in 2019. Sabrina Jackson introduced then-presidential candidate Andrew Yang when he visited Cedar Rapids to discuss global warming in December 2019, according to news reports. Alex Jackson became an Eagle Scout in 2017 after working with the Save Cedar Rapids Heritage organization on a project to fix up a historic home. He spent hours painting the walls and ceiling of the home, originally built in the late 1800s, so that low-income families could move in, according to Boy Scouts of America Troop 766. Alex Jackson had no prior criminal record in Iowa, not an even a speeding ticket, according to a search of the states online court database. His parents and sister also had no record of legal troubles in Iowa. Before moving to Cedar Rapids in 2011, the family had previously lived in Oregon. Alex Jackson was on suicide watch Wednesday in accordance with the jails practice for new inmates charged with crimes that could lead to life imprisonment, Sheriff Brian Gardner said. If convicted of first-degree murder, he would not be eligible for parole. __ AP news researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report. JERUSALEM (AP) The Israeli military says it is reining in a controversial practice of conducting late-night raids of Palestinian homes in the West Bank aimed at gathering information about the houses and their inhabitants. The military has in the past defended the practice, known as intelligence mapping, as a necessary measure to counter militant groups. But human rights groups say the policy served only to intimidate civilians. Under the practice, soldiers would rouse families in the middle of the night to document the dimensions and inhabitants of homes in the occupied territory. Rights groups said the raids, conducted in homes where no one was suspected of illegal activities, served no strategic purpose and caused deep psychological trauma. The change in policy came half a year after Yesh Din, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, and Breaking the Silence, three Israeli activist groups, published a report on what they described as arbitrary invasions of private Palestinian homes. They said the practice effectively serves as a means to oppress and intimidate the Palestinian population and increase control over it. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war. While the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority administers autonomous zones within the territory, Israel retains overall control and frequently conducts military raids even in Palestinian-controlled areas. Today, almost 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, according to official Palestinian figures, alongside nearly half a million Israeli settlers. The Palestinians seek the entire West Bank as the heartland of an independent state, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Israel says the West Bank is disputed territory whose fate should be resolved through negotiations. Most of the international community considers the West Bank occupied territory and Israeli settlements to be illegal and obstacles to peace. In a letter to Yesh Din on Tuesday, the army said its raids were not random operations" and were "intended for an operational-intelligence purpose. It said there were strict guidelines for such operations in order to minimize the damage and disturbance to the residents quality of life. Nonetheless, it said the raids would be halted except in exceptional circumstances. The Israeli military confirmed the decision, saying any future cases would be carried out only under the command of high ranking officials. Yesh Din executive director Lior Amihai called the military's decision very significant. Home invasions are inherent to the apartheid regime in place in the West Bank and we will continue to expose and challenge this and other practices until human rights are respected for all, he said. Breaking the Silence Executive Director Avner Gvaryahu said that it was an important outcome of the groups' report, but fundamentally this is not going to bring an end to the occupation or (end) harm to Palestinians. The announcement came less than a month after widespread unrest in the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and within Israeli cities during Mays 11-day war between the Israeli military and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The conflict erupted after Hamas launched rockets at Israeli cities following weeks of mounting tensions and violent clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in the contested city of Jerusalem. WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas teenager who shot and killed his mother in 2018 pleaded no contest Wednesday to lesser charges in her death. A teen, who was not charged as an adult, was originally charged with second-degree murder in the death of Lisa Trimmell, 41, on June 20, 2018 at a home near Andover. He pleaded no contest Wednesday to aggravated battery and criminal use of a weapon. JONESBORO, Ga. (AP) The family of a mentally disabled man is suing a Georgia behavioral health system, saying its employees forced him onto a bus to Atlanta where he wandered the streets and suffered from hypothermia. The lawsuit was filed this week against Riverwoods Behavioral Health in Clayton County and the company that operates it. Mario Scott went to a hospital in Jackson, Georgia, in January to have his medication refilled, and a doctor filled out paperwork that had him sent to Riverwoods, according to the lawsuit. Staff members asked sheriffs deputies to try and locate Scotts mother, who cared for him, but she wasn't home because she was hospitalized for COVID-19 at the time, the lawsuit states. Workers at the center then forced him onto a bus bound for Atlanta, which dropped him off at a homeless shelter in the city. But Scott never checked into the shelter, and was instead wandering the streets and was suffering from hypothermia, the family's lawyers, Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys, said in a statement. We were heartbroken because we couldnt find him for days, Scotts sister-in-law, Tawanda Scott, told WXIA-TV. A missing person report was filed, and Scott was eventually reunited with his mother after someone recognized him from news reports that he was missing. Riverwoods did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on Wednesday. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) A New Jersey man accused of killing four people in two states was charged Tuesday with the death of an Albuquerque man whose decomposed remains were found along with those of the suspect's ex-wife and two of her friends in a pickup truck that was left at an airport parking garage. Following a months-long investigation, Albuquerque police announced that Sean Lannon has been charged with an open count of murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Randall Todd Apostalon, 60. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A St. Paul man accused of speeding up and driving into a group of protesters in Minneapolis while he was drunk, killing one person, was charged Wednesday with intentional second-degree murder. Prosecutors say Nicholas Kraus, 35, was visibly intoxicated Sunday night when he sped up and tried to jump a car that was being used as a barricade by protesters in the citys Uptown neighborhood. Thirty-one-year-old Deona Knajdek, also known as Deona Erickson, was killed. Theres nothing in the criminal complaint to suggest Kraus actions were motivated by political views or anger at protesters. The murder count alleges Kraus intended to cause death, but his actions were not premeditated. Hes also charged with two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, for injuring two other protesters. According to the criminal complaint, Kraus told officers he saw the car and believed he needed to get over it. He said he saw people in the area, but he accelerated in order to try and jump the barricade and acknowledged that he did not attempt to brake, the complaint says. It also says he admitted that he thought he might have hit someone. Kraus will make his first court appearance Thursday and it wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney to comment on his behalf. He's being held at the Hennepin County jail, which does not take messages for people in custody. Protests have been ongoing in Uptown since members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force fatally shot Winston Boogie Smith Jr., a 32-year-old Black man and father of three, on June 3. Authorities said they were trying to arrest Smith on a warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm when he displayed a handgun from inside a parked SUV. Authorities also say evidence shows Smith fired his gun from inside the SUV, but a female passenger has said she never saw him with a gun. Minneapolis has been on edge since the death of George Floyd, who died last year after an officer used his knee to pin Floyd's neck to the ground, and the fatal police shooting of another Black man, Daunte Wright, in a nearby suburb. On Tuesday, city crews began clearing and reopening streets near the site of Smiths shooting and Knajdeks death, but after police left, protesters moved back in and blocked traffic. Police say 30 people were arrested Tuesday night, with most receiving misdemeanor citations. The street was open to traffic Wednesday afternoon. Though obstructions to traffic were removed, a memorial featuring messages in chalk and flowers left by mourners remained intact. The Minnesota National Guard tweeted that at the request of the city it was prepared to send about 100 soldiers to Minneapolis in the event of unrest. Witnesses have said Kraus was driving an SUV when he struck a parked car, sending it into the crowd of demonstrators. Police said protesters pulled Kraus from his vehicle and witnesses reported demonstrators struck him. Kraus was arrested and treated for injuries at a hospital. Kraus has five convictions for driving while impaired dating back to a 2007 incident, according to online court records. At one point, he told officers that the SUV he was driving on Sunday was in another person's name because he had no license due to his drunken driving offenses, the complaint says. Court records show his drivers license was canceled in 2013. A search warrant affidavit seeking a blood sample from Kraus says he admitted several times that he was the driver, without being asked, but when asked specific questions he gave illogical and irrelevant answers. Kraus told police his name was Jesus Christ and Tim Burton, that he had been a carpenter for 2,000 years, and that he wanted to get his children to the Super Bowl, the affidavit says. The officer tried to perform a field sobriety test, but Kraus was unable to follow directions and would not keep his eyes open long enough to complete the test," the affidavit said. Results from the blood tests are pending. Other injuries and deaths have been reported involving vehicles at protests across the U.S. as people have increasingly taken to the streets to press their grievances. In Minneapolis, marching onto freeways has become a common tactic. Last year, a semitrailer rolled into a crowd marching on a closed freeway. No one was seriously injured. Republican politicians in several states, including Oklahoma, Florida and Iowa, have sought legal immunity for drivers who hit protesters. ___ Associated Press/Report for America writer Mohamed Ibrahim contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show the day of Kraus first appearance is Thursday. LANSING, Mich. (AP) Republicans who control the Michigan Senate passed contentious legislation Wednesday that would mandate a photo ID to vote in person and add identity requirements for people who want to vote by mail. The bills, which were sent to the GOP-led House on party-line 19-16 votes, are among a wave of Republican-sponsored measures to tighten voting rules in various states. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will veto the bills if they reach her desk, but the GOP could eventually sidestep her with a maneuver that lets the Legislature enact citizen-initiated ballot proposals. Michigan voters without a photo ID now can sign an affidavit and cast a ballot at their polling place. More than 11,400 of nearly 5.6 million voters did that in the November election. Under the legislation, they would instead vote a provisional ballot and have to either verify their voter registration or their identity and residence within six days for it to count. Voters currently seeking an absentee ballot by mail or at an election clerk's office must sign the application, and the signature is matched to the voter file. The legislation would require applicants to include a copy of their photo ID, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Those who do not would get a provisional ballot. Republicans said the bills would ensure election integrity and security, contending the system became more vulnerable following a 2018 voter-approved constitutional amendment that expanded absentee voting and allowed same-day registration. Nearly 3.3 million people a record voted absentee in November amid the coronavirus pandemic. Democrats denounced the legislation, which is opposed by clerks and voting-rights advocates, as a poll tax and said it would suppress the vote by making it harder to participate, particularly for seniors and low-income residents. They also raised identity theft concerns. The bills seek to address nonexistent problems amid former President Donald Trump's false claims that he won, they said. Trumps allegations have been resoundingly rejected by state officials who certified the results, judges who dismissed multiple lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies, and a coalition of federal and state officials who called the 2020 election the most secure in U.S. history. Trump lost. You believed the big lie, engaged in treason at the U.S. Capitol. And now you want to change the rules because you realize that the demographics of America are changing and your base is out of control," said Sen. Sylvia Santana, a Detroit Democrat who is Black. So now you want to change the rules and add barriers so that people who look like me get frustrated and decide not to vote. GOP senators argued that Michigan's photo ID law is insufficient due to the 2018 voting changes and noted that identification is required for many activities. They said voters previously were seen in person at least once, either when they registered to vote or when they voted for the first time, but now can register and vote by mail without showing ID. These bills would help ensure the security and fairness of our elections," said Sen. Ruth Johnson, a Holly Republican and former secretary of state. Requiring voters to verify their identity with ID is the best way to protect the one-person, one-vote standard. The $10 fee for a state ID card already is waived for certain people, including the elderly, those on welfare or disability assistance, the homeless and veterans, she said. GOP senators on Wednesday introduced bills they said would remove all financial barriers to getting a card. Michigan's existing voter ID requirement was first enacted in 1996, declared unconstitutional by a Democratic state attorney general in 1997, reenacted in 2005 and upheld by the state Supreme Court in 2007. A Senate committee is considering three-dozen other election bills. They would shut ballot drop boxes three hours before polls close, prohibit mass mailings of unsolicited ballot applications and ban prepaid postage on return envelopes. It was not clear how soon the House will consider the three Senate-passed bills. It is scheduled to start a summer break in three weeks. ___ Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Prosecutors say the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder and manslaughter in George Floyd's death should not be granted a new trial because the proceedings were fair and Derek Chauvin was found guilty by an impartial jury, according to a court document filed Wednesday. The state's document came in response to defense requests to grant Chauvin a new trial and to hold a hearing to question jurors about alleged misconduct. Among other things, defense attorney Eric Nelson said intense pretrial publicity, alleged prosecutorial misconduct and some decisions by the court made it impossible for Chauvin to get a fair trial. Prosecutors said Nelson's claims were without merit and were desperate attempts to undo the jury's verdict. This Court has rejected many of these arguments before, and there is no reason for a different result now. Defendants scattershot and unavailing attempts to overturn his conviction should be denied, prosecutors wrote, adding: Defendant was unanimously convicted on all three counts based on evidence of his overwhelming guilt. He now seeks to escape his lawful conviction by any means." Its not clear when Judge Peter Cahill will rule. Chauvin was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the May 25, 2020, death of Floyd, a Black man who was pinned to the ground for about 9 minutes as he said he couldnt breathe. Chauvin will be sentenced June 25. Requests for a new trial are fairly routine, but they are rarely granted. The arguments raised in such requests are often raised again on appeal. Requests for a hearing to question jurors about alleged misconduct are uncommon. Experts have said there is a high bar to hold such a hearing, and an even higher bar to invalidate a verdict. Among his arguments, Nelson said intense publicity both before the trial and due to events during it tainted the jury pool and prejudiced jurors against his client. There were reports in February that Chauvin had been prepared to plead guilty to third-degree murder. During jury selection, a $27 million settlement was announced between Minneapolis and Floyds family. And during Chauvin's trial, Daunte Wright was fatally shot by a police officer in nearby Brooklyn Center, sparking days of protests. Nelson said Cahill abused his discretion when he denied earlier requests to move the trial out of Hennepin County, postpone the trial and sequester the jury. Prosecutors disagreed, saying Chauvin got a fair trial and nothing requires the court to take the extraordinary step of overturning the verdict. They said the court made sound decisions to manage the trial and those decisions did not prejudice Chauvin. They cited the lengthy process of jury questioning, the fact that the judge kept the jury anonymous and that two seated jurors were dismissed because it was determined they could not be impartial after learning of the city's settlement. They also noted that each side got additional strikes, and the defense still had strikes remaining when a jury was picked. They said Nelson did not meet his burden of showing that specific jurors in this case were impacted by publicity, and each juror was carefully vetted, noting that 326 potential jurors returned answers to more than 69 written questions. A jurors mere exposure to pretrial publicity does not create a reasonable likelihood of an unfair trial, prosecutors wrote, adding: This process was well-designed to weed out biased jurors." Nelson also asked for a Schwartz hearing to impeach the verdict, which means a hearing to call into question the integrity or validity of a verdict. Under Minnesotas Rules of Criminal Procedure, a defendant can ask the court for a hearing to investigate possible juror misconduct. Prosecutors say that request should be denied. Nelson alleges an alternate juror, who did not deliberate, made public comments after the trial indicating she felt pressured to render a guilty verdict. He also alleged that a juror who did deliberate, Brandon Mitchell, didnt follow jury instructions and was not candid during jury selection because he didnt mention his participation in an Aug. 28 march in Washington, D.C., to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Nelson also alleged Mitchell made comments indicating he based his verdict on outside influence. Prosecutors said comments made by the alternate juror are irrelevant because she didn't deliberate. In Mitchell's case, they said, Nelson has mischaracterized the comments Mitchell made to the media. They said Mitchell filled out the lengthy juror questionnaire and made his views known during the jury selection process. Any fair reading of this record shows that Juror 52 honestly disclosed his views on a range of issues, including his impressions of Black Lives Matter, the criminal justice system, the case, and his desire to serve on this jury, prosecutors wrote. They said that Mitchell correctly characterized the event in Washington as a civil rights march, and that Nelson's claims that he should have disclosed it fall short. ___ Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd RICHMOND, Va. (AP) The Richmond City Council has voted to hold a referendum on building a casino. News outlets report that the council voted 8-1 on Monday to approve the addition of the November referendum on whether to permit the casino to be built. Councilwoman Katherine Jordan, who represents the citys 2nd District, was the only council member to vote against holding the referendum. The council concurred with Mayor Levar Stoneys recommendation to partner with Washington media conglomerate Urban One on its $560 million casino proposal. If local voters approve the measure, a casino with a 250-room luxury resort hotel would be allowed along Interstate 95 on property currently owned by Philip Morris USA. Supporters say the casino resort would bring the city more than 1,000 jobs and approximately $30 million in annual tax revenue. The city is pursuing the project under a new state law that allows Richmond to permit a casino if voters approve it. A petition will be made to the circuit court to put the voter referendum on the ballot Nov. 2 after the plan is pre-certified and the council approves a host community agreement. WASHINGTON (AP) The White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are endorsing efforts to terminate the 2002 authorization of military force against Iraq, a step that supporters say is necessary to constrain presidential war powers even though it is unlikely to affect U.S. military operations around the world. Schumer announced Wednesday that he intends to bring repeal legislation to the Senate floor this year. The Iraq War has been over for nearly a decade, Schumer said. The authorization passed in 2002 is no longer necessary in 2021. The White House said in a statement earlier this week that it supports the legislation, which the House is expected to pass on Thursday, and stressed that no ongoing military activities are reliant on the 2002 authorization. It also said that President Joe Biden is committed to working with Congress to replace outdated authorizations of military force with narrower frameworks designed to ensure the U.S. can protect Americans from terrorist threats. The growing momentum behind the repeal measure comes after years of debate over whether Congress has ceded too much of its war-making authority to the White House. Many lawmakers, particularly Democrats, say passage of the 2002 authorization was a mistake, and some Republicans agree the authority should be taken off the books. Some lawmakers say the 2001 resolution to fight terrorism, passed after the 9/11 attacks, should be reexamined as well. Schumer said he wanted to be clear that legislation terminating the use of force in Iraq does not mean the U.S. is abandoning the country and the shared fight against the Islamic State group. He said the measure would eliminate the possibility of a future administration reaching back into the legal dustbin to use it as a justification for military adventurism. He cited the Washington-directed drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani in January 2020 as an example. The Trump administration said Soleimani was plotting a series of attacks that endangered many American troops and officials across the Middle East. Then-national security adviser Robert OBrien told reporters that Trump exercised Americas right to self-defense and that the strike was a fully authorized action under the 2002 authorization to use military force. There is no good reason to allow this legal authority to persist in case another reckless commander in chief tries the same trick in the future, Schumer said. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Wednesday in a joint statement with Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Todd Young, R-Ind., that the committee would take up legislation to repeal not only the 2002 authorization, but also the 1991 authorization for use of force in Iraq, which remains on the books. The 1991 authorization gave then-President George H.W. Bush the authority to use force against Iraq to enforce a series of U.N. Security Council resolutions passed in response to Iraqs invasion of Kuwait. The 2002 authorization was directed against Saddam Hussein's regime as necessary and appropriate to defend U.S. national security against the continuing threat posed by Iraq and to enforce all relevant Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq. Repealing the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs will also send a clear diplomatic signal that the United States is no longer an adversary of Iraq, but a partner," Young said. The House legislation to repeal the 2002 authorization of military force against Iraq is sponsored by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. The two chambers would have to work out any differences in their two bills and vote on a final product before it can go to Biden's desk to be signed into law. In the end, legislation terminating the 2002 authorization will need 60 votes in an evenly divided Senate to overcome any procedural hurdles. Sen. James Inhofe, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he opposes the effort to terminate the authorization. We used it to get Soleimani, and there might be another Soleimani out there," Inhofe said. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas will speak against the House bill on Thursday. He said a serious reform effort, which we all agree is needed, would have included discussions with national security leaders and a replacement to address the evolving war on terrorism. Democrats are playing politics with national security in an effort to taint one of President Trumps biggest national security successes, said McCaul, the lead Republican on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. LANSING Large waves from Lake Michigan struck Ludington on April 13, 2018. That was the first documented case of a meteotsunami in the Great Lakes and provides an opportunity for scientists to better understand and forecast these events, according to a new study. published in Natural Hazards. Waves reached as high as 6 feet in some areas, submerging breakwalls and damaging public docks and cottages, the study said. Meteotsunami is short for meteorological tsunami. While most tsunamis are caused by seismic activity, meteotsunamis are caused by rapid changes in air pressure, usually due to severe thunderstorms. Meteotsunamis happen in every Great Lake and they can happen (roughly) 100 times per year, said Eric Anderson, the lead author and a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Associations Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor. Almost all of those are insignificant in the sense that theyre not causing much damage and generally not leading to injury or death, he said. We see a storm that can cause injury or death every few years. The meteotsunami that struck Ludington was caused by atmospheric pressure waves, that started somewhere in the Midwest and traveled east over Lake Michigan, Anderson said. These are like ripples in the air, not dissimilar to where if you drop a stone in a pond, it creates ripples that radiate out from that point in the atmosphere, he said. While the 2018 meteotsunami didnt cause any deaths or injuries, it very well could have, had it occurred during the summer and not early spring, Anderson said. If this exact storm hits in July, it probably leads to a number of fatalities because it basically swamped the breakwall, and if you can picture the Ludington breakwall, in the summertime there can be 50 to 100 people on that. The southern region of the Great Lakes is especially prone to meteotsunamis due to the waters shallower depth. Atmospheric pressure waves have to be moving at roughly the same speed as the water waves below it to efficiently pass that energy down in the water and create a meteotsunami, Anderson said. They occur year round in the Great Lakes, but generally peak in April and May, he said. Researchers are trying to figure out if climate change will increase the number of summer meteotsunamis. And scientists in Croatia are researching climate changes effect on meteotsunamis. What theyve shown is its unlikely that youll see meteotsunami intensity increase, meaning bigger waves, but that you might see more happening in the summertime, he said. More research is needed to determine whether meteotsunamis will become more frequent in the summer due to climate change, he said. They also present a danger to the ecosystem by increasing erosion and releasing contaminants from sediments. There are buried contaminants in the sediments, legacy contaminants, that we have in a lot of places in the Great Lakes, he said. Meteotsunamis are, in some cases, the primary driver of the erosion of sediments and, possibly ,the resuspension of these contaminants. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association is working on ways to warn the public if weather conditions present the possibility of a meteotsunami, similar to a tornado warning, Anderson said. They can seem less dangerous to people who are unaware of these events, as they can appear to be flash flooding events and not tsunamis. This doesnt look like the Hollywood tsunami movie poster image of this giant wave coming in and crashing, Anderson said. What it will look like is more like a rapid flood (that lasts) for 10 or 20 minutes. If you see this rapid change in water level, whether its a meteotsunami or not, the best bet is to back away from the beach and wait for it to pass. As ideological divisions wracked the Southern Baptist Convention this year ahead of a pivotal national meeting, one of the leading candidates for its presidency, Ed Litton, embraced a role as the man best equipped to build bridges and promote unity. From time to time, every family has disagreements and tensions, Litton said in a campaign video. Because were a family, we dont give up on one another. On Tuesday he prevailed in a runoff against Georgia pastor Mike Stone to become the next leader of the United States largest Protestant denomination, winning about 52% of the votes among more than 15,000 delegates at a meeting roiled by controversy and a power play by the SBCs ultraconservative wing. In doing so, Litton bested a better-known rival in the Rev. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as Stone, who ran an aggressive campaign fueled by some of the SBCs most prominent hard-line conservatives. Among Litton's notable attributes are a long record of hard work promoting racial reconciliation, and his perseverance in the face of personal tragedy. Littons wife of 25 years, Tammy, was killed in an automobile accident in 2007; two years later, he married Kathy Ferguson, the widow of another SBC pastor killed in a 2002 car crash. We both have a profound sense of pain and suffering in our live that has changed us, and I think changed us for the better, Litton said at a news conference after his victory. Litton, 62, earned a bachelors degree in religion and theater from Grand Canyon University, a private Christian university in Phoenix, and later received a Doctor of Ministry from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He spent the early years of his ministry in Texas and Arizona, and since 1994 he has been senior pastor of an SBC church now known as Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama, a suburb of Mobile. For the past six years, hes been active in a Mobile coalition called the Pledge Group, a movement of leaders from different racial, religious and vocational backgrounds who want to shrink the citys racial divide. Litton was nominated for president at Tuesdays SBC meeting by pastor Fred Luter, who in 2012 became the SBCs first and thus far only Black president. Luter said hed known Litton for more than 20 years, initially teaming up to preach on behalf of racial reconciliation. That cause has been an enduring one for Litton, who has built strong relationships with many Black pastors. Late last year, racial tensions in the SBC were heightened when the presidents of the SBCs six seminaries all of them white issued a statement repudiating critical race theory, a term used to describe critiques of systemic racism. In response, a diverse group of Southern Baptists, including Litton and Luter, co-signed a statement asserting that systemic racial injustice is a reality. Critical race theory is a reality in the culture, Litton said Tuesday. We need to understand it. We need to help seek justice. During the campaign, Litton identified unity and diversity as two of his top priorities. Without unified commitment to the Gospel, he said in one video, We will stumble into opposing factions, differences of opinions and turf battles that squander precious time and resources. As for diversity, he noted that Blacks, Hispanics and Asian Americans increased their presence in the SBC over the past 20 years even as white membership declined. I want to continue broadening ethnic diversity on our boards to reflect who we actually are and who were becoming, he said. I want to build bridges. Where necessary, we have to repair burned bridges. He noted that some Black pastors are asking why they should remain in the SBC. My answer: because we want you and need you, Litton said. One of the SBC's most prominent Black pastors, Dwight McKissic of Arlington, Texas, had threatened to leave the denomination if Stone or Mohler had won. He was elated by the outcome. What a day of rejoicing! Couldnt help but do a Baptist Holy Dance, when Litton won, McKissic tweeted. God has a plan for the SBC & I want to be a part of it. Truly, racism was rejected 2day! ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content. MADISON, Wis. (AP) The Wisconsin Assembly on Wednesday passed a Republican-backed bill that would prohibit businesses, colleges and universities, governments and anyone else in the state from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The measure banning so-called vaccine passports must also pass the Senate and be signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers before becoming law. Evers has signaled that he will veto the bill. Former president Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he accepted the invitation to tour Texas southern border with Gov. Greg Abbott on June 30. The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in U.S history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in U.S history. Its an unmitigated disaster zone, Trump said in a statement. RELATED: Abbott says he'll use crowdfunding for his plan to build a border wall Building a wall along the Texas-Mexico border was a key promise throughout Trumps presidency, but he never fully delivered. His promise that Mexico would pay for the wall was unfulfilled, and the 450 miles of barrier he did build were mostly in Arizona and far less was completed in the Rio Grande Valley where border crossings are more prevalent, according to The Washington Post. Abbott announced last Thursday that Texas would take the matter into its own hands and build its own border wall to stem the flow of migrants from Mexico. In a podcast interview Tuesday, he elaborated that the wall will be at least partially crowdfunded, and the state will solicit donations from across the country. The announcement immediately sparked denunciations from those who said that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, not a state job, and questioned the constitutionality of Abbotts intentions. Abbott also announced plans to increase local jail capacity along the border, and increase arrests by having state troopers arrest migrants on state charges. Abbott scheduled a press conference for Wednesday afternoon, where he said hell provide more details about the plan. TEXAS ELECTION: Donald Trump endorses Abbott for reelection Abbott has sharply criticized the Biden administration for its immigration policies in the past few months, calling the border a crisis and accusing the president of helping the cartels make more money. The policies include pausing border wall construction and ordering a review of the Trump administrations remain in Mexico policy that requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico until their hearings in U.S. immigration courts. At the end of May, he deployed more than 1,000 Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and National Guard members to the border as part of Operation Lone Star, an initiative aimed at increasing border security that he announced in March. Earlier this month, Trump endorsed Abbott for his reelection, giving him an early stamp of approval as he confronts a possibly competitive primary. Former state Sen. Don Huffines of Dallas has already announced his challenge to Abbott. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also has been considering a run, and Texas GOP Chair Allen West recently announced he would be resigning from his position to seek a statewide seat. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Gov. Greg Abbott spoke Wednesday from the Texas Capitol about a new plan to build a wall at the Texas-Mexico border, once a campaign promise of former President Donald Trump. Abbott previously revealed some details in Del Rio, Texas last week, saying that a wall was needed "to stem the flow of unlawful immigration," The Texas Tribune's Heidi Perez-Moreno reported. The Texas-Mexico border has seen a huge increase in apprehensions and migrants in 2021. ELECTION 2022: Beto doesn't rule out running for Governor in recent interview The Texas governor laid out several points under the new plan, promising "the most robust and comprehensive border plan the nation has ever seen." The wall will be partially funded through donations While the governor said a $250 million down payment will be allocated for the wall, Abbott announced he would seek donations from across the country to pay for it as well. However, we don't know yet how much the wall will cost, where it will be, how long it will be, or how long it will take to build. Abbott said the state must first hire a program manager who will be able to answer those questionsalthough the wall will cost "far more than $250 million," the governor said. Abbott is soliciting donations at borderwall.texas.gov and by mail. State elected officials say they're stepping in because the federal government won't Abbott and other officials had harsh words for the Biden administration. Previously, the administration issued a proclamation stopping border wall construction on President Joe Biden's first day in office. "Make no mistake: The border crisis we are facing right now is because of the open border policies put in place by the Biden administration," Abbott said. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick echoed this. "[The federal government has] left us no choice," Patrick said. "Trump was getting the border under control. Had we had four more years with him, we would have had the border under total control." It will soon be easier for state officials to make arrests at the border Abbott is expanding the powers of state officials. Under his plans, state officials will be able to "turn them over to a jail cell" and not federal officials, because those illegally crossing the border will have broken state law instead of committing a federal violation. Abbott announced the state would also increase space in local jails. Abbott says federal officials have largely released those arrested at the border. IN TEXAS: These koozies for George P. Bush's campaign are raising some eyebrows The border wall plan partially relies on volunteered private land The Texas government is approaching private landowners to host portions of the border wall, according to Abbott. The governor said fencing was being installed "as we speak," and those private landowners who agreed to host fencing from the state will create "no trespass zones" that will allow state officials to arrest those attempting to cross the border. Abbott says Texans are facing a "humanitarian crisis" at the border When asked how Texas would respond to the humanitarian crisis faced by those looking to come to the U.S., Abbott countered that Texans living along the border were facing a crisis instead. "Texans on the border are suffering a humanitarian crisis [with] with guns and gangs and [their communities] being riddled with crime," Abbott said, "We have a responsibility as leaders in this state to step up and address that humanitarian crisis and that is what began today." Reginald Adams has always had a knack for creating, and its led to him living out his passion right here in Houston. An artist, Adams remembers drawing on his bedroom walls and furniture as a child. He says his parents never punished him or discouraged him from doodling where he pleased. It felt natural, he said, and made him think that's what he was supposed to do. FOR THE CULTURE: Artist uses his talent to celebrate Black culture in Houston and beyond Looking back, Adams said he believes being able to do that was a transferrable skill that gave him the confidence to draw on the walls of his community. "The public realm was the perfect place for me as an artist to share my voice," Adams told Chron. "I'm very proud of my culture, my parents were very aware of making sure my brother and I learned about who we are...As I got older, I started to wonder even deeper, 'Where am I really from?'" In 2000, following the results of an ancestry test, Adams took a trip to Africa. He spent weeks traveling between the west African countries of Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo and Benin. When he returned to America he knew he wanted to integrate his culture into his work. While Adams notes that not every project allows for it, wherever he can, he integrates his heritage. In 2019, Adams completed a project at Emancipation Park in Third Ward. The park is culturally significant as it was founded by four former slaves Jack Yates, Richard Brock, Richard Allen and Elias Dibble who collectively came up with $1,000 to purchase four acres of land in celebration of Juneteenth. It's the oldest park in Houston and Texas. The following year, Adams produced the "I Can't Breathe" mural to honor of the loss of George Floyd. In September of 2020 Adams was contacted by the Juneteenth Legacy Project Committee and asked if he could create a work to commemorate the holiday. He said the invitation felt like fate. "All of the projects leading up to that was about bringing voice to these issues around social justice and racial equity. It was easy for me to say yes." In preparing to create his Juneteenth work "Absolute Equality," Adams' team took a three-day retreat to Galveston. They rented a beach house and dissected just what the project would entail, from production to engagement strategies. The first stroke of paint hit the walls on March 10. By the time it was done, Adams and his team had racked up 1,296 labor hours between the six artists involved. They worked nonstop, six days a week for 27 days. After all that work, his team now holds the proud distinction of creating the city's first public memorial honoring Juneteenth. "The history has been there," Adams told Chron. "We can't take credit for 156 years of time that has passed since June 19, 1865. ... But what we were able to do with the mural is put a face an undeniable face behind the history of it." PHOTO COURTESY: Reginald Adams Adams credits his "superheroes" Joshua Bennett, Cherry Meekins, Dantrel Boone, KaDavien Baylor and Samson Adenugba, who contributed their talent and dedication in bringing the work to life. The meaning of Juneteenth is deeply and inextricably personal for Adams. "Liberation and opportunity," Adams said when asked what Juneteenth means. "It's hard to be who you want to be if you're not free, and not just free from a standpoint of physical shackles, but even mental freedom." For Adams, the most moving part of the process was realizing how his path had been paved by the actions of his ancestors. HONORING JUNETEENTH: Netflix's 'High on the Hog' traces the history of Black culinary traditions in Texas to their source "I realized, 'Reginald, you are your ancestors' wildest imagination,'" Adams said. The Juneteenth Legacy Project will dedicate "Absolute Equality" on Juneteenth, or Saturday, June 19, 2021. Senator John Cornyn and U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, who are co-authoring legislation to make Juneteenth a national holiday, will attend the official ceremony, which will coincide with the longstanding parade and picnic. WASHINGTON - The Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a measure that would establish a federal holiday for Juneteenth, the day that marks the end of slavery in the United States. The bill now heads to the Democratic-led House, where it is likely to be approved, although the timing remains uncertain. Unanimous Senate passage was an anticlimactic culmination to a long effort to commemorate Juneteenth, the day that enslaved Black people in Galveston, Tex., received news on June 19, 1865, that they had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation - more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln had signed it. IN HOUSTON: The Sugar Land 95 will be honored with a special celebration on Juneteenth "Juneteenth commemorates the moment some of the last formerly enslaved people in the nation learned they were free," said Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a major step forward to recognize the wrongs of the past - but we must continue to work to ensure equal justice and fulfill the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation and our Constitution." The effort gained significant ground in the last Congress, but a July 2020 attempt to pass the bill establishing the holiday was foiled when Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., objected to its passage and GOP Senate leaders opted not to expend scarce floor time to get around his objection. Johnson objected to the cost of granting federal workers an additional paid holiday, and he proposed amendments that would offset the cost by either removing Columbus Day from the list of paid federal holidays or subtracting a day from federal workers' paid leave. That proposal prompted sharp criticism from conservative commentators such as Tucker Carlson, who last year accused Johnson and another Republican, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, of "trying to cancel Columbus Day." In a statement Tuesday, Johnson said that while he remained concerned about the cost, which he pegged at $600 million a year, he did not intend to object again. "While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter," he said. The Congressional Budget Office has not delivered an official cost estimate for the bill. Johnson's estimate is based on the wages and salary that would be paid to the federal workforce for the day off, plus overtime for those who would work that day. RELATED: Galveston City Council establishes Juneteenth as city holiday after vote Had Johnson not withdrawn his objection, the legislation probably would have faced a tougher path to reaching the Senate floor, since bills that do not have unanimous consent require more time for debate, and the chamber's leaders have focused that time instead on voting rights, infrastructure and other key parts of their legislative agenda. The lead Democratic sponsor of the bill, Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, was presiding over the Senate when the bill passed. "For far too long, the story of our country's history has been incomplete as we have failed to acknowledge, address, and come to grips with our nation's original sin of slavery," Markey said in a statement after the vote. He said the legislation's passage "will address this long-ignored gap in our history, recognize the wrong that was done, acknowledge the pain and suffering of generations of slaves and their descendants, and finally celebrate their freedom." Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, hailed the bill's passage Tuesday in a tweet that noted Juneteenth has been a Texas state holiday for more than 40 years. "Now more than ever, we need to learn from our history and continue to form a more perfect union," he said. Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, applauded the Senate for acting. "But holidays alone are not enough - there is still much work to be done to build equity, to undo systemic racism, to atone for centuries of brutal treatment of enslaved Africans in America and their descendants," Henderson said. Other groups supporting the legislation include the NAACP and the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. The House bill, sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, currently has 166 additional co-sponsors, including two Republicans. A senior House Democratic aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment on internal discussions said the House leadership is "supportive" and reviewing the Senate-passed bill. News Students petition Oak Hill board to better fund orchestra program Oak Hill High School students advocated for the school board and administration to invest more into the orchestra program at the boards regular meeting Monday. Previously the board had took action to eliminate the role of a full-time orchestra teacher, electing instead to have the new band director Sam Wells, who was officially hired by the board at the meeting, to teach one orchestra class each day. At Mondays meeting, the school board heard public comments led by three Oak Hill students, Sophia Czado, Ruth Tripp and William Swathwole. The students presented the board with a petition with more than 1,300 signatures of students, parents and alumni in support of bringing in a full-time orchestra teacher. Czado spoke of the importance the program offers to students. This music program teaches students self discipline, said Czado. It also increases creativity and teamwork skills. It builds confidence and helps them improve and gain good social relationships. If you combine all of this together, you will get well-rounded individuals. There are currently 12 students in the schools orchestra program, and the board cited a lack of participation in the program as a reason for eliminating the full-time position. Im totally aware of the arts program and how important it is to this school system and always has been to this school system, said board President Steve Fagan. We had to make a tough decision and this is the compromise that we made to keep the program alive for those of you that are still here. We just couldnt have it full time because of the numbers. In the students presentation, Tripp said that the students were aware that the program was small but that they thought they could build it. We want to continue asking for a teacher and building the program back up, but we need your help to do it, said Tripp. Even if you do hire a band director this next year that will teach the one orchestra class, we ask that you continue to look for an orchestra teacher. With the right guidance we know that we can build this program back up, Tripp added. We know that it wont be easy and we know that numbers will be low at first, and we know that it will take a while. However, most of us are incoming sophomores so we have through our senior year to build this program back up. Fagan said this is not a decision that the board wanted to make. We dont get any pleasure from reducing programs, said Fagan. The numbers we had to look at when all these are coming down, we cant wait until August to make decisions on this stuff. The number werent there for us to hire an individual for that kind of money to do that many students. Fagan said that this decision had nothing to do with the orchestra program specifically, as there are other programs in a similar position. Orchestra is not the only program that is close to being in trouble from the standpoint of numbers of participation, said Fagan. Fagan said he hopes the program grows, as the board would revisit the decision if the numbers supported it, but that the community and students would have to work to grow the program. Youre the ones thats going to have to build it, said Fagan. We cant go out into the well I guess we could, but its not really our job to go out into the community and say, Hey you want to join orchestra? But you can, and once those numbers are there, then Im sure this thing would be revisited. Superintendent Chad Cripe said the district was working on creating a plan where junior high students would be allowed to participate in two music programs. Students will be able to choose between band, choir or orchestra despite new state requirements that will result in fewer openings for electives. Converse Public Library Director Andrew Horner said that hiring a teacher could be beneficial as they would be able to hypothetically grow the program. Cripe said he would sit down with Horner to go through the numbers as to why the decision was made. Horner said he had concerns as to the direction the music department was heading. My fear is that if we keep up with this we wont have any music of any sort at Oak Hill, said Horner. Cripe said that would not be in the plans. Thats not on the table at all, said Cripe. Nor will it be. I know I can speak for all these people (the board), nobody wants that, zero. Thats not an option. Florida, FL (34429) Today Thunderstorms likely, especially this morning. High around 85F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then thunderstorms developing late. Low around 75F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Florida, FL (34429) Today Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High near 85F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 76F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Big waves of business process reengineering have historically been few and far between. One reason has been the length of time it takes humans to analyze trends, conceive new ways of operating, and then integrate the process changes into software code. Machine learning (ML) is knocking down that barrier. ML algorithms ability to adapt on their own, requiring no explicit programming to learn from changing conditions, lets them continually hone their automated problem-solving, predictions, and insights. The more good data theyre fed, the smarter they become. As such, ML is enabling organizations to rethink existing processes at unprecedented scale and speed, improving efficiencies and spurring innovation at a pace that once would have been unimaginable. Innovation and automation across industries Machine learning is addressing all manner of use cases for process automation. Here are three that demonstrate the breadth of MLs impact on an organizations day-to-day activities: Quality control: Swedish food manufacturer Dafgards set up a proof of concept (POC) using Lookout for Vision, a computer vision technology, to spot defects, anomalies, and mismatches in its pizza production lines. The technology allows Dafgards to automate pizza production line inspections to verify that all pies have the right amount and distribution of ingredients and to detect anomalies, such as the wrong topping. Used this way, ML makes Dafgards processes less error-prone while helping keep its customers happy. After the success of the POC Dafgards is looking to roll out the services on multiple production lines. Document processing: Automating data extraction can reduce time and costs required to manually capture information from many types of documents, including invoices, patient intake forms, loan applications, contracts. ML can be applied to extract text from millions of documents, in context, quickly and economically. For example, consumer finance company Dealnet Capital has reduced the amount of time it spends reviewing loan applications and other documents by up to 80% using cloud-based ML services. Customer service: In the modern contact center, ML empowers agents to understand customers history and make recommendations accordingly, helping to reduce resolution times and improve customer satisfaction. Contact centers can also leverage ML-powered chatbots and voicebots to quickly assist customers. The need for rapid access to up-to-date information was particularly pressing for government agencies during the COVID-19 crisis; public sector organizations had to quickly develop new ways to share information or improve on existing systems to support a surge of website visitors during the pandemic. The state of Rhode Islands Department of Labor and Training (DLT) implemented Amazon Connect, an omnichannel cloud contact center, to replace outdated interactive voice response (IVR) and interactive web response (IWR) systems, which in the early days of the pandemic were struggling to support 10 times the typical volume of unemployment insurance applications. Amazon Connect, with built-in AI and ML capabilities, enabled the agency to increase capacity from 74 concurrent calls to up to 1,000 concurrent calls per minute. Whether ML is used in these ways or countless other applications, one thing is certain: Machine learning is creating a new model for improving the processes and workflows that support any enterprise. Learn more about ways to reinvent your business with data. Telecommunications companies often struggle to manage sprawling IT environments and vast amounts of siloed data. In response, many are turning to cloud computing as a bridge to move complex on-prem environments to the cloud, enabling them to provide commercial and household customers with the more scalable, reliable Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) offerings they need to succeed. Mitel, a global provider of UCaaS solutions, recognized the need to modernize its data centers and IT infrastructure. With more than 45 years of telecommunications leadership, 70 million business users in more than 100 countries, and a commitment to constantly refining its solution delivery model, the companys on-premises IT environment was preventing the company from achieving growth and service goals. Our challenges came down to the four Ss: stability, scale, SLA, and security, says Rick Cirigliano, SVP of Cloud Operations at Mitel. We had 30 data centers globally, high OpEx and CapEx expenditures, and longer lead times to bring innovations to market. We started to look into cloud services to overcome these issues, outsource non-core competency activities, and leverage more advanced IT infrastructure and services. Mitel chose to work with Google Cloud and Google Cloud Premier Partner, RiverMeadow, to overhaul its IT and data infrastructure to capitalize on microservices, automation, and advanced technical tooling. Shifting massive infrastructure into the cloud Mitel had a range of requirements to ensure zero service disruption throughout its cloud migrationa migration which included efficiently lifting and shifting data centers and capitalizing on mesh network connectivity across Google geographies. The telco also planned to use Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for microservices and adopt an infrastructure that properly reflected its continuity of operations plan. After meetings with Google Cloud, the decision to standardize on Google Cloud VMware Engine and Google Compute Engine (GCE) became clear. We wanted to leverage all of the Google Cloud services like VM Snapshots, Stackdriver, Google Cloud Storage, disaster recovery, and more, says Cirigliano. Google Cloud VMware Engine and GCE presented an integrated approach to the non-production and production environment migrations we hoped to complete. Mitel worked with Google Cloud Premier Partner RiverMeadow, whose deep domain expertise and unique migration strategy enabled a full lift-and-shift of VMs to Google Cloud VMware Engine, a Cloud Verified solution. RiverMeadow conducted a thorough discovery and assessment of Mitels estate, with a full inventory process, identifying the initial set of 1,000 VMs to migrate, including 160 terabytes of usable storage and 770 GBs of memory. RiverMeadow provided us with discovery, assessment, and migration services and, thanks to their deep Google Cloud VMware Engine and HCX expertise, we were able to significantly expedite our global migration timeline, regardless of the required use case, says Cirigliano. RiverMeadow and Google Cloud outlined an ideal migration scenario for Mitel, which included consolidation, standardization, and automation. Integrated tools for greater scale, speed-to-market, and efficiency Since completing the migration, Mitel has seen significant benefits across its IT operations. Moving VMware workloads to Google Cloud instantly improved infrastructure reliability by standardizing systems across locations, also unlocking the ability to leverage native Google Cloud services. Mitel uses Cloud Operations to improve monitoring performance. It also uses Cloud Storage and Google Cloud backup services to support more proactive, preventative strategies to improve IT operations, minimizing reactive approaches to addressing IT issues. Our VMware migration to Google Cloud has translated into faster time to market to support higher revenues, says Cirigliano. We can also scale to support more work and have increased completed units of work monthly by 4x, thanks to the Google Cloud ecosystem. In addition, Mitel has seen a marked decrease in its IT OpEx and accelerated responsiveness to customers when incidents arise. Platform and infrastructure segregation, as well as enhanced monitoring and automation, have combined to improve resolution of disruptions, as well as service restoration. The UCaaS market requires exceptional SLA compliance, as well as security. With Google Cloud and RiverMeadow, Mitel has achieved more consistent SLA compliance, while strengthening security and regulatory compliance across its complex network of services and geographies. Our collaboration with Google Cloud and RiverMeadow really positions us well to extend our scope and the reach of our cloud, says Cirigliano. We are a global communications and collaboration company with a vision to continuously innovate so we become a true one-stop-shop for UCaaS service solutions. Building on early success With the migration a success, Mitel is now looking to use Google Cloud to further enhance services. This includes tapping into ways in which Google Cloud can support zero-downtime maintenance to eliminate customer service disruptions when Mitel needs to work on its internal systems. Having achieved more proactive IT monitoring, Mitel is working with Google Cloud to establish additional ways to expedite disaster recovery and better respond to its customer needs. For instance, faster time to market for services helped Mitel realize it could use Google Cloud to speed code drops that improve its UCaaS offerings functionality and power. Plans are also underway to extend Mitels global cloud footprint into Europe and Australia with roughly 350 additional VMware workloads to be migrated onto Google Cloud VMware Engine. We look forward to expanding our relationship with Google Cloud and RiverMeadow, and growing our cloud footprint as we offer more services to more regions worldwide, says Cirigliano. Its been a very positive experience working with RiverMeadow and Google Cloud. We are excited to see what we can achieve in the future. Want to learn how you can capitalize on IT standardization, automation, and consolidation through next-generation cloud infrastructure? Click here. When we talk about automation, were talking about software that helps with business challenges. This can range from improving customer loyalty to streamlining operations or improving efficiency. And, in my experience, Ive found that these are things every business wants to improve. Why is automation important? Aside from the business needs I mentioned above, the COVID-19 pandemic has really underscored how important automation is. In the past year, a lot of things have changed; for me, it boils down to three key takeaways: Digital engagement is critical: Weve seen that online companies are booming while brick and mortar businesses are struggling. People are even ordering their groceries online. Customers are now three times more likely to interact with brands digitally, and theyre choosing digital interactions about 80% of the time [1]. From an automation view, this leads us to ask, How can I make sure my customers have a great digital experience? Work has changed: Many people are still working from home full-time, and more than 60% of companies are saying that theyre never going back to the way things were run before COVID [2]. With automation, wed ask, How can I help my employees thrive in this new way of working? Technology matters: Looking back, we can see that companies that invested in technology before the pandemic came out ahead. In fact, tech-savvy organizations outperformed their peers by an average of 6 percentage points [3]. With automation, wed ask, How can new technology help me solve my biggest challenges? What does it mean to be an automation achiever? An automation achiever thinks ahead, thinks strategically, and works ahead. A great example is ENN Group, an energy company in China. ENN had already started digitizing and automating their operations before the lockdown. When thousands of their employees shifted to working from home, their IT team was overwhelmed with requests. In response, ENN was able to roll out a new virtual assistant that used artificial intelligence (AI) and intelligent automation to interpret and respond to requests helping thousands of employees within a single day. However, most companies arent as far along as ENN Group. In a recent survey, IBM found that just 26% of companies rank as achievers and the 26% is expected to consistently outshine the other 74% over the next three years [4]. But we should be honest here the automation struggle is real for many people. Weve found that 73% of organizations are 12-24 months away from implementing digital operations [5]. And 70% say they dont have the mechanisms to scale [6]. However, it may be easier to automate than you think. Below, youll find my suggestions for turning your business into an automation achiever. What does it take to be an achiever? First, you need to seek out insights. What are your customers looking for? Whats driving your sales? Customer needs are always changing, but if youre tuned into insights, youll be able to create applications that meet your customers needs as they evolve. Second, you need to leverage data. Insights come from data, and in todays world, data is readily available. So, use it. Write algorithms against your data and curate your data lake to make information easily accessible. Third, you need to digitize your systems. These systems produce data, and from the data, you get insights. Start by pinpointing inefficiencies and prioritizing the areas of greatest need. IBM Start with data: Learn from the data Read about the 4 steps for becoming an automation achiever in the complete blog here. Interested to leverage AI-powered automation for reducing the amount of time spent on manual processes by 80% and decrease customer wait times by half? Read about IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation here. IBM Client Story: Banco Popular IBM Solution Brief: Brownells, Inc. How you can be an automation achiever 33840 Sidonie Fabre, CFO, Advent France Biotechnology Sidonie Fabres' extensive career in finance helps Advent France Biotechnology (AFB) strengthen its financial structure. FREMONT, CA: Advent France Biotechnology (AFB), an AMF-regulated investment firm dedicated to life sciences, appoints Sidonie Fabre as chief financial officer. Sidonie Fabres' career as CFO spans 15 years in the investment industry, working for public and private companies. She was previously the chief financial officer of Crdit Agricole Regions Investissement. Sidonie began her career in finance as a sell-side analyst at CM-CIC Securities, then moved on to work as an asset manager at Covea Finance before taking on the role of receivership director for a court-appointed administrator. In addition, Sidonie worked as a business development manager in the engineering industry from 2012 to 2016. She holds a master's degree in finance from the University Paris Dauphine (Paris, France). Im delighted to join AFB and its experienced team of investment experts. Im truly fascinated by the biotech industry and its innovative startups. This is an exciting time for AFB, and Im very happy to help the company achieve its growth goals during 2021 and beyond, says Sidonie Fabre. Sidonie will oversee all financial activities at AFB in her capacity as CFO. One of her primary responsibilities will be to develop a new vision for the company's economic structure and to provide a range of innovative solutions, including streamlining the reporting process to Limited Partners and regulatory authorities. Additionally, she will assist in promoting AFB to institutional investors. Sidonie is a multi-talented expert in business, financial and legal issues, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the AFB team. Our continued growth requires stronger financial organization and management; Sidonie will help us achieve that as we are preparing to raise our second fund, says Alain Huriez, MD, AFB co-founder and chairman. New York Citys mayoral primary has been dominated by the candidates positions on fighting crime, addressing quality of life issues and how best to bring back the citys cultural and economic vitality. But without significant investments and innovation in our K-12 and higher education systems, there will be no sustained and significant improvements in the citys economic health and on matters concerning quality of life.A recent study by the city comptrollers office found that CUNY graduates working in New York state earned $57 billion in 2019 and paid an estimated $4.2 billion in state income taxes. To make a substantial difference, our next mayor needs to capitalize on two formidable assets: the New York City Department of Education and The City University of New York, the two largest education systems of their kind in the country. The DOE and CUNY serve heavily overlapping populations: Roughly 60% of the DOEs college-going graduates attend a CUNY college and nearly 80% of first-time freshmen at CUNY are graduates of DOE schools. Almost one-third of the DOEs new teachers each year are CUNY-prepared, and a majority of the DOE workforce has a CUNY degree. In his heralded study of higher education as a catalyst for economic mobility, economist Raj Chetty found that CUNY lifted almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond than all eight Ivy League colleges and a handful of other elite private universities combined. CUNY and New York Citys K-12 public schools have collaborated through such joint programs asCollege & Career Bridge for All, which trains CUNY students to serve as advisers to college-bound DOE graduates, helping them overcome the many obstacles that can stand in the way of their matriculation. Although we work alongside in true partnership, there is much more that can be done. Here are some of the actionable items the next mayor could move to implement immediately: Expand and institutionalize early college high schools in the city, such as Hostos Lincoln Academy of Science in the Bronx and Brooklyn College Academy. These unscreened schools, which are fully representative of the ethnic, racial, demographic and academic diversity of our citys students, have far higher on-time graduation rates 89%, exceeding the DOE average of 77.3% in 2019 and have students graduate with an average of 29 college credits. Scaling-up early college schools might be one of the most cost-effective ways to have students of color graduate on time and accumulate college credits. Unfortunately, the funding for early college programs comes from grants, such as the Smart Scholars grant. This must be changed; the new mayoral administration should explore funding models like the ones used in North Carolina and Texas, in which a combination of state designations for early colleges and automatic supplemental funds allow schools to plan sustainably to maintain and grow enrollments, which would allow for thousands more students to benefit. Provide all 10th and 11th graders, and their parents, a personalized college and career report, a practice that is already being successfully utilized by Chicago, Washington, D.C., and other big-city districts to equalize access and opportunity to higher ed. The reports would provide up-to-date information about students fulfillment of course requirements, college readiness benchmarks and potential college and career opportunities based on their current academic performance and career exploration activities. The middle high school grades are a critical time to provide support to students who need help and, in turn, limit the need for remedial courses in college while also affording academically strong students options for more rigorous coursework through Advanced Placement or dual-enrollment classes. Significantly expand programs to recruit and retain more teachers of color, focusing on computer science and tech-related fields. The city has made recent gains through programs like CS4All in expanding K-12 tech education, but it is lagging in creating a pipeline of teachers that would allow programs like this and others to scale to the level the city needs. The new mayor should create a dedicated teacher-training program for underrepresented groups aimed at computer science, digital literacy and tech, including financial incentives for these teachers to remain in our schools. Ideas now taking hold about free community college need to be reframed under a K-14 perspective, in which college-bound students have the same support they receive in K-12 to defray the significant expense of their meals, books and transportation. We know these three items derail so many bright community college students even when their tuition is paid. This could be a real game changer for students. CUNY has already seen the impact of those supports through our nationally recognized ASAP program, which, through the provision of those and other supports has more than doubled timely associate degree graduation rates for participating students and become a nationally recognized model. The candidates will be wasting an opportunity if they do not put education front and center in the last mayoral debate. The next mayor needs to pledge to restore any funding cuts to CUNYs seven community colleges currently proposed in the citys budget, which would seriously imperil their capacity to be responsive to the needs of employers, nonprofits and government. In the final week of the campaign, New Yorkers deserve to hear concrete plans from all the candidates regarding how they will prioritize K-12 and higher education investment and innovation. The headlines in New York City have largely been dominated by the Democratic mayoral primary and with good reason. But theres also a two-person Republican primary going on, giving the party a choice to select the person who will likely lose to the Democratic nominee in November. The race is between Curtis Sliwa, a radio host who founded the Guardian Angels crime prevention group in the late 1970s and patrolled the high crime areas around the city, and businessman and activist Fernando Mateo, both of whom have quietly become the laughingstock of the party. A recent poll found Sliwa had a 6-point edge over Mateo, leading with 33% of 250 Republicans surveyed in a PIX11, NewsNation, Emerson College poll released last week. However, the poll found that 40% of Republicans were still undecided on who to choose for mayor. Republican politicos said Sliwas name recognition and backing from the Republican parties in Brooklyn and especially in Staten Island the strongest Republican county party in the city could give him a boost. But not everyone is sure. Neither candidate has qualified for matching funds, and given they are mostly off the radar of voters, Republican voters will likely go with who they know. The Republican primary has gotten next to no coverage in the press and none of the candidates have raised the millions of dollars necessary to move a message in the New York City media market, said Republican strategist Sara Ballou, who previously worked as chief of staff to Rep. Nicole Malliotakis when she was an Assembly member. Given that, hardly any New Yorkers even know that theres a Republican primary, the candidate who came into the race with the highest name ID and network is going to be the favorite to win. In this case, that favorite is Curtis Sliwa. But Sliwa might not have the name recognition for the right reasons, some say. He had a widely publicized relationship with Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, admitted to faking crimes to garner publicity for the Guardian Angels, and the debate he and Mateo appeared in was described as an embarrassing food fight by some. Everybodys going with Curtis name recognition, yeah, but what if your name recognition aligns you with being a buffoon? said a Republican operative, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the race. Thats (Sliwas) problem, he just does these stupid stunts with themeatball birthday cakeand then talking about the fucking 14 cats. (Sliwa actually has 15 cats.) Not all Republicans were thrilled to cast their vote in the primary. Outgoing Republican City Council Member Eric Ulrich told Campaign Confidential that he doesnt have a clue who is going to win, but voted for Mateo anyway because he was the lesser of two evils. It wasnt an enthusiastic vote, he said, lamenting that he wished the party would have had better choices. I voted in the primary on Saturday. I dont think it makes a difference because neither of them have qualified for matching funds and its sort of widely accepted at this point that whoever wins the Democratic primary is going to win the race in November, Ulrich said. One Republican contended that despite the choice of candidates, Republicans always have to run someone, even if the odds are stacked against them because you never know what will happen in a race. What do you do? You just give up? You throw in the towel? the Republican operative said when asked why bother running as a Republican. Youre always hoping that someone like another Mike Bloomberg will come along, or youre always hoping that lightning strikes and three weeks before the election, the Democrat is hauled away in handcuffs or drops dead from a heart attack. Parties were divided on who to back in the Republican primary. The Staten Island and Brooklyn Republican parties went with Sliwa, while the Queens, Manhattan and Bronx Republican parties went with Mateo. The division also hit home for some. Billionaire John Catsimatidis, a respected figure in New York Citys Republican politics who ran as a Republican for mayor of New York City in 2013, backed Sliwa, while his daughter, Andrea Catsimatidis, who heads the Manhattan Republican Party, went with Mateo. In recent days, Sliwa has picked up the endorsements of big names in the party. He won former Republican Mayor Rudy Giulianis endorsement over the weekend and, on Tuesday, the endorsement of Malliotakis, New York Citys only Republican lawmaker in Congress. But having Staten Islands support alone is likely all Sliwa will need, said Peter Giunta, the president of the Staten Island Young Republicans. Staten Island is usually, as it should be, the sign of which way the Republican voters are going citywide, he said. On Saturday, Politico media reporter Jack Shafer wrote a column arguing that the primary challenge facing local newsrooms is not supply, but demand. Its not that nobody wants to read local news; its just that not enough people do to make it a viable business, Shafer wrote. Maybe the surfeit of local news of yesteryear was the product of an economic accident, a moment that cannot be reclaimed. Shafers identification of declining demand is a worthy point, complicating overly simplistic calls to save local news. But placing too many eggs in the demand basket, and over-emphasizing economics, risks dismissing needs and desires that arent being met in the current system, warped as it is. Declining readership, after all, is also an impact problem. Shafers column follows a rise in national coverage and political discourse lamenting the degradation of many local news outlets across the United States. Penny Abernathythe researcher behind the oft-cited news desert maptold me last August that there has been a real awakening in the industry, among community activists, and among certain politicians as to what is at stake if we lose the local newspaper, in whatever form it is delivered. Shafer is right to say that discussions about the stakes often place an outsized emphasis on supply, equating the presence of any local outlet with public good. Hes also right that declining demand is a big part of the problem; local reporters have made similar points themselves. In January, Pat Rynard, the founder and managing editor of digital local politics site Iowa Starting Line, wrote an anguished post to explain that the publication was going on hiatus because he was deeply discouraged by the limits of journalisms impact in Iowa. Good journalism should hold the powerful accountable, but it should do so in reality, not just theory, Rynard wrote. And if voters arent listening to it, then what are we doing here? When he spoke with me in January, Rynard expressed frustration with the national emphasis on the supply of local news over its ability to reach readers. Its all about, How do we keep this stuff surviving? and not so much, Is it having its full impact? The local news industry, he added, needs a lot of new and more imaginative thinking.(Iowa Starting Line returned to publication in February, after a hiatus lasting just under a month.) Its all too easy, though, to confuse imagination with innovation, that elusive capitalist promise that working harder and being smarter will yield economic benefits. The past decade has proven that the traditional local news model cannot innovate itself out of the mess its in: innovation cannot reverse vulture investments, break up tech monopolies, or compete with ubiquitous free junk news. And while innovation measures the financial benefit of making things better, imagination might tether improvement to public service instead. As Heather Bryant, deputy director of News Catalyst, tweeted, We can ask how do we get people to pay for journalism or we can ask how do we cover the cost of producing and providing access to useful news and information. These are different problems. To add to Shafers point, saving local news is a good mantra, but we should be clear about which of its functions are valuable and which we can discard. There is significant evidence that localized, trustworthy information is essential to democracy, but it does not have to take the form of a traditional print newspaper. Abernathys work documenting news deserts was instrumental in bringing public attention to a real problem, but its metrics are limitedlargely measuring the loss of newspapers across geographic regionsand national coverage depending on the news deserts research has become uncritically fixated upon those limited variables. As a result, we suffer from a lack of imagination about what local news can be, both in format and in funding model. Theres also an important distinction between what people want and what people need; readers might not pay for coverage of election infrastructure as readily as they pay for Disney+, but that doesnt mean a Disney subscription is more valuable. Victor Pickard, who has written extensively on the value of journalism as a public good, wrote on Twitter,If there was an accident, it was that an advertising revenue-driven business model and newspaper publishers monopolistic power over local markets created the illusion that journalism should always be highly profitable. At present, a lot of local reporting suffers from a feedback loop in which margins shrink, coverage declines, and margins shrink some more. The problem is not an unworthy goal, but the inability to produce a worthwhile result using a broken system. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Something must change in order to connect readers to the democratic value that robust, localized reporting can offer, and thats a challenge worthy of extra attention. Theres not a single solution, but there are a host of possibilities that can be used in concertsome of which are already taking place at publications across the countryeliminating barriers to access, reimagining the relationship between journalism and its audience, finding new funding models, getting government support, better explaining local journalisms value proposition, or humbly accepting that it may be far from the traditional past we cling to. Improve and support the function accessible localized information plays in undergirding democracy, and educate people about its value is a much less pithy mantra than save local news, but perhaps it is what save local news can come to mean. Below, more on the economics of information: Opportunity: A recent report from the International News Media Association found that business subscriptions are an under-tapped resource for news publishers, as PressGazette reported. Some publishers indicated finding businesses increasingly willing to pay for subscriptions. A recent report from the International News Media Association found that business subscriptions are an under-tapped resource for news publishers, as reported. Some publishers indicated finding businesses increasingly willing to pay for subscriptions. Nonprofits: Two-thirds of nonprofit news outlets saw an increase in foundation funding and individual giving in 2020, NiemanLab reported, with individual donors playing an increasingly large role in lending support. (Half of nonprofit outlets experienced lower earnings from revenue alone.) For more on the state of nonprofit news, read INNs annual index report. Two-thirds of nonprofit news outlets saw an increase in foundation funding and individual giving in 2020, NiemanLab reported, with individual donors playing an increasingly large role in lending support. (Half of nonprofit outlets experienced lower earnings from revenue alone.) For more on the state of nonprofit news, read INNs annual index report. Bouncing back: Thanks to swift and sudden growth in advertising, in addition to the return of live events, many media companies are rebounding, with hundreds of new media hires, Axios reported. Thanks to swift and sudden growth in advertising, in addition to the return of live events, many media companies are rebounding, with hundreds of new media hires, Axios reported. On value: For The Atlantic, Kaitlyn Tiffany wrote about the monetization of the attention economy. We might also wonder what follows from the understanding that every little thing we doevery second of our time, every funny thought that pops into our mindis something to be owned or sold, she writes. Ensuring that people are paid for their labor is important; still when a market value is assigned to every utterance, were acquiescing to the premise that no other sort of value matters as much. Other notable stories: This story has been updated to clarify that while the Expanding News Desert map focuses on the loss of newspapers, the projects scope extends beyond newspapers alone Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Lauren Harris is a freelance journalist. She writes CJR's weekly newsletter for the Journalism Crisis Project. Follow her on Twitter @LHarrisWrites. VERSAILLES, France (AP) A French court ordered home furnishings giant Ikea to pay some 1.1 million euros ($1.3 million) in fines and damages Tuesday over a campaign to spy on union representatives, employees and some unhappy customers in France. Two former Ikea France executives were convicted and fined over the scheme and given suspended prison sentences. Among the other 13 defendants in the high-profile trial, some were acquitted and others given suspended sentences. Adel Amara, a former Ikea employee who helped expose the wrongdoing, called the ruling a big step in defense of the citizen.It makes me glad that there is justice in France. The panel of judges at the Versailles court found that between 2009 and 2012, Ikeas French subsidiary used espionage to sift out trouble-makers in the employee ranks and to profile squabbling customers. Ikea France was convicted of receiving personal data obtained through fraudulent means in a habitual way, and ordered to pay 1 million euros in fines and about 100,000 euros ($121,225) in damages. Ingka Group, which owns and operates most Ikea stores, noted in a statement after the verdicts that the French retail operation has strongly condemned the practices, apologized and implemented a major action plan to prevent this from happening again. We will now review the courts decision in detail and consider if and where any additional measures are necessary, the group said. Trade unions accused Ikea France of collecting personal data by fraudulent means, notably via illegally obtained police files, and illicitly disclosing personal information. Lawyers for Ikea France denied that the company had any strategy of generalized espionage. A lawyer for the unions, Solene Debarre, expressed hope that the verdict would make some companies tremble. One million euros isnt much for Ikea, but its a symbol, Debarre said. The company, which said it cooperated in the investigation, had faced a potential financial penalty of up to 3.75 million euros ($4.5 million). Prosecutor Pamela Tabardel asked the court to hand an exemplary sentence and a strong message to all companies. The executive who was in charge of risk management at the time of the spying, Jean-Francois Paris, acknowledged to French judges that 530,000 to 630,000 euros a year were earmarked for such investigations. Paris _ the only official to have admitted to the alleged illegal sleuthing _ said his department was responsible for handling the operation on orders from former Ikea France CEO Jean-Louis Baillot. Paris was convicted of fraudulently gathering personal data, fined 10,000 euros ($12,125) and given an 18-month suspended sentence. Baillot, who denied ordering a spy operation, was convicted of receiving fraudulently collected data and complicity in the scheme. He was fined 50,000 euros ($60,626) and given a two-year suspended sentence. Another former CEO of Ikea France was acquitted for lack of evidence. Ikea Frances lawyer, Emmanuel Daoud, said the company hadnt decided whether to appeal. He said the case was marked by a lack of hard evidence, and noted that the fines were well below the maximum possible. The court took into account the action plan that Ikea put in place after the revelation of the facts, in 2012. Thats very satisfying, Daoud said. The company fired four executives and changed internal policy after French prosecutors opened a criminal probe in 2012. Trade unions alleged that Ikea France paid to gain access to police files that had information about targeted individuals, particularly union activists and customers who were in disputes with Ikea. In one situation, Ikea France was accused of using unauthorized information to try to catch an employee who had claimed unemployment benefits but drove a Porsche. In another alleged instance of illegal prying, the subsidiary reportedly investigated an employees criminal record to determine how the employee was able to own a BMW on a low income. The company also faces potential damages from separate civil lawsuits filed by unions and 74 employees. Ikeas France subsidiary employs more than 10,000 people in 34 stores, an e-commerce site and a customer support center. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A northern Illinois chemical plant that was rocked by an explosion and massive fires that prompted evacuations was inspected by a federal agency less than a month before the blast sent debris raining down onto nearby areas. Inspectors from the U.S. Labor Departments Occupational Health and Safety Administration on May 20 investigated a complaint at Chemtool Inc., a plant northwest of Chicago, WLS-TV reported. Fires continued to burn Tuesday following Mondays explosion. A summary record of that inspection does not explain what was being inspected at the Rockton-area plant that manufactures lubricants, grease products and other fluids. That record states only that the complaint involved safety and health, and the case remains open, the station reported. OSHA officials said they have six months to complete their investigation involving the plant, and no further information will be made public until that work is finished, WLS-TV reported. There are no other outstanding cases or any violations in U.S. records pertaining to the plant. A company spokesperson said that Chemtool has been safely operating since 2008, employing about 200 employees, and Chemtool said all employees on site at the onset of the fire got out without anyone getting hurt. Chemtool has no U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violations during at least the last three years, the station reported. Fires continued burning Tuesday at the ruins of the plant, where helicopter footage showed plumes of dark smoke still rising as fire crews directed water onto a portion of the smoldering site. Blackened and collapsed portions of the plant were visible along with fire-damaged semi-trailers. A message seeking an update on fire crews efforts was left Tuesday for a spokeswoman with the Rockton Fire Department. Fire Chief Kirk Wilson said Monday that about 70 employees were evacuated safely from the plant, and that one firefighter suffered a minor injury following the explosion. Chemtools parent company, Lubrizol Corp., later said there were closer to 50 employees present when the plant was evacuated. Fire officials had ordered a mandatory evacuation of homes and businesses near the plant, but later in the day, Gov. J.B. Pritzkers office expanded the evacuation zone from a 1-mile (1.6 kilometer) radius to a 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) radius from the plant out of an abundance of caution. Pritzkers office also encouraged people within that zone to wear masks to prevent them from inhaling soot. Rockton is located in Winnebago County, near the Wisconsin border, about 95 miles (150 kilometers) northwest of Chicago. Trisha Diduch, the planning and development administrator for Rockton, said Monday that she estimated that about 1,000 people were affected by the evacuation order. A message seeking an update on the evacuations was left Tuesday for Rockton officials. Chemtool, which touts itself as the largest manufacturer of grease in the Americas, has been in business since 1963. Its was purchased nearly eight years ago by the global chemical firm Lubrizol, owned by Berkshire Hathaway. About the photo: Firefighters from Kirkland Community Fire Protection District Engine 2 attach hoses to tanker trucks to refill them with water from the Rock River at the Rockton Hydroplant Monday, June 14, 2021, in Rockton. This site was one of many water tanker truck refilling sites supporting firefighting efforts at the Chemtool industrial fire in Rockton, Ill. (Scott P. Yates/Rockford Register Star via AP) Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Texas is pushing homes and businesses to conserve electricity for a second day in a row to stave off blackouts as a punishing heat wave bakes the western U.S. Temperatures will top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) from Montana to Southern California Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Dallas will reach 99. With many power plants unexpectedly down for repairs, officials warn the grid may fall short. Its the second time since the deadly February blackouts that Texas is pleading for conservation. California grid operators warned that the state may be short of power later this week. These are really hot temperatures, and there is really no break for the potential record heat until Sunday, said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the U.S. Weather Prediction Center. The searing weather marks the first heat-related stress tests of the year for U.S. power grids as a historic drought grips the western half of the nation. It comes 10 months after California resorted to rolling blackouts last summer, briefly plunging more than a million people into darkness. In February, much of Texas was left without power for days during a frigid winter storm that paralyzed power plants and left more than 100 people dead. Californias grid operators warned Tuesday that power demand could outstrip supply for several days this week. The biggest shortfall could be on Thursday, when electricity demand could top 43,260 megawatts, or 3,374 megawatts more than projected supplies, according to the California Independent System Operator, which manages most of the states power grid. Although California often relies on electricity from neighboring states during heat waves, this weeks heat is expected to stretch clear to the Canadian border, limiting imports, the grid operator said. Houston reached 100 degrees June 13, the earliest that mark has been reached in a decade, according to the weather service. That may signal an unusually hot summer coming as the city normally doesnt endure such heat until August. As the heat smothers Texas, generating plants with as much as 12.2 gigawatts of capacity enough to power about 2.4 million homes have been down for repairs. Officials warn reserve power supplies could fall short any time until 9 p.m. Prices on electricity for delivery around Texas jumped in Tuesday trading. Texas grid operators are struggling to determine why so many plants are unexpectedly breaking down. The number of generators out of commission is triple what officials expect for this time of year. This is very concerning, Warren Lasher, a senior director for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, said during a briefing Monday. Its not clear why we are seeing so many units offline. Texas lawmakers recently approved overhauls to stabilize the power market. Measures included requiring power plants ensure they can operate in extreme weather and provisions for state-backed financial assistance to the grid operator as well as utilities hit by soaring wholesale electricity prices. Everything that needed to be done was done to fix the power grid in Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott told reporters last week while signing the legislation into law. The generators out of service have included one of two units at the 2.3-gigawatt Comanche Peak nuclear plant near Dallas, which went offline June 7 following a fire at the main transformer, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Vistra Corp., which owns the plant. Adam Sinn, owner of power-trading firm Aspire Commodities LLC, said the number of power plants out of service was unacceptable. This is not a sustainable situation, he said. Texans deserve answers. In addition to the scorching temperatures, overnight lows in many areas remain extraordinarily high. That keeps pressure on power suppliers, as well as often raising the risks for people and plants. In California, the heat pushed natural gas prices sharply higher amid surging electricity demand and weak hydropower generation. Gas for next-day delivery in Southern California was up 76% from a week ago, traders said Tuesday. The overnight low in Las Vegas will be in the 90s and in the 80s in Phoenix, Oravec said. In Death Valley in California, highs will likely reach 125 degrees this week, falling only to 99 at night. In the West, heat warnings and watches from Phoenix to Northern California will be in place through Saturday evening, the weather service said Tuesday. Temperatures in Californias Central Valley could rise to 113 between Thursday and Saturday. Parts of Arizona could hit 118. California has ordered utilities to line up extra power supplies and giant batteries to prepare for this summer, but officials warn the system could still face shortfalls. With assistance from Naureen S. Malik and Mark Chediak. About the photo: The sun rises over electrical power lines and pylons in California, U.S. Photographer: Bloomberg Creative Photos/Bloomberg Creative Collection Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. William Russell Allton was born in Dewey, Oklahoma on April 25, 1931 to Russell Frank and Alice Mae (Steffens) Allton. He attended school in Claremore and graduated with the class of 1948. On August 26, 1949 Bill married Jimmie Louise Reed and the couple made Tulsa home for the first 25 year We are not alone. Theyre here. And theyve been here before. At least 120 times, according to a government report. Were talking flying saucers. UFOs. Aliens. Maybe. No one is sure what they are, just that something is out there. This isnt the old stuff of the 1950s with random wackadoodles claiming they were abducted by little green men and zipped off to Mars for the night. Were talking trained U.S. Navy pilots shocked by the contours of unidentified aircraft with high velocities, quick stops and a strange Tic Tac shape they cant identify. Former U.S. Navy Super Hornet pilot Lt. Ryan Graves told 60 Minutes that training pilots saw objects every day for at least a couple years off the eastern seaboard. You know, if these were tactical jets from another country that were hanging out up there, it would be a massive issue. But because it looks slightly different, were not willing to actually look at the problem in the face. Were happy to just ignore the fact that these are out there, watching us every day. When former President Barack Obama appeared on The Late Late Show With James Corden, he almost confirmed something is out there: When it comes to aliens, there are some things I just cant tell you on-air. Look, the truth is, when I came into office, I asked, Is there the lab somewhere were keeping the alien specimens and spaceship? They did a little bit of research and the answer was no, Obama said. But what is true and Im actually being serious here is that theres footage and records of objects in the skies that we dont know exactly what they are. We cant explain how they moved, their trajectory, they did not have an easily explainable pattern. The U.S. Department of Defense collects that kind of information in its Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program and has an Aerial Phenomena Task Force. That sure sounds a lot more credible than UFO Chasers. Its a bird, its a plane, its a flying Tic Tac? In 2004, Navy pilot Chad Underwood recorded the now famous Tic Tac shaped object off the coast of San Diego from an infrared camera on the left wing of his F/A-18 Super Hornet. According to The New York Times, Cmdr. David Fravor, a pilot who also saw it, told a fellow pilot he didnt know what he saw up there. It had no plumes, wings or rotors and outran our F-18s, he said. I want to fly one. On June 3, the Times reported senior administration officials found no evidence that aerial phenomena witnessed by Navy pilots are alien spacecraft, but they still cannot explain the unusual movements that have mystified scientists and the military. The Times said the report states the vast majority of 120 incidents analyzed did not involve U.S. military or government technology. So whatever is out there watching us, isnt us. Who or what is it? Are they odd like Spock? Friendly like E.T.? Smart like the blob in Arrival? Creepy like those aliens that invaded the world in the movie Signs? The possibility of aliens makes you run all those sci-fi shows and movies in your head, like My Favorite Martian, Lost in Space and Star Trek. Please dont let any alien visitors be like the ones in the Twilight Zone episode called, To Serve Man. If you missed that one, it will give you the willies. An alien race arrives on Earth, all friendly and kind. They offer humanitarian aid, end hunger, share their technology and energy sources with the help of a guidebook written in their language. Experts decode the title, To Serve Man. But as they continue to decode the book, they learn the horrible truth and try to stop it. As Earthlings board the alien spaceship, one of the decoders screams for them not to get on the ship: Its a cook book! OK, so the aircraft seen by our Navy pilots could just be advanced hypersonic weapons being developed and tested by China or Russia. If you ask me, we might be in better hands with aliens. Can aliens be any scarier than Russian President Vladimir Putin poisoning the underpants of his opposition leader? Or more ruthless than China mowing down thousands of students in Tiananmen Square? Or more reckless than the average American destroying our planet? Maybe aliens have come here to save planet Earth. If they got here, we already know theyre smarter than us. I just hope theyre a lot kinder. Connect with Regina Brett on Facebook at ReginaBrettFans. Listen to Little Detours with Regina Brett at reginabrett.com or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. What happens when you have a football team with no drama? Suddenly you need to create some. Case in point, the Cleveland Browns. Celebrate the Class of 2020 Submit a profile of your favorite graduate to have them featured in our Virtual Graduation 2020 special section. Tout their accomplishments, share their photos, and wish them well! Submit profile This intersection at South 19th Street and Manufacturing Drive will be replaced by a roundabout during reconstruction of Manufacturing Drive next year if the city can obtain a federal grant to help fund the project. The city has applied for federal funds three previous times and been denied. State Rep. Ras Smith, a state representative from eastern Iowa, is the first Iowa politician to announce a run for Iowa governor as Democrats organize in hopes of gaining traction among voters to counter Republican domination of the legislature and governor's office. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall Man facing maximum sentence in theft case after guilty verdict in first felony jury trial since pandemic Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 15) -- Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia said Tuesday that she would ask the provincial board to revisit the ordinance on airport testing of returning Filipinos from abroad. Out of deep respect to the President, I shall be asking our provincial board members to revisit the ordinance and this time to invite the technical advisors or medical experts that Secretary Duque continues to refer to, to invite over to the province of Cebu, so they could present their data, she said during a Senate hearing on the governments vaccine program. The province tests all Filipinos returning from abroad upon their arrival at the airport. Once they test negative, they can go to their respective homes to undergo home quarantine. This is contrary to the national Inter-Agency Task Forces protocol that tests should be done seven days after their arrival. President Rodrigo Duterte has directed the Cebu province on Monday to adhere with the IATFs protocols. He also ordered Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to critique the provinces relaxed protocols on returning residents. Duque said he will submit his assessment to Garcia within today or on Wednesday. Certainly, we would love to get our experts to visit Cebu province and to present their own data on why they are of certainty that the protocol that is nationally adopted is the way to go, Duque added. However, Garcia stood firm that the province would stick to its own protocols unless a proper court declares it as "ultra vires or beyond its powers. In Cebu, we are not only talking about an executive order but a provincial board ordinance that was passed by our provincial board unanimously, adopting the protocols of my executive order, she said. As we all know, a provincial ordinance unless declared ultra vires in a proper court is the local law of the land, in accordance with RA 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code. But Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano pointed out during the hearing that the Presidents order has more power over local ordinances. The IATF resolutions on health protocols are binding and mandatory. The rules and policies of local government units are expected to conform, he said. Since local government units are under the executive branch, they are expected to follow the command of the national government, exercised with the executive power of the chief executive. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 15) - It's "very possible" the International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber will authorize the investigation sought by outgoing ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to look into the war on drugs in the Philippines, according to an international law expert. "It's not the (pre-trial) chamber of ICC that will decide guilty or not guilty. It's the chamber that simply decides whether there's enough basis to proceed with an investigation. It's very unlikely that it will deny this request," International Center for Transitional Justice Senior Expert Ruben Carranza explained. Bensouda said there's reasonable basis to believe crimes against humanity were committed from at least July 1, 2016 to March 16, 2019 - a day after the country formally withdrew from the Rome Statute - in the Duterte administration's anti-drug campaign. Crimes against humanity Under Article 5 of the Rome Statute, the ICC has jurisdiction to the "most serious crimes of concern to the international community" - genocide, war crimes, crime of aggression, and crimes against humanity, Crimes against humanity ranges from murder, torture, rape, to enforced disappearance of persons, among others "as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population." Carranza said the Philippine case is significant because it allows the prosecution to show crimes against humanity are varied and can happen in a country at war - or under a fascist authoritarian leader. "So this is an example of the second situation that has never been brought to the court," he added. Bensouda said Philippine law enforcers and others carried out multiple acts that collectively amount to an "attack" against the civilian population. "The killings...are not the mere aggregate of a few isolated and random incidents, but rather were committed in the context of, or in connection with, the nationwide war on drugs campaign launched by Philippine authorities," Bensouda pointed out in her request. What's next In the investigation phase, Carranza said individuals who might be charged are identified, what charges to be filed, and the confirmation of the charges before a court. "Confirmation meaning to determine whether they meet the criteria for proceeding to trial," he explained. Summons are issued, but Carranza pointed out this relies on the willingness of those who will be charged and will be asked to appear. "If they don't want to volunteer, if they refuse to appear, then warrants can be issued but that's down the road." Article 58 of the Rome Statute gives power to the Pre-Trial Chamber to issue a warrant of arrest or a summons to appear upon the application of the prosecutor. The President's public statements Bensouda said the public statements made by President Rodrigo Duterte and other government officials "encouraging, supporting, and in certain instances, urging the public to kill suspected drug users and dealers" indicate a State policy to attack civilians. One of the most difficult steps that a prosecutor has to do, Carranza said, is to establish a connection between those who committed the crime and those who ordered it. "She (Bensouda) bridges the gap by using among others the statements of the President of the Philippines showing he was aware of the killings and that he encourages the killings," he said. Carranza added persons are going to be charged either as direct perpetrators, or those who killed directly - as well as indirect perpetrators or those who ordered, covered up, enabled in an indispensable way the killings. Davao killings Bensouda also pushed to include in the investigation the alleged crimes in Davao. Her request concluded that there are similarities between the killings in Davao in 2011 to 2016 and the post-2016 war on drugs. These include: an asserted rationale for extrajudicial killings of fighting crime and drug use; public encouragement of killings by Duterte; an apparently consistent modus operandi; perpetrators appear to be police and vigilantes; and the majority of victims appear to be drug users and petty criminals. Carranza said there's a need to establish the systematic nature of the killings. "To show that the pattern of killings in Davao were imported and then later copied the patterns of killings nationwide after Rodrigo Duterte became president," he said. Palace response Malacanang has said the President will not cooperate with the ICC. The Palace also described Bensouda's request to open a probe into the war on drugs as "legally erroneous" and "politically motivated." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) Lawyer Chel Diokno on Wednesday confirmed hes running in the 2022 elections. Diokno made the announcement in his social media account, but stressed that he has yet to decide on the post that he would be vying for. Yes, to be clear: I will run in 2022, Diokno wrote on Twitter. It's difficult now to make a final decision about what position, and I never aspired for president or VP, which 1Sambayan has nominated me for, he added. But I think it's important that ordinary Filipinos and the youth have a voice. Diokno is among the six personalities the opposition coalition 1Sambayan nominated for president and vice president for next years polls. The other nominees in the list released last weekend were Vice President Leni Robredo, former Senator Antonio Trillanes, Senator Grace Poe, CIBAC party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva, and Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto. In an earlier statement, Diokno did not categorically say whether he's accepting or rejecting 1Sambayan's nomination. He said he was at the moment focused on my Free Legal Helpdesk but expressed hope that he could serve his country in any way he can. RELATED: 1Sambayan not expecting firm decisions yet from nominees to run in 2022 Diokno ran for senator in the 2019 elections but failed to win a seat. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) - The House Committee on Public Accounts is considering penalizing those responsible for the publication of student learning materials which were found to have errors or inappropriate content, its chairman Rep. Jose Singson, Jr. said Wednesday. "Unlike our students who are minors and are gullible to assimilate what is taught them in school, I believe it is now time to teach those who committed mistakes, whether intentional or not, a lesson," the lawmaker said. Besides the authors of erroneous basic and secondary education materials, Singson said government officials and personnel who allowed the release should also be sanctioned. These include those who edited, proofread, examined, and approved the content. According to the Department of Education, at least 155 errors have been spotted in its modules since October 2020. For one, a learning material containing an obscene word was distributed to Grade 10 students in Mabalacat, Pampanga. It included the vulgar Filipino term for sex in describing the word "aswang." "The Mabalacat learning module that contained vulgarity is very alarming," Singson said. "While DepEd officials boasted that they corrected the error, it pains us to learn that the culprit has not been punished." Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said the particular module was recalled in February. He added those responsible for the error will be held accountable. Singson has already filed a resolution seeking a probe into these "numerous errors," which have also been flagged by the Commission on Audit. The lawmaker said, the House committee will also await the DepEd's explanation for its continued failure to comply with the provisions of Republic Act 8047, which removed from the department the responsibility of publishing books. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) Fully vaccinated Filipinos and foreign tourists entering the country may still have to undergo quarantine amid concerns over COVID-19 variants. National Task Force Against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon told CNN Philippines' The Source on Wednesday that the Inter-Agency Task Force is still "very concerned" about the potential spread of new variants in the country. One of them is the Delta variant, or the B.1.617.2 variant first identified in India, which was already tagged by the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a "variant of concern." At least 13 cases of the so-called "double mutant" variant have already been reported in the Philippines. READ: US CDC now calls coronavirus Delta variant a 'variant of concern' The worry comes as lawmakers call for the scrapping of the mandatory quarantine policy for Filipinos and foreign travelers who have already been fully vaccinated, saying the move would help the country's economy. "Right now, I think the major concern of our experts is the spread of this new variant, the Delta variant, which is wreaking havoc in other areas, countries like the UK," Dizon said. "And we are very concerned about this." He added: "I think they are basing their decisions and analysis on these new variants especially the Delta variant." Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Sonny Angara, Ramon Revilla, Joel Villanueva, and Juan Miguel Zubiri have earlier recommended the national implementation of the "swab upon arrival" policy of Cebu a step adopted by the province to stimulate the economy and benefit OFWs who want to spend more time with their families by just continuing their quarantine at home. READ: Gatchalian joins other senators calling for zero quarantine for fully vaccinated individuals Dizon said constant data analysis on the COVID-19 situation in other countries is still crucial in making decisions on the mandatory quarantine rules. He added that the recent IATF decision to ease restrictions for fully vaccinated senior citizens is still a "positive step." Those who are over 65 years old were previously not allowed by the government to go outside for non-essential trips since they are at a higher risk for severe COVID-19. READ: IATF eases restrictions on fully vaccinated seniors The Philippine government has extended the ban on travelers coming from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates until June 30 to prevent the spread of the Delta variant. READ: PH extends travel ban on India, 6 other countries until June 30 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) National Task Force Against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon commended Metro Manila mayors on Wednesday for their inoculation efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 in the capital region. "Unang una po (First of all), we want to congratulate all our NCR mayors. Theyve done a fantastic job," Dizon told CNN Philippines' The Source. Dizon noted that in just two days in a row, over 100,000 shots were administered in Metro Manila alone based on the vaccination record of different cities. "Manila, for example, did 25,000 the other day and yesterday, around 26,000. We are expecting Quezon City to do more than 20,000 today and in the coming days," Dizon said. "Lahat po nagtutulong-tulong (Everybody is helping each other out)." Dizon added that San Juan City will likely be the first in the Philippines to achieve its target of inoculating 70% of its population. "Lampas na po siya (San Juan) ng kalahati. Naka-45,000 na siya doon sa kanyang 80,000 target," he explained. [Translation: San Juan has already reached more than half of its population. It has already vaccinated 45,000 out of its 80,000 target.] San Juan and Mandaluyong already started vaccinating indigent citizens or the A5 group on Tuesday, in line with the Health Department's advisory that the vaccine drive can be extended to the said priority group as long as there is enough supply. Under the World Health Organization prioritization framework, only A1 (healthcare workers), A2 (senior citizens), A3 (persons with comorbidities), and A5 groups can be inoculated with vaccines from the global initiative COVAX. It has been a week since the NCR+8 which comprises Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao also started inoculating the A4 group or the essential workers. However, some LGUs, including those from other regions, have been calling for additional vaccine supply amid rising cases. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rodriguez told The Source that Mindanao was "neglected" in the vaccine allocation. But Dizon said the national government is "doing everything in its power" to send vaccines to areas that need them the most. READ: 'Only reactionary': Galvez, other IATF members slammed for neglecting Mindanao amid COVID-19 surge "As Secretary Galvez explained yesterday in the Senate hearing, the strategy is a focused and targeted strategy which is based on two principles. The first principle is, we need to prioritize the cities and areas with the highest risk of infection and those are typically the densely populated cities," Dizon said. "The second primary principle behind the allocation is the contribution to the economy." Dizon added that NCR+8 is being given priority under the government's "focused and targeted" strategy since this is composed of areas and economic centers with the highest risk of infections. "That is the strategy and we are sticking to that because that is the strategy that makes the most sense especially given our problem of scarcity of vaccine," he said. So far, over 12.7 million vaccine doses have been shipped to the Philippines. The government is expecting to receive over 11 million doses for the month to ramp up vaccination and achieve herd immunity by yearend. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) The Quezon City government is considering cutting ties and suing the company behind eZConsult, the online platform used by residents to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments. Mayor Joy Belmonte on Wednesday gave Zuellig Pharma Corporation until June 18 to fix its service as residents have complained about challenges in accessing eZConsult since March 27. If not, she said the city will transact with a different company. "They committed a seamless service but they failed repeatedly.... eZconsult is putting all our efforts down the drain," the official said in a statement. If the deadline is not met, the city government said aside from terminating the deal, it may file for damages against the company for failure to meet its contractual obligation. Failure to strictly comply with the terms of the contract shall constrain us to take all necessary legal action as may be appropriate, including both civil and criminal cases against Zuellig and its officers," City Attorney Orlando Casimiro said. eZConsult on Tuesday admitted slowness in its platform, but it said it is continuing to upgrade its system. Quezon City, Las Pinas, Quirino Province, and Vigan are using the eZConsult platform. Zuellig Pharma told CNN Philippines upgrading eZConsult will continue until the rest of the week to meet the needs of the local government. "Last night, we already upgraded eZConsult so today there has been some noticeable improvements," said Zuellig Pharma Chief Business Officer Jannette Jakosalem on CNN Philippines' News.PH. "Tuloy-tuloy 'yung upgrade [The upgrade will continue] until Friday and some could flow into the weekend para lang ma-accommodate 'yung requirements ng QC [so we can accommodate QC's requirements]," However, she maintained that the system did not crash, but was just operating sluggishly due to the volume of people using the program. "It's really just slowness," added Jakosalem. "Regular pa rin naman nakakapag-schedule 'yung mga tao [People are still able to set a schedule regularly]." Regarding the city's ultimatum, she said they are in constant communication with the local government. "They know that we are supporting them and we have not backed down on that commitment to support QC and I think they recognize 'yung ginagawa namin [what we are doing]," said Jakosalem. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 16) San Miguel Corporation on Wednesday began vaccinating its essential workers to kick off the private business sector's COVID-19 vaccination drive. Over 500 employees who belong to the A4 priority group gathered at La Salle Green Hills to receive their shots. The company aims to vaccinate 70,000 of its employees, extended workforce, and their families. SMC president and CEO Ramon Ang urged his staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and avoid choosing vaccine brands. San Miguel spends billions of pesos in doing everything we can to help our people, our co-employees and partners," he said during the event. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. thanked SMC for its efforts, and encouraged other big companies to follow suit. Parang magkaibigan yung gobyerno at saka yung private sector, talagang walang iwanan yan. From the start nakita na natin lalo na yung SMC, they produce PPE for our healthcare workers," he said. [Translation: The government and private sector are like friends, they stick together and no one is left behind. From the start, especially SMC, they helped produce PPE for our healthcare workers.] Aside from the LSGH and Jose Rizal University vaccination sites in Mandaluyong, Ang said SMC is eyeing 14 other centers in Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Albay, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Isabela, Bataan, Cebu, Mandaue, Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, and Cagayan de Oro. San Miguel has purchased AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines, which are set to arrive in July. Meanwhile, the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. announced it will be the first private sector to receive its vaccine delivery. It is set to receive 500,000 doses of Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. FFCCCII President Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong said the vaccine rollout schedule will be finalized after the arrival of the required Certificate of Analysis from Sinovac Biotech. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 16) After lying idle for years, most of the 55,000 houses built by the government for low-ranking police and military personnel have been reawarded to government workers and informal settlers, according to the National Housing Authority. Naiwan na lang sa atin [Whats left] is 3,800 of the 55,000. So, we are open to any persons interested (in) the 3,800 (housing units) nationwide, NHA General Manager Marcelino Escalada, Jr. said during a Senate hearing on the proposed rental subsidy program on Wednesday. The NHA website said target beneficiaries include informal settler families in danger areas or those displaced by state infrastructure projects, and government employees staying in areas where the housing projects are located. In 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Joint Resolution No. 2, allowing the NHA to reallocate the units earlier awarded by the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces to uniformed personnel. It followed a controversial housing tug-of-war as members of the urban poor group Kadamay occupied over 5,000 idle units. Escalada said more than 51,000 houses have been distributed. These are awarded not anymore to the original beneficiaries of AFP-PNP but to the government officials, government functionaries, barangay officials, and ISFs, Escalada explained. But Senator Francis Tolentino, chair of the committee on urban planning, housing, and resettlement, questioned why many housing units in Cavite still appeared to be vacant. Marami po akong nakita, kung naiaward niyo na yun, pero bakante pa. Marami namang nangangailangan ng pabahay na nagsisiksikan pa sa Metro Manila, he said. [Translation: I saw many, if you have awarded them, why are they still vacant? Many people crowding Metro Manila are in need of housing.] The lawmaker from Cavite suggested crafting a policy wherein units that remain unoccupied for three years, even if fully amortized, would be taken by the NHA in exchange for 30-40% of the payment made, and given to more needy beneficiaries. Escalada welcomed Tolentinos proposal. He said the housing officials hands are tied and they are hoping to expand their mandate through a law extending the NHAs corporate term beyond 2025. Here in our proposed charter, we are very aggressive to observe the nonpayment as well as non-occupancy, he said. If and when the original beneficiary does not occupy, therefore the actual need of housing is no longer there and therefore he (is no longer) qualified to a particular public housing. Escalada revealed another issue: beneficiaries renting out the government units at a higher rate. My instruction was to cancel the award because kumikita pa si original awardee. Our housing project is only 250, 300, 500 (pesos) per month and they are renting it out at 3,000, 4,000 (pesos), he said. House Bill No. 8736, one of the measures being tackled by the Senate committee, seeks to establish a rental subsidy rate of 3,500 which will be given to beneficiaries per month until the completion of the permanent housing project intended for them. It was approved by the House of Representatives in March. Should this be passed into law, beneficiaries would be those displaced by government projects and disasters, Escalada said. The Presidential Commission For The Urban Poor said the government does not have an exact number of informal settlers to date. The Coastal Point is a local newspaper published each Friday and distributed in the Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville, Millsboro, Long Neck and Georgetown, Delaware areas. Columbia, SC (29201) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 82F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Your contribution will help the Collegian provide award winning journalism to the Penn State community and beyond. Donate to the Collegian by clicking the button below. Students, community members and visitors craving finger food or summer cocktails now have another dining option in State College. A new downtown American bar and eatery attached to the Scholar Hotel State College at 201 E. Beaver Ave. recently opened its doors. Social Food + Drink aims to provide a social environment for hotel guests and local residents looking to enjoy drinks and simple food. Both the restaurant and hotel are located at the former site of the historic Glennland Building. Social Food + Drinks menu includes burgers, salads, flatbreads, wings and the most popular food item the Brauhouse Pretzel which comes with beer cheese, according to food and beverage manager Jamar Smack. Although the restaurant doesnt have a full commercial kitchen, Smack said most customers are shocked by the quality of the food. The bar has beer, wine, a basic cocktail menu and also sells signature drinks. Smack said he believes the soft lighting, calm jazz music and laid-back environment of the bar offer a unique dining and drinking experience. Social Food + Drink aims to provide a social setting for a different demographic than other local bars, Gary Brandeis, the Scholar Hotel Groups president, said. Were sort of targeting the over 25 crowd, Brandeis said. But we are happy to have 21 or 22 year olds because we are open to the public. Scholar Hotel Group owns Hyatt Place and Scholar Hotel in State College, as well as Scholar Hotel in Morgantown, West Virginia and Collegian Hotel and Suites in Syracuse, New York. Director of Sales for the Scholar Hotel Michael Balchin said the restaurant tries to buy products from as many local breweries and local wineries as possible. Balchin said since there are already many amazing restaurants and bars in State College, creating the restaurant was an opportunity to put their own spin on things. He said the idea behind it was to create an environment to enjoy the people that youre with. When Social Food + Drink first opened in March, the hotel had already been open for nearly two months. Brandeis said he waited to open the restaurant because business was slower due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a Penn State class of 1988 accounting graduate, Brandeis said its a real honor to own a business in the State College community. He said he believes a business can only be successful if it is super focused on the community its serving. I bleed blue and white." MORE BOROUGH COVERAGE Although the Colorado Wage Claim Act does not itself grant vacation pay to employees, it is now clear that the law does protect the benefit for workers who do receive it. FILE In this Sept. 29, 2015 file photo, Trevor Noah appears during a taping of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah in New York. Noah replaced host Jon Stewart, who left the show in July. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) This year our dine and drink business locations throughout the Gorge have suffered with closures. You can help support your favorites by purchasing take out and gift cards. Many of these business will offer curb-side delivery and some will deliver to your home. Lets keep the Gorge going strong! 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. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form Robert L. Leighty, 93, passed in his sleep on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. He was born April 20, 1928, in Veedersburg, IN, to Hazel and Ivan Leighty. The family moved to Danville, IL when Bob was small. He attended Danville Schools before joining the Army and spending two years in the service. 06/16/2021 Photo (c) AzmanL - Getty Images The European Union will soon lift entry restrictions on travelers from the United States. On Wednesday, EU member states reportedly agreed to drop all COVID-19 travel restrictions and allow nonessential travel from the U.S. A formal decision on the plan is expected on Friday, according to a Portuguese EU spokesperson cited by German press agency DPA. The list of countries with open borders will now reportedly be expanded to include Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Lebanon, the United States, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong. The EU's whitelist already includes Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. If approved, the new guidance would apply to both vaccinated and unvaccinated U.S. travelers. It would be up to individual EU countries to choose if they want to require a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine upon arrival. The European Council decides which countries to add to its whitelist based on epidemiological data. The data is reviewed every two weeks. Countries can be added if they have recorded fewer than 75 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days. The latest data shows that the U.S. rate is currently 73.9 cases per 100,000 people. A formal decision on whether to add the U.S. to the list is expected on Friday. The travel rules would go into effect sometime after that. Congratulations, koolkampus.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Koolkampus.com scored 70 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3.5/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 6 Apr 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. koolkampus.com is very popular in Facebook. Furthermore its facebook page has 29618 likes. Add a widget like this on your site: click here The total number of people who shared the koolkampus homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the koolkampus homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if koolkampus has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the koolkampus homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the koolkampus homepage on Twitter + the total number of koolkampus followers (if koolkampus has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the koolkampus homepage on StumbleUpon. Basic Information PAGE TITLE KoolKampus.com - Jobs in Pune, Jobs in Bangalore, HR Jobs, Fresher Jobs DESCRIPTION To hunt for jobs in Pune, jobs in Bangalore, fresher jobs, KoolKampus.com is the ideal portal for aspiring professionals to get details of job market. KEYWORDS jobs in pune, jobs in bangalore, hr jobs, fresher jobs OTHER KEYWORDS koolkampus, questions, jobs in, fresher, interview, interview questions, resume The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE CHARSET AND LANGUAGE DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux Type of server and offered services. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) The language of koolkampus.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Operative System running on the server. 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 koolkampus.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK FOUND FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/lynasmalaysia DESCRIPTION Please visit www.LynasandMalaysia.com for more information. LIKES 29618 PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT 184 PAGE TYPE Industrials TIMELINE PAGE TIMELINE The total number of people who like website Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The type of Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The URL of the found Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Today Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Clear skies. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow A mainly sunny sky. High 88F. Winds light and variable. Anna Mae Wilson-Welborn, 86, of Crossville, passed away at her home surrounded by her family on Monday, June 28, 2021. She was born July 11, 1934, in Spencer, TN, daughter of the late Floyd Stanton Dodson and Annie (Lawson) Dodson. Anna worked as a seamstress and was of the Baptist faith. Sh Deborah the Bible was one of the most influential women in the Old Testament. She was a prophetess, a warrior, a songwriter, and the only female judge to shepherd Gods people and lead Israel into battle against their enemies. Her leadership, wisdom, and courage have been the subject of countless devotionals, seminars, and sermons, and the Song of Deborah and Barak (Judges 5) is widely regarded as one of the first and finest examples of Hebrew poetry in the Bible. But who was Deborah, and what can we learn from her leadership, her character, and her role in the biblical narrative? Who Is Deborah in the Bible? Deborahs story is contained in the fourth and fifth chapters of the book of Judges. There we learn that Deborah was called to deliver the Israelites from the Canaanites as the fifth judge. As was too often the case, Israels troubles were entirely the result of their own sin and idol worship, which God sought to correct (Judges 4:1-2). And so began the cycle of rebellion, loss of freedom and oppression, repentance, and restoration that we read about in the book of Judges. In his book From Creation to the Cross, Albert Baylis describes this era: If the book of Joshua is a flowing stream, fresh and invigorating with direction and power, then in Judges the river turns sluggish and muddy, its polluted water ultimately spiraling down a storm drain (173). Despite Israels appetite for rebellion and idolatry, in their cries for deliverance, God sent help in the form of the judges. According to Matthew Henrys Commentary, the judges were often prophets instructed in Divine knowledge by the inspiration of the Spirit of God and civic leaders, given authority to judge Israel as Gods mouth to them; correcting abuses, and redressing grievances. On many occasions, the judges also served as military commanders who led Israel in battle against foreign adversaries. Deborah in the Bible was one of these judges. Though we know very little about Deborahs actual family, the book of Judges tells us that Deborah came from the hill country of Ephraim between Bethel and Ramah. There, under a palm tree, she sat, providing godly wisdom and guidance to those who sought counsel (Judges 4:4-5). We also know that Deborah was married to a man named Lappidoth (Judges 4:4), though not much is known about him beyond his name. The Story of Deborah in the Bible Deborah would go on to lead Israel against the Canaanites, their king Jabin, and their military general Sisera, calling on a Jewish warrior named Barak to command Israels army. To Deborahs request, Barak famously replied, if you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go (Judges 4:8). Deborah would agree to accompany Barak. However, she informed him that, because of his hesitancy, the honor shall not be yours for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman (Judges 4:9). Deborahs prophecy would soon come to fruition. As Israel routed Siseras forces at Mount Tebor, Sisera, the Canaanite general, escaped, seeking refuge in the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite (Judges 4:17). But as Canaans top military leader slept soundly, Jael shoved a tent spike through Siseras head, killing him where he lay (Judges 4:21). With his army decimated and trusted general now watering the sand with a spike-shaped hole in his head, Jabin, the king of Canaan, was soon defeated. The people of Israel were liberated from the Canaanites (Judges 7:24). Deborah and Barak would then sing of this victory, praising God for His faithfulness and deliverance of their people. One of the first examples of Hebrew poetry recorded in the Bible is the Song of Deborah and Barak (Judges 5). Deborah would serve God and Israel as a judge for forty years. There are several key lessons we can learn from Deborahs leadership and example during this time. 1. Prosperity Should Never Lead to Complacency Although Israels servitude at the hands of the Canaanites, Midianites, Philistines, and other nations was a result of their sin and idolatry, the Israelites had not done themselves any favors by refusing to remove these nations and their influence from the land, as God had instructed in the book of Joshua. Instead, the temptation of foreign gods and the presence of false worship remained, slowly reshaping the culture and turning the hearts of the people away from God in the process. The Israelites prosperity following the days of Joshua should have solidified their faith. However, instead of being grateful and humble, the people became complacent and self-indulgent. Matthew Henry writes, thus the prosperity of fools destroys them. Because the people of Israel neglected to glorify God in good times, they were forced to seek Him in times of trouble. The same is true for believers today. God uses tough times and anointed leaders like Deborah to wake His people and break them of the habit of sin and complacency when necessary. 2. God Calls for Obedience Among the judges of Israel, Deborah was unique in that she not only led by example, but she was also bold, assertive, and obedient in both her personal and public life. Deborahs calling as a judge was not her sole occupation. She was also a wife, a warrior, a prophetess, and a songwriter, and in all things, she proved faithful. The lesson here is that Gods ultimate call for His creation is obedience. We all wear many hats and fulfill many roles in life, but whether its in our jobs, our relationships, or our families, God calls us to be faithful and obedient in all areas of life, big and small, public and private. 3. Leaders Lead Though Deborah called upon Barak to lead Israels army into battle, her delegation should not be seen as an attempt to shake responsibility or pass the buck. On the contrary. Barak insisted Deborah accompany him, and Deborah committed to going. She would not send him somewhere she was not willing to go herself. Like any good leader, Deborah led the way. She stepped up when called (Judges 5:8) and did not hesitate to act; what she called Israel to do in public, she committed to do in her personal relationship with God. Sadly, the later kings of Israel did not follow suit; as their hearts went, so went the nation of Israel. Deborah, however, led by example and modeled courage, swift action, obedience, and a willingness to speak the truth, standing behind those she called to action. Those who in Gods name call others to their duty, should be ready to assist them in it (Matthew Henry). Deborah modeled this aspect of leadership better than most. 4. When God Goes Before Us, What Have We to Fear? Although Deborahs courage is legendary, her confidence did not come from her abilities or Israels army. In fact, the armies of Israel were largely outnumbered by Sisera and his many chariots. But where Sisera trusted in the might of his army, Deborah trusted in Gods power and provision (Psalms 20:6-9). Knowing that God was not only for Israel but had gone before them was all the strength she needed to take action, get the job done, and inspire others to step out in faith as well (Judges 5:14). For Christians today, Matthew Henry offers this powerful reminder: be not dismayed at the difficulties thou meetest with in resisting Satan, in serving God, or suffering for him; for is not the Lord gone before thee? 5. God Deserves Swift Gratitude and Praise Following their victory over Sisera and the Canaanites, Deborah and Barak did what Israel had failed to do since the days of Joshua: ascribe all glory, honor, and praise to the Lord (Judges 5). And like most things in life, Deborah and Barak did not hesitate to worship. In this way, complacency and self-adoration had been momentarily overcome by Israels leadership. They recognized that, no matter what they or the army had done, God deserved the credit. Believers today would be wise to imitate this behavior and not waste time giving credit and praise to the Lord when it is due. 6. Look to the Past, But Look Beyond to the Promise of the Future In the Song of Deborah and Barak, the songwriter(s) remind the people of the cost of their disobedience and the reasons they had gotten into trouble with the Canaanites in the first place. Here we find an honest reckoning with the past and a charge for Israel to wake up and return to their God. However, in acknowledging the sins of Israels past, Deborah also looks to the joy of their present salvation and hope for an even better future. This is vital to the survival of any civilization. As Eric Metaxas writes in his book If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty, seeing the sins and failing (of the past) is not fatal and fatalistic. We see them, but we see beyond them to the possibilities of goodness and forgiveness and redemption. We recognize that the storys not over. We see the hope on the other side of where we are (231). Deborah reminded the people that, though they had betrayed God and broken covenant with Him, He had remained faithful. Knowing this, the children of Israel could look forward to even better days if they would cast aside their idols and return fully to the Lord. 7. God Elevates Those He Chooses It is no coincidence that the great Canaanite general Sisera was brought down by a girl and a single iron nail. In this way, God demonstrates His tendency to use the weak things of the world to confound the mighty (1 Corinthians 1:27). The apostle Paul would continue, God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised thingsand the things that are notto nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (1 Corinthians 1:29). In this way, as Deborah had promised, Jael was given a special honor for her role in killing an enemy of Gods people. Most blessed of women is Jael, Deborah sings (Judges 5:24). Furthermore, a lot has been written about Deborahs role as a woman in the Old Testament, and it is true; it was not common for women to hold positions of such power and influence in that culture at that time. However, as we see throughout Scripture, God does not hesitate to raise up, equip, empower, and promote His faithful servants, regardless of their social status, abilities, or lack thereof. As Matthew Henry writes, Though He needs no human help, yet he is pleased to accept the services of those who improve their talents to advance his cause. In the end, God elevates those He chooses. Deborah sings, thus let all your enemies perish, O Lord; but let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might (Judges 5:31). Such shall be the honour, and joy of all who love God in sincerity, they shall shine forever as the sun in the firmament. (Matthew Henry) Deborah would play an incredible role in the history of Israel and has gone on to become one of the most influential women in all of Scripture. However, it is not Deborah or Barak, or Jael who deserves glory or praise. They are not worshipped because they are not the ultimate heroes of this story or the ultimate saviors of Israel. That role is reserved for God and God alone, before whom the mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord (Judges 5:5). References Baylis, Albert H. From Creation to the Cross: Understanding the First Half of the Bible. Zondervan, 1996. Henry, Matthew. Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Thomas Nelson, 1997. Metaxas, Eric. If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty. Penguin Books, 2016. Photo credit: Sparrowstock Joel Ryan is an LA-based childrens author, artist, professor, and speaker who is passionate about helping young writers unleash their creativity and discover the wonders of their Creator through storytelling and art. In his blog, Perspectives off the Page, he discusses all things story and the creative process. It is rare (maybe not so rare) that a group of people represent family and foe at the same time. This, however, is exactly who the Edomites are in the Bible. You will see they came from the same family tree as the Israelites, but their end was quite different. Let's take a look. Who Were the Edomites in the Bible? We learn from the book of Genesis that the father of the Edomites was Esau, the same Esau that was Jacob's brother. This is the familial connection between the Edomites and the Israelites. The recognition of this family tie was not lost even many years and generations later, which we will look at in a moment. When you investigate Genesis, you will discover that Esau was referred to as Edom, where we get the name Edomites. He was also known as the father of the Edomites. Consider these verses in Genesis: "Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock. So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir. This is the account of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir." - Genesis 36:6-9 What Does Edom Mean? The word Edom means red or ruddy. This was an appropriate description of the place of Edom, but also an appropriate description for Esau. In Esau's life, he was connected to red things. Red Complexion: "The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau." Genesis 25:25 Red Stew: "Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, 'Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!'" (That is why he was also called Edom) Genesis 25:29-30 Red Country: "Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom." Genesis 32:3 Scholars would tell you that one of the reasons the country was named Edom is because of the reddish sandstone that existed in the country. The man with the red complexion lived in a land known for its reddish sand. These are perfect complements of each other. What Should We Know about the Edomites and Their History? Consider the journey the Israelites took as they were wandering in the wilderness. "Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time, we made our way around the hill country of Seir." Deuteronomy 2:1 Right away, I hope you make the connection with the hill country of Seir, because who settled in the hill country of Seir? You got it: Esau and the Edomites (That sounds like a 50's doo-wop group, but I digress). Let's continue reading. "Then the Lord said to me, 'You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. Give the people these orders: You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir.'" Deuteronomy 2:2-4 Just for clarity's sake, the person God was speaking to about this was Moses. This was hundreds of years after Esau had died, and God still referred to them as family. This is also referred to in Deuteronomy 23:7: "Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you." There is one other passage that points to the Edomites as relatives and gives greater insight into the possible tenuous relationship between the Edomites and the Israelites. In Numbers 20, Moses requests passage through Edom by the king, who refuses. When Moses sent the messengers to the king, he noticed how he referred to the people of Israel. Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying: "'This is what your brother Israel says: You know about all the hardships that have come on us.'" Numbers 20:14 The king refused them passage, and Moses and the Israelites turned away. I have no way of confirming this, but I wonder if this could have been a source of friction between these relatives down the line. The Edomites Land Was Given to Them By God Another important thing to know about the Edomites is that the land of Edom not only belonged to them but was also given to them by the Lord. "Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own." Deuteronomy 2:5 Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. "They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the Lord gave them as their possession." Deuteronomy 2:12 From Family to Foe After Deuteronomy, the next time we see the Edomites, they are not family but enemies. Here are some examples. "After Saul had assumed rule over Israel, he fought against their enemies on every side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment on them." 1 Kings 14:47 "Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom. Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months, until they had destroyed all the men in Edom." 1 Kings 11:14-16 "King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek. Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went." 1 Chronicles 18:11-13 The Bible does not give us a clear indication of when they went from family to foe, but clearly, they were enemies of Israel. The End of Edom As you progress through the Old Testament, there are predictions given regarding the end of Edom. The prophets, six of them, predict the destruction of Edom and God's judgment being poured out on them. Here is one example. "The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir; prophesy against it and say: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolate waste. I will turn your towns into ruins and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'" Ezekiel 35:1-4 This is one example of several prophecies made against Edom, and they were fulfilled. One scholar even said that Edom was so thoroughly destroyed that some historians did not believe Edom ever really existed. Just a small reminder of the truth of the proclamations that God makes. If I had to sum up the Edomites, I would use these terms - from family to foe, to finished. At one point, the Edomites were a blessed people who thought they were secure in their hill country. Truthfully, they were until God said they weren't. Once they were destroyed, they were never heard from again. Photo credit: Unsplash/sincerelymedia Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, teacher, author, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He has spent more than 30 years serving the body of Christ in various capacities and is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose. If you have ever struggled to try to find Gods will, this book will help you discover the different ways God leads you into his perfect will. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com. Exodus 3:1: "Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God." Leviticus 27:34: "These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai." Mount Sinai, also known as Mount Horeb, is a biblical landmark that most Christians are familiar with. God leads his people out of captivity in Egypt by the Pharaoh to this mount. It is here where Moses meets with God on this mount many times and eventually is given the Ten Commandments. It is also the setting for three and a half of the first five books of the Bible! This mountain is a very significant part of the Old Testament. The exact location of Mount Sinai from the Bible has been disputed over the years. The earliest Christian traditions place Mount Sinai at modern-day Mount Serbal, which is the fifth-largest mountain in Egypt. During the 6th century, historian Josephus believed that the highest mountain, Mount Catherine in Egypt, was the actual location for the biblical Mount Sinai. In the third century AD, Christians settled on the modern Mount Sinai as the biblical location, which is on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. In the ninth century, a Georgian colony was formed there, and they built their own churches in the area. Some of the Georgian manuscripts of Sinai still remain there today, while others are kept in private collections. There is no firm consensus on where exactly Mount Sinai is located. Some believe it is located in Saudi Arabia because Moses fled in that direction during his exile. Modern archaeologist, Emmanuel Anatim, is convinced that he has found the Biblical Mount Sinai at Har Karkom because he feels that some rock art at this location has biblical motifs. This is a 2,700-foot ridge in the southern Negev. Even with these modern findings, the exact location of the biblical Mount Sinai is still up for debate. What Does the Bible Say about Mount Sinai? The Israelites are led from captivity in Egypt to Mount Sinai by God, leading them as a cloud in the day and a fire at night (Exodus 19:21). God tells Moses to climb the mount, and it is on the mount that God offers a covenant to the Israelite people (Exodus 19:1-8). The people see lightning and clouds and hear God saying the Ten Commandments to Moses (Exodus 19:9 - 20:14). This experience is terrifying for the Israelites; afterward, they ask not to hear Gods voice but to obey whatever God speaks to Moses. Moses agrees and returns to the mountaintop on his own (Exodus 20: 15-18). When he returns to the mountaintop, God gives the Law to Moses (Exodus 20:19-23:19). Moses then returns and shares these laws with the people before putting them in writing (Exodus 24:1-8). Later, Moses is told to go up the mountain again to receive two stone tablets written by God (Exodus 24:12). When he goes up, God first gives him instructions on how to construct the Tabernacle, and Moses stays on the mountain for 40 days (Exodus 25:1-31:17). While Moses is gone, the people create a golden calf to worship in place of God. Moses receives the stone tablets and is about to descend the mountain when God tells him that the Israelites have been unfaithful therefore, God will let them perish. Moses delays his return and asks God not to destroy them. When he descends, he breaks the tablets and destroys the calf (Exodus 32:7-33:23). Once the crisis passes, God commands Moses to create a new set of tablets and climb the mountain for God to inscribe them (Exodus 34:1-4). When Moses finally descends again, the Israelites meet him with fear because his face reflects the radiance of God. What Is the Significance of Mount Sinai? Mount Sinai is the place where God makes a covenant with the Israelite people. God appears, speaks, and instructs the Israelites on what following God would look like for them and their descendants. God instructs Moses on what his Tabernacle, the place Gods presence was to preside, should look like and how it should be managed. Mount Sinai was a sacred place where Moses went to physically be with God while leading the Israelites from their captivity. This mountain, according to Rabbis, has three other names that help define the significance of the location. First is Har ha-Elohim which means the mountain of God. The second is Har Bashan, or with the teeth. This means that humankind, through the virtue of this mountain, receives sustenance. The third name is Har Gabnunim, which means the mountain of the sword because the Sanhedrin was given the right to sentence a person to death through this mountain. Sinais primary significance comes from the fact that it is the place that God gave the law to his people. Is There a Significance to Mountains in the Bible? Mountains are referenced throughout Scripture. God tends to show up to people on mountains. Throughout the Old Testament, God invites people to meet him on the mountain. Noah is rescued from the flood on a mountain (Genesis 8), Moses encounters God on the mountain, and God appears to Elijah on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:11-13). These are just a few examples of how the high places are singled out as a meeting place with the Lord. In the New Testament, Jesus retreats to the mountains for rest and reflection, appoints his twelve disciples on a mountainside, preaches on the Mount of Olives, and dies on a hill outside of Jerusalem. When Jesus is resurrected, he meets his disciples on a mountain in Galilee. So much of Jesus life was spent on a mountain. Mountains are stable and unmoving, and God wants us to be reminded that he is the same for all time. We can depend on him. On the other hand, Jesus speaks of mountains being moved by our faith (Matthew 17:20). This is impossible by human standards, but God wants us to know that with him, all things are possible. God appears to Moses in a predictable, unmoving location, but he does the impossible when he provides his people with a new covenant that promises our sure identity as Gods chosen people. In our own lives, we find moments in which we see God so clearly at work, just as Moses did on the mountaintop. We also experience other seasons, such as the Israelite people did, where we feel God is distant and begin to build our own idols to worship. We can see ourselves in each of the characters that we read about in this ancient story and find comfort when reminded that Gods presence and plan are reliable. He is able to do the impossible even when we are stuck in the valley; he is still finding a way forward for us on the mountain. Related Resource: Listen to our FREE podcast, How to Study the Bible! Available at LifeAudio.com. Listen to the first episode here: Further Reading Why Is Mount Sinai One of the Most Important Landmarks in the Bible? Photo credit: GettyImages/TomasSereda Amanda Idleman is a writer whose passion is to encourage others to live joyfully. She writes devotions for My Daily Bible Verse Devotional and Podcast, Crosswalk Couples Devotional, the Daily Devotional App, she has work published with Her View from Home, on the MOPS Blog, and is a regular contributor for Crosswalk.com. You can find out more about Amanda on her Facebook Page or follow her on Instagram. Yes, I'm concerned we're going to end up back where we were last fall and winter. I'm not concerned for the vaccinated but cases could surge among the unvaccinated, shutting things down. I'm not concerned about a surge or shutdowns this fall. Vote View Results BRIDGEPORT Following two homicides in less than 24 hours this week, officials announced Wednesday police presence will be increased to combat gun violence that continues to plague the city. In a brief press conference Wednesday afternoon held on Facebook Live, Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia and Mayor Joe Ganim asked for the publics help to apprehend those responsible for the recent violence. Weve had targeted incidents between individuals, some known individuals, some known to the (police) department, to law enforcement, Ganim said. We are doing everything we can to follow up on information and make arrests of those individuals. But, at the same time, we need public support ... We need you to step up. Garcia said police patrols will increase citywide with focuses on high-crime areas based on call and incident volume. And its not just the publics help the city is leaning on in an effort to address gunviolence. Scott Appleby, the citys director of emergency communications and emergency management, said he believes the city intends to request assistance from state police some time this summer. In previous instances of spikes in gun violence, state police troopers have been deployed to help patrol Bridgeport, as well as other major cities. As of Wednesday, Bridgeport had not made a request for that sort of assistance. There has been no formal request from the city of Bridgeport to the state of Connecticut for state police assistance, said Brian Foley, executive aide to James Rovella, commissioner of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Foley said even though their assistance has not been requested, state officials are aware of the recent violence in Bridgeport and other areas. The commissioner is aware of the increase in violence in most urban areas. It is obviously a great concern for our state, he said. Im in communication with Chief Garcia, as well as many Bridgeport community and anti-violence groups regularly. Garcia said some residents have contacted police about recent incidents of gun violence. She said while police understand that some people dont want to come forward maybe because of fear, maybe because of retaliation the department needs the publics help to solve these crimes. She stressed that anyone afraid of information being linked to them can use the departments anonymous tips line at 203-576-TIPS. If you know, you gotta help, Ganim urged anyone with information on recent instances of gun violence. We know whats going on in our neighborhoods ... better than someone else. Around 7:40 p.m. Monday, police responding to a reported crash and gunfire in the area of Park Avenue and State Street found the driver, 39-year-old Shamar Swinton, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He died at St. Vincents Medical Center. Detectives continue to investigate leads in the case. Early the next morning, police said another fatal shooting occurred on Route 8 north around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. A man with a gunshot wound, whose identity has not yet been released by authorities, later succumbed to his injuries. State police said he is believed to be the intended target of the shooting. HARTFORD A federal jury this week convicted a Russian national for his role in running a crypting service used to malware from antivirus software, enabling hackers to infect computers globally, prosecutors said. Oleg Koshkin, 41, formerly of Estonia, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse and one count of aiding and abetting computer fraud and abuse. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison on the offenses. Hes scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 30. He was convicted by a federal jury in Hartford on Tuesday, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said the FBI New Haven office is investigating the case through its Connecticut Cyber Task Force. Koshkin ran several sites that promised to render malicious software completely undetectable by nearly every major provider of antivirus software, according to prosecutors. By operating a website that was intended to hide malware from antivirus programs, Koshkin provided a critical service that enabled other cyber criminals to infect thousands of computers around the world, said Acting U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Leonard C. Boyle in a statement. He worked closely with Peter Levashov, who ran the Kelihos botnet, to develop a system that would let Levashov crypt the Kelihos malware multiple times a day, prosecutors said. Koshkin gave Levashov a custom service that allowed him to allegedly distribute the malware through multiple criminal affiliates. Levashov used the malware to send spam, harvest account credentials, conduct denial of service attacks and distribute ransomware and other malicious software, prosecutors said. Authorities said when the FBI dismantled the Kelihos botnet, it was known to include at least 50,000 compromised computers around the world. Koshkin was arrested in California on Sept. 6, 2019. He has been detained since his arrest. His co-defendant, Pavel Tsurkan, has been charged with conspiring to cause damage to 10 or more protected computers, and aiding and abetting Levashov in causing damage to 10 or more protected computers. He was released on bond, awaiting trial. Levashov was arrested by the Spanish National Police on April 7, 2017, and extradited to the United States. He pleaded guilty Sept. 12, 2018, to one count of causing intentional damage to a protected computer, one count of conspiracy, one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. In April, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the formation of the Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force to address the growing number of ransomware and digital extortion attacks. FAIRFIELD The town received about 25 percent more than expected in state aid with the recent state budget approval, officials said. The town is getting more than $4.4 million in total state aid for the upcoming fiscal year, which is about $1.1 million more than the current year. About $3.3 million of that will be used for non-educational aid and the other $1.1 million will go towards education. Connecticut cities and towns will be receiving large amounts of money for both education and non-educational aid, including the federal pandemic relief that will kick in July 1 when the two-year, $46.4 billion budget starts. Fairfield will be receiving an additional $24.8 million in federal relief funding from the American Rescue Plan. We have identified four areas of focus, said First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick. Public safety, recreation, environment and other town investments which include the senior center, funding for racial equity and justice task force, mental health programming and other items. Ill be working to call a joint meeting of the board of selectmen, board of finance and RTM to present a list of items that we have worked really hard on, she added. A lot of them have already been approved for bonding, but some have not, but they are not unknown to our elected board of officials. Kupchick said they will then put the list out to the public and seek input from the community. Fairfield Public School officials have said the approval of the state budget does not have an immediate impact on their funding. While there may be some trickle-down related to how the formulas are calculated this year, the schools will not know the exact impact for several months. School officials have cited that their conservative estimate of state funding in the budget process has given them an idea of what they would be receiving, which is displayed in the school proposed 2021-2022 school budget. Gov. Ned Lamont, called the budget transformative and said it makes a big difference in peoples lives, especially the lives of people who have been hardest hit by the pandemic, especially for the lives of Black and brown people, the likes of which hasnt been done in 30 years. An Ansonia woman claims in a federal civil rights lawsuit that Shelton police officers responded to a complaint she was being beaten but then walked away. After the officers left, the woman claims she was sexually assaulted by a former Bridgeport police officer at his Shelton residence. City officials and police officers have an affirmative duty to preserve law and order and protect the personal safety of persons in the community, states the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport by the woman, referred in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, against her alleged assailant, Steven Figueroa, and former Shelton officers Michael McClain and John Napoleone, Shelton Police Chief Shawn Sequeira, Mayor Mark Lauretti and the city of Shelton. She is seeking unspecified damages. Her lawyers, Robert Berke and Audrey Felsen, declined comment. In August 2019, Figueroa, who the lawsuit states had been arrested four times for domestic violence before the alleged assault that June, was fired from the Bridgeport Police Department. His lawyer, Christian Young, declined comment on the lawsuit because the criminal charges against his client are pending. Last July Sequeira fired McClain and Napoleone in connection with the incident. A third officer, who conducted the internal affairs investigation that cleared the two men, was also fired. The officers have all filed grievances over their terminations. Those cases remain pending. The three were also among six that recently filed a lawsuit against Lauretti and Sequeira, alleging the public officials violated their Constitutional rights of free speech and assembly, defamed them, and intentionally inflicted emotional distress. Domestic violence should not be ignored and I sincerely apologize to the reported victim, Sequeira said at the time. The Shelton Police Department recognizes the seriousness of the situation and took the appropriate action. We must set a standard of accountability, Sequeira said on Monday. Asked Monday about the lawsuit, Lauretti said people should pay attention to what the victim has to say. McClain and Napoleone could not be reached for comment. On June 26, 2019, according to the lawsuit, a woman notified Shelton Police that she and her daughter heard a loud fight from the apartment directly above hers, occupied by Figueroa. The woman reported that she distinctly heard sounds of domestic abuse and heard a woman screaming and crying, and also heard sounds that led her to believe that a woman had been thrown to the ground several times, the suit states. The lawsuit states that McClain and Napoleone responded to the domestic abuse complaint made by Figueroas neighbor, and when no one answered the door they failed to conduct any further investigation into the domestic violence complaint. The lawsuit states that three days later Shelton Detective John Hubyk received a complaint from Jane Doe who stated that before the arrival of officers McClain and Napoleone at Figueroas apartment, she had been assaulted by Figueroa, struck in the face and head, and dragged from one room to another. The woman stated that upon McClain and Napoleones arrival, Figueroa covered her mouth and warned her to keep quiet. When he was sure the officers had left, Figueroa sexually assaulted the woman, the suit states. She claims in the lawsuit that McClain and Napoleone knew or should have known it was Figueroas apartment when they responded to the scene and that he had previously been arrested. Figueroa, who joined the Bridgeport Police Department in 2016, was first arrested in November 2017 on charges of third-degree criminal mischief and disorderly conduct after an incident in Stratford. The charges were dropped when the victim opted not to pursue the case. His second arrest was April 8, 2018, by Bridgeport police on charges of second-degree stalking, second-degree breach of peace and second-degree harassment after an incident involving the same victim from the Stratford incident, according to court records. He was granted a pretrial probationary program which he was still completing at the time of his arrest by Shelton police. On June 22, 2018 Milford police charged Figueroa with second-degree breach of peace and violation of a protective order. Figueroa pleaded no contest to the charges, meaning he did not either admit to or deny them. Figueroa was arrested by Shelton police on June 29, 2019 on the June 26 incident described in the lawsuit and charged with third-degree assault, unlawful restraint, threatening and risk of injury to a child. On July 20, 2019 Figueroa was again arrested and charged by Shelton police for the same incident that led to his June 29 arrest. He was charged with first-degree sexual assault. Those charges are pending in Milford Superior Court. Brian Gioiele contributed to this story. In about six and a half months, law enforcement officers in Connecticut have shot five people, according to data provided by Connecticut State Police. The latest shooting happened Tuesday night, when a Bridgeport officer assigned to the FBI Safe Streets task force shot an individual. The person shot, who has not been identified by authorities, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. This was the states first police shooting since April 26 when Cornelius McCullough, 29, was shot twice by a Derby police officer near the city line with Ansonia after allegedly opening fire on a passing vehicle. The state police investigation into that officers use of force is still pending. On Feb. 12, Kenneth Strothers, 24, suffered non-life-threatening injuries when he was shot by a Meriden police officer as authorities tried to take him into custody at the Flamingo Inn on a felony armed robbery warrant, officials said. The state police investigation into that officers use of force is still pending. A week earlier, on Feb. 5, Christopher Hagans was fatally shot by Stratford police after officers boxed in a car he was driving to try to arrest him on a warrant out of Naugatuck on home invasion and strangulation offenses, authorities said at the time. On Jan. 6, Benicio Vasquez, 34, was fatally wounded in an apparent exchange of gunfire with members of the FBI Safe Streets task force in Hartford, according to New Haven States Attorney Patrick J. Griffin. Files from the state police investigation were turned over to Griffin in late April for review and, ultimately, a decision on the use of force. Last year, state police started nine investigations into law enforcement use of deadly force in Connecticut. Five of the cases involved fatalities. One investigation involving a state police trooper was later handed over to inspectors from the Division of Criminal Justice. Shamar Ogman, 30, was killed in a shooting by Hartford Police Officer Ashley Martinez on Dec. 26, 2020, after a 911 call about a man in the area with a gun led officers to Ogman, who was allegedly armed with a rifle and a handgun. The state police investigation continues. Waterbury Police Officer Charles Mauriello was hit by friendly fire when a fellow officer was firing at a vehicle allegedly driving at officers on Dec. 8, 2020. The use of force investigation by state police is still pending. The last time Bridgeport police shot a civilian was on Sept. 16, 2020. Juan Villa, then-27, was shot after police arrived at a city home to find Villa allegedly stabbing another individual, authorities said. Villa was shot once. He was later charged with attempted murder in connection with the stabbing. That case is still pending, with Villa next scheduled for a remote court hearing on Aug. 5, court records show. The state police investigation into the use of force is ongoing. Roznovsky Machado, then-24, was shot at by Naugatuck Police Officer Kevin Zainc and Sgt. Nicholas Kehoss after Machado allegedly drove his vehicle at officers on Sept. 14, 2020, authorities said. The investigation into the officers use of force remains pending. Machado, who was not hurt in the shooting, later surrendered to police on an active arrest warrant in connection with the incident. Jose Enrique Soto, 27, was fatally wounded in a shooting by Manchester police on April 2, 2020, after officers tried to locate him in connection with an alleged parole violation. The officers actions were deemed justified by Tolland States Attorney Matthew Gedansky after a state police investigaiton. Samuel Moore, then-36, was shot at by Cromwell Police Sgt. Ryan Parsons as Moore allegedly drove toward the sergeant on March 17, 2020, while trying to flee law enforcement who had showed up at his house after a tip about illegal gun possession. The bullet hit Moores vehicles engine. He was uninjured, and taken into custody on charges in connection with the incident. Parsons was found to be justified in pulling the trigger that day. Edward R. Gendron Jr., 57, was fatally shot by Waterbury Police Officer Ronald Tompkins on Jan. 20, 2020, when officers arrived at the home to investigate an apparent shooting earlier that month where no one was injured. Gendron was in the process of being evicted at the time. He allegedly reached for a gun and expressed a desire to shoot Tompkins, authorities said. Gendron and Tompkins struggled over the gun as Tompkins pulled out his duty-issue weapon, they said. Gendron got his pistol back and wouldnt lower the gun, authorities said, leading Tompkisn to shoot him twice in the chest. Tompkins was found to be justified in the shooting. Mubarak Soulemane, 19, was fatally shot by Connecticut State Police Trooper Brian North after he allegedly stole a car in Norwalk and led law enforcement officers on a pursuit that ended in West Haven on Jan. 15, 2020. State police said North fired after he saw Soulemane with a knife. The state police investigation is still pending. Michael Gregory, 30, was fatally shot by Ansonia Police Officer Officer Brendon Nelson on Jan. 2, 2020, after officers arrived to take Gregory into custody on an alleged violation of a protective order. Gregory had a confrontation with officers, during which police say he was armed with a knife. Officers tried to use a Taser on Gregory before shots were fired. Nelson was found to be justified in the shooting. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The smell of fresh empanadas wafted through the stands at Portland's Saturday Market. People talked through their masks with artists as others sifted through fork windchimes, crystal necklaces, tie dye dresses and clay mugs. The weekly event was smaller than in years past, but longtime attendees say it was a sign of life being breathed back into downtown. Nine blocks away, past businesses still shuttered with plywood boards the names of Black people killed by police painted onto them a panhandler leaned against a fence outside the federal courthouse in an area that was choked with tear gas last summer as thousands of protesters seized the streets. It's now overwhelmed by a makeshift homeless camp. The scenes are from a city trying to emerge from one of its most wrenching periods, one that saw its reputation go from quirky Portlandia to violent dystopia in the minds of many on the outside looking in. The Pacific Northwest city had best been known nationally for its ambrosial food scene, craft breweries and nature-loving hipsters. But last year, as a portion of its downtown was consumed by nightly protests that often turned violent and resulted in clashes with federal agents, former President Donald Trump and his administration labeled Portland an anarchist jurisdiction. It does feel kind of like someone dropped a bomb in some areas (of Portland), but I think theyre very contained areas, said Ocean Howell, a professor at the University of Oregon who teaches urban history and planning. I think theres likely some businesses that are gone and arent coming back. And there are just some people, generally, who are kind of spooked from everything. City officials insist Portland is resilient as they launch a revitalization plan in the form of citywide cleanups of protest damage, aggressive encampment removals, increased homeless services and police reform to repair its reputation. But even the city's famously liberal locals grew weary of months of racial justice protests, increased shootings, a more noticeable homeless population and strict COVID-19 restrictions. When the pandemic reached Portland in March 2020, businesses boarded up, turned off neon open signs and sent employees home. A year ago, when we were at the end of the longest economic expansion in post World War history in this country. We had 100,000-plus individuals coming in and out of downtown daily, said Andrew Hoan, president and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance. And then, overnight, they disappeared. Portlands signature events, such as its Rose Festival, brew fests and drag shows, were canceled, postponed or held virtually. Tourists shied away. No other part of the city was so obviously altered as downtown, which saw an 80% decrease in foot traffic, based on a study conducted by the Portland Business Alliance. A year later there are still pockets in the city that seem frozen in a scene from six months ago. However, officials say there is hope and already noticeable signs of recovery. Gov. Kate Brown has begun to lift some of the countrys strictest COVID-19 restrictions, and restaurants and bars have expanded capacity. The state has set a goal to completely reopen the economy by the end of June or early July. Were in a virtuous cycle now, where one element feeds the other, Hoan said, noting customers are again lining up outside the famous Powells Books and fans are returning to Timbers soccer games. Office workers start to breathe life into the retail scene and hospitality scene, and that sends a signal to other retailers and hospitality owners, he said. While all cities have dealt with the impact of COVID, Portland faced additional challenges over the past year from a large homeless population, to nearby once-in-generation wildfires, to winter ice storms that left tens of thousands without power. But the events that challenged the citys reputation the most was political violence on top of racial awakening. The Rose City was thrust into the national spotlight over the summer as people attended nightly racial justice protests. Photos of thousands of people laying on the historic Burnside Bridge for eight minutes and 46 seconds in remembrance of George Floyd captivated the nation. But as time passed, scenes of chaos emerged: violent clashes between protesters and federal agents sent by Trump. In late August, a Trump supporter was shot and killed downtown when a large caravan of Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed in the streets. Even with most protests taking place within a few blocks, news of the mayhem stretched across the country. Hoan said participants who were violent or damaged businesses negatively affected the city's reputation. And were dealing with the consequences now," he said. Protests continue in the city and sometimes turn violent, but that activity is concentrated in small areas. I get the impression that some people from outside the area, from some of the news coverage, get the impression that the whole city is just a warzone between antifa and Proud Boys, and thats really not the case, Howell said. Based on a survey conducted by the city last month, 68% of people said their top reason for not visiting was due to riots and protests. In recent months, Portland officials have committed millions of dollars to cleaning up downtown removing graffiti, clearing large homeless encampments and restoring damaged buildings. In addition, the mayors office has launched a reputation and rebranding effort. Were doggedly determined to recover, Mayor Ted Wheeler said in his State of the City address this year. Our community has what it takes to move forward to a much greater future. ___ This story has been updated to correct which university Ocean Howell works at. Howell is a professor of history at the University of Oregon, not the University of Portland. STRATFORD The Town Council moved forward this week with plans to approve a nearly 12 percent raise for the mayors position to go into effect after the November election. The current annual salary for the position has remained at $110,000 since 2013, Human Resources Director Ron Ing told council members at their monthly meeting Monday. Town Council Chairman Chris Pia, R-1, cited a Connecticut Post story that showed the current mayor, Laura Hoydick, ranked 25th on a list of salaries on the town side of the budget, and was 143rd last year in total pay, when overtime and other compensation was factored in. I do believe that whoever does sit in the mayoral seat come Nov. 3 should have a higher compensation, Pia said. I think its appropriate and being that it hasnt been raised since (2013) I think its more than fair. The council voted 8-1 to send a proposed ordinance calling for an 11.8 percent raise in pay for the position to $122,945 to be followed by yearly bumps of 2.25 percent to a committee for review. If the raise were approved, the mayor would rank third for highest salary, behind Police Chief Joseph McNeil, who earned $127,228 in salary last year, and Fire Chief Brian Lampart, who earned $123,481. Asked about the proposal at an event Wednesday, Hoydick said she is very happy the council is doing its due diligence identifying what is a fair salary and noted, as council members did Monday, that the salary has been unchanged for eight years. The work has significantly changed (during that time), Hoydick said. The term 24/7, which was coined before, has not been experienced like 24/7 has during this pandemic, and during storms, during social justice issues. Theres a lot to managing the community, as you can imagine. the mayor said. And were not a small community, I think were the 18th largest in the state. A 2008 charter provision calls on the Town Council, prior to the first day of July during the year in which the regular election of the mayor is held, to approve a salary for the position of mayor to take effect with the next mayoral term. On Nov. 14, 2011 a non-mayoral election year the town council voted to raise the salary after the 2013 mayoral election. During the council meeting Monday, no one asked or discussed whether the last change in pay conformed to the charter, which appears to mandate adjustments only in election years. Though the charter prohibits any further interim increase or decrease during a mayors term, John Florek, a lawyer who chaired the Charter Revision Commission which authored the provision, said that the proposed increases of 2.25 percent wouldnt violate it. We did not want to foster partisan politics, and we feared that if we didnt cast the choice of the outgoing council in stone, there would be temptation on the part of the incoming council to perhaps benefit the new mayor in a greater fashion if there were political alliances or a friendly council, he said. Or conversely if the council was adverse to the mayor, to punish the mayor by decreasing the salary or benefits. Prior to the meeting, Ing shared information with council members that showed Hoydick is the lowest paid chief elected official among the communities of Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield, Milford, Shelton, and Trumbull. Milford Mayor Ben Blakes $117,091 in salary is closest to the Stratford mayors $110,000. Greg Cann, D-5, whose wife is running for mayor, noted that salary is only one aspect of total compensation, and asked Ing whether Stratford is comparable with respect to time off, expenses, and usage of town vehicles. Pay for chief elected officials Position City/Town Population Type of Govt Title Status Salary Mayor Bridgeport 144,229 Mayor-Council Mayor Full-Time $159,030 First Selectwoman Fairfield 62,105 Representative Town meeting First Selectwoman Full-Time $145,072 Mayor Milford 52,759 Mayor-Council Mayor Full-Time $117,091 Mayor Shelton 39,559 Mayor-Council Mayor Full-Time $140,555 Mayor Stratford 51,384 Mayor-Council Mayor Full-Time $110,000 First Selectman Trumbull 36,154 Selectman-Council First Selectman Full-Time $121,220 Source: Stratford Human Resources Director Ronald Ing See More Collapse When you look at the total benefit package, Stratford is in the same ballpark? Cann asked.Were pretty close from that perspective, Ing said. Ken Poisson, R-6, said that he was kind of shocked by how low the mayors position currently ranks in terms of townwide pay. William OBrien, R-9 cited a Connecticut Post story which showed that in addition to being 143rd on a list of town employees, the mayor was paid less than many Board of Education employees as well. A Stratford mayor oversees over 500 employees and is on call 24/7, OBrien said, praising Hoydicks performance. A similar position in the corporate sector would earn much more than this municipal salary, and with less stress. Paul Tavaras, D-3, said he was conflicted about the raise proposal, but ultimately voted to oppose, the only council member to do so. He said he can empathize with how difficult the job is, but couldnt vote for the proposal because many people living in his district are paying 20 to 40 percent more in property taxes after last years property revaluation. My decision certainly isnt based on emotion or personal feelings, but the will of my constituents, Tavaras said. I think it would be disingenuous to feel there should be an increase in salary when services are still lacking in District 3. BIG SPRING, Texas (AP) Authorities have arrested a man in the death of a 13-year-old West Texas girl who was reported missing more than a decade ago, a police spokesman said. Texas Rangers arrested Shawn Casey Adkins on Monday on a murder charge in the killing of Hailey Dunn, said Sgt. Fred Biddle, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. He said Adkins was arrested in the area of Big Spring, a city nearly 300 miles (480 kilometers) west of Dallas. Biddle said he could not immediately provide more details on the case. Adkins was booked into the Howard County jail Monday, jail records show. From there he was transferred to the Mitchell County jail where he was being held Wednesday on a $2 million bond, said Frankie Atkinson, the jail administrator for the Mitchell County Sheriffs Office. Jail records do not list an attorney for Adkins, and neither Biddle nor Atkinson knew whether he had one. Hailey was reported missing in December 2010. She and her mother, Billie Dunn, lived in the small West Texas town of Colorado City at the time and Adkins, who was dating Hailey's mother, was named as a person of interest. Hailey's body was discovered in April 2013 in a remote area near a lake about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of Colorado City. Authorities have not released a cause of death. Adkins told The Associated Press shortly after Hailey's disappearance that he was not involved and that he was praying for her safe return. Authorities have not said what led police to arrest Adkins, and Biddle referred questions to prosecutors in the 32nd Judicial District Attorneys Office. District Attorney Richard Thompson said in a statement that Adkins' arrest was the result of a multi-county and multi-agency effort." He declined to provide further information, saying the case is still under investigation. Adkins arrest was met with shock by some in Colorado City, a 4,500-resident town just 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Big Spring where he was taken into custody. The shock of him being arrested was my shock too because I wasnt aware of any of it, said Police Chief Charles Rice. Rice said that by the time he came to the department the case had been handed off to the Texas Rangers and the FBI. ___ This story was first published June 15, 2021. It was updated June 16, 2021, to correct that Shawn Casey Adkins was transferred from the Howard County jail to the Mitchell County jail, where hes being held on bond, not released on bond from the Howard County jail. LONDON (AP) Britain will require COVID-19 vaccinations for nursing home workers in England, arguing that the need to protect vulnerable residents outweighed employees' right to choose whether to get the jab. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the new rules Wednesday together with plans for a public consultation on extending the vaccine requirement to National Health Service workers. He described the vaccination mandate as a sensible step to save lives. The vast majority of staff in care homes are already vaccinated but not all, and we know that the vaccine not only protects you but protects those around you,'' he told the House of Commons. Therefore we will be taking forward the measures to ensure the mandation as a condition of deployment for staff in care homes.'' The regulations, pending parliamentary approval, take effect in October. The announcement came as lawmakers were asked to approve the Conservative government's plan to postpone the final easing of the national lockdown for four weeks, delaying the end of restrictions until July 19. Hancock said the delay would give a few more crucial weeks to vaccinate as many people as possible. Legislators voted by 461 to 60 to approve the delay, despite angry opposition from a minority of anti-lockdown Conservative lawmakers. Unions have objected to mandatory vaccinations, in part because it treats those workers differently than the general population. The GMB union said the government should focus on persuading workers to get vaccinated rather than imposing mandates that might alienate staff members. According to the union, more than a third of care home workers have indicated they would consider leaving their jobs if they were forced to be vaccinated. The GMB called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government to improve pay and working conditions for care home employees and to bring mobile vaccination clinics to care homes to make it easier for them to receive shots. Instead, ministers are ploughing ahead with plans to strong-arm care workers into taking the vaccine without taking seriously the massive blocks these workers still face in getting jabbed, GMB national officer Rachel Harrison said. Some 84% of staff in care homes for older adults in England have had at least one dose of vaccine, and almost 69% have had both shots, according to NHS data. But vaccination rates vary across the country. In the borough of Hackney in east London, just 67% of care home workers have had their first dose and 59% have gotten two shots. Experts have expressed concern about making the inoculations a civil rights issue. Dr David Elliman, a consultant who works with vulnerable children and their caregivers, said those who are hesitant may reject the government telling them what to do. Staff in health and social care have been working under extreme pressure during the pandemic. They are overworked, underpaid and in short supply,'' he said. Rather than introduce compulsion, which could be counterproductive, we need to engage with hesitant staff, ideally on a one-to-one basis to try and allay their concerns.'' ___ Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine Rick Egan/AP SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A Utah state attorney angry about being awakened from a nap has apologized for sending an expletive-laden email to an LGBT politician campaigning to be the first Asian American person elected to the Salt Lake City council. Assistant Utah Attorney General Steven Wuthrich told Darin Mano he hated him and his family, then threatened to do everything in my power to see you will never get elected to any office higher than (a) dog catcher." As the world begins to redefine and establish a new normal after lockdown, cyberattacks are not letting up. From attacks on small businesses to the latest Colonial Pipeline attack, ransomware continuously presents itself as a significant threat to cybersecurity. According to Cybercrime Magazine, experts predict there will be a ransomware attack every 11 seconds in 2021. Scary to think about, right? The power lies in organizations hands to stay vigilant and protected from ransomware attacks and groups like DarkSide. Now, consider this: if cyberattacks have the power to take down some of the largest businesses in the world, what can they do to your organization? Lets step into the world of ransomware to gain a deeper understanding of what is happening in one of the industrys fastest-growing cyber nightmares. Ransomwares Truth As stated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), ransomware is an ever-evolving form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable. Malicious actors then demand ransom in exchange for decryption. Ransomware actors often target and threaten to sell or leak exfiltrated data or authentication information if the ransom is not paid. William Gary Kimbrel, 69, of Cullman passed to his heavenly home on June 25, 2021. A graveside service will be held 1 p.m., Tuesday, June 29, 2021, at Oak Level Cemetery. He was saved at an early age and baptized into the Baptist faith. He remained a lifelong Baptist. Mr. Kimbrel was predece Instant unlimited access to all of our content on currypilot.com. The Curry Coastal Pilot's E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) 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... A Flood Advisory means water levels near flood stage are already 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 1200 PM CDT Friday afternoon. && ...The Flood Advisory is now in effect until early Sunday morning... The Flood Advisory continues for the Kankakee River near Wilmington. * Until late Saturday night. * At 7:45 PM CDT Thursday the stage was 5.3 feet. * Action stage is 5.0 feet. * Flood stage is 6.5 feet. * Forecast...The river will remain around 5.3 feet until just after midnight tonight and then begin to fall. * Impact...At 5.0 feet, Minor lowland flooding begins in areas immediately adjacent to the river. && Elizabeth City, NC (27909) Today Showers and thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 78F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Dalton, GA (30720) Today Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 86F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 61F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. This rendering, provided by JM Development Group LLC, shows how a pedestrian plaza at The Kingstonian would appear, built above what is now Fair Street Extension in Kingston, N.Y. The solar-powered passenger boat Solaris is shown on the Rondout Creek off the Kingston, N.Y., shore. KINGSTON, N.Y. The city Planning Board wants more time to weigh in on a proposal from the The Ulster County Legislature meets Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in its chamber at the County Office Building in Kingston, N.Y. Chairman David Donaldson is seated at center at the right side of the photo. KINGSTON, N.Y. The public will have an opportunity next month to weigh in about how the co KINGSTON, N.Y. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan wants to spend some $24 million in federal coronavirus relief money to boost the local econo 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. A trailer in which COVID shots are given stands in a parking lot on the SUNY Ulster campus in Stone Ridge, N.Y., on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. The trailer, brought in by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is open for walk-in Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson shots from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily and until 6:15 p.m. by appointment. Phyllis Ann Broughton, 92, of Ashland, passed away Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at the Hospice Care Center in Ashland. Mrs. Broughton was born March 11, 1929 in Westwood, a daughter of the late Roy Taylor and Lenora Ellington Cook. Her mother passed away at a young age and her mother's sister Lucy Sunbury, PA (17801) Today Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Sunbury, PA (17801) Today Showers this morning then scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 78F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 57F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%. More than 92 percent of adults in Chester County are now fully or partially vaccinated. featured County News The sound of music shall play once more Sound of music shall play once more as Chester County Concert Band prepares for comeback with free summer shows at regional parks The phenomenal success of sites like Ashley Madison and Illicit Encounters leave none of us in any doubt that married people have affairs. But why would a single person specifically seek out sex with someone who's married when there are hook-up apps that readily offer up sex with fellow singles? Is it the thrill of doing something you shouldn't? Revenge for a lover who cheated on you? Are married people more grateful for sex and more enthusiastic? Or is it simply because people who are already married aren't after commitment? Intrigued after a man I know starts yet another affair with a married woman, I asked other men who only have sex with married women if they would share their stories. Here's what they told me. Three men tell Tracey Cox why married women appeal more to them than those who are single and available - for reasons including they're too busy working to have a relationship Rich* is 29, works in the city and sees married women because his career doesn't allow time for a relationship. He finds his partners on a popular website for people seeking extra-marital affairs and has been a member for two years. 'I started seeing married women when I got the promotion I'd been longing for. I work in banking and all the rumours about it being full on and working stupidly long hours are true. 'You don't have a life other than your job if you want to keep it and make money. I have made a pact with myself to give it five years of full focus, then I'm out. 'This means not having a relationship. I have no time or energy left right now to give the commitment and time a relationship takes. And I don't want to lie to women just to get sex. 'Yes, women are up for casual sex but it feels more honest doing what I'm doing and less likely for people to get hurt. I know I could pay for sex a lot of my co-workers choose that route but it doesn't feel right to me. 'I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a kick out of the excitement of affair sex. Anyone who has ever had an affair knows what I mean. 'It's got a fizz that just isn't there with relationships that are "allowed". I try to make it as fun as possible: rent a nice hotel room, have champagne on ice, sometimes we'll smoke some weed or do a little coke. 'The women are generally attractive and always make an effort: nice underwear, everything groomed down there, they're dressed up. Like they're going on a first date. 'It's not selfish sex on my part - I make sure there's lots of foreplay and that she has an orgasm before I have one myself. 'I nearly always use condoms but I have taken STI tests and ditched the condoms if there's someone I want to see exclusively for a while. 'I have to be pretty sure she isn't sleeping with anyone other than her partner (though usually that isn't happening at all) and that he isn't out there s******* the world and giving her anything. 'It's a risk but no less stupid than meeting a single girl and pledging to be monogamous without ever knowing if she will stick to her side of the bargain. 'You try not to talk about their situation at home or why they're doing it, but most women tell you anyway. 'Only a few of the women I've met up with feel guilty about what they're doing. A lot think it's their "treat" for being a good wife or mother or putting up with a guy who doesn't treat them well or ignores them most of the time. Three men told Tracey Cox all about their relations with married women 'You'd also be surprised how many husbands or partners have given their approval: They're usually the older women or women who have been with their partners for a long time. There are more open relationships going on than I'd ever realised. 'It's exciting but it can be alarming as well. I've had one husband knock on the door of the hotel room and refuse to go away, banging on the door and threatening all sorts. 'We had to call the front deck to have him removed and then got out of there as the police escorted him off. I looked over my shoulder for months after that. 'I just hope the woman was OK. I tried to contact her through the site but she wasn't on it anymore. 'I developed strong feelings for another woman who I saw for about six months. She'd married young and loved her husband as friend but nothing else. 'They had kids and she didn't want to split up the family. She said she would leave for me but I'm a romantic really and I don't want to have met the future mother of my children on a website for married people wanting to have affairs. 'When I am ready to settle, which I will be in a few years, I'll use a dating site or try to organically meet someone through friends. In the meantime, this suits me. 'When the pandemic hit, I immediately went into a "sex bubble" with the woman I'd been seeing. 'We both agreed not to sleep with other people and to take all the precautions necessary to stay Covid free. Even so, because of restrictions, I didn't see her or anyone else for six months. 'But when it felt safe, we saw each other again. The sex was pretty basic we actually did make sure we faced the same way, didn't kiss and washed our hands often. 'But it was better than no sex at all. Zoom sex doesn't happen with me and married women. No-one has ever suggested it I guess the risk of being caught is higher? 'Now, it's pretty much back to business as usual anyway and in person.' John*, 38, lives in central London. He's been having sexual relationships with married women for the last seven years. His only long-term relationship was when he was 24 and it lasted seven months. 'There are so many reasons why having sex with married women is better than sex with single women. Whenever I date single women, I feel an immense pressure almost immediately. 'If they're older, especially, I know they are sizing me up to see whether I'd make a good father and husband. 'If I get a tick which I usually do because I'm not bad looking, I'm solvent, I own an apartment and have a good job there's the inevitable and increasingly obvious hints about wanting children. 'They ask why I've never been married, if I can see the relationship becoming serious. It's always the same. 'The beginning of a relationship should be the best part: it's when you should be just having fun and enjoying lots of sex. Instead, I find it's fraught with expectations I know I'm not going to deliver on. 'I'm always honest. I don't ever lead women on and I don't promise anything I can't deliver. 'I say right from the get-go that I only want a casual relationship but they all think I'll change my mind once I get to know them. I don't. 'They usually give it about two months, then, when they realise I'm sticking to my guns about not wanting an exclusive or serious relationship, they move on. 'They are nearly always resentful and angry and accuse me of having something wrong with me. Why? Because I don't want the hassle of a relationship? 'I don't get any enjoyment from being with one person. I've tried it and I hated it. I always disappoint women: I don't feel comfortable with the level of intimacy they want. 'I have lots of friends and I'm close to my family, so there's emotional support there if I need it but I rarely do. 'I like freedom the thought of being tied down to one person that I'm responsible for both bores me and frightens me. I honestly can't see why everyone finds it so attractive. 'I could pay for sex but I don't need to (and I don't want to). Seeing married women is an obvious solution. I first went on the website (for having illicit affairs) when I was in my early 30s. 'At first, I worried that the married women on there would be all secretly looking for a way out of their marriages, that they'd want much more than an affair. But I haven't had that happen. 'I make it clear when I make contact that I only want sex and that's all that will ever be on offer. The sex is generally good and there's not too much talking either before or after. 'I reckon I've slept with about four women a year since I first used the site. About half the women I see are happy with it being very transactional sex. 'But you can tell some want more chatter and interaction and to hang around longer. I guess it's their escape from a mundane existence so they want the encounter to last longer. 'Those women don't want repeat performances. But there are plenty of women who are perfectly happy to meet up for 20 minutes or so and get on with it. 'I guess it's easier to get away with a shorter time period and safer since it's clear there's zero chance they will fall in love with me or me them.' David, 63, is a small businessman. His wife died three years ago and he thinks it would be a betrayal to find love again. He has sex with married women but only if their partner's know and have given permission. 'I got married at 19 and was with my wife for 41 years. She died when I was 60. I am still heartbroken not helped by Covid-19 and being literally locked inside with little to think about but how much I missed her. 'It would feel wrong to try to replace her so I don't even try. But I did realise that although my family and friends and children satisfy my need for love, I do need sex. 'I didn't want to only have sex with myself for the rest of my life. 'I have had "friends with benefits" offers from some of our friends, which shocked me. They knew how much I loved my wife and they loved her, too. 'As if I could have sex with someone she knew? It would feel like such a betrayal of trust: my wife would be in the bed with us. 'There aren't too many men of my age around who are single and half decent but I still found it offensive. 'I would never hire a sex worker, it's just not my thing. A male friend of mine suggested I go onto a website for married women looking for sex. 'My immediate reaction was how awful it sounded and deceitful. My marriage was so precious to me. I didn't like the idea of me having sex with poor guy's wife and him being clueless about it. 'But I did some research and there are couples who both use the site with full consent of each other and lots of women who have their partner's blessing. 'Turns out there are quite a few women around my age with partners who have long-term health problems. They can't have sex but they don't want their partners to go without. 'These are the women I seek out and have sex with. I made a rule that their partner has to know and I stick by it. '(Don't worry the irony isn't lost on me: I'm aware I'm asking for honesty on a website that feeds off dishonesty but I've had to make peace with that.) 'The first time I did it, I was so nervous and didn't perform well at all. I came home and cried. It made me miss my wife so much, I didn't try it again for a while. 'But then the grief becomes a little more manageable and I recognised I had to have some joy in my life. 'I now see two women on a fairly regular basis. One has become quite a dear friend as well as sexual companion. Her husband is much older than her and has Parkinson's. 'He can't have sex and doesn't want her to miss out. He knows of the relationship but doesn't want details. 'It's obvious she loves him and will never leave him and I'm very fond of her. The second woman has assured me her partner knows but I don't know anything else about her life other than that. 'She's younger and the sex is more energetic. We have a laugh but there's no intimacy. 'I sometimes wonder what my wife would have done if I had passed first, whether she would have been tempted to do something like this. 'I don't believe she would look for love either but she was such a wonderful woman, I can't imagine her ever being without admirers. 'If she did go on the website, all the married men would immediately offer to leave their partners to be with her.' * The names have been changed and some small details altered to protect their identities. You'll find Tracey's sex toy ranges supersex (for women and couples) and Edge (to improve sexual performance for men) on traceycox.com or at lovehoney.co.uk. Brawlers have shared their shocking bar fight stories in an eye-opening online thread. People from around the world took to anonymous US-based secret sharing app Whisper to confess the bizarre, petty and sometimes sickening exchanges that led to the altercations. One punter revealed she jumped to her brother's rescue after he got into an argument with other patrons while drunk. And another unlucky brawler confessed he accidentally punched his own date and knocked her teeth out after missing his original target. People have shared why they got involved in bar fights on the anonymous US-based website Whisper. One woman said she jumped in to help her brother who got into a brawl while drunk Another woman revealed she cut a man's head open with her pair of high heels in her first ever bar fight A 'lucky' punter joked they had caused a bar fight because people argued over their 'great looks' Still got it! A 63-year-old mother was arrested by police and had to call her child for help after she got into a fight at a bar Someone had to wait a year-and-a-half to get their teeth replaced after getting into a bar fight to defend a girl from her abusive boyfriend One person said it was the 'best feeling ever' after they knocked a guy out because he said he and his girlfriend were an ugly couple One woman revealed she fought with a man in Italy after he offered her 12 euros to have sex with him - roughly 10 One person admitted they got into a fight simply because they wanted to punch another person An unlucky fighter revealed he punched his date in the face and knocked her teeth out after missing his original target A 21-year-old woman revealed she got into a fight with another girl at a pub which ended in them sharing a steamy kiss One person revealed they had 'the most fun they'd ever had' during a bar fight where they hit everyone and anyone they could A teenager convicted of murder after helping his parents to murder his mother's lover was 'manipulated' by his mother, a barrister has claimed. Mother-of-six Zatoon Bibi now 42, from Birmingham, murdered her estranged lover Tanveer Iqbal in January 2016 because she resented him for ending their affair, with the help of her husband, Gul Nawaz, and son Kashim, who was 15 at the time. Speaking in 5Star's crime documentary My Lover My Killer, which aired last night at 10pm, Tahir Khan who represented her husband, Gul Nawaz, said he felt 'sorry' for the teenager, despite his role in strangling Tanveer to death. Khan said Kashim had been been 'recruited' by his parents, while Zatoon's barrister Jo Sidhu reflected that the teenager had to sit in court and listen to his parents tearing each other apart as they tried to put the blame on one another. In September 2016 Bibi was handed a life sentence, to serve a minimum of 27 years, while Gul Nawaz was told he would serve 25 years before being considered for parole. Kashim was sentenced to life with a minimum of six years behind bar. Kashim Nawaz, pictured, was enlisted by his mother Zatoon Bibi, alongside his father Gul Nawz, to kill her former lover Tanveer Iqbal in Birmingham in 2016 after their relationship went sour. He was sentenced to life at Birmingham's Crown Court in September 2016, with a minimum prison time of six years Married mother-of-four, Bibi met Tanveer, who was a record shop owner in Birmingham and also married with two children in 2003, and the two began an affair spanning several years, with both their spouses aware of their extra-marital relationship. Kashim was one of the four children Bibi shared with her husband Nawaz, with whom she'd had an arranged marriage. Nawaz and Bibi had divorced several years earlier after he discovered pictures of a trip Bibi, Tanveer and the daughter they shared had taken in London. They however were still living together and pretended to be a couple to save face. Jo Sidhu and Tahir Khan who respectively represented Zatroon Bibi, left, and Gul Nawaz at their 2016 trial, said they felt bad for Kashim, who had been manipulated by his mother to testify against his father in court, and enlist by both his parents to participant in Tanveer's killing Tanveer Iqbal, pictured, a record stop owner in Brimingham, was married with two children when he met Zatoon and started an affair with her in 2003 However, when things turned sour between Tanveer and Bibi after she sent a sexually explicit video of them to his wife Nasreen, Bibi decided that if she couldn't have Tanveer, nobody could, and hatched a plan to kill him. Kashim, who was 15 at the time, was enrolled by his parents to participate in the attack and killing of Tanveer at Bibi's house near Birmingham. After Bibi, Nawaz and Kashim were arrested for Tanveer's murder, the mother-of-six tried to manipulate her son so that he would side with her against her husband in court. 'I felt sorry for Kashim,' Khan said in the documentary. 'Here he was, this young man, a child who had been recruited by his mother and perhaps to a lesser extent by his father to get involved in this killing.' Jo Sidhu echoed Khan's sentiment, saying: 'Here he was torn between his parents, having gotten himself in this situation, because his mother recruited him, 'He'd been manipulated and told all sorts of lies in order to get him on board. And there in court he found himself mute, he couldn't speak,' he went on. 'What could he say? If he went into the witness box he'd have to point the finger at his father and he knew it wasn't the truth. So he stayed where he sat in the dock and listened to his two parents tearing each other apart,' Sidhu added. Tanveer, pictured, had ended his relationship with Zatoon after she sent explicit videos of them having sex to his wife Nasreen Sidhu reminisced on Bibi's attitude during their interview prior and during her trial. 'She was excitable and vociferous in every conversation I had with her. It seemed she was calling him just to give him emotional support. But in fact those calls were recorded and at her trial, the transcripts of these calls were revealed to the jury and they told their own story,' he said. In the run up to the trial, it transpired that Bibi had been calling Kashim several times from the women's prison where she was kept in order to sway him into testifying against his own father. 'There was a huge amount of telephone traffic passing from Bibi Zatoon and Kashim, and what she was doing was trying to persuade her so to blame his father,' Khan said. 'She was prepping her son to give her false story, that story would make her look innocent and her son too, that would point the figure at Gul Nawaz,' Sidhu said. 'What you see there is the manipulative Zatoon Bibi manipulating her son to come up with a story in which all of the blame for what happened is put on Kashim's father,' Khan said. Gul Nawaz, pictured right and left, was recorded by CCTV at his local Poudland buying a murder kit consisting of gloves, bleach and rope 'What you see in the recorded calls from the prison is Kashim saying "I'm not going to do it, I'm not going to say, my father killed your lover".' 'He was slowly worn down by his mother, manipulating him, emotionally blackmailing him, saying "There is a way for you and me to avoid being convicted or murder. Do you want to be convicted of murder? If we stick together and we tell this story, your father will go to prison but not you or me",' he added. The documentary showed how Bibi tried to manipulate others throughout her relationship with Tanveer, because she wanted an exclusive, monogamous relationship with him. The lovers met in 2003 and began what should have been a fling but developed into a serious relationship and they had two children together. Tanveer was in an arranged married with his wife Nasreen, and the couple also had two children. CCTV recorded Zatoon moving Iqbal's car, pictured, away from her house after she murdered him inside Nasreen was accepting of Tanveer's infidelity because of the culture she had grown up in, where men having multiple wives was accepted. Bibi worked to win Nasreen over in order to gain more control over the situation, explained professor of criminology Liz Yardley in the documentary. 'This relationship is a pressure cooker and it's not an affair that either of them could easily walk away from, because both of them are quite invested,' she said. Upon hearing that his mistress and his wife were in touch, Iqbal asked them to stop communicating, which Liz interpreted as him not wanting to lose control over the situation. However, Bibi wanted to 'keep her friends close and enemies closer' so continued on with her correspondence with Nasreen. Iqbal's body was found in the boot of his car wrapped in a cardboard box, four days after he was reported missing by his family 'She wants Nasreen on her side, she wants to be able to manipulate her, to find out things that she can use against her. So they continue to be in touch they get mobile phones, save each other's numbers in these phones as pseudonym,' she explained. 'This is quite sophisticated, a high level of manipulation that's going on here. 'In order for her to win her man, she needed to break that relationship between him and his wife.' After gaining the trust of Nasreen, Bibi tasked herself with trying to break Iqbal's marriage by sending explicit videos or their sexual relations to his wife. However, the plan backfired, and as a result, Iqbal broke the affair with Bibi. 'It was always a ticking time bomb going off in this situation, there was never going to be a moment where she got what she wanted because Tannveer was never going to give it to her,' Liz said. 'Zatoon had underestimated his love for his wife Nasreen and overestimated his affection for her,' Sidhu said. 'When he decides to leave, I think that sets off something incredibly toxic in Zatoon,' Liz said. 'Once Zatoon had come to the conclusion that the relation with Tanveer was going nowhere and needed to be ended, the next question for her would have been how, how to end it,' Khan said. On 31 January 2016, Zatoon invited Tanveer to her house on the pretence of celebrating his birthday with the two children they shared, saying she had planned a cake. CCTV recorded Zatoon, Gul Nawaz and Kashim arriving at her house an hour before Tanveer. Strangulation marks on Tanveer throat revealed he was strangled, before the trio disposed of his body in a flat TV screen packaging, and put him in the boot of his car before running away. His body was found four days later after a friend spotted his car by chance, three days after he was reported missing by his worried family. CCTV at a local Poundland recorded Gul as he bought cleaning products and rope that were referred to as a 'murder kit' in reports on the case. After a six-week long trial, Bibi received a life sentenced with a minimum of 27 years in prison, Gul Nawaz received 25 years without parole and Kashim received a life sentenced with a minimum prison time of six years. My Lover my Killer airs tonight at 10pm on 5Star. Jessa Duggar has revealed that she intends to deliver baby number four in a hospital following three previous home births with two that ultimately sent her to the hospital in an ambulance. The 28-year-old is currently in her third trimester with her fourth child with her husband Ben Seewald, 26, and she told fans on YouTube this month that she's departing from her usual home birth plan this time around. Jessa had given birth to five-year-old Spurgeon, four-year-old Henry, and two-year-old daughter Ivy at home, but twice experienced dangerous hemorrhaging that saw her rushed to the hospital immediately following delivery. On the safer side: Jessa Duggar has revealed that she intends to deliver baby number four in a hospital following three previous home births Family: Jessa and Ben, who married in 2014, already have three children: five-year-old Spurgeon, four-year-old Henry, and two-year-old Ivy Uh-oh: With Spurgeon and Ivy, she experienced dangerous hemorrhaging that saw her rushed to the hospital immediately following delivery Jessa and Ben announced that they are expecting once again in February, and fans speculated on whether she would attempt another home birth after her scary experience with Ivy. But it seems that the couple is erring on the side of caution with this delivery. 'Ben and I talked this over a lot, and we decided we are going to do a hospital birth this time,' she said. 'So, thatll be different. Ive had three home births, three great home births, good experiences. No complications with the birth itself, but I have had postpartum hemorrhage two times, with my first and my third,' she went on. 'And so, for that reason, we're choosing to do a hospital birth just so we won't have to deal with the transport if I end up needing Pitocin. Pitocin can be used to stop bleeding after childbirth. 'It's kind of frustrating in some sense, because most of our neighboring states, midwives are allowed to carry and administer Pitocin at home and in a home birth setting, and Arkansas doesn't allow midwives to do that,' she said. Ta-da! Jessa and Ben announced that they are expecting once again in February 'Ive had three great home births, good experiences. No complications with the birth itself, but I have had postpartum hemorrhage two times, with my first and my third,' she said 'We're choosing to do a hospital birth just so we won't have to deal with the transport if I end up needing Pitocin,' the mother-of-three said Jessa admitted to being a little nervous, and said she will miss the comfort of delivering in her own house. 'I've just been so used to being able to be in my own space in labor, and move about and kind of have the comfort of home and I love that,' she said. 'And so, in that sense, a hospital sounds, like, very different. 'And I've wondered, will I be able to relax in that environment? Will things be able to progress, or will my body be stressed and tensed up? I don't know. 'But at the same time, hospitals have epidurals,' she said. 'I've told my birth team and my family, like, "Yeah, if I go to the hospital, I'm just gonna end up getting an epidural." 'I've done the natural thing three times and I wouldnt be surprised if I got an epidural. But we'll see, I don't know,' she said. While she isn't thrilled with the plan, she admitted that her husband is pleased. 'I think home birth is actually more stressful for Ben, so he's thrilled about the hospital birth,' she said. Jessa hasn't revealed the sex of the baby, or even the due date rather, upon announcing the pregnancy, she and Ben said: 'We are so grateful to God for the precious gift of a new life! The kids are delighted, and we can hardly wait to welcome this little one into our arms this summer.' 'I think home birth is actually more stressful for Ben, so he's thrilled about the hospital birth,' she said 'I've done the natural thing three times and I wouldnt be surprised if I got an epidural. But we'll see, I don't know,' she said Feelings: Jessa also reflected on the miscarriage she suffered before this pregnancy, admitting to feeling fear and anxiety early on while carrying this time around This summer is sure to be eventful for the Duggars, as it is also when Jessa's alleged pedophile brother Josh is set to go on trial. Josh was arrested in late April and in May was charged with receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. He is currently out on bail living with a family friend, and while he is allowed supervised visits with his own six children, he is banned from having contact with other children. The trial is scheduled to begin in early July. It's also unclear whether Jessa's latest delivery will be on camera like her previous three. Since Josh's arrest, the fate of Counting On has been in limbo, with critics calling for TLC to pull it from streaming platforms. Meanwhile, in her YouTube video, Jessa also reflected on the miscarriage she suffered before this pregnancy, admitting to feeling fear and anxiety early on while carrying this time around. 'Going through my first trimester, I think I was pretty nervous, and had a hard time feeling really excited about the pregnancy because I was nervous something might go wrong, and this baby might not make it,' she said. Local EMTs are sure to be relieved by the news that Jessa plans to give birth in a hospital setting, as they rushed to her home on two previous occasions with all of the mother-of-three's home births captured on camera for the family's TLC series Counting On. Intimate: Cameras captured Jessa in labor at home with two-year-old Ivy, bent over their living room sofa while Ben rubbed her back Where that sofa's been! When she gave birth to Ivy on May 26, 2019, she delivered on top of an absorbent pad on the family's sofa Just a regular day: Ben helped Jessa along while the midwife and her assistant were in the kitchen Ready to go! When it was time, she sat on an absorbent bad put out on the couch and pushed Yikes: Cameras showed her moaning in pain as she pushed the baby out When she gave birth to Ivy on May 26, 2019, she delivered on top of an absorbent pad on the family's sofa after which her midwife called 911 requesting an ambulance to pick up the still-bleeding new mom and take her to the hospital. At the time, Jessa said that her birthing plan was to deliver with a midwife in a birthing suite at the local hospital. Unfortunately, the morning her water broke was the same day her midwife left town for a week, not expecting Jessa to go into labor for another week or so. 'I was not expecting to go early, I was expecting to go five days late again, we thought we had two weeks left. So our backup plan was to call another midwife and do a home birth,' she said. After Ben's mother picked up their sons, Jessa labored at the house with her backup midwife and her older sister Jill. Jessa's labor didn't progress quite as quickly as she expected, and she tried a castor oil smoothie and a trip to her parents' house to walk up and down the stairs in order to speed up contractions. Done! Finally, as the baby came out, Jessa erupted into tears Privacy: Camera caught the moment the midwife pulled the baby out, with Jill blocking Jessa for modesty Uh-oh! When Jessa wouldn't stop bleeding, the midwife called 911 and paramedics took Jessa away in an ambulance Finally, things started to move along, and Jessa headed home for labor. With her sister, husband, and midwife Teresa on hand, she walked around her living room and leaned over their brown sofa, moaning in pain and waiting out each contraction. While the Duggars are famously private and modest, they're fairly open about showing all of the less-than-glamorous parts of childbirth on TV and Jessa didn't hold back, allowing a camera crew to film her groaning loudly in pain and positioning herself over an absorbent pad on the couch. The camera rolled as she pushed and little Ivy came out, leaving Jessa spent and in tears. After the midwife delivered the newborn into Jessa's arms, she soon passed him off to Ben, who took over while mom was cleaned up. 'It was a really special moment, meeting our third little baby for the first time,' he said. But the blissful moment didn't last long. Jessa continued to bleed after the birth, to a point that they decided she needed to head to the hospital. This isn't the first time Jessa has experienced excessive post-birth bleeding: When she delivered her first child, Spurgeon, she lost enough blood that her mother called 911, and Jessa had to get a blood transfusion at the hospital. Ouch! Jessa was also rushed to the hospital after giving birth to Spurgeon She endured 27 hours of labor at home during which she suffered severe tearing and needed an emergency blood transfusion Better: Her delivery with Henry was smoother, lasting just hours and requiring no ambulance ride 'I feel totally different, I wasn't exhausted to the point I was after Spurgeon's long labor and delivery,' Jessa said later This time, it was the midwife who called 911, and paramedics soon came to load her into an an ambulance. At the hospital, Jessa was given Pitocin, a drug to stop the bleeding, but she did not need a transfusion. Jessa had a similarly dramatic labor with Spurgeon in 2015. At age 23, she gave birth to a 9 pound, 11 ounce baby boy after 27 hours of labor at home during which she suffered severe tearing and needed an emergency blood transfusion. The graphic birth aired on an episode of Counting On. When asked if childbirth was better or worse than expected, Jessa said 'worse' without hesitation. 'I said to my mom, ''I do not know how you did this 19 times,"' she said. Her delivery with Henry was smoother, lasting just hours and requiring no ambulance ride. 'I feel totally different, I wasn't exhausted to the point I was after Spurgeon's long labor and delivery,' Jessa said later. 'Recovery's just been completely different.' McDonald's is set to sell Big Mac burgers for as little as 50 cents to celebrate its 50-year anniversary. The fast food restaurant chain will launch a new range of never-before-seen promotions, menu items and unique collaborations from June 18 until the end of August. To kick off the celebrations, Maccas will reduce the price of the Big Mac, which normally cost $6.50, to just 50 cents across all restaurants nationally on Friday, June 18 when diners order via the MyMacca's app. McDonald's Australia is set to sell Big Mac burgers for as little as 50 cents Opening the doors to its first Australian restaurant in 1971, Macca's now boasts 1,009 restaurants nationwide, employing more than 100,000 people and serving two million Aussies every day What Macca's in Australia once looked like in 1993: Over the past five decades, the fast food giant has sold more than 1.1 billion Big Macs to Aussie customers Over the past five decades, the fast food giant has sold more than 1.1 billion Big Macs to Aussie customers. 'We are extremely proud to be celebrating 50 years of providing great tasting food and supporting our customers, people and communities in Australia,' Andrew Gregory, chief executive officer, McDonald's Australia, said. 'We are firm believers in the quality and taste of Australian home grown produce and have always been and remain committed to our local suppliers and supporting more than 15,000 Aussie farmers annually. 'Many of our long-standing partnerships with Aussie suppliers and farmers have spanned multiple decades. Working together, we continue to find new ways to constantly improve the Macca's experience for our customers.' The fast food chain is celebrating 50 years of Aussie milestones, memories and moments To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the restaurant has shared vintage pictures of the chain Today, Macca's is the largest employer of young people in the country, having created job opportunities for more than 1.5 million Australians throughout the past 50 years Today, Macca's is the largest employer of young people in the country, having created job opportunities for more than 1.5 million Australians throughout the past 50 years. Opening the doors to its first restaurant Down Under in 1971, Macca's now boasts 1,009 restaurants around the country, employing more than 100,000 people and serving two million Aussies every day. 'We're proud of our history and the positive difference our 245 franchisees continue to make by providing the best first job in Australia for young people,' Mr Gregory said. 'Our franchisees play a critical role in making Macca's one of the most trusted brands in Australia and we're looking forward to celebrating our 50th birthday with our people and customers.' Australian shoppers are mercilessly mocking a pair of denim shorts with a bizarre detail on social media. The high-waisted pants from fast fashion website Shein look normal from the front, but they take an unexpected turn when you spin around. Gaping rips slashed right across the back expose more than a generous glimpse of the wearer's thighs and behind, with both cheeks almost fully on show. A photos of the shorts caught attention after a woman uploaded it to a Facebook group with the caption: 'Excuse me Shein, explain please!' Scroll down for video These shorts from fast fashion website Shein might look normal from the front, but they take a very racy turn when you spin around... Gaping rips slashed right across the back expose more than a generous glimpse of the wearer's thighs and behind, with both cheeks almost fully on show Poll Would you wear the ripped shorts? Yes No Only to a costume party Would you wear the ripped shorts? Yes 54 votes No 195 votes Only to a costume party 19 votes Now share your opinion Others were quick to agree with her criticism of the outlandish design. 'I'd be so scared of sitting down and getting bitten by an ant somewhere,' one woman wrote. Another added: '"I want to look like I've been attacked by a tiger, but you know, in a sexy way" the designer, probably.' 'For when you want to look like you have survived a bear attack,' said a third. The shorts are the latest piece of fast fashion clothing to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. Earlier this week, an online shopper was stopped in her tracks when she spotted a pair of workout leggings with a racy design across the back. These leggings might look normal from the front, but they take a VERY racy turn when you spin around... The woman, who posts under the handle Father Marge on TikTok, shared a video of the tights which have an open crisscross detail that exposes more than a generous glimpse of the wearer's buttocks. 'Ok, so I was on Fabletics to see their monthly outfit because I had a credit to use,' she said in the clip. 'Umm... Can someone at Fabletics tell me what this is? Things are getting a little bit crazy.' A TikTok user who posts as Father Marge uploaded a video of the leggings after spotting them while browsing online The video, captioned 'we need ANSWERS!!', has since been viewed 3.2 million times since it was uploaded online on June 5. Thousands of perplexed viewers replied with comments including 'this can't be real' and 'oh my god what?'. 'Definitely not squat proof,' one person wrote. Another added: 'This is too much.' Others were in disbelief, with one woman saying: 'Oh no. I thought you had to be making it up, but no - they're real.' A dermal therapist and skincare expert has answered the most-commonly-Googled skincare questions, including how long it takes for a new routine to work and what is the correct order to apply your products. Yadira Cauchi, from Melbourne, said she is faced with clients' questions every single day. While it can help to Google specific queries, there is nothing better than consulting a professional like a dermatologist. A dermal therapist and skincare expert has answered the most-commonly-Googled skincare questions, including how long it takes for a new routine to work (Yadira Cauchi pictured) 1. How should I 'layer' my skincare? The first - and most frequently asked - question is how you should layer your skincare for the best results. 'The rule of thumb for this is to apply your products in order of thinnest to thickest texture after cleansing, eg: cleanser, mist/toner, serums, moisturiser, oil and sunscreen,' Yadira wrote for Adore Beauty. While this can work in theory, she also recommends you consider your skin concerns and the specific product ingredients, too. For example, if you are using products with 'active' ingredients like serums, apply them in order of your main skin concerns. A sample morning routine could be cleanser, eye cream, watery mist or toner, antioxidant serum, hydrating serum, moisturiser and sunscreen, Yadira explained. A night regime might involve double cleansing, eye cream, mist or toner, your choice of treatment and then moisturiser. Yadira (pictured) said skincare regimes take time to work, usually a minimum of four weeks to see any kind of results 2. How long does it take for a new routine to work? When you start a new skincare regime, it can be tempting to get impatient around how quickly it's going to work. But Yadira said while it might be hard to know, it's important to realise that skincare 'takes time'. 'Generally speaking, products take minimum four weeks to "work",' she said. But if you're using something like Vitamin A or Vitamin C, they need to work at a 'cellular level' - and so this can mean months of repeated use. 'There are some products that deliver noticeable, superficial results, and quickly, like hydrating serums that can give the skin an instantly plumped or softer appearance,' Yadira said. The same can be said of some exfoliators - because they work on the surface layer of the skin to make it shine. But on the whole, remember that skincare is no quick fix and you need to give it time to work its magic. 3. How can you get 'glowing' skin? Glowing skin is something almost everyone is after, but it can be hard to achieve. If you want to try to make your skin glow at home, Yadira recommends you cleanse regularly and remove your makeup properly, exfoliate and keep your skin hydrated with moisturisers and serums. Finally, make sure you get seven to eight hours of sleep per night, and you'll see it on your skin. The dermal therapist (pictured) ideally recommends exfoliating at night after cleansing and before applying any serum or moisturisers 4. When should you exfoliate your skin? The last question Yadira looked at is when you should exfoliate your skin for the best results. The dermal therapist ideally recommends at night after cleansing and before applying any serum or moisturisers. She said how often you do it depends on your specific skin concerns. 'Generally speaking, less is more. Start with once a week and then work your way up to alternating nights or every night if you have robust skin,' she said. To find out more about Yadira Cauchi, please visit her profile here. Australians are putting a 'pristine paradise' on the windswept coast of Tasmania top of their travel list while the country's international borders remain shut. Mount William National Park may sit 234km north-east of Hobart on Tasmania's most northeasterly tip, but its white sand beaches and sparkling turquoise water could be easily mistaken for the shores of a tropical island like Fiji. The park sprawls over 8,640 hectares of rugged bushland that is home to hidden coves and some of Australia's most iconic native animals including kangaroos, wombats, wallabies and echidnas. From the summit of Mount William, the park's namesake, visitors can enjoy sweeping views of the coast that stretch all the way out to the Furneaux Islands in Bass Strait. Australians are putting Mount William National Park (pictured) on the windswept coast of Tasmania top of their travel list while the country's international borders remain shut The park (pictured) may sit 234km north-east of Hobart on Tasmania's most northeasterly tip, but its white sand beaches and sparkling turquoise water could be easily mistaken for the shores of a tropical island like Fiji But perhaps the most alluring feature of the 48-year-old park established in 1973 are the dozens of rockpools dotted around its edge. The pools are only visible at low tide and become treacherous on days of large swells, so it's best to use a tidal forecast app before travelling to the park to ensure you stay safe and get the most out of what it has to offer. Photos of the breathtaking coastline have sparked stunned responses on social media, with one woman writing: 'No words.' 'As soon as the borders open I'll be booked up and on my way,' one man added, while another called it 'the best place on earth'. Perhaps the most alluring feature of the 48-year-old park established in 1973 are the dozens of rockpools dotted around its edge The 48-year-old park has been attracting adventure-seekers since it opened in 1973 Photos of the stunning coastline (pictured) have sparked stunned responses on social media Others tagged their friends, begging them to go to the park for their next holiday. Travellers will need a pass to enter the national park, which has six designated campsites where you can stay overnight. And it's not the only Tasmanian destination drawing record numbers of tourists as they search for domestic distraction until overseas travel resumes. The park sprawls over 8,640 hectares of coastline and bushland The park (pictured) is home to some of Australia's most iconic native animals including kangaroos, wombats, wallabies and echidnas Four hour's drive south-west of Mount William, Aussies are escaping the stress of city life at a romantic off-grid wilderness retreat in the countryside. Couples are travelling to Thousand Lakes Lodge in the heart of Tasmania's Central Highlands, a world-heritage listed area just under 90 minutes' drive from the state capital, Hobart. The hotel, which was once an Antarctic training camp, overlooks a barren landscape home to native wildlife including wombats, wallabies, and even the famous Tasmanian devil. The Western Lakes region where the lodge is located is popular among locals who travel there to fish elusive brown trout, but there is little else for miles around. Further south in the Central Highlands, Australians are escaping the stress of city life at this off-grid wilderness retreat in the countryside Thousand Lakes Lodge (pictured) overlooks a barren landscape home to native wildlife including wombats, wallabies, and even the famous Tasmanian devil Sitting 1,150 metres above sea level, the ground is blanketed with thick variegated moss and coarse highland scrub only interrupted by a series of jagged boulders. Once inside the lodge, guests can enjoy hearty food and artisan liquors in front of enormous open fireplaces from the comfort of cosy couches dotted with plush cushions. Soaring ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows make it the perfect place to relax during the day, while dark mahogany and warm leather furniture create a sense of sanctuary when the sun goes down. The hotel has an extensive collection of vinyl records for guests to play throughout their stay, as well as a library filled with books and board games. Soaring ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows make it the perfect place to relax during the day Mahogany and warm leather furniture create a sense of sanctuary when the sun goes down The lodge is the coldest place on Tasmania, just 15 minutes' drive from Liawnee, the coldest permanently inhabited town in Australia The front desk lends out high-performance gloves and jackets for guests who forgot to pack their own, an essential service for the coldest place on the island. Fifteen minutes from the lodge is Liawnee, Australia's coldest permanently inhabited town. Named after an Aboriginal term meaning 'frigid', Liawnee has a population of just two - a single policeman and Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) officer who are stationed there round the clock. Electric bikes are also available for hire from the front desk, along with an assortment of local maps that highlight the best spots for birdwatching and fishing. A young woman has shared a snap of her 45-year-old mother who looks so young people mistake them for siblings. Taking to TikTok, user Elizaveta Gulyaewa, 24, originally from Moscow, posted the video to her 300,000 followers who had quizzed her about her youthful looks. The model, who lives in London, shared the video and explained it was down to her mother, named Maria, for having 'good genetics'. A young woman has shared a snap of her 45-year-old mother who looks so young people mistake them for siblings Taking to TikTok, user Liza Gulyaewa, 24, from Moscow, Russia, posted the video of her and her 45-year-old mother Maria who she credits with her 'good genetics' She then posted a snap of her mother, who she said was 45, but users were shocked at how good she looked for her age. Elizaveta often posts funny clips of herself on her page, and says people often think she is younger than her years. She penned: 'People are wondering how do I look young, but look at my mum.' The video has racked up over 2.8 million views and over 558,400 likes so far, as users can't believe the pair are so far apart in age. Elizaveta said that her mum (pictured) owes her ageless beauty to her daily skincare rituals, drinking lots of water and eating healthy food and the pair often get mistaken for sisters They flooded the comments in disbelief at how young her mother looked, and also noted it was easy to tell where Liza got her beauty from. Many even joked that they were unsure who was older out of the pair as they posed together in the snap. Liza let followers know and said her mother was the one with blonde hair as the pair sported a striking resemblance. One user thought the pair were siblings, and wrote: 'Nooo way, at first I thought she was your little sister. Wow!' Another added: 'Is the mum the one on the left or the right? You look the same age.' Elizaveta was shocked by the reaction she received on TikTok but was pleased that her mother received so many compliments While a third said: 'Am I the only one thinking her mum looks even younger??' Elizaveta was shocked by the reaction she received on TikTok but was pleased that her mother received so many compliments. She said: 'Most of the people were very surprised, I haven't really expected this reaction because I got used to seeing my mum like that and in Russia, we have so many beautiful women so for us, it's normal. 'But I was very pleased to hear so many compliments about my mother.' Elizaveta added that her mum owes her ageless beauty to her daily skincare rituals, drinking lots of water and eating healthy food and the pair often get mistaken for sisters. She added: 'My mum has always taken care of herself. She has beauty rituals every morning and evening, and never misses them. People were quick to comment and say they knew where Liza got her beauty from as she shared the reason she looks youthful Her TikTok followers flooded the comments and some even joked that they were unsure who was who as they posed together in the snap 'She always uses different skincare products, drinks lots of water and eats healthily. 'I also think part of her look is good genetics and baby face features, which make her look younger than she is.' The beauty said her mother always told her it was 'important to take care of yourself' and always takes pride in her appearance, even at home. She added: 'She's a role model for me. We get mistaken for sisters all the time! 'When we are travelling it always happens! I think that's so cute and I'm proud of how my mum looks.' Two women who claim they discovered they had been dating the same man for eight months got their revenge by luring him to Turkey 'for a holiday' - but ditched him once they landed and enjoyed the trip together themselves. Kristen Bishop, 33, from Houston, Texas, says she received a voicemail at the end of March from a stranger, Sophie Miller, who revealed she had also been dating her boyfriend Adam (whose name has been changed), 34, for their entire eight-month relationship. She initially refused to believe Sophie's revelation, but after the pair FaceTimed while Sophie, 26, was inside Adam's apartment, they began to plot their revenge on the cheating boyfriend. Kristen Bishop, 33, from Texas, started dating Adam, 34, in August 2020 (pictured together on their way to Turkey to be confronted by his other girlfriend) after meeting on Hinge The duo plotted the ultimate revenge using an eight-day break in Istanbul that Kristen and Adam had planned. Kristen revealed to Adam she knew what had been going on as soon as they landed on Turkish soil on April 2. Moments later, technical sales manager Sophie made a shock appearance too and the two girls then dumped their shared lover at arrivals before heading off together to enjoy Istanbul. Engineer Kristen is sharing the pair's story in the hope other women pick up on the warning signs - admitting his refusal to commit to plans should have been a red flag. Kristen said: 'I found out about him cheating about four days prior to the trip. Kirsten (right) initially refused to believe Sophie Miller's, 26, revelation, but the pair soon began to plot their revenge on the 'cheating' boyfriend by confronting him and then having a holiday in Turkey together (pictured) '[Sophie and I] honestly had a phenomenal time. From the moment we met, we instantly connected, over an unfortunate circumstance. 'We became friends quite quickly after we met up. We had lots of time to get to know each other and develop the friendship that came out of it. 'We really bonded over the eight day trip and it's by far the happiest thing out of this unfortunate situation, that I found a great friend. 'There was some shock when it first came about. Any person is going to take some time to process and learn [from this]. 'Sophie and I are strong people, with strong morals, and we're taking this as a lesson learned. 'A girls' trip is infinitely better than trying to travel alone to a foreign country. 'As soon as she offered to join me, I was 100 percent on board. I said: "This is the start of something great. Let's do it".' Kriste told Sophie of her plan to travel solo in Turkey, but Sophie offered to join her. Pictured: The pair enjoying a cruise on the Bosphorus Kristen first met Adam on the dating app, Hinge, in August 2020 and although they dated casually at first, then eventually became exclusive, even planning a holiday together to Turkey. The pair had planned three days admiring the hot air balloons in Cappadocia, before returning to Istanbul to enjoy the bazaars. But just four days before the 12-hour flight, Kristen received a voicemail out of the blue, from an unknown woman who claimed to have been seeing her boyfriend Adam for nine months - even FacetTming her from his flat. Kristen said: 'Shortly before departing on our trip, I learned that he was not [just] with me and there was another girl who had been in the mix since we met up. 'She contacted me and left me a voicemail and that's how I found out. 'She left me a short voicemail, to the point, that basically said: "Hey, I've just learned about you. I've been dating this person for nine months and I thought you'd like to know about me. Give me a call if you have any questions". Kristen in the airport with alleged cheat Adam, shortly before confronting him with his other girlfriend, Sophie Miller 'After the initial shock, I gave her a call and we chatted for a bit. 'It was clear very quickly that she was telling the truth and we needed to talk some more to get to the bottom of what was happening. 'He met her on the same dating app about one month before he contacted me. He reached out to both of us initially on the app. 'At first, getting the phone call was a bit shocking and [I was] in disbelief. Sophie was a really good team player about it and at the time I made first contact with her, I was asking questions and she said, "I'm at his house now if you'd like to see". 'I said, "No, no, he's out of town this weekend", because that's what I believed to be true. She FaceTimed me to show me where she was. 'We decided to get together the next day to piece together what was happening and figure out the real truth.' The following day, Kristen met up with her new ally to discuss their relationship with the same man - before speedily plotting to confront him in the airport. After Sophie made a shock appearance too and the two women dumped their shared lover at arrival, they headed off for a trip around Turkey including Cappadocia (pictured) A couple of hours later, Sophie had booked on the trip and the pair were planning how to tell Adam he'd been caught out. Kristen said: 'At that point, because it was so close to the trip, we couldn't cancel anything fully, so I decided to take the trip anyway and confront him upon arrival in Turkey. 'From the moment that Sophie and I met, we connected very well. It was obvious she had a good heart, she was a good person, and I was thankful she was coming to me, to tell me what was going on. 'She was very supportive. I was supportive of her. She decided to leave the relationship, which is a difficult decision to make. 'I told her I was going to be travelling solo to Turkey. I'm not afraid to travel alone, it's something I've done before. But she offered to join me so I wouldn't have to be alone. 'Once Sophie offered to come on the trip, she booked the tickets a couple of hours later. 'Sophie planned to come in on a different flight than we did. We didn't want to have him see her on the way there. They pair became firm friends on the eight-day girls trip to Turkey with Kirsten saying they had a 'phenomenal time' as they bonded over the unfortunate situation 'She arrived a couple of hours before we did. She was already waiting at the airport when we arrived. 'We planned not to talk to each other after we got on the plane. I told her I'd see her in Istanbul and we'd touch base as soon as we landed. 'Once I was at the airport, I had a message from her saying, "Here's where I'm going to be sitting". We touched base in the women's bathroom for a quick moment. 'We said: "Hey, I'm here. Here's what I'm wearing where you can find me". 'We had a spot picked out where I was going to confront him.' As soon as they arrived in the terminal, Kristen says she confronted her boyfriend, revealing all of his reservations had been changed to Sophie's name - and demanded he never contact them again. Kristen said: 'I showed him some photos. One was a photo of me and Sophie, after we met up on that first night. Kristen and Sophie enjoyed tea at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Their ex-boyfriend ended up on the same flight home after the trip where they were put sitting behind him but they haven't heard from him since 'At which point I said: "Please do not contact me again. You have no reservations in Turkey". 'He asked if he could explain and I showed him some additional photos that Sophie had provided me, which proved that while I believed he was in one location, he was actually with her in another location. 'His reaction was pretty stunned. He had never been speechless before, until that moment. There were several circumstances like that. 'It was very firm and I would not be convinced to change our mind on this. I knew the details and it was final. 'I told him not to contact me again or follow me out of the airport. At which point I turned around, waved over to Sophie and she walked up. 'His jaw dropped when he saw her. She reiterated my message, we turned around and walked away together. 'There was not much commentary on his part. He had already attempted to paint her in a negative light prior to that. Now Kristen is sharing the warning signs so other women don't fall victim to cheats - admitting his alleged refusal to commit to plans or communicate while away should have been a red flag 'He had tried to say they'd been broken up. I knew that wasn't truthful. There wasn't much opportunity for him to respond.' The two new singletons then turned and left the airport without their ex-boyfriend, who had been ditched before his long-awaited trip. Hoping Adam would have been left panicking, Sophie and Kristen went to a hammam, cruised the Bosphorus River and explored caves - with little thought of the man who brought them together in difficult circumstances. Kristen said: 'He ended up being on our flight home. Other than that, we have not heard from him. 'There was a very short-lived attempt to mention something, but we weren't interested. 'We were actually sitting behind him on the flight back. That's a 13-hour flight. 'We just sat there chatting, giggling and enjoying the flight, and he heard every word.' Now Kristen is sharing the warning signs so other women don't fall victim to cheats - admitting his alleged refusal to commit to plans or communicate while away should have been a red flag. Kristen said: 'From my perspective, the warning signs were [he was] not willing to integrate or engage. 'If they can only meet up on one day of the week or aren't willing to commit to a plan or activity, I think the total lack of communication on those times when he was away is definitely a big sign. 'When he said he was away for the night, he would mix and match. Typically it was 'I have to work'. Sometimes it would be 'I'm going hunting with the boys'. 'He was very inflexible. He tried to control the way everything went, on which days we'd get together and where we would go. 'Always trust your gut, know your worth and empower other women.' Adam was contacted for comment. Queen Letizia of Spain has once again proved she is the champion of the high street as she stepped out today in a recycled 85 Massimo Dutti dress. The royal mother-of-two, 48, joined South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-Sook for a trip to the Spanish National Organisation of the Blind (ONCE) in Madrid. Yesterday, Letizia and her husband King Felipe VI welcomed South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife at the Royal Palace, in the first state visit to Spain by a foreign leader since the pandemic began. Queen Letizia of Spain (pictured) has once again proved she is the champion of the high street as she stepped out today in a recycled 85 Massimo Dutti dress The royal mother-of-two, 48, joined South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-Sook (pictured) for a trip to the Spanish National Organisation of the Blind (ONCE) in Madrid For her engagement today, Letizia exuded elegance in a black and white spotted print dress from Spanish brand Massimo Dutti. The royal donned the sophisticated number in July 2020, when touring Asturias with her husband. Letting the statement dress do all the talking, Letizia kept her accessories to a minimum, sporting a dainty pair of drop earrings. Yesterday, Letizia (pictured right) and her husband King Felipe VI welcomed South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife at the Royal Palace, in the first state visit to Spain by a foreign leader since the pandemic began For her engagement today, Letizia (pictured right) exuded elegance in a black and white spotted print dress from Spanish brand Massimo Dutti Letting the statement dress do all the talking, Letizia (pictured) kept her accessories to a minimum, sporting a dainty pair of drop earrings She completed her look with a pair of tan heels and a black clutch bag, while scraping her locks back into a tidy bun. First Lady Kim Jung-Sook looked just as elegant in a vibrant green frock, teamed with cream heels. Both the Queen and the First Lady sported white face masks due to Covid regulations still in place in Spain. First Lady Kim Jung-Sook (pictured left) looked just as elegant in a vibrant green frock, teamed with cream heels The royal (pictured) completed her look with a pair of tan heels and a black clutch bag, while scraping her locks back into a tidy bun The ONCE Foundation was founded in 1938, to raise funds to provide services for the blind and people with serious visual impairment. During their two-day trip President Moon Jae-in is also due to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other foreign dignitaries, as well as attend a business event in Barcelona on Wednesday evening. The royal couple last met with the President Moon Jae-in and his wife in October 2019 when they attended a gala in Seoul during a two-day visit to the country to discuss economy and trade. Television hotel inspector Alex Polizzi has called the current shortage of staff in the hospitality industry 'heartbreaking' - admitting she had to serve breakfast to 50 guests at her own hotel herself in a 'less than perfect manner' this morning. Polizzi, who is the granddaughter of Lord Forte and niece of luxury hotelier Rocco Forte, told This Morning that it was 'impossible' to get staff following the pandemic and she'd resorted to training people up herself for her latest hotel venture. The host of Channel 5's The Hotel Inspector has been renovating The Star in Alfriston, East Sussex, since buying it in 2019, and opened in June after working on the project with her mother Olga. However, she told This Morning hosts that the pandemic meant that the hotel's launch had been hit by a 'perfect storm'. Scroll down for video 'Perfect storm': Alex Polizzi, 49, opened The Star in East Sussex with her mother Olga in June but says the struggle to get staff has seen her serving 50 guests breakfast in a 'less than perfect manner' The TV Hotel Inspector says she's 'never, ever had it so bad' when it comes to trying to recruit hotel staff and that she'd resorted to training people up herself Speaking to This Morning hosts from home, the hotelier blamed Brexit, a loss of migrant workers during Covid and British staff realising that a hospitality job requires a 'lot of hours on your feet' for the crisis The trade organisation UK Hospitality reported last week a shortfall of 188,000 staff in the hotel industry caused by the pandemic - with many foreign workers returning to their home countries and furloughed staff finding new jobs. Speaking from home to the daytime show, Polizzi said: 'I'm feeling it very personally at the moment. I've just opened this hotel in East Sussex with my Mum. We've got people who are desperate to come and stay, we've got a village that have put up with us building - on and off - for a year-and-a-half. 'My hands are tied in terms of how many people we should have in the building and you're never sure whether you should take bookings or not. Will I be able to honour them?' Talking about the battle to recruit staff, she said: 'I've never, ever had it as bad as I've had it this time. We're really struggling. 'I'm taking quite a lot of lovely young people and I'm trying to train them up myself now but it is quite heartbreaking'. Polizzi is the granddaughter of Baron Forte, an Italian immigrant who went on to found the legendary Forte hotel group; her uncle is Rocco Forte, who now runs the global luxury hotel empire Polizzi said it was a nervous time to launch a new hotel, saying: 'You're never sure whether you should take bookings or not. Will I be able to honour them?' Polizzi blamed Brexit, saying: 'The pool of staff that we used to rely on completely has been taken from us' and added that the pandemic has also seen an exodus of migrant staff leaving the country. The hotelier said too that many British workers had realised that there were easier jobs where you don't spend 'lots of hours on your feet'. Polizzi is the granddaughter of Baron Forte, an Italian immigrant who went on to found the legendary Forte hotel group, her uncle is Rocco Forte, who now runs the global luxury hotel empire. Alex spent her teenage summer holidays on work experience in the family firm then went on to forge her own career in hospitality, including running Hotel Endsleigh in Devon, a favourite of Prince Charles. Last week, the millionaire owner of a luxury Art Deco island hotel in Devon revealed he's been forced to wash the pots in the kitchen himself - because of ongoing staff shortages. Get the marigolds on! Millionaire hotel owner Giles Fuchs, who bought a 70 per cent stake in the 8.5million Art Deco Burgh Island Hotel in South Devon in 2018, says a staff shortage due to the lockdown has seen him spend the last two weekends washing up in the hotel kitchen The retro hotel - which is now fully booked until November - once famously welcomed Agatha Christie and Fuchs admits washing up is 'murder' for his back The trade organisation UK Hospitality reported last week a shortfall of 188,000 staff in the hotel industry caused by the pandemic Giles Fuchs, 56, owns a 70 per cent share of the Burgh Island Hotel, which he helped buy for 8.5million three years ago, but says his business has been hit by former staff finding jobs elsewhere while on furlough during the pandemic. The last two weekends have seen a return to pre-pandemic levels of guests visiting the South Devon island, with not enough staff to attend to them. He told the BBC: 'It's not that we cannot run a full service, it means the staff were working very long hours." Numbers published by the Office for National Statistics showed 55 per cent of hospitality staff were on furlough at the start of last month 'So I drove down to do that job that no-one wanted to do. I'm not fit enough, my back is murder.' The hospitality industry is in for a bumper summer but business owners say they're struggling without pre-Covid employee numbers. More than half of pub and bar workers were still on furlough at the start of May despite a third of bars warning they did not have enough staff to cope with the easing of lockdown, it was revealed yesterday. Numbers published by the Office for National Statistics showed 55 per cent of hospitality staff were on furlough at the start of last month. That figure is way down on the 91 per cent recorded during the November 2020 lockdown peak but it is still far higher than furlough levels in the wider economy. However it appears to be at odds with complaints from industry leaders last month that there was a six-figure shortage of staff. Before the latest lockdown easing on May 17 a third of pubs reported begin under-staffed, amid an exodus of foreign workers back to their home countries during the pandemic. The ONS said confidence in the pub industry has increased in recent months as draconian rules have been eased to allow customers to return. But a third of landlords have seen profits fall by in excess of 50 per cent, according to new research. A real-life Rapunzel with 4ft 10-inch-long hair has claimed that she is inundated with flirty messages from male admirers who want to pay to touch her hair - and one even offered 350,000 to buy it. Kateryna Demers, who lives in Manchester, New Hampshire, has been growing her incredible long hair for 10 years. As a child Kateryna, who is originally from Ukraine, was often mistaken for a boy because her hair was cut short. But after deciding to see how long her hair could grow, she now boasts an enviable length which always catches the attention of passers-by. Kateryna Demers, originally from the Ukraine and living in New Hampshire, hasn't cut her hair for 10 years and now boasts 4ft 10in-long locks The hair model looks after her hair by washing it with shampoo twice a week in a process that takes two hours to clean and dry. She uses a leave-in conditioner daily to keep her mane looking sleek and avoids heat styling and drying at all costs. For Kateryna, the best thing about having such long hair is that it keeps her head warm and she loves the shimmering tones that are revealed in her hair when she moves. She hasn't had a major haircut for 10 years but does trim a couple of inches off of the ends every four to six months to keep it looking healthy. Kateryna has been sharing pictures of her incredible hair on Instagram where she has a huge following of 99.2K followers. Thanks to her hair, Kateryna is always the centre of attention and both men and women compliment her on her locks calling her a real-life 'Rapunzel'. The real-life Rapunzel said that she is inundated with flirty messages from male admirers who want to pay huge sums to touch her hair, saying that her hair would look great on their pillow A German businessman even offered Kateryna 355,181 ($500,000) to let him shave her hair off to keep - which she politely declined Kateryna is inundated with messages from men - and sometimes women - who offer her money to brush and touch her hair with some men saying that her hair would look great on their pillow. People also approach her in public and touch her hair without her permission. A German businessman even offered Kateryna 355,181 ($500,000) to let him shave her hair off to keep - which she politely declined. 'To look after my hair, I eat well, do sports, and take care of it by using the best products of the hair care industry,' said Kateryna. 'I don't expose it very often to heating tools, brush it carefully and patiently, sometimes for hours and I wear it mostly up in a bun or braided. 'I like how it keeps my head warm. I like its smoothness, shine, smell, enjoy making various hairstyles, I like to take videos and being mesmerised by the result, I really enjoy my natural highlights - no colourist can make them as beautiful. As a child Kateryna (pictured) was often mistaken for a boy because her hair was cut short but has now decided to see how long her hair can grow The hair model has said she only washes her hair twice a week in a process which takes over two hours and never uses heat to style or dry her hair to prevent breakages 'Also, I enjoy being able to dress up as long-haired characters and not having to use wigs. 'Being on the Internet, one gets to meet a wealth of people. I had a request to cut my hair from a German businessman - he started out asking me to cut it off for 17,755 ($25,000) - eventually after I refused, he raised his offer to 355,181 ($500,000) if I would let him shave my head entirely. 'That was tempting; that much money buys a lot of wigs and purses, but in the end I decided I couldn't go through with it. 'Many men - and some women - have offered money to brush or touch my hair. Men also say, 'It would look great on my pillow.' Kateryna said that thanks to her hair, she is always the centre of attention and both men and women compliment her on her locks calling her a real-life 'Rapunzel' 'Many people come up to me in public and start touching it without even asking - it's strange because if you see a nice ass or chest on a woman you wouldn't walk up and rub it, but people aren't so inhibited about running their fingers through a stranger's hair.' Kateryna often wears her hair up in a bun or ponytail to take the weight off of her head and to stop people from touching it without her permission. 'Like a plant, a healthy head of hair needs love and music to grow strong,' said Kateryna. 'Feed your scalp. 'I will often wear my hair up in a bun - it's easier to keep track of, and discourages the happy fingers of random pedestrians. 'Often, if I see another woman with good looking hair, I will follow her to ask for some advice on how she looks after her hair. 'I cut the ends every few months. If I didn't, it would probably be on the floor by now.' Advertisement Prince Charles came to his wife Camilla Parker Bowles' rescue at Royal Ascot today, helping the Duchess after she got into a spot of bother with her face mask. The royal couple took to the parade ring stage to present winning jockey Ryan Moore with the trophy after he was victorious on Love in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes race on the second day of the meet. Earlier this morning Sophie Wessex stood out from the crowd in a fabulous feathered hat as she led the royal arrivals. The Countess of Wessex, 56, joined husband Prince Edward, 57, Princess Anne, 70, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall for the Berkshire racing festival. Sophie cut an elegant figure in an A-line midi skirt printed with large purple flowers, which she paired with a simple white blouse, pink pumps and a purple snakeskin-effect clutch bag. The outing came hours after she spoke about the 'giant-sized hole' left by Prince Philip's death in a new BBC interview. Meanwhile the Duchess of Cornwall opted for a classic cream ensemble, finished with a wide-brimmed hat and a coordinating face mask also embellished with pearls, like her dress. Princess Anne brought a splash of colour to proceedings in an emerald green dress, which she accessorised with an off-white hat, heeled pumps and a pair of gloves. The royals are joined by Princess Margaret's son, David Armstrong-Jones, and the Duchess of Cornwall's ex-husband, Andrew Parker-Bowles. The Queen is notably absent from the line-up, having also missed out on the first day of the race meet yesterday. Her racing manager explained Her Majesty is hoping to make an appearance at Ascot later this week. A total of 12,000 revellers have been granted tickets to each day of Royal Ascot as part of a list of pilot events taking place before the possible lifting of all lockdown restrictions next month. The Prince of Wales helps a struggling Duchess of Cornwall with her face mask during day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse The Duchess of Cornwall appeared to have a bit of bother with her face covering, but Charles was on hand to assist his wife The Duchess of Cornwall yet again coordinated her mask with her outfit - and it even featured sewn-on pearls just like the fabric of her gown The royal couple took to the parade ring stage to present winning jockey Ryan Moore with the trophy after he was victorious on Love in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes race on the second day of the meet Leading the royal arrivals! Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex smile as they arrive for the second day of Royal Ascot Sophie, Countess of Wessex looked a vision in lavender as she enjoyed the races and cooled down with a glass of something cold Camilla Parker Bowles looks elegant in a floating cream gown cut below the knee - as per the dress code - and a matching hat A smiling Sophie, Countess of Wessex sported an elegant assymetrical hat adorned with purple feathers for day two of Royal Ascot Glamorous in green! Princess Anne cut an elegant figure in a green dress, which she wore with off-white accessories The elegant Duchess of Cornwall looked radiant in cream while Charles appeared to recycle his grey suit from yesterday Camilla Parker Bowles and the Prince of Wales take up their familiar spot in the Royal Box to watch the day's racing at Ascot Beaming: Prince Charles smiled as he arrived with the Duchess of Cornwall for a second day at Royal Ascot Camilla in cream: The Duchess of Cornwall opted for one of her favourite colours as she joined the royals on a day out Floral fancy! Sophie Wessex looked ready for spring in her A-line skirt, which she paired with a fabulous lilac hat Playful touch: The Countess of Wessex beamed as she arrived at Royal Ascot with her husband Prince Edward Breath of fresh air! Sophie Wessex brought a splash of springtime chic to the racing festival today Royal party: The Duchess of Cornwall's ex-husband Andrew Parker-Bowles (left) and David Armstrong-Jones arriving today Glamorous women put on showstopping displays in bright summer frocks while men looked dapper in top hats and tails as they arrived at the Berkshire racecourse for a day of fun in the sun. As ever, extravagant millinery stole the show and women turned heads in their colourful creations adorned with feathers, jewels and delicate lace. On Monday Boris Johnson announced a four-week delay to 'Freedom Day' - and to the ending of all social distancing measures - but any disappointment looked far from the minds of racegoers as they kicked off the festivities this morning. Princess Anne, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, Sophie Wessex, Prince Edward and Zara and Mike Tindall all turned out for the start of Royal Ascot yesterday. An animated Duchess of Cornwall watches the second event of the day - The Queen's Vase - during Royal Ascot Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex are pictured arriving for the day's racing, both looking smart in their finery Yet again, stylish Sophie matched her protective face covering to her outfit, today opting for a pale lilac mask Prince Edward chose a bright blue mask featuring a picture of a ship - perhaps a nod to his fleeting stint in the Royal Marines The glamorous Sophie, Countess of Wessex pictured chatting animatedly in the parade ring at Royal Ascot today Prince Charles looks is high spirits as he chats to trainer Aidan O'Brien while presenting the 4.20 Prince Of Wales Stakes trophy A giggling Earl of Wessex prepares to present jockey Frankie Dettori with the winners trophy after he ran Indie Angel to victory in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes during day two of Royal Ascot - showing his support for the event with a horse-themed tie Prince Edward wears a face mask as he presents Frankie Dettori the winners trophy after he was victorious in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes On Monday Boris Johnson announced a four-week delay to 'Freedom Day' - and to the ending of all social distancing measures - but any disappointment looked far from the minds of racegoers (pictured: a view of the parade before the first race) Sophie, Countess of Wessex attends Royal Ascot today looking pretty in pink, opting for natural make-up and understated accessories The Princess Royal looked elegant in emerald green today as she arrived for the day's racing, teaming the look with cream court heels and a matching bag Princess Anne pictured leaving the parade ring in her Injured Jockey Fund face mask, which she was spotted wearing yesterday, beside Andrew Parker Bowles Princess Anne proudly wore her Jockey Club pin to show her allegiance to the club, beneath an elegant leaf-inspired brooch and her snazzy shades The Duchess of Cornwall clutches a pair of binoculars as she watches the racing with Lady Carolyn Warren and male companions Sophie, Countess of Wessex (second left), Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and guests attend Royal Ascot 2021 Lady Carolyn Warren, daughter of the 7th Earl of Carnarvon, the Queen's former racing adviser, whose husband John Warren is Her Majesty's current one, arrives at Royal Ascot wearing a chic pink floral dress with a cream cropped jacket, carrying a Saint Laurent bag Enthusiastic racegoers celebrate as they triumphantly watch their horse come in during the second day of Royal Ascot A racegoer cheers on her bet while her pals look bemused during this afternoon's races at Royal Ascot, on day two of the meet A socially distanced crowd keenly watch the first race of the day - The Queen Mary Stakes - get underway All in the detail: From a Chanel necklace to feathers galore, revellers pulled out all the stops when it came to their looks And they're off! A group of women admire the pristine grounds as they arrive for the second day for Royal Ascot Showstoppers: Women wearing vibrant pink, shades of gold and a stunning shade of blue arriving at Royal Ascot Excited racegoers cheer on their horse in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes race during day two of Royal Ascot Matching magic! The Tootsie Rollers arrive in co-ordinating dresses for the second day of the five-day race meet Famous faces: Charlotte Hawkins arriving at Royal Ascot. Right, Francesca Cumani wearing a hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan Standing out from the crowd: Towering hats were the order of the day as racegoers arrived at Royal Ascot this morning Ready for her close up: An elegantly dressed woman in navy and neutrals smiles for photographers at Royal Ascot Careful co-ordination: Revellers strike a pose in elegant blue-tone ensembles (left) and another goes for gold (right) Power prints! Polka dots and florals were on display as women brought out their finest frocks for a day at the races Pastel perfection! A group of glamorous racegoers arrive for the second day of Royal Ascot in colourful summer frocks Candy-coloured creations: Soft shades of pink (right) and rainbow accessories (left) proved popular with racegoers Taking in the views: Women wearing shades of mint and blue look out over the grounds at Royal Ascot The must-have accessory: A face mask printed with a jockey's silk (left) brought a playful touch to one ensemble Royal mask-ot: This embroidered face mask added a playful touch to one woman's Royal Ascot ensemble Red alert! Women in co-ordinating colour block outfits pose for a photo. Right, putting on her heels for a day at the races Khadijah Mellah, 20, from Peckham - the first hijab-wearing jockey in a competitive British horse race - poses during Royal Ascot 2021 A glamorous pair of racegoers decked out in floral frocks enjoy a chilled glass of rose on a bench as they watch the day's events Socially distanced racegoers attend day two of Royal Ascot, with those who forgot to pack sunglasses squinting in the sunshine Kicking off the festivities! Racegoers enjoy Pimm's and bubbles in the sunshine on the second day of Royal Ascot Getting some tips? A man smartly dressed in a suit and tie flicks through a newspaper as they action kicks off at Ascot Four members of the British military look smart in their uniforms as they pose for a photograph on the second day of the Royal Ascot horserace meeting One notable exception to the royal line-up was the Queen, 95, but Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were spotted taking a keen interest in the races as her horse King's Lynn took part in the Kings Stand Stakes -finishing in seventh place. Camilla looked animated as she clutched her racing programme in the royal box, while discussing the action with her husband. They were joined by Mike and Zara Tindall making their first public appearance since the birth of their son Lucas in March, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex at the Berkshire racecourse for the annual family event. The Queen missed Royal Ascot for only the second time in 69 years. Her Majesty's racing manager confirmed the monarch would not be attending yesterday but is hoping to make it later in the week depending on 'how things go'. Jockey Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes during day two of Royal Ascot A reveller in a chic royal blue trouser suit with an eye-catching spiked feather hat watches nervously during the afternoon's racing at Ascot A pop of colour! One Ascot reveller opts for a vibrant poppy-themed hat for the occasion as she posed before the races Kiss me quick! One racegoer opted for an elaborate lips themed hat which appeared somewhat tricky to manage (left) while another colourful pair looked thrilled to be at the prestigious event (right) Taking it all in: a group of Ascot racegoers bask in the warm summer sunshine as they enjoy the action on day two Getting the shot: One woman holds onto her hat as she crouches down to capture her friend looking her best Dynamic duos! Women were ready for a day out with their friends as they arrived at Royal Ascot for the racing festival Plenty of personality: This racegoer looked resplendent in a blue headpiece complete with a veil and large feathers Hats off to them! A feathered creation and wide-brimmed floral sunhat were just two of the stunning headpieces on display Getting into the spirit! A trumpeter performs at the start of the second day of Royal Ascot this morning They got the memo! Racegoers wearing shades of purple, blue and mint pose for a photo at the start of Royal Ascot Fun and fabulous! A polka dot dress (left) and an elegant pink ensemble were just two of the stunning looks at Ascot Taking some time out: a racegoer dressed in an elegant floral lace pink gown with a matching wide brim hat enjoys a quiet moment on a bench High spirits! Racegoers enjoy the atmosphere at Royal Ascot today, having dressed smart for the occasion Day out! Military personnel enjoy the weather under an umbrella at Royal Ascot, in Berkshire, today The fizz is flowing! A group of friends toast the afternoon with a bottle (or two) of Moet Champagne - and fish and chips Racegoers enjoy the festivities from socially distanced benches dotted around the racecourse to comply with Covid-19 restrictions Finishing touch: Whether they were in understated shades of neutral or vibrant colours, hats turned heads at Ascot Francesca Cumani, in her Trevor Morgan hat, strolls around the race course on the second day of Royal Ascot So far the annual Berkshire event has been blessed with glorious sunshine - pictured, a view of the parade before the first race A stylishly dressed couple look enamoured by the racing as it gets underway at Royal Ascot this afternoon A fashionable pair of racegoers clutch glasses of fizz (left) while a generous gentleman gets the drinks in (right) as the racing gets underway at Ascot The Queen's racing manager John Warren told Radio 4: 'Obviously the Queen would love to attend, as you know she's fanatic about racing, watching racing and breeding horses, and has been going to Ascot all of her adult life. So, it's a shame to miss an event. 'The plan at the moment is to see how it goes towards the latter part of the week and if the Queen's able to come because she's got runners, then, fingers crossed, it will happen.' He added that the monarch was 'fanatic' about horse racing, and called her energy levels 'incredible' despite her age. He said: 'It's remarkable. The Queen's energy levels are incredible. She's 95. She went down to the G7 this week, and trundled back on the train in the middle of the night and the energy will be raised higher again for a week like Ascot.' Sope Dirisu (left) and Damson Idris (right) enjoy the private VIP suite hosted by Longines in the Royal Enclosure during Royal Ascot today. Sope was seen wearing a Favourbrook morning coat, trousers and waistcoat from their Spring Summer 2021 collections Lucky racegoers manage to secure a spot at the side of the track to watch the day's races at Royal Ascot today The bookmakers do their best to create some shade with umbrellas under the scorching summer sun on day two of Ascot The weekend kicked off early for these racegoers who helped themselves to a refreshing glass of vino while watching the races A racegoer relaxes on a bench, glass of fizz in hand, as she takes in the atmosphere - wearing a striking feathered hat Ladies in red! A female reveller sported an eye-catching top hat adorned with flowers and netting to match her scarlet and white polka dot frock (left) while another teams her headpiece with a purple outfit and matching lippy Anticipation grows among racegoers as runners approach on Day Two of the Royal Ascot Meeting at Ascot Racecourse Kemari ridded by William Buick on their way to winning the 15:05 Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot today Dapper: Nicola Zaino arrived with a guest dressed in a soft pink long-sleeved dress for a day of fun in the sun at Ascot Feathered fancy! Nazar Bullen, from London, is a vision in a pink feathered headpiece and dress at Royal Ascot Here come the girls! The Tootsie Rollers arrive arm-in-arm at Royal Ascot for the second day of the racing festival More is more! Nazer Bullen turned heads when she arrived in this extravagant feathered confection Strike a pose! The Tootsie Rollers got into formation as they posed for a photograph at the start of a day of fun at Royal Ascot Think pink! Social media star Nino Tsomaya opted for an elegant rose-coloured dress for Royal Ascot Splash of colour! The Tootsie Rollers added rainbow-coloured hats and headpieces to top off their monochrome looks Ready for the day: Revellers scan their tickets on their way into the event, which is part of a Covid trial scheme However he said the experience would be different for the monarch, adding: 'In the past, she would have gone and looked at horses in the paddock, even though they weren't hers because she is so fascinated in the breed so she'd want go and look at the stallion prospects of the future.' John continued: Every race that takes place every day of the week, the Queen will certainly read the Racing Post every morning, look at the breeding of all the winners the day before, and see that these stallions that she uses will be potential horses for her own mares. 'It's a deep fascination, a very broad escapism for all the other things that the Queen has to deal with in her life.' The Queen has a number of runners at the Berkshire racecourse, with Mr Warren tipping Tactical in the Jersey Stakes on Saturday as a potential winner. Last year when Ascot was held behind closed doors was the first time the Queen had missed it in her entire reign. Products featured in this Mail Best article are independently selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission. The right piece of jewelry can instantly transform an outfit and make it look as if you've made an effort. 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Even the brand's HQ in city of Norwich in the UK is as green as possible in a historic 16th century building they preserved in an award-winning development, and renewable energy is used in all offices and stores. A dance teacher who's opened what's thought to be the first ballet class for Muslim children in the UK uses poetry instead of music to help students learn the dance while respecting Islamic learning. Maisie Byers, who runs the Grace and Poise Academy in London, says she hopes to make the dance 'more accessible' to people who follow the Muslim faith and has adapted classes to allow young Muslim girls to be able to participate. Students are encouraged to wear modest clothing with the traditional leotard not allowed. The girls, aged six and above, in the class move to poetry instead of music and are working towards the same ballet accreditation as conventional classes. Scroll down for video Children inside the UK's first Muslim ballet school, which was set up in 2019 by teacher Maisie Byers The mother of one of the girls who's taking part in the all-female classes, which first began in 2019 as a way to boost confidence in Muslim girls, said she wanted to enrol her daughter in a class but hadn't done so previously because of the 'Islamic perspective of things'. The parent told the BBC, who filmed a class, she was 'so happy to hear that it's tailored for Muslim children' and admitted that as a young girl she had 'always felt on the outside, like you don't fit in almost' because she hadn't been able to learn the dance. The Grace & Poise website says the school feels 'passionately about contributing to Islamic Arts and honouring the significance of Poetry within Islamic heritage'. There are no male teachers in the class, which teaches girls over the age of six and poetry is used to help communicate the dance The female-only classes encourage modest clothing and use poetry not music. One parent said that she had felt 'always felt on the outside, like you don't fit in almost' because of not being able to join a ballet class when she was younger One of the school's founders, Dr Sajedah Shubib, said the classes allowed a Muslim girls-only space and encouraged confidence in students Campaigners have previously said that activities that encourage confidence amongst young Muslim women - but are still in line with their faith - should be more easily available in the Islamic community. One of the school's founders, Dr Sajedah Shubib, told Sky News earlier this year: 'There is a gap in our community, we find that Muslim children tend to sometimes fall short when it comes to university applications. 'I've seen that quite consistently when I've worked Muslim youth - there isn't much for them and they don't get involved as much so this is really really important. 'For various reasons Muslim girls in particular want to be able to have a Muslim girls-only space for modesty purposes. Through Grace & Poise we are offering that platform for girls so that they can take part in something as beautiful as ballet.' The Louisiana woman who went viral earlier this year for setting her hair with Gorilla Glue a permanent adhesive that turned her hair into a hardened helmet and required a plastic surgeon to remove has now launched her own haircare line. Tessica Brown, 40, learned her lesson after spraying the permanent glue all over her head, leaving her with rigid, immovable locks for more than a month. But the mother-of-five also found a business opportunity in her faux pas, and has launched a line of hair products called Forever Hair, which are now available to purchase online. Cashing in: The Louisiana woman who went viral earlier this year for setting her hair with Gorilla Glue has now launched her own haircare line Tessica Brown, 40, found a business opportunity in her faux pas, and has launched a line of hair products called Forever Hair, which are now available to purchase online The items from Forever Hair include a $14 hairspray, an $18 stimulating oil, and $13 edge control TMZ reports that the product line, called Forever Hair, launched today. Tessica told the outlet she has been working with haircare professionals on the products, and unlike Gorilla Glue which is not meant to be used on skin or hair her Forever Hair formulas wash out. The items available include a $14 Forever Hold hairspray, an $18 stimulating oil, and $13 edge control. While the haircare products are directly inspired by her headline-making ordeal, Tessica is also selling other merchandise including T-shirts and sweats. Two of the available T-shirts include the iconic image of Tessica showing off her rock-hard hair for the camera, while a hoodie bears a cartoon rendering of Tessica holding 'heavy duty spray adhesive.' While the haircare products are directly inspired by her headline-making ordeal, Tessica is also selling other merchandise including T-shirts and sweats Two of the available T-shirts include the iconic image of Tessica showing off her rock-hard hair for the camera, while a hoodie bears a cartoon rendering of Tessica Tessica had gone viral in February after sharing a TikTok video in which she shared her unfortunate hair story. 'Hey, yall. For those of you that know me know that my hair has been like this for about a month now. Its not by choice. No, its not by choice,' she said at the start of the clip. 'When I do my hair, I like to finish it off with a little Got2b Glued Spray, you know, just to keep it in place. Well, I didnt have any more Got2b Glued Spray, so I used this: Gorilla Glue spray. Bad, bad, bad idea.' She then patted her head to show how the glue spray has turned her hair into a stiff, immovable helmet. 'Y'all look, it don't move. You hear what I'm telling you? It. Don't. Move. I've washed my hair 15 times and it don't move,' she insisted. 'Stiff where? My hair.' Tessica ended her video with some words of advice: 'If you ever, ever run out of Got2b Glued Spray, dont ever use this. Unless you want your hair to be like that forever.' Tessica tried various methods to remove it, saying she'd washed it 15 times and that it had been stuck for a month by the time she made the video. Tessica had gone viral in February after sharing a TikTok video in which she shared her unfortunate hair story 'Y'all look, it don't move. You hear what I'm telling you? It. Don't. Move. I've washed my hair 15 times and it don't move,' she insisted. 'Stiff where? My hair.' She also spent 22 hours in the ER, where baffled healthcare workers put acetone on her head according to TMZ, but nothing seems to work. Sources told the publication that the acetone burned her scalp and only made the glue sticky before it dried up again, leaving her with the same immovable hair she started with. As her story spready, Gorilla Glue released a statement about the situation. 'We are aware of the situation and we are very sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident that Miss Brown experienced using our Spray Adhesive on her hair,' the brand wrote. 'This is a unique situation because this product s not indicated for use in or on hair as it is considered permanent. Our spray adhesive states in the warning label "do not swallow. Do not get in eyes, on skin or on clothing."' The company added: 'We are glad to see in her recent video that Miss Brown has received medical treatment from her local medical facility and wish her the best.' Ultimately, Tessica traveled to Los Angeles to visit Beverly Hills surgeon Dr. Michael Obeng, who dissolved the Gorilla Glue and rescued the mother's hair during a $12,500 procedure that took four hours to complete. Response: Gorilla Glue released a statement about the situation after it was reported that Tessica is considering suing the company Struggle: She spent 22 hours in the ER as healthcare workers tried to remove the Gorilla Glue In a video taken at Dr. Obeng's office, Tessica who was given a light anesthesia before the treatment was seen lying on an operating table after the successful procedure, running her hands through her freed locks and tearing up with relief while marveling at the sensation. Dr. Obeng, who offered Tessica the pricey treatment for free after seeing her plight online, used a custom mix of chemicals and natural products in order to dissolve the glue, having first practiced on a dummy head to ensure his formula would work. 'I looked up the compound, the main active ingredient in Gorilla Glue: polyurethane,' Dr. Obeng explained to TMZ. 'Then we figured out the science, how to break it down.' He continued: 'We bought chemicals that have components to dissolve the solvent, we used medical-grade adhesive remover that we use in the operating room. 'Then we have another active ingredient, MGD. We added MGD to it which is an aloe vera and olive oil mixture. Then we added a little acetone.' Throwback: Tessica used to wear her hair in braids before switching up her look During the procedure, the mixture was applied to Tessica's hair using a spray bottle, while Dr. Obeng used medical tweezers and scissors to try and gently pull the matted hair apart, cutting the strands of glue that were holding her tresses together. Tessica was given painkillers and steroids to reduce the swelling and inflammation caused by the glue and the chemicals that she used to try and remove it. Remarkably, Dr. Obeng was able to salvage much of Tessica's hair, although she admitted after the procedure that she wishes she had visited him before asking her sister to chop off her lengthy ponytail in the hopes of removing the glue. 'I can scratch it!' Tessica told the camera while running her nails along her scalp. 'Now I wish I had waited for my sister to cut my ponytail off.' Tessica had also launched a GoFundMe during her ordeal, raising $23,893. A spokesperson for GoFuneMe late announced that 'the organizer stated she would donate the funds to a charity and to families.' Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked effortlessly glamorous in a recycled coral number as she paid a royal visit to the Villa Pinedo foundation today. The Dutch Queen, 50, looked stunning in the pink linen dress that she has previously worn during a trip to India in 2019 and also during a state visit to Indonesia in March 2020. The Argentinian-born royal paid a working visit to Villa Pinedo buddy program in Maarssen, Utrecht, that aims to provide support to children and young people with divorced parents. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked effortlessly glamorous in a recycled coral number as she paid a royal visit to Maarssen in Utrecht today The foundation is the winner of one of the three Appeltjes van Oranje 2020, and offers children and young people with divorced parents online support and advice. Maxima looked engrossed as she listened to people speaking about the programme and later posed for a socially-distanced group shot in the courtyard. Her stylish midi-length dress from the Australian brand Zimmermann was embroidered with floral detail, and was fitted at the waist with a fabric belt. The Dutch Queen, 50, looked stunning in the pink linen dress as she visited the buddy program at the Villa Pinedo foundation Her stylish midi-length dress from the Australian brand Zimmermann was embroidered with floral detail, and was fitted at the waist with a fabric belt She wore a statement jewelry piece of large floral earrings and a light smattering of makeup enhanced her natural glow The designer frock was adorned with buttons up the front and featured a puffed sleeve with a cuff. She wore a statement jewelry piece of large floral earrings as well as a selection of rings. The royal paired the outfit with a straw heeled sandals, a neutral-toned clutch bag which she tucked under her arm and kept her face protected behind an oatmeal-coloured face mask. Her blonde locks were worn straight down past her shoulders and had a windswept look as she stepped outdoors. The designer frock was adorned with buttons up the front and featured a puffed sleeve with a large cuff and she carried her essentials in a clutch bag Maxima looked engrossed as she listened to people speaking about the programme that offers children and young people with divorced parents online support and advice The royal later posed for a socially-distanced group shot in the courtyard A light smattering of makeup enhanced her natural glow with a pink-toned lip stick and a slick of mascara. Queen Maxima, who is the wife of King Willem-Alexander, 54, and mother to daughters Amalia, 17, Alexia, 15, and Ariane, 14, appeared enthusiastic at the event today as she engaged in conversation with young people. She was last seen wearing the same outfit on a state visit to Toba Lake in North Sumatra, during a royal tour to Indonesia with her husband in March 2020. Just after breakfast in Palo Alto, California, the worlds most powerful businesswoman Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, explodes onto my computer screen. At 51, she looks younger with her long dark hair and artfully applied no make-up make-up. She breaks the ice with a surprisingly girlish giggle: Eleanor! It seems a lifetime since we met here in Menlo Park [Facebook HQ] just before the pandemic. How are you? She confesses she loves doing chats from her kitchen, waggling her slender legs and bulky white trainers at me to show shes doing Zoom fashion just like the rest of us done up top with PJs below. The laughter stops as she muses that the pandemic has been a disaster for women, particularly those working the second shift homeschooling, cleaning, cooking as well as their day job. Older women in the workplace have been four times as likely to be made redundant or furloughed. Sheryl Sandberg, 51, who is Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, has been encouraging women in the workplace. Pictured: Sheryl with Facebook boss Zuckerberg As someone who knows the shock of redundancy I was made redundant from my own big job last year I have started a campaign to highlight the discrimination older women face in the workplace. And Sheryl is throwing her weight behind it. Im 51, Im getting to that phase myself, she says. Of course Silicon Valley worships youth. I was told at Facebook I was middle-aged at the age of 35. Ive been speaking about women in the workplace for a really long time, but I have not spoken about midlife women. When Sheryl first went to work with Mark Zuckerberg in 2008, the Facebook founder was only 23. On my visit to the online giants shiny blue HQ last year, I found the vast university-style campus (it looks like IKEA) awash with 20-something men. Empathetic, warm, female and twice their age, Sandberg is an outlier perhaps it is not surprising that the plight of older female executives is on her mind. The pandemic has been a disaster for women. They are leaving the workplace in droves, she continues. In the autumn, Lean In, the organisation I set up to help women achieve their ambitions, found that 25 per cent of women are considering downshifting or leaving because of burnout. Workplace participation has gone back to where it was in 1988. Women are being hit by the second shift during the pandemic. Sheryl was left a widow with two young children, after her first husband Dave Goldberg died suddenly working out on a treadmill. Pictured: Sheryl with late husband Dave How has the pandemic been for her? When I went to meet her last year, she talked to me about how she had just got engaged and that she had been the one to propose. Her first husband Dave Goldberg died suddenly working out on a treadmill aged only 47 in 2015, leaving Sheryl a widow with two young children. Her new man, Tom Bernthal, a CEO and divorced dad of three, was a good friend of her brother-in-law Rob, who set them up. Tom is amazingly giving, able to communicate really deeply about his feelings, one of the best fathers Ive ever seen, she told me then, gushing that shed fallen in love with him when she saw him dancing with his young daughter at a bar mitzvah. Weve really become a family, the seven of us in this - four teenagers and one eight year old! Lockdown meant they all moved in together, so as well as running Facebook with its three billion global users, Sandberg has been getting to grips with a new partner and three new stepchildren. Hard work however much help you have. Well four teenagers and one eight-year-old, yeah! she says, pausing and raising her eyebrows. Women do the great majority of the care- giving, right? Women always worked a double shift. Its a double, double shift, right now. Women are working 71 hours a week in care-giving and housework which is 21 hours more than the average man. Twenty-one hours a week is half a full-time job. So we know that this is hitting women harder and senior women harder they are more likely to have elderly people in their life to take care of too. Sheryl said her new man, Tom Bernthal, a CEO and divorced dad of three, is giving and able to communicate really deeply about his feelings. Pictured: Sheryl with fiance Tom But how was it for her, really? The flow of carefully prepared statistics ceases. She looks me in the eye and pauses. Weve had some tragedy, she says slowly. We lost his [Toms] cousin early on in the pandemic to Covid but we werent able to get together for a family funeral. We are not a family which is untouched by this. Insulated by a 1.3billion fortune, she adds: But we know how lucky we are. We had jobs and didnt have to worry about paying the bills. We definitely spent a lot of time as a family in fact weve really become a family, the seven of us, in this. And we have tried to do our part to make sure we were helping the larger community. That is not just an empty platitude. Sandberg has repeatedly used her own platform to try to empower other women. After her legendary Lean In TED talk of 2010, she wrote her Lean In book, encouraging women to be ambitious, which has sold 4.2million copies, spawning 50,000 Lean In circles everywhere from China to Chile and Cameroon. Originally, once she had amassed the data, she told me, shed gone to every female CEO in America to ask them to spearhead the campaign to help women boost their careers. None would touch it because highlighting gender bias was seen as career suicide. Sheryl (pictured) has sold 4.2 million copies of her Lean In book, written to encourage women to be ambitious There are still so few women at the top: only five per cent of leaders are women and, here in the UK, there are only 16 female CEOs in the FTSE 350. Sandberg has spoken out but she has not escaped criticism. Michelle Obama memorably laid into Lean In saying that s**t doesnt work all the time but at least Sandberg, unlike others, is trying. Last year, at 49, I was made redundant from The Sunday Times. For a quarter of a century I had thrown everything at my career, rising to the top of my industry then I was out. I was gutted, lost and sad. I looked online for a trail of hope out of the darkness but there was nothing of use. Talking to friends, family and colleagues, I realised how many other women were in the same boat (redundancy among over-50s is up 50 per cent during the pandemic) so I set up a website, noon.org.uk, to help women in midlife find their next chapter. We launched in March (at noon on International Womens Day) and I was touched when Sandberg reached out to support us. A poll by Lean In and Noon, reveals 71 per cent of women think being older at work will count against them. Pictured: Sheryl and Tom This month, Lean In and Noon conducted a joint poll on Instagram about ageism in the workplace. The results were worrying: 71 per cent say they think being an older woman at work will count against them, half have experienced sexism and ageism during the menopause and 76 per cent say women who do well in business have to fit into masculine behaviour norms. The promotion of younger, less qualified men over experienced women was a sore point. A very senior woman in Silicon Valley told me that shed gone for a management job at a big platform she was eminently qualified for but hadnt got it. They gave it to a younger man, saying I wasnt creative enough. I wondered if that was code for I was too old. Sandberg was particularly struck by the 75 per cent who said they felt women were held to a much higher standard than men. Those numbers are striking, she said. And what we know is that in the workplace women are always held to a different standard, but other factors exacerbate that. Sheryl (pictured) who works in Silicon Valley, said she believes her industry will continue to worship the young There is all the race bias, there is all the gender bias: women of colour are treated by far the worst in the workplace, because those biases overlap. What you are adding in is another dimension: we do know that women get older, we have always been held to a different standard than men, but as we get older those challenges are exacerbated... she grimaced. I know thats true of Silicon Valley, I work in an industry that worships the young. And I think that will continue to be true. Midlife for women is where ageism and sexism collide. At 50, women are less pleasing both physically in terms of appearance but also temperamentally menopause boosts female testosterone levels making us more likely to stand our ground, and less likely to pander to male egos. The data is really clear, says Sandberg. As men get more senior and successful, they are better liked; as women get more senior, more successful, more powerful, they are less liked. In order for everyone to think that a woman is yelling all she has to do is not whisper. Women are seen as more aggressive, more assertive, with a very narrow band. Very few men are told they are too aggressive at work, while women are told that constantly. The loss of senior women from organisations, according to new research from the Women in Work survey produced by Lean In and McKinsey, is bad not just for the women themselves but for company culture. Sheryl (pictured) said most organisations are led by older men, so the bias women face deprives organisations of the leadership they need Data shows that women are more likely than men to sponsor and mentor other women, particularly women of colour, says Sandberg. That senior women are more likely than men to advocate for gender and racial equality, but most organisations are led by older men, so the bias women face deprives organisations of the leadership they need. But midlife is the point where women get hit with divorce, bereavement, redundancy, elderly parents, empty nests, health issues and menopause. It is also too often where women become invisible in the wider media. We are behind 83 per cent of all consumer purchases yet the only adverts directed at us are for wrinkle cream and Tena incontinence pants. As a cohort, we are lucrative and under-served at the time when many of us finally have a chance to revisit the dreams of our youth (before child-raising and earning a living got in the way). Statistics show that women now are likely to live into their 90s just think of the Queen still going strong at the G7 at 95. As Sheryl says: This is our moment. Were just coming into our prime. Watch out, world, at 50 were just getting started. Eleanor Mills is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Noon, a new platform for women in midlife noon.org.uk. Jack Hughes was ten when he first saw pornography on the internet. Hed heard some of the other boys at his primary school talking about it at breaktime so that very afternoon, instead of settling down to his homework, he typed the word porn into his computer. Within seconds he was on the landing page of the UKs most popular free porn site no age verification required and by doing so opened a portal to a world of X-rated sexual practices that he found both confusing and intriguing. After two minutes, I clicked off it, says Jack*, aware that these were images he wasnt meant to see. But Id taken the first step and I was curious. So a couple of weeks later, I went back and explored and kept coming back and started experimenting. By the time he reached secondary school, Jack had a smartphone which meant he could click on porn sites whenever he liked. A small number of his classmates were so addicted he says they ended up watching porn eight times a day and never leaving their rooms or doing anything else. Survation interviewed 1,010 boys in the UK aged 16 to 21 about their sex lives, for a study commissioned by the Daily Mail (file image) All of this was going on without his parents knowledge. I never needed to have the sex chat because Id seen it all for myself, says Jack, who lost his virginity last year and has had several of what he describes as hook-ups since. Now 17 and a polite, well-spoken sixth-former, Jacks experiences illustrate just how normalised porn has become for a generation of boys a depressing reality borne out by the results of an exclusive survey into the sex lives of young people commissioned by the Daily Mail. Of the 1,010 boys aged 16 to 21 interviewed by our pollsters Survation, 40 per cent of those whod seen internet porn watch it at least a few times a week and 11 per cent of boys who have seen porn watch it every day, compared to only two per cent of girls. Our findings also reveal the huge impact this is having on the attitudes of boys towards girls, sex and relationships. Whereas 61 per cent of girls whod seen porn said it had had a negative impact on their expectations of sex, boys were much more likely to see porn as a positive influence. Of boys who have had sex, a shocking 48 per cent admitted they have taken part in a sex act because theyve seen it in pornography. Our research follows a damning new Ofsted report which found that easy access to explicit imagery has set unhealthy expectations of sex and is fuelling a school environment where sexual harassment and derogatory name-calling of girls is rife. Over the past few months, thousands of female pupils have posted their experiences of this harassment and abuse on a website called Everyones Invited. But its vital to hear boys perspectives, too, on the kind of social pressures they feel under to behave this way. According to our research, more than one in four boys admit they have felt pressure from friends to be sexually active and, even more disturbingly, more than a third of boys whod had sex admitted they have felt upset by a sexual activity theyve taken part in. Meanwhile, one in four boys said friends and peers had egged them on to share details about their sexual experience illustrating how male peer pressure is often the prime motivator for boys to behave in a certain way. Jack Hughes, 17, said it's commonplace among his friends to share nude images of girls and flirt by sexting Jack admits it is commonplace among his friends to share nude images of girls and confidential text messages known as sexts. Our research found that 44 per cent of all girls are aware of having their looks scored sexually by their peers, often in forums like this, where boys score lad points for sex acts theyve taken part in under the guise of banter. A third of the boys in our survey whod received consensual pictures of a sexual nature admitted sharing them with others, compared to only 10 per cent of girls. Jack says: Sexting is just normal. We know theres a risk but thats how we flirt nowadays. Girls might be talked about as fit, ugly or heifers and you get status in the group for saying youve had sex with someone good-looking. Anal sex is another way for boys to get kudos, says Jack a sad fact also reflected in our survey which found that 48 per cent of the boys who have had sex have also had anal sex, and 17 per cent of those were under 16 when they had anal sex for the first time. Boys are the unwitting targets of the porn industry Its been made to look more appealing in porn, and boys get more status because it shows how far a girl will go for you, admits Jack, who also says it is not uncommon for teens to have sex before they have even kissed, as our survey found. Forty-one per cent of boys who had sex say they have taken part in an activity without kissing the other person first. Kissing is seen as too intimate, says Jack. You hear other boys talking about meeting up just for sex with someone from school after chatting on social media. But because they have no emotional connection, they dont kiss, which is something more romantic. They just go straight to oral and then vaginal sex. Jack stands by his insistence that this is how it is these days. William Stringer, 15, from Chislehurst, Kent, said he thinks porn breeds misogyny and he doesn't doubt that there are boys his age who hate women (file image) I know this sounds a lot to older generations who take sex more seriously. For this generation, its born and bred into us. But William Stringer, 15, from Chislehurst, Kent, is shocked by the attitudes some boys have towards girls. William, who has just left his local grammar school and has a conditional place at Harris Westminster Academy, says: I think porn helps breed real misogyny. Theres no doubt in my mind that there are boys my age who hate women. Ive seen girls being asked intimate and embarrassing questions by boys whove run off laughing. I also think that boys have seen so much porn by my age that when a girl turns down their advances, whether its at school, at parties, or online, they instantly turn around and call her a slag. WHAT WE SHOULD SAY TO OUR SONS Talk about drinking: According to Eleanor Laws QC, a barrister who runs consent courses in secondary schools, its essential to talk to both boys and girls about their alcohol use when they socialise, as well as the legal implications of not getting explicit consent when they have sex. Eleanor says: Engaging in any sexual activity with someone when they are incapacitated is obviously illegal. Its worth noting that if you are drunk but still capable of giving consent, its still consent, even if you wake up regretting it the next day. Its always a good idea to get explicit, verbal consent at every stage of sexual relations by asking: Are you OK with this? Talk about masculinity: Discuss the pressures on boys to over-conform to masculine stereotypes, advises Dr Angharad Rudkin, co-author of Whats My Teenager Thinking? Practical Child Psychology For Modern Parents. Talk about how this damages them, too, by stopping them expressing their true feelings or making them act in ways they secretly dont like. Tell your child its natural to be curious about sex but hardcore porn is not a positive source of sex education. Direct them to healthier, more realistic guidance. Explain that no one should keep quiet if they hear a sexist comment. Suggest a toolbox of simple phrases like: Thats not OK, or, Thats not funny. Advertisement Its as if they think every girl should agree because thats what they have seen in videos. There can be a pack mentality, so even if you see other boys being mean to a girl, few of us know how to stand up and say: Hold on, thats out of order. So it keeps going. Add alcohol into this mix and you have a lethal cocktail which leaves girls vulnerable to unwanted advances. One of the most shocking findings in our survey revealed that 40 per cent of the girls whod had sex have had a sex act performed on them when they were drunk or unconscious. Aaron*, 16, who attends a highly rated private school in North London says: At parties, theres this sort of joke that if you find someone completely out of it, then thats your chance. Its all about the fantasy that you start having sex with a girl and that she wakes up and she wants to continue. This disturbing behaviour echoes a huge number of videos showing women sleeping, drugged or passed out being assaulted by men. Its only now that youth worker George* is older that he realises just how warped his attitudes were towards girls when he was a teenager because of his early exposure to hardcore porn. The 25-year-old from St Albans, Herts, says: After I lost my virginity at 16, I compared the girls I had sex with to the girls I saw in porn. Afterwards, Id joke about how they looked during sex with my mates if I thought they didnt look as good. I didnt have sex to feel close to a girl. I had sex to live out what Id seen online. Wed also get girls to send pics of themselves and share it in group chats. We egged each other on because we all grew up watching the same stuff. It groomed us all to treat girls that way. With dynamics like this, its no wonder that boys show much higher levels of sexual satisfaction than girls. According to our survey, seven out of ten boys who have had sex say the first time they had oral sex was a positive experience compared to 55 per cent of girls. Sadly, 17 per cent of girls described it as a negative experience with a telling 42 per cent of the girls whod had oral sex admitting they have felt pressured into it. The first time boys had vaginal sex was also a positive experience for 73 per cent of males, compared to 57 per cent of girls. This week, the Everyones Invited website has set up a challenge, compiled with law expert Dr Rachel Fenton, to remind young people to call out derogatory comments, like slag or slut. But does our education system need to do more? Jessica Ringrose, professor of sociology and gender at UCL Institute of Education, said when sexist and abusive behaviour goes unchallenged it becomes normalised (file image) Almost a third of the girls we interviewed in our survey felt schools were not on their side, and Jessica Ringrose, professor of sociology and gender at UCL Institute of Education, points out that when sexist and abusive behaviour goes unchallenged it becomes normalised. Theres a lot of victim-blaming in schools around girls for example teachers telling them their skirts are too short which makes them afraid to report harassment when it happens, says Professor Ringrose. This sends the message to girls that boys lives are more important than girls safety and wellbeing. Its got to the point where I see that girls completely accept unsolicited d*** pics (sexting images showing mens genitalia) as normal. They dont even have a framework to understand it is abusive. This is why young people are turning to writing anonymous posts on the Everyones Invited website because they feel no one is listening to them and their schools arent taking them seriously. Ringrose believes it is vital that we act now and give young people the tools to manage their way through this with whole school policies around sexual harassment and more effective, intelligent relationship and sex education. So it is crucial to listen to what boys have to say and instead of judging them, understand that they are the unwitting targets of a multi-million-pound porn industry that aims to draw young men like Jack in. By the time many boys have sex for the first time which our survey suggests is most commonly between the ages of 16 and 17 they will, on average, have seen hundreds of hours of porn, so can we really blame them for believing that this is the new normal? The time has come to tell them otherwise. As our survey has shown, the gap between boys and girls experiences of sex needs to be bridged urgently if young people are ever to enjoy the mutually respectful relationships they deserve. *Some names have been changed. For free comprehensive courses for parents and schools on how to talk to children and young people about porn and help them stand up to its effects, go to CultureReframed. See culturereframed.org. Professor Ringrose and colleagues developed a comprehensive online sexual harassment policy for schools during lockdown 2020 which can be found here: https://schoolofsexed.org/ guidance-for-schools A Venezuelan woman whose entire leg was amputated after a freak accident has become an online star thanks to her incredible salsa dancing skills. Andreyna Hernandez, a 29-year-old dancer and swimmer, was sitting outside of her dance studio on June 26, 2016, when a tree fell on her and crushed her leg, changing her life forever. Nearly five years after she had her leg amputated, the mom has gone viral after taking to Instagram to share videos of herself salsa dancing on one leg, showing off her amazing balance and grace. Amazing: Amputee Andreyna Hernandez, 29, from Venezuela, has gone viral after showing of her incredible salsa dancing skills Taking the stage: Hernandez was participating in a community event with her dance academy when she footage was filmed Love of love: Hernandez was joined by the school's director, Robert Teran, who is also her partner in both dance and life Hernandez was participating in a community event with her dance academy, which took place in the same area where her accident had occurred. Dressed in a bright yellow, pink, and purple leotard, Hernandez was joined by the school's director, Robert Teran, who is also her dance partner and boyfriend. The footage shows her gracefully shaking her hips and spinning with Teran's help during their incredible performance. 'I've been dancing since I can remember because I like it,' she said, noting that she has been a professional Cuban salsa dancer for 14 years. Popular: The clips have been viewed more than 133,000 times combined and have received hundreds of comments praising her performance Say cheese! Hernandez, who was dressed in bright yellow, pink and purple leotard, used crutches while posing for a photo with her mom (right) Freak accident: The dancer was sitting outside of her dance studio on June 26, 2016, when a tree fell on her and crushed her leg Life-changing moment: Hernandez's leg was crushed and had to be amputated Grateful: While she was worried she would have to have both of her legs amputated, her right leg healed successfully Hernandez had to take two years off to recover from her leg amputation, but she returned to the dance floor as soon as possible. 'From the first moment that I found out I could dance again, nothing stopped me,' Hernandez wrote in the caption of one of her videos. 'I'll keep doing what I love until the end of time.' The clips have been viewed more than 133,000 times combined and have received hundreds of comments praising her performance. However, this isn't the first time Hernandez has gone viral. Resilient: Hernandez had to take two years off to recover from her leg amputation, but she returned to the dance floor as soon as possible Wow: Last year, when she was pregnant with her youngest daughter Abril, she posted a TikTok video of herself dancing with her boyfriend that has been viewed more than 1.2 million times Family: Hernandez and Teran christened their youngest daughter last month. They also have a nine-year-old daughter named Melanie The mother of two has nearly 80,000 followers on Instagram and a whopping 204,700 on TikTok, where she frequently posts videos. Last year, when she was pregnant with her youngest daughter Abril, she posted a TikTok video of herself dancing with her boyfriend while showing off her baby bump. The impressive footage has been viewed more than 1.2 million times. Hernandez and Teran also have a nine-year-old daughter named Melanie. 'Dancing means everything to me because it is a way of expressing myself, and that takes me to another world where it relaxes me,' she said. 'I don't think about anything and it makes me feel good. 'Dancing is happiness, tranquillity for me. Dancing is life.' A meddlesome American has been branded a Karen for having a neighbor's tree fort torn down. A disappointed father complained about the situation in a laminated sign, which he fastened to a tree near his home. The man, who signed the sign with the name Dave, accused the 'anonymous passerby' of complaining to the local Homeowners' Association about his son's tree fort, which resulted in an official demand that it be dismantled. No fun here! A meddlesome American has been branded a Karen for complaining to an HOA about a neighbor's tree fort and requiring them to take it down Dave's sign was hung on a tree that appears to be in a wooded area behind his house which is where the passerby must have walked to see his sons' tree house. 'Dont worry, youre safe now!' Dave wrote to the neighbor. 'Your act of casual cruelty was successful. 'The complaint you lodged against the HOA was heard. They had me take down the small tree fort that I built on this location with my sons during the pandemic,' he continued. 'No longer will its presence offend your walk past my house. Please enjoy your stroll free from the sound of my childrens play and laughter. They are safely back inside now, watching television Im sure. 'Enjoy the unobstructed view of my backyard. I will try to keep it up to code,' he concluded. Homeowners' Associations, or HOAs, can be particularly powerful in some American neighbors, governing everything from structures that can be built on a homeowner's property to the condition of their lawns to the color of the paint they use. Typically, violations of an HOA's rules only becomes a problem if a neighbor files a complaint in which case, a homeowner will usually be given time to correct the problem before facing a fine. Dave didn't indicate whether he knew anything about the complaining neighbor or even if they were male or female but Redditors have already branded them a Karen. 'Dave, Fight back. Dont let the Karen win,' wrote one commenter. 'Take over the HOA and change the rules. Work from inside the system if you must. Dont let the children down. I really really need to know you didnt let this idiot have her way. Let me know if you need help. Daves of the world UNITE!' 'This is infuriating,' wrote another. 'Boomers: Why dont the kids these days play outside like we used to instead of just sitting in front of the tv all day?' wrote a third. 'Also Boomers: Lets destroy the outside and make so many rules that its no longer fun to play outside!' 'Some people need everyone to be as unhappy as they are. How dare you be happy?' commented one more. Pride house! Memo Fachino, 35, and Lance Mier, 36, who have been married for five years, found a clever way to deal with their HOA ban on flags Meanwhile, a Racine, Wisconsin couple who were told to remove their Pride flag from their home due to their own HOA rules went viral this month with their very clever loophole. Memo Fachino, 35, and Lance Mier, 36 who have been married five years and together for eight have had the same rainbow flag hanging outside their home since 2016. But after the Homeowners' Association voted on a new rule to ban all flags in the neighborhood, one neighbor called to make a complain about their rainbow flag prompting Fachino and Mier to set up rainbow-colored floodlights across the entire front of their house. The pair posted about their creative idea on Reddit, where their post has earned tens of thousands of upvotes. 'Due to some neighbors flying BLM flags, Thin blue line flags, and other opinion flags, our HOA decided last month that were only allowed to fly the USA flag, and nothing else,' they wrote. 'They day after the decision, we receive an email that someone reported our Pride flag (that we had in our house since 2016), and that we needed to take it down,' the continued. New rule: Due to warring political flags in the neighborhood, the HOA instituted a new rule banning all flags but the American flag but they'd had a Pride flag up since 2016 They complied and removed the flag but didn't drop the matter completely. 'Looking through our new rules, we noticed that removable lights are permitted without restriction so... we bought 6 colored flood lights, and we washed our house in pride colors,' they went on. 'A little less subtle than our simple flag. A lot more fun for anyone complaining about the flag itself and what it represents,' they concluded. Fachino, who sits on the board of the HOA, said that he totally understood the purpose of the new rule, which was to deal with warring political flags in the neighborhood. 'The board passed this rule trying to be proactive, and to prevent friction between neighbors who may be flying opposite political or opinion flags,' he told the BBC. 'It's a simple rule that applies to all of us equally.' 'We don't feel like it was created to prevent us from flying our flag or trying to have it removed ahead of Pride month,' he added. When the couple came up with their floodlights plan, it was merely to find another way to celebrate Pride not because they feel targeted by the rule. Loophole: After the rule went into effect, a neighbor complained about their flag and they were told to remove it, so they set up lights creating a rainbow across the front of their house Popular: They posted about their house on Reddit and have gone viral 'We're not trying to stick it to anyone,' Fachino added to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 'We don't feel targeted or attacked in our community. It was just a fun way for us to show our individuality and support in a way that didn't break any HOA rules.' They were, however, told to remove the flag only after a neighbor complained about the rule violation. 'There are some other flags still flying around the neighborhood that have not come down mainly because nobody reported them,' he said. 'For whatever reason, one neighbor just happened to report mine. I don't know the reason for it and didn't go around reporting everyone else. We also didn't try to make a huge statement (against the association).' Still, Fachino says other neighbors have been supportive of the lights. 'The neighbors I've heard back from have been supportive,' he said. 'I didn't share it on the neighborhood app or try to make a big point that everyone should know about it. I just thought it was a funny loophole, and it just kind of took off from there.' The couple isn't sure how long they will leave the lights up, but expect them to at least last throughout June. 'We believe its important to express ourselves, and to have visible representation,' Fachino told the Huffington Post. 'We are proud to be able to do this,' he said. 'We recognize this privilege. We feel strongly that diversity and self-expression enhances the neighborhood and makes it a more inclusive place to live.' A nine-year-old boy has asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson to let his brother be prescribed medical cannabis to manage his epilepsy. Thomas Braun, from Farndon, Cheshire, today handed in a letter to 10 Downing Street, which urged the Prime Minister to help his brother Eddie get an NHS prescription for the drug. Medical cannabis was legalised in November 2018, but since then only three prescriptions have been written for it, according to campaign group End Our Pain. The medication can only be prescribed by the NHS in 'exceptional' cases. The families of those who have been refused a prescription have had to pay for the drug privately, which can cost up to 2,000 a month. Thomas, right, went to No 10 Downing Street today with his mum Ilmarie Braun, left, to deliver a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, asking him to help his brother Eddie get a prescription for medical cannabis Epidyolex is the only cannabis-based treatment licensed in the UK to treat epilepsy and can also be prescribed for chemotherapy and multiple sclerosis. The medicine contains cannabidiol (CBD), which is different to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) the chemical that makes people high when they smoke weed. WHY PRESCRIPTIONS ARE RARE EVEN THOUGH IT'S LEGAL Medical cannabis refers to any medicine made from the cannabis plant and has been legal in the UK since 2018. Epidyolex is the only cannabis-based treatments licsened in the UK to treat epilepsy. It contains a chemical found in the plant - cannabidiol (CBD). But Epidyolex can only be prescribed for patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, according to the NHS. Both of these conditions are extremely rare forms of epilepsy, occurring in approximately one in 15,000 (Dravet) and one in 50,000 (Lennox-Gastaut) children. This suggests that in the UK the two, combined, account for only around 6,000 people, including adults who may be less likely to get it than children. The medicine will only be considered when other treatments were not suitable or ineffective, further reducing the pool of people who might be eligible. The NHS warns that very few people in England are likely to get a prescription for medical cannabis. The medicine will only be considered when other treatments were not suitable or ineffective. Charity Epilepsy Action warned that despite legalising medical cannabis, the 2018 legal change was 'extremely restrictive'. Children and adults with other complex and treatment-resistant epilepsy syndromes could also benefits from the medicine, it said. Advertisement The drug regulator the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that CBD only be used for treating seizures associated with LennoxGastaut and Dravet syndromes, both rare forms of epilepsy, under certain conditions. The patient should be checked every six months and if the frequency of their seizures has not fallen by at least 30 per cent the treatment should be stopped, according to NICE. The Braun family are calling for the Government to intervene and speak with them about the problems getting access to medicinal cannabis on the NHS. The subject has been controversial since the drug was approved, with families frustrated that it is available in principle but extremely difficult to get hold of. In his letter, Eddie's brother Thomas said his brother means 'everything' to him and has severe, complex epilepsy and can suffer up to 100 seizures a day and needs a lot of additional care. His parents should not have the 'added worry of having to find lots of money to pay for his medicine', which costs up to 780 every month. When describing the day, Thomas said: 'I felt nervous, it was intimidating. But it was also very exciting, because this is my chance to actually help change my brother's life and family's life. 'If the Government would pay for it, we wouldn't have to worry about fundraisers and things, and that will give us more family time.' Ilmarie Braun, Thomas and Eddie's mum, said their family and friends have helped raise money through fundraisers so they could afford Eddie's medicine, but other families have had to stop buying it or sell their homes to afford it. She said: 'Being a parent is wonderful and it can also be challenging. Then being a parent to a child who has complex needs is in its whole own world of difficult because you have to fight for access to everything. 'A school place, adaptations at home to make it accessible, the right wheelchair, to then try to manage Eddie's medication needs, that's just beyond what's reasonable.' 'We want Boris Johnson to act now. He can unlock emergency funding to cover this whilst all of the necessary steps are taken to commission the trials, all of these things that they've been talking about for three years that need to happen.' Thomas Braun, left, Ilmarie Braun, right, and their family pay 780 every month so Eddie Braun can get treatment on the NHS Ilmarie Braun, left, and Thomas Braun, right handed a letter over to the police officer outside No 10 today. They are calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to speak with them about the problems of access to medicinal cannabis on the NHS Eddie Braun has severe, complex epilepsy and can suffer up to 100 seizures a day Hannah Deacon, whose son Alfie Dingley has an NHS prescription for medical cannabis to treat his epilepsy, wrote a letter to the Boris Johnson last week about the transformative effect of the medication on her son. A campaign run by the Deacon family and others was the tipping point for Government to legalise medical cannabis. Ms Deacon, from Warwickshire, who came to Downing Street to support Eddie's family, said: 'Alfie got his NHS prescription on the 19th of June 2018 and it's been like night and day. 'His life has gone from being very severely affected by seizures to having a year seizure-free in May, and his quality of life and our family has improved because of this medicine.' The Braun family and Ms Deacon are calling for the Government to intervene and speak with them about the problems of access to medicinal cannabis on the NHS. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'We recognise the huge challenges faced by children living with rare and hard to treat conditions. 'The government changed the law to allow specialist doctors to prescribe unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use where it is clinically appropriate and in the best interests of patients. 'Licensed cannabis-based medicines are funded by the NHS where there is clear evidence of their safety and clinical effectiveness.' Others have also urged the government to act on the difficulties faced by those trying to access the medicine. In September 2019, 10 families including the Brauns marched to No10 to demand their epileptic children are given medical cannabis on the NHS after none of them had received a prescription despite the medicine being legalised. On Monday, medical cannabis campaigners Billy and Charlotte Caldwell delivered a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock and the DHSC urging them to support the first NHS medical cannabis clinical study, and for the National Institute for Health Research to fund it. The Care Quality Commission, which regulators and inspects health and social care services in England, approved the first medical cannabis clinic in England in October 2019. It allowed London-based private practice Sapphire Medical Clinic to prescribe cannabis-based medicine. Nearly one-quarter of all coronavirus patients experience long-term symptoms at least one month after being diagnosed, a new study suggests. Researchers found that at least 23 percent of people in the U.S. sought medical treatment for new conditions they hadn't had before contacting the virus. What's more, about one-fifth of these patients were asymptomatic when they tested for COVID-19 but were now having pain, difficulty breathing, or fatigued. The team, from the nonprofit FAIR Health, says the results show so-called 'long-haul COVID' can occur in not just those who are hospitalized but also among those with mild illnesses. 'Even as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, long-haul Covid persists as a public health issue affecting many Americans,' FAIR Health's president Robin Gelburd told AFP. 'The findings in our new study shed significant light on this emerging issue for all individuals who have long-haul COVID, as well as for policy makers, providers, payors and researchers.' Researchers looked at two million people diagnosed with COVID-19 between February and December 2020 and found 23.2% sought medical care for at least one new symptom 30 days after diagnosis. Pictured: Chaplain Kevin Deegan prays with COVID-19 patient Esperanza Salazar at Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles, February 2021 Nearly 19% of asymptomatic patients developed 'long-haul Covid' as did 27.5% of patients who did have symptoms during their illness Pain was the most common post-viral condition reported followed by breathing difficulties, high cholesterol, general discomfort and fatigue 'Long-haul Covid' appears in patients that have recovered from the virus and continue exhibiting symptoms for weeks, or potentially months or years, after clearing the infection. There are a wide-array of symptoms that can appear, including continued loss of taste and smell, long-term fatigue and long-term sensory issues. The causes of the condition remain unknown and several studies are being conducted to examine long-term effects. 'Theories include persistent immune activation after the acute phase; initial damage from the virus, such as damage to nerve pathways, that is slow to heal; and persistent presence of low-level virus,' the authors wrote. For the report, published on Tuesday, the team looked at the private health insurance claims of almost two million people diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 2020 and December 2020. The odds of dying 30 days or more after initially being diagnosed with COVID-19 were 46 times higher for patients who were hospitalized than those who were not hospitalized Researchers then tracked the patients to see if they developed any new symptoms through February 2021. They found that 23.2 percent of patients - more than 450,000 - sought medical care for at least one new symptom 30 days after diagnosis. The most common post-viral condition was pain, such as nerve inflammation and muscle aches, reported in more than 100,000 patients, or about five percent of the group. The next most common conditions, in order of prevalence, were breathing difficulties, high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia), general discomfort and fatigue, and high blood pressure. Breathing difficulties were experienced by 3.5 percent of patients while high cholesterol and fatigue were each experienced by around three percent. Of the four mental health conditions evaluated as post-Covid conditions, anxiety had the highest percentage across all age groups. A surprising 18.9 percent of COVID-19 patients who were asymptomatic during their illness had 'long-haul Covid' symptoms 30 days out from their initial diagnosis. This figure grew to 27.5 percent of patients who were symptomatic while ill but not hospitalized. About 50 percent of those who were hospitalized developed new symptoms after being discharged. Researchers found that the odds of dying 30 days or more after initially being diagnosed with COVID-19 were 46 times higher for patients who were hospitalized and discharged compared to those who weren't hospitalized. Overall, 0.5 percent of patients who were hospitalized then discharged died 30 days or more after their initial diagnosis compared to less than 0.05 of patients treated at home. The team says for future research, it hopes to include a control group of people who never got COVID-19, which would help determine the extent to which the virus caused the conditions as opposed to being coincidental. A Rhode Island man has become the first patient in the world to receive an infusion of a newly approved Alzheimer's disease drug. Marc Archambault, a 70-year-old real estate broker from South Kingstown, was treated at Butler Hospital with aducanumab, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 7. Aducanumab, which is sold under the brand name Aduhelm, works by removing the sticky deposits of a protein called amyloid beta from the brains of patients in earlier stages of the age-related brain disease. Critics say clinical trial results were mixed, doubting the drug's effectiveness and questioning if the approval process was too quick. What's more, three members of an FDA advisory committee resigned, saying they didn't feel members were consulted before being authorization was given. But Archambault says the drug may be his last chance at preventing his Alzheimer's disease from progressing to a late stage, in which he would lose the ability to carry on a conversation or even control movement Marc Archambault, a 70-year-old real estate broker from South Kingstown, Rhode Island, became the first patient to be injected with Aduhelm on Wednesday (above) Aduhelm (aducanumab), which was developed by Biogen Inc, to treat Alzheimer's disease, was approved by the FDA on June 7 'I am a happy guy but hearing that the FDA had approved Aduhelm and that I am eligible for the treatment. I am living happier of course,' Archambault said in a statement. 'The thought that the last stage [of Alzheimer's] may now be far away for me, or even that I might stay as I am, is incredible. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to receive this treatment.' Dr Stephen Salloway, who oversees the Memory and Aging Program at Butler, said around 100 patients will be given he drug once a month. 'Today, we're making history,' he said at a press conference on Wednesday. 'We're opening a new era in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.' The authorization of the drug comes via the FDA's accelerated approval pathway, which provides earlier access for patients with diseases that have few therapies and where there is an expectation of benefit despite some uncertainty. Biogen still will have to run trials showing 'clinical benefit.' If the trials have negative results, the FDA can rescind its approval. Biogen launched two clinical trials for aducanumab in 2016, according to The Washington Post. Both were stopped midway because researchers concluded that neither would end up reaching its goal. But later, the company revealed updated data from the second study that showed patients had a 22 percent decrease in the speed of their cognitive decline. The company was hoping the data would be enough for the FDA to approve the drug because a third trial could take four to six more years to complete. Advocates say that while the drug is not perfect, it can delay cognitive decline. Archambault (left and right) will be one of 100 patients treated at Butler Hospital with the drug in hopes it will prevent their Alzheimer's from reaching late stages. The drug removes amyloid beta proteins from the brain and could slow down patients' cognitive decline Critics argue that trial data from Biogen was conflicting and drug approval too early could hurt patients more than it will help. Pictured: A sign marks a Biogen facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts HOW TO DETECT ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory, thinking skills and the ability to perform simple tasks. It is the cause of 60% to 70% of cases of dementia. The majority of people with Alzheimer's are age 65 and older More than six million Americans have Alzheimers. It is unknown what causes Alzheimer's. Those who have the APOE gene are more likely to develop late-onset Alzheimer's. Signs and symptoms: Difficulty remembering newly learned information Disorientation Mood and behavioral changes Suspicion about family, friends and professional caregivers More serious memory loss Difficulty with speaking, swallowing and walking Stages of Alzheimer's: Mild Alzheimer's (early-stage) - A person may be able to function independently but is having memory lapses Moderate Alzheimer's (middle-stage) - Typically the longest stage, the person may confuse words, get frustrated or angry, or have sudden behavioral changes Severe Alzheimer's disease (late-stage) - In the final stage, individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, carry on a conversation and, eventually, control movement Advertisement An estimated six million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer's disease in 2021. Sufferers experience a decline in cognitive, behavioral and physical abilities, and there is no cure. Prior to Monday's approval, there were no drugs cleared by the FDA that can slow the mental decline from Alzheimer's, the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. Biogen has estimated that around 1.5 million Americans would be eligible for treatment with aducanumab, which is given by monthly infusion, raising concerns about costs to the healthcare system. But the drug's controversial rollout also caused three few members of an FDA advisory board to step down from their positions Neurologists David Knopman, who works for the Mayo Clinic, and Joel Perlmutter, of Washington University St Louis, both stepped down on June 9 and Arron Kesselheim, a Harvard University professor, on June 10. Knopman, Kesselheim and Perlmutter were among the 10 of 11 members of the FDA advisory board that voted against the drug's approval in November. Recommendations from the board are not binding, though, and the FDA is allowed to, and often does, make decisions that go against the boards vote. It is rare that a near unanimous decision by the board is ignored, though, and the agency is generally more conservative that experts on the board - which was not the case with aducanumab '[Aducanumab] probably the worst drug approval decision in recent U.S. history,' Kesselheim wrote in a letter to FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock on Thursday, per Stat News. 'It is clear to me that FDA is not presently capable of adequately integrating the Committee's scientific recommendations into its approval decisions.' What's more, Biogen set an average price of $56,000 a year for the drug. Despite the fact that most patients who use the drug will be covered by the federal Medicare health program, the Alzheimer's Association said the cost 'simply unacceptable.' Robert Egge, chief public policy officer at the Alzheimer's Association, said most Medicare recipients will be responsible for 20 percent of the cost of drugs given by doctors. 'This could further exacerbate health equity challenges that we have across the country,' he told Reuters. Goldman Sachs is set to move into a shared Wework office in Birmingham to establish a presence in the city. The Wall Street titan, which employs 6,500 staff in the UK, expects staff to start moving into the floor it has rented at 55 Colmore Row from September. The move is a major boost for the Government's 'levelling up' agenda as the finance industry is predominantly based in London. Goldman Sachs, which employs 6,500 staff in the UK, said it expects staff to start moving into the floor it has rented at Birmingham's 55 Colmore Row (pictured) from September The office will initially hold 150 employees mainly local hires and Goldman has an option to add more capacity if needed. It will mostly be staffed by the bank's tech engineers, and Goldman has said it could employ 'several hundred' workers in Birmingham in coming years. Eventually, the investment giant plans to establish its own permanent office in the city. It comes as part of a shift of the financial services industry out of London, as the Government puts an increased focus on regions of the UK. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced this year that a new 'Treasury North' campus would be set up in the Tees Valley town of Darlington, creating 750 top jobs. And a National Infrastructure Bank will take root in Leeds, with initial capital of up to 12billion to invest in projects to fire up the green revolution. Gurjit Jagpal, managing director at Goldman Sachs and head of the Birmingham office, said the site would be a 'springboard for our ambitions in the city'. Neil Rami, chief executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, which promotes investment in the region, added: 'Birmingham is ripe for future growth in technology, perfectly complementing the bank's ambitions to recruit the best talent. 'As the city gears up to host the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games next year, Goldman Sachs' arrival will coincide with the region's escalated status as an internationally significant cultural destination.' While major UK institutions including HSBC and Lloyds Bank have been cutting back their office space, Goldman Sachs' US chief executive, David Solomon, is very keen to get his staff back to their desks following the pandemic. Earlier this year he called working from home an 'aberration', and in a memo to staff this week reminded them that its main London office was still open for those who wanted to come in. Shares in Made.com sagged yesterday as the online furniture shop floated on the stock market. The company that was co-founded by internet tycoon Brent Hoberman saw its stock price dip by almost 9 per cent just moments after conditional trading began. Analysts said that waning enthusiasm among investors for a string of pricey listings this year was partly to blame. Internet riches: Made.com founders Julien Callede, Chloe Macintosh, Brent Hoberman and Ning Li It was the latest snub to a tech float this year after fellow market newcomers Deliveroo and Alphawave IP tumbled on arrival as well. The flop was also a fresh embarrassment for JP Morgan, which has been a book-runner in all three deals. Yesterday, Made.com announced shares would be 200p each. It was claimed that this was already at the bottom end of a 200-265p price range that had been mooted beforehand. But after markets opened, the amount they were changing hands for quickly hit a low of 182.1p. They later closed 1.5 per cent, or 3p down, at 197p. The wobble may have carried faint echoes of the past for Hoberman, who made his name building the online travel agent Lastminute with Martha Lane Fox. Lastminute floated at the height of the dot-com boom and then crashed when the market bubble burst soon afterwards, along with a host of other internet companies. The firm was initially valued at 571million but was sold to Swiss rival Bravofly Rumbo for just 76million in 2014. Hoberman described that companys stock market performance as a roller-coaster ride but insisted Made.com, which was established 11 years ago, is much more predictable. And despite the bumpy debut, the entrepreneur still did well out of yesterdays float. The 52-year-old founded Made.com in 2010 with Chloe Macintosh, Ning Li and Julien Callede and still holds a significant stake through investment vehicle By Design (UK) Ltd, in which he is a shareholder. By Design sold 4.9million worth of shares as part of Made.coms float and held on to a 5.5 per cent stake that was worth almost 42million when the closing bell rang yesterday. Hoberman is thought to control around 29 per cent of By Designs shares, meaning his stake could be more than 12million. Others likely to be toasting the lucrative deal include Li, 39, whose Haka Investments sold 7.9million worth of shares and still controls 8.9 per cent worth 67.6million. Philippe Chainieux, Made.coms chief executive, also owns 8million worth of shares. On top of this, the 48-year-old, who will be paid a 450,000 annual salary, has been awarded options with a face value of more than 12.6million. His finance chief, Adrian Evans, 43, has options worth 3.4million and will get paid 325,000 per year. Meanwhile, chairman Susanne Given, 56, owns shares worth 1.5million and will be paid an annual fee of 300,000. She has been chairman of Made.com since 2016 and was previously working an executive at the fashion retailers Superdry and TK Maxx. Through the float, Made.com raised about 100million, which it said would be used to expand operations in the UK and overseas. But analysts said the relatively disappointing debut came as a stream of listings this year in London is making wary fund managers ever more sceptical of potential investments. That has prompted some other companies, including fuel cell company Elcogen and miner Tungsten West, to hold off from going public for now. But Made.com pressed ahead, promising to offer shareholders a potentially lucrative slice of the internet shopping boom that has exploded during the pandemic. Susannah Streeter, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said Made.com faced competition from established homeware firms such as Dunelm and DFS and that spending on furniture had waned a little since April. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said recent bumpy debuts showed fund managers have been doing their jobs They have walked away from deals that are too pricey. He added: This is the time in the cycle when you tend to see sellers emerge and youve got markets trading at all-time highs, so there is always a concern that things could get frothy. But in London overall I would say the conditions are still favourable, if the price is sensible. Made.com boss Chainieux said yesterday: A listing in London, where the business was founded, will enable us to accelerate our growth as we lead the development of the online furniture and homewares market as it moves online, both in the UK and internationally. A wedding reception billed as 'Sydney's largest wedding' looked more like a dance-party rave than a marriage celebration, a guest has revealed. Videos of the celebration, which took place last weekend at Paradiso Receptions in Fairfield in Sydney's western suburbs, show guests and members of the bridal party table-diving in unison to a 40-minute set by popular dance music producers Sunset Brothers. Farah Youssef, a guest at the wedding, told Daily Mail Australia there were about 600 people in attendance. 'We were on table 49 and there were yet more tables, and each table had 10 people,' Ms Youssef said. 'It was massive.' One guest's TikTok video of the night described it as 'Sydney's largest wedding' The bridal party took to the top of the head table to whip guests into a frenzy, some of them then stage-diving into the crowd Ms Yousef, a luxury shoe brand proprietor, said the Lebanese-Australian bridal couple were introduced to the room by a cavalcade of drummers. 'Most people have four or five, they had 30 or 40 drummers when they came into the room, it was so loud,' she said. 'The whole wedding was special from the start.' In some of the footage posted by Ms Youssef on her @amanza.official TikTok, a member of the bridal party also stands on a table and appears to spray champagne over the boisterous crowd, while another dives headfirst into a group of people. At one stage the bride appears to fire a large plume of smoke above the heads of the partying guests. Guests waved fluro foam sticks and jumped up and down under the venue's massive chandeliers during the Sunset Brothers' performance. 'Every now and then they make special appearances at weddings when they aren't playing at festivals and clubs,' the duo's management said. In one clip from the video the bride appears to fire from a smoke gun over the guests 'They played for about 40 minutes,' Ms Youssef said. 'It was an absolute blast, no one was sitting down. 'The couple said the whole intention of the reception was a big party and that was accomplished.' The videos gained an enthusiastic response from would-be brides in comments on social media posts. 'If my wedding isn't like this, I don't want it,' posted one user. 'This is what I want,' posted another. 'I feel sorry for all the guys getting tagged by their girlfriends,' wrote another. Psychiatrists now earn average salaries of more than $235,000 but for a long time they were viewed as a 'low income' medical specialty. On the surface, the doctors who prescribe drugs for mental illness are well paid. They have average salaries of $235,558, new tax office data showed. Like any other medical specialist, they need a Bachelor of Medicine degree which takes seven years to complete. They also have to complete another five years of post-graduate study, and spend at least 12 years at university. Psychiatrists now earn average salaries of more than $235,000 but for a long time they were viewed as a 'low income' medical specialty. Western Sydney-based psychiatrist Tanveer Ahmed, 46, who has practised for more than a decade, said that little more than a decade ago, other medical specialists looked down on psychiatry What psychiatrists REALLY earn compared to other medical specialists PSYCHIATRIST: $235,558 ENDOCRINOLOGIST: $253,528 HAEMATOLOGIST: $268,380 GYNAECOLOGIST: $360,596 ANAETHETIST: $386,065 SURGEON: $394,303 OPTHALMOLOGIST: $524,804 Source: Australian Taxation Office average taxable incomes, 2018-19 Advertisement Western Sydney-based psychiatrist Tanveer Ahmed, 46, said that little more than a decade ago, other medical specialists looked down on psychiatry. 'When I was training as a psychiatrist, it actually had low prestige and it was considered a low-income specialty,' Dr Ahmed told Daily Mail Australia. But changes in attitudes to mental health have seen demand soar for psychiatrists. 'The mental health stigma is lower, people are more comfortable seeking mental health help, and they're more comfortable being on medication,' Dr Ahmed said. 'For this reason, psychiatrists are in great demand.' Compared with other medical specialists, psychiatrists are still paid significantly less than most other medical specialists, including surgeons who are typically paid $394,303. Gynaecologists earn average taxable incomes of $360,596. Anaethetists make $386,065 while opthalmologist eye doctors have average pay of $524,804. Haematologists, who specialise in blood diseases, had mean pay of $268,380 compared with $253,528 for endocrinologists who treat hormonal disorders. Compared with other medical specialists, psychiatrists are still paid significantly less than most other medical specialists, including surgeons who are typically paid $394,303. Pictured is a stock image The jobs in Australia paying average, six-figure salaries Television journalist: $101,939 Land valuer: $105,920 University lecturer: $107,497 Meteorologist: $112,833 Police inspector: $116,284 Train and tram driver: $119,384 Industrial relations manager: $124,326 School principal: $124,338 Solicitor: $130,177 Dentist: $131,589 Economist: $140,382 Geologist: $139,960 Bank manager: $140,876 Chief executives: $164,896 General practitioner: $169,317 Mining engineers: $184,507 Actuaries: $195,829 Politician: $207,354 Neurologists: $288,116 Psychiatrists: $235,558 Share market analyst: $262,144 Investment broker: $304,258 Gynaecologist: $360,596 Surgeons: $394,303 Gastroenterologists: $419,707 Urologist: $450,255 Ophthalmologists: $524,804 Source: Australian Taxation Office data for 2018-19 on average taxable incomes Advertisement Neurologists, who treat brain and spinal problems, had salaries of $288,116 compared with $229,513 for paediatricians who treat children. Dr Ahmed said like other medical professionals, psychiatrists had to have an intimate understanding of human biology. 'At a lay level, people barely differentiate between psychiatrists and psychologists but their training is really quite different,' he said. 'Psychiatrists are medical doctors so the training is really not terribly different between say a cardiologist or a surgeon where they've done a medical degree, they do at least two years of generalist medical training and then they do a minimum of five years of specialist training.' On the surface, psychiatrists treat mental illness and trauma, much like psychologists. Psychologists, however, focus on cognitive behavioural therapy. They now usually complete a masters degree and focus on correcting behavioural problems with cognitive thinking instead of prescribing medication. Unlike psychiatrists, psychologists don't complete a Bachelor of Medicine and have much lower average salaries of $81,867. Dr Ahmed said psychiatrists were often held responsible if the medication they prescribed didn't help suicidal people or violent prison inmates. 'We're ultimately responsible. You carry a lot greater risks with the most difficult patients,' he said. By comparison counsellors, who don't prescribe drugs, earned even less than Australia's average taxable income of $62,549 during the 2018-19 financial year. Drug and alcohol counsellors had average salaries of $54,124. By comparison, school counsellors earned $53,219. Dr Ahmed said the decline of religion and membership of community groups, in wealthy nations like Australia, had seen a significantly higher proportion of the population rely on antidepressants, which suburban GPs or psychiatrists can prescribe. Unlike psychiatrists, psychologists don't complete a Bachelor of Medicine and have much lower average salaries of $81,867. Pictured is a stock image 'Mental health has become a bigger net encompassing law, disability as well as being the language of emotional distress,' he said. 'Collective structures such as community, clan and tradition have also declined significantly.' An OECD report from 2015 showed Australia had the second highest antidepressant usage in the world after Iceland. 'We don't tend to rely on religion to make sense of our problems so we're much more open to using medications to mitigate some of the psychological distress we feel,' Dr Ahmed said. 'I don't think that's entirely a bad thing but it's possible it's being over prescribed.' If this story has raised issues, you can call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 Advertisement Bosses are gearing up for an almighty standoff with staff who do not want to return to the office after a year of working from home because they think they've proven they can do their jobs just as well, with workforces in major cities like New York and San Francisco making a sluggishly slow return to in-person business. New data obtained by DailyMail.com that was collated by Kastle Systems - a building management company based in Virginia which has monitored key swipes on 2,600 buildings, for 41,000 businesses, since last April - has revealed that liberal cities like New York City, San Francisco and L.A. are slower getting people back to the office than Texas, Illinois and Pennsylvania. Dallas has the highest number of staff back in person with 49 percent swiping their cards to gain office entry in the second week of June, followed by Austin (48.7%) and Houston (47.7%). The national average is 31.5% and New York, LA, San Fran and Philadelphia are all beneath it. Only 21% of staff in New York City have gone back, despite all of the COVID restrictions lifting this week. Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman this week was among the firs to take a tough stance. He warned staff to be back in the office by Labor Day, or there'll be tough conversations. San Francisco -a tech hub - has seen just 18% of staff return. Now, bosses are facing a power struggle with staff who say they no longer want to come in because they've gotten so used to working from home. And while experts say some businesses like newsrooms and trading floors won't function as well remotely, many other sectors are facing the reality that staff will walk if they don't give them more flexibility when it comes to where they spend their time. The difference in how many people have gone back to work in certain cities is telling but can't be boiled down to a single factor, say experts. Scroll down for video These are how America's major cities are returning to the office. Dallas has the highest number of staff back in office buildings and San Francisco has the lowest. New York, largely considered the country's business hub, is 10% under the national average despite having the lowest COVID rates Data obtained by DailyMail.com shows how each city's office occupancy has slowly started to recover since last March. Dallas, Austin and Houston were all storming ahead until the start of March when Texas was hit with an energy crisis and power went out across the state. They recovered swiftly but liberal cities like L.A., San Fran, New York and Chicago are all still behind CEOs want to see their staff in the office full time. 83% answered yes in a recent poll. But 90% of workers want to work from home Mark Ein, Chairman of Kastle Systems, told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that it may be down to people in Texas being able to drive to work versus taking the subway. Equally, it could be people in cities like New York and California - both Democrat states - have been led by the more restrictive lockdowns there. San Francisco is an anomaly because it takes in Silicon Valley, where a large proportion of people worked remotely before the pandemic began. 'The first explanation is industry composition - northern California has been at the lower end because those cities have a higher percentage of tech industries that were more set up to enable people to work from home before the pandemic. 'Then there's public transportation. In the heart of the pandemic, people didn't want to go o on mass transit so cities like New York were at a much lower level [of occupancy]. 'Then there is general community attitude and public sector response to the pandemic; areas of the country with more restrictive lockdowns like northeastern cities have lower levels of occupancy than places like Texas, which have been less restrictive 'The last thing I think is just how hard cities were hit by the pandemic New York was hit really hard at the very beginning. They wanted to lockdown and people were hesitant to go to the office,' Ein said. No one has recovered to pre-pandemic levels but Dallas is closest at 49 percent. Before the pandemic, the city showed a 99.7% occupancy rate in offices. None of Ein's clients are pulling the plug on their office spaces. In fact, he predicts things will return to a far higher in-office rate than many people are expecting. 'A large number of employees do want to go back. If you work in a workplace where senior executives want to go back, and some people want flexibility, you're going to see a return of something closer to the way it was.' Mark Ein, Chairman of Kastle Systems 'I think that the future of work is going to look more like it used to than most people think it will. There will be changes and some more flexibility but by and large, senior execs and managers want their people back. 'They feel like the connective tissue that people built over many years has frayed by not being together. Some people feel that generally, theyre more productive at home but teams are not when they don't get time to collaborate. 'A large number of employees do want to go back. 'If you work in a workplace where senior executives want to go back, and some people want flexibility, you're going to see a return of something closer to the way it was.' What is now presenting itself is a clash between workers and CEOs that is boiling over in C-Suite meetings and has many employers' 'scared' that they'll lose staff if they don't allow them to work from home. Melissa Swift, Senior Client Partner at the management consultancy firm Korn Ferry, told DailyMail.com she is having meetings with business leaders who 'fundamentally' disagree with staff on the right way forward. 'There is a fundamental difference in how workers feel about remote work and what theyve seen as possible, and the deep seeded beliefs of high level executives. They want to see work being done to believe it's being done. 'Whereas people in the workforce have all participated in this grand experiment of effectively, much more self-directed work in remote settings. 'Now, the debate is, did this work? Is this the forward model? And that's where the clash comes in,' she said. One thing employers are wrestling with is having to formalize arrangements that were once casual, like working from home if it's appropriate one or two days a week. 'We're writing down policies that we never wrote down before. Thats what's triggering some of the back and forth. 'What organizations are comfortable with casually, they arent comfortable with writing them down,' she said. New York's open! Cuomo lifted all restrictions on Tuesday but people aren't rushing back to the Big Apple, especially while businesses continue to let them work from home More than a year on from the worst of the pandemic and New York's midtown is still abandoned, with many office buildings standing empty because staff haven't been made to go back yet Wall Street is open and has been since last year. Trading floors and newsrooms are some of the only open-plan businesses that cannot thrive remotely, say the experts In some sectors like news and finance, it's not feasible to work from home, she said, but it's largely down to the role each employee plays, rather than the organization as a whole. 'For me its about a job function than the industry; theres certain things like retail that there are certain constraints. 'Newsrooms and trading floors have been open plan because they have to deliberately circulate information in real time. But I've seen, in meetings in the C-suite, the IT department often will stick up their hand and say "we've been remote for years." 'The way coding works, I can watch you code in real time theres no loss of anything,' she said. NYC RESTAURANTS STILL STRUGGLE WITHOUT CITY WORKFORCE DESPITE LOCKDOWNS BEING LIFTED Restaurants, coffee shops and bars around midtown are all still struggling despite COVID restrictions being lifted in New York because none of the 100,000 city-workers who used to frequent them have come back yet. On Tuesday, Cuomo lifted all remaining office restrictions across the state of New York. Now, it's down to businesses and the buildings they operate in how to screen people for COVID, check if they're vaccinated or socially distance them. Some of the restaurants welcomed the news that they also wouldn't be under capacity restrictions anymore, but many still struggle without the foot traffic they once had. 'Office workers, along with residents and tourists, are an essential customer base for our ground-floor restaurants and retailers. 'Tourists and office workers have gradually started returning, which has put small businesses on better footing. 'But now that the city has safely reopened, we are hopeful that companies will bring employees back in larger numbers in the coming weeks and months to fuel a strong recovery for the ground-floor businesses that rely on them. James Mettham, executive director of New York Citys Flatiron-23rd Street business improvement district, told DailyMail.com on Wednesday. Empty: Without office workers, many of NYC's businesses like restaurants, bars and shops will continue to struggle Advertisement Some companies fear cyber security attacks or having confidential information being viewed outside of the office. 'There is still some virtue to a locked filing cabinet,' she said. Swift said that while some businesses may be able to logically demand that stuff come to the office, others are facing the reality of a transient and virtual workforce who have suddenly seen their opportunities multiply tenfold because they're no longer required to be in an office to fulfil the work. What will happen, she predicts, is people will simply quit in exchange for a remote job if their boss wants them to come in and they don't want to go. Now, some companies are even trying to dream up reasons to make the office more appealing, she said. 'Were hearing more about carrot than the stick. One client said earning the commute, creating such a good office that its worth the commute. They were in tech, but not a super cutting edge company and they are competing with super cutting edge people. 'Now they're thinking are there ways to reconfigure the office to make it more appealing.' She noted that introverts, who were previously shy about making phone calls in an office full of 30 people, relish their home privacy and find they thrive not having to speak up in crowded meetings, whereas extroverts have suffered 'mightily' under the work-from-home structure. At the Salesforce office in San Francisco, only 200 of the 10,000 staff have gone back in voluntarily since the office reopened last month. The company's CEO has been open-minded about people working from home permanently, and said he expects about half to work remotely full-time after the pandemic. But half is far more than the two percent who have gone back so far. He hasn't commented yet on the low turnout. Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan Chase's CEO, has been firm on his position - he wants at least 90 percent of staff back in the office, with only 10 percent or so continuing to work from home. In the case of his company, that account for 25,000 people around the world working remotely, and some 200,000 working in the office. Morgan Stanely's CEO James Gorman has made some of the straightest remarks yet. On Monday, he made it plain to the staff from the bank's Times Square office: Get back by Labor Day or there'll be tough conversations. 'I'll be very disappointed if people haven't found their way into the office...then, we'll have a different kind of conversation. ''If you want to get paid New York rates, you work in New York. None of this, "I'm in Colorado and work in New York and am getting paid like I'm sitting in New York City". Sorry, that doesn't work,' Gorman said. 'Make no mistake about it - we do our work inside Morgan Stanley offices, and that's where we teach, that's where our interns learn, that's where you build all the soft cues that go with building a successful career that aren't just about Zoom presentations. 'When will that occur? My leadership style has been very deliberate. I went from one day a week from July to Labor Day last year, two days Labor Day until the end of the year, three days the beginning of this year until March and now I am at four days. 'If you can go into a restaurant in New York City, you can come into the office. We want you in the office,' he said. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is putting down similar rules for his staff, as is Twitter. Twitter, at first, looked like one of the most flexible workplaces with its announcement that staff would be able to work from home forever if they want to. The company has long has a pay localization scheme though that is part of CEO Jack Dorsey's plan to decentralize the business. A Covid antibody cocktail touted as a 'cure' by Donald Trump when he caught the virus has been proven to work in a clinical trial and can slash the risk of death by a fifth. Oxford University scientists running the RECOVERY study to find medicines to stop coronavirus said the proof that Regeneron's antibody therapy works is 'a first'. It is the only treatment proven so far to be able to wipe out the virus in people who are so sick that they need hospital treatment. Others that were successful in trials worked differently by controlling patients' immune systems, and weren't antivirals. Chief of the NHS, Sir Simon Stevens, said yesterday that he had told hospitals to 'gear up' to be able to give the costly but effective treatment to patients in the UK. At an estimated 1,000-2,000 per patient the therapy comes with a hefty price tag but researchers said they think 'everybody will be keen to get on with it'. Medics in the US gave Regeneron's monoclonal antibody treatment, named REGEN-COV, emergency approval last year and even gave it to then-president Mr Trump but it is still unlicensed in the UK. Oxford's Professor Martin Landray said it could be available in Britain within 'weeks'. REGEN-COV is a cocktail of two types of potent Covid antibodies taken from recovered patients and multiplied in a lab to make a fluid that can be injected into people who haven't developed their own antibodies after getting sick with the virus. Healthy people, who develop their own antibodies, will not benefit from the treatment so hospital patients would have to have blood tests to see if they are antibody negative and therefore eligible. Professor Landray said: 'For every 100 patients given the infusion we would save six lives just from that infusion. He added: 'In people who are admitted to hospital with Covid but have not managed to raise their own natural antibody response, giving them this combination of monoclonal antibodies in a drip reduces their chances of dying, shortens their hospital stay, reduces their chance of needing a ventilator. That's got to be good for patients and it's got to be good for public health.' The drug is a combination of two cloned antibodies, casirivimab and imdevimab (pictured), and could cost as much as 1,000 to 2,000 per patient Mr Trump said in a video he posted on Twitter after being discharged from hospital with Covid: 'They gave me Regeneron and other things, too, but I think this was the key. They gave me Regeneron. And it was, like, unbelievable I felt good' Professor Landray, a medicine and epidemiology professor at Oxford, published the trial results alongside his colleague Professor Peter Horby, an emerging diseases expert, today. Both men were last week knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for their work tackling the Covid epidemic in Britain. Their most recent results from the RECOVERY coronavirus treatments study tested the effects of REGEN-COV on 9,785 hospital patients with Covid in the UK. Some were given the treatment alongside normal NHS care, while others got NHS care alone, which likely included dexamethasone, a steroid proven to slash death risk by the same trial. Key to the success of the drug was whether people had already made their own antibodies to Covid, either during their infection or potentially from vaccination. People who already had antibodies did not see any benefit from the therapy. But people without them potentially those with underlying illnesses, very frail or elderly people, or people taking immune-suppressant drugs recovered faster. WHAT ARE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES? Monoclonal antibody therapy is a type of treatment that is based on injecting antibodies into people who don't have them. Antibodies are proteins made by the body's immune system that can attack a virus by sticking to it and preventing it from infecting healthy cells. They are super-specific and are developed for specific viruses as and when they are needed flu antibodies will not protect against Covid, for example. People can either develop antibodies by catching the infection for real, when their body makes them naturally, or by getting a vaccine, which forces the body to make them using a blueprint. For people who don't have them and don't have a healthy immune system that can make them quickly if they become infected, the antibodies can be injected. Monoclonal antibodies are ones that are cloned in a lab, usually from a sample taken from a person who has recovered from coronavirus already. Scientists can single out the strongest looking antibodies from the blood samples and then clone these to make a super high concentration of them in a fluid that is then injected into the patient's body through a drip. These antibodies should then recognise the virus and burst into action, attacking the virus as if they had been made by the person's own immune system and buying time for the patient's body to make its own. Clinical trials testing them on people with Covid have produced mixed results, with some clearly reducing the risk of hospitalisation or death, and others showing little or no benefits. Advertisement They spent an average of four fewer days in hospital compared, were 20 per cent less likely to die, and were less likely to need a ventilator, compared to antibody-negative patients not given the treatment. 'In some ways this is a first,' said Professor Landray. 'This is an antiviral treatment that is used late on because these patients are so severe they're already in hospital. 'Here we now have a treatment we did not have before... 'We can use this in patients who have got a one in three chance of dying if untreated and we can reduce that risk for them. 'When we think about the treatments that have won up until now dexamethasone and tocilizumab those target the immune response. This is the first time we've got one that is actually targeting the virus itself.' The antibodies work by sticking to the coronavirus when it's in the body and preventing it from infecting cells and causing Covid. They attach to it like padlocks attaching to a key they key being the 'spike' protein on the outside of the virus blocking the keys from sticking into healthy cells. The shape of the spike often mutates and changes so Regeneron used two different antibodies to target two different areas and reduce the risk of it changing so much that the treatment didn't work any more. Professor Horby suggested that a well-chosen combination that was resistant to the virus changing shape may be why this monoclonal therapy has worked when others haven't. AstraZeneca today said its own antibody therapy, named AZD7442, had failed to prevent Covid symptoms in a trial on 1,121 people. It suggested a reduction of a third but researchers said the result was not significant to rule out random error. US company Eli Lilly also saw trials of its own product, LY-CoV555, fail last year but a second attempt has shown promise in early trials in 2021. Regeneron hit headlines in October last year when then-US President Donald Trump was given it along with a host of other treatments when he developed Covid aged 74. Mr Trump said in a video he posted on Twitter after being discharged from hospital: 'They gave me Regeneron and other things, too, but I think this was the key. They gave me Regeneron. And it was, like, unbelievable I felt good,' Al Jazeera reported. 'They call them therapeutics,' he added. 'To me it wasnt therapeutic, it just made me better I call that a cure.' 'I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it. This was a blessing in disguise. I caught it. I heard about this drug. I said, "Let me take it." It was my suggestion. I said, "Let me take it."' He vowed to make it available in the US, telling people 'I want to get for you what I got, and I'm going to make it free.' The US Food and Drug Administration approved the drug for emergency use on Covid patients on November 21. Next steps in the UK will be for experts at medicines regulators including the MHRA and NICE to look at the trial results and the cost of the drug and decide whether to make it part of NHS care. It is likely to be in limited supply because it has to be grown naturally in living lab environments, unlike drugs that can be manufactured chemical pills, and there are only a couple of dozen manufacturing facilities in the world. And it will also be expensive, compared to dexamethasone which only costs around 5 per patient, with Professor Horby and Professor Landray estimating REGEN-COV would be more like 1,000 to 2,000 per patient. Hunter Biden referred to Asians as 'yellow' in a 2019 text conversation with his cousin. Caroline Biden, President Joe Biden's niece, was texting Hunter discussing setting him up with her rich, model friends. In the January 2019 conversation she asked her cousin: 'Do you want foreign or domestic. I can't give you f***ing Asian sorry. I'm not doing it.' The president's son replied: 'Domesticated foreigner is fine. No yellow.' The slur, uncovered from Hunter's abandoned laptop, is particularly distressing as it comes amid a surge in racist attacks against Asian-Americans. President Biden signed into law last month legislation to expedite review of Covid-19-related hate crimes, and vowed to 'stop the hatred and the bias' against Asians. This is the second revelation about Hunter's use of racial slurs in text conversations from his laptop. Hunter Biden referred to Asians with the offensive term 'yellow' in a 2019 text conversation with his cousin Caroline Biden. The two cousins are pictured on vacation at Surf and Sand Beach Resort in Laguna Beach in 2018 Caroline asked Hunter: 'Do you want foreign or domestic. I can't give you f***ing Asian sorry. I'm not doing it.' Hunter replied: 'Domesticated foreigner is fine. No yellow' DailyMail.com revealed last week that Hunter also used the n-word multiple times in conversation with his white lawyer. In the days since the n-word texts surfaced, the majority of US media outlets failed to cover Hunter's use of the racial slur. Left-leaning networks, including CNN and ABC and MSNBC, haven't dedicated notable air time to the story. The front pages of the New York Times and Washington Post have also not featured it. The lack of coverage prompted outrage among conservatives with many accusing the liberal media of double standards. The hashtag #RacistHunter started trending on social media as Twitter users slammed how the story is still largely being ignored. During the January 2019 conversation with his cousin, Hunter, then age 49, said he wanted to date 24-year-olds because they were 'easy to impress'. '24 is great. Seriously,' he wrote. 'Its incredibly easy to impress a 24 year old.' Caroline suggested logging Hunter into Raya, an exclusive dating app that is known for pairing celebrities and the super-rich with models and young groupies. She also suggested trying to set up her cousin with Lucy Dahl, famous children's author Roald Dahl's daughter who she described as 'super loaded' and 'non judgemental', as well as Dirty Sexy Money actress and porn director Bella Thorne. Caroline, daughter of Joe Biden's brother Jim, was trying to help Hunter get over Hallie, his brother's widow and his lover, with whom his relationship had soured. The 34-year-old has had several run-ins with the law. She was most recently arrested in 2019 for driving under the influence and without a license in a Philadelphia suburb. Her rap sheet includes arrests for drug possession, credit card theft, fights with the NYPD and multiple DUIs though she has never served time in prison. Like Hunter, Caroline has reportedly struggled with addiction for years, and attended court-ordered rehab after one DUI. Friends told the New York Post the 33-year-old went to rehab for alcohol and Adderall addiction while studying at Georgetown University. In 2009 she was briefly detained by Amtrak police after a dispute over a train fare, and in 2013 she was accused of assaulting a New York Police Department officer who broke up a fight. She was sent to an anger management rehab the following year. Caroline, daughter of Joe Biden's brother Jim, was trying to help Hunter get over Hallie, his brother's widow and his lover, with whom his relationship had soured In 2017 Caroline admitted spending $110,000 on a stolen credit card in New York, and in December last year she spent 20 days in rehab for a DUI after crashing her car into a tree in Pennsylvania. The same month that Hunter texted the racist comment to her, he also texted his $845-per-hour lawyer and used the n-word multiple times. The president's son joked in a January 2019 text to corporate attorney George Mesires about a 'big penis', and said to the lawyer: 'I only love you because you're black' and 'true dat n***a'. In another text he wrote to the Chicago lawyer a month earlier said: 'how much money do I owe you. Becaause [sic] n***a you better not be charging me Hennessy rates.' Mesires replied: 'That made me snarf my coffee.' Hunter added: 'That's what im saying ni', cutting off the racial slur mid-word, then texted a picture to Mesires. The picture was not downloaded on Hunter's laptop, from which the text exchange was recovered by DailyMail.com. But Mesires replied: 'Why are you so tan?' 'I'm sorry for sexting you accidentally that was meant for another friend named Georgia,' Hunter replied. In the January text exchange, the two men were talking about philosophy and bantering with each other. Like Hunter, Caroline has reportedly struggled with addiction for years, and attended court-ordered rehab after one DUI Photos on Hunter's laptop show them partying and dancing in the seafront apartment lit with psychedelic lights during the getaway In 2017 Caroline admitted spending $110,000 on a stolen credit card in New York, and in December last year she spent 20 days in rehab for a DUI after crashing her car into a tree in Pennsylvania. The daughter of Joe Biden's other brother, Jim, has also attended court-ordered rehab after a DUI and has struggled for years with addiction Mesires: 'There are ideals of unconditional love that serve as proxies. I don't have many. You. God,' Hunter: 'OMG n***a did you just a fictional character from the imagination of the collective frightened and my dead brothers unconditional love is what I should rely on and my kids aren't children George.' Mesires: 'My parents love was conditioned.' Hunter: 'My penis as of late has been un conditional.' Mesires: 'That's why we are searching.' Hunter: 'For my penis.' Mesires: 'And we will always be searching.' Hunter: 'Its big penis George. They always find it. And I only love you because you're black.' Mesires: 'It's so annoying when you interject with frivolity.' Hunter: 'True dat n***a. But I'm done my rant.' Hunter's father has attempted to make race a central issue in both his presidential campaign which came amid nationwide protests over racism and police brutality in 2020 and in his administration. A December 2018 text message exchange obtained by DailyMail.com show Hunter asked Mesires: 'How much money do I owe you. Becaause (sic) n***a you better not be charging me Hennessy rates' In another exchange the following month, Hunter flippantly addressed Messires as 'n***a' again and cracked jokes saying 'I only love you because you're black' during a seemingly somber conversation In a speech earlier this month on the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa massacre in which a white mob killed an estimated 300 black people in Oklahoma, Joe Biden said he had come to 'fill the silence'. 'Some injustices are so heinous, so horrific, so grievous, they cannot be buried, no matter how hard people try,' he said. 'Only with truth can come healing.' Biden pledged to help fight racism in policing following George Floyd's death, and has even backed studies exploring reparations for slavery and other injustices against African Americans. The president picked the US's first black vice president, and was himself VP to the first black president. In an interview on NBC's Today show in April, the president said he did not believe that the country was racist. At the signing of the new bill last month to fast-track investigations of Covid-19 related hate crimes, Biden also vowed to crack down on hatred against Asian-Americans. 'My message to all of those who are hurting is we see you. The Congress said we see you. And we are committed to stop the hatred and the bias,' the president said. Some Asian American groups criticized the bill, saying it fails to address the causes of anti-Asian biases. Police have identified a man suspected of killing a mother-of-two after ploughing his car through a Minneapolis protest. Nicholas Kraus, a 35-year-old from St. Paul, has multiple convictions for driving while impaired A man suspected of killing a mother-of-two after driving into a crowd of protesters in Minneapolis told officers he was Jesus Christ and Tim Burton and said he was trying to get to the Super Bowl. Nicholas Kraus, a 35-year-old from St. Paul, has multiple convictions for driving while impaired. He has been booked into the Hennepin County jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide, police said. Kraus' identification came as police began clearing barricades set up by demonstrators protesting the June 3 shooting of Winston Boogie Smith Jr. Protesters have vowed to continue rallying and moved in to block traffic on Tuesday evening after police left. Online jail records show Kraus was arrested early Monday and is being held without bail. He's also being held on suspicion of driving after a license was canceled and providing false information to police, records show. The Hennepin County jail does not accept messages for people in custody and a phone message could not be left for Kraus, according to the Associated Press. Prosecutors have asked for an extension until noon on Wednesday to file charges. It was not immediately clear if Kraus had an attorney to speak on his behalf. A woman, who family members identified as 31-year-old Deona Knajdek, was killed on Sunday night and three other people were injured when Kraus allegedly drove into demonstrators during a rally in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood. Protests have been ongoing in Uptown since June 3, when Smith Jr., a 32-year-old Black father of three was shot dead by members of a federal U.S. Marshals Service task force. Knajdek is survived by her two daughters, aged 11 (left) and 13 (right). She is pictured on her 30th birthday two years ago Deona Knajdek, 31, has been identified by family members as the female protester who was killed in Minneapolis on Sunday night when a driver plowed into a crowd of activists Authorities said they were trying to arrest Smith on a warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm when he displayed a handgun from inside a parked vehicle and task force members fired. Authorities also say evidence shows Smith fired his gun from inside the vehicle, but a female passenger has said she never saw him with a gun. Minneapolis has also been on edge since the death of George Floyd under an officers' knee in May 2020 and the fatal police shooting of another Black man, Daunte Wright, in a nearby suburb. A search warrant affidavit obtained by TV station KARE-11 says Kraus admitted several times that he was the driver involved in Sunday's incident, without being asked, but when asked specific questions he gave illogical and irrelevant answers. Kraus told police his name was Jesus Christ and film director Tim Burton, that he had been a carpenter for 2,000 years, and that he wanted to get his children to the Super Bowl, the affidavit says. Courtney Amborst grieves for her friend Knajdek, late Monday, June 14, 2021, in Minneapolis. Knajdek was killed a day earlier when a vehicle drove into demonstrators Pictured: A tribute to Knajdek who was killed on Sunday when a vehicle drove into demonstrators Police noted his pupils were small and didn't react to a flashlight. A field sobriety test could not be performed because of his injuries. The affidavit says a city camera captured the incident and appears to show no brake lights before the crash. On Tuesday, police asked for the public's help in locating a person who climbed a pole and spray painted a city-owned camera. Police say this particular camera would have recorded the crash had it not been disabled. Also on Tuesday, city crews began clearing and reopening streets near the site of Smith's shooting and Knajdek's death, but after police left, protesters moved back in and blocked traffic. Protesters told radio station WCCO they want the busy Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue intersection shut down much like the site of Floyd's arrest is closed to traffic and memorialized as George Floyd Square. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said: 'This is a safety concern. We can't have a major commercial corridor like this shut down. We can't have unauthorized closure of our streets, period. People need service.' On Tuesday, city crews began clearing and reopening streets near the site of Smith's shooting and Knajdek's death, but after police left, protesters moved back in and blocked traffic Protesters told radio station WCCO they want the busy Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue intersection shut down much like the site of Floyd's arrest is closed to traffic and memorialized as George Floyd Square Pictured: Minneapolis Police descend on the block long stretch of Lake St. in Uptown just before sunset to dismantle the barricades erected by protesters on Tuesday night Protests have been ongoing in Uptown since June 3, when Smith Jr., a 32-year-old Black father of three was shot dead by members of a federal U.S. Marshals Service task force after allegedly displaying a weapon Pictured: Police officers dismantle barricades set up by protesters on Tuesday night Witnesses have said the driver of an SUV in Sunday's crash, now identified as Kraus, struck a parked car, tossing it into the crowd of demonstrators. Police have not confirmed that account. Police said protesters pulled Kraus from his vehicle and witnesses reported demonstrators struck him. Kraus was arrested and treated for injuries at a hospital. Police have said Kraus' motive wasn't clear, but that a preliminary investigation indicated drugs or alcohol may have been involved. Kraus has five convictions for driving while impaired dating back to a 2007 incident, according to online court records. Court records also show his driver's license was canceled in 2013 because he was found to be 'inimical to public safety.' The driver, now identified as Kraus, was pulled from his car and beaten by the crowd before being taken away in handcuffs by police late on Sunday in the Uptown area of Minneapolis (pictured: the suspect, left, and Knajdek lying on the ground, right) A smashed car at the scene which the cameraman says the driver was in 'going at 100 miles an hour' Knajdek's brother said his sister would have celebrated her 32nd birthday on Wednesday, which also would have marked one year of sobriety for her. Garrett Knajdek said his sister had 11- and 13-year-old daughters, and was actively involved in issues surrounding social justice. Knajdek's Facebook account is filled with references to the Black Lives Matter movement and photos of black men who have been killed by the police, including George Floyd and Daunte Wright. She was reportedly thrown into a stop sign after being hit by the car on Sunday. Other injuries and deaths have been reported involving vehicles at protests across the U.S. as people have increasingly taken to the streets to press their grievances. In Minneapolis, marching onto freeways has become a common tactic. Last year, a semitrailer rolled into a crowd marching on a closed Minneapolis freeway. No one was seriously injured. Republican politicians in several states, including Oklahoma, Florida and Iowa, have sought legal immunity for drivers who hit protesters. Knajdek was a recovering addict who would have celebrated her one-year anniversary of sobriety on Wednesday, along with her 32nd birthday Witnesses said the driver was speeding and sent Knajdek flying into a stop sign The deadly incident took place during a Sunday night protest against the killing of a black man A Massachusetts public school system is encouraging students, parents and staff members to report each other for incidents of 'bias' and 'microaggressions', such as saying the principal is 'crazy', mispronouncing names and scheduling tests on 'cultural holidays'. Wellesley Public Schools represents 2,000 elementary pupils, 1,100 in middle school and 1, 500 in high school, 15 miles west of Boston. The district introduced a policy on 'Responding to Incidents of Bias or Discrimination', with an accompanying Google Doc for those connected to the school to anonymously report each other. A series of slides designed to explain the policy were obtained by Parents Defending Education, a nonprofit that fights against indoctrination in American classrooms and activist-driven agendas in schools. Wellesley Public Schools in Massachusetts, which represents almost 5,000 students, encourages pupils, parents and staff to anonymously report each other for 'bias' An activist group, Parents Defending Education, obtained a series of slides produced by Wellesley Public Schools providing examples of questionable behavior and expressions Wellesley Public Schools has its offices on the same campus as Wellesley Middle School. The school district has introduced a reporting system to deal with incidents of bias The policy was introduced in 2019, but Parents Defending Education have recently highlighted it. Nicole Neily, president and founder of the group, said the program served to silence debate and discussion. 'Once made aware of these programs' existence, most rational students simply refrain from discussing potentially controversial topics altogether out of an abundance of caution; as a result, whole lines of discussion and arguments that might be found on a nightly news show quietly and conveniently disappear from college campuses,' she wrote, in an op ed in Real Clear Education, published on Monday. 'Bias response teams send a clear message not only that certain opinions are wrong but that the correct coping method, when confronted with such a situation, is to 'go tell the grownups.' 'Creating the expectation that authority figures can or should adjudicate all interpersonal disputes isn't just denying children the opportunity to develop better interpersonal skills. It's also a slippery slope to big government, which by necessity must expand to fulfill this new role.' Wellesley Public Schools is 71 per cent white, 14 per cent Asian, five per cent Hispanic and four per cent black, according to their latest data, from 2018. The scheme has been introduced through the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, headed by Dr Charmie Curry. The system defines a bias incident as 'any biased conduct, speech or expression that has an impact but may not involve criminal action, but demonstrates conscious or unconscious bias that targets individuals or groups that are part of a federally protected class (ie. race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, or disability).' Dr Charmie Curry heads the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion They continue: 'Bias-based behavior can also be described as when someone treats another person differently or makes an offensive comment because of their membership in a protected group, such as their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.' According to the training slides, people can be reported for making jokes online. 'Telling rude jokes that mock a protected group in person or through any electronic device,' is an example of a 'bias-based incident,' as are using slurs, imitating someone with a disability, or imitating someone's cultural norm or language. Examples of offensive jokes are given, such as: 'Henry is a Math department head. At the school's holiday party, he had fun telling jokes about Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims to other staff.' Another example is given as: 'Adam is in the high school cafeteria and jokingly turns to a friend and says, 'I can say 'n-word' because my friend Bernice gave me a pass.' Microaggressions are described as 'everyday verbal, nonverbal and environmental slights'. Examples of microaggressions include saying 'My principal is so crazy!' asking someone 'Where are you actually from?' or saying 'Ohhh, you got the 'China Virus'?!?!' Inappropriate questions and remarks include: 'Your name is so hard to pronounce' and 'Is that your real hair?' Potential discipline for students who violate the policy 'include detention, suspension, or other restorative responses that require them to acknowledge their responsibility and minimize its impact.' Staff 'would be subject to the disciplinary procedures of their bargaining unit, which might typically include a process of formal warnings and reprimands, suspension, or more serious consequences.' Non-staff adult community members could be banned from the school campuses. However, the staff training slides say one of the goals of an investigation is to 'Focus on changing behavior rather than punishing (an) offender.' Wellesley Public Schools is far from the only district to introduce such measures. In Maryland and in Massachusetts, the Montgomery County Public Schools and Newton Public Schools are in the process of introducing similar anonymous reporting systems for 'bias offenses'. Some programs have even resulted in court battles. In an October 2019 decision, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals found that students at the University of Michigan faced 'an objective chill based on the functions of the Response Team.' In October 2020, a decision from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals noted that the University of Texas' Campus Climate Response Team 'represents the clenched fist in the velvet glove of student speech regulation.' And this month, a bias response program in Loudon County, Virginia, became the target of a federal lawsuit, with the Liberty Justice Center challenging Loudoun County Public Schools' 'Share, Speak Up, Speak Out' program, administered by the district's 'Student Equity Ambassadors.' FBI Director Christopher Wray dodged questions Tuesday about his involvment in a Trump-era leak investigation where the Department of Justice secretly went after top Congressional Democrats' Apple data. Testifying in front of the House Oversight Committee, Wray was asked by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, if he had heard about the investigation and the subpoenas. 'I've been reading about them in the press, yes,' Wray answered. FBI Director Christopher Wray dodged questions Tuesday about his involvment in a Trump-era leak investigation where the Department of Justice secretly went after top Congressional Democrats' Apple data Wray was probed by Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi on the FBI's involvement in the leak investigation and whether Wray discussed secret subpoenas with former Attorney General Jeff Sessions During his presidency, former President Donald Trump wanted to sniff out government officials who were leaking to the press, as his White House was plagued by embarrassing media reports. Last week the news broke that the Justice Department had secretly subpoenaed Apple for metadata from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who was then the top Democrat on the GOP-controlled committee, which was investigating Trump's ties to Russia. Another top Democratic Intelligence committee member, Rep. Eric Swalwell, was also targeted. As were there family members and staff. Journalists' records and White House counsel Don McGahn and his wife's Apple data were also sought. At the hearing, Krishnamoorthi said to Wray that CNN had reported that the leak investigation began when the DOJ sent Apple a subpoena for records in 2018. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff was one of the Congressional Democrats targeted in the investigation, with the DOJ secretly asking Apple for his data Rep. Eric Swalwell, who also serves on the House Intelligence Committee, was also targeted in the Trump-era probe Wray, a Trump appointee, took over the top FBI job in 2017. The congressman asked Wray if he disputed CNN's reporting. 'I really can't discuss this specific investigation,' Wray said. 'I really don't want to get out in front of the Justice Department on this and decisions about subpoenas are really just best directed to them.' Krishnamoorthi continued on, asking Wray if the FBI interviewed witnesses as part of the leak investigation, as news reports said. 'Again, sir, I really can't discuss any specific investigation,' Wray said. Krishnamoorthi pushed back saying he wasn't asking Wray about 'specifics,' but whether the FBI was involved. 'When there are leak investigations typically the FBI is the investigative agency,' Wray answered. Krishnamoorthi replied, 'good, that's what we thought.' He went on to ask Wray if he discussed the Apple subpoenas with then Attorney General Jeff Sessions. 'Congressman, I understand the question. I really don't want to get out [in front] of the Justice Department on this, as you know the attorney general ...,' Wray replied. Krishnamoorthi cut him off. 'Sir you're just being asked a simple yes or no question,' the congressman said. 'Did you discuss the leak investigation with Jeff Sessions?' Wray demurred. 'Congressman again, respectfully, I'm not trying to be difficult here, but the inspector general has been asked to look into this,' Wray answered, adding that he has a 'good working relationship' with the IG of the Department of Justice. Krishnamoorthi told Wray, 'Sir, you are being evasive.' 'These are yes or no questions, sir. You're under oath. These are yes or no simple questions that we need to get to the bottom of,' the Illinois Democrat said. 'Sir, serving these secret subpoenas to collect records on members of Congress is something we'd expect in Putin's Russia, not the United States, and your involvment needs to be probed just like everyone else's,' Krishnamoorthi said, concluding his Q&A time at the hearing. Top Congressional Democrats have demanded that Sessions and his successor, former Attorney General Bill Barr, testify before Congress on the matter. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the body's to Republican, knocked Democrats for 'picking at the scab of politically-motivated investigations,' by probing the seizures on Capitol Hill. Attorney General Merrick Garland already referred the matter to the Justice Department's inspector general, which McConnell said was the appropriate venue for any probe. A young man who bought his first flat at 19 and now owns more than 20 properties worth $9.5millon has revealed his winning strategy. Sam Gordon, 31, from the Southern Highlands of NSW, used money earned working as a labourer on his family's farm to purchase a Wollongong flat valued at $275,000 unit at age 19. Mr Gordon dropped out of school at 16 to begin work, earning about $30,000 a year until he'd managed to save the deposit of $27,500 for the flat. He then developed an investment strategy that has seen his portfolio grow to 26 properties worth $9.5million, with Mr Gordon holding equity of $4million. Mr Gordon left school at 16 to begin working on his family's farm for $30,000 a year His property strategy is based on buying under value properties which he can renovate to improve their value, then refinance the loan to use as a deposit on another property Mr Gordon advises buying places where rents are higher to provide income from the property, rather than only being able to service mortgage costs Mr Gordon's portfolio now numbers more than 20 properties valued at $9.5million, generating rental income of more than half a million dollars a year The rental income from the properties of more than half a million dollars a year provides him with income of around $200,000 a year. After renovating the Wollongong flat and improving its value while doing 'lots of reading', Mr Gordon realised how to expand his property interests. 'The strategy was to buy under market value and have the chance to manufacture equity or cash flow,' he told realestate.com.au This involved leveraging the equity in his property to refinance his loan for the deposit on his next property, which he purchased in the Southern Highlands for $135,000. Mr Gordon's trick was to find properties in need of some renovation which were priced below similar properties in the area. By purchasing 'under value' he was able to enter the deal with equity in the property. He also concentrated on places where rents were high compared with the purchase price so that he was not just meeting mortgage repayments but also earning some income. The key is do your research,' Mr Gordon said. 'You need to learn the market really well and ascertain the value of what you want to buy' Mr Gordon offers his experience and expertise through Australian Property Scout, allowing other Australians to adopt his real estate strategies The other part of Mr Gordon's strategy was to look interstate to cities where properties were undervalued, such as Adelaide. 'The key is do your research,' he said. 'You need to learn the market really well and ascertain the value of what you want to buy.' Mr Gordon had since started his own real estate company, Australian Property Scout, to help other Australians replicate his strategy by identifying properties which fit with his approach. 'The average investor comes up against two challenges: funding multiple deposits and/or they run out of loan capacity,' he writes on the company's site. 'We secure below market value deals in high growth, cashflow positive areas meaning you can use this instant equity to reinvest in your next deal.' Mr Gordon urged buyers to negotiate with real estate agents with open eyes about the value of a property, particularly when the agent suggests multiple offers have been made on it. 'You have to stick to your guns,' he counselled. 'If you put the offer in writing then the agent, under law, has to submit it. Thats often forgotten.' Boris Johnson has been urged to ignite a post-Brexit bonfire of EU red tape to power a 100billion wave of investment in British firms. Looser regulations on pension investment rules, a 'digital pound pilot', investment in driverless car technology are among recommendations set out by a taskforce of top Tories today. The Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform (TIGRR) called on the Prime Minister to axe two business regulations for every new one that was introduced as it said that the UK's separation from the EU presented an opportunity for sweeping reforms. Led by former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith it set out a 'bold new UK regulatory framework', and reforms for key sectors and how they could be implemented. Rules should be as simple, agile and proportionate as possible, the 130-page report said, with, for example, financial services needing to be 'untangled' from European Union rules to help to rebuild the economy after COVID and also help to meet commitments to cut carbon emissions. Pension funds should be able to gamble on fast-growing 'unicorn' tech start-ups, with rules preventing them from investing in venture capital and other riskier forms of business finance reformed. TIGGR also demanded changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol signed by the Government just six months ago. It argues it 'limits the scope' for reducing bureaucracy amid tensions as a grace period on customs checks between Ulster and Great Britain comes to an end. The Prime Minister hailed the proposals saying that a 'thicket of burdensome and restrictive regulation' must be cleared to fulfil the UK's potential outside the EU. the team, led by former Tory leader and minister Sir Iain Duncan Smith said allowing pension schemes to invest in venture capital and businesses that would help the Government's 'levelling up' plans and 'net zero' environmental targets would unlock 100billion of investment cash. Boris Johnson says that a path through the 'thicket of burdensome and restrictive regulation' must be cleared to fulfil the potentials of Brexit The PM pledged to give 'detailed consideration' to the document, which in total set out more than 100 recommendations including to cover a new regulatory framework and reforms for high-growth sectors. In a letter to the taskforce, the Prime Minister thanked them for the 'substantive plans that will really put a TIGRR in the tank of British business'. 'It is obvious that the UK's innovators and entrepreneurs can lead the world in the economy of the future, creating new opportunities and greater prosperity along the way, and levelling up our whole country in the process,' he wrote. 'But your report makes it equally clear that, whether in data reform or clinical trials, offshore wind or autonomous vehicles, this can only happen if we clear a path through the thicket of burdensome and restrictive regulation that has grown up around our industries over the past half century.' The taskforce says that a pilot scheme for a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) should be launched within the next 12 - 18 months, adding: 'A CBDC would be a new form of digital money issued by the Bank of England and for use by households and businesses which would exist alongside cash and bank deposits, rather than replacing them. 'All major central bank currencies, such as the pound, dollar and euro, will eventually be digitised and the important thing is that it should be done on the UKs terms. 'The platform used to operate a digital currency will provide a huge number of competitive advantages compared to the current, hybrid, and interconnected systems that form the backbone of global finance. 'The benefits of digital currency are clear: massive reduction of cost, instantaneous transactions reducing the need for cash holdings, high security and opportunities for real time regulation and supervision, significantly reducing risk in financial and other markets.' On pensions, the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform (TIGRR) said that easing restrictions on how pension funds can invest clients' cash would help boost investment in young UK firms. It argued that 'reforming this judiciously, while maintaining necessary and proportionate protections, would help unleash latent innovation across the economy'. It said allowing defined contribution (DC) schemes to invest in venture capital and businesses that would help the Government's 'levelling up' plans and 'net zero' environmental targets would unlock 100billion of investment cash. The report also calls for Government support for regulatory 'sandboxes' - testing areas - for driverless cars and other new transport forms like e-scooters and drones. 'Arguably, a greater challenge to growth is public perception regarding safety to passengers, other road users and pedestrians,' it says. 'Safety cases are developed through completing trials and experiments to gather data and modify technology to present the best safety case possible.' Sir Iain, former environment secretary Theresa Villiers and ex-minister George Freeman were tasked earlier this year with reshaping regulation and seizing opportunities borne from Brexit. The report also calls for Government support for regulatory 'sandboxes' - testing areas - for driverless cars and other new transport forms like e-scooters and drones. Pictured is an Endeavour self-driving test car in Oxford Their proposals include replacing General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with a UK Data Protections Framework. They further recommend allowing pension schemes to invest in start-ups and building a new UK clinical trials network building on the success of the coronavirus vaccine development. The report, released today, says: 'Financial services are a key UK strength; but the tangled web of EU-derived regulation needs a thorough overhaul if we are to build on that strength. 'This will involve moving away from the EU's code-based system to a more principles-based approach based on common law. 'A lack of provision of adequate capital for scale-up of ventures is a historic UK weakness. The UK finance sector has been limited in the capital it can inject into innovative companies by the way the pensions and insurance sectors are currently regulated. 'Reforming this judiciously, while maintaining necessary and proportionate protections, would help unleash latent innovation across the economy, through better availability of finance to businesses in their key 'scale-up' growth phase.' One beneficiary could be tech 'unicorns', start up companies that are valued at more than 1billion. Mr Johnson also tasked Brexit minister Lord Frost with creating a new Brexit opportunities unit to generate 'new ideas and acting as a counterweight to Whitehall orthodoxy'. Opening their report, the MPs wrote: 'We appreciate that the Northern Ireland Protocol limits the scope for application of these reforms in that part of our country. 'We hope that future reform of the Protocol may allow greater scope for regulatory reform in Northern Ireland so that its economy can benefit from the proposals we set out.' It came as Brexit Minister Lord Frost told MPs today that little progress has been made in efforts to avoid a trade dispute with the European Union over the NIP. He again threatened to suspend parts of the Brexit deal covering Northern Ireland in order to reduce barriers to trade across the Irish Sea, something that could trigger a trade war with Brussels. The two sides are locked in a dispute over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the part of the Brexit divorce deal aimed at avoiding a hard border with Ireland. Under the terms of the deal, deliveries of chilled meats - including sausages and burgers - could be effectively banned from crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain to Northern Ireland at the end of the month. The UK is considering unilaterally extending the grace period covering sausage shipments, something that Brussels has warned could trigger a retaliation. Mr Johnson also tasked Brexit minister Lord Frost with creating a new Brexit opportunities unit to generate 'new ideas and acting as a counterweight to Whitehall orthodoxy'. Confederation of British Industry policy director Matthew Fell welcomed the report as a 'useful first step' to shaping the post-Brexit economy. 'It's only common sense that the UK explores how to best use its newly-returned powers,' he said. 'Business and government will need to work together to ensure any proposed changes in the future are evidence-based and enhance the UK's international competitiveness.' The Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water was blocked Tuesday by a federal judge in Louisiana who ordered that plans continue for lease sales that were delayed for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska waters 'and all eligible onshore properties.' The decision is a blow to Democratic President Joe Biden's efforts to rapidly transition the nation away from fossil fuels to stave off the worst effects of climate change, including catastrophic droughts, floods and wildfires. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty's ruling came in a lawsuit filed in March by Louisiana Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states. Doughty said his ruling applies nationwide. It grants a preliminary injunction - technically a halt to the suspension pending further arguments on the merits of the case. The Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water was blocked Tuesday by a federal judge after a lawsuit by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry 'The omission of any rational explanation in cancelling the lease sales, and in enacting the pause, results in this Court ruling that Plaintiff States also have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of this claim,' he wrote. 'We are reviewing the judges opinion and will comply with the decision,' Melissa Schwartz of the Interior Department said in an email. 'The Interior Department continues to work on an interim report that will include initial findings on the state of the federal conventional energy programs, as well as outline next steps and recommendations for the Department and Congress to improve stewardship of public lands and waters, create jobs, and build a just and equitable energy future.' The moratorium was imposed after Biden on January 27 signed executive orders to fight climate change. The suit was filed in March. The Interior Department later canceled oil and gas lease sales from public lands through June - affecting Nevada, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and the bureaus eastern region. Biden's orders included a call for Interior officials to review if the leasing program unfairly benefits companies at the expense of taxpayers, as well as the program's impact on climate change. The 13 states that sued said the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken, and that the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs. Doughty heard arguments in the case last week in Lafayette. Federal lawyers argued that the public notice and comment period doesn't apply to the suspension, that the lease sales aren't required by law and that the Secretary of the Interior has broad discretion in leasing decisions. 'No existing lease has been cancelled as a result of any of the actions challenged here, and development activity from exploration through drilling and production has continued at similar levels as the preceding four years,' lawyers for the administration argued in briefs. But Doughty sided with the plaintiff states attorneys, who argued that the delay of new leasing cost states revenue from rents and royalties. The decision is a blow to Democratic President Joe Biden's efforts to rapidly transition the nation away from fossil fuels to stave off the worst effects of climate change, including catastrophic droughts, floods and wildfires. Pump jacks operate at sunset in an oil field in Midland, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018 'Millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake,' wrote Doughty, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Donald Trump in 2017. 'Local government funding, jobs for Plaintiff State workers, and funds for the restoration of Louisianas Coastline are at stake,' he added, alluding to a possible loss of oil and gas revenue that pays for Louisiana efforts to restore coastal wetlands. 'This is fantastic news for workers in Louisiana whose livelihoods are being threatened by the administrations thoughtless energy policy,' U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said in a statement. But not everyone was supportive of the judge's decision. 'The judges order turns a blind eye to runaway climate pollution thats devastating our planet,' said Randi Spivak, public lands program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. 'Well keep fighting against the fossil-fuel industry and the politicians that are bought by them. Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia are the other plaintiff states. 'This is a victory not only for the rule of law, but also for the thousands of workers who produce affordable energy for Americans,' Landry said in a statement issued shortly after the ruling. At least 36 people, including two civilians, were injured after a car bomb exploded near a building where U.S. military personnel were staying at a military base in Colombia on Tuesday. Colombia officials said that three people were in critical condition. Cellphone video recorded by an individual at the 30th Military Brigade complex in the border town of Cucuta captured the moment the vehicle exploded a second time while smoke billowed. In a separate video, an American soldier is heard telling his Colombian counterpart, 'I am f***ing good,' right before the second bomb went off. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota wrote on its Twitter account that a small group of American military personnel were at the base when the explosion occurred but were not harmed. The U.S. soldiers were there to conduct training exercises, the embassy said. Still image from a cellphone video captured the moment a second bomb inside a SUV exploded inside a military base in Cucuta, Colombia. The bomb blast injured 36 people, including two civilians, and took place next to a building where American military personnel are staying A Colombian soldier is taken into a hospital after he was injured following a car bomb explosion at the 30th Military Brigade facility in Cucuta, Colombia, on Tuesday A view of the destroyed facilities of a military base after two bombs inside a car went off Tuesday in Cucuta, Colombia. At least 36 people, including two civilians, were injured President Ivan Duque announced Tuesday night that the government was offering a $135,000 reward for information that could lead authorities to the capture of the those who were responsible for the car bombing. 'I also want to make it clear that this is an insane act. Terrorism is the coward's weapon,' Duque said during a press conference. Duque said that the National Liberation Army, Colombia's largest remaining rebel group, or dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's 33rd front, a group that signed a peace deal with the government in 2016, were likely the authors of the attack. Still image from a cellphone shows the moment a bomb goes off at a military base in Colombia An American soldier appeared in a video telling his Colombian counterpart, "I am f***ing good,' right before the second bomb went off at the military base in Cucuta Pictured is the vehicle that exploded at a Colombian military base on Tuesday. President Ivan Duque announced Tuesday night that the government was offering a $135,000 reward for information that could lead authorities to the capture of the those who were responsible for the car bombing President Ivan Duque announced Tuesday night that the government was offering a $135,000 reward for information that could lead authorities to the capture of the those who were responsible for the car bombing. 'I also want to make it clear that this is an insane act. Terrorism is the coward's weapon,' Duque said during a press conference. Duque said that the National Liberation Army, Colombia's largest remaining rebel group, or dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's 33rd front, a group that signed a peace deal with the government in 2016, were likely the authors of the attack. FBI agents were working on assisting Colombian officials in the investigation. Health workers transport an injured soldier to the Duarte Medical Clinic moments after a car bomb exploded at the facilities of the 30th Brigade of the Colombian Army on Tuesday The remains of a car bomb that exploded inside a military base are seen in Cucuta Colombia President Ivan Duque (center right dressed in a white button down shirt and denim) said that the National Liberation Army, Colombia's largest remaining rebel group, or dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's 33rd front, a group that signed a peace deal with the government in 2016, were likely the authors of the attack Cucuta is located on the border with Venezuela and is the capital of the state of North Santander, where several criminal groups are fighting over drug trafficking routes and use the loosely patrolled border with Venezuela to smuggle fuel and weapons. Last year a group of U.S. military trainers and advisers from the First Security Force Assistance Brigade spent time at the base that was bombed Tuesday, where they helped the Colombian military to plan anti narcotics operations. Videos posted on social media showed dark columns of smoke rising from the base followed by a loud explosion that shattered windows and destroyed offices. 'We just had a f****** car bomb put here. It wrecked all of this s***, all of what used to be (building) nine. They turned the offices into s***,' a Colombia soldier says while he was looking to see if anybody was trapped in the building that were damaged. 'Family, thanks to God I am well. Look how the American's base was left. They turned all of these facilities into s***.' A Colombian soldier reacts as he patrols around a military battalion where a car bomb exploded The explosion comes as antigovernment protests appear to wind down in Colombia, with protest leaders announcing Tuesday that they will suspend marches that have been going on for seven weeks. At least 50 people have died in the protests over poverty and growing inequality, which started on April 28. Colombia Defense Minister Diego Molano visited the base and described the blast as a 'vile terrorist attack' that targeted Colombian soldiers and sought to injure as many troops as possible. Molano said two individuals arrived at the military base in the white SUV at 3:05pm The first explosion went off at 3:10 pm, which damaged the neighboring buildings. The vehicle's second bomb exploded at 3:12pm. In 2019, a car bomb set off by the ELN at a police academy in Bogota, killed 21 people and prompted the government to end peace talks with the rebel group. Soldiers listen to news on a mobile phone near the military base where a car bomb exploded in Cucuta, Colombia, on Tuesday Melbourne's five million residents will no longer need to wear masks outdoors and will be able to travel freely within Victoria as the 25km travel rule is scrapped and the city emerges from its harsh Covid-19 lockdown. As of 11.59pm on Thursday night, Melburnians can also welcome two adult visitors into their home and gather outdoors in groups of up to 12 people. Victoria reported five new local cases on Wednesday - three of which are linked to known outbreaks - after recording only two additional community infections on Tuesday. Gyms, indoor entertainment and gaming venues will also reopen, Acting Premier James Merlino said on Wednesday afternoon. Masks will no longer be required outdoors, but are still mandatory in indoor settings including public transport and shopping centres. However, in tough new rules to stop the virus from spreading into regional parts of the state, all Melburnians will have to get a Covid-19 test before hitting the slopes at Victoria's alpine resorts. 'A single infectious case on the mountain would be a potential super spreader event,' Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said. A woman wearing a mask sits and looks at her phone in the Bourke Street Mall on June 10. Melburnians can now welcome two visitors into their home and gather outdoors in groups of up to 12 people NEW RESTRICTIONS FOR MELBOURNE FROM 11.59PM ON THURSDAY: * 25km travel limit removed. * Ban lifted on travel from Melbourne to regional Victoria. * Masks only mandatory outdoors when social distancing isn't possible, still required indoors. * Home visits allowed for two adults plus dependents per day. * Public gatherings increase from 10 to 20 people. * Gyms, indoor entertainment facilities and electronic gaming venues to reopen with density limits. * Travellers to Victoria's alpine resorts must get a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of departure. * Office caps increase to 50 per cent or up to 20 people, whichever is greater. * Community sports competitions can resume. No spectators allowed aside from parents, guardians and carers. * Cap on religious services increased from 50 to 150 people, funerals 50 to 75, and weddings 10 to 20 guests. * Food and hospitality venue cap increased to 150 patrons for seated service. No more than 75 indoors. * Seated entertainment venues move to a 50 per cent capacity limit. 150 person maximum for outdoors, 75 for indoors. * Seated service and a cap of 50 people at nightclubs and karaoke venues, with the same limit for arcades and bingo. * Hairdressing and beauty no longer require masks for services. NEW RESTRICTIONS FOR REGIONAL VICTORIA FROM 11.59PM ON THURSDAY: * Homes allowed five adult visitors plus dependents per day - up from two. * Public gatherings increase from 20 to 50 people. * Food and hospitality venues cap increased from 150 to 300 patrons for seated service. * Cap on religious services increased from 150 to 300 people, funerals 75 to 100, and weddings 20 to 50 guests. * Office workplace cap increases to 75 per cent or 30 people, whichever is greater. * Cap on outdoor entertainment venues increases to 75 per cent of seated capacity or up to 1000 people. Advertisement He added skiing resorts had proven to be breeding grounds for Covid-19 in European and Canadian alpine resorts at the start of the pandemic last year. 'The [resort] industry has to be protected. We need to make sure there are no cases that go up on the mountain - even if the number of cases in metropolitan Melbourne may be tiny,' Professor Sutton said. Mr Merlino meanwhile said the rule changes meant the state could 'come back together'. 'We know it has been for a reason, keeping our distance,' he said as he announced the 25km travel limit would be scrapped. 'Victoria is at its best when we are altogether.' In a blow for footy fans though, Mr Merlino said AFL crowds were still banned in Melbourne - although spectators could start attending games again in regional Victoria. 'While we can't have the crowds back in just yet, we will be able to get some people along to the games in the Geelong on Friday,' he said. Acting Victorian Premier James Merlino on Wednesday. He said the rule changes coming into place on Thursday night meant the state 'will come back together' 'We will work with the AFL and clubs to allow a crowd of up to 7000 people from the regions.' Public gathering limits have risen to 50, while restaurants and cafes can open to a maximum of 300 patrons per venue for seated service. Chapel Street Precinct General Manager Ms Chrissie Maus said the relaxation of some restrictions - and not others - still posed a major problem. 'I'm guessing our deputy premier hasn't been in a nightclub for 20 years given he is completely out of touch with what millennial's want,' she said. 'The new density quotas announced today, coupled with the fact dance floors are not permitted in our famous Chapel Street Precinct nightclubs, is just going to be financially crippling and needs to be urgently addressed. 'There is currently no JobKeeper or rent relief and this is causing extreme distress to business owners and employees alike. Plus the government disappointingly didn't consult with us once. Two pedestrians are seen exercising at Albert Park Lake in Melbourne on June 2. Gyms, indoor entertainment and gaming venues can also reopen as of Thursday night 'We question the government's confidence in its own contact tracing systems, given the harshness of the new opening terms. 'If this is not addressed, some of our iconic entertainment venues, where we have all made some of our best memories, will be forced to close permanently. 'These are businesses that were the first to close in March 2020 and always the last able to re-open. 'So we ask, how does the Victorian government suggests our large nightclubs make profit?' In addition to five new local cases, the state's health officials said three infections were also acquired overseas from 17,538 tests in the past 24 hours. Three of the cases are linked to known outbreaks, Victoria's Department of Health said. Cafes in Melbourne's Degraves Street are pictured. Restaurants and cafes can open to a maximum of 300 patrons per venue for seated service from Thursday night at 11.59pm Health Minister Martin Foley confirmed the two new coronavirus cases recorded on Tuesday were linked to the Kings Park Apartment Complex on Dodds and Wells Streets in Southbank The state on Tuesday afternoon previously recorded two surprise new cases of coronavirus linked to a townhouse where an aged care worker tested positive. Health Minister Martin Foley confirmed the new cases were linked to the Kings Park Apartment Complex on Dodds and Wells Streets in Southbank. The cases, both men, will be included in Wednesday's tally - as a mass testing initiative of the building is now underway. More than 200 people have been tested so far and the building is locked down until they confirm it hasn't spread further. Covid-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said the two new cases live in separate apartments 'adjacent to the four other positive cases that we've already seen in that wider complex'. He said the chance of spreading between apartments was low and supported the idea of people remaining in their flats despite problems with cross-infection in hotels. Victoria has recorded two shock new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday afternoon linked to the Southbank townhouse where an aged care worker tested positive 'We don't have any evidence of apartment-to-apartment transition like in hotel quarantine,' Weimar said. 'I don't think we see the direct parallels.' Hundreds of people who live in the low-rise complex were forced into self-isolation on Sunday, after authorities established a link between two previous coronavirus cases who live there. A total of six people who live in the apartment have tested positive for Covid-19. 'Those two positive cases are connected to some communal areas that we are concerned about, thoroughfares within that particular complex,' Weimar told reporters. The first three cases were transferred to hotel quarantine upon testing positive. One positive case, a baby, is still in the complex with its mother. Mr Foley said more than 200 residents were tested on Sunday. A mother-of-five has broken down in tears as she recalled her torment at discovering thieves had ransacked her farmhouse while she was away caring for her dying husband in palliative care. Jennifer Gow was at husband Jeff's bedside at a hospice in Toowoomba when their farm of 16 years near Millmerran on Queensland's Darling Downs was robbed by criminals who stole irreplaceable family heirlooms. The thieves also ripped out the kitchen's stovetops, took her front door off its hinges, and removed the property's water tanks and fences. The break-in was discovered on Monday but thought to have happened on Saturday or Sunday. Ms Gow said at first she could not bring herself to give the bad news to her husband, who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer earlier this year and had only days to live. Jennifer Gow was at her husband Jeff's bedside at a hospice in Toowoomba when her home of 16 years was targeted by criminals who stole irreplaceable photos The thieves ripped out the kitchen's stove tops, took her front door of its hinges and removed the property's water tanks and fences 'I'm here with my dying husband. We're finding it hard enough to deal with. We've only had a short period of time,' Ms Gow said through tears on Sunrise. 'It has been really hard. We're just trying to take it in. To think that someone would do such a thing when we are basically a small community so a lot of the people knew why I was here in Toowoomba with my husband Jeff and my kids.' Ms Gow was already struggling to meet the cost of a $450-per-week rental home in Toowoomba where she and her family had moved to be close to to Jeff in his final days. 'I didn't want him to know (about the robbery) because he didn't have very long,' she said. 'We were sitting by the phone last night expecting a phone call from the hospital. We did everything together. 'Jeff was only diagnosed four months ago and it will be his last days any day now.' Ms Gow had arranged for friend Shontelle Parras to look in on the farm every few days while she was away in Toowoomba. She discovered the break-in on Monday and said it must have happened on Saturday evening or Sunday, and was infuriated by the theft. 'You would have to be a pig, an absolute pig - they do not care,' Ms Parras told the Toowoomba Chronicle. 'They've destroyed 25 years worth of a life. 'It's absolutely heartless, cold and callous.' Then came the grim task of breaking the news to Ms Gow who was preparing the family for a trip to SeaWorld to honour her husband's dying wish to see the ocean before he died. 'I just broke down, I couldn't believe it,' Ms Gow told the Chronicle. 'I'm happy to give anybody anything - come and ask me and I'll help you out. 'That wasn't enough apparently, they decided they needed to take everything.' Ms Gow said she hopes local police can find the heartless thieves responsible for the crime. 'There has been some leads. I've sort of left that in the hands of the police,' she said. The local community rallied around the Gow family and created a GofundMe account, with $5,000 raised so far. The local television news reporter who revealed live on the air that she planned to expose her bosses at Fox 26 KRIV-TV in Houston for allegedly 'muzzling' her has released recordings that she she says prove her censorship claims. Reporter Ivory Hecker recorded conversations with two of her supervisors at the local station, which were released on Tuesday by Project Veritas, in which they warned her off certain subjects. The conversations include warnings to stop mentioning hydroxychloroquine, the controversial generic drug that Donald Trump touted as a possible treatment for COVID-19, and warning her that 'poor African Americans' don't care about coverage of Bitcoin. Hecker accused station management of catering to top advertisers, including the CDC, rather that pursing the unvarnished truth on certain matters, saying massive ad spending had driven a push to advocate for COVID-19 vaccines in news coverage. 'It affects the viewers, that's why I'm doing this. The viewers are being deceived by a carefully crafted narrative in some stories,' Hecker told Project Veritas. 'I want out of this narrative news-telling, of this corruption.' In a statement to DailyMail.com, a Fox 26 spokesperson blasted Hecker as a 'disgruntled former employee' and claimed the secret recordings used 'selective editing' to misrepresent newsroom bosses. Scroll down for video Reporter Ivory Hecker recorded conversations with two of her supervisors at Fox 26 KRIV-TV in Houston, saying they show newsroom bias under pressure from advertisers The secret recordings include calls with two of Hecker's KRIV supervisors, Vice President and News Director Susan Schiller (left), and Assistant News Director Lee Meier (right) 'FOX 26 adheres to the highest editorial standards of accuracy and impartiality,' the station spokesperson said. 'This incident involves nothing more than a disgruntled former employee seeking publicity by promoting a false narrative produced through selective editing and misrepresentation,' the station added. In releasing the secret recordings, Hecker slammed her former employers, claiming the Houston news station doesn't serve its viewers. 'Fox Corp is an operation of prioritizing corporate interests above the viewers' interest and therefore operating in a deceptive way,' Hecker said in the interview with James O'Keefe, the founder of Project Veritas, a conservative watchdog group that targets perceived bias and hypocrisy in the U.S. media. Fox Corporation owns and operates KRIV-TV through its subsidiary Fox Broadcasting Company. Fox Corp also owns the cable news giant Fox News, however the cable channel's editorial operations and business are separate from the local news stations the company owns. The secret recordings released on Tuesday include phone calls with two of Hecker's KRIV supervisors, Vice President and News Director Susan Schiller, and Assistant News Director Lee Meier. The recordings are edited and do not provide the full context of the conversations, but provide enough to make clear the editorial decisions being articulated by the newsroom leaders. In one call, Meier tells Hecker: 'I have passed on Bitcoin stories by almost every single reporter ... Bitcoin for a poor African American audience at five, it's probably not going to play' In one call, Meier tells Hecker: 'I have passed on Bitcoin stories by almost every single reporter for our five o'clock audience, because that's not our five o'clock audience.' 'Bitcoin for a poor African American audience at five, it's probably not going to play. That's a choice I'm making, an editorial choice,' Meier adds. Hecker also spoke at length about editorial pushback against her reporting on social media censorship of a Houston medical doctor, Stella Immanuel, who had touted hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 last summer. As yet, no controlled, randomized studies have show hydroxychloroquine effective as a COVID treatment, though observational studies and anecdotes have suggested its promise. Hecker said that her initial report about the Immanuel incident was well received by her bosses, but a follow up post on social media decrying censorship was met with a harsh reprimand from Schiller. 'You need to cease and desist posting about hydroxychloroquine,' Schiller says in one clip of a secret recording. 'In my opinion you failed as a reporter, to not know more, if you were going to post about hydrochloroquine -- hydroxychloroquine -- that you didn't look it up, and look at the latest post, the latest research about it.' Schiller delivered a harsh reprimand after Hecker made a social media post lamenting social media censorship of a Houston doctor who touted hydroxychloroquine Stella Immanuel (above) shot to fame last year in a video touting a dubious COVID-19 cure, and Hecker says she was reprimanded for her reporting on the incident 'Vaccines are a potential moneymaker for Fox. I mean, that's some advertising,' Hecker said, accusing her employer of bending news coverage to please advertisers Schiller then accused Hecker of not being aware of new research on the controversial drug, and the reporter protested that she was aware and had referenced it in her report. Hecker told Project Veritas that she believes a tangled web of pressure from advertisers and young, inexperienced producers played into an alleged biased coverage of COVID treatments and vaccines. 'The vaccine seems to be working great for most people, but the fact that they are choosing to avoid any negative press about it ... they're not going and looking at viewers' legitimate concerns,' Hecker said. 'If you want to get vaccinated that's great. If you don't want to get vaccinated, that's your personal choice. But to use the venue of news to try to convince you to do something with your life -- that was the journalism school definition of propaganda,' she added. In addition to the secret recordings made by Hecker, Project Veritas released undercover video shot by its agents showing a KRIV ad sales coordinator. The sales coordinator, who appears to be in a bar with coworkers, was captured discussing the CDC's massive advertising spending. Ivory Hecker was introduced to report on sweltering weather for Fox 26 Houston on Monday when she interrupted her on-air piece to announce she was secretly recording her bosses 'This is with any station, I'm not just going to say Fox 26,' the sales coordinator says in response to the person secretly filming. 'Yeah they are spending money, they are spending money because they can... they in the pocket, you know they're there.' Hecker suggested that massive ad spending by the Ad Council and public health authorities was influencing news coverage of vaccines. 'Vaccines are a potential moneymaker for Fox. I mean, that's some advertising. The vaccines, they need to be advertised somewhere, they can be advertised on Fox, and Fox gets paid for that,' she said. 'I'm so horrified at what the news business has stooped to,' she said. 'I want out of the corruption, I want to tell true stories without fear of whether it fits the corporate narrative.' Earlier on Tuesday, Hecker told The Daily Beast that she was terminated by the station management. The firing on Tuesday comes a day after Hecker went rogue and announced live on air that she's been secretly recording her bosses and will reveal all through Project Veritas. Earlier in the day, Project Veritas posted an audio recording in which she was informed of her suspension 'effective immediately' by Lee Meier, the assistant news director at KRIV-TV, and that the situation was 'pending further review.' In a Twitter post, Project Veritas posted audio of the phone call between Hecker and Meier. 'I wanted to call you and let you know that you are suspended, effective immediately,' Meier tells Hecker in the recorded audio In a Twitter post, Project Veritas posted audio of the phone call between Hecker and Meier. 'I wanted to call you and let you know that you are suspended, effective immediately,' Meier tells Hecker in the recorded audio. Meier then adds: 'Pending further review.' 'OK,' Hecker responds. Meier then says: 'I would ask you not to come to the station, OK?' 'OK,' Hecker says in response. 'Alright, and we will be in touch,' Meier says. 'OK, sounds good,' Hecker says. 'OK, thank you,' Meier says. 'OK, bye,' Hecker replies, ending the conversation. After Hecker went rogue on Monday's broadcast, stunned colleagues in the studio made no reference to her announcement of the pending release of secret recordings 'I have been longing to part ways with this strange, slightly unhinged corporation since last August when I realized what they were,' she told The Daily Beast, which was the first to report her termination. 'The piece with Project Veritas doesn't touch what they did. Fox 26 knows I'm fearless.' Hecker said that she isn't concerned about career repercussions. 'I have zero interest in working for another corporation,' the now-fired television news reporter said. 'They all toe the same line.' Hecker said that she rejected an offer to join the company's top-rated cable news giant Fox News. 'I would turn down Fox News,' she said. 'They wanted to bring me up to the network. 'I met a lot of executives there and I don't want to talk to them anymore. 'It came from one of the top executives there that what I needed to succeed was to get in line with the narrative.' DailyMail.com has reached out to Fox News seeking comment. The controversy was ignited when Hecker was introduced to report on sweltering weather for Fox 26 Houston on Monday when she prefaced her on-air piece with a bombshell for her employer. 'Before we get to that story, I want to let you, the viewers, know that Fox Corp. has been muzzling me to keep certain information from you, the viewers,' Hecker said. 'And from what I'm gathering, I am not the only reporter being subjected to this.' 'I am going to be releasing some recordings about what goes on behind the scenes at Fox, because it applies to you, the viewers,' she added. 'I found a non-profit journalism group called Project Veritas that is going to help put that out tomorrow, so tune in then.' Hecker's Instagram and Twitter pages don't reveal any particularly striking points of view, she appears to be fan of exercise and playing the guitar A recent post from Hecker's Instagram page The 32-year-old then continued onto her report on the recent bad weather and power outages in Houston before handing back to her colleagues in the studio who made no reference to what she had said. Hecker's Twitter and Instagram pages don't reveal any particularly striking points of view on controversial topics. She is a general reporter, covering various news stories, including about the coronavirus pandemic, murders, missing people and storms. Project Veritas is known for its secret recordings targeting the media establishment, including 'stings' carried out on the New York Times, CNN and the Washington Post. Recently Project Veritas has spoken to Facebook whistleblowers who claim the social network has been censoring vaccine skeptics during the pandemic. The founder of Project Veritas, James O'Keefe, even appeared on Sean Hannity's Fox News show to promote the story, revealing dossiers which he said showed Facebook was testing a 'beta' version of its algorithm to smash anti-vaxxers. Fox has been happy to watch O'Keefe go after its broadcasting rivals, but now finds itself in the spotlight. Detectives forced health authorities to hand over confidential contact tracing data to help with their investigation into the assassination of a notorious bikie boss. Rebels gang president Nick Martin, 51, was shot dead at a drag racing event in Perth on December 12 in front of horrified families including his own wife and step-child. Police believe he was shot in the back by a sniper as far as 300m away. A former soldier, 34, was charged with his murder in March after a three-month investigation. The man is currently being held under heavy protection in a secure wing of Casuarina Prison, Western Australia's highest security jail. It's unknown whether police requested a list of all attendees at the Perth Motorplex venue where Martin was shot on December 12 or just the potential check-ins of the alleged killer. Former Rebels Boss Nick Martin (left) died in the arms of his wife Amanda (right) after he was shot in the back at a drag racing event in Perth on December 12 Detectives forced health authorities to hand over confidential contact tracing data to help with their investigation into Martin's alleged murder (stock photo) Attorney-General John Quigley confirmed senior police have twice issued notices to the WA Health Department requiring them to hand over data from the SafeWA app since mandatory registration at venues was first enforced in December. The use of tracing data for venue check-ins from December 5 was authorised by State emergency coordinator and police commissioner Chris Dawson.. Opposition Leader Mia Davies on Tuesday labelled it a 'massive breach of public trust', saying West Australians had been assured their data would only be used for contact tracing purposes to keep them safe during the coronavirus pandemic. The government had promised upon introducing mandatory registering that records 'would only be used for the purpose of COVID-19 contact tracing'. On Tuesday, the McGowan Government introduced emergency laws in a move to protect contact tracing data and restore public confidence in the app. Businesses will be required to keep the data for 28 days then destroy it as soon as possible. Individuals found to have shared the data with a third party face 12 months' imprisonment or a $20,000 fine. Corporations face two years' imprisonment or a $250,000 fine. WA Attorney-General John Quigley (pictured) confirmed police served a warrant on the WA Health Department for the 'high profile murder' Police believe Nick Martin (left) was fatally shot in the back by a sniper as far as 300m away Mr Quigley said the emergency laws would ensure that nobody but the Health Department could access the confidential data, including police or the Corruption and Crime Commission. 'I make no criticism of the police for issuing those notices. They operated according to law,' Mr Quigley told reporters. 'However the Government has had to do a balancing act ... it is so critical that the public have continuing confidence in SafeWA and contact registering.' Mr Quigley said he was confident the decision would not hamper any police investigations. 'They have, at their resources, far more sophisticated methods of locating someone's whereabouts,' he said. Premier Mark McGowan told Parliament he had become aware of the breaches in April and requested that police no longer access the data. He said Police Commissioner Chris Dawson had responded that his officers were simply doing their jobs by accessing information available to them under the law. 'Both of those investigations were very serious matters,' Mr McGowan said. 'Our view is the SafeWA app should only be used for contact tracing purposes.' There have been more than 245 million check-ins on the SafeWA app since December. A secretive Airbnb team, which works to keep disasters out of the press, paid an Australian woman $7million in hush money after she was raped at knifepoint in one of their New York rentals, according to a report. The short-term property rental company has spent an estimated $50 million every year on payouts to hosts and guests when things go wrong, according to Bloomberg Businessweek which interviewed several former members of the secretive safety team. In one incident, a rape victim received a $7 million payout in exchange for agreeing not to 'imply responsibility or liability' on Airbnb or the host after a 'career criminal' used a duplicate key to enter a New York City rental on New Years Day, 2016. The unidentified Australian woman, who was 29 at the time, and a group of friends had rented a first-floor apartment on West 37th Street, close to Times Square. The group had picked up the keys for the apartment from a bodega close by without having to show any identification, Bloomberg reported. They went to a party together, but the 29-year-old returned back to the property alone - ahead of her friends. Airbnb has a secret team to keep disaster stays out of the press and gives staff blank checks to help rape victims and pay to clean up dismembered human remains, it has been revealed In one incident, an Australian woman received a $7 million payout in exchange for agreeing not to 'imply responsibility or liability' on Airbnb or the host after a 'career criminal' used a duplicate key to enter a New York City rental (above) and raped her at knifepoint The suspect, 24-year-old, was allegedly already inside the apartment hiding in the bathroom when she returned. He raped her at knifepoint. He then returned later that night when police were there and was arrested and charged with predatory sexual assault. Police said he had a set of keys to the apartment at the time. The incident has remained under wraps until now. The team - known as the 'black box' inside the firm - is made up of around 100 agents across cities including Dublin, Montreal and Singapore, several of whom have backgrounds in the military or emergency services. Team members have the power to spend any amount tackling the worst crises at their rentals including sexual assaults, murders and deaths - providing support to guests and hosts and also working to keep the incidents out of the public eye. The revelation of the team's existence - and its power to keep the worst incidents out of the press - raises questions about the scale of shocking incidents taking place at Airbnb properties and the company's ability to ensure safety for its guests and hosts. Several former Airbnb safety agents described the extent of their tasks, preventing PR disasters for the firm and providing support to both guests and hosts who fell victim to horrific crimes inside the walls of the rentals. Airbnb hired high profile political crises experts to work on the team, including Nick Shapiro (pictured), former National Security Council adviser to Barack Obama and deputy chief of staff at the Central Intelligence Agency, who was brought on as its crisis manager Some said they had to arrange for contractors to cover bullet holes in the walls of properties or hire body-fluid crews to clean blood off the floors, the report said. In extreme cases, they had to deal with hosts who discover dismembered human remains inside their homes. Others said they had to provide support to guests who had been assaulted by guests and had resorted to hiding in wardrobes or running from secluded cabins from the perpetrators. The team has covered costs including for counseling, new accommodation, flights, and sexually transmitted disease tests and health costs for rape survivors among other things, according to the report. Airbnb hired high profile political crises experts to work on the team, including Nick Shapiro, former National Security Council advisor to Barack Obama and deputy chief of staff at the Central Intelligence Agency, who was brought on as its crisis manager. Shapiro, who has since left the role, told Bloomberg the crises facing the company reminded him of the White House situation room. 'I remember thinking I was right back in the thick of it,' he said. 'This brought me back to feelings of confronting truly horrific matters at Langley and in the Situation Room at the White House.' Langley is the home of the CIA. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. The short-term property rental company, which went public in December, has spent an estimated $50 million every year on payouts to hosts and guests when things go wrong, according to Bloomberg Businessweek He was two weeks into the job when the New York City rape happened on New Years' Day in 2016. Chris Lehane, a former political operative for President Bill Clinton who was brought on as head of global policy and communications a few months before the incident, was concerned the incident would be used to help push Airbnb out of New York, according to Bloomberg. It came at a time when the company was banned in New York but that many short-term rentals still featured on Airbnb's platform. The safety team sprung into action right away, paying to fly the victim's mother over from Australia, housed them in hotels before flying them back home again and offered to pay for health and counseling costs, according to the report. Two years later, Airbnb reportedly paid the victim $7 million in an agreement that she would not blame or sue Airbnb or the host. Florida woman Carla Stefaniak (above) was murdered by a security guard at the apartment complex where she was renting an Airbnb in Costa Rica It is not clear how the alleged rapist had keys to the property but, under Airbnb rules, hosts are not required to disclose to guests who has a copy of the key or change codes on keypad locks in between guests. Airbnb directed DailyMail.com to the company's pages on trust and safety when asked to comment on the safety team and the 2016 incident. A spokesman said the company talks about its safety team all the time. Other incidents involving the safety team include one where a guest was found reportedly found naked in bed with the host's seven-year-old daughter, according to the Bloomberg report. In another previously reported incident, a Florida woman Carla Stefaniak was murdered by a security guard at the apartment complex where she was renting an Airbnb in Costa Rica in 2018. Her partially-buried body was found half-naked and covered in plastic bags by sniffer dogs 200 feet away from her Airbnb. She suffered a blunt force wound to the head and stab wounds. Stefaniak had told friends that she thought the accommodation was 'sketchy' and that there was heavy rain and no power. She said in a FaceTime call that she might ask a security guard at the Airbnb to buy her water because of the storm. Bismark Espinoza Martinez, 33, was sentenced last year to 16 years for her murder. Stefaniak's family filed a suit against Airbnb claiming it failed to perform a background check on the security guard, who it transpired was working in the country illegally. The case was settled for an undisclosed sum. Stefaniak's body was found half-naked and covered in plastic bags near the San Jose vacation rental she was staying in (above) Traces of blood were found left behind in the Airbnb, which she described as 'sketchy' One year after Stefaniak's murder, five people were shot dead at a Halloween mansion party at an Airbnb in Orinda, California. More than 100 people had gathered for the unauthorized party when the shooting unfolded. Members of rival gangs from San Francisco and Marin City were among those at the party, authorities said. Tiyon Farley, 22, of Antioch; Omar Taylor, 24, of Pittsburg; Raymon Hill Jr., 23, of San Francisco and Oakland; Javlin County, 29, of Sausalito and Richmond; and Oshiana Tompkins, 19, of Vallejo and Hercules, all died. Airbnb said it would pay for the funerals of the victims. But Jesse Danoff, the attorney for Hill's mother Cynthia Taylor, told Bloomberg the company did not reach out to the family for more than a week and claimed it pushed back against some of the funeral expenses. Danoff claimed the company only cared about 'the threat or potential threat of bad PR or a nightmare in the press' and is still negotiating a settlement. Airbnb told Bloomberg it paid the funeral bills. One year after Stefaniak's murder, five people were shot dead at a Halloween mansion party at an Airbnb in Orinda, California. Law enforcement on the scene of the shooting Raymon Hill Jr. - one of the victims of the shooting. Jesse Danoff, the attorney for Hill's mother Cynthia Taylor, told Bloomberg the company did not reach out to the family for more than a week and claimed it pushed back against some of the funeral expenses Despite the critical role the team plays in supporting guests and hosts and helping to evade PR disasters, 25 of its most experienced agents were laid off last year amid the pandemic. CEO Brian Chesky had announced in May 2020 that around half of all staff were being laid off, according to Bloomberg. Safety agents slammed the move, arguing they had already sacrificed their mental health to the role. Chesky later partly walked back the decision, rehiring 15 of the workers on time-and-a-half pay. Catherine, an adult virgin from regional Victoria, admits her mum is not happy about her lack of experience in the bedroom. Both her parents are displeased about Catherine not having had sex, and most of all, going on the ABC program, You Can't Ask That, to tell Australia about it. 'Mum and dad hate that I'm here today. They hate it,' Catherine says. She is one of eight brave adults, aged between 23 and 31, who appear in Wednesday night's episode of the interview show to discuss their sexual experiences. Catherine, from regional Victoria, admits her parents hated the idea of her going on You Can't Ask That to talk about being a virgin - and her mum even suggest losing her virginity to her boyfriend before the show Catherine (pictured left) says society has moved away from valuing virginity to considering it 'weird'. Julia (pictured right) says women can be 'fetishized' for their virginity, but admits she feels sorry for male virgins 'Mum wishes I was more normal. She wishes I was sexually active,' Catherine says during the episode. 'She was like you can go stay at your boyfriends place the night before and have sex with him so you dont go on the show.' Catherine is a proud virgin. She made a choice in high school and 'I'm stubborn, I stick to my decisions'. She didn't go to her boyfriend's place. Catherine admits when she was 14 a man offered her $50 for sex. 'If I wanted to have sex I could very easily. I've had randoms on the street approach me and offer me money for sex.' She thinks it's contributed to women losing their virginity too easily. 'The view of society years ago was "you must remain a virgin". Now its gone the opposite way, "youre a virgin, thats weird!" 'I'm happy being a virgin and I see no point in changing my mind.' Julia, from Sydney admitted having a health condition that would make sex so painful for her that she would need therapy to deal with it Sydneysider Seb believes he was called to give his whole life to God and hopes to remain a virgin Julia, 30, from Sydney explains that an active sex life isn't really a choice for her. 'I discovered when I was about 25 that I have a condition that would make having sex really painful and I'd have to have therapy to fix that.' 'It feels like someone's sticking a knife in your body. It's throbbing angry pain.' But her story also reveals she hasn't had a kiss since she was nine and that she didn't 'enjoy being in my body' as a teen. 'So there's no way I would ever have got naked or let alone touch me.' For transgender man Kerry Chin, from Sydney, sex is just not very 'interesting' and they don't expect to ever have sex. 'My skin goes red when other people touch me and it's itchy and uncomfortable.' 'I'm not a very touchy feely person I don't even like hugging people that much so.' The youngest men on the program, Ishan and Declan (left and right), are the only participants who were very keen to lose their virginity - and both hoped being on the program might help Nicole (left) and Ashleah (right), from Melbourne, say they find the intimacy and support they need in their friendship as housemates Ashleah, 31, from Melbourne admits she's 'never had the opportunity' to have sex. 'Opening that door is a lot harder than just keeping that door closed,' she says. She has tried internet dating, but found it unhelpful. 'I have sent photos of myself and I have received photos of peoples genitals and its never gone past that.' The program is also super awkward and funny too. While Julia thinks men 'fetishise' women's virginity, she suspects it's better being a female virgin in some ways. 'I kinda feel sorry for guys. If youre a guy and a virgin its seen as a lot worse,' Julia says. 'It's like "oh you must be sad and lonely and you live in a basement at your parents house".' Kerry Chin believes people assume men without sexual experience are still 'children' regardless of their age Blond heartthrob Seb, from Sydney and in his mid 20s, is a virgin because it's part of his religious calling. 'I felt within myself God saying why don't you give me your entire life and I said yes.' He 'hopes' to stay a virgin and believes some things are more important. Most of the humour comes from the two youngest men, Ishan from Melbourne and Declan, a 23-year-old Sydneysider. Of all the eight people interviewed, they are the keenest to have sex and who also talk remorsefully about porn affecting their ideas. They are also open to the idea appearing on the show could help them end their virginity. Declan makes a point of sharing his Snapchat handle. 'I feel like I've seen people that I thought would have s*** personalities and they didn't look as good as me and they've got girlfriends and they're living the life and I'm stuck at home,' Declan complains. He also admits the idea of taking a girl out is 'so much effort' when he can can 'load up Pornhub and crank one out'. Ishan (left) admits he doesn't know how to open a deal, let alone close one when it comes to sex Ishan, in his early 20s, talks about a super awkward sexual experience at a party where he tries to smoothly win over a girl with his politeness and appropriately checks her 'boundaries' before proceeding. 'I did get a finger in there but she said I dont want to go [further]. I said "ok fine". 'It was slightly marred by the fact that my friend made out with her later that night.' Later Ishan is the most open to the idea of visiting a sex worker, 'to get it over with'. 'Ive had a look into it, yeah of course. I still might do it.' While Ishan says he 'was a bit of a Casanova' in primary school, his success rate in getting intimate with girls has plummeted since. 'I don't know how to close. Or even how to open.' You Can't Ask That, Wednesday 9pm, ABC Packets of popular Tiny Teddy children's biscuits have allegedly been used to smuggle 22 bags of cocaine to pubgoers Packets of Tiny Teddy children's biscuits have allegedly been used to smuggle 22 bags of cocaine to pubgoers. Three teenagers were allegedly busted dealing the drug to another man outside the London Hotel in Paddington in Sydney's eastern suburbs last December. Ahmad Hamdan, 19, and two other youths were allegedly inside a car when they flashed their lights at the man and pulled into a side street. Police watched the man run up to the car before returning to the pub minutes later, according to a police fact sheet, the Daily Telegraph reported. When officers confronted those involved, the alleged buyer told them he bought drugs from the trio inside the car. Police allegedly found 22 bags of cocaine hidden inside two boxes of Tiny Teddy packets. Officers also allegedly found $1,700 in cash shoved inside the glovebox Hamdan was charged with drug supply and dealing with the proceeds of crime. The 19-year-old was released on bail and has a 10pm curfew. Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, could be on the verge of facing charges as prosecutors turn the heat up, hoping he'll flip on Donald Trump himself. The nearing of charges is the latest development in the investigation as the district attorney in Manhattan tries to tighten a broader criminal case against Trump and the Trump Organization. To this point, no criminal charges have been filed in the financial fraud investigation against Trump and his company. If charges are filed against Weisslberg, however, that could hint that prosecutors have discovered misconduct that could ultimately link back to Trump. The New York Times reports that the Manhattan DA appears to be in the last stages of their criminal tax investigation into Weisselberg. Allen Weisselberg (right), the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, could be on the verge of facing charges as prosecutors turn the heat up, hoping he'll flip on Donald Trump himself (pictured June 5) Over the past few weeks, a grand jury has been hearing evidence about Weisselberg, with prosecutors obtaining the executive's personal tax returns. Letitia James, the New York State Attorney General running a civil probe, has also reportedly acquired those tax returns. Earlier, prosecutors were also able to obtain the personal bank records of Weisselberg. Investigators are looking at whether or not Weisselberg failed to pay taxes on benefits over the years, including apartments, leased cars and private school tuition for one of Weisselberg's grandchildren. To that end, prosecutors have subpoenaed records from an Upper West Side private school, the Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School. One person told the Times that Cy Vance, the Manhattan DA, is seeking records into Mercedes-Benz vehicles leased for Weisselberg and other Trump Organization employees. They are also looking at an apartment Trump may have gifted Weisselberg in Manhattan. Meanwhile, Weisslberg's former daughter-in-law, Jennifer, has been interviewed in the probe six times and is cooperating with prosecutors. She has been asked about the tuition payments, as well gifts her ex-husband, Barry Weisselberg, received from Trump, such as leased cars and an apartment on Central Park South. It's not clear what charges Weisselberg may be facing, though experts suggest it could be grand larceny, scheme to defraud or tax fraud. If Weisselberg is charged with tax fraud and failing to pay more than $10,000 in taxes for a single year, he could face up to seven years in prison. If Weisselberg is charged with scheming to defraud, he could face a maximum of four years in prison. Tax lawyers discussing the case with the Times, however, couldn't recall any instances of someone facing a case based solely on a failure to pay taxes on fringe benefits. The nearing of charges is the latest development as the district attorney in Manhattan, Cy Vance, tries to tighten a broader criminal case against Trump and the Trump Organization, which is looking at potential financial misconduct Weisselberg's lawyer did not comment to the Times, nor did a Trump Organization representative. While the case against Weisselberg appears to be progressing, the case against Donald Trump has been moving slowly. Prosecutors are hoping Weisselberg will cooperate with the probe into Trump. Weisselberg is still an employee of the Trump Organization, however, suggesting that he probably has not turned star witness against the former president at this point. Weisselberg previously worked for Donald Trump's father and has been the chief financial officer at the Trump Organization for more than two decades. Jeffrey McConney, an aide to Weisselberg, has already testified before a special grand jury in the probe of Trump, but insiders are confident he will not flip on his boss. As senior vice president and controller at the Trump Organization, McConney would have prepared documents such as asset evaluations or taxes for Trump himself and chief financial officer Weisselberg. 'Think of the Trump Organization as a small, one-teller bank,' Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime fixer told The Daily Beast. 'Donald would be the president. Allen would be the branch manager. 'Jeff would be the teller. Every single transaction was booked through McConney.' That makes him a crucial figure for an investigation reportedly probing whether the Trump Organization inflated the value of assets when it was seeking loans, but reduced them when calculating tax liabilities. Insiders say Trump is unworried by the investigations, dismissing them more as a costly irritant than a threat to his business or political future. And they told the Daily Beast that McConney had a reputation for loyalty and keeping his mouth shut. 'Not a blabber,' is how one source put it. The result is little fear that he will turn on his boss. 'He takes instruction well, and has followed orders faithfully and very carefully,' another of the sources said. Yet his understanding of the paper trail is reportedly vast. The extent of his knowledge of Trump's finances was revealed in depositions six years ago, when Weisselberg gave evidence about the collapse of Trump University. Documents obtained by the New York Daily News showed that Weisselberg took care of payroll payments. 'Jeff McConney took care of the actual movement of money,' he said. Donald Trump, wife Melania, with the Barry and Jennifer Weisselberg, the son and daughter in law of Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg. Jennifer has been assisting the criminal probe into the Trump Org for months Jack, Allen and Barry Weisselberg. Weisselberg's grandchildren (Barry's children) attend a $50,000 a term school and prosecutors are thought to be looking into the tuition fee payments to determine if the Trump Organization broke tax laws The Trump Organization's process for moving large sums of money outside was for McConney to 'prepare a memorandum that we have to move money,' and then either Allen or Trump would approve or deny the request. Trump described some of the process in a 2007 issue of Worth magazine, in which he praised his in-house advisers including McConney and Weisselberg 'I listen to what they have to say, and make my own decisions in the final analysis,' he said. 'I know the responsibility rests with me, but I have excellent people and I respect their input.' Vance, who is not running for reelection, is looking at potential financial crimes committed by Trump and his organization, which has included an investigation of potential property value manipulation for tax benefits and favorable loans. Trump has called the investigation part of 'the greatest political Witch Hunt in the history of our country.' Weisselberg was also connected with the investigation into alleged hush payments to two women made during the 2016 presidential campaign. Michael Cohen claimed Weisselberg was involved in those payments, which were for two women accusing Trump of having affairs with them. In March, people familiar with the situation told the New York Times that prosecutors working for Vance subpoenaed records from several banks where Trump or his company hold accounts including JPMorgan Chase and Capital One. Jeff McConney (center) has testified before a Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence against former President Donald Trump and his business. McConney is senior vice president and controller at the Trump Organization, giving him a key role in preparing financial documents. He is pictured here in 2011 with Donald Bender (left), the Trump Organization's tax accountant at Mazars USA They are also separately seeking a new round of general ledgers and other internal documents from the Trump Organization. Jennifer Weisselberg, who was married to Allen's son Barry from 2004 to 2018, told CNN host Chris Cuomo that her former father-in-law will flip on Trump to protect his own kids from liability. 'I think that he'll turn on him,' Jennifer said of Trump's CFO. 'I think that his sons have too much liability.' Jennifer told Cuomo that 'it's the only way' forward for Allen as Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance pursues him and Trump. 'I think that it's important for accountability for anyone, and for all of them. I believe that the investigations are serious and going well, and have begun to go way more rapidly,' she said. She added: 'I hope that justice will be served.' In the interview, Jennifer addressed reports that investigators were seeking information about a Trump-owned apartment she lived in with her ex-husband for years. Jennifer has said that the Central Park South apartment was presented as a gift to her and her ex-husband by Trump after their wedding and that neither of them owned the apartment or paid rent, CBS News reported. The couple did pay about $400 per month for utilities, and city records show Trump sold the apartment for $2.85 million in 2014. Jennifer reiterated to Cuomo that the luxe 'corporate apartment' was provided by Trump Organization. 'In that sense, it's difficult to leave,' she said told Cuomo about the perks. Jennifer said that the investigation is 'not a witch hunt' and is based on real numbers. She told Cuomo that she has provided 'personal documents' to prosecutors from her divorce proceedings, for instance, that could detail Trump financial decisions. Jennifer said it was 'too sensitive' to disclose what was in the documents in any more detail. After speaking with Jennifer, Cuomo interviewed Tristan Snell, a former New York assistant attorney general who explained the role Allen might play in the probe. 'Jennifer Weisselberg said it very well when she referred to the Trump Organization as a mom-and-pop organization,' Snell said. He continued: 'It was a very small operation and still is to this day. These things are run with a very small group of people who had minute control over every single thing.' Snell echoed Jennifer's comments about the scope of the investigation, noting: 'It's those representations, the numerical representations, are going to be the big issue here.' In this Jan. 11, 2017 photo, Allen Weisselberg, center, is seen between President-elect Donald Trump, left, and Donald Trump Jr., at a news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower 'A lot of it comes down to the financial records and Allen Weisselberg as very much personally the keeper of those records. It's not just that he ran a department, he personally was actually looking at every single penny that went in and out of that company,' Snell said. He added: 'If they can get Weisselberg implicated and if he's implicated, they can get him to flip.' Federal prosecutors in Manhattan previously struck an immunity deal with Allen Weisselberg in 2018 for his testimony about former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who himself has flipped on the former president, The New York Times reported. Jennifer also claimed in March that Trump hit on her at a shivah and showed naked pictures of women to mourners, The New Yorker revealed. She claimed her uncomfortable run-in with Trump happened while mourning Allen's mother in the late 1990s, early 2000s at a shivah - the Jewish mourning period after a funeral. She did not give a date for when she met Trump but said it was before her wedding and was at Weisselberg's former home in Wantagh, on Long Island. Property records show he owned the property until 2001. According to her, Trump got out of his car when he arrived at the property and said: 'This is where my C.F.O. lives? It's embarrassing!' Once inside, she claims he showed around photos of naked women with him on a yacht, then started hitting on her. 'After that, he starts hitting on me.' She sad she was irate that Allen did not 'stand up' for her. Allen's lawyer did not comment on the alleged incident. Weisselberg previously worked for Donald Trump's father and has been the chief financial officer at the Trump Organization for more than two decades He started working for The Trump Organization in the early 1970s and, according to his ex-daughter-in-law, he only ever sought approval from his boss. 'His whole worth is 'Does Donald like me today?' In May, an ex-top executive predicted that Weisselberg had already turned on the former president in a bid to protect his family. Former Trump Organization executive Barbara Res said that, in her opinion, Weisselberg has flipped and was cooperating with New York prosecutors with two criminal investigations hanging over him. 'I think Weisselberg is very concerned about his kids,' she told MSNBC's Ari Melber. 'I think that what they're doing is the kind of thing they did with [retired Lt. Gen. Michael] Flynn. Remember his kid? I don't think Weisselberg will let his son go to jail. So that's what he's doing.' Res made it clear she had no insider info but was speaking from her experience working with Allen Weisselberg. She worked for the Trump Organization for 18 years and served as vice president in charge of construction. 'This is my opinion. I don't know the facts, but I do know Donald, and I have seen him operate, and I have seen the organization operate,' she explained. 'Weisselberg has evolved into a different person. I don't know exactly where he's at now, but I knew who he was. He bowed to Donald Trump.' 'He adores Donald Trump, and Trump knows and has relied on him as trusted and he's probably the only trusted party left other than family,' Res said. 'But Weisselberg will not -- he will not go to jail, and he will not let his children be thrown under the bus, so to speak. Because there is no pardon coming down the road. The only thing that Trump has to offer right now is money, and I don't know that money would pay off jail time.' Australian animated series Bluey has hit another high after being named on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Sitcoms of All Time list. The Brisbane-made children's show created by Joe Brumm has already been widely praised internationally by critics and won a number of awards including an Emmy. Daley Pearson, co-founder of Bluey's production studio Ludo, tweeted about the honour on Tuesday with Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner adding his support. Australian animated TV series Bluey (pictured) has been named on Rolling Stones list of the 100 Best Sitcoms of All Time Co-founder of Ludo Charlie Aspinwall (left) and show creator Joseph Brumm (right) with their award for Most Outstanding Children's Program during the 61st Logie Awards at The Star Gold Coast in 2019 The show about the title character - a six-year-old blue heeler puppy and her supportive canine family - came in at number 96 on the list. 'An Australian animated series targeted at preschoolers, Bluey is primarily a sweet, heartwarming show with a lot of lessons about the power of imaginary play and the challenges of growing up,' Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall wrote. 'It is also a screamingly funny depiction of the indignities of parenthood, as dad Bandit (voiced by Aussie indie rocker David McCormack) routinely suffers public humiliation and physical pain from his willingness to go along with whatever role-playing game his little girls have chosen for the day.' The iconic magazine looked at English language sitcoms which have aired from the early days of television in the 1950s up to the modern day. To fit the criteria, the programs needed to have a consistent setting and group of characters and be primarily aimed at making us laugh and feel good. Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner congratulated the show's creators on Tuesday Other shows which made the cut include How I Met Your Mother, Seinfeld, Absolutely Fabulous, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Big Bang Theory. Bluey was co-commissioned by the ABC and the BBC after they watched a short pilot made by Brumm with the first episode airing in 2018. Disney+ recently picked up the show for international distribution further raising the underdog hit's profile. Taking out the top spot in Rolling Stone's list is The Simpsons, being described by the magazine as a 'sweepingly expansive social satire'. The program made number 96 on the list with other shows including Modern Family and Seinfeld making the grade A pair of former Royal Marines have been jailed for importing cocaine hidden in Lego boxes, one of which was inadvertently given to a child as a present. Jack Jones, 28, was jailed for more than 16 years at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday and his former Royal Marine colleague Isaac Rasmussen, 28, was sentenced to 10 years. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import and supply drugs which were smuggled into the country from Holland in DPD parcels. Jack Jones (left), 28, was jailed for more than 16 years at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday and his former Royal Marine colleague Isaac Rasmussen (right), 28, was sentenced to 10 years When police opened the parcel they found eight Lego Duplo boxes, each with a kilo of high purity cocaine inside A third associate, Paul Jones, 43, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years after the court heard his addresses were used for the packages to be sent to. Charles Lander, prosecuting, said 18 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of 1.8 million, was recovered by police but was only the 'tip of the iceberg' in terms of the defendants' criminality. The court was told one of the packages was delivered to Paul Jones's address in Lincombe Road, Huyton, while police were executing a warrant there on June 24 last year. Mr Lander said when police opened the parcel they found eight Lego Duplo boxes, each with a kilo of high purity cocaine inside. Police said 18 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of 1.8 million, was recovered but was only the 'tip of the iceberg' On the same day, the court heard, a package was delivered to an address in Whiston where Rasmussen was a tenant, but it was taken in by a neighbour. Some weeks later, after attempts by the neighbour to return the parcel to Rasmussen were unsuccessful, she gave one of the Lego boxes to her son's girlfriend, who needed a present for the birthday of her friend's son. The box, which had an image of a fire engine on the front, was gift-wrapped and given to the child, whose mother opened it, Mr Lander said. He said: 'When she opened the box, she immediately noticed that it was not Lego but was an item that had been wrapped in various layers of different packaging.' The court heard a solid white block of cocaine was inside. Paul Jones, 43, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years Judge Stuart Driver QC told Rasmussen: 'You allowed your home to be used for delivery of multi kilo packages of Class A drugs. 'Part of such a delivery to your address, disguised as Lego, was inadvertently handed to a small child wrapped up as a birthday present, exposing the child to a risk of serious harm.' The court heard Jack Jones and Rasmussen used encrypted messaging service Encrochat, which was infiltrated by police last year. In one message, Jack Jones told a contact: 'Bro we be multimillionaires in three months ha ha ha.' Alaric Walmsley, defending Jack Jones, said he had served his country as a Royal Marine, working as an ambulance driver in the Medical Squadron. Rasmussen had known Jack Jones since he joined the Marines at 17 and became involved in the conspiracy because of their friendship, Arthur Gibson, defending, said. Kenneth Heckle, defending Paul Jones, who is currently serving a prison sentence for cannabis production, said his 'entry into the criminal world' started after he lost his job as a forklift truck driver in 2018 when he injured his ankle. All three defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import and supply cocaine. Jack Jones, of Hey Park, Huyton, also admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, MDMA and cannabis, conspiracy to import cannabis and conspiracy to convert criminal property. Rasmussen, of Heath Road, Widnes, admitted conspiracy to import cannabis and Paul Jones pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis and criminal property. The mother of a five-year-old boy who was found dead with blunt head trauma in a Texas motel on June 1 has said she believes the child's father was involved. Sarah Olson on Tuesday spoke for the first time about the death of her son, Samuel. She believed that Samuel was being cared for by his father, Dalton, in Houston. Instead, the boy's body was found in a motel 100 miles away, with Dalton's girlfriend Theresa Balboa, 29. On Tuesday Sarah said that she was convinced Dalton was involved with their son's death - despite Balboa being the only one charged so far. Asked if she thought Dalton participated, Sarah replied: 'I do. I don't see how he couldn't. 'With all the evidence now brought to light - how were you not involved.' She added, of Balboa: 'I know she lied.' Sarah Olson, the mother of Samuel Olson, spoke for the first time on Tuesday since her son's body was found on June 1. Police now believe that he died around May 12, and his body was hidden by Theresa Balboa, his father's girlfriend. She has been charged with tampering with evidence, specifically a corpse. She remains in custody Sarah Olson last saw her son Samuel on his fifth birthday, on May 31, 2020. His father, Dalton, had taken him in January 2020 and was refusing to give him back - despite Sarah having custody. Sarah went to the police repeatedly to try and secure the little boy's return, but was told it was a matter for the courts Theresa Balboa and Dalton Olson are pictured during a search for Samuel. Dalton is currently cooperating with police Sarah had custody of the little boy, but Dalton took him from her in January 2020. She said he 'never returned him.' Theresa Balboa is seen following her arrest on June 1 in Jasper, Texas. She was detained at a motel where Samuel's body was found in a trash can. Police believe she was on her way to Louisiana Sarah told the press conference: 'Actually told me I would never speak to him again. 'I called police after police, trying to figure out what to do. But it was a civil matter - I had to take him to court. Things can be slow.' She last saw her son at his fifth birthday party, on May 31, 2020. 'When I got there he told me I knew you would come for me,' Sarah said. 'He physically stood with me the whole time. 'I was planning on taking him home that day, but I was stopped. 'I was not allowed.' Sarah met her ex's girlfriend, Balboa, at the party and the pair exchanged brief greetings. Over the course of the next year, Sarah fought to get her son back. But she was repeatedly frustrated. Sarah Olson is pictured with Samuel, who would have turned six on May 31. His body was found at Theresa Balboa's Houston apartment, according to her roommate Benjamin Rivera, on May 10. It is unclear why Samuel was staying with Theresa rather than his father, as Sarah thought Sarah Olson is seen on Tuesday addressing a press conference in Houston, at her lawyer's office Marco Gonzalez, Sarah Olson's lawyer, said that there urgently needed to be reform to custody laws. Sarah had custody of Samuel, but Dalton still took him from her in January 2020 She was unaware that Dalton was having problems with Balboa, who assaulted him in November 2020, choking him. Dalton took out a restraining order against her as a result of the attack, according to KHou. Balboa had also lost custody of her own two children, in 2019. It was unclear why Samuel was being looked after by Balboa. 'I thought Dalton had him,' said Sarah. 'I thought he was good with his dad.' She described her son as 'very sweet, very open, definitely a momma's boy.' She said he loved Toy Story. He was found wearing Buzz Lightyear shoes. Asked if she had spoken to Dalton, one of Sarah's lawyers replied: 'She has nothing to say to Dalton, and does not want to speak to him. 'It could not have been the work of one person alone,' she added. Dalton has been speaking to investigators, along with two men who reportedly aided with moving Samuel's body. Balboa, 29, lost custody of her two children in 2019 and assaulted her boyfriend Dalton Olson in November 2020, leading him to take out a restraining order. It's unclear why Dalton Olson then left his son Samuel in Balboa's custody One is Balboa's roommate, Benjamin Rivera, who said she called him on May 10 to say find Samuel was dead. He found the boy's body on a bed, covered in bruises. The pair left Samuel's body in the bathtub for two days and then moved. A second man helped Balboa dispose of the body in a garbage can at the motel in Jasper. Police believe that Balboa was on her way to Louisiana at the time. Balboa attempted to blame Sarah Olson for Samuel's disappearance. She spoke to detectives when they began to investigate Samuel's disappearance and claimed that she saw Sarah with a police officer. Balboa claimed Sarah showed up at Dalton's home that morning and demanded Balboa give Samuel over to her, Houston's Assistant Police Chief Heather Morris said. Balboa said she complied, and handed Samuel over to his mother. Further investigation revealed that Sarah Olson was at her home the entire time, and never left. Sarah described Samuel as 'very sweet' and 'a real momma's boy'. She last saw him in May 2020 Marco Gonzalez, Sarah Olson's lawyer, said on Tuesday that there needed to be a change in custody law. 'There's going to be a lot coming out of my office in terms of family law,' he said. And he said it was shocking that Balboa would try and pin the murder on Sarah. 'There have been a lot of lies from the other side at the start - concoct a story, about someone trying to impersonate a police officer - it's insane,' he said. 'For Balboa to participate with the search, trying to find the body, pass out flyers, and try to pin it on Sarah - it's tough to understand why people do certain things. Sarah said she wanted justice for her son, and for no other parent to go through what she was suffering. Asked what she hoped for, she replied: 'For the people involved to get, legally, what they deserve. 'A lot of change needs to happen in the legal system, among parents. 'It's not just my son, not just me. 'It's a lot of people going through the same thing. And something needs to be done.' He is in custody in Thailand awaiting trial, however his visa has expired Fox allegedly gave the boys money to go to school and provided them with food Fox allegedly became close with Myanmar children aged between 12 and 15 Police began the manhunt after Fox failed to attend a court hearing in December Adam James Fox was arrested on the border of Myanmar and Thailand on June 2 An Australian man accused of befriending children before sexually abusing them has been arrested in Thailand after six months on the run. Adam James Fox, 44, was apprehended in the remote town of Mae Sot in the border province of Tak on June 2. Police began the manhunt after Fox failed to attend a court hearing in Mae Sot Provincial Court in December 2020. Adam James Fox, 44, allegedly became close with Myanmar children aged between 12 and 15 before sexually abusing them Fox allegedly gave the boys money to go to school and provided them with food and accommodation because their parents were poor Fox allegedly became close with Myanmar children aged between 12 and 15 in Mae Sot, a Kiwi private investigator who assisted Thai authorities told CNA. 'Two or three of these children went to a local school in Mae Sot and the headmaster of the school noticed that these boys had been missing for about a month,' Mr Sot said. 'He became concerned about where they were and did some inquiries about what was happening to them.' Fox allegedly gave the boys money to go to school and provided them with food and accommodation because their parents were poor, police Lieutenant Colonel Teerawat Moopayak said. Fox is in custody in Thailand awaiting trial, but his visa expired and he will most likely be extradited back to Australia. He was initially arrested in Mae Sot in March last year over an alleged sexual assault. Adam James Fox, 44, was arrested in the remote town of Mae Sot in the border province of Tak on June 2 Police also allegedly found meth at his house during his arrest. The Australian was charged with child sex abuse and immigration crimes and was granted a provisional release on bail by the Court of Appeal. However, he failed to appear in court, prompting a warrant to be issued for his arrest. 'The warrant was issued on December 1 and the court marshal had since been following the case until June 2, when he was found to be residing at a new house,' police Lieutenant Colonel Suchart Penphu told CNA. The heroic woman who fought off a crocodile as it dragged her twin sister into a Mexican lagoon has been spotted leaving the hospital after visiting her sibling. Georgia Laurie appeared relaxed as she emerged from Hospital Angel Del Mar where her sister Melissa was placed in a medically-induced coma to prevent any infection to her injuries. The 28-year-old, who was joined by her father Sean, wore a colourful shirt and black shorts as she walked through the streets in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. The scenes come just days after a source revealed that Melissa was doing much better and could be released within the week. On Monday, Georgia, who sustained wounds to her hand after punching the crocodile during the ordeal on June 6, gave her first television interview since heroically saving her sister from the jaws of the reptile. Georgia Laurie, 28, who was joined by her father Sean (left), emerged from Hospital Angel Del Mar where her sister Melissa is being treated The 28-year-old, who fought off a crocodile as it dragged her twin sister into a Mexican lagoon, was spotted walking from the hospital This month Melissa was seen smiling from hospital alongside her sister Georgia after narrowly escaping death at a lagoon in Mexico During her interview, Georgia told ITV News that the pair had been swimming at Manialtepec Lagoon with two friends when the animal attacked Melissa and dragged her beneath the water. Georgia said: 'We saw the crocodile and we tried to swim to safety but unfortunately my sister didn't escape that - so it took her under. 'We tried to call her name but there was no answer so I went towards my friends and tried to find my friends and then I just saw her body floating towards me. 'I jumped into action with my rescue training that I remember and dragged her body towards me and laid her on my chest and tried to revive and she started going into a fit. 'And the crocodile came back twice - so I beat it off but the third time is when I sustained the most injuries.' Following her interview on Monday, Georgia hopped on the back of a motorcycle with a man and sped away to Hospital Angel Del Mar to visit her sister. Exclusive DailyMail.com photos showed Georgia leaving her hotel wearing the same shirt she had on at the interview just hours earlier. She wore a tie dyed 'Bart Simpson' t-shirt, black shorts, trainers, a stylish cream coloured bucket hat and had a backpack. She has been staying at the four-star Posada Real Hotel in Puerto Escondido since she saved her sister from a crocodile attack by punching it in the nose last week. The Posada Real Hotel is on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and is a full service resort hotel with it's own private beach club. It's a far cry from the hostel they had been reportedly staying at prior to the attack. Georgia emerged from the hospital with her father Sean after visiting her sister Melissa The 28-year-old donned a hat and a colourful shirt as she walked through the streets in Puerto Escondido, Mexico On Monday Georgia Laurie was seen in exclusive DailyMail.com photos hopping on the back of a motorcycle with a shirtless man to visit her sister at Hospital Angel Del Mar Georgia arrived at the hospital to visit her sister at approximately 2pm and throughout the next several hours there were at least five friends who had visited them. A source at the hospital told DailyMail.com that Georgia and several friends spent hours with Melissa. She was even visited by someone from the British Embassy. At one point during the visit, a few of their friends left the hospital and walked up the street to a local restaurant and brought back some food to Melissa's room. At 7pm Georgia and two of her friends left the hospital for the night. The source said that Melissa was doing much better and could be released within the week. During her interview with ITV, Georgia said that Melissa remembered being dragged underwater in the first crocodile attack, feeling like she was going to drown and thinking her arm was being ripped off. Georgia explained how a boat with tour guide went past at the right time, but those onboard could not help at the time. The sighting came hours after she gave her first TV interview to ITV from her luxurious hotel room at the four-star Posada Real Hotel in Puerto Escondido She wore a a tie dyed 'Bart Simpson' t-shirt, black shorts, trainers, a stylish cream colored bucket hat and had a backpack A source at the hospital told DailyMail.com that Georgia and several friends spent hours with Melissa. She was even visited by someone from the British Embassy The sighting came hours after she gave her first TV interview to ITV from her luxurious hotel room at the four-star Posada Real Hotel in Puerto Escondido The crocodile then came back, injuring Melissa as it tried to death roll and take her away, but it eventually fled following Georgia's sustained punching on the nose. Melissa sustained puncture marks covering her abdomen and legs, along with a fractured wrist, cuts to her stomach and water in her lungs, Georgia said. She was last week seen walking around the hospital with wounds to her hand - sustained from punching the crocodile during the on June 6 ordeal. The parents of the British twin sisters have now flown out to Mexico to support them. 'It was trying to take her away,' Georgia said. 'I punched it in the nose with both fists and it felt hard, like hitting a table, but it scared it off.' 'No one warned us there were crocodiles there at all. We hadn't been drinking, there was no alcohol involved. 'We were just there for a chill-out. Melissa swan off by herself and got into trouble. I didn't know what was happening but I swan towards her.' As she got closer Georgia, a qualified diver, noticed the reptile viciously attacking her sister. 'I saw her getting jerked around and I saw a croc's head which was about two feet long. The croc swam off, but kept coming back,' she said, the Sun reported. 'That's when it grabbed her by the leg and got her in a death roll. She went round and round and it was trying to drag her away. 'I was pounding it, and that's when it grabbed me and bit my arm. I bashed it with the other hand and it let me go. That happened three times. 'The croc battle seemed to go on a long time but adrenalin kicked in.' Melissa was then pulled from the water by Georgia with the help of Moises Salinas, a 16-year-old deck hand on a tour boat named Espatula Rosada. The twins and friends are pictured smiling in the hospital following the horrific crocodile attack in Mexico Georgia (right) added that Melissa is out of the medically induced coma that doctors placed her in to aid her recovery Salinas jumped into the shallow murky waters along the Manialtepec River and helped pull Melissa onto the boat before rushing her and her sister to an ambulance 20 minutes away. Once Melissa was on the boat, the extent of her injuries became clear, Georgia said. 'She had puncture wounds everywhere but wasn't bleeding out. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, 'The thing that worried me was she was coughing up blood and saying, 'I'm drowning, I'm drowning'. It was scary, and she screamed too. 'I thought of how I had seen her face down in the water for a long time, so I was worried how much water she had swallowed.' Once at hospital, Georgia explained: 'The doctors were worried about her lungs, because they thought she may have got pneumonia from an infection. 'I had to sign some papers saying treatment could go ahead, which included an induced coma. That was scary, because it seemed touch and go.' Vegan and vegetarian food masquerading as meat will soon be scrutinised by a Senate committee. Nationals senator Susan McDonald has launched an inquiry into food labelling laws as the Australian red meat industry seeks to protect the provenance of its products. The former butcher said it was up to makers of non-meat products to come up with their own distinct terms instead of piggybacking off long-established animal proteins like mince and sausages. An Australian red meat industry is fighting for plant-based products to stop using the word 'meat' in their labels (pictured plant-based beef sausages) Meat producers are taking issue with how plant-based food producers are packing their products as though they are real meat 'Just like winemakers wanting exclusive use of some wine names, I feel strongly that our Aussie red meat industry should have sole use of product names that have meant only one thing for centuries,' she said. Poll Should plant-based products be allowed to use meat in their labels? Yes No Should plant-based products be allowed to use meat in their labels? Yes 50 votes No 207 votes Now share your opinion John McKillop from the Red Meat Advisory Council said graziers have had a gutful. 'It is a national disgrace that highly processed plant-based protein made from imported ingredients are allowed to be labelled as Australian meat,' he said. 'These highly processed, unnatural plant-based products are increasingly seen as a health risk and are in no way similar to the red meat produced by Australian farmers.' Mr McKillop said the brand and reputation of Australian beef, lamb and goat had been built over generations and were now being denigrated by companies deliberately ripping off their marketing to sell inferior products. The inquiry will investigate the economic effects of non-animal protein marketing on Australia's red meat industry. It will also examine the legality of using livestock imagery on vegan products, and the health benefits of non-animal protein manufacturing processes. 'If you prefer tofu over T-bone, then you go for it but forget the ethics of eating animal products, this is about protecting a highly valuable industry and also providing a clear distinction between the real thing and the alternatives so consumers know exactly what they're getting,' Senator McDonald said. John McKillop from the Red Meat Advisory Council said it's a 'national disgrace' plant-based protein are allowed to be labelled as meat (pictured are plant-based burger patties) Parents are being urged to keep the free beanies handed out at State of Origin away from young children over fears they could pose a choking risk. The hats, given out at the State of Origin game on June 9 at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium, in Townsville, have a single-cell battery attached to them. There are fears the batteries could fall out of the wool beanies and could be swallowed by young children. A beanie handed out at State of Origin in Townsville is being urged to be kept away from young children The free beanie, which can be seen being worn by fans, poses a massive risk for young children In an unsecured compartment, kids could access a button battery which poses a choking hazard and a potential burning injury if ingested First aid group, CPR Kids warned parents via Facebook about the loose battery. The post read: 'Anyone who attended the Townsville State of Origin game on Wednesday and received a free beanie is being urged to keep the beanie out of reach of children. 'The beanie contains a button battery and the compartment is not safely secured and is easily accessible to children.' The battery was inserted into the beanie to power flashing lights. Button batteries are incredibly harmful if ingested and can burn through body tissue, as well as posing a choking hazard. In December last year, the federal government introduced new laws to improve mandatory button battery safety. In a statement, Assistant Treasurer Micheal Sukkar said: 'In Australia three children have died from injuries sustained as a result of swallowing a button battery, and since December 2017, there have been at least 44 individual cases where young children have suffered severe injuries following the ingestion or insertion of button batteries. Queensland Rugby League is seeking information from the supplier 'This equates to one child sustaining a serious button battery injury every month, with some of them sustaining lifelong injuries.' These new laws included strict requirements on how the batteries are secured in products, warnings on labels, information about the potential harms of batteries, compliance testing of consumer goods and child resistant packaging. Queensland Rugby League said in a statement to Daily Mail: 'Please keep light up Queensland beanie out of reach of young children as per product warning label as battery compartment can be accessed.' Prescription charges for hormone replacement therapy could be scrapped under a proposed law. Labour MP Carolyn Harris will present her Menopause (Support and Services) Bill to the Commons this afternoon in a bid to drive a 'menopause revolution'. HRT is a lifeline for many women suffering symptoms of the menopause, but a prescription can cost 9.35 per item. Mrs Harris's private member's Bill would make it free for women in England, as it is in Scotland and Wales. Prescription charges for hormone replacement therapy could be scrapped under a proposed law The Bill also covers menopause rights, entitlements and education, which will be explored further by a new all-party parliamentary group. Mrs Harris said last night: 'For far too long, generation after generation of women have been let down, ignored or simply thrown on the scrapheap as a result of the menopause. 'Despite affecting more than half of the world's population, menopause remains one of the last great taboos badly funded and rarely discussed in public. It is also poorly understood: in the workplace, in society at large and far too often, even in the doctor's surgery. 'It is clear that we need both a step change in attitudes, and a change in the law.' Labour MP Carolyn Harris will present her Menopause (Support and Services) Bill to the Commons this afternoon in a bid to drive a 'menopause revolution' Menopause campaigner Elizabeth Carr-Ellis said it was 'brilliant to see some action' on the issue. 'For too long the needs of menopausal women have been ignored, overlooked or downplayed, leaving women suffering in silence and ignorance,' she said. 'It took me almost four years of going back and forth to the GP to get help and even then, it was my husband who finally realised all my symptoms were menopause. 'It has taken another three years to get my HRT right through lack of understanding from my GPs. 'Many women I know have given up with the NHS and paid privately, some into the thousands of pounds, for help money they can barely afford at times. That is why I am so happy to see Carolyn's Bill enter into Parliament so everyone will understand what menopause is and the impact it can have.' In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 51, but around one in 100 experience it before turning 40. A heroin-addled mother and her son have been jailed after she bashed his friend during a row over $5,000 he won on the pokies. Balbinder Singh, 44, and her son Joshua Rice, 20, both pleaded guilty to armed robbery in company with the use of personal violence after a home invasion in Clontarf in Brisbane's north in June 2020. The court heard Rice accused his friend of not following through on a promise to share the money he had won on a poker machine. The victim offered to let Rice stay with him in the days before the bashing after his friend had reached out to him in distress, the court heard. Balbinder Singh, 44, and her son Joshua Rice, 20, both pleaded guilty to armed robbery in company with the use of personal violence after a home invasion in Clontarf in Brisbane's north in June 2020 Rice accused the victim of not following through on the promise during his stay and then asked him to hand over the money again the night before the armed robbery. The court heard Rice, Singh and two others approached the victim's home on the evening of June 4 of last year according to North-West News. The victim threatened to call the police if they came through the gate, prompting Singh to call him a 'dog c**t'. The co-accused then stormed into the home and tried to steal his bum bag. Singh then bashed the man with a bottle and stomped on him, with the court hearing she told him 'take that you dog s**t' during the attack. The court heard Rice, who had suffered through a dysfunctional childhood partly due to his mother's drug addiction, had a sideline role as a facilitator in the home invasion. The court heard Rice, Singh and two others approached the victim's home on the evening of June 4 of last year according to North-West News (Clontarf pictured) Two others have entered pleas of not guilty. Singh was given a three-year prison term while Rice was sentenced to two-and-a-half years behind bars. He was then immediately released on parole. A majority of Australians are worried they don't have enough to retire on as surging property prices delay their ability to pay off mortgages in a reasonable time. Six out of 10 respondents to the ABC's Australia Talks survey cited insufficient superannuation as a major personal worry. Women were even more concerned with 64 per cent regarding retirement savings as a problem for them, compared to 55 per cent of men. The Grattan Institute think tank, however, said older Australians on middle incomes didn't need to worry if they had paid off their home by retirement age, accusing the superannuation industry of spreading fear about insufficient retirement savings. It suggested $150,000 was enough for an adequate retirement, a figure well below the superannuation industry's recommendation of a $535,000 retirement balance. But with average property prices in New South Wales now above the $1million mark for the first time ever, many Australians will still be paying off their mortgage in their sixties. SuperRatings chief executive Kirby Rappell said someone who hadn't paid off their mortgage needed more to retire on. 'The assumption is, for many older Australians, not all, they are more likely to own their own home,' he told Daily Mail Australia. A majority of Australians are worried they don't have enough to retire on as surging property prices delay when mortgages are paid off. Six out of ten respondents to the ABC's Australia Talks survey cited insufficient superannuation as a major personal worry. Stock image How worried are most Australians about their super? WOMEN: 34 per cent said it was 'very much a problem' while another 30 per cent said it was 'somewhat a problem' Overall, that equated to 64 per cent who said it was a problem MEN: 25 per cent said it was 'very much a problem' while another 30 per cent said it was 'somewhat a problem' Overall, that equated to 55 per cent who said it was a problem Source: ABC Australia Talks online survey of 60,000 people Advertisement Surging house prices, however, will see many baby boomers, who are retiring soon, still making monthly mortgage repayments in their sixties. 'You'd suspect the average size of the mortgage has gone up somewhat over the past 10 years which probably creates an issue for the future,' Mr Rappell said. The ABC results, based on a survey of 60,000 people, were published only days after the Australian Taxation Office revealed average super balances across all age groups stood at just $143,979 in the 2018-19 financial year. That would barely cover two-and-a-half years of early retirement living, if superannuation industry figures are anything to go by. Retirement savings for most employees is well short of the $535,000 the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia recommends for a single person to retire on comfortably. For couples, the figure is $640,000. Despite that, Grattan Institute economist Brendan Coates said $150,000 would be enough for a single Australian accustomed to earning a median salary who had paid off their home during their four decades in work. 'For the average Australian, for the average worker earning $60,000 a year then having $150,000 to $200,000 in super is probably enough,' he told Daily Mail Australia. Grattan Institute economist Brendan Coates said $150,000 would be enough for a single Australian accustomed to earning a median salary who had paid off their home. The $535,000 super industry figure for a 'comfortable' retirement catered to higher income earners. Pictured are women at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse When can Australians access their super? For those born before July 1, 1960, it's 55 The rises to 56 for baby boomers born between July 1, 1960 and June 30, 1961 It's 57 for those born between July 1, 1961 and June 30, 1962 It's 58 for those born between July 1, 1962 and June 30, 1963 It's 59 for those born between July 1, 1963 and June 30, 1964 It's 60 for anyone born after July 1, 1964 Source: moneysmart.gov.au Advertisement Mr Coates said ASFA's $535,000 retirement savings figure was only necessary for a higher income earning, on close to $100,000 a year, who wanted a more lavish retirement which included overseas holidays. 'They're worried because all the communications from the superannuation industry are for a living standard that is higher than they ever had while they were working,' he said. 'The industry is essentially spreading fear that most people are not going to have enough when the objective evidence is most Australians who retire in future will retire as well off if not better off that what they were when they were working.' The super sector's figure for a 'comfortable' retirement is modelled on the top 25 per cent of income earners. 'If you're a relatively high-income Australian, earning $80,000 or $100,000-plus a year, then yes, that is probably the right standard for you,' Mr Coates said. 'Most Australians retire with much less than that and they are perfectly comfortable - it means having a holiday every year, it means going on overseas trips from time to time.' ASFA recommended singles have $43,901 a year for their twilight years compared with $62,083. Treasury has slightly more ambitious goals, based on someone retiring at 65 and already owning their own home. With average property prices in on state now above the $1million mark for the first time ever, many Australians will still be paying off their mortgage in their sixties. Pictured is a house up for auction at Strathfield in Sydney's inner west The federal government's Retirement Income Review last year recommended Australians have 65 to 75 per cent of their previous disposable income to live off every year. For someone taking home $64,000, after tax, that works out at between $42,000 and $48,000 a year to live relatively comfortably. The average price for houses and units in New South Wales climbed above the $1million mark for the first time ever during the March quarter, new Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed. 'If you do not own your own home, then that is a big risk for you heading into retirement - that is the cohort we should be worried about,' Mr Coates said. Retirement savings for most employees is well short of the $535,000 the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia recommends for a single person to retire on comfortably Sydney's average property price climbed by 6.1 per cent in just three months. Victoria's average property price rose to $834,600 as Melbourne's equivalent home values climbed by 5.1 per cent during the March quarter. The Australian Capital Territory had the third most expensive average property price of $809,600 as Canberra prices soared by 5.6 per cent during the first three months of 2021. From July 1, compulsory employer super contributions are rising to 10 per cent from 9.5 per cent. It will increase by half a percentage point at the start of each financial year until it reaches 12 per cent by mid-2025. The Grattan Institute is opposed to the increase in compulsory super, arguing people who reached their eighties spent less as the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the aged pension sufficiently covered medical and living expenses. A missing teenage girl last seen in the 'company of a man' has sparked a frantic search in Queensland. Police have requested urgent assistance in locating the 14-year old who was last seen at Nambour train station on the Sunshine Coast early on Tuesday morning. Daily Mail Australia understands the missing girl has made her way to Brisbane, located an hour-and-a-half drive from her home. Missing teen from the Queensland town of Nambour (pictured) is believed to have reached Brisbane in the company of a man with connections to Ipswich The teen may be in the company of a man who has connections to Ipswich, a 40 minute drive north-east of Brisbane. When last sighted, the girl was wearing dark coloured clothing, including dark tights and a moroon (or purple) jumper. She is described as Caucasian, 170cm tall with long brown hair, brown eyes and of slim build. Missing girl last seen at 9.00am yesterday at Nambour's train station (photo) Anyone with information regarding the girls whereabouts are urged to contact police immediately. If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting. Report crime information anonymously via Crime Stoppers. Israel's former prime minister has said that Ilhan Omar is 'unworthy' to sit in Congress following her 'ignorant, simplistic and shallow' criticism of his country. Ehud Olmert, prime minister from 2006-9, was asked on a New York radio show about Omar's controversial tweet on June 7, drawing parallels between the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban. Olmert, 75, said her remarks were 'vicious and completely unacceptable'. 'I must say I'm not particularly impressed with this comment,' he told Rita Cosby's radio show on Tuesday. 'I think it's vicious, and completely unacceptable. 'I think most of all it shows a total lack of understanding and ignorance of this congresswoman. 'She's ignorant, she is simplistic, she is shallow to be able to say that - and she is completely obsessed with her biases because of her religion, she needs to identify with the Palestinians, the Arabs.' Ehud Olmert, who served as prime minister of Israel from 2006-9, is pictured in February 2020. The Israeli leader on Tuesday was asked about controversial comments made my Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar, drawing comparisons between Israel, Hamas, the U.S. and Taliban Olmert said that Omar, one of the first Muslim members of congress, was 'ignorant' and held 'shallow and simplistic' views Omar, a Somali-born former refugee who is one of the first Muslims elected to Congress, has long been at odds with her Democrat colleagues on Israel. 'We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity,' she tweeted on June 7. 'We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.' Her comments were consistent with her fierce criticism of the country - to the discomfort of many within her party, and the fury of Republicans. Kevin McCarthy, the House Minority Leader, on Tuesday called Omar 'anti-Semitic' and 'anti-American', and urged Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Olmert, refusing to be drawn in to domestic U.S. politics, said that you did not need to be a supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister until last week, to disagree with her lumping Hamas and Israel into the same category. 'I am a big opponent of Netanyahu and his policies, and I have been so for many years,' said Olmert. 'But how anyone can say that there is any similarity between a terrorist organization which is shooting at civilians and cities of Israel on a continuous basis for years, rockets that end up killing innocent people? 'We tried during the last encounter with Hamas to hit only specific positions which were named by Hamas terrorists. We may have made a mistake - if it happened, it was contrary to our policies and plans. 'While Hamas is shooting continuously to our cities. 'So there is no such comparison. 'I think it shows stupidity, ignorance, shallowness and a simplistic attitude.' He spoke as Israeli aircraft carried out a series of airstrikes at militant sites in the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Wednesday - the first such raids since a shaky ceasefire ended the war with Hamas last month. Israeli forces shell the Palestinian enclave at Khan Yunis, ending the brief ceasefire Israel's military said the explosions were a response to the launching of incendiary balloons that caused fires in fields in southern Israel Explosions light-up the night sky above buildings in Gaza City as Israeli forces shell the Palestinian enclave The airstrikes targeted facilities used by Hamas militants for meetings to plan attacks, the Israeli military said, blaming the group for any act of violence emanating from Gaza. There were no immediate reports of casualties. On Tuesday, hundreds of Israeli ultra-nationalists paraded in east Jerusalem in a show of force that threatened to spark renewed violence. Palestinians in Gaza responded by launching incendiary balloons that caused at least 10 fires in southern Israel. The march posed a test for Israel's fragile new government as well as the tenuous truce that ended last month's 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. New York City once again saw pro-Palestine marches, although there were no reports of violent altercations. Olmert said that it was unfortunate that Omar, 38, held such views. 'It is sad that a congresswoman of the United States can be so shallow and simplistic. 'But you have 435 congressmen, so some sometimes can be unworthy.' Asked by Cosby whether he felt she should be stripped of her committee assignments, as some demanded, Olmert said it was not his place to decide. 'I think that it is not my position, not my status to offer whether a person should be there or not,' he said. 'I leave it to the discretion of the leadership of the Democrat party. 'But I think she is ignorant and obsessive. 'And she lacks the ignorance and wisdom that is expected of a person in such an important place as the Congress of the United States of America.' Omar last week tried edging away from a bitter fight with Jewish Democratic lawmakers, saying her remarks were 'in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries.' Omar last week insisted that she was not equating democratically-elected governments and terrorist organizations, but Republicans are insisting that an explanation is not enough A three-sentence statement by the Minnesota Democrat also said her comments were 'not a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the U.S. and Israel,' and seemed to dial back a more confrontational tone she had taken earlier. In a series of tweets, Omar had said her critics' public rebuke of her was 'shameful,' accused them of 'Islamophobic tropes' and said she was merely seeking justice 'for all victims of crimes against humanity.' Minutes after Omar released her latest remarks, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the other top five House Democratic leaders issued an unusual joint statement making clear they had disapproved of Omars initial comments. '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,' the leaders 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.' The leaders' statement seemed designed to try defusing their party's latest rancorous dispute over the Middle East. That schism has generally pitted younger progressives against older, establishment-leaning lawmakers who are more pro-Israel, a divide that has intensified since last months 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. More than 10,000 south-east Asians will be lured to Australia to pick fruit and vegetables under a new visa to help tackle a crippling labor shortage. The agriculture visa, which is due to be in place before the end of the year, was announced on Tuesday night after Scott Morrison and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed a historic UK-Australia free trade deal. The deal exempts British backpackers from having to work for three months on a farm to qualify for a second year in Australia, meaning farmers will lose about 10,000 workers a year. More than 10,000 south-east Asians from 10 nations (pictured) will be lured to Australia to pick fruit and vegetables The new visa, available to the UK and 10 nations from the ASEAN group - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam - is designed to more than make up the shortfall. The visa will allow people to work on Australian farms for three years, although they must return home for three months each year so their nations also benefit as they spend money in the local economy. It comes as Covid border closures have left farmers desperate for workers with only 40,000 backpackers left in the country, down from 160,000 in normal times. A scheme to pay Australians $6,000 to relocate to the bush failed as Aussies turned their noses up at the long hours and gruelling work. 'Unfortunately Australians can't be incentivised to go and have a crack at these jobs. We've got to be honest about that,' Agriculture Minister David Littleproud told ABC radio on Wednesday. Covid border closures have left farmers desperate for workers with only 40,000 backpackers left in the country, down from 160,000 in normal times Mr Littleproud said the foreign workers could be let into the country via state-run quarantine camps or alternatively do two weeks of quarantine in their home nations before flying, if states agreed. Unions have raised fears that poor workers with little English could be exploited by farmers after a union survey of 1300 seasonal workers found 78 per cent were underpaid with some earning as little as $9 a day. But Mr Littleproud insists bad apples among employers are a minority with conditions almost always up to award standards. 'Anyone that doesn't [pay properly], needs to be found out and weeded out - they're a cancer,' he said. 'It's dangerous where you've got unions running around and demonising farmers broadly when that's not the case.' Australian Workers Union secretary Daniel Walton described the move as shameless, stupid and immoral. 'Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson have decided it's wrong for Brits to be exposed to exploitation and abuse on Australian farms, but apparently it's OK for Southeast Asians,' he said. He said the minister's claims Australians were not motivated to do the jobs were 'absolute garbage'. 'They can be incentivised to do those jobs with decent pay and conditions that protect them from abuse,' Mr Walton said. British people under the age of 35 will be able to work in Australia for three years without having to complete farm work 'If the government goes ahead with this abhorrent proposal exploitation and abuse on Australian farms will explode.' Mr Morrison backed an agriculture visa in 2018 but later said the expansion of existing migration programs meant there was no longer a need for a dedicated category. 'That is something I've had a positive view on for some time,' Mr Morrison told reporters in London. Victorian Farmers Federation vice-president Emma Germano, who has long pushed for the visa, said it was needed for horticulture, as well as other skilled and unskilled jobs in other sectors. 'From milkers, livestock farm hands, pickers, packers, machinery drivers; everyone is having trouble finding labour,' she said. 'Right now we need smart policy solutions for a wicked human capital problem and I hope this decision opens the door to a resolution.' A Hawaii police officer has been charged with murder and two have been charged with attempted murder for the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old suspected car thief. The charges were announced by prosecutors on Tuesday, less than a week after a grand jury declined to indict the same three officers in the shooting that killed Iremamber Sykap on April 5. Geoffrey Thom was charged with one count of second-degree murder, while Zackary Ah Nee and Christopher Fredeluces were each charged with one count of second-degree attempted murder. All three officers face up to life in prison without parole if convicted. Thom, 42, is a five-year veteran of the Honolulu Police Department. Ah Nee, 26, and Fredeluces, 40, have served in the department for three and 10 years, respectively. A Honolulu police officer has been charged with murder and two others have been charged with attempted murder in connection with an April 5 shooting that killed 16-year-old car theft suspect Iremamber Sykap (pictured) during a police chase This photos from the Honolulu Police Department shows the trajectories of eight bullets that entered the drivers seat of the white Honda driven by Sykap on April 5 In this April 28, 2021, file photo, bouquets, deflated balloons, candles and other items decorate a street memorial by the Kalakaua Canal where Sykap was fatally shot Interim Honolulu Police Department Chief Rade Vanic said he was surprised by the prosecutor's decision to seek charges after a grand jury decided not to indict. 'This is highly unusual, and we are not aware of a similar action having been taken in the past. While we await the court's decision, we will continue to protect and serve the community as we have always done,' he said in a statement. The officers will have their police powers removed, and they will be assigned to desk duty. Malcom Lutu, the president of the state police officers' union, said in a statement: 'We continue to trust the process and will continue to stand by our officers.' Police have said Sykap was driving a stolen Honda Civic linked to an armed robbery, burglary, purse snatching and car theft and led officers on a chase before the shooting. Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Van Marter said in court documents that Thom fired 10 rounds into the rear window of the Honda 'without provocation.' Police were pursuing this stolen white Honda Civic when officers opened five on the fleeing vehicle, which was carrying Sykap and his brother One of the rounds struck Sykap in the back of the head and entered his brain Sykap's brother Mark, who was a passenger, suffered gunshot wounds in his right shoulder and right hand This evidence photo shows what appear to be bloodstains on the driver's seat, where Sykap was shot eight times, with one of the bullets severing his aorta Eight of the shots hit Sykap, injuring him in the back of the head, back of the neck, upper back and left arm. One of the shots severed the teen's aorta, another entered his brain, and additional shots pierced his left lung, causing 'extreme' internal bleeding. Sykap was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital. Fredeluces fired one shot but did not hit Sykap, he said. Van Marter said that while Thom claimed the Honda rammed into his patrol car, body camera footage didn't show that. Thom's patrol car sustained 'a few minor paint chips and some black scuffmarks,' Van Marter said. He said Ah Nee fired multiple times at Mark Sykap, Iremamber's brother who was also in the car. Mark suffered gunshot wounds in his right shoulder and right hand. Police have refused to release officer body camera footage from the shooting. A stuffed bear sits at a street memorial for Sykap, whose nickname was 'Baby' because he was the youngest of eight children Matt Dvonch, special counsel to Honolulu prosecutor Steve Alm, said it's not unusual for prosecutors to ask a judge to find probable cause that a crime has likely been committed even after a grand jury has declined to indict a person. He said the prosecution wasn't bringing any new evidence for the case that they didn't have when the case went before the grand jury. Eric Seitz, an attorney representing Sykap's family in a civil lawsuit against the city and as-of-yet unidentified police officers, said he was gratified prosecutors were pursuing the case. 'We have suspected from the beginning when we began to get information about how the events unfolded, that the shooting was entirely unjustified,' he said. 'Now that weve seen the further evidence thats contained and attached to the charges, theres no question in our minds that this was an event that could have been and should have been prevented.' A lawsuit filed by Sykap's grandmother and mother argues that the officers violated department policy and use-of-force standards when they shot the teen, who was unarmed and posed no risk to them. It says officers kept firing after the car lurched forward and ended up in a ditch. The family's lawsuit alleges negligence, assault and battery. It asks a state court to award damages, reimburse costs and declare that the officers' use of deadly force was unlawful and unauthorized. Jacquie Esser, a state deputy public defender who is not involved in the case, said it is critical that police be held accountable for when they use excessive force and kill unarmed people or if they commit misconduct. 'This is a huge step towards accountability, which is critical for the communitys trust in their policing system,' she said. The three officers were scheduled to appear in court on June 25. A young Iremamber Sykap goes fishing on July 14, 2012 at Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden in Kaneohe, Hawaii as his grandmother, Akiwine Sykap, looks on A young Sykap sits on a rock on June 14, 2014 at a farm in Waianae, Hawaii. His family are from Micronesia, but he was born in Guam Sykap's family is from the small Pacific island of Chuuk, Micronesia, but he was born in Guam, a US. territory, said his mother, Yovita Sykap. Ann Hansen befriended Sykap's family in 2008 and became godmother to him and four of his siblings after noticing they walked 3 miles each way to get to the Cathedral of St. Andrew, an Episcopal church in downtown Honolulu. People called him 'Baby' because he was the youngest of eight, she said. Hansen said she used to drive him to ukulele lessons. There has been an outpouring of support for the slain teen, including a memorial for Sykap at a street corner near where the shooting took place. Furious parents have spoken out against a school board member who told graduating high school students to remember 'jihad' as they 'entered a world of white supremacy'. Asra Nomani, a Muslim mom in the district, said the speech by Fairfax County School Board member, Abrar Omeish, was a 'wake up call.' 'Political Islam has joined with radical left to hijack our schools,' she told Fox & Friends on Tuesday. Nomani, and many other parents, spoke out after the comments by Omeish, the sole Muslim school board member, at the graduation event at Justice High School on June 7. In English, Omeish told them that: 'The world sees the accolade, the diploma, the fruit of all your years yet be reminded of the detail of your struggle.' But when she repeated the speech in Arabic, she told students to remember their 'jihad' - a word meaning both 'struggle' and, specifically, holy war waged on behalf of Islam. She also warned they were entering a world of, 'racism, extreme versions of individualism and capitalism, [and] white supremacy.' Scroll down for video Asra Nomani, a parent in the district, added, 'Political Islam has joined with radical left to hijack our schools' 'I think it's important for your viewers to know that Abrar Omeishs comments here are incendiary comments, are not the first example of divisive and anti-Semitic rhetoric,' parent Gary Aiken (right) said on Fox & Friends 'It was just really depressing,' Nomani said of the speech. Nomani, former WSJ columnist, slammed the speech as 'indicative of radicalization' at 'school boards and school districts and schools across the country, from principals to teachers to political operatives like [Omeish].' 'The script was written years ago,' Nomani added. 'Omeish, I know her very well, I'm also a Muslim ... her father and the elders of the community that brought her to office are part of this network of political Islam in America that has joined together with the far left in order to create a trojan horse ... to basically hijack our schools with their radical ideology. 'It's something parents in Fairfax County, Virginia are very alarmed about ... this is a wake-up call to everyone across the country that they've got to be vigilant in our school districts,' Nomani concluded. Another dad of a Fairfax student branded Omeishs statement as 'incendiary.' 'I think it's important for your viewers to know that Abrar Omeishs comments here are incendiary comments, are not the first example of divisive and anti-Semitic rhetoric,' parent Gary Aiken said on Fox & Friends. According to his Twitter account, Aiken was a former candidate for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Aiken went on to claim that Omeish had posted anti-Semitic tweets on her social media pages. 'And this caused huge outrage among over 250,000 Jewish Americans here in Northern Virginia and it sparked outrage across all political lines and there were calls for her to apologize,' Aiken continued. 'She offered no apology. She doubled down on it.' He also claimed that it was 'absurd' to think that Omeish didn't represent the school while making her comments and that nobody proofed her speech. Abrar Omeish, the sole Muslim member of a school board in Virginia told graduating students at Justice High School to remember the 'jihad' of their upbringing at their commencement on June 7 A petition calling for Omeish's removal is circulating following her COVID-19 response In addition to Aiken's comments, a petition is circulating for the recall of Omeish, although that has to do with her opposition to fully reopening schools in the district in response to the coronavirus. 'At some points, I was fighting hard to stay closed and at other points, I was fighting to stay open,' Omeish told Reston Now. 'My commitment without question has always been about balancing the safety and wellbeing of our students for their academic success.' Her Libya-born father Esam Omeish, a surgeon, was forced to resign from the Virginia Commission on Immigration in 2007 when video emerged from the year before, showing him condemning Israel and advocating 'the jihad way.' His daughter, who was previously called to resign for an anti-Israel tweet, said the school was her father's alma mater, and told the graduating class that they were entering a world ruled by white supremacy and capitalism. 'We struggle with human greed, racism, extreme versions of individualism and capitalism, white supremacy growing wealth gaps, disease, climate crisis extreme poverty amidst luxury and waste right next door, and the list goes on,' she told the group. 'The world may try to quiet you by deciding for you what's cool, what's weird, what is or isn't objective. It may try to convince you that what you hold dear is too different to be accepted. But who gets to decide? 'You are walking into a world that will be uncomfortable when you seek to cause good trouble. And that may seek to intimidate you or make you think the truth is controversial,' she said. 'Every part of your being may scream in rage at the ways others have wronged you,' but 'let compassion for your fellow human beings, not anger or rage and believe me this is hard to do fuel you.' Omeish, who was 24 when she won her place on the board in November 2019, making her one of Virginia's youngest elected officials, has touted various progressive initiatives at the school. She has promoted a Black History Month assembly that ensured, she said, 'that we confront our history and answer honestly about the ills of our past.' Others included the school's first-time recognition of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, and the school's Equity Club, which she said had become a standard in the Fairfax School District. She also sparked controversy recently for her tweet attacking Israel. On May 13, she posted: 'Hurts my heart to celebrate while Israel kills Palestinians & desecrates the Holy Land right now. 'Apartheid & colonization were wrong yesterday and will be today, here and there.' Omeish recently faced controversy and calls for her to resign for a tweet critical of Israel The tweet sparked such strong backlash that the Fairfax County Republican Committee called on Omeish to resign. Instead, she refused and hit out at her 'haters' calling them a 'different breed' of cheerleader. 'No matter how many haters emerge, I'm sure you've encountered them yourselves, and believe me they're a sign you're unsettling the status quo towards justice,' she said. 'Just consider them your cheerleaders of another breed. When they try to bury you, remind them you are a seed.' The Daily Mail reached out to Omeish for comment. In 2017 the Fairfax school board voted to change the school name from J.E.B. Stuart High School to Justice High School, to lose the name honoring a famous Confederate general. The name was changed after a group of students approached Sandy Evans, the school board's Mason District representative, in 2015 after learning about the role that Jeb Stuart - as he was known - played as one of General Robert E. Lee's most trusted generals. The students' calls to rename their school gained traction when film and TV producer Bruce Cohen and Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore, who had both attended Stuart, started an online petition suggesting Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall's name as a substitute. Created on July 31, 2015, the petition on Change.org attracted nearly 40,000 supporters. But the debate about the renaming continued for two years. Those who supported a new name argued the school should no longer be named after a Confederate general who fought to preserve slavery. Opponents decried the effort as a costly attempt to rewrite history. The board voted seven to two, with two abstentions, to change the name in July 2015, during a raucous meeting that included an appearance by Civil War reenactors dressed in Rebel and Union army costumes. The high school is one of the most diverse in Fairfax, with more than 78 per cent of the school's 2,130 students being either Hispanic, black, Asian or multiracial, while whites comprise 22 per cent, according to The Washington Post. Omeish was elected to the board two years after the name change, following a campaign in which she stated that she was the first Libyan-American elected to any office nationwide. While campaigning, in March 2019, she was stopped by police for turning right on a red light at a Fairfax intersection. She alleges she was a victim of police brutality and discrimination after being pepper-sprayed and dragged from her car after a traffic stop and later forced to remove her headscarf. The police said she refused to provide her identity documents. When she was arrested, they said they followed procedure by taking one booking photo without her headscarf, and one with, while screening her from sight. 'It makes no logical sense to me that, within three minutes, an officer would have to pull mace and that it would escalate and devolve into everything it was that night, over a minor traffic violation,' she told The Washington Post at the time. Police body camera footage from March 2019 shows Omeish being arrested She was maced and dragged out of the car in the incident, which she described as excessive Omeish grew up in Virginia - her father left Libya when he was 15, settling in Fall's Church. Her mother is a scientist, with a PhD in molecular genetics. She attended Robinson Secondary school in Fairfax, Virginia, and went to Yale for her undergraduate degree. She then studied for a master's degree in public policy at Georgetown University, on a full scholarship. She worked at a human rights law firm in Tysons and as a substitute teacher before being elected to the board, and 10 years ago launched a nonprofit, GIVE, to help disadvantaged children with education. In 2019 she spoke at International Institute for Islamic Thought - a Virginia-based group, co-founded by Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, which in 2002 was raided in connection with investigation into financing of terrorism. Her photo remains on their website. In 2020, she was Virginia co-chair of Bernie for President. From March to June 2020, she was on the Democratic National Convention rules committee. Omeish's father was an outspoken, at times controversial, activist. Esam Omeish, father of Abrar Omeish, is pictured speaking at a memorial service in November 2018 for his friend, Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered by Saudi forces inside the consulate in Istanbul In 2005 he was president of the Muslim American Society, a group identified by federal prosecutors as the 'overt arm' of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. Some anti-terror groups have for years been critical of the Muslim American Society, alleging that it is essentially a front group for Islamic radicals and citing links to the Muslim Brotherhood, a popular movement in the Muslim world that advocates the formation of Islamic governments in the Middle East. He said the Muslim American Society was formed as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood but now is completely separate. He praised the Brotherhood for taking what he said has been a more moderate outlook in recent years. Asked if the society agrees with the U.S. government's designation of Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist groups, Omeish said, 'We are Americans. We stand by the position of our government.' He added that 'the Palestinian cause is a just cause.' He also served on the board of Dar al Hijrah mosque, a Falls Church, Virginia-based mosque which critics say has a long history of ties to terrorism finance. Anwar Al-Awlaki, the Yemeni-American terror financier killed by a drone strike in 2011, was hired in 2001 to be the imam at the mosque. Two of the September 11 hijackers briefly prayed there. The mosque condemned Al-Awlaki, saying they had no idea of what he would later become. Al-Awlaki left the U.S. in 2002, moving first to London and then to Yemen. A New South Wales highway patrolman has won over the internet after he came to the rescue of a group of young women stranded by the roadside of the busy M1 freeway. Alanna Smith and her two sisters, Bella and Olivia, plus cousins Britt and Eb Perrin were left helpless when their car got a puncture near the Brooklyn Bridge over the Hawkesbury River, north of Sydney. But passing motorcycle highway patrol officer Jon Beckerleg became a TikTok star when the shining knight stopped to lend a helping hand to the young ladies. Within moments, he was inside the car's boot to find the spare tyre for them before he got down on the ground to change the wheel for them. And in the process he also gave them a quick lesson in how to do it for themselves in future. The cop's kind act came to light when Alanna, 22, from Sydney, shared a video clip of the moment on her @.alannabanana TikTok channel. The video - with the appropriate backing track 'Bad Day' by Daniel Powter - revealed how Britt had told the officer: 'We don't have a dad' as he offered his help. 'He made it his mission to teach us how to change a tyre,' captioned Alanna on the video. As he undid the wheelnuts like a pro, she added: 'Look at him go!' A New South Wales highway patrolman (pictured) has won over the internet after he came to the rescue of a family of young women stranded by the roadside of the busy M1 freeway After replacing the wheel, the officer - wearing his highway patrol leather jacket - then showed them how to tighten the bolts on opposite sides. As they filmed him riding off down the highway after his Good Samaritan act, Alanna added the caption: 'Bye Dad'. 'We were so grateful,' Ms Smith told Daily Mail Australia. 'We were continuously saying thank you! 'I'm still not confident I'd be able to change a wheel next time I need to - but at least we now have the video to refer to!' The women were heading home to Sydney after a weekend in Newcastle when they were alerted to a problem with the wheel by passing cars while stuck in traffic. 'We hadnt even all got out of the car when the police officer pulled up asking if we were okay and helped us change the tyre,' said Ms Smith. 'After everything was finished he helped us pack everything back into my boot and made sure we were all in the car safely - and even made a gap for us to pull out in front of him on the highway before he drove away.' The passing motorcycle highway patrol officer (pictured) became a TikTok star when the shining knight stopped to lend a helping hand to the damsels in distress The clip has been viewed 190,000 times in less than 24 hours after it was posted, with plenty of viewers praising the policeman's good deed. But it reached an even wider audience when New South Wales Police saw the video and reposted it on their Facebook page, quickly amassing thousands of likes. 'The traffic officer stopped to help these people who weren't sure how to change a tyre,' NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia. 'He was concerned for their safety and stopped to assist - and gave them a life lesson in the process too!' 'That's a good cop doing his job but lending a helping hand to someone stuck - RESPECT,' wrote Hector Dean Hill. 'Not all heroes wear capes,' added Pauline Ringland. But others said the clip highlighted the need for basic car care maintenance to be part of driving licence requirements. 'Great work from the officer. Hopefully he is rewarded for this,' wrote Beggsy Beggs. 'It does however show how woefully inadequate our driver training is. 'This should be a requirement of getting your P plates. You should be able to check, and top up, all fluids, check tyre pressures, change a globe and change a tyre as a minimum. 'If you can't do this then you may be driving an unsafe vehicle.' Jon Stewart clashed with fellow late night TV titan Stephen Colbert on Monday when he suggested that COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan laboratory. Stewart, who joined his friend on the first in-person The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 15 months, was asked what he thought about the 'science' behind virus detection and prevention. To which the liberal host replied: 'I think we owe a great deal of gratitude to science.' 'Science has, in many ways, helped ease the suffering of the pandemic, which was more than likely caused by science,' he added, suggesting the virus was manmade. The comment earned him laughter from the crowd at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, and a confused look from the host. He then asked Stewart: 'Do you mean perhaps there's a chance that this was created in a lab?' 'A chance? Stewart responded. 'Oh my god, there's a novel respiratory coronavirus overtaking Wuhan, China, what do we do? Oh you know who we should ask? The Wuhan novel respiratory coronavirus lab.' Scroll down for video Jon Stewart appeared on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' on Monday night After catching up with his friend, Stewart suggested that the coronavirus originated at a laboratory in Wuhan, China, saying it seemed too coincidental the Wuhan Institute of Virology was studying coronaviruses when COVID-19 originated in Wuhan 'The disease is the same name as the lab,' he said incredulously. 'That's just a little too weird!' 'Then they ask the scientists, how did this happen and they're like 'A penguin kissed a turtle?'' he said, shrugging humorously, drawing more laughter. 'And you're like 'no' if you look at the name, let me see your business card, show me your business card,' he demanded, acting as if Colbert had a business card. 'Oh I work at the coronavirus la in Wuhan? Oh 'cause there's a coronavirus loose in Wuhan. How did that happen?' ''Maybe a bat flew into the cloaca of a turkey, and then it sneezed into my chili and now we all have coronavirus?'' Stewart said, appearing to make fun of the scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. He then compares it to 'an outbreak of chocolatey goodness near Hershey, Pennsylvania.' 'What do you think happened?' he asked, rhetorically. 'I don't know , maybe a steam shovel mated with a cocoa bean.' 'Or it's the f****** chocolate factory.' Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, originally dismissed the idea that the virus originated in a lab but later said it should be investigated At that point, Colbert acknowledges that experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci are now considering the idea that the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan, but pushed back against Stewart, saying: 'It could be possible that they have the lab in Wuhan to study the novel coronavirus diseases because in Wuhan there are a lot of coronavirus diseases because of the bat population there.' 'It's a local specialty, and it's the only place you can find bats,' Stewart joked. 'Austin, Texas has thousands of them that fly out of a cave every night at dusk. Is there an Austin coronavirus?' 'No there doesn't seem to be an Austin coronavirus,' Stewart said. 'The only coronavirus we have is in Wuhan where they have a lab called - what's the lab called again, Stephen?' 'The Wuhan novel coronavirus lab,' Colbert responds. 'I believe that's the case,' Stewart replied. 'And how long have you worked for Senator Ron Johnson,' Colbert asked, referring to a conservative senator, to laughter and applause. 'This is the problem with science,' Stewart said. 'Science is incredible, but they don't know when to stop and no one in the room with those cats ever goes - 'I don't know if we should do that.' 'I agree with you, if science can do it, they will do it,' Colbert responded. 'They will though,' Stewart said. 'They're like 'Oh curiosity killed the cat. Oh well, let's kill 10,000 cats to find out why,' and you're like that's what science does, they push things.' The Wuhan lab-leak theory has gained traction over the past few weeks with even Dr Fauci admitting it is possible. Staff members work in a laboratory in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province February 2020 Stewart's comments drew criticism from Washington Post columnist Paul Waldman Stewart then approached the camera himself and said: 'I have been alone so long, and when I realized that the laboratory was having the same name - first name and last name - of the evil that has been plaguing us, I thought to myself, that's f**** up.' The comments drew criticism from Washington Post columnist Paul Waldman. 'It seems like a long time ago now, but Jon Stewart used to be an immensely important figure sitting at the place where politics and pop culture meet,' Waldman wrote about the former 'Daily Show' host. 'But these days, he's retired and only emerges from time to time, and because he always delighted more in skewering Republicans, it was a bit shocking to see him go on an extended rant on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' about the coronavirus lab-leak theory.' He claimed that the lab-leak theory 'has become associated with conservatives trying to prove that former president Donald Trump was right about everything' and knocked the liberal comedian for suggesting 'it's the only plausible explanation for the source of the virus.' Fauci flip-flops on origins of COVID April 2020: Fauci repeatedly made public statements suggesting COVID was the result of an 'unusual human-animal interface' in a Chinese 'wet market' and that 'the mutations that it took to get to the point where it is now is totally consistent with a jump of a species from an animal to a human.' May 2020: Still adamant that he didn't believe COVID was man-made, Fauci told National Geographic: 'If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats and what's out there now, [the scientific evidence] is very, very strongly leaning toward this could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated. 'Everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that [this virus] evolved in nature and then jumped species.' Late May 2021 to early June 2021: During an event called 'United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking,' Fauci was asked if was 'still confident' that the virus evolved naturally. 'No, actually I am not convinced about that. I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened. 'Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out.' 'So, you know, that's the reason why I said I'm perfectly in favor of any investigation that looks into the origin of the virus.' Advertisement 'This provides an important lesson about celebrities: You shouldn't get your political opinions from them, or your scientific opinions either,' Waldman wrote. 'I know what you're going to say: 'That's just because this time a liberal celebrity is taking a position you don't like!' But it's not that. On the lab leak question, I'm agnostic. Might that be where the virus came from? Sure. Or maybe not.' 'But it matters only for the historical record and questions like 'What should international virology lab safety standards require?' As a political question, it's pretty much irrelevant,' he argued, saying that while Stewart has the 'right' to say what he wants, 'his attack on expertise reminds us why expertise is so important.' 'That's not to say that experts don't often have biases or blind spots, because they do. Sometimes, they can be catastrophic. 'But it's not because experts can't be trusted, it's because something kept them from seeing what they should have, or perhaps more often they just didn't have enough information to arrive at the best judgment. 'Celebrities, on the other hand, often find millions of people taking their ideas on things they know no more about than the average person all too seriously.' 'It feels good when a celebrity you admire agrees with you, and it feels bad when the same person has values that differ from yours. 'But they're not experts, and the reason we listen to experts is that they know more than we do. And if they know more about some things than others, then we have to understand where we shouldn't listen to them and where the limits of their knowledge are.' But the lab leak theory has gained traction in recent weeks, with NIAID head Dr. Anthony Fauci suggesting it is possible and President Joseph Biden joining other world leaders in calling for an investigation into the origins of the virus. The Wuhan Institute of Virology is one of only a handful in the world that is cleared to handle Class 4 pathogens dangerous viruses that pose a high risk of person-to-person transmission. It is located only a few miles from the Huanan wet market, where scientists say the first cluster of infections were officially reported, and scientists in the lab were reportedly conducting experiments on bats before the pandemic began. Three researchers from the institute sought medical care in November 2019, before the virus began to spread, according to a recent report from the Wall Street Journal. More than 2.2 million Australians on minimum wages will find out how their pay packets could change when the industrial umpire makes its annual decision. The Fair Work Commission will broadcast online the result of its review on Wednesday at 3.30pm AEST. The Morrison government has warned against a major increase, arguing it could dampen employment in small business during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 2.2 million Australians on minimum wage could be due a pay rise on Wednesday But unions have pushed for a 3.5 per cent increase, which would see minimum wage workers receive an extra $26 a week. The national minimum wage increased by 1.75 per cent to $753.80 a week, or $19.84 an hour, after last year's review but the rise was delayed at least three months for most workers. More than two million people are on award rates of minimum pay for their industry, while almost 200,000 receive the national base wage. Workers will find out if their pay packet has changed once the industrial umpire makes its annual decision at 3.30pm The Australian Industry Group urged the commission to limit its increase to 1.1 per cent, or $8.29 a week, with a delay until January for workers in sectors under pressure from coronavirus restrictions. Employers also argue the last increase was paid by many employers at the start of February, labelling a five-month gap between another rise as "extremely unfair". The Australian Council of Trade Unions wants minimum pay rates boosted to put more money that would stimulate the economy in workers' pockets. Advertisement Melissa Goodwin appeared before a magistrate sporting a new neck tattoo on Wednesday, as she sought to clear her name of sexual misconduct allegations at a Sydney prison A prison inmate's foul-mouthed call to his mum about a female prison officer he accused of repeatedly performing oral sex on him has been aired in court. Melissa Maree Goodwin, 26, appeared before a Sydney magistrate on Wednesday sporting a fresh neck tattoo and a determination to clear her name of sexual misconduct claims. Goodwin denies she gave oral sex to convicted thief Corey London five times in a prison storeroom at the Metropolitan Remand Centre in Silverwater between November 2019 and April 2020. In a recorded phone call from Long Bay jail following Goodwin's arrest last May, London exclaimed to his mum: 'Did you see the news? Did you see the news?' 'No, what? she replied. The prisoner said: '(Goodwin) got done. The little f***en' s*** she is. Some c*** got out, she was with him, then she got done. 'I won't say too much but she's a f***en' little dog.' The court heard that London appeared to be referring to a relationship Goodwin pursued with ex-prisoner Caleb Valeri outside jail. Valeri is a Rebels bikie gang associate on bail at the time, and the apparent love triangle had been splashed across the press. The court heard inmate Corey London's foul-mouthed call to his mother about Goodwin (left and right), who he claimed to police had performed repeated oral sex on him in a prison storeroom. London's mother suggested he could use his alleged situation with Goodwin to his advantage. 'You might be able to use it to your advantage to get out early,' she said. Love triangle: Goodwin pursued an entirely legal relationship with Rebels bikie associate Caleb Valeri after her arrest A fuming London claimed to his mum: 'This little Rebel dog.... I'm going to f***en' kill him when I see her. 'I was with him, hey, he was a jealous c*** bro'. London added that he was 'burning' that Goodwin was seeing a 'gronk' and asked his mother to message her. His mother replied, sagely: 'At the end of the day ... she was probably seeing like ten of you'. London replied: 'Nah... what do you mean, I was the first one.' At one point in the call, London appeared to threaten Goodwin: 'She doesn't know. I've got everything. I've got her address, where she lives, everything off her.' His mother also suggested he make the most of his situation in a legal sense. 'You might be able to use it to your advantage to get out early,' she said. London agreed. 'A real catch': That is how Magistrate Daniel Reiss sarcastically described Corey London in court on Wednesday. He fumed to his mother that Goodwin was in a relationship with Valeri Goodwin's lawyer Robert Webb described London's list of alleged store room sex acts as nothing but fantasy - a 'wish list' Goodwin pleaded guilty to engaging in an 'intimate relationship' with London. However, Goodwin is fighting the claims that relationship was sexual. Melissa Maree Goodwin sported a freshly inked spider web neck tattoo when she appeared at a Sydney court on Wednesday Her lawyer Robert Webb described London's list of alleged store room sex acts as nothing but fantasy - a 'wish list'. Mr Webb said London was a jealous and nasty criminal who had shown he had a vivid imagination. 'Your Honour would think a maximum security prison is used more like a brothel house', based on London's statement, he said. (At one point in the hearing, Magistrate Reiss drolly described London as 'a real catch'.) London himself was called to give evidence on Wednesday however refused to come up from the court cells because he feared for his safety. The court heard London had his jaw broken last month, just six days before a meeting with lawyers. Magistrate Reiss charged London with contempt of court. However, London still refused to testify even when faced with the threat of further jail time. Goodwin is also fighting charges she smuggled contraband, including Extra chewing gum, White Ox tobacco and two lighters to London in prison. Mr Webb said the only evidence before the court of Goodwin's alleged sexual misconduct and smuggling was from London - who is no longer appearing. The case continues. Megastar gymnast Simone Biles' brother was attacked by a furious murder victim's mom in court after he was acquitted of killing her son and two others. Tevin Biles-Thomas, 26, was rushed by the mother of victim Delvante Johnson, 19, after he was cleared of killing the teen. Johnson's mom raged: 'You have to be f***ing kidding me! I'm going to kill you!' as she ran at Biles-Thomas from the socially-distanced public gallery at Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday. The woman, whose name has not been released, also screamed: 'He killed my baby! You know he killed my baby!' She managed to topple a table close to Biles-Thomas, but was restrained by court guards before she could physically harm the defendant. He was seen backing away from the mom as she was apprehended. Defense attorney Joseph Patituce said he was hit during the onslaught. Patituce said of the courtroom fracas: 'It was shocking. It was a surprise. But they lost children... And it's a horrible tragedy all around.' Scroll down for video Following his acquittal on Tuesday a woman rushed towards him yelling: 'You have to be f****** kidding me' and saying 'I'm going to kill you' Biles-Thomas was accused of shooting dead Delvante Johnson, 19; Toshaun Banks, 21; and his cousin Devaughn Gibson, 23; at a New Year's Eve party in Cleveland in 2018. But on Tuesday, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Joan Synenberg said prosecutors did not have enough evidence to convict him of their murders. She then dismissed all 15 charges based on insufficient evidence, ruling that a witness' description of the clothing worn by the shooter was '75 percent at best.' It was that acquittal that prompted the angry outburst from the victim's mother. The woman was later identified as the mother of Delvante Johnson, one of the shooting victims Biles-Thomas is the brother of Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles Tevin Biles-Thomas was arrested last year in connection with a shooting at a Georgia AirBnb last year The Cuyahoga County Court in Georgia later confirmed in a statement that 'a person in the gallery charged toward the defendant.' The woman was later identified as Delvante Johnson's mother by Patituce, NBC News reported. It is unclear if she faced any further action after being restrained. Biles-Thomas was arrested at Fort Stewart in Georgia last year for the triple homicide at an Airbnb in Cleveland. The shooting allegedly occurred when an 'uninvited group' entered the property and got into an argument. An indictment said he 'had a firearm on or about his person or under his control while committing the offense and displayed the firearm, brandished the firearm, indicated that he possessed the firearm, or used it to facilitate crimes.' Following the arrest Simone Biles - who won four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics - released a statement saying her heart went out to the victim's families, and she was struggling to process the news. 'There is nothing that I can say that will heal anyones pain,' she wrote at the time, 'but I do want to express my sincere condolences to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy.' DeVaughn Gibson - Simone-Biles' cousin - was among three killed by the shooting at a New Year's Eve party in 2018 Gibson was gunned down while attending the bash at an Airbnb in Cleveland, Ohio, when a row erupted over some gatecrashers Following her brother's arrest, Biles released a statement saying her heart went out to the victim's families and she was struggling with the news Simone Biles tweeted a statement about the killings, adding that she was 'still having a hard time processing last week's news' A mistrial was declared in Biles-Thomas' case in May after jurors said they were inadvertently given legal briefs between the prosecutors and Biles-Thomas' legal team. That saw him re-tried, with Patituce saying the law of double jeopardy means that Biles-Thomas can not be tried a third time for the murders. Following Tuesday's decision, Patituce said Judge Synenberg paid 'incredible attention to the evidence presented, and that the state failed to prove its case.' 'We don't fault the victim's family,' he continued. 'This was a horrible event. 'We don't fault the victims' family for acting out.' In 2016, Biles' mother Shanon told Dailymail.com that her family were forced to step in and help care for her four young children due to her drug and alcohol addictions. They had spent their early years in and out of foster care in Ohio before Simone, then six, and sister Adria, were adopted by their maternal grandfather, Ronald Biles, and his wife Nellie. Shanon's eldest son and daughter, Tevin and Ashley, were taken in by Ronald's sister and are thought to have been raised in Cleveland. A woman is in hospital and lucky to be alive after she fell down a cliff after escaping a car accident and was heard crying out out by police. The woman in her 20s was involved in a car accident on Tamborine Oxenford Road at Wongawallan on the Gold Coast before 7.20am on Wednesday. 'We believe she's run from the car and fallen down the mountain,' Queensland police told Daily Mail Australia. The woman in her 20s was involved in a car accident off Tamborine Oxenford Road on the Gold Coast around 7.20am on Wednesday A Queensland Government Air Rescue helicopter was called to search for the woman and winch her to safety 'Witnesses pointed out the crash site and two hours after we arrived at the scene we heard her calling.' Queensland police responded to her cries for help and sent for additional rescue services. It is understood that after the accident she fell about 70m, 9News reported. Communications with the stricken woman were established around 10am. A Queensland Government Air Rescue 500 helicopter was sent in to scour the valley floor below and she was winched to safety with the help of emergency services. Queensland Ambulance Service confirmed the woman fell down an embankment off Tamborine Oxenford Road. The woman was eventually airlifted to a hospital in Brisbane with head, back and arm injuries after 10am on Wednesday She was then airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane in a stable condition. The woman suffered serious injuries to her head, back and arm. It is not yet known if she was the driver of the car. A sister of New York governor Andrew Cuomo allegedly helped raise money for a crooked former aide convicted in a 'pay-to-play' scheme. Madeline Cuomo helped raise $75,000 to help pay for Joseph Percoco's legal appeal after he was convicted of a $300,000 pay-to-play scam, according to The New York Times. She was allegedly assisted by other members of the inner circle including former head of the state Democratic party John Marino. A spokesman for Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday insisted the governor had no knowledge of the reported fundraising effort. The governor was seen leaving New York City in a helicopter on Tuesday, presumably returning home as his schedule calls for him to be in Albany on Wednesday. Percoco, 52, was convicted of soliciting and accepting at least $300,000 in bribes from executives while he was an aid for the governor and was sentenced to six years in prison. Most of the bribes came from Competitive Power Ventures, based in Maryland but with business in New York, who gave Percoco's wife a 'low-show job.' Andrew's sister Madeline Cuomo (right) was reportedly part of a fundraising effort for Percoco's appeal Joe Percoco, former top aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, leaves federal court after being sentenced to six years in prison for corruption charges September 20, 2018 The governor was not accused of wrongdoing, though the scandal was felt across Albany. Yet members of Andrew Cuomo's inner circle continued to support Percoco, according to the Times, going so far as to raise money for a potential appeal. Madeline Cuomo reportedly sent an email in February 2020 asking for donations for Percoco from two dozen people, including a former chief of staff to Cuomo and the leader of Northwell Health. 'Joe and his family are grateful for all your support to date,' Madeline wrote. 'Unfortunately, his fight is far from over, and in order to continue his legal battle hell need financial resources.' 'My family and I will be participating in that effort, and I hope we can count on you to join in the effort,' Madeline added. Those who chose to give money said they did so because of personal history and sympathy, not because of loyalty to Andrew or responsibility to the Cuomo family. 'It wasnt a big deal,' Meyer Frucher, former aide to Mario Cuomo, stated. 'Joe was someone I knew and worked with in government for a long time. Everybody needs legal counsel.' Madeline has denied telling her brother, the embattled New York governor, about the plan to raise money for Percoco. 'I have known Joe most of my life, and I care for my friend,' Madeline Cuomo said in a a statement. 'I did want to help him, but once the pandemic hit, everyones priorities quickly shifted,' she added. 'My brother Andrew was neither involved with, nor privy to, my independent effort. I still believe helping a friend is the morally right thing to do.' Cuomo's campaign committee did help to foot $80,000 in legal fees for Percoco following his 2016 arrest. Cuomo (security detail seen) flew out of New York City by helicopter on Tuesday Tuesday's revelations could mark the latest scandal for the embattled governor In total, Percoco's legal bills have likely totaled more than $1 million at this point. His lawyers said he was facing bankruptcy prior to his sentencing. It's believed that the firm that led the representation for Percoco is still owed money. Prosecutors had asked Caproni to sentence Percoco to well over five years in prison. His lawyers said he should get no more than two years. Percoco worked for Andrew's father, Mario, beginning when Percoco was just 19 years old, before eventually latching on to Andrew himself. Cuomo said there would be 'no tolerance' for corruption in his administration after the allegations against Percoco came to light. 'Joe Percoco is paying the price for violating the public trust,' Cuomo added in 2018. Andrew Cuomo and Madeline Cuomo seen together in an archival photo The Cuomo family (l-r) Maria, 15, Madeline, 12, Andrew, 19, Margaret, 22, Mario Cuomo, Christopher, 7, and mother Matilda at their home on Sept. 13, 1977 New York's 52nd Governor, Mario Cuomo and family pose following a private swearing-in ceremony at the Executive Mansion. Left to right: Son-in-law, Robert Perpignano and Cuomo's daughter, Margaret, daughters Madeline and Maria, Governor Cuomo, wife Matilda, and sons, Andrew and Christopher Cuomo has been embroiled in controversies in recent months and New York City mayor Bill de Blasio referenced Percoco once in taking a shot at the governor. 'I will remind you the governors top political aide went to federal prison for corruption and bribery,' de Blasio said in an interview with WNYC in March. Andrew Cuomo's scandal-plagued office allegedly spent at least five months trying to prevent the true COVID-19 nursing home death toll from being made public. Top Cuomo aides were engaged in the months-long effort where they repeatedly overruled and prevented state health officials from releasing the number of nursing home deaths, the New York Times reports. The efforts included stopping the publication of a scientific paper that included the true tally. Aides also stopped health officials from sending two letters to state legislators regarding the toll, according to the Times. Among the health officials who were allegedly stopped from releasing the true numbers was state health commissioner Dr Howard Zucker. It was happening at a time when Cuomo was writing his since-released book about his handling of his pandemic. The revelations are based on NYT interviews and newly unearthed documents, including drafts of the scientific paper and the letters that were never sent. The report came at the same time as Cuomo is facing multiple investigations, including by the state's attorney general, from women who alleged sexual harassment and misconduct. Cuomo has strongly denied the accusations. Cuomo has come under intense scrutiny over his nursing home COVID-19 response after he barred nursing homes from rejecting recovering coronavirus patients being discharged from hospitals in March. Cuomo has been embroiled in controversies lately, from a scandal involving the counting of nursing home deaths from COVID-19 to numerous sexual misconduct allegations New York Governor Andrew Cuomo leaves New York City by helicopter escorted by security He eventually rescinded his nursing home order two months later and insisted on a negative COVID test instead before return to a nursing home. Some nursing homes complained at the time that residents were being put at risk because of his policy. Some patients who contracted COVID but later died in hospital were not counted in the official death count being released by Cuomo's administration. The administration refused for months to release more complete data and the true death toll was only released this year after a report by the New York state attorney general found deaths had been undercounted by about half. The state now acknowledges that at least 15,000 long-term care residents died, compared to a figure of 8,700 it had publicized as of late January that didn't include residents who died after being transferred to hospitals. Cuomo, at the time, admitted it was a mistake to delay releasing the figures but insisted they were not trying to obscure the death toll. Sources now say, however, that state health officials started trying to work out how many nursing home residents had died as early as late April. They gathered data on both nursing home deaths and residents who died in hospital after being transferred there. When health officials started compiling a report on the issue, Cuomo's top aide Melissa DeRosa sent an email saying it needed to 'stand up to scrutiny and definitively tell the story'. The report was published publicly in July and didn't include the hospital deaths. It said that about 21 percent of all deaths through May were nursing home fatalities. A different version of the report, which was aimed at the scientific press and drafted at the same time, said 35 percent of deaths were nursing homes. That scientific version was never published. A Cuomo aide, who was enlisted to go over the data, finished his audit of nursing home deaths in August - months before it became known publicly. The audit did not change the death toll from about 9,000. Around the time the audit was finished was when the Justice Department started asking states for the number of residents, staff and visitors who contracted COVID-19 or died of the virus and the number of people admitted to each nursing home after being treated for COVID-19 at a hospital. Cuomo's office has been hit with allegations that health officials did include the full tally in a report but were pressured by top aides to remove the hospital deaths before it was made public. The administration's handling of the data is now the subject of a federal investigation and an inquiry by the state Assembly, which is assessing whether there are grounds to impeach Cuomo. Tucker Carlson claimed Tuesday that the Capitol rioters who were named as 'unindicted co-conspirators' in court documents, were actually federal agents, orchestrating the attack. Carlson on Tuesday night referenced a report in Revolver News, which looked into the indictments of the around 400 people charged over the January 6 unrest. More than 2,000 criminal charges have been filed against 411 suspects, including hundreds of felonies such as assaulting officers and trespassing with a weapon. Carlson noted that many of the indictments mentioned 'unidentified co-conspirators.' 'Without fail, the government has thrown the book at most people who were present and in the Capitol on January 6,' he said. 'There was a nationwide dragnet to find them. Many of them are still in solitary confinement tonight. Scroll down for video Tucker Carlson on Tuesday night said that FBI agents were 'organizing' the January 6 insurrection, and said that questions needed to be asked about their role The rioters stormed the Capitol for the first time since 1814, breaking down doors and desecrating the building Footage taken by those inside the Capitol showed the moment that Ashli Babbitt was killed as windows were smashed and doors broken down 'But strangely, some of the key people participating on January 6th have not been charged. 'Look at the documents, the government calls those people unindicted co-conspirators. 'What does that mean? It means that potentially with every single case they were FBI officers. 'Really, in the Capitol, on January 6th.' Carlson pointed to the case of Thomas Caldwell, a 66-year-old former naval officer who allegedly conspired with members of the Oath Keepers to storm the Capitol. Caldwell's charging document says that he spent the night before the riot staying in the same hotel as 'person two'. Thomas Caldwell, 66, is charged with his role in the riot and his part in an alleged Oath Keepers' plot. His charging documents mention 'person two' and 'person three', who Carlson said were FBI agents Another individual, 'person three', led Caldwell to believe there would be a 'quick reaction force' participating in their storming of the Capitol. 'But wait, here's the interesting thing,' said Carlson. 'Person two and person three were organizers of the riot. The government knows who they are, but the government has not charged them. 'Why is that? You know why. They were almost certainly working for the FBI. 'So FBI operatives were organizing the attack on the Capitol on January 6th. According to government documents.' Carlson said that there were more than 20 unindicted co-conspirators mentioned in the Oath Keeper indictments, 'all playing roles in the conspiracy who have not been charged for virtually the exact same activities.' Carlson questioned the role played by the 'unindicted co-conspirators' in the insurrection He concluded: 'So it turns out that this white supremacist insurrection was again, by the government's own admission in these documents, organized at least in part by government agents.' The Fox News host pointed out that Merrick Garland, the Attorney General, had identified white supremacist groups as the biggest domestic terror threat currently confronting the United States. But, he said, the FBI had a long history of tracking and infiltrating them. Carlson noted that two people involved in the plot to kidnap and kill Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer last year were FBI agents, and said that a 2015 Islamist terrorist in Garland, Texas, had been texting with an FBI agent. 'So because of January 6th, says the chief law enforcement officer in the United States of America and other members of Joe Biden's cabinet, we must now use law enforcement and military force to arrest, imprison, and otherwise crush anyone who leads opposition to Joe Biden's government,' Carlson said. 'That is their position, for they said that out loud, they did today. 'We are living through the transformation of a formerly democratic republic and to something else. 'This is an authoritarian system.' Carlson also questioned why more than 10,000 hours of footage from the Capitol riot were yet to be released, and why the member of the Capitol Police who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt had not been named. 'What could possibly be the reason for that?' Carlson asked. 'Even as they call for more openness. 'We could release those tapes today, but they are not. Why? 'We ought to be asking those questions urgently, because the Attorney General reminded us today a lot depends on the answers.' A former restaurant owner has been charged after allegedly trying to smuggle in 900kg of cocaine into Australia. Police raided the home of Mostafa Baluch, 33, in Bayview in Sydney's northern beaches, earlier this month and allegedly found $62,700 in cash, four mobile phones, a small amount of cocaine and steroids, and US$12,000. Baluch, who once owned Cervo restaurant in Northbridge, faced charges including possessing anabolic steroids, drug supply, and dealing with the proceeds of crime. The 33-year-old was on Wednesday hit with another charge of conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of drugs. He was refused bail. Baluch's arrest came as part of a large investigation that was sparked by a huge gamble at a Sydney casino. Police raided the home of Mostafa Baluch, 33, in Bayview in Sydney's northern beaches earlier this month and allegedly found $62,700 in cash, four mobile phones, a small amount of cocaine and steroids, and US$12,000 The restaurateur was arrested as part of an investigation into an alleged organised crime sting plotting to supply three tonnes of cocaine in NSW. Detectives started the investigation last year after receiving a tip about a person gambling a huge amount of money at the Star Casino, the Daily Telegraph reported. The betting was flagged as potential money laundering and kicked off an investigation that eventually became focused on drug trafficking. Police allege they discovered drugs were being imported across Australia and North and South America. The restaurateur was arrested as part of an investigation into an alleged organised crime sting plotting to supply three tonnes of cocaine in New South Wales (pictured is some of the cocaine siezed) The US Navy seized 870kg of cocaine after intercepting a vessel travelling off the coast of Colombia in October. Another 900kg of the drug was seized from a boat sailing off the coast of Ecuador in April. NSW Police allege Baluch was the 'sole financier' of the 900kg cocaine shipment that was worth an estimated street value of $270 million. Both shipments allegedly formed part of the overarching conspiracy to import a total of three tonnes of cocaine into Australia. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused President Joe Biden of 'weakness' and predicted that Russian President Vladimir Putin will put the screws on him during their showdown meeting. 'I expect tomorrow Putin will press, he will see how far he can push President Biden,' Pompeo told Fox News host Sean Hannity hours before the summit on Wednesday in Geneva. 'He's going to show up loaded for bear, because the actions of Biden's administration to date suggest that will be successful,' Pompeo said of Putin. Pompeo urged Biden to 'hold Russia accountable for its malign activity, and to make clear there are red lines,' but accused accused the U.S. president of showing an 'enormous sign of weakness' by refusing to hold a joint press conference with Putin. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused President Joe Biden of 'weakness' and predicted that Russian President Vladimir Putin will put the screws on him at their summit Putin and Biden are scheduled to meet on Wednesday in Geneva, in a major foreign policy test for Biden at US-Russian relations reach an all-time low 'The fact that you're not prepared to stand six or eight feet from your adversary and tell the world what it is you talked about, the things you care about and why you care about them, shows enormous weakness,' Pompeo said. He said that adversaries including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would be watching the summit carefully for signs of weakened U.S. resolve. 'Whether it's Chairman Kim, or the ayatollah or Xi Jinping, they're watching this too, and when they smell weakness, when they can sniff it, the deterrence model that America's successful defense depends upon will walk away,' he said. Pompeo slammed Biden for perceived weakness in his dealings with Russia so far as president, claiming the Trump administration took a tougher line. 'They re-entered the New START treaty at the very beginning, a nuclear treaty, and we didn't ask for anything, they wanted it desperately and we gave it up,' he said. 'You talk about Vladimir Putin destroying our energy industry, you should know that President Biden went first -- he destroyed our energy industry by joining the Paris Climate Accords, an enormous gift to Vladimir Putin,' Pompeo added. It comes as U.S. senators issue public calls for Biden to confront Putin on Havana Syndrome It comes as U.S. senators issue public calls for Biden to confront Putin on Havana Syndrome, the plague of directed-energy weapon attacks on U.S. diplomats and CIA personnel that have left dozens with debilitating symptoms. Russia is considered by the intelligence community to be the prime suspect in the attacks, though no conclusive evidence has emerged to definitively name the perpetrator. Experts speculate that the incidents, which were first recorded in Havana, are the result of powerful microwave beams directed at U.S. officials in an attempt to gather data from their electronic devices. 'Certainly the Russians are one of the key suspects. We don't know for sure, but keep in mind there have been more than a hundred American public servants who have been injured by these directed energy attacks,' said Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, during an interview with CBS News's Face The Nation. 'We need not only to take care of their medical needs, but also to find out who it is,' she said. 'I hope the president will bring up this issue with President Putin directly.' Biden and Putin's sit-down in the Swiss capital comes at a time when both leaders agree that U.S.-Russian relations are at an all-time low. Biden faces increasing pressure to confront Putin on suspected directed energy weapon attacks on US officials. The problem has been labeled the 'Havana Syndrome,' because the first cases affected personnel in 2016 at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba (seen above in a file photo) For four months, the two leaders have traded sharp rhetoric. Biden repeatedly called out Putin for ransomware attacks by Russian-based hackers on U.S. interests, a disregard for democracy with the jailing of Russia's foremost opposition leader and interference in American elections. Putin, for his part, has reacted by going on the offensive, insisting that the Russian government hasn't been involved in any election interference or cyberattacks and claiming there is no evidence to support such allegations. Pressed on his government's treatment of political dissidents, Putin turned the tables and pointed to the arrests of hundreds of participants in the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot, accusing the Biden administration of punishing them over their 'political demands.' Now, they will meet for their first face-to-face as leaders - a conversation that is expected to last four to five hours. In advance, both sides set out to lower expectations. Even so, Biden has called it an important step if the two nations are able to ultimately find 'stability and predictability' in their relationship, a seemingly modest goal from the president for dealing with the person he sees as one of America's fiercest adversaries. 'We should decide where it's in our mutual interest, in the interest of the world, to cooperate, and see if we can do that,' Biden told reporters earlier this week. 'And the areas where we don't agree, make it clear what the red lines are.' Both sides have said they hope their talks in a stately lakeside Geneva villa can lead to more stable and predictable relations, even though they remain at odds over everything from arms control to Ukraine. 'We're not expecting a big set of deliverables out of this meeting,' a senior U.S. official told reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden flew to Geneva, saying the two are expected to talk starting at around 7am ET. 'I'm not sure that any agreements will be reached,' said Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov. A swan swims on the Lake Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, early Wednesday, hours before U.S. President Joe Biden and Russia's President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet A Swiss police officer stands watch at a bridge near Geneva Lake early Wednesday in Geneva, securing the area where Biden and Putin are set to meet Relations have deteriorated for years, notably with Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, its 2015 intervention in Syria and U.S. charges - denied by Moscow - of its meddling in the 2016 election that brought Donald Trump to the White House. They sank further in March when Biden said he thought Putin was a 'killer', prompting Russia to recall its ambassador to Washington for consultations. The United States recalled its ambassador in April. Neither has since returned. The senior U.S. official said the United States aimed for a set of 'taskings' - Washington jargon for assigning aides to work on specific issues - 'about areas where working together can advance our national interests and make the world safer.' Arms control is one domain where progress has historically been possible despite wider agreements. In February, Russia and the United States extended for five years the New START treaty, which caps their deployed strategic nuclear warheads and limits the land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them. The senior U.S. official said Biden would also define areas of vital national interest where Russian misconduct would bring a response. Biden signed an executive order in April giving Washington wide latitude to impose sanctions on Moscow. Vladimir Frolov, a former Russian diplomat, told Reuters Putin wanted respectful ties and to be treated like members of the Soviet Politburo were in the 1960s-1980s, with 'a symbolic recognition of Russia's geopolitical parity with the U.S.' 'In exchange, they (Moscow) would be willing to cut back on some of the loony stuff,' Frolov said, saying he meant 'no poisonings, no physical violence, no arrests/kidnappings of U.S. and Russian nationals. No interference in domestic politics.' Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank, set the bar for Wednesday's talks low. 'The principal takeaway, in the positive sense, from the Geneva meeting would be making sure that the United States and Russia did not come to blows physically, so that a military collision is averted,' he said. In a sign of the strained ties, the talks will not include any meals and Putin and Biden are expected to hold separate news conferences rather than a joint one. 'No breaking of bread,' said the senior U.S. official. The grieving father of a 13-year-old boy who died in a horror car crash has lashed out at online trolls who tried to blame him for the incident. Troubled teenager Bailey Pini died instantly after slamming the stolen car into a tree at an intersection in Bowen, North Queensland, last Wednesday. The vehicle rolled and caught fire, but Bailey's 14-year-old friend in the passenger seat was pulled from the wreckage alive and taken to Townsville University Hospital. The boy's father Jonathon Philpott hit back at trolls on Wednesday who criticised his decision to put the boy into the care of the state as he grieved the death of his mother. The father of Bailey Pini (pictured) has hit back at online trolls who criticised his ability as a parent after he decided to put the troublesome teen into the care of the state Mr Philpott said he had been inundated with insults from hundreds of trolls, judging him and his family as they struggle to come to terms with the tragedy. He told the Courier Mail he was 'too scared to go on Facebook' after reading dozens of comments that said he could have done more to prevent the horrific incident. Other comments assumed Bailey had been influenced by the youth crime issues in his area, while some heartless trolls said the boy had deserved to die for stealing the vehicle. One comment in particular stood out to the devastated father, which criticised him for visiting his local pub on the day after he learned of his son's death. Mr Philpott said the family tried everything to pull Bailey into line, from trialing the teenager with total freedom as well as disciplining him with tough love. After the death of Bailey's beloved mother Sonia, 54, who lost her battle with cervical cancer last July, the teenager lived with his father in Airlie Beach but constantly ran away. The father said the decision to move the teen into a foster home had come as a last resort and was always going to be a temporary measure. 'The whole family made the decision together, and we all agreed that we would review things in a few months' time,' Mr Philpott said. Bailey Pini, 13, (right) who died in a horror fireball when he crashed a stolen car into a tree on Wednesday was nursing a broken heart after cancer killed his mother, Sonia, 54 (pictured) Mr Philpott said the loveable but traumatised teenager struggled to let anyone in after he lost his mother, despite being cherished by everybody. 'It was like he didn't want to be loved. The harder you tried, the more he'd push you away', he explained. He said his tight-knit family had fallen victim to the blame game, naturally asking themselves if they could have done more to stop Bailey spiralling out of control. 'I keep going over it, and the more I do, the more I beat myself up', he said. Mr Philpott said he struggled to look at Bailey's personal items like his fishing rod without being reminded of their father-son outings from happier times. He is still waiting for his son's remains to be returned to his family so they can officially lay the teenager to rest. The young boy's older sister Troydon Pini, 30, previously told Daily Mail Australia Bailey had watched his mother slowly lose her battle with terminal cervical cancer. 'She was barely eating, in bed the whole time and because of Covid, we were home-schooling so he was home all the time', she explained. 'He watched her decline and slip away, first hand, until I couldn't cope any more physically and mentally with what was about to happen so she had to go into hospital. His father said Bailey Pini (pictured) struggled to let anyone in after the death of his mother, despite being loved by everybody 'When I told him she had died, I grabbed him in my arms and I was crying - and this is how big a heart he had - he hugged me so tight and kept it together himself. 'He told me: 'It's all right, we're going to be okay because we have each other.' 'And that just blew me away, because I thought, I'm the adult, you're the child and you are trying to comfort me when I should be the one to comfort you.' Bailey was described as a little tearaway who would sneak into the lolly jar but loved fishing and studying the stars in the night sky and telling his family random facts about the solar system. But in the wake of his mother's death in July, his behaviour went downhill. 'He was always a bit mischievous - but he wasn't criminal', Troydon said. 'He had never even driven before he went into that home, never mind steal a car. I don't know how he made it as far as he did before he crashed.' Bailey's parents split up when he was a baby and for eight months after his mother's death, he lived with his sister and her four daughters, but struggled to fit in with her family's routines. After he ran away from his sister's home, he moved in with one older brother and then another before being taken into residential care last month when none of the family could look after him any longer. 'We actually thought it would do him good,' said Troydon. 'We thought he'd have to abide by rules and it would be a wake up call for him. 'But it wasn't. He was only in there for a month and shared it with three other 14-year-old boys - but he liked it for the wrong reasons.' 'I am 100 per cent certain that Bailey hadn't driven before he got to that house,' said Troydon. 'I don't know if that was the very first time he drove.' His body has now been flown to Brisbane for formal identification by his dental records while his family plan his funeral. Bailey Pini is believed to have stolen the car from Sarina around 4am last Wednesday but crashed into a tree in nearby Bowen around 6.45am. Pictured: A tribute at the crash scene 'Because he was so severely burnt in the accident, they couldn't do much in Townsville,' said Troydon. 'Once we get his body back, we plan to have him cremated and bury his ashes with his mother on the anniversary of her burial on July 3.' Teachers and pupils at Bailey's Sarina State High School have been offered counselling as they deal with their grief at the teenager's death. Principal Jane Grieger said: 'Our thoughts and sincere sympathies go out to both their families, carers, friends and loved ones during this difficult time.' The 14-year-old passenger remains in a stable condition at the Townsville University Hospital. A mystery Covid-19 case has been found in Sydney's eastern suburbs, as authorities scramble to track down hundreds of shoppers he may have exposed the virus to at a popular Westfield shopping centre. New South Wales Health authorities said a man in his 60s from Bondi tested positive to the virus on Wednesday. He worked as an airport driver and his role included transporting international flight crew, health officials said. There are reports the frontline worker was not vaccinated, despite vaccines being offered to those working in the quarantine sector since March. Contact tracers are racing to find Sydneysiders who visited 12 exposure sites including a David Jones store, a cinema, several cafes and restaurants and a bakery in the city's east and north-west between June 11 and June 15. The list of potential exposure sites included a number of stores at Westfield Bondi Junction, which the infected man visited on multiple occasions. There were long queues at the drive-through testing clinic at Bondi on Wednesday night as locals rushed to get tested. The news of a new locally-acquired case sparked long queues at the Bondi drive-through testing clinic (pictured Wednesday night) A nurse conducts a Covid-19 test at the Bondi Beach testing clinic in Sydney's eastern suburbs. New South Wales Health said a man in his 60s from Bondi tested positive to the virus on Wednesday Customers wearing face masks at Westfield Bondi Junction on January 3. Contact tracers are racing to find hundreds of people who may have been exposed to the virus The testing clinic will extend its hours until 10pm for the next three nights to meet public demand. The infected man attended a movie screening of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard at Event Cinemas Bondi Junction on Sunday afternoon. Anyone who attended the 1.45pm screening in cinema 1 at the venue on June 13 is ordered to get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result: Other movie goers who were at the cinema on Sunday between 1.30pm-4pm are ordered to get tested and self isolate until further notice from authorities. The infected man returned a positive result on Wednesday afternoon and will be included in Thursday's numbers. The man is the first locally-acquired case in NSW in six weeks. 'Urgent investigations into the source of the infection and contact tracing are underway, as is genome sequencing,' a NSW Health Statement read. Contact tracers are in the process of identifying and calling close contacts and ordering them to get tested and isolate. The Bondi drive-through testing clinic will be open until 10pm for the next three nights. Pictured is the queue of motorists waiting to get tested on Wednesday night Three positive Covid cases were earlier found in hotel quarantine at the Radisson Blu (pictured) in Sydney's CBD All three positive cases at the Radisson (pictured) arrived into Sydney on the same flight from Doha in Qatar on June 1 The list of potential exposure sites could grow as investigations continue. The airport worker first attended the Belle Cafe in Vaucluse on June 11 between 9.15am-9.50am and returned on June 12, June 13 and June 14 at various times. He also attended Sourdough Bakery at Westfield Bondi Junction between 12.40pm-1.10pm on June 11. He returned to the shopping centre the following day where he shopped in David Jones between 11am-11.40am and Myer between 11.40am-12.15pm. The man was also at the shopping centre on June 13 for 1.45pm screening of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard at Event Cinemas . He dined at two Vaucluse restaurants including Washoku on June 12 between 12pm-1.30pm and Rocco's on June 14 between 10.55am-11.30am. The most recent venue he visited was the Celeste Catering Macquarie Park Cemetery Cafe in North Ryde on June 15 between 1pm-1.20pm. A couple donning face masks are pictured walking nearby a David Jones store which was flagged as a Covid exposure spot The man visited a number of venues at Westfield Bondi Junction (pictured) while infected Anyone in Queensland who has visited any of the listed exposure sites at the specified times was ordered to quarantine on Wednesday night. 'We will be closely monitoring the situation in NSW over coming days,' Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said. 'It's important that anyone who has been to these venues in Sydney follow the advice of NSW Health, and not travel.' Anyone who visited any of the potential exposure sites who have since travelled to Queensland must must complete the Queensland Health online contact tracing self-assessment form, get tested and await advice from health authorities. 'We act quickly in these situations to protect the health and safety of Queenslanders and visitors,' Dr Young said. Fears are meanwhile growing of a potential Sydney hotel quarantine outbreak after a traveller was infected with the identical Covid strain to a couple based in an adjacent room. NSW Health is frantically investigating the development, with the viral sequence of all three cases confirmed as the same UK variant, known as the Alpha variant. How the transmission occurred on the fourth floor of the Radisson Blu quarantine hotel in the city's CBD remains unknown. The couple, who were asymptomatic, returned a positive Covid-19 test following a test on June 3. SYDNEY VENUES EXPOSED TO COVID-19 Anyone who attended the following venue at the time listed must get tested and self-isolate for 14 days from the date they were at the venue, regardless of the result. Bondi Junction, Events Cinema, Sunday, June 13 - 1.30pm-4.00pm Anyone who attended the following venues at the listed times must call NSW Health on 1800 943 553, get tested and self-isolate until you receive further advice. Vaucluse, Belle Cafe, Friday, June 11 - 9.15am-9.50am, Saturday, June 12 - 11.20pm-1.50pm, Sunday, June 13 - 11.30am-12.00pm, Tuesday, June 15 - 9.50am-10.25am Bondi Junction, Sourdough Cafe, Friday, June 11 - 12.40pm-1.10pm Vaucluse, Belle Cafe, Saturday, June 12 - 10.20am-10.45am Bondi Junction, David Jones, Saturday, June 12 - 11.00am-11.40am Bondi Junction, Myer, Saturday, June 12 - 11.10-12.15pm Events Cinema Bondi Junction: (all screenings other than the Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard), Sunday June 13, 1.30pm-4pm. Vaucluse, Washoku Vaucluse, Saturday, June 12 - 12.00pm-1.30pm Vaucluse, Rocco's, Monday, June 14 - 10.55am-11.30am North Ryde, Celeste Catering Macquarie Park Cemetery Cafe, Tuesday, June 15 - 1.00pm-1.20pm Advertisement The other returned traveller from Doha returned a negative day two test on June 3, before developing symptoms and testing positive two days later on June 5. In a statement on Tuesday night, NSW Health confirmed the three positive cases. 'Early possibilities as to where transmission may have occurred from the couple to the secondary case include on the flight, on transport from the airport to the hotel, in the lobby of the hotel, or while in quarantine,' the statement read. 'Currently, there is no evidence of further transmission.' All three positive cases arrived into Sydney on the same flight from Doha in Qatar on June 1. NSW Health has also confirmed the three positive cases in hotel quarantine (pictured, healthcare workers transport a person into a patient transport vehicle) The trio were quickly transferred to the Special Health Accommodation where they will remain following their positive results. As a precautionary measure, all returned travellers who stayed on the fourth floor at the hotel between June 1 and 5 must get tested and self-isolate before receiving further advice. Additionally, staff who worked on the fourth floor of the Radisson Blu between June 1 and June 5 have also been asked to get tested and isolate. Sophie Wessex broke down in tears as she opened up about the death of Prince Philip during an emotional BBC interview. The Countess said the Duke of Edinburgh's passing on April 9 had left a 'giant-sized hole in our lives' during an interview with Naga Munchetty at St James's Palace. The 56-year-old, who is married to Prince Edward, choked up as she recalled taking a photograph of the Queen and her husband in Scotland in 2003. The picture, taken on top of the Coyles of Muick near Balmoral, was only released by Her Majesty after Prince Philip died and was her favourite. In an emotional and wide-ranging interview, recorded earlier this week, Sophie admitted the grieving process is going to take 'a lot longer' due to the pandemic. She also told the heartwarming story of Philip 'chatting away' with her daughter Louise about carriage-driving and how 'he was so pleased she took up the sport'. And she opened up about her experience of Covid restrictions, saying she had her own 'lockdown wobbles' where 'I just couldn't see an end to it'. But she said it had made her a fan of Call of Duty, before quickly correcting herself and saying Line of Duty. Meanwhile the Countess stressed the importance of her work talking about issues such as abuse and rape being used as a weapon in war. The 56-year-old choked up as she recalled taking a photograph of the Queen and Prince Philip in Scotland in 2003 (pictured) In an emotion interview, recorded earlier this week, Sophie (pictured with Ms Munchetty) admitted the grieving process is going to take 'a lot longer' due to the pandemic The Royal (pictured at Philip's funeral) was forced to pause as she struggled to hold back the tears as Ms Munchetty asked: 'Are you okay?' During the interview Sophie grew increasingly tearful while talking about the Duke of Edinburgh, who she was close to. She spoke candidly about the photograph she took of the Queen and her father-in-law in Scotland in 2003. She said: 'We were lucky enough to go to Scotland for half term and I don't know if you remember the photograph I took? 'It was... yes... I was pregnant with Louise at the time and we went up there during half term.' The Royal was forced to pause as she struggled to hold back the tears as Ms Munchetty asked: 'Are you okay?' She continued: 'And just to be there, in that place... was an oh my god moment. So I think they'll come and go. But you have to let them come and let them go. 'But just talking to you now it's a bit of an oh my goodness moment which you don't necessarily expect and you don't expect them to come. 'I had the same when I lost my mother. You know I'd be fine, absolutely fine fine fine, then something happened or you'd hear a piece of music or you'd do something then suddenly you would, you know, get taken off at the knees. 'So there will be lots of moments like that but it's good to remember.' She continued: 'And just to be there, in that place... was an oh my god moment. So I think they'll come and go. But you have to let them come and let them go' Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex arrive at the Royal Ascot today The photograph in Scotland showed the Queen and Prince Philip at one of their 'happy places'. They would go to the Coyles of Muick hills to walk and picnic throughout their long lives together. Her Majesty, 95, so loved the place that she named one of her new corgi puppies after it. The couple look blissfully happy in the shot and relaxed as they sat back in the heather. The Queen was wearing her off duty Scottish dress of a woollen twinset, pearls and a tartan skirt, with Prince Philip in country casuals and a sun hat resting on his knee. Sophie said the loss of the Duke in April had left a 'giant-sized hole in our lives' and the grieving process is going to take 'a lot longer' due to the pandemic. She said: 'Well he's left a giant-sized hole in our lives. I think unfortunately the pandemic has slightly skewed things, inasmuch as it's hard to spend as much time with the Queen as we would like to. 'We've been trying to, but of course, it's still not that easy. And of course the normal way of things isn't normal yet, so we're not necessarily doing the things that we would normally have done with him. 'So I think the whole grieving process is probably likely for us to take a lot longer. It may be the same for many other families out there. 'Because if you're not living with somebody, 24/7, the immediate loss isn't necessarily felt in the same way, as if somebody was in the house with you all the time.' Sophie said the loss of the Duke in April had left a 'giant-sized hole in our lives' and the grieving process is going to take 'a lot longer' due to the pandemic. Pictured: The Royals on the Queen's 90th birthday Sophie welcomes increased attention as a Royal after Megxit and Philip's death but raises her eyebrows at the nickname 'Magnificent Seven' Sophie, Countess of Wessex, has welcomed her increasing important role as a senior member of the Royal Family. But the Queen's daughter in law raised her eyebrows when she was told she was dubbed a member of the 'Magnificent Seven'. Palace officials are said to have given the nickname to the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton and Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex. The Countess said the 'increased interest' in her and Prince Edward in recent years could 'only be a good thing' to help her raise awareness for her work. She said: 'There is increased interest in us as a family but, if it raises more awareness of the issues I care about, then that can only be a good thing.' The Wessexes have slotted in as senior royals after the death of Prince Philip and the bitter departure of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last year. One of Sophie's main interests is eliminating of sexual violence in conflict. She has travelled to India and Kosovo to meet women who have been raped or sexually abused during wars. The Royal also holds royal patronages in more than 70 charities. These include London School of Fashion and the Wessex Youth Trust. She is also a Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. With the latter, she has visited Sudan, Nepal and India to help eradicate avoidable blindness. Advertisement She also told the heartwarming story of Philip 'chatting away' with her daughter Louise about carriage driving and how 'he was so pleased she took up the sport'. She said the 17-year-old, who took a cart out for a ride on the morning of the Duke's death, was encouraged by her grandfather. The Countess said: 'He was so pleased when she took the sport up because I took it up... I was okay. 'Well I was really at the beginning of my carriage driving career when I fell pregnant with Louise. 'So I then had to sort of hang up the reins. So I was really delighted when she decided she wanted to have a go. 'And my father in law was always so good at encouraging her. So When she not only said please can I have a good but then showed a flair for it he was just brilliant with her. 'They used to chat away about it and he would always turn up if she was competing in the Great Park, he would always turn up and watch her and watch her training days.' She also told a charming anecdote of the time Prince Philip moved her dressage practice area from a bumpy paddock at Balmoral to the front lawn to help her. In the wide-ranging interview with BBC Radio 5, Sophie admitted to having her own 'lockdown wobble' as she struggled to 'see an end to it'. She said: 'I think every now and then I certainly had the odd wobble, where I just couldn't see an end to it I couldn't visualise how this was all going to pan out. 'Life, all the normal things that we could do, had justit was like sand through your hands. 'Nothing felt tangible anymore. It was the number of disappointments, I suppose. We all got very good at managing disappointment. 'I think our whole foundation has been shaken by this. We're putting so much faith in the scientists in coming up with vaccines, and goodness, I'm just in awe of what they've done. But we're sort of holding our breath. 'There will be more variants, we know that. Every time there is a new variant, we just have to hold our breath and hope that the vaccines are good enough to stand up against them. So, how am I? Like everybody else I suppose: just taking one day at a time.' But in a charming slip of the tongue, Sophie mistook the hit BBC TV show Line of Duty for the shooting game Call of Duty. Ms Munchetty asked her what he programme of choice had been over the last year and a half. The Countess said: 'Good question. Call of Duty.' The presenter asked: 'Oh! Line of Duty?' Sophie replied: 'That's the one.' It was claimed earlier this week the Queen was also a fan of the police drama and would often chat with aides about the show's never ending twists and turns. Lady Louise was spotted driving her carriage in the Dressage Arena at Windsor Castle five days after her grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh's passing In a charming slip of the tongue, Sophie mistook the hit BBC TV show Line of Duty for the shooting game Call of Duty Sophie continued: 'I am so bad! I am so bad at remembering the names of anything, whether it comes to books, whether it comes to programmes, films, anything. 'I'll go, ''ooh you know that one with what's his name?'' I'm so bad at it. I'd never watched it and I started the first episode and that was it, I was hooked.' She also revealed she had worked out actor Nigel Boyle's character Ian Buckells was the infamous H. She said: 'I was really disappointed in myself for having guessed it. Because I was, yes I kept on thinking ''It can't be, it can't be him but it's got to be. There isn't any other choice. There is no-one else that it could be''. I mean, it wasn't long before the end. But it was long enough I think.' The Countess went on to discuss the ongoing prevalence of rape and sexual violence as weapons of war in global conflicts. She told Ms Munchetty: 'I think the more conversations that take place, and the more confident girls and young women are to talk about these things and to call it out and to call out any kind of behaviour they're not happy with, hopefully that might give them more confidence. The more people come forward, the more momentum it will hold.' 'My children are different ages and different sexes, you have to measure how you talk about these things. 'My daughter, she's 17, and she's very aware of this kind of thing. Her school have a lot of debates about all sorts of things whether it be to do with feminism or ethnic equality. 'They are constantly talking about these things. She's quite aware of the work I do with women, peacebuilders, and also the conflict-related sexual violence pieces as well. 'We chat about it quite a lot and particularly, if I've been on a trip somewhere she wants to know where I've been and what I've been doing.' She added: 'She has a natural curiosity about it and it's easier to have that conversation with her. 'With my son, he's 13 going on 14. It's slightly harder to have that conversation about my work. 'He's at that age where he's much more aware of girls around him and everything. But interestingly he's quite conscious of this whole issue of inappropriate behaviour between girls and boys. 'He does seem quite aware of it, and I think that's partly to do with schools and partly what they chat about on social media. 'I think it's about having honest, open conversations as a family, but also hopefully in school settings as well.' Sophie in January admitted hearing the stories of sexual violence survivors had taken her to 'some very dark places' during her work to raise awareness about their plight. The countess committed herself to supporting the UK's work helping victims of rape, sexual violence and exploitation in war on International Women's Day in 2019. In an address at a virtual UN event for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict in June 2020, Sophie said sexual violence in the home or during conflicts is likely to have 'risen substantially' during the pandemic. She reaffirmed her commitment to champion the Women, Peace and Security agenda and the UK's Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative. Piers Morgan led praise for the Countess of Wessex, tweeting: 'Very moving, and one of the best descriptions of grief that I've heard. Sophie's an impressive lady.' Ms Munchetty posted: 'For those who have grieved, and are still grieving. It is heartbreaking to lose a loved one, whoever you are. x. #BeKind.' Earlier this month, the countess told the Telegraph the royals are 'still a family no matter what happens'. It followed tensions earlier this year in the aftermath of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. Her BBC interview at St James's Palace was earlier this week ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict on June 19. Young Australians desperate for a holiday have been given a new incentive to pack their bags to explore the country with thousands of free travel vouchers on offer. Online travel company Travello is giving away 600,000 vouchers worth $50 each to provide a $30million shot in the arm for tourism operators devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. The Holiday Cash Giveaway initiative aims to inject an $100million stimulus to tourism operators by receiving bookings, with an additional flow on effect to assisting local economies, accommodation providers and transport services. Travellers will be able to choose from over 1,000 travel experiences ranging from skydives, hot balloon experiences and food and wine tours to bridge climbs and whale watching tours. The vouchers can also be redeemed on incredible bucket list adventures such as diving with whale sharks in Western Australia's Ningaloo Reef, Kakadu National Park tours and scenic flights over Australian icons such as the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. There is one catch - the vouchers are only available to Australians aged 18-35 and will go fast after they became available on Wednesday. The vouchers can also be redeemed on incredible bucket list adventures such as visiting Uluru Successful recipients will have one month to book their experience but then have until the end of 2022 to redeem the vouchers. 'With borders closed and stop-start lockdowns interrupting business, tourism operators are doing it tough,' Travello chief executive Ryan Hanly said. 'The lack of international tourists and the Australian tendency to 'fly and flop', rather than jump on tours and activities, has made recovery difficult for the local tourism industry.' 'Further to that, the recent Federal Budget did little to help smaller operators and many are now very close to closing down and have very little voice in the recovery discussion. The Holiday Cash Giveaway is our contribution to change that'. A recent Pedestrian Group survey revealed young Australians aged 20-35 are reluctant to travel in their own country, citing cost and a perceived lack of exciting activities and locations. The voucher can also be used for once-in-a-lifetime tours of the Great Barrier Reef (pictured, Queensland's Heart Reef) The operator of Cairns tourist attraction Skypark in Far North Queensland welcomed the new initiative. 'From the outside looking in, it may appear that travel is booming because you can't get a hotel room during the school holidays, but perception isn't reality and many tourism operators are still heavily impacted and many businesses haven't survived,' Jayde Edwards said. Autopia Tours chief executive Paul Beames added: 'Pre-Covid, youth travellers formed a big part of our business, so this initiative by Travello to get Australians travelling and even exploring their own backyards is exactly what the industry needs to put much needed spend directly into the pockets of operators.' Winners will also be able to book incredible day trips (pictured is whale shark diving off Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia) Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive Margy Osmond described the initiative target a reluctant demographic as clever. 'If they can get these people to think differently about holidays in Australia, then thats a good thing,' Ms Osmond told Seven News. It comes after Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland offered their own travel incentives to boost the local economy. Travello will covering the entire cost of the voucher scheme, so that participating tourism operators can gain maximum benefit from the campaign. To get your voucher, visit: https://holiday-cash-giveaway.travelloapp.com/ Britain will not give Covid vaccines to children yet because No10's advisors want more data on risks before expanding the rollout. Experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation are understood to have raised 'serious ethical concerns' about inoculating children because of the tiny risk they face of becoming seriously ill. The group will release fresh guidance on the highly controversial topic of vaccinating children by the end of the week, according to the Telegraph. It will urge No10 to hold off jabbing under-18s in the immediate future and wait for more safety data to come out of the US and Israel, where the plans are already in motion. Cabinet minister Liz Truss this morning said No10 would look 'very closely' at advice from the panel, which has helped steer Downing Street through the pandemic. Meanwhile, one of the Government's senior scientific advisers today warned of the ethical dilemma posed by vaccinating children who face a one-in-a-million risk of dying from coronavirus. SAGE's Professor Calum Semple, an expert in outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool, said he is against vaccinating the 14million children in the UK. Meanwhile, children's campaigners, who have raised opposition to any mandatory vaccination programme for school students, today said they were 'very reasurred' by the news. But experts are divided on the topic, with some insisting it would help deal with the Indian variant. Pfizer's jab has already been approved for 12- to 15-year-olds by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). But it hasn't yet been deployed in the UK because ministers haven't given the green light to expanding the roll-out. Professor Chris Whitty this week hinted that children could get vaccines to stop the virus disrupting their education. Pfizer's jab is already being used on children in the US but concerns are mounting that it may be linked to heart damage in young adults. Some 226 myocarditis and pericarditis cases have been reported in the US following Pfizer and Moderna shots, mostly in men with an average age of 24. The Government should not roll-out its mass Covid vaccine programme for children until scientists get 'more data on the risks', top scientists will reportedly warn Experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are said to have raised 'serious ethical concerns' about vaccinating children - because of the low risk of youngsters becoming serious illness through Covid. It comes amid a kick-back from parents, with 50,000 people recently signing a petition against Covid vaccinations for youngsters. Pictured left: Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Pictured right: Campaigner Molly Kingsley from UsforThem Moderna's vaccine is poised for approval in the same age group in the US and both companies, as well as Johnson & Johnson, have begun trials for under-12s. UK parents have already hit out at plans to inoculate children, with 50,000 signing a petition against Covid vaccinations for youngsters. Pupils must be allowed to stay in school if they say no to Covid jabs, campaigners say Pupils must be allowed to stay in school if they say no to getting a Covid vaccination, campaigners have warned. Activists say students should not be dragged out of classrooms if they decide not to have the jab until further tests are done. They are 'extremely concerned' about any mass roll out of doses to children Professor Chris Whitty hinted at yesterday. It comes as more than 50,000 people signed a petition against Covid vaccinations for youngsters. The appeal to Parliament had raked in 54,895 as of Tuesday morning as it called on the government to avoid jabbing youngsters. Molly Kingsley, co-founder of children's campaign group UsforThem, said she was worried about forcing jabs on schoolchildren. The mother from Cambridgeshire told MailOnline: 'Whilst we understand there may be a need for children with specific vulnerabilities to have the Covid-19 vaccine, UsforThem are extremely concerned about suggestions about a mass roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine to children. 'Education is a fundamental right for any child and it absolutely must not be tied to the willingness of individual children or the cohort at large to be vaccinated. 'Chris Whitty's comments to the effect that a benefit of the vaccine for children would be to prevent 'multiple disruptions' in schools is - frankly - disingenuous. 'It artificially inflates the "benefit" side of the equation closing schools is a policy choice and once all adults have been double vaccinated it is unclear why we'd make that choice. 'Children have been put at the bottom of the heap for over a year now and it would be unconscionable to ask children to take a vaccine for which there is no long term safety data especially given the lack of direct benefit to children.' Advertisement Teaching unions, meanwhile, have offered tentative support for an under-18 jab roll-out, if it helps tackle disruption to schooling. Today, a Whitehall source told the Telegraph: 'Nobody is going to green light the mass vaccination of children at this stage. 'Scientists want to see more data from the US and elsewhere before taking a firm stand either way. 'The JCVI will want to weigh up the benefits against the risks before vaccinating children and it wants more data.' And International Trade Secretary Ms Truss this morning concurred that the JCVI would not be recommending jabs for children. She told BBC Breakfast: 'Of course the Government will look very closely at the JCVIs recommendations. 'It is my understanding that they are not recommending the vaccination of under-18s and we will be saying more in due course about that.' Meanwhile, Professor Semple said he is 'veering on not vaccinating children' because of their low risk of severe disease. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme today, he said he would prioritise vaccinating hard to reach vulnerable people in the UK and sending jabs abroad. Professor Semple said: 'The first thing to remember here is that risk and severe disease in children Im talking about admission to hospital, admission to intensive care and death the risk of death is one in a million. 'And thats not a figure Im plucking from the air as a sort of average or guess. Thats a quantifiable risk. 'So were talking about vaccinating children here mainly to protect public health and reduce transmission and its accepted that teenagers who are biologically more like adults are more likely to transmit but the younger children really are not. 'The balance here is should the vaccine be pushed into the arms of hard to reach adults and should we spend efforts persuading hesitant adults to have a vaccine. 'And if we do have lots of vaccine left over, should we be sending it to countries in Europe and Africa and Asia where they havent got enough vaccine.' He added that the spread of the Indian 'Delta' variant in schools should not be a cause for concern because it does not cause more serious illness in youngsters. Professor Semple: 'Yes, the virus is spreading in schools because its got nowhere else to hide at the moment and thats confounding the challenge too. 'The Delta variant is more transmissible but its not causing greater disease in children per se. 'Its just that its not able to cause greater disease in the older adults because their vaccinated and the vaccines still pretty good. 'So Im veering on the not vaccinating children, only because of the ethical issues and the need to get the vaccine into older people.' The UK administered just 368,555 Covid-19 vaccine doses on Monday well under half the 844,285 it managed on a single day in March 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 Meanwhile, children's campaigners, UsforThem, today praised the news. Co-founder Molly Kinsgley said: 'UsforThem are very reassured to see that JCVI are expected to recommend against a mass roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine to children in the immediate future. 'Whilst we recognise there may be a need for children with serious vulnerabilities to have the Covid-19 vaccine, we have always had serious concerns about the appropriateness of reliance on emergency use authorisation for a mass roll out to children given the lack of adequate, long term safety data. 'We are pleased to see that the JCVI have appeared to recognised the severity of the issues at stake and have, in our view, sensibly and rightly, followed the example set by the German STIKO in declining to recommend the vaccine for mass roll out in children at this stage. 'To suggest, as Chris Whitty did in the Q&A to the press conference earlier this week, that a benefit to children taking the vaccine would be to prevent school disruption is disingenuous. 'Once all adults have been vaccinated there should simply be no more school disruption and it would be unconscionable to suggest that education - which is a basic human right of children - is dependent on the willingness of the cohort or individual children to take a vaccine, and especially one for which there is no long term safety data. 'If what is being reported is correct it is a rare example of adults finally doing the right thing by children. We applaud the integrity shown by JCVI and hope that others in a position of responsibility for the health and welfare of children now follow suit.' It comes after Professor Chris Whitty earlier this week hinted children could be given Covid jabs to stop the virus disrupting their education or increasing their future risk of physical or mental health problems. England's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) told a Downing Street news conference that the 'wider question' was about whether such a programme would help limit Covid's disruption to schooling. He said officials were still considering whether to vaccinate children but the 'big priority' was reaching over-18s in the summer. Speaking at the Downing Street press conference earlier this week, he said: 'The key thing for children is safety. 'We know that the risks in terms of of physical disease to children, other than for some children with significant pre-existing problems of physical health, are much, much lower than for adults. 'So you wouldn't want to vaccinate unless the vaccine was very safe. Vaccines are now being licensed in some countries and we're accruing safety data on the safety of these vaccines in children.' England's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) told a Downing Street news conference that the 'wider question' was about whether such a programme would help limit Covid's disruption to schooling Over-21s invited to book their Covid-19 jab Over-21s in England have been invited to book their Covid-19 vaccination. People aged 21 and 22 are able to book for the first time using the National Bookings Service. It comes after the head of the NHS in England said that all adults in England should be able to book their first coronavirus jab by the end of the week. Sir Simon Stevens told the NHS Confederation conference on Tuesday that the NHS will finish the job of the Covid-19 vaccination programme to the greatest extent possible over the next four weeks during the extension of lockdown. The NHS said that from Wednesday it will contact 972,000 21- and 22-year-olds to invite them to book their vaccination. This means only 18- to 20-year-olds are left to get the call. Advertisement Scientists on the JCVI will reportedly recommend the Government looks to the US and Israel where children are already being vaccinated. In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that all children over 12 should get a Covid jab in May. Some 7.6million 12- to 18-year-olds have already had a first dose while 4.7million have had their second. Meanwhile, Israel has recently started vaccinating children aged 12 to 15. France has also opened up vaccinations for children aged 12 and over. If the UK Government does push on for a vaccine roll-out for children, it will most likely use the Pfizer vaccine. The jab has already been deemed safe for use in those aged 12-15 by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). A senior government source told the Telegraph: 'The Pfizer vaccine has been licensed for 12 to 15-year-olds by the MHRA, and a number of countries will be vaccinating children in those age groups. 'Ministers have not received advice, and no decisions have been taken.' AstraZeneca's vaccine will almost certainly not be recommended for use in children, having already been advised against for under-40s by the JCVI because of its links to extremely rare blood clots in the brain. The issue of vaccinating children is contentious, because studies show there is an extremely low risk of children becoming seriously ill through Covid. The main benefit, it is thought, is to limit the spread of the virus in schools. It comes as more than 50,000 people signed a petition against Covid vaccinations for youngsters Vaccine shortage threatens further Freedom Day delay A shortage of vaccines could threaten a further Freedom Day delay as supplies of Pfizer and Moderna jabs are 'tight' amid an increased demand - as young people are taking alternatives to AstraZeneca. The Covid vaccine rollout has now slowed to under half its peak speed despite Boris Johnson stressing the urgent need to jab as many people as possible to free Britain from lockdown. In light of the rapidly spreading Indian variant, the Government has brought forward its target for vaccinating all adults until July 19 the same day the final unlocking has been pushed back until. Ministers had previously pledged to offer jabs to all over-18s by July 31. And the Prime Minister this week delayed Freedom Day from June 21 to July 19 to give the NHS a 'few more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the Indian, or Delta, variant. But Britain administered just 368,555 vaccine doses on Monday well under half the 844,285 it managed on a single day in March. The pace has slowed because of the decision by Government advisers to recommend alternatives to the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab for the under-40s and limited supply of the two alternatives Pfizer and Moderna. Ministers have conceded that the supply of the Pfizer jab is particularly 'tight' while the Moderna vaccine which has only just become available is thought to be similarly limited. Advertisement A study earlier this year revealed that those who do become infected three weeks after receiving one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccine were between 38 per and 49 per cent less likely to pass the virus on to their household contacts than those who were unvaccinated. There is also data to suggest that teenagers are more likely to spread Covid and this is one of the reasons behind potentially vaccinating children in the UK. It comes as more than 50,000 people have now signed a petition against Covid vaccinations for youngsters. The appeal to Parliament had raked in 54,895 as of Tuesday morning as it called on the government to avoid jabbing youngsters. Retired paediatrician Dr Ros Jones created the page and called for officials to delay giving doses to under 18s until after 'Phase 3 trials are complete'. She wrote: 'A risk vs benefit calculation does not support giving COVID-19 vaccines, which use novel technologies and are still in Phase 3 trials, to healthy children. 'Any rollout should not start until trials are complete and all findings are published and peer-reviewed on long-term safety data. 'Healthy children are at low risk from COVID-19 yet face known and unknown risks from COVID-19 vaccines. 'Rare, but serious, adverse events and deaths are being reported to monitoring systems around the world. 'Official guidance is updated as the side-effects become more apparent. Giving Covid-19 vaccines to healthy children to protect adults is unethical and unjustifiable. 'The Government has an ethical duty to act with caution and proportionality.' The Government responded: 'The Government will continue to evaluate evidence and assess expert opinion before making a decision on routinely vaccinating children under 18 years old.' Despite the backlash from parents, teachers' unions appear to be mostly in favour of jabbing children. Joint General Secretary of the NEU Kevin Courtney said: 'The NEU would welcome the extension of vaccination to school students when and if that is approved - this would lead to children missing less in-person education. 'In the meantime we should continue to take all appropriate measures, including face coverings and better ventilation, to reduce the risks of transmission.' Passengers on a light plane in the Northern Territory had a mid-air scare after an enormous huntsman spider fell from the plane's cabin roof into the pilot's lap. The Cessna had just been for a scenic flight over Kakadu National Park and was coming in to land when the terrifying stowaway was spotted. NSW tourist Sean Hancock, who was in the plane with his wife Colleen, said the pilot was a little shaken after the spider fell onto his lap as he approached the Outback runway. Huntsman spider drops on top of pilot Afraid of flying and spiders? This might be your worst nightmare... A giant huntsman dropped on top of a panicked pilot, as the small plane was landing at a Northern Territory airfield. STORY: http://9Soci.al/tU8a30rKWwv #9News | Nightly at 6.00pm Posted by 9 News on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 'He's panicking, trying to brush it off his leg. He wasn't a fan at all,' Mr Hancock told 9News. He explained the pilot first noticed the spider when he glanced over to his wife who simply pointed up to the roof. Knowing the spider was a harmless huntsman Mr Hancock - who already had his phone out filming the plane's landing - said he burst out laughing. 'He'd have been a good 15-centimetres across. He was a big boy.' Workers on the plane had seen the spider days earlier but thought it had scurried off. Thankfully the plane landed without incident. Western Australia's top cop has defended forcing 'confidential' Covid tracing data to be handed over to detectives to help investigate the assassination of a bikie boss. Rebels gang president Nick Martin, 51, was shot dead at a drag racing event in Perth on December 12 in front of horrified families including his own wife and step-child. Police believe he was shot in the back by a sniper as far as 300m away. A former soldier, 34, was charged with his murder in March after a three-month investigation. The man is being held under heavy protection in a secure wing of Casuarina Prison, Western Australia's highest security jail. It's unknown whether police requested a list of all attendees at the Perth Motorplex venue where Martin was shot on December 12 or just the potential check-ins of the alleged killer. WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson on Wednesday said the state's officers could access the information in 'exceptional circumstances'. Former Rebels Boss Nick Martin (left) died in the arms of his wife Amanda (right) after he was shot in the back at a drag racing event in Perth on December 12 Detectives forced health authorities to hand over confidential contact tracing data to help with their investigation into Martin's alleged murder (stock photo) 'If any person is murdered doesn't matter who they are police have a duty to collect the best possible evidence and put it before the court,' he told 6PR radio. 'Don't expect me to do my job half-baked... I make no apology for it. 'This is not for police purposes, this is for the community of Western Australia. I will do my job and I expect police officers to do their job according to the law.' Attorney-General John Quigley confirmed senior police twice issued notices to the WA Health Department requiring them to hand over data from the SafeWA app since mandatory registration at venues was first enforced in December. The use of tracing data for venue check-ins from December 5 was authorised by state emergency coordinator and Commissioner Dawson. WA Premier Mark McGowan told parliament he first became aware of the warrant, and an earlier one investigating meth being delivered to hotel quarantine. WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson on Wednesday said the state's officers can access the information in 'exceptional circumstances' He said he told made it clear that the time that he 'prefer the police didn't do this' but was disregarded by Commissioner Dawson. Mr McGowan said he 'didn't blame' police for working within the law, but introduced emergency laws to close the loophole protect contact tracing data and restore public confidence in the app. 'Look, there are arguments on both sides... but the confidence in the app should we have another outbreak is paramount,' he told 6PR. 'That's why we're legislating to remove any capacity for this information to be used by any other agency, especially the police.' Opposition Leader Mia Davies on Tuesday labelled it a 'massive breach of public trust', saying Western Australians were assured their data would only be used for contact tracing purposes to keep them safe during the coronavirus pandemic. The government had promised upon introducing mandatory registering that records 'would only be used for the purpose of Covid-19 contact tracing'. Police believe Nick Martin (left) was fatally shot in the back by a sniper as far as 300m away Businesses will be required to keep the data for 28 days then destroy it as soon as possible. Individuals found to have shared the data with a third party face 12 months' imprisonment or a $20,000 fine. Corporations face two years' imprisonment or a $250,000 fine. Mr Quigley said the emergency laws would ensure that nobody but the Health Department could access the confidential data, including police or the Corruption and Crime Commission. 'I make no criticism of the police for issuing those notices. They operated according to law,' Mr Quigley told reporters. 'However the Government has had to do a balancing act ... it is so critical that the public have continuing confidence in SafeWA and contact registering.' There have been more than 245 million check-ins on the SafeWA app since December Mr Quigley said he was confident the decision would not hamper any police investigations. 'They have, at their resources, far more sophisticated methods of locating someone's whereabouts,' he said. Premier Mark McGowan told Parliament he had become aware of the breaches in April and requested that police no longer access the data. He said Police Commissioner Chris Dawson had responded that his officers were simply doing their jobs by accessing information available to them under the law. 'Both of those investigations were very serious matters,' Mr McGowan said. 'Our view is the SafeWA app should only be used for contact tracing purposes.' There have been more than 245 million check-ins on the SafeWA app since December. The boss of John Lewis has revealed the firm is having to give basic literacy and numeracy classes to young staff because they have been 'completely failed' by the education system. In a stinging criticism of the UK's education set-up, Dame Sharon White said some of the 16 year olds it hired did not have 'functional literacy and numeracy' skills. She also warned that children who are less academically inclined are not always able to reach their full potential. Dame Sharon said: 'To have done ten years, 11, 12 years of education, and not having, in many cases, functional literacy, certainly, pretty typically not having functional numeracy beyond the age of, I'd say, ten, 11, means that they may then have fabulous people skills and fabulous skills in terms of operating in a team but that's almost outwith the education system.' Dame Sharon, a former Ofcom chief who has been the chair of the John Lewis Partnership since July 2019, made the comments while speaking to the Times Education Commission. In a stinging criticism of the UK's education set-up, Dame Sharon White (pictured) said some of the 16 year olds it had hired did not have 'functional literacy and numeracy' skills The commission is examining the future of education in light of the Covid-19 crisis. It will also look at the decline in social mobility, as well as how technology can help improve education for children in the UK. Former Labour prime Minister, Tony Blair, as well as children's laureate, Cressida Cowell, and director of the National Theatre, Rufus Norris, are among those giving evidence to the committee. The year-long commission is set to produce a final report in June 2022. Meanwhile, exam board, Pearson, is currently running a consultation on the exam system. Called The Future of Assessment, it is examining what format qualifications between the ages of 16 and 18 might take in the future, and how effective the system is at supporting young people. Recent research from the consultation found four out of five employers in the UK said qualifications did 'not give young people the skills they need for work'. Rod Bristow, president of Pearson UK, called for employers to be more involved in education policy. He told the Times: 'It's not necessarily about designing another exam to test whether they have these skills, but it is important we know they had the experiences where learning can happen.' Dame Sharon's comments come after it was announced earlier this month that John Lewis's 5,000 office-based staff will work from home three days a week. Dame Sharon's comments come after it was announced earlier this month that John Lewis's (pictured: A library image of a John Lewis store) 5,000 office-based staff will work from home three days a week As part of a raft of new measures set out by Dame Sharon, employees will only be required to come into the office for two days a week. The retailer, which also owns Waitrose, will also advertiser all new vacancies with a flexible working option. John Lewis currently has two large offices in Bracknell and London, as well as call centres in Scotland and Didsbury. A spokesman said there were no imminent plans to cut office space. Earlier this year it was announced John Lewis will permanently shut several more of its department stores after it fell to its first loss in its 157-year history. The closures are the second time the partnership has been forced to take drastic action to protect the business in the pandemic. It is fighting back after losing a mammoth 517million in 2020 because of closures and consumers rapid shift to online shopping. Bosses warned financial results will be even worse next year and staff will not receive the coveted bonus for two years running, the first time in the firms history. The firm is also reviewing its Never Knowingly Undersold price pledge, which has been in place since 1925, and is already cutting prices to widen its appeal. It is thought that around eight of department stores will shut, on top of eight shops closed last year, as part of plans to cut 300million of annual costs. The retail giant did not say exactly how many of its 42 John Lewis shops will close, saying a final decision will be made at the end of March following talks with landlords. Such a move would likely result in hundreds of redundancies. It has already shed 1,300 shop staff and 1,500 head office workers. A massive tobacco baron trade ring worth millions has allegedly been smashed after police and Australian Tax Office raided a dozen locations in Queensland. Five people were arrested in the swoop on addresses in South Brisbane and Logan which netted a huge haul of 4.5 tonnes of tobacco, $900,000 in cash, 114,732 packets of cigarettes and 150,000 nicotine vapes. Police believe the seized tobacco alone is worth $24million, and the excise duty would have been more than $10million. Detectives joined forces with officers from the ATO and Queensland Health for the 12 raids in Beenleigh, Springwood, Slacks Creek, Rochedale South, Logan Central, Marsden, Waterford and Heritage Park on Tuesday. A massive tobacco baron trade ring worth millions has allegedly been smashed after police and Australian Tax Office raided a dozen locations in Queensland (pictured) The ATO set up Operation Romeo Serge to tackle home-grown tobacco farmers as part of a wider investigation into organised crime. It's been illegal to grow tobacco in Australia for more than a decade and anyone convicted faces up to 10 years in jail. ATO Assistant Commissioner Ian Read stressed the tobacco operations are not run by small producers or farmers. 'They are run by organised criminal syndicates who use the proceeds to fund their criminal behaviour well beyond the sale of illegal tobacco,' Mr Read said. 'Retailers choosing to become involved in the sale of illegal tobacco gain an unfair price advantage over small business. 'Removing illicit tobacco from crop to shop creates a level playing field and also helps to stop organised crime syndicates from funding other activities.' A detectives from the Logan District Criminal Investigation Branch carries out a search warrant Five people were arrested in the swoop on addresses in South Brisbane and Logan which netted a huge haul (pictured) of 4.5 tonnes of tobacco, $900,000 in cash, 114,732 packets of cigarettes and 150,000 nicotine vapes A large sum of cash was seized during the raid as part of Operation Romeo Serge He added: 'These results will have a major impact on these criminals and should serve as a warning to the criminal groups involved in this kind of activity.' A 54-year-old Springwood man has been charged with possessing dangerous drugs, possession of more than 100kg of tobacco and dealing with money suspected of being proceeds. A 55-year-old Rochedale South man has been charged with possession of more than 100kg of tobacco, importation of tobacco with intent to defraud and dealing with money suspected of being proceeds. They are both scheduled to appear in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on July 15. A 36-year-old Park Ridge South man has been charged with supplying tobacco in non-compliant packaging and possession of a regulated poison. A 32-year-old North Lakes man has been charged with supplying tobacco in non-compliant packaging and possession of a regulated poison. Detectives joined forces with officers from the ATO and Queensland Health for the 12 raids in Beenleigh, Springwood, Slacks Creek, Rochedale South, Logan Central, Marsden, Waterford and Heritage Park on Tuesday Pictured: Detectives uncover a large box of allegedly illegal tobacco during the raid Police believe the seized tobacco alone is worth $24million, and the excise duty would have been more than $10million They are both scheduled to appear in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on July 19. A 32-year-old Heritage Park man has been charged with possession of a regulated poison and possession of more than 100kg of tobacco. He is scheduled to appear at the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on July 28. More arrests are expected to follow, say police. The swoop followed two raids on May 13 at a Kuraby business and Logan Reserve residential address where police allegedly found approximately 1.5 tonnes of loose-leaf tobacco, 110,000 packets of imported cigarettes, and 100,000 vapes containing nicotine. A 57-year-old Kuraby man was arrested at the Kuraby address and was charged with possession of more than 500kg of tobacco, possession of more than 100kg of tobacco, importation of tobacco with intent to defraud and unlawful possession of a weapon. He is scheduled to appear at the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on June 29. The ATO set up Operation Romeo Serge to tackle home-grown tobacco farmers as part of a wider investigation into organised crime It's been illegal to grow tobacco in Australia for more than a decade and anyone convicted faces up to 10 years in jail The Church of England today launched an investigation into the whether the 9 billion investment fund that pays the Archbishop of Canterbury's 85,000-per-year wages may be tainted by money made from slavery. The Church risks reputational damage over the way its historic assets may have been built on the proceeds of slavery, a report said. The warning of possible links was made public in a report by the Churchs financial arm, the Church Commissioners. The Church risks reputational damage over the way its historic assets may have been built on the proceeds of slavery, a report said. Pictured is Lambeth Palace The 9.2billion investment fund pays the 85,000-per-year wages of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, alongside other senior bishops South Sea Company: The slave trading origins of Britain's most notorious financial bubble The South Sea Company is today most famous as the subject of a period of wild financial speculation known as the South Sea Bubble, but less known is what the firm was actually set up to do. Founded in 1711 in a bid to wipe Britain's sovereign debts, the enterprise was given a monopoly to supply 4800 slaves a year to the Spanish colonies in South America, on the assumption that Britain would be able to strike a treaty with Spain to permit the trade. But the treaty was less favourable than hoped, allowing only one slave shipment a year and imposing a tax on the human cargo. One voyage took place in 1717 with limited success, but a year later investor confidence was boosted by King George I becoming the company's governor. Three years later the company took on management of the entire government debt after ministers pocketed bribes, prompting the share price to skyrocket, from 100 in 1719 to more than 1,000 by August 1720. However, with the company making barely any profit and unable to transport more than one slave ship a year it soon became clear the elevated share price was based on nothing but speculation. The subsequent crash wiped out the fortunes of thousands of investors including Sir Isaac Newton, who lost several millions of pounds in current terms. An inquiry found that at least three government ministers had accepted bribes to allow the South Sea Company to take on the national debt. The Bubble Act was introduced in a bid to avoid similar financial crises in future. However, the Company survived the bubble and would go on to carry out 96 voyages in 25 years, purchasing 34,000 slaves of whom 30,000 survived the voyage across the Atlantic, according to research by the historian David Eltis. That gave a mortality rate for crossings of about 11%. Source: Britannica and others. Advertisement It said there may be trouble ahead over the holdings of its 19th century predecessor, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and in particular the fund known as Queen Annes Bounty which became a feature of Church finances in 1704. The money, passed to the Church by the Crown, was meant to buy land for poor parishes but was often invested instead in financial speculation. Some of the money was invested in annuities in the South Sea Company, which had a monopoly to transport slaves from Africa to the Spanish colonies in South America. The Commissioners are headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, and pay his 85,070 salary, alongside those of other bishops. They also maintain Lambeth Palace, the See Houses of other bishops, and contribute heavily to the running of cathedrals. Their holdings, which grew to 9.2 billion last year, pay for around 1 in every 6 that the Church spends, and have been used to bail out the CofE during the shutdown of churches during the pandemic. The cloud over the CofEs investment fund marks the third time the Church has been embarrassed over its past willingness to profit from slavery. A first apology was issued 15 years ago over Anglican ownership of Caribbean sugar plantations worked by slave labour. Last year there were further exposures of at least 100 clergy who made money from slavery before its abolition in the British Empire in 1834. Yesterdays report from the Commissioners said: The Church Commissioners have established a sub-group of the Board, to lead research into the issue of historical linkages to transatlantic chattel slavery. Long-established endowment funds may give rise to a reputational risk linked to the possibility of their original source, or early investment of funds, having slave trade connections. This could be the case for the original Queen Annes Bounty and Ecclesiastical Commissioners funds. A spokesman for the Commissioners said: Like many organisations, we are looking into our past and have commissioned external research into the origins of our predecessor bodies. We are doing this work of our own volition to better understand where our funding came from and to see if our predecessor bodies had links to or received profits from the historic transatlantic slave trade. Archbishop Welby last year acknowledged the historic involvement of the Church in slavery, saying in a sermon that figures from its past bring baggage. Some of the Church's money was invested in annuities in the South Sea Company, which had a monopoly to transport slaves from Africa to the Spanish colonies in South America. It is best known as the subject of the South Sea Bubble (depicted here in a print by Hogarth) He said: We find saints and slave-traders, the proud and prelatical, with the humble servant of the people. They are part of us, of our inheritance, to be reformed, to be repented of, to be imitated. The Archbishop has also declared that some statues and memorials in churches and cathedrals to debatable figures will have to come down. But in May a report prepared by Church officials advised against removal or destruction of church monuments, saying that from a Christian perspective every memorial is a memorial to a sinner, however fulsome any tribute to their life, character and achievements may be, and the final moral reckoning on all our lives is known to God alone. Advertisement Melissa Goodwin appeared before a magistrate sporting a new neck tattoo on Wednesday, as she sought to clear her name of sexual misconduct allegations at a Sydney prison A female prison officer has had a major court win after a magistrate refused to consider evidence from her ex who claimed she repeatedly performed sex acts on him in jail. Melissa Maree Goodwin, 26, appeared before a Sydney court on Wednesday sporting a fresh neck tattoo and a determination to clear her name of sexual misconduct allegations. The suspended Corrective Services NSW officer has always denied convicted thief Corey London's claims she gave him oral sex five times between November 2019 and April 2020. And her case was greatly bolstered when London refused to testify this morning out of fear for his safety, with the court hearing he had recently suffered a broken jaw in Parklea prison. Magistrate Daniel Reiss then formally refused to consider a statement London gave to police as evidence. Prosecutors were relying on his statement as vital evidence prosecutors to prove outstanding contraband charges and the sex claims. Goodwin's lawyer Robert Webb described London's list of alleged store room sex acts Goodwin supposedly performed upon him as nothing but a 'wish list'. Mr Webb slammed London as a 'jealous and nasty' criminal with a vivid imagination. 'Your Honour would think a maximum security prison is used more like a brothel house', based on London's statement, Mr Webb said. London was brought to Burwood Local Court but refused to come up from the cells, despite being driven from Parklea Prison. The court heard inmate Corey London's foul-mouthed call to his mother about Goodwin (left and right), who he claimed to police had performed repeated oral sex on him in a prison storeroom. London's mother suggested he could use his alleged situation with Goodwin to his advantage. 'You might be able to use it to your advantage to get out early,' she said. Love triangle: Goodwin pursued an entirely legal relationship with Rebels bikie associate Caleb Valeri after her arrest Goodwin's lawyer Robert Webb described London's list of alleged store room sex acts Goodwin (pictured, leaving court) supposedly performed upon him as nothing but a 'wish list' London was charged with contempt of court but still declined to testify. Goodwin isn't entirely out of hot water. She has pleaded guilty to being in an intimate relationship with London, but was always adamant that the relationship wasn't sexual. The court earlier heard a recorded phone call from London following Goodwin's arrest last May. In the call, London exclaimed to his mum: 'Did you see the news? Did you see the news?' 'No, what? she replied. The prisoner said: '(Goodwin) got done. The little f***en' s*** she is. Some c*** got out, she was with him, then she got done. 'I won't say too much but she's a f***en' little dog.' The court heard that London appeared to be referring to a relationship Goodwin pursued with ex-prisoner Caleb Valeri outside jail. Valeri is a Rebels bikie gang associate on bail at the time, and the apparent love triangle had been splashed across the press. A fuming London claimed to his mum: 'This little Rebel dog.... I'm going to f***en' kill him when I see her. 'I was with him, hey, he was a jealous c*** bro'. London added that he was 'burning' that Goodwin was dating a 'gronk' and asked his mother to message her. His mother replied, sagely: 'At the end of the day ... she was probably seeing like ten of you'. London replied: 'Nah... what do you mean, I was the first one.' 'A real catch': That is how Magistrate Daniel Reiss sarcastically described Corey London in court on Wednesday. He fumed to his mother that Goodwin was in a relationship with Valeri Goodwin's lawyer Robert Webb described London's list of alleged store room sex acts as nothing but fantasy - a 'wish list' At one point in the call, London appeared to threaten Goodwin: 'She doesn't know. I've got everything. I've got her address, where she lives, everything off her.' His mother also suggested he make the most of his situation in a legal sense. 'You might be able to use it to your advantage to get out early,' she said. London agreed. London will remain behind bars until at least the middle of next year. Goodwin will return to court for sentencing over a single charge of engaging in an intimate relationship with an inmate causing a safety risk. Prosecutors will consider their position on outstanding contraband charges, the court heard. More than 2.2 million Australians on the minimum wage will now get a little bit extra in their pay packet, after the industrial umpire ruled in workers' favour. The Fair Work Commission on Wednesday announced in an annual review that full-time minimum-wage earners will receive an extra $18.80-a-week. The Morrison government had warned against a major increase, arguing it could dampen employment in small business during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 2.2 million Australians on minimum wages will now get a little bit extra in their pay packet, after the industrial umpire ruled in worker's favour The Morrison government had warned against a major increase, arguing it could dampen employment in small business during the coronavirus pandemic But with unions pushing for a 3.5 per cent increase, the commission decided on the middle-ground figure of 2.5 per cent. That means a full-time worker is now set to earn a minimum of $20.33 an hour, or $772.60 a week. While it's good news for low-income workers, those employed in sectors hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic - including aviation, fitness, tourism, retail and events, won't receive the wage boost until November 1. More than two million people are on award rates of minimum pay for their industry, while almost 200,000 receive the national base wage. In line with the government's view, the Australian Industry Group urged the commission to limit its increase to 1.1 per cent, or $8.29 a week. The Fair Work Commission on Wednesday announced in an annual review that full-time minimum-wage earners will receive an extra $18.80-a-week Full-time workers are now set to earn a minimum $20.33 an hour, or $772.60 a week Employers also argue the last increase was paid by many employers at the start of February, labelling a five-month gap between another rise as 'extremely unfair'. The Australian Council of Trade Unions wants minimum pay rates boosted to put more money that would stimulate the economy in workers' pockets. ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said after the announcement, the delay is 'extremely disappointing'. 'Especially those who have worked throughout the pandemic and whose employers have posted record profits,' she said in a statement. Austrian police say a man stabbed a man to death because he was unhappy with his life and wanted to go to prison. Officers said the 29-year-old had planned the killing for weeks in order to be imprisoned. The man was arrested in the western state of Tyrol on suspicion of stabbing another man to death. Innsbruck police said on Tuesday that the suspect had walked into a police station on Monday in the town of Kufstein, near the German border. They said that the man, an Austrian citizen, claimed responsibility for the killing. Austrian police say a man, 29, stabbed a man to death in Kufstein, near the German border, because he was unhappy with his life and wanted to go to prison (file photo) Austrian broadcaster ORF said the body of a 77-year-old was found in a wooded area on the banks of the Inn river at 6.35pm on Monday. The victim had multiple stab wounds and cuts on their upper body and neck, the publication reported. Head of the State Criminal Police Office Katja Tersch said that the suspect was 'composed and very clear' during the interrogation. The man, whose name wasn't released, told officers that he wanted to be imprisoned because he was unhappy with his life. Police said the man appeared to have selected his victim, lured him into an ambush and killed him. They said in a statement: 'There was no chance the victim could have survived.' The TV watchdog found the network had links to China's Communist Party CGTN was taken off British airways earlier this year following probe by Ofcom At least six students at University of Leeds and one in Manchester have applied A Chinese TV network - which is banned in the UK - is targeting British influencers and vloggers as part of a new journalism recruitment scheme. China Global Television Network (CGTN) is trying to tempt English-speaking social media users and journalism hopefuls to its 'Media Challengers' scheme with job prospects and a $10,000 prize. The Chinese state broadcaster, which was taken of the air by Ofcom earlier this year after the watchdog found it was controlled by the country's Communist Party, is offering successful applicants journalism roles in Beijing, Washington, Nairobi, in London. At least six students at the University of Leeds and one at the University of Manchester have already applied for the roles, according to the Times. At least one of the entrants is an international student, though it is not clear if the other students are from the UK or are studying here. One video, posted as a promotion for the campaign on CGTN's own website, is from Zhuang Shangzi, a 24-year-old masters student at the University of Manchester. Ms Shangzi, who says her friends call her 'Crystal', describes herself in the video as a 'people person', 'a perfectionist' and 'very rigorous'. The student, who previously studied in Vancouver, says her reasons for applying are that she 'loves travel' and that she's a 'huge fan of YouTube travel vloggers'. In the video she specifically mentions Lee and Oli Barrett - two British YouTubers who regularly post videos about China - whose video, she says, 'help eliminate the bias western media has towards China'. 'Through these creators, I have come to realise that the tourism industry has an essential role in changing the perspective of China, she adds. 'So I'm proud that I could be a storyteller, to promote China and Chinese culture to people from all over the world. I want to promote the real China to the world.' Another entry video, which is said to come from students and the University of Leeds, shows six students in a short promotional-style video for CGTN news. One entry video, which is said to come from students and the University of Leeds, shows students in a short promotional-style video for CGTN news (pictured) China Global Television Network (CGTN) is trying to tempt English-speaking social media users and journalism hopefuls to its 'Media Challengers' scheme with job prospects and a $10,000 prize One of the entries, posted as a promotion for the campaign on CGTN's own website, is from Zhuang Shangzi (pictured), a 24-year-old masters student at the University of Manchester What is CGTN? Launched in December 2016 during a glitzy launch ceremony in Beijing - attended by top officials in the Community Party - CGTN is a Chinese state broadcaster. Headquartered in Beijing, CGTN has three production centers, located in Nairobi, Washington D.C. and London, According to its website, it aims to provide global audiences with accurate and timely news coverage, as well as 'promoting communication and understanding between China and the world'. The network, which is available in more than 160 countries world-wide, also claims to adhere to the principles of 'objectivity, rationality and balance in reporting'. But is has regularly been criticised as the 'tongue and throat' of the Chinese Community Party. And earlier this year it was thrown off British airways after watchdog Ofcom after an investigation found the license holder had links to the country's ruling party. Advertisement According to CGTN's website, its 'Media Challengers' campaign was launched in April. It aims to find 'presenters, on-camera reporters, DJ and social media influencers who use English to report and create content from all over the world'. Media experts, representatives of internet celebrities and social media influencers will judge the entrants before deciding the winners, the website adds. The prize includes a $10,000 reward and 'professional journalism training', while winners 'may receive full-time or part-time jobs at CGTN'. Job sites include at the network's Beijing headquarters, as well as regional production centres in Washington, London and Nairobi. It encourages entrants to send in videos of up to three-minutes in length to 'highlight your storytelling, editing and presenting skills'. According to its own website, CGTN, which was launched in 2016 and is available in more than 160 countries, adheres 'to the principles of objectivity, rationality and balance' in its reporting. But in February the Chinese state-owned broadcaster was thrown off UK airwaves by Ofcom after an investigation found the license holder had links to the country's ruling Communist Party. In July last year, the television watchdog launched an investigation into CGTN, which has spent millions of pounds launching a European hub in Chiswick, London The probe followed concern over biased coverage of Hong Kong pro-democracy protests and 'show trial' news reports of a corruption case against Briton Peter Humphrey in China. In February the CGTN was thrown off UK airwaves by Ofcom after an investigation found the license holder had links to the country's ruling Communist Party. Pictured: Liu Yunshan (C), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong (R) and Liu Qibao (L), head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attend the launching ceremony of the China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing in 2016 In February Ofcom revoked its licence, under laws which state that any licensee must have editorial control of the programmes shown and must not be controlled by political bodies. Former Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith today told MailOnline in February that the Ofcom decision is 'a huge move and long overdue.' CGTN: The Chinese state-owned broadcaster's controversial reports The China Global Television Network has often been criticised for allegedly sharing misinformation and making false allegations against opponents of the Chinese government. CGTN's most high-profile controversies include: Peter Humphrey Ofcom launched an investigation into CGTN - previously CCTV - following broadcasts which showed former British journalist Peter Humphrey appearing to confess to a criminal offence, and reported his conviction and an apology. Mr Humphrey, 64, was jailed for more than two years by a court in Shanghai in 2014, in connection with a corruption case involving pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. The two reports from CCTV identified Mr Humphrey but his face was blurred. The 2013 footage was broadcast across Chinese media as well as astonishingly in Britain. China's star TV presenter James Chau, a Cambridge-educated journalist who counts the Duchess of Sussex among his friends, solemnly introduced the shocking footage to viewers. But according to Mr Humphrey, the entire broadcast was a lie. Hong Kong protests The network has previously been investigated by Ofcom for its coverage of the Hong Kong protests, which took place in 2019 until late 2020. The media watchdog said the channel often focused on violence by protesters against police officers while ignoring attacks by the authorities on members of the public. It said the output echoed the views of the pro-Beijing Hong Kong government without providing sufficient balance from those with alternative views, the Guardian reported. However, CGTN claimed it was 'particularly challenging' to air pro-democracy views on the Hong Kong protests because those demonstrating were reluctant to talk on camera. Simon Cheng In November 2019, CGTN aired a video of a UK consular employee in captivity appearing to 'confess' to consorting with prostitutes. A week later, he filed a complaint with Ofcom. Nick Pollard In September 2019, the British TV executive resigned from his post as consultant and advisor to CGTN. He explained he was leaving due to CGTN's failure to comply with Ofcom's rules on impartiality regarding coverage of the Hong Kong protests. Advertisement He added: 'The problem is too many people in the UK who were in positions of power have gone along with it for too long.' China later threatened to retaliate, with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs accusing the UK of 'political oppression' and 'double standards', and demanding Britain 'correct its mistakes'. At a press briefing in February, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson of the foreign ministry said: 'We urge the UK to immediately stop political manipulation and correct its mistakes. China reserves the right to make the necessary response to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese media. CGTN had previously been described as the 'tongue and throat' of the Chinese Communist Party. The Ofcom investigation found it was owned by a company called Star China Media, but the group did not control its output. Instead, it was directed by a division of China Central Television (CCTV), the state-controlled broadcaster. Ofcom launched an investigation into CGTN following broadcasts which showed British journalist Peter Humphrey appearing to confess to a criminal offence, and reported his conviction and an apology. Mr Humphrey, 64, was jailed for more than two years by a court in Shanghai in 2014, in connection with a corruption case involving pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. The two reports from CCTV identified Mr Humphrey but his face was blurred. The 2013 footage was broadcast across Chinese media as well as astonishingly in Britain. China's star TV presenter James Chau, a Cambridge-educated journalist who counts the Duchess of Sussex among his friends, solemnly introduced the shocking footage to viewers. But according to Mr Humphrey, the entire broadcast was a lie. The investigator, who was arrested with his wife and business partner Yu Yingzeng while probing alleged corruption at pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, insists that the footage masked the truth of his ordeal. Mr Humphrey claims that he and his wife are innocent and the so-called 'confession' was a sham confected from doctored footage captured after he had been plied with sedatives. Speaking previously from his home in Surrey, Mr Humphrey told The Mail on Sunday earlier this year: 'It was a travesty of my human rights. 'I was stripped of my dignity, drugged, caged and had my words twisted to create the impression I confessed. But I never did and I never will. 'The grief and humiliation I suffered was overwhelming. During that forced confession and the two years I endured in prison, they set out to crush my spirit. I'm left with scars that are still healing.' After his release, Mr Humphrey complained to Ofcom, alleging unfair treatment and breach of privacy in two news reports on the case aired on CCTV, which has since been renamed CGTN. In a ruling published in July, Ofcom said it had upheld the complaint, calling it a 'serious' breach of its code of conduct. It added CCTV's airing of footage of him in custody 'had the potential materially and adversely to affect viewers' perception of him'. It 'did not take sufficient steps to ensure that material facts had not been presented, omitted or disregarded in a way that was unfair to Mr Humphrey'. He was also not given an 'appropriate and timely opportunity' to respond to the claims and had a 'legitimate expectation of privacy' because he had not given consent. In 2020, Ofcom found CGTN had breached the broadcasting code by failing to preserve due impartiality in its coverage of the Hong Kong protests. The media watchdog said the channel often focused on violence by protesters against police officers while ignoring attacks by the authorities on members of the public. China's star TV presenter James Chau, a Cambridge-educated journalist who counts the Duchess of Sussex among his friends, solemnly introduced the shocking footage to viewers Ofcom's investigation concluded that Star China Media Limited (SCML), the licence-holder for the service, did not have editorial responsibility for the news channel's output. Pictured: Xi Jinping It said the output echoed the views of the pro-Beijing Hong Kong government without providing sufficient balance from those with alternative views, the Guardian reported. However, CGTN claimed it was 'particularly challenging' to air pro-democracy views on the Hong Kong protests because those demonstrating were reluctant to talk on camera. The regulator is due to reach a decision about sanctions for the breach shortly. An Ofcom spokeswoman said in February: 'Our investigation showed that the licence for China Global Television Network is held by an entity which has no editorial control over its programmes. 'We are unable to approve the application to transfer the licence to China Global Television Network Corporation because it is ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, which is not permitted under UK broadcasting law. 'We've provided CGTN with numerous opportunities to come into compliance, but it has not done so. We now consider it appropriate to withdraw the licence for CGTN to broadcast in the UK.' MailOnline contacted CTGN for a comment. Advertisement Sadiq Khan today called for ministers to send more Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines to London despite the UK having a 'tight' supply of both jabs. London's Mayor argued it was crucial to get more doses into the capital because its population is younger than average, meaning many can't be given AstraZeneca's jab which has been linked to blood clots. He warned London would not be able to fully come out of lockdown until there was better coverage in the young. Pleading for more jabs, Mr Khan tweeted: 'Until more young Londoners are vaccinated, we wont beat this virus and fully reopen our city. That's why Im calling on the Government to allocate us more Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.' Other Indian variant hotspots across the country have also warned they may not be able to ease restrictions on the delayed 'Freedom Day' without more vaccines. Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: 'Unless the Government can deliver the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines in the right numbers, it's hard to see how we could safely unlock on July 19.' Ministers have brought forward the target for offering jabs to all adults from July 31 to July 19 when England is supposed to drop all restrictions. No10 has also pledged to get two-thirds of adults fully inoculated by the same date. Boris Johnson stressed the urgent need to jab as many people as possible to finally end lockdown, saying the four-week delay gave the NHS a 'few more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the Indian variant. But there are fears a shortage in supply of vaccines could threaten a further delay to the final unlocking, with the pace of the roll-out having already slowed to around half of the speed seen at the programme's peak. Ministers have conceded the supply of the Pfizer jab is 'tight' while Moderna's is thought to be similarly limited. Regulators have recommended under-40s who the rollout of first doses is currently centered around are not given the British-made AstraZeneca jab because of its rare links to blood clots, massively increasing demand for the other two available options. Health bosses in Salford in Greater Manchester, where the mutant strain is rife, have been told to expect even fewer Pfizer vaccines than normal, it was claimed today. At least one London borough, Hounslow, has already become a hotspot for the Indian Covid variant which is highly transmissible and has been spreading predominantly in the young. Figures show London's jab rollout lags behind the rest of the country in every age group but the gap is more stark in younger groups. Just 63 per cent of Londoners aged 35 to 39 have been jabbed, compared to the 72 per cent national average and among 30 to 34-year-olds the rate is 51 per cent in London, compared to 59 per cent. Despite shortage fears, England's Covid vaccination drive opened to people aged 21 and 22 today as ministers race to get every adult jabbed by July 19. Another million people are now eligible for the jab. NHS bosses expect to open up the scheme to all adults by the end of this week Sadiq Khan today called for the Government to send more Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines to London. He warned London would not be able to fully come out of lockdown until there was better coverage in the young Extra support to tackle a rise in cases of the Delta variant, which was first recorded in India, were announced for more areas of the North West and Birmingham. The additional support will be introduced in Birmingham, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Liverpool City Region and Warrington, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said on Monday. The package, which is the same as was announced for Greater Manchester and Lancashire last week, will see more support for surge testing, tracing, isolation support and maximising vaccine uptake after a number of cases of the Delta variant were detected in the areas Just two thirds of care home staff have had their first vaccination in Hackney, east London, official data has shown with uptake rates among staff lowest in the capital Speaking on Sky News this morning, Mr Khan said: 'We're working closely with the Government to make sure we can have more, in particular, of the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine in London.' Referring to the fact the AstraZeneca vaccine was not being given to under-40s, he added: 'Our population is younger than other parts of the country. 'The good news is we're hoping over the next few days and weeks for more of those vaccines.' No10 has never publicly released figures detailing exactly how many doses of the currently available vaccines are sent to each region, or how many are available in stockpiles. Health chiefs have bought 100million doses of Pfizer but only 40million are expected this year. Around 24million have already been administered. Another 17million doses of Moderna's jab have also been purchased only 500,00 have been dished out. Despite pressure to go faster to meet the new July 19 target, the national rollout has slowed to under half its peak speed. Just 368,555 doses were deployed across the UK on Monday, well under half the 844,285 it managed on a single day in March. Meanwhile, it emerged today that coronavirus vaccines are to become compulsory for staff in care homes for older people in England, with ministers keen to get maximum vaccine coverage with the mutant Indian strain growing rapidly. Under plans set to be announced by the Government in the coming days, care staff will be given 16 weeks to get the vaccine, or face being redeployed or sacked. Vaccinating children, however, still remains a contentious issue, with No10 still split over whether to go ahead with the move, given the fact youngsters are at such low direct risk of Covid. Jabs for care home staff WILL be compulsory Care home staff will be forced to have Covid vaccinations, ministers will announce this week. The controversial measure means 1.5million people working in social care will be told to have the jab within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. It has been introduced following a consultation which concluded it would help protect the most vulnerable in society. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched. Ministers are concerned about low take-up of the coronavirus vaccine among care workers, who include care home staff plus home helps. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs, latest figures show that just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine. Tens of thousands of care home residents died in the pandemic, largely as a result of infections being brought in by staff during the first wave. The Daily Mail first revealed in March that the Government was considering making it a legal requirement for NHS and care home staff to have the jab. Organisations representing care firms and their staff have warned that the move could backfire and see workers quit rather than agree to have the jab. The social care sector already faces a workforce shortage as a result of years of underfunding, and an exodus of staff would make it harder to meet the expected upsurge in demand once the pandemic subsides. The move also raises questions about how care homes treat staff who refuse a mandatory jab, and whether they have to be moved into other roles, and over whether the Government could face a legal challenge. Later this week ministers will confirm that they are pushing ahead with compulsory vaccination for most of the 1.5million working in social care in England. On Tuesday night it was claimed that, under the plans, those working with adults will have 16 weeks to get vaccinated or face losing their jobs. The Government is also keen to make it mandatory for the 1.38million who are directly employed by the NHS in England to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and winter flu. The Department of Health and Social Care will in the coming days launch two separate consultation exercises into making Covid and flu jabs mandatory for NHS staff. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock believes the arguments in favour of protecting patients from potentially infectious staff now outweigh those that allow health workers the right to choose whether to have either immunisation. Latest figures show that, as of June 6, 89 per cent of NHS staff had had their first dose of Covid vaccine and 82 per cent had had both. Some 83.7 per cent of staff in adult care homes had received at least one dose by June 6 and 68.7 per cent had been double-jabbed. The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, warned that while it wants all NHS staff to get jabbed, 'compulsion is a blunt instrument that carries its own risks'. The health department said: 'Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic and have already saved thousands of lives with millions of health and care staff vaccinated. 'Our priority is to make sure people in care homes are protected. We will publish our response [to the consultation] in due course.' Advertisement In total, more than 30million Britons have been fully vaccinated against Covid over half the adult population and nearly 42million have been given at least one dose. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab played down talks of supply constraints over the weekend, claiming that the roll-out had only slowed because it had moved into low-risk groups. NHS England boss Sir Simon Stevens has said that the health service would 'finish the job' of the vaccination programme to the 'greatest extent possible' over the next four weeks, and he expects all remaining adults to be offered their first vaccine by the end of the week. But he told the NHS Confederation's annual conference that 'supply continues to be constrained'. Downing Street's vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi last week admitted stocks of Pfizer the main jab being administered to young people would be 'tight' this month. Pfizer suggested to MailOnline that the supply issues were due to increased demand in the UK, on the back of the ban of AstraZeneca in young people. A source said the American drugs giant had a supply agreement with the UK Government and was 'consistently' meeting that agreement, with no issues in manufacture or supply. Announcing the expansion of the jab rollout to 21- and 22-year-olds today, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'We're almost at the final hurdle of offering lifesaving jabs to all UK adults, with both vaccines providing the fullest possible protection against symptoms, serious illness and hospitalisation from this awful virus and moving us a step closer to beating this pandemic. 'I urge everyone aged 21 and over to get your vaccines booked in as soon as possible to not only secure this extra defence for yourself, but to protect your loved ones too.' It is only just over a week since the programme opened to all 25-29-year olds. Over one million appointments were booked by people in their 20s in just one day last week showing the enthusiasm of younger adults to get vaccinated and protected from the virus. Newly eligible people will receive text invitations from 'NHSvaccine' which include a link to reserve an appointment. Those who cannot go online can call the service on 119 instead to book their jab. People will be able to book at one of the 1,600 Vaccination Centre, pharmacy or general practice sites across the country that are available through the national booking service. Dr Emily Lawson, lead for the NHS COVID Vaccination Programme, said: 'The largest ever NHS vaccination campaign is in the home stretch of the first dose roll-out the vaccine is the most important step you can take to protect yourself, your friends and family so its really important everybody in the latest eligible groups books themselves in to get their jab and plays their part in this huge national effort.' It came as it emerged 1.5million care home staff will be forced to have Covid vaccinations under plans to be announced by ministers this week. It has been introduced following a consultation which concluded it would help protect the most vulnerable in society. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched. Ministers are concerned about low take-up of the coronavirus vaccine among care workers, who include care home staff plus home helps. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs, latest figures show that just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine. Tens of thousands of care home residents died in the pandemic, largely as a result of infections being brought in by staff during the first wave. Organisations representing care firms and their staff have warned that the move could backfire and see workers quit rather than agree to have the jab. The social care sector already faces a workforce shortage as a result of years of underfunding, and an exodus of staff would make it harder to meet the expected upsurge in demand once the pandemic subsides. The move also raises questions about how care homes treat staff who refuse a mandatory jab, and whether they have to be moved into other roles, and over whether the Government could face a legal challenge. In an attempt to get Britain to 'herd immunity' - when so many people are immune against Covid that the disease peters out - ministers have been mulling the idea of jabbing children. Professor Chris Whitty raised the prospect of the plans going ahead on Monday when he brought it up at the Downing Street press conference announcing the four-week delay to Freedom Day. However, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are said to have raised 'serious ethical concerns' about vaccinating children because of the low risk of youngsters becoming seriously ill through Covid. The group the Government's advisory body on vaccines are urging ministers to study data from other countries where jabs are already being rolled-out to children. Ministers 'will be told NOT to roll out Covid vaccinations for children until scientists get more data on risks' The Government should not roll-out its mass Covid vaccine programme for children until scientists get 'more data on the risks', top scientists will reportedly warn The Government should not roll-out its mass Covid vaccine programme to children until scientists get 'more data on the risks', top scientists will reportedly warn. Ministers will be reportedly be advised against launching a vaccine drive for the under-18s in the immediate future. Experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are said to have raised 'serious ethical concerns' about vaccinating children because of the low risk of youngsters becoming seriously ill through Covid. The group the Government's advisory body on vaccines are urging ministers to study data from other countries where jabs are already being rolled-out to children. A statement voicing the JCVI's concerns is set to be released in the coming, according to the Telegraph. And cabinet minister Lizz Truss this morning said the group would not be recommending the jab for children. Meanwhile, one of the Government's top advisors today warned of the ethical dilemma posed by vaccinating children, adding the risk of death to under-18s is less than one in a million. SAGE advisor Callum Semple, professor of child health and outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool, said he is against vaccinating the 14million children in the UK. Pfizer's vaccine has already been approved for 12- to 15-year-olds by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the US equivalent the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Moderna's vaccine is poised for approval in the same age group in the US and both companies as well as Johnson & Johnson have begun trials for under-12s. It comes amid a push back from parents, with 50,000 people recently signing a petition against Covid vaccinations for youngsters. Unions meanwhile have offered tentative support for an under-18 jab roll-out, if it helps tackle disruption to schooling. Today, a Whitehall source told the Telegraph: 'Nobody is going to green light the mass vaccination of children at this stage. 'Scientists want to see more data from the US and elsewhere before taking a firm stand either way. 'The JCVI will want to weigh up the benefits against the risks before vaccinating children and it wants more data.' And International Trade Secretary Ms Truss this morning concurred that the JCVI would not be recommending jabs for children. She told BBC Breakfast: 'Of course the Government will look very closely at the JCVI's recommendations. 'It is my understanding that they are not recommending the vaccination of under-18s and we will be saying more in due course about that.' Meanwhile, Professor Semple said he is 'veering on not vaccinating children' because of their low risk of severe disease. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme today, he said he would prioritise vaccinating hard to reach vulnerable people in the UK and sending jabs abroad. Professor Semple said: 'The first thing to remember here is that risk and severe disease in children I'm talking about admission to hospital, admission to intensive care and death the risk of death is one in a million. 'And that's not a figure I'm plucking from the air as a sort of average or guess. That's a quantifiable risk. 'So we're talking about vaccinating children here mainly to protect public health and reduce transmission and it's accepted that teenagers who are biologically more like adults are more likely to transmit but the younger children really are not. 'The balance here is should the vaccine be pushed into the arms of hard to reach adults and should we spend efforts persuading hesitant adults to have a vaccine. 'And if we do have lots of vaccine left over, should we be sending it to countries in Europe and Africa and Asia where they haven't got enough vaccine.' He added that the spread of the Indian 'Delta' variant in schools should not be a cause for concern because it does not Professor Semple: 'Yes, the virus is spreading in schools because it's got nowhere else to hide at the moment and that's confounding the challenge too. The Delta variant is more transmissible but it's not causing greater disease in children per se. 'It's just that it's not able to cause greater disease in the older adults because their vaccinated and the vaccine's still pretty good. 'So I'm veering on the not vaccinating children, only because of the ethical issues and the need to get the vaccine into older people.' It comes after Professor Chris Whitty earlier this week side-stepped questions over a possible vaccination roll-out for under 18s. England's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) told a Downing Street news conference that the 'wider question' was about whether such a programme would help limit Covid's disruption to schooling. He said officials were still considering whether to vaccinate children but the 'big priority' was reaching over-18s in the summer. Speaking at the Downing Street press conference earlier this week, he said: 'The key thing for children is safety. 'We know that the risks in terms of of physical disease to children, other than for some children with significant pre-existing problems of physical health, are much, much lower than for adults. 'So you wouldn't want to vaccinate unless the vaccine was very safe. Vaccines are now being licensed in some countries and we're accruing safety data on the safety of these vaccines in children.' Scientists on the JCVI will reportedly recommend the Government looks to the US and Israel where children are already being vaccinated. In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that all children over 12 should get a Covid jab in May. Meanwhile, Israel has recently started vaccinating children aged 12 to 15. France has also opened up vaccinations for children aged 12 and over. If the UK Government does push on for a vaccine roll-out for children, it will most likely use the Pfizer vaccine. The jab has already been deemed safe for use in those aged 12-15 by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). A senior government source told the Telegraph: 'The Pfizer vaccine has been licensed for 12 to 15-year-olds by the MHRA, and a number of countries will be vaccinating children in those age groups. 'Ministers have not received advice, and no decisions have been taken.' The issue of vaccinating children is contentious, because studies show there is an extremely low risk of children becoming seriously ill through Covid. The main benefit, it is thought, is to limit the spread of the virus in schools. A study earlier this year revealed that those who do become infected three weeks after receiving one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccine were between 38 per and 49 per cent less likely to pass the virus on to their household contacts than those who were unvaccinated. Advertisement A statement voicing the JCVI's concerns is set to be released in the coming days, according to the Telegraph. And cabinet minister Liz Truss this morning said the group would not be recommending the jab for children. Meanwhile, one of the Government's top advisors today warned of the ethical dilemma posed by vaccinating children, adding the risk of death to under-18s is less than one in a million. SAGE advisor Callum Semple, professor of child health and outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool, said he is against vaccinating the 14million children in the UK. Pfizer's vaccine has already been approved for 12- to 15-year-olds by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the US equivalent the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Moderna's vaccine is poised for approval in the same age group in the US and both companies as well as Johnson & Johnson have begun trials for under-12s. The Government is having to tweak its original pledge to keep vaccines optional and not jab children due to the Indian variant - which is at least 80 per cent more infectious than the Kent one and twice as likely to put unvaccinated people in hospital. But, in a glimmer of good news, Covid cases appear to be flat or falling in the first areas to be hit by the new Indian 'Delta' variant, official figures show. The infection rate in Blackburn with Darwen, which took over from Bolton as the country's hotspot at the end of May, is now falling after appearing to peak on June 4 when there had been an average 143 cases per day over the previous week. It remains the worst-affected place in the country but if the trend keeps up the change of fortunes could suggest that, as was seen in Bolton, simple surges in testing and vaccinations and tougher advice on travelling in or out of the area and social distancing could be enough to keep a lid on local outbreaks. Ministers urged another 3.6million people in Birmingham, Liverpool, Warrington and parts of Cheshire to try to avoid travelling and be more careful about virus control measures in a bid to slow outbreaks there. Boris Johnson yesterday announced a four-week delay to plans to end social distancing rules on June 21 as planned, saying not enough is known about the Indian variant and how difficult it will be to control. The other areas that were first to be hard hit by the strain when it emerged in April Bedford and Burnley also appear to have arrested the spread of Covid by scaling up local efforts to stamp it out and test and isolate everyone. Those four areas, Bedford, Blackburn, Bolton and Burnley, were the first to see cases surge, the first to get extra help from the Government to control the virus, and now appear to be the first to see infections levelling off. But infections are still rising fast in many areas that have been added to the official hotspots where advice has been upgraded, with cases going up in twice as many areas as they are flat or falling. Department of Health positive test figures show that there has been a plateau in the numbers of people testing positive for coronavirus in those hard-hit areas, offering proof that the Indian variant can be controlled. In Bolton the infection rate had risen to 453 cases per 100,000 people on May 21, with an average of 186 people testing positive each day, but this has since plummeted to 309 per 100,000 and an average 127 daily cases. There are hopes that the trend there, where the council offered free regular testing to all adults and stepped up its efforts on contact tracing and vaccinations, will translate to other areas that see outbreaks of the variant. It may be beginning to happen in Blackburn, which took over as the hotspot at the end of May with the rate of cases per 100,000 people hitting 667 by June 7, but since dropping to 599. Average daily cases appear to have peaked at 143 on June 4 and since fallen to 128. In Bedford a similar trend is playing out, with an infection rate high of 208 per 100,000 on May 23 now having fallen to 154 per 100,000, and average daily cases peaking at 52 on May 20 and now down to 38 per day in the past week. Burnley also appears to have seen a levelling off in cases, although the trend is less certain and only recent. The seven-day infection rate was 370 per 100,000 on June 8 and fell to 367 by two days later, with average daily cases having levelled off at around 47 per day since June 5. There are 34 areas now on the list of places to face tougher guidance, which offers a 'package of support' from the Government to include surge testing, enhanced contact tracing and financial support to Covid cases and their contacts who have been asked to self-isolate. Recent data from these 34 areas show that infections appear flat in 10 places, are falling in two (South Ribble as well as Blackburn) but are rising in 22 places. Most of them are recent additions to the enhanced support list and ministers will be hoping the extra measures help to turn the tide on infections in those places, too. Boris Johnson's delay to the original June 21 'Freedom Day' by four weeks came amid fears a third wave of Covid could overwhelm the NHS. Top scientists hope the move will give the health service more time to vaccinate as many people as possible, offering the nation as much protection against the Indian variant as possible. Experts say because the mutant strain is so infectious, it will spill into unvaccinated groups and the small percentage of people for whom the jabs don't work. As well as pledging to offer jabs to all over-18s by July 19, the Prime Minister's new vaccination target is also to fully vaccinate two-thirds of adults. The figure currently stands at around 56.9 per cent, or 30million. He also pledged to shorten the gap between two doses to just eight weeks for over-40s, bringing them in line with over-50s. The aim of dishing out jabs to all younger adults is entirely dependent on the supply of the Pfizer and Moderna jabs. AstraZeneca's vaccine is not recommended for under-40s because of its rare links to blood clots. Sir Simon said: 'It is now very important that we use the next four weeks to finish the job to the greatest extent possible for the Covid vaccination programme, which has been a historic signature achievement in terms of the effectiveness of delivering by the NHS over 60 million doses now administered. 'By July 19 we aim to have offered perhaps two thirds of adults across the country double jabs. 'And we're making great strides also in extending the offer to all adults today people aged 23 and 24 are able to vaccinate through the National Booking Service. 'I expect that by the end of this week, we'll be able to open up the National Booking Service to all adults age 18 and above. 'Of course, vaccine supply continues to be constrained, so we're pacing ourselves at precisely the rate of which we're getting that extra vaccine supply between now and July 19.' Sir Simon added that just one per cent of hospital beds in England are currently being used by Covid patients. He said: 'At the moment about one per cent of hospital beds in England are occupied by patients with a Covid diagnosis and the age distribution has really flipped as a result of vaccination. 'Back in January, it was 60/40 60 per cent of beds occupied by people over 65, 40 per cent under 65. 'Now it's flipped to 30/70, so it's about 30 per cent occupied by people aged 65 and over 70 per cent by younger people whose prospects are much greater.' Meanwhile the NHS has been given orders to 'gear up' for new Covid-19 treatments, which the NHS expects to come online in the next few months which will also help to prevent severe illness and death. These new treatments are expected to be given to people in the community, without the need for hospital treatment, within three days of infection. Sir Simon said: 'We expect that we will begin to see further therapies that will actually treat coronavirus and prevent severe illness and death. Just two thirds of workers have had first jab in parts of London as ministers say jabs for staff WILL be made compulsory Just two thirds of care home staff in parts of London have been vaccinated against Covid, according to official data ministers may use to justify controversial decision to make jabs compulsory for staff. No10 will formally announce the controversial measure later this week, with 1.5million people working in social care told to get inoculated within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. But officials have faced backlash over the move, with care home providers worried it will make it even harder for them to recruit new staff amid ongoing shortages. Ministers, however, say the move will save lives. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched, it was also revealed today. NHS England figures show 83.7 per cent of carers looking after elderly residents have had their first jab, meaning 76922 are still yet to be reached. Meanwhile, data also shows just 68.7 per cent are fully vaccinated. But rates vary wildly across the country, and are as low as 38.5 per cent in Haringey, north London. MailOnline's analysis of the statistics show Hackney in east London has the lowest uptake among care home staff who were part of the original priority groups for vaccination back in December. Just 214 out of 321 eligible staff (66.7 per cent) accepted the offer of a jab in the six months since their invite. Five areas of the country four of which are in London have first dose uptake rates of less than 70 per cent. For comparison, six areas of the country have uptake rates of more than 90 per cent and second doses have been handed out to more than 80 per cent of staff in eight areas of the country. The controversial move to make vaccinations mandatory for care home staff follow a consultation which ruled it would help protect the most vulnerable in society. Providers and representatives from the sector were dragged into a meeting with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care today to discuss the issue. Advertisement 'Today I'm asking the health service to gear up for what are likely to be a new category of such treatments, so-called neutralising monoclonal antibodies, which are potentially going to become available to us within the next several months. 'But in order to be able to administer them, we're going to need community services that are able to deliver through regional networks this type of infusion in patients before they are hospitalised, typically within a three-day window from the date of infection. 'So the logistics and the organisation and applying the full excellence of the sort of networked NHS services locally through integrated care systems, we're going to need to harness all of that, to be able to benefit from the new monoclonal antibodies. 'We are setting out a set of asks as to how to bring that about in each integrated care system so that as and when the treatments become available to us, they can immediately begin to be deployed.' Mr Johnson delayed the final stage of unlocking by a month after dire predictions by No10's top scientific advisers warned the Indian strain could kill up to 500 people in a day had Freedom Day went ahead as planned. Unveiling the bad news, the PM defied fury from Tory MPs and the hospitality industry to insist he could not press ahead until more people are double-jabbed. He said he was 'pretty confident' that restrictions will be able to be lifted by then, adding that the disease cannot be 'eliminated' and the country will have to learn to 'live with it' in the future. Chief medic Chris Whitty, flanking the PM as usual alongside Sir Patrick Vallance, told a Downing Street briefing hospitalisations had risen 61 per cent in the North West in just a week, a trend that was predicted to follow suit nationally if June 21 went ahead. 'The assessment of risk has fundamentally shifted,' he said. The move means that current rules will essentially remain in place until July 19 with social distancing in force in bars and restaurants, and the edict to work from home where possible staying. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation currently has no plans to revise its guidance on the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab. But sources said members may reconsider advice if the balance of benefits and risks changes, potentially as a result of a rapid surge in infections. A total of 79.4 per cent of adults have now received at least one dose of Covid vaccine and 57.4 per cent more than 30million people have been given both doses. Yesterday NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said all over-18s in England would be able to book a jab by the end of the week. However, he admitted: 'Vaccine supply continues to be constrained so we're pacing ourselves.' It is thought many people may have to wait a fortnight to receive their vaccine. Mr Johnson has set a target of offering all adults a first vaccine dose and two-thirds a second dose by July 19. Professor Karol Sikora, a former World Health Organisation director, said: 'The Government needs to work hard to get the speed of the vaccination programme back to its peak level. 'It should be putting pressure on Pfizer and Moderna to increase supplies so we can quickly vaccinate ourselves out of lockdown.' Dr Simon Clarke, of Reading University, said: 'It is more likely lockdown will end on July 19 if the UK can increase the number of people it is vaccinating each day. 'The Government needs to do all it can to maximise uptake as quickly as possible. There are plenty of people who want them.' Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has lobbied vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi for an extra 367,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna jabs. Happy pictures taken of a young mother while staying at a friend's house in Tasmania show her enjoying herself with bright purple hair - just hours before she was allegedly stabbed to death by a total stranger. Gabrielle Marshall, 23, moved to the Apple Isle from Brisbane just three weeks ago. She was found dead at 3am on Tuesday at an address in Main St in Ulverstone, in the state's north-west, after a friend she was staying with called police. Police say her friend called triple zero around 3am on Tuesday to report a man 'prowling' in the house. She stayed on the line for 11 minutes. In that time, officers arrived and discovered Gabrielle's body in a room. Officers confirmed Ms McCarthy, who leaves behind a six-year-old daughter - was found at the scene with a number of stab wounds. Gabrielle Marshall (pictured), who was allegedly stabbed to death in an apparent random attack in Tasmania was the mother of a six-year-old girl who was 'getting her life in order' Gabrielle Marshall (pictured left) has been remembered as a 'beautiful soul' by her heartbroken family Police on the scene (pictured) in Tasmania following the alleged murder of young mother Gabrielle Marshall Officers also believe the alleged offender wasn't known to Ms McCarthy and that she was the victim of a random attack. Her heartbroken brother Casey McCarthy posted a heartbreaking tribute to his 'beautiful baby sister' on Facebook. 'We have lost a beautiful soul who wanted nothing but peace in her life,' he wrote. 'My beautiful baby sister. Gabs, we love you, we are sorry we couldn't protect you and I'm awfully sorry this happened to you. 'We love you always sweetheart, and will forever miss you. From the bottom of my heart, I love you Gabrielle, more than you will ever know. Ms Marshall was reportedly staying with a friend when she was allegedly attacked - with this picture taken just six hours before her death Gabrielle Marshall, 23, moved to Tasmania from Queensland three weeks ago, seeking a fresh start in her life - she was found dead on Tuesday On Wednesday night, a man, 35, was charged with Ms McCarthy's (pictured) murder 'May you now be in peace my beautiful baby sister.' Her heartbroken mum added: 'She was only 23 years old. She was getting her life in order. 'She rang her daughter every morning and night. 'She was in a good place. You will be forever loved my sweet girl and missed so much. 'We will bring you home.' A 35-year-old Ulverstone man was arrested at a house on the same street later that morning and was charged with Ms McCarthy's murder on Wednesday evening. Fears of a tsunami have been raised after a powerful 6.1-magnitute earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia on Wednesday. Indonesia's geophysics agency warned of possible aftershocks and tsunami potential and for islanders to 'move to higher ground' after the earthquake hit near the Moluccas islands, also known as the Maluku islands. The quake struck at a depth of 6.21 miles (10 km). Indonesia's geophysics agency warned of possible aftershocks and tsunami potential and for islanders to 'move to higher ground' after the earthquake hit near the Moluccas islands, also known as the Maluku islands 'Please move away from beach and move to higher ground,' BMKG said in a text message, noting that the warning applied especially to Seram Island. A tsunami wave could potentially be triggered by underwater landslides, it added. It earlier said there was no tsunami potential. A local disaster mitigation agency official said there were no report of injured people or casualties so far, but some buildings and public facilities sustained damage. Unverified videos that circulated online showed some local residents moving to higher ground after the quake. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered about 6 miles under the sea and 43 miles from Amahai city on Seram island in Maluku province. Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 260 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the 'Ring of Fire,' an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In 2004, a devastating 9.1 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region, including about 170,000 in Indonesia. And in 2018, a 7.5-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island left more than 4,300 people dead or missing. Fiona Hill, who served as Donald Trump's top Russian adviser, said she was so distressed at his behavior with Putin she wanted to end 2018 press conference Fiona Hill, who served as Donald Trump's top Russian adviser, said she considered pulling a fire alarm or faking a medical emergency to end the then-president's 2018 press conference with Vladimir Putin. 'My initial thought was just 'how can I end this?' I literally did have it in my mind the idea of faking some kind of medical emergency and throwing myself backwards with a loud curdling scream into the media,' she said. And she told CNN: 'I looked around to see if there was a fire alarm but we were in a rather grand building attached to the Finnish palace that the Finnish president lent to us for the occasion. And I couldn't see anything that resembled a fire alarm.' Hill, who was a witness in Trump's first impeachment trial in January 2020, said she was distressed at Trump's deferential behavior to Putin that she tried to find ways to cut it off. At the controversial press conference in Helsinki, after a meeting with Putin, Trump declined to support the US government's assessment that Russia had interfered in the 2016 presidential election. 'He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be,' Trump said of his conversation with Putin. Hill said it was a 'mortifying' moment for the country. 'I just thought, let's cut this off and try to end it. I couldn't come up with anything that just wouldn't add to the terrible spectacle,' she said. 'It was one of those moments frankly that was mortifying and humiliating for the country.' She said it was a 'great idea' for President Joe Biden to not hold his own press conference with Putin. Biden and Putin 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. Donald Trump, at his press conference with Vladimir Putin, declined to back the assessment of US intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 election President Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin meet in Geneva at Villa La Grange, an 18th-century Swiss villa overlooking Lake Geneva; above security in front of the building Ahead of the sit down, the White House announced there would not be a joint press conference - 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. 'This is not a contest about who can do better in front of a press conference or try to embarrass each other,' Biden said on Sunday of the decision. Putin is set to arrive first at the summit venue in an event that is both choreographed in its broad outlines and adjusted on the fly, some areas left entirely open including the food. 'No breaking of bread,' quipped a senior official when asked about the lack of a set meal. But the official allowed, 'I presume that the principals and the participants can ask for some water or coffee or tea ...' The summit format also allowed for breaks to be determined. Biden will arrive next, traveling in 'the Beast' for the short drive from his hotel. Each man will meet separately with Swiss President Guy Parmelin, whose central role will be to break the ice and get things started on a good footing. Then, the three men will be pictured together, but only Parmelin is scheduled to speak a move that could at least forestall any early pyrotechnics. Leo Varadkar has said his Fine Gael party's 'mission' should be to achieve a united Ireland in comments which risk further inflaming a post-Brexit row over the Northern Ireland Protocol. The Irish deputy prime minister said his party 'should be proud to say that unification is something we aspire to'. He said unification 'must not be the annexation of Northern Ireland' as he claimed his 'inclusive' vision for the island is very different to the 'crude vision espoused by Sinn Fein'. Mr Varadkar made the remarks amid a rumbling dispute between the EU and the UK over the implementation of the protocol. The timing of the comments was immediately slammed by unionists in Northern Ireland as 'mad stuff'. Leo Varadkar has said his Fine Gael party's 'mission' should be to achieve a united Ireland in comments which risk further inflaming a post-Brexit row over the Northern Ireland Protocol Mr Varadkar told his party's conference last night that it must increase its engagement with communities in Northern Ireland because the 'tectonic plates were shifting' in the region. He said: 'It means the unification of the people of our island as well as territory of Ireland and it is a legitimate political aspiration.' He added: 'We should be proud to say that unification is something we aspire to. It should be part of our mission as a party to work towards it.' He called for a Fine Gael branch to be set up in Northern Ireland to increase engagement with communities there. 'Not with a view to contesting elections, but with a view to recruiting members and building networks with like-minded people including those in other parties,' he added. 'We need to reach out to all sides. And we need a presence on the ground to do so.' He called for Fine Gael to develop its own vision of what reunification will look like, one that can appeal to middle-ground voters. He said: 'We know the crude vision espoused by Sinn Fein, it's not an inclusive one a cold form of republicanism, socialist, narrow nationalism, protectionist, anti-British, euro-critical, ourselves alone, 50 per cent plus one and nobody else is needed. That is not a 21st-century vision. 'Our vision should be different. It should be one that has the best chance of carrying the greatest number of people with us, North and South. 'It should appeal in particular to that middle ground I spoke about earlier, to gain the support of people who identify as both British and Irish. So, unification must not be the annexation of Northern Ireland. 'It means something more, a new state designed together, a new constitution and one that reflects the diversity of a bi-national or multi-national state in which almost a million people are British.' The comments came as the EU and the UK continue talks to try to improve the implementation of post-Brexit trade checks in Northern Ireland. The protocol agreed as part of the Brexit divorce deal requires checks on goods travelling from GB to Northern Ireland to be carried out at ports in order to avoid the return of a land border with the Republic. The EU and the UK continue to try to agree solutions to problems caused by post-Brexit trade checks in Northern Ireland. Boris Johnson has threatened to suspend elements of the protocol if solutions cannot be agreed But the protocol has caused disruption to trade and inflamed community tensions, with unionists demanding the rules be scrapped, arguing they create a barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Boris Johnson has threatened to tear up elements of the protocol if the two sides cannot agree solutions. The comments made by Mr Varadkar were quickly condemned by members of the DUP. Emma Little-Pengelly, a former DUP MP and adviser to Arlene Foster, described the remarks as 'mad stuff'. She tweeted: 'Well, this is useful (not) at a time of huge concern and anger on the ground across all shades of Unionism about the Protocol, and while Unionism is trying hard to ensure a peaceful summer despite significant unrest. Mad stuff.' A man who allegedly filmed himself dangling a woman over the balcony of an eighth-floor high-rise has been charged with a string of domestic violence related offences. Police said the 36-year-old Taiwanese national allegedly held the woman against her will for hours on Monday at an apartment building on Elizabeth Street in Burwood, in Sydney's inner west. A man who allegedly filmed himself dangling a woman over the edge an eighth-floor balcony has been charged with a string of domestic violence related offences. Pictured: The apartment complex on Elizabeth Street in Burwood, Sydney, where the alleged incident took place An investigator is pictured looking over the edge of the apartment complex on Elizabeth Street in Burwood, Sydney, where the alleged incident took place After an investigation, detectives and heavily-armed officers stormed the complex and slapped cuffs on the alleged offender. 'On Monday, officers from Burwood Police Area Command received reports of domestic-related incident between a woman and a man, who are known to each other,' Police said. 'Police will allege a 35-year-old woman was allegedly held against her will, assaulted and lifted over the side of a balcony at a unit on Elizabeth Street, Burwood on Monday evening.' Detectives during the raid on the apartment seized several electronic devices belonging to the man. Police said the 36-year-old Taiwanese national (pictured) allegedly held the woman against her will for hours on Monday at an apartment building The man has been charged with a total of six serious offences. These include once count each of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm, stalking, kidnapping, illegally filming without consent and threatening to distribute intimate images. He was refused bail and will appear in Burwood Local Court on Thursday. Advertisement Heavy wooden bookcases lined with leather-bound tomes, Grecian-style urns stood atop them with busts of great thinkers positioned nearby: This is the room where Joe Biden will meet with Vladimir Putin later today. The library of Villa de la Grange, an 18th century mansion in the Swiss city of Geneva, will host hours of talks between the two men accompanied only by their most senior foreign policy advisors and translators. Among books including annuals of history and ancient languages, the pair are expected to discuss thorny issues including including Ukraine, cyber attacks and human rights at a time when relations between the two nuclear-armed adversaries are at their lowest point for years. The villa has in the past played host to the likes of Pope Paul VI, who gave a speech on justice and peace to a crowd of some 70,000 in the grounds in 1969. Geneva was also the city which hosted the first talks between presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 which led to arms control agreements between the US and Russia and kick-started better relations - an outcome that many will be hoping for, but few expecting, later on today. The library of Villa de la Grange, in Geneva, will play host to hours of close talks between Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, their closest advisors and translators as the pair meet face-to-face for the first time since BIden became president today The library was created in the 19th century by businessman and intellectual Guillaume Favre and hosts a collection of books on subjects including history, literature and ancient languages Following talks in the library, the men will move to a larger room nearby (pictured) where they will be joined by several more advisors to continue the discussions, before going their separate ways The house and grounds are typically open to the public, but today are blocked off by a ring of steel fences topped with barbed wire and are crowded by security and press instead The day is due to begin around 1pm local time (11am GMT) when Putin and Biden will arrive separately at the villa - built by ship-owner and merchant Francois Favre - which is set in a 30-acre park in the centre of Geneva. Putin will arrive first, followed by Biden, where the two men will shake hands with Swiss president Guy Parmelin who is expected to offer opening remarks. Biden and Putin are not expected to make comments. The meeting will then progress to the library, which was created in the 19th century by Favre's son Guillaume - a businessman and intellectual who was active in scholarly circles around the time of the French Revolution. There, Putin and Biden will have closed-door discussions on thorny subjects including Russia's annexation of Crimea, cyber attacks that the US blames on Moscow, the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and the recent hijack of a Ryanair jet over Russia's close ally Belarus. Joining Putin and Biden in that meeting will be Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. That will be followed by the larger gathering before the two sides part ways, with Putin and Biden offering their views of one-another separately. Their remarks will be heavily scrutinised after the two men exchanged barbs at a distance earlier this year. Biden infuriated Moscow by agreeing with the description of Putin as 'a killer', before the Russian president quipped back that it 'takes one to know one.' There is little expectation of warmth between the two men today - with Biden striking an icy tone ahead of time - but it is hoped they will come to a better understanding of one-another. The villa traces it origins back to the 1660s when the park in which it is placed were created. A house built by the wealthy Lullin banking family was then transformed into its modern state by the Favre family in the 18th century An armored personnel carrier of the Swiss police blocks an entrance to Villa La Grange, venue of today's summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin A police officer looks through a binoculars to guard the area in front of the 'Villa la Grange' ahead of the meeting of US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin A Swiss policeman patrol with a dog in front of Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland Swiss police officers keep watch over a bridge near Geneva Lake early June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. U.S. President Joe Biden is planning to meet Russian President Putin in Geneva today Biden sees himself with few peers on foreign policy. He traveled the globe as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was given difficult foreign policy assignments by President Barack Obama when Biden was vice president. His portfolio included messy spots like Iraq and Ukraine and weighing the mettle of China's Xi Jinping during his rise to power. He has repeatedly said that he believes executing effective foreign policy comes from forming strong personal relations, and he has managed to find rapport with both the likes of Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom Biden has labeled an 'autocrat,' and conventional politicians like Canada's Justin Trudeau. But with Putin, whom the president has said is a 'killer' and has 'no soul,' Biden has long been wary. At the same time, he acknowledges that Putin, who remained the most powerful figure in Russian politics over the span of five U.S. presidents, is not without talent. Biden this week suggested that he is approaching his meeting with Putin carefully. 'He's bright. He's tough,' Biden told reporters. 'And I have found that he is a - as they say...a worthy adversary.' There are hopes of finding small areas of agreement. No commitments have been made, but according to the senior administration official, there are hopes that both sides will return their ambassadors to their respective postings following the meeting. Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, was recalled from Washington about three months ago after Biden called Putin a killer; U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan left Moscow almost two months ago, after Russia suggested he return to Washington for consultations. Both ambassadors will be in Geneva during Wednesday's meeting. Relations between the US and Russia are at their lowest point in years with Biden (left) and Putin (right) exchanging barbs at a distance earlier this year. Few expect any warmth at today's summit, but hope the two sides can still reach agreements Rolling out the red carpet: A cleaner gives the entrance to the villa one last go-over with a hoover before the Russian and American delegations arrive for today's summit A member of the Russia delegation arrives at the villa ahead of Putin, who is expected to get their first, followed by Biden Members of the media sit outside the villa, where they will witness Putin and Biden arrive, shake hands with Swiss president Guy Parmelin and then sit down for talks Russian and American flags line the waterfront of Lake Geneva, just a short distance from where the summit will take place Biden administration officials say they think common ground can be found on arms control. International arms control groups are pressing the Russian and American leaders to start a push for new arms control by holding 'strategic stability' talks - a series of government-to-government discussions meant to sort through the many areas of disagreement and tension on the national security front. The Biden team will press its concerns on cybersecurity. In recent months, Russia-based hackers have launched crippling attacks on a major U.S. oil pipeline and a Brazil-headquartered meat supplier that operates in the U.S. The Russian side has said that the imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is an internal political matter and one area where Putin won't engage Biden. But the senior Biden administration official said there 'is no issue that is off the table for the president,' suggesting Navalny will come up. The meeting is sure to invite comparisons with President Donald Trump's 2018 meeting with Putin in Helsinki, where the two leaders held a joint news conference and Trump sided with Russian denials when asked whether Moscow had meddled in the 2016 presidential election. Biden has prepared for his one-on-one by reviewing materials and consulting with officials across government and with outside advisers. Aides said the level of preparation wasn't unusual. Biden, in a brief exchange with reporters upon arriving in Geneva on Tuesday night, sought to offer the impression that he wasn't sweating his big meeting. 'I am always ready,' Biden said. A Covid antibody drug touted as a 'cure' by Donald Trump and now found to save lives has bucked the trend of other trials seeing similar treatments fail, one of Britain's top coronavirus-fighting experts claimed today. Oxford University scientists discovered Regeneron's antibody therapy can slash the risk of death by a fifth in seriously ill patients whose immune systems can't fight the virus themselves. It's the only treatment proven so far to be able to wipe out the virus in people who are so sick they need hospital care. Other medicines work differently by controlling patients' immune systems to fight off the disease. Oxford's Sir Peter Horby claimed fresh results from the world-leading RECOVERY trial went 'against the grain'. Trials of other very similar antibody treatments have struggled to yield positive results, with AstraZeneca only yesterday announcing its own had failed, and US pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly having to abandon one of its products last year. Discussing his team's new breakthrough on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Peter said three other trials of the drug 'missed' its benefits. He added: 'They were small, they were only about 300 patients each. 'And they didn't look at the results by baseline antibodies, whereas our trial is much much bigger and we looked by antibody status and you can see a very clear signal that was missed in those other trials.' Sir Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, said yesterday that he had told hospitals to 'gear up' to be able to give the costly but effective treatment to patients in the UK. At an estimated 1,000-2,000 per patient the therapy comes with a hefty price tag but researchers said they think 'everybody will be keen to get on with it'. The drug is a combination of two cloned antibodies, casirivimab and imdevimab (pictured), and could cost as much as 1,000 to 2,000 per patient Sir Peter Horby, one of the leaders of the RECOVERY trial, said the success of the trial went 'against the grain' because earlier studies had struggled to prove that injecting antibodies boosted people's survival chances The discovery comes as Sir Simon said the NHS would prepare to start using a 'new category of treatments' of which Regeneron's is likely to be the first to target the virus in the sickest patients whose own immune systems can't fight the disease. The hospitals boss told the NHS Confederation virtual conference yesterday: 'We expect that we will begin to see further therapies that will actually treat coronavirus and prevent severe illness and death. 'Today I'm asking the health service to gear up for what are likely to be a new category of such treatments so-called neutralising monoclonal antibodies which are potentially going to become available to us within the next several months.' Medics in the US gave Regeneron's monoclonal antibody treatment, named REGEN-COV, emergency approval last year and even gave it to then-president Mr Trump but it is still unlicensed in the UK. Oxford's Sir Martin Landray said it could be available in Britain within 'weeks'. REGEN-COV is made of two types of antibodies taken from recovered Covid patients, which are called casirivimab and imdevimab. They are multiplied in a laboratory to make a fluid that can be injected into people who haven't developed their own antibodies after getting sick known as sero-negative patients. Healthy patients, who develop their own antibodies and are sero-positive, will not receive any benefit from the treatment. Hospital patients would have to have blood tests to see if they are antibody negative and therefore eligible. Around a third of patients admitted to hospital during the study did not have any antibodies. The researchers expect this proportion to drop in the UK as the vaccine rollout continues but said those with the weakest immune systems would still be at risk. They anticipate that global demand could still be 'very big'. WHAT ARE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES? Monoclonal antibody therapy is a type of treatment that is based on injecting antibodies into people who don't have them. Antibodies are proteins made by the body's immune system that can attack a virus by sticking to it and preventing it from infecting healthy cells. They are super-specific and are developed for specific viruses as and when they are needed flu antibodies will not protect against Covid, for example. People can either develop antibodies by catching the infection for real, when their body makes them naturally, or by getting a vaccine, which forces the body to make them using a blueprint. For people who don't have them and don't have a healthy immune system that can make them quickly if they become infected, the antibodies can be injected. Monoclonal antibodies are ones that are cloned in a lab, usually from a sample taken from a person who has recovered from coronavirus already. Scientists can single out the strongest looking antibodies from the blood samples and then clone these to make a super high concentration of them in a fluid that is then injected into the patient's body through a drip. These antibodies should then recognise the virus and burst into action, attacking the virus as if they had been made by the person's own immune system and buying time for the patient's body to make its own. Clinical trials testing them on people with Covid have produced mixed results, with some clearly reducing the risk of hospitalisation or death, and others showing little or no benefits. Advertisement Without the treatment, the antibody-negative patients had a 30 per cent chance of dying compared to 15 per cent for people whose immune systems were fighting the virus themselves. Regeneron's therapy cut the 30 per cent to 24 per cent. Sir Peter said the result of this trial 'goes against the grain, in a sense'. 'Previously there had been three small trials of monoclonals in hospitalised patients, all of which were stopped for futility [not working]. 'But they were small, they were only about 300 patients each. And they didn't look at the results by baseline antibodies, whereas our trial is much much bigger and we looked by antibody status and you can see a very clear signal that was missed in those other trials.' Sir Martin said: 'For every 100 patients given the infusion we would save six lives just from that infusion. He added: 'In people who are admitted to hospital with Covid but have not managed to raise their own natural antibody response, giving them this combination of monoclonal antibodies in a drip reduces their chances of dying, shortens their hospital stay, reduces their chance of needing a ventilator. That's got to be good for patients and it's got to be good for public health.' Both men were last week knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for their work tackling the Covid epidemic in Britain. Their most recent results from the RECOVERY coronavirus treatments study tested the effects of REGEN-COV on 9,785 hospital patients with Covid in the UK. Some were given the treatment alongside normal NHS care, while others got NHS care alone, which likely included dexamethasone, a steroid proven to slash death risk by the same trial. Key to the success of the drug was whether people had already made their own antibodies to Covid, either during their infection or potentially from vaccination. People who already had antibodies did not see any benefit from the therapy. But people without them potentially those with underlying illnesses, very frail or elderly people, or people taking immune-suppressant drugs recovered faster. They spent an average of four fewer days in hospital, cutting their stay in medical facilities from 17 days to 13. Patients were also 20 per cent less likely to die, and less likely to need a ventilator, compared to people in the same risk category who weren't given the therapy. The antibodies work by sticking to the coronavirus when it's in the body and preventing it from infecting cells and causing Covid. They attach to it like padlocks attaching to a key they key being the 'spike' protein on the outside of the virus blocking the keys from sticking into healthy cells. The shape of the spike often mutates and changes so Regeneron used two different antibodies to target two different areas and reduce the risk of it changing so much that the treatment didn't work any more. Mr Trump said in a video he posted on Twitter after being discharged from hospital with Covid: 'They gave me Regeneron and other things, too, but I think this was the key. They gave me Regeneron. And it was, like, unbelievable I felt good' Regeneron's monoclonal antibody therapy hit headlines last year when it was given to Donald Trump and he branded it a 'cure' after being discharged from hospital. Mr Trump said in a video on Twitter at the time: 'They gave me Regeneron and other things, too, but I think this was the key. They gave me Regeneron. And it was, like, unbelievable I felt good,' Al Jazeera reported. 'They call them therapeutics,' he added. 'To me it wasn't therapeutic, it just made me better I call that a cure.' 'I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it. This was a blessing in disguise. I caught it. I heard about this drug. I said, 'Let me take it.' It was my suggestion. I said, 'Let me take it.'' He vowed to make it available in the US, telling people 'I want to get for you what I got, and I'm going to make it free.' The US Food and Drug Administration approved the drug for emergency use on Covid patients on November 21. Professor Sir Martin Landray, a medicine and epidemiology professor at Oxford University, said it could be available in Britain within 'weeks'. 'In some ways this is a first,' he said. 'This is an antiviral treatment that is used late on because these patients are so severe they're already in hospital. 'Here we now have a treatment we did not have before... 'We can use this in patients who have got a one in three chance of dying if untreated and we can reduce that risk for them. 'When we think about the treatments that have won up until now dexamethasone and tocilizumab those target the immune response. This is the first time we've got one that is actually targeting the virus itself.' He added: 'In people who are admitted to hospital with Covid but have not managed to raise their own natural antibody response, giving them this combination of monoclonal antibodies in a drip reduces their chances of dying, shortens their hospital stay, reduces their chance of needing a ventilator. That's got to be good for patients and it's got to be good for public health.' Advertisement Fewer than 40 per cent of care home staff in parts of London have been fully vaccinated against Covid, according to official data ministers may use to justify controversial decision to make jabs compulsory for staff. No10 will formally announce the controversial measure later this week, with 1.5million people working in social care told to get inoculated within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. But officials have faced backlash over the move, with care home providers worried it will make it even harder for them to recruit new staff amid ongoing shortages. Ministers, however, say the move will save lives. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched, it was also revealed today, and ministers are also debating making flu jabs compulsory for carers. NHS England figures show 83.7 per cent of carers looking after elderly residents have had their first jab, meaning nearly 80,000 are still to be reached. Meanwhile, data also shows just 68.7 per cent are fully vaccinated. But rates vary wildly across the country, and are as low as 38.5 per cent in Haringey, north London. Ministers have been given fresh impetus to get wide vaccine coverage after the rapid growth of the Indian variant, which is at least 80 per cent more infectious than the Kent version and twice as likely to put unvaccinated people in hospital. The Delta strain also makes a single vaccine dose significantly weaker, meaning two shots are crucial to protect people and prevent them from spreading the virus. The poor coverage in London's care homes comes despite the fact carers were first offered the jab in December, after being put at the top of the priority list due to their close dealings with the elderly and frail, who are at a huge risk of Covid. MailOnline's analysis of the statistics show Hackney in east London has the lowest uptake among care home staff who were part of the original priority groups for vaccination back in December. Just 214 out of 321 eligible staff (66.7 per cent) accepted the offer of a jab in the six months since their invite. Five areas of the country four of which are in London have first dose uptake rates of less than 70 per cent. For comparison, six areas of the country have uptake rates of more than 90 per cent and second doses have been handed out to more than 80 per cent of staff in eight areas of the country. The controversial move to make vaccinations mandatory for care home staff follow a consultation which ruled it would help protect the most vulnerable in society. Providers and representatives from the sector were dragged into a meeting with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care today to discuss the issue. Just two thirds of care home staff have had their first vaccination in Hackney, east London, official data has shown with uptake rates among staff lowest in the capital The NHS figures going up to June 6 the latest date data is available for show uptake rates among care home staff are significantly lagging behind in London boroughs compared to the rest of the country Large black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) populations in London's inner-city boroughs is thought to be one of the driving factor behind vaccine hesitancy in the city's care homes. Minority groups have been less likely to take up the offer for a vaccine throughout the rollout, mostly due to not trusting the Government, and they also make up a large share of the social care workforce. Critics have voiced fears that making having the vaccine a requirement will deter those who might have thought of joining the workforce, and see others already in jobs leave as a result. Mike Padgham, chairman of the Independent Care Group (ICG) which represents care homes in Yorkshire, said he is 'disappointed' with the Government's plans and that he is worried care providers may face legal action as a result. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: 'Well it is not unexpected. I am disappointed it is going to be made compulsory, because I think persuasion is the way forward still because those taking the vaccine has gone up. Ministers 'will be told NOT to roll out Covid vaccinations for children until scientists get more data on risks' The Government should not roll-out its mass Covid vaccine programme to children until scientists get 'more data on the risks', top scientists will reportedly warn. Ministers will be reportedly be advised against launching a vaccine drive for the under-18s in the immediate future. Experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are said to have raised 'serious ethical concerns' about vaccinating children because of the low risk of youngsters becoming seriously ill through Covid. The group the Government's advisory body on vaccines are urging ministers to study data from other countries where jabs are already being rolled-out to children. A statement voicing the JCVI's concerns is set to be released in the coming, according to the Telegraph. And cabinet minister Liz Truss this morning said the group would not be recommending the jab for children. Meanwhile, one of the Government's top advisors today warned of the ethical dilemma posed by vaccinating children, adding the risk of death to under-18s is less than one in a million. SAGE advisor Callum Semple, professor of child health and outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool, said he is against vaccinating the 14million children in the UK. Advertisement 'But might I also say that I do believe people should be vaccinated, every member of staff should take up the vaccine but I think persuasion, rather than coercion or compulsion, is the way we have to deal with it. 'What Im worried of course about is the recruitment crisis already in social care. Were frightened that this is going to put more people off coming into social care and thats going to be difficult. 'Im also worried about any legal action against providers because if youve only got 16 weeks and you lose your job, where does that put people? Were already short of staff.' And GMB trade union national officer Rachel Harrison described the move to make jabs for care staff mandatory as an attempt to 'strongarm' them into taking a vaccine. She said: 'The Government could do a lot to help care workers: address their pay, terms and conditions, increasing the rate of and access to contractual sick pay, banning zero hours, and ensuring more mobile NHS vaccination teams so those working night shifts can get the jab. 'Instead, ministers are ploughing ahead with plans to strongarm care workers into taking the vaccine without taking seriously the massive blocks these workers still face in getting jabbed.' Health chiefs said its response to the consultation will be published 'in due course' and cabinet minister Liz Truss this morning said the Government's decision would be announced imminently, even though Whitehall sources had already revealed it was going ahead. The vaccine rollout was today extended to over-21s as the country continues to race ahead with jabs to keep up with rising infection rates caused by the Indian 'Delta' variant. Ministers have admitted supply of Pfizer's vaccine which makes up the majority of jabs in under-40s is 'tight' but this is unlikely to affect the roll-out to carers, who have been able to get AstraZeneca. The NHS figures going up to June 6 show uptake rates among are significantly lagging behind in London boroughs compared to the rest of the country. Of the ten areas in the country with the lowest first dose uptake in the country, seven were in London. After Hackney, they were: Wandsworth (67.5 per cent), Lambeth (67.7 per cent), Southwark (69.6 per cent), Camden (72.6 per cent), Barnet (73.2 per cent) and Waltham Forest (73.2 per cent). And even fewer staff have had their second dose. Two areas of London have fully vaccinated less than 40 per cent of staff: Haringey (38.5 per cent) and Westminster (39 per cent). For comparison, 57.4 per cent of the entire UK have now had their second dose. Another three areas of the capital have full vaccination rates of less than half of staff: Greenwich (45 per cent), Wandsworth (45.2 per cent) and Lambeth (47.1 per cent). Of the five areas with the lowest second dose proportion, only two were in the five lowest initial uptake areas, suggesting there is some disparity between care home staff accepting their first and second doses in parts of the country. Eight areas of the country have full vaccination rates for more than 80 per cent of care home staff: North Yorkshire (80.3 per cent), South Gloucestershire (80.5 per cent), Barnsley (81.2 per cent), Darlington (82.2 per cent), Plymouth (82.3 per cent), Shropshire (83.2 per cent), Blackpool (83.8 per cent), York (84.2 per cent). Ministers are concerned about low take-up of the Covid vaccine among care workers, who include care home staff plus home helps. Tens of thousands of care home residents died in the pandemic, largely as a result of infections being brought in by staff during the first wave. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs, latest figures show that just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine The Daily Mail first revealed in March that the Government was considering making it a legal requirement for NHS and care home staff to have the jab. Organisations representing care firms and their staff have warned that the move could backfire and see workers quit rather than agree to have the jab. The social care sector already faces a workforce shortage as a result of years of underfunding. And an exodus of staff would make it harder to meet the expected upsurge in demand once the pandemic subsides. The move also raises questions about how care homes treat staff who refuse a mandatory jab, and whether they have to be moved into other roles, and over whether the Government could face a legal challenge. Later this week ministers will confirm that they are pushing ahead with compulsory vaccination for most of the 1.5million working in social care in England. On Tuesday night it was claimed that, under the plans, those working with adults will have 16 weeks to get vaccinated or face losing their jobs. But speaking on Sky News this morning, International Trade Secretary Ms Truss refused to confirm the plans have already been set in motion. She said: 'We are currently consulting on this issue. What we do know is that its incredibly important that staff in care homes are vaccinated. 'We have got a hugely vulnerable population in our care homes and making sure that staff are vaccinated is a priority. I would want the staff to be vaccinated, of course I would, because I would want my parent to be protected.' The Government is also keen to make it mandatory for the 1.38million who are directly employed by the NHS in England to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and winter flu. The Department of Health and Social Care will in the coming days launch two separate consultation exercises into making Covid and flu jabs mandatory for NHS staff. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock believes the arguments in favour of protecting patients from potentially infectious staff now outweigh those that allow health workers the right to choose whether to have either immunisation. The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, warned that while it wants all NHS staff to get jabbed, 'compulsion is a blunt instrument that carries its own risks'. The health department said: 'Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic and have already saved thousands of lives with millions of health and care staff vaccinated. 'Our priority is to make sure people in care homes are protected. We will publish our response [to the consultation] in due course.' An 'financially unsophisticated' aristocrat fighting to get her 2million life savings back from a crooked 'Svengali' could be left empty-handed even if she wins her case - after he declared himself bankrupt. Baroness Jacqueline Van Zuylen says she is suffering sleepless nights after handing all her money to 'persuasive and impressive' lawyer Rodney Whiston-Dew to invest on her behalf. In return, Baroness van Zuylen, whose former husband was the scion of a mega-rich Dutch banking family, was promised a monthly income for life by the now-disgraced celeb solicitor. After losing faith in the deal, which was agreed in 2012, she says that she asked for the money back. But she claims Mr Whiston-Dew, 70, who was struck off as a solicitor after being jailed in 2017 for his role in a 65million tax scam, did not return the money. Baroness van Zuylen is now suing him, demanding the 2million back, plus damages. Lawyers for the former semi-professional dressage rider, who says she has 'never worked', told the High Court at an earlier hearing that she has been left having to 'beg, steal and borrow' to get by without her savings. Mr Whiston-Dew denies any wrongdoing, claiming he invested the Baroness' money properly. He also claimed he had tried to get her 'to rein in her extraordinary spending habits' and 'exorbitant personal expenditures' - which he said totaled upward of 200,000-a-year. However, the first day of the High Court trial between the pair, Judge Nicholas Thompsell heard that Mr Whiston-Dew would not be turning up to court and has filed to be declared bankrupt. Baroness Jacqueline Van Zuylen outside the High Court in London today Lawyers for the former semi-professional dressage rider, who says she has 'never worked', told the High Court at an earlier hearing that she has been left having to 'beg, steal and borrow' Baroness Jacqueline Van Zuylen (pictured) says she is suffering sleepless nights after handing all her money to 'persuasive and impressive' lawyer Rodney Whiston-Dew to invest on her behalf in 2012 She claims Mr Whiston-Dew (pictured), 70, who was struck off as a solicitor after being jailed in 2017 for his role in a 65million tax scam, did not return the money Baroness Van Zuylen was the third wife of Baron Thierry van Zuylen, a scion of a Dutch noble family who made a fortune in banking. She owned a string of high profile racehorses and was a leading figure on the French racing scene for more than 50 years. They split prior to the Baron's death in 2011 and after receiving a lucrative divorce settlement the Baroness settled into English rural high society in the picturesque Cotswolds village of Little Farringdon. Meanwhile, her daughter Allegra - an alumni of top girls' private school Cheltenham Ladies' College - went to New York to study art. The Baroness, who claims to be 'financially unsophisticated,' says she was persuaded by Mr Whiston-Dew to transfer cash including her divorce payout, in the sum of 2,103,619, via solicitors to GBT Global Ltd, an offshore company of which he was at the time the director. She claims she was promised a monthly income for life and signed a power of attorney in Mr Whiston-Dew's favour, giving him the right to handle her financial dealings. But in 2017, after losing faith in the arrangement, she says she asked for her money back plus an explanation of what happened to it, but received neither. That same year, Mr Whiston-Dew was jailed for ten years for his role in a 65million tax avoidance scam, purportedly linked to an eco-friendly reforestation project in Brazil. He was struck off the register of solicitors the following year. The Baroness is now suing Mr Whiston-Dew and GBT Global Ltd, demanding the whole of her original sum back, plus compensation for lost potential investment gains. Outlining her case, her barrister Derrick Dale QC told the judge that Mr Whiston-Dew had told the Baroness her money would be put into a long-term property investment in a block of flats in Norwich and land in Essex. 'On the premise of very casual conversations, she is persuaded to transfer all her life savings,' he said. Baroness Jacqueline Van Zuylen with her daughter Allegra pictured back in October 2010 'He immediately sets up a situation which involves him having control of everything. 'This is a complete fraudulent take, an investment scam. Her confidence is being manipulated and exploited in a Svengali way.' The Baroness, giving evidence, told the judge she had not understood the arrangement she was getting into with Mr Whiston-Dew. 'My career has been a semi-professional dressage rider,' she told the judge.. 'I've not been a businesswoman.' During an earlier hearing in the battle, Mr Dale said Baroness Van Zuylen had been left in a 'desperate' situation with no access to her cash. 'She handed all of her money to Mr Whiston-Dew and, since he has gone to prison, although payments continued for a short period, she has received no money, no money at all,' he said. 'She has had to beg, steal and borrow in order to be able to survive in a day to day existence. She can't pay her rent on the property she lives in.' And as the trial kicked off last week, he said Mr Whiston-Dew had 'not attended trial' as expected, and additionally had made it known that he had 'filed for bankruptcy online'. He would be 'technically made bankrupt' during the course of the trial, said the barrister. Mr Whiston-Dew earlier said he would not attend the trial due to 'depression and anxiety' issues. The court heard that he struggled so badly with the stress of trying to defend the baroness's claim from his prison cell that he had been put on anti-depressants by prison medics. In his written defence to the action, he denied the Baroness' version of events and says he and the company were never involved in scamming her. She had lost money on poor investments and was overspending on credit cards and overdrafts when they met, he claims. He says he put what was left of her money in a trust fund, on the Caribbean island of Nevis, to preserve it. Baroness Jacqueline Van Zuylen says she was tricked into investing 2m in her High Court writ He was attempting to get her to 'rein in her extraordinary spending habits, which at the time exceeded 200,000 per annum,' he claims. 'At that rate of erosion of the trust fund, the capital would not last another decade,' he says. Mr Whiston-Dew goes on to say he was 'called upon daily to deal with expenditures incurred by the Baroness including to landlords, travel agents, clothing suppliers, food suppliers, beverage suppliers, horse product suppliers, vehicle repairers, furniture suppliers (and)...horse acquisitions... 'The Baroness was very frequently travelling abroad, including involvement in horseriding expeditions and an interior design project in very remote parts of India, in east Africa, Italy, Holland and in the USA, leaving me to deal with ever-increasing calls from her bank. These became daily occurrences.' He said the trust - known as the Azure Trust - was established under the 'precise wishes and understanding' of the Baroness on the island of Nevis and the UK courts have no jurisdiction to deal with a case concerning funds held there. The trustee of the fund is 'not obliged to return the trust fund to the Baroness and in fact would be in breach of trust by doing so under the laws of Nevis,' he claims. The judge has now reserved his judgment on the case, to be given at a later date. President Joe Biden began his summit with Vladimir Putin by shaking the Russian president's hand after spending last week exchanging elbow bumps with G7 leaders. The gesture with Putin was clearly a made-for-camera moment. It indicates the serious and weight the leaders gave their one-on-one meeting. During his meetings with G7 leaders, Biden exchanged elbow bumps, a nod to the coronavirus restrictions still in place in many European countries. He gave bumps to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Johnson's wife Carrie and French President Emmanuel Macron. There was a hand shake here or there but the leaders mostly used bumps. At the official greeting of leaders, it was elbow-to-elbow salutations. Additionally, Biden wore a face mask for many of his G7 events. He did not wear one for his sit down with Putin. President Vladimir Putin smiles with President Joe Biden as the pair shake hands ahead of their highly-anticipated summit to address failing relations Biden's handshake with Putin was a marked contrast to the contrived elbow bumps exchanged between world leaders at the G7 to show their concern for Covid-19 President Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson exchange elbow-to-elbow salutations The summit with Putin was organized and choreographed by US and Russian officials ahead of time with both sides agreeing to the details. The two men arrived within a few minutes of each other: Putin, after a last-minute arrival by air and motorcade; Biden by driving from his nearby hotel, having arrived Tuesday. Biden extended his hand first as the pair shook hands and they smiled for the cameras outside the Villa de La Grange before heading inside. Russian state media released a photo of the two leaders shaking hands again once they were inside. The highly-anticipated first presidential summit is a Cold War throwback to Ronald Reagan's meeting with the Soviet strongman Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva in 1985. Relations between the two sides are similarly cool - at their lowest ebb in decades after the Kremlin's cyber offensives, election meddling, threats to invade Ukraine, poisonings of dissidents both at home and abroad, and its increased intervention in the Middle East, where it is accused of shadowy mercenary deployments. 'It's always better to meet face to face,' Biden told Putin. Putin said via a translator: 'Mr. President I'd like to thank you for your initiative to meet today. I know that you've been on a long tour. Still, the U.S. and Russia relations have a lot of issues accumulated that require the highest-level meeting. And I hope that our meeting will be productive.' Putin shakes hands with Biden inside the opulent Villa de la Grange overlooking Lake Geneva after posing for a photo with the Swiss President Guy Paremlin outside President Biden with French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 Biden's G7 meetings, in contrast, were about rebuilding trust and reasserting America's place on the world stage after Donald Trump's isolationist strategy frustrated transatlantic allies. Washington has been seeking to lower expectations of the meeting with Putin, which saw Moscow rocking the boat over the weekend with naval drills staged 300 miles off the coast of Hawaii - its largest military exercise in the Pacific since the Cold War. 'We have a 20+ year track record of seeing exactly who Putin is - no summit is going to change that, and I'm sure Biden and his team know that,' tweeted former Obama deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes. The event has been both choreographed in its broad outlines and adjusted on the fly, some areas left entirely open including the food. 'No breaking of bread,' quipped a senior official when asked about the lack of a set meal. But the official allowed, 'I presume that the principals and the participants can ask for some water or coffee or tea.' Advertisement A group of whale watchers nearly missed the moment of a lifetime when a sneaky whale popped up right behind their boat - as they looked in the opposite direction. The group were pictured waiting patiently with their cameras poised, but very nearly missed the spectacular encounter by looking the wrong way while the whale surfaced a matter of feet away from their boat. Fortunately, the sightseers turned around in their boat just in the nick of time to spot the huge humpback whale, before she disappeared back into the ocean's depths, sparking scenes of celebration on the skiff. Photos taken from another vessel show the stealthy whale poking its rostrum out from beneath the water as the group face forward, pointing their cameras at the open ocean ahead of them in anticipation (pictured) But before the creature could disappear into the sea again, the whale watchers spotted her at the last second, with a second photograph showing their jubilation at the close encounter (pictured) Fortunately, the sightseers turned around in their boat just in the nick of time to spot the huge humpback whale a matter of feet away from them, before she disappeared back under the water Photos taken from another vessel show the stealthy whale poking its rostrum out from beneath the water as the group face forward, pointing their cameras at the open ocean ahead of them in anticipation. But before the creature could disappear into the sea again, the whale watchers spotted her at the last second, with a second photograph showing their jubilation at the close encounter. One woman standing on the boat is shown throwing her arms into the air to celebrate, while the other sightseers sit open mouthed in surprise and click away on their cameras. The whale watchers' near-miss was captured by director and photographer, Eric J Smith during a trip to San Ignacio Lagoon, in Baja California Peninsula, Mexico Pictured: Two boats of whale watchers have a close encounter with the sperm whale off the coast of Baja, Mexico Smith, a 49-year-old from Los Angeles, said the whale 'slowly and silently stuck her head high above the water to look around. I was in another panga a few dozen feet away and caught the moment right before everyone realized she was so close.' The whale watchers' near-miss was captured by director and photographer, Eric J Smith during a trip to San Ignacio Lagoon, in Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. The 49-year-old from Los Angeles, said: 'She slowly and silently stuck her head high above the water to look around. I was in another panga a few dozen feet away and caught the moment right before everyone realized she was so close. 'When everyone turned around, she quickly sank below the surface. Cheering and hysterical laughter ensued. 'Whale photography involves a lot of luck, but the key is to always be on alert and ready. On a whale watching voyage, it is easy to get complacent because there is a lot of waiting. It seems like the moment you let your guard down a spectacular breach occurs.' Pictured: A close-up of a humpback whale off the coast of Mexico. The species are found in oceans all over the world, and typically migrate up to 16,000 miles. They are known for breaching the surface, making them popular among whale watchers Like other large whales, humpbacks were once the target of the whaling industry which nearly hunted them until extinction. A worldwide moratorium in 1966 outlawed hunting, and their numbers have partially recovered since Video footage has caught the moment an aggressive altercation broke out between a female customer and McDonald's employees over mixing up a slushie. The woman became enraged and assaulted staff when she was told that she could not mix flavors together in her slushie drink. The incident took place on the morning of Monday, June 14 at a McDonald's restaurant in Ravenna, Ohio. McDonald's customer Cherysse Helena Cleveland, 44, was arrested following the fight and charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault in Portage County. A screaming Cleveland was filmed shoving and punching two female McDonald's employees when they try to stop her from helping herself to the slushie machine. Video footage has caught the moments Cherysse Helena Cleveland hit two McDonald's workers after becoming enraged at their refusal to mix up a slushie drink McDonald's customer Cherysse Helena Cleveland, 44, was arrested following the fight and charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault in Portage County The enraged customer is seen verbally abusing the fast-food restaurant workers and trying to push her way to the slushie machine. The female staff members repeatedly ask Cleveland to leave but she ignores their requests and continues to hit out at them and shout verbal abuse. Cleveland momentarily appears to apologize to the staff but then proceeds to become angry again and pulls the face mask off one of the employee's faces. She briefly takes off to fill up on ice at the restaurant drinks machine before returning to fight the McDonald's employee behind the counter once more. She hurls the ice in her cup at one of the female employees and then strikes her. The McDonald's worker retaliates by pulling her to the ground and repeatedly punching her. The McDonald's employee then grabs a fistful of Cleveland's hair and rains several more blows on Cleveland before her colleague breaks the fight up. In a final clip, Cleveland is seen being arrested by police who place her in handcuffs and escort her out of the store. The astonishing video has racked up 1.2 million views since McDonald's customer Brian Allen posted it on Facebook on Monday. Police responded to the restaurant at around 9.40am, according to a police report, after being informed that a customer was assaulting staff members, The female staff members repeatedly ask an enraged Cleveland to leave but she ignores their requests and continues to hit out at them and shout verbal abuse They arrested her after seeing the woman physically assaulting the two workers. When she appeared in court yesterday, Cleveland was ordered not to return to the McDonald's branch and not have any contact with her alleged victims. Her bond was set at $1,000. In the viral footage which was filmed by Brian Allen an irate Cleveland is seen having gone behind the restaurant counter to make her own beverage after she got upset when McDonald's staff informed her that she could not have all three different flavours in her slushie drink. Allen explained that the altercation erupted after Cleveland became irate when she couldn't mix all of the different flavours together in a McDonald's slushie beverage. Speaking to local outlet Cleveland 19, he said: 'I was concerned that she may start hurting somebody. So, I started recording in case law enforcement needed the tape for any kind of evidence of the assault.' Allen had been in the fast food restaurant grabbing breakfast when the fight broke out. He explained: 'Before I started filming, the woman was ordering a slushie drink and wanted all of the flavours to be mixed together in the drink. In a final clip, Cleveland is seen being arrested by the police and placed in handcuffs 'The manager informed the woman that they were not able to do that and she became very upset. She then decided to try to get the drinks herself and went behind the counter. 'After she got behind the counter, she became increasingly irritated and so I decided to start filming in case I needed to show the video to law enforcement.' Speaking to Fox 19, Allen said he was impressed with the restraint the McDonald's workers had shown towards Cleveland. 'If I was in their shoes, I wouldn't have been able to show the restraint they did,' he told the news outlet. 'You can see from the video that several times, not just once, she physically assaults and or pushes them. 'And they don't do anything except for to try to protect themselves. And you can clearly hear the one employee trying to protect her boss as well. I think they both did outstanding jobs,' Allen said. 'I don't see anybody having to take abuse like that. I think the lesson is just to treat people the way that we want to be treated, and I don't see that a lot in the world anymore.' Advertisement Three Yemeni men have been put to death in public in the country's rebel-held capital after being convicted of murdering children. Ali al-Naami, 40, Abdullah Al-Makhali, 38, and Mohammed Arman, 33, were dressed in blue prison jumpsuits as they were led to Tahrir Square in Sana'a on Wednesday. The men were then forced to lie face-down before being shot in the back by an executioner in green army fatigues and black gloves. Their bodies were then rapped up in red rugs and carried away. In one image, a security guard can be seen grinning as the executioner put an AK-47 to a prisoner's back in front of hundreds of spectators. It was Sana'a's first public execution since August 2018, when the Iran-backed rebels shot three men and hung their bodies from a crane for raping and killing a child. Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, when the Houthis swept across much of the north and seized the capital, forcing the country's Saudi-backed government into exile. Three Yemenis were executed at Tahrir Square in the capital of Sana'a on Wednesday. Pictured: An executioner wearing green army fatigues and black gloves prepares to shoot Ali al-Naami, 40, who was convicted of murdering his three daughters Al-Naami, convicted of murdering his three daughters, is pictured kneeling on a red rug before an executioner shot him dead Soldiers drag convicted child killer Abdullah Al-Makhali to a public square and force him to kneel on a rug in the public square before executing him this morning Medics check the life signs of another executed prisoner, Mohammed Arman, 33, who was convicted of raping and murdering a boy Soldiers carry the body of executed child killer al-Naami who was convicted of murdering his three daughters A Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict the following year to try and weaken the Houthis and drive them out of the capital. The war has killed more than 130,000 people in Yemen and spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis. In March, Saudi Arabia offered a cease-fire proposal to the Houthis in an attempt to halt the war, but fighting has continued to rage around the city of Marib as the rebels push to capture the city and complete their control over the northern half of the country. The Iran-backed rebels have made much of their crime-fighting efforts in areas under the control, which include most of the north of country. Those executed on Wednesday had been convicted of particularly heinous crimes. Abdullah Ali al-Mukhali and Mohammed Arman, had been convicted of raping and killing an eight-year-old boy. Al-Naami had admitted to strangling his daughters and drowning them in a water tank after the mother left the house due to domestic disputes with him Al-Naami was pictured wearing a blue jumpsuit and being lead to his execution by soldiers before medics prepared him. He was kneeling on the carpet before placing his forehead to the floor Two medics could be seen holding al-Naami to the floor, with one placing a hand on his shoulder and the other, who was wearing a stethoscope around his neck, holding a pen After the execution, al-Naami was wrapped in the carpet and soldiers carried him out of the square Al-Naami was convicted of murdering his three daughters Rahaf, seven, Raghad, 12, and Malak, 14, in June 2019. He had admitted to strangling his daughters and drowning them in a water tank after the mother left the house due to domestic disputes with him. In pictures from the execution, he could be seen kneeling on the carpet before placing his forehead to the floor. After the execution, al-Naami was wrapped in a carpet and soldiers carried him out of the square. Soldiers lead Abdullah Al-Makhali, convicted of raping and murdering a boy, to his execution at the public square in Sana'a Soldiers place Al-Makhali at the spot of his execution at the public square as he was pictured with his face on the floor A police officer executes Mohammed Arman, who was convicted of raping and murdering a boy Soldiers wrap up the bodies of the two men after they were executed in front of a crowd of spectators, many of which took pictures on their phones Spectators could be seen filming the executions on their mobile phones and video cameras. In another image, two medics could be seen checking on a prisoner, with one placing a hand on his shoulder and the other, wearing a stethoscope around his neck, holding a pen. Al-Makhali and Arman were convicted of raping and murdering a boy Mohammed al-Haddad before they were shot dead in the public square. Soldiers stood guard and another soldier was pictured placing Al-Makhali at the spot of his execution. Soldiers then wrapped their bodies in white cloths and carried them out of the square. Soldiers carry the bodies of Al-Makhali and Arman out of the public square following their execution Soldiers stand guide outside two white vehicles during the public execution of Al-Makhali and Arman A 'fit, healthy and active' woman has developed a crippling immune disease just days after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. Amanda Thomson, 54, was left with excruciating pain in her hands and feet and has been unable to walk due to a severe loss of muscle strength. Doctors in Queensland diagnosed her with Guillain-Barre syndrome - a rare disease which breaks down the body's immune system and has been known to last for up to two years, according to the Courier Mail. Medical experts in Australia and across the globe have not found any direct link between the vaccine and the 'incredibly rare' debilitating syndrome. Infectious diseases physician Dr Paul Griffin said despite the 'incredibly rare' side effect, the benefits far outweigh the risks. Dr Griffin explained that GBS is known to be a complication for vaccines 'in general', and is not linked to any particular jab. He said there is no evidence AstraZeneca is more likely to cause the condition than other vaccines. A 'fit, healthy and active' woman has developed a crippling immune disease just days after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. Pictured: A frontline worker - not the Queensland woman - receives a Covid jab Medical experts in Australia and across the globe have not found any direct link between the AstraZeneca vaccine (pictured) and the debilitating syndrome The condition can develop in anybody after an immunological event like receiving vaccines, contracting influenza or other respiratory infections. But Ms Thomson and her husband Grant say they should have been warned about the risks associated with GBS before they got the jab. After the couple received the first shot on June 2, Ms Thomson had a bad fever and was suffering from chills. Mr Thomson said they thought it was just a normal side effect so she held off going to the hospital. But on June 7 her hands and feet started to feel like they were freezing. 'The pain started on Tuesday and she lost some tactile sensations in her extremities. By Wednesday she was at the doctor's for a full blood test,' he told the newspaper. The following day she was experiencing numbness, reduced muscle strength, loss of co-ordination and the beginning of 'paralysis,' so she went to her GP. Nursing staff are seen at the mass vaccination hub at Western Health - Melbourne Showgrounds site in Ascot Vale - as Australia's rollout continues Last Friday she was rushed to the emergency department where she received her diagnosis. 'If we had known about the risk of GBS then Amanda and I could have made a rational, informed choice to get her to a hospital earlier,' he said. Which would have meant treatment could have started three to four days earlier and the potential damage to the nervous system might have been greatly reduced.' While overt warnings have been in place about the highly-publicised potential risk of blood clotting, the Therapeutic Goods Association lists GBS as an 'adverse event of special interest'. That means that the scientific data is not conclusive on whether the AstraZeneca jab causes the rare syndrome. But the TGA have confirmed that of the almost six million doses administered, eight patients have developed GBS, with varying degrees of severity. Victoria Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien receives his COVID-19 vaccination from nurse Carly Underwood at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre The TGA have confirmed that of the almost six million doses administered, eight patients have developed GBS, with varying degrees of severity News of the rare illness comes less than a week after a second Australian died from a severe blood clotting disorder after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine. A 52-year-old Melbourne woman was confirmed dead on Thursday afternoon after developing Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome. Another woman, 48, from NSW also died after getting her AstraZeneca jab in April. The AstraZeneca vaccine is now only recommended in Australia for people over 50, with the rest of the population forced to wait for Pfizer vaccine to arrive in the final quarter of 2021, with an extra 20 million doses on the way. Boris Johnson today warned the EU the UK Government will take the 'necessary steps' to reduce trade friction with Northern Ireland unless Brussels agrees to compromise on post-Brexit border rules. The Prime Minister repeated his threat to tear up elements of the Northern Ireland Protocol if the bloc refuses to budge. Mr Johnson told MPs at PMQs: 'I can say that unless we see progress on the implementation of the protocol, which I think is currently totally disproportionate, then we will have to take the necessary steps.' His comments came after Lord Frost accused the EU of failing to engage with the UK's proposals to fix the protocol as he warned 'time is running out' to agree solutions. The Cabinet Office minister said the UK has put forward 'a lot of ideas' on how post-Brexit border checks could be smoothed and improved. But he said Britain is struggling to get much 'traction' from Brussels on the proposals, with EU chiefs not giving 'very much back to help move these discussions forward'. Lord Frost admitted the measures floated by the UK would not 'totally eliminate' disruption to trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland but he insisted they would make a 'big difference'. The UK and the EU remain locked in talks as they try to remedy issues with the protocol which has inflamed community tensions in Northern Ireland. Boris Johnson today warned the EU the UK will take the 'necessary steps' to reduce trade friction with Northern Ireland unless Brussels agrees to compromise on post-Brexit border rules The UK and the EU remain locked in talks as they try to remedy issues with the protocol which has inflamed community tensions in Northern Ireland The protocol, agreed as part of the Brexit divorce deal, requires checks on goods travelling from GB to Northern Ireland to be carried out at ports in order to avoid the return of a land border with the Republic. But it has caused disruption to trade and angered unionists who have demanded the rules be scrapped, arguing they create a barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Mr Johnson has repeatedly threatened to trigger Article 16 of the protocol to unilaterally ditch some of the rules if the two sides cannot agree a way forward. Lord Frost told the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee this morning that at a 'minimum' the UK wants to see trade return to a 'much more free-flowing' state. But he suggested the EU is refusing to play ball with the ideas put forward by British negotiators. He told the committee: I think what we would like to see I think at a minimum is that the GB-NI movements of goods could work in a much more free-flowing, open way that is much more commensurate with the degree of risk of goods ending up in the EUs single market. We think that risk is quite low. We have proposed various ideas... which would all we think make a big difference to that even though it wouldnt totally eliminate the problem. But we think it would make it a lot easier to work. We havent had a lot of feedback from that. He continued: Our position is we would like to find negotiated agreements that bring it back to the sort of light touch agreements that we thought we were agreeing and one that is consistent with protecting the EU single market and all the other purposes of the protocol. Our frustration and the frustration that comes out of some of the comments is that we are not getting a lot of traction and we feel we have put in a lot of ideas and we havent had very much back to help move these discussions forward and meanwhile time is running out. Asked about the PM's threat of triggering Article 16 of the protocol, Lord Frost said: All options remain on the table as regards steps forward and obviously we would prefer to find negotiated ways forward if we can. If that is not possible obviously other options remain on the table as the PM said over the weekend. This is the astonishing moment a man casually pulled a grenade during a brawl in Ukraine - causing an explosion that left five people injured. In footage of the incident, the two men are shown having a heated row in front of their friends outside a shop. One of the men lands two punches on the other, causing him to stumble backwards. But in a shocking retaliation for the punch, the man is then seen calmly pulling a hand grenade from his pocket before dropping it on the ground. The group, including the man who is filming, are shown fleeing into the surrounding streets before the grenade exploded, setting off car alarms and injuring five people. In the footage, the two men are shown having a heated row in front of their friends outside a shop, which leads to a punches being thrown between the pair The disturbing incident is said to have taken place on June 8 on Gagarin Avenue in Kharkiv, a city found in the northeast of Ukraine. According to local media reports, five people were injured during the hand grenade explosion including two individuals who were sixteen and seventeen years old. Local police said that the assailant had been detained. In the Ukraine, the punishment could for using the grenade could range from 10 to 15 years in prison to life imprisonment. The footage has been shared widely on social media and stunned and bewildered online viewers with many commenting on the man's casual use of a hand grenade. One of the men lands a punch on the other - seen wearing a striped top - causing him to stumble backwards against a lamppost In a shocking retaliation for the punch, the man is seen calmly pulling out a hand grenade and appears to drop it on the floor amongst the group. The people, including the man who is filming, are shown scattering into the surrounding streets One social media user commented 'Two guys argue in the UK: pulls a knife. Two guys argue in America: pulls a gun. Two guys argue in Eastern Europe: pulls a grenade' Whilst another wrote: 'Nothing like a self defence hand grenade in Ukraine to protect yourself from muggers or bears'. Another individual amusingly commented: 'Two punches straight to the face. Stumbles a bit but keeps balance, even on slippery surface [then] casually pulls out grenade. This man is a straight bad*ss!' Meanwhile another individual exclaimed: 'Well that escalated quickly!' whilst another person said 'Everyone has a plan until a grenade is pulled out'. The grenade dramatically explodes and causes chaos amongst the group, setting off car alarms and sending smoke into the air. Five people were reportedly injured Under Ukrainian law, civilians are permitted to carrying hunting firearms and pistols on a case-by-case basis, while most weapons remain restricted to the military. Since March 2014 and in the aftermath of the Ukrainian revolution, Donbas in eastern Ukraine - on the border with Russia - has seen fighting between Ukraine and Russian separatists. As a result, there has been an influx of illegal weapons in the country. According to The Small Arms Survey undertaken in 2017, there were between 3 to 5 million illegal weapons in the country, with reports of military hardware surfacing in the peaceful parts of the country. Advertisement A leaked document gave a glimpse of the UK's potential 'new normal' today with facemasks, working from home and travel quarantine rules set to stay even beyond July 19 - as MPs have now voted through Boris Johnson's Freedom Day delay. The Whitehall paper suggests that the government will stop short of urging workers to return to offices even after the new target for lifting restrictions finally arrives. There is also a suggestion that face masks will be needed in some settings long-term, as well as keeping post-travel isolation rules. Anyone who has coronavirus symptoms will still be expected to isolate, according to the draft proposals. And fears have been raised that more restrictions will be needed if the disease surges again in the winter. The document - seen by Politico - emerged as Boris Johnson's crunch bill to delay the return to freedom passed through the House of Commons, winning 461 ayes and 60 noes. Victory was guaranteed for the government as Labour threw its backing behind the extension of the brutal restrictions. For now, limits on numbers for sports events, theatres and cinemas will remain in place, nightclubs will stay shuttered and people will be asked to continue working from home where possible. It comes after furious Tories rounded on Mr Johnson, Matt Hancock and the Government's scientific advisers over the extension of Covid restrictions in England. They cast doubt on the Prime Minister's commitment that July 19 would be a 'terminus' date for the lockdown after he was forced to postpone easing restrictions on June 21. The shift from Mr Johnson, amid warnings from scientists that the Indian variant will cause thousands more deaths, has incensed many Conservatives who argue that vaccines have protected the most vulnerable and the country must learn to live with the virus. Downing Street later said it did not recognise the Politco document and it 'does not reflect the latest Government thinking'. Mr Johnson insisted to MPs at PMQs today that the Covid rules were temporary. Responding to Tory backbencher Philip Davies he said: 'Nobody, least of all me, wants to see Covid restrictions last forever, nor do I think they are going to last forever.' Mr Johnson also came under fire from Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions, with the Labour leader saying he had 'blown it' by failing to block flights from India soon enough. Boris Johnson (pictured today) is facing a bruising revolt from his own benches as the Commons is asked to approve the delay of 'Freedom Day' until July 19 Daily UK figures show 7,673 people tested positive for the virus, 184 patients were admitted to hospital and 10 people died. The data also shows that 41.8million people have been given their first dose of a vaccine, while 30.2million have received their second Mr Johnson also came under fire from Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions, with the Labour leader saying he had 'blown it' by failing to block flights from India soon enough. Over-21s urged to get vaccine appointments England's Covid vaccination drive has opened to everyone over the age of 21 today, as ministers race to get every adult jabbed by the country's new 'Freedom Day' on July 19. Around one million people aged 21 and 22 will begin to be invited to come forward for their vaccine from this morning, leaving only 18 to 20-year-olds waiting for the call. NHS bosses expect to open up the scheme to all adults by the end of this week Boris Johnson this week delayed the final step of the roadmap back to normality by four weeks to give the NHS a 'few more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the rapid spread of the Indian variant. The Government brought forward its target for vaccinating all adults from July 31 to July 19 to deal with the rapidly growing Delta strain variant and to hit the jab target in time for the country unlocking. No10 has also pledged to get two-thirds of adults fully inoculated by the same date. But there are fears a shortage in supply of vaccines could threaten a further delay to the final unlocking. Although No10 hasn't made achieving the goal a clause of going ahead with the final unlocking, Freedom Day was only ever delayed to ensure millions more adults were fully protected. Ministers have conceded that the supply of the Pfizer jab is 'tight' while the Moderna vaccine which has only just become available is thought to be similarly limited. Both are shipped in weekly batches from factories in Europe. Advertisement The Opposition leader told the Commons: 'Last March he said we can turn the tide in 12 weeks, remember that? 'Then he said it will all be over by Christmas, then we were told June 21 would be Freedom Day. Now we are told July 19 is Terminus Day. 'The British people don;'t expect miracles buy t they do expect basic competence and honesty, and when it comes to care homes, protective equipment or borders, we see the same pattern from this Prime Minister - too slow, too indecisive, over-promising, under-delivering.' The Cabinet Office insisted no decisions have been taken on the guidance after July 19, which Mr Johnson has vowed will represent a 'terminus' point for lockdown. The premier said on Monday that the delay would save 'thousands of lives' and allow millions more people to receive their first and second jabs. But he insisted he is 'confident' he would finally be able to end restrictions on July 19, describing it as a 'terminus point' while refusing to give a categorical guarantee. The Politico document covered several key areas of lockdown restrictions remaining in place. Staff not ordered back to their workplace The document suggests that ministers should not force workers back to their regular workplace when Step 4 of the lockdown is finally reached. It outlines three approaches the Government could take: backing a return to offices and factories not yet up and running, staying neutral or continuing to encourage working from home. It recommends that Mr Johnson should abandon what he did last year when he called for workers to restart commuting and instead back a 'hybrid' model that helps people work from home if their journey is not absolutely necessary. This is likely to prove controversial with Mr Johnson under pressure to help kickstart retail growth by getting workers back into English towns and cities. Stay off work if you are even slightly ill Scientists have suggested a culture change away from people bravely going into work if they don't feel very well, amid fears they will spread Covid. Isolating at home if you have the key symptoms of Covid - a cough, temperature or a loss of taste/smell needs to become the new normal, they argue, until you have taken a test. However others suggest tests and quarantine can be phased out over a period of months as vaccines hopefully drive down the infection rate to manageable levels. The report says that this will require a reform and increase to sick pay levels, warning that the current isolation regime has only a 'low to medium' effectiveness because people in low-paid or insecure roles cannot afford to lose out. Air vents in, plastic screens out For staff that return to offices and other workplaces, ventilation could become key, with claims that ministers are considering introducing minimum standards. Facemasks could also be required in the longer term as well. However, plastic screens, seen in shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants across the land, could be scrapped, despite the costs already incurred by businesses. The report suggests that they should be removed, as many are installed incorrectly, blocking airflow around the room and may even make the Covid transmission situation worse. Winter restrictions and foreign travel quarantine With the UK still not yet fully out of London in the early summer, scientists have already started looking to the winter. While they don't go as far as suggesting another lockdown they suggest some measures could be either kept in place or reintroduced as the weather gets colder. One thing that seems to be remaining for some time is the traffic light system for quarantine after foreign travel. The document suggests isolation and strict border controls will be needed for some time, even if they are eased from where they are now. Jabs for care home staff WILL be compulsory Care home staff will be forced to have Covid vaccinations, ministers will announce this week. The controversial measure means 1.5million people working in social care will be told to have the jab within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. It has been introduced following a consultation which concluded it would help protect the most vulnerable in society. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched. Ministers are concerned about low take-up of the coronavirus vaccine among care workers, who include care home staff plus home helps. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs, latest figures show that just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine. Tens of thousands of care home residents died in the pandemic, largely as a result of infections being brought in by staff during the first wave. The Daily Mail first revealed in March that the Government was considering making it a legal requirement for NHS and care home staff to have the jab. Organisations representing care firms and their staff have warned that the move could backfire and see workers quit rather than agree to have the jab. The social care sector already faces a workforce shortage as a result of years of underfunding, and an exodus of staff would make it harder to meet the expected upsurge in demand once the pandemic subsides. The move also raises questions about how care homes treat staff who refuse a mandatory jab, and whether they have to be moved into other roles, and over whether the Government could face a legal challenge. Later this week ministers will confirm that they are pushing ahead with compulsory vaccination for most of the 1.5million working in social care in England. On Tuesday night it was claimed that, under the plans, those working with adults will have 16 weeks to get vaccinated or face losing their jobs. The Government is also keen to make it mandatory for the 1.38million who are directly employed by the NHS in England to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and winter flu. The Department of Health and Social Care will in the coming days launch two separate consultation exercises into making Covid and flu jabs mandatory for NHS staff. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock believes the arguments in favour of protecting patients from potentially infectious staff now outweigh those that allow health workers the right to choose whether to have either immunisation. Latest figures show that, as of June 6, 89 per cent of NHS staff had had their first dose of Covid vaccine and 82 per cent had had both. Some 83.7 per cent of staff in adult care homes had received at least one dose by June 6 and 68.7 per cent had been double-jabbed. The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, warned that while it wants all NHS staff to get jabbed, 'compulsion is a blunt instrument that carries its own risks'. The health department said: 'Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic and have already saved thousands of lives with millions of health and care staff vaccinated. 'Our priority is to make sure people in care homes are protected. We will publish our response [to the consultation] in due course.' Advertisement Jacob Rees-Mogg hinted at a growing split in Cabinet yesterday by suggesting it was wrong to keep restrictions in place once all vulnerable people and over-50s had been offered their second jabs a point which has already passed. He said people below that age were 'not at particular risk', adding: 'Overwhelmingly the most important thing is the number of deaths. People going into hospital for a couple of days and coming out is not very important.' In an interview with the Conservative Home website, he added: 'Ultimately, the NHS is there to serve the British people, not the British people there to serve the NHS, and therefore we may need to spend more money on hospitals but you can't run society just to stop the hospitals being full, otherwise you'd never let us get in our cars and drive anywhere or do any of the other things that people want to do, so there has to be some proportionality.' The interview was recorded on Monday, shortly before Mr Johnson confirmed the four-week delay. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss declined to contradict Mr Rees-Mogg during a round of interviews this morning. 'We are taking a pragmatic approach. The key is making sure that everybody gets vaccinated by July 19 we will have all over-40s vaccinated so we are protected as a society,' she said. 'That's what we need to do in order to be able to fully open up the economy.' She added: 'Jacob has his views and those are his views. But what I'm telling you is the reason we are doing this, the reason we are taking these measures is to protect lives and that's what's important.' A poll by Savanta ComRes yesterday found that 56 per cent of the public now fear restrictions could go on indefinitely. It came as ten more deaths and 7,673 new Covid cases were reported yesterday. Downing Street distanced itself from Mr Rees-Mogg's comments, saying the guidelines for ending lockdown depend on passing the four tests in the roadmap. They include checking the vaccine rollout is still on track and having evidence the jabs are effective at reducing hospitalisations and deaths. The other two tests require proof that unlocking will not risk a surge in cases that could overwhelm the NHS and checking that new 'variants of concern' do not fundamentally change the risks of the virus. Asked whether the Cabinet minister's views reflected the Government's position, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The position we are using is the four tests. We do not meet those four tests and that is why we are not proceeding with the next stage.' However, many critics fear cases and hospitalisations could well be even higher in four weeks' time leading to another delay. Michael Gove yesterday insisted the reopening would only slip again if something 'unprecedented and remarkable' occurs. He said: 'We have to accept this virus will circulate, and it will be the case... that in winters to come we will find that people contract it or subsequent variants and they will fall ill.' England's Covid vaccination drive has opened to everyone over the age of 21 today, as ministers race to get every adult jabbed by the country's new 'Freedom Day' on July 19. Around one million people aged 21 and 22 will begin to be invited to come forward for their vaccine from this morning, leaving only 18 to 20-year-olds waiting for the call. NHS bosses expect to open up the scheme to all adults by the end of this week Boris Johnson this week delayed the final step of the roadmap back to normality by four weeks to give the NHS a 'few more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the rapid spread of the Indian variant. The Government brought forward its target for vaccinating all adults from July 31 to July 19 to deal with the rapidly growing Delta strain variant and to hit the jab target in time for the country unlocking. No10 has also pledged to get two-thirds of adults fully inoculated by the same date. But there are fears a shortage in supply of vaccines could threaten a further delay to the final unlocking. Although No10 hasn't made achieving the goal a clause of going ahead with the final unlocking, Freedom Day was only ever delayed to ensure millions more adults were fully protected. Ministers have conceded that the supply of the Pfizer jab is 'tight' while the Moderna vaccine which has only just become available is thought to be similarly limited. Both are shipped in weekly batches from factories in Europe. Ministers are expected to confirm this week that care home staff will be forced to have Covid vaccinations. The controversial measure means 1.5million people working in social care will be told to have the jab within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. It has been introduced following a consultation which concluded it would help protect the most vulnerable in society. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched. Ministers are concerned about low take-up of the coronavirus vaccine among care workers, who include care home staff plus home helps. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs, latest figures show that just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine. Tens of thousands of care home residents died in the pandemic, largely as a result of infections being brought in by staff during the first wave. The Daily Mail first revealed in March that the Government was considering making it a legal requirement for NHS and care home staff to have the jab. Organisations representing care firms and their staff have warned that the move could backfire and see workers quit rather than agree to have the jab. The social care sector already faces a workforce shortage as a result of years of underfunding, and an exodus of staff would make it harder to meet the expected upsurge in demand once the pandemic subsides. The move also raises questions about how care homes treat staff who refuse a mandatory jab, and whether they have to be moved into other roles, and over whether the Government could face a legal challenge. Covid has killed more than 150,000 people since the crisis began last spring, but the vaccines have shown to be extremely effective at preventing deaths - reducing fatalities by more than 90%. Independent scientists seeking to manage expectations before restrictions are lifted told MailOnline that achieving zero Covid deaths going forward was 'impossible' and that the focus should be to bring them down to levels comparable with flu which kills roughly 17,000 people in England annually (shown on graph). Source: Office for National Statistics and Public Health England Later this week ministers will confirm that they are pushing ahead with compulsory vaccination for most of the 1.5million working in social care in England. On Tuesday night it was claimed that, under the plans, those working with adults will have 16 weeks to get vaccinated or face losing their jobs. The Government is also keen to make it mandatory for the 1.38million who are directly employed by the NHS in England to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and winter flu. The Department of Health and Social Care will in the coming days launch two separate consultation exercises into making Covid and flu jabs mandatory for NHS staff. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock believes the arguments in favour of protecting patients from potentially infectious staff now outweigh those that allow health workers the right to choose whether to have either immunisation. Latest figures show that, as of June 6, 89 per cent of NHS staff had had their first dose of Covid vaccine and 82 per cent had had both. Some 83.7 per cent of staff in adult care homes had received at least one dose by June 6 and 68.7 per cent had been double-jabbed. The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, warned that while it wants all NHS staff to get jabbed, 'compulsion is a blunt instrument that carries its own risks'. The health department said: 'Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic and have already saved thousands of lives with millions of health and care staff vaccinated. 'Our priority is to make sure people in care homes are protected. We will publish our response [to the consultation] in due course.' Lord Blair defended current Scotland Yard boss Dame Cressida Dick as 'the finest officer of her generation' and refused to accept there is systemic corruption in the force' Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Ian Blair today hit out at accusations that the force is institutionally corrupt as 'just not true'. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he defended current Scotland Yard boss Dame Cressida Dick as 'the finest officer of her generation' and refused to accept there is systemic corruption in the force. Dame Cressida is facing calls to resign after the publication of a damning report on the unsolved 1987 murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan. An independent panel led by Baroness Nuala O'Loan found that the Met had put protecting its own reputation above finding Mr Morgan's killer. The panel's report said: 'Concealing or denying failings, for the sake of the organisation's public image, is dishonesty on the part of the organisation for reputational benefit and constitutes a form of institutional corruption.' But Lord Blair told Today: 'The allegation that the Met is institutionally corrupt is just not true. There is no evidence of systemic corruption in the Metropolitan Police. 'If you then use that to describe a reluctance to come forward, you then have to compare the BBC marking its own homework over Martin Bashir. 'Institutions do have a protective process and I'm sorry about that but I just don't believe the words institutionally corrupt in any way reflect what the public understanding of what that would mean.' Dame Cressida is fighting for her survival following a bombshell report branded her force 'institutionally corrupt' The Met admitted in 2011 that the grossly inadequate first investigation into Mr Morgan's murder - which saw the murder scene left unsearched and unguarded - had been hampered by corruption. But the panel found that corruption had gone on after the initial inquiry, and questioned why no action had been taken to bring those who sabotaged the first investigation to justice. A string of police investigations and an inquest have failed to convict anyone of the killing or any associated corruption in protecting those responsible. The numerous inquiries into the case have largely been due to the campaigning efforts of Mr Morgan's brother Alastair, who has fought for justice for more than 30 years. He said on Twitter today: 'We achieved a historic result yesterday and I'm pleased and proud of this.' But he expressed his regret that his mother Isobel Hulsmann, who died in 2017, did not live to see the report's publication, something that he blames on the Met. Mr Morgan said: 'My greatest regret is that my mother never lived to see the publication of the Daniel Morgan panel's report. 'The Met's constant delays and obstructions made this impossible.' Yesterday in the wake of the publication of the report, Dame Cressida did not appear in person to answer journalists' questions, but instead issued a written statement in which she apologised again to Mr Morgan's family. Britain's most senior police officer faced calls for her head after the report concluded she personally placed 'hurdles' in the way of the search for the truth about Mr Morgan's death. Daniel Morgan was investigating claims of corruption within the Metropolitan Police when he was murdered in 1987 The independent panel found Scotland Yard had been more interested in protecting its reputation than in cracking what has been dubbed the 'most investigated unsolved murder in the history of the Metropolitan Police'. Baroness O'Loan, who led the inquiry, described the institutional corruption finding as equivalent to the Macpherson report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, which concluded the force was 'institutionally racist'. No one has been brought to justice for the brutal killing of Mr Morgan in a south London pub car park in 1987. The 37-year-old was found with an axe lodged in his skull and 1,000 in banknotes in a pocket. After five separate criminal inquiries and an inquest, at an estimated cost of 30million, it was hoped that the eight-year public inquiry would finally uncover the truth. Instead, it became clear yesterday that the stench of 'institutional corruption' pervading the Met means the family of Mr Morgan are unlikely ever to get justice. Baroness O'Loan said the failings of the original shambolic murder investigation had been compounded over the past three decades by the shameful attempts to hide the extent of the rot at the heart of the force. She said Scotland Yard owed Mr Morgan's family an apology for not confronting its systemic failings and those of individual officers, including Dame Cressida. The baroness accused the commissioner of 'obfuscation' thwarting attempts to access sensitive documents and police computers, leading to costly delays in the inquiry. 'The family of Daniel Morgan has suffered grievously as a consequence of the failure to bring his murderer or murderers to justice, the unwarranted assurances which they were given, the misinformation which was put into the public domain, and the denial of the failings in investigation, including failing to acknowledge professional incompetence, individuals' venal behaviour, and managerial and organisational failures,' she added. Mr Morgan was killed with an axe outside the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south London Alastair Morgan (right), the brother of murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan, with his family solicitor Raju Bhatt (centre) speaking to the media following the publication of the report 'Concealing or denying failings for the sake of an organisation's public image is dishonesty on the part of the organisation for reputational benefit, and constitutes a form of institutional corruption.' Concerns about vetting police officers persist to the present day, said Baroness O'Loan, adding that there were no adequate safeguards to ensure that officers were not engaging in criminality. Professor Rodney Morgan, a panel member, said: 'The term 'institutional corruption' is not used in a historic sense, it's used in the present tense.' Yesterday Mr Morgan's brother Alastair said the family would consider suing the force for putting them 'through hell'. Asked whether Dame Cressida should resign, he said: 'Yes, absolutely I think she should consider her position.' In a statement, the Morgan family said: 'At almost every step, we found ourselves lied to, fobbed off, bullied, degraded and let down time and time again. What we were required to endure was nothing less than torture.' Singling out Dame Cressida for blame, the report said she had not given a 'reasonable explanation' for blocking access to computer data and delaying the release of files, the last of which were provided only in March. The investigation into Mr Morgan's murder was described as 'shockingly incompetent', with officers failing to search the scene, which was left unguarded, 'pathetic' forensic work and no alibis sought for suspects. A Home Office source said there were 'serious concerns with the Met's leadership and how it responded to failings' although Home Secretary Priti Patel and Boris Johnson later expressed confidence in Dame Cressida. The commissioner apologised for past mistakes yesterday, saying: 'It is a matter of great regret that no one has been brought to justice and that our mistakes have compounded the pain suffered by Daniel's family. For that I apologise again now. 'I have been personally determined that the Met provided the panel with the fullest level of co-operation in an open and transparent manner, with complete integrity at all times.' Scotland Yard rejected the report's finding of institutional corruption, with assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave saying: 'It doesn't reflect what I see every day.' He insisted the panel had been given 'unparalleled access' including to the police Holmes database, adding: 'The commissioner has no need to consider her position. She has overseen disclosure to an extent never seen before.' The force is conducting a review of the case and has repeated appeals for anyone with information to come forward. It has offered a 50,000 reward. A ship that was 'cursed' by native tribesmen has been identified nearly 350 years after it vanished, solving one of America's oldest and most notorious maritime mysteries. The Griffin, which disappeared on its maiden voyage in 1679, has been called the 'holy grail' for shipwreck hunters probing North America's Great Lakes. It was built by the French explorer Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, with a view to finding a route through the lakes to China and Japan. But the ship vanished while delivering a valuable cargo of furs, amid rumours that she had been cursed by a prophet from the Iroquois tribe. Now shipwreck hunters Steve and Kathie Libert say they have found the infamous vessel, which was the first to sail the Great Lakes beyond Niagara Falls. He and his wife set out their case for having discovered the ship in a new book, Le Griffon and the Huron Islands 1679: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery. Mr Libert said: 'Our extensive research and deciphering of historic documents led us precisely to the resting place of an undiscovered colonial-age ship.' According to Mr and Mrs Libert, The Griffin is a good match for wreckage found in 2018 near Poverty Island, Lake Michigan. A bowsprit discovered a few miles away in 2001 is another part of the vessel, they claim. Scroll down for video. The Griffin - a ship that was 'cursed' by native tribesmen - has been identified nearly 350 years after it vanished, solving one of America's oldest and most notorious maritime mysteries. Pictured: Images of the 2018 dive on a wreck found in 2018 near Poverty Island, Lake Michigan. It is now believed to be the famous ship The Griffin, which disappeared on its maiden voyage in 1679, has been called the 'holy grail' for shipwreck hunters probing North America's Great Lakes La Salle who was not aboard The Griffin when it disappeared never found out what happened to his ship, but the wreckage sheds new light on its fate. Mr Libert said: 'There are numerous theories as to what happened to The Griffin. 'Father Louis Hennepin said it was lost in a violent storm. 'Some say that the native Indians boarded the ship and killed the crew. They then set the ship on fire. 'Many believed the Jesuits were responsible for the ship's disappearance. 'La Salle was certain that the captain and his men committed mutiny, sank the ship and absconded with all the furs.' He continued: 'Both the Seneca and Iroquois felt threatened by the construction and sight of Le Griffon, and felt that it was a threat to the 'Great Spirit.' 'The Seneca were in awe of the French for having built such a large canoe. They were concerned for their safety in as much that they tried to burn the ship during construction.' Shipwreck hunters Steve and Kathie Libert set out their case for having discovered the ship in a new book, Le Griffon and the Huron Islands 1679: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery A scan of the wreck taken by the Great Lakes Exploration Group. The wreck lies in Lake Michigan According to legend, natives even cursed the ship. Metiomek, an Iroquois prophet, apparently told La Salle: 'Beware! Darkness like a cloud is ready to envelop you. 'The Christian Indian's curse rests on you and on your great canoe. THE GRIFFIN: A 'CURSED' SHIP AND A CENTURIES OLD MYSTERY The Griffin (Le Griffon) was a sailing ship built by Rene-Robert Cavelier in 1679 that mysteriously disappeared during its maiden voyage on the Great Lakes. Its exact size and construction isn't known, but it was armed with seven cannons and at the time was the largest sailing vessel on the Great Lakes. La Salle and Father Louis Hennepin set out on the ship during its maiden voyage on August 7am , 1969 along with a crew of 32. It wanted to sail across Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan through waters only canoes had previously explored. It vanished while loaded with furs and other trade goods gathered in Lake Michigan after the captain ordered it return towards Niagara. While there have been many theories over the years, there is no clear consensus as to the fate or current location of Le Griffon. Advertisement 'She will sink beneath the deep waters and your blood shall stain the hands of those in whom you trusted!' Native tradition holds that The Griffin became a ghost ship, whose crew are sometimes heard chanting as she sails among the clouds on a moonlit night. But the wreckage suggests that The Griffin was lost in a storm. 'The ship has no indications of fire damage to the wooden remains,' said Mr Libert. 'We are confident the ship was wrecked due to a severe storm. 'The distance of 3.8 miles between the bowsprit and main sections highly suggests the Indians did not sink it either, nor did La Salle's men mutiny and sink the ship. 'If any of the latter was true the ship would rest in deeper water instead of shallow waters.' Mr Libert believes the Griffin was caught in a four-day storm and the bowsprit, which was held in place only by wooden wedges, broke off before the rest of the ship sank. The cargo of furs, estimated at up to $12,000 in value nearly $900,000 (640,000) in today's money likely went to the depths with her. And, as the curse foretold, La Salle was later murdered during a 1687 expedition by a member of his party. He was 43. Carbon dating of the bowsprit places suggests an age range within a year of the sinking. The other wreckage has been approximately dated to between 1632 and 1682. Mr Libert has also highlighted several details in the wreckage indicative of contemporaneous French design. For Mr Libert, it's the realisation of a childhood dream, sparked by a history teacher who told him about the ship. Steve Libert diving on the ship in 2018. Mr Libert said the evidence suggests that the ship was lost in a storm A photo from the 2018 dive shows the bowsprit of the ship believed to be The Griffin. The bowsprit is the spar running out from the bow (front) of a ship) He said: 'My interest began the day my teacher reached over and touched my shoulder, and said out loud in class, "maybe one day, someone in this class will find it." 'Fifty-one years later, I am still intrigued by this story.' But it's been far from straightforward. The 2001 discovery of a bowsprit sticking out the lakebed sparked a 10-year legal battle with the State of Michigan, preventing the explorers from excavating for the rest of the ship until 2013. Images of the severely dilapidated wreckage show it lying on the bed of Lake Michigan This image shows the ship's keelson - the structure which fastens a ship's floor timbers to its keel Only then did the Liberts and the Great Lakes Exploration Group discover that the bowsprit was separate from the remainder of the vessel. Michel L'Hour, a French government archaeologist who's been called 'Indiana Jones in a diving suit', took part in the excavation and theorised that the rest of the ship was nearby. Mr Libert then spent two years sifting through satellite imagery before he made a breakthrough. 'The imagery depicted the keelson and frames,' he said. The bowsprit is seen here sticking out of the bed of Lake Michigan The Liberts are prevented by the State of Michigan from conducting an in-depth excavation of the wreck site Mr Libert said: 'It is just a matter of time before we achieve our goal. Possibly a cannon, hopefully with the date stamped on it.' Pictured: Some of the wreckage 'What I suspected was a ship was confirmed by me during a dive in September 2018. 'I was emotionally drained of all my energy, and was in a complete state of relief and exhaustion, but I could still yell out the words "we found it!" once I broke the surface. 'Michel was spot on when he said the main body of the wreck would be within four miles of the bowsprit.' The wreck believed to be the Griffin was found near Poverty Island on Lake Michigan But even now, the Liberts are prevented by the State of Michigan from conducting an in-depth excavation. Mr Libert said: 'I believe the state feels we are encroaching upon their sovereignty and feels we are nothing more than treasure hunters intruding on the rights of academia and archaeologists. 'But we can systematically search the bottom using non-intrusive techniques and remote sensing devices for conclusive diagnostic evidence. 'It is just a matter of time before we achieve our goal. Possibly a cannon, hopefully with the date stamped on it.' The Liberts' book, Le Griffon and the Huron Islands 1679: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery, is available via Amazon for 24.69. He is part of a growing chorus of voices warning Covid won't go away and that it must be the new normal But he admitted the virus would continue circulating permanently and would always evolve into new variants Advertisement Sir Andrew Pollard, one of the professors behind the Oxford jab, told MPs in a meeting about coronavirus: 'We are going to have to live with it' Britain's Covid crisis 'will be over' if vaccines still keep people out of hospital even when they catch the Indian 'Delta' variant or future versions of the coronavirus, one of Oxford's jab-makers said today. Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, chief of the Oxford Vaccine Group that made and trialled the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, said that coronavirus would never go away but it wouldn't cause disaster if the jabs continue to work. Speaking in a meeting with MPs on the science committee in Parliament he said that, if vaccines break the link between infections and mass deaths, 'we will reach a point where we stop looking at what's happening in the community'. He cautioned that there will be a constant stream of new variants in the coming years and that most will evolve to try and get past vaccine immunity, but jabs should still work and they can continue to be updated. He said: 'If that very high protection against hospitalisation continues, despite spread in the community, then the public health crisis is over. And so far, up to Delta, we're in a very good position as long as we've got people vaccinated.' Sir Andrew's comments were latest in a line of scientific voices warning people that Britain must learn to live with the virus even in a post-vaccine world. Despite this, leaked SAGE documents suggest that some social distancing and measures like work from home, face masks and test and trace will have to stay in place even after lockdown rules come to an end in July. Peaks of future outbreaks 'would be much higher' if all the advice was abandoned completely, scientists warned. Dr Susan Hopkins, a Public Health England infectious disease expert, cautioned in the same meeting that the true number of daily infections in the UK right now could be as high as 25,000, much higher than the 7,500 average positive tests. She said: 'It doesnt take very much double to get to large numbers... But what we hope we wont see and I think we wont because of vaccines is the same number of hospitalisations. In one gloomy prediction Dr John McCauley, a flu expert at the Francis Crick Institute in London, said the Covid death toll could still be as high as 45,000 per year when lockdown rules have ended completely. He told the i newspaper: 'Theres no inherent reason why the virus will lose its virulence.' But Government minister Michael Gove said on Times Radio yesterday: 'We have to accept that this virus will circulate and it will be the case, unfortunately, that in winters to come we will find that people contract it or subsequent variants and they will fall ill.' Covid has killed more than 150,000 people since the crisis began last spring, but the vaccines have shown to be extremely effective at preventing deaths - reducing fatalities by more than 90%. Independent scientists seeking to manage expectations before restrictions are lifted told MailOnline that achieving zero Covid deaths going forward was 'impossible' and that the focus should be to bring them down to levels comparable with flu which kills roughly 17,000 people in England annually (shown on graph). Source: Office for National Statistics and Public Health England In the committee meeting this morning Sir Andrew, who was knighted last week for his work tackling Covid, said: 'If we're able to build immunity in our population and keep people out of hospital we will reach a point where we stop looking in this granular detail at what's happening in the community because, if we do, we'll just focus on it and worry because [the virus] will escape from vaccines... 'This will happen it's going to continue to happen. But in the end we're going to have to come back to focusing on the really important public health issue, which is the hospitalisation and the death. 'WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF VARIANTS': PHE BOSS SAYS THERE ARE 30+ COVID STRAINS IN UK There are at least 25 known Covid variants circulating in the UK and scientists are constantly monitoring them to see which ones might be dangerous, a Public Health England boss said today. Dr Susan Hopkins, infectious disease expert at the agency, told MPs: 'I just wanted to highlight the point that we're living in a world of variants now. 'Everything we see is a variation of the original and, actually, everything we see that's going to live and not become extinct very rapidly has either got to have a transmissibility advantage or an immune evading advantage. 'So the challenge, always, is trying to understand which one of these is going to do something as it emerges. We start following and monitoring them when we get to about 30 cases that we can see in the genome sequencing, but that's not enough to give us real-life data on the impact of vaccines [or] on the impact of transmissibility.' Dr Hopkins added: 'We have about 25 under monitoring and eight under investigation at the moment... all of them have mutations that we're concerned about but the mutations alone is not enough to predict whether it's really going to impact on our journey through vaccines and impact on the public health risk of hospitalisation... 'You would expect that you are going to be able to start to make an assessment when you've got thousands [of cases], rather than tens or hundreds... and, really, you need at least 100 cases in hospital.' Advertisement 'If transmission is disconnected by vaccine immunity from severe disease to a large extent, then we'll need to monitor new variants perhaps if we need to design a new vaccine and so on, but we are going to have to live with it being in our communities and transmitting.' He said it was inevitable that the coronavirus would continue mutating and that new variants would keep appearing forever as the virus adapts to the human immune system. A virus can only keep circulating if it can be transmitted between living things and to do this it must be able to escape protections in the immune system, Sir Andrew said. The vaccine chief told MPs: 'What we've been waiting for over the last month with the Delta variant is to find out whether, with two doses of the vaccine, we have good protection against hospitalisation. 'And the data that came out on Monday from Public Health England that show over 90 per cent protection against hospitalisation is incredibly reassuring in that regard. 'That's the key bit that we have to look at with future variants. If that very high protection against hospitalisation continues, despite spread in the community, then the public health crisis is over. And so far, up to Delta, we're in a very good position, as long as we've got people vaccinated. 'Of course, the WHO [World Health Organization] at the moment, with variants under investigation, we're up to Kappa so there's a lot more Greek alphabet letters still to go through. But hopefully we'll still be in a good position when we get to Omega but we have to keep monitoring it because we don't know yet.' Dr Susan Hopkins said that all discussions about Covid now are about variants because almost none of the original 'wild' virus is left. She said in the same meeting: 'We're living in a world of variants now. 'Everything we see is a variation of the original and, actually, everything we see that's going to live and not become extinct very rapidly has either got to have a transmissibility advantage or an immune evading advantage. 'So the challenge, always, is trying to understand which one of these is going to do something as it emerges. We start following and monitoring them when we get to about 30 cases that we can see in the genome sequencing, but that's not enough to give us real-life data on the impact of vaccines [or] on the impact of transmissibility.' She said there were more than 30 being investigated in the UK, as well as the four 'variants of concern' that are dominant. And the transmissibility advantage of the Delta variant has led to thousands and potentially tens of thousands of new cases every day significantly more than are being recorded by NHS Test & Trace, Dr Hopkins said. 'What we are seeing at the moment are about 7,000 to 8,000 infections per day thats what were detecting,' she said. PHE's Dr Susan Hopkins said that all discussions about Covid now are about variants because almost none of the original 'wild' virus is left 'But we know that is less than half of what the true infections are in the community and weve measured that out in a number of ways. So the estimate for current infections today is probably in the order of between 15,000 and 25,000 new infections a day. 'It doesnt take very much double to get to large numbers... But what we hope we wont see and I think we wont because of vaccines is the same number of hospitalisations. 'So we will have a much, much greater amount of infection in the community, without seeing the same impact on hospitalisations. But the more infections we do have, the more impact there will be. 'If we say 90 per cent [vaccine] effectiveness that means 10 per cent could actually come into hospital. So that means we do need to have some measures in place both social responsibility measures and the measures that are in place right now to try and hold that peak down, so that we can get as much vaccine into the individuals to reduce symptomatic disease, reduce transmission, then clearly the severity and hospitalisation.' Facemasks forever, WFH, self-isolation and travel quarantine to stay, and MORE restrictions in winter? A leaked document gave a glimpse of the UK's potential 'new normal' today with facemasks, working from home and travel quarantine rules set to stay beyond July 19. The Whitehall paper suggests that the government will stop short of urging workers to return to offices even after 'Freedom Day' finally arrives. There is also a suggestion that face masks will be needed in some settings long-term, as well as keeping post-travel isolation rules. Anyone who has coronavirus symptoms will still be expected to isolate, according to the draft proposals. And fears have been raised that more restrictions will be needed if the disease surges again in the winter. The document - seen by Politico - emerged as furious Tories predicted up to 70 MPs could inflict a bloody nose on Boris Johnson in a crunch lockdown vote tonight. The PM is facing a bruising revolt from his own benches as the Commons is asked to approve the delay of 'Freedom Day' until July 19. Victory is guaranteed for the government as Labour has thrown its backing behind the extension of the brutal restrictions. The shift from Mr Johnson, amid warnings from scientists that the Indian variant will cause thousands more deaths, has incensed many Conservatives who argue that vaccines have protected the most vulnerable and the country must learn to live with the virus. Downing Street later said it did not recognise the Politco document and it 'does not reflect the latest Government thinking'. Mr Johnson insisted to MPs at PMQs today that the Covid rules were temporary. Responding to Tory backbencher Philip Davies he said: 'Nobody, least of all me, wants to see Covid restrictions last forever, nor do I think they are going to last forever.' Advertisement The Government advisers' comments come after independent experts yesterday said achieving zero Covid deaths was 'impossible' and that the focus should be to bring them down to levels comparable with flu which kills roughly 17,000 people in England annually and up to 50,000 in a bad year. Boris Johnson and England's chief expert advisers Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance have all repeated the line that we will 'have to learn to live with Covid' this week, in what seems to be a concerted effort to take emphasis away from the daily death numbers. There has been fierce debate about what level of Covid deaths would be 'tolerable' when Britain emerges from the shutdown but one of the Government's top scientists, Professor Graham Medley, said it was 'quite possible' there could be hundreds per day after lockdown. Professor Karol Sikora, an expert in medicine at the University of Buckingham, told MailOnline: 'All deaths are very emotional and upsetting... but it's important we embrace Covid like we have other viruses because it will become a normal feature in society. 'We should consider it a success if we bring it [Covid deaths] down to levels comparable with flu deaths every year. We will never achieve zero Covid.' Cambridge University epidemiologist Dr Raghib Ali told MailOnline that once July 19 comes and most of the adult population have been given a vaccine: 'It's my view that we will be in as strong a position as we ever will be. Prolonging restrictions beyond that point doesn't achieve much.' Asked what an acceptable number of Covid deaths would be, he added: 'If you look at deaths and excess deaths from influenza, the Government tolerates numbers up to about 50,000 [per year].' Cabinet Office minister Mr Gove said: 'Unfortunately there are respiratory diseases, including flu itself, which do every year result in an upsurge of people being taken into hospital, and in some cases suffering tragic consequences.' In a separate interview with BBC Radio 4, he said 'we're going to have to learn to live with Covid'. Learning to live with Covid could mean making some permanent lifestyle changes, SAGE files have revealed, with experts saying 'baseline' measures like mask-wearing and social distancing should remain for the long term. Scientists on the advisory group said rules 'are likely to be needed beyond the end of the current road map process,' The Times reported, or resurgences of the virus could lead to a need to 'reverse' the reopening. The Whitehall paper suggests that the government will stop short of urging workers to return to offices even after 'Freedom Day' finally arrives. There is also a suggestion that face masks will be needed in some settings long-term, as well as keeping post-travel isolation rules. Anyone who has coronavirus symptoms will still be expected to isolate, according to the draft proposals. And fears have been raised that more restrictions will be needed if the disease surges again in the winter. The document seen by Politico emerged as furious Tories predicted up to 70 MPs could inflict a bloody nose on Boris Johnson in a crunch lockdown vote tonight. Professor Hopkins said on the future of social distancing: 'This is a balance. In some countries like Sweden they have done a lot in terms of social responsibility. In other countries, they have legislated heavily. 'So I think there is a middle road, as we have vaccination heavily rolled out, that requires potentially in some areas where there is higher risk to look at them. And one might consider, for example, transport. For those of us that pack ourselves into the tube regularly, we may feel more comfortable if everyone else was asked to wear a mask as well for those very close encounters for potentially periods longer than 15 minutes. 'But in the more general societal areas, such as shops, it is going to come down to personal opinions and responsibilities rather than legislation for the longer term.' Michael Gove (today, left) said that while ministers need to do 'everything we can to protect people', it was important for the public to 'accept' that there would continue to be Covid deaths when the country unlocks on July 19. Boris Johnson (pictured today, right) said we will 'have to learn to live with Covid' at last night's press conference How many carers have been vaccinated in YOUR area? Fewer than 40 per cent of care home staff in parts of London have been fully vaccinated against Covid, according to official data ministers may use to justify controversial decision to make jabs compulsory for staff. No10 will formally announce the controversial measure later this week, with 1.5million people working in social care told to get inoculated within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. But officials have faced backlash over the move, with care home providers worried it will make it even harder for them to recruit new staff amid ongoing shortages. Ministers, however, say the move will save lives. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched, it was also revealed today. NHS England figures show 83.7 per cent of carers looking after elderly residents have had their first jab, meaning nearly 80,000 are still to be reached. Meanwhile, data also shows just 68.7 per cent are fully vaccinated. But rates vary wildly across the country, and are as low as 38.5 per cent in Haringey, north London. Ministers have been given fresh impetus to get wide vaccine coverage after the rapid growth of the Indian variant, which is at least 80 per cent more infectious than the Kent version and twice as likely to put unvaccinated people in hospital. The Delta strain also makes a single vaccine dose significantly weaker, meaning two shots are crucial to protect people and prevent them from spreading the virus. The poor coverage in London's care homes comes despite the fact carers were first offered the jab in December, after being put at the top of the priority list due to their close dealings with the elderly and frail, who are at a huge risk of Covid. MailOnline's analysis of the statistics show Hackney in east London has the lowest uptake among care home staff who were part of the original priority groups for vaccination back in December. Just 214 out of 321 eligible staff (66.7 per cent) accepted the offer of a jab in the six months since their invite. Five areas of the country four of which are in London have first dose uptake rates of less than 70 per cent. For comparison, six areas of the country have uptake rates of more than 90 per cent and second doses have been handed out to more than 80 per cent of staff in eight areas of the country. Advertisement It is not clear what levels of Covid deaths the country can expect when lockdown is ended next month, and this has been made less clear due to the outbreak of the highly transmissible Indian variant. That strain has proven to be at least 60 per cent more infectious than the Kent version and twice as likely to put unvaccinated people in hospital. But two doses of the jabs are extremely effective against the mutant virus, reducing hospitalisations by up to 96 per cent. The Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) warned there could have been 250 to more than 500 deaths per day in the third wave this summer if Step 4 of the roadmap out of lockdown went ahead as planned on June 21. The group did not provide clear projections for what effect delaying the unlocking until July 19 will have on deaths, but its estimates around hospitalisations show the four-week gap could shrink admissions by more than half. Prominent SAGE member Professor Graham Medley warned that, even with the extra breathing room the delay gives, Britain could still suffer hundreds of Covid deaths every day later in the year. Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, said this was possible because there will still be millions of people who are vulnerable to the disease even when the entire country is vaccinated. A small percentage of people who get the jab will still catch and die from Covid, usually because they are frail and have compromised immune systems. Dr Clarke told MailOnline: 'Even if you've got a vaccine that cuts deaths by more than 90 per cent, that still leaves almost 7million people not protected. 'Then there will be even more people who get infected but do not get seriously ill. So that still means lots and lots of virus circulating which poses a risk to those vulnerable 7m.' But he said emphasis should be taken away from the Covid death figures and focused on NHS capacity, which he said was now the most important metric. Keith Neal, a professor in infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham, said that once the adult population had been vaccinated with at least once dose against Covid it was no longer the Government's responsibility to try to save every life. 'We can't stay in lockdowns forever, people need to make their own risk assessments. If people are worried about Covid or think they might be vulnerable, then they might decide not to meet up with others or socially distance.' Backbench Tory MPs, including former prime minister Theresa May and Mark Harper, chairman of the Covid Recovery Group (CRG), criticised the Government for delaying the June 21 unlocking by a month, saying it was moving away from its goal of protecting the NHS. They said Britons had to learn to live with the virus. However, other experts have said it is the Government's duty to do prevent all 'avoidable' deaths and warned ministers against becoming cocky about the virus. Professor Gabriel Scally, a public health expert at the University of Bristol, told MailOnline: 'What's an acceptable level of road traffic accidents? We don't accept those deaths we have inquests to find out what went wrong and how can we put it right. 'Like any infectious disease it's our duty to do whatever we can to protect people from it. If we don't take sensible action and people get ill then we're being careless with people's lives.' Meanwhile, millions more people in the Midlands and North West of England are being urged not to travel or meet people indoors in an attempt to curb the spread of the Indian Covid variant. In guidance released last night, roughly 3.6million residents in Birmingham, Liverpool, Warrington and parts of Cheshire were asked to minimise their movements in and out of the affected areas, which are recording higher than average levels of the mutant strain. But Mr Johnson made no mention of the fresh advice in his dramatic Downing Street press conference last night, where he confirmed England's final unlocking would be pushed back by four weeks amid fears the mutant strain could overwhelm hospitals. A second busy shopping centre has been announced as a coronavirus exposure site after a mystery Covid case was discovered in Bondi, with a second person now testing positive. East Village shopping centre in Victoria Park in the city's inner-east was visited by the infected man on Monday June 14 when he shopped at Coles and the Taste Growers Market. A car wash in inner-city Redfern was also exposed on the same date, adding to a growing list of venues in Bondi and Vaucluse. Bondi Junction's Harry's Coffee and Kitchen and the National Australia Bank branch in Westfield were added to the list late on Wednesday, along with the Field to Fork eatery in Vaucluse. Sydney's 200 Bus from Bondi Junction to North Sydney was also flagged as a potential hot spot. East Village shopping centre in Zetland, inner-Sydney, has been listed as a Covid exposure site - including its Coles supermarket The news of a new locally-acquired case sparked long queues at the Bondi drive-through testing clinic (pictured Wednesday night) A nurse conducts a Covid-19 test at the Bondi Beach testing clinic in Sydney's eastern suburbs. New South Wales Health said a man in his 60s from Bondi tested positive to the virus on Wednesday Contact tracers are now scrambling to track down hundreds of shoppers the man may have exposed the virus at another popular Westfield shopping centre. New South Wales Health authorities said the man in his 60s from tested positive on Wednesday, and later announced one of his household contacts also has the virus. He works as an airport driver and his role included transporting international flight crew, health officials said. There are reports the frontline worker was not vaccinated, despite vaccines being offered to those working in the quarantine sector since March. Contact tracers are racing to find Sydneysiders who visited various exposure sites including a David Jones store, a cinema, several cafes and restaurants and a bakery in the city's east and north-west between June 11 and June 15. The list of potential exposure sites included a number of stores at Westfield Bondi Junction, which the infected man visited on multiple occasions. There were long queues at the drive-through testing clinic at Bondi on Wednesday night as locals rushed to get tested. Authorities are scrambling to track down hundreds of shoppers he may have exposed the virus to at another popular Westfield shopping centre. Pictured: Westfield Bondi Junction Customers wearing face masks at Westfield Bondi Junction. Contact tracers are racing to find hundreds of people who may have been exposed to the virus in the shopping centre The testing clinic will extend its hours until 10pm for the next three nights to meet public demand. The infected man attended a movie screening of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard at Event Cinemas Bondi Junction on Sunday afternoon. Anyone who attended the 1.45pm screening in cinema 1 at the venue on June 13 is ordered to get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result: Other movie goers who were at the cinema on Sunday between 1.30pm-4pm are ordered to get tested and self isolate until further notice from authorities. The infected man returned a positive result on Wednesday afternoon and will be included in Thursday's numbers. The man is the first locally-acquired case in NSW in six weeks. 'Urgent investigations into the source of the infection and contact tracing are underway, as is genome sequencing,' a NSW Health Statement read. Contact tracers are in the process of identifying and calling close contacts and ordering them to get tested and isolate. The Bondi drive-through testing clinic will be open until 10pm for the next three nights. Pictured is the queue of motorists waiting to get tested on Wednesday night Three positive Covid cases were earlier found in hotel quarantine at the Radisson Blu (pictured) in Sydney's CBD All three positive cases at the Radisson (pictured) arrived into Sydney on the same flight from Doha in Qatar on June 1 The list of potential exposure sites could grow as investigations continue. The airport worker first attended the Belle Cafe in Vaucluse on June 11 between 9.15am-9.50am and returned on June 12, June 13 and June 14 at various times. He also attended Sourdough Bakery at Westfield Bondi Junction between 12.40pm-1.10pm on June 11. He returned to the shopping centre the following day where he shopped in David Jones between 11am-11.40am and Myer between 11.40am-12.15pm. The man was also at the shopping centre on June 13 for 1.45pm screening of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard at Event Cinemas . He dined at two Vaucluse restaurants including Washoku on June 12 between 12pm-1.30pm and Rocco's on June 14 between 10.55am-11.30am. The most recent venue he visited was the Celeste Catering Macquarie Park Cemetery Cafe in North Ryde on June 15 between 1pm-1.20pm. A couple donning face masks are pictured walking nearby a David Jones store which was flagged as a Covid exposure spot The man visited a number of venues at Westfield Bondi Junction (pictured) while infected Anyone in Queensland who has visited any of the listed exposure sites at the specified times was ordered to quarantine on Wednesday night. 'We will be closely monitoring the situation in NSW over coming days,' Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said. 'It's important that anyone who has been to these venues in Sydney follow the advice of NSW Health, and not travel.' Anyone who visited any of the potential exposure sites who have since travelled to Queensland must must complete the Queensland Health online contact tracing self-assessment form, get tested and await advice from health authorities. 'We act quickly in these situations to protect the health and safety of Queenslanders and visitors,' Dr Young said. Fears are meanwhile growing of a potential Sydney hotel quarantine outbreak after a traveller was infected with the identical Covid strain to a couple based in an adjacent room. NSW Health is frantically investigating the development, with the viral sequence of all three cases confirmed as the same UK variant, known as the Alpha variant. How the transmission occurred on the fourth floor of the Radisson Blu quarantine hotel in the city's CBD remains unknown. The couple, who were asymptomatic, returned a positive Covid-19 test following a test on June 3. The National Australia Bank branch in Bondi Junction shopping centre (pictured) has been listed as an exposure site Bondi JunctionHarry's Coffee and Kitchen (picured) has been listed as an exposure site SYDNEY VENUES EXPOSED TO COVID-19 - Anyone who attended the following venue at the time listed must get tested and self-isolate for 14 days from the date they were at the venue, regardless of the result. Bondi Junction, Events Cinema, Sunday, June 13 - 1.30pm-4.00pm Bondi Junction to North Sydney 200 Bus, From Bondi Junction interchange to Blue St, North Sydney (near North Sydney Station) Tuesday 15 June. Departed approx. 4.25pm, arrived approx. 5pm - Anyone who attended the following venues at the listed times must call NSW Health on 1800 943 553, get tested and self-isolate until you receive further advice. Vaucluse, Belle Cafe, Friday, June 11 - 9.15am-9.50am, Saturday, June 12 - 11.20pm-1.50pm, Sunday, June 13 - 11.30am-12.00pm, Tuesday, June 15 - 9.50am-10.25am Bondi Junction, Sourdough Cafe, Friday, June 11 - 12.40pm-1.10pm Vaucluse, Belle Cafe, Saturday, June 12 - 10.20am-10.45am Bondi Junction, David Jones, Saturday, June 12 - 11.00am-11.40am Bondi Junction, Myer, Saturday, June 12 - 11.10-12.15pm Events Cinema Bondi Junction: (all screenings other than the Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard), Sunday June 13, 1.30pm-4pm. Vaucluse, Washoku Vaucluse, Saturday, June 12 - 12.00pm-1.30pm Vaucluse, Rocco's, Monday, June 14 - 10.55am-11.30am North Ryde, Celeste Catering Macquarie Park Cemetery Cafe, Tuesday, June 15 - 1.00pm-1.20pm Zetland, Coles East Village Shopping Centre, Monday, June 14 - 11.00am-1pm. Zetland, Taste Growers East Village Shopping Centre, Monday, June 14 - 11.00am to 1pm. Redfern, Wax Car Wash Cafe, Monday, June 14 - 12pm-3pm Bondi Junction Harry's Coffee and Kitchen, Tuesday, June 15 - 3pm-3.40pm Bondi Junction NAB in Westfield, Tuesday, June 15 - 2.45pm-3.10pm Bondi Junction David Jones in Westfield, Tuesday June 15 - 3.30pm-4.15pm Vaucluse Field to Fork, Friday, June 11 - 12pm-4pm - Anyone who attended the following venue is a casual contact and must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received. Bondi Fruitologist, Tuesday June 15 - 1pm-2pm Advertisement The other returned traveller from Doha returned a negative day two test on June 3, before developing symptoms and testing positive two days later on June 5. In a statement on Tuesday night, NSW Health confirmed the three positive cases. 'Early possibilities as to where transmission may have occurred from the couple to the secondary case include on the flight, on transport from the airport to the hotel, in the lobby of the hotel, or while in quarantine,' the statement read. 'Currently, there is no evidence of further transmission.' All three positive cases arrived into Sydney on the same flight from Doha in Qatar on June 1. NSW Health has also confirmed the three positive cases in hotel quarantine (pictured, healthcare workers transport a person into a patient transport vehicle) The trio were quickly transferred to the Special Health Accommodation where they will remain following their positive results. As a precautionary measure, all returned travellers who stayed on the fourth floor at the hotel between June 1 and 5 must get tested and self-isolate before receiving further advice. Additionally, staff who worked on the fourth floor of the Radisson Blu between June 1 and June 5 have also been asked to get tested and isolate. The wife of a jogger who was shot in the wealthy Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead has said locals are 'very disturbed' and 'all feel violated' by an uptick in violent crime. Andrew Worrell was jogging in Buckhead at around 8:35 a.m. on June 5 when he was shot twice, though he survived and has since been released from the hospital. His wife Anne Worrell appeared on Fox News on Tuesday, telling host Tucker Carlson that she never imagined violent crime would 'really be knocking on my door'. Asked if what happened to her husband felt like part of a bigger pattern, Anne agreed. 'It does. We've been saying for the past year 18 months that it just feels like its creeping in closer and closer to the neighbourhoods, I mean it's been in Buckhead but it just feels like it's getting closer and closer and I never imagined that it would really be knocking on my door like this but I think this is one reason why the citizens of Buckhead are very disturbed by this because we all feel violated.' Anne said she felt compelled to speak up on the issue of violence in Buckhead following Andrew's shooting. 'I do feel like since it's happened to us, we need to be the next voice and maybe this can be the catalyst for some change and some action in Atlanta and specifically Buckhead,' she said. Anne's comments came amid calls for the residential district to secede from Atlanta and form its own police force. Anne Worrell (right) appeared on Fox News on Tuesday, telling host Tucker Carlson that the man who shot her husband Andrew was a 'complete stranger' Andrew Worrell (right) was jogging in Buckhead at around 8:35 a.m. on June 5 when he was shot twice, though he survived and has since been released from the hospital Andrew Wornell is pictured with a walker after having returned home from the hospital She told Carlson that Andrew, a father-of-three, was 'still in a lot of pain' and was using a walker to get around. 'He started physical therapy yesterday but you know it's going to take a while, both physically and mentally,' she said, adding that the man who shot her husband was a 'complete stranger'. 'From what we understand the suspect in custody does suffer from multiple mental health issues and has been off of his medication and people he knows have been trying to get him help but he had a firearm and he should not have,' Anne said. She said Andrew had been about halfway through his regular three-mile route when a car pulled up next to him. 'As the window came down he saw a gun and the guy just shot immediately and he was stunned and he shot him again and Andrew took off and ran up a little hill behind a tree and the guy took off and Andrew called 911'. First responders found Andrew suffering from gunshot wounds to his leg and hip. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. Cops arrested and charged Gaelen Newsom, 22, with attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime in connection with the weekend crime spree, which included Andrew's shooting. Cops arrested and charged Gaelen Newsom (pictured), 22, with attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime in connection with the weekend crime spree, which included Andrew's shooting Worrell was about halfway through his regular 3-mile run on West Wesley Road in Buckhead, Atlanta, on Saturday when a silver sedan drove up to him, and a man pointed a gun at him and fired Following the arrest, Deputy Atlanta Police Chief Charles Hampton Jr. told news outlets: 'We have information that he [Newsom] may have been suffering from some type of mental health crisis.' Buckhead has been making a push to form its own police force and secede from the rest of the city amid skyrocketing crime rates. Data analysis shows that Buckhead's population accounts for 20 per cent of Atlanta's population, but more than 40 per cent of the city's assessed property value. BUCKHEAD, GEORGIA: ONE OF THE NATION'S WEALTHIEST ZIP CODES Buckhead is known as Atlanta's commercial and residential district, famed for its high-rise buildings and shopping centers, hotels and mansions. The neighborhood is a historically wealthy district and was once ranked the ninth richest zip code in the country with a median price of homes of $1,460,595, according to Forbes. American suburban luxury home in Buckhead, Atlanta Bloomberg named Buckhead the 20th richest zipcode in the nation in 2011, when the average household net worth there was $1,353,189. The average household income was $280,631. Because of this, Buckhead is often called the 'Beverly Hills of the East/South', in reference to the upscale city in California. Buckhead is also known to have a few notable residents, including Georgia Republican Kelly Loeffler. Loeffler was among the wealthiest members of Congress until she lost her seat in January. In 2009, she and her husband spent more than $10million on a European-style mansion named Descante in the Buckhead neighborhood. Advertisement Buckhead has seen several high-profile instances of violence in recent months, including the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old girl in December. The sharp increase in crime rates has prompted Buckhead's residents to form the Buckhead Exploratory Committee to create its own police force and look into the possibility of breaking away from Atlanta, after around 200 officers left the city's police force in the wake of the shooting death of black man Rayshard Brooks by a white cop in June 2020. City officials have opposed the idea to separate the wealthy, largely white neighborhood from the rest of Atlanta, which is predominantly black, arguing it would siphon away much of the city's tax base and, in turn, its budget. According to data analysis done by Atlanta Journal Constitution in April, if Buckhead were to secede, it would remove 41 per cent, or $14billion, of the assessed value of Atlanta's property, and eviscerate its budget. Buckhead's population is 73.5 per cent white and 23.9 per cent black. This compares to the wider Atlanta population which is 50.7 per cent black and 38 per cent white, according to Data US. Homicides were up 63 percent across Atlanta in the period running January 1 to May 23 compared to the same period last year, crime data show. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms admitted in December she doesn't know how to stop the alarming wave of violence and is 'open to suggestions.' In a previous interview with Fox News, Anne said: 'I don't have the answers, but there are people in place who are supposed to be making changes and action needs to be taken. 'If it's not working, let's fix it. Let's get together focus groups or restructure the system. But what is happening now is not working and people are moving because they are not safe.' 'One of the things we saw over the last summer and we have continued to see is when our youth don't have anything to do, when they are not in school full-time, when they don't have the resources available to them to do something else, they find something else to do...The system is broken.' Rape rates skyrocketed 108 per cent, shooting incidents rose 45 per cent, robberies inched up 2 per cent and aggravated assaults jumped 29 per cent. In terms of raw data, Atlanta had 57 murders, 302 shootings, 75 rapes, 298 robberies and 986 aggravated assaults. Adjusting for population, a person living in Atlanta is more likely to be a victim of a serious crime, including murder and aggravated assault, than in Chicago, where crime rates are higher, reported 11Alive. Hunter Biden is preparing to sell his artworks at an upcoming exhibition for as much as $500,000 to 'anonymous and confidential' buyers, sparking concerns over bribery and potential money laundering. The scandal-plagued first son, who has no professional background as an artist, will be selling off his artwork at a solo exhibition in New York City this fall. Biden's art dealer Georges Berges, who was jailed in California in the 90s for assault, told Artnet that he has priced his latest client's artworks between $75,000 and $500,000. Art dealers have already noted that Biden is likely profiting off his father's name given the staggering price of his artwork, with one saying his art would more likely sell for as much as $100,000 if he wasn't a Biden. All sales of Biden's artwork will be kept confidential - despite his alleged corruption over prior business deals in Ukraine and China. It has raised concerns that buyers with nefarious interests could potentially pay for the pieces to try to get access to President Biden through his son. There are also fears from some that the sales of Biden's artwork could result in people using laundered money to buy them and anonymous buyers in places like Russia might try purchasing Biden's son's work to try and get around sanctions currently imposed in their countries. In October 2020, the US Treasury Department issued a warning that high-value art sales could be used by individuals and countries forbidden from doing business in the US as a way of circumventing that ban. The Treasury Department advisory warned that the anonymity afforded to art buyers made it harder to track such illegal activity. It also warned the same buyers could then potentially re-sell the same works in the United States, enabling them to take money out of the US and potentially fund activities such as terrorism. The scandal-plagued first son, who has no professional background as an artist, revealed last year that he was now a full-time painter and was planning his first solo exhibit in New York City this fall This artwork by Biden is untitled but measures 24in x 48in and was created on sheet metal. His art dealer has priced Biden's artworks between $75,000 and $500,000 The agency representing Biden's art dealer says it is common for gallery and auction sales to remain confidential but this practice has been scrutinized by law enforcement agencies in recent years. 'Pricing fine art in his experiences as a gallerist is based on the demand of the work as well and the intrinsic value of it,' a statement from Berges' agency said. 'His feeling is that within each piece - as with every artist, sales are always confidential to protect the privacy of the collector, this is standard practice for transactions in galleries as well as auction houses.' Many on social media, however, were not convinced. Former Trump communications director Tim Murtaugh tweeted: 'It's now actually commonplace for people to throw piles of money at Hunter Biden. Will the rest of the corporate media care that anonymous 'collectors' are dropping large sums on the president's son, or nah? 'They couldn't possibly want anything. They're just art lovers, right?' Conservative commentator John Cardillo questioned whether Biden's painting career could be a way of offering access to his dad for cash. 'Hunter Biden's Art Will Soon Hit the Market for Up to $500,000 Per Piece. Money. Laundering,' he tweeted. 'And just like that, Chinese, Iranian, and Russian 'collectors' will be shelling out big bucks for Hunter Biden's 'art,' as their sanctions continued to be lifted with nothing in return.' Money laundering and other crimes has long been an issue in the art world because of how secretive sales can be and how it can be sold off with 100 percent tax deductions. This Biden art work is titled 'Self portrait' and is a mix media work on paper that measures 48in x 32in This oil on canvas artwork is titled St. Thomas: Biden, who detailed his drug habits in his memoir, said making art wasn't a form of therapy for him Biden, who detailed his drug habits in his memoir, said making art wasn't a form of therapy for him: 'It's not a tool that I use to be able to, in any way, cope' Meanwhile, the prices of Biden's work are also well above what some career painters make on a single artwork. Renowned American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat sold his first artwork in 1984 for $20,900, which equates to roughly $54,000 today. Just a few years ago, Andy Warhol's 1983 Endangered Species sold for $725,000 - just $225,000 more than a Biden piece - at a New York auction. Biden's art dealer is planning a private viewing in Los Angeles before a solo exhibit will be held at his Georges Berges Gallery in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood in the fall. Berges has likened Biden to famed British painters Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon, whose artworks have fetched up to $142 million at auction. New York art dealer Alex Acevedo told the New York Post that anyone who buys one of Biden's artworks will be guaranteed a profit because he's President Biden's son. 'Everybody would want a piece of that. The provenance is impeccable,' he said. Acevedo said if it weren't for the Biden name the artworks would more likely sell for between $25,000 to $100,000, but added that he did like Biden's work. 'I'm not impressed with modern art at all. But I was floored by that guy,' Acevedo said of Biden's work. 'The palette was wonderful. The space was well-organized. I would buy a couple of them. Art consultant Martin Galindo said that he wasn't a fan of Biden's art but was confident the pieces would sell for hefty prices. 'I'm very positive that he's gonna do well in the market because this industry is very much about, what's a simple way to put this - it's like clout.' After looking at one of Biden's abstract artworks that appears to resemble bacteria under a microscope, Galindo said: 'Oh, my God, that looks like COVID.' The 51-year-old's art dealer Georges Berges, who was jailed in California in the 90s for assault and making terroristic threats, told Artnet that he has priced Biden's artworks between $75,000 and $500,000 The former drug addict, who is a lawyer and former lobbyist, has been embroiled in various scandals over the years including alleged corruption in his business dealings with Ukraine and a Justice Department probe into transactions with China. He was paid up to $50,000 a month to sit on the board of Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, despite not having any relevant qualifications. More recently, text messages obtained from his laptop reveal he repeatedly used the n-word in messages to his lawyer in 2018 and 2019. Biden, who detailed his drug habits in his memoir, said making art wasn't a form of therapy for him. 'It's not a tool that I use to be able to, in any way, cope,' he said. 'It comes from a much deeper place. If you stand in front of a Rothko, the things that he evokes go far beyond the pain that Rothko was experiencing in his personal life at that moment. 'I don't paint from emotion or feeling, which I think are both very ephemera. For me, painting is much more about kind of trying to bring forth what is, I think, the universal truth. 'The universal truth is that everything is connected and that there's something that goes far beyond what is our five senses and that connects us all.' Biden's art dealer is planning a private viewing in Los Angeles before a solo exhibit will be held at his Georges Berges Gallery in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood (above) in the fall When he was asked for his father thought of his artwork, Biden said: 'My dad loves everything that I do and so I'll leave it at that.' Biden first opened up about his passion for art in an interview with the New York Times in February 2020, saying the creative endeavor was 'literally keeping me sane' following his struggles with crack addiction and in the midst of politically charged scrutiny over his foreign dealings. He signed a deal to be represented by Georges Berges Gallery late last year. Biden's art dealer's roster of artists includes Sylvester Stallone and Bahraini royal family member Sheikh Rashid Al Khalifa. Berges was the subject of a federal lawsuit in 2016 after he was accused of defrauding an investor. The investor claimed she'd invested $500,000 in his gallery but he used the cash to pay off debts. Berges countersued and the case was settled in 2018. In 1998, he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and making 'terrorist threats' in California. He pled no contest to the assault charges and served 90 days in jail and received a 36 month probation. The terrorist threat charges were later dismissed. Berges also has strong ties to China and has regularly exhibited works by Chinese artists. Advertisement Motorists have blasted a 'bizarre' and 'dangerous' oval-shaped roundabout made up of concentric circles on a busy town centre road. Drone pictures of the newly-opened feature show three rings in the middle of a junction with the same number of roads connecting from different angles. Locals in the Isle of Man's capital Douglas have slammed the idea, which is part of a 25million project, claiming it 'makes no sense' and is 'impossible to work out'. But the IoM government says the junction should be used like 'any other roundabout' and assured 'motorists will soon get used to them'. Drone pictures of the newly-opened roundabout show three rings in the middle of a junction with the same number of roads connecting from different angles Locals in the Isle of Man's capital town Douglas have slammed the idea, claiming it 'makes no sense' and is 'impossible to work out' Islander Craig Goffin, who took the pictures, said: 'This new roundabout is completely and utterly bizarre. It makes no sense to me, why not just put a regular roundabout in there? It's just confusing for everyone.' He added: 'I'm worried that there will be accidents there because for some people it will be impossible to work out. 'They'll pull up to it and not know what all these lines mean or where to go. It's not the kind of roundabout anyone is familiar with. People seem a bit panicked about it.' Thousands of people have taken to social media to criticise the plan after pictures emerged for the first time on Monday when it opened. Julie Charlton posted on Facebook: 'It's bloody dangerous. I'm at a loss as to who thought this was a good idea, you can see the gradient from certain angles and not from others. 'This design is for pages in a 'mind puzzle' book... shocking!' June Webster added: 'My seven-year-old grandson said if they put a H in the middle it could be a helipad.' Alan Desmond posted: 'A totally logical design - if you were on mind bending drugs, that is. Reminds me of one of those puzzles where you have to guide the little ball bearing to the centre. Other than that, it looks truly atrocious.' The IoM government says the junction should be approached like 'any other roundabout' and assure that 'motorists will soon get used to them' Mr Goffin, a 52-year-old IT service manager, also pointed out that one of the roundabout's exits and entrances is only feet away from a zebra crossing. It was opened yesterday so he said it is not yet clear how much people are struggling with the concept, but added that locals are 'panicked'. Mr Goffin said: 'When the weather is nice and there are lots of people crossing there will be queues going around the roundabout. The whole thing seems poorly thought out.' He added: 'It seems silly to say but we need some instruction on how to use this thing.' The Isle of Man government are keen to point out the design was subject to planning approval and images of it were shared on an official site beforehand. The Isle of Man government are keen to point out the design was subject to planning approval and that images of it were shared on an official site beforehand In a press release, they described what they have put in place as a roundel, which is a circular disc used as a symbol. The word is most commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, like the the red, white and blue Royal Air Force symbol. The IoM government have attempted to reassure residents while also confirming a second, similarly designed roundabout will be installed nearby. A spokesman said: 'The installation of the two roundel junctions on Douglas Promenade are a small part of the 25million pound refurbishment scheme to improve the gateway to the Isle of Man's capital, Douglas, due to complete at the end of August 2021. 'The second roundel will be installed at the junction of Church Road Marina by 15 July 2021.' They added: 'The design philosophy behind the refurbishment of the promenade is to create a low-speed environment that promotes inclusivity for all users including pedestrians, cyclists, horse trams and vehicles. 'The roundels form just one aspect of this philosophy and help raise a driver's awareness of the slow speed environment, making the junction more conspicuous and enhancing the driving experience and safety.' In a statement, they added: 'The Department of Infrastructure would like to reassure motorists that the two roundels being installed... are to be driven in the same way as any other roundabout. 'Roundels are designed not to have a traditional central island or a white-domed marking due to the nature of their design. 'They also act as a form of traffic calming, with both roundels sited within the 20mph speed limit for Douglas Promenade.' Infrastructure Minister Tim Baker added: 'Roundels are part of modern highway design, having been used in the UK for a number of years. I feel, once the overall area is complete, motorists will soon get used to them.' Lord Wolfson QC, a justice minister in the House of Lords, today criticised a London chambers for changing its name because of links to the slave trade A justice minister today lambasted a leading group of London barristers who changed the name of their chambers because of its links to the slave trade, suggesting the move was a distraction from fighting genuine racism. Hardwicke Chambers in London will be known as Gatehouse Chambers from next month. The firm was named after the Earl of Hardwicke, a 18th century Lord Chancellor whose legal opinion was used by slave owners to provide legal advice to justify slavery. But Lord Wolfson QC, a justice minister in the House of Lords, hit back today and said that following the lawyers' logic, Lincoln's Inn and Gray's Inn - the two most famous inns of court for barristers in the world - would also have to be renamed. He said: 'Lincoln's Inn is named for Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln. Gray's Inn is named for Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey of Wilton. 'Both were confidants of and advisers to Edward I, who expelled the Jews from Britain in 1290. Are they to be renamed too? No, of course not. 'Because the important business of fighting racism, improving diversity and increasing social mobility - to which all the Inns are committed - involves real work, hard graft and intense focus'. Hardwicke Chambers (named after the 18th century Earl of Hardwicke, pictured) will now be known as Gatehouse Chambers from next month Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, (1690 1764) was an English lawyer and politician who is best known for his 1729 legal opinion that defended the legal status of slavery. The Yorke-Talbot opinion, which was heavily relied on by slave owners, saw the Earl of Hardwicke - then Attorney General - and fellow Crown officer Charles Talbot opine that slavery was legal under English law. In the opinion, they asserted that slaves continued to be their 'Masters property after travelling from plantations in the West Indies to the UK or Ireland, and baptism did not entitle them to their freedom. Later, judges ruled that slaves could not be forcibly transported out of England and could could achieve freedom by sending a habeas corpus petition to a court. Legal opinions are judgments issued by Crown officials about the legality of a particular issue and do not have the legal weight of rulings made by judges. Responding to Lord Wolfson's comments, PJ Kirby QC, joint head of chambers, tweeted: 'When we discovered (15.6.20 for the record - entitled to say should have known earlier) Ld Hardwickes support for slavery for a diverse set to perpetuate his legacy including taking his name to our new premises was untenable. No pressure from anyone else.' He also told Law Gazette: 'Its not about paying lip service to this issue but truly living out these values and thats why changing our name was an important decision for us. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the chambers said: 'We are proud to announce that from next month we will be operating as Gatehouse Chambers. 'During the course of 2020 and the Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd, a number of legal bloggers started to investigate historic legal figures, including Lord Hardwicke, the 18th century Lord Chancellor. Lord Hardwicke was one of two authors of the Yorke-Talbot opinion in 1729 which was relied on by slave owners as providing legal justification for slavery for many years. 'The premises of Hardwicke Building, named by Lincoln's Inn, became the name of our chambers and the building which we have occupied since 1991.Time for a change. 'Once discovered, the history of the name did not sit comfortably with our members and staff. On 29 July 2020, in a move consistent with our organisation's values, our members took the decision to change the name. 'We are now pleased to announce our new name, Gatehouse Chambers, a name signifying strength and trustworthiness, but also access to new adventures and opportunities. The change will be effective from 19 July 2021.' Lord Wolfson said that following the firm's logic, Lincoln's Inn and Gray's Inn - the two most famous inns of court for barristers in the world - would also have to be renamed Responding to Lord Wolfson's comments, PJ Kirby QC, joint head of chambers, said the name change had not been due to 'pressure from anyone else' Lord Hardwicke: Attorney General whose 1729 opinion was used by slavers to justify their trade Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, (1690 1764) was an English lawyer and politician who is best known for his 1729 legal opinion that defended the legal status of slavery. The Yorke-Talbot opinion, which was heavily relied on by slave owners, saw the Earl of Hardwicke - then Attorney General - and fellow Crown officer Charles Talbot opine that slavery was legal under English law. In the opinion, they asserted that slaves continued to be their 'Masters property after travelling from plantations in the West Indies to the UK or Ireland, and baptism did not entitle them to their freedom. Later, judges ruled that slaves could not be forcibly transported out of England and could achieve freedom by sending a habeas corpus petition to a court. Advertisement Brie Stevens-Hoare QC, joint head of chambers added: 'The discovery of the provenance of our business name did not sit comfortably with our values as an organisation, or the inclusive and diverse nature of our people and our clients. We have spent many years building up a reputation for excellence, innovation and diversity. 'We are proud to move forwards with our new name which accords with who we are as an organisation and committed to diversity, equality and inclusivity and in holding ourselves to account in relation to inclusion in its many forms.' It came as the Church of England today launched an investigation into the whether the 9 billion investment fund that pays the Archbishop of Canterbury's 85,000-per-year wages may be tainted by money made from slavery. The Church risks reputational damage over the way its historic assets may have been built on the proceeds of slavery, a report said. The warning of possible links was made public in a report by the Churchs financial arm, the Church Commissioners. It said there may be trouble ahead over the holdings of its 19th century predecessor, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and in particular the fund known as Queen Annes Bounty which became a feature of Church finances in 1704. The money, passed to the Church by the Crown, was meant to buy land for poor parishes but was often invested instead in financial speculation. Some of the money was invested in annuities in the South Sea Company, which had a monopoly to transport slaves from Africa to the Spanish colonies in South America. It came as the Church of England today launched an investigation into the whether the 9 billion investment fund that pays the Archbishop of Canterbury's 85,000-per-year wages may be tainted by money made from slavery. Pictured is Lambeth Palace Meanwhile, earlier this week the Bank of England was accused of taking part in a 'bonfire of the vanities' after removing portraits of governors linked to the slave trade despite the government's 'retain and explain' guidance. Eight oil paintings and two busts were recently transferred to a private area following last June's review into former Bank leaders' links to slavery, which was announced last summer amid the Black Lives Matter protests. Today a spokesman for the Department of Culture made clear it opposed the decision, saying: 'The Government does not support the removal of historic objects.' Robert Poll, the founder of the Save Our Statues campaign, told the Telegraph: 'The Bank should not be spending its time pointlessly sitting in judgment of the past, or be party to the current vogue for reducing history through the single lens of slavery.' He accused Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey of taking part in a 'latter-day Bonfire of the Vanities'. The Bank of England was yesterday accused of taking part in a 'bonfire of the vanities' after removing portraits of governors linked to the slave trade. Pictured: Senior bank officials Sir James Bateman, who acted for the Royal African Company; and Robert Bristow, a slave trader and owner The seven figures include colonial trader Sir Gilbert Heathcote and slave traders Sir Robert Clayton, and Robert Bristow. Sir James Bateman acted for the Royal African Company - the foremost slave trading enterprise of the time - while William Manning and John Pearse held investments in plantations. The seventh figure is William Dawsonne, director of the bank from 1698 to 1719. A spokesman for the Bank of England said: 'In June 2020, the Bank announced a review of its collection of images of former governors and directors, to ensure none with known involvement of the slave trade remain on display anywhere in the Bank.' A British ex-pat has been forced to knock down his 130,000 Spanish home two months after his wife died from cancer. But the situation for 67-year-old Gurney Davey, from Suffolk, could get worse because he is facing six months in prison after a mayor illegally gave him planning permission for the house. 'I was distraught at first, my blood pressure was sky high and then I lost my wife,' Mr Davey said this week as he was demolishing his home near Tolox, Malaga. Gurney Davey, 67, has been forced to knock down his 130,000 Spanish home two months after his wife died from cancer Despite Friday's demolition also costing him 1,600, he added that it had actually come as 'some sort of relief' having fought the legal battle since 2004, over the house he built in 2003. It was then that legal firm, Manzanares, informed him he would be getting a licence for an 'almacen' (or storeroom), which would allow him to build the house. 'We thought we had done everything right. We got legal advice and went through a lawyer in order to get permission to build the home,' Davey explained. But he was later told that his house was one of around 350 that were illegally given planning permission by the former mayor, Juan Vera, who was eventually handed a prison sentence of his own. Mr Davey was told his house had to be demolished for himself to avoid a six-month prison sentence, with the news coming just after his wife, Diana, died from bowel cancer at the age of 71. 'Diana fought breast cancer for six years before bowel cancer - I am sure the stress brought it on.' 'But thankfully it is now over,' he explained. 'It has been going on for so long now, I've finally come to terms with what needs to be done. 'Having it demolished was actually a relief,' he added. As he still owns the land, he can still live on it - just not in a house. Despite Friday's demolition also costing him 1,600, he added that it had actually come as 'some sort of relief' having fought the legal battle since 2004, over the house be built in 2003. Pictured: Mr Davey's home in Spain before it was demolished on Friday Mr Davey was told that his house was one of around 350 that were illegally given planning permission by the former mayor, Juan Vera, who was eventually handed a prison sentence. Pictured: Mr Davey's home in Spain after it was demolished on Friday Now, the father-of-three is planning a minimalist life staying in a converted van, so that his five dogs still have the space to roam. 'This land is my home, it is my life and these dogs are all I have left.' Whether or not he still faces a prison sentence, is yet to be confirmed. The ex-pat only found out about the potential six-month sentence when a court document was delivered to a neighbour's house. 'I went straight to Tolox town hall with it. They told me I shouldn't have received it yet,' he recalled. 'They said they were going to be sending the notification to me once they had stamped it.' He had never been told about the court case that followed on from a Guardia Civil denuncia for an 'illegal build', but Davey's two-bed home should never have been built according to the Malaga court. Now, the father-of-three is planning a minimalist life staying in a converted van, so that his five dogs (pictured) still have the space to roam In 2016, and then again in 2017, Davey was ordered to knock down his house, but, in common with a neighbour, he waited for more details. While his Spanish neighbour, Irene Millan, 29, did eventually hear from the court again, she was given six months to 'legalise' her property - an option Davey was never given. However, his neighbour's apparent good luck turned into a poisoned chalice. Having spent 20,000 with the town hall to legalise the dwelling, the court finally refused to accept the new paperwork provided by the council. Instead, demolition was ordered - which went ahead last week. To add insult to injury Irene's 54-year-old father, Manuel Millan, whose name was on the deeds, was also sentenced to six months jail and handed a fine of 6 a day for a year. Whether or not he still faces a prison sentence, is yet to be confirmed. The ex-pat only found out about the potential six-month sentence when a court document was delivered to a neighbour's house As he still owns the land, he can still live on it - just not in a house. Pictured: Mr Davey, a former builder, uses a JCB digger to demolish his own home The couple, originally from Suffolk in the UK, spent 130,000 building their property. 'It came as a package - a plot with a new home on it.' Davey admits he and his wife were perhaps naive to follow the advice of their lawyer. The lawyer, from legal firm Manzanares, told them that planning permission would be applied for as an almacen - or 'warehouse'. Mr Davey (pictured) was told his house had to be demolished for himself to avoid a six-month prison sentence, with the news coming just after his wife, Diana, died from bowel cancer at the age of 71 This way it would come under the remit of Tolox town hall, which would give permission and later they could 'legalise' the property. The language of one legal letter suggests this would be a mere formality, but the property never got legalised. In fact, the Tolox mayor of the time, Juan Vera, has since been jailed and fined for his part in a scheme. In most cases the mayor used the very same 'lax' procedure of applying to build an 'almacen' to try to keep the prying eyes of the Junta authorities away. 'We thought that was the way things worked in Spain,' said Davey, a retired builder. 'We went to see a lawyer and got advice. It turns out that was not the smart thing to do. 'Why would we deliberately try to build illegally? It makes no sense that we would sell up everything in the UK and risk it all.' Mr Davey had earlier said that he was forced to ask the town hall for permission to knock his own property down. 'I will do it myself. I will borrow a JCB from someone and flatten my home of the past 17 years. I will not let the town hall do it and charge me more money.' It is not the first time British expats have had their homes demolished in Andalucia, with the Priors, in Almeria, the most famous victims. They still live in the garage of their house today, over 10 years since the house was knocked down in Vera. Eight brave Australians have taken part in a candid discussion about sex, as many made the surprising admission that when they do finally take the plunge they'd rather it be with someone sexually experienced. No topic was off limits when the virgins, aged between just 23 and 31, appeared on ABC's You Can't Ask That on Wednesday night. The adult virgins candidly answered a series of awkward questions covering taboo topics from masturbation, intimacy and sex workers to pornography, sex positions and whether they'd hope to get a root as a result of appearing on the show. The probing questions sparked a diverse range of surprising answers with many admitting they're curious while others admitted they've considered using sex workers. Catherine from regional Victoria made the decision in year six to remain a virgin until her wedding night. But she admitted she would be happy if her future partner wasn't a virgin himself, as then he'd 'know what he's doing'. Catherine, from regional Victoria, admits her parents hated the idea of her going on You Can't Ask That to talk about being a virgin - and her mum even suggest losing her virginity to her boyfriend before the show 'This is going to sound so bad coming from me when I'm a virgin myself, but I hope it's someone that knows what they're doing,' Catherine told the program. Melbourne man Ishan, aged in his early 20s, is also open to having an experienced partner. 'We've talked about me being non-experienced. She might not be. She may be. It really depends,' he said. But transgender man Kerry Chin, from Sydney, has no plans to ever have sex. 'I do expect to remain a virgin for the rest of my life. I have no active plans to change that,' they said. Catherine (pictured left) says society has moved away from valuing virginity to considering it 'weird'. Julia (pictured right) says women can be 'fetishized' for their virginity, but admits she feels sorry for male virgins Julia, 30, from Sydney, who suffers from a condition that would make sex painful also hasn't ruled out remaining a virgin for life. 'I would have to change quite a bit of my behaviour,' she said. 'Like, I'd have to go out and seek a relationship somewhere, and at the moment, I don't feel motivated to do that.' The question of why not pay a sex worker and get the first time over with sparked debate between Melbourne housemates Nicole and Ashleah. 'I don't want to have sex with just any random person,' Nicole said. But Ashleah replied: 'Yeah, but sometimes, I think it would be just easier to get it over and done with. 'I've thought of going to sort of like a brothel-type situation and being like, "You know what? Just get it over and done with".' The youngest men on the program, Ishan and Declan (left and right), are the only participants who were very keen to lose their virginity - and both hoped being on the program might help The question also promoted an astonishing response from Ishan. 'There are places that do virgin experiences that go out and have a proper date kind of thing,' he said 'I've had a look into it. Yeah, of course. I still might do it, but...it's kind of expensive.' Sydneysider Declan disagreed, saying: 'It would be too, like, business-dealy for me. I don't think it would be something I would necessarily enjoy.' Catherine recalled how a man offered her $50 for sex when she was just 14. 'If I wanted to have sex I could very easily. I've had randoms on the street approach me and offer me money for sex,' she said. Catherine admits her mum is not happy about her lack of experience in the bedroom. Both her parents are displeased about Catherine not having had sex, and most of all, are unimpressed she appeared on Wednesday night's program. Julia, from Sydney, admitted having a health condition that would make sex so painful for her that she would need therapy to deal with it Sydneysider Seb believes he was called to give his whole life to God and hopes to remain a virgin 'Mum and dad hate that I'm here today. They hate it,' Catherine says. 'Mum wishes I was more normal. She wishes I was sexually active.' 'She was like you can go stay at your boyfriends place the night before and have sex with him so you dont go on the show.' Julia said an active sex life isn't really a choice for her. 'I discovered when I was about 25 that I have a condition that would make having sex really painful and I'd have to have therapy to fix that.' 'It feels like someone's sticking a knife in your body. It's throbbing angry pain.' But her story also reveals she hasn't had a kiss since she was nine and that she didn't 'enjoy being in my body' as a teen. 'So there's no way I would ever have got naked or let alone touch me.' Nicole (left) and Ashleah (right), from Melbourne, say they find the intimacy and support they need in their friendship as housemates Ashleah, 31, from Melbourne admits she's 'never had the opportunity' to have sex. 'Opening that door is a lot harder than just keeping that door closed,' she says. She has tried internet dating, but found it unhelpful. 'I have sent photos of myself and I have received photos of peoples genitals and its never gone past that.' Kerry Chin believes people assume men without sexual experience are still 'children' regardless of their age Blond heart throb Seb, from Sydney and in his mid 20s, is a virgin because it's part of his religious calling. 'I felt within myself God saying why don't you give me your entire life and I said yes.' He 'hopes' to stay a virgin and believes some things are more important. Most of the humour comes from the two youngest men, Ishan from Melbourne and Declan, a 23-year-old Sydneysider. Matt Hancock has today confirmed Covid vaccinations will be made compulsory for care home staff despite backlash from furious unions and industry bosses. The Health Secretary told MPs it is paramount carers working with vulnerable residents are vaccinated against the disease 'in order to save lives'. The controversial policy will see all 1.5million people working in social care told to get inoculated within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs or being redeployed. It applies to all carers as well as other workers in homes, including tradespeople, hairdressers and beauticians. Critics described it as a 'sledgehammer approach' which could worsen the social sector's staffing crisis, make it harder to recruit and force many to 'walk away'. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs and being eligible since December, latest figures show just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine. Announcing the move in the Commons today, Mr Hancock said the Government will 'ensure mandation as a condition of deployment for staff in care homes'. The Financial Times today reported ministers are also debating whether to make flu jabs compulsory for the same staff. Consultation is expected to begin on whether other health workers should also have the jabs, meaning Covid vaccines could also be made compulsory for the 1.4million employed by the NHS. Matt Hancock (pictured in the House of Commons today) has announced Covid vaccinations will be made compulsory for care home staff Just two thirds of care home staff have had their first vaccination in Hackney, east London, official data has shown with uptake rates among staff lowest in the capital The legislation requires anyone working in a care home in England from October must have had two doses of the vaccine. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Hancock said: 'I want to tell the House about the results of our consultation on vaccination as a condition of deployment in care homes. 'After careful consultation weve decided to take this proposal forward to protect residents. 'The vast majority of staff in care homes are already vaccinated but not all, and we know that the vaccine not only protects you but protects those around you. 'Therefore we will be taking forward the measures to ensure the mandation as a condition of deployment for staff in care homes and we will consult on the same approach in the NHS in order to save lives and protect patients from disease.' The regulations will be brought before Parliament 'at the earliest opportunity', according to the Department of Health, and will come with a 16-week grace period allowing staff to get vaccinated before the rules come into force. Industry bosses and unions have warned making Covid jabs mandatory for care staff will worsen staffing shortages and force unvaccinated workers to 'walk away'. Pictured: Care workers at the Ashwood Court care home in Lowton, Warrington But critics today hit out at the plans, with the Unison trade union it could lead to a mass exodus of workers. Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: 'Research shows encouragement achieves better results with the nervous than threats or coercion. 'The Government's sledgehammer approach now runs the risk that some care staff may simply walk away from an already understaffed, undervalued and underpaid sector.' And Mike Padgham, chairman of the Independent Care Group (ICG) which represents care homes in Yorkshire, said recruitment was 'always challenging' before the pandemic and 'is becoming more critical now'. He said: 'If this goes ahead and is compulsory then I think it will put people off coming into the service. That's one problem. Mike Padgham, chairman of the Independent Care Group (ICG) which represents care homes in Yorkshire, said recruitment was 'always challenging' before the pandemic and 'is becoming more critical now' 'The second problem is people who are already working in the service who might not want the vaccine. We are so stretched for frontline staff. 'It sounds easy to redeploy them but it isn't easy to replace them when you redeploy them. And I think people will be put off.' While his area of Yorkshire has a relatively high uptake of the jab, some parts of the country, such as London, have far lower levels among care home staff. Hackney in east London has the lowest uptake among care home staff who were part of the original priority groups for vaccination back in December. Just 214 out of 321 eligible staff (66.7 per cent) accepted the offer of a jab in the six months since their invite. Five areas of the country four of which are in London have first dose uptake rates of less than 70 per cent. The Social Care Working Group of SAGE advises an uptake rate for one dose of 80 per cent in staff and 90 per cent in residents in each individual care home setting is needed to provide a minimum level of protection against Covid outbreaks. But GMB trade union national officer Rachel Harrison described the move to make jabs for care staff mandatory as an attempt to 'strongarm' them into taking a vaccine. She said: 'The Government could do a lot to help care workers: address their pay, terms and conditions, increasing the rate of and access to contractual sick pay, banning zero hours, and ensuring more mobile NHS vaccination teams so those working night shifts can get the jab. 'Instead, ministers are ploughing ahead with plans to strongarm care workers into taking the vaccine without taking seriously the massive blocks these workers still face in getting jabbed.' The NHS figures going up to June 6 the latest date data is available for show uptake rates among care home staff are significantly lagging behind in London boroughs compared to the rest of the country Health chiefs said its response to the consultation will be published 'in due course' and cabinet minister Liz Truss this morning said the Government's decision would be announced imminently, even though Whitehall sources had already revealed it was going ahead. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched. How many carers have been vaccinated in London? Of the ten areas in the country with the lowest first dose uptake in care workers in the country, seven were in London. After Hackney, they were: Wandsworth (67.5 per cent), Lambeth (67.7 per cent), Southwark (69.6 per cent), Camden (72.6 per cent), Barnet (73.2 per cent) and Waltham Forest (73.2 per cent). And even fewer staff have had their second dose. Two areas of London have fully vaccinated less than 40 per cent of staff: Haringey (38.5 per cent) and Westminster (39 per cent). For comparison, 57.4 per cent of the entire UK have now had their second dose. Another three areas of the capital have full vaccination rates of less than half of staff: Greenwich (45 per cent), Wandsworth (45.2 per cent) and Lambeth (47.1 per cent). Advertisement Ministers are concerned about low take-up of the coronavirus vaccine among care workers, who include care home staff plus home helps. MailOnline analysis today showed 83.7 per cent of carers looking after elderly residents have had their first jab, meaning nearly 80,000 are still to be reached. Meanwhile, data also shows just 68.7 per cent are fully vaccinated. But rates vary wildly across the country, and are as low as 38.5 per cent in Haringey, north London. Five areas of the country four of which are in London have first dose uptake rates of less than 70 per cent. For comparison, six areas of the country have uptake rates of more than 90 per cent and second doses have been handed out to more than 80 per cent of staff in eight areas of the country. Tens of thousands of care home residents died in the pandemic, largely as a result of infections being brought in by staff during the first wave. Organisations representing care firms and their staff have warned that the move could backfire and see workers quit rather than agree to have the jab. The social care sector already faces a workforce shortage as a result of years of underfunding, and an exodus of staff would make it harder to meet the expected upsurge in demand once the pandemic subsides. The move also raises questions about how care homes treat staff who refuse a mandatory jab, and whether they have to be moved into other roles, and over whether the Government could face a legal challenge. Research published last month by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) found black African and mixed black African staff are almost twice as likely to decline a vaccination as white British and white Irish participants. Sandra Mounier-Jack, associate professor in health policy at LSHTM said: 'Covid vaccination is here with us for the long haul, and social and health care staff are key prescriptors of the vaccine so positive engagement with them is essential. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs, latest figures show that just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine 'A survey conducted by LSHTM in January to February this year revealed that participants that reported greater agreement with the statement "I feel/felt under pressure from my employer to get a Covid-19 vaccine" were significantly more likely to decline the Covid vaccine even after demographic factors were controlled for. 'Interviews with health care staff and particularly social care workers suggested that placing staff under pressure to vaccinate may paradoxically entrench negative attitudes to vaccination.' And Helen Bedford, professor of childrens health at University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health said: 'Although only a small proportion of care home workers are currently vaccinated, we have seen uptake increase in other age groups and population groups where there was initial hesitancy. 'This is a result of recommending, offering, and ensuring easy access to Covid-19 vaccine, as well as eliciting and responding to any concerns and questions. 'Encouraging vaccination is always preferable to a mandatory requirement. Indeed, evidence from a recent study of health and care workers suggests that where they felt pressured to have the vaccine, they were less likely to do so. 'Trust in the vaccine and in the organisation recommending it are vital to ensuring vaccine acceptance and any perceived pressure can undermine that trust and may make people more resistant.' Advertisement President Joe Biden's and Vladimir Putin's summit began in chaos on Wednesday as journalists pushed to get inside to document the historic event with many of them being left outside. Part of the small pool of reporters that travel with the president at all times was left outside. The reporters were pushed and shoved by security officials and Russian media, according to the pool report of the event. 'There's an extremely chaotic scene at the door,' the pool reporter traveling with President Biden reported. It was just as chaotic inside with reporters pushing, shoving and shouting at each other. Two American reporters said Russian officials pulled at their clothes as they tried to shove them from the room. One American reporter said she nearly fell down because of the pandemonium. A reporter stationed outside the Villa la Grange tweeted a photo of a crush of media trying to get in the building, where the two leaders were meeting in an ornate, 18th century library. 'Chaotic scene outside the villa where Putin and Biden are meeting. Russian reporters are jostling for position and U.S. officials are telling them to stand back,' the Wall Street Journal's Andrew Restuccia wrote. A security officer indicates to the media to step back as (from left) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US President Joe Biden, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Security members push the press out as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Biden look on Security personnel corral members of the press pools covering President Joe Biden's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Several American reporters were left outside the summit in the chaos Utter confusion at start of the Biden-Putin summit: Details of the chaotic scene with reporters shouting over each other The long-awaited summit between President Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin started with a chaotic media scrum, with reporters who managed to get into the room shouting questions while the Russian translator tried to provide answers. It resulted in very little words spoken between the two world leaders and the press confused as to which questions they were responding to. Photographers also blocked the camera shots and Russian aides told members of the media to go away. AP's Jonathan Lemire asked Putin if he feared Navalny and what he would do if Ukraine joined NATO. Putin looked up and did not respond. NBC's Elyse Perlmutter asked Biden if he trusted Putin. Biden looked at her and nodded in the affirmative. But White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki later told the press pool that Biden wasn't nodding at a particular question: 'During a chaotic free for all with members of the press shouting questions over each other, the President gave a general head nod in the direction of the media. He wasn't responding to any question or anything other than the chaos.' The comments from the two leaders inside the room, the confusion of what questions they were asking and their responses muffled by the shouting press is detailed below: 7:36:46 ET PUTIN: [speaking in Russian] 7:36:52 TRANSLATOR: Mr. President, I'd like to thank you for your initiative to meet today. 7:36:56 PUTIN: [speaking in Russian] 7:37:00 TRANSLATOR: I know that you've been on a long tour [inaudible] 7:37:03 PUTIN: [speaking in Russian] 7:37:10 TRANSLATOR: Still, the US and Russian relations have a lot of issues accumulated that require the highest level meeting. 7:37:15 PUTIN: [speaking in Russian] 7:37:17 TRANSLATOR: And I hope that our meeting will be productive. 7:37:20 BIDEN: Thank you. As I said outside, I think that it's always better to meet face to face. 7:37:25 TRANSLATOR: [speaking in Russian] 7:37:33 BIDEN: [inaudible] mutual interest, cooperate. 7:37:38 TRANSLATOR: [speaking in Russian] 7:37:43 BIDEN: [inaudible] 7:37:51 TRANSLATOR: [speaking in Russian] 7:37:59 BIDEN: [inaudible] 7:38:00 TRANSLATOR: [speaking in Russian] Advertisement US and Russian security along with Swiss government officials tried to bring order to the chaos but there was much screaming and shouting. White House officials repeatedly tried to get the American media inside, saying that the American and Russian delegations had agreed on the number of journalists allowed in the room: 13 on each side. Only nine American reporters made it in. Reports from inside the room described the scuffle that took place as reporters jockeyed for position while the two presidents watched with a smile. The chaos played out on television, with video showing aides trying to push reporters back, journalists getting in each others' way and into the camera frame, and lots of shouting. One photographer got in the shot of the television camera as a journalist tried to get him to move so they could get a clear shot. 'Can you move? Because I can't get a shot of both of them,' the camera crew said. 'Can you move? Because we can't get a shot,' the person repeated. 'No, I can't do that,' the photographer replied. As the arguing continued, officials stepped in. 'Go away please,' one Swiss official was heard saying. 'Go away.' Russian security pulled the red rope separating the media from the leaders back to try to keep reporters away from the presidents. Russian security yelled at journalists to get out and began pushing them. Members of the media tripped over all the cords and equipment in the room as the event unfolded. Both the reporters and White House officials screamed back that the Russian security should stop touching the members of the press. Watching it all were Biden and Putin with their respective translators at their sides. Also there were Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It was so packed, with officials and press shouting over each other, it was hard to hear what President Biden said to Putin. At the beginning of the summit, Swiss President Guy Parmelin welcomed the two leaders to 'the city of peace.' The two leaders shook hands upon their arrival at the villa. Biden extended his hand first as the pair shook - a marked contrast to the elbow bumps Biden exchanged with several allies at the G7 - and they smiled for the cameras outside the Villa de La Grange before heading inside. The event was set up not to have public comments by either man. Once they were situated in the library, Putin could be seen sitting back in his chair, tapping his hand against his wooden armrest and looking bored while they waited for a press photographers scrum to capture images. Amid the commotion with the press, Biden looked toward Blinken, and the diplomat scribbled notes in a notebook. The first session between the two leaders lasted 93 minutes. Then they moved to a meeting with a larger US and Russian delegation. The second session saw American and Russian officials facing off on different sides of a long table, American and Russian flags in the room. The day will end with separate press conferences - Putin going first and then Biden following. Members of the media scramble to get into the villa where Biden and Putin were meeting Putin looks down at the floor during an awkward first moment with Biden ahead of five hours of gruelling chat to help salvage relations between Moscow and Washington Putin smiles with Biden as the pair shake hands ahead of their highly-anticipated summit to address failing relations Biden's handshake with Putin was a marked contrast to the contrived elbow bumps exchanged between world leaders at the G7 to show their concern for Covid-19 last week Putin and Biden exchange warm glances with each other as the world's media watches on ahead of five hours of talks which the US President has promised will include tough topics such as Russian hacking and the poisoning of dissidents Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was seated to Biden's right, taking notes. To Biden's left was Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, seated with his hands between his legs. Former BBC governor Sir Richard Eyre BBC journalists and executives responsible for Martin Bashir's Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales were fuelled by 'contagious, blind ambition', according to former BBC governor Sir Richard Eyre. The director, who sat on the corporation's board at the time of the 1995 interview, said their punishment will be 'public shame'. Former director-general Lord Tony Hall, who was managing director of news and current affairs at the time of the interview, has come under fire since Lord Dyson's blistering report in May, which criticised the methods used by Bashir to obtain his exclusive interview with the princess. The Dyson report described Lord Hall's internal investigation into the matter as 'woefully ineffective'. Appearing before MPs on Monday, the former director-general said he was 'deeply sorry' for the 'hurt' caused to the dukes of Cambridge and Sussex over the interview, while Lord John Birt, who was director-general at the time, described Bashir as a 'serial liar on an industrial scale'. The pair will appear before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee later to speak about the events leading up to the bombshell 1995 Panorama interview with the Princess of Wales (pictured here during the interview with Martin Bashir) Screen grab of former BBC Director General Lord Birt answering questions, via video link Lord Hall squirmed while grilled about Martin Bashir by MPs and was accused of being evasive Sir Richard told Sky News: 'My explanation of the whole fiasco was that the people involved were consumed by contagious ambition, blind ambition. 'John Birt had come into the BBC as director-general, the third in the line, the previous two had been fired by the chairman Marmaduke Hussey. He came in with a specific programme of putting news on the front foot. He thought that the BBC news gathering and use of reporting of the time was very, very complacent and inward-looking. 'So he was encouraging the news department to go on the front foot. 'Panorama, like a number of BBC programmes, was very self-contained and probably still is semi-autonomous. 'So there was this group who got this massive scoop. I don't think anybody, maybe the Panorama people were, but certainly not John Birt and Tony Hall, were terribly interested in how Bashir had got access to Princess Diana. 'The whole thing was very much conducted in secrecy. Everybody outside that inner circle was astonished that Bashir, this totally unknown reporter, had got the interview.' Former BBC director-general Lord Hall told MPs he was 'deeply sorry' after Prince William accused him of 'looking the other way' as Martin Bashir (pictured) ruined his mother's life Current BBC Director General Tim Davie (right) and Richard Sharp, (left) answering questions, via video link, in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee over the handling of Martin Bashir's interview of Diana, Princess of Wales He said he did not believe it was true that Bashir forced his way into landing the interview, and instead thought Diana was 'absolutely delighted' to meet a young journalist she could 'manipulate'. Asked what consequences senior BBC managers should face for the fact Bashir used forged documents to secure the interview, Sir Richard said: 'I simply don't know what possible punishment there is except shame. I mean, I think that Tony Hall has suffered excessively from the revelations and has apologised. 'I think John Birt has played a very good hand because of course, he was editor in chief so I feel he has to take responsibility for what happened. 'But what punishment can there be? It was 25, 26 years in the past. The punishment is public shame.' Discussing if there should be broader consequences for the corporation, Sir Richard said: 'Politicians have never liked the BBC. They can't bear the idea that a state broadcasting company is independent of the state and doesn't obey the mandate of the state. 'Also they hate the idea that it's paid by a hypothecated tax, so the Treasury can't play around with a tax. 'What can they do? Well, they can cut the legs off the BBC. That would be an act of massive cultural vandalism. 'The BBC is the most important cultural organisation in the world. And I very much hope that it's going to have the power to remain so.' A successful music composer says his career was destroyed and his life upended after he was branded a racist in response to a social media post condemning arson by protesters in the wake of George Floyds death. Daniel Elder, 34, of Nashville, Tennessee tells Reason he considered suicide after his publisher dumped him, the music industry turned its back on him, friends cut ties with him, and colleagues ignored him amid the online backlash. The musician says he needed to be talked off the ledge several times and has sought counseling with a therapist and a psychiatrist. Elder, who politically identifies himself as center-left, refused to post an apology whose wording was dictated to him by his music publisher, GIA Publications. The publisher, which specializes in religious choral and instrumental music, responded by cutting ties with Elder and denouncing him on social media. DailyMail.com has reached out to GIA Publications seeking comment. Daniel Elder, 34, a music composer from Nashville, Tennessee, says he is a victim of 'cancel culture' after he denounced the arson and looting that took place last year in the wake of George Floyd's death A protester starts a fire at the Metro Courthouse in Nashville on May 30, 2020. Elder was so alarmed by what he was seeing unfolding around him as well as social media posts by commenters cheering on the destruction in his hometown that he decided to sound off Enjoy burning it all down, you well-intentioned, blind people, Elder wrote on his Facebook and Twitter pages. Im done. Elder has been ostracized from the music world since June of last year, when he decided to post a message on social media denouncing the destruction of a local courthouse by protesters angry over Floyds death. Nashville was one of scores of cities where Black Lives Matter demonstrators and supporters marched in the days following Floyd's murder at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. While most of the demonstrations were peaceful, some activists engaged in violence, vandalism, arson, and looting. Some of the demonstrators threw rocks at police cars and sprayed graffiti on the sides of buildings. Video that went viral on social media shows one woman setting fire to the historic courthouse building in Nashville. At least two people were arrested. Nashville police circulated a video showing a young woman setting fire to a courthouse in May 2020 Several individuals were seen helping to fan the flames at the Historic Courthouse last year Several local businesses and office buildings in Nashville were vandalized and destroyed last year Nashville police circulated this photo showing a retailer destroyed by protesters last year The image above shows the vandalism in downtown Nashville in May of last year Nearly 50 people were arrested that weekend across Tennessee, while many businesses saw property damaged and public buildings vandalized across the state. Elder was so alarmed by what he was seeing unfolding around him as well as social media posts by commenters cheering on the destruction in his hometown that he decided to sound off. I saw a mob mentality around my own friends, and I worried that was what was happening on the outside, too, Elder told Reason. Enjoy burning it all down, you well-intentioned, blind people, Elder wrote on his Facebook and Twitter pages. Im done. Elders message was meant to signal his signing off from social media, but it also sparked angry responses from those who accused him of being racist. According to Reason, Elder was accused of being a white supremacist piece of garbage. He was also sent vulgar emails. Others who said they were fans of music told him they would no longer listen to his work. 'I've relatively recently become aware of your work and have enjoyed your compositions for their sensitivity and artistry,' wrote one commenter. 'However, after learning of your insensitive comments on social media, however perceived as misunderstood, I've decided to unsubscribe from your [YouTube] channel and will no longer recommend your compositions to colleagues.' 'It's really a shame,' wrote another critic. 'Such beautiful music and I feel like I can't do any of it now.' Another writer wrote: 'I am a choir director and department head for the music department for a private school in Ohio. 'I want to inform you that your rhetoric surrounding the recent protests is unacceptable and my school will not be programming your music unless and until a public apology is issued.' 'Do some research and maybe some inner reflection and maybe figure out where your racist tendencies are coming from,' wrote another commenter. 'You are canceled. Black lives matter!' GIA Publications, the record label which is considered a top publisher of religious music, was a key source of income for Elder. 'The views expressed in composer Daniel Elder's incendiary social media post on Sunday evening do not reflect the values of GIA or our employees,' GIA Publications, Elder's key source of income, wrote on its Facebook page on June 1, 2020. 'GIA opposes racism in all its forms and is committed to do what Michelle Obama called "the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out".' The company also announced that it would no longer publish Elder Elder tells Reason that GIA executives Alec Harris and Susan LaBarr contacted him about posting an apology on June 1 - less than 24 hours after his anti-arson post. Harris and LaBarr told Elder that they had already written the apology and all he had to do was post it. 'Over the weekend I made a post on my social media accounts that was insensitive and wrongly-worded,' the apology read. 'I deeply apologize for the anger, offense, and harm that this post caused. While this offense was not intended, it is what was created. 'For this I am truly sorry. 'There is no justification that I can offer for my post. 'So, rather than try to offer an excuse for what was done, I offer a promise for what I will do going forward. 'I commit to making amends and to dialogue. I commit to continue educating myself about privilege and bias. 'I commit to continue seeking an understanding of the experience of others, especially the Black community. 'I know that working for justice requires that we each first act justly. 'My work begins now.' LaBarr told Elder that we know that you write music that promotes social justice and that he needed to make that clear to his social media followers. 'We're feeling time pressure on this as some people are calling for boycotts,' LaBarr told Elder. 'It's all very heavy.' Elder refused to post the apology. He also expressed disappointment that his colleagues sided with his detractors online. 'I chose to be that guy who didn't issue the apology,' he tells Reason. 'Things went from there and it wasn't good.' That same day, GIA publicly denounced Elder. 'The views expressed in composer Daniel Elder's incendiary social media post on Sunday evening do not reflect the values of GIA or our employees,' GIA wrote on its Facebook page. 'GIA opposes racism in all its forms and is committed to do what Michelle Obama called "the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out".' The company also announced that it would no longer publish Elder. 'We are grateful to those who brought this to our attention and to all who continue to hold individuals and organizations to account,' the statement read. The cover art of Elder's 2013 album The Heart's Reflection is seen above Elder says that since that time, he has had trouble finding work. Local choir directors wont even let him sing with them. They also refuse to be seen with him or associate with him for fear theyll be denounced as racists. Elder says that he is not composing music these days. My artistic wellspring is capped, says Elder. I think it will come back, but things have remained in quite a rough place after all this happened. The irony is that Elder is a supporter of liberal causes like police reform and opposition to racism. Nonetheless, he was canceled by those with whom he largely agrees. He says that irony made this sort of a strange betrayal. Elder decided that he would delete all of his social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I believe these platforms are encouraging a very dangerous division among us - a divide that is exponentially growing year-by-year - something very much out of line with what I strive to achieve as an artist, he wrote on his web page. Elder tells Reason that one positive aspect of his experience is that he is more open to alternative viewpoints. Because I was exiled, I started listening to voices on the right and the center, especially these classical liberals who have been exiled from the leftist movement, he says. The strange silver lining is this shook me out of my prejudices a little bit. A United flight bound for Las Vegas had to be rerouted after two male passengers became embroiled in a physical altercation over 'elbow placement' on armrests. The incident occurred last Friday afternoon, less than 15 minutes after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport. The aircraft returned to San Francisco, where the two men were subsequently escorted off the plane. They were both detained by police, but neither was seriously injured. According to SFGate, neither of the men sought to press charges and they were subsequently released. However, they were barred from re-boarding the United flight. A United flight bound for Las Vegas has had to be rerouted after two male passengers became embroiled in a physical altercation over 'elbow placement' on armrests. Fellow passenger Jack Krawcyzk shared a photo from inside the plane, which showed a police officer trying to remove the two men Fellow passenger Jack Krawczyk shared a photo from inside the plane, which showed a police officer trying to remove the two men from the aircraft. 'Of course we were rerouted back to the gate because two passengers got into a physical altercation over elbow placement upon arm rests,' he wrote. His tweet quickly went viral and prompted enthusiastic debate about 'ownership' of the armrests and who was to blame for the fiasco. 'Look, the rules are simple,' one wrote. 'Aisle gets the leg room, Window seat gets the window, Middle seat gets the two armrests. So it has always been, so it shall always be. Figure it out people'. The tweet quickly went viral and prompted enthusiastic debate about 'ownership' of the armrests and who was to blame for the altercation Airlines are seeing a surge in anti-social behavior as air travel returns to pre-pandemic levels. There have been 1,300 reports of unruly passengers in the three months between February and May, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. One Twitter user blamed COVID-19 for the spike in bad behavior, writing: 'It's the 'Flight or Flight' situation for many people who can't tolerate overcrowding and/or being hemmed in by others. Since there's no way they can flee... the fight is on'. However, another said it was the fault of airlines for cramming customers into tiny spaces. 'The airlines themselves are to blame for this. They keep packing people in like sardines inhumanely and passengers get stressed. When their policies cause them to lose money they will change'. Dozens of migrants including young children and a baby have been picked up in the English Channel this morning after it was revealed the number arriving in the UK since January has topped 5,000 - more than double the same period last year. The latest arrivals included toddlers who, if unaccompanied, will be relocated to other local authorities by the Home Office after Kent County Council said it could not accept anymore unaccompanied asylum seeking children from Monday. Around 100 migrants have been intercepted so far today, according to eyewitness estimates, with more making the crossing set to be detained this afternoon. A little boy with a milk bottle appeared to be with a woman carrying a dummy. One crossing intercepted around 10.30am seemed to be filled with young children. An Immigration Enforcement officer was seen carrying a baby no more than a year old in her arms as they escorted the migrants up the gangway at Dover Marina in Kent for processing. Migrants are pictured arriving at Dover Marina in Kent this morning after crossing the English Channel. Around 100 migrants have been intercepted so far today, according to eyewitnesses Migrants including children and a baby were picked up in the Channel today. The first rigid hulled inflatable boat of the day was brought in at around 10am in soaring heat at the harbour An Immigration Enforcement officer was seen carrying a baby no more than a year old in her arms as they escorted the migrants up the gangway at Dover Marina in Kent Other Border Force officers carried a young boy wearing a lifejacket and held the hands of three more children. The first rigid hulled inflatable boat of the day was brought in at around 10am in soaring heat at the harbour. The Home Office is yet to confirm exactly how many people have made the treacherous 21-mile trip across the world's busiest shipping lanes today. Around 25 migrants were seen sat in the front and back of Border Force cutter Alert. It was followed by at least two more boats shortly afterwards. It comes after 80 migrants were intercepted in three boats yesterday, taking the total to arrive this year to 5,087. The first group was brought into Dover Marina around 8am on the back of Border Force cutter Hunter. At least ten migrants - some huddled in blankets and carrying their possessions in rucksacks - were seen on board. They disembarked and were escorted up the gangway for processing by Immigration Enforcement officers. The latest arrivals included toddlers who, if unaccompanied, will be relocated to other local authorities by the Home Office after Kent County Council said it could not accept anymore unaccompanied asylum seeking children from Monday A little boy with a milk bottle appeared to be with a woman carrying a dummy. One crossing intercepted around 10.30am seemed to be filled with young children Two young girls were seen on the mooring after being brought in off the next boat shortly after 11am. One was given white flip flops due to being barefooted when arriving alongside a woman, who was also wearing a red woolly hat and cuddling a blanket. On Monday, 110 people were intercepted crossing the Dover Strait which took the total to 5,007 and surpassed the landmark figure. Just 1,865 migrants were picked up by Border Force in the same period from January 1 to June 14 last year, which turned out to be a record year with 8,410 eventually making crossings last year. Dover and Deal MP Natalie Elphicke called for 'more robust deterrents' to ensure migrants crossing the Channel by small boat know 'they have no chance of breaking into Britain in this way'. More migrants making the crossing this afternoon are set to be detained. The Home Office is yet to confirm exactly how many people have made the treacherous trip today Reacting to the news of more than 5,000 migrants arriving in 2021, she said yesterday: 'Small boats crossings have gone on for too long. It's time these crossings came to an end. 'We should look at more robust deterrents that have been adopted elsewhere - notably in Australia, where a robust stance has saved lives and massively reduced illegal immigration activity. 'Everyone knows that these crossings will only come to an end when migrants know that they have no chance of breaking into Britain in this way, and the criminal gangs stop profiting from them.' A Home Office spokesman 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.' Legendary gang member-turned-activist and bestselling author Kody Scott has died aged 57 at a homeless encampment in Southern California. Scott, who earned the nickname 'monster' during his time with the Crips and later legally changed his name to Sanyika Shakur, was found dead on June 7 in a tent at an encampment near the San Luis River Trail in Oceanside, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office. Scott's wife Tamu discovered his 'badly decomposed' body in a tent, said Tom Bussey, an Oceanside Police Department public information officer, told the Los Angeles Times. Bussey said it appeared Scott died of natural causes and no foul play was detected, though the official cause of death has yet to be determined. Throughout his life, Scott evoked both fear and inspiration from the people around him as he transformed from child gang member and a criminal on the Los Angeles most-wanted list to civil rights activist and author of his own cautionary tale. Famous gang member-turned-activist Kody Scott (pictured) was found dead aged 57 on June 7 at a homeless encampment near the San Luis River Trail in Oceanside, California It appears Scott died of natural causes and not foul play, he added, though the cause of death has yet to be determined When he was in prison in the 1980s, Scott changed his name to Sanyika Shakur after joining the Republic of New Afrika movement and converting to Islam. He is pictured (left) mentoring inmates at the Solano State Prison in 2019 Scott went by several names through the different stages of his life. He got the nickname Monster, or Monster Kody, when he was 13 and beat a robbery victim until his face was disfigured. As the story goes, Scott's friend heard police referred to the attacker as a 'monster.' When he was in prison in the 1980s, he changed his name to Sanyika Shakur after joining the Republic of New Afrika movement and converting to Islam. Growing up, Scott, who was born in 1963, was beaten by his father Ernest and neglected by his mother Birdie. Scott went by several names through the different stages of his life. He got the nickname Monster, or Monster Kody, when he was 13 and beat a robbery victim until his face was disfigured The couple divorced in 1970 and, two years later, his mother moved him to the gang-riddled streets of South Central Los Angeles. There, he used to hang out with his neighbor Stanley Tookie Williams, who was then the leader of the West Side Crips. Williams would invite Scott to his house while gang members would lift weights, smoke PCP and talk about gang life. Williams later wrote in his memoir Blue Rage, Black Redemption that he felt remorse for introducing Scott to that lifestyle when he was so young. A subgroup of the Crips, known as the Eight Tray Gangsters, formed in Scott's neighborhood in 1975 and he joined it after of his sixth-grade graduation. As part of his initiation, he joined the gang one night as they hotwired a stolen car and, armed to the teeth, opened fire on a group of Bloods known as the Brims. Scott had a sawed-off 12-guage shotgun and was told not to leave until he used all of its bullets. Scott was first arrested in 1978, at 14, after shooting an employee of a fast-food restaurant who had assaulted his younger brother Kershaun. He was in and out of jail for the next decade and, having dropped out of high school, began to educate himself in prison. He read up on Malcom X and the Black Panthers, started socializing with members of the Republic of New Afrika and found Islam. He took part in the 1992 Los Angeles riots in response to the killing of Rodney King, where he was arrested again. The following year, he wrote his first book while he was in solitary confinement at Pelican Bay State Prison. Monster: The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member came out at a time when many were unaware of the plights of gang life and becoming increasingly cognizant of its effect on the younger generation. Scott released his first book, Monster: The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member, in 1993 Scott went on to release two more books: T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E (left) in 2008 and Stand up, Struggle Forward: New Afrikan Revolutionary Writings on Nation, Class, and Patriarchy (right) in 2013 'I propose to open my mind as wide as possible to allow my readers the first ever glimpse of South Central from my side of the gun, street, fence, and wall,' he opened the autobiography. 'It is not for glory that I write this. It is out of desperation for the survival of the youths and civilians who are directly and indirectly involved in the fighting.' In 2007, Scott was accused of breaking an acquaintance's home, beating him and attempting to steal his car. At the time, his name was on the Los Angeles most-wanted gang members list for parole violations and the arrest would mean a third strike that would land Scott in prison for life. The next year, he pleaded no contest to carjacking and robbery charges and was sentenced to six years in state prison. That was the same year he wrote his first fiction novel, T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. And in November 2013, he penned a book of essays called Stand up, Struggle Forward: New Afrikan Revolutionary Writings on Nation, Class, and Patriarchy. Friends hosted a vigil for Scott in South Central Los Angeles after his death on June 7 Before his death, he was working on a fourth book and in talks with a streaming service about adapting his story into a podcast with Leo 'Pretty Boy' Smith, a former gang rival, according to the Los Angeles Times. Scott and Smith grew up in the same neighborhood, but Smith joined the rival gang, Rollin Sixties, and they became enemies. But the two made amends after Scott published his first book. According to the Los Angeles Times article, Leon Bing, a fashion model turned journalist, landed Scott in the public eye after including him in her book about gang life called Do or Die. Bing recalled coordinating a Toy Drive at a local hospital with Scott while he was in prison. She remembered him as an intelligent and avid reader who was misunderstood by many because of his reputation. 'People really respected him in the hood and the people who were afraid of him, I think were afraid for all of the wrong reasons,' she told the Times. 'He was not looking to show off strength. He just was who he was and he wasn't a show off.' Many took to Twitter after the announcement of his death to express their condolences. Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur, the CEO of AllHipHop.com, shared a picture of an old paperback edition of the book on Twitter. Rapper Vince Staples shared an old photo of Scott with the caption 'Rest in Peace.' Hip Hop Journalist Cheo Hodrai Coker tweeted: 'I interviewed him for Rappages two decades ago for a cover story I'll never forget.' A man named Prop, who runs a podcast called Hood Politics, wrote: 'I gotta tell ya, that man was a street legend and was utterly terrifying. But i can say, his later work played a role in my gang intervention.' Advertisement Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin arrived for their historic summit in Geneva on Wednesday in their respective motorcades with each leader being ferried in their own bulletproof and bomb-proof presidential limos packed with highly-classified features. The US president rode up in his Beast - the $1.5million Cadillac that boasts of night vision cameras, tear gas cannons, and 8 inches of armor. Its doors weigh as much as those on a Boeing 757 aircraft and its tires are pneumatic run-flats so the vehicle can still drive even if they are deflated. The president also can use a state-of-the-art communication system that is built into the Beast, which weighs about 20,000 pounds. There is also a secure oxygen system and a supply of the presidents own blood in case of an emergency. Biden's motorcade The Beast crosses a bridge on the way to his summit with Putin in Geneva Putin is taken to the historic meeting through the streets of Geneva in his Aurus Senat The Beast was built to withstand chemical and biological attacks as well as bullets and explosions, with its chassis said to be effectively 'indestructible.' Its windows are said to be 3 inches thick while the steel-and-ceramic armor is said to be 8 inches thick. In the rear compartment of the car, the president and up to four passengers are separated from the driver by a glass partition. The president is the only one who can lower the partition with a flick of a switch. While many features of the Beast remain highly-classified, its boot is also equipped with a firefighting system, tear, and smoke screens. The rear seats have a satellite phone with a direct line to Vice President Kamala Harris and the Pentagon. The US president rode up in his Beast - the $1.5million Cadillac that boasts of night vision cameras, tear gas cannons, and 8 inches of armor The Beast was built to withstand chemical and biological attacks as well as bullets and explosions, with its chassis said to be effectively 'indestructible.' The president also can use a state-of-the-art communication system that is built into the Beast, which weighs about 20,000 pounds. There is also a secure oxygen system and a supply of the presidents own blood in case of an emergency And the Beasts fuel tank is armor-plated and filled with special foam that prevents it from exploding even in case of a direct hit. The vehicles chassis, which was developed by General Motors, is made of steel while the body of the car is a combination of steel, aluminum, titanium, and ceramic. Meanwhile, the Russian president boasts his very own protective limousine which is said to be able to protect Putin even if submerged fully underwater. Manufactured by Russian luxury auto brand NAMI, the Aurus Senat is an armored limo that runs on a 598-horsepower 4.4-liter V8 engine. The Senat, which is measured at 21.7ft long and weighs in at 14,330 pounds, includes a hybrid drive system and a 9-speed automatic transmission - enabling power to be sent to all four wheels. NAMI is said to be in the process of manufacturing an even more powerful version of the Senat - one that boasts an 857 horsepower 6.6-liter V-12 engine. A civilian version of the Aurus Senat, whose looks were inspired by British Rolls Royce sedans, is being produced by the company, which is largely state-owned. Car buyers can have one of their own for $245,000 - or 18 million rubles. Putins version costs much more given the security accessories that were added to it. The Aurus is Russias attempt to compete with heavyweights like Bentley and Rolls-Royce in the luxury automotive market. Meanwhile, the Russian president boasts his very own protective limousine which is said to be able to protect Putin even if submerged fully underwater Russian President Vladimir Putin's Aurus Senat limousine arrives to the summit with President Biden in Geneva Manufactured by Russian luxury auto brand NAMI, the Aurus Senat is an armored limo that runs on a 598-horsepower 4.4-liter V8 engine The Senat, which is measured at 21.7ft long and weighs in at 14,330 pounds, includes a hybrid drive system and a 9-speed automatic transmission - enabling power to be sent to all four wheels Russia has also been trying to reduce its dependence on imported goods and technology, a drive that gathered speed after Moscow was hit by Western sanctions in 2014. Russia unveiled plans for the Aurus line of cars in 2013. Putin helped to promote its limousine model by driving it during his 2018 inauguration as president for a new six-year term. Production of the sedan is unlikely to have a significant impact on Russia's car industry in the near future. Industry Minister Denis Manturov said 200-300 cars would be produced this year, the Vedomosti newspaper reported. The battle of the Beasts: How Biden and Putin's 'rolling bunker' motorcades shape up against each other BIDEN'S STRETCH CADILLAC . The rolling bunker cost $1.5million to build, with latest generation of the car unveiled by Donald Trump in 2018 . Equipped with night vision cameras, tear gas cannons and 8ins of armor. . Carries pints of the president's blood in case of a medical emergency. . The doors weigh as much as those on a Boeing 757 aircraft . Fitted with run-flat tires from Goodyear so it never slows down . Carries the Cadillac branding, but is built on a General Motors truck chassis PUTIN'S AURUS SENAT . Fleet cost $300million to develop over six years. . Is bigger than the US president's Beast. . Can be submerged in water . Tires are reinforced with steel to stop them going flat. . Has 0.5-inch thick armor plating with a reinforced chassis . Can withstand gunshots and landmine explosions Seats said to have special feature that shift them into 'most favorable safety position' if car detects a collision is inevitable Advertisement Scott Morrison has conceded there is still a long way to go to resolve issues with Australia's $90billion submarine program after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The prime minister dined with Mr Macron in Paris overnight before delivering a speech to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on Wednesday. French shipbuilder Naval Group has been tasked with delivering Australia's next fleet of submarines but the project has been hit by heavy delays and massive cost blowouts. Asked whether the government would consider abandoning the contract, Mr Morrison said final details around the schedule and costs would soon need to be finalised (pictured with the French leader in Paris) Defence secretary Greg Moriarty this month confirmed his department is looking at alternatives to French-designed submarines in case the troubled contract is sunk. Mr Morrison on Wednesday described his talks with Mr Macron as positive, saying the pair had spoken candidly about issues with the contract. 'I appreciate the direct role that he has played in ensuring that we've seen a much-improved position come forward from Naval over the last six months,' he told reporters in Paris. 'But there is still a long way to go. 'I leave knowing that we have properly raised the challenges that we need to address so it is now for us to work forward on that basis.' The prime minister dined with Mr Macron (pictured together) in Paris overnight before delivering a speech to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on Wednesday Naval Group executives visited Australia earlier this year in a bid to promote its commitment to maximising Australian content in the Attack Class submarines. Defence has not yet secured a binding agreement on a minimum level of local content in relation to any one submarine. The fleet will not be ready to enter service until the mid-2030s. Asked whether the government would consider abandoning the contract, Mr Morrison said final details around the schedule and costs would soon need to be finalised. 'It is their contract - that is, Naval group - and like with any contract, I would expect them to be able to deliver on that,' he said. Mr Morrison earlier addressed the OECD council and its secretary-general, former cabinet colleague Mathias Cormann. He said Australia's presence as an extension partner at the recent G7 summit had been invaluable in drawing attention to issues within the Indo-Pacific region. 'This has been an essential time for Australia's voice to be heard and I have been incredibly encouraged by the very strong and steadfast support that Australia has received,' he said. Advertisement Thanks to the involvement of a well-connected society hostess, a dinner party was held at the Spanish embassy in London just weeks before the date Hitler had set for the invasion of Britain. Hosted by the Eton-educated Spanish ambassador, the Duke of Alba, among the other guests were Lord Halifax, the British Foreign Secretary, and an astrologer, described as a 'tall, flabby elephant of a man,' who gave private readings to wealthy clients at his London practice. Dinner finished, the ambassador asked the astrologer, Louis de Wohl, to 'tell Lord Halifax about Hitler's horoscope.' De Wohl duly outlined what it revealed about the Fuhrer's character, noting the times at which he had chosen to act, the connected planetary configurations and the impact that future 'aspects' and 'transits' in his chart were likely to have. Evidently what he said struck a chord as three days later, on August 31, 1940, the Foreign Office propaganda section contacted MI5 to ask what was known about de Wohl as it was considering employing him. MI5 replied the same day: 'Arrived in UK 1935. Author and 'astrologer'. Said to have a widespread trade in horoscopes among highly placed individuals in this country.' Weeks later, de Wohl found himself working for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) which had been tasked by Churchill to set Europe ablaze through sabotage, guerrilla operations and psychological warfare. Louis de Wohl (left) found himself working for the Special Operations Executive. The idea was that it de Wohl could ascertain what advice Adolf Hitler (right) was being given, it might be possible to second-guess his ever-unpredictable actions Under SOE's auspices, de Wohl began running a one-man, self-styled 'Psychological Research Bureau' from Suite 99 on the fifth floor of the luxurious Grosvenor House Hotel in London's Park Lane. His officially sanctioned activity was producing 'essays on the psychology of leading men of the Third Reich.' But his real interest, he said, was 'the unofficial side of his work, 'to check on what Hitler was likely to be told by his astrological adviser.' If de Wohl could ascertain what advice Hitler was being given, it might be possible to second-guess his ever-unpredictable actions. All warfare is a bloody mix of nightmare and farce, but Britain's engagement of an astrologer in the fight against Nazi Germany raised the element of farce to a new level. Indeed, the turmoil and uncertainty of war proved a bonanza for chancers of all kinds, with intelligence work a particularly comfortable haven. Louis de Wohl had already been an active informant for MI5 - feeding scraps about the questions his 'highly placed' astrological clients were asking. When war broke out, having been turned down by all three armed services, the Berlin-born Catholic was determined to serve his adopted country. But there were elements of de Wohl's character that never quite rang true - the worrying impression he was playing some mysterious game, perhaps even a treacherous one. Under the auspices of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), de Wohl began running a one-man, self-styled 'Psychological Research Bureau' from Suite 99 on the fifth floor of the Grosvenor House Hotel in London's Park Lane (pictured in 1936) Yet for a time, British Military and Naval Intelligence were eager to listen to what he had to say. Did de Wohl truly believe he could help Britain's war effort through his astrological insights into Hitler's mind? Or was he, as one senior MI5 officer thought, 'a charlatan and an imposter'? A newspaper cutting about de Whol in the Los Angeles Times on September 9, 1941. The article was an example of the invariably friendly media treatment de Wohl received during his wartime mission to the United States Who exactly was the mysterious Louis de Wohl? Although Hungarian by nationality, until moving to England at the age of 34, Ludwig von Wohl (as he was originally named) had lived all his life in Germany and had been a successful novelist and screenwriter. Once, he produced a book under a woman's name, dressing in female clothes and presenting the manuscript in person. He also practised astrology. Having Jewish antecedents, after Hitler began introducing new racial laws, he left Germany in 1935 to be a refugee in London. He changed his name to Louis de Wohl and continued his writing career, while also doing private astrological readings. He later claimed that he had left Germany because Hitler had wanted his services but said: 'I did not care particularly to become the astrologer of a tyrant with one of the most dangerous horoscopes I had ever seen.' In his autobiography, de Wohl described how he came to believe in astrology after previously regarding it as a primitive superstition. In 1938, he wrote about the prospects of Britain and Germany going to war. He predicted that it would not happen in the near future because the horoscopes of both Hitler and Mussolini 'indicate that a war would be their end'. A year later, Britain and Germany were at war. Undeterred, in March 1940, de Wohl noted that Hitler's horoscope showed he was facing imminent danger and that any 'new enterprise' he attempted would fail. Wrong again. Three months later, Nazi forces swept through Denmark and Norway, followed by the Netherlands, Belgium and France. At the time, the idea was widespread that Hitler himself relied on astrology and superstition when making crucial decisions. Indeed, on March 6, 1940, the minutes of a secret Foreign Office propaganda department meeting noted that the Nazi leader 'believes in astrology and had employed the services of an astrologer.' Hitler was said to follow numerology, a belief in radiesthesia (the ability to detect the presence of objects by use of pendulums and rods) and his lucky number was seven, which was why he took his most dramatic actions on Sundays. Romania's ambassador to Britain, Viorel Virgil Tilea, believed the Fuhrer's astrologer was a German-Swiss man called Karl-Ernst Krafft, who had been studying the 16-Century seer Nostradamus and was convinced that some of his sayings could be read as forecasts of Germany's rise from ruin to triumph under Hitler. Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, more cynically, saw that the prophecies could be deployed as propaganda weapons. In early 1940 and relying on Nostradamus, Krafft predicted that the Allies would collapse under German attack. These observations were printed in pamphlets and distributed across Germany to boost morale, and translated into French, Dutch and English in the hope of provoking a sense of inevitable British and French defeat. An article in the London Evening Standard published on August 19, 1952 which describes de Wohl as a 'prophet in Mayfair' Krafft was encouraged by SS chief Heinrich Himmler - a fervent follower of astrology like deputy Fuhrer Rudolph Hess - to write to the Romanian ambassador, Tilea, in London, describing the positive astrological portents of German victory, in a bid to undermine the ambassador's confidence in the Allies. Though unconvinced by Krafft's predictions, Tilea concluded that the British needed to adopt counter-measures by employing their own astrologer. Who better than Louis de Wohl, who Tilea himself consulted? And so the dinner was arranged with Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax and de Wohl's subsequent employment by SOE. He also met Rear Admiral John Godfrey, Director of Naval Intelligence, who was described as 'exacting, inquisitive, energetic.. [with a] quick and penetrating mind.' He insisted on his officers rigorously assessing all intelligence for reliability and warned against 'crystal ball gazing.' Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books, served in Naval Intelligence during the war as Godfrey's assistant and partly based the spy's MI6 boss 'M' on him. Yet Godfrey seemed to have fallen for de Wohl's story about Hitler's reliance on astrologers. On September 30, 1940, Godfrey sent notes to the First Lord of the Admiralty, the First Sea Lord, Admiral of the Fleet and the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff declaring: 'Hitler attaches importance to advice tendered to him by astrologers It seems probably that Hitler would not take personal charge of an enterprise unless the stars favour him.' Godfrey suggested setting up 'a group of sincere astrologers' headed by de Wohl to analyse the Fuhrer's 'astrological aspects' to work out his next move. De Wohl's proposal to study Hitler's horoscope for clues to the timing of a German invasion was even seriously discussed by the War Cabinet Chiefs of Staff Committee in October 1940. De Wohl had concluded that the period starting from October 19, was 'favourable' in Hitler's horoscope, so 'increased vigilance' against an invasion was necessary. Romania's ambassador to Britain, Viorel Virgil Tilea (pictured), believed the Fuhrer's astrologer was a German-Swiss man called Karl-Ernst Krafft, who had been studying the 16-Century seer Nostradamus and was convinced that some of his sayings could be read as forecasts of Germany's rise from ruin to triumph under Hitler Other advice included that after the middle of February 1941, Hitler's 'aspects' would become bad again, so 'his interest must be to finish us off until February latest...The Neptune position may make him believe in fog being an ally for an invasion.' In truth, Hitler had ordered the indefinite postponement of the invasion of Britain on September 17, 1940. So why was the normally sceptical Director of Naval Intelligence so impressed, almost infatuated, by de Wohl? Ian Fleming's brother Peter, also an Intelligence officer, later wrote that in the atmosphere of those 'exciting months', with intelligence scarce and invasion seemingly imminent, 'almost anything was worth trying.' At the height of the invasion scare, Military Intelligence even employed a water diviner called 'Smokey Joe' who claimed he could reveal from afar the movements of German troop-carrier barges. He was eventually exposed as a charlatan. Meanwhile, de Wohl's handler at MI5, Major Gilbert Lennox, thought the astrologer might at least have valuable insights about German psychology, useful in countering Nazi propaganda. And his SOE boss, Charles Hambro, believed him to be a 'perfectly splendid chap.' But others disagreed. Dick White, assistant director of head of MI5's B division, thought de Wohl a 'charlatan and an imposter,' writing: 'I don't like having decisionsmade by reference to the stars rather than MI5.' Naturally, some wondered if de Wohl was playing a double game with British Intelligence: was he a potential fifth columnist, a Nazi plant? An MI6 officer in Chile, where de Wohl's wife was inexplicably living and to whom he sent telegrams, had been seen regularly with known Nazis - receiving many batches of airmail letters from Germany. Was de Wohl communicating with Berlin through her? Despite having been given the rank and pay of a captain and an Army uniform, he was still closely watched. De Wohl continued providing reports on what astrological advice Hitler was likely receiving. However, his insights continued, often, to be spectacularly wrong. On the basis that Hitler's 'aspects' were bad, de Wohl doubted he would intervene in Greece. Also, King George of Greece's horoscope revealed improving 'splendid' aspects in May 1941. There were stories - unsubstantiated - that prime minister Winston Churchill was sympathetic towards astrology In fact, German troops entered Athens on April 27, 1941. Greece became occupied and King George was forced into exile. Moreover, de Wohl's analyses of Hitler's horoscope in 1940 and 1941 failed to reveal the biggest story of all: that he intended to break the Nazi-Soviet pact and invade the Soviet Union. Nor did he foresee Rudolf Hess's flight to Britain by Messerchmitt on the night of May 10, 1941, to discuss a peace plan. In response to Hess's failed mission and his imprisonment by the British, the Nazi leadership suggested that astrology might have been to blame for this embarrassing event. Hess, reported the Nazi party paper, had had 'recourse to mesmerists, astrologers and the like.' What followed became known as Aktion Hess - with the Gestapo arresting hundreds of astrologers, occultists, faith healers and other 'swindlers'. Goebbels wrote sarcastically in his diary: 'Oddly enough, not a single clairvoyant predicted that he would be arrested.' Among those jailed was Karl-Ernst Krafft. Unaware of this, de Wohl persisted in claiming that Krafft was Hitler's personal astrologer. It was becoming clear that what de Wohl had to reveal about the workings of Hitler's mind and his 'luck' was disappointingly limited. However, it was thought his 'knowledge' could be used to discredit pro-German propaganda spread by Nazi agents in America, and to win support for Washington's participation in the war. De Wohl was despatched to New York in June 1941 on this 'astrological mission'. The SOE War Diary was explicit. He was sent 'to carry out anti-Hitler propaganda'. But was it, also, a convenient opportunity to remove a man that some in British Intelligence were beginning to see as a nuisance? Probably both played a part. Certainly, an SOE officer who delivered de Wohl's wages took an intense dislike to him, describing him as 'a right swindler ... you never met such a character. He was up to everything and he was paid a lot of money' Intriguingly, back in Britain, his post was intercepted, including one letter from an Austrian woman called Marielen Critchley who had married an Englishman and who had an extra-marital affair with future prime minister David Cameron's grandfather. Regardless of suspicions, de Wohl played his part in the US, with the Press calling him a 'modern Nostradamus'. The New York Sun quoted him prophesying that Hitler would be dead by the year's end, and that he was slowly going insane. It was suggested that de Wohl's 'undoubted talents as a propagandist' should be employed by the Political Warfare Executive. The unit's head, Sefton Delmer (pictured), recalled meeting with 'this famous Berlin-born astrologer... a vast, spectacled jellyfish of a man in the uniform of a British army captain' At the same time, at de Wohl's instigation, the Colonial Services spread predictions around the world via soothsayers and astrologers of Hitler's imminent demise. This, the astrologer believed, would destabilise the Nazi leader, perhaps even accelerating his death. He forecast the violent death of his mistress, Eva Braun, and condemned American isolationists, particularly the aviator Charles Lindbergh, whose baby son had been abducted and murdered in 1932. De Wohl claimed the boy was still alive and 'being raised in a Nazi school in East Prussia to become a future fuhrer'. This truly was the deepest black propaganda. Despite de Wohl's best efforts, it was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, that brought America into the war. Britain was no longer alone. The Soviet Union and the US were now in the fight against Germany. De Wohl was recalled to Britain. MI5 and SOE discussed what to do with their man. Was he still useful or should he be interned as an enemy alien? An SOE security officer wrote that while de Wohl's work in the US had been 'quite satisfactory,' there was no intention of offering him further employment. Memoranda passed back and forth between MI5 officers. One wrote 'there is no case for interning him...' but since he was 'potentially highly dangerous', there were 'two possible ways of dealing with him'. Those two ways set out in de Wohl's MI5 file have been obscured so as to be unreadable. But did one involve having him removed from the scene by being killed? It has to be considered a possibility. Instead, he was put on leave with full pay, while another MI5 officer warned: 'He might become a very dangerous enemy owing to the considerable influence his charlatanism enables him to exert over the superstitious in high places' The identities of these people 'in high places' were never spelt out but there is one intriguing entry in de Wohl's MI5 personal file. It says: 'From Major Morton, enclosing report by Mrs Churchill' and refers to an attachment. The typing has been scored through and the attachment destroyed. Mrs Churchill was, of course, the Prime Minister's wife and Major Desmond Morton was Churchill's personal assistant and his specialist adviser on intelligence matters. Had de Wohl been touting astrological advice to 10 Downing Street, invited or uninvited? There were stories - unsubstantiated - that Winston Churchill was sympathetic towards astrology. Despite his limitations a forecaster, it was suggested that de Wohl's 'undoubted talents as a propagandist' should be employed by the Political Warfare Executive. The unit's head, Sefton Delmer, recalled meeting with 'this famous Berlin-born astrologer... a vast, spectacled jellyfish of a man in the uniform of a British army captain, puffing over-dimensional rings of smoke from an over-dimensional cigarAs I nervously put forward my views on what I rather hoped the stars might be foretelling, he frowned at me with terrifying ferocity.' Nonetheless, de Wohl delivered what Delmer wanted, writing astrological predictions for fake editions of a German astrology magazine, der Zenit, covertly distributed in Germany and elsewhere, calculated to sow worries in the minds of Germans such as U-boat crews setting out to sea. He also produced a booklet on Nostradamus, with the prophetic verses doctored to predict Hitler's demise. But the intelligence services saw less and less value in him, particularly as he had a habit of boasting about his work. After 1943, his services were no longer required, and he returned to writing and even acting, playing Hermann Goering in a film. Did de Wohl truly believe he could help Britain's war effort through his astrological insights into Hitler's mind? The conundrum at the centre of de Wohl's relationship with British Intelligence was always that, far from depending on astrology, Hitler had made it plain that he rejected and despised it. A psychological study of Hitler by the United States' Office of Strategic Security, forerunner of the CIA, had quoted informants who had known him personally: all agreed that the idea he was advised by astrologers was absurd. Hitler had denounced horoscopes as 'another swindle' and forbidden the practice of star-reading. He never met Krafft, 'whose collaboration with Hitler,' de Wohl had claimed he could 'prove.' Perhaps a genuine contempt for the Nazis combined with his need for money, security and recognition led de Wohl to offer the only thing he had, astrology, to contribute to the defeat of Nazism. For years after the war, he remained under MI5 surveillance. Was this simply a case of 'once in our files, always in our files'? Surely he was no longer suspected of being a possible Nazi plant after three years co-operating with British Intelligence, working for the SOE in the US and the Political Warfare Executive in London? There were always accusations, rumours to keep the pot boiling. For his part, de Wohl moved away from astrology and returned to the Catholic faith in which he had been brought up. Was this an admission that he had never really thought the stars played a part in human affairs? Did de Wohl genuinely believe the stories about Hitler's reliance on astrology or were they simply something he found useful? It is impossible to tell about this man around whom an air of masquerade always hung. What is certain is that Louis de Wohl's wartime memoir was heavily censored to limit the embarrassment of it becoming public. As one MI5 officer put it: 'The utterances of public menwere influenced by the mumbo-jumbo of astrology' in one of the most curious episodes of the war. James Parris, 2021. Edited extract from The Astrologer by James Parris published by The History Press. Available from Waterstones for 20 A group of police officers in Pakistan flipped out when a takeaway joint refused to hand over free burgers, detaining 19 staff from the branch. Workers at the trendy chain Johnny & Jugnu in the eastern city of Lahore were rounded up and held for seven hours overnight on Saturday, the restaurant said. In a statement published on their Facebook page on June 12, the fast food chain said: 'We write this with a grave heart, much anger and disappointment. 'This was not the first time something like this has happened with our kitchen teams at our restaurant, but we want to make sure this is the last.' A group of police officers in Pakistan detained 19 staff from Johnny & Jugnu in Lahore on Saturday night, rounding them up and detaining them for seven hours (stock image) The incident occurred around 1am, with 19 staff members 'locked up at the station for the entire night'. Two days before, the restaurant said that police officers had been in and requested free burgers, which was refused. In the statement, they added: 'The police offers threatened our Managers and left, only to return the next day to further harass and pressurize our teams on ground with baseless arguments, asking them to close the restaurant.' The restaurant said that their manager was taken into custody on June 11, before police 'emptied out' the entire branch and took their kitchen crew and the rest of the managers. It added: 'They forced them to leave everything as it was, leaving behind unattended kitchens, with our fryers still running, customers waiting for their orders. They did not allow anyone to even close down the kitchens or tend to customers. 'For almost seven hours in the night, they kept our team locked up, harassing them, pushing them around, all for not giving them free burgers, for not entertaining a "request from a very high profile special guest".' In a statement posted on Facebook, they said it 'was not the first time something like this has happened' and that most of those arrested were young people. Senior provincial police official Inam Ghani said on Twitter that nine police officers involved were suspended (stock image) Restaurant staff told AFP that most of those arrested were young people, including many university students. Following outcry among fans, nine police officers involved were suspended yesterday, senior provincial police official Inam Ghani said on Twitter. Ghani said: 'No one is allowed to take the law into his own hands.' Pakistan's police officers are notorious for corruption and for demanding kickbacks from local businesses. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for a reform of Punjab's police force, saying 'cronies' had been appointed by politicians to control police stations. Advertisement Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have come face-to-face in Geneva for the first time as world leaders for crunch talks as the pair try to find some common ground amid the most strained US-Russian relations in years. The world watched both men closely to see whether the two nuclear-armed adversaries got along, and MailOnline has recruited a pair of trained eyes to reveal how the two presidents approached the summit. Body language expert Robin Kermode has been watching the summit closely, with each glance and gesture scrutinized to see what it can tell us about two of the world's most-powerful men. From 'head boy' Biden's over-eagerness to please and reliance on notes, to 'school bully' Putin's relaxed air and resigned demeanor, here are his takes on events in Geneva... What we saw: Biden and Putin shake hands on the steps of Villa la Grange, in Geneva, as they come face-to-face for the first time since Biden became president. What the expert saw: Hand sanitizer at the ready, they've obviously both agreed to go for the traditional handshake. Here we see equal power in both hands. Note Biden's strong thumb which belies the over-energised facial expressions - he is trying a little too hard to be welcoming. Putin has the upper hand here with confident, lowered chin and classic camera gaze. It's also interesting that all the aides around them are wearing masks but they are not. The full handshake suggests an open dialogue and honest intentions. A mask and an elbow bump is hardly entente cordialle. What we saw: Biden and Putin are shown into the hallway where they wait for a few moments before going into the library for their talks to take place . What the expert saw: We could all be forgiven for thinking that there is a very bad smell in the room The poker faces with downturned lip corners, jaw tension and fixed faces suggest two men trying to make the best of a distasteful situation. What we saw: Biden and Putin are shown into the library ahead of several hours of tense talks What the expert saw: The moment of tension as they both wait. Biden plays the professional political game, the poker player as if to say, 'I might even have three aces, you just don't know'. Putin's raised eyebrows, tension in his left hand, displacement activity with his right hand playing with the chair arm and the considered nonchalant look upwards with a defiant lean back in the chair suggest a petulant teenager accused of kicking the ball through the science block window. What we saw: Biden and Putin smile for the cameras before photographers are told to leave so talks can start What the expert saw: Both have softened a little as things get under way. But both men have clearly decided how they are going to play this one today. Biden still more upright and formal. Looking a tad like the school Head Boy. Putin playing passive aggressive, high status by leaning back - almost slouched in the chair. Both his hands are still very active though, suggesting someone ready to move into action if necessary. Looking a tad like the school bully. What we saw: Biden collects a stack of flash cards and tucks them into his jacket pocket What the expert saw: Really interesting that Biden takes up his notes. Putin might well have notes on the desk but he doesn't touch them. Holding notes is not just a sign of wanting to keep your mind on track, it's also a comforter a gesture that aids displacement activity. That is why people feel more comfortable if they hold a pen when giving a talk. What we saw: Biden waves to the cameras after meeting Swiss President Guy Parmelin at the Villa La Grange in Geneva, where the summit will take place What the expert saw: Biden looking like he's try hard to appear open. The hand is a little too wide and the smile a little too broad compared with the tension around the jaw and the eyes. Parmelin's soft shoulders and open mouth suggesting there is nothing he can do to help the inevitable What we saw: Putin is greeted by President Parmelin and waves to the cameras before entering the Villa La Grange What the expert saw: Putin almost doing a Norman Wisdom here 'The Cheeky Putin'. He uncharacteristically lowers his shoulder and neck and is attempting something a genuine smile. His hand is less forced open than Biden's. What we saw: Putin, Parmelin and Biden pause for a joint photo opportunity on the steps of Villa de la Grange What the expert saw: All three men looking very stilted. All have lip corner edges heading distinctly downwards. There seems little chance at this stage of even a faint smile. Biden standing as if for a penalty shoot out, covering America's crown jewels, Parmelin's hands are looking more resigned as if to say. 'The ball is going to come, it's going to come hard and there's no way this is not going to hurt.' Putin looking like he's been caught by the head teacher and he know's there's no way out of a detention, irritating though it is to have to go through this charade. What we saw: Putin and Parmelin walk into Villa de la Grange for another photo opportunity before the summit What our expert saw: What is it with the lip tension today?! Putin's open eyes and raised eyebrows suggest resignation about something that just has to done, catching the camera self-consciously as Ricky Gervais might have done in The Office. What we saw: Biden and Putin exchange words in the hall of Villa de la Grange before being shown in to the library What our expert saw: Always difficult to read a still picture without complete context but neither's eyes are open, suggested a pretty guarded stance. They are physically very close here with Biden not having to reach from his shoulders at all. For most people this would feel unnaturally and uncomfortably close but they seem comfortable with this. Putin, as usual, keeps his chin down and looks as if raising his head might make him look shorter and subservient. I can't help feeling that this looks like the head of a family giving gentle advice to a wayward nephew. Robin Kermode is one of Europes leading communication coaches. This is the shocking moment a hooded thug battered a man with a cobblestone on a street in New York City, The assailant had stalked the victim for several blocks prior to the attack in Mott Haven, which left the man requiring brain surgery. According to police, the victim had been walking on Brook Avenue near East 147th Street at just before 5am on the morning of Wednesday, June 9 when the brutal attack took place. Footage from a nearby CCTV camera shows the thug striking the victim, who falls to the ground. This is the shocking moment a hooded thug battered a man with a cobblestone on a street in New York City The assailant had stalked the victim for several blocks prior to the attack in Mott Haven, which left the man requiring brain surgery The attack continues as the assailant kicks and punches the man, as well as stomping on his head and back. The victim eventually manages to get up before the suspect grabs another nearby stone and hits him over the head. The suspect fled the scene on foot, heading eastbound on East 147th Street, and remains at large. The victim, covered in blood, lost consciousness and was later discovered by a woman who called 911. Paramedics arrived and the man was rushed to Lincoln Hospital with severe head trauma, where he underwent brain surgery. He remains in a severe yet stable condition. The suspect, pictured left and right, was last seen wearing a light grey sweater, grey shorts, and black shoes Police are now searching for the suspect. Investigations are ongoing. The NYPD have released the above surveillance images in hopes the public could help identify the attacker. The suspect was last seen wearing a light grey sweater, grey shorts, and black shoes. California's Death Valley could soon break its own 1913 record for the hottest air temperature ever reported on Earth as an unrelenting heat wave grips the Southwest. From Wednesday to Saturday, Death Valley temperatures could come within 10 degrees or less of that all-time high of 134 degrees Fahrenheit, which was set during a five-day heat wave in July 1913, according to AccuWeather. The forecast predicts temperatures will reach highs in the mid-120s each day in Death Valley, which is a long, narrow basin nearly 300 feet below sea level. In comparison, the average high for mid-June is 110 degrees. It's a hot area because its surface is barebone rock and soil, which radiates heat back but it never escapes. The hot air is walled in by steep mountain ranges, which traps heat in valley's depths. The entire Southwest region has been dealing with 100-plus degree heat for more than a week, and those temperatures are expected to continue - and even rise in some areas - this weekend. Forecasters say this current heat wave won't just be remembered for its intensity, but also for its duration, AccuWeather meteorologists said. It's straining electrical grids and drying up water supplies and vegetation, which creates a combustible concoction for wild fires, and affecting 40 to 50 million people in the region. Temperatures have already shattered dozens of record highs across the region, including California, Arizona, Montana and Idaho, and more are expected to fall this weekend, according to AccuWeather. The Southwest heat wave is expected to continue with dangerous heat this week The heat wave is shattering records across the Southwest and is expected to continue through the weekend This is a list of projected record-breaking temperatures this week Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California holds the record for highest air temperature ever recorded in Death Valley at 134F on July 10, 1913. That will be challenged this week The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat watch that will be in effect from through Wednesday evening along the Los Angeles County Coast and excessive heat watch will be in effect through Friday night. The California power grid operator issued warnings and encouraged residents to conserve when possible. 'Although no outages or other power disruptions are anticipated right now,' the California Independent System Operator (ISO) said in a statement. 'ISO could take a number of actions to reduce demand and access additional energy.' The Texas' power grid operator already urged residents in a Monday statement to reduce electric use as much as possible until Friday because there are a significant number of power plants offline. While states try to conserve the power usage, officials and first responders are considered about droughts and wildfires. More than 20 large wildfires are already burning in Arizona, California and other parts of the West, according to Axios. Visitors walk near a sign warning of extreme heat danger on August 17, 2020 in Death Valley National Park, California An unofficial thermometer is mounted at Furnace Creek Visitor Center on August 17, 2020 in Death Valley National Park, California, which was three degrees shy of the 1913 record AccuWeather forecasters are calling for the highest temperatures this week Approximately 89 percent of the western US is experiencing drought conditions, with more than half reported to be in 'extreme' and 'exceptional' drought, reported The Weather Channel, and this region is on track for its most severe drought in history. In Las Vegas could pass its highest temperature on record, which is 117F, prompting the National Weather Service forecast office in Las Vegas to issue a warning of significant threats to life and infrastructure from Monday through Saturday as the heat builds and refuses to relent. Lake Mead, the reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in southern Nevada, is at a historic all-time low of just 34.7 percent. And Lake Powell, along the Colorado River and in parts of Utah and Arizona, dried up some much that its riverbed can be seen from space, as it only has received 39.4 percent of its average water inflow since the start of the year. A convicted paedophile was found dead following a fire at his home just weeks after details of his crimes had been shared on social media. Police have launched a murder investigation and named the victim as 47-year-old Steven McGowan as a 25-year-old man has been questioned over his death. Mr McGowan had lived in the downstairs flat for around two years and had previously got on well with his neighbours in the seaside town of Marske, North Yorks. But in the weeks leading up to the fire, it became known that he had served a five-year sentence for indecently assaulting two teenage girls and a previous two-year sentence for using his phone to spy on young girls at a local swimming pool. Press reports from his convictions began circulating on Facebook and his flat was targeted by vandals who smashed his windows at least six times prior to his death, neighbours said. Then, at 2.15am on June 9, neighbours heard two loud bangs and rushed outside to see thick smoke and flames bursting from the windows of Mr McGowan's flat. Firefighters contacted Cleveland Police and found Mr McGowan's body inside. Convicted paedophile Steven McGowan has been found dead at his home in Marske, North Yorks, after details of his crimes were shared widely on Facebook in weeks before his death Pictured: Forensics on scene after fire at Steven McGowan's house where his body was found The force have released the 25-year-old man on suspicion of murder while the investigation continues. Detectives have appealed for information on 'antisocial behaviour' directed at the area around Mr McGowan's flat in the time leading to his death. A friend of Steven's told how the previously talkative dog lover had become a recluse after his windows were repeatedly smashed. The man, who declined to be named, said: 'Steve seemed to be alright, he talked to his neighbours and he got on well with people. 'I don't know how it came out but it became known he was a convicted paedophile and people started calling him a n***e. 'There were news reports from when he was jailed being shared on Facebook and suddenly everybody knew what he'd done, he'd been outed. 'People started smashing his windows. It started a month to six weeks ago and in that time it must have happened five or six times. 'From being a guy who liked to chat and was friendly, he turned into a recluse, he never left his flat and you'd never see him even to wave through the window. Pictured: Neighbours described hearing loud bangs on last Wednesday and came outside to see Mr McGowan's home, where he had lived for two years, engulfed in flames and thick smoke Police investigators were witnessed putting cordon in place and a blue forensic tent on scene 'Then last Wednesday night we just heard 'bang, bang' and everyone was out because his flat was on fire. 'It was a shock to find out he was dead. At first people were saying he'd set the place alight himself using petrol because he was so sick of the abuse he'd been getting. 'People were saying on Facebook that he and deserved what he got but that's really harsh. He was someone's son or someone's brother, his death isn't something to celebrate.' In September 2013, father-of-two McGowan first appeared at Teesside Crown Court. He was accused of slipping a mobile phone under the partition wall to take pictures of two young girls in a changing cubicle at Splash swimming baths, in Stockton on Tees, Co Durham. McGowan was convicted of indecently assaulting two girls in 2014 at Teeside Crown Court The incident led police to find 5,200 child abuse images on computer equipment in his home and he was jailed for two years. While serving this sentence, McGowan was back before the courts when a young woman reported him to police after she saw reporting of this case in the press. She told how McGowan repeatedly sexually abused her several years ago, when she was in her teens. A court heard how he groomed her, giving her vodka and cannabis, buying her underwear and asking her to sleep in his bed, which she declined. The second victim was also in her teens when McGowan touched her intimately, with another child present at the time. A judge jailed him for an additional five years in June 2014 and he was placed on the sex offenders register for life. Detective Chief Inspector Pete Carr, who is leading the investigation, said: 'We continue to appeal to anyone who has information, including dashcam or CCTV, to contact us on 101, reference 093555. 'We are not just interested in information relating to June 9 but we also want to hear from people who may have seen antisocial behaviour in this area before Wednesday.' Sydney is on edge after a second positive Covid-19 case emerged in the community, adding to a rapidly growing list of 19 exposure sites which has plunged hundreds into isolation. A man in his 60s from Bondi in Sydney's east became the first case of community transmission in 40 days in New South Wales, with his household contact also recording a positive result late on Wednesday. The initial case, who is understood to be unvaccinated, works as an airport driver and his role includes transporting international flight crew. Health officials are confident this is where he contracted the virus, but genomic testing is underway to determine where the mystery infection came from - and crucially whether it is a dangerous mutant variant, which are wreaking havoc overseas. Contact tracers are now frantically scrambling to track down hundreds of people after two busy shopping centres - Westfield in Bondi Junction and East Village in Zetland - were added as Covid exposure sites. There has been a total of 19 venues across six suburbs added to the spiralling list of hotspots in just one day, including cafes, a movie cinema, shops and a cross-city bus route. Six suburbs have been listed as having Covid-19 exposure sites, spreading from North Ryde in Sydney's north-west to Redfern in the inner-west and Bondi in the east A nurse conducts a Covid-19 test at the Bondi Beach testing clinic in Sydney's eastern suburbs. The drive-through centre saw huge queues on Wednesday night after the exposure sites were announced The man visited a number of venues at Westfield Bondi Junction (pictured) while infected with Covid - the first community case in NSW in 40 days The worrying infections come after it was also revealed a couple in hotel quarantine, staying at the Radisson Blu in the city's CBD infected a man staying in the opposite room. All three cases are confirmed to be the UK strain, known officially as the Alpha variant, which is highly infectious. The shock case prompted officials in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory to bring in rules saying anyone who has been to the NSW venues must isolate immediately. The list of potential exposure sites included a number of stores at Westfield Bondi Junction, which the infected man visited on multiple occasions. Contact tracers are racing to find Sydneysiders who visited various exposure sites including a David Jones store, a cinema, several cafes and restaurants and a bakery in the city's east and north-west between June 11 and June 15. The airport worker first attended the Belle Cafe in Vaucluse on June 11 between 9.15am-9.50am and returned on June 12, June 13 and June 14 at various times. He also attended Sourdough Bakery at Westfield Bondi Junction between 12.40pm-1.10pm on June 11. The news of a new locally-acquired case sparked long queues at the Bondi drive-through testing clinic (pictured on Wednesday night) which saw opening hours extended from 4pm to 10pm to accommodate the surge East Village shopping centre in Zetland, inner-Sydney, has been listed as a Covid exposure site - including its Coles supermarket - after an infected person visited on Monday He returned to the shopping centre the following day where he shopped in David Jones between 11am-11.40am and Myer between 11.40am-12.15pm. The infected man attended a movie screening of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard at Event Cinemas Bondi Junction on Sunday afternoon, June 13 for the 1.45pm screening. Anyone who attended the 1.45pm screening in cinema 1 at the venue on June 13 is ordered to get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result. Other movie goers who were at the cinema on Sunday between 1.30pm-4pm are ordered to get tested and self isolate until further notice from authorities. He also dined at two Vaucluse restaurants including Washoku on June 12 between 12pm-1.30pm and Rocco's on June 14 between 10.55am-11.30am. The most recent venue he visited was the Celeste Catering Macquarie Park Cemetery Cafe in North Ryde on June 15 between 1pm-1.20pm. Authorities are scrambling to track down hundreds of shoppers he may have exposed the virus to at another popular Westfield shopping centre. Pictured: Westfield Bondi Junction Customers wearing face masks at Westfield Bondi Junction. Contact tracers are racing to find hundreds of people who may have been exposed to the virus in the shopping centre There are reports the frontline worker was not vaccinated, despite vaccines being offered to those working in the quarantine sector since March. Contact tracers are in the process of identifying and calling close contacts and ordering them to get tested and isolate. 'Urgent investigations into the source of the infection and contact tracing are underway, as is genome sequencing,' a NSW Health Statement read. Other venues thought to have been visited by the second positive case include the Coles East Village Shopping Centre in Zetland on Monday June 14 from 11.00am-1pm. A couple donning face masks are pictured walking nearby a David Jones store which was flagged as a Covid exposure spot The National Australia Bank branch in Bondi Junction shopping centre (pictured) has been listed as an exposure site The infected person also went to Taste Growers between the same times on the same date and then visited Wax Car Wash Cafe in Redfern on Monday June 14 from 12pm-3pm. Bondi Junction's Harry's Coffee and Kitchen and the National Australia Bank branch in Westfield were also added to the list late on Wednesday, along with the Field to Fork eatery in Vaucluse. Sydney's 200 Bus from Bondi Junction to North Sydney was another hot spot flagged by NSW Health. With long lines already forming at drive-thru clinics in the city's east, testing centres extended hours until 10pm for the next three nights to meet public demand. Bondi JunctionHarry's Coffee and Kitchen (picured) has been listed as an exposure site Another three positive cases at the Radisson (pictured) arrived into Sydney on the same flight from Doha in Qatar on June 1 Archaeologists are set to return to a ship wreck off the French coast in the hope of conclusively proving that it is that of the White Ship, which sank 900 years ago with the only heir of King Henry I on board. Experts from the Institute of Digital Archaeology dived on the site, near Barfleur, northern France, last week and found the remains of a vessel which they believe is the famous ship. They were joined historian Earl Spencer, the late Princess Diana's brother, who last year released a bestselling book on the White Ship's sinking. It was carrying royal heir William Aethling and many other members of the Anglo-Norman nobility when it sank after hitting the notorious Quillebuf Rock on November 25, 1120. It had only just left the Normandy coast and had been bound for Southampton. Everyone on board - bar one lucky butcher - was killed, leading to a succession crisis and civil war in England. Now, IDA director Roger Michel has exclusively revealed to MailOnline that his team will return to the wreck on July 6 in the hope of conclusively proving that it is the prestigious vessel they believe it to be. His team will use ground-penetrating radar in the hope of being able to see the parts of the vessel which are now embedded beneath the sea bed. Mr Michel also shared a stunning video showing what he said is almost certainly part of the ship's deck, which is now covered in sea weed after nearly 1,000 years underwater. Historian Earl Spencer (left) last week joined experts as they dived on the wreck site of the White Ship, which sank in 1120, killing King Henry I's only heir. Pictured: Earl Spencer with Roger Michel, the director of the Institute for Digital Archaeology, during the expedition The IDA team have already created a 3D reconstruction of the vessel, which they are not yet able to share. Mr Michel, who studied at Oxford University with Earl Spencer, said: 'Our early analysis of the data that we collected last week, including 3D reconstruction, points strongly to this being the remains of the White Ship. 'The size, shape, location and materials are all an excellent match and there is no record of a comparable ship sinking in this area.' On July 6, IDA experts will also make scans of the Quillebuf Rock and will measure the sea currents in the area before making an animation of the course of the vessel's sinking. Last week, the IDA team travelled with Earl Spencer from Lymington Harbour, Hampshire, to the site, which had not previously been explored. The other experts on the trip were engineer and physicist Dr Alexy Karenowska and marine archaeology specialists Giles Richardson and Holger Schumann. The IDA experts are set to return to the ship wreck next month in the hope of conclusively proving that it is that of the White Ship. Above: Mr Michel shared with MailOnline a stunning video showing what he said is almost certainly part of the ship's deck, which is now covered in sea weed after nearly 1,000 years underwater Next month, his team will use ground-penetrating radar in the hope of being able to see the parts of the vessel which are embedded beneath the sea bed Mr Michel said last week: 'This is an incredibly exciting discovery. Apparently no one has employed modern digital technology to search for wreck of the White Ship previously, so the site has remained relatively undisturbed. 'While we had hoped to find some archaeological evidence of the wreck, we knew the chances were slim due to the long passage of time and the strong tidal currents in the area. 'To have located pieces of a ship that match the construction techniques and scale of the White Ship is incredibly exciting -- and potentially very significant. 'We look forward to returning to the site in the next two weeks to learn more.' Earl Spencer added: 'It's one thing to write about the mother of all shipwrecks - quite another to take part in a dive to see if anything at all remains of her, 900 years on. The ship was carrying royal heir William Aethling and many other members of the Anglo-Norman nobility when it sank after hitting the notorious Quillebuf Rock (pictured) on November 25, 1120 The other experts on the trip were engineer and physicist Dr Alexy Karenowska and marine archaeology specialists Giles Richardson (left) and Holger Schumann (right) Giles Richardson is seen coming to the surface during the dive on the White Ship's wreck site 'When Roger Michel offered this opportunity, I didn't hesitate to say "yes - let's do it!" It's been an incredibly exciting journey.' King Henry I was the fourth son of William the Conqueror, who led the successful Norman invasion of Britain in 1066, in which English forces were defeated at the Battle of Hastings. His son and only heir, William Aetheling, had embarked on the White Ship to follow his father from Normandy to England on the night of November 25 in 1120. On board with William were his siblings - Henry's illegitimate son Richard of Lincoln and his illegitimate daughter Matilda - and many other nobles. Mr Michel said last week: 'This is an incredibly exciting discovery. Apparently no one has employed modern digital technology to search for wreck of the White Ship previously, so the site has remained relatively undisturbed'. Pictured: The divers scour the wreck site Earl Spencer outlined in his book, titled The White Ship - Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I's Dream' - how everyone on board had been drinking wine. With their drunkenness perhaps to blame, the ship hit the notorious Quilleboeuf rock shortly after leaving Barfleur harbour and its hull was ruptured. The vessel quickly capsized and everyone on board was thrown in to the sea. Although William had been bundled into the ship's single longboat by his bodyguards, he fatefully ordered his men to turn the vessel around to save his beloved sister Matilda la Perche. The ship sank just a mile from Barfleur Harbour on November 25, 1120. The passengers had been headed for Southampton The longboat was quickly swamped as the drowning members of the elite desperately tried to clamber aboard. The vessel then capsized, leading to the death of William, his sister and everyone else apart from a butcher from Rouen, named Berold. It was his witness testimony which forms the basis of current knowledge about what happened. The White Ship - Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I's Dream was published last year Earl Spencer explained in his book how the sinking and loss of life was not only a devastating personal tragedy for King Henry, but also for the wider Anglo-Norman ruling class. As well as William and his brother and sister, 18 countesses drowned, along with numerous knights. Expanding on the gravity of the disaster, Earl Spencer said in a tweet last August: 'Imagine the Titanic, but with the heir to the throne, his siblings, cousins, & many of the leading political & military men aboard. Only one man survived to tell the tale.' The ship's sinking was a disaster for England because it suddenly made the royal succession a dangerous uncertainty. Now that there was no clear male heir, Henry had to look to his legitimate daughter, who was also named Matilda. However, on his death in 1135, Henry's nephew Stephen took up arms against Matilda, prompting a near 20-year civil war which was known as The Anarchy. The conflict finally ended in 1153, shortly before Stephen died of a fever and Matilda's son became King Henry II. Thousands of Victorians will likely have to wait another three weeks to have their power reconnected under revised estimates to fix damage caused by last week's wild storms. AusNet, the energy provider to the state's east and northeast, confirmed initial repair estimates had been wrong for the Dandenong Ranges. With about 9,000 properties and businesses across the state's east still without power, the energy company said the worst-affected Dandenongs areas should prepare to be off the grid until July 10. 'We are deeply sorry. We now understand the extent of the damage and scale of the recovery and repair ahead,' AusNet said in a statement on Wednesday night. Some Victorians will be waiting another three weeks to have their power reconnected after last week's wild weather (pictured in Kilsyth, Melbourne) 'This will affect three thousand customers in Ferny Creek, Kalorama, Mount Dandenong, Olinda, Sassafras, Sherbrooke, The Basin, Tremont and Upwey. 'As we progress through repairs, the power will gradually come back on across the region.' It comes as nearby residents of three storm-hit Yarra Ranges suburbs have been told not to drink tap water until further notice. The Department of Health issued an urgent warning on Wednesday morning to people who live, work or are in Kallista, Sherbrooke or The Patch not to drink tap water, even if it is boiled, due to contamination. It is expected the warning will stay in place for at least three days. 'This advice has been issued following an equipment failure at Yarra Valley Water drinking water tank due to recent severe weather,' the warning reads. 'This may result in potentially unsafe water entering the drinking water system and customer taps.' The department said special care should be taken to not ingest the water when bathing or showering. Emergency drinking water will be available at the Patch Hall and Kallista Public Hall, though people will need to bring their own bottles, pots and kettles to fill up. Two people died in the dangerous storms last week, with minor flood warnings still current for the Latrobe, Thomson and Yarra rivers. But forecast rain on Friday in the flood-affected Gippsland region is not expected to dramatically affect local river levels. East Gippsland will have 25-40mm, which could lead to minor flooding in the Snowy River, and 5-15mm is expected to fall in the west. 'It's probably not enough to result in significant impacts,' said Christopher Arvier from the Bureau of Meteorology. Wind strength is also not expected to reach last week's destructive levels. The bureau also reported much-needed rain in the northwest and west of Victoria after a dry autumn, with more forecast in the Wimmera. Utah Assistant Attorney General Steven A. Wuthric has apologized for sending a foul-mouthed email to a Salt Lake City Council member telling him to 'kindly go to hell and die motherf***er' after the politician disturbed his nap by knocking on his door. Wuthric sent the email to City Council member Darin Mano on Saturday, telling him he had been enjoying a 'lovely siesta' before he was awoken by the council member canvassing in the neighborhood. He told Mano 'I hate your family' and warned that he will 'do everything in my power to see you never get elected to any office higher than dog catcher.' The prosecutor has since issued an apology after Mano, who is Asian American and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, posted the expletive-ridden email on Facebook and condemned it as 'hate speech.' Mano said he rang Wuthric's doorbell and moved on when he received no reply. Utah's Assistant Attorney General Steven A. Wuthric (left) has apologized for sending a foul-mouthed email to a Salt Lake City council member Darin Mano (right) telling him to 'kindly go to hell and die motherf***er' after the politician disturbed his nap by knocking on his door 'On a nice Saturday afternoon, myself and my wife were downstairs when some mother f***ing ignorant son-of-b**** rang our doorbell and put your piece of s*** unwanted solicitation in our door waking the dogs and waking us and the neighbors with an uproar,' Wuthrich wrote in the email. 'I will do everything in my power to see you never get elected to any office higher than dog catcher.' Wuthrich then continued by reeling off his 'hate' of Mano, his family, campaign team and his supporters. 'I hate you, I hate your family, I hate your solicitors, I hate your contributors, I hate your sponsors, ' he wrote. The assistant AG closed out the email with: 'Kindly go to hell and die motherf***er.' Mano shared the vulgar message on his Facebook page Monday, revealing it popped in his inbox after a day of canvassing. 'After a day of canvassing and trying to reach my constituents in District 5, I came home to this hateful email,' he said. The council member, who currently serves District 5 on the Salt Lake City Council and is seeking reelection, said he felt the need to stand up against hate speech. 'As an Asian American and member of the LGBTQ+ community, I must stand up against hate speech and call it out when I see it,' he said. 'As a City Councilmember and a candidate running for election, it's my duty to reach my constituents, listen to what is important to them and make informed decisions. There's no room for hate in our city.' The council member told ABC4 he was most upset about the attacks toward his family in the email. Wuthric sent the scathing email (above) to City Council member Darin Mano Saturday telling him 'I hate your family' Mano, who is Asian American and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, posted the expletive-ridden email on Facebook and condemned it as 'hate speech' 'You'd think the 'I hope you die' would be the most shocking piece, but the most shocking is the 'I hate your family part.' Because that was the flyer we were giving out,' he said. 'It had a picture of our family on it. To have hate directed towards us, that was the hardest part,' Mano said. The council member said, while the email did not specify his race, he especially felt the need to speak out given the recent rise in hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans. Wuthrich issued a statement Tuesday apologizing for the email and putting his 'undue anger' down to him being woken from his nap. He described the disturbance as an 'interruption to my tranquility.' 'Last Saturday I was awakened from a nap and reacted with undue anger based solely on the interruption to my tranquility,' he said in a statement shared with ABC4. The council member told ABC4 he was most upset about the attacks toward his family in the email as he said he had to speak out given the recent rise in hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans He said he 'regretted the ferocity and language' he used and insisted he 'never wished harm' on Mano or his family. 'Since then I have regretted the ferocity and language of that email. My words were uncivil and unprofessional,' he said. 'From me personally I apologize to Salt Lake City Councilman Darin Mano and his family. 'I never wished harm to Mr. Mano, his family or anyone associated with him. No parent, spouse or child should be subjected to such emotional outbursts. I am deeply sorry.' Wuthrich said his outburst was nothing to do with the AG's office. 'That email was my sole responsibility and had nothing to do with my employer. The consequences for my conduct are mine alone,' he said. 'I wish Mr. Mano well in his official capacity and campaign. I am taking steps to examine my reaction and find ways to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.' Mano released a statement saying he 'appreciate[s] the apology particularly the assurance that my family is safe.' 'I'm hopeful this has been a learning experience for us all that we need to slow down, think before we react, and treat each other with kindness and respect,' he said. Mano released a statement saying he 'appreciate[s] the apology particularly the assurance that my family is safe' 'I am still Mr. Wuthrich's representative and the invitation to hear his views about Salt Lake City and District 5 remains open.' Mano added that he would leave any disciplinary action up to Wuthrich's employer and the bar association. A spokesman for Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes' office said it is 'evaluating this situation internally' when asked by DailyMail.com if any action had been taken against the prosecutor over the incident. Mano was appointed to the city council in January 2020, making him the first Asian American to sit on the Salt Lake City council. He is seeking reelection this November. He filled Mayor Erin Mendenhall's former seat so this marks the first time he will feature on the ballot. Harrowing new video has emerged of the Italian cable car tragedy which killed 14 people last month showing how close the passengers were to safety before the cabin shot down a mountain to its doom. The cable car was carrying the passengers up a mountain overlooking Lake Maggiore in the western Alps when it dropped 1,000ft away from the station shortly after 12pm on May 23. Together, the two new videos - recorded from inside and outside the mountain-side station and released by Italian media - show the 20 seconds of terror leading up to the fatal crash. One of the videos shows the carriage was just feet away from arriving at the station, when the passengers would have been unaware they would never arrive. Seconds later, a cable snaps, sending the car and the passengers inside careening back down the mountain while they were being brutally thrown around the cabin. The second video outside the station shows the car as it flew down the cables at 60mph, before ultimately crashing at the bottom, killing 14 onboard. There was just one survivor, five-year-old Eitan Biran, from Israel. Seconds from disaster: A still grab from the harrowing video shows the moments leading up to the Italian cable car crash on May 23. The cabin is seen approaching the station while a worker prepares to greet the 15 sightseers onboard The carriage almost reaches the station, before it jerks backwards as a cable snaps and shoots back down the mountain. An engineer is seen standing still in disbelief, before running frantically around the station, unsure what to do about the unfolding disaster The cable car is seen jerking backwards, causing the passengers inside to be thrown to the floor of the carriage, likely unaware of what was happening The footage - which MailOnline has chosen not to use - first shows the cabin full of sightseers looking out of the window at the spectacular views of the Italian alps. But as the carriage nears the station, a cable snaps causing it to suddenly jerk backwards, beginning 20 seconds of terror for those inside. The passengers inside are thrown to the floor of the carriage as it begins to hurtle back down the cables. Another angle shows how close the cable car got to arriving at its destination, before it started to slide back down the hill. An engineer is shown in the station preparing for the arrival of the carriage when it slows, and a second later, lurches backwards, shooting away from the station. For a moment, the man stands still in disbelief, before running frantically around the station, unsure what to do about the unfolding disaster. In a matter of seconds, the carriage reaches a pylon on the hill holding the cables, where it can be seen flying off and falling out of view behind the crest of a hill where it crashed, killing 14 people onboard. The horrifying footage shows the cabin flying back down the cable at about 60mph before it crashed down to the ground In a matter of seconds, the carriage reaches a pylon holding the cables, where it can be seen falling from them and out of view behind the crest of a hill, where it crashed Images from the crash site near the top of the Stresa-Mottarone line in the Piedmont region of the western Alps showed the crumpled car in a clearing of a thick patch of pine trees near the summit of the Mottarone peak overlooking Lake Maggiore, a popular tourist spot. May 23 was a sunny day in the area, and many families were taking advantage of the weather to enjoy a day out after lockdown. It is thought that 13 passengers were killed instantly, while two young children aged five and nine were airlifted to Turin's Regina Margherita children's hospital. Had the emergency brake worked, the car would have remained hanging on the supporting cable. Investigators are still trying to ascertain why the first cable broke. Only Eitan Biran, from Israel, miraculously survived the tragedy in the Alps, but his mother and father, younger brother and great-grandparents were all killed. Hospital spokesman Pier Paolo Berra said the other child died after several attempts to restart his heart failed and 'there was nothing more we could do'. The cable car was left a crumpled heap on the slopes of the mountain after it was sent crashing to the ground Rescuers work by the wreckage of a cable car after it collapsed near the summit of the Stresa-Mottarone line in the Piedmont region, northern Italy, May 23, 2021 The accident was Italy's worst cable car disaster since 1998, when a low-flying US military jet cut through the cable of a ski lift in Cavalese in the Dolomites, killing 20. Italy's government announced a commission to investigate the disaster, which is likely to ask questions about the quality and safety of Italy's transport infrastructure. In 2018, 43 people died when the Morandi bridge in Genoa collapsed following years of neglect. In 2009, a freight train carrying gas derailed at the Viareggio station near Lucca and exploded, killing 32 people. Poorly maintained axels of the train were blamed. Graphic shows the cable car's route after the cable snapped as the car neared the station at the top of the mountain The three men who were arrested over the cable car crash were released from jail at the end of May, after a judge found a 'total lack of evidence' against two of them. Officials said that service manager Gabriele Tadini was put under house arrest, while technical director Enrico Perocchio and the head of the cable car operating company, Luigi Nerini, were released. All three remain under investigation for suspected involuntary manslaughter and negligence over the tragedy. In Italy, judges must approve continued detention of suspects and usually order pre-trial detention only under special circumstances, for example when the accused is a flight risk. The three men were detained after Tadini admitted to investigators that he had deactivated an emergency brake system that could have prevented the crash. He said he did it because the system was malfunctioning and had halted service several times, and insisted that he acted in agreement with the two other suspects. But judge Donatella Banci Bonamici found a 'total lack of evidence against Nerini and Perocchio', according to a ruling quoted by the Corriere della Sera newspaper. According to the judge, Tadini tried to shift some of the blame on his two superiors after acting 'with total disregard for human life, with bewildering carelessness'. Tadini's lawyer Marcello Perillo said his client 'will have to face consequences' for his admission, adding that the extent to which the other two men had indeed being informed of his actions was yet to be established. 'There is no proof at present they were also responsible. They are people who should have known, but it's not clear if they did,' Perillo said. Perocchio has claimed he had no idea that the brakes had been blocked. 'I've got 21 years of experience with lifts that use cables, I know that's something you don't ever, ever do,' Perocchio said, according to La Repubblica. Local media reported that none of the men were ruled to be a flight risk and there was no risk of evidence being tampered with. The three men were detained after Tadini (pictured) admitted to investigators that he had deactivated an emergency brake system that could have prevented the crash Officials said that service manager Gabriele Tadini was put under house arrest, while technical director Enrico Perocchio (right) and the head of the cable car operating company, Luigi Nerini (left), were released. All three remain under investigation for suspected involuntary manslaughter and negligence over the tragedy The accident left a five-year-old boy from an Israeli family who lived in Italy as the only survivor. He lost his parents, younger brother and great-grandparents. After the crash, Eitan Biran was airlifted to a hospital in Turin in northwest Italy, where he was intubated and sedated and treated for multiple injuries. He regained consciousness on the Thursday after the accident, and the hospital said the following Sunday that his condition was 'significantly improving', reporting that he had resumed eating 'soft and light food'. The accident left a five-year-old boy from an Israeli family who lived in Italy as the only survivor. He lost his parents, younger brother and great-grandparents. Pictured: Eitan Biran (in striped shirt) was the sole survivor of the crash. He is pictured here with his father Amit, mother Tal and brother Tom, who were killed Alessandro Merlo and Silvia Malnati, 29 and 27, died in the tragedy. Friends said the couple had been engaged for 10 years and were planning to marry Angelo Vito Gasparro, 45, wife Roberta Pistolato (together left and right), died when the cable car plunged 65ft during a trip to the mountains to celebrate Roberta's 40th birthday Vittorio Zorloni and Elisabetta Persanini (together left, and Vittorio pictured right) were also killed in the accident, along with their five-year-old son Mattia. The couple were engaged and due to be married next month, Italian media reported 'At the moment the child remains in intensive care as a precaution,' with his aunt and grandmother assisting him, the hospital added. Among the dead were Eitan's family - parents Tal, 26, and Amit, 30, brother Tom, 2, and great-grandparents Itshak and Barbara Cohen, 82 and 70 - Alessandro Merlo, 29, his fiance Silvia Malnati, 27; husband Angelo Vito Gasparro, 45, and wife Roberta Pistolato; Vittorio Zorloni, his fiancee Elisabetta Persanini, 38, and the couple's five-year-old son Mattia; and couple Serena Cosentino, 27, and Mohammadreza Shahaisavandi, 23. The Mottarone mountain served by the cable car is a popular tourist location, as it offers scenic views of Lake Maggiore and of the more distant Alps. On the website of the cable car, it is advertised as 'one of Italy's most beautiful natural balconies'. A teenage boy has been charged after allegedly impersonating police in Sydneys west which saw him allegedly pulling over unsuspecting drivers while armed with a knife. At 1.30am on May 20, police claim a silver Holden Commodore activated red and blue flashing lights in Bidwill, in Sydney's west. Its occupants attempted to force a 20-year-old female motorist to stop her vehicle and place her hands on her head, police claim. After realising the duo in the car were not police the woman fled, allegedly pursued by the Holden to Woodstock Avenue, Mt Druitt. About 20 minutes later, its alleged the same Holden Commodore drove aggressively behind a 31-year-old man before activating red and blue flashing lights on Carlisle Avenue. Following inquiries, officers from Mt Druitt Police Area Command arrested a 17-year-old boy at an address in Fairfield on Tuesday Police have been told that when the man stopped his vehicle, two males inside the Commodore with face coverings pulled up to his driver side window then produced a knife. The man fled in his vehicle, allegedly pursued by the Commodore to Mimika Street at Whalan where both males exited their car brandishing a handgun and knife. The duo fled when witnesses from nearby houses came to the mans aid. Following inquiries, officers from Mt Druitt Police Area Command arrested a 17-year-old boy at an address in Fairfield on Tuesday. He was taken to Fairfield Police Station and charged with impersonate police officer and exercise powers and functions, drive motor vehicle while licence suspended, and drive recklessly and furiously or speedmanner dangerous. He was refused bail to appear at a Childrens Court on Thursday. A Malaysian court overturned an inquest verdict of 'misadventure' in the death of a French-Irish schoolgirl who vanished in the jungle. The verdict was replace with an 'open' ruling on Wednesday in a victory for her family. The initial verdict indicated the death was accidental, but the new ruling leaves open the possibility of criminal involvement and may put pressure on authorities to conduct a new probe. The body of Nora Quoirin, a 15-year-old with learning difficulties, was discovered after a huge hunt through the rainforest following her disappearance from a resort outside Kuala Lumpur in 2019. In January, a coroner handed down the misadventure ruling and said no one else was involved but the teen's London-based parents - who believe she was abducted - challenged the verdict in court. A Malaysian court overturned an inquest verdict of 'misadventure' in the death of Nora Quoirin, who vanished in the jungle in 2019, replacing the verdict with an 'open' ruling and leaving open the possibility of criminal involvement They were pushing for an open verdict. Judge Azizul Azmi Adnan ruled in their favour. He told the Seremban High Court that changing the verdict was 'in the interests of justice', adding: 'There was no credible evidence to support any other verdict.' Her parents Meabh and Sebastien, who watched proceedings via video-link due to Covid-19 restrictions, showed little reaction as the ruling was delivered. An open verdict is typically handed down in inquests when there is no evidence to support a more conclusive ruling - such as homicide. A family representative declined comment on what their next steps might be. It will give them ammunition to pressure Malaysian police to launch a new probe into their daughter's death, after they fiercely criticised the initial investigation as slow and inadequate. In January, a coroner handed down the misadventure ruling and said no one else was involved but the teen's London-based parents Meabh and Sebastien (pictured) - who believe she was abducted - challenged the verdict in court Judge Azizul said it was unlikely the teenager would have wandered off alone at night, and the terrain would have been too challenging for her to clamber over barefoot. He said: 'It was not probable for Nora Anne to have ventured out of the (chalet) on her own, to have navigated by herself the challenging terrain in and around the location where she was eventually found.' He added that it was unlikely that she managed to evade detection while the massive search and rescue operation was being conducted. The schoolgirl's body was found in a stream in an overgrown palm oil plantation after a 10-day hunt involving helicopters, sniffer dogs and hundreds of rescuers. He also noted she was a 'shy and retiring child who was uncurious and unadventurous, and who was strongly attached emotionally to her parents... it was unlikely for Nora Anne to have gone out on her own'. Judge Azizul Azmi Adnan told the Seremban High Court that it was unlikely the 15-year-old, who had learning difficulties, would have wandered off alone at night, and the terrain would have been too challenging for her to clamber over barefoot The coroner had said the teenager had been left disoriented by the long journey from Britain to Malaysia, likely leading her to venture out alone, and that there was no sign she was murdered or sexually assaulted. Malaysian police have also stuck to their version of events - that the teenager clambered out of a broken window on her own - and insist there was no sign of foul play. But her mother has said she believes someone could have placed her body in the spot where it was found. Her parents testified they heard noises in the holiday chalet the night their daughter disappeared. The teenager vanished from her room a day after her family checked in to the Dusun Resort on August 3, 2019. Her mother (pictured in 2019) has said she believes someone could have placed her body in the spot where it was found A post-mortem found she had died three days before her naked body was found. An autopsy concluded she likely died of starvation and internal bleeding. The 12-acre resort is next to a patch of thick jungle and in the foothills of a mountain range. Her body was found in the jungle around 1.6 miles away. The teen had a condition known as holoprosencephaly, where the brain fails to develop normally. She had limited verbal communication and could only write a few words. She attended a school for young people with learning difficulties. The head teacher previously told the inquest into her death that it is 'unimaginable' that she could have climbed a fence at the Malaysian jungle resort she disappeared from due to her physical disabilities. The teenager had poor motor skills, needed help to walk, and her mental age was about five or six, her parents previously said. A white high school teacher in Missouri is fighting to keep his job after he was accused of using the N-word in front of students and telling them that racism doesn't exist. Jim Magoffin, who teaches science at Harrisonville High School, defended himself against the allegations at a public school board hearing on Tuesday after the district and superintendent requested his contract be terminated. The hearing attended by more than 100 people centered around testimony from multiple students who recalled how Magoffin allegedly used the N-word several times during an AP biology class in April while discussing rap music. Maffogin, however, said he did not recall using the 'full six-letter word' as the district laid out a bevy of other racially-charged comments he allegedly used toward students. Harrisonville High School Jim Magoffin (pictured with his wife) is fighting to keep his job after he was accused of using the N-word in front of students and telling them racism doesn't exist Magoffin defended himself against the allegations at a public school board hearing on Tuesday (pictured) after the district and superintendent requested his contract be terminated Duane Martin, an attorney for the school district, told the school board that students recall the teacher using the racial slur during a classroom discussion on why the N-word could be used in rap music but not everyday society, Fox 4 News reported. 'He used the phrase N-word, N-word that,' one student testified. 'It was more of Black people can say the word and white people can't say the word, and it's a double standard,' another student said about the incident. Magoffin's attorney Jean Lamfers that the teacher's use of the slur in the classroom is similar to using the word when teaching the book to Kill a Mockingbird. 'This six-letter word is used in the curriculum. How is that any different?' Lamfers asked Principal Mark Wiegers. 'To Kill a Mockingbird is taught in an English classroom. Talking about rap culture is not a part of AP Bio curriculum,' Wiegers responded. The hearing attended by more than 100 people centered around testimony from multiple students who recalled how Magoffin allegedly used the N-word several times during an AP biology class in April while discussing rap music Students at Harrisonville High School (pictured) also say they recall Magoffin say that he would never support Black Lives Matter and racism doesn't exist in America The district also alleges that that while Magoffin was teaching a physics class he referred to Martin Luther King Jr. Day as 'Black Privilege Day' and that students recall him say he would never support Black Lives Matter and racism doesn't exist in America. 'Student five said that he did reference Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as 'Black privilege' and at the time, he claimed that racism didn't really exist in the United States,' Wiegers said. 'He told me and my classmates that racism only existed in Germany, and it was towards the Turks.' In a separate instance, the district alleges a student said Magoffin told her she couldn't go on a walk during a break with her advisory group because she's black. Magoffin is also accused by the same student of being 'fascinated' by her hair. The science teacher has been at Harrisonville High School since 2012. In 2017, students with the the school's art club raised money to surprise him with colorblind glasses, ABC 15 reported. Magoffin said he has been colorblind since he was a child. On his LinkedIn profile he mentions he also served as a pastor at Walnut Grove Presbyterian Church since 2011. 'I have a passion to work with others as they seek to grow, learn, and discover more about the world around them,' he wrote. ' My goal is that those whom I serve will find great truth, passion and hope in life, which will motivate them to live lives of purpose, compassion, service , and praise.' Harrisonville Superintendent Paul Mensching recommended terminating Magoffin. 'I believe it is our job to protect students at all times,' he said at the hearing. 'We can not allowed our students to be exposed to that kind of harm.' At the end of the 11-hour hearing the school board announced it would go into a closed session to deliberate and will return with its decision. As of Wednesday morning no decision has been announced. If Magoffin keeps his job, his boss has asked that he undergo diversity and sensitivity training, Fox 4 News reported. New footage shows Molly has now begun barking like a dog to mimic Peggy An abandoned baby bird has started barking like a dog after being adopted by a adoring pooch who she thinks is her mother. Molly the magpie was close to death after being abandoned by her parents in September last year - but was lucky to be discovered by Staffordshire bull terrier Peggy. The one-year-old dog looked after Molly as if she were her own puppy, and, with the help of Peggy and her owners Juliette Wells, 45, and her partner Reece, 52, she made a full recovery. As a result of being cared for by the loving pooch, artist Juliette says Molly has picked up some canine habits - and has even started barking just like her best friend. Juliette, from Coomera in Queensland, said: 'We first started noticing that Molly was barking back in April this year. Molly the magpie has started barking like a dog almost a year on after being adopted by Staffy Peggy and her family from Coomera in Queensland Molly was rescued by Peggy and her owners after she was found abandoned during a walk near their home After a year of being cared for by the loving pooch, artist Juliette Wells says Molly has picked up some canine habits - and has now even started barking just like her best friend 'We thought it was Peggy barking, but when we looked over at her she was fast asleep. Then we saw and heard it coming from Molly. 'We started laughing so much because it sounded so much like Peggy. I couldn't believe it. 'She now does it a few times every day. Some days more than others depending on what is going on. 'If she hears other dogs in the neighbourhood or a noise in the bush, she will bark. 'I believe that Molly thinks that is what you do to communicate danger, because she has watched Peggy and is copying her behaviour. Molly the magpie was close to death after being abandoned by her parents in September last year - but was lucky to be discovered by Staffordshire bull terrier Peggy The pair have since become inseparable and spend 24 hours a day with each other After obtaining advice from a local wildlife specialist about how to best nurse the magpie back to health, Juliette said that Moly made a full recovery within a week 'Peggy looked at her when she first starting doing it, but after that she is not phased. She just thinks it is normal.' Before meeting her best friend, Peggy the pooch was terribly afraid of birds - but for some reason, was very concerned about little Molly. After obtaining advice from a local wildlife specialist about how to best nurse the magpie back to health, Juliette said that Moly made a full recovery within a week. But after spending everyday with loving Peggy by her side, the magpie did not want to leave, despite being the couple persuading her to fly back into nature. Peggy's owners Juliette, 45, and Reece, 52, didn't think the bird was going to make it after they took it home and it slept for about 24 hours straight Juliette said Molly became obsessed with Peggy and the pair became inseparable. She said: 'We were taking Peggy for a walk when she discovered this little magpie that was all by itself. She looked really weak and not well at all. 'We didn't know what to do as we couldn't see the parents anywhere. Then we spotted them at the top of the tree, but they didn't want to come anywhere near her. 'She would have fallen from the nest and they abandoned her, which can sometimes happen. We waited for two hours but they never came down. 'We know a wildlife specialist who told us how to care for her. She slept for the first 24 hours, we didn't think she was going to make it. But after about a week, the well-cared for magpie made a full recovery and struck up a bond with Peggy With the magpie seemingly here to stay, Reece named the bird Molly (pictured together) 'We got her some live worms and a dropper with water, and within a week she had picked up. 'We always leave all the doors and windows open and have tried to get her to fly back into nature but she has no interest in leaving us. 'We've been teaching her to catch her own worms and lizards.. But she really thinks she is a dog, she runs around after Peggy. 'They have their own little language and talk to each other. It's so funny to watch. 'I have never seen anything like it. Animals are amazing.' Ms Wells said Molly became obsessed with their dog and even started producing breastmilk despite not being pregnant. When the couple took the dog to the vet, they discovered it was because Peggy thinks Molly is her baby, and was producing milk in the same way as if she had puppies. Ms Wells said Molly became obsessed with Peggy and even started producing breastmilk despite not being pregnant The two have now become inseparable and even appear to have their 'own little language' 'We actually had to take Peggy to the vet because she was having a phantom pregnancy,' Ms Wells said. 'Molly kept poking at her nipples too, so for now Peggy is wearing shirts until it passes so her nipples are covered. 'It's crazy to think that this could happen, but it just shows their amazing bond.' Ms Wells said Molly does not seem to have any plans to fly away anytime soon and even sleeps at the top of her curtain rod in the bedroom, while Peggy sleeps in her bed. 'They are together from the moment they wake up until when they go to sleep,' she said. 'Then they'll cuddle and play all day. It's so lovely to see them together. They definitely have a mother-daughter type of bond. 'Peggy needed something to nurture, and this little bird needed nurturing. 'We're blown away by their relationship, they have bought so much joy into our lives.' Mary Marshall, 86, has one of only families in UK A woman with a total of 90 grandchildren has welcomed the newest addition to her family with six generations alive at the same time. Mary Marshall, from Edinburgh, Scotland, has eight children with none of her daughters giving birth over the age of 18. She became the country's only great, great, great grandmother following the birth of Nyla Ferguson on May 25 this year. The 86-year-old is thought to have one of the only families in Britain that stretches across six generations. Mary Marshall, 86, from Edinburgh, Scotland, has eight children with none of her daughters giving birth over the age of 18. Pictured left to right: Toni-Leigh, 17, Chyrel, 50, Mary with two-week-old Nyla, Rose, 68, and 35-year-old Carrie The 86-year-old became the country's only great, great, great grandmother following the birth of Nyla Ferguson (both pictured above) on May 25 this year Ms Marshall told the BBC: 'I'm a lucky woman, to be honest with you. It's great to have such a big family. There's always someone there looking out for you. I'm incredibly happy.' She added that, owing to the sheer size of her family, she gets let off for not buying every relative a gift for birthday and Christmas. And 17-year-old Toni-Leigh, who gave birth to Nyla, said the family joked about breaking a record when she first found out about her pregnancy. She said: 'Then we started looking into it and it doesn't look like anyone else has our family set-up.' Ms Marshall's eldest daughter is Rose Thorburn, 68, who has four children including 50-year-old Chyrel Borthwick. Ms Borthwick has three children, including mother-of-four Carrie Dow, 35, who in turn also has four children, including Toni-Leigh, who welcomed the family's newest addition last month. The most generations alive in a single family was recorded as seven in 1989 in the United States, according to Guinness World Records. A family from Kent also spans six generations of females with the great-great-great grandma celebrating her 100th birthday earlier this month. Ms Marshall (pictured with her relatives) said that, owing to the sheer size of her family, she gets let off for not buying every relative a gift for birthday and Christmas Mary, Rose, Chyrel, Carrie and Toni-Leigh with Nyla (pictured from left to right). The most generations alive in a single family was recorded as seven in 1989 in the United States Mother-of-eight Rose Sharp is the head of a huge family and has a whopping 92 grandchildren including her great-great-great descendants. Rose married her late husband, William, aged 19 after friends introduced them and they were married for 35 years until William died aged just 56. She worked in a munitions factory during WW2 and the couple had eight children, six boys and two girls, including their daughter Carol Jasper, 77. Carol, a former admin worker, has five children, including daughter Sarah Sharp. Sarah, 60, a housewife, has seven children including Joanne. Joanne, has two children, Sophie Taylor 23 and Danny Taylor 25, and Joannes granddaughter, Amelia Taylor, two, is the sixth generation female. Advertisement England's R rate is now unofficially thought to be above 1.4 and cases of the Indian variant are doubling every 11 days, a major Government surveillance study revealed last night. But in a promising sign, infections are five times higher in under-25s compared to over-65s, which the researchers hailed as more confirmation of how well the vaccines are performing. They said the jabs had 'uncoupled' the link between Covid cases and hospitalisations, highlighting the 'strong effect of double vaccination' against the mutant strain. The REACT-1 study, the UK's largest national survey tracking the spread of coronavirus, found that Covid cases rose 50 per cent between May 20 and June 7, with about one in 670 infected in that time. Although case numbers are still relatively low about one in 64 were getting infected at the beginning of January, for comparison scientists behind the programme warned that the outbreak was on an exponential curve. Imperial College London's Professor Paul Elliott, who runs the study, said the Government was right to delay Freedom Day by a month because the country's situation 'is quite unstable right now'. He added: 'But we can take a lot of comfort when we look in detail... there is very good protection in older ages where virtually everyone is vaccinated.' The country's reproduction 'R' rate the average number of people each infected person spreads Covid to was calculated to be 1.44, which is higher than the official Government estimate last week of between 1.2 and 1.4. It came as the UK confirmed another 9,055 daily infections, the highest recorded in four months and up more than a fifth on last Wednesday. There were another nine deaths. The REACT-1 study, the UK's largest national survey tracking the spread of coronavirus, found infections are five times higher in under-25s compared to over-65s, which the researchers hailed as more confirmation of how well the vaccines are performing. Orange bars look at the most recent study period, from May 20 to June 7 They said that 0.15 per cent of the population would test positive now, compared to 0.1 per cent at the start of May. Although the absolute case numbers are still low - about one in 64 were getting infected at the beginning of January - scientists behind the programme warned that the outbreak was on an exponential curve The North West, home to the majority of the country's Indian variant hotspots, had the most amount of infections with 0.26 per cent of the population testing positive. Prevalence was lowest in the South West (0.05 per cent) REACT-1, which is commissioned by the Government, sends out swabs to a representative sample of households across England to track the pandemic. Around 109,000 people were swabbed in the most recent round of the study, regardless of whether they had symptoms. Just 135 people tested positive and the scientists estimated 0.15 per cent of the population has the virus. The team found that more than 90 per cent of cases were being caused by the highly transmissible Indian 'Delta' variant and that the virus was doubling every 11 days nationwide, though faster in some areas and slower in others. Britain's daily Covid cases hit 9,000 for the first time since February Britain today recorded 9,000 daily Covid cases for the first time since February as the Indian variant continues to spread widely across the country. Department of Health bosses posted 9,055 positive tests across the UK up by a fifth on last Wednesday's count. It is the highest toll since February 25, when 9,985 infections were registered. Hospitalisations have also risen by 40 per cent in the space of a week in a clear sign that the rapid spread of the mutant strain has started to increase pressure on hospitals despite the success of the vaccination drive. Health officials recorded 173 admissions on June 12, the most recent day figures are available for. For comparison, the figure the previous Saturday was 123. Despite the uptick in the number of infected patients needing NHS care, deaths remain flat. Another nine victims were added to the official fatality toll today, up from six last week but the overall daily average for the past week has remained in single figures. But in a glimmer of hope the fast-spreading strain won't force ministers into delaying Freedom Day again, figures also show Covid outbreaks appear to be flat or falling in Bolton, Blackburn and other areas that were the first to be hit by the Indian Delta variant. Fears are growing, however, that a shortage of jabs may force No10 to push back the final unlocking once again, with the pace of the roll-out having already slowed to around 450,000 a day half of the speed seen during the best days of the programme. Ministers have conceded supply of Pfizer's jab is 'tight' while Moderna's is also limited, and regulators have advised under-40s are not given the British-made AstraZeneca jab the only other one available because of its rare links to fatal blood clots, massively increasing demand for the other two options. Boris Johnson stressed the urgent need to inoculate as many people as possible to finally end restrictions on July 19, insisting the four-week delay gave the NHS 'more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the Indian variant. Advertisement They said that the 0.15 per cent of the population that would test positive now was up from 0.1 per cent at the start of May. Infections were lowest among older age groups, almost all of whom have now been vaccinated. Infections were five-fold higher in children and adults under 25, with about 0.35 per cent of people testing positive, compared to the over-65s. The North West, home to the majority of the country's Indian variant hotspots, had the most amount of infections with 0.26 per cent of the population testing positive. Prevalence was lowest in the South West (0.05 per cent). The researchers also looked at the link between positive tests and hospitalisation and death numbers, which they said had been 'weakening' since February when the vaccine programme got up to speed. They found that while hospilisations had started to tick up in the most recent study period, this was mostly in younger groups or in participants who were unvaccinated. Professor Elliot said this suggested an 'uncoupling' of the relationship between cases and severe illness thanks to the vaccines. Co-author Professor Steven Riley insisted the Government was right to push the June 21 unlocking back a month but said he was 'optimistic' that would be enough time. He added: 'The age groups driving the growth are about to receive much better vaccine coverage quickly.' Ministers have brought forward the target for offering jabs to all adults from July 31 to July 19 to coincide with all restrictions being dropped. No10 has also pledged to get two-thirds of adults fully inoculated by the same date. Boris Johnson has stressed the urgent need to jab as many people as possible to finally end lockdown, saying the four-week delay gave the NHS a 'few more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the Indian variant. Department of Health bosses posted 9,055 positive tests across the UK up by a fifth on last Wednesday's count. It is the highest toll since February 25, when 9,985 infections were registered. Hospitalisations have also risen by 40 per cent in the space of a week in a clear sign that the rapid spread of the mutant strain has started to increase pressure on hospitals despite the success of the vaccination drive. Health officials recorded 173 admissions on June 12, the most recent day figures are available for. For comparison, the figure the previous Saturday was 123. Despite the uptick in the number of infected patients needing NHS care, deaths remain flat. Another nine victims were added to the official fatality toll today, up from six last week but the overall daily average for the past week has remained in single figures. But in a glimmer of hope the fast-spreading strain won't force ministers into delaying Freedom Day again, figures also show Covid outbreaks appear to be flat or falling in Bolton, Blackburn and other areas that were the first to be hit by the Indian Delta variant. It came as one of Oxford's jab-makers said today that Britain's Covid crisis 'will be over' if vaccines still keep people out of hospital even when they catch the Indian 'Delta' variant or future versions of the coronavirus. Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, chief of the Oxford Vaccine Group that made and trialled the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, said that coronavirus would never go away but it wouldn't cause disaster if the jabs continue to work. Speaking in a meeting with MPs on the science committee in Parliament he said that, if vaccines break the link between infections and mass deaths, 'we will reach a point where we stop looking at what's happening in the community'. He cautioned that there will be a constant stream of new variants in the coming years and that most will evolve to try and get past vaccine immunity, but jabs should still work and they can continue to be updated. He said: 'If that very high protection against hospitalisation continues, despite spread in the community, then the public health crisis is over. And so far, up to Delta, we're in a very good position as long as we've got people vaccinated.' Sir Andrew's comments were latest in a line of scientific voices warning people that Britain must learn to live with the virus even in a post-vaccine world. Pictured: Fred Valdamar Ortiz A mob ran a Utah man down with a car and then beat him to death after being told that he attacked his pregnant girlfriend and gave her a black eye, police documents claim. Fred Valdamar Ortiz was swarmed by at least five people behind Smith's Food and Drug store in Magna on Monday afternoon, according to officers with the Unified Police Department. Citing arrest reports, the network said the 41-year-old's girlfriend told a group of people that Ortiz had hit her and given her a black eye a few days earlier. The woman is a dog breeder and the individuals had come to her home looking for a puppy. When Ortiz drove by on a scooter, the group of young people chased after him. According to KUTV, a 19-year-old suspect - named as Osyeanna Martinez - was seen by witnesses hitting Ortiz with a Volkswagen Bug. Ortiz ran but was caught by his attackers who punched, kicked, and beat him with a pole while he lay on the ground, Fox 13 said. Paramedics took Ortiz to Intermountain Medical Center where he died from his injuries. Surveillance footage from a nearby restaurant showed Martinez throwing boards at Ortiz, hitting him on the back and head, KUTV said. Ortiz was swarmed by at least five people behind Smith's Food and Drug store (pictured) in Magna on Monday afternoon, according to Officers with the Unified Police Department The station reported that police had identified one other suspect by their full name - Xandre Sky Hill, an 18-year-old. The other accused, which includes a 13-year-old, were identified in police reports only by their initials. The station said all of the suspects were in their teens or early 20s, while Fox 13 reported that one of the suspects was related to Ortiz. Martinez and Hill are being held in the Salt Lake County Jail without bail. Hill has admitted to police that he tackled and punched Ortiz, but said another suspect used a pole during the beating, according to Fox 13. In interviews on Monday night, police said one of Ortiz's family members disclosed that he had beaten his girlfriend two days before his death,' KUTV reported. '[The family] have been scared to report it because [Ortiz] is on parole and his probation officer will not do anything to lock him up,' the arrest report says, according to the station. Outspoken Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary says fully vaccinated Britons should be able to travel abroad without restrictions, urging a 'pragmatic policy after Boris Johnson's 'gross mismanagement'. Mr O'Leary accused the Prime Minister of doing too little as he questioned why the jabbed could not go on holiday abroad. Mr O'Leary said: 'UK citizens, almost 80 per cent of whom will be vaccinated by the end of June, continue to face Covid restrictions on travel to and from the European Union, despite the fact that the majority of the European Union citizens will also be vaccinated by the end of June. 'UK tourism and aviation needs a pragmatic travel policy, which permits vaccinated UK and EU citizens to travel between the UK and the EU without the need for quarantine or negative PCR tests. 'This will at least allow the UK tourism industry to plan for what is left of the summer season and get hundreds of thousands of people back to work. 'The UKs Covid travel policy is a shambles. The Green List is non-existent because countries such as Malta and Portugal, with lower Covid case numbers than the UK and rapidly rising vaccination rates, remain on Amber.' It came as the EU continued to make travel difficult for British tourists, after it widened its 'white list' to include the US - but not the UK - which allow non essential travel. Mr O'Leary accused the Prime Minister of doing too little as he questioned travel rules Prime Minister Boris Johnson was accused of 'gross mismanagement' by the Ryanair chief Last week Mr O'Leary first launched his criticism of the travel safety list and its traffic light-themed measures. He told Sky News at the time: 'This stop, go, stop approach to travel is bonkers. 'Portugal has exactly the same Covid case rates and higher vaccination rates when it was taken off the UK's green list last week than it had when it went on it. 'Malta which has higher vaccination rates than the UK and only one third the Covid case rates can't get from the amber list to the green list. 'The whole thing is a shambles and it is typical of Boris Johnson's Government just making this stuff up as they go along. 'There is no green list. What we keep calling for in the travel industry is now that we have 80 per cent of the adult population in Britain vaccinated, why can't those people go on holidays to Portugal, Spain without restrictions? They are already vaccinated.' Beachgoers crowd Santo Amaro beach near Lisbon on a hot and sunny afternoon in Portugal It came as the EU continued to make travel difficult for British tourists. The UK was not among eight countries added by the bloc to a list to where non-essential travel is safe. The whitelist will now reportedly be expanded to include Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Lebanon, the United States, Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong. It joins Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and China. It is understood that the growing prevalence of the Delta variant of coronavirus was the reason for the UK being shunned. The white list countries are places where people can enter into EU countries without quarantining and only have to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test. However, it will still be up to individual member states to decide whether to impose additional requirements, such as a negative test or mandatory quarantine period. The decision is expected to be formally adopted by the end of the week, according to a Portuguese EU presidency spokesperson cited by German press agency dpa. There has been widespread confusion over the traffic light system in the UK. Ministers seem to be unable to agree on what the colour designations of each country means in reality. Earlier this month Environment Secretary George Eustice sparked confusion about the 'green list'. He said: 'My advice to people would be holiday at home, we've got some great places here.' Asked whether people should be booking trips to 'green list' nations, Mr Jenrick told Sky News this morning: 'Well, let me be clear, you shouldn't be booking holidays to countries that are currently on either the amber list or the red list. 'You can go to the admittedly relatively small number of countries on the green list. 'Even there be aware that this isn't a normal summer for holidays, we are reviewing that list every three weeks and so I would advise people to look for travel operators who can offer flexibility, would be able to offer rescheduling or repayments if something changes. 'We would like to open up that green list to more countries but we have obviously got to do so cautiously.' Advertisement Tory rebels slammed Opposition MPs for failing to turn up to a crucial coronavirus debate last night as Boris Johnson was hit with a mutiny over delaying 'Freedom Day'. The House of Commons approved the extension of Covid restrictions in England until July 19 by a huge margin of 489 to 60 thanks to Keir Starmer endorsing the move. But 51 Conservatives rebelled amid warnings that the PM must not 'shift the goalposts' and push the deadline back again. There were 49 Tory rebels voting against the bill, including heavyweights David Davis, Iain Duncan Smith, Chris Grayling and Esther McVey. With the two 'tellers' that gives a total rebellion of 51. Five DUP and six Labour MPs also joined the Noe lobby. During the four-hour debate Conservative Peter Bone noted that the Opposition benches were almost deserted. Raising a point of order with deputy speaker Nigel Evans, Mr Bone said: 'I wonder whether you could help me in regard to social distancing. 'There is not a single Labour Member on the Opposition Benches. There are no SNP; there are no Liberal Democrats; there are no Plaid Cymru. Of course there are the DUP. 'Would it be appropriate, because the Conservative Benches are packed, for half of us to move over to the other side of the House to improve social distancing?' Amid laughter, Mr Evans told Mr Bone to stay where he was. The Commons chamber is operating on tight numbers limit during the pandemic, and there is a 'call list' setting out who will make contributions to debates. However, it was dominated by Tory MPs as other parties seemingly were not eager to take part. During the four-hour debate Conservative Peter Bone noted that the Opposition benches were almost deserted. Pictured, 5.22pm last night Raising a point of order with deputy speaker Nigel Evans, Mr Bone joked that the Conservative MPs could spread out on the empty Opposition benches to improve social distancing The decision means that limits on numbers for sports events, theatres and cinemas will remain in place, nightclubs will stay shuttered and people will be asked to continue working from home where possible. Matt Hancock defended pushing the date back, arguing the Indian - or Delta - variant has 'given the virus extra legs' and stressing that July 19 should be the 'terminus' for the restrictions. Former chief whip Mark Harper voiced scepticism that the latest promise will be kept, asking whether 'we are going to get to this point in four weeks' time and what we are going to be back here again'. And another ex-minister, Steve Baker complained about the two-week review of the change saying it only 'deepens despair' if the government 'creates hope and shifts the goalposts'. At Prime Minister's Questions earlier, Mr Johnson was challenged by Tory MPs Philip Davies and William Wragg. Mr Davies questioned why the Prime Minister was not trusting the 'the common sense of the British people and his Conservative instincts of individual freedom and individual responsibility' rather than the advice of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). Mr Johnson insisted he did not want to see Covid restrictions last forever but 'a little more time' was needed to vaccinate millions more people to help combat the spread of the Delta variant. Mr Wragg asked: 'When can we expect the co-ordinated chorus of Sage members recommencing their media appearances to depress morale?' Mr Johnson replied: 'I believe that academic and scientific freedom are an invaluable part of our country and I also note that my scientific colleagues would echo my sentiments that we need to learn to live with Covid.' MPs lined up to grill Matt Hancock in the House as he opened the debate on regulations that will formally extend the lockdown into next month Former chief whip Mark Harper and ex-minister Steve Baker (left) were among those voicing scepticism that the latest timetable for unlocking will be kept Boris Johnson (pictured at PMQs earlier today) is facing a bruising revolt from his own benches as the Commons is asked to approve the delay of 'Freedom Day' until July 19 A leaked document gave a glimpse of the UK's potential 'new normal' today with facemasks, working from home and travel quarantine rules set to stay beyond July 19. THE 49 TORY REBELS There were 49 Tory rebels voting against the bill to push back Freedom Day until July tonight. They were: Adam Afriyie Bob Blackman Karen Bradley Steve Brine Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown David Davis Sir Iain Duncan Smith Chris Grayling Philip Hollobone Andrew Lewer Tim Loughton Stephen McPartland Anne Marie Morris Andrew Rosindell Julian Sturdy Craig Tracey William Wragg Siobhan Baillie Crispin Blunt Sir Graham Brady Miriam Cates Elliot Colburn Jonathan Djanogly Mark Francois Chris Green David Jones Chris Loder Craig Mackinlay Esther McVey Mark Pawsey Greg Smith Sir Desmond Swayne Sir Charles Walker Harriett Baldwin Peter Bone Andrew Bridgen Sir Christopher Chope Philip Davies Richard Drax Marcus Fysh Mark Harper Pauline Latham Jonathan Lord Karl McCartney Huw Merriman John Redwood Henry Smith Sir Robert Syms David Warburton Advertisement The Whitehall paper suggests that the government will stop short of urging workers to return to offices even after 'Freedom Day' finally arrives. There is also a suggestion that face masks will be needed in some settings long-term, as well as keeping post-travel isolation rules. Anyone who has coronavirus symptoms will still be expected to isolate, according to the draft proposals. And fears have been raised that more restrictions will be needed if the disease surges again in the winter. The document - seen by Politico - emerged as furious Tories predicted up to 70 MPs could inflict a bloody nose on Boris Johnson in a crunch lockdown vote tonight. The shift from Mr Johnson, amid warnings from scientists that the Indian variant will cause thousands more deaths, has incensed many Conservatives who argue that vaccines have protected the most vulnerable and the country must learn to live with the virus. Downing Street later said it did not recognise the Politico document and it 'does not reflect the latest Government thinking'. Opening the debate this afternoon, Mr Hancock told MPs: 'Unfortunately there has been a significant change since we started on our journey down the road map in February. 'A new variant has given the virus extra legs both because it spreads more easily and because there's some evidence that the risk of hospitalisation is higher than for the Alpha variant, which was of course previously dominant in this country. 'The Delta variant now accounts for 96 per cent of new cases. The number of cases is rising and hospitalisations are starting to rise too they are up 48 per cent over the past week. 'The number of deaths in England is thankfully not rising and remains very low.' He added: 'We don't yet know the extent to which the link between hospitalisation and deaths has been broken, so we propose to give the NHS a few more crucial weeks to get those remaining jabs into the arms of those who need them.' Mr Harper, who chairs the lockdown-sceptic Covid Recovery Group, said he doubted 100% of the people in the top nine priority groups will have received two doses of the vaccine by July 19, before noting: 'My worry, and the worry of others, is we're going to get to this point in four weeks' time and we're just going to be back here all over again extending the restrictions.' Mr Hancock replied: 'We're not aiming to eradicate this virus in this country because that is not possible we are aiming to live with this virus, like we do with flu. 'In fact, as of midnight last night, there are now 1.2 million people over 50 and 4.4 million over-40s who have had that first jab but not the second, and we seek to get a second jab into a majority of these not all by July 19. 'By taking that pause in the step, the estimate is we can save thousands of lives. 'But the estimate is also is that taking further time, the pause for longer it is not estimated to save many more lives because of the level of protection especially amongst the over 50s, who are those most likely to die from this disease.' Another Conservative, Steve Brine, referred to the PM's 'terminus' phrase to describe July 19, asking: 'I think our constituents want to know what does 19th July mean that 21st June did not?' Mr Hancock replied: 'Yes, I would characterise it that way and what I'd say is that our goal ahead of the 19th July is to take step four and, on the basis of the evidence so far, I am confident that we will not need more than the four weeks to get this job done and to take step four.' Tory MP Sir Desmond Swayne said: 'I never believed that it was proportionate even from the outset for ministers to take such liberties with our liberty. Mr Johnson also came under fire from Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions, with the Labour leader saying he had 'blown it' by failing to block flights from India soon enough. 'I always thought it was wrong for them to take our freedoms, even though they believed that they were acting in our best interests in an emergency, but by any measure that emergency has now passed and yet freedoms are still withheld, and the Government will not allow us to assess for ourselves the risks that we are prepared to encounter in our ordinary everyday lives.' Some Labour MPs also voiced disquiet, with Graham Stringer complaining that the government had 'run a campaign to scare people' and was seeking 'emergency powers' when there is 'no emergency' any more. Earlier, Mr Johnson insisted to MPs at PMQs today that the Covid rules were temporary. Responding to Tory backbencher Philip Davies he said: 'Nobody, least of all me, wants to see Covid restrictions last forever, nor do I think they are going to last forever.' Over-21s urged to get vaccine appointments England's Covid vaccination drive has opened to everyone over the age of 21 today, as ministers race to get every adult jabbed by the country's new 'Freedom Day' on July 19. Around one million people aged 21 and 22 will begin to be invited to come forward for their vaccine from this morning, leaving only 18 to 20-year-olds waiting for the call. NHS bosses expect to open up the scheme to all adults by the end of this week Boris Johnson this week delayed the final step of the roadmap back to normality by four weeks to give the NHS a 'few more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the rapid spread of the Indian variant. The Government brought forward its target for vaccinating all adults from July 31 to July 19 to deal with the rapidly growing Delta strain variant and to hit the jab target in time for the country unlocking. No10 has also pledged to get two-thirds of adults fully inoculated by the same date. But there are fears a shortage in supply of vaccines could threaten a further delay to the final unlocking. Although No10 hasn't made achieving the goal a clause of going ahead with the final unlocking, Freedom Day was only ever delayed to ensure millions more adults were fully protected. Ministers have conceded that the supply of the Pfizer jab is 'tight' while the Moderna vaccine which has only just become available is thought to be similarly limited. Both are shipped in weekly batches from factories in Europe. Advertisement Mr Johnson also came under fire from Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions, with the Labour leader saying he had 'blown it' by failing to block flights from India soon enough. The Opposition leader told the Commons: 'Last March he said we can turn the tide in 12 weeks, remember that? 'Then he said it will all be over by Christmas, then we were told June 21 would be Freedom Day. Now we are told July 19 is Terminus Day. 'The British people don;'t expect miracles buy t they do expect basic competence and honesty, and when it comes to care homes, protective equipment or borders, we see the same pattern from this Prime Minister - too slow, too indecisive, over-promising, under-delivering.' The Cabinet Office insisted no decisions have been taken on the guidance after July 19, which Mr Johnson has vowed will represent a 'terminus' point for lockdown. The premier said on Monday that the delay would save 'thousands of lives' and allow millions more people to receive their first and second jabs. But he insisted he is 'confident' he would finally be able to end restrictions on July 19, describing it as a 'terminus point' while refusing to give a categorical guarantee. Jacob Rees-Mogg hinted at a growing split in Cabinet yesterday by suggesting it was wrong to keep restrictions in place once all vulnerable people and over-50s had been offered their second jabs a point which has already passed. He said people below that age were 'not at particular risk', adding: 'Overwhelmingly the most important thing is the number of deaths. People going into hospital for a couple of days and coming out is not very important.' In an interview with the Conservative Home website, he added: 'Ultimately, the NHS is there to serve the British people, not the British people there to serve the NHS, and therefore we may need to spend more money on hospitals but you can't run society just to stop the hospitals being full, otherwise you'd never let us get in our cars and drive anywhere or do any of the other things that people want to do, so there has to be some proportionality.' The interview was recorded on Monday, shortly before Mr Johnson confirmed the four-week delay. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss declined to contradict Mr Rees-Mogg during a round of interviews this morning. 'We are taking a pragmatic approach. The key is making sure that everybody gets vaccinated by July 19 we will have all over-40s vaccinated so we are protected as a society,' she said. 'That's what we need to do in order to be able to fully open up the economy.' She added: 'Jacob has his views and those are his views. But what I'm telling you is the reason we are doing this, the reason we are taking these measures is to protect lives and that's what's important.' Jabs for care home staff WILL be compulsory Care home staff will be forced to have Covid vaccinations, ministers will announce this week. The controversial measure means 1.5million people working in social care will be told to have the jab within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. It has been introduced following a consultation which concluded it would help protect the most vulnerable in society. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched. Ministers are concerned about low take-up of the coronavirus vaccine among care workers, who include care home staff plus home helps. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs, latest figures show that just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine. Tens of thousands of care home residents died in the pandemic, largely as a result of infections being brought in by staff during the first wave. The Daily Mail first revealed in March that the Government was considering making it a legal requirement for NHS and care home staff to have the jab. Organisations representing care firms and their staff have warned that the move could backfire and see workers quit rather than agree to have the jab. The social care sector already faces a workforce shortage as a result of years of underfunding, and an exodus of staff would make it harder to meet the expected upsurge in demand once the pandemic subsides. The move also raises questions about how care homes treat staff who refuse a mandatory jab, and whether they have to be moved into other roles, and over whether the Government could face a legal challenge. Later this week ministers will confirm that they are pushing ahead with compulsory vaccination for most of the 1.5million working in social care in England. On Tuesday night it was claimed that, under the plans, those working with adults will have 16 weeks to get vaccinated or face losing their jobs. The Government is also keen to make it mandatory for the 1.38million who are directly employed by the NHS in England to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and winter flu. The Department of Health and Social Care will in the coming days launch two separate consultation exercises into making Covid and flu jabs mandatory for NHS staff. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock believes the arguments in favour of protecting patients from potentially infectious staff now outweigh those that allow health workers the right to choose whether to have either immunisation. Latest figures show that, as of June 6, 89 per cent of NHS staff had had their first dose of Covid vaccine and 82 per cent had had both. Some 83.7 per cent of staff in adult care homes had received at least one dose by June 6 and 68.7 per cent had been double-jabbed. The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, warned that while it wants all NHS staff to get jabbed, 'compulsion is a blunt instrument that carries its own risks'. The health department said: 'Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic and have already saved thousands of lives with millions of health and care staff vaccinated. 'Our priority is to make sure people in care homes are protected. We will publish our response [to the consultation] in due course.' Advertisement A poll by Savanta ComRes yesterday found that 56 per cent of the public now fear restrictions could go on indefinitely. It came as ten more deaths and 7,673 new Covid cases were reported yesterday. Downing Street distanced itself from Mr Rees-Mogg's comments, saying the guidelines for ending lockdown depend on passing the four tests in the roadmap. They include checking the vaccine rollout is still on track and having evidence the jabs are effective at reducing hospitalisations and deaths. The other two tests require proof that unlocking will not risk a surge in cases that could overwhelm the NHS and checking that new 'variants of concern' do not fundamentally change the risks of the virus. Asked whether the Cabinet minister's views reflected the Government's position, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The position we are using is the four tests. We do not meet those four tests and that is why we are not proceeding with the next stage.' However, many critics fear cases and hospitalisations could well be even higher in four weeks' time leading to another delay. Michael Gove yesterday insisted the reopening would only slip again if something 'unprecedented and remarkable' occurs. He said: 'We have to accept this virus will circulate, and it will be the case... that in winters to come we will find that people contract it or subsequent variants and they will fall ill.' England's Covid vaccination drive has opened to everyone over the age of 21 today, as ministers race to get every adult jabbed by the country's new 'Freedom Day' on July 19. Around one million people aged 21 and 22 will begin to be invited to come forward for their vaccine from this morning, leaving only 18 to 20-year-olds waiting for the call. NHS bosses expect to open up the scheme to all adults by the end of this week Boris Johnson this week delayed the final step of the roadmap back to normality by four weeks to give the NHS a 'few more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the rapid spread of the Indian variant. The Government brought forward its target for vaccinating all adults from July 31 to July 19 to deal with the rapidly growing Delta strain variant and to hit the jab target in time for the country unlocking. No10 has also pledged to get two-thirds of adults fully inoculated by the same date. But there are fears a shortage in supply of vaccines could threaten a further delay to the final unlocking. Although No10 hasn't made achieving the goal a clause of going ahead with the final unlocking, Freedom Day was only ever delayed to ensure millions more adults were fully protected. Ministers have conceded that the supply of the Pfizer jab is 'tight' while the Moderna vaccine which has only just become available is thought to be similarly limited. Both are shipped in weekly batches from factories in Europe. Ministers are expected to confirm this week that care home staff will be forced to have Covid vaccinations. The controversial measure means 1.5million people working in social care will be told to have the jab within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. It has been introduced following a consultation which concluded it would help protect the most vulnerable in society. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched. Ministers are concerned about low take-up of the coronavirus vaccine among care workers, who include care home staff plus home helps. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs, latest figures show that just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine. Tens of thousands of care home residents died in the pandemic, largely as a result of infections being brought in by staff during the first wave. The Daily Mail first revealed in March that the Government was considering making it a legal requirement for NHS and care home staff to have the jab. Organisations representing care firms and their staff have warned that the move could backfire and see workers quit rather than agree to have the jab. The social care sector already faces a workforce shortage as a result of years of underfunding, and an exodus of staff would make it harder to meet the expected upsurge in demand once the pandemic subsides. The move also raises questions about how care homes treat staff who refuse a mandatory jab, and whether they have to be moved into other roles, and over whether the Government could face a legal challenge. Covid has killed more than 150,000 people since the crisis began last spring, but the vaccines have shown to be extremely effective at preventing deaths - reducing fatalities by more than 90%. Independent scientists seeking to manage expectations before restrictions are lifted told MailOnline that achieving zero Covid deaths going forward was 'impossible' and that the focus should be to bring them down to levels comparable with flu which kills roughly 17,000 people in England annually (shown on graph). Source: Office for National Statistics and Public Health England Later this week ministers will confirm that they are pushing ahead with compulsory vaccination for most of the 1.5million working in social care in England. On Tuesday night it was claimed that, under the plans, those working with adults will have 16 weeks to get vaccinated or face losing their jobs. The Government is also keen to make it mandatory for the 1.38million who are directly employed by the NHS in England to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and winter flu. The Department of Health and Social Care will in the coming days launch two separate consultation exercises into making Covid and flu jabs mandatory for NHS staff. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock believes the arguments in favour of protecting patients from potentially infectious staff now outweigh those that allow health workers the right to choose whether to have either immunisation. Latest figures show that, as of June 6, 89 per cent of NHS staff had had their first dose of Covid vaccine and 82 per cent had had both. Some 83.7 per cent of staff in adult care homes had received at least one dose by June 6 and 68.7 per cent had been double-jabbed. The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, warned that while it wants all NHS staff to get jabbed, 'compulsion is a blunt instrument that carries its own risks'. The health department said: 'Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic and have already saved thousands of lives with millions of health and care staff vaccinated. 'Our priority is to make sure people in care homes are protected. We will publish our response [to the consultation] in due course.' One of the UK's top virologists today said she couldn't rule out the possibility that the coronavirus had leaked out of a science lab in Wuhan. But Professor Wendy Barclay, a member of the SAGE advisory group and infectious disease expert at Imperial College London, said she thought the accepted idea that the bug spread to humans in an animal market was 'much more likely'. Quizzed by MPs on the science committee this morning, Professor Barclay claimed viruses transmit from creatures to people in live markets 'very, very frequently'. Her comments came amid growing doubts about the original theory that the virus emerged naturally, with critics lashing back against scientists who refused to entertain the idea it was being studied in a Chinese lab and escaped by accident. US infectious diseases boss Dr Anthony Fauci has faced calls to resign over the scandal after he last year dismissed the theory as nonsense but appeared to be considering it behind closed doors. And scientists who put their names to a letter denouncing the 'lab leak' theory last year have since changed their minds and said a full inquiry is required. President Joe Biden has ordered a full investigation into the origin of the pandemic virus and demanded scientists work out whether there is truth to the theory. Professor Wendy Barclay, a member of SAGE and infectious disease expert at Imperial College London, told MPs today that she 'could not exclude the possibility' of a lab leak but that a natural jump was more likely The accepted wisdom has been that the virus emerged in a bat and then spread to people in the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan (pictured) in late 2019, but there is a growing counter-argument that the virus existed before this and could have been leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology nearby Professor Barclay said today: 'Ill say with high confidence it came from an animal source. That's my answer high confidence it came from an animal.' But the MP questioning her, Aaron Bell a Conservative who represents Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire and sits on the science committee probed further. He asked: 'Originally from an animal source, but is it possible that it was then being studied in a lab and it could have then leaked from the lab?' Professor Barclay replied: 'I cannot exclude that possibility. 'But I would point out that we have instances of six other coronaviruses emerging into the human population where we dont think that is the case. 'On the probability, I would say its much more likely, knowing where viruses are and live markets with animals mixed. For example, with the virus Im more familiar with, influenza, thats where you see zoonotic events happening very, very frequently. 'I would suggest that the opportunity for the virus to jump from an animal source into humans in the part of the world where we first saw this virus emerge is very, very high.' Professor Barclay's comment comes after Boris Johnson on Sunday said 'anybody sensible' would 'keep an open mind' about the origin of the coronavirus outbreak but the UK does not currently believe the so-called 'lab leak' theory. Mr Johnson told a press conference at the end of the G7 summit in Cornwall: At the moment, the advice that we have had is it doesnt look as though this particular disease of zoonotic origin came from a lab. TOP ANIMAL SUSPECTS BATS AND PANGOLINS 'NOT SOLD AT WUHAN MARKET', STUDY FINDS No bats or pangolins were sold at Wuhan wet markets immediately before the coronavirus pandemic started, according to an Oxford-led study. The research documents a menagerie of nearly 50,000 animals from 38 species, including badgers, boars, peacocks and pit vipers, traded at animal markets in the Chinese city from 2017 to November 2019. But the team found 'no evidence' that a single bat or pangolin was kept at the market, leading them to conclude that these species frequently blamed for Covid-19 'were not the likely spillover host at the source of the coronavirus'. Instead, they argued that the scores of wild animals kept in filthy cages and neglected by the merchants provided an abundance of routes for Covid-19 to pass on to humans. Chris Newman, from the University of Oxford, told MailOnline: 'Some of these species are known to host a variety of diseases. 'A few have subsequently been identified as competent hosts of Covid-19, but the main suspected spill-over hosts, namely bats and pangolins, were not for sale in these markets. 'Our data cannot determine how humans became infected with Covid-19, only that direct contact with pangolins or bats in these markets seems highly implausible.' Advertisement Clearly anybody sensible would want to keep an open mind about that. The head of the World Health Organization insisted just a day earlier that 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 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. Earlier this month one of the original authors of a controversial letter in The Lancet medical journal at the start of the pandemic said he had changed his stance on whether the lab leak was possible. Dr Peter Palese, a microbiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, signed the letter in the Lancet in February last year claiming the virus could only have been natural in origin and to suggest otherwise would create 'fear, rumors, and prejudice'. The 'bullying' letter, orchestrated by Dr Peter Daszak, the head of a non-profit that funnelled U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, was criticized by experts for ostracizing anyone offering different opinions on the virus' origins, dismissing them as conspiracy theorists. It is only now, nearly 16 months after that letter was published in the world-renowned medical journal, that the theory Covid was accidentally leaked from a lab in Wuhan is being looked at seriously. US President Joe Biden last week ordered intelligence agencies to launch a probe into whether Covid was man-made after all. But China immediately hit back and called the suggestion a 'conspiracy'. And now Professor Palese, 77, made a significant U-turn, admitting all theories on how Covid came about now need proper investigating. He told MailOnline: 'I believe a thorough investigation about the origin of the Covid-19 virus is needed. 'A lot of disturbing information has surfaced since the Lancet letter I signed, so I want to see answers covering all questions.' Asked how he was originally approached to sign the letter and what new information had come to light specifically, Professor Palese declined to comment. Professor Palese spoke out as America's leading pandemic expert Dr Fauci continued to face fevered calls to resign after emails revealed that leading virus experts warned Covid could be man-made even as he downplayed the possibility. The emails also showed he communicated with Dr Daszak, the head of the non-profit that funnelled U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Wuhan lab. Biden threw his support behind the embattled expert on Friday, saying: 'Yes I'm very confident in Dr Fauci.' Another scientist who signed the letter, Dr Jeremy Farrar - director of the Wellcome Trust in London - declined to comment on the Fauci allegations but said it remains 'most likely' the virus came from an animal but 'there are other possibilities which cannot be completely ruled out and retaining an open mind is critical'. Advertisement Britain today recorded 9,000 daily Covid cases for the first time since February as the Indian variant continues to spread widely across the country. Department of Health bosses posted 9,055 positive tests across the UK up by a fifth on last Wednesday's count. It is the highest toll since February 25, when 9,985 infections were registered. Hospitalisations have also risen by 40 per cent in the space of a week in a clear sign that the rapid spread of the mutant strain has started to increase pressure on hospitals despite the success of the vaccination drive. Health officials recorded 173 admissions on June 12, the most recent day figures are available for. For comparison, the figure the previous Saturday was 123. Despite the uptick in the number of infected patients needing NHS care, deaths remain flat. Another nine victims were added to the official fatality toll today, up from six last week but the overall daily average for the past week has remained in single figures. But in a glimmer of hope the fast-spreading strain won't force ministers into delaying Freedom Day again, figures also show Covid outbreaks appear to be flat or falling in Bolton, Blackburn and other areas that were the first to be hit by the Indian Delta variant. Fears are growing, however, that a shortage of jabs may force No10 to push back the final unlocking once again, with the pace of the roll-out having already slowed to around 450,000 a day half of the speed seen during the best days of the programme. Ministers have conceded supply of Pfizer's jab is 'tight' while Moderna's is also limited, and regulators have advised under-40s are not given the British-made AstraZeneca jab the only other one available because of its rare links to fatal blood clots, massively increasing demand for the other two options. Boris Johnson stressed the urgent need to inoculate as many people as possible to finally end restrictions on July 19, insisting the four-week delay gave the NHS 'more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the Indian variant. But government advisers have warned that some restrictions are likely to remain even after the final step of lifting lockdown has been taken, with social distancing and measures like work from home, face masks and test and trace continuing. Peaks of future outbreaks 'would be much higher' if all the advice was abandoned completely, scientists warned. In other developments today: One of the country's top scientists today insisted Britain's Covid crisis 'will be over' if vaccines still keep people out of hospital even when they catch the Indian 'Delta' variant or future versions of the coronavirus; Sadiq Khan today called for ministers to send more Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines to London despite the UK having a 'tight' supply of both jabs; Britain will not give coronavirus vaccines to children yet because No10's advisors want more data on risks before expanding the rollout; Matt Hancock confirmed Covid vaccinations will be made compulsory for care home workers, despite backlash from unions and industry bosses that the controversial move would worsen staff shortages; Fewer than 40 per cent of care home staff in parts of London have been fully vaccinated against Covid, MailOnline analysis revealed; A leaked document gave a glimpse of the UK's potential 'new normal' with facemasks, working from home and travel quarantine rules set to stay beyond July 19.; Humiliated Matt Hancock insisted he 'doesn't think' he is 'f****** hopeless' after Boris Johnson's devastating private verdict on his performance was revealed in slew of extraordinary messages posted on social media by maverick ex-No10 chief Dominic Cummings. Sir Andrew Pollard (left), one of the professors behind the Oxford jab, told MPs in a meeting about coronavirus: 'We are going to have to live with it'. PHE's Dr Susan Hopkins (right) said that all discussions about Covid now are about variants because almost none of the original 'wild' virus is left 'We live in a world of Covid variants': PHE boss says there are 30+ strains in the UK There are at least 25 known Covid variants circulating in the UK and scientists are constantly monitoring them to see which ones might be dangerous, a Public Health England boss said today. Dr Susan Hopkins, infectious disease expert at the agency, told MPs: 'I just wanted to highlight the point that we're living in a world of variants now. 'Everything we see is a variation of the original and, actually, everything we see that's going to live and not become extinct very rapidly has either got to have a transmissibility advantage or an immune evading advantage. 'So the challenge, always, is trying to understand which one of these is going to do something as it emerges. We start following and monitoring them when we get to about 30 cases that we can see in the genome sequencing, but that's not enough to give us real-life data on the impact of vaccines [or] on the impact of transmissibility.' Dr Hopkins added: 'We have about 25 under monitoring and eight under investigation at the moment... all of them have mutations that we're concerned about but the mutations alone is not enough to predict whether it's really going to impact on our journey through vaccines and impact on the public health risk of hospitalisation... 'You would expect that you are going to be able to start to make an assessment when you've got thousands [of cases], rather than tens or hundreds... and, really, you need at least 100 cases in hospital.' Advertisement Meanwhile, Britain's Covid crisis 'will be over' if vaccines still keep people out of hospital even when they catch the Indian 'Delta' variant or future versions of the coronavirus, one of Oxford's jab-makers said today. Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, chief of the Oxford Vaccine Group that made and trialled the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, said that coronavirus would never go away but it wouldn't cause disaster if the jabs continue to work. Speaking in a meeting with MPs on the science committee in Parliament he said that, if vaccines break the link between infections and mass deaths, 'we will reach a point where we stop looking at what's happening in the community'. He cautioned that there will be a constant stream of new variants in the coming years and that most will evolve to try and get past vaccine immunity, but jabs should still work and they can continue to be updated. He said: 'If that very high protection against hospitalisation continues, despite spread in the community, then the public health crisis is over. And so far, up to Delta, we're in a very good position as long as we've got people vaccinated.' Sir Andrew's comments were latest in a line of scientific voices warning people that Britain must learn to live with the virus even in a post-vaccine world. Despite this, leaked SAGE documents suggest that some social distancing and measures like work from home, face masks and test and trace will have to stay in place even after lockdown rules come to an end in July. Peaks of future outbreaks 'would be much higher' if all the advice was abandoned completely, scientists warned. Dr Susan Hopkins, a Public Health England infectious disease expert, cautioned in the same meeting that the true number of daily infections in the UK right now could be as high as 25,000, much higher than the 7,500 average positive tests. She said: 'It doesnt take very much double to get to large numbers... But what we hope we wont see and I think we wont because of vaccines is the same number of hospitalisations. In one gloomy prediction Dr John McCauley, a flu expert at the Francis Crick Institute in London, said the Covid death toll could still be as high as 45,000 per year when lockdown rules have ended completely. He told the i newspaper: 'Theres no inherent reason why the virus will lose its virulence.' But Government minister Michael Gove said on Times Radio yesterday: 'We have to accept that this virus will circulate and it will be the case, unfortunately, that in winters to come we will find that people contract it or subsequent variants and they will fall ill.' Just two thirds of care home staff have had their first vaccination in Hackney, east London, official data has shown with uptake rates among staff lowest in the capital The NHS figures going up to June 6 the latest date data is available for show uptake rates among care home staff are significantly lagging behind in London boroughs compared to the rest of the country In the committee meeting this morning Sir Andrew, who was knighted last week for his work tackling Covid, said: 'If we're able to build immunity in our population and keep people out of hospital we will reach a point where we stop looking in this granular detail at what's happening in the community because, if we do, we'll just focus on it and worry because [the virus] will escape from vaccines... 'This will happen it's going to continue to happen. But in the end we're going to have to come back to focusing on the really important public health issue, which is the hospitalisation and the death. 'If transmission is disconnected by vaccine immunity from severe disease to a large extent, then we'll need to monitor new variants perhaps if we need to design a new vaccine and so on, but we are going to have to live with it being in our communities and transmitting.' Learning to live with the virus spreading could involve carrying on with some of the behaviour changes brought in in the past year. Scientists on the SAGE advisory group said rules 'are likely to be needed beyond the end of the current road map process,' The Times reported, or resurgences of the virus could lead to a need to 'reverse' the reopening. The Whitehall paper suggests that the government will stop short of urging workers to return to offices even after 'Freedom Day' finally arrives. There is also a suggestion that face masks will be needed in some settings long-term, as well as keeping post-travel isolation rules. Anyone who has coronavirus symptoms will still be expected to isolate, according to the draft proposals. And fears have been raised that more restrictions will be needed if the disease surges again in the winter. The document seen by Politico emerged as furious Tories predicted up to 70 MPs could inflict a bloody nose on Boris Johnson in a crunch lockdown vote tonight. Professor Hopkins said on the future of social distancing: 'This is a balance. In some countries like Sweden they have done a lot in terms of social responsibility. In other countries, they have legislated heavily. 'So I think there is a middle road, as we have vaccination heavily rolled out, that requires potentially in some areas where there is higher risk to look at them. And one might consider, for example, transport. For those of us that pack ourselves into the tube regularly, we may feel more comfortable if everyone else was asked to wear a mask as well for those very close encounters for potentially periods longer than 15 minutes. 'But in the more general societal areas, such as shops, it is going to come down to personal opinions and responsibilities rather than legislation for the longer term.' Sir Andrew Pollard said it was inevitable that the coronavirus would continue mutating and that new variants would keep appearing forever as the virus adapts to the human immune system. A virus can only keep circulating if it can be transmitted between living things and to do this it must be able to escape protections in the immune system, Sir Andrew said. Matt Hancock confirms Covid vaccines WILL be compulsory for care home workers Matt Hancock has today confirmed Covid vaccinations will be made compulsory for care home staff despite backlash from unions and industry bosses. The Health Secretary told MPs that carers will have to have a jab in order to 'protect residents'. The move comes after Whitehall sources last night leaked the plans, which were expected to be announced later in the week. And critics today slammed the proposals, saying the move will force many to 'walk away'. They said mandatory jabs could worsen the social sector's staffing crisis. The policy will see 1.5million people working in social care told to get inoculated within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs and being eligible since December, latest figures show just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine. Speaking in the commons today, Mr Hancock said the Government will 'ensure mandation as a condition of deployment for staff in care homes'. The Financial Times today reported ministers are also debating whether to make flu jabs compulsory for the same staff. Consultation is expected to begin on whether other health workers should also have the jabs, meaning Covid vaccines could also be made compulsory for the 1.4m employed by the NHS. Advertisement The vaccine chief told MPs: 'What we've been waiting for over the last month with the Delta variant is to find out whether, with two doses of the vaccine, we have good protection against hospitalisation. 'And the data that came out on Monday from Public Health England that show over 90 per cent protection against hospitalisation is incredibly reassuring in that regard. 'That's the key bit that we have to look at with future variants. If that very high protection against hospitalisation continues, despite spread in the community, then the public health crisis is over. And so far, up to Delta, we're in a very good position, as long as we've got people vaccinated. 'Of course, the WHO [World Health Organization] at the moment, with variants under investigation, we're up to Kappa so there's a lot more Greek alphabet letters still to go through. But hopefully we'll still be in a good position when we get to Omega but we have to keep monitoring it because we don't know yet.' Dr Susan Hopkins said that all discussions about Covid now are about variants because almost none of the original 'wild' virus is left. She said in the same meeting: 'We're living in a world of variants now. 'Everything we see is a variation of the original and, actually, everything we see that's going to live and not become extinct very rapidly has either got to have a transmissibility advantage or an immune evading advantage. 'So the challenge, always, is trying to understand which one of these is going to do something as it emerges. We start following and monitoring them when we get to about 30 cases that we can see in the genome sequencing, but that's not enough to give us real-life data on the impact of vaccines [or] on the impact of transmissibility.' She said there were more than 30 being investigated in the UK, as well as the four 'variants of concern' that are dominant. And the transmissibility advantage of the Delta variant has led to thousands and potentially tens of thousands of new cases every day significantly more than are being recorded by NHS Test & Trace, Dr Hopkins said. 'What we are seeing at the moment are about 7,000 to 8,000 infections per day thats what were detecting,' she said. 'But we know that is less than half of what the true infections are in the community and weve measured that out in a number of ways. So the estimate for current infections today is probably in the order of between 15,000 and 25,000 new infections a day. 'It doesnt take very much double to get to large numbers... But what we hope we wont see and I think we wont because of vaccines is the same number of hospitalisations. Facemasks forever, WFH, self-isolation and travel quarantine to stay, and MORE restrictions in winter? A leaked document gave a glimpse of the UK's potential 'new normal' today with facemasks, working from home and travel quarantine rules set to stay beyond July 19. The Whitehall paper suggests that the government will stop short of urging workers to return to offices even after 'Freedom Day' finally arrives. There is also a suggestion that face masks will be needed in some settings long-term, as well as keeping post-travel isolation rules. Anyone who has coronavirus symptoms will still be expected to isolate, according to the draft proposals. And fears have been raised that more restrictions will be needed if the disease surges again in the winter. The document - seen by Politico - emerged as furious Tories predicted up to 70 MPs could inflict a bloody nose on Boris Johnson in a crunch lockdown vote tonight. The PM is facing a bruising revolt from his own benches as the Commons is asked to approve the delay of 'Freedom Day' until July 19. Victory is guaranteed for the government as Labour has thrown its backing behind the extension of the brutal restrictions. The shift from Mr Johnson, amid warnings from scientists that the Indian variant will cause thousands more deaths, has incensed many Conservatives who argue that vaccines have protected the most vulnerable and the country must learn to live with the virus. Downing Street later said it did not recognise the Politco document and it 'does not reflect the latest Government thinking'. Mr Johnson insisted to MPs at PMQs today that the Covid rules were temporary. Responding to Tory backbencher Philip Davies he said: 'Nobody, least of all me, wants to see Covid restrictions last forever, nor do I think they are going to last forever.' Advertisement 'So we will have a much, much greater amount of infection in the community, without seeing the same impact on hospitalisations. But the more infections we do have, the more impact there will be. 'If we say 90 per cent [vaccine] effectiveness that means 10 per cent could actually come into hospital. So that means we do need to have some measures in place both social responsibility measures and the measures that are in place right now to try and hold that peak down, so that we can get as much vaccine into the individuals to reduce symptomatic disease, reduce transmission, then clearly the severity and hospitalisation.' The Government advisers' comments come after independent experts yesterday said achieving zero Covid deaths was 'impossible' and that the focus should be to bring them down to levels comparable with flu which kills roughly 17,000 people in England annually and up to 50,000 in a bad year. Boris Johnson and England's chief expert advisers Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance have all repeated the line that we will 'have to learn to live with Covid' this week, in what seems to be a concerted effort to take emphasis away from the daily death numbers. There has been fierce debate about what level of Covid deaths would be 'tolerable' when Britain emerges from the shutdown but one of the Government's top scientists, Professor Graham Medley, said it was 'quite possible' there could be hundreds per day after lockdown. Professor Karol Sikora, an expert in medicine at the University of Buckingham, told MailOnline: 'All deaths are very emotional and upsetting... but it's important we embrace Covid like we have other viruses because it will become a normal feature in society. 'We should consider it a success if we bring it [Covid deaths] down to levels comparable with flu deaths every year. We will never achieve zero Covid.' Cambridge University epidemiologist Dr Raghib Ali told MailOnline that once July 19 comes and most of the adult population have been given a vaccine: 'It's my view that we will be in as strong a position as we ever will be. Prolonging restrictions beyond that point doesn't achieve much.' Asked what an acceptable number of Covid deaths would be, he added: 'If you look at deaths and excess deaths from influenza, the Government tolerates numbers up to about 50,000 [per year].' Cabinet Office minister Mr Gove said: 'Unfortunately there are respiratory diseases, including flu itself, which do every year result in an upsurge of people being taken into hospital, and in some cases suffering tragic consequences.' In a separate interview with BBC Radio 4, he said 'we're going to have to learn to live with Covid'. Learning to live with Covid could mean making some permanent lifestyle changes, SAGE files have revealed, with experts saying 'baseline' measures like mask-wearing and social distancing should remain for the long term. Scientists on the advisory group said rules 'are likely to be needed beyond the end of the current road map process,' The Times reported, or resurgences of the virus could lead to a need to 'reverse' the reopening. Covid has killed more than 150,000 people since the crisis began last spring, but the vaccines have shown to be extremely effective at preventing deaths - reducing fatalities by more than 90%. Independent scientists seeking to manage expectations before restrictions are lifted told MailOnline that achieving zero Covid deaths going forward was 'impossible' and that the focus should be to bring them down to levels comparable with flu which kills roughly 17,000 people in England annually (shown on graph). Source: Office for National Statistics and Public Health England Michael Gove (today, left) said that while ministers need to do 'everything we can to protect people', it was important for the public to 'accept' that there would continue to be Covid deaths when the country unlocks on July 19. Boris Johnson (pictured today, right) said we will 'have to learn to live with Covid' at last night's press conference It is not clear what levels of Covid deaths the country can expect when lockdown is ended next month, and this has been made less clear due to the outbreak of the highly transmissible Indian variant. That strain has proven to be at least 60 per cent more infectious than the Kent version and twice as likely to put unvaccinated people in hospital. But two doses of the jabs are extremely effective against the mutant virus, reducing hospitalisations by up to 96 per cent. The Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) warned there could have been 250 to more than 500 deaths per day in the third wave this summer if Step 4 of the roadmap out of lockdown went ahead as planned on June 21. The group did not provide clear projections for what effect delaying the unlocking until July 19 will have on deaths, but its estimates around hospitalisations show the four-week gap could shrink admissions by more than half. Prominent SAGE member Professor Graham Medley warned that, even with the extra breathing room the delay gives, Britain could still suffer hundreds of Covid deaths every day later in the year. Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, said this was possible because there will still be millions of people who are vulnerable to the disease even when the entire country is vaccinated. A small percentage of people who get the jab will still catch and die from Covid, usually because they are frail and have compromised immune systems. Dr Clarke told MailOnline: 'Even if you've got a vaccine that cuts deaths by more than 90 per cent, that still leaves almost 7million people not protected. 'Then there will be even more people who get infected but do not get seriously ill. So that still means lots and lots of virus circulating which poses a risk to those vulnerable 7m.' But he said emphasis should be taken away from the Covid death figures and focused on NHS capacity, which he said was now the most important metric. Keith Neal, a professor in infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham, said that once the adult population had been vaccinated with at least once dose against Covid it was no longer the Government's responsibility to try to save every life. 'We can't stay in lockdowns forever, people need to make their own risk assessments. If people are worried about Covid or think they might be vulnerable, then they might decide not to meet up with others or socially distance.' Backbench Tory MPs, including former prime minister Theresa May and Mark Harper, chairman of the Covid Recovery Group (CRG), criticised the Government for delaying the June 21 unlocking by a month, saying it was moving away from its goal of protecting the NHS. They said Britons had to learn to live with the virus. However, other experts have said it is the Government's duty to do prevent all 'avoidable' deaths and warned ministers against becoming cocky about the virus. Professor Gabriel Scally, a public health expert at the University of Bristol, told MailOnline: 'What's an acceptable level of road traffic accidents? We don't accept those deaths we have inquests to find out what went wrong and how can we put it right. 'Like any infectious disease it's our duty to do whatever we can to protect people from it. If we don't take sensible action and people get ill then we're being careless with people's lives.' Meanwhile, millions more people in the Midlands and North West of England are being urged not to travel or meet people indoors in an attempt to curb the spread of the Indian Covid variant. In guidance released last night, roughly 3.6million residents in Birmingham, Liverpool, Warrington and parts of Cheshire were asked to minimise their movements in and out of the affected areas, which are recording higher than average levels of the mutant strain. But Mr Johnson made no mention of the fresh advice in his dramatic Downing Street press conference last night, where he confirmed England's final unlocking would be pushed back by four weeks amid fears the mutant strain could overwhelm hospitals. The friend of a young mum allegedly stabbed to death by a neighbourhood 'prowler' made a desperate 11-minute call to police when she found him inside her home. Gabrielle Marshall, 23, who moved to Tasmania from Brisbane just three weeks ago, was found dead at a home in Ulverstone on the state's north coast in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Just hours before her death, she had taken happy pictures of a new hairstyle to show friends and family back in Queensland. Gabrielle Marshall, 23, moved to the Apple Isle from Brisbane just three weeks ago, but was found dead in a friend's house after being allegedly stabbed to death Gabrielle Marshall (pictured), who was allegedly stabbed to death what police say was an apparent random attack in Tasmania was the mother of a six-year-old girl and had been trying to 'getting her life in order' Police say her friend called Triple-0 at about 3am on Tuesday to report a man allegedly 'prowling' in the house. She stayed on the line for 11 minutes. In that time, officers arrived and discovered Gabrielle's body in a room. Gabrielle Marshall (pictured left) has been remembered as a 'beautiful soul' by her heartbroken family Officers confirmed Ms Marshall, who leaves behind a six-year-old daughter - was found at the scene with a number of stab wounds. It is believed the alleged offender wasn't known to Ms Marshall and that she was the victim of a random attack. Her devastated brother Casey McCarthy posted a heartbreaking tribute to his 'beautiful baby sister' on Facebook. 'We have lost a beautiful soul who wanted nothing but peace in her life,' he wrote. 'My beautiful baby sister. Gabs, we love you, we are sorry we couldn't protect you and I'm awfully sorry this happened to you. 'We love you always sweetheart, and will forever miss you. From the bottom of my heart, I love you Gabrielle, more than you will ever know. Police on the scene (pictured) in Tasmania following the alleged murder of young mother Gabrielle Marshall Gabrielle Marshall, 23, moved to Tasmania from Queensland three weeks ago, seeking a fresh start in her life - she was found dead on Tuesday 'May you now be in peace my beautiful baby sister.' Her heartbroken mum added: 'She was only 23 years old. She was getting her life in order. 'She rang her daughter every morning and night. 'She was in a good place. You will be forever loved my sweet girl and missed so much. 'We will bring you home.' A 35-year-old Ulverstone man was arrested at a house on the same street later that morning and was charged with Ms Marshall's murder on Wednesday evening. Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyer has claimed vermin droppings fell from air vents and raw sewage 'permeated' her cell in the latest complaint about her Brooklyn jail conditions. Attorney Bobbi Sternheim compiled a bullet point list of complaints about Maxwell's alleged treatment inside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, in a court filing Tuesday night. She claimed the stench of sewage in her cell was so bad that Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madam had to be moved to another cell. Maxwell, 59, has been held behind bars at the Brooklyn jail since her arrest on July 2 2020 on federal sex trafficking charges. She is expected to stand trial in November accused of procuring girls as young as 14 for convicted pedophile Epstein to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004. The British-born socialite denies the allegations and has tried - and failed - five times to convince a judge to release her on bail, citing the allegedly squalid jail conditions. Ghislaine Maxwell in a court sketch during her arraignment hearing on a new indictment at Manhattan Federal Court in April. Her lawyer has claimed vermin droppings fell from air vents and raw sewage 'permeated' her cell in the latest complaint about her Brooklyn jail conditions Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein in 2005. Maxwell is accused of procuring girls as young as 14 for convicted pedophile Epstein to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004 Sternheim claimed Tuesday that Maxwell remains subjected to raw sewage, water deprivation, 'hyper-surveillance' by overbearing guards and other unacceptable treatment. 'Last week, raw sewage permeated Ms. Maxwell's isolation cell, necessitating her removal to another cell,' Sternheim wrote, adding: 'Vermin droppings fell from air vents.' Sternheim also said guards are still able to read Maxwell's confidential legal papers and monitor her meetings with lawyers, and that neither Maxwell nor her lawyers were allowed water during a four-hour meeting on Sunday. Despite complaints about the inmate's treatment, 'little if anything has been done,' Sternheim wrote. 'The ever-changing rules are negatively impacting Ms. Maxwell's ability to prepare for trial,' Sternheim added. 'The hyper-surveillance of Ms. Maxwell and counsel during legal visits is highly inappropriate and invasive.' The attorney also pointed to comments made by Manhattan federal Judge Colleen McMahon in an unrelated sentencing. McMahon had told the court there was 'no excuse for the conditions' in the two federal jails in New York City and said the facilities were 'run by morons.' '[T]here is no excuse for the conditions in those two institutions [Inmates]shouldn't suffer for the incompetence of the United States Department of Justice and its subsidiary agency, the Bureau of Prisons,' McMahon said. Sternheim's letter came in response to a June 7 letter from prosecutors that she said falsely suggested that Maxwell 'is detained under favorable and privileged conditions.' Attorney Bobbi Sternheim compiled a ist of complaints about Maxwell's treatment inside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, (above) in a court filing Tuesday The office of US Attorney Audrey Strauss in Manhattan declined to comment. US District Judge Alison Nathan, who oversees Maxwell's case, on Wednesday directed prosecutors to release a redacted version of their letter by Thursday. Maxwell's defense team and family have filed a litany of complaints about her treatment in the detention center. Earlier this month, her family claimed conditions breached United Nation rules around caring for prisoners as she had been 'subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.' They have previously claimed she is woken by guards every 15 minutes shining a light into her cell to check on her. They also said her cell stinks of sewage and lacks drinkable water. In April, her attorneys released a photo of Maxwell sporting a black eye inside the jail. They said she did not know how she got it but that it could have been from shielding her eyes in an attempt to sleep. Her attorneys have branded her treatment 'the Epstein effect', as the Bureau of Prisons is under pressure to prevent her committing suicide after Epstein died on their watch in his cell. Maxwell's lawyers released a photo of Ghislaine Maxwell with a bruise under her left eye in April. It is not clear how she got the bruise, but Maxwell told lawyers it might have come from shielding her eyes during the nighttime checks Prosecutors dispute the allegations that she is being treated differently to other inmates. Maxwell was denied bail for a fifth time on June 2 - marking the second rejection by the appeals court, following three other rejections by her trial judge. In the latest bail quest, Maxwell's lawyers asked the appeals court to at least order the lower-court judge to conduct a hearing where evidence related to bail could be shown. The 2nd Circuit rejected that, too. Maxwell's trial was initially set to begin next month, however the trial date was pushed back after her lawyers requested more time to prepare. Her trial is now expected to begin November 29. She was arrested on July 2 when federal agents swooped on her home in Bradford, New Hampshire, aptly named Tuckedaway. She was charged with conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and two counts of perjury. A courtroom sketch of Maxwell from July. Maxwell, 59, has been held behind bars at the Brooklyn jail since her arrest on July 2 2020 on federal sex trafficking charges Epstein (with Maxwell in the early 2000s) died by suicide at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan August 2019 while awaiting trial The charges relate to the alleged grooming of three girls between 1994 and 1997 for Epstein across London, Florida, New York and New Mexico. Prosecutors say Maxwell also took part in some of the abuse herself. In March, another indictment added a fourth teenage girl to the allegations and extended the years of the alleged conspiracy to 2004. Two of the four women who say they were abused by Maxwell and Epstein say they were just 14 when they were recruited for sex. Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to all charges and faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted. Epstein was found hanging in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan August 2019 while awaiting trial. He had pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing girls as young as 14 and young women in New York and Florida in the early 2000s. His death was ruled a suicide but his attorneys and some family members claim he was murdered to stop him from sharing what he knows about other high profile, powerful people. Osama bin Laden's Donald Trump-obsessed niece Noor has branded Joe Biden 'frail, weak and incapacitated' - and claimed someone else is running the US behind the scenes. Speaking as she protested the president's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday, Noor bin Ladin told DailyMail.com: 'Biden does not represent America.' 'In the words of [French President Emmanuel] Macron last week, Biden brings America "back into the club". 'This club of "leaders" do not have the interests of their respective populations at heart, but rather are intent on representing the interests of the ruling class. 'Biden is a weak figure, but I don't believe he is in charge of the United States right now. 'From his many gaffes including repeatedly confusing Syria and Libya, to his inability to hold a joint press conference with President Putin - not to mention the lists of pre-planned reporters to call on - it is clear something is not as is being portrayed. 'This overseas trip made it all the more clear on the world stage that he is a frail, incapacitated man - and somebody else is running affairs behind the scene.' Bin Ladin is from the Saudi-born bin Laden family, though her part of the family spells its last name ending in -in instead of -en. She has been outspoken in recent months in her support for Trump and other Republicans. Bin Ladin told DailyMail.com that she believes Biden's predecessor would have handled the summit differently. 'He is a firm leader who puts the interests of his country and its people first and foremost,' she said of Trump. 'But as hes said and proven by the many successful dealings hes had with other nations, America First does not mean America alone. 'Just look at previous pictures of President Trump at G7 and other international summits, and compare those with Joe Biden. 'President Trump projects strength. Joe Biden projects weakness.' Bin Laden said she thought America will see Trump 'lead again,' but added that she was concentrating her energies on fighting the November 2020 election result. She said: 'I am very much focused on the rectification of the 2020 elections first and foremost, paying close attention to the full forensic audit currently taking place in Arizona,' she told DailyMail.com. Noor bin Ladin, the niece of arch-terrorist Osama bin Laden who has emerged as an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump, was seen on video protesting President Biden in Geneva while he met with Russias Vladimir Putin Republicans have claimed that Biden's election victory was tainted by voter fraud, but the courts have rejected the allegations after lawyers acting for Trump offered no substantive proof to back up their claims. Trump has reportedly been telling confidantes that he believes he will be reinstated to the presidency in August - though there is no legal or constitutional mechanism to enable this to take place. Bin Ladin spoke after she was snapped on a boat on Lake Geneva on Wednesday brandishing a giant flag saying 'Trump won.' Bin Ladin, who is a Swiss national, was seen in a boat on Lake Geneva on Wednesday holding up a large sign which read Trump won. Video circulating online shows bin Ladin being questioned by Swiss authorities, although no action was taken against her. Bin Ladin organized a protest flotilla on Lake Geneva that included other supporters of the former president. She told DailyMail.com that police and military boats threatened to take her into custody unless she put down the pro-Trump signs. Bin Ladin organized a protest flotilla on Lake Geneva that included other supporters of the former president Biden and Putin met for four hours on Wednesday at an 18th century lakeside villa. Security was tight and access extremely limited to areas around the summit site Last fall, Noor bin Ladin wrote an open letter to the country claiming that Donald Trump (right) is the only president who can prevent another a similar terrorist attack on the United States like the one committed by her uncle Osama bin Laden (seen left in October 2001) Noor bin Ladin, 33, threw her support behind Trump in a letter uploaded to her website ahead of the US presidential elections in November Before the election, Noor bin Ladin wrote an open letter saying America needs to keep Trump at the helm to help restore prosperity and liberty. 'With President Trump at her helm, America stands a chance of restoring her principles, pride, independence and true place in the world as a beacon for liberty and hope for all,' she wrote in the letter that she posted on her site in September. 'This to me, is what "Make America Great Again" means. Looking back at your country's foundation, and preserving what makes it truly GREAT. 'But also knowing that the best is yet to come. 'All the above achievements will be torpedoed with a Biden/Harris presidency, and the dream of America's enemies to see her weak and on her knees would be fulfilled.' She warned America that it was 'at the very edge of a precipice'. 'America, you are at the very edge of the precipice. Please wake up! Take hold! Fight for your country, and be proud of your roots! Uphold your values,' she wrote. 'Stand for your flag and your anthem. Defend your history. Dont relent in the face of those who seek to re-write it to serve their narrative and justify the destruction of your nation. 'You have much to cherish and protect for your sake, and ours.' She praised Trump, listing the ways she believed he had 'made the world a much safer place since taking office'. Noor bin Ladin and her two sisters Wafah and Najia were raised in Switzerland after their parents' divorce. Her father Yeslam bin Ladin is an older half-brother of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and her mother is Carmen Dufour, a Swiss author. 'With President Trump at her helm, America stands a chance of restoring her principles, pride, independence and true place in the world as a beacon for liberty and hope for all,' she wrote in the letter that she posted on her site in September Yeslam and Osama shared the same father - Mohammed bin Laden, who made his fortune in the construction business. He is said to have had more than 50 children. Osama bin Laden was reportedly the black sheep of the family. In 2001, he masterminded the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania that killed nearly 3,000 people. Noor says her father has played no role in her life after a messy divorce from her mother in 1988. Her mother released the book 'Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia' in 2004, revealing what life was like inside the Bin Laden family. The bin Laden familys construction empire was built thanks to close ties with the ruling Saudi royal family. But the family empire fell apart due to the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdoms de facto ruler. Biden and Putin met for four hours on Wednesday at an 18th century lakeside villa. Security was tight and access extremely limited to areas around the summit site. Biden told reporters after Wednesdays meeting in Geneva that the two men sat across the table at their meeting site talking through each issue in excruciating detail. At the end of that, we looked at each other like, Ok, what next? Biden said. We had covered so much. This is the shocking moment a teenager was stabbed on a zebra crossing by a hooded thug in full view of a mother and her young child. CCTV footage captured the attack at around 12.45pm on Tuesday in Gravesend, Kent. The stabbing was carried out in broad daylight after the victim was chased across a busy road. The victim was taken to a London hospital for treatment as Kent Police continue their enquiries. In the clip, the victim, who is wearing a blue T-shirt, can be seen hurrying down the pavement being pursued by his attacker. The camera cuts to another angle as the young boy runs across a zebra crossing before skidding and falling on the ground. The masked knifeman then lunges toward the youngster four times with the blade in hand - appearing to stab him in the stomach. The victim kicks out repeatedly to defend himself before his attacker scarpers passed a horrified woman holding hands with a toddler. The injured teenager manages to get to his feet and runs to hide in a nearby newsagents while he waits for his attacker to leave. The driver of a black vehicle, who witnessed the attack as they waited at the crossing, mounts the pavement and drives toward the knifeman in an attempt to stop him getting away. Kent Police, South East Coast Ambulance Service and Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance all arrived at the scene a short time later. The boy was taken to a London hospital for treatment as officers continue their enquiries. CCTV footage captured the attack at around 12.45pm on Tuesday in Gravesend, Kent, after the victim was chased across a busy road The male victim was taken to a London hospital for treatment as Kent Police continue their enquiries A spokesman for Kent Police told MailOnline: 'Kent Police was called at 12.47pm on Tuesday 15 June 2021 to a report a teenage boy had been assaulted by another person in Milton Road, Gravesend. 'Officers attended alongside South East Coast Ambulance Service and Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance. 'The boy has since been taken to a London hospital for treatment to an injury which is consistent with a stab wound. 'Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information, including mobile phone footage or privately held CCTV that captures the incident, is asked to call Kent Police on 01474 366149 quoting 15-0672. 'You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111 or using the anonymous online form.' A 'beautiful and talented' young woman whose body was found in remote bushland a week after she vanished made an eerie final Facebook post in the hours before her disappearance. Mystery surrounds what happened to Gympie woman Sarah Brown, 23, who left her Victory Heights home around 6pm on June 7 to buy a bottle of wine - but never returned. Her lifeless body was found by a friend in nearby bushland on Monday, wearing make-up and 'dressed to go out' in a summer dress and thongs. Just hours before her disappearance, she posted on Facebook saying she was 'feeling positive'. Ms Brown's heartbroken mother Janet Gardner, who spent a week desperately searching for her, said she had an unbreakable bond with her youngest daughter. Sarah Brown appeared to be in positive spirits several hours before she disappeared. Pictured is her last Facebook post Friends have set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds so Sarah Brown's family - after her mother spent a week searching for her missing daughter (pictured) She described Ms Brown as a special girl with a gorgeous heart. 'Sarah had the lot, she had the looks, the academics, she was gifted in piano, she's won prizes for drawings, she had the heart and protected people who couldn't, she stood up to the blokes when no one else could,' Ms Gardner told the Gympie Times. Ms Gardner arrived in Gympie to visit Ms Brown on the day she went missing and spent the next week frantically searching for her daughter and appealing for public assistance on social media. 'She apparently went to go to the shop to get some wine and she's never been seen since,' she posted on Facebook before her daughter's body was found. 'She left her dog, she's left her clothes, she's left her laptop, she's left everything personal.' Janet Gardner (left) was very close to her youngest daughter Sarah Brown (right) - whose body was found a week after she went missing Sarah Brown uploaded this selfie on June 6, the day before she went missing when out to buy a bottle of wine Her grandmother, Margaret Reidy, said there was nothing not to like about Ms Brown, described as 'the naughtiest grandchild who made you laugh.' She's now shattered over the tragic circumstances of her granddaughter's death. 'It should never happen again. I don't want another parent to go through this, it was terrible,' Ms Reidy said. Devastated friends have posted heartfelt tributes on Ms Brown's Facebook page following her tragic death 'Rest in peace beautiful, I will forever hold on to our late night conversations - such a beautiful soul taken way to soon. It breaks my heart,' one wrote. Another added: 'I can't believe it gorgeous. I know I haven't seen you since we were kids but I will love you and remember you forever.' Family and friends described Sarah Brown (pictured) as special and having a gorgeous heart A family friend has set up a GoFundMe page to raise enough money for Ms Gardner to give her daughter the send-off she deserves, which has already raised more than $1,700. 'As anyone that knew Sarah knows she was a special girl, an empathic soul, a gentle and beautiful young woman only to have her life cut short so suddenly,' the page states. A crime scene was established where Ms Brown's body was found as police investigations continue. 'The investigation into Ms Browns death is ongoing and cause of death is undetermined at this stage,' a Queensland Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia. Keir Starmer was roasted by his own backbenchers today after he failed to ask Boris Johnson a single question about Dominic Cummings' WhatsApp revelations at Prime Minister's Questions. Former No10 aide Mr Cummings dropped a bombshell blog at shortly after 11.30am, claiming that Mr Johnson had branded Health Secretary Matt Hancock 'f***ing hopeless' as the first wave of Covid raged last year. But despite having almost half an hour to digest the claims of disorder at the heart of the Cabinet he made no mention of the revelations when he faced the PM at noon. Instead he used his questions to attack Mr Johnson over whether it was too slow block arrivals from India, and whether the porous UK border had helped contribute to the surge in the delta/Indian variant. Instead it was left to SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford to throw the first question at Mr Johnson, although Labour later issued a statement from junior health minister Justin Madders. The Labour benches were bewildered that Sir Keir did not seize on the revelations. 'I thought he was going to. And then he just didn't. It would have been an easy win,' one senior MP told MailOnline. 'No-one could really understand why. 'There is a lot of unrest about him on our benches. He's got trouble and things aren't getting better when he misses easy chances.' Former No10 aide Mr Cummings dropped a bombshell blog at shortly after 11.30am, claiming that Mr Johnson had branded Health Secretary Matt Hancock 'f***ing hopeless' as the first wave of Covid raged last year. But despite having almost half an hour to digest the claims of disorder at the heart of the Cabinet Sir Keir made no mention of the revelations when he faced the PM at noon. It was left to SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford to throw the first question at Mr Johnson, although Labour later issued a statement from junior health minister Justin Madders. In an exchange with Boris Johnson from March 27 last year Dominic Cummings criticised the Health Secretary over the failure to ramp up testing On April 27, Mr Johnson apparently messaged Mr Cummings to say that PPE was a 'disaster' Downing Street declined to deny that the messages were genuine this afternoon. 'We are not going to get into engaging with individual allegations, so we will leave it there,' the PM's press secretary said. Mr Hancock insisted he 'doesn't think' he is 'f****** hopeless' after Boris Johnson's devastating private verdict on his performance was revealed. The Health Secretary tried to shrug off a slew of extraordinary messages. As he drove to the Commons in an official car today for a debate on delaying 'Freedom Day', a journalists shouted: 'Are you useless, Mr Hancock?' 'I don't think so,' he replied. In one exchange from March 27 last year, Mr Cummings criticised the Health Secretary over the failure to ramp up testing. Mr Johnson replied: 'Totally f****** hopeless.' He then tried to call his senior aide three times without managing to get through. Another from the same day saw Mr Cummings complain that the Department of Health had been turning down ventilators because 'the price has been marked up'. Mr Johnson said: 'It's Hancock. He has been hopeless.' On April 27, Mr Johnson apparently messaged Mr Cummings to say that PPE was a 'disaster', suggesting that Michael Gove should take charge instead. 'I can't think of anything except taking Hancock off and putting Gove on.' Mr Cummings dropped the incendiary revelations in a lengthy post on the Substack blogging platform just minutes before PMQs. It included vicious passages condemning Mr Johnson for 'telling rambling stories and jokes' instead of chairing crucial meetings properly, and a claim that the PM is intending to quit in order to 'make money' rather than serving a full term if he wins the next election. But at PMQs the Labour leader repeatedly pressed the Prime Minister to explain the UK's high rates of the Delta variant first identified in India, which has been blamed for the four-week delay on easing restrictions. Mr Cummings levelled his latest allegations in a lengthy substack blog post today minutes before the weekly PMQs Mr Cummings gave a brutal assessment of the performance of the government during an exchange of messages in April 2020 Sir Keir also suggested the amber travel list, which includes France and Spain, should be scrapped and replaced by an approved list and a banned list of countries, in a bid to 'save the British summer'. But Mr Johnson defended the UK's approach and claimed his Government acted swiftly to ban travel with India. Speaking in the House of Commons, Sir Keir said: 'We all want these restrictions to be over, for our economy to be open, for businesses to thrive - but the Prime Minister's indecision at the borders has blown it.' Mr Johnson could be heard shouting 'rubbish' before Sir Keir added: 'And the problem with everything the Prime Minister says today, both at the despatch box and what he's muttered, is that we've heard it all before so many times. 'Last March, he said we could turn the tide in 12 weeks, remember that? Then he said it'd all be over by Christmas. Then we were told June 21 would be 'freedom day'. Now we're told July 19 is 'terminus day'. 'The British people don't expect miracles, but they do expect basic competence and honesty, and when it comes to care homes, protective equipment or borders, we see the same pattern from this Prime Minister - too slow, too indecisive, over-promising, under-delivering. 'After all these failures and mistakes, why should anyone believe the Prime Minister now?' Mr Johnson replied: 'Why should anybody believe the Leader of the Opposition when he can't decide what he thinks one week to the next? 'He says he has a tough position on borders, actually he was attacking quarantine only recently and saying it was a blunt instrument that should be lessened. 'What the people of this country want to see is a Government getting on with the vaccine rollout and getting on with our cautious and irreversible road map to freedom.' Border Patrol agents assigned to a checkpoint on a Texas highway pulled over a moving truck for inspection and detained 27 undocumented migrants crammed inside the vehicle's cargo area where temperatures topped 106 Fahrenheit. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the U-Haul truck was traveling north on Interstate 35 in Laredo on Sunday when the agents assigned to the Laredo Sector ordered the driver to stop. The migrants were identified as natives of Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. CBP said the driver and a passenger, both citizens of the United States, were placed under arrest. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agents from the U.S. Border Patrol Laredo Sector stopped a U-Hail truck Sunday and detained 27 migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico who were allegedly being smuggled by a driver and passenger, both U.S. citizens The truck was stopped on Interstate 35 in Laredo, Texas, as part of an immigration checkpoint conducted by agents assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol Laredo Sector A Border Patrol agent's thermometer registers the temperature inside the U-Haul truck's cargo area where 27 migrants were hidden 'Though human smugglers may try different ways to attempt to avoid detection, our agents remain vigilant and committed to our border security and national security mission', Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent Matthew Hudak said. Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents arrested at least 5,3000 migrants who were found inside more than 165 trucks that were stopped at immigration checkpoints throughout fiscal year 2021. The current fiscal year runs from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021. By comparison, agents detained 2,300 migrants in all of fiscal year in 2020. 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) Former President Donald Trump speaks toured a section a border wall in Alamo, Texas on January 12, 2021 A new monthly report released by CBP on June 9 showed that Border Patrol agents stopped 180,034 migrants in May along the southwestern border, a slight increase from 178,854 the prior month, with the increase driven largely by single adults. Laredo Sector border officers saw encounters with migrant individuals spike from 10,926 in April to 76,670 in May. The latest smuggling attempt comes on the heels of former President Donald Trump announcing he will be joining Texas Governor Greg Abbott for a trip to the southern border June 30. While CBP stats showed a rise in encounters with unlawful border crossers at the United State-Mexico international line during his last months in office, Trump slammed the Biden administration for 'our nation's decimated southern border.' 'The Biden administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in US history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in US history,' he said. 'We went from having border security that was the envy of the world to a lawless border that is now pitied around the world.' From March to May more than 530,000 people were apprehended and pushed back into Mexico after attempting to cross without legal immigration papers, according to the Customs and Border Protection. There is no official estimate on how many did get through, but the sheer number of attempts suggests a rise in successful crossings, CBP officers have said. Sonia Appleby, 62, claims her bosses' actions left her unable to fulfil her role as a Named Professional for Safeguarding Children at Tavistock and Portman NHS Centre A whistleblower is suing the NHS's only children's gender clinic for allegedly ostracising her after she raised concerns over a private doctor who was providing puberty blockers to under-16s. Sonia Appleby, 62, claims her bosses' actions left her unable to fulfil her role as a Named Professional for Safeguarding Children at Tavistock and Portman NHS Centre. She said that in 2016 she began to have a 'drizzle, then a trickle, then a stream' of concerned staffers at the trust and beyond complaining about Dr Helen Webberley, who runs the private practice Gender GP from abroad. In late 2017, the General Medical Council temporarily stopped Dr Webberley from working as a doctor in Britain while they conducted an investigation into a string of complaints around her work with trans patients, which came from doctors working within the NHS Gender Identity Clinics. The accusations were that she was failing to follow the approach favoured by NHS doctors, which she says is a model criticised time and again 'for being overly restrictive and even discriminatory to trans individuals'. Ms Appleby today told a remote tribunal hearing some clinicians had been worried about the work of Dr Webberley, who was 'prescribing puberty-blocking drugs in ethically dubious practices to Gender Identity Disorder Service (GIDS) users'. She added: 'Dr Webberley was a private GP who was prescribing puberty blockers and also to the best of my knowledge cross-sex hormones to patients at GIDS - these were children who were identified as being on the waiting list.' Ms Appleby, who is still employed by the trust, said she raised concerns with children's mental health services, GPs, and parents to remove their patients from Dr Webberley's care. She said she was ostracised by NHS bosses after she raised health and safety concerns about the use of puberty blockers in October 2017, and claims staff were told she had an 'agenda'. The employment tribunal is unusual in that the complainant is still working for the trust In her witness statement to the tribunal, Ms Appleby said: 'The problem for GIDS was that some children and young service users were turning to Dr Webberley whilst under GIDS care, but clinicians did not have a procedural reference as to how to manage private clinicians prescribing in such circumstances. 'This was an immediate and alarming safeguarding risk and should have been dealt with immediately but was not.' She added while giving live evidence via videolink: 'This was not the first time I cared about what the Gender Identity Disorder Service was doing. 'I was supporting their services and I was supporting staff in relation to their safeguarding concerns. 'Staff were highlighting a particular problem, Dr Webberley, and it seemed to me there was a problem for staff to think about. This was a problem that was predictable given the services provided by GIDS. 'At first it was a drizzle, and then it became much of a trickle, and then a stream of people concerned about Dr Webberley.' She also said she raised concerns with the General Medical Council about Dr Webberley because she felt there was an absence of safeguarding processes from the carer. Ms Appleby said that in 2016 she began to have a 'drizzle, then a trickle, then a stream' of concerned staffers at the trust and beyond complaining about Dr Helen Webberley (pictured), who runs the private practice Gender GP from abroad The social worker said she also 'commended' the joint referral by GIDS and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to the GMC about the doctor. Ms Appleby said: 'One of the huge challenges in this field is the lack of safeguarding procedures to help us with these matters. 'What we can do is we can appropriately alert other agencies who have more immediate contact with the child. 'I do believe concerns were raised with the [General Medical Council] about Dr Webberley if she was in fact giving out prescriptions ''off-licence'', as it were.' Yvette Genn, representing the trust, said: 'But if they're going to a private provider, it's not in your control.' Ms Appleby admitted that she had waited to approach the director of the service, Dr Polly Carmichael, which she says led to accusations she had an 'agenda' against the service. Yvette Genn, for the trust, said: 'What I'm suggesting to you is that if this is accurate and correct then you ought to have in pursuance of your obligations according to your job description gone to work with the service at a much earlier stage if this is true?' Ms Appleby responded: 'It was an accumulating problem so in 2016 I was less bothered about it than I was in May 2017. When I was less bothered, there were limited numbers and the appropriate safeguarding actions were undertaken. 'What I was doing in 2017 with my line manager was actually trying to enable the service to adopt a strategic solution to the problem that needed to be remedied.' Emails about the trust director's concerns that Ms Appleby had an 'agenda' against the service, which had no response from the safeguarding worker, were also raised at the tribunal. Ms Appleby said: 'I wouldn't have deliberately not responded to Polly. [My line manager] responded, and said there isn't an agenda. There was nothing to be anxious about as we were trying to assure ourselves as safeguarding leads. 'I was concerned that she was confused that there was an agenda. 'In recent times, agenda has taken the form of a particular idiom. It's a kind of name-calling. You will hear the word agenda a lot in these proceedings. 'More than several years later, the agenda has taken on a kind of name-calling. 'At the time I was concerned Polly seemed to be possibly upset, confused as she said, but now four years later I think that having an agenda has a particular resonance. From my own experiences, it's not a helpful word.' The tribunal also heard that despite working part-time, Ms Appleby did not raise these concerns with other safeguarding leads. Ms Appleby admitted: 'I wouldn't call it a dereliction. I do accept I did not make an appointment [with Garry Richardson] in October which is a natural point when I should have followed it up.' While there is a lack of long-term data, the Endocrine Society said puberty blocking drugs stunting growth was a myth after finding hormone treatment to halt puberty in adolescents with gender identity disorder does not cause lasting harm to their bones. Professor Simona Giordano, director of medical ethics at the University of Manchester, has also said there is nothing unethical about puberty blockers. She said in a previously published scientific paper: 'There is nothing unethical with interfering with spontaneous development when spontaneous development causes great harm to the child. 'Indeed, it is unethical to let children suffer, when their suffering can be alleviated.' The employment tribunal continues. Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot is now on the receiving end of a lawsuit following backlash for her declaration that she would only give interviews to journalists of color. Lightfoot, who assumed office in May 2019, announced last Tuesday that she would only grant one-on-one interviews to 'black and brown' reporters to mark her two-year anniversary in office. Her announcement about the policy, which she eventually called temporary, sparked anger from reporters of all colors, but Lightfoot doubled down on her decision the next day, insisting it was part of her lifelong battle for diversity and inclusion. In late May, Lightfoot (left) stated she would only give give one-on-one interviews to 'black and brown' journalists on a temporary basis. She is now being sued by Thomas Catenacci (right), a white reporter from the Daily Caller who alleges he was denied an interview In late May, however, the backlash hit a new level, with a white reporter from the Daily Caller suing Lightfoot in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Lightfoot called the lawsuit 'frivolous.' She is Chicago's first black female and first openly gay mayor, announced last month that she would only speak with reporters of color to mark her two-year anniversary in office. The lawsuit, filed by Daily Caller News Foundation and Judicial Watch, alleges that Thomas Catenacci was denied an interview by Lightfoot. The lawsuit claims Catenacci's First Amendment rights were violated, as well as his Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection. Catenacci sent three emails to Lightfoot's office asking for an interview beginning on March 20, according to the lawsuit, none of which received a response. The lawsuit says 'failing to respond in a timely manner' to the interview requests was akin to a denial. While it doesn't specify whether Lightfoot is being sued for damages, it does include request for a jury trial. Catenacci was hoping to speak to her about Chicago's battle against COVID-19 and the vaccination effort in the city. In an open letter last week, Lightfoot detailed her decision to exclusively provide interviews with journalists of color, claiming it is part of a 'fight for diversity and inclusion' 'It's absurd that an elected official believes she can discriminate on the basis of race,' DCNF Editor-in-Chief Ethan Barton said in the Daily Caller. 'Mayor Lightfoots decision is clearly blocking press freedom through racial discrimination.' Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, also commented on the lawsuit. 'Racial discrimination has no place in America, especially in the halls of government,' Fitton said. 'Mayor Lightfoots admitted policy of race-based discrimination is flagrantly illegal and immoral. Simply put, were asking the court to find Mayor Lightfoots racist abuse unlawful,' Fitton added. Catenacci, meanwhile, says that he aims to hold Lightfoot 'accountable.' 'Preventing journalists from doing our jobs in such a blatantly discriminatory way is wrong and does a disservice to our readers who come from all backgrounds,' Catenacci said. 'Every journalist and every person who consumes the news should be concerned by Mayor Lightfoots actions,' he continued. The reporter also tweeted about the lawsuit on Thursday morning. The lawsuit is arguably the most significant backlash since Lightfoot issued her open letter last week after news came out about her decree. 'I have been struck since my first day on the campaign trail back in 2018 by the overwhelming whiteness and maleness of Chicago media outlets, editorial boards, the political press corps, and yes, the City Hall press corps specifically,' Lightfoot wrote. She called it 'unacceptable' that reporters covering City Hall were mostly white. 'Many of them are smart and hard-working, savvy and skilled. But mostly white, nonetheless,' she wrote. Lightfoot later confirmed in a series of tweets that she was purposefully 'prioritizing media requests from POC reporters' and that it was a 'shame' the journalists assigned to cover Chicago's City Hall in 2021 were overwhelmingly white. 'I ran to break up the status quo that was failing so many. That isn't just in City Hall. It's a shame that in 2021, the City Hall press corps is overwhelmingly white in a city where more than half of the city identifies as black, Latino, AAPI or Native American,' she tweeted. She added, 'Diversity and inclusion is imperative across all institutions including media. In order to progress we must change. 'This is exactly why I'm being intentional about prioritizing media requests from POC reporters on the occasion of the two-year anniversary of my inauguration as mayor of this great city. 'This is an imbalance that needs to change. Chicago is a world-class city. Our local media should reflect the multiple cultures that comprise it. We must be intentional about doing better. I believed that when running for office. I stand on this belief now. It's time for the newsrooms to do better and build teams that reflect the make-up of our city.' The backlash against Lightfoot's decision came swiftly. On his program last Wednesday night, Tucker Carlson described the mayor of Chicago as a Nazi and 'a monster.' 'To Lori Lightfoot, all that matters is the fact they're white because white people are the same. They are entirely defined by the color of their skin,' Carlson told his Fox News audience. 'Lori Lightfoot is a monster. Any society that allows politicians to talk like this has a very ugly future ahead. Very ugly.' Leo Terrell, a civil rights attorney and Fox News contributor, later told Sean Hannity he thought Lightfoot was racist. 'Lori Lightfoot is a racist - not a covert racist, an overt racist,' he said. 'The reason why she gets away with it is because she is black and she got that 'D' in front of her name. Gregory Pratt, a Chicago Tribune reporter who is Latino, revealed he was among those who had been granted an interview but the newspaper canceled it when Lightfoot refused to lift her ban on other reporters. 'I am a Latino reporter @chicagotribune whose interview request was granted for today. However, I asked the mayor's office to lift its condition on others and when they said no, we respectfully canceled,' Pratt tweeted. 'Politicians don't get to choose who covers them.' Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and contributing writer for the New Yorker magazine and the New York Times, suggested the move was a way to draw attention from the mayor's failures. 'Such astonishing mastery of deflection and distraction ... always hiding from her disastrous record of boldly upholding the status quo in Chicago,' Taylor, who also is a professor at Princeton University, tweeted. The mother who has claimed she has given birth to decuplets in South Africa has accused the father of trying to become a 'millionaire' from the story and says she is hurt by his suggestion the ten children do not exist. Gosiame Sithole claimed her boyfriend Tebogo Tsotetsi was 'expecting to be rich' from the alleged record births and was only concerned about the donations coming from people across the world. Ms Sithole also slammed Mr Tsotetsi for saying he did not believe the decuplets exist, accusing him of trying to 'hurt' her and 'ruin' what she has with her babies. The 37-year-old, who has not revealed her location since the apparent world record, said she will continue to keep her children's whereabouts secret, adding that 'no-one can force her to' disclose their location. Her comments come after Mr Tsotetsi said on Tuesday he had not seen Ms Sithole or the alleged children since her incredible claims which made headlines worldwide. His family released a statement which said they do not believe there are decuplets until it is proven otherwise. Speculation has grown over Ms Sithole's claims after the hospital where she is claimed to have given birth denied treating her. The 'mother', 37, is said to have told her boyfriend she gave birth to the babies after midnight on June 8. Gosiame Sithole (left) claimed her boyfriend Tebogo Tsotetsi (right) was 'expecting to be rich' from the alleged record births and was only concerned about the donations coming from people across the world In videos shared by Pretoria News editor Piet Rampedi on Tuesday night, Ms Sithole refuted Mr Tsotetsi and his family's claims and constantly refers to 'my babies' without directly confirming the number, reports TimesLive. Ms Sithole, wearing a large brown coat over a patterned dress at an undisclosed location, said: 'They are unfair because they are doing things and they are trying to hurt me. 'I speak to Tsotetsi now and then. I feel that they never loved me; I was just forced to be with him.' Speaking about Mr Tsotetsi and his family's statement, she said: 'What they are doing shows me that they wanted to ruin something with my babies. 'That is why they are crying so much for them. The children are mine and no-one else's. Why are they after me? 'They were looking at the donations coming from people and wanting to be millionaires from the births. They were expecting to be rich. That is why I have [my babies] where they are.' Gosiamo #Sithole responds to the Tsotetsi family statement. She denies she's missing, and that did not deliver the babies. She says the was released after the Tsotetsis met some politicians. Says they are angry because they wanted to benefit financially from the public donations. pic.twitter.com/YCNs14ezYC Mr Putin (@pietrampedi) June 15, 2021 In videos published on Twitter, Ms Sithole refuted Mr Tsotetsi and his family's claims and constantly refers to 'my babies' without directly confirming the number Ms Sithole remained adamant that she would not disclose the location of her children and said 'no-one is going to force me... I will do it on my own time'. She also questioned whether Mr Tsotetsi and his family were really sure in their claims that the decuplets do not exist. 'Are they sure with what they are saying? I want to know if they are sure of what they are saying. I will do what I want, and on my own time and not on their time. 'I won't do it for them, I will do it for my sake because they never loved me,' she said. Her comments come in response to a statement by Mr Tsotetsi's family on Tuesday which read: 'Tebogo confirmed he had not seen the deculplets and relied on his girlfriend who called to inform him of their birth. 'He made several attempts to visit his girlfriend and the babies but she has failed to disclose her whereabouts and the condition of her babies. 'The current uncertainties and public disclosure about the decuplets is of major concern to the family, especially in the absence of any proof of the decuplets' existence other than telephonic and WhatsApp messages from the mother.' The statement concluded with the family saying they believe there are no decuplets until it is proven otherwise as they apologised and appealed for help in finding Ms Sithole. It comes after Mr Tsotetsi earlier asked the public to stop donating money to the alleged mother. Gosiame Sithole, 37, claims to have given birth to ten children in South Africa on Monday (pictured at home ahead of the 'delivery') HOW CAN A WOMAN GIVE BIRTH TO TEN BABIES? Women giving birth to multiple children is not uncommon, with cases of twins and triplets occurring relatively frequently with no scientific intervention. But high-order multiple pregnancies - four children and above - are extremely rare naturally, and almost always occur as a result of fertility treatment. That is because such treatment - which includes IVF - is expensive and the chances of success are relatively slim. This incentivises some unscrupulous medics to implant large numbers of fertilized eggs into a woman's womb to further increase the chances that one will develop. But in rare cases several of the embryos - or all of them - will start developing into foetuses, creating extreme cases of multiple pregnancy. Halima Cisse, 25, from Timbuktu, spent two weeks in hospital in the Malian capital of Bamako before being flown to Morocco in March to give birth in a specialist hospital via cesarean section. Pictured: Ms Cisse arrives in Morocco In theory there is no limit to how many children a woman can carry at once, though risks to the health of both mother and babies increases with each additional child. Women with extreme multiple pregnancies are more likely to develop anaemia - a lack of iron in the blood that can damage the immune system and make other complications worse. Cases of pre-eclampsia - a condition that can cause severe headaches and potentially-deadly fits - and gestational diabetes - high blood sugar that has been linked to post-natal depression - also increase in such cases. Babies born of high-order multiple pregnancies are almost always delivered early, and tend to be both under-weight and malnourished. Cases of infant mortality in the days and weeks after birth are also not uncommon. Nadya Suleman, or 'Octomom' made headlines in the United States on January 26, 2009, when she gave birth to six boys and two girls in California. The largest set of babies to be born in one go and to survive past infancy is eight - born to 'Octomum' Natalie Suleman in California in 2009. Ms Suleman, who already had six children through IVF, had 12 embryos leftover. Her doctor implanted all of them inside her womb at once. Her case sparked a fierce debate over IVF regulation, with the fertility specialist who carried out the procedure stripped of his medical licence. Nine children were also born to Halima Cisse - a Malian woman - at a hospital in Morocco last month, where they remain under constant care. While all five girls and four boys are said to be 'doing fine' and putting on weight, doctors say it will be at least another six weeks before they can consider sending them home. Cisse is also still recovering from a torn artery she suffered during the birth, which almost caused her to bleed to death. Advertisement He said in a message, according to Pretoria News: 'I appreciate the financial support that we have been getting from members of the public, but I also would like to appeal to the public to stop making money deposits into our accounts until members of the community have seen the babies.' According to South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper, the Mediclinic Medforum Hospital in Pretori - where Ms Sithole is claimed to have told her partner she gave birth - said it had not treated her. While the clinic said it was aware of the publicity around the birth of the babies, spokesperson Tertia Kruger told the newspaper following the Pretoria News report on Monday: 'We can confirm that none of our facilities were involved in the obstetric care of this patient or her decuplets.' Mr Tsotetsi is also quoted in the Pretoria News story as saying that Ms Sithole had been moved to the Steve Biko Academic Hospital on Friday, but the Sunday Times reported that Gauteng health and provincial authorities were unable to trace her at any of their public or private health facilities. CEO of the Hospital, Dr Mathabo Mathebula, told Radio 702 that Ms Sithole had arrived at the hospital saying she was the woman who had given birth to 10 babies, but said she was not at the hospital. 'She's not at the hospital as we speak. We don't know the background ... on Saturday afternoon she appeared, being accompanied by security, [and said] she wants to go to the NIU (neonatal inpatient unit) because she wants to see her babies. 'She said she gave birth at Louis Pasteur and they told her they will transfer the babies to the hospital [Steve Biko],' Mathebula told the radio station. Meanwhile, Mr Tsotetsi flew to Cape Town on Wednesday to accept a 50,000 donation for the children's care while insisting the world will get to see them 'at the right time'. Tsotetsi originally said his girlfriend gave birth to decuplets - seven boys and three girls - after a 'natural' 29-week pregnancy, even though such births are almost always the result of fertility treatments. Since then a number of relatives have come forward to insist that the birth is genuine, even as local officials say they have no record of the delivery taking place at any hospital in Guateng state, where Pretoria is located. No doctor has yet come forward to verify the delivery and no pictures of the infants have been published - ostensibly for cultural and religious reasons. If the birth is confirmed as genuine, it would be a world record - coming just a month after a Malian woman, Halima Cisse, gave birth to nine children in Morocco. Last week, the infant's aunt claimed that the ten babies were fighting for their lives at a hospital in South Africa. The aunt, who has not been publicly identified, said Ms Sithole is also recovering in the same Pretoria hospital after giving birth to five of the children naturally and another five by Caesarean section on Monday. '[The babies] are still in incubators fighting for their lives. They came at 29 weeks; the mother is still weak... This is a sensitive issue,' the woman told TimesLIVE. Tsotetsi told Pretoria News last week 'They are premature, they are still incubated. Very small as you can think 10 children in one womb that normally carries one baby. 'They are very small, so the sensitivity that goes into that, even the doctors, they don't want to risk that.' He claimed that five babies were born naturally and another five were delivered by c-section, saying a team of six doctors, two gynecologists and two nurses helped. Tsotetsi said his partner was exhausted after the birth, but that she had managed to get out of bed and take a short walk on Wednesday. 'She is doing very well.' he added. Tsotetsi was the first to break the news of the apparent birth to reporters last Monday, telling the Pretoria News that his girlfriend had given birth to seven boys and three girls. 'I am happy. I am emotional. I can't talk much,' he said at the time. If Sithole's delivery is confirmed, it would make it the world's largest - coming just a month after a Malian woman gave birth to nine children in Morocco The news quickly spread around the world, followed by a scramble for official information on the pregnancy and birth that has so-far proved elusive. South African media have been at loggerheads over the story, with some outlets rushing to confirm the news while others quickly derided it. Government officials have gone so far as to confirm they are aware of the case and have been in contact with the family before, after Sithole gave birth to twins in 2016. But Feziwe Ndwayana, a spokesman for the Department of Social Development, said yesterday that she cannot confirm the birth of 10 children because nobody has been in contact with Sithole recently. Ms Ndwayana added that a social worker was to be sent to the family home last week to try and confirm the authenticity of the delivery. Pretoria News claims to have been in touch with the family for months over the pregnancy, but held on to the story until after the birth. The newspaper claims it is not publishing all the details it has about the delivery because of 'cultural and religious reasons'. Alongside news of the birth, which first appeared in Tuesday's paper, the outlet also ran an interview with Sithole and Totetsi that they said was conducted several months ago. At the time, Sithole believed she was pregnant with eight children - having initially been told she was carrying six before two more were discovered on a later scan. It was only during the birth itself that the remaining two children were discovered, according to the newspaper. Sithole said she suffered through the complicated pregnancy, experiencing morning sickness early on followed later by pain in her leg. Meanwhile Tsotetsi revealed that he initially could not believe his wife with pregnant with six children, thinking it was medically impossible. 'But after I found out that these things do happen, and saw my wife's medical records, I got excited. I can't wait to have them in my arms,' he said at the time. The condition of the children following the birth was not made clear by Pretoria News, which was the first to report the case. Children of such extreme multiple pregnancies are almost always born under-weight and can often be malnourished as the mother's body struggles to provide nutrients for so many infants. Halima Cisse (right) and husband Kader Arby (left) welcomed five girls and four boys on May 4 after a pregnancy that is thought to have been the result of fertility treatments Cisse's children are still being cared for at a specialist hospital in Morocco more than a month after their birth (pictured) after they were born premature and malnourished Cases of infant mortality are also not uncommon following large multiple births. Sithole's case comes just a month after the world's first live nonuplets were born in Morocco to Malian woman Halima Cisse. Cisse, 25, from Timbuktu, was taken to hospital in the Malian capital of Bamako in March to be kept under observation before being flown to Morocco to be cared for at a specialist hospital after the country's president intervened. The children - five girls and four boys - were then delivered by a team of 10 doctors and 25 nurses via Caesarean on May 4, in a complicated operation that almost caused Cisse to die of blood loss. Doctors later revealed the babies were born significantly underweight and had 'deficiencies in everything', but are now in a stable condition. As of last week, the children were still being cared for around the clock in Morocco with doctors saying their weight has increased significantly. But medics said they will still need to be kept under observation for at least another six weeks before they can consider sending them home. Cisse is thought to be staying nearby after coming out of intensive care, where she was recovering from a ruptured artery during the birth. Ms Cisse's pregnancy was just the third reported instance of nonuplets in history. The first recorded case of nonuplets came in Sydney in the 1970s, although sadly none of the babies survived, according to The Independent. In March 1999, a set of nonuplets was born in Malaysia to a woman named Zurina Mat Saad, though none of them survived for more than six hours. In January 2009, Nadya Suleman - dubbed Octomum - gave birth to octuplets including six boys and two girls at a hospital in California. All survived the birth, and recently celebrated their 12th birthdays. Ms Suleman is still the official world record holder for the largest live birth. The babies were a result of IVF treatment, and were nine weeks premature when they were delivered via c-section. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said she does not believe the force is institutionally corrupt and said she did not obstruct the work of an inquiry into the Daniel Morgan case. The police chief hit back at the findings from an independent panel as she defended Scotland Yard's work and her job. Dame Cressida is facing calls to resign after the publication of a damning report on the unsolved 1987 murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan. She told reporters: 'I don't believe we are institutionally corrupt. No, I don't accept that. 'I have the deepest feelings for Daniel Morgan's family. They have shown extraordinary grit and determination and courage. 'Yesterday, I apologised again to them for our failings and the fact that we have not brought anybody to justice despite six investigations and countless other reviews and pieces of work.' She added: 'And for the fact that, in so doing and along the way, we have clearly, we the Met, my force, of which I'm very proud to be the Commissioner, we have caused them extra anguish. 'But I don't accept that we are institutionally corrupt, no.' Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said she does not believe the force is institutionally corrupt An independent panel led by Baroness Nuala O'Loan found that the Met had put protecting its own reputation above finding Mr Morgan's killer. The panel's report said: 'Concealing or denying failings, for the sake of the organisation's public image, is dishonesty on the part of the organisation for reputational benefit and constitutes a form of institutional corruption.' Dame Cressida said it is her job to focus on leading the Met through 'what has been in the last 15 months, for all sorts of reasons, some pretty challenging times'. She added: 'My people do very difficult work, they have to make very difficult decisions, often with far too little time, sometimes with far too little information. 'I'm very proud of them. I love my job and I will continue to do it. Lord Blair defended current Scotland Yard boss Dame Cressida Dick as 'the finest officer of her generation' and refused to accept there is systemic corruption in the force' 'I'm an honourable person. If I thought I should be considering my position I would be, but I don't.' Dame Cressida's comments come after one of her predecessors Lord Ian Blair today hit out at accusations that the force is institutionally corrupt as 'just not true'. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he defended the current Scotland Yard boss as 'the finest officer of her generation' and refused to accept there is systemic corruption in the force. He said: 'The allegation that the Met is institutionally corrupt is just not true. There is no evidence of systemic corruption in the Metropolitan Police. 'If you then use that to describe a reluctance to come forward, you then have to compare the BBC marking its own homework over Martin Bashir. 'Institutions do have a protective process and I'm sorry about that but I just don't believe the words institutionally corrupt in any way reflect what the public understanding of what that would mean.' The Met admitted in 2011 that the grossly inadequate first investigation into Mr Morgan's murder - which saw the murder scene left unsearched and unguarded - had been hampered by corruption. But the panel has now found that corruption had gone on after the initial inquiry, and questioned why no action had been taken to bring those who sabotaged the first investigation to justice. A string of police investigations and an inquest have failed to convict anyone of the killing or any associated corruption in protecting those responsible. The numerous inquiries into the case have largely been due to the campaigning efforts of Mr Morgan's brother Alastair, who has fought for justice for more than 30 years. He said on Twitter today: 'We achieved a historic result yesterday and I'm pleased and proud of this.' Daniel Morgan was investigating claims of corruption within the Metropolitan Police when he was murdered in 1987 But he expressed his regret that his mother Isobel Hulsmann, who died in 2017, did not live to see the report's publication, something that he blames on the Met. Mr Morgan said: 'My greatest regret is that my mother never lived to see the publication of the Daniel Morgan panel's report. 'The Met's constant delays and obstructions made this impossible.' Yesterday in the wake of the publication of the report, Dame Cressida did not appear in person to answer journalists' questions, but instead issued a written statement in which she apologised again to Mr Morgan's family. Britain's most senior police officer faced calls for her head after the report concluded she personally placed 'hurdles' in the way of the search for the truth about Mr Morgan's death. The independent panel found Scotland Yard had been more interested in protecting its reputation than in cracking what has been dubbed the 'most investigated unsolved murder in the history of the Metropolitan Police'. Baroness O'Loan, who led the inquiry, described the institutional corruption finding as equivalent to the Macpherson report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, which concluded the force was 'institutionally racist'. No one has been brought to justice for the brutal killing of Mr Morgan in a south London pub car park in 1987. The 37-year-old was found with an axe lodged in his skull and 1,000 in banknotes in a pocket. After five separate criminal inquiries and an inquest, at an estimated cost of 30million, it was hoped that the eight-year public inquiry would finally uncover the truth. Instead, it became clear yesterday that the stench of 'institutional corruption' pervading the Met means the family of Mr Morgan are unlikely ever to get justice. Baroness O'Loan said the failings of the original shambolic murder investigation had been compounded over the past three decades by the shameful attempts to hide the extent of the rot at the heart of the force. She said Scotland Yard owed Mr Morgan's family an apology for not confronting its systemic failings and those of individual officers, including Dame Cressida. The baroness accused the commissioner of 'obfuscation' thwarting attempts to access sensitive documents and police computers, leading to costly delays in the inquiry. 'The family of Daniel Morgan has suffered grievously as a consequence of the failure to bring his murderer or murderers to justice, the unwarranted assurances which they were given, the misinformation which was put into the public domain, and the denial of the failings in investigation, including failing to acknowledge professional incompetence, individuals' venal behaviour, and managerial and organisational failures,' she added. Mr Morgan was killed with an axe outside the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south London Alastair Morgan (right), the brother of murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan, with his family solicitor Raju Bhatt (centre) speaking to the media following the publication of the report 'Concealing or denying failings for the sake of an organisation's public image is dishonesty on the part of the organisation for reputational benefit, and constitutes a form of institutional corruption.' Concerns about vetting police officers persist to the present day, said Baroness O'Loan, adding that there were no adequate safeguards to ensure that officers were not engaging in criminality. Professor Rodney Morgan, a panel member, said: 'The term 'institutional corruption' is not used in a historic sense, it's used in the present tense.' Yesterday Mr Morgan's brother Alastair said the family would consider suing the force for putting them 'through hell'. Asked whether Dame Cressida should resign, he said: 'Yes, absolutely I think she should consider her position.' In a statement, the Morgan family said: 'At almost every step, we found ourselves lied to, fobbed off, bullied, degraded and let down time and time again. What we were required to endure was nothing less than torture.' Singling out Dame Cressida for blame, the report said she had not given a 'reasonable explanation' for blocking access to computer data and delaying the release of files, the last of which were provided only in March. The investigation into Mr Morgan's murder was described as 'shockingly incompetent', with officers failing to search the scene, which was left unguarded, 'pathetic' forensic work and no alibis sought for suspects. A Home Office source said there were 'serious concerns with the Met's leadership and how it responded to failings' although Home Secretary Priti Patel and Boris Johnson later expressed confidence in Dame Cressida. The commissioner apologised for past mistakes yesterday, saying: 'It is a matter of great regret that no one has been brought to justice and that our mistakes have compounded the pain suffered by Daniel's family. For that I apologise again now. 'I have been personally determined that the Met provided the panel with the fullest level of co-operation in an open and transparent manner, with complete integrity at all times.' Scotland Yard rejected the report's finding of institutional corruption, with assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave saying: 'It doesn't reflect what I see every day.' He insisted the panel had been given 'unparalleled access' including to the police Holmes database, adding: 'The commissioner has no need to consider her position. She has overseen disclosure to an extent never seen before.' The force is conducting a review of the case and has repeated appeals for anyone with information to come forward. It has offered a 50,000 reward. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has accused Gov Andrew Cuomo of preventing local officials from moving at least 8,000 homeless people living in Midtown Manhattan hotels to permanent shelters. De Blasio addressed the issue at a press briefing on Wednesday where he said he's been waiting since May 18 for Cuomo's authorization to start the relocation process of the homeless individuals who were temporarily put up in about 60 to 70 hotels near Hells' Kitchen and Times Square during the pandemic. 'Everything is ready to go,' de Blasio said. 'It is time to move homeless folks who were in hotels for a temporary period of time back to shelters where they can get the support they need.' De Blasio's comments came as his administration faces mounting pressure to curtail violence in New York City and the surrounding boroughs, particularly in the southern half of Manhattan were many of the hotels accommodating the homeless are located. The police precinct that includes Times Square and many of the hotels has seen a 183 percent spike in felony assaults and 173 percent spike in robberies so far this year compared to 2020, according to NYPD data. Richard Azzopar, spokesperson for Cuomo, said de Blasio doesn't need authorization from the governor to relocate the homeless from hotels to shelters after Cuomo lifted COVID-19 restrictions. Scroll down for video. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said during Wednesday's press briefing that he's been waiting for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign off on authorization to relocate the homeless form Manhattan hotels to shelters The NYPD have now set up a command post and metal barriers in Midtown Manhattan in a bid to crack down on violent crime that is being fueled, in part, by an illegal drug market between Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal. Police say crime has spiked in that area after hundreds of homeless were rehoused there in hotels during COVID De Blasio said he expects to be able to move all the homeless people into shelters by the end of July. During Wednesday's press briefing, de Blasio estimated there are still at least 8,000 homeless people living in those hotels. Gov. Cuomo, picture here at the One World Trade Center Tower on June 15, hasn't commented on de Blasio's claims Many of the relocated homeless people have blended into the area, but others who who struggle with mental health issues and substance abuse have become a growing presence near people's homes and in high-trafficked tourist destinations. Crime in the area - heavily concentrated on Eighth Avenue between Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal near Times Square - has soared this year, according to the NYPD. NYPD crime data shows there have been 174 assaults, 150 robberies and four shootings that left two tourists injured in that area between January and May. Police set up a command post and metal barriers in Midtown Manhattan to crack down on violent crime that's being fueled, in part, by an illegal drug market between Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. A heavy police presence was found outside the Holiday Inn Hotel on Eighth Ave between 38th and 39th Street on Monday The NYPD have now set up a command post and metal barriers in Midtown Manhattan in a bid to crack down on violent crime Scott Sobol, 44, a real estate agent who lives in Hell's Kitchen, believes only a few of the homeless residents were responsible for the complaints and faulted officials for not vetting them for mental health issues, drug problems and criminal histories. 'What (neighbors) want is to stop getting harassed on the street,' he told Reuters. 'If a homeless rehabilitation center can coexist with a sense of polite life, we have no issues with it.' 'Right now, there are a lot of homeless people hanging around, a lot of pee on every corner,' said Min Kim, who owns the Star Lite Deli in Times Square. 'Tourists will be coming back, and it's not really good for them.' Before the pandemic hit, the city was housing 3,500 people in hotel rooms who would otherwise be out on the street, Curbed.com reported. Soon after Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in March 2020, the de Blasio administration suspended its procurements rules and struck a deal with New York City's hotel industry to provide rooms for about 9,500 addition homeless people in exchange for $300million. Royal Caribbean has announced it will delay the inaugural sailing of its Odyssey of the Seas cruise liner by nearly a month after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19. The outbreak happened despite all 1,400 crew members being vaccinated on June 4. Those infections happened before the 14 day post-vaccine mark, June 18, at which point people are considered largely immune from a COVID infection. Six of the eight people who tested positive were asymptomatic and two had mild symptoms and were quarantined, Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley said in a Facebook post, which opened with the words: 'two steps forward and one step back!' Royal Caribbean said on Wednesday it would delay the inaugural sailing of its Odyssey of the Seas cruise by nearly a month after eight vaccinated crew members tested positive for COVID Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley broke the news in a Facebook post on Tuesday 'To protect the remaining crew and prevent any further cases, we will have all crew quarantined for 14 days and continue with our routine testing,' Bayley wrote. 'While disappointing, this is the right decision for the health and well-being of our crew and guests,' Bayley said of the cruise's delay. The news comes a week after two people tested positive for the virus on its Celebrity Millennium cruise ship, where the infected travelers, who were asymptomatic, were quarantined. Odyssey of the Seas, which was scheduled to sail through Southern and Western Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will now sail on July 31 instead of July 3. A simulation cruise, originally scheduled for late June, will also be rescheduled. Cruise companies were one of the worst hit during the pandemic as travel restrictions led to canceled trips and huge losses. They have been restarting their operations slowly and are preparing to sail from US ports in the coming weeks and months. The positive cases were identified after the mega ship's 1,400-person crew were vaccinated on June 4 but before the vaccine became fully effective, which will be on June 18 As part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's orders to restart trips, cruise companies require a majority of the passengers and crew to be vaccinated. Royal Caribbean started sailing this month after meeting the CDC's comprehensive guidelines that included a fully vaccinated crew and requirements for everyone over 16 to present proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Ocean voyages were suspended in March 2020 as the pandemic cut a devastating path around the world, with hubs like Florida losing an estimated $5.6billion during the shutdown. News of the cases aboard the Celebrity Millennium came as US-based cruise lines are chafing to resume voyages from Florida ports in July as the pandemic wanes - but for vaccinated passengers only - yet the state and its governor won't let them demand proof of vaccination. Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last month he signed into law a bill barring businesses from demanding vaccination 'passports,' stopping them from requiring that employees provide proof of vaccination - and threatening fines for noncompliance that could amount, for cruise lines, to $5,000 per passenger. With the world's three biggest cruise lines all based in Miami, the coming months offer a calendar of confusing and shifting health requirements, with conflict a near-certainty. Last week, two people tested positive for COVID-19 on Royal Caribbean's Celebrity Millennium cruise ship (pictured) Carnival Cruise Line will require vaccination on cruises leaving from Texas - another Republican-led state that has been quick to drop COVID curbs - but Carnival has provided no detailed information on a cruise set to leave Miami on July 4. Last week, Norwegian Cruise Line - which has threatened to abandon Florida ports altogether - directly defied the governor by saying it would demand proof of vaccination on all its cruises. 'We are currently in communication with his (DeSantis's) staff and legal counsel to ensure that we can offer the safest cruise experience for our passengers departing from the cruise capital of the world,' the company's CEO, Frank Del Rio, said. The third big cruise line, the Royal Caribbean Group, meantime reversed its original plans. Having initially announced that it would demand proof of vaccination, it said Friday that passengers and crew were only 'strongly recommended' to get the vaccine, and that anyone unvaccinated would face 'other protocols.' Boris Johnson will lift almost all legal Covid restrictions from July 19 under a 'freedom plan' to be published next week. The Prime Minister all but confirmed yesterday that he will give the green light for reopening mid-month as he underlined the success of the vaccine programme. Mr Johnson added that Britain was now in the 'final furlong' of the lockdown. But, with cases still surging, he warned that some 'extra precautions' may need to remain in place after so-called 'Freedom Day' on July 19. Last night it was claimed that health officials have drawn up contingency plans involving possible Covid restrictions for the next five winters. A final decision on lifting restrictions will not be made until July 12, but government sources said the plan will be published next week to give business and individuals more time to adjust. The PM has prioritised scrapping the one-metre rule, along with the rule of six on indoor socialising, which are seen as the biggest brakes on the economy. Rules limiting outdoor gatherings to no more than 30 will also go, and businesses such as nightclubs, which have been forced to close throughout the pandemic, will finally be allowed to reopen. The PM on Hancock: 'totally f***ing hopeless' Detailed analysis of all Hancock said to MPs would take days. I'll focus today on just a few things to support what I told MPs and show that No10/Hancock have repeatedly lied about the failures last year. No10 and Hancock are seeking to rewrite history: They are trying to 'memory-hole' the original Q1 2020 debacle. The reality of the 'optimal single peak strategy' with herd immunity by September is in SAGE documents, COBR documents and was briefed by Hancock, CSA, CMO and No10 press office at the time and SAGE members explained it on TV. The reality is reflected in many emails/WhatsApps. Covid was the biggest crisis faced by Westminster since WWII. The No10/Hancock line now is as if No10 had said in summer 1940, 'yes, our appeasement plan A was a great success on Hitler as you can all see, we didn't need any Plan B, appeasement then fight them on the beaches was the original plan'. Dominic Cummings, former special advisor for Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson Hancock is creating a new version of reality in which he came up with the idea to ramp up testing before 14 March, in an inspired and heroic move he announced his 100k target on 2 April to provide leadership, and this was responsible for the change in testing capacity. The reality: as part of the transition to Plan B No10 forced a new testing plan on Hancock, who was still operating under Plan A / herd immunity assumptions in the week of 16/3 according to which community testing was pointless (hence why it was briefly officially stopped); our plan was to build capacity on the scale of millions; the 100k then 1m target had already been set before he announced it; his behaviour in April distracted attention from testing in care homes and the PPE debacle. A public announcement was in principle definitely right but he did what he always did he focused on the media and himself then lied. Testing, like vaccines, was removed from his control in May because of his incompetence and dishonesty March-April. You can't understand what really happened on test-trace in the rest of the year without understanding what actually happened in March-April. Hancock is creating a new version of reality in which the government really did 'throw a protective ring' around care homes. The reality: covid patients were sent untested from hospital to care homes and Hancock neglected care homes and testing throughout April partly because Hancock was trying to focus effort on his press conference at the end of April claiming success for his announcement on 2/4. In an exchange with Boris Johnson from March 27 last year Dominic Cummings criticised the Health Secretary over the failure to ramp up testing. The Prime Minister allegedly called Matt Hancock 'Totally f***ing hopeless' Hancock and No10 are creating a new version of reality in which: 'there was no shortage of PPE' and on 11 April Hancock removed procurement restrictions imposed by HMT. The reality DHSC failed to plan for PPE demand and their procurement operation collapsed. They rejected chances to buy things because of sticking to the old rules. No10 insisted on removing these rules and HMT did remove their standard rules in March. Hancock told us PPE was 'all under control' in the week of 23 March. This meant further weeks were wasted instead of used to solve the problems. Hancock then sought to blame Simon Stevens, the Chancellor and the Cabinet Office for the PPE disaster in April. The Cabinet Secretary told the PM's office that Hancock's claims were false. The lack of PPE killed NHS and care home staff in March-May. Dominic Cummings comes back from a run after tweeting about Matt Hancock today On the original 'plan', testing, PPE, procurement, care homes and more, Hancock gave a fictitious account to MPs last week and portrayed himself as a heroic figure who had been in agreement with the PM throughout the crisis. The PM has supported this fiction and ordered the No10 press office to support many arguments he knows are lies. At the time, the PM agreed with me and all serious people around No10 and the Cabinet Office in his own words, Hancock's performance on critical issues was 'totally f***ing hopeless' and he had to be removed from crucial decisions: PPE to Lord Deighton, vaccines to Bingham, ventilators to Agnew, testing to Harding. Hancock has also given a fictitious account of what happened on masks but I'll leave that to another day. Why is this important? A. If No10 is prepared to lie so deeply and widely about such vital issues of life and death last year, it cannot be trusted now either on covid or any other crucial issue of war and peace. B. Hancock continues to have direct responsibility for things like dealing with variants and care homes. Having such a Secretary of State in a key role is guaranteed disaster. It is urgent for public safety that he is removed. C. The PM is trying to influence officials/advisers to support the re-writing of history and is encouraging ministers to give false accounts to Parliament. D. The PM's defence of Hancock sends an unmistakeable signal across the system: a Secretary of State will be rewarded despite repeated incompetence and dishonesty and the government machine will seek to rewrite history in Orwellian fashion because the PM thinks it in his personal interests to do so. Any decent person in Westminster ought to be appalled by this behaviour. E. The public inquiry cannot fix this. It will not start for years and it is designed to punt the tricky parts until after this PM has gone unlike other PMs, this one has a clear plan to leave at the latest a couple of years after the next election, he wants to make money and have fun not 'go on and on'. So we either live with chronic dysfunction for another ~5 years or some force intervenes. Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament From the perspective of good government and ethics the Cabinet and MPs should intervene but this is unlikely while the polls have the Conservatives ~40%+ because our political system incentivises party loyalty over good government and ethics. Senior civil servants will wait for the polls to move before trying to 'push what is falling'. But the systemic incompetence surrounding the PM is such that his operation is programmed to unravel he always does, No10's structure makes it impossible for anybody to govern properly, and he rejected the plan to change how No10 works. Just as I said 2017-19 'this No10 will unravel, some of us should prepare for what comes next' the same is true now. This No10 will unravel it would already be unravelling if Starmer were not also useless. People need to prepare for what comes next. Preparations planning, building tools, preparing a team and so on made in 2018-spring 2019 proved vital July-December 2019. I was wondering about the issue of publishing private WhatsApp messages. 1) No10 and Hancock are openly lying even about what was briefed on-the-record, so clearly nothing is beyond their attempted rewriting of history. 2) To further their lies, PM/Hancock are spinning distorted versions of my messages from internal WhatsApp groups to the PM's favoured stooges such as Playbook Wiki. 3) Hancock challenged me at the Select Committee to provide evidence and said my failure to publish anything was 'telling' evidence that my account was false. 4) The Select Committee has asked me to provide evidence and clearly what MPs see the public should also see transparency on covid is crucial. On April 27, Mr Johnson apparently messaged Mr Cummings to say that PPE was a 'disaster' Clearly the government cannot reasonably complain about me publishing evidence. Given this I will publish some internal messages. There are many more I could publish but below and in future I will publish only ones that further the question of 'what went wrong and how do we learn'. I won't publish private messages just to embarrass the PM or others. My goal is to force the system to face reality and change, not to embarrass people for the sake of it. Memory-hole for 'herd immunity' Plan A was described in official documents as 'the optimal single peak strategy' with all descriptions and graphs tailing off by September when 'herd immunity' was attained. This is why there was no serious border policy Jan-March. (The border policy remains a joke because the PM personally opposed repeated attempts by me and others to implement something based on the successful East Asian approach. This has contributed to the spread of the 'delta' variant and will continue to create unnecessary risks not just on covid.) This is why community testing was dropped in March until the shift to Plan B reversed the decision. This is why nobody started thinking seriously about an East Asian style test-trace plan until we shifted to Plan B (see my PM study whiteboard of 13/3 with 'crash program for testing' scribbled on, below). (Jeremy Hunt has wrongly inferred that this thinking did not happen until May it started in March.) This is why there was no serious vaccine plan i.e spending billions on concurrent (rather than the normal sequential) creation/manufacturing/distribution etc until after the switch to Plan B. I spoke to Vallance on 15 March about a 'Manhattan Project' for vaccines out of Hancock's grip but it was delayed by the chaotic shift from Plan A to lockdown then the PM's near-death. In April Vallance, the Cabinet Secretary and I told the PM to create the Vaccine Taskforce, sideline Hancock, and shift commercial support from DHSC to BEIS. He agreed, this happened, the Chancellor supplied the cash. On 10 May I told officials that the VTF needed a) a much bigger budget, b) a completely different approach to DHSC's, which had been mired in the usual processes, so it could develop concurrent plans, and c) that Bingham needed the authority to make financial decisions herself without clearance from Hancock. Dominic Cummings today wrote: Hancock's story to MPs last week was: 'there was no PPE shortage', I was leading a great team effort, the PM was totally supportive of me etc. What did the PM himself actually think about this at the time? This exchange was 27 April. 'On PPE it's a disaster. I can't think of anything except taking Hancock off and putting Gove on.' This is why even on the 18 March the crucial SAGE meeting did not even have a lockdown plan to discuss, as I texted No10 officials from inside SAGE: neither DHSC nor Cabinet Office had provided such a plan nor had they asked SAGE to model such a plan (No10 did this direct with Vallance/SAGE/SPI-M as we bodged together Plan B). This is why Hancock said to me, still delusional about us being 'the best prepared country in the world' (this was not one of his lies, he really did believe this because he had not properly investigated the preparations), on 12 March (the day of 'chickenpox parties' / Dilyn's bad PR / Trump wanting us to bomb the Middle East): We're better prepared than other countries, Wuhan will see a second wave when they lift their lockdown. (Also on 16 March in COBR, Hancock tried to delay the announcement on household quarantine 'because the helpline isn't ready'. Sturgeon also supported this delay. I and others warned the PM in advance this would happen and he overruled them. Both of them have misled the public about this.) This is why even on 18 March, a SAGE member emailed me, the Cabinet Secretary and Hancock's Permanent Secretary saying we would look back on SAGE discussions as 'a strange dream' because lockdown had not even been discussed: 'Literally all the models assume that there will be a full-blown epidemic, and its just a matter of how much it can be drawn out, compressed, or the herd immunity directed to one section or another of the population' because thinking was based on assumptions (no test-trace, population won't listen to tough rules, reinfection from abroad etc) and 'Once you take these assumptions for granted, the only paths that exist are to achieve herd immunity'. But, he rightly said, suppression should be considered partly because the imminent collapse of the NHS was so horrific and because 'prior models and assumptions are WRONG [emphasis in original]. We could do this, ie a total lockdown. We'll look back on it like a strange dream, but we could and should do it.' And the DHSC Permanent Secretary responsible for pandemic planning responded with the logic of Plan A: 'The virus will still exist in 3-4 weeks time and won't we just start again with reinfection and re-spread?' [bold added by me above] Even on the afternoon of 18/3, after SAGE (mostly, not unanimously) were pushing for urgent lockdown at least in London), the apex of power in the DHSC was still operating under the assumptions of Plan A, i.e suppression was counter-productive. This is four days after I proposed Plan B to the PM in his study (noon, 14/3) and five days before 'stay at home'. COBR documents on herd immunity plan This COBR document (in multiple meetings in the week of 9/3 and 16/3) shows the logic of herd immunity by September: suppression means a disastrous second peak when the NHS is annually overstretched and the 'advised approach' (i.e advised by DHSC/SAGE/Cabinet Office to No10) 'seeks to avoid this' by getting herd immunity by September. This COBR document (in multiple meetings in the week of 9/3 and 16/3) shows the logic of herd immunity by September: suppression means a disastrous second peak when the NHS is annually overstretched and the 'advised approach' (i.e advised by DHSC/SAGE/Cabinet Office to No10) 'seeks to avoid this' by getting herd immunity by September Another graph from the same mid-March COBR pack is here: N.B the red line is NHS ICU capacity, it appears to be lying almost on the x-axis because at ~5,000 it seems very near 0 when the y-axis stretches to 200,000. It shows the official Plan A as of 12-15 March involving at most the three actions which a) supposedly push the peak out into June (this thinking contributed to the lack of urgency before 16/3) but b) still totally overwhelmed ICU capacity. Note there is no line for a lockdown scenario because, contra Hancock's false claims to MPs last week, DHSC had not developed a plan for it nor asked SAGE to model it (as the Cabinet Secretary's reply to the email of 18 March above pointed out). Another graph from the same mid-March COBR pack is here: N.B the red line is NHS ICU capacity, it appears to be lying almost on the x-axis because at ~5,000 it seems very near 0 when the y-axis stretches to 200,000. It shows the official Plan A as of 12-15 March involving at most the three actions which a) supposedly push the peak out into June (this thinking contributed to the lack of urgency before 16/3) but b) still totally overwhelmed ICU capacity. Note there is no line for a lockdown scenario because, contra Hancock's false claims to MPs last week, DHSC had not developed a plan for it nor asked SAGE to model it (as the Cabinet Secretary's reply to the email of 18 March above pointed out) This graph from the same COBR pack shows the effect of Plan A's three interventions: ~250,000 dead after the 'optimal single peak strategy', with herd immunity by September. N.B this projection, awful as it was, was obviously too optimistic because it did not take into account that in this scenario there would be no NHS for any other patients for months until it was rebuilt. Versions of this graph were in many official documents in the week of 9/3 and 16/3. As we pointed out to the PM in the 'Goldblum' meeting on 14 March in his office, in this scenario many more than 250,000 would die and, I said, the public would march up Downing Street and lynch him. (We discovered in April that DHSC did not have plans to deal with the number of dead we were facing after switching to lockdown never mind what would have happened if it had been x5-x10 worse.) This graph from the same COBR pack shows the effect of Plan A's three interventions: ~250,000 dead after the 'optimal single peak strategy', with herd immunity by September Below are whiteboards from the evening of 13/3 and 14/3. Both were in the PM's study and were shown to him at noon on 14/3 as I and Marc and Ben Warner explained why official thinking had gone so badly wrong and why we had to switch to Plan B. Both show 'our plan' (i.e Plan A) overwhelming the NHS. Plan B is different: suppression + crash programs on testing, drugs + increasing NHS capacity etc which everybody can see is what actually happened. The graph with the squiggly line ('Plan B') is the first time No10 had a 'document' that ditched all the previous graphs with either a single peak ending by September or a second winter peak and showed instead us managing covid permanently below NHS capacity. (Some have asked 'what does 'who do we not save?' mean?' I meant: on 13th it was already clear we'd made terrible errors and many would die, I was forcing people to consider: 'on whom are our errors going to fall worst, who is not going to be saved in this disaster, and if forced to choose because of NHS collapse how does the system do this (e.g prioritise mothers of small children)?' because only by facing such awful questions could we have a chance to change plan fast, e.g we turned shielding around on 19/3.) I told MPs how, literally as I was sketching the whiteboard above in the PM's study on 13 March in preparation for the meeting I planned the next day with the PM, the deputy Cabinet Secretary walked in and told us that DHSC clearly had no serious plan and was imploding. When asked last week by MPs re my testimony, Hancock said that the disproof of what I'd said was 'we had a plan, we published it on 3 March' and this plan discussed lockdowns. He is referring to the laughable contain-delay-mitigate 'plan' published on 3 March. This document was based on the logic that we would not do suppression. Obviously this embarrassingly awful document, which will be remembered as a case study in failure for decades to come, in no sense set out what we actually did, as everybody can see. Journalists were briefed on the 'herd immunity' plan in the week of 9/3 by Hancock himself, by senior officials including the CSA and CMO, by the No10 press office, and SAGE members went on TV and radio explaining it. On 13 March, as I was sketching the whiteboard above, the PM texted me, Hancock, Vallance and Whitty asking: how do we win the herd immunity argument? On 14th in his study, using those whiteboards, I told him: forget winning that argument, we have to switch to Plan B. Hancock's claim that the 3/3 document disproves my claims is, as the evidence shows above, entirely untrue. As the evidence above shows, that 'plan' was sending us to catastrophe so we ditched it. TESTING As we sketched Plan B it was clear mass testing and test-trace would be crucial. This was part of our discussions on Plan B 13-15 March in the PM's study. No10 was very unhappy with what we heard from Hancock on testing before and after we started shifting to Plan B. I and others including the PM insisted on a much more radical scale-up than PHE/DHSC had considered and it was clear that PHE's senior management was totally unable to meet the challenge and Hancock had no plan to fix this. Obviously Plan A had been effectively 'do nothing' on community testing because the herd immunity plan had no place for it, hence it was officially stopped on 12 March and the concept of moving to 100k then 1 million did not exist before Plan B. Mr Cummings gave a brutal assessment of the performance of the government during an exchange of messages in April 2020 In the morning meeting on 24 March I and others quizzed a very slippery Hancock on progress with testing to see where he was after which I sent this to a No10 group: Steve O = Oldfield. TomS = Shinner. I'd asked Tom to ditch his job and join No10 over the crucial weekend of 14-15 March. He started on Monday 16th. He had worked on 'no deal' Brexit etc for two years and had huge knowledge of Whitehall systems and great people who could be shuffled into critical roles. He played an enormous part in recovering from the collapse of No10 in March and built an entirely new team effectively a joint No10-Cabinet Office team in March-July which evolved into the 'covid taskforce' there now. Before this there was no effective central entity to manage the crisis as I told MPs, the Civil Contingencies Unit collapsed in March and had to be rebuilt with new skills and tools. (He also did a very valuable review of the whole 'delivery' mechanism of No10/Cabinet Office, which I will explore another time.) Shinner worked with officials in DHSC and elsewhere and recruited a new team including Alex Cooper to speed everything up. So Hancock had told the morning meeting on 24th: 10k by Monday 30/3, 100k 'within a month' of 24/3. Two hours later I texted a PM group (NB. the people displayed on this group shows Simon Case who was NOT on this group at the time): I'd pushed, did not have confidence in what I was hearing, it had been suggested I should stop pushing, I did not, 'let's take it off line' kept echoing enragingly around the Cabinet room, there was still nothing like the sense of urgency the public had a right to expect, including urgent replacing of some critical people and strengthening of teams. You can see the trace of a classic Hancock-ism in my second message. Under pressure at the morning meeting, Hancock had done what he did so often: blame others, often HMT. As usual, it turned out that the delay was not with HMT but Hancock had misled the morning meeting and wrongly sought to blame others for delays. This was a recurrent pattern and in April got so bad some ministers threatened to stop attending meetings until Hancock was fired (see below). On Thursday 26 March I sent this to a different No10 group (similarly neither Case nor Stratton were actually on this group then): Like with concurrent vaccine development, much of the system had still not adapted to a world in which the cost of economic disruption was so high that spending billions on testing was a huge return on investment. I was pushing for the system to plan on the scale of a million per day. Tragically this did not become possible until the end of the year because of a further Whitehall debacle in which the people who knew how to do this were blocked for ~3-4 months by 'business as usual' thinking (see below). (The debacle of the first app is a story for another day.) Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock leaves the department of Health for the House of Commons on June 16 At 2339 on 26 March (minutes before he tested positive), after further information had come to No10 showing a) testing plans were a shambles, b) Hancock had misled us all again, I texted the PM: (The missed calls are the PM calling me to say he'd tested positive and I couldn't find my phone buzzing, we spoke minutes later.) This shows the usual Hancock pattern. Having assured us 'I'm totally on it I'm driving the team' blah, on 24th we'll 'definitely' be on 10k by Monday, then he's 'sceptical', discussions with officials reveal Hancock had told us nonsense again about actual testing trajectory, he'd told us that he then Bethell then Oldfield then another official were in charge of it (all of which was nonsense that showed nobody was properly in charge of it), and all this while we're facing the wave breaking over the NHS and care homes which could not test staff or patients. This pattern repeated: big talk in front of the PM, brief nonsense to the media, fail to deliver, and the rest of the system's planning disrupted because nobody could rely on what he said in the Cabinet room because he would say anything he thought would get him through the meeting. Remember, when a SoS says things like 'we'll definitely do X by Y' in the Cabinet room, others plan on this basis -- until they learn 'this guy always talks nonsense'. His constant assurance of fake numbers to colleagues meant their plans were constantly disrupted. His dishonesty had destructive effects. As the PM said of Hancock's performance on testing so far, 'totally f***ing hopeless'. This was obviously true but although the PM whinged to me and others, he would never say to him, despite dozens of requests from two Cabinet Secretaries, me and other ministers and officials: stop this routine or you're fired, your behaviour is undermining the whole effort, you must tell the truth in these meetings and not treat them like you do the media. For his 'f***ing hopeless' performance on testing in March alone, Hancock should have been replaced and worse was to come. Hancock's story to MPs last week The Select Committee unfortunately muddied the waters and helped Hancock muddy them when it interviewed him. Hancock told MPs that I had attacked (in my testimony to MPs) the 100k target. Hancock is not only lying about what happened last spring, he's lying about my actual words to MPs in May 2021. Greg Clark unfortunatey seems to have got confused and echoed Hancock's claim. Between them they suggested I had opposed and undermined the target at the time, even though anybody can see on YouTube I actually stressed the opposite of what they both claimed last week and as you can see from the above, this is the opposite of the truth. I was pushing the system on testing weeks before Hancock's announcement and to build a system for 1m per day. After the above exchange with the PM, he tested positive and everything got even more chaotic. In this chaos Hancock blurted out the already-in-place 100k target to the media on 2 April. His fundamental nature is to grab the media spotlight and with the PM and me in bed he had a great chance. To MPs last week, Hancock presented his announcement as a heroic act testing wasn't developing fast enough, he had taken 'personal executive charge' on 17 March, 'I took personal responsibility, I set the target of 100k, I had to put myself on the line', his heroism turned things around etc. The problem with Hancock's announcement was not the 'ambition' nor announcing the change of plan on testing. 1) The announcement on 2/4 had not been prepared, he just blurted it without proper planning and discussion. 2) It was done without agreeing a broader plan for how the capacity would be used and the different demands. In particular care homes were appallingly neglected in April, the crucial month (see below). 3) We should have been building capacity in April focused on saving lives immediately and building secure foundations for the months ahead beyond 100k to 1 million. Done properly this would have meant not just ramping up the existing testing technologies the gold standard PCR but also rapidly developing capabilities for a) LAMP and lateral flow (the tests that give results in minutes not days), b) developing a system to incentivise new technologies then scale them, which could make testing cheaper, faster, easier and so on. (a) and (b) were neglected in April and were not properly gripped until September). We also needed antibody tests (have you had it) which were also neglected. A big problem in the crucial April month with testing in general, care homes in particular, and PPE/procurement was that many people complained that Hancock was distorting priorities across the system so that he could hold a successful press conference at the end of April and say on TV 'I've met this goal' and give his nauseating spiel about how he's not really a hero, it's a team effort... It was a classic case of how MPs optimise for media coverage but in this case it was during the critical period of a disaster in which he was failing on multiple fronts. This is why I and others were so angry (including the PM sometimes). For crystal clarity Boris Johnson (L) listens as Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock gives a COVID-19 update statement, November 2020 Should there have been a 100k target? Obviously and not 100k but on the scale of millions. Should it have been made public? Obviously it should have been public long before 2 April. Was Hancock's 2/4 announcement then wrenching Whitehall to focus on his press conference the right way to do it? Obviously not it compounded the care home disaster and PPE disaster in April. Did Hancock give an honest account of what happened on testing to MPs last week? Obviously not. Also bear in mind: Hancock's appalling prioritisation of gaming the lobby worked to a large extent 2020-1. When you will do anything for tomorrow's papers, this earns you favours that are repaid when you fail. This sort of deep incentive problem is central to Westminster's peformance. Hancock, procurement, care homes After I returned to work on 13 April, it became clear that a) Hancock's assurance about testing people before moving them from hospital to care home had not been and was not happening and there was still no plan to do so weeks after he'd assured us in the Cabinet room, as he had on testing and PPE, that 'everything is under control', b) everything to do with care homes was extremely bad and the CSA and CMO were ringing alarm bells daily with No10, and warning us that neither DHSC nor PHE could cope in general or viz care homes in particular, c) everything to do with Hancock and procurement was a disaster, particularly the PPE situation. We'd already had a nightmare with Hancock on ventilators. This message was from me to the PM the morning of 27 March. Just after we'd announced he had covid the morning covid meeting in the Cabinet room saw officials tell us that DHSC had turned down ventilators at this critical point because prices had been marked up. As he had the night before viz testing, the PM accurately summed up the situation: 'It's Hancock. He has been hopeless.' The issue of officials turning down buying opportunities because of increased prices was a huge problem that recurred on subject after subject. The global crisis meant supply chains were disrupted and prices exploded. But Whitehall was still trying to use their normal EU-based procurement system and 'value for money' rules. This guaranteed crazy decisions, shortages and unnecessary deaths. (This is partly why I insisted on ARIA, the new science and technology funding agency, being excluded from normal Whitehall procurement rules, 'value for money' rules and so on they are absolutely hostile to high-speed-high-performance execution.) I had been trying to fix this on issue after issue since earlier in March. To MPs last week, Hancock claimed that a) he decided to change the procurement rules that constrained DHSC ('I requested the cap was removed'), b) he went to the Chancellor about it because there was still a Treasury 'cap' on 11 April. FALSE. 1) This is an accidental admission of uselessness if you believe Hancock's own account, he did not act on this issue until 11 April, weeks after it should have been dealt with! (No MP pointed this out.) 2) In fact, I and others in No10 had already acted on this in March, because of repeated insane meetings. In April, the Cabinet Secretary checked the paperwork (see below) and confirmed that the 'cap' on DHSC had been removed in March, as No10 had insisted. So last week Hancock was both accidentally admitting being so useless he did not act until 11 April and misleading MPs about what actually happened, and blaming HMT (still!) for delays in mid-April when the Chancellor had sorted this out weeks earlier. Hancock's story to MPs is a lie that if true would show again he was useless. The day before my text on 27th, in another meeting in the Cabinet room (the last such meeting with the PM/me/Hancock/Cabinet Secretary present until the PM returned to work), Hancock had told us all 'don't worry about PPE we've got it all sorted'. This turned out to be total fiction. If he'd admitted the facts then instead of his usual bluffing we would have saved more lives in April including NHS staff lives. When I had a separate meeting with officials on PPE supplies, I heard the following terrible news, flatly contradicting Hancock: we won't get most of our PPE deliveries until long after the April peak. Me: Why? Official: That's how long it takes to ship. Me [extreme sinking feeling]: What do you mean 'ship', surely we're flying everything now? Official: No, that's against the [procurement] rules, we ship everything because it's much cheaper. Me (close to the most angry/appalled I was in 18 months): After this meeting, call the airlines, tell them we're hiring their planes, their entire business is dead so you'll be able to get a great deal, get officials figuring out where the nearest airfields are in China to the factories with our stuff, then fly the planes to those airfields, collect our stuff, fly it back, and tell everybody we're flying stuff in an emergency not shipping it Official: Umm, will you get the Private Office to put that in writing. [A standard comment in such meetings.] Me: Yes the PM will take full legal responsibility. Even three weeks later after I'd returned to work, much of the system had still not shifted to a wartime mentality on procurement. Orders had to go through multiple processes inside DHSC and the Cabinet Office delaying things such that often we lost the order while officials emailed each other for days. On 15 April, we agreed with Hancock to develop emergency domestic manufacturing of PPE because of the combination of our extreme shortage and supply closing down from around the world in the global scramble. Shinner also helped get Lord Deighton (who was thought to have done a good job on the Olympics) to help on PPE. On 20 April, Hancock faced intense pressure. Under Raab, the meetings were less pleasant for everybody but much more productive because unlike the PM a) Raab can chair meetings properly instead of telling rambling stories and jokes, b) he let good officials actually question people so we started to get to the truth, unlike the PM who as soon as things get 'a bit embarrassing' does the whole 'let's take it offline' shtick before shouting 'forward to victory', doing a thumbs-up and pegging it out of the room before anybody can disagree. It was clear that, contra his assurance in the Cabinet room on 26/3, PPE was not 'sorted' it was a disaster. He informed us that a) PPE contracts had been turned down by officials because in trying to obey 'the rules' they'd demanded a 25% discount on PPE amid a massive global shortage; b) this was the fault of the Treasury which had failed to change the rules; c) he admitted he did not have the right skills in place to solve the PPE problem; d) we had only just agreed that Ambassadors could buy PPE without clearance from London. In the discussion Raab pointed out to him that DHSC never gave him PPE asks of foreign leaders for his calls, why not given the emergency? I said there was no excuse for officials turning down PPE on the basis of price markups the PM and I had said clearly weeks earlier that those rules were binned. Obviously I suspected Hancock's attempt to blame HMT was nonsense. So did the Cabinet Secretary who was very worried and investigated. He told me later that day: a) Hancock was wrong, officials had not been demanding a 25% discount (but it was telling Hancock believed his own department was doing something so crazy!); b) but, almost as bad, they had been rejecting PPE that had a 25% markup despite the fact that the PM and I had said repeatedly in March that all such rules should be torn up and cases judged on their merits by people who knew how to buy; c) the Treasury was not to blame, DHSC had been given the authority to make emergency purchases since March; d) he, the Cabinet Secretary, was investigating why we were refusing a 25% PPE markup when we had NHS staff wearing bin bags and dying for lack of PPE; e) it was only in the last week (!!) that DHSC had set up a 24/7 payments system for procurement with Asia imagine if NHS staff wearing bin bags had realised that DHSC had not even set up a round-the-clock system at this point, imagine the rage in No10 when we discovered this, exacerbated by people telling us that Hancock was focused on his press conference at the end of the month. The Cabinet Secretary added that he did not have confidence in Hancock's 'grip' or honesty in Cabinet room meetings, neither did other officials and ministers, and this was damaging our response. I strongly agreed. (Our conversation was reinforced in written exchanges.) On 21 April I told the Cabinet Secretary that we had to 'divvy up' Hancock's job to deal with the problem: the vaccine requirements for manufacturing and distribution was a massive job alone then there was test-trace, procurement and so on. He agreed and we agreed he would write a machinery-of-government note for the PM on how to divvy up Hancock's job to different people. He also said that his investigations had shown that DHSC had not rung alarm bells on PPE early enough, had dodged responsibility then 'covered their tracks' when pushed. At this time NHS staff were screaming for PPE. The dashboard daily meetings showed we were running out of critical items such as gowns. Reports flooded in of hospitals having run out or on the brink of running out and begging for supplies. Hancock caused further chaos by repeated briefing to the media about how new loads were flying in, bluffing his way through meeting after meeting his whole routine. Hancock's story to MPs last week was: 'there was no PPE shortage', I was leading a great team effort, the PM was totally supportive of me etc. What did the PM himself actually think about this at the time? This exchange was 27 April. 'On PPE it's a disaster. I can't think of anything except taking Hancock off and putting Gove on.' (Ps. the reference to PV and CW was re a Cabinet presentation, not PPE.) So Hancock's account to MPs re PPE last week was fiction. You can also see my rushed message re the core problem (CanOff=CabOff typo=Cabinet Office): No10 is only nominally in charge of much of the government, the Cabinet Office actually exercises real power over many things, ministers are nominally 'responsible' but they don't actually have the power to run things because they can't pick the team the first essential of any serious management. The Cabinet Office built by Heywood was totally unable to cope with this crisis because it did not have the right sort of people with the right skills in key jobs and could not rapidly fire/promote/move people and act with determined authority it could undermine departments and No10 and slow things down, and sometimes improve things, but it could not itself act as a proper executive authority but neither could No10 and, obviously, neither could DHSC which was overwhelmed. At this point, months after it had started, there was still no analytical function in the Cabinet Office to figure out covid policy. One day around then, having been told repeatedly there was a 'new unit' in the Cabinet Office but having failed to see any trace of improvement, I walked around 70 Whitehall in search of this team. It turned out to be a Potemkin team. There was a room. There were a couple of people in it. But the analytical team was not there. Where are they? 'In CLG.' When I got the official on zoom who was supposed to be leading it, he said: 'There is no analytical capability [in the Cabinet Office]. My unit does not actualy exist.' (I will write separately about this crucial issue.) Did things improve? No. On 15 April No10 was told that a lot of testing capacity was being wasted (not used) because DHSC had left in place rules that were limiting those eligible for tests, despite care homes screaming. In response I said that the rules should be changed 'immediately' and this be communicated immediately to Hancock, which it was by a No10 official minutes later. The care homes nightmare continued. It was clear that Hancock's claims on this, as on other things, were false. On 3 May, the PM's private office told DHSC that we needed an urgent meeting the next day to discuss testing and care homes. I wrote to the PM: 'I think we are negligently killing the most vulnerable who we are supposed to be shielding and I am extremely worried about it' and we must force DHSC to put all the details on the table. The PM agreed and we dug into DHSC plans and Hancock's claims. On 4 May the PPE situation was so bad that it was agreed in No10 that we could not possibly claim to have passed the 'PPE test' for reopening. On 7 May after we'd dug into the care home situation, I concluded to the PM that Hancock's failures and dishonesty made him unfit for his job, that there was still no serious testing in care homes and this was killing people. The PM agreed but still he would not act. Hancock: 'everybody got the treatment they needed' Hancock repeated to MPs his claim from summer 2020 that 'everybody got the treatment they needed.' This is false, he knows it's false, the PM knows it's false, families of the dead know it's false, the CSA and CMO know it's false. Vallance and Whitty briefed me, the PM, Hancock and assorted officials around the Cabinet table on NHS data last summer. They said explicitly: the data shows that death rates spiked sharply upwards around the April peak, roughly doubling, because patients did not get the treatment they needed because the NHS was under so much pressure. MPs should demand this data and a briefing from PV/CW to explain it. This was discussed a few times with the PM because a) it was relevant to the error made in the original planning i.e the original graphs did not take into account that deaths would be higher than the simplistic calculations predicted because once the NHS was overwhelmed a lot more people would die than if they could get ICU treatment, and b) this was relevant to the threat of a second 2020 wave: if the NHS got close to capacity again then we should assume that, like the first wave, ICU care would be rationed. This obviously did happen again December-January because of the PM's failure to act soon enough. There is so much more that could be said but this is long enough for now A few simple questions to ask the PM Given his failures on testing, care homes and PPE why did you keep in post a Secretary of State you described yourself as 'f***ing hopeless' and how many more people died as a result of your failure to remove him? Why is No10 lying, including to Parliament, about the fact that the original plan was 'herd immunity by September' and had to be abandoned? When did Patrick Vallance brief you on NHS data showing that the death rate at the first April peak was much higher than before/after the peak and do you now agree with Hancock that every patient got the treatment they needed? Do you now agree with Hancock that there was no shortage of PPE or do you agree with yourself in April 2020 that PPE supply was 'a disaster' that required moving Hancock? When will the SoS come to the House and correct his many false statements to MPs? A deaf woman has sued the Cabinet Office at High Court for 'injury to feelings' over the absence of sign language interpreters at Government Covid briefings. Katie Rowley, 36, from Leeds, said the Government breached obligations to make broadcasts accessible to deaf people under equality legislation. But ministers say Ms Rowley's claim she deserves a 'declaration of unlawfulness' and compensation for 'injury to feelings' should be dismissed. A judge based in London, Mr Justice Fordham, is overseeing an online trial and has heard rival arguments from lawyers representing Ms Rowley and the Cabinet Office. Barrister Zoe Leventhal, who is leading the Cabinet Office legal team, told the judge the issue focused on two briefings last year and had since been resolved. Katie Rowley, 36, from Leeds, said the Government breached obligations to make broadcasts (pictured on June 14) accessible to deaf people under equality legislation 'The claim is academic and no longer serves any practical purpose,' she said, in a written case summary. 'The defendant has written to the claimant a number of times, most recently on 22 April 2021, highlighting the academic nature of the claim.' She added: 'The defendant's case is that damages for injury to feelings are not merited here.' Barrister Catherine Casserley, who is leading Ms Rowley's legal team, told the judge there are more than 70,000 deaf people using British Sign Language (BSL) in England. 'Since March 2020 the Government has been delivering certain key information to the public by means of live briefings, including scientific briefings,' she said, in a written case outline. A sign language interpreter is used by the Welsh government for its coronavirus briefings A sign language interpreter is pictured at a conference on the coronavirus situation in Germany on April 24 2020 'The defendant has chosen to meet the needs of BSL users in accessing those briefings not by the provision of a BSL interpreter "on platform", in an inclusive way which enables the interpretation to be in effect repeated whenever the briefing is shown, as is the case in Wales and in Scotland, for example, but by other means. 'The principal means is by having reached an "agreement" with the BBC who provide BSL interpretation "in vision", shown on the BBC News Channel.' She told the judge the issue was 'ongoing' and said since the two briefings, in September and October, on which the claim focused there had been a number of further briefings where arrangements 'have broken down'. Miss Casserley said Ms Rowley argued that the Government had failed to meet accessibility obligations under equality legislation. In New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern is accompanied by a sign language interpreter She added: 'By way of final relief the claimant seeks a declaration of unlawfulness and a mandatory order that the defendant provide an on platform interpreter. The claimant also seeks compensation for injury to feelings.' Miss Casserley said Ms Rowley's claim was supported by the Royal Association of Deaf People. Ms Rowley appeared at the hearing via an online link. Sign language interpreters also operated at the hearing. Solicitor Chris Fry, who is representing Ms Rowley, said before the hearing that he was also representing about 350 other deaf people who have made similar claims. He said those cases were on hold pending the outcome of the Rowley case. President Biden has falsely claimed that 'criminal' MAGA rioters killed Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick despite a medical examiner ruling he died of natural causes. Biden made the incorrect statement on Wednesday at a press conference in Geneva following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His response came after he was asked to respond to Putin's comments about why he banned protests in Russia. That saw the Russian leader say he did not want a repeat of the January 6 riots in his country, or for a group like Black Lives Matter to form there. 'I think that's a ridiculous comparison,' Biden said when asked for his reaction to Putin's comments. 'It's one thing for literally, criminals, to break through a cordon, go into the Capitol, kill a police officer, and be held unaccountable, than it is for people objecting and marching on the capitol and saying you are not allowing me to speak freely, you are not allowing me to do A, B, C or D. And so they're very different criteria.' Joe Biden made the incorrect statement on Wednesday at a press conference following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin The District of Columbia's chief medical examiner ruled in April that Sicknick died of natural causes after suffering two strokes following the Capitol riots. It was widely assumed at the time that he had died from injuries sustained during the January 6 attack. Investigators initially believed he had been struck by a fire extinguisher but that was later disproven. The District of Columbia's chief medical examiner ruled in April that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes after suffering two strokes following the Capitol riots They also thought, at first, that his death maybe be linked to ingesting a chemical irritant that he was sprayed with during the riots. The strokes, however, weren't related to any injuries he might have sustained during the riots, according to the examiner's determination. Washington DC Chief Medical Examiner Francisco J. Diaz found no evidence that Sicknick suffered any adverse reactions to chemical irritants that he was sprayed with by some of the rioters. His official cause of death was ruled as acute brainstem and cerebellar infarcts due to acute basilar artery thrombosis. His manner of death was ruled 'natural', which is used when a disease alone causes the death. The examiner's office clarified that the manner of death is not considered natural if it is hastened by an injury. On the day of the riots, Sicknick returned to his division office that evening and collapsed at about 10pm. Police initially said that Sicknick, who joined the force in 2008, had been injured while engaging with protesters. He was rushed to hospital and placed on a ventilator but died at about 9.30pm the following night. Sicknick was given full state honors and was brought to lie in state in the Capitol's historic Rotunda in the wake of his death. Investigators initially believed his death maybe be linked to ingesting a chemical irritant that he was sprayed with during the riots. Sicknick is pictured above wiping his eyes after being sprayed by rioters Washington DC Chief Medical Examiner Francisco J. Diaz found no evidence that Sicknick suffered any adverse reactions to chemical irritants that he was sprayed with by some of the rioters Biden's statement regarding Sicknick followed his sit down meeting with Putin. The two world leaders then held individual back-to-back press conferences and took questions from reporters. During his hour-long press conference, Putin turned many of the questions posed to him into criticism of the US, including the high levels of gun violence in America. 'You don't have time to open your mouth and you're shot dead,' he said, referring to mass shootings in the United States. 'Look at American streets. People are getting killed there,' he said. 'You can get a bullet in the neck.' Putin also shrugged off questions regarding human rights violations and opposition leader Alexei Navalny. 'This man knew that he was breaking the law of Russia,' Putin said of Navalny. 'He is somebody who has been twice, convicted, and he consciously ignored the requirements of the law,' he said. Putin looks down at the floor during an awkward first moment with Biden ahead of five hours of grueling chat to help salvage relations between Moscow and Washington Biden lifts a hand up to Putin as the Russian gestures with his hands across the table during their meeting Putin described Navalny a 'repeat offender' who 'deliberately wanted to be arrested.' Navalny was convicted multiple times in Russian for embezzlement but his criminal cases were widely considered to be politically motivated and intended to bar him from running in future elections. Putin also turned the question into criticism of the US by referring to the January 6 Capitol riots. The Russian leader pointed out those involved in the riots were being arrested by American officials. 'Many people are facing the same things that we do,' he said. 'On the question of who is murdering whom, people rioted and went into the Congress in the US with political demands and many people were declared as criminals and they are threatened with imprisonment for 20 to 25 years. 'And these people were immediately arrested after those events. On what grounds we don't know, always.' Elon Musk's SpaceX has been warned that it may have broken Texas laws by blocking locals from using public roads outside its rocket launch site in Boca Chica. Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz sent a letter to SpaceX Senior Director of Starship Operations Shyamal Patel last week claiming the company's private security guards have denied access to Remedios Avenue and Joanna Street. In the letter, obtained by KGRW, the prosecutor said the company may have violated two state laws - obstructing public roads and impersonating a public official. This marks the latest in a string of conflicts between Musk's space venture and the Boca Chica community ever since the eccentric entrepreneur started buying up land in the area back in 2015. Leaked documents Tuesday revealed SpaceX ignored at least two warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that launching its SN8 rocket last December could pose a danger to nearby homes. Now, a source has said the aerospace firm may be forced to push back its first orbital flight of its Starship rocket for July because the launch site is the focus of an environmental review by the FAA. The SpaceX Starship SN-15 prototype launches from the site in Boca Chica, Texas, in May The roads in question run adjacent to Space X's launch control center on the site Elon Musk's (pictured) SpaceX has been warned it may have broken Texas laws by blocking locals from using public roads in Boca Chica, where its rocket launch site is based In the letter, dated June 11, Saenz wrote that he had received complaints from local non-profit that SpaceX's private security guards were closing or denying public access to the two county roads near State Highway 4. The DA said he sent staff to the area around the SpaceX site to verify the allegations. The staff were 'immediately approached, stopped and detained' by a SpaceX security guard, who told them he was part of the company's security, 'that my staff could not use the road, and that they had to turn around,' he wrote. Saenz said his staff told the guard they were with the DA's office and that Cameron County authorities hadn't given SpaceX permission to close the road. Saenz warned the actions of the company and guard could be illegal in the state. Obstructing a highway or a passageway is a class B misdemeanor while impersonating a public servant is a third-degree felony. Saenz warned that any future violations could result in individual SpaceX employees or contractors being arrested and the company being slapped with criminal charges. 'This conduct is unacceptable. And I strongly believe you, Mr. Patel, and Space-X, also knew it was unacceptable,' Saenz warned Patel. 'While Space-X is a valued member of our community, this does not authorize Space-X, its employees, staff, agents, and/or contractors to disregard Texas Law.' Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz sent a letter to SpaceX Senior Director of Starship Operations Shyamal Patel last week accusing the company's private security guards of denying access to Remedios Avenue and Joanna Street (above) He went on to say that the company had been warned about similar 'inappropriate' conduct back in April. Saenz also wrote that the security guard appeared to be wearing a bulletproof vest at the time and said he had recently returned from Afghanistan. Neither the guard nor the company's head of security have state security licenses, according state records, he said. The official asked SpaceX to confirm whether or not its security personnel are armed and if they have proper security licenses required under state regulations. Musk's company was also asked about the rumored renaming of Joanna Street to Rocket Road. Saenz said his staff noted that the road 'appears now to be renamed Rocket Road' and that it 'appears part of it may have been built over and/or closed off.' If Joanna Street is still a public road, this could amount to the taking of public property, Saenz said. SpaceX was told to respond to the official's letter by Monday June 14. It is not clear if a reply has been sent or if any further action is being taken. DailyMail.com has reached out to both SpaceX and Cameron County District Attorney's office for comment. SpaceX crews continue work around SN15 starship prototype in May. In the letter, the prosecutor says SpaceX may have violated two state laws - obstructing public roads and impersonating a public official News of the issue comes amid a rocky week for Musk and his space business. A source told CNN Wednesday that SpaceX may be forced to delay the launch of its first Starship rocket orbit mission due to an ongoing assessment of its impact on wildlife and ecosystems around the launch area. The company needs to carry out an environmental assessment of its impact on nearby wildlife or ecosystems in Boca Chica, the source said. Only once this is completed, can the space company receive the necessary license from the FAA needed to go ahead with the mission. The launch was thought to be scheduled for July 1 - just over two weeks' time. The source said this is too short a window to get the assessments and launch license in place. Musk has long grumbled about his relationship with the FAA and accused the agency of delaying his venture. That relationship appeared more fraught Tuesday as a report surfaced showing SpaceX ignored at least two warnings from the FAA about the safety of its rocket launch in December. Warnings from the FAA were based on its launch-weather modelling software, according to the documents, which were seen by the Verge. If the rocket had exploded, its shockwave could be strengthened by weather conditions like wind speed and endanger nearby homes, the models suggested. SpaceX's Starship SN8 rocket prototype taking off at the company's Boca Chica, Texas facility during an attempted high-altitude launch test on December 9 2020. Leaked documents Tuesday revealed SpaceX ignored at least two warnings from FAA that launching its rocket in December could pose a danger to nearby homes Starship SN8 ended up launching successfully but crash-landing in a ball of flames (above) SPACEX SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES SN15 On May 5, SpaceX successfully launched and landed its Starship Serial Number 15 rocket. It became the only one of its prototypes to survive a high altitude flight test. The prototype climbed through the sky until it reached six miles, hovered for a moment and then performed the infamous sideways flip, dubbed a 'belly flop' maneuver by Musk. 'Starship landing nominal,' Musk tweeted moments after his pride and joy made a safe and successful landing on the pad. Advertisement But SpaceX ignored the warnings because it said the FAA's software could be interfered with to provide 'better or worse results for an identical scenario'. SpaceX went ahead with the launch, violating its launch license from the FAA in the process. Starship SN8 ended up launching successfully but crash-landing in a ball of flames. According to the FAA, SpaceX 'prioritised speed over safety' with the launch, which took place at its Boca Chica, Texas testing facility at 5:45pm ET on December 9. SpaceX's violation of its launch license was 'inconsistent with a strong safety culture,' the FAA's space division chief Wayne Monteith said in a letter to SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell. 'Although the report states that all SpaceX parties believed that such risk was sufficiently low to comply with regulatory criteria, SpaceX used analytical methods that appeared to be hastily developed to meet a launch window.' Monteith also slammed SpaceX for proceeding with the launch based on 'impressions' and 'assumptions' rather than procedural checks. SpaceX didn't end up receiving any penalties from the FAA and went on to launch its next prototype, SN9, in February. On May 5, SpaceX successfully launched and landed its Starship SN15 rocket. It became the only one of its prototypes to survive a high altitude flight test. Musk has had a rocky relationship with locals in Boca Chica since he started buying up homes and land in 2015 to expand his SpaceX empire and build a test site for the Starship program. Musk has had a rocky relationship with locals since he started buying up land in the area back in 2015. Before he moved in, Boca Chica was a quiet hamlet of just 35 houses and was known to be something of an isolated paradise teeming with wildlife Before Musk moved in, Boca Chica was a quiet hamlet of just 35 houses and a tiny chapel and was known to be something of an isolated paradise teeming with wildlife such as blue buntings and coyotes. Now, SpaceX has bought up more than half of the homes and turned many of them into workshops, storage sites, and delivery centers. Last June, residents told DailyMail.com the company was bullying them to leave their homes using threats and aggressive tactics while some likened the noise of rocket launches to living 'in a war zone'. In March, Musk announced he will donate $20 million to schools in Cameron County and $10 million to the city of Brownsville in Texas as he urged top engineers to move to the area to work for SpaceX. SpaceX plans to use its Starship rocket to send astronauts and cargo to the moon and Mars - a step on the way to Musk's lofty dream of building a city for humans to live on Mars. Musk vowed this year that SpaceX will be landing Starships on Mars 'well before 2030.' An independent investigation into the deadly collapse of a Mexico City elevated train line last month found that the accident was as a result of at least six structural flaws tied to the construction of the rail line. A total of 26 people were killed and more than 100 were injured on the evening of May 3 after a section of the Line 12 overpass rail line came apart and sent two train cars crashing to the street below in the Mexico City borough of Tlahuac. Norwegian firm DNV, which was hired by the city government, revealed in its report that there were apparently not enough studs, and the concrete poured over them may have been defective, according to Mexican newspaper El Financiero. Furthermore, the welds between stretches of steel beams also appear to have been badly done. 'The studs showed deficiencies in the welding process,' the report states. DNV's report was mainly centered on photos and physical inspection which showed that metal studs welded to the top of steel support beams were fractured or sheered off cleanly, suggesting the welds were defective. Norwegian firm DNV found at least six flaws in the construction of an overpass train line in Mexico City that collapsed May 3. The preliminary report, obtained by Mexican newspaper El Financiero, revealed that there were apparently not enough studs, and the concrete poured over them may have been defective. In addition, the welds between stretches of steel beams also appear to have been badly done A total of 26 people were killed and more than 100 were injured on the evening of May 3 after a section of the Line 12 overpass rail line came apart and sent two train cars crashing to the street below in the Mexico City borough of Tlahuac. The train line cost the city government $1.3 billion but was plagued with problems, including allegations of corruption The second train car is removed after it was lowered from the collapsed highway overpass a day after the accident Emergency workers carry an injured person away on a stretcher after moments after an overpass train line partially collapsed in Mexico City on May 3. Mexican newspaper El Financiero got access to the preliminary report in which investigators detected at least six flaws linked to the construction of the Number 12 line Investigators learned that the beams could not carry the weight of the track bed on their own. The studs projecting upward from the beams were covered with a poured concrete slab meant to help carry the weight. But the studs were found to be still carrying ceramic rings that covered the welds. Used as a safety and control method to contain the molten steel, the rings were supposed to have been knocked off after welding so inspectors could see the welds themselves. The fact they were left in place may suggest the welds were not properly inspected. That would fit in with reports that the project was rushed to completion so the Number 12 subway line could be opened by current Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard before he left office as mayor in 2012. The section was built by a company owned by telecom and construction magnate Carlos Slim, currently Mexico's richest man and once the world's wealthiest. Slim is an engineer by training and his firms are currently involved in building some parts of the controversial Maya Train project, which will circle the Yucatan Peninsula. Any suggestion his firm did shoddy work on the subway would be a serious blow to his reputation as a sort of elder statesman of the Mexican business community. As part of a plan to overhaul one of the world's largest subway lines, the Mexico City government spent $1.3 billion on the construction of Number 12 Line. Rescuers work at a site where a section of an overpass collapsed on May 3, sending two trains crashing to the ground An injured man is helped after an elevated train line collapsed in Mexico City in May Rescue workers carry a body at a site where a train line overpass partially collapsed in Mexico City on May 3, killing 26 people and injuring more than 100 Hailed as the Gold Line, the plan expand a vast subway system opened in 1969 was destined to fail from the start and cost half as much as officials initially projected. It encountered multiple construction delays and was slammed with allegations of design flaws, corruption and conflicts of interest. A top executive of one of the companies that built it was the brother of the man who oversaw the project for the government. The scandal over forced closure of the costly new line in 2014 - just 17 months after it was inaugurated - essentially forced Ebrard into political exile. He was rescued by his patron, new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who had helped make him mayor in 2006 and resuscitated him by naming him foreign relations secretary in 2018. Brandon Hernandez was traveling aboard one of the two trains cars that were impacted by the partial collapse of Mexico City's Number 12 line in May Despite the subway scandal, Ebrard was put in charge of Mexico's efforts to obtain coronavirus vaccines and was considered a top contender to succeed Lopez Obrador in 2024. Ebrard has said he'll cooperate with investigations into last month's accident. Previous reports by engineering firms revealed Ebrard's city government had made a series of startlingly wrong choices when the subway line was designed and built. Experts said unusually sharp curves in the route exacerbated problems with the wheels-on-steel track design, which more resembles New Yorks subway rather than the European-style rubber tires used on the rest of the system. The Gold Line line chattered, bumped and shrieked. The rails began to take on a wavy pattern. Drivers had to slow trains to as little as 3 mph (5 kph) on some stretches. View of a car that was crushed after a overpass train line in Mexico City collapsed May 3 Marisol Tapia leans over the casket of her son, Brandon Hernandez, 12, one of the 26 people who were killed after two train cars were sent crashing to the street following the collapse of an elevated train line in Mexico City on May 3 In 2014, the Gold Line had to be shut down for months for the tracks to be replaced or ground into shape. Ballast was added between the train's tracks during those repairs, and some say extra weight and possible poor maintenance could have been potential factors in the collapse. An official 2017 survey of damage from a deadly 7.1 magnitude quake showed indications of construction defects. Authorities decided on quick patches, welding props under the bowed beams and reopening service. A construction company owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim (pictured here in October 2019) was hired to build a section of the train overpass that collapsed in Mexico City on May 3 Ebrard has argued that subsequent investigations showed the line was judged to comply with standards when it was built. He wrote that 'the supervision and maintenance that was up to the administration that succeeded mine remains in large part an unknown.' Following earlier investigations into the design and corruption, more than 38 government employees were hit with fines or other punishments for improperly contracting out work on the train, as well as some criminal charges. Since the May accident, much of the line has been closed. The elevated portion of the tracks rise about 16 feet (5 meters) above a median strip and roadway in the poor southern borough of Tlahuac. Slender, reinforced concrete columns are topped by horizontal steel beams, which in turn support prefabricated concrete track beds on which gravel, railway ties and tracks are laid. The Mexico City subway system, which serves 4.6 million riders every day, has never had the one thing it needs most: money. With ticket prices stuck at 25 cents per ride, one of the lowest rates in the world, the system has never come close to paying its own costs, and depends on massive government subsidies. Vladimir Putin channelled his inner Bond villain as he made a dark comment after meeting with President Joe Biden in Geneva on Wednesday. The Russian leader was asked if there was a growing trust and happiness between him and the US president after their meeting. The strongman typically responded: 'There is no happiness in life, only a mirage of it on the horizon, so cherish that.' Vladimir Putin channelled his inner Bond villain as he made a dark comment after meeting with President Joe Biden in Geneva on Wednesday On social media, many said that the unexpected remark was typical of Putin's Bond villain image Tolstoy: the giant of Russian literature who battled with morality Leo Tolstoy is often hailed as one of the world's greatest ever novelists. His genius soared in late 19th-century Russia, taking literature to a new level as he explored in fiction the eternal mystery of how to lead a moral life. He sought to untangle good and evil, love and lust, hope and despair, cowardice and courage in his philosophically rich writing. Born to an aristocratic family in 1828, he is best known for War and Peace and Anna Karenina, both recognised as masterpieces of prose fiction. But throughout his life, he endured a number of profound moral crises and spiritual awakenings, causing him to become a fervent Christian anarchist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance later inspired Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi. Advertisement The response, translated to Western reporters at the summit, is attributed to the classic Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, who is said to have remarked it to fellow writer Ivan Bunin. Bunin, then 23, said he met Tolstoy on a frosty night in Moscow in 1894 when the War and Peace author was aged 65. Tolstoy gave words of wisdom to the aspiring novelist but also told him to 'not expect too much from life'. Bunin was so enamoured with his idol that he tried to emulate him, visiting sectarian settlements and even illegally distributing Tolstyoan literature. Bunin was later considered a true heir to the realist tradition in Russian literature started by Tolstoy and his contemporary Anton Chekhov. On social media, many said Putin's remark was typical of his Bond villain image. One remarked it was 'simultaneously the most Russian and the most Bond villain thing I've ever heard a world leader say'. Others compared him to a Marvel villain, saying his comment sounded like it came from the mouth of Thanos. At the start of today's summit in Switzerland, the White House was forced to deny Biden nodded when asked if he 'trusts' Putin after calling Russia a 'great power' during an awkward photo op. The two leaders arrived at the Villa de la Grange, an 18th century mansion overlooking Lake Geneva, within a few minutes of each other: Putin, after a last-minute arrival by air and motorcade; Biden after driving from his nearby hotel, having arrived Tuesday. Biden extended his hand first and the pair shook hands - a marked contrast to the elbow bumps Biden exchanged with several allies at the G7 - and they smiled for the cameras outside the doors before heading inside. Their first meeting appeared to be uncomfortable for the leaders as they avoided eye contact while reporters jostled at the back of the book-lined room and yelled questions. Others compared him to a Marvel villain, saying his comment sounded like it came from the mouth of Thanos Vladimir Putin said there was no hostility in his meeting with Joe Biden in his nearly one hour press conference after their summit 'Do you trust Putin? Do you trust each other,' a reporter shouted at them. Biden nodded in the affirmative. But the White House quickly batted down any assumptions that the President had agreed that he 'trusted' Putin. 'It was a chaotic scrum with reporters shouting over each other,' said Communications chief Kate Bedingfield. 'POTUS was very clearly not responding to any one question, but nodding in acknowledgment to the press generally. He said just two days ago in his presser: "Verify, then trust."' The pair faced each other in chairs, Biden crossing his legs, sitting up and tucking a note card into his jacket, while Putin leaned back, tapping his hand against the armrest, looking bored. Putin smiles with Biden as the pair shake hands ahead of their highly-anticipated summit to address failing relations The two leaders met at the Villa de la Grange, an 18th century mansion overlooking Lake Geneva 'It's always better to meet face to face,' Biden said, flashing a big smile, though the event was set up to have no public comments by either man. Putin ignored shouted questions from reporters, including if he feared jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Their second meeting, behind closed doors, ended at roughly 5pm local time - four hours after the summit began. When it was done, Biden walked out of the luxurious villa and rode off in the presidential motorcade, putting on his sunglasses before departing. A glamorous influencer accused of murder is set to be extradited to her native Canada within weeks after she was arrested in Hungary following three months on the run. Yun 'Lucy' Lu Li, 25, and her boyfriend, Oliver Karafa, 28, were both apprehended in Budapest on Saturday, wanted on charges of murder over the fatal February shooting of Tyler Pratt, 38, in Ontario, Canada. The couple - dubbed the 'millennial Bonnie and Clyde' - were additionally wanted on charges of attempted murder, after they were also accused of trying to kill Pratt's 26-year-old girlfriend. She was pregnant at the time of the February shooting and lost her unborn baby in the gunfire. It's believed Li and Karafa both knew Pratt, with his alleged murder occurring during a 'business meeting'. The Toronto Sun reports that at a hearing in Hungary on Wednesday, Li 'consented to her extradition with the application of the principle of specialty, according to which... Canadian authorities may only prosecute her for the charges stated in the extradition request.' Li is reported to be from a wealthy family with ties to Canada's Liberal Party. Her boyfriend, Karafa, meanwhile, is a native of Slovakia and is will fight extradition back to Canada. Meanwhile, during the hearing, new details about the murder mystery emerged, with Karafa accused of firing the fatal bullet that led to Pratt's death. Yun 'Lucy' Lu Li, 25, and her boyfriend, Oliver Karafa, 28, were both apprehended in Budapest on Saturday, wanted on charges of murder over the fatal February shooting of Tyler Pratt, 38, in Ontario, Canada The pair are accused of killing Tyler Pratt, 39, during a 'business meeting' Li is reported to be from a wealthy family with ties to Canada's Liberal Party On February 28, just after 7.15pm, police in Hamilton, a city in Ontario, Canada, responded to a shooting that occurred in an industrial park in Stoney Creek. Pratt, a father-of-three, was pronounced dead at the scene. His girlfriend was hospitalized with serious injuries. Investigators soon identified Karafa and Li as the people responsible for the shooting, although they would not say what led them to that conclusion. Police learned that the couple fled to Eastern Europe within 24 hours of the incident, traveling through several countries, including Karafa's native Slovakia and the Czech Republic, before arriving in Budapest, Hamilton Police Det.-Sgt. Jim Callender told CBC.ca. Hamilton Police Service recognized the efforts of the Hungarian Fugitive Active Search Team in making the arrests. Li's mother, Hong Wei 'Winnie' Liao, is president of the Toronto-based asset management firm Respon International Group with extensive political connections. She has been photographed shaking hands with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and posing with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Li is one of a set of triplets. She and her sisters have built a following for themselves on social media by posing in matching dresses and skimpy swimsuits. 'We are deeply shocked, disturbed and puzzled by Lucy's involvement in the unfortunate incident,' the family said in a statement to a Chinese news outlet, which was translated by The National Post. In 2014, Karafa was found guilty of impaired driving causing death; driving while over legal limit of alcohol; criminal negligence cause death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle cause death, and was sentenced to five years in prison, reported CTV. The conviction stemmed from an April 2012 crash, in which Karafa got behind the wheel drunk and was driving at twice the speed limit when he crashed his car, causing his passenger, 19-year-old David Chiang, to be ejected from the vehicle and smash head first into a pole. The victim died at the scene. Li (left) is one of a set of triplets. She and her sisters have built a following for themselves on social media by posing in matching dresses and skimpy swimsuits. ' Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin on Wednesday there would be 'devastating' consequences if opposition leader Alexei Navalny died while in Russian custody. 'I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia,' he said at a press conference after the two leaders held a three-hour summit meeting. Putin, in an interview with NBC News ahead of the summit, would offer no guarantees that Navalny will get out of prison alive. In his own press conference after Wednesday's summit, Putin shrugged off questions on the dissident leader. He referred to him as 'the man' and did not use his name. 'This man knew that he was breaking the law of Russia,' Putin said of Nalvany's return to the country after he left to receive medical treatment. Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin there would be 'devastating' consequences if opposition leader Alexei Navalny died while in Russian custody Russian President Vladimir Putin described Navalny a 'repeat offender' who 'deliberately wanted to be arrested' Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was jailed for parole violations after he left Russia to get medical treatment after being poisoned with a nerve agent Navalny was the victim of poisoning with the Russian-made nerve agent novichok. He was medically evacuated to Berlin. Upon his return, he was detained on accusations of violating parole conditions. Putin described Navalny a 'repeat offender' who 'deliberately wanted to be arrested.' 'He is somebody who has been twice, convicted, and he consciously ignored the requirements of the law,' he said. Navalny was convicted multiple times in Russian for embezzlement but his criminal cases were widely considered to be politically motivated and intended to bar him from running in future elections. Additionally, his political group was outlawed recently under a fresh crackdown by the Kremlin on opposition groups. Putin turned questions about dissidents and human rights violations into criticism of the United States, referring to the January 6th MAGA riot when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to try and stop the certification of Biden's election victory. Putin pointed out those protesters were being arrested by American officials. 'Many people are facing the same things that we do,' he said. 'On the question of who is murdering whom, people rioted and went into the Congress in the U.S. with political demands and many people were declared as criminals and they are threatened with imprisonment for 20 to 25 years. And these people were immediately arrested after those events. On what grounds we don't know, always,' he said. Biden called Putin's comparison of Russian protesters to Black Lives Matter protests and the January 6th MAGA riot 'ridiculous.' 'It's one thing for literally criminals to break through the window of the capital, kill a police officer, and be held accountable. And then there's four people objecting marching on the Capitol, saying, You are not allowing me to speak for you. You're not allowing me to do A, B, C or D. And so they're very different kinds,' he said. A college student murdered his parents and sister after being told he needed to get a job or move out - then blamed an intruder, police say. Alex Jackson, 20, called 911 on Tuesday to report that he and his dad had been shot by a male intruder at their home in Cedar Rapids, according to a criminal complaint. Officers who responded found his father, 61-year-old Jan Jackson, 68-year-old Melissa Jackson and 19-year-old Sabrina Jackson dead from gunshot wounds in different rooms of the home. They also found Alex suffering from a gunshot wound to his foot. Alex allegedly told police that he woke up to the sound of gunfire and was shot during a struggle with a masked man over the rifle. Alex Jackson, 20, is charged with killing his parents and younger sister in their home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday before telling police a masked gunman was responsible. It wasn't immediately clear if his gunshot wound was self-inflicted or obtained in a struggle with one of the family members he stands accused of killing. He claimed he and his father had left the rifle on the fireplace after cleaning it the previous night, the complaint says. Police, who recovered the .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle, found no sign of forced entry or burglary at the home. Police found 61-year-old Jan Jackson, 68-year-old Melissa Jackson and 19-year-old Sabrina Jackson (above) dead from gunshot wounds in different rooms of the home Alex denied shooting his family members but did admit that his father had recently told him he needed to find a job or move out of the home, according to the complaint. Jackson was treated for his wounded foot at a hospital before he was booked on three counts of first-degree murder late Tuesday at the Linn County jail. He made a brief initial court appearance Wednesday morning dressed in a yellow jumpsuit and was ordered jailed on a $3 million bond. Jackson had a set of crutches beside him during the virtual court hearing. A public defender representing him, Lindsay Garner, said he would plead not guilty after a formal charging document is filed. The case marks the first known triple homicide in Cedar Rapids since 1982 and only the second since at least 1959, according to police. The audio of Jackson's 911 call cannot be released because it contains information of 'material importance to our investigation', according to a police spokesman. The slayings shocked acquaintances of the Jackson family, who had lived in the home on Oak Leaf Court in a quiet suburban neighborhood for a decade. Friends planned a candlelight vigil to remember Sabrina and her parents for Wednesday evening at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids where she and her brother attended. Alex Jackson made a brief initial court appearance Wednesday morning dressed in a yellow jumpsuit and was ordered jailed on a $3 million bond. He had crutches beside him after being treated in hospital for his gunshot wound The college student called 911 to report that a masked intruder had broken into his home (above) and shot his family. Police found 61-year-old Jan Jackson, 68-year-old Melissa Jackson and 19-year-old Sabrina Jackson dead from gunshot wounds in different rooms of the home Alex and Sabrina Jackson were students at the University of Iowa studying in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, according to the school's online directory. The university is located in Iowa City, about 35 miles south of their home. 'Our thoughts are with all those impacted by this tragic situation,' said university spokeswoman Anne Bassett, who said counseling and other services were available for students and employees. Alex graduated from Kennedy High in 2019, a year before his sister, according to a spokeswoman for the Cedar Rapids school district. He played the flute and his sister played the oboe in the school's symphony band in 2019. Sabrina introduced then-presidential candidate Andrew Yang when he visited Cedar Rapids to discuss global warming in December 2019, according to news reports. Alex became an Eagle Scout in 2017 after working with the Save Cedar Rapids Heritage organization on a project to fix up a historic home. He spent hours painting the walls and ceiling of the home, originally built in the late 1800s, so that low-income families could move in, according to Boy Scouts of America Troop 766. Alex had no prior criminal record in Iowa, not an even a speeding ticket, according to a search of the state's online court database. His parents and sister also had no record of legal troubles in Iowa. Before moving to Cedar Rapids in 2011, the family had previously lived in Oregon. Alex was on suicide watch Wednesday in accordance with the jail's practice for new inmates charged with crimes that could lead to life imprisonment, Sheriff Brian Gardner said. If convicted of first-degree murder, he would not be eligible for parole. President Joe Biden was asked Wednesday on the tarmac in Geneva what he thought about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's threat to block a Biden Supreme Court nominee if there was a vacancy in 2024, the year of the next presidential race. 'The answer is Mitch has been nothing but no for a long time. And I'm sure he means exactly what he says, but we'll see,' Biden told reporters before leaving Switzerland for Joint Base Andrews. On Monday, McConnell had appeared on Hugh Hewitt's radio show and was asked if he'd repeat with Biden what he did to President Barack Obama in 2016 - not give Obama's Supreme Court pick, now Attorney General Merrick Garland, a vote, because it was during a presidential election year. McConnell would have to first win back the Senate majority during the 2022 midterms. 'I think it's highly unlikely - in fact, no, I don't think either party, if it were different from the president, would confirm a Supreme Court nominee in the middle of an election,' McConnell answered. President Joe Biden was asked on the Geneva tarmac Wednesday about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's threat to hold up Biden's Supreme Court picks in 2014 if he regains the majority Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would block President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee if the person was nominated in 2024, the next presidential election year Obama announced Garland in March 2016, nearly nine months before voters headed to the polls. He was to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died the month before. Then, in 2020, when liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away in September, now former President Donald Trump swiftly picked Judge Amy Coney Barrett to take her place. Against Ginsburg's dying wishes, the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed Barrett to the bench on October 27, one week before the presidential election. McConnell and the Senate Republicans have defended their actions pointing out that in 2016 party control of the White House and Senate was split, whereas in 2020, the same party, the Republicans, controlled both. 'What was different in 2020 was we were of the same party as the president. And that's why we went ahead with it,' McConnell said. McConnell famously blocked President Barack Obama's (left) pick to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, Judge Merrick Garland (right), who now serves as President Joe Biden's Attorney General McConnell, however, had no problem pushing through the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett (right), a week before the election. She's photographed with then President Donald Trump (left) during her nomination ceremony on September 26, 2020 On the show, McConnell said holding open Scalia's seat - so the late justice was eventually replaced by Trump with conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch - was 'the single most consequential thing I've done in my time as majority leader of the Senate.' Conservatives now hold a 6-3 majority on the high court. McConnell wouldn't say what he would do if, for example, liberal Justice Stephen Breyer retired at the end of the 2023 court session, and Republicans retook the majority after the 2022 midterms. 'Well, we'd have to wait and see what happens,' the Kentucky Republican said. Sean Lannon, 47, is now being charged in connection with four deaths total A suspected serial killer accused of murdering his ex-wife and two others in New Mexico and bludgeoning a man to death in New Jersey has now been charged with a fifth murder of a man he allegedly enlisted to help move bins filled with his other victims' dismembered bodies. A months-long investigation spanning several different states led Albuquerque police to charging Sean Lannon, 47, with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Randall Todd Apostalon, 60, on Tuesday. A criminal complaint states that Lannon hired Apostalon in February to help him move some boxes into storage. At the time Apostalon was apparently unaware that the boxes were filled with the cut up bodies of Lannon's ex-wife Jennifer Lannon, 39, Matthew Miller, 21, and Jesten Mata, 40, of Grants, Albuquerque. 'Sean became desperate to move the bodies from where he had them hidden to a more secure place, while he arranged to leave New Mexico with his children,' the complaint reads. Lannon and Apostalon couldn't find a storage space, so they went to the Pearl Apartment Complex, where Lannon and his children were staying with a friend. When Apostalon told Lannon to get the bins out of his truck, Lannon began clubbing him in the face with a hammer until he died. Lannon then parked his car near a dumpster in the parking garage of Albuquerque International Sunport airport. Police were notified of a pungent smelling car a day later and discovered Apostalon's body in the front seat with tarp draped over it, along with the boxes containing the bodies of Lannon's other victims. A months-long investigation spanning several different states led Albuquerque police to charging Sean Lannon, 47, with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Randall Todd Apostalon, 60, (pictured) on Tuesday Lannon was charged in March with the murder of his ex-wife Jennifer (above together) The bodies of Matthew Miller (left) and Jesten Mata (right) were found in Apostalon's car The four bodies of Lannon's victims were found in a car at the Albuquerque airport on March 5 (pictured) Family members told the Albuquerque Journal that Apostalon was a 'good hearted' man and a storyteller who loved to crack jokes and was especially fond of puns. His brother Mark Apostalon said his brother had struggled on and off with drugs, but had recently started the journey of eliminating substances from his life 'for good.' He added that his brother was 'a kind soul taken too early in this life,' the outlet reported. Lannon was first charged with the murder of Jennifer Lannon, Matta and Miller in March about a week after investigators searched a house where he, his ex-wife and their children lived in Grants, about 80 miles west of Albuquerque. Lannon was charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the three deaths, as well as kidnapping to inflict death in relation to the two victims who were not his ex-wife. NJ.com reported that Mata and Jennifer Lannon were in a relationship. Authorities have said Jennifer Lannon, Miller and Mata were friends, and Apostalon and was known to give rides for money. Sean Lannon is pictured with his ex-wife Jennifer before her death in March Lannon remains in custody in New Jersey on charges stemming from Michael Dabkowski's killing, which include first-degree murder, burglary, robbery, and theft. He is accused of breaking in to the 66-year-old's New Jersey home, just south of Philadelphia, and beating him to death with a hammer, according to an affidavit. Lannon told investigators that Dabkowski had sexually abused him as a child when he was a member of Big Brothers Big Sisters and that he had gone to the home to retrieve sexually explicit photos. Investigators have not said if they've uncovered any sexually explicit photos to corroborate Lannon's story. Dabkowski's body was discovered March 8, three days after the remains were found in New Mexico. Lannon allegedly stole the man's wallet and was driving Dabkowski's car when he arrested March 10 in St. Louis. Authorities are not sure why he was in Missouri. At the time, he was considered only a person of interest in the New Mexico slayings and detectives from Albuquerque travelled to St. Louis to interview him before he was extradited to New Jersey. Assistant deputy public defender Ronald Appleby has declined to comment on the New Jersey charge. Following his arrest in March, Lannon also claimed that he had killed an additional 11 people, all of them drug dealers, in the area of Grants, New Mexico, reported NJ.com. Prosecutors said in court that Lannon told a family member in a phone call that he had dumped the bodies of his supposed victims at an oil refinery in Jamestown where he had worked, and inside lava tubes located near the town of Grants. The relative told investigators he expressed remorse for his actions. Lava tubes are cave-like underground passageways, also known as pyroducts, which were created by lava flows thousands of years ago, when the area around Grants was a hotbed of volcanic activity. Lt. David Chavez, of the Grants Police Department, said in April that investigators have yet to find any evidence of the additional murders, but they are looking into it by combing through missing persons records and other police reports to try to identify any potential victims and determine if Lannon was telling the truth during the confession. Sean and Jennifer Lannon lived in New Jersey and married around eight years ago before moving to New Mexico for Sean's job in 2017 - before he filed for divorce. Court records related to the couple's divorce and custody case showed that Sean Lannon was awarded sole custody of the couple's three children in 2019 and that a protective plan from the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department included only supervised visitation by their mother over concerns at the time about the potential for neglect due to prescription drug abuse. Pictured: The New Jersey home where Michael Dabkowski, 66, was allegedly beat to death Lannon is accused of bludgeoning to death Michael Dabkowski, 66, his former mentor, claiming he had molested him as a child Relatives say Sean Lannon flew to New Jersey in early March with the couple's three children - 6- and 7-year-old girls and a 4-year-old boy. He took them to his parents' house and left again, saying he was going to look for his ex-wife, whom he claimed had run off with friends. Her family became worried, saying it wasn't like her to be without her children. When Sean Lannon left New Jersey, he took ride share services to Virginia, then returned to New Jersey, where he broke into one home in Elk Township before heading to Dabkowski's house. In the Elk Township break-in, Lannon was charged with burglary and possession of a weapon. It's not clear what Lannon was doing in Virginia. The children are now in the case of Jennifer Lannon's family, which has raised over $19,000 on GoFundMe for their care. When Lannon previously confessed to committing 16 murders, he claimed he dismembered several people at his New Mexico home, according to NJ.com. 'He admitted to killing a total of 16 people... 15 being in New Mexico and one in the State of New Jersey,' said Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Alec Gutierrez. Lannon served in the U.S. Army from 1999 to 2003 and received an honorable discharge from the military. WPVI reports Lannon has a history of drug abuse and a violent record. His lawyer argued for a pre-trial release in connection to the New Jersey murder, but was rebuffed by the judge. An LA dentist was pictured in court after being charged with molesting nine female patients - one of whom is said to have fled his office dripping with blood while having four front teeth removed. Emad Fathy Moawad, 50, was photographed looking disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes and wearing orange jail garb on Wednesday. He appeared before Judge Miguel Espinoza in Los Angeles County Superior Court to face nine counts of sexual battery by restraint, three counts of sexual penetration by use of force and one count of attempted sexual penetration by use of force. His alleged victims were aged between 27 and 73, and were said to be women on low incomes, some of whom did not speak good English. Moawad initially appeared in court Monday but didn't enter a plea. He was jailed on nearly $2million bail and it wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf. Dr. Emad Fathy Moawad listens during his arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court on charges of sexual abuse of his patients on Wednesday Moawad, 50, faces nine counts of sexual battery by restraint, three counts of sexual penetration by use of force and one count of attempted sexual penetration by use of force. He is accused of molesting at least nine women ranging from 27 to 73 years old Moawad, pictured in court on Wednesday, was jailed on nearly $2million bail A prosecutor with the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office speaks during the arraignment Moawad appeared before Judge Miguel Espinoza in Los Angeles County Superior Court 'This case is especially concerning because its victims are low-income people and immigrants who are less likely to report crimes due to fear,' Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. Moawad is accused of touching a patient's vagina while removing four of her teeth, prompting her to run out of his office dripping blood from her mouth Prosecutors allege that between 2013 and 2018, Moawad molested at least nine women ranging from 27 to 73 years old. In 2019, a woman sued Moawad and his LA dental office alleging that he molested her while undergoing procedures there in 2017, and again when she returned in 2018. According to the suit, the woman initially went to Moawad's office at the Alegria Dental Center in Los Angeles in October 2017 for an x-ray and deep cleaning, and while she was being examined she alleges he brushed up against her breast, but was unsure if it was intentional. Later that month she returned to the office to undergo another deep cleaning under local anesthesia in preparation to have veneers installed. During the coarse of the procedure the woman alleges Moawad repeatedly reached down her shirt and touched her breasts. The woman said she yelled at him to stop, and brought her complaint to a staff member, who she claims replied: 'We know but cant do anything about it.' In 2019 one of the victims sued Moawad and his office, the Alegria Dental Center, in Los Angeles alleging that he repeatedly groped her The next month, she returned to get the veneers installed and the procedure went without incident. She returned to the office in August 2018 after her veneers became loose and painful and getting estimates from other dentists. At that time she allegedly told Moawad to fix the veneers or she would sue him for sexual battery. Later that month the woman returned to undergo a procedure in which Moawad would remove her front four teeth. According to the suit, the woman demanded she be only given local anesthesia for the procedure out of fear Moawad would molest her while she was unconscious. While he was removing her teeth, however, the woman alleges Moawad forcibly groped her, reaching his hand into her underwear and touching her vagina. When she began to protest, the woman alleges he held her down before she ran out of the room with blood on her face and clothes, screaming for help. The staff, she alleges, told her to be quiet as to not disturb other patients. The woman said she believes an employee recorded video of one of the alleged assaults in December 2018 and brought an end to the alleged attacks. Criminal charges against Moawad came after a lengthy investigation by LAPD sex crimes detectives, the LA Times reported. Brandon Henley, Ashley's wife and Kristina Jones' sister, said he believes they were killed by the same person The husband of a former Mississippi legislator who was fatally shot on the same property where her sister-in-law's body was found has said he believes he was targeted for pushing for answers in his sister's death. Brandon Henley offered up his theory in after his wife Ashley Henley's body was discovered on Sunday on a property in Yalobusha County. '[His sister's killer] knew that we were applying pressure and they were going to get rid of the pressure,' Brandon Henley told the Fox13. Brandon and his wife Ashley believed his sister Kristina Jones was murdered in December. Her body was found in a burnt-out trailer, but her cause of death was ruled 'unknown' in May. Brandon said if law enforcement found out who killed his sister, then his wife would be alive today. 'I feel that if something would have been done sooner this would have never happened,' Henley told WJTV on Monday, a day after his wife was shot dead. Police haven't said if his wife and sister's deaths were related, but Brandon believes the suspect is the same killer. 'I have my own theory and the police do too and he is a suspect and there was someone taken in for questioning apparently last night,' Brandon told WJTV, but didn't elaborate on who 'he' is. The Yalobusha County Sheriff's Office declined to comment and referred questions to the county prosecutor, who didn't return calls from DailyMail.com. Ashley Henley (left) was found shot dead around 10pm on Sunday in rural Yalobusha County, Mississippi. She and her husband Brandon had been trying to prove that Kristina Jones (right) had been murdered The makeshift memorial for Kristina Jones, Brandon's sister, on the property where her body was found in December and Brandon's wife, Ashley, was killed this week Yalobusha County coroner Ronnie Stark told WMC-TV that Henley had been mowing grass outside the burnt out trailer (pictured) where Jones was found dead Ashley - a Republican who served in the state House from January 2016 to January 2020 - described a hostile run in with Yalobusha County deputies from the sheriff's office in an April 6 Facebook post. She said two deputies 'attempted to intimidate me' and 'threatened to arrest me for refusing to allow them to take my lawfully holstered, concealed firearm without probable cause.' 'We have been silent long enough,' Ashley said in the Facebook post. 'For the past three months my family has held ourselves close, grieving in secret, to cooperate with the requests of the Yalobusha County Sheriff's Department as they proclaimed to be working on the investigation into the murder of my sister-in-law, which occurred at approximately 1:30AM on December 26th, 2020. 'We have been nice. We have cooperated. We have respected the process and been patient ... NOW, we demand answers. We will not be intimidated. We are not going away. We will not back down. We will not be silent any longer. My sister-in-law deserves #JUSTICE.' In a May 24 Facebook entry, Ashley posted a picture of her sister-in-law's death certificate that listed the cause of death as 'unknown' and manner of death as 'undetermined.' 'ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE - My family waited 5 months for this?!' she wrote. Ashely's April 6 Facebook post and May 20 update On June 13, Ashley is believed to have been cutting the lawn outside the burnt-out trailer when she was shot in the back of the head. During the Fox13 interview, Brandon vowed not to back down. 'You dont go after women. You dont go after innocent people. Its disgusting, he told Fox13. 'You took a mother from a 15-year-old boy, a daughter, and another mother and then youre scared you are going to take someone else from another family.' Six months after burying his sister, Brandon is preparing final arrangements for his wife. Ashley's colleagues put together a memorial tribute on Facebook and set up a GoFundMe. Republican state Rep. Dan Eubanks of DeSoto County, Mississippi, who set up the online fundraiser, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday that he was heartbroken and angry about Henley's death. 'What an absolute loss to our state, county, me personally, and most importantly her dear family,' he said. 'Please pray for her husband and son and their extended family... and that God's justice will be served on those responsible.' The DeSoto County Republican Party honored Ashley in a Facebook post, calling her a 'dedicated public servant' and tagging Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch. The PM on Hancock: 'totally f***ing hopeless' Detailed analysis of all Hancock said to MPs would take days. I'll focus today on just a few things to support what I told MPs and show that No10/Hancock have repeatedly lied about the failures last year. No10 and Hancock are seeking to rewrite history: They are trying to 'memory-hole' the original Q1 2020 debacle. The reality of the 'optimal single peak strategy' with herd immunity by September is in SAGE documents, COBR documents and was briefed by Hancock, CSA, CMO and No10 press office at the time and SAGE members explained it on TV. The reality is reflected in many emails/WhatsApps. Covid was the biggest crisis faced by Westminster since WWII. The No10/Hancock line now is as if No10 had said in summer 1940, 'yes, our appeasement plan A was a great success on Hitler as you can all see, we didn't need any Plan B, appeasement then fight them on the beaches was the original plan'. Hancock is creating a new version of reality in which he came up with the idea to ramp up testing before 14 March, in an inspired and heroic move he announced his 100k target on 2 April to provide leadership, and this was responsible for the change in testing capacity. The reality: as part of the transition to Plan B No10 forced a new testing plan on Hancock, who was still operating under Plan A / herd immunity assumptions in the week of 16/3 according to which community testing was pointless (hence why it was briefly officially stopped); our plan was to build capacity on the scale of millions; the 100k then 1m target had already been set before he announced it; his behaviour in April distracted attention from testing in care homes and the PPE debacle. A public announcement was in principle definitely right but he did what he always did he focused on the media and himself then lied. Testing, like vaccines, was removed from his control in May because of his incompetence and dishonesty March-April. You can't understand what really happened on test-trace in the rest of the year without understanding what actually happened in March-April. Hancock is creating a new version of reality in which the government really did 'throw a protective ring' around care homes. The reality: covid patients were sent untested from hospital to care homes and Hancock neglected care homes and testing throughout April partly because Hancock was trying to focus effort on his press conference at the end of April claiming success for his announcement on 2/4. Hancock and No10 are creating a new version of reality in which: 'there was no shortage of PPE' and on 11 April Hancock removed procurement restrictions imposed by HMT. The reality DHSC failed to plan for PPE demand and their procurement operation collapsed. They rejected chances to buy things because of sticking to the old rules. No10 insisted on removing these rules and HMT did remove their standard rules in March. Hancock told us PPE was 'all under control' in the week of 23 March. This meant further weeks were wasted instead of used to solve the problems. Hancock then sought to blame Simon Stevens, the Chancellor and the Cabinet Office for the PPE disaster in April. The Cabinet Secretary told the PM's office that Hancock's claims were false. The lack of PPE killed NHS and care home staff in March-May. On the original 'plan', testing, PPE, procurement, care homes and more, Hancock gave a fictitious account to MPs last week and portrayed himself as a heroic figure who had been in agreement with the PM throughout the crisis. The PM has supported this fiction and ordered the No10 press office to support many arguments he knows are lies. At the time, the PM agreed with me and all serious people around No10 and the Cabinet Office in his own words, Hancock's performance on critical issues was 'totally f***ing hopeless' and he had to be removed from crucial decisions: PPE to Lord Deighton, vaccines to Bingham, ventilators to Agnew, testing to Harding. Hancock has also given a fictitious account of what happened on masks but I'll leave that to another day. Why is this important? A. If No10 is prepared to lie so deeply and widely about such vital issues of life and death last year, it cannot be trusted now either on covid or any other crucial issue of war and peace. B. Hancock continues to have direct responsibility for things like dealing with variants and care homes. Having such a Secretary of State in a key role is guaranteed disaster. It is urgent for public safety that he is removed. C. The PM is trying to influence officials/advisers to support the re-writing of history and is encouraging ministers to give false accounts to Parliament. D. The PM's defence of Hancock sends an unmistakeable signal across the system: a Secretary of State will be rewarded despite repeated incompetence and dishonesty and the government machine will seek to rewrite history in Orwellian fashion because the PM thinks it in his personal interests to do so. Any decent person in Westminster ought to be appalled by this behaviour. E. The public inquiry cannot fix this. It will not start for years and it is designed to punt the tricky parts until after this PM has gone unlike other PMs, this one has a clear plan to leave at the latest a couple of years after the next election, he wants to make money and have fun not 'go on and on'. So we either live with chronic dysfunction for another ~5 years or some force intervenes. From the perspective of good government and ethics the Cabinet and MPs should intervene but this is unlikely while the polls have the Conservatives ~40%+ because our political system incentivises party loyalty over good government and ethics. Senior civil servants will wait for the polls to move before trying to 'push what is falling'. But the systemic incompetence surrounding the PM is such that his operation is programmed to unravel he always does, No10's structure makes it impossible for anybody to govern properly, and he rejected the plan to change how No10 works. Just as I said 2017-19 'this No10 will unravel, some of us should prepare for what comes next' the same is true now. This No10 will unravel it would already be unravelling if Starmer were not also useless. People need to prepare for what comes next. Preparations planning, building tools, preparing a team and so on made in 2018-spring 2019 proved vital July-December 2019. I was wondering about the issue of publishing private WhatsApp messages. 1) No10 and Hancock are openly lying even about what was briefed on-the-record, so clearly nothing is beyond their attempted rewriting of history. 2) To further their lies, PM/Hancock are spinning distorted versions of my messages from internal WhatsApp groups to the PM's favoured stooges such as Playbook Wiki. 3) Hancock challenged me at the Select Committee to provide evidence and said my failure to publish anything was 'telling' evidence that my account was false. 4) The Select Committee has asked me to provide evidence and clearly what MPs see the public should also see transparency on covid is crucial. Clearly the government cannot reasonably complain about me publishing evidence. Given this I will publish some internal messages. There are many more I could publish but below and in future I will publish only ones that further the question of 'what went wrong and how do we learn'. I won't publish private messages just to embarrass the PM or others. My goal is to force the system to face reality and change, not to embarrass people for the sake of it. Memory-hole for 'herd immunity' Plan A was described in official documents as 'the optimal single peak strategy' with all descriptions and graphs tailing off by September when 'herd immunity' was attained. This is why there was no serious border policy Jan-March. (The border policy remains a joke because the PM personally opposed repeated attempts by me and others to implement something based on the successful East Asian approach. This has contributed to the spread of the 'delta' variant and will continue to create unnecessary risks not just on covid.) This is why community testing was dropped in March until the shift to Plan B reversed the decision. This is why nobody started thinking seriously about an East Asian style test-trace plan until we shifted to Plan B (see my PM study whiteboard of 13/3 with 'crash program for testing' scribbled on, below). (Jeremy Hunt has wrongly inferred that this thinking did not happen until May it started in March.) This is why there was no serious vaccine plan i.e spending billions on concurrent (rather than the normal sequential) creation/manufacturing/distribution etc until after the switch to Plan B. I spoke to Vallance on 15 March about a 'Manhattan Project' for vaccines out of Hancock's grip but it was delayed by the chaotic shift from Plan A to lockdown then the PM's near-death. In April Vallance, the Cabinet Secretary and I told the PM to create the Vaccine Taskforce, sideline Hancock, and shift commercial support from DHSC to BEIS. He agreed, this happened, the Chancellor supplied the cash. On 10 May I told officials that the VTF needed a) a much bigger budget, b) a completely different approach to DHSC's, which had been mired in the usual processes, so it could develop concurrent plans, and c) that Bingham needed the authority to make financial decisions herself without clearance from Hancock. This is why even on the 18 March the crucial SAGE meeting did not even have a lockdown plan to discuss, as I texted No10 officials from inside SAGE: neither DHSC nor Cabinet Office had provided such a plan nor had they asked SAGE to model such a plan (No10 did this direct with Vallance/SAGE/SPI-M as we bodged together Plan B). This is why Hancock said to me, still delusional about us being 'the best prepared country in the world' (this was not one of his lies, he really did believe this because he had not properly investigated the preparations), on 12 March (the day of 'chickenpox parties' / Dilyn's bad PR / Trump wanting us to bomb the Middle East): We're better prepared than other countries, Wuhan will see a second wave when they lift their lockdown. (Also on 16 March in COBR, Hancock tried to delay the announcement on household quarantine 'because the helpline isn't ready'. Sturgeon also supported this delay. I and others warned the PM in advance this would happen and he overruled them. Both of them have misled the public about this.) This is why even on 18 March, a SAGE member emailed me, the Cabinet Secretary and Hancock's Permanent Secretary saying we would look back on SAGE discussions as 'a strange dream' because lockdown had not even been discussed: 'Literally all the models assume that there will be a full-blown epidemic, and its just a matter of how much it can be drawn out, compressed, or the herd immunity directed to one section or another of the population' because thinking was based on assumptions (no test-trace, population won't listen to tough rules, reinfection from abroad etc) and 'Once you take these assumptions for granted, the only paths that exist are to achieve herd immunity'. But, he rightly said, suppression should be considered partly because the imminent collapse of the NHS was so horrific and because 'prior models and assumptions are WRONG [emphasis in original]. We could do this, ie a total lockdown. We'll look back on it like a strange dream, but we could and should do it.' And the DHSC Permanent Secretary responsible for pandemic planning responded with the logic of Plan A: 'The virus will still exist in 3-4 weeks time and won't we just start again with reinfection and re-spread?' [bold added by me above] Even on the afternoon of 18/3, after SAGE (mostly, not unanimously) were pushing for urgent lockdown at least in London), the apex of power in the DHSC was still operating under the assumptions of Plan A, i.e suppression was counter-productive. This is four days after I proposed Plan B to the PM in his study (noon, 14/3) and five days before 'stay at home'. COBR documents on herd immunity plan This COBR document (in multiple meetings in the week of 9/3 and 16/3) shows the logic of herd immunity by September: suppression means a disastrous second peak when the NHS is annually overstretched and the 'advised approach' (i.e advised by DHSC/SAGE/Cabinet Office to No10) 'seeks to avoid this' by getting herd immunity by September. Another graph from the same mid-March COBR pack is here: N.B the red line is NHS ICU capacity, it appears to be lying almost on the x-axis because at ~5,000 it seems very near 0 when the y-axis stretches to 200,000. It shows the official Plan A as of 12-15 March involving at most the three actions which a) supposedly push the peak out into June (this thinking contributed to the lack of urgency before 16/3) but b) still totally overwhelmed ICU capacity. Note there is no line for a lockdown scenario because, contra Hancock's false claims to MPs last week, DHSC had not developed a plan for it nor asked SAGE to model it (as the Cabinet Secretary's reply to the email of 18 March above pointed out). This graph from the same COBR pack shows the effect of Plan A's three interventions: ~250,000 dead after the 'optimal single peak strategy', with herd immunity by September. N.B this projection, awful as it was, was obviously too optimistic because it did not take into account that in this scenario there would be no NHS for any other patients for months until it was rebuilt. Versions of this graph were in many official documents in the week of 9/3 and 16/3. As we pointed out to the PM in the 'Goldblum' meeting on 14 March in his office, in this scenario many more than 250,000 would die and, I said, the public would march up Downing Street and lynch him. (We discovered in April that DHSC did not have plans to deal with the number of dead we were facing after switching to lockdown never mind what would have happened if it had been x5-x10 worse.) Below are whiteboards from the evening of 13/3 and 14/3. Both were in the PM's study and were shown to him at noon on 14/3 as I and Marc and Ben Warner explained why official thinking had gone so badly wrong and why we had to switch to Plan B. Both show 'our plan' (i.e Plan A) overwhelming the NHS. Plan B is different: suppression + crash programs on testing, drugs + increasing NHS capacity etc which everybody can see is what actually happened. The graph with the squiggly line ('Plan B') is the first time No10 had a 'document' that ditched all the previous graphs with either a single peak ending by September or a second winter peak and showed instead us managing covid permanently below NHS capacity. (Some have asked 'what does 'who do we not save?' mean?' I meant: on 13th it was already clear we'd made terrible errors and many would die, I was forcing people to consider: 'on whom are our errors going to fall worst, who is not going to be saved in this disaster, and if forced to choose because of NHS collapse how does the system do this (e.g prioritise mothers of small children)?' because only by facing such awful questions could we have a chance to change plan fast, e.g we turned shielding around on 19/3.) I told MPs how, literally as I was sketching the whiteboard above in the PM's study on 13 March in preparation for the meeting I planned the next day with the PM, the deputy Cabinet Secretary walked in and told us that DHSC clearly had no serious plan and was imploding. When asked last week by MPs re my testimony, Hancock said that the disproof of what I'd said was 'we had a plan, we published it on 3 March' and this plan discussed lockdowns. He is referring to the laughable contain-delay-mitigate 'plan' published on 3 March. This document was based on the logic that we would not do suppression. Obviously this embarrassingly awful document, which will be remembered as a case study in failure for decades to come, in no sense set out what we actually did, as everybody can see. Journalists were briefed on the 'herd immunity' plan in the week of 9/3 by Hancock himself, by senior officials including the CSA and CMO, by the No10 press office, and SAGE members went on TV and radio explaining it. On 13 March, as I was sketching the whiteboard above, the PM texted me, Hancock, Vallance and Whitty asking: how do we win the herd immunity argument? On 14th in his study, using those whiteboards, I told him: forget winning that argument, we have to switch to Plan B. Hancock's claim that the 3/3 document disproves my claims is, as the evidence shows above, entirely untrue. As the evidence above shows, that 'plan' was sending us to catastrophe so we ditched it. TESTING As we sketched Plan B it was clear mass testing and test-trace would be crucial. This was part of our discussions on Plan B 13-15 March in the PM's study. No10 was very unhappy with what we heard from Hancock on testing before and after we started shifting to Plan B. I and others including the PM insisted on a much more radical scale-up than PHE/DHSC had considered and it was clear that PHE's senior management was totally unable to meet the challenge and Hancock had no plan to fix this. Obviously Plan A had been effectively 'do nothing' on community testing because the herd immunity plan had no place for it, hence it was officially stopped on 12 March and the concept of moving to 100k then 1 million did not exist before Plan B. In the morning meeting on 24 March I and others quizzed a very slippery Hancock on progress with testing to see where he was after which I sent this to a No10 group: Steve O = Oldfield. TomS = Shinner. I'd asked Tom to ditch his job and join No10 over the crucial weekend of 14-15 March. He started on Monday 16th. He had worked on 'no deal' Brexit etc for two years and had huge knowledge of Whitehall systems and great people who could be shuffled into critical roles. He played an enormous part in recovering from the collapse of No10 in March and built an entirely new team effectively a joint No10-Cabinet Office team in March-July which evolved into the 'covid taskforce' there now. Before this there was no effective central entity to manage the crisis as I told MPs, the Civil Contingencies Unit collapsed in March and had to be rebuilt with new skills and tools. (He also did a very valuable review of the whole 'delivery' mechanism of No10/Cabinet Office, which I will explore another time.) Shinner worked with officials in DHSC and elsewhere and recruited a new team including Alex Cooper to speed everything up. So Hancock had told the morning meeting on 24th: 10k by Monday 30/3, 100k 'within a month' of 24/3. Two hours later I texted a PM group (NB. the people displayed on this group shows Simon Case who was NOT on this group at the time): I'd pushed, did not have confidence in what I was hearing, it had been suggested I should stop pushing, I did not, 'let's take it off line' kept echoing enragingly around the Cabinet room, there was still nothing like the sense of urgency the public had a right to expect, including urgent replacing of some critical people and strengthening of teams. You can see the trace of a classic Hancock-ism in my second message. Under pressure at the morning meeting, Hancock had done what he did so often: blame others, often HMT. As usual, it turned out that the delay was not with HMT but Hancock had misled the morning meeting and wrongly sought to blame others for delays. This was a recurrent pattern and in April got so bad some ministers threatened to stop attending meetings until Hancock was fired (see below). On Thursday 26 March I sent this to a different No10 group (similarly neither Case nor Stratton were actually on this group then): Like with concurrent vaccine development, much of the system had still not adapted to a world in which the cost of economic disruption was so high that spending billions on testing was a huge return on investment. I was pushing for the system to plan on the scale of a million per day. Tragically this did not become possible until the end of the year because of a further Whitehall debacle in which the people who knew how to do this were blocked for ~3-4 months by 'business as usual' thinking (see below). (The debacle of the first app is a story for another day.) At 2339 on 26 March (minutes before he tested positive), after further information had come to No10 showing a) testing plans were a shambles, b) Hancock had misled us all again, I texted the PM: (The missed calls are the PM calling me to say he'd tested positive and I couldn't find my phone buzzing, we spoke minutes later.) This shows the usual Hancock pattern. Having assured us 'I'm totally on it I'm driving the team' blah, on 24th we'll 'definitely' be on 10k by Monday, then he's 'sceptical', discussions with officials reveal Hancock had told us nonsense again about actual testing trajectory, he'd told us that he then Bethell then Oldfield then another official were in charge of it (all of which was nonsense that showed nobody was properly in charge of it), and all this while we're facing the wave breaking over the NHS and care homes which could not test staff or patients. This pattern repeated: big talk in front of the PM, brief nonsense to the media, fail to deliver, and the rest of the system's planning disrupted because nobody could rely on what he said in the Cabinet room because he would say anything he thought would get him through the meeting. Remember, when a SoS says things like 'we'll definitely do X by Y' in the Cabinet room, others plan on this basis -- until they learn 'this guy always talks nonsense'. His constant assurance of fake numbers to colleagues meant their plans were constantly disrupted. His dishonesty had destructive effects. As the PM said of Hancock's performance on testing so far, 'totally f***ing hopeless'. This was obviously true but although the PM whinged to me and others, he would never say to him, despite dozens of requests from two Cabinet Secretaries, me and other ministers and officials: stop this routine or you're fired, your behaviour is undermining the whole effort, you must tell the truth in these meetings and not treat them like you do the media. For his 'f***ing hopeless' performance on testing in March alone, Hancock should have been replaced and worse was to come. Hancock's story to MPs last week The Select Committee unfortunately muddied the waters and helped Hancock muddy them when it interviewed him. Hancock told MPs that I had attacked (in my testimony to MPs) the 100k target. Hancock is not only lying about what happened last spring, he's lying about my actual words to MPs in May 2021. Greg Clark unfortunatey seems to have got confused and echoed Hancock's claim. Between them they suggested I had opposed and undermined the target at the time, even though anybody can see on YouTube I actually stressed the opposite of what they both claimed last week and as you can see from the above, this is the opposite of the truth. I was pushing the system on testing weeks before Hancock's announcement and to build a system for 1m per day. After the above exchange with the PM, he tested positive and everything got even more chaotic. In this chaos Hancock blurted out the already-in-place 100k target to the media on 2 April. His fundamental nature is to grab the media spotlight and with the PM and me in bed he had a great chance. To MPs last week, Hancock presented his announcement as a heroic act testing wasn't developing fast enough, he had taken 'personal executive charge' on 17 March, 'I took personal responsibility, I set the target of 100k, I had to put myself on the line', his heroism turned things around etc. The problem with Hancock's announcement was not the 'ambition' nor announcing the change of plan on testing. 1) The announcement on 2/4 had not been prepared, he just blurted it without proper planning and discussion. 2) It was done without agreeing a broader plan for how the capacity would be used and the different demands. In particular care homes were appallingly neglected in April, the crucial month (see below). 3) We should have been building capacity in April focused on saving lives immediately and building secure foundations for the months ahead beyond 100k to 1 million. Done properly this would have meant not just ramping up the existing testing technologies the gold standard PCR but also rapidly developing capabilities for a) LAMP and lateral flow (the tests that give results in minutes not days), b) developing a system to incentivise new technologies then scale them, which could make testing cheaper, faster, easier and so on. (a) and (b) were neglected in April and were not properly gripped until September). We also needed antibody tests (have you had it) which were also neglected. A big problem in the crucial April month with testing in general, care homes in particular, and PPE/procurement was that many people complained that Hancock was distorting priorities across the system so that he could hold a successful press conference at the end of April and say on TV 'I've met this goal' and give his nauseating spiel about how he's not really a hero, it's a team effort... It was a classic case of how MPs optimise for media coverage but in this case it was during the critical period of a disaster in which he was failing on multiple fronts. This is why I and others were so angry (including the PM sometimes). For crystal clarity Should there have been a 100k target? Obviously and not 100k but on the scale of millions. Should it have been made public? Obviously it should have been public long before 2 April. Was Hancock's 2/4 announcement then wrenching Whitehall to focus on his press conference the right way to do it? Obviously not it compounded the care home disaster and PPE disaster in April. Did Hancock give an honest account of what happened on testing to MPs last week? Obviously not. Also bear in mind: Hancock's appalling prioritisation of gaming the lobby worked to a large extent 2020-1. When you will do anything for tomorrow's papers, this earns you favours that are repaid when you fail. This sort of deep incentive problem is central to Westminster's peformance. Hancock, procurement, care homes After I returned to work on 13 April, it became clear that a) Hancock's assurance about testing people before moving them from hospital to care home had not been and was not happening and there was still no plan to do so weeks after he'd assured us in the Cabinet room, as he had on testing and PPE, that 'everything is under control', b) everything to do with care homes was extremely bad and the CSA and CMO were ringing alarm bells daily with No10, and warning us that neither DHSC nor PHE could cope in general or viz care homes in particular, c) everything to do with Hancock and procurement was a disaster, particularly the PPE situation. We'd already had a nightmare with Hancock on ventilators. This message was from me to the PM the morning of 27 March. Just after we'd announced he had covid the morning covid meeting in the Cabinet room saw officials tell us that DHSC had turned down ventilators at this critical point because prices had been marked up. As he had the night before viz testing, the PM accurately summed up the situation: 'It's Hancock. He has been hopeless.' The issue of officials turning down buying opportunities because of increased prices was a huge problem that recurred on subject after subject. The global crisis meant supply chains were disrupted and prices exploded. But Whitehall was still trying to use their normal EU-based procurement system and 'value for money' rules. This guaranteed crazy decisions, shortages and unnecessary deaths. (This is partly why I insisted on ARIA, the new science and technology funding agency, being excluded from normal Whitehall procurement rules, 'value for money' rules and so on they are absolutely hostile to high-speed-high-performance execution.) I had been trying to fix this on issue after issue since earlier in March. To MPs last week, Hancock claimed that a) he decided to change the procurement rules that constrained DHSC ('I requested the cap was removed'), b) he went to the Chancellor about it because there was still a Treasury 'cap' on 11 April. FALSE. 1) This is an accidental admission of uselessness if you believe Hancock's own account, he did not act on this issue until 11 April, weeks after it should have been dealt with! (No MP pointed this out.) 2) In fact, I and others in No10 had already acted on this in March, because of repeated insane meetings. In April, the Cabinet Secretary checked the paperwork (see below) and confirmed that the 'cap' on DHSC had been removed in March, as No10 had insisted. So last week Hancock was both accidentally admitting being so useless he did not act until 11 April and misleading MPs about what actually happened, and blaming HMT (still!) for delays in mid-April when the Chancellor had sorted this out weeks earlier. Hancock's story to MPs is a lie that if true would show again he was useless. The day before my text on 27th, in another meeting in the Cabinet room (the last such meeting with the PM/me/Hancock/Cabinet Secretary present until the PM returned to work), Hancock had told us all 'don't worry about PPE we've got it all sorted'. This turned out to be total fiction. If he'd admitted the facts then instead of his usual bluffing we would have saved more lives in April including NHS staff lives. When I had a separate meeting with officials on PPE supplies, I heard the following terrible news, flatly contradicting Hancock: we won't get most of our PPE deliveries until long after the April peak. Me: Why? Official: That's how long it takes to ship. Me [extreme sinking feeling]: What do you mean 'ship', surely we're flying everything now? Official: No, that's against the [procurement] rules, we ship everything because it's much cheaper. Me (close to the most angry/appalled I was in 18 months): After this meeting, call the airlines, tell them we're hiring their planes, their entire business is dead so you'll be able to get a great deal, get officials figuring out where the nearest airfields are in China to the factories with our stuff, then fly the planes to those airfields, collect our stuff, fly it back, and tell everybody we're flying stuff in an emergency not shipping it Official: Umm, will you get the Private Office to put that in writing. [A standard comment in such meetings.] Me: Yes the PM will take full legal responsibility. Even three weeks later after I'd returned to work, much of the system had still not shifted to a wartime mentality on procurement. Orders had to go through multiple processes inside DHSC and the Cabinet Office delaying things such that often we lost the order while officials emailed each other for days. On 15 April, we agreed with Hancock to develop emergency domestic manufacturing of PPE because of the combination of our extreme shortage and supply closing down from around the world in the global scramble. Shinner also helped get Lord Deighton (who was thought to have done a good job on the Olympics) to help on PPE. On 20 April, Hancock faced intense pressure. Under Raab, the meetings were less pleasant for everybody but much more productive because unlike the PM a) Raab can chair meetings properly instead of telling rambling stories and jokes, b) he let good officials actually question people so we started to get to the truth, unlike the PM who as soon as things get 'a bit embarrassing' does the whole 'let's take it offline' shtick before shouting 'forward to victory', doing a thumbs-up and pegging it out of the room before anybody can disagree. It was clear that, contra his assurance in the Cabinet room on 26/3, PPE was not 'sorted' it was a disaster. He informed us that a) PPE contracts had been turned down by officials because in trying to obey 'the rules' they'd demanded a 25% discount on PPE amid a massive global shortage; b) this was the fault of the Treasury which had failed to change the rules; c) he admitted he did not have the right skills in place to solve the PPE problem; d) we had only just agreed that Ambassadors could buy PPE without clearance from London. In the discussion Raab pointed out to him that DHSC never gave him PPE asks of foreign leaders for his calls, why not given the emergency? I said there was no excuse for officials turning down PPE on the basis of price markups the PM and I had said clearly weeks earlier that those rules were binned. Obviously I suspected Hancock's attempt to blame HMT was nonsense. So did the Cabinet Secretary who was very worried and investigated. He told me later that day: a) Hancock was wrong, officials had not been demanding a 25% discount (but it was telling Hancock believed his own department was doing something so crazy!); b) but, almost as bad, they had been rejecting PPE that had a 25% markup despite the fact that the PM and I had said repeatedly in March that all such rules should be torn up and cases judged on their merits by people who knew how to buy; c) the Treasury was not to blame, DHSC had been given the authority to make emergency purchases since March; d) he, the Cabinet Secretary, was investigating why we were refusing a 25% PPE markup when we had NHS staff wearing bin bags and dying for lack of PPE; e) it was only in the last week (!!) that DHSC had set up a 24/7 payments system for procurement with Asia imagine if NHS staff wearing bin bags had realised that DHSC had not even set up a round-the-clock system at this point, imagine the rage in No10 when we discovered this, exacerbated by people telling us that Hancock was focused on his press conference at the end of the month. The Cabinet Secretary added that he did not have confidence in Hancock's 'grip' or honesty in Cabinet room meetings, neither did other officials and ministers, and this was damaging our response. I strongly agreed. (Our conversation was reinforced in written exchanges.) On 21 April I told the Cabinet Secretary that we had to 'divvy up' Hancock's job to deal with the problem: the vaccine requirements for manufacturing and distribution was a massive job alone then there was test-trace, procurement and so on. He agreed and we agreed he would write a machinery-of-government note for the PM on how to divvy up Hancock's job to different people. He also said that his investigations had shown that DHSC had not rung alarm bells on PPE early enough, had dodged responsibility then 'covered their tracks' when pushed. At this time NHS staff were screaming for PPE. The dashboard daily meetings showed we were running out of critical items such as gowns. Reports flooded in of hospitals having run out or on the brink of running out and begging for supplies. Hancock caused further chaos by repeated briefing to the media about how new loads were flying in, bluffing his way through meeting after meeting his whole routine. Hancock's story to MPs last week was: 'there was no PPE shortage', I was leading a great team effort, the PM was totally supportive of me etc. What did the PM himself actually think about this at the time? This exchange was 27 April. 'On PPE it's a disaster. I can't think of anything except taking Hancock off and putting Gove on.' (Ps. the reference to PV and CW was re a Cabinet presentation, not PPE.) So Hancock's account to MPs re PPE last week was fiction. You can also see my rushed message re the core problem (CanOff=CabOff typo=Cabinet Office): No10 is only nominally in charge of much of the government, the Cabinet Office actually exercises real power over many things, ministers are nominally 'responsible' but they don't actually have the power to run things because they can't pick the team the first essential of any serious management. The Cabinet Office built by Heywood was totally unable to cope with this crisis because it did not have the right sort of people with the right skills in key jobs and could not rapidly fire/promote/move people and act with determined authority it could undermine departments and No10 and slow things down, and sometimes improve things, but it could not itself act as a proper executive authority but neither could No10 and, obviously, neither could DHSC which was overwhelmed. At this point, months after it had started, there was still no analytical function in the Cabinet Office to figure out covid policy. One day around then, having been told repeatedly there was a 'new unit' in the Cabinet Office but having failed to see any trace of improvement, I walked around 70 Whitehall in search of this team. It turned out to be a Potemkin team. There was a room. There were a couple of people in it. But the analytical team was not there. Where are they? 'In CLG.' When I got the official on zoom who was supposed to be leading it, he said: 'There is no analytical capability [in the Cabinet Office]. My unit does not actualy exist.' (I will write separately about this crucial issue.) Did things improve? No. On 15 April No10 was told that a lot of testing capacity was being wasted (not used) because DHSC had left in place rules that were limiting those eligible for tests, despite care homes screaming. In response I said that the rules should be changed 'immediately' and this be communicated immediately to Hancock, which it was by a No10 official minutes later. The care homes nightmare continued. It was clear that Hancock's claims on this, as on other things, were false. On 3 May, the PM's private office told DHSC that we needed an urgent meeting the next day to discuss testing and care homes. I wrote to the PM: 'I think we are negligently killing the most vulnerable who we are supposed to be shielding and I am extremely worried about it' and we must force DHSC to put all the details on the table. The PM agreed and we dug into DHSC plans and Hancock's claims. On 4 May the PPE situation was so bad that it was agreed in No10 that we could not possibly claim to have passed the 'PPE test' for reopening. On 7 May after we'd dug into the care home situation, I concluded to the PM that Hancock's failures and dishonesty made him unfit for his job, that there was still no serious testing in care homes and this was killing people. The PM agreed but still he would not act. Hancock: 'everybody got the treatment they needed' Hancock repeated to MPs his claim from summer 2020 that 'everybody got the treatment they needed.' This is false, he knows it's false, the PM knows it's false, families of the dead know it's false, the CSA and CMO know it's false. Vallance and Whitty briefed me, the PM, Hancock and assorted officials around the Cabinet table on NHS data last summer. They said explicitly: the data shows that death rates spiked sharply upwards around the April peak, roughly doubling, because patients did not get the treatment they needed because the NHS was under so much pressure. MPs should demand this data and a briefing from PV/CW to explain it. This was discussed a few times with the PM because a) it was relevant to the error made in the original planning i.e the original graphs did not take into account that deaths would be higher than the simplistic calculations predicted because once the NHS was overwhelmed a lot more people would die than if they could get ICU treatment, and b) this was relevant to the threat of a second 2020 wave: if the NHS got close to capacity again then we should assume that, like the first wave, ICU care would be rationed. This obviously did happen again December-January because of the PM's failure to act soon enough. There is so much more that could be said but this is long enough for now A few simple questions to ask the PM Given his failures on testing, care homes and PPE why did you keep in post a Secretary of State you described yourself as 'f***ing hopeless' and how many more people died as a result of your failure to remove him? Why is No10 lying, including to Parliament, about the fact that the original plan was 'herd immunity by September' and had to be abandoned? When did Patrick Vallance brief you on NHS data showing that the death rate at the first April peak was much higher than before/after the peak and do you now agree with Hancock that every patient got the treatment they needed? Do you now agree with Hancock that there was no shortage of PPE or do you agree with yourself in April 2020 that PPE supply was 'a disaster' that required moving Hancock? When will the SoS come to the House and correct his many false statements to MPs? Advertisement Millions of office staff would be given a 'default' right to work from home under post-pandemic plans from ministers. The proposals would change the law to make it impossible for employers to insist on staff attending the workplace unless they can show it is essential. The Government will consult on the plan part of a drive to promote flexible working over the summer, ahead of possible legislation later this year. The move is likely to spark a backlash amid fears it could damage productivity, harm businesses that rely on workers going into the office and prevent a return to normality in town and city centres. A report from Tony Blair warned this week that almost six million white-collar jobs were at risk of being shipped abroad if the work-from-home revolution continued. The plans are also likely to spark a fierce Cabinet battle. Both Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson have spoken about the benefits of office life as well as the danger that a permanent home-based culture could create 'zombie towns'. A Whitehall source said: 'We are looking at introducing a default right to flexible working. That would cover things like reasonable requests by parents to start late so they can drop their kids at childcare. 'But in the case of office workers in particular it would also cover working from home that would be the default right unless the employer could show good reason why someone should not.' Millions of office staff would be given a 'default' right to work from home under post-pandemic plans from ministers Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove suggested this week that a hybrid model that included home working was likely to become the norm for many, adding: 'We won't go back to the status quo.' It could effectively allow the millions of office staff who have worked from home during the pandemic to remain doing so for all or part of the week, indefinitely. Yesterday, a leaked Cabinet Office presentation on the post-Covid 'new normal' revealed ministers had been told they should not encourage workers to go back to their desks even if all social distancing measures are lifted on July 19. Ministers were told that the Government was now 'actively looking at ways to help people continue working from home if there is no need for them to be in an office'. A formal consultation on giving workers a legal right to work from home goes a stage further however. Ministers were also advised that face masks were likely to be needed 'in some settings', potentially for months or even years. And there was a warning that restrictions on foreign travel may have to remain in place for a 'significant period'. The development came as: Dominic Cummings published expletive-laden messages apparently from Boris Johnson, in which the PM branded the Health Secretary 'hopeless'; When asked if he was 'useless', Mr Hancock replied: 'I don't think so'; Mr Cummings also claimed the PM was planning his Downing Street exit and wanted to 'make money and have fun'; A string of Tory MPs spoke out in the Commons against plans to delay the June 21 'Freedom Day'; Hundreds of thousands of NHS and care staff could be forced to have jabs for flu as well as Covid despite fears the move could fuel a staffing crisis; Scientific advisers indicated they have no plans to recommend that under-40s are given the Oxford AstraZeneca jab despite pressure on Pfizer stocks; Infections are now five times higher in young adults than in over-65s; A major British trial identified a lifesaving treatment for Covid victims; Patients would be given health MOTs when they go for vaccine boosters or flu jabs under NHS plans; Virus cases in Cornwall have skyrocketed following the G7 summit of world leaders in the county and an influx of holidaymakers. Any move to sanction a permanent shift to home working is likely to meet resistance from Conservative MPs. Felicity Buchan, Tory MP for Kensington, said the continued advice to work from home was having a devastating impact on central London businesses. Mark Harper, chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Tory MPs, said ministers had no business interfering in relations between employers and their staff. And fellow Conservative Sir Charles Walker claimed that for many younger people working from home was the equivalent of the new 'dark satanic mills'. Under existing law, employers can require staff to attend the workplace. Ultimately, a refusal to go in to work can be deemed an 'unauthorised absence', allowing an employer to begin disciplinary proceedings. But the Business Department is now looking to change the law to encourage flexible working. Mr Johnson pledged to introduce the change at the 2019 election. A Flexible Working Taskforce, established by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng this year to advise on the change, is expected to recommend that people are given the right to continue working from home. Peter Cheese, the co-chairman of the taskforce, said last month that the pandemic had demonstrated that staff could work effectively outside traditional workplaces. He cited a survey showing that 71 per cent of firms had found home working either boosted or made no difference to their productivity. In March, Mr Sunak said that home working was no substitute for an office environment with 'people riffing off each other'. And a senior source last night insisted Mr Johnson continued to believe in the benefits of office working. Britain's daily Covid cases hit 9,000 for the first time since February as cases spike by a fifth in a week and hospitalisations soar by another 40% amid the rapid spread of Indian variant - but deaths stay flat By Stephen Matthews and Sam Blanchard for the MailOnline Britain yesterday recorded 9,000 daily Covid cases for the first time since February as the Indian variant continues to spread widely across the country. Department of Health bosses posted 9,055 positive tests across the UK up by a fifth on last Wednesday's count. It is the highest toll since February 25, when 9,985 infections were registered. Hospitalisations have also risen by 40 per cent in the space of a week in a clear sign that the rapid spread of the mutant strain has started to increase pressure on hospitals despite the success of the vaccination drive. Health officials recorded 173 admissions on June 12, the most recent day figures are available for. For comparison, the figure the previous Saturday was 123. Despite the uptick in the number of infected patients needing NHS care, deaths remain flat. Another nine victims were added to the official fatality toll today, up from six last week but the overall daily average for the past week has remained in single figures. But in a glimmer of hope the fast-spreading strain won't force ministers into delaying Freedom Day again, figures also show Covid outbreaks appear to be flat or falling in Bolton, Blackburn and other areas that were the first to be hit by the Indian Delta variant. Fears are growing, however, that a shortage of jabs may force No10 to push back the final unlocking once again, with the pace of the roll-out having already slowed to around 450,000 a day half of the speed seen during the best days of the programme. Ministers have conceded supply of Pfizer's jab is 'tight' while Moderna's is also limited, and regulators have advised under-40s are not given the British-made AstraZeneca jab the only other one available because of its rare links to fatal blood clots, massively increasing demand for the other two options. Boris Johnson stressed the urgent need to inoculate as many people as possible to finally end restrictions on July 19, insisting the four-week delay gave the NHS 'more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the Indian variant. But government advisers have warned that some restrictions are likely to remain even after the final step of lifting lockdown has been taken, with social distancing and measures like work from home, face masks and test and trace continuing. Peaks of future outbreaks 'would be much higher' if all the advice was abandoned completely, scientists warned. In other developments today: One of the country's top scientists today insisted Britain's Covid crisis 'will be over' if vaccines still keep people out of hospital even when they catch the Indian 'Delta' variant or future versions of the coronavirus; Sadiq Khan today called for ministers to send more Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines to London despite the UK having a 'tight' supply of both jabs; Britain will not give coronavirus vaccines to children yet because No10's advisors want more data on risks before expanding the rollout; Matt Hancock confirmed Covid vaccinations will be made compulsory for care home workers, despite backlash from unions and industry bosses that the controversial move would worsen staff shortages; Fewer than 40 per cent of care home staff in parts of London have been fully vaccinated against Covid, MailOnline analysis revealed; A leaked document gave a glimpse of the UK's potential 'new normal' with facemasks, working from home and travel quarantine rules set to stay beyond July 19.; Humiliated Matt Hancock insisted he 'doesn't think' he is 'f****** hopeless' after Boris Johnson's devastating private verdict on his performance was revealed in slew of extraordinary messages posted on social media by maverick ex-No10 chief Dominic Cummings. Just two thirds of care home staff have had their first vaccination in Hackney, east London, official data has shown with uptake rates among staff lowest in the capital 'We live in a world of Covid variants': PHE boss says there are 30+ strains in the UK There are at least 25 known Covid variants circulating in the UK and scientists are constantly monitoring them to see which ones might be dangerous, a Public Health England boss said today. Dr Susan Hopkins, infectious disease expert at the agency, told MPs: 'I just wanted to highlight the point that we're living in a world of variants now. 'Everything we see is a variation of the original and, actually, everything we see that's going to live and not become extinct very rapidly has either got to have a transmissibility advantage or an immune evading advantage. 'So the challenge, always, is trying to understand which one of these is going to do something as it emerges. We start following and monitoring them when we get to about 30 cases that we can see in the genome sequencing, but that's not enough to give us real-life data on the impact of vaccines [or] on the impact of transmissibility.' Dr Hopkins added: 'We have about 25 under monitoring and eight under investigation at the moment... all of them have mutations that we're concerned about but the mutations alone is not enough to predict whether it's really going to impact on our journey through vaccines and impact on the public health risk of hospitalisation... 'You would expect that you are going to be able to start to make an assessment when you've got thousands [of cases], rather than tens or hundreds... and, really, you need at least 100 cases in hospital.' Advertisement Meanwhile, Britain's Covid crisis 'will be over' if vaccines still keep people out of hospital even when they catch the Indian 'Delta' variant or future versions of the coronavirus, one of Oxford's jab-makers said today. Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, chief of the Oxford Vaccine Group that made and trialled the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, said that coronavirus would never go away but it wouldn't cause disaster if the jabs continue to work. Speaking in a meeting with MPs on the science committee in Parliament he said that, if vaccines break the link between infections and mass deaths, 'we will reach a point where we stop looking at what's happening in the community'. He cautioned that there will be a constant stream of new variants in the coming years and that most will evolve to try and get past vaccine immunity, but jabs should still work and they can continue to be updated. He said: 'If that very high protection against hospitalisation continues, despite spread in the community, then the public health crisis is over. And so far, up to Delta, we're in a very good position as long as we've got people vaccinated.' Sir Andrew's comments were latest in a line of scientific voices warning people that Britain must learn to live with the virus even in a post-vaccine world. Despite this, leaked SAGE documents suggest that some social distancing and measures like work from home, face masks and test and trace will have to stay in place even after lockdown rules come to an end in July. Peaks of future outbreaks 'would be much higher' if all the advice was abandoned completely, scientists warned. Dr Susan Hopkins, a Public Health England infectious disease expert, cautioned in the same meeting that the true number of daily infections in the UK right now could be as high as 25,000, much higher than the 7,500 average positive tests. She said: 'It doesn't take very much double to get to large numbers... But what we hope we won't see and I think we won't because of vaccines is the same number of hospitalisations. In one gloomy prediction Dr John McCauley, a flu expert at the Francis Crick Institute in London, said the Covid death toll could still be as high as 45,000 per year when lockdown rules have ended completely. He told the i newspaper: 'There's no inherent reason why the virus will lose its virulence.' But Government minister Michael Gove said on Times Radio yesterday: 'We have to accept that this virus will circulate and it will be the case, unfortunately, that in winters to come we will find that people contract it or subsequent variants and they will fall ill.' The NHS figures going up to June 6 the latest date data is available for show uptake rates among care home staff are significantly lagging behind in London boroughs compared to the rest of the country In the committee meeting this morning Sir Andrew, who was knighted last week for his work tackling Covid, said: 'If we're able to build immunity in our population and keep people out of hospital we will reach a point where we stop looking in this granular detail at what's happening in the community because, if we do, we'll just focus on it and worry because [the virus] will escape from vaccines... 'This will happen it's going to continue to happen. But in the end we're going to have to come back to focusing on the really important public health issue, which is the hospitalisation and the death. 'If transmission is disconnected by vaccine immunity from severe disease to a large extent, then we'll need to monitor new variants perhaps if we need to design a new vaccine and so on, but we are going to have to live with it being in our communities and transmitting.' Learning to live with the virus spreading could involve carrying on with some of the behaviour changes brought in in the past year. Scientists on the SAGE advisory group said rules 'are likely to be needed beyond the end of the current road map process,' The Times reported, or resurgences of the virus could lead to a need to 'reverse' the reopening. The Whitehall paper suggests that the government will stop short of urging workers to return to offices even after 'Freedom Day' finally arrives. There is also a suggestion that face masks will be needed in some settings long-term, as well as keeping post-travel isolation rules. Matt Hancock confirms Covid vaccines WILL be compulsory for care home workers Matt Hancock has today confirmed Covid vaccinations will be made compulsory for care home staff despite backlash from unions and industry bosses. The Health Secretary told MPs that carers will have to have a jab in order to 'protect residents'. The move comes after Whitehall sources last night leaked the plans, which were expected to be announced later in the week. And critics today slammed the proposals, saying the move will force many to 'walk away'. They said mandatory jabs could worsen the social sector's staffing crisis. The policy will see 1.5million people working in social care told to get inoculated within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs and being eligible since December, latest figures show just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine. Speaking in the commons today, Mr Hancock said the Government will 'ensure mandation as a condition of deployment for staff in care homes'. The Financial Times today reported ministers are also debating whether to make flu jabs compulsory for the same staff. Consultation is expected to begin on whether other health workers should also have the jabs, meaning Covid vaccines could also be made compulsory for the 1.4m employed by the NHS. Advertisement Anyone who has coronavirus symptoms will still be expected to isolate, according to the draft proposals. And fears have been raised that more restrictions will be needed if the disease surges again in the winter. The document seen by Politico emerged as furious Tories predicted up to 70 MPs could inflict a bloody nose on Boris Johnson in a crunch lockdown vote tonight. Professor Hopkins said on the future of social distancing: 'This is a balance. In some countries like Sweden they have done a lot in terms of social responsibility. In other countries, they have legislated heavily. 'So I think there is a middle road, as we have vaccination heavily rolled out, that requires potentially in some areas where there is higher risk to look at them. And one might consider, for example, transport. For those of us that pack ourselves into the tube regularly, we may feel more comfortable if everyone else was asked to wear a mask as well for those very close encounters for potentially periods longer than 15 minutes. 'But in the more general societal areas, such as shops, it is going to come down to personal opinions and responsibilities rather than legislation for the longer term.' Sir Andrew Pollard said it was inevitable that the coronavirus would continue mutating and that new variants would keep appearing forever as the virus adapts to the human immune system. A virus can only keep circulating if it can be transmitted between living things and to do this it must be able to escape protections in the immune system, Sir Andrew said. The vaccine chief told MPs: 'What we've been waiting for over the last month with the Delta variant is to find out whether, with two doses of the vaccine, we have good protection against hospitalisation. 'And the data that came out on Monday from Public Health England that show over 90 per cent protection against hospitalisation is incredibly reassuring in that regard. 'That's the key bit that we have to look at with future variants. If that very high protection against hospitalisation continues, despite spread in the community, then the public health crisis is over. And so far, up to Delta, we're in a very good position, as long as we've got people vaccinated. 'Of course, the WHO [World Health Organization] at the moment, with variants under investigation, we're up to Kappa so there's a lot more Greek alphabet letters still to go through. But hopefully we'll still be in a good position when we get to Omega but we have to keep monitoring it because we don't know yet.' Dr Susan Hopkins said that all discussions about Covid now are about variants because almost none of the original 'wild' virus is left. She said in the same meeting: 'We're living in a world of variants now. 'Everything we see is a variation of the original and, actually, everything we see that's going to live and not become extinct very rapidly has either got to have a transmissibility advantage or an immune evading advantage. 'So the challenge, always, is trying to understand which one of these is going to do something as it emerges. We start following and monitoring them when we get to about 30 cases that we can see in the genome sequencing, but that's not enough to give us real-life data on the impact of vaccines [or] on the impact of transmissibility.' She said there were more than 30 being investigated in the UK, as well as the four 'variants of concern' that are dominant. And the transmissibility advantage of the Delta variant has led to thousands and potentially tens of thousands of new cases every day significantly more than are being recorded by NHS Test & Trace, Dr Hopkins said. Facemasks forever, WFH, self-isolation and travel quarantine to stay, and MORE restrictions in winter? A leaked document gave a glimpse of the UK's potential 'new normal' today with facemasks, working from home and travel quarantine rules set to stay beyond July 19. The Whitehall paper suggests that the government will stop short of urging workers to return to offices even after 'Freedom Day' finally arrives. There is also a suggestion that face masks will be needed in some settings long-term, as well as keeping post-travel isolation rules. Anyone who has coronavirus symptoms will still be expected to isolate, according to the draft proposals. And fears have been raised that more restrictions will be needed if the disease surges again in the winter. The document - seen by Politico - emerged as furious Tories predicted up to 70 MPs could inflict a bloody nose on Boris Johnson in a crunch lockdown vote tonight. The PM is facing a bruising revolt from his own benches as the Commons is asked to approve the delay of 'Freedom Day' until July 19. Victory is guaranteed for the government as Labour has thrown its backing behind the extension of the brutal restrictions. The shift from Mr Johnson, amid warnings from scientists that the Indian variant will cause thousands more deaths, has incensed many Conservatives who argue that vaccines have protected the most vulnerable and the country must learn to live with the virus. Downing Street later said it did not recognise the Politco document and it 'does not reflect the latest Government thinking'. Mr Johnson insisted to MPs at PMQs today that the Covid rules were temporary. Responding to Tory backbencher Philip Davies he said: 'Nobody, least of all me, wants to see Covid restrictions last forever, nor do I think they are going to last forever.' Advertisement 'What we are seeing at the moment are about 7,000 to 8,000 infections per day that's what we're detecting,' she said. 'But we know that is less than half of what the true infections are in the community and we've measured that out in a number of ways. So the estimate for current infections today is probably in the order of between 15,000 and 25,000 new infections a day. 'It doesn't take very much double to get to large numbers... But what we hope we won't see and I think we won't because of vaccines is the same number of hospitalisations. 'So we will have a much, much greater amount of infection in the community, without seeing the same impact on hospitalisations. But the more infections we do have, the more impact there will be. 'If we say 90 per cent [vaccine] effectiveness that means 10 per cent could actually come into hospital. So that means we do need to have some measures in place both social responsibility measures and the measures that are in place right now to try and hold that peak down, so that we can get as much vaccine into the individuals to reduce symptomatic disease, reduce transmission, then clearly the severity and hospitalisation.' The Government advisers' comments come after independent experts yesterday said achieving zero Covid deaths was 'impossible' and that the focus should be to bring them down to levels comparable with flu which kills roughly 17,000 people in England annually and up to 50,000 in a bad year. Boris Johnson and England's chief expert advisers Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance have all repeated the line that we will 'have to learn to live with Covid' this week, in what seems to be a concerted effort to take emphasis away from the daily death numbers. There has been fierce debate about what level of Covid deaths would be 'tolerable' when Britain emerges from the shutdown but one of the Government's top scientists, Professor Graham Medley, said it was 'quite possible' there could be hundreds per day after lockdown. Professor Karol Sikora, an expert in medicine at the University of Buckingham, told MailOnline: 'All deaths are very emotional and upsetting... but it's important we embrace Covid like we have other viruses because it will become a normal feature in society. 'We should consider it a success if we bring it [Covid deaths] down to levels comparable with flu deaths every year. We will never achieve zero Covid.' Cambridge University epidemiologist Dr Raghib Ali told MailOnline that once July 19 comes and most of the adult population have been given a vaccine: 'It's my view that we will be in as strong a position as we ever will be. Prolonging restrictions beyond that point doesn't achieve much.' Asked what an acceptable number of Covid deaths would be, he added: 'If you look at deaths and excess deaths from influenza, the Government tolerates numbers up to about 50,000 [per year].' Cabinet Office minister Mr Gove said: 'Unfortunately there are respiratory diseases, including flu itself, which do every year result in an upsurge of people being taken into hospital, and in some cases suffering tragic consequences.' In a separate interview with BBC Radio 4, he said 'we're going to have to learn to live with Covid'. Learning to live with Covid could mean making some permanent lifestyle changes, SAGE files have revealed, with experts saying 'baseline' measures like mask-wearing and social distancing should remain for the long term. Scientists on the advisory group said rules 'are likely to be needed beyond the end of the current road map process,' The Times reported, or resurgences of the virus could lead to a need to 'reverse' the reopening. Covid has killed more than 150,000 people since the crisis began last spring, but the vaccines have shown to be extremely effective at preventing deaths - reducing fatalities by more than 90%. Independent scientists seeking to manage expectations before restrictions are lifted told MailOnline that achieving zero Covid deaths going forward was 'impossible' and that the focus should be to bring them down to levels comparable with flu which kills roughly 17,000 people in England annually (shown on graph). Source: Office for National Statistics and Public Health England It is not clear what levels of Covid deaths the country can expect when lockdown is ended next month, and this has been made less clear due to the outbreak of the highly transmissible Indian variant. That strain has proven to be at least 60 per cent more infectious than the Kent version and twice as likely to put unvaccinated people in hospital. But two doses of the jabs are extremely effective against the mutant virus, reducing hospitalisations by up to 96 per cent. The Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) warned there could have been 250 to more than 500 deaths per day in the third wave this summer if Step 4 of the roadmap out of lockdown went ahead as planned on June 21. The group did not provide clear projections for what effect delaying the unlocking until July 19 will have on deaths, but its estimates around hospitalisations show the four-week gap could shrink admissions by more than half. Prominent SAGE member Professor Graham Medley warned that, even with the extra breathing room the delay gives, Britain could still suffer hundreds of Covid deaths every day later in the year. Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, said this was possible because there will still be millions of people who are vulnerable to the disease even when the entire country is vaccinated. A small percentage of people who get the jab will still catch and die from Covid, usually because they are frail and have compromised immune systems. Dr Clarke told MailOnline: 'Even if you've got a vaccine that cuts deaths by more than 90 per cent, that still leaves almost 7million people not protected. 'Then there will be even more people who get infected but do not get seriously ill. So that still means lots and lots of virus circulating which poses a risk to those vulnerable 7m.' But he said emphasis should be taken away from the Covid death figures and focused on NHS capacity, which he said was now the most important metric. Keith Neal, a professor in infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham, said that once the adult population had been vaccinated with at least once dose against Covid it was no longer the Government's responsibility to try to save every life. 'We can't stay in lockdowns forever, people need to make their own risk assessments. If people are worried about Covid or think they might be vulnerable, then they might decide not to meet up with others or socially distance.' Backbench Tory MPs, including former prime minister Theresa May and Mark Harper, chairman of the Covid Recovery Group (CRG), criticised the Government for delaying the June 21 unlocking by a month, saying it was moving away from its goal of protecting the NHS. They said Britons had to learn to live with the virus. However, other experts have said it is the Government's duty to do prevent all 'avoidable' deaths and warned ministers against becoming cocky about the virus. Professor Gabriel Scally, a public health expert at the University of Bristol, told MailOnline: 'What's an acceptable level of road traffic accidents? We don't accept those deaths we have inquests to find out what went wrong and how can we put it right. 'Like any infectious disease it's our duty to do whatever we can to protect people from it. If we don't take sensible action and people get ill then we're being careless with people's lives.' Meanwhile, millions more people in the Midlands and North West of England are being urged not to travel or meet people indoors in an attempt to curb the spread of the Indian Covid variant. In guidance released last night, roughly 3.6million residents in Birmingham, Liverpool, Warrington and parts of Cheshire were asked to minimise their movements in and out of the affected areas, which are recording higher than average levels of the mutant strain. But Mr Johnson made no mention of the fresh advice in his dramatic Downing Street press conference last night, where he confirmed England's final unlocking would be pushed back by four weeks amid fears the mutant strain could overwhelm hospitals. Facemasks forever, WFH, self-isolation and travel quarantine to stay, and MORE restrictions in winter? Leaked Step 4 document reveals how 'new normal' could look even AFTER July 19 Freedom Day - despite 60 MPs voting against the delay Boris Johnson is facing the prospect of a damaging revolt by dozens of MPs in crucial lockdown vote tonight Government all-but guaranteed victory as Labour is backing the move but opposition seems to be growing Leaked Whitehall document has suggested that a number of restriction will stay even after new July 19 date A leaked document gave a glimpse of the UK's potential 'new normal' yesterday with facemasks, working from home and travel quarantine rules set to stay even beyond July 19 - as MPs have now voted through Boris Johnson's Freedom Day delay. The Whitehall paper suggests that the government will stop short of urging workers to return to offices even after the new target for lifting restrictions finally arrives. There is also a suggestion that face masks will be needed in some settings long-term, as well as keeping post-travel isolation rules. Anyone who has coronavirus symptoms will still be expected to isolate, according to the draft proposals. And fears have been raised that more restrictions will be needed if the disease surges again in the winter. The document - seen by Politico - emerged as Boris Johnson's crunch bill to delay the return to freedom passed through the House of Commons, winning 461 ayes and 60 noes. Victory was guaranteed for the government as Labour threw its backing behind the extension of the brutal restrictions. For now, limits on numbers for sports events, theatres and cinemas will remain in place, nightclubs will stay shuttered and people will be asked to continue working from home where possible. It comes after furious Tories rounded on Mr Johnson, Matt Hancock and the Government's scientific advisers over the extension of Covid restrictions in England. They cast doubt on the Prime Minister's commitment that July 19 would be a 'terminus' date for the lockdown after he was forced to postpone easing restrictions on June 21. The shift from Mr Johnson, amid warnings from scientists that the Indian variant will cause thousands more deaths, has incensed many Conservatives who argue that vaccines have protected the most vulnerable and the country must learn to live with the virus. Downing Street later said it did not recognise the Politco document and it 'does not reflect the latest Government thinking'. Mr Johnson insisted to MPs at PMQs today that the Covid rules were temporary. Responding to Tory backbencher Philip Davies he said: 'Nobody, least of all me, wants to see Covid restrictions last forever, nor do I think they are going to last forever.' Mr Johnson also came under fire from Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions, with the Labour leader saying he had 'blown it' by failing to block flights from India soon enough. Boris Johnson (pictured today) is facing a bruising revolt from his own benches as the Commons is asked to approve the delay of 'Freedom Day' until July 19 Daily UK figures show 7,673 people tested positive for the virus, 184 patients were admitted to hospital and 10 people died. The data also shows that 41.8million people have been given their first dose of a vaccine, while 30.2million have received their second Mr Johnson also came under fire from Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions, with the Labour leader saying he had 'blown it' by failing to block flights from India soon enough. Over-21s urged to get vaccine appointments England's Covid vaccination drive has opened to everyone over the age of 21 today, as ministers race to get every adult jabbed by the country's new 'Freedom Day' on July 19. Around one million people aged 21 and 22 will begin to be invited to come forward for their vaccine from this morning, leaving only 18 to 20-year-olds waiting for the call. NHS bosses expect to open up the scheme to all adults by the end of this week Boris Johnson this week delayed the final step of the roadmap back to normality by four weeks to give the NHS a 'few more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the rapid spread of the Indian variant. The Government brought forward its target for vaccinating all adults from July 31 to July 19 to deal with the rapidly growing Delta strain variant and to hit the jab target in time for the country unlocking. No10 has also pledged to get two-thirds of adults fully inoculated by the same date. But there are fears a shortage in supply of vaccines could threaten a further delay to the final unlocking. Although No10 hasn't made achieving the goal a clause of going ahead with the final unlocking, Freedom Day was only ever delayed to ensure millions more adults were fully protected. Ministers have conceded that the supply of the Pfizer jab is 'tight' while the Moderna vaccine which has only just become available is thought to be similarly limited. Both are shipped in weekly batches from factories in Europe. Advertisement The Opposition leader told the Commons: 'Last March he said we can turn the tide in 12 weeks, remember that? 'Then he said it will all be over by Christmas, then we were told June 21 would be Freedom Day. Now we are told July 19 is Terminus Day. 'The British people don;'t expect miracles buy t they do expect basic competence and honesty, and when it comes to care homes, protective equipment or borders, we see the same pattern from this Prime Minister - too slow, too indecisive, over-promising, under-delivering.' The Cabinet Office insisted no decisions have been taken on the guidance after July 19, which Mr Johnson has vowed will represent a 'terminus' point for lockdown. The premier said on Monday that the delay would save 'thousands of lives' and allow millions more people to receive their first and second jabs. But he insisted he is 'confident' he would finally be able to end restrictions on July 19, describing it as a 'terminus point' while refusing to give a categorical guarantee. The Politico document covered several key areas of lockdown restrictions remaining in place. Staff not ordered back to their workplace The document suggests that ministers should not force workers back to their regular workplace when Step 4 of the lockdown is finally reached. It outlines three approaches the Government could take: backing a return to offices and factories not yet up and running, staying neutral or continuing to encourage working from home. It recommends that Mr Johnson should abandon what he did last year when he called for workers to restart commuting and instead back a 'hybrid' model that helps people work from home if their journey is not absolutely necessary. This is likely to prove controversial with Mr Johnson under pressure to help kickstart retail growth by getting workers back into English towns and cities. Stay off work if you are even slightly ill Scientists have suggested a culture change away from people bravely going into work if they don't feel very well, amid fears they will spread Covid. Isolating at home if you have the key symptoms of Covid - a cough, temperature or a loss of taste/smell needs to become the new normal, they argue, until you have taken a test. However others suggest tests and quarantine can be phased out over a period of months as vaccines hopefully drive down the infection rate to manageable levels. The report says that this will require a reform and increase to sick pay levels, warning that the current isolation regime has only a 'low to medium' effectiveness because people in low-paid or insecure roles cannot afford to lose out. Air vents in, plastic screens out For staff that return to offices and other workplaces, ventilation could become key, with claims that ministers are considering introducing minimum standards. Facemasks could also be required in the longer term as well. However, plastic screens, seen in shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants across the land, could be scrapped, despite the costs already incurred by businesses. The report suggests that they should be removed, as many are installed incorrectly, blocking airflow around the room and may even make the Covid transmission situation worse. Winter restrictions and foreign travel quarantine With the UK still not yet fully out of London in the early summer, scientists have already started looking to the winter. While they don't go as far as suggesting another lockdown they suggest some measures could be either kept in place or reintroduced as the weather gets colder. One thing that seems to be remaining for some time is the traffic light system for quarantine after foreign travel. The document suggests isolation and strict border controls will be needed for some time, even if they are eased from where they are now. Jabs for care home staff WILL be compulsory Care home staff will be forced to have Covid vaccinations, ministers will announce this week. The controversial measure means 1.5million people working in social care will be told to have the jab within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. It has been introduced following a consultation which concluded it would help protect the most vulnerable in society. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched. Ministers are concerned about low take-up of the coronavirus vaccine among care workers, who include care home staff plus home helps. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs, latest figures show that just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine. Tens of thousands of care home residents died in the pandemic, largely as a result of infections being brought in by staff during the first wave. The Daily Mail first revealed in March that the Government was considering making it a legal requirement for NHS and care home staff to have the jab. Organisations representing care firms and their staff have warned that the move could backfire and see workers quit rather than agree to have the jab. The social care sector already faces a workforce shortage as a result of years of underfunding, and an exodus of staff would make it harder to meet the expected upsurge in demand once the pandemic subsides. The move also raises questions about how care homes treat staff who refuse a mandatory jab, and whether they have to be moved into other roles, and over whether the Government could face a legal challenge. Later this week ministers will confirm that they are pushing ahead with compulsory vaccination for most of the 1.5million working in social care in England. On Tuesday night it was claimed that, under the plans, those working with adults will have 16 weeks to get vaccinated or face losing their jobs. The Government is also keen to make it mandatory for the 1.38million who are directly employed by the NHS in England to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and winter flu. The Department of Health and Social Care will in the coming days launch two separate consultation exercises into making Covid and flu jabs mandatory for NHS staff. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock believes the arguments in favour of protecting patients from potentially infectious staff now outweigh those that allow health workers the right to choose whether to have either immunisation. Latest figures show that, as of June 6, 89 per cent of NHS staff had had their first dose of Covid vaccine and 82 per cent had had both. Some 83.7 per cent of staff in adult care homes had received at least one dose by June 6 and 68.7 per cent had been double-jabbed. The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, warned that while it wants all NHS staff to get jabbed, 'compulsion is a blunt instrument that carries its own risks'. The health department said: 'Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic and have already saved thousands of lives with millions of health and care staff vaccinated. 'Our priority is to make sure people in care homes are protected. We will publish our response [to the consultation] in due course.' Advertisement Jacob Rees-Mogg hinted at a growing split in Cabinet yesterday by suggesting it was wrong to keep restrictions in place once all vulnerable people and over-50s had been offered their second jabs a point which has already passed. He said people below that age were 'not at particular risk', adding: 'Overwhelmingly the most important thing is the number of deaths. People going into hospital for a couple of days and coming out is not very important.' In an interview with the Conservative Home website, he added: 'Ultimately, the NHS is there to serve the British people, not the British people there to serve the NHS, and therefore we may need to spend more money on hospitals but you can't run society just to stop the hospitals being full, otherwise you'd never let us get in our cars and drive anywhere or do any of the other things that people want to do, so there has to be some proportionality.' The interview was recorded on Monday, shortly before Mr Johnson confirmed the four-week delay. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss declined to contradict Mr Rees-Mogg during a round of interviews this morning. 'We are taking a pragmatic approach. The key is making sure that everybody gets vaccinated by July 19 we will have all over-40s vaccinated so we are protected as a society,' she said. 'That's what we need to do in order to be able to fully open up the economy.' She added: 'Jacob has his views and those are his views. But what I'm telling you is the reason we are doing this, the reason we are taking these measures is to protect lives and that's what's important.' A poll by Savanta ComRes yesterday found that 56 per cent of the public now fear restrictions could go on indefinitely. It came as ten more deaths and 7,673 new Covid cases were reported yesterday. Downing Street distanced itself from Mr Rees-Mogg's comments, saying the guidelines for ending lockdown depend on passing the four tests in the roadmap. They include checking the vaccine rollout is still on track and having evidence the jabs are effective at reducing hospitalisations and deaths. The other two tests require proof that unlocking will not risk a surge in cases that could overwhelm the NHS and checking that new 'variants of concern' do not fundamentally change the risks of the virus. Asked whether the Cabinet minister's views reflected the Government's position, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The position we are using is the four tests. We do not meet those four tests and that is why we are not proceeding with the next stage.' However, many critics fear cases and hospitalisations could well be even higher in four weeks' time leading to another delay. Michael Gove yesterday insisted the reopening would only slip again if something 'unprecedented and remarkable' occurs. He said: 'We have to accept this virus will circulate, and it will be the case... that in winters to come we will find that people contract it or subsequent variants and they will fall ill.' England's Covid vaccination drive has opened to everyone over the age of 21 today, as ministers race to get every adult jabbed by the country's new 'Freedom Day' on July 19. Around one million people aged 21 and 22 will begin to be invited to come forward for their vaccine from this morning, leaving only 18 to 20-year-olds waiting for the call. NHS bosses expect to open up the scheme to all adults by the end of this week Boris Johnson this week delayed the final step of the roadmap back to normality by four weeks to give the NHS a 'few more crucial weeks' to protect Britons from the rapid spread of the Indian variant. The Government brought forward its target for vaccinating all adults from July 31 to July 19 to deal with the rapidly growing Delta strain variant and to hit the jab target in time for the country unlocking. No10 has also pledged to get two-thirds of adults fully inoculated by the same date. But there are fears a shortage in supply of vaccines could threaten a further delay to the final unlocking. Although No10 hasn't made achieving the goal a clause of going ahead with the final unlocking, Freedom Day was only ever delayed to ensure millions more adults were fully protected. Ministers have conceded that the supply of the Pfizer jab is 'tight' while the Moderna vaccine which has only just become available is thought to be similarly limited. Both are shipped in weekly batches from factories in Europe. Ministers are expected to confirm this week that care home staff will be forced to have Covid vaccinations. The controversial measure means 1.5million people working in social care will be told to have the jab within 16 weeks or face losing their jobs. It has been introduced following a consultation which concluded it would help protect the most vulnerable in society. No decision has yet been made on whether vaccination should be made mandatory for the 1.4million who work for the NHS. A separate consultation on that is to be launched. Ministers are concerned about low take-up of the coronavirus vaccine among care workers, who include care home staff plus home helps. Despite care workers being among one of the top priority groups for Covid jabs, latest figures show that just two thirds of them have had both doses of the vaccine. Tens of thousands of care home residents died in the pandemic, largely as a result of infections being brought in by staff during the first wave. The Daily Mail first revealed in March that the Government was considering making it a legal requirement for NHS and care home staff to have the jab. Organisations representing care firms and their staff have warned that the move could backfire and see workers quit rather than agree to have the jab. The social care sector already faces a workforce shortage as a result of years of underfunding, and an exodus of staff would make it harder to meet the expected upsurge in demand once the pandemic subsides. The move also raises questions about how care homes treat staff who refuse a mandatory jab, and whether they have to be moved into other roles, and over whether the Government could face a legal challenge. Covid has killed more than 150,000 people since the crisis began last spring, but the vaccines have shown to be extremely effective at preventing deaths - reducing fatalities by more than 90%. Independent scientists seeking to manage expectations before restrictions are lifted told MailOnline that achieving zero Covid deaths going forward was 'impossible' and that the focus should be to bring them down to levels comparable with flu which kills roughly 17,000 people in England annually (shown on graph). Source: Office for National Statistics and Public Health England Later this week ministers will confirm that they are pushing ahead with compulsory vaccination for most of the 1.5million working in social care in England. On Tuesday night it was claimed that, under the plans, those working with adults will have 16 weeks to get vaccinated or face losing their jobs. The Government is also keen to make it mandatory for the 1.38million who are directly employed by the NHS in England to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and winter flu. The Department of Health and Social Care will in the coming days launch two separate consultation exercises into making Covid and flu jabs mandatory for NHS staff. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock believes the arguments in favour of protecting patients from potentially infectious staff now outweigh those that allow health workers the right to choose whether to have either immunisation. Latest figures show that, as of June 6, 89 per cent of NHS staff had had their first dose of Covid vaccine and 82 per cent had had both. Some 83.7 per cent of staff in adult care homes had received at least one dose by June 6 and 68.7 per cent had been double-jabbed. The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, warned that while it wants all NHS staff to get jabbed, 'compulsion is a blunt instrument that carries its own risks'. The health department said: 'Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic and have already saved thousands of lives with millions of health and care staff vaccinated. 'Our priority is to make sure people in care homes are protected. We will publish our response [to the consultation] in due course.' Whenever they see his face in the newspaper or on television, Colin Pitchfork's aunt and uncle are filled with dread. Bearing the same surname as the notorious child killer who raped and murdered two 15-year-old girls in the 1980s has been enough of a curse over the past three-and-a-half decades. But news last week that Pitchfork, the first murderer in history to be caught by DNA profiling, is set to be released from prison, has knocked them sideways. 'His crimes were so horrible,' says his uncle, speaking from their neat bungalow in the North of England. 'You've got to hope that somebody sees sense and decides it's not the right thing to do. There is no way he should be released. He should stay where he is, in prison.' Today Pitchfork's parents are dead, and so is his sister, but his uncle and aunt still remember the 61-year-old from his days as a schoolboy and a Scout. He was a 'normal young boy', according to his elderly uncle. And yet, as the Mail can reveal today, Pitchfork was a child himself when he committed his first sex crimes. He was around 14 years old when he was sentenced in a juvenile court for flashing teenage girls. Even so, he was able to work as a volunteer for five years at a Barnardo's children's home, where he played with children with special needs and baked cakes in an attempt to get a gold Duke of Edinburgh award. Colin Pitchfork, convicted murderer, out on the streets of Bristol on prison release, October 2017 It was there that he met his future wife, Carole, a youth worker. They were already engaged when, aged 21, he was convicted again of exposing himself to girls. Pitchfork was ultimately jailed for the rape and murder of Lynda Mann in 1983 and of Dawn Ashworth in 1986. He left Lynda's body near a footpath known as the 'Black Pad' in the Leicestershire village of Narborough. Three years later, Dawn's body was found just a stone's throw away in the same village in Ten Pound Lane. He had also attacked at least three other young teenagers. The menacing behaviour Pitchfork displayed as a young teenager was an early warning of the entrenched sexual deviancy that would drive him to rape and murder. It is this, according to experts and the victims' families, as well as Pitchfork's own relatives, that makes it unsafe to free him. The Mail spoke to the mothers of his two young victims, the retired detective who led the police investigation into the murders of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth and also to a leading criminologist. All of them insist that the severity of the crimes and the extraordinary degree to which Pitchfork was intent on manipulating those around him mean that the father-of-two should never be released. 'I don't believe he's been rehabilitated. He will strike again. He will kill another innocent child,' says 72-year-old Kath Eastwood, the mother of 15-year-old Lynda Mann, who was raped and killed by Pitchfork in November 1983 after he had dropped his wife at an evening class and while his baby son slept in a carrycot in the back of his car. Lynda Mann who was murdered by Colin Pitchfork in 1983 aged 15. Pitchfork was jailed for life for the brutal murder but has now been approved for parole Dawn Ashworth, 15, who was killed in 1986 in Leicestershire village of Narborough Lynda's family are understandably outraged by the intervention of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who yesterday told LBC radio that Pitchfork had 'served a long sentence and he served the sentence imposed on him by the court, and under our system that means there comes a point at which he has to be released'. Lynda's sister Sue Gatrick, 55, told MailOnline she 'could not believe' someone would say what the Labour leader said, adding: 'Perhaps Sir Keir would like to have him move next door to him or put him up himself. 'The police told us 'they will never let him out, he will never be released, he will die behind bars' after the sentencing. Now he is getting out and he is not that old.' Mrs Gatrick added: 'Most people are saying hang him or shoot him. Nobody wants him out. We as a family are angry, afraid and scared. If they let him out, he will do it again.' She said that his release would 'break' her mother who 'never got over it'. 'I was not one for the death penalty but now I am,' she said. 'The possibility of him walking the earth again is unnerving very unnerving.' Barbara Ashworth, whose daughter Dawn was murdered after a 'particularly violent rape', told the Mail after the news of Pitchfork's release: 'This news is so upsetting. There are still 15-year-old girls around and this man could still have 20 years of his life to abuse them.' She warned that the killer could be 'pulling the wool' over the Parole Board's eyes. The dead girls' families are now appealing to Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, who alone has the power to submit a 'reconsideration application' if he deems the decision to release Pitchfork 'irrational or procedurally unfair'. He must do so with 21 days of the original decision being made by the Parole Board. Colin Pitchfork on his wedding day. Pitchfork was jailed for life in 1988 for raping and murdering Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire 'Pitchfork is evil through and through and you can't change that,' adds Kath Eastwood. 'He should be locked up for life. I'm horrified at the thought that he could soon be freed. He'll always be a danger to society, he'll never reform and he knows how to work the system.' Retired Detective Chief Superintendent David Baker, who was present during Pitchfork's interview and chilling remorseless confession, believes that it is a mistake to release him for the sake both of the public and for the families of the victims. Describing the killer as a 'psychopath' he said he suspects Pitchfork has 'fooled the Parole Board' into thinking he's no longer a danger. 'He started at a young age and if we hadn't caught him, he would have offended again,' he says. 'Without a doubt. He should be kept in.' Professor James Treadwell, a criminologist at Staffordshire University and a former probation officer, has also added his voice to calls to keep Pitchfork behind bars. 'Given his history, no one can say, hand on heart, that Pitchfork is rehabilitated,' he says. 'I don't think it's possible for offenders who have displayed his level of sexual deviancy ever to be reformed. He did things that were so bad that he should never be walking among us.' When he admitted the killings to police, the Leicestershire miner's son tried to play down what he had done. The guilty plea he entered in court meant that there was no full trial and so the extent of his hideous crimes is still largely unknown. Pitchfork told officers that he had flashed 'a thousand' girls in his lifetime. Even more chillingly, he told them exactly how he was able to mask the sexual deviancy which would later drive him to kill. After he was arrested in September 1987, he told police: 'Probation officers and psychiatrists, these people are quite happy if you tell them what they want to hear. I can look at the two sides of my life so objectively. I look on myself as quite intelligent and I can't believe how easy it is to spin yarns to these people.' He went on to confess to crimes they didn't know he'd committed. In February 1979, he had attacked a 17-year-old schoolgirl in a country lane in the middle of the afternoon, grabbing her by the neck as she passed the gateway where he was standing and dragging her into the field. He abruptly ran off in the middle of the attack police speculated that he may have prematurely ejaculated before unzipping his trousers. In 1985, two years after murdering Lynda Mann, Pitchfork attacked a 16-year-old trainee hairdresser walking home at night in Wigston, another Leicestershire village a few miles east of Narborough. After dragging her towards a row of garages with a screwdriver held to her neck, he sexually assaulted her. In 1987, again in Wigston, he stalked another 17-year-old and offered her a lift. When it became clear that he was driving her in the wrong direction, the teenager grabbed the steering wheel. After a struggle that saw his car nearly crash, Pitchfork released her. According to Professor Treadwell: 'That kind of deviant behaviour doesn't happen overnight. It's a long process and gravitates to more and more serious offending. It's very likely that there is a much longer history there. 'I'd be surprised if there aren't other victims that we don't know about. These were small communities. They may have felt too ashamed to come forward.' American writer Joseph Wambaugh, who was given extensive access to Pitchfork's case files and his taped confessions in the early 1990s for his book, The Blooding, told me this week that Pitchfork doesn't have a conscience: 'He does not remotely think or feel about his crimes the way that a 'normal' person would understand. He will always be a threat'. Immediately after being arrested in September 1987, the killer promised to tell the police 'everything' adding: 'But I want to do it my own way because it's really a story of my life, not just the story of a month or two.' Detectives were stunned by the cold and calculated way he described his crimes, speaking in a monotone and often smiling at the officers and calling them by their first names. Describing the moment he decided to strangle Lynda, Pitchfork said: 'I thought, 'You can't just leave her. Because if you leave her you're going to court.' After killing her, he went back to his car where his baby son was still sleeping, drove home and had a wash and a shave before collecting his wife from her evening class. 'He didn't show any remorse,' says retired detective David Baker. 'It's a real sign of a psychopath.' Pitchfork spotted Dawn Ashworth three years later, while buying food colouring for a cake he was making. He told the police: 'When I were following behind Dawn I had this gut feeling. It was saying, 'No no no no no!' But the other side of me was saying, 'Just flash her.' You've got a footpath. You've got all the time in the world. Even if she runs off screaming, no will ever see you. No will ever know. Who's going to know?' He later added: 'I had got to kill her. You can cover your tracks if you kill her.' Pitchfork's greatest manipulation came when advances in DNA profiling led police to embark on a mass screening of 5,000 local men. He came close to slipping the net after persuading a colleague at the bakery where he worked to give a blood sample in his place. This was discovered when the man, Ian Kelly, was overheard bragging about it in a pub by one of the bakery managers and she tipped off police. The key question then, is whether or not Pitchfork, who now calls himself David Thorpe and will be given yet another identity upon his release, still poses a threat. The Parole Board certainly doesn't think so. Despite turning him down twice before, they made the decision to release him after examining a 1,100-page dossier in March and after listening to Pitchfork argue the case for his freedom via video link from prison. But Pitchfork's Victim Summary Report, which outlines how his case has been managed, also reveals the terrifying state of the killer's mind at the time he committed the offences, including 'thinking about sex a lot, his use of violence and excessive force, his sexual preferences, using sex to demonstrate power and control over women, his enjoyment of taking risks, his way of life, his antisocial friends, difficulties in his intimate relationships, not being able to solve life's problems well enough, not coping well with feelings of anger, his emotional loneliness and his willingness to seek revenge and his grievance thinking towards women.' The report states, however, that during his 33 years in prison, Pitchfork's behaviour had been 'positive' and 'included extensive efforts to help others'. He has become a specialist in transcribing printed music into braille, resurrecting a childhood love of music. The report also states that Pitchfork has undertaken 'many accredited programmes to address offending behaviour'. But the courses include the Ministry of Justice's discredited Sex Offenders' Treatment Programme (SOTP). Introduced across prisons in England and Wales from 1991 in a bid to reform sex offenders, a damning 2012 report revealed that the programme made those who took it more likely to reoffend by normalising their behaviour. Ten per cent of men who had undertaken the SOTP programme reoffended, compared with 8 per cent of those who didn't. It was scrapped in 2017, the same year that Pitchfork was first allowed out of prison on day release. But if he was being sentenced today, it's almost certain he would be given a whole life sentence and would die in prison. Minimum terms have increased, but when Pitchfork was sentenced in 1988, he was given a minimum 30-year tariff. Once that has expired, the only legal reason not to release him is 'risk to the public'. The Parole Board has attached 35 separate licence conditions to which Pitchfork will have to abide, including tagging, polygraph testing, extensive exclusion zones, bans on contact with children and victims and restrictions on electronic devices and vehicle use. Even so, for those still grieving for Lynda and Dawn, it's still a freedom too far. 'The Justice Minister must step in,' says Kath Eastwood. 'He should never walk free again.' At lunchtime yesterday, the Co-op was contacted via Twitter by 'Paul', an avid supporter of Stop Funding Hate's campaign against GB News. Claiming the new TV station is 'designed to create division and demonise' people, he declared that, unless the supermarket immediately ceased advertising there, 'I will not spend any more of my hard-earned cash in your stores'. 'Paul' did not bother to cite any evidence of actual malpractice by GB News. But he's certainly an expert on creating division and demonising people. For his anonymous Twitter account, which boasts nearly 1,000 followers and uses the handle @pafo1972, turns out to be dedicated to campaigning against Brexit, which he dubs 'self-destruction in the name of small mindedness and empty nationalism'. At lunchtime yesterday, the Co-op was contacted via Twitter by 'Paul', an avid supporter of Stop Funding Hate's campaign against GB News. Pictured: The GB news team Claiming the new TV station is 'designed to create division and demonise' people, he declared that, unless the supermarket immediately ceased advertising there, 'I will not spend any more of my hard-earned cash in your stores' In keeping with this world view, he recently used the social network to contact Nigel Farage, saying: 'What a poisonous lump of filth this w***** really is.' He has also called the Conservatives 'a filthy party of far-Right scum', dubbed the Tory MP Andrew Bridgen an 'oxygen thief' and declared Priti Patel to be a 'vile character'. That's quite a track record, for a man who claims to now be earnestly campaigning against bigotry and intolerance! Yet in the vexatious world of Stop Funding Hate, a lobby group created to censor news outlets it happens to disagree with, foul-mouthed Paul's trolling of public figures turns out to be par for the course. In keeping with this world view, he recently used the social network to contact Nigel Farage, saying: 'What a poisonous lump of filth this w***** really is' He has also called the Conservatives 'a filthy party of far-Right scum', dubbed the Tory MP Andrew Bridgen an 'oxygen thief' and declared Priti Patel to be a 'vile character' While the organisation claims to be 'making hate unprofitable', its business model instead revolves around using hashtag campaigns to empower a small army of Left-wing cranks to further their own highly partisan political agenda. What's more, many of its foot soldiers, who preach so earnestly about battling prejudice, turn out to be very prejudiced indeed. Take Sam Hill, a Corbynist who tweets as @witshituk. On Sunday afternoon, he pledged to compile a 'boycott list' of companies whose commercials appeared on the network, urging followers to 'boycott every advertiser willing to support this toxic propaganda'. There was but one problem: when he first posted that tweet, GB News had not broadcast a single programme. In other words, he was assuming that its output would be 'toxic' without having actually seen it! On Sunday afternoon, Sam Hill pledged to compile a 'boycott list' of companies whose commercials appeared on the network, urging followers to 'boycott every advertiser willing to support this toxic propaganda' But Mr Hill is nothing if not accustomed to nasty propaganda. Last year, he called MPs John Redwood and Oliver Letwin 'Tory Scum', and used Twitter to mount a vicious attack on Rachel Riley. The Jewish Countdown presenter's criticism of anti-Semitism in Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party sparked a deeply misogynistic social media pile-on from the hard-Left. Mr Hill called her a 'vile human being' who 'should have stuck to maths'. More recently, this supposedly principled supporter of Stop Funding Hate was using the bully pulpit of Twitter to declare the Labour Party to be 'morally bankrupt' under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer, a 'deeply dishonest and corrupt person' who he dubbed 'Tory scum'. Mr Hill called Rachel Riley a 'vile human being' who 'should have stuck to maths' More recently, this supposedly principled supporter of Stop Funding Hate was using the bully pulpit of Twitter to declare the Labour Party to be 'morally bankrupt' under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer, a 'deeply dishonest and corrupt person' who he dubbed 'Tory scum' Other leading lights in the lobby group's online brigade of culture warriors include Will Black, a Cambridge-based writer and social anthropologist who this week dubbed GB News 'gammon b******* news'. Last year he went on social media to dub Tory MP Michael Fabricant 'Fabric***' and called Nigel Farage a 'drunk'. More recently, in the immediate aftermath of Prince Philip's death, he charmingly described the late royal as 'a man who travelled the world on taxpayers money to be racist and vile to all and sundry'. Then there is Anthony Gladman, a beer writer who this week used Twitter to ask energy firm Ovo to boycott GB News on the grounds that it was propagating hate. Not long ago, he was the one propagating hate, using Twitter to call Boris Johnson a 'vile treacherous charlatan' and a 'f****** liar'. He's also proclaimed 'f*** Brexit' calling it 'bats*** bonkers,' while Conservative MPs were a 'shower of b*******'. Also filling up Ovo's 'mentions' column was one Tina Lindsay. Other leading lights in the lobby group's online brigade of culture warriors include Will Black, a Cambridge-based writer and social anthropologist who this week dubbed GB News 'gammon b******* news' Last year Mr Black went on social media to dub Tory MP Michael Fabricant 'Fabric***' and called Nigel Farage a 'drunk' She claimed to be a customer who had signed up because she believed the firm to be an 'ethical choice' but was now reconsidering her decision. The 'ethical' Miss Lindsay has in recent times used the Twitter account via which she was campaigning against nastiness to harass public figures with whom she disagrees. Among other things, she described Ann Widdecombe as 'vile and toxic', called the Leave campaigner Arron Banks a 'toxic t***tersprouter' and declared that all Conservatives are 'as a collective, most unpleasant and generally liars'. At this point, it should of course be pointed out that the organisers of Stop Funding Hate cannot be held personally responsible for the brazen hypocrisy of so many of their supporters. More recently, in the immediate aftermath of Prince Philip's death, Mr Black charmingly described the late royal as 'a man who travelled the world on taxpayers money to be racist and vile to all and sundry' Yet hard-Left political bias has always been baked into the business model of this censorious lobby group, which is largely funded by a grant from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, an organisation which according to the Charities Commission is supposed to spend its money addressing 'the root causes of conflict and injustice'. Stop Funding Hate was founded in 2016 by Richard Wilson, a Corbynist Remain campaigner, and Rosey Ellum, formerly a professional cat-sitter and charity worker who divides her political allegiances between Labour and the Green Party. Unsurprisingly, given their pedigree, the organisation initially devoted its energies entirely to censoring popular newspapers which happened to support the Conservative Party. Fast forward five years, and their current social media campaign is being run via the hashtag #Don'tFundGBNews. The lobby group first tweeted on this front on February 6. That was almost four months before the station had broadcast a single programme, and at a time when it had yet to even unveil its full roster of presenters. In other words, this self-righteous lobby group, supposedly created to root out prejudice, was instead committing that exact sin. Like so many of its supporters, who decry the bigotry while simultaneously propagating it, they appear to remain blind to their own rancid hypocrisy. President Joe Biden pushed back on the assertion that he was on friendly terms with Chinese President Xi Jinping during Wednesday's press conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Biden was asked by Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy if Biden would call Xi 'old friend to old friend, and ask him to open up China to the World Health Organization investigators who are trying to get to the bottom of COVID-19.' 'Let's get something straight,' Biden replied. 'We know each other well. We're not old friends. It's just pure business.' President Joe Biden answered questions on the way out of his Wednesday presser including one from Fox News' Peter Doocy about pressuring the Chinese to open up the country to World Health Organization investigators looking into the origins of COVID-19 Biden pushed back on Doocy's assertion that his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping was friendly saying Wednesday: 'Let's get something straight. We know each other well. We're not old friends. It's just pure business' Doocy stood up and yelled his questions at Biden as the president was starting to depart. Biden was in Geneva to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time as the U.S. leader. But another headline that's been dominating the news over the past few weeks is the admission from U.S. intelligence agencies that they couldn't determine with certainty whether COVID-19 came from an animal-human interaction or escaped from the Wuhan lab. Biden is giving them several more months to dig in, while the G7 powers called on the WHO at the beginning of last weekend's summit in the United Kingdom to again investigate COVID-19's origins. Doocy pointed out that Biden said how important it is to have 'face to face dialogue' with world leaders, one of the reasons he gave for having an in-person meeting with Putin. 'You have spoken many times about how you have spent perhaps more time with President XI than any other world leader,' the Fox News reporter said, before asking Biden if he'd reach out to his Chinese counterpart. Doocy then asked Biden 'what happens now' with the Chinese refusing to cooperate. Biden suggested China could be motivated by the 'world's attitude' toward the country if the government drags its feet. 'China's trying very hard to project itself as a very responsible and very, very forthcoming nation,' Biden said. 'They are finding it hard to talk about how theyre helping the world in terms of COIVD-19, and vaccines, theyre trying very hard.' 'Look, certain things you dont have to explain to the people of the world, they see the results,' he continued. 'Is China really trying to get to the bottom of this?' The Justice Department has abandoned its pursuit of John Bolton, President Trump's national security adviser, dropping an investigation into his book that officials said revealed classified information and ending a lawsuit. It marks a victory for Bolton who accused Trump of using the Justice Department under Attorney General Bill Barr for political purposes. Although the Biden administration has backed several Trump-era legal positions designed to protect the White House, on Wednesday it filed court documents ending a year-long legal battle to suppress the book. And Bolton's lawyer said prosecutors had also dropped a grand jury investigation. 'These actions represent a complete vindication for Ambassador Bolton, and a repudiation of former President Trump's attempt, under the pretext of protecting classified information, first to suppress the book's publication and when that failed in court, to penalize the ambassador,' said Bolton spokeswoman Sarah Tinsley. John Bolton was President Trump's national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, an experience he turned into a memoir, entitled The Room Where it Happened, published last year. Trump officials claimed the book was not properly screened for classified material before publication and launched an investigation The book was published in the run-up to the 2020 presidential elections and generated a string of headlines that painted Trump and his foreign policy process in an unflattering light The Trump administration sued last year to block the release of Bolton's book, 'The Room Where It Happened.' It was still published in the lead-up to the 2020 president election delivering a deeply unflattering account of Trump and his foreign policy. For example, it described how Trump asked Chinese premier Xi Jinping for help in his reelection and how the president pressured his Ukraine counterpart for politically charged investigations. Trump repeatedly abused his former foreign policy lieutenant. 'John Bolton, one of the dumbest people I've met in government and sadly, I've met plenty, states often that I respected, and even trusted, Vladimir Putin of Russia more than those in our intelligence agencies,' he wrote on Twitter in August last year, shortly after the books release. A month later he told Fox News: 'I will say this, John Bolton was a very stupid person. If I listened to John Bolton, we'd be in World War 5 right now.' 'What he did I think was highly illegal, I mean his book is loaded up with confidential and classified information.' President Trump furiously attacked Bolton last year for a memoir that painted him and his foreign policy in unflattering light. 'I will say this, John Bolton was a very stupid person. If I listened to John Bolton, we'd be in World War 5 right now,' he said. In their complaint last year, lawyers for the Department of Justice said Bolton had breached conditions of employment. 'Simply put, defendant struck a bargain with the United States as a condition of his employment in one of the most sensitive and important national security positions in the United States government and now wants to renege on that bargain by unilaterally deciding that the prepublication review process is complete and deciding for himself whether classified information should be made public,' it said. But Bolton's lawyers insisted he proceed with the book only after working with a National Security Council official for months to ensure it no longer contained classified material. That official, Ellen Knight, described in a letter submitted to the court last September how Trump administration officials repeatedly exerted political pressure in an unsuccessful effort to block the book's release. She described an unusual process of delay tactics and legal maneuverings. Department's efforts to halt the book's release, partly because hundreds of thousands of copies had already been distributed. But the judge expressed concern that Bolton published the book before receiving a formal clearance letter, which Knight said was blocked by the White House. Besides suing Bolton, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation over the book, though that inquiry has now been dropped, said Bolton's representatives. A department spokesman declined to comment on Wednesday. Bolton's lawyer, Charles J. Cooper, described the government's efforts to block the book as part of a 'politically motivated order' by Trump. 'By ending these proceedings without in any way penalizing Ambassador Bolton or limiting his proceeds from the book, the Department of Justice has tacitly acknowledged that President Trump and his White House officials acted illegitimately,' Cooper said in a statement. The book generated substantial attention even before its publication after news broke during Trump's first impeachment trial that Bolton had written how Trump had linked the supply of military assistance to Ukraine to that country's willingness to conduct investigations into Trump's Democratic rival, now-President Joe Biden. Those allegations were at the heart of an impeachment trial that ended with Trump's Senate in February 2020. Bolton though refused to testify at impeachment proceedings. Bolton's time at the Trump White House was unsurprisingly rocky. A noted national security hawk, Bolton was an odd choice for Trump, who advocated ending the United States' overseas military operations. The two continued to clash in public comments long after Bolton left office. Celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie launched an attack on a former student and protege who she claims stabbed her in the back over comments she made that the young novelist found transphobic. Adichie said she'd taken fellow Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi, who is nonbinary, under her wing after noticing her talent when she joined her writing class in 2015. The Half of a Yellow Sun author said she and Emezi became friends, and Emezi even credited Adichie and her writing class with her landing her first book deal. But the pair fell out in 2017 after Adichie gave an interview where she said 'trans women are trans women' - something Emezi took offense to and publicly slammed her former mentor on social media as a transphobe and even went as far as to claim Adichie supported the 'murder' of trans children. The feud was resurrected again last year when Adichie threw her support behind JK Rowling after she was accused of making transphobic comments - sparking more attacks from Emezi. Yet in private, Emezi was desperately apologetic for insulting Adichie and appeared to be very keen to keep her as an ally, according to emails Adichie shared. Adichie responded by asking Emezi to remove her name from the bio of her debut novel, and on Tuesday, she slammed Emezi in an essay on her website where she criticized an unnamed former student. 'You publicly call me a murderer AND still feel entitled to benefit from my name?' she asked. 'You use my name (without my permission) to sell your book AND then throw an ugly tantrum when someone makes a reference to it?' 'What kind of monstrous entitlement, what kind of perverse self-absorption, what utter lack of self-awareness, what unheeding heartlessness, what frightening immaturity makes a person act this way?' Emezi responded to Adichie's essay by taking to Instagram, saying, the essay was meant to 'incite hordes of transphobic nigerians to target me.' In an essay published to her website on Tuesday, Chimamanda Ngoza Adichie went after one of her former students for publicly attacking her Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi took to Instagram to identify themselves as the likely target Emezi had attended an annual creative writing workshop that Adichie hosts in Nigeria. Adichie explained that she helped the writer in their career, picking their story for an e-magazine after a workshop and writing 'a glowing introduction, which the story truly deserved.' In response, Adichie received an email that she published in her blog, dating back to August 2015. 'Thank you so much for that introduction,' Emezi wrote. 'It means so much to me and Im going to keep reading it to get through the rest of my stay at Syracuse. 'I sent it to my mother and she got nervous about the piece because you said it disturbs, said shes not sure how shes going to feel when she reads it. But shes also one of those lets leave the past in the past people. My sister approved, which meant a lot because our childhoods were each others. 'All that to say, Im so grateful you gave me the space to write the short version of this piece, the encouragement to write the longer piece, and now, a platform for it. I definitely have plans to write more about Aba. Thank you, with all my heart. 'PS- I wanted to sign off gratefully + gracefully in Igbo but I said let me not fall my own hand.' Adichie received another email a year later from Emezi about the publication of Emezi's novel. 'Greetings! I hope alls been well with you this past year. Belated congratulations on the babys arrival, I hope shes being a delight (Im sure she is), and on the Johns Hopkins honors,' Emezi wrote. 'I was thinking about how this time last year, Id just received the email from you about Farafina and I wanted to reach out with a quick update. Ive just accepted an offer for the novel I excerpted as my application and it feels like the workshop was a catalyst for the events thatve led me here. 'So, thank you, for the workshop and your words and the Olisa TV series and listening to me babble on about my story at the hotel. I deeply appreciate all of it and you.' Adichie, who has written novels such as Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun, is one of the most popular authors in the world, celebrated by the likes of the Obamas and Oprah Winfrey. She sparked controversy back in 2017, however, when she gave an interview saying, 'I don't think its a good thing to talk about womens issues being exactly the same as the issues of trans women.' 'My feeling is trans women are trans women,' Adichie said in the interview. 'I think the whole problem of gender in the world is about our experiences, it's not about how we wear our hair, or whether we have a vagina or a penis, it's about the way the world treats us.' 'I think if you've lived in the world as a man, with the privileges that the world accords to men, and then sort of changed, switched gender, it's difficult for me to accept that then we can equate to your experience with the experience of a woman who has lived from the beginning in the world as a woman, and who has not been accorded those privileges that men are,' Adichie continued. 'Transgender people should be allowed to be,' Adichie added. Some viewed the comments as transphobic, including Emezi, souring the relationship between the two. Emezi, who identifies as nonbinary, criticized Adichie for publishing private emails Emezi also had thoughts on people in the industry who continue giving Adichie a platform Chimamanda's 2017 take on trans women over which she was called transphobic. pic.twitter.com/QVr13omRAd Stephen Kenechukwu (@Kayceewrights) June 16, 2021 Upon learning that her name was included in the book for Emezi's debut novel, she emailed her representative, asking for it to be removed. 'Im writing about X ... she attended my Lagos workshop two years ago and I selected hers as one of a few pieces I published after the workshop,' Adichie wrote. 'Apparently I was referred to as her "mentor" and/or she was referred to as my "protege," in some articles, which led to her tweeting about it. Her tweets were forwarded to me by friends. 'In them, she reacted quite viscerally to my being called her mentor and her being my "protege." To be fair, she is not technically my "protege," and it is perfectly fine that she feels this way, but her ungracious tone and the ugliness of the energy spent on her tweets surprised me. 'I recently received her book and noticed that my name was included in her official book bio. I was stunned. Surely if she is so strongly averse to my being considered a person who has been significant in her career, (which is my understanding of the loose use of protege/mentor) then it is unseemly to make the choice to include my name in her bio. I found it unusual, as I dont think Ive seen it done before in a book bio, but I also now find it unacceptably cynical. 'It is only reasonable for a person who sees my name as it is used in her bio "her work has been selected and edited by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie" to assume some sort of mentor/protege relationship. 'To publicly disavow this with a tone bordering on hostility and at the same time so baldly use my name to sell her book is utterly unacceptable to me. 'Id like you to please reach out to her publishers and ask that my name be removed from her official book bio. I refuse to be used in this way,' Adichie concluded. She later added, 'I dont think that is my decision to take, and so will not answer either way, although it would be ideal if she herself made the decision to do so.' In 2020, Adichie defended an article from JK Rowling deemed transphobic by some as 'perfectly reasonable,' according to the New York Times, causing the feud to blow up once more. After that, Emezi took their feud public, putting out a lengthy Twitter thread criticizing Adichie. 'This is not the first time CNA has dismissed people's condemnation of transphobia as 'noise'when you people ignored her transphobia to platform her in SA a few years back, she said the same thing because she gives no f***s about trans people or harming us,' Emezi wrote on Twitter in November 2020 'When she first made her transphobia public, I speak for those of us who genuinely loved and looked up to her, that s**t broke our hearts. Me, I had graduated from her workshop + published a whole piece about it, I actually developed my nonfiction voice there,' Emezi continued. Last year, Emezi shared their thoughts on Adichie's public comments linked to 'transphobia' Emezi concluded, 'To now know that people will happily throw trans people under the bus rather than hold her accountable for her views? To be reminded that for so many people, CNA is untouchable and trans people are not worth de-platforming her?' Adichie appeared to be hurt by the criticism from Emezi because of their personal relationship. 'Here is the truth: I was very supportive of this writer. I didnt have to be. I wasnt asked to be. I supported this writer because I believe we need a diverse range of African stories,' Adichie wrote. 'Sabotaging a young writers career is just not my style; I would get no benefit or satisfaction from it. Asking that my name be removed from your biography is not sabotaging your career. It is about protecting my boundaries of what I consider acceptable in civil human behavior. She went on to defend her 2017 interview comments, writing, 'I said that a trans woman is a trans woman, (the larger point of which was to say that we should be able to acknowledge difference while being fully inclusive, that in fact the whole premise of inclusiveness is difference).' Last week, Emezi's memoir 'Dear Senthuran' was published, bringing them back into the spotlight. Emezi's (left) memoir was published last week. Previously, they received a request to remove Adichie's (right) name from their debut novel because of the feud between the two Adichie (right) is pictured with Michelle Obama during a London event in 2018 In her essay, Adichie, wrote: 'There are many social-media-savvy people who are choking on sanctimony and lacking in compassion, who can fluidly pontificate on Twitter about kindness but are unable to actually show kindness,' she wrote. Adichie, who has written novels such as 'Americanah' and 'Half of a Yellow Sun,' is one of the most popular authors in the world 'People whose social media lives are case studies in emotional aridity. People for whom friendship, and its expectations of loyalty and compassion and support, no longer matter. People who claim to love literature the messy stories of our humanity but are also monomaniacally obsessed with whatever is the prevailing ideological orthodoxy.' Later in her essay, Adichie launched an even strong offensive against her target. 'A person who genuinely believes me to be a murderer cannot possibly want my name on their book cover, unless of course that person is a rank opportunist.' Adichie concluded her essay by touching upon cancel culture. 'And so we have a generation of young people on social media so terrified of having the wrong opinions that they have robbed themselves of the opportunity to think and to learn and to grow,' Adichie wrote. 'I have spoken to young people who tell me they are terrified to tweet anything, that they read and re-read their tweets because they fear they will be attacked by their own,' she continued. 'The assumption of good faith is dead. What matters is not goodness but the appearance of goodness. We are no longer human beings. We are now angels jostling to out-angel one another. God help us. It is obscene.' In Emezi's Instagram story responding to Adichie's essay, they wrote, 'Adichie's social capital originated from the publishing industry. Emezi also had thoughts on people in the industry who continue giving Adichie a platform. 'You in the industry continue to platform her, laud her work with no mention of the harm her views inflict on the trans community, and on other writers,' Emezi continued. Neither person involved has publicly commented on their feud since it exploded this week. Big brands must not 'succumb to pressure groups' by pulling adverts from GB News, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden warned last night. He defended the UK's 'free and diverse media' after major companies withdrew commercials following pressure from Left-wing campaigners. The firms have been branded 'gutless' by critics after appearing to pander to woke groups who want to boycott the channel. GB News, which launched on Sunday night, is aiming to provide an alternative to Left-leaning broadcast news rivals like the BBC. Big brands must not 'succumb to pressure groups' by pulling adverts from GB News, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden warned last night As the number of brands to pull adverts grew yesterday, Mr Dowden told the Mail: 'One of the cornerstones of our liberties is our robust, free and diverse media and GB News is a welcome addition to that diversity. 'As we've seen this week with the totally unacceptable harassment of a BBC journalist, we cannot take it for granted. It is up to brands to advertise where they wish, but it would be worrying if they allow themselves to succumb to pressure groups. 'They should note that GB News is regulated by Ofcom and held to the same high standards as every other broadcaster in the UK.' GB News has become a target for groups including Stop Funding Hate. Left to right: Kirsty Gallacher, Andrew Doyle, Neil Oliver, Darren McCaffrey, Alex Phillips, Rebecca Hutson, Simon McCoy, Nana Akua, Liam Halligan, Gloria Del Piero, Dan Wootton, Andrew Neil, Michelle Dewberry, Mercy Muroki, Tom Harwood, Colin Brazier, Inaya Folarin Iman, Alastair Stewart Yesterday more brands said they would not advertise on the channel joining names such as Vodafone, Ikea, Nivea and the Open University. Last Tory MP Julian Knight, chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told the Mail: 'This is the worst type of cancel culture. GB News is bringing a much-needed perspective to our media landscape. The brands that are pulling their advertising are frankly gutless and need to understand that the UK is a conservative country and will remain so for the foreseeable.' Toby Young, of the Free Speech Union, said: 'I'm concerned that Stop Funding Hate is trying to demonise GB News as a purveyor of 'hate' because it disapproves of the channel's non-woke editorial policy and some naive companies are taking those smears at face value.' Yesterday GB News chairman Andrew Neil hit back at Ikea and pointed to its 'criminal' former French boss Jean-Louis Baillot. He wrote online: 'Ikea has decided to boycott GB News because of our alleged values. Here are Ikea's values a French CEO who is a criminal with a two-year suspended jail sentence for spying on staff.' The firm was fined nearly 1million this week by a court in France. Advertising sales for GB News are handled by Sky Media which spreads brands' campaigns across 130 channels. A spokesman for Stop Funding Hate said: GB News's multi-million pound donors are free to subsidise it if they want to. Equally, the rest of us have every right to say "not with my money" and to ask the companies we shop with not to support this controversial channel. Advertisers who caved in The Daily Mail attempted to contact big brands which pulled adverts from GB News to ask what content prompted their quick withdrawals. While many failed to respond, those that did failed to give any examples. Kopparberg The Swedish cider maker told Twitter followers that its adverts appeared on the new channel without its 'knowledge or consent'. It added: 'Kopparberg is a drink for everyone and we have immediately suspended our ads from this channel pending further review of its content.' Vodafone The telecoms giant said that its commercials appeared on GB News without its permission and it prefers not to advertise on a new channel. A spokesman explained: 'We wouldn't normally advertise on a new channel, preferring instead to wait to make a commercial assessment of its quality and reach. 'With GB News still very much in its infancy, we do not have plans to advertise with them at this stage. Our advertising did, however, appear on the channel without our permission.' The Open University It said it was not aware GB News was on its advertising schedule and has 'paused' advertising while a review is carried out. A spokesman said: 'With new channel launches, our process is to review the channel over a period of three months before agreeing advertising. On this occasion, we were not aware that GB News was on our advertising schedule so we have paused activity while we review.' Octopus Energy The firm said while it was 'categorically not boycotting GB News' it would be monitoring its contents before any further advertising. A spokesman added: 'Simply, we haven't had time yet to see its output. Like any prudent business, we need to see a product or service before we buy it so we'll be watching GB News before making any decisions. This is a policy we've implemented for all new TV stations.' OVO Energy The firm said its adverts were run on the channel 'without its prior knowledge or consent'. It added: 'We have a clear policy not to advertise on platforms which do not align with our values. We've made the decision to pause our use of the channel whilst we ensure it meets our values.' Ikea The Swedish furniture giant said it had 'not knowingly' advertised on GB News. It added: 'We are in the process of investigating how this may have occurred to ensure it won't happen again in the future and have suspended paid display advertising in the meantime.' Nivea The skincare specialist said its adverts were automatically linked to the channel. It has suspended the advertising and will review the decision in three months' time. Grolsch The beer company said its adverts were run without its 'knowledge or consent' and it would 'do everything we possibly can' to stop the commercials from appearing on the channel again. It added that it did not associate with platforms that opposed values of 'inclusion and openness'. Pinterest The social media platform apologised for advertising with GB News, claiming it had no knowledge of the placement and would suspend its ads from the channel 'without question'. It explained on Twitter: 'We had no knowledge and would never have approved it... Without question, we have suspended our ads.' LV The insurance company tweeted: 'Our car and home adverts appear across the TV networks we buy [advertising time from] so we haven't specifically targeted this channel, but we've been looking into this with our media agency.' Specsavers The chain is said to have told a campaigner it had suspended GB News advertising while it reviews placements with its media buying agency. Bosch It said it works with selected media agencies to ensure its adverts do not appear on 'political channels'. The company said this was an isolated example which is being 'dealt with accordingly'. Indeed The firm reportedly told a campaigner calling for a boycott of GB News it had 'requested and confirmed' that its advert will not air on the channel in the future. Advertisement GB News has already sparked hundreds of complaints after presenter Dan Wootton delivered an anti-lockdown monologue on the channel's opening night. Ofcom said 373 viewers had complained about Tonight Live with Dan Wootton on Sunday. The journalist delivered a fiery six-minute monologue on the 'madness' of lockdowns, accusing health officials, scientists and politicians of being 'addicted to power'. Ofcom will determine if the show needs to be investigated. A spokesman for GB News declined to comment. Sydney could be plunged into a snap lockdown if health authorities are unable to determine how two people from Bondi contracted Covid-19, an expert has warned. A man in his 60s became the first case of community transmission in 40 days in New South Wales, with his household contact also recording a positive result late on Wednesday. Contact tracers are now scrambling to find the source of the infection after confirming the man has not been overseas recently, but works as a driver transporting international flight crews. There were 19 virus exposure sites were identified across six Sydney suburbs and regional NSW on Wednesday. Epidemiologist Professor Mike Toole said a strict lockdown could be on the cards if the virus isn't contained within the next 24 hours. Pictured: A nurse collecting Covid-19 test samples at the Bondi drive-through testing clinic Six suburbs have been listed as having Covid-19 exposure sites, spreading from North Ryde in Sydney's north-west to Redfern in the inner-west and Bondi in the east '[If] you get a number of cases arising from say, more than one of those exposure sites, and they may not be linked to each other, then I think we would have to consider stricter lockdowns,' he told the ABC's Patricia Karvelas. Exposure sites include Events Cinema at Bondi Junction for a screening of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, Myer and David Jones in Bondi Junction, Harry's Coffee and Kitchen in Bondi Junction and cafes in Vaucluse and North Ryde. Locations in the towns of Moree, Forbes, Dubbo, Coonabarabran have also been listed. Professor Tool said: 'We know once you see this pattern getting a little out of control, you must go in quickly.' 'And that usually leads to a short lockdown rather than the kind of dragged out lockdowns you have seen in places like the UK.' He said Victoria's recent outbreak was an example of how quickly the other strains of the virus can 'spread very quickly through just casual contact one of those environments'. A couple donning face masks are pictured walking nearby a David Jones store which was flagged as a Covid exposure spot Customers wearing face masks at Westfield Bondi Junction. Contact tracers are racing to find hundreds of people who may have been exposed to the virus in the shopping centre The last Covid-19 cases in NSW were in May when a husband and wife from Sydney's eastern suburbs tested positive. At the time, Premier Gladys Berejiklian introduced a range of restrictions including mandatory mask wearing indoors and on public transport, no dancing at indoor venues or standing up in bars, and a maximum of 20 people allowed in homes. The WA and Tasmanian governments have told anyone who has recently returned from NSW to check the list of exposure sites, and get tested and isolate if they have been to any of the listed locations. Investigations are also underway into a potential hotel quarantine breach at Sydney's Radisson Blu hotel. The National Australia Bank branch in Bondi Junction shopping centre (pictured) has been listed as an exposure site Bondi JunctionHarry's Coffee and Kitchen (picured) has been listed as an exposure site All cases are confirmed to be the UK strain, known officially as the Alpha variant, which is highly infectious. The list of potential exposure sites included a number of stores at Westfield Bondi Junction, which the infected man visited on multiple occasions. Contact tracers are racing to find Sydneysiders who visited various exposure sites including a David Jones store, a cinema, several cafes and restaurants and a bakery in the city's east and north-west between June 11 and June 15. The airport worker first attended the Belle Cafe in Vaucluse on June 11 between 9.15am-9.50am and returned on June 12, June 13 and June 14 at various times. He also attended Sourdough Bakery at Westfield Bondi Junction between 12.40pm-1.10pm on June 11. He returned to the shopping centre the following day where he shopped in David Jones between 11am-11.40am and Myer between 11.40am-12.15pm. Another three positive cases at the Radisson (pictured) arrived into Sydney on the same flight from Doha in Qatar on June 1 Authorities are scrambling to track down hundreds of shoppers he may have exposed the virus to at another popular Westfield shopping centre. Pictured: Westfield Bondi Junction The infected man attended a movie screening of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard at Event Cinemas Bondi Junction on Sunday afternoon, June 13 for the 1.45pm screening. Anyone who attended the 1.45pm screening in cinema 1 at the venue on June 13 is ordered to get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result. Other movie goers who were at the cinema on Sunday between 1.30pm-4pm are ordered to get tested and self isolate until further notice from authorities. He also dined at two Vaucluse restaurants including Washoku on June 12 between 12pm-1.30pm and Rocco's on June 14 between 10.55am-11.30am. The most recent venue he visited was the Celeste Catering Macquarie Park Cemetery Cafe in North Ryde on June 15 between 1pm-1.20pm. Contact tracers are in the process of identifying and calling close contacts and ordering them to get tested and isolate. East Village shopping centre in Zetland, inner-Sydney, has been listed as a Covid exposure site - including its Coles supermarket - after an infected person visited on Monday 'Urgent investigations into the source of the infection and contact tracing are underway, as is genome sequencing,' a NSW Health Statement read. Other venues thought to have been visited by the second positive case include the Coles East Village Shopping Centre in Zetland on Monday June 14 from 11.00am-1pm. The infected person also went to Taste Growers between the same times on the same date and then visited Wax Car Wash Cafe in Redfern on Monday June 14 from 12pm-3pm. Bondi Junction's Harry's Coffee and Kitchen and the National Australia Bank branch in Westfield were also added to the list late on Wednesday, along with the Field to Fork eatery in Vaucluse. The news of a new locally-acquired case sparked long queues at the Bondi drive-through testing clinic (pictured on Wednesday night) Sydney's 200 Bus from Bondi Junction to North Sydney was another hot spot flagged by NSW Health. With long lines already forming at drive-thru clinics in the city's east, testing centres extended hours until 10pm for the next three nights to meet public demand. Meanwhile, NSW Health says it administered a record 17,223 Covid-19 vaccines in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, including 6,048 at the vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park. The total number of vaccines administered in NSW is now 1,737,557. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced $250 million in state funding for a state-constructed border wall, as his Florida counterpart Ron DeSantis dispatched law enforcement personnel to assist border patrols in Texas and Arizona. The moves, announced on Wednesday, signal that Republican governors are increasingly taking the surge in illegal border crossings into their own hands, as they accuse the Biden administration of dereliction. It follows new federal data showing that illegal crossings hit a 20-year high in May, when 180,034 migrants were detained at the southern border, the vast majority of them adults traveling alone. 'The Biden Administration has abandoned its responsibilities to secure the border and Texans are suffering as a result,' Abbott said in a statement. 'The problems along the border are only getting worse due to President Biden's inaction.' Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced $250 million in initial funding for a state-constructed border wall, tapping the Department of Criminal Justice for the funds It signals that Republican governors are increasingly taking the surge in illegal border crossings into their own hands. Above, Brazilian migrants claim asylum in Arizona Illegal crossings hit a 20-year high in May, when 180,034 migrants were detained at the southern border Abbott's directive on Wednesday orders the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to transfer $250 million in funding to be used as a 'down payment' on the state's wall construction. The initial funds will be used to hire a program manager and contractors to launch construction, the governor's office said. Texas is also soliciting donations from the public through a new website dedicated to the state's border wall push. After former President Donald Trump vowed to build a 'virtually impenetrable' wall along the 2,000-mile border, his administration built about 450 miles of border wall, though only about 52 miles were in areas where no barrier previously existed. President Joe Biden suspended construction of the wall upon taking office, and last week diverted the remaining $2 billion in federal funding devoted to the project, effectively ending the effort. 'In the Biden Administration's absence, Texas is stepping up to get the job done by building the border wall,' Abbott said on Wednesday. 'Through this comprehensive public safety effort, we will secure the border, slow the influx of unlawful immigrants, and restore order in our border communities,' he added. Migrants disembark an inflatable raft after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico in Roma, Texas last week Florida Govern Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he is sending state and local law enforcement personnel to assist border patrols in Texas and Arizona Abbott and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, another Republican, have both declared states of emergency at their states' borders with Mexico, saying the situation has spun dangerously out of control. Last week, both governors signed a joint appeal to all other states under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, urgently requesting governors send 'all available law enforcement resources' to the border. Florida Governor DeSantis responded to the appeal on Wednesday, announcing at a press conference in Pensacola that he will send state police and deputies from nine counties to Texas and Arizona. 'Governors Abbott and Ducey recently sent out a call for help to every state in the nation, needing additional law enforcement manpower and other resources to aid with border security,' DeSantis said in a statement. 'I'm proud to announce today that the state of Florida is answering the call. Florida has your back,' he added. Migrants from Brazil pass through a gap in the border wall to reach the United States after crossing from Mexico to Yuma, Arizona last week U.S. Border Patrol agents observe the body of a person covered in a white sheet near the border wall in El Paso, Texas on Friday In announcing the move, DeSantis cited a disturbing spike in cross-border drug trafficking and human smuggling. This year through April, the Texas Department of Public Safety said it had seized nearly 95 pounds of fentanyl in Texas, enough for 21.5 million lethal doses of the deadly opioid. It represented a 760 percent spike from the same period last year, when the Texas agency seized only 11 pounds of fentanyl. 'America's border security crisis impacts every state and every American,' DeSantis said. 'The Biden Administration ended policies implemented by President Trump that were curbing illegal immigration, securing our border, and keeping Americans safe,' added the governor, who is considered likely to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024. On Tuesday, Trump announced he will be visiting the southern border with Abbott on June 30. Trump released a statement saying he had accepted Abbott's invitation and tore into the Biden-Harris administration for dismantling 'the strongest, safest, and most secure border in U.S. history' under his administration. Biden issued an executive order on his first day in office that paused wall construction, saying "a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution." Biden's order was the first in a series of moves to undo many of the Trump administration's policies curtailing unlawful immigration, which the Biden administration called cruel and inhumane. Vice President Kamal Harris, Biden's 'border czar', last week completed a tour of Central America and Mexico, saying she wanted to investigate the root causes of migration. So far she has refused to visit the border itself. A cheeky son has sparked outrage in his family home by placing on a shelf a framed photo of Daniel Andrews cuddling a cat. The Melbourne man shared a photo online of the image he hid inside his home, which shows the Victorian Premier clutching his pet to his chest. He explained he printed out the photo to stir up his mother - who is not a fan of the state leader. 'Mum hates cats and Daniel Andrews, so I put this on a shelf for her to find,' he wrote on Reddit. The practical joke left many in stitches, with some predicting his stunt may backfire. A Melbourne man has sparked outrage in his family home by placing a framed photo of Victorian Premier Dan Andrews holding a cat (pictured) on a shelf Others seized the opportunity to make jokes about the premier, who has been on leave from office since March when he slipped down stairs during a family holiday and suffered serious back injuries. 'Enjoy being written out of the will,' one person joked. 'You know shes gonna throw it down the stairs,' another added. 'If I did that to my mum shed throw me down the stairs. She loves hating on Dan,' a third chimed. Others who still live at home with their parents vowed to try the same stunt. 'Maybe I could get one printed with him holding a roundabout. On account of my grandpa hating Dan and roundabouts,' one person wrote. 'How about Dan slipping on a roundabout. Hed love that!' someone else replied. 'Im gonna do this but smaller versions and leave them around the house for my dad to find,' another comment read. The man later revealed in the comments his mother's first reaction to spotting the photo was 'plain horror'. The premier (pictured) has been out of office since March, after slipping down stairs at a holiday home in the Mornington Peninsula Mr Andrews has faced criticism over the past two years due to his government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Victoria, which just came out of its fourth lockdown - the most of any Australian state or territory, has endured some of the toughest and strictest coronavirus restrictions in the world. The state government has come under fire for several quarantine breaches which have sparked deadly outbreaks, and problems with their contact tracing system, which has seen it then imposed snap lockdowns despite a small number of cases. The lockdowns have smashed the local economy, with thousands of businesses forced to close and lay off staff members, as residents were placed under tough stay-at-home orders. Dan Andrews' 30 failures that led to Victorians suffering their fourth lockdown are detailed in demand for an investigation into his government's Covid response By Charlie Moore for Daily Mail Australia The Victorian Opposition has listed 30 'fundamental mistakes' made by the state government as it calls for another inquiry into its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. After Victoria's fourth crippling lockdown ended last week, the Liberal Nationals want to re-open a parliamentary inquiry which was suspended in late 2020. The inquiry heard public evidence from Premier Daniel Andrews, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton and Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton - but no-one could say who made the decision to use private security instead of police to guard quarantine hotels, a key reason for the state's 112-day lockdown last winter. Victorian Liberal leader Michael O'Brien accused the government of making 30 mistakes since then and says another inquiry is required to find out why. The list includes the fact that Victoria failed to introduce a uniform QR code check-in system until May 28, five months after NSW, a delay which hampered contact tracers in their battle contain the latest outbreak. The opposition also slammed the government over yet another hotel quarantine breach after it was revealed the Delta Indian variant of the virus got into the community from a returned traveller in a Melbourne hotel. Mr O'Brien also listed the 'alarmist language' used by Professor Sutton - who was criticised for 'inciting fear' by describing the virus as a 'beast' - as a major failure. He said only 13 per cent of small businesses were supported during the state's fourth shut down and slammed the government for releasing 5,000 prisoners early because they spent extra time in their cells during Covid-19 lockdowns. Staff at the Novotel Ibis Hotel in Melbourne are seen wearing face masks on June 9 during lockdown Announcing his call for another inquiry, Mr O'Brien said: 'Victorians have worked hard to build a recovery, but it has all been put at risk by Labor failing to learn from its previous mistakes. 'If the Andrews Labor Government continues to force lockdowns and restrictions on Victorians, then the Victorian community should have key questions about Labor's decisions answered. 'Victorians are suffering. Small businesses are closed, students are missing school, all the while the government is playing politics and not releasing the health advice Labor's lockdowns are based on. 'Victorians deserve an open and transparent government. It's clear the Andrews Labor Government is making decisions on the run and has no plan for Victorians.' A Japanese restaurant closed with tables packed on June 11 during Melbourne's fourth lockdown The previous inquiry was set up by Victoria's Public Accounts and Estimates Committee. Deputy Chair Richard Riordan said: 'With small businesses currently suffering and forgotten, calls to mental health services at very high levels, taxpayers still picking up the bill for staff at hotels that have no quarantine guests and problems with contact tracing, the PAEC inquiry should be reopened immediately. 'Victorians are demanding answers of their government and they are not getting them. This has to change.' The 30 mistakes made by the Victorian government Further breaches from Victoria's hotel quarantine system; Covid testing centres experiencing multi-hour wait times over the New Year period, as government locks down state borders leaving Victorians on holiday stranded; Victorian Auditor-General investigates government's hotel quarantine contracts with security companies; Unified Security prepares to sue the Victorian Government; WorkSafe Victoria inquiry continuing with potential prosecution of the Premier, Ministers and government Departments; Hotel quarantine operators who never hosted returned travellers paid millions; Hotel quarantine workers paid full salary despite not working a single day; Government apologises for incorrectly quarantining Brisbane travellers; Former hotel quarantine worker complains of 'hostile and intimidating behaviour'; Novotel's manager and head of infection control fired over 51 infection control breaches; Covid-19 Quarantine Victoria's general manager of infection control stood down over Covid protocol breaches; Leaked incident reports document months of hotel quarantine protocol breaches; Epidemiologists and hygienists criticise flaws in hotel quarantine; Five-day lockdown of Victoria in response to Covid escaping hotel quarantine (impact to businesses over Valentine's Day period); Use of nebuliser blamed by government for Victoria's third wave with official leaked documents showing the government was wrong; Exposure sites listed by DoH incorrectly or without prior notification of establishment; Andrews declares Victoria's hotel quarantine has 'higher standards' than other states'; Initial poor uptake of government QR code system with Parliament choosing its own stand-alone system; Police Association Victoria attacks Covid fine leniency; Jim's Mowing founder to legally challenge last year's Victorian lockdowns; Beyond Blue experiences increase in calls during snap 5-day lockdown and Lockdown 4; Academics find Covid lockdowns affected Victorian children more than in other states; Permit system to re-enter Victoria from NSW quickly overwhelmed, plagued with technical difficulties; Almost 5,000 prisoners to be released early due to the pandemic; Crime Statistics Agency 2020 figures show significant jumps in family violence, and drug and sex offences during lockdowns; Government announces Mickleham quarantine facility, demands Federal Government money to pay for it; Avalon Airport on agenda to host quarantine facility despite close relationship between owners and Premier; Alarmist language and rebuke by health experts; Only 13% of small businesses supported during Lockdown 4; and, Failure by the State Government to follow through with its mandatory vaccination legislation, including the revelation only half of Victoria's paramedics have had the vaccine. Source: Liberal-National Opposition Advertisement On Monday Victoria recorded two new cases of Covid-19, both of which are primary contacts of a previously known case and have been self isolating. The latest cases have been quarantined during their entire infectious period so they pose no risk to the community, the Victorian Department of Health said. Victoria lifted many lockdown restrictions on Friday, but said the chances of all remaining measures being eased hinged largely on testing numbers. The local authorities were concerned about the drop in numbers seeking Covid tests, with just 16,932 results received in the 24 hours to Monday. Ideally, government officials said upwards of of 20,000 per day were required for there to be a confidence the virus was not circulating undetected in the community. There were 64 active cases of Covid in Victoria as of Monday morning, with just three people receiving hospital treatment and none in intensive care. Melbourne's lockdown has ended - but overnight 19 new exposure sites were added to the Victorian Health website The Victorian Health Department added six locations to the exposure list overnight which are listed as Tier Two exposure sites meaning anyone who visited must get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result. A confirmed positive case visited the McDonald's at Freshwater Place at Southbank in the CBD, between 5pm and 5.30pm on Friday, June 11. The person also went to Woolworths Melbourne Square on Hoff Boulevard, at Southbank, between 4pm and 5.30pm on Tuesday, June 8. The Medibank office on level seven of 720 Bourke Street, Docklands, was also visited between 7.45am and 4.15pm on May 18. The office building 4 Freshwater Place, Southbank, was also flagged as an exposure site, with the confirmed case visiting the site between 8.40am and 9.25am, and 4.35pm and 5.30pm on June 9. There are currently more than 130 venues on Melbourne's exposure list - down from 400 that were listed last week. A popular McDonalds in the heart of Melbourne's Southbank has been forced to close after a customer infected with Covid dined in the restaurant last Friday Covid fragments have also been detected in the sewage systems of a handful of suburbs, sparking concerns the virus could be in the region undetected. Wastewater in the northeastern suburbs of Balwyn North, Bulleen, Bundoora, Eaglemont, Heidelberg, Heidelberg Heights, Ivanhoe, Ivanhoe East, Kew East, Macleod, Rosanna, Viewbank, Watsonia and Yallambie are of particular concern. There are no confirmed cases in the areas, prompting fears there is an undiagnosed infectious case still in the community. Anybody who visited the areas between June 9 and 10 are urged to seek testing if they develop any Covid symptoms. There are no plans for under-40s to be given the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab despite rising pressure on Pfizer stockpiles. The NHS has been forced to slow down its vaccination programme in recent weeks because supplies of Pfizer are 'tight' and there are limited doses of the Moderna jab. Last month the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said that adults under 40 should not be offered the Oxford jab due to a very rare link to blood clots. Department of Health officials say the JCVI has no plans to reverse this advice despite the limited supplies of alternatives as well as the strain to vaccinate adults before July 19th when restrictions are planned to be lifted. A person receives a dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine at a vaccination centre for those aged over 18 years old at the Belmont Health Centre in Harrow, London, June 6, 2021 A JCVI source said they would only reconsider that decision if the 'risk benefit balance changes significantly'. Later this week the NHS is expected to offer vaccine invites to all over-18s which is expected to intensify the demand on Pfizer supplies even further. Just over 42million adults have now received their first dose nearly 80 per cent of the population - and 30.4million their second, or 58 per cent. Meanwhile Liz Truss, the International Trade Secretary, promised the Government will be able to lift restrictions more easily next month as many more adults would be vaccinated. She told Sky News: 'We are taking a pragmatic approach. The key is making sure that everybody gets vaccinated... That's what we need to do in order to be able to fully open up the economy.' A woman in Darwen, Lancashire, receives a Covid-19 vaccine inside a pharmacy in the town, June 11 Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccines Group, said the public health crisis would be over if the jabs significantly prevented hospital admissions. He told MPs on the science and technology committee: 'In the end, we're going to have to come back to focusing on the really important public health issue, which is the hospitalisation and the death. 'That's the key bit that we have to look at with future variants: if that very high protection against hospitalisation continues, despite spread in the community, then the public health crisis is over... And so far, up to Delta, we're in a very good position, as long as we've got people vaccinated.' Figures show that 420,699 vaccine doses were administered on June 15th, which was marginally up on the previous day but significantly lower than the 590,000-a-day average for the end of May. Other figures released yesterday also showed that the UK had fallen behind the likes of the Dominican Republic, China and Uruguay in the number of daily vaccinations administered per 100 people. According to Our World in Data, the UK is currently vaccinating an average of 0.68 per 100 people every day. This is below the Dominican Republic at 1.26 per 100, China at 1.14 per 100 and Uruguay at 1.07 per 100. An easyJet flight was at the centre of a terrifying hijack scare when two fighter jets were sent to intercept the plane - after air traffic controllers lost all contact. Two Eurofighters were scrambled from a military base to escort the passenger jet as it flew over the Mediterranean - because a technical glitch meant controllers feared it had been seized by terrorists. The Captain and co-pilot - as well as the passengers - were said to have been 'shocked' when the Italian fighter jets suddenly appeared alongside their aircraft as they were unaware of the security fears. The mid-air drama took place after the easyJet flight left Palermo on Sunday. Midway through the flight air traffic controllers were suddenly unable to contact the crew as it flew over the sea 40km from Genoa. Two Eurofighters were scrambled from a military base to escort the passenger jet as it flew over the Mediterranean - because a technical glitch meant controllers feared it had been seized by terrorists (file image) When repeated calls to the cockpit went unanswered, controllers triggered an emergency response and two Eurofighters were sent to intercept the Airbus A319. Radio contact was re-established after 11 minutes, and the pilots were able to reassure controllers they were in command of the jet. It then continued on its scheduled flight to Milan, Italy. An investigation has been launched into the incident but it is thought the crew had switched to the wrong frequency while switching over from contact with Rome air traffic control. The crew should have switched to a frequency being used by controllers at Milan's Malpensa Airport, their final destination. Flight crews on other planes in the Milan area heard the frantic calls from controllers as they desperately tried to contact the 'lost jet'. One said: 'Ten minutes or so may not seem a long time, but in aviation terms it is an exceptionally long time to be out of radio contact. 'The controllers would have thought that someone had taken over the cockpit or both the crew had become incapacitated. An investigation has been launched into the incident but it is thought the crew had switched to the wrong frequency while switching over from contact with Rome air traffic control. Pictured, an Italian Eurofighter Typhoon jet 'They would have had no choice but to inform the military. It is standard procedure when a plane fails to make contact that military jets are sent up to investigate.' The easyJet flight landed safely at Malpensa Airport just over half an hour after the incident began and passengers were unaware of the mid air drama. Last month a Ryanair flight was 'hijacked' when it had to divert to Belarus after falsely being told there was a bomb on board. A fighter jet was scrambled to to force the plane - bound for Lithuania - to land. The captain and five crew of Ryanair flight FR4978 from Athens to Vilnius were later put under armed guard after diverting the plane for a fake bomb threat that was staged to allow the Belarus government to capture an opposition journalist among the 126 passengers. Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega were arrested on landing. The incident was described as 'state sponsored hijacking' and condemned by worldwide leaders. An easyJet spokesman said: 'We can confirm that flight EZY2810 from Palmero to Milan on June 13 experienced a loss of communication for a short time. 'This was quickly re-established and the flight continued to Milan where it landed routinely. The safety and security of its passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority.' Advertisement Police have identified a couple suspected of stealing up to 30 from the staff tips jar of a seafront cafe after footage emerged of two people locking their dogs in a sweltering car. Officers investigating the case say they have formally identified the couple and are now working with police in Bedfordshire as enquiries into the theft continue. The couple were caught on on CCTV appearing to steal staff tips from at the family-run Carats Cafe in Brighton on Saturday. Later the same day the couple returned to their car in Brighton as police smashed a window because of concerns for two dogs locked inside in sweltering heat. Superintendent Rachel Swinney of Sussex Police tonight said: The behaviour of the individuals concerned in both of these incidents will not be tolerated. I want to send a clear message to those visiting our county that we will actively pursue those who commit crime in Sussex. A spokesman for the force Sussex Police said: Police investigating the theft of money from Carats Cafe in Southwick on Saturday have formally identified two people in footage from the cafe. The investigation is progressing with the assistance of colleagues at Bedfordshire Police. The same two individuals were also involved in an incident in Madeira Drive, Brighton, whereby police responded to a welfare call in respect of two dogs locked in a car. The dogs were subsequently released from the car by police. A couple helped themselves to the tip jar at a cafe in Southwick, near Brighton, before complaining about food and receiving a full refund. Hours later, police smashed into the couple's car to rescue their two dogs who were found sweltering inside The woman can be seen taking coins out of the tip jar while staff are busy at Carats Cafe and Bar in Southwick, near Brighton The couple were filmed as they angrily confronted police for smashing the window of their black estate car. It later emerged the caught on on CCTV appearing to steal staff tips from Carats Cafe on the same day. In footage obtained by MailOnline, the couple are seen apparently taking the cash left for staff - after demanding a refund on the food they had eaten - from the family-run cafe. Staff at Carats Cafe and Bar in Southwick, near Brighton, shared the footage of the couple in a bid to identify them after they were caught helping themselves to the cash. They described the theft, which took place shortly before midday on Saturday, as 'unfair and completely unacceptable' and said the man and woman had received a full refund after ordering two breakfasts because they complained they were unsatisfactory. It wasn't until management later checked the CCTV that they realised the couple had appeared to take coins from the tip jar and had also not paid for drinks which had been taken from fridges next to the counter. The owners of a vehicle confronted police officers after they were forced to break into the car to rescue a beagle and another dog who had been left unattended inside while temperatures reached 75F on a scorching hot day on Brighton seafront Pictured: The owners returned to the car and asked the police officers why they had smashed their vehicle's back window This is the moment the officers were smashed the window to rescue a beagle and another dog who had been left alone inside One officer attempted to use his baton before resorting to a glass punch to break the window to let fresh air into the vehicle Now police say they are investigating the alleged theft by the couple and are appealing for more information. Police say they want to speak to the suspects who allegedly stole around 30 from staff tip jar. They are also alleged to have stolen a number of cakes and drinks from the front counter while distracting staff. Zoe Kibble, the manager at Carats, estimates in total the couple cost the cafe 100, with the cost of the two breakfasts, the drinks and the tips that were taken. Describing the team's disappointment, she added: 'We take on young people and it's going to have a knock on their confidence. They've worked hard for their tips on a really busy, hot weekend so for them to be told their food isn't good enough and have their tips taken from them is just not on.' Ms Kibble says the unpleasant incident is a rare occurrence at the popular seafront eatery and that it is thought the couple were from out of the area. Prior to their appeal, footage had already been shared of police breaking into the couple's car to rescue two dogs who had been left in sweltering heat only for the man and woman to complain about the damage. The officer smashed the window which had been left slightly open but the car was not in shade and the two dogs were inside Officers said the beagle and another dog looked instantly relieved when they had fresh air and water after the rescue on Brighton seafront, where temperatures reached 75F (24C) on Saturday. Video shows one officer using his baton to smash the back window of the black vehicle as the owners rushed back to the scene in horror. The woman can be heard saying 'you broke my window out' as the car alarm goes off. Another officer can be heard responding to the woman, saying: 'It's a hot day. You shouldn't be leaving the dog in the car in this weather.' A crowd of beach-goers gathered to watch the dramatic rescue unfold on Brighton seafront. One witness told MailOnline: 'The police were called by a member of the public who noticed the dog in the car. 'The police attempted to contact the owner of the vehicle but they failed. This is when they attempted forceful entry to stop the risk to the pups from the heat. First the PC attempted to use his baton but this failed. Then he used a glass punch four times and the window smashed. One stall holder said: I couldnt leave my stall but there were several members of the public who were clearly concerned about the dog. It was a roasting day and the temperature in the car must have been horrendous. A couple of PCSOs turned up and then a regular police officer. They were worried as well and I think they did the right thing. Ive heard the man claimed theyd only been away for 10 minutes but the commotion was going on for at least half an hour or more so that cant be true. The couple who left their dog in their car in that heat have only got themselves to blame. Police officers said the dogs looked relieved once they had fresh air and water after the dramatic rescue in front of a crowd The couple, who had two boys, aged about nine and six, had parked their black estate car close to Brighton Palace Pier and the Sealife Centre before leaving the two dogs in their car with one window open slightly ajar. Sussex Police said the owners were given strong words of advice on returning to the car a short time later. The RSPCA told MailOnline the temperature inside of the car could have reached up to 117F. Ms Kibble added: 'They sat down for their breakfasts and ate most of them before complaining to the manager who was working at the time. They said there was some hair in one and complained about the other as well. 'We don't get many complaints so we just offered a full refund. The manager noticed there were drinks on the table that weren't in the same order but at the time assumed they had been paid for separately.' What should you do if you see a dog in a car during hot weather? The RSPCA says you should try and establish if the dog is showing any signs of heatstroke such as heavy panting or drooling. Other signs of heatstroke include lethargy and vomiting. If the dog is showing signs of heatstroke, the charity says dial 999 immediately. If police are unavailable and the situation becomes critical, you must be careful before taking the decision to smash the window as this could be considered criminal damage and you may have to defend your actions in court. Make sure you tell the police what you intent to do and why. Take pictures or videos of the dog and the names and numbers of witnesses to the incident. Advertisement A crowd of beach-goers gathered to watch the dramatic rescue unfold on Brighton seafront before a police officer broke a car window to rescue two dogs trapped inside. A witness said the owners appeared unaware of the dangers posed to animals left in hot vehicles. The witness, who said the dogs were 'panting solidly', told the Sun: 'Where they had parked there is just no shade. 'At first it was "what the f*** are you doing, why did you break my car window? I was only gone for 10 minutes". The bloke obviously thought he was completely in the right. He didn't really seem to have much empathy.' The RSPCA says that, despite the common belief it is OK if windows are open or the car is in shade, dogs should never be left alone in vehicles during hot weather. The charity says a car can become as hot as an oven very quickly, even when it doesn't feel that warm. When it's 22 degrees, in a car it can reach an unbearable 47 degrees within the hour and a dog in these conditions could be susceptible to heatstroke. Launching their Dogs Die In Hot Cars campaign, RSPCA dog welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines said: 'We know families love their pets and want to keep them close but, sometimes, it may be safer to leave your four-legged friends at home. 'Dogs can suffer from heatstroke during hot weather and this can be extremely dangerous, and even prove fatal. 'We're calling on pet owners to put the welfare of their dogs first this summer. If you're heading out and about then consider whether your pet may be happier in the cool at home, only walk them during the cooler hours of the day, and never leave your dog in a car unattended on a warm day.' One stall holder said: 'I couldn't leave my stall but there were several members of the public who were clearly concerned about the dog. It was a roasting day and the temperature in the car must have been horrendous. 'A couple of PCSOs turned up and then a regular police officer. They were worried as well and I think they did the right thing. 'I've heard the man claimed they'd only been away for 10 minutes but the commotion was going on for at least half an hour or more so that can't be true. The couple who left their dog in their car in that heat have only got themselves to blame.' The couple, who had two boys, aged about nine and six, had parked their black estate car close to Brighton Palace Pier and the Sealife Centre before leaving the two dogs in their car with one window open slightly ajar. A spokesman for Sussex Police said about the dog incident: 'We were called about two dogs left locked inside a car in the heat of the day Saturday on Madeira Drive, Brighton. 'Police officers attended and tried to get a contact number for the owners of the car but were unable. 'Officers had no choice but to smash the side window to gain access and a kind member of the public donated a bottle of water. 'The owners were given strong words of advice on returning to the car a short time later. 'The dogs, who were much improved after fresh air and water, were left with the owners. 'Dog owners should never leave a dog alone in a car on a warm day. If you see a dog in distress in a hot car, dial 999.' Regarding the alleged theft the spokesman said: 'Police are investigating after a man and a woman went into Carats Cafe in Basin Road South, Southwick, on Saturday (12 June) at about 11.39am and stole money from the staff tip jar worth about 30. 'The suspects also stole cakes and drinks from the front counter while distracting staff. Anyone who witnessed the theft or have any information about the suspects is asked to report online or ring 101.' Did you see the rescue do you know the owners? Email emer.scully@mailonline.co.uk Elon Musk's aerospace company SpaceX ignored at least two warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the launch of its SN8 rocket last December might not be safe, leaked documents show. Warnings from the FAA were based on its launch-weather modelling software, according to the documents, which were seen by the Verge. If the rocket had exploded, its shockwave could be strengthened by weather conditions like wind speed and endanger nearby homes, the models suggested. But SpaceX ignored the warnings because it said the FAA's software could be interfered with to provide 'better or worse results for an identical scenario'. SpaceX went ahead with the launch, violating its launch license from the FAA in the process. SN8 ended up launching successfully but crash-landing in a ball of flames. Image shows SpaceX's Starship SN8 rocket prototype taking off at the company's Boca Chica, Texas facility during an attempted high-altitude launch test on December 9, 2020 According to the FAA, SpaceX 'prioritised speed over safety' with the launch, which took place at its Boca Chica, Texas testing facility at 5:45pm ET (10:45pm GMT) on December 9. SpaceX's violation of its launch license was 'inconsistent with a strong safety culture,' the FAA's space division chief Wayne Monteith said in a letter to SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell. 'Although the report states that all SpaceX parties believed that such risk was sufficiently low to comply with regulatory criteria, SpaceX used analytical methods that appeared to be hastily developed to meet a launch window.' SN8 soared straight up into the air for its first high-altitude flight and over the Gulf of Mexico before performing its in-flight manoeuvres SpaceX's Starship SN8 rocket prototype crashing on landing at the company's Boca Chica, Texas facility Monteith also slammed SpaceX for proceeding with the launch based on 'impressions' and 'assumptions' rather than procedural checks. The Verge adds: 'FAA investigators couldnt determine whether the SN8 license violation was intentional, according to people involved in and briefed on the investigation, speaking on the condition of anonymity.' SpaceX didn't end up receiving any penalties from the FAA and went on to launch its next prototype, SN9, in February. SN9 itself faced regulatory hurdles from the FAA, leading Musk to grumble that 'humanity will never go to Mars' if it were up to the agency. SpaceX is yet to reply to MailOnline's request for comment regarding the report from the Verge on the SN8 launch. It's not known the extent to which Elon Musk (pictured) made the final decisions leading up to the launch of SN8 on December 9 SPACEX SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES SN15 On May 5, SpaceX successfully launched and landed its Starship Serial Number 15 rocket. It became the only one of its prototypes to survive a high altitude flight test. The prototype climbed through the sky until it reached six miles, hovered for a moment and then performed the infamous sideways flip, dubbed a 'belly flop' maneuver by Musk. 'Starship landing nominal,' Musk tweeted moments after his pride and joy made a safe and successful landing on the pad. SN16 is set to launch later in June. Advertisement It is currently unclear what role Musk himself played in the decision to launch SN8. The billionaire founder and CEO of the firm is yet to publicly address the issue. SpaceX is planning to send humans to Mars using a two-stage spacecraft composed of Starship (the passenger-carrying section) and the Super Heavy rocket booster. However, the firm has some work to do to finish the construction of the $216 million Starship, previously known as 'BFR', at SpaceX's Texas development site. Starship SN8 short for 'serial number eight' was one of the several prototypes of its Starship rocket to be launched by the company. It successfully reached its goal of getting as high as 7.8 miles (41,000 feet), soaring out over the Gulf of Mexico. After about five minutes, it flipped sideways as planned and descended in a free-fall back to the southeastern tip of Texas near the Mexican border. The sideways flip, dubbed a 'belly flop' manoeuvre by Musk, was designed to mimic the technique Starship will use when returning through Earth's atmosphere from space presenting the 'belly' as it enters the atmosphere reduces the speed of descent as it approaches the ground. The rocket exploded the moment it hit the ground, leaving nothing behind but what remained of the craft's nose cone, debris and a cloud of smoke. SN8 went up 7.8 miles, attempted a 'belly flop' in the air, turned back upright then aimed to land safely back at the testing facility in Texas but failed due to coming in too fast and crash landing Musk, however, deemed the launch a success. He said that the prototype even though it was destroyed collected a trove of data that will bring SpaceX one step closer to sending humans to Mars. The full-scale, stainless steel prototype stood at 160 feet (50 meters) tall and was 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter. It was the first Starship prototype equipped with a nose cone, body flaps and three engines. It was shooting for an altitude of up to eight miles (12.5 kilometres), which is almost 100 times higher than previous hops and skimming the stratosphere. The sideways flip, dubbed a 'belly flop' manoeuvre by Musk, was designed to mimic the technique Starship will use when returning through Earth's atmosphere. Pictured, SN8 SpaceX's first super heavy-lift Starship SN8 rocket explodes during a return-landing attempt 'With a test such as this, success is not measured by completion of specific objectives but rather how much we can learn,' SpaceX wrote in a statement The test flight was initially set for December 2, then pushed to December 4 and then to December 7 then it was scheduled again for December 8, which was scrubbed at the last minute, before finally going ahead the next day. This 'hop' was a historic event for SpaceX, as previous prototypes only hit 500 feet in the air but it also proved the most destructive. Upon touching down, however, the craft became engulfed in flames and ruptured, parts scattering. The entire flight lasted just over six minutes and 40 seconds. The Starship two-stage-to-orbit heavy lift vehicle has been in development since 2012 and is designed to bring the cost of launch down by being more reusable. The high-altitude flight was focused on testing a number of features of the giant spaceship, that could take the first passengers to Mars as early as 2026, according to Musk. NASA has chosen Elon Musk 's SpaceX to build the spacecraft that take the first woman and next man to the moon. SpaceX's HLS Starship will include the company's tested Raptor engines, along with pulling inspiration from the Falcon and Dragon vehicles' designs The SpaceX CEO previously said there was a 'fighting chance' the first Starship flight to Mars could happen as early as 2024. This is the same year that NASA will send the first woman and next man to the Moon in 2024, as part of the Artemis mission. Coincidentally, SpaceX was since awarded a $2.9 billion contract by NASA in April to build the spacecraft for the mission. The four spacefaring heroes will be carried to the Moon on the Starship HLS, a lunar lander variant of the Starship spacecraft. Brazil signed the Artemis Accords, becoming the first South American country to signal it will adhere to principles to explore space in a peaceful and sustainable way. The signing, which happened late Tuesday, means a total of 12 countries have now signed the pact. Brazil joins the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the UK, the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine in signing the document. By signing the document, Brazil joins an established 'practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASAs 21st century lunar exploration plans,' NASA said in a statement. Brazil Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Marcos Pontes signed the document in Brasilia in an event that featured President Jair Bolsonaro and other officials. Brazil signed the Artemis Accords, becoming the first South American country to signal it will adhere to principles to explore space and the moon to benefit 'all of humanity' The Artemis Accords, which were established last year in conjunction with the US State Department, reinforces the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which is still in effect Brazil signaled its intent to sign into the Artemis Accords in December 2020 after signing a statement of intent with former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine 'NASA has been looking forward to this day since last December when Minister Pontes and former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine signed a statement of intent regarding potential cooperation in the Artemis program,' said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in the statement. 'In undertaking this important commitment, Brazil is positioned to be a leader in safe and sustainable exploration.' Brazil is now the third country to sign the Artemis Accords since President Joe Biden took office, following South Korea and New Zealand last month. The Artemis Accords, which were established last year in conjunction with the US State Department, reinforces the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which is still in effect. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 includes 17 principles that were created to ensure fairness and peaceful relationships at a time when humans were first exploring the final frontier. It 'bans the stationing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in outer space, prohibits military activities on celestial bodies, and details legally binding rules governing the peaceful exploration and use of space.' Brazil is now the third country to sign the Artemis Accords since President Joe Biden took office, following South Korea and New Zealand last month As part of the Artemis mission, NASA has repeatedly said that it plans to sent astronauts to the moon by 2024 NASA said it expects 'additional countries' to join in the months and years ahead, though it's unclear if and when Russia and China will sign the accords. China has not been invited to join the partnership, as NASA is prohibited under law from signing any bilateral agreements with the country. DailyMail.com has reached out to NASA with a request for comment for this story. The 'moonshot rules' of the Artemis Accords prohibit space fairing heroes from acts that would disrupt exploration of the lunar surface, such as fighting and littering. ARTEMIS ACCORDS Peaceful purposes Transparency Interoperability Emergency assistance Registration of space objects Release of scientific data Protecting heritage Space resources Deconfliction of activities Orbital debris and spacecraft disposal Advertisement Additional rules say there is no secrecy allowed with objects being sent to the moon as all objects headed to the lunar surface must be identified and registered, but there is one main idea- 'Everyone must come in peace.' Approximately 105 countries are included in the treaty and 26 others have signed it but have yet to complete ratification. The Artemis Accords also reinforces the commitment of the US and its partner nations to behaviors that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data. As part of the Artemis mission, NASA has repeatedly said that it plans to sent astronauts to the moon by 2024, but Nelson recently put a bit of a damper on that timeline. 'I'm soberly realistic,' Nelson said in an interview with CNN when asked about whether the 2024 deadline would be met. 'The goal is 2024, but space is hard. And we know when you are pushing the edge of the envelope, often there are delays. There's a number one factor and that's safety, and it's involving humans. There might be a delay, but the goal is late 2024.' The Hubble is set to be replaced by the James Webb Telescope later this year NASA tried restarting the computer and will now try to switch to a backup memory board The Hubble has been idle since Sunday, perhaps because of a bad memory board This computer controls Hubble's science instruments, but it has NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has stopped working because of an issue with a 1980s-era computer NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, which has been in space more than 30 years and made countless discoveries, stopped working because of an issue with a 1980s-era computer that controls its science instruments. The US space agency said on Wednesday that the telescope, which launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, has stopped all astronomical viewing. A joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency, the Hubble has been idle since shortly after 4 pm EDT Sunday, potentially because of a bad memory board. Flight controllers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland tried to restart the computer Monday, but the same thing happened. They're now trying to switch to a backup memory unit. For now, the cameras and other instruments are in a so-called safe mode. The Hubble Space Telescope has been blindsided by computer trouble, with all astronomical viewing halted, NASA said on Wednesday An 1980s-era computer that controls its science instruments has stopped working. The Hubble has been idle since Sunday, potentially because of a bad memory board Launched in 1990, Hubble is showing more and more signs of aging, despite a series of repairs and updates by spacewalking astronauts during NASA's shuttle era. The US space agency is going to replace the Hubble with $10 billion James Webb Telescope, however it has run into delays If that works, the telescope will be tested for a day, before the science instruments are turned back on and observations can resume. In a statement, NASA said the payload computer is a NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer-1 (NSSC-1) system built in the 1980s. 'It is part of the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling module, which was replaced during the last astronaut servicing mission in 2009,' NASA wrote in the statement. 'The module has various levels of redundancy which can be switched on to serve as the primary system when necessary.' A NASA spokesperson told DailyMail.com the NSSC-1 has four memory modules, but only requires one, likening it to a 'board of memory of chips on a laptop that can be swapped out if theres a problem.' Launched in 1990, Hubble is showing more and more signs of aging, despite a series of repairs and updates by spacewalking astronauts during NASA's shuttle era. The Hubble recently marked its 31st anniversary in space, doing so with an image of a giant star that is 'on the edge of destruction'. The US space agency is going to replace the Hubble with $10 billion James Webb Telescope, however it has run into delays recently. Earlier this month, said it would delay the telescope because the rocket to launch it isn't ready. A NASA spokesperson told DailyMail.com earlier this month the launch of the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope will happen 'no earlier than October 31.' The average American works 8.8 hours a day, but research suggests that may be three hours too many. Experts and company CEOs have found working five-hour days can improve productivity and boost overall wellness, as is the 'sweet spot' for when focus starts to dwindle. Studies show that as our focus slides, we become less motivated, make more mistakes and become easily distracted, which is why some companies are opting for a five-hour workday. The idea stems from a study of music training that inspired the '10,000-hour rule' - the concept it takes that many hours to become an expert at something - but the researcher found the 'best' students practiced for just four to five hours a day. A number of companies have tested the five-hour workday, which learned the program has both positives and negatives. One success story is Tower Paddle Boards, which moved to a compressed-hour model in 2015. Staff worked from 8am to 1pm, without breaks, which pushed them to increase output in order to meet the early cutoff time the company saw a 50 percent spike in productivity. Experts and company CEO have found that working five-hour days can improve productivity and boost overall wellness, as some suggest that is the sweet spot for when focus starts to dwindle However, other companies have found employees can become overwhelmed by packing eight hours of work into a five-hour shift, and the change also disrupts the work culture. The first law in the US that called for an eight-hour workday was passed in Illinois in 1867. In 1914, Henry Ford of Ford Motors implemented the schedule in his factories and also reduced the work week from six to five days, thus creating the 40-hour work week. It was created so to split the 24 hour day over three eight-hour shifts, enabling his plant to churn out cars 24/7. This new schedule sparked a national discussion among other companies that eventually hopped on the bandwagon. Tower Paddle Boards CEO Stephan Aarstol is one of those firms and conducted a three-month trial with the five-hour work schedule. The trial appeared to be a success right out the gate: employees were motivated to finish early and revenue increased 50 percent that year However, the human brain has a limit on how much information it can process at once due to a finite energy supply, according to a study published in Journal of Neuroscience. 'It takes a lot of energy to run the human brain,' study author Professor Nilli Lavie at University College London said in a statement. 'If there's a hard limit on energy supply to the brain, we suspected that the brain may handle challenging tasks by diverting energy away from other functions, and prioritizing the focus of our attention. 'Our findings suggest that the brain does indeed allocate less energy to the neurons that respond to information outside the focus of our attention when our task becomes harder. Although Ford's move could be what led it the entire US working eight hour days and being drowned in information, some modern-day companies are looking out for their employees' wellbeing. Tower Paddle Boards CEO Stephan Aarstol conducted a three-month trial with the five-hour work schedule. However, the shortened day meant no breaks or lunch for workers who were packing and shipping paddle boards for the California-based company. The trial appeared to be a success right out the gate: employees were motivated to finish early and revenue increased 50 percent that year. But the study took at a turn two years later when the company had a mass exodus resulting in 44 percent of the staff leaving. Aarstol, confused and disheartened, concluded the turnover rate was because, 'We broke the company culture,' he told Chief Executive. 'Everybody working long hours in the trenches alongside one another,' he said. Other companies have found employees can become overwhelmed by packing eight hours of work into a five-hour shift, and the change also disrupts the work culture 'You form really strong bonds with people when you do that. But when you're walking out the door at 1 o'clock, work becomes this thing you do before lunch to sort of afford this luxurious lifestyle. The rest of your life becomes much bigger.' From then until the start of the pandemic, the company instituted a hybrid model, with the five-hour workday happening only during the summer. German digital consultancy Rheingans conducted a similar experiment in 2017 and shortly after introducing the policy, two employees left the company. Lasse Rheingans, CEO of Rheingans, told CNBC: 'I think for the first time in their career, they had the time to go home and really consider 'What do I want to do for myself?' 'Some of them came to the conclusion, 'Hey, I would really love to do something else.' One of them started studying again something completely different than he did before and the other changed industries.' However, just like Aarstol, Rheingans also found that the shorter days killed the company's work culture. We realized that we were losing something on the relationship level,' Rheingans told Wired. 'It affects loyalty and team culture and the relationships people have in a company, when you don't have time for chatter and small talk and coffee together.' Puppies adopted by Americans working from home throughout the pandemic are suffering from stress and anxiety as their owners return to work, a study says. A team from Auburn University found these 'pandemic puppies' are fearful during encounters with other dogs and humans because they spent so much of their early lives cooped up inside. They were also found to sometimes panic when exposed to an unfamiliar environment, and are struggling to cope with being alone as their owners return to the office as the United States reopens. This, according to researchers, is because the animals were confined inside homes during their first three months of their lives, which are extremely important to its social development. A team from Auburn University found these 'pandemic puppies' are fearful during encounters with other dogs and humans, and sometimes panic when exposed to an unfamiliar environment Around 3 million Americans purchased or adopted a pet at the height of the pandemic, but now that restrictions are lifting for much of the US, these puppies are just now starting to explore the world with many facing behavioral and social challenges. One of these furry creatures is a soon to be one-year-old mixed-breed puppy named Gabby. Scientists at Auburn University studied Gabby and found that she reacts with fear or uncertainty when she encounters new people or other dogs. She is near panic when faced with a new environment or an unfamiliar situation. This, according to researchers, is because the animals were confined inside homes during their first three months of their lives , which are extremely important to its social development Scientists at Auburn University studied Gabby (pictured) and found that she reacts with fear or uncertainty when she encounters new people or other dogs And trips to the vet are stressful for both Gabby and her owner , all of which is due to the puppy staying inside and only with its owners. Dr. Christopher Lea, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences in Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine said in a statement: 'Primary socialization occurs during the first three to six weeks with a puppy's littermates. 'Then there is a secondary period of development from six to 12 weeks. This is when a puppy learns to interact with humans.' Cat Clutton, a certified dog trainer and founder at ReKalibratedK9 Dog Training Services in Opelika, Alabama, said this early three-month period is critical to a dog's lifetime behavioral patterns. 'During this time frame, puppies learn how to properly bond and socially communicate with both other dogs and people, as well as how to interact with and respond to different environments,' Clutton said. 'Simply put, dogs that are not properly exposed to a variety of individuals, objects, sights, sounds, smells and environments during this period may always be fearful of some of those same things.' Gabby is near panic when faced with a new environment or an unfamiliar situation. And trips to the vet are stressful for both Gabby and her owner , all of which is due to the puppy staying inside and only with its owners Not only were these pandemic pups secluded from the world like their owners, many of them were adopted by first-time owners who are more likely to make mistakes raising a young pet. 'This produced a perfect storm of bad circumstances at a critical time in the developmental stages of these dogs,' the researchers shared in a statement. Along with not being social towards other dogs and humans, veterinarians and dog trainers found these puppies are more likely to have separation anxiety. And they say it is only going to get worse. William 'Blue' Brawner, owner of PetVet Animal Health Center in Auburn, Alabama, said: 'We are seeing an uptick in pets having issues with separation as owners return to their regular schedules. 'These are dogs that have never been left alone all day. They've been fine up to this point. But as a lot of owners return to normal routines, we are seeing more dogs that have trouble adjusting to that. This is an area where I think the pandemic has highlighted an already existing problem.' Some owners are back pedaling on their decision of adopting a pandemic puppy. The American Kennel Club estimates that 73 percent of first-time dog owners who adopted a puppy during the pandemic have at least considered rehoming them or turning them in to a shelter. Aleksei Miranchuk scored the only goal in St Petersburg to burst Finland's bubble and give Russia their first win at the Euros in seven attempts. The Finns were looking to become the first country since Croatia in 1996 to mark their first appearance at the tournament by winning their opening two games following a victory over Denmark that was overshadowed by Christian Eriksen's collapse. But Russia edged a disappointing encounter to leave Group B wide open ahead of Belgium's game against the Danes in Copenhagen on Thursday. Aleksei Miranchuk's excellent finish gave Russia a valuable 1-0 win over Finland at Euro 2020 The forward's strike into the top corner was the game's only goal in St Petersburg The first half started and ended in dramatic circumstances with little else to get excited about in between. Finland thought they had taken the lead in the third minute when Russia tried to play out from the back, and Jukka Raitala intercepted Igor Diveev's poor pass. Raitala swung in a great cross to Joel Pohjanpalo scorer of the decisive goal against Denmark and he powered home another header only for VAR to spot him marginally offside. It was a let-off for a Russian side whose defensive frailties were exposed in a 3-0 defeat by Belgium, and they made the most of it by taking the lead moments before half-time. It came from the first shot on target of the first half, and even then it took until the second of six minutes of time added on for a worrying injury suffered by Russia defender Mario Fernandes. Miranchuk celebrates with team-mates at the final whistle in what is a crucial victory for Russia Joel Pohjanpalo (second right) of Finland scored a classy header in just the third minute But the striker's goal was ruled out shortly after celebrating with his team-mates VAR officials correctly ruled that the Finland striker had strayed offside while heading the ball Finland had kept men behind the ball for most of the opening period and it was no different on this occasion as Russia tried to find a way through on the edge of the box. It needed a moment of quality and Miranchuk produced it. The Atalanta player exchanged passes with Artem Dzyuba and found himself up against Daniel O'Shaughnessy. Miranchuk switched the ball onto his stronger left foot and clipped a wonderful effort beyond Lukas Hradecky and into the top corner. Before that, Russia had created the best chance of the half in the 10th minute when Miranchuk squared the ball to Magomed Ozdoev, unmarked at the far post, but he blazed over. Finland still posed a threat through Pohjanpalo and Teemu Pukki, particularly on the break as both Dmitri Barinov and Ozdoev picked up yellow cards for fouling Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara. MATCH FACTS (FINLAND 3-5-2): Hradecky; Toivio (Jensen 84), Arajuuri, O'Shaughnessy; Raitala (Soiri 75), Schuller (Kauko, 67), Lod, Kamara, Uronen; Pukki (Lappalainen 75), Pohjanpalo. Subs not used: Jorone, Jaakkola, Vaisanen, Jensen, Sparv, Alho, Valakari, Ivanov, Forss. Booked: Kamara, O'Shaughnessy RUSSIA (4-3-3): Safonov; Mario Fernandes (Karavaev 26), Diveev, Dzhikiya, Kuzyaev; Zobnin, Barinov, Ozdoev (Zhemaletdinov 61); Miranchuk (Mukhin 85), Dzyuba (Sobolev 85), Golovin. Subs not used: Shunin, Dyupin, Semenov, Cheryshev, Zabolotny, Fomin,, Evgenyev, Makarov. Scorer: Miranchuk 45+2 Booked: Barinov, Ozdoev, Dzhikiya Referee: Danny Makkelie (Holland) Advertisement Mario Fernandes (left) suffered an unfortunate first-half injury after landing awkwardly The Russia full-back had be taken off on a stretcher with his neck in a brace as a precaution Finland's defender Jere Uronen (left) was caught by the foot of Russia's Vyacheslav Karavaev while making an excellent goalline clearance in the first half The incident led to the Finland defender needing treatment before being OK to continue Pohjanpalo raced clear onto Robin Lod's pass only to be denied by a fantastic block by Diveev, and then Georgi Dzhikiya did the same to thwart the Finland No 20 after Diveev's slip left him in again. Fernandes was carried off in the 26th minute after landing awkwardly on his back as he challenged for Golovin's cross with O'Shaughnessy. Finland's Jere Uronen also needed treatment after he made a magnificent clearance to prevent substitute Vyacheslav Karavaev turning in Kuzyaev's cross at the far post. Karavaev collided with the upright and also caught Uronen in the face with his boot. Joni Kauko of Finland reacts after coming on but failing to hit the target with a shot on goal Finland players warmed up before the game with tributes to Denmark's Christian Eriksen, who collapsed during the teams' opening game at Euro 2020 The second half was a little more open with Finland forced to be more adventurous as they chased an equaliser. Diveev got in another vital challenge to put off Pukki who raced clear four minutes after the restart. It was the Norwich striker's best chance and he was replaced in the 75th minute having struggled to make an impact. Russia went close on three occasions when substitute Rifat Zhemaletdinov went through and rolled a shot inches wide of Hradecky's far post. The Finland keeper also pulled off a fine save from Kuzyaev, lunging to his left to turn away a curling effort from the Zenit St Petersburg player. Zhemaletdinov had the last chance of the match but fired over in stoppage-time when he should have scored. RE-LIVE ALL THE ACTION AS IT HAPPENED... Andy Murray has been handed a Wimbledon wild card into the men's singles main draw as he continues his return from injury. The two-time winner, whose world ranking of 124 does not guarantee him automatic entry, has not played singles at the All England Club since 2017 when he was knocked out in the quarter-finals after the emergence of a hip issue which has blighted his career ever since. He played doubles two years ago but will now play in the singles after Wimbledon confirmed their initial wild card picks on Wednesday, with Venus Williams and Katie Boulter notable beneficiaries of wild cards for the ladies' singles main draw. Andy Murray has been handed a Wimbledon wild card into the men's singles main draw Murray, who won the title back in 2013 & 2016, will play singles for the first time in four years Murray, 34, made a winning start to his grass-court campaign on Tuesday and was visibly emotional after beating Benoit Paire at Queen's. Meanwhile, Williams, 40, is a five-time champion at SW19, last winning the title back in 2008. Britain's Boulter, 24, is also returning from a period of absence due to injury, but has a career-high ranking of 82 from 2019. Other wild card picks for the women's singles include up-and-coming British players Francesca Jones, Jodie Burrage and Harriet Dart, as well as 33-year-old Samantha Murray Sharan. For the men, 18-year-old Jack Draper is rewarded for his good form - which includes a win against World No 23 Jannik Sinner at Queen's this week - with a wild card, in what will be his first appearance in the main draw. Five-time champion Venus Williams, 40, has been handed a wild card for the ladies' singles British players Jack Draper (left) and Katie Boulter (right) have also been handed wild cards Brits Liam Broady and Jay Clarke will also automatically enter the main draw, as will 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who is the youngest player in the top 100 at No 78. The All England Club confirmed that three more wild cards will be announced in due course on the men's singles side, while the two spare spots for the ladies' singles will not be used, and instead the next direct entry via world ranking will be accepted. Wimbledon kicks off on July 28, returning after last year's event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Advertisement They're summit special. The best entries to an annual mountaineering photography contest have been revealed - and they'll take your breath away. The CVCEPhoto competition - organised by the Spanish Club Vasco de Camping Elkartea (CVCE) mountaineering club to 'promote mountain activity' - received almost 1,000 entries from 58 countries, with a Polish photographer declared the winner for a striking image of a climber tackling a vertical rock face in the Czech Republic. The judges had their work cut out, though - the standard of the images vying for prizes was dizzyingly good. They included a vertigo-inducing photo of a climber hauling himself up a 656ft-deep crevasse in France, gravity-defying rock climbers in Australia and a daredevil ascending a rock face called Maelstrom Wall. Which certainly lives up to its name. The winning and commended images will be exhibited in the CVCE clubs San Sebastian showroom until July 31. And they can all be seen here, just by scrolling down... This vertigo-inducing shot was taken by Frenchman Alex Buisse, who received the accolade of second prize in the CVCEPhoto contest. It shows Jeff Mercier climbing out of a moulin (a deep crevasse formed by summer meltwater) inside France's Mer de Glace glacier last October. Chamonix.net notes that the Mer de Glace, which means 'Sea of Ice' in French, is the largest glacier in France, measuring 4.3miles (7km) long and 656ft (200m) deep This breathtaking shot, by Australian photographer Simon Carter, shows gravity-defying rock climbers Ashlee Hendy (leading) and Elizabeth Chong (belaying) tackling the technically challenging pitch route called 'The Man Who Sold the World' in the Southern Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. Carter was awarded the Festival International du Film Alpin Des Diablerets prize in the contest This extraordinary shot, which received an honourable mention, is the work of Australian photographer Lachlan Gardiner. It captures Charlotte Blake climbing the definitely-not-for-the-fainted-hearted Maelstrom Wall on Bruny Island off the coast of Tasmania, with strong currents swirling below X marks the spot for a great photo: Polish photographer Marcin Ciepielewski took this picture in the Adrspach-Teplice Rocks nature reserve in the Czech Republic. The judges were impressed enough to crown it the overall winning image. Ciepielewski said: 'I was fascinated with the geometrical shapes of the great chimney Vrani veze crag in Adrspach, an incredible place full of huge peaks and edges. My idea was to balance the available light with a flashlight to [illuminate] the dark shadows of the chimney. I wanted to create a ray of light on the edge of rock and connect all the lines - rock edges and ray[s] of light [to form the letter] X with the climber - my friend Pawet Zielinski - in the centre of the composition.' And the name of the photo? 'The X' Ricardo Alves from Lisbon, Portugal, took this striking black-and-white shot - for which he received an honourable mention - in Moe's Valley in southwest Utah, an area that he describes as a 'bouldering paradise'. It shows climber Nuno Monteiro on a route referred to as the Pink Lady. Alves said of the image: 'I took this photo on March 21, a few days before the coronavirus pandemic shutdown all the flights between [the] US and Europe, making the journey home an adventure' The photographer behind this mesmerising image of the distinctive Tre Cime di Lavaredo rock formation in the Dolomites region of northeastern Italy is Alessandro Cantarelli. The Italian photographer explained that it was taken after summiting Monte Paterno, with the resulting 360-degree panorama created by stitching 18 individual images together. Cantarelli's efforts paid off and he took home bronze LEFT: German photographer Klaus Fengler captured climber Luka Lindic ascending a spectacular formation he refers to as the Magic Flute in Vallunga in Italy's Dolomites region. The photo was given an honourable mention. RIGHT: Czech photographer Jan Zahula accompanied climber Jenny Fischer to catch her in action on a route known as the Gilotina in Labske Udoli, which is located on the Czech side of the Elbe Valley. The photo saw Zahula claim the BBK Mendi Film Bilbao-Bizkaia prize Above is another jaw-dropping photograph from Alex Buisse, this time of Vivian Bruchez abseiling down Dent du Geant, which is a popular peak among mountaineers located between France and Italy in the Alps. The sun can be seen setting over the summit of Mont Blanc in the background. The picture was given an honourable mention This eerie photo, given an honourable mention, shows a caver heading for the exit in the Avenc Ample chasm in La Vall d'Ebo in Valencia, Spain. The man behind the image, Spanish photographer Diego Caballero, said he tried to give prominence to the feet of his subject to create a sense of depth In this motion shot, taken by Spaniard Carlos de Cos, a slackliner is captured navigating the Sagar Erreka waterfall outside the town of Soraluze in the Basque region of Spain. De Cos said he titled the honourable-mention shot Slak Herria after the name of the slackline group, which is constantly 'looking for locations to cast their lines' Rainer Eder took this dramatic shot in his home country of Austria and was given an honourable mention for his troubles. He explained that no ice-climbers were injured in the process: 'The photo was taken at night at -14C. I wanted to show what happens if an ice climber hits the ice when falling on the rope. It is not easy, because you don't want the climber to get injured and you have only one try' This beautifully composed shot - ranked as an honourable mention - was taken by Spanish photographer Jose Allende in the Cea Forest of Asturias in northwest Spain This fascinating image by Spaniard Javier Urbon made the honourable-mention list and shows a climber navigating a crack in a unique giant boulder in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, located in the Spanish provinces of Madrid and Segovia. Urbon described the park as a 'magical place' peppered with 'unlikely rock formations' Christoph Jorda, from Germany, titled this split-level honourable-mention shot Waterworld. He revealed: 'The photo was taken in this magical place at the Tafjord Mountain Range, close to the Reindalseter Cabin [in] Norway. The cabin is located at a small lake with crystal clear water right where four valleys come together. We were on a five-day hike from hut to hut. I wanted to show the clear water and photograph the hike from a different and more creative angle - that's why I brought my quite heavy underwater housing on the hike. It seems it was worth it' A striking image by Spaniard Mikael Helsing snapped in the Spanish region of Segovia, home to dozens of mountainous biking trails. He said of the shot, which was given an honourable mention: 'The photo was taken on a cloudy day, to avoid the excess of contrasts, the cyclist's jump was illuminated with two flashes located behind the trees' An honourable mention went to Piotrek Deska from Poland for this incredible shot, which shows climber Lukasz Dudek on a route known as the Pan Aroma in the Tre Cime di Lavaredo mountain range in the Italian Dolomites. Deska said of his capture: 'I joined [Lukasz Dudek] with a camera while he was working out the route before the actual push. Amongst many other shots, I wanted to also create an image that will show the scale of this project. After converting the image into grayscale, it got much more dramatic and became one of my favourites of the whole set' California-based photographer Christian Pondella took this stunning shot - an honourable mention - in an abandoned iron ore mine shaft in Uppsala County, Sweden. It shows experienced ice climber Will Gadd navigating a 650ft- (198m) deep shaft, with the iron ore causing the ice to discolour Spaniard Juan Ignacio Montero ventured to the Alda cave in the municipality of Cabrales in northwestern Spain and used special lights to capture this intriguing image, which was given an honourable mention Ryanair has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 Max jet in Dublin after the airline took possession of the plane earlier in Seattle, the home of the Boeing factory where it's manufactured. 'We are delighted to take delivery of our first new technology "gamechanger" aircraft,' Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said in an emailed statement. The company said it expected to take delivery of 12 Boeing 737-8200s this summer, with six delivered in Ryanair colours and six in Malta Air colours. It expects an additional 50 to be delivered before summer 2022. Ryanair has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 Max jet in Dublin. The picture above shows three Ryanair-owned Max aircraft at Renton Municipal Airport, which lies near the Seattle Boeing factory where the aircraft is manufactured The largest European customer of the Max with 210 firm orders of the 197-seat Max200 model, Ryanair was initially due to take delivery of its first Max two years ago before the jet was grounded for 20 months after two fatal crashes. Since then, the Irish airline has announced repeated delays, cutting its planned deliveries in time for use in summer 2021. The Max was Boeing's fastest-selling model before it was grounded in March 2019 following crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in which 346 people died. The largest European customer of the Max with 210 firm orders of the 197-seat Max200 model, Ryanair was initially due to take delivery of its first Max two years ago before the jet was grounded for 20 months after two fatal crashes This picture shows the Max contracts being signed in Washington DC last December. Left to right: Stan Deal, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO, Dave Calhoun, Boeing president and chief executive officer, Michael OLeary, Ryanair Group CEO, and Stan McCarthy, Ryanair Chairman Ryanair has a record of striking deals to lock in low costs when its bargaining power is highest, most famously by placing an order for 100 new 737s at rock-bottom prices in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. That deal laid the foundation for its transformation into one of Europe's dominant airlines. Ryanairs Michael OLeary said in a statement: 'We are delighted to take delivery of our first new technology gamechanger aircraft. These new Boeing 737 aircraft will help Ryanair lower costs, cut fuel consumption and lower noise and CO2 emissions as we invest heavily in new technology to deepen our environmental commitment as Europes greenest, cleanest major airline. 'Each B737 aircraft offers 197 seats, compared to our 189-seat current 737 fleet. However, our customers will enjoy more legroom, new Boeing Sky Interiors and lower fares, while reducing their environmental footprint by switching to these new aircraft. 'Due to regrettable delivery delays, we expect to take delivery of just 12 of these aircraft during Summer 2021, with six delivering in Ryanair colours and six in Malta Air colours. 'Ryanair expects to take delivery of an additional 50 of these B737 gamechanger aircraft before Summer 2022, which will enable the Ryanair Group to rebound strongly, offering new routes, lower fares, and rapid traffic recovery to many partner airports across Europe as the tourism industry rebuilds from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020/2021.' Joe Keery was seen shirtless and wrapped in a bloody rag while filming Stranger Things in Atlanta on Monday. The 29-year-old actor, who has been on the show since its first season, was busy shooting season four in Georgia. His latest scene appeared to be a somewhat ominous event as the Netflix star carried a hatchet evidently prepared for a fight. Story developments: Joe Keery was seen shirtless and wrapped in a bloody rag while filming Stranger Things in Atlanta this Monday Joe's character, the charming jock Steve Harrington, was not the only one who was apparently ready to defend himself. Natalia Dyer who plays Steve's high school ex Nancy Wheeler could be spotted carrying a shotgun while filming one sequence. Trailing close behind her was Sadie Sink who plays a character called Max and was lugging a paper bag full of supplies. Maya Hawke, the daughter of Gattaca stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, could also be spotted on the set that day. She plays Steve's friend and coworker Robin Buckley and like Sadie was spotted hauling bags of supplies for her part in the scene. Gunslinger: Natalia Dyer who plays Steve's high school ex Nancy Wheeler could be spotted carrying a shotgun while filming one sequence alongside Maya Hawke Hard work: The 29-year-old actor, who has been on the show since its first season, was busy shooting season four in Georgia Warlike: His latest scene appeared to be a somewhat ominous one as the Netflix star could be seen carrying a hatchet evidently prepared for a fight Rough and tumble: Joe's character, the charming jock Steve Harrington, was not the only one who was apparently ready to defend himself Stocking the store: Trailing close behind her was Sadie Sink who plays a character called Max and was lugging a paper bag full of supplies Natalia looked steely and determined in a pair of khaki pants and a striped top while Sadie bundled up in a dark jacket as part of her costume. The phrase: 'Hellfire Club,' which is a Dungeons And Dragons club formed by characters on the show, could be seen on the shirt of an extra on set. Joe, meanwhile, could be spotted swapping through a couple of different outfits as he made his way through the shoot day. Dynasty: Maya Hawke, the daughter of Gattaca stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, could also be spotted on the set that day Staying ready: Maya plays Steve's friend and coworker Robin Buckley and like Sadie was spotted hauling bags of supplies for her part in the scene Tough: Natalia looked steely and determined in a pair of khaki pants and a striped top while Sadie bundled up in a dark jacket as part of her costume COVID-19: One cast member had a mask lowered onto his chin as he conversed with crew members, while actress Sadie Sink, who plays Max, rocked her mask upon exiting her trailer Dress-up: Joe meanwhile could be spotted swapping through a couple of different outfits as he made his way through the shoot day Scheming: Natalia Dyer could be seen in full Nancy Wheeler garb, while positioned inside a trailer At one point he was seen in a worn-looking brown leather jacket over a striped shirt and a pair of what appeared to be sweats. Another one of his costumes included a special 1980s period touch - a sleeveless leather shirt advertising the Dio album The Last In Line. The sleeveless top also allowed Joe's character to reveal that the backs of his arms arms were bruised and bloodied after some recent altercation. Two characters who are evidently students at the show's Hawkins High School - as they are wearing its bomber jackets - are seen at one point looking fearful. Eighties style: At one point he was seen in a worn-looking brown leather jacket over a striped shirt and a pair of what appeared to be sweats To the last detail: Another one of his costumes included a special 1980s period touch - a sleeveless leather shirt advertising the Dio album The Last In Line Roughed up: The sleeveless top also allowed Joe's (far right) character to reveal that the backs of his arms arms were bruised and bloodied after some recent altercation The day's shoot took place at War Zone, an army surplus store, where cast members - in full character- appeared to be loading up on gear to tackle whatever creatures await them. Created by Duffer brothers Matt and Ross the show has become a sensation since dropping its first season on Netflix in 2016. Season four began filming early last year but had to stop on account of the coronavirus pandemic and the consequent lockdowns. However production had picked up again by last September and star David Harbour recently told Digital Spy that 'we should be done in like August.' A release date has not yet been announced. Uh oh: Two characters who are evidently students at the show's Hawkins High School - as they are wearing its bomber jackets - are seen at one point looking fearful It's a hit: Created by Duffer brothers Matt and Ross the show has become a sensation since dropping its first season on Netflix in 2016 Stepping out in style: One extra was seen clutching a bag of goods as he strode around the set Industry upheaval: Season four began filming early last year but had to stop on account of the coronavirus pandemic and the consequent lockdowns Celebrity Apprentice star Ross Noble has opened up about losing his home in the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. The comedian, 45, told 9Now he lost his property and all his belongings during the disaster, which saw 450,000 hectares of land burnt across Victoria. 'A few years ago, my wife and I lived in the country and we got caught up in Black Saturday and our house was completely destroyed,' Ross said. Disaster: Celebrity Apprentice star Ross Noble (pictured) has revealed the agony of losing his house in the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires 'We lost all of our stuff. There was a huge amount of tragedy that happened around us and a lot of our community were affected in some really terrible ways.' Ross also revealed how the Australian Red Cross helped him by giving him a pair of boots to 'walk around the smouldering remains of my house with'. 'I only had sandals at the time and they gave me a lovely pair of boots that I was able to walk around the smouldering remains of my house with,' he said. 'I think about it every day. It's one of those things that never goes away... We were incredibly lucky that we all stayed safe.' Tragic: The comedian, 45, told 9Now he lost his property and all his belongings during the disaster, which saw 450,000 hectares of land burnt across Victoria The Black Saturday bushfires burnt out 450,000 hectares of land and destroyed 3,500 structures. An estimated 400 fires swept through Victoria, destroying more than 2,000 houses in its destructive path. Of the 173 people killed - including Channel Nine newsreader Brian Naylor - 113 were inside homes, 27 were outside houses and 11 in vehicles. Impact: 'We lost all of our stuff. There was a huge amount of tragedy that happened around us and a lot of our community were affected in some really terrible ways,' he said Another six were in garages, five near vehicles and five more on roadways. Seven deaths occurred in bunkers, some of them specifically designed to protect against fires. More than 60,000 hectares of pasture was also lost and 10,000km of fencing was destroyed or damaged. Almost 100,000 hectares of park was gone. Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker is reportedly set to star in two more specials in 2022 before leaving the sci-fi series after nearly five years in the role. Sources claim the actress, who made the history as the first ever female Doctor, will appear in the extra episodes once series 13 has aired later this year, with that instalment cut to just eight episodes to due to the Covid pandemic. It comes following reports in January that Jodie has quit the role of Doctor Who after half a decade playing the iconic role, having taken over from Peter Capaldi in 2017. Goodbye Doctor? Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker is reportedly set to star in two more specials in 2022 before leaving the sci-fi series after five years in the role It is believed the episodes will feature stories which were axed from this year's series due to Covid restrictions. One of the episodes is likely to feature the important regeneration scene which is custom for the change of every Doctor, The Mirror reports. While Jodie will still be on televisions as the Doctor until next year, she will conclude filming for the show in the coming months. MailOnline has contacted representatives for BBC for comment. Exit: Sources claim the actress will appear in the extra episodes once series 13 has aired later this year, with that instalment cut to just eight episodes to due to the Covid pandemic. The latest news comes after Jodie is set to be the first Doctor ever not to feature on the cover of the show's annual. The artwork for the 2022 Doctor Who annual will feature artwork of the Tardis, rather than a picture of Jodie as The Doctor. Jodie's iteration of the Time Lord has appeared on each of the last three Doctor Who annuals, but with rumours circulating about her future on the show, she has been removed the cover. New face: One of the episodes is likely to feature the important regeneration scene which is custom for the change of every Doctor A source told The Mirror: 'Every Doctor Who annual since 1964 has featured the current Doctor so this is a big departure for them. It's surely no coincidence that it's happened just as she's on the way out.' Another told the paper: 'As ever bosses are staying tight-lipped about what they have planned, but with filming still ongoing they clearly have plans for episodes to be playing out much later into 2022 so there's still more to come for Jodie's Doctor.' MailOnline approached the BBC for comment at the time. End of an era: The latest news comes after Jodie is set to be the first Doctor ever not to feature on the cover of the show's annual Something new: Paul Lang, the author of the upcoming annual, tried to appease fans by saying that although Jodie isn't on the cover, she is on almost all of the pages inside After seeing fans's reaction to the new cover, the author of the annual, Paul Lang took to Twitter to reassure fans that Jodie will still feature throughout the book. He said: 'I didn't do the cover but I can assure you she is inside on (nearly) every page.' While the publishers of the annual, Penguin Random House, told The Sun: 'We made the decision some time ago to experiment with a non-character led illustrated cover. Jodie is, of course, featured throughout the book itself.' New regeneration: The artwork for the 2022 Doctor Who annual will feature artwork of the Tardis, rather than a picture of Jodie as The Doctor It comes after rumours emerged that Jodie will leave Doctor Who after series 13. In March, the BBC refused to comment on speculation, after it was reported that the screen star handed in her notice for the show. Jodie reportedly told BBC bosses that she won't be returning to the popular series following the conclusion of the upcoming series 13. That will mark a four-year run for the actress, which is about average for recent actors playing the time-travelling alien. Newbie? Jodie's iteration of the Time Lord has appeared on each of the last three Doctor Who annuals, but with rumours circulating about her future on the show, she has been removed Matt Smith, David Tennant and Peter Capaldi also appeared on Doctor Who for three series each, while Christopher Eccleston only appeared on one series after the show was revived in 2005. According to a source for The Mirror, the show is already at work on figuring out how Whittaker will be replaced by the Fourteenth Doctor. As with previous Doctors, at the end of Whittaker's tenure her character will 'regenerate' into a new form, at which point the next actor will take over the role. Jodie made history in July 2017 when she was announced as the first-ever female doctor after Peter Capaldi ended his run. Earlier this year, Mandip revealed that bosses are 'open' to casting a 'woman of colour' as the next Time Lord. One more series? In March, the BBC refused to comment on speculation, after it was reported that the screen star handed in her notice for the show The actress, who plays Yasmin Khan in the sci-fi series, said that 'there's definitely room for change,' when it comes to diversifying the show's cast, following reports that Jodie has quit the role after four years in the TARDIS. It comes after Who was universally praised by fans for introducing its first ever black Doctor, played by Jo Martin in a shocking twist that saw the time traveller learn of numerous incarnations from her past. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Mandip said she could see another black actor taking on the famous role, as bosses are yet to confirm rumours that Jodie will leave the show later this year. She said: 'I think there's a long way to go but there's definitely room for change. And actually, I think at the BBC and at Doctor Who they are very open and forward-thinking, so yes.' Mandip joined the cast as Yaz alongside Jodie's Doctor in 2018, and will appear alongside John when he joins the series as the new companion Dan later this year. Bindi Irwin welcomed her newborn daughter Grace Warrior in March. And already, the tiny tot is fitting in perfectly at home at Australia Zoo. On Wednesday, Bindi, 22, took her daughter for a stroll around the Queensland zoo and shared an adorable photo of her looking as cute as a button in her stroller. 'Our sweet girl': On Wednesday, Bindi Irwin shared an adorable photograph of newborn daughter Grace Warrior all wrapped up in her pram as she took her for a walk around Australia Zoo 'Our sweet girl snuggly and adventuring through Australia Zoo,' Bindi captioned the post. She added that Grace Warrior is already loving the animals she sees on their strolls. 'Giggling when we talk about all the animals we're strolling by,' Bindi finished. 'Giggling when we talk about all the animals we're strolling by,' Bindi wrote In the image, Grace gazes at the camera while tucked in her stroller underneath a warm blanket that reads 'baby Powell.' Earlier this week, Bindi's husband Chandler gifted her a stunning bunch of sunflowers as he professed his love for her. 'A little bit of sunshine to thank you for being the most amazing and kind mumma in the world,' Chandler wrote, showing his romantic side. How sweet: Earlier this week, Bindi's husband Chandler gifted her a stunning bunch of sunflowers as he professed his love for her 'We are so lucky and grateful that you're always there to take care of us no matter what,' he added. 'We all love you,' he finished, before signing off with Grace, Piggy and Chandler. 'Piggy' being the couple's adorable dog. Bindi and husband Chandler announced their daughter's birth on March 26, just one day after she was born on their first wedding anniversary. 'We all love you,' he finished, before signing off with Grace, Piggy and Chandler. 'Piggy' being the couple's adorable dog 'March 25, 2021. Celebrating the two loves of my life. Happy first wedding anniversary to my sweetheart husband and day of birth to our beautiful daughter,' she wrote on Instagram. Bindi went on to explain the sentimental meaning behind their child's unique name. 'Grace is named after my great-grandmother and relatives in Chandler's family dating back to the 1700s,' she wrote. New addition: Bindi and husband Chandler announced their daughter's birth on March 26, just one day after she was born on their first wedding anniversary 'Her middle names, Warrior Irwin, are a tribute to my dad [Steve Irwin] and his legacy as the most incredible Wildlife Warrior. Her last name is Powell and she already has such a kind soul just like her dad. 'There are no words to describe the infinite amount of love in our hearts for our sweet baby girl. She chose the perfect day to be born and we feel tremendously blessed.' Steve Irwin died in September 2006 at the age of 44, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a wildlife documentary in Batt Reef, Queensland. Australian rap superstar The Kid Laroi is making friends in high places. On Wednesday, the 17-year-old shared a photo to Instagram of himself posing alongside Justin Bieber. Despite still being a teenager, Laroi seemed to tower over the 27-year-old Peaches hitmaker. Large and in charge! Kid Laroi, 17, (left) towered over Justin Bieber, 27, (right) in a photo the Aussie rapper shared to Instagram on Wednesday Fans noticed the height difference, with one commenting: 'Since when is Kid Laroi 74?' Another commented: 'When did u get so tall man?' 'This man 17 and taller than JB,' added another, who followed their comment up with multiple skull emojis. Laroi is 5ft 7in tall, while Bieber is slightly taller at 5ft 9in, according to various websites that document celebrities' heights. 'When did u get so tall man?' Fans were shocked by Laroi's stature in the photo. Laroi is 5ft 7in tall, according to various websites that document celebrities' heights Since the pair's feet weren't visible in the photo, fans speculated that Laroi may have been wearing high boots or standing on something to look taller than Bieber. The Kid Laroi, whose real name is Charlton Howard, recently made history as the youngest solo artist to top the Australian album charts. And now he's on a mission to showcase his home country's rap scene to the world. 'I don't think America is completely switched on to how big [and] great the Australian music scene and culture is, but I think that's kind of my job to shed light,' he told Triple J last month. Grown: The 27-year-old Peaches hitmaker is said to be around 5ft 9in tall The Waterloo-born star said he's long dreamed of putting Sydney's rap scene on the map 'the way Drake did with Toronto'. Born in Canada, rapper Drake often gushes about his home city of Toronto in his music, and even boasts a number of Toronto-themed tattoos. Laroi, whose real name is Charlton Howard, added: 'You have to do it in a way where people get it and really see it for what it really is; how great the scene really is.' 'That's the most important thing - I don't want people to overlook it or think because it's my country, I really want people to recognise Australia is the f**king future of music, in my opinion.' The Bachelorette #12 alum Evan Bass revealed his estranged wife Carly Waddell is in 'rough shape' after spending nine hours at the ER in his native Nashville on Monday. 'Thanks for all the prayers and support,' the 38-year-old erectile dysfunction specialist - who boasts 474K social media followers - wrote via Instastory. 'She's still in pretty rough shape and may have to go back. Continued thoughts and prayers are so appreciated. And she knows she's beloved. I know y'all wanna know what's going on but it's her health and story to tell if she wants to share. 'She may have to go back': The Bachelorette #12 alum Evan Bass revealed his estranged wife Carly Waddell is in 'rough shape' after spending nine hours at the ER in his native Nashville on Monday 'I did get her permission to share photo from earlier (so you can relax Jan from Wisconsin). In all the madness, she lost her phone and she really needs to rest so it might be a bit.' This Thursday would've marked Evan and the 35-year-old influencer-vlogger's fourth wedding anniversary had they not legally separated the day after Thanksgiving. Bass and Waddell have continued to amicably co-parent their 19-month-old son Charles 'Charlie' Wolfe and three-year-old daughter Isabella Evelyn. The MMM, LLC co-founder is also father to three sons - Nathan, 19; Liam, 16; and Ensley, 13 - from his first marriage with horse trainer Marie Bass. The 38-year-old erectile dysfunction specialist wrote via Instastory: 'Continued thoughts and prayers are so appreciated. And she knows she's beloved. I know y'all wanna know what's going on but it's her health and story to tell if she wants to share' Last couple sighting: This Thursday would've marked Evan (L, pictured October 4) and the 35-year-old influencer-vlogger's (M) fourth wedding anniversary had they not legally separated the day after Thanksgiving Carly's hospitalization came the day before her big brother Zak Waddell - who competed on the ninth season of The Bachelorette - hinted that her marriage might not yet be over. 'Don't close the chapter on this love story yet,' the 39-year-old drilling fluid engineer told Us Weekly on Tuesday. 'There are pages still to be written.' Evan and the Mommies Tell All podcaster originally met while competing on the third season of Bachelor in Paradise in 2016, which ended with their engagement. 2020 family portrait: Bass and Waddell have continued to amicably co-parent their 19-month-old son Charles 'Charlie' Wolfe and three-year-old daughter Isabella Evelyn Father-of-five: The MMM, LLC co-founder (pictured in 2020) is also father to three sons - Nathan, 19; Liam, 16; and Ensley, 13 - from his first marriage with horse trainer Marie Bass Knows her best: Carly's hospitalization came the day before her big brother Zak Waddell (R, pictured in 2015) - who competed on the ninth season of The Bachelorette - hinted that her marriage might not yet be over The 39-year-old drilling fluid engineer told Us Weekly on Tuesday: 'Don't close the chapter on this love story yet. There are pages still to be written' Bass and Waddell are also Guinness World Records holders for longest habanero pepper kiss - one minute and 41 seconds - while on the Puerto Vallarta set of the reality series. It's worth noting that out of six seasons of Bachelor in Paradise, four of the winning couples remain together - making it the most successful BN franchise. By contrast, there's only three winning couples still together after 25 seasons of The Bachelor and six winning couples still together after 16 seasons of The Bachelorette. Shaynna Blaze was visibly shocked when she was crowned the champion of Celebrity Apprentice during Tuesday's season finale. And the 58-year-old spoke about her victory on Fitzy and Wippa on Wednesday, saying she was still reeling after a mystery corporate donor helped her win. Shaynna said still 'can't believe' she triumphed over comedian Ross Noble, and also revealed what it's really like going toe to toe with Lord Alan Sugar in the boardroom. 'I still can't believe it': Shaynna Blaze appeared on Nova's Fitzy and Wippa on Wednesday and reflected on her Celebrity Apprentice triumph 'I still can't believe it,' Shaynna said. 'To be in that boardroom and not to be s**tting my pants for the first time! I survived [the boardroom] seven times.' Shaynna also praised runner-up Ross, saying he is a 'genius' and an 'incredible man'. Competition: Shaynna said still 'can't believe' she triumphed over comedian Ross Noble, and also revealed what it's really like going toe to toe with Lord Alan Sugar in the boardroom Donation: Shaynna said she was still reeling after a mystery corporate donor helped her win 'His mind is just unbelievable and what I'm so happy about is that we both walked away with money too,' she said. Shaynna walked away victorious during Tuesday's grand finale. She triumphed over the British funnyman, 45, in the final challenge, raising $326,000 for her charity and winning an additional $100,000. Success: On Tuesday's grand finale episode of Celebrity Apprentice Australia, Shaynna Blaze walked away victorious. The Block star, 58, triumphed over comedian Ross Noble, 45, in the final challenge, raising $326,000 on the night and winning an additional $100,000 Shaynna and Ross were tasked with creating an event to raise money for their chosen charities. Shaynna told Fitzy and Wippa she didn't even know she had raised so much money after a corporate donor - who wanted to remain anonymous - made a generous and undisclosed donation that 'blew her out of the water and the competition'. Ross also spoke to the breakfast radio show on Wednesday, revealing how actor Russell Crowe had donated $10,000 to his charity. 'I thanked him on the show but sadly it didn't make the cut. He's an incredibly generous man who doesn't necessarily shout about it,' he said. Fancy that! Ross Noble also spoke to Fitzy and Wippa on Wednesday, revealing how actor Russell Crowe had donated $10,000 to his charity Ross organised a high-octane bank heist experience complete with explosions, electrified stairs and a 'mob boss' for participants to deal with. Meanwhile, Shaynna hosted a gala dinner where she auctioned off big-ticket items, including a diamond ring. In the final boardroom, Shaynna told Lord Sugar she'd started domestic violence charity Voice of Change because she was 'not unscathed' by domestic violence in her own life. Ross also got emotional during the board meeting, revealing he feared he would let down his charity, the Australian Red Cross, if he didn't sell enough tickets. A good cause: In the final boardroom, Shaynna revealed to Lord Alan Sugar she started domestic violence charity, Voice of Change, as she was 'not unscathed' by domestic violence in her own life 'It's very personal to me, as my wife and I, we lost our house in a bushfire and the Red Cross actually supported us. Now I want to support them,' he told Lord Sugar. He ended up raising $83,500 for his charity after running his heist experience. However, Shaynna smashed the final challenge, raising $326,000 thanks to the incredibly generous corporate donation. Julie Bishop is being honoured by Barbie with her own one-of-a-kind doll as she's announced as the brand's official Role Model for Australia. The former Minister for Foreign Affairs, 64, was presented with a doll in her likeness - which is the highest honour that can be bestowed by the Mattel toy company. 'I am delighted to work with Barbie as an Official Role model as I hope it will encourage young women and girls to aspire to set big goals, work hard to achieve them and be leaders in their field,' she said. Honour: Former Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop is being honoured by Barbie with her own one-of-a-kind doll as she's announced as the brand's official Role Model for Australia Julie's doll, which is not for sale, features her signature blonde bob and is dressed in a navy coat and dress, and red heels. The doll also comes with an Australian passport and a suitcase - a nod to her four-year tenure as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Julie was impeccably dressed for the photo shoot with her Barbie, captured by renowned photographer Russell James. Dressed for success! The retired politician, 64, was presented with a doll in her likeness - which is the highest honour that can be bestowed by the Mattel toy company Tribute: Julie's doll, which is not for sale, features her signature blonde bob and is dressed in a navy coat and dress, and red heels She wore a navy coat and Armani dress, along with sparkling earrings and a broach. The retired politician completed her look with a pair of her signature red pumps, which she famously wore on her last day in office. Julie said: 'I was genuinely thrilled to see a Barbie in my likeness, particularly as she was dressed in the outfit I wore when a resigned as Australia's Foreign Minister, a political role that I was honoured to hold.' Dream big: Julie said of the honour, 'I hope it will encourage young women and girls to aspire to set big goals, work hard to achieve them and be leaders in their field' Mattel's custom doll pays homage to Julie's trailblazing career in both national and international politics, which spanned more than 20 years. During her career she formalised a partnership between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Fashion Chamber to promote local fashion and design on the world stage. Julie stepped down as Foreign Minister in August 2018 and quit politics the following year. Standing out from the crowd: Mattel's custom doll pays homage to Julie's trailblazing career in both national and international politics, which spanned more than 20 years Hard work: During her career she formalised a partnership between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Fashion Chamber to promote local fashion and design on the world stage. Pictured in London on April 17, 2018 She has since become a fixture on the social scene, and recently attended Australian Fashion Week in Sydney. As of January last year, she has been chancellor of the Australian National University, and is the first woman to hold the position. Julie also serves as Chair of the Telethon Kids Institute and Chair of the Prince's Trust Australia, and was recently appointed by the UK Government to the G7 Equality Advisory Council. Exit: Julie stepped down as Foreign Minister in August 2018 and quit politics the following year In the past, Barbie has honoured high-profile Australians including media doyenne Ita Buttrose, conservationist Bindi Irwin and Paralympian Madison de Rozario. Barbie's Role Model program aims to inspire the next generation of women to break boundaries in diverse fields as part of Barbie's Dream Gap Project. The Barbie's Dream Gap Project initiative raises awareness around factors that limit girls from achieving their full potential. Gabi Grecko has found a unique way to deal with the death of her ex-husband Geoffrey Edelsten: twerking along to rap music. The model uploaded several videos to Instagram on Tuesday of herself drinking and rhythmically shaking her backside in her New York City studio apartment. The 32-year-old was wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt, which at one point she hiked up to showcase her bare derriere. All by myself: Geoffrey Edelsten's 'widow' Gabi Grecko uploaded several videos to Instagram on Tuesday of herself drinking and twerking in her New York City studio apartment As Gabi recorded the sexually suggestive videos, Geoffrey was laid to rest in a traditional Jewish ceremony in Melbourne on Wednesday. The flashy millionaire was buried in a simple pine box, in accordance with his faith. Meanwhile, after sharing the racy videos, Gabi uploaded a series of photos of herself and Geoffrey from when they were still together. Final farewell: As Gabi recorded the sexually suggestive videos, Geoffrey was laid to rest in a traditional Jewish ceremony in Melbourne on Wednesday She also sensationally claimed in a post on Instagram that she never actually divorced Geoffrey, making her a widow. 'For people who have asked. No me and Geoffrey were still married when he passed away, no divorce, widowed,' she wrote. She also said she was changing her rap moniker from GlittA Foxx to WiDoW FoxX to reflect the tragedy in her personal life. Daring display: The 32-year-old was wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt, which at one point she hiked up to showcase her bare derriere Daily Mail Australia has been unable to verify if she and Geoffrey were still legally married at the time of his death. The pair wed at a Melbourne registry office in June 2015 - when he was 72 and she was 26 - before announcing their separation just months later. They seemingly reconciled in January 2018 when the medical entrepreneur told Daily Mail Australia he wanted to renew their vows. Still married? In addition to the risque photos and videos, she also sensationally claimed in a post on her main account that she never actually divorced Geoffrey Edelsten But it's unclear if their planned 'second wedding' in New York ever happened, meaning Geoffrey may well have proceeded with the divorce. After their split, Gabi returned to the Big Apple where she attempted to launch a career as a professional rapper. When she's not making music, she often shares scantily clad photos on Instagram of herself drinking and smoking alone in her apartment. Better days: Gabi and Geoffrey married at a Melbourne registry office in June 2015 - when he was 72 and she was 26 - before announcing their separation just months later Geoffrey died alone aged 78 at his Melbourne apartment on Friday, June 11 - which coincidentally was the anniversary of his wedding to Ms Grecko. He was buried in a pine box during a traditional Jewish ceremony on Wednesday. While there was speculation he would be sent off in a lavish affair, he ultimately was put to rest in a quiet and dignified service in line with his Jewish beliefs. Farrah Abraham had critical words for Chrissy Teigen, saying the model had not reached out to personally apologize to her after Teigen admitted to being a 'troll' and 'a**hole' in apology for past bullying tweets aimed at other celebs. The 30-year-old reality star, in a Medium post Tuesday, fired back at Teigen, 35, who had called her a w**** in a tweet posted in 2013. Teigen tweeted at the time: 'farrah abraham now thinks she is pregnant from her sex tape. in other news you're a w**** and everyone hates you whoops not other news sorry.' The latest: Farrah Abraham, 30, had critical words for Chrissy Teigen, 35, saying the model had not reached out to personally apologize to her after Teigen admitted to being a 'troll' and 'a**hole' in apology for past bullying tweets aimed at other celebs On Tuesday, the MTV reality star said, 'As you're asking yourself "Did Chrissy ever apologize to Farrah," hypocritically as such at this time no she has not. As a reminder Chrissy ended her light hearted post, so similarly as her past remarks with taking care of her family and herself. So I understand the time it will take to really be beyond her past behavior.' The Teen Mom personality said that Teigen should also say she was sorry to her daughter Sophia, 12, for her past harsh words about her mother. 'An apology maybe due to me only in Chrissy's eyes but as a mother there's also an apology due to my child who has to witness the aftermath of remarks publicly that not only affects her mom but her. This mentally affects children and their time with their mothers,' Abraham said. 'Those who hurt mother's are also responsible for hurting their children.' The Council Bluffs, Iowa native described how she felt at the time Teigen posted the aforementioned tweet. 'At that time I was very much staying strong for my daughter and dealing with public sex shaming, by those who took advantage of my vulnerability in the same both men and woman,' she said. 'Like a lot of teen mothers with a lot of undeserved criticism, judgement, being taken advantage of and so much else many older moms will never understand, those who do not have children and men.' Teigen, who has past reached out to Courteney Stodden to express her remorse about past bullying, said in her essay that she planned to speak with others The Teen Mom personality said that Teigen should also say she was sorry to her daughter Sophia, 12, for her past harsh words about her mother Abraham said Teigen used her past 'whiplash' behavior 'to get clout, notoriety, build a following to get famous, be with possibly the person she wanted to be with, the friend group she wanted to fit in with, get the fashion, style angle of public persona rather than only being discovered through her [husband's] music video, and act nice to friends she made in real life who believed in being above essential celebrities, gossiping complete immature lies and hate publicly that their friends supported loudly on social media and privately.' She added that Teigen's 'prey of vulnerable young famous women who are true survivors and warrior women today have shared if they had or not heard an apology about her actions from long ago whenever she realized it was wrong then or now. 'Its a rarity in current public victim culture that the wrongly labeled would not exercise their full constitutional rights to have their voices heard ... rather than silent and someone in turn speak for them.' Abraham, who's also been seen on Ex on the Beach, Celebrity Big Brother and Couples Therapy, spoke with Fox News earlier this month about how she underestimated how widespread Teigen's vitriol was. 'When I initially saw Chrissy Teigen make these comments I could tell she was a desperate music video groupie and model,' Abraham said. 'I just thought it was only with me and I ignored her because I don't behave like that. Now I see it's tons and tons of people. It really bothers me right now.' Teigen, who has past reached out to Courteney Stodden to express her remorse about past bullying, said in her essay that she planned to speak with others. 'Ive apologized publicly to one person, but there are others - and more than just a few - who I need to say Im sorry to,' she said. 'Im in the process of privately reaching out to the people I insulted ... there is simply no excuse for my past horrible tweets. My targets didnt deserve them. No one does.' Giovanna Fletcher has issued a statement with her husband Tom in the wake of the news they claimed money from the government's furlough scheme, despite being worth 8 million. Despite keeping quiet on the matter until now, the best-selling author, 36, shared a joint note from her and McFly musician Tom, 35, to Instagram on Tuesday evening, with Tom sharing the same message to his account. It read: 'Hi everyone, we have always had a very honest and open relationship with you all on here so we thought it was important to address questions that some of you have rightly asked us in the last 24 hours. Breaking their silence: Giovanna Fletcher has issued a statement with her husband Tom in the wake of the news they claimed money from the government's furlough scheme, despite being worth 8 million 'It's true that we did follow financial advice to furlough someone we employ. This was for a member of our team who couldn't carry out their role due to the pandemic, and the scheme was suggested to us as the most effective way to give them job stability and security. 'Although it was a time of great uncertainty, we clearly should have thought more about the situation and funded it ourselves. 'It was a huge error of judgement and a mistake we wholeheartedly take responsibility for and we have paid the full amount back. Gi and Tom x' The statement also disputed the sum - which was said to be 30,000 when The Sun reported the news at the weekend. Statement: Despite keeping quiet on the matter until now, the best-selling author, 36, shared a joint note from her and McFly musician Tom, 35, to Instagram on Tuesday evening, with Tom sharing the same message to his account Explanation: 'It's true that we did follow financial advice to furlough someone we employ. This was for a member of our team who couldn't carry out their role due to the pandemic,' the statement read The comments were disabled under the post on both Tom and Giovanna's Instagram pages. The money was said to have been claimed just weeks after Giovanna was crowned the champion of last year's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! after winning the hearts of viewers. According to government documents obtained by The Sun, Giovanna and Tom received the financial support weeks after she won the show. Since being crowned Queen Of The Castle in December, Giovanna's career has gone from strength to strength. Despite being known as an accomplished author, her career in publishing hasn't always been plain sailing as she recently revealed that she lost 12,000 words of her new book Walking on Sunshine during the creative process. Surprising: Giovanna Fletcher, 36, reportedly claimed up to 30,000 from the government's furlough scheme, weeks after being crowned I'm A Celebrity champion (pictured) Surprising: The author received the huge sum of cash alongside her husband Tom (pictured), who are believed to be worth 8 million, while the UK was in the midst of the Covid lockdown MailOnline can exclusively detail the vlogger's painful blunder ahead of the release of Jamie Laing and Francis Boulle's Private Parts podcast episode on Friday. Horrified Giovanna told the former Made In Chelsea stars: 'I lost everything of the new book when my laptop died. I lost 12,000 words.' Fortunately, Giovanna managed to recover her work thanks to a little help from her friends, discovering the document had been saved to her cloud, with the star sharing the happy news to her social media followers at the time. Ouch! It comes after Giovanna revealed that she lost 12,000 words of her new book Walking on Sunshine while appearing on Jamie Laing and Francis Boulle's Private Parts podcast The mother-of-three's first novel, Billy and Me, was published in 2013 but her career as a wordsmith was launched thanks to an unpublished satirical project about life with her McFly star beau Tom Fletcher, 35. However, acting was Giovanna's first love, having attended the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, but she insists she's now turned her back on a stage career. When quizzed by Jamie about how she handled rejection, the CBeebies presenter said: 'I was always aware of how difficult it was, I was taught about rejection. I wouldnt change anything that happened. Getting in the door is the trickiest part.' Love and marriage: She is married to McFly star Tom who she met at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London when she was 13 before they both found fame Laugh a minute: Giovanna has turned her back on acting in favour of writing and is able to laugh about losing her work after it was recovered thanks to her friends Celebrity pals: Former Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing, 32, spoke to Giovanna on his podcast And when pressed over whether she'll stick with writing or try her hand at acting again in the future, she said: 'Writing, Im able to create words and characters without the stress of acting. 'But with writing you're on your own and, when you're acting, you're part of a world that makes you feel alive.' Giovanna, whose book Walking on Sunshine is set for release in November, met husband Tom in her teens at school. The couple share three children, their sons Buzz, seven, Buddy, five, and Max, two. Opening up on married life with the musician, she concluded: 'Me and Tom have been married for nine years, together for 18. Larking about: Actress-turned-author Giovanna told Jamie and Francis (pictured) she's much happier as an author than an actress as she struggled with the rejection after auditions Happy families: Giovanna and Tom are parents to sons Buzz, seven, Buddy, five, and Max, two 'We met at 13 at theatre school. [There's] the whole myth of growing up with someone and it gets too comfortable, but comfort is nice. Seeing each other as parents is a whole new thing.' Giovanna recently revealed that she and Tom are hoping to revisit both of their honeymoon destinations to mark 10 years of marriage next year. She told HELLO! magazine: 'We'd like to do a trip to Jade Mountain in St Lucia just for us and go to Disney World in Florida, which was our second honeymoon destination, with the whole family. 'Having young kids is relentless and intense so it'd be nice to have something that's focused on us.' Reality queen: Giovanna won the lockdown series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here in December last year when it was filmed in a Welsh castle rather than the Australian jungle Australian actress and Hollywood heavyweight Rose Byrne has done her fair share of interviews and press junkets in her time. But she had one of her most awkward interviews yet this week, when she chatted to Sunrise's UK showbiz correspondent Steve Hargrave about her new Apple TV+ show, Physical. The 41-year-old star was left speechless when British personality Steve put on some eighties-style activewear and did a routine to the famous Olivia Newton-John song by the same name. 'I don't think she liked you too much': Sunrise correspondent Steve Hargrave left Aussie actress Rose Byrne speechless during an awkward interview this week Steve first surprised Rose by saying he wanted to 'try out a few moves' and bopped away to the 1981 hit while chatting to the Aussie star via video link. Rose politely went along with the gag, saying: 'I like that, it's very London High Street, it's very cool, very hip. The eighties is back.' Steve then quipped: 'Hip is one word for it, I'm sure some people have some other words you can't use on breakfast TV.' Random: The 41-year-old star was left speechless when British personality Steve put on some eighties-style activewear and did a routine to the famous Olivia Newton-John song by the same name Afterwards, Steve remarked that Rose probably didn't take the joke all that well. 'I felt great after that interview, I think Rose Byrne probably less so in fairness,' he said with a laugh. He added: 'She had no agreement about that exercise session.' Sunrise hosts David 'Kochie' Koch and Natalie Barr laughed awkwardly and Kochie admitted to Steve: 'I'm not sure she got your sense of humour though, Steve.' Even they noticed it! Sunrise hosts David 'Kochie' Koch and Natalie Barr laughed awkwardly and Kochie admitted to Steve: 'I'm not sure she got your sense of humour though, Steve.' Natalie added: ' No, I don't think she liked you too much' Natalie added: 'No, I don't think she liked you too much, some people get it and some have that "what the?" look the whole interview... But we liked it.' Rose is returning to the small screen for the upcoming Apple TV+ series, in which she plays tortured housewife-turned aerobics guru Sheila. Physical also stars Rory Scovel, Dierdre Friel, Della Saba, Lou Taylor Pucci, Paul Sparks and Ashley Liao. New role: Rose is returning to the small screen for the upcoming Apple TV+ series, in which she plays tortured housewife-turned aerobics guru Sheila (pictured) Meanwhile, the Australian actress has been cast as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in the 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. Another role: Meanwhile, the Australian actress has been cast as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in the upcoming film, They Are Us 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.' She hasn't walked a red carpet since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But on Tuesday night, Lupita Nyong'o put her best fashion foot forward as she attended a screening at the Tribeca Festival in New York City. The actress, 38, looked gorgeous in a striking full-length monochrome harlequin dress. Gorgeous: Lupita Nyong'o put her best fashion foot forward as she walked her first post-pandemic red carpet at the Tribeca Festival in New York City on Tuesday night Nyong'o wore a black hat and added a splash of color with red hoop earrings. She was made up with just a touch of dark gray shimmer shadow on her eye lids and glossy red lip color. The 12 Years A Slave Oscar winner came out to the screening to support the film Queen of Glory by Ghanaian-American actor, writer and director Nana Mensah. Flawless: The actress, 38, opted for a striking full-length monochrome harlequin dress which she paired with a black hat Red carpet ready: Nyong'o added a splash of color with red hoop earrings. She was made up with just a touch of dark gray shimmer shadow on her eye lids and glossy red lip color In the audience: The 12 Years A Slave Oscar winner came out to the screening to support the film Queen of Glory by Ghanaian-American actor, writer and director Nana Mensah The independent comedy marks Mensah's feature debut. It tells the story of PhD student Sarah whose planned future is thrown into disarray by the unexpected death of her mother and the news she's inherited her Christian bookstore. The Tribeca Festival kicked off last week as New York reopened following the coronavirus crisis. Big night: Queen Of Glory marks Mensah's feature directorial debut and she looked stunning in a floral-themed green gown Meanwhile, Nyong'o is preparing to reprise her role as Nakia in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In April, she shared that she is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her co-star Chadwick Boseman who died last August from colon cancer at 43. 'It's still so hard for me to come to terms with his passing,' the actress said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 'He was my friend and so it's hard to think of him in the past tense still,' Nyong'o shared. Kendall Jenner is currently enjoying a girls-only trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with Hailey Bieber and a slew of their closest pals. And prior to stepping out for the evening, the 25-year-old supermodel took to Instagram to showcase her ultra sultry resort wear. Jenner's Mexican getaway comes amid reports that she 'is crazy about' her boyfriend Devin Booker, 24, who she has been romantically linked to since April 2020. Stepping out: Kendall Jenner took to Instagram on Tuesday to showcase her ultra sultry resort wear In her vacation snaps, Kendall wowed in a cream textured top with a keyhole cut-out and a sexy tie-front. Putting the entirety of her toned midsection on display, the KUWTK star paired her top with some matching flared trousers that rested on her hips. She posed before a floor-length mirror in the spacious restroom located with her and Bieber's lavish vacation villa. Vacation vibes: In her vacation snaps, Kendall wowed in a cream textured top with a keyhole cut-out and a sexy tie-front Kendall styled her long brunette hair in loose waves that flowed down her chest and back. The runway maven incorporated several small braids into her hairdo in order to create a more dimensional look. As for makeup, Jenner appeared to rely on her naturally flawless complexion, which she enhanced with a bit of peach blush and a dash of facial bronzer. Just a peek: Since arriving in Cabo over the weekend, Jenner has been keeping her 169million in the loop on the trip, including showing off the luxe place where her and her BFF Hailey Bieber have been staying Bikini babe: On Tuesday, Kendall shared a slew of snapshots with her followers, including one shot of the model soaking up the sun in an orange bikini on a boat She also had on some mascara on her upper lashes and a nude toned lip gloss on her plump pout. In her final Instagram Story shot, Kendall stepped outside with Hailey to relish in the final moments of golden hour. Hailey, 24, who is married to pop star Justin Bieber, displayed her washboard abs in a black satin bra top and a pair of diamond pattern trousers. Completed look: Before boarding the boat, she captured a mirror selfie that showcased her bright orange bikini top and color-blocked trousers Relaxation: Another notable addition was a photo of Jenner lounging poolside with a book in her hand Since arriving in Cabo over the weekend, Jenner has been keeping her 169million in the loop on the trip, including showing off the luxe place where her and Hailey have been staying. On Tuesday, Kendall shared a slew of snapshots with her followers, including one shot of the model soaking up the sun in an orange bikini on a boat. Before boarding the boat, she captured a mirror selfie that showcased her bright orange bikini top and color-blocked trousers. Bold: On Monday, she appeared on the platform in a bright blue bikini covered in lime green flowers as she hung out by the same gorgeous pool Another notable addition was a photo of Jenner lounging poolside with a book in her hand. On Monday, she appeared on the platform in a bright blue bikini covered in lime green flowers as she hung out by the same gorgeous pool. Just days before venturing off to Mexico with her gal pals, Kendall unloaded several snaps of her and her boyfriend Devin to Instagram. In love: Just days before venturing off to Mexico with her gal pals, Kendall unloaded several snaps of her and her boyfriend Devin to Instagram; Kendall and Devin pictured on Saturday Never been happier: A source close to the duo recently divulged to People that the supermodel 'is crazy about him' and that she has 'never looked happier'; Kendall and Devin pictured A source close to the duo recently divulged to People that the supermodel 'is crazy about him' and that she has 'never looked happier.' Devin, who plays for the Phoenix Suns, has also reportedly earned the approval of the entire Kardashian-Jenner clan, with the source adding: Her whole family loves Devin too.' The insider continued: 'Devin is such a cool guy. He is very low-key and doesn't want to be a celebrity. He is very sweet to Kendall.' Kelly Dodd, Braunwyn Windham-Burke and Elizabeth Lyn Vargas are out of The Real Housewives of Orange County. Variety confirmed the news that the ladies - including the 45-year-old entrepreneur star Dodd - will not be returning for the 16th season. While Kelly isn't welcome on the cast any longer, Heather Dubrow is set to make a triumphant return to the show after taking four seasons off following her last stint in 2016 for season 11. Dodd faced intense backlash last year for her controversial COVID-19 opinions and later toasted to being a 'super-spreader' while at a bar with friends amid strict lockdown and social distancing measures in California. Cast shake-up! Kelly Dodd, Braunwyn Windham-Burke and Elizabeth Lyn Vargas will NOT return to Real Housewives of Orange County Kelly Dodd will not be returning for the 16th season of Real Housewives of Orange County, according to Variety; seen in 2019 Bravo also cancelled the contracts for Braunwyn Windham-Burke, who was on the show for two seasons, and Elizabeth Lyn Vargas, who was on the most recent season. Shannon Storms Beador, Gina Kirschenheiter and Emily Simpson will be back for another season in front of cameras. Reports that Tamra Judge will also return have only been confirmed on the Housewives Wikipedia page. Get the champs! Heather Dubrow is set to make a triumphant return to the show after taking four seasons off following her last stint in 2016 for season 11; seen in 2018 Dream team: Reports that Tamra Judge will also return have only been confirmed on the Housewives Wikipedia page Tweeting about the news on Tuesday, Kelly wrote: 'The last five years have been an amazing experience. The next five years will be even better. I am so grateful for all the love and support and so excited about the future.' Kelly was dropped from her partnership with Positive Beverages in February due to her 'controversial views and opinions' on COVID-19. She first partnered with the brand in February 2019 and regularly promoted the sparkling beverage on her social media accounts and in episodes of RHOC. In January, Kelly and her friends toasted to being 'super spreaders' as they dined maskless in Newport Beach despite surging cases of the coronavirus throughout Southern California. In response to being let go from the company, Kelly noted that she was 'glad I could help put Positive Beverage on the map and wish them well.' Out with the old: Kelly Dodd was dropped from her partnership with Positive Beverages due to her 'controversial views and opinions' on COVID-19 Yikes: In January, Kelly and her friends toasted to being 'super spreaders' as they dined maskless in Newport Beach despite surging cases of the coronavirus throughout Southern California '2020 has taught us that words have power and listening can unite ... we listened to you and have an important action to share,' the brand first shared. 'Our core values of wellness, community, diversity and inclusion should be reflected by our brand and anyone associated with it,' head of Brand Zach Muchnick comments, 'it has become clear over the past few months that Kelly's controversial views and opinions have distracted from our primary objectives, so effective today, we are no longer affiliated with Kelly Dodd-Leventhal.' 'We welcome all people - however they are and whatever they are passionate about - to Positive Beverage,' says CEO, Shannon Argyros, 'but there must always be an underlying layer of respect. Unfortunately, we feel Kelly's stance is no longer congruent with our core values. We appreciate her contributions during our affiliation, and she will always be a part of Positive Beverage's history, but we do not align with her opinions or global views while we uphold our own values and the values of customers.' Dodd claimed she was 'getting a lot of hate for being at a restaurant we're allowed to be at' after California partially lifted dining restrictions amid the ongoing pandemic. 'The sheeple are mad,' she said. 'I'm not a super spreader because there's nothing to spread because we all got the vaccine and we don't have it, so there's nothing to spread about super spreaders.' Statement piece: Kelly was back in the spotlight for sporting a Drunk Wives Matter hat at her surprise bridal shower in Orange County in October Kelly made headlines last April after saying on social media that she believed that the pandemic was 'Gods way of thinning the herd' as she argued with an Instagram user who called her out after taking a cross-country flight. After a user wrote to Dodd, 'If non-essential workers keep traveling back and forth like you, it will last longer,' the reality star replied, 'Do you know how many people died from the H1N1, the swine flu or SARS? Its 25% get your facts straight you are only hearing numbers not the reality! Its Gods way of thinning the herd!' She subsequently apologized for the remarks and attempted to clarify her statement. 'When I wrote that its "Gods way of thinning the herd," thats not what I meant,' Dodd said on Instagram Stories. 'What I meant was, "Do these pandemics happen because its Gods way?" Im not God. Im not insensitive. 'I feel bad for all the families that have lost loved ones, and I do think we should all stay at home and protect everybody. Thats not what I meant, and I want to apologize to anyone who got offended, OK? Im sorry.' She apologized again while appearing on Watch What Happens Live, saying of her past controversy: 'It was insensitive and I apologize if I hurt or offended anybody.' Travis Scott confirmed he's reconciled with Kylie Jenner as they attended Tuesday night's 72nd annual Parsons Benefit. The couple cozied up to one another, while posing on the red carpet with their three-year-old daughter Stormi, at the Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City. Travis, who was one of the evening's high profile honorees, referred to Jenner, 23, as his 'wifey' while gushing over his family during his emotional acceptance speech. 'I love you wifey': Travis Scott confirmed he's reconciled with Kylie Jenner as she jetted to New York with daughter Stormi to support him at the Parsons Benefit 'Stormi, I love you and wifey, I love you,' declared 29-year-old Scott, who was recognized for his 'contributions in fashion, design, entrepreneurship, the arts, and social justice,' according to Billboard. A source told People that Travis and Kylie 'were being very sweet and cute together' behind-the-scenes and that the lovebirds 'were holding hands and seemed fully back on.' The reconciliation comes 20 months after the couple shocked fans when they called it quits in October 2019. Wifey: And during the rapper's acceptance speech he made sure to send love to his 'wifey' Kylie Jenner and their three-year-old daughter Stormi, who were both in attendance; Travis and Kylie pictured For the star-studded event, Kylie channeled Old Hollywood glamour in a striking 1987 Jean Paul Gaultier wiggle dress with a spiral bustier and a zipper going straight down the front. The vintage dress' green color-blocked design only further accentuated Jenner's famous hourglass figure. She slipped on a pair off mesh arm-length gloves and put her bright white pedicure on display in some see-through stiletto heels. As for her hair, the Kylie Cosmetics CEO had her raven tresses parted to one side and styled in fingerwaves that framed her face. Back on? A source told People that Travis and Kylie 'were being very sweet and cute together' behind-the-scenes and that the lovebirds 'were holding hands and seemed fully back on' Travis looked suave in a solid black suit and a pair of patent leather dress shoes. The Astroworld hitmaker layered two diamond encrusted chains around his neck and sported his signature braided hairstyle. Stormi looked undeniably sweet - and a little camera shy - in a black spaghetti strap dress and a pair of pint-sized Nike sneakers. The darling three-year-old wore her curly brunette hair in two buns with an asymmetrical part. Glamour: For the star-studded event, Kylie channeled Old Hollywood glamour in a striking green wiggle dress with a spiral bustier and a zipper going straight down the front of it Shapely: The vintage dress' green color-blocked design only further accentuated Jenner's famous hourglass figure Scott, clearly smitten with his baby girl, made sure to pose for several snaps with Stormi before heading inside the event. Taking to Instagram, Kylie shared a cozy snapshot that showed Travis posing behind her with his arms wrapped around her trim waist. '24 hours in NYC,' captioned the KUWTK star, 23, who boasts 241million followers on the platform. Cutest: Stormi, who Kylie and Travis welcomed in 2018, looked undeniably sweet in a black spaghetti strap dress and a pair of blue and white Nike sneakers A source told E! News that Kylie, Travis, and Stormi 'landed in NYC on Monday, June 14, so they could all be together at the event.' Jenner and Scott, who famously called off their romance in October 2019, last walked a red carpet together in August of 2019 for the release of the rapper's Netflix documentary Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly. Although they split two years ago, they were living together during the COVID-19 pandemic so they could both see their daughter. Suave: Travis looked suave in a solid black suit and a pair of patent leather dress shoes Winner: Travis was recognized for his 'contributions in fashion, design, entrepreneurship, the arts, and social justice,' according to Billboard Earlier this month it was said that the couple created 'a great family situation' and are continuing to spend 'a lot of quality family time together' with their daughter. 'Kylie and Travis continue to spend a lot of quality family time together. They are not putting any pressure on their relationship. They get along and things are great,' a source told People. 'They both want to be as present as possible for Stormi. Kylie and Travis have worked hard to create a great family situation,' the insider said of the Keeping Up With The Kardashian star and the Texas native. 'They love each other. Everyone is very proud of how mature they are. Stormi is the happiest little girl. It's all benefitting her.' Show-stopping: Although Kylie and Travis stole the show, there were plenty of other famous faces that graced the event's red carpet Last month, Kylie took to Twitter to deny that she was in an 'open relationship' with Scott after several reports popped up. She took Twitter to set the record straight, writing: 'I'm not discrediting anyone who is in an open relationship but it's just careless and disrespectful to throw this narrative out there without knowing what's true'. In her denial tweet, she didn't clarify the exact status of their relationship. On the move: Travis seen leaving the event on Tuesday night with Stormi by his side Although the couple stole the show, there were plenty of other famous faces that graced the 72nd Annual Parsons Benefit red carpet in NYC. Actress Cynthia Erivo wowed in a muted orange gown with gathered sleeves and fringe detailing. The 34-year-old Harriet star accessorized with a pendant necklace, a pair of oversized shades, and black platform heels. Designer Donna Karan looked effortlessly chic in an oversized flouncy blouse and a pair of fitted black slacks. Stunning: Actress Cynthia Erivo wowed in a muted orange gown with gathered sleeves and fringe detailing Effortless: Designer Donna Karan looked effortlessly chic in an oversized flouncy blouse and a pair of fitted black slacks Blending: Kenneth Cole mixed casual with classy by pairing black denim with a dress shirt and suit jacket Kenneth Cole mixed casual with classy by pairing black denim with a dress shirt and suit jacket. Journalist Elaine Welteroth turned heads in a black structured mermaid-style dress with feather detailing on the straps by Aliette. Kerby Jean-Raymond, Kay Unger, and Lena Waithe gathered around for a group snapshot as they soaked up the ambience at the Rooftop at Pier 17 where the event was held. All in the details: Journalist Elaine Welteroth turned heads in a black structured mermaid-style dress with feather detailing on the straps by Aliette Ambience: Kerby Jean-Raymond, Kay Unger, and Lena Waithe gathered around for a group snapshot as they soaked up the ambience at the Rooftop at Pier 17 where the event was held The Parsons Benefit, which has honored the likes of Rihanna and Pharell Williams in the past, is an annual event that aims to celebrate individuals for 'their contributions to design, retail, entrepreneurship, the arts, sustainability and social justice, as well as their longstanding commitment to supporting and creating opportunities for future generations of artists and designers, according to a statement,' as per Billboard. After learning he was slated to be honored, Travis said in a statement that he was 'very excited to be receiving this honor from The New School and grateful to be a part of this group of innovators. 'Ive always tried to fuse fashion, technology and the arts into everything I do. These are all linked and a natural extension of my work. It has never been about specific brands or labels for me. 'Its about the vision. Its about making your own things, seeing whats out there, and never compromising,' the rapper concluded. The Block judge Shaynna Blaze won Celebrity Apprentice on Tuesday. And as she stepped out for her post-finale media rounds on Wednesday, the 58-year-old couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Shaynna, who kept Covid-safe in a surgical mask, looked upbeat as she left the Nova FM studios in Melbourne in an edgy outfit. Out and about: Shaynna Blaze had a spring in her step as she left the Nova FM studios in Melbourne on Wednesday, the morning after winning Nine's Celebrity Apprentice The mother of two even giggled and waved as she made her way around town. Shaynna turned heads in a pair of leather-look trousers which she teamed with a black T-shirt and a navy faux fur coat. The blonde added height to her frame with high-heeled boots as she clutched her black bag and iPhone. She's got a reason to smile! Shaynna, 58, giggled and waved as she made her way around town Shaynna was visibly shocked when she was crowned the champion of Celebrity Apprentice during Tuesday's season finale. Speaking about her victory on Fitzy and Wippa on Wednesday, she said she was still reeling after a mystery corporate donor helped her win. Shaynna admitted she couldn't believe she triumphed over Ross Noble, and also revealed what it was really like facing off against Lord Alan Sugar in the boardroom. Winner: Shaynna was visibly shocked when she was crowned the champion of Celebrity Apprentice during Tuesday's season finale 'I still can't believe it,' she said. 'To be in that boardroom and not to be s**tting my pants for the first time! I survived [the boardroom] seven times.' Shaynna also praised runner-up Ross, calling him a 'genius' and an 'incredible man'. Angel investor: Speaking about her victory on Fitzy and Wippa on Wednesday, she said she was still reeling after a mystery corporate donor helped her win She had triumphed over the British funnyman, 45, in the final challenge, raising $326,000 for her charity and winning an additional $100,000. They were tasked with creating an event to raise money for their chosen charities. Shaynna told Fitzy and Wippa she didn't even know she had raised so much money after a corporate donor - who wanted to remain anonymous - made a generous and undisclosed donation that 'blew her out of the water and the competition'. Ross also spoke to the breakfast radio show on Wednesday, revealing how actor Russell Crowe had donated $10,000 to his charity, the Australian Red Cross. 'I thanked him on the show but sadly it didn't make the cut. He's an incredibly generous man who doesn't necessarily shout about it,' he said. Heavily pregnant Teresa Palmer arrived in Sydney on Tuesday with her family in tow following a long haul flight from the US to Australia. And after landing, the actress, her director husband Mark Webber and their four children were whisked away to a nearby hotel to begin their 14-days of mandatory quarantine. The 35-year-old lead her brood from the terminal to an awaiting bus to take her family, as well as other passengers, from their airport to their Sydney hotel. Back on home soil! Heavily Pregnant Teresa Palmer returned to Australia on Tuesday with her family as she prepares to welcome her fourth child. She and her family were seen making their way to an awaiting bus to take them, and other passengers, to their Sydney hotel She dressed in a cosy red knitted cardigan with matching trousers, a black top showed a hint of her baby bump, and pink sneakers. Teresa completed her look with black face mask and wore her long blonde tresses out. She carried a brown faux leather backpack and pushed a baggage cart loaded with their luggage. Bumping along nicely: The actress, 35, revealed a hint of her baby bump dressed in a cosy red knitted cardigan with matching trousers, a black top showed a hint of her baby bump, and pink sneakers They've got it all: Her director husband Mark also pushed a cart with their suitcases stacked up Comfy: He looked comfortable in a grey hoodie with shorts and a snap back cap, as he carried a very full looking backpack Checking in: At one point the Warm Bodies actress turned around to speak to her children as they made their way to the bus Mark, who looked comfortable in a grey hoodie with shorts and a snap back cap, also pushed a cart with their suitcases stacked up and carried a very full looking backpack. Their children followed - son Bodhi Rain, seven, was seen pushing a stroller with his younger brother Forest Sage, four, and sister Poet Lake, one. Behind the trio was Mark eldest son, Isaac Love, 13, who he shares with his ex-partner, actress Frankie Shaw. Back Down Under: Their children followed - son Bodhi Rain, seven, was seen pushing a stroller with his younger brother Forest Sage, four, and sister Poet Lake, one Time to go: The Hacksaw Ridge star tended to her younger two children - Forest and Poet - in the seat of their stroller as they luggage was being stowed away Pack it up: Teresa and Mark gather their younger children as well as their coats and pillows on their stroller which was going to be folded up and stored below the busy Almost home: Isaac also made sure his younger siblings got on the bus safely with his stepmother Teresa Isaac helped with another luggage cart and also made sure his siblings got on the bus safely with his stepmother Teresa. The family will spend 14-days in quarantine before flying out to Teresa's home town of Adelaide, where she is planning to give birth to her fourth child in August. Teresa announced her fourth pregnancy in an Instagram post on her 35th birthday, back in February. Big news! Teresa announced her fourth pregnancy in an Instagram post on her 35th birthday, back in February. In March, she revealed in an Instagram live that she is expecting a daughter, she said: 'My gut was telling me it's going to be a girl. Best of all she is healthy' The blonde beauty wrote in the caption: '35 years ago right around now I was born in sunny Adelaide.' She went on to say that she and Mark, who have been married for eight years, will be welcoming their 'newest little love' soon. In March, she revealed in an Instagram live that she is expecting a daughter, she said: 'My gut was telling me it's going to be a girl. Best of all she is healthy.' Russell Crowe proudly announced his new venture on Wednesday. The 57-year-old was spotted at a press conference in Coffs Harbour as he officially revealed his plans to build a major Hollywood film studio in the area on the NSW's mid-coast. The former Gladiator star showed off his slimmed-down physique on the day, looking smart in a blazer as he greeted press. New project: Russell Crowe showed off his slimmed-down physique on Wednesday as he officially announced his plans to build a major film studio in Coffs Harbour Russell looked dapper in a navy polo shirt and a black suit jacket and a pair of dark jeans. He appeared to channel his Master and Commander days, tying his long locks back and off his face into a low ponytail. Russell, alongside business partners Peter Montgomery and Keith Rodger, will be building a new film studio called Pacific Bay Resort Studios and Village which will span over 100 acres. New look: The former Gladiator star showed off his slimmed-down physique on the day, looking smart in a blazer as he greeted press Smart: Russell looked dapper in a navy polo shirt and a black suit jacket and a pair of dark jeans Peter, resort owner and operator, said in an official statement that a lot of careful thought and consideration has gone into the design and planning process and gave an idea of what they hope to achieve with the studios. 'Our studios will cater for major international feature films as well as local productions, giving them the bonus of resort lifestyle in facilities that are designed to bring employment to the region and work in harmony with Coffs Harbour's Regional City Action Plan,' he said. At the studios, there will be on-site accommodation for A-list movie stars and their families. Incredible: Russell, alongside business partners Peter Montgomery and Keith Rodger, will be building a new film studio called Pacific Bay Resort Studios and Village which will span over 100 acres Planned out: At the studios, there will be on-site accommodation for A-list movie stars and their families A source previously told The Daily Telegraph it will be a 'family friendly film studio'. In recent months, Australia has been dubbed 'Hollywood 2.0' thanks to a number of A-listers moving across the Pacific to work on projects amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Filming has just wrapped on Thor: Love and Thunder - starring Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Matt Damon and Chris Pratt - at Sydney's Fox Studios. Hollywood 2.0: In recent months, Australia has been dubbed 'Hollywood 2.0' thanks to a number of A-listers moving across the Pacific to work on projects amid the Covid-19 pandemic Zac Efron was recently in South Australia filming the Stan Original movie Gold. He has also been travelling around the country shooting Netflix series Down to Earth. Other movie stars in Australia include Melissa McCarthy, Isla Fisher, Sacha Baron Cohen and Sam Worthington. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence will soon travel Down Under to film the latest Fantastic Four movie. Julia Roberts and Sean Penn are also expected to shoot a political thriller in Sydney. Kylie Jenner has revealed she was sewn into the skintight Jean Paul Gaultier dress she wore to attend the Parsons Benefit in New York. The 23-year-old reality star jetted into New York alongside daughter Stormi to support on-again boyfriend Travis Scott - who confirmed at the benefit the couple had reconciled. Taking to Instagram to document some behind-the-scenes moments, Kylie revealed the intense level of preparation it took to get ready for the event. Hold still! Kylie Jenner revealed she was sewn into the vintage 1987 Jean Paul Gaultier pencil dress featuring cone bra detail, which she wore at the Parsons Benefit in NYC on Monday The beauty entrepreneur channeled Old Hollywood glamour in a striking Jean Paul Gaultier wiggle dress with a spiral bustier and a zipper going straight down the front. Yet she revealed the zip had been made redundant, as an assistant instead sewed her into the garment. Kylie also revealed the Jean Paul Gaultier had given her a ring with a handwritten note that read: 'It seems your stunning vintage JPG dress was calling for another conic bra, as designed by Alan Crocetti for our latest collection. Wishing you a lovely evening.' It's official! Kylie also made her reconciled romance with Travis Scott Instagram official as she shared a cosy snap with the rapper on Tuesday after he declared he 'loves his wifey' She then shared clips of hairstylist Jesus Guerrero coiffing Jenner's pin-curl waves using 'Russian virgin hair' extensions previously fastened by Violet Teriti. Make-up artist Ariel Tejada was seen making sure the Calabasas socialite's complexion was fully contoured for The New School event. Kylie also wasted no time making her reconciled romance with Travis Instagram official as she delighted her 241 million followers with a cosy snap of the pair. The JPG team gave her a ring with a handwritten note: 'It seems your stunning vintage JPG dress was calling for another conic bra, as designed by Alan Crocetti for our latest collection' Clad in a sexy Jean Paul Gaultier wiggle dress, Kylie pressed herself up against Travis while he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. She captioned the snap: '24 hours in NYC'. Their daughter Stormi was not seen in the snap but had posed on the red carpet with her parents at the 72nd annual Parsons Benefit held at The Rooftop at Pier 17's in the Seaport District. Sitting pretty: Hairstylist Jesus Guerrero coiffed Jenner's pin-curl waves using 'Russian virgin hair' extensions previously fastened by Violet Teriti Baking: Make-up artist Ariel Tejada made sure the Calabasas socialite's complexion was fully contoured for The New School event The family had flown to New York aboard her $73 million , 10-seat 'Kylie Air' private plane. At the event, Travis, who was one of the evening's high profile honorees, confirmed he was back on with Kylie as he referred to her as his 'wifey' while gushing over his family during his emotional acceptance speech. 'Stormi, I love you and wifey, I love you,' declared Travis, who was recognized for his 'contributions in fashion, design, entrepreneurship, the arts, and social justice,' according to Billboard. Jet setters: The Goosebumps hitmaker and Jenner flew to New York aboard her $73M, 10-seat 'Kylie Air' private plane The Kylie Cosmetics CEO - who boasts 355M social media followers - captioned her behind-the-scenes slideshow: 'One for the books.' Meanwhile an onlooker told People that 'Travis and Kylie were being very sweet and cute together,' at the event. Adding 'They were holding hands and seemed fully back on.' A source told E! News that Kylie, Travis, and Stormi 'landed in NYC on Monday, June 14, so they could all be together at the event.' The couple, who famously called off their romance in October 2019, last walked a red carpet together in August of 2019 for the release of the rapper's Netflix documentary Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly. Although they split two years ago, they were living together during the COVID-19 pandemic so they could both see their daughter. Family fun: Their daughter Stormi was not seen in the snap but had posed on the red carpet with her parents at the 72nd annual Parsons Benefit held at The Rooftop at Pier 17 Earlier this month it was said that the couple created 'a great family situation' and are continuing to spend 'a lot of quality family time together' with their daughter. 'Kylie and Travis continue to spend a lot of quality family time together. They are not putting any pressure on their relationship. They get along and things are great,' a source told People. 'They both want to be as present as possible for Stormi. Kylie and Travis have worked hard to create a great family situation,' the insider said of the Keeping Up With The Kardashian star and the Texas native. 'They love each other. Everyone is very proud of how mature they are. Stormi is the happiest little girl. It's all benefitting her.' Family affair: Kylie and Travis brought their three-year-old daughter Stormi on the red carpet of the 72nd annual Parsons Benefit at The Rooftop at Pier 17's in the Seaport District While accepting the Parsons Table Award, Scott (born Jacques Webster) said in his speech: 'Stormi, I love you and wifey, I love you' Last month, Kylie took to Twitter to deny that she was in an 'open relationship' with Scott after several reports popped up. She took Twitter to set the record straight, writing: 'I'm not discrediting anyone who is in an open relationship but it's just careless and disrespectful to throw this narrative out there without knowing what's true'. In her denial tweet, she didn't clarify the exact status of their relationship. Scott and Jenner flew to New York aboard her $73M, 10-seat 'Kylie Air' private plane. The Kylie Cosmetics CEO - who boasts 355M social media followers - captioned her behind-the-scenes slideshow: 'One for the books.' GQ smooth! Travis looked sophisticated in a black pin-stripe double-breasted suit and matching glossy dress shoes Dripping: Scott accessorized his elegant attire with a large black pearl necklace accented with a massive diamond pendant on top of a diamond crucifix Coming soon! The Cactus Jack designer will next launch the $200 Travis Scott x fragment design x Nike Air Jordan 1 on July 29 Meanwhile, Travis will next launch the $200 Travis Scott x fragment design x Nike Air Jordan 1 on July 29 - according to Sneaker News. Kylie currently stars in the 20th (and final) season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which airs the first part of their reunion this Thursday on E! On December 10, Jenner and her famous family signed a new multi-year global content deal with Hulu/Star, which starts streaming in late 2021. She's in gym every other day, working on her phenomenal figure and impressive six-pack abs. And Victoria's Secret model Kelly Gale showed off the fruits of her labour during a hike in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Swedish-Australian stunner flaunted her famous figure in a tight beige crop top and matching leggings. Abs-olutely incredible! Victoria's Secret model Kelly Gale showed off her ripped abs in a tight nude crop top and matching leggings as she went for a hike in Los Angeles on Tuesday The 26-year-old revealed her natural beauty during the stroll by going makeup free and wearing her long dark locks in a ponytail. Kelly recently returned from a romantic getaway to Stockholm with her fiance Joel Kinnaman. During their stay, they enjoyed sunset swims and saunas at a cabin the couple often stay at on a picturesque lake. Kelly recently set the record straight on rumours that she has had a breast enlargement. Ripped: Kelly often shows off her phenomenal six-pack abs in a bikinis on social media Responding to an online fan on social media, who wrote: 'Boob job?' Kelly said: 'False. They're big, they're real.' Kelly went on to reveal her bra size, with a second questioner asking: 'You're a 34D'. 'False. Not sure what my actual size is but I wear 32C cause that's what I think looks good and feels good.' Kelly has consistently denied getting breast implants, despite being repeatedly asked about it by curious fans. She was also asked by fans if she had breast implants during a Q&A on Instagram Stories in October last year. 'No [I haven't had breast implant surgery]. The answer right now is no. In the future, that answer's going to change I'm pretty sure,' she said at the time. Geoffrey Edelsten's fixation with dating younger women saw him fall victim to a blackmail attempt on at least one occasion. Leaked emails between Edelsten and a journalist from January 2018 reveal how a European prostitute known as 'Sonja' conned him out of thousands of dollars after they made contact on a sugar daddy website in 2016. Despite never meeting in person, the prostitute convinced the ailing multimillionaire to send her money and fund her international travel - before she demanded 2,500 ($3,900) from him or she'd speak to the press. Scroll down for video Geoffrey Edelsten's fixation with dating younger women saw him fall victim to a blackmail attempt on at least one occasion. Pictured in Sydney on July 21, 2015 The extortion plot emerged this week after the flamboyant businessman died alone in his Melbourne apartment last Friday at the age of 78. Edelsten fired off a rambling email to the journalist at 4am on January 11, 2018, after the prostitute attempted to blackmail him by threatening to sell her story. At the time, he was in and out of hospital with various health problems. He feared Sonja was trying to involve media outlets in her scheme to extort him out of even more money, after he'd already transferred thousands to her bank account. He also worried Sonja's plot would thwart his plans to reconcile with his estranged wife Gabi Grecko, whom he had married in June 2015 but split from months later. The extortion plot emerged this week after the flamboyant businessman died alone in his Melbourne apartment last Friday at the age of 78. Pictured during his '80s heyday as owner of the Sydney Swans AFL team Edelsten provided a detailed chronology of their interactions after making contact on the sugar daddy website two years earlier - including his cash transactions. Speaking of his online relationship with Sonja around 2016, he said: 'She asked repeatedly for small amounts of money saying she was broke and couldn't pay her rent. I did help several times.' But Sonja, who is believed to be from Eastern Europe, kept making excuses when Edelsten encouraged her to visit him in Australia. Leaked emails between Edelsten and a journalist from January 2018 reveal how a European prostitute known as 'Sonja' conned him out of thousands of dollars after they made contact on a sugar daddy website in 2016 'In both 2016 and 2017 she said she would come and visit me. She never turned up,' he explained. 'In [November] 2017, she said she was coming to Sydney and if I pay for a Sydney-to-Melbourne flight she will visit. I provided a ticket and went to the airport and waited for four hours. She didn't turn up. 'She never contacted me until the end of [2017] when she told me she didn't come because she met a guy in Sydney who offered her $10,000 a night for a week. Edelsten's emails reveal how the prostitute threatened to expose him in the press, and even said she would tell his estranged wife Gabi Grecko (right) about their relationship when they were on the verge of reconciling 'This was the reason she gave for not coming to Melbourne in November 2017. She [then] said she wanted me to pay for her trip to Melbourne. I refused but said I would reimburse her. She didn't reply.' Edelsten then explained how, in December 2017, Ms Grecko renewed contact with him 'and after intense communication we decided we would renew our marriage'. They agreed to 'renew our vows in a NYC synagogue before a rabbi and two witnesses' and from this time onwards he had 'no contact' with Sonja. However, after Sonja read about Edelsten and Grecko's reconciliation in the press, she contacted various media outlets trying to sell her story in January 2018. She then told Edelsten she was in contact via email with a reporter and demanded 2,500 for her silence. Sonja also allegedly 'threatened to tell Gabi' about their online relationship, even though they only spoke when he and Ms Grecko were separated. Edelsten bemoaned in the email about being fooled by another prostitute, saying: 'It was only this week I found out. I didn't know before this but should have suspected.' He added: 'I had nothing to do with her after Gabi and I reconciled. I would urge you not to give her story any credence. It is factually wrong and she is an evil whore. I am pursuing her criminal actions with police and Interpol.' He signed off his emails 'Dr. Geoffrey Edelsten', despite the fact he'd been struck off the medical registry decades earlier. Geoffrey died alone aged 78 at his Melbourne apartment on Friday, June 11 - which coincidentally was the anniversary of his wedding to Ms Grecko. He was buried on Wednesday in a traditional Jewish ceremony, where one mourner remembered him as trusting man whom others would take advantage of. Geoffrey died on Friday, June 11 - which coincidentally was the anniversary of his wedding to Ms Grecko. Pictured during his relationship with Gabi circa 2005 Edelsten was born in Melbourne on May 2, 1943, and spent most of his years surrounded by controversy. Born in Carlton to Jewish migrant parents, he studied at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1966. After working as a resident at the Royal Melbourne Hospital he became a GP, and with a colleague established a practice in Sydney's eastern suburbs. In the 1980s he set up a string of open-all-hours medical clinics that featured grand pianos and chandeliers in the waiting rooms. Patients, who were bulk-billed, flocked to the clinics. He was deregistered in NSW in 1988 and later in Victoria. He became, by his own description, a "white knight" of the Swans in 1985 as they faced dire financial pressure and concerns they couldn't survive. Edelsten is pictured with his third wife, Gabi Grecko, in Melbourne on September 22, 2014 He spent time in jail, found guilty in 1990 of soliciting a well known hit-man, Christopher Dale Flannery, to assault a former patient. Edelsten claimed bankruptcy in both Australia and the United States in 2014, citing a number of bad business deals including "splurging" millions on ghetto estates going cheap during the U.S. mortgage crisis. Even when his controversial career seemed to crash and burn, Edelsten always seemed to find a way back. Always a colourful fixture of Melbourne's social scene, his unconventional lifestyle demanded attention. Edelsten is pictured with his second wife, Brynne Gordon, in Melbourne on November 5, 2013 Edelsten's first marriage was to model Leanne Nesbitt in the early 1980s He owned mansions, helicopters and a fleet of expensive cars with licence plates emblazoned with 'macho', 'spunky' and 'sexy'. He published a book in 2011 titled Enigma, covering his life as a musical entrepreneur, career as a country doctor and city businessman. But it was his relationships with pretty young blondes that kept him in the spotlight. He was buried on Wednesday in a traditional Jewish ceremony, where one mourner remembered him as trusting man whom others would take advantage of He divorced first wife Leanne, a model, in 1988 after a three-year marriage, then married American fitness instructor Brynne Gordon in 2009 when she was 40 years his junior. Again the nuptials didn't last, with Brynne calling it off after four years. Less than a year later he proposed to Gabi Grecko, 46 years his junior, at the Melbourne Cup. Their on-again-off-again relationship received much attention following Ms Grecko's outlandish social media outbursts and revealing photos. The ever-romantic Edelsten got down on one knee dressed in his brashest yellow suit before the waiting media. She'd already proposed to him months earlier, but he wanted to make it official. Their love bubble burst not long after, with claims of infidelity on Edelsten's behalf, and a range of public spats. By 2016 a bankrupt Edelsten was being chased by more than 40 creditors in Australia and the US, including the Australian Taxation Office, for millions of dollars. In 2017 he sought an apprehended violence order against ex-wife Grecko, though she was then back in the US, and in 2019 he escaped penalty after being nabbed by police driving through Melbourne in an unregistered car. He cashed in on his looks as a romance novel cover star throughout the eighties and nineties. And iconic Italian model Fabio Lanzoni cut a casual figure as he stepped out to pick up some groceries in LA on Tuesday. The legendary heart-throb, 61, caught the eye in a bright purple shirt which he wore with his top two buttons undone as he stepped out for the shopping trip. Outing: Iconic Italian model Fabio Lanzoni cut a casual figure as he stepped out to pick up some groceries in LA on Tuesday He teamed the shirt with light blue denim jeans and wore brown suede cowboy boots as he headed back to his car. Fabio wore his iconic long tresses loose as he left the food shop carrying two bags of groceries. His outing comes after earlier this year the hunk revealed that he's single and on the hunt for an Australian wife. Style: The legendary heart-throb, 61, caught the eye in a bright purple shirt which he wore with his top two buttons undone as he stepped out for the shopping trip Despite having 'good genetics', the star, known for his chiselled chest and long flowing mane, told Stellar magazine for Australian newspaper The Sunday Telegraph, that he is looking for love. 'I love Australian women. I want to look for a wife down in Australia. They're the best they're beautiful, and they're really nice, down to earth. That's the best combination for a woman,' he said. Fabio, who has also appeared in 2001 film Zoolander and on The Bold and the Beautiful, went on to explain why he believes he's still single. Star: Fabio cashed in on his looks as a romance novel cover star throughout the eighties and nineties 'I look for the entire package. To me, the entire package is everything mind, body and soul,' he began. 'It's very hard to find people who are happy with themselves, and I'm very happy with myself. You need the whole combination.' This is not the first time Fabio has revealed his plans on finding an Australian wife. The model declared on Australian breakfast program The Morning Show: 'Australian women are the best, period.' After complimenting the women of Australia, he went on to describe them as more 'domesticated' than their American and European counterparts. 'Everyone in the world knows they are down-to-earth, beautiful, very domesticated. The best thing for a man,' he said. Legendary heart-throb: In addition to gracing the covers of hundreds of romance novels, Fabio has served as a spokesman for a variety of brands, including I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! and Old Spice Born in Italy in 1959, Fabio started as a model and actor in his native country before moving to New York City to focus on fashion modelling. In addition to gracing the covers of hundreds of romance novels, the genetically blessed Italian has served as a spokesman for a variety of brands, including I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! and Old Spice. Fabio has never been married. Almost two years after cutting off her hair, Rosie Jacobs has returned to her long brunette locks. The 42-year-old ex-wife of former Today weatherman Steve Jacobs shared a photo of herself with long hair on Instagram on Wednesday. In the photo, Rosie is seen standing behind a camera alongside two colleagues in a figure-hugging blue dress. Great lengths: Almost two years after cutting off her hair, Rosie Jacobs (far right) has returned to her long brunette locks Her shoulder-length black hair was worn parted in the middle in loose waves, and she wore black stilletos. 'BACK BEHIND THE CAMERA. So proud to be helping host the 2021 videos for the NSW TOURISM AWARDS! Thank you for an awesome day on set today,' she captioned the posted. Rosie lopped off her locks back in late 2019, opting for a closely cropped brunette haircut. Top of the crops: Rosie lopped off her locks back in late 2019, opting for a closely cropped brunette haircut New hair: Rosie has been showing off a longer hairstyle in recent months after growing out her cropped haircut She later dyed her hair blonde, before reverting back to her shoulder-length brunette hair in recent months. Rosie started her career as a television producer, but is perhaps best known for hosting a variety of shows on Nine, 10, Foxtel and The Weather Channel. She married Steve, 54, in 2010, but they divorced nine years later in 2019. Blonde ambition: She later dyed her hair blonde, before reverting back to her shoulder-length brunette hair in recent months Ex factor: Rosie married former Today weatherman Steve Jacobs (right) in 2010, but they divorced nine years later in 2019. Pictured together at a charity gala in Sydney in December 2015 The former couple share daughters Isabella, 10, and Francesca, eight. Steve and Rosie married three years after meeting on the set of the Today show, where he was a star weather presenter and she was a behind-the-scenes producer. They separated in late 2017, just a few months after relocating to Vanuatu in what friends described as a 'last-ditch attempt' to save their seven-year marriage. Advertisement She has jetted to Greece for a sun-soaked family holiday, with her boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, mother Goldie Hawn and her mum's partner Kurt Russell, who she affectionately calls 'Pa'. And Kate Hudson appeared to be making the most of the sunny climes as she enjoyed a glass of wine on a sun lounger during a beach trip on Tuesday. The actress, 42, who is staying on Skiathos Island, cut a chic figure in a sage green vest and a white leaf print skirt. Wine O'Clock! Kate Hudson appeared to be making the most of the sunny climes in Greece as she enjoyed a glass of wine on a sun lounger during a beach trip on Tuesday Kate pulled the straps of the top off of her shoulders to avoid getting tan lines and donned a straw fedora hat to keep cool in the afternoon sun. She donned a pair of white sunglasses and accessorised her beach outfit with a delicate gold necklace. Her mother Goldie, 75, meanwhile cut a sporty figure in a black racer back vest top and leggings. She opted for a pair of navy trainers on her feet and wore a white cap. Family vacation: The actress, 42, has jetted to Greece for a sun-soaked family holiday, with her boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, mother Goldie Hawn and her mother's partner Kurt Russell, who she affectionately calls 'Pa' Tan lines: Kate pulled the straps of the top off of her shoulders to avoid getting tan lines and donned a straw fedora hat to keep cool in the afternoon sun Her partner Kurt, 70, also cut a casual figure in a grey T-shirt and shorts. The family spent the afternoon enjoying two bottles of wine. During the heat of the day, Kate covered her chest with a white shawl so as to keep cool. Her boyfriend Danny, 35, meanwhile, went shirtless in a pair of bright blue swimming shorts and splashed around in the sea during the fun day out. The Fabletics founder first met Danny in 2002 through his stepsisters Erin & Sara Foster. But Kate and Fujikawa didn't go on their official first date until December 3, 2016. They only just celebrated the former Chief guitarist's 35th birthday last Thursday and are now enjoying some quality time in Greece. Fun in the sun: Kurt, 70, also cut a casual figure in a grey T-shirt and shorts. The family spent the afternoon enjoying two bottles of wine Hot: Kate cut a chic figure in a sage green vest and white leaf print skirt. During the heat of the day, Kate covered her chest with a white shawl so as to keep cool Time for a drink! Kurt seemed delighted when a waitress brought over a bottle of wine, while Goldie played about in the sand Sweet: Kates biological father is actor Bill Hudson but her mother and Kurt have been together most of her life and she has openly admitted that she considers him to be her 'real' father, referring to him as 'Pa' Kate, shares daughter Rani, two, with the musician, and is also mum to Bingham, nine, whom the actress shares with her ex-fiance, Muse frontman Matt Bellamy and Ryder, 17, from her previous marriage to rock star Chris Robinson. Kates biological father is actor Bill Hudson but her mother and Kurt have been together most of her life and she has openly admitted that she considers him to be her 'real' father, referring to him as 'Pa'. On Sunday, Kate - who boasts 15M Instagram/Facebook followers - shared a cute snap of herself holding little Rani's hand at the airport. Beach babe: Kate donned a pair of white sunglasses and accessorised her beach outfit with a delicate gold necklace A Fujikawa! Kate took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a sweet snap of Danny with their daughter Rani, two. She captioned the shot: 'A Fujikawa' Hudson captioned her Instagram: 'Been since March 2020 and now it's time to roll little lady. We got this!' The Los Angeles native has got to Greece early ahead of the summer start of production on the Netflix sequel Knives Out 2. Kate scored a mystery role in the 2022 film which, once again, will be helmed by Rian Johnson and star Daniel Craig as the Southern private detective Benoit Blanc. Hudson was cast alongside Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Janelle Monae, Dave Bautista, and Edward Norton. Making a splash: Kate's boyfriend Danny, 35, went shirtless in a pair of bright blue swimming shorts and splashed around in the sea during the fun day out Sylvester Stallone has celebrated his daughter Scarlet's high school graduation with a series of heartwarming family photos. The Rocky actor, 74, took to Instagram on Tuesday and shared a photo of himself alongside Scarlet, 19, his wife Jennifer Flavin, 52, and their two other daughters Sophia, 24, and Sistine, 22. Alongside the stunning snap, the proud father wrote: 'Congratulations on graduating high school to our wonderful daughter SCARLET!' Family: Sylvester Stallone celebrated his daughter Scarlet's high school graduation with a series of heartwarming family photos posted on Instagram on Tuesday (L-R, Sistine, Scarlet, Jennifer, Sophia) Sylvester donned a white shirt and matching trousers for the day along with a pair of sunglasses. Scarlet wore a white short-sleeved mini dress with a multi-coloured floral print and a gold necklace. The Hollywood legend also uploaded a snap of his daughter posing with 'Congratulations' balloons. Scarlet's sisters all looked sensational in the family photo where they all sported similar floral outfits. Congratulations: Scarlet wore a white short-sleeved mini dress with a multi-coloured floral print and a gold necklace All three women work as models and they were chosen to share the role of Golden Globe Ambassador at the 74th Golden Globe Awards. The family celebrated Scarlet's 19th birthday with a family dinner at Craig's in Los Angeles last month. Sylvester paid tribute to his little girl with a series of throwback snaps shared to Instagram. 'Happy birthday to our amazing daughter, SCARLET,' he wrote. 'You are talented, humble and Generous to all. We love you beyond words.' Siblings: Sylvester is also father to Sophia, 24, (centre right) and Sistine, 22, (left) with his wife Jennifer Flavin It comes after Sylvester recently celebrated 24 years of wedded bliss with his third wife. Sly was previously married to Sacha Czack and Brigitte Nielsen. He had two sons with his first wife. Eldest son Sage sadly passed away from heart disease at the age of 36. The former couple's younger son, Seargeoh, 42, was diagnosed with autism at an early age. A discussion of model Chrissy Teigen's online bullying degenerated into a heated argument on Wednesday night's episode of The Project. Hosts Waleed Aly and Rachel Corbett raised their voices and spoke over one another during the segment, during which they debated whether Teigen or Twitter were more responsible for the model's online 'death threats' against fellow celebrities. At one point a visibly frustrated Corbett snapped at Aly, 'You can't say it's the fault of [Twitter].' It's on! Rachel Corbett (left) and Waleed Aly (right) raised their voices and spoke over one another during Wednesday night's episode of The Project, where they debated whether Chrissy Teigen or Twitter needed to be 'cancelled' over her bullying The segment began by posing the question, what should be the appropriate penalty for Teigen, 35, bullying actor Courtney Stodden and designer Michael Costello. However, while Corbett argued for greater 'personal responsibility' for social media users who troll others online, Aly seized the opportunity to rail against 'the platform' i.e. Twitter. 'You can think whatever you want of Teigen, she was joining pile-ons. So she's part of that fashion trend in that moment,' said Aly. Corbett immediately pushed back, saying, 'That doesn't absolve of her of personal responsibility. You can't say it's a fault of the platform.' Lightning rod: The pair debated whether Teigen (pictured last month) or Twitter were more responsible for the model's online 'death threats' against fellow celebrities Staunch defence: 'You can think whatever you want of Teigen, she was joining pile-ons. So she's part of that fashion trend in that moment,' said Aly 'I can say that, and it's not the same as absolving her from responsibility,' Aly countered. 'But it absolutely is a result of the platform and I think if we're trying to say we're going to solve these problems by picking out the people who misuse it and attacking them,' the journalist continued. 'Great, do that if you want to, but you're solving nothing. This is a bonfire.' Striking back: Corbett immediately pushed back, saying, 'That doesn't absolve of her of personal responsibility. You can't say it's a fault of the platform' However, Corbett wasn't having any of it, lashing out at Aly, 'You cannot say it's not your responsibility, how you behave and interact on that platform. That platform does not draw you in to behaviour that you have no responsibility for.' But Waleed disagreed, stating, 'The problem is the machine. You've got to blow up this machine.' He doubled down on the assertion, saying 'Some platforms drive us into worse behaviours than other platforms, that's a fact.' Victim: Teigen has been the target of backlash since her abusive tweets originally made in 2011 resurfaced online, including one that urged a then 16-year-old Courtney Stodden (pictured in 2019) to kill herself Sorry: Teigen took to her personal website to issue another apology on Wednesday 'That drives me nuts,' snapped Corbett. 'Because as somebody who would never behave [like Teigen did] on that platform it makes me so angry. Why am I trying to be a good person, if you can just say, "Oh, well, the platform made me do it"?' 'I'm not saying "the platform made me do it," but I'm saying the platform creates that environment and encourages it,' concluded Aly. Eventually, co-host Peter Helliar, 46, had to break the tension with a joke, quipping, 'I'm starting to think I won't get a birthday tweet from Waleed.' Another one: Designer Michael Costello has claimed that Teigen once told him he 'might as well be dead' via DM Teigen has been the target of backlash since her abusive tweets originally made in 2011 resurfaced online, including one that urged a then 16-year-old Courtney Stodden to kill herself. Lindsay Lohan was also the subject of an insensitive post by Teigen, where a tweet from January 2011 read: 'Lindsay adds a few more slits to her wrists when she sees emma stone.' Old tweets from 2013 have also resurfaced in which she described nine-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis as 'cocky' and called Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham, then 21, a 'wh***'. Kim Kardashian shared a slew of striking snaps as she celebrated daughter North's eighth birthday on Wednesday. The 40-year-old reality star - who shares her daughter with estranged husband Kanye West - uploaded throwback snaps from an impromptu shoot in 2018. Showing off her phenomenal figure, Kim looked radiant in a white satin mini dress with a scoop neckline that showcased her cleavage and a daringly short hemline. Birthday girl: Kim Kardashian flaunted her curves in a tiny white dress as she shared throwback snaps with North to mark her 8th birthday on Wednesday Looking every bit as stylish as her mother, North looked adorable in a brown ruffled dress teamed with gold mules. Kim first posted the snaps three years ago, and revealed that she had been taking part in a professional shoot of her own when North wandered onto the set and asked to take part. She penned at the time: 'Me & my bff! North came to visit me on set & said momma can we do a photo shoot together just me & you! 'I followed her poses & direction so here it is! I always dreamed of having a baby girl & shes perfect!' Iconic: The 40-year-old reality star - who shares her daughter with estranged husband Kanye West - uploaded throwback snaps from an impromptu shoot in 2018 Wow; Showing off her phenomenal figure, Kim looked radiant in a white satin mini dress with a scoop neckline that showcased her cleavage and a daringly short hemline Sweet: Kim first posted the snaps three years ago, and revealed that she had been taking part in a professional shoot of her own when North wandered onto the set and asked to take part After sharing snaps from the shoot, Kim also gave fans a look at how she was helping North celebrate, revealing the youngster had requested a poop-themed party. Earlier in the day, Kim took to Instagram to share never-seen-before behind-the-scenes images with her mini me as they posed for a First Lady themed shoot for Interview magazine in 2017. Kim looked like a Jackie Kennedy clone as she wore a powdered blue suit with black bows and her dark hair in a short bouffant hairdo. North was matching her mom in the same blue colour with her hair up in two mini buns. Poop Diddy: After sharing snaps from the shoot, Kim also gave fans a look at how she was helping North celebrate, revealing the youngster had requested a poop-themed party Having a laugh: North frolicked with a friend while dressed in the hilarious brown poop emoji costume at her slumber party The shoot came out four years ago and at the time Kim seemed to be hinting she wanted to be First Lady of the US alongside husband Kanye West; West has run for President in the past and reportedly has plans to run again in 2024. 'My 1st born baby North is 8 years old today!' said the KKW Beauty mogul in her caption. 'North, one day you will see these messages all printed out for you in the books I am making for you and so hope you feel the love because you bring so much love and joy into all of our lives!' gushed the KUWTK star. First lady and her child: Earlier in the day, Kim took to Instagram to share never-seen-before images with her mini me as they posed for a First Lady themed shoot in 2017 TWINS: Kim looked like a Jackie Kennedy clone as she wore a powdered blue suit with black buttons and her hair in a short bouffant hairdo. North was matching her mom The Hidden Hills, California resident added: 'You are the silliest, most stylish, most creative person who knows exactly what they want in life! Ive never met anyone like you!' The mother-of-four then shared: 'I picked these BTS to post of North and I from this Steven Klein Jackie O shoot bc it just reminded me of the bond North and I share and he always captures the emotion so well!' Kim filed for divorce from North's father Kanye in February, and during Thursday's episode of her family's E! series, she opened up on why she decided to pull the plug after almost seven years of marriage. In the glam room: 'My 1st born baby North is 8 years old today!' said the KKW Beauty mogul in her caption Going in a book: 'North, one day you will see these messages all printed out for you in the books I am making for you and so hope you feel the love because you bring so much love and joy into all of our lives!' In the scenes, which were filmed in October, Kim said: 'I just want total happiness. 'Obviously, I know complete bliss is not a full reality but if I can have it more the majority of the time, that's all I want to do. 'Wherever that takes me I just want my pure happiness, so that's what I'm working on: figuring out how to get there. Compliments: The Hidden Hills, California resident added: 'You are the silliest, most stylish, most creative person who knows exactly what they want in life! Ive never met anyone like you!' Her choice: The mother-of-four then shared: 'I picked these BTS to post of North and I from this Steven Klein Jackie O shoot bc it just reminded me of the bond North and I share and he always captures the emotion so well!' 'I just feel I've worked so hard in life to achieve everything that I wanted to and I lived up to my expectations and achieved 10 times more than I even thought was humanly possible but I don't have a life to share that with.' The Skims founder also admitted turning 40 made her examine her life and realize she wasn't happy about the fact she and the 'Stronger' hitmaker were leading separate lives as she was still based in California while he was living on their ranch in Wyoming. The couple share daughters North and Chicago, three, and sons Saint, five, and Psalm, two, Doting daddy: Kim filed for divorce from North's father Kanye in February (pictured in 2016) they also share daughter Chicago, three, and sons Saint, five, and Psalm, two She said: 'I never thought I was lonely, and I always thought that's totally fine, I can just have my kids, my husband moves from state to state and I'm on this ride with him and I was OK with that. 'And then after turning 40 this year I realized, no, I don't want a husband that lives in a completely different state to me. I thought, 'oh my God, that's when we're getting along the best'. 'But that is sad to me and that's not what I want. I want someone that we have the same shows in common. I want someone that wants to work out with me.' Following their split, Kanye sparked romance rumours with Irina Shayk, with the couple seen enjoying a romantic getaway to France last week. She never fails to turn heads with her bold outfit choices. And Christine McGuinness cut a stylish figure as she arrived at Media City in Salford, Manchester, on Wednesday morning. The model, 32, showed off her toned pins in a pair of tight black skinny jeans which she teamed with a pale blue jacket. Turning heads: Christine McGuinness cut a stylish figure as she arrived at a TV studios in Manchester on Wednesday morning in a blue blazer and skinny jeans Underneath the chic bright blazer she wore a black vest which showed off her ample assets as she strutted her stuff into the building. Christine completed the look with black leather pointy heels and carried a quilted Chanel handbag with her full of all the essentials. She wore her long blonde tresses in a poker-straight style and opted for a typically glamorous makeup look. Style: Underneath the chic bright blazer she wore a black vest which showed off her ample assets as she strutted her stuff into the building It comes after on Sunday Christine was keen to show off her figure as she went topless while sunbathing with husband Paddy. The beauty sent temperatures soaring as she donned nothing but a pair of snakeskin bottoms for the Instagram snap as she soaked up the sun with her TV star beau, 47. Cheekily alluded to her lack of clothing, the mother-of-three captioned the snap: 'Sun's out, huns out.' Work it! Christine completed the look with black leather pointy heels and carried a quilted Chanel handbag with her full of all the essentials Pose: She wore her long blonde tresses in a poker-straight style and opted for a typically glamorous makeup look as she filmed something for the camera Paddy and Christine appeared in great spirits in the snaps as they made the most of the glorious sunshine. Top Gear host Paddy cut a cool figure in a white shirt as he snapped a selfie with his blonde bombshell wife. Christine later took to her Instagram stories where she shared a clip of her sunbathing, giving fans a glimpse of her perky posterior in the process. Letting loose: It comes after on Sunday Christine was keen to show off her figure as she went topless while sunbathing with husband Paddy She later added a snakeskin bandeau top as she turned over to tan her front. The beauty looked incredible as she showed off her toned, bronzed physique while panning the camera over her body. Last week the couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with a romantic meal, balloons and flowers. Jess Wright has detailed how her family rallied together following the tragic death of her uncle Edward 'Eddie' Wright. Eddie, whose son is Jess' cousin Elliott Wright, tragically passed away aged 66 at the beginning of March following an eight-week battle with Covid. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Jess, 35, revealed how the Wright clan were coping amid their grief and said they would be spending Father's Day all together this year. Coming together: Jess Wright has detailed how her family rallied together following the tragic death of her uncle Edward 'Eddie' Wright (pictured together with aunt Debbie) Jess explained: 'Obviously weve got Fathers Day coming up and were conscious that will be the first without my uncle here for my cousins. 'I imagine on Fathers Day well all be together, the 30 of us, whereas before everyone may have done separate things. 'Were all trying to be there for each other more, spending more time together.' Eddie, who is the father of Jess's The Only Way Is Essex co-star cousin Elliot Wright, 41, was laid to rest in April. Supported: Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Jess, 35, revealed how the Wright clan were coping amid their grief and said would be spending Father's Day all together this year Jess said her father Mark Sr, Eddie's brother, has stepped up to care for his family, keeping a close eye on their well-being since Eddie's death Jess, who is the new ambassador for Simone Thomas Wellness, explained: 'Because my dad is the second out of four brothers, I feel he has taken on my uncle's role. 'He has always been the nurturer of all of us and hes always been the one that has got us together, making sure everyones OK.' Gone but not forgotten: Eddie, whose son is Jess' cousin Elliott Wright, tragically passed away aged 66 at the beginning of March following an eight-week battle with Covid Following Eddie's death in March, Jess took to Instagram to pen: 'Broken. It still doesnt seem real that youre gone. 'You leave the biggest hole in our familys heart because you were everything that represented the Wrights & you did everything you could to keep us together as much as possible as it meant so much to you. 'Not just my uncle, but like a second dad to me in so many ways. The best grandad, dad, husband, son & uncle there ever could be. 'Your smile lights up every room & you are the glue that held us all together. I will look after nanny & grandad just like you did so well, I promise. 'And your children who I love like my own brothers and sister, & of course auntie Deb . 'I miss you so much already Ed, see you again some day. Love you uncle Eddie ,' The reality star also penned a heartfelt tribute after the funeral in April, writing: 'Yesterday we said goodbye to you for the final time & whilst we are all brokenhearted, I am also beaming with pride to see how loved you were. 'Your presence felt so clear throughout the day, and all I could think of was your warm beautiful smile & happy laugh.' Heartbreaking: Edward 'Eddie' Wright was laid to rest in April leaving the Wright family devastated (pictured with his nephew Mark left and son Elliott right) Jess' brother Mark has previously spoken out about how tough his family found the pandemic after six of his relatives caught the coronavirus. As well as his uncle Eddie, both his parents - Mark Snr and Carol, 60, another uncle Georgie, 62, his grandmother Irene, 85, and his grandfather all tested positive within days of each other despite 'not mixing' together. Mark said he prayed every day and night for his father who was admitted to hospital. His mother Carol and uncle Georgie were able to recover at home. Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Mark said: 'It's been extremely hard. It's been a year I will never, but I would like to, forget, because it's hit my family pretty hard. 'But we live and we move on and we had an amazing send off for my uncle. 'Look for now, I just want to look forward and remember how special he was in my life and keep doing the things I do to make him proud, because he was so proud of everything I do. 'Out of everyone in my family, he was one of those people, he knew every time - I said this actually in an interview the other week - he knew every time I was on GMB.' Jess is the 2021/2022 ambassador for Simone Thomas Wellness [simonethomaswellness.com] and is fronting their Moments In Time campaign. She spent lockdown with her family at her 6million Herefordshire estate. And Elizabeth Hurley cut a trendy figure as she went for lunch with a friend at Cambio De Tercio restaurant in Chelsea on Tuesday. The actress, 55, looked radiant as ever as she donned a kahaki jumpsuit for the outing which she teamed with a pair of wedge heels. Out and about: Elizabeth Hurley cut a trendy figure as she went for lunch with a friend at Cambio De Tercio restaurant in Chelsea on Tuesday Letting her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders, Elizabeth put safety first with a black face mask. The Bedazzled star added to out outfit with a pair of large sunglasses and a tan handbag. Elizabeth completed her look for the outing with a silver necklace. It comes after Elizabeth compared her first lockdown experience to an episode of The Waltons after she spent the period with family at her 6million mansion. Outfit: The actress, 55, looked radiant as ever as she donned a kahaki jumpsuit for the outing Style: The actress also sported a pair of wedge heels as she was seen chatting to a friend The actress spent 16 weeks holed up at the Herefordshire estate in a group of nine, including her elder sister Kate, son Damian, mother Angela and vulnerable friends. Appearing on Lorraine, Liz told stand-in host Christine Lampard at the time: 'It was like The Waltons! We had nine of us, but I was the only one who left in 16 weeks to do a brief raid on the shops.' Much-loved family drama The Waltons ran from 1971 to 1981 (with three subsequent movie spin-offs) and revolved around the tight-knit clan's lives on a Virginia mountain during the Depression and the Second World War. The show was such an example for American family life at the time, that President George Bush once even said in a speech in 1992 that he wished to make families in the United States 'more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons'. Looking good: Letting her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders, Elizabeth put safety first with a black face mask Quarantine: It comes after Elizabeth compared her first lockdown experience to an episode of The Waltons after she spent the period with family at her 6million mansion Together: The actress spent 16 weeks holed up at the Herefordshire estate in a group of nine, including her elder sister Kate, son Damian, mother Angela and vulnerable friends Show: Much-loved family drama The Waltons ran from 1971 to 1981 (with three subsequent movie spin-offs) and revolved around the tight-knit clan's lives on a Virginia mountain during the Depression and the Second World War Elizabeth revealed that her household took things back to basics for lockdown, much like The Waltons, explaining: 'We all stayed safe and then we had to just get on, find a way to make it work. 'There was manual labour, not allowed TV until 6PM. We were all outside - we had beautiful weather in the UK - sweeping up, clipping, attacking things with a chainsaw, making the outside beautiful, growing veg... 'We all got healthier. We ate quite a lot but there was the manual labour!' Elizabeth said: 'We all stayed safe and then we had to just get on, find a way to make it work. 'There was manual labour, not allowed TV until 6PM' She added: We were all outside - we had beautiful weather in the UK - sweeping up, clipping, attacking things with a chainsaw, making the outside beautiful, growing veg...' Liz added: 'We were very nervous about health, there were elderly women and a friend with low immunity who had to be kept safe. We were just nervous and scared whole time' Space: Despite spending four months at home, the group had plenty of space, as they locked down at Liz's 13 bed-mansion that she bought with her ex Shane Warne in 2012 Liz added: 'We were very nervous about health, there were elderly women and a friend with low immunity who had to be kept safe. We were just nervous and scared whole time.' Despite spending four months at home, the group had plenty of space, as they locked down at Liz's 13 bed-mansion that she bought with her ex Shane Warne in 2012. The sprawling Georgian estate, which is now Elizabeth's main home, also boasts five bathrooms and its own lake. During lockdown, Liz said she felt 'incredibly lucky' to be in her country home alongside her family during the time of social distancing. Rose Byrne has spoken about how Hollywood is changing for women. The 41-year-old actress showered praise on the female-led stories coming out of the industry while speaking to Marie Claire magazine this month. The Bridesmaids star explained that films and series focused on women probably would not have been made five years ago. Changes: Rose Byrne, 41, (pictured) reflected on how Hollywood is changing for women in an interview with Marie Claire 'Shows like Physical or Mrs America probably wouldn't have been made five years ago,' Byrne said, adding the script for Physical was written eight years ago. 'Stories about women are finally ready to be told and seen through a real female lens, literally Physical's cinematographer is a woman.' The Sydney-born beauty went on to praise how confident millennials in the business were, which is something she admires. 'I look at social media and the savviness, sophistication and confidence of the young actors I now work with and I think, "Wow, I never had that, ever,"' she said. Changes: 'Shows like Physical or Mrs America probably wouldn't have been made five years ago,' Byrne said. Here: This Is Where I Leave You; 2014 Rose is about to return to the small screen in the TV series Physical, where she plays tortured housewife-turned-aerobics guru Sheila. Physical also stars Rory Scovel, Dierdre Friel, Della Saba, Lou Taylor Pucci, Paul Sparks and Ashley Liao - and will premiere globally on June 18 on Apple TV+. Meanwhile, the busy actress has also been cast as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in the upcoming film, They Are Us. New role: Rose is returning to the small screen for the upcoming Apple TV+ series, where she plays tortured housewife-turned-aerobics guru Sheila (pictured) Fans will see a different side to Rose when 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. On Tuesday night she was declared the winner of Celebrity Apprentice Australia 2021. And Shaynna Blaze has weighed in on calls to replace the show's CEO, British billionaire Lord Alan Sugar, with a home-grown entrepreneur. Talking about fan favourite advisor Janine Allis as a possible successor to Sugar in subsequent seasons, Blaze told Yahoo! Lifestyle, 'I think she'd be incredible.' Speaking her mind: Shaynna Blaze (pictured) has weighed in on calls to replace the show's CEO, British billionaire Lord Alan Sugar, with a home grown entrepreneur Calling the Boost Juice founder 'a boss lady,' Blaze said if given the opportunity to replace Sugar, 'she'd nail it'. Fans took to social media in the wake of the finale, calling for a home-grown CEO to lead the show moving forward. 'An Aussie crew needs an Aussie boss purely to be relatable,' wrote one Twitter user. In previous seasons, Wizard Home Loans boss Mark Bouris has headed up the show, only to be replaced by U.K. star Sugar this year. Local hero: Talking about fan favourite advisor Janine Allis (pictured right, with Lord Sugar) as a possible successor to Sugar in subsequent seasons, Blaze told Yahoo! Lifestyle , 'I think she'd be incredible' Meanwhile, on Tuesday's grand finale episode of Celebrity Apprentice Australia, Shaynna walked away victorious. The Block star, 58, triumphed over comedian Ross Noble, 45, in the final challenge, raising $326,000 on the night and winning an additional $100,000. In the episode, Shaynna and Ross were tasked with creating an event of their choice to raise money for their chosen charities. Winner: On Tuesday's grand finale episode of Celebrity Apprentice Australia, Blaze walked away victorious. The Block star triumphed over comedian Ross Noble, 45, in the final challenge, raising $326,000 on the night and winning an additional $100,000 Comedian Ross organised a high-octane bank heist experience complete with explosions, electrified stairs and a scary mob boss to get past for the people who took part. While Shaynna hosted a gala dinner, auctioning off big-ticket items, including a diamond ring. In the final boardroom, Shaynna revealed to Lord Alan Sugar she started domestic violence charity, Voice of Change, as she was 'not unscathed' by domestic violence in her own life. Ross also got emotional during the board meeting, revealing he feared he would let his charity down as he struggled to sell tickets during the challenge. Wow! In the final boardroom, Shaynna told Sugar (pictured) she started her domestic violence charity, Voice of Change, as she was 'not unscathed' by domestic violence in her own life So much! In total, the interior designer raised $475,000 for her charity throughout the competition, which Lord Sugar revealed was a record for Celebrity Apprentice Australia 'It's very personal to me, as my wife and I, we lost our house in a bushfire and the Red Cross actually supported us. Now I want to support them,' he told Lord Sugar. The British comedian raised $83,500 for his charity after running his heist experience. However, Shaynna smashed the final challenge, raising $326,000 - a total of $426,000 with the additional $100,000 win. Competition: Ross Noble (pictured) also got emotional during the board meeting, revealing he feared he would let his charity down as he struggled to sell tickets during the challenge Saviour: An emotional Shaynna was moved as Ross congratulated her In total, the interior designer raised $475,000 for her charity throughout the competition, which Lord Sugar revealed was a record for Celebrity Apprentice Australia. An emotional Shaynna was moved as Ross congratulated her, telling the group that the money she had raised would 'save lives'. Shaynna's win follows rumours an all-stars version of Celebrity Apprentice Australia is on the way. It's one of the most glamorous occasions in the British social calendar. And Charlotte Hawkins put on a stylish display as she arrived for day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, on Wednesday. The broadcaster, 46, also showed off her fun side as she enjoyed a tasty espresso martini with ITV co-star and stylist Mark Heyes, who has his own fashion segment on Lorraine. Cheers! Charlotte Hawkins showed off her fun side as she enjoyed a tasty espresso martini with ITV co-star Mark Heyes at day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, on Wednesday Charlotte looked demure in a silver satin shirt dress with pretty floral embellishments, which she teamed with a salmon pink fascinator. The GMB star's silver frock boasted elbow-length sleeves and a flattering A-line midi skirt. The collar of her dress featured brightly coloured flowers, which also covered the front of her waist belt. Charlotte had her blonde tresses tucked into a stylish up-do beneath her eye-catching fascinator. And they're off! The broadcaster, 46, put on a stylish display in her sophisticated ensemble Stunning: Charlotte looked demure in a satin shirt dress with pretty floral embellishments (Pictured with racing presenter Francesca Cumani, 38) Stylist Mark took to Instagram to document the day where he shared a fun video drinking an espresso martini with Charlotte. He said: 'It'a daily drink time, that's right, what are we having today Charlotte?' to which she replied: 'Espresso martinis! That will put a spring in our step, cheers!' Mark also revealed that it was hot at the event as he shared another selfie and joked that Charlotte always looks 'impeccable'. Sublime: Charlotte teamed her silver frock with a salmon pink fascinator Finishing touches: Adding a dash of glitz to her look, Charlotte slipped into a pair of jewel-embellished stilettos Royal Ascot is part of a list of pilot events taking place, allowing 12,000 revellers to attend, before the possible lifting of all measures to curtail the Covid-19 pandemic in July. Earlier this month, The Telegraph reported the Queen, 95, - an avid horse racing fan - would not attend this year's Ascot because of ongoing restrictions. Ascot had been planning for an attendance of 4,000 a day. The new figure will allow all those who rolled over 2020 bookings to be accommodated with a 'material but not significant' number of tickets left over, according to a track spokesperson. The number of spectators will be well below the usual attendance of over 300,000 over the five days but the increased number was welcomed by Frankie Dettori, whose 73 royal meeting victories have only been bettered by Lester Piggott (116). Such fun: Stylist Mark took to Instagram to document the day where he shared a fun video drinking an espresso martini with Charlotte Dettori, who was leading rider at the royal meeting for the seventh time last year, said: 'There's nothing better than Royal Ascot with people. I know it's not 60,000 (a day) but it's better than what we thought. 'Last year I was leading rider at Royal Ascot and won three Group Ones, including the Gold Cup. To have nobody there to see any of that, it was like someone had cut my arm off. 'Those are the biggest races we've got here and I won them in front of empty grandstands. It goes without saying it wasn't the same.' Visitors to the Royal and Queen Anne enclosures have to abide by a strict dress code, which does not allow bare midriffs or strapless dresses, but for guests in the Windsor and other enclosures the rules are more relaxed. With the clue in the name, Royal Ascot is hugely popular with the monarchy and Her Majesty is usually a regular at the event. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, she had attended every year since ascending the throne. Last year, dedicated Royal Ascot showed off their finest frocks and fascinators while celebrating the fourth day of the racing meet at home. She is the break-out star of French TV series Call My Agent! And on Tuesday, Camille Cottin channeled 70s chic in a suede jacket and wide-leg jeans as she filmed scenes for Killing Eve's fourth and final series, in north London. The actress, 42 - who plays Helene, a high ranking member of The Twelve - looked effortlessly stylish in the brown studded jacket and high-waisted jeans which she teamed with a silky white camisole. Chic: On Tuesday, Camille Cottin, 42, channeled 70s chic in a suede jacket and wide-leg jeans as she filmed scenes for Killing Eve's fourth and final series, in north London Camille filmed scenes alongside actress Anjana Vassan, and had her make-up topped up in-between takes. The actress made her debut as Helene in Killing Eve season three, episode four, and speaking to Canal Plus, Camille described her character as 'mysterious' and 'enigmatic.' The mother-of-two is best known for her role as sexually liberated firecracker Andrea Martel in Call My Agent!, a French TV series about a top Paris talent agency and their high-maintenance movie star clients. Stylish: The actress, 42, looked effortlessly stylish in the brown studded jacket and high-waisted jeans which she teamed with a silky white camisole (Pictured with Anjana Vassan) Camille is also well known for playing Monique in the 2016 war film, Allied, with Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard. She will next star alongside Lady Gaga and Al Pacino in Ridley Scott's biographical crime film House of Gucci, which is slated for release later this year. Camille - who was born in Paris but spent her teenage years in London - is also set to star opposite Matt Damon in crime drama film Stillwater. Team effort: Camille filmed scenes alongside actress Anjana Vassan, and had her make-up topped up in-between takes Killing Eve series three left viewers 'in tears' following the emotional finale that saw Eve (Sandra Oh) and Villanelle (Jodie Comer) decide to 'walk away' from each other. The 'will-they-won't-they' storyline that dominated the plot appeared to come to an end when Villanelle and Eve stood back-to-back on London Bridge and agreed to walk away and 'never look back'. However in the final moments of the episode both Villanelle and Eve turned back around to look at each other - suggesting the two characters might end up together. She's back: The actress made her debut as Helene, a high ranking member of The Twelve, in Killing Eve season three, episode four Star: Camille is best known for her role as sexually liberated Andrea Martel in Call My Agent!, a French TV series about a top Paris talent agency (Pictured at the premiere in 2020) The promise of a future relationship delighted fans, who begged for the next series to start with the two characters together. The episode also tied up loose ends of the series, including revealing Konstantin as Kenny's apparent killer. Security footage showed Konstantin (Kim Bodnia) arriving at the office and meeting with Kenny (Sean Delaney) hours before his death. Armed with the footage, Carolyn (Fiona Shaw) confronted Konstantin, with Paul (Steve Pemberton), Eve and Villanelle also in attendance. Out and about: Sandra Oh cut a low-key figure in a as she filmed Killing Eve's fourth and final series at London's St Pancras on Tuesday night She came close to killing Konstantin but instead killed Paul, who was working for both MI6 and The Twelve. Konstantin, who had planned to leave to Cuba, left but Villanelle decided not to follow. The episode also saw Villanelle being rejected by Carolyn after she said she was ready to become an MI6 agent. Carolyn responded: 'What use are you to me to anyone?,' referring to the assassin's desire not to kill any more. The drama culminated in the conversation between Eve and Villanelle on the bridge, during which they discussed their future. Emotional: Killing Eve series three left viewers 'in tears' following the emotional finale that saw Eve (Sandra Oh) and Villanelle (Jodie Comer) decide to 'walk away' from each other It was revealed in March that Killing Eve's fourth and final season will air on television next year. It was confirmed by the show on Twitter that the much-loved spy thriller will draw to a conclusion with its fourth instalment in 2022. A promotional video shared on the programme's social media account at the time also revealed that filming will begin again this summer. Filming of the new series was previously halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, which restricted shooting the show's various European locations. Over a backdrop of London with the programme's protagonist stood on a bridge, the words 'Killing Eve season four films summer 2021', appeared on screen. Followed by 'premieres 2022, oh one more thing, the final season', while the show's theme tune played over the video, and the caption read: 'Anything worth having is worth the wait.' She splits her time between London and sunny Miami. And Kimberley Garner appeared in good spirits as she enjoyed an outing with her boyfriend in Chelsea on Wednesday. The former Made In Chelsea star, 30, went for a bite to eat at a cafe where at one point her beau appeared to massage her shoulders. Outing: Kimberley Garner appeared in good spirits as she enjoyed an outing with her boyfriend - whose name is not known - in Chelsea on Wednesday The pair were also seen giving each other a kiss on the cheek as they parted ways before they went for a stroll together. Kimberley cut a casual figure for the outing, donning a light blue crop top that highlighted her toned midriff. The influencer also sported a pair of black leggings and tied a blue hoodie around her waist. Styling her blonde locks into a ponytail, Kimberley completed her look with a pair of sunglasses and a white handbag. Smooch: The pair were also seen giving each other a kiss on the cheek as they parted ways before they went for a stroll together Cosy: The former Made In Chelsea star, 30, went for a bite to eat at a cafe where at one point her beau appeared to massage her shoulders Casual: The influencer also sported a pair of black leggings and tied a blue hoodie around her waist Her beau sported a light blue shirt and navy chinos which he paired with matching trainers. Kimberley was previously last linked to the mystery man in December, whose identity she has not disclose. The couple spent the last few months travelling, ringing in Christmas in Barbados and spending the new year in Florida after flying to out Miami in late December. Style: Styling her blonde locks into a ponytail, Kimberley completed her look with a pair of sunglasses and a white handbag Embrace: Her beau sported a light blue shirt and navy chinos which he paired with matching trainers. Travel: The couple spent the last few months travelling, ringing in Christmas in Barbados and spending the new year in Florida after flying to out Miami in late December It wasn't all carefree partying, however, as she took to Instagram to defend herself from backlash over her international travel. The former Made In Chelsea star said she jetted out of the UK on December 14 a week before London moved into Tier 4 to 'check on my apartment'. The London native said at the time: 'I bought my place here this time two years ago. Abroad: It wasn't all carefree partying, however, as she took to Instagram to defend herself from backlash over her international travel Lockdown: The former Made In Chelsea star said she jetted out of the UK on December 14 a week before London moved into Tier 4 to 'check on my apartment' She added: 'It was a massive achievement, still really can't believe it sometimes. I run a business - I'm not an influencer' Kimberley said: 'I am here, but I am very very strict still. I see people in Tulum and all over going to parties and it doesn't feel right to me' 'It was a massive achievement, still really can't believe it sometimes. I run a business - I'm not an influencer. 'I am here, but I am very very strict still. I see people in Tulum and all over going to parties and it doesn't feel right to me.' Last year, the bombshell was seen with former Made In Chelsea co-star Ollie Chambers. Although she recently revealed that she has been having a 'great' time dating, the TV star confirmed to MailOnline in July 2020 that her relationship with the hunk is purely platonic. Just friends: Although she recently revealed that she has been having a 'great' time dating, the TV star confirmed to MailOnline in July 2020 that her relationship with the hunk is purely platonic Wedding: The influencer recently surprised fans when she revealed she cancelled a secret wedding and ended a long-term relationship last summer The influencer recently surprised fans when she revealed she cancelled a secret wedding and ended a long-term relationship last summer. Speaking to MailOnline in September 2019, Kimberley confirmed she had called it quits with her former boyfriend. The businesswoman said: 'I ended the relationship recently. It was a really wonderful three years and we are still good friends today.' Kimberley starred on series three of Made In Chelsea and has since founded her own swimwear line. They both soared to fame on Love Island, appearing on the show in 2018 and 2021 - respectively. And Rosie Williams and Molly Smith turned heads as they attended the Bo+Tee On Tour fitness event at the Ducie Street Warehouse in Manchester on Wednesday. Rosie, 29, displayed her toned figure in mint green workout gear which consisted of a long-sleeved top and matching shorts. Gorgeous: Love Island's Rosie Williams and Molly Smith turned heads as they attended the Bo+Tee On Tour fitness event at the Ducie Street Warehouse in Manchester on Wednesday The Welsh reality star added hooped earrings and finished her look with white trainers complete with tube socks. Meanwhile, Molly, 27, teased a glimpse at her washboard abs in a tiny white crop top and matching shorts. The model finished her look with white patterned trainers and she forwent any accessories. Work it: Rosie, 29, displayed her toned figure in mint green workout gear which consisted of a long-sleeved top and matching shorts Peachy! Meanwhile, Molly, 27, teased a glimpse at her washboard abs in a tiny white crop top and matching shorts Molly, who appeared on the winter version of Love Island in 2020, posted a picture of herself hard at work to Instagram on Tuesday as she stood in a property that could have easily been mistaken for sunny Los Angeles. Bright daylight could be seen streaming in while palm trees were spotted outside behind her, making a picturesque backdrop. The reality star captioned the post: 'On set shooting something very exciting.' In another picture she could be seen sitting on a rooftop while wearing a wraparound blue-green tube top, which she captioned: 'Feel like Im on me hols.' Gorgeous: Molly, who appeared on the winter version of Love Island in 2020, posted a picture of herself hard at work to Instagram on Tuesday as she stood in a property that could have easily been mistaken for sunny Los Angeles It comes after Love Island's 2021 start date was confirmed as June 28 with ITV outlining the new duty of care protocols to protect Islanders' mental health. The news was revealed by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on Wednesday's This Morning where, in the style of the ITV2 dating show, they received a text confirming the date. Love Island has not aired since February 2020 after both the summer 2020 and winter 2021 editions were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was revealed on Wednesday that the ITV2 dating show has enlisted another clinical psychologist ahead of the new series. Fashion forward: In another picture she could be seen sitting on a rooftop while wearing a wraparound blue-green tube top, which she captioned: 'Feel like Im on me hols.' ITV listed the show's new duty of care protocols in a statement, which will support Islanders before, during and after filming. It comes after Love Island previously addressed their duty of care after two islanders; Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, and host Caroline Flack, tragically died by suicide within a period of 20 months. The protocols are in line with the show's last series but will also now feature another clinical psychologist, Dr Matthew Gould, who joined ITV last year and will work with Dr Litchfield, an external advisor to the business. The current and full duty of care process sees comprehensive psychological support, detailed conversations with Islanders regarding the impact of participation on the show and a proactive aftercare package which offers support. Other measures in place include training for contestants with social media, handling potential negativity, financial management and taking on management. The duty of care process will regularly be reviewed and evolve in line with the increasing popularity of the show. She recently left a sexually-explicit message on her EastEnders co-star Max Bowden's Instagram. And Jessie Wallace cut a casual figure as she stopped off at a petrol station in London on Wednesday. The actress, 49, donned a flowing yellow sleeveless dress for the outing with a white and pink floral print. Out and about: Jessie Wallace cut a casual figure as she stopped off at a petrol station in London on Wednesday Jessie, who plays Kat Slater on the soap, also sported a pair of pink sandals along with a white printed face mask. Wearing her brunette locks in a cropped style, the soap star added to her look with a pair of sunglasses. The actress, who appeared to be solo on the outing, showcased her Elvis Presley tattoo as she made her way back to her car. It comes after Max split from long-term girlfriend Danielle McCarney, four weeks after co-star Jessie left a sexually-explicit message on his Instagram post. Casual: The actress, 49, donned a flowing yellow sleeveless dress for the outing with a white and pink floral print Laid back: Wearing her brunette locks in a cropped style, the soap star added to her look with a pair of sunglasses The EastEnders actor, 26, who plays Ben Mitchell in the BBC1 soap, called time on the relationship with the former show runner after two years and it's believed the decision was amicable. Fans of the soap speculated at the time of Jessie's crude post on a throwback picture of Max at the 2020 NTAs, in which she wrote: 'Rememberif you need a m***e to cry onI'm yer gal', was a hint the pair were romantically involved. Max's followers were taken aback by the crude comment as they shared their shock and amusement online. One fan penned: 'Omg,' alongside a crying laughing emoji while another said: '@jessie.wallace_official we need more Kat, Ben & Phil scenes '. Inkings: The actress, who appeared to be solo on the outing, showcased her Elvis Presley tattoo as she made her way back to her car Suggestive: recently left a sexually-explicit message on her EastEnders co-star Max Bowden's Instagram Split: Max Max split from long-term girlfriend Danielle McCarney, four weeks after co-star Jessie Another wrote: '@jessie.wallace_official Supportive m***e.I'm defiantly using this as a pick up line. Cheers Jess,' in addition to crying laughing emojis. But pals told MailOnline Jessies comment was simply a joke and Max was with Danielle at the time. Its not linked to the split. A source close to the star said: 'Max and Danielle's split had been on the cards for a while. It's over: It is believed Max and Danielle's recent separation was amicable Surprising! Fans of the soap speculated at the time of Jessie's crude post on a throwback picture of Max at the 2020 NTAs Lewd! Jessie appeared in on a joke as she typed on the post: 'Remember if you need a m***e to cry on. I'm yer gal [winking emoji]' Thoroughly entertained: Max's followers were taken aback by the crude comment as they shared their shock and amusement online 'The relationship was a whirlwind at the start but ran into trouble a few months ago. They tried to make it work but they decided to remain friends. Nobody else was involved. 'Max is still very fond of Danielle and he's gutted it didn't work out. The consolation is at least they parted on good terms.' An EastEnders spokeswoman said: 'We never comment on personal matters.' He is known for his work on the hit sitcoms Saint George and Lopez. And on Monday, it was announced by Deadline that George Lopez was set to become the star of yet another scripted comedy pilot, currently titled Lopez Vs Lopez. The media outlet also reported that the project, which will air on NBC, will see the 60-year-old comedian starring alongside his 25-year-old daughter Mayan. 'I cannot put into words my excitement and gratitude for this upcoming adventure with my dad,' she said on Instagram. Like father, like daughter: George Lopez is set to star alongside his child, Mayan, in the upcoming NBC comedy pilot Lopez Vs. Lopez; they are seen 2018 The forthcoming multi-camera series will focus on the trials and tribulations of a working-class family in modern America. Lopez, along with series creators Bruce Helford and Debby Wolfe, serve as executive producers on the project, while Mayan also acts as a producer. The former of the creators is best known for his work on the hit ABC comedy series The Conners, while the latter has contributed as a writer for shows such as One Day At A Time and Dog With A Blog. Helford also notably co-created the hit sitcom George Lopez along with the comedian and Robert Borden. Storyline: The upcoming pilot will be centered on the trials and tribulations of a working-class family in modern America; Lopez is pictured in 2018 Mayan, whom the comedian shares with his former wife, Ann Serrano, previously made her debut as an actress on her father's show at the age of 11. The program originally ran on ABC for a total of six seasons, which aired from 2002 until 2007. Sandra Bullock notably served as an executive producer on the comedy series. Although the show did not do as well as expected during its original run, it has since experienced much popularity in syndication, especially on the adult-oriented block Nick at Nite. Former co-stars: Mayan previously made her debut as an actress on an episode of George Lopez; they are seen in 2017 Following the end of his sitcom, Lopez went on to headline his own late-night talk show, entitled Lopez Tonight, which originally aired on TBS from 2009 until 2011. The Balls Of Fury actor then returned to scripted work with his second sitcom, entitled Saint George, which aired for a single season on FX. The show was centered on the comedian, who portrayed a prospective entrepreneur that had to deal with the conflicting obligations of his personal and professional lives. Big hit: Although George Lopez was not initially a success on ABC, it did much better in syndication on networks such as Nick at Nite Changing lanes: Following the end of his sitcom, the actor went on to headline his own late-night talk show, Lopez Tonight; he is seen in 2018 Although the program boasted the talent of performers such as Jennifer Lyon and Danny Trejo, it was critically panned by many viewers. The comedian's third show as a lead actor came in the form of TV Land's Lopez, which began airing in 2016. The series featured the performer portraying a fictionalized version of himself as he navigated the ever-changing landscape of television production while dealing with the onset of social media. Although Lopez was well-received by audiences and critics alike, it was canceled after the end of its second season, which aired in 2017. He enjoyed a glamorous day at Royal Ascot with his wife Lauren Silverman on Tuesday. And Simon Cowell was having a more low-key outing on Wednesday as he went for a cycle on his e-bike. The music mogul, 61, was seen on a M1-Sporttechnik's Evolution R-pedelec e-bike which has a basic price of 9,499 (8,189) and wore a padded coat despite the hot weather. Out and about: Simon Cowell enjoyed a low-key cycle ride in London on his 8,000 e-bike following glamorous day out at Royal Ascot on Wednesday Simon appeared relaxed and care-free as he made the most of the UK's heatwave and soaked up the sights of London. The Britain's Got Talent judge showed off his slim physique in a pair of white shorts with a black padded jacket and trainers. Simon wore a pair of dark sunglasses and also had a face covering on amid the pandemic. Pricey: The music mogul, 61, was seen on a M1-Sporttechnik's Evolution R-pedelec e-bike which has a basic price of 9,499 (8,189) and wore a padded coat despite the hot weather Sporty: Simon appeared relaxed and care-free as he made the most of the UK's heatwave and soaked up the sights of London It comes after the star enjoyed a day out at Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire, on Tuesday with his wife Lauren, 43. What is an e-bike? An e-bike is a regular bike with the addition of a battery-powered motor. When you pedal, the motor kicks in to inject extra power up to a maximum speed of 15mph - the legal limit. Any faster than that and you'll have to go under your own steam. E-bikes have gears and brakes. You are in full control of the motor and can switch it on and off as often as you like. And there's no need to worry about the battery running out, as if it does, you can just keep on riding like you would a normal bike. Advertisement He pulled a hilarious expression as he caught his partner Lauren and his ex Sinitta chatting in their VIP box on the first day of the event. While the music mogul, 61, had a pair of binoculars in hand, it seemed he was distracted from the races by Sinitta, 52, as she animatedly talked to Lauren, 43. Simon was pictured keeping a close eye on the pair as they talked on the balcony. Simon cut a dapper figure in a black tailcoat, while Lauren looked lovely in a lemon A-line pleated dress. Sinitta turned heads in an aquamarine peplum pencil dress. Lauren cut an elegant figure in the ankle length dress which featured a collarless neckline and pleated detailing on the skirt. She complemented the look a statement floral hat and added a boost to her height with gold sandals. Simon, meanwhile, rocked a blue patterned waistcoat and high-waisted pinstripe trousers for his day at the races. The former X Factor judge carried a copy of the Racing Post in his briefcase, ready for the upcoming races. Sinitta also arrived at Ascot with her mother Miquel Brown. The songstress caught the eye in her bright dress, which she teamed with a fedora hat, Hermes handbag and fan. Sinitta and Simon have remained close friends for more than 30 years. The former couple first met in 1983. Casual: The Britain's Got Talent judge showed off his slim physique in a pair of white shorts with a black padded jacket and trainers Ouch: Last August, Simon was rushed to hospital to undergo six hours of surgery after injuring himself in an electric bike accident accident Precautions: Simon wore a pair of dark sunglasses and also had a face covering on amid the pandemic Last August, Simon was rushed to hospital to undergo six hours of surgery after injuring himself in an electric bike accident accident. But the record executive has been determined to do everything he can to ensure he makes a full recovery, including walking for several hours a day and holding business meetings at 9AM so that he no longer lives like a 'vampire'. Of his new fitness regime, a source told MailOnline: 'Simon said how he hasn't worn trainers as much as this in 20 years. 'He feels fitter than ever before and is keeping to a normal routine rather than being on the phone until into the early hours of the morning.' The Handmaid's Tale concluded its fourth season with a game-changing twist. The Emmy Award-winning Hulu series stunned viewers by killing off a major character in its finale, which dropped on Tuesday night. The dystopian tragedy series takes place in the Republic of Gilead, a brutal regime that replaced the United States government after a worldwide fertility crisis emerged. Since June was among the few remaining fertile women, she became a Handmaid named Offred in the Waterford home where she was routinely raped by Fred in order to conceive his child. She later escaped to Canada. WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD... Surprising: The Handmaid's Tale concluded its fourth season with a game-changing twist The finale had a dramatic turn. June (Elisabeth Moss) finally got her revenge on her rapist, Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes), when she brutally executed him in the explosive episode. In the third season, Fred was arrested by Canadian authorities in and imprisoned after his wife Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) betrayed him in exchange for access to baby Nichole, whom she considers her daughter though she is the biological child of June and Nick Blaine (Max Minghella). He took vengeance on Serena by telling investigators that Serena was complicit in his crimes including the enslavement and rape of June. Serena was subsequently put in detention and later learned that she was pregnant with Fred's son. In the finale episode, June was furious when she found out that Fred had agreed to reveal Gilead's secrets to the international tribunal in exchange for his freedom. She bitterly speculated that 'what he's giving them is more valuable than what he took from me.' Tense: June visited Fred in prison and the two drank together and reminisced about their past Mistaken: Fred always had feelings for June and believed that their 'affair' became consensual June visited Fred in prison and the two drank together and reminisced about their past. Fred always had feelings for June and she played along, acting as if she also felt there was a spark between them. Meanwhile, June formed a plan to send Fred back to Gilead where he would face persecution for his betrayal by the Commanders in exchange for 22 women prisoners. However, while he was being transported, Nick headed off his convoy and handed Fred over to June and a group of her fellow Handmaids who were waiting in the woods. June and the Handmaids then hunted Fred down like an animal and circled around him. They beat him to death and later his bloodied body was seen hanging from a wall. It was a call back to the 'Salvagings', public executions which Fred had organized many times while he was running Gilead. Revenge: June and the Handmaids then hunted Fred down like an animal, circled around him and beat him to death He is gone: Fred lay on the ground with his eyes closed after his beating Underneath his dead boy, the Handmaid's motto 'Nolite te bastardes carborundorum' (Don't let the bastards grind you down) was scrawled on the wall. Later June sent Fred's severed finger to Serena. Though June finally avenged Fred's crimes against, she mostly likely will face consequences for her actions in the fifth and final season. Fiennes told the New York Times that he was pleased with how the series handled his character's death. He said, 'I'm just thrilled it happened at the finale,' Fiennes said. 'I think it's great for the audience to have that catharsis.' Watch The Handmaid's Tale on Stan in Australia. Emma Corrin shared a series of throwback snaps with her My Policeman co-stars as she celebrated filming coming to an end on their LGBT movie. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, the 25-year-old actress quipped, 'aaaaand thats a falafel wrap baaaaby' alongside the shots. In the first shot, Emma threw it back to a day when the cast had been filming at a pool, showing herself clad in a swimsuit while co-star Harry Styles donned red trunks. Fantastic four: Emma Corrin shared snaps with (L-R) My Policeman producer Robbie Rogers, filmmaker Michael Grandage and co-star Harry Styles to celebrate filming wrapping The pair - who play husband and wife in the film - sat on lifeguards chairs by the side of the pool alongside producer Robbie Rogers and filmmaker Michael Grandage. Another snap showed Emma cuddling up to co-star David Dawson, who plays Harry's love interest in the flick. For the final shot, Emma superimposed her face into a picture of Harry, Michael and David. Feeling left out? Emma also superimposed her face into a picture of Harry, Michael and David as she marked the end of filming together It was no doubt an emotional moment for the cast and crew after they spent the last few months filming My Policeman in Brighton. Harry takes the lead in the new movie which is set in Brighton in the 1950s, and based on Bethan Roberts' novel, focusing on police officer Tom, who is gay, but married to Marion (Emma) due to societal expectations. The film follows him as he goes on to have a decades-long affair with museum curator Patrick Hazelwood, played by David. It is currently unclear when the film will be released. Delightful duo: Another snap showed Emma cuddling up to co-star David Dawson, who plays Harry's love interest in the flick End of shoot! Michael's agency had earlier shared the picture and captioned the shot: 'End of shoot! Michael wraps My Policeman in Venice with Harry Styles and David Dawson' Harry reportedly shot sex scenes with co-star David, who plays his on-screen lover, in the upcoming romantic drama. An insider previously said: 'Harry will be having sex on screen and they want it to look as real as possible. The plan is to shoot two romps between Harry and David, then another scene where Harry is naked on his own.' The 2012 novel explores the criminalisation of homosexuality in the 1950s. The Amazon Studios production is being directed by Michael Grandage, and began shooting on April 12 on locations in London and the South-East coast, while the more intimate moments will be filmed at one of the big film studios. The film is adapted by Oscar-nominee Ron Nyswaner, and Amazon is working with Berlanti Schechter Productions. Chrissy Teigen is reportedly hoping that Oprah Winfrey can work her magic with a tell-all interview to help save her reputation amid her growing cyber-bullying scandal. Sources told Rob Shuter's Naughty But Nice podcast that while Chrissy, 35, is 'being advised to go into hiding and lay low' the wife of John Legend allegedly is plotting a sit-down chat with Oprah. 'Chrissy is in talks with Oprah to do a Meghan Markle sit-down type interview and tell her truth,' a source has claimed. 'Chrissy is a fighter and believes that she is such an excellent communicator that there isnt a mess she cant talk her way out of!' Teigen wrote a blog post to apologize for her past bullying tweets including one which told then-16-year-old Courtney Stodden to commit suicide. Can Oprah save Chrissy? Teigen 'wants an interview with Winfrey to save her reputation' amid growing cyber-bullying scandal DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Teigen to comment. The sources add: 'Every news outlet in the world has contacted Chrissy about getting her first on-camera interview, but Oprah is her first choice. If Oprah can forgive Chrissy, then so can the nation.' Meanwhile, Teigen's mea culpa this week has only only served to cause more controversy, after Project Runway's Michael Costello came forward to say he had 'thoughts of suicide' after alleged bullying from the star. The 35-year-old model took to Medium on Monday morning to write a lengthy post in which she admitted to being a 'troll' and an 'a**hole' while insisting that she is 'no longer that person.' She has come under fire in recent weeks for cruel posts on Twitter aimed at Stodden, Lindsay Lohan, Quvenzhane Wallis, and others. Teigen began by writing: 'Hi all. It has been a VERY humbling few weeks.' 'I won't ask for your forgiveness, only your patience and tolerance,' Teigen wrote In 2011, Teigen published a barrage of tweets telling then-16-year-old Stodden, who had just married 50-year-old actor Doug Hutchison, to 'go to sleep forever'. Stodden said this was only part of the picture, saying Teigen would also 'privately DM me and tell me to kill myself.' Stodden incurred relentless bullying both publicly and in private from Teigen, who tweeted at the then-teen in 2011: 'My Friday fantasy: you. dirt nap. mmmmmm baby', followed by: 'go. to sleep. forever.' Old tweets from 2013 have also resurfaced in which she described nine-year-old Oscar nominee Wallis as 'cocky' and called Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham, then 21, a 'wh***'. Teigen apologized to Stodden last month, but the television personality, who identifies as non-binary, questioned the sincerity of the apology. Teigen has been the target of backlash since abusive tweets by the star, originally made in 2011, resurfaced online, including one that urged then 16-year-old TV personality Courtney Stodden (pictured above in 2019), who identifies as non-binary, to kill themselves Lindsay Lohan was also the subject of an insensitive post by Teigen. A tweet from January 2011 read: 'Lindsay adds a few more slits to her wrists when she sees emma stone' Earlier this month, Abraham, 30, said Teigen needs professional help over her 'highly disturbing' past tweets, and calls her an 'unfit person in society.' 'It's really just a pathetic statement after someone has gone to therapy publicly for sex shaming, working through my own depression, bereavement, and vulnerabilities at that time,' Abraham told Fox News. In her Medium post, Teigen wrote that she plans to reach out personally to the other celebrities she insulted. Relentless: In one tweet Teigen told the non-binary reality star to 'take a dirt nap,' which is slang for death Hatred: In another tweet she told Stodden 'I hate you,' and insinuated that drugs must be responsible for her affected speech 'Lindsay [Lohan] adds a few more slits to her wrists when she sees emma stone,' read the tweet dated January 16 2011 'Lindsay [Lohan] adds a few more slits to her wrists when she sees emma stone,' read the tweet dated January 16 2011 Amid the backlash, Teigen has been dropped by several companies, including Safely, the cleaning brand she founded with Kris Jenner; Macy's; Target; and Bloomingdale's. The large retailers have removed her line of Cravings cookware from its shelves. Teigen has also pulled out of Netflix's Never Have I Ever. Teigen was slated to be one of the guest narrators for the series, co-created by Mindy Kaling, but is exiting the gig amid the fallout following her cyberbullying scandal. Row: Farrah Abraham calls Chrissy Teigen an 'unfit person in society' and tells her to 'get therapy'... after she called Teen Mom star a 'w***e' in past 2013 tweets amid cyberbullying scandal Vitriolic: Teigen shared this tweet about Farrah in 2013 Teigen began by writing: 'Hi all. It has been a VERY humbling few weeks. 'I know Ive been quiet, and lord knows you dont want to hear about me, but I want you to know Ive been sitting in a hole of deserved global punishment, the ultimate "sit here and think about what youve done",' the supermodel wrote. 'Not a day, not a single moment has passed where I havent felt the crushing weight of regret for the things Ive said in the past.' Teigen has been the target of backlash since abusive tweets by the star, originally made in 2011, resurfaced online, including one that urged a then 16-year-old Stodden to kill themselves. Lohan was also the subject of an insensitive post by Teigen. A tweet from January 2011 read: 'Lindsay adds a few more slits to her wrists when she sees emma stone' The tweet was shared by user @Leyton last month. 'I was a troll, full stop. And I am so sorry,' Teigen writes in her Medium post from Monday. She added: 'There is simply no excuse for my past horrible tweets. My targets didnt deserve them. No one does. Under pressure: After the barrage of tweets came to light and people called for the model to be 'canceled' she issued an apology to Stodden Moving on: 'I accept her apology and forgive her. But the truth remains the same, I have never heard from her or her camp in private,' Stodden wrote last month after the scandal broke Jaw-dropping: 'I said yes,' they gushed in the caption, adding that 'the ring made me gag it's so beautiful' 'Many of them needed empathy, kindness, understanding and support, not my meanness masquerading as a kind of casual, edgy humor.' Teigen continued: 'When I first started using social media, I had so much fun with it. 'I made jokes, random observations. Think of all the engineers, working day and night to develop this amazing new platform and technology, connecting people all over the world to learn, create, and find kindred spirits. 'And I used it to snark at some celebrities.' Under fire: Teigen wrote a blog post to apologize for her past bullying tweets including one which told then-16-year-old Courtney Stodden to commit suicide Teigen writes that her tweets were borne out of being 'insecure, immature and in a world where I thought I needed to impress strangers to be accepted.' 'If there was a pop culture pile-on, I took to Twitter to try to gain attention and show off what I at the time believed was a crude, clever, harmless quip,' she wrote. 'I thought it made me cool and relatable if I poked fun at celebrities.' Teigen wrote that when she is now confronted with some of her past posts, 'I cringe to my core.' Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis' famous Mexican villa, Casa Aramara, burned down on Tuesday night, according to TMZ. The main home on the sprawling estate was the center of the blaze and suffered significant damage, however, the outlet reported that the three smaller homes on the property were safe from the flames. Francis, 48, was not there at the time of the fire and is reportedly heading to the villa to inspect the property damage. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Up in flames: Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis' famous Mexican villa, Casa Aramara, burned down on Tuesday night, according to TMZ TMZ reported that 20 guests were renting the estate when the main house went up in smoke. They are all safely staying at a local hotel. An additional 20 staffers who work on the property were also on there when the fire first sparked. The cause of the blaze has yet to be determined. Photos obtained from the scene show flames engulfing the main house and illuminating the night sky in an eerie amber glow as ash cascaded down on top of the nearby palm trees. The blaze was eventually put out but the damage done to the stunning home was severe. Wild fire: The main home on the sprawling estate was the center of the blaze and suffered significant damage, however, the outlet reported that the three smaller homes on the property were safe from the flames In images taken on Wednesday, the center of the home was seen in rubble and ash with parts of the remnants still smoking. Casa Aramara has also hosted the likes of the Kardashians, Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore, Russell Wilson and Ciara, Selena Gomez, Eva Longoria, Orlando Bloom and Lance Bass among others. Billed as 'the only five-star private residence in Punta Mita, Mexico,' the villa includes 12 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. It was designed by Martyn Lawrence Bullard, the celebrity interior designer who was featured on the Bravo reality series Million Dollar Decorators. Terrifying: Francis, 48, was not there at the time of the fire and is reportedly heading to the villa to inspect the property damage; 20 guests were renting the estate and 20 employees were working on the property Devastating damage: In images taken on Wednesday, the center of the home was seen in rubble and ash with parts of the remnants still smoking 'This private luxury resort is just over two hours by air from Los Angeles, but feels like a million miles from anywhere,' according to Home Away. 'It's truly one of the most exclusive properties in the world. Those few who are fortunate enough to experience it, will never forget their time spent at Casa Aramara.' In 2017, Francis found himself in hot water over his luxury rental and was ordered by a judge to pay back $2million to creditors who said he fraudulently used funds from his business account to maintain his luxurious home. The trustee in Francis' bankruptcy case alleged that Francis profited from renting out his home in Punta de Mita, Mexico, where guests paid $35,000 per night. Celebrity hotspot: Casa Aramara has also hosted the likes of the Kardashians, Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore, Russell Wilson and Ciara, Selena Gomez, Eva Longoria, Orlando Bloom and Lance Bass among others Instead of paying back his creditors, Francis kept the money from them, according to The Blast. A judge agreed with the trustee's claim that Francis' profits from the property were fair game because he marketed it to American customers and was charging rates in US dollars. That means Francis was temporarily not allowed to profit off his home. The rental money he charges guests at his home will instead be placed in a 'constructive trust' until the entire $2million debt is repaid. Last summer the Girls Gone Wild founder was arrested in Mexico in connection to an incident at Casa Aramara where he allegedly grabbed a woman by her neck and spat in her face to give her COVID, the Sun reported Before: Billed as 'the only five-star private residence in Punta Mita, Mexico,' the villa includes 12 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms Casa Aramara: In 2017, Francis found himself in hot water over his luxury rental and was ordered by a judge to pay back $2million to creditors who said he fraudulently used funds from his business account to maintain his luxurious home Estate: The blaze incinerated this main area of the house, completely engulfing the roof According to Mexican court documents, Francis told the woman he tested positive for COVID and asked her to give him vitamin injections. When she refused to get too close to him, he started calling her a 'b****' and 'w****' and she fled to a closet, according to the report. Francis allegedly shook down the door and she let him in, trying to run to another room, but he grabbed her and spat in her face. When she tried calling authorities, the documents say, he started grabbing her by her hair and dragging her across the floor. He was charged with domestic violence and intentional injury. Now that California has officially reopened, the stars were out to party on Tuesday night. But all eyes were on Ashley Benson and her daring LBD as she attended the Coin Cloud Cocktail Party, hosted by Common, in Los Angeles. The former Pretty Little Liars actress, 31, put her fabulous legs on display in a cut-out black dress that also flashed her bare midriff. Leggy lady! All eyes were on Ashley Benson and her daring LBD as she attended the Coin Cloud Cocktail Party, hosted by Common, in Los Angeles on Tuesday The actress added a sophisticated touch to the look with an oversized black blazer with metallic accents. She stood tall in a pair of glossy black heels that further complimented her gym-honed legs. And upping the glam factor were her wet-style blonde locks, slicked across her head in a side part. She brought out her blue eyes with touch of bronze eye shadow. She means business! Benson added a sophisticated touch with her metallic-accented black blazer Date night! Also celebrating was Ashlee Simpson and her husband Evan Ross Her mask-free complexion was further complimented with a touch of blush. Also hitting a fashion high note was Ashlee Simpson, 36, who got heads turning in a summery pink floral mini dress with black blazer. The songstress added a pop of color with her vibrant green purse. The look of love! The couple gazed adoringly at one another as they mingled on the rooftop XOXO! Ross appeared to be planting a kiss on his beaming wife She was joined by her husband Evan Ross, 32, and the couple shared an adoring gaze as they mingled on the rooftop. Rita Ora, 30, worked her magic in a semi-sheer grey ensemble that oozed style. Chanel Iman, 30, looked stunning in a white crop top, matching jeans, and chic beige coat. Working it! Rita Ora dazzled in a semi-sheer grey ensemble Top of the crops! Chanel Iman flashed her toned abs in a white crop top with matching jeans The model beamed with joy as she posed on the rooftop with her raven tresses slicked back into a bun. Jordyn Woods and her boyfriend Karl-Anthony Towns, 25, looked oh so in love as they shared a snap inside the bash. The former KUWTK star, 23, looked stunning in a fitted off-white tank top with bright blue coat draped over her shoulders. Love is in the air! Jordyn Woods and her boyfriend Karl-Anthony Towns looked oh so in love as they shared a snap inside the bash Star-studded: The event, hosted by Common, drew plenty of stars after more than a year of pandemic-related restrictions Coin Cloud 'offers the fastest, easiest way to buy and sell Bitcoin and 30+ other digital curriences with cash, card and more,' according to the company's website. Common shared a snap of himself raising his glass at the bash in a tweet congratulating the company on Tuesday. 'Congrats to @CoinCloudDCM and @AmondoRedmond the future of digital currency is now. #coincloud,' he tweeted. Kanye West has been accused of trying to 'sabotage' a court-ordered deposition by wearing a full-faced 'Jesus mask.' The 44-year-old rapper has been embroiled in a legal battle with a company called MyChannel which claims that he had went back on a deal and stole the company's technology to sell his Sunday Service merchandise. Kanye was seen out in Los Angeles on Tuesday wearing the balaclava he's been sporting on recent outings featuring small breathing holes in the front and two intricate images of Jesus including one image of Christ apparently being eaten by a whale, along with children wearing angel wings. AllHipHop.com has obtained court filing documents after MyChannel's lawyers filed an emergency motion to bring Kanye into court after he reportedly went ballistic on their attorney Michael Popok. Scroll down for video Out and about: Kanye West has been accused of trying to 'sabotage' a court-ordered deposition by wearing a full-faced 'Jesus mask,' as he is seen out in LA on Tuesday Unmasked: The 44-year-old rapper seen in New York back in November 2019 According to the sealed court filings obtained by the publication, Kanye called MyChannel's lawyer 'boy' at least a dozen times during the virtual court deposition which had only lasted 10 minutes until an angered Kanye terminated the meeting and walked off. MyChannel Inc. describes itself as a Black-owned company specializing in video and e-commerce technologies. It is claimed that during the virtual deposition, West refused to look at Popok, kept playing with his cell phone, and referred to his own 'mental genius-ness' while asking the lawyer if he was 'f***ing stupid' as he refused to answer any questions. Interesting: Kanye was seen wearing the balaclava he's been sporting on recent outings featuring small breathing holes in the front and two intricate images of Jesus including one image of Christ apparently being eaten by a whale, along with children wearing angel wings The situation then hit a boiling point as the publication reports that Kanye put on a 'full-face hood and head covering adorned with Jesus Christs image which obscured his face and muffled his voice.' According to the site, MyChannel's lawyers had protested as the rapper refused to remove the mask as he claimed the legal team did not have a right to see his face. According to the court documents, Kanye was allegedly heard bragging about how well he was doing obstruction the deposition while his lawyers did not do anything about his behavior. One of MyChannel's lawyers, Ben J. Meiselas, released a statement about the deposition to AllHipHop.com saying: 'Wests bad faith efforts to sabotage the deposition will be viewed by the Court as one of the most outrageous and inappropriate deposition performances it has observed as well.' Uh oh: The 44-year-old rapper has been embroiled in a legal battle with a company called MyChannel which claims that he had went back on a deal and stole the company's technology to sell his Sunday Service merchandise Interesting: AllHipHop.com has obtained court filing documents after MyChannel's lawyers filed an emergency motion to bring Kanye (seen in April 2019) into court after he reportedly went ballistic on their attorney Michael Popok The lawyer also noted that the deposition had been recorded. On Wednesday it also was claimed that West has registered his Sunday Service church as a tax-exempt non-profit amid '$50m lawsuits' according to The Sun. Per the report, documents show that West has hired San Francisco-based lawyer Karl F. Mill who specializes in non-profits. The rapper has now been granted 501c3 tax-exempt status after a filing dated March 23 shows details of the corporation, including and lists the $2.2million headquarters in Calabasas. Meanwhile, on top of bringing in Kane into court for a face-to-face deposition next month, the site reports that MyChannel is seeking to sanction West for $63,000. Back in August 2020, it was first reported by TMZ that a lawsuit was filed by MyChannel Inc. against him as they claimed West got the company's employees to work long hours on his Yeezy brand and his Sunday Service shows while promising to invest tens of millions of dollars in the company. The company alleges that West walked away after 6 months of work without paying while stealing some of its technology to use on his Sunday Service performances. Oh no: The situation then hit a boiling point as the publication reports that Kanye put on a 'full-face hood and head covering adorned with Jesus Christs image which obscured his face and muffled his voice,' as he is seen with estranged wife Kim Kardashian in February 2020 The company, through its attorneys Meiselas and Popok, claimed that the Monster rapper never paid for its services and instead promised to invest $10 million in the company. In order to make the deal work, MyChannel spent $7 million of its own funds on a Yeezy Apparel, while its workers racked up over 10,000 hours of work. In the process, West whims required the company shift its headquarters from Pennsylvania to Calbasas, California, to be closer to his home, before requiring them to move again to his hometown of Chicago. Despite all the hoops MyChannel claims to have jumped through, West ended the partnership after six months without paying or investing a cent in the company. Legal woes: Back in August 2020, it was first reported by TMZ that a lawsuit was filed by MyChannel Inc. against him as they claimed West got the company's employees to work long hours on his Yeezy brand and his Sunday Service shows while promising to invest tens of millions of dollars in the company, he is seen in February 2020 According to Pitchfork, West stole the company's video commerce technology to help boost sales of the expensive clothing and merchandise he sold for his Sunday Service performances. He also allegedly met with companies like Adidas and referred to MYC's work while rebranding it as YZY and presenting 'ideas such as those of [MyChannel] as his own. MyChannel is suing West and his brand Yeezy Apparel for breach of their oral partnership, cutting into their profits by millions of dollars and withholding his promised $10 million investment, as well as requiring it to spend its own funds on his projects. He's also being sued for breaking a non-disclosure agreement by copying their technology. MyChannel are suing the father-of-four for $20 million and seeking a jury trial. Advertisement Angelina Jolie was seen again in New York City as she enjoys an extended trip on the East Coast where she has visited museums, restaurants and the apartment of her ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller. The Oscar-winning actress, 46, was flashing a new tattoo she had gotten last year as she wore a short-sleeve top while walking out of the Carlyle hotel on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The cryptic inking reads 'eppur si muove' which is Italian and translates to 'and yet it moves.' She loves the big city life: Angelina Jolie was seen again in New York City as she enjoys an extended trip on the East Coast where she has visited museums, restaurants and the apartment of her ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller She loves the big city life: Angelina Jolie was seen again in New York City as she enjoys an extended trip on the East Coast where she has visited museums, restaurants and the apartment of her ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller Marked: The inking reads 'eppur si muove' which is Italian and translates to 'and yet it moves' The quote is from astronomer Galileo Galilei. He said, 'Earth moves and its not the center of the universe, muttered it to the inquisitors, as if to say that they may have won this battle, but in the end, truth would win out.' The actress mentioned the new artwork in an interview she did with British Vogue earlier this year but this is the first time it has been seen. Her other tattoos include Bengal Tiger, Khmer Script, Quod Me Nutrit Me Destruit, a cross, Geographical Coordinates of her children, Yant ViHan Pha Chad Sada and a M among others. New ink: The Oscar-winning actress, 46, was flashing a new tattoo she had gotten last year as she wore a short-sleeve top while walking out of the Carlyle hotel on Manhattan's Upper East Side Details: The quote is from astronomer Galileo Galilei. He said, 'Earth moves and its not the center of the universe, muttered it to the inquisitors, as if to say that they may have won this battle, but in the end, truth would win out.' The actress mentioned the new artwork in an interview she did with British Vogue earlier this year but this is the first time it has been seen The Maleficent actress had on a white T-shirt with a pocket in front as she added a long a line dark gray skirt with nude Salvatore Ferragamo slides that had a gold accent on top. Jolie also carried a purse on her shoulder and wore a light gray face mask. And the humanitarian - who is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - added a gold watch and necklace. Before she was seen at Miller's apartment in Dumbo, Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday night for the second time in a week. She was joined by her 17-year-old son Pax during the visit after she was previously spotted at the Trainspotting star's, 48, home on Friday June 11. Angelina and Jonny were married in 1996 after meeting on the set of their movie Hackers a year prior, but separated shortly after and officially divorced in 1999. It comes after Angelina was reportedly left 'bitterly disappointed' after a court awarded joint custody to her ex Brad Pitt with the star allegedly set to appeal the decision with a hearing due for July 9. Way back when: Angelina and Jonny were married in 1996 after meeting on the set of their movie Hackers a year prior, but separated shortly after and officially divorced in 1999 (pictured in 1998) The actress shares Pax with ex-husband Brad - along with their five other children, Maddox, 19, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15 and 12-year-old twins Knox and Vivian. The couple have recently been embroiled in a contentious custody battle over their six children. Angelina filed for divorce in 2016 citing 'irreconcilable differences' and it was finalised in 2019. The former pair have been in a lengthy custody battle with the actress wanting sole custody and Brad fighting for joint. Tat queen: Her other tattoos include Bengal Tiger, Khmer Script, Quod Me Nutrit Me Destruit, a cross, Geographical Coordinates of her children, Yant ViHan Pha Chad Sada and a M among others The look: The Maleficent actress had on a white T-shirt with a pocket in front as she added a long a line dark gray skirt with beige slides that had a gold accent on top In May, a court awarded joint custody to Brad which left her 'bitterly disappointed' according to Us Weekly. Angelina is set to appeal the decision 'to demonstrate clear, reversible, prejudicial legal error,' on behalf of the judge who she tried to remove from the case entirely and a hearing is set for July 9. It comes after the actress was spotted leaving her ex Jonny's apartment following an intimate dinner and night cap on Friday June 11. The two were married in 1996 after meeting on the set of their movie Hackers a year prior, but separated shortly after and officially divorced in 1999. She still wears her mask outdoors: Jolie also carried a purse on her shoulder and wore a light gray face mask The Tom Raider star sparked reunion rumours when she was seen arriving to Miller\s apartment alone and without security on Friday evening carrying an expensive bottle of Peter Michael and a Louis Vuitton bag. The Girl Interrupted star spent about three hours inside - where the pair reportedly enjoyed dinner - and was then spotted exiting the premise at 10:30pm. Though Angelina is based in Los Angeles, California, she is said to be in NYC for a belated birthday trip where she was joined by all six of her children. Another look: As the Salt star stepped out in the sunlight her ink could be seen even better Angelina and Jonny first met on the set of Hackers in 1995 and swiftly fell in love. At the time of their 1996 nuptials, Angelina was just 20-years-old and their wedding made headlines. Instead of a wedding dress, the actress wore a pair of black rubber pants and a white T-shirt which had the Trainspotting actor's name written in her own blood. She later said that the blood was supposed to represent a willingness to sacrifice for their love and shared that she drew the blood herself with a surgical needle. 'It's your husband. You're about to marry him. You can sacrifice a little to make it really special,' she told the New York Times in an interview. Mr and Mrs: They first met on the set of Hackers in 1995 and swiftly fell in love. At the time of their 1996 nuptials, Angelina was just 20-years-old and their wedding made headlines (pictured in Hackers) But after marrying she told the publication that she felt like being married caused her to 'lose [her] identity,' in a way. 'It was weird to immediately be married, and then you kind of lose your identity. You're suddenly somebody's wife. And you're like, "Oh, I'm half of a couple now. I've lost me."' 'We went on some morning show, and they threw rice on us and they gave us toasters. I was thinking, "I need to get myself back,"' she elaborated at the time. The pair separated in 1997 after their busy schedules caused them to be apart from each other. The divorce was official in 1999 but they still remained friends. Angelina has previously expressed her regret about not being able to make it work in a past candid interview. 'Jonny and I never fought and we never hurt each other. I really wanted to be his wife. I really wanted to commit,' she reportedly told the Calgary Sun. Regrets: Angelina had previously expressed regret about not being able to make it work. 'Jonny and I never fought and we never hurt each other. I really wanted to be his wife. I really wanted to commit,' she reportedly told the Calgary Sun in an interview (seen in 1999) Angelina also shared at the time of their divorce that she thought they could get 'married again' in the future. '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.' Though she said divorcing Jonny was 'the dumbest thing I've ever done,' he expressed no regrets over their years together. 'There are no regrets and no bitterness. Marriage was something that didn't work out, and I had to make the decision sooner or later. I decided to make it sooner,' he told Heavy.com. The actor later went on to marry Law & Order star Michele Hicks, but they split after a decade together in 2018. Family: The actress shares Pax with ex-husband Brad - along with their five other children, Maddox, 19, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15 and 12-year-old twins Knox and Vivian; seen in 2019 Bitter battle: It comes after Angelina was reportedly left 'bitterly disappointed' after a court awarded joint custody to her ex Brad Pitt with the star allegedly set to appeal the decision with a hearing due for July 9 (pictured in 2014) Angelina went on to marry Billy Bob Thornton in 2000 where both wore vials of each other's blood around their necks, but they divorced just two years later. In 2014 she finally married Brad Pitt after falling in love on the set of Mr. And Mrs. Smith in 2005. She filed for divorce in 2016 citing 'irreconcilable differences' and it was finalized in 2019. It didn't work: She filed for divorce in 2016 citing 'irreconcilable differences' and it was finalized in 2019. Seen in 2006 The former pair have been in a lengthy custody battle with Angelina wanting sole custody and Pitt fighting for joint. 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, 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.' It was also claimed that the Maleficent star will give 'everything she's got' to appeal the decision in court. She is set to appeal the decision 'to demonstrate clear, reversible, prejudicial legal error,' on behalf of the judge who she tried to remove from the case entirely and a hearing is set for July 9. She is known for showcasing her talents as both a supermodel and a photographer over the length of her career. And on Wednesday, Helena Christensen was spotted snapping a few photos during a solo outing in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. The 52-year-old fashion industry icon appeared to be in her element as she took a couple of quick snaps featuring a friend whose face was notably obscured by a sizable pink shirt. Stepping out: Helena Christensen was spotted taking to the streets of New York City's SoHo neighborhood for an improvised photoshoot on Wednesday afternoon Christensen was dressed in a festive floral sundress that covered up much of her shapely frame and exposed her toned legs during her outing. At one point, the former Miss Universe Denmark was also seen wearing a multicolored button-up shirt that partially covered her sculpted arms. The Nylon co-founder notably wore a pair of eye-catching yellow sunglasses that added an element of brightness to her outfit. Her typically free-flowing brunette hair remained tied back in a tight bun for the duration of her time outside, and she accessorized with a single necklace. Dressing well: The supermodel was seen wearing a festive floral dress that displayed much of her impressively toned legs Cool shades: The photographer notably wore a pair of eye-catching yellow sunglasses while taking photos of a friend Taking notes: Christensen spoke about combining her interests in modeling and photography during an interview, where she noted that she was 'constantly learning from one to use in the other' After she made a brief stop at her residence for a quick change, Christensen was later spotted stepping out to pick up her dry cleaning. She kept it much more casual during the run, as she wore a graphic-printed t-shirt on top of a pair of grey sweat shorts and running shoes, and her hair remained tied back. Although Christensen is best known for her work as a model, she has since expanded her interests into the field of clothing design. In 2015, she teamed up with her frequent collaborator, Camilla Staerk, to cofound their multi-focus studio, entitled Staerk&Christensen. Doing her thing: The fashion industry figure has recently been involved in several projects that featured the work of her frequent collaborator, Camilla Staerk The two have focused on several fields over the past few years, with notable efforts in the fields of both fashion and film having been showcased on the latter's Instagram account several times in the past. During an interview with DVEIGHT Magazine, Christensen spoke about the crossover from her two main professional interests and pointed out that she likes to take lessons from both sides. Specifically, she expressed that she has 'done both careers alongside each other all these years and am constantly learning from one to use in the other.' Running errands: Christensen was later spotted wearing a much more casual ensemble while stepping out to pick up dry cleaning The fashion industry figure went on to point out the differences between the professional parts of her life, which she was happy to expand on. The Copenhagen native remarked, '[Modeling] is more silent and emotional, and [photography] is more engaging and collaborative.' Christensen concluded by pointing out that, although she is happy staying in New York City, she is much more creatively fulfilled when she leaves the metropolis and spends time in more rural settings. 'I...love the energy and inspiration a crazy city gives me, but in nature, my breath and my thoughts flow easier and I want to create,' she said. Kim Kardashian is certainly her own best advertisement. The 40-year-old reality star took to Instagram to share a stunning snap of herself to plug her latest SKIMS release. She proudly put her famous curves on full display in the image as she sported the stretch rib scoop tank bodysuit in a new blue color. Scroll down for video 'The collection is back w our summer-ready colors': Kim Kardashian took to Instagram to share a stunning snap of herself to plug her latest SKIMS release Wow! Hours later, the official SKIMS Instagram page uploaded another promotional image of their founder rocking a muted purple two piece set from the collection Kim laid on one side with her right arm propping herself up as she wrapped her left hand around her ankle for a very interesting pose. The image was used to promote her cotton range as the ribbed design could be seen in the image of the scoop neck garment. Her signature raven-colored locks were worn down in a middle part as she wore complementary make-up including a swipe of shiny lip. The social media star captioned the image: 'New @SKIMS Cotton styles & colors are dropping tomorrow!!! Wonder in white: The 40-year-old reality star has been finding creative ways to promote her brand Comfortable customer: Last week she donned a white cozy knit halter bra top with matching pants and slippers to promote a different SKIMS range Simply stunning: Not to be outdone her sister Kourtney Kardashian shared this racy snap on the same day 'The collection is back w our summer-ready colors: Iris Mica, Mineral, and Kyanite, and new styles: the Cotton Jersey Scoop Bralette and Cotton Jersey Full Brief. Shop Cotton TOMORROW at 9AM PT on http://SKIMS.COM' Hours later, the official SKIMS Instagram page uploaded another promotional image of their founder rocking a muted purple two piece set from the collection. Meanwhile, Kim is in the middle of a divorce with rapper/fashion designer Kanye West. While Kim is back on the market after filing for divorce from 43-year-old West earlier this year, she is 'not ready' to date anyone, a source told Hollywood Life. However, she still remains the most eligible of bachelorettes with a newly minted billionaire status. Split: Meanwhile, Kim is in the middle of a divorce with rapper/fashion designer Kanye West, as they are seen together in LA back in December 2019 Page Six had previously reported that Kim has garnered attention from 'royal family members, A-list actors, athletes and billionaire CEOs,' with some trying to contact her through mutual friends or DM. At the time a source had said that she was 'not looking to jump into anything' but was 'keeping an open mind.' Kim filed for divorce from Kanye in February and reportedly met with attorney Laura Wasser as far back as July 2020. The couple were married in Italy in 2014 and share four children. She recently revealed that she's got a mystery boyfriend. And Malin Andersson sent temperatures soaring on Wednesday when she posed up a storm for a snap shared to her Instagram. The Love Island star, 27, wowed in a yellow bikini on a Hotel Chocolat boat in Saint Lucia. Stunning: Malin Andersson sent temperatures soaring on Wednesday when she posed up a storm for a snap shared to her Instagram The beauty paired her swimwear with a sheer orange sarong from Boohoo and mirrored sunglasses. Malin gave her followers a closer look at her bikini on her stories and she revealed she bought the two piece on Etsy. The influencer enjoyed a day of snorkelling on the sponsored boat. Malin later took to her stories explaining she is focusing on herself and wanted to 'chill and heal'. Pose: The Love Island star, 27, wowed in a yellow bikini on a Hotel Chocolat boat in Saint Lucia Style: Malin gave her followers a closer look at her bikini on her stories and she revealed she bought the two piece on Etsy She explained there was 'quite a lot going on behind the scenes that none of ya'll know about.' However she reassured her fans that she is a 'tough cookie' and she 'will always get through stuff'. The influencer recently announced that she's got a mystery boyfriend, gushing that he is her 'best friend and soulmate'. Revealing that she's known her love for 'five years', Malin said that she's 'so excited for the future' and 'couldn't be more content and at peace'. Alongside the sun-soaked snap, Malin penned: 'Life has a funny way of making sure you truly do get what you deserve in the end Time out: Malin later took to her stories explaining she is focusing on herself and wanted to 'chill and heal' 'I'm out here in St Lucia with not just my best friend but my love too.. a lot of you are wondering who this mystery guy is. And I'm going to keep it just like that, as this bit of happiness deserves my privacy in which I will cherish for now. 'I've known him for 5 years and we have always been friends, and also in and out of each other's lives.. he's also been the one that's got away.. but he's here to stay and I couldn't be more content and at peace. 'It's weird how it's all worked out as the ones that care for you the most, you tend to push away.. but timing has been everything in this. 'My soul mate, bringing only the best out in me and helping me on my forever journey of healing. He knows every inch of my soul and what I've gone through, and has been there throughout which is what makes this so special. 'It's safe to say it feels surreal and I've had a hard time of opening up and letting my guard down, but I know this ones deserving of me (to all my precious fans, I love you and adore you so please don't worry about me getting hurt as i'm 100% sure I won't) New man: The influencer recently announced that she's got a mystery boyfriend, gushing that he is her 'best friend and soulmate' Excited: Malin said she was looking forward to the future with a 'rock by my side' and told fans she would be keeping her new man's identity a secret 'This next chapter of my journey needs a rock by my side.. and I'm so excited for the future. Even though I'm an independent boss ass b***h, that will never change.. I also want you guys to know that happiness comes from yourself first. 'I'll keep this post short - but yeah.. say hi to the other half of me.' Malin is back in sunny St. Lucia following an earlier trip in May and came back to the UK at the beginning of June where she enjoyed a spa trip with a pal in Staffordshire after quarantining. The body confidence adovcate was last linked to tattoed-faced beau Michael Sadler, who she dumped in April when she found out he had a secret pregnant girlfriend. Boy bye: The body confidence adovcate was last linked to tattoed-faced beau Michael Sadler, who she dumped in April when she found out he had a secret pregnant girlfriend The devastated star ended the 18-month romance after his partner of seven-years Rebecca Barr, 38, contacted her to reveal he has four children and one that's due in August. Malin told MailOnline at the time: 'I am just terrified at the level of narcissism, the lies, and everything that's happened. 'To everyone else he's so lovely, but he needs to be exposed. In my soul I cannot let another women go through what I've been through for seven years.' The same month Malin revealed also she had suffered a miscarriage - two years after her four-week-old daughter Consy passed away. Malin has always been very candid about her relationships and has often spoken about her experience with domestic abuse. The Love Island star's former partner Tom Kemp, 28, was jailed for 10 months for an assault that left her 'black and blue' last September. He admitted to assaulting the reality star, which left her with a broken her hand. Tom was released in December after three months and will serve the rest of his term on Home Detention Curfew. Powerful: It comes after Malin shared a throwback snap of herself with a bruised and cut face as she penned a powerful domestic violence post in May Tom was the father of Malin's baby girl Consy, who tragically died with a heart defect in January 2019, just one month after being delivered at 33 weeks. Malin met Tom in late 2017, shortly after she lost her mum, also named Consy, to breast cancer. She's since had time to reflect on her relationship with Tom and says they formed a 'trauma bond' amid her grief and depression at the loss of her mum. In June 2020, Malin spoke about the abuse and emotional torment she suffered while being in the on/off relationship during 2018. She said: 'It started with things being thrown in my face out of anger food, bottles of water, whatever was in his hand, all out of anger. 'He switched from zero to 100 within seconds. Once they think they can do that to you, it escalates.' And last month, Malin shared a throwback snap of herself with a bruised and cut face as she penned a powerful domestic violence post. She recalled the abusive names and horrendous insults she received amid her abusive relationship, with the star adding that she was 'none of the above'. Malin also shared a list of pleas and thoughts that she had at the time of her ordeal, as she then stated: 'I was once this young woman. And now I am thriving.' If you have been affected by this story, contact Women's Aid at www.womensaid.org.uk. Abuse: The reality star's former partner Tom Kemp, 28, was jailed for 10 months for an assault that left her 'black and blue' [pictured together in February 2019] His girlfriend Amelia Hamlin bid farewell to her teen years as she rang in her 20th birthday last weekend. And to mark the milestone, Scott Disick splashed out $57,000 worth of EthereumPay cryptocurrency on a piece of VERY racy artwork by renown photographer Helmut Newton for Amelia. According to TMZ, the 38-year-old Talentless founder got his hands on the vintage print, titled Saddle II, Paris 1976, at the ArtLife Gallery Pop-Up in Miami's Design District on Wednesday. Spoiled: Scott Disick splashed out $57,000 worth of EthereumPay cryptocurrency on a piece of VERY racy artwork by renown photographer Helmut Newton for his girlfriend Amelia Hamlin; Amelia and Scott pictured in February The black-and-white photograph shows a model posing on all fours atop a bed wearing a black bra, riding pants, and boots with a saddle strapped to her back. Sources tell TMZ that Disick's purchase of the provocative print has 'been in the works for a while.' It was also reported that Scott had specifically reached out to ArtLife Gallery about acquiring Saddle II for his much younger girlfriend. Helmut Newton, who passed away in 2004, is German photographer known for his provocative, erotically-charged images, which were heavily featured in the likes of Vogue. Vintage: According to TMZ , the 38-year-old Talentless founder got his hands on the vintage print, titled Saddle II, Paris 1976 (not pictured), at the ArtLife Gallery Pop-Up in Miami's Design District on Wednesday; pictured 'Tied up Torso, Ramatuelle, 1980' by Helmut Newton on March 10, 2008 Shopping for his gal: Scott is pictured on Wednesday making the pricey purchase Filming again already? Scott appeared to be flanked by a camera crew as he made his purchase for Amelia Disick's choice to utilize EthereumPay for his art purchase comes just days after his pseudo sister-in-law Kim Kardashian touted the cryptocurrency on her Instagram Story. Ethereum is 'a scarce digital money that you can use on the internet' like Bitcoin or the Elon Musk backed Dogecoin, as per the official Ethereum website. The pricey Helmut Newton image was just one of many gifts that Scott bestowed upon Amelia for her 20th birthday. Provocative: Helmut Newton, who passed away in 2004, is German photographer known for his provocative, erotically-charged images, which were heavily featured in the likes of Vogue; Helmut and his wife Jude pictured in 2000 Partying it up! The couple, who have been romantically linked since October 2020, stepped out on the eve of Hamlin's birthday to celebrate at Papi Steak before partying the night away at LIV nightclub in Miami, Florida; Scott and Amelia pictured on June 12 The couple, who have been romantically linked since October 2020, stepped out on the eve of Hamlin's birthday to celebrate at Papi Steak before partying the night away at LIV nightclub in Miami, Florida. While drinking under the age of 21 is illegal in the US, those over 18 are permitted entry to many nightclubs but can't order alcohol. During the lavish outing, Disick presented Hamlin with a 'diamond-encrusted cross necklace' that got a majorly emotional response out of the model. Amelia shared a snapshot of herself wiping tears from her eyes as she in the moments after she was gifted the pricey necklace from her boyfriend. Wow! During the lavish outing, Disick presented Hamlin with a 'diamond-encrusted cross necklace' that got a majorly emotional response out of the model Emotional: In an Instagram Story video, taken during the epic gift unwrapping, Hamlin turned to Scott and pulled his face to hers for a kiss In an Instagram Story video, taken during the epic gift unwrapping, Hamlin turned to Scott and pulled his face to hers for a kiss. The youngest daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin wowed for her big night in a skimpy metallic gold crop top and a matching miniskirt. The see-through design allowed casual admirers more than a passing glimpse at her gold-colored bra and underwear, as well as her toned midriff. Rounding out the ensemble, she donned a pair of sexy string heels and had her dark brown tresses styled long and flowing, with an added touch of volume, and a part in the middle. Nacogdoches, TX (75965) Today Isolated thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 86F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Sign up today! Get our newsletters delivered right to your inbox. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Reggae-dancehall artist LawGiver the Kingson is feeling pumped about the early feedback to his album, Kingson from Kingston, which was released in January of this year. This album is the essence of good vibes, love, and African spiritualityreggae lovers can experience the Jamaican lifestyle by listening to this EP, the feedback to the album has been great especially towards songs like Vibe and Alive and Kicking, LawGiver the Kingson told DancehallMag. He has been getting a little flak from dancehall fans who say the title of his album, Kingson from Kingston is a little too close to the title of Bounty Killers heavily anticipated album, the Damion Junior Gong Marley produced King of Kingston album, which is soon to be released. I am the Kings son. Bounty Killer is my general, but the idea for my album came from the fact that I am born July 23rd, which is the same date as H.I.M Haile Selassie and I was born in Kingston, and I see it as a way to say I am the Kings son from Kingston, this is a title I have been using since 2007, plus my EP has a USPTO trademark since 2018, he explained. LawGiver the Kingson said that Bounty Killer played an instrumental role in his development as an artist. In my EPK, I actually bigged up Bounty Killer who produced one of my first tracks, Bad Smell from 1997. I even bigged him up on Instagram and he replied and bigged me up too. A lot of people are saying that Bounty Killer and me have the same album name, he is the King of Kingston, I am the Kings son, it is about my birth, but big respect to the Killer, he helped me to perfect my craft in the early days, he said. Last month, Bounty used his official Instagram page to unveil his album where he captioned the post, Thy Kingdom ComingLoading!! along with the albums title, King of Kingston. In the meantime, Lawgiver is encouraged by the support of local disc jockeys on IRIE and Suncity Radio for the project which is a delightful mix of Afrobeats, AfroDancehall and roots reggae. The project features seven tracks, all co-penned by Lawgiver under his label, Imperishable Uprising, and features musicians which reads like a whos who of Jamaican reggae music. The throwback roots-heavy Vibe (Big Sound) was done in collaboration with legendary producers Sly and Robbie of Taxi Records. Instrumentalist Dean Fraser lends his talents to Jah Neva Fail I and Real Hustler, as did producers Cleveland Clevie Brown and Owen Bass Face Rennalls. And the incomparable Half Pint duets with LawGiver on the vibesy Alive and Kicking while fellow St Mary alumni Yaksta features on the track, The Ruler. Two songs, Alive and Kicking, and Vibe, are both playing on Hot 97 and BBC1xtra, and the songs are creating a vibe in Ghana. Nigeria and The Gambia. In Nigeria, they like the dubwise track, Hustlerdifferent places love different songs, he said. He mentioned disc jockeys such as King Lagazee from Hits 103.9 Fm in Ghana, and Ratata Nation from Wazobia FM Lagos in Nigeria who have been showing support. Lawgiver believes this EP will surely cement him as one of the most exciting talents to emerge from Jamaica in recent years. Isat Buchanan, the Attorney-at-law representing Vybz Kartel, has dismissed recent rumors regarding the Dancehall deejays supposed Christian conversion and baptism. Vybz Kartel has denied that he was either baptised or contemplated it. It is fake news and irresponsible journalism as the letter is not endorsed or approved by anyone. He is not happy because the rumour is making a mockery of Christianity and his position that he is innocent and does not need to repent for anything, Isat Buchanan told DancehallMag. This is not the first time that a rumor has spread about Kartels possible baptism as in 2017, the letter purportedly written by Vybz Kartel had surfaced with similar claims that the artist was planning to get baptized. Buchanan said neither he nor his client are aware of how the rumour got started. He took the opportunity to take a jab at the sub-human conditions that currently exist in the islands penal institutions. There is no holy water flowing through the dirty prisons, he said. There are no facilities to allow for any baptisms, the subhuman conditions under which prisoners are forced to live are deplorable. They dont even have proper running water and facilities, much less to baptise anybody in holy water. In a June 14 article in the Jamaica Star, spiritual leaders expressed excitement at the possibility of the deejay getting baptized. Stephen Blake, the self-proclaimed Pastor of the Dancehall and a member of the Acts of the Holy Spirit Ministries International, told the Jamaica Star that Christians have been praying for Kartels salvation. It would be a great victory for the Kingdom of God, if it is true. This would affect the dancehall in a massive way, and an even bigger way than he has done before like Saul to Paul in the Bible maybe he could have the same impact, Blake was quoted as saying. However, Buchanan believes that the church needs to cast out first the beam out of thine own eye. We find the rumours offensive, even the comments that the church has made about welcoming Kartels baptism are offensive. The church needs to clean its own house, the church has its own internal issues to contend with as it relates to the sexual molestation of minors, he said. Last week, a 39 -year-old Pastor Jason Rose was charged with rape after reportedly assaulting a 15-year-old girl at his St James church. The police said Rose, who is also a processing clerk, allegedly assaulted a 15-year-old girl while she was at the church in March 2021. Kemhi Rose, the wife of the pastor, was subsequently charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice and a number of offences under the Child Care and Protection Act. In the last seven years, a number of young Jamaican women have accused pastors throughout the island of sexual abuse, with one of the youngest cases being a 12-year-old, whose abuser, Kenneth Blake, a former pastor of Harvest Temple Apostolic Church, was charged in 2017. Another rape came to national attention when a child in St Elizabeth was sexually assaulted by Moravian pastor Rupert Clarke, also in 2017. Last year, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica moved to distance itself from one of its former pastors accused of sexually grooming, before sodomising, a teenaged boy in St Ann. The pastor resigned and fled the island. In the meantime, Vybz Kartel is focused on his impending appeal. Kartel is focussed on his appeal. This rumour is all fake news, it is sad that people are using fake news to make fun of a sad situation, Buchanan told DancehallMag. The popular entertainer was convicted in April 2014 for the murder of Clive Lizard Williams at a house in Havendale, St Andrew. He was sentenced to life and will have to serve 35 years in prison before being eligible for parole. Another entertainer Shawn Storm, whose given name is Shawn Campbell, as well as Kahira Jones and Andre St John were also convicted for the August 2011 murder. They were ordered to serve 25 years each before being eligible for parole. Vybz Kartel and his co-convicts had appealed their convictions, but the Court of Appeal rejected the appeal. However, the men were granted conditional leave to take their case to the Privy Council. WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) A scientist who has played a key role in New Zealand's lauded coronavirus response says the nation used its luck well to stamp out the disease and is now eyeing the experiences of other countries to determine when it can reopen its borders. Juliet Gerrard is the chief science adviser to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. She described in an interview with The Associated Press the evolution in the country's approach to COVID-19, from the chaotic early days to the risk-reward calculations it faces moving forward. Ardern this month appointed Gerrard to a second three-year term, saying she plays an "invaluable role." Gerrard, 53, a professor at the University of Auckland whose research is in protein biochemistry, was this year awarded the honorific Dame. Gerrard said that when the virus first hit last year, the information about it was changing so quickly she would need to scrap advice she thought was solid just days earlier. There was no time at all to do any kind of considered scoping or written pieces. It was all verbal, she said. She said Ardern wanted to know the minutiae. I was just constantly bombarding her with sound bites, information, graphs, whatever she needed," Gerrard said. "She always says to me that shes not a scientist, but I think she is a scientist. She thinks in a very scientific way. She loves to see all the data in the details," Gerrard said. And the reason I think she communicates it well is because shes really drilled down into the detail and then helicoptered up to see how to simplify the message. Gerrard said that perhaps the most important early advice she provided was in comparing case studies from countries like Italy, Iran and Britain, where the initial responses went badly, to places like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, where they went much better. The countries that had experienced SARS had understood that you had to act very quickly and that you could, because of the length of incubation of the virus, contact trace your way out of an outbreak, Gerrard said. Countries that had influenza-type response plans focused more on mitigating outbreaks, an approach that didn't work with COVID, Gerrard said. She said New Zealand was able to quickly pivot away from its plans for a flu-type response. She said the nation of 5 million people had advantages including its remote location and relatively low population density. But she said many other countries with similar advantages failed to manage their outbreaks. We used our luck well, I think, Gerrard said. Her counterparts in other countries often presented similar information to their leaders, Gerrard said, but they sometimes made very different decisions. New Zealand managed to stamp out community spread of the virus early on by closing its borders and imposing a strict lockdown. Gerrard said she was bracing for dissent when the country first entered lockdown but was astonished there was none, at least initially. The social license to do it was there, she said. And that's partly because it had been well communicated by the scientists and the politicians and the PM. New Zealand has counted just 26 virus deaths and for most of the past year, people have been able to live much as normal, with few restrictions. Compared to other developed countries, however, New Zealand's vaccine rollout has been slow. Only 11% of the population has received a first dose of vaccine and 6% have been fully vaccinated. If you look around the world, roughly speaking, the places that kept it out are the slowest to vaccinate. Youd expect that, right?" Gerrard said. Places that have people dying are going to be much, much, much stronger in terms of the case to get the vaccine, and the public are going to be much more motivated to get vaccinated. People respond to that present fear. But the situation has left New Zealand vulnerable to an outbreak. Gerrard said that last week, she provided Ardern with a graph of Taiwan, which New Zealand had viewed as a role model but which is now dealing with a major outbreak. Her advice to Ardern and other officials? This should give us all something to think about. Taiwan is just a really striking visual because theyve got nothing and then theyve got this massive spike, Gerrard said. Still, she views the disquiet in New Zealand as positive. Im a cup-half-full person, Gerrard said. So I see the frustration that we havent got vaccines as a good sign that people want vaccinating. New Zealand aims to have offered everybody vaccinations by the end of the year. But reopening its borders would mean New Zealand might need to recalibrate its zero-tolerance approach to the virus. There will be lots of really complicated choices about risk appetite," Gerrard said. "If we let it in, there will be more cases. There will be people who get seriously ill. So its a balance of, whats the benefit of opening the border to whatever country, versus the risk of lockdown shortly afterwards?" She said that calculation involves not just ensuring a certain percentage of the total population has been vaccinated, but also making sure that high-risk groups like the elderly, and Maori and Pacific people, have strong coverage. Gerrard said she has been closely tracking Israel, where vaccination rates are high and the borders are being reopened. What theyre saying is, there are high-risk countries and low-risk countries. You might need proof that youve been vaccinated. You might need proof that youve got antibodies. And theyre experimenting with all those things, Gerrard said. So, I think being a little bit behind countries like that, who are now experimenting with opening up, we can learn from them. To the Editor: Global warming, loss of biodiversity, pollution- our planet is in trouble. Our magnificent trees can help. Not only do they make Darien and other surrounding areas beautiful, but they do everything from providing carbon sequestration to maintaining our property values. Eversource is a private company, but it is also a public utility. It makes decisions based on its bottom line, ignoring its customers and what we value: our community and our homes. On Friday, Eversource came into our Town under the misnomer of "vegetation maintenance" and an "emergency authorization" to cut and hack at trees that have been in the same place for more than 40 years. How could this be an emergency? These are mature trees. These trees did not pop out of the earth fully grown just last week. Darien First Selectman Jayme Stevenson is protecting our Town against Eversource and supporting the residents. She is scheduling a hearing so a legal ruling can be made on the work Eversource has proposed: the removal of almost 50 trees along the entrance to Selleck and Dunlop Woods. The damage done along Little Brook Road on Friday, June 11, is an insult to our First Selectman, our Town, and anyone who cares about our environment. "Safe and reliable" electricity does not mean removing every tree near every distribution or transmission wire. Eversource should propose a long-term plan and apply the millions of dollars allocated for 'vegetation maintenance costs" to help create a truly sustainable strategy. We know that climate change influences severe weather. So, rather than take down our trees which will make things worse, why not work with the people of Connecticut, and find a meaningful long-term solution. Ingrid Hess Darien 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. Javadekar said under the mission, a mineral study will be conducted 6,000 metres deep in the ocean. (Representational Image: AFP) New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday approved a proposal to roll out a "deep ocean mission" to explore the deep ocean for resources and develop deep-sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources. "The decision was taken by the Union Cabinet at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This will support the blue economy and take India into a new era," Union minister Prakash Javadekar told a press conference after the cabinet meeting. The proposal for launching the "deep sea mission" came from the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Javadekar said under the mission, a mineral study will be conducted 6,000 metres deep in the ocean. The mission will also study the changes, if any, noticed due to climate change. Under the mission, he said, a study will also be conducted on more deep sea biodiversity. The minister said an advanced marine station will be set up for ocean biology under the mission. There will also be an offshore thermal energy centre, which will help new emerging sectors. After the US, Russia, France, Japan and China, India will be the sixth country to have this kind of technology, the minister said. "There will be good opportunities for our MSMEs and research. This will also help in our endeavour and vision towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat," he said. Manjula Devi thanked the CM for announcing ex-gratia to kin of nurses who have lost their lives while managing Covid-19. PTI VIJAYAWADA: AP Government Nurses Association (APGNA) has written a letter to Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday objecting to harassment of nurses by superintendents of various government hospitals. In the letter, association president D. Manjula Devi complained that nurses are facing considerable problems while discharging their duties these Corona times. Hospital superintendents and other officials are not being considerate even though nurses are putting their lives at stake. Citing an example, Manjula Devi pointed out that a senior nurse working at the Ruia Government Hospital in Tirupati was harassed by the hospital superintendent concerned. In this context, the APGNA president underlined that nurses should be given duties based on a roster system. But superintendents are not following this norm. They are favouring senior and head nurses, which is resulting in other nurses on duty getting overburdened. Manjula Devi thanked the CM for announcing ex-gratia to kin of nurses who have lost their lives while managing Covid-19. Once the user downloads the fake app, which claims to test blood oxygen levels using fingerprint sensors, through a SMS, it asks permission to access various features in the mobile. (Representative Image: AFP) Chennai: With the surge in demand for oximeters due to the COVID pandemic, the Tamil Nadu police warned people against downloading fake oximeter apps on their mobile phones, and said such applications may steal personal or biometric data from the phones. People's apprehension during the pandemic is being exploited by the cybercriminals who are targeting the users with malicious links and applications that could steal personal information or biometric data like fingerprints. "One such scam used by the cybercriminals is the fake oximeter app that claims to detect blood oxygen levels," the police said in an advisory. Once the user downloads the fake app, which claims to test blood oxygen levels using fingerprint sensors, through a SMS, it asks permission to access various features in the mobile. If permission is granted, then the cybercriminals could steal the sensitive data such as OTP, saved passwords, card details, photos, contacts and even the biometric information that could be used to access banking and other sensitive applications on the phone. "These apps claim to measure blood oxygen level by placing the finger on the camera and illuminating the finger using torch light. During this process, the malicious apps could capture your fingerprint," the police said and warned that the fraudsters could also use the fingerprint data to replicate the thumb impression and authenticate Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) transactions from the app users account. Several states including Maharashtra and Gujarat have in the past warned people about such fraud apps. The police advisory claimed that SpO2 blood oxygen sensor is required to measure the blood oxygen levels accurately. "This is not present in smart phones. Hence, users should be cautious of apps promising to measure blood oxygen levels using fingerprint sensors," the warning posted on the Tamil Nadu police facebook page said and appealed to the citizens to install applications from trusted sources. However, if the biometric information is compromised, one should disable biometric authentication for AEPS transaction by visiting www.uidai.gov.in. The victims could file a complaint on www.cybercrime.gov.in. The court also issued notice to the counsel of the Indian High Commission to appear before the court on the next date of hearing. (Photo: PTI/File) Islamabad: A Pakistani court has adjourned till October 5 the hearing of a government's plea to appoint a counsel for Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav on request of the country's top law officer, according to a media report. Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India approached the International Court of Justice against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan must undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. On Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) adjourned the hearing of the government's plea to appoint counsel for Jadhav till October 5 at the request of the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan, The Express Tribune reported. The court also issued notice to the counsel of the Indian High Commission to appear before the court on the next date of hearing. At the last hearing of the case on May 7, an IHC larger bench comprising Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb gave India another chance to appoint a counsel for Jadhav by June 15. At an earlier hearing, AGP Khan had informed the court that India contends that the appearance of its consul before a Pakistani court to defend Jadhav would amount to submission to the jurisdiction of the court and would violate its sovereign immunity. The larger bench had later issued a three-page written order stating that submission to the jurisdiction of any court is quite distinct from appearing before a court to assist it in a matter At this juncture, the court is conducting proceedings only to work out the way forward to implement the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the order had said. The court had said that it was only trying to figure out a way to implement the ICJ order and it needs to be brought to the attention of India so that it may enter the appearance and express its reservations about procedure and methodology for implementation of the judgment. The present proceedings are being conducted to ensure that Commander Jadhav is provided with a fair opportunity to defend himself in the review proceedings to be carried out as ordered by the ICJ." In view of the foregoing, the government of Pakistan shall make another effort to communicate with the government of India regarding the purpose of the instant proceedings and ensure presence before the court, the order noted. The Pakistan government last week rushed through the National Assembly a bill to provide the right of appeal to Jadhav, amidst ruckus and boycott by the Opposition. The bill is aimed at allowing Jadhav to have consular access in line with the ICJ verdict. . The counsels for the petitioner informed that the valuation of Telugu medium papers was done in state while the English medium papers were done in other states, which was unfair to the students who wrote in English medium. DC Image VIJAYAWADA: The AP High Court on Tuesday heard the petitions filed over alleged irregularities in the conduct of Group-1 Mains examinations. A total of nine petitions were taken for trial on Tuesday, and after hearing arguments from both the sides, the court reserved the judgment. The petitions were filed by advocates Thandava Yogesh Yadav, Adinarayana, G. Vidyasagar and others. The counsels for the petitioners Adianarayana and Vidyasagar contended that the Group-1 Mains examinations were not conducted as per the rules. The petitioner's counsels brought to the notice of the court that the digital valuation of the examination paper was mentioned by the authorities in the final stage. The counsels for the petitioner informed that the valuation of Telugu medium papers was done in state while the English medium papers were done in other states, which was unfair to the students who wrote in English medium. The counsels argued as to how the government could carry out the valuation process with the private individuals. The petitioners contended that the secretary had acted unilaterally by bypassing the chairman of the APPSC and asked to issue interim orders suspending the interviews. The government lawyers argued that the Group-1 examinations were conducted in accordance with the regulations of APPSC. The public prosecutor brought to the notice of the court that there was no need to mention in advance about the valuation process. After hearing arguments from both sides, Judge DVSS Somayajulu reserved the judgment. Though the SHRC had issued the order on April 12, the state government did not oppose the order till Tuesday. DC Image Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday found fault with the Telangana State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) for appropriating extra-constitutional authority to adjudicate on a land dispute which was purely civil in nature, where the question of human rights violation did not arise. The court also stayed the SHRC order and issued notices to the government. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy made these observations during the hearing of a case, which involved Rs 3,000-crore worth of land spread across 84 acres at Raidurg, a prime area in the IT corridor of the city. It may be recalled that during an auction conducted three years ago, Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) realised Rs 34 crore per acre at Raidurg. Apart from private individuals fighting for the ownership of the 84-acre land, the state government has also been claiming ownership for decades. The SHRC, however, issued an order in favour of one Syed Azzizullah Hussain and Lorven Projects Limited, who entered into an agreement with Hussain. Though the SHRC had issued the order on April 12, the state government did not oppose the order till Tuesday. The order came to light only when another private claimant approached the High Court seeking the quashing of the SHRC order. Questioning the inaction of the state government when the SHRC issued orders favouring private parties on the government land, Justice Vijaysen Reddy asked Special Government Counsel Sanjeev Kumar: "What were you doing when the SHRC was issuing orders? It looks like the government is also not fair enough in its arguments." "The government has not challenged the SHRC order before the private persons approached the court," Justice Vijaysen Reddy pointed out. Further, the division bench observed that the SHRC has exceeded its jurisdiction in this particular case. "Moreover the matter is sub-judice as cases are pending in different courts. It appears the Telangana SHRC became a superior authority over the High Court, Court of Wards and other judicial institutions," the bench observed. Special counsel informed the court that he had argued the case before SHRC also and so far the order copy had not been served on the respondents. "The chairman of the SHRC announced on April 12 that orders would be pronounced later, but the order copy was given to some parties on the same day," he said. The BBP has four different units - Zoo, Safari, Butterfly Park and Rescue Centre within an area of 731.88 Hectares. (PTI photo) Bengaluru: Wildlife enthusiasts in big numbers have contributed more than Rs one crore to the Bengaluru zoo facing financial crunch due to dip in footfall owing to the COVID-19-induced lockdown. Officials at the zoo, Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) said on Wednesday the park has received immense support from citizens from and outside Bengaluru during this difficult period. BBP Executive Director R Gokul said from April 2021 to June 15, as many as 2,535 people have contributed nearly Rs 1.17 crore towards animal adoption, donation and one-day feeding cost. "This fund will be utilised for feed and veterinary care of zoo animals," he said. The BBP has four different units - Zoo, Safari, Butterfly Park and Rescue Centre within an area of 731.88 Hectares. BBP is a self-sustained organisation run only by gate revenue; it has also adopted a few mini zoos of Karnataka. "COVID-19 pandemic has played a great disaster on the zoo where the footfall has come down drastically, which has impacted the zoo revenue," Gokul, also Chief Conservator of Forests, Bengaluru, had said earlier. In spite of this, the zoo is taking care of 2388 animals belonging to 102 different species, he had said. BBP is also providing an opportunity to name young animals. Citizens can also contribute towards one day feeding cost of some of the zoo residents, Gokul said. Daily feeding cost of an Asian Elephant, for example, works out to Rs 3,000 a day and the zoo has 25 of them. There is a provision for income tax rebate under 80G for animal adoption/donation, it was noted. The BBP had also launched an animal adoption programme during the COVID-19-induced lockdown last year. Speaking to PTI, a BBP officials said: "As many as 260 animals were adopted by 213 people in financial year 2020-21 and a sum of Rs 34,94,750 has been raised through this initiative." TRS leaders believe that the party president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will not undertake any exercise either to reshuffle his Cabinet or to fill nominated posts in the party as well as in the government until the Huzurabad bypoll is over. (Photo: Twitter @TelanganaCMO) HYDERABAD: The unexpected political developments in the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in May leading to bypoll for Huzurabad Assembly seat seem to have dashed hopes of TRS leaders of securing Cabinet berths and nominated posts in the party and the government. TRS leaders believe that the party president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will not undertake any exercise either to reshuffle his Cabinet or to fill nominated posts in the party as well as in the government until the Huzurabad bypoll is over. These leaders have been desperately waiting for years to grab plum posts but the appointment process is getting delayed every time under one pretext or the other. They had pinned heavy hopes on the Chief Minister undertaking Cabinet reshuffle and filling up hundreds of nominated posts in the party and the government soon after the completion of Nagarjunasagar Assembly bypoll and municipal corporation elections for Khammam and Warangal besides five municipalities in May first week. The fact that the municipal polls in May marked the completion of all elections in Telangana and no polls were scheduled until 2023 December Assembly polls rekindled the hopes of these leaders. They strongly believed that this was the 'ideal time' for the party chief to reward leaders with nominated posts who worked for the TRS victory in all the polls since December 2018. But then, the Chief Minister sacking health minister Eatala Rajender from his Cabinet on the day when polling ended for municipal polls in May first week came as a shocker for these aspiring leaders. It eventually led to Eatala quitting the TRS as well as MLA post in June first week forcing yet another bypoll in Huzurabad. According to party sources, the Chief Minister now is completely focussed on winning Huzurabad bypoll, come what may, and he wants the entire party leaders and cadre to remain focussed on Huzurabad. The Chief Minister is said to be in mood to take up any Cabinet reshuffle or fill nominated posts at this juncture as it may divert the attention of party leaders and cadre from Huzurabad bypoll and also give scope for dissidence surfacing in the party from the leaders who could not be accommodated either in Cabinet or in nominated posts due to political and caste equations in some districts. Leaders desperately waiting for posts are a worried lot as exactly only half of the five-year term is left for the TRS government before facing Assembly polls in December 2023. They are hoping that the party chief will take this factor into account and expedite the filling of nominated posts after the Huzurabad bypoll. The 50 BJP MLAs on Monday pressed for the use of the anti-defection law on Krishnanagar North MLA Mukul Roy for his return to the TMC from their party last week and his calls to 10 others to follow him. DC Image Kolkata: As the BJP stares at the threat of large-scale defection by its MLAs to the ruling Trinamul Congress and continuous post-poll attacks on its cadres in West Bengal, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar flew to New Delhi on Tuesday evening on a three-day visit to look for a way out urgently. Mr Dhankhar, according to sources, is expected to meet Union home minister Amit Shah and then Prime Minister Narendra Modi apparently to discuss a strategy under the anti-defection law to stop the BJP MLAs switch and the post-poll violence in the state. The governor tweeted that he would return to Kolkata on June 18 in the late afternoon. Mr Dhankhars itinerary came a day after two dozen MLAs in the BJPs present tally of 74 were conspicuous by their absence in their partys delegation of legislators, headed by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who met him at the Raj Bhavan. The 50 BJP MLAs on Monday pressed for the use of the anti-defection law on Krishnanagar North MLA Mukul Roy for his return to the TMC from their party last week and his calls to 10 others to follow him. Their demand carried so much priority that it topped the agenda over the post-poll violence in their deputation to the governor, who then assured them of the anti-defection laws validity in the state. Before leaving Kolkata, Mr Dhankhar, however, urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a letter to deliberate on the post-poll violence in her Cabinet and sought to have a discussion with her. The West Bengal Governor wrote: With a heavy heart I am constrained to observe your continued silence and inaction over the post-poll retributive bloodshed, violation of human rights, outrageous assault on the dignity of women, wanton destruction of property, perpetuation of untold miseries on political opponents the worst since Independence and it ill augurs for democracy. New Delhi must officially declare that the Indian government will stand by the Dalai Lamas decision, while he should keep in mind the Indian population on the borders with Tibet. (PTI) The issue of the Dalai Lamas succession has been in the news for quite some time, especially after the Tibetan diaspora elected Penpa Tsering as the new Sikyong, or president; incidentally, this election must have irritated no end Communist China that always proclaims its superior, though undemocratic, system of governance to the world, especially on the occasion of the centenary of the Communist Party of China in July. During an interaction with the Tibetan media, the Sikyong, who heads the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamsala, said after taking the oath on May 27 that he already had three video audiences with the Dalai Lama, who expressed his wish to visit China and Tibet. He has this wish for a long time, Mr Tsering told Tibetan journalists. Visiting China may not be a great idea now, but its up to the Tibetan supreme leader and for his people to decide. The question of succession was apparently not discussed though it is vital in the present context of China becoming more authoritarian and belligerent, using every occasion to reaffirm that its the Communist leadership who will decide the present Dalai Lamas successor. The recently published white paper Tibet Since 1951: Liberation, Development and Prosperity states: In 1793, the Qing [Manchu] government restored order in Tibet and promulgated the Imperially Approved Ordinance for Better Governance of Tibet (the 29-article ordinance) [which] stipulated that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and other grand Living Buddhas had to follow the procedure of drawing lots from the golden urn. Though the Golden Urn procedure was rarely used thereafter, the fact is the Manchus realised the weakness in Tibets system of governance, that is rule by reincarnation, and were quick to exploit it. In the eighteenth century, on three occasions, Manchu troops marched into Tibet, each time at the request of the Tibetan government -- once to defend Tibet against the Gurkha invasion (1792), and twice to restore civil order after internal troubles (1728 and 1751). Each time, the special relationship, known Choe-yon (priest-patron), was invoked by Lhasa: the Dalai Lamas and other lamas were the gurus (or priests) while the Manchus were the patrons, or protectors of the Buddhist state. The instability of the rule by incarnation can be attributed to the gap between the time a Dalai Lama passes away and when his successor is old enough and able to practically assume power. The 20 crucial years in between the two have always been used by incompetent regents or the Ambans (Chinese ambassadors in Lhasa) to influence Tibetan politics. It was even murmured that the Chinese Ambans had found the trick: during the nineteenth century, four Dalai Lamas died before reaching majority: Luntok Gyatso, ninth Dalai Lama (1805-1815); Tsultrim Gyatso, tenth Dalai Lama (1816-1837); Khedup Gyalsto, eleventh Dalai Lama (1838-1855); and Trinley Gyatso, twelfth Dalai Lama (1856-75). They never ruled. Later, with the decline of the Manchus, there was no protector to look after the priests, this until the thirteenth Dalai Lama assumed power and asserted Tibets independence. When one studies the history of modern Tibet, one realises just how unstable what the British officials called the minority was; most of the time, no decision was taken by regents too cautious that they could be criticised at a later stage. Many concrete examples can be given; it would show that it is probably the main reason why Tibet lost its independence. After the thirteenth Dalai Lama passed away in 1933, two regents ruled over Tibet; but soon, a dispute between the Reting and Taktra Rinpoches ended in a near civil war, with the Tibetan Army supporting Taktra and bombarding Sera Monastery, Retings alma mater. The least that could be said is that most of the regents were not up to the mark. One solution to avoid the past situation after the present Dalai Lamas departure has been mentioned by the Tibetan leader himself in 2011, in an elaborate statement about his succession. The Dalai Lama spoke of the origin of the custom of recognising Emanation Bodies, or tulkus; and he further elaborated: The main purpose of the appearance of a reincarnation is to continue the predecessors unfinished work to serve Dharma and beings. In the case of a lama who is an ordinary being, instead of having a reincarnation belonging to the same mind-stream, someone else with connections to that lama through pure karma and prayers, may be recognised as his or her emanation. The Tibetan leader continued with his esoteric description: Alternatively it is possible for the lama to appoint a successor who is either his disciple or someone young who is to be recognised as his emanation. Since these options are possible in the case of an ordinary being, an emanation before death that is not of the same mind-stream, is feasible. He cited great nineteenth century master Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, who said: Reincarnation is what happens when someone takes rebirth after the predecessors passing away; emanation is when manifestations take place without the sources passing away. Another problem linked to incarnations is finding a new reincarnation is a rather unscientific process which can be manipulated at will; for example, doubts have been raised about the authenticity of many high tulkus such as Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese-selected Panchen Lama, as well as other high lamas like Reting Rinpoche, the regents incarnation during the Dalai Lamas minority, Samding Dorjee Pagmo, the senior-most female tulku, Tsemoling, reincarnation of another former regent, or Phagpala Delek Namgyal, head lama of Chamdo monastery; all of whom live in Tibet today and are actively collaborating with Communist China. Are they genuine tulkus? Viewed from a political angle, many issues would be solved if the Dalai Lama decides to go for an emanation. First, he himself would select the next Dalai Lama and the Chinese will have no say in the process; further, it would bring a far greater stability to the political scene in exile. Ultimately, of course, its the Dalai Lamas choice and India, a secular republic, cannot intervene in his decision. But New Delhi must officially declare that the Indian government will stand by the Dalai Lamas decision, while he should keep in mind the Indian population on the borders with Tibet. In the meantime, one can only wish the new Sikyong good luck to keep the flock together in these tumultuous times. In hyper-polarised India, it needs dollops of bravery for governments to admit that they got their Covid-19 death data wrong, that the magnitude of the problem they face in the time of the pandemic is more serious than they previously stated. Because political rivals are likely to pounce on such bursts of honesty as evidence of rank incompetence. Nevertheless, some states are taking baby steps towards greater transparency of Covid-19 data. That is good news. Bihar is in the spotlight. Covid-19 death figures in the state shot up from 5,478 on June 8 to 9,429 on June 9 in the wake of data revision. The dramatic jump in the number of coronavirus casualties did not happen because the Bihar government suddenly woke up to the need for good data. It was because the judiciary stepped in. The Patna high court demanded an audit of the figures after widespread allegations that the state government was underplaying the scale of infections and deaths. Arguably, Bihar is not the only state which has faced such accusations. Ground reports by the media from crematoriums in many places, along with images of dozens of bodies dumped in rivers or buried in shallow graves have only bolstered the widespread belief that the official Covid-19 death count in the country doesnt tell the real story. Many states like Maharashtra and Telangana are revising their official death toll in the Covid-19 pandemic. Interestingly, Jharkhand, one of Indias poorest states, is setting an inspiring example by initiating an Intensive Public Health Survey. This is the first such door-to-door counting of deaths by any state during the second wave of the pandemic. It has revealed that 25,490 people died in the state in April-May 2021 -- that is 43 per cent higher than the 17,819 total deaths officially registered across all 24 districts in the state in April-May 2019. What should one make of this sudden rush for data integrity in many states even as the pandemic rages on? Will other states follow suit? Will the Narendra Modi government stop denying that Indias official Covid-19 death toll is a massive undercount? It is too early to tell. The pandemic is indeed making many countries finally acknowledge that they have been undercounting Covid-19 deaths. Peru did it. Mexico did it. But truth-telling may not be as contagious as the mutating coronavirus. Here in India, even as state governments start to revise their Covid-19 data, the Centre insists all is well. It recently lashed out at an international newsmagazine for pegging the countrys excess deaths due to the pandemic at 5-7 times the official figure. But better late than ever. Whatever be their motives, the states which are embracing greater data transparency deserve to be cheered even if by doing so, they push up Indias official Covid-19 death count. As health economist Rijo M. John puts it: Those brave states that are indeed doing this must be appreciated and I hope it motivates the rest to do so too. Dr John cites the example of Maharashtra, which he says has been relatively honest with the data right from the beginning, compared to many others. Now, more states are joining in. In India, even in normal times, many deaths are not officially recorded. Globally two-thirds (38 million) of 56 million annual deaths are still not registered, according to the World Health Organisation. But the coronavirus pandemic may have set in motion a laudable trend; many governments are beginning to acknowledge that there has been a massive undercount of deaths. The science of death-counting is making headlines and the critical need for strong and developed death registries is a talking point. Dr Hemant Shewade, a medical doctor specialising in community medicine and operational research, points to the uneven quality of even routine surveillance of deaths in the country. The coverage of routine death surveillance (proportion of deaths registered along with medical certification of cause of death) is as high as 100 per cent in Goa and as low as 2.5 per cent in Jharkhand. One did not really expect 100 per cent accuracy in Covid-19 death reporting. We cannot improve routine death surveillance overnight. But in the time of the pandemic, the problem rose because the undercounting of deaths was way too high, he told me. What is really unacceptable, says Dr Shevade, is singling out certain states for contributing higher proportion of reported Covid-19 deaths. This creates an environment that encourages poor Covid-19 death reporting. Why is accurate Covid 19 data so important? Because poor data makes for poor planning. The administration, as well as the public, become lax as the true picture is not presented. Then it takes a wave as large as the second wave to wake us up. By then any action is too little too late, says Dr Shevade. What should be done? Public health experts who have been tracking the Covid 19 numbers stress the importance of making an honest attempt to not show less numbers by reporting all Covid-19 deaths, captured by routine death surveillance. Accepting that under-reporting is an inescapable reality in India, we need regular local estimates of under-reporting to guide us regarding the true estimate of mortality, says Dr Shevade, This can be done through post-mortem surveillance of all Covid-19 deaths in sentinel sites. Every district should have one sentinel site (local data for local action). This should be explored. This is important because in a country like India it takes time for data on excess deaths to come out. Alongside inaccurate data, there is the problem of inadequate data. Together, they create a fertile ground for the spread of misinformation which severely hampers the battle against Covid-19. Many public health experts say the Centre must proactively and regularly publish reliable all-cause mortality data in regular intervals at the national level so that studies using incomplete and unreliable data to measure the true extent of deaths become redundant. Telling the truth may seem politically risky, but its the only way out. Bad data causes reputational damage. India has already suffered heavily with its official Covid-19 data being widely questioned and public trust being dented. Its true that the Indian Council of Medical Research has issued a Guidance for appropriate recording of Covid-19 related deaths in India, as the Centre likes to stress. However, there are gaps. As Dr Rijo John tweeted last week: Do you have data to show which states adhere to these guidelines which do not? What actions have you taken against those who didnt? Sixty-three years ago, the Soviet Union put the first satellite in space. Nearly four years later, it sent the first man into orbit, Yuri Gagarin. It fell behind NASA in the space race that followed, but even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia remained a reliable space power, joining with the United States to build and operate the International Space Station for the past two decades. Now, the future of the Russian space program rests with the worlds new space power, China. After years of promises and some limited cooperation, Russia and China have begun to draw up ambitious plans for missions that would directly compete with those of the United States and its partners, ushering in a new era of space competition that could be as intense as the first. They have teamed for a robotic mission to an asteroid in 2024. They are coordinating a series of lunar missions intended to build a permanent research base on the south pole of the moon by 2030. The first of those missions, a Russian spacecraft with the revived Soviet-era name Luna, is scheduled to launch as soon as October, aiming to locate ice that could provide water to future human visits. China has an ambitious program, has resources to match it and it has a plan, said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center. Russia, by contrast, needs a partner. The budding new partnership reflects the geopolitics of the world today. China and Russia have grown increasingly close under their current leaders, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, smoothing decades of mistrust between the countries and creating a potent, although unofficial, alliance against what they perceive as the hegemonic behavior of the United States. Space has become a natural extension of the two countries warming ties, given increasingly fraught relations with the United States. Russian officials have signaled they may pull out of the International Space Station once the current agreement with its partners ends in 2024. The launch last year of SpaceXs crew capsule had ended Russias exclusive role ferrying American astronauts into orbit. Russia has cited various reasons, but politics seem to be a factor. Last week, the director of Russias space agency, Dmitri O. Rogozin, said that Russia would withdraw if the United States maintained sanctions that have impacted Russias space program. The US-Russian cooperation on the space station has been touted as symbolic of the ability of countries to work together even during times of stress, but that stress has reached a point where all bets are off, said Joan S. Johnson-Freese, a professor of national security at the US Naval War College. Russia, for all its experience in space, has struggled to sustain a storied program that has been fighting obsolescence and corruption, and is starved of resources in Russias stagnant economy. China, a relative latecomer to space exploration, has by contrast leaped to the top ranks of space powers with missions that Russia, and the Soviet Union before it, failed to accomplish, including landing and deploying a robotic rover on Mars last month. This spring, China launched the first modules of a new orbiting space station and could as soon as Thursday send the first three astronauts to occupy it. The demise of the International Space Station originally planned for 2024, although that is likely to be extended could soon leave China with the only inhabited outpost orbiting Earth. China, which sent its first astronauts into space in 2003, was never invited to join the International Space Station. Legislation adopted by the US Congress in 2011 prohibited NASA from virtually any cooperation with the Chinese space administration or any related companies, citing the risk of espionage. China says it has made a virtue of necessity, developing its own space capabilities, although it also bought equipment from the Russians to help build two temporary space stations in 2011 and 2016. Its third, called Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace, is designed to be completed next year after 11 launches. It is designed to orbit the Earth for at least a decade after that. The long-term foreign blockade forced our independent innovation, Yang Hong, one of Tiangongs designers, told Chinas state television network last month. We must have our own. We cannot always run behind others. China has pledged to open the station to foreign astronauts and experiments, although by design it will be a Chinese-dominated endeavor. Russia and China have not yet signaled any joint cooperation onboard. We are determined to make our space station a shared platform for scientific and technological research to benefit all people around the world, Hao Chun, director of the China Manned Space Agency, said in an interview carried by state media organizations. Russia and China have cooperated in space before. Chinas first astronauts, called taikonauts, flew in Russian spacesuits. Later, China made its own suits, based on Russian designs, which also feature in some of the Chinese rockets. Chinas first unsuccessful attempt to send an orbiter to Mars hitched a ride on a Russian mission to one of the Martian moons, Phobos. The Russian rocket stalled in low-Earth orbit, crippled by faulty computer circuits, and the spacecraft eventually plunged back to Earth. Working with China now has given Russia the possibility of pursuing the type of ambitious scientific voyage that it has not achieved on its own in the post-Soviet era as it struggled with declining budgets and corruption. A month after announcing joint work on the lunar station, the two countries announced in April that they would team for a 2024 robotic mission to an asteroid called Kamooalewa. The spacecraft will circle past Earth to drop off a sample and then use Earths gravity as a slingshot for a secondary trip to a comet. Its a natural partnership, said Gregory Kulacki, the China project manager at the Union of Concerned Scientists. The Russians have a lot of expertise. The Chinese have the resources to fund it. The new agreement on the lunar outpost suggests a deepening involvement, with Russia now piggybacking on Chinas ambitious plans to build a base for future space exploration and the extraction of natural resources. For Russia, that has enabled a revival of the Soviet Unions moon exploration project, including a robotic program called Luna that began in the 1950s. According to a presentation by Pei Zhaoyu, deputy director of Chinas Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center, at a conference in Nanjing in April, Russias next three Luna missions will be integrated with Chinas Change series of spacecraft, named after a moon goddess of Chinese mythology. Luna 27 and Change-6, for example, are planned to drill into the surface and return samples to Earth a feat that China accomplished in December with Change-5 and the Soviet Union did with Luna landers three times in the 1970s. In a second stage, between 2026 and 2030, the Change-8 and Luna 28 missions will land separately with the first building blocks of the new station. The first of Russias missions is scheduled for October, although Russias space program has a track record of lengthy delays. Ultimately, China hopes the station will demonstrate the ability to develop water, mineral and energy resources that could allow the short-term survival of astronauts and serve as a base for deeper space exploration. A permanent base has both symbolic and power projection capabilities, said Namrata Goswami, an independent analyst and co-author of a new book on space exploration, Scramble for the Skies. NASA has its own plans to return astronauts to the moon and one day, send them to Mars and has recruited partners under an agreement, called the Artemis Accords, governing space activities, including operations, experiments and extraction of natural resources. China is not explicitly excluded but seems all but certain not to sign, given the US restrictions on space cooperation and its own determination to build an indigenous program. Russia, too, seems unlikely to sign, given its tilt toward China. As Johnson-Freese of the US Naval War College put it, China keeps Russia in the space game to a far greater extent than the Russian economy would otherwise support. Even as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership is yet to take a call on whether to take back turncoats who joined the BJP, severe opposition to any such reinduction has come up among booth-level workers of the party. TMC sources said the party has adopted a go slow approach in this regard to ensure that the cadres do not get demoralised. TMC insiders said the final decision regarding the issue will be taken by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the party does not want to rush into anything. The party supremo will take the final decision on this. We are in no hurry. But those who deserted the party ahead of the Assembly elections will find it difficult to return. Mamata Banerjee is in no mood to take back some of them, said a senior TMC leader. TMC cadres have hit the streets in several districts of the state, opposing reinduction of turncoats. They have held demonstrations at Domjur Assembly constituency in Howrah district demanding that the TMC leadership not take Rajib Banerjee back into the party. Read | Bengal: TMC leaders not in favour of induction of 'traitors' Protests were also held at Uttarpara Assembly constituency against TMC turncoat and former MLA Prabir Ghoshal; posters were put up against him in the area. Both Banerjee and Ghoshal joined the BJP just ahead of the Assembly elections. Similar posters were put up in Salt Lake on the eastern fringes of Kolkata against former TMC MLA Sabhyasachi Dutta. However, the TMC leadership has taken a different view of the protest and made it clear that they don't approve. According to TMC sources, the party leadership are of the opinion that Sabyasachi joined the BJP after the Lok Sabha elections and did not resort to any slandering against the TMC. The TMC turncoats have now started to attack each other. TMC MP Sunil Mondal on Tuesday accused BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, who joined the saffron party with him in December last year of not keeping his word. He further alleged that the state BJP leadership refused to accept and trust those who came from the TMC. Barely four months ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was on a roll. Fresh daily Covid-19 infections had declined appreciably, and India's vaccination programme was running smoothly. 'Vaccine hesitancy' was a problem undoubtedly, but criticism of the vaccination policy was largely absent. Everyone agreed that health workers and frontline workers, including police, paramilitary forces, sanitation workers, and disaster management volunteers, should be the first recipients. Politically, the party exuded confidence in its prospects in the Assembly polls. Crossovers from the Trinamool Congress to the BJP in West Bengal appeared to assume tidal proportions. Worries remained for the party in Assam, but local analysts asserted that the Congress-Assam United Democratic Front (AIUDF) pact would benefit the latter and BJP and not the GOP. In Kerala, 'metro man' E Sreedharan joining the BJP gave a shot in the arm, and the party overlooked its policy of excluding 75+ people from candidates' lists. In Tamil Nadu, the party firmed up its pact with the AIADMK early, and prospects to forming the government in partnership with local partners were good in Puducherry. Against this backdrop, the BJP held its first office bearers' physical meeting during the pandemic in the third week of February. The resolution adopted at the meet mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name almost thirty times in a text of a bit above 3000 words - a mention every hundred-odd words. The resolution was steeped in sycophancy. Read | Covid-19 vaccine nationalism misfired "It could be said with pride that India not only defeated Covid under the able, sensitive, committed, and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi but also infused in all its citizens the confidence to build an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'," the resolution said. It also hailed his "tireless and ceaseless efforts in serving the people." Four months on, the confidence has disappeared, and Modi 2.0 and his party jointly face a severe midlife crisis. Governance deficit, loss of people's trust in him, uncertainty over the pandemic, the economic problems confronting crores of people are not unexpected given the cyclical nature of anti-incumbent sentiment. Almost every government has faced such a crisis once past its honeymoon period. But the way the party has unravelled in a few states is entirely unexpected. Within his party, murmurs of merriment at his visible discomfort are louder than ever before. From a leader who towered over others within the party, Modi has seen his authority erode in Uttar Pradesh with Yogi Adityanath infamously switching off more than his ear to a diktat. With 'command route' not working, Modi tried out the 'pacifying mode'; on June 13, he tweeted the link of a more than 10-day old positive news report of an initiative of the Yogi government. "Very good initiative," the tweet, which tagged the UP CM, read. In contrast to this, Modi had not publicly wished Adityanath on his birthday on June 5. Having failed in coercing Adityanath into inducting former PMO officer AK Sharma (who took premature retirement in January 2021) into his ministry with an important portfolio matching his administrative skills and experience, Modi is now trying a humbler way. He appears to have come to terms with working jointly with Adityanath till next year's UP polls. However, Adityanath is 'doing to him' what Modi 'did' a decade and a half ago to the BJP national leadership of that time - demonstrating autonomy. A similar accommodative style is in evidence at the Centre. Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have taken to hold consultative meetings with party lawmakers and ministers. Modi gets into this mode whenever under pressure. In early 2019, before the emergence of the Pulwama-Balakot twin incidents as the principal electoral issue, the BJP conceded ground to the Shiv Sena while finalising the seat-sharing pact. For Modi, his ties with others in the party and among allies are inversely proportional to his 'winnability - the higher it is, the lesser is the concern for the other's ambitions and vice versa. The BJP's woes are not restricted to UP. From the tiny archipelago of Lakshadweep to the streets of small-town West Bengal, BJP workers are up in arms against the central leadership for a variety of reasons. Furthermore, in Bengal, there was this dramatic development of Mukul Roy doing a ghar wapasi, just a day after the BJP controlled the political narrative on the day Jitin Prasada left the Congress to join it. The worrisome part for the BJP, whether the events are in UP, Bengal or Karnataka, is that the writ of the central leadership is now running thin - the prabharis (state in-charges) are being systematically defied. The 'questioning from below' is against the grain of post-2014 intra-party functioning and gets intrinsically linked to the party's 'winnability'. Indeed, for the first time in Modi 2.0 tenure, doubts have risen at every level of the party about the stranglehold of the BJP in territories already under its control and its capacity to expand to new states. The roots of the BJP's troubles lie in the perception that the PM has fallen short on the parameter of being an 'ace administrator', which his image-makers made him out to be. In the second wave of Covid-19, the situation got out of hand due to four factors. One, hubris of having 'defeated' the virus. Two, dismantling of temporary medical facilities created last year, like makeshift wards in banquet halls and redesigned railway compartments. Three, the government failed to ramp up medical oxygen supplies and ensure speedy distribution urgently. Finally, the Centre came a cropper in responding to the emergency with the alacrity required. The hallmark of a good administrative leader is the capacity to tackle unprecedented and unforeseen situations. This is undoubtedly the gravest political and administrative challenge in the prime minister's career, and he cannot follow an existing script because the only one existing is a century old. Added to this is the lingering farmers' agitation that can cost heavily, both electorally and in terms of social alliances that the BJP built. All of this has resulted in considerable erosion of public trust and faith in Modi. It will be long before the BJP peddles the slogan - Modi hai to mumkin hai - again. It is premature to ascertain if this loss of the public's confidence in Modi's abilities will have electoral implications in the future. But there is no denying that this critical period of lapse in Modi 2.0 was a significant factor in the BJP's failure to bag Bengal and a single seat in Kerala. Undeniably, the BJP is still the largest party, Modi remains the most popular leader, and there is as yet no clear nationwide opposition. History, however, informs that alternatives emerge overnight because there are popular regional 'options' available, and these can join forces. There are also times when disenchantment with a particular leader reaches a level when the vote become a 'negative' one against her/him and not a 'positive' in favour of the (potential) challenger. Yet, the opposition, most notably the Congress, which remains the largest opposition party, has to be more focussed and hit the ground. Comfort for the BJP and its leader lies in the fact that the Lok Sabha polls are three years away. It can hope that time will erase memories of personal, emotional, and economic loss. But this can happen only when there is dramatic containment of the pandemic, and the health and financial security of the people improves dramatically. This is a colossal task before the BJP and Modi, and the current team doesn't inspire confidence to effect a turnaround. Already the consultative exercises and his 'accommodation' of Adityanath indicate that a more pragmatic Modi appears to be making an appearance, although he is also the master of misleading others with apparent actions. The next few weeks are critical and will indicate the likely mood of the people. (The writer is an NCR-based author and journalist. His books include 'The RSS: Icons of the Indian Right' and 'Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times'. He tweets at @NilanjanUdwin) Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the authors own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH. You are the owner of this article. Arrests Former Upper Merion fire official arrested for child porn, again 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. Divya on BF Varun Soods Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 journey: Feels like hes gone on a college trip with hot girls & guys Last month, Varun Sood jetted off to Cape Town, South Africa to participate in the 11th season of Khatron Ke Khiladi. He has been having a gala time and has found some really good friends among the contestants of the stunt reality show. In fact, every now and then he shares pictures and videos from behind the scenes on social media, much to the delight of his fans. Well, a while back the handsome hunk raised the temperature with his beach snaps featuring him, Vishal Aditya Singh, Nikki Tamboli and Sana Makbul. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nikki Tamboli (@nikki_tamboli) In a recent interview with ETimes, Varuns girlfriend Divya Agarwal opened up about his BTS posts. Divya was quoted saying, Whenever Varun speaks to me, it feels like he has gone on a college trip with hot girls and guys and they are having fun. They are doing all these stunts and they have a professor, who is Rohit Shetty. This time its a fit bunch of celebrities and shooting in Cape Town, who wouldnt feel like doing such photoshoots. She went on to add that his pictures are giving her major Baywatch vibes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Varun Sood (@varunsood12) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) She further talked about the posts in which Varun is lifting Sana and Nikki. She shared, Thats my only complaint. He just keeps working out at the every opportunity he gets. Either he is lifting Nikki or Sana. He is proving his strength. Thats so Varun. Divya also opened up about how much she misses Varun. But sadly they dont get to talk much due to connectivity issues. Well, the love birds will soon be reunited when Varun returns home after completing the show! Jacqueline Fernandez has found love; Will be moving into a Juhu bungalow with her mystery man soon? Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez has many exciting projects in the pipeline which have been keeping her busy. While she has been sharing regular updates about her work on social media, the actress has successfully managed to keep her love life under wraps. According to buzz, Jacqueline has found love in an entrepreneur. He is based down South but will soon shift to Mumbai as the couple has decided to move in together. They found the perfect bungalow in Juhu, facing the sea, and the paperwork will begin soon after the pandemic situation gets better. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jacqueline Fernandez (@jacquelinef143) In a report shared by BT, a source was quoted saying, They seem extremely serious about their relationship. While he has been working on the modalities for the property, Jacqueline and he were on constant video calls discussing things about their home with each other. The house that they have finalised is at a prime location in Juhu. Her beau is likely to move base, which includes his workspace, to Mumbai very soon. Thats not all! An interior designer from France has been finalized to do up the interiors of their new home. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jacqueline Fernandez (@jacquelinef143) Well, we are extremely happy for Jacqueline! She has found love and has several exciting scripts in her kitty including Ram Setu, Attack, Bhoot Police, Cirkus and Bachchan Pandey. As we eagerly wait to see her shine on the big screen again, we wish her all the love and happiness in the world! Ramayan actor Chandrashekhar dies at 98 due to age related ailments Veteran actor Chandrashekhar, best known for featuring in films like "Cha Cha Cha", and "Surang", and playing the role of Arya Sumant on the popular TV serial "Ramayan", passed away on Wednesday due to age related ailments. He was 98. Chandrashekhar breathed his last around 7 am at his residence here, his son and producer Ashok Shekhar told PTI. "He passed away in his sleep in the presence of family... the way he wanted. He had no health issues, it was just his age. He lived a good life," Shekhar said. The veteran actor's last rites will be held at Juhu's Pawan Hans crematorium in the evening, he added. Born in Hyderabad, Chandrashekhar started out as a junior artiste in the film industry in the early 1950s, before bagging his first film in the leading role with V Shantaram's "Surang" in 1954. He went on to star in movies including "Kavi", "Mastana", "Basant Bahaar", "Kaali Topi Laal Rumaal", and "Barsaat Ki Raat". In 1964, he made his production and directorial debut with "Cha Cha Cha", featuring veteran actor Helen in her first leading role. In 1987, Chandrashekhar starred as Arya Sumant, King Dasharatha's prime minister on the DD mythological show "Ramayan", directed by Ramanand Sagar. Chandrashekhar, who appeared in more than 250 movies throughout his career till the early 1990s, also briefly assisted writer-filmmaker Gulzar between 1972-1976 on his directorials like "Parichay", "Koshish", "Achanak", "Aandhi", "Khushboo" and "Mausam". The veteran actor is survived by three children. Minister Brophy announces 2 million in funding in response to humanitarian crises Press release Minister of State for Overseas Development and Diaspora, Colm Brophy, TD, today announced a contribution of 2 million in response to humanitarian crises in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger. Announcing the funding, Minister Brophy said: The Sahel continues to face complex, overlapping humanitarian crises. All of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger are affected by armed conflict. They are also on the front lines of another crisis: climate change. Together, these shocks have caused huge levels of displacement and, more recently, alarming levels of food insecurity. The support I am announcing today is another demonstration of Irelands concrete commitment to addressing the impact of climate change, reducing humanitarian need, and ending extreme poverty. The funding, which will be shared evenly among the four countries, will be provided to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a key partner for Ireland in responding to the humanitarian needs provoked by armed conflict worldwide. Irelands support to the ICRC in West Africa will enable it to provide life-saving assistance and protection to people caught up in conflict. The ICRC is also a key advocate for respect for international humanitarian law, working with authorities and communities to advance the protection of civilians and to secure space for humanitarian action. ENDS Press Office 16 June 2021 Notes for Editors Millions of people continue to suffer the consequences of conflict in West Africas Sahel region, particularly in northern and eastern Burkina Faso, central and northern Mali, and Diffa and Tillabery in Niger. Cross-border raids and other attacks by armed groups have been increasing, as have operations against them by domestic and multinational military and security forces. Communal violence has also intensified. The repercussions of hostilities on the availability of food, particularly among displaced people, are exacerbated by the devastating impact of droughts and floods worsened by climate change on agriculture, the main source of subsistence for many. COVID-19 and its broader socio-economic impact further threaten the lives and livelihoods of communities. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an independent, neutral organisation ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. It directs and coordinates the international activities of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in armed conflicts and other situations of violence worldwide. The work of the ICRC is mandated by international law, specifically the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols. The ICRCs appeal for these four countries in 2021 is approximately EUR 133.5m. This funding will support activities across a wide variety of sectors, including: assistance in the fields of food consumption, food production, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), health, and shelter; assistance and protection activities for people in detention; restoring family links; promotion of international humanitarian law; and support to the National Red Cross Red Crescent societies. Previous Item | Next Item Minister Byrne welcomes Minister Byrne welcomes appointment of National Citizens Representative. Press release The Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne TD, has welcomed the appointment of Ms Noelle OConnell as National Citizens Representative for the Conference of the Future of Europe. Ms O Connells nomination follows an open call for expressions of interest last month. Ms O Connell will join 26 other Citizens Representative from across the EU at the Conference Plenary, the first of which takes place this weekend. Ms Emmy Coffey Nguyen has been appointed as the Alternate National Citizens Representative. Commenting on the appointments, Minister Byrne said I am delighted to nominate Noelle O Connell to be Irelands National Citizens Representative to the Conference on the Future of Europe. The role of the Citizens Representative in the Conference will be a key role in ensuring that the voices of citizens from the many Conference events taking place in Ireland are heard at the plenary events. Noelle brings a vast wealth of experience from her career to date, including from her role as CEO of European Movement Ireland, which will be of immense benefit in ensuring that the concerns and expectations of ordinary citizens throughout our country are fully reflected in the proceedings of the Conference Plenary. I am also pleased to nominate Emmy Coffey Nguyen as our Alternate National Citizen Representative to the Conference Plenary. It is extremely important that we hear the voices of our young people throughout the Conference process and Emmy is someone who I have no doubt will prove an effective Ambassador for our younger citizens in this regard. I look forward to working with both Noelle and Emmy over the course of the Conference process. ENDS Press Office 16 June 2021 Notes for Editors The Conference on the Future of Europe is a joint initiative of the three EU institutions (Council, Parliament and Commission) involving a year-long series of conferences and consultations aimed at promoting greater citizen engagement in determining the future of the EU. As part of the Governments plans for the Conference, a range of events will be organised aimed at promoting greater citizen involvement. These events (initially virtual in nature) will provide all citizens with an opportunity to consider the challenges the European Union faces and how they should be addressed. A number of all-island events will also be organised to ensure that the views of EU citizens living outside the immediate borders of our Union, including the hundreds of thousands living in Northern Ireland, are heard. A number of other events with the Irish diaspora and our younger citizens will also be organised over the course of the next year. As well as the series of meetings and events for the Conference in Ireland, an EU-wide Multilingual Digital Platform has also been launched as part of the Conference. This portal is available in all 24 official languages of the EU, including Irish and English, and all EU citizens, including those living in Northern Ireland, are invited to visit the platform. The platform can be accessed at Conference on the Future of Europe (https://futureu.europa.eu/). The platform allows citizens from across the EU to engage directly and have their say on the topics that they consider important for the future of the EU. As part of the Conference Plenary which brings together representatives from the Member States, national parliaments, European Parliament, European Commission, other EU representative bodies and social partners, and ordinary citizens randomly selected, each Member State was asked to nominate a National Citizens Representative to sit as part of the Conference Plenary. Previous Item | Next Item Spotify Greenroom launches today as music streaming giant's live audio-only interactive chat app similar to Club House. The app will allow Spotify users to interact with their favourite music creators in live audio-only chat rooms. Spotify Greenroom will allow users to sign in using their Spotify IDs. Spotify had acquired Betty Labs' Locker Room app in March this year and has rebranded it as Spotify Greenroom. Clubhouse had launched their Android App in India on May 21, 2021. Spotify Greenroom is being launched in 135+ markets simultaneously today. Spotify Greenroom Live audio-only chat apps have become a massive sensation around with world when Clubhouse first launched in March 2020 for iOS. Several platforms were quick to launch their own Clubhouse-clones in the months after or are currently working on prototypes. Twitter Spaces is the closest competitor in terms of features but VoIP apps have had features similar to clubhouse for years. Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, Fireside, etc. are some of the many applications which have similar features albeit, not with the same focus. Spotify had acquired Locker Room, a sports-focused clubhouse alternative in March 2021 and the blog annoucement for the same had stated, "Spotify will evolve and expand Locker Room into an enhanced live audio experience for a wider range of creators and fans. Through this new live experience, Spotify will offer a range of sports, music, and cultural programming, as well as a host of interactive features that enable creators to connect with audiences in real time. Well give professional athletes, writers, musicians, songwriters, podcasters, and other global voices opportunities to host real-time discussions, debates, ask me anything (AMA) sessions, and more." With today's app launch, we will see Locker Room rebranded as Spotify Greenroom with a new look and feel similar to Spotify's design language. The app will allow users to login using their Spotify ID so there's no need for them to create a separate account for Spotify Greenroom. The onboarding experience will be in some ways similar to Clubhouse so users will be asked to pick their interests to allow Spotify Greenroom to cater their feed as per their interests. All users will be able to host or particupate in live discussion rooms with ample chat controls being provided. The app will also have recording capacilities to complement the usual on-demand streaming content with live conversations. The Spotify Greenroom App should pop up on Spotify's Android Play Store ID and iOS App Store soon. NEWS RELEASE Release Number: 2021-61 June 15, 2021 Cal/OSHA Reminder: Protect Outdoor Workers from Heat Illness During Period of Excessive Heat in California San BernardinoCal/OSHA is reminding all employers to protect outdoor workers from heat illness as excessive heat watches have been issued throughout California. The temperature is forecast to exceed 100 degrees in many parts of the state this week. Employers in California must take steps to protect outdoor workers from heat illness by providing water, rest, shade and training. Cal/OSHAs heat illness prevention standard applies to all outdoor worksites. To prevent heat illness, the law requires employers to provide outdoor workers fresh water, access to shade at 80 degrees and whenever requested by a worker, cool-down rest breaks in addition to regular breaks and maintain a written prevention plan with training on the signs of heat illness and what to do in case of an emergency. In certain industries, when the temperature at outdoor worksites reaches or exceeds 95 degrees, Cal/OSHAs standard requires additional protections. The industries with high-heat requirements are agriculture, construction, landscaping, oil and gas extraction and transportation of agricultural products, construction materials or other heavy indusial and commercial products. High-heat procedures include ensuring employees are observed regularly for signs of heat illness and establishing effective communication methods so workers can contact a supervisor when needed. Employers with outdoor workers in all industries must take the following steps to prevent heat illness: Plan Develop and implement an effective written heat illness prevention plan that includes emergency response procedures. Training Train all employees and supervisors on heat illness prevention. Water Provide drinking water that is fresh, pure, suitably cool and free of charge so that each worker can drink at least 1 quart per hour, and encourage workers to do so. Rest Encourage workers to take a cool-down rest in the shade for at least five minutes when they feel the need to do so to protect themselves from overheating. Workers should not wait until they feel sick to cool down. Shade Provide proper shade when temperatures exceed 80 degrees. Workers have the right to request and be provided shade to cool off at any time. Cal/OSHAs Heat Illness Prevention special emphasis program includes enforcement of the heat regulation as well as multilingual outreach and training programs for Californias employers and workers. Details on heat illness prevention requirements and training materials are available online on Cal/OSHAs Heat Illness Prevention web page and the 99calor.org informational website. A Heat Illness Prevention online tool is also available on Cal/OSHAs website. Cal/OSHA helps protect workers from health and safety hazards on the job in almost every workplace in California. Employers and workers who have questions or need assistance with workplace health and safety programs can call Cal/OSHAs Consultation Services Branch at 800-963-9424. Complaints about workplace safety and health hazards can be filed confidentially with Cal/OSHA district offices. Media Contact: Communications@dir.ca.gov, (510) 286-1161 Employers with Questions on Requirements May Contact: InfoCons@dir.ca.gov, or call your local Cal/OSHA Consultation Office The Bookmonger is Barbara Lloyd McMichael, who writes this weekly column focusing on the books, authors and publishers of the Pacific Northwest. Contact her at barbaralmcm@gmail.com. Image provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation [enlarge] Conceptual illustration of a new Montlake lid over SR 520, looking west, with 24th Avenue East in the foreground and Montlake Boulevard in the distance. Subscriber content preview SEATTLE (AP) MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire philanthropist known for her impromptu multi-billion dollar donations to charities and racial equity causes, announced Tuesday that she has given $2.7 billion to 286 organizations. It is the third round of major philanthropic gifts Scott has made, which together rival the charitable contributions made by the largest foundations. Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, wrote in a Medium post that she and her husband, Dan Jewett, made the donations to enable the recipients to continue their work and as a signal of trust and encouragement to them and others. . . . Subscriber content preview Rendering by Jackson Main Architecture [enlarge] This very early massing study looks northeast up Pinehurst; the red retail bay fronts what looks to be structured parking. Between 2014 and 2019, a California investor paid about $2 million to assemble a currently commercial property at 11548 Pinehurst Way N.E. The trapezoidal site also extends east to 15th Avenue Northeast. Now with a few small buildings, leased to a plumber and an automotive business, it totals about 18,899 square feet. . . . Stifling fiscal freedom While a uniform tax rate would disable low-income and developing countries wanting to preserve or enhance their corporate tax base and mobilise revenue, the G7 is more concerned about the shift of income from intangible sources such as drug patents, software and royalties on intellectual property to these low-tax jurisdictions A new proposal by the Group of Seven (G7) for a uniform tax rate for global corporates like Google and Microsoft could effectively limit the scope of fiscal policy choices for the developing and low income countries, placing them at an even level with the rich countries. Major economies are aiming to discourage multinationals from shifting profits and tax revenues to low-tax countries regardless of where their sales are made. The G7 is worried over the shift of income from intangible sources such as drug patents, software and royalties on intellectual property to these low-tax jurisdictions, allowing companies to avoid paying higher taxes in their traditional home countries. While global tech giants like Facebook welcomed the deal to set the tax floor low, campaign group Oxfam slammed the deal as inadequate. Its absurd for the G7 to claim it is overhauling a broken global tax system by setting up a global minimum corporate tax rate that is similar to the soft rates charged by tax havens like Ireland, Switzerland and Singapore. They are setting the bar so low that companies can just step over it, Oxfam said. Stopping the explosion in inequality caused by Covid-19 and tackling the climate crisis will be impossible if corporations continue to pay virtually no tax . This is not a fair deal. Interestingly, a report published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has backed the G7 proposal for a global taxation policy, setting tax rate at a low floor, at least for the multinational corporate - a move that the worlds richest nations say, would help close the cross-border tax loopholes used by some multinational corporations. Under the uniform tax proposal, global firms like Google, Amazon and other tech giants will be taxed at a prescribed rate in all countries where they operate. The G7 agreement says that other countries should repeal their unilateral digital taxes in favour of a low global tax rate. The seven worlds richest nations hope to coax finance ministers of the expanded Group of 20 (G20) nations to reach a final agreement on uniform tax rate for global firms, at a July gathering. By setting the tax floor at a low 15 per cent at the global level, the G7 hopes to reduce the incentives for large multinational firms to shift profits to low-tax jurisdictions and thereby reverse decades of falling corporate tax revenues. A uniform tax rate would, however, disable low-income and developing countries wanting to preserve or enhance their corporate tax base and mobilise revenue. The IMF study, however, says that a minimum tax rate is associated with an increase in the average effective tax rate, ie, the tax rate actually paid by corporations after taking into account tax breaks, which is estimated at just over 1.5 percentage points with respect to turnover and around 10 percentage points with respect to profits. That view excludes the requirements of growing and low-income economies that need extra gains from taxation to ensure economic growth. The IMF study also claims that countries with turnover-based minimum taxes have outperformed those without minimum taxes, collecting nearly 1 per cent more of GDP as revenue. This, in effect, translates into an average of 0.2 and 0.9 per cent of GDP in additional revenue on top of a median corporate income tax-to-GDP ratio of 2.7 per cent for the median country, says the IMF study. While a proliferation of multiple rates, along with incentives, preferences and deterrents cause costly distortions and result in low revenues by encouraging tax avoidance and evasion, a minimum rate structure limits scope for reforms to broaden the corporate tax base for lesser economies. A uniform rate of taxation will only help widen income inequalities among nations, especially between the high income and developing and low-income countries, regions, genders, ethnicities, and generations. The Group of Seven is an informal grouping of countries such as Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States. European Union representatives also attend. Its decisions are not legally binding, but leaders can use the forum to exert political influence. Exit Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett is Israel's new Prime Minister A fragile coalition of left-wing, centrist, right-wing and Arab parties on Sunday won on a no-confidence vote in Israeli parliament, the Knesset, ending the 12-year run of Benjamin Nethanyahu as prime minister of the Jewish nation. The coalition also succeeded in the improbable feat of approving a new government of change led by nationalist Naftali Bennett, as the diverse parties with differing ideologies united with the sole aim of unseating Netanyahu. The new prime minister, however, is in a precarious position with a narrow 60-59 vote of confidence in the coalition of left-wing, centrist, right-wing and Arab parties with little in common, which underscores the fragility of the new government. It may be noted that the far-right Yamina party that Bennett represents, has won only six of parliament's 120 seats in the last election. Supporters of the coalition celebrated the rare win singing and dancing around even as Netanyahu, 71, vowed to be back sooner than expected. "If we are destined to go into the opposition, we will do so with our heads held high until we can topple it," he told parliament ahead of the swearing-in of Bennett as the new PM. The new government will not reflect a change in policy or te Israeli government as the lose coalition is unlikely to touch on any serious issues with international repercussions, limiting itself to domestic issues. Palestinians too do not expect any change in Israeli policies with Bennett, a former defence chief who advocates annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, heading the new government. Under the coalition deal, Bennett, 49, an Orthodox Jew and high-tech millionaire, will be in office as prime minister till 2023 when he will be replaced by centrist Yair Lapid, 57, a popular former television host. In the parliament, Bennett thanked the former prime minister for his "lengthy and achievemenet-filled service," showing there is no much differences between the two men. Bennett, who earlier served as Netanyahu's chief of staff, had a rocky relationship with him as defence minister, except US President Joe Biden congratulated Bennett and Lapid, saying he looked forward to strengthening the close and enduring relationship between the two countries. "My administration is fully committed to working with the new Israeli government to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region," Biden said in a statement. Nethanyahus failure was to win a decisive election victory that only helped divisive forces to rise and weaken the government, and the prime minister himself facing corruption trial even as he has denied any wrongdoing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed gratitude to outgoing Prime Mister Benjamin Netanyahu for cementing India-Israel strategic partnership and congratulated Naftali Bennett on becoming the Prime Minister of Israel. "Excellency @naftalibennett, congratulations on becoming the Prime Minister of Israel. As we celebrate 30 years of the upgradation of diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting you and deepening the strategic partnership between our two countries. @IsraeliPMthe Prime Minister said in a tweet. Modi also expressed his gratitude to Benjamin Netanyahu for his leadership and personal attention to India-Israel strategic partnership. "As you complete your successful tenure as the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, I convey my profound gratitude for your leadership and personal attention to India-Israel strategic partnership @netanyahu," the prime minister said. A Dundalk woman has slashed her long hair in aid of alopecia and cancer, while also raising money for a domestic violence service in Dundalk. Sinead Crilly, a primary school teacher, donated her hair to the Princess Trust in aid of those who have suffered from alopecia or cancer, while also raising over 1,000 for Womens Aid Dundalk, who are working to end domestic violence against women. Crilly said that she got the idea to donate her hair when it became too long over the lockdown, and focused on the Princess Trust due to having family and friends who have been impacted by both alopecia and cancer in the past. The idea to donate her hair came from it growing over the lockdown, and that by donating, it would go to someone who needed it more than she did. The hair that I dont need is going to go to some girl who does need it and Im going to raise money for more women who also need that, said Crilly. Crilly has since donated her hair, with 18 inches being sent to Princess Trust, with Crilly also dying her hair pink as part of the fundraiser. Before and after Sinead got her hair cut and dyed The fundraiser itself was launched on January 6th, with Crilly originally planning to cut her hair much earlier but was sidelined due to hairdressers closing after Christmas. For Crilly, she decided on Womens Aid due to believing the work that they do in tackling domestic violence in Ireland is extremely important for women and children. Ive always been interested in working with Womens Aid You dont have as many opportunities these days to do things, she said. Crilly said that doing something different to raise funds and awareness was also part of why she decided to cut her hair. I also just wanted to do something different, because theres a lot of people doing walking and different things at the moment and I just wanted to do something that wasnt the same as everybody else. Originally, Crilly had set her target at 500 but early on she saw that the target was nearly hit so decided to kick it up a gear to 1,000. Im delighted that Ive hit my target and that hopefully, Ill even get a little bit more, she said. Sinn Fein Councillor Edel Corrigan has said she is still receiving complaints about discolouration in the water despite Irish Water having completed a large burst large week. Cllr Corrigan said: According to Irish Water, the large burst forced sediment to be dislodged and it was carried through to customers taps but they also advised customers that this would clear by Saturday 12th June as the repair had taken place. "This does not appear to be the case. "Customers are still reporting discoloured water in the town centre area. It is simply not good enough to tell people to run their tap until it goes clear and not to drink it. "Some people are reporting that the problem is prolonged and they are buying bottled water as they dont have any confidence in the tap water. I will continue to press Irish Water on the issue and that it is resolved quickly. Readers Survey As our valued readers, we want to hear from you. Please take a moment to fill out the survey below. - Thank you, Eastern Arizona Courier Click Here North Andover, MA (01845) Today Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. Cooler. High around 65F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Overcast with showers at times. Low 57F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Organizers cite difficulties in fireworks industry CLOVIS The city of Clovis will return to some normalcy with the Smoke on the Water fireworks display making its return. However, the event will be moved to July 10 due to staffing issues in the fireworks industry. Calls placed to Rooney Moon Broadcasting, the headline sponsor for the fireworks show, were not returned. But the company posted on its website the fireworks vendor Smoke on the Water has used for more than two decades doesnt have enough crews to shoot all of its normal shows on Independence Day. Rooney Moon owner Jeff McNaughton, more commonly known as Duffy Moon, said with sponsorships the show will be $25,000 in fireworks 25% larger than prior shows. Weve exhausted every option to get a commercial crew that is licensed in New Mexico to our town on July 4, Moon said on the company website. Most companies are struggling to get crews this year and while July 10 isnt ideal, its going to be well worth the wait. Road closures associated with the show will be Main Street between 21st and Purdue in the days leading up to the event, and 21st Street and Mitchell Street surrounding Greene Acres Park 1:30 p.m.-10 p.m. July 10. Residents are asked to walk to the event if possible to alleviate traffic congestion. A Chinese man who prosecutors say tried to get $20 million in federal aid for distressed businesses has pleaded guilty to two criminal charges U.K. competition regulators are looking into Apple and Google smartphone operating systems, app stores and browsers, over concern that the two tech giants control of mobile ecosystems is harming consumers Big companies that bring hundreds of employees to a new complex they build, such as State Farms massive development along Tempe Town Lake, likely have fewer worries about filling office space than many other employers, Kramer said. THE heart angel, Beibhinn OConnor, who prompted so many random acts of kindness after her passing, was always a Daddys girl. Beibhinn was loaned to us for 10 years, says her father Eoin, speaking about his precious daughter who suffered from an extremely rare congenital heart disease. She died after open heart surgery on September 16, 2020. Beibhinn, who was a real trooper, survived the major heart surgery but passed away a day later after a routine post-operation procedure triggered cardiac arrest. She was known for her beautiful smile and for her kindness, says Eoin, who loved being dad to Beibhinn. He still has a circle of friends, who surrounded his daughter, looking out for him. Her friends, the pink ladies, all look after me and check in with me, which is lovely, says Eoin. A special bond. The pink ladies, Ruby, Chloe and Lucy, are like my adopted daughters, he adds. The girls and their mums will always have a special connection with Irene and I. Beibhinns gang, both girls and boys, are our best friends. Eoin is not short of hugs. The girls give me hugs, says Eoin. I miss Beibhinns hugs. She hugged me first thing every morning and every evening. Beibhinn is never out of her daddys thoughts. Sometimes when I hear the door opening, I think it might be her, he says. Every time I think of her, its a struggle. You have two choices. Fall apart, curl up, or try and carry on. Eoin has just completed a level 7 engineering electrician degree in CIT, saying: You have to do your best and carry on. He knew a special kind of loving for 10 years. The love continues. After her death, Beibhinns parents set up an Act of Kindness campaign in her memory called The Heart Angel. The most important thing for us is to keep Beibhinns spirit alive and for people to help embrace kindness and posting a picture to social media with the hashtag heart angel, says Eoin. The response from people near and far has been tremendous, adds the dad, whose heart swells with pride at the love Beibhinn has spread, and which reverberates all over the world. We got beautiful messages from as far away as New York and Australia, said Eoin. The New York Police Department posted their random act of kindness. It was lovely. MARKING SPECIAL DATES Fathers Day and my birthday were special days that Beibhinn and I always spent together, says Eoin, who cherishes 10 years of magic memories he made with his only child. Eoin never thought thered be days like those. We waited a while for Beibhinn, he says. She brought us joy from the very beginning. Wonderful memories. When Irene and Eoin got Beibhinn, it was the best gift they were ever given. Without the beat of her heart, there is a hole in their hearts. Yet the empty void is being filled with love and kindness. The heart angel, still spreading love from heaven, can help heal her daddys heart. I dont mark birthdays anymore, says Eoin sadly. We always spent birthdays together. I am glad we did that, life is so short. Eoin says his role of dad to Beibhinn made him very proud. The role of dad was the proudest thing of my life, he says. It was the hardest thing. Then it was the hardest thing losing Beibhinn. Fathers Day means nothing to me any more. I try not to think about it and I will spend the day grieving by myself. Beibhinn and I made that our own special day and we always spent the whole day together. I hope to visit Beibhinns grave in West Cork on Fathers Day, Sunday, June 20. Irene and I go there to be with Beibhinn on special days like her birthday, January 20 and Christmas Day. Beibhinn made everyones day special. She was an angel on earth, said Eoin. She wanted everyone to be OK and didnt like to see anyone upset. Her teachers loved her. Sometimes it is hard seeing her pals and wishing she was still here. Beibhinn always spread hope as well as love and joy. REMEMBERING WHEN SHE WAS BORN We knew at the 22 week scan that there was a 50/50 chance she would live, says Eoin. Professor Colin McMahon was the first to give us hope. The medical team in Crumlin Hospital are fantastic; I couldnt say enough about them. They are the best people and deserve huge praise, they do so much good. The couple spent 10 unforgettable years fuelled with love, together with Beibhinn, who had a wonderful life. The day she was born, I knew wed have to bury her, says Irene. Much loved. Beibhinns parents knew something else. She had an incredibly happy home. Beibhinn began a miraculous journey, being embraced and loved by her mum and dad, by her relations, her friends and her teachers. She touched everyone she met, says Eoin. Beibhinn was always an angel. In school she was never disciplined, or never at home either! If she fell over, Beibhinn never cried. The little girl didnt do sadness. B expected everyone to be happy, said Eoin. A LASTING LEGACY Eoin is very proud of his daughters legacy of love and kindness. We see the posts where her friends and others do lovely random acts of kindness, he says. During lockdown, they baked cakes and delivered them to the people in nursing homes. We get messages from neighbours and mums all the time to tell us about various random acts of kindness. That is really precious to me and brings tears to my eyes sometimes. When I meet Beibhinns friends, like the two Lilies, I feel the care. We appreciate the kindness so much, it is hard to put it into words. Its tough not being a dad anymore. As a man, it is tough, says Eoin. As a human being; it is tough. Beibhinns short life was a wonderful one that lighted up everyones life who knew her. There is a big gap in our lives, says Eoin. We had her for 10 wonderful years which wasnt long enough. She was a unique little girl and she was worth waiting for. Eoin, coming to terms with healing his heart since losing Beibhinn, knows in his heart that he will see his beloved daughter again. Yes. I firmly believe 100% that I will see her again, says Eoin. Well never forget her, ever. Eoin, is a proud dad who knows that his heart angel touched the lives of so many people when she was here... and continues to do so after her passing. I am so very proud of her. For more information, see www.theheartangel.com POPULAR Cork Pub, Sin E has announced a new job opportunity with a list of unusual qualities for those interested in joining the team, including the need to be fluent in MacGowan. In a social media post, owner and well-known Cork publican, Benny McCabe said suitable candidates should have some, if not all of the unusual criteria. The desirable qualities for the bar staff position listed in the job advertisement include a sense of humour and the ability to deflect drive-by mockings. Suitable candidates could be understated pugilists fond of Planxty leaning towards Punk Rock, knowledgeable on Cohen, fluent in McGowan, proud of Gallagher and all to be played in the course of ones work." Art and sculpture appreciated and comic books too. History both east and west, Horses flat and jump, whiskey even the Rye, Philosophy again both East and west with extra credit granted for Bruce Lee, said Mr McCabe. Along with a sense of humour, the ideal candidate should also have empathy towards those that are struggling and hospitality towards all that would not abuse it. Ball hopping but never name dropping," is also desired and "an appreciation of dimmed lights and candles". Mr McCabe concludes by saying if anyone has some or all of the qualities to get in touch via email and join them in one of the more spiritual places. He added: Asking have you ever poured a pint before, well thats really not asking the right question is it, thats the least of it. Those interested can send a CV to kischkel.event@gmail.com or pop into the pub. Decode Your Future with an Online Computer Science Degree from Drexel Drexel University's online computer science programs are designed to prepare you for work on the cutting edge of technology. The curriculum is designed for students with any level of experience or previous knowledge. Choose the program that's right for you. Learn More. Podcasts provide advertisers with microtargeted pitches that engage listeners more effectively than other outlets, observed Maury Rogow, CEO and creative director of Hollywood's Rip Media Group in an exclusive interview with the E-Commerce Times. Most podcast listeners are educated, have disposable income, and are open to hearing advertising. Microtargeting of a podcast-streamed ad insertion is delivered in real time and provides trackable data on the number of listens. Podcast streaming can be audio or video format. The video element often consists of a single static image or a video recording of the podcast hosts and guests. This advertising format offers marketers an effective way to deliver focused messaging to a tightly defined audience that shares a commonality. They have a high similarity in tastes and interests compared to the audiences provided by other media outlets. The most effective podcast advertising is delivered by the host. This makes many marketers extremely uncomfortable. But such risks can pay off incrementally because the targets will listen and remember the message, Rogow countered. Capitalizing on podcast listeners' strong relationships with their favorite hosts is the primary benefit to the advertiser. Host-read advertising copy produces the best results, he said. "Let the hosts be themselves. Let them do their things. That is why people are listening," he added. Newer Ad Medium Podcasts became a new outlet in the early 2000s. They now are reaching a mass market audience. This widespread audience growth has made advertising on podcasts a very viable opportunity to broaden vendors' e-commerce footprints. Numerous reports by Reuters, The Podcast Consumer, Podcast Trends Report, Nielsen Marketers Guide to Podcasting, and IAB Podcast Ad Revenue Study show that podcasting is a growth medium with steadily expanding audiences. According to various industry reports, about 25 percent of all listeners started in the past six months. Podcasts continue to attract new listeners to their existing audience of 90 million people monthly. Nearly 63 percent of respondents said they listen to more podcasts now than they did a year ago. Edison Research in February announced the top 50 most listened to U.S. podcasts of 2020. This list ranks the podcasts based on audience size as determined by the Podcast Consumer Tracker, a service that measures the relative audience size and demographics of all podcast networks. The methodology employed by Edison was to continuously collect data by surveying weekly podcast consumers ages 18 and older. The survey tracked which podcasts participants listened to in the previous week, along with demographic, psychographic, and purchase behavior information. Rogow remarked that "Podcasts are just ubiquitous. A podcast is this weird thing hidden inside your computer or smartphone. You can hear them on Amazon Prime, download them from Audible, and Spotify. Every music platform is picking up podcasts." Podcast advertising satisfies two primary goals. It provides a highly effective means for podcasters to monetize their programs. It also offers e-commerce merchants a way to advertise to targeted listeners to expand the advertising reach, he said. Podcast Popularity Overview The ongoing industry surveys sampled over 10,000 podcast listeners and tracked which shows they listen to, what they buy, and the demographic profiles for every leading network and top podcast, according to Edison Research senior vice president Tom Webster. His organization's published report lists these top 10 podcast offerings: 1. The Joe Rogan Experience 2. The Daily 3. Crime Junkie 4. This American Life 5. My Favorite Murder 6. Stuff You Should Know 7. Office Ladies 8. Pod Save America 9. Planet Money 10. Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! The top 10 podcasts for 2021 tracked by Podtrac ranks many of the same shows as other lists, although not in the same order: 1. The Daily -- The New York Times 2. NPR News Now -- NPR 3. Up First -- NPR 4. Dateline NBC -- NBC News 5. The Ben Shapiro Show -- Daily Wire 6. Stuff You Should Know -- iHeartRadio 7. This American Life -- This American Life 8. Call Her Daddy -- Barstool Sports 9. Pardon My Take -- Barstool Sports 10. CNN News Briefing -- WarnerMedia TopPodcast also presents a collection of (you guessed it) top podcasts. The website additionally offers tabs listing top networks, top podcast apps to download, top influencers, and more. The Balance Small Business website provides a list of their best business podcasts. Podcast Advertising Cheat Sheet The industry average rates for podcast advertising are $15 CPM for a 10-second ad, according to AdvertiseCast. CPM as applied here is the price of an ad insertion in 1,000 podcast downloads. A 30-second advertising spot averages $18 CPM. A 60-second ad spot averages $25 CPM. Anchor sponsors pay on a CPM or "cost per mille" basis as well. Ad rates can extend to $50 CPM. There are three primary types of podcast ads, with the following durations and placements: Pre-roll ads, which are usually 15 to 30 seconds long and run before or after the show's intro; Mid-roll ads are 30 to 90 seconds and are placed about halfway through an episode; and Post-roll ads, which last 15 to 30 seconds and play right before or after the closing credits. Depending on the skills set of the entrepreneur, self-written content is the least costly to create. Otherwise, producing professionally crafted content complete with voiceovers and sound effects is the domain of advertising agencies and media companies, noted Rogow. A related strategy is obtaining sponsorships. Podcast sponsors provide a revolving door of recurring financial backing. Advertising and sponsorships can go a long way to monetize a podcast. Improve Podcast claims that two million podcasts are available globally. They draw regular recurring audiences of 90 million people monthly. The trend of podcast ad revenue is on the rise, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). Be proactive in finding advertising and sponsorship opportunities for your podcast, Rogow recommended. One of the most effective ways of finding advertisers and sponsors is to work through podcast ad networks. These networks are a collection of podcasts that are produced, distributed, or made available to advertisers through a single company or network. They can handle all the tasks from finding advertisers and negotiating rates to getting the script. Another approach they use is to seek an offer from the podcast host. Making Ad Content Matter Rogow applies two sets of strategies to his advertising content. Both approaches are good guides for the do-it-yourselfer. His first ad-writing formula is a four-step process he calls the epic story. It starts with engaging the audience with empathy. That is the introductory story he tells to set the tone for a problem his product can solve. "For instance, get engaged with some empathy problem. Then go into the details and the solution," he explained. The next part of his system to create a podcast ad involves story-telling the details to make the situation believable. Next, talk about the integrity of the product as a solution. The last step is the call to action. "Remind the listeners how this product or solution can impact them. Provide the website, the contact details, where to get it, etc," he offered. Rogow's second formula is far more creative and abstract. He includes in his ad content as many of the five human emotions as he can draw from to engage the audience. He uses the acronym STUF to explain his approach: S is for something sexy or engaging; T is for touching the heart; U brings in something unique or totally unexpected about the product or solution; F gets the audience to take action out of fear of missing out on the product or its solution. Base ROI on the KPI So how do you know when your podcast ads have hit the ROI sweet spot and not just cost you a whole lot of time and wasted money? Rogow's answer was short and direct. "Just watch the KPI or Key Performance Indicators," he said. "They are different across industries. The funding needs and goals are different for everybody too." So that response brought our discussion to the last question in our discussion about monetizing podcasts. What should somebody getting into this business expect as an advertisement return? Don't Expect a Sudden Windfall Financing your podcast through advertising works as part of a viable business plan, Rogow replied. But starting out, do not expect to strike it rich, at least right away. "It is the long game that works reliably," he cautioned. "The income dollars are a lot less at first. But the really cool thing is you can microtarget. It is all about microtargeting." For instance, if you advertise a business tool for SMBs, find a podcaster who attracts small business people. That gives you access to an audience where 80 to 90 percent of the listeners are really interested. The others are browsers. Focus on the common theme of the listeners. Are they entrepreneurs? What is their connection to the podcast content? "Knowing your audience lets you target the folks that are listening to the podcast and the hosts that are the best fit for your product line or your message. You really need to focus on the long game and not the short game," Rogow advised. Jack M. Germain has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His main areas of focus are enterprise IT, Linux and open-source technologies. He is an esteemed reviewer of Linux distros and other open-source software. In addition, Jack extensively covers business technology and privacy issues, as well as developments in e-commerce and consumer electronics. Email Jack. Changes proposed to easing of Island's border restrictions Proposals for a revised approach to easing the Islands border restrictions will go before Tynwald today. The Governments COVID-19 Exit Framework set out the aim of removing travel restrictions for journeys between the Isle of Man and the rest of the British Isles by Monday 28 June. The delta variant of COVID-19 now the predominant strain of the virus in the UK appears to be easier to catch and is more likely to lead to hospitalisation than previous variants, where someone has not been vaccinated. Given an uplift in cases in the UK, and the North West in particular, and a rise in hospitalisations as a result, the Council of Ministers believes it would be premature to remove the Islands remaining border restrictions at the end of this month without further mitigations. Due to the spread of the delta variant, England, Jersey and Guernsey have all announced changes to their plans for borders or reopening in recent days. The revised approach to the Islands borders, subject to Tynwald approval, would see restriction-free travel for both residents and non-residents from the UK and Ireland who have had both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at least a two weeks ahead of their proposed arrival. This significantly reduces the likelihood of someone spreading the virus and of them becoming seriously ill. Existing arrangements will remain in place for those who have not yet received both doses of vaccine. Chief Minister, Howard Quayle MHK, said: We remain firmly committed to restoring unrestricted travel within the British Isles and welcoming visitors to our Island. I know how important this is to residents and our economy. But we have always been clear that any decision will need to be based on data, not dates. The exit framework, approved by Tynwald, clearly sets out a number of considerations we must take into account before lifting our remaining border restrictions. These include progress with the vaccination programmes in the UK, Ireland and the Crown dependencies, as well as infection levels and crucially the emergence of any variants of the virus that give cause for concern. The Manx public will undoubtedly be familiar with the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the UK, particularly of the delta variant. Now the predominant strain, the delta variant is causing an uplift in case numbers and hot spots emerging, notably in the North West of England. Whilst we must learn to live in a world with COVID where we focus on levels of serious illness and hospital capacity rather than raw case numbers we must tread carefully and not risk all we have gained, particularly as we complete our vaccination programme. The evidence suggests that the vaccines are less effective against the delta variant after only one dose, but that they continue to provide broadly the same level of protection after the second dose. Further recent evidence encouragingly suggests that the vaccines are highly effective at reducing the risk of serious illness and hospitalisation when someone has the delta variant. The Chief Minister continued: The timing of further changes to our border restrictions must take account of changes in circumstance. A short delay to removing our remaining border restrictions will enable us to learn more about the delta variant and, crucially, to deliver more second doses of vaccine. Subject to Tynwald approval, Island residents who are fully vaccinated will however see an improvement with the ability to travel unrestricted. They will also see an improvement in the way in which contact tracing identifies, tests and isolates anyone who is a close contact of a positive case. Where someone is fully vaccinated two weeks previously, they will not need to be tested or isolate. This change would have a significant impact on the number of people indirectly isolating during any outbreak and again is another reason why we are asking everyone who can, to come forward for vaccination. If the proposed measures are passed by Tynwald, the Chief Minister will hold a live COVID-19 briefing tomorrow. The following contains spoilers for the first act of 'Luca.' For its first decade of making feature films, there was a saying that Pixar chose its projects around things they wanted to try animating. A Bugs Life featured plants, Monsters Inc. had a lot of fur, Finding Nemo was set underwater. Even later productions were about refining techniques and textures, like the hair and clothes in Brave. After 16 years, Pixar doesnt really have anything left to prove, which means the studio can finally settle down into a house style. Coming out this week on Disney+, Luca is the story of a young sea monster who becomes curious about the surface world. If youre thinking that sounds like The Little Mermaid, well, yeah, it is very much Pixars take on that fable. Luca stumbles upon some human artifacts and ends up venturing above the surface as a result, discovering that when he leaves his watery environment, he turns into a human. That is where the similarities to the Disney film end, as Luca meets another sea dweller with a love of the air-breathing world, and the two of them travel to a nearby town in search of a Vespa scooter. Its pretty blatant product placement, but also charming, given how prominent the brand is in our ideas of Italian culture, especially mid-20th-century films like Roman Holiday. If this movie is romantic at all, its about what the iconic brand represents: freedom. The movie is also reminiscent of Hideo Miyazakis Ponyo, which is fine, because thats what Luca feels like. Its an American-made Ghibli film, one where the object is acceptance, platonic love and a deep appreciation for the simple pleasures like a heaping plate of pasta. Which Luca has a lot of (its part of the central plot) and its absolutely mouthwatering. Luca is a showcase for every skill Pixar has mastered over its four decades of existence. Theres realistic food, hair, fabric and plenty of water, both in ocean and rain form. Disney / Pixar The one thing that still maintains a cartoonish quality are the people. That's more of an aesthetic choice at this point, rather than a sign of limited character models, the likes of which populated the companys earlier feature films like Toy Story and Monsters Inc. The characters are all soft with rounded edges, painted in colors that are more dreamy and muted than they are bright. Pixar has been developing a prototypical character model since Ratatouille, one thats been iterated on in the past decade in films like last years Onward and Soul. But those were fantasy movies with bright, outlandish settings even Soul splits its time between New York and the afterlife. Humans get a lot more screen time in Luca, even if it is a fantasy film. Luca is a showcase for every skill Pixar has mastered over its four decades of existence. Though the protagonists are sea monsters, the underwater scenes are actually pretty mundane: Lucas family lives in a cave, and the kid spends his days watching over a school of sheep-like fish. Its grounded in a way that most Pixar films are not; its closest relative in the Pixar stable is Ratatouille, and not just because both are set in a caricatured European country. Disney / Pixar Pixar has always had a gift for story and the one in Luca is quite moving, but now that the studio has refined its craft the graphics can be on par with the narrative, visualizing those emotions with depths of color and texture that movies like Toy Story could only dream about. Pixars house style is no longer limited by technology, allowing the films to finally look how they feel. This post contains spoilers for 'Loki' episodes one and two. Humans can only travel in one direction through time, making the idea of defying that rule fertile territory for science fiction stories. But everyone has a different concept of how it should work, from Back to the Future to Timecop to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). But in this most recent episode of Loki, weve already seen everything we were told about Marvels timeline turned upside down, and thats probably for the best because it never made much sense in the first place. Though the Time Stone made its first appearance proper in 2016s Doctor Strange, the concept of time travel itself didnt really hit the MCU until 2019s Avengers: Endgame. The entire plot hinged on the team traveling back to key moments in MCU history to snag the Infinity Gems and use them to restore the missing half of the universes population. Ant-Man (Scott Lang) and War Machine (James Rhodes) had understandable concerns about this wont they alter the timeline just by being there? The Hulk (Bruce Banner) told them no, because their past already happened and cant be changed, so they would be fine. Marvel Studios Its a selfish way of looking at time travel, one that assumes youd be able to return to your exact flow of time even after mucking about in the past. The Ancient One even points out that taking the Time Stone would screw up her timeline, prompting Bruce to promise to return it to that exact point. But the outcome of the time heist left so many questions about the few things that went wrong, namely what happened to 2012s Loki, who grabbed the Tesseract (aka the Space Stone) and disappeared with it. Thats the jumping-off point for the new Disney+ series: the moments immediately after the trickster god left Stark Tower. Bruces assertion that their timeline would go unaffected was borne out, but not precisely for the reasons he claimed. It turns out theres an entire department called the Time Variance Authority (TVA) that prunes any divergent timelines that start to arise, ensuring there is one, and only one, Sacred Timeline. Immediately after a variance is detected, the foot soldiers of the TVA show up and remove the offender and use a device that basically nukes everything in the physical vicinity of the divergence in order to get the timeline back on track. How this would somehow fix other problems like the 2012 Steve Rogers lying facedown on a walkway in Stark Tower, or how 2023 Cap got the stones back to their places in the timeline, is never really explained. Even Loki doesnt seem terribly impressed by the whole thing. (And thats after seeing a desk drawer full of Infinity Stones.) Marvel Studios / Chuck Zlotnick We presume the TVA must have had some way to insert Loki back into the Avengers captivity without raising too many questions. Perhaps the intent was to take this variant, wipe his memory, and drop him right back where he disappeared from. Its certainly possible, since years of time travel fiction has taught us you can disappear and then immediately reappear, with those around you none the wiser of the months or years you spent in Ancient Rome or the Old West. But there was a strong indication they were just going to off him right then and there just like that trust fund kid in the first episode. Which raised even more questions: what did that obnoxious guy do to end up at the TVA? The Miss Minutes cartoon suggested you could create an alternate timeline just by being late for work, but how would that be a violation of the time stream without outside intervention, and why is it the person affected who is to blame? While Loki later on says he knew there were time travel shenanigans afoot, its not clear he knew when he grabbed the Tesseract. The TVA even seemed surprised that he figured it out, which means they werent taking him into custody based on him knowingly breaking the timeline. Marvel Studios The MCUs stance has always been that, well it really doesnt matter. By referencing films like Hot Tub Time Machine, the writers and directors seem to be saying to the audience that you shouldnt worry about it, and just enjoy the ride. The Russo brothers have even said as much in interviews. But now its a central plot point in Loki, creating new loose plot threads even as it ties up the ones left over from Endgame. The rest of this story contains big spoilers for episode two of Loki. But this is where Phase Four of the Marvel Universe comes into play. In episode two the murderous variant Loki blows the entire Sacred Timeline wide open, far beyond the TVAs ability to weave all the strands back into a singular thread. And our 2012 variant might only be happy to help: Loki is the god of mischief, after all, and making a mess is just one way to cause trouble. But for our purposes, neutering the TVA in that moment actually works because it no longer matters if the MCUs time travel is like Looper or Time Cop. Marvel Studios Instead of worrying about time as one dimension the MCU can now exist as a multiverse which has already been hinted at in the upcoming Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Nerdier fans know that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is technically Earth-199999, with the main comics continuity living over on Earth-616. (You can blame writer Alan Moore for the crazy number.) In one instance it means that even films like Foxs Fantastic Four and X-Men movies do exist somewhere in a story sense, even if that tale is technically over and done with. It means all the cartoons are canon in a way too especially Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. But the bigger impact this cracking open of continuity will have is that it gives the shows writers freedom to openly explore weird ideas, with the ones that dont work shuttled off to an alternate earth and the ones that shine allowed to exist in the main MCU. It might be a mess, but its a mess with a lot of potential. Now it's no longer subject to the same restrictions as former parent company Huawei , Honor can once again include Google apps on its phones. The company revealed it can pre-install the apps on its new Honor 50 and Honor 50 Pro , both of which are going through Google's security review process. The company has "the option to have Google Mobile Services (GMS) preinstalled on compatible devices, in accordance with Googles licensing and governance models," Honor told The Verge . Consumers will be able to experience Honor smartphones and tablets equipped with GMS. After Huawei was placed on the US entity list in 2019, it was no longer able to include Google apps and services on devices. That policy covered Honor devices until Huawei sold the brand last year. Google also had to lock out Huawei from receiving Android updates, which meant the phone maker had to switch to an open-source version. Huawei has started rolling out a replacement operating system called HarmonyOS . The Honor 50 devices are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset . The Honor 50 and 50 Pro each have a 120Hz screen, though the latter's is slightly larger (6.72 inches instead of 6.57 inches). The phones both have a quartet of rear cameras: a 108MP main camera, an 8MP wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth camera. The Honor 50 has a 32MP front-facing camera, while the Pro model uses both that and a 12MP ultrawide one. The Honor 50 has a 4,300mAh battery with support for 66W fast charging. The 50 Pro's battery has slightly more capacity at 4,000mAh and you can charge it even faster, at up to 100W. According to Honor, the latter can charge to 90 percent of its capacity in just 20 minutes. The company will start selling the devices in China later this month, along with a lower-cost Honor 50 SE, which starts at 2,399 yuan (about $375). The base Honor 50 costs 2,699 yuan (approximately $420) and the Honor 50 Pro starts at 3,699 yuan (about $580). Honor plans to bring the devices to other markets later, including the UK, Mexico, France and Russia. It hasn't announced plans to release the phones in the US or Canada. Enid, OK (73701) Today Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 63F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Dr. Dre is now ready to mingle again. After months of waiting for progress, Dr. Dre became officially single amid the finalization of his divorce from Nicole Young. On Wednesday, a Los Angeles County judge released a new judgment that approved the rapper's status request. According to reports, the approved request terminates the marital and domestic partnerships between the estranged couple. "Marital or domestic partnership status is terminated and the parties are restored to the status of single persons," the document says. Meanwhile, it also declared that the reason why Dr. Dre and Young separated was due to "irreconcilable differences." The new development came only three months after the 56-year-old music executive filed a motion to become a single person again. The same ruling applied to Young, who alleged that she became a victim of domestic violence during their marriage. What Happened Between Dr. Dre, Nicole Young? In March, Dr. Dre's attorney Laura Wasser filed a motion that Young's false allegations only proved that the estranged couple's marriage has already broken down. Because of this, the rapper no longer wants to remain married to the 51-year-old wife. In the past months, Young released damaging accusations against Dr. Dre. Earlier this year, Young claimed that her estranged husband held a gun to her head twice between 2000 and 2001. She included other instances of abuse, like how Dr. Dre reportedly punched her head and face in 1999 and 2000 and kicked down a door in 2016. "Andre has verbally and emotionally decimated my personhood to the extent that I currently suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome," Nicole said in the court documents. Her team immediately forwarded the statements to the Superior Court of California. READ ALSO: Princess Diana's Brother Earl Charles Spencer Has ONE Hope For Late Royal Amid Martin Bashir Probe Furthermore, she disclosed how she almost called the police several times due to the abusive relationship. However, Young reportedly feared Dr. Dre that she ended up silencing herself. As for another lawsuit, Young demanded the rapper to pay her $5 million worth of legal fees. She said that she was fundamental in naming his record label "Aftermath." She then filed another court document to state that she co-owns the record label and its 1992 record "The Chronic." As of the writing, Dr. Dre has not out any money except for the $2 million spousal support the California court ordered him. READ MORE: Ken Jennings As 'Jeopardy' Next Permanent Host? It's Possible! See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their second child, Lilibet Diana, many royal fans thought that she was the first British royal baby to be born on US soil. However, that may not be the case. Who Was The First British Royal To Be Born in the US? Maud Windsor is the other royal that was born in California. She is Lord Frederick Windsor's daughter, the son of Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin, Prince Michael of Kent. During that time, Lord Frederick was working as a financial analyst and previously a music journalist. Maud was born at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. She was born in the US because, just like Meghan Markle, her mother is also an actress. "Two and a Half Men" star Sophie Winkleman was still part of the show when she married Lord Frederick almost eleven years ago. Now, she is known to be Lady Frederick Windsor. She previously played the role of Zoey opposite Ashton Kutcher on the show, which ran from 2003 until 2015, but starred on the sitcom from 2011 until 2015. Lord Frederick and Sophie got married in 2009 at Hampton Court. The actress previously admitted that nobody knew that she was a royal when she was still part of the sitcom. According to a previous interview, "People in my business in America didn't know about about it because they'd just see 'Sophie Winkleman' on the sheet and I'd go and do the audition and then get the job or not." She added, "And they didn't find anything out about me. They just knew me from my acting, which was quite important to me." Despite being born in the US, Maud was baptized in the UK. Currently, she lives in London with her family. READ ALSO: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Making Critical Career Move by Hiring Nicole Scherzinger's Consultant? Meet One of Queen Elizabeth II's Great Grandchildren It was in 2013 when Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor welcomed Maud Elizabeth Daphne Marina Windsor. When she was born, she was 42nd in line to the throne. Maud Windsor attends Thomas's Battersea school with Prince George and Princess Charlotte. She has a younger sister named Isabella, who was born in 2016. However, she doesn't share the US link with her sister. Isabella was born in Westminster Hospital. The Windsors do not carry out royal duties, but they take royal patronages for charities. You may have already seen the little royal at several royal weddings. Maud stood alongside Princess Charlotte as a bridesmaid during Princess Eugenie's wedding in 2018. READ MORE: Lilibet Diana: The One Royal Prince Harry Immediately Texted After Daughter Was Born Revealed See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles 2021-06-16 Maeci The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, welcomed today the President of the Republic of Tunisia, Kais Said, for his first visit to Italy. Minister Di Maio also signed with the Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Othman Jerandi, a Memorandum of Understanding on Development Cooperation, reaffirming that Tunisia is a strategic partner in the Mediterranean region on immigration and Libya issues. Magnetic-spin interactions that allow spin-manipulation by electrical control allow potential applications in energy-efficient spintronic devices. An antisymmetric exchange known as Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMI) is vital to form various chiral spin textures, such as skyrmions, and permits their potential application in energy-efficient spintronic devices. Published this week, a Chinese-Australia collaboration has for the first time illustrated that DMI can be induced in a layered material tantalum-sulfide (TaS 2 ) by intercalating iron atoms, and can further be tuned by gate-induced proton intercalation. REALIZING AND TUNING DMI IN VAN-DER-WAALS MATERIAL TaS 2 Searching for layered materials that harbour chiral spin textures, such as skyrmions, chiral domain Walls is vital for further low-energy nanodevices, as those chiral spin textures are building blocks for topological spintronic devices and can be driven by ultra-low current density. Generally, chiral spin textures are stabilized by DMI. Therefore, introducing and controlling DMI in materials is key in searching and manipulating the chiral spin textures. "Tantalum-sulfide is one of the large family of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDCs) investigated by FLEET for low-energy applications," says the study's first author, FLEET Research Fellow Dr Guolin Zheng (RMIT). The team firstly successfully realized a sizable DMI in the layered material tantalum-sulfide (TaS 2 ) by intercalating Fe atoms. However, electrically controlling the DMI turns out to be challenging: "Both conventional electric-field gating, and the widely-used alternative technique of ion-liquid (Li+) gating have hit stumbling blocks in the electrical control of DMI in itinerant ferromagnets, because the electric-field and Li+ can only modulate the carriers close to the surface," explains Guolin. To address this limitation in tuning the DMI, the group at RMIT recently developed a new protonic gate technique, and successfully illustrated that DMI can be dramatically controlled by gate-induced proton intercalations. By increasing the intercalation of protons by gate voltage, the team were able to significantly change the carrier density and further tune the DMI via the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) mechanism, which refers to the coupling of nuclear magnetic moments. "The observed topological Hall resistivity after proton intercalation has been increased more than four-fold under a few volts, indicating a huge increase of DMI," says co-author A/Prof Lan Wang (also at RMIT). "The successful tuning of DMI in chiral magnet Fe-intercalated TaS 2 by protonic gate enables an electrical control of the chiral spin textures as well as the potential applications in energy-efficient spintronic devices," says co-author Prof Mingliang Tian, who is a FLEET Partner Investigator and Director of the Centre's partner organisation the High Magnetic Field Laboratory (Anhui Province, China). ### THE STUDY "Tailoring Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in a transition metal dichalcogenide by dual-intercalation" was published in Nature Communications in June 2021. (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23658-z) As well as support from the Australian Research Council, support was also provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Key R&D Program of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; Youth Innovation Promotion Association and 100 Talents Program) and the High Magnetic Field Laboratory (China). Findings indicate broader implications towards establishment of immune competency and priming before birth, a concept not explored before in fetal immunity 2 June 2021, Singapore - The human fetal immune system begins to develop early during gestation, however, factors responsible for fetal immune-priming remain elusive. Using multiple complementary approaches, Dr Florent Ginhoux from A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Professor Jerry Chan from KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), Professor Salvatore Albani from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Translational Immunology Institute, with collaborators from Cambridge University explored potential exposure to microbial agents in-utero. The team identified live microbes across fetal organs that stimulate activation of fetal T-cells during the second trimester of gestation. Study published in scientific journal, Cell, on 24 June 2021. The team profiled microbes across fetal organs using 16S-rRNA gene sequencing and detected low but consistent microbial signal in fetal gut, skin, placenta and lungs, in the second trimester of gestation. They identified several live bacterial strains including Staphylococcus and Lactobacillus in fetal tissues, which induced in vitro activation of memory T-cells in fetal mesenteric lymph-node, supporting the role of microbial exposure in fetal immune-priming. Finally, using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA) in situ hybridisation (RNA-ISH), discrete localisation of bacteria-like structures and eubacterial-RNA were visualised within the 14th week fetal gut lumen. These findings indicate selective presence of live microbes in fetal organs during second trimester of gestation and have broader implications on the establishment of immune competency and priming before birth. The findings demonstrate that healthy human fetal tissues (in the second trimester of gestation) contain effector memory T-cells, a sparse biomass of bacteria and an active memory T-cell response towards fetal bacteria. It also demonstrates direct spatial localisation of bacterial entities, localised within the lumen of developing fetal gut, during second trimester of gestation. Dr Florent Ginhoux, Senior Principal Investigator, SIgN and co-last author of the study said, "Our study demonstrates that such microbial presence primes the fetal immune system, thereby putting early microbial memory in the context of fetal immune priming, a concept not explored before in fetal immunity. It will be interesting to explore the precise nature of these microbial antigen-specific circulatory and immune cells that reside in human fetal organ tissues, and their potential role in imparting selective defence against pathogenic microbes in neonatal and adult life. Taken together, these findings have wider implications in understanding the key factors involved in fetal immune system development and priming in utero, which may set the basis for life-long human health and immunity of the organism." ### Co-last author of the study, Professor Jerry Chan, Senior Consultant, Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), and Senior National Medical Research Council Clinician Scientist said, "This study shows us that the vertical transmission of microbial organisms from mother to child through a yet unknown mechanism may have important implications in imparting influences such as immune education or priming to the baby in both immunity (including auto-immunity) and tolerance in later life. From a clinical standpoint, this finding adds to our understanding of how the fetus or newborn may respond to infections or intrauterine stem cell transplantation." Co-senior author of the study, Professor Salvatore Albani, Director of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Translational Immunology Institute and Professor of Medicine at Duke-NUS said, "This study is a paramount example of a multidisciplinary, truly translational approach to improve our understanding of how our immune system develops and relates to the environment. It shatters the notion of the fetus living in an isolated, privileged immune environment and emphasises the importance of the maternal-fetal interface in the context of environmental challenges and experiences. The research approach taken relies on high dimensionality techniques which enable the depiction and the dissection of the fetal Immunome systematically. This research bears important immediate translational implications as it will affect current and future approaches to manipulation of the immune system in prenatal and perinatal age." Co-last author of the study, Naomi McGovern, PhD, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, UK, said: "This study provides valuable insight into fetal immunology and demonstrates that complex immune priming events occur during gestation. It shows that fetal dendritic cells are sensitive to diverse signaling cues and can initiate appropriate responses that are required for healthy fetal development. " More information on the study, "Microbial exposure during early human development primes fetal immune cells" can be found via the team's published paper in Cell: https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1016/ j. cell. 2021. 04. 039 About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore's lead public sector R&D agency. Through open innovation, we collaborate with our partners in both the public and private sectors to benefit the economy and society. As a Science and Technology Organisation, A*STAR bridges the gap between academia and industry. Our research creates economic growth and jobs for Singapore, and enhances lives by improving societal outcomes in healthcare, urban living, and sustainability. A*STAR plays a key role in nurturing scientific talent and leaders for the wider research community and industry. A*STAR's R&D activities span biomedical sciences to physical sciences and engineering, with research entities primarily located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis. For ongoing news, visit http://www. a-star. edu. sg . About KK Women's and Children's Hospital KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) is Singapore's largest tertiary referral centre for Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Neonatology. Founded in 1858, the academic medical institution specialises in the management of high-risk conditions in women and children. A team of about 500 specialists adopt a compassionate, multi-disciplinary and holistic approach to treatment, and harness medical innovations and technology to deliver the best medical care possible. As an Academic Medical Centre, KKH is a major teaching hospital for all three medical schools in Singapore, Duke-NUS Medical School, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. The 830-bed hospital also runs the largest specialist training programme for Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics in the country. Both programmes are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education International (ACGME-I), and are highly rated for the high quality of clinical teaching and the commitment to translational research. For more information, please visit http://www. kkh. com. sg . About SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre About Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) SingHealth, Singapore's largest public healthcare cluster, is committed to providing affordable, accessible and quality healthcare to patients. With a network of acute hospitals, national specialty centres, polyclinics and community hospitals offering over 40 clinical specialties, it delivers comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and integrated care. Beyond tertiary and specialist care, SingHealth partners community care providers to enable patients to receive the right care at their homes. As part of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, SingHealth also focuses on advancing education and research to continuously improve care outcomes for patients. For more information, please visit: http://www. singhealth. com. sg Members of the SingHealth group Hospitals (Tertiary Specialty Care): Singapore General Hospital, Changi General Hospital, Sengkang General Hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital National Specialty Centres (Tertiary Specialty Care): National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Dental Centre Singapore, National Heart Centre Singapore, National Neuroscience Institute, and Singapore National Eye Centre SingHealth Polyclinics (Primary Care): Bedok, Bukit Merah, Marine Parade, Outram, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Sengkang, Tampines, Eunos (expected completion: 2020) and Tampines North (expected completion: 2022) SingHealth Community Hospitals (Intermediate and Long-term Care): Bright Vision Hospital, Sengkang Community Hospital, and Outram Community Hospital About Duke-NUS Medical School Duke-NUS is Singapore's flagship graduate entry medical school, established in 2005 with a strategic, government-led partnership between two world-class institutions: Duke University School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Through an innovative curriculum, students at Duke-NUS are nurtured to become multi-faceted 'Clinicians Plus' poised to steer the healthcare and biomedical ecosystem in Singapore and beyond. A leader in ground-breaking research and translational innovation, Duke-NUS has gained international renown through its five signature research programmes and nine centres. The enduring impact of its discoveries is amplified by its successful Academic Medicine partnership with Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Singapore's largest healthcare group. This strategic alliance has spawned 15 Academic Clinical Programmes, which harness multi-disciplinary research and education to transform medicine and improve lives. For more information, please visit http://www. duke-nus. edu. sg About the University of Cambridge The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. To date, 110 affiliates of the University have won the Nobel Prize. Founded in 1209, the University comprises 31 autonomous Colleges, which admit undergraduates and provide small-group tuition, and 150 departments, faculties and institutions. Cambridge is a global university. Its 19,000 student body includes 3,700 international students from 120 countries. Cambridge researchers collaborate with colleagues worldwide, and the University has established larger-scale partnerships in Asia, Africa and America. Chinese researchers have recently discovered links between reduction in microbial stability and soil carbon loss in the active layer of degraded alpine permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). The researchers, headed by Prof. CHEN Shengyun from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and XUE Kai from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted a combined in-depth analysis of soil microbial communities and their co-occurrence networks in the active permafrost layer along an extensive gradient of permafrost degradation. The QTP encompasses the largest extent of high-altitude mountain permafrost in the world. This permafrost is different than high-latitude permafrost and stores massive soil carbon. An often ignored characteristic of permafrost is that the carbon pool in the active layer soil is more active and directly affected by climate change, compared to deeper layers. Triggered by climate warming, permafrost degradation may decrease soil carbon stability and induce massive carbon loss, thus leading to positive carbon-climate feedback. However, microbial-mediated mechanisms for carbon loss from the active layer soil in degraded permafrost still remain unclear. In this study, the researchers found that alpine permafrost degradation reduced the stability of active layer microbial communities as evidenced by increased sensitivity of microbial composition to environmental change, promoted destabilizing network properties and reduced resistance to node or edge attacking of the microbial network. They discovered that soil organic carbon loss in severely degraded permafrost is associated with increased microbial dissimilarity, thereby potentially contributing to a positive carbon feedback in alpine permafrost on the QTP. ### The results were published in PNAS in an article entitled "Reduced microbial stability in the active layer is associated with carbon loss under alpine permafrost degradation". This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Strategic Priority Research Program (A) of CAS and the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program. A study of young immigrant mothers who are survivors of sex trafficking found that the trauma affected how they parented: it made them overprotective parents in a world perceived to be unsafe, it fueled emotional withdrawal when struggling with stress and mental health symptoms, and was a barrier to building confidence as mothers. Yet, they coped with such challenges finding meaning in the birth of their child and through social support and faith. Results of the community-based participatory research study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Copenhagen University, and ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking-USA) appear in the journal PLOS One. The researchers interviewed 14 young women (20-36 years) from Mexico and Central America who were survivors of sex trafficking to understand the effect of that experience on their relationship with their pre-school children. Recruited through the nonprofit Sanctuary for Families, participants had been forced to enter sex trafficking at an average age of 19 years, with one-third trafficked as minors. Most of these women experienced PTSD symptoms, despite having escaped their victimization 2 to 10 years earlier. TRAUMA'S SCARS The study found that many sex trafficking survivors questioned their ability to be "good mothers." This negative self-perception was linked to participants' experiences of disempowerment from being trafficked for sex. Most noted that their avoidant behaviors and generalized fear often led to overprotecting their young children and foregoing opportunities for socialization with other children or adults. When children are overprotected, their independence may be discouraged, hindering the development of autonomy and increasing the risk for developing anxiety and separation issues. Conversely, mothers also discussed how moments of sadness and emotional numbness lead them to feel emotionally disconnected from their children, decreasing their ability to respond to their young children's emotional needs in moments of stress. Mothers' challenges to be emotionally present during stressful moments appeared to result from the accumulation of stressors before, during, and after victimization: neglect and abuse, forced separation from their older children, post-trafficking poverty, and migration-related stressors, rather than directly from the trafficking experiences. Fears of deportation and limited job options appeared to further contribute to their become stay-at-home mothers and engaging in overprotective parenting. FINDING MEANING IN MOTHERHOOD Despite these challenges, mothers found ways to cope--by finding meaning in the birth of their child and using social support and faith to build confidence. All participants regarded their children as the main reason for living, for working towards a better future. Many reported experiencing strong connections to their children, with moments of joy and playfulness. The study showed how the process of reestablishing feelings of happiness and trust through motherhood can help women find meaning in life, increasing their resilience and ability to cope with the consequences of traumatic experiences. Early childhood programs appeared to help mothers experience empowerment and develop stronger bonds with their children. "We can support mothers' resiliency through government policies and programs aimed at reducing daily stressors and including mental health services, job and life skills training, and stable housing. These will facilitate women to be able to process their pain, while building confidence in their ability to be loving mothers," says first author Maria Marti Castaner, PhD, who carried out the research while a post-doctoral researcher at the Columbia Mailman School and is now at the Center for Migration, Ethnicity, and Health at the University of Copenhagen. POLICY SOLUTIONS The researchers propose several policies to support mothers who are survivors of sex trafficking. These include pre and postnatal mental health and psychosocial support, focusing on parenting-related changes; the provision of parenting and early childhood education programs to facilitate the development of healthier parent-child relationships; measures that improve living conditions and enhance long-term opportunities to regain independence and confidence to accelerate their recovery from trauma. The latter might include English language and literacy as well as job skills. These can help women re-construct their new identity in addition to supporting their role as mothers. Anti-trafficking agencies, nonprofit organizations working with sex trafficking survivors, and healthcare providers involved in prenatal and child health care can play a key role in identifying women (and older adolescents) in need, and in encouraging their referral to programs that offering psychosocial, parenting, and early childhood support and education. "Our project highlights the unique opportunities for partnership across legal and public health disciplines. Ultimately the wellbeing of these young migrant women and their children benefits from collaboration between legal and healthcare services. Such collaborations can help inform both disciplines and thus facilitate the provision of effective and more holistic care," senior author Manuela Orjuela-Grimm, MD, assistant professor of epidemiology and pediatrics says. BACKGROUND ON SEX TRAFFICKING According to estimates from the International Labor Organization, there are approximately 4.5 million victims of sexual exploitation at any given time, and 98 percent are estimated to be women or girls. An estimated that 15,000-50,000 people are trafficked annually in the U.S. Central American women are trafficked en route to the U.S. with smugglers sometimes pass them on to traffickers. Others, especially women from Mexico, are seduced by young men who convince them with promises of a new life in new home towns only to place them in trafficking with threats of retaliation to their families. Women from Mexico and Central America typically are sold for 15-minute sex acts between 15-20 times per day on a weekday and 25-35 times per day on the weekend. When women fail to meet their quota, their traffickers frequently beat, starve, and threaten them. Survivors of sex trafficking have high rates of comorbid mental health disorders and health problems. ### Co-authors include Rachel Fowler, Cassie Landers, and Manuela Orjuela-Grimm at Columbia Mailman, and Lori Cohen previously the legal director at Sanctuary for Families and now directing ECPAT-USA. The authors wish to acknowledge the critical role played by Helena Duch while she was at Columbia. This project was funded through discretionary funds from the New York State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. When Betelgeuse, a bright orange star in the constellation of Orion, became visibly darker in late 2019 and early 2020, the astronomy community was puzzled. A team of astronomers have now published new images of the star's surface, taken using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), that clearly show how its brightness changed. The new research reveals that the star was partially concealed by a cloud of dust, a discovery that solves the mystery of the "Great Dimming" of Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse's dip in brightness -- a change noticeable even to the naked eye -- led Miguel Montarges and his team to point ESO's VLT (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ teles-instr/ paranal-observatory/ vlt/ ) towards the star in late 2019. An image from December 2019, when compared to an earlier image taken in January of the same year (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ videos/ eso2003c/ ), showed that the stellar surface was significantly darker, especially in the southern region. But the astronomers weren't sure why. The team continued observing the star during its Great Dimming, capturing two other never-before-seen images in January 2020 (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ images/ eso2109d/ ) and March 2020 (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ images/ eso2109c/ ). By April 2020, the star had returned to its normal brightness. "For once, we were seeing the appearance of a star changing in real time on a scale of weeks," says Montarges, from the Observatoire de Paris, France, and KU Leuven, Belgium. The images now published (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ videos/ eso2109b/ ) are the only ones we have that show Betelgeuse's surface changing in brightness over time. In their new study, published today in Nature, the team revealed that the mysterious dimming was caused by a dusty veil shading the star, which in turn was the result of a drop in temperature on Betelgeuse's stellar surface. Betelgeuse's surface regularly changes as giant bubbles of gas move, shrink and swell within the star. The team concludes that some time before the Great Dimming, the star ejected a large gas bubble that moved away from it. When a patch of the surface cooled down shortly after, that temperature decrease was enough for the gas to condense into solid dust (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ videos/ eso2109c/ ). "We have directly witnessed the formation of so-called stardust," says Montarges, whose study provides evidence that dust formation can occur very quickly and close to a star's surface. "The dust expelled from cool evolved stars, such as the ejection we've just witnessed, could go on to become the building blocks of terrestrial planets and life," adds Emily Cannon, from KU Leuven, who was also involved in the study. Rather than just the result of a dusty outburst, there was some speculation online that Betelgeuse's drop in brightness could signal its imminent death in a spectacular supernova explosion. A supernova hasn't been observed in our galaxy since the 17th century (https:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Kepler 's_Supernova), so present-day astronomers aren't entirely sure what to expect from a star in the lead-up to such an event. However, this new research confirms that Betelgeuse's Great Dimming was not an early sign that the star was heading towards its dramatic fate. Witnessing the dimming of such a recognisable star was exciting for professional and amateur astronomers alike, as summed up by Cannon: "Looking up at the stars at night, these tiny, twinkling dots of light seem perpetual. The dimming of Betelgeuse breaks this illusion." The team used the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ teles-instr/ paranal-observatory/ vlt/ vlt-instr/ sphere/ ) instrument on ESO's VLT to directly image the surface of Betelgeuse, alongside data from the GRAVITY (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ teles-instr/ paranal-observatory/ vlt/ vlt-instr/ gravity/ ) instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ teles-instr/ technology/ interferometry/ ), to monitor the star throughout the dimming. The telescopes, located at ESO's Paranal Observatory (https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ teles-instr/ paranal-observatory/ ) in Chile's Atacama Desert, were a "vital diagnostic tool in uncovering the cause of this dimming event," says Cannon. "We were able to observe the star not just as a point but could resolve the details of its surface and monitor it throughout the event," Montarges adds. Montarges and Cannon are looking forward to what the future of astronomy, in particular what ESO's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT - https:/ / elt. eso. org/ ), will bring to their study of Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star (https:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Red_supergiant_star ). "With the ability to reach unparalleled spatial resolutions, the ELT will enable us to directly image Betelgeuse in remarkable detail," says Cannon. "It will also significantly expand the sample of red supergiants for which we can resolve the surface through direct imaging, further helping us to unravel the mysteries behind the winds of these massive stars." ### More information This research was presented in the paper "A dusty veil shading Betelgeuse during its Great Dimming" (https:/ / www. nature. com/ articles/ s41586-021-03546-8 ) (https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1038/ s41586-021-03546-8 ) to appear in Nature. The team is composed of M. Montarges (LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Universite PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Universite, Universite de Paris France [LESIA] and Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Belgium [KU Leuven]), E. Cannon (KU Leuven), E. Lagadec (Universite Cote d'Azur, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, Nice, France [OCA]), A. de Koter (Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands and KU Leuven), P. Kervella (LESIA), J. Sanchez-Bermudez (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany [MPIA] and Instituto de Astronomia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico), C. Paladini (European Southern Observatory, Santiago, Chile [ESO-Chile]), F. Cantalloube (MPIA), L. Decin (KU Leuven and School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, UK), P. Scicluna (ESO-Chile), K. Kravchenko (Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Germany), A. K. Dupree (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, USA), S. Ridgway (NSF's NOIRLab, Tucson, AZ, USA), M. Wittkowski (European Southern Observatory, Garching bei Munchen, Germany [ESO-Garching]), N. Anugu (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA and School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, UK [Exeter]), R. Norris (Physics Department, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, USA), G. Rau (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Exoplanets & Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, Greenbelt, MD, USA [NASA Goddard] and Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC USA), G. Perrin (LESIA), A. Chiavassa (OCA), S. Kraus (Exeter), J. D. Monnier (Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA [Michigan]), F. Millour (OCA), J.-B. Le Bouquin (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, Grenoble, France and Michigan), X. Haubois (ESO-Chile), B. Lopez (OCA), P. Stee (OCA), and W. Danchi (NASA Goddard). ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It has 16 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world's largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky". Links * Research paper - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ archives/ releases/ sciencepapers/ eso2109/ eso2109a. pdf * Behind the Paper blog post published on Nature Communities (not available during the embargo period) - https:/ / astronomycommunity. nature. com/ posts/ imaging-the-great-dimming-of-betelgeuse * Photos of the VLT and VLTI - http://www. eso. org/ public/ images/ archive/ category/ paranal/ * For journalists: subscribe to receive our releases under embargo in your language] - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ outreach/ pressmedia/ #epodpress_form * For scientists: got a story? Pitch your research - http://eso. org/ sci/ publications/ announcements/ sciann17277. html Contacts Miguel Montarges LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, PSL University Paris, France Tel: +33 (0)1 45 07 76 95 Email: miguel.montarges@observatoiredeparis.psl.eu Emily Cannon Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven Leuven, Belgium Email: emily.cannon@kuleuven.be Barbara Ferreira ESO Media Manager Garching bei Munchen, Germany Tel: +49 89 3200 6670 Cell: +49 151 241 664 00 Email: press@eso.org Philadelphia, June 16, 2021 - The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 may have the ability to reactivate dormant tuberculosis (TB). In a novel study scientists report in The American Journal of Pathology that infection with a specific coronavirus strain reactivated dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in mice. This knowledge may help to develop new vaccines for COVID-19 and avoid a potential global tuberculosis epidemic. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus demonstrates the ability of an emerging virus to affect masses and strain and disrupt the workings of modern healthcare systems around the world. A significant number of infected COVID-19 individuals have recovered. However, a possible host defense or antiviral mechanism against the virus is yet to be identified. There are concerns that in the long-term, the virus might activate dormant bacterial infections such as TB in select infected individuals, as alarmingly, TB is already present in one quarter of the world population. Viral infections such as the influenza virus or SARS-CoV-1 are known to cause transient immune suppression that leads to reactivation of dormant bacterial infection. The highest death rate during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 was in patients with TB, and patients with TB or multidrug-resistant TB had a worse prognosis than others during the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in 2009. "There is an urgent need to study the association of COVID-19 with dormant TB reactivation to avoid a potential global TB pandemic," explained lead investigator Bikul Das, MD, PhD, Department of Stem Cell and Infectious Diseases, KaviKrishna Laboratory, Guwahati Biotech Park, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, India; and Department of Stem Cell and Infection, Thoreau Lab for Global Health, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA, USA. "It is important to understand the host defense mechanism against this disease to develop a better vaccine and/or treatment. We therefore postulated that, similar to bacteria, adult stem cells may also exhibit an altruistic defense mechanism to protect their niche against external threat." Investigators studied the coronavirus strain murine hepatitis virus-1 (MHV-1) infection in the lung in a mouse model (dMtb) of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-mediated MTB dormancy. This showed 20-fold lower viral loads than the dMtb-free control mice by the third week of viral infection and a six-fold increase of altruistic stem cells (ASCs), thereby enhancing the defense. Tuberculosis was reactivated in the dMtb mice, suggesting that dormant TB bacteria hijack these ASCs to replicate in the lung to cause pulmonary TB. Results suggest that these ASCs are transient (they expand for two weeks and then undergo apoptosis or cellular suicide) and exhibit antiviral activities against MHV-1 by secreting soluble factors. "These findings are important because they reveal a novel ASC defense mechanism against mouse coronavirus infection, which could be used to develop novel therapeutic approaches against COVID-19," noted Bikul Das. "The finding of TB reactivation in a stem cell-mediated Mtb dormancy mouse model during MHV-1 coronavirus infection indicates that in the long-term, post-pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 virus might activate dormant bacterial infections. This is a significant finding considering the current coronavirus pandemic, where many individuals in India and other developing countries with dormant TB infection may see an increase in active TB cases post COVID-19. The ASC-mediated defense mechanism may be targeted to develop vaccines against viral infections and avoid a potential global TB pandemic." ### Background notes This study of stem cell altruism was inspired by the Indian Vedantic Philosophical theory of altruistic behavior, which was referred to in the poem "Fire of Golden Nail" written by Vedic philosopher and poet Krishna Ram Das of Kamrupa, India, noted the study's authors. Poet Krishna Ram Das conceptualized the idea while undergoing surgery for throat cancer and initiated the KaviKrishna Foundation to test his idea through vigorous scientific research. "Proving altruism in mammalian cell biology is a challenging task, as we faced years of resistance from colleagues," commented Bikul Das. "Altruism is about group selection, which is very challenging to demonstrate at the molecular level. However, the idea of altruism that we are describing here is the philosophical view of Vedic Jiva Upakarvada (Vedic altruism), a part of Vedantic thought that states that during stress, the living organism acquires a higher state, known as 'Avatar.' The mandate of the KaviKrishna laboratory is to take this philosophical view forward to modern biology, specifically to develop a philosophical and social theory on global health. First author Lekhika Pathak, PhD student at the KaviKrishna Lab, GBP, IIT-Guwahati, India, commented: "I joined the laboratory hoping to further ASC research exploiting the model of MHV-1-infected stem cell-mediated Mtb dormancy. Our research findings now may provide a novel approach to understand the interaction between two pathogens, coronavirus and M. tuberculosis, both of which are major threats to global health." Co-investigator Herman Yeger, PhD, of the Department of Pediatric Laboratory Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, added: "I commend Bikul Das for being innovative in transforming a piece of Indian philosophy into a testable biological experiment on altruism. Now that we have obtained convincing data on the identification of ASC and their defense against coronavirus, we hope to develop a novel approach to tackle this growing pandemic." Americans have one of the highest levels of fear in the world when it comes to technology related to robotic systems and self-driving cars. Addressing these concerns is paramount if the technology hopes to move forward. A researcher from Florida Atlantic University's College of Engineering and Computer Science has developed new technology for autonomous systems that is responsive to human emotions based on machine-learned human moods. His solution, "Adaptive Mood Control in Semi or Fully Autonomous Vehicles," has earned a very competitive utility patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for FAU. Adaptive Mood Control provides a convenient, pleasant, and more importantly, trustworthy experience for humans who interact with autonomous vehicles. The technology can be used in a wide range of autonomous systems, including self-driving cars, autonomous military vehicles, autonomous airplanes or helicopters, and even social robots. "The uniqueness of this invention is that the operational modes and parameters related to perceived emotion are exchanged with adjacent vehicles for achieving objectives of the adaptive mood control module in the semi or fully autonomous vehicle in a cooperative driving context," said Mehrdad Nojoumian, Ph.D., inventor, and an associate professor in the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and director of the Privacy, Security and Trust in Autonomy Lab. "Human-AI/autonomy interaction is at the center of attention by academia and industries. More specifically, trust between humans and AI/autonomous technologies plays a critical role in this domain, because it will directly affect the social acceptability of these modern technologies." The patent, titled "Adaptive Mood Control in Semi or Fully Autonomous Vehicles," uses non-intrusive sensory solutions in semi or fully autonomous vehicles to perceive the mood of the drivers and passengers. Information is collected based on facial expressions, sensors within the handles/seats and thermal cameras among other monitoring devices. Additionally, the adaptive mood control system contains real-time machine-learning mechanisms that can continue to learn the driver's and passengers' moods over time. The results are then sent to the autonomous vehicle's software system allowing the vehicle to respond to perceived emotions by choosing an appropriate mode of operations such as normal, cautious or alert driving mode. "One of the major issues with the technology of fully or semi-autonomous vehicles is that they may not be able to accurately predict the behavior of other self-driving and human-driving vehicles. This predication is essential to properly navigate autonomous vehicles on roads," said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean, College of Engineering and Computer Science. "Professor Nojoumian's innovative and cutting-edge technology circumvents this problem by using machine learning algorithms to learn patterns of behaviors of people riding in these vehicles." ### About FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science: The FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science is internationally recognized for cutting edge research and education in the areas of computer science and artificial intelligence (AI), computer engineering, electrical engineering, bioengineering, civil, environmental and geomatics engineering, mechanical engineering, and ocean engineering. Research conducted by the faculty and their teams expose students to technology innovations that push the current state-of-the art of the disciplines. The College research efforts are supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Education (DOEd), the State of Florida, and industry. The FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science offers degrees with a modern twist that bear specializations in areas of national priority such as AI, cybersecurity, internet-of-things, transportation and supply chain management, and data science. New degree programs include Masters of Science in AI (first in Florida), Masters of Science in Data Science and Analytics, and the new Professional Masters of Science degree in computer science for working professionals. For more information about the College, please visit eng.fau.edu. About Florida Atlantic University: Ocean currents sometimes pinch off sections that create circular currents of water called "eddies." This "whirlpool" motion moves nutrients to the water's surface, playing a significant role in the health of the Florida Keys coral reef ecosystem. Using a numerical model that simulates ocean currents, researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and collaborators from the Alfred-Wegener-Institute in Germany and the Institut Universitaire Europeen De La Mer/Laboratoire d'Oceonographie Physique et Spatiale in France are shedding light on this important "motion of the ocean." They have conducted a first-of-its-kind study identifying the mechanisms behind the formation of sub-mesoscale eddies in the Straits of Florida, which have important environmental implications. Despite the swift flow of the Florida Current, which flows in the Straits of Florida and connects the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf Stream in the Western Atlantic Ocean, eddies provide a mechanism for the retention of marine organisms such as fish and coral larvae. Since they trap the nutrient rich West Florida Shelf waters, they provide habitat to many reef and pelagic species within the region of the Florida Keys Reef Track, which sustains the very high productivity of this region. Moreover, despite the tendency of the West Florida Shelf to overflow into the Straits of Florida, the formation of eddies provides a mechanism that limits the cross shelf transport of nutrient-laden waters. As a result, the formation of eddies stops the export of the West Florida Shelf waters across the Straits of Florida, preventing events such as red tides from crossing over to Cuba or the Bahamas. Conversely, toxic red tide waters emanating from the shelf remain longer in the vicinity of the Florida Keys Reef Tract coral reef ecosystem, adversely affecting the ecosystem's health. These small-scale frontal eddies are frequently observed and present a wide variety of numbers, shapes, and sizes, which suggest different origins and formation mechanisms. Their journey through the Straits of Florida is at time characterized by the formation and presence of mesoscale, but mostly sub-mesoscale frontal eddies on the cyclonic side of the current. The study, published in the Journal of Physical Oceanography, provides a comprehensive overview and understanding of the Straits of Florida shelf slope dynamics based on a realistic two-way nested high-resolution Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) simulation of the South Florida oceanic region. The full two-way nesting allowed the interaction of multiscale dynamics across the nest boundaries. Results showed that the formation of the sub-mesoscale frontal eddies in the Straits of Florida are associated with the sloshing of the Florida Current, which consists of the oscillation of the distance of the current core from the shelf. When the Florida Current core is pushed up against the shelf, the shear on the shelf increases and sub-mesoscale frontal eddies can be formed by barotropic instability. When this position is relaxed, baroclinic instability instead is likely to form sub-mesoscale eddies. Unlike barotropic instability, which is shear driven, baroclinic instability is driven by changes in density anomalies. "In the Straits of Florida, eddies smaller than their open ocean relative are formed. Those eddies, called sub-mesoscale eddies, are common and can be easily observed in ocean color imagery," said Laurent Cherubin, Ph.D., senior author and an associate research professor, FAU Harbor Branch. "Unlike the larger open ocean mesoscale eddies, they are not in geostrophic balance, meaning that their circulation is not sustained by the balance between the pressure gradient and the Coriolis forces. Instead, some of the frontal eddies in the Straits of Florida are in gradient wind balance, which indicates that a third force, the centrifugal force, is large enough to modify the geostrophic balance." The Florida Current is part of the western branch of the wind driven north Atlantic anti-cyclonic gyre, which is intensified on the western side of the North Atlantic basin in comparison to its eastern side. Similar types of currents also are found on the western side of ocean basins such as the Agulhas current in the southern Indian Ocean or the Kuroshio in the northern Pacific Ocean. They are called boundary currents because they impinge on the continental shelf and as such, they undergo a significant amount of friction on the ocean floor. This friction, which acts vertically and horizontally on the boundary current, contributes to the formation of a sheared boundary layer. "Our study shows that this shear layer can become unstable and form eddies. This process is in fact a pathway for the dissipation of wind energy injected in the ocean. Therefore, in the Straits of Florida, eddies smaller than their open ocean relative are formed," said Cherubin. In addition to sub-mesoscale eddies formed locally in the Straits of Florida, there are incoming mesoscale eddies that transit in the Straits of Florida, such as the Tortugas Gyre. "Findings from our research also show that mesoscale eddies can be squeezed on the shelf and transformed into sub-mesoscale eddies when the Florida Current is in its protracted position or remains relatively unaffected if the Florida Current is retracted from the shelf," said Cherubin. ### Study co-authors are Nicolas Le Paih, a Ph.D. student in physical oceanography, Alfred-Wegener-Institute; and Xavier Carton, Ph.D., a professor at the Institut Universitaire Europeen De La Mer/ Laboratoire d'Oceonographie Physique et Spatiale. This study was supported in part by NOAA grant "Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications" (NA12OAR4310105) and by the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation. About Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute: Founded in 1971, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University is a research community of marine scientists, engineers, educators and other professionals focused on Ocean Science for a Better World. The institute drives innovation in ocean engineering, at-sea operations, drug discovery and biotechnology from the oceans, coastal ecology and conservation, marine mammal research and conservation, aquaculture, ocean observing systems and marine education. For more information, visit http://www. fau. edu/ hboi . About Florida Atlantic University: The long relationships between stars and the planets around them - including the Sun and the Earth - may be even more complex than previously thought. This is one conclusion of a new study involving thousands of stars using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. By conducting the largest survey ever of star-forming regions in X-rays, a team of researchers has helped outline the link between very powerful flares, or outbursts, from youthful stars, and the impact they could have on planets in orbit. "Our work tells us how the Sun may have behaved and affected the young Earth billions of years ago," said Kostantin Getman of Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania who led the study. "In some ways, this is our ultimate origin story: how the Earth and Solar System came to be." The scientists examined Chandra's X-ray data of more than 24,000 stars in 40 different regions where stars are forming. They captured over a thousand stars that gave off flares that are vastly more energetic than the most powerful flare ever observed by modern astronomers on the Sun, the "Solar Carrington Event" in 1859. "Super" flares are at least one hundred thousand times more energetic than the Carrington Event and "mega" flares up to 10 million times more energetic. These powerful flares observed by Chandra in this work occur in all of the star-forming regions and among young stars of all different masses, including those similar to the Sun. They are also seen at all different stages in the evolution of young stars, ranging from early stages when the star is heavily embedded in dust and gas and surrounded by a large planet-forming disk, to later stages when planets would have formed and the disks are gone. The stars in the study have ages estimated to be less than 5 million years, compared to the Sun's age of 4.5 billion years. The team found several super-flares occur per week for each young star, averaged over the whole sample, and about two mega-flares every year. "We want to know what kinds of impact - good and bad - these flares have on the early lives of planets," said co-author Eric Feigelson, also of Penn State. "Flares this powerful can have major implications." Over the past two decades, scientists have argued that these giant flares can help "give" planets to still-forming stars by driving gas away from disks of material that surround them. This can trigger the formation of pebbles and other small rocky material that is a crucial step for planets to form. On the other hand, these flares may "take away" from planets that have already formed by blasting any atmospheres with powerful radiation, possibly resulting in their complete evaporation and destruction in less than 5 million years. The researchers also performed detailed modeling of 55 bright super- and mega-flares and found that most of them resemble long-lasting flares seen on the Sun that produce "coronal mass ejections," powerful ejections of charged particles that can damage planetary atmospheres. The Solar Carrington Event involved such an ejection. This work is also important for understanding the flares themselves. The team found that the properties of the flares, such as their brightness and frequency, are the same for young stars with and without planet-forming disks. This implies that the flares are likely similar to those seen on the Sun, with loops of magnetic field having both footprints on the surface of the star, rather than one anchored to the disk and one to the star. "We've found that these giant flares are like ones on the Sun but are just greatly magnified in energy and frequency, and the size of their magnetic loops," said co-author Gordon Garmire from the Huntingdon Institute for X-ray Astronomy in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania". Understanding these stellar outbursts may help us understand the most powerful flares and coronal mass ejections from the Sun." ### This work was presented at the recent meeting of the American Astronomical Society meeting and is described in two papers accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal and available here and here [arXiv URL to be added for Paper II]. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. Harvard professor Eugene Demler was awarded this year's Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics by the Joachim Herz Foundation, the Wolfgang Pauli Centre, and the University of Hamburg. The prize, which is awarded for outstanding research achievements in theoretical physics, goes to Demler for his work on quantum fluids and solids, and especially for his contributions to the study of ultracold atoms in optical lattices "With Eugene Demler, we are honoring a researcher this year who has rendered outstanding services to the application of his theoretical work in experimental physics," said Henneke Lutgerath, chairman of the executive board of the Joachim Herz Foundation. "His thoughts have provided many important impulses for the development of new materials." Demler is a professor of physics at the Harvard Department of Physics and is a highly original and creative theoretician with broad interests and outstanding expertise in different areas of modern condensed matter physics and quantum optics. He is a member of the Harvard-MIT Centre for Ultracold Atoms and the Institute for Theoretical Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Other awards Demler has won include the 2006 Johannes Gutenberg lecture award from the Mainz Graduate School, and the Humboldt Research Award in 2015. That same year, he was elected as a fellow of the American Physical Society and became a Distinguished Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Garching near Munich. He is currently a visiting Professor in the Physics Department at ETH Zurich. The main focus of Demler's work has been understanding collective properties of quantum matter across many microscopic systems. His work has had impact on areas ranging from quantum magnetism to superconductivity, nonlinear quantum optics, quantum simulators based on ultracold atoms, and pump and probe experiments in solids. "The rapid progress in the field of quantum simulators came from close collaboration between theory and experiment," Demler said. "Cold atom experiments have revealed many new physical phenomena already, but the field stays as dynamic and exciting as in its early stages. I am grateful to the experimental physicists at Harvard and around the world for many stimulating discussions and fruitful collaborations. And most of all, I am grateful to several generations of students and postdocs in my group, who should really get all the credit for the work recognized by the Herz foundation. They were equally enthusiastic about pursuing pie in the sky theoretical ideas and understanding the nitty-gritty of experiments." ### The Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics has been awarded to researchers since 2010 and is one of the most highly endowed physics prizes in Germany. Demler will accept the prize at the Hamburg's physics institutions international symposium in November. Several different causes of ageing have been discovered, but the question remains whether there are common underlying mechanisms that determine ageing and lifespan. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing and the CECAD Cluster of Excellence in Ageing research at the University Cologne have now come across folate metabolism in their search for such basic mechanisms. Its regulation underlies many known ageing signalling pathways and leads to longevity. This may provide a new possibility to broadly improve human health during ageing. In recent decades, several cellular signalling pathways have been discovered that regulate the lifespan of an organism and are thus of enormous importance for ageing research. When researchers altered these signalling pathways, this extended the lifespan of diverse organisms. However, the question arises whether these different signalling pathways converge on common metabolic pathways that are causal for longevity. The search begins in the roundworm The scientists started their search in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, a well-known model organism for ageing research. "We studied the metabolic products of several, long-lived worm lines. Our analyses revealed that, among other things, we observed clear changes in the metabolites and enzymes of the folate cycle in all worm lines. Since folate metabolism plays a major role in human health, we wanted to further pursue its role in longevity", explains Andrea Annibal, lead author of the study. A common mechanism for longevity Folates are essential vitamins important for the synthesis of amino acids and nucleotides - the building blocks of our proteins and DNA. "We tuned down the activity of specific enzymes of folate metabolism in the worms. Excitingly, the result was an increase in lifespan of up to 30 percent", says Annibal. "We also saw that in long-lived strains of mice, folate metabolism is similarly tuned down. Thus, the regulation of folate metabolism may underlie not only the various longevity signalling pathways in worms, but also in mammals." "We are very excited by these findings because they reveal the regulation of folate metabolism as a common shared mechanism that affects several different pathways of longevity and is conserved in evolution", adds Adam Antebi, director at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing. "Thus, the precise manipulation of folate metabolism may provide a new possibility to broadly improve human health during ageing." In future experiments, the group aims to find out the mechanism by which the folate metabolism affects longevity. ### Original publication Andrea Annibal, Rebecca George Tharyan, Maribel Fides Schonewolff, Hannah Tam, Christian Latza, Markus Max Karl Auler, Adam Antebi Regulation of the one carbon folate cycle as a shared metabolic signature of longevity Nature Communications, June 9th, 2021 Parenting is one of life's greatest joys, right? Not for everyone. New research from Michigan State University psychologists examines characteristics and satisfaction of adults who don't want children. As more people acknowledge they simply don't want to have kids, Jennifer Watling Neal and Zachary Neal, both associate professors in MSU's department of psychology, are among the first to dive deeper into how these "child-free" individuals differ from others. "Most studies haven't asked the questions necessary to distinguish 'child-free' individuals -- those who choose not to have children -- from other types of nonparents," Jennifer Watling Neal said. "Nonparents can also include the 'not-yet-parents' who are planning to have kids, and 'childless' people who couldn't have kids due to infertility or circumstance. Previous studies simply lumped all nonparents into a single category to compare them to parents." The study -- published June 16 in PLOS ONE -- used a set of three questions to identify child-free individuals separately from parents and other types of nonparents. The researchers used data from a representative sample of 1,000 adults who completed MSU's State of the State Survey, conducted by the university's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. "After controlling for demographic characteristics, we found no differences in life satisfaction and limited differences in personality traits between child-free individuals and parents, not-yet-parents, or childless individuals," Zachary Neal said. "We also found that child-free individuals were more liberal than parents, and that people who aren't child-free felt substantially less warm toward child-free individuals." Beyond findings related to life satisfaction and personality traits, the research unveiled additional unexpected findings. "We were most surprised by how many child-free people there are," Jennifer Watling Neal said. "We found that more than one in four people in Michigan identified as child-free, which is much higher than the estimated prevalence rate in previous studies that relied on fertility to identify child-free individuals. These previous studies placed the rate at only 2% to 9%. We think our improved measurement may have been able to better capture individuals who identify as child-free." Given the large number of child-free adults in Michigan, more attention needs to be paid to this group, the researchers said. For example, the researchers explained that their study only included one time point, so didn't examine when people decided to be child-free -- however, they hope forthcoming research will help the public understand both when people start identifying as child-free as well as the factors that lead to this choice. ### (Note for media: Please include the following link to the study in all online media coverage: https:/ / journals. plos. org/ plosone/ article?id= 10. 1371/ journal. pone. 0252528 ) Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 165 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges. For MSU news on the Web, go to MSUToday. Follow MSU News on Twitter at twitter.com/MSUnews. The encryption algorithm GEA-1 was implemented in mobile phones in the 1990s to encrypt data connections. Since then, it has been kept secret. Now, a research team from Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (RUB), together with colleagues from France and Norway, has analysed the algorithm and has come to the following conclusion: GEA-1 is so easy to break that it must be a deliberately weak encryption that was built in as a backdoor. Although the vulnerability is still present in many modern mobile phones, it no longer poses any significant threat to users, according to the researchers. Backdoors not useful according to researchers "Even though intelligence services and ministers of the interior understandably want such backdoors to exist, they are not at all useful," says Professor Gregor Leander, Head of the Workgroup for Symmetric Cryptography. "After all, they are not the only ones who can exploit these vulnerabilities, any other attackers can exploit them as well. Our research shows: once a backdoor is implemented, it is very difficult to remove it." Accordingly, GEA-1 should have disappeared from mobile phones as early as 2013; at least that's what the mobile phone standards say. However, the research team found the algorithm in the current Android and iOS smartphones. For the study, a team led by Dr. Christof Beierle, Dr. David Rupprecht, Lukas Stennes and Professor Gregor Leander from RUB collaborated with colleagues from Universite de Rennes and Universite Paris-Saclay as well as the French research institute Centre Inria de Paris and the Norwegian research institute Simula UiB in Bergen. The team will present its findings at the Eurocrypt conference in October 2021. The paper has been available online since 16 June 2021. The project was embedded in the Bochum Cluster of Excellence CASA - short for Cyber Security in the Age of Large-Scale Adversaries -, which aims at enabling sustainable IT security against large-scale attackers, most importantly national states. Lottery win more likely than weak code being a coincidence The IT security experts received the GEA-1 and GEA-2 algorithms from a source who wishes to remain anonymous and verified their authenticity in the first step. The ciphers had been used to encrypt data traffic over the 2G network, for example when sending emails or visiting websites. The researchers analysed how exactly the algorithms work. They showed that GEA-1 generates encryption keys that are subdivided into three parts, two of which are almost identical. Due to their architecture, these keys are relatively easy to guess. According to the Bochum-based team, the properties that render the cipher so insecure can't have happened by accident. "According to our experimental analysis, having six correct numbers in the German lottery twice in a row is about as likely as having these properties of the key occur by chance," as Christof Beierle illustrates. GEA-2 algorithm likewise weak - but unintentionally so The IT experts also scrutinised the GEA-2 algorithm. It is hardly more secure than GEA-1. "GEA-2 was probably an attempt to set up a more secure successor to GEA-1," assumes Gregor Leander. "GEA-2 was hardly better, though. But at least this algorithm doesn't seem to be intentionally insecure." The encryptions that GEA-1 and GEA-2 produce are so weak that they could be used to decrypt and read live encrypted data sent over 2G. Today, most data traffic is sent over the 4G network, also called LTE. Moreover, the data is now protected with additional transport encryption. Therefore, the researchers assume that the old vulnerabilities that still exist no longer pose a serious threat to users. Manufacturers don't adhere to standards Originally, GEA-1 must not be implemented in mobile devices since 2013. "The fact that it is still happening shows that manufacturers are not following the standard properly," explains David Rupprecht. Through the mobile phone association GSMA, the Bochum-based group contacted the manufacturers before publishing their data to give them the opportunity to remove GEA-1 through software updates. In addition, they contacted ETSI, the organisation responsible for telecommunications standards, to also remove GEA-2 from phones. In the future, - so ETSI's decision - smartphones should not support GEA-2 anymore. ### CHARLESTON, S.C. (June 15, 2021) - It's not every day that someone discovers a new-to-science bird migration spectacle. It's even more unexpected that such an encounter - in this case, tens of thousands of shorebirds gathering during their annual journey north - would be just a stone's throw from a metropolitan area. But two years ago, that's exactly what happened in coastal South Carolina. In May 2019, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) biologist Felicia Sanders and a team of researchers confirmed that approximately 20,000 whimbrel were roosting at night on a small island during their spring migration. The team documented similar numbers again in 2020. This single flock includes nearly half of the declining shorebird's estimated eastern population: a staggering spectacle hiding in plain sight. The findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Wader Study. Sanders has devoted her career to protecting South Carolina's coastal birds. After decades exploring the coast, few are more familiar with the way shorebirds and seabirds use the state's salt marshes, tidal creeks and barrier islands. But when Sanders pursued a hunch about the large numbers of whimbrel she saw congregating at Deveaux Bank - a small island just 20 miles south of Charleston - she could barely believe what she'd found. "A lot of people were skeptical, but after tallying results from coordinated surveys by fellow ornithologists and video documentation, we are certain of the magnitude of the flock," said Sanders. "Finding so many whimbrel here gives me hope that we can turn the tide for this and other declining shorebird species." Whimbrel are large, striking shorebirds known for their downcurved bills, which are ideally adapted to plucking fiddler crabs from muddy burrows. Like many shorebirds, they migrate incredible distances across the western hemisphere each year, facing threats including habitat loss and overhunting along the way. In the last 25 years, whimbrel declined by two-thirds across the Atlantic Flyway, the eastern portion of their population. The discovery of a roost of this size - the largest known for the species - is of critical importance to successfully protecting this rare shorebird. After spending the winter on the coasts of South America, whimbrel fly thousands of miles north to nest and raise young across subarctic regions of Canada and Alaska. They typically make just one stop along the way. For many of these birds, that stop is in South Carolina, where they rest and feed on rich coastal nutrients that will fuel their breeding season. At high tides and at night, when feeding habitat and other safe resting sites are inundated, whimbrel flock together for safety. They seek large, isolated offshore refuges like Deveaux Bank, where disturbances from people and predators are minimal. But relatively few such places remain along the Atlantic coast. "Having such a globally important phenomenon occur right here in our own backyards, that's really something to be proud of," said Sanders. "And I think it's really important to understand that biologists aren't the only ones that care about these birds. Local communities take ownership of places near their homes. It really does take a village to protect places as important as Deveaux." Riley Bradham, mayor and lifelong resident of nearby Rockville, agrees. "It's a special place," said Bradham, who has been visiting Deveaux for his entire life and working for years with SCDNR to protect birds on the sensitive island. "We all love it, but it's one of the last special places." In early 2019, Sanders' discovery inspired a collaboration between the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the University of South Carolina, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the conservation nonprofit Manomet to census and film this nocturnal roost during peak migration in April and May. For optimal visibility, the shorebird biologists, along with videographers specializing in filming sensitive wildlife, converged on Deveaux on full moon nights as flocks of whimbrel arrived during and after twilight. "We worked to visually document what Felicia and the team have uncovered here, because this truly unique spectacle underscores the value of the wild spaces still left intact on our southeastern coasts," said Andy Johnson, who led a team from the Cornell Lab's Center for Conservation Media to film the whimbrel roost. A shorebird roost of this magnitude offers a glimpse of the abundance that was once widespread across the Atlantic coast and now stands as a testament to South Carolina's commitment to coastal habitat conservation. "There's only one place in the world, one place on Earth where 20,000 whimbrel land on an ephemeral island of really insignificant size," says Chris Crolley, naturalist, guide, and CEO of Charleston-based Coastal Expeditions. "That's Deveaux Bank. Right off the coast of South Carolina. It's just phenomenal, isn't it? It's nothing less than that." ### Deveaux Bank Seabird Sanctuary is closed year-round above the high-water line, apart from areas designated by signs for limited recreational use (beaches on the ends of the island, facing inland). From March 15 through October 15, some of the island's beaches are closed for seasonal nesting of coastal birds and are demarcated by fencing. Dogs and camping are prohibited year-round. YOU'RE INVITED: On Tuesday, June 22 at 6 p.m., join the team who made the discovery at Deveaux for a free virtual screening and panel discussion. Click here to learn more and register: http://bit. ly/ WhimbrelDiscovery Sanders, F.J., M.C. Handmaker, A.S. Johnson & N.R. Senner. Nocturnal roost on South Carolina coast supports nearly half of Atlantic coast population of Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus during northward migration. Wader Study 128(2). DOI: 10.18194/ws.00228 Teachers play a key role in supporting children's development in early childhood education classrooms such as Head Start. Research shows significant associations between teachers' depressive symptoms and their students' social and emotional development. However, little research has focused on the associations between teachers' depressive symptoms and academic outcomes of preschoolers from low-income families. Specifically, one important pathway that has not been examined is whether teacher depressive symptoms have implications for the quality of family-teacher relationships. This in turn could affect how supportive parents are of their children's learning. A new study examined both direct and indirect pathways by which preschool teachers' depressive symptoms could influence preschool children's early mathematical skills. The study showed that teachers' depressive symptoms were significantly associated with children's math achievement in Head Start programs. In addition, the linkage was through the quality of the teachers' relationships with the families, which in turn affected young children's motivation, engagement, and persistence in learning (called their approaches to learning). The findings were published in a Child Development article, written by researchers at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, Johns Hopkins University, The Ohio State University, and the Community Action Project (CAP) Tulsa. "The results indicate that alleviating Head Start teachers' depressive symptoms could support positive family-teacher relationships, as well as gains in children's approaches to learning and thereby their mathematical skills," said Shinyoung Jeon, senior research and policy associate at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa Early Childhood Education Institute. "More research is needed to understand the best mechanisms through which to reduce Head Start teachers' depressive symptoms, and more investment is needed in support of teachers' mental well-being. Interventions that pair support for teachers' psychological wellbeing along with emphasis on building high-quality family-teacher relationships, may benefit children's learning and development." The study used data from the nationally representative Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2014 (FACES 2014). FACES 2014 used multiple methods to collect comprehensive information on Head Start children, families, teachers, classroom quality and programs through direct child assessments, teacher surveys, parent surveys, classroom observation and director surveys. The study included a sample of 1,547 children from 212 classroom in 113 centers at 59 Head Start programs in the United States. Children in the present study were 49% female and featured a diverse range of ethnicities, 27% White, 24% Black, 41% Hispanic/Latino, and 8% others. The study focused on the following measures gathered through teacher report, parent report, and direct assessments of the children: Teacher depressive symptoms: Teacher responses to statements (such as "I had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing," and "I felt that everything I did was an effort"). Family-teacher relationships: Teacher reports of knowledge about families (such as, "I know their cultures and values"), practices involving working together families regarding their children ("How often are you able to set goals with parents for their child") and fostering attitude about engagement with the children (such as, "I encourage parents to make decisions about their children's education and care") were rated. Approaches to learning: Teacher reports about children's motivation, attention, organization, persistence, and independence in learning (such as "How often in the past month did he or she show eagerness to learn new things"). Math skills: Direct assessments conducted with the children focusing on students' measuring, analyzing, and solving practical problems related to numbers and operations in mathematics, as well as understandings of relative size, ordinal numbers, pattern matching, number recognition and children's ability to count, recognize shapes, add, and solve word problems. Covariates: Data provided by a parental survey on child gender (boy vs. girl), age in months (at time of spring data collection), returning status (newly enrolled vs. enrolled in a previous year in Head Start), English proficiency, child race, maternal education level and income-to-poverty ratio. The findings showed that teachers with higher levels of depressive symptoms reported more negative relationships with families. While the association between them was not linked to children's math gains, there was evidence that family-teacher relationships are indirectly linked to math skills through children's approach to learning. Poorer family-teacher relationships were associated with lower gains for children in approaches to learning, which was important to how much they progressed in terms of their math skills. "Since we focused on Head Start children from low-income families, our study adds to the existing literature by identifying possible associations between a teacher's mental wellbeing and children's academic achievement that function via the quality of the teacher-parent relationship," said Lieny Jeon, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. "The study findings support Head Start's strong emphasis on family partnerships as a way to enhance Head Start children's learning behaviors and their subsequent effects on academic achievement." The authors acknowledge that the findings do not imply causal inferences given potential unobserved variables and selection bias. The authors also recognize that the data included teacher self-reported depressive symptoms collected at a single time point which is not necessarily an indicator of clinically diagnosed depression or the teacher's depressive state throughout the school year. Finally, three of the key variables of focus in this study, teacher's depressive symptoms, family-teacher relationships, and children's approaches to learning were all measured via self-report from the teacher. Future work could be strengthened by using different rather than the same respondent for these key measures. ### This research was supported by the Early Childhood Education Institute (ECEI) at the University of Oklahoma (OU) at Tulsa with funding from OU's University Strategic Organization initiative and the George Kaiser Family Foundation. Summarized from Child Development, Teacher Depressive Symptoms and Child Math Achievement in Head Start: The Roles of Family-Teacher Relationships and Approaches to Learning by Jeon, S. (University of Oklahoma - Tulsa), Jeon, L. (Johns Hopkins University), Lang, S. (The Ohio State University), Newell, K. (CAP Tulsa). Copyright 2021 The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc. All rights reserved. A ball of 4,000-year-old hair frozen in time tangled around a whalebone comb led to the first ever reconstruction of an ancient human genome just over a decade ago A ball of 4,000-year-old hair frozen in time tangled around a whalebone comb led to the first ever reconstruction of an ancient human genome just over a decade ago. The hair, which was preserved in arctic permafrost in Greenland, was collected in the 1980s and stored at a museum in Denmark. It wasn't until 2010 that evolutionary biologist Professor Eske Willerslev was able to use pioneering shotgun DNA sequencing to reconstruct the genetic history of the hair. He found it came from a man from the earliest known people to settle in Greenland known as the Saqqaq culture. It was the first time scientists had recovered an entire ancient human genome. Now a review of the first decade of ancient genomics of the Americas published in Nature today (June 16 2021) written by Professor Willerslev a Fellow of St John's College, University of Cambridge, and director of The Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, University of Copenhagen, with one of his longstanding collaborators Professor David Meltzer, an archaeologist based at Southern Methodist University, Texas, shows how the world's first analysis of an ancient genome sparked an incredible 'decade of discovery'. Professor Willerslev said: "The last ten years has been full of surprises in the understanding of the peopling of the Americas - I often feel like a child at Christmas waiting to see what exciting DNA present I am about to unwrap! What has really blown my mind is how resilient and capable the early humans we have sequenced DNA from were - they occupied extremely different environments and often populated them in a short space of time. "We were taught in school that people would stay put until the population grew to a level where the resources were exhausted. But we found people were spreading around the world just to explore, to discover, to have adventures. "The last 10 years have shown us a lot about our history and what it means to be human. We won't ever see that depth of human experience on this planet again - people entered new areas with absolutely no idea of what was in front of them. It tells us a lot about human adaptability and how humans behave." For decades, scientists relied on archaeological findings to reconstruct the past and theories weren't always accurate. It was previously thought, that there were early non-Native American people in the Americas but the ancient DNA analysis so far has shown that all of the ancient remains found are more closely related to contemporary Native Americans than to any other population anywhere else in the world. Professor Meltzer, who worked on the review with Professor Willerslev while the former was at St John's College as a Beaufort Visiting Scholar added: "Genomic evidence has shown connections that we didn't know existed between different cultures and populations and the absence of connections that we thought did exist. Human population history been far more complex than previously thought. "A lot of what has been discovered about the peopling of the Americas could not have been predicted. We have seen how rapidly people were moving around the world when they have a continent to themselves, there was nothing to hold them back. There was a selective advantage to seeing what was over the next hill." In 2013, scientists mapped the genome of a four-year-old boy who died in south-central Siberia 24,000 years ago. The burial of an Upper Palaeolithic Siberian child was discovered in the 1920s by Russian archaeologists near the village of Mal'ta, along the Belaya river. Sequencing of the Mal'ta genome was key as it showed the existence of a previously unsampled population that contributed to the ancestry of Siberian and Native American populations. Two years later, Professor Willerslev and his team published the first ancient Native American genome, sequenced from the remains of a baby boy ceremonially buried more than 12,000 years ago in Anzick, Montana. In 2015, their ancient genomic analysis was able to solve the mystery of Kennewick Man, one of the oldest and most complete skeletons ever found in the Americas, and one of the most controversial. The 9,000-year-old remains had been surrounded by a storm of controversy when legal jurisdiction over the skeleton became the focus of a decade of lawsuits between five Native American tribes, who claimed ownership of the man they called Ancient One, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Professor Willerslev, who has rightly learnt to be mindful of cultural sensitivities when searching for ancient DNA, has spent much of the past decade talking to tribal community members to explain his work in detail and seek their support. This meant he was able to agree with members of the Colville Tribe, based in Washington State where the remains were found, that they would donate some of their DNA to allow Professor Willerslev and his team to establish if there was a genetic link between them and Kennewick Man. Jackie Cook, a descendant of the Colville Tribe and the repatriation specialist for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, said: "We had spent nearly 20 years trying to have the Ancient One repatriated to us. There has been a long history of distrust between scientists and our Native American tribes but when Eske presented to us about his DNA work on the Anzick child, the hair on my arms stood up. "We knew we shouldn't have to agree to DNA testing, and there were concerns that we would have to do it every time to prove cultural affiliation, but our Council members discussed it with the elders and it was agreed that any tribal member who wanted to provide DNA for the study could." The Kennewick Man genome, like the Anzick baby, revealed the man was a direct ancestor of living Native Americans. The Ancient One was duly returned to the tribes and reburied. Cook added: "We took a risk but it worked out. It was remarkable to work with Eske and we felt honoured, relieved and humbled to be able to resolve such an important case. We had oral stories that have passed down through the generations for thousands of years that we call coyote stories - teaching stories. These stories were from our ancestors about living alongside woolly mammoths and witnessing a series of floods and volcanoes erupting. As a tribe, we have always embraced science but not all history is discovered through science." Work led by Professor Willerslev was also able to identify the origins of the world's oldest natural mummy called Spirit Cave. Scientists discovered the ancient human skeleton back in 1940 but it wasn't until 2018 that a striking discovery was made that unlocked the secrets of the Ice Age tribe in the Americas. The revelation came as part of a study that genetically analysed the DNA of a series of famous and controversial ancient remains across North and South America including Spirit Cave, the Lovelock skeletons, the Lagoa Santa remains, an Inca mummy, and the oldest remains in Chilean Patagonia. Scientists sequenced 15 ancient genomes spanning from Alaska to Patagonia and were able to track the movements of the first humans as they spread across the Americas at 'astonishing' speed during the Ice Age and also how they interacted with each other in the following millennia. The team of academics not only discovered that the Spirit Cave remains was a Native American but they were able to dismiss a longstanding theory that a group called Paleoamericans existed in North America before Native Americans. Spirit Cave was returned to The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, a group of Native Americans based in Nevada, for burial. Professor Willerslev added: "Over the past decade human history has been fundamentally changed thanks to ancient genomic analysis - and the incredible findings have only just begun." ### DALLAS (SMU) -- A team of SMU biological scientists has confirmed that P-glycoprotein (P-gp) has the ability to remove a toxin from the brain that is associated with Alzheimer's disease. The finding could lead to new treatments for the disease that affects nearly 6 million Americans. It was that hope that motivated lead researchers James W. McCormick and Lauren Ammerman to pursue the research as SMU graduate students after they both lost a grandmother to the disease while at SMU. In the Alzheimer's brain, abnormal levels of amyloid- proteins clump together to form plaques that collect between neurons and can disrupt cell function. This is believed to be one of the key factors that triggers memory loss, confusion and other common symptoms from Alzheimer's disease. "We were able to demonstrate both computationally and experimentally that P-gp, a critical toxin pump in the body, is able to transport this amyloid- protein," said John Wise, associate professor in the SMU Department of Biological Sciences and co-author of the study published in PLOS ONE. "If you could find a way to induce more P-glycoprotein in the protective blood-brain barrier for people who are susceptible to Alzheimer's disease, perhaps they could take such a treatment and it would help postpone or prevent the onset of the disease," he said. Wise stressed that the theory needs more research. The SMU (Southern Methodist University) study also provides strong evidence for the first time that P-gp may be able to pump out much larger toxins than previously believed. P-gp is nature's way of removing toxins from cells. Similar to how a sump pump in your house removes water from the basement, P-gp swallows harmful drugs or toxins within the cell and then spits them back outside the cell. "You find P-gp wherever the body is looking to protect an organ from toxins, and the brain is no exception," explained co-author Pia Vogel, SMU professor and director of SMU's Center for Drug Discovery, Design and Delivery. Amyloid-'s large size created questions about whether P-glycoprotein could actually inhale it and pump it back out. "Amyloid- is maybe five times bigger than the small, drug-like molecules that P-glycoproteins are well-known to move. It would be like taking New York pizza and trying to stuff that whole slice in your mouth and swallow it," Wise said. The fact that P-gp appears to be able to do just that "greatly expands the possible range of things that P-gp can transport, which opens the possibility that it may interact with other factors that were previously thought impossible," said McCormick, a former SMU graduate student in biological sciences. The research was personal SMU researchers might never have investigated the link between P-gp and amyloid- proteins if not for McCormick's dogged pursuit of the connection. The Ph.D. student, who graduated in 2017, had seen preliminary work suggesting that P-gp might play a role in pulling amyloid protein out of the brain and asked his faculty advisors, Vogel and Wise, if he could take some time to check it out. The professors concede they first tried to discourage him because they were more focused on P-gp's role in creating resistance to chemotherapy in cancer patients. However, McCormick was "passionate," about figuring out if P-gp might be able to shield someone from getting Alzheimer's, Vogel said. He devoted hours of his own time to use a computer-generated model of P-glycoprotein that he and Wise created. The model allows researchers to dock nearly any drug to the P-gp protein and observe how it would behave in P-gp's "pump." Vogel, Wise and other SMU scientists have been studying the protein for years to identify compounds that might reverse chemotherapy failure in aggressive cancers. McCormick completed the computational work with the help of his fiance, Ammerman, who got her Ph.D in biology from SMU in May. Together, they ran multiple simulations of the P-gp protein using SMU's high performance computer, ManeFrame II, and found that each time, P-gp was able to "swallow" amyloid- proteins and push them out of cells. "For the scientist in me, it was just absolutely amazing that this pump could consume something that big," Vogel said. "John [Wise] and I did not predict that would be possible." Two in vitro experiments confirmed the computational work The researchers conducted two experiments in the lab to confirm the computational results. In one experiment, Ammerman used lab-purchased amyloid- proteins that had been dyed fluorescent green, allowing them to be easily spotted easily in a microscope. In multiple trials, Ammerman exposed human cells to these amyloid- proteins. She used two types of human cells -- one where P-gp was strongly expressed and one where P-gp was not. This allowed Ammerman to test the difference between the two and see if P-gp was pumping amyloid- out. The amyloid proteins were clearly shown to be pushed out of the human cells that had overexpressed P-gp in them, supporting the theory that P-gp removes amyloid proteins on contact. Another in vitro experiment reached the same conclusion from a different direction. Former graduate student Gang (Mike) Chen worked in SMU's Center for Drug Discovery, Design and Delivery to show that an Alzheimer's-linked amyloid- caused changes in the P-gp's usage of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), indicating that there was a physical interaction between the two. ATP hydrolysis produces the energy that P-gp uses to transport toxins or drugs out of the cell. When no toxins are present, P-gp's rate of ATP stays pretty low. When challenged with transporting cargo, P-gp's ATP hydrolysis activity usually increases quite dramatically. "Even though our work can't help our grandparents, I hope that it might help others in the future," Ammerman said. "The more we know, the more power we have - and researchers after us - to address and target these devastating diseases." ### About SMU SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU's alumni, faculty and nearly 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world. PHILADELPHIA - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that strikes nearly 5,000 people in the U.S. every year. About 10% of ALS cases are inherited or familial, often caused by an error in the C9orf72 gene. Compared to sporadic or non-familial ALS, C90rf72 patients are considered to have a more aggressive disease course. Evidence points to the immune system in disease progression in C90rf72 patients, but we know little of what players are involved. New research from the Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center identified an increased inflammatory signal in C90rf72 patients compared to other ALS patients, pointing to immune characteristics that distinguish this subgroup of ALS patients and informing potential anti-inflammatory therapies. The study was published in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration on April 30th, 2021. In comprehensive analyses, the researchers collected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), via a small puncture in the spine, as well as serum from 15 C9orf72 patients, 9 sporadic ALS patients and 14 control patients, and conducted a test to measure the levels of around 40 different immune molecules and chemicals. They found an increase in pro-inflammatory molecules in the serum and CSF of both sporadic and C9orf72 ALS patients compared to controls, but the increase was more pronounced in C9orf72 patients. These findings point to important distinguishing characteristics of this subgroup of ALS patients, which could be detectable in a peripheral test of serum. Serum tests would be less invasive than testing CSF. The results also indicate that any future strategies for developing anti-inflammatory treatments would benefit from distinguishing the C9orf72 subtype from other types of ALS. The researchers are looking to build a bank of patient samples to continue studying key differences between patient subtypes. "This is a step in better characterizing this sub-population of ALS patients," says senior author Hristelina Ilieva, MD, PhD, assistant professor and medical director of the Weinberg ALS Center, "and an impetus to continue the search for biomarkers for this disease." ### The work was funded by an American Brain Foundation award. The authors report no conflict of interest. Article Reference: Gabriel Pinilla, Anupama Kumar, Mary Kay Floaters, Carlos A Pardo, Jeffrey Rothstein, Hristelina Ilieva, "Increased synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines in C9ORF72 patients", DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2021.1912100, Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener, 2021 Media Contact: Karuna Meda, 267-624-4792, karuna.meda@jefferson.edu">karuna.meda@jefferson.edu RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- A new approach to studying conjugated polymers made it possible for an Army-funded research team to measure, for the first time, the individual molecules' mechanical and kinetic properties during polymerization reaction. The insights gained could lead to more flexible and robust soft electronic materials, such as health monitors and soft robotics. Conjugated polymers are essentially clusters of molecules strung along a backbone that can conduct electrons and absorb light. This makes them a perfect fit for creating soft optoelectronics, such as wearable electronic devices; however, as flexible as they are, these polymers are difficult to study in bulk because they aggregate and fall out from solution. "Conjugated polymers are a fascinating class of materials due to their inherent optical and electronic properties which are dictated by their polymer structure," said Dr. Dawanne Poree, program manager, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory. "These materials are highly relevant to a number of applications of interest to Army and DoD including portable electronics, wearable devices, sensors, and optical communication systems. To date, unfortunately, it has been difficult to develop conjugated polymers for targeted applications due to a lack of viable tools to study and correlate their structure-property relationships." With Army funding, researchers at Cornell University employed an approach they pioneered on other synthetic polymers, called magnetic tweezers, that allowed them to stretch and twist individual molecules of the conjugated polymer polyacetylene. The research was published in the journal Chem. "Through the use of novel single-molecule manipulation and imaging approaches, this work provided the first observations of single-chain behaviors in conjugated polymers which lays the foundation for the rational design and processing of these materials to enable widespread application," Poree said. Previous efforts to address the solubility of conjugated polymers have often relied upon chemical derivatization, in which the structures are modified with functional groups of atoms. However, that approach can affect the polymer's innate properties. "The conjugated polymer is really a prototype," said Dr. Peng Chen, the Peter J.W. Debye professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Cornell. "You always modify it to tailor it for applications. We are hoping everything we measured - the fundamental properties of synthesis kinetics, the mechanical property - become benchmark numbers for people to think about other polymers of the same category." In 2017, Chen's group was the first to use the magnetic tweezers measurement technique to study living polymerization, visualizing it at the single-molecule level. The technique had already been used in the biophysics field for studying DNA and proteins, but no one had successfully extended it to the realm of synthetic polymers. The process works by affixing one end of a polymer strand to a glass coverslip and the other end to a tiny magnetic particle. The researchers then use a magnetic field to manipulate the conjugated polymer, stretching or twisting it, and measuring the response of a single polymer chain that grows. The amounts are so small, they stay soluble in solution, the way bulk amounts normally would not. The team measured how long chains of conjugated polymers, which consist of hundreds of thousands of monomer units, grow in real time. They discovered these polymers add a new monomer per second, a much faster growth than their nonconjugated analogs. "We found that while growing in real time, this polymer forms conformational entanglements," Chen said. "All polymers we have studied form conformational entanglements, but for this conjugated polymer this conformational entanglement is looser, allowing it to grow faster." By pulling and stretching individual conjugated polymers, so-called force extension measurements, the researchers were able to assess their rigidity and better understand how they can bend in different directions while remaining conjugated and retaining electron conductivity. They also discovered the polymers displayed diverse mechanical behaviors from one individual chain to the next-behaviors that had been predicted by theory but never observed experimentally. The findings highlight both the uniqueness of conjugated polymers for a range of applications as well as the strength of using a single-molecule manipulation and imaging technique on synthetic materials. "Now we have a new way to study how these conjugated polymers are made chemically and what is the fundamental mechanical property of this type of material," Chen said. "We can study how these fundamental properties change when you start tailoring them for application purposes. Maybe you can make it more mechanically flexible and make the polymer longer, or adjust the synthesis condition to either synthesize the polymer in a faster or slower way." ### Visit the laboratory's Media Center to discover more Army science and technology stories As the Army's national research laboratory, ARL is operationalizing science to achieve transformational overmatch. Through collaboration across the command's core technical competencies, we lead in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more successful at winning the nation's wars and come home safely. DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. DEVCOM is a major subordinate command of the Army Futures Command. The World Health Organisation cites antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the most significant risks facing the world. AMR threatens global health and development as it impacts on human, animal and plant health and also our environment, water safety and food security. The GW4 AMR Alliance has been established to tackle this global challenge and become the UK's leading interdisciplinary 'One Health' AMR research consortium, recognised worldwide. Today's launch event showcases GW4's cross-disciplinary AMR research collaborations and some of the One Health AMR projects and programmes being undertaken by GW4 teams and their collaborators. Antimicrobial resistance where bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic infections become resistant to existing antimicrobial drugs is an increasing global societal threat, as there is no matching increase in new antibiotics or new therapies to help treat patients' infections. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the 'pandemic' of AMR into sharper focus. Antimicrobial use, which drives the emergence of AMR, increased in many intensive care units around the world, as clinicians mitigated the development of secondary bacterial and fungal infections in acutely ill hospitalised patients. AMR is a slower moving, 'silent pandemic' but requires urgent action now to stop resistance expanding and find drugs to treat these infections. The GW4 AMR Alliance builds on and enhances the GW4 universities' strong and diverse portfolio of AMR research. Its vision is to tackle AMR using a One Health approach and to be the partner of choice for future AMR research consortia funding to help mitigate the urgent threat of AMR. Dr Timothy Jinks, Head of the Drug-Resistant Infections Programme at the Wellcome Trust, who is delivering the keynote lecture, said: "Containing and controlling AMR requires collaborative, long-term, interdisciplinary and sustainable research taking a global One Health approach. It is great news that the GW4 AMR Alliance is launching to increase understanding, development and implementation of effective interventions." GW4's proven academic excellence in AMR research across disciplines and across institutions is demonstrated by a portfolio of AMR relevant research funding in excess of 40m. Dr Joanna Jenkinson, GW4 Alliance Director, commented: "Our strategic initiative is in total accord with the G7 Health Ministers' recent communique (on 4 June) which outlined the need to act on the growing pandemic of AMR with 'clear leadership, bold science-based actions and a One Health approach, 'recognising and understanding that the health of humans, animals, plants and their shared environment are inextricably interlinked'. The GW4 has fostered collaborative AMR projects at scale to achieve more than our institutions can individually. We are also proud to support our early career researchers (ECR) through our Crucible programme on 'Interdisciplinary Approaches to AMR' and opportunities to apply for seed funding. We are delighted that one new ECR AMR community, further supported by our GW4 Generator Award funding scheme, is contributing a presentation at the launch today on their project to find new antibiotic leads." AMR disproportionately affects low-and-middle income countries and the research being showcased today demonstrates our global reach with collaborative GW4 projects taking place in Thailand, China, Bangladesh, Argentina, India and here in the UK. GW4 researchers are exploring what drives the emergence of AMR in different settings e.g. the environment (particularly in aquatic systems from industrial and domestic waste), livestock farming, aquaculture and healthcare. Identifying the drivers of AMR will help to help modify them by informing policy and implementing interventions to mitigate this rising threat. In the UK alone, there was a 9% increase in deaths caused by drug-resistant infections between 2017 and 2018. Chair of the GW4 AMR Alliance, Prof Eshwar Mahenthiralingam (Cardiff University), said: "This is a very exciting and timely consortium bringing the considerable AMR research strengths across the GW4 universities together to work as one cohesive unit to drive forward our understanding of, and to develop new interventions for containing and controlling AMR." ### Diesel-polluted soil from now defunct military outposts in Greenland can be remediated using naturally occurring soil bacteria according to an extensive five-year experiment in Mestersvig, East Greenland ENVIRONMENT Diesel-polluted soil from now defunct military outposts in Greenland can be remediated using naturally occurring soil bacteria according to an extensive five-year experiment in Mestersvig, East Greenland, to which the University of Copenhagen has contributed. Mothballed military outposts and stacks of rusting oil drums aren't an unusual sight in Greenland. Indeed, there are about 30 abandoned military installations in Greenland where diesel, once used to keep generators and other machinery running, may have seeped into the ground. This is the case with Station 9117 Mestersvig, an abandoned military airfield on the coast of East Greenland. Forty tons of diesel fuel contaminated the soil at Mestersvig. As a result, Danish Defence and NIRAS, an engineering company, initiated an experiment to optimize the conditions for naturally occurring soil bacteria to break down soil contaminants. Bacterial populations and the biodegradation of diesel compounds were continuously monitored by scientists from the University of Copenhagen's Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS). After five years, the researchers found that the bacteria had bioremediated as much as 82 percent of the 5,000 tons of contaminated soil. "The bacteria have proven extremely effective at breaking down the vast majority of the diesel compounds. As such, this natural method can be applied elsewhere in the Arctic, where it would otherwise be incredibly resource-intensive to remove contaminated soil by way of aircraft or ship," explains Professor Jan H. Christensen of the University of Copenhagen's Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. Christensen has been responsible for analyzing the chemical fingerprints in the diesel-contaminated soil. Never thoroughly studied and documented The method, known as landfarming, is most often associated with warmer climates around the world. Prior to this project, landfarming had never been tested on a large scale under Arctic conditions. Nor had the method ever been as thoroughly studied and documented as in this experiment. Landfarming works by distributing contaminated soil in a thin layer, which is then ploughed, fertilized and oxygenated every year to optimize conditions for bacteria to degrade hydrocarbons. Watering the field Landfarming works by distributing contaminated soil in a thin layer, which is then ploughed, fertilized and oxygenated every year to optimize conditions for bacteria to degrade hydrocarbons. Photo: Anders Christian Vestergaard According to Anders Risbjerg Johnsen,a microbiologist and senior research scientist at GEUS, the landfarming work resulted in regular explosions of soil bacteria, which he was able to keep track of from Denmark using advanced samples of soil bacteria. "Having a wide variety of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria is essential as the 10,000 various diesel compounds contaminating the soil require different degradation pathways to be broken down," explains Johnsen. Ability to clean up abandoned bases Warmer "summer" temperatures of between 0 and 10 degrees only last about three months in Mestersvig. For the rest of the year, the soil is frozen. Thus, it was uncertain whether Greenlandic soil bacteria could break down the leaked diesel as effectively as bacteria in warmer conditions. Fortunately, the study demonstrated that the bacteria could easily degrade diesel contaminants in the soil, despite the frigid temperatures. In the future, the researchers hope that naturally occurring bacteria can be used to remediate contamination in the Greenlandic environment at roughly 30 other deserted installations. The lack of infrastructure has made it extremely expensive and resource-intensive to move soil around as, for example, might be done in Denmark. "Some degree of diesel pollution can be found at nearly every Arctic site where there was once a weather station, research station or military installation. It is likely that the approach used in our experiments can be used at many of these sites," say Jan H. Christensen and Anders Risbjerg Johnsen. The researchers are returning to Greenland this year to conduct new studies on the experiment. They hope to find that the bacteria have successfully degraded all remaining diesel contamination. ### Read the scientific article RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Supermassive black holes, or SMBHs, are black holes with masses that are several million to billion times the mass of our sun. The Milky Way hosts an SMBH with mass a few million times the solar mass. Surprisingly, astrophysical observations show that SMBHs already existed when the universe was very young. For example, a billion solar mass black holes are found when the universe was just 6% of its current age, 13.7 billion years. How do these SMBHs in the early universe originate? A team led by a theoretical physicist at the University of California, Riverside, has come up with an explanation: a massive seed black hole that the collapse of a dark matter halo could produce. Dark matter halo is the halo of invisible matter surrounding a galaxy or a cluster of galaxies. Although dark matter has never been detected in laboratories, physicists remain confident this mysterious matter that makes up 85% of the universe's matter exists. Were the visible matter of a galaxy not embedded in a dark matter halo, this matter would fly apart. "Physicists are puzzled why SMBHs in the early universe, which are located in the central regions of dark matter halos, grow so massively in a short time," said Hai-Bo Yu, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at UC Riverside, who led the study that appears in Astrophysical Journal Letters. "It's like a 5-year-old child that weighs, say, 200 pounds. Such a child would astonish us all because we know the typical weight of a newborn baby and how fast this baby can grow. Where it comes to black holes, physicists have general expectations about the mass of a seed black hole and its growth rate. The presence of SMBHs suggests these general expectations have been violated, requiring new knowledge. And that's exciting." A seed black hole is a black hole at its initial stage -- akin to the baby stage in the life of a human. "We can think of two reasons," Yu added. "The seed -- or 'baby' -- black hole is either much more massive or it grows much faster than we thought, or both. The question that then arises is what are the physical mechanisms for producing a massive enough seed black hole or achieving a fast enough growth rate?" "It takes time for black holes to grow massive by accreting surrounding matter," said co-author Yi-Ming Zhong, a postdoctoral researcher at the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. "Our paper shows that if dark matter has self-interactions then the gravothermal collapse of a halo can lead to a massive enough seed black hole. Its growth rate would be more consistent with general expectations." In astrophysics, a popular mechanism used to explain SMBHs is the collapse of pristine gas in protogalaxies in the early universe. "This mechanism, however, cannot produce a massive enough seed black hole to accommodate newly observed SMBHs -- unless the seed black hole experienced an extremely fast growth rate," Yu said. "Our work provides an alternative explanation: a self-interacting dark matter halo experiences gravothermal instability and its central region collapses into a seed black hole." The explanation Yu and his colleagues propose works in the following way: Dark matter particles first cluster together under the influence of gravity and form a dark matter halo. During the evolution of the halo, two competing forces -- gravity and pressure -- operate. While gravity pulls dark matter particles inward, pressure pushes them outward. If dark matter particles have no self-interactions, then, as gravity pulls them toward the central halo, they become hotter, that is, they move faster, the pressure increases effectively, and they bounce back. However, in the case of self-interacting dark matter, dark matter self-interactions can transport the heat from those "hotter" particles to nearby colder ones. This makes it difficult for the dark matter particles to bounce back. Yu explained that the central halo, which would collapse into a black hole, has angular momentum, meaning, it rotates. The self-interactions can induce viscosity, or "friction," that dissipates the angular momentum. During the collapse process, the central halo, which has a fixed mass, shrinks in radius and slows down in rotation due to viscosity. As the evolution continues, the central halo eventually collapses into a singular state: a seed black hole. This seed can grow more massive by accreting surrounding baryonic -- or visible -- matter such as gas and stars. "The advantage of our scenario is that the mass of the seed black hole can be high since it is produced by the collapse of a dark matter halo," Yu said. "Thus, it can grow into a supermassive black hole in a relatively short timescale." The new work is novel in that the researchers identify the importance of baryons--ordinary atomic and molecular particles -- for this idea to work. "First, we show the presence of baryons, such as gas and stars, can significantly speed up the onset of the gravothermal collapse of a halo and a seed black hole could be created early enough," said Wei-Xiang Feng, Yu's graduate student and a co-author on the paper. "Second, we show the self-interactions can induce viscosity that dissipates the angular momentum remnant of the central halo. Third, we develop a method to examine the condition for triggering general relativistic instability of the collapsed halo, which ensures a seed black hole could form if the condition is satisfied." Over the past decade, Yu has explored novel predictions of dark matter self-interactions and their observational consequences. His work has shown that self-interacting dark matter can provide a good explanation for the observed motion of stars and gas in galaxies. "In many galaxies, stars and gas dominate their central regions," he said. "Thus, it's natural to ask how the presence of this baryonic matter affects the collapse process. We show it will speed up the onset of the collapse. This feature is exactly what we need to explain the origin of supermassive black holes in the early universe. The self-interactions also lead to viscosity that can dissipate angular momentum of the central halo and further help the collapse process." ### The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy; NASA; the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics; and the John Templeton Foundation. The research paper is titled "Seeding Supermassive Black Holes with Self-Interacting Dark Matter: A Unified Scenario with Baryons." It is possible to re-create a bird's song by reading only its brain activity, shows a first proof-of-concept study from the University of California San Diego. The researchers were able to reproduce the songbird's complex vocalizations down to the pitch, volume and timbre of the original. Published June 16 in Current Biology, the study lays the foundation for building vocal prostheses for individuals who have lost the ability to speak. "The current state of the art in communication prosthetics is implantable devices that allow you to generate textual output, writing up to 20 words per minute," said senior author Timothy Gentner, a professor of psychology and neurobiology at UC San Diego. "Now imagine a vocal prosthesis that enables you to communicate naturally with speech, saying out loud what you're thinking nearly as you're thinking it. That is our ultimate goal, and it is the next frontier in functional recovery." The approach that Gentner and colleagues are using involves songbirds such as the zebra finch. The connection to vocal prostheses for humans might not be obvious, but in fact, a songbird's vocalizations are similar to human speech in various ways. They are complex, and they are learned behaviors. "In many people's minds, going from a songbird model to a system that will eventually go into humans is a pretty big evolutionary jump," said Vikash Gilja, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC San Diego who is a co-author on the study. "But it's a model that gives us a complex behavior that we don't have access to in typical primate models that are commonly used for neural prosthesis research." The research is a cross-collaborative effort between engineers and neuroscientists at UC San Diego, with the Gilja and Gentner labs working together to develop neural recording technologies and neural decoding strategies that leverage both teams' expertise in neurobiological and behavioral experiments. The team implanted silicon electrodes in male adult zebra finches and monitored the birds' neural activity while they sang. Specifically, they recorded the electrical activity of multiple populations of neurons in the sensorimotor part of the brain that ultimately controls the muscles responsible for singing. The researchers fed the neural recordings into machine learning algorithms. The idea was that these algorithms would be able to make computer-generated copies of actual zebra finch songs just based on the birds' neural activity. But translating patterns of neural activity into patterns of sounds is no easy task. "There are just too many neural patterns and too many sound patterns to ever find a single solution for how to directly map one signal onto the other," said Gentner. To accomplish this feat, the team used simple representations of the birds' vocalization patterns. These are essentially mathematical equations modeling the physical changes--that is, changes in pressure and tension--that happen in the finches' vocal organ, called a syrinx, when they sing. The researchers then trained their algorithms to map neural activity directly to these representations. This approach, the researchers said, is more efficient than having to map neural activity to the actual songs themselves. "If you need to model every little nuance, every little detail of the underlying sound, then the mapping problem becomes a lot more challenging," said Gilja. "By having this simple representation of the songbirds' complex vocal behavior, our system can learn mappings that are more robust and more generalizable to a wider range of conditions and behaviors." The team's next step is to demonstrate that their system can reconstruct birdsong from neural activity in real time. Part of the challenge is that songbirds' vocal production, like humans', involves not just output of the sound but a constant monitoring of the environment and constant monitoring of the feedback. If you put headphones on humans, for example, and delay when they hear their own voice, disrupting just the temporal feedback, they'll start to stutter. Birds do the same thing. They're listening to their own song. They make adjustments based on what they just heard themselves singing and what they hope to sing next, Gentner explained. A successful vocal prosthesis will ultimately need to work on a timescale that is similarly fast and also intricate enough to accommodate the entire feedback loop, including making adjustments for errors. "With our collaboration," said Gentner, "we are leveraging 40 years of research in birds to build a speech prosthesis for humans--a device that would not simply convert a person's brain signals into a rudimentary set of whole words but give them the ability to make any sound, and so any word, they can imagine, freeing them to communicate whatever they wish." ### Paper: "Neurally driven synthesis of learned, complex vocalizations." Co-authors include Ezequiel M. Arneodo, Shukai Chen and Daril E. Brown, all at UC San Diego. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant R01DC018446), the Kavli Institute for the Brain and Mind (IRG no. 2016-004), the Office of Naval Research (MURI N00014-13-1-0205) and a Pew Latin American Fellowship in the Biomedical Sciences. Declaration of interests: Vikash Gilja is a compensated consultant of Paradromics, Inc., a brain-computer interface company. LOS ANGELES (June 16, 2021) - UCLA Health will receive a $4.8 million grant from The National Institutes of Health to develop methods that will improve genetic risk estimates - polygenic risk scores - for specific diseases in people from diverse populations and mixed ancestries. The NIH funding comes from grants provided by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to establish a multi-center research consortium that will pool genomic information from existing and new datasets. The researchers will then develop and evaluate methods for calculating polygenic risk scores (PRS) with an emphasis on studying people from different ancestries. Each research center may include several collaborating institutions. At UCLA, the funds will be used to establish the PRS Center for Admixed Populations and Health Equity (CAPE), a collaboration between the Department of Computational Medicine and the Institute for Precision Health (IPH) within the David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA Health. The center will leverage the UCLA ATLAS Community Health Initiative, a large collection of patient blood, saliva and tissue samples being analyzed to help UCLA researchers and clinicians develop and deliver the best care possible. Of the newly funded centers, UCLA's is the only one focusing not only on polygenic risk scores for diverse populations, but specifically for individuals of "admixed ancestry." This fits with a key cornerstone of the UCLA IPH's mission, which is to facilitate the implementation of precision health and genomic medicine for all individuals, including those who are usually underrepresented in most biomedical research. "More than 30% of individuals living in the U.S. self-identify as having admixed ancestry, usually defined as those with recent ancestry from two or more continental sources, such as African Americans and/or Latinx individuals," said Dr. Bogdan Pasaniuc, an associate professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA who specializes in computational medicine, pathology and laboratory medicine, human genetics and bioinformatics. His research centers on statistical and computational methods for understanding risk factors for common diseases, with a particular focus on the study of admixed populations. Researchers and clinicians calculate polygenic risk scores by comparing the genomic data of people with and without a particular disease. Bioinformatic analysis is used to identify groups of genomic variants that are found more frequently in individuals with the disease, and then statistical calculations are used to estimate how a person's variants affect their risk for that disease. Although researchers in recent years have been able to calculate risk scores for numerous conditions, and even tailor medical management and interventions accordingly, the existing large-scale genomic datasets are heavily biased toward individuals of European ancestry and are not effective when used in diverse populations. In fact, leaders in genomic medicine, health care and research concluded in 2019 that current risk scores have "the potential to worsen outcomes or widen health disparities in underrepresented groups if these groups are not included in research." People with recent ancestors from different continental origins have "mosaic genomes with segments of different continental ancestries at every region in the genome," Pasaniuc said. "Owing to the lack of diversity in existing genomic studies, existing polygenic risk scores perform poorly in individuals with mixed genetic ancestry, particularly for individuals with largely non-European genetic ancestry. Thus, existing PRS could exacerbate health disparities as they cannot be applied equitably across individuals of all ancestries. Diversity in genetic ancestry within admixed genomes raises unique challenges that cannot be addressed by existing paradigms." The UCLA center - which will include collaborators from the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine at the University of Colorado and the Institute for Genomic Health at Mount Sinai Health System in New York - will focus on incorporating genetic diversity in PRS to yield accurate and equitable genetic prediction for any individual, irrespective of their ancestry. The researchers will analyze the genomes of more than 200,000 admixed individuals. The research will build on and benefit from the UCLA ATLAS Community Health Initiative and the UCLA ATLAS Precision Health Biobank, which collects biological samples from as many people as possible, codes the samples, removes any personally identifying information, and provides the samples to approved researchers who are seeking new ways to prevent, detect and treat health problems. "Our investment in the UCLA Institute for Precision Health ATLAS project was not only to build an infrastructure for the treatment of our UCLA Health patients using precision medicine approaches, but also to create an infrastructure that would allow our faculty to pursue innovative new research projects and collaborations with other organizations to improve health care practices nationally and globally," said Dr. Daniel Geschwind, UCLA Health senior associate dean and associate vice chancellor for Precision Health. "Our participation with this leading-edge consortium is a major step in that direction since it leverages the diversity of our patients, parallel with our goal of reducing disparities." The consortium will leverage NHGRI's Genomic Data Science Analysis, Visualization and Informatics Lab-space (AnVIL), a cloud-based resource, to address its computational analysis and storage needs in a shared environment. In addition to developing new approaches and datasets, researchers at the participating institutions will work to increase transparency and standardize practices in the ways in which researchers develop and validate polygenic risk scores. "At UCLA Health, we're invested in and committed to advancing personalized health care for everyone in all of our communities," said Dr. Kelsey C. Martin, dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Thanks to this grant, the NIH's efforts and the contributions of the other institutions in the consortium, we look forward to ensuring that the promise of precision medicine is equitably shared regardless of an individual's ancestry." ### Contact: UCLA Health media relations: uclahealthnews@mednet.ucla.edu The period preceding the emergence of behaviourally modern humans was characterised by dramatic climatic and environmental variability - it is these pressures, occurring over hundreds of thousands of years that shaped human evolution. New research published today in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal proposes a new theory of human cognitive evolution entitled 'Complementary Cognition' which suggests that in adapting to dramatic environmental and climactic variabilities our ancestors evolved to specialise in different, but complementary, ways of thinking. Lead author Dr Helen Taylor, Research Associate at the University of Strathclyde and Affiliated Scholar at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, explained: "This system of complementary cognition functions in a way that is similar to evolution at the genetic level but instead of underlying physical adaptation, may underlay our species' immense ability to create behavioural, cultural and technological adaptations. It provides insights into the evolution of uniquely human adaptations like language suggesting that this evolved in concert with specialisation in human cognition." The theory of complementary cognition proposes that our species cooperatively adapt and evolve culturally through a system of collective cognitive search alongside genetic search which enables phenotypic adaptation (Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection can be interpreted as a 'search' process) and cognitive search which enables behavioural adaptation. Dr Taylor continued, "Each of these search systems is essentially a way of adapting using a mixture of building on and exploiting past solutions and exploring to update them; as a consequence, we see evolution in those solutions over time. This is the first study to explore the notion that individual members of our species are neurocognitively specialised in complementary cognitive search strategies." Complementary cognition could lie at the core of explaining the exceptional level of cultural adaptation in our species and provides an explanatory framework for the emergence of language. Language can be viewed as evolving both as a means of facilitating cooperative search and as an inheritance mechanism for sharing the more complex results of complementary cognitive search. Language is viewed as an integral part of the system of complementary cognition. The theory of complementary cognition brings together observations from disparate disciplines, showing that they can be viewed as various faces of the same underlying phenomenon. Dr Taylor continued: "For example, a form of cognition currently viewed as a disorder, dyslexia, is shown to be a neurocognitive specialisation whose nature in turn predicts that our species evolved in a highly variable environment. This concurs with the conclusions of many other disciplines including palaeoarchaeological evidence confirming that the crucible of our species' evolution was highly variable." Nick Posford, CEO, British Dyslexia Association said, "As the leading charity for dyslexia, we welcome Dr Helen Taylor's ground-breaking research on the evolution of complementary cognition. Whilst our current education and work environments are often not designed to make the most of dyslexia-associated thinking, we hope this research provides a starting point for further exploration of the economic, cultural and social benefits the whole of society can gain from the unique abilities of people with dyslexia." At the same time, this may also provide insights into understanding the kind of cumulative cultural evolution seen in our species. Specialisation in complementary search strategies and cooperatively adapting would have vastly increased the ability of human groups to produce adaptive knowledge, enabling us to continually adapt to highly variable conditions. But in periods of greater stability and abundance when adaptive knowledge did not become obsolete at such a rate, it would have instead accumulated, and as such Complementary Cognition may also be a key factor in explaining cumulative cultural evolution. Complementary cognition has enabled us to adapt to different environments, and may be at the heart of our species' success, enabling us to adapt much faster and more effectively than any other highly complex organism. However, this may also be our species' greatest vulnerability. Dr Taylor concluded: "The impact of human activity on the environment is the most pressing and stark example of this. The challenge of collaborating and cooperatively adapting at scale creates many difficulties and we may have unwittingly put in place a number of cultural systems and practices, particularly in education, which are undermining our ability to adapt. These self-imposed limitations disrupt our complementary cognitive search capability and may restrict our capacity to find and act upon innovative and creative solutions." "Complementary cognition should be seen as a starting point in exploring a rich area of human evolution and as a valuable tool in helping to create an adaptive and sustainable society. Our species may owe our spectacular technological and cultural achievements to neurocognitive specialisation and cooperative cognitive search, but our adaptive success so far may belie the importance of attaining an equilibrium of approaches. If this system becomes maladjusted, it can quickly lead to equally spectacular failures to adapt - and to survive, it is critical that this system be explored and understood further." ### A new computational framework incorporates social interactions to analyze how best to communicate about new medical guidelines to encourage their adoption CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Health care workers often don't adopt new guidelines for best practices in medical care until well after those guidelines are established. A team of researchers led by Eunice E. Santos, the dean of the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has developed a new computational modeling and simulation framework to analyze decision-making and identify effective dissemination strategies for medical guidelines. The research team examined guidelines for Type 2 diabetes that were established in 2012 and were still not adopted years later. The researchers found that health care workers' specialties, patient volume and experience were among the factors that affected acceptance of individualized glycemic-control guidelines. The team developed a novel computational framework that incorporates the interactions and influences among health care workers, along with other intricacies of medical decision-making, to simulate and analyze a wide range of real-world scenarios. Researchers introduced the Culturally Infused Agent Based Model (CI-ABM) and reported their findings in the cover article for the June issue of the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics. Their research highlights that modeling and simulating human behaviors must take into account factors such as sociocultural context and complex social interactions, without which the models can lead to a profound misunderstanding of human decision-making, they said. "One of the major challenges is capturing the decision-making of the actors and the factors that influence them. This is especially true when the agents are human beings (e.g., health care workers), where their behavior is uncertain and the information about the factors that influence their decision-making is often incomplete and/or contradictory," they wrote. The modeling system they developed incorporates social networks and cultural influences that guide decision-making, and it captures how beliefs evolve over time due to personal and external factors. It provides that ability to model real-world events that involve incomplete, imprecise and conflicting information, and it provides a way to handle uncertainty in human behavior. These aspects of their computational model led to better analysis and prediction of guideline-dissemination behaviors, the researchers said. Santos and her colleagues used the model to analyze the dissemination of a Type 2 diabetes guideline that recommends individualizing glycemic goals for patients. Diabetes care guidelines since 2012 have emphasized individualizing glycemic goals based on patient factors such as age, hypoglycemia risk and overall health. But it isn't known how many doctors have adopted this guideline. The researchers used two 2015 surveys that focused on challenges faced by doctors in individualizing the glycemic goals of their patients. The surveys included doctors from diverse backgrounds and a range of specialties - including endocrinology, family medicine and geriatrics - experience levels and practice types. In their simulation, some of the doctors received guideline recommendations from the American Diabetes Association. Best practices also spread through word-of-mouth. The team compared the results of the simulations with the answers given on the surveys. The researchers found that including sociocultural factors and information about social interactions of health care workers in their model increased the accuracy of predicting guideline-adoption behaviors of various demographic groups. In addition, by including sociocultural information, the model helps to identify factors that drive guideline-adoption behavior. The framework also allows policymakers to study the effect of different barriers to disseminating medical guideline information, identify the factors contributing to guideline adoption and create targeted strategies to improve communication about the guidelines, they said. The modeling system will help policymakers test different strategies and analyze their effects, the researchers said. It provides a way to capture the effect of unique factors - for example, when modeling guideline dissemination for infectious diseases, it can help analyze the effects of incorporating information about the novelty and mortality of infectious diseases, as well as the impact of changes in social networks due to lockdowns. The team of researchers included Suresh Subramanian and Vairavan Murugappan, both doctoral students in Illinois' School of Information Sciences; John Korah, a computer science professor at California State Polytechnic University; Elbert S. Huang and Neda Laiteerapong, both professors of medicine at The University of Chicago Medicine; and Ali Cinar, a chemical and biological engineering professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. ### Editor's notes: To contact Eunice E. Santos, email eesantos@illinois.edu. The paper "Analyzing medical guideline dissemination behaviors using culturally infused agent based modeling framework" is available online and from the U. of I. News Bureau. DOI: 10.1109/JBHI.2021.3052809 Researchers from the University of Kent's School of Psychology have found that when people are presented with the idea of a COVID-19 'immunity passport,' they show less willingness to follow social distancing and face covering guidelines Researchers from the University of Kent's School of Psychology have found that when people are presented with the idea of a Covid-19 "immunity passport", they show less willingness to follow social distancing and face covering guidelines. However, this willingness seems to return when people read more cautious information about Covid-19 immunity. PhD students Ricky Green and Mikey Biddlestone and Professor Karen Douglas asked participants from the UK and USA to imagine they had either recovered from Covid-19 or were currently infected. Participants asked to imagine that they had recovered were also presented with information regarding "immunity passports" and cautious versus incautious Covid-19 immunity information. Cautious information emphasised that past infection does not equal immunity whereas incautious information argued that past infection does equal immunity. The research published by the Journal of Applied Social Psychology showed that for people asked to imagine past Covid-19 infection, reading about "immunity passports" was associated with lower social distancing and face covering intentions. Participants who then read incautious immunity information reported even lower intentions. However, when participants were presented with cautious immunity information these negative effects vanished. People asked to imagine that they were infected reported higher social distancing and hygiene intentions. Lead researcher Ricky Green said: 'People who suspect they have previously had Covid-19 show less willingness to follow pandemic guidelines, presumably because they assume they have become immune to the virus since they were infected. This is concerning because social distancing guidelines are in place to protect others as well as oneself, and the exact nature of infection-acquired immunity is still not clear. 'This research suggests that early public announcements surrounding immunity passports, without prefacing them with cautious information about the unclear evidence on Covid-19 immunity, may have undermined efforts to promote virus-mitigating behaviours. Focusing on "acting like you have it" appears to be helpful in encouraging better public behaviour.' ### The research paper, 'A call for caution regarding infection-acquired COVID-19 immunity: The potentially unintended effects of "immunity passports" and how to mitigate them' is published by the Journal of Applied Social Psychology: doi: 10.1111/jasp.12779. An international team of physicists led by the University of Minnesota has discovered that a unique superconducting metal is more resilient when used as a very thin layer. The research is the first step toward a larger goal of understanding unconventional superconducting states in materials, which could possibly be used in quantum computing in the future. The collaboration includes four faculty members in the University of Minnesota's School of Physics and Astronomy--Associate Professor Vlad Pribiag, Professor Rafael Fernandes, and Assistant Professors Fiona Burnell and Ke Wang--along with physicists at Cornell University and several other institutions. The study is published in Nature Physics, a monthly, peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Nature Research. Niobium diselenide (NbSe2) is a superconducting metal, meaning that it can conduct electricity, or transport electrons from one atom to another, with no resistance. It is not uncommon for materials to behave differently when they are at a very small size, but NbSe2 has potentially beneficial properties. The researchers found that the material in 2D form (a very thin substrate only a few atomic layers thick) is a more resilient superconductor because it has a two-fold symmetry, which is very different from thicker samples of the same material. Motivated by Fernandes and Burnell's theoretical prediction of exotic superconductivity in this 2D material, Pribiag and Wang started to investigate atomically-thin 2D superconducting devices. "We expected it to have a six-fold rotational pattern, like a snowflake." Wang said. "Despite the six-fold structure, it only showed two-fold behavior in the experiment." "This was one of the first times [this phenomenon] was seen in a real material," Pribiag said. The researchers attributed the newly-discovered two-fold rotational symmetry of the superconducting state in NbSe2 to the mixing between two closely competing types of superconductivity, namely the conventional s-wave type--typical of bulk NbSe2--and an unconventional d- or p-type mechanism that emerges in few-layer NbSe2. The two types of superconductivity have very similar energies in this system. Because of this, they interact and compete with each other. Pribiag and Wang said they later became aware that physicists at Cornell University were reviewing the same physics using a different experimental technique, namely quantum tunneling measurements. They decided to combine their results with the Cornell research and publish a comprehensive study. Burnell, Pribiag, and Wang plan to build on these initial results to further investigate the properties of atomically thin NbSe2 in combination with other exotic 2D materials, which could ultimately lead to the use of unconventional superconducting states, such as topological superconductivity, to build quantum computers. "What we want is a completely flat interface on the atomic scale," Pribiag said. "We believe this system will be able to give us a better platform to study materials to use them for quantum computing applications." In addition to Pribiag, Fernandes, Burnell, Wang, the collaboration included University of Minnesota physics graduate students Alex Hamill, Brett Heischmidt, Daniel Shaffer, Kan-Ting Tsai, and Xi Zhang; Cornell University faculty members Jie Shan and Kin Fai Mak and graduate student Egon Sohn; Helmuth Berger and Laszlo Forro, researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland; Alexey Suslov, a researcher at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Fla.; and Xiaoxiang Xi, a professor at Nanjing University in China. The University of Minnesota research was supported primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the University of Minnesota Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). The research at Cornell was supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and NSF. The work in Switzerland was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. ### New research shows the UK's COVID-19 management decisions were based on an outdated pandemic modelling structure and suggests a more resilient approach would have been more effective. In the initial months of the pandemic, regular updates using graphs showing how the R number was behaving was the mainstay of the Government's strategy for tackling COVID-19. This type of infection transmission is usually mathematically-based on dividing the population into 'compartments'. Such an approach has been criticised for its limited scope and inability to capture critical factors, such as the effects of testing, contact tracing and isolation. In addition, these existing models tend to look back at what the outcomes were, rather than look forward at future outcomes. Professor Ashraf Labib, Professor of Operations and Decision Analysis in the Faculty of Business and Law at the University of Portsmouth, is the author of a new paper published this month in the journal of Safety Science. He urges Governments to use a more holistic approach, which provides a much richer modelling and in-depth decision analysis that can lead to better decision making. Professor Labib has developed a hybrid model - a combination of resilience triangle modelling, which, provides a specific time of 'when' to act and the bowtie modelling that deals with the question of 'how' to act. He then added five guiding principles* which together provide an improved model from which lessons for the future can be learnt. Professor Labib explains: "Resilience-based modelling with the five proposed principles can enhance public policy decisions. The aim of such modelling is to provide a learning environment on how to absorb failure and provides an opportunity to achieve quick recovery. "Resilience modelling can offer the answer to 'when' to do things, whereas the bowtie modelling deals with causal analysis and can provide information on the 'how' questions. By combining the two, a balance is achieved in terms of dealing with a disaster, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, at both strategic and operational levels respectively. "At a strategic level, the phases of prevention of the cause, response and mitigation of the consequences are visualised and strategic milestones can be set accordingly. Whereas, through bowtie modelling more operational details of causal factors and barriers analysis are achieved. Such analysis helps to improve knowledge related to assessing existing barriers and the need for new or improved ones. In addition, the bowtie modelling provides insight to visualise and communicate the complexity of risks in a concise form." The paper also suggests it is vital that public health simulation exercises are extended to include not just policies related to health, but also include different economic scenarios caused by pandemics. Professor Labib says: "Given the complex nature of a pandemic and the experiences with COVID-19 in terms of multiple waves, emerging variants and the variety of available vaccines, the main lesson learnt from all of this is to embrace uncertainty rather than to confront it or shy away from it. This is the way we will learn and prepare for future pandemics. "Resilience as a conceptual idea is profound and considered to have a key role in dealing with disasters such as pandemics. However, there is little research on modelling resilience and integrating it with other approaches in order to systematise its operation. This paper aimed to contribute to this gap through the proposed hybrid enriched model of resilience and bowtie approaches." Professor Labib urges policy makers to shift the way they approach things. Firstly, a shift in focus of decision making from efficiency to resilience and secondly to embrace the unknown and learn from it. ### Notes to editors: *The five principles: Principle of Continuity: the idea is that ideally suffering should produce perseverance and endurance; these are good ingredients of resilience which constitute learning to cope with future similar incidents. Principle of Vector Analysis: in terms of the principle of vector analysis, each side of the resilience triangle is a vector; which is defined as 'a quantity having a direction as well as magnitude' (Oxford Dictionary). For example, redundancy in terms of maintaining safety stocks helps firms to gain time during disruption, and hence causes a change in the direction of the vector. Principle of Curvature Analysis: Here deterioration in performance can also be described as a degree of becoming more vulnerable. For example, on reflection of why the UK has suffered from Covd-19 relatively more than other countries, one can attribute the fragmentation and delay in decision making to response as an outcome of similar fragmentation in the preceding negotiation and decision making related to Brexit. Principle of Antifragility Analysis: This is the theory that you can benefit from disorder. Your new state is even better than before the incident. In the context of Covid-19 pandemic, it has been observed that one of its remarkable positive impacts has been the accelerated innovations in on-line education and remote working. Principle of Moving Upstream: The term upstream is preferable to preventive or proactive because the stream metaphor nudges us to extend the resilience modelling approach proposed in this paper into focussing more on earlier prevention and solutions. Upstream also means a systematic approach towards reduction or mitigation of harm caused by those problems. For example, teaching kids to swim is an upstream strategy to prevent drownings. Reflecting on COVID-19, we need to enhance education in schools related to hygiene and coping with the prevention of the spread of viruses. The upstream concept can also relate to both space and time. Being nearer to the source of risk can also be conceptualised as 'psychological distance', which is the real or perceived distance between a person and the risk. It is now clear that those countries which were both geographically and culturally 'near' to the source of pandemic as a risk in the Far East, easily accepted the wearing of face masks, whereas it took some time to convince Western cultures to follow such a tradition as it was initially perceived as a restriction of personal freedom. An innovative underwater robot known as Mesobot is providing researchers with deeper insight into the vast mid-ocean region known as the "twilight zone." Capable of tracking and recording high-resolution images of slow-moving and fragile zooplankton, gelatinous animals, and particles, Mesobot greatly expands scientists' ability to observe creatures in their mesopelagic habitat with minimal disturbance. This advance in engineering will enable greater understanding of the role these creatures play in transporting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the deep sea, as well as how commercial exploitation of twilight zone fisheries might affect the marine ecosystem. In a paper published June 16 in Science Robotics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) senior scientist Dana Yoerger presents Mesobot as a versatile vehicle for achieving a number of science objectives in the twilight zone. "Mesobot was conceived to complement and fill important gaps not served by existing technologies and platforms," said Yoerger. "We expect that Mesobot will emerge as a vital tool for observing midwater organisms for extended periods, as well as rapidly identifying species observed from vessel biosonars. Because Mesobot can survey, track, and record compelling imagery, we hope to reveal previously unknown behaviors, species interactions, morphological structures, and the use of bioluminescence." Co-authored by research scientists and engineers from WHOI, MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute), and Stanford University, the paper outlines the robot's success in autonomously tracking two gelatinous marine creatures during a 2019 research cruise in Monterey Bay. High-definition video revealed a "dinner plate" jellyfish "ramming" a siphonophore, which narrowly escaped the jelly's venomous tentacles. Mesobot also recorded a 30-minute video of a giant larvacean, which appears to be nearly motionless but is actually riding internal waves that rise and fall 6 meters (20 feet). These observations represent the first time that a self-guided robot has tracked these small, clear creatures as they move through the water column like a "parcel of water," said Yoerger. "Mesobot has the potential to change how we observe animals moving through space and time in a way that we've never been able to do before," said Kakani Katija, MBARI principal engineer. "As we continue to develop and improve on the vehicle, we hope to observe many other mysterious and captivating animals in the midwaters of the ocean, including the construction and disposal of carbon-rich giant larvacean 'snot palaces.'" Packaged in an hydrodynamically efficient yellow case, the hybrid robot is outfitted with a suite of oceanographic and acoustic survey sensors. It may be piloted remotely through a fiberoptic cable attached to a ship or released from its tether to follow pre-programmed missions or autonomously track a target at depths up to 1,000 meters (3,300 feet). This autonomous capability will one day enable Mesobot to follow a target animal for over 24 hours without human intervention, which is enough time to observe its migration from the midwater twilight zone to the surface and back. Future studies with Mesobot could provide researchers with valuable insight into animal behavior during diel vertical migration, known as "the greatest migration on Earth" because of the vast number and diversity of creatures that undertake it each night. "By leveraging the data we've collected using Mesobot, and other data that we've been curating for 30-plus years at MBARI, we hope to integrate smarter algorithms on the vehicle that uses artificial intelligence to discover, continuously track, and observe enigmatic animals and other objects in the deep sea," Kakani said. ### The design, construction, and initial testing for Mesobot was funded by the U.S. NSF program for Ocean Technology and Interdisciplinary Coordination (OTIC). The research in this paper was supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and WHOI's Ocean Twilight Zone (OTZ) Project, funded as part of The Audacious Project housed at TED. See more Mesobot here: https:/ / youtu. be/ 5hjZtBvsmVY About Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate an understanding of the ocean's role in the changing global environment. WHOI's pioneering discoveries stem from an ideal combination of science and engineering--one that has made it one of the most trusted and technically advanced leaders in basic and applied ocean research and exploration anywhere. WHOI is known for its multidisciplinary approach, superior ship operations, and unparalleled deep-sea robotics capabilities. We play a leading role in ocean observation and operate the most extensive suite of data-gathering platforms in the world. Top scientists, engineers, and students collaborate on more than 800 concurrent projects worldwide--both above and below the waves--pushing the boundaries of knowledge and possibility. For more information, please visit http://www. whoi. edu About MBARI MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) is a private non-profit oceanographic research center founded by David Packard in 1987. Shortly after he funded the creation of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Packard recognized the need for a separate research institution focused on developing innovative technologies for exploring and understanding the ocean. MBARI partners with the Aquarium to educate the public and inspire ocean conservation and works to share the knowledge and solutions gained with the global science and conservation community. Key takeaways: Mesobot is an underwater robot capable of capturing high-resolution images and oceanographic data in the mid-ocean known as the "twilight zone," located approximately 200-1,000 meters (600-3,300 feet) below the surface. Designed to minimize disturbance of fragile twilight zone creatures, Mesobot features red lights (which most mid-ocean creatures cannot see) and low-power thrusters that allow it to hover in place and track animals as they ride internal waves. Mesobot is a hybrid vehicle, meaning it can be piloted remotely through a fiberoptic cable attached to a ship, or released from its tether to follow pre-programmed missions or autonomously track a target. In tests, Mesobot successfully tracked two gelatinous animals without human intervention, recording valuable video of predation and filter-feeding behavior. The data and imagery collected by Mesobot will allow scientists to study a relatively unknown part of the ocean and the creatures that live there, as well as how commercial exploitation of twilight zone fisheries might affect the marine ecosystem. Mesobot will enable greater understanding of the "biological carbon pump," in which animals transport carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the deep sea. Media contacts: Suzanne Pelisson spelisson@WHOI.edu Raul Nava raul@mbari.org mediarelations@stanford.edu Funding Positions Digital-First Customs and Trade Management Pioneer for Global Expansion in the 50 Billion Industry MECHELEN, Belgium, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Customs4trade (C4T) ( www.customs4trade.com), the Belgium-based pioneer in digital-first customs management, announced today the closing of 17 Million in Series C funding led by 83North ( www.83north.com), a global venture capital firm with $1.8 billion capital under management. The investment positions C4T for worldwide expansion, continuing to set the standard for the next generation of customs management. Customs is important for all businesses involved in international trade and is time critical for a fluid supply chain. In an industry notorious for its complexity and fragmentation, C4T simplifies customs and trade with its SaaS solution, CAS, which was designed as a unique global standard to overcome the challenging variations between countries and disconnected local solutions. CAS connects corporations, logistics service providers, customs brokers, and customs authorities with a centralised, multi-country platform that has built-in legal compliance. C4T has helped customers across industries, including retail, automotive, high tech, manufacturing, raw materials, and fast-moving consumer goods, accelerate international commerce, realise duty and administrative savings, and adapt to massive changes in trade, including Brexit. A CAS subscription can save companies up to 90% on customs administration and bottom-line duty costs. Logistics providers have the possibility to expand and increase their revenue 10-fold with CAS's comprehensive, multi-country functionality. "There's a coming-of-age of tech and the ability to build phenomenal companies in Europe," commented 83North partner Laurel Bowden. "We believe Customs4trade will set the standard for their category and go on to achieve the exceptional." "This investment will allow C4T to expand sales from European regions to the USA and accelerate integration with customs systems around the world, solidifying CAS as the global standard for customs and trade management," said C4T CEO and Founder Pieter Haesaert. "It is through people that we gain success, so hiring talent will be key to our growth strategy," added Ilse Vermeersch, COO and co-founder. In 2019, Customs4trade raised 2,145 Million in Series A financing from Munich-based investors 42CAP ( www.42cap.com) and 10x Group ( www.10x.group), shortly followed by 3 Million in Series B financing led by Paris-based investors Hi Inov - Dentressangle ( www.hiinov.com). "It was our belief, but their achievement," remarked 42CAP partner Alex Meyer about C4T's latest funding. This Series C round brings C4T's total financing to 22,145 Million ($27 million). About Customs4trade Customs4trade's (C4T) unique team of customs experts and best-of-breed technology engineers has developed CAS, a one-of-a-kind software solution that automates customs and trade compliance. CAS is a collaborative hub, designed to manage regional and worldwide customs and trade compliance quickly and accurately, within one single platform. By automating all import and export processes, C4T clients experience faster time to market, eliminate customs duty and administration costs, and gain strategic visibility into their customs operations. Built on the Microsoft Azure platform and delivered as a Service (SaaS), CAS provides customers with continual updates and feature enhancements, including the incorporation of any changes to legislation and compliance regulationsalong with Azure's signature accessibility, scalability, and security. About 83North 83North is a global venture capital firm based in Tel Aviv and London. With only six people on the investment team and $1.8 billion in capital under management, the firm operates as a focused team, positioned to give their portfolio firms individualised attention in addition to their financial backing. 83North takes an entrepreneur-first approach, providing advice, connections, expertise, and capital while leaving the leaders of their investments to innovate and define the future. With 12 unicorns and 21 exits, 83North's portfolio companies are known for defining and leading their global categories. Investments include leading European and Israeli tech companies, including Mirakl, iZettle, Just Eat, Celonis, Marqeta, and Vast. For more information, please visit www.83north.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1531616/Customs4trade_founders.jpg www.customs4trade.com For more information, please contact: Pieter HaesaertCEO pieter.haesaert@customs4tade.com +32 499 58 28 77 Ilse VermeerschCOO ilse.vermeersch@customs4trade.com +32 475 582 534 Wednesday, June 16, 2021 BY Lynn Espejo South East Bureau Chief The Midnight Report I reported yesterday on the situation with Raquel Esquivel, who is pregnant, and who was released under the Cares Act in April 2020. Raquel was recently placed back in prison by orders of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) staff at the RRM San Antonio Regional Office. located in the South-Central Region of the BOP. What Raquel is accused of doing would normally be a minor infraction handled by the halfway house, most likely resulting in a loss of privilege or social pass. However, the BOP instead charged her with escape and returned her to prison. Raquel denies the BOP's allegations and has cell phone records and witness statements to back up her claims. None of that mattered to the BOP--Raquel is currently being held at the Val Verde Correctional Institution in Del Rio, Texas until at such time the BOP can transfer her back to one of its facilities. Raquel's case highlights a more serious problem that appears to be happening frequently in the South-Central Region of the BOP. The South-Central Region covers the states of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. And has seen inmates who were released under the Cares Act taken back for minor infractions, which would normally be handled as such, by the halfway houses overseeing their release. These violations seem to be driven by an email order from BOP staff in the South-Central Region, that came out in December 2020. Read The Full Story on the Midnight Report Wednesday, June 16, 2021 The Herman Trend Alert June 16, 2021 Post-COVID Career Shifts---Part 1 Millions of workers worldwide plan to switch jobs, once the Pandemic is behind them. According to Microsoft's Work Trend Index, more than 40 percent said they are considering leaving their employers this year. This global survey from Microsoft included over 30,000 people in 31 countries. Major life events often cause us to rethink our career choices. Why We Will See Post-COVID Career Shifts What I am seeing in the labor market is both fascinating and thought-provoking. I have determined the five reasons why we will see unprecedented churning in the labor marketplace: Changing values. After more than a year of introspection many people have changed their perspective; they now have a strong desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. This shift will create an advantage for non-profits and the helping professions, including healthcare. Availability of many other options. With 15 million jobs available in today's marketplace, employees will have more alternatives than ever before. From the employees' point of view, this is a perfect time to try something new. Want to have more family time. Add this new-found urge to be with family to the previous item and there is no wonder that employers in the hospitality and healthcare fields will have a particular problem. Most of their jobs involve shift work which very often includes working weekends or evenings. With other job possibilities available to them, workers may not opt to go back to jobs in restaurants, hotels, and hospitals. Desire to stay remote. Having had a taste of remote work which eliminated commuting and allowed workers to save the money they would have spent on lunches out, workers are simply demanding that employers let them stay home and continue to do their jobs. Because we are in a sellers' market for labor, even workers who are applying for new jobs are insistent that they want to work from home. For the most part, service industry jobs cannot be performed remotely. In fact, according to the same Microsoft study referenced above, 46 percent of the workforce plans to move because they can now work remotely. And Airbnb conducted a study in early 2021 with even more starling results: 74 percent of their travelers have expressed a desire to live somewhere other than where their employer is based. Airbnb plans to facilitate that transition by conducting a contest of their travelers. They are giving away 12 one-year stays at Airbnb locations throughout the world. Career advancement comes only with changing companies. Many employees have learned that if they want to advance in their careers (read "enjoy an increase in salary"), the only way is to change companies. For years, this issue has been a problem for employers. Some smart companies have found innovative ways around this problem by using perks like company cars, providing incentive trips, and additional time off. Wise employers will get into action to meet this new challenge head-on. In Part 2, we will address what employers must do to successfully compete for talent. Special thanks to Caroline Castrillon writing for FORBES.com. Go here to read her entire article. And visit Microsoft to read their latest Work Trend Index. Next Week's Herman Trend Alert: Post-COVID Career Shifts---Part 2 This week's Alert addressed the reasons for post-COVID career shifts, creating serious issues for employers. Next week's Alert will focus on the actions employers must take ASAP, if they want to be able to hire and engage the talent they will need for today's workplaces and tomorrow's as well. Wednesday, June 16, 2021 There are several other clues which indicate that the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy represented Garrison's views. 1. "I found out that the night Ferrie and his two companions were waiting for a call in Houston and Galveston, a certain Breck Wall was also in Houston and then in Galveston. And now it gets interesting - Breck Wall is a close friend of Jack Ruby's - and oddly enough - Jack Ruby was also a homosexual, word of which has strangely enough to this day not gotten around." and "To get the full picture, one must know that Ruby had debts his whole life, and that he never thought of voluntarily paying off his debts. Now he paid $25 to a strip-tease dancer, hawked part of his nightclub for $2,000, and divided it up among those who had been waiting for months. But besides paying off debts, he did something else: at 11:44 PM he called Breck Wall in Galveston. Today it is evident that Ruby had been given the order from Ferrie through Breck Wall to kill Lee H. Oswald." The story about Ferrie ordering Ruby to kill Oswald through Breck Wall is a longtime Garrison favorite story. We have covered this in detail in this blog post. Garrison also told the same story to James Phelan on March 5, 1967 when they met in Las Vegas. Here is an excerpt from his book Scandals, Scamps and Scoundrels: (Page 148). 2. "I'm going to prove that Lee Harvey Oswald was involved in the plot, but I will also prove that Lee Harvey Oswald didn't shoot alone. The real culprit is Manuel Garcia Gonzales. And the head of the plot is Clay Shaw." and "The fact that he planned the plot with Ferrie should be enough to get him ten years in prison. But I am more than happy to let him go if he would help me find the real shooter: Manuel Garcia Gonzales." The story about Manuel Garcia Gonzales story originated from Dean Andrews who fed Garrison some fictitious names of people 'involved' with Oswald. Garrison became convinced that Gonzales was a triggerman in the JFK assassination: New Orleans States-Item, February 18, 1967 Garrison told his men to find the elusive Gonzales. He sent investigators to Miami and enlisted the support of the Miami Police Department. Eventually, they did find a Manuel Garcia Gonzales - not surprising since it is not an uncommon name: Of course, that wasn't the right Gonzales. Dean Andrews ultimately admitted that he made up the name. Here is an excerpt of an investigative report from the Clay Shaw defense team of an interview with Dean Andrews and Richard Townley on April 19, 1967: Dean Andrews stole the who in the NBC special, "The JFK Conspiracy: The Case of Jim Garrison," when he was questioned about Gonzales : (PDF p. 40; original p. 35) McGee: Where did you get those names? Andrews: Out of the air. McGee: In other words, these names were fictional as far as you were concerned> Andrews: Well, I'm trying to see if this cat's kosher, you know? McGee: So, you just picked two names out of the air? Andrews: Right. McGee: And why did you do that? Andrews: Well, I don't know what he's up to ... he's pickin' me like chicken, shuckin' me like corn, stewin' me like an oyster, I mean he ain't puttin' nothin' down but air, so I give him two names, see which way he's going. McGee: So, you made up two names to see what he was going to do with them? Andrews: Right. McGee: What did he do with them? Andrews: I don't know. He hasn't done anything yet. McGee: Have you had any occasion to have him talk to you about either of those names since then? Andrews: Oh, about two weeks ago on a Saturday, we're talkin' and he picks up a weapon with an item number on it. McGee: What kind of weapon? Andrews: Pistol .. semi-automatic ... black, probably 7.6mm. I didn't examine it and he says that Mannie Garcia Gonzales in Miami or someplace down there, got busted for carrying a concealed weapon. And I told him Mannie Garcia Gonzales was never busted in his life. I didn't believe it. He put the weapon back down, we talked some more, and that was it. I left him. McGee: Did he tell you that this was a weapon that was taken from this man ... Andrews: ... from a Manuel Garcia Gonzales ... I don't know if this Manuel Garcia Gonzales he's talking about is for real, or the Mannie Garcia Gonzales is the name I pulled out of the air, that I couldn't say. McGee: What was your conclusion from that conversation? Andrews: Well, it that's the Manuel Garcia Gonzales that I told him, he got the right Ta-Ta, but the wrong Ho-Ho. Dean Andrews also told the New Orleans grand jury on June 28, 1967 that he made up the name.: Of course, Manuel Garcia Gonzales was never found. The similarity between QUICK and Ramparts from June 1967 is striking. This man, a Cuban exile, was picked out to be the killer. He is still hunted by Garrison. Vanished without leaving a trace: Manuel Garcia Gonzales. 3. "The main investigator who worked for me is one such man (his name is known to the editors). He knows all the gay boys in the French Quarter from his earlier days. He was one of them. He knows how they think, how they feel, and how they react. Although he has been married three times by now, he hasn't forgotten. And he did a good job. He led me to Clay Shaw. And what kind of homosexual this man is has never been in any newspaper before. In his apartment, we found whips and chains, and there was blood on the whips and chains. We found a pair of shoes that previously belonged to a Chinese executioner, and we found a gun." When I first read this paragraph, it wasn't quite clear who Garrison was talking about. Was it Bill Gurvich, or was it Louis Ivon who were chief investigators for Garrison? I quickly realized it was probably Pershing Gervais, who was Garrison's chief investigator in the early 1960s. He played a small role at the beginning of the investigation - we posted his recorded interview with Jack Martin on this blog. There were indeed rumors that he was gay, and that he once owned a gay bar in the French Quarter. Here is an excerpt from a book about Frenchy Brouillette, Mr. New Orleans: The Life of a Big Easy Underworld Legend: (Page 164) "Pershing's resume as a backstabber and sleazeball was humbling. A sample would read: ballot-stuffer, dirty cop, professional informant, sexual deviant, male prostitute, gay bay owner, political bagman, crooked chief investigator for the District Attorney's office, and finally an informant in the Witness Protection Program who later double-crossed the government." and "Pershing invested his whoring profits in the purchase of a gay bar aptly called The Dungeon, which had a reputation for rolling and blackmailing closeted businessmen and politicians." (Page 165) Jim Garrison wrote about Pershing Gervais in his book, On the Trail of the Assassins: (Page 127 - 128) "I felt that a completely honest, "square" D.A.'s office like ours could use a man like Gervais who had once gone wrong and was "born again." We needed some firsthand knowledge of the hidden underworld of the city, and Gervais seemed to know what was happening everywhere from Bourbon Street to the farflung edges of town." and: "During that time, Gervais had been a virtual tourguide for us as we began to strike at the strip joints, gambling operations, and other racketeer activities that had become synonymous with New Orleans." What really solidified it was when I checked notes in the Patricia Lambert files from an interview she conducted with Gervais. She noted that he had been married three times, just like the QUICK article stated. How many people knew all these details about Pershing Gervais in early 1967? It certainly sounds like this came from Jim Garrison. Tomorrow's Post How did QUICK Magazine know about Jim Dondson, a gay man who was with Clay Shaw the weekend of the assassination? Previous Posts on the QUICK Article Did a Homosexual Conspiracy Kill JFK? Tuesday, June 15, 2021 Your business must be FCS-21 Vaccinated if you want employees and customers to knock the doors down to get to you Part 1 It is 5.00 am, almost "dawn" in the United States, as the dark clouds of the pandemic slowly recede. So far in the United States, 304 million doses have been administered. For the first week of June, an average of 1.07 million doses were administered daily. The aroma of normalcy is fast returning and yes, it has got us salivating. Provided the vaccination momentum and societal adherence to health protocols are sustained, authorities expect us to be much closer to the borders of normalcy by July 4th, Independence Day! You will agree that the lockdowns have sucked gallons of life and happiness from us. Just like you, millions across the country are itching to jump back outdoors, back into their regular routines to enjoy the famous thrill of American life. Characteristic of the renowned American resilience, the U.S is bouncing back, and it is bouncing back quickly. Between December and January, personal income enjoyed a 10% growth. Manufacturing surged by almost 10% point YOY (year on year), with the annualized GDP growth for Q1 enjoying an estimated rise to 10%. Yes, that is America for you! Summer could be coming for your company As a business, there is more than the patriotic love of America to excite you in these economic resurgence numbers. The broader implication that customers are coming back to your business armed with fatter wallets (in terms of dispensable income) is thrilling, isn't it? Yes, customers have money and the enthusiasm to spend, but they wouldn't be too excited to throw their dollars at you without world-class customer experience. Simply put, you want their money, they want to be treated right while giving you that money. The same applies to employees. Indeed, many businesses are struggling to recruit employees with staff shortages increasingly complained about. Yes, it is easy to dump the blame on the White House (in terms of the Biden-Administration's $1.9tn stimulus plan offering stimulus payments and unemployment payments). However, a more objective introspection would reveal a significant gust of the repulsive odor keeping employees and customers off your business are from your festering customer and employee experience. But are you properly poised for the boom? Ex-employees will not forget in a hurry their experience in your company. Good, and they would have rushed to come back. Regrettable, and they would stay back home, exploring more options. Precisely for the latter, employees who felt terribly handicapped when working for you will prefer days spent on Netflix over returning to the penitentiaries you disguise as offices. Or would it be wrong to call employees despicably starved of the operational ammunition (in terms of the inventiveness and education) they need to provide the requested world-class customer experience, "prisoners on the frontline"? Not only do your ex-employees have a fantastic memory, but your customers also do! They still remember the customer service experience you dished them. Savory, and they would rush back after the pandemic. Sour, and they would rightly go back to the catalog, examining the offerings from your competitors' menu -- a really lengthy menu by the time life returns to normal. Before the scenes set for the corporate post-COVID soap opera, it is time to get your cast and script right. Before customers start coming back in their droves, now is the time to perform an accelerated autopsy of your customer and employee experience. What infection killed it before the pandemic? Leadership failure, lack of employee education, or administrative rheumatism (in terms of an inability of leadership to twist and turn readily in adaptation to changing market conditions)? Introducing the lifesaving FCS-21 (Fresh Customer Service 2021) vaccination More than ever, now is the time to get your business FCS-21 (Fresh Customer Service 2021) vaccinated against an anemic customer and employee experience. This is your surest way of inoculating your business against the set-to-boom competition after the pandemic. Take the old-school customer experience approach of putting the customer first and employees second, and you risk having dissatisfied buyers and disgruntled employees. Two fatal cancers in their individual rights. The contemporary socioeconomic dynamics of the post-COVID American 2021 society call for an innovative disruption of your traditional customer experience model. The conventional customer experience machinery corporate America previously rode on is broken screeching for a structural and ideological overhaul. How did I know? Only 1% of customers feel that their expectations of customer service are always met. - RightNow 84% of customers report that their expectations had not been exceeded in their last interaction with customer service. - Harvard Business Review 35% of customers have become angry when talking to customer service - American Express How costly has been this customer experience malfunction? $1.6 trillion is lost by companies in the United States due to customers switching due to poor customer service. - Accenture 82% of customers have ceased business with a company because of a poor customer experience. - Zendesk 78% of customers have given up on a transaction because of a negative customer experience. - American Express How beautiful would it have been if businesses were getting their customer experience right? Businesses that deliver better customer experiences obtain revenues between 4% and 8% above their market. - Bain & Company 73% of customers fall in love with a brand because of friendly customer service representatives. - RightNow 55% of customers are willing to spend more money with a company that guarantees them a satisfying experience. - ThinkJar Customers overwhelmingly agreed (83%) that they feel more loyal to brands that respond and resolve their complaints. - Khoros 70% of customers report that technology makes it simple to take their business to a competitor if need be. - Salesforce This affirms the urgency of adopting the Fresh Customer Service model, which places the employee first and the customer second, effectively empowering the employee to provide a top-class customer experience for your customers. This is a win-win by all dimensions: happy employees and happy customers. The frontline employee is actually #1 The frontline employee deserves to be the center of your adoration. Yes, you are the heart of the company, but they are the arteries through which what you produce is transmitted across board as far as to the customer. Yes, a dysfunctional heart is a dead being. Similarly, a dysfunctional artery is almost a dead being too. This means your business needs more than your sparkling entrepreneurial genius to succeed after the pandemic. It yet needs a state-of-the-art conduit for such genius to be transmitted to your customers: your frontline employee! The Fresh Customer Service 2021 model is astonishingly effective because when you emotionally and intellectually equip your frontline employees, you get happy employees oozing expertise garnished with cheerfulness. This is a delicacy your customers gluttonously enjoy. Buyers want to be infected with the enthusiasm and passion your frontline employee leaches. Mathematically, the Fresh Customer Service 2021 model states that Happy employees = happy customers = happy P&L statements! While your arms need the likes of the Moderna and Pfizer shots as biological vaccination against the COVID-19 virus, your business critically needs the socioeconomic FCS-21 (Fresh Customer Service 21) vaccination to prevent sickening your potential & current employees and customers. The good news is that we have done all the hard work of developing and proving the efficacy of the FCS-21 (Fresh Customer Service 21) vaccination. Injecting the FCS-21 vaccine into your business is your part of the work. In the next part, we will take you through the 6.5 steps to get your business FCS-21 vaccinated to run successfully after the pandemic. When novelist V. Castro was about 9 years old, her mom took her on a birthday tour of all the spots in San Antonio where supernatural occurrences were believed to have happened. Among the places they visited were the ghost tracks, a railroad crossing where the spirits of children killed in a bus crash are said to push vehicles stopped on the tracks to safety, and the club where a young woman who ventured out one night against her mothers wishes ended up dancing with the devil himself. Those tales and others inspired the stories Castro told in her San Antonio-set novellas Goddess of Filth and Hairspray and Switchblades. And she created an urban legend of her own in her new horror novel, Queen of the Cicadas (Flame Tree Press, $14.95), which goes on sale Tuesday. Being Mexican American, I grew up with a ton of stories, said Castro, 41, a graduate of Clark High School who now lives in the United Kingdom. Everybody knows La Lechuza, La Llorona; in San Antonio, theres a ton of urban legends. So I grew up with that. But even beyond that, the Aztec history, being Mestiza, that history of Spanish conquest, is a horror. And the way those gods and goddesses were assimilated and brought into the Judeo-Christian culture, that also played in my mind. Queen of the Cicadas is a read-it-with-the-lights-on tale. The gruesome 1952 murder of a migrant worker named Milagros on a farm in Alice attracts the attention of Mictecacihuatl, the Aztec goddess of death. She serves vengeance in forms as brutal as the original murder, which included desiccated cicadas shells being shoved down Milagros throat. On ExpressNews.com: SA writer Jonny Garza Villas debut novel is a Latino coming-out tale In the book, Milagros, dubbed La Reina de Las Chicarras (the Queen of the Cicadas), has become an urban legend along the lines of Bloody Mary. Many believe her spirit can be summoned by repeating her name over and over while looking into a mirror. Belinda, the novels protagonist, first hears the story at a childhood sleepover. Decades later, a friend holds her wedding at the ranch where Milagros was killed, a site that has been turned into an events venue. Belinda shares the urban legend with the wedding party and soon becomes obsessed with it, setting the fast-moving story in motion. The book is getting strong reviews. Publishers Weekly described it as visceral and disturbing in the best of ways. And Kirkus called it a tightly paced story of anti-colonial resistance and shared history that begs to be read in one sitting. Castro grew up writing I have papers and stories that I wrote as a kid with really awful drawings but didnt start pursuing it as a profession until about four years ago. It was just like a light went on, and I havent stopped since, she said. She starting writing again partly as a way to deal with homesickness. She moved to the U.K. with her then-partner 14 years ago because they had a child together, and she found herself longing for San Antonio. I was feeling a bit lost, feeling like something was missing in my life, she said. Writing and digging into my history has been a way to reconnect with myself and hopefully connecting with other people who may share those emotions or traumatic experiences, or they just want a good story. She sets much of her work in her hometown. Part of that is because she writes to reconnect with the city, and part of that is because its such a rich place. San Antonio is a very unique blend of American and Mexican culture, she said. I think it really personifies when these two cultures collide. Kind of like in the conquest, you have these two worlds colliding, and how do they interplay, what kind of alchemy is created, what type of people develop in these environments, what is lost, what is gained? For me, in San Antonio, theres all of that. Queen of the Cicadas is set mostly in Alice, though a few scenes take place in San Antonio. For the book, Castro drew in part on family stories and on her own life. Her great-grandparents were migrant farmworkers who traveled all over the county to pick cotton and blueberries, among other crops. And theres a lot of Castro in Belinda, particularly her experiences as a Mexican American woman. Flame Tree Press Youre caught between the two cultures of Mexico and of being American, because theyre very different, being Mexican American and being Mexican, she said. So theres that element. But there was also the element that I feel in literature, in media, the Mexican American experience, and the Chicana experience specifically, is not explored. You rarely see us on TV, you rarely see us in books, and when you do, its not from our own voice, its not our story, written by us, its not created by us. So for me, that was really important. That issue bubbled to the surface last year with the ballyhooed release of Jeanine Cummins novel American Dirt. The book is about a Mexican mother and child who cross the border while fleeing cartel killers. Cummins is not of Mexican heritage, and that fact coupled with the huge amount of attention the book received sparked a lot of discussion about the appropriation of Latino stories and the disparity between the way that the work of white authors and authors of color have been treated by publishers. The first passage in Queen of the Cicadas includes the phrase brown masses, which also pops up in American Dirt. Castro saw that as a way to reclaim the term. On ExpressNews.com: Rubens Ice House will be home to Museo del Westside I was directly countering American Dirt, she said. Because when that book came out, it really affected me, just like it affected a lot of Latino writers. For me to write this book was a way for me to reclaim my power as a woman, as a brown writer, and as a Chicana. She had a hard time selling Queen of the Cicadas, she said I had so many doors slammed in my face so the buzz around it has been gratifying. She has two other books in the pipeline. Mestiza Blood, a short story collection in which she puts her own spin on Texas urban legends, is slated for release in January. And shes hoping to get The Generational Curse of La Llorona published as well. We all know the story about her, being a woman who killed her children because of the love of a man, she said. But I take it and use it to explore postnatal depression, because so many times, women are labeled as crazy, theyre gaslighted for making certain decisions. But what drove them to those decisions? What was going on? And that goes back to not being able to tell your own story. dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN Nettie Hintons great-grandmother Isabella was working on a German farm in Fredericksburg when word finally arrived that slavery had been abolished. Juneteenth is not just a holiday to Hinton and her family. It is the anniversary of a moment in history that forever changed their lives. On June 19, 1865, Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Texas to announce the war was over and President Abraham Lincoln had abolished slavery two years earlier. The newly emancipated Isabella struck out to find a new life, walking alone down the rugged Pinta Trail to San Antonio, where she slept on the banks of San Pedro Creek. She eventually married and raised a family in Ellis Alley, now the East Side of San Antonio. Isabella worked as a laundress while her husband sold goods from a horse-drawn wagon. Hintons grandmother Nettie Brooks, a teacher, bought land and built homes for the family. Brooks industrious ways paved the way for family members to seek careers in education, governance and medicine. Now Playing: Video: San Antonio Express-News Living on the East Side is more than Hintons birthright its a responsibility. Shes rallied in the name of ancestors, neighbors, civil rights activists and future generations, driven to save historic sites such as the Hays Street Bridge and Ellis Alley Enclave, one of the citys first Black settlements. Today, Juneteenth serves as a reminder to Hinton of the importance of fighting for equality and voting rights, just as generations of her family have done since Grangers announcement 156 years ago. The more it changes, the more it stays the same, Hinton, 81, said. But we still have to fight. We must continue to protest, so America is the America its supposed to be. Milton Harris, president of 100 Black Men of San Antonio, said its rewarding that residents such as Hinton still advocate for peoples rights. He noted there are ongoing efforts by the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum to capture the stories of people who grew up during the days of segregation. Robin Jerstad/For the San Antonio Express-News Its comforting to know that were recording history from that era, Harris said, so as that generation dies out, its extremely important to the legacy of San Antonio. Hinton wore an orange, floor-length dress as she sat in the Carver Community Cultural Center lobby. The center has been a gathering place for Black San Antonians since it was built in 1918. Hinton was surrounded by quilts woven with African American history and thread with images of a young woman at a lunch counter in the 1960s and Black people in the military. The display prompted memories of Hintons childhood when pride resonated throughout the community. Neighbors looked out for neighbors. Black businesses lined Commerce Street. Though schools were segregated, education was the childrens North Star. Spencer Selvidge for the San Antonio Express News Hinton was born in a yellow house a block from the Carver Community Cultural Center, which served as the citys Black library during segregation. She now lives minutes away. Hinton grew up with white only and colored only water fountains. Blacks had to sit in the back of buses. There were separate entries for African Americans and whites at the Majestic Theater. As a young girl, Hinton could buy sugar doughnuts at the Woolworth lunch counter but had to eat the sugary treat outside while waiting for the Exposition Bus to take her home. Still, the community activist recalled that, despite Jim Crow, the Black community thrived. Childrens role models were parents, teachers, preachers and business people, who all reminded the next generation of their obligation to be the best they could be. Jerry Lara/Staff photographer Hintons earliest understanding of faith came under the tutelage of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate at the St. Peter Claver Academy. The nuns taught her that she was made in the image and likeness of God, and being Black didnt mean she was any less than anyone else. We knew the value of who we were, Hinton said, and didnt let anything stop us from accomplishing what we needed to accomplish. We had Black culture, and we were missing absolutely nothing, except being first-class American citizens and being allowed to vote. She was 18 when her father took her hand as they walked to Lewis Funeral Home for him to pay her poll tax. During that era in San Antonio, Black people had to pay the voting fee in order to cast a ballot. Hinton recalled her fathers stirring words that day. You will vote every year for the rest of your life, he told her. JERRY LARA /San Antonio Express-News Hinton earned her associate degree at St. Philips College, where she met founder Artemisia Bowden, who died at the age of 90 in 1969. The Episcopalian Church elevated Bowden, a Black civil rights activist, to sainthood in 2015. In January 1960, Hinton became the first Black student from San Antonio to earn a bachelors degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Then, after three years of teaching at the segregated Grant Elementary School on the West Side, Hinton was hired by the U.S. Customs Service and moved to Washington, D.C. On Aug. 28, 1963, she was among thousands who marched to the Lincoln Memorial and witnessed Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his I Have A Dream speech. She retired after 30 years with the service that included assignments to Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Basin. Hinton then moved back to San Antonio and continued to fight for civil rights. Thats when she took up the mantle of community activist to help preserve the East Sides heritage and culture. William Luther /Staff photographer Hinton joined rallies against injustice during the civil rights movement as well as campaigns to preserve landmarks in her beloved East Side community. She still is on the front lines of the battle for justice and equality. Hinton is a member of the Coalition to Save the Woolworth Building, one of the downtown sites where 17-year-old Mary Andrews and other young NAACP members peacefully integrated seven lunch counters in San Antonio on March 16, 1960. In March 2020, Hinton joined coalition members outside of the building across from the Alamo to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the nonviolent event. The city had canceled a commemoration due to concerns about the coronavirus, but Hinton wasnt worried about contracting the virus, and she said she relied on her faith to protect her. When hundreds marched through downtown streets last May to protest the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the 81-year-old community activist was there in solidarity. Hampered by mobility issues, marching was out of the question. Still, she parked her car near Travis Park to observe demonstrators call for change as they crowded the streets. I feel that God gives people talent and gifts, and we must use them appropriately, she said. Charles C. Andrews Jr., 81, grew up during segregation just as Hinton did. He is a member of the Sutton family that was active in the civil rights movement. Andrews said he was taught the same philosophy as Hinton, that he had a responsibility to give back and pay it forward. Nettie has always been willing to make whatever sacrifices necessary to advance the causes of people of color, Andrews said. Shes never been afraid of anything. As a result of her courage, shes probably suffered some setbacks in life, but all of us out on the forefront demonstrating have had repercussions as a result of it. Even that hasnt deterred her from doing was she thought was right. The things that she thought was right I agree with 100 percent. JOHN DAVENPORT/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS In past years, on Election Day, Hinton has spent time at the Claude Black Center watching early voting crowds. One thing concerns her seeing more older residents who lived through the Jim Crow era than younger voters. My generation is fast disappearing, Hinton said. Our history needs to be known and remembered. However, she believes in the younger generation, which is taking to the streets and calling for change. Shes hopeful they will keep pushing for better days and a Juneteenth where century-old issues continue to be addressed. The real truth has not been told, so we must continue to tell the truth and remind people what the 19th of June means, Hinton said, We are Americans and we must have what America has promised, and that is justice and equality. vtdavis@express-news.net A day after her interview for a part-time job at Target last year, Dana Anthony got an email informing her she didn't make the cut. Anthony didn't know why a situation common to most job seekers at one point or another. But she also had no sense at all of how the interview had gone, because her interviewer was a computer. More job-seekers, including some professionals, may soon have to accept impersonal online interviews where they never talk to another human being, or know if behind-the-scenes artificial-intelligence systems are influencing hiring decisions. Demand for online hiring services, which interview job applicants remotely via laptop or phone, mushroomed during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains high amid a perceived worker shortage as the economy opens back up. These systems claim to save employers money, sidestep hidden biases that can influence human recruiters and expand the range of potential candidates. Many now also use AI to assess candidate skills by analyzing what they say. Anthony likes to look an interviewer in the eyes, but all she could see was her own face reflected in the screen. I interview better in person because Im able to develop a connection with the person, she said. But experts question whether machines can accurately and fairly judge a persons character traits and emotional signals. Algorithms tasked to learn who's the best fit for a job can entrench bias if they're taking cues from industries where racial and gender disparities are already prevalent. And when a computer screens out some candidates and elevates others without explanation, it's harder to know if it's making fair assessments. Anthony, for instance, couldn't help wondering if her identity as a Black woman affected the decision. If you apply for a job and are rejected because of a biased algorithm, you certainly wont know, said Oxford University researcher Aislinn Kelly-Lyth. In a face-to-face interview, by contrast, a job seeker might pick up discriminatory cues from the interviewer, she said. New rules proposed by the European Union would subject such AI hiring systems to tighter regulation. Advocates have pushed for similar measures in the U.S. One of the leading companies in the field, Utah-based HireVue, gained notoriety in recent years by using AI technology to assess personality and job skills from an applicant's facial expressions during the interview. After heated criticism centered on the scientific validity of those claims and the potential for bias, the company announced earlier this year it would end the practice. But its AI-based assessments, which rank the skills and personalities of applicants to flag the most promising for further review, still consider speech and word choices in its decisions. The privately owned company helped create a market for on-demand video interviews. Its known customers have included retailers like Target and Ikea, major tech companies like Amazon, banks like JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, oil giants, restaurant chains, supermarkets, airlines, cruise lines and school districts. The Associated Press reached out to numerous brand-name employers that use the technology; most declined to discuss it. HireVue CEO Kevin Parker says the company has worked hard to ensure its technology won't discriminate based on factors such as race, gender or regional accents. Its systems, which translate speech to text and sift for clues about team orientation, adaptability, dependability and other job skills, can outperform human interviewers, he said. What were trying to replace is peoples gut instinct, he said in naturally a video interview. HireVue says it interviewed more than 5.6 million people around the world in 2020. Supermarket chains used it to screen thousands of applicants a day amid a pandemic-fueled hiring surge for cashiers, stockers and delivery crews, Parker said. Providers of broader hiring-focused software such as Modern Hire and Outmatch have started offering their own video interviews and AI assessment tools. On its website, Outmatch touts its ability to measure "the must-have soft skills your candidates and employees need to succeed. HireVue notes that most customers don't actually use the company's AI-based assessments. Atlanta's school district, for instance, has used HireVue since 2014, but says it relies on 50 human recruiters to score recorded interviews. Target said the pandemic led it to replace in-person interviews with HireVue interviews, but the retail giant told the AP it relies on its own employees not HireVue's algorithms to watch and evaluate prerecorded videos. None of that was clear to Anthony when she sat down in front of a screen to interview for a seasonal job last year. She dressed for the occasion and settled into a comfortable spot. The only hint of a human presence came in a prerecorded introduction that laid out what to expect noting, for instance, that she could delete an answer and start over. But she had no way to know what sort of impression she was creating. Were unable to provide specific feedback regarding your candidacy, Target's rejection email said. She was rejected again after completing a HireVue interview for a different job in December. I understand companies or organizations trying to be more mindful of the time and the finances they spend when it comes to recruitment, said Anthony, who obtained a master's degree in strategic communications last year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Still, the one-way interviews left her uneasy about who, or what, was evaluating her. That inscrutability poses one of the biggest concerns about the rapid growth of complex algorithms in recruitment and hiring, Kelly-Lyth said. In one infamous example, Amazon developed a resume-scanning tool to recruit top talent, but abandoned it after finding it favored men for technical roles in part because it was comparing job candidates against the company's own male-dominated tech workforce. A study released in April found that Facebook shows different job ads to women and men in a way that might violate anti-discrimination laws. Governments across the U.S. and Europe are looking at possible checks on these hiring tools, including requirements for outside audits to ensure they don't discriminate against women, minorities or people with disabilities. The proposed EU rules, unveiled in April, would force providers of AI systems that screen or evaluate job candidates to meet new requirements for accuracy, transparency and accountability. HireVue has begun phasing out its face-scanning tool, which analyzed expressions and eye movements and faced derision by academics as pseudoscience reminiscent of the discredited and racist 19th century theory of phrenology. The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a complaint in 2019 with the Federal Trade Commission, citing a HireVue executive who had said 10% to 30% of a candidates score was based on facial expressions. The value it was adding related to the controversy it was creating wasnt very much, Parker told the AP. HireVue also released portions of a third-party audit that examined fairness and bias issues around its automated tools. A published summary recommended minor changes such as modifying the weight given to the especially short answers disproportionately provided by minority candidates. Critics welcomed the audit but said it was merely a start. I dont think the science really supports the idea that speech patterns would be a meaningful assessment of someones personality, said Sarah Myers West of New York Universitys AI Now Institute, which studies the social implications of AI. For instance, she said, such systems have historically had trouble understanding women's voices. Kian Betancourt, a 26-year-old who is pursuing a doctorate in organizational psychology at Hofstra University, also failed a remote HireVue interview for a consulting position earlier this year. He acknowledged that he might have tried too hard to predict how the system would evaluate him for a consultancy job, tailoring his diction to include keywords he thought might boost his score. While Betancourt is supportive of structured interviews involving a standard set of questions, he's bothered by the opacity of automated systems. Tell people exactly how were being evaluated, even if its something as simple as, This is an AI interview'," he said. That basic information can affect how people present themselves, he said. Texans with post-traumatic stress disorder and any form of cancer will soon be eligible to receive medical marijuana. Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday signed an expansion of the states restrictive medical marijuana program into law, also opening access to individuals participating in research initiatives. The measure, House Bill 1535, takes effect Sept. 1. This new law is an important step forward for veterans, cancer patients and many other Texans, said Nick Etten, a former Navy SEAL and founder of the Veterans Cannabis Project, who noted that many Texas veterans cope with PTSD. Moving forward, we will continue to work with lawmakers in future legislative sessions to build on this law, develop a broader approach towards medical cannabis, and make sure it is a truly effective medical tool for the veterans who gave so much for our country. The law is a victory for Texas medical marijuana advocates, though many were disappointed that the bill was stripped of its biggest changes during the legislative process. HB 1535 originated in the Texas House, where lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a version of the measure that would have also expanded eligibility to patients with any condition that causes acute or chronic pain, and that would have given the state health department the ability to approve other conditions. The lower chambers version also would have increased the legal limit for THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis, from .5 percent to 5 percent. But those provisions were taken out once the bill made its way to the Texas Senate, which limited the programs expansion to PTSD and cancer patients. Previously, only patients with terminal cancer and a few acute seizure disorders could access medical marijuana. The upper chamber also agreed to increase the legal limit for THC, but only up to 1 percent. Texas is among 47 states and four territories that offer medical marijuana programs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. cayla.harris@express-news.net There once was a time when mere birds might not stand a chance against a Texas highway project, but times change. Bulldozer, meet cliff swallow. An overpass demolition on Interstate 10 near Boerne anticipated as a major traffic snarl and already twice delayed by bad weather is on hold again, this time because at least six mud nests of federally-protected cliff swallows were found underneath. The Texas Department of Transportation said it stopped the project as good stewards of the environment to wait for eggs to hatch and fledglings to fly away. A TxDOT spokesperson said there are about 18 eggs in the bridge nests and that the babies are expected to leave by mid-July. Swallows typically take about six weeks from laying to flying the nest. When all the tiny darting birds depart, TxDOT will remove the inactive nests. Monte Bach Officials said the department routinely works with state and federal professionals to protect wildlife on highway projects throughout Texas. The statement came after agency spokespersons declined for more than a day to be interviewed about the holdup of the demolition and initially were unable to describe the nests or name the species that caused it. One department official called it a politically charged situation in which you are damned if you do and damned if you dont, asking for anonymity to describe a sensitive agency topic and adding, Many Texans dont like it when their highway projects are delayed because the state and feds protect animals. Brian Purcell, who writes an authoritative local blog called texashighwayman.com, said the agency must comply with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act or risk loss of federal funding or even fines. Kristin Madden, the Albuquerque-based deputy chief of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service migratory bird program for a four-state region, said the Boerne bridge project probably didnt need to be halted to stay in compliance, though her staff was not familiar with it. Thats not our policy. We dont require anyone to stop work, Madden said. We have options in place (since a 2017 court ruling) that as long as the intent is not to take the birds...landowners and construction crews can take sick, orphaned or birds in danger of being harmed to a permanent wildlife rehabilitator. Madden said USFWS routinely works with state and federal agencies and private interests on the protection and relocation of animals, and has done so with TxDOT numerous times. Were all about helping them (project crews) do what they do, and helping the birds, too. The international treaty prohibits the taking (including killing, capturing, selling, trading, and transport) of roughly 1,100 protected migratory bird species without prior authorization by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Virtually every native bird in the United States is protected by it, even if not technically migrating, Madden said. The treaty also grants full protection to bird parts and accessories, including feathers, eggs, and nests. The South Main Street bridge project, as locals in Boerne know it, is being expanded into a five-lane affair with turn lanes and sidewalks. Its one of the towns principle entry points. The demolition was originally planned for December 2021/January 2022 and the latest cancellation will not affect the current construction schedule, San Antonio-based TxDOT spokesperson Jennifer Serold said. Crews will continue to work on other parts of the project. The TxDOT construction delays and detours have been an irritant to some residents and a big topic of conversation. The other day I was washing my car, and people on either side of me in the stalls were both discussing the bridge delay, said Boerne communications manager Chris Shadrock, Some people say, `full speed ahead and others are glad they found the birds and can protect them. Its been a headache to navigate Main Street, he said. Well be happy when theyre done. Its a TxDOT project thats done on their timeline, and well, now the birds timeline. bselcraig@express-news.net The San Antonio Express-News has been honored for its coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and other notable stories of 2020 with numerous awards in the annual Texas Associated Press Managing Editors contest. The Express-News placed first among the states largest newspapers in the team effort category for a selection of 10 stories that documented the pandemics far-reaching impact in San Antonio. The stories exposed shortcomings in the Metropolitan Health Districts response to the crisis. They revealed that San Antonio had the highest COVID-19 death rate of Texas major urban areas. And they showed how the extended closure of classrooms exposed a digital divide between middle-class and poor families. The winning entry also included a profile of the first San Antonian to die of COVID-19, an 83-year-old dressmaker named Doris Wallace, as well as examples of a daily feature in which a rotating cast of Express-News staff members answered readers questions about the coronavirus. In addition to the staff-wide honor, individual Express-News journalists were recognized in numerous categories. Overall, the paper won 23 awards, including first-place honors in six categories. Lauren Caruba, the papers lead medical reporter during the pandemic, won first prize in specialty reporting for her engrossing, deeply reported stories illustrating COVID-19s toll on physicians, nurses, patients and their families. For some of the stories, Caruba and the photographers who worked with her wore elaborate protective gear as they reported for hours on end in hospitals filled with critically ill COVID-19 patients. Caruba also won second place in the Star Reporter of the Year category Cary Clack, a columnist and member of the Express-News editorial board, was named Star Opinion Writer of the Year. Brandon Lingle, an Express-News business reporter, won first place in the business reporting category. Lingle, an Air Force veteran, embarked on a journalism career less than a year ago. He works for the Express-News with support from Report for America, a nonprofit national service program that places early career journalists in newsrooms. Express-News photographer Jerry Lara won first prize in feature photography, and the papers photo staff won second place in the photojournalism category. Greg Anglin, an Express-News copy editor, won first place in headline writing. Adrian Alvarez, the papers art director, won second place in the designer of the year category. Vincent Davis, a reporter who writes the weekly San Antonio Stories column, won second place in the feature series category. Tom Orsborn won second place in Star Investigative Report of the Year for exposing the exaggerated claims and subpar performance of a San Antonio event planner who secured a $39 million contract to deliver food boxes to needy families during the pandemic. Orsborn, a longtime Express-News sportswriter, temporarily joined the papers metro staff when the pandemic idled pro sports. He reported on miles-long lines of families waiting for handouts of groceries from the San Antonio Food Bank. From that work, he learned about the U.S. Department of Agricultures Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Orsborn reported that event planner Gregorio Palomino was granted a USDA contract even though he had no experience in food distribution or the required produce license. Palominos resume included unsupported claims about his credentials and business relationships, Orsborn reported. Orsborn documented that Palomino delivered far fewer than the 750,000 food boxes called for in his contract. The coverage helped prompt a congressional investigation of the food box program. A complete list of winners is here. marc.duvoisin@express-news.net Two ex-employees of a company that builds and manages housing for the U.S. military have pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding the government at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and four other Air Force bases. Rick Cunefare and Stacy M. Cabrera admitted faking reports to justify $2.5 million in incentive payments to their company for their work on privatized military housing contracts roughly between 2013 and 2016, the Justice Department said. Cunefare, 61, of Glendale, Ariz., and Cabrera, 47, of the San Antonio suburban city of Converse, pleaded guilty to major fraud against the United States, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, respectively, for their roles in the scheme. A Justice Department press release said Cunefare, Cabrera and unnamed co-conspirators worked to manipulate and falsify information on maintenance reports in a way that made it look as if their company had met performance goals. The government awarded $2.5 million in bonuses to the company for meeting the objectives. The release did not say how much of that money flowed to the individuals involved. Court documents refer to the firm as Company 1 but it is identifiable as Balfour Beatty Communities, which holds the privatized housing contract for Lackland. The Malvern, Pa.-based firm is one of a handful of companies with long-term government contracts to build and maintain housing at bases across the country. The defendants defrauded the U.S. Air Force and put corporate profits ahead of the well-being of servicemembers and their families, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Departments criminal division, said in a prepared statement. The department is committed to protecting our military families from deceit and mistreatment and ensuring the integrity of Department of Defense programs. On ExpressNews.com: Suit says housing at San Antonio, Del Rio bases sickened military families Lawyers representing plaintiffs in an unrelated lawsuit against Balfour Beatty and other managers of military housing projects accusing them of poor responses to dangerous maintenance problems say their clients frequently have disputed the accuracy of the maintenance reports. Cabrera entered her plea on April 21 and Cunefare on June 9 in federal court in Washington, D.C.. Both are free on bond awaiting sentencing. Cunefare faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, while Cabrera could receive up to five years. Both could be fined $250,000. Cunefare directly supervised Balfour Beatty community managers responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations at the military housing communities at Lackland, Travis AFB, Vandenberg AFB, Tinker AFB, and Fairchild AFB. The Justice Department said he reviewed and approved quarterly maintenance reports and submitted the information to the Air Force with performance incentive fee requests. Citing court documents, the Justice Department said that when Company 1 did not legitimately meet the objectives, Cunefare gave written and oral instructions to his underlings that resulted in the manipulation and falsification of the data. Cunefare admitted that the false information deceived the U.S. Air Force when in reality Company 1 was unable to keep up with maintenance issues at many of the military housing communities, parts of which had fallen into disrepair, the release stated. Cabrera, who worked as the firms community manager at Lackland, personally, and through subordinates acting on her instructions, falsified maintenance records, as part of the conspiracy, the release said. According to court documents, Company 1 fraudulently obtained approximately $1 million in performance bonuses as a result of Cabreras conduct. Cabrera acted on instructions from Cunefare and others, it states. Balfour Beatty Communities has drawn Pentagon scrutiny for its management of military properties. A spokesperson for the firm, in a statement Wednesday, acknowledged the guilty pleas over alleged irregularities and said it notified the Justice Department and hired an outside law firm to investigate when concerns about the matter were raised. 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 the hundreds of dedicated employees, the statement said. The outside investigators at the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP hired the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to extensively review company work-order records, and Balfour Beatty conducted its own review that led to management structure changes and work-order procedures designed to ensure the historical conduct that is the subject of the investigation does not happen again, the statement said. The flurry of lawsuits against military housing contractors include two filed by San Antonio and Houston attorneys against Balfour Beatty and a company that manages properties at JBSA-Randolph. On ExpressNews.com: Air Force found mold, pests in 10 percent of Randolph's privately managed housing Hunt Military Communities in 2019 managed about 32,000 housing units across 44 installations, including 317 units at Randolph under a long-term lease with the government, while Balfour Beatty oversaw around 885 homes at Lackland. Another company, Lincoln Military Housing, ran around 925 homes on Fort Sam. In a 2019 interview, Joint Base San Antonios commander at the time, Brig. Gen. Laura Lenderman, said many of the problems identified across the Defense Department were similar to those those at the joint bases installations. The biggest concern JBSA leaders had was timely completion of housing maintenance work orders, she said. They also coped with resident concerns about the quality of maintenance work being performed as well as humidity and mold issues. Privatized housing got its start during the Clinton administration as the Pentagon sought to get out of the business of managing on-base residences. Congress passed the Military Housing Privatization Initiative in 1996, allowing companies that specialize in the business to oversee the homes instead. On ExpressNews.com: Family fled sewage-contaminated house on San Antonio base The firms lease the properties to military families in exchange for their basic housing allowance. The Pentagon responded to widespread complains about the quality of on-base housing with a Resident Bill of Rights and Congress approved a similar measure to protect military families living in the homes, but the suits continue. Houston attorney Jim Moriarty said Wednesday that he and a San Antonio firm recently filed another suit against Balfour Beatty on behalf of 10 families, alleging they were exposed to mold, mildew, exposure to asbestos. He called it the run-of-the-mill military housing slums lawsuit. sigc@express-news.net A San Antonio man has been arrested on charges that he conspired to fund terrorism in Syria. The FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force took Imad Eddin Wadi, 64, into custody on Tuesday, as part of an investigation targeting activity between March 2017 and June 2019, court records show. He was ordered held without bond pending a detention hearing within the next two weeks. A federal grand jury indicted Wadi with conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure people and damage property in another country. He is also charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization. The indictment, unsealed Tuesday, said Wadi and another suspect in Colombia had discussions witnessed by a confidential human source and an undercover law enforcement officer about plans to find a wealthy investor to fund an export business Wadi runs in San Antonio. The suspects agreed to use a percentage of the funds and profits from the business to conceal, launder and funnel funds for weapons to fighters overseas affiliated with the called al-Nusra Front to murder and maim individuals in Syria. The indictment does not identify the business, but said Wadi traveled to South America. Public records link Wadi to a food-distribution and exporting business with offices in Colombia and San Antonio. The al-Nusra Front began as a group of extremists fighting the Syrian regime in that countrys civil war. In a video, the group said it was behind several suicide bombings that rocked Syria since an uprising began in March 2011. Policy experts said the group is aligned with al-Qaida and sought to establish an Islamic state in Syria. The group has changed its name several times and merged with and separated from other groups. The indictment lists vague references to some discussions and information Wadi and the suspect in Colombia shared with the government informant and undercover agent. The conversations center on reports of fighters in Syria shooting down helicopters, beheadings and strikes on other interests of the regime. In one conversation in January 2019, Wadi allegedly talked about daily reports that the unnamed suspect got from front-line fighters, including how many people they killed. You feel the ecstasy of jihad when you talk to them, Wadi allegedly said, according to the indictment. He added that investments in his company would be used to buy rifles, grenades, rockets and remote-controlled aircraft capable of carrying 50 kilograms (about 110 pounds) of explosives, the indictment said. In another incident in June 2019, the unnamed suspect forwarded the informant a conversation he had with a front-line fighter who described the fight against the regime and descriptions like slaughtering them like dogs. The indictment does not detail how much money was paid. While the indictment does not identify the business, public records link Wadi to businesses with ties to San Antonio and Colombia, including South America Export & Investments and its version in Colombia, South America Export And Investiments SAS. Wadi is also linked to Habbiba International Food Export S.A.S. in Bogota. In an internet posting, that company said its operators have had business interests in Texas since 1985, they are involved in many business activities, starting with construction. During our years of operation in Texas we owned & operated many businesses including convenience store, truck stops, fuel jobbership, livestock sales, halal meat & food in both whole sale and retail, the site said. In 2008, a member of the entity moved to Colombia and started doing business in livestock, halal slaughtering, halal meat sales, distribution of dates and dried fruit, and long line of Mediterranean products to several Colombian chain companies throughout Colombia. The company also traded sugar from Brazil, lentil, garbanzo beans, meat, olive oil, and vegetable oil with Venezuela, the posting said. Imad Wadi maintained an office in San Antonio, Texas to trade coal, chicken, and petroleum products, the posting said. guillermo.contreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfed Ernestina Tina Casares, 60, lives in her car, which became particularly challenging as San Antonios scorching outdoor temperatures pushed into the upper 90s this week. It gets really hot, so I have to get some ice and turn on the air conditioner and leave it on for at least 30 minutes then leave the fan (on) for at least 15, 20 minutes, she said. Casares also applies plastic bags of ice to her forehead and showers at a gym to stay cool. She cant afford her own place and has nowhere else to go. At night, she and a 68-year-old friend recline the cars front seats and go to sleep. They open the car windows when the vehicle runs low on fuel and spray themselves with insect repellant when low on fuel, and we have to spray the car and the seats and everything, Casares said. As San Antonians brace for their usual blistering summer, both the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and CPS Energy are calling for people to safely conserve their electricity use - a request drawing more attention than in years past. Power outages in February that left millions freezing in the dark for days displayed the vulnerability of the states electric grid to suppliers that unexpectedly shut down during high demand. Marvin Pfeiffer /Staff Photographer And the high demand has arrived. The temperature here Monday reached 97 degrees. In a week, its expected to reach 98 to 99 degrees and more humid conditions will push the heat index to 105 or 106 degrees. Monday next week will be the hottest day so far, National Weather Service meteorologist Orlando Bermudez said. ERCOT issued its conservation alert midday Monday after as much as 15 percent of the state grids generating capacity went offline during the weekend. Almost all of those outages were unplanned and the agency didnt know when they would come back online, said Warren Lasher, ERCOTs senior director of systems planning. On ExpressNews.com: #AbbottFailedTexas trends online again as Texans brace for potential power outages during heat wave Grid conditions remained tight across Texas for a second day Tuesday, with wholesale electricity prices skyrocketing briefly in the afternoon and reserve margins running thin. CPS Energy always reminds its nearly 841,000 customers to conserve power between May and September, spokesman John Moreno said. In the roughly 25 years he has worked at the city-owned utility, it has never experienced rolling power outages in the summer, he said. We do promote the energy conservation even more so when we hear ERCOT talking about it, Moreno said. By doing a little bit, youre helping a lot when it comes to the overall grid. All of CPS Energys plants were operating at full capacity when ERCOT asked Texans to curtail their use of power Monday, Moreno said. I can tell you confidently that weve done our checks and balances here locally to ensure that our plants are running as efficiently as possible, he said. Barring any unforeseen emergency, we fully expect to have them at full capacity through the summer months. On ExpressNews.com: This time its heat in rare early summer alert, Texans urged to conserve power as temperatures rise Fred Reina, 60, an ambassador for Centro San Antonio, said he works outside 99 percent of the time answering visitors questions and occasionally picking up trash. He has done it for almost 10 years and is used to the harsh summer temperatures. Im born and raised in this town, so I know how to survive, Reina said with a smile. The heat doesnt bother me - the humiditys the one that gets you. Centro San Antonio provides drinking water, ultraviolet-resistant hats, cooling towels, sunscreen, two-way radios and extra work breaks to its 105 ambassadors, who do rudimentary cleanup, landscaping, homeless outreach and hospitality services throughout a public improvement district downtown, a spokeswoman said. A dozen homeless people sat outside of the San Fernando Gym at 319 W. Travis St. around noon Tuesday waiting for the doors to open. Its a hub offering water, a seat next to fans and a chance to take a cold shower. Its killing us, John Liveoak, 39, said of the heat. He was soon enjoying a bit of relief among the rotating fans. Liveoak has been sleeping outside and was dehydrated the high temperatures feel worse this summer, he said but he didnt want to get too comfortable, since the doors closed at 4 p.m.. On ExpressNews.com: Fiesta forecast hot and humid all week with temperatures feeling like theyre in the triple digits Haven for Hope, San Antonios largest homeless services provider, ramps up services during the hot summer months. Its outreach team, which visits homeless encampments to distribute extra water and Gatorade, also offers rides to the shelter for clients ready to get off the streets. But Haven for Hope hasnt seen a significant change in the number of people seeking help in recent days, said Celeste Eggert, the organizations chief development officer. Baptist Health System has already treated some patients suffering from heat-related illnesses this week, a spokeswoman said. Among them were people in their 20s an age group that often ignores the warning signs of heat exhaustion. Symptoms include fatigue, dizziness, fainting, headache and either profuse sweating or the inability to perspire, system officials said. People can help avoid it by drinking plenty of water, wearing loose clothes, taking breaks frequently, seeking shade, wearing sunscreen and avoiding heavy meals. Outdoor activities should be scheduled for early mornings or evenings when temperatures are lower. Doctors at University Hospital havent yet seen a rise in heat-related visits, but Rocio Garcia, the emergency rooms director there, had some other precautions to recommend: limiting beverages with sugar and wearing long sleeves. Some people dont realize that wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt will actually make you cooler than a tank top, Garcia said. Area school districts have pushed to get more students to participate in summer school to bolster learning that was damaged by more than a year of pandemic, which could mean higher energy demand. North East Independent School District expects its summer energy consumption to increase by less than 15 percent, said its spokeswoman, Aubrey Chancellor. It usually spends about $2 million per summer on energy costs, and this would add a few hundred thousand more to our budget, which we are prepared for, she said via email. Northside Independent School District generally plans summer school so as not to use every campus or building, its spokesman, Barry Perez, said. At the elementary and middle school levels, the district funnels students into a few campuses, but every high school will need to open due to different class credit requirements for students. Campuses are able to section off, so that means they may only need one wing and they are able to provide an electricity feed to that wing only, Perez said. We intentionally do not turn on all areas during the summer and that helps us tremendously to make sure we dont have higher costs. At the Bazan Library at 2200 W. Commerce St. one of 58 cooling centers that the city has established for those seeking refuge from the heat Jesus Uresti sat at a table reading American Monsters. At 74, hes accustomed to sitting inside the West Side library branch during the hot summers. He shuts off his air conditioning while hes gone from home to conserve electricity. One persons not going to make a difference, Uresti predicted, but he likes the librarys quiet atmosphere. Since suffering a stroke in March, he said, hes become more vulnerable to the heat. Staff writers Shelby Webb, Laura Garcia and Danya Perez contributed to this report. Whoever came up with the saying Dont let the grass grow under your feet must not have had the Texas Legislature in mind. As a citizen body that regularly meets only 140 days every two years, lawmakers spend most of their working hours, like the rest of us, toiling under the laws they create. There is relatively little bandwidth to address tectonic societal developments. The recently completed legislative session unfolded against the backdrop of a criminal justice system buffeted by the murder of George Floyd and its aftermath, as well as a pandemic that had unleashed devastation since legislators last convened. While more should have been accomplished, perhaps a mix of successes and missed opportunities was inevitable given the gap between the gravity of the moment and capacity of the Legislature. Indeed, the climax of the session on criminal justice was, in part, about the limits of the process, exacerbated by the degree to which the House had a far more robust appetite for reforms than the Senate. On May 20, the House adjourned, taking a break for a day and a half from passing Senate bills, in part because the Senate had declined up to that very late point to take up nearly every criminal justice reform bill passed by the House. With the deadline for legislative action fast approaching, this maneuver evidently prompted the Senate to revive two important police reform bills passed by its sister chamber. One, HB 929, the Botham Jean Act, requires that local policies specify that officers must keep their body cameras turned on unless there is a specific exception. The other, HB 492, bans no-knock police raids without a warrant. Hopefully, Gov. Greg Abbott will sign the former, but the latter failed on the final day when, for unrelated reasons, quorum was broken in the House before it could adopt Senate changes. Abbott should consider adding the no-knock measure triggered by the calamitous Houston Harding Street raid to his planned summer special session. Beyond resuscitating these bills, the House slowdown revealed the remarkable commitment of both the bipartisan House Criminal Justice Reform Caucus and Speaker Dade Phelan, who prioritized criminal justice reform more than any of his predecessors. While most reform bills passed by the House, from decriminalizing marijuana possession to streamlining the parole system, died without being heard in the Senate, the Houses high-profile engagement threw down the gauntlet for future sessions. As for the limited but meaningful products of this session, HB 686 provides new hope to those sentenced to adult prison for crimes committed when younger than 17. Currently, young people sentenced to life terms must serve 40 years before becoming eligible for parole, but this bill allows parole review after 30 years in most cases. While this fell short of the preferable 20-year threshold embraced by the House, the Legislature is recognizing research showing the brains of minors are still developing. The governor can sign this measure with confidence that it enhances justice without jeopardizing public safety: Of 174 second lookers in Pennsylvania who were released based on a similar policy change, just two were convicted of a new offense during a 21-month period. Other positive bills that warrant the governors signature would end automatic drivers license suspensions for drug convictions, establish an officers duty to intervene when witnessing misconduct, restrict chokeholds, streamline probation conditions, implement a work release transition program for nonviolent individuals in state jails, and provide credit for fines commensurate with time served in county jails so those released are not immediately tripped up by a warrant upon release. Despite approving such worthy changes, lawmakers missed key opportunities, including bills that would ban arrests for fine-only traffic offenses and put teeth into state certification standards for law enforcement officers. Still, the long-term trend toward a smaller but fairer justice system continues, illustrated by a prison population that has fallen to less than 117,000. Thats the lowest number since 1995, when the state had 11 million fewer people. Thats encouraging, but from policing to prisons, Texas must not rest on its laurels. Lawmakers should plant the seeds now for addressing the states unfinished business on criminal justice reform. Marc Levin is chief policy counsel for the Council on Criminal Justice and can be reached at mlevin@counciloncj.org and on Twittter at @marcalevin. On May 25, 2020, Darnella Frazier became an instant journalist, her instincts overcoming her lack of experience. She was 17, but she reacted with poise and courage, and her steeliness changed the world. Witnessing a murder in real time, she whipped out her phone and captured a police officer digging his knee into the neck of George Floyd, almost 10 minutes of agony that ended in the death of a man whose only crime was the color of his skin. The video ignited protests throughout the world, resulting in the murder and manslaughter convictions of the Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, almost one year later. For showing the stark brutality of an act we would not have seen without the response of this remarkable teenager, Frazier received a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board last week. The video highlighted the crucial role of citizens in journalists quests for truth and justice, committee officials said in awarding her the prestigious prize in journalism and the arts. Frazier said she continues to hold the weight and trauma of what she witnessed and recorded. My video didnt save George Floyd, but it put his murderer away and off the streets, Frazier said. The recording recalled the civil rights era of the 1950s and 60s, when horror visited our homes through television images of African Americans brutalized on streets throughout the South. Then, as now, many of the perpetrators were police officers, and then, as now, the images shocked the country and the world, awakening the public to the injustice carried out in the name of law and order. At Floyds funeral, his brother, Rodney, said his brothers death would change the world. It was a bold statement and a fervent wish, and it started with a girl, her cellphone and a quest for truth. With San Antonios economy on the mend and hundreds of millions in federal stimulus money on the way, city budget officials say they plan to restore spending on essential services such as street improvements that were cut at the height of the pandemic. Officials also intend to use the windfall to make big investments in programs to improve public and mental health, reduce domestic violence, shore up the citys affordable housing stock and help the homeless all problems exacerbated by the pandemic. Weve recovered a lot of ground, City Manager Erik Walsh said during a briefing with reporters Wednesday morning. More than a year after COVID-19 devastated the citys hospitality industry, restaurants and hotel rooms are starting to fill up again. Event planners are booking gatherings at the Alamodome and the Convention Center. Within the last six weeks, tax revenue from retail and restaurant sales and hotel bookings has begun to recover, although it is still well below pre-pandemic levels. Officials laid out the citys financial picture to City Council on Wednesday afternoon kicking off the summerlong process of writing a municipal budget for the coming fiscal year. The city lost $248 million in revenue in the past year as hotels emptied and retail and restaurant sales dried up. Just a few weeks ago, city officials were preparing for $337 million in potential cuts over the next five years in anticipation of a slow recovery. Recently, theyve grown more optimistic. Two years ago, the city brought in $93.5 million from the hotel occupancy tax. In 2020, that dropped to $52.1 million. This year, officials project it will rebound to $57.6 million, spurred in part by travelers who flocked to the city for spring break and the NCAA Womens Basketball Tournament, said Scott Huizenga, the citys budget director. The general fund budget which pays for police and fire protection, parks and other basic services is expected to total $1.35 billion in the coming fiscal year, a $70 million year-over-year increase. But budget officials noted a degree of uncertainty about the pace of the citys economic recovery. How long is the upswing going on? Walsh said. Wheres the ceiling? Is this a three-month deal? Is it a six-month deal? Is it going to be for the next year? At the same time, city officials are about to receive a nearly $466 million windfall from the $1.9-trillion American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Joe Biden in April. The funds are intended to help the city plug holes in its budget, keep needy families their homes and keep San Antonio International Airport operating. With city revenue on the rise and the influx of federal dollars, city staff proposed that council members restore some of the $87 million in budget cuts they made last year. That would mean bringing back $16 million in spending on street maintenance, canceling planned furlough days for city employees and giving civilian employees a 3 percent pay raise, among other steps. City officials also plan to use $97 million in stimulus dollars to make up for past revenue losses. How to use the rest of money is still to be determined. The city has until 2024 to figure out what projects it will fund with the stimulus dollars and until 2026 to spend the money. Some $49 million likely will go to the emergency housing assistance program, which helps needy households make rent and mortgage payments. That should keep the fund flush through the end of the year, but Walsh said the city will have to figure out how to shift from short-term housing assistance to long-term efforts to build affordable housing. In the meantime, the city plans to use $30 million of its own money to boost funding for various social services, including aid to the homeless. District 9 Councilman John Courage was skeptical of plugging an additional $2 million into homeless services because we dont seem to be licking the problem but were putting a lot of money into it. The number of people experiencing homeless grew during the pandemic but has recently fallen. If were putting $2 million more in there, Id like to know why, Courage said. Council members previewed their priorities for the upcoming budget to be voted on in September. Newly elected District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo called for investment in sidewalks, which she said is urgently needed in her West Side district. Rather than hire more employees to fulfill public information requests, District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez said the council should spend the money on domestic violence prevention. A dozen women have been killed this year by a romantic partner or family member, Police Chief William McManus told the council. I consider my job as a council person to leave fewer cadavers behind, Pelaez said. Also on deck: $5 million to improve the citys response to emergencies such as the February freeze. The money would fund upgrades to back-up generators at fire and police stations, some of which lost power during the storm. Walsh floated the idea of asking voters next year to approve the sale of bonds to pay for new generators and other emergency preparedness measures. Officials said it was unlikely city money would be spent on generators to back up San Antonio Water System pumping stations, some of which failed during the February storm, contributing to widespread water outages. SAWS, which is owned by the city and funded by water users, would have to pay for its own generators, officials said. Gov. Greg Abbott has signed Texas constitutional carry legislation, allowing Texans over age 21 to carry handguns in public without a license starting Sept. 1. The law, a huge win for guns rights advocates, was one of the most controversial measures passed this session. Bill supporters said the legislation would simply restore Second Amendment rights to law-abiding Texans, while critics have said the move will only lead to more gun violence. Abbott signed the legislation Wednesday afternoon without immediate comment, per the states online bill tracker. His office sent out a media advisory shortly afterward, saying the governor would hold a ceremony in San Antonio on Thursday to sign off on several bills related to gun rights, including permitless carry. The law will remove the states $40 fee to obtain a handgun license, and will also take away training requirements. While gun advocates say they arent against safety courses, they assert the training should be voluntary. Texans are still forbidden from carrying guns in schools, hospitals, amusement parks and some other public places. Private businesses can still prohibit their customers from bringing guns inside. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The measure, House Bill 1927, did not pass the Legislature without fanfare. At one point in March, it appeared all but dead after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the leader of the Senate, said the upper chamber didnt have the votes to pass it. The bill had faced opposition not only from gun reform advocates and Democrats, but also from law enforcement officers who said the legislation would make their jobs more difficult. Support changed steadily over the next few weeks, as legislators tacked on amendments to allay law enforcement concerns. House and Senate officials met behind closed doors in May to hash out a final version of the bill, which allows officers to disarm a person at any time for the officers safety and toughens penalties for felons and domestic violence offenders caught carrying a gun. By working together, the House & Senate will send Gov. Abbott the strongest Second Amendment legislation in Texas history and protect the right of law-abiding Texans to carry a handgun as they exercise their God-given right to self-defense and the defense of their families, state Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, tweeted last month. At least 20 other states have a variation of the permitless carry law. Still, opponents have denounced the measure as bad policy that will make it easier for criminals to obtain guns. Democrats have said the law is especially offensive because lawmakers did not approve any gun control legislation this session in response to the mass shooting in El Paso in August 2019. The public was not asking for this and voters overwhelmingly oppose the measure, said Ed Espinoza, the executive director of the left-wing nonprofit Progress Texas. It is now easier to get a gun than it is to vote or get allergy medicine in Texas. cayla.harris@express-news.net Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law a controversial bill to limit the way teachers talk about racism. The measure, House Bill 3979, targets critical race theory and forbids teachers from discussing certain viewpoints in the classroom, including the concept that some people are inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. Supporters said it would keep politics out of schools, while opponents said the measure one of many sweeping GOP legislatures across the country seeks to whitewash lessons about slavery and discrimination in America. House Bill 3979 is a strong move to abolish critical race theory in Texas, but more must be done, Abbott said in a statement, saying he would add the issue for lawmakers to address when they return this year for a special session. The bill had appeared to be dead last month after Democratic Rep. James Talarico of Round Rock raised a procedural complaint. But Senate Republicans were able to revive it by backtracking on a series of last-minute changes they had made, including the removal of historical figures of color from a list of required reading for students. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Racism is part of our reality, and thats part of our shame, and we shouldnt do anything to cover that up, the bills author, Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, said in outlining its intent. But what we should also not do is blame that on tender, little children that have done nothing wrong. NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here. Democrats and educators have countered that the legislation infringes on free speech and contradicts aspects of the states existing social studies curriculum. Stephanie Boyce, who teaches Black history at the University of Houston and is affiliated with the Texas Alliance of Black School Educators, said last month that teachers are already trained to present diverse viewpoints when discussing subjects. She said lawmakers are simply trying to block students from learning uncomfortable truths about the country or engaging more actively in the political process. Its not even like theyre trying to make it complicated to see whats happening, Boyce said, adding about the restrictions on civic action: We should be trying to find ways to make these processes more inclusive, to bring students into the process even more. jeremy.blackman@chron.com NEWS FLASH The member states of the European Union have decided to return Serbia and Macedonia onto its list of epidemiologically safe countries, whose citizens will be allowed to travel to the EU for non-essential purposes. Ambassadors of EU member states endorsed the position that Serbia and Macedonia have a satisfactory epidemiological situation which enables its citizens to travel to EU states without restrictions. Although each member state decides individually on entry requirements, almost all have adopted a unified position on allowing entry to citizens and residents of safe countries. Apart from Serbia and Macedonia, others placed on the list today include Albania, the United States, Lebanon and Taiwan. They join Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand, which were already considered safe. The move is expected to significantly aid the aviation sector in both Serbia and Macedonia. This expanded list should start to be implemented from this Friday, June 18. Hybrid carrier Flydubai will expand its presence in the former Yugoslavia in the coming months, with the airline to commence flights to Ljubljana, further grow frequencies to Sarajevo and begin Boeing 737 MAX operations to Belgrade. As recently reported, the carrier will inaugurate three weekly services to the Slovenian capital starting September 24. Up until now, over 70% of passengers flying between Ljubljana and Dubai did so with Turkish Airlines. "For us, this new service creates new opportunities for re-growth and development. Operations will commence after the opening of the new passenger terminal, which represents a special turning point and a new era for our airport", the General Manager of Ljubljana Airport, Zmago Skobir, said. Hybrid carrier Flydubai will expand its presence in the former Yugoslavia in the coming months, with the airline to commence flights to Ljubljana, further grow frequencies to Sarajevo and begin Boeing 737 MAX operations to Belgrade. As recently reported, the carrier will inaugurate three weekly services to the Slovenian capital starting September 24. Up until now, over 70% of passengers flying between Ljubljana and Dubai did so with Turkish Airlines. "For us, this new service creates new opportunities for re-growth and development. Operations will commence after the opening of the new passenger terminal, which represents a special turning point and a new era for our airport", the General Manager of Ljubljana Airport, Zmago Skobir, said. Flydubai is expected to restore pre-pandemic frequencies on its service between Dubai and Sarajevo, tentatively scheduled from July 12. The carrier is expected to operate three daily flights during the peak summer months. Flydubais Senior Vice President Commercial Operations and E-commerce, Jeyhun Efendi, previously told EX-YU Aviation news, "Sarajevo is one of our more popular routes but it is quite seasonal. Over the years we have witnessed almost 50% year-on-year passenger growth on this route. Travellers on this service predominantly come from Dubai, as well as our connecting flights from the Gulf. This is obviously inbound tourism". All flights will be operated with the Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The Emirati airline has been one of the most successful foreign carriers in Belgrade since restoring operations to the city in June last year following the global lockdowns. The airline has already matched its pre-pandemic frequencies on the route, operating daily flights. Starting July 1, it will deploy the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on all of its Belgrade services. The jet features an upgraded on board product, including ten fully-flat 198cm business class seats across three rows. The first and last rows are configured 2-2, but the middle row has just two throne seats. Furthermore, each seat features a 39.6cm HD 1080p screen. In economy, the Recaro CL3710 seats are fitted with 29.4cm HD screens. Flydubai B737 MAX business class cabin Flydubai B737 MAX economy class cabin Starting next Friday, Flydubai will restore seasonal two weekly flights to Tivat, which will run until September 3, while its summer flights to Dubrovnik will not return this year. Services to Zagreb are scheduled to resume on September 1 with four weekly rotations, while Skopje is currently planned to return to the carriers network on November 1, with two weekly services. The Cereals Event will go ahead as planned despite the delay in the lifting of lockdown restrictions, organisers have confirmed. The UK's leading technical event for the arable industry will not be affected by the delay in the final easing of lockdown restrictions. According to event organiser Alli McEntyre, the agricultural show will still comply with local and national legislative measures. This means that it will be going ahead between 30 June 1 July 2021, open to all ticket holders as planned. Approval for events is granted by the local authority unless the UK was moving back into full lockdown on a national level. This week the Lincolnshire Safety Advisory Group once again confirmed their approval for Cereals to happen based on the latest news. Ms McEntyre said: We are really pleased to reassure visitors that the event is definitely going ahead without restrictions and in line with all Covid regulations. "Outdoor agricultural events have been approved to happen since 12 April 2021. "These events have a minimal risk of infection transmission due to plentiful space, fresh air and sunlight. The full line-up of seminars will take place in open-sided marquees for fresh air flow, and hand sanitisers will be available across the site. Exhibition stands are spread across more space and have passed health and safety tests. Visitors will be able to pass between different stands and arenas without any concerns, Ms McEntry explained. Cereals has been working with health and safety advisors, Abraxys and X-Venture Global Risk Solutions, as well as the local Lincolnshire Safety Advisory Group. Beyond the secure safety measures, it is business as usual: There will be the opportunity to get into the Soil Hole, view the Crop Plots and observe the Syngenta Sprays and Sprayers Arena, as well as the new Inter Row Weeding Demos, Direct Drill Demos and Drone Zone," Ms McEntry said. Visitors can be confident in attending the event as we have implemented all necessary health and safety procedures to ensure the site is Covid-secure and compliant with the latest guidance. "We want everyone to feel safe and to have a great day out, she added. A farm-based community bakery in Pembrokeshire is experimenting with producing bread from a range of ancient grains and heritage wheat varieties. These species of wheat can be tricky to grow, but a new study is trialling agronomic practices to identify the most appropriate methods for their production. Some are already being grown in Pembrokeshire. Rupert Dunn grows around 10 hectares a year of several varieties, including a wheat population originating from France. These are being grown at Brawdy Farm, near Newgale and at the Bug Farm near St Davids. Other farmers in the area, including Gerald Miles at Caerhys Organic Farm near St Davids, have also been growing crops of Emmer and Einkorn. Rupert and Gabriel Landi and Emily Roope, his team of bakers at the community bakery, Torth y Tir, at Brawdy Farm, are testing the baking quality, taste and texture of these varieties in flour milled from grain grown in other regions. Gabriel said that as the quantity and quality of gluten in heritage varieties is lower than that of modern wheat, the final proving stage in the bread making process is quicker. The temperature of the water used in the dough must also be cooler and the fermentation period shorter, he added. The European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Wales project is also gathering agronomic information on ancient cereal varieties. Innovation Broker for the project, Tony Little, said carrying out research into the effects of different seed rates and of under sowing will give a better understanding of the agronomy and economics of growing the crops. The trial crops include spring and autumn sown varieties such as April Bearded, Einkorn and Hen Gymro, which translates to Old Welshman. Each variety has been trialled at different seed rates, with or without clover undersown. Preliminary findings for the first set of spring sown varieties show that yields of non-undersown crops grown in the organic system are generally comparable but slightly lower when undersown. Yields are higher for the varieties April Bearded and Mulika when undersown and comparable for Einkorn in the conventional farm system. Protein was slightly higher in the organic-grown undersown crop but generally reduced by undersowing in the conventional farm system. Seed rate had little effect on crop yield and protein content across varieties and farm systems. By trialling varieties and growing those more suited to local conditions, fewer inputs are needed and soil structure is improved, whilst also potentially lowering the carbon footprint of the crop, said Mr Dunn. Nutritional quality is generally shown to be higher because they are not being grown specifically for yield," he added. A cross pollination rate of 3-5% between varieties also results in new species of grain that thrive in local conditions. The project is also trialling broad beans as a green manure: these are being grown with the wheat to fix nitrogen in the soil and smother weeds populations. Free low drift spray nozzles are available for farmers in the Midlands to help stop pesticides entering waterways. Severn Trent is inviting farmers in priority catchments to boost their knowledge and improve spray efficiencies. Those interested will receive a free set of low drift spray nozzles through the water companys Swap Your Nozzles scheme. The training opportunity follows a successful pilot scheme held earlier this year, which saw 88 farmers reduce their spray drift. In turn, this greatly minimised the risk of pesticides reaching watercourses in the region. The Swap Your Nozzles online sessions will run throughout June and July. Each event will cover topics such as legislation, Local Environment Risk Assessments for Pesticides (LERAP) and buffer zones. The virtual workshops will also explore nozzle and application considerations. Farmers will be offered a choice of fully funded LERAP 3* or 4* nozzles and caps from a predefined list of options. Margaret Baile, Severn Trent agricultural adviser, said that supporting and educating farmers in this way delivered multifaceted benefits. Delegates will leave the event with the knowledge and tools needed to drive spray efficiencies and therefore farm profitability, she explained. These changes all have an impact on spray drift, and of course, will reduce one of the pathways in which pesticides reach watercourses and non-target plant species. "This not only helps protect the environment and protect water quality, but also keeps customer water bills low, by reducing the need for costly treatments to remove these pollutants. The training is available to all farmers within Severn Trent priority catchments. To sign up, email Farming4Water@severntrent.co.uk. UK farmers can now export poultry meat to Japan after a trade agreement was settled that is estimated to be worth up to 13 million per year. The government has secured market access to Japan for imports of UK poultry, in turn opening up new opportunities for farmers and producers. The agreement reduces tariffs on frozen chicken cuts from an average of 10% to zero over a number of years. It follows a series of complex negotiations over the last four years between the UK and Japanese officials to agree specific animal health requirements. Japan is renowned internationally for its stringent food safety and import control regime, as well as for its taste for high-quality, varied cuts of meats. With consumption of poultry on the rise in Japan, this market is set to become a significant target for UK meat exporters. Trade between the two nations was worth over 24 billion during last year alone. Defra's farming minister Victoria Prentis spoke about the new deal: "Our high-quality poultry with its exceptional flavour is renowned around the world. "As are the high standards of food safety and animal welfare demonstrated by farmers and producers across the UK. "The Japanese market will now be able to enjoy more of our unique produce, adding to an already varied collection of UK food, such as pork, beef and lamb, already available to its customers. "We are working hard to open new markets for our agri-food businesses, and this is a significant opportunity for the UK poultry sector," she said. Dr Richard Irvine, UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, said the announcement represented a 'major achievement' for the sector. "This is another positive step towards strengthening the UKs trade relationship with Japan, in addition to the existing agreements which enable export of pork, beef and lamb from the UK." Last year, the UK and Japan signed the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), and the agreement is now in force. The agreement ensures UK businesses could benefit from tariff-free trade on 99% of UK goods exports to Japan after a number of years. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. Fountain Hills, AZ (85268) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 102F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 83F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Didnt you have any qualms about the kissing scene in the film? Well, I just couldnt say no to Satyajit Ray. Any memories of the Ghare Baire premiere at Cannes? American actor Bette Davis was travelling in the same plane with us. When we got down in Paris to change planes, we got served small cakes, which I relished. I knew I shouldnt be eating so many of them. But I couldnt control myself. Everything was new to me. The room I was staying in had a warm water bed. I was asked to wear a Benarasi saree for the red carpet. I picked my best one. When the film started, it was the first time I was seeing myself on the big screen. I thought I was the ugliest woman around. But the audience loved the film. When we were leaving the theatre, several women hugged and kissed me. The press in Kolkata wasnt kind towards your performance They wrote any kind of rubbish they wanted to. Every time I got those nasty letters, Satyajit Ray would send me a personal letter saying, This happens with everyone, dont worry. Just move ahead. With stress, my skin turned bad. He took me to a lady (counsellor) for a sitting. He did everything possible to make me feel better. He told people shes my most intelligent actress till date. Cinema never attracted you much afterwards? It attracted me. But I believed I didnt have the looks for cinema. Also, I guess people were afraid of my forthright ways and of my stature in theatre. Theatre is something Ive done since the age of five. My mother, Roma Haldar, was a theatre personality and a costume designer. She used to play the piano and sing beautifully. My guru, Anukul Chandra Banerjee from Allahabad, was like my second father. He introduced me to theatre. My mother was more interested in me doing theatre than in me taking exams. I had a unique childhood. You never aimed for Hindi cinema? It just didnt happen. Also, Im not that kind of a person, whod thrust myself on people. Hindi film actors you admire Most of them. Starting from Amitabh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. Amitabh Bachchan liked Bela Seshe and he sent me a letter, which Ive preserved. I always wanted to meet Mr Bachchan. Unfortunately, I havent been able to yet. How was the experience of working with Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee again in Bela shuru after Bela seshe? I love them. Nandita is extremely loving. She takes care of me. She promised me saying, This will be a cakewalk for you. You just concentrate on your part. Leave the rest to me. Satyajit Ray aficionados would remember Swatilekha Sengupta as the comely wife caught in a love triangle between her rich husband (Victor Banerjee) and his freedom-fighter friend Soumitra Chatterjee in Ghare Baire (1985). The film showed her caught in a whirlwind of emotions as she had to choose between her sedate husband and the charismatic admirer. It was a sensitive performance and won her admiration on the festival circuit. Her lip-lock with Soumitra in the film did ruffle a few feathers. Negative reviews of her performance at home affected her strongly and she didnt sign a film for close to 30 years after that. She was recently seen in Bela Seshe (2015, The End) directed by Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee. In this she was reunited with Soumitra. The 70-year-old actor, who is known more for her plays than films, suffered a heart attack some time ago. The actrress is better now. And she's excited about her upcoming movie Bela Shuru (The Beginning).Starring her and Soumitra Chatterjee once again, the film is a sort of spiritual successor to the teams earlier film. Excerpts from an interview with Swatilekha a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award winner, who has lost none of her pizzazz to the passage of time.A girl from Allahabad wouldve travelled to Mumbai and not Kolkata to be an actress. What made you do the contrary?I came here in 1975-76 after completing my MA from Allahabad University. I was always interested in theatre. Eventually, I joined the Nandikar group (she worked under the direction of Rudraprasad Sengupta, one of the founders, whom she later married). Sombhu Mitra was an icon of the theatre world at that time. I did German dramatist Bertolt Brechts Galileo with him. I hardly had any role in the play. But Satyajit Ray watched it and he wanted me to play Bimala in Ghare Baire (1985).Do you remember your first meeting with Satyajit Ray?I didnt want to take my final exams in school. So Id written a letter to Ray saying, Please take me in your film, I dont want to do this exam. But I didnt get any reply. Years later, I got a call from actor Rabi Ghosh saying Satyajit Ray wants to meet you. I didnt believe him. But eventually I agreed. There was a bandh the day I was to meet Ray. I walked 14 kilometres to reach his place. When he opened the door, he looked like hed seen a ghost. He said, How could you come today? Everything is closed. I said, Okay, Ill go back. He said, No, no, sit. He started making my sketches and said, Youre my heroine. He gave me the script of Ghare Baire, which was based on Rabindranath Tagores novel of the same name.What was Satyajit Ray like as a person and as a filmmaker?He was Tagore, Picasso, Beethoven, all rolled into one. He was a fine artist too. He used to paint all his scenes before shooting them. He used to even paint the blouse and sarees of his female characters. The fabric used to be bought according to the painting. He himself searched for the Victoria brand cigarettes just for one shot in Ghare Baire. Also, theres a little box of jewels in the film. He hired that box for 8000 rupees for one day. But he never wasted money on taking retakes. He was kanjoos. He was a one-take director. I was in touch with him even after the film. But I was shy about showing how important he was for me. Id tell him, Manikda please forgive me. But I cant do this, 'Dada, Dada' business all the time. Whatever there is for you, its in my heart. I cant express it. He said, But how will I know that you want to do another film. I said, Thats true. I want to do another film. But he passed away before that. It was sad.Bela shuru is your third film with Soumitra Chatterjee...When we did Ghare Baire, Soumitra was a great name. I was nothing. I felt proud acting with him. After Bela Seshe, he asked people why I wasnt being offered films. Im happy working with him again.What was your process to get into the character of an Alzheimers patient in Bela shuru?Attending workshops was the main thing. Shibo is also from theatre. So he understands the importance of a workshop. Shibo makes us read the script over and over and over again. Hes never satisfied until we grasp the right attitude.Bela seshe and Bela shuru both talk about changing relationships with changing times...Love is forever. These days, of course, the meaning of love has changed. Loves apersonal and deep emotion. It differs from person to person. My husband is absolutely like Vishwanath, the character from Bela Shuru, which Soumitrada is playing. Hes the greatest feminist of our team in Nandikar. He has written several feminist plays. He even has a cameo in Bela Shuru. Ive also learnt a lot from my daughter, Sohini Sen Gupta. Previously, I used to be a little racist. But shes changed me.Do relationships lack depth today?People today live only for themselves. They dont have time for others. The world has changed for better or for worse. Ive lived in a better world.You have done several plays with your daughter, Sohini. What about films?Shes a good actress. Id love to do a film with her. My only hope is Shibo. Except him, no one will think of casting a 70-year-old like me. What Shibo has done for artistes like me, Ill never forget.Theatre seems to be your first and last love...When I suffered a heart attack, all my students, my seniors, came to see me. But no one turned up from the cinema world. Theatre feels like family. Veteran actor Chandrashekhar known for his several character roles down the years and playing Arya Sumant in televisions hit drama Ramayan passes away this morning. The actor was 97 years old and passed away in his sleep at 7 am. Chandrashekhar was a president of CINTAA Cine Artistes Association (CINTAA) from 1985 to 1996. ETimes contacted Joint Secretary at CINTAA - Amit Behl who expressed his grief and the huge loss to them, "It is a big loss. Chandrashekhar sir, along with Asha Parekh, Mithunda, Amrish Puri, Amjad Khan and Ram Mohan, was instrumental in getting the land from the government where our new building is now coming up. We were so looking forward to having his presence at the inauguration, but fate had other plans." ETimes further spoke to Chandrashekar's son Ashok who said that the veteran was fine and was admitted in the hospital only for a day last week. However once he returned home, he was fine and had a peaceful death in his sleep last night - "Daddy passed away in sleep. He had no issues with his health. He was in the hospital for a day, last Thursday. We brought him back home and had kept all facilities including oxygen at our disposal if the need would arise. He was okay last night. The end was peaceful. We plan to perform the last rites at Pawan Hans in Vile Parle today at 4 pm. TV actor Shakti Arora is Chandrashekhars grandson. Chandrashekhar has acted in almost 250 films. His first film as a hero was in 1953 titled Surang and then he went on to perform several character roles in Bollywood. In 1964 he even produced and directed a film called Cha Cha Cha, in which he even played the lead role. AUGUSTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / June 15, 2021 / The online store offers the latest in men's and women's alternative fashion. Their sustainable section offers handmade clothes made to order. These use 70% less water and are made out of OEKO-TEX certified materials. Clothing is one of the interesting forms of self-expression available out there. After all, what better way to broadcast to the world how you see yourself than to wear it on your body? And for the alternative crowd who enjoys flashy and unique clothing styles, Innitiwear offers very interesting options. Operating primarily in the American and Canadian market, Innitiwear is an online store that specializes in alternative fashion for men and women. The company's clothes are made to stand out with assertive styles and powerful colors. Among the store's collections, buyers can find appeal that is fit for all types of occasions. From clothes made for late nights at the club to appeal and accessories that can be used as regular streetwear for day-to-day activities. Wealth of options As expected from a store that specializes in serving clients with an eye for the unique, Innitiwear offers many clothing options in a variety of styles. Buyers can find EDM rave clothing by visiting https://innitiwear.com/collections/bodysuits . The store also offers clubwear, festival wear, gothic wear, streetwear, and more all on the same site. The store itself is split into four key categories. Women's wear. Here users can find a collection of tops, shorts, leggings, bodysuits, and accessories made with women in mind. Designs here range from the shinty to the gothic, including eye-catching bodysuits in a variety of unique styles, and gothic chokers and shawls with night-themed imagery. Men's wear. The store offers a variety of stylish t-shirts, joggers, and hoodies for men. With styles ranging from abstract to cyberpunk, all designs look right at home in a rave. Accessories. This section contains a wide range of additional appeal that can be used to complete one's look. Including chokers, gaiters, masks, and more. Eco-friendly. Under this category, buyers will find a wide selection of shirts, hoodies, masks, and leggings. The difference is that products in this section are hand-made and eco-friendly, using ethically sourced and sustainable materials, and they use 70% less water than other alternatives. Customer perks and protections All Innitiwear products are backed by the company's many customer guarantees. As the store's website explains: "We will do whatever it takes to assist each and every customer. We provide outstanding customer service support, as we highly value our customer's satisfaction above all else." Customers buying from Innitiwear get to enjoy the following: Free US shipping with no minimum order requirements; Fast and secure online ordering process; 90 days money-back guarantee, following the conditions described in the site's returns policy; Access to the company's fast 24/7/365 customer support. CONTACT: Innitiwear support@innitiwear.com SOURCE: Invalley View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651909/Innitiwear-Is-Selling-the-Latest-in-EDM-Rave-Clothing-Clubwear-Festival-Wear-Gothic-Wear-and-More DALLAS (dpa-AFX) - AT&T plans to double the size of its fiber footprint to about 30 million customer locations by year-end 2025, Pascal Desroches, chief financial officer of the company said at the Credit Suisse Communications conference. Desroches noted that AT&T's network is performing as well as it ever has and that as the company accelerates its deployment of C-band spectrum. It expects to cover 200 million people by the end of 2023, strengthening its ability to deliver even faster average speeds across the country and to densify its network as demand for 5G grows and the use cases for the technology expand. Desroches expects WarnerMedia's second-quarter results to benefit from positive comparisons to the second quarter of 2020, which represented the worst of the pandemic impacts in that business unit. He also said that in the second half of the year, he expects WarnerMedia to benefit from improvements in advertising revenues, a return to theaters and run rate benefits from the second-half 2020 restructuring. He also expressed confidence in the upcoming planned international launch of HBO Max and in the company's ability to deliver on its guidance of 67 to 70 million HBO Max customers by the end of 2021. Desroches reiterated the guidance AT&T previously provided for 2022-2024 after the expected close of the pending WarnerMedia-Discovery transaction: Low-single digit revenue CAGR and mid-single digit adjusted EBITDA and adjusted earnings per share CAGR. The company expects to generate $20 billion plus in free cash flow on an annual basis post-close, with a dividend payout ratio in the 40% to 43% range for a total dividend payout of $8 billion to $9 billion per year. The company expects to increase capital investment to around $24 billion annually, focused on 5G and fiber. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX AT&T-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de Leaders at Microsoft, LEGO and British Heart Foundation Among Top Ten Chief Executives LONDON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Glassdoor , the worldwide leader in insights about jobs and companies, today announced the winners of its annual Employees' Choice Awards, honouring the Top CEOs in 2021 in the UK and other countries. Unlike any other workplace award, the Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards are based on the input of employees who voluntarily provide anonymous feedback by completing a company review about their CEO's leadership, along with insights into their job, work environment and employer over the past year. This year, the Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards for the Top CEOs feature distinct company categories across the UK , U.S. , Canada , France and Germany . In the UK, Glassdoor has revealed the Top 50 CEOs (honouring CEOs at employers with 1,000 or more employees). "Over the past year, company leaders around the world faced unprecedented challenges to support employees during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the employees have spoken and it's clear that these CEOs excelled and found new ways to support their people when the world of work flipped upside down," said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. "Through a challenging year, it's inspiring to see Top CEOs who, according to their employees, adapted to change, redefined visions and led with transparency while putting the health and safety of employees first. I extend my sincerest congratulations to this year's Employees' Choice Award winners." The ten Top CEOs in 2021 in the UK are: 1. BlackRock 's Larry Fink (99 percent approval) 2. Microsoft 's Satya Nadella (99 percent approval) 3. Softcat 's Graeme Watt (99 percent approval) 4. LEGO Group 's Niels Christiansen (98 percent approval) 5. British Heart Foundation 's Dr Charmaine Griffiths (98 percent approval) 6. UBS ' Ralph Hamers (98 percent approval) 7. Roche 's Severin Schwan (98 percent approval) 8. Unilever 's Alan Jope (98 percent approval) 9. Airbus ' Guillaume Faury (98 percent approval) 10. PepsiCo 's Ramon LaGuarta (98 percent approval) Glassdoor's Top 50 CEOs in 2021 in the UK award features winning chief executives across diverse industries spanning technology, investment banking, FMCG, consulting and more. This year, 80% (40 CEOs) of this year's Top 50 CEOs, including 8 of the Top 10, are on the list for the first time. Only one woman is honoured among the top 50 this year, British Heart Foundation 's Dr Charmaine Griffiths (No. 5, 98 percent approval). Only three CEOs have been recognised at this level all six years: Microsoft 's Satya Nadella (No. 2, 99% approval), Morgan Stanley 's James Gorman (No. 14, 98% approval) and J.P. Morgan 's Jamie Dimon (No. 40, 95% approval). This year, there are 18 CEOs who are recognised by employees in multiple countries, including one CEO who has made four lists - Microsoft 's Satya Nadella (U.S. Large, UK, Canada and Germany) and three who made three lists - Salesforce 's Marc Benioff (U.S. Large, UK and France), Morgan Stanley 's James Gorman (U.S. Large, UK and Canada) and Airbus ' Guillaume Faury (UK, France and Germany). When employees submit reviews about their employer on Glassdoor, they are asked to rate several factors tied to their employment experience. These include rating sentiment around their CEO's leadership as well as around senior management, among others. Specifically, when rating their CEO on Glassdoor, employees are asked to report whether they approve or disapprove of or have no opinion about their CEO's performance. Across the approximately 1.5 million employers reviewed on Glassdoor, the average CEO approval rating is 73 percent. Employees' Choice Award winners for the 2021 Top CEOs are determined using Glassdoor's proprietary algorithm, taking into account the quantity, quality and consistency of Glassdoor-approved company reviews shared by UK-based employees between 2nd May, 2020 and 1st May, 2021. At a minimum, employers considered for the large list must have received at least 35 company reviews, including at least 35 CEO approval ratings and at least 35 senior management ratings. For reporting simplicity, CEO approval ratings are displayed as whole numbers, though calculations extend beyond the thousandth decimal place to determine final rank order. Complete award methodology can be found and downloaded here: https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Award/index.htm SEE THE 2021 WINNERS: All winning CEOs across this year's six categories can be found by visiting: 50 Top CEOs - UK 100 Top CEOs - U.S . 50 Top CEOs at Small & Medium Companies - U.S. 25 Top CEOs - Canada 25 Top CEOs - France 25 Top CEOs - Germany WHY IS GREAT LEADERSHIP IMPORTANT?: According to Glassdoor Economic Research, trust in senior leadership is a leading factor of long-term employee satisfaction and highly-rated CEOs are statistically linked to companies with great cultures and financial performance. About Glassdoor Glassdoor combines all the latest jobs with millions of reviews and insights to make it easy for people to find a job that is uniquely right for them. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like employer branding and employee insights products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for 1.5 million companies around the world. For more information, visit glassdoor.co.uk. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449764/Glassdoor_Logo.jpg QUEBEC CITY, June 16, 2021, a global leader in Level 1-5 ADAS and AD sensing technology, is pleased to announce that its customer, France-based MILLA Group, has selected LeddarTech sensing solutions as a critical contributor to the autonomous enablement of the MILLA POD. MILLA has adopted LeddarTech's award-winning 3D solid-state LiDAR, Leddar Pixell, for its 180-degree field of view and highly reliable object detection capabilities. The MILLA Group, located in France, develops and markets an autonomous electric shuttle. MILLA is a leader in mobility and an essential resource for all public and private organizations wishing to implement an adapted, efficient, and sustainable mobility solution. MILLA will feature their fully autonomous electric POD vehicles, equipped with the Leddar Pixell, at two major June events in France. June 16-19 VIVA Technology Conference in Paris, France MILLA will showcase its fully autonomous POD shuttle at the world-renowned VIVA Technology Conference. This prestigious event involves representation from 125 countries. This year will feature such esteemed speakers as Tim Cook, CEO of Apple and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, and include the participation of over 13,000 startups. June 17-20 Grand Prix de France de Formule 1 / Smart and Sustainable Mobility at Le Castellet, France The MILLA fully autonomous POD will take center stage at the Smart & Sustainable Mobility event organized on-site at the French Grand Prix Formula 1 race, one of the world's most popular sporting events. The MILLA POD will demonstrate its world-class technology and innovative approach to enhanced safety. The POD will operate fully autonomously without an onboard safety driver. Utilizing various sensors, including the Leddar Pixell, the POD creates a virtual safety and security bubble. Unlike many other autonomous shuttles, the MILLA POD will be supervised remotely by a monitoring engineer who can intervene and take control of the vehicle if needed. This innovative safety redundancy system is being further developed and will soon be available to enable one person to monitor up to 10 PODs at any one time. MILLA engineers have pioneered a significant step towards even greater safety technology that accelerates consumer confidence in the adoption of fully autonomous vehicles. "I congratulate the MILLA Group on their participation in these prestigious events," stated LeddarTech's CEO, Charles Boulanger. "LeddarTech is honored to have contributed to their sensor suite by having our Leddar Pixell selected by the MILLA Group. The MILLA Group is committed to the safety and welfare of passengers and vulnerable road users, and LeddarTech shares their commitment. This recognition for safety first was also recognized by the RATP Group, a State-owned public transport operator present in 13 countries and on 4 continents, tasked with evaluating and qualifying autonomous public vehicles. The RATP reported that the operating systems of the MILLA POD, which included the Leddar Pixell, meet the stringent qualification requirements," concluded Mr. Boulanger. "The MILLA Group is proud of the innovative approach we have taken in the development of our autonomous vehicles," stated MILLA Group's President Frederic Mathis. "The decision to engage with LeddarTech has enabled us to have full confidence in the ability of our MILLA PODs to operate safely and efficiently," Mr. Mathis continued. "It is a tremendous opportunity for our company and a testament to our technology to have the opportunity to demonstrate our PODs at Grand Prix de France de Formule 1 / Smart and Sustainable Mobility and to present our technology at VIVA Technology Conference," concluded Mr. Mathis. About MILLA Group MILLA Group is a leading independent French company of engineers specialized in the design, development, fabrication, and experimentation of new mobility products and services. MILLA's new mobility concept provides a sustainable, modular, scalable, and adaptable transporting service accessible to everyone. Since 2019, MILLA's shuttles have been rolling daily on open roads at the speed of 30 km/h in autonomous mode, a unique service on Earth. Today MILLA is the only mobility provider proposing on-demand and multi-modal transportation solutions Contact: Eric Gendarme, Managing Director, MILLA Group, eric.g@milla.net About LeddarTech LeddarTech is a leader in environmental sensing platforms for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems. Founded in 2007, LeddarTech has evolved to become a comprehensive end-to-end environmental sensing company by enabling customers to solve critical sensing and perception challenges across the entire value chain of the automotive and mobility market segments. With its LeddarVision sensor-fusion and perception platform and its cost-effective, scalable, and versatile LiDAR development solution for automotive-grade solid-state LiDARs based on the LeddarEngine, LeddarTech enables Tier 1-2 automotive system integrators to develop full-stack sensing solutions for autonomy level 1 to 5. These solutions are actively deployed in autonomous shuttles, trucks, buses, delivery vehicles, smart cities/factories, and robotaxi applications. The company is responsible for several innovations in cutting-edge automotive and mobility remote-sensing applications, with over 95 patented technologies (granted or pending) enhancing ADAS and autonomous driving capabilities. Additional information about LeddarTech is accessible at www.leddartech.comand on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Contact: Daniel Aitken, Vice-President, Global Marketing, Communications, and Product Management, LeddarTech Inc. Tel.: + 1-418-653-9000 ext. 232 daniel.aitken@leddartech.com Leddar, LeddarTech, LeddarSteer, LeddarEngine, LeddarVision, LeddarSP, LeddarCore, VAYADrive, VayaVision, and related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of LeddarTech Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names, and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/407e36d4-3e07-4f71-9bf4-c5daf605a7b6 Good morning, Please find below the press release issued today. Best regards, __________________________________________________________________ Marishka Martins Group PR Consultant | Marketing & Creative Services Capgemini India | Mumbai www.capgemini.com Tel.: +91 9930835325 Email: marishka.martins@capgemini.com _____________________________ Capgemini signs a multi-year contract extension with Equinor in Norway The contract extension reaffirms the strategic relationship between Equinor and Capgemini, ensuring continuity in IT operations, while driving end-to-end cloud based transformation Paris, June 16, 2021 - Capgemini announced today the signing of a multi-year contract extension, within the application management area, with Equinor, a leading energy company in Norway. As part of the agreement, Capgemini will continue to support Equinor's digitalization and modernization of its business systems, processes and ways of working, enabled through a cloud-based operations model. Capgemini will leverage its global delivery model to deliver cost competitive and scalable solutions. The contract represents a renewal of a deep and long-standing relationship between Equinor and Capgemini. The extended agreement will see Capgemini and Equinor work together to shape the areas in scope of the new contract, including modernizing its SAP and other IT solutions, enabling a move to the cloud and implementing new ways of working according to agile principles and a cloud-based operations model. Capgemini was awarded the extension because of its strong delivery performance through a robust, scalable global IT delivery model. Both Equinor and Capgemini will work closely together to unleash innovations and value-adding services over the coming years. "We are delighted to reaffirm our strong relationship with Equinor and look forward to accompanying them on their continued digital transformation journey. Technological developments are set to evolve at a rapid pace and Capgemini will continue to be an innovative and committed business partner to Equinor," says Jens Middborg, Managing Director of Capgemini in Norway. About Capgemini Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of 270,000 team members in nearly 50 countries. With its strong 50 year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2020 global revenues of 16 billion. Get the Future You Want | www.capgemini.com SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Attachment TOKYO, June 16, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Frequent flyer program customers of Star Alliance member airlines will soon be able to use their biometric identity across any participating airline at any participating airport following a new agreement between the world's largest airline alliance, NEC Corporation and SITA.The agreement announced today is aimed at accelerating the availability of biometric self-service touchpoints across Star Alliance's member airlines while delivering a faster, touchless airport experience.Connecting to SITA's Smart Path solution, the Star Alliance Biometrics platform will be able to use SITA's shared airport infrastructure already available in more than 460 airports. Together with SITA and NEC's global presence, multiple biometric projects can be delivered in parallel, speeding up the availability of biometric passenger processing to Star Alliance's member airlines globally. This will be vital in enabling Star Alliance to deploy biometrics faster.A further advantage is the NEC I:Delight platform -- which allows passengers who have opted to use the service to be identified quickly and with a high-degree of accuracy, even on the move -- can be easily integrated with SITA Smart Path. The I:Delight platform is also able to recognize passengers even when wearing a mask, an increasingly important feature for travel during the current pandemic. The platform is already in use by Star Alliance member airlines at several airports in Europe.Uniquely, passengers using Star Alliance's Biometric platform enroll only once. Passengers then can pass through biometrically enabled touchpoints across multiple member airlines and participating airports using just their face as their boarding pass. This speeds up the passage through the airport while making the each step completely touchless, supporting important health and hygiene safety measures in times of COVID-19 and delivering on Star Alliances' vision of a seamless customer experience.Jeffrey Goh, CEO of Star Alliance, said: "This agreement is instrumental in bringing further scale to our biometrics service, with the inherent benefits of speed and meeting customer expectations for a more touchless and hygienically safer experience across all of our member airlines. Biometrics is a key element of that experience and our strategy of leading the way in digitalizing the passenger journey."Barbara Dalibard, CEO SITA, said: "Together with NEC, SITA is pleased to be supporting Star Alliance in bringing the full benefits of biometric identity to their member airlines. Passengers have long welcomed the advantages of control and speed automation brings to the passenger journey; a trend that has been accelerated by COVID-19. With this agreement the benefits of biometric identity will be extended from a single airline or journey to a vast network of airlines. That is truly unique and demonstrates the benefits digital identity can bring to the passenger."Masakazu Yamashina, Executive Vice President, NEC Corporation said: "NEC is honored to join this three party partnership with Star Alliance and SITA. While the impact of COVID-19 continues, we are pleased to lead the creation of seamless and touchless travel. NEC is committed to providing a safe and comfortable customer experience through our NEC I:Delight identity management solution."Watch the announcement of the partnership here: https://youtu.be/Yg8OLzM-raMAbout SITASITA is the IT provider for the air transport industry, delivering solutions for airlines, airports, aircraft and governments. Our technology powers more seamless, safe and sustainable air travel.Today, SITA's solutions drive operational efficiencies at more than 1,000 airports while delivering the promise of the connected aircraft to more than 400 customers on 18,000 aircraft globally. SITA also provides the technology solutions that help more than 60 governments strike the balance of secure borders and seamless travel. Our communications network connects every corner of the globe and bridges 60% of the air transport community's data exchange.SITA is 100% owned by the industry and driven by its needs. It is one of the most internationally diverse companies, with a presence in over 200 countries and territories.SITA's subsidiaries and joint ventures include SITAONAIR, branded SITA FOR AIRCRAFT, CHAMP Cargosystems and Aviareto.For further information, go to www.sita.aeroAbout Star AllianceThe Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, based on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition and seamless service. Since inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a focus on improving customer experience across the Alliance journey. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 12,000 daily flights to almost 1,300 airports in 197 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partners Juneyao Airlines and THAI Smile Airways.Visit our homepage or connect to us on social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/starallianceFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/starallianceInstagram: https://instagram.com/staralliance/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/starallianceYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/staralliancenetworkAbout NEC CorporationNEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.Source: NEC CorporationCopyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. LONDON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nord Anglia Education and UNICEF have entered into a new, three-year global partnership that will help support UNICEF to further develop learning materials on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and help Nord Anglia students gain the knowledge and skills required to make positive change within their communities. The UNICEF learning materials will be available to all teachers and students globally, as well as at Nord Anglia's 73 schools in 30 countries. The partnership's global programme includes: Tackling Global Sustainability Challenges through local action. Tasking students to think creatively and take action to tackle the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a local level. Tasking students to think creatively and take action to tackle the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a local level. Bringing young voices and views to the UN High Level Political Forum. Nord Anglia students will participate in a wide array of events during this important global leadership meeting, reporting on what Governments and young people are doing to take action on the SDGs and sharing their ideas with key policymakers from around the world. Nord Anglia students will participate in a wide array of events during this important global leadership meeting, reporting on what Governments and young people are doing to take action on the SDGs and sharing their ideas with key policymakers from around the world. Engaging young people in Student Leadership courses. Helping students to learn project management and develop good leadership and global citizenship skills. The partnership builds on Nord Anglia's work to date embedding the SDGs and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in all aspects of teaching and learning across its schools. June Kunugi, Director of Public Partnerships, UNICEF, said: "At UNICEF, we are committed to helping every child and youth globally to be equipped with the knowledge, tools and support to take action to protect the future of our communities and our planet. We are thankful to Nord Anglia Education for their global collaboration and support on our efforts to help children realise their rights and create a new generation of change-makers who are passionate about achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and a more sustainable and equal world for all." Andrew Fitzmaurice, Chief Executive Officer of Nord Anglia Education, said: "As educators we have an important responsibility to make sure the next generation are empowered to create a more equitable future for all. As our global partnership with UNICEF shows, we believe in giving young people an education that broadens their understanding of how they can impact important issues including sustainability and equality which equips them with the confidence, collaborative mind-set and leadership skills to make a positive change in their communities and the world at large." About Nord Anglia Education Nord Anglia Education (NAE) is the world's leading premium schools organisation, with 73 schools across 30 countries. Our schools go beyond traditional learning to deliver a high quality, transformational education to 67,000 students from kindergarten through to the end of secondary school. We offer multiple internationally recognised curriculums, including the English Curriculum, the International Baccalaureate, the Swiss Maturite and the US Curriculum, amongst others. Our global scale enables us to recruit and retain world-leading teachers and to offer our students unforgettable experiences through our partnerships with world-renowned institutions The Juilliard School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and UNICEF. As part of the NAE family, every student can connect and collaborate on our bespoke Global Campus platform to bring their learning to life beyond the classroom. Founded in 1972 in the United Kingdom, initially offering learning services such as English-as-a-foreign-language classes, NAE opened its first international school in 1992: the British School Warsaw. In the 2000s, NAE began a strategic focus on premium international schools, with rapid growth in Asia, the Americas, China and across Europe and the Middle East. In July 2019, the company relocated its headquarters from Hong Kong to London. For more information, please visit www.nordangliaeducation.com. About UNICEF UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) raises funds for UNICEF's emergency and development work for children. We also promote and protect children's rights in the UK and internationally. We are a UK charity, entirely funded by supporters. United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), Registered Charity No. 1072612 (England & Wales), SC043677 (Scotland). For more information visit unicef.org.uk. Follow UNICEF UK on Twitter , LinkedIn , Facebook and YouTube . Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1503193/Nord_Anglia_Education_Logo.jpg 48% of parents have visited a baby bank for baby supplies since lockdown LONDON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the nation emerges from 14 months of restrictions and challenges, a new study by Pampers reveals that lockdown has strengthened community spirit as neighbours and people in the local community became a source of strength for parents. According to the study, 74% of UK parents feel closer to their neighbours now than they did pre-lockdown. However, the research also revealed that 39% of parents struggled to get hold of nappies since March 2020, highlighted by the increasing reliance on baby banks as 48% of UK parents have had to access a baby bank at least once since the start of the pandemic. And, 18% have had to go on a weekly basis. 59% of parents who struggled to get hold of baby products said they could not get hold of baby products due to stock shortages in stores, while 43% struggled to get baby products to lack of supply online. The survey, of over 2,000 parents of 0-3-year-olds, is part of the Pampers Power of Local initiative. Championed by TV presenter Alex Jones, it will see the leading baby care brand encourage the nation to come together and help make babies' world better through the power of local which includes supporting local communities with local products made by local families. Alex Jones said, "The last 14 months have been a challenge for families across the country. But one of the few positives has been how people came together to support each other. Confined to their houses, parents found comfort in getting to know their neighbours, with socially distanced chats over the fence becoming more common than ever, which provided much needed moments of joy during a tough time. This is the spirit that we should capture and continue to build on post-lockdown, and Pampers is doing just that through the Power of Local." This sense of togetherness is set to endure as communities slowly begin to open, with 62% of parents saying they will continue to have a close relationship with neighbours and people in their community. The support for parents' local community stretches beyond helping neighbours as the pandemic unleashed a philanthropic spirit. Nearly half (47%) of the parents surveyed suggested they are more likely to donate or support charitable causes today compared to a year ago. While 45% support their local community more now than they did at the start of the pandemic. 3 in 5 parents cited the difficulty of the pandemic as the reason why supporting children and baby charities is important to them, with 46% saying they know families who have struggled to pay for access to baby products. This demonstrates a growing appetite for parents to be more involved in charitable causes that in turn will help other parents. Aileen Nathan, Pampers Vice President for UK, Ireland and Nordics, said; "As parents leaned on their local community for support, they forged links they hope will continue beyond lockdown. However, some parents struggled to get the products or services they really needed for their baby. With 93% of our nappies made right here in the UK, it is our pledge that a pack of Pampers will always be available when you need them for your little one. We are committed to supporting all parents during the parenting journey, and that doesn't just mean on shelf, it also means being there for those that need our products the most. We have a long-standing history of supporting local charities to ensure no baby goes without essential baby care products, such as nappies, and that has never been so pertinent than now. And with the help of our charity partner, Little Village, the leading baby bank charity in the UK, we'll be able to donate over half a million nappies to local baby banks across the UK." Sophie Livingstone MBE, CEO, Little Village said; "The demand for our support from families has dramatically increased in the last year, and sadly we don't expect to see it decreasing any time soon. In 2020 alone, we supported 5,534 children, almost double that of the previous year. That's why we're delighted that Pampers is helping to provide nappies for some of the families who need them most." Other notable results from the study include: 2 in 5 parents felt very lonely at times during the pandemic, which affected them raising their children. 24% had friends and neighbours in their childcare bubble. Over 1 in 4 parents shopped for their neighbours during lockdown. Aileen Nathan concluded; "Lockdown demonstrated the true community spirit of the UK which saw us all coming together to help those that needed it the most. For over 60 years our pledge has always been to support all babies, and those who care for them, to help make their world better. By manufacturing high-quality products locally that parents can trust, and through the donation of nappies to support families in need across the UK, Pampers is fulfilling on its promise to build a better world for babies of today and tomorrow." As part of this campaign, Pampers is working with a number of partners to help make babies' lives better across the UK. Parents can help when visiting the participating retailers*: Asda: When you buy any Pampers nappies or nappy pants at Asda in-store and online between 28/04/21 to 28/05/2, one nappy will be donated to Little Village. When you buy any Pampers nappies or nappy pants at Asda in-store and online between to 28/05/2, one nappy will be donated to Little Village. Tesco: When you buy any Pampers wipes, nappies or nappy pants at Tesco in-store and online between 03/05/21 and 24/05/21 , we will donate to Help NHS Heroes campaign to provide one-to-one mental health support for NHS staff. When you buy any Pampers wipes, nappies or nappy pants at Tesco in-store and online , we will donate to Help NHS Heroes campaign to provide one-to-one mental health support for NHS staff. Boots: When you buy any Pampers nappies or pants at Boots between 19/05/21 and 13/07/21 , we will donate to The Hygiene Bank to help distribute more products to more locations around the UK. About the survey: The research was carried out online by Research Without Barriers - RWB between 23rd April 2021 and 30th April 2021. The sample comprised 2,004 UK parents of children aged 0-3-years-old All research conducted adheres to the UK Market Research Society (MRS) code of conduct (2019) RWB is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and complies with the DPA (1998) *For T&Cs please visit retailers website or see in-store. About Pampers At Pampers, we believe in the power of working together - with parents, experts and our valued partners - to make babies' world better, today and in the future. That's why, for more than 50 years, parents have trusted Pampers to care for babies' happy, healthy development. Pampers is a part of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) and is the #1-selling nappy worldwide. Every day, more than 25 million babies in 100 countries around the world wear Pampers. Pampers offers a complete range of nappies/[diapers], wipes and training pants designed to provide protection and comfort for every stage of baby's development. Visit www.pampers.com to learn more about Pampers products, our latest innovations and for a chance to win rewards. Pampers, together we make babies' world better. For T&Cs please visit retailers website or see in-store). About Procter & Gamble P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always, Ambi Pur, Ariel, Bold, Braun, Daz, Fairy, Febreze, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Lenor, Olay, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene, Tampax, Venus and Vicks. Although headquartered in the US, P&G was founded by an Englishman and an Irishman in 1837, our heritage lives on through the work of around 2500 people across 10 sites, including R&D Centres, Manufacturing Plants and Business sites, across the UK & Ireland. Beyond our Purpose, Values & Principles, the foundation on which P&G was built and our guiding force for over 180 years, we aspire to be a force for good, and a force for growth. Through our citizenship priorities, we want to build a better world for all of us - inside and outside of P&G - free from gender bias, with equal voice and equal representation. Environmental sustainability is embedded into our business, and has been for decades, and we have a strong track record of delivering on our goals in this area. We support communities around the world through our people, our brands and our partners by delivering the comforts of home, health and hygiene. To learn more about P&G UK and Ireland, our brands, and our Citizenship programmes, please visit our website, download our Northern Europe Citizenship Report, or follow us on our social channels (Twitter @PGUK and Instagram @pgukandireland) About Little Village Little Village is like a foodbank, but for clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to the age of 5. We've grown to be one of the largest 'baby banks' in the UK, supporting over 11,000 children since we launched in 2016. Families are referred to us via a network of over 1,800 professionals such as midwives and social workers. Little Village's vision is that every child in the capital has the essential items they need to thrive. Find out more at www.littlevillagehq.org F: www.facebook.com/LittleVillageHQ I: www.instagram.com/LittleVillageHQ T: www.twitter.com/LittleVillageHQ Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1533793/Pampers_Factory.jpg ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EU-funded projects Flying Forward 2020, AiRMOUR and AURORA, have initiated a collaborative network of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) development programmes. This new coalition creates fan end-to-end chain of Urban Air Mobility innovations and developments to improve the current urban airspace transport system in European cities. The Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry in Europe has grown rapidly in recent years, owing to Research and Development (R&D) investments from organisations, academia, governments and the European Commission. The goal of these R&D activities is to provide cities with safe and efficient solutions, resulting in reduced carbon footprint. Using very-low altitude zero emission passenger or cargo-carrying drones enables cities to improve the quality of life of their citizens. Together towards sustainable and safe UAM Currently, there is an urban airspace ecosystem consisting of various initiatives and EU-funded projects, working independently or in smaller networks on developing and incorporating these solutions to different sectors of city infrastructures and regulatory frameworks. However, for this ecosystem to become sustainable and have a long-term impact on European cities and their inhabitants, there is a need to establish a more comprehensive coalition. Combining efforts offers an opportunity to gain a broader perspective, resulting in an integral vision and better aligned outcomes. The common purpose of this collaborative network - supported by UAM initiatives SESAR JU and UIC2 - is not only to establish an ecosystem of Urban Air Mobility solutions, but also to increase stakeholder and public knowledge and acceptance of these new developments and solutions. It also provides opportunities to exploit the synergy between each project and the associated demonstrator cities. Joining forces provides benefits to all parties of this ever-expanding coalition and facilitates the strengthening of these relationships. Joint activities of this network will include the following tasks: Developing public and private partnerships (PPP) with Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) industrialists, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operators, infrastructure developers, local governments and regulators to further develop and incorporate very-low altitude UAS transport Consolidating current UAM activities to form a community of knowledge transfer and engagement-building practices Unifying stakeholder management processes to organise, monitor and improve relationships with stakeholders to achieve a successful positioning of this UAM ecosystem globally Connecting urban airspace experts from different sectors of the ecosystem to facilitate crossover industry innovation and knowledge transfer In the coming years the projects will showcase interesting real-life demonstrations, state of the art technologies and will work on improving UAM regulatory frameworks. Seeking open dialogue with the EU and stakeholders Regulation can be swiftly outpaced by technology. As urban airspace operations are continuously evolving, valid questions regarding safety and possible bottlenecks will continue to be raised, which is why it remains imperative to maintain an open dialogue with European Member States and regulating bodies. This collaborative network builds, integrates and aligns technology, along with EU-compliant interoperability, governance model and legal frameworks. This will help to address any concerns in a unified approach for a common purpose. Joining forces also delivers a unique opportunity to craft an efficient urban airspace transport system building on living lab results. The knowledge gained from these demonstrators makes it possible for cities to achieve decreased pollution levels, reduced transportation time, less congestion on the ground and improved emergency medical services, to name a few. Raising awareness and expanding knowledge of UAM Ultimately, the focal ambition of this collaborative network between FF2020, AiRMOUR and AURORA is to expand knowledge and awareness in cities and increase public acceptance of Urban Air Mobility developments. The mutual goal is to break through current European environmental, societal, economic and technological barriers in order to positively impact the lives of all members of all European communities. Stay informed with all the new developments of this collaborative network by visiting the sibling project websites and social media accounts. The next joint statement will be published in September to announcing joining sibling projects, as well as to elaborate on shared activities and approach. To become part of this collaborative network, contact: Consortium: Flying Forward 2020 Name: Lisa van der Heijden Email: lisa@digie.expert For questions regarding the projects, contact: Consortium: Flying Forward 2020 Name: Nathy Ercol Email: nathy@digie.expert Consortium: AURORA Name: Sandra Lima Email: sandra.lima@epf.eu Consortium: AiRMOUR Website: www.airmour.eu Websites: FF2020: www.ff2020.eu AiRMOUR: www.airmour.eu AURORA: www.aurora-uam.eu LOS ANGELES, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Emad Rajaie, who in 2019 joined asset manager DoubleLine Capital LP to head of the firm's Middle East relationship management, has been assigned the additional responsibility to manage the firm's relations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and continental Europe. Mr. Rajaie reports to Ron Redell, President of DoubleLine Group. "The European market is of strategic importance to DoubleLine's international business," Mr. Redell said. "Emad brings a wealth of experience working with institutional investors and consultants outside North America. He will enhance DoubleLine's ability to provide investment solutions to European investors and consultants in Europe. With his appointment, DoubleLine will continue to thoughtfully expand its presence in the region and work with its partners to best meet European investor needs." Mr. Rajaie has 16 years of experience in the financial sector. In April 2019, he came to DoubleLine from PIMCO where he worked for 10 years, based in London, and was co-head of the fixed-income investment manager's business in the Middle East and Africa. Before PIMCO, Mr. Rajaie served as a consultant at Booz & Company (now part of PricewaterhouseCoopers) and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), an MBA from Saint Louis University (Saint Louis, MO) and a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from Concordia University (Montreal, Canada). "I look forward to working with DoubleLine's senior leadership and our partners to expand our footprint in Europe," Mr. Rajaie said. "The firm has done an exceptional job building a robust investment platform and process to serve our clients around the globe. My role will be to further our reach in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, working with clients to navigate the rather challenging market environment ahead." About DoubleLine Capital LP DoubleLine Capital LP is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. DoubleLine's offices can be reached by telephone at (213) 633-8200 or by e-mail at info@doubleline.com. As of the March 31 close of the first quarter of 2021, DoubleLine Capital LP and its related entities managed $135 billion in assets across all vehicles, including open-end mutual funds, collective investment trusts, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, hedge funds, variable annuities, UCITS and separate accounts. News media can reach DoubleLine by e-mail at media@doubleline.com. DoubleLine is a registered trademark of DoubleLine Capital LP. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/752903/DoubleLine_Logo.jpg NEW YORK, HONG KONG and LONDON, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hazeltree, the leading provider of integrated treasury management and portfolio finance solutions for investment managers, today announced that Guotai Junan International ("GTJAI", Stock Code: 1788.HK), major overseas platform of Guotai Junan Securities ("GTJA", Stock Code: 601211.SS; 2611.HK) who is a comprehensive financial provider with a long-term, sustainable and leading position in the Chinese securities industry, has implemented Hazeltree as its treasury management solution. Hazeltree is delighted to announce its first major client with strong ties to its parent company in China, an identified key expansion market. To support its continued growth, GTJAI has implemented Hazeltree to centralize cash and treasury management, improve operational efficiencies and strengthen internal controls. GTJAI has partnered with Hazeltree to automate manual processes around cash balance aggregation across banking counterparties, streamline cash movements and workflows, standardize and strengthen approval processes, and improve cash forecasting and loans management. GTJAI partnered with Hazeltree to: Improve client support and satisfaction with Hazeltree's streamlined treasury solution; Leverage Hazeltree's industry-specific treasury solution, designed exclusively for financial services firms; Realize process improvements and efficiencies by reducing errors, speed to quality information for decision support, and risk by replacing legacy, manual spreadsheets; and, Gain competitive market advantage through adoption of Hazeltree's latest FinTech innovations and approach to treasury management. "With our continued business success, GTJAI is focused on partnering with the latest FinTech providers to support our goals," said GTJAI Managing Director, Head of Treasury Department George Wong. "Hazeltree delivers on the technology promise, while simultaneously elevating treasury to a strategic function. With Hazeltree, we are streamlining our cash management function, client service model, and decision making, while improving controls and reducing risks." "Simply put: technology drives success and competitive advantage and Hazeltree's technology has delivered on its promise," said GTJAI IT Director Jason Lam. "Working with Hazeltree's team has been a true partnership and we are looking forward to expanding our relationship as we continue to grow our business." "We are very focused on growing our business in Asia and having GTJAI as our first client headquartered in China reflects the confidence that clients have in us, and our commitment to the region," said Sameer Shalaby, Hazeltree's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our focus on delivering new and unique treasury technology designed specifically for our industry is a clear differentiator of our mission versus other providers." About GTJAI Guotai Junan International. About Hazeltree Hazeltree is the leading cloud-based treasury management solution provider, serving hedge funds, private markets, asset managers, fund administrators, financial institutions and pension funds with powerful, proactive performance enhancement and risk mitigation capabilities that generate alpha from operations, reduce a range of liquidity and funding risks and streamline operations. Hazeltree's integrated treasury management solution includes comprehensive cash management, securities finance, collateral and margin management, and counterparty management. Hazeltree is headquartered in New York with offices in London and Hong Kong. Visit www.hazeltree.com or contact info@hazeltree.com for more information. For more information contact: Marshall Saffer msaffer@hazeltree.com 917.797.2603 TEMECULA, Calif., June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nikkiso Cryogenic Industries' Clean Energy & Industrial Gases Group ("Group"), a subsidiary of Nikkiso Co., Ltd (Japan), is proud to announce they have signed an agreement for Asas Aljood to become the Authorized Service Provider for Nikkiso Cryogenic Services (NCS) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With the growth of the Middle East market, this agreement allows the Group to extend their regional presence for the industrial gases, hydrogen, natural gas processing and petrochemical industries. Beginning July 1, 2021, Asas Aljood will utilize their local workshops to offer aftermarket service and support for both pumps and turbo expanders including packaging, repairs, spare parts and field service. Based in Dammam, Asas Aljood will serve to strengthen our existing regional presence in addition to the Group's Middle East operation in Sharjah (UAE). "The newly formed partnership with Nikkiso and Asas Aljood gives us strong regional presence in Saudi Arabia and strengthens our ability to better serve the Middle East markets," according to Jim Estes, President, Nikkiso Cryogenic Services. "I am looking forward to continuing to provide Nikkiso's customers top quality service and support by eliminating costly downtime to their operations and processes." Asas Aljood is a leading provider of support and maintenance services in the oil & gas, petrochemical and energy industries, among others. ABOUT CRYOGENIC INDUSTRIES Cryogenic Industries, Inc. (now a member of Nikkiso Co., Ltd.) member companies manufacture engineered cryogenic gas processing equipment and small-scale process plants for the liquefied natural gas (LNG), well services and industrial gas industries. Founded over 50 years ago, Cryogenic Industries is the parent company of ACD, Cosmodyne and Cryoquip and a commonly-controlled group of approximately 20 operating entities. For more information please visit www.nikkisoCEIG.com and www.nikkiso.com . MEDIA CONTACT: Anna Quigley +1.951.383.3314 aquigley@cryoind.com REWE Group, Viola Growth Investment Takes Trigo's Total Funding Over $100M Trigo, an Israel-based computer vision company disrupting retail with frictionless checkout technology, has today announced an investment from German retail giant REWE Group, and Viola Growth, a top Israeli tech investment firm. The new investments take Trigo's total fundraising to over $100M. Trigo is also announcing its new partnership with REWE Group to deliver a "grab-and-go" shopping experience to REWE customers in a new store in downtown Cologne. REWE, Germany's second largest grocery retailer with 3,700 stores, is the second major European grocer to both open frictionless stores with Trigo and invest in the startup, following Tesco PLC's similar moves in 2020. REWE is the first grocery retailer in Germany to implement a checkout-free experience under real conditions. This builds on Trigo's ongoing work with Tesco PLC, the largest grocery retailer in the UK, and Shufersal, Israel's largest supermarket chain. Smart checkout solutions are expected to process nearly $400 billion of transactions by 2025, according to Juniper Research. Trigo's analysis of Kantar supermarket data shows there are around 500,000 convenience and small grocery stores worldwide that have the potential to be retrofitted with AI-based frictionless technology. Around 120,000 of them are in the EU alone. Michael Gabay, Trigo co-founder and CEO said: "Trigo is immensely proud and honored to be deepening its partnership with REWE Group, one of Europe's biggest and most innovative grocery retailers. REWE have placed their trust in Trigo's privacy-by-design architecture, and we look forward to bringing this exciting technology to German grocery shoppers. We are also looking forward to working with Viola Growth, an iconic investment firm backing some of Israel's top startups." Christoph Eltze, Executive Board Member Digital, Customer Analytics REWE Group, said: "With today's rapid technological developments, it is crucial to find the right partners. REWE Group is investing in its partnership with Trigo, who we believe is one of the leading companies in computer vision technologies for smart stores." Eran Westman, Partner at Viola Growth, said: "Frictionless shopping is rapidly becoming a ubiquitous demand among retailers all over the world. We've been following Trigo for the past several years and we believe their superior technology and unique offering to top retailers positions them to lead this category and change the way people shop all over the world". Founded in 1927, REWE operates over 3,700 stores in Germany and employs over 161,000 people. It's partnership with Trigo is run out of REWE digital's Research Innovation Department. REWE's new store near Cologne's Neumarkt, implements Trigo's GDPR compliant, privacy-by-design AI architecture and is compliant with Germany's rigorous data protection legislation. Trigo's technology does not use facial recognition, nor does it capture biometric data or hold any direct identifiers of customers. The system recognizes shoppers' movement while they're in the store but does not know who they are at any stage. About Trigo Trigo is a computer vision startup leveraging world class AI and algorithmics experts to build an advanced retail automation platform which identifies customers' shopping items with exceptional levels of accuracy, creating an entirely seamless checkout process. Trigo works closely with retailers to convert their existing stores while maintaining their unique character and layout and leveraging their physical grocery scale to roll out next-generation offerings securely. Trigo offers grocery retailers a range of additional solutions powered by its 3D engine model called StoreOS, including predictive inventory management, pricing optimization, security and fraud prevention, planogram compliance, and event-driven marketing. This layer quickly enables actionable insight that boosts the chain's efficiency. Please visit Trigo for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005345/en/ Contacts: Contact information Trigo PR: Amir Mizroch amir@orangegrovecomms.com REWE PR Communication E-Commerce Andreas Wegner Press and PR manager presse@rewe-digital.com Viola Merav Meluban meravm@viola-group.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / Pampa Metals Corp. ("Pampa Metals" or the "Company") (CSE:PM)(FSE:FIRA)(OTCQB:PMMCF) is pleased to announce that it has mobilised a reverse circulation ("RC") drill rig to its 100% owned Redondo-Veronica project in northern Chile. The Company plans to drill approximately 2,000 metres out of a total planned program of 4,000 metres, with the balance to be drilled at its Cerro Buenos Aires project. Drilling is expected to start later this week. The Company plans to complete an initial drill test totalling 5 or 6 RC holes at the Redondo Extremo Norte, Cerro Redondo Norte, and Redondo SurOeste targets at its 6,600-hectare Redondo-Veronica project. These targets are characterised by a combination of geological, hydrothermal alteration, and geophysical features that have been interpreted to be representative of porphyry copper systems. The Cerro Redondo Norte target has been the subject of an historic drilling program with unknown results. Drilling Program As previously reported (see news releases dated February 25, 2021; March 23, 2021; and June 2, 2021), Pampa Metals has been advancing rapidly with its exploration program on several of its projects, with detailed geological mapping, geophysical surveying, and incorporation of historic data where available. Five centers of phyllic hydrothermal alteration, which are potentially indicative of porphyry copper style mineralisation, have been identified at Redondo-Veronica, all of which are spatially associated with the Pampa Elvira Fault (PEF) of the Domeyko Fault System, and that traverses the project area from northwest to southeast. Three of the five targets have been selected for an initial drill test to investigate the hydrothermal alteration in the third dimension at depth, which have favourable geophysical features including magnetotelluric resistive, 3D vector IP phase, and magnetic anomalies. Redondo Extremo Norte occurs in the extreme north of the property and to the east of the PEF, and is characterised by "D"-type quartz veinlets associated with phyllic alteration over an area of approximately 1.5 km by 1.5 km. This is considered to be indicative of a well-preserved porphyry copper system, and includes 1 peripheral historic RC drill hole of unknown provenance and result, and remains open. occurs in the extreme north of the property and to the east of the PEF, and is characterised by "D"-type quartz veinlets associated with phyllic alteration over an area of approximately 1.5 km by 1.5 km. This is considered to be indicative of a well-preserved porphyry copper system, and includes 1 peripheral historic RC drill hole of unknown provenance and result, and remains open. Cerro Redondo Norte contains an area of historical exploration interest, with several drill platforms and evidence of completed RC drill holes of unknown provenance and results over an area of approximately 800m x 800m, within a larger area of hydrothermal alteration some 2 km NE-SW by 1.5 km NW-SE in size. This area is located to the west of the PEF and although outcrop is poor, contains evidence indicative of porphyry copper systems including widespread phyllic alteration with spaced "D" type quartz veinlets, NW and NE trending quartz-sericite-pyrite structures, tourmaline flooding, and some evidence for the presence of "A" type quartz veinlets. Historic drill cuttings left at surface reveal the presence of pyrite and copper oxides. contains an area of historical exploration interest, with several drill platforms and evidence of completed RC drill holes of unknown provenance and results over an area of approximately 800m x 800m, within a larger area of hydrothermal alteration some 2 km NE-SW by 1.5 km NW-SE in size. This area is located to the west of the PEF and although outcrop is poor, contains evidence indicative of porphyry copper systems including widespread phyllic alteration with spaced "D" type quartz veinlets, NW and NE trending quartz-sericite-pyrite structures, tourmaline flooding, and some evidence for the presence of "A" type quartz veinlets. Historic drill cuttings left at surface reveal the presence of pyrite and copper oxides. Redondo SurOeste corresponds to sericite-chlorite veinlets identified to the southwest of Cerro Redondo Norte, which have a spatial relationship with a poorly exposed zone of quartz "A" type veinlets with the presence of copper oxides oriented on a NE-SW trend. This area is provisionally interpreted as a northeast oriented porphyry system, approximately 1.8 km long by 1.2 km wide, located between two N-S branches of the Pampa Elvira Fault. The area of interest shows no evidence of historical drilling. Once drill testing at Redondo-Veronica has been completed, estimated at around 1 month, the drill rig and support crews will be mobilised to the Company's Cerro Buenos Aires project, and specifically the Cerro Chiquitin target area in the north of the property, where a further 2,000 metres of drilling will be completed. Assay results are expected to be available some 3 weeks after the drill program is completed at each project area. Pampa Metals continues to advance exploration on other projects within its portfolio, and a drone-flown magnetics survey is currently in progress at the Company's Block 3 project. Qualified Person Technical information in this news release has been approved by Mario Orrego G, Geologist and a Registered Member of the Chilean Mining Commission and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Orrego is a consultant to the Company. COVID-19 The global outbreak of COVID-19 has led governments worldwide to enact emergency measures to combat the spread of the virus. Such measures may result in a period of business disruption including reduced operations, which could have a material adverse impact on the Company's results of operations, financial condition and the market and trading price of the Company's securities. As of the date of this news release, the duration and immediate and eventual impact of the COVID-19 pandemic remains unknown. It is not possible to reliably estimate the length and severity of these developments and the impact on the financial results and condition of the Company. The outbreak of COVID-19 has not caused significant disruptions to the Company's business to date, with field activities being conducted by Chile-based specialists and consultants, although international travel to Chile for management is currently not practical. Important business communication is largely reliant on digital media. However, the COVID-19 outbreak may yet cause disruptions to the Company's business and operational plans. ABOUT PAMPA METALS Pampa Metals is a Canadian company listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE:PM) as well as the Frankfurt (FSE:FIRA) and OTC (OTCPK:PMMCF) exchanges. Pampa Metals owns a highly prospective 59,000-hectare portfolio of eight projects for copper and gold located along proven mineral belts in Chile, one of the world's top mining jurisdictions. The Company has a vision to create value for shareholders and all other stakeholders by making a major copper discovery along the prime mineral belts of Chile, using the best geological and technological methods. For more information, please visit Pampa Metals' website www.pampametals.com. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Barcelona, 16 June 2021: Today Adevinta kicks off its third Women in Leadership programme, a year-long accelerated development scheme designed to get more talented, high-potential women ready to succeed in leadership roles. This year, the 2021 Women in Leadership programme will expand to three new cohorts of 20 women from 9 countries, taking the original programme of 18 participants to more than 75 talented women professionals. The programme will also be extended to employees from the eBay Classifieds Group ('eCG'), subject to the closing of Adevinta's proposed acquisition of eCG. Sponsored by the Senior Executive team, last year's programme adapted quickly and continued virtually through Covid without interruption, with the second cohort completing in November 2020. Women from this programme have registered an 11% promotion rate of role expansion, (and 31% in 2019), compared to the company average of less than 5%. Commenting on the programme, Nicki Dexter, Senior Vice President, People & Communications at Adevinta said: "Developing and retaining talented women will always be a cornerstone of Adevinta's success. Beyond promoting our women leaders to the next level, we hope to offer them the right support and training to equip them with the skills to face more complex and challenging work situations. Businesses often underestimate the different pressures that women may encounter in front-line managerial positions, and this can deter them from progressing further with their career aspirations. We want to support our talented women to achieve their professional ambitions." The 75 women professionals were selected from across Adevinta's central team and from 10 local marketplaces, spanning 11 countries, which include: Adevinta Hungary, Jojofas, (Hungary), Leboncoin (France), Distilled SCH (Ireland), Kufar (Belarus), Segundamano (Mexico), Subito (Italy), OLX Brazil, (Brazil), Willhaben (Austria), and six brands in Spain - Milanuncios, Fotocasa, Habitaclia, InfoJobs, Coches.net, Motos.net. Women in Leadership Sponsor, CEO of Adevinta Spain, Gianpaolo Santorsola, said: "As a diverse group of local brands, we speak different languages, operate in different ways, and we embrace our diversity. I am strongly convinced that our talented women leaders are what makes Adevinta stronger as an organisation. As an ally and a fervid advocate of equality, having the opportunity to be involved in a project that nurtures our female leaders of tomorrow, for me, is a huge privilege." Herenia Casas, Head of Customer Satisfaction, participated in the programme in 2018 and is now responsible for a large team of professionals and supports clients across Fotocasa, Habitaclia, Coches.net, InfoJobs, and Milanuncios with problem-solving, moderating advertisements, supplying products and services. She said: "My journey started with an assessment to identify my strengths and development needs. The scheme offered an intense learning opportunity that helped me define my working and leadership style. "Having the opportunity to share challenges, experiences and stories with other women in similar positions across the business has opened a world of opportunity for me. With this supportive group of like-minded women behind me, I feel empowered to navigate this new and complex stage in my career." Nicki Dexter concludes: "Adevinta's proposed acquisition of eCG will involve a compelling investment in terms of broadening our diverse pool of talent from across the two companies. To ensure that Adevinta remains at the forefront of recruiting the best people, we are continuing to invest substantially in belonging & inclusion initiatives, improving our employees' experience and enhancing our appeal as an employer of choice." - End- Notes to Editors Media contacts: Melodie Laroche Head of Corporate Communications T: +33 About Adevinta Adevinta is a global online classifieds specialist, operating digital marketplaces in 9 countries. The company provides technology-based services to connect buyers with sellers and to facilitate transactions, from job offers to real estate, cars, consumer goods and more. Adevinta's portfolio includes more than 30 digital products and websites, attracting 1.3 billion average monthly visits. Leading brands include top-ranked leboncoin in France, InfoJobs and Milanuncios in Spain, and 50% of fast-growing OLX Brazil. Adevinta spun off from Schibsted ASA and publicly listed in Oslo, Norway in 2019. Adevinta is majority owned by Schibsted ASA and employs 4,700 people committed to supporting users and customers daily. Find out more at Adevinta.com. RELEX's automated store-specific planogramming solution will be implemented at Carrefour stores across the Middle East, Africa and Asia Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has partnered with RELEX Solutions, provider of unified retail planning solutions, to optimize on-shelf inventory for individual stores based on local demand via automated store-specific planogramming. Through this partnership, RELEX will service all of Carrefour's 350 stores across 17 countries that are part of Majid Al Futtaim Retail's growing regional portfolio. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005360/en/ Majid Al Futtaim Partners with RELEX to Tailor On-Shelf Inventory Across Carrefour Stores (Photo: Business Wire) RELEX's advanced, automated planogramming solution allows Majid Al Futtaim to save time and optimize their processes to align with local demand patterns and fixtures. With RELEX, Majid Al Futtaim will be able to improve store efficiency while boosting sales and customer satisfaction, and customers will always find the right items at the right time in the right location. Initially, RELEX will be rolled out to Carrefour stores in the United Arab Emirates. The solution will be expanded to support Majid Al Futtaim's other markets as the project continues. "We are excited to support Majid Al Futtaim in their mission to improve Carrefour customer experience through localized assortments," says Bertrand Henry, Senior Account Executive at RELEX Solutions. "We look forward to accompanying them in their journey toward automated and unified planning processes." "Through this partnership, we are looking forward to helping Majid Al Futtaim realize their vision of improved efficiency and customer service through the use of our state-of-the-art technology," says Franck Westrelin, VP Sales Southern Europe MENA at RELEX Solutions. "Our experience in grocery retail and the flexibility of our solution are key factors in Carrefour's mastery of optimization in multiple markets." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005360/en/ Contacts: Elisa Bonaldi Marketing Manager RELEX Solutions Phone: +39 1416262 Email: elisa.bonaldi@relexsolutions.com AMSTERDAM, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NORGINE B.V. (Norgine) a leading European specialist pharmaceutical company and Beijing Podconley Pharmaceutical Technology & Development Co., Ltd. (Beijing Podconley), today announced an exclusive distribution agreement by which Beijing Podconley will commercialise Norgine's product PLENVU in China. Norgine will receive upfront payments and undisclosed milestone payments, along with double-digit percentage royalties. PLENVU is a lower-volume (1L) polyethylene glycol (PEG) based bowel preparation indicated for bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy in adults. It is the first lower-volume bowel preparation to show superior segmental cleansing of the colon vs. standard of care.[1] Christopher Bath, Chief Operating Officer of Norgine commented, "We are proud to help more than 22 million patients every year to live better and healthier lives. Our ambition is to continue to serve many more patients in the years to come. This successful deal strengthens our business as a leading European specialist pharmaceutical company and our capability to deliver our commitment to patients worldwide." Jinping Lin, General Manager of Beijing Podconley added, "At Beijing Podconley our mission is to deliver real value to patients to address unmet clinical needs. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in China, and the incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing year by year. There is still a gap in the survival rate of colorectal cancer in China compared with Europe and America. Therefore, we are honoured to be able to introduce PLENVU in China so as to help save lives." PLENVU is currently commercialised in Europe, Australia and New Zealand by Norgine affiliates, in South Korea by Norgine's partner Korea Pharma and in the USA by Norgine's partner Bausch Health US.[2] In addition, Norgine has partnered for PLENVU with: Bausch Health US in Canada Swixx Biopharma in Central and Eastern Europe including Bosnia and Herzegovina , Bulgaria , Croatia , Czech Republic , Hungary , Kosovo , Montenegro , North Macedonia , Poland , Romania , Serbia, Slovakia , and Slovenia including , , , , , , , , , , Serbia, , and Pharmacare Limited T/A Aspen Pharmacare in the Republic of South Africa , Lesotho , Eswatini, Botswana and Namibia , , Eswatini, and Faes Farma S.A. in Chile , Colombia , Costa Rica , Dominican Republic , Ecuador , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , Mexico , Nicaragua , Panama and Peru For further information on PLENVU in the EU visit: www.expertiseincolonoscopy.com/plenvu. www.norgine.com Follow us @norgine About PLENVU PLENVU, Powder for Oral Solution (PEG 3350, Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Chloride, and Potassium Chloride), is indicated in adults for bowel cleansing prior to any procedure requiring a clean bowel. PLENVU, Summary of Product Characteristics. Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/8578/smpcgref Accessed April 2021. About Colorectal Cancer and colonoscopy Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality world-wide.[3] Colorectal cancer is largely preventable, with early detection being associated with a 90% cure rate.[4] Colonoscopy is an effective method for colorectal cancer screening and has been shown to reduce both the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer when applied in the general population. Inadequate pre-colonoscopy bowel cleansing reduces the diagnostic accuracy of colonoscopy, particularly for the detection of smaller lesions and sessile (slightly flattened) polyps. This may result in repeated procedures, thereby potentially increasing patient burden, resource requirement and costs and can possibly delay the initiation of treatment.[5],[6],[7] About Norgine Norgine is a leading European specialist pharmaceutical company that has been bringing transformative medicines to patients for over a century. Our commitment to transforming people's lives drives everything we do and our European experience, fully integrated infrastructure and exceptional partnership approach enables us to quickly apply creative solutions to bring life-changing medicines to patients that they may not otherwise be able to access. Norgine is proud to have helped 22 million patients around the world in 2020 and generated 448 million in net product sales, a growth of 7% over 2019. Norgine has a direct presence in 12 European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand. We also have a strong global network of partnerships in non-Norgine markets. We are a flexible and fully integrated pharmaceutical business, with manufacturing (Hengoed, Wales and Dreux, France), third party supply networks and significant product development capabilities, in addition to our sales and marketing infrastructure. This enables us to acquire, develop and commercialise specialist and innovative products that make a real difference to the lives of patients around the world. In 2012, Norgine established Norgine Ventures, a complementary business which supports innovative healthcare companies through the provision of debt-like financing in Europe and the US. For more information, please visit www.norgineventures.com NORGINE and the sail logo are trademarks of the Norgine group of companies. About Beijing Podconley Beijing Podconley is committed to building a portfolio of perioperative care including preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative care products. We aim to develop safe, effective and value added products for improving patients' quality of life during the perioperative period. To enrich our portfolio, in addition to our own development of modified drugs, Podconley is also in pursuit of license-in and collaborations with partners. Podconley used to be an R&D subsidiary company of Gloria Pharmaceuticals. Having started as an R&D company, Podconley focused on developing technology for insoluble drug injection and has established a fat emulsion technology platform, which is well-known in China. Podconley became a split-off company from Gloria in 2018 and received an investment by Jingfeng Pharmaceuticals which accelerated its business further. References [1] Repici A., Amlani B., Uebel P., Schreiber S. Superior high-quality colon cleansing with 1L NER1006 versus sodium picosulfate + magnesium citrate, 2L polyethylene glycol + ascorbate, or oral sulfate solution: Post hoc pooled analysis of three randomised phase 3 clinical trials. P0159. Monday 22 October. 12:30 - 13:30 CET. UEGW 2018 [2] In Austria, Spain and the Netherlands it is known as PLEINVUE rather than PLENVU March 2018. Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/31722. Accessed April 2021 [3] World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer Accessed April 2021 [4] American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/detection.html Accessed April 2021 [5] Bechtold ML, Mir F, Puli SR et al. Optimizing bowel preparation for colonoscopy: a guide to enhance quality of visualization. Ann Gastroenterol 2016; 29: 137 - 146 [6] Brenner H, Stock C, Hoffmeister M. Effect of screening sigmoidoscopy and screening colonoscopy on colorectal cancer incidence and mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials and observational studies. BMJ 2014; 348: g2467 [7] Baxter NN, Warren JL, Barrett MJ et al. Association between colonoscopy and colorectal cancer mortality in a US cohort according to site of cancer and colonoscopist specialty. J Clin Oncol 2012; 30: 2664 - 2669 [8] National Cancer Center China Expert Group of the Development of China Guide line for the Screening Early Detection and Early Treatment of Colorectal Cancer. China Guideline for the Screening Early Detection and Early Treatment of Colorectal Cancer (2020 Beijing).China Cancer 2021;30(1): 1 - 28 [9] CHEN Xilin, JIANG Guodan, LI Dongbing et al. Consensus of Experts on Clinical Application of Electronic Sigmoidoscopy ( 2020 Edition).J Clin Med in Practice 2020;24(16):1 - 7,11 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/597589/Norgine_Logo.jpg STOCKHOLM, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Intrum publishes the 23rd edition of the European Payment Report*. According to the report, half of the companies surveyed are lucky to have survived 2020. At the same time, reality did not turn out as gloomy as expected, partially due to government support, but also with new, digital business models gaining ground. Nevertheless, many companies are under pressure and are now hungry for a new phase of growth. "Despite government support having prevented businesses from failing, half of the surveyed companies acknowledge that they are lucky to have survived 2020. On the other hand, many have excelled through digitalisation of their business models and more robust credit management practices - and they are thriving. A large part of European businesses are enthusiastic about the future, planning bold strategic initiatives as well as securing cash flow and liquidity. But the true impact of the pandemic on payment behaviour remains to be seen. Many companies have never been as concerned about their debtors' ability to pay as they are now," says Anders Engdahl, President and CEO of Intrum. Although the pandemic turned the world upside down and caused widespread economic turbulence, Intrum's European Payment Report 2021 finds that 45 per cent of business leaders today are more positive about growth than they have been for many years and are embarking on major strategic initiatives. Among small and medium-sized enterprises 39 per cent state that they have accelerated the digitalisation of their businesses due to Covid-19. At the same time, the true impact of the pandemic on payment behaviour is not yet fully known. State aid in combination with businesses' increasing reluctance to negotiate longer payment terms has supported liquidity over the past year. A majority of respondents (62 per cent) state that they have never been as concerned about their debtors' ability to pay. The report suggests that 66 per cent of all European businesses foresee a considerable risk of late and non-payments growing and as government support is withdrawn, the situation will become more challenging. Payment behaviour is masked by government support - although this is not the full picture However, European companies have not only survived due to government support and technology development. The report shows that businesses have adopted a more proactive approach to how they mitigate liquidity squeeze and the risk of late payments. More than six in 10 (65 per cent) of small and medium sized companies say that the pandemic has encouraged them to improve in this area, compared to 46 per cent large corporations. Furthermore, in 2021 to date, there has been a 20 per cent drop from the previous year in companies that have accepted longer payment terms than they are comfortable with to maintain customer relationships. Businesses see late payments as a societal issue, call for a society-wide solution In light of Covid-19, business executives do foresee uncertainty for several years to come. Around half of those who have seen their profits decline say it will be 2022 or 2023 until they see a return to business as normal. However, 73 per cent of businesses across Europe expect the vaccine to have a positive impact on their performance during the second half of 2021. The concern today compared to last year's report, is less about ensuring survival and more about enabling growth and hiring new employees. More than a third of the respondents (37 per cent) say that late payments are prohibiting growth. As many as 70 per cent claim that faster payments from their debtors would enable them to invest in improving their sustainability performance and pursue innovation through digital strategies. Many companies believe that individual action will not be enough to deal with late payments but see them as a societal issue which should be reflected in new, pan-European legislation.Finally, the report shows that economic recovery is highly dependent on the responsible handling of payments, sound credit management, and access to a level playing field. Sustainable cash flows and long-term profitability are more important than ever to enable companies to grasp the significant growth potential that they see on the horizon. Download the full report at www.intrum.com/epr2021 About the survey: *The European Payment Report describes the impact of late payments on businesses' outlook, growth, and development. Intrum gathered data from 11,187 small, medium and large companies across 29 European countries covering 11 industry sectors. The report was compiled between 25 January and 16 April 2021. For further information, please contact: Anna Fall Chief Brand & Communications Officer +46 (0)709 96 98 anna.fall@intrum.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/intrum/r/european-businesses-see-outlook-improving---now-hungry-for-growth,c3367550 The following files are available for download: SAN FRANCISCO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global digital patient monitoring devices market size is expected to reach USD 446.0 billion by 2028, based on a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 23.5% from 2021 to 2028. The growth of the market is driven by the rapid adoption of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) solutions, technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and Internet-of-things (IoT), and new product launches. Furthermore, rising per capita income and growing awareness among patients are anticipated to positively impact the market. Key Insights & Findings: The wearable devices segment dominated the market in terms of revenue share in 2020. Growing demand for home-based medical care, increasing penetration of IoT-based medical equipment, and growing expenditure on healthcare across are propelling the growth of the segment The diagnostic monitoring devices segment held the maximum portion of the market in 2020 owing to the rising prevalence of diabetes and drastic increase in demand for pulse oximeter as a result of COVID-19 North America dominated the market in 2020. The rapid adoption of RPM in hospitals and clinics, strong government support, and new product launches are attributable to the prominent share of the region The APAC region is anticipated to witness lucrative growth during the forecast period owing to the rising geriatric population and increasing smartphone penetration In February 2021 , Philips acquired BioTelemetry, Inc.-a remote cardiac diagnostics solution provider to strengthen its position in the industry Access 141 page market research report, "Digital Patient Monitoring Devices Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Wireless Sensor Technology, mHealth, Telehealth, Wearable Devices, Remote Patient Monitoring), By Product, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028", By Grand Vie Furthermore, the growing number of startup businesses and increasing funding for them is expected to bode well with the market. Active government measures for expanding the coverage for RPM, mHealth, and telehealth have accelerated the shift towards digital health. As a result, a plethora of startup companies have started to utilize this opportunity. For example, in August 2020, Optimize Systems Inc. raised USD 15.6 million to expand its RPM platform. This is likely to favor the growth of the market. "The COVID-19 Pandemic played a pivotal role in the growth of the digital patient monitoring devices market, wherein, medical professionals started attending and monitoring their patients remotely." The COVID- pandemic has significantly increased the demand for remote monitoring and patient engagement solutions such as multiparameter, temperature, respiratory, cardiac, insulin, pressure/hemodynamic, and neonatal/fetal monitoring devices. This equipment plays a significant role in helping combat the COVID-19 infection. The manufacturers are focusing on expanding their production to meet the growing demand. Furthermore, the use of mobile-based solutions can help in reducing the patient volume in hospitals and controlling the spread of infection. Thus, the increasing adoption of mHealth apps in the current scenario is expected to positively impact the market. Grand View Research has segmented the global digital patient monitoring devices market on the basis of type, product, and region: Digital Patient Monitoring Devices Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028) Wireless Sensor Technology mHealth Telehealth Wearable Devices Remote Patient Monitoring Hospital Inpatient Ambulatory Patient Smart Home healthcare Digital Patient Monitoring Devices Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028) Diagnostic Monitoring Devices Vital Sign Monitors Sleep Monitors Fetal Monitors Neuromonitors Other Monitors Therapeutic Monitoring Devices Insulin Monitors Respiratory Monitors Other Monitors Digital Patient Monitoring Devices Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028) North America U.S. Canada Europe France Germany Italy Spain U.K. Asia Pacific Japan China India Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa (MEA) & (MEA) South Africa Saudi Arabia List of Key Players of Digital Patient Monitoring Devices Market GE Healthcare AT&T ATHENAHEALTH, INC. Abbott Koninklijke Philips N.V. AB Hill-Rom Services Inc. Medtronic Omron Healthcare, Inc. FitBit, Inc. Garmin Ltd. VitalConnect ResMed Siren Check out more studies related to Digital & Remote Healthcare Solutions: Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Systems Market - The global multiparameter patient monitoring systems market size was valued at USD 10.0 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% from 2020 to 2027. The global multiparameter patient monitoring systems market size was valued at in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% from 2020 to 2027. Patient Monitoring Accessories Market - The global patient monitoring accessories market size was valued at USD 5.9 billion in 2019 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% from 2020 to 2027. Patient monitoring accessories are supplemental devices that are used or with patient monitoring medical devices to deliver efficient and timely treatment. The global patient monitoring accessories market size was valued at in 2019 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% from 2020 to 2027. Patient monitoring accessories are supplemental devices that are used or with patient monitoring medical devices to deliver efficient and timely treatment. Remote Patient Monitoring System Market-The global remote patient monitoring system market size was valued at USD 956.46 million in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.7% from 2021 to 2028. Browse through Grand View Research's coverage of the Global Medical Devices Industry Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg Acquisition to augment cloud native product development capabilities MUMBAI, India, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd. (BSE: 540005) (NSE: LTI), a global technology consulting and digital solutions company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cuelogic Technologies, a Digital Engineering and Outsourced Product Development company, headquartered in Pune, India. Founded in 2010, Cuelogic has built capabilities in digital engineering, and primarily focuses on developing cloud native web and mobile applications, modernization, and runs Innovation Lab as a service for its clients in the USA and India. Digital Engineering is a significant market opportunity, and this acquisition will provide instant access to a fast-growing business with impressive client roster, and more than 300 employees. Cuelogic works with enterprise clients on multiple facets of digitalization such as UX Consulting, DevOps, AI Consulting, IoT, Applications Modernization, Cloud Architecture & Integration. With over 100 products successfully developed, Cuelogic helps global enterprises build and grow modern digital businesses. Sanjay Jalona, CEO & Managing Director, LTI, said: "We believe rapid productization is an essential requirement for accelerated digitalization across industries. Our clients are looking for agile solutions to compete effectively in a changing world. Digital engineering capabilities of Cuelogic Technologies combined with their tools and methodologies will help our clients innovate, launch products, accelerate time-to-market, and maintain products optimally. I welcome Cuelogic team, their customers, and partners to LTI family." Nikhil Ambekar, CEO, Cuelogic Technologies, said: "When Vikrant, Neel, and I cofounded Cuelogic, our goal was to bring rapid and reliable product development services to enterprises, and help them scale their digital transformation. Our digital expertise and unique culture have helped us build a solid foundation. As a company obsessed with engineering excellence, we find LTI to be our ideal partner for the next phase of our journey. LTI is the growth leader in the industry, and we are excited to further add strength to its formidable Digital capabilities." Cuelogic will be integrated with the Digital practice of LTI. This is the seventh acquisition by LTI since the company got listed in 2016. Earlier acquisitions have bolstered company's expertise around data & analytics, cloud consulting, intelligent automation, and industry-specific platforms. About LTI LTI (NSE: LTI) is a global technology consulting and digital solutions Company helping more than 400 clients succeed in a converging world. With operations in 31 countries, we go the extra mile for our clients and accelerate their digital transformation with LTI's Mosaic platform enabling their mobile, social, analytics, IoT and cloud journeys. Founded in 1997 as a subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Limited, our unique heritage gives us unparalleled real-world expertise to solve the most complex challenges of enterprises across all industries. Each day, our team of more than 35,000 LTItes enable our clients to improve the effectiveness of their business and technology operations and deliver value to their customers, employees, and shareholders. Follow us at @LTI_Global Connect with LTI : Read our News and Blogs Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn Like us on Facebook Watch our videos on YouTube Read more : LTI to Acquire Germany Based NIELSEN+PARTNER LTI to Acquire Advanced Analytics Firm Lymbyc LTI to Acquire Powerupcloud Technologies Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1044154/LTI_Logo.jpg LONDON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RedCloud Technologies, the UK-headquartered global technology company has announced the extension of its local open commerce platform to Mexico to economically empower merchants of any size by enabling them to offer digital commerce to their customers through a single connected app. RedCloud's platform has already helped over 40,000 registered merchants to digitally serve over 1.2 million customers. The company has one of the world's largest payment networks, allowing global brands to deliver a localized experience to the most vital parts of their retail chain. Stores and sellers are able to trade instantly with recognized brands, fast tracking them to the digital economy. With the Red101 connected app, merchants provide commerce instantly through any connected device, selling electronic recharges of main brands like AT&T, Unefon, Virgin, Maz Tiempo, and Movistar to their customers. Businesses on RedCloud's open commerce platform can now meet the accelerating demand of consumers who want a faster and more personalized way to buy from their favourite stores, while enabling sellers to trade and pay in the new digital economy. This move is certainly welcome, coming at a time when Central Bank of Mexico (Banxico)* is investing and building infrastructures so that "every Mexican can send and receive electronic payments regardless of their economic background or any other conditions." CEO of RedCloud, Justin Floyd said, "RedCloud's mission is to economically empower the world's small businesses by seamlessly connecting them to global and local consumer brands and be part of the open commerce revolution. Mexico is a market full of entrepreneurs who need a better way to trade, pay and finance their businesses to meet the accelerating consumer demand. We are delighted to partner with Banorte bank and Monterrey Digital Hub to make commerce universally accessible." Recently, RedCloud was selected by the United Kingdom Department of International Trade (UK DIT) as one of the top five British FinTechs in the ScaleUp Bridge program, a joint program between the UK DIT, Grupo Financiero Banorte, and the Monterrey Digital Hub. The ScaleUp Bridge program aims to support five British FinTechs and connect them to Mexico's digital entrepreneurship ecosystem. Banorte, one of Mexico's largest banks promotes the program by providing specialised advice and mentoring to the FinTechs to reactivate the economy through innovation and attracting talent. Eduardo Silva, the Chief Sales Officer at RedCloud, has also stated that, "The Mexican market provides unique opportunities to partner with Mexican manufacturers, distributors and merchants to increase their revenue helping them to sell smarter, buy better and pay simpler. We want to be their partner of choice to make their sales channels work more efficiently, make better decisions with consumer data, and take marketing actions that raise sales velocity." The five FinTechs selected to join the program were those with the highest growth projection in essential areas such as payments and remittances, scoring, fraud and identity management, corporate financial management, and crowdfunding. RedCloud is committed to bringing global commerce to local markets, empowering local merchants to provide more value and better services to their customers. This expansion into Mexico is in line with RedCloud's aggressive growth plans. About RedCloud RedCloud is a global technology company headquartered in the UK, committed to developing solutions for FMCG brands, distributors, and merchants that allow them to buy better, sell smarter, and pay simpler. With its proprietary solution, RedCloud is poised to enable global commerce locally, connecting local merchants to more customers and distributors, and retailers to manufacturers. *https://www.pymnts.com/news/banking/2021/how-mexicos-central-bank-plans-to-move-payments-to-digital/ Media Contact: Sharon Shahzad VP of Global Marketing sharon.shahzad@redcloudtecthnology.com +44 (0)7843 470307 STOCKHOLM, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The extraordinary general meeting in SciBase Holding AB (publ) (the "Company") was held today on 16 June 2021. Due to the extraordinary situation following the COVID-19 pandemic, the extraordinary general meeting was carried out through postal voting only, without any physical attendance. The general meeting resolved, with the required majority, as follows: Approval of the Board of Director's resolution on a directed share issue The extraordinary general meeting resolved, with required majority, to approve the Board of Director's decision from 31 May 2021, on a directed issue of 239,000 shares to a subscription price of SEK 5.20, resulting in an increase of the share capital of SEK 11,950. The right to subscribe shares in the share issue was vested in the Company's Board of Director Dr. Matt Leavitt. Following registration of the share issue the Company's share capital amounts to SEK 3,423,755.35 divided on 68,475,107 shares. The dilution for existing shareholders amounts to approximately 0.35 per cent. For more information, please contact: Simon Grant, CEO SciBase Tel: +46 72 887 43 99 Email: simon.grant@scibase.com Certified Advisor: Avanza Tel: +46 8 409 421 20 Email: ca@avanza.se About SciBase och Nevisense SciBase AB is a global medical technology company based in Stockholm, Sweden that develops unique point-of-care devices for the evaluation of skin disorders such as skin cancer and atopic dermatitis. SciBase's first product, Nevisense, helps clinicians detect melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Further development has led to Nevisense also being used as a tool to assess the skin barrier and non-melanoma skin cancer. Nevisense is based on substantial research and has achieved excellent results in the largest clinical study ever conducted on the detection of malignant melanoma. Nevisense is CE marked in Europe, has TGA approval in Australia and an FDA approval (PMA) in the United States. SciBase technology is based Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms that interpret the varying electrical properties of human tissue to detect malignancies and abnormalities. SciBase Holding AB is listed on First North Growth Market ("SCIB"). Further information is available at www.scibase.com. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/scibase/r/bulletin-from-extraordinary-general-meeting-of-scibase-holding-ab--publ--on-16-june-2021,c3368402 The following files are available for download: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / Pascal Biosciences Inc. ("Pascal") (TSXV:PAS) (OTC PINK:PSCBF) (FSE:6PB), announced today the appointment of Hardy Forzley as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Forzley has used his professional expertise as a Certified Public Accountant with some 30 years of experience in the field to raise capital, optimize corporate structure, and provide valuable operational oversight for numerous diverse companies. "Hardy is a great addition to Pascal, and we look forward to working with him", said President Mark van der Horst. "His financial experience will greatly help guide Pascal and create significant value for our shareholders." In industries as diverse as green technology, furniture manufacturing and early-stage mining development, he has been instrumental in numerous corporate start-up successes in Canada, the U.S, Mexico, and Australia. Since 2006, Mr. Forzley has been President and Director, as well as the CFO, of Bathurst Metals Corp., and he has been an active member of the board of directors of several public companies in a variety of sectors. ABOUT PASCAL BIOSCIENCES INC. Pascal is a biotechnology company advancing innovative therapies for serious diseases. In addition to a targeted therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Pascal is developing cannabinoid-based treatments for cancer. These compounds include PAS-403, which is advancing into clinical trials for the treatment of glioblastoma, and PAS-393, an immuno-stimulatory cannabinoid to be used in combination with checkpoint inhibitor therapy to treat multiple cancers. The PAS-393 program is being developed collaboratively with SoRSE Technology. PAS-393 also shows promise for treating COVID-19. To learn more, visit: https://www.pascalbiosciences.com/. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Dr. Patrick W. Gray, CEO Company Contact: Patrick W. Gray, CEO pgray@pascalbiosciences.com invest@pascalbiosciences.com Tel: 206-221-3443 Investor contact: Mark van der Horst, President mark@galecapital.com Tel: (604) 200-1480 Forward-Looking Statements DISCLAIMER Certain statements in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 or forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities legislation that may not be based on historical fact, including without limitation statements containing the words "believe", "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect" and similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, events or developments, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, events or developments express or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such factors include, among others, our stage of development, lack of any product revenues, additional capital requirements, risk associated with the completion of clinical trials and obtaining regulatory approval to market our products, the ability to protect our intellectual property, dependence on collaborative partners and the prospects for negotiating additional corporate collaborations or licensing arrangements and their timing. Specifically, certain risks and uncertainties that could cause such actual events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from any future events or results expressed or implied by such statements and information include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties that: products that we develop may not succeed in preclinical or clinical trials, or future products in our targeted corporate objectives; our future operating results are uncertain and likely to fluctuate; we may not be able to raise additional capital; we may not be successful in establishing additional corporate collaborations or licensing arrangements; we may not be able to establish marketing and the costs of launching our products may be greater than anticipated; we have no experience in commercial manufacturing; we may face unknown risks related to intellectual property matters; we face increased competition from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies; and other factors as described in detail in our filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements and information, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. All forward-looking statements and information made herein are based on our current expectations and we undertake no obligation to revise or update such forward- looking statements and information to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law. "Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release" SOURCE: Pascal Biosciences Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651925/Hardy-Forzley-Joins-Pascal-Biosciences-as-Chief-Financial-Officer Standard Life Investments Property Income Trust Limited (an authorised closed-ended investment company incorporated in Guernsey with registration number 41352) LEI Number: 549300HHFBWZRKC7RW84 (The "Company") 16 JUNE 2021 RESULT OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING At the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 16 June 2021, all Ordinary and Special Resolutions set out in the Annual General Meeting Notice dated 29 April 2021 were duly passed. Details of the proxy voting results which should be read along side the Notice are noted below: Ordinary Resolution For Discretion (voted in favour) Against Abstain 1 160,908,348 3,230 17,973 78,712 2 160,292,709 3,230 291,416 420,908 3 160,929,713 3,230 28,320 47,000 4 160,286,674 3,230 394,710 323,649 5 160,359,928 3,230 556,283 88,821 6 160,424,479 3,230 183,642 396,912 7 160,424,479 3,230 183,642 396,912 8 154,316,518 3,230 33,642 396,912 9 160,554,159 3,230 53,962 396,912 10 160,550,564 3,230 57,556 396,912 Special Resolution For Discretion (voted in favour) Against Abstain 11 160,781,194 3,230 185,126 38,713 12 159,972,246 3,230 994,075 38,712 Note -A vote withheld is not a vote in law and has not been counted in the votes for and against a resolution. The Special Resolutions were as follows: Special Resolution 11 To authorise the Company, in accordance with The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008, as amended to make market acquisitions of its own shares of 1 pence each (either for retention as treasury shares for future resale or transfer or cancellation) provided that: a. the maximum number of ordinary shares herby authorised to be purchased shall be 14.99 percent of the issued ordinary shares on the date on which this resolution is passed; b. the minimum price which may be paid for an ordinary share shall be 1 pence; c. the maximum price (exclusive of expenses) which may be paid for an ordinary share shall be the higher of (i) 105 percent of the average of the middle market quotations (as derived from the Daily Official List) for the ordinary shares for the five business days immediately preceding the date of acquisition and (ii) the higher of the last independent trade and the highest current bid on the trading venue on which the purchase is carried out; and d. unless previously varied, revoked or renewed, the authority herby conferred shall expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company after the passing of this resolution or on the expiry of 15 months from the passing of this resolutions, whichever is the earlier, save that the Company may, prior to such expiry, enter into a contract to acquire ordinary shares under such authority and may make an acquisition of ordinary shares pursuant to any such contract. Special Resolution 12 That the Directors of the Company be and they are hereby generally empowered, to allot ordinary shares in the Company or grant rights to subscribe for, or to convert securities into, ordinary shares of the Company ("equity shares") for cash, including by way of a sale of ordinary shares held by the Company as treasury shares, as if any pre-emption rights in relation to the issue of shares as set out in the listing rules made by the Financial Conduct Authority under Part VI of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended, did not apply to any such allotment of equity securities, provided that this power: a. expires at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company after the passing of this resolution or on the expiry of 15 months from the passing of this resolution, whichever is the earlier, save that the Company may, before such expiry, make an offer of agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities in pursuance of any such offer or agreement as if the power conferred hereby had not expired; and b. shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities up to an aggregate nominal value of 396,922 being approximately 10 percent of the nominal value of the issues share capital of the Company, as at 29 April 2021. Enquiries: Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited The Company Secretary Trafalgar Court Les Banques St Peter Port Guernsey GY1 3QL Tel: 01481 745001 END HONG KONG, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Soulmia, an online fast-fashion store, exceeded $250 thousand daily sales in the latest quarter and cited factors for its rapid growth. Surpassing most customers' expectations of a one-stop shop, the brand provides more than 190,000 products and 20 categories for customers to choose from and has now updated more than 200 products daily to satisfy the demands of fashion lovers. With five million monthly visits and more than 400 thousand website subscribers, Soulmia has a large user base in economical fashionistas from all over the world. The customer shopping experience is always Soulmia's priority, and the brand has built a large customer service team offering 24/6 customer support. Soulmia has provided customers with diversified shipping services. The brand has partnered with trustworthy shipping vendors to allow customers to choose shipping options that fit their needs, including courier, express, and parcel. The brand is also proud of its quick response supply chain. After receiving orders, it only takes seven days for Soulmia from manufacturing centers to the warehouses. The supply chain communicates the consumer demands efficiently, ensuring that Soulmia can offer a high-quality shopping experience to customers. Soulmia accomplished many achievements in the last year. To appreciate its customers' support, the brand will launch its 1st-anniversary campaign. The promotion will offer up to 70% off deals and unique giveaway gifts to customers. Find out more about Soulmia 1st anniversary at: https://bit.ly/3xpVvTz 'Customers' support and trust have been the biggest drive towards our continued growth. To ensure our customers' satisfaction, we will continuously improve our products and services.' Said Owen Deng, the Brand Director of Soulmia. As the brand enters its next stage, more categories will be launched, such as children's clothing, pet apparel, etc. And Soulmia will incubate more than ten sub-brands with independent styles. Aiming to improve customers' shopping experience, Soulmia will continue to strengthen its customer support team. In addition, multi-channel servicing on social media and mobile devices will leverage effectively. To serve customers in different countries and regions better, Soulmia will provide more localized content and services in more languages such as German, Spanish, Arabic, and French. The brand is also planning to expand its shipping service to more than 100 countries/regions by the end of 2021. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534460/Soulmia.jpg A bridge crossing the Po river in San Mauro Torinese, in northern Italy, is set to host a 300m long PV system designed to rely on special mounting structures and full-black modules. The local administration said the bridge was chosen as the rooftops and surfaces available are all located in landscape protection areas adjacent to the town's most important historic building.The Italian municipality of San Mauro Torinese, in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, has launched a tender for the construction of a PV system on the XI Settembre bridge, which was built in 2001 and is one of the town's ... Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - INCA ONE GOLD CORP. (TSXV: INCA) (OTCQB: INCAF) (FSE: SU92) ("Inca One" or the "Company") a gold producer, operating two, fully permitted, mineral processing facilities in Peru, is pleased to announce that its common shares have been approved for trading on the OTCQB Venture Market (the "OTCQB"), a US trading platform that is operated by the OTC Markets Group headquartered in New York. The Company will trade on the OTCQB under the symbol "INCAF". The Company's common shares will also continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "INCA". "Up-listing our US listing to the OTCQB is an important part of the Company's long-term strategy to expose Inca One's common shares to a wider audience and expand our visibility," stated Edward Kelly, President and CEO of Inca One Gold Corp. "We believe trading on the OTCQB will help us enhance liquidity by providing our current and future American investors with a suitable trading platform creating a fluid and transparent trading experience, along with broadening our investor base." The OTCQB is the premier venture marketplace for entrepreneurial and developing US and international companies that are committed to providing a high-quality trading and information experience for their US investors. To be eligible, Companies must meet high financial standards, including be current in their financing reporting, follow best practice corporate governance, have a professional third-party sponsor introduction, demonstrate compliance with U.S. securities laws, and undergo an annual verification and management certification process. The OTCQB is recognized by the Securities and Exchange Commission as an established public market and provides current public information to investors that need to analyze, value, and trade securities. Investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the Company on www.otcmarkets.com. About Inca One Inca One Gold Corp is a TSXV listed, gold producer operating two, fully permitted, gold mineral processing facilities in Peru. The Company has produced in excess of 92,000 ounces of gold, generating over US$125 million in revenue from its first 6 years of operations. Inca One, is led by an experienced and capable management team that has established the Company as a trusted leader in servicing government permitted, small-scale miners in Peru. Peru is the world's seventh-largest producer of gold and its small-scale mining sector is estimated by government officials to be valued in the billions of dollars annually. Inca One possesses a combined 450 tonnes per day permitted operating capacity at its two fully integrated plants, Chala One and Kori One. To learn more visit www.incaone.com. Figure 1. Inca One's gold processing facilities in Peru (left: Chala One facility; right: Kori One facility) To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2645/87728_5b6437cb5439f831_001full.jpg On behalf of the Board, Edward Kelly, President and CEO Inca One Gold Corp. For More Information Contact: Konstantine Tsakumis Inca One Gold Corp. ktsakumis@incaone.com 604-568-4877 NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. Statements regarding the Company which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements due to factors such as: (i) fluctuation of mineral prices; (ii) a change in market conditions; and (iii) the fact that future operational results may not be accurately predicted based on this limited information to date. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update any changes to such statements. Inca One believes the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included herein should not be unduly relied upon. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87728 Options, the leading provider of managed trading infrastructure and connectivity to the global Capital Markets, has been announced as the Best Managed Services Solution for Market Data at the TradingTech Insights USA Awards. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005430/en/ Options Announced as Best Managed Services Solution for Market Data at TradingTech Insights USA Awards (Photo: Business Wire) The awards, which took place on June 15th, are designed to recognise excellence in trading solutions and services for capital markets and focus on those vendors who have provided exceptional trading infrastructure, trading technology, and data solutions. Danny Moore, Options' President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are delighted that Options' dedication to market-leading innovation has been acknowledged in the TradingTech Insights USA Awards. With the recent launch of two new offerings in the form of Telemetry Services and Tempus, the PTP Compliance Reporting tool, delivering best-in-class market data solutions has been an R&D milestone for Options, now backed by award-winning selection." Andrew Delaney, President and Chief Content Officer of A-Team Group, which hosts the TradingTech Insight Awards, said, "Many congratulations to Options for winning Best Managed Services Solution for Market Data in our prestigious TradingTech Insight Awards USA 2021. It's a real vote of confidence from across our readership of 30,000 senior technology officers and trading technology specialists, who selected Options as the clear winner in a very competitive field." This achievement marks the latest in a string of awards for Options who recently received the Visionary Award at the Pure Storage Breakthrough Awards, and Managed Services Provider Partner of the Year in the Trend Micro Awards, along with achieving Microsoft Cloud Provider Status in Canada, and a decade of SOC compliance. In 2019, Options received investment from Boston-based Private Equity Firm, Abry Partners. This investment has enabled Options to accelerate its growth strategy and develop its technology platform whilst expanding its reach in key financial centres globally. About Options (www.options-it.com): Options Technology is the No. 1 provider of IT infrastructure to global Capital Markets firms, supporting their operations and ecosystems. Founded in 1993, the firm began life as a hedge fund technology services provider. Today, the company provides high-performance managed trading infrastructure and cloud-enabled managed services to over 200 firms globally, providing an agile, scalable platform in an Investment Bank grade Cybersecurity wrapper. Options clients include the leading global investment banks, hedge funds, funds of funds, proprietary trading firms, market makers, broker/dealers, private equity houses and exchanges. With offices in 8 key cities; New York, Toronto, Chicago, London, Belfast, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand, Options are well placed to service their customers both on-site and remotely. In 2019, Options secured a significant growth investment from Abry Partners, a Boston-based sector-focused private equity firm. This investment has enabled Options to considerably accelerate its growth strategy to invest further in its technology platform and expand its reach in key financial centres globally. Options has been named among the U.K.'s leading growth companies in the 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table. For more on Options, please visit www.options-it.com follow us on Twitter at @Options_ITand visit our LinkedIn page About Abry Partners (www.abry.com) Abry is one of the most experienced and successful sector-focused private equity investment firms in North America. Since its founding in 1989, the firm has completed over $82 billion of leveraged transactions and other private equity or preferred equity placements. Currently, the firm manages over $5.0 billion of capital across their active funds. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005430/en/ Contacts: For more information please contact: Niall McAleer Niall.mcaleer@options-it.com De Kuyper Royal Distillers is the global distributor for Fiorito Limoncello AMSTERDAM and SCHIEDAM, Netherlands, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With summer just around the corner the high season for limoncello fans around the world is getting under way! The limoncello category has lately been skyrocketing and is still growing at rates of over 200% in markets like Australia, according to IWSR 2020 data. Fiorito Limoncello outperforms the category with 50% growth in mature markets like the Netherlands* and market shares of up to 35% in Finland. As one of the main innovation drivers, artisanal Fiorito limoncello attracts new consumers to the category by hitting major trends such as hand-crafted quality, 30% less sugar on average compared to its competitors and its very modern and minimalistic package design. Besides, Fiorito is the only limoncello that is entitled to carry the 'Superiore' hallmark in the Netherlands. With 23,000 nine-litre cases sold in 2020, Fiorito is one of the best-selling limoncellos in countries like the Netherlands and Finland. It was launched in 2011 and thanks to global cooperation with De Kuyper Royal Distillers, Fiorito is today available in countries worldwide, including the USA, Germany, Spain, Israel, Belgium, Finland, Sweden and Australia. "For years we have seen a limoncello momentum coming. By innovating and premiumising the category Fiorito has led and taken the trend further forward. Now the limoncello momentum is finally here! We are excited to see exceptional growth in markets where we just recently started like the US and Australia. That proves our expansion strategy to be right," explains Franco Fiorito, Director of Fiorito Limoncello. To seize the moment the Dutch spirits company has expanded to more US states such as Texas, Florida and New York and will soon be available in the UK, where limoncello sales growth is running at 24%. "The reason for the limoncello momentum is increased home consumption during the pandemic with consumers serving limoncello after a meal with friends and loved ones. Already last year we saw double-digit growth in on-trade when bars and restaurants reopened because people ordered what they loved to drink at home. We expect this trend to be even stronger this summer in various countries," says Franco Fiorito. A further reason for Fiorito's ongoing success is the introduction of new ready-to-drink (RTD) products in line with the hard seltzer category such as the Fiorito Limoncello Tonic containing Fiorito Limoncello, tonic water, basil and natural lemon grass in a 250ml slimline can. Limoncello Tonic was developed with top bartenders for a perfect taste. It is a spot-on proposition given the current popularity of canned RTDs and attracts many new customers to the category. The Dutch spirit expert was the first liqueur producer to bring this popular drink as a premixed option to markets. "Traditionally limoncello is served as a digestif after dinner. This consumption moment is growing, with the pandemic as an accelerator. In addition, we are seeing refreshing cocktails like Fiorito Spritz and Fiorito Tonic develop, extremely well lately. As Fiorito is a first-class product in its category and a premium mixer for great tasting, refreshing cocktails this trend fits very well in our growth strategy", says Franco Fiorito. The summer cocktail Fiorito Spritz contains along with the limoncello prosecco or sparkling wine, garnished with mint leaves. Enjoyed best to cool down at the end of a hot summer day! One of the most vital reasons for Fiorito's continuing success is the premium hand-crafted quality that consumers increasingly demand. Following the traditional family recipe Fiorito Limoncello is made of hand-peeled zest of organic Sicilian lemons, giving this limoncello its mild and soft taste. This Limoncello Superiore meets the highest international quality standards and has been awarded several gold medals at prestigious competitions worldwide. To carry the Superiore hallmark, the limoncello must contain more than 300 grams of hand-peeled organic lemons per litre. Furthermore, the sugar level must not exceed 250 grams per litre and the percentage of alcohol should be between 30 and 32 per cent. "Since our launch many limoncello brands have been put on the market, so we are very glad and proud that our limoncello is still one the best," says Franco Fiorito. - Picture is available at AP Images ( http://www.apimages.com ) - About Fiorito Fiorito is a family-owned producer of artisanal quality spirits, founded in 2011 by the Dutch brothers Franco and Benno Fiorito. De Kuyper Royal Distillers is the global distributor for Fiorito Limoncello, the premium handmade limoncello made according to the old Fiorito family recipe with organic lemons from Sicily. Fiorito Limoncello has been awarded a silver medal at the prestigious IWSC several times, double gold (2018) and several gold medals at World Spirits Awards, gold medal at NY Spirits Competition (2018). Fiorito further offers a lemon-infused rum, a limoncello with a lower alcohol content (Li) as well as various ready to drink variations. Contact Fiorito Limoncello: Franco Fiorito, franco@fiorito.nl Site Location TOKYO, June 16, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) has reached agreement to invest in Impact Energy Asia Development Limited (IEAD), the developer of a 600MW capacity onshore wind farm project in Laos. MC will invest through an intermediate holding company together with a group company of Impact Electrons Siam Co., Ltd. in Thailand. The initiative is being executed through Diamond Generating Asia, Limited (DGA), MC's wholly owned subsidiary in Hong Kong.The onshore wind farm will be located in Sekong and Attapeu Provinces in southern Laos. The wind farm will be the first wind farm in Laos and the largest in South East Asia. By installing a dedicated power transmission line to Vietnam, power from the wind farm is planned to be sold to Vietnam Electricity, a state-owned electric power company in Vietnam, for 25 years.In Vietnam, in addition to the need for further power supply to support its growing economy, it is crucial to secure a power source in the dry season, when the operating rate of one of Vietnam's main power sources, hydro power generation, is limited. The onshore wind farm is expected to operate at a high rate during the dry season, when hydro power generation is limited, and is expected to contribute to the stabilization of Vietnam's power system while making country's energy mix greener.The onshore wind farm is being developed as part of a memorandum of understanding on power interchange signed between the Vietnamese and Lao governments in October 2016. If electricity exports from this project are realized, it is expected to be the first cross-border electricity interchange from wind power generation in South East Asia as planned by Lao government.We will continue to contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society by striving to achieve both a stable supply of electricity in Vietnam and addressing the environmental challenges for the stable society.Source: Mitsubishi CorporationCopyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. The Advancer-A trailer refrigeration production line supports the company's commitment to achieving net-carbon neutral emissions across its global operations by 2030 Thermo King, a brand of global climate innovator Trane Technologies (NYSE:TT) announced today that its state-of-the-art Thermo King manufacturing production line in Galway, Ireland, was awarded the ISO 14064-1 (Carbon Neutrality) certification from the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), the first in the country and one of the first in Europe. The recognition demonstrates the company's path towards their 2030 Sustainability Commitments, which includes leading by example in achieving net-zero carbon emissions, zero waste-to-landfill, and net positive water use in its own operations. The company's commitments also include the Gigaton challenge to reduce customer emissions by 1 billion metric tons. The Advancer A-Series trailer line, which was introduced last year, reduced energy used in its production processes by 60 percent over previous models. The refrigeration units are also 30% more fuel-efficient than the market average. The manufacturing line achieves carbon neutrality through a combination of efficiency measures and external carbon emission reduction initiatives. The award is based on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data across the entire manufacturing process including welding, e-coating, assembly and unit testing. "The Advancer and the zero-waste-to-landfill plant in Galway reflect Trane Technologies' commitment to a sustainable, carbon-free society," said Francesco Incalza, President Thermo King EMEA for Trane Technologies. "We are proud to receive this certification and continue to prioritize carbon neutral operations and producing energy efficient, clean technologies for heating and cooling buildings and transporting food, medicines, vaccines, and other critical goods. We challenge what's possible today to accelerate progress towards a sustainable tomorrow." The company's overall carbon emissions targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi); it is one of only 47 companies whose targets have been validated twice. Trane Technologies' plans include reducing product emissions by 50% in support of the Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, requiring net-zero global carbon emissions by 2050. For more information, read Trane Technologies' 2020 ESG report, "Bold Action for a Sustainable Future," or visit the 2030 Sustainability Commitments page. About Trane Technologies Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator. Through our strategic brands Trane and Thermo King, and our environmentally responsible portfolio of products and services, we bring efficient and sustainable climate solutions to buildings, homes, and transportation. Learn more at tranetechologies.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005061/en/ Contacts: Media: Jennifer Regina, Trane Technologies +1-630-390-8011, jennifer.regina@tranetechnologies.com Investors: Zachary Nagle, Trane Technologies +1-704-990-3913, zachary.nagle@tranetechnologies.com The "United Kingdom Freight and Logistics Market Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The United Kingdom Freight and Logistics market is anticipated to register a moderate growth rate of 2.5% during the period Logistics has been facing unprecedented challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of keeping the UK economy supplied with all the goods it needs to function, as well as coping with the increased disruption to staffing levels caused by sickness and self-isolation and concerns about the viability of their businesses. According to the Industry reports, the COVID-19 lockdown led to the rapid expansion in the digitization of fleet services. Much of this trend has been prompted by the sudden and widespread switch to home working that has been caused by lockdown. Brexit is going to have a significant impact on the international road freight transport market. As per the latest agreement, the UK haulers can carry out one cabotage operation and the EU haulers can carry out 2 cabotage operations in the UK territory. Rail freight is poised to play a much bigger and prominent role in the movement of goods in the UK. The use of rail freight is steadily increasing in the UK with a total volume of rail freight moved to rise by 3% year on year. Network Rail has forecast that rail freight could grow by around 30% by 2035 if sufficient capacity were made available. The development of Europe China rail network and underground rail networks can bolster the growth in this sub-sector. Technical developments and commercial and environmental pressures over the next 30 years are expected to encourage freight operators to explore innovative ways to ship goods through ports. According to British Ports Association, it would result in a growth in traffic through almost all the ports in Britain. The supply chain need to respond to heightened competition in the last mile as e-commerce operations grow in the wake of the coronavirus. Last mile logistics will be a highly competitive environment as companies look to their supply chains to give the best possible customer experience. This will call for technological innovation to enable retailers to scale up home delivery systems fast once normality returns. Competitive Landscape The report covers the major players operating in the UK Freight and Logistics market. The freight and logistics market in the UK is fiercely competitive, fragmented in nature with the presence of many international and domestic companies. The top players in the segment include DHL, DPD, UPS among international players and, Clipper, Wincanton, ACS among domestic players. In this environment, where profit margins are shrinking, road haulage operators have to be highly efficient and cost-effective, in order to remain profitable. Throughout Europe, and especially in the United Kingdom, there are thousands of road transport operators handling materials for retail, manufacturing, automotive, and construction industries. E-commerce and digital platform have transformed the logistics sector largely due to the high presence of logistics companies which makes it easier for the consumer to order and get the product delivered. Key Topics Covered: 1 INTRODUCTION 2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 MARKET INSIGHTS 4.1 Market Overview 4.2 Technological Trends 4.3 Government Regulations and Initiatives 4.4 Industry Value Chain/Supply Chain Analysis 4.5 Insights on Freight Rates 4.6 Spotlight on E-Commerce Market (Regional trends of domestic as well as cross-border e-commerce, and key performance indicators will be provided) 4.7 Insights on Courier, Express, and Parcel (CEP) market (Market volume, Key Players, Future Outlook) 4.8 Brief on 3PL Market in Italy (market size and forecast, top players) 4.9 Spotlight on Free-trade zones (FTZs) and Special economic zones (SEZs) 4.10 Spotlight on Key Logistics Hubs and Cities in UK 4.11 Demand and Supply Analysis Trucks, Drivers and Labor 4.12 Insights on Inter Modal Transportation 4.13 Effect of BREXIT on Europe and UK Logistics Markets 4.14 Brief on China Europe Rail Freight Network and Importance of UK Current Freight Flows and Future Outlook) 4.15 Spotlight on Operating Costs and Fuel Costs 4.16 Impact of Covid-19 (Short-term and Long-term impact on the market and the economy) 5 MARKET DYNAMICS 5.1 Market Drivers 5.2 Market Restraints 5.3 Market Opportunities 5.4 Industry Attractiveness Porter's Five Forces Analysis 6 MARKET SEGMENTATION (Market Size by Value 6.1 By Function 6.1.1 Freight Transport 6.1.1.1 Road 6.1.1.2 Shipping and Inland Water 6.1.1.3 Air 6.1.1.4 Rail 6.1.2 Freight Forwarding 6.1.3 Warehousing 6.1.4 Value-added Services and Others 6.2 By End User 6.2.1 Manufacturing and Automotive 6.2.2 Oil and Gas, Mining, and Quarrying 6.2.3 Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry 6.2.4 Healthcare and Pharmaceutical 6.2.5 Construction 6.2.6 Distributive Trade (Wholesale and Retail) 6.2.7 Others (Telecommunications, chemicals, etc.) 7 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE 7.1 Market Concentration Overview 7.2 Company Profiles 7.2.1 DPD 7.2.2 DHL 7.2.3 UPS 7.2.4 Wincanton PLC 7.2.5 Kuehne Nagel International AG 7.2.6 BulkHaul 7.2.7 XPO Logistics 7.2.8 Hermes 7.2.9 Turners (Soham) Limited 7.2.10 Fedex Uk 7.2.11 Maritime Transport 7.2.12 Eddie Stobart Logistics PLC 7.2.13 DSV Group 7.2.14 Clipper Logistics Group 7.2.15 Palletways 7.2.16 Allport Cargo Services, ACS 7.2.17 Great Bear Distribution 7.2.18 Gist Ltd 7.2.19 W H Malcolm Ltd 7.2.20 Eddie Stobart Logistics 7.2.21 Other Companies (CEVA Logistics, Davis Turner, Yusen logistics, P&O FERRYMASTERS, GEFCO UK, City Sprint UK, Menzies Distribution, Brenntag UK Ireland, Gregory Distribution (Holdings),Fowler Welch, Hoyer Petrolog UK,C M Downton (Haulage Contractors) Ltd, Kinaxia Logistics Limited, Pentalver Transport) 8 FUTURE OUTLOOK OF THE MARKET For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4xls2x View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005469/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 BEIJING, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2021 International Conference on Industrial Internet, themed "New Era, New Situation, New Journey: Industrial Internet Enables Industrial Chain Modernization", opened on June 15. The event consisted of a videoconference and an academicians' forum. The attendees discussed a series of issues concerning the role of industrial Internet in the development of the country's "dual circulation" economic development pattern, and reached a consensus on supporting digital governance and digitalization of businesses and promoting high-level development of the manufacturing industry. At the event, the INDICS2.0 was unveiled. INDICS 2.0 is an upgrade of INDICS, a leading industrial Internet platform in China. It is also a critical support for the "digital aerospace" strategy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC), and the latest practice of the "NEW PAGE" new infrastructure strategy of CASICloud, an Internet technology company invested by CASIC and its affiliates. INDICS is leading the industrial Internet sector into a new stage and playing a vital role in bolstering industrial chain modernization and high-level industrial development. INDICS 2.0 has five features: new-generation industrial operation system, new-generation platform system, new-generation systems engineering engine, new-generation cloud-based services, and new business support capacity. It is reported that the platform has provided more than 2,000 intelligent projects and services and formed 84 digital solutions for 16 segments in the sectors of aerospace, electronics, machinery and automobiles; industrial Internet support centers have been set up in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, southwestern, northeastern regions; and cooperation with Tsinghua University, Tongji University, University of Science and Technology Beijing and other higher education institutions have been carried out to build practice-based training rooms and bases; the Industrial Internet Convergence Platform for Central SOEs built and operated by CASIC and a number of central state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has gathered the resources of 15 SOEs' platforms, more than 960 industrial apps, 164 digitalization solutions and more than 7,500 science and technology innovation achievements. At the academicians' forum in Beijing, Wei Yiyin, Sun Youxian, Li Bohu, Gui Weihua, Zheng Weimin, Su Donglin and Zhang Ping, academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, discussed paths of using industrial Internet technology to drive the industrial development in the country. The academicians brainstormed ways of relying on industrial Internet to facilitate collaboration within industry chains, supporting digital governance and helping enterprises realize digitalization, and discussed issues related to integration of 5G and industrial Internet technology and industrial Internet security. They also offered suggestions for the development of the industrial Internet industry, believing that it should revolve around the country's major strategic needs to help enhance resource concentration, promote technology application and drive improvement of the independent controllability of industrial and supply chains to greatly propel a high-level development of the country's manufacturing industry. Contact: Chen Shuo Tel: 008610-81135810, 0086-13601110701 E-mail: chenshuo@casicloud.cn Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534517/CASICloud.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534518/CASICloud.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1533892/CASICloud_Logo.jpg Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - Heliostar Metals Limited (TSXV: HSTR) (OTCQX: HSTXF) (FSE: RGG1) ("Heliostar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce results from the first four drill holes completed at Unga in 2021. The company has three drill rigs on the project and has completed 36 holes for a total of 4,245 metres to date. Drilling Highlights at Apollo APSRC21-02 88.3 grams per tonne ('g/t') gold over 3.05 metres from 21.35 metres ('m') downhole SKRC21-03 (500m to the East) 7.98 g/t gold (10.0 g/t Aueq) over 4.57 metres from 13.72 m downhole and, 1.91 g/t gold (5.20 g/t Aueq) over 4.57 metres from 39.62 m downhole and, 8.65 g/t gold (9.09 g/t Aueq) over 10.67 metres from 54.86 m downhole including; 19.3 g/t (20.1 g/t Aueq) gold over 4.57 metres from 56.39 m downhole and, 10.2 g/t gold (10.3 g/t Aueq) over 1.52 metres from 83.82 m downhole 27 holes have been completed at Apollo, defining parallel veins over a strike length of 725 metres and a vertical range of 140 metres. Mineralization remains open in all directions and drilling is ongoing. Heliostar CEO, Charles Funk, commented: "These are exceptional results and this discovery at Apollo adds another high grade zone to the Unga project. Apollo was Alaska's first underground gold mine and despite historical reports of continuations of gold and base metal mineralization beyond historic workings, Heliostar is the first company to successfully intersect these veins in drilling. The Apollo-Sitka trend is over two kilometres long and drilling completed to date in 2021 has tested just 725 metres of the trend, with additional assays pending. The company is undertaking a 7,000 metre, fully-funded program with a goal of demonstrating the current resource (384,000 inferred ounces at 13.8 g/t gold1) can grow to greater than 1,000,000 ounces of gold." Apollo History The historic Apollo Mine produced approximately 130,000 ounces of gold at an estimated grade of 10 g/t. Ore is reported to have been mined from three closely spaced, parallel veins2. The Apollo vein transitions from gold rich at shallow levels to gold with silver and base metals at depth. 1 - Refer to 43-101 Technical Report titled 'Amended and Restated NI 43-101 Technical Report & Resource Estimate For The SH-1 Gold & Silver Deposit' dated November 24, 2020 which can be found here https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/60953869f570353f68d5ff0d/60953869f570355337d60161_2020-11-24_Redstar%20Gold_NI%2043-101%20Technical%20Report_Amended%20%26%20Restated.pdf and is filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. 2 - The reader is cautioned that the qualified person has not been able to independently verify the historical assay results presented above and Heliostar's current drilling is designed to establish the grades and widths of vein targets on the property. Mining from 1886 through to the 1920s exploited the gold-rich, oxidized portion of the Apollo veins. However, unoxidized precious- and base-metal-rich zones were left unmined due to the lack of flotation technology to treat sulphide ore. That technology was developed later and has remained industry-standard for multiple decades. Exploration during the life of the mine comprised shaft sinking, drifting, and cross cutting to discover veins at three main zones: Apollo Shaft 1, Apollo Shaft 2, and the Sitka Mine (Figure 1). Historic reports note that many drifts and crosscuts encountered veins with gold, silver, and base metals which were not followed up with drill testing. The Apollo prospect remained largely unexplored until the 1980s, when fourteen holes were drilled to test the area north of the vein defined by historic underground workings. However, this drilling appeared to miss the main zones of mineralization and the project saw no further drilling until Heliostar completed seven holes in late 2020. Heliostar geologists noted inaccuracies in the historic mine drawings and locations of the 1980s drillholes in the field convinced them that these holes had not adequately tested the main Apollo-Sitka vein corridor. Four holes drilled in 2020 intersected a halo of low-grade mineralization around mined-out areas at Sitka Mine and intersected veins near the main mine at Apollo Shaft 1. It remains unclear if this drilling intersected the main vein at Apollo Shaft 1 or additional parallel veins to the north. Figure 1: Plan map showing location of the Heliostar and historic drilling at the Apollo prospect. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7729/87698_dfabe21e74c5a861_003full.jpg Apollo Details For 2021, Heliostar planned fences of reverse circulation (RC) drillholes to accurately locate the vein, with exploration drilling then to step-out along strike to expand the lateral footprint of mineralization. Hole APSRC21-01 intersected a broad zone of intense clay and pyrite alteration, indicating proximity to a major structure. Hole APSRC21-02 intersected the vein on the same section (Figure 2). APSRC21-03 drilled back and across the vein near to the APSRC21-02 intersection and drilled through same vein but returned a low-grade interval. This grade variability is similar to that noted in drilling at the SH-1 resource. This variability is assumed to be the result of coarse-grained gold and screen fire analysis is being completed on each hole to address this variability. Step-out drilling intersected at least three parallel veins between Apollo Shaft 2 and the Sitka Mine. Veining is composed of quartz with minor clay and variable amounts of sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite. Visible gold was observed in RC chips from the high-grade interval in hole APSRC21-02. The team completed one diamond drillhole, APS21-08, before the rig was moved to the SH-1 resource area and this hole intersected the Apollo vein 40 metres downdip, where it remains open to depth and along strike. Drillhole From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) Lead (%) Zinc (%) AuEq (g/t) APSRC21-01 0.0 1.5 1.50 1.19 2.85 - - 1.22 APSRC21-02 21.34 24.38 3.05 88.3 18.91 88.5 Incl. 21.34 22.86 1.52 172.5 36.9 0.15 0.23 173.0 APSRC21-03 41.15 42.67 1.52 1.01 3.4 - - 1.06 SKRC21-01 Results pending SKRC21-02 Results pending SKRC21-03 13.72 18.29 4.57 7.98 142.3 0.18 0.20 10.0 and 39.62 44.2 4.57 1.91 21.6 1.36 5.7 5.20 and 54.86 65.53 10.67 8.65 20.9 0.13 0.27 9.10 Incl. 56.39 60.96 4.57 19.3 42.7 0.13 0.27 20.0 and 83.82 85.34 1.52 10.2 4.60 - - 10.3 Table 1: Table of intersections from the Apollo prospect. True thickness is estimated at 77% of drilled length for APSRC21-02. True thicknesses are not known for SRC21-03 and SKRC21-03. Gold equivalent is calculated using the following formula: gold-equivalent = ((Au_g/t x 48.23) + (Ag_g/t x 0.6431) + (Pb_ppm x 0.0019) + (Zn_ppm x 0.0021)) / 48.23. Metal price assumptions are $1,500 per ounce gold, $20 per ounce silver, $0.85 per pound lead and $0.95 per pound zinc. Unga 2021 Exploration Strategy The company has completed 36 holes for a total of 4,245 metres since mobilizing to the property in April. There is one diamond and two RC rigs on site that are rapidly advancing the drilling program and the company expects to exceed the planned 7,000 metres within the current C$6,000,000 budget. Figure 2: Plan map showing location of the Heliostar and historic drilling at the Apollo prospect. To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7729/87698_dfabe21e74c5a861_004full.jpg Five holes, including two twin RC holes for comparison to 2020 diamond holes, have been completed at the SH-1 Resource area (384,000 inferred ounces at 13.8 g/t gold) where company is utilizing the diamond drill rig to define extensions to known mineralization. Historic hole BM-1 is the deepest hole in the resource and intersected 5.48 metres grading 23.99 g/t gold and mineralization is open to depth. Within the broader Apollo area, the team has completed 27 drill holes. Mineralization remains open in all directions and drilling is aiming to expand the footprint of mineralization of the multiple parallel veins. Aquilla is another priority target at Unga. The team has completed four holes to follow up the discovery of the Amethyst Vein in 2020, with all 2021 assay results pending. Drilling of this vein in 2020 returned 31.6 metres at 1.8 g/t gold, including 5.75 metres at 5.56 g/t gold, from hole AQ20-01. Each of the four new holes have intersected the vein at depth and along strike, and drilling remains ongoing. In addition to the priority projects, Unga hosts many additional high-grade gold vein, bulk-tonnage gold and porphyry copper-gold targets. Company geologists continue systematic exploration to advance these targets to be drill ready and some of these targets will be included in the latter part of the 2021 drilling program. Figure 3: Location of Heliostar's main 2021 targets at the Unga Project, Alaska To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7729/87698_dfabe21e74c5a861_005full.jpg 2021 Drilling Details Prospect Drillhole Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth () Inclination () Total Depth (m) Apollo APSRC21-01 400348 6117194 22.3 330 -45 79.2 APSRC21-02 400348 6117194 22.3 150 -45 97.5 APSRC21-03 400367 6117161 24 330 -45 100.6 APSRC21-04 400368 6117201 17 150 -45 62.8 APSRC21-05 400368 6117201 17 150 -65 51.8 APSRC21-06 400315 6117239 14 150 -45 86.9 APSRC21-07 400316 6117141 32 330 -45 112.8 APSRC21-08 400329 6117119 47 330 -55 121.9 APSRC21-09 400296 6117095 52 330 -55 135.6 APSRC21-10 400297 6117092 51 150 -45 121.9 APSRC21-11 400263 6117067 51 330 -45 77.1 APSRC21-12 400263 6117064 50 330 -55 137.2 APSRC21-13 400269 6117105 46 330 -45 123.4 APSRC21-14 400214 6117075 53 330 -55 144.8 Sitka SKRC21-01 400868 6117299 59 350 -45 99.4 SKRC21-02 400836 6117268 66 350 -45 109.7 SKRC21-03 400826 6117325 68 350 -45 106.7 SKRC21-04 400793 6117324 70 350 -45 96 SKRC21-05 400772 6117301 74 350 -45 74.1 SKRC21-06 400705 6117261 41 350 -45 74.7 SKRC21-07 400704 6117260 41 350 -65 32 SKRC21-08 400908 6117300 60 350 -45 121.9 SKRC21-09 400778 6117240 57 350 -45 146.3 SKRC21-10 400885 6117314 62 350 -45 100 SKRC21-11 400637 6117270 29 350 -45 152.4 SKRC21-12 400638 6117269 32 170 -45 152.4 Table 2: Apollo-Sitka drill hole details. WGS84, Zone 4 Coordinate system. About Heliostar Metals Ltd. Heliostar is a well-financed junior exploration and development company with a portfolio of high-grade gold projects in Alaska and Mexico. The company's flagship asset is the 100% controlled Unga Gold Project on Unga and Popof Islands in Alaska. The project hosts an intermediate sulfidation epithermal gold deposit, located within the district-scale property that encompasses 240 km2 across the two islands. Additional targets on the property include porphyry copper-gold targets, high sulphidation targets and intermediate sulphidation epithermal veins. On Unga Island, priority targets include: the SH-1 and Aquila, both on the Shumagin Trend, the former Apollo-Sitka mine, which was Alaska's first underground gold mine, and the Zachary Bay porphyry gold-copper prospect. Gold mineralization at the Centennial Zone is located on neighbouring Popof Island within four kilometres of infrastructure and services at Sand Point. In Mexico, the company owns 100% of three early-stage epithermal projects in Sonora that are highly prospective for gold and silver. Cumaro forms part of the El Picacho district, while the Oso Negro and La Lola projects are early-stage projects considered prospective for epithermal gold-silver mineralization. Qualified Person The Company's disclosure of technical or scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Stewart Harris, P.Geo., Exploration Manager for the Company. Mr. Harris is a Qualified Person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101. For additional information please contact: Charles Funk Chief Executive Officer Heliostar Metals Limited Email: charles.funk@heliostarmetals.com Rob Grey Investor Relations Manager Heliostar Metals Limited Phone: +1 778 357 1313 Email: rob.grey@heliostarmetals.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this press release include Heliostar's plans to continue aggressive exploration at Unga in 2021 and its goal of defining a resource in excess of one million ounces, its plan to continue infill drilling to expand to depth where the system remains open, and its belief that the SH-1 prospect has considerable potential for expansion. Although Heliostar believes that the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not a guarantee of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, weather, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87698 NEW DELHI (dpa-AFX) - Micro blogging platform Twitter, which has been engaged in a tussle with the Indian Government over right to privacy, likely lost its legal protection in India from prosecution over users' posts. The new provisions require major digital platforms to appoint India-based officers including a Chief Compliance Officer. The Indian Minister of Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted, 'There are numerous queries arising as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbor provision. However, the simple fact of the matter is that Twitter has failed to comply with the Intermediary Guidelines that came into effect from the 26th of May.' He added that the company was given multiple opportunities to comply with the same, however it has deliberately chosen the path of non compliance. Twitter is said to be the only mainstream tech platform that is yet to comply with the new rules. It means that Twitter will lose its status as intermediary platform in India. That means if there is any charge against the company for alleged unlawful content it would be treated as a publisher and will be liable for punishment under any law. Meanwhile, the social media giant said it continues to make every effort to comply with the new guidelines, and appointed an interim Chief Compliance Officer, whose details would be shared soon with the IT Ministry. The company was reluctant initially to follow the new rules over concerns about what it called the potential threat to freedom of expression. Twitter has now been charged with 'Provoking Communal Sentiments' as a case was filed against the company in the state of Uttar Pradesh over Tweets on an assault that the police say attempted to incite communal trouble. In a First Information Report, the company has been accused of not removing misleading content linked to the alleged assault on an elderly Muslim man. The police FIR charges Twitter and many journalists for inciting communal sentiments with certain posts related to the incident. Major social media platforms such as Google, Facebook, Telegram, LinkedIn etc have either fully or partially complied with the new rules. WhatsApp has also agreed, even though it filed a lawsuit against the rules. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX TWITTER-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / Graphite One Inc. (TSXV:GPH)(OTCQX:GPHOF) ("Graphite One" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of voting at its annual general and special meeting of shareholders which was held June 15, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia (the "Meeting"). All matters submitted to the shareholders for approval as set out in the Company's Notice of Meeting and Information Circular, dated May 18, 2021, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile, were approved by the requisite majority of votes cast at the Meeting, including: Electing all nominees to the Board of Directors of the Company, including Douglas Smith, Anthony Huston, Brian Budd and Patrick Smith; Re-appointing PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as auditor for the ensuring year and authorizing directors to determine auditor's compensation; Ratifying and approving the Company's rolling Stock Option Plan; and Approving the Company's fixed Omnibus Plan. The Omnibus Plan remains subject to the final approval of the TSX-V. Management of the Company would like to thank the Company's shareholders for their continued support. About Graphite One GRAPHITE ONE INC. (TSXV:GPH)(OTCQB:GPHOF) (the "Company"), is a developing advanced graphite materials company. Planning continues on its Graphite One Project (the "Project"), whereby it could become an American producer of high grade Coated Spherical Graphite ("CSG") integrated with a domestic graphite resource. The Project is proposed as a vertically integrated enterprise to mine, process and manufacture high grade CSG primarily for the lithium-ion electric vehicle battery market and energy storage systems as well as other value-added products. As set forth in its Preliminary Economic Assessment, graphite mineralization, mined from the Company's Graphite Creek Property, would be processed into concentrate at a plant to be located on the Graphite Creek Property situated on the Seward Peninsula about 60 kilometers north of Nome, Alaska. CSG and other value-added graphite products would be manufactured from the concentrate at the Company's proposed advanced graphite materials manufacturing facility whose location is being investigated. The Company is progressing the Project's Pre-Feasibility Study and intends to make a production decision once a Feasibility Study is completed. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Anthony Huston" (signed) For more information on Graphite One Inc., please visit the Company's website, www.GraphiteOneInc.com or contact: Anthony Huston CEO, President & Director Tel: (604) 889-4251 Email: AHuston@GraphiteOneInc.com Investor Relations Contact 1-604-684-6730 GPH@kincommunications.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts that address actual use of proceeds including the timing and completion of the anticipated Pre-Feasibility Study, receipt of regulatory approvals, implementation of a more established shipment program, exploration drilling, exploitation activities, future production, establishment of a processing plant, and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continuity of mineralization, uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and title and delays due to third party opposition, changes in government policies regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date it is expressed in this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable securities laws. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's continuous disclosure filings that are available at www.sedar.com. SOURCE: Graphite One Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651917/Graphite-One-Announces-2021-AGM-Results POMPANO BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / ProBility Media Corp. (OTC PINK:PBYA) today announces that it is making efforts to become current with its filing obligations pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 15c-211 and OTC Markets Group Inc. Reporting Guidelines prior to Sept. 28, 2021. The Company specifically plans to file with the OTC Markets its Annual Disclosure Report for the years ended 2020 and 2021 as well as any Quarterly Disclosure Reports as they become due. The Company's fiscal year end is May 31. Going forward, the Company plans to file all reports required of it in order to remain current in its reporting obligations under federal securities law. The Company's disclosure reports can be found on the OTC Markets website under the symbol "PBYA". The Company last reported to shareholders in February 2019. That report indicated the significant challenges that lay ahead for the Company, which included addressing the Company's outstanding debt and operating losses. Since that time, the Company has been working to settle its debts, eliminate nonperforming divisions, reduce its overhead and steer the Company in a direction that management believes will result in a cash flow positive revenue position. About ProBility Media Corp. ProBility Media Corp. is an education company building the first full-service training and career advancement brand for the skilled trades. Through its divisions One Exam Prep, LLC, North American Crane Bureau Group Inc. and Disco Learning Media Inc., ProBility is aiming to become the first nationwide company addressing test prep, training and education for vocational trades. For more information, visit http://www.ProBilityMedia.com. Forward-Looking Statements This Press Release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect the Company's current beliefs and are based upon information currently available to it. Accordingly, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or advise in the event of any change, addition or alteration to the information included in this Press Release including such forward-looking statements. Company Contact: info@probilitymedia.com SOURCE: ProBility Media Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651923/ProBility-Media-Corp-Announces-Intention-to-Become-Current-and-Provides-Company-Update The proprietary portal is another one stop shop for unions to successfully run the business of a union LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / DLT Resolution Inc. (OTC PINK:DLTI) is pleased to announce its wholly owned, Union Strategies' launch of it's proprietary Union Office. Over the past couple years the Union Strategies development team has been hard at work at executing new services for YOUnified. Recently, they developed 'Union Office', which is powered by Union Strategies YOUnified platform. The company has now reached a stage where they can branch off their developed services into a website, where unions do not have to be registered to YOUnified to do so. The features which unions can take advantage of if ever required as a 'one off' use are, text blasts, eblasts, call drops, and voting. The team has also established names for these features, VoteMe, TextMe, EmailMe, and CallMe. All items which fit right in and are powered by the YOUnified platform, These tools will be critical for unions who are needing to send urgent messaging, or to set up an urgent vote. Using these one of kind features will showcase the power of YOUnified and will help drive them to smoothly run the business of the union, increase revenue, decrease expenses, and save them a bunch of time! What is YOUnified? YOUnified combines the many required services to run the business of a union into one unified platform. YOUnified's goal is to assist in increasing member engagement, decrease the local's expenses, and save everyone time. With this app, Unions have everything they require to connect with union members, as well as maintain the local's needs. Union Strategies made every effort to make this app as adaptable and simple as possible for every age demographic. Members will be surprised on how easy and effective this platform will be for them. YOUnified allows the union to push notify members of any, and every, important update with just a simple click of a button. You can notify members of an important meeting, election, or reminders of significant dates. In short, this app is truly made for everyone - from the Executive to the members. Some of the basic features include the following: Call Drops Email Blast Text Blasts Mailing Labels Voting Conference Center Accounting Virtual Meetings Cloud Networking Push notifications IT Support Social media Graphics YOUnified holds different features for different viewers. An example being, an Executive member will have access to perform call drops, text blasts, email blasts, and everything in between, where as a member will be able to receive these important updates, connect with their Executive Board, purchase "swag" and much more! Vote YourChoice - Secure Online and Remote Voting Vote YourChoice fulfils the need for an ever-growing demand of online and remote voting requirements for all types of public and private elections. This requirement is now, more than ever, a fundamental change in the way people are able to cast their ballot and maintain physical distancing requirements. This remote ability is also estimated to increase voter participation by 18% to 35%. Vote YourChoice software includes union elections and voting, condominium corporation voting, publicly traded company voting, municipal and provincial elections to name but a few applications globally. 100% Integrity Secure, cost-effective and integrated with all organisation's requirements. Organisation's stakeholders are assured that their votes are processed by a neutral third party and in a transparent manner due in part to our unique voter-verified audit trail. Organisations can also count on our support team as a virtual part of its elections staff. Learn more about Vote your Choice . About Union Strategies USI has been providing a suite of products and services to Unions for over 10 years. The company designs, builds, and executes programs resulting in greater success for unions. Programs are designed to engage the membership, decrease expenses, and save time for a more productive business. The Company's suite includes secure electronic voting, Telecommunications, Event Management, Professional Writing, Social Media Management, Web Design, Graphic Services, and Promotional Offerings. The company is a one-stop-shop for all things union. The company has more than 130 clients that are considered "mid-market" in terms of overall size of the particular local with more than 450,000 members. USI operates nationally in Canada and looks to expand into the USA in 2021. Learn more at: UnionStrategiesinc.com About DLT Resolution Inc. DLT Resolution Inc. currently operates in three high-tech industry segments: Blockchain Applications & Cyber Security; Telecommunications; and Data Services which includes Image Capture, Data Collection, Data Phone Center Services, and Payment Processing. Its clients represent some of the top businesses from a variety of sectors. DLT Resolution helps organizations that have invoices, ledgers, statements, applications, surveys, employee and customer rewards programs and a wide range of other non-core functions benefit from data management. DLT Resolution also operates a Health Information Exchange providing the ability to request and retrieve medical information & records while meeting all of today's Security & Compliance demands for HIPAA, PIPEDA and PHIPA. Through RecordsBank, the Company offers an easy to use online gateway to its centralized system for patients, lawyers and insurers to retrieve and access medical records. Learn more at: DLTResolution.com Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements The use of the word "company" or "Company" refers to DLT Resolution Incorporated and its wholly owned subsidiaries. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In accordance with the safe harbor provisions of this Act, statements contained herein that look forward in time that include everything other than historical information, involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the company's actual results. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. DLT Resolution may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, in its annual report to stockholders, in press releases and other written materials, and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and there are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by the company, including, but not limited to, plans and objectives of management for future operations or products, the market acceptance or future success of our products, and our future financial performance. The company cautions that these forward-looking statements are further qualified by other factors including, but not limited to, those set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 (available at http://www.sec.gov). DLT Resolution undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Nothing within this communication is meant to be a solicitation to buy or sell our securities. Investing in over the counter (OTC) securities often carries a high degree of risk. Please contact your financial advisor before investing in our securities. CONTACT: 1 800-463-5465 Website: www.dltresolution.com SOURCE: DLT Resolution Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651892/DLT-Resolutions-Union-Strategies-launches-Union-Office-powered-by-YOUnified Ongoing drilling highlights potential for primary Skarn-Porphyry deposit Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - C3 Metals Inc. (TSXV: CCCM) ("C3 Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the commencement of a geophysical program at the Company's Jasperoide Project to guide deeper drilling of high-grade copper-gold mineralization intersected near the Montana de Cobre Zone and to define additional targets for drilling. The program will include an 1,800 line km helicopter-borne magnetic and radiometric survey and a 43 line km ground Induced Polarisation (IP) survey. Completing these surveys is a major step forward in advancing the exploration and development of Jasperoide, and an exceptional opportunity for skarn, porphyry and epithermal style discoveries. Highlights: C3 Metals reported high-grade oxide copper-gold intersections at the Montana de Cobre Zone including 53.2m at 3.46% CuEq and 60m at 2.51% CuEq (see press release of May 25, 2021) (see press release of May 25, 2021) Primary sulphide mineralisation intersected below the extensive copper oxide zone provides strong supportive evidence for a copper porphyry within the Jasperoide mineralized system Breccia zone sample with porphyry fragments containing 3-5% chalcopyrite assayed 1.85% Cu and 0.72g/t Au Airborne magnetic and ground IP surveys to define magnetite and sulphide-bearing skarn horizons and porphyry targets for ongoing drilling anticipated for completion by the end of July Mr. Kevin Tomlinson CEO, commented, "The extensive copper-gold mineralization and alteration styles we see at Jasperoide are typical of the big copper deposits in the nearby district which are driven by a porphyry at depth. Historically, Jasperoide was known only for near-surface oxide mineralization; however, recent intersections of copper sulphides in drilling below the oxide profile are supporting our interpretation that there will be deeper primary sulphide mineralization. We will use the new magnetic, radiometric and IP surveys to refine drilling for a feeder porphyry and to identify associated stacked skarn horizons. Surprisingly, airborne geophysics has never before been conducted at Jasperoide and we expect the surveys will provide a direct targeting tool for primary sulphide mineralization. Combining modern-day magnetic models with the new IP geophysical data and the known geology and geochemistry will allow us to better interpret and discover the underlying source driving the large near surface copper-gold skarn system." C3 Metals' Maiden drill results from the Montana de Cobre Zone returned broad intercepts of high-grade oxide copper-gold, including 53.2m @ 3.46% CuEq in JAS2650-05 from 92.6m and 117.3m @ 1.45% CuEq from 1.7m in JAS2650-06 incl. 60.0m @ 2.51% CuEq from 59.0m (see press release of May 25, 2021). Near surface skarn mineralization is dominated by secondary copper species, including malachite, azurite, chalcocite and chrysocolla in host lithologies that are typically magnetite-rich (Figure 1). An unoxidized polymictic breccia intersected close to the skarn - marble contact in JAS2650-04 contains mineralized fragments of tonalite porphyry with an estimated 3-5% chalcopyrite (Figure 1), providing an excellent indicator of a potential mineralized porphyry at depth. Recent drilling on section JAS2700 (assays pending) intersected broad intervals of unoxidized magnetite skarn below the supergene enrichment zone showing fine and coarse chalcopyrite and pyrite as infill and disseminations (see Figure 2). The presence of sulphides in skarn combined with the identification of mineralized tonalite (porphyry) in breccia provides evidence that a causative porphyry system exists at depth. Details of the Geophysical Program Existing ground magnetic data (only 9km2 previously covered of the total 57km2 land package) shows that mineralized magnetite-rich bodies appear as discrete anomalies. Completion of the large airborne survey, including 3D airborne magnetic inversions, will be followed by field verification and prioritizing of anomalies for drill testing. The ground IP survey is considered essential to the next phase of targeted drilling. As IP chargeability is very sensitive to disseminated sulphide mineralization, resulting anomalies could potentially represent copper-rich sulphide zones at depth and along strike of the Montana de Cobre Zone. Coincident chargeability and magnetic anomalies will be prioritized in the drilling to follow the current 10,000m drilling program. Figure 1: (Left) Brecciated and oxidized magnetite-garnet-diopside skarn with malachite-chrysocolla. (Right) Unoxidized breccia containing silicified tonalite porphyry fragment with 3-5% chalcopyrite disseminations (177.5m depth), JAS2650-04 (175.4 - 178.2m) assayed 1.85% Cu and 0.72g/t Au. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2661/87693_figure1.jpg Figure 2: (Top) JAS2700-02 (126.6m) cut slab showing garnet-diopside-magnetite skarn alteration, intensely oxidized and with secondary malachite-chrysocolla mineralization (assays pending). (Bottom) JAS2700-05 (272.6m) cut slab with the same garnet-diopside-magnetite skarn but is unoxidized with coarse pyrite and chalcopyrite mineralization (assays pending). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2661/87693_figure2.jpg Technical Program The Company has engaged New Sense Geophysics S.A.C. ("NSG") of Lima, Peru to conduct a high quality airborne geophysical survey, which comprises 1,800 line kilometres that will be flown along 100-metre spaced lines using NSG's Stinger system attached to a helicopter. A 3D magnetic geophysical inversion model will be used in conjunction with all geologic data to visualize the geological and structural framework of the deposit in 3D and to identify and drill test near surface and sulphide porphyry and skarn targets. A ground-based IP geophysical survey will be undertaken by Arce Geofisicos. A total of 43 line-kilometres are planned along 300-m spaced lines to cover the drill permitted area. A 3D inversion of the induced polarisation geophysical data will be generated and used to guide drill-testing of coincident chargeability highs (sulphides) and magnetic anomalies (magnetite-rich bodies). Both programs are planned for completion by mid-late July. For additional information, contact: Kevin Tomlinson President & CEO +1 416 572 2510 ktomlinson@c3metals.com Alec Rowlands Vice President, Investor Relations +1 416 572 2512 or +1 416 721 4732 arowlands@c3metals.com ABOUT C3 METALS INC. C3 Metals Inc. is a junior minerals exploration company focused on creating substantive value for its shareholders through the discovery and development of large copper and gold deposits. The Company's flagship project is the 57km2 Jasperoide high-grade copper-gold skarn and porphyry system located in the prolific Andahuaylas-Yauri Porphyry-Skarn belt of southern Peru. Mineralization at Jasperoide is hosted in a similar geological setting to the nearby major mining operations at Las Bambas (MMG), Constancia (Hudbay) and Antapaccay (Glencore). C3 Metals also holds a 100% interest in five licenses covering 207 km2 of highly prospective copper-gold terrain in Jamaica, and a 100% interest in two porphyry copper-gold properties, with one under option to Tocvan Ventures, covering 304 km2 within the Cascade Magmatic Arc in southwestern British Columbia. Related Link: www.c3metals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. QP Statement Stephen Hughes, P.Geo. is Vice President Exploration and a Director for C3 Metals and is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Hughes has reviewed the technical information in this news release and approves the written disclosure contained herein. COVID-19 Protocols The Company continues to implement its COVID-19 safety protocols at site to ensure the safety of employees and the communities surrounding the Jasperoide project area. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the exploration operations of the Company and the timing which could be affected by the current global COVID-19 pandemic. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. Although such statements are based on reasonable assumptions of the Company's management, there can be no assurance that any conclusions or forecasts will prove to be accurate. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined, risks relating to variations in grade or recovery rates, risks relating to changes in mineral prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of minerals, risks related to increased competition and current global financial conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic, access and supply risks, reliance on key personnel, operational risks, and regulatory risks, including risks relating to the acquisition of the necessary licenses and permits, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof, and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87693 Webinar Title: Is Privacy & Data on a Collision Course with Blockchain? New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - Killi Ltd. (TSXV: MYID) (OTCQB: MYIDF) ("Killi"), a supplier of compliant consumer data, invites everyone to join a live webinar on June 24, 2021 at 12 pm ET, titled "Is Privacy & Data on a Collision Course with Blockchain?" The webinar is for anyone who operates in the blockchain, data, consumer privacy, and advertising space, and to anyone who wants to understand more about blockchain's future in advertising and how it involves data and privacy. Hear from industry experts as we have an in-depth Q&A session to discuss developments in blockchain and how privacy and data play a part. This event is meant to bring together privacy tech innovators, blockchain technology experts, privacy advocates, and anyone looking to better understand how data, privacy, and blockchain intertwine in the advertising industry. Neil Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Killi will be joined by industry experts Donny Dvorin, Head of Sales of Brave, Shailley Singh, SVP Product Management & Global Programs at IAB Tech Lab, Carolina Abenante, Esq., Founder, CSO, General Counsel, Executive Vice Chair at NYIAX and Brian Cox, General Manager at Kochava. The panelists will discuss topics such as: Will privacy and data be tokenized Will Apple & Google changes impact data and blockchain Does the heightened awareness around Bitcoin cloud opportunities for blockchain Plus much more! To rsvp to the webinar, please visit: https://privacydatacollisionblockchain.splashthat.com. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting. Killi also announces that it has entered into an agreement (the "Agreement") with Sophic Capital Inc. ("Sophic"). Sophic is a Toronto-based firm which provides capital markets advisory services to help companies reach their growth objectives. Sophic specializes in working with companies approaching periods of significant growth and has a strong background in the technology sector. Currently, to the knowledge of Killi, Sophic holds 150,000 common shares of Killi. Sophic will work closely with Killi to, among other things, develop investor communication plans, investor presentations, and relationships with sell-side analysts and firms and buy-side investors (collectively, the "Services"). Pursuant to the Agreement, Sophic has been retained for a term of 12 months at a fee of $9,000 per month plus applicable taxes thereon. Killi has also agreed to reimburse Sophic for reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with the Services. Killi will grant 500,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") to Sophic at an exercise price of $0.34, expiring on the earlier of (i) 90 days following termination of the Agreement and (ii) June 14, 2024. The Options will vest over 12 months, with 25% vesting every 3 months from the date of issuance. Sophic has no relationship with the Company, other than what has been disclosed above. The Agreement is subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. About Killi Ltd Killi Ltd. (TSXV: MYID) (OTCQB: MYIDF) is a company driven by the evolution of consumer data and privacy. Offering compliant consumer data to brands & agencies, platforms, and data companies, Killi allows consumers to opt-in to share specific pieces of data with brands in exchange for compensation from the use of their data, democratizing data for both consumers and brands. Killi offers 1st party data that is global and compliant. For further information, please contact: Neil Sweeney, Founder and CEO 1-855-908-DATA E: investorrelations@killi.io Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the TSX Venture Exchange policies) accept responsibility for this news release's adequacy or accuracy. Forward-Looking and Other Cautionary Statements This news release contains projections and forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving several risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These statements are based upon the current expectations and beliefs of management and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend and undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect, in particular, new information or future events. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87670 Ripshtein, Former President of Aphria, Brings to Bear Significant Cannabis Industry Experience Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - Humble & Fume Inc. (CSE: HMBL) ("Humble" or the "Company"), a leading integrated cannabis and distribution platform in North American, announced today the appointment of Jakob Ripshtein to its Board of Directors. The Company also announced its shares will commence trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") today, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, under the ticker symbol "HMBL." "Jakob joins the Humble Board with significant cannabis industry experience. He formerly served as President of Aphria, since merged with Tilray Inc., and was instrumental in developing the company's business including international expansion through acquisitions and investments, product innovation and the integration of a global supply network. Jakob's proven strong leadership and strategic thinking will be an asset to Humble in developing our culture and performance to meet short and long-term goals. As Jakob has demonstrated throughout his career, we expect him to emphasize accountability and integrity across the business, and to invest strategically in those areas of our business positioned to achieve significant growth," said Shawn Dym, Executive Chairman of Humble. Currently, Mr. Ripshtein is CEO of Perennial Brands Inc, a full life-cycle brand strategy organization which has worked with cannabis clients such as Cannovate. Prior to that, he was the President of Aphria Inc. ("Aphria"), a leading global cannabis-lifestyle consumer packaged goods company that recently merged with Tilray Inc. He also served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Aphria, responsible for the company's sales, marketing, and commercial strategy. In addition, Mr. Ripshtein brings a wealth of experience gained during his tenure at Diageo North America, the world's leading premium beverage organization. Initially as VP Finance for Diageo Canada, Mr. Ripshtein worked in several markets before becoming the President of Diageo Canada. He also served as the CFO of Diageo North America. Prior to Diageo, Mr. Ripshtein held a variety of roles in finance, sales and strategy in various global companies and has been based in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Earlier in his career Mr. Ripshtein oversaw business, sales and tax functions in the Canadian spirits, pharmaceutical and financial sectors. Mr. Ripshtein holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from York University, as well as a CPA and International Tax designation. He will join Humble & Fume's Audit Committee and Compensation and Corporate Governance Committee. About Humble & Fume Inc. Humble & Fume is one of North America's leading cannabis distribution solution providing customer-centric services and accessories. Humble & Fume works with over 200 leading industry brands and offer more than 10,000 accessories and extract products, and is the only major cannabis industry player to provide a fully integrated cannabis and accessories distribution solution with complete sales, distribution, and trade market support. Servicing more than 3,000 clients continent-wide, we can reach 90% of North American customers within 48 hours. Leveraging decades of North American Cannabis industry experience, we are committed to being a leading partner and brand representative by offering a comprehensive portfolio of leading brands and products to head shops, smoke shops, dispensaries, and consumers. Learn more at humbleandfumeinc.com. Forward-Looking Information and Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the proposed listing on the CSE, the focus of the Company's business, and intentions of those subject to early warning disclosure requirements. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "contemplates", "believes", "projects", "plans" and similar expressions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements about, among other things, the expected listing and trading on the CSE, Humble & Fume Inc.'s strategic plans and the intentions of those subject to early warning disclosure requirements are all forward-looking information. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the listing and trading of the Company's shares on the CSE will occur or that, if they do occur, they will be completed on the terms and timing described above. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances or actual results unless required by applicable law. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Listing Statement for information as to the risks and other factors which may effect the Company's business objectives and strategic plans. For more information, please contact: Company Contact: Edge Communications Group Email: invest@humbleandfume.com Phone: 1-778-400-7894 Investor Contact: Allison Soss KCSA Strategic Communications Email: humbleandfume@kcsa.com Phone: 212-896-1267 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87732 BEIJING, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- XCharge, the leading electric vehicle (EV) charging solution in Asia-Pacific and Europe, today announced the closure of their Series B funding round with participation from Shell Ventures and other investors. XCharge aims to scale up to meet the accelerated demand in charging services in fast-expanding markets. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the global mobility transition has not slowed down and the demand for charging solutions continues to rise significantly. According to the Global EV outlook 2020 released by IEA, the global electric vehicle stock is projected to reach 245 million in 2030 - more than 30 times above 2020's level, growing by 36% annually. Assuming the ratio of 10 EVs to 1 charging station as recommended by IEA, in 2030 there will be 24.5 million units of EV chargers, compared to an estimated 2.1 million units in 2020. "More than ever, companies across the globe share the exciting vision for a carbon neutral future," says Simon, CEO of XCharge. "By building industry leading products and services, XCharge is committed to work with all partners to advance that vision forward." "We have been impressed by the drive and performance of the XCharge team to deliver reliable turnkey EV charging solutions to their customers," says Bo Li, Venture Principal at Shell Ventures. "Their business and ambition matches our own, as we strive to build an interconnected power business. Our investment in XCharge is a testament to our belief in their potential and we are proud to work together with them as they continue their journey to become a leading provider of charging solutions to local and international customers." As the first Chinese manufacturer who has developed the liquid-cooled 360 kW high power chargers (HPC), the fastest public charger in the world, XCharge has showcased its R&D strength and quick response capability in the e-mobility world to continuously satisfy the evolving demand. In addition to public charging, the company has developed a product line specialized in e-bus, home and workplace chargers, with the backend for OTA delicacy management. Combined with remote diagnosis and debugging features, the daily maintenance is streamlined, while the work for charging point operators (CPOs) is simplified. About XCharge XCharge is an innovative EV charging solution provider with a wide range of AC/DC/HPC products and industry-leading technologies, including V2G, load management and SaaS. Instead of just manufacturing and selling charging stations, XCharge offers customizable "one-stop" charging services to enable more profitable business models, better preparing its business clients towards the exciting EV era. Since 2015, it has deployed 35,000+ chargers, dispensing 20+ GWh power per month to 120+ EV models in Asia-Pacific and Europe. About Shell Ventures Shell Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Royal Dutch Shell plc ("Shell"). With major offices in Europe, the USA, India and China, Shell Ventures invests in innovative technology companies, business models and growth plays to further the development of solutions and new technologies that have the potential to accelerate the energy and mobility transformation. Continuing Shell's tradition in venture capital since 1996, Shell Ventures focuses on investments within renewable power systems (including solar, wind, connected energy and storage), new fuels for transport (including hydrogen and biofuels), mobility solutions (including e-mobility, connected mobility and freight), and digital innovations where relevant to energy. Shell Ventures co-invests with other corporate investors and venture capital funds and will invest in both early stage and late stage (growth capital) companies. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534504/DSF9433_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534505/DSF9443_1.jpg WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Transocean Ltd. (RIG) announced Wednesday that the Transocean Barents was awarded a two-well contract in Norway with commencement expected in February 2022. The contract award is approximately 200 days in duration and adds an estimated $60 million in firm contract backlog. Additionally, the Transocean Norge was awarded a four-well contract plus five one-well options in Norway with commencement expected in March 2022. The contract award is approximately 200 days in duration and adds an estimated $56 million in firm contract backlog. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Congonhas Airport debuts the Embarque Seguro 100% Digital Boarding System with the use of simultaneous biometrics of passengers in the shuttle service between Rio de Janeiro (Santos Dumont) and Sao Paulo The technology, developed by IDEMIA, captures facial biometrics in a fraction of seconds, providing even more agility to the boarding process, avoiding queues and delays. The Project Embarque Seguro 100% Digital Boarding System, using the Brazilian government's facial recognition, arrives this Tuesday (June 15) at the Congonhas Airport (SP). For the first time in the world, passengers on the air shuttle service between the capitals of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro will participate in the simultaneous testing of this end-to-end technology without the need to present neither a boarding pass nor an identification document. The Project of the Ministry of Infrastructure, developed in partnership with Serpro and the Special Secretariat of Debureaucratization, Management and Digital Government of the Ministry of Economy, has already been tested at the airports of Florianopolis (SC), Salvador (BA), Santos Dumont (RJ) and Belo Horizonte (Confins). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005505/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) After the approval of the pilot project, the Federal Government will move forward with actions to effectively implement the technology in major Brazilian airports. The technology aims at making the boarding process at airports more efficient, agile, and secure. "It is the first time that tests are carried out simultaneously in two of our airports, thus establishing, in an unprecedented way, a 100% biometric air shuttle between RJ SP, which has the fifth-largest movement in the world", highlights the executive secretary of MInfra, Marcelo Sampaio. Throughout the day, Azul Linhas Aereas's passengers travelling between Congonhas and Santos Dumont airports will be invited to try the biometric facial recognition technology to access both boarding area and aircraft at both terminals. "Embarque Seguro combines biometric validation and data analysis, ensuring an accurate, agile and secure validation of the identity of passengers, who can thus travel with more comfort and tranquility. The solution complies with the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) and is premised on security in the processing of personal data against misuse or unauthorized use", emphasizes the president of Serpro, Gileno Barreto. For the president of Infraero, Brigadier Paes de Barros, "the air shuttle's Embarque Seguro unites two essential items that streamline the boarding processes, which are safety and ease for the passenger and the entire civil aviation system". According to the Director of Public Security Identity (PSI) of IDEMIA in Brazil, Marcio Lambert, "Facial recognition is a global trend and the Project Embarque Seguro, jointly carried out by Minfra and Serpro, shows that Brazil is on the right track to airport digitalization. IDEMIA's technology is applied in the most modern airports around the world, such as Changi in Singapore, and offers a high level of security for passengers, airlines, and airport operators, as its algorithm is highly accurate, reaching a extremely high authenticity rate in the identification of individuals. IDEMIA is proud to participate in this project along with Brazil's Federal Government and to enable the world's first 100% end-to-end digitized boarding system in an executive air shuttle service". "The latest Global Passengers Research conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says that 70% of interviewees are willing to share their biometry for identification purposes during the boarding process. Our global expertise contributes to meeting society's need to fly again. This innovative project developed by the Federal Government allows travelers to enjoy a quieter, safer and more comfortable boarding experience and puts Brazil at the forefront of the digital transformation movement. IDEMIA as a global leader in augmented identity has the mission to facilitate the flow of passengers by creating the possibility to interact and travel in a more connected way. To participate in the first air shuttle with an end-to-end fully digitized boarding system, in both airports, is an important milestone in our history," explains Rodrigo Costa, PSI business development director at IDEMIA LATAM. The MFACE technology, developed by IDEMIA, captures facial biometrics in seconds, making the boarding process even more agile, avoiding queues and delays. The solution combines the convenience and security of data validation, respecting the privacy of passengers according to the GDPR, and ensures a more hygienic process by eliminating document and paper handling, thus avoiding the risk of contamination. "The control of IDEMIA's biometric system follows high-quality, reliability and safety standards and offers more agility and comfort to passengers, turning the airport operational process more intelligent, the airline passenger identification more accurate, and generates the security required by the government," adds Marcio Lambert. How it works When checking in at the airport, the passenger of Azul Linhas Aereas is invited to participate in the project. If the passenger agrees, then a message is sent to the cell phone informed in the application, requesting authorization to obtain the passenger's data, including the social security number and a photo. Upon consent, the airline attendant, using the application developed by Serpro for this purpose, performs the biometric validation of the citizen, comparing the data and the photo taken on the spot with the government databases. After validated, the passenger is released to enter the departure hall and the aircraft passing through biometric control points, whose cameras perform the passenger's identification without the need for the user to present any document or boarding pass. Total Security In the pilot project, indicators such as queue time reduction, access to the departure hall and aircraft are measured, in addition to operating costs. With the tests, it is expected that airport security increases, as facial recognition allows an accurate identification of passengers. "We are moving towards a fully secure biometric boarding at every airport in the country. In addition to the process being safe from the sanitary point of view, by eliminating the handling of papers during the pandemic, it guarantees the total protection of users' data, because the Embarque Seguro 100% Digital Boarding System meets all the precepts of the LGPD", says Marcelo Sampaio. Partnerships Serpro is MInfra's strategic partner in the country's transportation digital agenda, but Embarque Seguro also has the collaboration of airlines and airports where the tests have been carried out, which has enabled the improvement of the project at each stage. The air shuttle pilot test is being implemented with the support of Infraero and Azul Linhas Aereas; and the technology of facial identification stations was developed by Digicon, IDEMIA and Azul/Pacer companies. IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space. Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated, and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets our identity whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries. For more information, visit www.idemia.com Follow @IdemiaGroup on Twitter View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005505/en/ Contacts: Press: Agency Facto Relevante Angelita Goncalves: angelita.goncalves@agenciafr.com.br /(11) 9.9196-1129 Marcos Viesi: marcos.viesi@agenciafr.com.br (11) 9.7642-3998 Red Light Holland to Host a Live Stream on the Company's Social Media Handles, Including www.youtube.com/redlightholland at 8:30 am Eastern Time on Thursday, June 17th Creso Pharma and Red Light Holland have entered into a definitive agreement to merge their businesses and create The HighBrid Lab The HighBrid Lab is expected to have an implied pro forma equity value of C$347 million (A$371 million) based on the closing price of the shares of Creso Pharma and Red Light Holland on June 15th, 2021 Transaction results in a reverse takeover of Red Light Holland by Creso Pharma, with an implied premium to Red Light Holland Shareholders of 29.9% based on the 30-day VWAP of both companies as of June 15th, 2021 Mr. Bruce Linton, leading cannabis and psychedelics entrepreneur, expected to join as Non-Executive Chairman of The HighBrid Lab's board of directors Combined Company is expected to have a cash balance of approximately C$45 million (A$48 million), providing considerable financial flexibility to progress its growth strategy The Combined Global Company will trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") under the ticker symbol TRIP The HighBrid Lab will focus on several key growth areas: Expanding market and brand leadership in recreational psilocybin, supported by education, telecounseling and technology as new markets open Applied science and innovation supporting long-term opportunities in psychedelics with both naturally occurring and pharmaceutical grade drug discovery aiming for advanced and approved product offerings through controlled lab environments via the pending acquisitions of Halucenex and Mera Life Sciences Scaling recreational cannabis offering in North America by focusing on increasing market share in Canada and taking advantage of the Combined Company's CSE listing to progress the introduction of products into the US, as well as leveraging industry leading expertise to execute US cannabis acquisitions in the near term (the US is the world's largest cannabis market, expected to reach US$41Bn/A$53Bn by 2025[i]) Enhanced European distribution of Creso Pharma's researched and developed human and animal CBD products through SR Wholesale, Red Light Holland's wholly owned Netherlands based distribution company Introducing unique, innovative and eye-catching recreational product offerings under existing Red Light Holland brands with innovative applied science including combined CBD and mushroom products and ready to drink products with mushrooms, CBD and THC, while focusing on adding adjacent iMicrodose product lines with ingredients including CBD, THC and functional mushrooms, as and where permitted to do so, and promoting responsible use via education and information Creation of Red Light Farms, increasing exposure to growing operations; adding to the Combined Company's already impressive line-up including The Red Light Truffle Farm in the Netherlands, Happy Caps Gourmet Mushroom Farm and Mernova Medical in Nova Scotia Increasing vertical integration strategies from growing, harvesting, packaging, branding and distribution to potential brick and mortar stores for increased sales focused on higher margins Expanding e-commerce presence and online store initiatives to help boost future sales of CBD, THC, psilocybin, and functional mushroom products, where permissible Using biometric movement and scientific data and technology from Radix Motion to help find optimal dose and protocol for individuals, and to work with regulatory agencies towards expanding the legal, responsible use of psilocybin, THC and CBD in emerging countries focused on stricter controls Continuing to grow one of the world's most recognizable legal recreational psilocybin brands while crossing over into the cannabis sector with a focus on increasing creative and experiential marketing, brand development and added influencer support Sustainable approach with consideration for the long term social, environmental, and economic impacts Red Light Holland's current Chief Executive Officer, Todd Shapiro, will lead the Combined Company as CEO and Director. The Combined Company's board of directors will consist of seven members, three of which, including Mr. Shapiro, will be current directors of Red Light Holland, and three of which, will be directors or nominees of Creso Pharma. Mr. Bruce Linton is expected to be the seventh member, as non-executive Chairman Mr. William Lay, previously Associate Director, M&A at Canopy Growth appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer to assist in growth trajectory - Mr. Lay has overseen and/or supported over C$5Bn in cannabis M&A transactions Newly formed company can be accessed online at www.HighBrid.co Sydney, Australia & Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - Creso Pharma Limited ("Creso Pharma") (ASX: CPH) (FSE: 1X8) (OTCQB: COPHF), a producer of cannabis products designed to better the lives of people and animals, and Red Light Holland Corp. ("Red Light Holland") (CSE: TRIP) (FSE: 4YX) (OTC Pink: TRUFF), an Ontario-based corporation engaged in the production, growth and sale of magic truffles to the legal, recreational market within the Netherlands, are pleased to advise that they have entered into a definitive scheme implementation deed (the "Deed") to combine businesses and create The HighBrid Lab (the "Combined Company" or "The HighBrid Lab"), a leading global psychedelics and cannabinoid company. The HighBrid LabTM To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2017/87740_62b3517bd4034b2b_001.jpg The transaction will be carried out by way of statutory schemes of arrangement under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), pursuant to which Red Light Holland will acquire (i) all of the issued fully paid ordinary shares of Creso Pharma (the "Scheme"), and (ii) all of the issued listed options of Creso Pharma (the "Option Scheme") in exchange for the issue of common shares of Red Light Holland ("Red Light Holland Shares") on the terms and conditions set forth in the Deed. Under the terms of the Deed, the shareholders of Creso Pharma (the "Creso Pharma Shareholders") will receive 0.395 of a Red Light Holland Share for each fully paid ordinary share of Creso Pharma (each, an "Creso Pharma Share") held immediately prior to the effective time of the Scheme. In addition, (i) holders of listed options of Creso Pharma (the "Creso Pharma Listed Optionholders") will receive 0.257 of a Red Light Holland Share for each listed option of Creso Pharma (each, a "Creso Pharma Listed Option") and (ii) holders of the various other classes of unlisted Creso Pharma securities will be offered Red Light Holland options or warrants based on ratios detailed in the Deed. Upon implementation of the Scheme and the Option Scheme (together, the "Schemes"), it is expected that the former Creso Pharma securityholders will own approximately 57.4% of the pro forma issued and outstanding Red Light Holland Shares, resulting in a reverse takeover of Red Light Holland by the Creso Pharma security holders. Following implementation of the Schemes, the Combined Company is expected to have a cash balance of approximately C$45 million (A$48 million), providing considerable financial flexibility to progress its growth strategy. About Red Light Holland Red Light Holland strives to move towards safe and trustworthy access to psychedelic compounds for all, and is engaged in the production, growth and sale, through existing Smart Shops and an ecommerce platform, of premium magic truffles to the legal, recreational market in the Netherlands. Activities are undertaken in accordance with the highest standards and compliance with all applicable laws. Red Light's directors and advisory board members are all highly skilled executives with extensive expertise in growing, mass-producing, compliance, distribution, marketing and supply chain management, which will allow the Combined Company to become a leader in an emerging market segment. About Creso Pharma Creso Pharma brings pharmaceutical expertise and methodological rigor to the cannabis world and strives for the highest quality in its products. The company develops cannabis and hemp derived therapeutic, nutraceutical, and lifestyle products with wide patient and consumer reach for human and animal health. Creso Pharma uses GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) development and manufacturing standards as a reference of quality excellence with initial product registrations in Switzerland. It has worldwide rights for several unique and proprietary innovative delivery technologies, which enhance the bioavailability, and absorption of cannabinoids. The company is also progressing expansion opportunities into the North American recreational cannabis market through its wholly-owned subsidiary Mernova Medical Inc. ("Mernova Medical"), as well as the emerging psychedelics sector through target acquisition company, Halucenex Life Sciences Inc. ("Halucenex"). Complementary Management and Board Capabilities with Industry Leading Experience A strong management team and board of directors will lead the Combined Company, which will also have access to a world-class group of advisors. Upon completion of the Schemes, Red Light Holland's current CEO, Todd Shapiro, will lead the Combined Company as Chief Executive Officer and Director. The board of directors of the Combined Company will consist of seven members, three of which, including Mr. Shapiro, will be current directors of Red Light Holland, and three of which, will be directors or nominees of Creso Pharma. Leading cannabis entrepreneur Bruce Linton is also expected to join the board of directors of the Combined Company as non-executive Chairman. Creso Pharma's management team brings a wealth of scientific experience and pharmaceutical background, while Red Light Holland's team has significant expertise in marketing, branding and recreational product offerings. Additionally, William Lay will lead the Combined Company's overall corporate strategy development and will work on identifying and executing potential M&A opportunities in his capacity as Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer. Creso Pharma and Red Light Holland are confident that the leadership team and proposed board of directors of the Combined Company will provide a strong foundation for The HighBrid Lab to drive shareholder value. Additional senior leadership positions at the Combined Company will be confirmed in due course. Management Commentary "Having worked with both the Creso Pharma and Red Light Holland teams closely in the past, I am really excited by the potential this combination brings. As a merged company, The HighBrid Lab has access to four of the highest growth industry segments around, and the team, board and advisory group to make real progress within these verticals. I'm really looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and helping The HighBrid Lab get to work!" said Bruce Linton, who is expected to join the Combined Company's board as non-executive Chairman. "Red Light Holland has significant capital and expertise, and is motivated for growth. The company understands the sensitive complexities of the ingredients we deal with, while ensuring we continue to make a bold yet careful push to provide and increase access for immediate revenue generation and brand expansion. Our core principle is to compliantly lead with edgy consumer packaged goods focused on positive outcomes, while balancing a responsible, regulated and educational use approach through technology and innovation," said Todd Shapiro CEO and Director of Red Light Holland. "Merging with Creso Pharma, who also has significant cash on hand, and formulating The HighBrid Lab, with Bruce Linton as Chair of the Board, means we can expand our premium product offerings globally in the high growth CBD, THC and psychedelic sectors. Together we are bullish on developing world class products with naturally occurring ingredients in clever and innovative ways for both humans and pets, which completely aligns with Creso Pharma's R&D and sales approach. The HighBrid Lab ramps up our objectives for near and long term growth targets, while potentially being a part of positive change. Together we are not shy, as our goal continues to be the People's Company, dedicated to providing global access to each of these naturally occurring ingredients while understanding that education, careful use, sustainability and data collection with consent are the keys to future success as regulations open up. The HighBrid Lab is a perfect name combining psychedelics and cannabis coupled with recreational use, science and technology. This is a monumental day for all of our shareholders and now their pets!" Creso Pharma's Non-Executive Chairman, Mr. Adam Blumenthal said: "We are very excited to have entered into this agreement with Red Light Holland and to create a company that has the potential to become a world leading psychedelic, CBD and recreational and medicinal cannabis company. The transaction follows a considerable amount of due diligence undertaken by both parties, highlighting the strength of both Creso Pharma's and Red Light Holland's operations and abilities across a number of key international markets. There are a number of synergies across the businesses, which will allow the Combined Company to considerably scale up operations in the near term. Red Light's CSE-listed vehicle will allow the Combined Company to enter the lucrative US market and we anticipate that product sales through our recreational cannabis and CBD subsidiaries will scale up significantly in the short term, underpinning early cash generation and provide additional financial flexibility across the business." "To oversee this rapid growth phase, the The HighBrid Lab will be led by an experienced board of directors and strategic advisors, who are expected to bring a wealth of knowledge to building successful cannabis, recreational products and psychedelics companies. Creso Pharma is very confident that Red Light Holland's established operations including a distribution arm and market understanding will provide a number of value catalysts. We look forward to working with the group to immediately refine our supply chain, increase brand awareness through North America and progress opportunities across the recreational and therapeutic psychedelics sectors to unlock value for new and existing shareholders." Balanced Portfolio of High Growth Market Pursuits The HighBrid Lab is expected to be organized into four business units, allowing it to aggressively pursue high growth markets, while also focusing on near-term cash flows. These business units are expected to comprise recreational cannabis (THC), CBD, recreational psychedelics, and psychedelic research. Cash flow from recreational cannabis, CBD and Netherlands-based psychedelic operations will be used to support ongoing market expansion efforts in recreational psychedelics globally as opportunities are presented. The Combined Company also intends to allocate a portion of cash-flow from other business units to the ongoing psychedelics applied science program to support potential long-term upside opportunities. Opportunity to Scale Recreational THC Offering Creso Pharma's Mernova Medical is a licensed cannabis producer in Canada with Craft Designation from the Ontario Cannabis Store, and operates a facility scalable to 200,000 square feet. As the Canadian cannabis market continues to grow, The HighBrid Lab plans to conduct ongoing market reviews to expand Mernova Medical's penetration and share. The HighBrid Lab intends to take advantage of the relationships of its board and management team in the Canadian and US markets to pursue potential accretive acquisitions of US THC operators. Having a CSE-listed vehicle will allow the Combined Company to operate in line with state legislation and target US States where the adult use of cannabis is legal. Recreational cannabis is legal for adult use in 17 states and Washington DC, and medical marijuana is legal in 36 states in the US, providing a number of near term, large market opportunities. In addition, The HighBrid Lab plans to introduce Red Light Holland branded products within THC markets to continue building brand equity in advance of any potential future changes in the regulatory landscape for Psilocybin. Enhanced Distribution of European CBD Offering with Aggressive Growth Plans Over the last five years, Creso Pharma has researched and developed a high-quality suite of Swiss developed and manufactured CBD products, covering therapeutics, nutraceuticals, animal health and cosmetics. The Combined Company plans to pursue growth plans for these products and expects that Red Light Holland's subsidiary distribution company, SR Wholesale, which has access to over 1,000 shops and points of sale across Europe, will significantly bolster sales of Creso Pharma's CBD products. The Combined Company will also create a US market entry strategy for these products and will work to introduce new products such as functional mushrooms and combined CBD functional mushrooms to legal markets in Europe and North America. Market Leader in Recreational Psilocybin with Ongoing Market Expansion Efforts Red Light Holland is a market leader in recreational psychedelics. To date, Red Light Holland has taken a responsible approach to the sale of these products, including the introduction of the iMicrodose App, patent filings for novel methods to allow individuals to find their appropriate dose, and offering telecounseling opportunities. This approach is aligned with Creso Pharma's mission to better the lives of humans and animals and will continue within the Combined Company. The HighBrid Lab will continuously monitor Red Light Holland's operations within the Netherlands, and scale appropriately as the market matures. Additionally, the Combined Company will keep abreast of regulatory changes around the world and expects to implement a first mover strategy as markets open. Investments in Applied Science Supporting Long Term Therapeutic Psychedelics Opportunities Creso Pharma has conditionally agreed to acquire Nova Scotia, Canada based psychedelics life sciences company, Halucenex, which has submitted an application for a Dealer's License under both the Narcotics Control Regulations and Part J of the Food and Drugs Regulations. Subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, Halucenex is expected to begin phase II clinical trials to demonstrate the efficacy of psilocybin therapy in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression in Canadian veterans and everyday individuals living with debilitating conditions. Red Light Holland recently extended its LOI with Mera Life Sciences and continues discussions regarding a previously announced potential investment in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which is expected to be a part of the Combined Company's applied science platform. In addition, the Combined Company plans to leverage the significant pharmaceutical expertise of Creso Pharma's management team through all applied science activities, use findings to continuously update and expand the iMicrodose app, and consider introducing psychedelic assisted therapy retreats where legally permissible. Additional Transaction Details On approval of the Scheme by the Supreme Court of Western Australia, unvested Creso Pharma performance rights and performance shares will vest, and holders will be entitled to participate in the Scheme on the terms above as a Creso Pharma Shareholder. Holders of the various other classes of unlisted Creso Pharma securities will be replacement securities in Red Light Holland, as detailed in the Deed. In addition to customary closing conditions for a transaction of this nature, the Schemes will require approval of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, and the approval of the Creso Pharma Shareholders and Creso Pharma Listed Optionholders. Red Light Holland Shareholders will also be required to approve the issuance of the Red Light Holland Shares pursuant to the transaction. In particular, the transaction will require the approval of (A)(i) 75% of the votes cast by Creso Pharma Shareholders at a meeting to consider the Scheme, and (ii) 75% of the votes cast by Creso Pharma Listed Optionholders at a meeting to consider the Option Scheme, and (B) a simple majority of votes cast by Red Light Holland Shareholders at a meeting to consider, among other things, the proposed issuance of the Red Light Holland Shares pursuant to the transaction. The Schemes also require various regulatory and stock exchange approvals, including the approval of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. Officers, directors and certain Creso Pharma Shareholders, who collectively hold 15.31% of the Creso Pharma Shares on issue and 73.03% of the Creso Pharma Listed Options on issue have provided voting intention statements in support of the Scheme and Option Scheme, respectively. Officers, directors and certain Red Light Holland Shareholders who collectively hold approximately 5% of the issued and outstanding Red Light Holland Shares, have entered into voting support agreements in favour of the transaction. The meetings of Creso Pharma and Red Light Holland are expected to be held in the third quarter of CY2021. It is expected that, (i) in the case of Creso Pharma, a Scheme Booklet, and (ii) in the case of Red Light Holland, a management information circular, detailing the terms and conditions of the transaction and setting out the resolutions to be approved at the respective meetings of Creso Pharma Shareholders, Creso Pharma Listed Optionholders, and Red Light Holland Shareholders, as applicable, will be filed with regulatory authorities and mailed to the relevant shareholders and optionholders, as applicable, in August 2021 in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Deed includes customary deal-protection provisions, including covenants in respect of the non-solicitation of alternative transactions, a right to match superior proposals and an A$1.7 million reciprocal termination fee payable by either party under certain circumstances. The Red Light Holland Shares will continue to trade on the CSE and the Creso Pharma Shares and Creso Pharma Listed Options will continue to trade on the Australian Securities Exchange prior to the implementation of the Schemes. The Schemes are expected to be implemented in the third quarter of 2021, following the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals, shareholder and optionholder approvals, the approval of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, and the satisfaction or waiver of other closing conditions. Following completion of the Schemes, the Red Light Holland Shares are expected to continue to trade on the CSE. For further information on the terms and conditions of the Schemes, please refer to the Deed which will be available under Red Light Holland's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on Creso Pharma's ASX announcement platform. Red Light Holland Directors' Recommendation The transaction has been approved by the board of directors of Red Light Holland, and the board of directors of Red Light Holland recommends that Red Light Holland Shareholders vote in favour of the transaction. Creso Pharma Director's Recommendation The transaction has been approved by the board of directors of Creso Pharma, (with Adam Blumenthal abstaining) and each Boaz Wachtel and James Ellingford (together, the Independent Directors) together recommend that Creso Pharma Shareholders and Creso Pharma Listed Optionholders (together, the "Creso Pharma Listed Securityholders") vote in favour of the Schemes. This recommendation is subject to an Independent Expert opining that the Schemes are in the best interests of Creso Pharma Listed Securityholders. Subject to the same qualification, each of the Independent Directors intends to vote to vote all the Creso Pharma Shares and Creso Pharma Listed Options that they hold in Creso Pharma in favour of the Schemes. After having received legal advice from an independent legal adviser, Adam Blumenthal has determined that he should not provide a recommendation to Creso Listed Securityholders in respect of the Schemes as he has an interest in the Schemes that renders it inappropriate for him provide such a recommendation. This interest includes the transaction fee that is payable to EverBlu Capital Pty Ltd ("EverBlu Capital") (an entity that is controlled by Mr. Blumenthal), the acceleration of a right for EverBlu Capital to be issued 2,000,000 Creso Shares if the Schemes are implemented, and his associated entities' current holdings in Creso securities and therefore his right to consideration under the Schemes). RSU Grants Red Light Holland has reserved an aggregate of 14,096,000 restricted share units ("RSUs") to be issued to directors, officers and consultants, pursuant to its restricted share unit plan adopted on June 7, 2021 (the "RSU Plan"). Red Light Holland anticipates that the issuances of these RSUs will occur in the coming days. Each vested RSU entitles the holder to receive one common share of the Company pursuant to the terms of the RSU Plan. Advisors Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Garfinkle Biderman LLP are acting as Canadian legal counsel to Red Light Holland and Thomson Geer is acting as Australian legal counsel to Red Light Holland. Steinepreis Paganin is acting as Australian legal counsel to Creso Pharma and Aird & Berlis LLP is acting as Canadian legal counsel to Creso Pharma. Everblu Capital Pty Ltd (EverBlu Capital) is acting as corporate advisor to Creso Pharma and will be entitled to a share-based fee of up to A$3,250,000 following successful implementation of the Schemes. Conference Call & Webcast Presentation Red Light Holland executives will host a live stream with a supplemental presentation to discuss the strategic business combination on Thursday, June 17th, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/redlightholland Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/redlightholland Twitter - https://twitter.com/redlightholland Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/redlightholland -ENDS- For additional information on Creso Pharma: EverBlu Capital E: info@everblucapital.com P: +61 2 8249 0000 Six Degrees Investor Relations Ben Jarvis P: +61 (0) 413 150 448 For additional information on Red Light Holland: Todd Shapiro Chief Executive Officer & Director Tel: 647-204-7129 Email: todd@redlighttruffles.com Website: https://redlighttruffles.com/ About Creso Pharma Creso Pharma Pharma Limited (ASX: CPH) brings the best of cannabis to better the lives of people and animals. It brings pharmaceutical expertise and methodological rigor to the cannabis world and strives for the highest quality in its products. It develops cannabis and hemp derived therapeutic, nutraceutical, and life style products with wide patient and consumer reach for human and animal health. Creso Pharma uses GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) development and manufacturing standards for its products as a reference of quality excellence with initial product registrations in Switzerland. It has worldwide rights for a number of unique and proprietary innovative delivery technologies which enhance the bioavailability and absorption of cannabinoids. To learn more please visit: www.Creso Pharmapharma.com About Red Light Holland Red Light Holland is an Ontario-based corporation engaged in the production, growth and sale (through existing Smart Shops operators and an advanced e-commerce platform) of a premium brand of magic truffles to the legal market within the Netherlands, in accordance with the highest standards, in compliance with all applicable laws. Forward-looking statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and Australian law. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Red Light Holland, Creso Pharma or their respective subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained in this news release. Examples of such information include statements with respect to: the timing and outcome of the transaction, the anticipated benefits and synergies of the transaction, including , including with respect to the Combined Company's production capabilities, market share in the legal cannabis and magic truffles markets; the anticipated timing of the meeting of Creso Pharma Shareholders, Creso Pharma Listed Optionholders and Red Light Holland Shareholders; the timing for delivery of the scheme booklet of Creso Pharma and the management information circular of Red Light Holland; the anticipated timing of the closing of the transaction, the satisfaction or waiver of the closing conditions set out in the Deed, including receipt of all regulatory, court and securityholder approvals; the future operations and profitability of the Combined Company; the future product offering and business units of the Combined Company; market expansion efforts of the Combined Company and the ability of the Combined Company to penetrate new markets internationally and capture additional market share; the Combined Company's technology and intellectual property; expectations of future profitability and growth following the completion of the transaction; receipt of shareholder approval from the shareholders of Red Light Holland and Creso Pharma; the proposed management team and board of directors of the Combined Company; the growth of the recreational cannabis and magic truffles markets; the ability of the Combined Company to complete accretive acquisitions following the completion of the transaction; the closing of the Halucenex transaction; the Combined Company's future research and development platform; proposed investments in international markets and expectations for other economic, business and/or competitive factors. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including the ability of the parties to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory, court and shareholder approvals; the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the completion of the transaction; the prompt and effective integration of the businesses and the ability to achieve the anticipated benefits contemplated by the transaction; inherent uncertainty associated with financial or other projections; risks related to the value of the Red Light Holland Shares to be issued pursuant to the transaction; the diversion of management time on transaction-related issues; expectations regarding future investment, growth and expansion of the operations of the businesses; regulatory and licensing risks; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial and stock markets; risks related to infectious diseases, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; legal and regulatory risks inherent in the cannabis and magic psychedelics industries, including the global regulatory landscape and enforcement related to cannabis and psychedelics, political risks and risks relating to regulatory change; risks relating to anti-money laundering laws; compliance with extensive government regulation and the interpretation of various laws regulations and policies; public opinion and perception of the cannabis and psychedelics industries; and such other risks contained in the public filings of Red Light Holland filed with Canadian securities regulators and available under Red Light Holland's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, including Red Light Holland's annual information form for the year ended March 31, 2020, and in the public filings of Creso Pharma filed with Australian securities regulators. In respect of the forward-looking information concerning the anticipated benefits and completion of the transaction and the anticipated timing for completion of the transaction, Red Light Holland and Creso Pharma have provided such information in reliance on certain assumptions that they believe are reasonable at this time. Although Red Light Holland and Creso Pharma believe that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Should one or more of the foregoing risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Red Light Holland and Creso Pharma have attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and Red Light Holland and Creso Pharma do not undertake any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws. [i] Cowen research estimates To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87740 Concurrent Subscription Receipt Financing of Up to C$45 Million to Accelerate Production Ramp-Up, Fund Exploration Drilling and Provide Working Capital Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - Minto Explorations Ltd. ("Minto"), 1246778 B.C. LTD. ("778") and Pembridge Resources PLC ("Pembridge") are pleased to announce that they have entered into a series of agreements that will see Minto going public by way of a "reverse take-over" of 778 (the "RTO") together with a concurrent application to list the resulting issuer shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"), as more particularly described in this news release. Minto is a proven copper producer generating cash flow from its Minto Mine (as defined below) in Yukon. Investment Highlights The entity resulting from the combination of 778 and Minto (the "Resulting Issuer"), which will be renamed Minto Metals Corp. ("Minto Metals"), will have the following attributes: 100% ownership of the cash flow generating Minto Mine located in the Minto Copper Belt in Yukon (" Minto Mine ") with a large land package totaling ~26,000 ha ") with a large land package totaling ~26,000 ha No pre-production capital required, with targeted financing proceeds facilitating operational enhancements, near-mine and regional exploration and working capital Produces a premium concentrate (35% to 40% Cu) with a long-term offtake agreement with Sumitomo Canada Limited Experienced operating team and Board of Directors (" Board ") ") Significant opportunities to create shareholder value through mine optimization and high impact, low risk exploration drilling Owns the only processing infrastructure in the region, providing opportunities for further production growth initiatives On May 7, 2021, JDS Energy & Mining Inc. published a NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment Technical Report with an effective date of March 31, 2021 (the "PEA") in respect of the Minto Mine, which was prepared for Minto and 778: Indicated mineral resource of 11Mt @ 1.46% copper containing ~357Mlbs with an additional 13Mt mineral inferred resource @ 1.29% copper containing ~370Mlbs Significant gold and silver by-products Initial 8-year mine life with only ~60% of the current resource in the mine plan Average annual life of mine copper production of ~35-40Mlbs at C1 cash costs of US$2.20/lb and all-in sustaining costs (" AISC ") of US$2.65/lb, generating significant operating cash flow in the current commodity price environment ") of US$2.65/lb, generating significant operating cash flow in the current commodity price environment Attractive PEA economics with excellent leverage to current commodity price environment: after-tax net present value using an 8% discount rate ("NPV8%") of C$313 million at US$4.50/lb copper and FX rate of 0.82 The Minto Mine sits in a vastly underexplored 80-km long copper belt with numerous near-mine and regional targets, providing significant potential for mine life extension, in addition to infill drilling and mineral resource conversion. The PEA is preliminary in nature and it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the PEA will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Financing Details As part of the RTO, Minto and 778 have entered into an engagement letter dated June 11, 2021 with Stifel GMP and Raymond James Ltd., as co-lead agents and joint bookrunners (the "Co-Lead Agents") on behalf of a syndicate of agents including Haywood Securities Inc. and Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. (collectively, the "Agents"), pursuant to which the Agents have agreed to sell, on a "best efforts" private placement basis, subscription receipts of 778 (the "Subscription Receipts") at a price of C$2.60 to C$2.80 per Subscription Receipt (the "Offering Price") for gross proceeds of up to C$45 million (the "Offering"). In addition, Minto and 778 have granted to the Agents an option (the "Agents' Option") to increase the size of the Offering to raise additional gross proceeds up to C$6.75 million. Closing of the Offering is expected to occur in July 2021. The Subscription Receipts will be created and issued pursuant to the terms of a subscription receipt agreement (the "Subscription Receipt Agreement") to be entered into among the Co-Lead Agents, Minto, 778 and a mutually agreed upon licensed Canadian trust company to act as subscription receipt agent (the "Subscription Receipt Agent"). Each Subscription Receipt will be automatically converted, for no additional consideration or further action by the holder thereof, into one common share of 778, subject to adjustment in certain events, immediately before the completion of the RTO, upon the satisfaction or waiver of the Escrow Release Conditions (as will be defined in the Subscription Receipt Agreement), including that all conditions precedent to the RTO have been satisfied at or before 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on the date that is 120 days after the closing date of the Offering (the "Escrow Release Deadline"). As part of the RTO, the 778 common shares will be exchanged on a one-for-one basis for common shares of the Resulting Issuer ("Resulting Issuer Shares"). As consideration for their services provided in connection with the Offering, Minto and 778 have agreed to pay the Agents a cash commission (the "Cash Commission") equal to 6.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds received from the sale of the Subscription Receipts (2.0% with respect to the gross proceeds raised under Minto's "President's List"). Upon closing of the Offering, the aggregate gross proceeds of the Offering, less 20% of the Cash Commission and the Agents' expenses, will be deposited in escrow with the Subscription Receipt Agent pending satisfaction or waiver of the Escrow Release Conditions, in accordance with the provisions of the Subscription Receipt Agreement. If (i) the Escrow Release Conditions are not satisfied at or before the Escrow Release Deadline, (ii) the Amalgamation Agreement (as defined below) entered into in connection with the RTO is terminated, or (iii) Minto and 778 advise the Co-Lead Agents or announces to the public that it does not intend to satisfy the Escrow Release Conditions, each of the then issued and outstanding Subscription Receipts will be cancelled and the Subscription Receipt Agent will return to each holder of Subscription Receipts an amount equal to the aggregate Offering Price of the Subscription Receipts held by such holder plus an amount equal to the holder's pro rata share of any interest or other income earned on the escrowed funds (less applicable withholding tax, if any). To the extent that the escrowed funds are insufficient to refund such amounts to each holder of Subscription Receipts, 778 and/or Minto shall be liable for and will contribute such amounts as are necessary to satisfy the shortfall. The net proceeds of the Offering will be used by the Resulting Issuer to fund operational improvements at the Minto Mine, near-mine exploration activities and for general corporate purposes including working capital following completion of the RTO. Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or for dissemination in the United States. The securities under the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in the United States or to, or for the account of benefit of, U.S. Persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act), except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities in any jurisdiction in which the offering or sale is not permitted. Transactions Details: In order to effect the RTO, Minto and 778 have entered into an amalgamation agreement dated June 15, 2021 (the "Amalgamation Agreement"), pursuant to which the parties have agreed to complete the following transactions: Prior to the completion of the RTO, 778 will take all necessary steps to give effect to, and to implement a consolidation of the common shares of 778 on the ratio that results in the post-consolidated common shares of 778 outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the RTO (but before the conversion of Subscription Receipts) having an aggregate value of C$850,000, based off the subscription price attributable to the Subscription Receipts (the " 778 Consolidation "); As described above, upon satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions, the Subscription Receipts shall be converted into common shares of 778 and the escrowed funds shall be released to 778; 778 and Minto shall amalgamate pursuant to, and in accordance with, the terms of the Amalgamation Agreement, resulting in (among other things): each shareholder of Minto receiving one Resulting Issuer Share in exchange for each common share of Minto held by such holder and the common shares of Minto being cancelled; each shareholder of 778 receiving one Resulting Issuer Share in exchange for each common share of 778 held by such holder and the common shares of 778 being cancelled; the resulting amalgamated entity will be named "Minto Metals Corp."; and the current directors and officers of 778 will resign and Minto Metals will reconstitute its board of directors and management, as set out below. At closing of the RTO, Minto Metals is expected to be domiciled in British Columbia The RTO is intended to be completed immediately prior to the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares on the Exchange and will result in the business combination of 778 and Minto. The business of Minto will continue as the business of Minto Metals following completion of the RTO. The RTO is subject to, among other things: (i) the completion of the Offering for aggregate gross proceeds of not less than C$40 million; (ii) the completion of the 778 Consolidation; (iii) Minto owning all of the rights and interests in and to the Minto Mine; (iv) the Resulting Issuer meeting the requirements of the Exchange for a Tier 1 mining issuer and the Exchange issuing conditional acceptance, subject to customary conditions of closing, for the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares; (v) Minto having entered into an agreement with Pembridge to provide for the continuation of all of Minto's existing payments and assumption and indemnity obligations in favour of Pembridge; (vi) certain shareholders of Minto and Minto Metals entering into a registration rights agreement; (vii) certain shareholders of Minto entering into a voting agreement in respect of their respective Resulting Issuer Shares; (viii) not more than 10% of the shareholders of each of 778 and Minto having exercised dissent rights in respect of the amalgamation of such entities; (iv) each of the parties obtaining all necessary board, shareholder and regulatory approvals; and (x) other standard closing conditions. The RTO will be subject to the approval of the shareholders of 778 and the shareholders of Minto, which 778 and Minto anticipate they will obtain by way of unanimous written consent resolutions. Certain Resulting Issuer Shares to be issued pursuant to the RTO are expected to be subject to restrictions on resale or escrow under the policies of the Exchange, including the securities to be issued to "Principals" (as defined under the policies of the Exchange), which will be subject to the escrow requirements of the Exchange. In addition, it is a condition of closing of the Offering, that each of the directors, officers and insiders of Minto Metals and holders of 5% or more of the Resulting Issuer Shares, shall enter into lock-up agreements with the Agents, whereby each shall agree that, for a period of 180 days from the Escrow Release Date, they will not, directly or indirectly, dispose of or transfer any securities of the Resulting Issuer without the prior written consent of the Agents or pursuant to certain other limited exceptions. On completion of the RTO, Minto Metals is expected to qualify as a Tier 1 mining issuer on the Exchange. Management & Board of Minto Metals Upon completion of the RTO, the Board of Minto Metals is expected to include Mr. Greg McKnight, Mr. Gati Al-Jebouri, Mr. Daniel Chandra, Ms. Edie Hofmeister, Mr. Lazaros Nikeas, Mr. Derek White and an additional individual who will be nominated by Cedro Holdings I, LLC prior to completion of the RTO. Information regarding this nominee will be included in a subsequent press release and the listing application to be prepared in connection with the RTO. At completion of the RTO, management of Minto Metals will be led by Mr. Chris Stewart (President & Chief Executive Officer), Mr. Jack R. Cartmel (interim CFO), Mr. David Benson (VP Exploration), Mr. Brendan Zuidema (Mining Operations) and Mr. Dennis Bigras (Processing Operations). The new CFO is expected to join in July. The following are biographies of the currently proposed directors and senior officers of Minto Metals: R. Greg McKnight, Chairman Greg McKnight has over 30 years of mining focused investment banking and corporate experience. He is currently the Co-Chairman of Northstar Gold Corp., a junior exploration company focused in Northeastern Ontario. For 15 years ending December 2018, he was the Executive Vice President, Business Development at Yamana Gold Inc. ("Yamana") where he helped grow the business from a junior gold producer to a senior gold and copper mining company with operations spanning multiple jurisdictions. During the year prior to joining Yamana, Mr. McKnight was instrumental in his capacity as an investment banker in structuring the reverse takeover transaction and raising the equity for Yamana that enabled the Company to recapitalize and re-position itself as a gold production company. Mr. McKnight holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Business Administration from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. He also earned his ICD.D designation from the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors in early 2021. Gati Al-Jebouri, Director Gati Al-Jebouri has 30 years of international operations and trading experience in the natural resources sector. He is CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pembridge from September 2019, having served as a non-executive director since September 2017. Prior to that Mr. Al-Jebouri worked at LUKOIL where he was VP Middle East Upstream and Managing Director of their 400,000 barrel per day Iraq operations. Before LUKOIL upstream management roles, Mr. Al-Jebouri was CFO and latterly CEO of LITASCO (LUKOIL International Trading and Supply Company). Mr. Al-Jebouri has also held positions of Deputy Minister of Energy and First Deputy Minister of Finance in Bulgaria. He holds a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Bristol and is a UK Chartered Accountant. Daniel Chandra, Director Daniel Chandra is currently a senior investment professional at Lion Point Capital, a value-focused investment fund based in New York City. He has over 20 years of investing experience across a range of industries and in equity, credit, and distressed debt. Daniel previously worked as a senior analyst and portfolio manager at DW Partners ("DW") and at DW predecessor Brevan Howard. Daniel received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Stanford University and a Masters of Business Administration from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Edie Hofmeister, Director Edie Hofmeister has worked as an advocate for extractive companies for 17 years. Most recently she served as EVP Corporate Affairs and General Counsel of Tahoe Resources where she headed the Legal, Sustainability and Government Affairs Departments. Since 2006 Edie has worked alongside rural and Indigenous communities in India, Peru, Guatemala and Canada to enhance food, work and water security. She serves as the Vice Chair of the International Bar Association's Business and Human Rights Committee. Edie received a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from UCLA, a Master of Arts degree in international peace studies from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco. Lazaros Nikeas, Director Lazaros Nikeas has more than 20 years of strategy and capital markets advisory for resource, chemicals and industrial companies, with over US$25B of M&A transactions completed. He is currently a Principal Investment Manager of Weston Energy LLC, a Yorktown Partners LLC portfolio company with investments in energy minerals assets. Prior to that, he was a partner of Traxys Capital Partners, a private equity firm backed by The Carlyle Group. Previously he was the Head of North American Advisory for materials and mining for BNP Paribas, Partner with Hill Street Capital and M&A analyst for Morgan Stanley. Derek White, Director Derek White has over 33 years of experience in the mining and metals industry. He holds an undergraduate degree in Geological Engineering from the University of British Columbia and is also a Chartered Accountant. He is currently President & CEO of Ascot Resources Ltd. ("Ascot"). Prior to joining Ascot, Mr. White was the Principal of Traxys Capital Partners LLP, a private equity firm specializing in the mining and minerals sectors. Mr. White was President and CEO of KGHM International Ltd. from 2012 to 2015, and also held the positions of Executive Vice President, Business Development and Chief Financial Officer of Quadra FNX Mining Ltd. from 2004 to 2012. Mr. White has held executive positions with International Vision Direct Ltd., BHP-Billiton Plc, Billiton International Metals BV and Impala Platinum Ltd., in Vancouver, Toronto, London, The Hague, and Johannesburg. Mr. White is also an ICSA Accredited Director. Chris Stewart, President & Chief Executive Officer Chris Stewart is a Professional Engineer with over 27 years of management, operational and technical experience in the mining industry. Chris worked for the first 14 years of his career with DMC Mining building, expanding and operating various mine operations across Canada and the USA and for the past 13 years, he has worked for several mining companies. Prior to joining Minto Exploration, Chris was President & COO for McEwen Mining, a precious metals producer with operations in Canada, USA, Mexico and Argentina. Prior to that he held various senior roles including President & CEO for Treasury Metals, Vice President of Operations for Kirkland Lake Gold, President & CEO of Liberty Mines, BHP Billiton, Lake Shore Gold Corporation and DMC Mining Services. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering from Queen's University. Jack Cartmel, Interim Chief Financial Officer Jack Cartmel is a finance executive with 15+ years of experience in the mining industry with expertise in M&A, IPOs, taxation, public company accounting and disclosure, and financial and risk management. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Battery Mineral Resources. Prior to that Jack worked for Monument Mining, a mid-size gold producer in Asia, and White Tiger Gold, a mid-size gold producer, both of which are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Corporate Secretary The corporate secretary role is currently managed by legal counsel to Minto, Edwards, Kenny & Bray LLP. Minto Mine Overview and Mineral Resource Estimate Minto operates the producing Minto Mine, which forms part of the Minto property. The Minto Mine has been in operation since 2007 with underground mining commencing in 2014. Since 2007, approximately 475Mlbs of copper have been produced from the Minto Mine. The Minto property (the "Minto Property") is located west of the Yukon River, about 20 km WNW of Minto Landing, the latter on the east side of the river, and approximately 250 road-km north of the City of Whitehorse, the capital city of Yukon. The property is accessible by Yukon Highway 2 to Minto Landing. The property is serviced by a spur of the main Yukon electrical grid. The Minto Property comprises 164 Yukon quartz mining claims covering 2,760 hectares. In addition, Minto Metals also controls prospective exploration land comprising 1,184 Yukon quartz mining claims covering 24,071.6 hectares. A group of investors, including Pembridge, acquired Minto in June of 2019, at which time the Minto Mine was in a state of temporary closure. Minto's current mine operations are based on underground mining, a process plant to produce high-grade copper, gold and silver concentrate and all supporting infrastructure associated with a remote location in Yukon. The current mineral resource at the Minto Mine, which has an effective date of January 1, 2021 is summarized in the table below. The mineral resource consists of an indicated mineral resource of 11.1Mt at a grade of 1.46% copper containing ~357Mlbs of copper and an inferred mineral resource of 13.0Mt at a grade of 1.29% copper containing ~370Mlbs of copper. In addition to copper, the Minto Mine also produces gold and silver. NI 43-101 Mineral Resources Type Class Cut-Off Tonnes In-Situ Grades Metal Content C$/t milled (kt) Cu (%) Au (gpt) Ag (gpt) Cu (klbs) Au (kozs) Open Pit Indicated $35 3,480 1.16% 0.36 3.33 88,915 40 Inferred 1,986 1.04% 0.28 3.01 45,566 18 U/G Indicated $70 7,612 1.59% 0.61 5.4 267,632 149 Inferred 11,027 1.34% 0.53 4.83 324,539 189 Total Indicated 11,092 1.46% 0.53 4.75 356,548 189 Inferred 13,013 1.29% 0.49 4.55 370,104 207 Notes: Resources are reported using the 2014 CIM Definition Standards and were estimated using the 2019 CIM Best Practices Guidelines. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Metal prices of US$1500/oz Au, US$18/oz Ag, US$3.10lb Cu. The following NSR calculations are used to determine cutoff grades: for open pit: NSR = CDN$61.688*Cu% + CDN$21.384*Au gpt + CDN$0.0599*Ag gpt, for Underground: NSR = CDN$68.946*Cu% + CDN$37.842*Au gpt + CDN$0.0862*Ag gpt. For the NSR calculations: a currency exchange rate of 0.76 US$ per CDN$; 95% payable Cu, 77% payable Au and Ag; offsite costs (refining, transport and insurance) of US$240.39/dmt; royalties as described in Section 19. The following equations are used for metallurgical recovery: Rec Cu = 95.5% + 1.07*CU% - 113*TCu/Ascu to a Maximum of 95%, Rec Au = 20.99*Au gpt + 62.01; Rec Ag = 100 *(0.694+0.019*Ag gpt) both to a maximum of 85%. The Mineral Resource has been confined by a "reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction" pit or underground shape using the 130% base case NSR for the Ridgetop open pit and the 100% NSR case for the Area 118 pit and by a confining shape for the underground. Mining costs are CD$3.70/t for open pit, CDN$41.03/t for underground, Processing costs are CDN$19/t. Pit slope angles are assumed at 45. The specific gravity of the deposit has been assigned based on domain as between 2.578 and 2.849 based on sg measurements in the Minto deposit. Numbers may not add due to rounding. Minto Mine PEA Summary The PEA outlines a mining operation with combined open pit and underground mined resources expected to be processed over an eight-year period ending in 2028. A summary of the PEA results can be found below and are available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under 778's issuer profile: Life of Mine Production Unit Years 1 to 5 Life of Mine Total Mill Production 000s tonnes 6,885 10,893 Annual Mill Production 000s tonnes 1,377 1,405 Average Grades Copper % 1.43 1.34 Gold g/t 0.58 0.54 Silver g/t 5.1 4.7 Total Payable Production Copper 000s lb 190,615 276,633 Gold 000s oz 88 129 Silver 000s oz 645 930 Avg. Annual Payable Prod. Copper 000s lb 38,123 35,691 Gold 000s oz 18 17 Silver 000s oz 129 120 Summary of Project Economics The following tables set out the metal prices of copper, gold and silver used in the economic evaluation of the project, respectively. A foreign exchange rate of 0.76 USD:CDN was used for the project economic evaluation, the summary of project economics are presented below4,5: unit 2021 2022 2023+ Copper US$/lb $3.40 $3.25 $3.10 Gold US$/oz $1,850 $1,625 $1,550 Silver US$/oz $24.00 $21.00 $18.50 Unit Value Net Revenues C$M 1,147 Operating Costs C$M 800 Cash Flow from Operations C$M 348 Total Capital Costs1 C$M 185 C1 Costs (net)2 US$/lb 2.20 AISC (net)3 US$/lb 2.71 Net Pre-Tax Cash Flow C$M 163 Pre-Tax NPV 8% C$M 134 Total Taxes C$M 29 Net After-Tax Cash Flow C$M 133 Net After-Tax NPV 8% C$M 111 Notes: Includes sustaining, exploration, closure and reclamation capital costs. C1 formula: (Operating Costs + Refining Costs + Royalties - By Product Credits) / Cu lb AISC formula: (Operating Costs + Refining Costs + Royalties + Sustaining Capital + Closure - By Product Credits) / Cu lb Please see Non-IFRS Measures below The PEA is preliminary in nature and it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the PEA will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Sensitivities The Minto Mine is most sensitive to the price of copper price and USD:CDN exchange rate followed by on-site operating costs. The table below provides a range of discounted project after-tax NPV8% values in Canadian dollars for a variety of fixed copper prices and exchange rates which highlight the range of spot values that have been seen over the past three years. Minto Mine After-Tax NPV8% Sensitivity Based on Fixed Copper Price and FX Rate (Gold = US$1,550/oz & Silver = US$18.50/oz) Copper Price (US$/lb) $4.75 $4.50 $4.25 $4.00 $3.50 $3.10 Exchange Rate (USD: CAD) 0.84 $335 $294 $251 $208 $106 $14 0.82 $355 $313 $269 $225 $125 $32 0.80 $375 $331 $288 $243 $144 $50 0.78 $395 $351 $307 $261 $163 $69 0.76 $419 $373 $327 $281 $183 $90 0.74 $443 $395 $348 $301 $203 $111 In accordance with NI 43-101, the technical report for the Minto Mine has been filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under 778's issuer profile. Qualified Person The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Chris Stewart, P.Eng. President and Chief Executive Officer of Minto, who is a "qualified person" for purposes of NI 43-101. Principals or Insiders of Minto Metals In addition to the forgoing proposed directors and officers, the following are the person that are expected to qualify as Principals and Insiders (as those terms are defined in the Exchange policy) of Minto Metals: Cedro Holdings I, LLC Anticipated to hold in excess of 10% of the Resulting Issuer Shares Pembridge Resource plc Anticipated to hold in excess of 10% of the Resulting Issuer Shares Copper Holdings LLC Anticipated to hold in excess of 10% of the Resulting Issuer Shares Selected Financial Information The following table sets out selected financial information with respect to Minto as at the dates noted. The selected financial information is derived from Minto's financial statements for the audited 12-month periods ending on December 2019 and 2020, and the unaudited 3-month period ended March 31, 2021. Stated in thousands of Canadian dollars As at December 31, 2019 (audited) As at December 31, 2020 (audited) As at March 31, 2021 (unaudited) Total assets $ 72,904 $ 81,318 $ 90,968 Total liabilities $ 77,692 $ 100,311 $ 113,289 Shareholders' equity ($4,788 ) $ (18,993 ) $ (22,321 ) Revenues $ 25,865 $ 79,323 $ 27,408 Net Profits / Losses $ (12,887 ) $ (18,993 ) $ 2,461 Further financial information will be included in the listing application to be prepared in connection with the RTO. Exchange Matters and Sponsorship As at the date hereof, neither the common shares of 778 nor the common shares of Minto are listed on any stock exchange. A condition precedent to completion of the RTO is the conditional approval of the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares on the Exchange. A listing application in respect of the Resulting Issuer Shares, which will include further details of the RTO, will be filed on 778's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, provided the Exchange's conditional approval of the listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares has been obtained. There can be no assurance that the Exchange will grant such conditional approval or that the RTO will be completed as proposed or at all. The Proposed Transaction is not a "Non-Arm's Length Qualifying Transactions" (as such term is defined under the policies of the Exchange). Sponsorship of a reverse take-over transaction is required by the Exchange unless exemptions have been granted in accordance with the policies of the Exchange. 778 and Minto intend to apply for an exemption from the sponsorship requirements based upon the Offering and/or other exemptions available under the policies of the Exchange. There is no assurance that 778 and Minto will ultimately obtain an exemption from sponsorship. About Minto Explorations Ltd. Minto operates the producing Minto Mine located in the Minto Copper Belt, Yukon. The Minto Mine has been in operation since 2007 with underground mining commencing in 2014. Since 2007, approximately 475Mlbs of copper have been produced from the Minto Mine. The current mine operations are based on underground mining, a process plant to produce high-grade copper, gold and silver concentrate and all supporting infrastructure associated with a remote location in Yukon. The Minto Property is located west of the Yukon River, about 20 km WNW of Minto Landing, the latter on the east side of the river, and approximately 250 road-km north of the City of Whitehorse, the capital city of Yukon. For further information, please contact Minto Explorations Ltd: Chris Stewart, P.Eng. President & CEO cstewart@mintomine.com tel: 647-523-6618 About 778 778 is a company formed pursuant to the laws of British Columbia and is a reporting issuer in the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. 778 currently has issued and outstanding 3,000,000 778 common shares and 75,000 incentive stock options to acquire 75,000 778 common shares at a price of $0.10 per share which options shall be exercised prior to completion of the RTO. For further information: 1246779 B.C. Ltd. James Ward, Director Phone: (416) 897-2359 Email: james@wardfinancial.ca Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Completion of the RTO is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and receipt of all required shareholder approvals. There can be no assurance that the RTO will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the listing application to be prepared in connection with the RTO, any information released or received with respect to the RTO may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. The Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the RTO and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. All information contained in this news release with respect to 778, Minto, and the Minto Mine was supplied by the parties, respectively, for inclusion herein, and 778 and its directors and officers have relied on Minto for any information concerning such party. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would" , "might " or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: mineral resource estimates and the assumptions on which they are based, including geotechnical and metallurgical characteristics of rock confirming to sampled results and metallurgical performance; tonnage of ore to be mined and processed; ore grade and recoveries; assumptions and discount rates being appropriately applied to the PEA; prices for copper, silver and gold remaining as estimated; availability of funds for Minto Metal's projects; capital, decommissioning and reclamation estimates; the terms and conditions of the RTO, the Offering, the 778 Consolidation, the exchange ratios for the common shares of 778 and Minto in connection with the RTO; the business and operations of 778, Minto and Minto Metals; go-forward directors and management of Minto Metals; the use of proceeds from the Offering, exceptions from the sponsorship requirements from the Exchange; the trading of the Resulting Issuer Shares; and the receipt of director, shareholder and regulatory approvals. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: Minto's limited operating history; the existence of mineral resources and mineral resources on Minto Metal's properties; the ability to carry out operations in accordance with plans in the event of disruptions; the ability to convert mineral resource estimates previously classified as inferred to indicated or measured; the uncertain nature of estimating mineral resources; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; operational risks inherent in the business of mining; satisfaction or waiver of all applicable conditions to the completion of the RTO (including receipt of all necessary shareholder, stock exchange and regulatory approvals or consents, and the absence of material changes with respect to the parties and their respective businesses); ability to close the Subscription Receipt financing on the proposed terms or at all; the synergies expected from the RTO not being realized; business integration risks; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political, judicial or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mining and resource extraction, generally (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; risks related to outbreaks or threats of outbreaks of viruses, other infectious diseases or other similar health threats, such as the novel coronavirus outbreak; the presence or development of laws, rulings and regulations that may impose restrictions on the mining and resource extraction industry; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and Indigenous populations; increasing costs associated with mining and resource extraction inputs and labour; the speculative nature of the metals extraction industry (including the risks of not obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); title to properties; expectations regarding the entering into of material contracts and investor relations agreements; expectations regarding escrow restrictions imposed on the Resulting Issuer's securities; expectations regarding principal security holders of the Resulting Issuer and the identity and shareholdings thereof; expectations regarding compensation of directors, officers and employees of the Resulting Issuer; expectations regarding corporate governance and committees of the Board of the Resulting Issuer; and expectations regarding reliance on a waiver from the sponsorship requirements of the Exchange. There can be no assurance that forward looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, 778 and Minto assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. The terms and conditions of the RTO may change based on 778's due diligence (which will be limited as 778 intends to rely upon the due diligence conducted by the Agents in connection with the Offering) and the receipt of tax, corporate and securities law advice for both 778 and Minto. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this news release. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES There are certain non-IFRS financial measures in this news release, including C1 cash cost and AISC per pound of copper sold. These non-IFRS financial measures do not have any standardized meaning and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Accordingly, these financial measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). See below for a reconciliation of the foregoing non-IFRS measures to their most directly comparable measures calculated in accordance with IFRS. C1 Cash Costs and AISC Parameters C$/t processed US$/lb Cu Mining Costs $36.34 $1.09 Processing Costs $18.30 $0.55 G&A Costs $18.76 $0.56 Transport + TCRCs $12.12 $0.36 By-Product Credits ($13.71) ($0.41) Royalties $1.80 $0.05 C1 Cash Costs $73.61 $2.20 Sustaining Capital $14.81 $0.44 Closure Costs $2.16 $0.06 All-In Sustaining Costs $90.59 $2.71 Not for distribution to United States news wire services or for dissemination in the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87576 DEARBORN (dpa-AFX) - Lincoln will debut its first fully electric car next year to coincide with its centenary. Lincoln expects half of its global volume will be zero-emissions vehicles by mid-decade. It plans to electrify its portfolio of vehicles by 2030. It is part of the company's Ford+ plan and Ford Motor company's planned investment of more than $30 billion in electrification by 2025. The new rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive battery electric flexible architecture will enable the company to deliver four new and distinct fully electric vehicles, Lincoln said in a statement. Lincoln will also introduce new advanced driver-assist features called Lincoln ActiveGlide. The hands-free, semi-autonomous technology is designed for highway driving. It uses cameras, radar and driver monitoring technologies to allow a driver to operate hands-free on prequalified sections of divided highways called Hands-Free Blue Zones. This summer, 2021 Lincoln Nautilus clients will receive their first software updates, including enhancements to their navigation system, Apple CarPlay and digital owner's manual. A new update to the hands-free digital assistant Alexa arrives this fall, bringing the seamless operations that customers have come to expect with their personal and home devices. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / Blackwolf Copper and Gold Ltd. ("Blackwolf" or the "Company") (TSXV:BWCG) is pleased to announce that assays from four drill holes have been received from the spring 2021 underground resource expansion and exploration drilling program from the Lookout Deposit at its 100%-owned Niblack copper-gold-silver-zinc VMS project, located adjacent to tidewater in southeast Alaska. This drilling is over 1,000 meters to the south of the historic Niblack Mine area where the Company recently reported high-grade, copper-massive sulphide mineralization (see Blackwolf Copper and Gold News Release, May 03, 2021). Resource expansion drilling intersected much wider intervals than expected from previous modelling, with remarkably consistent polymetallic grades within the Lookout Zone. Exploration drilling down-dip of the deposit encountered encouraging base and precious metal intervals within the prospective massive sulphide horizon. Highlights of the drilling at the Lookout and Lookout Extension zones include: U21-226: 27.00 meters averaging 1.06% Cu, 1.87 g/t Au, 32.83 g/t Ag, 1.04% Zn or 3.08% Cu equiv. including: 4.00 meters averaging 2.61% Cu, 4.93g/t Au, 76.58 g/t Ag, 2.34% Zn or 7.69% Cu equiv. U21-227: 32.60 meters averaging 1.03% Cu, 1.49 g/t Au, 26.54 g/t Ag,0.92% Zn or 2.67% Cu equiv. including: 3.00 meters averaging 2.37% Cu, 3.29 g/t Au, 58.97 g/t Ag, 1.42% Zn or 5.78% Cu equiv. Metal equivalency value is based on the following prices: US$3.25/lb Cu, US$1,600/oz Au, US$1.15/lb Zn and US$20.75/oz Ag; it is noted that no adjustments were made in the metal equivalency calculation for metal recovery. Prices taken as an average of research analyst's long-term metal prices forecasts, April 2021. "Two drill holes were completed to test our revised geological model relating to the expansion of current Mineral Resources at the Lookout Zone and encountered substantially thicker intervals of mineralization than expected, with remarkable continuity between the drill holes. The consistent high-grade mineralization with excellent metallurgy and hosted in good ground conditions suggests that this area is potentially amenable to low-cost bulk underground mining," said Rob McLeod, President and CEO of Blackwolf Copper and Gold. "Additionally, the discovery of the Lookout mineralized horizon on the west side of the Bluebell fault is highly encouraging, greatly increasing the size potential of the deposit. Based on these results that have exceeded our expectations, Blackwolf has decided to initiate a significant upgrade of site facilities including camp, fuel storage, underground support and core processing that can accommodate greatly expanded programs at Niblack." Assays have been received for four of five holes drilled during April's 1,810 meter program that targeted extensions to the current Mineral Resources from the Lookout Zone. Primary objectives of this program were: 1) resource expansion drill holes targeting massive sulphide mineralization approximately 300 meters away from the underground ramp; 2) exploration drill holes to test for the down dip extension of the Lookout mineralized horizon and exploration to the west of the Bluebell strike-slip fault, which runs shallowly oblique to the Lookout Zone. All drill holes successfully encountered mineralization. A fifth drill hole testing up dip of the Mineral Resource was stopped short of the mineralized horizon and will be completed during the next round of underground drilling. Lookout Zone The largest deposit on the Niblack Property, the Lookout Zone hosts a large trough of polymetallic semi-massive to massive sulphide mineralization. Hosting consistent copper-gold-silver-zinc mineralization throughout, this deposit is over 120 meters thick at its widest, potentially amenable to bulk-underground mining techniques. Current NI 43-101 Mineral Resources are 5.6 million tonnes of Indicated Resources averaging 0.95% Cu, 1.75 g/t Au, 29.52 g/t Ag and 1.73% Zn, with additional Inferred Resources of 2.4 million tonnes of 0.73% Cu, 1.42 g/t Ag, 21.63 g/t Ag and 1.17% Zn. A higher-grade core of Indicated Resources hosts 1.2 million tonnes averaging 1.7% Cu, 3.2 g/t Au, 62.6 g/t Ag and 3.8% Zn. Refer to disclosure below for further details on the company's NI 43-101 Mineral Resources Estimate. The deposit is open to expansion to the west and at depth. High-grade Neoproterozoic VMS-style mineralization is hosted within a series of felsic volcanic flows and breccias, typically as stringer, semi-massive to massive chalcopyrite and sphalerite-rich replacement-style mineralization, commonly with additional pyrite. Metamorphic and structural deformation events have overturned the volcanic sequence and recrystalized the sulphide mineralization, resulting in good metallurgical recoveries. First-pass, unoptimized metallurgical test results from the Lookout deposit yielded recoveries, including: copper (94.3 to 94.9%) and zinc (90.2 to 93.3%) with very clean concentrates. Current test work that is underway is focused on boosting the reasonable initial precious metal recoveries of 72.6 and 76% for gold and silver, respectively (see Blackwolf News Release, February 24, 2021). Figure 1. Lookout Zone 'honey sphalerite' massive zinc sulphides from drill holeU21-227 2021 Drill Results During March and April 2021, five holes totaling 1,810 meters of NQ2 core were completed using underground diamond drills operated by Morecore Drilling of Stewart, BC. Two resource expansion holes were completed, U21-226 encountered 27.00 meters of 1.06% Cu, 1.87 g/t Au, 32.83 g/t Ag and 1.04% Zn or 3.08% Cu-equivalent, including a higher-grade interval of 4.0 meters averaging 2.61% Cu, 4.93 g/t Au, 76.58 g/t Ag and 2.34% Zn or 7.69% Cu-equivalent. U21-227 intersected a very similar interval in thickness and grade, encountering 32.6 meters of 1.03% Cu, 1.49 g/t Au, 26.54 g/t Ag and 0.92% Zn with a higher-grade interval of 3.00 meters averaging 2.37% Cu, 3.29 g/t Au, 58.97 g/t Ag and 1.42% Zn or 5.78% Cu-equivalent. This area was previously interpreted to host mineralization three to five meters in width. The mineralized intervals in U21-226 and 227 are approximately 35 meters apart. Figure 2. April 2021 Resource Expansion Drilling section Drill holes U21-225 and 228 are exploration holes drilled up and down-dip, respectively, as step-outs from an isolated massive sulphide interval in historical hole U-074, which intersected 1.5 meters averaging 2.0% Cu, 3.3 g/t Au, 90 g/t Ag and 23% Zn. Blackwolf's drilling encountered broad intervals of disseminated and stringer sulphide mineralization, primarily pyrite which is suggestive of proximity to the mineralized horizon. Drill hole U21-225 intersected 2.66 meters averaging 0.11% Cu, 0.36 g/t Au, 13.47 g/t Ag and 1.34% Zn. Deeper hole U21-228 intersected a broader interval of 12.0 meters averaging 0.13% Cu, 0.45 g/t Au 5.0 g/t Ag and 0.25% Zn, including 2.0 meters averaging 0.62% Cu, 1.07 g/t Au, 11.4 g/t Ag and 0.52% Zn, with a second zone of sphalerite (zinc sulphide) stringers to the west of the Bluebell fault. Blackwolf is highly encouraged that the mineralization is continuing to depth, with these holes projected between 75 and 100 meters below the current mineral resource. The Company will perform additional follow-up drilling with down-hole geophysics to located where the wide trough of massive sulphide mineralization may project. Additional success will warrant extension of the underground ramp to permit drilling the Lookout Extension with shorter holes at a better orientation. Complete 2021 drill results are as follows: Hole-ID Zone From (meters) To (meters) Length (meters)2 Cu (%) Gold (gpt) Silver (gpt) Zn (%) Cu equiv1 U21-225 Lookout Ext. 301.00 303.66 2.66 0.11 0.36 13.47 1.34 0.97 U21-226 Lookout 326.00 353.00 27.00 1.06 1.87 32.83 1.04 3.08 including 327.00 331.00 4.00 2.61 4.93 76.58 2.34 7.69 U21-227 Lookout 321.90 354.50 32.60 1.03 1.49 26.54 0.92 2.67 including 325.00 328.00 3.00 2.37 3.29 58.97 1.42 5.78 U21-228 Lookout Ext. 298.75 310.75 12.00 0.13 0.45 4.66 0.25 0.59 including 304.75 305.75 1.00 0.14 1.18 11.50 0.33 1.21 And 308.75 310.75 2.00 0.62 1.07 11.40 0.52 1.68 350.75 366.50 15.75 0.01 0.02 5.39 0.21 0.15 U21-229 Lookout In Progress Metal equivalency value is based on the following prices: US$3.25/lb Cu, US$1,600/oz Au, US$1.15/lb Zn and US$20.75/oz Ag; it is noted that no adjustments were made in the metal equivalency calculation for metal recovery. Prices taken as an average of research analyst's long-term metal price forecast, April 2021 Drilled intervals are reported. True widths are estimated to be between 85 and 100% of drilled intervals for the Lookout Zone and unknown for the Lookout Extension Drill hole Collar Locations are as follows: Hole-ID Zone Azimuth (Degree) Dip (Degree) Length (m) U21-225 Lookout Ext. 200 -22 413.30 U21-226 Lookout 200 7 377.77 U21-227 Lookout 200 1 379.47 U21-228 Lookout Ext. 200 -27 406.00 U21-229 Lookout 200 30 231.00 Niblack Project Upgrades Blackwolf's Board of Directors has approved a plan to significantly upgrade the Niblack Camp and infrastructure, phasing out of the old barge camp. The new camp will allow significant more capacity for work crews to support the Company's vision for the Project. This work will include all-season Weatherhaven tents, new fuel storage, improved core handling and processing facilities and better underground equipment maintenance and water management. Located on tidewater, the Niblack facilities support an 800 meter-long, production-sized underground ramp that provides a platform for diamond grilling for exploration, resource expansion and upgrading. Figure 3. Lookout Zone Isometric; 2021 drill holes traces QA/QC and Qualified Persons The Qualified Person under NI 43-101 for the 2021 exploration program at the Niblack Project is Marilyne Lacasse, P.Geo, Vice-President of Exploration for Blackwolf Copper and Gold. Drill core was cut in-half with a diamond saw, with one-half placed in sealed bags and shipped with chain of custody controls to ALS Labs in Vancouver, BC, for sample preparation and analysis. A rigorous Quality Control/Quality Assurance program, including the insertion of Standards and Blanks, duplicate analysis and third-party labs checks has been implemented. Robert McLeod, P.Geo, President and CEO of Blackwolf Copper and Gold Ltd., a Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release, in addition to Ms. Lacasse. About Blackwolf Copper and Gold Blackwolf's founding vision is to be an industry leader in transparency, inclusion and innovation. Guided by our Vision and through collaboration with local and Indigenous communities and stakeholders, Blackwolf builds shareholder value through our technical expertise in mineral exploration, engineering and permitting. The Company holds a 100% interest in the high-grade Niblack copper-gold-zinc-silver VMS project, located adjacent to tidewater, as well as the Cantoo and Texas Creek Gold-Silver Properties in southeast Alaska. For more information on Blackwolf, please visit the Company's website at www.blackwolfcopperandgold.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Robert McLeod" Robert McLeod, P.Geo President, CEO and Director For more information, contact: Rob McLeod 604-617-0616 (Mobile) 604-343-2997 (Office) rm@bwcg.ca Thomas Kenney 587-777-4333 (Mobile) 604-343-2997 (Office) tk@bwcg.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements relating to the historic Niblack mine's potential to be a new resource area and the Company's future objectives and plans. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, market volatility; the state of the financial markets for the Company's securities; fluctuations in commodity prices and changes in the Company's business plans. In making the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable, including without limitation, that the Company will continue with its stated business objectives and its ability to raise additional capital to proceed. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Company seeks safe harbor. The Company's "Mineral Resource Estimate" refers to a November 2011 NI 43-101 Report authored by SRK Consulting Independent of the Company and Deon Van Der Heever, Pr. Sci. Nat., Hunter Dickinson Inc., a Qualified Person who was not independent of the Company. Net Smelter Return (NSR) cutoff uses long-term metal forecasts: gold US$1,150/oz, silver US$20.00/oz, copper US$2.50/lb, and zinc US$1.00/lb; Recoveries (used for all NSR calculations) to Cu concentrate of 95% Cu, 56% Au and 53% Ag with payable metal factors of 96.5% for Cu, 90.7% for Au, and 89.5% for Ag; to Zn concentrate of 93% Zn, 16% Au, and 24% Ag with payable metal factors of 85% for Zn, 80% for Au and 20% for Ag. Detailed engineering studies will determine the best cutoff. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's continuous disclosure filings that are available at www.sedar.com. SOURCE: Blackwolf Copper and Gold Ltd View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651894/Blackwolf-Intersects-270-Meters-Averaging-11-Copper-19-gt-Gold-328-gt-Silver-and-10-Zinc-or-31-Copper-Equivalent-from-Lookout-Deposit-at-Niblack Led by Tim Teal and Dr. Shana Fox, Bellwether Group Brings Deep Experience in Intelligence Community FAIRFAX, VA / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / Visium Technologies today announced that it has added The Bellwether Group, Inc. ("TBG") to its Advisory Board. In its advisory capacity, TBG will contribute to product development, as well as advising Visium on the development of use cases within the US Intelligence cyber community. "TBG is an innovative leader in the industry, and we are thrilled to be working with Tim Teal and his team. Tim has an incredible 30-year track record of working in the cyber mission and solving the hardest problems in technology. We are looking forward to partnering with TBG to provide amazing capabilities to the Cyber community." Mr. Teal has worked at US Cyber Command, serving as the Technical Director, Capabilities Development Group (CDG) which was responsible for planning, synchronizing and executing joint capability development required for the Command to accomplish its mission. He also served as the Director, J6/J8/J9 for the Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF) where he was charged by the Commander, CNMF with arming the Cyber Mission Forces (CMF) with tactical tools & capabilities to achieve successful mission performance. Prior to his assignments at United States Cyber Command, Mr. Teal served as the Technical Director of the Analytic Tradecraft Automation Office (ATAO) and the Scalable Analytics Tradecraft Center (SATC) at the National Security Agency (NSA). In these roles, he provided technical leadership and strategy for the advancement of analytic technologies and practices with a strong emphasis on developing and deploying large-scale data analytics. In addition, he led the inception and successful standup of the NSA's Data Scientist Development Program (DSDP) and was a founding member of the successful inception and standup of NSA's Advanced Network Operations (aka "Hunt") mission. The Hunt Mission was responsible for obtaining and deploying tactical tools and capabilities to hunt for sophisticated adversaries across the Department of Defense - ANO was the leading organization uncovering, what led to, Operation "BUCKSHOT YANKEE". Mr. Teal is also a Navy War Veteran, with numerous awards, who served in Operation Desert Storm, Desert Shield and multiple other operational assignments. About The Bellwether Group, Inc. The Bellwether Group, Inc. is a Millersville, Maryland based corporation that provides mission critical solutions to commercial and government customers. For more information, please visit https://thebellwethergroup.io/ About Visium Technologies, Inc. Visium Technologies, Inc. (OTCMKTS: VISM) is a Florida corporation based in Fairfax, Virginia, focused on global cybersecurity clarity, machine learning, advancing technology and automating services to support enterprises in protecting their most valuable assets - their data, business applications, and IoT on their networks and in the cloud. For more information, please visit www.visiumtechnologies.com Safe Harbor Statement: Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements that reflect management's current views with respect to future events and performance. These forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and information currently available. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "project" and similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Investors should be cautious in relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. These factors include factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Any responsibility to update forward-looking statements is expressly disclaimed. Contact: Visium Technologies, Inc. Corporate: Mark Lucky, Chief Executive Officer IR@visiumtechnologies.com Please send sales queries to Sales@visiumtechnologies.com Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Twitter | Instagram Corporate Office: 4094 Majestic Lane Suite 360 Fairfax, VA 22033 Phone: 703-273-0383 Investor Relations: Peter Nicosia Bull in Advantage, LLC Phone: 585-703-6565 Email: Info@BlueHorseshoeStocks.com SOURCE: Visium Technologies, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651942/Visium-Technologies-Announces-Addition-of-The-Bellwether-Group-to-Advisory-Board NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / E2Gold Inc. (TSXV:ETU) (the "Company" or "E2Gold") is pleased to announce that it proposes to complete a private placement (the "Offering") pursuant to which it will issue units ("Units") at a price of C$0.10 per Unit, "flow-through" units ("FT Units") at a price of C$0.11 per FT Unit and special "flow-through" units ("Special FT Units") at a price of C$0.13 per Special FT Unit, in any combination to raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$4,000,000.The gross proceeds raised from the sale of FT Units and Special FT Units will be used for exploration at the Hawkins Gold Project where geologic surface mapping is underway and where the Phase 2 drilling campaign for approximately 5,000m is set to start in early July, 2021. Crescat Capital LLC ("Crescat") has agreed to make a strategic investment in the Company that will net the Company C$800,000. Crescat will have an option to participate in future financings to maintain its interest in the Company for so long as it holds greater than 5% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares. Eric Owens, CEO and President of E2Gold commented, "We appreciate the interest and support Crescat has shown in our Hawkins Project. The success of our recent drill campaign is starting to draw the attention of the investment community." Mr. Owens added, "This funding will enable us to accelerate our plans going forward and give us the opportunity to drill at depth and along strike". "E2Gold's Hawkins Gold Project displays very strong geologic similarities to the world class Hemlo gold deposit situated approximately 150 km to the southwest," commented Dr. Quinton Hennigh, technical advisor to Crescat Capital. "Most notably, the type of host rock, intensely foliated and silicified sericite schist, as well as the presence of certain trace elements including molybdenum and barium, are similar to Hemlo. Hawkins has only seen limited shallow drilling including a few occasional narrow high-grade intercepts. In our view, the system's 3.5 km of strike needs more aggressive drilling to determine if broader zones of Hemlo-style high-grade evolve at depth. Crescat is delighted to invest in this placement to help fund the next round of drilling including tests of deeper parts of the system for just such a prize." Each Unit will be comprised of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"); each FT Unit will be comprised of one Common Share that qualifies as a flow-through common share as defined in subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (each, a "FT Share") and one-half of one Warrant; and each Special FT Unit will be comprised of one FT Share and one Warrant. Each whole Warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one additional Common Share (which shall not be a flow-through share) at an exercise price of C$0.15 per warrant for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance thereof. An amount equal to the gross proceeds allocated to the sale of the FT Shares comprising each of the FT Units and Special FT Units will be used for expenditures which qualify as Canadian exploration expenses ("CEE") and "flow-through mining expenditures" (within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada)). The Company will renounce such CEE with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2021. E2Gold will use funds raised from the sale of the Units on non-flow-through eligible project expenses as well as for working capital purposes and exploration expenditures. In connection with the Offering, the Company may issue to eligible registrants such number of broker warrants ("Broker Warrants") as is equal to up to 8% of the aggregate number of Units, FT Units and Special FT Units issued in the Offering. Each Broker Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of C$0.10 for a period of two years. Insiders of E2Gold are expected to participate in the Offering, with such participation expected to represent up to 25% of the Offering. The Offering and related matters remain subject to various closing conditions, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Offering is presently scheduled to close on or about June 30, 2021. About Crescat Capital LLC Crescat is a global macro asset management firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Crescat's mission is to grow and protect wealth over the long term by deploying tactical investment themes based on proprietary value-driven equity and macro models. Crescat's goal is industry leading absolute and risk-adjusted returns over complete business cycles with low correlation to common benchmarks. Crescat's investment process involves a mix of asset classes and strategies to assist with each client's unique needs and objectives and includes Global Macro, Long/Short, Large Cap and Precious Metals funds. Crescat is advised by its technical consultant Dr. Quinton Hennigh on investments in gold and silver resource companies. Dr. Hennigh became an economic geologist after obtaining his PhD in Geology/Geochemistry from the Colorado School of Mines. Recently, Dr. Hennigh founded Novo Resources Corp (TSXV: NVO) and serving as Chairman. Among his notable project involvements are First Mining Gold's Springpole gold deposit in Ontario, Kirkland Lake Gold'sacquisition of the Fosterville gold mine in Australia, the Rattlesnake Hills gold deposit in Wyoming, and Lion One's Tuvatu gold project on Fiji, among many others. For further information please contact: Eric Owens President & Chief Executive Officer Tel. (416) 509-5385 Email: eric.owens@e2gold.ca Ellie Owens Vice President Tel. 647-575-2888 Email: ellie.owens@e2gold.ca All scientific and technical information contained in this press release was prepared under the supervision of Eric Owens, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking Statements - Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the Offering may not be completed on the terms currently proposed or at all. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of E2Gold, including with respect to the potential size and composition of the Offering and the receipt of all regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. SOURCE: E2Gold Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651941/E2Gold-Announces-Private-Placement-With-Strategic-Investment-From-Crescat-Capital Genetic Screening Platform Technology and Data to Strengthen Entheon's Psychedelic-Assisted Protocols Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - Entheon Biomedical Corp. (CSE: ENBI) (OTCQB: ENTBF) (FSE: 1XU1) ("Entheon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a definitive agreement dated June 15, 2021 (the "Agreement") with Lobo Genetics Inc. ("Lobo"), and 13089363 Canada Inc. ("Subco"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Entheon. Pursuant to the Agreement, Entheon and Lobo will combine their respective businesses by way of a "three-cornered" amalgamation in accordance with section 185 of the Canada Business Corporations Act (the "CBCA"), as further detailed below (the "Transaction"). Lobo brings a highly experienced and specialized team of technology experts in the fields of genetics, diagnostics, data and analytics, as well as a fully operational 5,000 sq. ft. genetics research and development and testing facility located in Mississauga, Ontario. Lobo also has various existing distribution and partner relationships both domestically and internationally that are a strategic fit with Entheon's goal of expanding its personalized psychedelics platform globally. In addition to the psychedelics genetic test that Lobo has developed in partnership with HaluGen Life Sciences Inc. ("HaluGen"), Lobo offers a cannabis genetic test that can provided personalized insights into an individual's cannabis metabolism, risk and impairment, including: (a) ability to metabolize THC and CBD; (b) increased acute psychotomimetic effects and long-term risk of cannabis-induced psychosis; and (c) neurocognitive impairment including short-term memory loss. "This acquisition supports Entheon's genetic-driven approach to developing personalized psychedelic-assisted psychotherapeutic (PAP) protocols to treat substance use disorders while providing in-house DNA data analytics, expanded assay development and genetic research capacities," said Chief Executive Officer of Entheon, Timothy Ko, "With the acquisition of Lobo comes the addition of key staff members and enhanced expertise in the field of genetics. With increased capacity to screen patients, on a genetic basis, for underlying psychiatric disorders prior to undertaking PAP, Entheon is furthering its commitment toward safety and predictability in psychedelic therapies while aggregating data that can be used to determine which psychedelic molecules are best-suited for a particular patient." "We are excited to join the Entheon team and leverage Lobo's existing genetics testing platform to future applications in the psychedelics space," said Chief Executive Officer of Lobo, John Lem. "Tim and his team have a bold vision of personalizing the psychedelics experience. Developing insights through genetic testing and data are a key part of that mission." The Transaction Pursuant to the Transaction, structured as a three-cornered amalgamation in accordance with Section 185 of the CBCA, Lobo will amalgamate with Subco, a newly incorporated and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, formed solely for the purpose of facilitating the Transaction. Following the Transaction, the amalgamated company will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, under the name "Lobo Genetics Inc." ("Amalco") and carry on the business of Lobo. It is anticipated that Timothy Ko, Entheon's Chief Executive Officer, President and a director of the Company will serve as the sole director of Amalco. Pursuant to the Agreement, in consideration for the common shares in the capital of Lobo (the "Lobo Shares"), the Company will issue an aggregate of 5,000,000 common shares (the "Consideration Shares") to the shareholders of Lobo. The Consideration Shares are subject to contractual restrictions on transfer and will be released in accordance with the following schedule: (a) 1,250,000 Consideration Shares on the closing of the Transaction (the "Closing Date"); (b) 1,250,000 Consideration Shares on the date that is four (4) months following the Closing Date; (c) 1,250,000 Consideration Shares on the date that is eight (8) months following the Closing Date; and (d) 1,250,000 Consideration Shares on the date that is twelve (12) months following the Closing Date. In addition to the Consideration Shares, the Company will issue 9,603 incentive stock options (the "Replacement Options") to the holders of outstanding stock options of Lobo (the "Lobo Stock Options") in exchange for the exchange or conversion of the Lobo Stock Options and may issue up to 46,944 common share purchase warrants (the "Replacement Warrants") to the holders of the outstanding common shares purchase warrants of Lobo (the "Lobo Warrants") in exchange for the conversion, exchange or cancellation of the Lobo Warrants. Each Replacement Option will be exercisable for one common share in the capital of Entheon at price of $6.94 per Replacement Option until the originally contemplated expiry date, in accordance with the original terms of the applicable Lobo Option. Each Replacement Warrant will be exercisable for one common share in the capital of Entheon an exercise price of $13.89 per Replacement Warrant until the originally contemplated expiry date, in accordance with the original terms of the applicable Lobo Warrant. Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of closing conditions, including but not limited to, the resignation of the current directors of Lobo, as well as receipt of all required regulatory, shareholder and third-party approvals required to complete the Transaction. There can be no assurance that the proposed Transaction or other transactions described in this news release will be completed as proposed or at all. In addition, the Company announces that Lobo Genetics Founder and CEO, John Lem will join Entheon's advisory board as a strategic advisor of industry affairs upon completion of the Transaction and will continue to advise and assist with the operations and strategic direction of Lobo Genetics Inc. and HaluGen Life Sciences Inc. About Entheon Biomedical Corp. Entheon is a biotechnology research and development company committed to developing and commercializing a portfolio of safe and effective Dimethyltryptamine based psychedelic therapeutic products ("DMT Products") for the purposes of treating addiction and substance use disorders. Subject to obtaining all requisite regulatory approvals and permits, Entheon intends to generate revenue through the sale of its DMT Products to physicians, clinics and licensed psychiatrists in the United States, certain countries in the European Union and throughout Canada. About Lobo Genetics Inc. Lobo is a Toronto-based arm's length private corporation incorporated on June 11, 2018 under the CBCA. Lobo is a personalized genetics company with a direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform currently being used in both the psychedelics and cannabis space to provide personalized insights into an individual's response to hallucinogenic and psychoactive drugs. For more information, please contact the Company at: Entheon Biomedical Corp. Joseph Cullen, Investor Relations Telephone: +1 (778) 919-8615 joe@entheonbiomedical.com https://entheonbiomedical.com/ For media inquiries, please contact Crystal Quast at: Bullseye Corporate Crystal Quast Telephone: +1 (647) 529-6364 Quast@BullseyeCorporate.com Cautionary Note on Forward Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information relating to the closing of the Transaction, the conditions to completing the Transaction, timing and receipt of regulatory, shareholder and exchange approvals, Lobo's plans to expand its genetic testing technology and the future plans and business objectives of Amalco and the Company including the Company's plan to expand its personalized psychedelics platform globally, and the appointment of John Lem to the Company's advisory board, and other matters. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. As a result, there can be no assurance that the proposed Transaction or related matters will be completed as proposed or at all. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to complete the Transaction as currently proposed or at all, the ability of each of the Company, Lobo and Amalco to complete its planned future activities and anticipated business plans, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, the Company's ability to obtain regulatory, shareholder and exchange approvals of the Transaction and the company's ability to appoint individuals to its advisory board. Other factors may also adversely affect the future results or performance of the Company, including general economic, market or business conditions, changes in the financial markets and changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting the Company's operations and the Company's limited operating history. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87733 Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed Global Trac Solutions, Inc. (OTC Pink: PSYC) ("the Company"), the first publicly traded digital media company within the emerging sector of medicinal psychedelics, CEO, David Flores, to the show with Stock Day host Everett Jolly. Jolly began the interview by asking about the Company's recent announcements. "Psychedelic Spotlight.com continues to be our flagship website for the company," shared Flores. "I think we've done a fantastic job here evolving it into the most trusted and recognized source for news and information within the growing sector of psychedelics." "For us, this isn't about trying to sprint. It is more so about trying to be strategic in terms of how we are positioning ourselves here to be able to take advantage of an industry that I think is going to be a pretty significant tidal wave over the next couple of years," continued Flores. Jolly then commented on the increasing viewership of the Company's website, which recently reached over 100,000 views. "That was a very exciting thing for us to achieve," said Flores. "It's something we've been focused on since we launched the site back in May of 2020," he added. "In fact, I can share for the very first time here with you that our numbers in May were actually even better," shared Flores. "In May, we saw close to 125,000 visitors." The conversation then turned to the Company's recent investments, including an investment with The Conscious Fund. "With The Conscious Fund, what we saw is a venture capital firm really assembling a very impressive portfolio of early-stage companies involved in the medicinal psychedelic space," explained Flores. "It continues to be my belief that we see a very nice return on this investment into The Conscious Fund over the next several years." "With PsycheDev Inc., a technology-based company in Montreal, developing a mobile app that is essentially going to be providing guided trips," said Flores. "There is going to be a need for tools and resources for people who want to be able to participate in psychedelics as they become more mainstream, but do so safely and responsibly," he continued. "That was always what we really liked with this opportunity with PsycheDev," he shared. "We hope to see the app launch late Q4 or early Q1 2022," said Flores, adding that the Company hopes to see a significant return on investment in the future. Flores then elaborated on the Company's financials. "Our 2018 and 2019 financials are fully audited," he shared. "It's been the company's intention, really since I came onboard back in July of 2018, to go through the process of applying to up list to the OTCQB and move the company off of the Pink Sheets and become fully reporting," said Flores, adding that the process involves a significant commitment in terms of time and money. "It absolutely remains an objective and goal to be able to one day move the company off the Pink Sheets and go through the process of trying to up list to the OTCQB." "What I am happy to share, while nothing is definitive right now, is that I am having conversations with our accounting team and the auditors to try to put a plan in place to get our 2020 financials fully audited," he continued. "I know how important transparency is, how important credibility is, and I know that this is going to be a big part of that." To close the interview, Flores expressed his confidence in the Company's significant role in the growing psychedelic space and encouraged listeners and shareholders to keep up-to-date on their updates and current projects. To hear the entire interview with David Flores, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7887805-psyc-ceo-discusses-increasing-audience-recent-investments-in-the-medicinal-psychedelic-space-an Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/. About Global Trac Solutions, Inc. (OTC Pink: PSYC) At Global Trac Solutions we are integrating media, creativity, and technology to develop and deploy thought-provoking ideas and solutions that are fostering and transforming the approach to some of society's most pressing matters. PSYC has expressed its intent and commitment to positioning itself at the forefront of the psychedelic revolution and as a resource center for discovering and understanding the latest research and business opportunities surrounding psychedelic inspired medicines. In conjunction with the FDA's more open-minded approach to psychedelic medicines, and as several major U.S. cities continue to approve the decriminalization of psilocybin, investors are speculating that the psychedelic boom could be bigger than that of cannabis. PSYC is your source for current investment related news specific to psychedelic medicines and cutting-edge research improving overall health, moving this sector into the mainstream. We believe in a forward-thinking approach that embraces groundbreaking new technology and innovations and through the vision of business development we intend to continue to evolve into these unchartered territories as the industry leaders of the future. We truly are the right TRAC to follow. Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "ongoing," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "will," "would," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time the statements are made and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainty and other factors, including the effect of COVID-19, that may cause our results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release. This press release should be considered in light of all filings of the Company that are disclosed on the OTC Markets.com website. Disclaimer: Global Trac Solutions, Inc. does not in any way encourage or condone the use, purchase, sale or transfer of any illegal substances, nor do we encourage or condone partaking in any unlawful activities. We support a harm reduction approach for the purpose of education and promoting individual and public safety. If you are choosing to use psychedelic substances, please do so responsibly. Corporate Contact: Global Trac Solutions, Inc. (PSYC) www.globaltracsolutions.com (702) 239-1919 psyc@globaltracsolutions.com OTC Pink: PSYC About The "Stock Day" Podcast Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America. SOURCE: Stock Day Media (602) 821-1102 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87743 LONDON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurachain announces that Depanero, the largest electro-IT service company in Romania, part of the eMAG group, is accelerating its operational automation strategy by leveraging the Aurachain low-code platform. Aurachain accelerates the development of digital solutions that automate business processes, as well as blockchain applications. The integration of Aurachain's low-code technology is part of Depanero's strategy to offer a simpler and faster experience to its customers. With the help of applications developed on the Aurachain platform, which will integrate multiple systems such as SAP, API or BI Tools, Depanero will automate a wide range of activities. Low-code will help Depanero streamline everything from the simplest processes to the most complex operations, such as generating spare parts inventories, delivery AWBs and invoices. Using the Aurachain platform, Depanero will improve its Service Management platform, a transformation that aims at economic, operational, and service benefits. This will allow the company to quickly automate specific service processes, as well as achieve full traceability for cases in the operational flow of the platform. Moreover, the quality of the user experience will be significantly improved thanks to Aurachain's optimized interfaces. "For Depanero, streamlining and simplifying operations has always been a priority. The Aurachain platform automates business processes and time-consuming tasks, which will allow us to better focus on truly important activities, namely improving the customer experience and the relationship with partners and suppliers", said Claudiu Florescu, Depanero Platforms Manager. Low-code technology significantly reduces development costs, allowing companies to quickly adapt their processes to new business requirements. The time needed to place a product or a service on the market is reduced by up to 80%, and the technological support needed for operational changes and new objectives is also facilitated. The new system makes it easier to define data capture, as well as the default rules in the Depanero stream, while ensuring good practices for internal operations is much simpler. The financial and operational benefits will lead to an improved scalability and performance, successfully ensuring long-term business development. "Low-code technology demonstrates once again the need for the solutions it offers. The speed, efficiency, and safety with which we can produce and implement the necessary changes within organizations are becoming a benchmark in the industry. We are happy to be the ones who support Depanero's comprehensive automation efforts ", says Ramona Sammouh, Head of Customer Success at Aurachain. Using Aurachain as a platform for upgrading existing service management solutions will give Depanero unprecedented agility and the ability to quickly adapt to new business needs. The low-code platform will allow the launch of changes within a few days, reducing the implementation time of the changes. Depanero will be able to rethink operational flows and the implementation of digital versions in a much shorter time than in the case of a traditional programming approach. The company will achieve greater operational efficiency, but also better visibility and control over service management operations in a short period of time. To find out more visit www.aurachain.ch or www.depanero.ro. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Reflecting a jump in fuel prices, the Labor Department released a report on Wednesday showing U.S. import prices increased by more than expected in the month of May. The Labor Department said import prices jumped by 1.1 percent in May after climbing by an upwardly revised by 0.8 percent in April. Economists had expected import prices to increase by 0.8 percent compared to the 0.7 percent advance originally reported for the previous month. The report also showed export prices spiked by 2.2 percent in May after surging by an upwardly revised 1.1 percent in April. Economists had expected export prices to climb by 0.8 percent, matching the increase originally reported for the previous month. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Former Renault Group Executive Joins Connected Vehicle Data Company to Lead Automotive and Mobility Business Initiatives Wejo, a global leader in connected vehicle data, today announced that Benoit Joly has joined the organization as executive vice president of the Automotive and Mobility business. In this role, Joly is responsible for building business-generating partnerships with global OEMs, automotive services platforms and equipment vendors, with a strong focus on onboarding their data and creating joint value, services and experiences from millions of live connected vehicles. He will report directly to Wejo Founder and CEO Richard Barlow. Prior to joining Wejo, Joly was head of the services business for Renault Group, a French multinational automobile manufacturer. At Renault, he coordinated and developed the company strategy, portfolio and business for both traditional and connected services in strong collaboration with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, a strategic relationship between Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, which together sell more than 1 in 9 vehicles worldwide. Joly has also held senior-level positions in the Connected Home and in the Telecom industry, during which he fostered innovation and value from the Internet of Things (IoT) and broadband connectivity. "At Wejo, we are committed to expanding the depth and breadth of connected vehicle data available to our customers, and joining forces with the world's leading auto manufacturers is critical," said Barlow. "OEMs want to work with partners they know they can trust to do good with their data, so it is vital to have a seasoned and respected leader at the helm of our initiative who understands the ins and outs of our complex business. With his unmatched experience in the automotive, telecom and IoT industries, Benoit is uniquely suited for this role, and we look forward to creating with him incremental value from our partner relationships." "I'm thrilled to join a fast-growing, global organization at the cutting edge of one of the world's most transformative technologies," said Joly. "Not only do I commit to strengthening and expanding the successful relationships Wejo has already built, but I also welcome the opportunity to develop connected data business value with automotive manufacturers, mobility operators and all equipment and platform vendors that have yet to discover and benefit from its power." Prior to Joly's appointment, long-time Wejo executive Sarah Larner held this role. She has been named executive vice president of strategy and innovation at Wejo, responsible for driving the organization into new markets and territories and expanding its services and products. For more on Wejo, please visit www.wejo.com. About Wejo Wejo is a leader in connected vehicle data, revolutionizing the way we live, work and travel by transforming and interpreting historic and real-time vehicle data. The company enables smarter mobility by organizing trillions of data points from over 10.7 million vehicles and more than 44.4 billion journeys globally, across multiple brands, makes and models, and then standardizing and enhancing those streams of data on a vast scale. Wejo partners with ethical, like-minded companies and organizations to turn that data into insights that unlock value for consumers. With one of the most comprehensive and trusted data, information and intelligence sources, Wejo's aim is to create a smarter, safer, more sustainable world for all. Founded in 2014, Wejo employs more than 200 people and has offices in Manchester in the UK and Detroit in the US. For more information, visit: www.wejo.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005063/en/ Contacts: Shannon Casey PR for Wejo wejo@v2comms.com ST. PETERSBURG, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / Treasure & Shipwreck Recovery, Inc. ("TSR" or "the Company"), (OTC PINK:BLIS), announces the Company has taken delivery of the Capitana a specially made treasure recovery vessel working with our Partner Gold Hound, LLC and Greg Bounds for immediate use on the known 1715 sites off Sebastian Florida. The vessel was worked up with Gold Hound and TSR and was taken from Ft. Pierce to Sebastian Florida to work the thousands of targets that Bounds has surveyed off the known treasure wreck site. The Capitana, under Bounds, and with crew and divers from both Companies will now be operating on the target locations previously unsearched, using the new technologies and scanning we now have that pinpoint areas to be searched for expected dramatic recoveries. The site area off Sebastian has been perpetually permitted with the State of Florida, and has been the site of valuable recoveries from a suspected four wrecks from the renowned and enormously laden 1715 Fleet, which sank in July 1715 during a hurricane. Although much of the inshore areas have been worked, and many recoveries made, the vast amount of treasure, in the form of gold and silver coins, bullion bars, emeralds, jewelry and other valuable items are still to be found. Through the exhaustive work of Bounds over the last year, he has tracked and identified thousands of "hits" extending out in un-searched areas that show definitive trails of wrecks to be explored and recoveries to be made. Given the success that both Bounds and his company Gold Hound has had, along with Kane Fisher of TSR who has had numerous recoveries through the years on the site, TSR with this partnership looks for a great amount of treasure recovery to occur through the summer months. vessel to be worked with entered into a long-term agreement for partnership on proven perpetually permitted wreck sites off the East Coast of Florida for work during the summer season. The Capitana is a specially outfitted large dive vessel with blower machinery, and large space for diving and equipment made for treasure recovery. With other smaller vessels in support, TSR and Gold Hound are already on-site finishing surveys, and ready to have the whole crew and divers to hit the sites in the next week. These sites and targets are proven treasure troves, historically and with TSR in partnership with Gold Hound, we look forward to a fantastic dive and recovery season. With the vessels now ready, TSR will update and provide information on all aspects of operations, including video and other media updates in the short term. TSR has also activated an Instagram site for posts we will make available for videos and pictures on a daily basis. See https://www.instagram.com/tsrtreasurehunters/ About Treasure & Shipwreck Recovery TSR is a three-fold treasure related company, with its own recovery vessels and partners, it has made recoveries, and holds hundreds of miles of researched areas. TSR has its treasure recovery part of the Company as well as its Media Group for television, gaming and Media matters such as its gaming portion and its television side being developed. All three components will make up the triad of revenue sources and business development. Our web site will be updated as new matters are announced including recoveries, the media side, and gaming side at www.treasurewreck.com. Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsrtreasurehunters/ FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release and the statements of representatives of TSR. (the "Company") related thereto contain, or may contain, among other things, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are "forward-looking statements," including any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "guidance," "projects," "may," "could," "would," "should," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "ultimately" or similar expressions. All forward-looking statements involve material assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and the expectations contained in such statements may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company's actual results (including, without limitation, TSR's ability to advance its business, generate revenue and profit and operate as a public company) could differ materially from those stated or anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including factors and risks discussed in the periodic reports that the Company files with OTC Markets (Pink Sheets). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. The Company undertakes no duty to update these forward-looking statements except as required by law. COMPANY CONTACT TSR: Website: www.treasurewreck.com Craig A. Huffman EMAIL: Craig@treasurewreck.com, INVESTOR RELATIONS: TELEPHONE: (877) 723-5477 SOURCE: Treasure & Shipwreck Recovery, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651877/Treasure-Shipwreck-Recovery-Announces-Start-of-Operations-and-Resources-on-Treasure-Site New tool for access analysis, marketing research, and trend analysis in Japan Values, Inc. (head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and Representative Director: Hideyuki Tsujimoto) has released Dockpit, the most innovative data analysis tool in Japan, as a SaaS-type service for global companies. Dockpit provides an intuitive dashboard for access analysis, marketing research, and trend analysis, based on online behavior log data of Japan's largest group of consumer panel with 2.5 million panelists. It enables anyone to easily perform 3C Analysis (company, competitor, and customer). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005342/en/ Dockpit for Global Clients (Graphic: Business Wire) Dockpit: https://www.valuesccg.com/english/dockpit/ Comments from Hideyuki Tsujimoto, Values, Inc.'s President and Representative Director Dockpit is a marketing tool that enables marketers who need large amounts of information in a limited time to conduct competitive research, industry analysis and identify trends, by simply entering keywords or a site URL and the industry they want to analyze. With Values' proprietary data on the online behavior log of 2.5 million panelists of Japan's largest consumer panel, the data also includes users' attributes such as gender, age, living area, and annual income. You can easily analyze the 3C's (company, competition, customers) which are essential for marketing. Anyone can easily begin data analysis by viewing the data through the dashboard's intuitive user interface. The dashboard displays an easy-to-understand summary of a vast amount of data. Once you have an overview, you can dig deeper into the areas of your interest, greatly reducing the time and cost of research. Features of Dockpit 1. The user-friendly dashboard makes it easy for anyone to analyze data Dockpit's user-friendly dashboard provides the information needed for marketing analysis at first sight. It allows you to carry out data analysis using intuitive operations. Simply enter the keyword, site URL, or choose the industry you want to analyze, and it will show a summary of the information required for data analysis. After checking the overview, you can make segmentations by users' attributes and perform in-depth analysis. 2. Carry out competitive research and understand market trends Using the data, including user attributes, from our proprietary large scale consumer panel to understand the status of competing sites and market trends. It helps you understand and analyze competing sites from all angles, including user volume, demographics, contribution of different advertising channels etc. It also covers the current state of the industries and markets trend by consumers' website visit and keywords search history. 3. Understand consumer needs and trends Dockpit uses consumers' search keyword and website visit, contents being viewed to grasp consumer needs and insights. Segmentation based on the demographics is possible, allowing you to analyze your target audiences' features of activities online. How to use Dockpit We offer a variety of pricing plans depending on the length of use and number of user accounts, so please feel free to contact us. Click this link to request materials on Dockpit https://www.valuesccg.com/english/inquiry/ About Values, Inc. Values is a business growth support company that leverages its marketing know-how and cutting-edge IT technology to support the creation of new market value. In addition to providing services that utilize the online behavior logs and demographic information of 2.5 million general Internet users. We also leverage our unique know-how and solutions to provide support to many companies, from consulting on management issues to problem solving and sales promotion support. Location: 2-19-4 FORUM Akasaka 5F, Akasaka, Minato-Ku, Tokyo Representative: President and Representative Director, Hideyuki Tsujimoto Business description: Management consulting and growth support Internet activity log analysis (big data analysis) Development of sales systems using advanced IT technology Date founded: September 30, 2009 URL: https://www.valuesccg.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005342/en/ Contacts: Contact for inquiries regarding this matter: Values, Inc. https://www.valuesccg.com/english/inquiry/ Tel: +81-3-6277-6812 E-mail: global@valuesccg.com Taeka Hoshi, Futoshi Yanase Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) -Cross River Ventures Corp. (CSE: CRVC) (FSE:C6R) (the "Company") is pleased to report that it has completed a full Lidar survey at its 100% owned McVicar Gold Project, located within the Archean Lang Lake Greenstone Belt of the Uchi Subprovince, NW Ontario, Canada. Eagle Mapping of Langley, British Columbia, successfully completed the McVicar Lidar survey on Tuesday, June 8. Lidar, which stands for "Light Detection and Ranging", is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth. These light pulses, combined with other data recorded by the airborne system, generate precise, three-dimensional information about the surface characteristics of the project ground. Lidar was selected as a critical exploration tool at McVicar due to: The property has partially delineated shear-hosted gold mineralization at numerous locations, This part of NW Ontario is largely covered by a thin (1-2m) veneer of glacial till. Tracking the extent, orientations, and width of these shear zones aids in identifying zones for follow-up prospecting, in addition to refining drill target locations. Lidar resolves bedrock structures and is used to refine the locations of significant shear zones, and more generally toward characterizing the structural architecture of the gold camp. Enhanced structural knowledge provides a framework within which the Company will prioritize drill targets. Once the Company receives final results from this survey, ground truthing (prospecting, mapping, and sampling) of high priority targets will begin later this summer. Image 1: McVicar Project, Lang Lake Greenstone Belt, with nearby deposits/historical mines, NW Ontario, Canada To view an enhanced version of Image 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7276/87730_e324d41f64268823_002full.jpg About the McVicar Project Cross River's McVicar Gold Project is a district-scale (~12,000 hectares) gold exploration project that covers the main structural elements of the entire Lang Lake greenstone belt located in the Patricia Mining Division, approximately 150 km east of Red Lake, and 80 km west of Pickle Lake, in NW Ontario, Canada. The McVicar project covers all the major fertile structural and geologic elements of the belt, which is bound to the south by the major NW trending Bear Head Fault zone (within which Golden Patricia is situated). Historic drilling at McVicar Lake in the Altered and North Flexure Zones include (AFRI 20000007971): 6.46 grams-per-tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au") over 10.09m (including 29.86 g/t over 1.86m) 5.5 g/t Au over 3.6m 11.72 g/t Au over 1.52m 33 g/t Au over 1.86m 5.0 g/t Au over 2.74m 9.3 g/t Au over 2.02m, among others** The McVicar Lake claims also host the Chellow Vein zone, which is a narrow quartz vein that consists of smoky grey to white quartz mineralized with minor pyrite and visible gold. The vein system yielded high grade gold at surface. BHP Minerals Canada conducted exploration work in the early 1990's, returning a series of 34 channel samples that were cut normal to the vein at approximately two meter intervals along the length of the vein exposed in the trenches. The average value of the 34 samples was 28.8 g/t Au. Three samples (#1078, #1090, #1096) returned assays of: 578.1 g/t Au, 533.5 g/t Au, and 412.5 g/t Au, respectively Limited drill testing below the known showings in the early 1990's didn't yield significant gold assay values; however, the Cross River technical team believe the Chellow Vein is hosted in a much broader (1-2km wide) high-strain or deformation zone characterized by a series of parallel-trending shears that have not been systematically tested. ^ Grab samples are selective by nature and may not represent the true grade or style of mineralization across the property. The technical content disclosed in this press release was reviewed and approved by Dr. Rob Carpenter, P.Geo., Ph.D., a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Historical assay results contained in this press release were not verified by the Company, however, the historical reports referenced were authored by experienced geoscientists and copies of laboratory assay sheets were commonly inserted in the reports. About the Company Cross River Ventures Corp. is a gold exploration company focused on the development of top tier exploration properties in premier mining districts. The Company controls a multiple project portfolio (over 28,000 hectares) in NW Ontario, Canada, with highly prospective ground in and among prolific, gold bearing greenstone belts. Cross River's common shares trade under the symbol "CRVC" on the CSE. On behalf of the Board of Directors of CROSS RIVER VENTURES CORP. Alex Klenman CEO 604-227-6610 aklenman@crossriverventures.com www.crossriverventures.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the Canadian Securities Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. References * Golden Patricia Mine - Harron, G.A.2009, Technical Report on Three Gold Exploration Properties Pickle Lake Area, Ontario, Canada. G.A. Harron, P.Eng., G.A. Harron & Associates Inc. Smyk, M., Hollings, P. and Pettigrew, N., 2015. Geology and Mineral Deposits of The Pickle Lake Greenstone Belt. Institute on Lake Superior Geology, May 20-24, 2015 Field Trip Guidebook and Puumala, M.A. 2009. Mineral Occurrences of the Central and Eastern Uchi Domain. Ontario Geological Survey, Open File Report 6228. ** Geological Report, McVicar Lake Project, Wildcat Exploration, H. Kyle, 2011, gold mineralized diamond drill holes on the McVicar Lake Property (modified after McKay, 2003; Thomas, 1987; Thomas, 1988; Waldie, 1993) ^ Assessment File Report (AFRI 52O11SW9400) from the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. Sampling was completed by BHP Minerals Canada Ltd. under the supervision C. J. Waldie in 1993. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87730 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - David H. Brett, President and CEO, Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: PBM) ("Pacific Bay" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has engaged Precision GeoSurveys Inc. ("Precision") of Langley, British Columbia to perform a detailed airborne magnetic survey over the Company's 100% owned Wheaton Creek Gold property (the "Property), located in Skeena Mining Division of Northern British Columbia. The survey will consist of approximately 305-line kilometres flown at 100-metre spacings utilizing Precision's exclusive triple boom magnetic gradient tool. The Property partially overlies the Cache Creek Ultramafic Complex which is known to host prolific ophiolite mesothermal high grade gold quartz veins in the historic Atlin Mining Camp, located approximately 300 km north west of the Property. The survey objective is to refine drill targets by outlining the contact boundary between the magnetic ultramafic Cache Creek Complex and sedimentary rocks. Mesothermal gold mineralization is typically located along the contact boundaries in association with listwanite deposition. Given the critical importance of the geophysical information for guiding future drilling on the Property, the decision was taken to complete the survey first and delay drilling until later in the summer. The airborne survey is expected to be completed the week of June 14, 2021. Pacific Bay's Vice President of Exploration, Sebastien Ah Fat, explains, "The Atlin Mining Camp is a significant producer of placer gold in British Columbia where the source of placer gold was found to be located in proximity to the placer mines; near contact or at boundaries of ultramafic and sedimentary rock. The similarities in geology between Atlin and Wheaton Creek as well as the presence of significant placer gold mining operations at Wheaton Creek lead us to believe there is significant potential to discover high grade mesothermal gold mineralization at the Property." In conjunction with the commencement of the airborne magnetic survey, the Company's VP of Exploration, Sebastien Ah Fat, and VP of Operations, Antonio Vespa, will be conducting a site visit to perform reconnaissance at the Property this week. The site visit objective is to gather information and prepare the Property for further exploration activities, including a geochemical soil survey and diamond drilling, later this summer. Figure 1: Wheaton Creek Property map with Geology To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3362/87647_a6901568248938fd_002full.jpg Wheaton Creek Highlights: 3,019 hectares of mineral tenures 100% owned by the Company 1986 drillhole 86-01 intercepted 5.38 grams per tonne of gold over 3.05 metres with visible gold 5-year multi-year area based (MYAB) permit in good standing Notice of work (NOW) application approved Note: all above reported intercepts are core lengths only as the true width of the structures has not yet been determined. Sebastien Ah Fat, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, approved the technical information in this release. On Behalf of the Board of Directors David Brett, CEO dbrett@pacificbayminerals.com (604) 682-2421 Helder Carvalho, Vice President, Corporate Development hcarvalho@pacificbayminerals.com This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the expected use of proceeds of the Financing. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which Pacific Bay will operate in the future. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, amongst others, the global economic climate, dilution, share price volatility and competition. Although Pacific Bay has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Pacific Bay does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87647 AMSTERDAM, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LUMICKS, a leading next generation life science tools company renowned for its innovative platforms for Dynamic Single-Molecule and Cell Avidity analysis, is making substantial strides towards becoming a more environmentally-friendly business. Partnering with Staatsbosbeheer, the Dutch government organization for forestry and the management of nature reserves, the company is offsetting the carbon emissions caused by its global travel needs. In 2019, LUMICKS employees flew across the world to connect and collaborate with customers. To combat the unavoidable emissions their travel generated, the company sponsored the planting of 5,500 trees on former farmland. Over the next 30 years, those trees are expected to capture 1-1.5 times the CO2 emissions of the company's 2019 travel. The plantings include 16 types of trees, including Alder, Cherry, Oak, Willow, Elderberry and Linden. "The trees planted to date are helping to compensate for emissions resulting from our 2019 travel," said LUMICKS Sales and Marketing Director Willem Peutz. "Combining our commitment to customer success with our commitment to preserve the environment, we try to use online communication as much as possible. However, as a global business, some travel cannot be done without. And we'll keep planting trees and looking for other ways to offset our impact on the environment." These trees were planted in March 2021 in Leenderbos, a protected forest located in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands. In addition to this project, LUMICKS previously collaborated with Trees for All to offset its carbon emissions in 2018 from flying. To date, these initiatives have resulted in the total reforestation of 1.75 hectares of land in the Netherlands, Bolivia, and Uganda . About LUMICKS LUMICKS is a leading life science tools company that develops equipment for Dynamic Single-Molecule and Cell Avidity analysis, two rapidly emerging areas in biology research and immuno-oncology. Built upon innovative technologies, such as optical tweezers (Nobel Prize for Physics 2018) and STED super-resolution microscopy (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2014), LUMICKS tools facilitate the understanding of life to the smallest detail. LUMICKS tools allow researchers to build the crucial and as yet unfinished bridge between structure and function at both a molecular and a cellular level. This is achieved by applying and measuring forces around biological interactions, enabling the detailed real-time analysis of underlying biological mechanisms. LUMICKS' groundbreaking C-Trap Optical Tweezers - Fluorescence & Label-free Microscopy, allows scientists to analyze complex biological processes in real-time. Similarly, the z-Movi Cell Avidity Analyzer enables the measurement and selection of immune cells based on their real-time interactions with target cells. The company was founded in 2014 as an academic spin-off from the research group of Prof. Gijs Wuite, Prof. Erwin Peterman, and Prof. Iddo Heller at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. For more information, visit the company's website at www.lumicks.com. For further information, please contact Name: Kassandra Barbetsea, PR & Marketing Phone: +31 (0) 63 482 09 48 Email: PR@lumicks.com Company: LUMICKS Implementation of stringent regional and global level emission norms and rise in use of electric vehicles will boost the low rolling resistance tire market growth DUBAI, U.A.E, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Future Market Insights, the low rolling resistance tire market is forecast to grow exponentially through the forecast period at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) at 11% between 2021 and 2031. The rise in global sales of the low rolling resistance tires in 2021 can be attributed to increasing sales of passenger vehicles. Increasing consciousness regarding environmental sustainability is pushing manufacturers towards adopting organic materials and sustainable production processes. This trend is expected to drive growth in the market over the coming years. As per data published in the Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI), around 2.7% annual improvement in fuel economy is desired to reduce the automotive emissions and reduce the number of new light duty vehicle fuel economy by 50% till 2030. Similarly, as per the International Energy Agency, new light duty vehicles (LDVs) consumed at an average of 7.2 liters of gasoline-equivalent per 100 km (Lge/100 km) in 2017. Rising pressure from international organizations to improve fuel efficiency and control carbon emission will boost the market growth. Wide band width low rolling resistance tires are gaining traction in automotive sector as they distribute the load of vehicle over the large surface area evenly. This attribute restricts tire damage from frictional heat. Installation of wide band width tires assists in enhancing fuel economy and improves cargo carrying capacity of vehicle. Such properties will fuel the low rolling resistance tire market sales. Aftermarket sales of low rolling resistance tire are relatively high as there is consistent demand for good quality tires to improve the automotive life cycle. With increasing number of vehicle owners are trying to reduce operating cost of vehicle, low rolling resistance tires demand is expected to increase throughout the assessment period. "Drastic and important changes in automotive manufacturing to reduce the carbon footprint by improving fuel economy of vehicle will elevate low rolling resistance tire market growth," remarks the FMI analyst. Request a report sample with 281 pages to gain comprehensive insights at https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1533 Key Takeaways Increasing demand for low rolling resistance tires, thriving automotive industry and strict government regulations will provide lucrative growth opportunities in the U.S. Surge in number of tire makers along with growing automotive demands in China will drive the low rolling resistance tire market growth in the country. will drive the low rolling resistance tire market growth in the country. Indian tire market is going through a transition period which is creating growth opportunities for low rolling resistance tire producers. With increasing government initiatives to reduce carbon footprint along with downsizing the curb weight of automobile the demand for low rolling resistance tires will continue rising in India . . Presence of leading market players such as Yokohama and Bridgestone along with increasing modernization in tire industry in Japan will accelerate the low rolling resistance market growth. and Bridgestone along with increasing modernization in tire industry in will accelerate the low rolling resistance market growth. Expanding electric vehicle industry coupled with presence of automotive market leaders in the country will drive the market growth in Germany . Prominent Drivers Rising adoption of low rolling resistance tires in commercial and passenger vehicles due to modified vehicular design will accelerate the low rolling resistance tire market growth. Strict government policies to curb rising emission by modifying vehicle design will drive the market growth. Increasing government efforts to improve efficiency and make vehicle more economical will intensify the market growth. Key Restraints High regular capital investment required to consistently upgrade the technology hampers the adoption of low rolling resistance tire system among small manufacturers leading to reduced sales. Rising cases of skidding related accidents and fatalities restricts the low rolling resistance tire market growth. Expensive nature of low rolling resistance tire will negatively influence the low rolling resistance tire market sales in middle income market. Discover more about the low rolling resistance tire market with figures and data tables, along with the table of contents. You will also find detailed market segmentation on https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/low-rolling-resistance-lrr-tire-market Competitive Landscape As per Future Market Insight's analysis, market players are emphasizing on providing new products with modern low rolling resistance gripping technology to expand their market foothold. The key market players are also engaging in inorganic methods like strategic acquisitions, mergers and collaborations to standout in the highly competitive market. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company led the proceedings to acquire of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in February 2021 . The company was valued at about US$ 2.5 Bn . The acquisition will combine product portfolios of both the companies and offer diversity of complementary brands. It will also provide a sturdy US-based manufacturing center to Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company along with dominance in distribution and retail channels across the light trucks and LUV product segments. . The company was valued at about . The acquisition will combine product portfolios of both the companies and offer diversity of complementary brands. It will also provide a sturdy US-based manufacturing center to Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company along with dominance in distribution and retail channels across the light trucks and LUV product segments. Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. started a joint research program with Kansai University in March 2021 . The program aims at developing electric generation module powered by the rotation of a tire. The task can be accomplished by attaching a power generator on the inside of a tire to harness the static electricity generated during rotation. According to FMI's report, the following low rolling resistance tire manufacturers currently operate in the global market: Bridgestone Corporation The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. Pirelli & C S.p.A Hankook Tire MICHELIN Continental AG Trelleborg AB The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd Apollo Tyres Ltd. Maxxis International (Cheng Shin Rubber) Marangoni S.p.A MRF Tyres More Insights on FMI's Low Rolling Resistance Tire Market The latest market study on global low rolling resistance tire market by Future Market Insights gives a detailed segmentation for the forecast period of 2021-2031. In order to gain a better perspective of the global market potential, its growth, trends, and opportunities, the market is segmented on the basis of: Vehicle Type Passenger Vehicle Light Commercial Vehicle Heavy Commercial Vehicle Width Type Dual Type Wide Band Type Sales Channel OEM Aftermarket Region North America (US and Canada ) (US and ) Latin America ( Brazil , Mexico and Rest of Latin America ) ( , and Rest of ) Europe ( Germany , France , Spain , UK, Italy , Nordics, BENELUX, Russia and Rest of Europe ) ( , , , UK, , Nordics, BENELUX, and Rest of ) East Asia ( China , Japan and South Korea ) ( , and ) South Asia ( India , Malaysia , Thailand , the Philippines and Rest of South Asia ) ( , , , and Rest of ) Oceania ( Australia and New Zealand ) and ) Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa , Turkey and Rest of MEA) For any Queries Linked with the Report, Ask an Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-1533 Explore FMI's Extensive Coverage on the Automotive Domain Automotive Pumps Market: In its new study, ESOMAR-certified market research and consulting firm Future Market Insights (FMI) offers insights about key factors driving demand for automotive pumps. The report tracks the global sales of automotive pumps in 20+ high-growth markets, along with analyzing the impact COVID-19 has had on the automotive pumps industry. Engine Fogging Oil Market: The remarkable expansion of the automotive industry has been encouraging leading players to launch innovative and advanced products to expand their footprints in the global market. In its new study, ESOMAR-certified market research and consulting firm Future Market Insights (FMI) offers insights about key factors driving demand for engine fogging oil market. Automotive Engine Oil Coolers Market: FMI's recent report on the automotive engine oil coolers market elaborates on key expansion dynamics anticipated to shape the future outlook of the landscape across prominent geographies. Moreover, statistics about key segments along with a detailed competitive landscape enhance the reliability of this research study. About Future Market Insights (FMI) Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in Dubai, and has delivery centers in the UK, U.S. and India. FMI's latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers. Contact: Abhishek Budholiya Future Market Insights, 1602-6 Jumeirah Bay X2 Tower, Plot No: JLT-PH2-X2A, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com For Media Enquiries: press@futuremarketinsights.com Website: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/low-rolling-resistance-lrr-tire-market Press Release Source: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/press-release/low-rolling-resistance-lrr-tire-market Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1197648/FMI_Logo.jpg SAO PAULO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Uello, a Brazilian logtech that uses technology and a collaborative network to provide express freight services with superior experience, concluded its Series A investment deal with an investment injection of USD 4 million. The deal was led by the Btomorrow Ventures (BTV), the corporate venturing unit of BAT, and was followed by the Brazilian funds Capital Lab and Invest Tech. Since its foundation, Uello has raised USD 5.5 million. The startup has leveraged from the wave of growth of e-commerce driven by the pandemic to launch new products, expand its areas of operation, and see its turnover grow 4 times in the last 12 months. Uello focuses on large and medium size corporate clients, mainly in retail and e-commerce, and has its own technology as a differential, which allows deliveries to be carried out in an optimized manner with consolidation in hubs and route sharing. Its features also allow for real-time monitoring and management of deliveries, offering a superior experience to corporate customers and delivery recipients. In 2020, the logtech participated in acceleration programs of 500 Startups Miami (USA) and Scale Up by Endeavor, in addition to being included in important local rankings, such as 100 Startups to Watch and 100 Open Startups (Brazil). Currently, the company has 100 employees and has more than 250 corporate clients, including Canon, Lindt, Essity, Natura & Co/The Body Shop, Victorinox and BAT. The Series A investment will enable development of new products and an innovative technological solution to manage the logistics of companies that have their own operation, the expansion of Uello's geographical operations and the hiring of a qualified team to deal with the challenges of a scale up. Faced with this scenario of growth, expansion and new product developments, Uello is already preparing to raise a new round of Series B investment. "Our vision is to transform the logistics ecosystem of deliveries through our platform of resource orchestration that combines the use and optimization of independent couriers, small warehouses, carriers and fleets of large companies", says Fernando Sartori, founder of Uello. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After reporting a sharp pullback in new residential construction in the U.S. in the previous month, the Commerce Department released a report on Wednesday showing housing starts rebounded in the month of May. The Commerce Department said housing starts jumped by 3.6 percent to an annual rate of 1.572 million in May after plunging by 12.1 percent to a revised rate of 1.517 million in April. Economists had expected housing starts to surge by 3.9 percent to a rate of 1.630 million from the 1.569 million originally reported for the previous month. The rebound by housing starts came as single-family starts spiked by 4.2 percent to a rate of 1.098 million, while multi-family starts jumped by 2.4 percent to a rate of 474,000. Meanwhile, the report said building permits slumped by 3.0 percent to an annual rate of 1.681 million in May after falling by 1.3 percent to a revised rate of 1.733 million in April. Building permits, an indicator of future housing demand, had been expected to decrease by 1.7 percent to a rate of 1.730 million from the 1.760 million originally reported for the previous month. With the bigger than expected decline, building permits fell to their lowest level since hitting a rate of 1.121 million last September. Multi-family permits tumbled by 5.8 percent to a rate of 551,000, while single-family permits slid by 1.6 percent to a rate of 1.130 million. Nancy Vanden Houten, Lead Economist at Oxford Economics, said housing stats are expected to move mostly sideways over the balance of 2021. 'Strong demand, a need for inventory and homebuilder optimism will keep a floor under activity, but builders continue to face supply constraints that may hamper or at least postpone construction,' Vanden Houten said. On Tuesday, the National Association of Home Builders released a separate report showing homebuilder confidence in the U.S. unexpectedly decreased in the month of June. The report said the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell to 81 in June from 83 in May. The drop surprised economists, who had expected the index to come in unchanged. With the unexpected decrease, the housing market index slipped to its lowest level since hitting 78 in August of 2020. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Nintex's annual customer awards program celebrates public and private sector organisations in every industry and geography for their digital transformation success with the Nintex Process Platform LONDON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nintex, the global standard for process management and automation, today announced 18 winners of the 2021 Nintex Solution Innovation Awards, including this year's 2021 Nintex Champion - Coca-Cola Beverages Florida. Three top partner organisations - Publicis Sapient, Hub Collab, and System RKK Pte Ltd - also received a 2021 Nintex Partner Award in Business Transformation for helping customers digitally transform. "We congratulate all of our 2021 Nintex Solution Innovation Award winners for their inspiring digital transformation success this past year," said Nintex Chief Executive Officer Eric Johnson. "We applaud all of these award-winning organisations for their success in improving the way people work with the Nintex Process Platform." Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) achieved top honours as the 2021 Nintex Champion. This innovative, independently owned Florida bottler is successfully automating simple to sophisticated business processes across its departments and operating locations in the state of Florida with Nintex capabilities. By leveraging the full Nintex Process Platform for process management and automation, including process mapping, workflow automation, RPA and more, Coke Florida has quickly mapped, managed, and optimised workflows across its entire operations helping efficiently support the company's growth. Coke Florida has also implemented solutions on the Nintex Process Platform to ensure its employees, vendors and customers are safe which has been critically important during the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more about Coca-Cola Beverages Florida's Nintex success visit: https://www.nintex.com/case-study/coca-cola-beverages-florida/ Two 2021 Healthcare Heroes are also being recognised as part of this year's awards program. Baptist Health and Los Angeles County, Department of Health Services (DHS)/Internal Services Departments are being honoured for their organisations' innovative use of the Nintex Process Platform to rapidly respond to public health needs in 2020. 2021 Nintex Solution Innovation Awards winners by award category are available online at https://www.nintex.com/solution-innovation-awards-2021/ and include: 2021 Nintex Champion Coca-Cola Beverages Florida COVID-19 Heroes Baptist Health Los Angeles County, Department of Health Services (DHS)/Internal Services Departments Regional Transformation Leaders Americas: KBR from Houston, Texas , USA , USA Asia Pacific : Hanes Australasia from Hartwell, Victoria, Australia : Hanes Australasia from Hartwell, Europe Middle East and Africa : Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Game Changing Solution-Specific Deployments Improved Operational Performance with Nintex Drawloop: HMT Achieved Process Excellence with Nintex Promapp: Hitachi Vantara Enhanced Customer Experience with Nintex RPA: National Gallery Singapore Delivered productivity with Nintex K2: Jio Platforms Industry Breakthroughs Education: Hernando County School District School District Engineering & Construction: RG Construction Financial Services: BDO Australia Health & Life Sciences: Rakuten Medical, Inc. Manufacturing: E.T. Browne Drug Company, Inc. Non-Profit: Matchis Foundation Public Sector: City of Toronto - Corporate Security Business Continuity Capital Bank, N.A. The Nintex Solution Innovation award winners were selected by a panel of judges based on nominations submitted directly by Nintex customers or Nintex partners. The awards recognise customer organisations in every industry and geography for their digital transformation success with the Nintex Process Platform. The Business Transformation category of the 2021 Nintex Partner Awards recognises Nintex Partners for top customer entries in this year's Solution Innovation Awards program. The complete 2021 Nintex Partner Awards announcement will be shared in July 2021. To learn how more organisations are achieving digital transformation and improving the way people work with the Nintex Process Platform, visit https://www.nintex.com/why-nintex/case-studies/. Media Contact Kristin Treat Nintex kristin.treat@nintex.com cell: (215) 317-9091 About Nintex Nintex is the global standard for process management and automation. Today more than 10,000 public and private sector organisations across 90 countries turn to the Nintex Platform to accelerate progress on their digital transformation journeys by quickly and easily managing, automating and optimising business processes. Learn more by visiting www.nintex.com and experience how Nintex and its global partner network are shaping the future of Intelligent Process Automation (IPA). Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534285/Nintex____announcing_winners.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/700078/Nintex_Logo.jpg Piper Sandler Co. chemicals materials investment banking group (The Valence Group) has advised EverArc Holdings on its announced acquisition of 100% of Perimeter Solutions from SK Capital. EverArc Holdings Limited (LSE: EVRA EVWA) has entered into a definitive agreement with SK Invictus Holdings S.a.r.l. an affiliate of funds advised by SK Capital Partners, to acquire 100% of SK Invictus Intermediate S.a.r.l., the ultimate parent company of Perimeter Solutions, a leading global manufacturer of high-quality firefighting products and lubricant additives, for total consideration of approximately $2 billion, consisting of cash and preferred shares, subject to customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2021. EverArc Holdings Limited (LSE: EVRA EVWA) is a publicly-listed acquisition company that was formed in November 2019 to undertake an acquisition of a target company or business. Perimeter is a leading global manufacturer of high-quality firefighting products and lubricant additives. The Fire Safety business includes formulation and manufacturing of fire management products along with services and pre-treatment solutions for managing wildland, military, industrial and municipal fires. The Oil Additives business produces high quality phosphorous pentasulfide ("P2S5") utilized in the preparation of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate ("ZDDP")-based lubricant additives, providing critical anti-wear solutions for end customers. ABOUT PIPER SANDLER Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE: PIPR) is a leading investment bank driven to help clients Realize the Power of Partnership. Securities brokerage and investment banking services are offered in the U.S. through Piper Sandler Co., member SIPC and NYSE; in the U.K. through Piper Sandler Ltd., authorized and regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority; and in Hong Kong through Piper Sandler Hong Kong Ltd., authorized and regulated by the Securities and Futures Commission. Private equity strategies and fixed income advisory services are offered through separately registered advisory affiliates. Follow Piper Sandler: LinkedIn Facebook Twitter 2021. Since 1895. Piper Sandler Companies. 800 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-7036 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005661/en/ Contacts: Pamela Steensland Tel: 612 303-8185 pamela.steensland@psc.com BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The United States and the European Union have taken a number of important decisions that help resolve long-standing trade disputes and strengthen the trade relations between the two entities. EU-US summit, held in Brussels, agreed to suspend tariffs imposed on U.S. aircraft manufacturing company Boeing and European rival Airbus for five years, and establish a high-level U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC). The two sides committed to ensuring a level playing field for their companies and its workers. The U.S. and EU's agreement marks significant progress towards achieving a long-term solution to a 16-year trade dispute. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the tariffs will remain suspended so long as EU support for Airbus is consistent with the terms of this agreement. 'Should EU support cross a red line and U.S. producers are not able to compete fairly and on a level playing field, the United States retains the flexibility to reactivate the tariffs that are being suspended,' she told reporters. 'Grounding the Airbus-Boeing dispute delivers a major confidence boost for EU-U.S. relations,' according to EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis. 'The deal...includes a commitment for concrete joint collaboration to confront the threat from China's ambitions to build an aircraft sector on non-market practices,' she added. The summit also delivered the prospect of resolving a couple of other long-standing trade disputes. The leaders reached an Understanding on a Cooperative Framework for Large Civil Aircraft, reflecting a new transatlantic relationship in this area. They also agreed to engage in discussions to resolve differences on measures regarding steel and aluminum before the end of the year. The high-level EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was formed to strengthen bilateral trade and investment relationship between the two largest economic partners in the world, and to uphold and reform the rules-based multilateral trading system. 'We resolve to stand together to protect our businesses and workers from unfair trade practices, in particular those posed by non-market economies that are undermining the world trading system,' reads the EU-US summit statement, referring mainly to China. The United States and the European Union will work together to challenge and counter China's non-market practices in this sector that give China's companies an unfair advantage. Under the TTC, both sides commit to building an EU-US partnership on the rebalancing of global supply chains in semiconductors. In parallel with the TTC, it has been decided to establish an EU-US Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue. The two entities will cooperate to reach a global consensus on taxation of multinational companies within the OECD. The leaders also agreed to work on efforts to achieve a meaningful reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO). A EU-US High-Level Climate Action Group will be established. The EU and the US also committed to provide enough vaccine doses to inoculate two-thirds of the world's population by the end of 2022. A joint EU-US COVID Manufacturing and Supply Chain Taskforce will be formed to expand vaccine and therapeutics production capacity. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / Trintech, a leading global provider of integrated Record to Report software solutions for the Office of Finance, is pleased to announce that it has been named One of the Nation's Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by the National Association for Business Resources. The 2021 Best and Brightest National winners honored 113 winning organizations from across the country out of 1,000 nominations. "The Best and Brightest is a powerful community of elite leaders who share ideas and practices, and have proven they are employers of choice," said Jennifer Kluge, President and CEO, Best and Brightest Programs. "Best and Brightest winning companies have also been a voice for important actions in creating a sustainable culture that works, ensuring the wellbeing of their employees come first." "We are incredibly honored and humbled to be recognized as one of the nation's best and brightest companies to work for," said Teresa Mackintosh, CEO at Trintech. "At Trintech, we remain committed to fostering a workplace where respect, communication, diversity and opportunities for continued education and growth are all extremely valued. Even amidst the challenges this past year has brought on, the passion and dedication of our amazing team has continued to create an environment that is indeed worthy of being called the 'Best and Brightest.'" Numerous Trintech employees have been with the company 6+ years, demonstrating the ongoing support and growth opportunities Trintech provides to its employees. Committed to providing a work environment focused on work-life balance, healthy lifestyles, community service and personal and professional development, Trintech continues to provide its employees with several benefits including: Hybrid WFH Work Model Open Time Off (OTO) Comprehensive healthcare and wellness programs 100% company-paid volunteer time Tuition reimbursement program If you're looking to join a company that continues to invest in its employees, customers, and community, check out Trintech's open positions?here.? About the Best and Brightest Programs The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For competition identifies and honors organizations that display a commitment to excellence in operations and employee enrichment that lead to increased productivity and financial performance. This competition scores potential winners based on regional data of company performance and a set standard across the nation. This national program celebrates those companies that are making better business, creating richer lives and building a stronger community as a whole. There are numerous regional celebrations throughout the country such as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Houston, Milwaukee, San Diego, and San Francisco. Nominations are now being accepted for all programs. Visit thebestandbrightest.com to nominate your organization. About Trintech Trintech Inc., a pioneer of Financial Corporate Performance Management (FCPM) software, combines unmatched technical and financial expertise to create innovative, cloud-based software solutions that deliver world-class financial operations and insights. From high volume transaction matching and streamlining daily operational reconciliations to automating and managing balance sheet reconciliations, intercompany accounting, journal entries, and bank fee analysis, to governance, risk and compliance - Trintech's portfolio of financial solutions, including Cadency Platform, Adra Suite, and targeted tools, ReconNET, T-Recs, and UPCS, help manage all aspects of the financial close process. Over 3,500 clients worldwide - including the majority of the Fortune 100 - rely on the company's cloud-based software to continuously improve the efficiency, reliability, and strategic insights of their financial operations. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Trintech has offices located across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and the Nordics, as well as strategic partners in South Africa, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. To learn more about Trintech, visit www.trintech.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Media Contact: Kristina Pereira Tully Vested 650-464-0080 trintech@fullyvested.com SOURCE: Trintech, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651847/Trintech-Named-One-of-the-Nations-Best-and-Brightest-Companies-to-Work-ForR-in-2021 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / Fabled Silver Gold Corp. (TSXV:FCO)(OTCQB:FBSGF)(FSE:7NQ) ('Fabled' or the 'Company'), is pleased to provide an update on its spin-out its interest in the Muskwa copper project in northern British Columbia by distributing the shares it holds in its wholly owned subsidiary Fabled Copper Corp. ('Fabled Copper') to the shareholders of the Company through a statutory plan of arrangement (the 'Spin-Out Transaction'). The Company and Fabled Copper have entered into an agreement with Research Capital Corporation as sole agent and sole bookrunner (the 'Agent'), in connection with a best efforts private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $6,000,000 (the 'Offering'), consisting of: (i) conventional subscription receipts of Fabled Copper (each, a 'Conventional Unit Subscription Receipt') at a price of $0.05 per Conventional Unit Subscription Receipt, and (ii) flow-through subscription receipts of Fabled Copper (each, a 'Flow-Through Subscription Receipt') at a price of $0.06 per Flow-Through Subscription Receipt. Each Conventional Unit Subscription Receipt will entitle the holder thereof, without payment of any additional consideration and without further action on the part of the holder, upon the satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions (as defined below) to receive one unit of securities of Fabled Copper (a 'Conventional Unit'). Each Conventional Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of Fabled Copper (a 'Common Share') and one Common Share purchase warrant (a 'Warrant'). Each Flow-Through Subscription Receipt will entitle the holder thereof, without payment of any additional consideration and without further action on the part of the holder, upon the satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions to receive one flow-through unit of securities of the Company (an 'FT Unit'). Each FT Unit will consist of one Common Share that will qualify as a 'flow-through share' within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the 'Tax Act') and one Warrant. Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share (a 'Warrant Share') at an exercise price of $0.10, at any time up to 24 months from the date of satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions. Following completion of the Spin-Out Transaction and satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions, Fabled Copper intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of Conventional Unit Subscription Receipts for working capital and general corporate purposes. The gross proceeds from the sale of Flow-Through Subscription Receipts will be used for exploration expenses on the Fabled Copper's mining projects as permitted to qualify as CEE under the Tax Act. Fabled Copper will also grant to the Agent an option to increase the size of the Offering by up to an additional 15% in Conventional Unit Subscription Receipts and/or Flow-Through Subscription Receipts. The Conventional Unit Subscription Receipt and Flow-Through Subscription Receipt to be issued under the Offering will be offered by way of private placement in each of the provinces of Canada, and such other jurisdictions as may be determined by Fabled Copper, in each case, pursuant to applicable exemptions from the prospectus requirements under applicable securities laws. The Offering is scheduled to close on or about the week of July 12, 2021, or such date as agreed upon between the Company, Fabled Copper and the Agent (the 'Closing Date') The closing of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the 'Exchange'). Upon closing of the Offering, the net proceeds will be placed in escrow (the 'Escrowed Proceeds') and will be released to Fabled Copper (together with the interest thereon) upon satisfaction of certain escrow release conditions and the Agent receiving a certificate from the Company and Fabled Copper prior to the Termination Time to the effect that: all conditions precedent, undertakings, and other matters to be satisfied, completed and otherwise met at or prior to the completion of the Spin-Out Transaction have been satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms of the plan of arrangement (any such waiver to be consented to by the Agent in writing, acting reasonably); Fabled Copper obtaining conditional approval from the Exchange for the Common Shares to be listed and posted for trading; Fabled Copper having qualified a prospectus to qualify the distribution of (i) its Common Shares to be issued under the Spin-Out Transaction and (ii) the Common Shares and Warrant Shares comprising the Conventional Units and FT Units; there have been no material amendments of the terms and conditions of the Spin-Out Transaction which have not been approved by the Agent; receipt by the Company or Fabled Copper, as applicable, of all necessary regulatory, shareholder, and other approvals regarding the Offering and the Spin-Out Transaction; and, such other documents as the Agent may request for a transaction of this nature in a form satisfactory to the Agent. During the period commencing on the Closing Date (as defined below) and ending on the earlier of the time of satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions and the Termination Time (as defined below), Fabled Copper may use (and the Escrow Agent will be authorized to release to Fabled Copper) up to 15% of the Escrowed Proceeds for expenses related to the Spin-Out Transaction (the 'Early Release Escrowed Proceeds'). If (i) the Escrow Release Conditions are not satisfied or waived on or prior to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on the date that is 120 days following the Closing Date (or such later date as the Agent may consent in writing), (ii) the Spin-Out Transaction is terminated in accordance with its terms; or (iii) the Company has advised the Agent or the public that it does not intend to proceed with the Spin-Out Transaction (in each case, the earliest of such times being the 'Termination Time'), the Company and Fabled Copper will be jointly and severally responsible to refund the gross proceeds of the Offering (including the amount of the Agent's fee, the Agent's expenses and the Early Release Escrowed Proceeds) without penalty or deduction to the subscribers of the Offering, such that it would be the Company's and Fabled Copper's responsibility to return the full amount of the gross proceeds of the Offering to the holders of Subscription Receipts, together with such holders' pro rata portion of the interest earned thereon, if any (the 'Required Refund'). If the Escrow Release Conditions are not satisfied prior to the Termination Time and the Company and Fabled Copper do not have (and cannot, using all commercially reasonable efforts, obtain financing to have) all of the funds required to provide the Escrow Agent with the balance of the Required Refund, the Company will have the right to satisfy any shortfall in the balance of the Required Refund payable to the holders of Conventional Unit Subscription Receipts (being the portion of the proceeds of the Offering not initially included in the Escrowed Proceeds plus any further amount of the Escrowed Proceeds released to the Company in connection with the Early Release Escrowed Proceeds) by issuing to the holders of the Conventional Unit Subscription Receipts (pro rata, based on their respective holdings of Conventional Unit Subscription Receipts) common shares of the Company at a deemed issue price per share of 90% of the 20 day volume weighted average price per share as of the Termination Time. If satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions does not occur by 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on the 120th day following the Closing Date, and the Agent consents to an extension to the Termination Date, each Conventional Unit Subscription Receipt and Flow-Through Subscription Receipt will thereafter entitle the holder thereof to receive, for no additional consideration, one-and-one-tenth (1.10) Conventional Units or one-and-one-tenth (1.10) FT Units, as applicable, and thereafter for each additional thirty (30) day period prior to the satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions, each Conventional Unit Subscription Receipt and Flow-Through Subscription Receipt will be exercisable for an additional 0.02 of a Conventional Unit or FT Unit, as applicable. Fabled Copper will obtain the necessary approvals to list the Common Shares comprised in the Conventional Units and FT Units, the Warrant Shares and the Common Shares issuable upon exercise of the Agent's compensation options (as described below) for trading on the Exchange. On the Closing Date, the Fabled Copper shall pay to the Agent a cash agency fee of 8.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds arising from the Offering (including the Over-Allotment Option, if exercised). The Agent will also be issued compensation options equal to 8.0% of the number of Conventional Unit Subscription Receipts and Flow-Through Subscription Receipts sold under the Offering (the 'Compensation Options'). Each Compensation Option shall be exercisable to acquire one Conventional Unit at an exercise price of $0.05 per Conventional Unit for a period of 24 months following the Listing. This press release is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to qualification or registration under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements and applicable U.S. state securities laws. About Fabled Silver Gold Corp. The Company is focused on acquiring, exploring and operating properties that yield near-term metal production. The Company has an experienced management team with multiple years of involvement in mining and exploration in Mexico. The Company's mandate is to focus on acquiring precious metal properties in Mexico with blue-sky exploration potential. The Company has entered into an agreement with Golden Minerals Company (NYSE American and TSX: AUMN) to acquire the Santa Maria Property, a high-grade silver-gold property situated in the center of the Mexican epithermal silver-gold belt. The belt has been recognized as a significant metallogenic province, which has reportedly produced more silver than any other equivalent area in the world. About Fabled Copper Corp. Fabled Copper is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company whose primary interest is in exploring the Muskwa copper property located in Northern British Columbia. The Company is in the process of spinning out Fabled Copper by distributing the shares it holds in Fabled Copper to the shareholders of the Company through a statutory plan of arrangement. Concurrently Fabled Copper is applying to list its common shares on the Exchange following completion of the Spin Out transaction. CONTACT: Mr. Peter J. Hawley, President and C.E.O. Fabled Silver Gold Corp. Phone: (819) 316-0919 peter@fabledfco.com For further information please contact: info@fabledfco.com Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information: Certain statements contained in this news release constitute 'forward-looking information' as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events and that the Company obtains any required regulatory approvals. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: impacts from the coronavirus or other epidemics, general economic conditions in Canada, the United States and globally; industry conditions, including fluctuations in commodity prices; governmental regulation of the mining industry, including environmental regulation; geological, technical and drilling problems; unanticipated operating events; competition for and/or inability to retain drilling rigs and other services; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; volatility in market prices for commodities; liabilities inherent in mining operations; changes in tax laws and incentive programs relating to the mining industry; as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com . The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law. SOURCE: Fabled Silver Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651972/Fabled-Silver-Gold-Announces-Private-Placement-Financing-of-Up-to-6-Million-in-Connection-with-the-Proposed-Spin-Out-of-Copper-Assets WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - People of California Tuesday celebrated the grand full reopening of the state, the worst-affected by the pandemic, after lockdown for more than a year. The state had suffered the worst record in both the COVID metrics - 3,804,871 cases and 63,208 deaths - in the United States. Governor Gavin Newsom welcomed the milestone at Universal Studios Hollywood, where he highlighted the attractions Californians can look forward to revisiting this summer. He also selected 10 lucky Californians to receive $1.5 million each as part of the final cash prize drawing in the state's Vax for the Win program. Starting Tuesday, the restrictions that have been in place over the past year were lifted. They include physical distancing, capacity limits, county tier systems and masks in almost all settings for vaccinated Californians. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, masks are still mandatory on public transportation, in hospitals and jails, as well as at schools and child care centers. Addressing the gathering at Universal Studios Hollywood, Governor Newsom said, 'Today, we celebrate the incredible strength and resilience of Californians - from our heroic health care workers to essential workers across the board to everyday Californians from all walks of life - who have supported each other through hardship and heartache over the past year, making sacrifices to save countless lives and enable us to turn the page on this pandemic.' One of the first U.S. states to take early action to address the pandemic head-on, California returned some of the best health and economic outcomes of any state in the country. California is forecast to outpace the country's economic recovery, ranked as the No. 1 U.S. economy for expanding GDP and raising household income. California has been creating more jobs than any other state for three months in a row, adding 385,000 jobs. In April alone, the state created 38 percent of the nation's jobs. The state consistently has one of the lowest case rates and transmission rates in the nation, and hospitalizations dipped to the lowest point since March 2020. More than 40 million vaccinations have been administered in California, surpassing the next closest state by 16 million. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de CHICAGO, June 16, 2021, the company dedicated to Making Knowledge Work, will take part in two virtual legal innovation panels at the sixth annual Innovative Lawyers Summit, June 15-17, hosted by the Financial Times and RSG Consulting. The themes of speed, sustainability, trust and collaboration will be explored among law firm leaders, general counsel, academics and other business innovators gathered to discuss the role commercial lawyers should play in addressing some of the dilemmas facing business and society in 2021. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The information contained in this release was correct as at 31 May 2021. Information on the Company's up to date net asset values can be found on the London Stock Exchange Website at https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-home.html. BLACKROCK LATIN AMERICAN INVESTMENT TRUST PLC (LEI - UK9OG5Q0CYUDFGRX4151 ) All information is at 31 May 2021 and unaudited. Performance at month end with net income reinvested One month % Three months % One year % Three years % Five years % Sterling: Net asset value^ 3.9 12.0 32.4 2.9 47.3 Share price 0.0 7.8 28.6 8.3 45.0 MSCI EM Latin America (Net Return)^^ 5.2 15.2 29.2 2.4 47.9 US Dollars: Net asset value^ 6.4 13.5 51.9 9.7 43.3 Share price 2.4 9.4 47.6 15.4 41.2 MSCI EM Latin America (Net Return)^^ 8.0 17.2 48.5 9.4 44.5 ^cum income ^^The Company's performance benchmark (the MSCI EM Latin America Index) may be calculated on either a Gross or a Net return basis. Net return (NR) indices calculate the reinvestment of dividends net of withholding taxes using the tax rates applicable to non-resident institutional investors, and hence give a lower total return than indices where calculations are on a Gross basis (which assumes that no withholding tax is suffered). As the Company is subject to withholding tax rates for the majority of countries in which it invests, the NR basis is felt to be the most accurate, appropriate, consistent and fair comparison for the Company. Sources: BlackRock, Standard & Poor's Micropal At month end Net asset value - capital only: 422.90p Net asset value - including income: 425.26p Share price: 375.00p Total assets#: 184.3m Discount (share price to cum income NAV): 11.8% Average discount* over the month - cum income: 10.6% Net gearing at month end**: 10.9% Gearing range (as a % of net assets): 0-25% Net yield##: 4.8% Ordinary shares in issue(excluding 2,181,662 shares held in treasury): 39,259,620 Ongoing charges***: 1.1% Total assets include current year revenue. #The yield of 4.8% is calculated based on total dividends declared in the last 12 months as at the date of this announcement as set out below (totalling 25.44 cents per share) and using a share price of 531.69 US cents per share (equivalent to the sterling price of 375.00 pence per share translated in to US cents at the rate prevailing at 31 May 2021 of $1.41784 dollars to 1.00). 2020 Q2 interim dividend of 5.57 cents per share (paid on 11 August 2020). 2020 Q3 interim dividend of 5.45 cents per share (paid 09 November 2020). 2020 Q4 Final dividend of 7.45 cents per share (paid on 08 February 2021). 2021 Q1 interim dividend of 6.97 cents per share (paid on 10 May 2021). *The discount is calculated using the cum income NAV (expressed in sterling terms). **Net cash/net gearing is calculated using debt at par, less cash and cash equivalents and fixed interest investments as a percentage of net assets. *** Calculated as a percentage of average net assets and using expenses, excluding interest costs for the year ended 31 December 2020. Geographic Exposure % of Total Assets % of Equity Portfolio * MSCI EM Latin America Index Brazil 62.4 62.1 64.9 Mexico 24.4 24.3 23.2 Chile 9.1 9.1 5.8 Argentina 2.9 2.8 1.6 Peru 1.7 1.7 2.7 Colombia 0.0 0.0 1.8 Net current liabilities (inc. fixed interest) -0.5 0.0 0.0 ----- ----- ----- Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 ===== ===== ===== ^Total assets for the purposes of these calculations exclude bank overdrafts, and the net current assets figure shown in the table above therefore excludes bank overdrafts equivalent to 10.4% of the Company's net asset value. Sector % of Equity Portfolio* % of Benchmark* Materials 25.0 25.4 Financials 23.0 23.9 Industrials 9.5 5.7 Consumer Discretionary 9.0 5.7 Energy 6.5 8.9 Consumer Staples 6.3 14.6 Health Care 5.9 2.7 Communication Services 5.2 6.4 Information Technology 4.4 1.8 Real Estate 3.2 0.6 Utilities 2.0 4.3 ----- ----- Total 100.0 100.0 ===== ===== * excluding net current assets & fixed interest Company Country of Risk % of Equity Portfolio % of Benchmark Vale - ADS Brazil 9.9 13.2 Banco Bradesco - ADR Brazil 7.7 4.7 Petrobras - ADR: Brazil Equity 4.1 2.9 Preference Shares 2.4 3.7 America Movil - ADR Mexico 5.2 4.1 Grupo Financiero Banorte Mexico 3.8 2.7 B3 Brazil 3.6 3.1 Notre Dame Intermedica Participacoes Brazil 3.2 1.3 Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica Mexico 3.2 2.6 Cemex - ADR Mexico 3.1 1.9 Grupo Mexico Mexico 2.7 2.3 Commenting on the markets, Ed Kuczma and Sam Vecht, representing the Investment Manager noted; For the month of May 2021, the Company's NAV returned 3.9%1 with the share price remaining flat1. The Company's benchmark, the MSCI EM Latin America Index, returned 5.2%1 on a net basis (all performance figures are in sterling terms with dividends reinvested). Latin American (LatAm) equities posted positive performance over the month with Peru and Brazil leading the rise. Allocation in Colombia contributed the most to relative performance over the period while allocation in Chile detracted most from relative returns. The off-benchmark holding in the Brazilian logistics company, Santos Brasil, was the top contributor on a relative basis as the stock outperformed driven by strength in container handling volumes and the announcement of a long-awaited contract renegotiation with their largest client that allowed for noticeable pricing gains. An overweight position in the Brazilian bank, Banco Bradesco, also benefitted the portfolio as the stock has been a beneficiary of an upward revision to Brazilian GDP (Gross Domestic Product) estimates, which should lead to improving loan growth and positive portfolio mix toward a more profitable lending profile. On the other hand, an overweight position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera, a Chilean chemical company, detracted most from relative performance as the Lithium sector in Chile is coming under scrutiny as a target for higher taxation in the country to pay for additional social programs. An overweight position in Suzano, a Brazilian pulp and paper company, also weighed on relative returns as leading indicators continue to show reduced support for pulp price momentum after the company had seen the strongest rally in history. Over the month we added to Credicorp, a Peruvian financial services company, on the view that political uncertainty is creating opportunity for long-term alpha generation. The country was in the midst of a tightly contested Presidential election which created a great deal of uncertainty and caused a sharp depreciation in the currency, despite favorable external conditions from high metal prices. We believe fears of radical changes to the favorable institutional framework of the company are overdone and are looking to add exposure on the back of the volatility created by political uncertainty. We initiated a position in Neoenergia, a Brazilian electric services company, based on attractive long-term growth prospects for the firm combined with the stock price presenting attractive discounts to historical averages for the stock. We reduced our exposure to Brazilian pulp and paper company, Suzano, given the low conviction that pulp prices will remain as buoyant in the second half of 2021 given that leading indicators continue to show reduced support for pulp price momentum after the strongest rally in history. We sold our holding of Pagseguro Digital, a Brazilian e-commerce company, as intensifying competition going forward is expected and the high valuation is not supportive for the investment case given earnings headwinds. The portfolio ended the period being overweight to Chile and Mexico, whilst being underweight to Colombia and Peru. At the sector level, we are overweight industrials and consumer discretionary, and underweight consumer staples and utilities. While the recovery gains traction, a more nuanced picture emerges among Latam countries. Dealing with a prolonged shock is proving to be a challenge, and while the cyclical rebound somehow levels the short-term narratives, prospects beyond 2021 reveal a more nuanced picture. Our country positioning favors countries with better fundamentals, which display a healthier sovereign credit profile and are better placed to benefit from the strong rebound in the US and China. We see Chile and Mexico meeting these criteria, while more indebted and less open economies, such as Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia may struggle to sustain above-trend growth. The COVID-19 crisis led to a jump in public sector debt. Economies with a weak starting point on debt metrics saw debt-to-GDP ratios soar, with Brazil and Argentina reaching a threshold where debt dynamics turn into a real concern, in our view. These countries now have limited room for any additional fiscal policy support and we could argue the same about Colombia, despite lower debt levels. In Chile and Mexico, debt is at less worrisome levels and the current fiscal outlook points to manageable debt-to-GDP over the coming years. The external environment remains supportive for Latam. The continuation of the global V-shaped recovery should be led by a robust capex cycle going forward, meaning continued support for currently high commodity prices. This is key to the growth performance for the region but especially beneficial for Mexico and is likely to help Chile to sustain above-average expansion. Commodity champions, such as Argentina, Brazil and Colombia will also benefit from this external push, but the traction generated for these less open and domestic-driven economies is a fraction of the positive impact expected for more open economies. In spite of the current rebound, important idiosyncratic risks remain. These risks mainly relate to the growing strength of unorthodox policy ideas in a region historically marked by significant inequality. The political calendar concentrates a number of key electoral events from now to the end of 2022, and it is reasonable to expect a growing debate around proposals which would increase state intervention and government spending. Whether these proposals, and the candidacies backing them, will get rewarded by voters is hard to say, but in the aftermath of the COVID-19 shock, this may prove the key question for Latam going forward. 1Source: BlackRock, as of 31 May 2021. 16 June 2021 ENDS Latest information is available by typing www.blackrock.co.uk/brla on the internet, "BLRKINDEX" on Reuters, "BLRK" on Bloomberg or "8800" on Topic 3 (ICV terminal). Neither the contents of the Manager's website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Manager's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO US PERSON. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / Group Ten Metals Inc. (TSXV:PGE)(US OTCQB:PGEZF)(FSE:5D32) (the "Company" or "Group Ten") announced today that it has completed its previously announced private placement financing (the "Offering"). A total of 15 million units were sold for $0.40 per unit for gross proceeds of $6 million. The Offering was co-led by Canaccord Genuity Corp. and Research Capital on behalf of a syndicate of agents that included Red Cloud Securities Inc. (collectively, the "Agents"). Each unit consisted of one common share and one-half of one warrant. Each whole warrant is exercisable for one common share for a period of 24 months at a price of $0.55. The net proceeds received from the Offering are planned to be used for exploration and development activities on the Company's flagship Stillwater West PGE-Ni-Cu-Co + Au project in Montana, USA, and for working capital and general corporate purposes. Michael Rowley, President and CEO, commented: "We are very pleased to report such strong interest in our 100%-owned Stillwater West project in Montana USA. The additional funding will accelerate and expand our 2021 field program which prioritizes drilling in the most advanced target areas where results are expected to provide the basis for a future update to the inaugural mineral resource estimate which is anticipated mid-2021. We are fully permitted for our planned multi-rig drill program and expanded geophysical survey and look forward to providing additional updates in the near term." The Company paid the Agents a cash commission of $244,764 and issued an aggregate of 611,910 broker warrants as consideration in connection with the Offering. Each broker warrant is exercisable for one common share for a period of 24 months at a price of $0.40. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date hereof in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. The Offering remains subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Offering constitutes a related party transaction within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), as insiders of the Company subscribed for an aggregate of 1,320,500 Units for $528,200. The Company relied on the exemptions in Section 5.5(b) - Issuer Not Listed on Specified Markets from the formal valuation requirements of MI 61-101, and relied on the exemption in Section 5.7(1)(a) - Fair Market Value Not More Than 25 Per Cent of Market Capitalization from the minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101. The Company did not file a material change report at least 21 days before the expected closing date of the Offering as the aforementioned insider participation had not been confirmed at that time and the Company wished to close the Offering as expeditiously as possible. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. About Group Ten Metals Inc. Group Ten Metals Inc. is a TSX-V-listed Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the development of high-quality platinum, palladium, nickel, copper, cobalt, and gold exploration assets in top North American mining jurisdictions. The Company's core asset is the Stillwater West PGE-Ni-Cu-Co + Au project adjacent to Sibanye-Stillwater's high-grade PGE mines in Montana, USA. Group Ten also holds the high-grade Black Lake-Drayton Gold project adjacent to Treasury Metals' development-stage Goliath Gold Complex in northwest Ontario, and the Kluane PGE-Ni-Cu-Co project on trend with Nickel Creek Platinum's Wellgreen deposit in Canada's Yukon Territory. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Michael Rowley, President, CEO & Director Email: info@grouptenmetals.com Phone: (604) 357 4790 Web: http://grouptenmetals.com Toll Free: (888) 432 0075 Forward-Looking Statements Forward Looking Statements: This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts including, without limitation, statements regarding completion of the private placement financing and the use of proceeds therefrom, potential mineralization, historic production, estimation of mineral resources, the realization of mineral resource estimates, interpretation of prior exploration and potential exploration results, the timing and success of exploration activities generally, the timing of and results of future resource estimates, permitting time lines, metal prices and currency exchange rates, availability of capital, government regulation of exploration operations, environmental risks, reclamation, title, future drilling activities and the locations of such drilling, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although Group Ten believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals, lack of market interest in the securities of the Company, the state of the securities markets generally, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the companies with securities regulators. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Group Ten and the risks and challenges of their businesses, investors should review their annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Group Ten Metals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651980/Group-Ten-Metals-Completes-C60-Million-Brokered-Private-Placement VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / In Kerryn Amyes' pursuit of a career that consciously contributes to humanity she discovered her calling as a top PR publicist at Mindful Media PR. In creating opportunities for mindful companies across the world to share their stories in top-tier press, Amyes is driving the change she's long dreamed of seeing in the world. "Every day I now get to talk to people who share the same values as me and create ways to get their stories out to the masses," excitedly shared Kerryn Amyes, the Sr. PR publicist behind, Mindful Media , one of today's Top 7 PR And Branding Firms For Entrepreneurs according to a recent Forbes article. For Amyes, her passion for PR began in her early twenties. Starting with global online casting service StarNow.com to orchestrating 6-figure PR projects for 5-Star Hotels. Her extensive experience driving brand awareness and customer conversions through the power of PR in the world's most prestigious industries has seamlessly transitioned to the world of press where she now creates optimal experiences for clients, audience members, and followers. Today, the rising star is placing not only herself but the clients she brings to Mindful Media on the map as recognized and respected industry leaders. About Mindful Media Growing from a mere start-up in June of 2020 to a seven-figure success today, Mindful Media is a Vancouver-based industry-leading PR firm made up of passionate powerhouses determined to drive the change they wish to see in the world one piece of press at a time. Founded on the basis of working with mindful brands and businesses across the globe, Mindful Media is intent on sharing the stories of how these disruptive companies are creating conscious change in the world. Through securing placements in top tier press, including Forbes, USA Today, Business Insider, and Yahoo Finance, Mindful Media drives web traffic, increases SEO ranking, and builds positive brand awareness for their clients through the power of the written word and media attention. For those who wonder how important public relations really is, industry statistics and predictions are proving just how powerful it can be. From 2020 to 2021, the public relations market is expected to grow from $88.13 billion to $97.13 billion. The reason behind this 10.2% annual growth rate? Companies, especially in the wake of COVID19, are recognizing how important their public image is as competition increases across all industries. Now, more than ever before, brands and businesses need to establish a digital presence. The simplest and most effective way to create this presence is to reach audiences where they're already at - top-tier press outlets. In realizing this, Amyes dove headfirst into the PR press industry, leveraging her rich and diverse experience across numerous industries to provide invaluable offerings for brands and businesses seeking to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving world. The Kerryn Amyes Success Story Brought onto the team in early 2021, Amyes has since proven her immense value in creating genuine client connections, providing the 5-star experience she's spent over a decade cultivating and determining unique and creative ways to share client stories. With a career history of sensational feats, Amyes holds a portfolio of PR accomplishments that few can rival. As the former Marketing Communications Manager for the then Langham, now Cordis, 5-star Hotel in Auckland, the New Zealand native spearheaded multiple PR events for the Hotel hosting international celebrities, athletes and politicians. Her ability to turn vision to reality includes project managing the television commercial used to showcase the 5-star Hotel's $35M rebrand to the public, attracting countless first-time guests and affirming Amyes ability to understand and create captivating content. Amyes successfully pulled off the operation, producing a high-quality commercial intent to capture the essence of the new brand. Along with this, Amyes executed the Lobby Lounge Launch Party of the newly rebranded Cordis Hotel. "I decided to host a glamorous High Tea event, inviting 20 of New Zealand's Top Social Media Influencers," she fondly remembered. The expertly executed event had these influential individuals enchanted by the insta-worthy decor, delicious cuisine, and 5-Star hospitality, sharing the experience on their social feeds to millions of followers. This instantly drove traffic towards the Hotel, earning it a name as "the place" to go. "For me, it's not just about serving the client," Amyes reflected. "It's about anticipating what they need before they even realize it themselves. This is a mentality I developed throughout my years of working in 5-star Hotels that continues to serve me in my career today." Becoming Mindful Media's Top Publicist Despite rising the corporate ladder in her previous roles at luxury hotels and working with industry-leading brands, Amyes admits to discovering her true passion and purpose in the world of Mindful Media's press empire. "Mindful Media aligns with my values. I've spent a significant part of my career working with luxury brands and though I've had amazing opportunities to build a substantial career in those roles, I also had a deeper desire to align with individuals who are consciously creating a better world" Amyes expressed. "Working with Mindful Media has provided the contribution to humanity that I have longed for in my career. There's always going to be people making a positive impact, and I want to help put them on the map for the world to appreciate." As the number one publicist of Mindful Media, Amyes is bringing to life the stories of entrepreneurs eager to share their message with the world. Her keen insight into what her clients need to achieve success and determination to drive that change is seeing entrepreneurial brands from all industries thrive in today's increasingly competitive digitally fueled market. For many, Amyes provides an inspiring example that taking action on your intuition has the potential to create a massive impact both inwardly and outwardly. "I firmly believe that the right role is out there for everyone, you just have to be willing to let go of what is comfortable in order to discover it" informed the New Zealand-born powerhouse. Acquiring her level of expertise by residing in multiple countries and working across numerous areas of marketing and public relations Amyes has experienced more than most. "Living in different countries requires learning a whole new market, new trends and new terminology which has provided me with a global understanding of the PR industry". For those looking to establish their digital presence honestly, consciously, and effectively, Kerryn Amyes is the PR specialist making that happen. Her unparalleled ability to predict what steps need to be taken to cultivate brand awareness and virality is taking the world of press by storm. Connect with Kerryn Amyes today and learn how to take your business to new heights the honest way. kerryn@mindfulmediapr.com https://www.mindfulmediapr.com/ Media Contact: Courtney James, Editor info@mindfulmediapr.com 677-672-8882 www.mindfulmediapr.com SOURCE: Mindful Media PR View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651554/Rising-PR-Titan-Kerryn-Amyes-Shares-How-She-Became-Mindful-Medias-Top-Tier-Publicist-By-Aligning-With-Her-Values Early Equity Plc - Result of AGM Early Equity PLC ("Early Equity" or "the Company") Result of AGM The Company announces that at the Annual General Meeting ("AGM") of Early Equity held at Bishop & Sewell LLP, 59-60 Russell Square, London, WC1B 4HP on Wednesday 16 June 2021 at 16:00 p.m, Resolutions 1 - 6 were not passed and Resolutions 7 -9 were duly passed. Consequently there will be no changes to the current Board of Directors. The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the content of this announcement. This announcement contains information which, prior to its disclosure, was inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014. For further information please contact: Early Equity Plc Greg Collier Tel: +44 (0)7830 182501 Novum Securities Limited AQSE Corporate Adviser David Coffman / Lucy Bowden Tel: +44 (0)207 399 9400 About Early Equity plc: Early Equity is an e-commerce focused group based in Malaysia whose Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading on the AQSE Growth Market in London with the trading symbol EEQP. The combined general meeting of shareholders was held on 16 June 2021 at 10:00 am at the Etoile Business Center, 21-25 rue Balzac, 75008 Paris. The general meeting adopted all the resolutions by a very large majority, with the exception of the 21st resolution concerning a delegation to increase the share capital in favor of employees who are members of a company savings plan, in accordance with the recommendation of the Board of Directors. The general meeting particularly approved the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020. The general meeting was an occasion to review the results and the main highlights of the year 2020. Regarding the current financial year, no additional information was communicated beyond that contained in the latest press release published by the company on April 7, 2021. The voting results will be available in the next few days on the Theranexus website (www.theranexus.com in the section "General Meetings"). ABOUT THERANEXUS Theranexus is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that emerged from the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in 2013. It develops drug candidates for the treatment of nervous system diseases. Thanks to its knowledge of neuron and glial cell interactions, THERANEXUS is a pioneer in the design and combination of approved substances and has a solid and diversified portfolio of drug candidates in clinical-phase testing. The company's combined drug repurposing strategy based on a solid commercial footing and a capability to rapidly demonstrate its clinical worth, enables it to produce different high-value-added proprietary drug candidates, significantly reduce development time and costs, and considerably increase the chance of its drugs reaching the market. Accordingly, THERANEXUS is well-positioned in several indications, including for Parkinson's and Batten disease, for which there is currently no treatment available. Theranexus is listed on the Euronext Growth market in Paris (FR0013286259- ALTHX). More information at: www.theranexus.com Contacts THERANEXUS Thierry LAMBERT Financial and Administrative Director investisseurs@theranexus.fr ACTUS finance & communication Guillaume LE FLOCH Investor Relations +33 (0)1 53 67 36 70 theranexus@actus.fr FP2COM Florence PORTEJOIE Media Relations + 33 (0)6 07 76 82 83 fportejoie@fp2com.fr ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: lZmclsZqYmfFlW9yY5iYmGlraJhnl2LJmmrHxmlxZpeaa5+UmJmWaZWeZm9qnGhm - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-69730-theranexus_pr-minutes-combined-general-meeting_16062021.pdf Remobilizing of all employees, suppliers and shareholders around the common objective of developing innovative therapies The embodiment of a fundamental responsibility towards patients, waiting for solutions in the rarest diseases Regulatory News: ABIONYX Pharma (FR0012616852 ABNX PEA PME eligible), a new generation biotech company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative therapies for patients, today announces that its "raison d'etre" has been unanimously approved by all shareholders represented at the last General Meeting on June 11, 2021, and will now be included in the company's articles of association. This "raison d'etre" will enlighten the company's future strategic choices and long-term guidance at the heart of the public health, economic and societal challenges of today and tomorrow. A clear and strong commitment to an ESG approach for a strategic model that creates even more positive impacts in healthcare Committed to an ESG approach, ABIONYX Pharma affirms its willingness to move towards a strategic model that creates even more positive impact for all its stakeholders. The "raison d'etre", co-constructed with its collaborators and stakeholders, which is "to develop innovative therapies in indications with no effective or existing treatment, even the rarest ones, for the benefit of patients" is the coherent and conscious outcome of all the developments carried out by ABIONYX Pharma over the last two years. Following an in-depth review of the high-potential products in development in the company's portfolio, the advanced and solid innovation skills of its employees, and the increasingly positive impact on all of its stakeholders (patients, physicians, hospitals and caregivers, suppliers, shareholders, etc.), the company has been able to assess the positive effects of the innovative development of one of its products, CER-001 first in an ultra-rare renal disease within the framework of a compassionate use thanks to nominative Temporary Use Authorizations, then in a Phase II clinical trial in a disease affecting more than 2 million people worldwide in sepsis at high risk of Acute Kidney Injury, finally, in the context of extending the potential of the innovation to ophthalmological indications, the result of an unprecedented decompartmentalization between medical specialties such as nephrology and ophthalmology thanks to the pleiotropic action of natural HDL. This "raison d'etre" marks the continuation of a very engaging process for the company, but also the formalization of the strategy initiated since 2019 by ABIONYX Pharma to accelerate its evolution into a positive impact company. A roadmap to build in the transition to health for the greatest number Having established its "raison d'etre", the company is now developing a roadmap around Health for the greatest number of people, because it is important to contribute to the development of innovative therapies that allow the treatment of as many patients as possible, even for the rarest diseases. Production of biomedicines in France, because it guarantees control of the complex and strategic CER-001 biomanufacturing value chain for Europe, in compliance with some of the most demanding environmental and social conditions in the world. The socio-economic impact, because the commercial, financial and human activity of ABIONYX Pharma generates an impact on society, the economy and the environment. The definition of the "raison d'etre" marks the company's willingness to become a committed company by developing a new generation biotech business model that is inseparable from an ambition to have a positive impact on the health of the greatest number of people, for example through biomedicines such as bio-HDL. About ABIONYX Pharma ABIONYX Pharma is a new generation biotech company that aims to contribute to health through innovative therapies in indications where there is no effective or existing treatment, even the rarest ones. Thanks to its partners in research, medicine, biopharmaceuticals and shareholding, the company innovates on a daily basis to propose drugs for the treatment of renal and ophthalmological diseases, or new HDL vectors used for targeted drug delivery. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005803/en/ Contacts: NewCap Investor relations Louis-Victor Delouvrier abionyx@newcap.eu +33 (0)1 44 71 98 53 NewCap Media relations Nicolas Merigeau abionyx@newcap.eu +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 Two Industry Leaders Combine Efforts to Create a Strong North American Rental Presence HAGERSTOWN IN, and TAMPA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 16, 2021 / Autocar, LLC, North America's first specialized, severe-duty vocational truck brand, and Big Truck Rental, North America's leading essential services vehicle rental provider, introduced today the first and only national terminal tractor rental program for fleets across North America. This formal strategic alliance fills a much-needed gap in the underserved terminal tractor rental market. The program will launch in Q3 this year. "As we look into the fragmented terminal tractor market, there are so many varied needs for small, medium and large fleet owners. One of the most outstanding and critical elements needed is the support of operations to meet the ever-expanding needs of business-and this can be achieved most effectively through the strategic use of rentals," said Mark Aubry, general manager of Autocar's Terminal Tractor division. "In partnering with Big Truck Rental, we can service our customers' variable operational needs and growth requirements flexibly and comprehensively. We look forward to working together to set the standard in the terminal tractor rental industry." Autocar Truck and Big Truck Rental - Terminal Tractor Rental Program Autocar's advanced direct-to-customer business model and Big Truck Rental's reach in the marketplace will provide enhanced service to fleet owners. "We see an opportunity to provide a value-added rental offering to fleets across North America by leveraging technology and processes combined with the superior ACTT and the Autocar dealer network," says Zach Martin, president of Big Truck Rental. "Our top priority is to provide our customers with a service that gives them flexibility, dependability and support, allowing them to focus on their core business." Autocar is a trusted and proven terminal tractor manufacturer. Its ACTT trucks are built with productivity and safety in mind and made to meet demanding duty cycles. Explicitly designed for spotting trailers and containers at distribution centers, warehouse/trucking yards, industrial operations, intermodal/rail terminals and port terminals, Autocar's ACTT terminal tractors include the following features: The tallest, widest, deepest cab and door combination in the industry made from 100% steel Heaviest-duty bumper that protects driver, cab, and rest of chassis in the event of a collision A robust hydraulics system with fast up/down speeds and maximum durability Exclusive four-point premium cab air suspension Premium cab soundproofing reducing road noise Temperature insulation and matting Tractor-trailer auto-lock system Easy ingress/egress For more information on Autocar or its terminal tractor rental program, please visit AutocarTruck.com or BigTruckRental.com, or call 888-616-6772. ABOUT BIG TRUCK RENTAL Big Truck Rental (BTR) is North America's leading source for essential services rental and off-rent trucks. Founded in 2002 by CEO Scott Dols, BTR provides access to these vehicles through direct sales and partner service locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. As the "Anytime, Anyway Truck Solution" provider, BTR is focused on working with operational and fleet leaders to support growth, reduce costs and maximize asset utilization with top-of-the-line, new and like-new equipment. Big Truck Rental offers a variety of rental programs to meet customer needs. Rental options include: Complete Fleet for an immediate fleet upgrade and consistent monthly cost, without the burden of traditional truck-buying headaches and with the option to include a full maintenance package for an immediate fleet upgrade and consistent monthly cost, without the burden of traditional truck-buying headaches and with the option to include a full maintenance package Short-Term Rental for municipalities and independent haulers to maximize core efficiencies and reduce crises within their waste removal businesses for municipalities and independent haulers to maximize core efficiencies and reduce crises within their waste removal businesses Long-Term Rental for the flexibility some customers need to grow or shrink their fleet in order to efficiently operate their businesses, with the option to include a full maintenance package for the flexibility some customers need to grow or shrink their fleet in order to efficiently operate their businesses, with the option to include a full maintenance package Rent-to-Purchase for waste haulers that require access to the latest-model trucks now for waste haulers that require access to the latest-model trucks now Instant Rental for an immediate solution that gives customers the option to take quick action when new opportunities arise for an immediate solution that gives customers the option to take quick action when new opportunities arise Customized Municipal Rental Plans for all the unique challenges that municipalities face For more information on Big Truck Rental, visit BigTruckRental.com, or call 888-772-0058. ABOUT AUTOCAR, LLC Autocar, LLC, manufacturer of North America's first specialized, severe-duty vocational trucks brand with the most advanced direct-to-customer business model, is the only American-owned and operated original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of trucks. Autocar's severe-duty vocational trucks provide customers with the perfect tools for their job with the most uptime, support and impact to their bottom line. Autocar collaborates with customers to build trucks to their exact specifications and needs. Autocar's purpose-built, severe-service truck lines include ACMD and ACX cab-over trucks, the ACTT and ACTT-E terminal tractors, and the DC-64 Class 8 work trucks. Autocar Truck recognizes that performance and uptime are everything and offers every customer 24-7 access to its "Always Up" direct factory support center, staffed by expert technicians who engineer and build Autocar's trucks. Autocar promises to provide trucks that deliver the best value, provide the best service and provide a complete solution for customers' needs. The Autocar pledge is to do the work right the first time and to act proactively, in a timely manner and with simplicity. For more information on Autocar Truck, visit AutocarTruck.com, or call 765-489-5499. MEDIA CONTACTS Jo Trizila, TrizCom PR on behalf of Autocar Truck Email: Jo@TrizCom.com Office: 972-247-1369 Cell/Text: 214-232-0078 Laura Hall, Beacon Advertising on behalf of Big Truck Rental Email: lhall@beaconad.com Office: 214-396-6141 SOURCE: Autocar, LLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651986/Autocar-Truck-and-Big-Truck-Rental-Partner-to-Launch-Terminal-Tractor-Rental-Program SmartMetric, Inc. (OTCQB: SMME): The European Union PSD2 banking directive will force banks to adopt two (2) factor authentication for credit and debit card transactions. The EU, PSD2 directive is designed to afford greater protection for consumers using their credit and debit cards online and offline. It comes into effect as of March 14, 2022. SmartMetric is excited about the adoption of two (2) factor authentication for consumer protection. "We see that the adoption of authentication beyond the PIN will catapult the adoption of our biometric safer credit card across Europe in our opinion," said today SmartMetric's President and CEO, Chaya Hendrick. SmartMetric is continuing the incorporation of its newly invented method for detecting between a live finger and a fake finger when using the SmartMetric biometric credit and debit card. This development was spurred by the requirement of one of the largest payments networks for biometric cards. This global network recently released its biometric card testing protocols and requirements which amongst other things strongly stipulated that biometric cards must be able to withstand a fingerprint spoofing attack. The biometric card industry has relied on software to differentiate between live and fake fingerprints. SmartMetric tested what was used generally in the industry and found that it did not meet the testing applied by its engineers. SmartMetric saw that it needed to create a solution that was far more advanced than that being used by the biometric industry. There are now 10 billion chip-based credit and debit cards issued throughout the world. The SmartMetric biometric in-the-card technology is used to activate the chip cards' contact and contactless chips following an instant fingerprint scan on the card. SmartMetric is the inventor and manufacturer of electronics that fit inside credit and debit cards making what is arguably the world's leading credit and debit card fingerprint biometric platform for the credit card industry. The SmartMetric fingerprint scanning technology inside the card allows the user to secure their credit card using their own fingerprint. It also allows payments networks to be confident that the person making the transaction is indeed the person to whom the card has been issued. Fingerprint biometric secured credit and debit cards by SmartMetric have been designed around the chip that has now become the standard on newly issued cards within the credit and debit card industry. Touching a small sensor on the card's surface causes a fingerprint scan that reads and matches the card users' fingerprint in less than a second. Following a fingerprint match the card's surface chip is then activated allowing the card to work in a card reader at a point-of-sale terminal or ATM. Touch and store read once technology, developed by SmartMetric for its biometric card, allows mass card issuing financial institutions to issue their cards direct to consumers without the need for consumers to come into a bank branch. This is an important feature of the SmartMetric biometric card since most new card issuance particularly in the USA is done via the mail. SmartMetric is a USA based company with sales and marketing partnerships in Latin America, Europe and United States. Engineering of the biometric card electronics is done in-house and is the owned intellectual property of the company. SmartMetric has issued patents and patents pending surrounding its biometric card technology. To view the SmartMetric Biometric Card please follow this link Video of the SmartMetric Biometric Card. To view the company website: www.smartmetric.com Safe Harbor Statement: Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Also such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "will," "would" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, if we are unable to access the capital necessary to fund current operations or implement our plans for growth; changes in the competitive environment in our industry and the markets where we operate; our ability to access the capital markets; and other risks discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which filings are available from the SEC. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. Investors and security holders are urged to carefully review and consider each of SmartMetric Inc. public filings with the SEC, including but not limited to, if applicable, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, proxy statements, Current Reports on Form 8-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005881/en/ Contacts: SmartMetric, Inc. Chaya Hendrick Tel: (702) 990-3687 ceo@smartmetric.com www.smartmetric.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - Southern Silver Exploration Corp. (TSXV: SSV) (OTCQX: SSVFF) (Santiago: SSVCL) ("Southern Silver" or the "Company") announces the completion of its previously announced bought deal private placement, whereby the Company issued a total of 18,000,000 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of C$0.50 per Unit (the "Unit Price") for gross proceeds of C$9,000,000 (the "Bought Deal Private Placement"). Due to significant investor demand, the size of the Bought Deal Private Placement was upsized from C$7,000,000. Red Cloud Securities Inc. (the "Underwriter") acted as sole underwriter and bookrunner under the Bought Deal Private Placement. Furthermore, the Company expects to close the non-brokered private placement shortly, consisting of 6,000,000 Units at the Unit Price for additional gross proceeds of C$3,000,000 (the "Non-Brokered Private Placement", and collectively with the Bought Deal Private Placement, the "Offerings"), for aggregate gross proceeds from the Offerings of C$12,000,000. Each Unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Unit Share") and one half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall be exercisable into one common share of the Company (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of C$0.75 at any time on or before June 16, 2023. The net proceeds from the Offerings will be used for exploration and advancement of the Company's Cerro Las Minitas silver-lead-zinc project located in Durango State, Mexico and for general working capital purposes. As part of the Bought Deal Private Placement, the Company paid total cash commissions to the Underwriter of C$540,000 and issued to the Underwriter 1,080,000 warrants of the Company, with each warrant exercisable into one Unit at a price of C$0.50 at any time on or before June 16, 2023. The Company also paid a cash advisory fee to Fort Capital Partners of $180,000 and issued to Fort Capital Partners 360,000 warrants of the Company, with each warrant exercisable into one common share of the Company at a price of C$0.50 at any time on or before June 16, 2023. All securities issued in connection with the Bought Deal Private Placement carry a legend restricting trading of the securities until October 17, 2021. The Bought Deal Private Placement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Units, nor was there any sale of the Units in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The Units offered will not be, and have not been, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, a U.S. person. About Southern Silver Exploration Corp. Southern Silver Exploration Corp. is an exploration and development company with a focus on the discovery of world-class mineral deposits. Our specific emphasis is the 100% owned Cerro Las Minitas silver-lead-zinc project located in the heart of Mexico's Faja de Plata, which hosts multiple world-class mineral deposits such as Penasquito, Los Gatos, San Martin, Naica and Pitarrilla. We have assembled a team of highly experienced technical, operational and transactional professionals to support our exploration efforts in developing the Cerro Las Minitas project into a premier, high-grade, silver-lead-zinc mine. The Company engages in the acquisition, exploration and development either directly or through joint-venture relationships in mineral properties in major jurisdictions. Our property portfolio also includes the Oro porphyry copper-gold project located in southern New Mexico, USA. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Lawrence Page" Lawrence Page, Q.C. President & Director, Southern Silver Exploration Corp. For further information, please visit Southern Silver's website at southernsilverexploration.com or contact us at 604.641.2759 or by email at ir@mnxltd.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Southern Silver Exploration Corp. does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87777 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) on Wednesday postponed the inaugural run of its cruise ship 'Odyssey of the Seas' after eight crew members, who had been vaccinated, were found to be Covid positive. The crew members tested positive during a random testing, said President and CEO Michael Bayley in a statement. The cruise ship was supposed to have its maiden sail on July 3 but now the voyage has been pushed back to the end of the month, July 31. The ship was all set to sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and make several stops in the Caribbean. The ship's maiden voyage was very significant as it was taking place almost a year after the cruise industry was badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and was slowly getting back on its tracks. Bayley said, 'All 1,400-crew onboard Odyssey of the Seas were vaccinated on June 4 and will be considered fully vaccinated on June 18. The positive cases were identified after the vaccination was given and before they were fully effective.' The company said that out of the eight positive cases, six have no symptoms while the other two have mild ones. They have been quarantined and are under close medical monitoring, Royal Caribbean added. The company said that the remaining crew will also be quarantined for 14 days and routine testing will be conducted to prevent the occurrence of more cases. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX ROYAL CARIBBEAN GROUP-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de MANCHESTER, England, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aqua Perfecta is calling on the public this Clean Air Day (17 June) to check the potential pollutants in the air in their postcode. Poor air quality is a real threat to health even in the UK; around 40,000 deaths per year can be linked to air pollution, and the air indoors can be up to five times more polluted than the air outdoors. Newly launched website www.aquaperfecta.com allows users to identify nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), sulphur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations at their postcode. The air purification experts provide advice and guidance on these pollutants. Aqua Perfecta has now partnered with EarthSense, an air quality monitoring and modelling specialist, to use their MappAir API as part of their air quality reporting. MappAir is an air quality model which uses a range of data inputs including weather, traffic, and Zephyr sensor data to provide hourly information regarding a range of pollutants. Aqua Perfecta are delighted to bring this solution to consumers via their online postcode checkers. Consumers input their full postcode to receive an onscreen breakdown of any pollutants present as well as the potential harm to health these pollutants may cause. The air purification experts then guide through their range of solutions which comprise of cutting edge, innovative freestanding air purification models. Aqua Perfecta's director of sales, Mike King said: "Access to advanced data provided by EarthSense helps us to raise awareness of what is currently a growing problem across many areas of the UK. "The use of the MappAir pollution measurement means that we can support people who are most in need of our products from national right down to postcode level. Using this data allows us to inform our customers and provide guidance on solutions that can purify poor air in their homes and places of work, creating a cleaner and healthier environment." An Aqua Perfecta customer, Manchester resident Hannah Dillon commented: "I was really shocked to discover the levels of pollution in my postcode. Some of the pollutants identified by Aqua Perfecta's online checker could have a real impact on health. "It's concerning to think about what could be in the air we breathe - not only outdoors but inside our homes too. I do think that more awareness needs to be raised around the issue of clean air." Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1535003/Aqua_Perfecta_PerfectAir_Sense.jpg WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Southwest Airlines' (LUV) flights across the US got affected again for the second day in a row after computer issues continued into Tuesday afternoon. 'We are aware of system issues and are working quickly to resolve,' the company tweeted just after 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday. 'We will share more info soon.' The airline blamed Tuesday's issues on 'intermittent performance issues with our network connectivity.' A company spokesperson said Southwest 'proactively canceled' about 500 flights due to the issues and was working with impacted customers on how to get them to their destinations. Airline operations resumed shortly before 4 p.m., Southwest said in a statement. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines' flights were delayed for hours on Monday evening due to technical issue in a weather information system by a third-party weather data provider. The airline later resumed flight operations after solving the issue, but there were delays. In a statement, the company said, 'We are beginning to resume flight operations after our third-party weather data provider experienced intermittent performance issues earlier this evening preventing transmission of weather information that is required to safely operate our aircraft.' The airline asked customers to check Southwest.com for their flight status or to speak with a Southwest Airlines Customer Service Agent for further assistance. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. MOUNTAIN VIEW (dpa-AFX) - Waymo, the autonomous driving technology development company owned by Google's parent Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL), Wednesday announced a $2.5 billion investment round. The company said it will use the funds for advancing its autonomous driving technology and growing its team. The fresh round of funding saw participation from Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz, AutoNation, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Magna International, Mubadala Investment Company, Perry Creek Capital, Silver Lake, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., Temasek, and Tiger Global. The news comes just few months after former CEO John Krafcik announced in April that he was stepping down after five years at the helm of the company. The company is being run by Tekedra Mawakana, former COO, and Dmitri Dolgov, who joined the original self-driving project at Google and was CTO. Earlier, Alphabet used to financially support Waymo, however, the company has been receiving criticism for its slow growth. Last March, Waymo announced that it raised $2.25 billion in its first external funding round. By July 2020, the company said it raised a total of $3.2 billion after an extension of that round. Earlier this month, Waymo announced that it was entering a 'test run' with J.B. Hunt for transportation services between Houston and Fort Worth. For the pilot operation, the companies have chosen Interstate 45 in Texas where Waymo's class 8 autonomous will carry the freight from Houston to Fort Worth. The company has already deployed its autonomous vehicles in Phoenix as a ride-hailing service. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Nomad Foods Limited ("Nomad Foods" or the "Company") today announces that Nomad Foods BondCo Plc (the "Issuer"), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company,has priced its private offering of 750.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2.500% senior secured notes due 2028 (the "Notes"). In addition, the Company also announces that it has received commitments to (i) refinance its existing 553 million senior secured term loan facility through a new 7-year term facility due 2028 under its existing senior facility agreement and (ii) upsize its existing revolving credit facility to a new 175 million, 5-year revolving credit facility due 2026 (such refinancing and upsizing, together with the issuance of the Notes, being the "Refinancing The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Refinancing to refinance part of its existing senior indebtedness, including redeeming the existing 400.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2024 issued by the Issuer (the "Existing Notes"), and to pay a portion of the purchase consideration for the Company's previously announced acquisition of Fortenova Group's Frozen Food Business Group. The Notes and the Company's obligations in respect of the senior credit facilities (as amended and restated) will be guaranteed and secured on a senior basis by the Company and certain of its subsidiaries. The Refinancing is expected to close on June 24, 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. However, no assurance can be given that the Refinancing will be completed, or, if completed, as to the terms on which it will be completed. About Nomad Foods Nomad Foods (NYSE: NOMD) is Europe's leading frozen food company. The Company's portfolio of iconic brands, which includes Birds Eye, Findus, Iglo, Aunt Bessie's and Goodfella's, have been a part of consumers' meals for generations, standing for great tasting food that is convenient, high quality and nutritious. Nomad Foods is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Additional information may be found at www.nomadfoods.com Important Regulatory Notices This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which, or to any persons to whom, such offering, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Notes and any related guarantees have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Accordingly, the Notes and any related guarantees are being offered and sold in the United States only to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act and to non-U.S. persons in offshore transactions outside the United States in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act. The offer and sale of the Notes will be made pursuant to an exemption under Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus Regulation") from the requirement to produce a prospectus for offers of securities. This announcement does not constitute an advertisement for purposes of the Prospectus Regulation. Promotion of the Notes in the United Kingdom is restricted by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the "FSMA"), and accordingly, the Notes are not being promoted to the general public in the United Kingdom. This announcement is only addressed to and directed at persons who (i) are outside the United Kingdom, (ii) have professional experience in matters relating to investments (being investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Financial Promotion Order")), (iii) fall within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations, etc.") of the Financial Promotion Order, or (iv) to the extent that doing so does not prejudice the lawful distribution of the announcement to the foregoing, are persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with the issue or sale of any Notes may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The Notes will only be available to relevant persons and this announcement must not be acted on or relied on by anyone who is not a relevant person. In addition, if and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or the offer of securities to which it relates is made in, any European Economic Area member state or in the United Kingdom, this announcement and the offering of any securities described herein are only addressed to and directed at persons in that member state or in the United Kingdom (as applicable) who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation (including, for the avoidance of doubt, as it forms part of domestic UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in that member state. Solely for the purposes of each manufacturer's product approval process, the target market assessment in respect of the Notes has led to the conclusion that: (i) the target market for the Notes is eligible counterparties and professional clients only, each as defined in Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, "EU MiFID II"); and (ii) all channels for distribution of the Notes to eligible counterparties and professional clients are appropriate. Any person subsequently offering, selling or recommending the Notes (a "distributor") should take into consideration the manufacturers' target market assessment; however, and without prejudice to the obligations of the Issuer in accordance with EU MiFID II, a distributor subject to EU MiFID II is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Notes (by either adopting or refining the manufacturers' target market assessment) and determining appropriate distribution channels. Solely for the purposes of each manufacturer's product approval process, the target market assessment in respect of the Notes has led to the conclusion that: (i) the target market for the Notes is only eligible counterparties, as defined in the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook (COBS), and professional clients, as defined in Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA ("UK MiFIR"); and (ii) all channels for distribution of the Notes to eligible counterparties and professional clients are appropriate. Any distributor should take into consideration the manufacturers' target market assessment; however, a distributor subject to the FCA Handbook Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the "UK MiFIR Product Governance Rules") is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Notes (by either adopting or refining the manufacturers' target market assessment) and determining appropriate distribution channels. The Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the EEA. For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, "MiFID II"); or (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II. No key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended, the "EU PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has been prepared. Offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the EU PRIIPs Regulation. The Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the United Kingdom. For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 2017/565 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA; (ii) a customer within the meaning of the provisions of the FSMA and any rules or regulations made under the FSMA to implement Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA. No key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the "UK PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the United Kingdom has been prepared. Offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the United Kingdom may be unlawful under the UK PRIIPs Regulation. This announcement constitutes a public disclosure of inside information by Nomad Foods BondCo plc under Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (16 April 2014) and Implementing Regulation (EU) No 2016/1055 (10 June 2016). The person responsible for making this release on behalf of Nomad Foods Limited is Samy Zekhout, Chief Financial Officer. Forward Looking Statements This announcement contains "forward-looking statements" that are based on estimates and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than statements of historical fact or statements in the present tense, and can be identified by words such as "targets", "aims", "aspires", "assumes" "believes", "estimates", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "hopes", "may", "would", "should", "could", "will", "plans", "predicts" and "potential", as well as the negatives of these terms and other words of similar meaning. The forward-looking statements in this announcement, including expectations regarding the Company's ability to consummate the Refinancing and the expected terms of the Refinancing, are made based upon the Company's estimates, expectations and beliefs concerning future events affecting the Company and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding the Company's present and future business strategies and the environment in which it will operate, which may prove not to be accurate. The Company cautions that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should, therefore, not be placed on such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement apply only as at the date of this announcement and are not intended to give any assurance as to future results. The Company will update this announcement as required by applicable law, including the Prospectus Rules, the Listing Rules, the Disclosure and Transparency Rules, and any other applicable law or regulations, but otherwise expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005947/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations Contacts Taposh Bari, CFA Nomad Foods Limited +1-718-290-7950 John Mills ICR, Partner +1-646-277-1254 Media Contact Felipe Ucros Gladstone Place Partners +1-212-230-5930 GGII - Hempacco, the leading manufacturer of herb and hemp cigarettes in the USA, announces they received the single largest purchase order in company's history, to produce 250,000 packs of 20 CBD hemp cigarettes for Ace & Axle brand of hemp smokables, furthering their mission of Disrupting Tobacco San Diego, California--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - Green Globe International Inc. - Hempacco (OTC Pink: GGII) ("GGII"), the leading herb and hemp cigarette manufacturer, in their mission of Disrupting Tobacco, announced they received the single largest purchase order in the Hempacco's history from hemp cigarette brand Ace & Axle for two hundred fifty-thousand (250,000) twenty-packs of CBD hemp cigarettes. Hempacco stock ticker GGII produces Ace and Axle CBD hemp cigarettes white label To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7978/87784_hempacco16jun2021x1.jpg Ace & Axle has been working with Hempacco for over a year, collaborating to develop and market CBD hemp cigarettes in the USA and with international sales. Ace & Axle placed a starting purchase order of two hundred fifty-thousand packs of hemp cigarettes, with twenty cigarettes per pack, for their international and domestic sales in their efforts to market smokables. "In Hempacco, we found partners that would support the achievement of our goals and who share a similar vision and passion for the CBD industry," said Jason Graff, CEO of Ace & Axle. "We were equally impressed with Hempacco's quality craftsmanship, manufacturing capabilities, and product innovation. For over a year now, Hempacco has helped us create a hemp cigarette that outranks all other smokables and stands out as the best of the best. We are now in full-scale production at their San Diego facility. We intend to continue this collaboration as we expand our business into new markets, including South America, the Caribbean, and Europe. With GGII Hempacco, we built Ace and Axle, a premium-grade hemp cigarette that delivers a rich, full-flavored smoke experience infused with the healing wonders of CBD. We are obsessed with providing a world-class product - carefully considering every aspect regarding design, packaging, raw materials, and expert assembly," concluded Mr. Jason Graff. "Our congratulations to Jason and the entire Ace & Axle team for landing the largest Purchase Order since we've been in the hemp cigarette business. Even from the start, A&A has always been one of our first large projects. We share the same vision of Disrupting Tobacco as well as the obsession to produce the very best hemp CBD cigarette in the world," said Sandro Piancone, CEO and Chairman of GGII. "We started with research and development to produce the Ace & Axle brand, and their management team always pushed for perfection from day one. Ace & Axle's team understands that it all starts with a great product, and it follows with sales and distribution." Hempacco Ace and Axle CBD hemp cigarettes private label stocks ticker GGII To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7978/87784_hempacco16jun2021x2.jpg "We've worked and refined the Ace & Axle brand to build as close as a perfect hemp smokable as we can. Building the best CBD cigarette is not just in the hemp blend; it also includes the tipping paper, the paper, and the look and feel of the brand. For example, the box we used for the CBD smokes is soft touch, so your smoking experience starts when you take the cigarette box. The Ace & Axle brand is made with American hemp, crafted by our team in San Diego, California," said Jorge Olson, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Hempacco. About Ace & Axle Hemp Cigarettes Ace & Axle is a premium-grade hemp product designed for trendsetters, pack leaders, and modern-day mavericks who enjoy the gratifying taste and enjoyment of a quality hemp pre-roll. Made from 100% pure American hemp, Ace & Axle delivers a rich, full-flavored smoke experience infused with the healing wonders of natural CBD. Procured from the cannabis plant to usher in the next revolution of the wellness movement, Ace & Axle hemp cigarettes contain no tobacco, nicotine, or additives, with THC levels below the 0.3% legal limit. We pride ourselves in promoting an enhanced quality of life for all through our game-changing products that offer the perfect, non-psychoactive smoking experience that you are after every time. You can buy Ace & Axle hemp cigarettes or contact them for distribution opportunities at: www.aceandaxle.com About Green Global International Inc. (GGII) - Hempacco, Co. Inc.: Green Global International Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Hempacco Co., Inc. are Disrupting Tobacco's nearly $1 Trillion industry with herb and hemp-based alternatives to nicotine cigarettes by manufacturing and marketing consumer goods, including Herb Smokables, CBG, and CBD Hemp cigarettes. The Company owns and licenses intellectual property, has conducted extensive research and development, and is engaged in manufacturing and sales of smokable Hemp brands, including The Real Stuff Hemp Smokables. Hempacco Co., Inc.'s operating segments include joint-venture private label agreements and sales, Intellectual Property licensing, and the development and sales of inhouse brands using patented counter displays as well as six hundred Kiosk vending machines called HempBoxes. Add Your Name to Hempacco Investor Email List To be added to GGII - Hempacco's investor email list to be kept apprised of all upcoming IR activities, please subscribe using this link: https://newsroom.newsfilecorp.com/lists/8020/490 , or for additional information, please call Investor Relations Partners at 323-380-4500. You can purchase The Real Stuff Hemp Cigarettes by clicking here or copy-paste https://www.realstuffsmokables.com to your browser and get free samples of our Hemp Blunts. Wholesale distributors and retailers get wholesale pricing by calling (775) 473-1201. Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements This news release may include forward-looking statements including opinions, assumptions, estimates, the Company's assessment of future plans and operations, including but not limited to information concerning a potential combination with Hempacco and the timing thereof. When used in this document, the words "will," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intent," "may," "project," "should," and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are founded based on expectations and assumptions made by the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations represented by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will be realized. Any number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to regulatory and third party approvals not being obtained in the manner or timing anticipated; the ability to implement corporate strategies; the state of domestic capital markets; the ability to obtain financing; changes in general market conditions; industry conditions and events; and other factors more fully described from time to time in the reports and filings made by the Company with OTC Markets Group, Inc. or the securities regulatory authorities. Except as required by applicable laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements publicly. We intend that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of relevant securities laws and considered forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. # # # Company Contact: Founder Sandro Piancone or Co-Founder Jorge Olson IR@hempaccopackaging.com Investor Relations Contact: Harry Tajyar htajyar@irpartnersinc.com Phone: 323-380-4500 Here are other Press Release headlines from GGII - Hempacco: GGII Green Globe - Hempacco launches CalivibesDelta8.com & Signs Joint Venture Agreement to launch Calivibes Delta8 Hemp Cigarettes with a 50% Ownership Stake GGII Green Globe - Hempacco to Produce a Portfolio of Flavored Hemp Paper Wraps or Hemp Blunts, with the First Order of $230,000 GGII Green Globe - Hempacco Files Patent Application for Cigarette Filter Infusion Technology for Cannabis, Tobacco, Herb, and Hemp Cigarettes, Furthering Their Mission of Disrupting Tobacco Green Globe - GGII Licenses Patent for Terpene Spraying Technology From Open Book Extracts, Furthering their Mission of Disrupting Tobacco To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87784 Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - WHAT: The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is pleased to announce the second panel discussion in a series asking on the federal government to open the Canada-U.S. border that has been closed for nearly 15 months. This panel is bringing together Canadian and United States' Politicians and industry leaders to advocate for the government to commit to a plan to re-opening the borders. WHO: Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senate Majority Leader, United States Senator for New York Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP Beaches-East York Susie Grynol, President and CEO, Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) Tori Barnes, Executive Vice President, U.S. Travel Association Beth Potter, President and CEO, Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) Moderated by: Huw Williams, U.S./Canada Relations Expert WHEN & WHERE: Thursday, June 17th, 2021 at 11am EDT Broadcast on two Platforms: Broadcast live on the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/TIACAITC Or Click: VIEW PANEL WHY: TIAC is calling on the federal government to commit to a plan to reopen borders before another summer season is lost. Tourism was the first hit, hardest hit, and will be the last to recover. While keeping the health and safety of Canadians at the forefront, TIAC is calling on all levels of government to work together on a transparent reopening plan based on science. - 30 - To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7876/87772_f6af732fe423b94d_001full.jpg About the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) Founded in 1930 to encourage the development of tourism in Canada, TIAC serves today as the national private-sector advocate for this $105 billion sector. Based in Ottawa, TIAC takes action on behalf of Canadian tourism businesses and promotes positive measures that help the industry grow and prosper. Media Inquiries: Madison Simmons Director of Government Affairs, TIAC msimmons@tiac-aitc.ca /613-864-3079 Source: Tourism Industry Association of Canada To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87772 Regulatory News: Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) today released its regular weekly Net Asset Value ("NAV") and performance returns on its website, https://www.pershingsquareholdings.com/company-reports/weekly-navs/. The NAV and returns were computed as of the close of business on Tuesday, 15 June 2021. PSH NAV per share as of close of business on 15 June 2021 was 48.78 USD 34.64 GBP and year-to-date performance was 7.5%. Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft). Performance is presented on a net-of-fees basis and reflects the deduction of, among other expenses: management fees, brokerage commissions, administrative fees and accrued performance fees, if any. The performance figure includes the reinvestment of all dividends, interest and capital gains. Depending on the timing of a specific investment, net performance for an individual investor may vary from the net performance as stated herein. Net performance is a geometrically linked time weighted calculation. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. All investments involve risk including the loss of principal. About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American domiciled companies. Category: (PSH:WeeklyNAV) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005986/en/ Contacts: Media Camarco Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk New corporate presentation and management webcast available for replay on website Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - OBSIDIAN ENERGY LTD. (TSX: OBE) (OTCQX: OBELF) ("Obsidian Energy", the "Company", "we", "us" or "our") is pleased to announce that at its annual and special meeting of shareholders held on June 16, 2021, Obsidian Energy's shareholders approved all resolutions outlined in the Notice of 2021 Annual and Special Meeting and Management Proxy Circular dated April 30, 2021 (the "Information Circular"), which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, on EDGAR at www.sec.gov, and on Obsidian Energy's website at www.obsidianenergy.com. Appointment of Auditor By resolution passed by show of hands, Ernst & Young LLP, Chartered Accountants, was appointed as auditor of the Issuer for the ensuing year. Election of Directors By resolutions passed by ballot vote, the following six nominees proposed by management were elected as directors of the Company to hold office until the next annual meeting of Shareholders or until their successors are elected or appointed: Votes For Percent Votes Withheld Percent John Brydson 23,921,838 96.20% 946,114 3.80% Raymond D. Crossley 15,880,655 63.86% 8,987,297 36.14% Michael J. Faust 24,050,803 96.71% 817,149 3.29% Edward H. Kernaghan 19,554,662 78.63% 5,313,290 21.37% Stephen Loukas 24,283,313 97.65% 584,639 2.35% Gordon Ritchie 24,225,697 97.42% 642,255 2.58% Non-Binding Advisory Vote on the Corporation's Approach to Executive Compensation By resolution passed by ballot vote, an advisory resolution was passed to approve the Company's approach to executive compensation as outlined in the Information Circular. The results of the ballot were as follows: Votes For Percent Votes Against Percent 17,966,127 72.25% 6,901,825 27.75% NEW CORPORATE PRESENTATION AND WEBCAST Today, Obsidian Energy's management team held a webcast presentation live on the Internet (the "Presentation") for investors, shareholders and stakeholders to discuss the Company's strategy, assets, value and plans for the future. The updated corporate presentation has been posted to our website, and the full webcast Presentation is available for replay either through our website or directly at the webcast portal. CONTACT OBSIDIAN ENERGY Suite 200, 207 - 9th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 1K3 Phone: 403-777-2500 Toll Free: 1-866-693-2707 Website: www.obsidianenergy.com; Investor Relations: Toll Free: 1-888-770-2633 E-mail: investor.relations@obsidianenergy.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87819 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2021) - ReGen III Corp. (TSXV: GIII) (OTCQB: ISRJF) (FSE: PN4) ("ReGen III" or the "Company") announces it has terminated the agreement regarding ReGen's leasehold interest in Bowden, Alberta. Under the terms of the termination, neither lease payments previously accrued nor any further lease payments are due or payable under the lease. This development allows the Company to focus unencumbered on its primary re-refinery project in the US Gulf Coast and to fully explore alternate production site opportunities elsewhere in North America, while continuing to enhance the Company's industry presence. The Company also advises as part of its continuous de-risking process, it spent the past fifteen months reviewing alternate re-refinery sites in Alberta. The Company short-listed three suitable sites with accretive zoning and ancillary infrastructure in place. The Company believes these sites should provide improved operating economics over the Bowden site, once a financial investment decision is made. In the US Gulf Coast, ReGen III continues its technical review, design and engineering work with Koch Project Solutions LLC, PCL Industrial Construction Ltd. and Koch Modular Process Systems. The Company is also pleased to announce it has identified a potential re-refinery site and commenced negotiations with the property owner. Further information will be disseminated when available. About ReGen III ReGen III is a cleantech company creating more sustainable solutions that include better environmental outcomes and compelling economics. ReGen III owns a portfolio of patented technologies that enable used motor oil ("UMO") re-refineries to produce a higher value product mix of base oils than traditional methods, including 55% Group III. For more information about the Company, please visit www.ReGenIII.com. On Behalf of the Board of ReGen III Corp. "Greg Clarkes" Greg Clarkes Chief Executive Officer For further information, contact Mark Redcliffe at (778) 668-5988 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information contained in this news release constitutes "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking information"). Without limiting the foregoing, such forward-looking information includes statements regarding the Company's business plans, expectations and objectives. In this news release, words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "estimate" and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will be achieved. Forward-looking information is based on information available at the time and/or the Company management's good faith belief with respect to future events and is subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. For additional information with respect to these and other factors and assumptions underlying the forward-looking information made in this news release, see the Company's most recent Management's Discussion and Analysis and financial statements and other documents filed by the Company with the Canadian securities commissions and the discussion of risk factors set out therein. Such documents are available at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile and on the Company's website, https://www.ReGenIII.com/. The forward-looking information set forth herein reflects the Company's expectations as at the date of this news release and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87823 OTTAWA, ON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, today issued the following statement: "We are very pleased that the Senate has passed Bill C-15, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. We now eagerly await Royal Assent. "Today represents a critical step in recognizing, promoting, protecting and upholding the human rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. It marks another important move forward in the evolving history of the Crown-Indigenous relationship, one that will help forge stronger relationships and support the path to self-determination for First Nations, Inuit and Metis while taking action to advance reconciliation, together. "The implementation of the Declaration through Bill C-15 is part of the government's commitment to addressing injustices, combating prejudice and eliminating all forms of violence, racism and discrimination, including systemic racism and discrimination, against Indigenous Peoples. "This legislation will require the Government of Canada to examine federal laws, policies, and practices and to take all measures, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples, to ensure consistency with the Declaration. It provides the foundation for transformational change in Canada's relationships with Indigenous Peoples. "The legislation will complement other initiatives underway across Canada with Indigenous partners to close socio-economic gaps, advance reconciliation and renew relationships based on the affirmation of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership. "The work to undo centuries of colonial policies could not be more urgent. The horrific finding of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, as well as other possible graves, are yet another reminder of that truth. The harms experienced by First Nations, Inuit and Metis families and communities are real and ongoing and must be confronted. "Through Calls to Action 43 and 44, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called on all levels of government to implement the Declaration as the framework for reconciliation, and develop an action plan, strategies and other concrete measures to achieve its goals. "Together, we must continue to walk the path of reconciliation to ensure that the rights, languages, cultures, and identities of all Indigenous Peoples are recognized, honoured, and respected. Bill C-15 provides a framework for the federal government to move forward in partnership with Indigenous Peoples for the benefit of all Canadians." Associated Links Canada.ca/Declaration For further information, media may contact: Chantalle Aubertin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, 613-992-6568; Media Relations: Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, media@justice.gc.ca; Ani Dergalstanian, Press Secretary and Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, 819-997-0002; Media Relations: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, 819-934-2302, RCAANC.media.CIRNAC@canada.ca 10x Future Technologies, a London, UK-based fintech company, raised $187m in Series C financing. The round was co-led by funds managed by BlackRock and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) with participation from existing investors JPMorgan Chase, Nationwide, Ping An and Westpac. The company will use the funding for its expansion plans into new markets, including North America, as well as further investment into the development of the cloud native 10x SuperCore platform. Led by Antony Jenkins, Founder, Chair and CEO, 10x Future Technologies provides a cloud native SaaS bank operating system which enables banks to deliver products, services and customer experiences to retail and SME customers. The platform supports customizable product behaviours and accounting rules, integrates with banks wider technology estates and harmonises with local and regional compliance and regulatory requirements. Clients include Nationwide and Westpac, among others. FinSMEs 16/06/2021 Bringg, a Chicago, IL-based delivery and fulfillment cloud platform provider, closed a $100m Series E funding round. The round, which sets Bringgs market valuation to $1 billion, was led by Insight Partners with participation from Cambridge Capital, GLP, Harlap, Next 47, Pereg Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and Viola Growth. The company intends to use the funds to scale the platform through M&A and grow its ecosystem of strategic and technology partners. Led by Guy Bloch, CEO, Bringg provides enterprises with a cloud data-led platform to scale up and optimize their logistics operations. Using Bringg, retailers and logistics providers can enable innovative delivery and fulfillment models to maximize the customer experience, optimize logistics operations and scale business channels for growth. Some of the worlds best-known brands in more than 50 countries use the platform. FinSMEs 16/06/2021 Liron Azrielant and Daniel Roditi, Managing Partners at Meron Capital Photo Credit Meron Capital, by Nir Laksman Meron Capital, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based founder first venture capital firm, closed its second fund, at $50m. Meron II will invest in early-stage deep-technology software startups led by Israeli entrepreneurs. The new fund will target 18-20 pre-seed and seed investments in startups that are building software-based solutions for enterprise, cybersecurity, digital health, fintech, DevOps and more. Meron II has already invested in four companies: u LendAI, operating in the market of mortgage lending, Sorbet, a PTO clearinghouse, Firmbase, a Fintech startup, and Laminar, a Data Protection platform for cloud-native applications. Led by Managing Partners Liron Azrielant and Daniel Roditi, Meron Capital launched its inaugural fund in 2017 and has invested in 16 startups to date with four having already made exits including AIOps startup Loom Systems, which was acquired by ServiceNow, API integration platform Reshuffle, which was acquired by Twitter, digital health company Clear Genetics, which was purchased by Invitae and IoT startup Axonize, which was acquired by Planon. In addition, 10 more have so far raised further financing with startups Immunai, Solugen and Armory alone disclosing combined investments in excess of $300 million to date. Liron Azrielant graduated from MITs LGO dual degree program with a computer science and electrical engineering Masters and an MBA. Azrielant earned a degree in Mathematics and Physics at the Hebrew University and served in the IDF 8200s most elite technological unit. She started her career as a software engineer but then moved over to the business side as a consultant, advisor and then investor at Bain, PwC and finally, Blumberg Capital. Daniel Roditi was born and raised in Switzerland and started his career as one might expect in finance and banking, before joining a commodity trading software startup as one of the first employees. Roditi then came to Israel in 2015 to pursue an MBA at Tel Aviv University, and joined Blumberg Capital as part of their Tel Aviv-based investment team. FinSMEs 16/06/2021 Underground Cellar, a San Francisco, CA-based wine company, raised $12.5M to complete its Series A funding. The round was led by Accomplice, with participation from Golden Ventures and Bling Capital. The company intends to use the funds to enhance its gamified platform, further deepen relationships with wineries, and triple the size of the team by the end of the year. Led by Jeffrey Shaw, Founder & CEO, and Jeff Hardy, COO, Underground Cellar allows consumers to discover, buy and experience wine through a gamified upgrade platform and a virtual CloudCellar. The community marketplace for wine lovers rewards consumers with free upgrades to rare and private-stash bottles from prestigious wineries across the nation through its upgrade model and AI algorithms. CloudCellar gives consumers access and ability to store up to 500 bottles of wine allowing users to buy bottles now and ship them later. The company features new wine deals every day on its homepage at UndergroundCellar.com. Jeffrey Shaw is an entrepreneur and digital commerce expert with over 15 years experience leading b2c companies. Prior to founding Underground Cellar, he was a security-industry innovator having founded and led his prior company, ID Creator, to a successful acquisition. He has also held an elected public office in his home-state of Arizona, and is a two-time in-the-money winner at the World Series of Poker, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prior to joining Underground Cellar, Hardy was Tapingos Chief Business Officer, where he led the companys growth to a successful exit when it was acquired by Grubhub in November of 2018. Post-acquisition, Hardy took on the role of Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Grubhub. Prior to this successful exit, Hardy served as Googles Head of Product Partnerships and worked with Yahoos chief executive Marissa Mayer as Vice President of Global Partnerships. FinSMEs 16/06/2021 Microsoft is all set to launch the Windows 11 on June 24th. After screenshots of the next-generation Windows OS surfaced on Baidu in China, the full Windows 11 test build seems to have leaked online. This shows a revamped user interface, a new start menu and lots more new features. There are also new wallpapers. The UI and Start menu look similar to Windows 10X originally targeted at dual-screen devices which has now been discontinued in favour of Windows 11. The new Start menu has pinned apps, recent files and option to shut down or restart the device. The app icons and Start menu is originally centred, but you can move them back to the left-hand side. It also shows a Widget icon, so Microsoft might be bringing back Windows Widgets. The Windows 11 also comes with new snap controls that can be accessed using maximize button on all apps. This lets you quickly snap windows side by side, or arrange them in different sections on your desktop. You can also notice colourful folder icons, rounded corners in different places such as file explorer, start menu and other places. Finally, XDA has found product configuration keys that reveal that you will be able to upgrade from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 directly to Windows 11 instead of moving to Windows 10. However, Windows 8 users will need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 first before upgrading to Windows 11, just like it was with Windows 10. Microsoft recently confirmed that it will support Windows 10 only till October 14, 2025 after 10 years of launch. The Windows 10 was introduced back in September 2014, but the stable version was released only July 2015. Windows 11 Insider Program should be available soon after launch on June 24th, but it should take months before it is available to the public. Source 1, 2, 3 Google has announced a bunch of new updates that are coming to Android, bringing new features across the mobile OS. These includes updates to the Google Messages app, improvements to the Google Keyboard, Android Auto, Voice Access functionality and more. Google has been working on the ability to star particular messages in the Google Messages app for quite a while now, based on previous leaks. The feature is now rolling out to everyone. Once a message is starred, they can be found easily within the starred category in search. The Emoji Kitchen can now understand the context of the message typed in the text box and provide suggestions based on it. The feature is being tested in GBoard beta and will arrive to all GBoard users, with support for English, Spanish and Portuguese languages. Voice Access is receiving a beta feature called Gaze Detection where the phone will only take input from the user when they are looking at the phone. Along with this, Voice Access also supports advanced Password inputs, which will let users input letters, numbers and symbols. Other updates include: The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is now more than 50 percent done, according to U.S. Central Command. The Defense Department is handing over six military facilities to the Afghan Ministry of Defense. And, nearly 14,000 pieces of equipment were also handed over to the Defense Logistics Agency to be destroyed. President Biden pledged to pull out all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 this year, exactly 20 years since the 911 attacks in America. SPARTANBURG, SC (FOX Carolina)- At least one person is dead and three others are hurt after a shooting near Cleveland Park in Spartanburg on Thursday afternoon. Goldfish Swim School Rides Wave of Expansion, Debuts in South Carolina with Greenville Opening Entrepreneurs Open First Goldfish Swim School in South Carolina June 16, 2021 // Franchising.com // Greenville, SC - Goldfish Swim School, the leading premier learn-to-swim concept, recently opened its newest school in Greenville. Located at 607 Haywood Road, the school provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages four months to 12 years. This new opening further propels the brands explosive growth in 2021 as it continues aggressive expansion across the country with both single and multi-unit owners. Goldfish Swim School Greenville is owned by Beth and Michael Montgomery and Sally and Bill Baker. Beth and Sally are sisters and grew up in Camden, SC. Beth and Michael are both graduates of Clemson University in the greater Greenville-Spartanburg area, and they share a great fondness for the upstate region. Collectively, the ownership team has a passion for swimming and working with kids. Its a great feeling to know the work you do is truly impacting the community, said Michael Montgomery. With Goldfish, weve found an organization with a strong culture, solid systems, and a strong business model with a talented support team. Were grateful to have the opportunity to spread the important message of water safety and help more children across the Greenville community be safer in and around the water. Families in the community now have access to the schools renowned proprietary curriculum, The Science of SwimPlay, which helps to build life skills both in and out of the water using play-based learning in a fun and safe environment. The 8,900 square-foot school features a 75 x 25 ft pool kept at a comfortable 90 degrees and a viewing room nearby for families. Were thrilled the Montgomerys and Bakers are growing the Goldfish Swim School family, shared Chris McCuiston, who co-founded the franchise with his wife Jenny McCuiston. As we continue to grow, its more important than ever that we partner with local community leaders who are just as passionate about water safety as we are. Jenny and I are confident that the Montgomerys and Bakers will help us continue to bring awareness to the drowning epidemic and ultimately get us one step closer to reducing the number of accidental drownings. The brand is seeking qualified, active and engaged individuals who are involved with their community, have a passion for water safety, and are hungry to dive into the world of franchising. Today, with 115-plus schools open and more than 150 in development, Goldfish Swim School continues to be on the fast-track for growth. The franchise is seeking partners to develop in the southern and western region of the United States in addition to Canada. Specifically, company executives see substantial growth opportunities in California and Texas where there is strong demand for the brands services. The continued success achieved by the brand has not gone unnoticed as the franchise industry has honored Goldfish with several recent award wins ranking No. 11 on Franchise Times Fast & Serious List, No. 29 and the top swim school franchise in Entrepreneur Magazines 2021 Franchise 500, named a Top Franchise for 2021 by Franchise Business Review, while also making an appearance on The Inc. 5000 list for the sixth year in a row. Consistently outranking its competition, Goldfish Swim School continues to prove itself as a top-rated and most established swim school franchise in the space. Its ability to go above and beyond to nurture a culture that provides a GOLDEN Experience! is unmatched by its competition. Goldfish Swim Schools core values extend from its members to its franchisees, as the Franchise Office Support team is committed to going above and beyond with every detail. It is this level of best-in-class support that drives prospective franchisees to continuously choose Goldfish. Goldfish Swim School credits this success to be a collective effort of its dedicated franchisees, loyal team members and exceptional leadership. From passionate co-founders, industry veterans and innovative young minds, Goldfish Swim Schools award-winning leadership team is unmatched. Amid the pandemic, the brand opened its milestone 100th school, celebrated one million square feet in open real estate, began piloting new innovations, successfully lobbied for safe re-openings, signed 19 franchise agreements, and debuted in four new states. As a result, Goldfish Swim School has now exceeded its pre-COVID enrollment numbers, teaching more than 150,000 children each week how to be safer in and around the water. For more information on Goldfish Swim School and its franchise opportunity, please visit https://www.goldfishswimschool.com/franchise-opportunities/ or call 248-801-1850. About Goldfish Swim School Founded by husband and wife team Chris and Jenny McCuiston, Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages four months to 12 years. Classes are offered by specially trained instructors in a safe, child-friendly and fun environment using their research-based philosophy called The Science of SwimPlay. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, Goldfish Swim School was established in Birmingham, Michigan in 2006, and opened its first franchise location in 2009. Recently, the brand was recognized by Entrepreneur in its Franchise 500 ranking, Franchise Times Fast & Serious List, and Inc. Magazines Top 5000. Goldfish Swim School is currently in the process of expanding franchise opportunities throughout North America, with more than 115 schools open, and an additional 150+ in development in more than 30 states and Canada. SOURCE Goldfish Swim School ### Media Contact: Kelly McNamara Fishman PR 847-945-1300 KMcNamara@fishmanpr.com Add to Request List Added Request Information Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus We welcome your letters and columns! Use the button below to send us your thoughts. Remember: Letters must include your real name, town of residence and daytime phone number, which we use for verification. We do not accept anonymous letters or letters written under a pseudonym. Letters should be no more than about 400 words. Those of no more than 200 to 300 words are more likely to be published. Submit 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 editor's pick centerpiece featured Galveston County residents nervous as power grid wobbles again STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Ace Hardware employee Cricket Lloyd works beside boxes of generators in the warehouse of the store in League City on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News A sign advertises portable generators at the Ace Hardware store in League City on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. GALVESTON Calls this week by the states electric grid manager to conserve energy and avoid rolling blackouts as demand soared and generation units sat idle sparked anger and anxiety among some residents and officials who saw flashbacks to prolonged, deadly outages during a February winter storm. While many residents were making efforts to conserve energy as the states grid struggled to meet demand, some contended measures passed in the legislative session to harden energy infrastructure didnt go far enough. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas this week called on Texans to conserve energy over concerns demand would exceed supply because demand was up and an unusual number of generators were offline. ERCOT didnt respond to questions Tuesday morning seeking more detailed information. ERCOT officials said Monday 12,178 megawatts of the grids 86,862 megawatts of generating capacity was offline. About 1,200 megawatts of power had been restored Tuesday, leaving 10,978 megawatts offline, according to ERCOT statements. Meanwhile, demand set a record Monday at 69,943 megawatts, 820 megawatts over the June 2018 record of 69,123, and was expected to peak at about 73,000 megawatts later this week, according to a Tuesday statement. ERCOT officials in a prepared statement said they would investigate why an unusual number of Texas power generation units were offline. UNFORGOTTEN FREEZE Freezing temperatures tripped off generating plants the week of Feb. 15, leaving millions of Texans, thousands in Galveston County, without power for days in dangerously cold weather. At least 150 people died in Texas, according to state estimates. ERCOT and local energy distributers this week are encouraging customers to conserve power by setting thermostats to 78 degrees and turning off lights and appliances. CenterPoint Energy, which supplies power to most Galveston County consumers, said it was closely monitoring grid conditions. The power generation issue is expected to be at its peak from the afternoon to the evening hours for the remainder of the week, Kenny Mercado, an executive vice president at CenterPoint, said in a statement. We are encouraging our customers across our electric service territory to help conserve electricity. Texas New Mexico Power, which distributes power to residents in Texas City, also was monitoring the situation, spokesman Eric Paul said. If so ordered, our intent would be for no customers to be out for more than 45 minutes per rotation, Paul said. Power emergencies are very dynamic, so we would be unable to provide predictions regarding which areas would be de-energized, when that could be or how many times. RESIDENT FEAR Many residents still are feeling the sting of the winter freeze. Galveston resident Taylor Wilson lost power in February and now hes nervous about electricity going out at his two businesses, Velocity Auto Care, 200 Byrd St. in La Marque, and CrossFit Tidal Wave, 1501 Strand in Galveston. It was pretty rough, Wilson said. We didnt have power for pretty much as long as anybody was out. The auto repair shop particularly needs power to operate, he said. Im pretty much just going to sit back and wait and see what happens, Wilson said. Im trying to do my part at the house, turning the thermostat up. The anxiety is evident looking at empty shelves at hardware stores where generators used to be. RUN ON GENERATORS League City Ace Hardware, 1915 W. League City Parkway, was having trouble keeping big generators in stock, owner and manager Kman Amin said. We have plenty of portable ones, Amin said. Customers became more interested in buying generators after the winter storm, he said. But theyre also buying generators in expectation of an active hurricane season, Amin said. Last year we had a scare, Amin said. We were lucky that they went to Louisiana. It also had to do with the blackout that we had in the winter. Demand has been building for some time, said Jason Patton, owner of Keyworths Hardware, 2208 FM 517 in Dickinson. You cant really depend on the supply grid anymore, Patton said. With what happened in the freeze, you cant really count on anything. Nobody wants to get shut off from power. But COVID supply disruptions and demand across the Atlantic Coast because of the active 2020 storm season have delayed many orders, Patton said. WATERED DOWN When Galveston resident Patrick Neff heard ERCOT calling for power conservation, his first reaction was to roll his eyes, he said. It seems like we just went through a major ordeal and we were told it was all going to be fixed, Neff said. Gov. Greg Abbott on June 8 signed into law Senate bills 2 and 3, which added requirements for power generation facilities to weatherize. We promised not to leave session until we fixed these problems, and I am proud to say we kept that promise, Abbott said in a statement. But Neff worries the legislation isnt strong enough for Texas entering a hot summer. You see the whole thing get watered down Neff said. You see key provisions get removed. For now, many residents are spending the week conserving what they can. Wilson is trying not to worry about it too much. Hopefully, were just facing a freak occurrence and dont have to think about it again, Wilson said. Neff tries to keep his lights off and his thermostat to about 76 degrees, he said. You do what you can, Neff said. But you wonder are individual homes really the cause of blackouts, or is it businesses? CONSERVATION EFFORTS Some businesses and cities are making efforts to reduce power. The city of Galveston has been operating its buildings on generators during peak hours this week, spokeswoman Marissa Barnett said. But its frustrating for the city to think about this during peak tourism season, City Manager Brian Maxwell said. We thought they were addressing this in the last legislative session, but apparently they have no better control of ERCOT than they had before, Maxwell said. The city of League City still is monitoring the situation, spokeswoman Nora Gracia said. And the city of La Marque has turned up its building temperatures to 78 degrees during peak hours this week, spokeswoman Colleen Martin said. Other entities like the Port of Galveston and University of Texas Medical Branch are either keeping power to a minimum or using generator power. ERCOT officials said they expect to call for energy conservation through the week. Galveston, TX (77553) Today Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 81F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. The successor to Sony's PlayStation VR headset will feature OLED panels manufactured by Samsung and launch in 2022, according to a new Bloomberg report. People familiar with the matter told the publication that the unnamed 'next-generation VR system,' announced by Sony in February this year, is currently slated to launch during the 2022 holiday season. The tidbit was buried inside a larger report on iPhone display maker turned VR specialist Japan Display Inc, and also indicated that Sony will be turning to Samsung to create OLED panels for its work-in-progress VR goggles. Sony has already revealed the VR system will be compatible with the PlayStation 5, and will improve on the original PlayStation VR headset by offering enhanced resolution, field of view, tracking, and input. The Japanese console maker also recently pulled back the curtain on its next-gen VR controllers, which pull over some features from the PlayStation 5's new DualSense gamepad including haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. The orb-shaped controllers also incorporate finger touch detection that should allow players to make more natural hand gestures during gameplay. Both Sony and Samsung declined to comment on the rumors when asked by Bloomberg. Just moments after the Trump assistant sent the documents, Donoghue sent the same documents to the U.S. attorneys in the Eastern and Western districts of Michigan. On Dec. 29, the Trump assistant emailed Rosen, Donoghue and Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall and included a draft legal brief for the Supreme Court, with a phone number where they could contact the president directly. The proposed complaint asked the court to "declare that the Electoral College votes cast" in the six battleground states that Trump lost "cannot be counted." It asked for the court to order a special election in those states. One of Trump's private attorneys then emailed senior Justice officials urging them to file the complaint. The emails show he repeatedly called Rosen's senior advisers and others in the Justice Department demanding meetings, saying he was driving from Maryland to Justice Department headquarters in Washington to meet with Rosen because he couldn't reach him. "As I said on our call, the President of the United States has seen this complaint, and he directed me last night to brief AG Rosen in person today and discuss bringing this action," he wrote in one email. "I have been instructed to report back to the President this afternoon after this meeting." We now have the sad sight of another Texan sacrificing his good family name to appease Trump. George P. Bush is campaigning to be the Republican nominee for Texas attorney general on the wings of Trump's remark that he was "the only Bush who got it right." It's printed right on George P.'s campaign beverage sleeves. George P. is the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whom Trump demeaned as "Low-Energy Jeb." Trump tweeted that Jeb "has to like the Mexican Illegals because of his wife," who immigrated from Mexico. That Mexican immigrant would be George P.'s mother. George P. is the nephew of former President George W. Bush, whom Trump maligned after George W. put out a video applauding health care workers but not praising him. He is the grandson of former President George H.W. Bush, who found Trump so appalling he voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016. And Trump wasn't invited to speak at the grandfather's funeral as presidents traditionally do. If George P. Bush's name had been George P. Jones, his political rise undoubtedly would have been less smooth. But now he's shocking a lot of Bush family admirers in his quest to receive a pat on the head from Trump or at least not a swat. Sure, a lot of Texas Republican primary voters worship Trump, but is winning a nomination for state office worth losing one's honor? U.S. Department of Justice lawyers and the city-hired compliance officer had highlighted the incident in their reports critical of the bureaus review of officers use of force during the nightly demonstrations. A video shared on Twitter caught an officer running and striking the back of a protesters head with his baton shortly after 11 p.m. on Aug. 18. The officer knocked the woman down and then hit her with the baton a second time while she was down, the video appears to show. The Police Bureau found the baton strike was not intentional and therefore not considered lethal force while the Independent Police Review office viewed the strike as a push, compliance officer Dennis Rosenbaum noted in his report. However, Rosenbaum said the video did not support either stance and that police should have started a deadly force investigation. Police started an inquiry as a result several weeks later, a federal Justice Department report noted. At the time of the incident, Budworth was assigned to the Police Bureaus Rapid Response Team, which does crowd control. Jacobs filed the civil rights and battery lawsuit in September, saying she was working as a photojournalist when she was pushed by the officer. The 18th-century English poet Samuel Johnson, who compiled the English dictionary, once said Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel. Meaning that any crime and any misbehavior was tolerated if it was committed by one who kept shouting that he loved his country. We saw this maxim on full display when insurrectionists violently attacked the nations capital and who now claim they were taken in by a huckster who lied and supported conspiracies like QAnon. The attorney for the Qanon shaman described the insurrectionists as brain-damaged and short bus people. But while attacking the legitimacy of the election, they boisterously claimed to be patriots doing the bidding of the vaunted leader, who ran for cover as soon as he incited them to act. We saw this maxim played out for years by the loser as he attacked the bedrock of our democracy, our free elections, claiming he was the only person who could solve this nations problems, always while hugging the flag, claiming patriotic fervor. He lost, but the threat to our democracy he instigated continues as his supporters make every effort to diminish the votes of those who opposed him. Gran_prix top story Some downtown businesses bristle over bike race street closures Anthony Wahl Storefronts are seen along South Main Street in downtown Janesville on Tuesday. Some business operators downtown are not enthusiastic about the upcoming Tour of Americas Dairyland races to be held Thursday and Friday. Anthony Wahl A sign posted near the intersection of Parker Drive and Centerway reminds motorists to follow posted detour signs for the upcoming Janesville Town Square Gran Prix this Thursday and Friday in downtown Janesville. JANESVILLE Gary Donalson plans to celebrate the return of the Tour of Americas Dairyland bicycle races to Janesvilles downtown on Thursday and Friday by closing up his Express Employment Professionals office and delivering weekly paychecks to his clients. Donalson operates Express Employment Professionals at 32 S. Main St. The staffing agency runs payroll on Thursdays and Fridays, but its office will be hemmed in both those days this week because it is inside the stretch downtown that will be cordoned off as part of a closed-loop race course for two days. Like anyone going in and out of downtown during street closures for the bike races, Express clients will face a temporary inconvenience: They will have to walk several blocks to reach the staffing agency. Weve decided to deliver their paychecks to their door or to their workplaces. Weve got to take care of our people, Donalson said. While some local businesses have embraced and even sponsored the downtown bike races as an annual event, Donalsons is one that is opting to close during the races. He said he has lost patience with the inconvenience of sewn-up streets during the Tour of Americas Dairyland stop known as the Janesville Town Square Gran Prix. Downtown Janesville set to host two days of Tour of America's Dairyland bike races Four years since the the Tour of Americas Dairyland first brought a day of bike racing to downtown, the Janesville Town Square Gran Prix returns this week with twice the racingand extra prize money. Donalson and another local staffing agency said theyre circulating a petition among downtown businesses that would ask the city of Janesville and local race organizers in future years to consider moving the races outside of downtown, possibly to a city park. Geri McCluskey runs JIT Staffing Solutions, a staffing agency on Dodge Street that will also be cut off by the bike race closures Thursday and Friday. She said she posed the petition, which she is asking downtown business owners to sign after the bike races to show city officials and race promoters the effects the closures have on some businesses. Were not opposed to the bike races. Its just where theyre being held and that we have to stop our business for a whole day. This year, for two solid days, McCluskey said. We have beautiful parks throughout the city. Thats what the petition says. Lets think about moving it to Palmer (Park) or somewhere. If its held in a park, nobodys going to be closing down their business. Donalson thinks individual businesses downtown should have more of a voice in the planning, promotion and orchestration of events that might cause street closures. Is the point of a downtown to be a vibrant community and a vibrant business area, or is the downtown just to be used at the discretion of some people to try to make outside people think its a great place even though you affect the businesses here that are trying to stay going? Donalson said. What is the most important to the city? Anthony Wahl This handwritten sign was posted on Modern Charm in downtown Janesville on Tuesday night. At least one retail business downtown, resale shop Modern Charm on South Main Street, announced via a sign on the door the shop will be closed June 17 and 18 due to the city closing of downtown vehicle traffic for the bike races. The shop wasnt open Tuesday, and several other shop operators along the race course along South Main Street declined to comment on the bike races, the street closures or their effects on their shops. Paul Murphy, one of the organizers of the races in Janesville, says they are a boon overall for downtown, providing both the foot traffic of thousands of people and national exposure of the city and its downtown to tourists. Its the first time the annual pro cycling circuit has held two full days of races in Janesville, an opportunity that came about in late April after another community that hosted a stop on the tour pulled out because of lingering public shutdowns during the pandemic. The Tour of Americas Dairyland was scrubbed completely last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, making this the first year the races have been held downtown since June 2019. Murphy said he and the races organizers held an informational meeting earlier this month and invited a few hundred downtown business operators to hear details about the race and share input. He said about 15 business operators showed up. Murphy expressed disappointment over the new business petition circulating that suggests the bike races should be moved from downtown in the future. Murphy said the tours national organizers specifically hunt for cities that want to host races in their downtowns because in theory, the races and downtown commerce in tandem create economic symbiosis and shared exposure for both the tour and the communities it visits. Murphy said most other communities that host races manage planning through their own business improvement districts, local tourism bureaus or chambers of commerce. In Janesvilles case, the tour stop is organized mainly by Murphy himself and another volunteer, John Westphal. Both are local bicycling enthusiasts. Murphy said when he initially brought the option for a race stop in Janesville, the citys administration and the city council gave immediate support. Such events fit in with the citys own strategy to revitalize and reactivate the core of downtown with activities and foot traffic. We dont come and tell the city that we have to have this bike race. We bring this to the city. And, gosh, in 2018, they supported it. In 2019, they supported it. In 2020 they supported it, but it was canceled. Now in 2021, they supported it again, Murphy said. The question is What can you do as a community to bring people into your town, specifically your downtown, and what type of venue can you have that will bring people from outside of Janesville into your community? Murphy said. Benny Useni, who runs the Whiskey Ranch Bar & Grill on North Main Street, said the race crowds and the foot traffic they bring to his restaurant seem to roughly backfill a loss in local and neighborhood customers that he attributes to race-day street closures. Add the two together and it doesnt equal a washout or a boom over the short haul. Yet Useni thinks the exposure the downtown gets from visitors coming to Janesville for an event like bike races has a bigger long-term effect. Its a fun day. It gives exposure, it puts downtown Janesvilles name out there. Thats not just for a few businesses. Its for the entire downtown. It leans more to the plus than the minus, Useni said. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. Gettysburg, PA (17325) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 80F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low around 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Gettysburg, PA (17325) Today Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 80F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low around 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Gillette, WY (82718) Today A few clouds from time to time. Gusty winds diminishing in the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 93F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Durango Herald. Press Release Nokia and Proximus deploy worlds fastest live fiber network First ever 25G PON live deployment makes Proximus fiber network fastest in the world Technology operates on the same fiber network equipment deployed today Proximus is accelerating build out of Belgiums leading high capacity, open fiber network 26 May 2021 Espoo, Finland Nokia and Proximus turned on the worlds fastest fiber access network today at a media event in Antwerp attended by the Belgian Minister of Telecommunications, the Mayor of Antwerp and executives and engineers from the two companies. Operating over existing fiber and Nokia equipment deployed in the Proximus network, the first ever 25G PON live network connects the Havenhuis building in the Port of Antwerp with the Proximus central office in the middle of the city. The network speed exceeded 20 Gigabits per second making it the fastest fiber network in the world. Proximus is the leading provider of fixed broadband networks in Belgium with 45.9% market share. The operator is accelerating the move to fiber, adding 10% coverage each year and is on target to reach at least 70% of homes and business by 2028. As part of its inspire 2022 vision, it is creating a high capacity open network which will be available to all operators, eliminating the need for fiber overbuild. Rupert Wood, Research Director for Fiber Networks at Analysys Mason, said: Todays 25G PON achievement demonstrates the unlimited potential of fiber. This next evolution in fiber technology will provide enterprises with greater than 10 Gbs connectivity and the capacity needed to support 5G transport along with future next generation services such as massive scale Virtual Reality and real time digital twins. . Guillaume Boutin, CEO Proximus, said: The activation of the first 25G PON network worldwide shapes our bold ambition to be a trendsetter, to become a reference operator in Europe and, why not, across the globe. Together with Nokia, we have achieved a technological leap forward that will become a key enabler of the digital and economy and society that we stand for. Todays announcement is also an occasion to stand still and look at the pace at which we connect the citizens of Antwerp to the technology of the future. Thanks to huge investments, we are realizing an acceleration that is unseen in Europe, and I am convinced this will be crucial to remain competitive for us as a company, but also for Antwerp as a city and for our entire economy. Federico Guillen, President Network Infrastructure Nokia, said: 10 years ago our companies launched the technology which enabled a switch to HD TV. Today we make history again with a network that is 200x faster. We are proud to support Proximus in enabling the worlds first 25G PON network, powered by Nokias Quillion chipset, which supports three generations of PON technologies. Quillion has been adopted by more than 100 operators since its launch last year and all operators deploying the Quillion based GPON and XGS-PON solution today have the capabilities to easily evolve to 25G PON. Notes to editors Nokias 25G PON solution utilizes the worlds first implementation of 25GS-PON technology and includes Lightspan access nodes, 25G/10G optical cards and fiber modems. Nokia Lightspan FX and MX are high-capacity access nodes for massive scale fiber roll-outs. Usually located in telecom central office, they connect thousands of users via optical fibre, aggregate their broadband traffic and send it deeper in the network. The fiber access nodes can support multiple fiber technologies including GPON, XGS-PON, 25GS-PON and Point-to-Point Ethernet to deliver l wide range of services with the best fit technology. Nokia ONT (Optical Network Termination) devices, or fiber modems, are located at the user location. They terminate the optical fibre connection and delivers broadband services within the user premises or cell sites. Resources Further reading: 25G PON, Supercharge your fiber network About Nokia We create technology that helps the world act together. As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs. Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world. Media Inquiries: Nokia Communications Phone: +358 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com Verizon Frontline network and technology will provide mission-critical communication capabilities during simulated disaster response operations The Verizon Response Team (VRT) provides on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies, emergency responders, nonprofits and communities on a 24/7/365 basis. PATRIOT is an annual exercise bringing together National Guard soldiers and airmen, civilian emergency management personnel and industry partners like Verizon Public Sector to practice incident response operations based on simulated emergency scenarios. VOLK FIELD, Wis., June 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verizon Frontline technologies were deployed today by the Verizon Response Team (VRT) in support of PATRIOT 21, a week-long training exercise sponsored by the National Guard Bureau (NGB) at Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center and the Fort McCoy Total Force Training Center, Wisconsin. The annual exercise brings National Guard soldiers and airmen, civilian emergency management personnel, first responders, and industry partners like Verizon Public Sector together to practice incident response operations based on simulated emergency scenarios. The goal of the exercise is to prepare civilian and military organizations to work together as they would during an actual disaster. Utilizing the more than 100 Verizon Frontline technologies on-hand, including a Verizon Response Satellite Pico-cell on a Trailer (SPOT), advanced antenna technologies, and several manually aimed satellites, the VRT will establish and support mission-critical communication capabilities for first responders and National Guard personnel during a series of simulated crisis events to include an earthquake and a mass casualty event. After responding to more than 2,000 incidents nationwide in 2020, the VRT brings a depth of experience and disaster response expertise to the training exercise, where they will work alongside nearly 1,000 civilian and military personnel from more than 20 states as well as a number of public safety professionals. The VRTs support of PATRIOT 21, at the invitation of the National Guard, is a continuation of Verizon Public Sectors commitment to working alongside our partners in defense, public safety and government. Verizon Frontline ( www.verizon.com/frontline ) is the advanced network and technology built for first responders developed over nearly three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies to meet their unique needs. From network priority and preemption and a commitment to real interoperability, to developing and delivering the most innovative product roadmap, Verizon Frontline is built on Americas most reliable 4G LTE network, and will be able to harness the transformative power of 5G. VRT provides on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies, emergency responders, nonprofits and communities on a 24/7/365 basis. VRT members set up portable cell sites, WiFi hotspots, free charging stations and other devices and solutions that enable communications and/or boost network performance. Media contact: Businesses can now share additional information and create two-way customer conversations on the worlds most popular messaging platform STOCKHOLM and ATLANTA June 15, 2021 Sinch AB (publ), a global leader in cloud communications for mobile customer engagement, today announced that brands can now use the Sinch Conversation API to share additional information, such as back-in-stock updates, product recommendations, and more with opted-in WhatsApp users in applicable regions. WhatsApp, the messaging platform used by 2 billion people worldwide, recently said how it is improving the way businesses can communicate with their customers and will support more types of messages people opt-in to receive, which will make it easier to follow up with customers outside of a 24-hour window. But developing, integrating and orchestrating conversation interactions, can be challenging and complex for businesses. With Sinchs longstanding WhatsApp business API expertise combined with its powerful Conversation API, brands can now confidently build and scale rich, engaging conversations with WhatsApp users and send billions of customized messages through the app. Sinchs Conversation API is a single, unique API through which businesses can communicate with people over multiple mobile channels such as Instagram, Facebook Messenger, SMS, MMS, RCS and WhatsApp. Today, people expect to reach brands on whatever social or mobile channel they use. WhatsApp is a hugely popular channel and now businesses can directly engage in-app with users in a new way, sharing additional kinds of information and campaigns, said Eduardo Henrique, Sinchs Chief Business Development Officer. Sinch had early access to these features and has led in this channel, handling high volumes of messages on behalf of customers, especially at key times like Black Friday. Brands seeking to use WhatsApp to connect with their customers can be confident that Sinch can deliver the scale, security and quality needed, while eliminating complexity. iFood, a Brazilian food delivery platform that hosts more than 1.4 million customer conversations per year, is one of the first companies to leverage Sinchs WhatsApp solution. As iFood looked to improve its entire delivery chain, the company leveraged Sinch and WhatsApp to create conversations designed to sign up more restaurants, register new delivery staff and improve sales and customer service. iFood achieved 38x (38 times) more sales conversions on WhatsApp than on other channels with the same marketing campaign. To support companies as they begin developing content and high-quality campaigns for WhatsApp, Sinch is offering tools including a Warm Up program which: Ensures messages always follow the WhatsApp Business Policy. Allows the sending of messages only to users who have accepted to receive messages from your company or have opted to interact with the brand on WhatsApp for less than four months. Creates highly personalized, useful messages for users while eliminating any vague or introductory welcome messages. Prevents the sending of multiple messages a day to customers, keeping all communication informative and concise. WhatsApp is supporting more types of messages in Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States. According to WhatsApp, the company wants to ensure users have a valuable experience when messaging with businesses on WhatsApp. People are always in control and can block/report a business at any time. About Sinch Sinch brings businesses and people closer with tools enabling personal engagement. Its leading cloud communications platform lets businesses reach every mobile phone on the planet, in seconds or less, through mobile messaging, voice and video. Sinch is a trusted software provider to mobile operators, and its platform powers business-critical communications for many of the worlds largest companies. Sinch has been profitable and fast-growing since its foundation in 2008. It is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has a local presence in more than 40 countries. Shares are traded at NASDAQ Stockholm: XSTO:SINCH. Visit us at sinch.com. For further information, please contact: Jeff Hasen Vice President, Content & Communications Attachment Washington, June 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration will host a press call on June 16 to share updates on the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) Program and the Agencys outreach efforts to encourage small businesses to apply for remaining funding through the Targeted EIDL Advance and Supplemental Targeted Advance programs. These Programs are a big boost for small businesses getting back on track. SBA officials will take questions and information from this call should be attributed by press on-background. Acceptance of this invitation means you agree to the terms of the background call. Press must RSVP to receive the call link. WHO: Alejandro Contreras, SBA Director of Preparedness, Communication and Coordination, Office of Disaster Assistance WHAT: Press call to share updates on the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) Program and share renewed outreach efforts for the Targeted EIDL Advance and Supplemental Targeted Advance Programs. WHEN: Wednesday, June 16, 2021 at 10:00 10:30 a.m. EST WHERE: The Microsoft Teams link will be sent to press that RSVP prior to the call. To RSVP: Please email Press_Office@SBA.gov with EIDL Press Briefing RSVP in the subject line and your name and outlet in the body. ### About Economic Injury Disaster Loans In response to COVID-19, small business owners, including agricultural businesses, and nonprofit organizations in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories can apply for the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). The purpose of EIDL is for small businesses to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could have been met had the disaster not occurred. About the U.S. Small Business Administration NEW YORK, HONG KONG and LONDON, June 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hazeltree, the leading provider of integrated treasury management and portfolio finance solutions for investment managers, today announced that Guotai Junan International (GTJAI, Stock Code: 1788.HK), major overseas platform of Guotai Junan Securities (GTJA, Stock Code: 601211.SS; 2611.HK) who is a comprehensive financial provider with a long-term, sustainable and leading position in the Chinese securities industry, has implemented Hazeltree as its treasury management solution. Hazeltree is delighted to announce its first major client with strong ties to its parent company in China, an identified key expansion market. To support its continued growth, GTJAI has implemented Hazeltree to centralize cash and treasury management, improve operational efficiencies and strengthen internal controls. GTJAI has partnered with Hazeltree to automate manual processes around cash balance aggregation across banking counterparties, streamline cash movements and workflows, standardize and strengthen approval processes, and improve cash forecasting and loans management. GTJAI partnered with Hazeltree to: Improve client support and satisfaction with Hazeltrees streamlined treasury solution; Leverage Hazeltrees industry-specific treasury solution, designed exclusively for financial services firms; Realize process improvements and efficiencies by reducing errors, speed to quality information for decision support, and risk by replacing legacy, manual spreadsheets; and, Gain competitive market advantage through adoption of Hazeltrees latest FinTech innovations and approach to treasury management. With our continued business success, GTJAI is focused on partnering with the latest FinTech providers to support our goals, said GTJAI Managing Director, Head of Treasury Department George Wong. Hazeltree delivers on the technology promise, while simultaneously elevating treasury to a strategic function. With Hazeltree, we are streamlining our cash management function, client service model, and decision making, while improving controls and reducing risks. Simply put: technology drives success and competitive advantage and Hazeltrees technology has delivered on its promise, said GTJAI IT Director Jason Lam. Working with Hazeltrees team has been a true partnership and we are looking forward to expanding our relationship as we continue to grow our business. We are very focused on growing our business in Asia and having GTJAI as our first client headquartered in China reflects the confidence that clients have in us, and our commitment to the region, said Sameer Shalaby, Hazeltrees President and Chief Executive Officer. Our focus on delivering new and unique treasury technology designed specifically for our industry is a clear differentiator of our mission versus other providers. About GTJAI Guotai Junan International (GTJAI, Stock Code: 1788.HK) is the market leader and first mover for internationalization of Chinese Securities Company. The Company is the first Chinese securities broker listed on the Main Board of The Hong Kong Stock Exchange through initial public offering. Based in Hong Kong, the Company provides diversified integrated financial services. The companys core business includes seven categories of brokerage, corporate finance, asset management, loans and financing, financial products, market making and investments, which covers three dimensions including individual finance (wealth management), institutional finance (institutional investor services and corporate finance service) and investment management. Currently, GTJAI has been assigned Baa2 and BBB+ long term issuer rating from Moody and Standard & Poor respectively. The controlling shareholder, Guotai Junan Securities Company Limited (Stock Code: 601211.SS; 2611.HK), is the comprehensive financial provider with a long-term, sustainable and overall leading position in the Chinese securities industry. For more information about GTJAI, please visit http://www.gtjai.com. About Hazeltree Hazeltree is the leading cloud-based treasury management solution provider, serving hedge funds, private markets, asset managers, fund administrators, financial institutions and pension funds with powerful, proactive performance enhancement and risk mitigation capabilities that generate alpha from operations, reduce a range of liquidity and funding risks and streamline operations. Hazeltrees integrated treasury management solution includes comprehensive cash management, securities finance, collateral and margin management, and counterparty management. Hazeltree is headquartered in New York with offices in London and Hong Kong. Visit www.hazeltree.com or contact info@hazeltree.com for more information. For more information contact: Marshall Saffer msaffer@hazeltree.com 917.797.2603 Beverly Hills, CA , June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Networking and business pitches have now become seemingly more important in the corporate world. Addressing this demand, Jeff Bitton, CEO at Pitch59, shares his exciting platform for virtual pitches and takes us through the exceptional features offered by the application. Listen to the full interview of Jeff Bitton with Adam Torres on Mission Matters Innovation Podcast. To get through college, Jeff got into the business world and explored the art of door-to-door sales. After starting and owning a couple of cleaning and restoration businesses later on, he always wished that all of his sales and marketing could have the personal touch that door to door provided, because people love to hire people they know, like, and trust.. Attributed to real and more human door-to-door sales could also become the start of a great association. This led to the idea of Pitch59 and the modern way of pitching your products. Powerful Platform In this presented demo, Jeff shares the available functionalities to make the platform more efficient and reliable. Pitch59 offers a new-age medium to pitch yourself, your service, or your cause to the world. Bitton saw significant potential in bringing tech to the door-to-door sales concept and creating a ripple effect of the method. Walking us through the product, Jeff started by introducing PitchCards which are the main highlight of the application. These cards let you pitch everyone for up to 59 seconds. Owners, employees, nonprofits, and people looking for employment do these video pitches to lend a sense of human connectivity. Some of the most notable PitchCard features described by Jeff include: Customers can leave real, video reviews and testimonials on PitchCards PitchCards contain contact information, website and social media links, pictures, pricing/hours, and other details relevant to helping a customer make an informed decision. FlipChat allows you to simply flip PitchCards over to chat with the owner. The movability of cards gives an eye-grabbing visual effect that allows swiping the cards for convenient sharing and pocketing. Yes you can organize PitchCards into Pockets. Defined Niches Pitch59 proves to be a travel-sized website that helps people make quick and educated decisions. They also come with QR codes which can be scanned and put on print marketing. Jeff also emphasizes the Pockets feature of the platform, which assists you in keeping all the similar category cards in one place. You can also create new pockets with different chapters and share them effortlessly with others. Being efficient for records, the pitches are designed for four specified industries: Business, Employees, Non-profits, and Resume PitchCards. Amalgamating the traditional way of pitching with cutting-edge technology, Bitton envisioned Pitch59 to be relatable to people. With its power-packed accessibility and ease of navigation, Pitch59 is an astounding site and application available on both the Playstore and App Store. Jeff also shares an exciting offer for the first 10,000 users under his referral theme. Refer 5 of your friends to get a PitchCard, and your PitchCard will become free to use for life. If you enter the referral ID email address help@pitch59.com upon signup, youll receive a significant discount on your own PitchCard. Advice and Whats Next Jeff advises new startups to focus more on networking and relationship building rather than marketing their products. Talking about the future, Bitton shares his plan of collaborating with colleges/universities to help their students get hired faster with free Resume PitchCards, and helping businesses throughout the world become more relatable and human with Business PitchCards.. About Pitch59 provides a simple way that helps you market and get customers in 59 seconds. Your PitchCard is a video business card that sells for you. No paid actors, no professional commercials, just a REAL 59 second sales pitch from the individual or people in the company explaining why you should choose them or their service/product. Go to Pitch59 here to quickly create your own PitchCard and download their free app to share PitchCards and organize them in digital pockets. Media Communications Inquiries: adamtorres@missionmatters.com Publicist for Adam Torres and Mission Matters Media KISS PR Brand Story PressWire Brand Publicity Partners KissPR.com For more details, visitKisspr.com. KISS PR Digital PR & Marketing powers the Mission Matters Business podcast with brand storytelling. T: 972.437.8942 Attachment New York, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Military Vehicle Electrification Market by Technology, by System by Platform, by Operation and by Region - Forecast to 2030" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06095520/?utm_source=GNW The Military vehicle electrification market includes major players Oshkosh Corporation (US), General Dynamics (US), Arquus (France), Leonardo SPA (Italy), BAE Systems (UK), Aselsan (Turkey), Textron Sytsems (US) and General Motors (US). These players have spread their business across various countries includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. The unmanned armored vehicle segment of the market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2021 to 2025. The growth in the Military Vehicle Electrification market is expected to drive the growth of the three platforms proportionately. The requirement of military vehicle electrification in combat and support vehicles, are expected to be in a similar range during the forecast period. Based on operations, the autonomous/semi-autonomous military vehicle segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Based on operations, the autonomous/semi-autonomous military vehicle segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The requirement of autonomous vehicles that help in reducing human loss and increasing capabilities are helping the growth of the market for Autonomous/semiautonomous military vehicles. Based on systems, the power generation segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Growing demand for power systems due to the integration of new technologies and increasing power requirements in the vehicles are projected to increase the growth of the military vehicle electrification market. The Europe region is estimated to account for the largest share of the Military vehicle electrification market in 2021 The Military vehicle electrification market in the North American region is expected to witness substantial growth during the forecast period, owing to increased investments in Military vehicle electrification technologies by countries in this region.Ministry of defense in the European countries are involved in the development of technologically advanced military vehicles and the procurement of new to increase their fleet size. Well-established and prominent manufacturers of Military vehicle electrification systems in this region include Bae systems (Uk), Leonardo Spa (Italy), Qinetiq(Uk) and Arquus (France). The break-up of the profiles of primary participants in the Military vehicle electrification market is as follows: By Company Type: Tier 1 - 30%; Tier 2 - 40%; and Tier 3 - 30% By Designation: C Level Executives - 40%; Directors - 32%; and Others - 28% By Region: North America - 40%; Europe - 15%; Asia Pacific - 40%, Rest of the World - 5% Major players in the Military vehicle electrification market are Oshkosh Corporation (US), BAE Systems (UK), General Dynamics (US), General Motors (US), Leonardo (Italy), and Qinetiq (UK) Research Coverage This market study covers the Military vehicle electrification market across various segments and subsegments.It aims at estimating the size and growth potential of this market across different segments based on platform, technology, operation,system, and region. This study also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key players in the market, along with their company profiles, key observations related to their product and business offerings, recent developments undertaken by them, and key market strategies adopted by them. Reasons to Buy this Report This report is expected to help market leaders/new entrants by providing them the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall Military vehicle electrification market and its segments.This study is also expected to provide region-wise information about the applications wherein Military vehicle electrification solutions are used. It also aims at helping the stakeholders understand the competitive landscape of the market, gain insights to improve the position of their businesses and plan suitable go-to-market strategies. This report is also expected to help them understand the pulse of the market and provide them with information on key drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities influencing the growth of the Military vehicle electrification market. The report provides insights on the following pointers: Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on Military vehicle electrification products/ solutions offered by the top players in the market Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product launches in the Military vehicle electrification market Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative markets the report analyses the Military vehicle electrification market across varied regions Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the Military vehicle electrification market Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, growth strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of leading players in the Military vehicle electrification market Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06095520/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ New York, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Military Aviation Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2030)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06095500/?utm_source=GNW Since the demand for MRO services is a direct proponent of the sanctioned annual defense budget of the nations, COVID-19 had a moderate impact on the market in focus. The ongoing global economic slowdown is anticipated to result in a subsequent decline in defense spending on a short-term basis. However, due to existing regulations and controls, major US-based military MRO service providers are less likely to bear the impact of the wider supply chain disruption caused by the pandemic. However, suppliers and MRO service providers located in Asia-Pacific and South America are more vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and are envisioned to face operational constraints and high financial risk exposure due to supply chain bottlenecks. The market in focus is anticipated to be driven by a consistent increase in the global military fleet, internal and external security threats, technological innovations, aging global military fleet, joint ventures, and strategic alliances formed to address the specific requirements of the modernization initiatives undertaken by the global armed forces. Starting with aircraft maintenance facility management and managing MRO throughout the supply chain, the use of advanced digital technologies is imperative to establish high-efficiency operations. With the advancement in AI and analytics, MRO companies are progressing from centralized maintenance diagnostic operations, through real-time condition monitoring services, to prescriptive maintenance operations. Key Market Trends Engine MRO segment to Dominate the Market During the Forecast Period The engine is one of the vital components of any aircraft and is required to be maintained airworthy irrespective of the operational status of the aircraft. The increasing complexity of the engine parts and the increased number of military aircraft crashes due to engine failures have resulted in the global armed forces divesting enhanced focus on frequent engine maintenance and periodic checks. The active fleet of several countries is aging at a much faster pace than others due to extreme operating conditions that the aircraft are exposed to regularly. The older aircraft need MRO services much frequently than their newer counterparts to prevent the systems from malfunctioning or becoming obsolete. On this note, several contracts are being awarded to avail MRO services for the active fleet. For instance, Rolls-Royce was selected by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in August 2019 to provide maintenance and repair support for the EJ200 engines of Typhoon fighter aircraft fleet in service of the Royal Air Force (RAF) until 2024. The engine support contract (EJISS) was worth USD 431.06 million, a follow-on to the ten-year Partnered Support Operational Phase arrangement. Similarly, in October 2020, Honeywell announced that it won a five-year IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity) contract for the repair and overhaul of its T55-GA-714A engines that operate on the US Armys CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Such developments are envisioned to foster the growth of the engine MRO segment of the market in focus during the forecast period. North America is Expected to Maintain its Dominance in Terms of Revenue During the Forecast Period Though Asia-Pacific is expected to be one of the fastest-growing markets during the forecast period, the market is anticipated to be dominated by North America sheerly due to its diverse and superior fleet size. Currently, North America has the second-highest military aircraft fleet in the world and the demand for MRO services is driven by the initiatives to upgrade the existing fleet with the latest technologies and systems. The majority of MRO expenditure is on the regions large fleet of multi-role aircraft, transport aircraft, and surveillance aircraft that require high maintenance for engines and airframes, along with field and component maintenance services. The United States Air Force is slowly addressing its aging aircraft problem, as it takes delivery of newer generation jets. However, the total active fleet of military aircraft has declined since 2000 despite the increasing budget. As inventories decreased, the average aircraft age has increased over the past decade. The average age of the United States Air Force fleet is over 25 years and the bombers have an average age of over 50 years. This necessitates upgrade and regular maintenance to keep the aircraft at par with the newer generation aircraft and extend their service life. The United States envisions achieving an 80% readiness rate for all military aircraft in future. Such initiatives are expected to propel the growth of MRO activities in North America. However, the market is expected to witness the highest growth in the Asia-Pacific region, with most of the demand being generated from countries, like China, India, Japan, and South Korea. Competitive Landscape Lockheed Martin Corporation, The Boeing Company, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, BAE Systems PLC, and Safran SA are some of the largest players in the market studied. The market is fragmented, with numerous local and international players providing various MRO services to the existing military aircraft fleets. Strategic partnerships between the players may help them gain more contracts while expanding their reach to untapped markets in the long run. As most of the MRO contracts are in the long term, it could be a time taking process for new players to establish themselves in the market, by competing with the existing ones. The COVID-19 lockdown situation across the world is expected to delay some of the existing maintenance programs and planned projects at least by half a year, as players face issues with the supply chain, mainly due to the temporary shutdown of the aftermarket parts manufacturing industry. The impact of the same will be visible directly on the aftermarket parts logistics as well. In situations like these, players should adopt novel strategies to keep the business running with the existing inventory, which can help them reduce losses. Besides, the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) - based predictive maintenance technologies are also envisioned to witness mass adoption during the forecast period. MRO operators use AI tools for planning, predicting non-routine check-ups, triggering part orders, and assigning bays, labor, supplies, and other resources for MRO activities. Potential investments would be required to enhance the IT capabilities of MRO operators for maintenance execution, supply chain management, to enhance mobility, and to adopt e-signatures. Advanced data analytics are also being used by MROs for inventory optimization to plan to stock and optimize spares as and when required at minimal procurement costs. Such tools enable operators to function efficiently, derive maximum profits, and support the digitization of global aircraft MRO operations. Reasons to Purchase this report: - The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format - 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06095500/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Pune, India, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global oligonucleotide synthesis market has been estimated to reach USD 6.5 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17.6% during the forecast period from 2021 to 2030. Oligonucleotides are suitable for research, diagnosis of diseases, therapies, forensics, medication discovery, agriculture, etc. The presence of a specific target DNA sequence may be identified by oligonucleotides in a range of biological and forensic applications. Synthetic oligonucleotides are short stretches, assembled by chemical synthesis, of single stranded fragments of DNA. There is hardly one field in biology that does not use or does not have the potential to use synthetic DNA. Simultaneous development of techniques of rapid and efficient oligonucleotide synthesis and molecular biology techniques are the primary reason for such a revolution. In order to produce more efficient greener chemical synthesis, researchers use oligonucleotides. Request For Sample Pages @ https://www.quincemarketinsights.com/request-sample-64791 By combining oligonucleotides into longer fragments which encode synthetic genes, bacteria, or leaven cells, specific enzymes can be produced (a type of protein). Oligonucleotides are likely to prove effective in treating a variety of medical conditions. They allow the development of therapies as a result of targeted, manipulated, silenced, and/or modulated malfunctioning genes. Thus, synthesized oligonucleotides' promising potential in different areas is driving market growth. The growth of the oligonucleotide synthesis market is being driven by advances in oligonucleotide synthesis and increasing research activity in synthetic biology. Recent advances in synthesis techniques have resulted in an economic and rapid oligomer synthesis. Moreover, the synthesis of oligonucleotides has revolutionized the development of high-performance plants, new protective amino groups, and more effective coupling reagents. The development of microarray technology has also supported the development of the oligonucleotide product for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. For example, a great many oligonucleotide conjugates have been investigated with biological ligands that are increasingly used in the diagnosis of a number of inherited disorders. Advances in the synthesis of oligonucleotides based on microchip have also resulted in an increase in the production and cost of oligonucleotide synthesis. In addition, advances in the technology of enzyme failure correction have reduced the incidence of synthesis errors. This progress has further encouraged the growth of the market for the synthesis of oligonucleotides. The growth of the oligonucleotides synthesis market in turn is expected to have a positive effect on personalized medicine. Personalized medicine is tailored to individual patient needs and preferences. Synthesis of oligonucleotide helps offer customized solutions to patients with diseases. The advent of sensory RNA therapy in the biotechnology industry has gained enormous traction. With the synthesis of oligonucleotides, the application of custom medicine for the treatment of rare diseases has become possible. Patients can be treated and diagnosed more effectively with improvements in oligonucleotide synthesis. Therefore, an increasing focus on personalized medicine will provide the market players with ample opportunities. Global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market, By Product By product, the global oligonucleotide synthesis market has been segmented into oligonucleotide, and reagents and equipment. In 2021, the oligonucleotide-based drug sector has held the largest share in the market for oligonucleotides synthesis. The increasing numbers of FDA-approved medicines and an extensive clinical pipeline of oligonucleotide-based medicines should drive the growth of this segment in the next few years. Global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market, By Type By type, the global oligonucleotide synthesis market has been segmented into custom oligos and predesigned oligos. The customized synthesis of oligonucleotides is growing worldwide. As research and development in the field of synthetic biology are growing rapidly, the demand for high-end tailored oligos is rising. An increase in the demand for quality improvisation to remove impurities and enhance its effectiveness has resulted in an increasing use of synthetic oligonucleotides in industry and university research. However, approximately 50% of the total cost of production is covered by the cost of cleaning, and continuous research is underway to identify upgraded methods to achieve the desired results. Examples include the implementation of non-chromatographic treatment methods and many internal modifications Global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market, By Application By application, the global oligonucleotide synthesis market has been segmented into therapeutic application, diagnostic, research, and others. In 2021, oligonucleotide synthesis was the most important part of the market in the field of therapeutic applications. The growing use of oligos for the treatment of neurological diseases, contagious disorders, and rare genetic disorders (such as antisense oligos and siRNA) is expected to stimulate market growth. Enquiry Before Buying: https://www.quincemarketinsights.com/enquiry-before-buying/enquiry-before-buying-64791 Global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market, By End User By end user, the global oligonucleotide synthesis market has been segmented into academic research institutes, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and diagnostic laboratories. In 2021, academic research institutes has captured the largest share of the market for oligonucleotides synthesis. The growth of this market is mainly due to the high demands for oligonucleotide medicines in hospitals where patients with rare diseases, neurological disorders, and infectious diseases are hospitalized. Global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market, By Region By region, the global oligonucleotide synthesis market is segmented as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America. In 2021, North America has captured the largest share in this market. This can be attributed to increased life-sciences research and development activities in the region, as well as a greater focus on improving healthcare safety and quality. A growing demand for high-quality reproducible research instruments and a greater focus on personalized therapy development are also driving the regional market. Another important factor in contributing to the large market share of this region is the presence of many global players in North America. Some Recent Developments in the Global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market: February 2021 - A UK project in the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre, the Center for Process Innovation (CPI) has been launched. This project aims to revolutionize the production of oligonucleotides by means of cooperation in research and innovation with AstraZeneca, Exactmer, Novartis, and the UK government. Inclisiran would be the first medicine produced commercially as a result of this collaboration, which is a small, interfering RNA used for the treatment of atherosclerotic heart disease (ASCVD). February 2019 - Approval of the China National Medical Products Association (NMPA) to treat 5q spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has been granted to SPINRACE (nusinersen), marketed by Biogen, Inc. (USA). The oligonucleotide therapeutics market in this region should be driven by this. April 2019 - A new development center was opened in Osaka, Japan by Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Japan), to increase its oligonucleotide synthesis, and to provide support for increasing customer needs. The development center also includes process development laboratories to support manufacturing and R&D workshops in the development of new production technologies for oligonucleotides. COVID-19 Impact on Global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market The QMI team has closely monitored the impact of COVID-19 on the global oligonucleotide synthesis market, and it is observed that the demand for oligonucleotide synthesis has increased during the pandemic time. It is anticipated to grow at a healthy pace from mid-2021. To control the pandemic, many countries across the globe have enforced strict lockdown norms, which have hampered all kinds of business activities. Some Major Findings of the Global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market Include: Major global market trend & forecasts analysis along with the country-specific market analysis for up to 25 countries. An in-depth global oligonucleotide synthesis market analysis by the aforementioned segments, along with an analysis of trend-based insights and factors. Profiles of major market players operating in the global oligonucleotide synthesis market, which include Danaher Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc, Merck KGaA, LGC Limited, Maravai Life Sciences, and Agilent Technologies, Inc. The prominent players in the oligonucleotide therapeutics market are Biogen Inc, and Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc, among others. Competitive benchmarking, product offering details, growth strategies adopted by the leading market players, along with their major investments in the last five years. Key impact factor analysis across regions that include analysis, along with the drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges that are prevailing in the global market. Impact of COVID-19 on the global oligonucleotide synthesis market. Browse key industry insights spread across 155 pages with 85 market data tables and 41 figures & charts from the report, Global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market, By Product (Oligonucleotide, Reagents and Equipment), Type (Custom Oligos and Predesigned Oligos), Application (Therapeutic Applications, Diagnostics, Research and Others), End User (Academic Research Institutes, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies, Diagnostic Laboratories and others), Geography (Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) - Market Size & Forecasting 2021-2030 in-depth analysis along with the table of contents (ToC). Buy Now Full Report : https://www.quincemarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/oligonucleotide-synthesis-market/single_user_license Browse Related Reports: DNA Microarray for Agriculture Market, By Type (Oligonucleotide DNA Microarrays (oDNA), Complementary DNA Microarrays (cDNA)), By Application (Potato, Bovine, Sheep, Rice), By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America) Market Size & Forecasting To 2028 https://www.quincemarketinsights.com/industry-analysis/dna-microarray-for-agriculture-market CNS Specific Antisense Oligonucleotide Market, By Drug (Approved and Pipeline), By Indication (Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR)/ Polyneuropathy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and Huntingtons Disease), By Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacy, Retail Pharmacy, and Online Pharmacy), By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America) Market Size & Forecasting To 2028 https://www.quincemarketinsights.com/industry-analysis/cns-specific-antisense-oligonucleotide-market Ajay D Quince Market Insights Pune India Phone: US +1 208 405 2835 UK +44 1444 39 0986 APAC +91 706 672 4848 Email: sales@quincemarketinsights.com New York, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Heat Pumps Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06030493/?utm_source=GNW End users are now increasingly concerned of disruptions and dangers threatened by climate change and carbon emissions (informally known as the Blue Planet Effect) and are making environmentally-responsible heating choices. - Heat pump works on the principle of mechanical-compression cycle refrigeration that can even be reversed to heat or cool the desired space of a facility. Hence, these are increasingly being used for space heating and cooling applications. - Heat pumps are composed of two main components, which include an outdoor unit that is quite similar to that of central air-conditioner and indoor air handler. The outdoor unit consists of a compressor that circulates refrigerant, whose function is to absorb and release heat that travels between outdoor and indoor units. - The increasing need to curb dependence on fossil fuels and look for an energy-efficient alternative to furnaces and air conditioners are expected to drive the demand for heat pumps over the forecast period. As heat pumps move heat rather than generate heat, they can provide equivalent space conditioning at as little as one-quarter of the operating costs of conventional heating or cooling appliances. - Various government initiatives, such as the Domestic RHI and the Non-Domestic RHI, by the government of the United Kingdom is a financial incentive scheme set up to encourage the installation and usage of renewable heating technologies in existing homes. Such initiatives are expected to fuel market growth over the forecast period. Key Market Trends Air Source Heat Pumps are Expected to Hold a Major Market Share - The air source heat pump (ASHP) takes the electricity input, extracts the heat from ambient air, and gives hot water up to 90 degrees Celsius. Due to the extraction of heat from the ambient air, the ambient gets cooler. Thus, the requirement for both hot water and cold air drives the growth of air-source heat pumps. - There are two main types of ASHP, which are air-to-water and air-to-air. An air-to-air heat pump absorbs heat from the outside air and then transfers it directly into houses via a fan system to heat a room. Simultaneously, air-to-water heat pumps absorb heat from the outside air and then transfer it via the central heating system to provide hot water heating, radiator, or underfloor heating in an indoor space (or all three). Thus, choosing the type of ASHP determines the type of heat distribution system one needs. - These pumps have been rapidly becoming more widespread in recent years and now dominate the global sales for buildings. For instance, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the annual shipments of air-to-air heat pumps in the United States expanded from 2.3 million units in 2015, to 3.1 million in 2019. - Moreover, several factors, such as policy development, upgraded construction standards that make heat pumps in new buildings more competitive, and growing air-conditioning demand, are raising the popularity of air-to-air technologies, thus, boosting the market growth. - The market for ASHP is likely to grow over the forecast period due to its key advantages, such as versatility and affordability, as these pumps can work for either cooling or heating purposes and can be used for water heating or space heating. Moreover, air-source heat pumps are considered a renewable alternative to heat houses in the United Kingdom. United States is Expected to Dominate Market Share - The deployment of heat pumps has grown steadily in the North American region, specifically in the United States, due to various reasons, such as climatic conditions, the convenience to offer the equipment, government tax credit benefits, and regulations. - Furthermore, the heat pumps have been regulated by the governments in the region for their energy efficiency. For instance, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced Fan Energy Rating (FER) that sets a minimum airflow efficiency standard for residential furnace fans. As of 3rd July 2019, vendors can no longer manufacture furnaces unless they meet the minimum efficiencies. - With the new FER standards, the US DOE predicts that the new standard for furnace fans might save about 3.99 quads of energy, reduce carbon pollution by 34 million metric tons, and save the American citizens more than USD 9 billion electric bills through 2030. According to new state law, the city of Maine seeks installers to help meet the goal of 100,000 heat pumps over the next five years. Furthermore, the New Ambler heat pump project aims to reduce diesel costs in the villages drastically. - In addition, the deployment of CO2heat pumps is expected to increase in the region, owing to the government initiatives toward decarbonized future. For instance, the energy group division for Mayekawa USA MYCOM has been promoting the Japanese companys CO2 and ammonia-based heat pumps for space heating and domestic water heating in North America. Competitive Landscape The competitive rivalry in the heat pump market is high owing to the presence of some major players such as Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin, Panasonic amongst others. Their ability to continually innovate their offerings has enabled them to gain a competitive advantage over other players in the market. Through research & development activities, mergers & acquisitions these players have been able to expand their market footprint. - January 2021 - Fluidra, a pool and wellness equipment provider, acquired Built Right, a Florida-based manufacturer of heat pumps. Built Right specializes in manufacturing and servicing high-performance heat pumps. Reasons to Purchase this report: - The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format - 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06030493/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Sam Ash, CEO and David Wiens, CFO to host Live Interactive Virtual Investor Event on Wednesday, June 16 @ 11:00am ET / 8:00am PT. Investors are invited to register for this event at: LINK TORONTO, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bunker Hill Mining Corp. (the Company) (CSE: BNKR, OTC: BHLL) is pleased to announce the initiation of a ground geophysical survey over the previously un-tested southern extension of its claims package. The program, scheduled for Q3 2021, will be conducted as a high-resolution 3D IP (DCIP) survey method from Dias Geophysical Ltd utilizing their proprietary DIAS32 survey system. The total coverage area will span approximately 6 square kilometers (1,500 acres) to a depth of 400 meters (1,300 feet) over previously un-explored ground immediately south and south-west of historic underground workings, with the objective of identifying near-surface drilling targets that are directly accessible from existing works. Sam Ash CEO stated, The historic mine workings at Bunker Hill cover only 900 acres of the 5,800-acre land package. We are excited to be testing the portion of the property immediately to the south of these workings, which is un-explored and has the potential for the discovery of significant additional mineralization. Overview The geophysics program will be constructed with lines run in a SW/NE direction, crossing perpendicular to the general orientation of prominent fault structures and zinc dominant ore bodies. The 3D nature of the survey, in combination with a common voltage referencing (data collected perpendicular to line orientation) technique, will also work to image the silver-dominant structures which have been mapped in a general NE/SW orientation. Due to the narrow nature of the ore bodies and veins, a line spacing of 150m was selected to be run over the entire survey boundary to maintain a high-resolution product. At this spacing, imagery should be acquired to a maximum depth of 400m. Image 1: Map of planned 3D IP survey boundary and IP line orientation with relation to historic Bunker Hill mine footprint and contiguous claims package https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a15e8b96-ea38-4074-9f2f-1029b5045b4f Note: The towns of Kellogg and Wardner, ID are also shown, along with adjacent mines. The structural patterns identified at the Bunker Hill mine from the sites extensive map collection show numerous large-offset faults that have worked to control historically mined structures. There is potential for the additional faults south of the current mined footprint to repeat mineralized sections displayed in the north. As such, the program seeks to delineate extensions of known mineralized trends, as well as un-identified, adjacent structures just south of historic mine workings. Surface mapping indicates faulted wedges of both Revett and St. Regis quartzites over the survey area. Historically these units hosted the majority of production from the Bunker Hill and many other Silver Valley mines. Line clearing and surveying are currently underway. The 3D IP survey will be done in conjunction with high-resolution surface lidar and imagery collection over the entirety of the survey boundary. In addition to the geophysical program, Bunker Hill geologists work to continue the digitization of scanned geologic maps specifically targeting the vein systems worked at the lower portions of the mine. A total of 7 historic mining areas, have been identified as zones where production ceased due to mine closure and remain open at depth. New geologic and sample maps have been located allowing for the complete digitization of vein structure and placement of both channel and muck car samples to generate grade estimations for in-situ mineralization. An updated mine plan will work to extend development past currently planned depths, intersecting the down-dip vein extension to bring silver-lead dominant mineralization into projected mill feed. Image 2: Idealized long section of historic Bunker Hill workings and estimated 2021 PEA resource boundary https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8363a5ef-0832-4e60-9cc7-7ccdfee0a8e2 Note: mining areas of focus for down-dip extensions are shown as either Zn mineralization or Pb-Ag mineralization. Gradient filled boxes are estimated orientations of down-dip mineralization extensions and do not reflect total depth or area of projected mineralization. Bunker Hill remains one of the more shallowly developed mines in the Silver Valley and prospects of continued high-grade silver veins continuing below the bottom of current development are high. The zonation pattern of increased silver-lead ratio with depth displayed in adjacent Silver Valley mines is projected to be seen at Bunker Hill with continued down-dip development. For additional information contact: ir @bunkerhillmining.com Cautionary Statements Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as well as within the meaning of the phrase forward-looking information in the Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations. Forward-looking statements are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to: the results of the Companys Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA); the potential of the Bunker Hill Mine to be re-started rapidly based on the results of the PEA; the PEA representing robust financial returns; estimated capital expenditures and restart timeline; the timing for discussions with interested parties regarding restart financing and the completion of ongoing technical studies; and the Companys intentions regarding its objectives, goals or future plans and statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to those risks set out in the Companys public documents filed on SEDAR and EDGAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Dublin, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "U.S. School Furniture Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Product (Seating Furniture, Storage Units, Lab Equipment), by Application (Classroom, Library & Labs), and Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The U.S. school furniture market size is expected to reach USD 2.76 billion by 2028. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.6% from 2021 to 2028. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of public elementary schools increased from 98.2 thousand in 2017 to 98.5 thousand in 2018. Similarly, the number of public secondary schools increased from 66.8 thousand in 2017 to 67.4 thousand in 2018. Thus, an increasing number of schools is resulting in higher demand for school furniture. The growing demand for flexible seating in classrooms is also expected to drive the product demand. This school furniture is designed on evolving space configurations and can help check the rising posture problems in children. These allow children to be more posture-correct and provide comfortable ergonomic options. Multiple seating options including chairs, yoga balls, couches, and springy stools have been gaining traction. In November 2020, MiEN Company, which serves the education industry with innovative furniture products that promote and support active and interactive learning environments, introduced new product offerings to help institutions take active learning spaces to a new level. One such product is a DIY backless chair. The product is designed for active learning environments that encourage students to strengthen their core in a ready-to-learn position. Its backless design allows the chair to be easily stored away under tables when students prefer to stand. These chairs are light, easy to move, and optimize space because they are easy to stack. School furniture plays an important role in the overall learning environment. Students spend as long as 9 hours at their desks every day and hence, classroom ergonomics play an important role in schools. Institutions have been increasingly focusing on school furniture and ensuring that it's suitable for the pupils, allows movement, and invariably encourages a good posture. It is recommended that classroom seating should support a healthy posture, especially since young bodies develop rapidly. It should also decrease fidgeting. The environmentally-conscious schools have been significantly investing in green desks and tables, green chairs, green pre-school furniture, green library furniture, and green dry erase boards, among others. Green school furniture products are made via the employment of various manufacturing processes as well as materials that meet numerous approval standards for emissions. Moreover, these are designed to protect indoor air quality. The rising demand for green furniture in various schools and colleges is expected to open new growth opportunities for manufacturers over the forecast period. U.S. School Furniture Market Report Highlights By product, the seating furniture segment is projected to register the fastest CAGR from 2021 to 2028. Based on application, the library and labs segment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.9% from 2021 to 2028. This is attributed to the increasing requirements for large storage spaces and flexible seating in libraries and labs. The classroom application segment held the largest share of over 75.0% in 2020 and is foreseen to remain at the forefront over the forecast period. Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1 Methodology and Scope Chapter 2. Executive Summary Chapter 3. U.S. School Furniture Market Variables, Trends & Scope 3.1. Market Introduction 3.2. Penetration & Growth Prospect Mapping 3.3. Impact of Covid-19 on U.S. School Furniture Market 3.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis 3.5. Market Dynamics 3.6. Business Environment Analysis 3.7. Roadmap of U.S. School Furniture Market 3.8. Market Entry Strategies Chapter 4. Consumer Behavior Analysis 4.1. Consumer Trends and Preferences 4.2. Factors Affecting Buying Decision 4.3. Consumer Product Adoption 4.4. Observations & Recommendations Chapter 5. U.S. School Furniture Market: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis 5.1. Product Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2020 & 2028 5.2. Seating Furniture 5.3. Storage Units 5.4. Lab Equipment Chapter 6. U.S. School Furniture Market: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis 6.1. Application Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2020 & 2028 6.2. Classroom 6.3. Library & Labs Chapter 7. Competitive Analysis 7.1. Key U.S. Players, Recent Developments & Their Impact on The Industry 7.2. Key Company/Competition Categorization (Key innovators, Market leaders, Emerging players) 7.3. Vendor Landscape Chapter 8. Company Profiles Smith System Mfg. Co. Knoll, Inc. The HON Company Virco Fleetwood Group VS America, Inc. Hertz Furniture Paragon Furniture Inc. Haskell Education Marco Group For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/r8f6ln DALLAS, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lincoln Property Companys CEO of their residential division, Tim Byrne, has won a Glassdoor Employees Choice Award honoring the Top CEOs in 2021 . Glassdoor, one of the worlds largest job and recruiting sites, released its annual award recognizing the Top CEOs, which highlights top leaders that employees love working for in countries throughout North America and parts of Europe. Among chief executives recognized by employees in the U.S., Byrne received an impressive approval rating of 92%, based on the anonymous and voluntary reviews Lincoln Property Company employees shared on Glassdoor throughout the past year. Tim Byrne joined Lincoln Property Company as President in 1984. Now as CEO of Lincolns residential division, Byrne has grown the multifamily portfolio to an impressive 210,000 units -157,000 third-party managed apartment units and 53,000 Lincoln-owned apartments, 37,000 of which are military family homes. I am humbled and think our employees must have been voting for Mack Pogue," said Tim Byrne, CEO, Residential for Lincoln Property Company. "At Lincoln, our focus remains on our people who as essential workers had to maneuver remote leasing, maintenance, and assistance for residents who were confined to their apartments for over a year. Lincoln has a strong culture and I view this recognition as a reflection of the culture we have built over decades. Im honored to receive this acknowledgement from Glassdoor and from the Lincoln team. Over the past year, company leaders around the world faced unprecedented challenges to support employees during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the employees have spoken and its clear that these CEOs excelled and found new ways to support their people when the world of work flipped upside down, said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. Through a challenging year, its inspiring to see Top CEOs who, according to their employees, adapted to change, redefined visions and led with transparency while putting the health and safety of employees first. I extend my sincerest congratulations to this years Employees Choice Award winners. When employees submit reviews about their employer on Glassdoor, they are asked to rate several factors tied to their employment experience. These include rating sentiment around their CEOs leadership as well as around senior management, among others. Specifically, when rating their CEO on Glassdoor, employees are asked to report whether they approve or disapprove of or have no opinion about their CEOs performance. Across the approximately 1.5 million employers reviewed on Glassdoor, the average CEO approval rating is 73 percent. Employees Choice Award winners for the 2021 Top CEOs and Top CEOs at Small & Medium Companies are determined using Glassdoors proprietary algorithm, taking into account the quantity, quality and consistency of Glassdoor-approved company reviews shared by U.S.-based employees between May 2, 2020 and May 1, 2021. At a minimum, employers considered for the large list must have received at least 100 company reviews, including at least 100 CEO approval ratings and at least 100 senior management ratings. Employers eligible for the small & medium list must have received at least 35 company reviews, including at least 35 CEO approval ratings and at least 35 senior management ratings during the eligibility period. For reporting simplicity, CEO approval ratings are displayed as whole numbers, though calculations extend beyond the thousandth decimal place to determine final rank order. Complete award methodology can be found and downloaded here: https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/index.htm SEE THE 2021 WINNERS: All winning CEOs across this years six categories can be found by visiting: 100 Top CEOs U.S . 50 Top CEOs at Small & Medium Companies U.S. 25 Top CEOs Canada 50 Top CEOs UK 10 Top CEOs France 10 Top CEOs Germany About Lincoln Property Company Lincoln Property Company was founded in 1965 by Mack Pogue as a builder and operator of high-quality residential communities. Headquartered in Dallas, Lincoln focuses on real estate investment, construction and development, in addition to property management. In 2019, Lincoln Property Company formed a strategic partnership with Cadillac Fairview (CF), a globally focused owner, operator, investor, and developer of best-in-class retail, office, residential, industrial and mixed-use assets. Wholly owned by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, CF manages in excess of $36 billion of assets across the Americas and the United Kingdom, with further expansion planned into Europe and Asia. Lincoln is currently the second largest multifamily manager in the United States with more than 210,000 units under management. For more information about Lincoln Property Company, please visit www.lincolnapts.com/business-services. About Glassdoor Glassdoor combines all the latest jobs with millions of reviews and insights to make it easy for people to find a job that is uniquely right for them. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like employer branding and employee insights products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for more than one million companies around the world. For more information, visit glassdoor.com. MEDIA CONTACTS: Sarah Stoddard and Tyler Murphy, pr@glassdoor.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/69b518b8-619d-4853-b966-d9924cf43ce0 New York, NY, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UNITED NATIONS The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), an initiative of the United Nations Global Compact, has been awarded a $6 million grant, by the LEGO Foundation for holistic skillset development in leadership education. The grant, to be delivered over a three-year period, is the single largest grant awarded to the UN Global Compact family. It will be used to further enhance PRMEs work in equipping today's business students to deliver the innovative solutions that are needed to transform the private sector tomorrow towards a more equitable and sustainable world. The project, The Impactful Five (i5): Learning in Leadership Education will build on prior LEGO Foundation research and expertise to develop and pilot pedagogical approaches for holistic skillset development to help the next generation of leaders address sustainable development. John Goodwin, CEO of the LEGO Foundation said: We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with PRME to explore how our research and learnings in holistic skills development can be adapted to the skillset needed among a future generation of leaders, who will help address the fast-changing challenges of the 21st century. Dr. Mette Morsing, Global Head of Principles for Responsible Management Education, said: We are very pleased to have such generous support from the LEGO Foundation, a global role model on education and sustainable development. This grant will significantly serve to advance PRMEs strategic mission on transformative leadership education and to drive the collective impetus we need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This is a global project and PRME signatory schools and universities will be engaged when the project officially begins on 1 September 2021. PRME has selected Sulitest as a strategic partner to develop an assessment and learning framework. About PRME The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) is an initiative of the UN Global Compact and a United Nations-supported initiative founded in 2007. As a platform to raise the profile of sustainability in schools around the world, PRME equips today's business students with the understanding and ability to deliver change tomorrow. As a voluntary initiative with over 800 signatories worldwide, PRME has become the largest organized relationship between the United Nations and management-related higher education institutions. Find out more information at https://www.unprme.org/. About LEGO Foundation The LEGO Foundation aims to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow; a mission that it shares with the LEGO Group. The LEGO Foundation is dedicated to building a future where learning through play empowers children to become creative, engaged, lifelong learners. Its work is about re-defining play and re-imagining learning. In collaboration with thought leaders, influencers, educators and parents the LEGO Foundation aims to equip, inspire and activate champions for learning through play. Learn more on www.LEGOfoundation.com. Contacts PRME Dr. Luisa Murphy, Global Coordinator, Partnerships and Fundraising Email: murphy@unglobalcompact.org The LEGO Foundation Email: lego.foundation.media@LEGO.com WESTPORT, Conn., June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HMG Strategy, the Worlds #1 digital platform for enabling technology executives to reimagine the enterprise and reshape the business world, is excited to be hosting its 2021 HMG Live! Chicago CIO Executive Leadership Summit on June 17. HMG Strategys highly interactive digital events bring together the worlds most distinguished and innovative business technology leaders to discuss the most pressing leadership, strategic, cultural, technology and career challenges and opportunities that technology executives face today and into the future. The 2021 HMG Live! Chicago CIO Executive Leadership Summit will focus on recommendations from CIOs and business technology executives on how to build trusting relationships across the C-suite along with advice for regaining trust after it has been lost. The CEO and members of the executive team are relying on the CIO and other technology executives to offer bold ideas for developing new go-to-market models and other business innovation, said Hunter Muller, President and CEO of HMG Strategy. But in order to succeed with these efforts, technology leaders must have trusting relationships in place with members of the executive team. Top-tier business technology executives and industry experts speaking at the 2021 HMG Live! Chicago CIO Executive Leadership Summit will include: Ritesh Agrawal, CEO/Founder, Airgap Networks CEO/Founder, Airgap Networks Renee Arrington , President, COO & Director, Pearson Partners International, Inc. , President, COO & Director, Pearson Partners International, Inc. Edwin Doyle , Cyber Security Strategist, Check Point Software Technologies , Cyber Security Strategist, Check Point Software Technologies Dax Grant , CIO, Global Operations, HSBC , CIO, Global Operations, HSBC Ron Guerrier , Global Chief Information Officer, HP Inc. , Global Chief Information Officer, HP Inc. Art Hopkins , Executive Director, Russell Reynolds Associates , Executive Director, Russell Reynolds Associates Rohit Jain , Senior Director, Finance Systems, Upwork , Senior Director, Finance Systems, Upwork Anupam Khare , SVP & CIO, Oshkosh Corp. , SVP & CIO, Oshkosh Corp. Ricardo Lafosse , CISO, The Kraft Heinz Company , CISO, The Kraft Heinz Company Talvis Love , SVP & CIO, Baxter International , SVP & CIO, Baxter International Rick Merrick , CIO, TCS Education System; President, SIM Chicago Chapter , CIO, TCS Education System; President, SIM Chicago Chapter Ken Pickering , VP of Engineering, Starburst , VP of Engineering, Starburst David Politis , Founder and CEO, BetterCloud , Founder and CEO, BetterCloud Trevor Schulze , SVP & CIO, RingCentral , SVP & CIO, RingCentral Thierry Van Landegem , Executive Director, IIoT Cohort, mHUB Accelerator Program, mHUB , Executive Director, IIoT Cohort, mHUB Accelerator Program, mHUB Jon Walden, CTO Americas, Blue Prism Valued Partners for the 2021 HMG Live! Chicago CIO Summit include Akamai, Auth0, BetterCloud, Blue Prism, Check Point Software Technologies, Darktrace, Forescout Technologies, Gigamon, Globant, Horizon3.ai, Illumio, RingCentral, SafeGuard Cyber, SIM Chicago, Skybox Security, Starburst, Upwork and Zscaler. To learn more about the 2021 HMG Live! Chicago CIO Executive Leadership Summit and to register for the event, click here. HMG Strategy will be hosting its 2021 HMG Live! Toronto CIO Executive Leadership Summit on June 21. Key topics that will be explored at this event include recommendations for cultivating a connected culture into the future including one that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion. Speakers at this event will also share recommendations for working with the CEO and the Board on looming cyber threats, including how best to communicate these risks and articulate where funding is needed most. Prominent technology executives speaking at this event will include: Ron Bennett , Global VP of IT, Linamar Corporation , Global VP of IT, Linamar Corporation Roman Coba , VP Technology and CIO, Federated Co-operatives Limited , VP Technology and CIO, Federated Co-operatives Limited Ed Corno , Chief Technology Leader, IBM Corporation , Chief Technology Leader, IBM Corporation Stephen M.R. Covey, Global Authority on Trust, Leadership and Culture, The FranklinCovey Global Speed of Trust Practice Global Authority on Trust, Leadership and Culture, The FranklinCovey Global Speed of Trust Practice Firas Daoud , Security and Cloud Network Automation Specialist, Infoblox , Security and Cloud Network Automation Specialist, Infoblox Martin Davis , CIO & Strategic Advisor, DUNELM Associates Ltd , CIO & Strategic Advisor, DUNELM Associates Ltd Robert Falzon , Head of Engineering, Office of the CTO, Check Point Software Technologies Inc. , Head of Engineering, Office of the CTO, Check Point Software Technologies Inc. Raymond Gilbert , Managing Partner, Causal Effects, Inc. , Managing Partner, Causal Effects, Inc. Jameeka Green Aaron , CISO, Auth0 , CISO, Auth0 Meredith Harper , VP, CISO, Eli Lilly and Company , VP, CISO, Eli Lilly and Company Michael Katz , Principal Security Specialist, Infoblox , Principal Security Specialist, Infoblox Kyoko Kobayashi , Managing Partner, CIOs Beyond Borders Group , Managing Partner, CIOs Beyond Borders Group Michael LaVallee, Managing Partner, Jobplex Managing Partner, Jobplex Kin Lee-Yow, CIO, CAA Club Group of Companies CIO, CAA Club Group of Companies Samantha Liscio , Chief Technology Information Officer, Canadas CIO of the Year 2020, Public Sector, NIHR Clinical Research Network , Chief Technology Information Officer, Canadas CIO of the Year 2020, Public Sector, NIHR Clinical Research Network Gina Loften , Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft U.S. , Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft U.S. Laura Money , EVP & CIO, Sun Life Financial , EVP & CIO, Sun Life Financial Kelly Shen , Senior Managing Director, Chief Technology & Data Officer, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board , Senior Managing Director, Chief Technology & Data Officer, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Andrew Vezina, VP & CISO, Equitable Bank Valued Partners for the 2021 HMG Live! Toronto CIO Executive Leadership Summit include Akamai, Auth0, BetterCloud, Blue Prism, Check Point Software Technologies, The CIO Association of Canada, Darktrace, Forescout Technologies, Globant, Horizon3.ai, Infoblox, Illumio, RingCentral, Rubrik, SafeGuard Cyber, SIM Toronto, Skybox Security, and Zscaler. To learn more about the 2021 HMG Live! Toronto CIO Executive Leadership Summit and to register for the event, click here. HMG Strategy will also be hosting its 2021 HMG Live! New York Global Innovation Summit on June 24. Timely topics to be discussed at this event will include the role that business technology executives can play in reimagining how the business operates, applying security innovation to address the evolving threat landscape, along with real-world use cases for applying hot technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation, the Internet of Things, computer vision and augmented reality. World-class executives speaking at the 2021 HMG Live! New York Global Innovation Summit will include: Raj Badhwar , SVP, CISO, Voya Financial , SVP, CISO, Voya Financial Ricardo Bartra , SVP & CIO, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company , SVP & CIO, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Colleen Berube , CIO & SVP Operations, Zendesk , CIO & SVP Operations, Zendesk Michael Braine , CTO, Public Storage , CTO, Public Storage Simon Cheng , SVP, Global Services, FPT Corporation , SVP, Global Services, FPT Corporation Marc Ferrentino , Chief Strategy Officer, Yext , Chief Strategy Officer, Yext Amanda Finch , CEO, Chartered Institute of Information Security , CEO, Chartered Institute of Information Security Vivek Goel , VP, Automation, Reengineering and Transformation, UnitedHealth Group , VP, Automation, Reengineering and Transformation, UnitedHealth Group Rocco Grillo , Managing Director Global Cyber Risk Services & Incident Response Investigation, Alvarez & Marsal , Managing Director Global Cyber Risk Services & Incident Response Investigation, Alvarez & Marsal Douglas Hegley , Chief Digital Officer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art , Chief Digital Officer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Rohit Jain , Senior Director, Finance Systems, Upwork , Senior Director, Finance Systems, Upwork Beni Lopez , Managing Director, Industrial, U.S. Market, Softtek , Managing Director, Industrial, U.S. Market, Softtek Gerri Martin-Flickinger , EVP CTO, Starbucks , EVP CTO, Starbucks Ashish Parmar , CIO, Tapestry , CIO, Tapestry Dr. Nalini Polavarapu , Head of Data Science Customer Centricity, Bayer , Head of Data Science Customer Centricity, Bayer Frank Price , SVP & Chief Information Risk Officer, Hudsons Bay Company , SVP & Chief Information Risk Officer, Hudsons Bay Company Anna Ransley , VP, Digital and Technology, Heineken , VP, Digital and Technology, Heineken Deepika Rayala , CIO, Yext , CIO, Yext Hari Shah, CISO, Coach Valued Partners for the 2021 HMG Live! New York Global Innovation Summit include Akamai, Auth0, BetterCloud, Darktrace, Forescout Technologies, FPT Corporation, Globant, Horizon3.ai, Incorta, Illumio, NPower, RingCentral, SafeGuard Cyber, SIM New York Metro, Skybox Security, Starburst, Zendesk and Zscaler. To learn more about the 2021 HMG Live! New York Global Innovation Summit and to register for the event, click here. To learn about HMG Strategys upcoming CIO and CISO Summits, click here. HMG STRATEGYS 2021 GLOBAL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE AWARDS The HMG Strategy 2021 Global Leadership Institute Awards honor exemplary technology leaders and leadership teams who are delivering exceptional value to their organizations. This award recognizes those who have reimagined and reinvented themselves to place their organizations on the fast track to groundbreaking transformation in dynamic times. Technology executives and their teams who receive these awards are being recognized for accomplishments in the following areas: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Leading into the C-suite; Creating New Go-to-Market Business Models; Modernizing Enterprise Architecture; and Building a Culture of Trust. World-class technology executives who were recognized for their contributions to their companies and to the industry at the 2021 HMG Live! U.K. CIO Executive Leadership Summit on June 16 include: Rodrigo Castillo , Chief Information Officer - Retail Bank for Latin America, HSBC , Chief Information Officer - Retail Bank for Latin America, HSBC Tony Healy , Group Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, Ticketer & Fara AS , Group Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, Ticketer & Fara AS Dave Roberts , Global IT Director, Stantec , Global IT Director, Stantec Bates Turpen , Chief Information Officer, Travelport , Chief Information Officer, Travelport Marykay Wells, Chief Information Officer, Pearson To learn more about HMG Strategys 2021 Global Leadership Institute Awards and to nominate a deserving executive, click here. HMG STRATEGYS CUSTOM WEBINARS AND DIGITAL ROUNDTABLES On June 22, HMG Strategy will be hosting the HMG Security Innovation Webinar. Research conducted by HMG Strategy reveals that one of the top focus areas for CISOs and security leaders is working with the CEO and the executive team to enable innovation and grow the business. In this exclusive webinar, HMG Strategy President and CEO Hunter Muller asks the CEOs and leaders of innovative cybersecurity technology companies about the challenges they solve for clients, the innovation they deliver to companies, and how their solutions are differentiated in the market. Speakers for this highly interactive event include Ritesh Agrawal, CEO, Airgap Networks Inc. To learn more about this event and to register for the webinar, click here. About HMG Strategy HMG Strategy is the world's leading digital platform for connecting technology executives to reimagine the enterprise and reshape the business world. Our regional and virtual CIO and CISO Executive Leadership Series, authored books and Digital Resource Center deliver unique, peer-driven research from CIOs, CISOs, CTOs and technology executives on leadership, innovation, transformation and career ascent. HMG Strategy offers a range of peer-driven research services such as its CIO & CISO Executive Leadership Alliance (CELA) program which bring together the worlds top CIOs, CISOs and technology executives to brainstorm on the top opportunities and challenges facing them in their roles. HMG Strategy also produces the HMG Security Innovation Accelerator Panel, a new webinar series thats designed to connect enterprise CISOs and security leaders with the most innovative cybersecurity companies from across the world. The HMG Strategy global network consists of over 400,000 senior IT executives, industry experts and world-class thought leaders. To learn more about the 7 Pillars of Trust for HMG Strategy's unique business model, click here. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2fcc0288-cffa-40d5-8a6d-592909a8312f English French OTTAWA, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Last night, Skills/Competences Canada (SCC) released the medal results of the 2021 Skills Canada Virtual National Competition (SCVNC) at its virtual Closing Ceremony. Medals were awarded to the top competitors in 37 Skill Areas representing six sectors, including: transportation, construction, manufacturing and engineering, information technology, services and employment. The complete list of medalists is available on the Skills Canada Website. SCVNC 2021 was held on June 15th, on a virtual platform. At this event, over 1,200 high school and post-secondary students, apprentices, teachers, parents, and career seekers along with industry leaders, government officials and television celebrities participated in several virtual career exploration activities including live sessions and demonstrations held at the Main Stage and the Essential Skills Stage. Television celebrities included HGTVs Sherry Holmes, Kate Campbell and Sebastian Clovis, as well as Mandy Rehennan, CEO of Freshco (not the grocery store!). Visitors also had the opportunity to view video highlights of hundreds of students and apprentices from across the country competing for medal placement in their respective Skill Area, engage with industry and education representatives, meet their provincial or territorial Skills Canada Member Organization, and learn about the importance of the nine Essential Skills. The goal and objective of SCVNC was to engage Canadian youth to promote and create awareness of the interesting and lucrative careers that are available in the skilled trades and technologies. It was the largest national trade and technology competition event of its kind for young students and apprentices in the country. SCVNCs virtual platform will be available for viewing until September 15th. Events like the Skills Canada Virtual National Competition provide a platform for competitors to develop their skills and helps prepare them for their future. It also raises awareness of skilled trade and technology careers by encouraging youth to learn about these occupations through career exploration activities, said Shaun Thorson, Chief Executive Officer, Skills/Competences Canada. During the virtual event, students also earned points by engaging with industry experts to learn about the skilled trades and technologies. Several prizes were awarded including a trip for two to the 2022 Skills Canada National Competition, in Vancouver, a Nintendo Switch Prize Pack and a GoPro Hero 8. The 2022 Skills Canada National Competition will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre, in Vancouver, British Columbia, May 25 to 28, 2022. Stay tuned for more information which will be available over the coming months on Skills/Competences Canadas Website. About Skills/Competences Canada Skills Canada was founded in 1989 as a national, not-for-profit organization with partner Skills Canada organizations in each of the provinces/territories that work with employers, educators, labour groups and governments to promote skilled trade and technology careers among Canadian youth. Its unique position among private and public sector partners enables it to work toward securing Canadas future skilled labour needs while helping young people discover rewarding careers. Skills Canada offers experiential learning opportunities including skilled trade and technology competitions for hundreds of thousands of young Canadians through regional, provincial/territorial, national and international events, as well as skilled trade awareness programs. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Skills/Competences Canada is the Canadian Member Organization of WorldSkills. For more information about SCVNC visit: www.skillscompetencescanada.com. Follow Skills/Competences Canada on Twitter , Facebook , YouTube , Flickr , Instagram and LinkedIn . Media Contact: Michele Rogerson, micheler@skillscanada.com, T. 343-883-7545 ext. 509. English French Rueil Malmaison, 16 June 2021 VINCI Construction awarded contract to provide facilities management services for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence Maintenance works across 59 sites comprising 6,200 buildings and infrastructure assets A 7-year contract worth 491 million and potentially 850 million of billable works VINCI Facilities UK Ltd (a VINCI Construction subsidiary based in the United Kingdom) has been awarded the contract covering hard facilities management, grounds maintenance and capital works for the Ministry of Defences built estate across the south-east of the United Kingdom. This seven-year contract is worth 491 million (423 million) for its facility management component. It could be supplemented by a 850 million (732 million) works program. It also includes an option to extend for three years. The contract, covering 59 sites comprising 6,200 buildings and infrastructure assets, will sustain employment for over 800 people, either directly or indirectly. VINCI Facilities will use all its experience to improve the predictive management of the Ministry of Defences built estate and the lived experience for its staff. About VINCI VINCI is a global player in concessions, construction and energy businesses, employing more than 217,000 people in some 100 countries. We design, finance, build and operate infrastructure and facilities that help improve daily life and mobility for all. Because we believe in all-round performance, we are committed to operating in an environmentally, socially responsible and ethical manner. And because our projects are in the public interest, we consider that reaching out to all our stakeholders and engaging in dialogue with them is essential in the conduct of our business activities. Based on that approach, VINCIs ambition is to create long-term value for its customers, shareholders, employees, partners and society in general. www.vinci.com This press release is an official information document of the VINCI Group PRESS CONTACT VINCI Press Department Tel: +33 (0)1 47 16 31 82 media.relations@vinci.com Attachment MIAMI, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Twin sisters Hadley and Delaney have raised $50,000 to help adolescents with scoliosis receiving treatment at Nicklaus Childrens Hospital. In honor of Scoliosis Awareness Month in June, these two sisters are rallying for a cause near and dear to them. When Hadley was 12 years old, she was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine that occurs most often during the growth spurt before puberty that affects six to nine million people in the U.S., according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. During the course of her treatment, Hadley was required to wear a brace around her chest and back for 18 hours a day. She and her twin sister Delaney found it difficult to keep track of the many hours Hadley was required to wear her corrective brace. When notepads and whiteboards fell short, the duo decided to co-create their own solution, the BraceTrack App, which is a mobile phone app that solves this time-tracking challenge for children and teens with scoliosis braces. The app earns high marks in the app store and, for their efforts, Hadley and Delaney have been granted multiple patents. In addition to their new app, Hadleys diagnosis and their subsequent journey of discovery inspired the sisters to give back even more. After reflecting on how we could expand beyond just time tracking, we wanted to help kids who couldnt afford braces, said Hadley and Delaney, in a joint statement. With the cost of scoliosis braces ranging from $3,000-$10,000, and the need for a custom-fit with replacements as the adolescent grows, the twins started Brace for Impact, an initiative that raises funds to support scoliosis braces for children and teens unable to afford their treatment. Otherwise, for underinsured patients or patients lacking insurance, the cost and the associated testing can be an insurmountable barrier that prevents treatment. Through Brace for Impact, the twins raised the funds to support Nicklaus Childrens Hospital patients. Hadley and Delaney are also exploring research opportunities with the orthopedic team at Nicklaus Childrens Hospital. Hadley and Delaney inspire us with their passion for helping other children and giving back to their community in a meaningful way, said Dr. Stephen George, medical director of pediatric spinal surgery at Nicklaus Childrens Hospital. The sky is the limit for this dynamic duo, and we look forward to their continued support and all that they will do for our community in the future. About Nicklaus Childrens Hospital Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Childrens Hospital is South Floridas only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with nearly 800 attending physicians, including more than 475 pediatric subspecialists. The 309-bed hospital, known as Miami Childrens Hospital from 1983 through 2014, is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with many specialty programs routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. The hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing professions most prestigious institutional honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org Attachments CHICAGO, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Becknell Industrial reported today that Dan Harrington will transition out of his role as President and Chief Executive Officer to serve as the Companys Executive Chairman and Chief Investment Officer, effective January 1, 2022. At the same time Mark Shapland, Becknells Chief Operating Officer, will succeed Dan and assume the role of President and Chief Executive Officer for the Company. Dan co-founded Becknell in 1990 and under his long-term leadership and strategic direction he has consistently and successfully grown the company to the nationally recognized premier industrial real estate developer it is today. In his new role, Dan will focus on the Mission, Vision and Strategic Plan for the Company, working with Mark to execute strategic initiatives for the Companys future growth. Dan will remain integral to all investment decisions as Chief Investment Officer. Mark has been with Becknell for more than 13 years and has done an outstanding job as the Companys Chief Operating Officer since 2011. His extensive knowledge and experience with the day-to-day operations at Becknell is invaluable and provides the foundation to oversee and lead all facets of the Company while implementing and providing the strategic initiatives necessary to grow and expand Becknells success. As recently announced, Peter Shaplin joined the Becknell leadership team as Executive Vice President Operations and will assist with the oversight of the day-to-day operations of the Companys real estate portfolio, including new leasing, build-to-suit projects, acquisitions and portfolio management. Also announced today, Craig Kouri, Becknells EVP Construction and Design has been promoted to President Development and Construction. Craig, who has been with Becknell since 2000, will oversee all facets of the Companys Development and Construction arm, including Pre-Construction, Architecture & Design, Engineering, Project Management and Tenant Finish. Together, Peter and Craig will manage the daily operations of Becknell, providing guidance and oversight of the Companys projects. Commenting on these changes, Mr. Harrington noted, Today's announcements are the result of an extensive succession planning process and the Company is confident of a smooth leadership transition. I am delighted to have Mark succeed me and I am certain he will lead the Company to even further success." About Becknell Industrial Becknell Industrial specializes in the development, investment and management of industrial properties across the United States. The company currently owns interests in 185 properties totaling more than 30 million square feet. Vertically integrated, Becknell is responsible for every aspect of the project providing the decision-making authority and expertise to meet client expectations for a high-performance facility delivered on time and on budget. More information about Becknell is available at www.becknellindustrial.com. FORT ST. JOHN, British Columbia, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to BC Check-Up: Live, an annual report by the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) on demographic and affordability trends across the province, Northeast B.C. only welcomed 88 new residents in 2020, less than one-third the amount in 2019, bringing the regions population to 72,280 residents. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the flow of migrants across the world, and Northeast B.C. was no exception, said Ben Sander, FCPA, FCA, partner at Sander Rose Bone Grindle. While this is expected to be a one-off situation, the number of non-permanent residents, such as temporary foreign workers, arriving in the region fell sharply in 2020. Still, the region saw a net gain of 209 residents from outside the country in 2020. However, the economic uncertainty from the pandemic reduced the number of work opportunities in the region and saw a net of 629 residents leaving Northeast B.C. for other parts of the province and Canada, over a third of which were 25 to 39 years old. This could be a troubling sign for the region as it has long enjoyed a relatively young population. The average age in Northeast B.C. was 36.6 in 2020, six years below the provincial average of 42.6. While 2020 was a challenging year, Northeast B.C.s economy has been improving and fewer residents are leaving the region in recent years, noted Sander. The regions population growth has also benefited from having a young population and the strongest natural growth rate in the province. In fact, the number of births exceeded mortalities by 508 in 2020. While the cost of housing in the region remains relatively affordable compared to other parts of the province, Northeast B.C. has seen housing prices on the rise recently. As of May 2021, the average home sold for $272,053 in the South Peace River area, up by 32.7 per cent compared to May 2020. A lack of supply has been part of the issue, with just 421 housing units completed compared to 1,485 new residents in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek between 2017 and 2020. In just one year, the average price of a home sold increased by nearly a third, concluded Sander. This has eroded some of the advantage the region had in terms of housing affordability compared to other parts of the province. This could push local residents out, and discourage would-be migrants from coming, and highlights the need for greater housing supply. To learn more, see www.bccheckup.com . _______________________________________ About CPA British Columbia The Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) is the training, governing, and regulatory body for over 37,000 CPA members and 5,500 CPA candidates and students. CPABC carries out its primary mission to protect the public by enforcing the highest professional and ethical standards and contributing to the advancement of public policy. CPAs are recognized internationally for bringing superior financial expertise, strategic thinking, business insight, and leadership to organizations. Dallas, Texas, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barbecue At Home by Dickeys is proud to announce the Summer Barbecue Giveaway Contest taking place June 16-28th 2021. The contest takes place on Facebook and Instagram where fans must sign up via the link in the post on Facebook and in the Instagram bio. Summer is a great time to gather with your friends and family and grill! Being able to experience our delicious sausages at home is always a fun opportunity to taste delicious restaurant quality meats and share with those you love. Says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants Inc. One lucky winner will receive The Polish Sausage Variety Box includes 10- 12 oz Sausages including Original Polish Sausage, Black Pepper Brisket, Hot Links, French Onion Soup Sausages. And if you dont win but would like to try it for yourself, you can purchase it on the website (barbecueathome.com) for $10 off ($79.99) for a limited time. The winner of the Summer Barbecue Giveaway will be randomly selected and announced on June 29th, 2021. All entrants must be 18 or older and a US citizen. At Home by Dickeys will never ask you to send us personal or credit card information via email, text message, or through our social media accounts. If you see a suspicious social media post or request asking for personal information by someone claiming to be Barbecue at Home by Dickeys, please contact us at https://www.dickeys.com/contact/talk-to-dickeys so we can investigate and take appropriate action if needed. Giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Facebook. Attachment SEIU Local 2 has submitted a complaint against Arterra Wines, owner of Wine Rack stores, to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario for discrimination against a worker on the basis of disability. The worker, Clarke Allison, says that his store manager explicitly cited his physical disability as the reason for his negative performance review, which blocked Allison from receiving an annual wage increase. TORONTO, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arterra Wines has a history of abusing workers rights. In May 2021, Arterra Wines was reprimanded by Arbitrator Randi H. Abramsky for denying the Union the ability to communicate bargaining messages to members in the store. This is an addition to an Unfair Labour Practice claim against Arterra under review by the Labour Board. Workers have been on strike since June 7th after Arterra Wines declined to implement a fair scheduling system and grant workers livable wages. Now, SEIU Local 2 has submitted a Human Rights Complaint on behalf of a Wine Rack worker who has suffered wage discrimination based on his disability. Clarke Allison has been working for 2.5 years as a Wine Rack merchant, a role that encompasses a wide range of duties, including recommending wines to patrons, cleaning, and lifting boxes of product. Wine Rack employees are currently hired at 15 cents above minimum wage. Every wage increase in future years is dependent on a performance review score which is under the sole discretion of store managers. The employer has steadfastly opposed proposals from the Union that would enable employees to effectively appeal negative ratings. Allison says that his negative rating was centered around the fact that he was not participating in unloading packages from trucks into the store. He says: In my review, my Store Manager stated that I am not a team player because I am unwilling to do deliveries when scheduling requires it. Allison suffers from a chronic wrist injury and has documentation from medical practitioners advising him that he is to avoid lifting heavy loads. Allison explains: I work very hard despite my disability. I took on the role of Health and Safety representative. I pick up extra tasks like cleaning the basement and organizing the stockroom. And I still do plenty of heavy lifting, but I have to do so at my own pace. Ive been putting so much of myself into that company only for them to use my disability against me. Its awful. Allison tried to seek remedy with the Director of Operations for Arterra Wines, Stephen Murphy, who failed to ensure that the wage discrimination was rectified. As of today, the employer has yet to return a call to resume negotiations that workers put out last Friday through the Ministry of Labour. Workers are continuing to picket stores throughout Toronto. SEIU Local 2 represents workers in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and British Columbia. Gloucester, MA (01930) Today A steady rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. Cooler. High near 65F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with occasional showers. Low 58F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review magazine and author of the new book A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living. She is also chair of Cardinal Dolans pro-life commission in New York. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com. ELKHART [mdash] Helen Free was born Feb. 20, 1923 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to James S. Murray and Daisy Piper Murray, who died when Helen was six years old. Graduating as valedictorian of Poland Seminary High School in 1941, she attended the College of Wooster, initially majoring in Engli 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 Proclaims June 1319 Virginia Agriculture Week Special events will celebrate the Commonwealths farmers, agribusinesses, and agricultural community RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam has issued a proclamation declaring June 1319 as Virginia Agriculture Week to recognize and celebrate the many contributions of the Commonwealths agricultural community. The Governor, First Lady, and Northam Administration officials will visit sites throughout Virginia to highlight the economic impact of the agriculture industry and the role of farmers and agribusinesses in providing safe, abundant, and affordable foods and products that are consumed in the Commonwealth, distributed across the country, and exported around the world. Agriculture has always been and will continue to be the foundation for growth and prosperity in rural and urban communities across the Commonwealth, said Governor Northam. As Virginias largest private industry, the agricultural sector contributes $70 billion to our economy each year and employs more than 334,000 Virginians. This Virginia Agriculture Week, we are proud to showcase the diversity of Virginias agriculture community and the hard work, innovation, and success of our farmers and agribusinesses. Special events throughout the week will include visits to a variety of farming operations, agriculture research and technology hubs, local food systems, and agribusinesses. The full 2021 Virginia Agriculture Week tour schedule can be found here. Virginias agricultural community has gone above and beyond to protect the health of consumers and their employees and modify business models to continue operations, maintain the food supply chain, and reach new audiences, said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. Virginia Agriculture Week provides an opportunity to celebrate the farms, families, businesses, and communities that support Virginias agriculture industry and the resiliency shown during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. With over 44,000 farms, Virginia has one of the most diverse agricultural sectors in the nation. The Commonwealths rich, varied agricultural landscape includes traditional farming and forestry operations, value-added processing, award-winning wineries and craft beverage production, urban agriculture, agritourism operations, and more. Agriculture remains the foundation of Virginias economy, said Brad Copenhaver, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In addition to producing food, fiber, and fuel, agriculture provides many other benefits, such as recreation, tourism, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, land preservation, flood mitigation, improved water quality, and soil stabilization. Let us celebrate the contributions of farmers, farm families, and agribusinesses to our everyday lives and as stewards of our land, water, and other natural resources. Virginians are invited to join in celebrating Virginia Agriculture Week by thanking a farmer in their community and by purchasing local, Virginia Grown, and Virginias Finest food and products. Look for the Virginia Grown or Virginias Finest logo or signs or search VirginiaGrown.com to find top-quality Virginia-produced agriculture and specialty food and beverage products. # # # Virginia Celebrates Successful Rocket Launch from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Minotaur I rocket will carry classified payload for National Reconnaissance Office RICHMONDThe Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (Virginia Space), the United States Space Force (USSF), and Northrop Grumman celebrate the successful launch of a Minotaur I rocket carrying a national security payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The mission, named NROL-111, launched today at 9:35 a.m. EDT from Virginia Spaces Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Pad 0B located at NASAs Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Virginia Spaces new Payload Processing Facility (PPF) was used for space vehicle processing and payload integration. The facility, which opened in July 2019, can accommodate national security and classified missions like the one launched today, opening the door to a variety of customers and payloads. The PPF offers segregated cargo bays to provide both government and commercial businesses the ability to process multiple payloads in a single facility from arrival at Wallops Island to encapsulation. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport continues to attract diverse customers and support a wide range of missions, ensuring that Virginia remains a key gateway to space for decades to come, said Governor Northam. Todays successful launch is another strong indication that Virginia Space is poised to capitalize on the recent exponential growth of the aerospace industry and contribute tremendous scientific and economic benefits to our Commonwealth and country. The National Reconnaissance Offices second successful dedicated launch from Wallops is a reflection of the industrys recognition of this national strategic asset, said Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. The Commonwealth is proud to work together with our government and commercial partners to help shape the future of space exploration. Launch services for this mission were provided by the USSF Space and Missile Systems Centers Launch Enterprise Program. This launch marks the third small launch USSF mission and the NROs second dedicated launch from Wallops over the last year. Todays launch is dedicated to the memory of Captain Kevin Jack Steuterman, whose loss is felt by the Space and Missile Systems Centers Innovation and Prototyping Directorate and the Small Launch and Targets Division. An officer, program manager, friend, and son, Jack devoted eight years of unbounded leadership and service to the United States Air Force and is remembered for his many contributions to the Space Forces Launch Enterprise and the Air Forces conventional munitions enterprise. An integral component of the intelligence community, the NRO is an agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) responsible for developing, acquiring, launching, and operating intelligence satellites to satisfy the countrys national security needs. Since 1961, the NRO has pushed the envelope of space-based intelligence collection by the United States. NROL-111 will strengthen NROs ability to provide a wide-range of timely intelligence information to national decision-makers, warfighters, and intelligence analysts to protect the nations vital interests and support humanitarian efforts worldwide. NROL-111 is the third USSF mission from Wallops Flight Facility and the NROs second dedicated launch from Wallops Island. The 69-foot-tall Minotaur I launch vehicle consists of two solid-fueled motors from decommissioned Minuteman ICBMs as the lower stages and two solid-fueled commercial solid rocket motors as upper stages. The Minotaur I rocket features both the NROL-111 mission logo and the NROs 60th anniversary logo. Being able to strengthen Virginia Spaces partnerships with the NRO and Space Force is such an exciting opportunity, said Dale Nash, CEO and Executive Director of Virginia Space. Its such a privilege to have our facilities called upon, and todays successful launch demonstrates once again what our spaceport has to offer. The history of Minotaur rocket launches from Wallops spans 15 years. Todays launch from Pad 0B is the second launch from this recently upgraded pad since 2013, following a successful launch of a Minotaur IV rocket last July. The previous two launches from Pad 0B were a Minotaur I in November 2013 in support of the DoD Operationally Responsive Space Offices ORS-3 mission and a launch of the Lunar Atmosphere Dust and Environment Explorer (LADEE) in September 2013, a robotic mission that orbited the moon collecting data for NASA. Virginia Space is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia, which owns and operates the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), the MARS Unmanned Systems Test Range, the MARS Payload Processing Facility, and an Integration and Control Facility in Wallops Research Park, all located at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The mission of Virginia Space and MARS is to provide low-cost, safe, and reliable launch services for schedule-friendly access to space and secure facilities for testing of unmanned vehicles for integration into the National Airspace System. Virginia continues to play a key role in national security and assured access to space, as one of only four states in the United States hosting a spaceport licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration to launch spacecraft into orbit or on interplanetary trajectories. For more information, visit vaspace.org. # # # For Mercedes the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was one to forget. With seven points from the last two races Mercedes travels to France, but Toto Wolff is confident his team can bounce back. It is a strange feeling for Formula 1 fans, but Mercedes can make mistakes too. In Monaco, things went wrong with Valtteri Bottas' pit stop and Lewis Hamilton's strategy, but in Azerbaijan, the Mercedes drivers didn't even score any points. Read more Opinion | Russell makes things very difficult for Wolff as Mercedes team boss Wolff wants to strike back ''We come off the back of two street circuits unsuited to our car, two circuits we knew would be difficult for us, and we were disappointed to lose a podium finish and a victory through our own mistakes. That frustration reflects the high standards we hold ourselves to, and it is what drives us forward,'' Wolff said in a preview from Mercedes. ''In such a close, intense title fight, we need to deliver a car at each race which both our drivers can confidently push to its limits. We'll be looking to turn our learnings from recent weeks into performance and to deliver a much stronger weekend with both cars'', concludes the Mercedes team boss. Local top story Grand Haven Area business leaders reject BLP bond proposal Jacobson Walters In a letter to Grand Havens City Council, a number of area business leaders let it be known that they oppose a bond proposal being made by the Board of Light & Power (BLP). The revenue earned from the bond would fund work that was already completed on Harbor Island including the demolition of the Sims power plant, environmental remediation and substation upgrades. Additionally, the bond would fund a new heat and power peaking plant. The letter was signed by 11 are business leaders: Tony Verplank, executive chairman of the Shape Corp.; Nelson Jacobson, chairman and CEO of the JSJ Corp.; Gerald Slagel, COO of Stanco; Karl Chapel, president of Grand Haven Custom Molding; Kevin Brady, director of global real estate and facilities for Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc.; Craig Seaver, president of Seaver Finishing; Steven Moreland, president/CEO of Automatic Spring Products; Kris Wagenmaker, director of product manufacturing for West Michigan Molding; Rick Grasman, manager of Grasman Investment Group; James White, COO of BioSolutions; and Ron Matthews, chairman/CEO of Verplank Family Holding Co. According to Jacobson, the group was compelled to write the letter because they felt they werent being heard as a group. We hope that we are listened to, he said. We want Grand Haven to remain a fantastic and viable community that has balance to it. It certainly has growing tourism and many other great benefits, but manufacturing has been an important part of how the city has grown and profited over the years. The letter to the council reads: The industrial companies signing this letter are some of the largest employers, taxpayers, philanthropists and community supporters in Grand Haven, and we ask that you take our concerns into account when you vote regarding the Board of Light & Powers multi-million dollar bond proposal. Your March 2, 2020, Notice of Intent to issue $75 million in revenue bonds for the BLP has created a serious burden on your votes, the letter reads. Even if you approve only half of the bonds you authorized in your Notice of Intent, your actions will result in substantial financial harm to your constituents. We write to ask you to prepare for this important decision by considering how it will affect Grand Haven-area manufacturers and other BLP ratepayers. Area manufacturers say they are concerned they would have to pay increased electric rates if the bond proposal is approved. This would, the letter claims, make them less competitive and prevent additional investments from being made to the city through employment and taxes. In order to thrive, manufacturers such as those signing this letter must sell their goods and services above their cost, the business leaders said. Cost inputs include labor, material, freight and expenses related to maintaining and operating our capital equipment and facilities, including utilities. For us, electricity is the largest utility cost. The letter said the area manufacturers cannot raise their own rates to cover the cost of a higher electrical bill. The letter lists three reasons why: (1) Customer contracts are locked into place for several years and costs cannot be changed. (2) The companies have made promises to customers to reduce their costs as they become more efficient. (3) Customers generally obtain multiple quotes. Higher utilities will make it difficult to compete with other companies. If issuing the BLP bonds increases our utility costs ... we know our ability to provide competitive quotes to win more business will be tested, the letter notes. With a large input cost like electricity increasing, we will either have to risk losing future business from customers who are price-sensitive or we will have to accept lower margins, which means we will have less money to reinvest in our businesses located in Grand Haven. JSJ operates factories all across the country, and Jacobson said other locations are paying less for their power. If Grand Havens electricity rates are increased, the area manufacturers said they would possibly seek alternate power sources, which would end up reducing revenue available to the BLP to pay back their bonds. According to the letter, the manufacturers dont believe there is a need for local power generation in Grand Haven. BLP response In an email to the Tribune, BLP General Manager Dave Walters said there were several things the letter got wrong. The BLP understands and agrees with the core desire of local business leaders that affordable rates are critical to the economic success of our community, Walters wrote. We have worked hard to engage and inform our customers about how affordability has been a principal goal in our planning, and we regret that the information did not reach the signers. We are reaching out directly to every business now and will remain open to meeting with our customers to discuss our power supply planning. Walters said there are three core things that the letter got wrong: (1) The BLP is not replacing Sims with a natural gas-fired local generating plant, but is developing a diversified power supply portfolio supplemented to an extent by the proposed Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units that will only operate when costs are higher from elsewhere. (2) The BLP capital investments and bond issue need to be placed into the context and perspective of the total operating revenues expected over the amortization period of the bonds and the size and scale of the overall power supply portfolio. In actuality, the CHP is a very small piece of a much larger pie, and we are concerned lobbyists have exaggerated its impact to the letters signers, Walters said. (3) The BLPs current rates are competitive, Walters said, and most often lower than Consumers Energy, and they will become even more competitive going forward. The BLP and City Council have spent the last three years, since the announcement of the closure of the Sims power plant, studying, evaluating and developing our transition to a diversified power supply portfolio, Walters said. Walters said the utility is proposing a facility that would be a combined heat and power plant that only runs at certain times of the year, and it would mostly pay for itself. The proposed plan of the BLP will supplement these purchases with a (CHP) plant that can be run when prices from the regional wholesale marketplace are higher or it is less expensive to produce heat (and electricity) for the citys snowmelt system, he explained. If spot energy prices during peak load conditions do not exceed the cost of operations from the CHP, it will not run. It is projected that the plant will pay for itself as a call-option during these peak times and as a capacity hedge in helping us to meet our state-mandated standby resource requirements. The cost of the plant over the next 20 years would only account for 6 percent of the BLPs projected operating revenue. Walters said operating revenues are expected to decline over this time. In addition to a 6 percent rate decrease over the past five years, BLP overall rates will again be reduced effective July 1, and the (utilitys Board of Directors) has committed in its approved five-year strategic plan to maintain rates, improving our competitiveness, over this period. Consumers Energy, on the other hand, has now filed for another rate increase, on top of that effective Jan. 1, 2020. Jacobson said he and another representative from JSJ have met with Walters, and they cant understand the math and how the BLP has come to its conclusions. So, if thats true, we would love it, and we would be wide open, Jacobson said. Remember, we arent asking them to stop, we are just asking that there be more understanding before there is a commitment of $45 million in bonds. Jacobson said he and everyone who signed the letter are also concerned with the remediation of Harbor Island. He thinks that issue should come first, and the cost of that should first be figured out. We need to get that thing environmentally safe before beginning to contemplate what the next step is, Jacobson said. Submit An Obituary Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Go to form LDRA, a provider of automated software verification, source code analysis and test tools, and OpenSynergy, specialist in embedded automotive software, are partnering to support and promote a defense-in-depth strategy combining hypervisor technology with secure coding techniques. Automotive connectivity is an ongoing concern, with vulnerability to attacks from bad actors being demonstrated in models from a range of manufacturers. Further, several features of connected EVs such as the batteries and their charging systems are associated with inherent safety implications. Automotive application developers are already familiar with the demands of functional safety standards, including ISO 26262s defined development, validation, and verification processes, and with the capacity of the LDRA tool suite to help achieve those aims. The benefits of virtualization in the automotive sector are also well known, and OpenSynergy COQOS hypervisors present an opportunity for development teams to realize reduced cost; reduced device seize, weight and power (SWaP); improved CPU performance, and a convenient migration path for unmodified legacy applications. It is their capacity to provide a mechanism for domain separation, however, that is critical to automotive cybersecurity. The need for inter-process communication (IPC) between those domains is inevitable and a likely source of vulnerabilities. The role of secure application code is pivotal in that context because the code handling the data processed by IPCs has a key role to play in defending a potential weakness in a virtualized architecture. OpenSynergy focuses on the automotive virtual platform COQOS Hypervisor SDK based on VIRTIO technology. The hypervisor on this platform runs directly on the System-on-Chip (SoC) application cores and creates several virtual machines (VMs). Each VM is isolated from the others. This separation makes it possible to run functions with different real-time behavior and functional safety requirements simultaneously on a single SoC. The wisdom of a defense-in-depth strategy is unquestionable. Defenses against cyberattack are often envisaged as analogous to a medieval castle with moats, perimeter walls and armed soldiers all operating independently. But the combination of LDRAs secure coding and OpenSynergys hypervisor technology goes beyond that analogy by combining defenses that are mutually supportive, ensuring a level of security that they could not provide independently. Matthias Stumpf, Vice President (VP) Sales OpenSynergy Automotive application software developers have a lot to contend with. The demands of ISO 26262 are challenging enough, and the emergence of the connected car with its implications for cybersecurity only adds to those challenges. By providing a tool suite that allows security and functional safety objectives to be fulfilled concurrently and accommodates a focus on the secure coding of software associated with inter-process communications, we hope to help lighten the load. Ian Hennell, Operations Director, LDRA Both the LDRA tool suite and the OpenSynergy hypervisors have been certified by SGS TuV as suitable for development of safety-related software compliant with ISO 26262. In addition, the LDRA tool suite offers tool qualification support packs for the qualification of LDRA tools for high assurance applications requiring regulatory approval. Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) has joined a study with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) to explore the use of ammonia as an alternative marine fuel. The study aims to create a high-level understanding of the ammonia supply chain and bunkering safety. Ammonia is widely viewed as a promising alternative marine fuel for the maritime industry as it has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly. As a bunkering fuel, ammonia presents several opportunities but also several technical challenges. For the study, EPS will be lending its industry-leading expertise in the loading, transporting, and discharging of gas, including ammonia, as a cargo. EPS currently manages one of the largest independent gas carrier fleets with ten mid- to large-size gas carriers on water. The company has another twelve mid-, large-, and very-large gas carrier newbuilds set to be delivered between 2022 and 2023. EPS deep knowledge and technical capabilities in the gas sector will play an essential role in developing bunkering protocols for ammonia. EPS involvement in the study comes on the heels of the company entering a partnership that will fund a Maritime Decarbonization Center in Singapore. EPS also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with OCI N.V. and MAN Energy Solutions to develop methanol and ammonia as a marine fuel to aid in industry-wide decarbonization efforts. The joint study will cover green ammonia production and supply, ammonia bunkering process, and potential issues arising from adopting ammonia as a marine fuel. Leclanche SA has developed a new generation of lithium-ion battery modules for energy-intensive e-transport applications, such as marine, commercial vehicle and railway, and simultaneously inaugurated a dedicated new production line for high volume manufacture in Europe. The new modules, called M3, represent the next generation in Leclanches module production with an increased energy and power density compared to the companys previous module generation. The new module is compatible with the full range of Leclanche cells: LTO 34Ah, G/NMC 60Ah and G/NMC 65Ah. The modules feature a very-high cycle life of up to 20,000 cycles (LTO) or up to 8,000 cycles (G/NMC), allowing for significant reductions in total cost of ownership and making them ideal for commercial applications. The modules are designed for a wide range of current and voltage outputs, going all the way up to 800A continuous current and for battery system voltages of up to 1,200V with its functionally safe BMS. The module and production line have been designed to accept a high level of flexibility in product configurations while maintaining production efficiency and traceability. Each M3 module is fitted with a functionally safe slave battery management system unit which communicates with a functionally safe master battery management system unit. The BMS provides several advanced energy-saving and safety features: It is designed to meet both ASILC and SIL 2 requirements. The slave measures cell voltages and temperatures, and runs diagnostics such as open wire detection, reverse polarity protection and self-checks. A dual-core processor offers redundancy, and the functionally safe operating system provides reliability by providing built-in memory protection and task management. Power management integrated circuits offer stable power. Low power consumption during operation and further reduced during sleep mode. Temperature sensors are fitted on alternate cells, providing fast and accurate response to individual cell temperature variations while ensuring a high level of safety and precise monitoring of temperature distribution for an optimisation of the module lifespan. The M3 modules are designed to be fully compliant with the relevant transport certification standards for battery modules (selected configurations). The modules are designed for a range of transport vehicles requiring high cycle life in both power and energy configurations and addressing commercial vehicles, rail and marine applications. The higher density G/NMC versions are used in the majority of transport applications whereas the LTO version is typically used where fast opportunity charging is needed such as for certain bus and AGV (Automated Guided Vehicles) applications and in hybrid hydrogen fuel cell systems used in certain trucks and trains. New production line. Leclanche inaugurated its high-volume production line in a new facility close to its current corporate headquarters in Yverdon-Les-Bains, Switzerland. The company will move its corporate headquarters into the same building in Q4 of this year. The state-of-the-art highly automated production line was the result of a simultaneous engineering process with its partner Comau Spa (Stellantis Group), a leading global provider of industrial automation and robotic systems, based in Turin, Italy. The line includes the latest technologies in terms of quality and process control setting the foundation for the transition towards Industry 4.0 principles. It will allow Leclanche to produce up to 500 MWh per year, and further expandable, representing more than six times the production capacity of the previous module generationmore than 60,000 modules per year when in full operation. This positions the company among the first major manufacturer to produce both cells and modules at scale in Europe. Unifrax, a global manufacturer of high-performance specialty materials, plans to build its first large-scale SiFAB (silicon fiber anode material) manufacturing line at its north central Indiana facility. SiFAB is a proprietary silicon anode battery technology developed by Unifrax which enables significantly greater energy density in lithium-ion battery systems than prevailing technologies. The proprietary nanoporous fiber structure has optimal shape and porosity to accommodate the swelling of silicon, allowing for long cycle life. The micron range fiber material drops in existing processes, while the built-in nanoporous structure accommodates swelling. Source: Unifrax SiFAB can be mixed into anode slurry with existing battery manufacturing processes. The proven industrial-scale processes eliminate supply chain concerns over mass adoption. SiFAB is currently in advanced testing and has shown promising performance in multiple battery systems. The anode technology has successfully been tested with incremental Si loadings of greater than 40%. Along with greater energy density, SiFAB is expected to provide faster charges and longer battery life for applications including electric vehicles, portable electronics, power tools, energy grid storage and aerospace. The Indiana plant will be the first to begin building SiFAB long-term manufacturing capacity. The new line is slated to create up to 20 new jobs by the end 2022, with additional growth anticipated by the end of 2023. SiFAB is the latest development using fiber-based technology to create step change value for customers. This transformational material represents another addition to our robust electric vehicle and battery solutions portfolio. Unifrax is a large, global manufacturing company introducing game changing advanced silicon anode materials that can be used in existing manufacturing processes. Our track record and proven ability to develop new and unique technologies will help transform the battery industry with SiFAB. The ability to leverage our existing facility and add new infrastructure to support SiFAB manufacturing in New Carlisle will significantly accelerate the timeline for supplying this critical material to our partners. John Dandolph, president and CEO, Unifrax The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Unifrax up to $1.1 million in conditional tax credits based on the companys job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives once Indiana residents are hired. St. Joseph County has also confirmed $775K in county tax incentives. After more than 75 years of experience in fiber-based technology and manufacturing, Unifrax is taking its first step into developing silicon fiber for the lithium-ion battery manufacturing market. With a decades-long track record of developing and supplying engineered inorganic materials at a large scale to advanced industries worldwide including electric vehicles, aerospace and chemical processing, Unifrax recently debuted two new fiber-based catalysis offerings for the automotive and industrial markets: Eco-lytic and FlexCat. Wabtec Corporation and General Motors will collaborate to develop and commercialize GMs Ultium battery technology and HYDROTEC hydrogen fuel cell systems for Wabtec locomotives. The rail industry is on the cusp of a sustainable transformation with the introduction of batteries and hydrogen to power locomotive fleets. Our FLXdrive locomotive, the worlds first 100-percent battery powered locomotive, has proven its potential to slash carbon emissions by up to 30 percent when operating at 6 MWh. But we cant stop there. By working with GM on Ultium battery and HYDROTEC hydrogen fuel cell technologies, we can accelerate the rail industrys path to decarbonization and pathway to zero-emission locomotives by leveraging these two important propulsion technologies. Rafael Santana, CEO and president of Wabtec Wabtec and GM signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding to advance the two companies shared vision of a zero-emissions future in transportation. Wabtec will bring its expertise in energy management and systems optimization to develop a solution for heavy-haul locomotives that takes full advantage of GMs advanced technologies. GMs Ultium battery technology is anticipated to provide the flexibility, efficiency, power and reliability needed for rail. Ultium Cells LLC, GMs joint venture with LG Energy Solution, is currently constructing battery cell plants in Ohio and Tennessee. GMs HYDROTEC hydrogen fuel cell power cubes are compact and easy to package and can be used in a wide range of applications, including locomotives. HYDROTEC fuel cell systems will be assembled from globally sourced parts by Fuel Cell Systems Manufacturing, LLC in Brownstown, Michigan, the manufacturing joint venture between General Motors and Honda. Support local journalism We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story. GREENWICH In its first two years, the Greenwich Economic Forums annual conference was held at the Greenwich Delamar hotel. Last year, it switched to an all-online format in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This year, it will combine the two models. The GEFs founders announced this week that the 2021 conference will be held Sept. 21-23, with its first day of programs taking place at the Greenwich Delamar. The organizers also confirmed that Ray Dalio, the founder of Westport-based Bridgewater Associates, the worlds largest hedge fund, will return for another speaking appearance at one of the premier gatherings of leaders in financial services and other major sectors. Its been a long past 15 months, and our sense is that members of the Greenwich Economic Forum community are eager to convene in person again, said GEF co-founder and co-chairman James Aiello. And so we have structured the 2021 conference on Sept 21-23 to have a meaningful amount of time at our traditional venue again, the Delamar hotel here in Greenwich, while also having a significant amount of time for our international audience and speakers via a digital format to also participate. Dalio, a Greenwich resident, spoke at each of the first three GEF conferences. He was not immediately available to comment on his participation in this years event. Resuming a partnership that underpinned the 2019 gathering, the Financial Times events team has been hired to produce this years conference in partnership with the Greenwich Business Institute, the entity that owns and operates the Greenwich Economic Forum. We dont want this to be perceived as a regional event. We want this to be perceived the way (the World Economic Forum conference in) Davos is perceived, which is that its an event happening in Greenwich but its Greenwich welcoming the world to participate with us, said GEF co-founder and co-chairman Bruce McGuire. Last year really helped us to push that messaging and attract a much wider, global audience. Aiello also cited his satisfaction with the impact of last years event. The pandemic forced us to have a 100 percent digital conference in November of last year that we did in partnership with The Economist, and we were able to have over 1,500 people participate from 86 countries, which is incredible, Aiello said. This is almost four times the number we can fit into the Delamar hotel and obviously also far greater international representation than we would normally achieve. So our plan is to have the benefits of both formats this year and, we think, probably going forward as well. Headline speakers at the 2020 GEF conference included Dalio; Annie Lamont, co-founder and managing partner of Greenwich-based venture capital firm Oak HC/FT; and former PepsiCo CEO and chairman Indra Nooyi, who is now an Amazon board member. Truly world-class speakers and industry leaders gather for the Greenwich Economic Forum, and I look forward to participating again in future events, Lamont said. With its location in Greenwich and its proximity to New York City and the worlds leading financial institutions, the Forum is uniquely positioned to curate conversations on the defining issue of our time, particularly those affecting the future of health care and financial technology. Town officials are also looking forward to the conferences return to the Delamar. The conference grows each year, and it really puts Greenwich on the map when it comes to economic forums, said Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo. I salute Bruce McGuire and Jim Aiello for all the work they do with this each year and hope that we, on the town side, can be a partner in promoting this for them. pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott Summer is pool season, and with the pandemic waning in Connecticut, hosting a pool party might be part of this summers plans. But with drowning the third leading cause of death among children in the United States, according to Safe Kids Connecticut, poolside safety may be a concern. Lifeguard contracting companies serving Connecticut such as WeLifeguard and InstaSwim allow homeowners to hire lifeguards to monitor their pool parties or hold private swimming lessons on their property. For Daria Maya, the founder of WeLifeguard based in Westport, starting her nonprofit that connects lifeguards to clients around the country stems from a personal experience. At a pool party held for her birthday when she was 9 years old, she witnessed a child almost drown after jumping into the deep end of her parents' pool, she said in an email. The parent of the child was distracted, but Maya said the child was rescued by a lifeguard her parents had hired. Now a senior at Staples High School, Maya said she started WeLifeguard during her sophomore year to provide the extra layer of protection that she witnessed in her childhood. Most pool party hosts want to be able to relax and enjoy the party guests attending, she said in an email. A lifeguard gives the host the ability interact freely with guests, without the worry about pool safety. Guests really appreciate the added layer of security for swimmers. CEO and founder of InstaSwim, Brian Tobias said his company's customers also take comfort in knowing a lifeguard is present for their summer pool needs. "Our clients book through us because they understand the importance of water safety," he said in an email. "The pool can be a dangerous place for individuals who are not strong swimmer, and this is why they put their trust in us and our professional, certified lifeguard[s] to ensure pool safety and prevent accidental drownings." WeLifeguard has received bookings from all parts of Connecticut and New York to provide service, Maya said, and even received requests from booking agents in New York City and Los Angeles representing local celebrities to guard waterfront and pool events at their homes and corporate events. Lifeguards who sign up to work with WeLifeguard negotiate pay rates with the pool owner, and guidelines on how many lifeguards are recommended for party size are listed on its website. Tobias said InstaSwim serves every city across Connecticut and the tri-state area, as well as cities around the country. Customers in Connecticut have booked over 75 pool party lifeguards over the past two years, Tobias said, with lifeguards charging set rates for their work. We charge depending on the amount of lifeguards that are required, anywhere from $60 per hour for one guard to $150 for three guards, he said. In addition to lifeguard services, Intsaswim specializes in swim lessons, Tobias said, making the companys main service private at-home swim lessons in the tri-state area. Other companies like AquaMobile Swim and Happy Swimmers USA have swim lessons and lifeguard-for-hire services available as well as lifeguard training in cities around the United States. And with a nationwide shortage of lifeguards, both Connecticut companies are trying to fill the service requests they receive both in Connecticut and out of state. We have had more requests than we have been able to provide guards, Maya said. There is a shortage of certified guards because many guards were not able to be certified, or re-certified during the pandemic. For Tobias, this influx of requests for InstaSwims services follows a slower season last summer. Due to the pandemic, unfortunately pool party lifeguard bookings have decreased a bit, he said, though bookings are starting to increase again. This could be due to many Americans becoming vaccinated. Maya, however, received some requests for virtual swimming lessons during the pandemic, which she said WeLifeguard managed to conduct via video call. "I Zoomed with the parent [or] caregiver on techniques with the child for the basic strokes," she said. "[They] could be in the pool with a person holding the camera, and I would tell the parent what to do with the child." Believing that no pool parties should be held without a lifeguard, Maya said her goal is to make water safety more commonplace. My goal is to live in a world without drownings, she said. If you think about it, there are laws against drinking and driving, texting and driving and failing to wear a seat belt. There should be a standard requiring lifeguards at every pool party, especially if there will be alcohol served. NEW YORK (AP) U.S. health officials Monday announced a one-year ban on bringing in dogs from more than 100 countries where rabies is still a problem. Dogs coming in from those countries already needed proof of rabies vaccination. The ban is being imposed because of a spike in the number of puppies denied entry because they weren't old enough to be fully vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The ban goes into effect July 14. Douglas Kratt, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, applauded the decision. We want to make sure were bringing healthy dogs into the country especially if they are going to be pets, said Kratt, a veterinarian in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The ban applies to dogs coming into or returning to the country, including pets or those brought in for sale or adoption. For example, if an American couple took their dog to Belize, they wouldn't be able to bring the dog back to the U.S. unless the dog first spends six months in a country that is not at a high risk for rabies. About 1 million dogs are brought into the U.S. each year, and the ban is expected to apply to 4% to 7.5%, officials said. Exceptions will be made for some situations, including guide dogs for the blind or foreigners moving to the U.S. with their pets. Most of the dogs recently rejected came from just three countries Russia, Ukraine, and Colombia. But numerous other denials prompted the CDC to ban dogs from all countries where the risk of rabies is also high, said Emily Pieracci, a CDC rabies expert. Many of the rejections were due to fraudulent paperwork claiming the dogs were older than 4 months, Pieracci said. Dogs younger then 4 months aren't allowed in because rabies vaccinations dont take full effect before a dog is that age. Rabies is usually a fatal disease in animals and humans, caused by a virus that invades the central nervous system. Its most commonly spread through a bite from an infected animal. There is no cure for it once symptoms begin, but it can be prevented through vaccination. Dogs were once common carriers of the virus in the U.S. but the type that normally circulates in dogs was eliminated in the U.S. through vaccinations in the 1970s. In 1988, a new type of dog rabies was brought in from Mexico. It spread to wild coyotes and it took 19 years to eliminate. Cases from that second wave highlight the impact that a single imported case of rabies can have on wildlife, domestic animals, and people, Pieracci said Demand for dogs is believed to have been increased during the COVID- 19 pandemic, with Americans seeking furry companionship, Pieracci noted. But some dog rabies vaccination programs had to be suspended or canceled during the pandemic, making the risk of bringing in a rabid dog higher, she added. ___ The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina's ban on most abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy must remain unenforceable, a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday, rejecting arguments that the law should be left intact because prosecutors aren't going after doctors who violate it. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, upheld a 2019 lower-court decision striking down the prohibition, which has been on the books since 1973. The Republican-dominated legislature in 2015 narrowed the scope of medical emergencies under which a woman would be exempt from the 20-week limit. That meant more abortions involving unviable fetuses could be considered criminal, raising the fear for abortion providers that they could face prosecution. A U.S. District Court judge in 2019 agreed and blocked the law's enforcement in situations where the fetus would be considered not viable. State government lawyers representing some district attorneys and state health officials who were sued argued the abortion providers lack legal standing to challenge the law. Their arguments for the law's reinstatement are based on the fact that North Carolina has not charged any abortion providers under a pair of laws being challenged, and because prosecutors currently have no plans to do so. But Circuit Judge Diana Gribbon Motz, writing the unanimous opinion, said recent actions by North Carolina lawmakers and those in other states to further restrict abortion appears to affirm that legislators are interested in seeing their measures implemented. The 2015 changes in North Carolina, not subject to the current lawsuit, also increased the waiting period to obtain an abortion from 24 hours to 72. Motz pointed to 20-week bans approved by legislators in South Carolina, South Dakota and Ohio around the time the lawsuit was filed in 2016. The U.S. Supreme Court also agreed last month to consider a lawsuit challenging Mississippi's 15-week ban. Other states have approved " It is difficult to explain why the (North Carolina) legislature would have altered the text of the 20-week ban if it did not expect for those words to ever be given effect, she wrote. As a nation we remain deeply embroiled in debate over the legal status of abortion. While this conversation rages around us, this court cannot say that the threat of prosecution to abortion providers who violate the law is not credible. North Carolina's original 20-week ban became law soon after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Roe v. Wade decision protecting abortion as a constitutional right until a fetus develops enough to live outside the womb, generally between 24 and 28 weeks. Abortion-rights groups, including those who defended the plaintiffs some physicians and Planned Parenthood South Atlantic among them praised Wednesday's ruling. This ruling is a victory for all North Carolinians in line with decades of Supreme Court precedent, Genevieve Scott, a lawyer with the Center for Reproductive Rights who argued before the appeals court, said in a news release. Forcing someone to continue a pregnancy against their will is a violation of their basic humanity, their rights, and their freedom. A spokesperson for the state Department of Justice, whose attorneys represented the defendants, said the office was reviewing the decision, which was also joined in by Circuit Judges Albert Diaz and Julius Richardson. Richardson was a nominee of President Donald Trump. The other two were nominated by Democratic presidents. All three judges had expressed skepticism about the state's position on legal standing during online oral arguments last month. The case could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. North Carolina's Department of Justice is led by Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat and abortion-rights supporter. Stein recused himself from the appeal because of his position on abortion. Federal courts have previously struck down other abortion laws that North Carolina legislators passed. In 2014, they blocked a 2011 law requiring abortion providers to show and describe an ultrasound to the pregnant woman. A lawsuit in state court seeking to overturn five other abortion restrictions, including the 72-hour waiting period, is pending. The GOP-controlled General Assembly gave final approval last week to a measure barring women from obtaining abortions on the basis of the unborn child's race or a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. The bill is now before Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, an abortion-rights supporter who vetoed other abortion restrictions in 2019. PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) A recent high school graduate whose love of music developed into a love of the written word and a passion for journalism was named Wednesday the 2021 recipient of a college scholarship founded in honor of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Emma Kostyun, a graduate of Pittsfield High School, plans to use the $2,000 Daniel Pearl Berkshire Scholarship to study journalism at the University of New Hampshire, according to the scholarship's board of judges. Pearl, south Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan in January 2002 while researching a story on terrorism. He began his journalism career in western Massachusetts at the now defunct North Adams Transcript and The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield. The scholarship has been awarded annually since 2003 to a high school student from the region planning to major in journalism or music, Pearls two passions. Kostyun played the bassoon, clarinet and tenor saxophone in her high school band, and through music developed a desire to express herself in words, first through poetry, and then through journalism. With this outlet, I would be able to tell stories, grasp attention and have a voice, she said in her scholarship application essay. She was on the staff of the school newspaper, a member of the National Honor Society and in the drama club. In my learnings about Daniel Pearl, I have learned that he expressed himself and his identity and bravely took on stories that were dangerous yet courageous," she wrote. I aspire not only to be myself but to be brave and courageous just like Mr. Pearl and through my passion create a legacy like his own. The scholarship is funded by contributions from the newspapers as well as Pearl's friends and colleagues from the region. The legal case in Pearl's death is ongoing. Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh, a Pakistani-British man convicted of helping lure Pearl to a meeting in Karachi, during which he was kidnapped, was acquitted by a court in Pakistan last year and released from death row to a safe house earlier this year. Pearls family and Pakistans government have appealed the acquittal and U.S. officials have expressed outrage and said it would seek Sheikhs extradition so he could face justice. Three other men convicted and sent to prison for life were also acquitted. Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin of Russia spent more than three hours discussing issues Wednesday at their summit in Geneva. They ticked through their respective lists so quickly and in such excruciating detail, Biden says, that they looked at each other and thought, OK, what next? The most pressing issues the leaders discussed: AMBASSADORS Biden and Putin agreed to return their respective ambassadors to Washington and Moscow in a bid to improve badly deteriorated diplomatic relations between their countries. Russias ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, left Washington in March amid a row after Biden called Putin a killer in a television interview and imposed new sanctions on Russia over its treatment of opposition figure Alexei Navalny. John Sullivan, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, flew out of Moscow in April after public suggestions from Russian officials that he should leave to mirror Antonovs departure. Both ambassadors were present at Wednesday's summit. Putin also said the Russian foreign ministry and the U.S. State Department would begin consultations on other vexing diplomatic issues, including the closures of consulates in both countries and the employment status of Russian citizens working for U.S. missions in Russia. A senior Biden administration official said Sullivan is likely to return to Moscow next week. A different senior administration official said both governments had begun discussing consulate and local staff issues and the hope was an agreement could be reached in the next two months. Neither administration official was authorized to comment publicly by name and both spoke on condition of anonymity. ___ CYBERSECURITY No breakthroughs on this issue were announced, but the leaders agreed to at least talk about what has become a major source of conflict between the U.S. and Russia. Biden said he and Putin agreed to have their experts work out an understanding about what types of critical infrastructure would be off-limits to cyberattacks. He said the U.S. presented Russia with 16 specific types of infrastructure, including energy, elections, banking and water systems, and the defense industry. The agreement comes amid a flood of ransomware attacks against U.S. businesses and government agencies, including one in May that disrupted fuel supplies along the East Coast for nearly a week. The disruption was blamed on a criminal gang operating out of Russia, which does not extradite suspects to the U.S. Other serious incidents include the SolarWinds intrusion discovered last year in which hackers, believed by U.S. authorities to be Russian, penetrated multiple U.S. government networks and prompted Biden to impose additional U.S. sanctions against Russia. Biden said the U.S. and Russian governments would follow up on certain criminal cases, an apparent reference to cybercriminals operating with impunity from Russian territory. Putin agreed there is mutual interest in the subject. Biden also made an implicit threat against Russia, saying the U.S. has significant cyber capability it could use against Russia if it were to interfere with U.S. critical infrastructure. ___ NUCLEAR WEAPONS Biden and Putin instructed their diplomats to begin laying the groundwork for a new phase of arms control. The strategic stability dialogue would be a series of discussions designed to set the table for a negotiation by sorting out what exactly should be negotiated. More broadly, it would aim to reduce the risk of war between the worlds two largest nuclear powers. Biden said the goal is to work with Russia on a mechanism that can lead to control of new and dangerous and sophisticated weapons that are coming on the scene now, that reduce the time for response, that raise the prospect of accidental war. He said this was discussed in detail. No date was announced for the start of talks. The basic idea is to identify and sort out the many areas of disagreement over what a future arms control treaty should address. It also would address ways to avoid unintended or accidental moves that could trigger war. Shortly after Biden took office in January, he and Putin agreed to extend until 2026 the New START treaty that limits long-range nuclear weapons. The challenge now is to work out what a potential follow-on pact would include. The Russians insist it include defensive weapons, such as U.S. missile defense systems. The Americans argue that it should include so-called tactical nuclear weapons, which are not covered by New START and of which the Russians have a far larger number deployed. It might also include new and emerging technologies such as hypersonic missiles and space weaponry. ___ PRISONER EXCHANGE Biden said he raised with Putin the plight of two Americans detained in Russia. Putin had opened the door to possible discussions about a prisoner swap with the U.S. and said those conversations would continue. Biden said he would follow up, too. The U.S. is holding two prisoners whose release Russia has sought for more than a decade, including arms trader Viktor Bout. The other is Konstantin Yaroshenko, a pilot who was extradited from Liberia in 2010 and convicted the next year of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. Biden said Americans Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed are being wrongfully imprisoned in Russia. Whelan, who also holds Canadian, Irish and British citizenship, was arrested in Moscow in 2018, convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years. Whelan says he was just visiting Moscow. Reed was convicted of assaulting a police officer while intoxicated and sentenced to nine years. Putin, in a recent interview with NBC News, called Reed a drunk and a troublemaker. ___ HUMAN RIGHTS Biden said he'll continue to air with Putin concerns about basic human rights because it is a core tenet of what the United States stands for. Biden said he couldn't be president of the United States and not raise human rights issues during the summit with Putin. He mentioned the internationally publicized case of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. But Putin said Navalny got what he deserved when he was handed a stiff prison sentence. Navalny is Putin's most ardent political foe. He was arrested in January after returning to Russia from Germany, where he'd spent five months recovering from nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian officials deny involvement in Nalvany's poisoning. Navalny received a 30-month prison sentence for violating terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction he dismissed a politically motivated. ___ SYRIA Biden pressed Putin to drop a push to close the last international humanitarian crossing into Syria, making clear the matter was of significant importance to the U.S. No deal was reached to keep it open, however. Russia is threatening to use its U.N. Security Council veto to close the aid route for millions of Syrians internally displaced by that countrys war. ___ AFGHANISTAN and IRAN Biden said Putin asked about Afghanistan and expressed a desire that peace and security be maintained there. Biden said he told Putin that a lot of that will depend on him, and that Putin indicated he was prepared to help" on Afghanistan as well as on Iran. Biden declined to go into further detail. Biden's administration is mounting new efforts to get Iran to comply with the terms of a nuclear deal it had once agreed to before Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, withdrew the U.S. from the agreement the U.S. and other world powers struck with Iran in 2015. Putin also talked about preventing a resurgence of terrorist violence in Afghanistan. Biden said it would be very much in Russia's interest to not see that happen. ___ Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Ben Fox, Robert Burns, Jim Heintz, Ellen Knickmeyer and Darlene Superville contributed to this report. NEW YORK (AP) Jack B. Weinstein, a former federal judge who earned a reputation as a tireless legal maverick while overseeing a series of landmark class-action lawsuits and sensational mob cases in New York City like that of the Mafia Cops, has died. He was 99. A federal courthouse official, Eugene Corcoran, confirmed Weinstein's death on Tuesday. The judiciary has lost a national treasure," Corcoran said in a statement. Weinstein, a World War II veteran appointed by President Lyndon Johnson, had spent more than five decades on the bench in Brooklyn before retiring last year. In a 2012 interview with The Associated Press, he said his longevity had its advantages. You dont care really what people think of you, the judge said. Youre not going anyplace. Youre doing it for the joy. And as a public service. Weinstein was known for championing class-action litigation as the little guys remedy for alleged injustices by big industry. He made headlines in 1984 by approving a settlement requiring herbicide makers to pay $180 million to Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange. He also presided over a 1999 trial ending in an unprecedented verdict finding handgun makers liable in shootings and negligent in their marketing practices. And in 2006, he gave the green light to a class-action suit brought by tens of millions of smokers seeking up to $200 billion from tobacco companies for allegedly duping them into buying light cigarettes. His rulings often upset conservatives, who accused him of sacrificing judicial restraint to promote liberal causes. In many cases, appellate courts found that his decisions had overreached. In a book about mass tort litigation, Weinstein espoused a belief in humankinds obligation to create a just society. Weinstein was born in Wichita, Kansas, but grew up in Harlem and Brooklyn. As a teenager in the 1930s, he played bit parts in Broadway shows and worked on the docks to put himself through school. He later served in World War II before launching his legal career at Columbia Law School, where he graduated in 1948. He briefly went into private practice before serving as Nassau County Attorney from 1963 to 1965. He had returned to Columbia to teach when President Johnson named him to the federal bench in 1967. The 6-foot-2 Weinstein was a stately presence in court, where he favored business suits over robes and sometimes ventured off the bench in the middle of trials to get a jurors-eye view of the proceedings. He was impatient with long-winded lawyers, critical of sentencing guidelines he felt were too harsh on low-level criminals and concerned about judges falling prey to hubris. One danger that every judge must guard against is ego, he wrote in his book. The court must control its own sense of importance sometimes a very difficult chore. He also expressed a faith in juries ability to tackle complex and contentious civil cases. Should a jury "be permitted to decide a vexing private litigation ... when the decision has so many important overtones, or should the judges themselves decide by holding that the matter is beyond the ken of a reasonable jury? he wrote in the light cigarette case. In 1997, Weinstein added his scholarly touch to a ruling affirming a 12-year prison term for Vincent Chin Gigante, the Mafia Oddfather. The boss of the Genovese organized crime family had escaped prosecution for years by wandering the streets in a ratty bathrobe like a madman. Quoting Shakespeares As You Like It, the judge wrote: And one man in his time plays many parts. ... Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second childishness. Weinstein also put his unique stamp on perhaps the most stunning police corruption case in city history: the trial of two detectives accused of moonlighting as hitmen for the mob. After defendants Louis Eppolito and Steven Caracappa were convicted in 2006, the judge declared that they deserved life sentences for the most heinous series of killings ever tried in this courthouse. A month later, he stunned prosecutors by throwing out the convictions based on defense arguments that the statute of limitations for the eight murders had expired. An appeals court overturned the decision. Weinstein made news as late as 2019 by sentencing an American woman who admitted supporting the Islamic State group to four years in prison over the objection of prosecutors who wanted her locked up for decades. True to form, he said the lenient sentence had the potential to save her as a human being. GREENWICH Broadcast journalist and author Joan Lunden will be the speaker at Greenwich High Schools commencement exercises June 21. Lunden is a town resident whose seven children attended Greenwich High School, including a graduating senior this year. Greenwich High Principal Ralph Mayo said Lunden is a great choice to address the graduates and their families. We are honored to have Joan Lunden as our commencement speaker this year. Not only is she an accomplished journalist, she is also the parent of a graduating senior; and as such, she truly knows how special and unique our school community is, bestowing wisdom upon our students from the perspective of a true partner and participant, he said in an email. Lunden said it is an honor to speak at a school that has been part of her family for decades. As a parent of seven children who all attended Greenwich High School, I am incredibly excited to address the 2021 graduating class. Over the past year, we have watched the challenges the pandemic has presented to our students, and I am so proud of this group of young people who showed their strength and resilience. I am honored to be a part of your story, she said. She was a longtime host of Good Morning America and is currently the host of the PBS program Second Opinion about medicine and health. She has interviewed numerous world leaders and reported from over 26 countries as a news correspondent. Her latest book , Why Did I Come into This Room: A Candid Conversation About Aging was as a New York Times bestseller. The speaker at last years graduation at GHS was Mark Teixera, who made a name with the New York Yankees. In 2019, Rob Mathes, a town resident and an award-winning musician who has worked with dozens of recording stars, was the speaker. Greenwich police Officer Carlos Franco, who was spending his final year as the school resource officer at GHS, gave the commencement address in 2018. Graduation will be held June 21 on the high school campus. LOS ANGELES (AP) Three years after workplace misconduct allegations cost veteran TV and radio talk-show host Tavis Smiley his job and a national forum, hes ending his silence. Smiley, who continues to deny the claims of unwanted sexual behavior that led PBS to drop his long-running show, is attempting to rebound with the purchase of a Los Angeles radio station that will offer a Black and progressive perspective on the city and nation. Sidelined during a period of landmark racial upheaval, Smiley decided to make his own opportunity with reformatted station KBLA Talk 1580 Los Angeles. It debuts with a preview on Saturday, the Juneteenth holiday commemorating when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free. While I was watching this racial reckoning last summer, it was so clear to me that people were being heard to some degree, but there were no African American-owned platforms where people had their voice on a regular basis, Smiley said. The media can lose interest when protests stop, he said, but the issues that matter to us dont go away. He was also chafing at the isolation. Its frustrating when youre used to being on the air every day somewhere, (and) people are hearing your voice in this country, seeing your face, for as many years Ive been doing this, he told The Associated Press. But there was an upside: introspection, and a lot of it, as he put it. It allows for growth. It allows for strengthening relationships with family and friends, Smiley said. So in some ways, I think Im probably a different person than I was four years ago." He did not reevaluate his workplace behavior because there was no cause to, he said, and again rejected any allegations of misconduct. After losing in court last year in a breach-of-contract suit over his firing, he's appealing the verdict that required about a $1.5 million payment from Smiley to PBS, which countersued him. A judge increased the award to about $2.6 million last August, according to The Washington Post. I have no idea why what happened to me happened," he said. This Me Too moment happened at a time and in a way where it was very difficult, almost impossible, to put forth any other narrative, no matter how truthful that narrative was. While acknowledging what he called consensual dates with co-workers before he joined PBS, I have never harassed anyone, Smiley said. He alleged that the public TV service reached back into his work past to find claims of misbehavior that he called false, and labeled the investigation sloppy and biased. In its court filings, PBS cited witnesses' allegations that Smiley subjected subordinates to lewd language and unwanted sexual advances and encounters, with six women describing misconduct claims in court testimony. The women have not been publicly identified. Let me be very clear: I support the Me Too movement and covered women's rights issues for years on his shows, he said. I will not let you falsely accuse me of anything, and win, lose or draw, my name and my integrity is all I have. Asked for comment, PBS referred to its statement last year following the jury's verdict, which said in part that PBS expects our producing partners to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect. The allegations were made about a groundbreaking radio and TV host, the first African American to get his own talk show on PBS. He said he's received offers of work since his firing, but decided to amplify Black voices in America through a path that his late friend, Prince, touted: Controlling content and its distribution. Smiley is the majority owner of KBLA, which he and investment partners bought from New York-based Multicultural Radio Broadcasting in a deal valued at $7.5 million. The station will fill a void that he said shouldnt exist in one of the most, if not the most, ethnically and culturally diverse city in the country. The opportunity to have a Black-owned and Black-operated talk radio station in this city, where talk radio for too long has been all day, all night, all white, is an opportunity that is begging for someone to take advantage of it. So Im dumb enough to try, Smiley said. Asked if anyone has expressed reservations about working with him and the station, he said it was the contrary and that bookings for celebrities, authors and newsmakers are lining up fast and furious. Guest names weren't provided. Among the hosts: DL Hughley, whose nationally syndicated radio show is part of the KBLA afternoon lineup, and Alonzo Bodden, a winner of NBCs Last Comic Standing and regular guest on NPR's Wait WaitDont Tell Me. The Mississippi-born, Indiana-raised broadcaster said KBLA, with a signal reaching nearly 12 million Southern California listeners, could be the flagship for an eventual nationwide network. Asked about the station's agenda, Smiley rejected the question's framing. "The station doesnt have an agenda except to be unapologetically progressive, he said. "We just want to be a voice for those who have been voiceless for too long in this city, speak a truth that is otherwise not being considered if we don't speak it, and give people a chance literally just to be heard. His definition of a progressive: Someone whose life and behavior "underscores that you want the same thing for everybody elses child that you want for your own child. He's in charge of the radio enterprise but not its star, said Smiley, who headlined shows on BET and National Public Radio before hosting Tavis Smiley on PBS from 2004 until his December 2017 firing. This is not about Tavis Smiley. I'm only on (weekdays) three hours a day, he said. We are live 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ... So there are a lot of other voices on the station that will be talking about a lot of local, national and international issues. He spoke in the modest office building he owns and has long operated from, in the historic Leimert Park section of Los Angeles dubbed the Black Greenwich Village." The interior was being revamped to accommodate KBLA's studios. Most prominent men whose careers have been stalled or shattered by sexual misconduct claims have yet to try a comeback, among them former Today host Matt Lauer, restaurateur Mario Batali and media executive Les Moonves. Does he see the new venture as a step toward rehabilitating his public image? I dont believe that I am in control of rehabilitating any image. Thats not my concern. My concern is to do the work that Ive always done," Smiley said. "At the end of the day, all Ive ever tried to do was to love and serve people. For me, thats the definition of leadership. GENEVA (AP) An American president wont side with Moscow over his own intelligence agencies. There will be no talk of a reset in Russian relations. And it is highly doubtful that anyone will gaze into Vladimir Putins eyes and discuss his soul. But beyond that, its not clear what will happen Wednesday in Geneva when President Joe Biden meets Putin for the first time since taking office. Both sides acknowledge that the relationship between the two nations is dismal and neither holds out much hope for meaningful areas of agreement. Still, each man brings his own goals to the summit table. A look at what each president is hoping to achieve in Switzerland: WHAT BIDEN WANTS Biden and his aides have made clear that he will not follow in the footsteps of his recent predecessors by aiming to radically alter the United States ties to Russia. Instead, the White House is looking for a more modest though still vitally important goal: to move toward a more predictable relationship and attempt to rein in Russias disruptive behavior. Bidens first overseas trip was deliberately sequenced so that he will meet with Putin only after spending days meeting with European allies and powerful democracies, including a gathering at NATO, the decades-old alliance formed to serve as a bulwark to Russian aggression. He hoped to project a sense of unity and renewed cooperation after four years of tumult under former President Donald Trump, who often tried to cozy up to the Russian president. Biden will push Putin to stop meddling in democratic elections, to ease tensions with Ukraine and to stop giving safe harbor to hackers carrying out cyber and ransomware attacks. Aides believe that lowering the temperature with Russia will also reinforce the United States' ties to democracies existing in Moscows shadow. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden will look for areas where, in our common interest, we can work together to produce outcomes that are that work for the United States and for the American people." Sullivan, who briefed reporters on Air Force One heading to Brussels for the NATO summit, said that Biden's other message would be more stick than carrot: How do we send a clear message about those harmful activities that we will not tolerate and to which we will respond? There have been brief moments of common ground. Moscow and Washington have shown a shared interest in restarting talks on strategic stability to work out a follow-up deal to the New START, the last remaining U.S.-Russian arms control pact that was extended for five years in January. Biden will exhort Putin on human rights, including the poisoning and imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, not to support the regime in Belarus that carried out a recent skyjacking and to stop interfering with other nations elections. Cyber will also be a focal point, with the Geneva summit coming just days after NATO expanded its Article 5 mutual defense pact to include cyberattacks. But the president acknowledged that there may be no way to keep Putin in check. Theres no guarantee you can change a persons behavior or the behavior of his country. Autocrats have enormous power and they dont have to answer to a public, said Biden during a news conference Sunday after the Group of Seven summit in England. And the fact is that it may very well be, if I respond in kind which I will that it doesnt dissuade him and he wants to keep going. Biden had not minced words when it comes to assessing Putin. He said in an interview earlier this year that he agreed with an assessment that Putin was a killer, and he once declared that Putin didnt have a soul. That was far colder rhetoric than that of his immediate predecessors. Trump spoke warmly of Putin and was deferential to him during their one summit, held in Helsinki in 2018, in which he turned his back on his own intelligence agencies. President Barack Obamas administration, though wary of Putin, expressed hope in a reset and improvement of relations with Moscow. And George W. Bush said that he looked the man in the eye and found him very straightforward and trustworthy. I was able to get a sense of his soul," Bush said. Biden won't. WHAT PUTIN WANTS Putin also wont be expecting to warm up ties. His main goal will be to draw his red lines for the new U.S. administration and negotiate a tense status quo that would protect Moscows vital interests. The Russian leader doesnt hope for a new detente to mend the rift caused by Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. Nor does he count on a rollback of the crippling U.S. and EU sanctions that have restricted Moscows access to global financial markets and top Western technologies. Putins task now is more modest to spell out Russias top security concerns and try to restore basic channels of communication that would prevent an even more dangerous destabilization. The main red line for Moscow is Ukraines aspirations to join NATO. Fearing its bid for the alliance membership, Putin responded to the 2014 ouster of Ukraines Russia-friendly president by annexing Crimea and throwing Moscows weight behind a separatist insurgency in the countrys eastern industrial heartland, where the seven-year conflict has killed more than 14,000. When tensions along the line of contact in Ukraines east rose earlier this year, Russia quickly beefed up its troops near Ukraine and warned Kyiv's leaders that it would intervene militarily if they tried to reclaim the rebel-controlled regions by force. Moscow has since pulled back some of its forces from the border areas, but the Ukrainian leadership has said the bulk of them have remained close to the border. In an interview with state TV last week, Putin described Ukraines bid to join NATO as an existential challenge to Russia that would allow the alliances missiles to hit Moscow and other targets in western Russia in just seven minutes. He compared it to Russia deploying its missiles in Canada or Mexico near the U.S. border. Isnt it a red line? he said. While taking a tough stance on Ukraine, the Russian leader could show a degree of flexibility on other global hotspots. Even though Moscow has been critical of the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan, its interested in a settlement that would prevent the country from plunging into chaos following the U.S. troops withdrawal later this year, fearing that instability could spill into ex-Soviet Central Asia. Russia also has been involved in painstaking international talks to help repair a nuclear deal with Iran that was spiked by Trump, and it has expressed a willingness to cooperate with the U.S. in efforts to restart the stalled Mideast peace talks. And the Kremlin would be interested in working out a deal on Syria, where Moscows military campaign helped President Bashar Assads government reclaim control over most of the country after a devastating civil war and the U.S. has maintained a limited military presence. Russia has said its ready to include its prospective doomsday weapons such as the Poseidon atomic-powered, nuclear-armed underwater drone and the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile in the talks on condition the U.S. brings its missile defense and possible space-based weapons into the equation. Putin also has emphasized Russias readiness to make joint efforts to address climate change and cope with the coronavirus pandemic. He called for establishing a dialogue on cybercrime, noting that Moscow could agree to extradite cybercrime suspects to the U.S. if Washington assumes the same obligation. The White House has strongly downplayed the idea of a cybercriminal prisoner exchange. ___ Isachenkov reported from Moscow. GREENWICH There will be a police presence at Thursdays school board meeting as the district braces for an expected large crowd of protesters who oppose the teaching of critical race theory as well as masks and COVID-19 vaccines for students. For more than a week, a loosely affiliated group of disgruntled parents and residents called the Greenwich Patriots has urged parents to attend the school board meeting Thursday evening. It is customary for GPS to hire Greenwich police for added security for large crowds with potential for heightened disagreement, Greenwich Public Schools Director of Communications Sasha Houlihan said Wednesday. Its not clear how many protesters, in total, will attend the meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Central Middle School. The meeting can also be watched virtually, with links available at www.greenwichschools.org/board-of-education. The Greenwich Patriots was behind a series of Stand Up Greenwich signs put up throughout town earlier this month and organized a Flag Day Rally at Greenwich Town Hall on Monday that drew more than 50 people. In response, administrators of the Facebook group Parents of Greenwich Students put up a post asking parents to attend the meeting to counter the voices of the Greenwich Patriots,who have also been vocal during the public comment section of recent meetings. Public comment will be limited to one hour at the beginning of the meeting, a practice that Board of Education Chair Peter Bernstein said is not new. If more time is needed, the board will allow additional public comment at the end of the meeting. Updates on the Western Middle School fields project and the districts Strategic Plan, which the board is currently in the midst of drafting, are also on the meeting agenda. Board policy allows the chair to set time limits on public comment as deemed appropriate. In recent months, some parents and a board member have spoken up about certain learning materials used in classrooms. In late March, during a response to his board colleagues who censured him for using explicit language during a public meeting, board member Peter Sherr drew attention to an assigned reading at the high school that he said contained inappropriate language. Days later, an explicit video was mistakenly shown to a second grade class in Greenwich, sparking more outrage. Subsequent reports of inappropriate materials, some of which are supposedly evidence of critical race theorys presence in the classroom, have been common. Critical race theory is an academic framework for viewing race and power in relation to American history. Its alleged presence in schools has been the source of debate in the last year and has polarized people in Greenwich, as well as nationally. In April, school district officials in Greenwich presented a plan to improve the curriculum development process and hopefully avoid future issues. Also, Superintendent of School Toni Jones has repeatedly denied that critical race theory is taught in Greenwich Schools. Parents skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine for their children were also angered in March when, at a Parent Teacher Association meeting, a doctor allegedly misspoke about the vaccine, telling parents it was approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. In fact, the Pfizer vaccine the only vaccine authorized for children was given an Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA, a lesser designation than outright approval. Jones has acknowledged that the doctor misspoke and said the district has since provided additional information about the vaccine. But some parents, including Greenwich Patriots Founder Jackie Homan, have remained alarmed at what they consider misinformation and pressure directed at kids and parents to get the shot. The state Department of Education has repeatedly encouraged residents to wear masks, which are mandated inside school buildings. The COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory for children, according to the state, but district officials have been encouraged to share information with students about it. justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586 Google's already announced its latest Pixel feature drop this week, and today it's back with another announcement of some more new features, this time for Android as a whole. These six new things aren't limited to Pixels, they're headed to all Android devices out there. It's the first time the company has done something like this - collating a bunch of upcoming features into one announcement post, clearly inspired by the way Pixel feature drops are revealed. Okay, introduction aside, let's jump right into what you can expect. First, the Android Earthquake Alerts System is rolling out globally. People in affected areas can get alerts seconds before an earthquake hits. So far this has been available in New Zealand and Greece, and now it's headed to Turkey, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Google says it's prioritizing launching this in countries with higher earthquake risks, and more countries will have it over the coming year. Next up, you can now star a message in the Messages app to easily find it later. Just tap and hold on the message, and then pick the star. That's it. There's also a new Starred category holding all of these for you. This feature "will start to roll out more broadly over the coming weeks". Contextual Emoji Kitchen suggestions are available in Gboard beta today and will reach the stable version of the keyboard app "this summer" for messages written in English, Spanish, and Portuguese on devices running Android 6 and above. The suggestions will help you discover the perfect emoji combination once you've typed a message, something that goes with what you wrote of course. Google Assistant can now take you to specific places inside apps, so you can tell it stuff like "hey Google pay my Capital One bill" to jump right into the app and complete that task. For a full list of what's possible, say "hey Google, shortcuts". Voice Access now has gaze detection in beta, so you can ask the feature to work only when you're looking at the screen. Voice Access gives you quick and efficient phone and app navigation with just your voice. It's also got enhanced password input too. When it recognizes a password field, it lets you input letters, numbers, and symbols. Finally, the Android Auto experience is more customizable. You can personalize your launcher screen from your phone and manually set dark mode. It's easier to browse content too, with new tabs in media apps, a "back to top" option, and an A to Z button in the scroll bar. If you're setting up Android Auto for the first time, that process is now faster. EV charging, parking, and navigation apps are now available to use in Android Auto as well, and the messaging experience has ben improved so you can get to your favorite messaging apps from the launcher screen. You can read and send new messages directly from WhatsApp and Messages, globally. The Android Auto features are available on phones with Android 6 and newer, when connected to a compatible car. Source Last year OnePlus CEO Pete Lau took up the Senior Vice President position at OPLUS a company that wholly owns Oppo and has a majority stake in OnePlus (as well as a small stake in Realme). Lau was responsible for overseeing the product strategy of both OnePlus and Oppo. Several teams from both companies were joined together to better streamline our operations and capitalize on additional shared resources. Now, months later, the positive effects of this move are clear and were deemed important enough to further integrate the two companies. However, Lau claims that the OnePlus brand will continue to operate independently. Im confident that this change will be positive for our community and our users. With this deeper integration with OPPO, we will have more resources at hand to create even better products for you. It will also allow us to be more efficient, for example, bringing faster and more stable software updates for OnePlus users, writes Lau. Part of that has already happened OnePlus 9 phones in China shipped with ColorOS as Oppos Android skin replaced HydrogenOS. OnePlus units sold globally do still come with OxygenOS though. You can read the full post about the new direction for OnePlus and Oppo here. Bill Crane is a syndicated columnist based in Decatur. He has worked in politics for Democrats and Republicans, respects the process and will try and give you some things to think about. Your thoughts and responses to his opinions are also welcome, bill.csicrane@gmail.com. Haiti - FLASH : The Peligre plant endangered by attacks The General Directorate of Electricity of Haiti (EdH) informs that it has discovered a network within the company illegally recruiting individuals to the security service of the EDH while they never actually worked and received yet a monthly salary by direct transfer. This fraudulent maneuver once discovered, the culprits were identified and dismissed. "Since then, the individuals incriminated in this dark affair have regularly attacked the employees and property of the Peligre plant. All the authorities concerned have been informed of this dangerous situation but nothing has been done so far to put an end to it. [...] Although the Peligre Central has 108 security guards on paper, it continues to be exposed to these repeated attacks." The General Directorate wishes to make it understood that this strategic infrastructure which has served the country since 1971, "is currently in great danger by these irresponsible acts" . Let everyone take their responsibilities to save the minimum economic infrastructure available to the country. The EDH also calls on the sovereign institutions in charge of the security of the country to take all the necessary and legal measures. HL/ HaitiLibre Romney, WV (26757) Today Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 76F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low around 55F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Romney, WV (26757) Today Sun and clouds mixed. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 76F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low near 55F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Published on 2021/06/15 | Source Actor Choi Wooshik decorated the cover of the July issue of the fashion magazine ELLE. Advertisement The photo shoot focused on capturing Choi Wooshik's fashionable appearance. In an interview after the photo shoot, he was asked about his recent status. Regarding the news of the casting in a new drama "Us That Year", Choi Wooshik said, "It's been a while since I've been on the drama set, and I'm actually very nervous because I'm the main character". "Fortunately, I have been with actress Kim Da-mi in the movie "The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion", so it is also helpful. I think I can show you a new side of me at my age with a full-fledged romantic comedy". "When I eat alone, I always turn on Pixar animation. I don't think there's anything happier to watch than animation. The characters' performances are perfect", he said, drawing laughter. Also, he said "Showing the various temperatures of my face is an important goal in my life as an actor", he said, "How to portray myself in my 30s seems like the biggest homework I'm going through in this job. I try to savor the maximum in a limited time and encounter. I want to be a person who can see the traces of my life in wrinkles that will gradually emerge". Meanwhile, Choi Wooshik is waiting for the release of "The Policeman's Lineage" and "Wonderland". Korean Movie | 2021 Omnibus Directed by Kim Ye-na-III () Lee Mi-so-II () Park Gyu-eun () 67min | Release date in South Korea: 2021/07/01 Synopsis "Pollen" (, kkot-ga-ru) Ye-na is being outcasted by the drama club. Not only her seniors, but her juniors ignore her as well, as they prepare for the play. Even her freshmen juniors would make her sprinkle flowers on stage. It's a low-key role, but Ye-na tries her best to work hard for it, but her seniors try to stop her, and covers her spotlight. Eventually, she sprinkled pollen on stage and when she was praised by the people for the beautiful pollen, her seniors take the credit. "Insecurity" ( , gae-in-jeok-in bul-o-ham-e dae-ha-yeo) Jeong-in, who works part-time at a gas station, has not been receiving any pay for several weeks. One day, he discovers a flyer from Shin (God) Company that says he can do anything with the trash thrown away by the customers, and No-eul who is not a believer of God, sees the flyer and applies for a free trial of the Shin Company instead of Jeong-in. At first, Jeong-in, who did not believe in the existence of God, sees that his problems are solved after the phone call, and suddenly believes in the existence of Shin Company. Eventually, Jeong-in goes back to the gas station to get revenge on Byeong-hyeon, who does not even try to pay his part-time job. "So Do You" ( , neo-do geu-reoh-da) Eun-gyoo, a runaway teenager who thinks all grown-ups are old-school, steals a cigarette on payday after getting a part-time job. At the police box where she was arrested for that, she reunites with Seok-hwan, who dreams of becoming a youth counselor. Seok-hwan, who wants to renew Eun-gyoo's life for her own benefit, and Eun-gyu, who wants to protect her life started a conversation. West Monroe, LA (71291) Today Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 87F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms during the evening, then skies turning partly cloudy overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Hastings, NE (68901) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 86F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A mostly clear sky. Low 63F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit The Hill County Commission, Havre Mayor Tim Solomon and representatives from the North Havre County Water District met with Susan Brurud of Bear Paw Development Corp. and Craig Erickson of Great West Engineering to discuss how the county can and should best use the funds its been allocated from the American Rescue Plan. Among the plans discussed were improvements to the RSID 29 and 30 lift stations, upgrading the Milk River Levee, installing a new air handler and broadband in the Hill County Courthouse, addressing revenue loss from the past year at Beaver Creek Park due to the pandemic and North Havres waste water projects, as well as contributions to Box Elder and Hingham for their own projects. Brurud laid out the money that was available to the county placing it in three categories, all of which operate and interact with each other differently. The first category, which she called Bucket A, is the $3.2 million given directly to the county by the federal treasury. The second, which she called Bucket B, is the $1.2 million allocated to the county through the state via House Bill 632, funds that need to be allocated by December 2024 and spent by December 2026. The last category, which she called Bucket C, is a pool of $177 million in competitive grants that all counties in the state can apply for using money from Buckets A and B as a match. The commissioners spent the meeting working with Brurud to lay out preliminary plans for which buckets can be used to fund which projects and how to most effectively use the money available. Brurud said the $3 million levee upgrade is the big project to worry about for Hill County. The levee, which was completed in 1957, was designed to prevent destructive flooding that often devastated the area. Havre and North Havre flooded fairly regularly, sometimes severely, before the levee system was completed. However, after inspections in 2014 and 2015, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the levee did not meet their standards. Problems with the levee include structures being built too close or against the levee and trees growing on it. If the levee isnt certified by the Corps, people determined to be in a floodplain will be required to buy flood insurance, a significant financial hit for many in the community. Brurud said because the project is already being worked on by the county, having already had a SWIF plan established, it will be a highly competitive project for funds from Bucket C and she feels confident that the county can use the estimated $800,000 in bonds from the flood district being set up for the levee to use as a match and get the rest of the project funded through the grants. Brurud and Erickson said if a bond contract cant be written up in time to use as a match, they can use funds from Buckets A and B for the match, funds that could later be replaced with the bonded $800,000 once it becomes available. They said this would allow the funds from Bucket A and B to be used for other projects the county is working on. Brurud said the RSID 29 and 30 lift station project is also highly competitive for Bucket C funds because it has already had a PER, a preliminary engineering report, done, and a memorandum of understanding has been signed. She said projects that relate to public health and safety are given priority, so both the levee and the lift station projects have that going for them as well. Erickson agreed that both of these projects are highly competitive, but hes concerned because every county in the state is applying for the same money and they may have similarly important projects. Michel Turville of the North Havre County Water District said the major project theyre working on would cost a total of $900,000 but they received $125,000, which they intend to use as a match for further funds, and would only need about $387,000 from Bucket A to fund their activities. Brurud said Bucket A can also be used to pay the $1 million necessary to replace the courthouses air handler, the $10,000 to set up broadband, and $30,000 in revenue replacement for the park. The group also discussed taking as much as $500,000 from Buckets A and B to provide to Hingham for its estimated $7 million waste water project, and $300,000 for Box Elder which it can us on whatever projects it is working on, including covering PERs and environmental reviews. She said Hinghams waste water project will likely involve resizing local lagoons and extensive pipe replacement which is why it has such a high price tag, and why Hingham is likely to put up all their ARPA money and whatever they can get from Bucket C to fund as much of the project as possible. During the meeting there was some confusion regarding how matching for Bucket C works. Erickson said despite not being a part of HB 632 the state has made it clear that they want to see one-to-one matches on the competitive funds, but Brurud said counties can put up all of their allocated funds for a 25 percent match, allowing them to essentially apply for three times the money they are allocated. Hill County Commissioner Jake Strissel said that is likely what Hingham will do to try to pay for its massive waste water project. The confusion at the meeting was specifically regarding whether that included Bucket A or A and B, which Brurud said is not clear at this time. She said the Department of Commerce will be taking comment on the matter through Friday, and she encouraged people, especially in rural communities, to make their voices heard on the subject. She also said a second round of ARPA funding for projects that havent been planned enough to get funds from this round but may be further along in the near future and everyone should keep that in mind as well. Havre Police Department Officers investigated a sexual or violent offender registry violation Tuesday at 10:57 a.m. -- Tuesday at 11:55 a.m., officers and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks assisted with an injured deer on Fifth Avenue. -- Officers investigated a vehicle crash on Second Street at 2:11 p.m. -- A two-vehicle, non-injury crash between a Nissan Titan and a Kia was reported on 11th Street West Tuesday at 5:04 p.m. -- Kaylene Marie Ball of Havre, 27, was arrested on a Justice or City court warrant after asking officers at 9:12 p.m. Tuesday for assistance finding a room for the night. -- Officers assisted another agency on Fifth Avenue at 4:52 this morning. Hill County Sheriff's Office Sierra Marie Flammond of Havre, 28, was arrested on charges of partner or family member assault, stalking and false reported to law enforcement authorities after calling the sheriff's office about a domestic disturbance on Shepherd Road North Tuesday at 9:09 a.m. Havre Fire Department Emergency medical personnel responded to four calls Tuesday and four early this morning. Havre Animal Shelter The shelter this morning held one cat and two 26-week-old kittens all of unknown gender, seven female cats and five male cats. -- The shelter also held two female and one male 10-month-old mixed-breed puppies and a male and two female mixed-breed dogs. From U.S. Department of Agriculture WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service FSIS and the state of South Dakota have finalized a Cooperative Interstate Shipment CIS agreement, which provides an opportunity for selected state-inspected meat and poultry processors to ship their products across state lines. Under the CIS agreement, the state of South Dakota may inspect meat in selected establishments for shipment throughout the United States. The CIS program was launched in 2012 under Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack after being authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill. Currently, nine states participate in the program to promote the expansion of business opportunities for state-inspected meat and poultry establishments. Under CIS, selected state-inspected establishments that comply with federal inspection requirements are permitted to ship their product in interstate commerce. If were going to strengthen our nations food system and prevent supply chain bottlenecks before they occur, then we must continue to provide smaller meat processing establishments the opportunity to build their local and regional marketplaces, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin said. The Cooperative Interstate Shipment program is a little-known but powerful tool designed to diversify the marketplace for meat and poultry processors, while ensuring the safety of the meat and poultry products they produce. We want to work with other states to encourage participation in this important program. The CIS program is limited to establishments located in the 27 states that have established a Meat and Poultry Inspection MPI program. To be eligible to participate in the CIS program, state MPI programs must meet a number of criteria to demonstrate that the inspection that it provides to state-inspected plants will be the same as the inspection that FSIS provides to official federal establishments. For instance, a state must demonstrate that it has the necessary legal authority to administer and enforce requirements that are the same as the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act and applicable regulations. In addition, the state must collect regulatory samples at the same frequency and use the same analytical methods at laboratories that meet the same level of accreditation as the FSIS laboratories. The assigned state inspectors may remain as the establishments onsite inspectors, provided they have the same training and inspect the plant under the same as regulatory standards as their federal counterparts in FSIS-inspected establishments. FSIS provides ongoing oversight of the CIS program to ensure that participating states maintain and operate their same as programs in a manner that complies with all applicable federal statutes and regulations and follows FSIS directives and notices. FSIS reimburses the states for 60 percent of their costs associated with providing this interstate eligible inspection service. By law, CIS establishments must employ fewer than 25 employees. The state recommends establishments for selection by FSIS for participation in the CIS program. FSIS verifies the state-inspected establishments comply with all the requirements under the federal statutes, including meeting the federal regulatory requirements for sanitation performance standards and developing written Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point plans, and finalizes the establishments participating in the CIS program. The FSIS ongoing oversight includes verification that each CIS establishment continues to meet these and all other applicable federal requirements, such as submission, approval and use of FSIS approved labels under the same conditions as FSIS inspected establishments. The CIS program was created by the 2008 Farm Bill. In addition to South Dakota, FSIS has signed agreements with Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Vermont, and Wisconsin. For more information about CIS, people can visit www.fsis.usda.gov/cis . Since January, USDA has allocated $11B to producers and food and ag business Note: This was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture WASHINGTON Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Tuesday additional aid to agricultural producers and businesses as part of the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Earlier this year, Vilsack announced plans to use available pandemic assistance funds to address a number of gaps and disparities in previous rounds of aid. As part of the Pandemic Assistance initiative announced in March, USDA pledged to continue Coronavirus Food Assistance Program CFAP payments and to provide aid to producers and businesses left behind. Implementation of the assistance announced today will continue within 60 days to include support to timber harvesters, biofuels, dairy farmers and processors, livestock farmers and contract growers of poultry, assistance for organic cost share, and grants for PPE. USDA is honoring its commitment to get financial assistance to producers and critical agricultural businesses, especially those left out or underserved by previous COVID aid, Vilsack said. These investments through USDA Pandemic Assistance will help our food, agriculture and forestry sectors get back on track and plan for the future. Since January, USDA has provided more than $11 billion of assistance directly to producers and food and agriculture business. In March, USDA announced $6 billion in available funds through pandemic assistance to support a number of new programs or to modify existing efforts. The following programming is planned for implementation within 60 days, which will continue to be focused on filling gaps in previous rounds of assistance and helping beginning, socially disadvantaged and small and medium sized producers that need support most: $200 million: Small, family-owned timber harvesting and hauling businesses $700 million: Biofuels producers Support for dairy farmers and processors: - $400 million: The new Dairy Donation Program to address food insecurity and mitigate food waste and loss - Additional pandemic payments targeted to dairy farmers that have demonstrated losses that have not been covered by previous pandemic assistance - Approximately $580 million: Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage for small and medium farms Assistance for poultry and livestock producers left out of previous rounds of pandemic assistance: - Contract growers of poultry - Livestock and poultry producers forced to euthanize animals during the pandemic March 1, 2020 through December 26, 2020 $700 million: Pandemic Response and Safety Grants for PPE and other protective measures to help specialty crop growers, meat packers and processors, seafood industry workers, among others Up to $20 million: Additional organic cost share assistance, including for producers who are transitioning to organic. As the economy continues to gain strength after the Biden Administrations historic vaccination and economic relief efforts, USDA is working with producers and agricultural businesses to ensure they have the resources and tools to thrive in 2021 and beyond. The funding associated with USDA Pandemic Assistance is meant to serve as a bridge from disruptions associated with the pandemic to longer-term investments to help build back a better food system. Through USDAs Build Back Better initiative, USDA has already announced $5 billion in a mix of loans, grants and innovative financing to make meaningful investments to build a food system that is more resilient against shocks, delivers greater value to growers and workers, and offers consumers an affordable selection of healthy food produced and sourced locally and regionally by farmers and processors from diverse backgrounds. We have more work to do to build back a better food system, strengthen our supply chains, and make sure American agriculture gives our farming and ranching families every opportunity to earn a good living, Vilsack said. As the economy continues to bounce back, USDA will ensure American agriculture is ready to seize the moment. As USDA looks to long-term solutions to build back a better food system, the Department is committed to delivering financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers and businesses who have been impacted by COVID-19 market disruptions. Since USDA rolled out the Pandemic Assistance initiative in March, the Department has announced approximately $6.8 billion in assistance to producers and agriculture entities through the following programs: $6.295 billion: Coronavirus Food Assistance Program CFAP payments to farmers, ranchers and producers (March 24) $35 million: Value Added Producer Grants (March 5) $169.9 million: Specialty Crop Block Grants (April 13) $75 million: Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (April 13) $37.5 million: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (April 13) $80 million: Payments to Domestic Users of Cotton (April 13) $92.2 million: Local Agriculture Market Program (May 5) Approximately $20 Million: Pandemic Cover Crop Program (June 1) I hope that this communication finds you enjoying the summer! We are busy preparing for the return to school in August. It is exciting to see so many students involved in our Summer Learning Program under the direction of many of our highly-qualified teachers and paraprofessionals in the district. Additionally, our summer drivers education program and Extended School Year programs are providing essential instruction and preparing students for the 2021-2022 school year. As a reminder, our summer meal program is available at Lincoln-McKinley and Highland Park. We are offering free meals for all children ages 18 and under. Our school food service staff would love to see you! High school students are providing structured play and activities from 10 to 11 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the same locations. See the school website for more details. The Havre Board of Trustees will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 22, at Havre Middle School. The agenda for this meeting will be available on the school district website Thursday, June 17. I will be asking the board to continue with the State of Emergency declaration which is outlined as follows: Recommended Motion: I recommend that the Board of Trustees declare an unforeseen emergency within the meaning of that term as set forth in Title 20, Chapter 9, Part 8, to become immediately effective and to continue through June 30, 2022, or until terminated by a vote of the Board of Trustees. The declaration is necessary due to community and school health concerns related to COVID-19. The Board of Trustees authorizes the administrator to take necessary steps to execute this declaration and inform the public and government agencies of this declaration. This recommendation is necessary for the district to continue providing flexibilities to those who have been impacted and may continue to be impacted by COVID-19. It allows the district to continue to operate within the guidelines set forth in Montana Code and within the parameters of Montana law. Some changes to school board policies will be necessary to align with our Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan. I will be making a recommendation to revise Policy 1905 to read that face coverings will be optional as personal protective equipment in all places making reference to face coverings. This recommendation will include to remove references to temperature screenings. Following the presentation of the Havre Public Schools Safe Return to School and Continuity of Services Plan, there will be time for public comment in support of or against the motion that is made. The Return to School Plan will be posted on the district website on June 23, 2021. Items of particular interest within the Plan include: Reference to Policy 1905: The policy establishes regulations making optional face coverings as personal protective equipment. Reference to Policy 1905: The policy establishes regulations regarding physical distancing by requiring students, staff, volunteers, and visitors maintain a three-foot distance between themselves and their colleagues and peers throughout the school day inside any school building, on school provided transportation, and on school property before and after school. Staff members will arrange classrooms and restructure courses, transportation services, and food service to meet this standard. (This was approved by the board June 8, 2021) Reference to Policy 1906: The Board of Trustees authorizes offsite and online instruction of students in a manner that satisfies the aggregate number of instructional hours outlined in the School Districts adopted or revised calendar for a school year affected by a public health emergency. (This was approved by the board July 28, 2020) There will be a Zoom link available for this meeting, but the Chat option for public comment will not be available. If you would like to comment on the plan, it will be necessary to attend the meeting in person. Again, we encourage the community to utilize the Zoom link to view and listen to the board meeting, but public comment through Zoom will not be accepted. Board members may still participate via Zoom if necessary. If you have questions or comments, please dont hesitate to reach out to us, at [email protected] or directly to me at [email protected] Go Blue Ponies! Craig Mueller Superintendent Havre Public Schools (The Center Square) Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has joined colleagues from 15 states to write a letter to the head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to oppose a plan by the Biden administration to require publicly traded companies to disclose information about climate change. The attorneys general told SEC Chair Gary Gensler that compelling the disclosures should not be pursued, especially since companies are using other methods to answer investor questions on climate change. The officials urged the SEC to focus on its mission and not look to encroach into other topics. The Commission has an important and difficult mandate with respect to safeguarding public trading, but it is hard to see how it can legally, constitutionally, and reasonably assume a leading role when it comes to climate change, the attorneys general wrote. The letter was in response to a March 15 public solicitation issued by then-Acting Chair Herren Lee. In a statement at that time, Lee said questions have been raised whether corporate disclosures provide sufficient information for investors and others regarding climate change disclosures. The 2010 Climate Change Guidance noted that, depending on the circumstances, information about climate change-related risks and opportunities might be required in a registrants disclosures related to its description of business, legal proceedings, risk factors, and managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations, Lee said in a statement. "The release outlined certain ways in which climate change may trigger disclosure obligations under the SECs rules. The SEC wanted input within 90 days. Cameron said in a statement what the SEC was trying to do represents a classic example of government agencies exceeding their authority. Requiring publicly traded companies to disclose the Biden Administrations preferred climate change information will put an unnecessary target on the backs of companies, he said. The SEC letter comes after Cameron filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month, urging the nations top justices to side with West Virginia officials in a case against the Environmental Protection Agency. In that case, Cameron said the EPA was exceeding its authority in looking to put restrictions on West Virginias coal industry. If the EPA succeeded, he argued, it would have a devastating effect on Kentuckys coal energy. Henderson, NC (27536) Today Showers and a few thunderstorms likely. High 76F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. BRCC to name new auditorium for Wyatt BRCC President Laura Leatherwood announces that a new auditorium in a classroom building currently under construction will ne named for County Manager Steve Waytt. Blue Ridge Community college will name a new community auditorium/lecture hall in the new classroom building for outgoing County Manager Steve Wyatt, recognizing his support for $91 million worth of capital construction on the campus and his support of the college generally during his tenure as "the wizard behind the curtain." "I know that the ultimate decision really lies with the Board of Commissioners to approve this but we also know that you are mastermind and the 'Wizard Behind the Curtain' that makes it a reality," BRCC President Laura Leatherwood told Wyatt and the Board of Commissioners during their regular monthly meeting Wednesday. "In recognition of your commitment to the success of Blue Ridge Community College and on behalf of the Board of Trustees we are naming the new community Auditorium/Lecture Hall in the new Classroom Building known as the Patton Project the Steven D. Wyatt Auditorium." In remarks before that announcement Leatherwood ticked off the contributions Wyatt had made during his service as county manager since March 2006: In 2008, while conceived prior to your tenure, you assisted us in building the Technology and Education Center along with the Conference Hall resulting in a $16,059,393 investment. This facility sees over 65,000 people per year we estimate more than 1 million people have visited this center since it was built. In 2014-2015 you facilitated the building of the Health Science Center on the Pardee Campus. This facility houses the Pardee Cancer and Surgery Center, Wingate University and Blue Ridge CC with an investment of $34,045,723. This public/private partnership was not an easy task but you got it done. In 2016 we built the Innovative High School on the Blue Ridge campus to open in 2017 with a capital investment of $15,735,166. You recognized that looking forward, education needed to look different. In 2019 you supported and designed the MRTS Capital Improvement Plan for Blue Ridge. This includes a new Classroom Building we refer to as the Patton Project and also the Public Safety Center, also referred to as POPAT. These two projects resulted in a county investment of $24,500,000. These two projects will be completed in Summer 2022. And last but not least you helped us purchase the Llama Farm in the amount of $500,000 because we know in the future, this was a critical piece of the expansion of our college campus. Earlier, the Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution of commendation and appreciation. During during his 15-year tenure, the resolution said, Wyatt: PLANS for a five-storey Premier Inn on the car park at Henley station have been formally submitted. An application for the 115-room hotel has been made to South Oxfordshire District Council, the planning authority, by Blocwork, a partnership between the landowner Network Rail and developer Bloc Group, of London. When the proposal was first revealed in December it was opposed by neighbours and town councillors who said the hotel would be bigger than necessary and an eyesore. Despite this, most of the original plans have stayed the same in the application. Nicola Tindale, a director of Bloc Group, said: This planning application is the culmination of five years careful work by Bloc and our development partners. We have taken time to bring forward a good application that will transform an underused car park into an asset that will create jobs, contribute hundreds of thousands of pounds per year to Henleys economy and deliver 12 more car parking spaces at Henley station for commuters, visitors and hotel guests. The development will bring many long-term benefits to Henley as well as addressing an identified shortage of hotel beds in the town. But the Henley Society, a conservation group, called the hotel design horrendous and said the scheme would put too much pressure on car parking. Chairman Geoff Luckett said: In January, 76 per cent of our members said they were against the hotel and one person said they would take it as it stood. The remainder said Henley could take a hotel but with a lot of modifications. There is nothing I can see that would change the perspective of me or our members. It is still five storeys and I just cant justify another 115 bedrooms in Henley. Residents of Wyndale Close, which backs on to the car park, say the hotel would be too big and would affect their privacy and lead to more noise and light pollution. Lorna Watson, who has lived in the road for 15 years, said: Five storeys is absolutely ridiculous. Its going to change the whole appearance of this part of Henley and you will be able to see this towering above everything else from miles away. We will become just like any other town. We already have people parking in this road and the hotel would make things more difficult. Anna King, who chairs the Wyndale Close Residents Assocation, said in January: It surprises me how out of keeping it is with our historic market town and it will remain an eyesore for decades to come, should it go ahead. I dont feel any effort has been made on behalf of the developers to adapt their design to the local surroundings. It is almost as if they have dumped their motorway service station blueprint on our town. It will become one of the tallest buildings in Henley and will materially alter our skyline for the worse and thats quite a scary thought. Following the initial consultation, a statement of community involvement was produced by Walsingham Planning, of Bourne End, on behalf of the developer. The statement says: The proposed hotel sits on a site within an existing built-up area of the town. The site is previously developed land and is located outside the conservation area, next to an existing railway station and line. The site is very much urban in character and there are examples of surrounding buildings that are similar in height and scale to what is proposed, particularly those buildings at the entrance of Station Road. The siting of the building ensures that there is maximum distance to those nearest neighbours to the south and west, allowing for a five-storey building in height to be achieved. Technical studies have been undertaken that demonstrate a building of the size proposed can be accommodated on the site and is not out of keeping with the urban nature of the site and its surrounds. The pre-application discussions with South Oxfordshire District Council have confirmed that this approach is acceptable. Notification letters were sent to neighbouring homes and businesses and 132 responses were received. Some people questioned if there was a need for a new building, given that the old Imperial Hotel in Station Road has been shut since 2006 and could be re-opened instead. Walsingham Planning says: While there may be an existing vacant hotel building within the town, it is not for the planning system to require this building to be brought back into use when there is a clearly identified need for larger-scale hotel proposals to come forward in those locations that the adopted local plan seeks to support. The need for new visitor accommodation within the district and the town goes beyond the refurbishment of one currently vacant hotel building. It says the Premier Inn would not be unneighbourly, adding: Hotels by their very nature are not land uses that are inappropriate to neighbouring residential development and locations such as this in a built-up area. A detailed noise assessment has been prepared that demonstrates, through appropriate conditions, measures can be introduced that ensures all plant and equipment required to serve the new hotel will not have an adverse impact on... neighbours and hotel guests. The distance from the rear elevation of the hotel to the nearest dwellings will be 48.5 metres, providing a significant area of breathing space. This distance will avoid a sense of the building being overbearing on neighbouring properties and ensures that distances between windows far exceed those that would normally be required for residential developments that back on to each other. There would be 12 new parking spaces, bringing the overall number to 308. Residents argue this is insufficient but Premier Inn says itd enough for both guests and commuters. Network Rail says there is spare capacity at Henley already and the scheme would allow 55 new spaces to be created at Twyford, the other terminus on the Henley branch line, where there is a shortage. There may also be more space generated in Goring and Wargrave. Premier Inn, which is the largest hotel chain in the UK, estimates the Henley hotel would add 1.9 million a year to the local economy. Paul Smith, acquisitions manager at Premier Inn, said: Independent analysis calculates 975,000 of this money [is] expected to be spent in restaurants, shops and local businesses in the town. Flexibility, combined with our high year-round occupancy and our guests desire to explore the areas around our hotels, creates substantial economic benefits around our hotels. Henley Town Council discussed the proposal earlier this year. Councillors raised concerns about the height and appearance of the structure. Councillor David Eggleton said: I think it is unsightly. If it was done on a smaller scale and there wasnt an impact on the residents in the area, I would be for it. Councillor Will Hamilton said: Limit the size to three storeys. If they need a fourth storey they should go down. They should do car parking underneath. Im concerned for the residents of Wyndale Close and would ask the developers to look again at lowering it and moving it away from the area. The councils planning committee is expected to discuss the application on July 13. 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. We accept obituaries only from the funeral home in charge. For information on submitting an obituary, please contact The Herald-Dispatch by phone at 304-526-2793 or email at obits@herald-dispatch.com. Obituaries for The Herald-Dispatch must be received by 2 p.m. to appear in the next days publication. Obituaries for the Wayne County News, which publishes on Wednesday, must be received by noon Tuesday. 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. Provo, UT (84601) Today Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Provo, UT (84601) Today Mostly sunny skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Uniontown, PA (15401) Today Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 70F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 57F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Please be aware that Cache Valley Publishing does not endorse, and is not responsible for alleged employment offers in the comments. Recommended for you Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Please be aware that Cache Valley Publishing does not endorse, and is not responsible for alleged employment offers in the comments. Hello, my name is Michel. Ive been a local ever since I was 5, going on to be 18 now. At least four people were killed and four more were wounded in a second mass shooting in Chicago in four days on Tuesday morning. According to police, a barrage of gunfire began just before 6 a.m. in the city's Englewood area. The incident occurred after a domestic disturbance. When the gunfire began, many people were gathered inside, said the police. Four individuals were declared dead at the scene, as per ABC affiliate WLS-TV in Chicago, which obtained information from police sources. The identities of those killed, as well as their ages, were not immediately revealed. The reason for Chicago's second mass shooting remains unclear Three women are among the deceased, said Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown, who spoke during a press conference. The incident left four individuals critically injured, including a 25-year-old and a 41-year-old male. Both were reportedly shot in the back of the head. A woman and a 23-year-old man who was injured in the back are in serious condition at the University of Chicago Hospital. Private vehicles were used to transport some of the injured to hospitals. Authorities said a 2-year-old child who was in the house at the time of the shooting was taken to St. Bernard Hospital for observation but did not appear to be hurt, reported USA Today. The reason for the shooting, as well as the circumstances surrounding it, are being investigated. There have been no arrests. Police were called to the neighborhood about 2 a.m. to investigate a report of shots fired near the quadruple crime scene, according to Brown. When officers returned to the scene at 5:45 a.m., he claimed they discovered multiple shooting victims. Brown said police had previously been to the same residence for "disturbances," but he wouldn't say what the prior calls were about. Following Tuesday's mass shooting, a high-capacity ammunition magazine was discovered at the residence and there was no apparent force entry, as per CNN. So far, no one has been named as a suspect in the shooting. The victims are the only witnesses, but because they are still being treated for their injuries, police have not been able to obtain testimonies from them, he added. Read Also: Massive Illinois Chemical Plant Explosion Prompts Authorities to Order Evacuation; Causes Environmental Nightmare Chicago Mayor says there are many things to do to end violence According to USA Today, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot stated at a press conference on Tuesday, "We must accept this for what it is - a tragedy that has ripped apart families and inflicted intense trauma on numerous individuals. It informs us that there's still a lot of work to be done." In the aftermath of the shooting, the Biden administration reached out to the city, said Lightfoot. Community activist Andrew Holmes says dozens of people were out on the sidewalks near the shooting scene Tuesday morning, attempting to figure out what happened. Many people had not heard from their loved ones, and others were rushing to local hospitals to see if they could obtain identification, according to Holmes. Last year, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence spiked in Chicago - and throughout the country - and it's doing so again this year. The city data shows more than 1,600 individuals have been shot in Chicago in 2021, a 19 percent raise over the same period last year. Over 260 people have died as a result of gunshot wounds. Police data revealed that the number of shootings has increased by 56% in the last two years. People living in low-income communities on Chicago's South and West Sides, where food shops and pharmacies are few, are disproportionately affected by gun violence. Municipal records indicate more than 80% of the shooting victims this year are Black. The Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group that monitors media and police reports said there have been more than 274 mass shootings nationwide so far in 2021. A mass shooting is defined as four or more persons shot or killed, not counting the offender. Related Article: Mob Attack Reportedly Injured Two New Jersey Police; Video Reveals Part of Controversial Encounter @YouTube @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An Illinois resident was discovered to have been infected with the COVID-19 virus before the widespread pandemic was reported in the United States, a new study published by the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal said. Nine participants were included in the study, five of which were from Illinois, while the other four were from Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The researchers found out that the individuals were infected with the coronavirus before the first cases were reported in America. There have been some very rare and irregular cases in the United States, but were not conclusive enough to have been noticed by experts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Natalie Thornburg said. Early Confirmed Cases The study is not definitive and many remain doubtful of the possibility, but some officials are slowly accepting the idea that there have been some cases of the COVID-19 virus in the U.S. before the massive outbreak. Despite the skepticism surrounding the research, the study's results were consistent, Thornburg said. Medical professionals worldwide were made aware of the existence of the COVID-19 virus in late 2019 when China reported cases of the infection in Wuhan. The first reported case in the United States was from a Washington state man who traveled home to the U.S. from Wuhan, China on January 15, 2020, Newsweek reported. Read Also: Deadly COVID-19 Outbreak Hampers Thailand's Mass Vaccination Campaign The study also allowed health experts to discover the information regarding the first infections of COVID-19 across the United States. Josh Denny, M.D., M.S., Chief Executive Officer of the NIH's All of Us and an author of the study said the results of the research were crucial for informing public health strategies and preparedness. Denny said false positives were a major challenge in studies such as this one, even more so when the infection was not very common. This was the situation scientists were faced with during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. CDC guidelines were followed for sequential testing on two separate platforms. Limitations of the Study However, researchers of the study said there were several limitations hampering the reliability of the analysis. First, there were too few samples collected from across many states in the United States. Second, experts were not sure of whether the infected participants contracted the virus during travel or from local communities, the NIH reported. Two of the confirmed cases were found to be from a time before public health officials confirmed the COVID-19 had entered the United States. The discovery of the cases gives health experts more knowledge about the geography of the coronavirus pandemic's spread, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore Keri Althoff the lead author of the study said. Althoff noted the results of the study showed health officials that testing should be done early as soon as possible when an outbreak is discovered. Only a few people with symptoms were tested and confirmed to be infected with the COVID-19 virus during the early days of the pandemic due to the limited number of tests and lab availability, the Wall Street Journal reported. Related Article: Nearly 900 Americans Receive Expired COVID-19 Vaccines at Time Square Vaccination Site Related Article: Nearly 900 Americans Receive Expired COVID-19 Vaccines at Time Square Vaccination Site @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has declared a one-year prohibition on importing dogs from 113 countries due to rabies concerns. Dogs arriving from such nations already required proof of rabies vaccination. However, the prohibition is deemed necessary due to a spike in the number of puppies denied entry because they were not old enough to be fully inoculated, according to the CDC. The prohibition is also in response to the alarming number of dogs bought from foreign countries that arrived in the United States with false rabies vaccination certificates during the past year. Ban to go into effect on July 14 The prohibition will be implemented on July 14. Douglas Kratt, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, lauded the ban, reported CBS 42. According to the agency, the move would affirm the health and safety of dogs imported into the US and protect the public's health. The CDC stated, "This suspension applies to all dogs, including puppies, emotional support dogs, and dogs that traveled out of the United States and are returning from a high-risk country," reported Independent. According to Emily Pieracci, a veterinary medical officer at the CDC, over the past year during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a remarkable increase in the number of dogs that are being imported and presenting falsified rabies inoculation certificates. Read Also: CDC Advises Schools Not To Discontinue Using Face Masks The 113 countries include China, Russia, Brazil, India, Peru, Kenya, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belarus, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Jordan, Ecuador, Cuba, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia, according to the agency. In 2020, the CDC remarked that the surge in denied entries alongside diminished flight schedules resulted in dogs facing longer wait times prior to returning to the country they departed, at times leading to illness and death. According to the agency, an estimated 6 percent of all dogs imported into the US come from nations with high risks for rabies. It added that inadequately inoculated dogs pose a public health threat. About one million dogs are imported into the country annually. The agency said the pandemic and a shortage of quarantine facilities also contributed to the decision in issuing the prohibition. The declaration comes in the midst of a jump in dog importation, which is associated with the surge in dog adoptions throughout the pandemic. According to the CDC, "This action is necessary to ensure the health and safety of dogs imported into the US and to protect the public's health against the reintroduction of canine rabies virus variants," reported BBC. The prohibition applies to canines arriving or being brought back to the US. These include pets or those brought in for adoption or sale. For example, if an American couple took their dog to Belize, they would not be able to return the dog to the United States unless the dog first spends six months in a country that is not highly vulnerable for rabies. Related Article: CDC Says Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine May Be Linked to 28 Blood Clotting Cases, 3 Deaths @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A petition asking for the superintendent of a New Hampshire high school to resign has nearly half of the required signatures. The school was recently criticized for identifying its unvaccinated students with a marker at their prom. For a variety of reasons, parents of certain kids in New Hampshire's School Administrative Unit 16 (SAU 16) are requesting the replacement of Superintendent Dr. David Ryan and several school board members. These reasons include keeping the district's schools closed after other schools in the state reopened, not allowing parents to choose whether or not their children should wear face masks, using mental health assessments without parental knowledge or consent, and branding and tracking of students at prom. Exeter, Brentwood, Kensington, East Kingston, Newfields, and Stratham, N.H. are all served by SAU 16. Parents are outraged as teachers marked unvaccinated students at a prom "We want a leader who can unite the community and serve all of SAU 16's families. We no longer trust you to lead our district to the high standards that our students deserve," the petition reads, as per Newsweek. With 459 signatures, the petition is over halfway to the 1,000 signatures required. A black marker was used to label any student who didn't have a vaccination card at Exeter High School's senior prom earlier this month, while students who have had vaccinations received a red mark. During the school dance, event organizers and other underclass students asked pupils to raise their hands every few songs for contract tracking purposes. The way prom protocols were handled prompted Republican State Rep. Melissa Litchfield to ask for additional information about the events on her Facebook page. She also stated that school authorities had no right to demand vaccination cards, and she cited a parent's outraged comparison of the scenario to "Nazi Germany." While the school said that it was unaware of any COVID-19 instances related to the prom, it also stated that just one of the event's organizers had a list of prom attendance that included numbers that corresponded to student names. That particular piece of information has been kept confidential. Principal Mike Monahan defended the action in an emailed statement to NBC10 Boston, stating, "Our student and parent response to the prom experience has been incredibly good. We are aware that some students have voiced worries about being singled out or having their privacy invaded." Students at Exeter High School in New Hampshire were marked unvaccinated and vaccinated with a pen earlier this month. Administrators defended the policy in a statement on the school's website. The school stated that no COVID-19 cases have been linked to the prom. Some parents were outraged by the action, which also garnered criticism from a lawmaker. Read Also: Israeli Researchers Find Oral COVID-19 Vaccine Works as Booster Some schools require students to be vaccinated Some parents in New Hampshire are pushing back as schools around the country wrap off an academic year plagued by issues about in-person learning, masks, and social exclusion. Following the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children as young as 12 years old last month, the focus has moved to vaccination status and whether states may impose vaccinations for students in the fall. In the United States, almost 17 million adolescents are now eligible for vaccination. Per The Washington Post, some school districts, like the Los Angeles Unified School District, have said that vaccination will be required for students. However, according to a Gallup survey released Friday, only 56% of Americans support mandating high school students to get vaccinated before the fall. Some institutions, such as Centner Academy in Miami, have gone to extremes to oppose the vaccination, using discredited disinformation and informing its teachers in April that they should either not get the vaccination or expect to be rejected. Related Article: Nearly 900 Americans Receive Expired COVID-19 Vaccines at Time Square Vaccination Site @YouTube @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Former United States President Donald Trump was revealed to have attempted to enlist the support of top U.S. law enforcement officials to drive a conspiracy campaign to overturn his 2020 election defeat against then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Between December 2020 and January 2021, the documents revealed the Republican, supported by his allies, attempted to push conspiracy theories to maintain his position as president of the United States. Many justice department officials struggled to resist Trump's efforts. The emails disclosed how Trump tried to enlist the help of the country's chief law enforcement agency to further his own agendas, Chair of the House of Representatives' Oversight Committee, Carolyn Maloney, said. Desperate Attempts Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, ordered justice department officials at least five times to investigate false allegations of voter fraud. The analysis included a conspiracy theory called "Italygate," which claims the European region helped tweak the electoral data by using military satellites while the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was aware of the process. Jeffrey Rosen was given a YouTube video link by Meadows on January 1 which detailed the conspiracy theory. The email was later forwarded to Richard Donoghue, the then acting deputy attorney general, who said it was "pure insanity," The Guardian reported. Additionally, the emails showed how Rosen faced mounting pressure from the White House. The efforts of the Republican former president came as he replaced Attorney General William Barr, who previously said there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Read Also: Illinois Residents Discovered to Have Been Infected With COVID-19 Before First Reported Cases in the US The emails showed that Trump's assistant sent Rosen and Donoghue on December 14, 2020, a document that claimed there was voter fraud in Antrim County, Michigan. One of Donoghue's aides sent the document to the U.S. Attorneys for the Eastern and Western Districts in Michigan. An hour after the documents were sent, Trump posted on social media that he was removing Barr from his position with the Justice Department before Christmas in 2020. The Republican announced he would put Rosen and Donoghue at the top positions of the DOJ. Pushing Conspiracy Theories Rosen said he did not speak to Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani when the legal expert made false claims about voter fraud during the 2020 elections. Rosen told Donoghue he refused to be part of the efforts and did not provide special treatment to Giuliani or any of his so-called "witnesses," CNN reported. The House Oversight Committee revealed the emails on Tuesday and showcased Trump's desperate attempt to reverse Biden's election win with the help of top White House officials. The documents revealed Meadows' repeated attempts at trying to coerce Justice Department officials to support Trump's efforts. Until now, the Republican continues to claim he lost the election due to voter fraud and that he was the rightful winner of the 2020 presidency, calling the electoral race "rigged" and how the Democrat stole it from him. His statements come amid nonpartisan election and cybersecurity experts saying the last election was the safest and most secure in the history of the United States, Business Insider reported. Related Article: Trump's DOJ Under Investigation for Alleged Breach of Privacy and Attempts at Spying on Congress Members, Journalists @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Indian officials suspect that some private agencies conducted fake coronavirus tests, totaling at least 100,000 results, which could be a major factor in the sudden rise of COVID-19 cases in the country. Authorities ordered an investigation following an internal government report of the alleged fake tests. Many experts believe the Kumbh Mela festival that ran throughout April was a major contributor to the surge of new cases across India. This is because many of the pilgrims returning from the festival tested positive days after the event. Millions of residents gathered at the town of Haridwar on the banks of the river Ganges in the northern state of Uttarakhand to celebrate the festival. A four-member committee will submit a report in two weeks regarding the investigation that is focusing on potential lapses and fake results, Haridwar Health Officer Dr. Arjun Singh Sengar said during an interview. Fake COVID-19 Test Results Only 2,273 tests out of 251,000 returned to be positive across the district, Sengar said. However, many health officials said the numbers were questionable due to the government underreporting positive cases. The low number of infections showed a false sense of safety to attend the pilgrimage despite the fact that many of the attendees did not wear masks, making an ideal environment for an outbreak, the New York Times reported. The government report claimed that COVID-19 tests conducted during the festival had 100,000 fake procedures among the 400,000 tests. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party continued to advertise the festival in newspapers, inviting pilgrims from across the country despite public health officials' warning against the event. Before the surge of new cases, New Delhi began lifting lockdown restrictions along with tech hub Bengaluru after officials recorded a massive drop, reaching its lowest rate of daily COVID-19 cases in more than two months. Read Also: 4 Killed, 4 Injured in Second Chicago Mass Shooting Within 4 Days; Mayor Lori Lightfoot Urges to End Gun Violence New Delhi officials fully reopened shops and malls and allowed restaurants to operate at 50% seating capacity after a strict five-week lockdown. They also allowed suburban rail networks to operate at 50% capacity and partially reopened offices in the region, Reuters reported. Ongoing Investigations The Chief Development Officer Saurabh Gaharwar is leading the committee in charge of the investigation regarding the fake test results. The committee is ordered to provide a report of its findings regarding the issue within 15 days. The Haridwar administration ordered the investigation after the preliminary report discovered efforts to potentially conduct fake tests. The district health department is believed to have conducted the testing on a random number of people. The laboratory has had all of its payments withheld for the time being while the investigation is ongoing, Haridwar District Magistrate C Ravishankar said. SK Jha, Haridwar's Chief Medical Officer said that the level of committed irregularities was difficult to determine before the completion of the district administration's probe into the allegations. Authorities have not yet revealed who will be charged for the fake tests and whether legal action would be taken afterward, First Post reported. Related Article: Illinois Residents Discovered to Have Been Infected With COVID-19 Before First Reported Cases in the US @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Israel's Defense Forces (IDF) initiated a counterattack into Gaza following a balloon attack that sent incendiary devices floating into southern Israel. The counterstrike transpired on Tuesday evening in the United States and early Wednesday morning local time. It targeted Hamas military compounds, according to the IDF. According to Israel, its military aircraft attacked Hamas armed compounds in Gaza in retaliation to the launching of incendiary balloons from the territory that resulted in fires in southern Israel fields. In a statement, the military said that it was "ready for all scenarios, including renewed fighting in the face of continued terrorist acts emanating from Gaza," reported Independent. Escalating Tensions No immediate reports of casualties were recorded in the attack. The airstrikes arrived amid escalating tensions in the region following hundreds of Israeli ultranationalists who paraded on Tuesday in east Jerusalem in a display of force. A number of them were chanting "Death to Arabs," reported USA Today. The balloons and airstrikes marked another major flare-up of tensions between Gaza and Israel. A ceasefire was declared on May 21, which ended 11 days of brutal fighting. This confrontation recorded 260 Palestinian fatalities and 13 Israeli fatalities. Palestinian sources indicated Israeli air force targeted at least one site east of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younes. The Israeli army remarked in a statement that it targeted Hamas compounds. It also bombed one position in the Zeitoun neighborhood. Read Also: Israel's Netanhayu Out of Office, Bennett Sworn in as Prime Minister, Leading a "Government of Change" Dozens of Palestinians clashed with the IDF alongside the Gaza border on Tuesday. This is while tensions rose surrounding a flag march through the Old City of Jerusalem. During the clash, a Palestinian within a small group of instigators was gunned in the leg and was taken away from the scene in light condition. The Israeli military stated on early Wednesday morning it had used warplanes to raid Gaza compounds. An Israeli Defense Forces spokesman said that warplanes conducted raids on Hamas military compounds. He characterized these locations as "camps" and "meeting sites" of terrorists, as reported by NBC News. The targets were used by Gaza Brigades and Hamas' Khan Yunis for "terror activities," stated the IDF. The airstrikes in Khan Younis were reported along with the occurrence of "material" damage. Another site south of Gaza City was reportedly targeted and there were no casualties that transpired from both incidents. The strikes come mere days following Naftali Bennett's taking over as Israeli prime minister, ending the 12-year tenure of Benjamin Netanyahu, and weeks after an Israeli campaign recorded over 200 Palestinian fatalities, including over 60 children. No Palestinian injuries have been reported so far, as reported by Hamas-affiliated media. This marked one of the worst clashes between the Hamas militants and IDF since a small-scale war in 2014. The incendiary balloons, airstrikes, and march underscored the vulnerability of the tenuous truce. Related Article: Israel's Netanyahu Could Lose Prime Minister Job as Yamina Party Leader Joins Forces With Opposition @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. There were high hopes for the weapon that the US Navy spent $500 million on. However, this weapon, the electromagnetic railgun, which was supposed to fire projectiles at hypersonic speed, has proven to be unviable. Even after all the investment poured into it, the USN still has not armed any ship with it. Shifting kinetic weapon tech to other systems This weapon is being phased out as the Navy switches its emphasis to faster, longer-range weaponry capable of destroying both ships and land targets in a military crisis. Examples of these are hypersonic weapons that can fly at more than supersonic speed, something that Russia and China already have. The 2022 budget asked for by the Navy does not include money for the railgun, reported Yahoo Finance. Some weapons are not like conventional guns, cannons, and howitzers, as mentioned by Popular Mechanics. Conventional guns shoot a projectile out of the barrel with the pressure of an exploded gunpowder charge, propelling it on a ballistic trajectory. Railguns will speed up a shot down a pair of tracks with electricity and magnetism instead of gunpowder and chemical energy. Railguns are better than conventional guns since they lessen the amount of volatile powder a ship carries in its ammunition magazine. The projectiles are also faster. Even with the advantages of the weapon, canceling the Navy railgun project has some good reasoning behind it. It has been going on since 2005 but only three ships, the Zumwalt class destroyers, can use this high-tech weapon. Hence, the Navy is shelving it in the meantime. Read also: US Navy Destroyer Challenges China by Sailing Through Waters Near Paracel Islands Only with the commissioning of the next generation DDG(X) destroyers will the powderless cannon be ready for use, and that won't happen until the late 2020s. So far, no definite plans for the future destroyer have been established yet. Pursuing the railgun is also not in sync with the current direction of the US in relation to dealing with Russia and China. One of the problems of the powderless weapon is that it lacks the missile range compared to the Chinese DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile, touted as a ship killer. These metal hurling guns are good as defensive weapons that can track aircraft, missiles, and drones to shoot them down. But other conventional weapons are used to do the same thing but at a lesser cost. Hypersonic weapons are getting more important One type of weaponry that is gaining traction is the use of hypersonic weapons, like the Navy's new Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB). It is being developed with the US Army and can reach Mach 17, with a range of 1,700 miles. The speed it travels and its maximum range make it a weapon of choice for long-distance assaults, cited by Flipboard. Instead of railguns, the Navy has decided to arm its Zumwalts with C-HGB because it would be more affordable. Armed with hypersonic weapons the destroyer is going to be more lethal. After shutting down the Navy Railgun project, China seems to be working on its own version. Relate article: After 4 Years Commissioning, US Navy Adds Stealth Destroyer to the US Fleet @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Russia, which was previously one of the most powerful countries in the space race, is now relying on China for its space program. Russia and China have previously pledged to cooperate on launching expeditions to the moon and an asteroid as the United States and its partners continuously push the boundaries of space exploration, according to The New York Times. More than sixty years ago, Moscow had been the first to put a satellite in space. On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union sent Yuri Gagarin to space, making him the first man to be sent into orbit. Global Space Race While Russia fell behind the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the space race that followed, it cooperated with the United States to build and operate the International Space Station for the last twenty years. Now, Russia has pledged to work together with China to compete in the new era of space competition. Both countries now plan to launch a robotic mission to an asteroid in 2024. They also spoke of plans to build a permanent research base on the moon by 2030. The first of the plans to build a base on the moon begins October, when both countries would launch "Luna," a Russian spacecraft. The mission hopes to locate ice on the moon to provide water for future missions. Until October 2020, it was unknown to researchers how much water and ice there was on the moon. But a paper published in Nature Astronomy revealed a crater on the moon that is cold enough to hold onto water ice for billions of years. Read Also: Former US Marine Imprisoned in Russia Infected With COVID-19 Amid Lack of Proper Care China and Russia have recently fostered a relationship under current Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Their partnership, experts believe, could be an unofficial alliance against the United States, towards which both countries have had a tumultuous relationship as of late. On Jun 7, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian space chief, threatened to leave the International Space Station program if the U.S. refuses to lift the sanctions it has placed on Moscow's space programs. International Sanctions "If the sanctions against Progress and TsNIIMash remain and are not lifted in the near future, the issue of Russia's withdrawal from the ISS will be the responsibility of the American partners," Rogozin said, according to Reuters. "Either we work together, in which case the sanctions are lifted immediately, or we will not work together and we will deploy our own station." In December 2020, the Trump administration placed sanctions on companies with ties to the Russian military, including JSC Rocket and Space Center Progress and JSC Central Research Institute of Machine Building. Under the sanction, U.S. companies are now required to obtain licenses before they are able to sell services or materials to the foreign firms. The designation also affected Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, along with 42 other Russian entities and 58 Chinese companies. China, a latecomer to space exploration, had never been invited to join the International Space Station, in part because of a 2011 legislation that banned NASA from engaging in any cooperation with the Chinese space administration due to risk of espionage. Related Article: Trump Tries to Overturn Election Defeat Using Voter Fraud Claims, New Emails Revealed @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Authorities in Myanmar on Tuesday released an American journalist who has been detained since March 9. Nathan Maung, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Myanmar online news site Kamayut Media, has been incarcerated for more than two months in one of the country's most infamous prison located north of Yangon. Maung was released Tuesday after charges against him were dropped. He is scheduled to be deported to the United States this week, according to ABC News. However, his colleague, Hanthar Nyein, remains in prison. Mass Imprisonment The Kamayut Media co-founder had been locked up in the aging Insein Prison, a 134-year-old facility known for its harsh conditions and torture. The prison has recently become a central part of the crackdown against the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar. Since February 2020, the junta has detained more than 4,300 people in the prison, hundreds of whom were thrown in despite having fresh gunshot wounds, according to The New York Times. In interviews with The Times, a retired Insein prison guard and nearly a dozen former prisoners detailed the appalling conditions inside the institution. Two sources close to Maung and Nyein told CNN Business that both journalists were subjected to a two-week torture in an interrogation center before they were transfered to the Insein Prison. They were reportedly kept in adjoining rooms where they could hear each scream. The journalists were also refused access to food and water for several days. Five days into the torture, Nyein was allegedly ordered to hold ice on his arm. If he moved, the junta would hit him with a pole or a gun, the sources said. Read Also: 4 Killed, 4 Injured in Second Chicago Mass Shooting Within 4 Days; Mayor Lori Lightfoot Urges to End Gun Violence Two weeks after they were detained, the police transferred both American journalists to Insein, where overcrowding, mental and physical torture and lack of sanitation runs rampant under military rule. Alleged Torture Other former detainees have also attested to the torture happening inside the facility. In April, a 19-year-old, who was badly beaten and bruised, shared details of the torture he experienced in the hands of Myanmar's military officers. The teenager, whose identity was not revealed, said military officers tied his hands before beating him up using cables, glass bottles and guns. "The commander tied my hands from the back and used small scissors to cut my ears, the tip of my nose, my neck and my throat. (He) hit my head with a glass bottle, beat me up, pointed at me with guns but the bullets did not come out. He used the gun to threaten me as soon as I got to their station. Then he let his fellow soldiers beat me up that night," he told CNN World. The reports of torture inside the facility comes months after MRTV, a military-owned media in Myanmar, aired photos showing the bloodied and bruised of four men and two women. One of the women shown in the pictures appeared to have a swollen jaw and a black eye. Emboldened through impunity This junta uses torture as its policy AAPP is concerned for all those detained particularly in undisclosed locations If international community does not act. Torture, and to death, will clearly continue pic.twitter.com/6pGU3tSVT3 AAPP (Burma) (@aapp_burma) April 18, 2021 The airing of the photos prompted critics, including several members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to condemn Myanmar. Related Article: Israel Launches Airstrikes on Gaza Strip 3 Weeks After a Cease-Fire Halted 11 Days of Fighting @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The superintendents of Wisconsins five largest school districts are telling members of the Legislature that theyre dismayed that $2.3 billion in federal aid is at risk because of low funding for K-12 schools Israeli aircraft have carried out a series of airstrikes at militant sites in the Gaza Strip, the first such raids since a shaky cease-fire ended the war with Hamas militants last month Copyright 2021 at Sun Newspapers/ APG Media of East Central Minnesota. Digital dissemination of this content without prior written consent is a violation of federal law and may be subject to legal action. Lima, OH (45805) Today Mix of clouds and sunshine. Low humidity and cooler temperatures. High around 75F. Winds N at 5 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low around 55F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Appointment 16 June 2021 The Westin Nashville is proud to announce that Mark Vuckovich has been named Executive Chef of the 456-room hotel overseeing the property's multiple food & beverage concepts including the popular L27 Rooftop Lounge, the highest bar and restaurant in Nashville. Vuckovich is not new to The Westin Nashville team, having been the Executive Sous Chef since the property opened in 2016 and working alongside Area Director of Culinary Operations, Chef Jake Strang. Previous to this role, Vuckovich worked at four- and five-star hotels and resorts around the world, including The Ritz-Carlton Naples and Montage Palmetto Bluff. A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts, he has also trained under three Certified Master Chefs including Chef Derin Moore, CMC, Chef John Johnstone, CMC, and Chef Lawrence McFadden, CMC. Upon Vuckovich's appointment to Executive Chef, he recently debuted a new summer menu at L27 which features seasonal and elevated takes on classic favorites. Highlights include Seared Salmon, Beyond Burger, Beet and Ricotta Salad, Korean BBQ Wings and Funnel Cake Fries. In addition to continuing to elevate the food and beverage offerings at The Westin Nashville by introducing innovative menus, Vuckovich will be partnering with sought-after national partners for unique programming like Terrace at L27's new Quarterly Winemaker dinner series featuring Napa Valley's premier vineyards. Appointment 16 June 2021 Springboard Hospitality, a leading Honolulu and Los Angeles-based hospitality management company, is pleased to announce the hiring of new key personnel at Kauai Beach Resort in Kauai, H.I. Lisa Nakamasu joins Kauai Beach Resort as the new Catering Sales Manager where her primary responsibility is selling catering and event banquet services and assisting with overall sales. Born and raised on Kauai, Nakamasu brings many years of experience in the hospitality industry and a wealth of insight and experience in sales and service within the domestic and international markets. She previously served as Director of Sales with Kauai Visitors Bureau for 9+ years and was also in Regional Sales with Marriott International Hawaiian Islands, Hotels & Resorts. Press Release 16 June 2021 This afternoon, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Business Travel convened to discuss the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the business travel sector. Advertisements Chaired by Stephen Hammond MP, Clive Wratten, CEO of the Business Travel Association (BTA), Suzanne Neufang, CEO of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), Graeme Elliott, Director Government Affairs and Sustainability, Virgin Atlantic and Simon Hawkins, Director of UK-US Sales, Virgin Atlantic addressed MPs from across the Commons on the pressing issues facing the business travel sector. Clive Wratten opened the meeting highlighting the lack of business travel: "It is not an exaggeration to say that as a sector, we are still in lockdown. We look enviously at the hospitality sector operating at 50% whilst understanding their frustrations. We are not even operating at 10% of pre-pandemic levels with no end to this crisis in sight." Suzanne Neufang followed, endorsing the BTA's call for international protocols and an extension of furlough in the UK. Her speech highlighted the importance of the opening of a UK-US corridor: "Globally, the UK has seen the sharpest contraction of business travel spend. The opening of the UK:US transatlantic routes is critical. The US is the UK's largest single trading partner, accounting for 15.7% of UK exports in 2019. Similarly, the UK is one of the US's most important trading partners. We must work together with the Atlantic Charter's taskforce to get these routes open quickly and safely." At the conclusion of the APPG, Clive Wratten and Suzanne Neufang said jointly: "UK:US relations are at a critical point. It is only with our two Associations joining together that we can keep momentum around the importance of business travel across the globe. Today's APPG was an important step and we thank the MPs present for their dedicated support at such a difficult time. We look forward to further Government interactions on both sides of the Atlantic that will get us trading and doing business face-to-face once more." Press Release 16 June 2021 Sandpiper Lodging Trust (SLT) is pleased to announce its acquisition of a Suburban Extended Stay hotel located in Jacksonville, N.C. The property is a 117-room, economy extended stay hotel located near Camp Lejeune. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Advertisements Carter Rise, CEO of SLT, stated, We are extremely excited to add this Suburban Extended Stay hotel to the Sandpiper Lodging Trust portfolio. This represents our fourth flag under the SLT umbrella, which is a key component of our long-term strategy of building SLT into an outstanding, diversified REIT focused on the extended stay hotel market. Mr. Rise added Our core extended stay portfolio continues to out-perform as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and we remain very grateful to our lenders and equity partners for their confidence in us as we expand our platform of extended stay assets. We expect to see continued strong growth of our portfolio during the second half of the year, into 2022, and beyond. SLT now owns 16 properties located in six states from the Mid-Atlantic region to Texas. Press Release 16 June 2021 WASHINGTON - Lingering COVID restrictions and a patchwork approach to reopening across the country will prevent the economically crucial business travel segment from recovering until at least 2024, according to a Tourism Economics analysis released Tuesday by the U.S. Travel Association. Advertisements Travel overall is by far the U.S. industry hardest hit by the ongoing fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Spending on travel for large, in-person professional meetings and events (PMEs) declined by 76% last yeara $97 billion loss in spending. With vaccinations and infection rates in the U.S. trending favorably, restrictions lowered, and traveler confidence rebounding, domestic leisure travel is projected to reach 99% of its pre-pandemic peak in 2022 and to grow steadily thereafter. But in the absence of clear and consistent guidance from federal health authorities on PMEs, business-related travel is not expected to recover its pre-pandemic volume for an additional two years. Only about a third (35%) of U.S. businesses are currently engaging in any business-related travel. A staggering 65% of all U.S. jobs lost in 2020 were supported by travel, and they cannot fully recover without a swift return of all segments of travel, particularly in-person PMEs, according to the analysis. One of the major factors in the slow return of PMEs is the uneven patchwork of guidance that currently governs large gatherings from jurisdiction to jurisdiction nationwide. U.S. Travel is urging the adoption of federal guidance that is clear and consistentand that recognizes that health and safety measures can be more readily implemented at PMEs than at other forms of large gatherings. Leading health care scientists at The Ohio State University today also released a white paper that includes evidence-based analysisfocused on a scientific review of proven health and safety measures substantiated over the last yearshowing that it is safe to return to conducting and attending PMEs. In The Scientific-Based Evidence for Conducting Safe and Healthy Professional Meetings and Events (PMEs), the authors rely on science and guidance from trusted sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network to outline the best practices to ensure a safe return to large-scale, in-person PMEs. The paper also differentiates PMEs from other large gatherings, noting that PMEs offer a controlled environment that allows for scientifically proven safety measures. Getting back to our pre-pandemic ways of doing business must include taking evidence-based tactics we learned during the pandemic to keep people safe and healthy, said study co-author Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, Vice President for Health Promotion, University Chief Wellness Officer and Dean of the College of Nursing at The Ohio State University. We must continue to follow the best evolving science as we make plans to hold in-person events again. Polling indicates that 85% of American workers view in-person events as irreplaceable, and 81% who attended work-related PMEs before the pandemic miss doing so and are likely to attend such events in the future. Said U.S. Travel President and CEO Roger Dow: A thriving travel industryand the broader U.S. economyare dependent on the return of business travel and PMEs. Americans are eager to reconnect with colleagues in person, via business meetings, conferences and conventions, and these scientific analysis and recommendations make clear it is possible and safe to do so. Dow continued, A consistent approach to reopening PMEs, including guidance from the CDC that differentiates PMEs from other large gatherings, is critical to infusing confidence and optimism into this key sector of our economy. To support the return of professional meetings and events, a coalition of travel industry businesses and organizations, under the U.S. Travel Association umbrella, is also launching an initiative called Lets Meet There to advance the full and safe reopening of the business travel sector. Lets Meet There will be detailed at a press event in Las Vegas on June 16. As more American adults are vaccinated and pent-up demand for travel is released, its more important than ever that businesses and local, state and federal governments recognize the role meetings and events will play in our ability to make a full economic recovery, said Chris Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton. By following CDC guidance and implementing common-sense safety measures, were hosting professional meetings and events in our hotels across the country and are confident that these important gatherings can happen safely once again. View the U.S. Travel Association forecast here. Read The Ohio State Universitys white paper here. Media interested in interviewing the authors of the paper should contact Phil Saken (614.688.3326); to speak with a representative from U.S. Travel please contact Chris Kennedy (202.465.6635). Press Release 16 June 2021 UNWTOs African Member States will work together to establish a new narrative for tourism across the continent. To better realize tourisms potential to drive recovery, UNWTO and its Members will also work with the African Union and the private sector to promote the continent to new global audiences through positive, people-centred storytelling and effective branding. Advertisements With tourism recognized as an essential pillar of sustainable and inclusive development for the continent, UNWTO welcomed high-level delegates to the first Regional Conference on Strengthening Brand Africa. The conference featured the participation of the political leadership of host country Namibia, alongside public and private sector leaders from across the continent. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili welcomed the common determination to rethink as well as restart tourism. African destinations must take the lead in celebrating and promoting the continents vibrant culture, youthful energy and entrepreneur spirit, and its rich gastronomy, he said. Windhoek Pledge puts people first On the back of a series of workshops and a Ministerial Think Tank, UNWTOs African Member States unanimously endorsed the Windhoek Pledge on Advocating Brand Africa. Under the terms of the Windhoek Pledge, Members will engage both public and private sector stakeholders as well as local communities to build a new, inspiring narrative for tourism across the continent. They will identify positive, human-centred stories, and through strengthened partnerships with the media, showcase them to the world, reaching new and diverse tourism source markets. Over the coming weeks, UNWTO will work with all signatories to create a common roadmap towards establishing Brand Africa. This will include establishing common values and goals and identifying funding needs and opportunities as well as providing branding toolkits for destinations, including guidelines and recommendations and training and capacity building in market intelligence, digital marketing and data management. Bilateral meetings show support for tourism Alongside the conference, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, held high-level talks on the restart of tourism with President of Namibia Hage Geingob, as well as with the countrys Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and with the African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry Albert Muchanga Press Release 16 June 2021 Sheraton Boston Needham Hotel, a 247-room full-service hotel located in Needham, Massachusetts on the I-95 Corridor today announced that Providence-based StepStone Hospitality was appointed as property manager. The appointment of StepStone Hospitality, a best in class hotel management company, follows the acquisition of the Sheraton by an affiliate of Paceline Equity Partners, LLC ("Paceline"), a Dallas-based private equity manager. Advertisements The hotel reopened in May and is poised to re-emerge as a sought-after destination for corporate, social, education, and sporting groups, as well as business and leisure travelers. Function facilities at the hotel comprise 18,751 square feet of flexible meeting space, including two ballrooms that can accommodate events for up to 600 people and are equipped for hybrid meetings. For travelers' safety and peace of mind, the hotel follows Marriott's rigorous Commitment to Clean protocol. Later this year, the hotel is scheduled to undergo significant renovations to all guest rooms, lobby, restaurant, and meeting space. Planned guest room renovations include updated furniture, bedding and carpeting. Bathrooms in the rooms will also receive updated fixtures, and shower conversions in all King rooms. Other upgrades include a renovation and reconcepting of the common areas and Food & Beverage offerings, which will be in-line with the updated Sheraton brand image. The renovation is expected to be completed in spring of 2022, with construction to be executed in a minimally disruptive manner during the winter of 2021. "We are excited to continue to expand our portfolio with the addition of the Sheraton Boston Needham Hotel," said Tom Russo, Founder and Executive Chairman of StepStone Hospitality. "We look forward to working with ownership and the Sheraton brand to achieve the successes we have previously achieved in New England and the Boston area." "The Paceline team is excited to work with StepStone to support the Sheraton Needham during this market recovery period, and we are encouraged by recent favorable trends in the Boston hospitality market," said Sam Loughlin, Chief Executive Officer of Paceline. "The planned renovations will cement the Sheraton Needham's position as both a destination hotel for travelers visiting the Boston suburbs and a local event venue of choice," said Leigh Sansone, Chief Investment Officer of Paceline. ABOUT THE SHERATON BOSTON NEEDHAM HOTEL Sheraton Boston Needham Hotel, located 17 miles from Boston and less than five minutes from I-95 and the Needham Heights MBTA station is the perfect vantage point from which locals and visitors alike can explore and enjoy all the area has to offer. The hotel is adjacent to the N-Squared Innovation District, which boasts 6.4 million square feet of office space, including the offices of TripAdvisor, NBC Universal, IDG, and SharkNinja. The hotel is offering a re-opening promotion which includes a discount off best available rates and complimentary parking. ABOUT PACELINE EQUITY PARTNERS Paceline is a Dallas-based private equity manager focused on value-oriented, opportunistic, and special situations investments across corporate credit, real assets, and private equity. Paceline's senior leadership team members average 20 years of professional experience. Prior to the formation of Paceline, the senior leadership team worked together for approximately 10 years at a global private equity manager and its affiliates. To learn more, please visit pacelineequity.com. Press Release 16 June 2021 Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) today announced it will contribute $163,000 through Sands Cares to close out phase one of The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevadas $400,000 capital campaign to expand the Arlene Cooper Community Health Center in Downtown Las Vegas. Funding enables The Center to move forward with plans to provide full onsite health and wellness care for LGBTQIA+ and low-income downtown residents and supports the organizations long-term goal of generating recurring revenue through the clinic to sustain its LGBTQIA+ programming in Southern Nevada. Advertisements The generous support of Sands Cares and all of our capital campaign partners will deliver tremendous impact on the wellbeing of vulnerable and marginalized people throughout our community as we are able to meet their healthcare needs, said John Waldron, CEO of The Center. Sands closeout of our phase one funding brings us closer to realizing our vision of creating a full-service medical clinic that addresses our clients unique needs and overcomes the many challenges experienced by the LGBTQIA+ community in obtaining medical care. According to The Center, LGBTQIA+ people are often unable to find healthcare services in their area, encounter discrimination or refusals of service in healthcare settings, and may delay or forego care because of mistreatment concerns. In addition to meeting the needs of LGBTQIA+ people, the clinic will provide vital medical care for low-income Downtown residents, veterans, people with disabilities and the transient homeless population. With the closeout of the capital campaigns first phase, The Center plans to launch a comprehensive program of services in 2022, which initially entails delivering primary medical care to complement the clinics existing HIV and STI testing and mental health services. In phase two, The Center is soliciting funding to add a pharmacy, which is also targeted to open in 2022, to complement the clinics medical treatment services. The capital campaigns final phase will raise funds to upgrade the clinic to be a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Beyond better serving the LGBTQIA+ community and Downtown low-income residents, the clinics expansion with additional services and federal-designation will create a new revenue stream to aid The Center in providing programming and better delivering on its mission to serve as the heart and home of the LGBTQIA+ community. The opportunity to help The Center reach its funding goal for a full-service medical clinic is squarely in line with two of our primary Sands Cares strategies removing systemic barriers faced by diverse groups and investing in capacity building for nonprofits to help them deliver greater community impact, said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs at Sands. The Centers vision for the clinics multi-faceted impact is a vital necessity for Southern Nevada. Our intention with the Sands Cares investment is not only to cap this first funding phase, but to stimulate momentum and rally community support for the campaigns next phase focusing on the pharmacy addition. Sands donation to The Center follows the recently announced Sands Cares funding for the Asian Community Development Council (ACDC) to establish a language bank and hotline to assist Asian American Pacific Islander community members who face hurdles in accessing critical social services. The partnerships with The Center and ACDC are strategic investments in line with Sands mission to empower nonprofits serving diverse communities by strengthening their core offerings and helping them better address systemic issues. Combined, the $238,000 in funding to these two groups follows the companys $400,000 investment in nonprofits serving diverse populations announced at the end of 2020 and represents Sands accelerated focus on better addressing the needs of ethnic and minority communities. About The LGBTQ+ Community Center of Southern Nevada For more than 25 years, The Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBTQIA+ individuals and those who are underserved in Nevada. We function as the heart and home of the LGBTQIA+ community by making connections, delivering programs, and providing a safe space for health and wellness, social services, arts and culture, advocacy, and community building. Ongoing Center programs support LGBTQIA+ youth, adults, families, seniors, vets, people with disabilities, those living with HIV, and underserved populations. Additionally, we are proud to offer the Center Advocacy Network, the first nationally accredited program of its kind, focusing on LGBTQIA+ issues for victim advocacy. For more information on how The Center empowers everyone to thrive in Nevada, please visit The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada. Webinar HVS together with Bird & Bird (lawyers), AlixPartners (restructuring specialists) and EP Business in Hospitality invite you to attend our next webinar on the world of Hotel Franchising - why is a hotel franchise worth having? Key elements of the programme* will include: Around the Franchise Worldin 10 Minutes Partner and Co-Head of Bird & Bird's international Franchising group, Graeme Payne, will provide an overview of hot topics and themes in the franchise world, including: Territories seeing or predicting a spike in franchising Major markets that have introduced new franchise laws in the last 12 months and those that will do so in the next 12 months A summary of key topics arising in franchise negotiations A market entry tracker tool for franchisors Greater Freedom or Just a Different Set of Rules? CEO of HOFTEL, the association of hotel owners and franchisees, Simon Allison, will ask if franchising is the way forward for hotel owners: Most owners like the idea of brands - but few of them like the standard HMA structure Franchising has emerged as a strong alternative, both for self-managed and white-label operated hotels Owners need to be aware that there are still issues to overcome in getting this to work for them The Pros and Cons of Hotel Franchising - Expert Panel Session Panelists to be drawn from hotel owners, operators, investors, brands and distribution agencies. Moderated by Russell Kett, Chairman of HVS London * Subject to change Please register and add a reminder to your calendar using the buttons below. Hotel Franchising why is a hotel franchise worth having? is organized by During a pandemic-driven recession that challenged businesses with government shutdowns, capacity limits and consumer apprehension, many business owners in Houston and beyond say federal funding played a critical role in their companies survival, according to a survey by Bank of America. More than $22 billion in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) aid was distributed to businesses in Houston, accounting for more than 336,000 approved loans during the two rounds of funding in 2020 and 2021, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, and Jefferson counties received the largest number of PPP loans of the regional SBA office's 32-county coverage area. In Texas, more than 320,000 businesses received Economic Injury Disaster Loans, totaling more than $17 billion. The Economic Injury Disaster Loan program remains open until December 31, 2021. On HoustonChronicle.com: The recovery is gaining speed, but not everyone is out from under More than 3 million businesses shut down across the country at the height of the pandemic, according to study by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, a nonpartisan think tank at Stanford University. Congress approved several rounds of funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, which distributed some $780 billion in loans to help keep businesses open and workers on the payroll. The money was needed, according to Bank of Americas 2021 Small Business Owner Report. Nearly 70 percent of business owners in the country had to tap into sources of funding other than their revenues to stay afloat. Of those businesses, nearly half, or 48 percent, had to use personal funds to keep their operations running. One-third secured Paycheck Protection Program loans and 17 percent received other types of federal funding, according to Bank of America. Despite a tumultuous year, Houston businesses are optimistic about the future now that vaccines are widely available, according to Bank of Americas survey. Nearly three-quarters 73 percent of Houston small businesses expect revenue to increase over the next 12 months. Roughly two-thirds, 65 percent, said a widely available vaccine and herd immunity in their local community would help their businesses back to normal. Local business owners also expect certain lasting effects from the pandemic. Two-thirds of Houston business owners anticipate that operational changes made in response to the coronavirus will continue beyond the pandemic, such as enhancing sanitation practices and implementing more digital and online sales strategies. The Associated Press contributed. becca.carballo@chron.com The oil and natural gas deposits in the Permian Basin are millennia older than the states of Texas and New Mexico, which today sit on top of them. The methane and other greenhouse gas emissions emanating from the tens of thousands of wells in Permian do not recognize political boundaries, floating wherever the prevailing winds take them. Those imaginary lines on the map, though, make a considerable difference to operators of those wells. Texas and New Mexicos differing approaches to regulating the energy industry prove the importance and necessity of Congress reinstating restrictions on methane leaks. To say Texas takes a laissez-faire approach to methane emissions would be an understatement. TOMLINSONS TAKE: US natural gas exports necessary to fight climate change Methane is the element of natural gas that burns, giving off heat for generating electricity or cooking food. The problem is that natural gas prices are so low, and the cost of sealing up equipment can be so high that too many well operators either burn it off with flares or let it leak out. The gas is far more heat-trapping than carbon dioxide and is responsible for 25 percent of global warming. The Permian Basin is the nations hot spot for methane leaks, and requiring the industry to plug them would go a long way toward slowing climate change. New Mexico recognizes the economic value and the environmental importance of capturing methane. In March, New Mexicos Oil Conservation Commission voted unanimously to require operators to capture 98 percent of natural gas emissions and barred them from venting or flaring except for emergencies. Chair Adrienne Sandoval said the new regulations came after months of consultation with industry executives, environmental groups and the public. The industry has until the end of 2026 to comply. The Oil Conservation Commission has done its part by finalizing strong methane waste rules, Mario Atencio with the Chaco Canyon Coalition told the Carlsbad Current-Argus. And since nearly 70 percent of oil and gas methane pollution in New Mexico occurs through leaks, it is critical that the New Mexico Environment Department also adopts a rule that holds polluters accountable. The worlds largest oil and gas companies understand the urgency to take action. Oil giant BP pledged to spend $1.3 billion in the Permian Basin to cut emissions. Rystad Energy found that 40 percent of future flaring could be avoided at no cost. Texans, sadly, are hemming and hawing and dragging up the rear. Forty operators and seven trade associations formed the Texas Methane and Flaring Coalition to end routine flaring, but they dont plan to get there until 2030. They also expect the Texas Railroad Commission, which uses its anachronistic name to confuse the public about its actual mission to regulate the energy industry, to take no formal action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach to solving problems - not costly top-down mandates that attempt to pick winners and losers, said Jason Modglin, president of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. Railroad Commission Chair Christi Craddick is more than happy to accommodate the industry that provides the bulk of her campaign funds when she runs for re-election every six years. She has opposed proposed new rules on emissions and praised the previous administration for rolling back federal regulations. As Texas Railroad Commissioner, I fought against former President Barack Obamas one-size-fits-all environmental policies that impeded job creation and stifled energy production growth, Craddick wrote in a 2020 op-ed. Texas energy regulation is guided by free-market principles and based on studies of the processes that ensure responsible Texas energy production. Next week, Congress will vote on reimposing Obamas rules limiting methane emissions, and Texans should welcome them. Because despite what Craddick claims, keeping methane out of the atmosphere and in the pipeline benefits everyone. TOMLINSONS TAKE: Ending natural gas flaring in Texas is only the beginning Methane is valuable. When sloppy operators dont capture it, they are taking money from mineral rights holders and investors. Controlling emissions from oil and gas infrastructure also creates jobs. More than 200 companies with over 750 locations across the country make their money helping drillers and operators keep the valuable product inside the pipes, according to research funded by the Environmental Defense Fund. In recent years, weve seen a range of operators - from small independent producers to multi-national companies - embrace methane reductions as a critical part of doing business, said Andrew Baxter, EDFs director of energy strategy. Sensible methane standards that apply nationwide will even the playing field among operators and yield significant benefits to the economy and the environment. The world needs natural gas for at least another decade, but only if we can limit the leaks and stop routine flaring. New Mexico has done it, and if Texas wont, then Congress must. Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and politics. twitter.com/cltomlinson chris.tomlinson@chron.com A federal judge lifted the Biden administrations temporary ban on new oil and gas leases on public lands and offshore waters. In a victory for 13 red states that filed the legal challenge in Louisiana, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday blocking President Joe Bidens Jan. 27 executive order while the litigation continues. Bidens order called for a 60-day pause during which the Interior Department would conduct a comprehensive review of its leasing program. The president said the agency should consider its broad stewardship responsibilities, including the impact of global warming. Oil industry advocates cheered the ruling after warning that any long-term halt in leasing jeopardizes jobs and domestic energy production. Environmental groups countered that the judges order fails to account for the damage done by climate pollution. The Interior Department said its reviewing the ruling and will comply with it. The agency said its working on an interim report that will outline next steps and recommendations for the department and Congress to improve stewardship of public lands and waters, create jobs and build a just and equitable energy future, according to an emailed statement. Doughtys ruling requires the Interior Department to immediately restart its leasing program, even as the agency continues its review of the effects of drilling. Doughty, appointed to the bench in 2018 by former President Donald Trump, ruled that Bidens executive order violated federal laws governing oil and gas leasing. He also faulted the Biden administration for failing to offer any rational explanation for its pause. Millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake, Doughty wrote. Local government funding, jobs for plaintiff State workers, and funds for the restoration of Louisianas Coastline are at stake. Doughty refused in May to allow environmental groups to intervene in the case, saying that the Natural Resources Defense Council, Healthy Gulf and other groups hadnt shown that federal government lawyers wouldnt adequately represent their interests. A similar challenge by oil and gas industry groups to the leasing pause is pending in Wyoming. The Biden administration is developing targets for biofuel that are likely to be relatively flat or even lower as it seeks to balance the interests of blue-collar refining workers and advance a clean-energy agenda. The Environmental Protection Agency is set to propose renewable fuel requirements within weeks, according to several people familiar with the strategy who asked not to be named before a formal announcement. The targets will dictate how much corn-based ethanol, biodiesel and other renewable fuels oil refiners must blend into their products in 2021 and 2022. The proposal is on track to be issued after the Supreme Court makes what could be a pivotal ruling on the EPAs ability to exempt refineries from the mandates. Oil refiners meet the governments biofuel quotas either through blending renewable fuels themselves, or by purchasing credits from others that have. Prices for some of those credits have hit all-time highs this year on expectations the Biden administration would impose more ambitious quotas and stop exempting refineries from them. Corn and soybean prices have also climbed on expectations of more demand from biofuel makers. Instead, the EPA is considering more modest targets under the Renewable Fuel Standard program, according to three people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified describing internal deliberations. The agency is also moving to abandon a plan for incorporating waived quotas that had been adopted under former President Donald Trump. The move responds to pressure from refining advocates who have warned about mounting costs for the tradeable compliance credits. EPA is working to get the RFS program back on track, and we continue to engage with all stakeholders in that effort, agency spokesman Nick Conger said by email. The July gasoline crack spread extended a decline on the New York Mercantile Exchange, narrowing 23 cents to $18.95 a barrel at 4:57 p.m. Democrats from the presidents home state of Delaware, including Governor John Carney and Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons have asked the EPA to give refineries more time to satisfy last years quotas and ensure new 2021 requirements reflect the pandemic-spurred drop in fuel demand. Labor leaders also have also pressed President Joe Biden to set reasonable blending quotas and compensate for 2020 targets they say were well above the amount of biofuels that could possibly be blended into the fuel supply. The Biden administrations decision could have profound implications for non-integrated refineries across the Northeast U.S., including PBF Energy Inc., and Delta Air Lines Inc.s Monroe Energy, which have urged EPA to lower quotas. Those considerations have factored into the EPAs decision making so far, according to four people familiar with the agencys approach. EPA officials have gamed out numerous scenarios as they seek to respond to the refining concerns without undermining the renewable fuel program, the people said. Those options include maintaining or reducing blending requirements for 2021, while also ending a short-lived practice of incorporating estimated waived quotas. The efforts mark the Biden administrations first foray into the notoriously contentious Renewable Fuel Standard, a 16-year-old federal law that requires refiners and fuel importers to mix biofuel into gasoline and diesel. The EPA monitors refiners compliance with annual quotas via the system of tradeable credits known as Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs, that are generated by blending biofuels. Refiners that fall short of biofuel-blending quotas can buy the credits from other refiners and traders. Biofuel advocates are pushing back against quota reductions, with lawmakers from rural, corn- and ethanol-producing states preparing to make direct appeals to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, according to three people familiar with the matter. I would be completely shocked if the Biden administration actually took action to weaken or undermine the Renewable Fuel Standard, said Geoff Cooper, head of the Renewable Fuels Association. It would embolden the fossil energy industry and threaten the presidents entire clean energy and climate agenda. New biofuels EPA staff are working to approve new biofuels for use under the program, a move that could expand production of alternative fuels as well as RINs associated with them. EPA officials also have been asked to consider delaying the deadline for fulfilling 2021 quotas, a move it already took for 2019 and 2020. It is unclear how the EPA will address a lingering 2017 court ruling that found the agency improperly waived 500 million gallons worth of quotas in 2016. Biofuel supporters have pressured the agency to incorporate those requirements, while refining advocates have suggested ways they could be mostly set aside. Complicating matters, the Supreme Court is set to rule within weeks -- and as soon as Thursday -- on a case that tests the EPAs ability to exempt small refineries from annual blending quotas. The Biden administration already urged the high court to limit those exemptions, and it isnt expected to widely issue waivers even if the Supreme Court disagrees. Alliance Residential Co., a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based developer and owner of multifamily properties across the U.S., has launched Alliance Industrial Co. to develop and invest in warehouse logistics and distribution properties in key markets across the U.S. The platform, which aims to meet the growing demand for e-commerce space, is based in Houston. Cyrus Bahrami, who remains a senior partner in Alliance's residential platform, is president and CEO of Alliance Industrial, which intends to leverage the company's relationships in the capital markets along with its national acquisition, development and construction capabilities. Q: We moved from North Texas to a lake in East Texas. Within the first week of living here, my husband discovered a tick on his stomach. He pulled it out, and a week later we saw a bulls-eye rash as clear as can be. I sent him off to urgent care, and he asked for a round of antibiotics. The clinic had not seen a tick bite or rash ever! That sounds unbelievable, since the Sam Houston Forest is all around us. He took two rounds of antibiotics and the rash went away. Luckily, he has not had any residual effects. Dont mess around with Lyme disease! A: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme disease is relatively rare in Texas. There are, however, cases reported every year. Your husband was smart to get treated promptly. Prevention is absolutely the best strategy against tick bites. Readers of this column have praised the benefits of wearing permethrin-treated gaiters that fit over shoes, socks and lower pants legs. One person commented: The leading tick expert at the University of Wisconsin recommends wearing rubber boots (wellies) and says that ticks dont like them at all. I spray my boots and pants with permethrin, and so far, so good. We have tons of ticks in our Wisconsin woods. Q: Two months ago, I suffered a pelvic fracture when a big dog knocked me over. I am making progress but sleeping is a problem. The pain wakes me up, and then I cant get back to sleep. I am afraid to take PM pain relievers because I have read in your column that they might increase the risk for dementia. What else do you have to offer? A: The PM pain relievers that you mention contain the sedating antihistamine diphenhydramine (DPH). This is the same ingredient found in Benadryl that is used to treat allergy symptoms. We discourage the regular use of DPH for insomnia because the long-term benefits have not been established. A review of sleep medicines in older adults concludes that Diphenhydramine should be avoided in the elderly (Clinical Therapeutics, Nov. 1, 2016). That said, taking a PM pain med temporarily to both ease your discomfort and assist with sleep should not increase your risk for dementia. You can find many other options such as valerian, passionflower, ashwagandha or hops in our eGuide to Getting a Good Nights Sleep. You will find it in the Health eGuides tab at PeoplesPharmacy.com. Q: About 15 years ago, I was experiencing significant pins and needles sensations in my hands and feet and was diagnosed with MS. I began taking gabapentin for the discomfort. I kept taking the gabapentin and over the years I became progressively weaker and more fatigued. Then I began seeing specialists for bladder issues, among other things. I fully expected to end up in a nursing home within 10 years. Then I weaned myself from the gabapentin and noticed I was regaining strength and energy. I have now returned to living a totally normal, active life with my only symptoms being pins and needles. Careful use of supplements has helped reduce this, too. It scares me to think I might never have discovered the true cause of my disability. How many people are also living with a disease induced by medication? A: Thank you for your insightful story. Gabapentin (Neurontin) has Food and Drug Administration approval to treat epilepsy and nerve pain after a shingles attack (postherpetic neuralgia). Doctors do prescribe it off-label for many other conditions, though. Side effects include weakness, fatigue, sleepiness, dizziness and depression. Contact the Graedons at peoplespharmacy.com. Dr. Ruth Simmons on the value of education in a post-segregated America Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University, earned a doctoral degree in romance languages and literatures at Harvard. Before Prairie View, she served as president of both Smith College and Brown University in New England. A native of Texas, Simmons spoke with the Chronicle about social justice and the value of Juneteenth in America as the 156th commemoration approaches of the June 19, 1865, reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston. Q: What has your experience at Prairie View been like so far? A: Its very interesting to be president of Prairie View, because there are so many elements that are interesting to me. The first is that its my first job ever in the state of Texas being a native Texan. Second, being president of a state university, which is very different from my experience in the past being president of private colleges and universities. Theres a lot of bureaucracy in state institutions and so finding a way to navigate that has been a major experience for me. Its wonderful to me because of the students, of course. I see them very much like I was at their age, striving, trying to get an education, and very hopeful about what they can do with their lives in the future. To be able to contribute to that, is hard to explain how meaningful that actually is at my age, because I understand so much more now about the privilege I have to be able to do the work that Im doing. So Im very, immensely grateful. Prairie View is of inestimable value to the state of Texas and its been around obviously a long time. A lot of what you see in terms of progress made by African-Americans is due to the existence of this university. And as a native Texan, to be a part of that is especially meaningful because I understand what it would have meant if in 1876 the legislature had not created this institution. Now Playing: Video: Laura Duclos Q: What history does Prairie View have with Juneteenth? A: When I think about meaningful dates in history across the country, I think about the fact that we of course celebrate the independence of the country. I dont know how many people understand how meaningful it is to African Americans to learn finally that slavery has ended and for African Americans to have been given their freedom. There is nothing that compares to that. What do you do after youve enslaved an entire race for such a long period of time, giving them no rights to their bodies, no rights to their families, no rights to a future? What do you do when suddenly you declare that they are free? Well, theres a lot that you have to do. First of all you have to make up for a lot of the things that they missed as human beings and principal among those of course was the idea of education. The fact that we were created right at the end of Reconstruction in order to repair what had been done to African Americans makes us intimately tied to Juneteenth. There was a time when AfricanAmericans were embarrassed by Juneteenth, and so they did not speak of it as really in terms of Independence. They spoke of it in terms of how long it took for African Americans to gain their freedom. So it had a somewhat negative connotation for many for a long time. I think its nice that were coming into an era where African-Americans can declare openly and boldly what that history is and how they feel about it. Thats a new kind of freedom for African-Americans. Q: How do you personally celebrate Juneteenth? A: In my family, and of course this goes back in Texas for generations, we tended to celebrate in the old-fashioned way. That is, we gathered in the country to have a common experience and that usually meant food and barbecue, most likely. We started that when I was small and my family had been doing that as I said, for generations, and we continue that today. So we will have barbecue and we will have all of the forbidden, ethnic things associated with us, because again, for a time, we were so embarrassed by the kind of tropes that were used against African Americans. The watermelon, and the ways in which we celebrated were ridiculed, and so the idea of Juneteenth is not only to acknowledge the history and sober nature of this holiday, and the sacrifices that our forebears made, but also to say that we claim those tropes that were organized against us and hold us back. And so well do those things and embrace our history with pride. Q: What advice to do you have for Black youth? A: You will do as we did. And that is, you will learn and you will continue learning about the issue of race for the rest of your lives. And that it is immensely complex, both the history and the current context. What I learned over time is that each era has its own narrative for race, and we have to be open to the fact that we are evolving as a society. With that evolution comes change about the nature of race. For example, we have many young people today that are of mixed race who have to find a way to organize their thinking around the fact that they are mixed race. Whereas when I was growing up, it was practically illegal for mixed race couples to get married if not outright dangerous. And so one has to think about the ways in which we can acknowledge and incorporate that into our history, while thinking about the complicated ways in which African Americans in this country all have mixed blood. There was a segment on me once, and one of things that happened was that my family was investigated. They identified a white relative of ours who lived in the same town. But that connection couldnt be acknowledged due to racism and discrimination. So I say to young people: Be aware that youre part of a process of uncovering many many stories that could not be told before. You are also within the process of uncovering untruths that have been promulgated since the 1600s. We are at the very beginning of this story that we have to uncover about race in this country, and so it must be exciting to be a part of that and understand that the projects that youre involved in will be part of creating that history that has been missing, meaning that your project right now is a part of that. I also say you must not be racist. Working actively as young people to deter racist thoughts, racist behavior and race bias from yourself is the first work that you have to do. If you see someone targeted because of their race, its your duty to have the courage to intervene on their behalf. We have the obligation to show that we have learned from our own experience to be better around issues of race and class and sexism and homophobia and all of the hatreds that arise when people are protecting their own identity at the expense of somebody elses. Also, as I typically do in all of my commencement speeches: Youre obligated to be engaged in the struggle. You cannot be passive. Finding ways that you can be involved and make a difference and change the future for those who come after you is an absolute necessity for young people. Q: Whats the best way for Black Americans to get their voices heard? A: Overturning the kinds of assumptions that weve lived with for such a long time. The most important thing during subjugation was for Africans and Blacks to be ignorant. Ignorant of the severity of the inhumanity they were experiencing. Ignorance of the ways in which they could combat their servitude. Ignorance of their ties to Africa. That was absolutely essential to impose that on African Americans, that ignorance. So the first thing is that we have to combat ignorance. And the first obligation I see for African-American is to love learning, to find ways to be informed. To think for oneself to make judgments about what is good and what is bad, and not receive it from other people. To strive to be fair in all of your dealings and so on. To ban ignorance is exceedingly important, and I say that the first thing that we have to do is make sure that we are learning, make sure that we are exposing people to the truth. There are so many small ways to do that on a daily basis. Picking up a rare text and learning about something that nobody else knows about, or hearing about something falsely reported and calling it out for what it is. We love the term speaking truth to power, but the truth really must be true. Speaking truth into power isnt just speaking out at what we dont like. Its speaking to what is real and authentic and humane and honorable. I give my mother a lot of credit. Everyday she spoke to her children about being a decent human being, what it took to be a decent human being, how to treat others, how to respond in a crisis, how to deal with oppression, all of those things. And so its very important for us to do that with anybody that we encounter. The African American community has a very long and rich history of helping others. Imagine being torn from your families during slavery. Imagine not having any security at all. African Americans learned to count on each other. They raised other peoples children, they protected other people. Thats been our tradition. If we can learn more about the history and values represented by our forebears well be in pretty good shape. Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Q: What was your experience growing up in segregation? A: When I was growing up, I had nothing to compare it to. Everyone I knew lived under the same burden. Everybody I knew was poor. Everybody I knew was exploited, so living within that context I did not feel on a daily basis overwhelmed by it because I simply didnt know. I remember as a child going into town and experiencing the racism. We couldnt go into places and most notably we had to defer to whites. That meant if we were facing whites, and they were meeting us on the street, we had to step aside to allow them to pass. We could never speak overtly or forcefully to a white person, and we could not look at them in certain ways. It seems ridiculous now, but there was a code of behavior for blacks in those days almost anyone could severely punish you if you were out of line at all. Lets say I met someone on the sidewalk and I didnt step off and continued the way I was going. Somebody could discipline me right there. The power of so many different people to lynch and enact violence against blacks was almost ubiquitous. Imagine living your life understanding that at any point in any encounter you could do anything you want to another group of people. I always say the best thing my parents gave us is the ability to live to adulthood, which so many young people didnt get to do. The cost of that was suppressing who we were, suppressing what we thought, and suppressing our instinct to counter the bias that we faced. So it wasnt the kind of life one would ideally want to live, but heres the bonus aspect of it: We were in an environment with people who understood the massive show of inhumanity being perpetrated during those days, and as a community we organized to protect each other from the most vicious aspects of it. When I went to school in Houston, the teachers were really something else. They made us see that it was possible that this structure would end at some point. They made us understand that we needed to be ready for a different reality. And the way to be ready for that reality is for us to become educated. Q: Was there any lesson that you took away from that period that you apply today? A: I guess what I took away from that time is the value of every human being. And one thing I never, ever want to do is think that someone is less than I am because of where they live, or because of the color of their skin, or where they come from, or because of how they worship. I think that frightens me more than anything else, that proclivity that human beings have to abase others based on their particular preferences and their particular ambitions. In order for us to survive, we have to understand a fundamental humanity we all share. We can do bad things, but we ought to be able to see the fundamental humanity of human beings, humanity that allows you to relate to other people. I personally dont think that its going to be possible for us to get out of this world alive if we dont learn that lesson. Waddy, a senior at Texas Southern University, is a Summer 2021 intern at the Houston Chronicle. He can be reached at Treyvon.Waddy@chron.com. Conley is a photographer at the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at Elizabeth.Conley@chron.com. NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here. Tommie D. Boudreaux: A local historians perspective on Galveston and race Tommie D. Boudreaux is the Galveston Historical Foundations Chair of African American Heritage. A native of Galveston, she began her work with the foundation after retiring in 1997. She is the author of African Americans of Galveston and the newly released Lost Restaurants of Galvestons African American Community. Q: What was it like growing up in segregated Galveston? A: Galveston was somewhat unique in that Galveston was a city where a number of immigrants were just trying to make ends meet. African Americans may have just a little bit more freedom than than other cities around the time. For example, when I would go to my fathers hometown he was born in Brenham, Texas if they had to go shopping for something, he didnt want us to get out of the car, because he didnt want anybody to say anything to us if we touched something. In Galveston, it was much different. I mean, they [the employees] would still follow us around, but we didnt have the same treatment. So in my fathers hometown, the only thing I can remember going there for, was for the funerals. And we would go early in the morning and drive back at night. So I found out early that Galveston was a little different. , even though we were segregated. There were, you know, white and black fountains and white and black restaurants and so on. But it was just a little bit different. Even in the 60s when everybody was having sit-ins it wasnt quite the same. That time was short lived because there were private African Americans that knew the people serving within the city council. So it went a bit smoother than in other cities. Even in Houston. Now Playing: Video: Laura Duclos Q: Did you ever have your own individual experiences with racism? A: Well, I would say no, because my parents sheltered us. The furthest we would go by ourselves was down to the corner store. Anyplace else, they would take us. And if things didnt look right, then we were going back home. I didnt really experience racism until I had begun my work as a teacher. I was the only black in the department, and one day, we were doing reports and my co-worker came up to me and said I know why you dont get interview reports back, its because youre Black. The supervisors afraid of you. Q: Were there any lessons that you took away from living during that time? Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer A: I knew I needed to do my job, and I had to make sure that I was following the guidelines, not diluting anything that I did, presenting the way things were to be presented, because its something that I knew that I couldnt get away with. I stuck to that, because my father and mother always instilled in us that, should always try to do the right thing. If you have a concern, dont mouth off to somebody else, go directly to the person who can give you the help. Q: How have race relations changed in comparison to when you were growing up? A: Theres been some improvement, starting in the 60s, but today, at times, were going backwards. Technology is helping publicize a lot of things that people werent aware of, and is giving a voice to share their concerns about things that are happening. People are getting an opportunity to see more and hear more. There have been laws passed in some states that will, for example, make it difficult for minorities and elderly people to vote. Now, granted, theres been a lot of progress, and as far as Im concerned, we have moved ahead a great deal. However, things could be a lot better. There are still people on jobs, and theyre doing all the work, actually training people, and theyre not getting promoted. I think back to my father with a lot of things, because my father was a self-made mechanic. When he went out, I would follow them. Id go to a lot of the shops and other places that dealt with how to work on cars. He got a job in one of the dealerships, and when some of the mechanics would have trouble, they would ask him to do the work. But he wasnt paid for it, regardless of his skill level. A lot of that is still happening. Now they may get promoted, but still can only go so far. In this past year, a lot of people have seen the light. And I hope indeed that Im around to see more, more progress. Q: What are your thoughts on white supremacy throughout America? A: When you give someone the permission to do things and it doesnt necessarily have to be like go do this, it can be just in the way we word things, how we downplay things that gives permission to those [white supremacists] that have been among us for years. When you give them permission to feel comfortable in what they do, then theyre going to venture out. White supremacy has kind of been in the closet, but theyve been given permission to come out. There are those who could actually put their foot down and really say something, and I have no idea why they dont. So I feel that somebody needs to try and close the door on that. Q: What are your thoughts regarding the trial involving George Floyds killer? A: Im absolutely delighted with the verdict. Now, I know that theyre going to try to appeal that, and Im praying that, you know, whatever hes charged with, that it sticks. Because that probably is the one incident that some of the people who have been silent outside of our community have now opened their mouths. We have nationalities from all over the world that saw and publicized this incident. Q: Do you have any advice for the Black youth? A: I always mentioned my father, so I would say the message he gave to us is to protect your name. With all the media and all the things that young people like, such as Facebook and Instagram, just be careful. Young people need to protect their names. And be careful what you do. And if you have a concern, go to the right person. Thats one of the main things that I would suggest to young people today. Go to the right channels. When you have a grievance, you may not get your answer, but you can decide what youre going to do from there. Treyvon Waddy, a senior at Texas Southern University, is a Summer 2021 intern at the Houston Chronicle. He can be reached at Treyvon.Waddy@chron.com. Elizabeth Conley is a photographer at the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at Elizabeth.Conley@chron.com. NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here. Lone Star Family Health Center has received a $5,000 donation from the Ark Church in Conroe. With this generous donation, the health center is able to provide 200 visits at no cost at our Grangerland location, information from Lone Star Family Health Center Stated. Starting July 1, patients at the Grangerland clinic location that meet the income eligibility criteria for LSFHCs sliding fee discount program will receive a $25 voucher/coupon for use toward their visit. The eligibility criteria for a sliding fee discount includes anyone in a household with income that falls at or below 200% of the federal poverty limit. The sliding fee patients usually pay $25 for a visit, so with this assistance from The Ark, they will have no out of pocket cost for services, LSFHC information stated. The Grangerland clinic is open Mondays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Appointments can be made by calling 936-539-4004. Lone Star Family Health Center is grateful for this financial blessing from The Ark Church, Karen Harwell, CEO of Lone Star Family Health Center said in a statement to The Courier. The need for basic primary care and behavioral health services in the Grangerland community is immense and this generous donation will remove financial barriers to care. The Ark is celebrating its 25th anniversary and blessing the community every day for 25 days. While the church said it could have had a big party to celebrate the milestone event, instead it decided to give back $100,000 to partners and people within Montgomery County and around the world. Weve known about Lone Star for a while and during our 25 Days of Blessing we really wanted to Bless the community all over, Media Pastor Matt Clayton with The Ark Church said. We saw this as such a great opportunity. Its $25 for a kid to go to the Lone Star Clinic. We thought, man, that works perfect. We can make as many of those as we can happen. We really love what they are doing, reaching kids with all kinds of medical care, and especially in East County, he continued. That is a huge part of who we are, and we felt like it was a perfect match. The effort kicked off on June 6 and will end with a celebration on June 27. The church encouraged its members to give to and serve those around them the entire month of June. It also partnered with Kroger for a county-wide campaign to stock the Montgomery County Food Bank with 50,000 meals. It has been going great, we are pulling in lots of food, we are pulling in lots of food. We are in every Kroger right now in Montgomery County to bring food in, Clayton said. Several of the churchs youth also traveled to the inner-city Dallas-Ft. Worth area ministered to children in apartment complexes. The Ark gave an additional $40,000 to all its missions that will go to places like India, Burma, Africa, South American and all over the world. The Ark donated $4,000 to Angel Reach and plans to bless some college-bound Conroe Independent School District graduates, who went through tough situations, by outfitting their dorm rooms. There are still some plans that Clayton was not able to reveal just yet. He did mention that there are some things in the works for people who had home issues, single mothers, and veterans with special needs. He described being able to celebrate by serving, including during a time where so many have been challenged by the novel coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters, including hurricanes and the arctic storm in the winter. We have been thrilled to be able to do this, Clayton said. We are just thankful that the Lord has blessed us. We want to celebrate really what he has done. We thought about, this isnt our church, this is His church. This is our people; this is His people. He is going to take care of His church and He takes care of His people. The ability that we have as a church that we have been able to keep going, that we are recouping, and God has grown us in certain places in areas, he continued. We are just so grateful and thankful for that that we wanted to celebrate that with this. The church gave $9,000 to the city of Conroe to buy life vests for children. The Ark also went out to the Conroe recreational center and water park on Saturday and bought the first 350 people passes to go for free. The members also roamed to childrens camps and water parks and brought them free Kona Ice. We havent done a community-wide event like that in a long time, just blessing people with passes to the water park randomly, it was so much fun to be with the people and to be in the community again, Clayton said. It has just rejuvenated our heart just to bless, to be there, and to be a part of this community. He shared the Churchs Pastor Alan Clayton often asks, if the church was ever taken out of the community would the community know it was gone? That has been a huge part of our heart is to be here in the community every where we can be and just be blessing people not looking for handouts, but looking to bless, Matt Clayton said. The Ark has completed a new addition that will bring the total size of the churchs existing building to over 155,000 square feet at 450 Humble Tank Rd. The youth building is not ready yet, but the kids area has opened. The Lord has really helped us, and we were able to really build this incredible place for kids, Matt Clayton said. It has been a huge blessing and so much fun. mellsworth@hcnonline.com Reparations, Earl Lewis says, are not about the past. Rather, they are very much about the present, says the founding director of the University of Michigan Center for Social Solutions. Earlier this year, he notes, Evanston, Illinois, became the first U.S. city to pay eligible Black residents restitution for previous city policies that were racist. And, he says, reparations can be part of the future. This year, Lewis initiative, called Crafting Democratic Futures: Situating Colleges and Universities in Community-based Reparations Solutions, received a $5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The money will be used to organize programs among nine universities and their surrounding communities that will consider what a reparations plan might include. The Associated Press spoke recently with Lewis, 66, about reparations and his other work, including as a featured speaker at a forthcoming event, Americas Racial Reckoning: What Nonprofits and Their Funders Should Do Next, a free virtual program co-sponsored by The Associated Press, the Chronicle of Philanthropy and The Conversation, on June 23. Lewis, who is the Thomas C. Holt Distinguished University Professor of History, Afroamerican and African Studies, and public policy at the University of Michigan, received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Minnesota. He co-edited the 11-volume Young Oxford History of African Americans and was president of the Mellon Foundation from 2013 to 2018. The interview was edited for clarity and length. ___ Q: WHY FOCUS ON REPARATIONS NOW? A: This project came out of a set of national moments of reckoning after the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor among others. In late August, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation sent out an invitation to scholars around the country to come up with a plan to deal with racial justice and racial healing, which they call Just Futures. How do you actually secure a just future? I had started teaching a course the semester before on history, reparations and public policy. I was reflecting on where we were in 2020, with COVID as the backdrop, thinking about the ongoing murders of African American men and women, who, in my view, didnt warrant being killed. I thought, what can we do? I wondered if it was possible to build on the work that had already taken hold in Evanston, Illinois, and Asheville, North Carolina. That started us on the path that were still on. ___ Q: WHY A COMMUNITY-BASED EFFORT RATHER THAN A NATIONAL ONE? A: Theres a huge debate nationwide about this right now. My colleagues William Darity and Kirsten Mullen (authors of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century) have been pretty strong in their claims that the only entity that can actually address the reparations question is the federal government. By their calculations, the price tag is somewhere between $10 trillion and $12 trillion. And they actually think all of this work by communities or companies or foundations or you name it is misplaced because they dont have the resources to truly come up with a reparations solution. But Im a historian. And if you read the history of social change in America, it comes in both directions from the top down from the federal government through legislation but also from the ground up from the grassroots, from communities agitating for social change. Thats the story of the civil rights struggle. ___ Q: WHAT DO YOU SAY TO ARGUMENTS THAT REPARATIONS AREN'T NEEDED BECAUSE SLAVERY IS IN THE PAST? A: Slavery was in the past. It still has a legacy of fact. But we dont have to stop at slavery. We can actually go into the era of Jim Crow and redlining, and the ways in which the federal government systematically discriminated against African American homeowners. Or we can go to the G.I. Bill and how it disproportionately favored whites and was against African Americans and others who served. We can look at the ways in which the criminal justice system turned the War on Drugs into mass incarceration that disproportionately affected African-Americans. ___ Q: EVEN THE PANDEMIC SHOWED AFRICAN AMERICANS FARED DISPROPORTIONATELY WORSE THAN OTHER GROUPS. A: Exactly. We have to figure out a way to move forward together to repair the damage of the past. This is not a time for an ostrich-like approach, sticking our heads in the sand hoping that if we stick them there long enough it will all go away. It hasnt. And it wont. ___ Q: DO YOU THINK PHILANTHROPY SHOULD FUND MORE RESEARCH ON COMPLICATED ISSUES? A: As the former president of a major philanthropy in the United States, I was always mindful of the power that you have when you control billions of dollars in assets. Oftentimes, it makes it look like somehow all of the assets stem from the fact that you have billions of dollars. Its important for us to have the financial resources necessary to undertake what were doing. Its also important we remind ourselves and others that other assets human assets and human capital are as important. When I stepped away from being the president of the Mellon Foundation and went to the other side of the table again where Im asking for money, in some ways I found that freeing. Here, I get to actually design what I think needs to be developed and hopefully then I can find philanthropic partners who will appreciate the design and want to invest. ___ Q: GEORGE FLOYD'S MURDER INSPIRED MANY TO INVEST WHAT THEY COULD FOR RACIAL JUSTICE, EVEN IF IT'S ONLY $20. WHAT SHOULD THEY DO WITH THAT DESIRE TO HELP? A: Im one who believes that last summer taught us something. Notwithstanding our many differences, there is still something that actually connects us to one another. George Floyds death reminded us that our inability to control what happens means that were all vulnerable. Going back to that $20 a person wants to give, that is the reminder that theyre connected. Thats the power and the future of American democracy our ability to remind one another that we are connected and that democracy in all of its forms is pretty fragile. That $20 is a way to help shape that shared future. ___ To hear Lewis speak at Americas Racial Reckoning, a free virtual event co-sponsored by Associated Press, the Chronicle of Philanthropy and The Conversation, register at http://bit.ly/ARRregister. The Associated Press receives support from the Lilly Endowment for coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy. MIAMI (AP) Royal Caribbean International is postponing for nearly a month one of the highly anticipated first sailings from the U.S. since the pandemic began because eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19, the company's CEO said. The brand new Odyssey of the Seas was to set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 3 but is now postponed to July 31. Royal Caribbean Internationals CEO Michael Bayley said late Tuesday on Facebook that the decision had been made out of an abundance of caution," adding that the company is also rescheduling a simulation cruise scheduled for late June. While disappointing, this is the right decision for the health and well-being of our crew and guests, he said. Bayley said all 1,400 crew members aboard the Odyssey of the Seas were vaccinated on June 4, but two weeks had not passed for their bodies to build protection against the virus. Six of the crew members who tested positive are asymptomatic and two are mildly sick, he said, adding that the company has quarantined all crew members for 14 days and will continue routine testing. Company spokeswoman Lyan Sierra-Caro said the trial voyage with volunteer passengers that was originally planned for later this month would help the cruise line meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirements before resuming trips with paying passengers. The CDC has not yet approved the trial run, Sierra-Caro said. The debut of the Odyssey of the Seas was highly anticipated as cruise lines attempt a comeback after more than 15 months of not sailing from the U.S. because of the pandemic. Royal Caribbean International has said that passengers are strongly recommended to get vaccinated, adding that unvaccinated passengers must be tested for the virus and follow other measures. Celebrity Edge, also part of the Royal Caribbean Group, is set to become the first post-pandemic ship to sail from the U.S. with ticketed passengers on June 26. A Celebrity Cruises' spokeswoman told The Associated Press that Celebrity Edge is able to sail without a test run because it is following CDC guidelines allowing ships with 98% vaccinated crew and 95% vaccinated guests to skip that step. We are exceeding these guidelines, said Celebrity Cruises spokeswoman Susan Lomax in an email. A new Florida law bans businesses from requiring customers to show proof of vaccination. Gov. Ron DeSantis argues the legislation was meant to preserve individual freedom and medical privacy. Lomax said the state law stipulates that businesses may not require customers to provide any documents, but we are able to ask guests if they would like to share their vaccination status. ____ Associated Press writer David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Prosecutors in Tennessee who are preparing for the first-degree murder trial of a Nashville police officer next month may try to call a law enforcement expert witness who served similarly in the case against Derek Chauvin in George Floyds death. A judge will consider whether to let Jody Stiger, a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant, take the stand to testify against Officer Andrew Delke. The white officer, now 27, is to stand trial next month in the fatal shooting of Daniel Hambrick, a 25-year-old Black man who was shot from behind in July 2018 while fleeing from the officer on foot and while carrying a gun. Delke's attorney, David Raybin, in a hearing Tuesday accused the prosecutors of wanting to inject that case into this case and called it a bait and switch to try to introduce Stiger past a scheduling deadline, after seeing him take the stand during the Chauvin trial in April. The Delke trial is scheduled to start July 12. Daniel Hambrick is no George Floyd. Officer Delke is no Derek Chauvin," Raybin said. "(District Attorney Glenn) Funk says he wants to be transparent. And we can see right through him. Deputy District Attorney Roger Moore said that though prosecutors became aware of Stiger from the Chauvin trial, they will make no mention of George Floyd, (Stiger's) participation in that trial, or anything that would bring that into the purview of the jury." Raybin raised questions about how that case would go unmentioned, since Stiger has only testified in the Chauvin trial. We get his testimony from that case and start to ask him questions, the jurors are not stupid, theyre going to know what that is, Raybin said. Moore said there is plenty of time until the trial, adding that they may or may not actually call Stiger as a witness. Moore added that he thinks a jury shouldn't need any expert testimony when they see video footage of the shooting. But if there are expert witnesses, Moore said, Stiger should be allowed to testify. The back-and-forth came as the prosecution and defense made their late-game arguments about what should or shouldn't be revealed to a jury. The jurors will be picked the week before the trial starts. After Moore said prosecutors don't think experts are needed because of the video available, Raybin argued the opposite. Raybin asked the judge to exclude all video evidence because of additional footage that the defense argued could have shown a key, unseen blip in the chase, but was not retained in the investigation. Moore countered that it's unlikely that the additional, unreviewed video would show anything new. In the surveillance footage available, there is a blip of a blind spot in the angles seen, a point the defense has focused on. The defense has said the weapon became pointed at Delke during the chase, and prosecutors have cast doubt about that. Raybin has asked to include evidence about Hambrick's felony criminal record to argue that he ran from Delke because he didn't want to get arrested again and be caught with a gun. Judge Monte Watkins replied, We don't know why he was running; it could have been any number of reasons. I have some difficulty with allowing prior arrests and warrants to be brought in (as evidence), Watkins said. Circumstances may change to such an extent that certain things may come in. Delkes attorneys have argued the officer acted in line with his training and Tennessee law in responding an armed suspect who ignored repeated orders to drop his gun. Funk has argued Delke had other alternatives, adding that the officer could have stopped, sought cover and called for help. Beto ORourke wants to register you to vote--no, really, he does. The former congressman this month has been barnstorming around the state, rallying Texans to support voting rights, and hes signed up as a volunteer deputy registrar in every county hes visited along the way, including Harris County. The El Pasoan may also be laying some informal groundwork for another statewide race, following the 2018 campaign for Senate that saw him come within three points of unseating U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Certainly, many Democrats are hoping thats the case, if only because their party has yet to muster a challenger to Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. But on Sunday, when we met at Green House International Church in north Houston, ORourke was focused on more urgent issues: he may be a candidate again next year, he told me, but for now hes focused on the fight for voting rights, in Texas and across the country. To that end, he had just registered a voter named Diane, after knocking on her door in the blazing heat. The concern is not misplaced. Last month, Democrats in the Texas House blocked passage of Senate Bill 7, an election integrity measure, by breaking quorum on the last day of this years regular session; Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has vowed to revive the measure in a special session this summer. Similar measures have already passed in Republican-led states including Florida and Georgia, with the support of national conservative groupsand of former President Donald Trump, who continues to insist that the 2020 election was stolen from him. All of this, according to advocates, illustrate the need for passage of the federal For the People Act, a major voting rights package which passed the House in March but has yet to be taken up by the Senate. A number of Democratic lawmakers from Texas traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to press that case. I feel like what the Texas House Dems did was purchase us some time, ORourke said. Yes, there will be a special session; the cynic inside of all of us says Republicans will ram through whatever they want to ram through; and it might be punitively much worse than what was introduced in the regular session--but I actually think quite the opposite is happening. We had 150 people show up at our event in Rains County, he continued, referring to a county of 11,000 people, northwest of Tyler, which Pres. Donald Trump carried by a 70-point margin in 2020, and you cant have 150 people in Rains County unless there are Republicans in the mix. To his point, Republicans have already disavowed two controversial provisions jammed onto SB7 at the last minute. State Rep. Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches, an attorney and one of the key negotiators on the final version of the bill, has said that a provision limiting early voting hours on Sunday--that seemed to specifically target Black voters who attend Souls to the Polls events after church--was a typo. In an interview with Hearst Newspapers, Clardy said that a provision seeking to make it easier to overturn elections was an outright mistake of unknown origin. There was zero appetite or intent or willingness to create some low bar where a single judge can overturn the results of an election, Clardy said, adding that this would be horrendous policy. Theres a chance that Democrats could work with Republicans to pass an election integrity bill in the special session comprised only of provisions that enjoy bipartisan support, which do exist. SB7, for example, would have required that electronic ballots cast in Texas be backed up with a paper receipt. Voting rights experts agree that this would actually help secure our elections--and, in fact, the same idea is featured in the For The People Act. But Texas voters probably shouldnt pin their hopes on such a deal emerging from the special session, ORourke reckons; hence the voter registration drive. Thats the insurance policy, ORourke explained. Lets say we dont stop the next iteration of SB7..If we register enough of the two million eligible unregistered voters in Texas, no matter how rigged the system, no matter how tilted the playing field, no matter how stacked the deck, I think we can, by sheer numbers, we can have a shot, he said. Thats assuming, of course that Democrats have a full slate of statewide candidates in 2022; as noted, they currently do not. And the Texans hoping that ORourke will challenge Abbott will have to wait; he hasnt ruled it out, he told me, but the issue at hand, he said, is an all-consuming one. I want to see this fight through to the end, he said. Theres nothing more urgent or more critical. erica.grieder@chron.com On November 25, 2019, Jose and Josefina Rodriguez's lives changed forever. Jose Rodriguez, 73, had prepared to welcome his wife, who was 66, to their Sugar Land home after spending four days at Houston Methodist Hospital for an urine infection following a kidney transplant. The hospital requested that she be transported via a private EMS vehicle rather than a personal vehicle citing that she would be more comfortable in a stretcher rather than sitting upright in a car, her family said through a translator, attorney Jessica Rodriguez-Wahlquist of Sorrels Law. They called Orion EMS, a full service ambulance transport service centrally located in Houston to get the job done. But Josefina didn't make it home that night. Instead she spent several months attached to a ventilator in ICU fighting her life, her daughter Adriana Rodriguez, 39, said. Jose, who rode in the ambulance with his wife, said they had only traveled about three blocks down the road when suddenly they were t-boned by the Houston METRORail train. Josefina died months later on Feb. 26, 2020, from complications of blunt force trauma of the head, according to a medical examiner report at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. The Rodriguez family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the Harris County District Court against the driver, Jennifer Joana Granados, and Orion, alleging Granados' negligence was the cause of the accident. Phillip Bechter, an attorney with Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP who is representing both Orion and Granados, said Tuesday that they have not been served yet. "The allegations in the lawsuit are disputed because it's not our practice to comment on matters that are in litigation," he said. Jose, who was sitting in the back of the ambulance at the time of the accident, said he remembers how his wife kept screaming for him to come check on her. He remembers being in complete shock. "She kept saying that her head hurt and asked me to check if something had fell on her head," he said, "but I couldn't tell." Jose now has trouble walking, has developed a herniated disc in his back and a loss of mobility in his neck to his right side, according Rodriguez-Wahlquist who is also one of the attorneys handling the case. Upon pickup, the transferring nurses at Houston Methodist Hospital informed Granados' of Josefina's fragile state and medical history, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that Granados was driving along Fannin Street and as she approached the Cambridge Street intersection by the Heart and Vascular Institute, she "suddenly and without warning" made an "improper left turn from from the right lane and across the Metrorail train tracks." The posted train speed where the accident occurred is 30mph, according to Tracy Jackson, a spokesperson with MetroRail Houston. "At the point of impact, the train was traveling 19mph," Jackson said in an email to the Houston Chronicle. "A light rail train operator can utilize max brake in an attempt to stop the train anywhere on the alignment. But a train cannot stop as quickly as a car, truck, or bus." The lawsuit alleges that the Houston Metrorail train violently t-boned the ambulance and the impact jerked and threw Jose and Josefina Rodriguez around inside the ambulance. The Rodriguez couple entrusted their lives to this ambulance company. Instead of transporting them with extraordinary care and caution, it appears the driver was either distracted or did not know where she was going when she illegally cut across two lanes of traffic and right in front of a Houston METRORail, said the family's attorney, Randy Sorrels of Sorrels law. This caused not only damage to the METRORail and to the ambulance, but also the life of Ms. Rodriguez and physical injuries to her husband. Jose struggled fighting tears while speaking about the loss of his wife. "The family is struggling a lot," he said. "(We) can't sleep. (We) miss her a lot." The lawsuit states the amount of the damages is "substantial and exceeds the jurisdictional minimum of the court" which Sorrel said is $1 million. Adriana Rodriguez said she hopes the lawsuit will bring her family justice. "We struggled for months seeing her in ICU in a ventilator as much as she did or more," she said. "Seeing her (suffer) everyday and now she's not here with us is very heartbreaking." "(It would) hold them accountable for what they did and not let anyone (else) suffer like we're suffering." Chronicle file Indiscriminate firing across the border toward El Paso by Mexican rebels led to an invasion of U.S. troops into Ciudad Juarez. The 11-hour incursion included the 24th Infantry Regiment, made up mostly of Black soldiers. WACO Nearly a year after the remains of Vanessa Guillen were found in a remote woods, the Houston soldiers family sat in the same room for the first time with the woman accused of helping to mutilate, bury and cement over her body. Of course they spoke to us previous to entering the courtroom about having no outbursts, but it was really hard to sustain all of that, Mayra Guillen, the older sister of the slain Fort Hood Army specialist, said Wednesday outside the Waco courthouse. Seeing this person for the first time ever, it brings back a lot. ... It was really hard to maintain your cool. Cecily Ann Aguilar sat shackled in an orange jail uniform on the opposite side of the courtroom from the Guillen family, flanked by two public defenders at the hearing. After 2 hours of testimony, U.S. District Judge Alan D. Albright succinctly denied her request to suppress her confession. Her defense lawyer argued that officers had improperly questioned Aguilar after shed given them different stories in two previous interviews. They said she could get in trouble for lying to federal officers. They encouraged her to tell them the truth without explaining she had a right a lawyer and that anything she said could be used against her, defense counsel said. Aguilar told police Spc. Aaron Robinson bludgeoned Guillen. During her confession, Robinson escaped the place where he was detained at Fort Hood, and, as police narrowed in to make an arrest, he shot himself in the head, authorities said. Lewis Berray Gainor, her defense lawyer, argued Wednesday that police deliberately violated the law by waiting to give Aguilar her Miranda Rights until after she confessed on June 30, 2020. Aguilar, 23, of Killeen, is accused of helping her boyfriend, Spc. Aaron Robinson, hide the body of the 20-year-old arms mechanic after he bludgeoned Guillen with a hammer in an armory at the military post. On HoustonChronicle.com: Vanessa Guillen: A vibrant life and tragic death that sparked a movement Two investigators who heard Aguilars confession firsthand took the stand at the hearing. A Texas Ranger and a Waco police officer on the federal task force investigating Guillens April 2020 disappearance detailed how they stopped Aguilar on the base and asked her to come talk with them one more time. She had turned down a request to take a polygraph test during a previous exchange with the officers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Frazier played video clips of the confession to a rapt courtroom. Aguilar walks casually into a small windowless interrogation room at the Army CID office in short shorts and a sweatshirt. She chats with one of the officers about the tattoos on her thigh, peppering her speech with expletives. One officer asks in the video if shes ready to tell them the truth. Aguilar says, Might as well. Lets get this s- - - over with. She spent the next hour outlining the gruesome details of Guillens slaying and how she and her boyfriend hid her body, said John Ray, a Waco officer on the U.S. Marshals task force. She also helped officers by reaching out to Robinson, the suspected killer, via cell phone. When Samuel Travis Dendy, a Texas Ranger, tells Aguilar on the video that she is under arrest, Aguilar acts astonished. What? Im going to jail? I was held against my will, she says. The officers testified that they sought to clarify whether she thought police were detaining her during the interview. Dendy testified that Aguilar told him, no, she was saying that Robinson had forced her at gunpoint to help hide the body. Lupe Guillen, Vanessas 17-year-old sister, said she couldnt bear to be in the room with Aguilar. Instead she led a crowd of about 20 supporters outside the courthouse in chants calling for Justice for Vanessa. Her sisters disappearance and gruesome death sparked a reckoning in the Army and at Fort Hood about sexual harassment and assault in the military and inspired murals and corridos in her honor. Her family members have met repeatedly with members of Congress in Washington, D.C. to push for the proposed I am Vanessa Guillen Act, which was reintroduced in May. The law would require that sexual assault and harassment allegations be investigated outside of the militarys chain of command. An Army report in April found that a supervisor sexually harassed Guillen and the encounter profoundly impacted her morale. The soldiers family repeatedly told officials after her disappearance they believed shed been attacked as a result of sexual harassment, but a previous Army investigation, conducted shortly after her death, found no link. They have also taken an active role in attending hearings in the criminal case against Aguilar. After hearing the testimony, the judge took a short recess and returned to deliver his decision. Aguilar stood to leave after hearing him deny her request. Her eyes were puffy and red. gabrielle.banks@chron.com A Houston Community College instructor who accused a college board of trustees member of sexual harassment said HCC executives, including the colleges chancellor, were aware of the misconduct but did nothing to stop it. Documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle show that a 50-year-old female instructor at HCC filed a Title IX complaint, reporting that HCC Chancellor Cesar Maldonado knew she was being sexually harassed by trustee chair Robert Glaser. The instructor alleged in a May 10 complaint that since November 2019 Glaser has physically, mentally and emotionally abused and continually sexually harassed her and offered to help improve a hostile work environment in exchange for sex. The Houston Chronicle typically does not identify victims of alleged sexual assault or harassment. Maldonado, who was allegedly on phone calls with Glaser when he visited the instructors home, however, did nothing to stop their interactions, according to the filed complaint. The instructor claimed that Maldonado was guilty of his own misconduct, and at the time, was having a sexual relationship with a married female subordinate who was also his direct report. The instructors attorney Ben Hall said the woman received a notice May 21 stating that her contract at the college would not be renewed. The sexual harassment she endured at HCC by one of its trustees was consistent with a pattern and practice of top HCC executives engaging in illicit sexual conduct with female subordinates. This practice included the wrongdoing of the college chancellor whom the trustee used as an example or excuse for his own sexual misconduct, the complaint says. Maldonado said in a written statement that the allegations against him are false that he had not had an affair with a direct report, nor had he any prior knowledge of a relationship between Glaser and the instructor. I was not aware of any inappropriate relationship between Trustee Glaser and any college employee until recently, at which time I reported the information to the board and to appropriate regulatory authorities, Maldonado wrote. The college and I take all such allegations very seriously and I expect an objective and thorough investigation. Glaser, 60, did not immediately respond to calls or a voicemail left by the Chronicle. Reagan Flowers, vice chair of HCCs board, said in a written statement Monday that trustees recently learned about the disturbing allegations and launched an independent investigation. We find the content of the complaint deeply concerning and take this and any accusations against trustees very seriously. We will be cooperating with the appropriate authorities and protect personnel privacy due to the sensitive nature of these allegations, Flowers wrote. On HoustonChronicle.com: HCC board member accused of sexual harassment Paul Lamp, outside counsel for the community college and a partner at Karczewski Bradshaw Spalding, said the investigation, which was launched by an independent law firm soon after the instructors complaint was received, is still ongoing. The instructor contends she is a victim of quid pro quo sexual harassment and discrimination based on her sex, disability and mental health issues, and retaliation based on a hostile work environment. The instructor said she requested that a trusted member of HCCs Office of Institutional Equity investigate the systemic sexual misconduct within the college system. Days after she filed her complaint, the college notified her that it would not renew her employment contract, according to Hall, her attorney. The complaint alleged that the college claimed the decision to not renew her contract was due to her two previous arrests and was not related to her complaint against Glaser. The first arrest, which the instructor stated occurred two years ago, did not show up on the instructors criminal record and was allegedly related to an incident in which the instructor was protecting her elderly father. The instructor was arrested a second time and charged April 15 with a felony third degree injury to an elderly person, according to legal documents. Lamp said a nonrenewal notice was sent after the instructors April arrest and noted violations of HCC policies. The notice was not in relation to nor did it include any information related to her complaint or allegations against Glaser or Maldonado, Lamp said. Hall said the nonrenewal notice was not sent until 11 days after the instructor made her complaint, and six days before HCC acknowledged her complaint in writing. Hall said more damaging details related to the case will likely be revealed within the weeks to come. This is just the tip of the iceberg, Hall said. Glaser, who represents District V, has been a trustee since 2013 and is serving his second term. The board elected him chair in January. HCC board of trustees are elected officials of the state and do not receive a salary, according to a college spokesman. Editors note: This story has been updated to include a college spokesmans note that HCC board of trustees do not get paid a salary. The previous story included a $297,248 salary, which is listed on HCCs budget for the board of trustees. The spokesman said this salary is for support staff. brittany.britto@chron.com Brick streets descendants of formerly enslaved people laid by hand over a century ago could get repaired by a nonprofit under a proposal before Houston City Council. The measure, to be voted on Wednesday, would make Freedmens Town the citys first official Heritage District, allowing nonprofits to preserve or install culturally significant elements of the neighborhood on public property. It aims to commemorate the history of Freedmens Town, the Fourth Ward neighborhood that drew formerly enslaved people from all over Texas and Louisiana after Emancipation in 1865. The new Heritage District designation differs from a Historic District, of which there are 22 in Houston, in that it only applies to elements that fall in the public way. The latter protects private property in an area from demolition or renovation that would strip it of its historic qualities. This is important because with this designation now, we have the opportunity to infuse desperately needed energy and capital into the community to help preserve, educate and engage Houston and the world in telling the story of freedom, said Zion Escobar, executive director of the Freedmens Town Conservancy, which submitted the initial application for the designation. Freedmens Town was the hub of Houstons Black community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is listed as a stop on the National Park Services proposed 51-mile Emancipation National Historic Trail from Galveston. Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer The proposed Heritage District would be bounded by Allen Parkway to the north and stretch as far south as Hadley Street, inching slightly into downtown and claiming Taft Street as its western border. If the proposal passes City Council, it would allow nonprofits to raise money for the restoration and preservation of some of the neighborhoods iconic cultural landmarks. For example, the Freedmens Town Conservancy hopes to raise upward of $1 million to repair and restore Wilson and Andrew streets, the brick roadways laid by hand when the city refused to pave the streets of the neighborhood, and line it with benches and public art, Escobar said. In addition to the Heritage District designation, the conservancy is in the process of finishing a Freedmens Town Visitors Center and is working to develop an augmented reality app which will provide an immersive self-guided digital experience for heritage tourists and locals. The intention of the Heritage District is to foster civic and cultural pride by protecting certain defining elements within the neighborhood and highlighting the significant contributions and achievements of the community by promoting neighborhood stability, and if you know anything about Freedmens Town, the neighborhood is need of all of those things, Escobar said. The Heritage District Ordinance was passed by City Council earlier this month to recognize the unique qualities of Houstons historic and culturally significant neighborhoods. The designation allows nonprofits to protect, restore or install significant elements within the district such as brick paved streets, curbs, driveways, sidewalks and walkways, signage and markers, public art, vegetation, and trees in the city's public right-of-way, according to the city website. Though city funds are not included with the designation, projects in Heritage Districts will receive normal city oversight. One of the things the Heritage District will do is enable us to make improvements to the area while doing it sensitively, for example, with oversight from archaeologists to ensure that damage isnt done, and to preserve and protect these historic assets that arent just history of the city of Houston, but of the world, said City Council Member Abbie Kamin, whose District C encompasses Freedmens Town. Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer The Houston Planning and Development Department is recommending that the council approve the nomination of Freedmens Town as the citys first Heritage District, according to the council agenda item signed by Department Director Margaret Wallace Brown. This settlement represents the struggles and accomplishments of a marginalized population that lived under the unjust and inhumane Jim Crow laws of the 19th and 20th centuries in Texas and in the southern United States. By the early 1900s, the settlement was 94% owned by freedmen and their descendants, creating a substantial middle class, the item reads. Kamin credits the conservancy and other community groups like the Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum, the Freedmens Town Association and the Fourth Ward Pastors Association with pushing for the Heritage District designation, and said the timing of the vote should not be overlooked. This comes at an important time where we need to be focusing on preserving this history of Freedmens Town, and Im so excited to be recognizing this opportunity as we celebrate Juneteenth this week, Kamin said. sam.kelly@chron.com NASHVILLE, Tenn. In a major rebuke to hard-line factions, the Southern Baptist Convention on Tuesday elected as president an Alabama pastor who has been outspoken on racism and called for the nations second-largest faith group to do more to prevent sexual abuse and care for survivors. The election of Ed Litton was praised by many who have advocated for the SBCs 47,000 churches to do more in the wake of a 2019 Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News investigation, Abuse of Faith, that found hundreds of SBC church pastors and volunteers had been convicted of sex crimes. I'm deeply encouraged by the movement made in the Convention today, said Rachael Denhollander, an abuse survivor who has been advising the SBC on abuse matters. Ed Litton's character and positions give me hope that significant positive change is possible for the denomination. I sincerely hope to see strong leadership in addressing corruption and abuse in the year to come. At a Tuesday press conference, Litton discussed his path from a broken childhood home to the church hes pastored for nearly three decades. Litton also spoke of losing his wife in a car accident, and later meeting his new wife, Kathy, whose husband also an SBC pastor died in a car crash, tragedies that he said have made him more empathetic to the plight of the traumatized and abused. He also said the SBC must pursue thorough and transparent investigations into recent allegations that top denominational leaders, including his opponent in the presidential race, had sought to silence abuse survivors and stifle reforms. There needs to be an independent investigation and we need to look at it thoroughly, he said. We also need to be pastoral in how we handle victims, in how we hear them and sympathize with them. We want to bring all of this out and expose it to light. Litton was nominated by Fred Luter, the SBCs first and only Black president, who praised Litton, a longtime friend, for his work on race issues. Luter framed Littons nomination as a rebuke of growing infighting between SBC leaders in recent years over, among other issues, critical race theory, a scholarly field that examines racism in legal structures. Litton said Tuesday that the SBC which was founded out of support for slavery must be a big tent and praised the faith groups recent strides towards diversity. We want you here, he said of Christians of color. We love you here. We cant meet every man woman and child in this nation without you here. The election was decided in a run-off Tuesday evening. SBC presidents must be elected by majority vote, and Litton survived a four-candidate race earlier in the day that included prominent SBC figure Albert Mohler. Littons opponent in the runoff, Georgia pastor and longtime SBC official Mike Stone, has been at the center of multiple recent scandals in which other SBC leaders accused Stone and others of attempting to silence abuse survivors and stifle reforms. Litton won with about 52 percent of the vote. On Monday, hours before roughly 15,000 Southern Baptists cast votes at their annual meeting in Nashville, the Chronicle published a report in which a pastor accused Stone of failing to follow up on an inquiry into a music minister who was later found to have abused at least 10 boys at four churches in Georgia. It was the third scandal faced by Stone that day. Earlier Monday, an outspoken abuse survivor who is in Nashville to raise awareness of abuse was left in tears after she says Stone berated her for hurting the SBC. Stone denied the allegations, but multiple other SBC pastors as well as a Washington Post reporter corroborated many details of the survivors account. And, Monday morning, the SBCs Executive Committee declined to strengthen a third-party investigation into recent allegations that executive committee members, including Stone, had retaliated against longtime SBC leader Russell Moore for his work with abuse survivors. Stone has also denied those allegations, which came to light earlier this month. Stone is aligned with and supported by the Conservative Baptist Network, a new group of churches that has challenged what they view as a drift toward liberalism within the SBC, which is among the nations most conservative faith groups. Earlier this month, disgraced SBC leader Paige Patterson said he helped with the formation of the CBN. In 2018, Patterson was removed as head of a Fort Worth seminary for saying he wanted to meet with a woman who said she was raped at gunpoint so that he could break her down. The Chronicle has since published hours of video that show Patterson personally intervened when a protege faced dozens of misconduct allegations at churches throughout the 1980s. The man, Darrell Gilyard, was eventually imprisoned for sex crimes against children. Tiffany Thigpen, who was attacked decades ago by Gilyard, praised Littons election by the representatives at the convention, known as messengers. We have finally, after all of these decades, begun to overturn the power structure, she said. The messengers are listening and acting on behalf of Christ. A former employee of the Texas Renaissance Festival has settled a federal lawsuit against the organization, accusing its founder of sexual harassment that included recruiting women for him to meet online in exchange for financial compensation. In the lawsuit filed in November 2020, Toni Ewton of Conroe accused the festival's founder, George Coulam, of wrongful termination, sexual discrimination and sexual harassment. Coulam has served the mayor of Todd Mission, where the festival is held, since it was incorporated in 1982, according to the city's website. READ ALSO: Texas Renaissance Festival founder, mayor accused of sexual harassment in federal lawsuit Ewton said during her time serving as Coulam's personal assistant, she was required to perform "scrolling duties" that included helping "find women for a romantic and/or sexual connection" on dating sites such as sugardaddy.com, whatsyourprice.com and sugarbabies.com, according to the lawsuit. Other duties included transcribing Coulam's personal notes from dates he went on with women and paying women weekly stipends. Ewton said she was wrongfully terminated after asking Coulam to no longer be involved with his online dating pursuits and that she felt sexually harassed. The case was settled on Tuesday for an unknown amount, according to court records. Ewton's lawyer, Gregg Rosenberg of the firm Rosenberg Sprovach, confirmed an agreement was reached. Because of the confidential nature of all settlements, it is improper to go into details," Rosenberg said in an email to the Chronicle. "I can tell you that Ms. Ewton is happy to have put this situation behind her and is looking forward to what the future will bring. Settlements are generally about closure and she is happy to have achieved it. Coulam did not respond to requests for comment. He is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The lawyer representing the festival, Jason Wagner, did not answer requests for comment. This is the second settlement for Coulam and the organization. He faced similar sexual harassment allegations from another former personal assistant in a 2018 lawsuit that was later settled in June 2019 for an undisclosed amount. Rosenberg also represented that client. rebecca.hennes@chron.com If you got a chance to catch the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Mirandas In The Heights streaming on HBO before ERCOT ordered you to turn off your TV, that is you may have been gripped by the plots dramatic build up to a summer blackout that sends fates spiraling in the New York City neighborhood. We are powerless, we are powerless. Its getting hotter in the street. Everybody is nervous, laments a wilting chorus of characters, knowing they have no shelter from the swelter. But even Texans who enjoyed the scene enough to sing along probably have no interest in being drafted into the chorus. Alas, thats the looming prospect we face this week as the states power grid operator, ERCOT, is issuing statewide energy conservation alerts, apparently prompted by an unusually high number of plant outages that came just as rising temperatures sent demand for electricity surging. ERCOT, of course, is the infamous ringmaster of Februarys tragic power grid failures, which killed at least 194 people and left millions without electricity or heat during some of the years coldest days. Back then, officials blamed a snow storm in a state not accustomed to frigid temperatures. It was a sorry excuse, but at least it had a flake of truth. Whats the problem this time? This is Texas. In June. Scorching temperatures are as commonplace as a backyard brisket and they can just about cook it for you, too. If theres anything our power grid should be prepared for its rising mercury and cranked up ACs in the summer. Yet, here we are technically not even in summer yet, and already weve got the state warning of tight grid conditions and telling homeowners to turn off lights and stop using washing machines, instructing businesses to limit the use of electric equipment and urging large consumers to consider shutting down nonessential production. This isnt the first warning this year, either: an April alert was issued when it wasnt even hot, leaving officials to blame an anticipated cold front that never arrived and temperatures that stayed in the 80s. Now, conservation in general is something Texans should do more of, certainly. And were happy to have a warning from ERCOT considering that in February, warnings were few and far between or penned in pig Latin. But what happened to assurances that ERCOT could meet peak demand this year? Why on Earth are so many power plants offline and why does ERCOT have to investigate to find out the answer? (Lest anybody blame wind turbines, 75 percent of those offline are thermal generators such as natural gas facilities.) We will be conducting a thorough analysis with generation owners to determine why so many units are out of service, said ERCOT Vice President of Grid Planning Operations Woody Rickerson, noting: This is unusual for this early in the summer season. You dont say. Actually, heres what you dont say if youre Gov. Greg Abbott, who presided over the deadly February mess. You dont get on Twitter last week and brag about the two bills you signed into law to address the grid and proclaim: Bottom line is that everything that needed to be done was done to fix the power grid in Texas. All he needs is a Mission Accomplished banner but in this case, sub out the aircraft carrier for a Carrier AC unit in quiet conservation mode as the mercury hits triple digits. Just like President George W. Bushs premature declaration of victory all those years ago, Abbott must know that lawmakers didnt resolve the vulnerabilities of Texas power grid. They were far more interested in dividing Texans with culture wars than connecting our power grid with enough generation, including new capacity, to keep up with demand and build an apt cushion for crisis. Yes, lawmakers did some helpful things worth noting - and we have. They mandated weatherization of plants - though not all plants and not with substantial penalties for those who dont comply. Lawmakers also established a statewide emergency alert system, and they passed provisions aimed at improving industry communication and fixing basic oversights, such as making sure natural gas facilities wont have their own power cut during a crisis. But, as weve noted, lawmakers failed to pass substantial reforms that would prevent another crisis such as the one we saw in February from happening again. Texas power grid is still isolated from the rest of the country. The Texas market still carries a perverse incentive for generators to profit off misery. Somethings got to change or somethings got to give. And Texans would rather it not be our lives during a winter freeze without heat or a stifling summer meltdown without AC. Texans must demand lawmakers address the issue more thoroughly in the next special session. We must demand our leaders cease with the unfounded confidence that got us in this mess, the kind of chest-puffing arrogance that U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz exhibited on Twitter during a particularly hot spell in California in 2020: Its hot everywhere - try Texas every summertime - but the rest of the country doesnt have such a dysfunctional state govt that you cant turn the lights on or run A/C. Thats a policy failure of the Dems. Nope. In Texas, its a policy failure of Republicans who lead this state. And the policy is called hubris. Its getting hotter in the street. Everybody is nervous. Vision needed for Texas Regarding Abbotts Texas border wall gimmick isnt tough. Its trite. (June 13): The Sunday editorial was as vacuous as the administrations approach to our immigration crises. The only solution given was to focus on the cause of immigration, which left totally open the second more important question of how to address the chaos at the border. There are clearly two problems, yet the Chronicle and the Biden administration only choose to address one which leaves Texas hanging on a limb and paying a great deal of the bill. In addition, Texas is forced to deal with increased drug and human trafficking. While the Chronicle has shown blatant support of current policies, I would hope to see vision by the editorial board that would support the state of Texas. David A. Estes, Spring We have seen it before. The governor thinks that Texans wont care that Hurricane Harvey victims are still trying to recover. He thinks we will forget that Texas hospitals are hurting. Maybe he hasnt noticed our horrible traffic and roads that are long overdue for repair. This is more evident as we try to connect, with our friends and families, after a very long pandemic-induced separation. Maybe he thinks Texans are willing to ignore his neglect of our power grid, our health and our safety. I dont think so. There is a case to be made that diverting money from hardworking Texans to build a wall is a fraud against the voters of this great state. The governor has proven time and time again that he has no vision for Texas. Texas wont be fooled by the distractions. Patricia L. Garris, Spring Immigration is a human thing, God-given if you will. We have been doing it since we first got here a really long, long time ago. Its all from the same driving forces inside of us as living entities looking to exist as best we can in a fraught existence. Now if the governor was funding a moonshot to discover the antsy gene and bioengineering all of us not to have it, that would be a solution to immigration that might ultimately work. And all it would take is a $10 million yearly scientific program that he could pay for out of his enterprise fund. Every year they could proclaim their groundbreaking approach to immigration reform as they sign off on the next bequest, keeping their bona fides properly certified among that voting block. We taxpayers would hardly notice it. A small price to pay for the small people who become governor. Walt Lind, Nassau Bay Alamo revision Regarding 1836 values? Dont leave out Texas history of slavery and ethnic cleansing. (June 13): For the past several weeks the Chronicle has been promoting a preposterous narrative co-written by one of its own columnists that the Texas Revolution was nothing more than a slave owner rebellion, and that the popular accounts of the period are a racist whitewash of Texian motives, including a vastly overstated depiction of Alamo heroism. Now we are asked to swallow the charge of ethnic cleansing. Chronicle readers have spent the last one and one half years trying to digest the papers constant revisionist history and cancel culture equivocations while seeing all reasoned dissent stifled in its opinion pages. This is shameful but not surprising, and what we have come to expect from our only major newspaper. Jerry K Deutsch, Seabrook Legislative blooper Regarding Texas Republicans say lowering the bar for overturning elections is bad policy. So why did they try? (June 10): Since none of the Republican state senators or representatives have the faintest idea how the onerous provisions of their voting fraud bill made it into the final version, perhaps they should do as the vote auditors in Arizona are doing, look for Chinese bamboo paper that must have been substituted for their real bill. If that doesnt work, maybe a special session is needed for them to figure out the correct way to get bills drafted. Gerry May, Houston I have to conclude that Texas problem isnt voter fraud, but fraudulent legislation. Dianne Wells, Houston There is a famous line in the movie Casablanca uttered by Captain Renault as he shuts down Ricks Cafe because, Im shocked, shocked to find gambling is going on here! The hypocrisy of this statement is revealed in the next moment when a croupier hands him money, saying, Your winnings, sir. I was forcibly reminded of this scene when, after the revelation that the proposed voting bill had contained a hidden change allowing a judge to overturn election results without any conclusive evidence of fraud, Republicans expressed their shock that such a thing had happened in the closed door committee they controlled and the changes they approved. Donny Jansen, Katy Law enforcement officers carry the power of life and death on their hips. The courts depend on their statements. The public desperately wants to believe that the officer they encounter during their most vulnerable moment will be a person of integrity who will serve and protect them. Law enforcement leaders must be able to maintain a force with that integrity. Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen failed the public and his staff by not considering and honoring this point in his hiring practices and our state let him by not providing a misconduct database and policies to prevent him from ignoring the information. The allegations against Rosens employees have piled up. First came arrests of two of Rosens staff after a sergeant made a dying declaration admitting child sex abuse. Then came the suit from female officers describing sexual harassment and assault during undercover bachelor party stings to arrest prostitutes. Whether the recent allegations are deemed true or not by external investigators, Rosens public comments on the issue show his inability to recognize character and make sound hiring decisions. During a press conference, Rosen defended his hiring of Sgt. Robert Johnson, an officer who had previously been fired from the Harris County Sheriffs Office. The revelation of Johnsons depraved conduct came from Rosens dispatcher, Christina McKay, while her poor work performance was being discussed with supervisors. The inappropriate behaviors for which Johnson was initially fired reportedly continued at Precinct One as he had affairs with both McKay and Deputy Chonda Williams. The most recent victim of Sergeant Johnson was a child who was allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted by three of Rosens employees. Many of us believe in redemption and giving an individual who makes a mistake another chance but not in law enforcement. Doing so would be akin to what police scholar Tom Barker calls giving wolves the keys to the hen house. It is extremely rare that leaders of a public service organization would be unaware of the bad apples in the barrel, especially in a case such as Rosens, where he served for almost a decade as a leader. The problem of allowing officers to leave one law enforcement position for misconduct and go elsewhere for a new position is too easy in Texas. Often, the releasing agency just wants its problem gone, and as long as that person leaves, the officers decertification is not pursued. Hiring agencies should do a thorough background check on the officers previous work history. This is another reason why a public misconduct law enforcement database is needed, just as it exists for medical doctors, clinical psychologists and attorneys who also hold substantial power while working with vulnerable people. In the case of Robert Johnson, it seems the precinct knew of his past, but hired him anyway. Clearly, a database of misconduct would not be enough. Thats why we need rules that hold supervisors accountable to a higher threshold when hiring officers. Finally, since constables are elected, it begs the question of how much the public really knows about the person on the ballot in terms of leadership and sound judgment for the job. One can only hope that the child victim will heal. It is evident that for the morale of those who work in Precinct 1, and for the safety of the public, major changes are needed in this constables office and it can start with a statewide database and legislation that requires law enforcement to use it when hiring to identify and keep out the bad apples. Gibson is Interim Dean of the College of Juvenile Justice & Executive Director of the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center at Prairie View A&M University. Houston City Council voted Wednesday to make Freedmens Town the citys first official Heritage District, allowing nonprofits to fund the upkeep of historically significant elements in the Fourth Ward community. The measure passed the council unanimously, with Mayor Sylvester Turner saying that the designation would serve as a marker for generations to come. Its important for us to hold on to as much of that history as we can and not lose it, because it defines in large part who we are as a city. Weve lost a lot but we havent lost it all, Turner said. The Heritage District designation is a new ordinance that passed City Council earlier in June. In contrast to a Historic District, which protects private property, a Heritage District gives nonprofits the ability to raise money for the protection, restoration or installation of items of cultural landmarks in the public way. In Freedmens Town, that means that nonprofits such as the Freedmens Town Conservancy will be able to improve the neighborhoods historic brick-paved streets, which were laid by hand over 100 years ago after the City of Houston refused to pave roads in the majority Black neighborhood. Conservancy Director Zion Escobar said the group hopes to raise over $1 million repair and restore the streets, and line it with benches and public art. The bricks have been the focus of community groups preservation efforts for years, even as the neighborhood has seen much of its historic landmarks give way to gentrification and urban development over the last century. The Freedmens Town Preservation Coalition had to file a lawsuit to keep the bricks from being dug up by contractors, but their efforts were nearly in vain after a worker accidentally disturbed the bricks during repairs. The bricks were eventually reinstalled in 2018. This is important because with this designation now, we have the opportunity to infuse desperately needed energy and capital into the community to help preserve, educate and engage Houston and the world in telling the story of freedom, Escobar said. Several council members noted the significance of passing the measure just days before Juneteenth. Freedmens Town history is truly rich and many Houstonians dont know much about it. That history gets lost through the years, so its important for us to bring forth preservation efforts such as this, said District J Council Member Edward Pollard. The Heritage District designation will honor Freedmens Towns status as the center of the Gulf Coasts Black Community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when thousands of formerly enslaved people moved to the Fourth Ward area from all over Texas and Louisiana. It is listed as the final stop on the National Parks Services proposed 51-mile Emancipation National Historic Trail from Galveston, and is home to several sites in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations Slave Route Project. WASHINGTON The FBI is pursuing potentially hundreds more suspects in the Capitol riot, the agencys director told Congress on Tuesday, calling the effort to find those responsible for the deadly assault one of the most far-reaching and extensive investigations in the bureaus history. Weve already arrested close to 500, and we have hundreds of investigations that are still ongoing beyond those 500, Christopher Wray, the FBI director, told the House Oversight Committee. His assurances of how seriously the agency was taking the attack by a pro-Trump mob came as lawmakers pressed him and military commanders on why they did not do more to prevent the siege despite threats from extremists to commit violence. The threats, I would say, were everywhere, said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., who chairs the Oversight Committee. The system was blinking red. Maloney confronted Wray with messages from the social media site Parler, which she said referred threats of violence to the FBI more than 50 times before the attack on Jan. 6. One message, which Maloney said Parler had sent to an FBI liaison on Jan. 2, was from a poster who warned, Dont be surprised if we take the Capitol building, and Trump needs us to cause chaos to enact the Insurrection Act. I do not recall hearing about this particular email, Wray replied. Im not aware of Parler ever trying to contact my office. In hearings before two congressional committees on Tuesday, lawmakers sought new information about the security failures that helped lead to the violence. At one hearing, Maloney presented her committees research into the delayed response of the National Guard, which showed that the Capitol Police and Washington officials made 12 urgent requests for their support and that Army leaders told the National Guard to stand by five times as the violence escalated. That response took far too long, Maloney said. This is a shocking failure. Documents obtained by the committee showed that, beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, top officials at the Defense Department received pleas for help from the Capitol Police chief, Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington and other officials. But the National Guard did not arrive until 5:20 p.m., more than four hours after the Capitol perimeter had been breached. The National Guard was literally waiting, all ready to go, and they didnt receive the green light for a critical time period, hours on end, said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a member of the committee. Lawmakers had tough questions for Gen. Charles Flynn, who commands the U.S. Army Pacific, and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, director of the Army staff, both of whom were involved in a key phone call with police leaders during the riot in which Army officials worried aloud about the optics of sending in the Guard, according to those involved. It was the first time lawmakers had heard from either general. In their testimony, they described the frantic call in which the chiefs of the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police became agitated as they tried unsuccessfully to get military support while rioters attacked their officers at the Capitol. Both speakers on the phone sounded highly agitated and even panicked, Flynn recalled. By contrast, he said, Piatt was a calm and combat-experienced leader. Piatt has defended his caution in initially advising against sending in the National Guard, telling the committee that he was definitely concerned in the days before Jan. 6 about the public perception of using soldiers to secure the election process in any manner that could be viewed as political. He told the committee that National Guard forces were not trained, prepared or equipped to conduct this type of law enforcement operation. When peoples lives are on the line, two minutes is too long, Piatt said. But we were not positioned for that urgent request. We had to re-prepare so we would send them in prepared for this new mission. Flynn is the brother of Michael Flynn, Donald Trumps disgraced former national security adviser, who has emerged as one of the former presidents biggest promoters of the lie of a stolen election. In submitted testimony, Gen. Charles Flynn said he had not participated in the call but merely overheard portions of it when he entered the room while it was in progress. He said that he had not heard any discussion of political considerations with regard to sending in the Guard. I did not use the word optics, nor did I hear the word used during the call on Jan. 6, 2021, he said. The panel did not hear testimony from the acting chief of the Capitol Police, Yogananda Pittman, who declined to attend, citing her need to hear testimony at the other hearing, before the House Administration Committee. Republicans were quick to criticize her decision and repeatedly referred to her absence during the session, which stretched into the evening. Maloney said she was also disappointed, but she added that Pittman had committed to testifying on July 21. In a simultaneous session on Tuesday afternoon, the House Administration Committee heard testimony from Michael Bolton, the Capitol Police inspector general, and Gretta Goodwin, director of homeland security and justice for the Government Accountability Office. Bolton testified about his fourth investigative report into the failures of Jan. 6, which found that the departments tactical unit did not have access to adequate training facilities or adequate policies in place for securing ballistic helmets and vests (two dozen were stolen during the riot); the agencys first responder unit was also not equipped with adequate less-lethal weapons, among other findings. Boltons reports found that the Capitol Police had clearer warnings about the riot than were previously known, including the potential for violence in which Congress itself is the target. He also revealed that officers were instructed by their leaders not to use their most aggressive tactics to hold off the mob, in part because they feared that they lacked the training to handle the equipment needed to do so. About 140 officers were injured during the attack, and seven people died in connection with the siege, including one officer who had multiple strokes after sparring with rioters. It is our duty to honor those officers who have given their lives but also ensuring the safety of all those working and visiting the Capitol complex by making hard changes within the department, Bolton said. Goodwin said that some of the command-and-control issues had been flagged by her agency in 2017. But the Capitol Police Board, which oversees the operations of the force, had not acted on the Government Accountability Offices recommendations or responded to its requests for progress reports. As of today, the board has not provided us with any substantive information consistent with the practices noted above, she said. At previous hearings on the attack, some House Republicans used the opportunity to try to rewrite the history of what happened on Jan. 6, downplaying or outright denying the violence and deflecting efforts to investigate it. On Tuesday, some Republicans on the Oversight Committee tried to redirect the inquiry into other topics, calling for investigations of Black Lives Matter protesters or the Biden family. I would love to ask about the Durham report, Hunter Bidens laptop, Hunters business dealings in China and a host of other things, said Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga. The hearings came as Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, highlighted on the Senate floor an assessment from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security that concluded that adherents to the pro-Trump conspiracy theory QAnon were likely to try to carry out violence, including harming perceived members of the cabal such as Democrats and other political opposition. Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said on Tuesday that she was considering moving forward with a select committee to further investigate the Capitol riot. Pelosi said her preference was for the Senate to approve a bipartisan commission, but that no longer seemed possible after Senate Republicans blocked it. We cant wait any longer, she said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. FACT CHECK See inaccurate information in this story? Tell us here. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Jack Suntrup 573-556-6186 @JackSuntrup on Twitter jsuntrup@post-dispatch.com This article originally ran on stltoday.com. FACT CHECK See inaccurate information in this story? Tell us here. ST. LOUIS A St. Louis County judge on Tuesday ruled against an apartment landlord who sued a woman and her nonprofit after the woman circulated flyers on rental assistance to tenants of the apartments. Associate Circuit Judge Virginia Lay ruled that the accusations against Shana Poole-Jones, 43, were unfounded, and she ordered the apartment complex to pay Poole-Jones court fees. Norwood 2020, which owns Norwood-Redfield Apartment Complex in Norwood Court, sued Poole-Jones and her nonprofit Keep Pushing Inc. in May. The company accused Jones, of Maplewood, of trespassing, invasion of privacy, civil conspiracy, inflicting emotional distress, interference with a contract, violating the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, and negligent misrepresentation. The judge wrote in her order that, Merely handing out two flyers informing tenants of the existence of a governmental program, which provides rental assistance beneficial to Plaintiff, cannot constitute harm to Plaintiff. Poole-Jones garnered national media attention last year for turning her yard into a food giveaway location after losing several family members to COVID-19. She said Tuesday that she was relieved after the judges ruling. (The lawsuit) kind of had me second-guessing, Did I make the right choice? Did I do the right thing? Because as community leaders we want to help people. We want to see people not struggle, be happy, know that it is a village behind them, Poole-Jones said. Im relieved I can breathe. Theres something in black and white that says I didnt do anything wrong. Poole-Jones passed out flyers in April after she was asked by Yusef Scroggins, county director of family and community services and co-chairman of the regional commission on homelessness, to help identify those at the highest risk of eviction and inform them that millions of dollars are still available in rental assistance. She knocked on doors of addresses Scroggins said had pending eviction cases, and she handed out flyers with phone numbers and emails to agencies that could help. Poole-Jones nonprofit, founded in 2019, connects homeless people with resources. Attorneys for the nonprofit and Poole-Jones previously called the suit egregious but were not immediately available for comment Tuesday. The apartment complexs attorney, Randall Reinker, did not immediately return a request for comment. Though she temporarily shut down her food giveaway operation after being served with the lawsuit, Poole-Jones said she has since resumed and served 385 people in need. I feel good now. Im ready. Give me flyers, said Poole-Jones. June 30 (the expiration date for the countys eviction moratorium) will be here soon. A lot of people will need help, will need assistance. I want to be out there. This article originally ran on thecentersquare.com. FACT CHECK See inaccurate information in this story? Tell us here. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson speaks outside the capital in Jefferson City on Tuesday before signing HB 271, led by Senator Sandy Crawford, R-Buffalo and Representative John Wiemann, R-O'Fallon. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. CurieuzenAir allows citizens in the Belgium capital to collect high-quality data in their street by attaching a small real estate panel to a window at the front of their house. CurieuzenAir aims to generate an internationally unique dataset that provides insight into the exposure and health impacts of air pollution. This data will help to better inform clean air policies and be used by Brussels Environment to improve air quality models. This way CurieuzenAir innovatively contributes to the EUs new Zero Pollution Action Plan that places great emphasis on improving air quality with broad citizen engagement. I am delighted that so many inhabitants of Brussels have the opportunity to conduct air quality measurements themselves, said Alain Maron, Brussels minister for climate transition, environment, social affairs and health. The data from CurieuzenAir will provide a detailed insight in the air quality across Brussels, as well as the associated health effects. This will allow us to establish a science-based policy to reduce air pollution, in order to improve the quality of life of those living, working or visiting Brussels. Citizen engagement The air quality data will be collected under the professional guidance of scientists from the University of Antwerp, while the socio-economic analysis within the project will be directed by the Universite Libre de Bruxelles. The city movement Bral that strives for a sustainable Brussels, will assist with engaging citizens and local communities in the project. Brals Florence Lepoudre said: We have already been working for years with the citizens of Brussels to improve the air quality. CurieuzenAir is the next important step for us. The expertise on large-scale citizen science provided by the University of Antwerp makes this a unique project for Brussels. The initiative is part of the Brussels Clean Air Partnership, a collaboration launched in October 2020 between Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Brussels-Capital Region Government, and Brussels Environment, to galvanise local and international partners to improve air quality through innovation, research and monitoring, citizen engagement, and education programmes. The expertise on large-scale citizen science provided by the University of Antwerp makes this a unique project for Brussels CurieuzenAir, the largest citizen science project in Europe, brings together citizens, researchers, government leaders, and low-cost technologies to monitor air quality throughout the city, said Antha Williams, global head of environment programmes, Bloomberg Philanthropies. Bloomberg Philanthropies is proud to collaborate with our partners in Brussels and hope this project sets an example that cities across the continent can draw on as they build a cleaner, healthier future. Brussels citizens can register their interest in participating in the CurieuzenAir project until 13 June at www.curieuzenair.brussels. Source: https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/news/news/citizen-science-air-quality-monitoring-project-launched-in-brussels-6452 We knew it was coming. It seems the end is near for Neptune the Century Plant. Ann Mayor Tyer, DA Harrington Focus Resources on Gun Violence PITTSFIELD, Mass. Mayor Linda Tyer has called for an increase police patrols after a wave of shootings and one death. A shooting in broad daylight on North Street in April left a man dead. From May 12 through last week, there were 13 shootings in Pittsfield, most of which happened in the city's West Side. These recent shootings include an early June incident on First Street that left a Pittsfield man with multiple gunshot wounds and another early June incident where a Pittsfield man Jesus Lugo was arrested for shooting a firearm in the direction of a Linden Street address from the hood of a car. In another incident on Francis Avenue, a motor vehicle containing a mother and two young children was struck by gunfire as well as a second unoccupied vehicle. "I think it's really important to say to our community, and especially to this neighborhood, that everyone living in that area of our city is a victim of this gun violence," Tyer said on Tuesday. "They are tormented by this dangerous activity, and they are entitled to our protection." Tyer asked for increased police presence in the hot-spot areas and the city is also receiving help from State Police. The expanded police presence, she said, is what led to the arrest of Lugo when he fled on foot after firing a gun from the hood of a car. The mayor also highlighted the number of local programs that address social issues that might lead to a person getting involved in gun violence. These include the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI), the non-profit family services agency 18 Degrees, and the Pittsfield Community Connection Program also at 18 Degrees. "As far as I'm concerned, any shooting is dangerous whether it's two a year or 13 in a month, all shootings are dangerous, every one of them concerns me," Tyer said. District Attorney Andrea Harrington said, from her perspective as a prosecutor, the focus of the Berkshire County DA's office is to put resources into violent crime and these kinds of incidents rather than over-prosecuting low-level offenses. "It's about resources, but it's also about helping to build relationships in the community," she said. "It is very beneficial for people to feel safe, and like they have solid relationships, and if we're over-prosecuting people for minor things, then they're just not going to want to talk to us. The way we are going to solve a lot of these cases and identify the people in our community that is really dangerous is by receiving information from the public." Restoring neighborhood safety will be much more successful with the help of the community, both women said, and especially from people living in the affected areas who may have helpful information. Tyer vaguely referenced an arrest made in a fatal stabbing a couple of years ago because of surveillance video footage that was provided by a nearby homeowner. Fisherman killed in pirate attack off Trinidad June 16,2021 | Source: Marex The body of a Trinidadian fisherman who was forced over the side of his boat at gunpoint has been recovered on shore, according to the advocacy group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS). On Sunday evening, armed attackers boarded a fishing boat operated by local fisherman Andrew Volman and one of his relatives. The pirates ordered them to jump over the side, then abandoned them and made off with the vessel, the group reported. Volman went missing, and his body was later found at La Brea, a small town on the island's southwest coast. The other crewmember managed to swim to shore. The boat was later recovered intact, minus its engine, according to FFOS. Local police confirmed the account to Trinidadian news outlet Daily Express. The attack is the latest in a long series targeting artisanal fishermen on Trinidad's coast, including four more that occurred just last week. "[On June 9] four vessels were stolen at sea and fishers thrown overboard in the dark of night, and yet our government has not acted on a single recommendation made in 2019 by the government convened stakeholder committee," said organizer Gary Aboud in a social media appeal. "How many more must die? We continue to appeal for good public administration." Aboud asserted that Trinidad's coast guard has not responded to the serious incidents of violence targeting fishermen in the nation's sovereign waters. "We have not seen any coast guard," he said, noting that fishermen have appealed for a stronger law enforcement presence for years. In 2019, seven Trinidadian fishermen were killed in an attack off Port of Spain. Police attributed the murders to a local gangster, Akini "Dole" Adams, who was killed in a police operation shortly after. Trinidadian fishermen have also reported run-ins with pirates from nearby Venezuela, where economic collapse and anarchy have created a breeding ground for crime. "There's been about 50 fishermen in the village who've had run-ins with them, either being robbed or kidnapped," fisherman Gerry Padarath told the BBC in 2019. "Our only chance is to fish in the dark, so they don't see us, or buy bigger engines so we can outrun them." 2021 The Maritime Executive, LLC. All rights reserved. Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. New Jersey herring fishermen lose challenge to rule requiring at-sea monitors by Sebastien Malo June 16,2021 | Source: Reuters A federal judge in Washington D.C. on Tuesday denied the bid of New Jersey-based herring fishermen who sued the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) last year to block a new regulation that will require them to pay for third-party at-sea monitors who will survey by-catch. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled that the agency had not acted in violation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) when it approved in February 2020 the rule that the plaintiffs said could "destroy their iconic way of life" by cutting by 20% their profits from commercially fishing herring along the U.S. Atlantic coast. About half-a-dozen small fishing vessel operators, including the Loper Bright Enterprise, brought the lawsuit last year. Ryan Mulvey, an attorney for the plaintiffs with the Cause of Action Institute, an advocacy group favoring limited government, said he was disappointed with the decision. "The federal government has overextended its regulatory power far beyond what Congress authorized," he said. Christopher Vaccaro, a spokesperson for NMFS' parent agency the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), declined to comment. The plaintiffs filed their complaint days after the NMSF approved the regulation, known as the Omnibus Amendment. The rule's announcement had previously prompted "overwhelmingly negative" reactions in public hearings amid concerns its cost would impose on fishermen an "impossible financial burden," the complaint said. The rule was crafted by a regional MSA-created body tasked with managing fisheries. When it takes effect on July 1, randomly-selected herring fishermen who fish along the eastern seaboard - from Maine to Connecticut - will be obliged to hire NOAA monitors on fishing trips. The monitors' job is to ensure no unwanted fish is caught, among other things. Fishermen must pay for their cost of employment - estimated at about $700 a day. Sullivan in his ruling disagreed that the NMSF had exceeded its authority under the MSA by authorizing the rule. While Congress did not specifically speak on the issue of industry-funded monitors, the judge said that the agency's interpretation of the statute was "reasonable." Looking at the statute's text, the judge found that it "explicitly" mentions that monitors can board vessels to collect, at sea, data necessary to further the MSA's conservation goals. The monitors can be funded by the vessel operators, the judge further added, because the administrative record shows the agency has weighed the regulation's economic impacts to the fishing community, as required by the MSA, but concluded that the population of herring and other fish would benefit. The stock of Atlantic herring is classified as overfished, according to NOAA data. Sullivan also disagreed with the plaintiffs' argument that the rule "inappropriately 'offload(s) costs'" of other federal government monitoring programs onto the industry, in violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act. In his ruling, he describes one such program as putting NMSF-funded monitors on fishing vessels to ensure fishermen do not catch unwanted fish. The Anti-Deficiency Act prohibits government agencies from obligating or spending federal funds in excess of the amount available. But "(d)efendants are not expending government funds," the judge said. "Rather, it is the vessels that directly make payments to the monitoring service providers." 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture. Pakistan seizes five Chinese trawlers at Gwadar Port by Kanika Sachdeva June 16,2021 | Source: The EurAsian Times Iron brothers China and Pakistan seem to be at loggerheads after five Chinese fishing trawlers were seized near the Gwadar Port, a key part of the CPEC project. The Maritime Security Agency reported on Monday night that it had seized five Chinese fishing boats with fish in them, a senior Balochistan Fisheries Department official confirmed the latest development to the BBC Urdu. The local fishermen of Gwadar released a video of Chinese trawlers, after which it went viral on social media. According to the president of the Gwadar Fishermens Union Khudaidad, Chinese trawlers were reportedly seen in the Astala area of Pasni by local fishermen. A few days ago, the Chinese trawlers were spied out at the Gwadar port in Pakistans Balochistan province. The fleet of factory ships contained food processing units to process and package fish for sale in international markets, reported WION. Pakistan claimed that the Chinese trawlers entered the Gwadar port city without prior permission and anyone entering Pakistans territorial waters without permission would be stopped, Ali Haider Zaidi, Pakistans Shipping Minister, was quoted by BBC Urdu as saying. The matter is now under investigation. In his June 11 tweet, Zaidi had written, Deep-sea trawling is banned in Pakistan waters. PMSA is closely monitoring the trawler & boats spotted near Gwadar. Have ordered an inquiry. Strong action will be taken. Protecting our local fishermen is our top most priority. In its assurances to local fishermen, Pakistan stated that it did not allow any Chinese or foreign trawlers in its territorial waters, anyhow adding, When they have come to the waters of Balochistan, they have come here only after someone has given them permission. Meanwhile, China claimed that owing to bad weather conditions, the Chinese trawlers were forced to take refuge in the waters of Balochistan. Local fishermen perceive increasing Chinese activities in Gwadar a deterrent to their livelihood as the largest fishing village provides employment to the majority of the population. If they destroy our livelihood, it will be a great abuse for us,, said Khudai Dad. Since the movement of Chinese trawlers in the Gwadar port, the oldest fishing village in Balochistan has witnessed a sharp decline in the amount of catch. A part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), The Gwadar port assumes significance for China as it gives Beijing a strategic access point to the Indian Ocean. The port is situated just 400 km from the strategic Hormuz Strait, which carries 40 percent of Chinese imported oil from Gulf countries. CPEC is the most ambitious project of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. It links Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea to Chinas Xinjiang region. The project was proposed with an intention to expand Chinese influence across Central and South Asia. The Chinese mission in Gwadar has drawn the ire of the residents of the dusty fishing town. The locals fear the exploitation of the towns natural resources by China, thereby rebelling against several development projects. China started fencing the port city to protect the CPEC project from attacks by Baloch insurgents, according to media reports. 2021. The EurAsian Times. All rights reserved Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods. Checkout No resources available in your cart Your support is needed now more than ever Help support your local news Local news sources need your help. 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If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation2@journalnet.com for help creating one. The use of digital technologies and daily consumption of online content all over the world have surged since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic. This has created a new wave of digital revolution where people are increasingly relying on the internet in almost all spheres of life. Can Africa emerge from the pandemic as a significant player in this new revolution? Big international tech and media corporations have expressed renewed interest in the continent. Most notably, Twitter is establishing its African headquarters in Ghana, while Facebook (already in South Africa) is moving into Nigeria. These international interests in Africa have created a new excitement on the role of the continent in the global media and digital arena. Thriving digital ecosystem The growing digital ecosystem in Africa is important as a multiplier of the continents post-pandemic recovery and continued future growth. However, for Africa to benefit fully, it needs to generate its own digital content rather than relying on imports. The current figures show that 85% of news about Africa is produced outside the continent. This needs to change if Africa is going to promote its image and drive its own development agenda. And this is exactly what is happening with the recent launch of MediaCity Mauritius (MCM) project. Name: Darren Anstee Company: NETSCOUT Job title: CTO for Security Date started current role: May 2017 Location: UK Darren Anstee is Chief Technology Officer, SBO International, NETSCOUT. Anstee has 20 years of experience in pre-sales, consultancy and support for telecom and security solutions. Anstee works across the research, strategy, and pre-sales aspects of Arbor's traffic monitoring, threat detection and mitigation solutions for service providers and enterprises around the world. He is an integral part of NETSCOUT Arbor's Security Engineering & Response Team (ASERT). What was your first job? My very first job was with a landscaping company; I used to shovel soil into bags, onto vans and into hoppers for hour after hour. Not much strategic thought or technical know-how required to be honest, but it was great exercise and provided me with cash through college. My first real post college job in the mid 90s was working in R&D system testing for Token Ring and ATM networking products at a company called Madge Networks. Madge was a great company to work in, with some really smart people and a great culture. Did you always want to work in IT? No, I wasnt sure what I wanted to do if I am honest. I was always interested in IT, but I wasnt sure whether Id end up working within the industry or working for an organisation that leveraged a lot of IT i.e. actuarial, management consulting etc.. What was your education? Do you hold any certifications? What are they? I went to a good local school that taught me how to learn and the value of applying knowledge not just the syllabus i was studying which I think made a big difference to how I approach and (still) enjoy learning. I went to Southampton Uni where I studied computer science, and had the benefit of working with some great tutors who were involved in really interesting (and very new, back then) hypermedia, parallel computing and HCI projects that really broadened my interest in IT. I graduated in 1994. Explain your career path. Did you take any detours? If so, discuss. I started off working in R&D, then post-sales, then moved into pre-sales and then into a CTO office function, before becoming CTO. I have always focused more on the practical application of technology to solving problems and delivering value, so working closely with both engineering and customers has always been important to me. I also like to be hands-on, and still dabble a bit with analytics and Machine Learning. When Ive changed roles, it has always been to expand my skillset or gain experience in a new area. What type of CTO are you? Id describe myself as a technologist burdened with a fairly high level of pragmatism. I am a firm believer in selecting the most practical solution to a problem, so sometimes Ill look to enhance old technologies rather than going for something new and shiny IF - I think we can achieve our immediate and future goals more effectively. Looking at the ways others categorise CTOs, I think Im a blend of the Customer Advocate and the Big Thinker. Which emerging technology are you most excited about the prospect of? I think Artificial Intelligence is a hugely interesting area with a lot of potential to help us identify or clarify patterns of activity in pretty much every aspect of business, healthcare, logistics etc.. However, it isnt magic it can help but only when used in the right way, driven by the right dataset and as a part of an overall solution incorporating the right people and processes to achieve a goal. Are there any technologies which you think are overhyped? Why? See (6). I have seen some businesses invest large amounts of money in data-centric projects where AI was supposed to bring a wealth of new insight to the business without really defining what the goal was. In most cases the AI did deliver a lot of interesting findings but they werent actionable. As I mentioned, I am all about using technology to deliver value, and building strategies around that. Dont get me wrong, science projects have their place, if they build knowledge and capability but that knowledge and capability IS the value of the project and needs to be defined and assessed against the investment. What is one unique initiative that youve employed over the last 12 months that youre really proud of? Given the major shift in working practices over the last year, due to the pandemic, Im proud of the way weve embraced collaboration tools to maintain productivity. Theres a whole range of things here, ranging from asking people to have their camera on during meetings, so that there is a level of presence, to shortening meetings to 45 mins to ensure people get a break between calls. Are you leading a digital transformation? If so, does it emphasise customer experience and revenue growth or operational efficiency? If both, how do you balance the two? No, but I am working with many of our customers who are deeply engaged in digital transformation projects. I think the key to balancing these areas is good, consistent visibility across both new and legacy technologies, that can be used to drive objective metrics. If we can understand the relationships between customer experience, business performance and technology change, using the right KPIs, then we can optimise based on our tactical needs, and longer term strategies, as needed. What is the biggest issue that youre helping customers with at the moment? Understanding the threat space and security needs of 5G enterprise and IoT services as mobile operators focus on these areas to drive ROI from their 5G investments. There is a lot of complexity here, and also a lot of both implicit and explicit risks / requirements when we start looking at smart cities, ICS, enterprise private 5G services etc.. How do you align your technology use to meet business goals? Thats an easy one, communication. I spend as much time as possible talking to customers, having open conversations about their current and future goals and our (sometimes different) views on the technologies needed to achieve those goals. All of these conversations are hugely useful, as they influence bi-directionally and help align what we deliver to our customers need. Just as important is internal communication, so that there is alignment across the organisation in terms of direction and priority, including sales, marketing, engineering, HR etc., to ensure we move as a team. Do you have any trouble matching product/service strategy with tech strategy? I think everyone does to some degree. There is the constant pull of new technology, and its promise of, for example, more accurate results, faster performance and lower costs; versus, the safety of well understood technologies and solutions that may deliver a more immediate solution with less risk, but which may not fulfil demands or maximise opportunity going forward. I think balancing this is a challenge for everyone, which is why its important to understand where the business is going strategically, so that gaining experience in new technologies that may be broadly useful going forward can be achieved within projects where there is less short-term focus and / or greater risk tolerance. What makes an effective tech strategy? For me its pretty simple - a good strategy is defined around one or more well defined goals, and the goal(s) have to deliver a measurable value to the real-world i.e. a goal cant simply be to solve a technical problem, the goal has to be what you want to achieve by solving a problem and why. If you define a strategy like this, then it is only constrained around the goal and not around how the goal is achieved, which allows for the use of tried-and-tested or innovative solutions, or both. What predictions do you have for the role of the CTO in the future? Given the pace of evolution, and the complexity of some new technologies, I think CTOs will have to get comfortable being uncomfortable, to quote Colin Doherty, a previous CEO of Arbor Networks. I have always wanted to deeply understand each of the technologies I work with, but that is becoming more challenging, and I think the team of technologists around the CTO, within the CTO office, is getting ever more important. Trusted external advisers are great, but having internal expertise aligned around the same goals is always preferable. Another change I see is around how tightly business and technology are now inter-woven. This isnt anything new, but the level of reliance and the line between success / failure for a business is now dependent on technology strategy, regardless of whether the business is in the technology space. I think CTOs will get a lot more focus at board level as we move forward. What has been your greatest career achievement? Structuring my work-life balance so that I have time to spend with my kids whilst the are young. This may sound like an odd thing to say, but I have many acquaintances with older children who havent focused on this and have really regretted it. Looking back with 20:20 hindsight, what would you have done differently? The mercenary in me says I should have joined a couple of startups that were around about 10-15 years ago as Id now be writing this from a beach somewhere not my office. On a more serious note, I think I would have spent more time expanding my skillsets in marketing and market analysis. They are key in shaping and delivering the stories we need to help our customers understand the value of our technologies, products and strategies, and in partnering with us. Last summer, the controversial businessman Marian Kocner and a confidante, Alena Zsuzsova, were acquitted of ordering Kuciaks murder in February 2018. The Specialized Criminal Court in Pezinok, Slovakia, found that there was not enough evidence to rule conclusively that Kocner had ordered the killing. The three people who were convicted of the crime were gunman Miroslav Marcek, getaway driver Tomas Szabo and middleman Zoltan Andrusko. The prosecution appealed the verdict, which was a tremendous setback for the fight against impunity in a case which led to a dramatic change of the political landscape in Slovakia. Today, the Supreme Court overturned the acquittal of Marian Kocner and Alena Zsuzsova, following a review of new evidence submitted the prosecutions, including a new expert testimony on cryptic messages Kocner and Zsuzsova exchanged as well as data on Zsuzsovas heartbeat. The Court ordered the Specialised Criminal Court to reconsider the case. The ruling was a huge relief to the families who were devastated by last summers ruling. The Supreme Court also criticised the initial verdict for failing to consider all evidence and circumstances in the case, which it said resulted in an incorrect result, namely acquittal. The Specialised Criminal Court was also asked to assign the case to a different panel of judges from the one which oversaw the initial trial. IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: "We welcome the Supreme Court's ruling , which is a big relief for those fighting against impunity for crimes against journalists. All those involved in the killing of Jan and his fiance, killers and master minds, must be brought to justice in order to send a clear message that killing a journalist cannot go unpunished. We are pleased about the Supreme Courts decision and are hopeful that, this time, the masterminds behind Jan Kuciaks murder will finally be held fully accountable. Impunity for attacks and murders against journalists must end, said the EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutierrez. Global cybersecurity company Kaspersky and Badan Siber dan Sandi Negara (BSSN), the Cyber and Crypto Agency of Indonesia, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in line with their shared goal of beefing up the cybersecurity capability of the country. Amidst Indonesias accelerated digitalization, the agreement aims to further enhance capacity development and institution building on cybersecurity within the government sector as it seeks to ensure public safety and security in the 21st century. Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky, said: "Indonesia is coming on leaps and bounds in the digital world, and the pandemic has only accelerated this shift. But embracing digitalization also means embracing increased cybercrime, as cybercriminals are also getting more skilled and experienced. That is why today defending cyberspace is all the more crucial to a country's economy and its population's safety. In order to build a safer world and support the country in harnessing the power of technology securely, we're looking forward to joining forces and contributing to raising awareness and enhancing capacity-building programs." Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky, holding the signed MoU with BSSN The MoU signed by Kaspersky and BSSN includes collaborating through knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, series of training on cybersecurity and joint programs to build cyber awareness in Indonesia. Preventive and repressive actions have been taken to prevent and mitigate the risk of cybercrimes, but these risks continue to develop and must be addressed through raising cybersecurity awareness, given that cyber threats such as phishing exploits usually prey on user behavior. Lieutenant General Hinsa Siburian, the Head of the Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) of the Republic of Indonesia said: Recognizing the risks of cyberthreats, BSSN and Kaspersky are working to improve the countrys overall computing security through a commitment to security, privacy protection, reliability, incident response and integrity by taking the first step in the form of signing this MoU. With this, it is hoped that Kaspersky and BSSN can commit to even closer cooperation, especially in strengthening cyber security in critical infrastructure, as well as capacity building through training, consultation, evaluation of information security, and recovery and response to incidents. Lieutenant General Hinsa Siburian, Head of the Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) of the Republic of Indonesia, holding the signed MoU with Kaspersky Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company with over 20 years of expertise in cybersecurity. A staunch advocate of mutual collaboration and transparency in cyberspace, the company is known for its deep threat intelligence and comprehensive security portfolio against evolving threats online. During the first quarter of the year, Kaspersky solutions have foiled 9,639,740 internet-borne malware which almost infected users in Indonesia. When it comes to building purpose-driven brands, Elon Musk is something of a pioneer. Musk's electric car company, Tesla, and his aerospace manufacturing business, SpaceX, both ranked among the most purposeful brands in America, according to a new study. Published by the marketing and advertising agency StrawberryFrog and corporate reputation management company RepTrak, the 2021 Purpose Power Index is based on a survey of more than 6,500 respondents about more than 200 brands. The companies revealed the list of the 20 most purposeful brands during Inc.'s Purpose Power Summit 2021 stream event on Tuesday, with Musk's SpaceX claiming the No. 3 spot, and Tesla ranking No. 9. Ecofriendly cleaning and personal care company Seventh Generation was the most purposeful company on the list, followed at No. 2 by the shoe and apparel company Toms. Conducted in January, the study measured corporate brand purpose using an algorithm that looked at four main elements: standing for more than just making money; improving the lives of people and communities; benefiting society as a whole; and changing the world for the better. The study found that the link between a company's reputation and its purpose has grown stronger since the most recent Purpose Power Index, published in 2019. "The integrity of purpose matters more than ever before and has a bigger impact on the overall reputation of your organization," Stephen Hahn-Griffiths, RepTrak's global executive vice president of reputation intelligence and enterprise growth, said in a presentation at the Purpose Power Summit. Hahn-Griffiths added that more than half of the top 20 companies on this year's list are new to the top 20, and are not companies that were founded with any social mission in mind. "[They've] risen through the lens of being purposeful, but aren't necessarily companies born out of purpose," he said. Chip Walker, head of strategy at StrawberryFrog, noted that this year's most purposeful brands consisted of a much more varied group of companies than in 2019, resulting from both what he called "bold innovation" and a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, ranked at No. 188 in 2019, for example, rose to No. 49 after having developed a Covid-19 vaccine in record time. The top 20 most purposeful brands from the 2021 report are: 1. Seventh Generation 2. Toms 3. SpaceX 4. GSK 5. Abbvie 6. Kimberly-Clark 7. Allbirds 8. 3M 9. Tesla 10. Genentech 11. Clorox 12. USAA 13. Stonyfield Organic 14. Intel 15. LG Corp 16. REI 17. Zoom 18. Kellogg's 19. Vermont Creamery Before we can talk about the trick Steve Jobs or anyone else used to be successful, we first have to define success. It's not mindlessly (and probably miserably) chasing the next promotion or another zero on the end of your bank balance. It's not getting internet famous or winning some high school-style popularity contest (science shows that kind of popularity ends badly). Instead, I mean a back-to-basics definition of success -- when the time comes for you to face the end of your life will you look back and think that, overall, you spent the years well and did right by your values and the ones you love? If that's the definition of success you're aiming for, then Steve Jobs knew you shouldn't wait until the end of your life to start thinking about the end of your life. Instead, no matter how scary it might be, you need to look death in the face every day. Steve Jobs's morbid habit is backed by science (and monks) As my Inc.com colleague Minda Zetlin has reported, every morning Jobs would look in the mirror and ask himself, "If today were the last day of your life, would you want to be doing what you're doing?" Reminding yourself of your eventual demise while brushing your teeth might seem morbid, but as Jobs explained in his famous Stanford commencement speech, thinking about death is a powerful way to focus your attention on how you're using your limited days. "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important," he told the new grads. And Jobs isn't the only one insisting it's one of the best ways to push yourself not to waste your one precious life. Ancient stoic philosophers advocated "memento mori," or reminding yourself of the mortality of all things, and as Michael Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis, explains in a new Outside article, both Buddhism and modern science also agree with Jobs. The article recounts Easter's travels to Bhutan to speak with eminent Buddhist teachers about death and the ill effects of refusing to face up to your own mortality. "I have found that the people who have not thought about death are the ones who have regrets on their deathbeds. Because they have not used a necessary tool that could have made them live a fuller life," one Lama who works with the dying warns Easter. But woven throughout the travelogue are also enough references to Western scientific research to convince those who find statistics more persuasive than monks. One University of Kentucky study found that people who were directed to contemplate their death felt happier and more fulfilled than a control group. Another study at hospitals like the Yale Cancer Center and Massachusetts General Hospital found looking death in the eye led to a higher quality of life for terminal patients. Another bit of research showed pondering your mortality led to more pro-social behavior like volunteering and donating to charity. Steve Jobs, in other words, was on to something. Facing up to the fact that our time here on earth is short may be bitter medicine, but some of the greatest thinkers of the East and West as well as modern psychology suggest it's good for you. Little else will focus the mind quite so clearly on what's important as spending a moment each day pondering just how few days you might have left. Cardi B has opened up about the character she plays in the forthcoming Fast & Furious film, F9. In a promotional video, the Grammy-winning rapper talked about how her character, Leysa, is a powerful, strong woman. Cardi also spoke about how she was originally approached for the film. Vin Diesel reached out and he was talking about a role, she recalled. Im like, Its freakin Fast & Furious. Get me there, put me on a plane! I like the fact that Im representing such a powerful, strong woman, she added. Shes just that b****! I remember when I saw Ludacris in Fast & The Furious... then to see Don Omar, it makes the hood have hope. Being around Vin, hes just so nice, so dope. He makes you feel so comfortable. Im just so excited. He's just such a badass. Cardi, who also appeared in the 2019 film Hustlers, tweeted about her upcoming role in the franchises latest instalment, which stars Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Luda, Nathalie Emmanuel, Charlize Theron, John Cena, Helen Mirren and Kurt Russell. I cant wait to watch Fast & Furious 9. I havent seen my scenes yet! Thats the best part about it thooo watching the movie then you see yourself coming in. Im sooo proud of myself. GOD IS GOOD ! Can I get a ALL THE TIME ? !!!! F9 arrives in theatres in the US on 25 June and 24 June in the UK. Chairing a meeting of the ruling Workers Partys central committee on Tuesday, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un admitted that the country needed to tackle a tense food situation caused by the pandemic and last years typhoons. He also called for the North Korean public to brace for a longer period of Covid-19 restrictions, though Pyongyang still claims North Korea to be one of the only countries in the world without a single case so far. The local KCNA agency reported that Mr Kim reviewed progress on some major policies and the partys central committee set goals as part of the latest five-year economic plan outlined in February. Mr Kim claimed the economy had improved overall in the first half of the year, citing an increase in total industrial output of 25 per cent, but said there had been a series of deviations in the partys efforts to implement economic growth. He pointed out the tight food supplies across the country as one of several obstacles. Mr Kim said: The peoples food situation is now getting tense, as the agricultural sector failed to fulfil its grain production plan due to the damage by typhoons last year. KCNA reported that the party vowed to direct all efforts to the farm sector this year and discussed ways to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Kim called for steps to minimise the impacts of natural disasters as a lesson from last year and key to attaining this years goals. North Korea has claimed that it doesnt have a single Covid-19 case a claim that experts doubt due to its porous border with China and the countrys poor health infrastructure. North Korea has, at the same time, imposed strict anti-virus measures, including border closures and domestic travel restrictions. Covax, which secures vaccines for poor countries, had said it will provide nearly two million doses of AstraZenecas Covid-19 vaccine to North Korea. But the shipment has been delayed. A Covax official had said that countries that want Covax support are required to hold various consultations and submit some documents including an inoculation plan. But in North Koreas case, such consultations have been prolonged and it appears that the shipment will be made later than initially planned. KCNA also reported that Mr Kim called for discussions on how the North should deal with the current international situation, though it did not mention any specific comments from Mr Kim about the US or South Korea. Meanwhile, experts watching North Korea have yet to see signs of mass starvation or major instability, the Associated Press reported, but some say conditions could be aligning for a perfect storm of crises in food and other markets that could trigger public panic. The Korea Development Institute, a South Korean government think tank, said last month the North could face food shortages of around a million tonnes this year. Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul, said: While the report was short on specifics, the party meeting does provide more clues about how serious food and consumer goods shortages are becoming in North Korea. Extended pandemic border restrictions are taking a toll on the economy as price and exchange rate indicators appear to be worsening. Additional reporting by agencies Less than half of listed firms outside of the biggest 350 companies have met targets for women in the boardroom and a shocking 54% still have no female top bosses, new research has revealed. A report by Women on Boards UK showed that while solid progress has been made within the UKs top 100 and 250 listed companies, diversity is still woefully behind in the wider FTSE All-Share. Its study of the 261 firms outside of the FTSE 350 with a combined stock market value of 63 billion found that just 48% have met the UK goal for at least a third of board roles to be held by women. This compares with nearly two thirds 65% of firms in the FTSE 350. To accelerate diversity, and close the gender pay gap, we must look beyond the FTSE 350 and ensure that every company in the FTSE All-Share is held accountable to change Fiona Hathorn, Women on Boards UK It also revealed that 37% 98 of the FTSE All-Share, excluding 350 company boards, have only one or no female directors. And more than half of firms still have all-male executive leadership teams against just 8% in the FTSE 350 branded shocking and alarming by Women on Boards UK. Only 7% have female chief executives and 16% have chairwomen, the report found. The findings follow the recent final report from the Hampton-Alexander Review which concluded in February that its target had been met, with 34.3% of FTSE 350 board roles now held by women, up from 21.9% in October 2015. Fiona Hathorn wants board diversity targets to be more stretching (Women on Boards UK/PA) But Fiona Hathorn, co-founder and chief executive of Women on Boards UK, said the job was far from done. She cautioned that targets focusing on the FTSE 350 mask the fact that many companies have made little or no change and called for goals to be widened out across the FTSE. She said: While progress has been made over the past several years, much of this has been driven by the largest companies. There are many smaller listed companies who, with a collective market capitalisation value of 63 billion, have a significant impact on the UK economy. The research also revealed that only 3% of board members in the FTSE All-Share outside of the 350 are directors of colour and they are distributed across just 16% of companies. To accelerate diversity, and close the gender pay gap, we must look beyond the FTSE 350 and ensure that every company in the FTSE All-Share is held accountable to change. The Women on Boards UK report also revealed a worrying gender pay cap, at 20.2% on average across the FTSE 350 and 17% for the remainder of the FTSE All-Share both higher than the 13.7% national average. While there are companies in the FTSE All-Share working hard to close their gender pay gap, many more companies need to seriously up their game on equal pay, said Ms Hathorn. She is pressing for continued scrutiny of diversity in the FTSE All-Share and wants the goals to now go further, with a target for at least 40% of board roles to be held by women. Women on Boards UK also wants all listed companies to report their gender pay gap, on a comply or explain basis. A government spokesman said: While we have seen huge improvements at the top of British business in recent years, there is still distance left to travel. We would encourage businesses to keep challenging themselves to progress towards more diverse workplaces. The UK is less prepared now than it was five years ago for the escalating effects of the climate crisis on people and wildlife, according to the governments own advisers. As CO2 levels continue to climb, the UK is experiencing more intense heatwaves, wildfires and floods, and greater risks to its food supply and health systems, the experts say. But the rise in climate effects is not being met with sufficient action from the government, says the assessment from the UKs independent Climate Change Committee (CCC). The panel warns there is a growing gap between the risks that Britons face from the climate crisis and the action being taken by the government to adapt to them. UK temperatures have already risen by 1.2C since the period 1850-1900, while average sea levels have risen by some 16cm, the report says. Chances of an extreme heatwave like the one suffered in 2018 occurring in any given year are now up to 25 per cent, against less than 10 per cent a few decades ago. And many of the UKs worsening climate effects are now baked in for decades to come, according to the report, which was compiled by more than 450 scientists and experts across the UK. By 2050, the chances of an extreme heatwave occurring in any year could reach 50 per cent, while sea levels could rise to be a further 10cm-30cm above those of 1981-2000. The overall level of risk facing the UK has increased over the last five years and adaptation is not keeping pace with the rate at which the climate is changing, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, chair of the CCCs adaptation committee, said on Monday. Weve heard so much about net zero but I think its really important to reinforce the point that net zero doesnt solve this problem. The climate will go on changing at least until 2050 and some of the aspects of climate change, such as sea level rise, will go well beyond that. She described the governments lack of an action plan for dealing with the effects of the climate crisis as absolutely illogical given that many climate adaptation measures would also benefits people and wildlife. For example, restoring wild habitats could boost resilience against extreme weather such as flooding, while also helping to reverse nature loss. And retrofitting Britains leaky and poorly ventilated homes could reduce energy use while helping to improve human health and wellbeing. Unless urgent action is taken, escalating climate effects could even threaten efforts to reach the UKs legal target of net-zero emissions by 2050, added Chris Stark, chief executive of the CCC. Theres potential for climate change itself to undermine the progress we can make on net zero overall, he told the briefing. One way this could occur is the effect of worsening heatwaves, wildfires and droughts on forests and other natural ecosystems, which act as vital carbon stores. We cannot expect nature to mop up all that carbon if its too dry for the trees to grow, he said. Worsening extreme weather events pose a risk to the UKs carbon-rich ecosystems (Getty Images) The report is the third comprehensive assessment of the risks posed to the UK by the climate crisis. The 1,500-page assessment examines 61 risks and opportunities posed by the climate crisis in the UK. The analysis considers risks across every aspect of life in the UK, from natural ecosystems to UK businesses. It finds that the need for adaptation to these climate risks has increased since the last assessment was carried out in 2016. A total of 56 per cent of the risks included in the report were given the highest urgency score meaning that more action is needed in the next five years if the UK is to sufficiently cope with the risk. This compares with 36 per cent for the last assessment report in 2016. In addition, 14 of the identified climate risks have increased in magnitude over the past five years while none of the risks have lessened, according to the assessment. Green party MP Caroline Lucas described the findings of the report as devastating. [It lays] out in forensic detail the cost of successive governments failure to take the necessary action on the climate emergency, she said. Almost every warning light on the climate dashboard is going from amber to red. This has to serve as a call to action, far beyond the piecemeal policies and programmes the government has put in place. The findings show that the UK is falling behind despite its claim of being a climate leader ahead of Cop26, a key global conference being hosted by the government in Glasgow in November, said Doug Parr, policy director and chief scientist at Greenpeace UK. Change is now inevitable and its time the government pulls its finger out to ensure were ready to face the challenges the climate crisis poses, Dr Parr said. That means bringing forward detailed, well funded measures on everything from proper housing standards making them fit for living in a warmer world, to investment in soils and nature restoration. Putting money behind good action now will see us paid back many times through the benefits our society will reap. A government spokesperson said: The UK was the first major world economy to set a target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our plan to further reduce emissions in 2035 by at least 78 per cent compared to 1990 levels is the highest reduction target by a major economy to date. As we work to eliminate the UKs contribution to climate change and build back greener after the pandemic we will increase biodiversity, protect and restore our peatlands, clean up our countrys air and help protect our waterways through our landmark Environment Bill. We welcome this report and will consider its recommendations closely as we continue to demonstrate global leadership on climate change ahead of Cop26 in November. Several restaurants have been forced to close in the Cornish resort of St Ives amid a surge in coronavirus cases thought to be linked to the recent G7 summit. At least six eateries in the seaside town shut up shop in the space of just a week to protect customers and staff after two police officers tested positive for the virus. It will come as a huge blow to the town, which has already been hit by lockdown closures and hoped to recover some of the losses from peak tourist trade. Closure signs began cropping up in the windows of businesses even in the days before the summit as preparations saw temporary police camps set up to house thousands of officers. Blas Burgerworks was one of the first to announce it was closing for the week due to G7 disruption. Owner Lisa Taylor said cancelled deliveries and traffic delays during the international confernce one employee living in nearby Lelant calculated it would take three hours to get to work as reasons for closure. Honestly, thank god we did, she said. The impact on us as a business has been enormous. We feel that we shouldnt reopen at this time due to the safety of our staff. A few days later, a small eatery on Tregenna Hill announced its closure with a hastily-written piece of paper in the window. Then on Friday the first official day of the summit similar notices began to appear in the in window of businesses around the harbour. The hotel and restaurant Pedn Olva, perched just above Porthminster beach and only a mile from summit headquarters in Carbis Bay, announced its closure due to a number of staff testing positive with the virus. A spokesperson from St Austell Brewery, which owns the venue, was unable to confirm reports that some supporting workers for international delegations had been due to stay, but said it will reopen once a full Covid-19 deep clean has taken place and we have the available staff to run it. The Covid rate in Cornwall increased by almost 800 per cent between the week ending 26 May compared to the seven days to 9 June. Adding to concern has been the temporary arrival of an extra 5,500 plice officers from other parts of the UK, most of them housed together in cramped, purpose-built camps with shared toilet facilities. St Ives is a small town and many individuals rely on the hospitality industry for their income, said Ms Taylor, adding: Its just another blow in whats already been a difficult 18 months for the community. England must follow the lead of Scotland and Wales and make Hormone Replacement Therapy exempt from NHS prescription charges, MPs have warned. The majority of the 3.4 million women between 50 and 64 in the UK will be experiencing symptoms of the menopause with these ranging from heart palpitations to hot flushes, vaginal pain, anxiety and depression. Cross-party MPs are hoping to change rules around charging for Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which alleviates symptoms of the menopause, via a private members bill. The legislation, introduced by Carolyn Harris, the Labour MP for Swansea East, also seeks to overhaul menopause rights, entitlements and education. Ms Harris said: For far too long, generation after generation of women have been let down, ignored or simply thrown on the scrap heap as a result of the menopause. Despite affecting more than half of the worlds population, menopause remains one of the last great taboos - badly funded and rarely discussed in public. It is also poorly understood: in the workplace, in society at large and far too often, even in the doctor's surgery. It is clear that we need both a step-change in attitudes, and a change in the law. The politician warned the issue transcends NHS charging and is rooted in attitude and education as she promised to usher in a menopause revolution. She explained an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), a group which includes MPs from a range of political parties, focused on the menopause had been set up. Ms Harris, who will present the new legislation on Wednesday, added: Our new APPG will be so important. This wont be a talking shop - it will be a driving force for change. Our menopause inquiry will take in workplace policy, medical school training, public health messaging and school curriculums. If the menopause were an illness, or indeed a condition that impacted every man, its unlikely that financial support would be so woeful, or public understanding so negligible. Women have suffered long enough - I am determined to change that. Symptoms of menopause also include vaginal dryness, night sweats, insomnia, headaches, a reduced sex drive, recurrent urinary tract infections as well as mood changes, feelings of sadness, difficulty concentrating and issues with memory. Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, a menopause campaigner, said: More than one in three MPs will go through menopause so it is brilliant to see some action on this at last. For too long the needs of menopausal women have been ignored, overlooked or downplayed, leaving women suffering in silence and ignorance. It took me almost four years of going back and forth to the GP to get help and even then, it was my husband who finally realised all my symptoms were menopause. It has taken another three years to get my HRT right through lack of understanding from my GPs. Many women I know have given up with the NHS and paid privately, some into the thousands of pounds for help money they can barely afford at times. Diane Danzebrink, who runs the Menopause Support network, which works with 10,000 women, added: Improving menopause education, care and support for all women is vital, far too many continue to needlessly suffer in silence and this has to stop. Forecasters have warned intense thunderstorms are on their way as temperatures are set to hit up to 30C. The Met Office has issued warnings of thunderstorms stretching across large parts of England, including London and the South East, as the UK could see the hottest day of the year so far. Here we answer some key questions about thunderstorms and why they happen during prolonged hot weather. Why do thunderstorms happen during heatwaves? The hot weather and humidity during a heatwave creates ideal conditions for thunderstorms. According to the Met Office, thunderstorms develop when the atmosphere is unstable and there is moisture. This is when warm air exists underneath much colder air. They often develop in the afternoon after the progressive heating during the early part of the day. Stephen Dixon, a spokesperson for the Met Office, told The Independent: Thunderstorms develop when warm air is closer to the surface of the Earth and cooler air above it. That warmer air rises and that mixing with the cooler air is what causes the instability and water droplets to form. Its fairly common at this time of year to see thunderstorms of this nature. How common are thunderstorms? Thunderstorms are common occurrences. It is estimated that a lightning strike hits somewhere on the Earths surface approximately 44 times every second, a total of nearly 1.4 billion lightning strikes every year. Owing to the fact thunderstorms are created by intense heating of the Earth's surface, they are most common in areas of the globe where the weather is hot and humid. Landmasses, therefore, experience more storms than oceans and thunderstorms are also more frequent in tropical areas than higher latitudes. In the UK, thunderstorms are most common over the East Midlands and the southeast of England. What is a thunderstorm? A thunderstorm can be described as one or more sudden electrical discharges, manifested by sudden flashes of light (lightning) and a sharp or rumbling sound (thunder). Thunderstorms are associated with convective clouds and are most often, but not necessarily, accompanied by precipitation such as rain or hail. There are estimated to be as few as five thunderstorm days in the UK in a quiet year and up to 20 or more during a quiet one, according to the Met Office. Following Joe Bidens signature on the bill, Juneteenth became the nations 11th federal public holiday, after congressional passage of a measure that formally recognises a day that commemorates the end of slavery and emancipation of African Americans in the US. Democratic US Rep Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas has led recent efforts to make Juneteenth a national holiday, adding to the list of federal holidays for the first time since the addition of Martin Luther King Jr Day in 1983. On 13 June, the US Senate unanimously approved the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, establishing 19 June as a legal public holiday. The measure was co-sponsored by Texas Senator John Cornyn, a Republican. Republican Senator Ron Johnson, who blocked its passage in 2020, lifted his opposition in 2021. Following the bills approval in the House of Representatives on 16 June, President Joe Biden signed it into law on 17 June. Effective immediately, as a federal holiday, federal employees will receive a paid day off on 19 June, or on the nearest Friday or Monday. It will join a list of legal public holidays that includes MLK Jr Day, New Years Day, Washingtons Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. In recent years, some state and local governments have declared it a holiday, and a growing number of companies, universities and other institutions have recognised the day with remembrance events and as a paid holiday. The day marks the arrival of roughly 2,000 Union Army soldiers in Galveston, Texas on 19 June, 1865 with news that enslaved people were now free. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on 1 September 1862, it didnt go into effect until 1 January 1863. The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, which formally abolished slavery in the US, wasnt passed by Congress until 31 January 1865. It was ratified later that year. The first Juneteenth celebration was observed on 19 June, 1866, when formerly enslaved people in Texas gathered to commemorate their emancipation. The event spread across the US, becoming the nations oldest tradition that recognises the abolition of slavery and freedom of African Americans. The Fourth of July which marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 is recognised nationwide just a few weeks later. In his What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? address in 1852, abolitionist Frederick Douglass noted the nations hypocrisy of celebrating Independence Day while imposing a brutal regime of slavery. Juneteenth was not formally recognised in Texas until 1979. It was the first state to do so. It is now recognised on a state level in some form in most states. Natasha Robinson vividly remembers the day her first stimulus cheque came through. She was homeless and in the depths of a heroin addiction at the time. Most of her days were spent scrambling to find enough money to get a fix. This day was different. The first thing I did is I went to the ATM down here. The second thing I did is I went to my dealers house, and it wasnt not even 10 minutes after that my husband was dead on the floor, the 26-year-old says, pointing to the spot where he overdosed in the back room of this small church building in West Virginia. That first cheque was gone in two days. It was just bad. So many people that I know overdosed, some people died. It was probably about the worst thing for people in addiction. There was a grim irony in what happened to Natasha, and she was not alone. The Covid stimulus cheques distributed from April last year $1,200 for most American adults were a lifeline to millions around the country, but a potential death sentence to those in addiction. It was just one of the many ways in which public health measures put in place across the US to stop the spread of coronavirus had unintended, adverse effects on communities that were already battling a deadly opioid epidemic. It forced people on the front line of that crisis to make impossible choices on which of the two to fight at any one time. Here in West Virginia, the consequences were fatal. The state, one of the worst-affected by the nationwide crisis, had been making progress: five consecutive years of rising overdose deaths had given way to two of slight decline. There was still a long road ahead, but there was a sense that things might be about to turn a corner. Then, it all fell apart. Our Supporter Programme funds special reports on the issues that matter. Click here to help fund more of our public-interest journalism Last year, as much of the country was shut down to stop the spread of the virus, fatal overdoses in the state rose by 47 per cent to a record high. At least 1,291 people died from drug overdoses in West Virginia in 2020 , up from 877 in 2019, and 909 in 2018. Nationwide, more than 90,000 people are thought to have died from overdoses in 2020, up about 30 per cent on the year before. The worst thing that could possibly happen Those numbers are no surprise to Natasha and others struggling with addiction. Her husband would have been among them had she not revived him on the floor of the church room where she now sits. Surrounded by a circle of chairs scattered around the room at a recovery meeting held by a local pastor, she tells the story of her addiction. It began from a young age. Drugs and alcohol was part of my life [for] my whole life, she says. Her addiction followed a path familiar to many, driven largely by what was available: weed at 14, prescription opioids at 15, then a transition to heroin. Three or four years into her heroin addiction things really began to fall apart. She was living on the streets and her child was taken away. She went into rehab soon after. Natasha had seen it all, but even for experienced addicts the impact of Covid-19 was a jolt to the system. She and other addicts talk of the early days of the pandemic like veterans talk of a vicious battle in a war gone by. Oh my goodness, that Covid, she says with a deep breath. When that hit, that was the worst thing that could possibly happen to me. The stimulus payments, she says, were the spark. Natasha Robinson outside a recovery meeting in East Lynn, West Virginia (Richard Hall / The Independent ) It was probably about the worst thing for people even in recovery, let alone people in active addiction. The first thing theyre going to do is theyre going to run and get their fix. You cannot give them that kind of money. You cant give 20 bucks to an addict. Joni Adkins, 25, sitting across the room, nods in agreement. I overdosed on my first stimulus cheque, she says. I went wild with that one. I blew it in a week and that was the most heroin Ive ever done in my life. People working on the front line saw the impact immediately. Amanda Coleman runs a homeless shelter in the centre of Huntington, a city that has borne the brunt of West Virginias opioid crisis. Sitting in the courtyard of an apartment block run by the charity, she explains that restrictions on social security payments that were put in place to protect people suffering from addiction broke down during the pandemic. Each month we pay their rent, we pay their bills and then we give them a weekly cheque for living expenses or personal expenses, she says of the programme. With the stimulus, we were required to just give it to them all at once. The shelter came up with a novel solution to deal with the inevitable overdoses that would follow. We were handing them Naloxone with their cheques, she says, referring to the medication that revives someone who has overdosed. All it takes is one bad day, one thought and you acting on that thought will mess up your whole life We would try not to be offensive. Most of our folks are just open with us because theyre not going to get any judgment from us about it. But some like to pretend that they dont and wed say, Well, in case your friend goes down, you know, go ahead and take it. The spike in overdoses was impossible to ignore, however. Coleman says it was around early summer that things got really bad. It was overdoses in our shelter, down the block. People would come running from two blocks away to ask for help. It was people coming in and saying, I ODed three times this weekend, or, My friend ODed. she says. The chaotic bursts that followed the stimulus payments were followed by another problem that would be harder to shake. Those who made it through the early days of the pandemic without relapsing faced another challenge to their recovery: isolation. Pandemic lockdowns, lifesaving for the wider population and essential for stopping the spread of the virus, created the perfect conditions for addicts to fall through the gaps. Quarantines tore them away from support systems and the help they needed. Natasha experienced it at first hand. When youre isolated, all of your thoughts come back, she says. I dont care how far you got in recovery I dont care if you got two months or 10 years, all it takes is one bad day, one thought and you acting on that thought will mess up your whole life. And for people to be isolated, and then given a big bunch of money, thats just asking for death. The devils playground An hours drive east from East Lynn, along winding roads through the countryside, lies Madison. This town of fewer than 3,000 residents thrived when the regions coalmines were busy. Like much of rural West Virginia, it suffered greatly when the industry declined. Jobs left, then people followed. The aggressive marketing and delivery of millions of prescription pain pills, from early in the millennium onwards, into an area that was suffering economically was a death blow. Addiction soared and places such as Madison became regular features on nightly news programmes about the crisis. America was used to seeing drugs in the city, but not in small towns like this. The opioid crisis hit rural communities like East Lynn and Madison just as badly as it did urban areas. At its height, one small drive-in pharmacy here distributed more than 9.6 million doses of prescription opioids hydrocodone and oxycodone, according to a lawsuit filed against the owners. Today, that small pharmacy is boarded up and closed, like many other businesses in the town. Around 2012, opioid manufacturers were curtailed by regulations that reined in prescription abuse. That led addicts to turn to whatever drugs were available mostly heroin and fentanyl. Those drugs are responsible for the majority of overdoses today. Chelsea Carter grew up here. She was once an addict, but for the past 12 years she has been in recovery, and today works at a rehabilitation clinic helping others overcome their addictions. The Brighter Futures clinic had just opened in January last year with funding from the nearby Boone County Memorial Hospital. Before, people would have to travel for 10 or 20 miles to receive treatment. The clinic aimed to reduce the distance between people in recovery and their treatment. As any rehabilitation counsellor will tell you, regular contact is essential. When that was taken away during the pandemic, it had a devastating effect. Amanda Coleman, second right, at the Harmony House shelter in Huntington (Courtesy ) Were not only dealing with addiction, were dealing with the mental health side, says Carter, in an office on the fourth floor of a building on Madisons high street. The thing about addiction is that your brain is like the devils playground. When youre alone, all you do is sit and think. And you start migrating back towards using because you think, At least I wont be stuck in my head all the time. Our patients have been introduced to a way of treatment they come in here and we hold them accountable and they have drug screening and all this stuff. Then when the pandemic started we just had to say, Well call you on a phone, but I want you to stay clean. They were left to their own devices. Some went to great lengths to keep the meetings going. In the winter, when Covid was raging and everyone was shut down again, one person told The Independent they arranged a meeting for 70 people out in a field. They collected wood, built a giant bonfire, and shared their stories as they usually did. Some clinics even turned to telemedicine to continue treatment programmes, keeping in touch with their patients over video calls. But that, too, has drawbacks. Now its nothing to hear two, three, four people a day overdosing, and sometimes on even larger scales than that Its easy for me to lie to you if youre on a computer screen. I can look at you and not be able to tell youre high, she says. Now, if youre in front of me, I can tell if youve taken something, Carter says. Brent Tomblin, the Brighter Futures clinics executive director, says telemedicine has further difficulties in a poor, rural town like Madison. Our population here, many havent worked in years, he says. We dont have a lot of money. If we do have money, its going to go toward our addiction. So I dont have a cell phone. If I have a cell phone its more of a flip phone or something that doesnt have a lot of minutes on it. I dont have a computer. I dont have a home. I dont have internet. Maybe I live with my cousin or somebody and theyre low-income too. They cant afford to do all that kind of stuff. So they decided to stay open, while following the public health guidelines such as social distancing and limits on the number of people in a room. We still allowed our patients to come in because we thought that was the most effective treatment, says Tomblin. And we know we never closed our doors at all, but for a couple days just trying to figure it out. Read more special reports from our Supporter Programme Elsewhere, though, this break-off from treatment sparked a deadly chain of events. The increased isolation made people more likely to relapse and overdose, and those overdoses became more deadly because there was no one around to revive the victim. Treating an overdose victim is a relatively simple but lifesaving process that most people are able to do. It involves administering Naloxone, a drug known by its brand name Narcan. Whats happened now is all these people who are still using alone and at home. Nobodys there to Narcan you, to call 911 when they overdose. So we have people dying at big rates, Carter says. Now its nothing to hear two, three, four people a day overdosing, and sometimes on even larger scales than that. It just depends on whats going around. I didnt have any connection to the outside world After surviving the chaos of the early days of the pandemic, there was time for more ironies to befall Natasha and Joni. This time it was the good kind. In the most difficult circumstances, when their friends and acquaintances were falling around them, when they could have easily fallen through the gaps again, they managed to get clean and stay clean. Joni says she had managed to keep her addiction a secret from her family until the overdose following the first stimulus cheque. I dont think it was until after I was revived with Naloxone and I came back that I was really like, Wow, maybe Im not as suicidal as I think, because that was scary. Recommended A West Virginia county ravaged by the opioid crisis is having its day in court She became fearful that child-protection services would take away her infant, so resolved to get clean. She entered rehab just as lockdowns went into place. I didnt have my cell phone. I didnt have any connection to the outside world. We were in Covid shutdown so we didnt leave the building at all, she says. So as soon as I got out, I jumped right back into being a full-time mom. Natasha got clean after a decade of addiction, the only person in her family to do so. It was a six-month stay in rehab, her second attempt, that did it. That was probably about the best thing that ever happened to me, she says. At that point in my life, I was homeless living in Huntington and was robbing and stealing and breaking into places. I even came back out here. I broke into this church several times. I weighed 85 pounds. Ive done it all. If I hadnt been sentenced, I wouldnt have stopped and I would have ended up killing myself. Hours before President Joe Biden met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday, Osama Bin Ladens niece was outside waving a Trump Won flag. Videos show Noor bin Ladin, 34, standing on a boat in Geneva Lake, Switzerland waving the banner. The 9/11 masterminds niece has expressed her support for Donald Trump in the past, and has said she believes he won the 2020 election. In one of Ms bin Ladens Instagram videos, she can be seen defiantly holding up the flag as officers on a Swiss police boat try to talk to her. Youre going to arrest me? If I dont give you the signs, youre going to arrest me? she asks the officers. Donald Trump won the 2020 election, and were not allowed here in Switzerland? In reality, Mr Trump lost the election to Mr Biden. Dozens of lawsuits by Mr Trumps campaign failed to prove that the results were fraudulent. In an interview she did later with the right-wing site InfoWars, Ms bin Laden said the police confiscated her signs. I thought we were living in a free country, but apparently not, she said. This is not the first time Ms bin Laden has publicly supported Mr Trump. In 2020, she endorsed the former president in an interview with the New York Post. I have been a supporter of President Trump since he announced he was running in the early days in 2015. I have watched from afar and I admire this mans resolve, she said then. He must be reelected ... Its vital for the future of not only America, but Western civilisation as a whole. Some time after Ms bin Ladens protest, Mr Biden met with Mr Putin in Geneva to discuss various points of tension in US-Russian relations. Though there were no major breakthroughs, both leaders described the meeting as positive. I must tell you, the tone of the entire meeting, I guess it was a total of four hours, it was good, Mr Biden said afterward. There has been no hostility, Mr Putin said. On the contrary, our meeting took place in a constructive spirit. No mention was made of Ms bin Ladens flags. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Azerbaijan Tuesday for a two-day visit and, with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, traveled to Shusha, a city that Azerbaijan recaptured from Armenian forces in last autumns war. Shusha, a center of Azeri culture for centuries, came under Armenian control in 1992 in fighting over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region. Its retaking by Azerbaijans forces in November was important both symbolically and strategically because it sits high above the regions nearby capital, Stepanakert. In Shusha, Erdogan and Aliyev held talks and signed a declaration on allied relations between the two countries aimed at deepening ties in several areas of cooperation, including security. Today is a historic day, Aliyev said after the signing. The declaration raises our relations to the highest level." Turkey actively supported Azerbaijan in the last war over Nagorno-Karabakh. After six weeks of fighting that killed more than 6,000 people, Azerbaijan regained control of much of the region and Armenian-held surrounding territories. Erdogan, the first foreign leader to visit Shusha after it was retaken by Azerbaijan, also promised to open a Turkish consulate in the city. In that way, we will ensure that our activities are carried out faster and more effectively, he said. Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but was under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia after a separatist war there ended in 1994. A Russia-brokered peace deal that ended the hostilities last November was celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan. But it sparked a political crisis in Armenia, with thousands of opposition supporters taking to the streets to protest the terms of the deal and to demand the resignation of Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Under pressure to step down, Pashinyan called snap elections, and the vote is scheduled to take place on June 20. Armenia's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned Erdogan's and Aliyev's visit to Shusha in a statement, calling it provocative actions that significantly harm international efforts to establish stability in the region and (that) are absolutely unacceptable. A Capitol rioter who was pictured with his feet on Nancy Pelosis desk has debuted on Russian state TV just days before Joe Bidens meeting with Vladimir Putin. On Sunday, alleged rioter Richard Barnett and his attorney Joseph McBride both appeared on VGTRK, a Russian state-owned TV network, according to video of the interview. Mr Barnett, of Arkansas, was infamously pictured with his feet on the desk of House Speaker Pelosi during the 6 January riot, and was released from jail in April ahead of trial. According to The Daily Beast, the Russian TV network introduced him as a colourful individual who was among hundreds arrested for assaulting the US Capitol because following a stolen [US] election. The attorney, Mr McBride, invited Russian correspondent Valentin Bogdanov into his Arkansas office for the interview, from where Mr Barnett appeared on FaceTime. Mr Bogdanov reportedly told viewers that the accused was an American patriot who rioted on the US Capitol and put his feet on the House Speakers desk. He also went on to complain of US jail conditions and his treatment in a detention centre apparently unaware of Russias record for incarceration. The trial is still ahead, there is no verdict, but retribution is already taking place, Mr Bogdanov, then added, asking Mr Barnett: Would you do it again? As reported by The Daily Beast, Mr McBride had to interject before Mr Barnett could answer, citing the trial ahead for the Arkansas man. The interview, which was thought to be the first appearance by Mr Barnett on Russian TV, came ahead of a US-Russia summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday. On Monday, Mr Biden referred to the Russian president as a worthy adversary, amid criticism from some quarters for meeting Mr Putin at a time of historically low relations between the US and Russia. Its not about trusting, its about agreeing, said Mr Biden. When you write treaties with adversaries, you dont say, I trust you. You say, This is what I expect. Mr Putin, in an interview with NBC News on Monday, argued that the Capitol rioters had political demands and were not on par with dissent[ers] in his own country, who are frequently thrown in jail. You are presenting it as dissent and intolerance toward dissent in Russia. We view it completely differently, said the Russian president. Do you know that 450 individuals were arrested after entering the Congress?...They came there with political demands. Russia has been blamed on recent hacking attempts and ransomware attacks against the US, and is under fire for its imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his supporters. US President Joe Biden came face to face with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Switzerland on Wednesday as talks began between the two superpowers. The pair smiled and shook hands as they met in Geneva, ahead of what are expected to be tough talks lasting as long as five hours. Mr Putin said that he hoped the talks would be productive. The one-day summit is expected to focus on issues of nuclear arms control, human rights and potential prisoner swaps between the two countries. Biden called it a discussion between two great powers and said it was always better to meet face to face. In a scene that resembled a VIP wedding but with bomb squads both leaders arrived for photo opportunities, before heading inside the bucolic 18th century villa that play host to their high-level talks. Presidents Biden and Putin were met by their Swiss host, president Guy Parmelin, in scheduled order shortly after 1pm local time. The Kremlins chief, known for making his counterparts wait, arrived first, in his new Aurus limousine. Mr Biden emerged from his vehicle approximately ten minutes later, but not before a lengthy wait for his security detail to make last minute checks. Much of central Geneva was barricaded in advance of the encounter, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putins first ever presidential summit. Barbed wire cut off the beach, park and promenade surrounding the venue. The skies above were put on high alert, watched over by military helicopters and air defence systems. The Russian side seemed as concerned with biosecurity. At 6am on Wednesday morning, they summoned journalists to the delegations hotel in central Geneva for an additional Covid test. This is Vladimir Putins first foreign trip since the beginning of the pandemic the first time he has mingled close to other mortal souls and his team appeared to be taking no chances. Against a backdrop of terrible bilateral relations, both sides have warned not to expect breakthroughs. In the build-up, the watchword for the White House has been "stabilisation. For the Kremlin, its "normalisation." Some have suggested thats already a contradiction. All the same, US-Russia summits always create a sense of expectation. A hope that bureaucracies can, however briefly, find notes of agreement at least when it comes to the thousands of strategic warheads at each others disposal. The choice of Geneva is in itself a symbolic one. It was here, 36 years ago, that Ronald Reagan first met with Mikhail Gorbachev, and began to lay down an infrastructure for nuclear disarmament. Much of that foundation has already been dismantled, with Donald Trumps decision to cancel a number of the treaties only accelerating a previous trend for US withdrawal. With Joe Biden showing greater interest in putting the breaks on a growing arms race, strategic stability is expected to form the spine of talks. Other topics for discussion will include climate change, the Arctic, and regional security issues including the Middle East, Afghanistan, North Korea and Nagorno Karabakh. A second set of issues promise to be trickier: Ukraine, sanctions, human rights and political prisoners. The United States is expected to raise concerns over the Novichok poisoning and jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the Kremlin is expected to ignore them. Officials have said the talks will progress through three stages. The first stage will incorporate small teams from both sides: presidents, foreign ministers and translators. The second will bring in a wider entourage. The limousine carrying Russian president Vladimir Putin, bottom left, next to Putin's Iljuschin Il-96 airplane, leaves the airport in a motorcade ahead of the US - Russia summit (EPA) Russias wider team will include no fewer than seven top officials, including Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and its point man on Ukraine, Dmitry Kozak. There will be no dining together and press conferences will be separate: first Vladimir Putin, then Joe Biden. The Russian leader was apparently happy for a joint press conference. The Americans decided that might not be in their interests. "Its not a competition," the US president said. Dmitry Bykov, the writer and Kremlin critic reportedly targeted in a 2019 Novichok assassination attempt, said the Mr Biden had made the correct decision in rejecting a shared platform. He also expressed hope that the United States had understood confrontation wasnt in anyones interests. "Your arms are tied, and if you try to talk with Russia in an aggressive tongue, you wont get anywhere," he said. "Try licking Russia with the language of love." A scientist who has played a key role in New Zealand's lauded coronavirus response says the nation used it's luck well to stamp out the disease and is now eyeing the experiences of other countries to determine when it can reopen its borders. Juliet Gerrard is the chief science advisor to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern She described in an interview with The Associated Press the evolution in the country's approach to COVID-19, from the chaotic early days to the risk-reward calculations it faces moving forward. Ardern this month appointed Gerrard to a second three-year term, saying she plays an "invaluable role." Gerrard, 53, a professor at the University of Auckland whose research is in protein biochemistry, was this year awarded the honorific Dame Gerrard said that when the virus first hit last year, the information about it was changing so quickly she would need to scrap advice she thought was solid just days earlier. There was no time at all to do any kind of considered scoping or written pieces. It was all verbal, she said. She said Ardern wanted to know the minutiae. I was just constantly bombarding her with sound bites, information, graphs, whatever she needed," Gerrard said. "She always says to me that shes not a scientist, but I think she is a scientist. She thinks in a very scientific way. She loves to see all the data in the details," Gerrard said. And the reason I think she communicates it well is because shes really drilled down into the detail and then helicoptered up to see how to simplify the message. Gerrard said that perhaps the most important early advice she provided was in comparing case studies from countries like Italy, Iran and Britain, where the initial responses went badly, to places like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan where they went much better. The countries that had experienced SARS had understood that you had to act very quickly and that you could, because of the length of incubation of the virus, contact trace your way out of an outbreak, Gerrard said. Countries that had influenza-type response plans focused more on mitigating outbreaks, an approach that didn't work with COVID, Gerrard said. She said New Zealand was able to quickly pivot away from its plans for a flu-type response. She said the nation had advantages including its remote location and relatively low population density. But she said many other countries with similar advantages failed to manage their outbreaks. We used our luck well, I think, Gerrard said. Her counterparts in other countries often presented similar information to their leaders, Gerrard said, but they sometimes made very different decisions. New Zealand managed to stamp out community spread of the virus early on by closing its borders and imposing a strict lockdown. Gerrard said she was bracing for dissent when the country first entered lockdown but was astonished there was none, at least initially. The social license to do it was there, she said. And that's partly because it had been well communicated by the scientists and the politicians and the PM. New Zealand has counted just 26 virus deaths and for most of the past year, people have been able to live much as normal, with few restrictions. Compared to other developed countries, however, New Zealand's vaccine rollout has been slow. Only 11% of the population has received a first dose of vaccine and 6% have been fully vaccinated. If you look around the world, roughly speaking, the places that kept it out are the slowest to vaccinate. Youd expect that, right?" Gerrard said. Places that have people dying are going to be much, much, much stronger in terms of the case to get the vaccine, and the public are going to be much more motivated to get vaccinated. People respond to that present fear. But the situation has left New Zealand vulnerable to an outbreak. Gerrard said that last week, she provided Ardern with a graph of Taiwan, which New Zealand had viewed as a role model but which is now dealing with a major outbreak. Her advice to Ardern and other officials? This should give us all something to think about. Taiwan is just a really striking visual because theyve got nothing and then theyve got this massive spike, Gerrard said. Still, she views the disquiet in New Zealand as positive. Im a cup-half-full person, Gerrard said. So I see the frustration that we havent got vaccines as a good sign that people want vaccinating. New Zealand aims to have offered everybody vaccinations by the end of the year. But reopening its borders would mean New Zealand might need to recalibrate its zero-tolerance approach to the virus. There will be lots of really complicated choices about risk appetite," Gerrard said. "If we let it in, there will be more cases. There will be people who get seriously ill. So its a balance of, whats the benefit of opening the border to whatever country, versus the risk of lockdown shortly afterwards?" She said that calculation involves not just ensuring a certain percentage of the total population has been vaccinated, but also make sure that high-risk groups like the elderly, and Maori and Pacific people, have strong coverage. Gerrard said she has been closely tracking Israel, where vaccination rates are high and the borders are being reopened. What theyre saying is, there are high-risk countries and low-risk countries. You might need proof that youve been vaccinated. You might need proof that youve got antibodies. And theyre experimenting with all those things, Gerrard said. So, I think being a little bit behind countries like that, who are now experimenting with opening up, we can learn from them. Israel said its military aircraft attacked Hamas armed compounds in Gaza in response to the launching of incendiary ballons from the territory that caused fires in fields in southern Israel. In a statement, the military said that it was ready for all scenarios, including renewed fighting in the face of continued terrorist acts emanating from Gaza. The attacks, following an Israeli nationalist march in East Jerusalem that angered Palestinians, were the first launched by either side since an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire ended 11 days of cross-border fighting last month. The flare-up, a first test for Israels new government, followed a march in East Jerusalem on Tuesday by Jewish nationalists that had drawn threats of action by Hamas. The Israeli military said its aircraft attacked Hamas armed compounds in Gaza City and the southern town of Khan Yunis. The strikes, the military said, came in response to the launching of the balloons, which the Israeli fire brigade reported caused 20 blazes in open fields. Prior to Tuesdays march, Israel beefed up its deployment of the Iron Dome anti-missile system in anticipation of possible rocket attacks from Gaza. But as the marchers began to disperse after nightfall in Jerusalem, there was no sign of rocket fire from the enclave. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report 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. The number of daily COVID-19 cases has remained below the 65,000 mark in the past 24 hours. During the same time, more than 2,500 COVID-19 deaths were also reported from across the country. Those Above 18 Can Walk In For Jabs Without Pre-Registration Making it clear that pre-registration for vaccination through online registration and prior booking of appointment is not mandatory to avail Covid vaccination services, the health ministry on Tuesday said. BCCL Anyone aged 18 and above can go directly to the nearest vaccination centre where the vaccinator performs the onsite registration and provides vaccination at the same visit. Kerala To Ease Lockdown Restrictions From June 17 The Kerala government on Tuesday decided to ease lockdown restrictions from June 17 and announced a slew of steps, including allowing shops selling essential goods to open every day from 7 AM to 7 PM and reopen state-run beverages outlets in a restricted manner. BCCL Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who met the media after the daily COVID-19 evaluation meet, said there would be relaxation on curbs in the state, based on the average weekly Test Positivity Rate in Local Self Government bodies. 34-Year-Old 'Green Fungus' Patient Airlifted To Mumbai From Indore A 34-year-old patient has been airlifted from a private hospital in Indore to Mumbai's Hinduja hospital on Monday after being detected with 'green fungus' infection, possibly the first such case in the country. BCCL He had 90 per cent lung infection. During diagnosis, green fungus was detected in his lungs which is different from Mucormycosis or Black Fungus. India's Covid Recovery Rate Improved In Last 26 Days Says Health Ministry India reported 1.82 lakh recoveries from Covid in the last 24 hours with the recovery rate continuing to improve significantly, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Reuters At a press conference on the current situation, the ministry said along with new cases, daily positivity rate and active cases, India has witnessed tremendous improvement in recoveries as well. Mumbai's Dharavi Records Zero COVID-19 Cases For Second Consecutive Day Good news pours in as one of Asia's largest slum that is Mumbai's Dharavi recorded zero cases of COVID-19 for the second day in a row. BCCL As per the official data by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, it informed, "Mumbai's Dharavi records zero cases of COVID-19 for the second day. Active cases stand at 11. Total cases in Dharavi stand at 6,861." A Kerala man who was stranded in Assam for over one-and-a-half months due to the lockdowns has died by suicide. The deceased, identified as Abhijith, a native of Kozhikode was the driver of a tourist bus that had left Kerala for Assam on April 7. BCCL Hundreds of buses from Kerala had gone to states like Assam and West Bengal, carrying migrant workers to their native places. A large number of migrant workers had left Kerala in April ahead of the assembly elections in Assam. 500 buses from Kerala It is estimated that close to 500 buses that left Kerala in April are stranded in parts of Assam due to the lockdown that has made their return difficult. BCCL Abhijith was stranded in Nagaon with his bus and he took the extreme step on Tuesday, reportedly depressed over not able to return home. Second death This is the second death of a stranded bus employee from Kerala during the lockdown. Last month, Najeeb, a bus driver from Thrissur had died of a cardiac arrest in Bengal, after being stranded there for more than a month. The buses had left Kerala with the migrant workers, hoping to return after Ramzan and the assembly elections. BCCL But the rapid spread of the second wave of COVID-19 and the sudden announcement of lockdowns in many states meant that some 900 people are stuck in the two states. Struggling to survive Recently some of them had posted several videos on YouTube describing their plight. Screengrab They had alleged that the drivers were cheated by the agents who had booked the bus and added that they are struggling to survive without food and shelter. They also alleged that they were facing threats from local gangs that were demanding money to park the buses there. Once upon a time, a man from Cherthala in Kerala realised that donating his rare O-ve blood can make a huge difference to someones life. So, he took the path of donating blood as much as he can. Meet PJ Paul who has saved 79 lives from different parts of the state by donating blood, The New Indian Express reports. I used to donate blood every three months till the age of 60. Though I am not suffering from any comorbidities, people above that age are discouraged from donating by doctors, said Paul. Still, he does his bit to help those in need. File The 'Negative' Journey Paul has also formed a group on WhatsApp by the name of 'Negative', where people with rare blood types are members. Paul and his team help people get donors in time. File It would be difficult to believe but Paul was an alcoholic almost 30 years ago. "My addiction even affected my family. My wife, Jonamma, left home with my three-year-old daughter once, he says. The turning point of his life, however, happened when he was least expecting it. What pushed him to be a donor? I was working as a driver in Alappuzha. One day, I was driving a vehicle with almost 20 pilgrims headed to Sabarimala, and I was intoxicated. The vehicle crashed and though all the passengers were safe, I lost my job. That was the day I quit drinking and decided to start a new life, he says. File Soon, Paul started working as a driver for a fish distributor. One of my co-workers was looking for a blood donor for her O-negative grandmothers operation. I stepped up, the operation was successful and the happiness of that family gave me a lot of satisfaction. I decided to be a donor since then, he remembers. Why did he start the initiative? I came across a one-day-old infant who required 100ml of blood for an immediate operation. I donated blood and she survived. She is 17 now and has never failed to invite me for her birthday, beams Paul. Paul reconciled with his family and started looking for better jobs, landing one in KSEB after a brief stint as a KSRTC driver. Paul, who retired from KSEB in 2015, has currently dedicated his life to blood donation and awareness. For his noble services, Paul has been awarded the best blood donor in the Alappuzha district and was also honoured by the state government as one of the seven best blood donors in the state. Paul believes that donating blood also helps one stay healthy. Making a significant change in the vaccination process in India, the government has said that pre-registration and booking of appointments through the CoWIN portal is not mandatory to get the jab. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that anyone over the age of 18 can directly go to their nearest vaccination center to get registered on the CoWIN digital platform and get the dose. BCCL Walk-in registration "Anyone aged 18 years and above can directly go to the nearest vaccination centre wherein the vaccinator performs the on-site registration and provides vaccination," the health ministry said. GoI is committed to provide #VaccineForAll under worlds #LargestVaccineDrive Prior registration on #COWIN is not required to get vaccinated. Walk-in & assisted registrations are being facilitated for citizens above 18y of age at all #COVID19 vaccination centres in the country. pic.twitter.com/3RTtKX8qI9 Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) June 15, 2021 The facilitated registration through the Common Service Centres on CoWIN, is just one of the many modes of registration on CoWIN, it said. Facilitators such as health workers or ASHAs, also mobilize beneficiaries in rural areas and those residing in urban slums, for on-site registration and vaccination directly at the nearest vaccination centers. The facility for assisted registrations through the 1075 Help Line has also been operationalized, it added. Anyone aged 18 years and above can directly go to the nearest vaccination centre wherein the vaccinator performs the on-site registration and provides vaccination.#COVID19Vaccination All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) June 15, 2021 This comes as the government is trying to ramp up the vaccine rollout process amid the fear of a third wave of COVID-19 in the country later this year. BCCL Citing the difficulties in the registration on CoWIN platform and getting appointment slots many have been urging the government to allow walk-in and spot registration for getting the vaccine. Booking an appointment slot has been a particularly challenging task for many, especially those in rural areas due to poor telecommunication infrastructure. The government has however blamed 'vaccine hesitancy' among the people for the slow pace of vaccinations in rural areas. Second dose for healthcare workers Last week, the government had advised states to focus on increasing second dose coverage among healthcare workers (HCW) and frontline workers (FLW). AFP In a high-level meeting chaired by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, low vaccination coverage was highlighted and states were also informed about the modifications of the CoWIN platform to make it more effective. "States/UTs were asked to sharpen their focus and prepare effective plans for expediting the second dose administration for the HCWs and FLWs. States were asked to dedicate special time slots or sessions for the exercise," a statements said. As per the statement, the national average for the 1st dose administration among the HCWs is 82 per cent and the national average for the second dose among HCWs is only 56 per cent. AFP 18 States/UTs including Punjab, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Assam have coverage below the national average in this aspect. For FLWs, the national average of 1st dose coverage is 85 per cent but the national average of second dose coverage for FLWs is only 47 per cent. 19 States/UTs have reported 2nd dose coverage of FLWs less than the national average. Among them are Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Telangana, Karnataka, and Punjab. Reports today revealed that Twitter still hasnt complied with the intermediary guidelines listed under the new IT rules, despite several deadlines and now the social media platform may have lost its intermediary status. PTI Also Read: Twitter Loses Legal Protection In India: How It All Happened It is important to note that Twitter has said in a statement that it has appointed an interim chief compliance officer and was soon to share the details with the government. Speaking about Twitters constant negligence in compliance with the new guidelines, MeitY union minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad has stated that the social media platform has shown deliberate defiance towards the new law. There are numerous queries arising as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbour provision. However, the simple fact of the matter is that Twitter has failed to comply with the Intermediary Guidelines that came into effect from the 26th of May. Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) June 16, 2021 Twitters deliberate defiance towards the new law Prasad said, There are numerous queries arising as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbour provision. However, the simple fact of the matter is that Twitter has failed to comply with the Intermediary Guidelines that came into effect from the 26th of May. Further, Twitter was given multiple opportunities to comply with the same, however it has deliberately chosen the path of non-compliance. Prasad further stated that in India, cultures vary based on the geographies and in some instances, with the amplification of social media, the smallest spark can result in fire, especially with fake news. He stated that this was the primary objective for bringing the Intermediary Guidelines. What happened in UP was illustrative of Twitters arbitrariness in fighting fake news. While Twitter has been over enthusiastic about its fact checking mechanism, its failure to act in multiple cases like UP is perplexing & indicates its inconsistency in fighting misinformation. Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) June 16, 2021 Failure of Twitters fact-checking mechanism Prasad further said, It is astounding that Twitter, which portrays itself as the flag bearer of free speech, chooses the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to the Intermediary Guidelines." "Further, what is perplexing is that Twitter fails to address the grievances of users by refusing to set up processes as mandated by the law of the land. Additionally, it chooses a policy of flagging manipulated media, only when it suits its likes and dislikes. He stated that the occurrence in UP involving a senior citizen being assaulted and video shared as a communal attack, whereas in actuality it was something entirely different, is illustrative of Twitters arbitrariness in fighting fake news. He stated that the failure of Twitters fact-checking mechanism in cases like UP is perplexing & indicates its inconsistency in fighting misinformation. He concluded by stating, The rule of law is the bedrock of Indian society. Indias commitment to the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech was yet again reaffirmed at the G7 summit. However, if any foreign entity believes that they can portray itself as the flag bearer of free speech in India to excuse itself from complying with the law of the land, such attempts are misplaced. Also Read: Twitter Tags Sambit Patras Tweet As Manipulated Media, MeitY Wants Tag Removed PTI Internet Freedom Foundation calls New IT Rules unconstitutional On the other hand, the digital rights body Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) on Twitter has gone ahead and called the new IT Rules unconstitutional, speaking about how it is being challenged in several high courts across the country, and quoting one case filed by T.M. Krishna in Madras High Court. 7/ Even if we presume that the IT Rules are legal and constitutional, where alleged non-compliance is for appointment of officers etc., when companies like Twitter are prosecuted, courts will decide if it is an intermediary and not the government. https://t.co/mjiZUj41w1 Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) June 16, 2021 Even if we presume that the IT Rules are legal and constitutional, where alleged non-compliance is for appointment of officers etc., when companies like Twitter are prosecuted, courts will decide if it is an intermediary and not the government, IFF wrote on Twitter today. The ET report highlights that Twitter is yet to appoint three executives as stipulated in the intermediary guidelines -- these have to be permanent employees. The last notice to Twitter was sent on June 5. Twitter has lost its intermediary immunity in India after it failed to appoint statutory officers on the companys role, in accordance with the new IT rules. Reuters This subjects the top executives, including the nations managing director, to face police questioning and criminal liability under the Indian Penal Code over unlawful and inflammatory content posted by Twitter users on its platform. Twitter, today is the only American platform that has lost the protective layer that was granted under Section 79 of the IT Act. Also Read: WhatsApp Sues Indian Govt, Claims New Intermediary Rules Would End User Privacy But why did this happen? According to a government source in a conversation with TOI, The company had been given extra time to comply with the guidelines, but it has failed to fall in line with the new IT Rules despite our repeated indulgence, including an extension." "With this, Twitter has lost its safe harbour protection, and now stands exposed to action under the IPC for any third-party unlawful content, the official added. The initial deadline for new IT rules As per the new IT rules, each social media platform with an intermediary status had to appoint Intermediaries under the new IT rules before May 25. The rules were aimed at tracing the source of online content that caused harm to the people and establishing user identity and they were announced on February 25 with a three-month deadline. Social media platforms with over 5 million registered users, including Twitter, were tasked to appoint compliance officers, a resident grievance officer, a chief compliance officer and a nodal contact person for monitoring and addressing harmful content. These rules also offered them an intermediary status and offering them immunity against a lawsuit for content posted on their platform. Non-compliance with the initial deadline On May 25, most of the intermediaries, including Twitter hadn't complied with the new guidelines, including a bunch of other platforms. However, while other platforms complied in a few days, Twitter delayed in appointing one, blaming the lockdown, along with technical issues. They did make some appointments later, but those were rejected as they were external legal consultants and not on Twitters payroll. Also Read: Indian Govt vs Social Media: Timeline Of Events That Decide Your Online Privacy Twitter had appointed an interim chief compliance officer When TOI contacted Twitter regarding this, Twitter revealed that theyve got an interim chief compliance officer in place. However, they havent updated the IT ministry and were going to do that soon. Reuters Also Read: Twitter Tags Sambit Patras Tweet As Manipulated Media, MeitY Wants Tag Removed A Twitter spokesperson stated, We are keeping the IT Ministry apprised of the progress at every step of the process. An interim chief compliance officer has been retained and details will be shared with the Ministry directly soon. Twitter continues to make every effort to comply with the new Guidelines. The government official however has stated that he was yet to receive any of the aforementioned details. The ministry had issued a final notice to Twitter on June 5, asking it to comply with the new rules or lose the legal immunity that came with the IT rules which also has passed. Someone has already sued Twitter for its content with the safety net off, someone has already sued Twitter for third-party content that was in connection with an alleged assault on an elderly Muslim man on June 5. The plaintiff accuses Twitter, in an FIR filed in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, for not removing a misleading content linked to the incident,. The video shows one Sufi Abdul Samad who alleged that his beard was cut and he was forced to chant 'Jai Shree Ram' and 'Vande Mataram' by a group of assailants. As per the police, Samad had lied and in fact the attack wasn't communal and was attacked by both Hindu and Muslim assailants who were disappointed over amulets he had sold to them. According to the attackers, Samad was selling fake talismans. The FIR charges Twitter, several journalists, and Congress leaders for inciting 'communal sentiments'. Twitter was accused of sharing content with a motive to 'provoke communal sentiments' as the misleading post was retweeted by many. Be it the love-hate relationship or the jokes and pranks, siblings everywhere around the world are the same. You may want to live without them but you know you just can't do without your adorable sibling. A Pakistani Twitter user Aytxx shared her relationship with her sibling and that is just too funny. The user had stuck a sticky note on her fridge, asking her sibling to wake her up when they leave for school. However, her sibling had no intentions of waking her up and even stuck another note with a very savage response. The sibling asked "from which English movie has the user learnt to stick a sticky note. I myself am not fully awake before leaving for school, how would I wake you up?" This was pretty much the most desi sibling response and we're not even surprised. However, this sibling's response got quite a lot of attention on Twitter. stanning your siblings Rahim . (@dapaltanedaar) June 14, 2021 It looks like they Wana say "Iddi tu Angrej" but in a decent way. Hasssh.. (@Lyf_mai_Tantee) June 15, 2021 Are they even your sibling if they don't ruin your day https://t.co/PukOHKSGod Nishtha (@krantinari) June 15, 2021 HAHAHAHA. Angrezi film ka scene to stick note on the fridge https://t.co/FkMbKJI7XH Rizwan (@rizwanistan) June 15, 2021 The post has gained over 3k like and over 250 shares till now. But honestly, this post makes us want to hug our annoying siblings or irritate them even more. While the law enforcement officers like the police are there to help the citizens and eliminate any sort of wrong doings that goes against the law, there might be a thin line in knowing what actually is good and bad. There might might be times when these officers end up doing things that seem strange to the rest of us. A case like that happened in Pakistan to an artist by the name of Abuzar Madhu who was looking for a rickshaw at 3am when he was arrested by Lahore Police earlier this month. Why? Well, apparently because his hair was too long. That's right! The artist not only got arrested for that but also spent a night in jail because of the same reason. Abuzar is an artist & a teacher. He was waiting for a Rickshaw near Kalma Chawk when a police van stopped him. They asked for his ID card, which luckily he had. He showed the ID card. The police officer then asked others to put him in the police van Ainu Gaddi wich Pao pic.twitter.com/6Wu9Odk5L6 Natasha Javed (@natashajaved1) June 7, 2021 The entire incident was shared on Twitter by Abuzar's friend, Natasha who narrated what exactly happened. In the Twitter thread, it was mentioned that Abuzar was waiting for a rickshaw near Kalma Chawk when a police van stopped him. They asked him for his ID which he showed them and they still arrested him. Abuzar asked the officer what the issue was. The officer continued to threaten and scare him by saying that he will find out the issue once he reaches the police station. That the issue was his Hulia/appearance, his lambay Baal and that he is out on the street at 3 am. Natasha Javed (@natashajaved1) June 7, 2021 Despite the fact that Abuzar kept telling the police that he was an artist and a teacher, they took him to the police station just to teach him a lesson. They checked his bag and only found a few books in it. Even after that, Abuzar had to spend a whole night in jail just because he had long hair. However, before getting his phone confiscated, Abuzar had asked a few friends for help and they got him out the next morning. Natasha, in her tweets seemed furious and asked why the police misused their power and harassed and bullied a teacher, an artist, a law-abiding citizen for no apparent reason? To protect actually operating to threaten us? Saifullah knew he can threaten Abuzar & get away with it. That this is some sort of twisted and fucked up power high. That he wont face any consequences for bullying a citizen. That he is confirming the fear we have from the police. Natasha Javed (@natashajaved1) June 7, 2021 Many others also supported Abuzar and questioned this incident. I am a former student of Sir Abuzar. He was one of the kindest souls i have ever met. There is no justification to his arrest. This is bullshit, he did nothing wrong aloo. (@RyaanRafi) June 7, 2021 Thanks for sharing. The fear of authority and power is so normal for a common man. It is this fear that inhibits free thinking and progress. Institutions and people need a course correction. Wonder how? Nishmeet Singh (@NishmeetS) June 7, 2021 Omg this is horrifying so sorry your friend had to go through this. Iffat Omar Official (@OmarIffat) June 7, 2021 He came as a trainer to one of our trainings and what a guy he is. One of the most peaceful & unproblematic people i have ever met. What is wrong with our police???? https://t.co/gjKUzvgJog Rabia Satti (@motherofragnar) June 8, 2021 It's disheartening to see how some people still choose to control someone's way of living. Indian American businessman Narsan Lingala, shown here with his co-conspirator Sandya Reddy, was convicted June 11 of several counts related to hiring a hit man to kill his estranged wife. Lingala faces up to 50 years in prison. (Narsan Lingala Facebook photo) Visitors walk and hold a large fabric at the Taj Mahal during the annual 'Urs' or death anniversary of fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal, in Agra on March 12. (Pawan Sharma/AFP via Getty Images) Indias Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology has asked Twitter to appear before it on June 18 and put its views on prevention of misuse of its platform. (photo via IANS) Woodbridge, VA (22192) Today Cloudy. Periods of rain this morning. High around 80F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low near 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. This post is part of a series sponsored by The Hanover Insurance Group. The excess and surplus market is growing rapidly. Business is being driven from the admitted market due to actions taken in response to significant weather events, rising casualty loss severity driven and other emerging issues related to, or exasperated by, the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, retail agents increasingly must procure both admitted and non-admitted products for their customers in order to create the necessary comprehensive coverage solutions. At the same time, carriers are expanding and enhancing their E&S offerings to better serve accounts and maximize their relationships with direct access, creating more strategic opportunities to place their E&S business. How can independent agents maximize the benefits of placing business directly with a carrier with E&S capabilities? By partnering with a carrier with the following characteristics. Four things to look for in a carrier partner Appetite alignment: When a carriers surplus lines appetite is a natural extension of its standard lines appetite, it can provide coverage for a broad range of exposures with a single carrier. Pairing standard lines and E&S product offerings in tandem enables agents to deliver a more holistic, account-driven solution and provide a more seamless client experience, while improving the efficiency of the placement process. Diversified portfolio: Experienced carriers understand the value of a well-diversified and balanced portfolio that seeks to mitigate loss severity and produce consistent results over time. This allows a carrier to provide consistent support without having to make radical shifts in underwriting practices, offered capacity, terms or pricing. Carriers that are over weighted in a certain line or class of business may experience much greater loss volatility, which may impact their ability to offer the same level of support year-over-year if that specific line or class of business sees results significantly deteriorate. Customer service center support: Carriers with customer service centers capable of handling both standard and E&S small business policies can help agencies effectively service these thinner margin policies and improve their economics. This saves agencies valuable staff time, creating capacity to generate critical growth. It also eliminates the need to choose between the unfavorable options of either splitting the servicing of small business accounts or retaining servicing responsibilities for the full account. Value added solutions: When coverage is bound directly with an E&S carrier, an in-house broker can administer the collection and filing of surplus lines taxes and fees. This offers retail agents without surplus lines licenses the compliance that is required. Additionally, expanded billing options, such as direct bill, online bill payment and installment plans are often available. Combined billing also may be an option when coverage includes both standard lines and E&S products. The Hanover difference The Hanover is a carrier partner that offers retail agents non-admitted solutions for accounts with moderate to challenging exposures that are in, or are headed to, the E&S market, through Hanover Specialty Insurance Brokers (HSIB), our in-house E&S brokerage. When coupled with our standard lines offering, agents can provide admitted and surplus lines solutions on a single account, eliminating the need to piece together a comprehensive solution. Beyond a simplified placement process, this integrated approach means a more streamlined claims process, coordinated loss control services and combined bills with multiple billing options, and more. The E&S market will only continue to grow and evolve, and the right carrier partnerships can help agencies effectively navigate changing tides, while making it easier for agents to service accounts and maximize their relationships. Topics Carriers Excess Surplus Maine lawmakers want to strengthen lead testing in school drinking water. The Maine Legislature has been considering a proposal to decrease the standard for lead in drinking water from 15 parts per billion to four parts per billion. The Maine House of Representatives unanimously approved of the proposal on June 7 and sent it to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. Lead exposure in children has been linked to slowed growth, hearing problems, anemia and other health problems. Rep. Michele Meyer, the bills sponsor and a Democrat, said lead is dangerous at all levels and the state must substantially lower the levels of lead in our students drinking water. Supporters of the proposal cited a 2018 report from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services that called lead poisoning one of the major environmental health threats for children in Maine. The report said nearly 400 children were identified as suffering lead poisoning in 2017. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics K 12 Maine New Yorks Jencap Group Promotes Maher to President Jencap Group LLC, a New York-headquartered national wholesale intermediary, has promoted Mark Maher to president. In his new role, Maher will work with the Jencap management team to develop strategic plans, drive overall growth initiatives, manage carrier and broker relationships and work with affiliate company leaders to achieve an effective cross-selling practice. Most recently, Maher was chief operating officer of Jencap and president of its NIF Group division, a managing general agency, program manager and wholesale insurance brokerage where he served for more than 30 years. Source: Jencap Group LLC Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Appoints Two Hires in New York Office Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) has appointed two hires in its New York office, adding Robert Green as North American regional head of professional indemnity (PI) and Rick Hornby as regional product lead for financial institutions (FI). Joining from AGCS London, Green will manage the underwriting, distribution and profit/loss for a variety of accounts, including lawyers professional liability (LPL), accountants professional liability (APL), miscellaneous professional liability (MPL), architects and engineers (A&E) and agents business. He will report to Joe Caruso, regional head of financial lines for North America. Prior to AGCS, Green was with Allianz Insurance Plc, first as part of the U.K. property/casualty team before becoming an account underwriter for specialty lines. Hornby will oversee the distribution, management and marketing of AGCS FI products and services in the West, South and Midwest Regions in the U.S. and effectuate portfolio growth activities in these zones. He will report to Anton Lavrenko, regional head of FI. Hornby began his insurance career with Willis Group in 2004, followed by increasingly senior roles with AmWINS Brokerage and NFP Property & Casualty Services Inc. Source: Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty XS Brokers Appoints Mordarski to Lead Healthcare Practice XS Brokers (XSB), an independent insurance underwriting and wholesale brokerage group, has appointed industry veteran Kevin Mordarski to lead its newly formed healthcare practice, designed to advise retail agents and brokers on coverage placement strategies and requirements for hospitals and healthcare facilities countrywide. Mordarski has experience serving in the healthcare professional liability market for more than 20 years. Source: XS Brokers Insurance Agency Topics Agencies Britains finance ministry called on the European Union to open talks on financial services, after the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday urged the bloc to avoid protectionism. Britain left the EU in December, largely cutting off the City of Londons financial services center from many of the markets it had formerly played a central role in. Banks and other financial firms that used London as a gateway to Europe have set up units in the EU to avoid disruption for EU clients. Billions of euros in daily euro stock and derivatives trading have already left London for the EU. Read more: Britains Financial Services Sector Not Optimistic About Getting Access to EU Markets Both sides have agreed to start a dialog via an informal forum for discussing financial rules, but it has yet to go live and Katharine Braddick, director of financial services at Britains finance ministry, said she hoped it was expedited. Once that memorandum of understanding is agreed we can get on with establishing our routine ways of engaging, Braddick told TheCityUKs annual conference. The forum, which will not decide on financial market access, but it is viewed as critical to mend bridges, would put Britains EU relationship on a reliable, transparent and understandable footing to give business certainty, she added. John Berrigan, head of the European Commissions financial services unit, said the EU remains open to the rest of the world. This is not about disengaging, Berrigan added. The Commission said work on approving the forum was ongoing. A pressing issue for Britain is that EU permission for the London Stock Exchange to keep clearing euros derivatives for EU customers expires in June 2022, potentially fragmenting a major market involving trillions of euros. The Commission is asking banks and asset managers how quickly they can shift this clearing from London to Deutsche Boerse in Frankfurt and if legislation is needed. The EU wants to directly supervise euro clearing and bolster its open strategic autonomy to avoid reliance on the City. I think its critically important for the EU to remain open and to resist the protectionist temptation, London Stock Exchange Chief Executive David Schwimmer told a separate European Financial Services conference. What has made the EU so successful is its openness to the world and being able to embed itself in global ecosystems. EU firms should be able to access the same liquidity, services, data and technology capabilities as their peers in respect to clearing, Schwimmer said. I am not arguing for an absence of control by the EU over important strategic areas, he said. Washington Wary With Britain no longer tied to EU rules, it is reforming how it regulates the City to buttress its global competitiveness. Braddick said this would mean tailoring rules within a framework of global standards, and not ripping up the rulebook. Any idea there is some vast philosophical gap about risk appetite or financial regulation is really misplaced, she said. Britains finance ministry will make detailed proposals for wholesale financial market reform in the final quarter of 2021. We have not seen a flood of either talent or capital out of the UK into the European Union, Braddick said. U.S. officials sounded a note of caution against the EU fragmenting financial markets after Brexit. The future of our financial services relationship really needs to be based on principles of openness, financial market integration and of course competition, Sharon Yang, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Treasury, said. (Reporting by Huw Jones; editing by Jane Merriman and Alexander Smith) Topics Europe Uk Lockton Re, the reinsurance business of the worlds largest privately held independent insurance broker, announced the launch of its Bermuda office Lockton Re (Bermuda) Ltd., which will be led by Jonathan (Jonty) Davies as CEO. Davies joins from Aon Reinsurance Solutions where he was most recently head of Global Re Specialty Bermuda. He joined Aon in 2006 where he held a number of roles across property, casualty and specialty lines. In 2010 Davies moved into the Global Re Specialty division initially as a mariner, before his primary focus became retro and property specialty, working particularly closely with reinsurers and ILS funds out of London, Zurich and Bermuda. Bermuda is a key evolution in our strategy, building capability to service both Bermuda-based clients as well as supporting our global client offering with Bermuda based expertise, commented Tim Gardner, global CEO, Lockton Re. Jontys reputation and experience are a great addition to our formidable team on the Island. Coupled with our strong London-based Retrocession and Property Specialty team led by Matt Foreman and the support of Bob Bisset, who recently joined Lockton Re as chairman for Lockton Re Bermuda, we have created a truly world class team, Gardner added. Great to have Jonty as part of our global team and Bermuda buildout, joining other key appointments including Tom Parcell, who joined in February as chief broking officer, Vittoria Canale, who joined last year as operations executive, and Tucker Moore, who joined in April as a broker, said Bisset. Keith Harrison, International CEO, Lockton Re, said: Jonty will oversee the development of our Bermuda expansion and connectivity, enhancing Lockton Res capabilities for both production and marketing of Global Retrocession, ILWs, P&C and Specialty lines. The new operation is located at 141 Front Street, Hamilton. Topics Aon Lockton Bermuda When the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was hacked in 2018, it took a mere six hours. Early this year, an intruder lurked in hundreds of computers related to water systems across the U.S. In Portland, Oregon, burglars installed malicious computers onto a grid providing power to a chunk of the Northwest. Two of those cases L.A. and Portland were tests. The water threat was real, discovered by cybersecurity firm Dragos. All three drive home a point long known but, until recently, little appreciated: the digital security of U.S. computer networks controlling the machines that produce and distribute water and power is woefully inadequate, a low priority for operators and regulators, posing a terrifying national threat. If we have a new world war tomorrow and have to worry about protecting infrastructure against a cyberattack from Russia or China, then no, I dont think were where wed like to be, said Andrea Carcano, co-founder of Nozomi Networks, a control system security company. Hackers working for profit and espionage have long threatened American information systems. But in the last six months, theyve targeted companies running operational networks like the Colonial Pipeline fuel system, with greater persistence. These are the systems where water can be contaminated, a gas line can spring a leak or a substation can explode. The threat has been around for at least a decade and fears about it for a generation but cost and indifference posed obstacles to action. It isnt entirely clear why ransomware hackers those who use malicious software to block access to a computer system until a sum of money has been paid have recently moved from small-scale universities, banks and local governments to energy companies, meatpacking plants and utilities. Experts suspect increased competition and bigger payouts as well as foreign government involvement. The shift is finally drawing serious attention to the problem. The U.S. government began taking small steps to defend cybersecurity in 1998 when the Clinton administration identified 14 private sectors as critical infrastructure, including chemicals, defense, energy and financial services. This triggered regulation in finance and power. Other industries were slower to protect their computers, including the oil and gas sector, said Rob Lee, the founder of Dragos. One of the reasons is the operational and financial burden of pausing production and installing new tools. Much of the infrastructure running technology systems is too old for sophisticated cybersecurity tools. Ripping and replacing hardware is costly as are service outages. Network administrators fear doing the job piecemeal may be worse because it can increase a networks exposure to hackers, said Nozomis Carcano. Although the Biden administrations budget includes $20 billion to upgrade the countrys grid, this comes after a history of shoulder shrugging from federal and local authorities. Even where companies in under-regulated sectors like oil and gas have prioritized cybersecurity, theyve been met with little support. Take the case of ONE Gas Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Niyo Little Thunder Pearson was overseeing cybersecurity there in January 2020 when his team was alerted to malware trying to enter its operational system - the side that controls natural gas traffic across Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. Hacker Dogfight For two days, his team was in a dogfight with the hackers who moved laterally across the network. Ultimately, Pearsons team managed to expel the intruders. When Richard Robinson at Cynalytica fed the corrupted files into his own identification program, ONE Gas learned it was dealing with malware capable of executing ransomware, exploiting industrial control systems and harvesting user credentials. At its core were digital footprints found in some of the most malicious code of the last decade. Pearson tried to bring the data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation but it would only accept it on a compact disc, he said. His system couldnt burn the data onto a CD. When he alerted the Department of Homeland Security and sent it through a secure portal, he never heard back. Robinson of Cynalytica was convinced a nation-state operator had just attacked a regional natural gas provider. So he gave a presentation to DHS, the Departments of Energy and Defense and the intelligence community on a conference call. He never heard back either. We got zero, and that was what was really surprising, he said. Not a single individual reached back out to find out more about what happened to ONE Gas. The agencies didnt respond to requests for comment. Such official indifference even hostility hasnt been uncommon. The 2018 break-in to the L.A. water and power system is another example. These werent criminals but hackers-for-hire paid to break into the system to help it improve security. After the initial intrusion, the citys security team asked the hackers to assume the original source of compromise had been fixed (it hadnt) while hunting for a new one. They found many. Between the end of 2018 and most of 2019, the hired hackers discovered 33 compromised paths, according to a person familiar with the test who wasnt authorized to speak publicly. Bloomberg News reviewed a report produced by the hackers for Mayor Eric Garcettis office. It described 10 vulnerabilities found during their own test, along with 23 problems researchers had discovered as early as 2008. (Bloomberg News wont publish information that hackers could use to attack the utility.) The person familiar with the operation discovered that few, if any, of the 33 security gaps have been fixed since the reports submission in September 2019. It gets worse. Soon after the hackers produced the report, Mayor Garcetti terminated their contract, according to a preliminary legal claim filed by the hackers hired from Ardent Technology Solutions in March 2020. The company alleges the mayor fired the hackers as a retaliatory measure for the scathing report. Ellen Cheng, a utility spokeswoman, acknowledged that Ardents contract was terminated but said it had nothing to do with the reports substance. She said the utility frequently partners with public agencies to improve security, including scanning for potential cyber threats. We want to assure our customers and stakeholders that cybersecurity is of the utmost importance to LADWP and that appropriate steps have been taken to ensure that our cybersecurity is compliant with all applicable laws and security standards, Cheng said in a statement. Garcettis office didnt respond to a request for comment. The case of the Oregon network the Bonneville Power Administration is no more encouraging. The testing went on for years beginning in 2014 and involved an almost shocking level of intrusion followed by a pair of public reports. One published in 2017 admonished the agency for repeatedly failing to take action. By 2020, two-thirds of the more than 100 flaws identified by the Department of Energy and the utilitys own security team hadnt been resolved, according to interviews with more than a dozen former and current Bonneville security personnel and contractors and former members of the Department of Energy cyber team, in addition to documents, some accessed via Freedom of Information Act request. Doug Johnson, a spokesperson for Bonneville, said a team reviewed the security reports in mid-2019 and that efforts to remediate those are ongoing. The utility acknowledged that hackers were able to breach certain BPA systems in those test hacks, but Johnson said at no time were they able to gain access to any of the BPA systems that monitor or control the power grid. Dragos estimated in its 2020 cybersecurity report that 90% of its new customers had extremely limited to no visibility inside their industrial control systems. That means that once inside, hackers have free rein to collect sensitive data, investigate system configurations and choose the right time to wage an attack. The industry is finally focused on fighting back. If the bad guys come after us, there has to be an eye-for-an-eye, or better, observed Tom Fanning, chief executive officer of Southern Co., at a conference this week. Weve got to make sure the bad guys understand there will be consequences. With assistance from Alyza Sebenius, Will Wade and Sheela Tobben. About the photo: The Department of Water and Power (DWP) San Fernando Valley Generating Station is seen December 11, 2008 in Sun Valley, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) Photographer: David McNew/Getty Images North America Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics USA Cyber Royal Caribbean Group said on Wednesday it would delay the inaugural sailing of its Odyssey of the Seas cruise liner by nearly a month after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19. The news comes a week after two people tested positive for the virus on one of its Celebrity cruises, where the infected travelers were quarantined. Odyssey of the Seas, which was scheduled to sail through Southern and Western Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, will now sail on July 31 instead of July 3. A simulation cruise, originally scheduled for late June, will also be rescheduled. Six of the eight people who tested positive were asymptomatic and two had mild symptoms, Michael Bayley, chief executive of Royal Caribbean International, said in a Facebook post. The positive cases were identified after the crew were inoculated but before the vaccine became fully effective, the company said. All 1,400 crew members on board Odyssey were vaccinated on June 4 and will be considered fully vaccinated on June 18, it added. Cruise companies were one of the worst hit during the pandemic as travel restrictions led to canceled trips and huge losses. They have been restarting their operations slowly and are preparing to sail from U.S. ports this summer. As part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) orders to restart trips, cruise companies require a majority of the passengers and crew to be vaccinated. (Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil DSilva) Topics COVID-19 Aons proposed $30 billion acquisition of Willis Towers Watson has hit a major roadblock, with the U.S. Department of Justice suing to block the deal. The DOJs civil antitrust lawsuit argues that the merger, which would bring together two of the Big Three global insurance brokers, could harm competition and raise prices. Whats more, the deal could also harm innovation for American businesses, employers and unions that rely on both companies services, the suit alleges. American companies and consumers rely on competition between Aon and Willis Towers Watson to lower prices for crucial services, such as health and retirement benefits consulting, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in prepared remarks. Allowing Aon and Willis Towers Watson to merge would reduce that vital competition and leave Americans with fewer choices, higher prices and lower quality services. The DOJ complaint alleges the merger would substantially harm competition in five market segments: property, casualty and financial risk broking for larger customers, health benefits broking for large customers, actuarial services for large single employer defined benefit pension plans, the operation of private multicarrier retiree exchanges, and reinsurance broking. Aon responded to the DOJ lawsuit with a statement that was highly critical of the U.S. government action, accusing the lawsuit of reflecting a lack of understanding of our business, the clients we serve and the marketplaces in which we operate. Aont insisted that both companies operate across broad, competitive areas of the economy and that the proposed combination would accelerate innovation in multiple areas. The company added that it and Willis Towers Watson continue to make material progress with other regulators around the world and remain fully committed to the benefits of our combination. The mega-merger deal, first announced in March 2020, has shareholder approval from both companies, who had hoped to complete the transaction by the first half of 2021. Since then, Aon and Willis Towers Watson had been working to gain regulatory approval around the world. In May, both companies agreed to sell off some WTW assets to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. for nearly $3.6 billion, in order to settle antitrust questions raised by European regulators. Plans are for the combined firm to be led by Aon CEO Greg Case and Aon Chief Financial Officer Christa Davies. The board of directors would comprise proportional members from Aon and Willis Towers Watsons current directors. Willis Towers Watson CEO John Haley would take on the role of executive chairman. At the time of the announcement, Case said that the merger would accelerate innovation and help the combined entity provide better products for clients. But the U.S Department of Justice under Garlands leadership strongly disagrees. American companies depend on [Aon and Willis Towers Watson] to craft and administer health and retirement benefits, and to keep their costs down by managing complex and evolving risks. They compete head-to-head to provide these services, which helps ensure businesses obtain innovative, high-quality broking services to manage their risks and provide critical health and retirement benefits to their employees at a reasonable cost, the DOJ announcement said. The complaint alleges Aon and Willis Towers Watson operate in an oligopoly and would have even more leverage if the merger is allowed to close. Source: U.S. Department of Justice and Aon This article first was published in Insurance Journals sister publication, Carrier Management. Related: Topics Lawsuits USA Aon Willis Towers Watson Platinum Specialty Underwriters Platinum Specialty Underwriters, an XPT company, has added transportation expert Malcolm Gilreath as vice president of Underwriting. He is based in Platinums Plano, Texas office. Gilreath will lead the underwriting team, as well as underwrite for Platinum Truck Program, an admitted nationwide long haul truck program, distributed exclusively through XPT Transportation. He will also lead the firms trucking training resources and support the development of additional trucking products. Gilreath has over 25 years of transportation and insurance experience including positions with trucking companies, transportation insurance, and as a transportation safety consultant. Most recently Gilreath was president and owner of Proactive Transportation Safety Services Inc., providing risk management and safety consulting services to trucking companies. He has also held positions including senior underwriter and regional trainer positions for Great West Casualty Co. Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation SE Division The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) has appointed Joe Connelly, president, South Central Zone, North America General Insurance at AIG, as chair of the Southeast Division board of directors. The division is based in Dallas and serves 13 states, with IICF chapters in Atlanta and Houston, along with plans to expand across several states. Connelly has served as a board member of the IICFs Southeast Division for two years. As board chair, Connelly will help lead the Southeast Divisions philanthropic and diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout the region, building relationships throughout the community and championing initiatives that provide essential support to those in need. At AIG, Connelly leads the strategy, execution and delivery of their commercial insurance business and service capabilities in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Prior to joining AIG, he worked at Chubb as executive vice president in the North America Major Accounts Division and at ACE USA as the regional executive officer of the Houston region. Connelly succeeds Richard Gergasko of Texas Mutual Insurance Company and Mark Shults of The Hartford, who served as co-chairs of the Southeast Division board of directors for two years. Topics AIG An Alabama woman who was cleared of theft charges after a former employer accused her of stealing from his wedding venue business is now suing her one-time boss for $4 million. Gayla White, a former member of the city planning commission who was acquitted of wrongdoing during a trial in April, sued Eddie Donaldson. The suit accuses him of defamation, slander, libel, malicious prosecution and abuse of process, the Dothan Eagle reported. Donaldson didnt respond to requests for comment, the newspaper reported, and has neither responded to the lawsuit in court or enlisted an attorney who could comment on his behalf, records showed. White is seeking $3 million to punish Donaldson plus $1 million in compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering and legal expenses. She claims Donaldson falsely accused her of theft in 2018 because he was upset she was resigning before a planned wedding. Donaldson also wanted to keep the personal notebook she used to track her work hours and calendar, White said. He got mad because he had plans for him and his girlfriend to go to the beach, White said Thursday. White said shed often stay at home because of the humiliating accusations, and her family felt isolated because of the experience. It was hard, and its still hard to go out and socialize without someone bringing it up and it being the center of the topic of conversation, White said. Its embarrassing. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Fraud Alabama GREENVILLE, S.C. The family of a South Carolina man who was shot and killed by police who forced their way into his home after he was the victim in a robbery and assault call has received a $75,000 wrongful death settlement. Charles Edward Rosemond Sr. fired at the Greenville County deputies who broke down the door of his Taylors apartment in December 2015 after a neighbor called 911. One officer suffered a superficial head wound and recovered, investigators said. Rosemond, 55, was shot in the leg and died while the deputy was being treated, investigators said. The lawsuit said deputies were negligent when they did not also provide prompt first aid to Rosemond. The deputies were cleared in Rosemonds death, and the Greenville County Sheriffs Office said the payment was not an admission of fault in the shooting. Rosemonds niece told The Greenville News that her uncles death should be listed as an unsolved homicide since no one was charged. It still hurts. It feels like it was just today, Candace Brewer said. Saying sorry is not enough for me. My uncle is worth more than this. The deputies told investigators they broke down Rosemonds door because no one answered when they knocked and they feared an unconscious victim might be inside after the neighbor reported an assault. The $75,000 settlement was paid by the state Insurance Reserve Fund in February, according to a report the agency released this month. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Law Enforcement South Carolina JACKSON, Miss. A managed care company has agreed to pay Mississippi $55.5 million to settle a lawsuit that accused one of its subsidiaries of overcharging the states Medicaid program for pharmacy benefits management. Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Auditor Shad White announced Monday that the state had reached the settlement with Centene Corp., which it called the largest Medicaid managed care organization in the U.S. This settlement makes clear that the days of hiding behind a convoluted flow of money and numbers are over, Fitch said in a news release. The agreement represents one of the largest civil settlements following an investigation by the state auditors office in Mississippi history. Health plans hire pharmacy benefit managers to try to control costs in prescription programs. Among other duties, the management companies create lists of preferred drugs and negotiate rebates with pharmaceutical companies. The Mississippi auditors office began investigating Envolve Pharmacy Solutions, Inc., a company owned by Centene, in 2019 based on suspicions that pharmacy benefits managers were charging the state more for services than allowed by a price cap, state officials said. Mississippi taxpayers deserve to get what they paid for when the state spends money on prescription drugs, and we will stand up for the taxpayers if they do not get a square deal, White said in the news release. Centene said in its own news release that it had reached no-fault agreements with Mississippi and Ohio over pharmacy benefits management work done by Envolve. It said the settlement with Ohio was for $88 million. The practices described in the settlement focus on the structure and processes of Envolve, primarily during 2017 and 2018. In the settlements, the Company denies any liability for these practices, the Centene news release said. Besides the $55.5-million settlement, the agreement with Mississippi calls for the company to provide full transparency related to the adjudication and payment of all pharmacy benefit claims, state officials said. That includes providing information for the Division of Medicaid to discern the amount paid for each pharmaceutical claim. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Mississippi The Arizona Legislature will convene in special session this week to consider adding $100 million in funding for fighting wildfires and to boost the amount of money available to clear hazardous brush and deal with the damage of flooding from fire-ravaged mountains. Gov. Doug Ducey formally called for the special session Monday after announcing last week during a tour of two large fires burning in south-central Arizona that he planned the session to focus on the issue. This wildfire season has already been devastating, and we still have a long, hot summer ahead of us, Ducey said in a statement. While Arizona has strong wildfire suppression and prevention efforts in place, we need to do more. House Speaker Rusty Bowers said the session is badly needed after firefighting efforts used up funding for the current and coming year. Details of the funding requests were finalized at a meeting Monday afternoon between House and Democratic leaders of both political parties. Bowers said Sunday that he thought between $10 million and $20 million would be needed for the state Fire Suppression Fund and possibly $50 million for flood prevention and other recovery efforts. It could be more, and Im willing to do more, Bowers said. We have the funds now, and we need to make sure that we are ready. The number turned out to be quite a bit more $25 million to pay for state prisoners to clear brush under direction of state forestry officials and $75 million for the fire fund, to help affected people and property owners recover and to prepare for the fallout from multiple large fires that have burned across the state so far this fire season. Bowers, Senate President Karen Fann, Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Rios and House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding met with the state forester and other Ducey administration officials Monday afternoon to discuss the scope of needed funding. This wildfire season has already given us an idea of whats to come, and we need resources to protect Arizonas communities and first responders, Rios said in a statement. This investment is necessary to support those in need and help safety officials fight wildfires in the state, while also providing aid for communities afterward. The special session will run for three days beginning Tuesday along with the regular session that has been stalled over the inability of lawmakers to reach a deal on the overall state budget. Bowers sought the session after two fires broke out in the mountains southeast of Phoenix early this month that together blackened 257 square miles of brush and forest near Globe. One fire is mainly contained while new evacuations were ordered for the other Monday. Other fires are burning across the state. The governors January budget proposal noted that state firefighting costs exceeded $39 million in the last five years while appropriations were only about $20 million. He sought a boost in that spending. 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. Firefighting efforts may be paid for with either state or federal funding, depending on the fires location on public or private land, among other factors. Bowers lost his longtime family retreat home last week 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. I know firsthand how devastating the wildfires are this year, Bowers said in a statement. Families have been displaced, nonprofits are working hard to support those in need, and firefighters are working day and night to contain fires. We need to make sure they have the financial resources to get through this wildfire season and prepare for the future, he said. 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, so there is no pressing need for a special session to get the new funding. But 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. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Mergers Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Arizona A ban on the building of data centres and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals has been put to the Government as a further means of Ireland meeting its climate improvement targets. Opposition party People Before Profit has introduced a new bill, recommending the banning of such infrastructure, in a bid to address what it calls glaring gaps in the Governments Climate Bill, which is due to pass through the Dail this week. People Before Profit claims that 70 data centres, which house IT systems for many of the large tech multinationals here, are currently operational in Ireland, with 30 in various stages of the planning process. Allowing further construction contradicts the Governments stated climate action plans, the party said. We cant reach our commitments under Paris and pretend that we can allow 100-plus data centres over the next decade," said People Before Profit TD Brid Smith. "Other states and cities have also looked to impose restrictions on their growth. "We must act now if we are serious about the climate emergency. Real climate action cant happen if we are simultaneously planning to have over half of any increase in renewable energy swallowed up by mega data centres by 2030, she said. Eirgrid recently said that it is open to the idea of shifting data centres away from the Greater Dublin area and having them more evenly distributed around the country, thus removing their potential drain on the capitals energy supply. Currently, any new data centre operator opening in Dublin is required to have its own back-up generators. The Government last month agreed to block the importing of fracked gas and put a moratorium on LNG storage terminal development until the completion of the ongoing review of Irelands security of energy supply. People Before Profit's Paul Murphy said that does not go far enough to kill off projects such as the proposed 500m LNG terminal in the Shannon estuary. It remains a real danger that we are walking into the building of major LNGs in this State under the nose of our Green Party minister, which is why this legislation is needed to place an absolute ban on such developments during the climate emergency," he said. Reports of sexual abuse of older people are on the rise but the pandemic could mask the true extent of the problem, one of the HSEs most senior social workers has warned. Celine OConnor said the recent HSE hack has delayed the release of the HSE National Safeguarding Office 2020 annual report, which will reveal the latest details on the extent of the problem. The HSE's principal adult safeguarding social worker for Dublin South, Kildare, and West Wicklow, said: Our sexual abuse figures for older people are rising all the time. I can't say what the figures will be for 2020 but they are likely to be down. I doubt that is because there is less abuse going on. "Instead I believe this will be because a number of service providers have admitted they have delayed reporting abuse." She added that she fears the under-reporting will only serve to mask the true extent of the problem. Ms O'Connor said there are not enough professionals working for the health service to stop the abuse from happening. Speaking at the Behind Closed doors: Abuse In Care Settings UCD webinar to mark yesterdays World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, she also revealed a lot of care staff are reluctant to report things. Ms O'Connor says this is because of a fear they're going to get their colleagues in trouble, they fear losing their own job, they fear the impact it is going to cause. She told attendees at event, co-hosted by the UCD School of Social Work, the Irish Association of Social Workers, and the British Association of Social Workers Northern Ireland, that care staff also don't believe that older people can be sexually abused. She asked: If you don't believe that, why would you report it? Ms OConnor also said: When they have tried to raise concerns, social workers according to what they have told the Irish Association of Social Workers have been spoken to about their loyalty to the organisations they work for. They have been challenged that they are going to make [agencies funded by the HSE] liable to being sued. The senior social worker also said she feels more needs to be done to regulate her and her colleagues. There's been no review of us, she said. I really think there should be more regulation of us, that somebody should be looking at how we are providing the service. Are we providing it equally across all of our services? Ms OConnor also said that not only do the Irish tolerate abuse in all walks of life, but we also make too many excuses for abuse. She referenced the fact that the only legislation underpinning the work she and her colleagues do is 150 years old, the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871. It was an act to amend the law relating to among other things what the act itself describes as the "management of the estates of lunatics" and the "protection of the property of lunatics. Both fully vaccinated and non-vaccinated arrivals into Ireland from Great Britain will have to quarantine at home, under plans approved by Cabinet. The extension of the home quarantine rule was approved yesterday amid concerns of the rise and spread of the Delta variant, which was first recorded in India, and has now spread at alarming levels in Great Britain, where it now accounts for 96% of all cases, delaying the loosening of Covid-19 restrictions in England. The Delta variant is thought to be at least 60% more transmissible than the original Covid-19 virus. Fully vaccinated people entering the State from Britain will continue to be subject to self-quarantine for 14 days, which can be ended with a negative PCR test taken five days after arrival. For people who are not fully vaccinated arriving from Britain, they will enter self-quarantine for a period of 14 days, which may be reduced to 10 days, with two further negative PCR tests, one taken after five days, and another taken 10 days after arrival. These new quarantine rules come into force with immediate effect. The Department of Health has also said there remains a legal requirement to self-quarantine if your journey originated in Britain, even if you enter the State via Northern Ireland. As of June 10, there have been 139 confirmed cases of the Delta variant in the State. A Government spokesman said there has been no discussion of introducing mandatory hotel quarantine for people arriving from Britain, despite calls for such a move from some in opposition. In a statement issued late on Tuesday evening, health minister Stephen Donnelly said the requirements are in response to variants of concern which "continue to pose significant risks to public health". European Digital Cert Meanwhile, work is ongoing for Ireland to adopt the European Digital Cert on July 19 which will allow for the return of international travel within the EU. The Taoiseach also told ministers that the Covid situation in Ireland "remains stable". A Government spokesman confirmed there "had been some improvement over the last seven days, in case numbers, and numbers in hospital, and ICU." "However, nine counties had a 14-day incidence rate greater than 100 per 100,000 of the population, most notably Limerick, which has significantly higher rate of 451 per 100,000 of the population," he added. 3.2m vaccines now administered The cabinet was also told that more than 3.2m vaccines have now been administered in Ireland, about 56% of adults have received the first dose, while 25% of the eligible population have received a second vaccination dose. As of June 13, 2270 new cases were reported, which was a drop of 21.3% week on week. The plan is to distribute between 310,000 to 330,000 vaccines this week and the Covid-19 vaccine portal is likely to open this week or next Monday for people aged in their 30s. It comes as pharmacies have started their rollout of the vaccine, with those aged over 50 who have yet to get a vaccine now able to go to their local pharmacy. As of June 8, 1m people who registered through the portal have been given a vaccine dose. There are a further 1,200 vaccinations planned for Wheatfield and Portlaoise prisons this week. The merits of the DoneDeal website were discussed by a Circuit Court Judge and a detective during a case where a man was duped into paying 180 for tickets he never received. Detective Garda Mike Dillane said that on November 3, 2017, a man browsing the DoneDeal site saw tickets available for an upcoming event. He arranged to send 180 to the seller, Derek OMahoney, but the tickets never arrived. Judge Sean O Donnabhain remarked: If you go to DoneDeal you will be done. Det. Garda Dillane said: Or you will get a deal. The judge laughed and said: Touche. 28-year-old Derek OMahoney of 52 Meadowlands, Broomfield, Midleton, County Cork, pleaded guilty to deception by offering tickets which were then not delivered after payment had been received. The same defendant pleaded guilty to other offences also at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. He admitted that on June 7, 2019, he stole post from the locked car of a postwoman delivering post in the Midleton area. Det. Garda Dilllane said the postwoman parked her car when she was delivering post and returned about 15 minutes later and found that some parcels were missing from her vehicle. The injured party described a person in a Silver Yaris car in the area at the time. Similarly, a week later another postal worker travelling by bicycle had post stolen from the panier of his bicycle at Broomfield in Midleton and shortly beforehand he had spotted a Silver Yaris in the area. OMahoney had some convictions for deception in the past. Niamh Stewart defence barrister said: He admitted everything. He had mental health issues. He brought 3,000 compensation before the court. He is working full time. The judge ordered that 500 of this money would be paid to the man who was deceived on the DoneDeal site back in 2017. The name of the event he had hoped to see on that occasion was not indicated. Det. Garda Dillane said it had not been possible to determine the value of the post which was taken by the accused. In that event the judge ordered that the remaining 2,500 would be sent to the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Midleton. The trial of a teenager accused of producing a knife during an incident that led to Cork student Cameron Blair being murdered has collapsed, after two key witnesses left the country for Cyprus. A 16-year-old boy had been on trial at the Central Criminal Court charged with the production of a knife at a house on Bandon Road in Cork city on January 16, 2020. Mr Blair, a 20-year-old student, was fatally stabbed during the incident, which occurred at a house party. Another juvenile pleaded guilty to his murder in April last year, receiving a life sentence that will be reviewed in 2032. At the current trial, which had been ongoing for almost three weeks, Mr Justice David Keane told jurors that the trial was at an end, after being told by the DPPs prosecution counsel that it would not be proceeding. It emerged last Thursday in the jurys absence that there had been an issue in relation to two key witnesses. "The information is that they went to Ayia Napa in Cyprus and it is the State's belief that they did so in order to avoid giving evidence," prosecution counsel John Fitzgerald SC said. Despite efforts to contact the witnesses and make arrangements for their appearance, they did not do so before the trial collapsed. Mr Justice Keane said it seemed to be a "profoundly serious matter" to fail to comply with a witness order and it has to be treated as a matter of "significant gravity". Read More Teenagers with knives tried to reach past Cameron Blair as he blocked door, court hears Upon opening the case on May 28, jurors were told that they must decide whether the accused produced a knife "capable of inflicting serious injury" during a dispute at a house party where Cameron Blair was murdered. The defence maintained two boys out of a group of three gathered outside the house on the night had knives but not the defendant. The jury was told that the events of the case related to "a tragic situation" where Cameron, a chemical engineering student at Cork Institute of technology (CIT), died at Cork University Hospital (CUH) last year after being stabbed in the neck. Another juvenile has already pleaded guilty to his murder. Addressing the jury of eight men and four women today, Mr Justice David Keane explained that he had been informed this morning by prosecution counsel John Fitzgerald SC, who acts on behalf of the DPP, that the prosecution against the juvenile for the production of the knife had been "discontinued". "That means that the present trial is at an end," he said. Before discharging the jury, Mr Justice Keane said that much is spoken about human rights and Constitutional rights in our democracy and if these rights are to be protected then it was necessary for people to discharge their civic duty. "You have properly discharged your civic duty by acting as jurors in this trial. The subject matter you had to deal with made your experience particularly challenging and difficult," he added. The judge then thanked the jurors for their service and exempted them from jury service for five years. "The trial to which you have been listening and would have deliberated on is in effect at an end and you are free to go," he concluded. Members of the Blair family were present in court for this morning's proceedings. When the jury had left the courtroom, Mr Fitzgerald told the judge that in view of the accused's age there was a requirement that the court direct a probation report, which must be prepared within 28 days. Mr Justice Keane said he would direct a probation report and he remanded the juvenile on continuing bail until July 12. Non-appearance of two witnesses Last Thursday, Mr Fitzgerald told Mr Justice Keane in the absence of the jury that there had been an issue in relation to two of the witnesses in the book of evidence. "The information is that they went to Ayia Napa in Cyprus and it is the State's belief that they did so in order to avoid giving evidence," he said. Mr Fitzgerald said that efforts were "going on in the background" to secure the two witnesses' voluntary return from Cyprus and gardai were liaising with their family members and airlines. He said it was his belief that the two witnesses would return on June 26. The lawyer asked the court to adjourn the matter until the following day and asked the judge not to canvas the matter in any detail with the jury. Following this, Mr Justice Keane told the jury last Thursday that the trial had run into a legal issue which would be necessary to consider and asked them to return the following day. However, the judge told the jury last Friday that these legal issues would take longer to deal with than he had anticipated and sent them away until yesterday. When the jury returned to Croke Park on Tuesday morning they did not hear any evidence and were asked to come back today. After the jury left the courtroom this morning, the judge asked Mr Fitzgerald what the situation was in regards to the two witnesses. Counsel said that "enquiries were ongoing" and he explained that gardai had informed him that one of the witnesses had booked a flight to return from Ayia Napa on Friday evening. The information was "less clear" in relation to the other witness, he added. Read More Second witness in Cameron Blair trial claims teenage accused 'brandished' knife Mr Fitzgerald said that "further intervention of the court may be required but that required certain paperwork to be gone through on my side". Mr Justice Keane said it was his task to ensure the administration of justice and he had to do his utmost to make sure that this was the case. "If events occur that interfere with the administration of justice I have to be concerned. Because I issued warrants which weren't obeyed, I will be guided in due course. I think the failure to attend in accordance with a witness order is a contempt of court," he noted. Mr Fitzgerald said he did not have any instructions in relation to this but could say that the matter was "under active consideration". Counsel for the teenager, Timothy O'Leary SC with Alan O'Dwyer BL, said that he would have required these two witnesses "in relation to my defence". In reply, the judge said it seemed to be a "profoundly serious matter" to fail to comply with a witness order and it has to be treated as a matter of "significant gravity". Summary of evidence In his opening speech, Mr Fitzgerald told the 12 jurors that they must decide whether the accused produced a knife "capable of inflicting serious injury" during a dispute at a house party where Cameron was murdered. It was the defence contention that two boys out of a group of three who had gathered outside the house were in possession of a knife on the night but not the defendant in this case. One of the boys has admitted murdering Cameron and another has pleaded guilty to violent disorder and to the production of a knife. However, it was the State's case that each of the three boys had a knife on the night. Dave Sheehan, who described himself as one of Cameron's best friends, told Mr Fitzgerald that he saw the 16-year-old accused with a knife. Under cross-examination, Mr Sheehan told the accused's defence barrister that he had seen the knife "with my eyes", when it was suggested to him that he had "added on another layer" about the accused having a knife. A second witness, Darren O'Leary who hosted the pre-drinks party, testified that the accused was "brandishing" and "waving" a knife during an argument outside the house party. He insisted to the accused's defence counsel that he had seen the knife "with my own eyes" and if the barrister "said differently" then that was "a lie". In April 2020, a teenage boy, then aged 17, who murdered Cameron by plunging a knife into his neck outside the house party received a life sentence that will be reviewed in 2032. The boy, who could not be named because he was a minor, pleaded guilty to murdering Cameron on Bandon Road in Co. Cork on January 16, 2020. On January 11, 2021, a 19-year-old teenager, who also cannot be named at this point for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and to production of a knife in a manner likely to intimidate another on January 16, 2020. The case was adjourned for sentence until after the trial in Croke Park. Burma Daw Aung San Suu Kyis Lawyers Object to Myanmar Regimes Evidence Against Her Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attends an event marking the start of the NLDs election campaign in Naypyitaw on Sept. 7, 2020. / Thiha Lwin / The Irrawaddy Lawyers for Myanmars detained leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi have objected to evidence presented at court hearings in her trials for allegedly violating COVID-19 restrictions and the sedition law, on grounds of authenticity and relevance. Proceedings in the two cases against Myanmars detained State Counselor were held at a special court in Naypyitaw on Tuesday. During the hearing, plaintiff U Tun Myint Aung (aka U Nyi Nyi), a resident of Naypyitaws Zabuthiri Township, submitted photos of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi taking part in last years election campaign in the township, alleging they show that she breached COVID-19 restrictions. Her legal team objected to the introduction of the photos as evidence, saying the images were not original and came from secondary sources, said U Kyi Win, one of Daw Aung San Suu Kyis lawyers. In the pictures, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was visibly either in a facemask or face shield. More importantly, they [the pictures submitted to the court] are not originals. They are merely phone screengrabs, he said. In a statement, the lawyers said the photos that U Nyi Nyi presented to the court were objected to by the defense, after which A brief argument occurred and the judge intervened and adjourned the case [to allow a] comprehensive argument on this issue. On the same day, the general administrator of Naypyitaws Dekkhina Thiri District, U Soe Soe Shwe, testified for the prosecution in the sedition cases against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and Dr. Myo Aung, the ousted chairman of the Naypyitaw Council, under Article 505(b) of the Penal Code. As evidence, statements issued by Daw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) in the wake of the Feb. 1 coup were submitted. In these, the NLDs Central Executive Committee said any laws, orders and directives by the regime were illegal, and welcomed anti-regime protests while calling on party members to support civil servants who are striking as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement. The evidence was rejected as irrelevant by Daw Aung San Suu Kyis lawyers, who pointed out that at the time the statements were issued both she and President U Win Myint were in military detention, lawyer U Kyi Win said. They were arrested on the morning of Feb. 1 as the military was staging its coup. Therefore, the legal team said, the judge intervened and adjourned both cases to June 22 to allow for comprehensive arguments. The trio met with their legal team as a group for the first time before the hearing started on Tuesday to discuss the charges, according to Daw Min Min Soe, another member of the legal defense team. On Monday, the court heard testimony from the plaintiffs in three cases against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi regarding alleged possession of illegally imported walkie-talkies, violations of the Telecommunications Law and Natural Disaster Management Law. It also held a hearing in the case against President U Win Myint under the Natural Disaster Law. The legal team expects the trials to conclude by July 26, within six months of Daw Aung San Suu Kyis arrest, because the five cases against her are simple. Hearings are scheduled to be held every Monday and Tuesday. The lawyers said they expected to cross-examine prosecution witnesses at next weeks hearings, as they did not have time to do it at Monday and Tuesdays hearings. The junta has filed a total of seven charges against the State Counselor since placing her under house arrest in the wake of the Feb. 1 coup. The cases are being presided over at a specially prepared courthouse by Judge U Maung Maung Lwin of the Zabuthiri Township Court. The sixth charge, under the Official Secrets Act, was filed separately at the Yangon Eastern District Court and referred to the Union Supreme Court last month. This charge will be heard on June 23. Last week, the junta brought a seventh charge against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under the Anti-Corruption Law. The legal team has informed her of the charge, but lawyer Daw Min Min Soe said they have no information about the case yet, as it has not yet been brought before the court. Following the takeover, the junta launched corruption probes, based on which it has accused Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of accepting cash and gold and abusing her authority and funds donated to her charitable foundation. The 75-year-old could face at least 25 years imprisonment, meaning she would spend the rest of her life behind bars if convicted. You may also like these stories: New and More Deadly COVID-19 Variants Found in Myanmar Fate of Rakhine Charity School Members Unknown After 10 Days Myanmar Junta Says Lawyers Cant Send Cash to Detained Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Burma Fate of Rakhine Charity School Members Unknown After 10 Days Taungup Township. Junta forces detained seven residents of Taungup Township in Rakhine State on June 5 and their relatives are still waiting to hear about their whereabouts. The Moe free training center chairman Ko Aung Win Naing and six others involved with the center were detained on their way to Thandwe from Taungup, said his wife, Ma Twel Tar Soe. We have not yet been allowed to see them. They should have been taken to the police station and charged if they committed a crime. But we still dont know why they were detained, she told The Irrawaddy. She said she was told by witnesses that the Taungup-based Light Infantry Battalion 346 took them but the unit denied any involvement when asked on June 12. Their relatives then reported them missing with the police. Battalion sources said the seven are inside the army camp. Moe training center is in Moe Taung village about 13km from Taungup. Established in April, the nonprofit school began computer, English, mechanical and agricultural courses on June 2, according to patron Ko Nay Lin Aung. We feel sorry that our school chairman is detained. The police told us they are not at the police station, Ko Nay Lin Aung told The Irrawaddy. The Irrawaddy was unable to contact Taungup police or the Rakhine State Administrative Council for a comment. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Junta Orders MPs to Shun Parallel Govt and Affiliations Myanmar Court Testifies in Three Cases Against Suu Kyi Myanmars Detained Suu Kyi Gave Residences and Almost All Her Money to Charity Burma Myanmar Junta Says Lawyers Cant Send Cash to Detained Daw Aung San Suu Kyi State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi The military regime has denied Daw Aung San Suu Kyi cash assistance sent by her lawyers, according to U Kyi Win, a member of her legal team. During a court hearing in Naypyitaw on June 7, the detained State Counselor requested that her legal team help provide food for her and eight others detained with her, as they have been using their own money to buy food and are now short of cash and in need of medicines and other supplies. She told her legal team that she did not want support from those detaining her and asked the lawyers to help if possible. Her legal team sent her 5 million kyats (about US$3,000) via the police. At a court hearing on Tuesday, however, police returned the money to the legal team, saying cash assistance was not allowed. The police returned the money. In fact, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is just the accused and not a prisoner. She has not been convicted of any crime. I told the police that I would formally ask by letter [for permission] to send the cash, U Kyi Win said. The legal team also sent food, including rice and cooking oil, on June 8 via the police to the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) leader and those detained with her. However, it appeared there were some delays in forwarding the food package to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as she told her lawyers that some of the perishable items, including bread, were moldy. At the court hearing, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did not appear to be frustrated, but was keen to defend herself against the charges brought against her. She told her lawyers to be patient and mount a thorough defense. The legal team was allowed to meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ousted President U Win Myint and ousted Naypyitaw Council chairman Dr. Myo Aung before the court hearing on Tuesday. The junta has filed seven charges against the NLD leader, including two under Article 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law and one each under Article 8 of the Export and Import Law, Article 67 of the Telecommunications Law, Article 505(b) of the Penal Code (for sedition), the Official Secrets Act and the Anti-Corruption Law. At Tuesdays hearing, prosecutors gave testimony in the Natural Disaster Management Law case against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and in the sedition cases against all three. The three were charged with sedition over two statements allegedly issued by the NLD Central Executive Committee after their arrests. They have been detained since Feb. 1. How could they be involved in issuing those statements? It is unclear who released those statements. It is unlikely that the prosecution can submit strong evidence in that case, a lawyer said. Daw Aung San Suu Kyis legal team said they expect the trial to conclude by July 26, within six months of her arrest, because the five cases against her are simple. Hearings are scheduled every Monday and Tuesday. The sixth charge against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, under the Official Secrets Act, is due to be heard at the Union Supreme Court on June 23. You may also like these stories: Time Is Right for India to Step In and Help Solve Myanmar Crisis Three Striking Teachers Jailed by Myanmar Junta Hundreds of Students, Staff at Myanmar Private School Test COVID-19 Positive Burma Myanmar Junta Troops Accused of Looting Abandoned Village The looted phone shop in Ngwe Taung village. / CJ Residents of a village in Kayah States Demoso Township said junta forces looted their shops and houses while they were away. Ngwe Taung villagers fled following clashes between junta troops and the combined forces of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) and resistance fighters between May 21 and June 12. Despite a lack of witnesses of the looting, villagers said the regimes Light Infantry Battalion 427 and Infantry Battalion 102 are based near the village on the Demoso-Loikaw highway. Villagers said junta forces occupied the village during the fighting. Some residents who returned to the village on June 14 said they found their homes had been used by the regimes soldiers as temporary shelters. Troops remained inside a boarding school in the village when residents returned. We fled to Loikaw to avoid fighting along the road. We came back a few days ago after the fighting ceased. My house was ransacked. Our shops were looted and all the valuables taken, said a Ngwe Taung villager. The villagers said they left their houses and shops locked but doors were broken open and possessions stolen. Around 20 houses were looted in Ngwe Taung, they said. The fighting ceased three days ago so we returned only to find our houses and shops were looted. They smashed my plates, ransacked the wardrobe and damaged the fridge. They took my brothers television from his house, said a resident. A phone shop owner posted on Facebook that his stock had been taken and his safe smashed open. The militarys official rules of engagement ban stealing and damaging civilian property. The parallel, civilian National Unity Government shadow defence ministry has adopted a code of conduct for its peoples defense forces, preventing them from looting and vandalizing civilian property. The KNDF said only junta troops were deployed in Ngwe Taung during the fighting. Battalions in Demoso looted as they ran out of food during the fighting in Ngwe Taung. Some torched houses after the looting. Villagers know what happened, said a KNDF spokesman. Regime spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun rejected the accusations and told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the military had nothing to with the looting. If the security forces really committed these acts, people can file complaints with us, he said. The KNDF and resistance fighters were stationed in the west of Demoso in Dawh Ngan Khar ward during the fighting. Junta forces remain around Ngwe Taung village, including inside a construction site for a Catholic church. Clashes broke out after junta troops attempted to detain civilians in Dawh Ngan Khar ward on May 21. The fighting forced thousands to flee their homes. At least 20 Dawh Ngan Khar houses were destroyed or damaged by junta artillery. Junta troops also torched houses by the highway. Demoso residents have been returning since clashes ceased on June 13. However, there might be more fighting in Demoso, warned the KNDF. The regime has sent at least 200 reinforcements to Demoso, with most stationed at Mt. Sin Ma. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Junta Drops Charges Against Arakan Army Chiefs Relatives Myanmar Junta Deploys Reinforcements to Eliminate Kayah Civilian Resistance Ethnic Karen Armed Group in Myanmar to Abide by Ceasefire Agreement Burma Senior Citizens Die After Myanmar Junta Soldiers Set Village on Fire Kin Ma village being set on fire by junta soldiers on Tuesday. / CJ Two elderly civilians died on Tuesday after Myanmar junta troops set a village on fire in Magwe Regions Pauk Township, according to relatives of the victims and local residents. Military regime forces torched homes in Kin Ma village on Tuesday afternoon after taking a large number of casualties during a firefight with civilian resistance fighters near the village. Between seven to 15 junta soldiers were reportedly killed by landmines after around 70 regime troops were ambushed close to Kin Ma village by civilian resistance fighters at 10am on Tuesday morning, a local resident told the Irrawaddy on Wednesday. No civilian resistance casualties were reported. After two hours of fighting, some 150 junta reinforcements then set fire to houses in Kin Ma village, witnesses said. Many of the villagers had already fled. But U Mya Maung, a 95-year-old man suffering from paralysis after a stroke, and his wife, Daw Gyi Mein, died in the fire, villagers and a relative of the victims said. Junta forces also opened fire on villagers trying to extinguish the fire and save their belongings. One resident was shot in his leg, according to villagers. Almost the entire village of 240 houses was burned down in the fire. Over 1,000 of the villages residents are now sheltering in the forest and nearby villages. A villager who fled said that the junta soldiers also killed cows for food. We want all people across the country to resist the junta forces as they are using violence even on innocent civilians, the local resident said. Civilian resistance fighters from Pauk Township previously clashed with regime troops near Kin Ma village on May 31. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Junta Says Lawyers Cant Send Cash to Detained Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Time Is Right for India to Step In and Help Solve Myanmar Crisis Three Striking Teachers Jailed by Myanmar Junta Guest Column Time Is Right for India to Step In and Help Solve Myanmar Crisis Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing during his visit to India in 2019. / seniorgeneralminaunghlaing.com The Myanmar junta chiefs candid admission that his regime is not in full control of the country ravaged by a civil war offers an opportunity for India to step in to mitigate the crisis. Last month, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing reportedly said in a television interview that he did not expect to see such an uprising and nationwide civil disobedience against his rule triggered by the Feb. 1 military coup. Indias ambiguous stand on the Myanmar coup has left many foreign policy analysts perplexed. Being the worlds largest democracy and a neighbor, it should stop procrastinating and initiate some smart diplomatic moves given that the military chief continues to maintain good relations with the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The general visited India in 2019 and the two countries signed a defense cooperation pact. They also discussed joint exercises and training provided to Myanmar Defense Services, strengthening maritime security by joint surveillance and capacity building, medical co-operation, pollution response and developing new infrastructure, according to a statement from Indias Defense Ministry. In 2020, the Myanmar military handed over 22 Indian rebels operating from its soil. These militants were from Indias northeastern region, which shares a porous 1,643-km border with the Southeast Asian nation. Taking their defense ties to a new level, India delivered a diesel-electric submarine, the INS Sindhuvir, to the Myanmar armed forces. The Soviet-era Kilo-class submarine was refurbished by state-run defense shipbuilder Hindustan Shipyard and renamed as UMS Minye Theinkhathu. In addition, Indias state-owned Bharat Electronics has reportedly sent seven shipments of radar and related equipment to the Myanmar military since the Feb. 1 coup, Justice For Myanmar said, citing government data. All this indicates a cozy relationship between the Modi government and Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. So, what prevents India from exerting some diplomatic pressure on the junta to work toward restoring democracy in Myanmar? Need of the hour Its difficult to speculate on how New Delhi could convince Myanmars top general to begin negotiations with the shadow government of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. However, it is in Indias interest that this matter is taken up on a priority basis. Remember, Prime Minister Modi launched Indias flagship Act East policy at the 2014 ASEAN summit in Naypyitaw. The policy seeks to connect India with Southeast Asia in order to help expand its footprint in the Asia-Pacific region. And Myanmar is key to Modis Act East dream, if one may call it that. By renaming Look East as Act East, Modi has tried to create a new strategic narrative aimed at countering Chinas growing footprint in its neighborhood. But in the past seven years, what the government has done is more symbolic. For instance, Indias Northeast bordering Myanmar, which would serve as the gateway to Southeast Asia, continues to be plagued with infrastructure issues. Without overall development of this region, the Act East policy would be meaningless, as nobody wants to visit a foreign city (Guwahati) that becomes flooded within 10 minutes of a downpour. Nevertheless, the Act East policy offers a unique chance to Modi to bring about a shift in Indias policy vis-a-vis neighboring countries. Since independence, New Delhi has wasted much energy and efforts in dealing with its western neighbor Pakistan without any visible change in the latter. And things will remain unchanged in the near future as well. Therefore, India would do well to invest its time and efforts in the countries that may fetch benefits in the long term, if not immediately. And Myanmar, despite its myriad internal issues, could be Indias partner in progress. How to restore democracy Myanmar needs Indias help to get back to the path of democracy if the nationwide pro-democracy protests in the Southeast Asian nation are anything to go by. New Delhi must engage with the Tatmadaw (Myanmars military), which has 25 percent of seats in Parliament and local legislatures, according to the 2008 Constitution. Besides this, important ministries such as Home, Defense and Border Affairs are reserved for the military. No doubt, Indias continued engagement with the junta regime is aimed at saving Myanmar from possible global isolation, something China would want to take advantage of. The US and several Western countries have already imposed sanctions on Myanmars generals and frozen their foreign assets. These sanctions could be tightened further if the Tatmadaw continues with its brutal suppression of civilians and keeps the democratically elected leaders under detention. Given these scenarios, it would be prudent and just on Indias part to convince the junta leaders to restore some semblance of democracy at least in the neighboring country. While India cannot directly intervene since it is Myanmars internal matter, the regime leaders would definitely trust New Delhi rather than any Western nation, engaging with which might come with several preconditions. Jayanta Kalita is a senior journalist and author based in New Delhi. He writes on issues relating to Indias northeast and its immediate neighborhood. The views expressed are his own. You may also like these stories: Three Striking Teachers Jailed by Myanmar Junta Hundreds of Students, Staff at Myanmar Private School Test COVID-19 Positive Myanmar Court Testifies in Three Cases Against Suu Kyi Two Key Biscayne elected officials and three others who ran for Village Council seats last year face fines for mostly technical and minor violations during their respective campaigns. Three others who did not win seats also had fineable violations. Consent Orders were recently unveiled by the Florida Elections Commission, showing $500 in civil penalties against Frank Caplan and $300 in civil penalties against fellow council member Allison McCormick. Both waived the right to appeal. In Caplans case, he admitted in the Consent Order to filing a false campaign report and taking a contribution that exceeded statutory limits. He also admitted that a transaction for campaign signs was reported incorrectly and that he made an improper expenditure by signing his qualifying check in place of his appointed treasurer. Caplan, who was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1988, was elected to the Council. During McCormicks re-election run, she also violated Florida election laws by signing her qualifying check in place of her appointed treasurer. She previously had served as the vice mayor in 2018. In each of the cases, these unexecuted Consent Orders were to be processed pending final approval by the Florida Elections Commission. Each of the complaints was filed by Key Biscayne resident Inbal Horovitz, who was represented by attorney David Winker. Elected officials on Key Biscayne do not receive a salary, so fines would have to be absorbed through personal payments. The Florida Elections Commission has no mandate on where those payments can originate, whether its from leftover campaign money or private donations. However, an analysis of open campaign records by the Islander News shows that several violations were committed by at least three other Village Council candidates, who were among 10 running for office. Candidate Matt Bramson has been ordered to pay a civil penalty of $350 for violating two statutes paid for and distributed a political advertisement that contained express advocacy but did not include a proper disclaimer, and he also improperly failed to use the word for between his name and the office for which he was running in political advertisements. Two other candidates, Reynaldo Figueredo and Oscar Sardinas, face $300 penalties for signing their qualifying checks in place of their appointed treasurers. Figueredo said he was taken by surprise, although he had been suspicious. During the election process, I did a lot of interviews but I found out (later) nothing could be aired or published because a lawsuit was pending, he said. So whatever they (those behind the lawsuit) wanted, they got. Figueredo, a financial adviser, called it a grudge that he just happened to get caught in. All this paperwork for some grudge that stems from using the mayors law firm to help the homeless, he said. She (Horovitz) linked me to the mayor, which that person doesnt like because I use the mayors office for Hermanos de la Calle. That Key Biscayne-based 501c non-profit Hermanos de la Calle -- a Christian faith-based organization dedicated to uplifting, supporting and rehabilitating those experiencing homelessness in Miami-Dade County, according to its website -- has helped take 350 people off the streets, including 30 on a recent weekend. The organization started with eight people and now boasts 600 volunteers, mostly from the island. So, for doubling up and trying to do good, I got fined. Its not very motivating to run again, Figueredo said. With attitudes like that Id rather treat the homeless. Bramson was equally disappointed in the way the politicians were targeted. It seems to have been done on a selective basis, Bramson said. Certainly other candidates were not following (the) rules. It would have been nice if everyone was held to the same standards. Bramson, head of sales for a $200 million solar company called Elevation Home Energy Solutions, said he doesnt have a problem with the rules, just the procedure. In the end, for someone who was running for public office for the first time in his life, I made a couple mistakes, he said. If I run again, Ill probably make another mistake. What I tell my kids is not to make the same mistake twice. He explained that, regarding his sign infraction, he had ordered them from a company which markets themselves as experts. He said they should have known Florida rules stipulate Paid for by the Matt Bramson campaign. He did receive help from a local law firm to help resolve it. They should make it easy and simple for a candidate to run, Bramson said. The disappointing part of this was the intent to frustrate (candidates like myself), but thats a price to pay when you run. This may be smart politics on a national level, but theres nothing to gain here doing that (filing a legal complaint) on Key Biscayne, he added. But I guess different people go about things in different ways. In a statement to Islander News, McCormick said, Lesson learned - a steep price to pay for what amounts to a clerical error. But of course, I accept responsibility for my mistake. I should also admit... I took the tag off of my new mattress - next, I expect to hear that I've been reported to the Fire Marshal. "Some may wonder why I didn't sink to this level and report to the authorities the infractions made by my political opponents. It's simple: Key Biscayners shouldn't be rewarded for their willingness to serve our community with attacks about simple mistakes made in good faith with no personal gain of any kind. It's sad what some have done to our beautiful Village's political discourse." Messages to Caplan, Chapelli and Sardinas were not returned. Personally, the way to look at these complaints is that sure, theyre technical violations, Winker said. But there are laws designed to protect that the information is correct (because) its the information we (all) rely on, the public, the media, for instance. More violations found The Islander News analysis of campaign filings to the Village also uncovered violations by candidates Louisa Conway, Jennifer Allegra and Armando Chapelli. Several of those infractions involved the failure to properly categorize financial reports and improperly classifying some contributions as in-kind. However, no one not even Horovitz filed an official complaint against them with the Florida Elections Commission. Winker said his client did not have any political motivation just to single out the candidates her complaints targeted. It was not selective, I can tell you that, Winker said. This is the first Im hearing (about these other candidates). Shes not a prosecutor, Im not a prosecutor. Its not like shes some investigator. I just know its who she was aware of. Longtime Key Biscayne resident and Miami attorney Jennifer Stearns Buttrick disagrees. These complaints were clearly politically motivated, because (Horovitz) didnt bring complaints against the others she actively supported, she said. Her law firm, Stearns Weaver Miller, of Miami, represented four of the five candidates who face fines after agreeing to consent decrees. Hey, election laws are complicated, mistakes are going to be made, she said. These are citizens who are trying their best to serve their community. ... but not everyone filled out the forms correctly. Stearns Buttrick also pointed out that at the time of the election process, the Village had an interim clerk handling the paperwork. It was a perfect storm, she said. The additional violations that the Islander News investigation revealed were not sent to the Florida Elections Commission. Conways campaign Treasurer Report summary received by the Village of Key Biscayne shows: * On Sept. 18, there was a failure to list addresses of donors as required, and the summary page does not total the contributions and expenditures to date. * On Oct. 16, the report shows a $262 in-kind (donations of services or goods) contribution by Conway to the Islander News for advertising which was not properly classified . A contributor would have to pay the bill directly to the Islander News. * On Oct. 23, there was a failure to list the purposes of some campaign expenditures. * On Jan. 3, 2021, and on the amended report of Feb. 1, the summary contributions and expenditures do not match. As a public figure in that election, Conway did not have a problem being under the microscope. But, like Bramson, she is concerned with the process that might dissuade others from running for office. The mother of two daughters who lives in Key Colony, said she had never run for public office. All they give you is a handbook, she said, and by the time I was done, those pages were coming apart at the binder. Floridas Candidate & Campaign Treasurer Handbook contains some 90 pages, many of them filled with regulations and definitions. Conway explained it was difficult to get answers along the way as to how to properly fill out reports, and she even submitted an amended final report to try and clean it up the best way she knew how. ... going forward, the lesson learned is, for the upcoming 2022 (election), the (Village) Clerk needs to have a better grasp of Florida election requirements and rules, so candidates have an expert resource at Village Hall to help guide them so they do not repeat our mistakes, Conway said. She suggested a pre-election workshop would avert unintended filing mistakes by candidates. Allegras Campaign Treasurers Report summary shows: * On Oct. 2, the purpose of expenses was not listed. * On Oct. 9, the summary showed in-kind contributions of $11 and $22 from fellow candidate Conway, which is prohibited by Florida Statute 104.071C. Vendor expenses must be paid directly to the vendor by each candidate if such expenses are shared. * On Oct. 30, another $10 in-kind contribution is listed from Conway. * On Dec. 8, the final report did not balance because prior reports were improperly filled out. For the record, Allegra did submit to the Islander News on Friday the exchange she had in late January with new Village Clerk Jocelyn B. Koch regarding the account not balancing on her Termination Report. Koch suggested, for more specific directions, Allegra should seek professional accounting advice. Allegra, who at that time was facing an important personal deadline to finish her final paper for the completion of her LLM (Master of Laws) degree at Georgetown University, realized she could not make the Feb. 1 deadline to amend her report. She replied to Koch that she would be submitting as is and would deal with whatever consequences come my way, as my submission was in good faith, and I believe accurately represents the transactions. Chapellis Campaign Treasurers Report summary shows: * On Oct. 2, there was an improper categorization of expense as an in-kind contribution. * On Oct. 30, an improper in-kind contribution from Conway of $10 is listed. * On Jan. 28, 2021, the summarys final report does not include all campaign expenditures or contributions because of improper classification of expenses as in-kind contributions and, therefore, does not accurately report the costs of the campaign. As of press time, no violations were discovered in campaigns run by Brett Moss, who was elected, and Michael Kelly Jr., who was not. As good citizens, we should not condemn those that scrutinized our candidates Treasurers Reports, said Conway, regarding the issue of accountability. Some folks may look at their actions as petty, or demonize them with derogatory labels. ... Instead, the good citizens of Key Biscayne should be thanking those individuals for ensuring the election process is more transparent. Other election issues There were other outstanding issues regarding the November election. Horovitz filed a complaint in September with the Florida Elections Commission claiming she was prevented from running for the mayors seat. She was not eligible after missing the filing deadline because of issues that included establishing a campaign bank account. The complaint, filed by Winker on her behalf, also alleged Mayor Mike Davey used an illegal check from a previous campaign account that was supposed to be closed when he filed to run for re-election. Davey went on to win an uncontested election. In a letter to the editor in the Islander News, Horovitz said she had learned that Davey picked up his candidate package a week earlier than the June 2-12 window. Also, she wrote, the Villages website election link contained outdated information until June 11, leaving prospective candidates out of the loop. A resolution on the Davey complaint is due to be resolved with the Florida Elections Commission some time in June. Another resident, Gustavo Tellez, also filed a complaint with the Florida Elections Commission on July 1, claiming he was misled by the interim Village Clerk at that time, Peter J. Kulpa. Tellez said he requested the document forms, a package of some 500 pages, be sent to him, because many offices in the Village were closed or had their hours shortened. But Kulpa reportedly told him the packet would be too bulky to send by mail or email. Tellez also noted the clerks email did not disclose the June 12 filing deadline. Last September, Tellez again represented by Winker filed a lawsuit against the Village seeking to void the Nov. 3 referendum measure that would allow city officials to borrow up to $100 million in General Obligation Bonds primarily to protect the island against sea level rise and the effect of hurricanes, which voters approved. Winker said the referendum was rushed, during the middle of a global pandemic. In February, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Samantha Ruiz Cohen denied a motion by the Village to dismiss the lawsuit. The next hearing is June 22. Having battery issues with your Samsung or other Android phones is always a hassle. Smartphones today aren't just for texting and calling anymore. You can run a business on your mobile! You navigate trips, watch movies, listen to music, play games, all on your phone. With all its uses, having a healthy battery life for your phone is important. Not to mention, having a fast-draining battery will cost you money and time to replace. But don't worry, you can still do a few things to help preserve your Samsung battery life to avoid needing to get a replacement. Samsung Battery Draining Fast? 5 Ways to Stop It! 5. Turn off push notifications Push notifications can actually zap your battery by always turning your display on even when it's supposed to be on rest mode, Asurion said. To turn off push notifications, go to Settings > Notifications. Go ahead and toggle off the push notifications from the apps that you don't really need updates from. 4. Limit Location Services Having your location on is great when using it for GPS--for getting an Uber or Lyft or even ordering food delivery. But using location services, especially when it is allowed to run in the background, can lead to quicker battery drain. To adjust your Location Services settings, go to Settings > Biometrics and Security. From there, go to Location and you can either turn it off completely or head over to App Permissions to pick which apps you want to restrict from using your location and running in the background. 3. Turn off Background App Refresh On the topic of running features in the background, it is also helpful to turn off Background App Refresh as this also drains battery life. Having Background App Refresh running can also drain your phone's data. Background App Refresh allows apps that run in the background to continuously get data to refresh and update the app until you next open it. To turn off Background App Refresh, go to Settings > Connections > Data Usage. From here, select an app and toggle on or off the "Allow background data usage" function. 2. Adjust screen brightness and screen timeout duration Asurion said lowering your screen's brightness even by a little can pay off with big battery savings. You can turn on Auto Brightness so the phone can automatically adjust the brightness to the surroundings. Simply go to Settings > Display and turn on "Adaptive Brightness" or "Auto Brightness." You can also manually adjust the brightness to the lowest you're comfortable with. You can do that by heading to the Display settings as well, or by swiping to your control bar and adjust the slider there. Read Also: How to Use Apple AirPods on Your Android: 5 Steps to Pair the Devices Your phone's screen timeout can also help you save some more battery life, especially if you have a habit of leaving your phone on for long periods of time even when you're not using it. Go to Settings > Display and scroll down to Screen timeout and select the time duration. Asurion noted that setting your phone to timeout after 20 seconds of you not using it versus two minutes can help cut down power usage. 1. Battery Saving Mode Your Samsung phone also has a built-in program to help you save battery life. Simply go to Settings > Device Care > Battery. From there, you can choose by how much you want to extend your battery life: Mid or Max, or if you want to turn it off. Bonus for Android OS Version 11: Optimize your apps By optimizing your apps, you can help your battery save a bit of its juice. To turn on the setting, go to Settings > Battery and Device Care and tap Optimize now. Samsung also suggests adjusting app power management so you can decide just how much battery your apps are using. Go to Settings > Battery and device care > Battery > Background usage limits, or on other devices, it's App power management. From there, adjust to your desired settings by either putting unused apps to sleep if they've not been used for a while. Sleepings apps won't run in the background, deep sleeping apps will never run in the background and will only work when you open them, and never sleeping apps are apps that you choose to not include when sleeping mode automatically activates. Before Getting a Samsung Battery Replacement Before you go ahead and rule in that your battery is truly the problem, go ahead and check if what you're experiencing is unusual behavior, Samsung said. This could be an irregular battery drain or excessive heating. If this is the case, send in an error report in the Samsung Members app. If the battery is not charging or the problem is with the charging, it would be best to hand it over to an expert so as not to cause any further damage to your phone. Always back up the data on your device so as not to lose any precious photos or important data should anything happen to your phone. Related Article: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Leak Reveals Lighter Version-Only 18% Heavier Than iPhone 12 Pro Max! "Fortnite" has previously announced the exclusive in-game reward for fans who bought the "Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point" comic book series. Six issues are to be released, and each issue has its own reward. Unlocking all six rewards will get fans a bonus gift code to redeem the new "Batman Zero" bundle. "Fortnite" is opening up Chapter 2 in Season 7. The Invasion continues, and mysteries surrounding the Zero Point are slowly getting answered. To solve all its secrets, the best detective in the DC universe takes the case. Zero Armored Batman Skin The Zero Armored Batman Skin marks the third Batman skin in the "Fortnite" universe. The two previous Batman outfits consist of "Batman Comic Book Outfit" and "The Dark Knight Movie Outfit." "Batman Zero," the latest addition, is a Fortnite exclusive hero featuring Batman getting stuck in the "Fortnite" universe. Batman Zero's story is told through the limited-edition comic book series "Fortnite" released called "Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point." 'Fortnite' Batman Comic and Codes Market Research Telecast reported that the first Issue of "Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point" was sold on April 20. Physical copies of the limited series are sold in United States, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Spain and the Czech Republic. DC Comics online store also sells copies in a digital edition. "Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point" only consists of six issues. The release schedules are: Number 1: April 20, 2021 Number 2: May 4, 2021 Number 3: May 18, 2021 Number 4: June 1, 2021 Number 5: June 15, 2021 Number 6: July 6, 2021 Each copy includes an exclusive code you could use to redeem in-game rewards. Read Also: 'Fortnite' Championship Series 2021: When Is the All-Star Showdown? How Can I Watch it Online? How to Redeem Harley Quinn's Revenge Accessory Six comic issues offer six different in-game rewards. The rewards redeemed are as follows: Number 1 Reward: Harley Quinn Rebirth skin. Number 2 Reward: Hang Glider Zero Batman Wings. Number 3 Reward: Catwoman's Hook Claw collecting tool. Number 4 Reward: Deathstroke Destroyer hang glider. Number 5 Reward: Harley Quinn's Revenge Backpacking Accessory. Number 6 Reward: Batarang Ax Gathering Tool. Numbers 1 to 6 Reward: Zero Armored Batman skin. To redeem these rewards, flip the comic book near the end of the page with a redeem code. Head to the "Fortnite" website and log in to your Epic Games Account. Enter the access code, then Redeem and Activate. The next time you log in, the items should automatically be uploaded to your inventory. What If I Can't Buy the 'Fortinite' Batman Comic? Even if you can't but the comic issues, you could still unlock the Batman Zero Bundle! Epic Games announced that except for the Harley Quinn Rebirth skin, all items will be available in the Turkey shop on the same day each comic is published. Unfortunately, in-game costs vary depending on the items bought. Buying one Batman Zero Wing Glider reportedly costs 1200 V-Bucks. In the "Fortnite" Batman Skin comparisons by YouTuber Tabor Hill, he mentioned that the new Batman Zero Bundle costs a total of 2100 V-Bucks. Related Article: 'Fortnite' Rick and Morty Skin: How to Unlock Rick Sanchez in Season 7 "The next generation of heroic iForce performance is ready to power the all-new Tundra." Thus said Toyota when it bared a teaser of its 2022 Tundra pickup focusing primarily on the new iForce Max engine powertrain, as reported by Motor1. While this does not reveal a lot about it, an in-depth glance showed some details fans have seen previously. 2022 Toyota Tundra Engine: Apparently, a Twin-Turbo V6 With three intake runners on each side of the engine cover, it can be assumed that the engine is a V6 since the carmaker showed its cylinder count in that manner. This confirms earlier reports that the Tundra will replace its V8 engine with the more efficient and powerful twin-turbo V6. This platform is also consistent with the recently unveiled doppelganger 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser, which also has a twin-turbo V6 engine. They share the same new GA-F truck architecture, The Drive reported, that would make adapting to the other engine much easier. Toyota engineered the platform to support electrified powertrains, which could prove the veracity of hybrid rumors. Sharing the same engine with the Land Cruiser, the 2022 Toyota Tundra should have the same 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, which is certainly much better than the current 5.7-liter V8 that has 381 hp and 401 lb-ft, as Road Show noted. In terms of product direction, Toyota should be also looking at having an electric-powered Tundra in the future, given the Japanese automaker's vow to make more electric and hybrid trucks. Read Also: 2022 Toyota Tundra Teaser Reveals Major Design Change: New Headlights, Size, Grille and More 2022 Toyota Tundra Specs: Eye-Catching and Edgy Exteriors, Enhanced Features Even with a mere cropped photo of the engine displayed, a much improved Tundra is most likely to roll out in a few months, around September, with eye-catching, edgy exteriors and enhanced features. Spy shots and renderings showed a design change that is evolutionary, with the headlights leading the way--as the daytime running light (DRL) appeared like the letter T on its side. However, it is still uncertain if the truck is a hybrid or needs plug-in hybrid assistance. Toyota executives have yet to confirm about the high-tech powertrain that will run the all-new Tundras. However they have told The Drive that the company has "no plan to apply the [V35A-FTS] engine to hybrid options." Tundra prototypes seen by Car and Driver have been tested with covered rear suspensions, a sign that the new pickups could have air springs, coil springs or an independent rear suspension to replace the current leaf spring layout. This would lead to a reduction in the truck's weight, and likewise send lesser road vibrations through the ladder frame that could affect towing capacity. There is also a possibility that the 2022 Toyota Tundra will have an altered super 3.5-liter V-6 engine, or even a different engine. There have been speculations that a twin-turbo Lexus V8 will be used, but no evidence has supported these claims. Related Story: 2022 Toyota Tundra Rumor Highlights EV, Hybrid Option: Release Date, Specs and More Updates Huntsville, TX (77320) Today Variable clouds with thunderstorms, especially during the afternoon hours. High 92F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms. Low around 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Ithaca, NY (14850) Today Light rain this morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 72F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 58F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Native protection for Kubernetes environments in NetBackup is said to ensure complete protection and flexible recovery options, with support for Red Hat OpenShift, VMware Tanzu and Google Kubernetes Engine, with more to follow. The new version also provides continuous data protection and instant rollback for VMware, so recovery from ransomware and other events takes minutes rather than hours. Other ransomware-related features include the automatic provisioning/de-provisioning of cloud resources to ensure backups do not fail due to insufficient resources, simplified cloud operations thanks to policy-based workload protection, and 20% faster data movement to the cloud. NetBackup 9.1 also provides new encryption across all data transports including replication, backup and recovery and deduplication. On VMware, NetBackup helps improve resilience by defining and automatically executing multiple service level objectives, including the recovery technique (such as recover from backup or recovery from replication) and data to be recovered, on a per-application basis. "VMware is helping enterprises use containers and Kubernetes in production working to simplify access to and adoption of these technologies through the VMware Tanzu portfolio. To move with confidence, these enterprises need to enable data protection across their Kubernetes footprint. For that reason, we're excited to see Veritas' support of VMware Tanzu as part of the NetBackup platform," said VMware vice president for strategic and emerging ISVs Pat Lee. This capability will be extended to non-VMware workloads in a future release. NetBackup also incorporates machine learning-driven anomaly detection, and extends WORM storage support to AWS S3 to support compliance measures and to fully protect against ransomware. For edge to data centre protection, the NetBackup Flex 5350 appliance delivers 300% improved backup performance, 40% lower total cost of ownership, twice the performance and twice the capacity of its closest competitor, according to Veritas, and completes the company's upgraded family of ransomware-hardened data protection appliances. "Given the digitalisation of services, hybrid working environments and increase in ransomware attacks targeting Australian organisations and mission critical infrastructure like healthcare and utilities, our latest NetBackup solution represents a significant development in Veritas' leadership of backup and recovery solutions by further protecting customers against increasingly prevalent malicious threats such as ransomware, irrespective of where their data resides: cloud, in containers or on-premises," said Veritas Asia South and Pacific director of strategy and architecture Geoffrey Coley. GUEST OPINION: Varonis research found that on average, 53% of organisations hold stale data, 87% of companies possess more than 1,000 stale files, and 71% has more than 5,000. Such mismanagement may lead to breach of the law. Before digital data existed, bad data management involved filing cabinets everywhere, stuffed to the brim, with piles of paper and folders strewn around the room. Nobody knew how to sort it out. In some cases, people did not even know where filing cabinet keys were kept. However, all data in digital format does not, in itself, prevent a similar state of chaos developing; it just makes it harder to see. Whereas hard copy data might be strewn in office and off-site archival storage, digital data can be spread between on-premises data centres and cloud services and even on individuals devices. The availability of storage-on-demand in the cloud has only encouraged bad data management policies, according to Varonis. No longer does physical storage capacity have to be bought, installed, and brought into service. It can simply be called up as needed, and made available to anyone, anywhere, any time. Research conducted by Varonis found, on average, 53% of data held by organisations is stale, 87% of companies have more than 1,000 stale files, and 71% more than 5,000. Such a disorganised approach to data management creates inefficiency, expenses, and risk. An organisation cannot protect what it cannot identifyand the consequences of data loss now extend beyond business impact: they could put a company in breach of the law. Under Australias Notifiable Data Breach Scheme, any Australian company that loses personal data must notify the government and the affected individuals: a tough task if the business does not know what data it holds and where it is located. Varonis warns that for Australian branches of European-headquartered companies, the consequences are more severe. Under the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), any business that holds personal data must be able to give an individual access to their information, and remove that information if requested, or face heavy fines. This becomes an impossible task if the organisation has lost track of the data and all the locations it may be present in. Research firm Gartner refers to improperly tracked and managed data as dark dataand the value of this dark data could be in the eye of the beholder. Data that has no value anymore to an organisation could be of considerable use to a company insider or an external attacker seeking personal, political, or monetary gain: for example, sensitive information about former or current employees. It is incumbent on every organisation to either bring this dark data into the light or destroy itand enforce the steps needed: 1. Remove or archive data that that is no longer of any value. 2. Monitor access to all data for signs of unauthorised access. 3. Limit access to data with a policy of least privilege 4. Take a hard look at the regulated, out-of-policy data lurking within files and remove or archive accordingly. 5. Do not assume data is safe in the cloud: it should be subject to the same monitoring and control as on-premises data. 6. Embrace and implement privacy by design (PbD). Varonis stresses that if companies cant see their data, they wont know it has been compromised until it is used against them. Varonis recommends that the starting point is to have full visibility of everything on their corporate network. The next step is to implement robust data access and data protection policies. Varonis says companies must use complex passwords that must be changed frequently and use two factor authentications. Varonis found 38% of users had passwords that never expire. These give criminals an opportunity to crack passwords through brute force techniques or give them indefinite access if they obtain access credentials from a breach. Varonis concludes that companies must know where their data is stored and protect it with strong password hygiene and data classification policies to benefit them in the long run. TCO Development, a sustainability organisation, underscores in a report the difficulties in identifying sustainability credentials of IT products in the time when misinformation is rampant. The report also sheds light on insights on how to avoid greenwash and reduce reliance on false claims. A newly-released report published by TCO Development bares the ongoing challenges faced by Australian and global IT buyers in identifying and verifying the social and environmental sustainability credentials of IT products. The report, Navigating the Sustainable IT Revolution The critical role of independent verification, highlights the impact of misinformation has in the procurement of IT products where increasingly complex supply chains mean social and environmental risks often run high. According to the report, in a global study of online environmental claims, 40% of sustainability claims made online were false or misleading. This extent of misinformation raises concerns for businesses as sustainable procurement in the IT sector is becoming an important organisational and reputational priority. The millions of workers in the supply chain often face poverty wages, dangerous and unsafe working conditions, and stand without social protections. This has clearly been identified within electronics and IT, notes Academy for Human Rights in Business CEO Parul Sharma who contributed to the report. TCO Development has launched the report to help Australian and global buyers to verify social and environmental aspects of their purchases more accurately. It highlights the critical role of transparency and verification play in overcoming the growing barriers of greenwash and misinformation to effectively validate an organisations sustainable procurement efforts. The report examines what purchasers need to do to avoid greenwash and the tools available to reduce reliance on false claims. The report offers insights based on the experience with TCO Certified, along with expert voices from policy officials, non-government organisations, scientists, factory auditors, product testing, and procurement. Its critical that organisations get independent proof of environmental and supply chain impacts connected to the products they source. Reputations, stakeholder credibility and accuracy are on the line more than ever, explains TCO Development director purchaser engagement Clare Hobby. Hobby concludes: With our Impacts and Insights report, we want to give purchasers the tools to avoid the common risks of relying on greenwash and false product claims. Getting proof of whats actually happening in the IT supply chain gives any organisation the confidence to stand behind their sustainability efforts. Zscaler, the leader in cloud security, today announced the release of Exposed, the industry's first global report on the state of corporate attack surfaces. Based on data sourced between February 2020 and April 2021, the report provides a first-ever look at the impact of attack surface exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the report, Zscaler notes that as businesses began offering more remote work options, their attack surfaces grew concurrently with their dispersed workforce. Coupled with increased reliance on public cloud services and vulnerable enterprise VPNs large organisations not using zero trust security became more vulnerable to network intrusion attacks. "Exposed" identifies the most common attack surface trends by geography and company size while spotlighting the industries most vulnerable to public cloud exposure, malware, ransomware, and data breaches. "The sheer amount of information that is being shared today is concerning because it is all essentially an attack surface," said Zscaler vice president, emerging technology Nathan Howe. "Anything that can be accessed can be exploited by unauthorised or malicious users, creating new risks for businesses that don't have complete awareness and control of their network exposure. Our goal with this report is to provide a view of what the internet sees of a company's information landscape and offer useful tips on how to mitigate risk. By understanding their individual attack surfaces and deploying appropriate security measures, including zero trust architecture, companies can better protect their application infrastructure from recurring vulnerabilities that allow attackers to steal data, sabotage systems, or hold networks hostage for ransom." While attack surface vulnerabilities impact organisations of all sizes, major international companies with more than 20,000 employees are more vulnerable due to their distributed workforce, infrastructure, and greater number of applications that need to be managed. To better understand the scale of the problem, Zscaler analysed organisations in all geographies, partitioning the findings from 53 countries into three regions for ease of understanding - the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. EMEA at risk The report found that while 59 percent of surveyed organisations were based in the Americas, the EMEA region led the world in overall exposure and potential risk, with 164 CVE vulnerabilities. EMEA-based businesses had the most exposed servers, with an average of 283 exposed servers and 52 exposed public cloud instances each. They were also more likely to support outdated SSL/TLS protocols and had greater risk of CVE vulnerabilities on average. The EMEA region was followed by the Americas, with 132 CVE's (20 percent lower than EMEA), and APAC, with an average of 80 CVE possible vulnerabilities (51 percent lower than EMEA). While the report demonstrated that EMEA businesses had the most online exposure, all regions showed vulnerabilities, making it critical for IT teams to adopt best practices, including zero trust security, to minimise the attack surface and eliminate exposure no matter where they are based. Top exposed industries In addition to presenting geographic data, the report tracked corporate attack surfaces by industry, pinpointing the types of organisations most likely to be targeted by cybercriminals. The report analysed a diverse group of companies, spanning 23 different industries, and found that telecommunications organisations were the most vulnerable and had the highest average number of outdated protocols in their servers. Telecom companies had the third highest average of exposed servers to the internet, increasing the risk of being targeted by cybercriminals for DDoS and double extortion ransomware attacks. The report also showed that the hospitality industry - including restaurants, bars, and food service vendors - had the highest average of exposed servers and public cloud instances; with AWS instances exposed 2.9 times more often than any other cloud providers. With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing many restaurants to offer online ordering, the rapid adoption of digital payment systems has increased risks for both businesses and customers. Three steps to reduce an attack surface With the number of cyberattacks increasing daily, business IT teams must minimise their attack surface as part of an overall organisational security policy. Without comprehensive security measures, such as a zero-trust model, digital transformation initiatives and cloud migration efforts can also create new vectors of attack and threaten business continuity, professional reputation, and employee safety. Although no approach will be completely effective, Zscaler recommends the following tips for minimising corporate network risks: Get visibility into your risk of exposure: Knowing your visible attack surface is key to effective risk mitigation. As more and more applications move to the cloud, it becomes mission-critical to be aware of entry points that are exposed to the internet. Remember, you can't attack what you can't see. Recognise the failings of VPNs and firewalls: In the age of cloud and mobility, these perimeter-based technologies significantly increase your attack surface. Stay current with the latest updates to the CVE database. Be sure to remove support for older TLS versions from servers to reduce risk. Make apps invisible to threats with Zero Trust: Applications protected behind the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange are not visible or discoverable, thus removing an attack surface. The Zero Trust Exchange helps IT security teams ensure that no entity (user or application) is inherently trusted, while helping improve user productivity, mitigate risk, increase business agility and reduce cost and complexity. To discover your attack surface before threat actors do, try the free Zscaler attack surface analysis tool here. For more information, including access to the full report, please see Exposed: The world's first report to reveal how exposed corporate networks really are. About Zscaler Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) accelerates digital transformation so customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange protects thousands of customers from cyberattacks and data loss by securely connecting users, devices, and applications in any location. Distributed across more than 150 data centres globally, the SASE-based Zero Trust Exchange is the world's largest in-line cloud security platform. Zscaler and the other trademarks listed at https://www.zscaler.com/legal/trademarks are either (i) registered trademarks or service marks or (ii) trademarks or service marks of Zscaler, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Any other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Amazon Australia has announced the winners of its Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grantsinitiative, awarding five grants worth more than $200,000 each to trailblazing entrepreneurs and startups across Australia. Amazon Launchpad, has awarded awarded baresop, Goldilocks Suit, Patch, UpFlow Brewing Co. and Milkdrop for their innovative ideas and unique product offerings. Each Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grant includes a $20,000 cash grant, Amazon advertising support, an exclusive boot camp experience with access to Amazon experts, a national advertising package with JCDecaux Nurture, industry mentorship, and onsite marketing placements on Amazon.com.au. Here's an Amazon overview of the Launchpad Innovation Grant Winners: baresop (Elwood, VIC) baresop founder Prisca Ongonga-Daehn had a vision for waterless toiletries that would reduce waste, be good for the planet, and be better for your skin. Her hard work paid off when baresop officially launched its planet friendly, powdered hand wash formula in November last year. Goldilocks Suit (Marden, SA) Goldilocks Suit is a next generation baby monitor built into a singlet allowing parents to keep track of their babys wellbeing, via an easy to use app. 2 Founded by Shem Richard and his wife Laura, the Goldilocks Suit was born from their personal experience with their firstborn. Milkdrop (Bright, VIC) When Alex Sinickas had difficulty using a breast pump to feed her daughter, she set out to completely re-design the traditional breast pump. An engineer by trade, Alex created an ultra-soft silicone cushion that stretches over existing breast pumps to add softness and comfort, offering a new take on traditional pumps. Patch (Cheltenham, VIC) When James Duttons son experienced a reaction to an everyday wound care product, he discovered it was a common problem and became determined to find a solution. In 2017, James launched Patch a 100 per cent natural, bamboo fibre alternative to regular wound care products. UpFlow Brewing Co. (Kew, VIC) Having designed 47 craft breweries around Australia, founder Julian Sanders became inspired to solve the conundrum of enjoying beer culture without alcohol, so he launched UpFlow Brewing Collective, a full-flavoured non-alcoholic beer. Chadd Ciccarelli, Head of Launchpad, Amazon Australia said, Amazon Launchpad highlights innovative, cutting-edge products from start-ups, and entreprenuers from around Australia and the world, making it easy for them to on-board, market and launch new products to Amazon customers. As the Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grants are all about celebrating innovation in small businesses, its been amazing to see so many strong businesses apply to take part in this years program. It is a timely reminder that the Australian entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, despite such a challenging year. Were also thrilled to be able to launch the winning brands on Amazon.com.au in time for Prime Day 2021, and put them in the spotlight for one of our of biggest shopping events of the year. Amazon says the five grant recipients were selected with the help of 2020 Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grant winners Rosa-Clare Willis and Andrew Ford from Crockd; founder of Carmans and one of Australias leading entrepreneur success stories Carolyn Creswell; and Kylie Frazer, managing partner of tech investment group Eleanor Ventures. Teaming up with an organisation like Amazon, which is in Australia, but has global legs, is an amazing opportunity for us to scale our business and our product to really make an impact on the world stage, says Shem Richards, Co-founder of Goldilocks Suit. So many people use Amazon to shop online now, and with that comes trust, which is an integral part of connecting to our ideal customers. Carolyn Creswell, founder of Carmans said, It was an incredible experience being on the judging panel this year. I was so impressed by the level of innovation these businesses showed and the bold creativity demonstrated from SMBs all around the country, its a really promising sign of the state of businesses around Australia. Not only that, as a business owner, I know how difficult those earlier years can be, which is why Im so excited for the winners as they progress on their e-commerce journey and look to expansion under the mentorship of Amazon Australia. Kalkine and Kalkine Media were found guilty of violating Australias telemarketing and spam laws and paid a total of $350,000 for the offence, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). The Australian Communications and Media Authority has ordered financial services research companies Kalkine and Kalkine Media to pay infringement notices of $251,400 and $100,800 respectively for breaches of Australias telemarketing and spam laws. According to the government agency, this is the first significant enforcement action it has announced under its crackdown on unlawful marketing practices in the financial services sector. ACMA discovered that Kalkine made 7,200 calls to more than 5,400 phone numbers on the Do Not Call Register from January to September 2020, while Kalkine Media sent 2,774 spam emails to more than 2,700 recipients without their consent during the same period. ACMA chair Nerida OLoughlin says the investigations monitored consumer complaints about companies implementing unlawful marketing strategies to secure new customers for services including stock market reports. This unlawful marketing was an intrusion on the privacy of thousands of Australians, OLoughlin laments. Our investigations showed both businesses had poor compliance systems and no compliance culture to prevent the breaches. OLoughlin says she was disappointed that the ACMA had to take enforcement action after both companies were warned about the issue. Both entities failed to take early action when alerted to potential compliance issues by the ACMA prior to commencing our investigation, she explains. OLoughlin stresses that the ACMA is focussing its efforts on the financial services sector because of the potential for broader financial harms and impacts involved. She warns that unwanted calls and spam have significant social and economic impacts: They can lead to serious harm for people in vulnerable circumstances who may agree to spend money on products and services they do not want or need. As well as paying the financial penalties, both companies must conduct independent reviews of their systems, processes, and procedures under two-year court-enforceable undertakings as deemed necessary by the ACMA. ACMA says over the past 18 months, businesses have paid $2,469,000 in ACMA-issued infringement notices for breaking spam and telemarketing laws. The ACMA has also accepted 11 court-enforceable undertakings and issued eight formal warnings to businesses. Enforcement action for breaches of Australias unsolicited communications laws can include formal warnings, infringement notices, action in the Federal Court and court-enforceable undertakings. An Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report sponsored by Ericsson has found that nations with low broadband connectivity have the potential to realise an increase in GDP by up to 20% by connecting schools to the internet. A well-educated workforce is more likely to be innovative and foster ground-breaking ideas, leading to economic development and job creation. EIU analysis shows that for every 10% increase in school connectivity in a country, GDP per capita could increase by 1.1%. In the context of the West African country of Niger, the report finds that improvements in school connectivity to Finnish levels could increase GDP per capita by almost 20% - from USD 550 per person in the baseline, to USD 660 per person by 2025. The report focuses on four key actions to make a change: Collaboration is key : A holistic, public/private partnership strategy is needed to coordinate efforts with stakeholders to overcome barriers to school connectivity. : A holistic, public/private partnership strategy is needed to coordinate efforts with stakeholders to overcome barriers to school connectivity. Accessibility and affordability : Building infrastructure to enable access to the internet is a starting point. Quality of connection and cost are important factors as well. : Building infrastructure to enable access to the internet is a starting point. Quality of connection and cost are important factors as well. Embedding internet and digital tools into education : Once access to school connectivity is achieved, it must be embedded into the curriculum. Teachers must be trained to integrate technology into everyday learning. : Once access to school connectivity is achieved, it must be embedded into the curriculum. Teachers must be trained to integrate technology into everyday learning. Protecting children online: School connectivity provides opportunities for children. Additional steps must be taken to ensure healthy and protected online learning environments. Internet usage must be properly managed to ensure safe and secure use. The report also recommends that public, private and NGO sector leaders around the world can make a dramatic impact towards bridging the digital divide by joining forces to make internet connectivity a global reality for school children of all ages. As a result, Ericsson has appealed to these players to get behind the efforts of Giga (a school connectivity initiative founded by UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union) through actions such as: funding, data sharing, technological expertise and reimagining sustainable business models for connectivity. Ericsson has said it has committed its efforts through a three-year partnership with UNICEF to help map the current school connectivity gap across 35 countries. Ericcson said that the EIU report Connecting Learners: Narrowing the Educational Divide has reinforced its belief that the ambitious goal of Giga, to connect all schools and their surrounding communities by 2030 is achievable. Ericsson Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Heather Johnson says, When Giga was announced, we immediately understood the positive impact it could deliver - bridging the digital divide between and within countries, to give children the world over the opportunity of bright and rewarding futures. The report makes it clear that partnership between business leaders, public sector leaders and NGOs can take effective action to address this issue and significantly impact lives. Every player in these sectors, no matter how big or small, can make a difference. We encourage stakeholders to read the report and more importantly join the Giga initiative to help realize this important goal, Johnson concluded. UNICEF deputy executive director partnerships Charlotte Petri-Gornitzka said, Together, were mapping schools around the world to identify connectivity gaps in communities. Its key that we collaborate across sectors to connect schools and provide quality digital learning, so every child and young person can leapfrog to a brighter future. The report The EIU report shows how school connectivity can lead to improved educational outcomes and enhanced career opportunities for children. resulting in higher economic activity and community growth. The report finds that these individual-level benefits for children have a snowball effect leading to higher incomes, better health, and improved overall wellbeing. The benefits can extend beyond children, supporting wider community development and economic growth. Other potential school connectivity benefits highlighted by the report include: Increasing quality of education Creating a more productive workforce that fosters innovation and ground-breaking ideas Job creation Community development Driving economic growth and development To learn more about this initiative and how to get involved in the Giga initiative visit www.gigaconnect.org. 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. Donate Now As a public service during this pandemic, the Jewish News is providing free, unlimited access to all articles. Jewish News is a nonprofit publication that is owned by the community and relies on community support. Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado. Tom Hallberg covers a little bit of everything, from skiing to long-form feature stories. A Teton Valley, Idaho, transplant by way of Portland and Bend, Oregon, he spends his time outside work writing fiction, splitboarding and climbing. Paul Bruun writes weekly about his adventures and misadventures in the great outdoors. Contact him via columnists@jhnewsandguide.com. PEAK PETS Dogs with behavior problems get help, and owners learn to be good stewards. Jennifer Dorsey is chief copy editor and Business section coordinator. She worked in Washington, D.C., and Chicago before moving to the Tetons. featured top story Boy Scouts add girls and change their name to fall in line with a new view of things. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signs legislation limiting the during of local public health orders during a ceremony Tuesday, June 15, 2021, outside the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. The new law took effect immediately and was passed in response to local restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. Among its supporters were state Sen. Sandy Crawford, left, and House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann. Opinion Columnist Chris Powell has worked for the Journal Inquirer since 1967, first as a reporter, then as an editor, and now as a columnist. He was managing editor from 1974 until retiring from that position in 2018. Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. If you already have a print subscription, click through to verify your information to receive free access. Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Please use the button below to manage your account. Britains Karim Khan starts Wednesday as prosecutor of the International Criminal Court with a daunting caseload including a probe into Israel and the Palestinians, the most politically fraught file in the tribunals history. Khan replaces Gambias Fatou Bensouda, who dramatically extended the ICCs reach during her nine-year tenure but suffered a series of high-profile failures, including the acquittal of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo. The 51-year-old Khan, who was elected by ICC member nations in February to become just the third prosecutor so far of the worlds only permanent war crimes court, will be sworn in at a ceremony in The Hague at 0900 GMT. He will take a public oath of office declaring: I solemnly undertake that I will perform my duties and exercise my powers as Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court honourably, faithfully, impartially and conscientiously. Khan previously led a special UN probe into crimes by the Islamic State extremist group and, more controversially, he also represented late Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafis son Seif al-Islam at the ICC. Bensouda has left him with a bulging inbox including a probe into the Philippines war on drugs that she announced on Monday, an investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan, and of course the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Crucial phase The British lawyer will also have to contend with the outright opposition of key countries that have refused to join the ICC, including the United States, Israel, China and Russia. The ICC is in a crucial phase, it has faced criticism for not being as effective as states have wished, said Carsten Stahn, international criminal law professor at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, who interviewed Khan in 2015 for his course students. But Stahn told AFP that Khan could bring new momentum and had a window of opportunity to amend the functioning of the court, which has also been criticised for the high salaries of its judges and its slow moving processes. The ICCs investigation into the 2014 Israel-Palestinian conflict in Gaza promises to be particularly contentious. It is a very politically charged issue, said Stahn. The ICC might be seen as an actor which is not fully impartial in the context Its going to be very difficult to navigate the difficult expectations with regard to the engagement of the ICC in this case. Amnesty International said Khans appointment was a chance for revitalisation of the ICC, but that he would face challenges in the job. He will be under pressure and we hope he will proceed as Fatou Bensouda in independence and without fear or favour, Matthew Cannock, head of Amnestys Center for International Justice, told AFP. One example was that even Britain, a member of the ICC and Khans home country, had opposed the Israel-Palestinians investigation. Bensouda very courageous Khan may however benefit from a new and less confrontational US administration, compared to the government of Donald Trump which imposed sanctions on Bensouda. Bensouda had a mixed record in her tenure since 2012 even as she expanded some analysts say overextended the courts reach. Under her leadership, Gbagbo was cleared of crimes against humanity in Ivory Coast, while former DR Congo vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba was acquitted on appeal, and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta had charges against him dropped. But Bensouda has recently secured high-profile convictions against Ugandan child soldier-turned-Lords Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen and Congolese warlord Bosco Terminator Ntaganda. She has also been credited with improving the prosecutors office compared with her predecessor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, whose leadership was described as autocratic in a probe ordered by the ICC into the Kenyatta case. Fatous legacy will be viewed positively. She took very courageous decisions, said Amnestys Cannock. She very bravely and courageously faced down outrageous threats and sanctions so she will be remembered ultimately as someone who started to move the ICC in a very courageous direction. Britains Karim Khan was sworn in Wednesday as the new prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, facing huge challenges, including investigations into the Palestinian territories, Afghanistan and the Philippines. Khan, 51, a former defence lawyer for the Hague-based tribunal, was elected by ICC member states in February to serve a nine-year tenure at the worlds only permanent war crimes court. He has been left with a bulging case file by his predecessor Fatou Bensouda, who extended the ICCs reach so dramatically that she was hit by US sanctions but also suffered a series of high-profile failures. The ICC is in a crucial phase, it has faced criticism for not being as effective as states have wished, Carsten Stahn, international criminal law professor at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, told AFP. But Stahn said Khan could bring new momentum and had a window of opportunity to amend the functioning of the court, which has also been criticised for the high salaries of its judges and its slow moving processes. Khan took a public oath of office in a ceremony at the ICC, making him just the courts third prosecutor since it was founded in 2002 to try people for the worlds worst crimes. I solemnly undertake that I will perform my duties and exercise my powers as Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court honourably, faithfully, impartially and conscientiously, he said. Face of adversity Khan previously led a special UN probe into crimes by the Islamic State extremist group and, more controversially, also represented late Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafis son Seif al-Islam at the ICC. Bensouda has left him with a full in-tray, including a probe into the Philippines war on drugs that she announced on Monday, an investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan, and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The ICCs investigation into the 2014 Israel-Palestinian conflict in Gaza promises to be the most contentious in the courts history. It is a very politically charged issue, said Stahn. In her farewell statement, Bensouda said that she had made my decisions, with careful deliberation but without fear or favour. Even in the face of adversity. Even at considerable personal cost. Bensouda said she had intended to ask for a formal investigation into crimes by government forces in Venezuela, but was prevented at the last minute after Caracas asked judges to take control of the case. Their decision is awaited. She had also aimed to open probes into Ukraine and Nigeria but was leaving those to Khan to complete, she said. The British lawyer will meanwhile have to contend with the outright opposition of key countries that have refused to join the ICC, including the United States, Israel, China and Russia. Under pressure Amnesty International said Khans appointment was a chance for revitalisation of the ICC, but that he would face challenges in the job. He will be under pressure and we hope he will proceed as Fatou Bensouda in independence and without fear or favour, Matthew Cannock, head of Amnestys Center for International Justice, told AFP. Khan may, however, benefit from a new and less confrontational US administration, compared to the government of former president Donald Trump which imposed sanctions on Bensouda. Bensouda had a mixed record in her tenure since 2012 even as she expanded some analysts say overextended the courts reach. Under her leadership, former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo was cleared of crimes against humanity, while former DR Congo vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba was acquitted on appeal, and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta had charges against him dropped. But Bensouda has recently secured high-profile convictions against Ugandan child soldier-turned-Lords Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen and Congolese warlord Bosco Terminator Ntaganda. She has also been credited with improving the prosecutors office compared with her predecessor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, whose leadership was described as autocratic in a probe ordered by the ICC into the Kenyatta case. Fatous legacy will be viewed positively. She took very courageous decisions, said Amnestys Cannock. Britains Karim Khan was sworn in on Wednesday as the new prosecutor of the International Criminal Court with a promise to revive the troubled tribunal after a string of high-profile failures. Khan, who inherits a bulging file of tough cases including in the Palestinian territories, Afghanistan and the Philippines, lamented that the Hague-based ICC had previously achieved so little so often in terms of convictions. The remarks by the 51-year-old former defence lawyer come after outgoing prosecutor Fatou Bensouda was criticised for a string of setbacks including the acquittal of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo. Khan said he wanted to build upon the solid ground left by Bensouda but also to repair what is broken, to rejuvenate, to revive in the quest for greater efficiency and greater impact. We have to perform in trial. We cannot invest so much, we cannot raise expectations so high, and achieve so little so often in the courtroom, Khan said in a speech after being sworn in. Khan was elected by ICC member states in February to serve a nine-year tenure, as only the third prosecutor at the worlds only permanent war crimes court since it launched in 2002. ICC chief judge Piotr Hofmanski said during the swearing-in ceremony that being prosecutor was a tough job but hailed Khans outstanding credentials. Horrors of mankind Khan previously led a special UN probe into crimes by the Islamic State extremist group and, more controversially, also represented late Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafis son Seif al-Islam at the ICC. His immediate challenges in his new job include a probe into the Philippines war on drugs that Bensouda announced in her final days in office, and decisions on probes in Ukraine and Nigeria. But the most politically sensitive hurdles will be the investigations that Bensouda opened into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan, and into the 2014 Israel-Palestinian conflict in Gaza. The administration of US President Donald Trump hit Bensouda with sanctions over the two cases, and while they have now been lifted, relations with non-ICC member states like Israel and the US remain testy. Khan held out an olive branch on Wednesday to countries that are not part of the court, which also include Russia, China and Myanmar, saying that I wish to include you in my engagement in this joint quest for justice. However he swore that as ICC prosecutor, a role that involves opening investigations and deciding on charges to bring before the court, without fear or favour. It is an awful testament to the horrors of mankind that in this 21st century, as we send rovers to Mars medieval crimes are being committed by modern people, Khan said in his speech. Khan also said ending gender and geographical imbalance in his office was an urgent operational priority. Critical phase The ICC was set up nearly two decades ago as a full-time successor to the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals and several separate international tribunals into situations such as the former Yugoslavia. But it has long faced criticism on a number of fronts, ranging from alleged bias, its initial focus on cases involving Africa, the large pay packets for judges and the length of time taken to bring suspects to justice. The ICC is in a crucial phase, it has faced criticism for not being as effective as states have wished, Carsten Stahn, international criminal law professor at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, told AFP. Bensouda had a number of setbacks with, Gbagbo being cleared of crimes against humanity, while former DR Congo vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba was acquitted on appeal, and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta had charges against him dropped. But she recently secured high-profile convictions against Ugandan child soldier-turned-Lords Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen and Congolese warlord Bosco Terminator Ntaganda. In her farewell statement, Bensouda said that she had made my decisions, with careful deliberation but without fear or favour. Even in the face of adversity. Even at considerable personal cost. Fatous legacy will be viewed positively. She took very courageous decisions, Matthew Cannock, head of Amnestys Center for International Justice, told AFP. No one has ever accused the Budway cannabis dispensary of being cunning. The Vancouver stores logo is light green and dark green letters, with arrows on it, and an oval in the backgrounda tribute to the Subway sandwich chain that the Federal Court judge deemed to be too obvious. Budways mascot is a seemingly stoned, co-smoking, marijuana-filled submarine sandwich, and its motto is: This is the way, boy. But Judge Nicholas McHaffy stated that Budweiser cannot continue to infringe on Subways trademark. The decision is an introduction to trademark law and reminds people of a friendly respect for well-known brands that can lead to dangerous areas of the law. This The judge ordered the master of Badway Paying $40,000 to the chain this week and destroying any signs, merchandise, packaging, and labels that are not clearly marked by the cannabis dispensary. Although there is no evidence that this small company actually eats up Subways annual Cdn sales of $1.8 billion in the country, McHaffy discovered that Budweiser is actually trying to use Subways reputation to sell its products. His analysis of the case began with the similarities between the two signs. In each case, the word elements of the trademark are similar, and the similarities in letters and pronunciation between Subway and BUDWAY are self-evident, McHaffy wrote. Budway is not a word per se, and the fact that it is often read in a way that implies the common wordsubway. Both parties provide food and edible products McHaffy is The same judge who ordered Herbs R Us Wellness Society paid Toys R Us Canada $30,000 after a similar challenge last year. Subway sued Budway marijuana dispensary for infringement of its trademark. The judge has ordered Budway to pay $40,000 to the sandwich store chain. (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) In this case, McHaffy discovered that Herbs R Us used the trademark in a way that might detract from the goodwill of the toy manufacturer. But he said in the decision that consumers are unlikely to confuse the two companies because Toys R Us is associated with a product line that is a few light years away from the products sold by Herbs R Us. This is not the case with Budway, whose promotions include a 10% discount on food on Munchie Mondays. As Subway pointed out, althoughtheir ingredients may be different, both parties provide consumers with food and edible products,' McHaffy wrote. I also agree with Subways view that the interviewee used the submarine sandwich mascot and mentionedsnacks to compare products more closely. Champagne and womens clothing Canadian trademark law gives the trademark owner exclusive rights. Infringement occurs when other people sell, distribute, or promote products with confusing trademarks, because it creates the impression that goods and services are associated with the owner of another proprietary trademark. According to the decision, the obfuscated test is the first impression in the mind of a casual consumer who is in a hurry. In 2014, a glass of champagne was poured at the Pol Roger Champagne House in Epernay, France. The trademark battle between champagne maker Veuve Clicquot and a womens clothing boutique has reached the Supreme Court of Canada. (Virginia Mayo/Associated Press) The trademark dispute continued until Supreme Court of CanadaIn 2006, French champagne manufacturer Veuve Clicquot challenged a womens clothing store called Boutiques Cliquot in Quebec. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled on the champagne manufacturer. The difference between the appellants luxury champagne and the appellees mid-priced womens clothing is huge, the court found. Although some trademarks go beyond the goods, services, and businesses with which they were originally associated, no witnesses in this case indicated that ordinary consumers would associate the VEUVE CLICQUOT logo with mid-priced womens clothing. McHaffie found that, on the other hand, Budway is doing its best to link its products to Subway. Attachment A: That mascot. Obviously from [Budways] Using the subway sandwich mascot, this connection is intentional and considered desirable, the judge wrote. McHaffie said Budway threatened the goodwill that Subways trademark gained through its association with a healthy and active lifestyle. Subways lawyers said that Budways actual location a little low-end appearance made the situation worse. The man identified as the owner of Budway did not respond to the lawsuit. He also did not respond to a request for comment. In a report released on Wednesday, the Australian Human Rights Commission urged the government to reduce the risk of COVID-19 to immigrant detainees by reducing the number of people in crowded facilities. The report also called for the closure of its 2,600-kilometer Christmas Island detention center. 1,616 miles) is located in the Indian Ocean in northwestern Australia. The Human Rights Commission stated that while the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States all reduced immigration detention by 39%, 66%, and 69% in the first six months of the pandemic, Australia increased by 12%. Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santo said: The government should follow expert health advice and release people with lower safety risks into community housing. The Committee believes that reopening the northwestern corner detention facility on Christmas Island is not an appropriate solution to the increasing number and overcrowding of other immigrant detention facilities. The island is remote, isolated, and lacks advanced medical facilities, which during the pandemic Poses a greater risk. This report is a public outcry against treatment Murugapan family, They were taken to Christmas Island in 2018 after their asylum application was rejected.The two young daughters of this family were born in Australia and are Now moving After Tharunicca, the youngest three-year-old child, was evacuated to Perth due to the risk of blood infection, he was sent to a community detention center in Perth. For many years, Australia has taken severe measures against people trying to travel to the country by boat, sending them to offshore detention facilities and telling them that they will never be able to live in Australia.The government stated that a law passed in Parliament allows those detained overseas to seek Emergency medical care in Australia. The report said that the center is often cramped and crowded, with bunk beds in the bedrooms and shared bathrooms, which makes it impossible to contain the physical distance of the spread of COVID-19. The committee also pointed out that many people detained in immigration detention already have health conditions, which also increases their risk of contracting diseases. It added that the Ministry of the Interior had stated that as of September 28 last year, 247 people had been assessed as being particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. The outbreak of COVID-19 in this environment, with such a high percentage of people susceptible to COVID-19, can be catastrophic, Santo said. The committee also questioned the use of two-week operating isolation for detainees returning from external meetings (such as doctor appointments), describing certain conditions as prison-like, and stressing that any measure that restricts the fundamental rights of individuals should be Reasonable and necessary. And commensurate. The Public Interest Advocacy Center (PIAC), which represented 14 detainees last year, filed a formal complaint about the risk of coronavirus, said the problem remains deeply disturbing. The pandemic may be easing, but we have seen Break out in closed environments such as aged care facilities Jane Leibowitz, PIACs acting chief attorney, said in a statement that this could be catastrophic and would result in a lockdown of the entire city. The government has an obligation to take care of those in detention. Given the high risk of transmission in a closed environment, we call on the government to expedite the vaccination of immigrant detainees and urge them to take immediate action to improve the safety of COVID in order to protect the detainees. , Staff and the wider community. The goal of shippings global regulator is to reach a consensus this week on measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which will keep the possibility of a transformative international pollution tax on the industry alive. Major shipping companies such as Maersk, CMA CGM, and COSCO, as well as commodity traders such as Trafigura and Cargill, are working hard to reduce transportation costs. Decarbonization is estimated to cost trillions of dollars, so the risk is high. Representatives from 174 countries and many industry observers participated in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meeting, a powerful United Nations regulatory agency for shipping. They discussed measures to reduce the carbon intensity of the global fleet by 40% for a week.Compared with 2008 levels, reduce by 2030 The adoption of the plan also marks the first concrete step in implementing the strategy of reducing global shipping emissions by at least 50% by 2050. Maritime transportation is the lifeblood of global trade. It emits about 2.4% of carbon dioxide emissions every year. Decarbonization is tricky because clean fuels such as green hydrogen, ammonia or methanol are not widely available, and the current cost is much higher than that of fossil fuels. In the eyes of many officials, the true importance of this meeting depends on whether the member states can not disagree on the issue of climate change, which will make reaching an agreement on an international shipping carbon tax an even more daunting challenge. Take practical short-term measures next week is another critical moment, said Kitak Lin, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization. Without this, we cannot achieve further ambitions before 2023, The so-called short-term framework consists of two parts: the energy efficiency index of existing ships, and the requirement to increase the carbon intensity of ships between 2023 and 2030. The latter measure links carbon dioxide emissions to the volume of goods-the volume of goods may increase-rather than assessing absolute emissions. The members agreed on Monday to reduce the carbon intensity of ships by 2% annually between 2023 and 2026. Environmental groups condemned these measures for being unremarkable and almost irrelevant. An advisor to the European delegation stated that the carbon intensity requirement is a paper tiger and lacks an enforcement mechanism. The United States has regained its status as a force in climate negotiations and has strengthened the alliance of European Union countries and some Pacific islands to push for greater ambitions, but this approach also brings the risk of not being able to make any decisions. European representative. Developing countries, especially those in Latin America, are deeply concerned about the impact of the tightening of environmental regulations on the growth of their dependence on trade and the cost of basic commodities. European representatives stated that China and Russia still oppose meaningful actions. It is the developed countries that tell the developing countries to stay where they are. The growth of world trade is in the developing countries, said Edmund Hughes, a senior IMO official for 10 years. The question in the coming months and years is whether the slow-moving and consensus-focused IMO can accelerate serious negotiations on shipping carbon emissions costs, and whether the companys lobbying is consistent with its public information. Rasmus Bach Nielsen, global head of fuel decarbonization at commodity trader Trafigura, said: Policy makers are sitting on the most important historical mission, which is to decarbonize shipping. He believes that the International Maritime Organization needs to reach an agreement on carbon taxation in 2023, which starts two years later. Signs of dramatic changes have appeared within the industry. This month, Maersk, the worlds largest container shipping group, proposed to levy a tax of US$50 per ton of carbon dioxide starting around 2027 and raise it to more than US$150. The industry also proposes to pay US$2 per ton of fuel, equivalent to US$0.7 per ton of carbon dioxide, to create a US$5 billion clean fuel research and development funding pool. But many representatives worried that this would be used as an excuse to postpone the collection of large carbon taxes. A pair of unlikely candidates-the Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands-proposed a meaningful financial incentive to decarbonize shipping at a price of $100 per ton of carbon dioxide. The Marshall Islands is a symbol of tension. Most of its islands are low-lying and face the risk of global warming. At the same time, it has a large shipping registry and is usually aligned with industry interests. Respected Albon Ishoda, a representative from the Marshall Islands, said: If we treat the IMO as a huge ship, then we must now start to turn from the iceberg to the front. If we are allowed to have a transformative discussion, then this will drive the acquisition on the ground. progress. IMOs Lim said that the key to avoiding conflicts over tax issues is how to use the funds raised. If everyone thinks that we can benefit from market-based measures, if it is also benefited by the developing party, then this will actually provide motivation. The shipping group may also file a claim for the money. Rolf Habben Jansen, Hapag-Lloyds chief executive, said: If it goes to general government funds, then eventually these costs will be passed on. In the end, the industry is increasingly worried that its impact on regulation may gradually disappear, and may be labelled as backward as climate change. The worst thing for the global shipping industry is the patchwork of regional plans, said Anne Steffensen, chief executive of the trade agency Danish Shipping Company. The EU is expected to propose next month to expand its emissions trading system to include maritime transport. If Brussels goal is to travel outside the territory, it will send shock waves in the slow-moving shipping world. After the besieged Palestinians launched burning balloons toward southern Israel, Israel carried out air strikes on Gaza. Witnesses from the Israeli military and Gaza said that the Israeli Air Force launched an air strike on the Gaza Strip early Wednesday after Palestinians in the besieged enclave launched burning balloons towards southern Israel. The Israeli army stated in a statement that it had attacked the Hamas compound and was prepared to respond to all situations, including renewed fighting in the face of continuing terrorist acts from Gaza. It added that the attack was a response to the launch of the balloon, and the Israeli fire brigade reported that the balloon caused 20 fires in open spaces in communities near the Gaza border. It is not clear whether the explosion caused casualties in Gaza. Palestinian sources told AFP that the attack targeted at least one location east of the southern city of Khan Yunes. A Hamas spokesperson confirmed the Israeli attack and told Reuters that the Palestinians would continue to brave resistance and defend their rights and holy land in Jerusalem. The air strike marks the first major outbreak between Israel and Gaza Ceasefire According to the Gaza authorities, Israel ended an 11-day attack on the territory on May 21, which killed 256 Palestinians, including 66 children. Twelve people in Israel were also killed by rockets launched from the enclave. This is also the first attack on Gaza since the new Israeli coalition government led by right-wing nationalists. Naftali Bennett, Took over over the weekend, ending Benjamin Netanyahus 12-year term as prime minister. New government Monday Approved a provocative parade Launched by Israeli far-right nationalists and pro-settler groups through occupied East Jerusalem. Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza protest Oppose the so-called Flag of marchThis marked the anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the eastern part of the city in 1967. At the time of the rally, Israel planned to forcibly expel Palestinian families from the vicinity of Sheikh Jarrah, and tensions remained high. Before the parade, Israeli police forcibly removed dozens of Palestinians from outside the Damascus gate in the old city. Israeli police fired stun grenades in the area around Damascus Gate. At least 17 Palestinians were arrested and 33 others were injured. Hundreds of Jewish ultranationalists who participated in the parade were heard chanting death of the Arabs in Hebrew. In another anti-Palestinian slogan, they shouted: May your village burn. Israel launched an air strike in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday the first since the end of the 11-day cross-border fighting last month in response to burning balloons launched from Palestinian territory. The Israeli military stated that its aircraft had attacked the Hamas armed compound in Gaza City and the southern town of Khan Younis, and it was prepared to deal with all situations, including renewed fighting in the face of continued terrorist acts from Gaza. Outbreak, a test for Israel Fragile new governmentLater, Israeli nationalists marched in East Jerusalem on Tuesday, which aroused the threat of action by Hamas, the militant group in Gaza. The military stated that the attack was in response to the launch of burning balloons, which, according to reports from the Israeli fire brigade, caused 20 fires in open spaces in communities near the Gaza border. This is the first attack by Israeli and Gaza militants since the ceasefire agreement promoted by Egypt came into effect. On Tuesday, an Israeli firefighter tried to extinguish a fire caused by a burning balloon launched from the Gaza Strip. (Tsafir Abayov/Associated Press) A Hamas spokesperson confirmed the Israeli attack, stating that the Palestinians will continue to brave resistance and defend their rights and holy land in Jerusalem. A few hours ago, thousands of Israelis waving flags gathered around the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem before heading to the holy Western Wall of Judaism, arousing anger and condemnation from the Palestinians. Israel occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later annexed it in an internationally unrecognized move. Israel uses the entire city as its capital; the Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of future nations including the West Bank and Gaza. Prior to Tuesdays parade, Israel strengthened the deployment of the Iron Dome anti-missile system in response to a possible rocket attack from Gaza. But when the marchers began to disperse after nightfall in Jerusalem, there was no sign of rocket launches in the enclave. The parade was originally scheduled to be held on May 10 as part of the Jerusalem Day celebration of the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem. At the last minute, the march was diverted from Damascus Gate and the Muslim quarter of the Old City, but this was not enough to prevent Hamas from launching rockets into Jerusalem, and these attacks triggered the fighting last month. Although the crowd on Tuesday was noisy, it seemed to be much less than last months parade. From the Damascus Gate, they circled the old city to the Western Wall, which is the holiest place where Jews can pray. Before the march, Israeli police cleared the area in front of Damascus, closed traffic roads, ordered the closure of shops, and deported young Palestinian protesters. According to the police, the police arrested 17 people suspected of participating in the violence. Some of them threw stones and attacked the police. Two police officers needed medical attention. The Palestinians said that five people were injured in clashes with the police. A Willow Grove man faces federal charges for allegedly possessing a Molotov cocktail in Philadelphia last New Years Eve. At the time, a group of Vandals targeted federal buildings and several other properties The prosecutor said that in the city center. Jacob Dean Robotin, 25, was accused of participating in sabotage that night, which resulted in the arrest of seven people. A large group of people in dark clothes damaged buildings such as the Federal Detention Center at 700 Arch Street, the Robert C. Nix Federal Building at 33 South Nine Street, and the United States Court Building. The prosecutor said that before the police arrested the three in the area of ??600 Sansom Street, members of the group painted the building, broke the windows and set off fireworks. According to the police, the windows of the sheriffs van were smashed and anti-police and anti-prison graffiti was found on the walls of the Federal Detention Center. The damage to the building is estimated at $3,000. Robertine was one of the people stopped by the police that night. He was found wearing a green military-style backpack and spray-painted pants. Allegedly, in one of Robotins bags, the police found a glass bottle with liquid and fuse in Robotins backpack, as well as some tape. Officials said that a strong odor of flammable liquid was emitted from the glass bottle. The police also found additional fuses, lighters, camping heat sources and fireworks. These items were transferred to the FBI. The explosives department of the FBI laboratory later determined that the glass bottle contained gasoline. Investigators said that together with the fuze it constitutes a homemade incendiary bomb or Molotov cocktail. Robotin was arrested on Tuesday and appeared in federal court for the first time. He was released under unspecified conditions. At the time of the incident, the Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Mike Cram said that several incendiary bombs and other suspicious devices were found in the area near the Federal Building. Homemade Molotov cocktails can be very dangerous, said Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Abidil Williams. Here, the defendant allegedly carried all the materials needed to endanger the lives of many people. Fortunately, the Philadelphia police arrested Robotin before anyone was injured. Let this case serve as a way of warning to others who might be considering similar actions. -Possession of a Molotov cocktail is not a protected speech, nor is it a harmless hoax; it is a serious federal crime. If convicted, Robotin may face up to 10 years in prison, followed by a three-year supervised release and a fine of up to 250,000 US dollars. In the weeks following the military coup on February 1, Andrew and millions of people across Myanmar demonstrated peacefully to demand the restoration of civil rule. Less than two months later, the 27-year-old was being trained to kill soldiers with wooden shotguns in the jungles of his hometown of Kayah State, which borders Thailand in southeastern Myanmar. Before the coup, I couldnt even kill an animal, Andrew said. Like other resistance fighters interviewed by Al Jazeera, he would not disclose his name for security reasons. When I saw the army killing civilians, I felt very sad and troubled My mentality is that I am fighting for the people and opposing the evil military dictator. Andrew is one of a growing number of civilians in the country, many of them young people. They took up arms to suppress an army that killed more than 860 people, mainly in anti-coup protests, arresting more than 6,000 people, and Used include torture and enforced disappearance since it seized power from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Members of the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) armed group ambush a convoy in Chin State, western Myanmar, and inspect the weapons on a Myanmar military vehicle [File: Chin World via AFP] Some fighters have joined ethnic armed groups in the border areas of the country, where ethnic minorities have been fighting with the armed forces of the Burmese army for decades to fight for the right to self-determination and rights. Others, such as Andrew, have joined one of the dozens of civil defense forces that have sprung up in the town since late March. However, although ethnic armed groups have developed resources and capabilities for many years, most civil defense forces are equipped with single-shot shotguns and other self-made weapons, and many fighters only have a few weeks of combat training. Faced with an army with more than $2 billion in weapons and 70 years of experience in suppressing civilians, the new revolutionaries told Al Jazeera that they were willing to test the possibilities because they believed armed resistance was the only option. regime. We conducted a nationwide protest and launched a civil disobedience campaign against the military, hoping to restore civilian democracy, but these methods alone will not work, a former university lecturer and the political department that now leads the civilian resistance movement Said Neno. The group is in Chin State and the neighboring Sagaing area. We have done everything we can, and taking up arms is the only way to win this victory, she added. Salai Vakok, a 23-year-old resistance fighter from a community development worker who was also in Chin State, began collecting shotguns in his home town of Minda shortly after the armed forces began shooting protesters in mid-February. He said: We used to hope that people from abroad would fight for us, but this never happened. I never thought in my life that I would have a weapon But after learning that innocent and unarmed civilians were killed across the country, especially in the lowlands, I quickly changed my mind. I couldnt remain silent. For the sake of the dead. The hero avenged my unity, and I decided to take up arms. Myanmar Army responds to armed resistance Indiscriminate air and ground attacks And through long-term violence in ethnic minority areas, civilians cannot get aid, food, and supplies. Since the coup, nearly 230,000 people have fled their homes; many are hiding in the jungle. In Kayah and neighboring Shan State, civilian fighters joined local minority armed groups in a 10-day resistance in late May. During this period, they claimed to have killed more than 120 regime troops. The armed forces shot and killed food aid transporters. Humanitarian volunteers and also shot and killed displaced people who returned to town to buy rice and supplies. On May 24, government forces opened fire on a Catholic church where more than 300 people had taken refuge, killing 4 people. June 9th, a UN experts warn After the Tatmadaw cut off access to food, water and medicine for more than 100,000 displaced civilians, Kayah State has mass deaths due to hunger, disease and exposure. After the Myanmar Army responded to civilian resistance in mid-May, the Mindat town of Salai Vakok also faced a growing humanitarian emergency, launching attacks on residential areas and preventing the supply of food and water to the displaced. It is also accused of arresting civilians and using them as human shields to deter resistance fighters. The civilian resistance fighters are facing a heavily armed army that was accused of crimes against humanity in a brutal attack on the Rohingya in 2017 [File: Stringer/EPA] He said the attack strengthened his determination to continue fighting, but since he was injured by artillery fire in the attack last month, he has been unable to hold on. When I recovered, I had made a firm decision to continue fighting anyway until the regime fell, he told Al Jazeera. Guerrilla tactics Urban resistance also seems to be increasing, mainly because young people join in underground networks after participating in short-term training camps for ethnic armed groups in the jungle. After returning to the city, they adopted guerrilla tactics, including bombing, arson, and targeted clearance, including those suspected of being informants or allied with the army. The current affairs magazine Myanmar Border reported that there are at least 10 urban rebel groups in Myanmars major cities, and Radio Free Asia has counted more than 300 bombings since the coup detat, mainly in police and administrative offices, as well as other regime-related incidents. In the facility. [The Tatmadaw] Use guns to oppress us. Should we kneel or fight back? Gue Gue, a 29-year-old doctor who is a member of the Yangon Underground Resistance Organization, said: If we only use three-finger salute to resist, we will never get what we want. We are not choosing arms; thats because we cant pass. Quietly asking to get what we want. But he said he has been living in fear of informants. We must live secretly in urban areas, otherwise we may be killedWe cant sleep well, Gue Gue said. Another concern of the resistance fighters is their families: According to a human rights documentation organization, since the coup, at least 76 people have been detained because the security forces could not find the person they wanted to arrest. I told my parents that if the army searched me, they said they tried to persuade me not to take up arms, but I didnt listen, Salai Vakok said. Since he joined the resistance movement, he has severed contact with his family, but it is said that they were one of the thousands who were displaced by the conflict in Mindat in May and are now hiding in the jungle. Demonstrators in Mandalay armed with homemade weapons during protests in April.More and more protesters join the rebels because they believe it is the only way to restore democracy [File: Stringer/EPA] The Committee of Representatives of the Peoples Chamber (CRPH), composed of elected legislators overthrown in the coup, announced on March 14 that it supported civilians right to self-defense, and on May 5 announced the National Unity Government (NUG) appointed by CRPH Announced The predecessor of the National Peoples Defence Force is the predecessor of the Federal Army, which will unite the nations national armed groups and civil defense forces under the central command. However, most groups currently operate independently or in smaller alliances. NUG Deputy Interior Minister Khu Te Bu told Al Jazeera that he expects fighting across the country to worsen in the coming weeks and months, but he is worried that the civil defense force will not have enough firepower and lack sufficient training to defeat the Burmese army. They use hand-made weapons, but they cannot protect the people from the army that has been preparing and building weapons supplies for years, he said. On May 26, NUG announced a code of conduct. It stated to all armed resistance groups that combatants must avoid harming civilians and minimize collateral damage. Khu Te Bu said he hopes that resistance groups can unite against a common enemy, and that NUG can play an important role in ensuring that these groups have a strong understanding of the rules of war, including how to protect civilians and handle wars against prisoners. Some protesters sought basic training from ethnic armed groups that have fought with the Burmese army for many years [File: Kantarawaddy Times via AFP] [Resistance groups] You cannot violate international rules just because the military does not abide by them, he said. They must deal with the enemy systematically to protect human rights. Due to the shortage of weapons and funds, civilian fighters expressed that they hope that NUG can also provide human resources and material support in the near future. If they really want to help us, they can send soldiers or provide us with modern weapons, or at least they can support us with food and goods, Salai Vakok said. As the violence continues and deaths and displacements increase, resistance fighters also hope that Myanmar will not disappear from the attention of the world. Myanmar is now like a slaughterhouse. People are killed like animals every day, Gue Gue said. Samuel Olsens mother was shocked to accuse the boys grieving father of participating in his murder because his girlfriend was accused. Sarah Olsen talked about the death of her son, Who was found dead A blunt head injury occurred in a hotel in Texas on June 1, the first on Tuesday. 8 Sarah Olsen hints that her ex may have been involved in their sons death Credit: ABC 8 Only fathers girlfriend Teresa Balboa was charged Credit: ABC13 8 On June 1, the body of 5-year-old Samuel was found Credit: ABC13 The childs father Dalton Olsens girlfriend Theresa Balboa is accused of tampering with evidence and is currently under investigation. Serving sentence in Harris County Jail In Texas. The prosecutor is According to reports, plans to charge extra. However, there is currently no evidence that Dalton Olson has any connection with the boys death. Sarah said at a press conference with her lawyer: I dont understand how he cant [be]When asked if she believes her ex was involved in the death of their child. When asked about Balboa, Sarah said: I know she lied. 8 Balboa initially told the police that she gave the boy to his mother Image source: Jasper County Sheriffs Office 8 When the boy was first reported missing, Balboa and Dalton Olsen gave a tearful interview Credit: Click2Houston Sarah has custody of the children, but she claims that Dalton took Samuel from her in January 2020 and never returned him. Actually, [he] Tell me I will never talk to him again, said the sad mother. I called the police one by one, trying to figure out what to do, but it was a civil issue. I had to take him to court. Things may be slow. She explained that the last time she saw her son was on May 31, 2020, on his fifth birthday, and she hoped to take him home that day. When I got there, he told meI know you will come to me, she said. He always stood with me. I planned to take him home that day, but I was stopped. I was not allowed. 8 Samuel is only 5 years old Credit: ABC13 8 The boys mother said that his father took him away even though she had custody Photo Credit: Facbeook/Sarah Olson/Sarah Lena She explained that she tried hard to get her child back next year, but failed to do so. Samuel never lived to his sixth birthday. Balboa and his father first reported the boys disappearance on May 27, but police said he had not appeared in public since April 30. His body was found in a motel on June 1. The young man had been living with Balboa when he disappeared, not his biological parents, although the reason is not yet known. Just a few months before his disappearance, his father sought a restraining order against Balboa after he allegedly strangled him. 8 So far, Balboa has been accused of tampering with evidence Balboa has been living with his friend Benjamin Rivera and he told the police that she called him on May 10 Tell him Samuel is dead And begged for help hiding his body. In court documents, he claimed that they put him in the bathtub of Websters apartment, where he stayed for two days, Before being transported to a storage unit in a nearby plastic box. Bolboa was arrested after she was found at a Best Western motel in Jasper on June 1, after a friend claimed that he drove her there with a stinky trash can and later reported the fight crime company. she has Initially told the police When she showed up at her house with a man she thought was a policeman, she returned Samuel to his biological mother. Later investigations revealed that Sarah Olsen never left her home and was unable to take the children away. At a press conference on Tuesday, Sarahs lawyer Marco Gonzalez said that Balboas original story was crazy. Painful loss Pornstars George Floyd mural reappears after she was found dead at the age of 27 Terrible attack The 49-year-old man killed his 80-year-old mother and left her organs on the welcome mat at her home Porn beast cage Porn producer sentenced to 20 years in prison for tricking women into appearing in videos Terrorist explosion A 10-year-old girl was half burned after rising in a 10-foot flame at a party Murder mystery The former lawmaker fired when he mows the grass after claiming that a relative was killed nearby exclusive Tragic battle Porn star fights with fentanyl addiction and goes to a rehabilitation center before death In the beginning there were a lot of lies from the other side-making up a story about someone trying to impersonate a policeman-it was crazy, he said. Involve Balboa in the search, try to find the body, distribute the leaflets, and try to pin it to Sarah. Its hard to understand why people do certain things. In the new space race, Beijing has entered the countdown to its first manned mission in the past five years. China will send three men into space on Thursday, the first manned mission in nearly five years, as part of an ambitious plan to complete the space station by the end of next year. Expected to be launched in China Shenzhou-12 An official of the China Manned Space Administration said on Wednesday that it would depart from Jiuquan in northwestern Gansu Province at 9.22 am (01:22 GMT) on Thursday. Ji Qiming, deputy director of the China Manned Space Administration, told reporters that the astronauts were 56-year-old Nie Haisheng, 54-year-old Liu Boming, and 45-year-old Tang Hongbo. Nie will be the oldest person China sent into space. Shenzhou 12, which means Shenzhou, will be the third of the 11 missions required to complete the Chinese space station by 2022. At least 4 of the 11 planned missions will carry people, possibly sending as many as 12 Chinese astronauts into space. China started building the space station in late April this year. Tianhe is the first and largest of the three modules of the space station. The crew of Shenzhou 12 will live in Tianhe, meaning Tianhe, A cylinder 16.6 meters (55 feet) long and 4.2 meters (14 feet) in diameter for three months. The oldest Chinese astronaut leading mission Nie, a former air force pilot from central Hubei Province, will lead the mission. According to Xinhua News Agency, Shenzhou 12 will be Nie Jifeis third space excursion after the 2005 Shenzhou 6 mission and the 2013 Shenzhou 10 mission. This will be Lius second space mission, and his first will be the Shenzhou VII mission in 2008, which will include a landmark space walk. This will be Tangs first space journey. There are also three spare astronauts for this mission. According to the Global Times, although the Shenzhou 12 mission did not arrange for women to participate, they are expected to participate in every subsequent mission. [Greg Baker/AFP] The last manned mission in China was in 2016, when two peopleChen Dong and Jing Haipengwere sent to Tiangong-2 via the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft, which is the prototype of the space station. They later stayed there. About a month. According to the Global Times report, although the Shenzhou 12 mission did not arrange for women to participate, they are expected to participate in every subsequent mission. Following the first batch of 14 male astronauts in the mid-1990s, in 2011, Chinas second batch of astronauts included two female Liu Yang and Wang Yaping. Liu was the first woman in China to enter space in 2012, and Wang was the youngest, 33 years old in 2013. The international reputation of Chinese astronauts is relatively low. The US law prohibiting NASA from having any connection with China means that its astronauts have not been to the International Space Station, which has a history of more than 20 years. The station has been visited by more than 240 men and women of different nationalities. China has been accelerating its space program to contend with Western countries including the United States. Beijings goal is to make the country a major space power by 2030, Turning space into the latest frontier in competition with the United States. In May of this year, two years after the first spacecraft landed on the back of the moon, it became the second country to send a rover to Mars. On June 14, 2021, a disturbing and embarrassing shoplifting incident was captured in a video from a Walgreens department store in San Francisco. The suspect left the store without anyone stopping, and no one was arrested. 2 The shoplifter was filmed at the scene but escaped Credit: KGO-TV What happened to Walgreens in San Francisco? In a Walgreens in San Francisco, someone saw thieves filling garbage bags with goods. According to reports, the three used their mobile phones to record the crime. ABC 7. ABC 7 reporter Lyanne Melendez was one of the shocked bystanders documenting the theft. At that time, he hit me on a bicycle, she told the media. As a reporter, it is difficult for me to sayI will not participate, I cannot participate, I must remain neutral, but this is also my city. I live in this city and I often see this situation. Not only Walgreens, but also cars, my garage door was broken into twice. 2 Shoplifting has always been a big problem in San Francisco Credit: KGO-TV The uninjured reporter said that she had witnessed three such shoplifting crazes in different Walgreens in the area. According to ABC 7 reports, a security guard also recorded shoplifters and tried to seize garbage bags. According to Brendan Dugan of CVS Healths retail crime department, San Francisco is one of the centers of organized retail crime. New York Times. One trend we are seeing is more violence and escalation and more boldness, Raj Vaswani, the commander of the San Francisco Police Department, told The Times. We have seen many repeat offenders. Ahsha Safai, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, told The Times that he had recently seen a disturbing scene. Painful loss Pornstars George Floyd mural reappears after she was found dead at the age of 27 Porn beast cage Porn producer sentenced to 20 years in prison for tricking women into appearing in videos exclusive Tragic battle Porn star fights with fentanyl addiction and goes to a rehabilitation center before death exclusive UF Joe Bidens UFO questioned Putin and told Russia to stop if he thinks Vlad is the culprit Die behind the bar The man who raped and killed a 7-year-old Girl Scout died in prison nearly 50 years ago The pipe goes down! Piers Morgan said he complained that Harry and Meg hijacked the Queens daughters name Half of Walgreens are on the sidewalk. Im not kidding, Safay told the newspaper. I was blown away. I have never seen anything like this in this city. He added: It has become part of the landscape. People said,Oh, well, that just happened.' Seventeen years later, millions of dollars in legal fees and the bloody and bloody relationship between Boeing and Airbus, the worlds longest-running The end of the trade dispute At last. At least this is how the EU and the United States announced on Tuesday that they would suspend their agreement to impose tariffs on subsidies from the worlds two largest aircraft manufacturers. But behind the ministerial counterattack and the victory declaration of the transition from litigation to cooperation, the fact is that no conclusion has been reached that can end the dispute permanently. The two sides just decided to shelve the tit-for-tat tariffs and not resolve the root causes of their differences for the time being, and give themselves five years to come up with a framework acceptable to both sides to support the aerospace industries of the two countries. Dont doubt that resentment is still brewing. Boeings comments about the European Unions current efforts to resolve the so-called new aircraft launch assistance issue are convincing. The agreement announced to the world on Tuesday made the EU promise not to do such a thing. It only stated that the two sides will continue to negotiate on the settlement of outstanding support measures. For the United States, this means ending the European system of providing loans for new aircraft, and repaying the loans when the aircraft wins a certain level of export orders. As long as loans are issued at market rates, the World Trade Organization considers the system to be legal-but this is not always the case. But it can protect Airbus from the cost of failure. For Europe, the problem is to support Boeing through national tax breaks and defense-funded research that will benefit the commercial aircraft sector. People close to both sides said that until Friday, a timely agreement at the EU summit of US President Joe Biden seemed unlikely because Boeing continued to insist on Airbus refund support dating back decades. But at the weekend, the negotiators seemed to have chosen a new approach. They choose to explore ways to improve the dialogue between the two parties in order to reach an agreement in the future. This includes regular contacts between the EU and US trade secretaries in a joint working group, and the transparency of research and development funding. The hard work begins now. Finding the right framework for both parties is not easy. But everyone realizes that time is running out for their aerospace champions to enjoy decades of commercial duopoly. Later this year, Chinas C919 single-aisle aircraft-competitors of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320-are expected to enter commercial service. Although its range and fuel efficiency cannot compete with the latest models from Boeing and Airbus, Chinese state-owned airlines have lined up to ensure the success of the aircraft and obtain multiple orders. Over the years, the relevant state support has been about 49 to 72 billion U.S. dollars, enabling its development to proceed smoothly COMACAccording to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington. Although the first variant of C919 may have a limited customer base, future iterations may be more competitive on a global scaleespecially if there is support for soft loans to customers. The European Union and the United States finally realized that if they did not agree on what constitutes a level playing field, it would be difficult for them to complain about Chinas support for its space champion. This deal is more about self-protection than about ending trade disputes. However, to really make a difference, the working group should bring in other aerospace countries, such as the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Canada. If everyone agrees on what constitutes acceptable state support, they may place more emphasis on transparency requirements from China. Respected All in all, the measures agreed this week may pave the way for a more level playing field. But they also conceal once and for all the notion that civil aviation was once a real business problem. In a statement on Tuesday, the two sides did not question the legitimacy of the governments support for the aerospace companies of the two countries. Instead, they focus on how to define what support can be provided and what terms. This is actually about the acceptable level of subsidies, said a trade lawyer in Geneva. Sash Tusa, an aerospace analyst at Agency Partners, said: This is when people are beginning to realize that civil aviation is the government and the country. Many of us have known this for many years. Its just a pity that it took 17 years, millions of dollars and a lot of hot air to dispel this illusion. [email protected] On Wednesday, a Pennsylvania bill to legalize takeaway mixed drinks took another step forward, but dont expect takeaway cocktails to come back soon. The Pennsylvania State Senate passed legislation permanently allowing restaurants, bars, and hotels to provide takeaway alcoholic beverages. But the 11th hour amendment added to the bill by the Senate Republican Committee on Tuesday prompted Senate Democrats and Governor Tom Wolf to withdraw support for the measure. Cocktail sales Approved in Pennsylvania last May As part of an effort to help bars, restaurants and hotels struggling during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Any institution whose average monthly sales fell by 25% during the public health crisis can sell takeaway mixed drinks. Beverages must be sold in containers with safety lids before 11pm. The beverage volume must be between 4-64 ounces. Whenever the COVID-19 disaster emergency in Pennsylvania is lifted, this measure will fail. This is the first time that the state allows take-out cocktails. A kind Bill to make this practice permanent Pennsylvania presented it at the conference in April. The measure was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the House of Representatives in May and was sent to the Senate for deliberation. But after voters voted, the future of Pennsylvanias cocktail became uncertain Support a Republican-led vote measure to limit Wolfs emergency powers In the primary election last month.Both houses of the Republican-controlled Congress quickly voted to pass a measure Ending the Governors COVID-19 Disaster Statement. After the PLCB notified licensees that the pandemic must end immediately, the certification of the Pennsylvania primary results officially ended the sale of takeaway cocktails and expanded outdoor catering services on Tuesday. At the same time, when Republicans on the Law and Judiciary Committee added an amendment on Tuesday to allow grocery stores, beer distributors, convenience stores, and bars to pass in the Senate, the re-implementation of the legislation for take-away cocktails and the expansion of outdoor services appears to be in progress. by. Sell ??pre-canned alcoholic beverages. The amendment also allows companies with alcohol licenses to sell up to 192 ounces of ready-to-drink products for off-site consumption, and there are no restrictions on distributors who sell these beverages. PennLive.com. These types of beverages are currently only available in Pennsylvania through Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores operated by the state. Grocery stores and convenience stores can sell wine-based ready-to-drink products in limited quantities, as well as malt and brewed beverage-based ready-to-drink products. Beer distributors are limited to selling ready-to-drink products based on malt and brewed beverages for off-site consumption. The revised bill was passed by the committee with a narrow margin on Tuesday and sent back to the Senate plenary meeting for the third review. The Law and Judiciary Committee is the starting point for all alcohol bills in the Senate. Wolf Said on Tuesday He will sign the bill in its original form and call on the Senate to pass the legislation cleanly without any changes. The bill was submitted to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, where it was approved on a partisan line and re-reported to the whole house for a final vote. During the long debate on the bill on Wednesday, Democrats expressed their opposition to the amendment. Democratic lawmakers believe that this will lead to the privatization of wine and spirits in Pennsylvania and weaken PLCBs ability to fund the state budget. Republican senators expressed their support for the revised legislation on the grounds that it will bring tax benefits to the state. After the Senate has narrowly passed the partisan line, the amended bill will go to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives for a final vote before being sent to Wolfes desk. It is expected that there will be a veto. It is not clear when the House of Representatives will take the revised measures. The bill requires the support of two-thirds of the two legislatures to overturn the veto. However, after the Senate passed the measure by two votes, it seems unlikely to be overthrown. The leadership of Annamie Paul of the Green Party is currently safe-after the party leadership decided on Tuesday night not to initiate a process that could eventually remove her from the party leader. The partys Federal Councilthe partys governing bodyconvened an emergency meeting lasting more than three and a half hours on Tuesday night. Officials are expected to vote on whether to trigger a complicated procedure based on the partys constitution that could have declared distrust of Pauls leadership. Several sources with knowledge of the meeting told CBC News that the vote did not take place in the end. On the contrary, sources said, the Federal Council passed a separate motion requiring Paul to publicly deny Noah Zatzman, one of Pauls former senior advisers, who accused many politicians in social media posts -Including unspecified members of the Green Party-there was discrimination and anti-Semitism last month. The motion also called on Paul to clearly support the Green Party caucus. If not, the motion states that Paul will face a vote of no confidence on July 20. The decision on Tuesday night was made after a few difficult weeks in the party. Torn apart by internal disputes in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. As the violence in the region escalated, Paul issued a statement calling for a ceasefire and condemned the Palestinian rocket attacks and Israels excessive use of force, apparently trying to come up with a moderate stance close to the Trudeau government. Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin announced on Thursday that she will leave the Federal Green Party and run for the election as the Liberal Party. (Guy LeBlanc/Radio Canada) Green MP Jenica Atwin-who later left the Green Caucus to join the Liberal Party-attacked Pauls statement on Twitter. This is a completely inappropriate statement, Atwin wrote. Forced evictions must end. I stand with Palestine and condemn the incredible air strikes in Gaza. End apartheid. Green Party MP Paul Manley also disputed Pauls statement, saying that the plan to remove Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jala community in East Jerusalem was ethnic cleansing. Zazman responded A post on Facebook stated that the Green Party will work hard to defeat you and bring progressive climate advocates who are anti-law and pro-LGBT, support indigenous sovereignty and Zionists!!! Zatzman is no longer an advisor to the leader. His six-month contract will expire on July 4 and will be obtained by the Canadian News Agency, which stipulates that the party will pay Zatzman for more than 100 hours of work per month. CBC News contacted the Greens, Paul and Zatzman after the meeting on Tuesday for comments. There are too many distractions in the Green Party: Atwin In addition, two party executives recently announced that they will step down early. One of them is John Kidder, who is the vice chairman of the partys governing body and the husband of Congressman and former leader Elizabeth May. When Atwin announced last week that she would join the Liberal Party across borders, she said that the Green Party had too much interference and she wanted to work in a more supportive and collaborative environment. In a media statement, May and BC Green MP Manly stated that they were heartbroken by Atwins decision-which should be blamed on Zatzman. Unfortunately, the attack on Ms. Atwin by the chief spokesperson of the Green Party leader on May 14 created the conditions that led to this crisis, the two said. Members of Congress added that although they were frustrated, they have no intention of leaving the Canadian Green Party. Paul told reporters after Atwin announced the news that she was caught off guard by her departure and only learned about it from media reports. Paul said that although the party supports cross-party cooperation and rejects excessive partisanship, she said there are major differences between the Green Party and the Liberal Party, and called Atwins cross-border behavior disappointing. Paul said that Fredericton should hold a by-election because voters there chose green MPs in the 2019 election campaign. She said she didnt think it was the quarrel within Israel that prompted Atwin to change his position. She said she knew that Atwin had been negotiating with the Liberal Party for weeks before the internal debate on the Middle East broke out. The government will allow foreign holidays from July 19, predicting the boss of RYANAIR The boss of Ryanair predicts that the British will fly abroad for holidays before July 19. Michael OLeary believes that the government will relax restrictions on travel to popular European holiday destinations before school holidays. He told The Sun: We think they will not be able to extend [the restrictions] More than July 19 or 21, there are two reasons. First of all, the school holidays will begin, and I think people will only travel to Portugal and Spain by then, ignoring these restrictions. Secondly, we believe they will say yes, we can no longer control it, we have extended what we said-by then they will lift the restrictions, at least for passengers who are vaccinated for short trips. Because for a populist government like Boris Johnson, the difficulty is that if it is postponed beyond the third week of July, it will interfere with many peoples holidays. And he doesnt like to annoy others. The Finance Minister of this Central American country assured the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that El Salvador has no plans to abandon the U.S. dollar. El Salvadors Finance Minister, Alejandro Zelaya, said on Wednesday that El Salvador will not use Bitcoin to replace the U.S. dollar as legal tender because the Central American country seeks technical assistance from the World Bank to implement Bitcoin regulation. This month, El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as its legal tender, and President Nayib Bukele touted the potential of this cryptocurrency as a remittance currency for Salvadorans overseas. El Salvador has used the U.S. dollar as its legal tender for the past two decades after abandoning its national currency. Finance Minister Zelaya said that he clarified to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last week that El Salvador will not abandon the U.S. dollar and replace it with cryptocurrency. We have expressed our official position to the International Monetary Fund. We have always emphasized that we will not replace the U.S. dollar as the legal tender of El Salvador, Zelaya said at a press conference. El Salvador is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund on a $1 billion loan to make up for the budget gap before 2023. Celaya said that El Salvador continued to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund and said that the negotiations were a success. Celaya said that El Salvador has also sought technical assistance from the World Bank on the rules and implementation of Bitcoin. When Israeli artillery destroyed buildings in Gaza last month, Gaza was one of the two territories that Palestinians had been squeezed into in the last century, and the British government was once again in trouble. assertion The kindness of its empire in the past to those who demanded that its harm be liquidated. #BritishEmpire was popular on Twitter even when Gaza was burned down. These phenomena are interrelated: the continued whitewashing of the history of the British Empire makes the condemnation of Israel as settler colonialism in many ways unable to resonate morally. Far from tarnishing the origins of Israel, the countrys British predecessor is considered valid. The Belfort Declaration issued by the British government in 1917 announced its support for the establishment of a national homeland for Jews in Palestine, which was mythologically laid the foundation for the Jewish state in the Middle East, thereby providing international legitimacy for the establishment of the state. Iserals. Awareness of the morally dubious origin and significance of this statement may help break the entangled myth of the benevolence of the British Empire and the benign existence of Israel in Palestine. The Balfour Declaration was one of several strategic commitments made by the United Kingdom regarding the territories of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, because the United Kingdom was busy protecting the route to India and the oil-rich Gulf. Dismembered. In order to allow the Arab population in the region to stand on their side, they promised the ruler of the Hanzhi Sharif in the Arabian Peninsula that this would be an independent kingdom extending from Palestine to Damascus. At the same time, in secret negotiations with France and Russia to divide the region, they promised to turn Palestine into an international territory. When Russia withdrew from the war in October 1917, they saw an urgent need to secure Britains position in the Middle East with a new commitment, this time a commitment to the Zionist movement. Palestine has thus become the land of the three promises-there are enough reasons to doubt the sanctity of any one of the promises. The new pledge was formally drafted by the British Foreign Secretary and Conservative Party leader Arthur James Balfour. Belfort is a staunch imperialist. He was called the Bloody Belfort because as the chief secretary of Ireland he suppressed Irelands demands for greater independence. He was also an amateur philosopher who was skeptical of reason, and was attracted by the occultand the concept of the mysterious power of certain groups. The idea of ??promising the Zionists to ensure security in the Middle East was partly rooted in his anti-Semitist assumption, which other influential British politicians also agreed with that the Jews controlled public opinion and global finance. Balfour calculated that his propaganda statement would condense the opinions of American and German Jews into the cause of the Allied forces and also end the unpopular flow of Eastern European Jews into Britain. The declaration was in line with the type of British colonialism, which shaped the history of violent deprivation in Kenya and other colonies. The British think Palestine is something they can promise to any group without consulting its population. This is a typical imperial hypothesis. The difference here is that Jews, rather than British settlers, will assume the civilization mission-and act as a loyal presence near the Suez Canal. The declaration implies that Jews are racially and culturally superior to the indigenous population of Palestine, even though it implies that Jews do not belong to Europe and possess conspiracy power. Not everyone in the British government agrees with these views. Indian Secretary of State Edwin Montagu (Edwin Montagu) is Jewish and considers the statement highly anti-Semitism. Jews will be treated as foreigners in every country except Palestine from now on, he worried. He insisted that his family did not have the necessary community of views with Jewish families elsewhere: It is not correct to say that a Christian Englishman and a Christian Frenchman belong to the same country. Montagu worried that the declaration would mean In Palestine, Jews should be in all priority, and Muslims and Christians will be required to make way for Jews. He foresaw: When the Jews are told that Palestine is their national homeland, every country will immediately want to get rid of its Jewish citizens, and you will find that the Palestinian population has expelled its existing residents. Montagu was formulating the Montagu Declaration at the time, promising Indians greater autonomy to ensure Their Loyal in wartime. Conservatives, especially Belfort, are hesitant to make this concession to anti-colonialism, believing that Indians do not have the ability to govern themselves. That is the kind of imperialist Belfort. After the war, the British abandoned all their wartime promises about the Middle East: they first betrayed the arrangement with France and asked Prince Sharif Faisal to establish a government in Damascus, but then let France drive Faisal out in exchange for a liberation oil. Resource-rich Mosul. Faisal was crowned King of Iraq under British ruledespite the promise of independence to the Iraqis during the war. Britain directly controlled Palestine (no international territory)-confirming that the vague promise of the Balfour Declaration to the homeland of the country does not imply political control of the Jews. In 1921, the United Kingdom removed Jordan from the Palestinian territories without any feeling of infringement on the Jewish homeland. A white paper in 1930 deviated from the idea of ??a Jewish homeland. The outcry by the Zionists forced the British government to withdraw the newspaper. With Hitler coming to power, hundreds of thousands of desperate European Jews found their doors closed in Britain and the United States and arrived in Palestine. More and more landless and impoverished Palestinians revolted in 1936. The British borrowed from the cruel, terrifying and destructive counterinsurgency methods developed in Ireland and Iraq, which influenced the later Israeli military practices. Britain changed its policy in 1937 and 1939, supporting Jews and Arabs in turn. In the process of advising on Palestinian policy, Winston Churchill generally issued his eugenic defense of settler colonialism in 1937: I dont admit thatthe red Indians in the United States or the blacks in Australia made a big mistake. In fact, a stronger race, a higher-level racehas come in and take their place. He believes that the Jewish settlements in Palestine are similar to these early cases, including their genocide implications. At this time, Hitler was also watching the genocide of Native Americans As a model Because of his concept of living space, he began to apply the violent logic of settler colonialism in Europe itself. Churchill admired Hitler and wrote a chapter for him in his 1937 book Great Contemporaries. Although the British today celebrate Churchills defeat of Nazism, they still do not explicitly condemn the settler colonial ideology upon which Nazism is based. The defenders of British imperialism poured their energy into the defense of another settler colonialist, Cecil Rhodes, even after a prudent committee recommended the removal of his statue at Oriel College, Oxford. . Rhodes argued: We are the best race in the world The more world we live in, the better it is for humans. His private company killed several people when establishing a colony of Rhodesian settlers. Thousands of Matabele people. As prime minister of the Cape Colony, he also established the foundation of apartheid in South Africa the current Israeli regime is often compared to depriving non-whites of their voting rights and claiming their land. Even his British contemporaries were angry at his behavior. Recently, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum claimed on CNN that the settlers created America from nothing, there is nothing here, which not only erased the Native American culture and life CNN parted ways with him, and erased the memory of their mass settler violence, in response to the tremendous pressure from the public, including the Native American Journalists Association. However, major British news media such as The Times continued to provide generous space for settlers colonialist defenders. Last month, the Guardian officially expressed regret for its support for the Balfour Declaration in 1917, when its editor wrote: The existing Arab population in Palestine is in the low-level stage of civilization. It is now its false promise and its It is time for the settler colonial ideology on which it was based to be more broadly and clearly condemned. Britains wartime commitments were not based on principles, but on expediency, and based on racist ideasalmost not on a sacred basis. In addition, the declaration also contains self-denying language to ensure that no actions that may damage the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine are not allowed. Belforts conservatism is to avoid radical change. The framework of the declaration is ambiguous, so it may be broken, just like the promise to the Sharif sect during the war. Its expediency, colonial presumption, and the origin of anti-Semitism hardly endow it with the aura of legitimacy it has today in some respectsnot to mention sacredness. The British launched settler colonialism in Palestine, as careless as they did in Australia and New Zealand, and in Kenya and Rhodesia. Israels violence in Gaza is not only self-defense, but also part of a longer story of settler colonialism during the heyday of European colonialism. Contrary to British mythology, settler colonialism is a process of radical ethnic cleansing based on racism. The United States supports Israels occupation of Palestinian territories by supporting a colonial country made by Britain to support another country. It is no coincidence that this support has become particularly generous during the Trump administration. The Trump administration is also proud of white supremacy in North America. Facing the history of colonialism is indispensable to confronting colonialism itself. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said in a statement: With the new data set, we are illuminating the dark corners where tax evaders have been hiding so far. The German Finance Minister has ordered the purchase of data from Germans who own assets in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as part of an effort to combat tax evasion, after regional authorities had similarly purchased Swiss data in the past decade. The Ministry of Finance stated that the data on the CD was sent to regional financial authorities on Wednesday for them to review and decide whether to prosecute possible offenders. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said in a statement: We are using all means to expose tax violations. With the new data set, we are illuminating the darkness in which tax evaders have been hiding so far. corner. Negotiations with anonymous informants started in January and the acquisition was made for an undisclosed amount in February, but it was not announced until now. The acquisition was carried out before the national election on September 26, when Schultz, the outgoing deputy prime minister of the government, was a candidate for the center-left Social Democratic Party to replace the conservative Angela Merkel as the leader of Germany. people. Although Schultz is widely respected, his party has not escaped the long-term polling downturn. Between 2010 and 2017, one of the co-leaders of the Schultz Party, Norbert Walter-Borjans, served as the leader of Germanys most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. During the Minister of Finance, he purchased several CDs containing data on Swiss bank customers. Switzerland expressed anger in those actions. Der Spiegel magazine first reported the purchase of CDs containing detailed information on Dubai assets, such as large tracts of land and real estate owned by German nationals. Spiegel said it said that an anonymous informant approached a German official and offered to pass the data to the Federal Tax Office, for which the Federal Tax Office paid about 2 million euros ($2.42 million). In the past, tax authorities in 16 German states have sought information from countries such as Switzerland to discover that wealthy Germans may evade taxes. Shelby Pattons family remembers the RCMP officer who died on duty on Saturday as a superhero. He is my superman, Bartons sister Kyla Barton told CBC. He is too strong. He is too smart. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Patton died after being hit by a stolen truck while trying to stop in the town of Wolseley, Sask State. Shelbys father Ashley Patton (Ashley Patton) said that his son is committed to family and work, and loves to help others. Shelbys mother, Melanie Patton, works for the RCMP in an office in Alberta. She said Shelby was inspired by their conversations about the law, crime, and what people can and should do. Melanie said there was no way to prepare for what happened. You can have nightmares and worry, you erase all of this, because you are just a worried mother, but then it becomes the truth, you will die a little. On Tuesday, hundreds of people lined up on the streets of Wolseley, and Pattons body was taken to the local funeral home. His mother said that it was really gratifying to see children, elderly people, friends and frontline workers all paying respect to her son on the street. Weve heard the story of how he came to Wolseley to play with the children in the past. So this shows you again what kind of person he is, Ashley said. Watch | The community gathers to commemorate the fallen RCMP: On Tuesday, people lined up on the streets of Wolseley in the Sask region to commemorate Comst. Shelby Patton was hit and killed by a stolen vehicle over the weekend. 2:03 Mother called for stronger punishment, discussion of drug problem Melanie said that there should be more discussion about why and how this happened, and how to prevent it from happening again. I dont have an answer. I believe in harsher punishments, so life is more important than a stolen vehicle. I dont think they should escape what they get, they will get it, Melanie said. Justice. Thats what I want. Constant Shelby Button died after being hit by a truck on Saturday. (Royal Mounted Police of Saskatchewan) Melanie said that we still need to pay attention to the drug problem, because drugs make people do terrible things. She said there was not enough response. The two were charged with manslaughter, possession of a stolen vehicle, and failure to park in an accident. One of the defendants was also charged with possession of methamphetamine. Melanie said that something needs to be changed. Im tired of them stealing cars all the time. Im tired of being involved in so many drugs all the time, Melanie said. They need to be done fundamentally. I dont have an answer. A memorial was set up on the street where Shelby Patton was killed. (Heidi Art/Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) One of the defendants will return to the Regina Provincial Court this Friday. The other will return to court on Monday. Melanie said that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are very supportive of her family. Shelbys funeral will be private. Tehran, Iran As the country continues to fight the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the presidential election is scheduled to be held in Iran on Friday. Iran is the deadliest break out In the Middle East, more than 3 million cases have been reported, including 82,000 deaths. Fourth wave of infection Already reported Soon after the Nowruz New Year holiday in late March allowed tens of millions of Iranians to travel within the country, a new strain of the virus entered the country. Although daily cases have been reduced to about one-third of the peak, more than 100 people still die every day due to the slow introduction of vaccines. Due to the disillusionment of the public, the general disqualification of reformers and moderate candidates, and the pandemic, it is expected that the presidential election, as well as the polls of city and village councils, parliaments, and expert meetings will be low. COVID has had a major impact on the formation of the electoral cycle pattern. Supporters of Presidential Candidate Ibrahim Raisy participate in an election rally in Tehran [File: Majid Asgaripour/Reuters] The sanitation agreement of the National Anti-Coronavirus Headquarters stated that election rallies and speeches can only be held in outdoor spaces such as stadiums and schools, provided that everyone has 8 square meters of space, the venue runs at 30% of the capacity, and must wear masks and activities The time limit is two hours. For cities that are classified as red by the color coding level that indicates the severity of the epidemic, the number of indoor parties is limited to 15 people, while the number of orange people is limited to 20, and the number of yellow people is limited to 30. But these agreements have been broken because some candidates open-air gatherings did not comply with physical distance requirements. Front runner Ebrahim Raisi held a large rally in the southwestern city of Ahwaz last week. The pictures showed thousands of people crowded together, some of whom were not wearing masks. When asked, Raisi said he had obtained a permit, and although the National Coronavirus Headquarters said the incident violated health procedures, he was not punished. In Fridays opinion polls, Irans Ministry of Interior increased the number of polling stations nationwide and placed ballots in open spaces as much as possible to avoid overcrowding and promote voting. The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has also released an app that can help voters find the nearest non-crowded polling station. Voting is scheduled to start at 7 am and can be extended to 2 am on Saturday. The final result is expected to be before noon. Vehicle night curfews have been in place for several months, but will be lifted on Friday and Saturday to allow people to drive to polling stations. Travel between provinces will continue to be banned on Friday. Vaccine trickle The election is underway because the launch of the coronavirus vaccine is still lagging, and the country is close to mass production of the jab of local development. Approximately 4.5 million Iranians (more than 5% of the total population) received at least one dose of vaccine imported from Russia, China, India and the global initiative COVAX. Officials expect to import millions of doses of vaccine by the end of the year, but rely mainly on local production to vaccinate the countrys 83 million people. Coviland Barrekat, The countrys first locally-developed vaccine, after months of hard work, obtained local emergency use authorization earlier this week. Human trials in progress. Setad is a powerful organization responsible for overseeing production under the leadership of Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei. Officials of Setad stated that it can now produce 3 million doses of vaccine per month and will increase its output to each in the future. 11 million doses per month. The vaccine Razi COV-Pars developed by the Razi Institute of Vaccines and Serum is also undergoing human trials and is expected to receive emergency use authorization soon. The third vaccine-developed by an organization under the Ministry of Defense, Fahravac In memory of the assassinated nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-also conducting human trials. These are supplements to the vaccine developed by the Pasteur Institute of Iran in cooperation with Cuba. The vaccine is undergoing Phase III human trials in Iran and is expected to be launched in large numbers. Israeli airstrikes hit militant groups in the Gaza Strip earlier on Wednesday, and the Palestinians responded by launching a series of fire-carrying balloons at the border for the second day in a row-further testing the end of the war between Israel and Hamas last month The fragile ceasefire. On Tuesday, Israeli ultranationalists marched through occupied East Jerusalem, triggering the latest round of violence. The Palestinians thought the parade was a provocation, so they sent balloons into southern Israel and caused several fires in the dry farmland. Israel subsequently carried out an air strike the first such attack since the ceasefire ended 11 days of fighting on May 21 and more balloons followed. The military stated that the target of the airstrike was a facility used by Hamas militants to meet to plan an attack. There are no reports of injuries. The Hamas terrorist organization is responsible for all incidents in the Gaza Strip and will bear the consequences for its actions, the Israeli army said. It added that it is prepared for any situation, including the resumption of hostilities. By Wednesday afternoon, masked Palestinians sent balloons with fuses and burning rags into Israel. According to reports, several fires have occurred. After Palestinians in Gaza sent a burning balloon over the border between Gaza and Israel near Nir ??Am, they could see a field on fire. (Amir Cohen/Reuters) As Egyptian mediators have been struggling to reach a long-term agreement, the unrest is the first test of the ceasefire. As before the recent war, tensions in Jerusalem have increased again, causing the Hamas ruler in Gaza to launch a series of rockets at the Holy City on May 10. The fighting killed more than 250 Palestinians and 13 in Israel. An Egyptian security official stated that his government has been in direct and round-the-clock contact with Israeli officials and the ruler of Gaza to maintain the ceasefire and urge them not to take provocative actions. The official, who asked not to be named, said that he is discussing behind-the-scenes diplomacy. He said that as part of the effort, the US government has also kept in touch with Israel. He said that both parties seem to agree not to escalate to the tipping point. We make every effort to prevent this from happening. The outbreak also brought a test to the new Israeli government that took office earlier this week. The diverse coalition includes several hardline parties as well as moderate and centrist parties, as well as the first Arab faction to become part of the Israeli government. For the new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, maintaining the integrity of the delicate alliance will be a daunting task. In a demonstration on Tuesday, hundreds of Israeli ultranationalists, some of whom chanted Death of the Arabs, marched in East Jerusalem to demonstrate force. Hamas called on the Palestinians to boycott the march in celebration of the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967. The Palestinians saw this as a provocation. Yair Lapid, the leader of the centrist Yesh Atid Party and Minister of Foreign Affairs, severely condemned it on Twitter, calling those shouting racist slogans a shame to the Israeli people. Bennett will hand over the work of the prime minister to Rapide in two years. He is a hardline Israeli nationalist who promised to take a pragmatic approach when presiding over a subtle and diverse coalition government. Although there are concerns that the march will increase tensions, the cancellation of the march will expose Bennett and other right-wing members of the coalition to strong criticism from those who see it as surrendering to Hamas. Mansour Abbass Raam party was the first Arab faction to join the Israeli coalition. He said that the march was an attempt to ignite the region for political purposes with the purpose of undermining the new government. Abbas said that the police and the Minister of Public Security should cancel the event. Although the parade provided direct impetus to the balloons, Hamas was also angry because Israel has strengthened its blockade of the territory since the ceasefire. These restrictions include a ban on the import of fuel for power plants and raw materials in Gaza. After Hamas, a militant group seeking to destroy Israel, seized control of Gaza from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in 2007, Israel imposed a blockade. Since then, Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and many skirmishes. Israel stated that it needs to implement a blockade with Egypt to prevent Hamas from importing and developing weapons. After occupying East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel annexed the area in a move that most of the international community did not recognize. It sees the entire city as the capital, while the Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future country. The region is home to the holy sites of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The fight for this area is at the core of the conflict and has led to multiple rounds of violence. Sri Lanka stated that due to turbulent monsoon waves, it may take months for the sunk container ship to be salvaged because it is seeking the United Nations to help assess the damage. Sri Lanka said that due to the turbulent monsoon waves, a sinking container ship damaged by the fire may take months to salvage, as the authorities are investigating whether the deaths of dozens of sea turtles and dolphins were caused by the disaster. Part of the MV X-Press Pearl registered in Singapore caught fire near the coast of the island nation for nearly two weeks, and was flooded in early June, releasing large amounts of plastic raw materials and flooding local beaches. Nalaka Godahewa, Minister of State for Urban Development and Coastal Protection, said on Tuesday that he hopes the ship will be dismantled to avoid further pollution risks. Godahwa told reporters in the capital Colombo: We hope to remove the sunken ship yesterday, but under current conditions, rescuers cannot start working. The monsoon season starts this month and usually ends in September. Smoke billowed from the container ship as it was towed off the coast of Colombo [File: Ishara S Kodikara/AFP] Salvors believes that the ships fuel was consumed in the fire, but Godahewa said that the authorities are still waiting for a possible leak. In the past few weeks, after dozens of sea turtles and dolphins have been washed ashore, wildlife authorities on the island are also investigating the deaths of some sea turtles and dolphins. Godahewa said that an autopsy is being conducted to determine if they died due to pollution from the ship after the 12-day fire. The United Nations helps assess the damage The investigation was conducted before three UNEP experts arrived on Wednesday to help the South Asian country estimate the damage caused by the incident. Godahewa said that the government contacted the United Nations and some other countries because domestic expertise is not enough to accurately calculate the loss. He did not specify other countries. It is understood that when the ship caught fire, it contained 81 hazardous chemical containers, including 25 tons of nitric acid. Sri Lanka is seeking US$40 million in compensation from the ships operator, X-Press Feeders, in response to what officials call the most serious marine disaster in the countrys history. Environmentalists sued the government and X-Press Feeders for allegedly failing to prevent the disaster, and the Sri Lankan police launched a criminal investigation into the ships captain, chief engineer and chief officer. Police arrested Tyutkalo Vitaly, the Russian captain of the ship, on Monday. He appeared before the magistrate and was later released on bail. The court barred him from going abroad. The case will be heard again on July 1. Geneva rolled out the red carpet for the two leaders, flags of their respective countries were hung on both sides of the street, and blocked most of the area around the lakeside villa where they met.At the same time, dozens of reporters Yelling For positions close to them, the cable news channel recounted their every move when they started high-level talks. But Soldatov said that by equating the strengths of the two countries, even if this was not Bidens original intention, Putin also got what he wanted. This is certainly not the flattering praise of Donald Trump to Putin during the disastrous 2018 Helsinki summit, which had a senior White House adviser Hope she faked a medical emergency To end suddenly. In the first minute of the meeting, [President Joe] Biden gave him a gift, Andrei Soldatov, a Russian journalist and co-author of several books on Russia, told BuzzFeed News in London.[Biden] Say that Russia and the United States aretwo big countries. After the highly anticipated summit between the US and Russian presidents in Switzerland on Wednesday, although no major breakthroughs were announced, there was a clear winner: Vladimir Putin. The summit is carefully planned by the US to ensure that there will be no accidents or moments that show that the two leaders are too friendly like the Trump-Putin summit, and that Putin will not set the tone and rhythm of the event. For example, the United States requires Putin to attend the meeting first, and Putins transfer of power is to be late to ice his opponent in such incidents. They also avoided the joint press conference. Putin initially appeared embarrassed and sometimes angry in the first few minutes of the summit. He turned his gaze to the ground and away from Biden, tapped the arm of the chair while taking pictures, and stuck his tongue into his cheek. But please dont get me wrong: Although the Russian president has been excluded from the G7 and spurned after a series of cyberattacks, election interference, and military invasion of neighboring Ukraine, he knows he is in the geopolitical spotlight. The central figure, to name just a few examples of Moscows aggressive behavior in recent years. After more than three hours of closed-door talks-at least an hour shorter than planned-Putin first appeared in front of reporters to attend his separate press conference. Getting rid of the pouting earlier in the day, the Russian leader seemed satisfied with himself and even seemed to enjoy media attention. When talking about the discussion, Putin stated that there was no hostility or hostility between him and Biden, calling their meeting constructive, but their views and opinions were different. He said that both sides have shown a desire to understand each other and bring their positions closer, but he said that he has made no concessions on major issues such as human rights in Russia and the war in Ukraine. His army invaded Ukraine in 2014 and now controls these issues. . Two large tracts of territory. Biden later said at his press conference that he emphasized human rights issues at the meeting. I will always say that Our rights are not obtained from the government. We own them because we are born, Biden said. period. This is why, Biden continued, the United States will continue to raise issues such as the persecution and prosecution of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is widely regarded as retaliation for his political activities. And was imprisoned in Russia. On the Navalny issue, Putin told reporters that he and Biden have completely different positions. He said Navalny knew he had violated the law after he was sent to Germany for medical treatment after being poisoned by the Novichok nerve agent last summer. When asked by reporters what would happen if Putin allowed Navalny to die in prison, Biden said: I made it clear to him that this would be devastating for Russia. Putin was very happy to have the opportunity to criticize the civil rights struggle in the United States. He also mentioned the brutality of the American police and frequent mass shootings: You can barely speak until you are shot, he said. On the hot issue of cyber warfare, Biden said that he and Putin agreed to further discuss the protection of certain types of critical infrastructure from cyber attacks following the recent closure of major natural gas pipelines and meat processing plants in the United States. Biden also said that if the attack continues, he and Putin are very clear about how the United States will respond. We will respond online. He knows, Biden said. Putin said that he and Biden have agreed to find ways to cooperate on climate change issues, especially in the Arctic. He said that he and Biden have found common ground on the issue of arms control, and that as the worlds top nuclear power, they understand their responsibilities. He pointed out that Biden had made a timely and necessary decision to extend the New Cancellation Treaty for five years, and said that they agreed to start discussions on the new treaty. Biden said that this means that diplomats and military experts of the two countries will soon hold a strategic stability dialogue to lay the foundation for the new treaty. Putin also stated that Russia and the United States agreed that each others ambassadors should return to their posts and perform their duties in the near future. But beyond that, the summit does not seem to have a major breakthrough. This is not surprising. White House officials said before the summit that they did not expect this meeting to lead to any major policy agreement, but instead described it as the first step in establishing a working relationship between the two presidents. The last time they met was ten years ago. And has what Biden describes as a tense communication. (Biden said he Tell then Prime Minister Putin, I dont think you have a soul.) Afghanistan is not called the cemetery of the empire for no reason. King Alexander, British Empire, The Soviet Union and the now powerful United States both felt humble when trying to conquer this fierce country. Now, as the worlds emerging superpower, China has not even really started its own new imperial plan, there is a risk of falling into the same trap. As the longest war in the United States ends before the iconic September 11, 2021, Chinese leaders and foreign policy thinkers are struggling with contradictory impulses. On the one hand, Beijing has always believed that US actions in Afghanistan are part of a new big game aimed at encircling, containing, and possibly undermining China, which shares a small border with China.So the U.S. final Humiliating withdrawal From this perspective, it is welcome for the Taliban to re-establish control in the country. On the other hand, an imminent power vacuum could cause chaos in a country that could destabilize the entire region. The renewed civil war may attract jihadist forces, which have turned their attention to what some Western governments call genocide. Chinese Muslim Uyghur population Just past the border. Beijing is particularly concerned about Uyghur fighters returning from Syria, where a small number of people are fighting alongside the Islamic State. Earlier this month, the foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan met to discuss security arrangements after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan. China has also wooed the Taliban and even refused to provide infrastructure and reconstruction projects to the organization.Beijing hopes to expand its grand One Belt One Road Infrastructure From its main branch in Pakistan to its construction projects in Afghanistan, it is optimistic that this will help provide stability to the war-torn country. Witness and welcome the United States in its Forever warFor the past 20 years, and the memory of the Soviet experience in Afghanistan in the 1980s, the last thing Chinese leaders want to do is to get into their own Afghan quagmire. Beijing believes that the US entanglement in Afghanistan and Iraq after the 9/11 terrorist attacks is mainly diplomatic. Policy interference provides a window of opportunity for a more confident China. Now the White House has publicly stated that it is ending the war, partly to free up resources face the challenge This rising power. The expectation that Beijing will be drawn into the country probably played a role in President Bidens decision to leave. Beijings plan to extend the Belt and Road to Afghanistan is fraught with danger. In most other countries, these projects are implemented by Chinese workers with loans from China to build roads, railways, ports and bridges.But partly thanks to the treatment Xinjiang Uyghurs, Chinese contractors have become targets in some parts of Pakistan. Given that the danger in Afghanistan is much greater, and Xi Jinping will pay a political price if workers go home with their body bags, any Belt and Road project in the country will likely have to be accompanied by important security. The advisors of the Chinese Communist Party have recommended that China send peacekeeping troops to the country under the auspices of the United Nations to protect the security and interests of the Chinese people and companies there. Such tasks are accustomed to gradually and deeply involved. President Xi should learn from history and avoid the fate of other future empires. LAFAYETTE, LA (KADN) - A new Louisiana law has been signed to allow victims of sexual assault to receive early termination on their leases. Hearts of Hope, a local nonprofit that helps assists sexual assault victims, says that this new law will relieve both a mental and financial burden off of those who feel stuck or unsafe. The outside of Hearts of Hope a local sexual assault nonprofit. The outside of Hearts of Hope a local sexual assault nonprofit. If you financially cannot get out of the place where this happened, and you have that fear of that suspect knowing that person who did this to you, knowing where you live, then you don't feel safe at all in your, in your house and your home or anywhere else, Jencie Olivier, advocate at Hearts of Hope, said. Olivier said once a victim is assaulted in their own place; it will never feel like home again. What happens is every time they go into that room where it happened, then that person can be re-triggered and then not feel safe in their own home, every time they go in that room they're going to, they don't picture their room they can picture what actually happened to them in that place, Olivier said. A victim must provide their leasing office with a 60-day notice stating that the incident happened within the last six months. One of the neat things about the way this law is is that you don't have to. You don't have to file a police report, you can come to us and we will present you there are a few different options that you have, she said. Hearts of Hope will also provide further assistance such as counseling to sexual assault victims once they are out of their lease. We want them to have a safe place and we want them to know that they are believed they are seen and they are heard, she said. The law also allows landlords to evict residents accused of committing sexual assault. Hearts of Hope encourages victims of assault that have any questions to call their 24/7 crisis hotline at 337-233 -7273. Could the mask mandate make a come-back? A number of cities across the nation recommend masks, even for people who are fully vaccinated. But so far no one is requiring them. Local doctors say re-booting the mandate would be difficult. 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. Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk are back to being strangers in "Doom at Your Service" Episode 12. Tak Dong Kyung Decides to Undergo Treatment Tak Dong Kyung (Park Bo Young) made up her mind to get treated. Doctor Jung Dang Myun (Lee Seung Joon) was glad to know her decision. Tak Sun Kyung (Da Won), Aunt Kang Soo Ja (Woo Hee Jin), Na Ji Na (Shin Do Hyun) were also consistent in taking good care of Tak Dong Kyung while she was at the hospital. Meanwhile, Myul Mang (Seo In Guk) and Tak Dong Kyung have crossed paths many times but they don't remember each other anymore. Myul Mang and Tak Dong Kyung are Strangers Again They first met at the hospital after having their memories of each other erased. Fate continued to be mess with Myul Mang and Tak Dong Kyung. The two had a short encounter, but this time around, there was no tension and familiarity. Meanwhile, Park Young (Nam Da Reum) made a surprise visit to Tak Dong Kyung at the hospital. He confessed he would make his return in writing, which made Tak Dong Kyung happy. Park Young also mentioned the story that Tak Dong Kyung told to him before, but the lady editor couldn't remember those things and made an alibi that she lost her memories due to her illness. Cha Joo Ik Surprises Na Ji Na for His Confession After reading Na Ji Na's newly published story, Cha Joo Ik (Lee Soo Hyuk) eagerly waited for the next chapter. But it seemed Na Ji Na was stuck in writing, so he decided to go and see her for consultation. When they finally met, Na Ji Na tried to compose herself in front of Cha Joo Ik when he said that he's the male lead in her story. They ended up arguing while in the middle of writing consultation. Cha Joo Ik bluntly asked Na Ji Na if she likes him, and the female writer was caught off guard. Surprisingly, while Cha Joo Ik talked about his next plan about Na Ji Na, he unexpectedly confessed his feelings for her. On the other hand, Lee Hyun Kyu (Kang Tae Oh) discovered Na Ji Na's new novel. He realized he isn't the male protagonist anymore, and this made him think that his ex-girlfriend is already in love with someone. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Doom at Your Service' Episode 11: Shin Do Hyun Starts to Have Feelings for Lee Soo Hyuk Son Yeo Shin Confesses She's the Reason Tak Dong Kyung Lost Her Memories After meeting Tak Dong Kyung multiple times, Myul Mang began to sense something wrong was going on. He went to Son Yeo Shin (Jung Ji So) and asked her what she did to Tak Dong Kyung. The female deity confessed that she erased Tak Dong Kyung and his memories. Since Tak Dong Kyung's memories of Myul Mang vanished, the male deity also lost his precious moments with Tak Dong Kyung. it's the way that their hearts can still remember even though their minds no longer do and that feeling of utter confusion because of how familiar they felt to each other #DoomAtYourService #DoomAtYourServiceEp12 pic.twitter.com/9PF3g0XTpn liana doom at your service era (@parkboyoungssi) June 15, 2021 What are your thoughts about "Doom at Your Service" Episode 12? Don't forget to share it with us in the comments! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars. Kdramastars owns this article. Written by Shai Collins Actress Kim Yeo Jin sent a coffee truck to Kwak Dong Yeon in support of his new movie "6/45." Kim Yeo Jin and Kwak Dong Yeon's Genuine Friendship They may have experienced betrayals in their previous drama "Vincenzo," but they gained genuine connection and turned into real-life friends. Kwak Dong Yeon received a thoughtful gift from his colleague Kim Yeo Jin. On June 15, fans were surprised to see a series of photos that circulated on social media showing the sweet and kind gesture of actress Kim Yeo Jin towards Kwak Dong Yeon. The filming site was located in the mountains/forest in Gangwon-do and the cf staffs were wondering whether they took the right road to go there or not. Glad that they met the production staff *CMIIW pic.twitter.com/Jho6ILtU1L lala (@faicebear) June 15, 2021 The 24-year-old actor is currently filming his upcoming movie "6/45," and while busy working with his scenes, Kwak Dong Yeon was happy to see a coffee truck on the set of his film. One of the banners has a caption that reads, "Kwak Dong Yeon is Love." At the lower part of the banner, the caption says, "From: Kim Yeo Jin the vice president of the sunbae group who loves Dong Yeon." Since the location of the movie is set in the forest, the team who brought the coffee truck shared that at first, they were wondering whether they were taking the right path since it was in the mountains. But gladly, they found the right track and delivered the coffee truck to Kwak Dong Yeon. "Vincenzo" Family Continues to Support Each Other in Their Solo Projects This is not the first time that the "Vincenzo" cast showed their support to each other. Even though the drama ended a month ago, they continued to become a real family behind the lens. Just a week ago, Kwak Dong Yeon made a surprise visit to Jeon Yeo Bin's agency and handed her a special award from her "Vincenzo" squad. Jeon Yeo Bin was teary-eyed to receive such recognition from her colleagues. In Case You Missed It: Jeon Yeo Bin Receives Special Award From 'Vincenzo' Squad The candid gestures of each member of the "Vincenzo" squad are raising lots of attention and praise from overseas fans. Their unique bond from the reel had become real. Meanwhile, Kim Yeo Jin is also preparing for her big-screen comeback with "Drive." She will be working with "Mouse" actress Park Ju Hyun. It was also confirmed that the production for the film already started last June 1. Are you also a fan of the "Vincenzo" squad? What can you say about their genuine bond? Don't forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars. Kdramastars owns this article. Written by Shai Collins. LAKEVIEW, Ore. Oregon State Police says that a California man is in custody after a shooting in Lake County last Monday. Dispatchers received a 911 call shortly after 10:30 p.m. on June 7, advising that 46-year-old Lawrence Mann of Lakeview had been shot. Lake County deputies arrived and treated Mann at the scene before he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. He was later taken to St. Charles Hospital in Bend. OSP said that an investigation into the shooting identified 48-year-old Wade Alvis of Alturas, California as the suspect. Last Wednesday, OSP troopers and Lake County detectives found Alvis in Lakeview, taking him into custody. Alvis was lodged at the Lake County Jail on charges of Assault in the First Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon. According to a probable cause statement filed by the arresting officer, Mann and Alvis were drinking together at a Lakeview house when Alvis pushed his girlfriend over. Alvis and Mann reportedly got into a fight before Alvis drew a pisol and shot Mann in the wrist "causing a significant injury breaking multiple bones." Alvis then fled the scene, according to the affidavit. KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. With Oregon in the final stretch of its vaccination goal, Klamath County Public Health says that it has partnered up with Basin Transit Service to get anyone wanting a COVID-19 vaccine to a clinic for free. The program starts immediately and will continue for two months, KCPH said. Local residents can use the service for a trip to the Sky Lakes COVID Vaccination Walk-In Center or Albertsons, both on the first and second dose. We strive daily to remove transportation barriers for all individuals to reach healthcare, employment, business and leisure destinations safely and efficiently, said Adrian Mateos, general manager of BTS. Those interested in getting the free trip can call 541-883-2877 to be picked up at their home. It would be nice if everyone who is eligible would be vaccinated, but our focus is ensuring our most vulnerable populations, such as our elderly residents become fully vaccinated," said KCPH director Jennifer Little. "Free transportation should make that goal easier to attain. This effort has been funded through a grant from the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, KCPH said. As of Wednesday morning, Oregon had reached 68 percent of adults with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The goal stipulated by Governor Kate Brown for widespread lifting of restrictions is 70 percent. MERRILL, Ore. Oregon State Police says that a minor died following a crash involving a semi-truck on Highway 39 near Merrill on Wednesday morning. State troopers and emergency crews responded to reports of the crash shortly after 8 a.m., arriving at a spot on the east side of Merrill in Klamath County. According to OSP, the initial investigation found that a juvenile had been driving northbound in a Chevy Spark when they crossed over into the southbound lane. The young driver collided with a Kenworth semi-truck driven by 53-year-old Jim Hadd of Klamath Falls. The minor was taken to Sky Lakes Hospital where they were pronounced dead. OSP was assisted at the scene by the Merrill Fire Department and the Oregon Department of Transportation. GRANTS PASS, Ore. Two suspects in a violent armed robbery that happened at the Grants Pass Motel 6 in May were tracked down and arrested in Roseburg last week, the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety revealed on Wednesday. According to the agency, officers responded to reports of the armed robbery at Motel 6 on May 15. The officers learned that two men armed with guns had stolen a motorcycle by force. GPDPS brought in detectives to assist with the investigation. Over the course of the investigation, detectives learned that one of the suspects later identified as 29-year-old Keith Fullbright held a man at gunpoint and threatened to shoot him. At the same time, 32-year-old Clintton Theall allegedly went into a hotel room and hit a sleeping woman with his gun, injuring her. GPDPS said that Fullbright and Theall took the motorcycle and rode north to Roseburg. The injured woman was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of her injuries. "Based on the investigation, it was determined that this was an isolated incident and there was no continued threat to the community," GPDPS said. Regardless, detectives continued to work on the case. With the help of Oregon State Police, Roseburg Police, and other Douglas County agencies, officers arrested Theall and Fullbright in Roseburg on June 7. Theall and Fullbright both faces charges for Robbery in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, Burglary in the First Degree, Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon (Firearm). Fullbright also faces charges for Menacing and Felon in Possession of a Weapon, while Theall is charged with Unlawful Use of a Weapon. EAGLE POINT, Ore. Investigators from Oregon State Police raided an illegal marijuana grow operation that stretched across two properties east of White City last Thursday, seizing and destroying almost 53,000 plants. OSP said that local law enforcement in Jackson County has been working with the area water masters and code enforcement officers to sift through the proliferation of illegal operations in the midst of those that are legal and licensed. On June 10, OSP's Drug Enforcement Section Southwest Region marijuana team served a search warrant at two adjacent properties in the 1500-block of Alta Vista Road and the 700-block of Riley Road, both Eagle Point addresses. RELATED: Jackson County flyover shows 'pervasive' cannabis grows, Sheriff's Office says Officers found and detained the two property owners while others searched through the properties. OSP said that a total of 74 greenhouses, two barns, and two outdoor growing areas were filled with marijuana plants. Investigators seized and destroyed 52,804 plants at the end of the operation. OSP said that five guns and some cash were also seized in the search. Jackson County code enforcement issue one of the property owners with a citation for the unpermitted greenhouse structures and electrical infrastructure. The fine for those violations could total $300,000. Authorities from the Oregon Water Resources Department also cited one of the men for enlarging his existing water rights "due to unapproved diversions of surface water," OSP said. The raid in included marijuana enforcement teams from Jackson and Josephine Counties. 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 Network television tonight is filled with games and other forms of "reality" TV: Tiffany Haddish hosts "Kids Say the Darndest Things" (7 p.m., CBS) while chefs show off on "MasterChef" (7 p.m., Fox) and the new series "Crime Scene Kitchen" (8 p.m., Fox). Meanwhile, ABC fills its entire prime-time schedule tonight with game shows: "Press Your Luck" (7 p.m., ABC), "The $100,000 Pyramid" (8 p.m., ABC) and "Card Sharks" (9 p.m., ABC). More than 50 percent of all Kenosha County residents eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine have now received at least one dose, Health Director Jen Freiheit said late Tuesday. We have achieved our 50 percent milestone, Freiheit said. Of all the eligible people, which is (age 12 and up), were at 51.5 percent. Citing newly updated data, Freiheit also noted: 20.5% of all 12- to 15-year-olds in Kenosha County have received at least one dose. 31.2% of all 16- and 17-year-olds have received at least one dose. 54.9% of the 16+ population overall have received at least one dose. To reach the goal of herd immunity, 75% of county residents need to be vaccinated. So, were getting there, Freiheit said. Were inching along. If we can even get to 60%, Ill be much happier. Seventy percent would be really, really good and would put the virus to bed. Since the first case was reported in 2020, 15,905 Kenosha County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 as of early Wednesday, of which 59% were reportedly asymptomatic. According to county data, 312 have died, 153 of whom were age 80 or older. David Strash sounds both excited and a bit apprehensive about the 2021 Kenosha Expo Health & Home Show. As chairman of the event, he's excited it's actually happening during a time when so many similar events have been put on hold. But he's apprehensive after moving it outdoors for the first time. "The weather is the No. 1. challenge we face, of course," Strash said of the Expo, set for Saturday in the parking lot outside the Kenosha YMCA, 7101 53rd St. "We're really hoping for a nice day, and the forecast looks really good." (If it does rain, which is unlikely, the Expo takes place Sunday.) "The YMCA has been a very gracious host," Strash added. "They are setting us up in the parking lot and running shuttle buses from nearby Indian Trail High School for parking. And the 'Y' is still able to be open Saturday for its members." The annual event showcasing an array of local businesses and services, along with free health checks and other activities has been lucky so far. The 2020 Expo, held in February, just squeaked in before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down public gatherings. "We were one of the last events, probably the last major event, before everything stopped," Strash said. The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department on Thursday morning identified the victim of a two-car fatal accident Tuesday. Pamela S. Dupuis, of Kenosha, the driver of one of the vehicles involved in the crash in the 3500 block of Green Bay Road, was pronounced dead at the scene. Dupuis's vehicle was struck by a 2015 Subaru driven by Darnell Lyons of Kenosha that was traveling southbound on Green Bay Road (Highway 31) at a high rate of speed when it struck a 2013 Nissan that was attempting to make a left-hand turn onto 35th Street. Police and fire/rescue personnel from the Village of Somers responded to the scene at 2:10 p.m., according to a press release issued Wednesday. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Dupuis was the sole occupant of the Nissan and was ejected into the western ditch line of Highway 31. Both vehicles sustained extensive damage and were towed from the scene. Lyons and the three adults and two children in his vehicle all suffered significant injuries and were transported to local hospitals. The release states that Lyons has a suspended drivers license and is on probation. Several felony charges against Lyons are pending with the Kenosha County District Attorneys Office. FILE - In this April 20, 2017, file photo, Emirates planes are parked at the Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Middle East's largest airline, Emirates, announced on Tuesday a net loss of $5.5 billion over the past year as revenue fell by more than 66% due to global travel restrictions sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. News Defense rests its case in Pembroke triple murder trial with Martin as last witness Court TV Facebook Christian Kit Martin took the stand for a little over three hours Tuesday afternoon in Hardin County court to testify on his own behalf in the 2015 Pembroke triple murder case against him. MARTIN TRIAL PHOTO 1 The defense finished presenting its case Tuesday as the 2015 Pembroke triple murder case approaches its end in Hardin County. Christian Kit Martin, 52, testified as the final witness of the case. Martin was on the stand for around three hours. The defense also called five other witnesses, including a Christian County Sheriffs deputy, two individuals who testified to knowing Justin Elijah Harmon, the defenses private firearms examiner and the defenses investigator. Martin is accused of killing Calvin and Pamela Phillips as well as their neighbor Edward Dansereau, and burning two of the bodies in a vehicle on Nov. 18, 2015. Martin appeared in Hardin County court in front of Christian Circuit Judge John Atkins along with his defense attorneys Tom Griffiths, Doug Moore and Olivia Adams as the defense continued to make its case. Defense calls Martin to the stand Martin took the stand Tuesday and began his testimony by denying the allegations against him in this case. Chris, did you murder these three people?, Griffiths asked as his first question. No, sir, I did not, Martin said in reply. Griffiths continued his questioning asking Martin if he had someone else murder the Phillips couple and Ed Dansereau. No, Martin said. Griffiths then asked Martin if he was behind the charges. No, I think the evidence and the expert testimony has shown that, Martin said, adding that he was fully aware that the prosecution in the case believes he did, stating that he has been in jail for 768 days and five and a half hours. Following Martins denial of the allegations, Griffiths focused on Martins life and military career up until the night of the murders. Griffiths then switched gears and asked Martin about his military dog tags and the dog tag that had been collected as evidence from the Phillips home. Martin denied that the dog tag on a string collected from the Phillips home was his, explaining that all of his dog tags had always been on breakaway chains, came in pairs and had rubber boots, which he said were pieces of rubber that covered the edges of the tags to prevent the tags from glaring or making noise while in combat. Martin specifically stated that he would have never placed any of his dog tags on string and that they had always been kept on a metal breakaway chain. No soldier would do that especially a white string, but they wouldnt put it on a string at all, Martin said. He added that anyone can get a dog tag made anywhere or ordered online. Martin continued to testify, filling in the gaps or issues brought up by the commonwealth during its presentation of the case. One of the main issues was that phone data records had shown that on Nov. 18, 2015, the night of the murders, Martin had set an alarm on his phone to wake up at 1:10 a.m., which is when the commonwealth is accusing Martin of sneaking out of the front door of his home and moving the bodies of Pamela Phillips and Dansereau and burning the vehicle the two were found in. Martin testified that on that night, he had used a new kerosene heater he had recently bought to warm his house. Due to the heater being new, he said he wanted to make sure it was running correctly and safely, prompting him to have to check it and possibly refuel it in the middle of the night. I think that was the first night I was running the new heater, so I was a little concerned about it, Martin said. So, I would usually set my alarm for November through March and during the night to go check on it at least once to refill it and check and make sure everything was going right. Martin added that after he checked the new heater that night he went back to sleep. Martin had also testified that he had been on the Phillips property several times to target shoot his guns with Calvin Phillips. Martin also confirmed during his testimony that his ex-wife Joan Harmon, who the defense has suggested may have committed the murders instead of Martin, had also fired Martins guns behind the Phillips home. Martin recalled Calvin Phillips asking Martin to help him run a concealed carry permit class, but Martin did not have the time or money to do it, but did encourage Harmon to take part. I encouraged Joan (Harmon) to do it and I think Joan, Ed and some other people did it and I think they actually did it in his backyard, Martin said, adding that he and as well as Harmon and their children also shot guns on the Phillips property. Martin also testified to what allegedly occurred the night he and Harmon had separated. Martin explained that the two had gotten into an argument and that Harmon had been yelling loud enough for the neighbors to hear. She started yelling at me some more and finally I got to the point where I was like, Look, I talked to you about this before, Im done. I want a divorce, Martin said. Griffiths asked how she reacted to his statement. She acted violently and she told me, straight up the first thing that came out was If you divorce me, Ill ruin your life, Ill ruin your career, I know how to do it, Martin said. Martin continued to testify that on that night CCSO deputies were called to the home by both Martin and Harmon to intervene in the dispute. Following that domestic dispute, Martin said Harmon issued an emergency protection order against him. The judge later ruled in favor of Martin after Harmon failed to meet her burden of proof of the threat of domestic violence. During his testimony, Martin also confirmed that during the court martial that Harmon and Calvin Phillips allegedly began against him, Martin and his defense counsel subpoenaed Calvin as he was a key witness for the defense. Martin claimed that he intended to call Calvin as a witness as Calvin allegedly denied that he started the court martial against Martin. My private investigators had interviewed Calvin and we have his audio that was actually played on Channel 4 Nashville and he denied all that, Martin said. He was key for me to disprove Joan and also disprove (lead prosecutor in the court martial U.S. Army Maj. James) Garrett at that point. Thats why, at that point, for me, he was my most important witness. Martin also testified that he had never owned the type of ammunition that was found to have killed Calvin, G2 Research RIP .45 caliber rounds. He continued to testify that on the night of Nov. 19, 2015, after he and his lawyer and private investigator learned of the murders, the two advised him to move the .45 Glock that he usually kept in his truck, into his safe, out of fear that Harmon might do something. Finally, Martin testified that on the night of Nov. 18, 2015, he spent the day after coming home from work at Fort Campbell, celebrating his and Laura Spencers anniversary by watching TV, eating dinner and spending time together at the home. Following Martins interview with Griffiths, Attorney General Special Prosecutor Barbara Whaley cross examined Martin, focusing largely on the commonwealths motive in the case, which was that Martin killed Calvin to prevent him from testifying in the court martial. Whaley asked Martin when he learned that the court martial against him came about as a result of Harmon and Calvin Phillips turning in the laptop that was allegedly U.S. Army property to the FBI. I didnt find that out until much later, Martin said. I was just informed that there was a laptop. I had background information showing that it had actually hadnt been an Army laptop since 2007 and it belonged to a unit in Maryland, which Ive never been to, but I tried to provide that. Whaley asked if that didnt stop the court martial, to which Martin confirmed and the court martial against him continued. So, you knew that Joan Harmon with the help of Calvin Phillips, not only turned over the laptop that was found in belongings that had been in your house, turned it into the FBI, but also that Calvin had provided a photograph of Joan Harmons son showing bruises and so forth, Whaley asked Martin. Martin replied stating that he did not know any of that information for several years, but added that he knew Joan was obviously behind it. You, at some point you said, hired private investigators and who specifically went to interview Calvin Phillips, Whaley said to Martin. Later on, yeah, Martin said. Whaley continued to question Martin, asking him to confirm that he intended to call Calvin Phillips to discredit him as a witness and provided to Martin a copy of the subpoena which detailed the purpose behind each witness that the defense would call for the court martial. Martin originally stated that he needed Calvin to discredit Harmon and Garrett, but later confirmed that discrediting Calvin was only a small part of his importance as a witness. So, it wasnt that you thought he would be favorable to you, that effort was to discredit him, Whaley asked. Thats what the attorneys put down there, but we also had the private investigator interviews, Martin said. Whaley also focused on the ballistics testing in the case and the fact that Martin had three .22 caliber guns that were determined by ballistics testing as not being excluded from having fired the projectiles that killed Pamela Phillips and Dansereau, but were also not able to be determined as definitively fired from his guns. You heard the pathologist testify that both Ed Dansereau and Pam Phillips were murdered with .22 caliber bullets, any of which could have been fired in any one of either the two .22 caliber pistols that you owned or the .22 caliber Smith & Wesson .22 rifle, Whaley said. Not my rifles or pistols and thats what the experts say, Martin said. That the .22 bullets could have been fired in either of those guns, Whaley said again. They werent, Martin said in response, adding that he heard that his guns didnt match the bullets, but that they also could not be excluded after Whaley continued to reference the ballistics testing results of his guns. Attorneys on both sides will bring their closing arguments at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Local featured Judge dismisses lawsuit against city and police City, police did not violate rights of 8-year-old student A judge has ruled the city of Key West and its police department did not violate the civil rights of a 8-year-old Gerald Adams Elementary School student, who was arrested and nearly handcuffed after he struck a teacher at school three years ago. Judge K. Michael Moore ruled in favor of the citys and the police departments request for summary judgement in the case, according to the judges ruling issued Monday. The mother of the then 8-year-old boy, Bianca DiGennaro, filed a lawsuit against the city of Key West, the police department, officers Michael Malgrat, Kenneth Waite and Carter Sims and the Monroe County School District, claiming the police did not file proper protocol and violated the boys civil rights. In March, Judge Moore dismissed the lawsuit against the school district and its employees involved in the incident. In its motion for summary judgement, the city cited the fact that the boys father, Herschell Major, requested the boy be placed in handcuffs to teach him a lesson. The school contacted HMMs father, Herschell Major II (Major), who reported to the school, the summary judgement request stated. A discussion between Malgrat and Major took place wherein Major expressed that he wanted HMM to be placed in handcuffs, although the parties dispute the relevance of Majors statement along those lines. Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg said he was pleased that Chief U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore has ruled to close this case and find in favor of our officers motion for summary judgement. We have maintained all along that our officers acted in the best interest of the child and the educational employee involved in the situation, despite the allegations by Ms. DiGennaro, the chief said in an email to The Key West Citizen. Our department continuously strives to protect members of the community with special needs, and we will continue to do so. DiGennaros attorneys filed the lawsuit arguing the school district knew her son suffered from such mental health disabilities as oppositional defiant disorder and attention deficit disorder, and school officials and police did not follow the childs individual educational plan and behavioral intervention plan, according to the lawsuit. Defendants argue that the record does not support that HMM has a disability within the meaning of the ADA or, even if he did, that any of the Defendants had knowledge of a qualifying disability, the ruling stated. Further, no evidence exists of a failure to accommodate HMM after his felony arrest. The boys high-profile attorney, Ben Crump, who also represented George Floyds family, filed the lawsuit in August, a day after he released a copy of a video depicting the 2018 arrest of the student on his Twitter feed. The video shows police officers Waite and Sims asking the boy to turn around and put his hands behind his back in an attempt to handcuff the child. Waite attempted to handcuff the visibly upset boy, but the handcuffs did not fit on the child because he was so small. The officers walked the boy to an awaiting police cruiser. The childs father, Herschell Major, was at the school at the time the child was taken into custody but was not seen in the video. His mother was in Miami at the time of the incident for a doctors appointment, she said. The child was arrested after striking a female teacher in the chest after the teacher attempted to walk the boy out of the lunch room. The boy also told the teacher his mother was going to beat her a-- and not to put her hands on him, according to the police report. The boy was booked at the jail on charges of felony battery, which were later dropped as a result of an agreement with prosecutors and the childs defense attorney. The child was never held in the jail but had a mugshot and his fingerprints taken, the mothers attorneys said. tohara@keysnews.com It's been more than two months since that giant shipping vessel got stuck in the Suez Canal, but companies like IKEA and Lenovo are still fighting to get their products from the now-impounded ship. Here's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. (You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.) 1. Biden trip President Joe Biden is participating in the US-EU summit today in Brussels after yesterday's NATO meeting. Biden and EU leaders will discuss a range of topics aimed at strengthening transatlantic ties, including global health security, global economic recovery, climate crisis solutions, and trade cooperation. Biden will also meet with King Philippe of Belgium and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. During yesterday's NATO summit, NATO members issued a communique highlighting the "threat" presented by Russia and the "challenges" posed by China. They also largely supported the US decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. Biden met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan afterward, adding to his long list of one-on-ones with heads of state during this extended international trip. (After today's meeting with the Belgian King, it's Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow.) 2. Infrastructure Momentum is building in the Senate behind a $1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal. After some rocky negotiations last week, new pressure to get a deal done has led some liberal leaders to warm to a possible smaller package with some assurances from more moderate Democrats that an expanded package could be passed later. Republican leaders say there could be enough support from their side to avoid a filibuster attempt. Details of this plan, announced by a bipartisan group of senators last week, are still not publicly known. Meanwhile, it's no secret that supply chain issues are snarling commerce across the country, and retailers are pleading with the Biden administration to address major logjams at US ports. 3. Coronavirus Covid-19 infections are on the decline, but vaccination efforts could be a top priority for years to come, experts warn. That's because the virus mutates over time -- we've already seen it happen with the several dangerous variants that have emerged. As these variants circle the globe, vaccine rates have to be kept high to prevent more infectious versions from spreading. Right now, rising cases of the Delta variant in the UK have led Prime Minister Boris Johnson to extend long-standing pandemic restrictions. In California, it's a different story: The state has lifted most of its Covid-19 restrictions as part of a "grand reopening" that will see the end of capacity limits, physical distancing and mask requirements for vaccinated citizens. 4. SCOTUS Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to block a possible Biden Supreme Court pick in election year 2024 if the GOP wins back the Senate next year. McConnell, who made the remarks on a conservative radio show yesterday, didn't even guarantee he would support a confirmation in 2023. McConnell was the one who blocked then-President Barack Obama's Supreme Court pick, Merrick Garland, eight months before the 2016 election. Yet, he supported the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett, Trump's SCOTUS pick, just days before the 2020 election. This latest vow has set off alarm bells among Democrats, and the issue of a new SCOTUS justice could come in the foreseeable future. Some liberals are urging Justice Stephen Breyer to retire after the current court session. 5. Hungary Thousands of Hungarians gathered outside parliament in Budapest yesterday to protest against legislation that would ban discussions of homosexuality or gender change in schools. The legislation is part of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's long and controversial anti-LGBTQ agenda. In the past, Orban's government has redefined marriage in the constitution as the union between one man and one woman, and limited gay adoption. It also outlawed legal status for transgender people. Opposition parties and rights groups have urged parliament not to vote on the new law today. Orban's policies have deeply divided the central European nation, which could see even more rancor as the country faces new elections in 2022. BREAKFAST BROWSE Jersey Devil, world's tallest single-rail coaster, opens at Six Flags Great Adventure If you ever wanted to blow your fear of heights right out of your system, here's the opportunity. New space telescope could spot potentially hazardous asteroids heading for Earth The key is actually doing something about them, though. World's smallest dinosaur is actually a 'weird' prehistoric lizard, scientists say Now now, let's be nice! Team GB unveils 2021 Olympic uniform, inspired by the 1960s Heck yeah, it's Olympic fashion season, baby! Here's why you hate the sound of your own voice Unfortunately, you really do sound like that. TODAY'S NUMBER 125 That's the all-time high heat record for the state of Nevada, set in 1994. That and several other heat records could be broken this week as a historic drought and heat wave envelops the western US. TODAY'S QUOTE "The participation of some domestic violent extremists (DVE) who are also self-identified QAnon adherents in the violent siege of the US Capitol on 6 January underscores how the current environment likely will continue to act as a catalyst for some to begin accepting the legitimacy of violent action." an FBI memo to lawmakers warning that QAnon conspiracy theorists may carry out more acts of violence if they take their actions from online into the real world. TODAY'S WEATHER Check your local forecast here>>> AND FINALLY Just toss it against a wall and see what sticks Watching how food commercials are produced will somehow make you hungry AND make you lose your appetite at the same time. (Click here to view) By Damali Mukhaye The surging new Covid-19 infections are putting pressure on the countrys health facilities. A number of private hospitals are now full to capacity and some have resorted to sending away covid-19 patients especially those in critical condition because of limited space. According to directors of various hospitals, it is very costly to manage huge numbers at their facilities because they have to hire extra nurses, doctors, and specialists to handle these patients. The Acting Medical Director, Medipal International Hospital, Dr Richard Kikundwa, says they can accommodate only 50 Covid-19 patients at their facility and they have now run of beds. The situation is not different at International Hospital Kampala, where their Head of Marketing and Communications, Peter Mulindwa says they have the capacity of only 25 beds for covid-19 patients which are all full. Meanwhile, Siraj Mbulambago, the Kibuli Hospital Administrator says they are treating only patients with mild and moderate symptoms and can accommodate just 15 a day. The Director of TMR International Hospital, Naalya, Dr Daniel Taremwa says they are only able to attend to 20 patients on a daily basis because of the additional costs involved. Uganda yesterday registered 25 deaths, the highest ever recorded in a day, bringing the total number to 459. The ministry of health data released yesterday shows that the total number of infections now stands at 64,521. By Franklin Draku Uganda is today set to receive its second batch of Covid-19 vaccines today. According to officials from both the ministry of health and Unicef Uganda, a total of 175,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines were donated by the French Embassy under the Covax programme. Emmanuel Ayinebyoona, the ministry of health spokesperson said in a tweet on Monday that the vaccines would arrive at 10 pm. While Catherine Natbadde, the Unicef country communication specialist says the vaccines are already in transit. The latest donation adds to the 964,000 doses the country received in March. The ministry of health permanent secretary Dr Diana Atwine says the government is working with manufacturers to procure more doses and that discussions are already ongoing. Two supporters of the National Unity Platform Eddie Mutwe and Nubian Lee say they were humiliated and psychologically tortured after they were arrested last December. Edward Sebuwufu, also known as Eddy Mutwe says he was humiliated and asked to undress by some of the security operatives at the prison where they were kept. They told me to remove my boxer and put me on the side while looking at me. I refused at first, he said. Nubian Li says the conditions in the prison were very harsh and slept on wet floors. They used to pour water in the cells and you could sleep on the cold floors, he said. Nubian Li, Eddie Mutwe, producer Daniel Brenny Oyerwot alias Dan Magic and 15 others were released on bail by the General Court Martial chaired by Lt. Gen Andrew Gutti after spending six months on remand following their arrest in December last year in Kalangala where they had accompanied the National Unity Platform (NUP) president, Mr Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, on a campaign trail. Watch video: https://www.ntv.co.ug/ug/news/national/nubian-li-eddie-mutwe-narrate-prison-experiences-3438872 By Benjamin Jumbe More refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to arrive in Uganda. The refugees fleeing conflict in their area are arriving via the Bundibugyo District through the porous border points. According to the Uganda Red Cross spokesperson Irene Nakasiita 40 came into Bubukwang transit center and over 100 are in the community (Burondo sub-county) currently at Burondo primary school. By Monday evening, new arrivals stood at 974 people. By Benjamin Jumbe President Museveni is this morning expected to officially launch Mpondwe Bridge in Kasese district together with his DR Congo counterpart Felix Tshisekedi. The bridge links Uganda to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The two heads of state are also expected later in the day to commission construction of major road infrastructure projects in DR Congo by both governments. President Museveni recently defended investment in infrastructure development in DR Congo, arguing that it was aimed at boosting trade. By Damali Mukhaye Uganda National Examination Board has revealed that it will release the primary leaving examination at the end of this month, June. Over 740,000 pupils sat for the 2020 academic year examination in March. The spokesperson of Uneb, Jenipher Kalule says that the board security meeting handling suspected malpractice cases is sitting today. She says that next will be data entry of results ahead of the release expected at the end of this month. This means the exams will either be released next week or next week but one. She says that the board will communicate the exact date when exams will be released. By Benjamin Jumbe With the end of the 2020/21 Financial Year fast approaching, Ugandan business people are urged to file returns and pay their taxes before the June 30th deadline. Failure results in penalties and as such, Uganda Revenue Authority and its partners are seeking to enable businesses by facilitating them to mitigate the risk of these penalties. In a joint business advisory, the Uganda Manufacturers Association Executive Director Daniel Birungi and Kampala City Traders Association chairperson Everest Kayondo have offered guidance to businesses to streamline their tax matters as a safeguard against fines that result from tax non-compliance. According to Birungi, tax compliance is not only good for the economy and vital for keeping the wheels of government turning, but also ensures that companies do not suffer undue interruptions to their operations occasioned by sanctions for non-compliance Meanwhile, the URA Commissioner General John Rukoji Musinguzi has given assurance to the business community that the authoritys officers in all stations across the country are ready to support them in meeting this crucial deadline. And in observance of the Covid-19 SOPs, taxpayers are encouraged to use the online services to file their returns and make payments. Weather Alert ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM PDT SUNDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions combined with limited night time cooling. * WHERE...Portions of North and North Central Idaho. Portions of Central, East Central, North Central, Northeast, and Southeast Washington. * WHEN...Until 7 PM PDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat. 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. Going to a place with air conditioning even for a couple hours can help mitigate heat stress. Consider going to a shopping mall, local library, or community center for relief. Do not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles. Car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes. 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. && It's a whole new world for social media businesses, and now an Irish college is offering the first-ever course in how to become an influencer. Institute of Technology Carlow has launched Digital Hustle - Irelands first school for influencers this week. It is Irelands first online summer course for teenagers who are interesting in learning how to become a social media influencer. And there has already been a huge reaction to the offering with just a few course places left. Digital Hustle, Irelands first school for influencers is funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and is open to TY and senior cycle secondary school students who are interested in developing an online presence, an online business or launching a fan page or a social justice campaign. Starting on 21st June, the week-long course will teach how to build a personal brand. The course was created and designed by Dr Irene McCormick after hearing a career guidance expert discuss how influencing should be seen as a career choice. Many people consider influencers self-absorbed when, in fact, they are incredibly hard-working, industrious people. There is still a mentality out there that if someone says they want to be an influencer people snigger, but if any of us were doing a side-hustle making 500 a month we would be thrilled, commented Dr McCormick. The course will feature a number of successful influencers who will teach students about the basics of growing their following and capitalising on their brand. They include: IT Carlow PR and media student Lauren Whelan, who has amassed over 600,000 followers on TikTok and fronted social media campaigns for Samsung, Lifestyle Sports, Amazon Prime and Subway; Nia Gall, considered one of the most popular TikTok stars in Ireland, with 285,000 followers; and the teen coffee entrepreneurs behind Quirky Coffee, who are navigating the big world of digital marketing and brand building online. Speakers will also include IT Carlow academics and marketing experts, including Dr Eleanor OLeary (popular culture), Dorothy Keane (marketing) and Ciaran OLoan (brand planning). The course will also advise on digital identities, the psychology of memes, protecting your privacy and mental health, and telling your story online. For further information, email DigitalHustle@ITCarlow.ie. CLAREMONT TOWNSHIP, Minn. A truck/car collision in Dodge County sends one person to the hospital. It happened around 11:18 am Wednesday at the intersection of Highway 14 and 150th Avenue in Dodge County. The Minnesota State Patrol says Thomas James Wagner, 22 of Cottage Grove, was driving a truck west and Penny Lee Maas, 80 of Claremont, was eastbound in her car when they crashed. Maas suffered what is described as a non-life threatening injury and was taken to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester for treatment. Neither Wagner nor a passenger in his truck were hurt. The Dodge County Sheriffs Office assisted with this accident. MASON CITY, Iowa - The 4th of July weekend will be here before you know it, and that means stocking up on fireworks. But with the extended hot temperatures we've been enduring, could fireworks spark a grass fire or something worse? Despite open fireworks sales, Mason City residents currently are not allowed to shoot them off within city limits until July 3 and 4, and only from 6-9 p.m. In addition, they must be shot off only on private property, and is illegal to shoot them off in unincorporated Cerro Gordo County. With the drought we are experiencing, Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal Jamey Medlin is advising caution when having fun this season. "When the fireworks go up in the air, there's debris coming down somewhere. And with how dry it's been, we want to make sure we don't start any grass fires or vegetation type fires." Before lighting off Roman candles or mortar rounds, Medlin urges folks to have some way to extinguish any potential flare ups like a hose or a bucket of water. "The biggest thing is you've got to be careful if you shoot something or light it and it does not go off, you've got make sure you don't walk near that. Let it sit for a period of time so that there's no injuries and accidentally going off at a different time." Since fireworks were legalized in Iowa in 2017, Medlin says they were determined to be the cause of a garage fire and a dumpster fire. To report fireworks violations, contact Mason City Police at 641-421-3001. NEW ORLEANS (AP) The Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water was blocked Tuesday by a federal judge in Louisiana who ordered that plans continue for lease sales that were delayed for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska waters and all eligible onshore properties. The decision is a blow to Democratic President Joe Biden's efforts to rapidly transition the nation away from fossil fuels and thereby stave off the worst effects of climate change, including catastrophic droughts, floods and wildfires. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty's ruling came in a lawsuit filed in March by Louisiana Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states. Doughty said his ruling applies nationwide. It grants a preliminary injunction technically a halt to the suspension pending further arguments on the merits of the case. The omission of any rational explanation in cancelling the lease sales, and in enacting the Pause, results in this Court ruling that Plaintiff States also have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of this claim, he wrote. We are reviewing the judges opinion and will comply with the decision," Melissa Schwartz of the Interior Department said in an email. "The Interior Department continues to work on an interim report that will include initial findings on the state of the federal conventional energy programs, as well as outline next steps and recommendations for the Department and Congress to improve stewardship of public lands and waters, create jobs, and build a just and equitable energy future. The moratorium was imposed after Biden on Jan. 27 signed executive orders to fight climate change. The suit was filed in March. The Interior Department later canceled oil and gas lease sales from public lands through June affecting Nevada, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and the bureaus eastern region. Biden's orders included a call for Interior officials to review if the leasing program unfairly benefits companies at the expense of taxpayers, as well as the program's impact on climate change. The 13 states that sued said the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken, and that the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs. Doughty heard arguments in the case last week in Lafayette. Federal lawyers argued that the public notice and comment period doesn't apply to the suspension, that the lease sales aren't required by law and that the Secretary of the Interior has broad discretion in leasing decisions. No existing lease has been cancelled as a result of any of the actions challenged here, and development activity from exploration through drilling and production has continued at similar levels as the preceding four years, lawyers for the administration argued in briefs. But Doughty sided with the plaintiff states attorneys, who argued that the delay of new leasing cost states revenue from rents and royalties. Millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake, wrote Doughty, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Donald Trump in 2017. Local government funding, jobs for Plaintiff State workers, and funds for the restoration of Louisianas Coastline are at stake, he added, alluding to a possible loss of oil and gas revenue that pays for Louisiana efforts to restore coastal wetlands. Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia are the other plaintiff states. This is a victory not only for the rule of law, but also for the thousands of workers who produce affordable energy for Americans, Landry said in a statement issued shortly after the ruling. MASON CITY, Iowa A man facing two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child is pleading not guilty. An arrest warrant was issued for Nathaniel Scott Pearce, 35 of Mason City, on May 17 after an investigation that began with a welfare check at a Mason City home. Pearce is accused of sexually abusing two children on multiple occasions over the course of many years. Pearce was arrested on May 20 in Shakopee, Minnesota, and was extradited back to Cerro Gordo County. He remains in jail on $50,000 bond. Pearces trial is scheduled to start on July 27. RUSHFORD, Minn. - The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Wednesday released the names of those involved in an officer-involved shooting. The BCA said Darin Daveau, a Rushford police officer, discharged his weapon during the June 12 incident. Ibraheem Farah Hamza Khalifa, 35, of Rushford, was taken into custody at the scene and is being held at the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center. He is facing felony charges related to violating a restraining order. A rifle was recovered at the scene, and the BCA said neither the officer nor the suspect was struck by gunfire. The Fillmore County Attorney filed charges against Mr. Khalifa on June 15 in Fillmore County District Court. "The BCA investigation of the use of force is ongoing. Once its investigation is complete, the BCA will turn its findings over without recommendation to the Fillmore County Attorneys Office for review," the BCA said. UPDATE: The Mason City Police Department says Dakota Finley has been located and is safe and thanks the community for their help in attempting to locate him. Previous story below MASON CITY, Iowa Police are asking for the publics help in finding a missing teen with Asperger's Syndrome. The Mason City Police Department says Dakota Finley was last seen at his home near 9th Street and South Georgia Avenue around 10 pm Tuesday. He is described a 55 and around 80 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair pulled back into a shoulder-length ponytail. Police say Dakota is possibly wearing a black shirt with wrestling images on it, black shorts, and black flip-flops and may be carrying a backback. Dakota is described as having difficulty socializing with other and preferring to be alone so he could be seeking refuge in more secluded areas. Police say going missing like this is not typical behavior for Dakota and is cause for concern. Anyone with information on Dakota Finely or his whereabouts should contact the Mason City Police Department immediately. ROCHESTER, Minn. -This week the Rochester Fire Department is hosting a hazardous materials training for all of its firefighters. Around 90 firefighters will go through the four-hour training over a six-day period to learn how to mitigate a dangerous chemical incident. RPD is a chemical assessment team for Minnesota and covers several counties in the southeast part of the state so if theres a hazardous chemical incident the department responds. Firefighters have been working on mitigating a chlorine leak on top of a simulated train car this week. Captain Ross Baker says the team only responds to incidents about four times a year, and while its rare, its a very high-risk situation so the department needs to be prepared. He explained, It's got multiple different moving parts so you have to do this so often or you forget the order that things happen. It's like a giant directors set and you're doing it on top of a rail car that's leaking chlorine so you want to know what you're doing before you get down there and set foot on the car. The department also received a new hazardous materials truck about two months that will help firefighters better respond to chemical incidents. ST. PAUL, Minn. A convicted killer from Rochester wins only a minor victory from the Minnesota Supreme Court. Malcolm Jammal Woods, 29, was convicted of first- and second-degree murder and sentenced in February 2020 to life in prison without a chance for parole. Authorities say Woods and two other people murdered Brandon Arndt on September 10, 2018. Arndt was shot as he opened the back door to his house in response to a knock. Court documents state Woods and his co-defendants incorrectly blamed Arndt for a medical problem with Woods grandmother. Woods, who defended himself at his Olmsted County trial, appealed his conviction. Woods claimed he did not voluntarily waive his right to counsel and that his request for an appointed legal advisor to take over as his defense attorney was wrongly denied. Woods also argued a conviction for second-degree murder should not have been made after he was found guilty of first-degree murder. The Minnesota Supreme Court has rejected Woods claims regarding his legal representation. The Court says Woods twice declared his intention to defend himself at trial and even asked that his advisory lawyer be discharged from the case. However, the Minnesota Supreme Court says since Woods was convicted of first-degree murder, a guilty finding for the lesser included offense of second-degree murder was improper and has vacated that conviction. Woods life sentence for first-degree murder remains in place. To read the full court opinion, click here. For the other two defendants in this case: Darien Kristopher Klindworth-Woods was given 20 years of supervised probation Friday and ordered to perform 100 hours of community work service. He pleaded guilty to aiding an offender-accomplice after the fact. Kielah Parsons entered an Alford Plea to aiding an offender and was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison. An Alford plea means Parsons does not admit guilt but accepts sentencing. ROCHESTER, Minn. - RPS is sharing how some students impacted by impending boundary changes may be able to stay at their current schools. The Rochester Public School Board approved new attendance boundaries earlier this month, which will shift where some students go to school starting fall of 2022. At Tuesday night's school board meeting, the district shared details on which students it's likely to let stay at the schools they're attending now. The district plans to allow students entering 5th or 8th grade in the fall of 2022 to finish their final school year at their current school building, so long as space is available for them. Siblings of those students will also be able to stay at their school for one more year, contingent on space. While RPS Superintendent Michael Munoz says plans for exemptions at the elementary level are well established, there are still challenges to be addressed for high schoolers. "There are 260 high school students, if you take 12th graders and siblings, that will be impacted by the boundary changes, and we need to spend a little more time looking at the transportation piece of that, and the capacity," Munoz told the school board. "For example, 137 high school students from Mayo are scheduled to go to century. 123 john Marshall students are scheduled to go to Century. As you know, as we speak now, Mayo is our largest high school - a little over 2,000 students. If we allow all 137, and I'm not saying they would all want to, then it could be a capacity issue." Munoz believes the district will likely be able to provide more answers to families of impacted high schoolers by July or August. RPS says it will be reaching out to families impacted by the change to see if they are interested in applying for an exception. Superintendent Munoz Says Goodbye to RPS Community members and district leaders sent off outgoing superintendent Michael Munoz Tuesday night. Munoz is stepping down after admitting to plagiarism. During last night's school board meeting, Munoz received a gift, standing ovation, and commendations on his work in the district over the past decade. While his time leading RPS wasn't perfect, Superintendent Munoz hopes he's remembered for the entirety of his work during his tenure. "When I started in 2011, I wanted to leave the district better than when I came. I believe I have done that," Munoz said, choking back tears. "Like most of us, I was not perfect. What I hope is people will look at my entire 10 years here, my work in full, and say, 'the good offsets the bad,' and that I made a difference in the lives of our students and community." Dr. Kent Pekel will begin overseeing RPS as interim superintendent July 1st. MASON CITY, Iowa The three teens arrested for a double-stabbing in Mason City are pleading not guilty. Jaden Charles Edel, 18 of Belmond, is charged with first-degree robbery and Dominic Lee Fogarty, 17 of Rowan, and David Daniel Gordon, 17 of Belmond, are charged with first-degree robbery and willful injury causing serious injury. The Mason City Police Department says the three teens attacked a juvenile male and an adult male in the area of 15th Street NE and N Pennsylvania Avenue on April 1. One victim was stabbed in the back and another in the head and both needed medical treatment. Edel and Fogarty are scheduled to stand trial on July 27 while Gordons trial is set to begin August 24. Jasper, TX (75951) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 89F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Weather Alert ...Forecast flooding changed from Minor to Moderate severity and increased in duration for the following rivers in Missouri... Missouri River 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. && ...Forecast flooding increased from Minor to Moderate severity and increased in duration until early Monday morning... The Flood Warning continues for the Missouri River at Jefferson City. * Until early Monday morning. * At 7:45 PM CDT Thursday the stage was 26.0 feet. * Flood stage is 23.0 feet. * Moderate flooding is occurring and moderate flooding is forecast. * Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hours ending at 7:45 PM CDT Thursday was 26.1 feet. * Forecast...The river is expected to rise to a crest of 26.1 feet just after midnight tonight. It will then fall below flood stage Saturday evening. * Impact...At 26.0 feet, Pumping from a ditch in Hartsburg, MO begins. At this height...numerous county roads near McBaine... Easley...and Ashland are flooded. These include Coats Lane... Grocery Branch...Burr Oak...Old Plank...Cedar Tree...Jemerson Creek...Christian School...Claysville...and Soft Pit Hill Roads. && Fld Observed Forecasts (7 pm CDT) Location Stg Stg Day/Time Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Missouri River Jefferson Cit 23.0 26.0 Thu 7 pm 26.1 22.8 19.0 15.3 11.8 && Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group By Kim Hyun-bin Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun visited U.S. autonomous-driving affiliate, Motional, and robotics company, Boston Dynamics, which it recently acquired, to inspect the progress of innovative technologies. The chairman met with management officials at the two affiliates and discussed the direction of technology they plan to take, the company said, Wednesday. This marks the first visit by the chairman to Motional since Hyundai inked a deal with U.S. mobility startup, Aptiv, to form the $4 billion joint venture in March 2020. Chung emphasized in a New Year's message the need for a major transition towards new growth engines and his visit to Motional shows the chairman's willingness to enhance the competitiveness of Hyundai's autonomous driving technology. Motional is scheduled to launch its commercial "robotaxi" service on select U.S. routes by 2023 in a partnership with ride-sharing platform, Lyft, using Hyundai's IONIQ 5 electric vehicle, which is undergoing testing. Chung test drove an IONIQ 5 fitted with Motional's next-generation, autonomous-driving platform and inspected the state of technology development for the autonomous vehicles. Hyundai Motor plans to combine the automaker's design, development and manufacturing know-how with Motional's self-driving technologies to speed up development of the autonomous platform. In 2015, Motional became the first to launch autonomous vehicles in the U.S. The following year, the company was the world's first in the world to launch a pilot robotaxi project in Singapore. In February of this year, Motional tested self-driving vehicles on roads in Las Vegas, becoming one of the world's first companies to obtain Level 4 autonomous driving technology with over 100,000 passengers utilizing the robotaxi service in the city. At Level 4, a vehicle can drive itself under limited conditions. At Level 5, a vehicle's automated driving features can operate the vehicle under any conditions. "Utilizing the IONIQ 5 for the robotaxi services grabs two rising mobility trends, combining electrification and autonomous driving technologies," a Hyundai Motor Group official said. "This will become a signal for a revolution in the future mobility sector." Chung also visited Boston Dynamics to discuss the latest robotics technology trends. Boston Dynamics was first established by MIT as an in-house venture in 1992, but is now a key player in the robotics sector. Last year, the U.S. robotics company inked a joint development deal with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop "Au-Spot," a canine robot designed for Mars exploration. Au-Spot is a modified version of "Spot," the flagship four-legged mechanical explorer created by Boston Dynamics. Hyundai believes there will be a drastic increase in global demand for robots, which led to the decision to acquire an 80 percent stake in Boston Dynamics for $1.1 billion in December to utilize its robotics technology in a wide range of industrial fields. The automaker aims to create synergy between robotics, autonomous vehicles, urban air mobility and smart factories. The chairman's second U.S. visit this year shows his willingness to foster new growth drivers in the key market as the group plans to invest 8.1 trillion won in the U.S. by 2025 to expand its presence in EVs and the smart mobility solutions fields. Michael J. Hicks, Ph.D. , is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and the George and Frances Ball distinguished professor of economics in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University. Contact him at cberdi rector@bsu.edu. If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. Submit PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) - One day after a Portland police officer was indicted for excessive use of force, FOX 12 learned that the Oregon Department of Justice is investigating a police detective for his use of force stemming from a riot in September. The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office says they requested the state DOJ's involvement due to a potential conflict of interest because the detective has worked with them. Three weeks ago, FOX 12 talked with Elijah Warren and his attorney about his lawsuit against Portland Police Detective Erik Kammerer and the city. Warren says he was wrongly attacked and wounded at his home in Sept. 2020. He says after tear gas seeped into his house, causing his son and dog to suffer, he went outside to talk to an officer. The lawsuit says that he was then hit from behind by Kammerer in the back of the head by a baton. "I went outside to find a police officer, to find out what was going on, and thats when I got assaulted," Warren told FOX 12. "I was hit behind my ear with a police baton, and it busted up the whole right side of my ear and I had to get stitches." The lawsuit states that other officers had to pull Kammerer off Warren who suffered a concussion and more. The lawsuit seeks $400,000 in damages for medical bills and emotional suffering and claims the city was negligent on two fronts: for not providing the officer adequate training and not disciplining him for what it calls past misuses of force on the job. FOX 12 learned Kammerer is also being investigated because of another lawsuit by a Portland woman. She claims he falsified information to get her arrested during a protest in Aug. 2019. The DOJ says they can't release any further details about the investigation at this time. Weather Alert ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT SATURDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Dangerously hot temperatures of 96 to 102 degrees are forecast for several consecutive days. Temperatures will only cool off to around 65 degrees at night. * WHERE...Portions of central, south central, and southeast Montana. * WHEN...Until Midnight MDT Saturday Night. * IMPACTS...A prolonged period of hot temperatures will increase the threat of heat related illnesses for those with prolonged exposure. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The hottest temperatures are expected on Saturday. 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. Do not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles. Car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && NEW ORLEANS (AP) The Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water was blocked Tuesday by a federal judge in Louisiana who ordered that plans continue for lease sales that were delayed for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska waters and all eligible onshore properties. The decision is a blow to Democratic President Joe Biden's efforts to rapidly transition the nation away from fossil fuels and thereby stave off the worst effects of climate change, including catastrophic droughts, floods and wildfires. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty's ruling came in a lawsuit filed in March by Louisiana Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states. Doughty said his ruling applies nationwide. It grants a preliminary injunction technically a halt to the suspension pending further arguments on the merits of the case. The omission of any rational explanation in cancelling the lease sales, and in enacting the Pause, results in this Court ruling that Plaintiff States also have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of this claim, he wrote. We are reviewing the judges opinion and will comply with the decision," an Interior Department statement emailed by communications director Melissa Schwartz said. "The Interior Department continues to work on an interim report that will include initial findings on the state of the federal conventional energy programs, as well as outline next steps and recommendations for the Department and Congress to improve stewardship of public lands and waters, create jobs, and build a just and equitable energy future. The moratorium was imposed after Biden on Jan. 27 signed executive orders to fight climate change. The suit was filed in March. The Interior Department later canceled oil and gas lease sales from public lands through June affecting Nevada, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and the bureaus eastern region. Biden's orders included a call for Interior officials to review if the leasing program unfairly benefits companies at the expense of taxpayers, as well as the program's impact on climate change. The 13 states that sued said the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken, and that the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs. Doughty heard arguments in the case last week in Lafayette. Federal lawyers argued that the public notice and comment period doesn't apply to the suspension, that the lease sales aren't required by law and that the Secretary of the Interior has broad discretion in leasing decisions. No existing lease has been cancelled as a result of any of the actions challenged here, and development activity from exploration through drilling and production has continued at similar levels as the preceding four years, lawyers for the administration argued in briefs. But Doughty sided with the plaintiff states attorneys, who argued that the delay of new leasing cost states revenue from rents and royalties. Millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake, wrote Doughty, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Donald Trump in 2017. Local government funding, jobs for Plaintiff State workers, and funds for the restoration of Louisianas Coastline are at stake, he added, alluding to a possible loss of oil and gas revenue that pays for Louisiana efforts to restore coastal wetlands. This is fantastic news for workers in Louisiana whose livelihoods are being threatened by the administrations thoughtless energy policy, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said in a statement. But not everyone was supportive of the judge's decision. The judges order turns a blind eye to runaway climate pollution thats devastating our planet, said Randi Spivak, public lands program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Well keep fighting against the fossil-fuel industry and the politicians that are bought by them. Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia are the other plaintiff states. This is a victory not only for the rule of law, but also for the thousands of workers who produce affordable energy for Americans, Landry said in a statement issued shortly after the ruling. Associated Press reporter Matt Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report. (The Center Square) - President Joe Biden is looking to back up his tough rhetoric on China through new agreements with the European Union and changes to tariff policy. The U.S. and EU announced it will put a five-year halt on tariffs imposed on Airbus and Boeing commercial airplanes, the latest move by the Biden administration to compete with China. The hiatus will go into effect on July 11, after a previous four-month halt expires, and will still allow flexibly for the U.S. to reimplement tariffs if it so chooses. The Airbus-Boeing dispute between the U.S. and EU has been ongoing since 2004 but may now finally be coming to an end. The U.S. and EU will work together in specific ways that reflect our high standards, including collaborating on inward and outbound investment and technology transfer, Biden said. Its a model we can build on for other challenges posed by Chinas economic model. The dispute stemmed from tariffs and tax breaks given to and imposed against French airplane manufacturer Airbus and American airplane manufacturer Boeing by the EU and U.S. in recent years. The dispute reached a peak in 2019 when the U.S. imposed steep tariffs on Airbus after it was found by the World Trade Organization that the EU had unfairly given the French manufacturer subsidies. The dispute between the U.S. and EU also reached into the steel industry with its own set of tariffs by both sides, which both parties agreed to suspend last month. The goal of these deals are to lower prices of products such as steel or, in this case, airplanes in order to compete with intense competition from state-sponsored Chinese companies. The deal is in stark contrast to the Trump administrations approach to trade disputes with Europe, as expressed by U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai on a press call Tuesday. Instead of fighting with one of our closest allies, we are finally coming together against a common threat, Tai said. We agreed to work together to challenge and counter Chinas non-market practices in this sector in specific ways that reflect our standards for fair competition. The softer approach to Europe contrasts the scrutiny former President Donald Trump gave when evaluating deals and agreements, like NATO, with the belief that many nations were taking advantage of American generosity. Biden at his meetings with the G-7 and NATO agreed to many broad pacts and initiatives against China and their aggression, but this deal will likely be among the more significant agreements. The removal of tariffs will please free market groups but other critics remain skeptical of Biden and the EUs lack of substantial action against the Chinese. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., blasted Biden for weak action against China and other adversaries during an appearance on Fox News Channel on Tuesday. Biden is making our adversaries stronger," McCarthy said. "Russia is stronger today under a Biden administration than he was under the past administration. China is stronger today." A test for Bidens strength against China is mounting amid agreements for a global corporate tax rate at the G-7. China is looking for exemptions to the agreed upon 15% minimum corporate tax rate. Domestically Biden has endorsed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which passed through the Senate with bipartisan support and is currently being considered in the House. The bill would authorize $250 million in funds to compete against China through technology and innovation. The agreement between the U.S. and EU is centered around helping prevent being undercut by China, but Tai made clear on her call with reporters the EU would not be able to undercut the U.S. with this deal. Should EU support cross a red line and U.S. producers are not able to compete fairly and on a level playing field, the United States retains the flexibility to reactivate the tariffs that are being suspended, Tai said. UPDATE: JUNE 24 AT 10:34 A.M. The Deep Creek Canyon Fire is 95-percent contained as of Thursday, Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1 wrote in a release. Crews are continuing to clear hazardous trees near Highway 12 and around power lines to reduce the dangers to the commuting public and utility infrastructure. We are expecting to have the power restored to the Grassy Mountain subdivision around noon today. Give or take a couple hours. At this time, we still have at least one pole to set and a few spans of wire to string in. We made good progress yesterday. Again, this was very dangerous work, in steep and rugged terrain and I am proud of the way the guys handled the adversities," Vigilante Electric Cooperative said in the release. "In addition, I am very pleased and encouraged with the way the entire group of diverse interests related to this fire came together and worked as a team to get us through what started as literally a life or death crisis. Kudos to all involved because it did take a true team effort!! Rollie Miller, General Manager. On Wednesday, crews looked for areas of heat along the fire's perimeter, but no heat spots were found within the 95 percent contained area. Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1 said crews will work to put out the pockets of heat over the next several days. They said smoke coming from stumps and logs may be seen within the fire for the next several weeks. Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1 said the 35-mile-per-hour speed limit is strictly enforced on Highway 12 for the safety of the public, firefighters and utility workers in the fire area. Travelers are asked to be extermely careful driving on Highway 12 and to not stop along the highway. Drivers should expect delays. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: UPDATE: JUNE 23 AT 11:06 A.M. Firefighters are working with line personnel from Vigilante Electric Cooperative to remove hazard trees near Highway 12 and around power lines to mitigate risks to the traveling public and utility infrastructure. Rollie Miller, Vigilante Electric Cooperative General Manager says power will be restored Thursday. We have 52 of the 58 poles set and we are hoping the worst of those to set are behind us, Miller said. We still need to string the wire into some of the poles that were set [Tuesday]. There is quite a bit of cleanup work to do but we will do that after the power is restored. On Wednesday, fire crews will mop up and patrol the fires perimeter an update from the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest said. According to the update, resources are shifting to the northwest flank to concentrate efforts to mop up and secure the perimeter in that area to contain any remaining hot spots. Smoke could be visible from the interior of the fires perimeter for the next several weeks the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest says. As of Wednesday morning, the Deep Creek Fire is 4,648 acres large and is 90 percent contained. UPDATE: JUNE 22 AT 10:40 P.M. The fire is at 4,648 acres and is 90% contained, according to InciWeb. Reportedly, 349 personnel are still fighting the blaze. Some Evacuation Orders were lifted, however, those residents are in the SET status and should be prepared to evacuate again if conditions change. UPDATE: JUNE 22 AT 5:10 P.M. All evacuations orders and evacuation warnings are lifted in the Broadwater County side of the Deep Creek Canyon Fire area, according to the Broadwater County Sheriff's Office. UPDATE: JUNE 21 AT 9:30 P.M. According to InciWeb, the fire is now 75% contained. UPDATE: JUNE 21 AT 2:20 P.M. The Deep Creek Canyon Fire is 48% contained, according to InciWeb. Slight rainfall helped firefighters battle the blaze yesterday, but some areas were not affected by the precipitation. UPDATE: JUNE 20 AT 11:04 A.M. Montana DNRC says good progress is being made in many areas of the Deep Creek Canyon Fire. On Sunday morning, the Montana DNRC reported the Deep Creek Canyon Fire is now 15 percent contained and 4,648 acres large. Minimal fire spread is anticipated Sunday as containment of the fire is expected to increase steadily as crews mop up. Areas with continuous fuels will require additional attention over the coming days. The DNRC says structure protection personnel are building on previously collected assessment data. As of Sunday, aircraft have dropped a combined 280,000 gallons of water and 24,000 gallons of retardant. Vigilante Electric Cooperative says they have 19 people working to get line rebuilt after over three miles of line was destroyed. We have 58 structures that we need to set either by hand or with equipment when the individual sites can be accessed, Vigilante Electric Cooperative general manager, Rollie Miller said. We have about 1/3 of the structures set and are expecting a good day today with it being a little cooler and we had a specialty pole setting skidder delivered. This is very dangerous work and safety of the crews working up there is paramount. At this time, Vigilante Electric Cooperative expects to have an estimated power on date as early as Sunday night. UPDATE: JUNE 19 AT 11:28 A.M. The evacuation order for residents in the Grassy Mountain area was lifted as of 8:00 am Saturday. At this time the area is in SET status, meaning residents should be prepared to leave if fire conditions change. As of an update from the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest on Saturday morning, the Deep Creek Canyon Fire is 4,648 acres large and is 7 percent contained. Additional firefighting resources arrived the fire Friday and crews on the southwestern edge secured the established fire line and continued to mop up and cold trail. The structure protection group scouted the Grassy Mountain area to assess values at risk and develop mitigation plans. The helibase in Townsend was very active supporting five helicopters dropping water on all areas of the fire. The Super Scoopers have dropped over 80,000 gallons of water to date according to an update from the U.S. Forest Service Saturday. On Saturday, the update says minimal fire activity will continue with the wind pushing the fire back into previously burned areas, which will allow firefighters to secure more of the fire perimeter. The northwest flank of the fire is dotted with spot fires in steep terrain and will continue to be a challenge to crews, the update reads. Construction of hand line in the continuous timber fuels on the south side of the fire will be a labor-intensive process over the next few days. Those traveling on Highway 12 between Townsend and White Sulphur Springs are being told to not the 35 mile-per-hour maximum speed limit that is there for the safety of the public and firefighters working in the area. People are urged to use extreme caution when traveling and to not stop along the highway. UPDATE: JUNE 18 AT 5 P.M. In case you missed it, the Helena - Lewis & Clark National Forest Facebook page shared video of the fire's behavior on Wednesday, June 16. You view the video below: UPDATE: JUNE 18 AT 10:06 A.M. Crews saw improvements in suppression efforts as they built a handline, and dozers resumed to build more containment borders along the southwest flank of the fire Thursday, according to the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. Super Scoopers, also known as helicopters, assisted hand crews with water drops. HLCNF said engine crews secured a fair amount of line on the northwest perimeter. Additionally, firefighters looked for remaining hot spots by cautiously detecting and touching with their hands for heat. HLCNF said more resources are expected to arrive to help with suppression efforts Friday. Crews will use aircraft and skidgens, versatile heavy logging equipment, for direct fire attack--HCLNF said skidgens can transport large quantities of water through rough terrain. Crews are securing a fire line and mopping up the heel of the fire on the fire perimeter where it connects Highway 12. HLCNF said a structure protection group is examining values at risk and planning how they can safely alleviate the fire's impacts. The Townsend airport has a helibase for more aircraft support. Friday's forecast is mostly warm and dry conditions with terrain-driven winds and mostly clear skies. By Saturday, more cloud cover with a cold front is expected with temperatures in the 70s and 80s and 17 to 21 percent humidity. The fire is currently burning 4,647 acres. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: UPDATE: JUNE 17 AT 9:55 P.M. A closure has been put in place for the South Belts (North) and South Belts (South) areas, as well as all roads and trails specified in Attachment C of the accompanying document that can be found below. The Lewis and Clark National Forest says this has been done for the safety of the public. Anyone who goes against the order may be subject to a fine up to $5,000 for an individual, or up to $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment up to six months, or both. There are some exemptions to the order. You can read what those are and more about the overall order below: UPDATE: JUNE 17 AT 8:15 P.M. The PIO tells us that the fire has increased to a total of 4,631 acres. It is still at 0% containment. Reportedly, there are 216 personnel on-site. You can watch the evening operations update from the Helena - Lewis and Clark National Forest Facebook page below: UPDATE: JUNE 17 AT 12:48 P.M.: Helicopters have been grounded by the DNRC following a crash at the Deep Creek Fire. Paige Cohen with the DNRC tells Montana Right Now the order was done out of an abundance of caution for pilots, and does not affect fire suppression abilities. As of 10:54 am Thursday, the Deep Creek fire is reported to be 3,668 acres large. At this time, the fire is being managed for full suppression according to InciWeb. On Wednesday, good progress was made as crews were able to reengage with a dozer, skidgens and hand crews on the southwest point of the fire according to the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. "Weather is better today. I mean, you know yesterday wasn't bad either. But the day before that, you know high winds and really high temps," said Andy Huntsberger, the Operations Section Chief, Northern Rockies Team One. "So, temps have moderated and so has the wind. So, that's definitely helping things along. And another key component is getting night time recovery. When you're getting some relative humidity and things to set in so fire diminishes over night." In addition, a hotshot crew scouted the north area of the fire to assess growth and observed multiple spots and they began to take direct efforts on the spot fires. For Thursday, resources will continue to direct fire line work on the southwest corner of the fire moving along the fires perimeter to the north while continuing to identify and work on spot fires to the north. Scouting efforts will also identify areas where crews can safely build direct fire line along the fires perimeter. UPDATE: JUNE 16 AT 9 P.M. The Deep Creek Fire has reached 4,500 acres, according to InciWeb. Highway 12E remains closed as crews work to contain the blaze that is burning north and south of the roadway. A total of 160 personnel members are on-site. In a public meeting, a timeline of the fire was outlined, along with the actions firefighters have taken to try to contain the fire. Orders have been put in place for more resources and aviation support. You can watch that meeting in its entirety below. Please note: audio is difficult to hear for about the first eight minutes of the video. UPDATE: JUNE 16 AT 3:38 P.M. The public is asked to avoid Duck Creek Road for the time-being due to downed trees and crews working to clear those hazards off the roadway, according to InciWeb. UPDATE: JUNE 16 AT 1:08 P.M. The Deep Creek Fire has spread northeast and south of Highway 12E in the Deep Creek Canyon area near Townsend an update from the U.S. Forest Service Wednesday said. Planned fire activities for Wednesday include a reconnaissance flight of the fire perimeter that was ordered for the morning to assess the movement from Tuesdays fire activity and get better mapping. Ground crews will be focusing on the east flank from Tuesdays fire perimeter and will continue building line along the fire perimeter where it is safe to do so. At this time the cause of the fire s still under investigation, however, responding personnel reportedly discovered a fallen tree had caused a downed powerline. The U.S. Forest Service announced there is a public meeting planned for Wednesday, June 16 at 8 p.m. The meeting will be streamed live on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest Facebook here or you can attend in person at the Senior Center in White Sulphur Springs or the Townsend School in Townsend. UPDATE: JUNE 16 AT 12:22 P.M. The Deep Creek Fire is currently at an estimated 2,000 acres in size, the Public Information Officer for the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest Kathy Bushnell said. Bushnell told us fire crews are working Wednesday on the south side of the fire, the east flank--where a hot spot spread yesterday and south of Highway 12. Crews are expected to safely create a fire line to stop the fire from spreading farther. The winds are moving the fire northeast, and the canyon terrain is moving up the slope. A type 1 team will take over to relive the type 3 team and local resources working on the fire. Hot shot crews from around the region have arrived. Bushnell said the fire destroyed some structures Tuesday, but she did not specify if those structures were homes or barns or how many were lost. No other structures are threatened Wednesday. An evacuation order is still in effect in the Grassy Mountain Subdivision--those who are displaced may go to the evacuation center in White Sulphur Springs. According to the Meagher County Sheriff's Office, 60 people in the Grassy Mountain Subdivision have been displaced. People can bring donations at the evacuation center in White Sulphur Springs, the Red Cross, volunteer fire departments and sheriff's office. MCSO said Highway 12 will remain shut down for the remainder of Wednesday--it is uncertain if it will remain closed tomorrow. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: UPDATE: JUNE 15 AT 9:15 P.M. An update from the DNRC and U.S. Forest Service says evacuations have been issued for the Grassy Mountain Subdivision by the Broadwater and Meagher County Sheriff's Offices. The fire has spread northeast and south of Highway 12E in the Deep Creek Canyon area near Townsend. It has been confirmed that some structures were lost in the blaze. Details are forthcoming. While responding to the fire, DNRC confirms that a DNRC helicopter had a hard landing at approximately 5 p.m. Tuesday evening. This caused the helicopter to catch on fire. All five personnel on board were able to exit the aircraft safely and are being assessed by medical staff. Air attack and retardant planes assisted to slow the spread of the fire. Ground resources are assessing a new plan based on the recent heavy fire activity. Highway 12 continues to remain closed, as the fire is on both sides of the roadway. UPDATE: JUNE 15 AT 5:12 P.M. According to Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, crews are in unified command with Montana DNRC. A Type 1 team has been ordered. Highway 12 remains closed. UPDATE: JUNE 15 AT 4:50 P.M. According to the Montana Department of Transportation the road has been closed on U.S. 12 east of Townsend. UPDATE: JUNE 15 AT 3:32 P.M. The Broadwater County Sheriff's Office says the canyon is being shut down completely. Evacuations are being put into place as well, since the fire has crossed Highway 12. You are advised to watch out for our first responders and use another route. UPDATE: JUNE 15 AT 3:15 P.M. The Deep Creek Fire has crossed Highway 12, according to a Facebook post from Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. If you live in Thomason to the Grassy Mountain Subdivision you are asked to follow the Meagher County Sheriff Office's evacuation instructions. AVOID the Deep Creek Canyon Area. Air attack is reportedly on-scene. UPDATE: JUNE 15 AT 1:05 P.M. Responders discovered a tree had fallen causing a downed powerline regarding the Deep Creek Fire; however, the cause remains under investigation, according to the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: UPDATE: JUNE 14 AT 12:23 P.M. The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest updated the Incident Command Type 4 will move to Incident Command Type 3 Monday in the Deep Creek Fire burning near Townsend. According to a Facebook post from HLCNF, there are 35 crew members working to put out the fire with more people and equipment requested to assist. Crews are continuing efforts on the fire's east and west flanks, HLCNF said. There will be single-lane traffic near the fire and HLCNF advises drivers to seek a different route if possible. UPDATE: JUNE 14 AT 8:53 A.M. Crews are continuing efforts to extinguish the Deep Creek Fire burning near Townsend Monday. According to a Facebook post from the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, the fire is threatening structures. Crews have ordered more resources and heavy equipment to help combat the fire. HLCNF said more hot and dry weather is forecasted over the next few days. TOWNSEND, Mont. - A fire near Townsend has burned 200 acres as of Sunday evening, and caused a detour on Highway 12. According to the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, the Deep Creek Fire is burning on the north side of Highway 12 in the Deep Creek Area near Townsend. The fire is burning in timber and brush toward the Cabin Gulch fuel treatment units. Multiple agencies including the Montana DNRC, and Broadwater Co. Rural Fire are on scene. Due to low visibility from a fire, US-12 east of Townsend is closed. The Broadwater Co. Sheriff's Office has slowed down traffic in the area and is urging people to avoid the area if possible. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The road is closed from 18 miles east of Townsend to mile marker 33, where US-12 meets US-89 traffic is being detoured. What was the best piece of wisdom you received as a kid that is worth passing on to todays younger generation? ROME, JUN 16 - Italy's three big trade union confederations, CGIL; CISL and UIL, have said that they will hold demonstrations in Turin, Florence and Bari on June 26 to demand the COVID-19-linked ban on worker dismissals be extended at least until October 31. The ban is set to expire on July 1 and unions have warned that a massive wave of firings could ensue if it is not extended. The government is expected to decide whether to extend the ban this week. One option is for the ban to only be extended to some sectors considered vulnerable at the moment, such as textiles. (ANSA). ROME, JUN 16 - Italian politicians called for the government to give an Egyptian Bologna university researcher Italian citizenship as he marked his 30th birthday in detention in Cairo on sedition charges Wednesday. "Today Patrick Zaki turns 30. In a cell. We ask the government to apply the unanimous indication of parliament and give him citizenship," said Enrico Letta, a former premier and leader of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD). The PD's Emilia-Romagna governor, Stefano Bonaccini, said "today Patrick Zaki marks his birthday and for the second time will 'celebrate' it in prison. All this is unacceptable and we will continue to strongly call for his release and the conferral of Italian citizenship. "We want Patrick to come back and study here in Bologna". Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Benedetto Della Vedova told Rainews24 recently that the government will shortly start to "verify the conditions for the granting of Italian citizenship" to Zaki. Zaki is an Egyptian Bologna University postgraduate student who has been held in Egypt since February 7 last year on charges of "disseminating false news" and "incitement to protest". The Senate has approved a motion calling on the government to grant him Italian citizenship. Della Vedova likened Zaki's case to the "tragic affair" of 28-year-old Italian student Giulio Regeni, who was tortured to death in Cairo in early 2016. "The parliamentary motion gives a commitment to the government, which came out in favour of the motion itself," he said. Zaki, a 29-year-old Coptic Christian, is pursuing an Erasmus Mundus Master's Degree in Women and Gender Studies at the University of Bologna. He also conducts research and advocacy on gender issues and human rights for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), a human rights organization based in Cairo. Petitions for his release have been rejected on countless occasion. Zaki was arrested on arriving at Cairo International Airport when he returned home from Bologna for a short family visit. The Egyptian National Security Agency reportedly arrested Zaki, interrogated him about his time in Italy and his human rights work, and took him to an undisclosed location. During interrogation, he was allegedly frequently threatened, beaten on his stomach and back and tortured with electric shocks. The European Parliament, Amnesty International and Scholars At Risk have been among the bodies calling for his release, along with the Italian government. (ANSA). ROME, JUN 16 - Clinical studies on mixing COVID-19 vaccines say this can be done with a high degree of safety, the head of Italian drugs agency AIFA told Italian radio Wednesday. Italy has banned the AstraZeneca jab for he under-60s and said those in this age bracket who have had a first dose of AZ will follow it with a Pfizer or Moderna jab. The science on mixing vaccines is based on "clinical studies which have been done with the utmost ethical rigour," and "the safety regarding the administration is very elevated", AIFA Director-General Nicola Magrini in remarks to Rainews24. "We must be more than tranquil" about following up an AZ jab with a Pfizer or Moderna one, he said. Magrini noted that "several other countries" had made the same decision due to a slim risk of blood clots after the AZ jab. The Italian decision on barring AZ for the under-60s came after the death from a cerebral haemorrhage after a blood clot of 18-year-old Italian woman Camilla Canepa. Magrini also said that adverse reactions to the Jonson & Johnson vaccine were less frequent than other ones. (ANSA). RAVENNA, JUN 16 - An Italian woman is suing a Bologna hospital for leaving a surgical needle in her stomach for 14 years before it was found and removed, the Resto del Carlino newspaper reported Wednesday. The woman suffered from severe abdominal pains after the 2004 operation, finally resolved after the needle was removed in Pesaro in 2018, the central-northern Italian newspaper said. She is suing the Bologna hospital for negligence and for the psychological suffering caused by 14 years of apparently mysterious pain. (ANSA). LYONS A nude man in a Lake Geneva area hotel hallway was arrested and charged after reportedly being too intoxicated to take care of children. Christopher Castiglione, 44, of Machesney Park, Ill., is being charged with two counts of neglecting a child under 6; lewd and lascivious behavior; and disorderly conduct. According to the criminal complaint: Police were called to the Timber Ridge Resort, 7020 Grand Geneva Way, on Monday, April 19, for a report of two intoxicated subjects with small children in the hallway, one of the subjects being a nude man. Officers spoke with witnesses and housekeeping staff who report that a nude, intoxicated man with a woman and two children, ages 1 and 4, were locked out of their hotel room. Witnesses also reported that the man was holding a fire extinguisher from the wall in the hallway. Housekeeping staff stated that the woman had reportedly offered them shots of Grey Goose Vodka for helping them. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Police decided to conduct a welfare check to make sure the two intoxicated adults were capable of caring for the two small children. Resort staff gave officers the room reservation name, which was reserved under Castiglione. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson on Tuesday ended his objection to making Juneteenth a federal paid holiday, a year after he put a stop to a bipartisan effort last summer to do so. While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter, Johnson said regarding a proposal to make June 19, the day commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S., a federal holiday. Therefore, I do not intend to object. Johnson lifting his objection paved the way for the U.S. Senate to pass the measure on Tuesday by unanimous consent after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, requested it, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, who also supports the measure. The measure still needs to pass the House and be signed by President Joe Biden. Last July, Johnson, R-Oshkosh, was the only Republican to object to a bipartisan proposal from U.S. Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Ed Markey, D-Mass., to pass by unanimous consent a measure making Juneteenth a federal paid holiday. Lancaster Farmings Eric Hurlock explains why the upcoming National Hemp Tour is so important both to him and to the agricultural industry. Phil Gruber is the news editor at Lancaster Farming. He can be reached at 717-721-4427 or pgruber@lancasterfarming.com. Follow him @PhilLancFarming on Twitter. Bhubaneswar, Jun 15 (PTI) The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Tuesday that it has so far administered over 10 lakh doses of the coronavirus vaccine in the city. Over 6.30 lakh people have taken the first dose of the vaccine till June 14, out of which nearly 3.8 lakh people have been administered both the doses at government and private vaccination centres in the city, the civic body said in a statement. "We have adopted a very elaborate and inclusive plan to cover all citizens, age groups and sections of the society," BMC Commissioner Sanjay Singh said. Singh underlined the need for following COVID- appropriate behaviour even after receiving the vaccine. The BMC has been organising special vaccination centres for slum residents, inmates of shelter homes, people working in the hospitality industry, chemists and druggists, food delivery agents, security personnel and transgenders, among others. Special vaccination drives are also going on for students going abroad for higher studies. The number of beneficiaries above 45 years who have taken their first dose is 3.45 lakh, out of which 2.28 lakh have received both doses. Under the 18-44 age bracket, over 1.9 lakh people have been jabbed, including 81,645 people who received the second shot. As many as 34,040 healthcare workers have been administered with both doses. A total of 51,713 people under the frontline workers category have been administered with the first dose of the vaccine and 32,939 were given both the jabs, it said. Meanwhile, the Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI) organised a vaccination camp at its premises in Jayadev Vihar on Monday and Tuesday. A total of 1,138 people, including UCCI members, employees and family members, got vaccinated during the two- day drive, said Brahma Mishra, president of the apex body of industry, trade, commerce and services. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Houston is built on what amounts to a massive flood plain, pitted against the tempestuous Gulf of Mexico and routinely hammered by the biggest rainstorms in the nation. It is a combination of malicious climate and unforgiving geology, along with a deficit of zoning and land-use controls, that scientists and engineers say leaves the nations fourth most populous city vulnerable to devastating floods like the one caused this week by Hurricane Harvey. Houston is very flat, said Robert Gilbert, a University of Texas at Austin civil engineer who helped investigate the flooding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. There is no way for the water to drain out. Indeed, the city has less slope than a shower floor. Advertisement Harvey poured as much as 374 billion gallons of water within the city limits, exceeding the capacity of rivers, bayous, lakes and reservoirs. Experts said the result was predictable. The storm was unprecedented, but the city has been deceiving itself for decades about its vulnerability to flooding, said Robert Bea, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and UC Berkeley emeritus civil engineering professor who has studied hurricane risks along the Gulf Coast. The citys flood system is supposed to protect the public from a 100-year storm, but Bea calls that a 100-year lie because it is based on a rainfall total of 13 inches in 24 hours. That has happened more than eight times in the last 27 years, Bea said. It is wrong on two counts. It isnt accurate about the past risk and it doesnt reflect what will happen in the next 100 years. In an average year, Houston gets 50 inches of rain as much as Harvey will deliver to some parts of the city. The muddy rivers notably the San Jacinto and the Buffalo Bayou that meander through Houston struggle to carry much water. Dams along the rivers were built mainly for water storage, not flood control. Because Texas is so flat, the dams cant hold much water, unlike western dams that are built in deep gorges. Lake Conroe, a reservoir 43 miles north of the city, is one example. Completed in 1973, it has a capacity of 430,000 acre-feet, about 12% of Oroville Dam in California. Advertisement The San Jacinto River Authority, which manages water supplies, knew that Harvey was probably headed its way. But a spokeswoman, Rhonda Trow, said the authority chose not to release water from Lake Conroe in advance because the amount it held wouldnt have made a difference and could have caused flooding even before the storm hit. But by Monday, the authority had no choice but to open the flood gates to send 79,141 cubic feet of water to flooded Houston every second. The situation was similar on two dams on the Buffalo Bayou controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers up river from the Houston Ship Channel. The long-term risks facing Houston are growing, owing to warming water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, which will fuel more powerful hurricanes by increasing the moisture they carry. Advertisement Harvey caused a surge in the Gulf of Mexico that raised its level by as much as 15 feet along the Texas coast, Bea estimated. That meant that for some period of time, rivers were not flowing normally, leaving inland areas less than 15 feet above sea level with little drainage. In Katrina, the level of the gulf surged by 28 feet, the largest ever recorded along the Gulf Coast, sending water pouring over levees and canal walls. But far less rain fell in that storm than in Harvey. Beyond the climate change, Houston faces other growing risks for flooding. (Kyle Kim) Advertisement Shuhab Khan, a geologist at the University of Houston, has documented that some areas of Houston are sinking at up to 2.2 inches per year, a rapid rate in geological terms. While some of the subsidence is caused by natural movements of salt deposits, Khan said that most is the result of pumping oil and water from under the city. So far, it appears some of the hardest-hit flooded areas, such as the Jersey Village nieghborhood, are also the ones affected by subsidence, he said. In the 1930s, a new residential subdivision was built in the Brownwood neighborhood, which at the time was 10 feet above sea level. Forty years later, it was less than 2 feet above sea level, a subsidence blamed on ground water pumping along the Houston Ship Channel. The neighborhood was destroyed in Hurricane Alicia in 1983 and is now the Baytown Nature Center. Advertisement Another long-term problem is the citys rampant growth and urbanization. The city has 2.2 million residents and the metropolitan area has 6.5 million, all living in a state that eschews much of the zoning and land-use controls that help keep construction away from flood zones in states with more regulations. It is naturally prone to flooding, said Don Riley, the former chief of the Army Corps of Engineers civil works division. People have built in this massive flood plain. They have to understand that. The Corps and local officials have discussed ways to avert even greater risks by improving zoning, reducing the amount pavement to allow better drainage into the soil, building retention ponds in new housing developments and constructing new storm barriers. But when the Corps has tried to encourage land-use controls, the local reaction by politicians and developers has often been swift and furious, Riley said. The problem is not decreasing, whatever the future of the weather is, he said. It will worsen in the sense that there will be more population. You have to be smart about where you put development. Advertisement The future defense of Houston is likely to be expensive, experts said. The Corps spent $14.2 billion to improve flood control in New Orleans after Katrina, which was aimed at building up levees and flood walls. But just this month, the city was again flooded when its decrepit pumping system was overwhelmed by rainfall. In the aftermath of Katrina, the American Society of Civil Engineers said that New Orleans flood control was a system in name only. Bea said that reflects the reality of Houston as well. He estimated that it could cost hundreds of billions of dollars to build a system that would prevent future flooding, involving land-use restrictions, new flood barriers and other measures similar to those in the Netherlands. The Dutch system attempts to defend Amsterdam and Rotterdam from a 10,000-year storm event. Advertisement Exactly what Houston could do is far from certain. Gilbert, the University of Texas expert, said any big measures would take a lot of study. Chicago, for example, has massive tunnels hundreds of feet underground that can store 21 billions of gallons storm water and prevent sewage contamination of Lake Michigan, he noted. Houston is excessively developed, he said. It has 6 million people with lots of concrete and lots of people in harms way. ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @rvartabedian Advertisement ALSO Gulf Coast braces for more rain as Harvey makes second landfall A crazy difficult scene at the Houston convention center as thousands of flood victims jostle for shelter Heres what we know about Tropical Storm Harvey: Rain, flooding and people needing rescue Advertisement Why didnt Houston evacuate before Harvey? Its not that simple More Americans are open to the idea of making Juneteenth a national holiday, according to a recent Gallup poll. Juneteenth is the yearly commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. Even more, Americans who were involved in the survey said the origins of the Juneteenth should be in the school curricula in the U.S., according to a CBS News report. Thirty-five percent of Americans supported federal recognition of Juneteenth as a national holiday, while one in four said they do not support the idea. Meanwhile, 40 percent said that they were unsure or unfamiliar with Juneteenth. The survey also found that Black adults were the most supportive group, with 69 percent agreeing Juneteenth should be a federal holiday. This was followed by about 40 percent of Hispanic adults and 27 percent of White adults. READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Forgets to Commemorate D-Day, Chooses to Tweet About Tulsa Massacre Instead Juneteenth National Holiday The Senate unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday, making Juneteenth a legal public holiday. The measure is also expected to be approved by the Democratic-driven House of Representatives. However, the exact date is not yet clear. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a significant step to recognizing the wrongs of the past, according to an NPR report. Schumer added that they must continue to work to ensure equal justice and fulfill the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation. However, more than one in four Americans say they know "nothing at all" about Juneteenth, according to the survey. Nearly 70 percent of Black Americans say they have at least some knowledge about the commemoration, while 31 percent of white Americans said the same thing. Around half of all Americans included in the survey said they believe it should be taught in public schools, while 35 percent were unsure or not familiar. Juneteenth Celebration The holiday celebrates the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in the South. The upcoming event has spurred protests, which raised the importance of the commemoration. Companies like Twitter, Nike, and Uber are giving employees paid days off, according to a USA Today report. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger announced on June 19, 1865, that former President Abraham Lincoln had freed enslaved people in rebel states two and a half years earlier. Granger then pressed locals to comply with the directive. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation became effective on January 1, 1863. The proclamation announced that people who owned slaves were responsible for telling them that they were free. Some were ignoring the said order until Union troops enforced it. The last Confederate state to have the proclamation imposed was Texas. Forty-eight states and Washington D.C. recognize Juneteenth as either a state holiday or ceremonial holiday. Hawaii passed the measure on April 27 to recognize the holiday. However, it is not yet clear whether Hawaii's governor signed the bill into law, while South Dakota still has not recognized the holiday. On Friday, New York will launch the annual Juneteenth three-day summit. In 2019, 5,000 people attended the summit in person. In 2020, around 20,000 attended the event virtually. READ NEXT: Water Shortage in Hoover Dam Seen To Fall Below the Federal Threshold This Summer WATCH: Senate Unanimously Approves Bill Making Juneteenth A National Holiday - from Forbes Breaking News Pope Francis did not meet President Joe Biden on Tuesday despite reports that the two would meet. Vatican sources said Tuesday, June 15, that there is no meeting currently scheduled between Pope Francis and Joe Biden. According to the National Catholic Reporter, the president was due to travel to Geneva, Switzerland on June 15 for an anticipated encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin the next day. Joe Biden has been in Europe since June 9 for his first trip abroad as president, attending several high-level meetings with a potential opportunity to meet with Pope Francis. Earlier reports said that the president would make a quick stopover in Rome to meet with Pope Francis on the way from Brussels to Geneva, but it did not happen. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's foreign minister, told NCR that he did not know any plans for such a visit between the president and the pope. Public affairs officer at the U.S. embassy to the Holy See Emily Zeeberg also told NCR that Biden has no plans to visit the Vatican City or Rome this week. Biden's official schedule for June 15 did not leave much room for changes. He was set to hold private meetings with the king and prime minister of Belgium. He was also scheduled to meet with the European Council and Commission's presidents before going to Geneva to meet the president of the Swiss Confederation. READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden Unleashes Several Gaffes at G7 Summit Joe Biden and Pope Francis Meeting Biden's staff had initially asked for permission to attend a Mass with the pope early in the morning of June 15. However, the proposal was nixed by the Vatican after considering the effect of Biden receiving the Holy Communion from the pope, Catholic News Agency reported. Biden's receiving Holy Communion from Pope Francis would reportedly affect the discussions that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) plans to have during their meeting starting June 16. The American bishops are set to vote on creating a committee that would outline a document about Eucharistic coherence. Joe Biden, the U.S.' second Catholic president, supports access to abortion, which the church condemns. Biden and Pope Francis first met in September 2015 when Biden was still serving as the U.S. vice president. The meeting happened when the pope visited the U.S. to attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. In April 2016, Biden went to the Vatican for a summit on regenerative medicine. He praised Pope Francis and advocated for a global effort to find a cure for cancer. Joe Biden and Queen Elizabeth II Joe Biden has become the 13th U.S. president to meet Queen Elizabeth II after having a private visit at Windsor Castle, NPR reported. Biden told reporters about his meeting with the queen that she was very gracious and reminded him of his mother. The president added that the queen asked him about world leaders, including Putin and China's Xi Jinping. Queen Elizabeth also asked what life in the White House was like. Biden said that he remembered telling the queen that they could fit the White House in the courtyard. He then extended his invitation for the queen to visit the White House. Joe Biden's visit with the queen seemed to have proceeded smoothly. The June 13 meeting of Biden and Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle happened following Biden's departure from the G7 summit in Cornwall, England. The summit provided world leaders points to work on together on several issues, such as the pandemic, climate change, and the rising influence of China. READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth II to Meet With U.S. Pres. Joe Biden at Windsor Castle WATCH: Presumptive President-elect Joe Biden Releases Statement About Phone Call With Pope Francis - From EWTN President Joe Biden's administration announced that they will expand a program that will allow more minors from Central America, specifically Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, to be legally resettled inside the borders of the United States. Also known as Central American Minors (CAM) program, the movement will be a collaboration between the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to a report from The Hill. The announcement of the program expansion was made by the administration on Tuesday. READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden Unleashes Several Gaffes at G7 Summit Minors from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras To Be Allowed to Legally Resettle in the U.S. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the movement could help in increasing the number of minors from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala to be reunited with their family members who are already in the U.S. Jalina Porter, a spokesperson from the States Department, confirmed that that the expansion of eligibility would allow the Biden administration to accept a great number of individuals based in the United States to petition for children's access to U.S. refugee programs. "We are firmly committed to welcoming people to the United States with humanity and respect," said a joint statement by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The joint statement furthered that Joe Biden's administration would also provide a "legal alternative to irregular migration." The expansion of CAM would make children with a legal guardian that lawfully lives in the U.S. eligible to apply for resettlement in the country. The joint statement by the States Department and DHS also confirmed that a lawful residence means people who have lawful permanent residence, parole, deferred action, temporary protected status, and deferred enforced departure or withholding of removal. "It could be a substantial increase, and we hope it will be," described a senior official for President Joe Biden's administration to the number of eligible minors, as reported by VOA. The official who requested anonymity also highlighted that under the modified plan, up to 100,000 minors from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras could become eligible for CAM. President Joe Biden's Administration Expands Central American Minors Program (CAM) The Central American Minors (CAM) program was started by the Obama Administration in 2014 to cover those 21 and younger from the countries in the Northern Triangle region of Central America. However, the said program was terminated under the regime of the Trump administration in 2017. The former administration abruptly stopped the program amid more than 3,000 family-reunification cases already being processed. In March, President Joe Biden's administration reinstated the program, with its first pace working through thousands of applications and cases that were suspended by the previous administration in November 2017. Spokesperson Porter emphasized that the federal government discovered more than 3,000 cases representing 3,828 individuals. Among those cases, 1,100 were reopened by the administration. The joint statement of the DHS and States Department pointed out that President Joe Biden's administration would deliver their promise "to promote safe, orderly, and humane migration from Central America." The statesmen furthered that this will be done through "legal pathways" that seek humanitarian protection in the U.S. READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Says Queen Elizabeth Asked Him About Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping During Tea at Windsor Castle WATCH: Will Biden's Central America policy fix root causes of migration? - from CGTN America With no official result yet, the socialist candidate Peru's Presidential Race, Pedro Castillo has claimed victory after hanging on a slim lead against his right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori as the protracted vote count ended. Peru Presidential Elections 2021 Despite the claim of Castillo and the end of the vote count, Keiko Fujimori has not conceded yet. Fujimori, daughter of former Peruvian President Aberto Fujimori, has pledged to challenge the result of the presidential race. According to The Guardian, Pedro Castillo ended the count with 44,058 more votes than Keiko Fujimori. But Fujimori refused to give up and has made allegations of fraud against Castillo. However, Fujimori struggled in looking for proof that Castillo committed election fraud but she still tried to get some votes annulled. The vote count was held on June 6, but since then, there has been no formal announcement yet made by the electoral authorities. But Castillo refused to wait for the formal announcement and claimed the win on social media. In his post on social media, Castillo posted a picture of himself with arms raised, with a caption that a new time has started. He also included his campaign slogan 'No more poor in a rich country' in the photo with the word 'President' in large font. Castillo also updated the photo in his profile and included "President-elect of the Republic of Peru (2021-2026)." ALSO READ: President Joe Biden's Administration to Expand Program Allowing Central American Minors Into the U.S. Pedro Castillo vs. Keiko Fujimori The sudden rise of the 51-year-old union leader and the former teacher Pedro Castillo has rattled the political and business elite of Peru. The leap made by Castillo prompted concerns from the elites as Castillo's decisions and perspective could have a major impact on the vital mining industry of the country, Reuters reported. Peru is the second-biggest copper producer in the world, but with Castillo planning to set tax hikes on the sector, businessmen consider it as a major problem. On the other hand, Fujimori did not immediately make a public comment regarding the vote on Tuesday. But on Monday, the right-wing candidate repeated the fraud allegations allegedly committed by Castillo. Fujimori stated that they were only asking for a clean vote and for all the irregularities to be checked and they are not going to give up. But the Free Peru party of Castillo has rejected the accusations of fraud made by the camp of Fujimori. International observers situated in Lima opposed the allegations and stated that the elections were transparent. Furthermore, Castillo had vowed earlier in the day that he would not permit any move by his rival in overturning the election to deny the will of the people. The election issue prompted rivals' supporters to take to the streets recently. Based on the latest numbers, the son of peasant farmers, Castillo had 50.125% of the votes while the eldest daughter of imprisoned former president Alberto Fujimori, Keiko Fujimori had 49.875%, DW reported. Despite claiming the victory, Castillo told reporters present at the Lima headquarters of his party that he would respect electoral authorities. But they urged them to end the uncertainty by confirming the result as soon as possible. RELATED ARTICLE: Far-Left School Teacher Wins First Round of Peru Presidential Elections WATCH: Peru leftist Castillo claims election win as Fujimori fights result -from FRANCE 24 English After a family in Texas welcomed their fourth child, the date of birth is one for the record books because now, three of their four children have the same birthdays. The father of the kids, Jonathan R. Hornok shared that they had different due dates and with different reasons for going to the hospital before they all came out. Hornok also added that they were able to wait a little bit, but long enough for the kids to get up and be able to say "Happy birthday, here's some doughnuts" and they will be leaving during their special day. According to WNCT, the family from Texarkana did not only get bigger in every three years, but also three of their four kids were born on the same day in the month of June. The federal prosecutor, Jonathan Hornok, who is a federal prosecutor, and his wife, former prosecutor Mariah Hornok, welcomed their fourth baby recently named Hellen into their family just hours after celebrating the birthdays of their two youngest children. For privacy, the family decided not to reveal the exact date of their three kids' birthday. Moreover, federal prosecutor Hornok shared that together with his wife, they spent the day in the hospital while waiting for Hellen to come. They had to watch their kids open their presents over FaceTime, WFTV reported. Also, Mariah said that she likes that their children share the same birthday. She also added that for her it would be better to share than to have one that got the birthday first, then one that had to wait a whole day until they had their birthday. Meanwhile, when the kids with the same birthday were asked how it feels to have siblings with the same birthday, the middle daughter Miriam stated that for her it feels good and it feels really fun. Furthermore, the Hornoks also mentioned that the births of their children were not planned, but they were grateful for the unique blessings. Mariah stated that people usually asked them and wanted to know what was nine months beforehand and they usually replied, "September." ALSO READ: Mexico Raids Building Project Close to Teotihuacan Pyramids, Archeological Site's Outlying Parts Damaged It Runs in the Blood? On the other hand, the kids are not just the only members of the family who share that common birthday. Their grandmother and great aunt do as well. The three kids' grandmother Vicki Hornok said that she can't think of a better gift. She also added that having grandchildren which were born on your birthday feels pretty amazing, KXAN reported. Also, grandma Vickie shared that the family says that everyone loves it. They said that it is like Christmas in June. It's a big celebration that the Hornoks look forward to every year. Jonathan Hornok stated that it is nice to have a birthday that is all your own but is also really fun to have a day of the year that is not only special for a member of the family but also for everyone. RELATED ARTICLE: 4 Ways Americans Can Educate Themselves About Racial Injustice in the Wake of Chauvin Guilty Verdict WATCH: A Texarkana family welcomes 3rd baby with the same birthday - WCNT Culture and heritage groups, as well as communities, families and individuals in Laois are invited to get involved and celebrate and share heritage. Organised by the Heritage Council, National Heritage Week will run from Saturday, 14th Sunday, 22nd August, and has become one of Irelands largest cultural events. The Chairman of the Heritage Council is Michael Parsons from Portlaoise. I strongly encourage all project organisers to think meaningfully on how they might include new members of their communities in their projects, and explore aspects of heritage that may have been overlooked in the past. National Heritage Week events in Laois will be coordinated and supported by the Heritage Officer at Laois County Council Catherine Casey. National Heritage Week 2021 will follow the same format as last year, where local heritage groups and organisers, families and communities are invited to develop projects which can be showcased on line. In-person events will be limited and will be required to adhere to public health advice. There is no subject-specific theme for National Heritage Week 2021; instead, the focus is on getting as many people to enjoy heritage as possible. Project organisers are being asked to consider the following: Heritage newcomers: A general invitation to individuals, families and communities who have never engaged in National Heritage Week to work on a heritage project. Heritage sharing: An invitation to existing National Heritage Week organisers to connect with a group / individuals in the community who may not feel included in local heritage; or an opportunity to explore an aspect of local heritage that is seldom considered / celebrated. Heritage for all ages: This is an invitation to National Heritage Week organisers to include different age groups in heritage projects. Projects should be completed in time for National Heritage Week (14th-22nd August 2021) when they will be showcased on www.heritageweek.ie . Accepted formats for showcasing vary from online talks or exhibitions, to a video, podcast, slideshow presentation or blog, to media coverage, a dedicated website or moderated social media account, or by means of small, in-person events, which comply with official public health advice. A suite of resources to support project development will be available on HeritageWeek.ie as well as a series of webinars which will run in June, presented by the Heritage Council. For more information, visit www.heritageweek.ie. The launch was attended by Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, TD. My department and I are pleased to support this years National Heritage Week, which focuses on encouraging the inclusion of as many people as possible in exploring, sharing and enjoying Irelands diverse heritage. I especially welcome the heritage newcomers approach taken this year, which is an invitation to those who are new to heritage to get involved. During lockdowns many of us have had more time to explore our local or personal heritage. National Heritage Week may be the perfect opportunity to showcase what you have discovered, or to dig deeper and find out more. Whatever aspect of heritage is chosen, I wish the very best to all those taking part and look forward to seeing the end results in August, he said. Chief Executive of the Heritage Council, Virginia Teehan added: National Heritage Week continues to be an important moment for community engagement, wellbeing and social cohesion. Heritage Week offers the perfect opportunity to showcase a personal heritage project that can be part of the bigger heritage landscape and shared with the wider national community. National Heritage Week is co-ordinated by the Heritage Council as part of European Heritage Days a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union in which more than 40 countries participate each year. The main aim of European Heritage Days is to promote awareness of our built, natural and cultural heritage and to promote Europes common cultural heritage. National Heritage Week is supported by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and is generously supported by Failte Ireland, the Irish Landmark Trust, the Local Authority Water Programme and the Office of Public Works. At the county level, National Heritage Week is co-ordinated and supported by local authority heritage officers, their colleagues and with numerous local heritage groups and organisations. Supporting partners include RTE Supporting the Arts and The Irish Times. For more information, visit heritageweek.ie. The Heritage Council was established under the Heritage Act 1995 with responsibility to propose policies and priorities for the national heritage. It works in cooperation with a range of agencies, communities and individuals to promote education, enjoyment and understanding of our national heritage. For further information, visit: www.heritagecouncil.ie. The most senior member of An Garda Siochana in Ireland is set to speak directly with TDs, councillors and other public representatives in Laois at a meeting where the thorny issue of community CCTV is back on the agenda. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has attended several Joint Policing Committees around the country since he was appointed in September 2018 by the then Minister for Justice and sitting Laois Offaly TD Charlie Flanagan. Dep Flanagan is a member of the Laois JPC. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris will make a presentation when the meeting is held virtually on Monday, June 20. He will also answer pre-submitted by committee members. The meeting also includes a report by Laois Gardai and an update on Community CCTV Schemes. Several schemes in Laois are attempting to deploy cameras to prevent crime or catch criminals to help gardai. The process has been slow due to various issues chief of which has been data protection. JPCs are forums where the Council and local Gardai responsible for the policing of the area, with the participation of Oireachtas members, councillors, council officials and community interests, can consult, discuss and make recommendations on matters affecting the policing of the area. Laois Public Participation Network members are represented as is the Irish Farmers Association. A woman charged with theft from vulnerable people, amounted to a huge breach of trust said Judge Catherine Staines at Portlaoise District Court last Thursday. The woman appeared on two charge of theft at a location in Laois, and two charges of theft at Bank of Ireland, Main Street, Portarlington. Sgt JJ Kirby outlined to the court that on June 27, 2020 at her place of work for vulnerable people two ATM cards for service users were taken. One of them belonged to twins. The court heard that these service users were non-verbal. The cards were used at the Bank of Ireland Portarlington between 2-3pm where 100 was taken off one and 400 taken of another. She had no previous convictions. Defence counsel, Louise Troy said that it had very serious professional implications for the woman. She was presently doing a degree course for social care and had spent 10,000 funding this course. She had had onerous life stresses. This was an aberration for her. There were no other offences of this nature. The money had been returned and there was 500 in compensation. Ms Troy sought the preparation of a Probation Report. Judge Staines said it was a huge breach of trust. She said that she should be more concerned about whether she will be going to prison. She said she would order a Probation Report, before imposing a penalty. The report was ordered for September 16. A disqualified driver who drove into a car containing a mother and her five-year-old child has been jailed for four-and-a-half years. Graham Campion (27) had already been disqualified from driving for 14 years when he drove into the woman's car and then failed to remain at the scene following the collision. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the woman and her child were travelling home from Tallaght Hospital when the impact of Campions car forced her car off the road. Campion of Harmonstown Road, Artane, pleaded guilty to endangerment and damaging a car at the N81 Tallaght Bypass on April 16, 2017. He has 68 previous convictions, including convictions for dangerous driving, driving without a licence, no insurance and drugs offences. Garda John Ryan told Diana Stuart BL, prosecuting, that in the early hours of the morning on the date in question, the victim heard a bang while driving onto a roundabout, before realising that a silver BMW had collided with her vehicle. Gda Ryan said the victim was concerned her car might flip due to the force of the impact, and that the incident felt like it lasted forever. The woman and her son managed to climb out of the car after the collision. Shortly before blacking out, Gda Ryan said the woman saw a man leaving the scene of incident. Gda Ryan agreed with Michael Hourigan BL, defending, that a relative of his client died in an accident and this proceeded the beginning of significant abuse of alcohol and drugs by his client. The garda agreed with counsel that his client has a history of working over the years. He agreed the accused is in a long-term relationship and has three children. Mr Hourigan said his client was apologetic and remorseful for what was undoubtedly a terrifying experience for the victim. Counsel said his client had suffered from addiction issues over the years and had been homeless living in the city centre prior to going into custody. Judge Pauline Codd said that one of the most serious aggravating factors in the case was that Campion was disqualified from driving at the time of the incident. The judge said the fact that he left the scene further aggravates the offence. She said the accused was fortunate that the victim and her son did not suffer more serious injuries. Judge Codd sentenced Campion to four-and-a-half years imprisonment. She also ordered that he be disqualified from driving for 15 years. The problem of foul sewage waste overflowing into homes in a Portlaoise estate will be investigated until the end of the summer. The heavily built up area of Colliers Lane, Rathevan, the Hermitage and the Borris Road, has resulted in sewage overflows in some houses in the Hermitage with the network unable to cope when rainfall floods the old pipe system. Laois County Council has confirmed this week that it is continuing investigations to sort the problem. A report will not be finished until August. "In relation to the surface water/foul sewer issue and as outlined at the March meeting by the Director of Services, further investigations are ongoing at present and it is expected that a detailed report will be presented to the Senior Management Team in August 2021." They were replying to a notice of motion tabled by Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald to the final meeting before summer break of the Portlaoise Municipal District. Cllr Fitzgerald had asked for an update on the foul sewer problem. "In the Hermitage, Rathevan, there is surface water problems. We know about the problem in the area. I am happy to see there is a detailed report being done. This has huge implications on not just the Hermitage but all of this area. Can we have the report at our September meeting?" she said. She also asked for potholes to be repaired in the Hermitage estate and work on this will be completed faster. "The L-81082-0 in the Hermitage Estate, Portlaoise will be included on the list of works for road repairs and will be carried out in the coming weeks," the council stated. Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley supported the motion. "I'm glad to hear an investigative report is being done and I look forward to seeing it in September. It's important this is addressed once and for all," she said. Cllr Willie Aird also backed it. "When surface water is building up there is only one way to go. There is nothing as bad as a problem with foul sewerage, for residents, for children," he said. Last March it was heard that residents of the Hermitage have to go to a nearby garage to use a toilet, as theirs floods for days at a time. A recent planning application to build 262 new homes in Rathevan was refused partly on the grounds of the lack of capacity in the waste water system. Irish Water was among the objectors and said the plan was premature, coming before a network and pump station upgrade. The report will be a step along the way to applying for Government funding to upgrade the system. Seven local and national environmental organisations this week presented their proposal for a major new 7,000 hectare National Peatlands Park in Kildare and Offaly, at a meeting with Bord na Mona. The group have already presented their proposal to Government and to the Strategic Policy Committees in Kildare County Council. The proposals have received endorsement by the Committees and have been identified for attention in the proposed new County Development Plan for Kildare. The campaigners said that Ireland is currently in a climate and biodiversity emergency. Peatlands are the largest store of terrestrial carbon in the world. Globally only 3% of the worlds landmass is peatlands. In Ireland its 20%. Peatlands store over three times as much carbon as rain forests. We also know that the worlds peatlands, while only covering 3% of the Earths land mass, contain twice the sequestered carbon of all of the worlds forests combined. In Ireland 75% of our terrestrial carbon is stored in peatlands. Jesmond Harding, spokesperson for the Peatlands National Park Group said: What we have in Ireland is unique and is the envy of the scientific world. The cessation of peat extraction in Ireland presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to save and preserve what we can and to create new wetland and heathland habitats across our central planes. The restoration and rehabilitation of this landscape will support Irelands work towards our net zero emissions by 2050. It will create space for the biodiversity, amenity space for people and eco-tourism potential. Irish Peatlands Conservation Council, Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park, Umeras Peatlands Park, Wild Kildare, Kildare Bat Group, Butterfly Conservation Ireland and Birdwatch Ireland have come together to drive a proposal for a new National Peatlands Park on a landscape scale in the Bog of Allen in County Kildare. The proposed study area is over 7,000 hectares. The objective is to rewild and restore the cutaway peatlands following the cessation of industrial scale peat extraction, creating a National Park similar in ambition to world famous parks such as The Peak District, The Lake District and the Broads National Park in the UK. These national parks generate billions in revenue for the UK economy and create tens of thousands of jobs in their vicinity. The National Peatlands Park Group says this initiative will benefit communities, the environment and the economy. The Group are particularly concerned about the animal populations under pressure in our local area. The Curlew is a species that has seen a 98% decline in population since the 1980's. One of Europe's legally protected butterflies, the Marsh Fritillary, and the iconic raised bog specialist, the Large Heath Butterfly, are facing extinction in many areas. Jesmond Harding added: The Bog of Allen is unique in terms of scale and holds the potential for a true wilderness experience. The variety, beauty and number of species in this area is unique in Ireland and not only should it be protected, it should be available for us all to experience and enjoy. The designation of National Park Status for this Peatlands region will deliver multiple benefits. It will protect and greatly increase biodiversity, mitigate climate change, enhance the social and economic life of midland communities and act as a catalyst for a growing sustainable tourism industry. The proposed National Peatlands Park would be located on Bord Na Mona cutaway bogs in Kildare and Offaly and would complement the work in rehabilitation that Bord na Mona are currently engaged in under their Peatlands Climate Action Strategy. About Irish Peatland Conservation Council The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) mission is to protect a representative sample of the peatlands of Ireland for people to enjoy today and in the future. The IPCC is a registered charity (Revenue Number CHY6829 and Charities Regulator Number 20013547) and a non-governmental organisation. The Council's work includes purchasing and protecting peatland nature reserves for wildlife and habitat conservation, maintaining a database of 1150 peatland sites of conservation importance in Ireland, developing a Strategy for the Conservation of Peatlands in Ireland, providing resources and training for teachers and education groups, promoting environmental awareness and publicity, conducting research into the restoration of man-modified peatlands, fostering a positive attitude towards peatlands, encouraging lifestyles in harmony with the environment and fund raising. About Butterfly Conservation Ireland Butterfly Conservation Ireland (BCI) is a volunteer-run non-governmental conservation charity (Revenue Number 18161, Charities Regulator Number 20069131) founded in 2008 in response to the declines of our butterfly populations. We are dedicated to the conservation of butterfly habitats. We have a reserve in Lullybeg in County Kildare which we run with Bord an Mona where conservation is applied to protect the excellent habitats so that the extraordinary butterfly and moth populations continue to thrive. We manage a reserve in the Burren in conjunction with the Burren Conservation Volunteers to protect Ireland's rarest butterflies. Butterfly Conservation Ireland runs a recording scheme with the National Biodiversity Data Centre in a joint initiative. Butterfly Conservation Ireland holds events to showcase butterfly conservation and we provide regular educational content on our website and in our Annual Report. Butterfly Conservation Ireland advises on the conservation of butterfly habitats and advocates to urge the protection and correct management of our landscapes. About Birdwatch Ireland Birdwatch Ireland are a science-based conservation charity and the largest independent conservation organisation in Ireland. The primary objective of BirdWatch Ireland is the protection of wild birds and their habitats in Ireland. Birdwatch Ireland has 15,000 members, 2,000 active volunteers, 30 local branches across the nation, 450 events free to the public in every year and 116 partners across the globe in BirdLife International. About Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park is a social enterprise day visitor attraction offering over 60 acres of serene woodland and peatland trails, in Irelands most famous peatland, the Bog of Allen in West Kildare. The Park is a key resource in the region, providing a range of experiences such as education on peatland biodiversity and history, as well as leisure and play. The facility caters for visitors of all ages, school tours at pre-school, primary and secondary level, language schools, families, corporate events, and international tour groups. Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park is a national award-winning enterprise (ITIA Best Environmental Tourism Innovation 2017) and attracts over 50,000 visitors annually. About Umeras Peatland Park Umeras bog is approximately 750 acres, comprised of 650 acres of cut-away bog, 40 acres of raised bog and 60 acres of birch woodland, drains, bog railway and a works yard located near the Grand Canal between Monasterevin and Rathangan. The objective of local community group Umeras Community Development is to transform Umeras Bog into a peatlands park as a local and tourist amenity. Supporters believe that a Peatlands Park will bring tourists to Monasterevin and Rathangan, which combined with the Blueway and Ballykelly Mills Distillery will rejuvenate the local economy. The Peatlands Park would create direct employment in building and managing the park, and indirectly, by creating demand for cafes, shops, bike hire, accommodation, etc. in Monasterevin and Rathangan. About Wild Kildare Wild Kildare is a voluntary group with the aim of promoting, enhancing and protecting the wildlife and biodiversity of Co. Kildare. About Kildare Bat Group Kildare Bat Group was launched in 2011, and with the encouragement and support of Bat Conservation Ireland, a Heritage Grant via Kildare County Council, and a committed team of local volunteers, has been going from strength to strength. We are members of Bat Conservation Ireland with a particular interest in Kildares bats. By Brion Hoban A man who carried out a campaign of harassment against a woman he met on an escort website has received a fully suspended sentence. Enda Holmes (38) subjected the victim to a barrage of phone calls and messages and her place of work began receiving phone calls. He also set up an account on the same escort website which featured her phone number and mentioned her daughter's name. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard he has not contacted the victim since February 2020 after the matter was reported to gardai. Holmes of Rail Park, Maynooth, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to harassment within the State during the period between March 29, 2019 and February 19, 2020. He has no previous convictions. Detective Garda Ciaran O'Reilly told Diana Stuart BL, prosecuting, that Holmes originally met with the victim in November 2018 after he responded to an advertisement she placed on an escort website. Det Gda O'Reilly said they began meeting twice a week and developed a friendship in which she acted as a shoulder to cry on. Holmes bought her a Christmas present and helped her financially including paying a phone bill. The detective said the woman did not feel good about the arrangement as he became more demanding and she started to distance herself. She blocked his number, but he started contacting her in other ways. The victim was satisfied they had ended things on March 29, 2019. He continued to pay her 200 by direct debit on a regular basis. She received messages from him, while other numbers began calling her and her place of work. On one occasion he came to her place at work, only to act flustered as though he had not known she worked there. The victim's phone began exploding with calls after Holmes set up an advertisement on the same website which featured her phone number and mentioned her daughter's name. She received a barrage of phone calls from private numbers and messages with links which if clicked inform people of your location. She changed work and moved address while also stopped the direct debit Holmes had set up. The victim received messages on the website asking to meet her from numerous accounts which she knew were from him. He also set up fake accounts in her family member's names and contacted her with them. The harassment ceased after the victim reported the incidents and Holmes was contacted by gardai. In interview with gardai, he made full admissions to the offence. Det Gda O'Reilly agreed with Karl Finnegan BL, defending, that while this was a very horrible experience for the victim and some of the contact was unsavoury, mean, there were no direct threats of physical violence. The detective agreed with counsel that his client seemed quite besotted with the victim and either considered that they were in a serious relationship or at least he wanted them to be. Mr Finnegan said his client has a long history of working in construction. He said that in March 2018 an incident occurred on a building site during which his client had a gun pointed at him. Counsel said his client suffered a set-back in early 2019 regarding this incident, experiencing nightmares and flashbacks, and that he is still receiving treatment. Mr Finnegan said his client's health was not an excuse or a defence of his behaviour, but he asked the judge to consider it as a background factor. He said his client is a person of otherwise good character with a good work history. Judge Melanie Greally said when the victim sought to distance herself from Holmes, this prompted the campaign of harassment which took many different forms. Judge Greally said the victim believed the communications and material put on the internet was intended to cause damage both in her personal life and choice of occupation. She said the actions of the accused have undoubtedly had a profoundly distressing impact on the victim. She said that a not insignificant episode of poor mental health coincided with the beginning of the offending. She said that due to the mental health of the accused man at the time, the harassment can be regarded as being out of character and unlikely to be repeated. Judge Greally sentenced Holmes to two-and-a-half years imprisonment, but suspended the sentence in its entirety on strict conditions. She also ordered that Holmes not have any contact with the victim or approach within 1km of her place of residence or work for 10 years. Judge Greally explained that a failure to comply with this order is a separate offence with a maximum sentence of 12 months imprisonment. As the country begins to reopen once again details of the search for the Best Place to Live in Ireland 2021 have been announced. Whether you live in a town, village, island or city anywhere on the island of Ireland your home place has a chance to secure the coveted title of Best Place to Live in Ireland. To be in with a chance to claim the title for your homeplace, all you have to do is to write a short submission explaining what makes it so special. The countrywide competition last took place almost 10 years ago in 2012 in the midst of the financial crisis. On that occasion Carrick-on-Shannon was one of eight town to make it onto the long list of 25 Best Places to Live in Ireland. However, in the end Westport, Co. Mayo was eventually selected as the overall winner as it met so many of the competitions criteria and displayed a remarkable community spirit that was evident in its 90-plus voluntary organisations. The initiative, which was launched by The Irish Times at the weekend, will see each nominated location judged on specific criteria, including community spirit, local services and amenities, diversity, transport links, vibrancy of the local economy, cost of living, safety and of course the unique X factor. The panel of judges and researchers will scour Ireland for its hidden gems and known paradises, discovering what people around the country love and value most about the places they live in. The judging panel really want to hear from people all over Leitrim as soon as possible to help identify those special places. Anyone can enter by writing a short pitch about their place and the judging panel is looking forward to a challenging summer of deliberation with every stage in the process documented in The Irish Times and on www.irishtimes.com/bestplace . The closing date for entries is July 25th and the winner will be announced in September. If you send in a submission, be sure to sopy it and send it to us at the Leitrim Observer too FOR the second consecutive year, the Limerick Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes will not take place because of Covid-19. However, the annual Docesan pilgrimage will continue online as pilgrims gather virtually from tomorrow. While nothing can replace the deep spiritual experience of Lourdes itself, organisers say the virtual option is still expected to be enjoyed by large numbers between Thursday and Sunday. With all liturgies across the four days being streamed live at on the diocese website and Facebook page, the online pilgrimage begins tomorrow with Mass at 10am, which will be celebrated by Fr Frank ODea, Director of the Lourdes Pilgrimage. Mass will be celebrated on each of the four days at 10am from different locations, culminating with Sundays celebration with Bishop Brendan Leahy from Corpus Christi Church, Moyross. Other celebrations across the four days will take place at 9pm each evening, starting on Thursday with Stations of the Cross, led by Criona Horgan, Head of Nursing for the Lourdes Pilgrimage. Friday evenings gathering will be Rosary led by Carmel Sheridan, Chief Handmaiden while Chief Brancardier Fr Chris ODonnell will lead a celebration of Healing and Reconciliation on Saturday evening. There will be Evening Prayer and Closing, led again by Carmel Sheridan and assisted by the Pilgrimage Doctors, on Sunday evening. Commenting ahead of the pilgrimage, Fr Frank ODea said: While nothing compares to being in Lourdes itself and we so look forward to a return, the faithful have taken to online celebrations very well over the last 12 months and more. Our virtual Lourdes Pilgrimage last year was very well received and we are expecting more people to join this year. Pilgrims and, indeed, volunteers get so much from Lourdes so theres a deep yearning to reconnect again this year and we are really looking forward to tomorrow. Pilgrims are invited to email their prayers, petitions and intentions to limericklourdespilgrimage@limerickdiocese.org and they will be printed and laid before the altar for each liturgy. Bishop of Limerick, Brendan Leahy, says he's looking forward to the four-day event. The pandemic has taken so much from us all and the Lourdes Pilgrimage has certainly been deeply missed by all involved in this very special gathering each year. But as a people were incredible adaptable and I know that many are really looking forward to the spiritual sustenance they will get over the coming days. We will pray for many things and one of them certainly will be that we are edging ever closer to a safer place and, with vaccinations taking hold now, that we can look forward to returning to some semblance of even a new normal, perhaps even a return to the Marian Shrine in Lourdes in time ahead. CHILDRENS Books Ireland has unveiled details of the Bookseed baby book-gifting programme 2021 with a collection of free books being made available for collection from participating libraries and health centres in Limerick from this weekend. The programme, which is available for families at multiple locations across the city and county, aims to get parents and guardians reading to their babies from birth. The organisers of the initiative are particularly trying to reach families who may have missed out during Covid19 closures. Commenting at the launch, Elaina Ryan, CEO of Childrens Books Ireland, said: We are so pleased to be working with Limerick Libraries and the HSE in Limerick again after a long Covid-enforced break, and we really appreciate their continued support on this project. Limerick babies can once again collect their free books from selected health centres and libraries and we cant wait to share the magic of these wonderful books by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Chris Haughton and Mary Murphy with them." Families who want to get involved can collect a book bag with three free books, along with a Bookseed reading guide from library branches in Abbeyfeale, Adare, Dooradoyle, Kilmallock, Newcastle West and Watch House Cross. Parents and guardians of children aged 1-2 who may have already received their first Bookseed books at their developmental checks with their public health nurse can also collect the final book, Goodnight Like This by Mary Murphy, from the same branches. A number of free Bookseed events for Limerick families will also take place online va Zoom with over the summer. The first of these is with author-illustrator Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick this Thursday - details here. In Spring 2019, public health nurses began to distribute books to babies attending their three-month developmental checks at health centres in Abbeyfeale, Newcastle West, Barrack View, Croom, Rathkeale and Southill. The 75,000 project, which has been extended to include over 2,000 babies in health centres across the city and county, provides parents and guardians with tips on reading to infants and information on how to join their local library. The project has now been adapted to allow the collection of all three books both from health centres and libraries to ensure that these books can get into the hands of babies as soon as possible. Bookseed is funded by the JP McManus Benevolent Fund and Rethink Ireland to support babies in Limerick. West Limerick Resources, together with the West Limerick Primary Health Care Project for Travellers, will help to distribute Bookseed bags to families in the Travelling Community. THE UL Hospitals Group Mid-West Covid-19 Vaccination Programme passed a significant milestone this Wednesday, marking the administration of 150,000 vaccine doses. The regional programme got under way on January 4 last. Ahead of the opening of registration for the 35-39 years age group, UL Hospitals Group and Public Health Mid-West are issuing a joint appeal to people to register for vaccination, and for all employers to do everything they can to facilitate workers to attend for vaccine appointments. "We are pleased with the progress of the vaccine roll-out to date, and we are urging the public in the region to maintain their support for this most crucial phase in the national battle against Covid-19," said a spokesperson. "The UL Hospitals Group programme exceeded its 150,000th dose delivered this Wednesday, June 16. This figure does not include the vaccines delivered by our colleagues in HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare, the National Ambulance Service and General Practitioners. We are also pleased to see pharmacists delivering vaccines from this week." Under the UL Hospitals Group programme alone, the vast majority of the region's healthcare workers have received two doses of the vaccine, including UL Hospitals Group healthcare workers and staff from HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare, the National Ambulance Service and some long-term residential care facilities. Ahead of the opening of registration for 35-39 year-olds, the focus is on scheduling and vaccinating people aged over 40 for vaccination. "We have successfully moved the region's largest vaccination centre from the Radisson Blu Hotel to Limerick Racecourse. The new centre and its sister facilities based in the West County Hotel, Ennis, and the Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh, has the potential to deliver up to 31,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine across the region every week, subject to the vaccine delivery to our region," continued the spokesperson Alongside this, more than 70 pharmacies across the region, as part of a national programme have already been given the go-ahead to administer the Janssen single-dose Covid-19 vaccine to people aged 50 and over. The HSE website has full details of pharmacies where people of 50 years and older can book a Janssen vaccine appointment. For the list of pharmacies and contact details, visit: https://bit.ly/3zv8wNy Noreen Spillane, Chief Operations Officer, UL Hospitals Group said: "I cannot over-estimate the positive impact for the Mid-West as we mark the administration of 150,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from the UL Hospitals Group vaccination programme alone. The incidence of Covid-19 in our hospitals and communities has tracked down significantly from the height of the most recent wave, and the progress of vaccination enables us to look to the future with confidence." Ms Spillane added: "Every step we have taken in our fight against Covid-19 has been leading to this point, and we encourage our local communities to continue their support for our efforts to make our society safe from the threat of Covid-19. We ask businesses throughout the region to facilitate their employees attending for vaccination. The vaccination programme is the best weapon for keeping Covid-19 at bay, in our workplaces and throughout our society," she said. Dr Mai Mannix, Director of Public Health Mid-West, is urging employers and businesses to facilitate their workers to be able to attend their scheduled vaccine appointments. Dr Mannix said: A vaccinated workforce will offer your business increased protection against Covid-19, and will significantly reduce the chances of outbreaks, and workers being identified as close contacts in the event of a Covid-19 situation arising. This will also reduce the chances of your business needing to close temporarily due to an outbreak or a large proportion of your staff being excluded as close contacts. I am concerned about any significant non-attendance at any vaccination centre. The vaccine programme is one of the most ambitious Public Health initiatives in the history of the State, and relies on the public to attend their scheduled appointments for it to run as smoothly as possible. If you are unable to attend, please contact the HSE vaccine helpline to cancel and reschedule your appointment. This will allow others who are waiting to have a chance to be vaccinated sooner. The HSE vaccination helpline number is 1850 24 1850. A FLIGHT carrying vital medical supplies and equipment has departed from Shannon Airport for Nepal as part of an EU-backed initiative to assist in the response to the country's worsening Covid-19 outbreak. The life-saving cargo included 72 oxygen concentrators, 42 ventilators, 12 bipap machines, 400 oximeters, 50 respiratory monitors, 50 defibrillators, 100 thermometers, 1,126 oxygen and air regulators, 99,750 protective coveralls, 201,600 face shields and more than a million surgical masks. The equipment and PPE was donated by the HSE, Respicare, Bons Secours Hospital Cork, Nepal Ireland Society, Bartra Healthcare, Irish Red Cross, Air Liquide Healthcare, Home Health Care and the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny. The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management coordinated the dispatch of this equipment through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, working with a number of Government departments and State agencies. This support from Ireland is part of the coordinated effort by EU Member States currently underway to provide a collaborative response following Nepals request for assistance. Commenting on the initiative, Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD said: "I am pleased that Ireland is in a position to respond to Nepal's request of EU member states for assistance. This equipment will support frontline healthcare workers in Nepal to deliver care to patients who need it. I am grateful to all those who have worked together to make this life-saving donation happen." Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney TD commented: "This support is part of a coordinated effort by EU Member States to pool our resources so that we can respond quickly to the terrible situation in Nepal. It is important that we stand with the people of Nepal in their moment of need. The Irish Aid programme, managed in my Department, is supporting the delivery costs of the donation." Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh OBrien TD, who department coordinated the operation added: "We are facing a global problem and we will need a global effort to overcome it. As a nation we are providing support and solidarity to those around the globe most affected by the pandemic, something we should all be proud of." Janez Lenarcic, European Commissioner for Crisis Management has thanked everyone involved. "The Covid-19 surge in Nepal is claiming more lives every minute as it spreads across the country. We stand in full solidarity with Nepal in its fight against the pandemic." Abu Dhabis state holding company ADQ has invested in Indias online tutoring firm Byjus , which has emerged as one of the countrys most valuable startups. We met Byju in 2020 and were floored by his story. Honored to now be a part of it!," Mayank Singhal, head of venture capital and technology at ADQ said in a LinkedIn post. ADQ has not commented on how much it has invested in the startup. Byjus declined to comment. The Economic Times reported ADQ was among the investors in the latest $350 million fund raising by Byjus, which could value it at $16.5 billion. Qatar Investment Authority invested in the startup in 2019. ADQ, established in 2018, has gained prominence in the past year due to a flurry of deals. It is Abu Dhabis third major state fund after Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Mubadala. ADQ, which owns Abu Dhabi Ports, Abu Dhabi Airport and bourse operator ADX, has also built up a portfolio of food and agriculture businesses and last year agreed to acquire an indirect 45% equity stake in commodities trader Louis Dreyfus Co. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. NEW DELHI : Indias Supreme Court on Tuesday closed criminal proceedings against two Italian marines in the shooting deaths of two Indian fisherman in 2012 after Italy paid $1.3 million in damages, ending one chapter in a long-simmering case that has strained relations between the two countries. In its ruling, the two-judge panel said Italy should resume its own proceedings against Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre. The two marines were accused of firing on the fishermen after mistaking them for pirates off the coast of Kerala while assigned to the merchant ship Enrica Lexie. Italy had long argued that it should have jurisdiction in the case, as both were active duty military personnel at the time of the shooting. Italys foreign minister, Luigi Di Maio, welcomed the decision, which he said was the result of a major diplomatic effort. Thanks to those who worked with perseverance on the case, thanks to our tireless diplomatic corps, the final word has been said on this long affair, Di Maio said on Twitter. The court ruling followed a decision last year by an international arbitration court in the Netherlands that ruled that India did not have jurisdiction in the case. It also ruled that India was entitled to compensation. The two countries agreed to $1.3 million, which Indias solicitor general said had been received last week. It will be divided, with the families of each fisherman getting 40% and the fishing vessel owner receiving 20%. Latorre returned to Italy for treatment after a stroke in 2014, while Girone was permitted to return in 2016. Latorres wife, Paola Moschetti, expressed bitterness over the case, saying her husband has been banned from making any public comments or risk heavy penalties. Now its time to ask why the military authorities want to maintain silence on what he knows and wants to recount, she told the Italian news agency ANSA. Both men are expected to be questioned by Rome prosecutors in the coming weeks in the Italian case. The investigation, part of the formal process to reach a preliminary hearing that would set charges, is expected to finish by the end of the summer. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Mumbai: A housing society in Mumbai's Kandivali area has complained to police that it was apparently cheated by some persons who organized a COVID-19 vaccination camp for its members by claiming to represent a private hospital, and the vaccine that was administered could be spurious. The society, Hiranandani Heritage Residents Welfare Association (HHRWA), has sought an investigation into the matter. A vaccination camp was arranged by the residential complex on May 30. But later it found that the Co-WIN portal did not have any record of the people who participated and they received certificates in the name of different hospitals, it said. "If the vaccine is found to be spurious, the people who got vaccinated will have a medical emergency to deal with. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate the whole episode so that such fraudulent activities are not repeated at other places," the complaint said. The HHRWA had organized the camp through a person named Pandey, who claimed to be a sales representative of a reputed private hospital in Andheri. As many as 390 members received the jabs at the camp at 1,260 per person, it said in the complaint. "We now feel that some unscrupulous elements have taken us for a ride," the complaint read. They were shocked to receive vaccination certificates in the name of Nanavati Hospital, Lifeline Hospital and NESCO Covid Camp, among others, it said. "On contacting Nanavati Hospital, they denied any involvement and said they're victims in the situation too," said Neha Alshi, a resident of the complex, on Twitter. Nanavati Hospital said in a statement that it had not conducted any such vaccination camp. "We have informed the authorities and are lodging a formal complaint," said its spokesperson on Tuesday. The HHRWA also said that none of the people who got vaccinated had the usual after-effects like fever or body ache. "There are doubts about whether we were actually given Covishield or was it just glucose or expired/waste vaccine," said Alshi in her tweets. According to the complaint, one Sanjay Gupta was the coordinator for the camp, but he did not give receipts for the payment for vaccines. He had asked the association to make payment to one Mahendra Singh. Local BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar said the residents approached him after suspecting a fraud. "Police should conduct a thorough probe as such frauds pose a threat to people's lives," he said. Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), from this week, has made signing a Memorandum of Understanding between private vaccination providers and housing societies mandatory if such camps are organised. The MoU should have all relevant details, it said. As per the BMC, so far 41,11,880 people have been administered the vaccine in Mumbai including 8,24,428 who have got both doses. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc are highly effective after two doses at preventing hospitalization of those infected with the delta variant, underscoring the urgency in getting people fully protected, according to health authorities in England. The Pfizer and BioNTech SE shot is 96% effective against hospitalization after two doses, while the AstraZeneca and University of Oxford Covid inoculation is 92% effective, according to an analysis announced Monday by Public Health England. Those results are comparable with the protection offered against the alpha variant, which first emerged in Britain, the data show. The U.K. is in a race to vaccinate its population as the variant first detected in India spreads. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushed back his plan to lift Englands restrictions for at least another four weeks to try to prevent thousands of additional deaths. Although Covid cases have been rising rapidly, fueled by the highly transmissible variant, the latest results will help ease concerns over increased pressure on hospitals. The vaccines are the most important tool we have against Covid-19," Mary Ramsay, PHEs head of immunization, said in a statement. It is absolutely vital to get both doses as soon as they are offered to you, to gain maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants." Findings in May showed the effectiveness of both vaccines against symptomatic disease from the delta variant was 33% three weeks after the first dose. That study found the Pfizer shot was 88% effective two weeks after the second dose, and that two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were 60% effective. Further work is underway to establish the level of protection against death from the delta variant, but its expected to be high, as with other variants, officials said. The analysis included more than 14,000 cases of the delta variant 166 of whom were hospitalized between April 12 and June 4. Researchers in Scotland earlier found that the Pfizer vaccine offered 92% protection against the alpha variant and 79% against the delta one 14 days after the second dose. That compared with 73% and 60% protection for the Astra vaccine. The authors warned that the vaccine comparison should be interpreted with caution due to the observational nature of the data. People infected with the delta variant, meanwhile, are more than twice as likely to end up in the hospital than with the alpha variant, according to those findings presented in a research letter published in The Lancet. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Every two minutes, a mysterious flash of radio light explodes somewhere in the sky and fades back into darkness within a matter of milliseconds. Astronomers first noticed the bursts in data archived from 2007 and have spent the decade or so since carefully stockpiling examples of the fast radio bursts, or FRBs, looking for patterns that might reveal their origins. Now, they have a whopping 500 new bursts to study. On June 9, an international research collaboration released the first FRB catalog from the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment ( CHIME ) in British Columbia, more than tripling the number of known FRBs in a single day. The new dataset lends strong support to the notion that two distinct types of FRBs dot the radio sky, and it foreshadows a future where astronomers leverage FRBs to illuminate the most distant reaches of the universe. "This represents a new phase in FRB science," Kiyoshi Masui, an Massachusetts Institute of Technology astrophysicist and representative of the CHIME collaboration, said at a news briefing. Related: The 12 strangest objects in the universe An FRB-finding machine CHIME was not initially designed to become the world's leading FRB hunter. Astronomers originally planned the machine to use the jitters of dim hydrogen atoms to chart the cosmos's matter out to unprecedented distances. But after the Canadian government funded the $9 million machine, researchers realized it was perfectly suited to solving the emerging mystery of FRBs. The sky flashes with FRBs all the time about 880 times a day, according to the CHIME collaboration's new results . But unless astronomers happen to have a large radio dish trained on exactly the right random point in the sky at exactly the right moment, a burst will go unseen. CHIME, however, has a cosmic perspective. The telescope's broad receivers (more half-pipes than dishes) pick up radio waves from much of the sky overhead at once, and Earth's rotation points it in different directions. A $4.5 million supercomputing cluster dedicated to FRB hunting, added part-way through the design process, digitally focuses the telescope on thousands of points at once. Previously, researchers tended to analyze FRBs on a case-by-case basis. The catalog now opens the door to studying bunches of FRBs at once, "transforming this whole field into big data science," Mohit Bhardwaj, a CHIME collaboration member from McGill University in Montreal, said at the news briefing. Patterns in the randomness Most astrophysicists think FRBs emanate from magnetars, which are one of the weirdest things a star can become when it dies. Magnetars are highly magnetized versions of the stellar corpses known as neutron stars , making them some of the densest and most magnetic objects in the universe. Only a body packing so much mass and magnetic intensity into such a small package could be powerful and nimble enough to beam out the brief bursts, theorists have reasoned. Then in 2020, CHIME caught a magnetar mid-burst in our own galaxy. Still, exactly how magnetars are churning out radio waves is anyone's guess. Related: The 15 weirdest galaxies in our universe "There are a plethora of theories, but nothing that tells us which ones could be right and which could be wrong," Masui said. The CHIME catalog all but confirms a long-held suspicion: Not all FRBs are alike. Astronomers have identified a small minority of FRBs that occur repeatedly from the same spot in the sky, dubbed "repeaters." Of the 535 newly revealed bursts, 61 flashes came from 18 repeat offenders. The astronomers also found that repeaters look intrinsically different from one-off bursts. One-time FRBs are brief and tend to shine with a rainbow of radio waves, while repeat bursts linger and tend to show up as a single radio hue. The distinction hints that magnetars could have at least two different ways of spitting out radio waves. Across the universe Regardless of what's causing FRBs or how, researchers are already thinking about how to put the flashes in the dark to work. The hundreds of bursts seem to be coming from all directions, as opposed to, say, aligning with the Milky Way, That's a sign that the cosmic lighthouses emitting them are scattered across the cosmos, with many coming from hundreds of millions to billions of light-years away. CHIME also picks up a quality of FRBs called dispersion, a measure of how the radio frequencies of a burst have spread out as its photons travel between galaxies. This separation grows as FRB photons plow through the thin plasma that fills space (like white light separates into a rainbow as it passes through a prism). In this dispersion, each FRB records how much matter it encountered on its journey, much as a car's tires carry a history of the roads they have traveled. As CHIME's FRB catalog grows, astronomers hope they will be able to use it to create a map of the cosmos's matter on the largest scales. "We think that [FRBs] are going to be the ultimate tool for studying the universe," Masui said. Originally published on Live Science. Click here to read the full article. AMC is close to taking over the Pacific Theatres locations at two popular Los Angeles shopping malls, a source confirmed to Variety on Tuesday. Pacific Theatres, founded in 1946, announced in April that it would not be reopening its 17 locations as pandemic restrictions loosened. That includes a half dozen Pacific locations and 11 ArcLight locations in Southern California and across the country. Pacific operated the theaters at the Grove shopping complex in the Fairfax neighborhood and the Americana at Brand in Glendale. On Tuesday, ticketing websites showed two new theater locations in the city: AMC The Americana 18 and AMC The Grove 14. Those locations were later scrubbed from the AMC app and website. Both malls are owned by Caruso, the real estate firm headed by Rick J. Caruso. A spokesperson for Caruso declined to comment. We dont have any new information to share at this time, she said. AMC also declined to comment. AMC CEO Adam Aron had previously said that the chain which is enjoying a tailwind thanks to a meme-fueled stock frenzy would be interested in picking up some of the Pacific locations. Several other operators are also interested in picking up some of the ArcLight locations, some of which are among the best performing locations in the region. Pacifics parent company, the Decurion Corporation, owns the land at only two of its theaters, in Chatsworth and in Hollywood. Variety reported earlier on Tuesday that industry insiders expect Decurion CEO Chris Forman to refurbish and reopen the ArcLight Hollywood and its iconic Cinerama Dome, while jettisoning the chain. Pacific is facing lawsuits regarding eight of its locations, including ones in Bethesda, Md., San Diego, Sherman Oaks, Chicago and Boston. In Boston, the company is being sued by its general contractor for $3.5 million in uncompensated cost overruns. The remaining lawsuits allege that the company breached its lease obligations to pay rent. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Television producers have long used their medium as a tool to push progressive thinking on such nuanced topics as interracial dating, queer acceptance and abortion into everyday American households. But what about storytelling that makes these creators and their supporters point the finger inward at their own shortcomings and failures to act? This year, as a result of increased publicity for Black Lives Matter and other similar movements, several Emmy contenders have had honest conversations about race in their writers rooms and on screen. These depictions include the obvious outward kind, as well as the internal biases that live within us all. Christina M. Kim, co-showrunner for the CWs martial-arts drama Kung Fu, says her program had an added layer of need to cover the matter because our show, is about a Chinese American family and a lot of it takes place within the Chinese-American community. As co-showrunner Robert Berens reminds, last year also saw a president in office who was stirring up anti-Asian sentiment around COVID and very specifically anti-Chinese sentiment. Kung Fus fifth episode, Sanctuary, which is written by A.C. Allen, discusses police brutality, racial profiling, attacks on immigrants and the struggle between generations over whether its worth risking your own safety to speak out or if its your duty to do so. This may seem timely given headline-grabbing news stories, including Marchs shooting deaths of eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, at an Atlanta-area spa. But these types of events have been happening for years and many, knowingly or not, are culpable. As the world watched a realtime reckoning for the inherent misogyny and racism in the tech industry, they could also see fictional depictions of it on the NBC musical comedy Zoeys Extraordinary Playlist and Freeforms 20-something-skewing drama Good Trouble, which also addressed BLM activism. A lot of these employees have felt this way for years, says Zora Bikangaga, story editor on Zoeys. And its intersectional. Its not just anti-Black racism. Its across the board. Since the premise of Zoeys is that Jane Levys titular lead learns empathy by hearing peoples musical numbers, he says, we just felt that there was a giant opportunity for her to learn empathy by hearing the struggles of her Black friends or Black colleagues and see her blind spots in the process. In Zoeys Extraordinary Reckoning, an episode Bikangaga wrote, she begins to understand the problems in her workplace not just for her friend Simon (John Clarence Stewart), a Black man tasked with hiding the companys lack of diversity, but also for Kapil Talwalkars Tobin, a first-generation Indian American he has learned that shrugging off commentary about his heritage is a lot easier than calling others out for it. The episode culminates with Stewart performing Michael Kiwanukas Black Man in a White World as he takes his employers to task during a press conference. Still other series made these topics part of a conversation their characters were already having. The fifth season premiere of NBCs family drama This Is Us sees the mostly white members of the series central, extended family reeling from actual news stories of police brutality against Black people and eagerly looking for ways to help, while the Black family members are experiencing states of trauma and fear. Whether its subtly or overtly, weve never been shy about the fact that our story is largely about a very lovely white family in Pittsburgh in the 1980s who have a Black son. And so, its one of those things where it would be quite shocking and disturbing if that was not very obviously addressed, says Kay Oyegun, This Is Us co-executive producer. She wrote the two-part season premiere, entitled Forty, with Jake Schnesel and creator Dan Fogelman. The footage of George Floyds Gutter Credit May 2020 killing was something that forced, in a lot of ways, real introspective conversations across the racial line, she says. In the first part of the This Is Us season premiere, Sterling K. Browns Randall reminds his well-meaning sister, Kate (Chrissy Metz), that this isnt the first Black person to be killed on camera and that we grew up in the same house. Things like this have been happening to Black people for years and weve never talked about it. ABCs Black-ish has long-filtered the concept of white liberal guilt through the prism of comedy. In its seventh seasons What About Gary?, written by story editor Edgar Momplaisir, Rob Huebel guest stars as a cousin of Tracee Ellis Ross Rainbow. Gary is a favorite of her husband, Dre (Anthony Anderson), but recent events have made Gary question his own prejudices and he asks Dre to show him how to be an ally. Conversations range from knowing how to differentiate among celebrities named Regina to the societal impact of putting white kids in private school. Momplaisir says the idea came about after every single Black person in the writers room had an experience where a white person texted them and was just like, Give me the lowdown on whats happening. Its funny that you have people texting a single person, and being like, Hey, can you give me everything about your entire people, your entire race? and expecting that person to be a spirit guide, or an encyclopedia, or [reflect] an experience of millions of people. Ironically, writing an episode such as this mirrored what so many people of color were already feeling. We almost felt like we had a responsibility to address it, Momplaisir says. But he admits that responsibility is exhausting. That need to say something gets old after a while. And yet, these stories can serve as time capsules for different points in history exactly what Steve McQueen did when creating and helming the five-part anthology Small Axe for Amazon Prime Video. Each installment looks at the lives and pressures put upon various West Indian immigrants living in London during the latter half of the previous century. Unfortunately, the films make it abundantly clear how little has changed. The Mangrove installment, which he co-wrote with Alastair Siddons, is about the arrest and trial of Black activists, the Mangrove Nine. This was an influential court case in England that became Londons first judicial acknowledgement of racially motivated attacks from its police. Red, White, and Blue, written by McQueen and Courttia Newland, follows London Metropolitan Police officer Leroy Logan (John Boyega), who attempted to reform the organization from the inside after his father was beaten by officers. Lovers Rock, also co-written with Newland, isnt about any specific historical event, but rather about a couple that meets at a house party. The writer-director says he wanted a story that was just about love, and romance, and music and all the things as we all know as young people. McQueen says these stories resonate despite oceanic divides because local is global and that its about humanity and its about how you tell a story. I think, as a human being, everyone can relate to each others stories, he says. Sometimes, pivotal moments in our lives actually touch all of our lives, or theres an understanding of what those stories are. And, through television, versions of some of these stories have now been documented for posterity. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the Season 4 finale of The Handmaids Tale, streaming now on Hulu. Writer, producer and director Liz Garbus is adamantly opposed to the death penalty, something she has explored in such documentaries as The Execution of Wanda Jean dating back to 2002. Yet, for her scripted television directorial debut, the fourth season finale of Hulus The Handmaids Tale, she delivers an episode that carries out such a sentence. While the idea does go against a larger principle I have, Garbus tells Variety, theyre very different situations. Certainly the biggest difference is that The Handmaids Tale is fictional and fantastical in some ways and was not setting out to validate such retribution for a crime. In the episode, entitled The Wilderness, former Gilead Commander Fred (Joseph Fiennes) cuts a deal to turn over secrets about how that new government works in return for what he thinks will be his freedom. Instead, he is dropped off in No Mans Land, where the titular and now thankfully former handmaid June (Elisabeth Moss), Emily (Alexis Bledel) and a number of other refugees from Gilead await. Wanting him to feel as afraid as she did when she was running through woods trying to escape Gilead, June tells Fred to run. He does, but he only makes it a few hundred feet before he trips, falls and the women lay into him. Whats interesting about state-sanctioned murder is that, because of our judicial system, death penalties have to go through so many appeals that by the time a family gets to experience it, whatever the catharsis is supposed to be, theyre years later [so] it does not do that for them, Garbus says. I think its something very different when youre talking about biblical vengeance that June takes, which is very immediate and it is for her. Her scripted television directorial debut on The Handmaids Tales season finale follows her scripted feature film directorial debut (Lost Girls) just last year. The Handmaids Tale project came to her in the fall of 2020, she recalls, and it was something that excited her, despite the fact that it would keep her steeped in stories about surviving trauma. Garbus had just come off the release of Ill Be Gone in the Dark, a HBO docuseries about the late author Michelle McNamaras attempts to figure out who the Golden State Killer was, which she executive produced and directed two episodes of (and was soon to receive a special followup episode). She also had All In: The Fight for Democracy, about voter suppression efforts, launching at the time and was working on The Conspiracy, about antisemitism. Her extensive documentary resume includes other such true crime projects on the subject, including The Farm: Angola, USA, Who Killed Garrett Phillips? and The Innocence Files. Diving into The Handmaids Tale was a chance for explore, What is enough? in the healing process. Garbus knows from experience that the answer is not the same for every real person, nor would it be for each fictional character on Handmaids. Some peoples healing is about confronting that evil and beating it, and for other people its about shutting it away and not letting it have any more power over your life. Thats the Moira approach, she says. What is enough for June and Emily is a very different thing. To prep for Handmaids, Garbus went back and watched all three seasons that were streaming on Hulu, in addition to reading all nine scripts for the fourth season episodes that would come before hers. But because showrunner Bruce Miller doesnt write a lot of stage direction on the page, she notes, she also watched footage from the fourth season to really study the subtle shifts in stylistic changes as characters traveled to new locations. She was able to get the first three episodes, but then for the rest, she would watch dailies as they came in. Having to travel from New York to the Toronto-based set to direct meant a mandatory 14-day quarantine period upon arrival in Canada (due to COVID-19 pandemic health and safety protocols). During that time she had a lot of Zoom meetings with various departments, from production design and costumes to talking to the director of photography, having an upfront tone meeting with Miller and talking to Moss and Fiennes about the heavy lifting they would both be asked to do, emotionally, within the episode. Though this work was important to immerse herself in the world of the show, she came in well versed in the subject material due to her work on the HBO series about the Golden State killer. I will say that my experience on Ill Be Gone in the Dark with rapists and their survivors was incredibly helpful for these conversations, Garbus says. The show has consultants who are talking about these issues about trauma and survivors the show has all these resources there for any director but the fact that I had just come off of knowing all of these survivors and understanding trigger points for them and the unexpected ways in which trauma manifests itself [like], what does it feel like to get an apology? was so helpful. Garbus was actually working on the special followup episode to Ill Be Gone in the Dark (premiering June 21 on HBO) while in prep on Handmaids. (We turned in our rough cut to HBO right when I finished my quarantine, she says.) That episode explores developments for the survivors of Joseph James DeAngelos crimes, as well as utilizes footage from inside his sentencing where he apologizes and admits guilt. In some ways, Garbus says, thats almost worse. If all he did was walk in there and say, I was hearing voices and they told me to do it, and he was just abjectly crazy, its like, OK youre crazy, I have no chance, you ruined this part of my life. But then if you actually see him behave like a human being who says sorry, it so woefully falls short and can be re-traumatizing. I will say that [was] one thing that I did share with Lizzie that I think was really helpful for both of us. Before June fully commits to killing Fred in The Wilderness, she visits him in his Canadian cell. In doing so, he tells her because he is going to be a father now, he understands what it must have been like for her to lose her own daughter. His own meek attempt at an apology for some of his crimes ultimately helps June solidify her plans. June is searching for what shes going to do and what is right for her, and I think thats the moment she knows, You are not lasting. I am going to figure out how to bring you down,' says Garbus. And that rung very emotionally true, given my experience with survivors not all of them, but some. To keep the story centered around the survivors, even in Freds final moments Garbus made sure to focus the scene on June and Emilys faces. Theres hopefully a moment in there where you feel Freds resignation, like, Yeah, I have this coming. Deep down he knows he crafted this arc for himself and he thought he was creating a kinder, gentler commander, but knowing that you have to become that also means that you know youve wronged and therefore that you deserve some punishment. That was an important moment for Freds character [but] for me there was an ecstasy that was on their faces, and for me the emotion in that was total abandon, total liberation, total freedom, she says. This is also, in part, because the episode also deals in themes of control and abandon, Garbus continues. It begins with a flashback to Junes time in Gilead, when she had to dance with Fred in Jezebels as if nothing was wrong. She was being controlled, but she also had to be in control of her own emotions in the moments, which is the polar opposite to the salvaging of Fred at the end, Garbus points out. Those are the poles of control and abandon and they are holding hands; those two scenes are intrinsically, psychologically linked. But after one experiences such trauma and actually gets to take action against or about it, there can be another kind of loss, Garbus notes: Youve done it and now whats left? What now? That is where the fourth season of Handmaids leaves June because its no longer about, What do I do about Fred?' But that is also in many ways what the special episode of Ill Be Gone in the Dark is about for the survivors. DeAngelo has been sentenced to multiple life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole and the hope is that those whose lives he touched can finally feel a sense of justice. That special episode, which Garbus executive produced but fellow EP Elizabeth Wolff directed, also digs deeper into the unsolved 1984 murder of Kathleen Lombardo in Oak Park, Ill., which was the case that got McNamara started on her interest in true crime. The Lombardo case was something we always just really wanted to get into the series and we couldnt work it in. We constantly struggled and stuck it here, stuck it there, but it wanted more time. So, we thought we could do it in a podcast, but then we did make this relationship with Kathys brother [Chris] and we just thought, What would Michelle want? And Michelle would want just like she did with the GSK this case to have publicity and to say, Get on it. And we really do know theres so much more to this story these other related cases that are still unsolved and probably more victims out there, Garbus explains. One of the related cases is that of Grace Puccetti, who was attacked just minutes away from her home but lived to tell her tale. Her family didnt want to discuss it at first, but things have changed through the years and Puccetti sits down with the Ill Be Gone in the Dark team for an interview in the special episode. There are these interlocking themes between Grace Puccetti and the idea of casting aside shame and talking publicly about this trauma. It just felt like, OK, this is how we can tell Kathys story because we also found Grace,' Garbus says. While both of these projects can help survivors see themselves reflected and hopefully help with healing, the Ill Be Gone in the Dark special does have an inherent goal of calling other internet sleuths and journalists to investigative action, Garbus admits. We know what Michelle was able to accomplish with her L.A. Magazine story and with the book it was just to keep the pressure and spotlight on these cases. And so, it really was just to continue to inspire the other Michelles in the world. And we know there are many. It felt like the right homage and hopefully it does bring more information to Graces family and the others that are out there. As for Garbus, while she says she would love to keep directing Handmaids,' she already has quite a few documentary projects in the pipeline as both a producer and director, including Fauci for National Geographic, Cousteau for National Geographic and Disney Plus, and GameStop for Netflix. For some of my own projects, maybe there will be a bit more light in there. Theres so much interest in true crime and I love those stories and Im dedicated to them, but there are a lot of other stories out there and also things to celebrate, she says. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. It was one of Ted Dansons daughters who gave him perhaps the best perspective on his Cheers role, Sam Malone. He was the reformed alcoholic in a bar, Danson says of his ironic character. He was always alone surrounded women one after the other, but always alone. One of my daughters, when she was five, said, why is your characters name Sam Alone? And it was like, Oh, thats good. Thats good, I hadnt thought of that. Danson recently discussed his career, including his new NBC series Mr. Mayor, with Tina Fey for Variety and NBCUniversals Virtual FYC House. In a rare public conversation between the two comedy titans, Fey who is an executive producer on Mr. Mayor grilled the American treasure on how he wound up with such a unique career, what he likes about paying Los Angeles mayor Neil Bremer on the sitcom, and other rapid-fire questions that only Fey could ask. I do know that I have always loved comedy that had a core of sadness or something real and human that is sweet and funny, but sad, Danson said. And most of the writers I know who are these bright, wonderful, crazy, brilliant with a core of sadness in them. And that attracts me, I love that. And I love drama, like Damages, or Fargo, that is funny. Why did Danson, coming off The Good Place, jump so quickly at another show? Danson told Fey it was because of her and producing partner Robert Carlock. You are my boss and I, you know I am a sycophant at heart, but that is also the truth, he said. You and Robert, your credentials were such that that I wanted to be part of that. And I think I learned somewhere along the line that instead of having somebody build a show around you or pay you huge sums of money or whatever, make sure you find the most creative people in the room and then ask nicely if you can be part of what theyre doing. So, I wanted to know what it was like to be in you and Roberts brain. I wanted to know what your comedy felt like to do, he added. Fey returned the compliment, noting that Danson and Holly Hunter, who plays the mayors foil, deputy mayor Arpi Meskimen, keep us honest we try to police ourselves and be like, this joke, lets bend it, but not to the point of breaking is what were always hoping for. And I think you guys have a great way of, you never say, this is nuts! But you all ask good questions to help justify whats happening or to understand whats happening. And sometimes the questions make us go, oh yeah, this is nuts. Fey said watching Cheers while growing up inspired her in writing ensemble, workplace comedies. What we were striving for was to have a workplace comedy that happened to be in what turned out to be one of the most difficult arenas to try to be funny about in 2020, 2021, the big city government, she says. But to try to create an ensemble of characters that we just want to spend time with. I just want to make a group of people that you want to see those people be together in this space. Later, Fey asks Danson a variety of questions, including: What Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis can do that Danson cant; the awkwardness of his fictional Curb Your Enthusiasm character Ted Danson divorcing his real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen; how he prepared for his dance in Body Heat; and favorite Cheers guest star. Watch the full conversation at Variety and NBCUniversals Virtual FYC House, which is currently live and ready to visit. Content in the house also includes the reunion of two beloved NBC characters, Mariska Hargitays Benson and Christopher Melonis Stabler from the Law & Order franchise, as well as panel conversations with producers and artisans from some of the top shows airing on TV. Additionally, NBC has re-created a virtual version of their iconic tram tour where you can find exclusive content from This is Us, Zoeys Extraordinary Playlist, The Voice, and Top Chef, to name a few. Throughout the month new, never before seen content is being added to this site, including the Danson/Fey chat. Variety and NBCUniversals Virtual FYC House is open through June 28. Go here to register. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Laredoans have always reached for new heights. However, one local may reach a place few have ever before albeit, in unusual fashion. On Tuesday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced a contest as the winner will be sent to space to help collect data on the surface of the moon. But theres one caveat: the candidates will be going posthumously as NASA will be creating a mannequin, or Moonikin, in their honor. The NASA Artemis Program features eight names which commemorate unsung heroes, which are considered individuals who have committed great deeds or accomplishments but have received little recognition during their lifetime, as well as other important names. And the Laredoan who is up for the honor is Arturo B. Campos, a former NASA electrical engineer. Campos contribution to the aerial space organization helped in the development of life-sustaining electrical power systems from both the Apollo spacecraft and the shuttle. Without the subsystem mangers help in developing the life-saving technology, the shuttle of Apollo 13 would have been another tragedy for NASA as it had about 72 hours before crashing into the Earth and leaving no survivors when Campos and other experts like him were notified to find a way to safe the shuttle and those on board. A few days later after beginning work on a rescue plan, Apollo 13 splashed down safely in the water with a major accident being avoided. The way the family got notified took them by surprise. I received a message in Messenger from someone that is not my friend, and I looked at it and read it, and it gave me an email address that ended with NASA.gov. So I replied, and she said that they wanted to tell me that they had selected him because of his role in having developed a very important piece of hardware for Apollo 13, said Campos daughter Leticia Campos Maddix. Dad came up with a solution for the power, and they were really excited because of that. On Tuesday, NASA announced the rules for the naming contest that will begin on Wednesday to choose the Moonikin. The eight individuals are in a bracket with voting between two at a time. The winners will advance to the semifinals before moving to the third round in the finals. The dedication to Campos was made by NASA due to the fact that they state his role was key in bringing Apollo 13 home and evading a horrific tragedy, as it entered back into the atmosphere mainly due to his quick work handling the shuttle falling uncontrollably back to the planet. According to the NASA website, Campos was chosen as a possible name for the Moonikin as Campos was resourceful and a problem-solver. The rules of the contest were posted on NASA's website Tuesday morning as voting will be done every other day to ensure who the contestants will be moving forward to the next bracket. Votes will be counted via social media. Every other day starting Wednesday, NASA will ask social media users on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to vote between one of two names. The final showdown will be on June 28 before the Moonikins name will be announced on June 29. As NASA gears up for the Artemis I mission around the Moon that will pave the way to send the first woman and the first person of color to the lunar surface, we have an important task for you (yes, you!), states NASA about the mission. Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft ahead of the first flight with crew on Artemis II. We want your help to select a name for the suited mannequin, or Moonikin in this case, that will fly aboard Orion to help gather data before missions with astronauts. Campos is one of eight names up for consideration. The others include: Ace Stands for Artemis Crew Explorer, a practical name as the Moonikin will be a member of the first official crew of Artemis I. Delos In 2017, NASAs Terra satellite captured an image of islands scattered across the Aegean Sea. One group sat in the central region of the Aegean, encircling the island of Delos. Duhart Named after Dr. Irene Duhart Long, the first African American woman to serve in the Senior Executive Service at Kennedy Space Center. She was the first woman and person of color to serve as chief medical officer as her career spanned 31 years. Montgomery Named after Julius Montgomery, the first African American hired at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station working as a technical professional. Rigel One of the 10 brightest stars in the Earths sky, forming part of the Orion constellation. Rigel is a nod to the Orion spacecraft, which the Moonikin will be riding aboard. Shackleton Refers to the Shackleton Crater on the moon, named after Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. NASA research finds that ice may make up the interior of the crater at nearly 22% of the surface material. Wargo Named after Michael Wargo, who represented NASA as the first Chief Exploration Scientist for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. He was a leading contributor of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), which launched together on to the Moon and confirmed water existed there in 2009. Each name reflects an important piece of NASAs past or a reference to NASAs Artemis plans, NASA Headquarters Public Affairs Officer Kathryn Hambleton said. Some of the names were selected based on people who have had an impact on the agency and space exploration, but have not received as much recognition as some more well-known figures. According to NASA, a mannequin is commonly used in training for emergency rescues, medical education and research. The Moonikin ultimately chosen will not just be sent to space to travel with the real life crew but also will be used to collect data on the moons surface. Laredoans and others around the world will be able to travel with the Moonikin passengers virtually every step of the way on their voyage. The mannequin will be loaded into the Orion spacecraft closer to the mission, and people will be able to follow along as Orion and its passengers travel around the Moon and back, Hambleton said. In efforts to take part in the contest beginning on June 16, people must follow the official account of @NASAArtemis via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram where they will be able to vote for the Moonikin that they will take to the sky as the bracket challenges will be announced through there. More information about Campos legacy and his work in NASA can be found by going to a page dedicated to his work and tenure at the aeronautics organization at nasa.gov/moonikin/arturo-campos. jorge.vela@lmtonline.com Colin Tink, 63, has been farming all his life and has never experienced a mouse plague like the one ravaging Australia's eastern grain belt. Nor a drought like the one that preceded it, which turned fertile crop areas into dust bowls. When the rains finally came last year, Tink thought his fortunes were changing. The rain led to bumper crops through the spring and summer months (September to March in the Southern Hemisphere). Silos are overflowing with grain. And barns are piled high with hay. Tink grew enough hay to feed his cattle for two years. Then the mice arrived. Thousands of them. The vermin burrow deep into his hay. What they don't eat is ruined anyway as their urine trickles down through the bales. The smell is acrid. It sticks in your nose and lingers on your clothes. "It breaks your heart a bit," Tink said. "We're back to square one." Not one to give up, Tink recently fashioned a giant mouse trap out of a shipping container he uses to roll out grain for his cattle. He lures mice into the container by scattering grain on the floor. Then, Tink, or his 5-year-old grandson, Jock, sweep the mice with a broom toward a pool of water positioned at the open end of the container. The rodents hurtle into the water. Trapped by a thin layer of dishwashing liquid, they quickly drown. On the first evening, they caught 7,000 mice. The next night it was 3,000. Now, they're averaging about 1,000 a night. "We won't beat 'em but we might slow them down a bit," Tink said. - - - Australia suffers a mouse plague every decade or so. Some older farmers recall an infestation during the 1970s in which the ground felt as if it was moving, it was so thick with mice. One contributing factor is changing farming practices. To maintain moisture in Australia's arid soil, farmers are sowing new crops directly onto the old stalks that were left in the ground. That means mice have more places to shelter - and have more food. The New South Wales government has secured 5,000 liters (1,320 gallons) of a deadly bait called bromadiolone. Scientists worry the poison may inadvertently kill other species - wedge-tailed eagles, owls, snakes and goannas (large lizards) that are feeding on the abundant mouse prey. The mice also carry viruses that are potentially deadly to humans. Health authorities in Queensland state say the number of cases of leptospirosis - a flu-like illness that can lead to meningitis, kidney failure, bleeding and respiratory complications - have almost doubled in 2021 compared with this time last year. - - - With a shortage of traps, farmers have had to come up with their own systems to catch mice. They're crafting makeshift traps out of barrels and buckets. They're laying down treats to tempt the mice to scuttle to their doom. Some farmers have enlisted the help of experts like Henry, a government scientist who roams the country advising people on how to deal with the rodents. In Coonamble, west of Sydney, last month, Henry inspected a 3,000 bale haystack - worth roughly $93,000 at current prices - that had been destroyed by mice. In a drought, the straw would fetch twice that, he said. "When I wake up in the morning I am talking about mice and then when I go to bed I am still talking about mice," he said. At the Royal Hotel in Yeoval, about 200 miles west of Sydney, the publican, Mark Iles, said he was catching mice in his bare hands a few weeks ago as they scampered across his bar. - - - Greg Younghusband is a 40-year-old farmer near Gilgandra, about 270 miles west of Sydney. In dealing with the infestation, he has had to burn his own crops, and set up scores of traps. One Saturday about a month ago, things got so bad that Younghusband had to send his wife and daughters away to a nearby town for the weekend. The mouse invasion was too much to bear. They were in his shed. They were in the house. They destroyed his washing machine, dryer and two refrigerators. They chewed through his couch, his coffee machine and his daughter's bed sheets. They were under the oven. He could hear them in the walls. He also smelled them. The smell of death. Everywhere. "You can't get rid of the smell because they die in the walls. They die under the stove," Younghusband said. "It's the worst smell you've ever smelt. It's unbelievable." He armed himself with 40 traps and between 2 p.m. and 2 a.m. he caught 450 mice, before giving up and going to bed. "I'd unload a trap and bait it again and as soon as I turned away it would go off again." One recent evening, Younghusband lit a fire under about 130 hay bales that had been destroyed by mice and stood back to watch, beer in hand, as flames lit up the night sky. He estimates he has lost about 1,500 bales so far. Normally a mouse plague will end apocalyptically, according to Henry, as the population grows too big to support itself. Riddled with disease and running out of food, the vermin turn on each other, starting with the sickest and weakest. He worries that if temperatures don't drop sharply enough over the winter, many will survive the cooler months, setting up for an even more explosive outbreak next spring. During a special call meeting, the Laredo College Board of Trustees discussed in closed session the process of selecting the next interim president in preparation for current LC president Dr. Ricardo Solis. After some deliberation, the trustees announced that no action or discussion would take place, meaning no candidate was chosen yet. They continue with the process of finding the next interim president. The college previously held a meeting on June 2 where an agenda said they would be naming an interim leader but also ended without a decision. However, trustee Jackie Ramos motioned Tuesday night to adopt the process of the LC interim president selection discussed in the closed session on the condition of starting the process of receiving and accepting the letter of resignation by Solis. Ramos motion passed and the process will continue. The next LC board meeting will be held on June 24 at noon, which may provide an opportunity for more discussion on the current subject. On May 27, LC announced that Solis was unanimously approved by the South Texas College Board of Trustees as the final candidate to take the helm of the college. He has been the LC president since 2016 and is likely to transition into STC before the fall semester. I am grateful for what I have learned, because I am taking with me all that I have learned here for the last five years, Solis said when announcing the decision. And I am also very cognizant that I would not be here today talking about this if it had not been for Laredo College, because five years ago, you took a risk in me. On June 2, the board started their discussions regarding the presidential search and kick-off the months long process. During which, a presidential profile will be created as well as a search committee. It is our intention as a board in good faith to continue looking for a president that will fill the shoes, the needs and the mission of our college, Ramos said at the time. We are moving forward, but we are also wishing the best for Dr. Solis as he embarks on a new adventure. cocampo@lmtonline.com SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem indicated Tuesday she will try again to hold a fireworks display over Mount Rushmore to celebrate Independence Day on the heels of President Joe Biden's announcement that the White House will be hosting its own independence from the virus bash. The National Parks Service in March denied the states application to hold the pyrotechnic display, reasoning that fireworks caused safety concerns at the monument, local Native American tribes objected to the celebration being held on land they hold as sacred and a mass gathering could still defy coronavirus precautions. In an effort to overturn that decision, the Republican governor has written a letter to the president, bashed Biden in the media and sued the U.S. Department of the Interior. All of those efforts have failed. But after Biden announced Tuesday that he would be encouraging nationwide celebrations to mark the countrys effective return to normalcy, Noem said on Twitter that she would resubmit a request to hold fireworks at the monument on Saturday, July 3. However, even if the federal government reversed its decision, the state would struggle to pull the event together with July Fourth weekend just weeks away. Noems administration previously said in court that in order to have enough time to organize a fireworks event at the site, it would have to know by June 2 whether it would be allowed. The governors spokesman, Ian Fury, said Noem will reach out to the "Biden Administration to ask them to reconsider their unlawful decision. She has also said she will file an appeal of the judge's order in her lawsuit. Noem has used the issue as a political cudgel to frame herself as an opponent of Biden. She took to Twitter to lash out at the president, writing, Why are you being so hypocritical? You're having your own personal fireworks show in DC, but South Dakotans are told no? South Dakota has been dealing with drought and wildfires burned within the monument's boundaries earlier this year, forcing the park to close for several days. But Noem has said that if the fireworks were allowed, the fire conditions would be monitored and organizers could cancel the show if the fire risk were too great. Noem successfully pushed last year for a return of the event after a decade-long hiatus. It gave former President Donald Trump an opportunity to feature in a patriotic display attended by thousands of people during the pandemic. Noem has said there were no COVID-19 outbreaks linked to last year's event. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) Escalating gang violence has pushed nearly 8,500 women and children from their homes in Haitis capital in the past two weeks, according to a UNICEF report. Officials say the gangs' fight over territory in Port-au-Prince has forced hundreds of families to abandon burned or ransacked homes in impoverished communities, with many of them staying in gymnasiums and other temporary shelters that are running out of water, food and items like blankets and clothes. Bruno Maes, Haitis representative for the U.N.s children agency that issued the report late Monday, compared the effect to guerrilla warfare, with thousands of children and women caught in the crossfire. Nearly 14,000 people in Port-au-Prince have been displaced by violence in the past nine months, according to the U.N. office overseeing humanitarian coordination. Families with young children have been sleeping on concrete floors of a gymnasium in the Carrefour neighborhood, with only a sheet serving as a bed and their scant belongings stuffed into bags nearby. Many expect the violence to increase as Haiti prepares for general elections scheduled for September and November: They accuse gangs of trying to boost support for certain candidates and of targeting neighborhoods that organize protests against President Jovenel Moise. Pierre Esperance, executive director of the Haitian National Human Rights Defense Network, said gangs control about 60% of the countrys territory and that 12 massacres have been reported since 2018 in disadvantaged communities. However, he said he is especially worried about the most recent upswing in violence. Its the worst weve seen, he said. Gangs have so much power, and they are tolerated. ... Each day that passes with Jovenel in power, the situation is going to deteriorate. A spokesman for Moise could not be immediately reached for comment. Last week, Leon Charles, general director of Haitis National Police, said gangs are fighting over territory and called on people to rise up against them: The moment has arrived for the collaboration of all sectors. In addition to infiltrating rival shantytowns, gangs have targeted police stations in recent weeks, killing several officers. They also have raided businesses and fired on a car dealership on Monday as customers and employees fled. Hours later, Haitis National Police said they had the situation under control and were collaborating with citizens to thwart the attempts of these armed gangs wanting at all costs to create a climate of terror in the country. The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti said it was deeply concerned about the upsurge in gang violence and called for it to end so humanitarian aid could reach those in need. Businesses and schools have closed and public transportation ceased in communities most affected by the violence, including Martissant and parts of Delmas, with few entering or crossing the area for fear of being killed. Doctors Without Borders said its emergency center in Martissant received more than 40 patients with gunshot wounds from June 2-4 alone, and that its employees have had to take cover from stray bullets. We are witnessing an extremely worrying deterioration in the security situation, the mission said. At a time when we should be scaling up because of COVID-19 and other needs, we are struggling to keep our existing facilities open due to insecurity. The mission and other health experts say they worry people arent seeking medical help for fear of being injured or killed if they leave their homes as Haiti struggles with a spike in COVID-19 cases while still awaiting its first shipment of vaccines. Meanwhile, Esperance, the human rights activist, said he doesnt foresee a quick solution: It will be absolutely impossible to hold elections in Haiti in 2021. ___ Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Danny Zaragoza / Laredo Morning Times A 24-year-old San Antonio resident has been charged with importing about 21 pounds of cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery. A Laredo federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment on Tuesday against Jonathan Nunez-Gamboa. He is set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga in the near future for his arraignment. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Delegates at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to create a task force to oversee an independent investigation into the denomination's handling of sexual abuse. Separately, the convention approved its most absolutist statement yet in opposition to abortion, a resolution calling for its immediate banning without exception and calling it a crime against humanity that must be punished equally under the law. The measure calls for the newly elected SBC president, Alabama pastor Ed Litton, to appoint the task force, which will head up a review of allegations that the denomination's Executive Committee mishandled abuse cases, intimidated victims and advocates, and resisted reforms. It also would investigate the work of a credentials committee that was created in 2019 with a mandate to identify congregations that fail to respond to sex abuse cases. It was a sharp turn of events for the SBC's largest gathering in decades. The SBCs business committee had planned to refer the proposal to its Executive Committee the same entity alleged to have failed in its response to abuse cases but church representatives voted in the morning to put the matter before the convention floor and then approved it against minimal opposition. The task force was proposed by Tennessee pastor Grant Gaines following leaked letters and secret recordings purporting to show some leaders tried to slow-walk accountability efforts and intimidate and retaliate against those who advocated on the issue. Executive Committee president Ronnie Floyd has defended the bodys response, but last week he announced that the panel had retained an outside consulting firm, Guidepost Solutions, to investigate the claims. On Wednesday he told the convention that he accepts the proposal for a more independent probe. I hear you, Floyd told the gathering, drawing out his words. This will make our convention stronger, and that is what I want. During a brief floor debate, Georgia pastor Troy Bush said the committee failed to investigate adequately a case involving a minister accused of abuse in multiple churches including his own. We believe the Executive Committee does not have the ability to handle this task force and investigation alone, Bush said. Before the vote, critics said it would be a conflict of interest for the Executive Committee to oversee a probe of itself. Abuse survivors brought their cases to (SBC authorities) only to feel that they were brushed off, disregarded and turned away," Gaines said. "These are not the kind of allegations we can sweep under the rug. Rachael Denhollander of Louisville, Kentucky, a prominent advocate for survivors of abuse in the SBC, applauded the move toward a more independent probe: No one should ever fear the truth and wise counsel, she tweeted. "The truth is never in opposition to sound theology." The vote is the latest action in response to a landmark 2019 report by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News documenting hundreds of cases of abuse in Southern Baptist churches, with several alleged perpetrators remaining in ministry. Debate over the investigation came on the concluding day of the two-day gathering of the nations largest Protestant denomination with 15,726 voting delegates in attendance, the most in at least 25 years. A separate proposal for an outside audit of the SBC's handling of the abuse issue was referred to the denomination's policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and the commission's acting president said agency trustees will consider it. We want to do everything in our power to serve Southern Baptists in the effort to make churches safe from abuse, Daniel Patterson said in a statement. Also Wednesday, delegates overwhelmingly approved a lengthy resolution that went further than any previous statement in four decades of staunch anti-abortion advocacy by the SBC. The SBC has passed many resolutions reaffirming the importance of human life at all stages of development, but we have yet to call for the immediate abolition of abortion without exception or compromise, the resolution stated. Past conventions had included the single exception of abortion being permissible when the physical life of the mother is in imminent danger, but Wednesday's resolution didn't mention that exception. The resolutions committee of the convention had not planned to offer this one for a vote, saying the convention's opposition to abortion was already well-established, but the delegates voted to bring it to the floor. The measure declared the murder of preborn children is a crime against humanity that must be punished equally under the law. It did not say who would be prosecuted, and whether that would include a woman procuring an abortion. A separate resolution approved the previous day, opposing taxpayer funding for abortion, called on Baptists to love, care for, and minister to women who are victimized by the unjust abortion industry. Ed Stetzer, executive director Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center, attributed the push for a second resolution to Southern Baptists' frustration with the lengthy battle on what they consider an urgent moral issue. They are concerned about the unborn, and many are concerned about the slow pace of progress," he said. The previous day, delegates elected Litton as their new president, turning back a push from a conservative faction that had sought to paint the Alabama pastor known for his work on racial unity as too liberal. Litton has been viewed favorably by some abuse survivors and advocates. Fred Luter, who nominated Litton and is the only Black pastor to have served as SBC president, said Wednesday that the vote signaled to him that people are tired of the division and all the things that separate us. The buildup to the meeting included the departures of the Southern Baptists top public policy official, Russell Moore; mega-selling Christian author Beth Moore; and several prominent Black clergy, amid overlapping controversies including sex abuse, racism, politics and the treatment of women. Others had threatened to leave as a faction calling itself the Conservative Baptist Network pressed for action on culture war issues like critical race theory, an academic tool for analyzing systemic racism that has been a target of Republican-controlled legislatures in at least 16 states. From the African American perspective, we were upset because we felt that the convention was denying the fact that there is systematic racism in this country. ... We need to accept the fact that there is systematic racism in this country, and it should not be in our convention at all, Luter said. Delegates on Tuesday approved a consensus measure regarding critical race theory that did not mention it by name but rejected any view that sees racism as rooted in anything other than sin. That didn't end discussion on the topic, however. In reports to the convention Wednesday, Southern Baptist seminary presidents doubled down on a controversial statement they issued several months ago denouncing critical race theory. They called it toxic and incompatible with Christian doctrine. But Adam Greenway, president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, acknowledged the objections of several Black clergy. What they heard from us is that we were denying the reality of structural or systemic racism. ... For any way in which I personally have hurt you, I apologize and I ask you to forgive me," Greenway said. ___ Loller reported from Nashville, and Smith reported from Pittsburgh. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Freer Station stopped a human smuggling attempt and recovered a stolen vehicle northwest of Freer, Texas. On the early morning of June 13, agents responded to a report of maroon pickup truck trespassing through a local ranch. Agents found the locking mechanisms to the ranch gates had been cut. A short while later, agents spotted a maroon pickup truck traveling east on Highway 44 and noticed the taillights had been covered to avoid detection. The vehicle turned on County Road 401 before agents lost sight of it. Agents found the pickup truck abandoned in a nearby ranch and apprehended four undocumented individuals from Ecuador that had attempted to abscond into the brush. A record check of the license plate revealed that the pickup truck had been reported stolen out of San Antonio. The stolen vehicle was turned over to deputies of the McMullen County Sheriffs Office. Smugglers often use stolen vehicles in their attempts to smuggle humans with a lack of regard for the safety of the people they exploit or another persons property. These actions pose a threat not only to the people exploited by human smuggling, but also to the people and safety of our Nation. Take a stand against these criminal organizations and other potentially dangerous acts by reporting suspicious activity in our neighborhoods. To report suspicious activity such as human or drug smuggling, download the USBP Laredo Sector app or contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll free at 1-800-343-1994. If you see something, say something. Sign of the times nothing doing. Uncertainty over the future of the Mahurangi Shopping Centre at Snells Beach is causing increasing frustration for local residents and businesses. The centres former Four Square supermarket changed hands and closed permanently more than 18 months ago and, despite a chalk sign promising Big things coming last June, it remains locked and empty. Rumours on what may or may not be happening are rife, from a major supermarket going in to the whole centre being bowled and redeveloped. Scotts Landing resident Chris Russell, who has owned commercial buildings in the past, said the closed supermarket, other empty units and the general state of the entire shopping centre was bad for business and the community. There seems to be no attempt to tidy up whats there or find a tenant. Ive heard there have been numerous offers of people wanting to restock the Four Square, he said. The land and buildings are a disgrace, with repairs and maintenance woefully lacking, which suggests the owners have no pride or commitment to the shopping centre. Mr Russell said with the community growing and more development to come, the potential for the centre was huge. The Four Square at Matakana, thats what Snells Beach could be and should be, especially with the growth in population. It could have a lovely beachy feel, he said. To have a facility like that is a privileged position. You dont have to have the flashiest or the newest, but take a pride in what youve got. Its a moral obligation. The way its currently going, its just going to fall further behind. Its not a good look for the community. Mahurangi oyster farmer Andrew Hay agreed, saying it was crazy and frustrating to no longer have a supermarket, and that it didnt seem right that the landlord could own the centre and leave the biggest store empty. He added that there was a sense of decay across the whole site. You cant walk under covered walkways because the gutters send sheets of water down on you, certainly near the Four Square, he said. And the main sign for the shopping centre has got nothing on it and is about to be taken over by weeds. Snells Beach Ratepayers & Residents Association chair Peter Beekman said he had emailed the shopping centre landlord, Tony Bosnyak of Vinko Holdings Ltd, to ask what was happening, but had only received very limited sharing of information. He just said theres potential for development, he said. I believe things are being looked at, but nothing is being shared. The community is concerned. Its not looking that smart. Mahurangi Matters emailed Mr Bosnyak to ask him about Mahurangi Shopping Centre, the empty supermarket and plans for its future, but did not get a reply. According to the New Zealand Companies Register, Mr Bosnyak is sole director of Vinko Holdings, plus six other companies Bosnyak Investments, Bosnyak Lifecare Management, Bosnyak Property Investments, Epsom Lifecare, First Union Financial Corporation, and Orongo Lifecare. Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says Aucklanders will be disappointed at Emirates Team NZs decision to look overseas for the next Americas Cup defence. Auckland Council ratepayers contributed $113m towards hosting the 36th Americas Cup in Auckland last year, with government supplying an additional $136.5m for construction, the event fee and commercial and base related costs. Councils contribution included $71.7m towards construction of the team bases and the upgrade and expansion of superyacht berthages and $34m towards commercial and base related costs. In a press release the Mayor says Auckland was anticipating that the city and its businesses would get a second return on this investment, particularly after Covid-19 prevented the positive economic impact of overseas visitors, and the boost super yacht refittings would have given to the maritime industry. While the infrastructure created to support the Cup will be a legacy for future generations, I think Aucklanders and New Zealanders were expecting Team NZ to acknowledge the significant support they have received by choosing to defend the Cup in Auckland, Mr Goff says. If the race heads overseas it will be the first time a Kiwi team has not defended the Cup on home waters. Auckland Council and government made a combined offer of nearly $100 million, but Team New Zealand wanted twice that amount, Mr Goff says. That clearly was not sustainable in the post-Covid environment. While I understand Team NZ have to think about their commercial interests, I share Aucklanders disappointment that the Cup is looking like it is going overseas, he says. Lockport, NY (14094) Today Rain showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 69F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks! Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics. The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc. The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics. The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates. Access to college recruiters and advisors its harder to line up higher education. Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family. Vote View Results Logan, WV (25601) Today Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. Slight chance of a rain shower. High near 75F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low near 55F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Local News, Business & Finance, Press Releases By Chris Boyle Published: June 16 2021 More than 330,000 small and micro businesses are potentially eligible for this program. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that applications are now open for the $800 million COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program. The program reimburses New York small businesses with grants of up to $50,000 for COVID-related expenses incurred between March 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021. Grants will be awarded to small and micro businesses and small for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations, with priority being given to socially and economically disadvantaged business owners, including minority- and women-owned business enterprises, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses and veteran-owned businesses, and businesses located in economically distressed communities. "Small businesses are one of the most critical components of New York's economy and were disproportionately impacted by the economic devastation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic," Governor Cuomo said. "As we build New York back better than it was before, this program will help these small businesses -particularly those with socially or economically disadvantaged owners -regain an economic foothold so they can forge ahead toward a brighter, more prosperous future." More than 330,000 small and micro businesses are potentially eligible for this program, including 57 percent of the state's certified MWBEs. The application site for the program will be powered by Lendistry, a minority-led Community Development Financial Institution. The state will also be launching an ad campaign to promote this program to small businesses, as well as an array of other pandemic recovery programs. Grants will be for a minimum award of $5,000 and a maximum award of $50,000 and will be calculated based on a New York State business' annual gross receipts for 2019. Reimbursable COVID-19 related expenses must have been incurred between March 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021 and can include: Payroll costs Commercial rent or mortgage payments for NYS-based property Payment of local property or school taxes Insurance costs Utility costs Costs of personal protection equipment necessary to protect worker and consumer health and safety Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning cost Other machinery or equipment costs Supplies and materials necessary for compliance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols On June 8, Governor Cuomo proposed legislation to waive taxes on grants from the COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program. ESD has created a website NYSBusinessRecovery.ny.gov to highlight the various resources available to support small businesses seeking pandemic relief. The website will be continuously updated as more details and funding information become available. The Empire State Development Board of Directors approved $10 million in technical assistance grants for New York's statewide entrepreneurship assistance centers, small business development centers, and 26 additional community organizations and chambers of commerce to help small businesses and for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations secure COVID-related financial assistance and grants available through existing state and federal programs. This network of service providers will work directly with small businesses, guiding them through available funding sources and helping them navigate the application process. Recognizing that pandemic-induced economic hardship has disproportionately affected micro and small businesses, and that application processes can be difficult to navigate -especially due to a language barrier -the partners will use these funds to hire or contract more staff for one-on-one, direct counseling services. Education materials and applications will be offered in 12 languages in addition to English. This support, along with increased technical assistance staffing, will position these providers to better assist businesses and organizations in applying for funding through the New York State's COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program, the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, or any other available federal economic recovery program, catalyzing our state and local economies as more businesses and communities reopen. Crime, Local Experts, Press Releases By Chris Boyle Published: June 16 2021 Matthew Gallagher, 37, is charged with multiple counts of Grand Larceny, officials say. Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini has announced the indictment of a Rocky Point man for allegedly stealing more than $700,000 from 24 identified victims through various investment schemes. We have 24 people here who gave their savings to this defendant with the promise of sound investments only to be lied to and swindled out of their hard-earned money, District Attorney Sini said. He was allegedly selling them on investing in business ventures that did not exist, and using their money to fund his own vacations and other expenses. Its inexcusable. I want to thank the victims who came forward and reported this scheme to law enforcement, as well as the detectives and prosecutor for ensuring that he is held accountable. Matthew Gallagher, 37, is charged with five counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony; 13 counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony; three counts of Identity Theft in the First Degree, a class D felony; two counts of Attempted Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class E felony; two counts of Scheme to Defraud in the 1st Degree, a class E felony; Petit Larceny, a class A misdemeanor; and seven counts of Issuing a Bad Check, a class B misdemeanor. Between 2017 and 2021, Gallagher is alleged to have stolen more than $700,000 from approximately 24 victims by representing that he would invest their money in several start-up business ventures and promising a high rate of return on the investments. The purported investment opportunities included a legal marijuana farm in California; a hard seltzer company based in the Hamptons; an audio-visual company that was being liquidated; an insurance agency that Gallagher claimed he was going to open; and a company he claimed to own called National Comp Advisors, a consulting business for insurance agents. Instead of investing the victims money, Gallagher allegedly used it for personal expenses and to pay back other victims, misrepresenting that the funds were returns on their investments. Gallagher also allegedly used one of his victims credit cards to book airfare and lodging in Orlando, Florida, for a trip to Disney World for himself and his family. Gallagher was arrested on Nov. 27, 2019, and charged in connection with the alleged scheme with respect to three separate victims. Further investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office and Suffolk County Police Departments Seventh Precinct Squad resulted in the identification of approximately 21 additional victims. Gallagher was arraigned on the indictment today by Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice John Collins and was released on supervised released with GPS monitoring. Justice Collins also imposed an 11 p.m. curfew for Gallagher and ordered that he be prohibited from traveling outside of New York State. Gallagher is being represented by Richard Pellegrino and is due back in court on July 13, 2021. If convicted of the top count, Gallagher faces a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michelle Kaszuba, of the Financial Investigations & Money Laundering Bureau. The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Outer Banks is equipped with a 1.5-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine that offers 181 horsepower and 190 pounds per foot of torque. The SUVs sticker price is approximately $36,000. 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!) All Active Asset Capital Ltd - London-based firm seeking investment opportunities in the technology, software and artificial intelligence space - Proposes fundraise of up to GBP120 million at a price of 80 pence per share, with GBP12 million through a placing of 15 million shares, and GBP108 million via a conditional placing of 135 million shares. In addition, the company is proposing to acquire a majority holdings in Sentiance NV, at least a 75% interest through the issue of 500 million new shares. All Active Asset will also intend to set off the repayment of the EUR3.7 million loan made to MESH Holdings PLC in 2020, and lodge a bond in favour of Sentiance. Shares have been suspended due to the deal representing a reverse takeover under AIM rules, and the company is also proposing the cancellation of its shares on AIM. Current stock price: 53.50 pence Year-to-date change: up sharply from 16.50p By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News: Castings PLC - Brownhills, England-based iron casting and machining company - Says turnover for the financial year to March 31 decreased to GBP115 million from GBP139 million the year before, with a reduction in pretax profit before exceptional items to GBP4.4 million from GBP12.7 million. Castings notes that during the second half of the financial year, demand continued to increase to pre-Covid output levels. However, production was hampered by more employees needing to self-isolate as UK Covid cases increased. The company notes, however, that it is now back to full production, but its customers are still seeing shortages of semi-conductors and other materials. Castings proposes the payment of a final dividend of 11.69 pence per share. This, together with the interim dividend, gives a total dividend for the year of 15.26p per share, up from 14.88p paid the year ago. Severfield PLC - York, England-based steel company - Says revenue for the financial year to March 31 was up 11% year-on-year to GBP363.3 million, but pretax profit fell to GBP21.1 million from GBP25.8 million. The company explained that its profit took a hit from Covid pandemic, with share of results from joint ventures and associates resulting in a loss of GBP344,000 versus GBP2.4 million profit in financial 2020. Total dividend of 2.9p per share includes proposed final dividend of 1.8p per share, both unchanged year-on-year. "We have an established platform for further operational and strategic progress in the year ahead and with the current order book levels and pipeline activity, have the capacity to deliver enhanced shareholder returns in the future," notes CEO Alan Dunsmore. Time Finance PLC - Bath, England-headquartered funding solutions provider - Renews focus on its core products, its organic growth, and aims to become an alternative multi-product independent small and medium size enterprises funder, helping UK businesses recover and grow post-Covid. Turning to operations, Time Finance says the financial year to May 31 was profitable, with the company continuing to demonstrate the resilience and diversification of its lending book, further strengthening its balance sheet and improving liquidity. As a result, Time Finance says it expects pretax profit before exceptional items and share-based payments to be flat year-on-year, at GBP3.0 million. Net tangible assets as at May 31 are seen at GBP28.3 million, up from GBP26.5 million the year prior but net lending book is seen at GBP98.8 million, lower than GBP107.7 million the year before. Motorpoint Group PLC - Derby, England-based omnichannel vehicle retailer - Says it has plans to increase its rate of growth, with the aim of at least doubling revenue to over GBP2 billion in the medium term, with an improved margin and strong cash generation. The announcement comes after the company's revenue for the financial year to March 31 declined by 29% to GBP721.4 million amid the COVID-19 pandemic and UK government imposed lockdowns. Motorpoint says 69% of units were sold online during the year, with over 47,000 units sold overall, down from 52,000 units the year prior. The company says its pretax profit fell to GBP9.7 million from GBP18.8 million year-on-year. FireAngel Safety Technology Group PLC - Coventry, England-based developer and supplier of home safety products - Reports a good start to 2021 and says trading has continued to be on track as the UK eases out of the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. The company anticipates its first half of 2021 performance to be in line with expectations as demand for its products and services continues. "FireAngel's compelling proposition to protect and save lives with innovative, cutting-edge home safety technology remains strong and the group is well positioned for future growth," says Executive Chair John Conoley. Elixirr International PLC - London-based consultancy firm - Says trading in the five months ended May 31 has been strong with revenue increasing by more than 75% compared with the same period in 2020. The company says it now expects revenue and adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization for 2021 to be towards the upper end of the previous guidance. Elixirr has previously guided for revenue between GBP44 million and GBP47 million with an adjusted Ebitda margin of 29%. Tullow Oil PLC - London-based oil and gas exploration company - Says production to the end of May averaged 62,000 barrels of oil per day, in line with expectations and reflecting the completion of the sale of Equatorial Guinea interests on March 31. Tullow says, in Ghana, its operational improvement plan is delivering results with 98% average uptime year-to-date, as it started a multi-year drilling campaign. In 2021, the company says it is planning to drill four wells in total, consisting of two Jubilee production wells, one Jubilee water injector well and one TEN gas injector well. Meanwhie, in Kenya, the company says licence extensions were granted for blocks 10BB & 13T until end of 2021. Filta Group Holdings PLC - Rugby, England-based fryer management services provider - Continues to experience an increasing level of demand for its services in all of its operating territories. In the US, there has been a faster than anticipated reopening of the hospitality and leisure sectors, with strong growth during the first part of the year and expectations for further growth as Filta's larger customers open up during the third quarter. Although the reopening of the sector has been more cautious in the UK than in the US, there is some momentum building, Filta says. Europe continues to lag both the US and the UK in terms of both the vaccine delivery and the reopening of business but the company says it has, nonetheless, continued to develop new business opportunities. Diaceutics PLC - Belfast, Northern Ireland-based diagnostic commercialisation company - Reports continued positive progress with the uptake of the DXRX software-as-a-service platform of over 40% of sales pipeline generation for the second quarter. The company also reports 16% increase in average sales prices per project for Pharma clients in 2021, when compared to the 2020 average contracted price. "We continue to make excellent progress in the roll out of the DXRX platform, our innovative diagnostic commercialisation platform for precision medicine," says CEO Peter Keeling. "In just a few months post launch, we have built the foundations for platform adoption at scale, achieving key expansion milestones such as lab onboarding and are confident that we are on the path towards becoming a strategically embedded platform provider to the pharma industry." Zephyr Energy PLC - London-based oil and gas company - Reports progress on its non-operated assets in the Williston Basin, North Dakota, US and on its flagship project in the Paradox Basin, Utah, US. At Williston Basin, Zephyr says the S-Bar wells have been placed into production, ahead of forecast schedule, and the Feehan wells are expected to be placed into production within the next month. At Paradox Basin, preparations continue ahead of the drilling of the State 16-2LN CC lateral appraisal well which is scheduled to spud in July and which will target the company's first production from the Paradox project. Zephyr says final permitting is expected shortly and vendor negotiations are expected to be finalised in the coming weeks. Castillo Copper Ltd - base metal explorer focused on Australia and Zambia - Says drilling campaign is now underway at the core Mt Oxide project, across three key prospects. Castillo notes that work has begun on 26 drill-holes for 2,828 metres, with the focus on intersecting new targets off the 1,200 meters strike event to extend known copper mineralisation. "Over the next few months the board's core focus is to maximise exploration efforts across our flagship Mt Oxide project," says Managing Director Simon Paull. Cora Gold Ltd - West African focused gold company - Reports the fifth set of drill results, and first from zone A, from its drilling campaign, which commenced in March at its Sanankoro gold project in Southern Mali. The company plans to have drilled up to a total 35,000 metres by end of July, with a dual focus on targeting resource growth as well as infill drilling to convert existing inferred resources to indicated. "The first set of results in this drill campaign at Zone A have followed on strongly from Selin and confirmed more holes of good widths and grade in oxide ore," says CEO Bert Monro. "While we await further results from this target over the coming weeks, three rigs are now drilling back at Selin for the follow-up deeper phase 2 programme and a fourth rotary air blast rig owned by Cora is completing sterilisation drilling on potential process plant and tailings storage facility sites." W Resources PLC - tungsten, tin and gold mining company with assets in Spain and Portugal - Completes the construction of a new water dam at the La Parrilla mine in Spain in order to resolve the issue of the high water levels. Dewatering of the mine pit is now underway and once water levels are reduced, W Resources says it will be able to safely regain access to high-grade ore areas. The final phase of the project to provide a permanent solution to the water issues at La Parrilla, comprising of a second dam, is currently at the design stage and is expected to be completed in the final quarter of 2021. Chesterfield Resources PLC - London-based company focused on discovery and development of copper deposits - Exercises the right to acquire a number of new mineral licenses to more than double the size of its Adeline copper exploration project, in Labrador, Canada. The licences will be acquired when the company completes the acquisition of the project, expected in coming weeks. The total licence area of the Adeline project will now be extended to nearly 300 square kilometres, in one continuous block. The company also announces the commencement of exploration programmes on the project. "Since we announced the acquisition of the large-scale Adeline project four weeks ago, the company has wasted no time in getting to work. Not only will we now be acquiring claims to more than double the licence area, we have also embarked on a large-scale data analytics programme, and have commissioned a detailed field survey to start within weeks," says Executive Chair Martin French. Empire Metals Ltd - London-based resource exploration and development company - Starts exploration activities covering the four exploration licences which comprise the Central Menzies gold project, including verification of historical reverse circulation drilling and the acquisition of airborne geophysical survey data. "We have now commenced our exploration campaign for the Central Menzies gold project and are currently compiling a robust geological database, utilising both historical reports and the results from the recent reverse circulation drilling programme carried out by the owner of the tenements, Mel Dalla-Costa," says Managing Director Shaun Bunn. By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Sharecast News) - Tullow Oil reported positive operational progress in an update on Wednesday, with group production to the end of May averaging around 62,000 barrels of oil per day, in line with expectations. The FTSE 250 company, which was holding its annual general meeting, said that figure reflected the sale of its Equatorial Guinea interests on 31 March, with no production from there recorded past the first quarter. Chief executive officer Rahul Dhir noted the completion of the sale of the Dussafu Marin permit in Gabon on 9 June, adding that the firm would adjust its full-year guidance to reflect both of those divestments in its upcoming trading statement on 14 July. "In Ghana, our operational improvement plan is delivering results with 98% average uptime year-to-date across both the Jubilee and TEN FPSOs," Dhir said. "As we have previously stated, reliable gas offtake and water injection are an important part of our strategy to optimise reservoir performance and address production decline. "We continue to enhance the capacities of both systems to support long-term stable production." Tullow said its production performance was still being supported by reliable gas offtake from the Ghanaian government, which was regularly averaging between 110 million and 130 million standard cubic feet per day. The firm was also still seeing improved water injection rates of over 200,000 barrels of water per day. "In line with our plans outlined at our capital markets day, we announced in April that we started a multi-year drilling campaign in Ghana," Rahul Dhir said. "In 2021, we are planning to drill four wells in total, consisting of two Jubilee production wells, one Jubilee water injector well and one TEN gas injector well. "We have successfully drilled the first Jubilee production well and the Jubilee water injector well, and the reservoirs encountered are in line with expectations." The rig would now carry out the completion of those two wells, with tie-in and start-up of both wells expected in the third quarter, Dhir explained. In Kenya, Tullow said licence extensions were granted for blocks 10BB and 13T until the end of 2021, adding that alongside its joint venture partners, it had been working to deliver a full field development plan that was "sustainable and economic" at low oil prices. "The technical work is now complete and has been aided by the dynamic data gathered through the early oil production scheme, which ended in 2020," Rahul Dhir said. "Resource volumes are now being audited and a detailed project plan will be prepared for discussion with the Ministry of Mining and Petroleum and the government of Kenya." Good progress on the project was being made, he added, with two tangible milestones recently achieved. "Firstly, the first berth at the Lamu Port was commissioned in May by the President of Kenya. "This is an important part of the broader Lamu Port and Lamu Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport corridor project. "Secondly, the public hearing was recently held for the pipeline environmental and social impact assessment for the midstream project." Overall, Dhir said the Kenya development project was continuing to receive "significant" government support, and was making "good" progress. "I look forward to providing further updates covering the revised development plan and our strategy in the second half of the year. "Finally, our exploration team continues to focus on unlocking value from the substantial risked resources in the emerging and maturing basins of Guyana, Suriname, Argentina and Cote d'Ivoire." At 0932 BST, shares in Tullow Oil were up 1.74% at 65.51p. (Alliance News) - The UK has admitted that little progress has been made in efforts to avoid a "sausage war" trade dispute with the EU, with Brussels accused of taking a "purist" approach to the row. Brexit Minister David Frost again threatened to suspend parts of the Brexit deal covering Northern Ireland in order to reduce barriers to goods moving across the Irish Sea, something that could trigger a trade war with Brussels. The two sides are locked in a dispute over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the part of the Brexit divorce deal aimed at avoiding a hard border with Ireland. Under the terms of the deal, deliveries of chilled meats a including sausages and burgers a could be effectively banned from crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain to Northern Ireland at the end of the month. The UK is considering unilaterally extending the grace period covering sausage shipments, something that Brussels has warned could trigger a retaliation. Frost told members of Parliament on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee: "We obviously face a difficulty on the chilled meats issue. "We have asked and suggested to the EU that the right way forward would be to agree to extend the grace period, at least for a bit, to provide a bit of a breathing space for the current discussions to continue and try and find solutions. "I still hold out some hope that they might agree to that because it seems a very narrow point to take such a purist view about. "We are not having much progress but there is a little bit of time left before that." He added: "If we can't agree it we will obviously have to consider all our options. I wouldn't want to tie us down to anything at this point. "It does seem to us, in a way, a very purist point for the EU to insist upon given that there is a as far as we are aware a no risk of Great British sausages ending up in the single market. "We are not aware that it has happened, I would like to think somebody would have told us if it had a I think probably they would have." Frost said it was a "pity" that the EU had taken the purist approach in a negotiation "that is already pretty complex and tense". He added that it was "odd" that products that were allowed before Brexit "suddenly stopped being legal and safe on January 1" when the UK left the single market. "There's no rational reason for that but it is the legal case." The Northern Ireland Protocol was part of the Brexit deal negotiated by Frost and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The row dominated Johnson's talks with EU leaders at the G7 summit, with the prime minister insisting he will do whatever it takes to keep goods flowing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The protocol effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods to ensure trade flows smoothly across the border with Ireland. But in order to make sure products sent from Great Britain to Northern Ireland comply with the rules, there are checks when they cross the Irish Sea. The ban on chilled meats is because the UK is a "third country" and the EU does not allow imports of those products from outside the bloc. Frost acknowledged the issue has become more difficult because of the "weakening of consent" for the protocol arrangements in unionist groups. DUP MP Ian Paisley asked Frost if the UK government would consider "unilaterally scrapping" the protocol, adding "this can't go on much longer before something gives, and I am seriously worried about the fabric of our society at this point". Frost replied: "The prime minister has been very clear that all options are on the table. He has said several times we will do whatever is necessary, and that is the view that is held across government because we are extremely concerned about the situation." He added that he senses there is a "slight misunderstanding" within the EU over the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. It followed reports that French President Emmanuel Macron had said to Johnson at the G7 summit that Northern Ireland is not part of the UK. Frost said: "I think we've sensed that this sort of slight misunderstanding about the status of Northern Ireland has been around for some time, possibly quite a long time. "It is obviously rather concerning if people see things in that way; it doesn't seem to us to be consistent with the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, which are very clear on that." By David Hughes and Jonathan McCambridge, PA source: PA Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Westminster Group PLC said Wednesday it has won a 10-year managed services contract for the freeport of Monrovia in Liberia, its second African business win announced this week. The contract will start on July 1 and is expected to bring in USD1.1 million in the first 12 months, the company said. Westminster will provide port screen services, with revenue generated from all import containers passing through the port. The contract can be extended beyond the first 10 years. The contract award in Liberia follows Westminster's announcement on Tuesday of a security services contract for five airports in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which will deliver USD6 million in revenue in the first 12 months. Westminster's shares jumped 40% on the news on Tuesday and were up another 7.3% early Wednesday to 6.20 pence. Over the year-to-date, the stock has risen 49%. The Banbury, Oxfordshire-based company provides security and services through agents and offices in more than 50 countries. "Following our announcement yesterday of a 20-plus year multi-million US dollar managed services contract for airport security, I am delighted to be able to announce yet another long-term port security managed services contract, particularly in West Africa where we already have a strong presence, and I am equally pleased this new contract opens up another new country for our operations," said Chief Executive Officer Peter Fowler. Westminster said the Liberia contract was awarded by the government of Liberia as part of a competitive tender following the West African country's entry to the World Trade Organization. A broader deal was won by a consortium led by Medtech Scientific Ltd, from the United Arab Emirates, which in turn contracted Westminster for the port screening services. Westminster said the deployment phase of the contract will take 18 months, with the expenses for this paid from existing company resources. By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Jefferson, GA (30549) Today Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. High 82F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds. Low 64F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. The story of a turtle caught twice in fishing gear reveals a dual threat facing many marine animals.The female loggerhead turtle, called Thunderbird, was entangled in lost or abandoned fishing gear in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Mallorca, last year and was subsequently fitted with a satellite tag and freed. Researchers tracked the turtle as it swam through the Strait of Gibraltar and headed south along the coast of Africa. But then signals became erratic, before a final position from the tag showed the turtle on land near a major fishing port in Dakar, Senegal, suggesting it was unintentionally caught by a fishing vessel, probably a trawler. The turtle was found entangled in ghost fishing gear during one of Save the Med Foundations research expeditions in July 2020, off the waters of Dragonera Island. The team initiated a rescue protocol together with Palma Aquarium Foundations rescue center and within hours the turtle was transported to the rescue centre in Mallorca. Thunderbird was not the only turtle rescued by Save The Med Foundation in 2020. Another three turtles were found entangled in abandoned fishing gear in different parts of the Balearic Sea. Last season proved to be a record year in turtle strandings in the Balearic Islands. The satellite tag attached to Thunderbird before her release on August 11, allowed researchers to track her epic journey of 6,000 km through the Western Mediterranean and the waters off West Africa. Data from the satellite tag is analysed within the framework of the Turtle Oceanographers programme and the trajectories of the tagged turtles can be followed on SOCIBs website: http://seaturtle.socib.es/es/turtle-viewer/ Thunderbird surprised us in November 2020 by crossing the strait of Gibraltar. Instead of swimming west to Florida or the Caribbean, where most turtles from the Mediterranean go, she swam south along the West African coast. In February we stopped receiving regular updates from Thunderbirds tag, with a final signal on March 17 on land, near the main harbour in Dakar, explained Dr. March from the Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB). This suggests the turtle was caught by accident by a fishing vessel and taken back to the port. We dont know if Thunderbird was released alive after capture, or died as consequence of the bycatch event. Entanglement in abandoned or lost fishing gear has become the major threat for sea turtles in the Balearic Islands. Off the coast of West Africa, unregulated or illegal fishing is not uncommon. Migratory animals such as turtles may face the same threats over and over again on their journeys Dr March added: The journey of this turtle illustrates two of the major threats that many marine species face on a daily basis at sea entanglement in abandoned fishing gear, and bycatch in industrial fisheries. We must urgently address both issues to limit their impact on a wide range of marine species and ecosystems. Special relations or relationships, spin it how you wish, but I think the Spanish Prime Minister missed a golden opportunity when he had a brief meeting with Boris Johnson at the NATO summit this week. According to the official brief: the leaders discussed their shared commitment to deepening the already strong UK-Spain bilateral relationship across a huge range of issues including trade, defence and security, while agreeing to deepen their relationship. Right now I would have thought, with regards to the UK, Spains biggest concern should be tourism and getting British tourists back to Spain and the Balearics. I, along with many other people, was under the impression that the Balearic government has been heaping the pressure on Madrid to break the stalemate and get tourism moving again before, as things are now looking, it is going to be far too late to have much of a UK season in Spain. Is not Madrid supposed to be talking to London about safe air corridors to areas such as the Balearics where the case numbers are way below the benchmark? Well, it does not look like Madrid has been taking much notice of Palma if that is the case. The three topics on the agenda are constantly being discussed and, right now, have no urgency in resolving or expanding. What does need a lifeline and straight talking is tourism - sadly it was over looked. Be a good neighbour Age in Spain calls on UK Nationals to check if friends and loved ones need support with the residency process A year ago, Age in Spain set up its Residency Helpline as part of its delivery of the United Kingdom Nationals Support Fund (UKNSF), which helps UK nationals who were living in Spain before the end of 2020 with the residency process. Since then, we have: Supported 2,126 (and counting) UK Nationals with their residency applications, and 64,667 people have accessed Age in Spain information about the residency process But the job isnt done yet. Age in Spain (alongside its partner organisations who deliver the UKNSF in other parts of the country) is committed to reaching anyone who was living here before the end of last year but still has not secured their residency rights. Not everyone has access to information on the internet and, with Covid19 restrictions, people have not been able to connect with their communities in the usual way for most of the last year. This has meant some people still have not heard about the help that is out there. We are asking the British community in Spain to talk to friends, acquaintances and even people they just know slightly and ask them two questions: Have you got your residency sorted yet? Do you know about the free and confidential support that is available from Age in Spain? This is a simple way of being a good neighbour, whether it is face-to-face or online. Age in Spain Director, Helen Weir said: "We are asking the British community in Spain to help spread the word about our free support. We want to make sure that everyone who needs it can access our help with residency, particularly those who are vulnerable or who find themselves in difficult situations. Please, help us help them." The Age in Spain Residency Helpline is available on +34 932 20 97 41 or by emailing residency@ageinspain.org. People can also refer someone (with their permission) who needs support with the residency process at www.ageinspain.org/residency-helpline Additionally, there is still some confusion among some in the British community in Spain about whether the end of June is a deadline to apply for residency. Her Majestys Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott offered this clarification: Im aware of some rumours about a false deadline to apply for residency in Spain. I want to clarify that here, unlike some other EU countries, there is no 30 June deadline to apply for residency under the Withdrawal Agreement or to exchange a green residency certificate for the new TIE. The important question is whether you were legally living here by 31 December 2020. If you havent yet applied for residency or exchanged your green certificate for the TIE, I strongly encourage you to do so as soon as possible. There is free and confidential help out there from Age in Spain, IOM and Babelia, which is funded by the UK Government. Get in touch with them if you need help. And if you know someone who was living here before the end of 2020, but who hasnt yet sorted their residency status, then please do tell them about the support available and encourage them to make contact with the relevant organisation where they live. Manchester Center, VT (05254) Today Periods of rain. High 63F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch.. Tonight Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 52F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. LANSING M R Products has experienced significant growth, more than tripling in revenue and expanding its workforce by nearly 40% over the past year, leading to an expansion into another building in Copemish. The project is expected to generate a total private investment of $4.2 million and create 25 new jobs, according to a news release. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined the Michigan Economic Development Corporation on Wednesday to announce two projects in northern Michigan that will create 25 manufacturing jobs in Copemish and provide additional housing in Baldwin have been approved by the Michigan Strategic Fund. As we continue Michigans economic jumpstart, these two projects help us create good-paying jobs and build more housing in northern Michigan, Whitmer said in a news release. We are proud to support the continued growth of M R Products, including these 25 new manufacturing projects in Copemish, as well the renovation of a vacant building in Baldwin to further economic opportunity and boost housing supply in the area. M R Products, established in 1960 in the village of Copemish, is a leading manufacturer of crowd control and visual barriers. The company operates under the trade name Mr. Chain and currently has 77 employees. The company has been awarded a $200,000 Jobs Ready Michigan grant to support recruitment and job training efforts associated with the expansion in Manistee County. The company currently offers community college training that will provide employees with a transferable certification when completed, giving employees career pathways and opportunities to gain new skills. This Jobs Ready Michigan grant will enable M R Products, Inc. to continue to invest in its people, particularly in training for skilled manufacturing trades, said M R Products chief operating officer Ryan Schultz. After 61 years in business more than 50 of which have been in the village of Copemish the expansion of 2021 places the company in a position to work more efficiently and effectively and hire more northern Michigan residents. We are extremely excited and grateful to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for its award of this generous grant. The Jobs Ready Michigan Program is designed to provide grants for business expansion and location projects that lead to job creation and investments in Michigan that have a demonstrated training need, particularly in pursuing new opportunities for high-tech, high-demand and high-wage jobs. The project aligns with MEDCs strategic goals of creating jobs in the field of manufacturing and providing jobs in an economically disadvantaged area of Michigan. The sustained growth and success of M R Products a female owned company in Copemish continues to provide great jobs in rural Manistee County, said Stacie Bytwork, president and CEO of the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce in the news release. The announcement today demonstrates the value of working together with businesses, our state partners, county governments and the chamber as we took proactive steps to invest in jobs and our communities. NEEDED HOUSING FOR BALDWIN 876 Michigan, LLC plans to redevelop a vacant two-story building in the village of Baldwin into a mixed-use building with restaurant space on the ground level and three residential apartments with a common area on the second floor. The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of $1.4 million, supported by a $450,000 Michigan Community Revitalization Program performance-based grant. "The project will increase vibrancy and density in downtown Baldwin by transforming an unutilized building into viable restaurant and much-needed residential space," reads a news release. "The development is expected to act as a catalyst to bring additional investment to the area. In addition, though recreational tourism is the number one industry in Baldwin and Lake County, currently there are no traditional dine-in restaurants in downtown Baldwin. The proposed restaurant is expected to help draw tourists and bring new vitality to the area." The village of Baldwin has approved a 12-year Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act tax abatement valued at $33,692. The village is also engaged with MEDCs Redevelopment Ready Communities program. The village is looking forward to the successful completion of this project, said Jim Truxton, president of the Baldwin Village Council. We are excited about the impacts on our downtown. We couldnt have done it without the assistance of the Michigan Strategic Fund and the ability to locally create an OPRA district to give new life to this obsolete property. We hope to inspire other property owners to revitalize their buildings." Josh Hundt, chief business development officer and executive vice president at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, said the MEDC is working to retain and grow companies like M R Products as well as devleoping communities that support the state's tourism industry. We are proud to work with local officials in Copemish and Baldwin on each of these respective projects to help drive economic opportunity in the region, he said. Adult deer ticks, or black-legged ticks, are slowly making their way to previously unoccupied portions of the state. The nuisances are most common between mid-May and July, causing officials to stress caution for folks planning to spend time in wooded areas. Images Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. Goldie Wilkinson, 90 of Alderson died Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Family will greet friends and relatives 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday at Bishop Funeral Service. Funeral service will be 2:00 p.m., Friday at Bishop Chapel of Memories Burial will follow in Memory Gardens Memorial Park Cemetery. Submit A Press Release $25.00 / for 2 days Ensure your press release runs prominently on our website and in our E-mail Newsletter. Gauranteed placement on these platforms is $25. Note: All submissions will go through our editorial approval process before being posted. Atlanta, GA (30303) Today Scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 81F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 64F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. CHICAGO, April 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) today announced that its board of directors approved a quarterly dividend payment of $0.275 per share of CAG common stock to be paid on June 2, 2021 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on April 30, 2021. Atlanta, GA (30342) Today Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 81F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Note: We have changed our commenting system. If you do not have an mdjonline.com account, you will need to create one in order to comment. 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 The AI tool found that 10% of the participants were not adhering to the therapy plans. "AI2 delivers important data in real-time, providing clinicians with an effective digital alternative to monitoring patients," said Flinders' Associate Professor Niranjan Bidargaddi."Once a patient has sought an initial consultation with a clinician, they might be provided with a diagnosis, a mental health care plan, and then they are sent off with instructions for treatment such as taking medication or trying therapeutic techniques. Multiple ongoing medical appointments and medications are burdensome for patients to manage on their own. The problem is that most clinicians don't have the resources to keep track of every patient manually. This can lead to the patient relapsing and potentially becoming hospitalized," said Niranjan Bidargaddi.He also felt that in a country like Australia, where about 600,000 people live with a chronic mental illness with multiple morbidities, these old approaches could leave the patient on a downhill trajectory, leading to worsening symptoms.The Actionable Intime Insights software (AI2 software) was used in a trial of 304 patients previously diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, bipolar, or other mood disorders. They had been given psychotropic medications.The software continuously analyzedandfrom the national My Health Records. During this process, the tool used some additional algorithms and monitored patients' data to find gaps in continuity of care.The tool found thatwere not adhering to the therapy plans. This posed a severe threat to their mental health as they were likely to miss their medicines and disengage with health services.Once those gaps were established, an alert was delivered to the monitoring clinician to intervene.While talking about the usefulness of AI2 software, Niranjan Bidargaddi added, "Feedback from the clinicians at this stage suggests they actually saved time on routine calls, as they would only contact the GP when necessary - such as if the software had detected a missed prescription refill."Source: Medindia The Australian Government has decided to new Medicare funding for General Practitioners to vaccinate patients during home visits and visits to aged care facilities. This announcement has received a huge appreciation from the Australian Medical Association. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is a professional collaboration of doctors in Australia. It aims to promote and protect the professional interests of doctors and the healthcare needs of patient communities. AMA needs the Government to assure that Medicare funding will cover the extra time spent on discussions with a GP in the interests of all Australians. What else is expected? Vaccinating older people would be the biggest issue for healthcare professionals. Vaccine hesitancy was found to be more common among them. The current Medicare funding supports only brief consultations, but in real-time, GPs might need to spend some more time with the patients to discuss the benefits of vaccination. The professionals from AMA opine: The Government needs to ensure that Medicare will cover the extra time spent on discussions with a GP in the interests of all Australians. The Government needs to continue listening to the experts to protect the most vulnerable Australians from COVID-19 in the near winter. Vaccination drives should be speeded up among the people in residential aged care homes. "It will now also be easier for patients to get vaccinated when they cannot get to their local GP. This will help those with mobility problems unable to leave their homes easily and support more people in disability accommodation access vaccination via a GP," Dr. Omar added. Source: Medindia Vaccinating older people would be the biggest issue for healthcare professionals. Vaccine hesitancy was found to be more common among them. The current Medicare funding supports only, but in real-time, GPs might need to spend some more time with the patients to discuss the benefits of vaccination.The professionals from AMA opine: The Government needs to ensure thaton discussions with a GP in the interests of all Australians. The Government needs toto protect the most vulnerable Australians from COVID-19 in the near winter. Vaccination drives should be speeded up among the people in"It will now also be easier for patients to get vaccinated when they cannot get to their local GP. This will help those with mobility problems unable to leave their homes easily and support more people in disability accommodation access vaccination via a GP," Dr. Omar added.Source: Medindia AMA President Dr.Omar Khorshid said, "It is critical we complete the job of vaccinating the most vulnerable in the community as soon as possible. This measure will help plug the current gaps in COVID vaccination in aged care facilities." We all have been crazy for our favourite Bollywood celebrity at some point in our lives. For example, sticking their pictures on the wall or making them a part of scrapbooks. That's the level of simplicity we maintained. In rare cases, some fans have gone bonkers over B-towners and also turned into obsessive stalkers for them. This truly became a dark side for celebrities. Here are 8 celebrities whose die-hard fans made their lives really hard. 1. Sushmita Sen Instagram/ Sushmita Sen In the movie Dastak, Sushmita deals with an obsessive stalker. The same happened in real life as well. A die-hard fan was so smitten by Sushmita that he started sending her luxurious gifts. Sushmita turned a blind eye to it until one day when the mailbox had a bridal dress and accessories. This was the turning point, and then began threats to either marry the fan or he will die. She filed a complaint after posting this. 2. John Abraham Instagram/John Abraham John has been every girl's dream man. But, it was actually a male fan who turned his obsessive stalker. After Dostana, one of his die-hard male fans started ringing on his landline every day and would ask if John could meet him, to such an extent he even reached out to his parents. When John was informed about it, that's when he filed a complaint. 3. Hrithik Roshan Instagram/Hrithik Roshan The Greek God of Bollywood was also a victim of stalking. He was surprised to hear from security when he got to know a Russian girl named Anna was stalking him. As per reports, the girl would wait outside his apartment and she also tried to sneak into his office twice. That's when Hrithik sought help from the police and lodged a complaint against her. 4. Varun Dhawan Instagram/Varun Dhawan Varun Dhawan has a crazy fan following but even in his case, the love turned into a nightmare. The Dilwale actor was proposed to by a girl and she was seen outside his house. He even tried to pacify her, but things got ugly as his family members and staff started receiving gratuitous calls. Varun then asked the security to intervene. 5. Sunny Leone Instagram/Sunny Leone Sunny Leone was a victim of cyber-bullying. She was once threatened by a fan, who said he would come to her place and harm her. She also recalled being bullied all the while and in self-defence, she would always carry a knife with her while opening the door. Sunny mentioned that it was a dreadful experience for her and it still affects her. 6. Shruti Haasan Instagram/Shruti Haasan Shruti Haasan is a famous star down south and has established her position in Bollywood too. Even she had to deal with an obsessive stalker. As per reports, he was a part of the crew and used to show up at her doorstep. He also attempted to strangle shruti. She was so terrified after it that she filed a complaint against the stalker. 7. Akshay Kumar Instagram/Akshay Kumar Akshay Kumar has a huge female fan following. There was a time when a girl ran away from her house in Lucknow to meet the Khiladi of Bollywood. When she missed the chance to meet him, she ended up cutting her wrist. She was then rushed to the hospital by Akshay Kumar himself. 8. Shahid Kapoor Instagram/Shahid Kapoor Even Shahid Kapoor's case was no different. In fact, he was stalked by legendary actor Raaj Kumar's daughter, named Vastavikta Pandit. She used to follow him everywhere and said that she was Shahid's wife. In fact, the stalking escalated to such an extent that she bought a house next to his. When things turned unbearable, Shahid finally filed a complaint. Swara Bhasker is quite active on social media and has been vocal about her opinions which often land her in controversies. She is the favourite celeb for the trolls who dont spare her any time she tweets. Swara recently shared an opinion about a video that is being widely circulated on social media showing an elderly Muslim man being thrashed in Ghaziabad's Loni. #BREAKING | Two more people have been arrested in the #Ghaziabad assault case where a senior citizen was beaten up by some miscreants. With this, the number of people arrested has gone to 3 now. pic.twitter.com/HWF28AoUrx Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) June 15, 2021 She tweeted, RW & Sanghis vomiting on my timeline coz Ghaziabad police named 3 Muslims. Jackasses the prime accused is literally a Pravesh Gujjar. The man is on camera forcing the old man to chant #JaiShriRam. Yes, it is a desecration of my God and my religion and Im ashamed.. as shud you be. Swara Bhasker Well, the elderly Muslim Sufi Abdul Samad had earlier claimed that he was forced to chant Jai Shri Ram. Police however ruled out any communal angle saying Samad was attacked by six men - Hindus and Muslims - who were unhappy over the amulets he had sold them Police have registered a case and arrested a Pravesh Gujjar - believed to be the main accused - and are still looking for the others#Ghaziabad pic.twitter.com/G1OKeRyZ0o Daily News India (@DNI_official_TT) June 15, 2021 Main accused Parvesh was present with Kallu, Poli, Aarif, Adil, and Mushahid when the victim met them in Lonis Baheta area. The accused and the victim were known to each other as Saifi had sold them an amulet, promising them positive results. The amulet did not work, and the accused beat him up in anger. While two more persons have been arrested, the others will be caught soon, said Ghaziabad Police in a statement. All of the accused were known to Saifi as he had sold amulets to many people in the area. First, the victim did not reveal true facts about how he met them, since we found during the investigation that he knew them from before. Second, the details about the assault were also not clear since the issue was about the amulets. The complaint also did not mention any chants of Jai Shri Ram. We have identified eight accused. More arrests will take place, said Dr. Iraj Raja, SP Rural Ghaziabad. After the police ruled out the communal angle and even the video that went viral was muted, Swaras tweet has got her into trouble with people bashing her left, right, and centre. Heres how people reacted: Twitter Twitter Twitter Twitter We wonder how Swara would react to this. Of the many things that divide Indians, one is the language barrier, and the reason for that is we dont have a national language. Every state has a different regional language and although we take immense pride in the diversity of our country, we cannot deny that a common language like Hindi or English is the only last resort for people to converse. iStock Also, English is a globally accepted language which makes it easier for developing countries like India to trade, communicate and exchange knowledge and information internationally. Pertaining to this, the introduction of English medium education becomes necessary for the people. The Department of Higher Education of Andhra Pradesh recently said in a release that it strongly feels the introduction of English for undergraduate students will be beneficial for their career. And, with that in mind, they have decided to make the transition of Telugu medium courses into English medium for all UG colleges across the state. iStock In a recent meeting held by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the state government announced that English medium will be made compulsory in all undergraduate degree colleges, private aided, government or unaided across states for the year 2021-22. Instagram The release issued by the government backed up their decision saying, According to the findings in India Skills Report of 2019, English figured among the top three skills, along with learning agility and adaptability, that employers look for in India. It further said, It is essential that these students pursue their undergraduate courses in English medium. The transition from Telugu medium to English Medium would be easier at the graduation level. iStock Twitter saw mixed reactions to this development. The people from the state are divided on the matter with some saying this would wipe out their regional language, while others saying its the need of the hour for students to be well versed in English to compete globally. This is totally opposite to the need of the hour. We need to localise the education so that it can reach to the poorest of the poor. English can be thought as second language. Saket Pandey (@sakpand) June 15, 2021 Disrespect for mother tongue. Choice shld be left for students... SK (@KumarS4u) June 15, 2021 Like religion nd caste , language has also fallen a victim to petty politics of politicians of our country.Adopting a universal language for learning nd global communication is different matter than expressing love for mother tongue. LALATENDU SAHU (@Lsahu_L) June 15, 2021 This is a great Idea. At a degree college level people still expect to learn subjects in Mother toung? How they will get jobs if they are still learning in mother toung at their 18+ age? Pavan (@urstrulyGPK1987) June 16, 2021 Atleast the next generation will be more confident in themselves Kane WilliamLawson (@KanniLawson) June 15, 2021 This is a great Idea. At a degree college level people still expect to learn subjects in Mother toung? How they will get jobs if they are still learning in mother toung at their 18+ age? Pavan (@urstrulyGPK1987) June 16, 2021 The thing to note here is that the government is only making UG colleges English medium while the students will still be learning their regional language Telugu throughout their school years, which are their initial learning years. This does not affect or do away with the mother tongue, but only paves the way for better career opportunities for students outside of the state and globally. iStock What do you think about the decision? Let us know in the comment section. The police in India do not have that good an image in most cases. The sleaziness and their tendencies to sneakily ask for bribes are some of the biggest reasons for that. Obviously, as it turns out, the police in our neighbouring countries are no different. iStock Well, there is one small difference. Here, things are done in a more subtle manner, unlike in Pakistan. Reuters The Pakistan Police were left red-faced with embarrassment when a local fast food restaurant took to Twitter to share an incident that they had to face earlier this week. Reuters The management team of a burger joint in Pakistan called Johnny & Jugnu, reported that the police had arrested all of the staff members at one of their locations in Lahore. The arrested staff members included the chefs, the servers as well as the cleaning staff. The reason for their arrest? The outlet refused to give the local policemen free burgers. Johnny & Jugnu Apparently, the local SHO would often send someone from his staff and demand that the restaurant send free food to the station. One day, when the manager refused to give any more freebies, he was threatened with dire consequences. The next day, he was arrested from the restaurant, and taken away. Soon after that, a team of police constables arrived at the restaurant and arrested 19 other members of staff who were present in the premises. Allegedly, the staff members were detained at the police station for seven hours, during which they were beaten up, abused and constantly told that this is what happens when someone refuses, their boss. This incident caught the attention of the local press, and soon after that got escalated pretty quickly. So much so, that the Punjab Provincial Police suspended all the officers involved in this case and has ordered an inquiry into the situation. IG Punjab Inam Ghani have taken notice of the Johnny and Jugnu restaurant incident and have suspended the SHO Defence C and the staff of the police station involved. No one is allowed to take law into his own hands. Injustice will not be tolerated. All of them will be punished. Punjab Police Official (@OfficialDPRPP) June 12, 2021 The head of marketing for the restaurant chain said that the only reason why any action was taken, is that the locals had a good relationship with the outlet and that they had been very local on social media. He also said that he welcomes the swift response that the higher-ups at Punjab Police. The United States Of America, along with a number of other developed countries that are a part of the G7 recently announced that they are going to help out underdeveloped nations across the world, and provide them with vaccines, among other things to help fight COVID-19. Reuters Well, this was a nice gesture and was appreciated by the leaders of many countries. However, a recent tweet that the US Embassy of Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago put out has sparked a debate on whether the US government is actually helping out counties in a feasible way, or just engaging in some tokenism. Reuters The US Embassy for Trinidad and Tobago recently put out this tweet - USA Donates Vaccines to Trinidad and Tobago pic.twitter.com/5S0OTQfJU5 U.S. Embassy POS (@USinTT) June 14, 2021 In this PR announcement, they said that they are giving away a grand total of 80 Pfizer COVID vaccine vials, along with some other equipment and materials to Trinidad and Tobago. We know what you might be thinking. That the 80 vials claim might be a typo. However, there has been no clarification on that, so far, so we know that this isnt a typo. Trinidad and Tobago have a population of about 14 Lakhs. No matter how efficiently you put things to use, or how you stretch it, medical experts cannot extract even 1000 vaccine doses from the 80 vials of Pfizers COVID vaccine that the US government has so graciously provided, and that is an overestimation. Reuters In contrast, India, which was facing a massive vaccine shortage, gave about 40,000 vaccine doses to Trinidad and Tobago, at least 40 times of what the US government has given as aid. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, popularly known as just the Red Cross, is an international NGO that has actually provided more doses than the US government. Reuters This help was called out on social media immediately for what it actually was - a PR exercise. Angry netizens surely did not mince their words. Let's hope this is a typo otherwise it's embarrassing as hell. @JoeBiden @POTUS JohnnyJet (@JohnnyJet) June 15, 2021 This is like having 2 sandwiches in ur hand, Seeing a homeless person and instead of giving them a one of the whole sandwiches u tear one in half hand it to them Holly J (@hollyjnelson) June 14, 2021 They legit had to open a flat, count out 80 (or 115), then put the rest back into cold storage. Unbelievable pic.twitter.com/XJCv3RGm2Q funkydrugmonkey (@funkydrugmonkey) June 14, 2021 80 vials? Is this a parody account? https://t.co/l0skYAXjz3 Madhu Pai, MD, PhD (@paimadhu) June 14, 2021 you mean there are more than 80 Americans in Trinidad? PICSI.co (@baradhili) June 15, 2021 That's US for you. Put a drop in a ocean and call it an ocean P V Bhaskar (@pbhaskar23) June 16, 2021 What a tasteless joke Shifa Habib (@shifa_habib) June 15, 2021 We hope that the leaders of other countries who have committed to providing vaccines to developing countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, dont follow Americas footsteps in this regard. Realme is known for launching affordable smartphones and IoT products, often copying Xiaomis model when it comes to consumer tech. However, Realme has gone a step forward this time around by launching products that look almost identical to what Apple makes; at least at first glance. Images of Realmes latest products such as the Realme Book, Realme Pad and a smartwatch were shared online that not only copies Apples branding techniques but the product itself. Realme,Apple When looking at the Realme Book, its clear that the Chinese company has lifted the entire aesthetics and branding of the upcoming laptop from Apples promotional videos and advertisements. But looking closer its clear that Realme has copied the design of the MacBook laptops as well, to the T. There are subtle differences, of course, but not enough to clearly distinguish it from Apples products. Realme The case remains the same with the Realme Pad as well where a promotional image looks identical to what Apple uses for the iPad Pro lineup. It also looks like that company has copied the design of the tablet as well including the camera module which looks awfully similar to the one you can find on the iPad Pro. MensXP_Akshay Bhalla This is not the first time Realme has copied Apples designs for its products. The Realme Watch looks very similar to the Apple Watchs design apart from a few changes such as the digital crown. Realme also copied the AirPods design for its Buds Air TWS earphones that launched a couple of years ago. Youtube_Realme While Realme is known for affordable products its customers, it comes at a cost of owning something that looks like an Apple rip off. Realme, as a company, has gone leaps and bounds when it comes to the smartphone design department, however, the lack of creativity and original design looks like Realme doesnt want to come up with something that is their own. Even though the Realme Book was showcased in its global launch event as a prototype, its fair to say that laptop is very reminiscent of something that was designed in Cupertino. The Electronics & Information Technology Minister of India; Ravi Shankar Prasad blasted Twitter in a series of Tweets for not complying with the new intermediary guidelines. Prasad tweeted his statement after an incident today involving misinformation about a Tweet that suggested the Uttar Pradesh police was inciting communal violence. Reuters It is astounding that Twitter which portrays itself as the flag bearer of free speech, chooses the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to the Intermediary Guidelines, Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a statement posted on the social media platform. Prasad questioned Twitter on its refusal to comply with the new IT rules and after reports suggesting that the social media giant will most likely lose its intermediary status due to non-compliance. The new IT rules were notified to social media companies in February 2021 and so far, Twitter has been the only social media giant that has refrained from complying. "Due to their non-compliance, their protection as an intermediary is gone. Twitter is liable for penal actions against any Indian law just as any publisher is, government sources told ANI. Prasad added to the Twitter thread saying that the company was given multiple opportunities to comply with the same, however, it has deliberately chosen the path of non-compliance. The culture of India varies like its large geography. In certain scenarios, with the amplification of social media, even a small spark can cause a fire, especially with the menace of fake news. This was one of the objectives of bringing the Intermediary Guidelines, he added. Reuters Prasad also suggested that Twitter has alleged bias where it only labels content as manipulated media only when it suits, its likes and dislikes, he wrote. Referencing the incident that took place in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Prasad said, What happened in UP was illustrative of Twitters arbitrariness in fighting fake news. While Twitter has been over-enthusiastic about its fact-checking mechanism, its failure to act in multiple cases like UP is perplexing & indicates its inconsistency in fighting misinformation. Reuters He also said questioned, why platforms like Twitter showing reluctance in following Indian laws designed to give voice to the victims of abuse and misuse? It seems like Twitter will continue to face difficulties in India until the company decides to fully comply with the new IT rules. While Twitter did say earlier this week that the company has appointed an interim Chief Compliance Officer, it seems like the company is treading thin ice here if the company continues to defy the Indian Government. Twitter no longer has legal protection in India from prosecution over users posts because the company failed to comply with the new IT rules. It also happens to be the only social media company in India that has failed to adhere to the new rules. The new ruling comes after government sources said today that a case was filed in Uttar Pradesh against the social media giant over tweets that claimed that the UP police tried to incite communal violence, reports state. Twitter to lose its status as intermediary platform in India as it does not comply with new guidelines, it is the only social media platform among mainstream that has not adhered to new laws: Government sources ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2021 Twitter has also lost its status as an intermediary. "Due to their non-compliance, their protection as an intermediary is gone. Twitter is liable for penal actions against any Indian law just as any publisher is," ANI reported citing sources. Unsplash/brett-jordan The first case that holds Twitter responsible for third party content was filed in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh last night in connection with an alleged assault on an elderly Muslim man. Twitter has been accused in an FIR of not removing the misleading content from its platform. Twitter is now being treated as a publisher and is liable to punishment under the new IT rules if a case is filed against it for misleading content. Some of the top executives at the social media giant including the managing director in the country will stand to face police questioning and criminal liability under the Indian Penal Code. Twitter had stated earlier that the company has appointed an interim Chief Compliance Officer and the details will be shared with the IT ministry soon. The micro-blogging site was given one last chance to comply with the new IT rules. Reuters The FIR filed against the social media giant refutes the communal angle and gives details about the incident. However, even after clarification, Twitter did not delete or act to have the tweets removed which prompted the government to remove its legal protection status as an intermediary. "Since they do not enjoy any protection and they did not flag this video as manipulated media, they are liable for penal action," ANI stated citing government sources. Click here to log in and see all of our other subscription options for the Mesabi Tribune, including online only & auto-renewal subscriptions. Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the original lockdown on May 28, after the country reported 8,290 new Covid-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data. And under the government's Third Movement Control Order, MSC was ordered to suspend operations until at least June 14 under a reclassification of economic activities in the country. MSC then declared force majeure on its smelting activities on June 7 after the government rejected the tin producer's appeal to be classified as an essential service, which would have allowed it to continue to operate during the lockdown.A further appeal by MSC was not approved by June 14, which led to the tin smelter suspending its operations for a further two weeks, "subject to the success of our appeal, if any, the company told customers on June 14.It is not known if further phases of the lockdown will be implemented or whether other measures may be undertaken by the government [that] may cause further disruption to our operations, MSC added.Being granted essential company status would allow MSC to have up to 60% of its workforce in attendance at its smelters.The Malaysian government said it had to extend the lockdown until June 28 because the country's daily Covid-19 case numbers still exceeded 5,000 as of June 14 and on Tuesday, some 5,419 cases were reported, according to the latest John Hopkins University data.Tin ore already at MSC's sites has been secured in its warehouses, the company said.As a leading global tin producer, we will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation while engaging with the relevant Malaysian government agencies to work toward a positive outcome, the company said.Based on the company's 60,000-tonne-per-year production capacity, some 4,600 tonnes of metal would be lost over the four-week suspension.The market has lost an absolute fortune [in terms] of production, a tin trader told Fastmarkets.Tin's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange reached a new year-to-date high on Monday, June 14 of $31,850 per tonne and was last seen at $31,350 per tonne.Fastmarkets' tin grade A min 99.85% ingot premium, ddp Midwest US , was assessed at a new all-time high of $3,000-3,600 per tonne on June 15, with US customers said to be most affected by the MSC suspension. KABUL The Taliban once again attacked the Polio workers in Nangarhar province, brutally killing four vaccinators and injuring five others. Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns this terrorist attack in the strongest terms and considers it an explicit violation of Islamic and humanitarian values, and against the international conventions. This heinous act impedes the Polio Programme, hindering it to reach every child in Afghanistan with Polio Vaccines. Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again calls on the international community and organizations for human rights and crimes against humanity to stand with the Afghan people and government to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice and prevent further atrocities by the Taliban. Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the bereaved and wishes full and swift recovery for all those wounded. Miami, FL (33127) Today Isolated thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High 86F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Miami, FL (33127) Today Partly cloudy this morning with thunderstorms becoming likely this afternoon. High 86F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Unlicensed Funeral Establishment Associated with O'Neil Swanson Ordered to Cease Operations Unlicensed Funeral Establishment Associated with O'Neil Swanson Ordered to Cease Operations Media Contact: LARA Communications (517-335-LARA (5272)) Email: mediainfo@michigan.gov June 16, 2021 - Today, Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), in conjunction with the Department of Attorney General, issued a Cease and Desist Order against Comfort Cremation Services LLC, an entity on file with LARA's Corporations Division with a registered office located at 101 W. Big Beaver Rd., Ste. 1400, in Troy, and its members, O'Neil Swanson, a/k/a O'Neil D. Swanson, II, and George A. Drosis. It ordered them to stop violating the Occupational Code by engaging in the practice of mortuary science and aiding and abetting Comfort Cremation Services LLC in engaging in the practice of mortuary science without a mortuary science license. More specifically, it ordered them to immediately cease all activities requiring a mortuary science license under the Occupational Code. The investigation was initiated in April 2021 after LARA received a tip from the Michigan Funeral Directors Association that the LLC was transporting bodies to Tri-County Cremation Services, L.L.C. to receive direct cremation services. LARA recently took separate but related administrative action under the Cemetery Regulation Act against Tri-County. Evidence found during the course of LARA's joint investigation with the Department of Attorney General verified the following: On April 10, 2020, attorney George A. Drosis organized Comfort Cremation Services LLC under the Michigan Limited Liability Company Act. On June 3, 2020, Comfort Cremation Services LLC first identified George A. Drosis as its "member" on its Certificate of Assumed Name filed with LARA's Corporations Division indicating that the LLC's assumed name under which business to be transacted is "Tricounty Cremations." On June 2, 2021, George A. Drosis provided to LARA a document entitled "Stock Purchase Agreement," signed by O'Neil D. Swanson, II on June 18, 2020, identifying O'Neil Swanson as a "member" of Comfort Cremation Services LLC. The Agreement indicated that Comfort Cremation Services LLC purchased the Tri-County Cremation Services, L.L.C.'s name and business and entered into a land contract with Burrell Tri-County Vaults, Inc. to purchase the real estate associated with its crematory registration held under the Cemetery Regulation Act. The Agreement further indicated that the proceeds used to purchase the property and business were funded, at least in part, by a Small Business Administration loan. According to its website, www.comfortcremationsnow.com, Comfort Cremation Services LLC began publicizing obituaries listing dates of death beginning July 16, 2020. Many of the deceased individuals found at Tri-County Cremation Services, L.L.C.'s crematory facility during LARA's investigation beginning on May 26, 2021 and thereafter appear to have originated from Comfort Cremation Services LLC. In 2019, O'Neil Swanson was convicted of conversion of funds under the Prepaid Funeral and Cemetery Sales Act. In 2018, his mortuary science license and the mortuary science establishment license previously held by Swanson's Funeral Home, Inc. in Flint were revoked based on violations of the Occupational Code and other health and safety laws. On June 11, 2021, he and Dianne E. Swanson were ordered by the Ingham County Circuit Court to stop violating a cease and desist order issued by LARA on June 4, 2021, prohibiting them and Tri-County Cremation Services, L.L.C. under their ownership and operation from engaging in activities that require a crematory registration under the Cemetery Regulation Act. LARA continues to work closely with the Department of Attorney General and the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner's Office to identify the deceased found at Tri-County Cremation Services, L.L.C. still awaiting cremation. Members of the public who have questions or concerns regarding these matters, were contacted by the Swansons after the June 4, 2021 cease and desist order was issued, or who think they may have a loved one who recently received services from either Comfort Cremation Services LLC or Tri-County Cremation Services, L.L.C. should contact LARA at (517) 241-7000 or by email at CSCLonline@michigan.gov. LARA is a regulatory agency with no criminal enforcement powers. When LARA determines that one of its regulatory actions could result in criminal charges under a law it administers, those cases are referred to either the Michigan Department of Attorney General or local law enforcement. Proposals Sought for Service and Volunteerism Conference Presentation Proposals Sought for Service and Volunteerism Conference The Michigan Community Service Commission is requesting proposals for presentations at the inaugural 2021 Michigan Conference on Service and Volunteerism to be held virtually on Oct. 6-7. Proposals for presentations are due July 15, 2021. Send an intent to apply message that includes your focus area to Hannah Hoskins at hoskinsh@michigan.gov. Then download the full form below and send the complete version to Hannah Hoskins at hoskinsh@michigan.gov. Michigan Conference on Service and Volunteerism Proposals Form Conference Dates The Conference will be held virtually on Wednesday, October 6 and Thursday, October 7 in the afternoon, along with a Mentor Michigan special conference to be held in the morning on October 7. Conference Purpose The 2021 Michigan Conference on Service and Volunteerism is posed to help organizations reimagine the possibilities service and volunteerism can offer as Michigan recovers from the pandemic and moves to developing resilience. The Michigan Volunteerism and Service Conference is an opportunity for sharing timely resources and ideas related to National Service, volunteer engagement, and relevant research and practices in volunteerism and service. Conference Theme The 2021 Conference Theme: Volunteering - Truth, Youth, and the Future is intended to assist in exploring avenues to support Michigan's path forward. The Conference workshops will include all aspects of volunteering and service, with special components to recognize the importance of involving youth voice and the need to expand quality mentoring. The past year has brought many challenges and has necessitated changes to engage volunteers and AmeriCorps members to make impact. As we look to the future, it is essential that we collectively move forward with truth and examine our roles to be equitable and ensure justice, and it is imperative that we include youth as a part of the solutions. We need to identify how to dismantle the barriers for volunteers and AmeriCorps members as they help communities develop resilience and make an impact. What We Are Looking For This is the first of what will be an annual conference for Volunteering and National Service. In the years ahead, it is our intent to create a strong knowledge library archive that serves to support practitioners and researchers. We are looking for pragmatic and innovative ideas, as well as theoretical and practical case studies and practices that reflect effective methods for all ages and populations. We seek proposals that include at least one of the following elements: Demonstrate the effectiveness of existing volunteerism and service practices Support the creation of innovative ideas that promote solutions to community issues Propose new methodologies or evaluation models Provide Equity and Justice frameworks and cross-cultural relationships Introduce concepts and ideas to promote and develop high-quality connections Foster avenues to include youth in being part of community solutions and promote youth-adult partnerships Include youth and young adults in the presentation Present cross-system collaboration Target Audience The intended audience for this conference is anyone interested in building the capacity of volunteers and national service into program efforts and creating effective delivery systems within their organizations. Conference participants will gather tools and skills through virtual workshops and lightning talks to utilize new resources in their own programs. Presentation Format Options Presentations are intended to be engaging and provide useful programmatic and evaluation information/tools that participants can apply to their own organizations. In developing proposals, consider pertinent knowledge, competencies, research, collaboration, pathways forward, and effective practices in your program/subject matter area in relation to supporting organizations and promoting success. There are two presentation formats: Live Presentation Presentations will last from 45 minutes to one hour and fifteen minutes. Presenters will provide a slide deck of their presentation in advance. The presentation timeline should include Q&A from participants sent in the chat box. Each presentation will have a conference moderator to assist with overseeing questions and time. Lightning Talks Talks will be Ted-talk style to present a concept or idea to foster learning and innovation. The session will be pre-recorded. No more than 15 slides for the slide deck will be permitted. Talks will last no more than five minutes. Topic Areas The conference is designed to share successful strategies that increase the knowledge of participants and foster innovative thinking. Workshops may focus on interdisciplinary approaches that include the identification of effective practices and collaborative partnerships. Your presentation may fit within one or more of the following 10 Topic Areas. Bulleted sub-topics are intended to provide an understanding of some of the options to consider for the topic area you select. Equity and Social Justice Justice, Equity and Inclusion must be front and center Equity and Social Justice - searching for the truth Addressing Issues of Equity in Volunteerism Educational Justice - How to Be Engaged Engaging Youth in Volunteerism Engaging Youth in Volunteerism and Service - Youth Co-Led Ensuring Youth Voices are part of the Solution - Youth Led Service Learning - breaking it down Supporting Schools and Youth-Serving Organizations Mentoring and Access to Opportunity Launching the Mentor Movement Youth National Quality Mentoring System Evaluation and Data Professional Mentoring Revitalizing the Michigan Volunteerism Movement Virtual and Remote Volunteerism - Virtual Volunteering is Here to Stay Skills-Based Volunteerism UN Sustainable Development Goals Hold New Importance Engaging Older Adults Utilizing National Days of Service to energize volunteerism Enhancing Management and Operations Fund Development Writing Grants Telling the Story to Increase Volunteers and Donations Volunteer Operating Principles Strengthening Boards and Commissions Technology Supporting Volunteerism and Giving Michigan as a National Service Leader Exploring AmeriCorps Programs- NCCC, AC VISTA, State, AC- Seniors Engaging NCCC Members for Your Work Becoming a Strong AmeriCorps Host Site Understanding the Six AmeriCorps Focus Areas: Education, Economic Opportunity, Healthy Futures, Veterans, Environmental Stewardship, Disaster Disaster Response and Recovery CERTS - how can they help your community Creating Preparedness Response and Recovery Plans Mitigation Efforts as Prevention Michigan's Regional Map - Healthcare Coalitions Civilian Climate Corps Serving communities to mitigate environmental issues Advancing sustainability through Community Outreach Supporting Innovation to Help the Environment Conducting Community Outreach to Impact Change Collaboration Drives Value and Innovation Resilience - Developing a Path Forward Mapping a Post - Pandemic World Focusing on the How, Rather than the What and When Volunteerism and Community Resilience Locally Owned Solutions Delivering Impact Resilience of Whom - individuals, households, communities, organizations, society Lessons Learned During the Pandemic Selection Process Presenter applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The deadline to apply is July 15, 2021. Please contact us if you need an extension. We plan to make all selections and notify presenters by late July. Presenters selected will be given a free registration. Proposal will be reviewed on the following criteria: Are the ideas presented relevant and significant? Are the concepts introduced useful, practical, forward thinking and/or visionary? Is the scope of the presentation appropriate to the allotted time period? Is there demonstrated knowledge of the subject matter? Is the material presented in a logical or sequential manner? Is the scope appropriate for audiences of all backgrounds? Related Documents BIG RAPIDS This Saturday, Big Rapids residents and visitors will gather in Hemlock Park for this years Juneteenth Celebration Picnic. The event, which begins at 3 p.m., will commemorate the Juneteenth holiday also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day which celebrates the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Coordinators Ellyse Yvette and Amani Perkins created the event as a way to provide attendees with a day of celebrating freedom, love, and community. Considering everything thats been going on with the Black community, last year Ellyse and I wanted to create a safe space so people could love on another, be surrounded by like-minded people and be free, Perkins said. Juneteenth was the perfect holiday to do so, and we want that to continue in Big Rapids, a place where it isnt always seen. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, celebrations of Juneteenth date to 1866, at first involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas. It spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often centering on a food festival. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, it was obscured by the struggle for postwar civil rights, but regained popularity again in the 1970s with a focus on African American freedom and arts. The holiday provides an opportunity for those who are interested in African American culture to explore and revel in their history through interactive exhibitions, and helps all Americans see how their stories, their histories, and their cultures are shaped and informed by global influences. Perkins said Juneteenth is a day that all Americans should be proud to celebrate. The slaves in Texas were the last to hear the word of the Emancipation Proclamation, the last to be set free, and to celebrate that day is to celebrate the freedom to live independently and holistically, Perkins said. Because its about celebrating and honoring other Americans. African American citizens are no different than any other ones. Our holidays are no different, Christmas, thanksgiving, Halloween, 420 are all U.S holidays that everyone celebrates. We are taught at a young age to celebrate the Fourth of July because thats when the U.S. was freed from the sanctions of Great Britain and allowed to govern themselves. Juneteenth is the Black persons Fourth of July. We werent free July 4, 1776, yet we celebrate and wear our patriotic colors even though it had nothing to do with us. The Emancipation Proclamation wasnt signed and in place until January 1, 1863. Its important because its the day that all Americans were truly free, she added. Perkins said she hopes people can come together to learn about one another and understand history and engaging with different perspectives. I hope people learn its okay to celebrate our differences. This country hasnt treated all of its inhabitants the same, so we all celebrate different things, Perkins said. We all have a different perspective of how we are treated and mistreated. We should honor our differences and unify in spite of them. The holiday has no one way to be celebrated. Because we wanted to do a community picnic doesnt mean thats the only way to celebrate. You can celebrate as privately, exclusively or publicly as you like. Juneteenth isnt supposed to exclude or isolate but celebrate and love. Not everyone grew up knowing what Juneteenth was and how important it is, so now I am happy I can help share the importance, she added. The holiday is dated on the anniversary of the June 19, 1865, on which the announcement of General Order No. 3 by Union Army general Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom from slavery in Texas was given. LANSING As the summer heats up and people begin flocking to Great Lakes beaches, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources urges everyone to keep water and pier safety in mind. Holding more than 20% of the worlds fresh water, the Great Lakes are large, powerful water systems. These lakes reign supreme for many during warmer months, but they also are prone to dangerous currents that can threaten even the most experienced swimmer. Adverse weather patterns can create dangerous rip and structural currents along piers and breakwalls, too. Crashing waves can create slippery surfaces and conditions strong enough to knock a person into the water. "The DNR eagerly welcomes millions of visitors to Michigan state parks each summer," said Sean Mulligan, Holland State Park manager in a news release from the DNR. "Visitors should keep in mind that winds can come up quickly, changing conditions without warning, so always pay attention to the weather. The Great Lakes can become very dangerous, especially when waves get higher than 4 feet." RELATED: Manistee woman receives awards after saving children from drowning Unfortunately, several emergencies and drownings have occurred along the beach and breakwall areas. Many of these incidents happened during red flag days when the wind and waves are strong with greater potential for dangerous rip currents. Of Michigans 100-plus state parks, 42 offer access to Great Lakes shoreline. Ron Olson, chief of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, said the increase in accidents and drownings on the Great Lakes in recent years is especially troubling and clear evidence that greater public awareness is needed. In particular, Grand Haven, Holland, Ludington and Mears state parks are situated in locations where rip currents tend to build and recurring safety hazards are present. When it comes to protecting Michigan residents and visitors on the water, especially the Great Lakes, we cannot talk enough about safety, preparation and vigilant awareness, Olson said. RELATED: Beaches abound in Manistee County New safety measures at Holland State Park Holland State Park, situated along Lake Michigan, is one of Michigans most-visited sites and provides the main access to a popular pier that is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. More recently, the DNR and the local community have collaborated on additional ways to alert visitors to changing Great Lakes and pier conditions. Last fall, Holland State Park staff collaborated with Park Township and The King Company to fund the installation of a gate on the pier adjacent to Holland State Park. The goal is to help save lives by restricting access during harsh weather and to reduce the number of people jumping off the pier, while still allowing people to fish from the pier when feasible. Generally speaking, the gate will be closed during the winter, when the red flags are flying and during night hours when the park is closed. In addition, an electronic messaging board conveying beach conditions is located where visitors enter Holland State Park, and a new public address system will be used to update beachgoers as the beach warning flags are changed in response to weather conditions. Visitors also can view live beach conditions at CityOfHolland.com/645/MIHollandCAM via livestream video courtesy of the City of Holland and Biggby Coffee. Conditions are posted on the park's Facebook page at Facebook.com/HollandStateParkMi. River outlets and breakwalls Dangerous currents can occur near the outlets of rivers and breakwalls, especially during times that water levels are higher. For example, the mouth of the Big Sable River is located in Ludington State Park, but outside the designated swim area. In the past, swimmers have been swept out into Lake Michigan. This park also has installed an electronic bulletin messaging board at the entrance to the designated beach area to help alert visitors of current conditions. In addition, swimmers should be aware of particularly dangerous structural currents that form along shoreline structures near breakwalls, such as in Mears State Park. When northwest winds appear, water is pushed to the shore, causing dangerous currents along the north side of the pier, said Chris Bush, lead ranger at Mears State Park, in a news release. People are often surprised that structures located in the Great Lakes can cause such powerful, and sometimes dangerous, currents." RELATED: How a near drowning at a Manistee beach may have led to a water safety class Using state park designated swim areas on the Great Lakes Many, but not all, state parks on the Great Lakes offer designated swimming areas that are identified by buoys or buoys and markers, a beach flag warning system and water depth less than 5 feet at the time of installation. Water depth will be inspected approximately every 14 days and underwater obstacles will be posted or marked. You may also find other designated swim areas in areas other than state parks. Check the flag upon arrival and be sure to monitor it throughout the day because conditions can change rapidly. Green flag = Go. Enter the water but stay aware of changing conditions; Yellow flag = Caution. Watch for dangerous currents and high waves; and Red flag = Stop. Stay on the beach; do not enter the water and do not swim. There are no beach guards at state parks, so never swim alone and keep close watch of children. Stay within arm's reach and make sure all kids wear life jackets. If there is an emergency, call 911. At Holland and Grand Haven state parks, use the nearest red zone number boards (located on the beach) to help relay your location as accurately as possible. State park designated swim areas have lifesaving flotation device and equipment. Remember the safety equipment on the beach or pier is for emergency use only; using this equipment for anything else is against the law. The DNR suggests that visitors keep these additional cautions in mind when enjoying time in and around the Great Lakes: Currents near piers can be extremely hazardous. Pay attention to the buoys marking the designated swim areas; swimming outside of the marked swim zones can be dangerous and should be avoided; During certain weather conditions, the force of water and waves crashing over the surface can easily wash someone off a structure; always monitor the beach flag warning system; Before leaving home, learn about the types of Great Lakes currents and how to escape them; and Check local weather reports and lake conditions before and during your beach trip. Visitors in areas without designated swim beaches should use extreme caution because they will not have the benefit of the beach flag warning system or the visual cautions of buoys that mark water depth and other obstacles. RELATED: Warning lights installed at beach in Frankfort More smart safety water tips When swimming or boating in any body of water whether the Great Lakes, inland lakes or slow-moving rivers and streams make safety your first priority. Never swim alone, always keep close watch of children and bring U.S. Coast-Guard-approved life jackets, especially for new and inexperienced swimmers; and When boating, have life jackets available for everyone on the vessel, leave a float plan with someone on shore, stay alert and carry a cell phone or marine radio. Such planning goes for those on personal watercraft like Jet Skis and paddle boards, too. Learn boating safety. Visit Michigan.gov/BeachSafety to learn about the beach flag warning system, how to escape rip currents and more. For more on overall beach and water safety at state parks throughout Michigan, contact Ron Olson at 517-243-1477 or OlsonR@Michigan.gov. For more information on Holland State Park, contact Sean Mulligan at 616-399-9390 or MulliganS@Michigan.gov. RELATED: Benzie Aquatic Center teams up with Frankfort to promote beach safety MANISTEE -- The Manistee Area Public Schools band program was able to help area youth thanks to the Band Boosters' virtual sock fundraiser. For every pair of socks sold, a new pair was donated to an area nonprofit agency. This year, Staircase Youth Services Manistee County was the recipient. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army arrived in Galveston,Texas and informed the last remaining enslaved people they were free. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed into law in 1863, some slave masters withheld the information. This was the start of Juneteenth (combining June and nineteenth) or Freedom Day. In 1872, a group of African-American ministers and business leaders purchased 10 acres of land in Houston to create Emancipation Park. Michigan joined 45 other states in observing Juneteenth in 2005. This year, the city of Galveston will dedicate a 5,000 square foot mural, entitled "Absolute Equality where General Granger first made his pronouncement. Many cities hold parades and families and friends gather for picnics. Manistee County Library carries the following titles that focus attention on this aspect of American history. Researching archives throughout the country, Edward T. Cotham Jr. wrote Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration as the first major work to provide the background for this National celebration. Combining Civil War and Texas history, the author sheds light on emancipation. On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed is part memoir, part history. Juxtaposing historical fact, myth and family stories, the author puts forth a history slavery of Texas from an African-American's point of view. Tiya Miles wrote The Dawn of Detroit: A Chronicle of Slavery and Freedom in the City of the Straits to showcase a little known fact of slavery. Beginning in the American frontier, Native Americans and later African-Americans were enslaved by French and British colonists in the fur trade. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of Americas Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson tells the tale of millions of people who fled north and west away from slavery. The effects of this unacknowledged migration were felt countrywide. Focusing on the journeys of three individuals, the author provides a snapshot of the search for a better life. Gateway to Freedom: the Hidden History of the Underground Railroad by Eric Foner highlights the people who risked their lives to save millions of others from being forced back into slavery. With details taken from secret records, Foner introduces the resistance who secreted runaway enslaved people to safety despite contentious politicians and hostile laws. Congress at War: How Republican Reformers Fought the Civil War, Defied Lincoln, Ended Slavery, and Remade America by Fergus Bordewich gives another side of the story highlighting the efforts of the House and Senate in the fight against slavery. Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates Jr reveals the struggle against the segregation laws of the Reconstruction era and resilience necessary to remain hopeful that can still be applied to todays racial conflicts. The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism by Edward Baptist looks at the effect slavery had on creating the cotton empire of the South. Using plantation records, newspaper accounts, slave narratives and other sources, the author provides a new perspective on American history. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a letter from father to son asking the difficult questions about honoring the past, living in the present and hoping for the future as an African-American and finding answers that will keep people moving forward. Readers who prefer historical fiction might enjoy Pulitzer Prize winning Beloved by Toni Morrison which tells the story of a former slave who is struggling to live with her past. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead brings to life an enslaved womans escape to the north while being hunted, running from state to state. The Disappearing Man by Doug Peterson is based on the true story of Henry Brown who faked his death, then shipped himself to freedom with the help of his friends. In The Known World by Edward Jones, the widow of a former slave and farmer who struggles to maintain her husbands legacy after he passes away unexpectedly. The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen is a fictionalized account of a former slave who returns to Virginia as a spy during the Civil War. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates chronicles the journey of a young man desperate to rescue his family from slavery after surviving the underground railroad himself. More information on titles available and hours of operation can be found at manisteelibrary.org Kim Jankowiak and Becca Brown of the Manistee County Library write the recurring On the Same Page feature that showcases the library's titles available surrounding a revolving topic. Jankowiak is a reference librarian and Brown is a circulation clerk for the library. Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan (GSHOM) congratulates Barb Henton, of Midland, for being presented the Girl Scout Thanks Badge, one of the highest honors an adult can be awarded in Girl Scouting. The Thanks Badge honors an individual whose ongoing commitment, leadership, and service have had an exceptional, measurable impact on meeting the Key Priority goals of Girls Scouts Heart of Michigan or the entire Girl Scout Movement and is separate from service previously awarded. Henton, a lifetime member of Girl Scouts, has served on the GSHOM Board of Trustees since 2008, having served six terms as an officer. She serves on the Member Advisory Committee and acts as an effective mentor to National Delegates. THOMPSONVILLE Iron Fish Distillery is hosting a special art installation celebrating Pride Month and will be hosting a special event showcasing the piece. The piece is one of three created for Pride Month as part of Up North Pride's Catharsis, an immersive art installation at three brewery locations. The piece is a Britten shipping container that has been brightly painted by Joey Salamon. According to promotional material from Up North Pride, "This piece is unquestionably gaycentric, confident in its openness for what it represents, while also being fun, approachable and unique. For Salamon, catharsis is achieved when you authentically and fully yourself. This installation is a visual representation of staying true to that mindset." Iron Fish will be hosting an open house for the installation from 5-9 p.m. on June 19. A portion of the proceeds from drinks sold that evening will be donated to Up North Pride. Sarah Anderson, partner at Iron Fish Distillery, said she was glad to host the art installation. "We're happy and honored," she said. "We're super excited to be able to share this art with the community and our out of town visitors coming to the distillery. We like it and think it is a bit unexpected to see a piece of art for Pride Week in this remote distillery area. The art piece created is, in itself, unbelievably high quality and astonishing. It is a cool addition for us in the month of June." Anderson said Iron Fish has been longtime supporters of Up North Pride and has been actively involved in the celebration of pride throughout the year. "We feel like, in this region, this perspective is a nice thing to share," she said. The other two installations are at Shorts Brewing, in Bellaire, and Farm Club, in Traverse City. During this month's Huron County Planning Commission meeting, planning commission chairman Bill Renn spoke out in opposition to two bill packages in the state Legislature that would effectively remove local voices in new sand and gravel mines and short-term rentals. Three bills introduced in the Senate would amount to having the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy regulating new sand and gravel mining locations, having one set of rules for the entire state. They were previously introduced and passed in the last legislative session, but Gov. Whitmer did not take any action on them, effectively vetoing them. Renn said the issue with this is that the issues related to establishing new mines vary from location to location, and relate to hours of operation, haul routes, traffic, and noise. "If a pit is located in Huron County out among some ag fields," Renn said. "It is not nearly as dramatic as it is on the outskirts of a villages or residential area where they start loading and working in a quarry at 4 or 5 a.m. and run through weekends between the noise and traffic. For a lot of people it would be unacceptable." The short-term rental bills introduced in the House and Senate would have the state be the one regulating short-term rental locations, saying that such rentals are not subject to any "special use or conditional use permit or procedure different from" other dwellings. These are the kind of locations where someone can rent a cottage for a weekend or find on Airbnb. Renn said the main issue there for the county is that lakefront properties could be rented out and be used for partying and multiple families would come out. Small communities would run into parking issues, noise issues, and issues dealing with an excessive number of people. "Not having the ability to regulate that at a local level would cause a lot of issues in resort communities," Renn said. The information Renn shared with the planners came from the Michigan Township Association and was dated from the middle of May. It expressed displeasure with not being allowed to provide input to the short-term rental proposals and called the mining legislation a preemptive assault on local control. Since then, the mining bills have been fast-tracked in the Senate and passed in a 19-17 vote for one bill and a 20-16 vote for the other two. Area Senator Dan Lauwers, a Republican from Brockway Township, voted in favor for all three. The House has not yet voted on these bills. The Legislature has not yet voted on the short-term rental bills. Renn ultimately said that while he does not have an issue with the state being involved with implementing regulations, taking locals out of the decision-making process is unacceptable. "We (local officials) are the people who live here," Renn said. "Our residents talk to us, complain to us. We have to put up with the decisions made. Whether we regulate it or not, we should be involved with the decision to allow it." Renn encouraged residents to let their representative lawmakers in the legislature know how they feel about these bills. MIDDLETOWN For the second year in a row, city taxpayers will get a break. The Common Council on Monday unanimously passed a $213.25 million budget package, which will lower taxes by 0.096 percent for the 2021-22 fiscal year. The fiscal package was approved 11-0, with Councilwoman Jeanette Blackwell absent from the proceedings. Mayor Ben Florsheim said hes consulted his staff, including Finance Director Carl Erlacher, and they believe its the first time in recent memory the budget received the councils unanimous support. The mill rate will be lowered by one-tenth of a mill to 35.7. An average homeowner will see between $50 and $100 savings on their annual tax bill, Majority Leader Gene Nocera said. We heard a resounding message that our community and state and nation has to do all it can to help our taxpayers, residents and business community pull out of the economic downturn during the pandemic, Nocera said. [The coronavirus outbreak was] really significant, and is going to be with us for some time. The Board of Education request was fully funded with a 2.5 percent increase, mostly due to contractual obligations, Nocera said. Last year, the tax rate decreased by 0.2 mill, to 35.8 mills, with a 0.33 percent cut in spending. Our goal was to not make cuts, with no layoffs or increase in class size, the councilman said. The class sizes range from a maximum of 16 at the primary level and mid-20s for the other grades, he said. We know the research is very clear: If you pack kids into a classroom, its very, very difficult to meet those needs, Nocera said. A tremendous amount of work went into this years budget-making process, during which leaders tried to keep spending as lean as possible amid myriad challenges presented by the pandemic, Nocera said. In early April, Florsheim released his proposed $213.04 million spending package, which, if passed, would have meant a 1.1 percent increase in spending over the current fiscal years $210.8 million budget. That plan would have raised taxes by 0.84 percent. The budget has five components: general government (funded at $178.93 million), the central fire district, sanitation, and water and sewer. In addition to lowering taxes for the second straight year, city leaders funded additional services asked for by voters, departmental heads, and the business community, Nocera said. Changes were relatively small, but meaningful at the same time, Florsheim said. The mayor said hes pleased to give taxpayers a break for the second year in a row, as well as make some key investments in the community, made possible through collaboration with city leaders. This is the second budget Florsheim has had a hand in crafting since taking office in November 2019. Its been a long and, at times uncertain budget process this year for a lot of factors, the mayor said. But I am incredibly proud and appreciative of the work that was done to get it on time as a responsible budget for our taxpayers. That is a testament to the fact that the priorities that were funding in this budget were really shared priorities of the city, he said. This budget checks off all those boxes. Some urgently needed additional jobs include $60,000 more for the Recreation Services Division to establish a one-year, summer pilot program in conjunction with Oddfellows Playhouse, Florsheim said. The move was partly in response to a rash of shootings and a stabbing this spring that killed two people. The money will support outreach to youth and families living in two neighborhoods to keep children engaged in activities and out of trouble, Recreation Services Director Cathy Lechowicz has said. Also, $65,042 was added for a human resources specialist in the Equal Opportunity & Diversity Management office who will focus on recruiting applicants who have been traditionally underserved, and hiring local people whenever possible, the mayor said. A new parks maintenance employee will come aboard at a salary of $42,578 to monitor park upgrades, such as the $2 million renovations planned this fall at Veterans Pool. Also, $100,000 was added to the citys tree budget, to help deal with the destruction caused by the emerald ash borer. Middletown is known as the Forest City with its Tree City USA designation for the 31st year in a row. The remaining additions will go toward the citys department reorganization plan. Savings were realized with funding from the American Rescue Plan. We did a lot of adjusting our budget, the mayor and department heads were fabulous trimming a little here and there without any layoffs or program reduction or reducing services, Nocera said. That adds up. The meeting can be watched online PORTLAND A newly revived summer youth program at a local housing project aims to get children who live there engaged in meaningful and creative activities in an effort to raise their self-esteem at a critical age. Summer Saturdays is being funded with a $1,500 grant from Portland Youth Services. Oddfellows Youth Playhouse in Middletown is facilitating the program. Its focus aligns with a similar initiative at two Middletown apartment complexes, including Traverse Square, where police say a 29-year-old was shot in the stomach May 22. Recreation services staff and police officers are stopping by regularly to play games with the kids to keep them off the streets, according to teaching artist Tanjah Thompson, who co-leads the dance program with Middletown Planning and Zoning Commission member Shanay Fulton, her longtime friend. The children, ages 5 to 14, who live at Chatham Court housing development just over the Arrigoni Bridge, are given free license to contribute to choreographed routines they perform in the parking lot, Fulton said. That was the best part, Thompson said. Kids love to be involved and included. Often, she added, the children are not confident enough to explore their talents. They are mostly girls, however, the boys are encouraged to participate to make these sessions all-inclusive, she said. Many if not all of them have some dance experience, whether it be from sharing their moves with friends or on TikTok, Fulton said. Fulton said there are a large number of children who live in the complex, and the town does not have enough free events for them, so she knew the program would be popular. They dont really do much on the weekend, Fulton said. These sessions are so popular that sometimes theyre already there waiting for me, Fulton said. It gives them a lot to do and lets them feel part of something. They just have fun with it. They do that anyway, so why not make it into something they do for a program? Thompson, who was a dance instructor for the Oddfellows Circus Camp in 2019, danced professionally for a year in New York. The students call her best friend, a nod to her closeness with Fulton. They teach the children hip-hop and pop-and-lock techniques, Thompson said. The troupe is a way to keep children out of trouble by keeping them occupied, Thompson said. This keeps them grounded, and be a part of something so theyre not just roaming the streets, she said. It shows no matter where youre from or who you are, you can become something great, Thompson said. Children say they dont feel paid attention to. Thats sad. Thompson, who is originally from Jamaica, said she felt isolated while growing up in the Bronx, N.Y., because not only was she shy, but she had difficulty making friends because she was seen as an outsider. Fulton, who grew up in a single-parent household, in the projects in the Bronx, was not exposed to many free activities to keep her busy growing up. Her mother sent her to dance and karate classes. It was not free, she said. It was expensive. Because of the neighborhood, she didnt want her daughter hanging around, Fulton said. Fulton brings her two children to many of the events. The first day, they were apprehensive, but have since warmed up to dancing. Ever since she was very young, Fulton loved to dance. She later got into art, singing and fashion. Naji Chester-Payne, a lifelong resident of Chatham Court who came up with the concept once pandemic restrictions began to ease, is carrying on the tradition started by his parents years ago. His mother and father hosted block parties at the complex, Chester-Payne said. Everything was all about the kids and the community, he said. He runs movie nights on Saturdays, which begin at 7:30 p.m. The Portland Housing Authority donated food to make these films possible, Chester-Payne said. Last week, participants watched Disneys Cruella. This week, theyll be watching Pixar Animation Studios/Disneys Soul. Its really a blessing to bring them smiles. Thats priceless, Chester-Payne said. The 2020 program was canceled due to the pandemic, Oddfellows Executive Artistic Director Dic Wheeler said. Around 2010, the playhouse ran a similar program in Portland, and also at Maplewood Terrace and Traverse Square housing complexes in Middletown, but funding dried up after five years, he said. Not only is the playhouse conducting outreach in Portland to involve more youth in its neighborhood program, but were trying to get back to the roots of what Oddfellows is. It builds confidence and creates a sense of belonging, a sense of connectedness and possibility. Its exciting, Wheeler said. It feels a little bit like a rebirth thats going on all over the place post-COVID, and partly because of various funding streams that are there now that arent usually available. Class is being held outdoors on Saturdays from noon to 1 p.m., at 9 Chatham Court. EAST HAMPTON The towns Board of Finance recently reduced the tax rate, lowering it from the projected $49.6 million budget that voters approved June 8. The department anticipated a rate increase of 1.48 mills, but a recent move by the Town Council allowed the community to take advantage of decisions made in the state budget, according to a press release. It was funded by grants and other revenue of $9 million, and property taxes, the amount of which was reduced to $40.6 million by the Board of Finance action, the news release said. At the urging of some members of the council Monday, the finance board set the mill rate at 34.53, which is .09 lower than the published budget, an overall increase of 1.39, or just over 4 percent, the release said. There was no increase in the previous budget, which means the average increase was just about .69 over the last two years. The education portion grew by just under 3 percent, and the towns operation budget increased by about 3.7 percent, it said. An increase in the cost of debt service of approximately $419,000 of $3.6 million was related to debt for East Hampton High School and Town Hall projects. An approximate $395,000 increase for the Capital Improvement Program was approved, and offset actions were taken during the 2020-21 year to reduce the funding needed, officials said. Last year, surplus funds from the previous fiscal year were redirected to the program rather than including that cost on peoples property tax bill. The change is possible due to a decision made in the Connecticut legislature during preparation of the states budget for the upcoming year. The changes we made in the process this year paid off immediately, and our taxpayers will benefit, Town Council Chairman Pete Brown said in a prepared statement. A revised grant program to municipalities to provide services to state-owned property within their borders will provide additional revenue to the town in the amount of about $100,000, the release said. That change, and increase in revenue, was not decided upon until the final days of the states legislative session, and would not have been known to the town under the previous local budget preparation timeline, it continued. In April, the council approved changes in the budget preparation process that delayed the final approval of the budget to early June, so leaders will have a better chance of knowing what the state budget contains before making a final decision locally, the release said. DENVER (AP) A former high school student accused of teaming up with a classmate to kill teens in a suburban Denver classroom in 2019 was convicted Tuesday of all 46 charges against him, including murder for the death of a student who tried to stop the attack. The verdict against Devon Erickson came less than 24 hours after lawyers delivered closing arguments in his trial. Prosecutors said Erickson, now 20, was a full partner with Alec McKinney in the shooting that killed Kendrick Castillo, 18, and wounded eight others at STEM School Highlands Ranch in an unincorporated suburban community south of Denver. The shots were fired in a darkened classroom of high school seniors, who were watching The Princess Bride in the days leading up to graduation. Castillo and two other students, Joshua Jones and Brendan Bialy, charged at Erickson after he pulled out a gun, which jammed after he fired four times. Defense attorneys argued that Erickson, who was 18 at the time, was manipulated and pressured into participating by his younger friend. McKinney testified against Erickson after pleading guilty last year. Since he was an adult at the time of the shooting, Erickson faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for his murder conviction plus many more years for the other charges. A sentencing hearing was set for Sept. 17. McKinney, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, could become eligible for parole after about 20 years in prison under a program for juvenile offenders. Despite the pending mandatory life term, prosecutors asked that a report be prepared that recommends a sentence and summarizes the evidence presented at trial. That information could help deter a future governor who might possibly consider clemency for Erickson, District Attorney John Kellner said. The judge granted the request. John Castillo, Kendrick Castillos father, projected a quiet, calm satisfaction after the verdict, saying he felt his slain sons presence throughout the day. Im sure he was looking down today, Castillo said. I believe, I feel, he was with us. He was probably with those jurors making their decision. ... This day was justice for him. During closing arguments, Erickson's defense lawyer, David Kaplan, told jurors that the shooting unfolded without a true plan and happened only after Erickson, who was sent to the nurses office after he looked sick, got a threatening message from McKinney to help with the attack. The defense also raised the possibility that Castillo was accidentally shot as he pushed Erickson against a wall. The prosecution disputed the theory, saying an accidental shooting was not likely given the positioning of the two. Jones and Bialy struggled to get Erickson to give up his gun after Castillo was shot, prosecutors said. As the verdict for each count was read, Erickson stood nearly motionless, hands clasped in front of him, staring straight ahead and blinking as his parents sat in the courtroom. He was wearing a gray suit and tie and had short, neat brown hair in contrast to the longer, purple hair he had at the time of the shooting. Former STEM school student Mitchell Kraus, who was wounded in the shooting, had walked Erickson to the nurses office just minutes before the attack. Erickson never gave any indication that something was about to happen, Kraus said Tuesday. Kraus, now a college student, said he had struggled to put the shooting behind him but recently has started to believe he can. Now that I can be sure that this monster, to be honest, is never going to see the light of day again, its just a weight off my back, he said. ____ Associated Press writer Thomas Peipert contributed to this report. KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) Police in Kansas City, Kansas, are investigating after finding the body of a man who had been shot inside a car. Police said officers were called just after 7 a.m. Monday to a residential area a few blocks northwest of Klamm Park. Arriving officers found the body of a man, later identified as Kyle Slater, 45, of Kansas City, Missouri. inside a vehicle. BRIDGEPORT A person suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being shot Tuesday night by a city police officer assigned to a federal task force, state police said Wednesday. Connecticut State Police Trooper First Class Josue Dorelus confirmed that detectives from the agencys Eastern District Major Crimes Squad were requested to investigate an officer-involved shooting in Bridgeport. State police have yet to identify the victim of the shooting, who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. A silver car remained behind police tape on Wednesday morning, with severe front-end damage and a fluid leak after apparently colliding with a utility pole. There were at least five other vehicles behind the police tape, one of which appeared to be an unmarked police vehicle. Its unclear if any other vehicle was damaged. Dennis Waiters, of Ludlow Street in Stamford, was identified as the driver of a vehicle that crashed, according to a police report obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media on Wednesday. Waiters is expected to be served with an arrest warrant in connection with the incident. LaMain Heard, identified in the report as a passenger in the vehicle, was released on a $500 bond on an interfering with police charge, the report indicated. The report identified the officer who fired his weapon as Carlos Vazquez. He has been with the department since July 2007. Police have not said whether Vazquez was hurt during the incident. Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia and Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim both briefly acknowledged the police shooting in a press conference Wednesday afternoon, addressing an increase in gun violence in the city. They said little about the shooting, referring inquiries to the state police. In a statement Wednesday morning, state police said the shooting happened shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday. Police were on scene overnight and into Wednesday morning. More for you News Police in Connecticut have shot 5 people in 2021 Bridgeport police said the incident happened in the area of Main and Catherine streets. The intersection is located near a Route 8/Route 25 overpass. State police said the officer involved was a Bridgeport cop assigned to the federal FBI Safe Streets Task Force. State police offered no details on what led to the shooting. Scott Appleby, the citys director of emergency communications and emergency management, said the incident is being investigated by state police under Stamford States Attorney Paul J. Ferencek. Appleby said more details will be available as the investigation unfolds. Before Tuesday nights shooting, Vazquez previously captured attention when he and other officers were accused of excessive force in 2009, and again two years later when he was seriously hurt in a major crash. On Aug. 29, 2009, officers driving by Stratford Avenue and Hewitt Street saw two men leaving an abandoned house and approached them. One of them, later identified as Lorenzo Osborne, ran and was tackled by Vazquez, according to a police report. Osborne was accused of hitting Vazquez and resisting arrest, prompting another officer to use a Taser. At one point during the struggle, authorities said, Osborne allegedly reached into his pocked, cocked a loaded gun and tried to point it at officers. The weapon eventually fell to the ground and fired. No one was hit. Osborne later filed a federal lawsuit, accusing Vazquez and the other officers involved in his arrest of excessive force. In September 2015, a federal court jury cleared the men in the case. A few weeks before they were cleared, Vazquez was named Police Officer of the Year by the Bridgeport Elks Lodge No. 36, which described him as an active, self-motivated and conscientious police officer. The lodge said Vazquez was involved in an accident on Dec. 26, 2011, after another driver ran a stop sign. He suffered serious injuries and had to learn how to walk again. Seven months after the accident, he was back to work on light duty status. He returned to full duty in December 2012. Staff writer Daniel Tepfer contributed reporting to this story. HARTFORD Democratic leaders of the state House of Representatives Wednesday stripped out a controversial Senate amendment on legalizing marijuana, then led approval of the recreational cannabis bill endorsed by Gov. Ned Lamont. The bill passed 76-62 after seven-and-a-half-hour debate, sending it back to the Senate Thursday for final action. A dozen Democrats voted against the legislation and one Republican, Rep. Rich Hayes, of Putnam, voted for it. House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, one of the key negotiators in the compromise bill, which will legalize possession of up to one-and-a-half ounces for adults 21 and over on July 1, said many lawmakers in recent years came around to support the measure. It would make Connecticut the 19th state to approve adult-use cannabis. Undoing past injustices has driven Connecticuts long effort for legal, recreational marijuana to the edge of approval. The bill would give preference for cannabis business licenses to people who grew up or have lived as adults in targeted, disadvantged neighborhoods; and it would strongly favor labor unions trying to organoze workers, among other equity measures. Rojas recalled that long after the federal government outlawed marijuana in 1937, the campaign against cannabis was exacerbated by President Richard Nixons war on drugs starting in 1971. That entangled whole generations of people who were tainted and whose lives ruined in the criminal justice and incarceration system. That impact on people has been disproportionately borne by low-income people, people of color, of those who live in urban areas and those who simply could not afford legal counsel, Rojas said shortly before the 9 oclock vote. It is clear that where you lived, where you consumed cannabis, your income, the impact of your involvement with cannabis resulted in a disparate treatment resulting in negative consequences for not only the individual, but their families and entire communities. Among Democrats who voted against the measure were Rep. Andrew Baker of Bridgeport; Rep. Dan Fox of Stamford; Rep. Christine Goupil of Clinton; Rep. Mary Mushinsky of Wallingford; and Rep. Michelle Cook of Torrington. An ambitious rollout schedule could have retail cannabis available by May of next year if, as expected, the Senate adopts the House version and Lamont signs it. A dramatic turn The vote took on added drama 24 hours earlier, on Tuesday night, when Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, offered an amendment in the middle of the debate in the Senate. The measure, which passed, would expand eligibility for preference on license to people who had previous cannabis convictions, from throughout the state. That broke what was a handshake agreement among Lamont and proponents, including Democratic leaders and the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus. Winfield made the move at the request of another New Haven lawmaker, state Rep. Robyn Porter. Ive never seen anything like that before, said state Rep. Juan Candelaria, D-New Haven, a longtime proponent for legal cannabis who said he was stunned by the 11th-hour Senate amendment that threatened months of work. We had a deal, he said in an early afternoon interview on the House floor. After a long meeting of House Democrats, Rojas and House Speaker Matt Ritter said that rather than court a promised veto from Lamont, House members would amend the Senate bill and reinsert the original language from last week. While the House agreed unanimously to take out Tuesdays Senate amendments, the long-awaited, multihour debate and vote on adult-use cannabis sharply divided the chamber, which Democrats control 97-54. A initial Republican amendment failed 82-52 around 5 p.m., with 16 lawmakers missing one a week after the end of the regular legislative session. Rojas said while at the committee level, majority Democrats approved legislation to allow those convicted of drug crimes to become eligible for licenses, he described the deletion of the proposal an example of the negotiation process with Lamonts office. The measure to favor people convicted of marijuana crimes had been approved by Democrats in a committee, but Rojas said the negotiated deal carried the day. Lamont, who gave ground to Democratic legislators on several key bills, insisted that so-called social-equity candidates for licenses come from lower-income neighborhoods that had been targets of the failed war on drugs. We fought a Civil War over this The House debate began shortly after 1:30 p.m, when Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, introduced the bill, which he described as the product of as many as nine years of negotiations. Quickly, the House unanimously approved stripping out the two Senate amendments, then voted unanimously to restore an anti-revolving door policy to ban members of the General Assembly from participating in the adult-use cannabis market for two years after leaving office. Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said legalizing marijuana could violate his oath of office to uphold the United States Constitution. It appears to me that we fought a Civil War over this, Fishbein. Were saying to the federal government that we dont care you passed a law. Thats a troublesome position to be in. While federal law still bans marijuana, in recent years the U.S. Justice Department has issued notices that it would not interfere with states that legalize marijuana. Does anybody here think that if we pass this legislation, the commercialization of pot wont hurt our youth? asked Rep. Tom ODea, R-New Canaan. Were turning marijuana into Big Tobacco. The addiction-for-profit industries addict the most vulnerable. ODeas amendment would have raised the age from 21 to 25. It failed 82 to 52. Stafstrom suggested that ODea pursue a higher-age law next year, and possibly expand it to include the purchase of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes. Ive been sitting on the fence so long I have splinters, admitted Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, co-chairman of the Public Health Committee. Ive come a long ways, he said, stressing that potency guidelines in the current bill are too high. I think the most important part of this is were creating a regulatory environment. Steinberg also praised the bills dedicated revenue stream for mental health programs and public awareness, but was critical of the eventual allowance of home-growing on July 1, 2023. Steinberg introduced an amendment to eliminate home-growing from the bill. We cant wipe out the black market, but we can do everything we can to create a responsible market in Connecticut, Steinberg said. After a brief debate, he withdrew the amendment, however. Investing in communities State Rep. David Rutigliano, R-Trumbull, who owns several restaurants, said he has seen young employees use the drug over a number of years. He spoke in favor of a third GOP amendment that would have limited the bill to home-growing, similarly to the way Vermont first approved the issue in 2018. That proposal was rejected 114-21. I have no question in my mind that this is a mistake for the state of Connecticut, House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford. I hope that we dont regret this decision but I think we will. The state has an opportunity to build a new industry literally from the ground up, Rep. Anne Hughes, D-Easton, said, while giving opportunity to people in neighborhoods that had been longtime targets in the war on drugs. I want to invest in communities, she said. I want to see us invest in people. People with past lower-level drug-possession arrests, under four ounces of cannabis, could have their records expunged under the bill. The program would be administered by the state Department of Consumer Protection and a new Social Equity Council, a politically appointed group responsible for supervising 65 percent of tax revenue, estimated to exceed $73 million by the end of the 2025-26 budget year. The states four medical marijuana growers could get into the adult-use business by paying $3 million each. Frankly we wanted to charge an amount significant enough, said Rep. Michael DAgostino, D-Hamden, co-chairman of the General Law Committee, which was involved in the drafting of legislation in recent years. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Daniel Sanchez is one of the luckier electric car owners in Spain. With a free recharging station less than a kilometer from his home just north of Barcelona, he can keep his Tesla ready to roll. I cannot imagine stopping at a gas station ever again," the 41-year-old transport company owner said. "We feel like those people who got off a horse-drawn carriage and climbed into a car. There is no going back. Other Spaniards are considerably less enthusiastic. The dearth of places to plug in, compared to western and northern Europe, and the price of electric cars have left Spain lagging as the continent races to get greener. Now the government wants to usher the entire country into this new paradigm. The ruling left-wing coalition plans to use a chunk of the 140 billion euros ($166 billion) Spain is set to receive from the European Unions pandemic recovery plan to kickstart its electric car industry. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Madrid on Wednesday, at the start of her tour of member states to endorse their plans to deploy the massive windfall designed to erase the economic pain of the pandemic. Final approval from Brussels is expected in coming weeks. Von der Leyen met with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has compared the EU Next Generation funds to a new Marshall Plan. Spains Secretary of State for Industry Raul Blanco told The Associated Press that the government is aiming at spending around 5 billion euros ($6 billion) over the next three years on its electric vehicle initiative. Spain produced 2.2 million cars and trucks in 2020, second only to Germany in Europe. But only 140,000 of these were electric or hybrids, according to ANFAC, the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers. What we are doing is accelerating a change that is already taking place, Blanco said. This is a unique opportunity. The automakers are on board, and there are resources to carry out the investments. A leader in highspeed electric trains, Spain wants to put 250,000 more electric vehicles on its roads within two years, adding to the current 96,000. The push for electric cars should reduce CO2 emissions by 450,000 tons, according to government projections as Spain aims to completely convert to renewable energy by 2050, in line with EU targets. Spain can carry out these industrial activities with green energy, Blanco said. Compared to other countries of central and eastern Europe that still rely on fossil fuels, or other countries which use nuclear, Spain can rely on renewable energies since it has wind and solar. The environmental group Greenpeace supported the push for electric vehicles but argued that the EU funds should not be used to keep clogging cities with cars. It is vital that the aid is prioritized to help rural populations that have poorer access to other modes of alternative transport, the group said. Spain is counting on its robust car industry, and the deposits of lithium key to battery production for electric vehicles that it shares with Portugal. The goal is to establish a supply chain by encouraging private investment to build a battery factory, along with assembly plants and software design, all with the goal of driving more climate-friendly cars off production lines. The plans success, however, faces hurdles. Spain has fewer than 2 public plug-in points per 100,000 square kilometers, compared to over 10 in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, according to a 2020 report by the European Court of Auditors. It is a snake that bites its own tail, said Salvador Ejarque, president of Spains Association of Electric Car Users, or AUVE. People dont buy cars because they cant charge them, and those who can invest dont do it quickly enough because the bureaucracy is complex and slow going, The government wants to boost the total number of recharging points nationwide from 11,500 to 100,000 in three years. ANFAC, the carmakers group, said more may be needed. We must overcome the autonomy anxiety of drivers by assuring them that charging their car is as easy as filling up with gas, spokesman Jose Lopez-Tafall told the AP. It is necessary to set up a calendar with set goals to reach 340,000 charging points by 2030. Price, too, matters. The average annual income in Spain is 15,000 euros ($18,100) below the EU mean. Luxury cars are a rare sight in Spanish cities, where economy models and motorbikes reign. So while electric vehicles can lure more affluent Europeans, they give many Spaniards sticker shock. To overcome this, the government has already dedicated 400 million euros ($484 million) for rebates of up to 7,000 euros ($8,400) on purchases of electric and hybrid vehicles. It must also convince carmakers that Spain is their best investment bet, while Germany and France have the advantage of having major manufacturers based in their countries. Spanish carmaker SEAT, a member of the Volkswagen group, has committed to producing an electric car in the 20,000-25,000 euro range that Blanco believes will hit the price points for domestic shoppers. Fords president for Europe, Stuart Rowley, spoke with Prime Minister Sanchez in April about Fords battery sourcing strategy and the importance of support from the Spanish Government in the framework of the EU Next Generation funds, the company said in a statement provided to the AP. Renault has also reaffirmed its focus on making hybrids at its Spanish plants. Labor unions have welcomed the huge public investment in an industry that provides 10% of Spains GDP and 9% of its employment. Garbine Espejo, general secretary of industry for the CCOO trade union confederation, said the recent decision by Nissan to close plants in and near Barcelona was a warning of what could come if the private and public sector don't join hands. Spains auto industry is in good health, Espejo told the AP. But if we do not seize this opportunity to transform Spain into a leader in new technologies, the impact for industry and jobs will be dire. ___ Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate. NORWALK State officials have closed an investigation into allegations of misconduct by a Brien McMahon High School staff member, according to the state Department of Education. Peter Yazbak, a spokesperson for the department, said on Tuesday the department did not take any action in response to the investigation. Yazbak said the probe ended after another agency resolved the issue, but he did not identify the organization. In late April, the department, which oversees the states public schools, disclosed that it had opened an investigation into issues of concern regarding an unnamed educator at Brien McMahon. The disclosure came just weeks after Norwalk Public Schools placed three Brien McMahon employees on administrative leave, including Scott Hurwitz, the schools principal. Hurwitz was placed on leave in early April to allow the district to address an undisclosed personnel matter, Brenda Wilcox Williams, the districts chief of staff and communications, said at the time. Days later the districts internal inquiry widened to include two assistant principals: Barbara Wood and Qadir Abdus-Salaam. Wood was allowed to return to work in early May, while Hurwitz and Abdus-Salaam are scheduled to return Wednesday, according to an email sent to parents Tuesday evening. The school system has declined to offer a reason behind the decision to place the administrators on leave, but district officials have stressed that the employees have not been disciplined or fired. In an effort to dispel rumors and to ease concerns among parents, Superintendent Alexandra Estrella has said that the ongoing probe is not related to allegations of sexual misconduct. As a parent, I am sympathetic to the concerns and questions you all may have, and I want to assure you that the safety of all Norwalk Public Schools students is of paramount importance, Estrella wrote in an April 24 email to parents. To that end, I want to dispel those rumors that have been most upsetting to our community and clarify that we are not investigating any allegations of sexual abuse or sexual misconduct. At the time, Yazbak also confirmed that the state probe did not involve allegations of sexual misconduct based upon the information we have at this time. Norwalk police officials have said the department has not been notified of any issue at the school that would result in a criminal investigation. It is unclear which agency resolved the issue that prompted the state Department of Educations investigation. It is also unclear if the educator accused of misconduct was found to have violated any state or local policies. Wilcox Williams, the spokesperson for the district, did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Hurwitz, a former teacher and housemaster, has served as principal since 2017. His lengthy absence worried parents and students who relied on his leadership for the last four years. Tracy Gulick, the co-president of the Brien McMahon Parent Teacher Student Association and the parent of two Brien McMahon students, described Hurwitz as an ethical principal who always makes time to speak with students. I dont need to know why hes gone. I just need him back, Gulick said. School is not the same when hes not there. You can sail a ship all you want, but without your captain, trust me, its not going the right way. Julie Begos, the co-president of the Senators Success Fund, an independent nonprofit that raises money for Brien McMahon projects, called Hurwitz a huge advocate for the students at the school. She noted he has implemented an array of successful new projects and has helped improve the schools International Baccalaureate program. Begos said she is worried that the confusion surrounding Hurwitzs absence might prompt teachers to look for jobs elsewhere and could cause parents to consider sending their children to a different school. I think that the school really suffered from not having a clear leader at the helm, she said. Everything he does seems to be for the students. Just watching him in action has made me confident in his abilities. richard.chumney@hearstmediact.com MADISON, Wis. (AP) The superintendents of Wisconsin's five largest school districts told members of the Legislature on Tuesday that they're dismayed that $2.3 billion in federal aid is at risk because of low funding for K-12 schools. Superintendents of the Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Kenosha and Green Bay school districts urged lawmakers in a letter to set aside partisan differences and to do what is best for the state's schools. The state budget being written by the Legislature's Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee does not include enough funding for K-12 schools to ensure that Wisconsin would be able to keep $2.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief money. Republican leaders have repeatedly said they will ensure the funding wouldn't be lost. The budget committee plans to complete its work this week. As it stands, the new budget would include $128 million more in state funding for K-12 schools than the current one, which is about one-tenth of what Democratic Gov. Tony Evers requested. Evers and Democrats have urged lawmakers to spend more on K-12 schools, especially in light of rosier projections showing the state will collect $4.4 billion more in taxes than originally expected. We are dismayed that the legislatures Joint Finance Committee voted to place ESSER dollars at risk, the superintendents wrote, referring to the name of the federal aid bill. The committee's decision to date has led school districts to halt their planning efforts, as they do not know whether the expected federal resources will be forthcoming, the superintendents wrote. This is regrettable and will adversely affect Wisconsin students. Budget committee co-chair, Rep. Mark Born, reiterated Tuesday that Republicans were working on a solution to not lose the money. Were confident well be in compliance," he said. Evers responded to the letter with a message on Twitter. Whats best for our kids is whats best for our state, which is why investing in education is a no-brainer, he tweeted. Republicans gutted my #BadgerBounceback investments in our kids and are jeopardizing $2.3 billion in federal funds. Enough politics. Do whats best for our kids. The superintendents said the federal money would provide a unique opportunity to work with our community partners to address inequities in our school communities. The five districts serve more than 150,000 students combined, or nearly 20% of the state's students. Of those, more than 104,000 are in poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the problems they face, the superintendents wrote. The federal money would not only help schools meet expenses caused by the pandemic, it would also have a positive economic impact on the state, they wrote. The letter was written by Milwaukee Superintendent Keith Posley, Madison Superintendent Carlton Jenkins, Green Bay Superintendent Stephen Murley, Kenosha Superintendent Sue Savaglio-Jarvis and Racine Superintendent Eric Gallien. BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union is recommending that its 27 member countries start lifting restrictions on tourists from the United States. EU members agreed Wednesday to add the U.S. to the list of countries for which they should gradually remove restrictions on non-essential travel. The move was adopted during a meeting in Brussels of permanent representatives to the bloc. The recommendation is non-binding, and national governments have authority to require test results or vaccination records and to set other entry conditions. The EU has no unified COVID-19 tourism or border policy, but has been working for months on a joint digital travel certificate for those vaccinated, freshly tested, or recently recovered from the virus. EU lawmakers endorsed the plan last week. The free certificates, which will contain a QR code with advanced security features, will allow people to move between European countries without having to quarantine or undergo extra coronavirus tests upon arrival. Several EU countries have already begun using the system, including Belgium, Spain, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Poland. The rest are expected to start using it July 1. Its mainly meant for EU citizens, but Americans and others can obtain the certificate too if they can convince authorities in an EU country theyre entering that they qualify for one. And the lack of an official U.S. vaccination certification system may complicate matters. Some EU countries have already started allowing in American visitors, though. On the other hand, Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said this week a careful and phased-in approach should remain the rule. Lets look at science and lets look at the progress. Lets look at the numbers and when its safe, we will do it," De Croo said. The moment that we see that a big part of the population is double-vaccinated and can prove that they are safe, travel will pick up again. And I would expect that over the course of this summer. In addition to the U.S., the representatives of EU nations added five other countries North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Lebanon and Taiwan to the tourist travel list. The European Council updates the list based on epidemiological data. It gets reviewed every two weeks. The representatives also decided to remove a reciprocity clause for the special administrative regions of China, Macau and Hong Kong. The recommendations are expected to be formalized on Friday. ___ Mark Carlson in Brussels contributed to this story. ___ Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Joe Manchin is proposing an extensive list of changes to his party's sweeping elections and voting bill, raising hopes among Democrats that they could unite behind the legislation even if the measure is nearly certain to be blocked by Republicans in a showdown Senate vote next week. Manchin, a West Virginia moderate, said he's now open to supporting a bill if it's revised, despite declaring earlier this month that the measure was the wrong piece of legislation to bring our country together." He released a proposed list of changes ahead of a meeting of Senate Democrats Thursday to discuss the path forward. That meeting was called by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is vowing to hold a vote on the bill in June no matter what, saying we have to get it done. People were assuming that I was against (the bill) because there were no Republicans supporting it. Its not the case at all," Manchin told reporters at the Capitol. However, he added, You should not pass any type of a voter bill in the most divisive time in our life unless you have some unity on this thing because youll just divide the country further." Manchin said he was not confident other Democrats would agree to his proposed changes. Manchins overture comes as Democrats struggle to counteract state-level Republican efforts to restrict voting following Donald Trumps false claims about a stolen 2020 election. Even if Manchin is brought onboard, the voting bill stands little chance of becoming law. Manchin and other Democrats remain opposed to changes in Senate rules that would be needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. As written, the Democrats bill would bring about the largest overhaul of U.S. voting in a generation, touching nearly every aspect of the electoral process. It would remove hurdles to voting erected in the name of election security, like voter ID laws, while curtailing the influence of big money in politics. It would create a nonpartisan process for redrawing congressional districts, expand mail voting and early voting, restore the rights of felons to cast a ballot, and scores of other provisions. Manchin's revisions would curtail, rewrite or eliminate many aspects of the bill. He favors a national voter ID requirement where voters could show a utility bill or another identifying document to vote, while Democrats have sought to blunt the the impact of strict state voter ID laws. His proposal leaves out the creation of a public financing system for congressional campaigns and would allow for greater limits on mail voting. He has also called for changes to a section on the bill that would create nonpartisan commissions to redraw congressional maps. Manchin, instead, has proposed the use of computer models to prevent partisan gerrymandering. Yet his list would also leave sizable portions intact or with limited changes, including automatic voter registration, making Election Day a holiday and mandating 15 days of early voting. A good voting bill basically protects the voters, protects the states and states rights, Manchin said. A good voting bill has to be accessible. It has to be fair and it has to be secure. Democrats seemed to respond favorably. Sen. Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, told reporters the proposal was a way in which we stay engaged on the issue. He said he was less troubled by Manchin's support for voter ID laws than these terrible partisan political maneuvers by Republican state lawmakers, including in Georgia, where the GOP-controlled legislature can now remove local elections officials they object to. As Sen. Manchin has said, Inaction is not an option, said Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., who sponsored a version of the legislation approved by the House. Fred Wertheimer, a longtime good government activist who helped write the initial bill, called it progress and said Democrats were "now in a totally different place than we were 24 hours ago. Manchin's evolving position comes as he has faced tremendous pressure from Democrats, including those in Congress. The group End Citizens United is running a $30 million campaign to build support for the effort, which includes ads running in his home state. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had several conversations with Manchin about the bill over the weekend. And President Joe Biden said earlier this month during a speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that he would fight like heck to pass the bill. Still, the White House has largely let Democrats on Capitol Hill take the lead on negotiations around the legislation, and its not clear if Biden would support the compromise Manchin has proposed. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the latest developments. As the fight in Congress drags on, the Biden administration is taking steps to address voting at the state level. Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered a speech last week that described ways in which the Justice Department would step up its efforts to protect voting rights. Garland said the department would double the number of voter enfranchisement lawyers in the Civil Rights Division and focus more closely on new voting laws for possible discrimination. Biden also tasked Vice President Kamala Harris with taking the lead on the issue. This week she ramped up her focus on voting rights. The right to vote is a given, Harris said during a meeting Wednesday with Texas Democrats who helped block a GOP-backed voting law in the state legislature. What we are seeing are examples of an attempt to interfere with that right, an attempt to marginalize and take from people a right that has already been given. ___ Cassidy reported from Atlanta PHOENIX (AP) A Republican-led hand recount of ballots cast in Arizonas most populous county hit a major milestone Monday when counters finished tallying all the regular ballots cast in November's presidential and U.S. Senate election, the Arizona Senate's liaison said. Ken Bennett, a Republican former secretary of state who has been monitoring the contractors actually recounting the 2.1 million ballots, said all that remains are a small number of boxes filled with Braille, large-type, overseas military and duplicated ballots. The GOP-led Senate ordered the audit after backers of President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that fraud led to his loss in Arizona and other battleground states. The Republican-dominated Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has repeatedly said the election was fair and free of any problems. Bennett didn't give a count for the remaining ballots, but they are a tiny fraction of the hundreds of boxes of ballots that were toted to the state fairgrounds in April. Counting was expected to only take a few weeks but ended up taking nearly two months. Counters had to vacate the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in mid-April to make way for for high school graduations. When they restarted after a week on May 28, more tables and counters were added to try to speed up the process. Bennett said the formal hand recount ordered by Senate President Karen Fann will be completed by the end of the month. Now that the main counting is complete, workers have been reassigned to help photograph each ballot as part of a second stage of the review designed to ensure that no phony ballots have been slipped in. Its all aspects related to the authenticity of the ballots, Bennett said, including folds in ballots, alignment marks, ensuring the ballot was marked by a hand-held pen or marker and not done by a printer. Separately, the contractors are perusing the computer programs used to count the ballots and examining the vote count machines. Bennett and others involved with the audit have not released any information on results. They are expected to be released in a report at some time after the recount's conclusion. Senate Republicans issued a subpoena to take control of 2.1 million ballots, voting machines and election data from the states largest county after former President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that his loss in Arizona and other battleground states was marred by fraud. The county balked but handed them over after a judge ruled the Senate had the authority to seek the materials. The Senates Republican leaders hired several firms led by Cyber Ninjas, a small Florida-based consultancy with no election experience before this year, to audit the materials. The review wont change the outcome of the election. But some Trump supporters believe it will turn up evidence to support his narrative of fraud. Voting-rights advocates and election administrators say the 2020 election was conducted well and worry the Arizona GOP review is using slipshod procedures and investigating far-fetched conspiracy theories. CHICAGO (AP) An argument in a house on Chicago's South Side erupted into gunfire early Tuesday, leaving four people dead and four more injured, police said. The shooting happened at about 5:45 a.m. in the Englewood neighborhood, police said. No one has been arrested and police provided few details about the shooting. None of the victims appeared to be juveniles. At a news conference Tuesday morning, Police Superintendent David Brown said three of the victims who died were female and one was male. The department earlier reported that all four were female. Detectives were trying to determine if there was more than one shooter, police spokesman Tom Ahern said. A 2-year-old child was removed safely from the house and placed in protective custody, he said. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office identified one of the fatal victims late Monday as Ratanya Aryiel Rogers, 28. The other victims were identified by police as a 35-year-old man, a 32-year-old woman and a 19-year-old female. The injured included two men who were shot in the back of the head. Police were unable to provide information on their conditions. A 23-year-old man who was shot in the back and a woman who suffered an unspecified gunshot wound were both in critical condition, police said. Brown said detectives haven't been able to interview the four surviving victims, who were being treated at hospitals. But he said a witness told police there were gunshots at about 2 a.m. and that the department's ShotSpotter gunfire detection system picked up the sound of gunfire at that time. Brown did not provide any details about whether that gunfire was related to the shooting at the house. The witness told police more gunshots rang out at about 5:45 a.m. Brown also said the police received several calls about disturbances at the residence, but did not elaborate. He said a high-capacity magazine and shell casings were recovered from the scene and that there was no apparent forced entry. The shooting comes a few days after a woman was killed and nine other people were injured when two men opened fire on a group standing on a sidewalk in Chatham, also on the city's South Side. Police said no one has been arrested in that shooting. Several mass shootings over the weekend have stoked concerns about a spike in U.S. gun violence heading into the summer, as coronavirus restrictions ease and more people are free to socialize. A database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University that tracks mass killings defined as four or more dead, not including the perpetrator shows Tuesday's shooting in Chicago is the 18th mass killing, of which 17 were shootings, so far this year in the U.S. Englewood has long been one of the most violent communities in Chicago, and the city has experienced more homicides this year compared with the same period last year. There were 282 homicides in Chicago as of June 13, compared with 269 during the same period last year. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told reporters that the city needs federal help to combat violence and said the White House had reached out to offer assistance. We must acknowledge this for what it is a tragedy thats ripped apart families and inflicted intense trauma, Lightfoot said. Lightfoot was one of 27 mayors to sign a letter to President Joe Biden from the United States Conference of Mayors urging immediate action to combat gun violence and the flood of illegal guns pouring into their cities. There are too many guns on our streets and we need a federal and nationalized strategy in order to deal with this, just like the Biden administration dealt with COVID-19, said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner during a video news conference. They asked the White House to take a leadership role in enacting meaningful and common-sense gun control legislation, push for universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons. Perhaps recognizing there is little chance that Congress will pass much of the legislation they support, the mayors also asked Biden to take as many steps as he can that dont require Congressional approval. The administration has to fully empower the (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) to go after federally licensed gun dealers who we know are selling to straw purchasers, Lightfoot said, referring to the practice of buying guns legally and selling them to those who cannot legally own firearms. BOGOTA, Colombia A car bomb exploded inside a military base in the Colombian border town of Cucuta on Tuesday, leaving 36 people injured, including three in critical condition, officials said. During an emergency visit to the base, Defense Minister Diego Molano described the blast as a "vile terrorist attack" that targeted Colombian soldiers and sought to injure as many troops as possible. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota wrote on its Twitter account that a small group of American military personnel were at the base when the explosion occurred but were not harmed. The U.S. soldiers were there to conduct training exercises, the embassy said. Molano said the National Liberation Army, Colombia's largest remaining rebel group, was likely behind the attack, though he did not provide any evidence to support that claim. He also said dissident members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a group that signed a peace deal with the government in 2016, could have been involved. Cucuta is located on the border with Venezuela and is the capital of North Santander state, where several criminal groups are fighting over drug trafficking routes and use the loosely patrolled border with Venezuela to smuggle fuel and weapons. Last year a group of U.S. military trainers and advisers from the First Security Force Assistance Brigade spent time at the base that was bombed Tuesday, where they helped the Colombian military to plan anti narcotics operations. Videos posted on social media showed dark columns of smoke rising from the base followed by a loud explosion that shattered windows and destroyed offices. The explosion comes as antigovernment protests appear to wind down in Colombia, with protest leaders announcing Tuesday that they will suspend marches that have been going on for seven weeks. At least 50 people have died in the protests over poverty and growing inequality, which started on April 28. Molano said Tuesday's explosion occurred shortly after 3 p.m. when men disguised as soldiers drove a white pick up truck into the base. In 2019, a car bomb set off by the ELN at a police academy in Bogota, killed 21 people and prompted the government to end peace talks with the rebel group. STUTTGART, Germany U.S. military officials are preparing a proposal to send a special operations contingent back into Somalia, where security conditions have worsened in the months since nearly 700 troops were pulled out of the country, a news report said Tuesday. The plan, which would involve several dozen troops, hasnt yet been formally presented to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, The New York Times reported. The newspaper cited unnamed Pentagon policymakers saying they want to step up counterterrorism efforts against militants aligned with al-Qaida. In January, President Donald Trump ordered some 700 U.S. troops out of Somalia, where special operations forces had been assisting local units for several years in a long-running battle against the al-Shabab group. Now, there are concerns that militants are gaining ground in the country, where U.S. airstrikes also have ground to a halt in recent months. The Stuttgart-based U.S. Africa Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposal. Although U.S. troops left the bases in Somalia, AFRICOM continues to send teams into the country on a rotational basis to keep up with efforts to train indigenous troops. No U.S. airstrikes have been reported since President Joe Biden took office in January. The White House is in the midst of a review into rules regarding how airstrikes are conducted. In 2020, the U.S. conducted 63 strikes against Islamic militants in Somalia. Before they were halted, AFRICOM frequently emphasized that the aerial attacks were crucial to keeping al-Shabab off balance. Still, despite years of strikes and U.S. advisers supporting Somali forces, al-Shabab has maintained a fighting force of several thousand guerrillas and was able to mount high-profile attacks against partner and U.S. troops. In January 2020, one U.S. soldier and two defense contractors were killed when the militants stormed a military compound in Kenya that was used for carrying out missions in neighboring Somalia. On Tuesday, al-Shabab attacked a Somali military training center in Mogadishu, killing at least 15 and injuring 20 others. WASHINGTON -- The Navy never had to look too hard to fill its elite SEAL force. For years, eager recruits poured in to try out for naval special warfare teams -- but they were overwhelmingly white. Now, Naval Special Warfare Command leaders are trying to turn that around, developing programs to seek out recruits from more diverse regions of the country. "We have been passive in the way that we recruit, We're SEAL Team. Come find us," said Rear Adm. H. Wyman Howard III, top commander for Naval Special Warfare, in an interview with The Associated Press. Now, he said, "we have to go where diversity lives." Army leaders have been doing some of the same things. Lt. Gen. Fran Beaudette, head of Army Special Operations Command, said they have loosened some restrictions on who can try out for special forces units -- which included requirements on the amount of time in the service or in rank a soldier had done. And the Army has created new, specialized teams to better reach out to more diverse populations. The effort comes as the military -- and the nation -- struggles with racism, extremism and hate crimes. Leaders see greater diversity as a way to combat extremism in the ranks, even as they increase other training and education programs. Commando forces, particularly the officers, tend to be far less diverse than the military as a whole. While only a small percentage of those who try out eventually pass the grueling, years-long training for special operations, leaders hope that bringing in a wider array of recruits will lead to a more diverse force. As of March 2021, a full 95% of all SEAL and combatant-craft crew (SWCC) officers were white and just 2% were Black, according to Naval Special Warfare statistics provided to the AP. The officers corps of Army Special Forces is 87% white, and also 2% Black. The enlisted ranks are only slightly more diverse. About 84% of the Navy SEAL and SWCC enlisted troops are white, and 2% are Black. The greater diversity comes in the number of American Indian, Alaskan Native and those who say they are "multiple" races. The Army's enlisted special forces are also 84% white, but the percentage of Blacks goes up to 4. When all members of Naval Special Warfare and Army Special Operations Command are included -- which would add combat support, civil affairs and psychological operations personnel -- the diversity grows slightly. But it still doesn't match the overall Army and Navy statistics. For example, 40% of the Navy's enlisted force and 24% of it's officers are non-white. Senior leaders have few answers when asked why minority recruits haven't gravitated to special operations jobs in larger numbers. Some suggest that minority youth in urban areas may not be exposed to troops who do the more elite jobs, or that they tend to go where they see a greater ethnic mix. For the SEALs in particular, leaders say young minorities may have less access to pools or be less focused on swimming and may not be attracted to jobs that require high levels of water expertise. Most troops who join SEAL teams or Special Forces want to concentrate on combat missions, not recruiting. With fewer minorities overall, that leaves a tiny number that can be recruiters. That will be changing. Howard has set up an outreach command that will send troops to cities like Chicago and Detroit to reach out to populations that otherwise may not think about special warfare as a potential choice. Meanwhile, Beaudette said Special Forces Command has "supercharged" its marketing. "We've become less shy about advocating for ourselves and explaining what it is we do and how we do it, " he said. One of the more effective efforts, he said, is having a diverse group of young non-commissioned officers go to Army posts and stations, talking about their experiences. Already, he said, he's seen results from loosening some application requirements and boosting recruiting. For some of the special operations jobs, as much as 20% more applicants have expressed interest in going through the selection process. The standards for passing the course haven't changed, he said, but at least the applicant pool is more diverse. More broadly, Army Recruiting Command has set up two nine-member teams representing various ethnicities, ranks, jobs and gender to reach out to a wider array of recruits online and through community outreach. Their job is to tell their stories, so that others understand the opportunities in the military. Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, who heads the command, said Army and special operations leaders are "all in agreement that diversity is good. It's not necessarily what you look like -- we do agree that that's important -- but it's also diversity of thought and experiences that really add to making the Army so much better." Howard and Beaudette say they hope that attracting a wider pool of applicants will eventually expand diversity, and help build a more inclusive force that can better protect America. "I think, in a republic, it's a foundational point -- you have to reflect the people you defend," Howard said. One of his first moves when he took command was to change his recruits' initial military experience. For years, when SEAL and special warfare recruits arrived at boot camp they were quickly funneled into a separate training group to hone their skills. But that specialized training had an unintended result: The mostly white recruits had little interaction with a more diverse force. The separate training was designed, Howard said, to build quickly the special operations force during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and better prepare recruits as they moved into the selection process for special warfare. But as he looked around, he realized it also enclosed them in a nearly all-white bubble. "It made sense at the time. Doesn't make sense now," said Howard, who took command last September and had eliminated the separate training by December. Now, all special warfare recruits go through boot camp with the other sailor-trainees. Sitting in the Pentagon recently, Howard reflected on the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and the racial discord that has wracked the nation. A number of former and current military members were among those who stormed the Capitol. He pulls a small, red, hard-bound copy of the U.S. Constitution from his pocket. After the riot, Howard bought 10,000 copies, and he and Navy Master Chief Bill King have been giving them to troops. Inside is a card with a message to his force. Serving the nation, it says, "requires we remain strictly apolitical and non-partisan to maintain the trust and confidence of all our fellow citizens." Handing out the books, he said, reminds troops of their oath, and that "we have an obligation to be inclusive, it's how we solve problems. And that's what we're doing." NEW YORK Jack B. Weinstein, a former federal judge who earned a reputation as a tireless legal maverick while overseeing a series of landmark class-action lawsuits and sensational mob cases in New York City like that of the Mafia Cops, has died. He was 99. A federal courthouse official, Eugene Corcoran, confirmed Weinstein's death on Tuesday. The judiciary has lost a national treasure," Corcoran said in a statement. Weinstein, a World War II veteran appointed by President Lyndon Johnson, had spent more than five decades on the bench in Brooklyn before retiring last year. In a 2012 interview with The Associated Press, he said his longevity had its advantages. You dont care really what people think of you, the judge said. Youre not going anyplace. Youre doing it for the joy. And as a public service. Weinstein was known for championing class-action litigation as the little guys remedy for alleged injustices by big industry. He made headlines in 1984 by approving a settlement requiring herbicide makers to pay $180 million to Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange. He also presided over a 1999 trial ending in an unprecedented verdict finding handgun makers liable in shootings and negligent in their marketing practices. And in 2006, he gave the green light to a class-action suit brought by tens of millions of smokers seeking up to $200 billion from tobacco companies for allegedly duping them into buying light cigarettes. His rulings often upset conservatives, who accused him of sacrificing judicial restraint to promote liberal causes. In many cases, appellate courts found that his decisions had overreached. In a book about mass tort litigation, Weinstein espoused a belief in humankinds obligation to create a just society. Weinstein was born in Wichita, Kansas, but grew up in Harlem and Brooklyn. As a teenager in the 1930s, he played bit parts in Broadway shows and worked on the docks to put himself through school. He later served in World War II before launching his legal career at Columbia Law School, where he graduated in 1948. He briefly went into private practice before serving as Nassau County Attorney from 1963 to 1965. He had returned to Columbia to teach when President Johnson named him to the federal bench in 1967. The 6-foot-2 Weinstein was a stately presence in court, where he favored business suits over robes and sometimes ventured off the bench in the middle of trials to get a jurors-eye view of the proceedings. He was impatient with long-winded lawyers, critical of sentencing guidelines he felt were too harsh on low-level criminals and concerned about judges falling prey to hubris. One danger that every judge must guard against is ego, he wrote in his book. The court must control its own sense of importance sometimes a very difficult chore. He also expressed a faith in juries ability to tackle complex and contentious civil cases. Should a jury "be permitted to decide a vexing private litigation ... when the decision has so many important overtones, or should the judges themselves decide by holding that the matter is beyond the ken of a reasonable jury? he wrote in the light cigarette case. In 1997, Weinstein added his scholarly touch to a ruling affirming a 12-year prison term for Vincent Chin Gigante, the Mafia Oddfather. The boss of the Genovese organized crime family had escaped prosecution for years by wandering the streets in a ratty bathrobe like a madman. Quoting Shakespeares As You Like It, the judge wrote: And one man in his time plays many parts. ... Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second childishness. Weinstein also put his unique stamp on perhaps the most stunning police corruption case in city history: the trial of two detectives accused of moonlighting as hitmen for the mob. After defendants Louis Eppolito and Steven Caracappa were convicted in 2006, the judge declared that they deserved life sentences for the most heinous series of killings ever tried in this courthouse. A month later, he stunned prosecutors by throwing out the convictions based on defense arguments that the statute of limitations for the eight murders had expired. An appeals court overturned the decision. Weinstein made news as late as 2019 by sentencing an American woman who admitted supporting the Islamic State group to four years in prison over the objection of prosecutors who wanted her locked up for decades. True to form, he said the lenient sentence had the potential to save her as a human being. Janice Burrows stands in front of the entrance to the Milton Elementary School cafeteria, where MASK is held, in 2020. She has been director of the child care service since 2018. The Marlins have selected the contract of infielder Deven Marrero from Triple-A, and Marrero will be the starting third baseman for Miamis game with the Cardinals this afternoon. To create roster space, the Marlins designed righty Luis Madero for assignment, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald tweets. Marrero is set for his first MLB game since August 13, 2019, also as a member of the Marlins. After being let go by the Fish following the 2019 season, Marrero didnt sign a contract for 2020 and was seemingly lined up to join a Mexican League team in April before rejoining the Marlins on a new minor league deal in May. Selected 24th overall by the Red Sox in the 2012 draft, Marrero will get another crack at the big leagues after hitting .194/.246/.279 over 348 career plate appearances with Boston, Arizona, and Miami. Marrero has played at third base, second base, and shortstop at the MLB level, and hell give the Marlins some extra depth with Jose Devers and Brian Anderson both on the injured list. Isan Diaz and Jon Berti figure to get the bulk of time at second and third base, with Marrero now perhaps in line for utility infield duty. Madero is headed back to Triple-A after just two days on Miamis roster, without any more game action. The righty made his Major League debut in May, posting a 15.00 ERA over three innings in two appearances. This is the second time Madero has been DFAed this season, as the Marlins designated him shortly after that second outing. Assuming he clears DFA waivers, Madero has the right to reject an outright assignment and become a free agent, if he so chooses. Senior officials from the ministry of finance (FinMin) will have an interactive meeting with Infosys Ltd on 22nd June to discuss the current technical glitches and grievances in the new income tax (I-T) e-filing portal. Other stakeholders including members of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), auditors, consultants and taxpayers will also be part of the meeting. Admitting that there is a major problem, the I-T department, in a release said, The new portal has been fraught with several technical glitches and issues leading to taxpayer inconvenience. Written representations on the problems and difficulties faced in the portal have also been invited from the stakeholders. "Representatives from Infosys will be present to answer queries, clarify issues and receive inputs on the working of the portal, to remove glitches and sort out issues faced by taxpayers," the I-T department added in the statement issued on Tuesday night. After I-T department's much publicised new e-filing portal was launched and went live on 7th June, users continue to face technical glitches ranging from longer than usual logging time, inability to respond to notices and not all features functioning yet. Many users have been posting tweets tagging the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Last week, the finance minister (FM) had flagged the glitches and tweeted asking Infosys and its co-founder and chairman Nandan Nilekani to address the grievances in a tweet and not let taxpayers down. Mr Nilekani responded assuring the FM that the company was working to resolve the issue, after she raised concerns on technical glitches and grievances on the newly launched e-filing portal. However, it has already been 10 days since the roll-out and the gaping glitches continue relentlessly. In 2019, Infosys won the contract to develop the next-generation I-T filing system to reduce processing time for returns from 63 days to one day and expedite refunds. Looking around, I was impelled to write about and reflect on the concept of reputation. Since time immemorial, reputation has been an aspect of personal value and wealth, ever present and recognized but never entirely definable. It has been so with the reputation of individuals, of communities, and of nations. It has always taken decades and generations to build. And again, always taking a few hours or days to destroy! Two happenings in the recent past prompted me to write this piece. I came across a very interesting book entitled Reputation Rules by Daniel Diermeier of the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University (subtitled: Strategies for Building Your Companys Most Valuable Asset). The other was, the president of US, addressing a large, motley group in Washington and inciting them to attack Capitol Hill. A far cry from the model of president, set up by Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. When I was still in junior school and went back to my village in Goa for the summer holidays, I heard about a young man in the village, who had sexually abused a girl, and when her objections became loud and violent, he just strangled her to death. The villagers all got together and hounded him and handed him over to the police. I know that he finally got a long sentence in jail and after he was released, he never came back to the village. His reputation was ruined. He could not face anyone again, or look at anyone straight in the eye. When I was in high school in Mumbai, there was a tax inspector, who lived in our neighborhood and lived in a style as if he were the mayor of the city and more! Of course, all the people around knew that he and his family were living well beyond his known source of income. They had little to do with them and all lived in a climate of peaceful but friendless coexistence. When I was still in college, there were the well-publicised resignations of TT Krishnamachari (TTK), the then union finance minister, over a finance scam, and the resignation of Lal Bahadur Shastri as railway minister, because he took responsibility for a rail mishap where many passengers had died. Although Mr Krishnamachari or Mr Shashtri were not directly involved in the situation, they took moral responsibility, and accepted the happenings as a blot on their reputations. From these attitudes of 50 years ago, we seem to have come to a stage where wrong doing and loss of personal reputation seem to be accepted and even condoned. There is no longer any social sanction against criminals, black marketers, and wrong doers. Not just that, but they may even be accepted back into a (not so) well-ordered society and given places of importance. How else can you explain that over 30% of the members of Indias parliament have criminal cases filed against them, sometimes even multiple cases? Is it not a paradox, especially in a land of great religious fervour and traditions of a thousand years? There are situations now, (unthinkable 50 years ago) where a person goes up the political ladder, is then found guilty of corruption, and sentenced to jail. Much of the time of the jail sentence is spent in five-star hospitals because he has been diagnosed as seriously unwell. When he is out of jail, he is again reinstated and even becomes a minister in the government. He also improves considerably in his health, so he is back to business as usual! Obviously, in the new world in which we live, there is no understanding of the concept of reputation. How times have changed! Sure, other countries are also touched by the evil of corruption and disregard for reputation. The consolation is that one at least sees some action being taken. For example, the former prime minister of France; the former president of South Korea; the former president of Samsung; the former prime minister of Malaysia and others in many different countries. One hopes that they also will not develop total immunity!! There is data from a series of polls (2003/2006/2009) conducted by Harris Interactive (Reputation Rules, Preface). Respondents were asked, which of these industries do you think are generally honest and trustworthy, so that you normally believe in a statement by a company in the industry? And we see an overall erosion of trust across industries with a striking collapse in the banking industry: This is just a sample. There are many other categories that are not mentioned above but it shows how the cancer has spread and is only getting worse. When and how can we come to our senses, and stop the blur between right and wrong to make this a better world where norms of justice and fair play prevail? Refuting rumours spread by some social media posts about the use of newborn calf serum in Covaxin, the Union government on Wednesday clarified that the coronavirus (COVID) vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech Ltd, does not contain newborn calf serum. Giving clarification on the issue, Dr Harsh Vardhan, minister for health and family welfare, science and tech, and earth sciences, says, "Final vaccine product of Covaxin does not contain newborn calf serum. Claims suggesting otherwise are misrepresenting facts. Animal serum has been used in the vaccine manufacturing process for decades, but it is completely removed from the end product." Final vaccine product of #COVAXIN does NOT contain new born calf serum ! Claims suggesting otherwise are misrepresenting facts ! Animal serum has been used in vaccine manufacturing process for decades, but it is completely removed from the end product.https://t.co/NKlh5kow08 pic.twitter.com/L4CrEmZtT1 Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) June 16, 2021 In a release, the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) says, "There have been some social media posts regarding the composition of Covaxin where it has been suggested that it contains new born calf serum. Facts have been twisted and misrepresented in these posts." Replying to the RTI filed by Mr Patni, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which is India's national regulatory body for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, had said, "As per information provided by the firm, new born calf serum is used in the revival process of Vero cells, which is used for the production of coronavirus during the manufacturing of Covaxin bulk vaccine of Bharat Biotech." Noting that different kinds of bovine and other animal serum are standard enrichment ingredient, and that they are used globally for Vero cell growth, the health ministry says Vero cells are used to establish cell lives which help in the production of vaccines. This technique has been used for decades in polio, rabies and influenza vaccines. These Vero cells, after the growth, are washed with water, with chemicals, also technically known as buffer, many times to make it free from the new born calf serum. Thereafter, these Vero cells are infected with corona virus for viral growth. The ministry says, "The Vero cells are completely destroyed in the process of viral growth. Thereafter this grown virus is also killed (inactivated) and purified. This killed virus is then used to make the final vaccine, and in the final vaccine formulation no calf serum is used." Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech, the manufacture of Covaxin also clarified that while new born calf serum is used in the manufacturing of viral vaccines, the final formulation of its COVID-19 vaccine is free from all impurities. In a statement, the company says, "New born calf serum is used in the manufacturing of viral vaccines. It is used for the growth of cells, but neither used in growth of SARS CoV2 virus nor in the final formulation." "Covaxin is highly purified to contain only the inactivated virus components by removing all other impurities," it added. Vero cells, also known as African green monkey kidney cells, were officially isolated from African green monkey kidneys by Japanese scholars Yasumura Y and Kawakita Y in 1962. It was the first aneuploidy attachment-dependent cell used in producing human biological products and establishing cell lines and cell banks of different generations at the same time, says a report from AcceGen Biotechnology Thus, the final vaccine Covaxin does not contain newborn calf serum at all and the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product, the ministry says. Covaxin is India's first indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech and is being used on adults in the vaccination drive since 16th January this year. On 26th May, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) published an advertisement announcing plans to delist 50 companies from the Exchange (see list below). These are companies that have failed to comply with various regulations and have been suspended for over six months. The Exchange sends a couple of show-cause notices to the last known address of the companies and delists them when there is no response. Over 700 companies have been similarly delisted in the past. This should be of deep concern for their investors; but they usually wake up long after it is too late for any action. While it is the Exchange that delists companies, the problem lies at the door of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) which has failed to ensure justice to investors of such companies. The current BSE management, stuck with the unfair legacy of being the first-line regulator for thousands of small companies with low equity capital, is keen on getting rid of the regulatory burden and cost. Shares of such companies, even when actively traded, are susceptible to organised manipulation and the Exchange is usually held responsible. BSE sources, correctly, point out that the Exchange has no power to do anything other than delist them. Meanwhile, National Stock Exchange (NSE), by far the dominant exchange for two decades, has no such legacy issues or responsibilities because it cherry-picked stocks right at inception. Price manipulation in very low-priced stocks is also used for tax evasion. Moneylife did a cover story on this in 2017 titled Black to White . In the post-pandemic period, it is a tool to lure lakhs of gullible new entrants into the market into casino like traders. A simple Google search will lead you to helpful screeners listing stock quoting below one rupee. Websites of major news channels and Quora, Telegram and WhatsApp are fertile grounds for such stocks. They fear no action from the regulator, even though it is clear who can, or cannot, recommend investment products. But shouldnt investors expect that a formal regulator and the listing process would involve greater scrutiny and action? Once the companies are delisted, investors will be stuck with worthless shares in their demat accounts and continue to pay annual charges to the depository participant (DP) to keep them there. There is no process to write them off and doing so also ends any chance to benefit, if the company chooses to re-list in the future. Remember the DLF Ltd saga of over a decade ago? Investors, who hung on to their shares post-delisting, made massive gains when the company came back with a large public offering and re-listed, when realty market boomed again. It is SEBIs job to ensure a fair deal for investors. But, typical of India, this battle is being doggedly fought by one personVirendra Jain of Midas Touch Investors Association. In the 1990s, it was his effort that led to SEBI and the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) recognising the concept of vanishing companies meaning companies that raised public money in cahoots with investment bankers, banks and brokers and vanished with the loot. He had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Allahabad High Court and won a favourable order, way back on 26 March 1999 [writ petition 659 (MB) of 1998] outlining the path to be followed to bring such companies to book. A Court-ordered coordination and monitoring committee (CMC) was set up, but had done nothing effectual to trace the money. How would Mr Jains effort help investors? Equity is risk capital and businesses can do well or fail. But a well-regulated capital market ensures that promoters do not dump investors effortlessly by simply avoiding compliance. At the very least, the business has to be liquidated and the proceeds shared among all investors based on their holdings. The returns may be meagre; but it would deter rampant cheating. The Allahabad High Court order laid down a process for identifying companies that mis-utilised money raised from the public and disappeared. As per the Court order, a first information report (FIR) needs to be filed against the promoters and directors followed by action to recover and restore assets to shareholders, if necessary, through liquidation. To my mind, the primary responsibility for action is that of SEBI, rather than MCA, because the issue is about listed entities. SEBI should spend money collected from fines and penalties imposed on intermediaries for investigation and legal action to ensure a fair deal for investors. On 6th June, Midas Touch Investors Association served a notice to SEBI, MCA and chairmen of CMC that had been set up in 1999. Since he intends to follow up with a contempt petition, he may want to seek a modification to the 1999 order, making it entirely SEBIs responsibility to trace the owners and act against them. In 1999, SEBI did not have the power of search, seizure and arrest that it has today. The regulator no longer needs police help for tracing promoters or initiating action. The Court, based on the situation then, had asked MCA to initiate suo moto action against these companies, while also asking both regulators to initiate action under their respective statutes. Clearly, they are uninterested. Mr Jain did a random check and found that at least 10 of the 50 companies had filed annual reports until 2016-2017. This means they had a place of business that some auditors registered with the ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) knows about. There were returns uploaded on MCAs website. In the 22 years since the Allahabad High Court order, we have made rapid strides in technology with stringent identification and reporting rules by MCA, to the extent that directors need to upload photographs in front of their offices. It is no longer acceptable for a government regulator to claim that companies and their directors and not traceable at their last known address, when private lenders are able to use technology, not only to track down those who have borrowed as little as Rs500 but also harass their friends and relatives to shame them into paying their debt, sometimes driving the borrower to suicide. Why should well-funded and all-powerful regulator like SEBI not be able to go after promoters and auditors? And why should investors, who have lost money because of weak regulation, be satisfied with ineffectual action such as barring promoters and their directors for a couple of years, without an effort to disgorge mis-utilised funds and refunding them to investors. Having outlined the process to recover money, the Allahabad High Court had said, We are satisfied that the action taken and the principle enunciated therein would certainly be a step towards identifying the defaulting companies and protecting the interest of the investors regarding claim of their money. The Court expected regulators to ensure penal action against promoters. Some 22 years later, it is clear that this order has not worked and needs to be updated with the times to go after the 50 companies sought to be delisted now. The solution is simple. SEBI needs to get expert help (technology and forensics) to identify the promoter/directors and initiate quick action. It can be done in a few weeks if the regulator is serious. Unless SEBI is forced to do its job, it is a simple matter for dodgy promoters to raise money when the going is good and ensure that their shares are delisted by simply not bothering with compliances. Surely, this is not how capital market regulation is supposed to work? Do never-ending red tape and disclosure rules apply only to companies that want to remain listed, while the rest do what they please? 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. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles. 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. && Fundraiser launched for workers whose vehicles were destroyed in hit-and-run by reportedly stolen van June 16, 2021 Summit Summary The results of the Putin-Biden summit today in Geneva seem to be thin. The meetings were expected to last for 4 to 5 hours but ended after little more than 2 hours. During his press conference President Vladimir Putin said that the talks were constructive. He lauded Biden as very experienced politician and said that they had two hours of face time. There were a few results: The ambassadors of both sides, who had been recalled from Washington and Moscow, will return to their posts. There will be new expert rounds about cybersecurity. There may be talks about an exchange of prisoners. There will be new rounds about security, which means strategic nuclear weapons. A joint statement by both sides about Strategic Stability has been posted in Russian on the Kremlin site (machine translation): ... Today we reaffirm our adherence to the principle that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and should never be unleashed. To achieve these goals, Russia and the United States will soon launch a comprehensive bilateral dialogue on strategic stability, which will be substantive and energetic. Through this dialogue, we aim to lay the foundation for future arms control and risk mitigation measures. That is a very important result and the upcoming talks will be interesting. The U.S. will have to end its Missile Defense Program if it wants limits on any of the new strategic weapon types Russia has introduced. But the summit did not bring any further breakthroughs or new deals. Putin answered at length several reporter questions about the Ukraine, human rights and the Arctic. He responded to critical questions by using legitimate whataboutism to reflect the issue onto the U.S. side. On an aggressive question about Navalny by a U.S. journalist Putin explained that U.S. law designates Russia as an "enemy" and that the U.S. finances groups in Russia like Navalny's. He is a foreign agent. On top of that Navalny's organization has called for illegal demonstrations and riots. That made his organization an extremist one that now must be dissolved. Putin mentions that the participants of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol storming are now processed as criminals even as they only had political demands, were unarmed and mostly not violent. On another question about alleged Russian political unpredictability Putin responded by listing all the arms control agreements the U.S. has left as well as the U.S. led coup in Ukraine which was executed even after then President Yanukovych had agreed to all opposition demands including new elections. The press conference of the U.S. side has as of now not begun. Altogether there was much less drama but also fewer results than the many previews had presumed. Posted by b on June 16, 2021 at 17:00 UTC | Permalink Comments next page FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2019, file photo, Republican Ohio state Rep. Larry Householder, sits at the head of a legislative session as Speaker of the House, in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio House will have its first hearing Thursday, June 10, 2021, for a resolution that would expel the former Republican speaker as he has been embroiled in a $60 million federal bribery scheme. From philanthropic foundations to education to the environment to his church, Arlen L. Edgars civic interests were as broad as his interest in the oil and gas industry. The long-time Midlander, a Stephenville native, passed away Tuesday. Arlen Edgar was a gentlemen. We were fortunate to benefit from his leadership and wisdom for 28 years. We grieve his passing and celebrate a life well-lived, Mark Palmer, executive director of the Abell-Hanger Foundation, where Edgar served as a trustee emeritus, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. Edgar was inducted into the Petroleum Hall of Fame in 2019. Kathy Shannon, executive director of the Petroleum Museum, commented to the Reporter-Telegram by email, He will be greatly missed. Arlen was a wealth of information, from Midland history to the intricacies of the petroleum industry. We are honored to host the Arlen Edgar Distinguished Lecture series at the Museum, to recognize all his remarkable contributions to our community. Arlen was also a very deserving inductee of the Petroleum Hall of Fame. Yes, he will be greatly missed. Among his many honors including the Hearst Energy Award for Lifetime Achievement was the Top Hand award from the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, presented in 2004. I am greatly saddened to hear of the passing of our good friend Arlen, Ben Shepperd, president of the PBPA, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. Arlen was a kind, gracious man and a friend to everyone. A former PBPA Top Hand, Arlen made a tremendous impact on the Permian Basin oil and gas industry and everyone he met. Edgar grew up in Stephenville on the fringes of fabled oilfields at Desdemona and Ranger. His nearness to those oilfields piqued his interest in the industry, he told the Reporter-Telegram when he was receiving the Hearst Energy Award for Lifetime Achievement. After receiving an associates degree in engineering from Tarleton State College and a bachelors degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, he began his oilfield career with Pan American Petroleum, moving from Pan Americans Odessa office to its Midland office to serve as junior and then intermediate engineer. Ive often thought that if I hadnt gone into oil and gas, I would have gone into mining. I like the idea of getting something from the ground and creating value from it. He left for Fort Worth after three years in Midland and joined Leibrock, Landreth, Campbell and Callaway, a consulting engineering firm he described as comprised of partners who were entrepreneurs and anxious to start a company in the energy chemicals field. He stayed there six years and also served as secretary and a director of Kanata Exploration, a Canadian production company and Offshore Exploration Co., which explored for oil and gas in south Louisiana. In 1967 he joined Tipperary Land and Exploration when it was formed by Bob Landreth Sr., where he divided his time between the US and Australia. Tipperary was involved in cattle, shrimp farming and hard minerals and no oil, he recalled. After four years with Tipperary, he joined Western States Producing Co. as general manager of the San Antonio companys Midland office. He finished his oilfield career as an independent investor and consultant. (Bloomberg) -- Texas is drawing battle lines in a fight against investors and companies turning their backs on fossil fuels. Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law on Monday banning state investments in businesses that cut ties with the oil and gas industry. The underlying message, according to one of the most powerful energy regulators in the state, is simple: Boycott Texas, and well boycott you. The new measure is Texas Republicans latest rebuke of ESG investing as the state clings to its status as Americas crude capital. Oil and gas companies, already under pressure to funnel more cash into dividends to please shareholders, are now having to reckon with major corporations from Wall Street banks to Silicon Valley tech giants deeming climate change as a top priority when determining investments. Last month, Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian, a Republican, called on the Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. President Joe Biden and Congress to issue rules regulating sustainability-focused investments so they dont discriminate against oil and gas producers. In addition to being Texas top oil and gas regulator, the Railroad Commission is also known for being one of the industrys most ardent supporters. The concerns that would arise in considering the larger universe of business development in the state, like discussion of climate change and changes in corporate practices, are all moving to the back of the line, said Jim Henson, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin who heads the Texas Politics Project. Were not at a point where these kinds of considerations are going to outweigh partisan gestures like this. In reality, the new law probably wont lead to massive selling by state funds like the Teacher Retirement System of Texas or the Employees Retirement System of Texas. Thanks to a number of amendments, a fund may be able to justify holding stock in, say, Google -- which wont provide AI services for oil and gas production -- by demonstrating that it would be bad for its members if it was forced to sell. And if an offending company is held indirectly, like through a private equity fund, theres another exception. In another blow to Wall Street, Abbott also signed legislation on Monday that would ban state and local governments from work with companies whose policies restrict the firearms industry. The law could hurt Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc.s municipal underwriting businesses in Texas, a huge market for state and local debt deals. The banks announced policies that set restrictions on the firearms industry in 2018. The bills are the latest examples of the growing divide between Republican lawmakers and corporations that have taken a public stance on hot-button issues. Last month, American Airlines Group Inc. and Microsoft Corp. were among companies that wrote Texas leaders, urging them to oppose any changes that would restrict eligible voters access to the ballot as the state worked to finalize bills that would make it harder to vote in certain areas. North Face Jackets In late May, Abbott also signed a bill restricting cities from banning natural gas hookups in new homes and businesses, after Austin considered phasing out the use of fossil fuels as part of its climate plan. As corporations increasingly shun fossil fuels in an effort to combat climate change, the oil and gas industry has pointed to the robust demand for its products as evidence that boycotting its companies is hypocritical. Last year, the chief executive officer of a Houston-based oilfield services firm wrote a four-page letter to the head of The North Face, after the popular outdoor-clothing brand declined to make an order of jackets with his companys logo as an employee Christmas present. The irony in this statement is your jackets are made from oil and gas products the hardworking men and women of our industry produce, Adam Anderson, CEO of Innovex Downhole Solutions, wrote in a letter first reported by a local TV news station in Odessa, Texas. I think this stance by your company is counterproductive virtue signaling, and I would appreciate you re-considering this stance. The North Face didnt respond to a request for comment. Assault on Energy Independence The state didnt always take such a combative stance toward Wall Street though. In fact, Christian cited investor concerns when the Railroad Commission said it would crack down on natural gas flaring after months of backlash against the agencys policy toward the practice. Texas has one of the worst records for flaring in the U.S., with large volumes of gas being burned in the prolific Permian Basin. We cannot continue to waste this much natural gas and allow the practice of flaring to tarnish the reputation of our states thriving energy sector to the general public and investors on Wall Street, Christian said during a commission meeting in June of last year. By early January, Christian began taking aim at Wall Street. In a press release, he decried an assault from all fronts on energy independence. And in a statement last month, he said extremists are coming after your retirement account vis-a-vis ESG investing. In an e-mail to Bloomberg, Christian said flaring is not the existential threat to the environment it is made out to be, adding that improvements are being made to reduce the practice and that that message needs to get out to Wall Street. For Senate Bill 13, the next step for the state will be to determine how it will implement a divestment directive that applies to pension funds and retirement systems that manage hundreds of billions of dollars. That may include phased divestment and/or mechanisms to apply for exemptions, said Michael Sury, a senior finance lecturer at the UTs McCombs School of Business. If a state fund is invested in a non-compliant but critical investment activity, he said, there will likely be some process for applying for relief. 2021 Bloomberg L.P. Norberto Cuenca / Getty Images The Pride Center West Texas will hold events in Midland and Odessa, leading up to Basin Pride on Aug. 7 at Noel Heritage Plaza. Last years Basin Pride event was cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2019, Basin Pride was held at McKinney Park in Odessa. A customer who argued over wearing a mask at a Georgia supermarket shot and killed a cashier Monday before engaging in a shootout with an off-duty sheriff's deputy that left the deputy and a second cashier wounded, officials said. Police later identified the cashier as 41-year-old Laquitta Willis. The shooting unfolded just after 1 p.m. Monday at the Big Bear Supermarket in Decatur, Ga., when investigators say a customer, later identified as 30-year-old Victor Lee Tucker Jr., left the store after the mask dispute without making his purchase. But he immediately returned. "Tucker walked directly back to the cashier, pulled out a handgun and shot her," the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said. After killing Willis, Tucker opened fire on the off-duty DeKalb County sheriff's deputy who tried to intervene during his shift as a security guard, the GBI said. Tucker's bullets struck the deputy twice and grazed a second woman, who was also a cashier; neither of their wounds was considered life-threatening. The deputy fired back and hit Tucker at least once. Police arrested Tucker as he was "attempting to crawl out the front door of the supermarket," investigators said. Tucker was arrested and accused of murder and two counts of aggravated assault, according to court records. He remained hospitalized for his injuries Tuesday and is expected to survive. The name of the cashier who was injured and survived was not released. The officer was identified as Danny Jordan, 54, who serves as a reserves deputy, a unit of mostly retired law enforcement officers who provide support services and community outreach. Jordan works security while off-duty, as he was during Monday's shooting, the sheriff's department said. Ray Kim, who owns the store, described Willis as a kind and loving woman whose family he had known for 15 years. Kim told Atlanta's 11 Alive News before the shooting that she asked Tucker to pull up his mask and did nothing to provoke him. "He had a mask" on his face, Kim told 11 Alive News. "She is just a very cautious person, so she had asked him to pull up his mask. He refused and walked out, came back in, and did that." Terrified customers described hearing gunshots and diving to the floor, fearful that the shooter might kill everyone inside. "My life flashed before my eyes," customer Ashley Cheek told 11 Alive News. "And I said, 'I'm in a grocery store buying groceries and I might never see my kids again.' " DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox credited Jordan, the off-duty deputy, for saving lives with his quick intervention. "That is what he's trained to do, that's part of his 30-year career in law enforcement," Maddox said during a Monday news conference. "All of us here are trained to intervene and to respond." The shooting at Big Bear Supermarket came less than three months after shootings at three Atlanta-area spas killed eight people, and after an attacker killed 10 people at the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colo. - the beginnings of troubling shooting trends for 2021. The first six months of the year have seen a rise in fatal shootings that is already outstripping the pace of such attacks from 2020 - which was the deadliest year for gun violence in two decades. The shooting also comes after more than a year of supermarket employees working through the pandemic as they faced dual threats of the coronavirus and angry customers who often grow irate - and sometimes violent - over safety restrictions such as social distancing and mask-wearing. When states significantly relaxed or eliminated pandemic restrictions around Memorial Day, some cities and individual businesses opted to keep some measures in place. Decatur's mask ordinance, which requires face coverings while indoors at grocery stores and other buildings, was in effect during Monday's shooting. It expires next Monday. During a budget meeting Tuesday for the 2022 fiscal year, Sheriff David Criner again asked the Midland County Commissioners Court to adjust the salaries of sergeants who he said are not being paid as much as others in supervisory roles. In January, Criner asked commissioners to change the salaries of eight sergeants who are making less than their peers from a Pay Grade 19 to a Pay Grade 20. A vote on the change failed in a 2-2 vote, with Commissioner Luis Sanchez abstaining from voting. On Tuesday, Criner became emotional while making the case that Sheriffs Office sergeants deserve to be paid more. Below are his comments to commissioners: We have to attract people to us. Any thats why people are stealing them, theyre taking our people because they know theyre good. They wouldnt compete if they werent any good and just like anyone in the regular world, theyre going to go where the money is these guys do it because they love the job and love the county and protect you guys every day. We bust our butts out there every day. Weve got to pay these guys what they deserve. Earlier this year, I came to you guys about paying all the sergeants the same amount, you said Dont come now. There is a problem, and we need to fix it. Im asking you to fix it today. Fix the problem. Give these guys the money they deserve because theyre the best in West Texas the best in Texas. Its hard being a cop, were the most wanted and the most hated at the same time. We need to pay these guys for what they do. When was the last time you were spit on or cussed at or flipped off or whatever? Whens the last time that happened to you? Its every day for these guys. Ive invited every single one of you guys to come into my jail. Heres the thing two of yall. Two of you (have come). Things have changed over the past few years. We didnt have COVID days. We were in the COVID pit every day last year. Employees were there every day to supervise, to protect you guys, to meet jail standards. Thats what we do. When we received a call, we went to calls, COVID or no COVID. We went to the jail, COVID or no COVID. Thats our job and we do it. They deserve to get compensated for the job they do. Criners request will be considered along with those of other department heads before County Judge Terry Johnson files a proposed budget at the end of July or early August. The Commissioners Court will then discuss and approve the budget in subsequent meetings. I dont know whether closing Airpark is the right call. I need to be convinced. And so do a lot of other Midlanders. Ultimately, it is hard to believe that the community could be sold one way or another right now, because we dont know why this time is the right time for dramatic change to take place along Loop 250 between Garfield and Big Spring streets. Why is it needed? Is there a need to extend A Street to Loop 250? Sure. But there better be more. There has to be more. Not only does the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Airports District Office, Southwest Region Airports Division and FAA need to know more, but so does this community. What is the vision? Are we talking about drilling opportunities, college expansion, hike and bike trails, retail, residential or even new Midland ISD campus location? We are talking about the most prime of locations. Please, those people wanting to see this happen, inspire us. And what are we talking about when it comes to costs? We understand the repayment of up to $5 million would be a fraction of the final price tag. Are we talking $75 million, $100 million, $125 million or more? Can this community afford such a project? Can it afford not to pursue it? Im open-minded. I hope others are as well. Will certain expenditures come from minerals revenue, the sale of land to developers, the Midland Development Corp. or the citys general fund (i.e. taxes)? Again neither side knows enough to say for sure. But luckily there is plenty of time to make ones case. So, lets hear what city leaders and others have in mind. The Reporter-Telegram invites that conversation with the community to happen here. Lets have that dialogue about whats best for the community (one way or another). Lets make it clear. In the FAAs response to Midland Mayor Patrick Payton it offered 26 questions to help evaluate closure. The following are questions I want to know more about. How will this action benefit civil aviation? What use or disposition will be made of the property or facilities? If there are active tenants, what is the plan for relocation? Indicate the Citys plan to solicit public comment and feedback regarding the Airpark closure and tenant relocation process. This plan should, at a minimum, include the tenants at both Airpark and Midland International. What is the appraised fair market value for highest and best use of the property and/or facilities? What revenues are expected from this proposed action? Describe the plan and proposed timeline for the use of the revenues or proceeds. What is the impact to air traffic control related to the increased operations? How were these impacts assessed? How many hangars are currently at Airpark? What size are the hangars? Does Airpark have a waiting list for hangars? Is the intent of the closure and subsequent tenant relocation going to result in a one for one hangar move? Does the plan include a move for all existing hangars or just the hangars currently occupied? Will the relocated tenants from Airpark be displaced without hangars during the transition to Midland International? What are the financial implications of increased operations, capacity, and airfield development(s) at Midland International? What is the City anticipating for additional FAA funding related to this increased demand? Currently the airport enjoys the benefits of mineral rights located at the Midland Airpark. What, if any, is the plan for the use of these mineral rights in the event the FAA authorizes the airport closure? Midland residents will respond to a solid business plan, so lets see what city or community leaders have in mind. Lets see what they have planned for general aviation. Lets see what is possible for that prime real estate and how it makes Midland better for the next 10, 20 and 50 years. Finally, here is a last request for those wanting dramatic change. Do more than convince people in Austin or Washington. Convince the people of Midland. Sun Valley, ID (83353) Today Sunshine in the morning followed by mostly cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Discuss this article with your neighbors or join the community conversation. Click here to get access Recent ransom attacks have been making national headlines, but criminals have been targeting Illinois as well. According to the U.S. Governments Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Assurance Agency, Ransomware is an ever-evolving form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable. Malicious actors then demand ransom in exchange for decryption. A cyber attack took place on the computer systems of the St. Clair County government this month. County officials dealt with issues for an entire week. A ransomware group claimed responsibility for the attack. It is not known if the county paid a ransom. An April cyber attack on the Illinois Attorney Generals computers took control of confidential files containing personal data, essentially locking down the system office and statewide. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul was warned just two months before the attack. A state audit cited weaknesses in cybersecurity programs and practices. It also found vulnerabilities susceptible to cyber attacks. Rebuilding is under way as officials are working with tech experts and law enforcement to understand the breach. Nicole Perlroth covers cybersecurity and digital espionage for the New York Times. During an online discussion Tuesday, she told the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University that the U.S. is ripe for the picking for cybercriminals. We are one of the most digitized nations in the world, were putting some of our most sensitive data and critical systems online, and all those systems arent controlled by the NSA or CyberCommand, they are controlled by private businesses, Perlroth said. Perlroth said hackers can infiltrate a water treatment system all the way down to your cellphone through a vulnerability, or zero-day. If Im a hacker and I find a flaw in your iPhones IOS mobile software and Apple doesnt know about it, I can write a code to exploit that, Perlroth said. State Farm, headquartered in Bloomington, has offered guidance to small businesses on cybersecurity. The tips deal with everything from strong passwords, boosting card reader safety, to understanding how thieves work. According to the Federal Communications Commission, small businesses nationwide annually lose an average of nearly $80,000 as a result of cyber breach incidents. In 2016, Russian hackers penetrated Illinois election database. President Joe Biden is expected to address cybercrime when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva this week. Jacksonville School District 117 continues to consider its renovation and construction options. The district is moving forward with renovations at Washington Elementary School and revising its Vision 117 plans to rule out closing the Washington and Murrayville-Woodson school buildings and building new ones, Superintendent Steve Ptacek said. We have determined that those are not viable options, Ptacek said. The school board is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. today at Jacksonville Middle School, 664 Lincoln Ave., to discuss options. Building a new building would require a community referendum and Ptacek thinks the district would have difficulty getting community approval, he said. A proposal that would provide school construction money also didnt leave committee and the district would not be able to provide the needed funding, he said. As a result, the district is using money from the sale of bonds related to the extra sales tax to fund the Washington renovations and will launch a community engagement process to get feedback on the possibilities of expanding South Jacksonville Elementary School and closing or renovating Murrayville-Woodson Elementary School. The community engagement process could start as early as July or be delayed another three to five years, Ptacek said, adding that the delay would mean only emergency repairs would be done now. A third option, which Ptacek intends to discuss during tonights board meeting, would involve making emergency repairs that would allow Murrayville-Woodson to remain in operation for three to five years while the district conducts an enrollment analysis to get a better idea of what its enrollment will look like in the future. It will definitely have an impact on how many elementary schools we need, Ptacek said. Enrollment trends are difficult to analyze coming out of a pandemic year, he said, noting that the past years enrollment is not an accurate indication of student enrollment. Murrayville-Woodson needs around $500,000 in repairs to windows and brick work that should be done as soon as possible, Ptacek said. Enrollment in the district has been gradually decreasing but, as more people buy real estate in the Jacksonville area, it could be an indication that enrollment could start to increase in the next three to five years, Ptacek said. If, three years from now, our enrollment is slightly increased or slightly decreased, that information will make a drastic difference in the direction the district needs to move preparing for the future, Ptacek said. Enrollment has a major impact on the renovation decision, he said. There now are around 100 students within the Murrayville-Woodson boundary. Eisenhower and South each has around 300 students, Ptacek said. To justify investing $8 (million) to $9 million in a renovation project at Murrayville-Woodson, we have to have more kids that are in that boundary, he said. That could happen by moving the boundary north or if enrollment increases in the southern portion of the district. The Murrayville-Woodson renovations are expected to cost around $3 million more than the South expansion project. Renovations at Washington school are expected to cost $11 million and be completed by September 2024, Ptacek said. Jacksonville District 117 school board is scheduled to meet in regular session at 7 p.m. today at Jacksonville Middle School, 664 Lincoln Ave. Among the items on the agenda: Discussion of issuance of up to $13 million in general obligation bonds for the purpose of building and equipping additions and altering, repairing and equipping school building facilities. Consideration of the formation of a Vision 117 Phase III community engagement committee Consideration of moving forward with project for Washington Elementary Consideration of consolidated district plan for coming school year Consideration of personnel recommendations Consideration of raises for non-bargaining unit staff and for substitutes Darren Iozia CHICAGO (AP) Illinois became the latest state to make Juneteenth an official state holiday as Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a measure Wednesday near a rare signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. The new law making June 19 a paid holiday for state employees and public school educators takes effect next year and came the same day the U.S. House voted in favor of making Juneteenth a federal holiday. However, under the Illinois law Juneteenth will be a paid holiday only if it falls on a weekday. Since Juneteenth is on Sunday next year, the first paid state holiday will be in 2023, according to Pritzker's office. Illinois Caverns is back open. It's been a decade since the cave was open to the public for tourists and explorers, but for those looking for adventure, the wait is over. "There is no other site like this in the state of Illinois," Colleen Callahan, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said. "It's a whole other experience. This is all about Illinois." The caverns are located in Monroe County south of Waterloo. White-nose syndrome found amongst the bats living in the cave lead to its 10-year lockdown. The syndrome effects bats' hibernation efforts and can cause them to awaken frequently. The syndrome can be passed from bat to bat and it affects their skin and wings. "We knew this was a priority," Von Brandy, director of the Office of Land Management, said of getting the cave open again. Beginning Wednesday, June 16, visitors will be able to venture into the cave and view the underground wonders. Helmets are available at the office on site, however, you'll also want to bring a flashlight and tall boots it's dark and wet inside. Illinois State Rep. David Friess attended an informal reopening ceremony on Tuesday. Waterloo officials also brought ceremonial ribbon and scissors to commemorate the festivities. Friess expressed his excitement about the opening by telling those in attendance he plans to bring his family. "Before summer's over, we're going down here," he said. Illinois Caverns will be open weekly Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. OFALLON, Mo. A swath of southern Missouri is seeing a big rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations at just the wrong time as tourists eager to get out after being cooped up for a year make their way to popular destinations like Branson and Lake of the Ozarks. Data from the state health departments COVID-19 dashboard on Wednesday showed 206 people hospitalized with the virus in southwestern Missouri nearly double the 111 hospitalizations from that region at the start of May. The number of people in intensive care units in the region has tripled from 22 a month-and-a-half ago to 65 now. Meanwhile, statewide hospitalizations have remained steady since March. Health experts cite two factors driving the surge: The presence of the faster-spreading Delta variant, and a reluctance among residents to get vaccinated. While 52.6% of Americans have initiated vaccination, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most southern Missouri counties are well short of 40%. Branson sits in Taney and Stone counties, where the vaccination rates as of Wednesday were 27.4% and 28.4% respectively. Miller County, at Lake of the Ozarks, had a vaccination rate of 22.9%. We think that with the Delta variant here, those that arent vaccinated are just sitting ducks, said Steve Edwards, CEO of CoxHealth, which operates several hospitals in the region. Memorial Day marked the unofficial beginning of the tourism season, and big crowds are gathering again at Bransons popular shows and attractions, and at the beaches, resorts and entertainment areas around the Lake of the Ozarks. ___ MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: France eases masks outdoors; will end nightly virus curfew European Union suggests lifting travel limits on U.S. tourists Japan looks to ease virus emergency in Tokyo, ahead of the Olympics Latinas left U.S. workforce at highest rate, see slow recovery ___ Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine ___ HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: MIAMI Royal Caribbean International is postponing for nearly a month one of the highly anticipated first sailings from the U.S. since the pandemic began because eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19, the companys CEO said. The new Odyssey of the Seas was to set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 3 but is now postponed to July 31. Royal Caribbean Internationals CEO Michael Bayley said late Tuesday on Facebook that the decision had been made out of an abundance of caution, adding that the company is also rescheduling a simulation cruise scheduled for late June. The company says all 1,400 employees aboard the Odyssey of the Seas were vaccinated on June 4 but two weeks had not passed for their bodies to build protection against the virus. The ship was to sail from Fort Lauderdale July 3 but has been rescheduled for July 31. Royal Caribbean International has said that passengers are strongly recommended to get vaccinated, adding that unvaccinated passengers must be tested for the virus and follow other measures. The debut of the Odyssey of the Seas was highly anticipated as cruise lines attempt a comeback after more than 15 months of not sailing from the U.S. ___ RICHMOND, Va. An inmate early release program aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus in Virginia prisons will end on July 1. State prison officials have released more than 2,100 inmates early in the past year to reduce the prison population during the pandemic. The program was authorized under a budget amendment proposed by Gov. Ralph Northam and approved by state lawmakers in April 2020. The authorization expires on July 1. Department of Corrections Director Harold Clarke says about 70% of the inmate population has been vaccinated against COVID-19. There are no current cases among the population. A total of 56 inmates and five staff members who tested positive for the coronavirus have died during the pandemic. ___ LISBON, Portugal Portugal is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, with the government set to review its pandemic rules on Thursday. The European Union country reported 1,350 new cases on Wednesday, the highest daily total since February. Experts say the delta variant first identified in India may be driving the spread. The Lisbon region has accounted for almost 1,000 of the new cases. Portugal was the worst-hit country in the world in January, when daily cases peaked at more than 16,000. Nearly 7,000 COVID-19 patients were in the hospital and close to 1,000 were in ICUs. Now, hospitals have 351 virus patients, with 83 in intensive care. A nation of 10.3 million people, Portugal has inoculated 42% of its population with a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 25% have had both shots. ___ PHOENIX A new report indicates Latinas have left the U.S. workforce at rates higher than any other demographic and had some of the highest unemployment rates throughout the pandemic. That could spell trouble not just for a post-pandemic economic recovery but for the long-term stability of the country as baby boomers retire. Latinas were projected to increase their numbers in the workforce by nearly 26% from 2019-29 a higher rate than any other group. The UCLA study found Latinas experienced the highest unemployment rate 20% of any demographic in April 2020, right after all of the business shutdowns began. By the end of 2020, when businesses were starting to reopen, Latinas and Black women still had nearly double the unemployment rate of their white counterparts, the study found. Sylvia Allegretto, a labor economist at the University of California, Berkeley, says businesses need to offer higher pay and better benefits to those re-entering the workforce. The long-term trend is we dont have enough workers, she said. If you want to make sure you have a vibrant, growing economy, you need more people. The report was released Wednesday by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative, a Latino-focused think tank. It was provided first to The Associated Press. ___ BANGKOK Thailand plans to fully reopen to vaccinated foreign visitors by mid-October as the government seeks to restart the coronavirus-devastated tourism industry. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha says fully inoculated foreign visitors and returning Thai citizens must be allowed entry without quarantine or other inconvenient restrictions. He acknowledged that reopening comes with risks but says its time because of the economic needs of the people. Tourism is a major contributor to Thailands economy and employs millions of people. The country attracted nearly 40 million foreign arrivals in 2019. The prime minister says the government, which previously targeted next January for reopening the country, will reconsider only if a serious situation develops. Thailand is facing a surge in coronavirus cases that began in April and accounted for more than 80% of the countrys 204,595 total confirmed cases and 90% of its 1,525 confirmed deaths. There have been delays securing and deploying vaccine supplies. Thailand only has supplies of Sinovac, from China, and AstraZeneca, which is produced locally under license. Just over 7% of the countrys 69 million people have had at least one dose. ___ ST. LOUIS Two of the largest employers in the St. Louis area have announced they will require employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by fall. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that BJC HealthCare and Washington University announced the vaccination requirements. The announcement comes at a time when demand for vaccines is waning in Missouri, a state that already lags the national average in COVID-19 immunization rate. The St. Louis regions three other major health systems SSM Health, Mercy and St. Lukes Hospital have not issued vaccine requirements but say they were discussing the issue. Missouri Hospital Association President and CEO Herb Kuhn said hospitals across the state have seen COVID-19s devastation in lives and health lost, and many are evaluating vaccine requirements. Washington University will require all faculty, staff and trainees to be vaccinated by Aug. 30. BJC will require employees to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 15. ___ TOKYO Japan is expected to ease a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and most other areas this weekend, with the Olympics starting in just over a month. Daily cases have since significantly declined and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to downgrade the state of emergency when it expires on Sunday to a less-stringent quasi-emergency for several weeks. Despite concerns raised by medical experts and the public over the potential risks of holding the Olympics, Suga has said he is determined to hold a safe and secure games on July 23. Japan since late March has struggled to slow a wave of infections propelled by more contagious variants, with daily cases soaring above 7,000 and serious patients overwhelming hospitals in Tokyo, Osaka and other metro areas. In Tokyo, infections are now down to around 500 per day from above 1,100 in mid-May. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has said effective coronavirus measures need to be kept in place. Health experts say it is crucial to accelerate the vaccine rollout to hold the Olympics safely in one of the worlds least vaccinated developed countries. As of Tuesday, only 5.6% of Japanese were fully vaccinated. ___ BRUSSELS The European Union is recommending member countries start lifting restrictions on tourists from the United States. EU members agreed Wednesday to add the United States to the list of countries from which restrictions on non-essential travel should be lifted. The move was adopted during a meeting in Brussels of permanent representatives to the 27-nation bloc. The recommendation is non-binding, and national governments have authority to require test results or vaccination records and to set other entry conditions. In addition to the U.S., the representatives of EU nations also added North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Lebanon and Taiwan to the tourist travel list. The recommendations are expected to be formalized on Friday. ___ ISLAMABAD Pakistans top health official has assured citizens there's no shortage of COVID-19 vaccines. Faisal Sultan says some citizens may have faced difficulty getting inoculated because of long lines. Sultan says additional doses of vaccines are being supplied to those vaccination centers where people responded positively to government appeals to get inoculated. He says about 20 million doses of vaccines are available in Pakistan to meet growing demand. Pakistan plans to spend $1.1 billion in the next fiscal year to import COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate most of the 100 million adult population. Authorities have reported a steady decline in deaths and confirmed cases from coronavirus. Pakistan, a nation of 220 million, has registered 944,065 confirmed cases and 21,828 confirmed deaths. ___ PARIS France is easing mandatory mask-wearing outdoors and will halt an eight-month nightly coronavirus curfew on Sunday. The announcement by French Prime Minister Jean Castex comes as France reports about 3,900 daily virus cases on average, down from 35,000 in the March-April peak. Castex welcomed the very good news, saying the curfew will be lifted 10 days earlier than expected. Wearing a mask will still remain mandatory outdoors in crowded places like street markets and stadiums, he says. People are required to wear a mask indoors in public spaces, including at work with an exception for restaurants and bars. More than 58% of Frances adult population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. On Tuesday, vaccinations opened to those ages 12 to 18 to help protect the nation as restrictions are gradually lifted. Terraces at restaurants and cafes, theaters, cinemas and museums all reopened on May 19. Last week, France reopened indoor spaces in restaurants and cafes as well as gyms and swimming pools. Major sports and cultural events can have a maximum of 5,000 people, and all need to show a vaccination certificate or a negative test within the last 48 hours. The nation has reported 110,563 confirmed deaths, one of the highest tolls in Europe. ___ MOSCOW Authorities in Moscow and the surrounding region on Wednesday made COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for those working in retail, education, health care, public transport and other trades that provide services to a large number of people. Russian public health officials ordered businesses and institutions to ensure that 60% of staff get at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine by July 15 and are fully vaccinated by August 15. We simply must do everything to carry out mass vaccination in the shortest time possible and stop the terrible disease, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. At the same time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were no plans to order mandatory vaccinations nationwide. Russia was among the first countries in the world to deploy a coronavirus vaccine, but its vaccination rates have lagged behind many other nations, with only 18 million people -- or just 12% of the 146-million population -- receiving at least one shot as of early June. In Moscow, where coronavirus cases have soared in recent weeks, only 1.8 million people, or 14% of the population, have received a shot. The Russian authorities have reported more than 5.2 million confirmed virus cases and over 127,000 deaths. On Tuesday, officials registered 13,397 new infections, nearly half of which were reported in Moscow. VIRGINIA A Virginia man accused of having a sexual relationship with two juveniles and soliciting nude images from others was being held Wednesday in the Sangamon County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. Devan Rice, 20, of Virginia was arrested Monday on two counts of solicitation of child pornography, four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and two counts of traveling to meet a child. China offers glimpse of Tibetan life without the Dalai Lama View Photo LHASA, China (AP) A brisk wind ruffles yellow prayer flags as dozens of Tibetans, some on crutches, circle a shrine in a time-honored Buddhist ritual. Across the street, a red banner spells out a new belief system, one being enforced with increasing fervor, of Chinas ruling Communist Party. Xi Jinpings new socialist ideology with Chinese characteristics is the guide for the whole party and all nationalities to fight for the great rejuvenation of China, the sign proclaims in Tibetan and Chinese script, referring to Chinas leader, who has sought to put his imprint on virtually every aspect of life across the vast county. Lately, that has increasingly encompassed religion, both in central China and on its fringes, such as Tibet. The party is pressing a program to Sinicize Tibetan life through programs to separate Tibetans from their language, culture, and especially, their devotion to the Dalai Lama, Tibets traditional spiritual leader who has lived in exile since 1959. In the sun-drenched courtyard of the Jokhang Temple, one of the holiest sites in Tibetan Buddhism, the head monk, Lhakpa, said the Dalai Lama is not its spiritual leader. Asked who is, he said: Xi Jinping. The Associated Press joined a rare and strictly controlled media tour to Tibet highlighting what the government describes as the social stability and economic development of the region after 70 years of Communist Party rule. Stops included monasteries, temples, schools, poverty alleviation projects and tourist sites. That appears to reflect the partys confidence that it is prevailing in the global battle of public opinion over Tibet. As a counterweight, Tibet rights groups continue to report frequent detentions, economic marginalization, a suffocating security presence and heavy pressure to assimilate with Chinas Han majority while pledging loyalty to the Communist Party. Tibetans in exile say they were effectively independent for centuries and accuse China of trying to wipe out Tibets Buddhist culture and language while exploiting its natural resources and encouraging Chinese to move there from other parts of the country. Beijing says Tibet has long been a part of China and that the Communists liberated hundreds of thousands of illiterate serfs when they overthrew the ruling theocracy in 1951. Security has been tightened significantly since widespread anti-government protests in 2008, shortly before the Beijing Summer Olympics, accompanied by redoubled efforts at economic development and the declining influence of Buddhism. In the model village of Baji east of Lhasa, the capital, residents dressed in traditional garments told foreign journalists how poverty alleviation campaigns had changed their lives. Time has changed, so peoples demands have changed. People needed religious beliefs as their spiritual sustenance in old times, but now we dont, said Tsering Yudron, 25, an accountant. The government points to the billions of dollars it has invested in roads, airports, railways, schools and hospitals, saying development has doubled life expectancy, brought electrification, jobs, and opportunities to a region that long lagged behind. Tibet has eradicated extreme poverty, reads a 2019 government report on Tibet. People now lead better lives and live in contentment. A brand new socialist Tibet has taken shape. The impact on traditional culture has been stark. Like Christians and Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists have increasingly been pressured to Sinicize their religions under a program put forth by Xi, Chinas most authoritarian leader since Mao Zedong. While repression has been less harsh than in nearby Xinjiang, which has seen mass incarcerations of Turkic Muslims, residents are under extreme pressure to monitor each other and infractions can bring long prison sentences, rights groups say. The party has evolved a system to try to control Tibetans through their faith, said Robert Barnett, a Tibet scholar at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Especially since the 2008 protests, the government has sought to get the love of the Communist Party into those Tibetan minds when theyre children, he said. From campuses to homes, portraits of Xi now hang from the walls of homes and temples as once did images of the Dalai Lama. Tibetan Buddhism should be guided in adapting to the socialist society and should be developed in the Chinese context, Xi said last year during a meeting focused on Tibet. China has increasingly vilified the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet amid a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, and has in recent years relinquished his political role as head of the self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile. Seeking to quell protests that pop up every decade or so, the party banned all images of the Dalai Lama in 1996, excised the exiled leader from books and broadcasts, and installed cadres in most villages, monasteries and nunneries. While the Dalai Lama says he seeks only meaningful autonomy under Chinese rule, Beijing accuses him of supporting terrorism and seeking to split Tibet from China, and has cut off all contacts with his representatives. With the Dalai Lama soon to turn 86, attention has increasingly turned to the question of his succession, or reincarnation as traditional belief holds. The successor is traditionally identified by senior monastic disciples, based on spiritual signs and visions. But China says that only Beijing can appoint the next Dalai Lama in a ceremony using a golden urn to pick from among candidates approved by the central government. Reincarnation of living Buddhas including the Dalai Lama must comply with Chinese laws and regulations and follow religious rituals and historical conventions, said a foreign ministry spokesperson in 2019. At the government-built Tibetan Buddhist College outside of Lhasa, more than 900 students study religion along with politics, law, computer science, Chinese and Tibetan. Among them are eight monks aged 7 to 11, recognized as reincarnations or living Buddhas. Chalk art celebrating 70 years of Chinas military takeover of Tibet adorns the wall next to a portrait of Xi in a class taught in Tibetan. We must adhere to the leadership of the party over the religious affairs and the Sinicization of religions. We must continue to accommodate the religions to the socialist system of China, said Zhang Liangtian, the colleges top communist party official. China has built a network of schools and institutions across Tibet to try and manufacture a domesticated version of Tibetan Buddhism to counter the leadership in exile, said Dibyesh Anand, the head of University of Westminsters international relations department in London. The goal, Anand says, is to change the very core of Tibetan Buddhism by generating confusion about the Dalai Lama and his leadership, and eventually to dismantle his legacy as a paramount national leader. China has meanwhile sought to elevate other spiritual figures, particularly Tibetan Buddhisms second ranking figure, the Panchen Lama. A boy recognized by the Dalai Lama as the new Panchen disappeared soon after and Beijing produced its own successor, whose legitimacy is highly contested. Zhang, the Tibet Buddhism Colleges top party official, said that while the Dalai Lama had betrayed his country, the Panchen Lamas love the country and the religion. Barnett said the close management of schools is a campaign to change the minds of future generations of Tibetans to push for removing the possibility that people will listen to the Dalai Lama if they even get to hear what he says. Still, China believes it needs a religious leader to act as their proxy in order to control Tibet, Barnett said. Its all about a long-term historical project to control the next Dalai Lama, he said, even if you cant control this one. By SAM McNEIL Associated Press The Latest: Biden and Putin depart Geneva after summit View Photo GENEVA Geneva can breathe a sigh of relief after hosting a U.S.-Russia summit. President Joe Biden is aboard Air Force One and is on his way back to Washington after Wednesdays meeting at an 18th century lakeside villa. Russian President Vladimir Putin had already departed for Moscow aboard his plane by the time Air Force One took off. Both leaders flew out of Switzerland after holding solo news conferences after meeting for more than three hours. Security was tight and access extremely limited to areas around the summit site. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden has expressed regret for some sharp words to a reporter who questioned him about the success of his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The initial exchange came at the press conference after Bidens meeting with Putin in Geneva on Wednesday. When a reporter asked Biden how he could consider the summit a success when Putin came out of it still denying responsibility for cyberattacks or other alleged wrongdoing, Biden shot back, If you cant understand that youre in the wrong business. But Biden came over to reporters at his next step shortly after that, before getting on Air Force One. Biden told the reporters he had been a wise guy in his answer, and expressed regret for having been short. Biden also spoke positively again about the summit and his meetings with allies on the weeklong trip, which was meant in part to show the U.S. engaging again after President Donald Trumps withdrawal from U.S. allies. I think we, the country, has put a different face on where weve been and where were going Biden told reporters before getting on Air Force One. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden says after his meeting with President Vladimir Putin that he is not going to walk away from the plight of two Americans detained in Russia. Speaking to reporters, Biden says he raised the imprisonment of Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed in his meeting with Putin. Speaking to reporters after the meeting in Geneva, Biden said: We discussed it. Im going to follow through with that discussion. Putin opened the door to possible discussions about a prisoner swap with the U.S. for the release of the Americans and said those conversations would continue. The U.S. did not immediately comment on Putins characterization of the discussion. ___ GENEVA Joe Biden says he and Vladimir Putin finished their presidential summit early thanks to having briskly worked through each mans full agenda for the talks. Biden told reporters after Wednesdays meeting in Geneva that the two men sat across the table at their meeting site talking through each issue in excruciating detail. At the end of that, we looked at each other like, Ok, what next? Biden said. We had covered so much. Administration officials had said they expected the session at a Geneva villa to run four to five hours. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to further discussions on keeping certain types of critical infrastructure off-limits to cyberattacks. Biden also said they will have additional talks on the pursuit of criminals carrying out ransomware attacks. Biden told reporters in Geneva that 16 types of critical infrastructure should be off limits to cyberattacks, period. He said that includes the energy and water sector. It comes after a ransomware attack in May on one of the largest pipeline operators in the U.S. forced the shutdown of fuel supplies to much of the East Coast for nearly a week. That attack is blamed on a Russian criminal gang. Russia has not cooperated with criminal investigations of ransomware and does not extradite suspects to the U.S. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden says he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed in detail the next steps our countries should take on arms control measures to reduce the risk of war. At a news conference, Biden said this means that diplomats and military experts from both countries will meet for what he called a strategic stability dialogue to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures. He did not say when the talks would begin. The idea is to work out a way to set the stage for negotiations on an arms control deal to succeed the New START treaty that is set to expire in 2026. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden says he stressed human rights issues in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That includes the cases of two Americans who Biden says are wrongfully imprisoned in Russia. Biden also says hell continue to raise concerns about cases like Alexei Navalny, the jailed leader of the Russian opposition to Putin. Biden adds that hell keep on airing concerns about issues of fundamental human rights because thats what we are. Biden commented after a nearly four-hour meeting with Putin in Geneva on Wednesday. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed U.S. President Joe Biden as a constructive and highly experienced leader after their summit in Geneva. Speaking at a news conference after Wednesdays talks, Putin said he believes that he and Biden were speaking the same language despite sharp disagreements on a variety of issues. He said that Biden is a very constructive, balanced and extremely experienced. The Russian leader noted that he appreciated Biden making some recollections about his family, about what his mon was telling him. These are important things even though they arent directly linked to the business, they show the level, the quality of his moral values, he said of the U.S. president. Its all very attractive. Asked about Bidens description of him as a killer in an interview earlier this year, Putin responded that the U.S. president explained himself in a phone call. He argued that we dont have to look each other in the eye and soul and make pledges of eternal love and friendship, adding that we defend the interests of our countries and peoples and our relations always have primarily pragmatic character. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden gave Vladimir Putin something close to both mens style to mark their first presidential summit together a pair of custom aviator sunglasses. Biden in particular is known for wearing aviator shades, and is sometimes parodied for them. The White House announced the gifts at the close of the two mens summit in Geneva on Wednesday. The custom aviators given the Russian president were a brand manufactured in Massachusetts and designed for fighter pilots. The U.S. leader also gave Putin a crystal sculpture of an American bison made by a New York-based glass company. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed that their two nations will start consultations on cybersecurity. After a meeting with Biden in Geneva, Putin said: We believe that cybersecurity is important for the world in general, for the U.S. in particular, and for Russia as well. The Russian president said that the two countries just need to abandon various insinuations, sit down at the expert level and start working in the interests of the U.S. and Russia. Putin charged that most of the cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the cyber realm of the United States, with Canada, two Latin American countries he didnt name and Britain next on the list. However, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have been attributed by the United States and the European Union to Russias GRU military intelligence agency, including the NotPetya virus that did more than $10 billion in economic damage in 2017, hitting companies including shipping giant Maersk, the pharmaceutical company Merck and food company Mondolez. While the U.S., Canada and Britain all engage in cyberespionage, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have come either from state-backed Russian hackers or Russian-speaking ransomware criminals who operate with impunity in Russia and allied nations. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says opposition leader Alexei Navalny got what he deserved when he was handed a prison sentence. Navalny, Putins most ardent political foe, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin an accusation that Russian officials reject. In February, Navalny was given a 2 1/2-year prison term for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated. Speaking Wednesday after a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Putin said Navalny received his due punishment for violating the terms of his probation, adding that he was aware that he was facing a prison sentence when he returned to Russia. He deliberately moved to be arrested, Putin said, sticking to his habit of not mentioning Navalny by name. Last week, a Moscow court outlawed the organizations founded by Navalny by labeling them extremist, the latest move in a campaign to silence dissent and bar Kremlin critics from running for parliament in September. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says an agreement has been reached to conduct U.S.-Russian negotiations on limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Speaking after a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Putin said they agreed that the U.S. State Department and the Russian Foreign Ministry would work out details for the talks. Russia has long called for the start of strategic stability talks to potentially replace the New START treaty limiting nuclear weapons after it expires in 2026. Washington broke off talks with Moscow in 2014 in response to Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea and its military intervention in support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. Talks resumed in 2017 but gained little traction and failed to produce an agreement on extending the New START treaty during the Trump administration. Shortly after Biden took office in January, the two sides agreed to a five-year extension of the pact just days before it was due to expire. Moscow has said its ready to include its prospective doomsday weapons such as the Poseidon atomic-powered, nuclear-armed underwater drone and the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile in the talks on condition the U.S. brings its missile defense and possible space-based weapons into the equation. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the tone of the talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday as constructive and said there was no hostility during the talks. His remarks came at a news conference after he and Biden met in Geneva for a high-stakes summit amid tensions between the West and the Kremlin. Our assessment of many issues differ, but in my view both sides demonstrated the desire to understand each other and looks for ways to get our positions closer, Putin said. The conversation was rather constructive, he added. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says he and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed to return their ambassadors to their posts in a bid to lower tensions. Putin made the announcement at a news conference following a summit on Wednesday with Biden in Geneva. The return of ambassadors follows a diplomatic tug-of-war that saw deep cuts in diplomatic personnel. Russias ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, was recalled from Washington about three months ago after Biden described Putin as a killer. U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan left Moscow almost two months ago after Russia suggested he return to Washington for consultations. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have concluded their meetings in Geneva, the White House said. The pair met for nearly four hours on Wednesday, first in a smaller session and later in a larger meeting that was expanded to include more officials from both sides and which lasted about 65 minutes. Putin and then Biden are scheduled to hold press conferences before departing the summit site. ___ GENEVA Several posters dedicated to the imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appeared in Geneva on Wednesday, the day of the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden. Navalny, Putins most vocal critic, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin an accusation that Russian officials reject. Biden has condemned Navalnys poisoning and subsequent arrest, and was expected to raise the issue on Wednesday. The posters, which were written in both English and French and were taken down on Wednesday evening, read: Navalny poisoned with Novichok. And still no investigation? How come, President Putin? On Tuesday, a few dozen supporters of Navalny protested in Geneva, hoping to send a message to Putin. ___ HELSINKI NATO member Estonia says two Russian fighter jets violated its airspace this week, in what it claimed was the fourth such incident this year. Two Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighters entered Estonias airspace in the vicinity of Hiiumaa, a Baltic Sea island belonging to Estonia, without permission and spent there less than one minute Tuesday morning, Estonias military said in a statement. It added that the transponders on the Russian planes werent switched on, they hadnt filed a flight plan and there was no two-way radio communication with the Estonian air traffic service. The Russian Embassy charge daffaires was summoned to the Estonian Foreign Ministry and handed over a note on the incident on Wednesday. ___ BRUSSELS The European Unions top diplomat is warning that the blocs testy relations with Russia will probably get worse and that EU member countries must not let Moscow divide them. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said ties with Russia are at the lowest level and the likelihood they will improve soon remains a distant prospect. His remarks came Wednesday as President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin were meeting in Geneva for a high-stakes summit amid tensions between the West and the Kremlin. Borrells comments were made as he unveiled his recommendations Wednesday for new strategy toward Russia. EU leaders will debate it at their next summit on June 24-25. But EU member countries are deeply divided over the best approach to take with Moscow. Russia is the EUs biggest natural gas supplier and plays a pivotal role in a series of international conflicts and issues. __ GENEVA A former U.S. ambassador to Russia says he can guess why U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not have a joint news conference after their summit in Geneva on Wednesday. Michael McFaul, who served as U.S. Ambassador in Moscow between 2012 and 2014, recalled that the last joint press conference between Putin and a U.S. president Donald Trump in Helsinki in 2018 was terrible for American national interests. The Helsinki news conference was considered a win for the Russian side after Trump appeared to side with Putin over his own security agencies on allegations of Russian election interference. This year, the White House opted against a joint news conference after the summit between Putin and Biden, deciding it did not want to appear to elevate Putin at a time when the U.S. president is urging European allies to pressure Putin to cut out myriad provocations. After the talks, Putin and Biden are scheduled to hold their own separate news conferences, one after another. ___ GENEVA The Swiss government is going to reimburse scores of Geneva businesses that have been forced to close because of security measures linked to the Russia-U.S. summit on Wednesday. Geneva officials adopted a decree Wednesday to compensate the owners of shops that ended up inside the security perimeter set up around the meeting of Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. Laurent Paoliello, a spokesman for the regional security department, said the funds would come from the federal government, but cautioned that it wouldnt be a blank check. He said the payments would be doled out after a thorough analysis over the coming weeks of revenue shortfalls by what he said could amount to about 100 enterprises. ___ GENEVA Peace activists unfurled a huge banner in Lake Geneva on Wednesday calling on the Russian and U.S. presidents to slash their nuclear arsenals. Campaigners in a sailboat spread the banner, reading Peace and Security Through Disarmament, in the water so that it could be seen from the sky soon before Russian President Vladimir Putin landed at the Geneva airport for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. It was an initiative by Swiss anti-nuclear group Campax, which is urging the leaders to not only get rid of existing warheads but also stop investing in developing new ones, arguing that would set an example for other nuclear powers. The action was among multiple mini-protests around Wednesdays summit, their first since Biden took office. The leaders are expected to talk about arms control. Anti-nuclear groups say the U.S. and Russia account for nearly 90% of the worlds nuclear arsenals. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have finished the first round of their summit talks Wednesday and are proceeding to the first of two larger meetings in Geneva. Biden and Putin first met accompanied by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a pair of translators. Two additional sessions are planned Wednesday afternoon with the leaders to be joined by additional aides and translators. On the U.S. side, the larger meetings are set to include Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan and National Security Council Russia experts Eric Green and Stergos Kaloudis. The Russian delegation is to include Lavrov, Putins foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, Lavrovs deputy Sergei Ryabkov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian military Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russian ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov, as well as Kremlin envoys on Ukraine and Syria and Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Overall, the summit is projected to last four to five hours before each leader holds a press conference. - GENEVA President Joe Bidens summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin began with minutes of unusually fierce shoving and shouting among U.S. and Russian journalists and security forces. Organizers at Wednesdays summit in Geneva opened the meeting room to journalists for whats normally a few minutes of news media filming and shouting questions before talks start. On Wednesday, however, Russian and U.S. security forces and officials initially blocked journalists as they tried to enter the room. The scene then devolved into minutes of chaos inside the meeting room. American journalists described Russian security and news media grabbing them by the arms and clothes to try to hold them back. U.S. journalists tried to shoulder their way in, and a U.S. reporter was knocked to the ground. Before the scene calmed, some in the crowd shouted they were being crushed in the melee. Biden and Putin initially sat awkwardly in front of the press, but then watched and at times laughed at the tumult. ___ WASHINGTON The White House says that President Joe Biden was not suggesting to reporters that he trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin with his reaction to a reporters question in Geneva. At the start of a high-stakes summit in Geneva, Biden appeared to suggest that he can take the Russian leader at his word, nodding his head during a photo opportunity when asked by a reporter if Putin can be trusted. Communications director Kate Bedingfield said later there was a chaotic scrum with reporters shouting over each other in that moment. She argued that Biden was very clearly not responding to any one question when a journalist asked if he trusted Putin. Journalists and security officials were shoving to get into the small room where Biden and Putin are meeting. Bedingfield said Biden was nodding in acknowledgment to the press generally. She noted that Biden on Monday told reporters that his approach with Putin would be to verify, then trust. Bidens press secretary Jen Psaki later said that the president wasnt responding to any question or anything other than the chaos. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked President Joe Biden and expressed wishes for a productive meeting as the two kicked off their meeting in Geneva Wednesday. Putin told Biden upon first meeting him he was thankful for the gathering as he knew the U.S. president had a long trip and lots of work. But the Russian president emphasized that there are lots of questions accumulated in Russia-U.S. relations that require discussion on the highest level. The two are expected to address everything from cybercrime to Russias alleged interference in U.S. elections during their meeting. Biden, who has spoken to Putin over the phone, told the Russian leader that it is always better to meet face to face. ___ GENEVA Swiss President Guy Parmelin welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden for the start of their summit under blue skies, wishing them a fruitful dialogue in Geneva which he touted as a city of peace. It was a moment in the sun for Switzerland both literally and figuratively. Parmelin, whom Swiss media have poked fun at for his allegedly poor English, spoke in French his native language and one historically associated with fine diplomacy. He used the opportunity to promote Switzerlands image for neutrality and as a hub of international diplomacy. Switzerland is very honored to welcome you for this summit, and it is delighted in line with its tradition of good offices to support dialogue and mutual understanding, said Parmelin, flanked by Putin and Biden on the steps of Villa La Grange, the 18th century manor house overlooking Lake Geneva that hosted the landmark U.S.-Russia summit on Wednesday. I wish you both, Mr. Presidents, a fruitful dialogue in the interest of your two countries and the world, he said. He then quipped Best wishes, and goodbye in both English and Russian. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are starting their diplomatic talks in Geneva. The two were first greeted by the Swiss president before sitting down for a small meeting that includes just Biden, Putin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with a translator for each side. Theyll then move to larger talks, which will include more senior aides and are expected to last hours. The two plan to discuss everything from cybercrime to Russias alleged interference in Americas elections, as well as arms control and Russias intrusion in Ukraine. Both sides have played down expectations for any major breakthroughs, but both Biden and Putin have stressed the need to restore more stable relations between the two nations. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden has arrived at the 18th-century manor house in Geneva where hell hold high-profile talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden is set to meet in person with the Russian president for the first time in a decade. He last met Putin when the Russian leader was prime minister and Biden was serving as vice president, in March of 2011. He has since called Putin both a killer and a worthy adversary. The two are likely to discuss some issues that also were central to their 2011 meeting, like trade and arms control. But this meeting comes at a low point in diplomatic relations between the two nations. Biden says he hopes to find areas of cooperation with Putin, but hes also expected to confront the Russian president on cybercrime, Russias interference in U.S. elections and other issues that have contributed to frosty relations between the two countries. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is frequently late at high-level meetings, arrived on time at the 18th century Villa La Grange in Geneva for his high-stakes summit with President Joe Biden. The Russian leader landed in Geneva and traveled to the summit venue, located in the Swiss citys largest park, in a Russian-made Aurus limousine that was airlifted from Moscow for the summit along with a fleet of other vehicles. Putin, 68, who has received a Russian-made vaccine against the coronavirus, wasnt wearing a mask. However members of his delegation were wearing masks. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived at a lakeside villa in Geneva for his summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. The two leaders are set to start their meeting accompanied by their top diplomats and a pair of translators. Other senior officials plan to join them for two successive rounds of talks that are expected to last for several hours Wednesday. Topics on the summit agenda include strategic stability, cyber security, climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and the Arctic. Putin and Biden also are expected to cover regional crises in Ukraine, Syria and Libya, as well as the Iranian nuclear program and Afghanistan. Putins foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, sought to moderate expectations for the summit but strongly emphasized the meetings importance amid the strained ties between Moscow and Washington. Its the first such meeting that takes place at a time when the bilateral relations are extremely bad, Ushakov told reporters this week. Both parties realize its time to start dealing with the issues that have piled up. ___ GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the Swiss city of Geneva for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. Their meeting comes amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions. The summit agenda covers a broad range of issues, from arms control and cybercrime to the pandemic and a diplomatic tug-of-war between Moscow and Washington. The White House and the Kremlin have sought to downplay expectations for Wednesdays summit. But Biden and Putin have both emphasized the importance of a direct dialogue to try to negotiate a more stable and predictable relationship despite the sharp policy differences between the United States and Russia. Ties between the two powers have remained at post-Cold War lows over Moscows 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimean peninsula, accusations of Russian interference in elections, hacking attacks and other irritants. The two leaders are scheduled to meet for four or five hours at a lakeside mansion. ___ GENEVA The acting chief of protocol for the Geneva region says staff members at the villa where U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting will keep face masks on during the summit even if the two leaders dont. Geneva authorities require the wearing of masks in public, though there are exceptions. The requirement holds particularly in places with a lot of pedestrian traffic, such as shopping areas. Marion Bordier Bueschi, who is managing the grand lakeside mansion that will serve as the summit site, told The Associated Press that staffers inside Villa La Grange were already wearing masks. She said Putin and Biden would likely not wear masks during their talks on Wednesday. She noted that both leaders have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 have dropped across Switzerland, and authorities are planning steps to ease the mask requirement later this month. ___ GENEVA U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are both coming to the summit table in Geneva with their own agendas and non-negotiable red lines. There will be no talk of a reset in U.S.-Russian relations. Biden and his aides have made clear that he will not follow in the footsteps of his recent predecessors by aiming to radically alter the United States ties to Russia. Instead, the White House is looking to move toward a more predictable relationship and attempt to rein in Russias disruptive behavior. Biden will push Putin on Wednesday to stop meddling in democratic elections, to ease tensions with Ukraine and to stop giving safe harbor to hackers carrying out cyber and ransomware attacks. Aides believe that lowering the temperature with Russia will also reinforce the United States ties to democracies existing in Moscows shadow. Putin also wont be expecting a new detente to mend the rift caused by Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. Nor does he count on a rollback of the crippling U.S. and EU sanctions that have restricted Moscows access to global financial markets and top Western technologies. Putins task now is more modest to spell out Russias top security concerns and try to restore basic channels of communication that would prevent an even more dangerous destabilization. The main red line for Moscow is Ukraines aspirations to join NATO. ___ GENEVA A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned that Putins talks with U.S. President Joe Biden will not be easy or likely yield any breakthroughs. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told The Associated Press a few hours before the Russia-U.S. summit in Geneva on Wednesday that the topics on the broad agenda are mostly problematic. We have many long-neglected questions that need to be trawled through. Thats why President Putin is arriving with an attitude to frankly and constructively set questions and try to find solutions, Peskov said. No, this day cannot become historic, and we shouldnt expect any breakthroughs. The situation is too difficult in Russian-American relations, he continued. However, the fact that the two presidents agreed to meet and finally start to speak openly about the problems is already an achievement. We can say that without having started yet, the summit already has a positive result, but we should not await breakthroughs. Peskov said the bilateral issues Russia wants to discuss include strategic stability, arms control, cooperation in regional conflicts, cooperation on the pandemic, and climate change. ___ GENEVA U.S. President Joe Biden and Russias Vladimir Putin are set to meet for their highly anticipated summit in the Swiss city of Geneva. Its a moment of high-stakes diplomacy that comes as both leaders agree that U.S.-Russian relations are at an all-time low. For four months, the two leaders have traded sharp rhetoric. Biden has repeatedly called out Putin for malicious cyberattacks by Russian-based hackers on U.S. interests, for disregard of democracy in the jailing of Russias top opposition leader and for interfering in American elections. Their talks on Wednesday are expected to last four to five hours. In advance, both sides set out to lower expectations. Arrangements for the meeting have been carefully choreographed and vigorously negotiated by both sides. Putin and his entourage will arrive first at the summit site: Villa La Grange, a grand lakeside mansion set in Genevas biggest park. Next come Biden and his team. Swiss President Guy Parmelin will greet the two leaders. Biden and Putin first will hold a relatively intimate meeting joined by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The talks will then expand to include five senior aides on each side. After the meeting concludes, Putin is scheduled to hold a solo news conference, with Biden following suit. The White House opted against a joint news conference, deciding it did not want to appear to elevate Putin at a time when the president is urging European allies to pressure Putin to cut out myriad provocations. Dept. of Water Resources View Photo Sacramento, CA The California Department of Water Resources is warning that the drought could lead to water cutoffs this summer for Central Valley farmers. 6,600 farmers in the Sacrament-San Joaquin Delta watershed were warned Tuesday of impending water unavailability that could continue until winter rains arrive. The Sierra Snowpack has dried up following a light storm season and high spring temperatures. The snowpack was 59-percent of average on April 1st. There are also water releases, or pulse flows, this time of year to help fish and the habitat of the Delta. It is another issue that reduces water availability. It is unclear when the water could be cut off for valley farmers, and which regions are most likely to be impacted. Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a drought State of Emergency for the Central Valley and many other parts of the state. City of Jackson View Photo Jackson, CA Damage to storm drain lines along Highway 49 in Jackson led to the release of 57,000 gallons of sewage into Jackson Creek. The incident happened back in February of 2018. The California Department of Water Resources announces that it has reached a settlement agreement with the three parties involved, the City of Jackson, Caltrans and Central Coast Financial Group Construction (CCFGC). CCFCG was improving storm drain lines when the accident occurred. The Department Of Water Resources reports that an investigation uncovered that miscommunications and utility marking failures led to the damage of the sewer line while the storm line above it was being replaced. The state has levied a combined $204,580 fine against the three parties. The state is allowing the money to be used to complete a supplemental environmental project. The City of Jackson will oversee a program to provide grant money to homeowners wishing to relocate aging private lateral lines that connect to the citys wastewater collection system. In addition, money will be used to fix existing sewer lines before they fail. DWR notes that discharge of raw sewage can contain pathogens, ammonia and nitrogen. Elevated levels create health risks for humans and aquatic life. US Army has hidden or downplayed loss of firearms for years US Army has hidden or downplayed loss of firearms for years View Photo The U.S. Army has hidden or downplayed the extent to which its firearms disappear, significantly understating losses and thefts even as some weapons are used in street crimes. The Armys pattern of secrecy and suppression dates back nearly a decade, when The Associated Press began investigating weapons accountability within the military. Officials fought the release of information for years, then offered misleading answers that contradict internal records. Military guns arent just disappearing. Stolen guns have been used in shootings, brandished to rob and threaten people and recovered in the hands of felons. Thieves sold assault rifles to a street gang. Army officials cited information that suggests only a couple of hundred firearms vanished during the 2010s. Internal Army memos that AP obtained show losses many times higher. Efforts to suppress information date to 2012, when AP filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records from a registry where all four armed services are supposed to report firearms loss or theft. The former Army insider who oversaw this registry described how he pulled an accounting of the Armys lost or stolen weapons, but learned later that his superiors blocked its release. As AP continued to press for information, including through legal challenges, the Army produced a list of missing weapons that was so clearly incomplete officials later disavowed it. They then produced a second set of records that also did not give a full count. Secrecy surrounding a sensitive topic extends beyond the Army. The Air Force wouldnt provide data on missing weapons, saying answers would have to await a federal records request AP filed 1.5 years ago. The broader Department of Defense also has not released reports of weapons losses that it receives from the armed services. It would only provide approximate totals for two years of APs 2010 through 2019 study period. The Pentagon stopped regularly sharing information about missing weapons with Congress years ago, apparently in the 1990s. Defense Department officials said they would still notify lawmakers if a theft or loss meets the definition of being significant, but no such notification has been made since at least 2017. On Tuesday, when AP first published its investigation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., demanded during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that the Pentagon resurrect regular reporting. In a written statement to AP, the Pentagon said it looks forward to continuing to work with Congress to ensure appropriate oversight. Blumenthal also challenged Army Secretary Christine Wormuth on her branchs release of information. Id be happy to look into how weve handled this issue, Wormuth replied. She described herself as open to a new reporting requirement and said the number of military firearms obtained by civilians is likely small. Poor record-keeping in the militarys vast inventory systems means lost or stolen guns can be listed on property records as safe. Security breakdowns were evident all the way down to individual units, which have destroyed records, falsified inventory checks and ignored procedures. Brig. Gen. Duane Miller, the No. 2 law enforcement official in the Army, said that when a weapon does vanish the case is thoroughly investigated. He pointed out that weapons cases are a small fraction of the more than 10,000 felony cases Army investigators open each year. I absolutely believe that the procedures we had in place absolutely mitigated any weapon from getting lost or stolen, Miller said of his own experience as a commander. But does it happen? It sure does. ___ The Associated Press began investigating the loss and theft of military firearms by asking a simple question in 2011: How many guns are unaccounted for across the Army, Marines Corps, Navy and Air Force? AP was told the answer could be found in the Department of Defense Small Arms and Light Weapons Registry. That centralized database, which the Army oversees, tracks the life cycle of rifles, pistols, shotguns, machine guns and more from supply depots to unit armories, through deployments, until the weapon is destroyed or sold. Getting data from the registry, however, would require a formal Freedom of Information Act request. That request, filed in 2012, came to Charles Royal, then the longtime Army civilian employee who was in charge of the registry at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Royal was accustomed to inquiries. Military and civilian law enforcement agencies would call him thousands of times each year, often because they were looking for a military weapon or had recovered one. In response to APs request, Royal pulled and double-checked data on missing weapons. Royal then showed the results to his boss, the deputy commander of his department. After he got it, he said, We cant be letting this out like this, said Royal, who retired in 2014, in an interview last year. His boss didnt say exactly why, but Royal said the release he prepared on weapons loss was heavily scrutinized within the Army. The numbers that we were going to give was going to kind of freak everybody out to a certain extent, Royal said not just because they were firearms, but also because the military requires strict supervision of them. AP was unable to reach Royals supervisor and an Army spokesman had no comment on the handling of the FOIA request. In 2013, the Army said it would not release any records. The AP appealed that decision and, nearly four years later, Army lawyers agreed that registry records should be public. It wasnt until 2019 that the Army released a small batch of data. The records from the registry showed 288 firearms over six years. Though years in the making, the response was clearly incomplete. Standing in the stacks at the public library in Decatur, Alabama, last fall, Royal reviewed the seven printed pages of records that Army eventually provided AP. This is worthless, he said. Told that in multiple years, the Army reported just a single missing weapon, Royal was skeptical. Out of the millions that they handled, thats wrong, he said in a later interview. AP has appealed the FOIA release for a second time. The data werent even accurate when compared to Army criminal investigation records. Using the unique serial numbers assigned to every weapon, AP identified 19 missing firearms that were not in the registry data. This included a M240B machine gun that an Army National Guard unit reported missing in Wyoming in 2014. The Army could not explain the discrepancy. Reporters also filed another records act request for criminal cases opened by Army investigators. In response, Armys Criminal Investigation Command produced summaries of closed investigations into missing or stolen weapons, weapons parts, explosives or ammunition. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Brandon Kelley said that the records were the Armys most accurate list of physical losses. Yet again, the total from the records provided 230 missing rifles or handguns during the 2010s was a clear undercount. The records did not reflect several major closed cases and excluded open cases, which typically take years to finish. That meant any weapons investigators are actively trying to track down were not part of the total. Armys first two answers 288 and 230 are contradicted by an internal analysis, one that officials initially denied they had done. Asked in an interview whether the Army analyzes trends of missing weapons, Miller said no there were breakdowns of murders, rapes and property crimes, but not weapons loss or theft. I dont spend a lot of time tracking this data, Miller said. In fact, in 2019 and 2020, the Army distributed memos describing military weapons loss as having the highest importance. The numbers of missing arms and arms components remain the same or increased over the seven years covered by the memos, called ALARACTs. A trend analysis in the document cited theft and neglect as the most common factors. The memos counted 1,303 missing rifles and handguns from 2013-2019. During the same seven years, the investigative records the Army said were authoritative showed 62 lost or stolen rifles or handguns. Army officials said that some number they couldnt specify were recovered among the 1,303. The data, which could include some combat losses and may include some duplications, came from criminal investigations and incident reports. The internal memos are not an authoritative document, and were not closely checked with public release in mind, Army spokesman Kelley said. Members of Millers physical security division were tracking the data, though Miller said he wasnt personally aware of the memos until AP brought them to his attention. He said that that if he were, he would have shared them. When one weapon is lost, Im concerned. When 100 weapons are lost, Im concerned. When 500 are lost, Im concerned, Miller said in a second interview. Each armed service is supposed to inform the Office of the Secretary of Defense of losses or thefts. That office also has not released data to AP, but spokesman John Kirby gave approximate numbers of missing weapons for the past few years. The numbers were lower than APs totals. There is no effort to conceal, Kirby said. There is no effort to obstruct. ___ Hall reported from Nashville, Tennessee; LaPorta reported from Boca Raton, Florida; Pritchard reported from Los Angeles. Also contributing were Lolita Baldor and Dan Huff in Washington; Brian Barrett in New York; and Justin Myers in Chicago. __ Contact Hall at https://twitter.com/kmhall; contact LaPorta at https://twitter.com/jimlaporta; contact Pritchard at https://twitter.com/JPritchardAP __ Email APs Global Investigations Team at investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/. See other work at https://www.apnews.com/hub/ap-investigations. By KRISTIN M. HALL, JAMES LAPORTA and JUSTIN PRITCHARD Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) A Texas company pleaded guilty to a federal Clean Water Act violation and agreed to pay a $1 million fine for damaging a pipeline that leaked more than 5,000 gallons of oil in a Louisiana bay in 2016, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Orleans said Wednesday. Court records show the plea agreement with Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company was filed Tuesday. GENEVA (AP) U.S. President Joe Biden and Russias Vladimir Putin exchanged cordial words and plotted modest steps on arms control and diplomacy but emerged from their much-anticipated Swiss summit Wednesday largely where they started -- with deep differences on human rights, cyberattacks, election interference and more. The two leaders reached an important, but hardly relationship-changing agreement to return their chief diplomats to Moscow and Washington after they were called home as the relationship deteriorated in recent months. And Biden and Putin agreed to start working on a plan to solidify their countries' last remaining treaty limiting nuclear weapons. But their three hours of talks on the shores of Lake Geneva left both men standing firmly in the same positions they had started in. Im not confident hell change his behavior," Biden said at a post-summit news conference, when he was asked about what evidence he saw that former KGB agent Putin would adjust his ways and actions. What will change his behavior is the rest of the world reacts to them, and they diminish their standing in the world. Im not confident in anything. Both the White House and Kremlin had set low expectations going into the summit. They issued a joint statement after the conclusion that said their meeting showed the practical work our two countries can do to advance our mutual interests and also benefit the world." But over and over, Biden defaulted to well find out when assessing whether their discussions about nuclear power, cybersecurity and other thorny issues will pay off. Back-to-back news conferences by Biden and Putin after the summit also put in stark relief that getting at the root of tensions between the U.S. and Russia will remain an enormously difficult task including when the two sides, at least in public comments, sketched dramatically different realities on cyber matters. Biden came into the summit pushing Putin to clamp down on the surge of Russian-originated cybersecurity and ransomware attacks that have targeted businesses and government agencies in the U.S. and around the globe. But when the summit ended, it wasn't evident that more than superficial progress had been made. Biden said he made clear to Putin that if Russia crossed certain red lines including going after major American infrastructure his administration would respond and the consequences of that would be devastating, Putin, in turn, continued to insist Russia had nothing to do with cyber intrusions despite U.S. intelligence evidence that indicates otherwise. Most of the cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the cyber realm of the United States, said Putin, also adding Canada, two Latin American countries he didnt name and Britain to the list. While the U.S., Canada and Britain all engage in cyberespionage, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have come either from state-backed Russian hackers or Russian-speaking ransomware criminals who operate with impunity in Russia and allied nations. In fact, the worst have been attributed by the United States and the European Union to Russias GRU military intelligence agency, including the NotPetya virus that did more than $10 billion in economic damage in 2017, hitting companies including shipping giant Maersk, the pharmaceutical company Merck and food company Mondolez. Putin agreed at the summit that Russia will begin consultations with the U.S. on the matter and acknowledged that ransomware and cyberattacks are big problems. Still, he maintained that the two countries just need to abandon various insinuations. Despite the clear differences, Biden insisted that progress had been made, scolding reporters for being too pessimistic during a chat on the tarmac just before he boarded Air Force One to return home. There is a value to being realistic and putting on ... an optimistic face, the president said. Biden said the two leaders spent a great deal of time discussing cybersecurity and he believed Putin understood the U.S. position. I pointed out to him, we have significant cyber capability," Biden said. In fact, (if) they violate basic norms, we will respond. A disconnect between the two leaders was apparent on other matters, large and small. Biden raised human rights issues with Putin, including the fate of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Putin defended Navalnys prison sentence and deflected repeated questions about mistreatment of Russian opposition leaders by highlighting U.S. domestic turmoil, including the Black Lives Matter protests and the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Biden was having none of it. My response is kind of what I communicated" to Putin, Biden said. Thats a ridiculous comparison. Putin held forth for nearly an hour before international reporters after the summit. While showing defiance at questions about Biden pressing him on human rights, he also expressed respect for the U.S. president as an experienced political leader. The Russian noted that Biden repeated wise advice his mother had given him and that American president also spoke about his family messaging that Putin said might not have been entirely relevant to their summit but demonstrated Biden's moral values. Overall, the tone was more businesslike than Putin's 2018 summit with then-President Donald Trump, who embraced some of Putin's unlikely statements about election interference but was considered somewhat amateurish and unpredictable by the Russians. At this faceoff, though Putin raised doubt that the U.S.-Russia relationship could soon return to a measure of equilibrium of years past, he suggested that Biden was someone he could work with. The meeting was actually very efficient, Putin said. It was substantive, it was specific. It was aimed at achieving results, and one of them was pushing back the frontiers of trust. The summit had a somewhat awkward beginning both men appeared to avoid looking directly at each other during a brief and chaotic photo opportunity before a scrum of jostling reporters. It ended sooner than expected. Biden said that was because they had covered all the key areas and then looked at each other like, OK, what next? Then Biden answered his own question What is going to happen next is we are going to be able to look back, look ahead in three to six months and say Did the things we agreed to sit down and try to work out, did it work? ___ Associated Press writer Zeke Miller in Washington and AP video journalist Daniel Kozin contributed to this report. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran grappled with fears of low voter turnout two days ahead of its presidential election as the race narrowed on Wednesday into a showdown between the countrys hard-line judiciary chief and moderate former Central Bank chief. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of a foreign conspiracy to undermine the vote while the countrys Interior Ministry acknowledged a startling lack of competition that was turning the election into a coronation for Khameneis protege, hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi. In an extensive televised speech, Khamenei railed against the media's grim portrayal of the poll and tried to cajole people into voting, warning of increased pressure from Iran's enemies if citizens stay away from the polls on Friday. Irans clerical vetting body had barred a range of prominent reformists and key allies of relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani to run in this election, giving the green light to just Raisi and several low-profile candidates, mostly hard-liners with little popular support. The Guardian Council's evisceration of any viable challengers has sparked widespread criticism and fueled calls for a boycott. Voter apathy was running deep even before the disqualifications, due in part to the devastated economy and subdued campaigning amid a surge in coronavirus cases. The state-linked Iranian Student Polling Agency most recently projected a 42% turnout from the countrys 59 million eligible voters, which would be a historic low. At a press conference, the interior minister admitted it was no real contest. The actual competition in the elections is not a very serious one ... considering the actions of the Guardian Council," said Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli. We can say that the reasons are the weak competition and the coronavirus situation. That left Khamenei and top officials the task to try lure the disillusioned public back to the polls. Iranian authorities have promoted voter turnout as validation for their style of governance after the 1979 Islamic Revolution installed the clerically overseen system that endures today. Khamenei lashed out against Iran's enemies for discouraging people from voting. He accused American and British media and their mercenaries of killing themselves to question the elections and weaken popular participation. He also acknowledged that many ordinary Iranians, impoverished and battered by years of heavy American sanctions, may not see the benefit of political participation. "But not voting because of (economic) complaints is not correct," Khamenei said. Meanwhile, two hard-line candidates withdrew Wednesday, throwing their support behind presumed front-runner Raisi. The only reformist candidate in the vote also dropped out, making former Central Bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati the main moderate contender. Such dropouts are common in Iranian presidential elections in order to boost the chances of similar candidates. No campaigning is allowed on Thursday, 24 hours before polls open. Within Iran, candidates exist on a political spectrum that broadly includes hard-liners who want to expand Irans nuclear program and confront the world, moderates who hold onto the status quo and reformists who want to change the theocracy from within. Alireza Zakani, a conservative lawmaker who became known for his vocal opposition to Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, dropped out and said he would vote for Raisi. Soon after, Saeed Jalili, the top nuclear negotiator for former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the height of Western concerns over Tehrans nuclear program, followed suit. Over 200 lawmakers in parliament, which is dominated by hard-liners, urged the remaining hard-line contenders to withdraw and back Raisis bid. Mohsen Mehralizadeh, the pro-reform candidate who served as governor in two provinces and previously in reformist President Mohammad Khatami's administration, also announced his departure, apparently to boost Hemmati's chances. In remarks Wednesday, Hemmati sought to rally the pro-reform vote and position himself as a stand-in for Rouhani, who is term-limited from running again. He announced that he'd select current Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to join his administration as either vice president or foreign minister, embracing the top diplomat who was an architect of Tehran's now-tattered nuclear deal. The economic development of Iran is not possible without strong diplomatic engagement abroad," Hemmati tweeted, explaining his choice of Zarif. My administration is after the removal of sanctions and use of foreign policy to achieve political development. Zarif, among the best-known political figures in Rouhani's administration, has come under fire from the political establishment recently, following the leak of a contentious audiotape in which he offered a blunt appraisal of power struggles in the Islamic Republic. There was no immediate word from Zarif on Hemmati's announcement, but the minister has previously indicated a willingness to join the incoming administration. Polling and analysts indicate that Hemmati lags behind Raisi, the current judiciary chief cultivated by Khamenei. Raisi has drawn deep skepticism from the West, in part for running a judicial system that remains one of the worlds top executioners and sees the Revolutionary Courts operate many trials behind closed doors. His alleged involvement in human rights abuses dates back to a mass execution of political prisoners at the end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1988. Despite anti-virus restrictions, thousands of Raisi supporters mobbed a stadium in the northwestern city of Tabriz on Wednesday, with only some wearing masks. Roaring crowds chanted, "No one but Raisi, Irans final word!" as he took the stage and repeated campaign promises to alleviate the suffering of Iran's poor. Raisi's ascendancy comes at a delicate time for the region, as Iran and the United States negotiate a return to Tehran's historic atomic accord with world powers that gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But even as the narrowing of the field boosted his bid, politicians cross the ideological spectrum appeared most concerned with whether Iranians would vote at all or defy the leadership and stay home. In a statement, Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard likened casting a ballot to hitting enemies with a pinpoint missile. Rouhani, who had publicly protested the Guardian Council's rejection of high-profile nominees from his own administration, pleaded with people to vote. Going to polling stations in present circumstances ... makes us more powerful," he said. In video widely shared on social media Wednesday, influential reformist movement leader and former President Khatami also asked Iranians to make an effort, show up and vote," despite their disappointment. ___ Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report. JOHANNESBURG (AP) South Africa's high rate of unemployment has cast a pall over Youth Day, the holiday honoring the 45th anniversary of the Soweto student protests which played a key role in ending apartheid, the previous regime of racist, minority rule. On June 16, 1976, thousands of Black students in Johannesburg's Soweto township demonstrated against the imposition of the Dutch-based Afrikaans language in schools. Police reacted with violence and more than 100 students were killed, including 13-year-old Hector Pieterson. Pictures of Pieterson's lifeless body being carried by grieving fellow student Mbuyisa Makhubu spread across the world and highlighted the brutality of the white apartheid government against Black South Africans. When South Africa achieved majority rule and Nelson Mandela was elected president in 1994, his government honored the student protests by making June 16 a public holiday, Youth Day. South Africa is an infinitely better place than it was in 1976. Young people have opportunities that were denied to their parents and grandparents, said President Cyril Ramaphosa, addressing a virtual Youth Day event on Wednesday. However, Ramaphosa acknowledged that 27 years after the end of apartheid, the future looks dim for many of the country's young people. We know that our challenges today are many. Nearly 64% of young people in South Africa are unemployed. This is something no country can afford, he said. Ramaphosa pledged that his government will launch various initiatives to support youth-owned businesses, develop their skills in various sectors and create job opportunities. Such programs are long overdue, according to Mothibedi Mohoje, a 35-year-old entrepreneur in Soweto who operates three internet cafes in the townships and employs at least six people. As a young person in South Africa, I really feel our government is letting us down. I think they should be supporting people like myself who are creating jobs in the townships," he said. Many of us have never got jobs and we decided to start our own businesses, but we hardly get any support from the government, said Mohoje. He said some of the country's unemployed youths turn to crime and others blame foreigners for taking jobs, resulting in deadly xenophobic violence. On the anniversary of the student uprising that helped to end the country's racist system, Mohoje said that South Africa's youths need better educations and employment opportunities. On any random day, I can count 25 to 30 young people in my street who are just loitering around because they have nothing else to do, he said. Click here to read the full article. President Joe Biden has signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday. Many federal workers around the country will observe the holiday on Friday, June 18, since June 19 falls on a Saturday this year. The bill, titled the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, was approved in the House with a vote of 415-14 on Wednesday, after passing unanimously through the Senate on Tuesday. Juneteenth, which takes place annually on June 19, marks the true end of slavery in the United States. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Army General Gordon Granger proclaimed freedom from slavery in the state of Texas, nearly two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The holiday has been celebrated in 47 states and the District of Columbia, but now will be recognized on a national level. On Tuesday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) who blocked the bill from passing last year dropped his objection to the holiday. While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter, Johnson said in a press release. Therefore, I do not intend to object. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rep. Sheila Jackson (D-Texas) first proposed the bill last summer amid national protests over the murder of George Floyd, but it did not garner enough support. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), along with 60 co-sponsors. Opal Lee, a 94-year-old activist known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, attended the bill signing with President Biden and Vice President Harris. Each year on June 19, Lee makes a symbolic two-and-a-half mile walk in various cities to draw awareness to Juneteenth and rally support for the newly made holiday. She will be honored at Varietys 2021 Changemakers summit. Its really humbling, Lee tells Variety of all the people whove joined her campaign. Im just overwhelmed at the support. Im overwhelmed at the people who didnt know about Juneteenth and its just coming to their attention. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It's been an eventful week for local brew masters and drink makers. Here are just some of the brand-new San Antonio beverage rollouts that you should be sipping on. Announced on Monday, June 14, this aesthetically pleasing can is Islla Street Brewings first foray into the seltzer world. What makes it special? The bubbling, San Antonio take on Topo Chico is bright red. You can purchase a pack online today, or pick it up at the brewery this Saturday at 11911 Crosswinds Way, Unit 201. Courtesy of Dustin Baker, Co-owner Roadmap Brewing Co. Things We Don't Say Roadmap Brewing Company's new IPA, in collaboration with Eagle Park Brewing, will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to suicide awareness and prevention organizations. Both programs offer free mental health services. The project was inspired by co-owner and brewer Dustin Baker's childhood friend, Chase, who took his own life at the age of 12. The beer is available on draft and in four packs this Friday, June 18, at the brewery's headquarters at 723 North Alamo Street. RELATED: Bill Miller announces a peachy return Epic Western canned Ranch Water The new San Antonio-based company is joining the leagues of big-name brands, brewing up a refreshing canned sparkling water, lime, and tequila cocktail. The beverage claims "true cocktail-in-a-can" status and will be the first product in a line of an "emerging cocktail brand." Epic Western Ranch Water, distilled in Jalisco, Mexico, will be hitting shelves near you very soon. San Antonio's newest tiny treat business is The Mini Donut Lab, owned by a husband-wife duo who are bringing Puerto Rico favorites to town. The Mini Donut Lab is something Janeska and Joel Hernandez have thought about for years. Last weekend, they unveiled their dream at the weekly Bandera Market. "It was an idea we had for many years, we are from Puerto Rico and in Puerto Rico, these donuts are really famous," Hernandez says of her business. "We always wanted to bring that here, but we never had the time to." She says the small donuts are reminiscent of childhood memories, which consisted of picking up the treats from a small concession stand outside the island's Walmart stores and other markets. Gaby's Mini Donas were popular years ago in Puerto Rico and still are today, she says. RELATED: San Antonio's new Taco Cabana margarita bar has a massive menu of $2 drinks As her husband eyes retirement and her kids are graduating high school, Janeska says there was no better time to bring the snacks to San Antonio. The Mini Donut Lab joins other local businesses, such as The Dapper Doughnut, in doling out cute confections. True to their business name, the couple experiments with their menu. Janeska says the dough is premade, but there's a "secret" Mini Lab ingredient mixed in. "We always have to do something original," she says. The Hernandezes are also building a signature menu of savory flavor combinations to pack onto the tiny rounds. "The name is 'lab' so we're trying to create more toppings as we go," Janeska adds. READ MORE FROM MADALYN: San Antonio welcomes Turkey Leg Hut to town with long lines So far, there are seven flavors available: cinnamon sugar, powder sugar, maple bacon, Oreos (vanilla and cookies), Fruity Pebbles, Nutella and powdered sugar, and s'mores (chocolate icing topped with graham crackers and mini marshmallows). A half dozen is $5, a dozen is $7, and a new sample box with all seven flavors is $7. The Mini Donut Lab also offers larger sizes, perfect for parties, for $18 for a 36-count, $26 for a 50-piece, and $46 for 100 pieces. Janeska says cinnamon sugar was the hit of their first weekend. "I was really impressed because this was our very first weekend out," she says of the debut turnout. The couple is designing their upcoming food truck, which they are aiming to roll out by the fall. The roaming business will also sell specialty frappe drinks once open. For now, The Mini Donut Lab is popping up at community events, like the Bandera Market. They're warming up their social media presence on Instagram and Facebook, too, where they share where the lab will be next. While some national parks are turning visitors away due to high demand across the country, Big Bend National Park remains open with no wait. You just have to face the heat. HEADS UP: Tropical disturbance approaches Houston as heat bears down The Wall Street Journal's Allison Pohle reported that some parks like Arches National Park in Utah are closing their gates as early as 9 a.m. each day because so many people are flocking to take in the great outdoors. The rise in visitors coincides with the decline in COVID-19 cases as more and more people are vaccinated. Texas' own Big Bend National Park isn't immune to the increase in visitors, according to park ranger information officer Tom Vandenberg. Despite being a "winter park" where more people typically visit during the colder months, Big Bend saw a record number of visitors and continues to see increased attendance. "We've never turned people away in the history of this park," Vandenberg said. "We had record visitation over the last year, but not to the point where we need reservations to enter the park or timed entries like other national parks." John Moore/Getty Images One thing that might hinder park-goers during the summer months is the heat, Vandenberg said. Big Bend was the hottest place in the country last week at close to 115 degrees. Vandenberg said anyone who wants to visit Big Bend ought to go between October and mid-April when temperatures aren't so extreme. Going during the summer isn't discouraged, but visitors need to be prepared. "People are often surprised how hot it is here, which is surprising to us," Vandenberg said. "It's a beautiful place but if you're coming here with plans to hike, you need to do it early in the day." Visit Big Bend National Park's weather page for up-to-date information on conditions. Are you planning on visiting the national park any time soon? Let me know on Twitter: @jayrjordan Russian President Vladimir Putin contradicted the evidence Wednesday when he asserted Russians are not a leading source of cyberattacks on the United States and other countries. They are. Putin also accused the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny of leaving Russia unlawfully to seek medical treatment, ignoring the fact Navalny was flown from the country while he was in a coma. And Putin distorted the circumstances of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when he tried to equate that attack with the threats his government contends with from political opposition in Russia. In response, President Joe Biden made the unsubstantiated claim that the Capitol attackers killed a police officer, whose death actually was attributed to natural causes possibly aggravated by the events of the insurrection. A look at their claims in separate news conferences that followed their meeting Wednesday in Geneva. PUTIN: From American sources, it follows that most of the cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the cyber realm of the United States. Second place is Canada. Then two Latin American countries. Afterward comes Great Britain. Russia is not on the list of countries from where from the cyberspace of which most of the various cyberattacks are carried out. THE FACTS: This portrayal defies the record. Putin did not identify the source of the list he cited. But Russian-based digital malfeasance is well established by U.S. officials and security researchers alike. While the U.S., Canada and Britain all engage in cyberespionage, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have come either from state-backed Russian hackers or Russian-speaking ransomware criminals who operate with impunity in Russia and allied nations. In one such attack, the NotPetya virus did more than $10 billion in economic damage in 2017, hitting companies including shipping giant Maersk, the pharmaceutical company Merck and the food company Mondolez. The cyberattacks that have recently done the most damage are from ransomware sowed and activated by Russian-speaking criminal gangs that enjoy safe harbor in Russia and allied nations and whose members have sometimes colluded with Russian security services. The global ransomware plague that has caused tens of billions of dollars of damage in the past 18 months hitting a company, hospital, school or other target about every eight minutes was a major issue for Biden at the summit. As well, Russian intelligence operatives famously interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by hacking Democratic email accounts and orchestrating the release of those communications to boost the campaign of Republican Donald Trump and harm his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Russian military hackers also attacked and briefly shut down portions of Ukraines power grid in the winters of 2015 and 2016. Altogether, the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future estimates there were 65,000 successful ransomware attacks globally in 2020 from all sources. The May attack on the Colonial Pipeline, which prompted it to cut off fuel supplies to the U.S. East Coast for five days, was the most spectacular in its impact on crucial infrastructure and came after the Biden administration called ransomware a national security threat exceeding cyberespionage ___ PUTIN, on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol: People came to the U.S. Congress with political demands after the election. Over 400 people have criminal cases opened against them, theyre facing prison terms of 20, or maybe even up to 25 years. Theyre being called domestic terrorists and accused of a range of other crimes. Seventy of them were immediately after these events, and only 30 of them are still under arrest, unclear on what grounds. THE FACTS: His suggestion that dozens of Jan. 6 insurrectionists were arrested and quietly imprisoned for political speech with unclear legal grounds is incorrect. More than 480 people have been arrested in connection with the attack, mostly on federal charges ranging from unlawfully entering the Capitol to conspiracy. They include more than three dozen members and associates of right-wing extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. Each of the suspects charged by the Justice Department was arrested based on a criminal complaint signed by a federal judge and requiring investigators prove they have probable cause the person committed a federal crime, or an indictment from a grand jury. The cases have attracted media attention, prosecutors have highlighted many of the arrests with news releases and court records in the U.S. are generally public. The Justice Department also set up a website to list the cases it brought against suspects charged in the attack. It contains links to the charging documents against them. So far, four people charged in the attack have pleaded guilty to federal charges. ___ BIDEN, on Putin comparing the Jan. 6 Capitol attack to political opponents trying to undermine him in Russia: I think thats a ridiculous comparison. Its one thing for literally criminals to break through a cordon, go into the Capitol, kill a police officer, and be held unaccountable than it is for people who are marching on a capitol saying, youre not allowing me to speak freely, youre not allowing me to do A, B or C or D. THE FACTS: His allegation that attackers killed a police officer is unproven. The truth about the death of Brian Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol Police officer, is more complicated. The District of Columbia medical examiners office ruled that Sicknick died from natural causes, though the stressful circumstances he faced in the melee a day earlier had probably contributed to his condition. Two men have been charged with assaulting and spraying a chemical irritant at Sicknick in the riot. Sicknick had a stroke. The medical examiners determination means that his death is not the result of any injuries. Capitol Police accepted the medical examiners findings but said the ruling didnt change the fact that Sicknick had died in the line of duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol. ___ PUTIN, defending Navalny's imprisonment: This person knew that he was breaching the laws effective in Russia. ... Consciously, I want to underline this, ignoring the demand of the law, this gentleman went abroad for treatment. ... He didnt register with the authorities. ... He knew that he was then being investigated and he came back deliberately. THE FACTS: He left the country while he was in a coma; he did not leave Russia by choice. Navalny was taken into custody Jan. 17 when he returned to Russia from five months in Germany where he was recovering from nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Navalny fell severely ill on a domestic flight in August and was taken to a Siberian hospital in a coma. Two days later, after resistance from doctors, he was flown to Germany for treatment, still in a coma. Putin, however, implied that Navalny had made a conscious decision to leave the country. This citizen went abroad for treatment, he said. Authorities later determined that Navalnys time abroad violated terms of a suspended sentence he had been handed in an embezzlement case that he says was politically motivated. Nonetheless, he returned to Russia, knowing he faced potential prison time. Navalny is now serving 2 years in prison for violating his suspended sentence terms. After Putins comments, Navalnys wife, Yulia Navalnaya, posted on Instagram a photo of a covered human form on a gurney outside an airplane. I kept a photograph of how Alexei, deliberately ignoring the requirement to be registered at the inspection, 'went abroad for treatment,' she wrote, mocking Putin's words. ___ Bajak reported from Boston, Litvinova from Moscow and Balsamo from Washington. Associated Press writers Jim Heintz in Moscow, David Klepper in Providence, Rhode Island, and Eric Tucker, Hope Yen and Calvin Woodward in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at http://apnews.com/APFactCheck Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck JOHANNESBURG (AP) Confronted with a rapid surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, South Africa has returned to tighter restrictions on public gatherings and liquor sales, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Tuesday night. The new infections threaten the health systems in several parts of the country, said Ramaphosa in a nationally televised address. Hospital admissions due to COVID-19 have increased by 59% over the past two weeks, according to Ramaphosa. South Africa's 7-day rolling average of daily new cases has nearly doubled over the past two weeks from 6.69 new cases per 100,000 people on May 31 to 12.71 new cases per 100,000 people on June 14, according to Johns Hopkins University. Our priority now is to make sure there are enough hospital beds, enough health workers, enough ventilators, and enough oxygen to give the best possible care to every person who needs it, said Ramaphosa. The massive surge in new infections means that we must once again tighten restrictions on the movement of persons and gatherings, he said. The nightly curfew has been extended by an hour from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. while religious gatherings indoors are now limited to 50 people. The number of people allowed to gather for social events has been limited to 50 people for indoor events and 100 people for outdoor events. The retail sale of alcohol will only be permitted between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Monday through Thursday. South Africa has been the country hardest hit by the pandemic in the entire continent, with a cumulative total of more than 1.7 million infections, including 57,000 deaths, accounting for nearly 40% of Africa's total confirmed cases. The new restrictions come as South Africa also battles to sustain a vaccination drive that has faced delays from global vaccines shortages and this week the news that it must discard 2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to factory contamination in the United States. Johnson & Johnson had promised to deliver 2 million of its single-shot doses by the end of June, but that is now viewed as in jeopardy because of the recent ruling by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that a large amount of J&J vaccines were contaminated by a problem at a factory producing a component of the vaccine. About 480,000 of South Africa's health care workers have been vaccinated with J&J doses. Doses of the Pfizer vaccine are being used to inoculate people aged 60 and over. About 1.4 million people have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. According to Ramaphosa, South Africa is expecting to receive 3.1 million Pfizer doses by the end of June. NEW YORK (AP) Rita Moreno emigrated with her mother from Puerto Rico at age five. By six, she was dancing at Greenwich Village nightclubs. By 16, she was working full time. By 20, she was in Singin in the Rain. In the documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It, Norman Lear says: I cant think of anyone Ive ever met in the business who lived the American dream more than Rita Moreno." In the decades that followed, Moreno won a Tony, a Grammy, an Emmy and and Oscar, for West Side Story. (Her entire acceptance speech: I can't believe it. ) With seemingly infinite spiritedness, she has epitomized the best of show business while also being a victim to its cruelties. That has made Moreno, who co-stars in Steven Spielberg's upcoming "West Side Story remake, a heroic figure to Latinos, and to others. I have never given up, she said in a recent interview by Zoom from her home in Berkeley, California. The reason for the conversation was Mariem Perez Riera's intimate and invigorating documentary, which opens in theaters Friday after playing virtually at the Sundance Film Festival and in an outdoor premiere at the Tribeca Festival. The film opens with Moreno preparing a Cuban themed party for her 87th birthday. And I demand costumes, the screen legend says with a smile. But as upbeat as Moreno remains, Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It also deals frankly with the many turbulences of Moreno's life: being positioned as the Spanish Elizabeth Taylor and the stereotyped casting that followed; a long and painful relationship with Marlon Brando; the abuse of her agent; a confining marriage. Moreno was likewise forthright in an interview with The Associated Press while occasionally reaching for a tissue for springtime allergies. All that cocaine, the 89-year-old joked. Remarks have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity. AP: What struck me most watching the film is that despite going through what would defeat or embitter most, you seem to have emerged with such joy and appreciation for life. MORENO: I have a very strong constitution. Maybe you inherit it. Maybe its due to learning how to cope with my tumultuous life through psychotherapy. I really credit that for helping me through some really, really bad times. My mom was like that, too. And you know what? I have a feeling that a lot of people who are outliers have strong constitutions because its either sink or swim, right? And I think you learn early on in life that swimming is preferable to sinking. AP: How early did you learn that? MORENO: The first test, I think, was learning English in kindergarten when I didnt know a word, not a word. Thats the first thing that happened to me literally when I came to this country. Children are impressively resilient. And then, in a way, theyre also extremely tender and fragile. I think the reason I ending up having such a hard time in life is that I ran into a racial bias very early on. When youre young I mean 5, 6, 7 and people call you bad names like spic or garlic mouth or gold tooth, like in West Side Story, youre tender, youre a child. You believe these things. You believe that youre not worthy. You dont know why, but you know that theres something wrong with you. AP: Do you remember the first time you performed? MORENO: Oh, yeah. It was for my grandpa in Puerto Rico to a rhumba record. Shaking my little booty. And he loved it. He was clapping in time to the music. And I was thinking: Wow, this is fun. And hes loving this. I like this a lot. I mean, I was born to be a performer. I think some people are just wired that way. I was just born to perform and please people and that got out of hand, too. AP: You said you wanted to be completely honest in the film but were there some things that were difficult to be candid about? You speak about being raped by your agent. MORENO: Oh, yeah. That was difficult. And talking about my husband (cardiologist Lenny Gordon, who died in 2010) was difficult in a different way. In so many ways he was a remarkable man. He was loving. Ive never seen a more devoted grandfather and father and husband. But what happened with us is that he was a controlling person. I have a theory that when some people have relationships, they make a contract with each other that is never spoken or verbalized. In our case, it was Ill be the little girl and Ill be charming and I will please you. But you have to be my daddy and take care of me and protect me. That was our agreement. It was never spoken. But thats what it was. I didnt realize it until one day I wanted to start growing up and the marriage was not working. Its so much not a part of who I am. Plus, I was brought up that way. You have to please the man. But I suffered a lot. I remember times when Id say I was going to go to the grocery store and Id go somewhere to park the car and cry. AP: Your life seems to be this long process of unlearning the wrong things you were told about yourself. MORENO: What a wonderful way to put it. Youre absolutely on the money. I had to learn that I was a person of value like all other people. But its very difficult when you learn something from childhood. Its not as though I came to this country when I was 20 and learned something different. I was a little girl and youre very impressionable. You believe that you dont have value. You dont know why you dont have it, but you believe it. And, man, that is so hard to get rid of. You know, theres still a little girl with me, but the difference is that I can now send her to her room. Theres still a nasty little girl in me who says, I told you that couldnt happen. And Im now able to say: Go to your room! AP: Your central therapy session followed years with Marlon Brando. In your memoir, you spoke about him as your greatest lover but your time with him was torturous. MORENO: Heres whats hilarious to me. It was he who said to me: You need help. You need therapy. So the lunatic is telling the crazy woman that she needs help! (Laughs). But he was right! He was right. I remember the day he said that to me, I thought: Yeah, but hes crazy as a loon! AP: Its not everyone that dates Elvis just to make Brando jealous, as you did. Are you sometimes amazed by the life youve led? MORENO: Yes. But I have to say that after I saw the documentary for the very first time my daughter and I saw it together I left the screening room saying, Wow, thats quite a life Ive led! (Laughs) But you dont think that way about yourself. Very likely, if you had something like this done about you, you would also say the same thing about yourself. AP: In watching what has and hasn't changed in that time, what stands out to you? You were there when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his I Have a Dream speech. MORENO: I feel extremely fortunate that Im still around to see the sea changes that are taking place. Ill be 90 in December and I dont think Im going to see the womens movement really progress more because I wont be around. But Ive seen it change. Ive seen a change in such meaningful ways and Im grateful for that. What still concerns me mightily and profoundly is that Hispanics havent gotten their hold on our profession, I dont know what the hell is wrong. I dont know what is not working right. The Black community has done incredibly and I have nothing but the deepest admiration for the Black professional community. Theyve done it and I think we can take some lessons from them. But where is our Moonlight? Why are we not advancing? AP: Do you have any answers? MORENO: We tend in this country to silo ourselves. We are Puerto Rican and then we are also Mexican. We are also Argentinian. We are Spanish Spain. And somehow those twains havent really met and coalesced the way we need to. That may be the answer. But its very complicated. People forget that were not just Hispanic. We are from other countries. Maybe the answer, or the beginning of the answer, lies in a summit, some kind of summit. Im not going to see that. My age forbids it. But I sure as hell hope something happens. I cant believe were still struggling the way we are. And when we do something thats Latino, it doesnt do as well. One Day at a Time (a Netflix sitcom begun in 2017) was hilarious. It was marvelous. It was no accident because it had Norman Lear who chose the writers. And we lasted three and a half seasons. You wonder: Why didnt that happen? AP: Many would attribute it to the entrenched biases in Hollywood. MORENO: Its one of the very few things about my career that really makes me sad. A lot of the reviews for this documentary were fabulous. A number of the critics said something to the effect of: Its sad to think that this woman might have had a real career in films had she not had this career when she had it. And I think thats true. I think its very, very true. I want to say Ive been robbed. But you know, what good does that do? AP: After West Side Story, youve said you were offered only similar, stereotypical roles for years. MORENO: Those were brutal. Brutal! When I got the Oscar and the Golden Globe, I thought: OK, finally. And thats not what happened at all. In fact, it was the opposite. I was offered more Anita-type roles when I was offered something, which was not that frequent. I made a decision not to accept any more of those kinds of roles. It was a lot of coffee pourers, housewives and stuff. I said Im not going to do them anymore. Ha-ha, I showed them. I didnt make a movie for seven years. I mean, how stubborn can you get? AP: You recently revisited West Side Story with Spielberg. How was that? MORENO: It was just grand. Ive been a fan of Stevens work for years. When he called, he offered me a part in West Side Story. I nearly peed my pants because this is Steven Spielberg, one of my idols. I said to him that I would love to do a cameo, but I said, You dont really want me to do that, do you? And he said, Oh, no, no. Its a part. Its a real part. Tony Kushner wrote it for you. First of all, Tony Kushners writing the script? What! I was thrilled. I was excited the way a child would be excited. Tony kept adding to the part. Its a wonderful part. It was one of the best experiences of my life. AP: I dont imagine you do, but do you have any regrets? MORENO: If I cant have all the movies I always wanted to be in which are all the Meryl Streep movies, I wanted to be her but if I cant do that, Ive done pretty well, considering. And I think Ive left an important legacy in a very, very meaningful sense and that is: That I have never gave up. I have never given up. I just cling and hang on to what is important to me. A great deal of that has to do with self-respect and earning respect. AP: I know its early, but have you picked out a theme for your 90th birthday in December? MORENO: I think its going to be Puerto Rico. (Laughs.) It means the food. It means people have to dress a certain way. Im probably going to say Puerto Rico in the 30s. Ill make them wear Panama hats. ___ Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP. Richard W. Rodriguez, FRE / Associated Press Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke is inviting all to join him this weekend for a voting rights rally in Austin. O'Rourke is hosting the rally at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 20, on the south steps of the Texas Capitol, 1100 Congress Avenue. He hopes to come together in numbers to send a message to Congress and President Joe Biden to push forward The For the People Act. When Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week that Texas would build its own border wall, one of the immediate questions was who would pay for it. Abbott has not fully detailed the plan yet, but he said in a podcast interview released Tuesday that the state will be soliciting donations from across the country to help fund the wall. When I do make the announcement later on this week, I will also be providing a link that you can click on and go to for everybody in the United States really everybody in the entire world who wants to help Texas build the border wall, there will be a place on there where they can contribute, Abbott said on the podcast, a show about Republican politics called Ruthless. Abbott made national headlines with his announcement Thursday in Del Rio that Texas would build its own wall at the Mexico border, though he provided no further details and said he would lay out the plan this week. MORE POLITICAL NEWS: ERCOT issues 'Conservation Warning' as temps rise In the meantime, Abbott has faced threats of legal action and a bevy of questions about where, when and how such a wall could be constructed. Abbott said in the podcast interview that the donations to Texas border wall will go to a fund overseen by the state of Texas in the governors office. He promised great transparency, saying everyone will know every penny in, every penny out, but the sole purpose for those funds will be going to build the border wall. Abbott's plan would not be the first attempt to crowdfund a border wall. There was We Build The Wall, a private fundraising effort that raised more than $25 million after originally planning to construct 3 miles of fence posts in South Texas. Last year, four people involved in We Build The Wall including Steve Bannon, the former adviser to President Donald Trump were charged with allegedly defrauding donors to the effort. Trump pardoned Bannon before leaving office in January. A closer parallel to Abbotts plan may date to 2011, when the Arizona Legislature passed a law establishing a fund, complete with a fundraising website, to construct a fence along the states border with Mexico. The fund received almost $270,000 by 2014, and a state border security advisory committee decided to give most of the sum to a county sheriff in 2015. The sheriff instead invested the money in border security technology such as GPS systems and binoculars, according to the Arizona Republic. Federal lawmakers have estimated that the border wall cost the Trump administration nearly $27 million per mile in some parts of Texas. On Friday, one day after Abbott's announcement, the White House renewed its call to end construction of the border wall, calling on Congress to cancel funds it previously appropriated to border barriers and redirect them toward other border management efforts. The White House also said the Trump administration paid up to $46 million per mile for some segments of newly built parts of the wall. James Barragan contributed reporting. On June 15, we reported on a $40 million dollar donation to the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) by billionaire MacKenzie Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett. The generous move is part of a series of $2.74 billion in gifts to 286 organizations across the nation. However, UTSA isnt the only San Antonio institution that is receiving a handsome sum from the philanthropists. San Antonio College, on the heels of being voted the top community college in the nation, was given $15 million. The Esperanza Center for Peace and Justice, along with the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, individually received $1 million each. 3 1 of 3 Courtesy, Robert Guerrero, Strategic Communications Coordinator Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Ray Whitehouse /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 3 of 3 RELATED: University of Texas at San Antonio lands $40 million from billionaire MacKenzie Scott The Esperanza has worked for over 34 years to bring San Antonios diverse communities to greater mutual understanding and to strengthen the Citys Black and Brown communities through cultural grounding, preservation, and self-determination. The support from Scott and Jewett will enable us to expand this critical work, says Graciela Sanchez, executive director of the Esperanza Center, in a press release. The funding from Scott will go towards the Museo del Westside as well the Esperanza Community Land Trust, which works to refurbish homeowners properties so they can continue to live within their communities. The National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, also located on the citys Westside, also received part of the $2.74 billion, however has not yet announced the award at this time. The other local organizations honored have released public statements. RELATED: San Antonio College voted No. 1 community college in the US Scott, who was married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, received a portion of the behemoth company's stock during the divorce settlement in 2019. On Tuesday, she announced the donations in a short blog post. Because community-centered service is such a powerful catalyst and multiplier, we spent the first quarter of 2021 identifying and evaluating equity-oriented nonprofit teams working in areas that have been neglected. The result was $2,739,000,000 in gifts to 286 high-impact organizations in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked, writes Scott. None of the organizations selected were required to submit a bid for the unrestricted funding. We are extremely grateful to receive this unsolicited and unrestricted award, says Cristina Balli, executive director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, in a press statement. We are humbled by this vote of confidence and know this will be transformational for our organization. The Cultural Arts Center plans on using the donation to expand operations, programming, and revitalize some of their buildings. Staff file photo Salvaging Fiesta 2021 by postponing until June means having to deal with San Antonio's summer temperatures, but the fire department is ready to help. Granted, Fiesta in its usual April schedule is no walk in the park San Antonio is hot in the spring, too but the city has never experienced a blowout bash that coincides with the official first day of summer on June 20. One of the many modern apartment complexes coming up on Broadway is now ready for residents. The Flats at River North is hosting an open house with food, margaritas, and a tour of its brand new community from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 17. Located at its address on 1011 Broadway, the new complex features 283 homes with designer floorplans and amenities. According to a news release from its developer, The NRP Group, most units have balconies with city or pool views. Rents vary from between $1,225 for a studio apartment to $2,640 for a two-bedroom, 2-bath apartment. The resort-style courtyard pool area features a wet deck, grilling area, and a fire pit. The complex also includes a club lounge with a kitchenette and a gaming area and a fifth-floor sky lounge with outdoor seating along with views of the River Walk and downtown San Antonio. Additionally, the property has a state-of-the-art fitness center and dog park. READ ALSO: Come for the dinosaur tracks, stay for the views at this San Antonio-area park The apartment community offers several options for residents of different household sizes and incomes, with 51 percent of the units must be reserved for incomes at or below 80 percent of the area median incomes ($59,280). Over 25 percent of the workforce housing units have already been leased, according to the release from The NRP Group. The NRP Group partnered with San Antonio Housing Trust Public Facility Corporation in 2018 to bring the project to fruition. Executive Director Pete Alanis stated in the release that it was crucial to build this new housing product in a city with growing housing demand. Residents can visit flatsrivernorth.com for information on the property's floor plans and prices. By Lambert Strether of Corrente In my day (You were lucky!) cannabis (we called it marijuana, or dope, and not pot,, or weed, although cannabis is a weed) seemed like a small-scale affair. One purchased a baggie and shared it with friends. Rolling a joint was a skill both necessary and shared with others. And the hit was a lot more like beer than spirits; you might lie down, but you wouldnt fall down. And a bong was really advanced technology! Fast forward to 2021, where cannabis is the #1 cash crop in the United States, valued at $35.8 billion (2006), compared to corn ($23.3 billion), and wheat ($7.5 billion). Then fast foward to 2021:06, vaccination summer. Forbes: Ben Kovler, the founder and chief executive of Chicago-based Green Thumb Industries, a cannabis company with operations across 12 states, is getting ready to sell more weed than ever this summer. On Wednesday, Kovler held a ribbon cutting after expanding capacity at GTIs 250,000-square-foot production facility in Oglesby, Illinois, where his company grows -end cannabis flower, produces pre-rolled joints, manufactures THC-infused edibles, and runs a cannabis beverage line. Right before Memorial Day weekend, as Covid-19 restrictions around the country ease and nearly half of Americans are now vaccinated, Kovler says GTI is focused on its goal to produce as much as product as possible to keep up with what will be a summer-long surge of demand. The Roaring Twenties is on, says Kovler. Its unprecedented demand and were making supplynothing fancy from us. Throughout the pandemic, the cannabis industry saw record levels of consumption. Americans bought $17.5 billion worth of marijuana in 2020, a 46% increase from 2019, and annual legal sales will reach $41 billion by 2025, according to Cowen. Yet, now that the economy is opening back up another demand surge is hitting the cannabis industry. People also want to consume during high-energy good timesits a tidal wave of demand, says Kovler. The sun is out, people are seeing friends they havent seen for a long time coming out of the pandemic. Cannabis is evolving the American experience. Nice little industry. The only cloud on the horizon is that evolving the American experience with cannabis is an ecological disaster, the very reverse of the green that the green leaves of cannabis suggests. From Jason Quinn and Hailey Summers in Nature, The greenhouse gas emissions of indoor cannabis production in the United States: In this study we analysed the energy and materials required to grow cannabis indoors and quantified the corresponding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using life cycle assessment methodology for a cradle-to-gate system boundary. The analysis was performed across the United States, accounting for geographic variations in meteorological and electrical grid emissions data. The resulting life cycle GHG emissions range, based on location, from 2,283 to 5,184 kg CO2-equivalent per kg of dried flower. The life cycle GHG emissions are largely attributed to electricity production and natural gas consumption from indoor environmental controls, high-intensity grow lights and the supply of carbon dioxide for accelerated plant growth. (Yes, they actually pump CO2 into the grow houses.) As far as energy consumption goes, from OilPrice.com, The Cannabis Industrys Dirty Energy Secret (from 2020, predating the Nature study): In 2014, the NPCC worked out that it takes 4,000 to 6,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy to produce a single kilogram of marijuana product. Electricity costs can represent 20% of the total cost of cannabis production. Back in 2015, it was estimated that a 5,000-square-foot indoor facility in Boulder County consumed ~41,808 kilowatt-hours per monthor nearly 66x the average consumption by a household in the county. More than two percent of the citys electricity usage went to marijuana production. Evan Mills, a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, says that production of legal marijuana in the US consumes 1% of total electricity , or 41.71 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, at a cost of $6 billion per year. Thats enough energy to power 3.8 million homes or the entire State of Georgia. Generating that much electricity spews out 15m tons of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2), or about what three million average cars would produce in a year. In fact, the figure could be much higher than 1%. In Massachusetts, from Cannabis Business Times: Indoor cannabis cultivation facilities in Massachusetts are consuming about 10% of all industrial electricity consumption in the state, according to an estimate from the Northeast Sustainable Cannabis Project. In Colorado, from CBS Denver: According to a report from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, electricity use from cannabis cultivation and other products grew from 1 percent to 4 percent of Denvers total electricity consumption between 2013 and 2018. The authors of the Nature article break down the energy issues[1] in The Conversation: Indoor cannabis production is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, and the environmental effects vary significantly depending on where it is being grown, according to our new study. The lights used to grow weed indoors use a lot of electricity, but facilities require a lot of energy to maintain a comfortable environment for the plants. That means air conditioners or heaters to maintain proper temperatures. Producers also pump carbon dioxide inside to increase plant growth. This accounts for 11% to 25% of facilities greenhouse gas emissions. But the biggest energy use comes from the need to constantly bring fresh air into growing facilities. All of this outside air needs to be treated so that it is the correct temperature and humidity. This is a very energy-intensive process since the air exchange rate is typically so high. And here is a handy diagram that breaks down how indoor cannabis growing uses all that energy, from a brilliant infographic at High Country News[2]: (If you picture a brewery or a craft-beer[3] operation, the difference in energy consumption is easy to see.) But, I hear you say, cannabis is a weed (ditch weed, in the United States). How on earth did we come to grow it inside high energy warehouses?[4] One superficially straightforward answer is yield. From a Dutch seed catalog: All things being equal, growing indoors is 500/80 = 6.25 times the yield of growing outdoors. That pays for a lot of electricity. However, matters arent quite so simple. Policy played a role to play in driving cannabis cultivation indoors, in at least four areas: Illegality, Federalism, state regulation, and lack of price protection. 1) Illegality. For most of the life of the industry, cannabis growth and use has been illegal. (Parenthetically, most of the pioneers of the industry are still in prison. Its shameful that the industry isnt campaigning to have them freed, and their records cleared.) Its easier to conceal a cannabis grow indoors than outdoors, whether from prying neighbors or law enforcement. So all the practical skills needed for cultivating marijuana have been skewed indoors from the beginning, including seed selection. 2) Federalism. Slate explains: Currently, because marijuana is not legal at the federal level, cannabis growers are not allowed to ship their products over state lines. [C]annabis sold in any state where its legal must be grown in-state. Because not every state boasts the year-round warm climate that cannabis thrives in, the vast majority of cannabis is grown indoors in large facilities. HCN provides a county map of energy consumption for cannabis growth. Wintry Penobscot County: Sunny Los Angeles County: Because cannabis is not legal at the Federal level, its inherently impossible to grow marijuana in the least energy-consuming states. There is no equivalent to the Corn belt for cannabis. 3) State regulation. Slate again explains: [M]any jurisdictions structure regulations in ways that favor indoor cultivation, such as setting license fees by the size of the growing area (yields are higher per square foot indoors) or by requiring that cultivation be co-located with (typically urban) retail sales. Others forbid outdoor cultivation altogether, including all of Illinois, where one can find massive indoor grow facilities plunked onto beautiful farmland. Massachusetts has only recently begun to allow it, the first trials meeting with success despite the northern climate. (Massachusetts, however, isnt trying hard enough[5].) 4) Lack of price protection. From a local Texas paper, the Victoria Advocate: When hemp was first legally grown in Texas in 2019, he said, hemp sold for about $4 per percentage point of CBD. It is now selling at about 25 cents, in the range of about 10 to 30 cents per percentage point of CBD. Dollars per percentage point of CBD is one of the common measures of hemp in Texas because unlike many agricultural products, a common, federally set commodity or futures contract system has not been established. Futures contracts for commodities are one of the main price protections, Benavidez said, to protect against price volatility. While the commoditization of agricultural products directly impacts the harvested plants, it also helps to protect against drastic or unexpected changes to the price of products produced by those plants. It makes sense to grow marijuana indoors in a controlled environment because that minimizes risk, since cannabis growers dont have the protections against risk that other farmers have. Clearly, from a greenhouse gases standpoint, all these policies need to be changed to foster outdoor cultivation, starting with legalization at the Federal level[6]. From News4Jax, referring to the Nature study: While farming cannabis indoors burns through electricity, shifting crops outdoors would help shrink the carbon footprint by 96%, researchers found. Using a greenhouse would cut emissions nearly in half. Here is a sketch of what an outdoor cannabis growing utopia would look like to me. Besides Federal legalization, including price protection for growers: Legal plots for individual use Co-ops for cultivation at scale Agricultural Extension Service directed to develop growing regimens adapted to local conditions (including seeds) Seed exchanges Prohibition of patents on cannabis seeds Prohibition of cannabis advertising nationally, and digital generally Subsidized cannabis advertising in local print media (this one, a two-fer, obviously (Somebody smarter than me could figure out a tax regime to force the indoor growers to pay for their externalities, plus a comfortable margin for error. This utopian proposal also eliminate many of the dystopian aspects of evolving the American experience with legal cannabis, including corporate marketing, public relations, seed patents, Vegas, and Uber delivery.) Better living through hand-waving, I know. I think the main issue is seeds, which are currently optimized for indoor growth. (I am guessing they are also optimized for strength, so people like Ben Kovler can put the smallest possible dose in every can of energy drink or whatever.) But I dont accept the idea that ditch weed gives an inherently lesser high than indoor weed, because all the genetic work has been focused on indoor conditions. But Michael Pollans Botany of Desire shows us that plants are reaching out to us engineering our desires, if you will just as much as we reach out to them, consuming and enjoying. So, intuitively, I am confident that excellent outdoor varietals can be bred and grown, adapted to particular regions (like wine, cannabis should really have the terroir no warehouse can give.) Herb gives a[n, er] potted history of breeding: Today, there are nearly 800 known varieties of cannabis that have been bred to perfection, in spite of prohibition. But what makes a strain unique? And why are there so many varieties? Heres everything you need to know about cannabis breeding. The prohibition of cannabis contributed to this confusion in part because many illegal grow ops were driven underground. Here, cultivators began to mix strains to create hybrids, and the gene pool became murkier. With few opportunities to test illegal strains in a lab, the genetic origins of the plants were largely identified by tracing which parent strains were mixed to create the offspring. Most breeders focused on THC content as a major selling point and selectively bred strains to produce the highest levels of THC and inadvertently bred other traits out of the plants. Decades of underground cultivation mean that much of what we know about cannabis breeding comes from those who have risked their freedom to perfect the art of growing. As a result, we are only beginning to understand the techniques behind creating new strains or breeding old ones. But with legalization spreading quickly across the US and the world, that art is becoming an exact science that could soon give us some of the worlds most powerful and iconic new strains. I see no reason why this process will not work for outdoor strains, just as well as for indoor. * * * From President Biden: Theres no time to waste when it comes to the existential threat of climate change. Thats why Ive set a bold new goal of cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at least in half by 2030. President Biden (@POTUS) April 23, 2021 If we think that the threat of climate change really is existential, then we need to act like that. One excellent way to start would be to eliminate as many indoor cannabis grows as we can, as rapidly as possible, in favor of outdoor growth. NOTE [1] Water is also an environmental concern. [2] High as in literal altitude. For pitys sake. [3] If the environment is your second priority after recreational intoxication, stick with alchohol or caffeine. The authors present this chart: [4] There is an article to be written on large box buildings, dropped as if from the sky across America. They include, besides malls, grow houses, warehouses, and data centers. There are probably others. [5] From WBZ News: [The Northeast Sustainable Cannabis Project] says the states pesticide laws for cannabis farming are part of the problem. Lewis said he talked to many pot farmers who would like to grow their plants outside and therefore use less energy. The farmers said they cant protect their plants from bugs and diseases without organic pesticides, which the state doesnt allow for marijuana growing. What on earth was the state Legislature thinking? (Natural News) Ginseng is a well-known herb, used in traditional medicine the world over. But its worth noting that ginseng refers to over 10 varieties of the man-shaped root of the Panax genus, the most popular being Asian ginseng (P. ginseng) and American ginseng (P. quinquefolius). Both American and Asian ginseng are known to boost immunity, regulate blood sugar levels and improve mood. Researchers from China Pharmaceutical University explored how Asian ginseng and American ginseng can protect against metabolic disorders. In their report, published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, the team noted each species of ginseng works differently in treating the condition. Both Asian ginseng and American ginseng are known to protect against metabolic disorders. In a separate study, a team from South Korea assessed whether Asian ginseng can help in treating metabolic disorders in vivo. They found that supplementing with ginseng caused a decrease in body weight and fat deposits. They concluded that Asian ginseng may help prevent obesity and other chronic conditions as a result of metabolic disorders. Meanwhile, researchers from Soongeui Womens College in South Korea looked at the hypoglycemic effects of American ginseng using a diabetic mouse model. Their study, which appeared in the Journal of Food Science, found that supplementing with American ginseng led to improved high-density lipoprotein or good cholesterol levels, better glycogen levels in the blood and significantly lower low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol levels. The team concluded that American ginseng has hypoglycemic effects and can be used in treating diabetes, a prevalent metabolic disorder. In the current study, the team looked at the mechanisms of action for preventing metabolic disorders between the two ginseng species. The team first looked into the chemical processes for each. Then, they tested its ability to protect against metabolic disorders using a mouse model for obesity. They found that both Asian ginseng and American ginseng work to prevent metabolic disorders by regulating the metabolism of linoleic acid, metabolizing cysteine and methionine and synthesizing unsaturated fatty acids. This, in turn, regulates blood sugar and lipid metabolism, as seen in the mouse model after treatment. (Related: The superior health benefits of ginseng.) But the team did find a function unique to American ginseng. Aside from the functions described above, American ginseng had a specific function in monitoring carnitines and the metabolism of taurine to hypotaurine. The team noted that this may give American ginseng an edge over Asian ginseng when it comes to preventing metabolic disorders. Other health benefits of American ginseng Theres more to American ginseng than its ability to prevent metabolic disorders. In fact, studies have shown that American ginseng can benefit the body in many ways. It fights fatigue. A study in Supportive Care in Cancer noted that cancer patients who took American ginseng supplements reported an increase in vitality over those who took a placebo. A study in Supportive Care in Cancer noted that cancer patients who took American ginseng supplements reported an increase in vitality over those who took a placebo. It improves mental function. Taking American ginseng may increase a persons short-term memory, in particular, his accuracy and response time, according to a study published in Nutritional Neuroscience. Taking American ginseng may increase a persons short-term memory, in particular, his accuracy and response time, according to a study published in Nutritional Neuroscience. It may protect you from the common cold. Multiple studies have shown that American ginseng may offer some protection against respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold. In one study, which was published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, researchers said that taking American ginseng reduced the incidence of colds by 25 percent. Herbs.news has more on the other health benefits of ginseng. Sources include: Science.news ScienceDirect.com OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com WorldScientific.com (Natural News) A Florida urologist says that Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines appear to be triggering a massive uptick in prostate cancer and infertility among his male patients. Dr. Diego Rubinowicz spoke with local media recently, revealing that mens prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values are mysteriously spiking after they receive an experimental injection for the Chinese Virus, which has him concerned. I have seen patients PSA to be falsely elevated for at least six weeks after getting the vaccines, he says, suggesting that mens PSA levels might just be artificially high post-injection. I was seeing patients who were coming in with a history of having a stable PSA and all of a sudden the PSA has risen. Eventually, some of the mens PSA levels later returned to normal levels, but having them jump at all sometimes up to nine times higher than base levels is a cause for concern and could point to later development of prostate cancer, infertility or other problems. One anonymous patient saw his PSA level jump from 0.4 to 3.4 after receiving a Wuhan Flu shot. This persons PSA levels eventually went back down to 1.5 but this is still almost four times the original number. Essentially, the anonymous individual went from having the PSA levels of a healthy person in their twenties or thirties to having the levels of a 60 or 70-year-old man, Infowars reports. Rubinowicz still recommends that men get injected While much of the medias attention has remained fixated on how Chinese Virus injections are negatively affecting female sexual health, Rubinowiczs warnings point to serious problems for men, too. Recently, we also warned you that Wuhan Flu shots have been identified as damaging the testes, possibly rendering them non-functional. Still, Rubinowicz is not advising his patients to avoid the injection, but rather to be informed about these likely side effects, which for all we know could remain permanent throughout a mans life. Infertile men have higher PSA values than fertile individuals, explains a recent study by the European Association of Urology. Of all, almost one out of three primary infertile men younger than 40?yr has a first total PSA value of >1?ng/ml. It is important to also note that high PSA levels are usually indicative of prostate cancer. This suggests that men who get injected could be essentially dosing themselves with cancer. This is why it is critical to take a precautionary approach and just skip the jab entirely, especially since it admittedly does not prevent infection or spread of the Chinese Virus. Some men are also reporting tender lumps in their scrotum after getting injected, which may point to even more problems in the reproductive department. Is it really worth the risk, guys? These so-called vaccines do nothing beneficial other than make some people feel protected even though they are not. They are little more than a security blanket, though more like a smallbox blanket that is infected with something far worse than the so-called virus, which is hardly a threat to those with even a modicum of a working immune system. My relatives PSA doubled after his covid shot, wrote one commenter at Infowars. Now he has had MRIs and invasive procedures to check for cancer. This is what happens when people experiment on the population. One of the purposes of the vaccines is depopulation through destroying the reproductive capacity of both men and pregnant women and slowly killing you via blood clots, seizures and sudden death, one of our own commenters here at Natural News also wrote. More of the latest news about Chinese Virus injections can be found at ChemicalViolence.com. Sources for this article include: Infowars.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) The mainstream media and medical tyrants in the ruling class are actively ramping up the fear of the delta variant which originally came from India. The variant is said to be highly transmissible and only the experimental gene therapy jab can save us. (Article by Mac Salvo republished from SHTFPlan.com) It is by far the most contagious variant of this virus that we have seen throughout the whole pandemic, Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told TODAY on Wednesday. It is what has caused huge spikes in India, and its causing a serious increase in cases in the U.K. despite the fact theyre very vaccinated. So it really is a problem. So what should we poor people do? Get the shot, of course. Studies show two doses of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca shots are effective against the Delta strain, according to the National Institutes of Health. Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were shown to be 88% effective against the Delta variant, while two doses of the AstraZeneca shot were shown to be 60% effective against the strain, according to NIH data. NBC Boston They are currently using this delta variant to panic as many remaining holdouts who have so far refused to be shot up with mRNA technology into doing so. It has become more than obvious that this vaccine is somehow a piece of the massive enslavement agenda. Head medical tyrant Dr. Anthony Fauci has been adamant about willingly taking two of these shots. Fauci stressed the importance of getting two doses after NIH studies showed that, three weeks after being given, just one dose of either vaccine provided only 33% efficacy against the Delta variant. The good news is our vaccines seem to be holding up pretty well, said Jha. The data thats emerging suggests if you have been vaccinated youre going to be fine. The vaccines really do seem to hold up against the virus pretty well. Putting the pieces together further: The most severe cases involving the Delta variant appear to be in unvaccinated people or those who are only partially vaccinated, Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Wednesday. It does seem to be a more dangerous variant. That said, two doses of the vaccine seem to be very protective. People who are fully vaccinated, I think, are pretty well protected against this new variant based on the accruing evidence, added Gottlieb, who led the FDA in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. Hes now on the board of vaccine maker Pfizer. NBC Boston How strange that a person on the board of Pfizer recommend you take their product TWICE for which they have immunity against any legal repercussions should become injured, ill, or die from said product. Read more at: SHTFPlan.com and MedicalTyranny.com. (Natural News) Twitters rampage against conservatives has not stopped with the platform now seemingly taking its orders from the left. (Article by Kayla Sargent republished from NewsBusters.org) Rachel Bovard, Senior Director of Policy for the Conservative Partnership Institute, said that Twitter suspended the conservative think tank Citizens for Renewing America (CRA) after the group posted resources combating Critical Race Theory (CRT). She tweeted: So @amrenewctr issues a toolkit for parents to help stop CRT in schools, Media Matters issues a baseless and wildly untrue hit on the Center, and mere hours later, Twitter suspends their account. Big Tech working very hard to protect racist ideologies from criticism. Her tweet included a screenshot of what appears to be a message from Twitter that said, Weve temporarily limited some of your account features. Bovard is a MRC Free Speech America board advisor. CRA President Russ Vought provided more insight as to why the organizations content may have been suspended. Twitter is now saying that our Renewing America accounts were suspended by enforcement bots but wouldnt tell us what was flagged. This occurred soon after we launched an important anti-CRT tool kit and a radical left outlet put forward wild conspiracy theories about it, he tweeted. CRA recently published a toolkit for Combatting Critical Race Theory in Your Community. The toolkit said: This guide is meant for anyone of any knowledge and experience level who is concerned about what children are being taught and how they are being treated, with an emphasis on making the banning of Critical Race Theory (CRT) the central theme by which you reclaim your schools. Leftist group, Media Matters for America, however, called the toolkit a conspiracy theory about the overthrow of Americas constitutional system. It also somehow drew an arbitrary connection between the toolkits language and what the organization called the infamous white nationalist march in Charlottesville, Virginia. Media Matters for America received more than $1.5 million from liberal billionaire George Soros between 2010 and 2014. Twitter has long silenced conservative voices on its platform. Its massive push to censor conservative voices resulted in the platform receiving a F grade from the Media Research Center in its first Big Tech Report Card. Twitter removed former President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol after he called for peace. The platform also slapped a sensitive content label on a graphic from the MRC. The graphic described the results of a recent poll in which fifty-three percent of respondents answered no to the question: Should biological men be allowed to compete in womens sports? Twitter did not respond to a request from MRC Free Speech America to confirm whether it had suspended CRA. Read more at: NewsBusters.org and Censorship.news. (Natural News) Another Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) plandemic culprit has been identified, and you are probably supporting him by using his app on your smartphone or computer. That culprit is Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, of course, who has been outed for funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to Wuhan, China, through his Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Zuckerbergs charity reportedly awarded the cash to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where Ralph Baric works as a professor Baric being one of the shady scientists who conducted illegal gain of function research on bat coronaviruses at the direction of Tony Fauci. Baric was caught attending various conferences at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), which is where some now believe that the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) originated. In collaboration with Shi Zhengli, also known as bat woman, Baric worked on tweaking bat coronavirus to making them more of a threat to humans. And none of this would have been possible were it not for large cash contributions from Zuckerberg and his wife. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) recently awarded a $433,000 grant to UNC for laboratory equipment that will accelerate research to address the COVID-19 pandemic, a press release reveals. This grant represents a new collaboration between the West Coast philanthropic organization CZI and UNC in search of a global solution to the pandemic. A summary of how the grant was used reveals that much of it covered the purchase of a liquid handler, which is described as a robotic arm that can pipette fluids much more quickly and accurately than humans can. The cash from Zuckerberg was also used to purchase supporting instruments, including another robot that detects active virus particles in samples and a machine to sequence RNA. Together, these tools increase the rate of testing compounds by 20-fold, it goes on to explain. Zuckerberg funded research on Chinese Virus nasal swabs Also covered with Zuckerbergs philanthropic donations was a study, currently awaiting peer review, entitled, SARS-CoV-2 infectious virus, viral RNA in nasopharyngeal swabs, and serostatus of symptomatic COVID-19 outpatients in the United States. This study, the summary notes, provides a comprehensive analysis of demographic, immunologic, virologic and clinical disease factors associated with infectious virus isolation and levels of viral RNA in nasopharyngeal swab samples in the largest study of symptomatic outpatient adults with COVID-19 to date. Other contributors to the project include Gilead Sciences, which threatened to murder French scientist Dr. Didier Raoult for daring to talk about how he successfully used hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to treat patients diagnosed with the Chinese Virus. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Faucis National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) also contributed to the project, despite Faucis recent lies, under oath, about having no relationship with Baric, Zuckerberg, or any of the other Wuhan Flu scammers who have profited big time from the scam. Fauci attempted to play dumb though he really is dumb during a recent interview with MSNBCs Chuck Todd, claiming he has no idea about any of this. Interestingly, these financial ties between Baris and Zuckerbergs charity speak volumes about Facebooks active censorship of Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) content that defies the official Fauci-approved narrative. Facebook contracts with the exclusively Democrat-run Lead Stories group, staffed mostly by CNN flunk-outs, in order to censor inconvenient information, write The National Pulses Natalie Winters and Raheem Kassam. Lead Stories is also contracted by TikTok, in turn owned by ByteDance, a firm used by the Chinese Communist Party and its Peoples Liberation Army to further communist propaganda. More related news about Chinese Virus criminality can be found at Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: TheNationalPulse.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) A spokesperson for Beijing-based vaccine maker Sinovac Biotech on Tuesday, June 8, confirmed that Chinese health authorities have approved the emergency use of the companys coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine for children as young as three years old. In recent days, the Sinovac vaccine was approved for emergency use in three- to 17-year-olds, the spokesperson said. Late last week, Sinovac Biotech Chief Executive Officer Yin Weidong told state broadcaster CCTV that Sinovac has carried out a clinical study on the minor population, which started at the beginning of this year, with the first and second phase clinical trials completed. Yin noted that hundreds of cases showed that after vaccination, the group [three to 17 years old] is as safe as the 18-year-old adult group. (Related: SACRIFICE THE CHILDREN: Oxford Vaccine Group recruits children for coronavirus vaccine trials.) A spokesperson for Chinas other major vaccine, Sinopharm, said that experts had demonstrated the effectiveness of its vaccine in children, but did not confirm whether it had been approved for use. WHO does not currently recommend vaccinating children While the World Health Organization (WHO) does not currently recommend vaccinating children against coronavirus, the U.S., UK, Singapore and the European Union are now offering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children as young as 12. China is the first country to give emergency use authorization to COVID-19 vaccine for children below 12. There are relatively few studies on the efficacy or potential side effects of the vaccines on children and they are regarded as a low priority compared with high-risk groups such as the elderly or frontline medical workers. Younger people generally thought to suffer from milder symptoms if infected with COVID-19. It is not clear when the Chinese children are likely to start receiving COVID-19 vaccines as the country is still trying to meet a target of vaccinating 560 million people by the end of the month, with a particular focus on high-risk groups. The National Health Commission will organize relevant experts to promote the use of vaccines in lower age groups in an orderly manner based on the needs of the current epidemic in China and the composition of the population, Yin said. Chinese authorities claim new COVID variant affects all age groups Chinese authorities said a new variant called delta, which was first identified in India, has caused an outbreak in the southern province of Guangdong. The variant is said to have nearly twice the viral load of previous strains and has affected all age groups. The youngest person infected was only one year old. China reported 33 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 19 in Guangdong. Yin said people in China and other parts of the world were increasingly willing to get vaccinated. But the increased demand also put pressure on supplies. China has mostly managed to bring the outbreak under control since the coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan. The country has administered more than 777 million vaccine doses after a sluggish start. Expanding vaccination to children will inevitably put more pressure on vaccine producers. Yin said the designed capacity of Sinovacs production plant was two billion doses a year but it was likely to exceed that in meeting demand from the domestic and international markets. We have now provided more than 600 million doses of vaccines to the world, which means that we have met the quality standards for providing vaccines to the WHO and more countries. We are prepared for further increases in production capacity, Yin said. Sinovacs product is one of more than 20 vaccines developed in China using a variety of techniques, which range from using a dead, or inactivated, virus to trigger an immune response to using viral proteins or mRNA technology. An easy-to-use vaccine that can be sprayed in the mouth has also applied for emergency use, according to state media reports. Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to coronavirus vaccines. Sources include: SHTFplan.com SCMP.com ChannelNewsAsia.com (Natural News) The most expansive foreign heist of Americas farming resources is taking place right this moment, and most Americans are too asleep, complacent or distracted to care. The AgWeb Farm Journal published a report the other day outlining how communist China has breached the inner walls of American agriculture, where it is now stripping machinery, barns, bins, and fields of all valuables. Every facet of American agriculture is under attack, not just by China but also by allies like Bill Gates, who has been quietly parking cash in land assets for at least the past few years. Chinas goal, anyway, is to become a global superpower, and part of this involves seizing control of American agriculture. Gates, we presume, wants to grow more genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or perhaps build more vaccine factories, seeing as how he has a fetish for injecting humans. By 2049, China is aiming for total world domination, including within the high-tech industries of the world. Acquiring land, and particularly the arable kind, is necessary for China to achieve its nefarious goals. One of Chinas only specialties is stealing, it turns out. According to a 2017 report from the U.S. Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property, anywhere from $255-$600 billion worth of intellectual property is stolen by China from the U.S. economy every single year. In 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) acknowledged that a new China-related counterintelligence case is opened every 10 hours, and over half of all existing FBI counterintelligence cases involve China. Over the past 10 years, the number of economic espionage cases involving China has skyrocketed by nearly 1,300 percent. China is a scourge that must be dealt with As it pertains to agriculture, China has appropriated trillions of dollars in sophisticated U.S. technology, much of it focused on the latest advances in agriculture. In 2013 and 2015, Chinese nationals were nabbed in flagrante delicto by federal authorities, attempting to transport pilfered corn and rice seed to China, AgWeb reports. However, as the arrests and prosecutions made national headlines, the hard evidence remained ignored. Based on a cursory examination of the CCPs espionage footprint, the seed thefts are merely emblematic and represent the tip of the iceberg: Beijing is looting the American farm. China has been caught stealing GMO corn seeds from Monsanto and other agriculture giants, prompting a multi-year FBI investigation. Chinese spies actually tried to hide the corn seeds in facade microwave popcorn bags and Subway napkins, only to get caught. Chinese spies have also attempted to steal rice, soybeans and wheat from the U.S. by smuggling it on airplanes in their luggage. They have been caught on numerous occasions, and those involved sentenced to prison. The truly disturbing part, however, is not the theft of GMO seeds, which are poisonous anyway and no great loss. It is the siphoning up of American farmland by China, which plans to obtain farmland the size of Ireland by the end of 2021, according to journalist and documentary filmmaker Lance Crayon. Ten years ago, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) indicated that it actually wanted to acquire a farmland mass eight times that size, turning acreage larger than the entire state of California into its own private farming mecca. This, combined with Chinas efforts to dominate 10 high-tech sectors by the year 2025, suggests that the worlds most populous nation really is a force that must be reckoned with, and perhaps much sooner than many people realize. It is the CCPs goal to steal, glean, obtain, transcribe, and photograph anything of value from the U.S., and the agriculture sector is right at the top, warns retired Col. John Mills. More related news about the Chinese assault on America can be found at Tyranny.news. Sources for this article include: AgWeb.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) An independent tribunal in London, convened to investigate ongoing atrocities and possible genocide in China, is bringing to light horrific stories of torture inflicted on Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims. (Article by Emily Mangiaracina republished from LifeSiteNews.com) Tribunal testimonies reveal subhuman conditions, forced abortions, rape, and the systematic, indiscriminate use of torture against ethnic minorities in re-education camps in northwest China, leaving inmates traumatized or dead. A former Chinese police officer now exiled in Germany, who participated in the arrest of the minorities, composed mostly of Uyghurs, explained in his statement that they are tortured to remove all disagreement. After the worst treatment, they will completely obey and be in line with the Party. They will have no thoughts of their own left, explained the whistleblower under the pseudonym Wang Keizhan. He explained how thousands of Chinese police recruits, often with little professional training, are enticed by very high salaries to work in Xinjiang, where they are taught to view Uyghurs as enemies of the state. According to Chinese government policy, Uyghurs are systematically and collectively defined as terrorists,' Keizhan said in his statement. Thus, severe repression and torture against Uyghurs is encouraged by the Chinese government, because Uyghurs are mistrusted and enemies. Many of my fellow police officers were ready to accept these explanations to repress the Uyghurs. This is because they believed that, even if a Uyghur had not yet committed any terrorist offenses, it was only a matter of time before they do. This meant that the officers could get away with about any method of torture they could think of, as Keizhan revealed: Uyghur prisoners were sometimes forced to kneel, punched, a plastic bag would be tied over their head in order to induce suffocation and the bag would only be removed when they begin struggling to breathe. Sometimes, their limbs were tied, and waterpipes were inserted in their mouth to force water into their lungs. He continued: This was done in order to force Uyghurs to reject their religion and to confess that they had committed the crimes they were accused of. They were forced to sign confessions to admit that they are terrorists and also to denounce and provide a list of their relatives and friends as being terrorists. No real grounds were needed for forcing people into camps, according to Keizhan. Very often, I noticed that the criminal charges against Uyghurs were just pretexts for arrest for instance, because they sent / received money internationally. The reason for these arrests included that they might have had a knife at home or because they were showing their cultural identity, or they were somehow considered to have a different ideology. In some villages in Xinjiang, the whole population of a village was taken to the concentration camps, he said. Omir Bekali, a Kazakhstan resident who was taken into custody while seeing family in China during a business trip, affirmed during his tribunal testimony that accusations of terrorism were levied against camp inmates. He discussed how he was tortured in an attempt to force him to accept three crimes: instigating terrorism, organizing terror activities, and covering up for terrorists. They hung me from the ceiling. They chained me to the wall and beat me with plastic, wooden, electric batons and metal wire whip. They pierced needles under my nails, said Bekali, who estimated that his camp of more than 10,000 men contained about 70 percent to 80 percent Uyghurs and 20 percent to 30 percent Kazakhs. While Bekali revealed that he and other prisoners were made to sing red songs and constantly learnt political lessons, he said in his statement, I thought we were brought here to be killed, not to be educated. He explained that a man in the cell next to his died of severe torture, and that the 26-year-old nephew of the deputy head of the municipal police also died of torture in the camp. After this, the camp remained silent for a month. Keizhan shared in his report that he believes these minorities are being targeted by the Chinese government in order to implement Chinas One China policy. Keizhans belief that the Chinese government wants to destroy the identity of Uyghurs and promote Han Chinese identity is supported by other testimonies that the government is forcibly transferring the children of Uyghur camp inmates to the care of the state in order to assimilate the children. This is reportedly occurring even when the children have relatives who can care for them. One testimony claims that inmates were punished for speaking Uyghur, and would be fed only if they spoke Chinese. China officials have claimed that the tribunals allegations are false, insisting that the camps which they say are now closed are vocational training centers to teach Chinese language, job skills and the law, the Associated Press reported. There is no such thing as genocide or forced labor in Xinjiang, the regions government spokesperson, Elijan Anayat, told AP reporters. If the tribunal insists on going its own way, we would like to express our severe condemnation and opposition and will be forced to take countermeasures. If it were realistically possible to bring the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) to any formal international court in particular to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) there would be no need for the establishment of a peoples tribunal, states the Uyghur Tribunal site. The Uyghur Tribunal, which has no powers of sanction or enforcement, will confine itself to reviewing evidence in order to reach an impartial and considered judgment on whether international crimes are proved to have been committed by the PRC, the site further states. The tribunal was chaired by barrister Sir Geoffrey Nice, who led the United Nations prosecution of the former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevi? at The Hague, at the request of the World Uyghur Congress. Keizhan gave one of more than 30 statements testifying to human rights abuses perpetrated by Chinese government officials during the proceedings. The tribunals next hearings will take place in September. Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com and Tyranny.news (Natural News) Democrats and the mainstream media have been aggressively denouncing the Maricopa County, Arizona election audit from the beginning. (Article by Bernard Kerik republished from Newsmax.com) At, first I didnt understand why. I thought that it was because they were afraid of what the results would be, but I now believe its something far worse. The Democrats arent just afraid of the outcome but theyre afraid that the audit results will be irrefutable and unimpeachable. They know that their efforts to discredit the audit process in Arizona will not stand up to scrutiny and heres why. The Arizona audit is being run impeccably, utilizing security and surveillance procedures with a longstanding track record of effectiveness. To say that I was impressed after viewing the audit process for myself would be a massive understatement. Ive spent decades working in security and law enforcement at the highest levels, and this is exactly the level of conscientiousness and attention to detail that I would demand for a sensitive or high-profile investigation. Theyre not trying to reinvent the wheel; theyre using the same methods casinos have used for decades to catch cheaters. Its common knowledge that casinos are exceptionally good at catching cheaters, and if anybody tries to pull a fast one during the Arizona audit, they face the same long odds of getting away with it. Before a person can even enter the premises, their name must be on a pre-approved list. After winding their way through a maze of corridors, they arrive at a security checkpoint where their ID is checked. From that point forward, visitors are escorted at all times by audit personnel. After being briefed, visitors must forfeit cell phones, cameras, and any writing implements they might be carrying before they can be escorted to the audit floor. Thats why the Democrats claims of seeing auditors wielding blue and black pens are so implausible. On the coliseum floor, the audit is conducted in several stages, each of which takes place in a designated area. The tables in each section are color-coded, and workers wear shirts with corresponding colors, making it easy for anyone to spot if someone strays from their assigned area. At every table, there is accountability and supervision, all of it live streamed and viewable by the general public. Just like in a casino, where pit bosses keep a close eye on a relatively small section of tables, there is an audit supervisor responsible for groups of two to three tables. If any problems arise or anything appears to be even slightly amiss, the supervisor immediately steps in to address it. And just as casinos use high-resolution cameras in the ceiling to monitor every single table, the auditors in Arizona labor under the scrutiny of state-of-the-art cameras positioned directly above each table. Every ballot reviewed by the auditors goes through distinct stages, starting with a simple count. One by one, ballots are placed on rotating stands in the middle of each table, and each one is viewed and counted by three separate people, whose independent tallies must line up. Each batch has 50 ballots, and once all of them are counted theyre boxed, sealed, and marked with the name of each counter, much like an evidence label. The box is then taken to a locked cage until it is ready for review at the next station. Next, the ballots undergo digital imagery examination, which is done at such a high resolution that its almost better than reviewing the ballot itself, because you can zoom in without losing resolution. When I was there, one of the auditors showed me an example of a ballot that was flagged as suspicious because every single oval was filled out perfectly, without a single stray mark something that would be easy for a machine to accomplish, but is almost impossible to do by hand. After being imaged, the ballots are re-boxed, a new tabulations page is attached, and the box is sent to a different cage. From that point on, the ballots are kept under lock and key, with 24/7 video surveillance. If every state performed an audit like this one after every election, public faith in our democracy would be absolute and unshakable. The audit process being used in Arizona has accuracy, integrity, and accountability, and theres no way to cheat because everything is captured on film. Now that Ive seen the process for myself, I finally understand why it has the Democrats so hot and bothered. They know that if anything improper happened in the 2020 election, this audit will catch it and they also know that they have no hope of refuting any improprieties this audit reveals. Read more at: Newsmax.com (Natural News) A community interest company that says it conducts research on behalf of the general public with no conflicts of interest has issued a yellow card warning against Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines, which may require further investigation to identify issues which might not have been previously known about concerning their safety. In a letter, Dr. Tess Lawrie, MBBCh, PhD, Director of the Evidence-based Medicine Consultancy Ltd and EbMC Squared CiC, explains that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has identified certain present conditions under which medicines studied in clinical trials in this case Wuhan Flu shots do not perform the same way in real-life as they purportedly did when Big Pharma was evaluating them. Lawrie says experts are concerned that Chinese Virus injections could pose serious problems that may not be seen until a very large number of people have received the medicine. Already, large numbers of people are dying or suffering serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) from the shots, and the government is pretending as though nothing is wrong. In the Yellow Card system, 1,253 deaths have already been reported, along with 888,196 ADRs. This captures the time period between Jan. 4, 2021, and May 26, 2021. Lawrie and her team broke down the data into six categories: Bleeding, Clotting and Ischaemic ADRs Immune System ADRs Pain ADRs Neurological ADRs ADRs involving loss of Sight, Hearing, Smell or Speech Pregnancy ADRs In each of these six categories, the word death was included in the search, along with other qualifiers. The goal was to determine how many injuries and deaths are tied to all of the Chinese Virus injections currently on the market, including the mRNA varieties from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and the viral vector varieties from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (J&J). We have not compared the frequencies of ADRs between different vaccines; however, our impression is that ADRs were not limited to any particular vaccine brand (AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna) or type (mRNA and DNA) currently used in the U.K., the report explains. On the latter, most reported ADRs to date (941,774 ADRs and 5,474 deaths) have occurred among individuals in the 18 to 44 years and 45 to 64 years of age categories (38% and 35%, respectively); the vast majority (72%) of reported ADRs have occurred among women. Unfortunately, we have been unable to examine the U.K. Yellow Card data according to age and gender due to lack of data availability. Wuhan Flu shots threaten to permanently embed synthetic spike proteins into human DNA Also cited in the report is a recent scientific paper that identified numerous potential acute and long-term pathologies associated with Chinese Flu injections. These include: Pathogenic priming, multisystem inflammatory disease and autoimmunity Allergic reactions and anaphylaxis Antibody dependent enhancement Activation of latent viral infections Neurodegeneration and prion diseases Emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 Integration of the spike protein gene into the human DNA We have covered some of these bullet points here at Natural News over the past several months, including the pathogenic priming issue, which was highlighted earlier this year by an emergency room nurse from San Diego who tested positive for the Chinese Virus after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer injection. Based on this and other related cases, experts have determined that Wuhan Flu shots pathogenically prime peoples bodies to develop more illness upon future exposure, rendering the injections both harmful and ineffective. As far as allergies go, Chinese Virus injections contain toxic ingredients like polyethylene glycol (PEG) that are known to trigger anaphylaxis in some recipients, potentially causing long-term health damage. Antibody dependent enhancement, or ADE, is another serious problem associated with the jabs that is reason enough to avoid them. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is unable to get its story straight concerning the relevance of antibodies as they concern the Chinese Virus, and the science is thus all over the map. Some of the latest studies also show that Chinese Virus injections are causing neurodegeneration and prion diseases like mad cow that in some cases take years to manifest but they will come, and likely on a mass scale. There is a lot of fear being generated by the mainstream media about so-called variants that are supposedly spreading throughout the U.K., India and elsewhere, but evidence shows that these variants are actually contained within the vaccines that are being injected into peoples arms. It is the jabs, in other words, and not peoples respiratory systems, that are harboring Chinese Virus variants and spreading them throughout the global population. Lawrie draws attention to this fact in her report. And finally, the integration of spike protein genes into human DNA is once again a direct result of the injections, which are embedding them into the human genome via the tip of a needle. An immediate halt to the vaccination programme is required whilst a full and independent safety analysis is undertaken to investigate the full extent of the harms, which the UK Yellow Card data suggest include thromboembolism, multisystem inflammatory disease, immune suppression, autoimmunity and anaphylaxis, as well as Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE), Lawrie urges. Due to the need for expedience, we have not detailed all ADRs in this preliminary report. The existing Yellow Card data covering just under a five-month period indicate that the extent of morbidity and mortality associated with the COVID-19 vaccines is unprecedented. More of the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injection scheme can be found at ChemicalViolence.com. Sources for this article include: FranceSoir.fr NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) A new study has found that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) can increase Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) survival rates by up to 200 percent. It also found that when paired with azithromycin (AZM), the drugs effectiveness was even augmented. Originally for malaria, former President Donald Trump endorsed HCQ as a potential COVID-19 treatment and received much criticism for it. The May 31 study published on medRxiv examined patients at the Saint Barnabas Medical Center in New Jersey hospitalized for COVID-19. The patients received different kinds of medical treatments to address COVID-19 such as steroids, tocilizumab, convalescent plasma and HCQ. The study did not include remdesivir as a treatment as it was unavailable at the hospital during the study period. According to the study authors, patients given HCQ and AZM had a survival rate 2.9 times [higher] than other patients when they got both drugs above a certain dose. They added that combined therapy of more than three grams of HCQ and more than one gram of AZM greatly increases survival of intubated COVID-19 patients. For the study, the researchers administered a combined treatment of more than three grams of HCQ and more than one gram of AZM to 37 patients. Meanwhile, 218 patients received less than three grams of HCQ and less than one gram of AZM. The 37-patient group recorded a survival rate of 48.6 percent, while the remaining 218 patients registered a low 16.5 percent survival rate. However, the authors noted that the increased survival cannot be attributed solely to the combination of both drugs. This is because patients who received higher HCQ doses also received higher doses of AZM. But they nevertheless noted that azithromycin contributed significantly to the higher survival rate. The study authors indicated that HCQ indirectly prevents SARS-CoV-2 from infecting healthy cells. The anti-malarial drug does this by affecting the pH level of lysosomes the waste disposal system of cells thus reducing the pathogens chance of latching on to human cells. Study vindicates former Trumps endorsement of HCQ During the early months of the pandemic, Trump touted HCQ as a potential miracle treatment against COVID-19. In March 2020, the former president said he was taking HCQ to prevent him from catching the virus. However, scientists slammed him for his support of what was considered back then as an unproven medicine to fight Wuhan coronavirus infections. Trump declared in April 2020 that the U.S. procured a tremendous amount of HCQ. He said the drug worked on different diseases such as lupus and malaria and had shown very strong signs against COVID-19. Its a very strong [and] powerful medicine, but it doesnt kill people. We have some very good results and tests [on it], Trump continued. In May 2020, he again reiterated the fact that he himself was taking HCQ because of a lot of good stories about it. Trump said that time: I happen to be taking it. Ive heard a lot of good stories, [and] a lot of good things have come out. Youd be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the front-line workers. Many of Trumps allies lauded the May 31 study bolstering HCQs benefits against COVID-19, with some expressing their views on Twitter. His son Donald Trump Jr. posted in a tweet: In the last week alone, weve learned that the media, so-called fact-checkers and their Big Tech enforcers lied to us about the lab leak theory [and] HCQ all to hurt Donald Trump. What else are they lying about? The younger Trump saw his Twitter account being blocked last year after he posted a video of doctors reiterating the effectiveness of HCQ. The social media site accused him of spreading misleading and potentially harmful misinformation about COVID-19. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) tweeted a question: How many people died [because] Dr. [Anthony] Fauci said trust the science and [HCQ] isnt effective? Jason Miller, a spokesman for the former president, simply wrote Oh. The elder Trump has yet to release a statement on the study as he has been banned from all major social media platforms. As of writing, HCQ is still considered an unproven drug to treat COVID-19. It was initially approved for emergency use back in March 2020. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked HCQs emergency use authorization (EUA) in June of that year. The regulator said in a June 15 statement that the legal criteria for issuing a EUA to the drug are no longer met and it was unlikely to be effective against COVID-19. The statement said: In light of ongoing serious cardiac adverse effects and other potential serious side effects, the known and potential benefits of [HCQ] no longer outweigh the known and potential risks for [its] authorized use. Visit Pandemic.news to read more articles proving the effectiveness of HCQ against COVID-19. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk MedRxiv.org FDA.gov (Natural News) Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Peter Daszak were not the only guardians of science who privately plotted to conceal gain-of-function coronavirus research from the public. Sir Jeremy Farrar from the British Wellcome Trust also conspired to shut down any debate on the Wuhan lab leak theory. The former Oxford University professor has been in this influential role for eight years, commandeering one of the worlds wealthiest foundations while also sitting on the Governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. According to the first Fauci email release, Sir Jeremy Farrar played a pivotal role behind the scenes, convincing top scientists to stay quiet on the potential lab leak theory. He even demanded secrecy on their discussions. The emails reveal how these men colluded with one another to divert attention away from the risky virus engineering and vaccine research that was taking place in Wuhan. Farrar conspired with Fauci and Daszak to conceal potential lab origin of SARS-CoV-2 In early 2020, Farrar publicly claimed that scientists know SARS-CoV-2 was not created in a lab, even though scientists around the world were already documenting HIV-like inserts and other evidence of man-made interference in the genetic sequence of the virus. In fact, Farrar was one of the leading scientists who signed Dr. Daszaks infamous Lancet statement, declaring the lab leak theory a conspiracy before any hard evidence emerged, before any formal investigation could be conducted. Farrar claimed the evidence indicates that SARS-CoV-2 spilled over naturally from animals. None such evidence exists, because China has yet to find an animal reservoir to blame for the pandemic. At least 80,000 samples from animals have been analyzed to find a possible natural link, yet no match has been made. As the director of the worlds largest philanthropic science funding body, Sir Jeremy Farrar is largely responsible for ensuring that the scientific community is accountable and transparent, open to all possibilities, and capable of investigating different hypotheses. Instead, Farrar conspired with potentially culpable gain-of-function researchers to stifle debate and investigation into the origins of covid-19. Farrar is clearly an impressive individual, so we should all be concerned when someone of his stature appears to be stifling debate, said Westminsters 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. Daszak and Farrars statements in the Lancet over a year ago used blatant coercion and intimidation tactics to shut down further investigation. Since then, three of the signatories admit that the lab leak theory merits serious investigation. Fauci emails reveal multinational collusion to suppress coronavirus engineering, nefarious experiments on human immune systems Before the engineered spike protein was released, Farrar and Fauci authored a report for the World Health Organization that explained the increasing risk of a global pandemic due to an engineered pathogen that could escape the lab. However, when a real outbreak did manifest, Farrar and Fauci turned a blind eye to this possibility, making themselves look guilty in a multinational coverup. In fact, their statement to the public is that people should ignore the conspiracy theories because scientists know covid-19 wasnt created in a lab. In the Fauci emails, Farrar communicated early and often. Farrar emailed Fauci about an article published on Zero Hedge. That article linked a Wuhan researcher to the virus outbreak. The two guardians of science also panicked about an article in Science magazine that brought attention to Fauci and Daszaks work at the Wuhan lab research that sought to unravel the viruss beginnings. Fauci and Farrar were concerned about a 2015 paper detailing the work of Ralph Baric and Dr. Shi from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The paper explained how they were making natural viruses that are more capable of infecting humans. Fauci marked the email important attached the gain-of-function paper, and forwarded the article to senior US officials, writing: Keep your phone on. Fauci sent the article to Farrar, saying: It is of interest to the current discussion. After the emergency correspondence, Farrar set up a teleconference with Fauci and eleven global experts, warning that their discussions were in total confidence and information was not to be shared without agreement. This led to the creation of two international pieces of authoritative propaganda that Farrar conspired to produce. This propaganda ultimately shut down any debate on the origin of SARS-CoV-2 for over a year, and formed the basis of all censorship on the matter in the scientific community, in the mainstream media, and across Big Tech. Now it is being exposed for what it is evidence of a coordinated coverup attempt on SARS-CoV-2. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Pharmaceutical company Pfizer is moving ahead with its plan to provide its Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines to younger children, including toddlers and infants as young as six months old. This despite growing reports of adverse events among teenage and young adult recipients, including heart inflammation and blood clots. On May 10, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorization for use in children between the ages of 12 and 15. The FDA is pushing for COVID-19 vaccinations for children as young as possible even though coronavirus infections are significantly less common among them. Should the rare infection occur, people under 18 years old are less likely to experience a severe illness and have a survival rate of over 99.9 percent. (Related: FDA grants Pfizer coronavirus vaccine emergency use authorization for under 16-year-olds; mass vaccinations of children may begin immediately.) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has attempted to justify the vaccination of children and scare parents into getting their kids the vaccine. The agency has stated that children infected with the coronavirus can still pass on the virus to others. Despite the statements from the FDA and the CDC about the need to vaccinate children and how safe it is, Pfizers own trials paint a different picture. Last month, the pharmaceutical corporation released a fact sheet describing the results of one of its clinical trials on children. Here, it gave COVID-19 vaccines to 12- to 15-year-olds. In the trial, 1,097 children received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and 1,078 were given a placebo. Of the children who received the vaccine, four out of five experienced side effects including fatigue, fever, joint pain, headaches and vomiting. In nearly half of these children, the side effects were considered moderate to severe. Despite the clear trial results showing the immense number of adverse effects in children, Pfizer is still pushing ahead with its trials in children. On Tuesday, June 8, the company released details showing how its experiments with kids have supposedly progressed. The company is now moving forward with another trial to study the effects of giving younger kids lower doses of the vaccine. Pfizer and its partner, German biotech company BioNTech, claim that the vaccine trials in children prevented infections and did not lead to intolerable side effects. The two companies have also admitted to conducting an early trial on 112 children between six months old and 11 years old. The children were divided into three age groups: ages five to 11, two to five and six months old to two years old. The children were then given 10, 20 or 30 micrograms of the vaccine, depending on their age group. The parents of the children in the youngest age group were also given the option to receive just three micrograms of the vaccine. Pfizer pushing ahead with larger trials on children below 12-years-old Pfizers 112-person trial pales in comparison to the larger trial it has already begun. This larger trial will cover the same three age groups Pfizer had in its previous study. It will involve 4,500 supposed volunteers from the United States, Spain, Poland and Finland. Around 3,000 of the children will receive differing amounts of the active vaccine. The remaining 1,500 children will receive a placebo, but their parents will be given the option to give the children the active vaccines if it is authorized within six months of the childrens participation. The company claims the trial will evaluate the safety of the vaccine as well as the immune response it supposedly promotes. Pfizer plans to request full federal authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine by September or October to provide the vaccine to children between the ages of five and 11. It will then ask for the same authorization for children younger than five later in the fall. Learn more about the plans of big pharma companies like Pfizer to vaccinate more children at Vaccines.news. Sources include: NaturalHealth365.com FDA.gov USAToday.com (Natural News) What was accomplished in 2020 other than the abolition of Americans constitutional rights? Not much, according to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently took some time to talk to Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, about the wreckage that has been left behind due to the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) plandemic. Rather than help save lives as they claimed to do, eugenicists Bill Gates and Tony Fauci actually launched a global genocide that is still in motion. It started with lockdowns and business closures and has since progressed to mass vaccination, the full impact of which still remains to be seen. The entire gamut of constitutional rights has been trampled on this past year in a way that we couldnt have imagined even two years ago, Kennedy explained, noting that Fauci bears much of the responsibility for all this. Tony Fauci has a $7.6 billion annual budget, and that money, $6.1 billion, comes from United States taxpayers and $1.6 billion comes from the military, and thats why he got into all of these bioweapons. Immediately after 9/11, the military started pouring money into the production of new bioweapons, even though this is illegal, Kennedy further warned. And Fauci has been there all along to see nearly every project through to completion. Watch below as Kennedy talks with the Health Ranger about these and other important issues: Fauci pretended to fund research for vaccines while actively pushing new bioweapons By categorizing his endeavors as dual use, Fauci was able to provide cover for his bioweapons endeavors by claiming they were for research involving new vaccines. It happened decades ago and it is still happening today, with the Chinese Virus being the current iteration. Along with Gates, who also has a penchant for genocide, Fauci has been sending untold millions of taxpayer dollars to China and elsewhere to be used for bioweapons research. This is also coming to light, in large part thanks to the #FauciEmails movement. Theres no knowledge thats ever come out of 20 years of him messing with this stuff that has ever helped public health, Kennedy says. And we now know that, of course, this virus almost certainly came from experiments that [Fauci] was conducting in China, and he caused this global pandemic. The reason Fauci has so much power is that his agency was supposed to be studying allergies and infectious diseases to get to the root cause of why they occur. Instead, he abused his post to conduct bioweapons research like some kind of homicidal maniac. When Fauci first started working in his current position nearly 50 years ago, the national allergy rate was only six percent. Today, it is over 54 percent, showing that Fauci has done absolutely nothing to help fix the problem and only made it worse than ever before. Since Fauci came into office, there has been an explosion of chronic disease, autoimmune disease, autism and other illnesses that never used to exist before he was installed into his position. How has he gotten away with this? When he came into office, [autism] affected one in 10,000 Americans. Today, it is one out of every 22 boys born in this country, Kennedy says. His job is to tell us why this is happening. He doesnt do that research, even though thats the research Congress told him to do, Kennedy added, revealing that the worst chronic illnesses we see today actually went epidemic not long after Fauci was installed. What he does is he took all of that money and turned his agency into an incubator for the pharmaceutical industry. More of the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) can be found at Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: Brighteon.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) In a series of comments made by numerous ANP readers on Wednesday on this ANP story, a bunch of different people pointed out they believe something very nasty is headed our way, and very soon, and possibly of the false flag variety, to complete the takedown of America while finishing the demonization of the 2nd Amendment and patriotic Americans. (Article by Stefan Stanford republished from AllNewsPipeline.com) Perfectly expressed in this comment by PROUD_2B_American who warned: The democrats have backed themselves into a corner, and to make things worse, theyre cornered with no way out.. Joe needs a distraction to get the press on something else. throughout history, we have a false flag and go to war. Problems solved, the media is 24/7 covering war THIS TIME, nothing would bring everyone of all races and religion together faster to fight the common enemy (fake or not) and they cant risk that. The pattern has always been collapse the economy, war. Theyre in a bad spot now, so theres no telling what BS plan theyre coming up with as we speak. Its coming out that they actually supported a fraud pandemic and want us dead as well as a fixed an electionthe next twin towers attack is on the horizon.. and SOON. Pray. As ANP reader outatime responded to PROUDs comment: I agree, something very bad with lots of dead folks. Anyone dare call it a scam or false flag will be demonized or literally lynched. It could also be an under the radar invasion or tet offensive type attack (internal elements deployed to finish off the so called white supremacists). And with ANP reader Battlesheeps comment on that same thread being: If you watched yesterdays Monkeywerx Situation Report you would see chartered flights bringing in MS-13?.Chinese?.Mercenaries? from Central America into southern Texas and then distributed throughout the United States to pick up their cached weapons. As the Grim Crapper responded to Battlesheep.: The time is getting Very Close for them to pull out all the stops and go full tilt boogie on us!!! Weve gone ahead and embedded that Monkeywerx Situation Report as the final video at the bottom of this story. And as Battlesheep points out, shortly after the 35 minute mark, were warned that numerous mysterious plane flights now happening all across America appear to be flying into the country enemies of America who dont have our best interests in mind at a time when guns and gun parts are going missing. (ANP NEEDS YOUR HELP: Before continuing, we wanted to thank everybody who has donated to ANP over the years. With donations and ad revenue all that keep ANP online, if youre able, please consider donating to ANP to help keep us in this fight for Americas future at this critical time in US history. During a time of systematic, big tech censorship and widespread Democrat corruption, truth-seeking media and alternative views are crucial, and EVERY little bit helps more than you could know!) As Mike Adams over at Natural News had warned back in July of 2020 in this story titled New Intel: Communist China providing automatic weapons to Antifa, Black Lives Matter, bombshell intel back then had connected some dots on an emerging pattern of violence (and a civil war attempt) from Black Lives Matter, one of the militant terrorism wings of the Democrat party, along with Antifa. Warning within that 2020 story that very strong evidence had emerged that Communist China was supplying fully auto AR-15 mods to Black Lives Matter militants in America, with a shipment of those weapons having been interdicted by Customs and Border Protection, another alarming comment made by PROUD on this ANP story warned of what might be ahead if we continue traveling down the road were on.: So, they plan on putting ANTIFA snipers on rooftops! To kills us AND cops..Barr knows.nothing to see here..move along. Sheesh, these go back to a year ago.that means theyve had the entire COVID lockdown time to organize and get ready. Wow! From this Customs and Border Control story from back in June of 2020.: LOUISVILLE, KyAt the Express Consignment Operations hubs in Louisville U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized a shipment from China that contained over 10,000 Assault Weapons parts being smuggled into the country. The shipment was seized on May 22. Officers inspected the item, which was arriving from Shenzhen, China, destined for a residence in Melbourne, Florida. The parcel was manifested as containing 100 Steel Pin Samples. This is a common practice of smugglers manifesting the contraband as a harmless or a legitimate commodity in hopes of eluding further examination. The importing of any type of munitions is regulated by the ATF, said Thomas Mahn, Port Director, Louisville. This smuggler was knowingly trying to avoid detection, however, our officers remain vigilant, ensuring our community is safe. So while the left continues to attempt to demonize white and patriotic Americans in 2021, teaching critical race theory to dumb down the young and still impressionable while using big tech, the mainstream media and their own leftist politicians to pass on their message of hatred, even one black Professor from Columbia University recently called out those pushing critical race theory as pushing the new racial hatred. So with many different ANP readers all getting the feeling that something nasty this way comes, and Democrats/globalists growing more and more desperate every day to complete the demonization of anyone who puts America first, with their war upon the Stars and Stripes the latest sign of their insanity as Susan Duclos had pointed out in this June 9th ANP story, we serve our families, loved ones and the future of America best by being prepared for anything in these days. With this 2019 NPR story reporting Customs Agents had also made an unusual seizure of nearly 53,000 Chinese gun parts in California back in 2019 more solid proof that the Florida seizure of Chinese made weapons wasnt just a blip on the radar, we also cant forget that under Barack Obama, the ATF lost well over 1,000 weapons in the Fast and Furious gun running scandal. And with Joe Biden and Democrats attempting to transform America into a socialist hellhole in 2021, are enemies of America within and/or without now arming Antifa, BLM and other radical leftist groups for a coming showdown in Americas future? While well pray for peace in our country greatly in need of it following the Covid lockdowns, its long been warned: If you want peace, prepare for war. In the 1st video below, Jesse Lee Peterson warns Infowars that Democrats are pushing to destroy America with their utterly false critical race theory ushering in a new era of hatred for America, hatred coming from Democrats towards anybody who doesnt push their message of hatred. While in the 2nd video below, Dr. Reiner Fuellmich warns that the globalists had planned out Covid for a decade, pushing America and the world closer to our own destruction. And as mentioned previously, in the final video below we get a SITREP for flights in America, including the warning that it appears that weaponry and mercenaries may be being flown into the country. Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com (Natural News) A 21-year-old New Jersey student suffered severe heart inflammation after receiving his second dose of Modernas COVID vaccine. Justin Harrington, whose school required him to get the vaccine in order to attend classes in the fall, experienced flu-like symptoms followed by heart pain within eight to 12 hours of receiving the vaccine. (Article by Megan Redshaw republished from ChildrensHealthDefense.org) In an exclusive interview with The Defender, Justins father, Timothy Harrington, said his son felt different after the second shot. Every time his heart beat it hurt and he felt pressure, Harrington said. Then he developed heart pain down both arms. Harrington said his son, who has no underlying medical conditions, did not experience heart pain with his first dose of the vaccine. On May 24, two days after Justin received the second shot, his father took him to the emergency room at Morristown Memorial Hospital because the symptoms had worsened. The physicians werent connecting it to the vaccine until I informed the doctors my son just got the vaccine, and shared with them the information I had found on myocarditis, Harrington said. I didnt think the doctors were stupid, but physicians sometimes see with blinders on. Physicians checked Justins blood levels, which showed high protein numbers. Abnormal scans, including an EKG, led to a diagnosis of myocarditis. Justin was hospitalized for three days while doctors attempted to get the condition under control. Harrington said even though his son has been released, he still has chest pain and his life is not the same. He has to wear a heart monitor and take four different medications for six months, Harrington said. He has to sleep propped up, cant exert himself and hes missing out on one of the most important times of his life. Harrington said his son is supposed to be doing internships, but how can he go out and find a company to work with him when he cant exert himself? Hes so smart and now hes side-lined. Doctors want my son to lie around for three to four months. As for Justins recovery, Harrington said, He has minor scarring on his heart and doctors hope they caught it early enough that there will be no other issues but its pure conjecture at this point. Schools mandate doesnt allow exceptions for students who already had COVID After Justins diagnosis, doctors recommended Harringtons 19-year-old son, who received one dose of the Moderna vaccine, not get the second shot. However, both sons were told they needed to get vaccinated in order to attend school despite both previously having had COVID, Harrington said. As The Defender reported last week, a new preprint study by the Cleveland Clinic found people previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 were less likely to be reinfected than fully vaccinated individuals who never had the virus suggesting the vaccine is of no benefit to people who already had COVID. In addition to the vaccine likely providing no benefit to those who already had the virus, studies suggest people who were previously infected with COVID are more at risk of severe adverse reactions. As The Defender reported earlier this year, some experts say the science to support vaccinating those primed with COVID doesnt exist and theres a potential risk of harm, including death, in vaccinating those whove already had the disease or who were recently infected. Still, many colleges and universities including the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) where Justin is enrolled are mandating the vaccines for all students, with few or no exceptions. Justins a rule follower and he was pressured to get it, Harrington said. Harrington said when he called the dean of NJIT prior to his son getting vaccinated and asked why the school is forcing young people who are at little risk of serious illness from COVID to get the vaccine, the dean replied that unless his son had a valid medical or religious exemption, it was a requirement. I am not anti-vax,' Harrington said. I am anti-forced-vaxxed. Theyre forcing these kids to get a vaccine even though theyre not affected by COVID or have already had it. According to Justin, he reported his myocarditis to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), but no one from the agency followed up. Justin said he would absolutely not recommend anyone get vaccinated, as he does not want this to happen to any of his friends. Im not here to bash Moderna, but I wouldnt take it, he said. Harrington said he also knows of a girl who had to have a heart transplant after being vaccinated and believes his sons condition could have been even more severe if he hadnt reached him in time. According to WLWT 5 News, 19-year-old Simone Scott underwent a heart transplant one month after suffering a heart complication from her second dose of Moderna and subsequently passed away. Simone Scott underwent a heart transplant one month after developing what her doctors believe was myocarditis following her second dose of Moderna. She received the second vaccine May 1 and died June 11. SUBSCRIBE to #TheDefender: https://t.co/zL66Edfiw5https://t.co/Ne1lq7CLsi Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) June 15, 2021 Moderna denies link between vaccine and heart inflammation As recently as last week, Moderna said it has not found a link between its COVID vaccine and cases of a rare heart inflammation condition reported in young people who have received the shot. The vaccine maker said in a statement it arrived at this conclusion after carefully reviewing available safety data to date for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for cases of myocarditis and/or pericarditis. The CDC said during a June 10 meeting of the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee the agency had identified 226 reports of heart inflammation that might meet its working case definition of myocarditis and pericarditis following the shots, The Defender reported last week. According to the CDC, a total of 475 cases of myocarditis or pericarditis were recorded in patients 30 and younger who received an mRNA vaccine. The median age of people with myocarditis or pericarditis following the first dose was 30, and after the second-dose, 24. Moderna said it will continue to closely monitor these reports and is actively working with public health and regulatory authorities to further assess this issue. We clearly have an imbalance there, said Dr. Tom Shimabukuro of the CDCs Immunization Safety Office during the June 10 FDA meeting. The committee met to discuss safety issues surrounding the use of COVID vaccines in children as young as 6 months old. The CDC has scheduled an emergency meeting of its advisers on June 18 to discuss higher-than-expected reports of heart inflammation following doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines. Childrens Health Defense asks anyone who has experienced an adverse reaction, to any vaccine, to file a report following these three steps. Read more at: ChildrensHealthDefense.org and ChemicalViolence.com (Natural News) To ingest is to swallow or absorb food or chemicals into the body. Daily, we ingest hundreds, if not thousands, of substances that the body does not want, need or use at all, so our cleansing organs must differentiate and properly dispose of the waste. But theres a problem. Most Americans completely and utterly OVERLOAD their system with toxins, including heavy metals, pesticides, lab-mutated viruses, genetically modified bacteria, chemical cleansing agents and synthetic medications that overwhelm our filtering organs. Top 5 toxins Americans are ingesting right now, leading to misery and premature expiration #1. Covid-19 vaccines #2. CDC advice #3. Canola oil and other GMOs #4. Fluoride #5. Prescription medications From everything you put on your skin, to everything you breathe in at your home and office, right on down to vaccines you get jabbed into your muscle tissue, your body is ingesting and absorbing too much poison. Its time to cleanse. Cleanse of these chemical-laden foods. Cleanse of these chemical-laden medicines. Say no to gene-manipulating, blood-clotting vaccines. These vaccines are dangerous. Period. Case in point: An Oracle engineer who designed the CDCs Covid tracking system supposedly died from Covid just 2 months after getting his Covid-19 vaccine, which would prove the vaccine doesnt work. But what if he died from the vaccine, and not Covid? Has anyone thought about that yet? After all, MSM and the Vaccine Industrial Complex would surely lie if that is the case. They are in bed together and control all of the Covid-19 media messages and legislation coming out. Thats exactly why the CDCs advice is considered toxic. Americans who watch fake news networks and read fake news websites are conned into believing its viable medicine and treatment to get vaccinated or dosed up with chemotherapy. They believe its their only choice, since all these doctors slinging it went to medical school for 8 years to study it all. That doesnt prove it works or is sustainable, now does it? Big Pharma OWNS the media and dictates exactly what is said by all, from the top national networks on down to the bloody little lying newspapers. Shills and more shills. They even unduly influence the medical schools. Science is now proving that the Covid-19 mRNA and viral vector vaccines are causing blood clots in the brain, lungs and other vital organs. The CDC is dead wrong and they know it, but they push the propaganda and the fear-based inoculations (not science-based) like theres no tomorrow trying to get people jabbed with lab-mutated genes. The CDC is turning covid vaccine victims into toxin-creating machines that cant dispose of the waste (proteins and prions that clog the blood). Ever heard of a gene gun before? Getting the Covid vaccine is like playing Russian Roulette. Canola oil is the devil of foods, because its not food at all There IS NO canola plant, folks. It just doesnt exist. Its rapeseed oil, renamed, and with less acid-based insecticide. Plus, canola oil congeals and coagulates in your blood, causing immediate weight gain, memory loss, and increased heart work. Youll find canola in almost all processed foods because it never spoils, so they mix it into salad dressings, cakes, chips, cookies, frozen prepped meals, and the list goes on forever. Check every label and NEVER buy or eat canola oil. Fluoride and bleach are toxic to your cleansing organs, your cells, your gut, your brain Tap water contains chemicals to clean it, but they clean you too, with poison that depletes nutrients, lowers IQ and feeds cancer. Fluoride in tap water is why so many senior citizens suffer from brittle bones, broken hips, bone marrow cancer and a calcified pineal gland. Watch this brilliant behind-the-scenes look at insidious water fluoridation: Prescription medications are toxic to your health Ask yourself: Why are Americans who take prescription medications daily among the sickest people in the country? They never get better. They never come off the medications, their doctors just switch them around, increase or decrease dosages, and add on new recommended ones (which means they get free front row tickets to the big events from their pharma reps). Also ask yourself: Why arent there any prescription medications where the side effects arent WORSE than the condition being treated? Natural supplements and superfoods dont come with all these insane warnings, side effects, adverse events and death, so whats the deal with every prescription drug ever sold? Visit CovidVaccineReactions.com if you already got a toxic Covid jab or two, including mRNA or viral vector, and you are experiencing side effects, blood clots, adverse events, blindness, deafness or dementia. Then tune your internet frequency to Pandemic.news for updates on these crimes against humanity being delivered under the guise of inoculation. Sources for this article include: Pandemic.news NaturalNews.com TruthWiki.org Globaljustice.org.uk NOQreport.com (Natural News) The digital security of computer networks controlling the machines that produce and distribute water and power in the U.S. is woefully inadequate. Operators and regulators have placed a low priority on keeping these systems secure, posing a terrifying threat to national security. It only took six hours for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to be hacked back in 2018. Early this year, an intruder lurked in hundreds of computers related to water systems across the U.S. In Portland, Oregon, burglars installed malicious computers onto a grid providing power to a chunk of the Northwest. On February 5, a hacker gained access to the computer controlling the chemical levels at a water treatment plant in Oldsmar, Florida. They then tried to adjust the levels of sodium hydroxide in the plant. In small quantities, sodium hydroxide helps sanitize water safely. But in larger quantities, it can be fatal. According to Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, the hacker successfully increased the sodium hydroxide level from 100 parts per million (ppm) to 11,100 ppm. Fortunately, an operator witnessed the breach as it was taking place and returned the chemical level to its appropriate setting. The water was subsequently tested to validate its safety. If we have a new world war tomorrow and have to worry about protecting infrastructure against a cyberattack from Russia or China, then no, I dont think were where wed like to be, said Andrea Carcano, co-founder of Nozomi Networks, a control system security company. Technology systems in critical infrastructure too old for cybersecurity tools In the last few months, hackers working for profit have targeted companies running operational networks like the Colonial Pipeline fuel system. They infected the pipelines information technology systems with ransomware, forcing its owner to stop the flow of 2.5 million barrels a day of petroleum products. Much of the technology systems in critical infrastructure are too old for sophisticated cybersecurity tools. Network administrators fear that a push to digitize critical infrastructure may increase a networks exposure to hackers, said Carcano. Digitization has enabled industrial companies and utilities to increase efficiency with greater oversight and control of their sprawling operations, which in the case of the Colonial Pipeline extends 5,500 miles through a network branching from Texas to New Jersey. But vulnerabilities in office IT systems can offer entry points for hackers to later go after control systems. I think what happened [to Colonial] is the most likely model for what is ahead of us, said Chris Williams, cyber solution architect at Capgemini North America. (Related: More than 15,000 gas stations ran out of fuel in just a few days after Colonial Pipeline cyberattack: Are you prepared for the big one?) Standards for American pipeline infrastructure are set by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the government agency in charge of airport screenings that has been traditionally understaffed and underfunded. TSA had just six full-time staff members dealing with pipeline security until last year. That number has since increased to 34. According to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Commissioner Neil Chatterjee, responsibility should be stripped from the TSA and shifted to the Department of Energy (DOE). I was worried about the economic and national security implications of such an attack and were seeing that in real-time with what happened with Colonial, he said. A criminal investigation in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Secret Service had been initiated. President Joe Biden has taken steps to tighten cybersecurity. On May 12, Biden signed an executive order aimed at strengthening the countrys cybersecurity defenses. The presidents executive order calls for the federal government and private sector to partner in confronting persistent and increasingly sophisticated malicious cyber campaigns that threaten national security. Calling the Colonial Pipeline hack a stark reminder of the need to harden critical infrastructure, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said last month that in the face of an evolving array of 21st-century risks, we have to rethink our approach to security, and to reassess the authorities that we can bring to bear during these kinds of emergencies. Government needs to be proactive in battle against cybercriminals The government tends to be passive when theres no actual damage from cyberattack. Take the case of ONE Gas Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma as an example. Niyo Pearson was overseeing cybersecurity there in January 2020 when his team was alerted to malware trying to enter its operational system the side that controls natural gas traffic across Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. For two days, his team was in a dogfight with the hackers who moved laterally across the network. Ultimately, Pearsons team managed to expel the intruders. When Richard Robinson at Cynalytica fed the corrupted files into his own identification program, ONE Gas learned it was dealing with malware capable of executing ransomware. Pearson tried to bring the data to the FBI but it would only accept it on a compact disc, he said. His system couldnt burn the data onto a CD. When he alerted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and sent it through a secure portal, he never heard back from the agency. Robinson gave a presentation to the DHS, the DOE, the Department of Defense and the intelligence community on a conference call. He never heard back either. We got zero, and thats what was really surprising, Robinson said. Not a single individual reached back out to find out more about what happened to ONE Gas. Follow CyberWar.news for more news and information related to cyberattacks. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com CSHub.com CNBC.com (Natural News) A study by scientists from the University of Oxford found that wet markets in the Chinese city of Wuhan did not sell any bats or pangolins. Data analyzed from 2017 to November 2019 found that four wet markets traded almost 50,000 animals from 38 species with nary of the two animals recorded. While the study noted that the markets did not sell bats or pangolins, other animals neglected and kept in filthy cages provided avenues for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) to jump from animals to humans. The June 7 study published in Scientific Reports said that thousands of animals traded in Wuhans wet markets were capable of hosting a wide range of infectious zoonotic diseases or disease-bearing parasites. However, the study authors found no evidence of bats of pangolins kept at the markets. This led them to conclude that both animals frequently blamed for COVID-19 were not the likely spillover host at the source of the coronavirus. Study author Chris Newman told the Daily Mail: Some of these species are known to host a variety of diseases. A few have subsequently been identified as competent hosts of COVID-19, but the main suspected spillover hosts namely bats and pangolins were not for sale in these markets. He added that the data in their study cannot determine how humans managed to contract COVID-19 from animals. Study co-author David Macdonald meanwhile said: The creatures [in the Wuhan markets] were sold for huge sums. This is not subsistence bushmeat, but a costly delicacy. According to him, meat from the marmot (Marmota himalayana) fetched five times the cost of pork at more than $25 per kilogram. Racoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides), hog badgers (Arctonyx albogularis) and sand badgers (Meles leucurus) fetched between $15 and $20 per kilogram. The Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) sold for $56 each, while the sharp-nosed pit viper (Deinagkistrodon acutus) sold for $70 per kilogram. Filthy cages, unsanitary conditions helped virus jump from animals to humans The Oxford scientists zoomed in on four markets in Wuhan the Qiyimen live animal market, Dijiao outdoor pet market, the Baishazhou Agricultural Products Market and the Huanan Seafood Market. A number of reports mentioned the Huanan wet market as the site where the first COVID-19 infections were reported. Incidentally, the market is located a few miles from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) where scientists were working on bat coronaviruses prior to the pandemic. The WIV laboratory is one of only a few in the world cleared to handle dangerous viruses that pose a high risk of transmitting from person to person. The researchers counted seven shops purveying wild animals at the Huanan market. They also found two such shops at Baishazhou, and four at both the Dijiao and Qiyimen markets. They noted that almost all animals at the four markets were sold alive, caged, stacked and in poor condition. Most stores also provided onsite butchering with the researchers noting its considerable implications for food hygiene and animal welfare. Furthermore, they observed that approximately 30 percent of animals in the wet markets they examined had suffered wounds from gunshots or traps. (Related: CORONAVIRUS: Is China paying the price for extreme animal cruelty?) While 13 of the 17 stores in the four wet markets had the necessary permits from the Wuhan Forestry Bureau allowing them to sell legitimate wild animals, the remaining four had none. The permits enabled them to purvey different species such as the Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis), common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) and the Amur hedgehog (Erinaceus amurensis) for food. The authors attributed this rampant sale of wild animals to inconsistent enforcement of laws protecting wildlife which fostered a nonchalant disregard for wildlife exploitation. Meanwhile, China said it has since cracked down on these markets by outlawing the sale of live animals. The study cited a January 2020 mandate by the Chinese government banning the sale of wild animals in their products in online and offline marketplaces until the end of the pandemic. The next month, the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee implemented a permanent ban on the trade and consumption of terrestrial wild animals for food. The government of Hubei province where Wuhan is located announced in April 2020 that the sale of live wild animals and poultry will be strictly forbidden as markets in the city reopened. But despite the ban, people still headed to the markets to buy live animals such as fishes, frogs and turtles more than a year after the first cases were recorded. Macdonald thus warned: With these huge concentrations of diverse species under one roof, it would seem but a matter of time before some unwelcome disease might skip into the human population. (Related: CHINAs own scientists conclude the CoVid-19 coronavirus did not originate in the Wuhan seafood market.) Visit Pandemic.news to read more stories about the city of Wuhan the ground zero of COVID-19. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk Nature.com NEW CANAAN First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said he wants to use the $6 million anticipated from American Rescue Plan Relief Funds to meet the needs of the local community, while his fellow Republican selectman focused on the towns lost revenue. The funds are part of the $350 billion targeted for relief for municipalities nationwide as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue plan, CFO Lunda Asmani explained to the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, June 15. Moynihan said he plans to meet with the Community Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce to discuss what the needs of the community are. He also said he wants to discuss it with Town Council on Wednesday, June 16. Selectman Nick Williams emphasized keeping the money in the town coffers to make up for revenue the town lost during the pandemic such as from parking, recreational programming that was canceled and Playhouse rent income. The town lost rent income after the marquees went blank in December when the Bow Tie Cinema name was removed on Elm Street after the movie company pulled out. There is a sense that some of this money should go to some of the losses or needs of the community, Moynihan said. The state has already received the funding and the town expects to get roughly $6 million in two large payments, nearly $3 million by June 30 and the remainder within the next 12 months, Asmani said. Asmani reviewed the criteria for using the money from the rescue act. The funds can be used for beefing up the public health response and pandemic mitigation; addressing negative economic impact; to pay premiums to essential workers, and replace lost revenue by the town. The money can also be used for investments in public water, sewer and broadband infrastructure moving forward. Asmani explained the federal formula to determine how municipalities calculate lost revenue. First, the town takes the amount of revenue received in fiscal 2019, add to that 4.1 percent of that number and then subtract what revenue that was reaped in 2020. The remaining number gives the total revenue loss the town can claim. Asmani said he did not know how the 4.1 percent was determined. He checked with other communities how they are going about their. Some communities determine how to allocate the funds by creating task forces to review the needs in the community for the money, Asmani said. Other towns are conducting it like a budget process, Asmani said. The town has until Dec. 31, 2024 to spend and report use of the funds, the CFO said. Williams said the town may be experiencing a long-term loss of parking revenue, since more people are working at home. We dont know what the result will be in terms of usage, he said. Asmani said the advantage of applying rescue funds to loss revenue is that they go back to the general fund. Then the town can spend it on any preferred projects without federal restrictions, since you already met the restrictions of replenishing lost revenue, Asmani said. Moynihan said that the town cannot use the funds to reduce your taxes. Selectman Kathleen Corbet and Moynihan agreed the rescue money is being given to municipalities to spend, not to be kept in the general fund. Williams wanted to re-emphasize making a reasonable determination of what we expect the long-term reduction to the town is going to be, Williams said We could face material reductions in revenue for parking for years, Williams said. We could see half of parking lots filled for the next 10 to 20 years. He continued. I am supportive of new programs to the extent that they are right place, right time. I do want to make sure that we recognize the fact this pandemic has caused reduction in revenue, Williams made clear. He wants to apply the funds to the those losses first, before we support new programs. Corbet did not believe reduction in parking revenue in the future could be attributed to the pandemic. In time, the decline in revenue would no longer be related to pandemic but instead a change in culture in terms of what employers let their employees do, Corbet said. The first selectman plans to meet with Lauren Patterson, president and CEO of the New Canaan Community Foundation, which helps collect funds for a variety of charities in New Canaan. The foundation website reads: We are still in need of support for our COVID-19 Response Fund to help us respond to local needs due to the pandemic. Support touches basic needs like food, utility and rental assistance, child care, and the increased behavioral health. Board of Education rescue funds will be issued to the town separately. Though the academic year was wrought with the challenges of a worldwide pandemic, the graduates of New Canaan High School 2021 were gifted with a glorious blue sky for their graduation ceremony at Dunning Field on June 16. The sunshine held after the traditional ceremony on campus, when the graduates hopped into their vehicles and celebrated with a car parade through Waveny Park. As school and town officials urged the students that they should keep what they learned during the health crisis, they also told them they were proud of how they faced difficulties. (There are) a million things Ive learned in the last 16 months but, as I think about it, who am I to give you advice? Superintendent Bryan Luizzi told the graduates. Individually and as a class you have thrived in a pandemic. You have faced and conquered challenges that previous generations, previous graduating classes, could never have dreamed, Luizzi said. You are an inspiration to me and my colleagues. The last 15 months, you all handled it with good humor, resiliency and I couldnt be more proud of you, Lawrence Sullivan, administrator for the Class of 2021 told the graduates. Class President Ian Nicholas praised New Canaan. The biggest thank you goes to the community of New Canaan, he said. This town has always had my back. He urged his classmates to keep your friends close and your aspirations closer. Alexandra Kurz, student body president, looked at the years experience positively. You can argue that we have had a lot of things stripped from us in the past 14 months, Kurz said. But I think it has brought us so much closer together. It is hard not to have high school memories blurred by the pandemic, she added. But memories made post-quarantine are what I am going to cherish forever. Coming back to school this fall was a serotonin rush that nothing could ever compare to. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan urged graduates to retain what they learned during the COVID-19 crisis. You have reached this milestone in your life after enduring the most disruptive of times, Moynihan said. He emphasized being kind. Our New Canaan community succeeded in dealing with the historic pandemic because our residents and our students cared for each other. Our nation and our local communities need you to be kind and care for your neighbors and fellow citizens, the first selectman told the graduates. High School Principal William Egan kept with the theme of resilience. Tough times dont last, but tough people do, Egan said, complimenting the lot. He shared reasons why some people weather a storm much better than others, saying gratitude is a key. We develop gratitude like a muscle, Egan said. Consciously, cultivating an attitude of gratitude, builds up a sort of psychological immune system that can cushion us when we fall. There is scientific evidence that grateful people are more resilient to stress. Luizzi thanked his staff and faculty. He also talked about how Moynihan and him met every morning at 8 a.m. to coordinate town and school efforts. Graduates said the year was mixed. It was a mix of up and down, Michael Rivas, Class of 2021, said it was a challenge, but he worked harder than before to keep my grades up and was happy with the progress he made with piano, violin and school work. It was eclectic, graduate Hannah Moore said. (There have been) been a lot of ups and downs, but it came together in the end to be something special. A great year, graduate Lila Brennan said. The New Canaan High School String Nonet played the Beatles song Yesterday at the ceremony. The Irish Blessing was sung by New Canaan High School choir members. The recession from Lambs to Rams: Tribute to Class of 2021 was composed by graduate William Haddad and mixed by fellow graduate Ian Rocha. Contributed photo The New Canaan YMCA recently hosted a ForeverWell welcome back breakfast event on Tuesday, June 8, where members of the Y enjoyed food, refreshments and caught up with friends, while having the chance to meet the New Canaan Ys new CEO, Margaret Riley. During the COVID-19 pandemic, New Canaan YMCA volunteers kept in contact with participants through weekly calls and grocery shopping assistance, and are thrilled to bring the program back into the Y, the social services organization told Hearst Connecticut Media. New Castle, PA (16103) Today Showers this morning then scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 69F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. FRANKFURT, TOKYO, GENEVA 16 June 2021 Frequent flyer program customers of Star Alliance member airlines will soon be able to use their biometric identity across any participating airline at any participating airport following a new agreement between the world's largest airline alliance, NEC Corporation and SITA. The agreement announced today is aimed at accelerating the availability of biometric self-service touchpoints across Star Alliance's member airlines while delivering a faster, touchless airport experience. Connecting to SITA`s Smart Path solution, the Star Alliance Biometrics platform will be able to use SITA's shared airport infrastructure already available in more than 460 airports. Together with SITA and NEC's global presence, multiple biometric projects can be delivered in parallel, speeding up the availability of biometric passenger processing to Star Alliance's member airlines globally. This will be vital in enabling Star Alliance to deploy biometrics faster. A further advantage is the NEC I:Delight platform which allows passengers who have opted to use the service to be identified quickly and with a high-degree of accuracy, even on the move can be easily integrated with SITA Smart Path. The I:Delight platform is also able to recognize passengers even when wearing a mask, an increasingly important feature for travel during the current pandemic. The platform is already in use by Star Alliance member airlines at several airports in Europe. Uniquely, passengers using Star Alliance's Biometric platform enroll only once. Passengers then can pass through biometrically enabled touchpoints across multiple member airlines and participating airports using just their face as their boarding pass. This speeds up the passage through the airport while making the each step completely touchless, supporting important health and hygiene safety measures in times of COVID-19 and delivering on Star Alliances' vision of a seamless customer experience. Jeffrey Goh, CEO of Star Alliance, said: This agreement is instrumental in bringing further scale to our biometrics service, with the inherent benefits of speed and meeting customer expectations for a more touchless and hygienically safer experience across all of our member airlines. Biometrics is a key element of that experience and our strategy of leading the way in digitalizing the passenger journey." Barbara Dalibard, CEO SITA, said: Together with NEC, SITA is pleased to be supporting Star Alliance in bringing the full benefits of biometric identity to their member airlines. Passengers have long welcomed the advantages of control and speed automation brings to the passenger journey; a trend that has been accelerated by COVID-19. With this agreement the benefits of biometric identity will be extended from a single airline or journey to a vast network of airlines. That is truly unique and demonstrates the benefits digital identity can bring to the passenger." Masakazu Yamashina, Executive Vice President, NEC Corporation said: "NEC is honored to join this three party partnership with Star Alliance and SITA. While the impact of COVID-19 continues, we are pleased to lead the creation of seamless and touchless travel. NEC is committed to providing a safe and comfortable customer experience through our NEC I:Delight identity management solution." Watch the announcement of the partnership here Newburyport, MA (01950) Today A steady rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. Cooler. High 63F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 58F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. By PTI NEW DELHI: Walmart-owned Flipkart on Wednesday said it has set up a new fulfilment centre (warehouse) in West Bengal, its second-largest in the state, that will help in creating nearly 3,500 direct jobs. Spread across an area of over 2.2 lakh sq ft, the new facility in Dankuni will cater to the needs of Flipkart and Myntra customers in the region and bolster the e-commerce major's efforts to ramps up supply chain infrastructure in the eastern part of the country. The facility will also help thousands of sellers offer a wider selection and enable faster deliveries of customer orders within the region and neighbouring states while also helping create national market access, according to a statement. Unlike traditional warehouses, fulfilment centres are equipped with highly automated pick, pack and shipping processes to facilitate safe and timely processing of orders. "The new fulfilment centre (FC) will augment Flipkart's capabilities to cater to more consumers, including millions of first-time e-commerce users in the East. "With the addition of this new facility in Dankuni, Flipkart now has more than 10 lakh sq ft of warehousing space in the state alone and employs over 50,000 people across all these facilities," the statement said. This is in addition to lakhs of square feet of warehousing assets from partner brands and engagement with over 9,300 Kirana delivery partners and 10,000 sellers from the region. Over 52 per cent of Flipkart's consumers are from tier-II and beyond cities. West Bengal Secretary Industry Commerce and Enterprises Vandana Yadav said, "We are committed to the growth of the region and the businesses here by creating conducive policies and providing all possible support for their growth. " She added that Flipkart's continued investment in the state is a testament to the enabling environment the state has helped create not just job opportunities but the safe way of deliveries for the consumers. Flipkart Senior Vice-President (Supply Chain) Hemant Badri said the company is strengthening its supply chain presence in West Bengal, and the latest expansion will help support small and medium businesses from the state while creating thousands of employment opportunities. "E-commerce has helped serve citizens with a safe and sanitised supply chain and we will continue to serve the ecosystem including lakhs of sellers, MSMEs, kirana partners, millions of consumers and thousands of brands that we work with," he added. Flipkart has seven FCs in West Bengal, with a total area spread across 10 lakh sq ft and 152 delivery hubs. The state has the 10th largest seller base with 10,000 sellers. E-commerce has seen strong growth in the country amid the pandemic as containment measures introduced millions to the convenience of online shopping, and prompted seasoned online shoppers to buy more. Social distancing compulsions, massive smartphone base and reliable broadband have galvanised e-commerce uptake beyond metros, deep into smaller cities and towns. E-commerce platforms are ramping up capacities and hiring to cater to the growth in order volumes. Flipkart is reportedly in talks with various investors, including SoftBank and ADQ, for raising about USD 3 billion funding, a transaction that could value the e-commerce giant at USD 35-40 billion. By PTI BENGALURU: Information technology (IT) industry veteran T V Mohandas Pai on Wednesday urged the government to penalise Twitter for non-compliance with Intermediary Guidelines and alleged that the microblogging platform has become ideological, biased and is no longer neutral. The government should enforce the Rule of Law and penalise Twitter for non-compliance, the former Chief Financial Officer of IT major Infosys said, adding, there is no need for the government to "request compliance". "Almost all companies have complied and there is nothing special about Twitter or any company. The sovereignty and laws of India are more important than any MNC," Pai told PTI. Stating that enough time has been given to everybody for compliance, he alleged that Twitter has become "very ideological and biased and is no longer the neutral platform which so many admired when it started." The government, he stressed, should also make sure that India is no longer at the mercy of global tech monopolies by promoting competition and having open fair regulations protecting consumers. "Today, all citizens are at the mercy of the tyrannical one-sided attitudes of these global tech monopolies," he claimed. "When Indian companies operate globally they obey the laws of that country and there is no reason why India should be soft on these non-compliant MNCs. All are equal under the law." IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said earlier on Wednesday that Twitter failed to comply with intermediary guidelines and has "deliberately" chosen the path of non-compliance despite being granted multiple opportunities. Lashing out at the micro-blogging platform over non- compliance, Prasad said that it is "astounding" that Twitter that portrays itself as the flag-bearer of free speech, chooses the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to the Intermediary Guidelines. "There are numerous queries arising as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbour provision. However, the simple fact of the matter is that Twitter has failed to comply with the Intermediary Guidelines that came into effect from the May 26," Prasad said in a series of posts on homegrown microblogging platform Koo. The Minister also tweeted on the issue. By PTI NEW DELHI: Companies owned by fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi have allegedly siphoned off over Rs 6,344. 96 crore from the Punjab National Bank (PNB) using fraudulent letters of undertaking and foreign letters of credit, a CBI investigation into the scam has detected. The findings were submitted by the CBI in a supplementary chargesheet filed before a special court in Mumbai last week, where the agency said the PNB was conned by its employees who were allegedly hand in gloves with Choksi and his company executives and who facilitated the scam as part of a criminal conspiracy. The PNB officials at the bank's Brady House branch in Mumbai issued 165 letters of undertaking (LoUs) and 58 foreign letters of credit (FLCs) during March-April 2017, against which 311 bills were discounted. These LoUs and FLCs were allegedly issued to Choksi's firms without any sanctioned limit or cash margin and without making entries in the bank's central banking system to evade any scrutiny in case of a default. LoUs are a guarantee given by a bank on behalf of its client to a foreign bank. If the client does not repay to the foreign bank, the liability falls on the guarantor bank. "Since the accused companies did not repay the amount availed against the said fraudulent LoUs and FLCs, the PNB made the payment of Rs 6,344.97 crore (USD 965. 18 million), including the overdue interest, to the overseas banks, which had advanced buyer's credit and discounted the bills against the fraudulent LoUs and FLCs issued by the PNB," the CBI's supplementary chargesheet has alleged. The PNB had accused Choksi of duping it to the tune of Rs 7,080 crore. CBI officials said the matter is still under investigation and the final figures of loss suffered by the bank can only be determined once all the LoUs are examined and the probe is complete. In addition to the 18 accused named in the first chargesheet, the agency has named four new accused in its supplementary report, including the former international head of the Gitanjali Group of Companies, Sunil Verma, two PNB officials -- single-window operator Sagar Sawant and AGM Sanjay Prasad -- and a director of the Gili and the Nakshtra brands under the group, Dhanesh Sheth. The supplementary chargesheet, filed more than three years after the first chargesheet in the case against Choksi and his companies, coincides with the legal proceedings against the fugitive diamantaire in a court of Dominica, where he was arrested for "illegal entry" on May 24 after his mysterious disappearance from neighbouring Antigua and Barbuda. "This supplementary chargesheet after three years shows that it is only an attempt to cover up anomalies that the defence had pointed out in the first chargesheet. Moreover, the addition of section 201 of the IPC for destruction of evidence is not legally tenable as a document becomes evidence only after its filing in the court and the allegations are of a period much prior to the FIR," Choksi's lawyer Vijay Aggarwal said. Choksi was living in Antigua and Barbuda since 2018, after he fled India in the first week of January that year, weeks before the scam was reported. The diamantaire and his nephew, Nirav Modi, have allegedly siphoned off over Rs 13,000 crore of public money from the PNB using LoUs and FLCs by bribing officials of the bank's Brady House branch. The agency has slapped charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, breach of trust, disappearance of evidence, falsification of accounts, bribery and criminal misconduct by public servant in its supplementary chargesheet. The CBI investigation has found that accused PNB official Gokulnath Shetty, in a conspiracy with Choksi, had in an "unauthorised" manner issued 165 LoUs from the PNB's Brady House branch between March 1, 2017 and April 29, 2017 on behalf of Gitanjali Gems (113 LoUs), Gili India Limited (35 LoUs) and Nakshatra Brands (17 LoUs) -- all accused firms -- the chargesheet has alleged. The purpose of this trade transaction was shown as purchasing fresh water pearls from Shanyao Gong Si Limited and 4Cs Diamond Distributors, both based in Hong Kong, the CBI has said. It has found that the accused companies availed 142 buyer's credit amounting to Rs 3,011.38 crore and did not make payments on the due date "wilfully", causing loss to the bank and corresponding profits to themselves. It is alleged that Choksi and Modi used the mechanism to get credit from foreign banks, which was not repaid, bringing a liability of over Rs 13,000 crore on the PNB. The investigation has further revealed that the fraud was allegedly perpetrated despite circulars issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which was in the knowledge of senior PNB officials. Further, the PNB officials did not implement the circulars and caution notices issued by the RBI regarding safeguarding the SWIFT (international banking messaging system) operations and instead, misrepresented the factual situation to the RBI, the agency has alleged. Sahaya Novinston Lobo By Express News Service CHENNAI: The Central Crime Branch of the Chennai Police on Wednesday arrested PUBG gamer Madhan Kumar Manikkam's wife Kruthika. While Madhan is still absconding, police said they have arrested Kruthika because it was found during investigation that it was she who often conversed with Madhan in foul language in the videos. The police on Tuesday registered a case against the PUBG gamer on charges of using obscene language in his gaming videos that were uploaded in YouTube also. The police alleged that they have received over 100 complaints from different localities and had registered cases under five different sections of IPC, Information Technology Act and Women Representation Act. ALSO READ | PUBG gamer Madhan absconding after summoned for enquiry: Chennai Police The Chennai police on Wednesday arrested 26-year-old Kruthika from their residence in Salem. Sources said that she was brought to Chennai along with Madhan's father and brother. Police sources also said she was being interrogated and will be later produced before a court. A police officer privy to the case said, "They did this to make the channel popular. Kruthika is also the admin of the channel and uploaded the videos on YouTube." Police also added that Madhan and Kruthika are engineering graduates and have completed Electronics and Communications Engineering. Native of Salem, Madan is a full-time YouTuber and posts PUBG videos on his channel called 'Toxic Madan 18+'. Madhan has over 8 lakh subscribers on his YouTube channel. Majority of the complaints were focused on obscene talks but some also alleged they were cheated via Instagram. A laptop, desktop and a mobile phone has been seized from Kruthika and further investigation is on to ascertain the whereabouts of Madan. Anilkumar T By Express News Service KOCHI: Booking a slot for Covid-19 vaccination will no longer be a Herculean task. Thanks to Abhishek V Ashok, 21, a third-year BSc Computer Applications student at Sacred Heart (SH) College, Thevara, an android app, which alerts users when an empty slot is available, has been developed. Called Vaccine Finder, the app is awaiting approval from Google. However, the public can download the app from the link https://abishekvashok.github.io/vaccine-finder/ The Vaccine Finder will check for vaccines on your behalf and alert you when one is available in your area of choice, so that you do not need to keep refreshing pages or constantly keep searching. The user only needs to enter the district or pincode in which they want to find out availability of slots.The app will automatically search for the vacant slots and will give a notification to the user when there is a vacant slot, said Abhishek. The app also allows the user to categorise the search bar based on the age slab. In addition to providing a district- and pincode-based search, we have also included an age-based search tool. With this, the user can search vaccines based on their age, he said, adding, the app uses Cowin API and queries the API every minute in the background to check for slots. Even elderly people have a hard time getting a slot. So I decided to help them and, based on that, I developed a vaccine finder. I also tried it out among my friends and they were successful because they were able to book the slots without painstakingly searching for hours, he said. Abhishek had won a global programming competition conducted by Google called Google Code-in and had travelled to Googles HQ at their invitation. He is currently on a fellowship for one of Facebooks open-source projects as a Master League Hackathon (MLH) Fellow. By PTI MUMBAI: "Baahubali" star Tamannaah Bhatia has been roped in to host the first season of the Telugu version of the popular cooking reality show "MasterChef India". Bhatia, who makes her debut as a TV presenter, is expected to begin shooting for the show next month. The actor said she has been passionate about cooking and coming on board as a host for the show was an exciting development. "I can't wait to treat myself to all the exotic culinary delights on set. It's going to be extremely exciting and gratifying," Bhatia, who was last seen in the Tamil series "November Story", said in a statement. According to a press release, the show will be shot at film city in Bidadi, Karnataka, where a massive set as per "MasterChef" requirements is being put up. "MasterChef Telugu" will have the opening and closing episodes of 90 minutes each and 26 episodes of one hour each. While Star India reserves the rights for producing "MasterChef India" in Hindi, Sun TV Network has bagged the satellite rights for producing the regional versions of the show in Sun TV (Tamil), Gemini TV (Telugu), Udaya TV (Kannada) and Surya TV (Malayalam). Actors Vijay Sethupathi, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Kichcha Sudeep will be hosting the show's Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada versions, respectively. The Innovative Film Academy, in association with VELS Film International and Invenio Films, has taken up the franchisee rights from Endemol Shine to produce the show in four languages - Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Bhatia will next be seen in the Hindi film "Bole Chudiyan", and "Seetimaarr", "Gurthunda Seethakalam", "Maestro" and "F3" in Telugu. By PTI NOIDA: In Uttar Pradesh, 366 FIRs have been lodged in a year over allegations of disruption to communal harmony through posts and comments on various social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, the state police said on Wednesday. UP Police's Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said police in districts across the state regularly monitor online activities through their social media cell and ensure action over objectionable content. His statement detailing such cases came soon after the police in Ghaziabad lodged an FIR against social media giant Twitter, some journalists and opposition politicians over them sharing a video clip -- about an attack on an elderly Muslim man by some young men and claimed to be their intentional attempt at disrupting peace. "Between June 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021, a total of 118 cases have been lodged across Uttar Pradesh in which rumours or misinformation was shared on social media platforms through posts or comments," ADG Kumar said. "Another 366 cases were lodged during the same period over social media posts and comments that disrupted communal harmony in the state," the officer stated in a statement. Besides these, 623 cases were lodged over social media users misusing the platform for any other reason by their posts or comments, he added. "Overall, 1,107 such cases have been lodged across the state over the past one year and further proceedings in them are being carried out at district level," Kumar said. He said social media content is reviewed every day at the UP Police headquarters in Lucknow and necessary guidelines and instructions are issued to police at district level. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: In a one of its kind move aimed at expressing humanitarian concern and providing financial relief, many higher educational institutions of Bihar, including the state's prestigious Patna Women's College, have decided to waive the college fees of students, who have lost either their parents or any earning members oftheir families because of COVID-19 this time. Anugrah Narayan College in Patna made the first announcement to waive fees for the students who have lost their parents due to COVID-19. College prinicpal SP Shahi said that the decision by the college was taken in order to provide financial relief and stop college dropout of students who had lost their parents due to COVID-19. "A committee of teachers has been made to collect details on the students who have lost their parents due to COVID-19 and facilitate procedure to waive off their fees. This will provide a kind of financial relief as well as help them not leaving college education because of the monetary problem," the principal said. After AN College, the Patna Women's College also issued a notice declaring that the college will provide financial support to those students, who have lost the earning members of their families due to COVID-19 pandemic. Patna Women's college prinicipal Dr Sister M Rashmi AC has requested the heads of departments to find out and submit the details of such students by June 20, so that their college fees can be waived off. Similarly, principal of north Bihar's prestigious LS College in Muzaffarpur Dr OP Roy also said that he was also considering waiving the college fees of those students who have lost their parents or earning family members due to pandemic. Principal of Hajipur-based RN College Dr Ravi K Sinha also said that he had written to the registrar of BBA Bihar University to ensure fee wavier to students who have lost their parents or earning family members due to COVID-19. "Our college will take suo motu decision on it in a day or two," he said. Shaymal Ahmad - national president of Private Schools and Children Welfare Association - said that he had also made an appeal to the owners of private schools to waive the school fees of all those students who have either lost their parents or earning members of their family in the COVID-19 pandemic. By PTI NEW DELHI: Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan on Wednesday blamed Janata Dal (United) for engineering the split in his party and rejected the decisions taken by the faction headed by his uncle Pashupati Paras, saying the party's constitution does not authorise them any such power. In his first interaction with media after the split in the party, he struck a combative note by describing himself as "sher ka beta" (lion's son) and asserted that he will fight for the cause of the party founded by his father Ram Vilas Paswan. Paswan accused the JD(U) for working to split his party even when his father was hospitalised last year, and alleged that a conspiracy was hatched recently behind his back as he lay ill. He, however, steered clear of questions regarding the role of the BJP in the development and added that what has happened is also an internal matter of his party for which he will not target others. He replied wryly when asked if "Hanuman" who is in trouble now will seek help from "Ram", a reference to his projection of his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Bihar assembly polls as that between the two famous characters of epic Ramayan. "If Hanuman has to seek help from Ram, then what good is Hanuman and what good is Ram," he said in Hindi. It is going to be a long battle, Paswan said, as the group headed by him fights the faction of five other party MPs, led by Paras, to claim ownership of the LJP. The JD(U), he alleged, had been working to cause a split in the party even when his father was alive. Targeting the party, he said it has always worked to divide Dalits and weaken its leaders. The LJP draws its support from Paswans, the largest Dalit caste in Bihar. "A conspiracy was hatched behind my back while I was ill," Paswan said. He had recently suffered from typhoid. The 38-year-old MP from Jamui expressed determination to take on the rival group while also taking swipe at his paternal uncle without using any strong words to attack him. "I did not feel orphaned when my father died last year. I do feel now," he said, adding that he had expected his uncle to play the role of the family's patriarch but was instead abandoned by him. Paswan recalled his decision to walk out of the ruling NDA in Bihar to take on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and said many wanted him to opt for a life of comfort and not struggle by allying with him. "For that I would have to bow before Nitish Kumar. I could not do that. My uncle played no role in the election campaign," he said and rejected accusations from the rival group that he took unilateral decisions during the polls. They never made any such claim then, Paswan said and rejected their decision to remove him as the LJP president, saying its constitution says that a new party chief can be appointed only in the case of the incumbent's death or resignation. "All decisions they have taken are in contravention of the party's constitution," he said, accompanied by a number of senior party leaders. Though the LJP played the role of spoiler for the JD(U) in the assembly polls in over 35 seats, it itself won only one seat and the lone MLA later defected to Kumar's party. Paswas, however, asserted that the polls were a "big win" for his party as it got nearly six per cent votes. Paswan has also contested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's decision to name Paras as the leader of the party in the House, saying it is "contrary" to the constitutional provisions of his organisation. In a letter written on Tuesday, Paswan also informed Birla of the party's decision to expel five MPs, who have joined hands against him, and urged the Speaker to review the earlier decision and issue a new circular naming him as the LJP leader in the Lok Sabha. "Since Article 26 of the Constitution of Lok Jan Shakti Party empower Central Parliamentary Board of the party to decide who would be Leader of our Party in Lok Sabha, hence, the decision of announcing Sh. Pashupati Kumar Paras MP as Leader of LJP party in the Lok Sabha is contrary to provision of Constitution of our party," he wrote. Paras has been elected as their leader by the five of party's six MPs in place of Paswan. Both factions have now moved to control the party and project their group as the real LJP, founded by Paswan's father Ram Vilas Paswan. While the wing led by Chirag Paswan has expelled the five MPs from the party, the rival group has removed him as its president. Asked about a woman's allegation of sexual exploitation against his cousin Prince Raj, one of the rebel MPs, that he had mentioned in the letter which was released by him on Tuesday, Paswan said he had advised both of them to approach police. Paswan's letter addressed to Paras was written in March and was released on Tuesday. Some workers of the LJP youth wing, Delhi also protested outside Paras' residence with its chief Bikas Singh accusing him of "backstabbing" Chirag Paswan. PTI KR ZMN 06162048 NNNN By Express News Service DEHRADUN: According to the data provided by Uttarakhand's employment office, the state has managed to provide jons to only less than half per cent of people durign the Covid-19 pandemic. Minister of Labor and Employment Harak Singh Rawat said, "The Covid pandemic has affected efforts to get opportunities for employment as lesser job fairs were orgazined. Efforts are on to generate more opportunities for the employment." The officials from the state government also added that earlier class 3 and 4 vacancies were filled through the employment office but now those vacancies are being filled by outsourcing to non-government agencies, which are trimming opportunities. The pandemic hit the employment drive most in last two years bringing the ration down further. In financial year 2019-2020 only 0.34 per cent got jobs with total 2,709 getting jobs against 7,78,077 registering as unemployed. ALSO READ | Nepali migrant workers start returning India in search for jobs amid COVID pandemic Earlier, in year 2018-19 the percentage was 0.68 per cent with 5,678 getting jobs against 8,29,139 registrations. In financial year 2017-18 condition were a bit better with 0.84 per cent securing jobs as 7,489 got jobs while 8,91,141 registered themselves as unemployed. In year 2016-17 only 0.29 per cent were able to secure jobs as 9,26,308 registered as unemployed while 2,773 got jobs. Unemployment in Uttarakhand has increased more than six times in last five years. According Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data, in financial year 2016-17 the unemployment rate in the state stood 1.61 per cent which shot to 10.99 per cent in FY 2020-2021. ALSO READ | Won't allow Char Dham Yatra till we are convinced about safety from Covid: Uttarakhand HC Maximum increase in the unemployment rate was registered during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In FY 2017-18 rate was recorded 1.02 per centfollowed by 2.79 per cent in FY 2018-19 which increased to 5.32 per cent in 2019-20. Last week, Uttarakhand Migration Commision report submitted to Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat revealed that over 53,000 migrants returned to the state from different parts of the country in second wave of Covid pandemic. Total 53,092 migrants have returned to Uttarakhand between April 1 to May 5 2021. Highest number of people have returned in Almora with 27.97 per cent followed by Pauri (17.84 per cent), Tehri (12.53 per cent), Udham Singh Nagar (0.66 per cent), Dehradun (0.29 per cent) and Haridwar (0.11 per cent). Most of these people belong to hospitality sector who lost their jobs due to restrictions amid raging second wave. Atleast 39.4 per cent people belong to the hospitality sector followed by students (12.9 per cent), manual workers (11.1 per cent) and any othes from various fields. The state government had asked the commision to make a report to assess the unemployment situation to further address it. By PTI MUMBAI: Mumbai Police launched an investigation after a housing society in suburban Kandivali suspected "fraud" by some persons who had organised a COVID-19 vaccination camp for its members by claiming to represent a private hospital and also expressed apprehensions that the vaccine that was administered could be spurious. A senior officer said on Wednesday no FIR has been registered so far but the police will probe the case from different angles. "We have not registered an FIR in this case and not arrested anybody. We have also not detained anybody. We are just investigating," Deputy Commissioner of Police, zone 11, Vishal Thakur told PTI. In a complaint submitted to the police, the Hiranandani Heritage Residents Welfare Association (HHRWA) had said that a vaccination camp was arranged by the residential complex on May 30. But later it found that the Co-WIN portal did not have any record of the people who participated and they received certificates in the name of different hospitals. "If the vaccine is found to be spurious, the people who got vaccinated will have a medical emergency to deal with. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate the whole episode so that such fraudulent activities are not repeated at other places," the complaint said. The HHRWA had orgainzed the camp through a person who claimed to be a sales representative of a reputed private hospital in suburban Andheri. As many as 390 members received the jabs at the camp at Rs 1,260 per person, it had said in the complaint which stated that some unscrupulous elements have taken the society for a ride. They were shocked to receive vaccination certificates in the name of Nanavati Hospital, Lifeline Hospital and NESCO Covid Camp, among others, it said. Nanavati Hospital had said in a statement that it had not conducted any such vaccination camp. "We have informed the authorities and are lodging a formal complaint," said its spokesperson on Tuesday. The HHRWA also said that none of the people who got vaccinated had the usual after-effects like fever or body ache. According to the complaint, one Sanjay Gupta was the coordinator for the camp, but he did not give receipts for the payment for vaccines. He had asked the association to make payment to one Mahendra Singh. Local BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar had also demanded that police conduct a thorough probe. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has already made signing a Memorandum of Understanding between private vaccination providers and housing societies mandatory if such camps are organized. By PTI GUWAHATI/KOHIMA: The Nagaland government has shut down three wells of state-run energy giant ONGC for allegedly not obtaining prior permission before starting drilling activities. Dimapur Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Soundararajan had shot off a letter to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation on June 1, asking it to stop operations at the three wells. The letter, a copy of which is available with PTI, stated that a report was received on April 9 regarding setting up of drilling activities at Piheku, Tokishe and Nikihe villages, "which are under Dimapur district". Sources, however, said the sites fall under a disputed area with Assam. Soundararajan, in the communique to ONGC Executive Director for Assam Arakan Basin, claimed that the company carried out drilling activities "without the prior permission from the Government of Nagaland". "Therefore, you are requested to submit clarification in this matter at the earliest. Further, the concerned authority is hereby asked to stop all activities in the above said area in the meantime," he said. Queries sent to ONGC officials remained unanswered. When contacted, a senior official of the Nagaland government told PTI, "Discussion is underway between the government and ONGC. We are awaiting a reply from the company." The sources said the area where the drilling wells are located is not under the control of Nagaland. "The CRPF is in charge of this area and it has a separate border magistrate," one source said. He said ONGC has been operating there for some time, and while one well is at the exploration stage, another is already producing. There has been no activity at the site in Tokishe village, the source claimed. "As far as we are aware, ONGC got all the necessary permission like exploration and mining licence from the Government of India and Government of Assam," officials in Assam said. Kanu Sarda By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Faulting the state for blurring the line between the right to protest and a terrorist activity in order to suppress dissent, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to a couple of activists and a student, who were arrested under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the northeast Delhi riots in February last year. A bench of justices Siddhartha Mridul and Anup J Bhambhani granted bail to Pinjra Tod activists Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal and Jamia Milia Islamia student Asif Iqbal Tanha in three separate verdicts. Over a year after they were arrested, all three can expect to be free on bail. ALSO READ | Activists, experts welcome release of Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal, Asif Iqbal Tanha While Kalita was booked in four cases, Narwal had three FIRs registered against her. They already have bail in all the other cases. The UAPA case against them pertains to the larger conspiracy angle behind the riots, being probed by the Delhi Polices Special Cell. We are constrained to say, that it appears, that in its anxiety to suppress dissent and in the morbid fear that matters may get out of hand, the State has blurred the line between the constitutionally guaranteed right to protest and terrorist activity, the order said. Reacting to the high court order, Delhi Police said it will file a Special Leave Petition against it in the Supreme Court. Significant observations: Peaceful protest without use of arms Stressing that the right to peacefully protest without arms is a fundamental right, the court said, Considering, however, that the right to protest is a fundamental right that flows from the Constitutionally guaranteed right to assemble peaceably and without arms enshrined in Article 19(1)(b) of our Constitution, surely the right to protest is not outlawed and cannot be termed as a terrorist act within the meaning of the UAPA, unless of course the ingredients of the offences under sections 15, 17 and/or 18 of the UAPA are clearly discernible from the factual allegations contained in chargesheet and the material filed therewith. Ambit of the terrorist act phrase The court said the phrase terrorist act under UAPA could not be permitted to be applied in a cavalier manner to criminal acts or omissions that fall squarely within the definition of conventional offences as defined under the Indian Penal Code. Even if we assume for the sake of argument, without expressing any view thereon, that in the present case inflammatory speeches, chakka jams, instigation of women protesters and other actions, to which the appellant is alleged to have been party, crossed the line of peaceful protests permissible under our Constitutional guarantee, that, however, would yet not amount to commission of a terrorist act or a conspiracy or an act preparatory to the commission of a terrorist act as understood under the UAPA, the bench said. By PTI NEW DELHI: The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has gone past 26.53 crore, including more than 4.81 crore doses administered to people in the 18-44 age group, the health ministry said on Wednesday. It said 20,67,085 beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group received the first dose and 67,447 got the second dose of the vaccine on Wednesday. Cumulatively, 4,72,06,953 people in the said age group have received the first dose and 9,68,098 have been given the second dose since the start of the third phase of the vaccination drive across the country. Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have administered the first dose of the vaccine to more than 10 lakh beneficiaries each in the 18-44 age group. The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has reached 26,53,17,472, according to a provisional report complied at 8 pm on Wednesday. As on the 152nd day of the vaccination drive (June 16), a total of 32,62,233 vaccine doses were given -- 29,05,658 beneficiaries vaccinated for the first dose and 3,56,575 vaccinated for the second dose -- the ministry said. The final report for the day would be compiled by late night. The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, the ministry underlined. PTI PLB RC 06162151 NNNN Rajesh Asnani By Express News Service JAIPUR: The expansion of the Ashok Gehlot ministry originally demanded by the Sachin Pilot camp has turned more complicated in Rajasthan. After weeks of pressure from Pilot's followers, six former BSP MLAs who had joined the Congress two years ago and played a crucial role in saving the Gehlot government are now demanding their share of power. Political analysts believe these former BSP MLAs are being encouraged by the Gehlot camp to neutralise the pressure from the Pilot camp. One of these ex-BSP MLAs, Sandeep Yadav said, "There are issues in Cabinet expansion but it should be done now. It has been delayed for a long time but whenever it is suitable for CM Gehlot and circumstances are right, he should take the decision." Tijara MLA Sandeep Yadav and three other ex-BSP MLAs also objected to any move by the Congress high command to pacify dissident legislators led by Sachin Pilot, saying it was because of them that the government faced a crisis last year. Asserting that people who were "loyal" to the party should be "rewarded" in the cabinet expansion, Yadav even remarked that "the government was saved only because we six and other independents stood by it. The Congress high command should not listen to those who endangered the Gehlot government. Instead, those who saved the government should be rewarded." ALSO READ | BJP posters in Rajasthan without former CM Vasundhara Raje face fan factional fight MLA Yadav, who was earlier in the BJP but moved to the BSP after being denied a BJP ticket for the assembly elections in 2018, further said that instead of listening to rebel MLAs, the Congress high command should reward those who have shown loyalty. This drew a swift and sharp response from the Pilot camp. Mukesh Bhakar, a known Pilot camp MLA hit back and said those who switch parties frequently were talking about loyalty. Bhakar claimed, "People of the state know who is trustworthy and who is not. People who have switched three parties in two-and-a-half years because of their greed for power are telling us about loyalty and honesty." Bhakar was accompanied by Congress MLA from Masuda constituency Rakesh Pareek. He told reporters at a press conference, "This is wrong. They should tell on whose directions they are giving such statements." Without naming anyone, Bhakar was hinting that the Gehlot camp is fanning the fire being lit by former BSP MLAs. Many political observers also believe that the Gehlot group may be covertly encouraging the ex-BSP MLAs in order to neutralize the pressure being mounted by the Pilot camp. Nine cabinet berths are vacant in the state and numerous MLAs are eyeing the berths. Pilot had returned with 18 MLAs last year following a reconciliation after a month-long rebellion against CM Gehlot. He had talked to the media recently and said that even after 10 months, his issues were unresolved and the workers who had worked hard to bring Congress to power were not being heard. However, the Rajasthan Cabinet expansion is unlikely to happen in a hurry after an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of CM Ashok Gehlot announced that doctors have advised Gehlot to avoid one-on-one meetings. CM Gehlot has decided he will not meet any individual for a month as a precautionary step to fully recover from Covid-19. Clearly, as the entire issue of cabinet expansion and political appointments becomes more complex, political turmoil in the Rajasthan Congress is likely to sharpen. By Express News Service MUMBAI: A scuffle broke out between BJP and Sena workers at Shiv Sena Bhawan in Dadar on Wednesday over allegations against the saffron party's connection in the alleged irregularity in the purchase of land at Ayodhya by Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trus BJP accused Shiv Sena of hurting the sentiments of Hindu community by making allegations against the Ram Temple Trusts land deal. It was alleged that the temple trust bought the land for over Rs 18 crore from people who purchased it for just Rs 2 crore -- just minutes before. BJP workers organised a 'Phatkar Morcha' against Shiv Sena for their recent comments in the party's mouthpiece 'Saamana' about the alleged Ayodhya Ram Temple construction scam. Senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar claimed that Sena workers assaulted BJP workers despite them holding peaceful protests. ALSO READ | Opposition calls Ayodhya land deal 'scam'; Ram temple trust says committed to 'full transparency' "Our party workers had taken permission from the police for this peaceful protest at Sena Bhavan, but the Sena workers cowardly attacked our workers, mainly women workers. The protest was over when this attack took place. We will not tolerate this and a strong reply will be given to them," Shelar asserted. At least 40 Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists have been detained after a scuffle broke out between BJYM and Shiv Sena supporters in Dadar on Wednesday afternoon. BJYM workers have alleged that the Shiv Sena workers who were already present at the spot assaulted them. Shelar said, Sena was once proud of the demolition of the Babri mosque, but now for political reasons it is defaming Lord Ram. "Sonia or Vadra (Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra) have now become Sena'sdeities," he said, takign a swipe at the alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra. Sena MLA Sada Sarvankar said, "We were first told that BJP workers were coming to protest, later we learnt that they are coming to vandalise the Sena Bhavan. So we stopped them before they could reach near it." An FIR was being registered, said an officer of Mahim police station. By PTI ANAND: Nine persons, including two children and as many women, were killed when their car collided head-on with a goods-laden truck near Indranaj village in Gujarat's Anand district on early Wednesday morning, police said. The accident took place on a state highway connecting Tarapur to Vataman at around 6 am and all nine, returning home after attending a marriage function in adjoining Maharashtra, died on the spot, the police said. Six of the victims were members of two families, each including a husband, wife and a child, they said. The accident took place on the state highway when the car was hit by the loaded truck, said Superintendent of Police of Anand district Ajit Rajiyan. The bodies of some of the victims were trapped in the mangled remains of the vehicle (a van) and they were taken out after cutting the car, the police said. The impact of the collision was so strong that the car was dragged for around 15 feet and it got enmeshed into the truck, the police said. Police took the help of a crane to separate the two vehicles, a Tarapur police station official said. The bodies were later shifted to a hospital for post-mortem before being handed over to family members, and an FIR was lodged at the Tarapur police station against the truck driver who fled the scene, he said. An investigation was underway, the police official said. Expressing grief over the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of the kin of the deceased persons. Separately, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh will be paid to the kin of each of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil also expressed grief over the accident and conveyed condolences to the families of the victims. All the victims were from Bhavnagar in Gujarat and returning from Jalgaon in north Maharashtra after attending a marriage function, the police said. The truck was on its way to south Gujarat from Morbi, they said. The deceased persons were identified by the police as Sirajbhai Jamalbhai Ajmeri (40), Mumtaz Sirajbhai Ajmeri (35), Raisbhai Sirajbhai Ajmeri (5), Altafbhai Mohammadbhai Ajmeri (38), Anisabanu Altafbhai Ajmeri (32), Muskan Altafbhai (6), Mustufabhai Rahimbhai Daria (28), Rahimbhai Musabhai Syed (60) and Radhavbhai Merabhai Gohel (48). Vineet Upadhyay By Express News Service DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday remarked that the Char Dham Yatra will not be allowed until the court is convinced about Covid-19 safety. A Division bench of Chief Justice RS Chauhan and Justice Alok Verma while hearing a number of Covid 19 petitions remarked,"We won't allow Char Dham Yatra until and unless we are convinced about the safety (Covid 19)." Dushyant Mainali, one of the counsels said, "The honourable court directed the government to take a decision on the yatra till June 21 and file a detailed affidavit about arrangements made till June 23, next date of hearing." The court further observed that the Char Dham Yatra like Kumbh is of national importance and affects the whole country (in terms of Covid 19). Citing the example of recently-held Kumbh, the court said, "Last minute decisions do more harm than good. Kumbh could not be managed due to last minute decision and situation spiralled out of control," observed the bench. The bench, recalling the spike in number of cases across the country during and aftermath of Kumbh remarked, "If it yet again happens, we cannot go around sullying our state's reputation." Dilip Jawalkar, secretary tourism who was present before the court during virtual hearing, was questioned about the arrangements made for the yatra. Dissatisfied by his replies, the court directed him to apprise about arrangements made for the yatra including food, shelter, sanitation, medical facilities and others in the form of affidavit till June 23. The court while hearing the matter on June 9, 2021, had come down heavily on secretary, tourism of Uttarakhand. How can he be sitting in his 'Coccoon' in Dehradun and decide that all is well to open tourism in the state, the court had stated. Earlier, last month the court had directed the secretary to visit places like Kedarnath shrine to decide if tourist hotspots and religious places can be opened in the hill state. The HC also directed the govt to apprise about Covid 19 vaccination status of the people in and around these four shrines and asked if the Aarti of Char Dham can be live-streamed. Shankari Sundararaman By Even as the geopolitical situation in the Indo-Pacific has seen the vagaries of the Sino-US rivalry in the recent past, the launch of the Executive Consultation Group for reviving the Blue Dot Network (BDN) took place in Paris on 7 June 2021. This group will work under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to look at the potential to offer quality infrastructure investments in the Indo-Pacific region. The BDN as it has come to be known, particularly as an alternative to the BRI, is increasingly pitting countries promoting the liberal order against the Chinese authoritarian order. The BDN looks at promoting investment in high-level infrastructure that is based on maintaining international standards, and seeks to enhance the governance towards the furthering of best practices while promoting open markets as the option to link these projects together. This brings the focus more on the geo-economics of the region, as the Indo-Pacific is emerging as the core of the global rivalry between the US and its allies and China. Increasingly as newer players are entering into the Indo-Pacific region with the aim to further the existing normative order, the space for addressing challenges in the region is providing the opportunity to explore newer areas of collaboration. The Blue Dot Network is emerging as one such area. The idea of the BDN took shape under the Trump administration in November 2019 and was unveiled at the 35th ASEAN Summit that was held in Bangkok. In some senses this was similar to the announcement of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative that Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled in September 2013 as part of his state visit to Indonesia, for the inauguration of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Both these initiatives were unveiled in Southeast Asian capitals, clearly emphasising the importance of the region in their calculations, as the area remains vital to issues of connectivity in the wider Indo-Pacific. The view of the BRI solely as an economic outreach initiative is becoming myopic. Progressively countries have expressed concerns over the manner in which the BRI is pushing states into a debt trap, even as vulnerabilities are beginning to creep in over the limits of a countrys strategic autonomy that can be impaired as a factor of the debt trap. The question that raises concerns particularly about the BRI are the motives that drive the construction of certain deep sea ports in the Indo-Pacific region: These do not seem to have any operational viability, raising the question as to why the Chinese are willing to continue these projects. The cost of building these ports without a clear sense of their feasibility has been a source of concern for those observing Beijings rapid expansion of infrastructure capabilities in a region where several smaller states are critically starved for infrastructure and are drawing closer to the Chinese fold through their vulnerability and openness for infrastructure investments from that nation. With regards to the BDN, initially the region did not respond with much enthusiasmespecially as the Trump administration had little time for ASEAN, as was evident from the repeated absence of the US president in key ASEAN meetings, his preoccupation with China and the trade war that was raging. Earlier efforts of the Obama administration to promote the idea of an Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor (IPEC) also have not seen much progress in the region, particularly given the enormous costs involved in linking the overland routes between South and Southeast Asia through a network of road, railway and maritime port linkages. The core agenda of the Blue Dot Network is to assist smaller countries in developing quality infrastructure that would comply with international certification, particularly focusing on the need to promote transparency and openness related to the investments. This critically emphasised, by implication, that the BRI was not transparent and did not adhere to international certification standards. In January 2020, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China carried out a survey that revealed lack of transparency in procurements as a key factor that limited the participation of European companies. As Chinas relations with other key economic partners has deteriorated, the focus of regional countries endorsing the BRI has seen a significant change. Australia, a key economic partner of China, publicly pulled out of the BRI in April 2021 after the two countries saw a rapid decline in bilateral ties since early last year. India, which has rejected the BRI on grounds of violation of its territory, has seen a drastic dip in bilateral ties with China. New Delhi will not be open to any shift in its position on the BRI, given the sovereignty violations and the Beijing-Islamabad nexus promoted through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The BDN actually offers India a better opportunity to cooperate with its partners in the Quad to develop its strategies in consonance with countries with which it is closely aligned to promote the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. As the US, Australia and Japan push the initiative forward, India would be better served by deepening its relations with its Quad partners. Professor at School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi (shankari@mail.jnu.ac.in) Bandhavi Annam By Express News Service GUNTUR: The Guntur district administration has completed the acquisition of land required for construction of skill development colleges (SDCs) in Guntur, Narasaraopet, and Bapatla Assembly segments.In Guntur, the officials have identified five acres of land in MBTS Polytechnic College premises. In Narasaraopet, the college will be set up in Lingamguntla Agraharam village in an area of 3.6 acres and another college on the premises of Agriculture Engineering College in Bapatla. The revenue and district skill development department officials identified the lands and completed the acquisition process. It may be noted the State government has decided to set up 30 such colleges one in every Assembly segment in the State to impart training in skillsets to jobless youth as per the industry requirements. District skill development officer Shaik Baji Babu told The New Indian Express the foundation stone for the construction of the colleges will be laid on July 8. Various technical skill courses related to textile, construction, and food processing sectors will be provided in all three colleges. The State government has allocated Rs 40 crore for the development of each college to provide all facilities to the students. Residential and non-residential accommodation will be provided to 240 students. The colleges would link up with the industrial training institutes and polytechnic colleges for better coordination. Already as many as 18 companies have come forward to coordinate with APSSDC to train the students, Shaik Baji Babu added. By Express News Service VISAKHAPATNAM: At least six Maoists were reportedly killed in an alleged encounter with Greyhounds personnel in the dense agency area of Koyyur mandal in the district Wednesday morning. One of the slain Maoist is said to have been identified as a DCM commander hailing from Telangana State. According to reports reaching here, Greyhounds personnel were combing the agency area following specific information about the presence of some top Maoist leaders in the Koyyur mandal forests. An exchange of fire took place when the Greyhounds personnel came across a group of Maoists near Teegalametta under the Mampa police station limits. Six Maoists were reportedly killed in the exchange of fire while some others fled into the deep forests. Police recovered an AK 47, some revolvers and ammunition from the spot. Additional forces were rushed to the spot to further intensify combing operations in the agency area. It is learnt that the police pressed helicopters to track the movement of Maoists in the dense forest area. Senior police officials said they are yet to arrive at a conclusion on the number of Maoists killed or injured in the exchange of fire. By Express News Service KOLLAM: The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Kerala Police has launched a probe isnto the recovery of explosive materials from a plantation in Pathanapuram taluk in Kollam. Forest officials spotted gelatin sticks, detonators and electric wires while inspecting a cashew plantation owned by the forest department on Monday. Meanwhile, 96 gelatin sticks were found at Vayakkara, 20km away from Pathanapuram, in the Naduvathumoozhy range of Konni forest division in Pathanamthitta on Tuesday morning. The forest officials handed them over to the Konni police. Range DIG Sanjay Kumar Gurudin inspected the spot in Pathanapuram while a bomb squad and a dog squad were brought in. Forensic experts are examining the explosives.The explosives were found during a search conducted by the forest and the police based on the revelations made by the Keralites belonging to a militant outfit after the UP police arrested them, the police said. The Tamil Nadu Q Branch had reported to the Kerala Police on the presence of a militant group in the area. Thiruvananthapuram Range DIG Gurudin said all aspects would be examined. It looks like explosives were abandoned The locals informed the police that they had spotted some strangers in the locality. The explosives were found at a cashew plantation within the Padam forest range. We have registered a case and a probe is under way. It looks like the items were abandoned rather than being hidden, said the ATS squad higher officer.In February last year, 14 live bullets used in long-range rifles were found abandoned on a roadside in Kollam district. The Konni police have registered a case as per CrPC Section 102 (seizing any property suspected to be part of a crime). Field staff of Kokkathodu forest station found the gelatin sticks during their field visit around 9.30am on Tuesday. They carried out special patrolling in their limits after explosives were seized in Pathanapuram, said a forest official.Konni Inspector of Police Sivaprakash T S said they have started an investigation. Prima facie, this incident does not have any connection to the Pathanapuram case, but we are probing all angles, he said. Anil S By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In 2012, Enrica Lexie was one of the most oft-heard names not only in the state, but across the country after two Kerala fishermen were shot dead, around 20.5 nautical miles off the Indian coast, by two Italian marines onboard the eponymous merchant vessel on February 15.The mid-sea firing, a first-of-its-kind incident, triggered a major controversy with politico-diplomatic ramifications. The Supreme Court issued its final verdict on Tuesday quashing criminal cases against the marines -- Massimiliano Latore and Salvatore Girone. The firing had also led to a major diplomatic standoff between India and Italy, with the latter harping on the international waters claim while India held firm for a trial as the incident happened within its Exclusive Economic Zone. Even as the families of fishermen Ajeesh Pink and Valentine Jelestine are yet to come to terms with the tragedy, the ripples of the shootout are still felt in the maritime sector. A look at how the mid-sea shootout influenced the Indian maritime sector shows that the Enrica Lexie case has brought in a paradigm shift in the sectors perspective towards maritime safety. The verdict in the Enrica Lexie case could set a precedence if a similar incident were to occur in the future, opined V M Joy, coordinator, Sailors Helpline. While seafarers involved in genuine accidents are treated differently, the marines were treated like they were state guests, he said. Do Indian sailors imprisoned in other countries receive the same treatment? Would the Italians have done the same to a European vessel? The marines were trigger-happy and never followed the rules. There were no records to prove that they had forewarned the fishermen. The Indian coast is not known to suffer piracy attacks. Obviously, the Captain knew that the Indian coast is safe and that is why the ship chose to move close to the mainland, he pointed out. Former shipping secretary K Mohandas said lack of civilian control over armed guards was the biggest folly. He, however, maintained that the incident should be viewed against the backdrop of the piracy threat that prevailed at the time. The incident occurred at a time when piracy was at its peak and Somali pirates were spotted as near as Lakshadweep islands. Thats when merchant ships started posting armed guards on board. Theres absolutely no justification for what the marines did, yet it occurred at a time when piracy was rampant. Theres generally a coexistence among fishing boats and merchant vessels. The marines should have checked with the Captain before opening fire. If armed guards were posted on commercial ships, they should function under civilian authority, he said. In a way, the verdict has also shed light into the predicament of Indian sailors in other countries, following different incidents related to maritime accidents or piracy attacks. THE POLITICAL ANGLE Back in 2012, the Enrica Lexie incident had also gained mileage as a poll platform in two bypolls in the state Neyyattinkara and Piravom. On the political front, on the one side, senior leader Subramanian Swami connected the issue with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, thus altogether giving the issue a political dimension. On the other, a reported intervention by the Church, as interpreted through the statements made by some Church leaders, gave a religious angle to the fishermen killing. The issue first came up before High Court, and then the Supreme Court. Later, the matter came up before the Permanent Court of Arbitration under the United Nations Convention On Law of Seas. case down the lane February 15, 2012: Ajeesh Pink and Valentine Jalastine on fishing boat St Antony shot dead by Italian marines Massimiliano Latore and Salvatore Girone on board merchant vessel Enrica Lexie, at about 20.5 nautical miles off Kerala coast February 16, 2012: The vessel, proceeding towards Djibouti, is brought to Cochin Port after a message from Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Mumbai. An FIR is registered in the incident at Neendakara Station. The marines are arrested from the vessel on February 19. March 2012: Families of the fishermen approach High Court seeking compensation. Enrica Lexie approaches Supreme Court. May 2012: The apex court allows the vessel to leave the country after executing a bond of I3 crore. December 2012: HC grants the marines a two-week conditional Christmas vacation, on a bank guarantee of I6 crore. The two leave for Italy on December 22. January 2013: SC rejects Italys argument of sovereign immunity and upholds Indias criminal jurisdiction over the marines. The apex court also says Kerala Government has no jurisdiction to investigate. It orders to set up a special court for trial. September 2014: Massimiliano Latore approaches SC seeking permission to go to Italy for medical treatment. He had suffered a stroke in August. The SC allows his plea. The second marine returns to Italy in May 2016. August 2015: Italy approaches International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which directed both India and Italy to suspend all court proceedings. The case is later referred to the Permanent Court of Arbitration. September 2016: Union Government informs SC that it has no objection if the two marines remain in Italy. SC allows both to remain in their home country. July 2020: Permanent Court of Arbitration directs Italy to pay compensation to the families of the fishermen and India to drop all prosecution charges against the marines. August 202o: Centre informs the SC that a decision has been taken to accept the PCA verdict. SC makes clear that it cannot drop charges against the marines without hearing the victims families. April 2021: Union Government informs SC about the negotiated compensation. Italy agrees to pay additional compensation of I10 crore. The state government informs the court that the victims families have agreed to accept the compensation. June 15, 2021: SC quashes criminal cases against the marines and directs to transfer the amount to the Kerala High Court. The apex court also directs the Chief Justice of Kerala to take further steps on issuing an order for disbursal of the amount. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: With a marked improvement in the COVID-19 situation and rapid fall in the test positivity rate in many districts, the state government on Wednesday announced further relaxations in commercial activities while extending the partial lockdown for two more weeks till 5 am on July 1, 2021. "After taking all parameters concerning the present pandemic situation into consideration, the state government decided to impose a partial lockdown across the state from the morning of June 17, 2021," said Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra. The current phase of the lockdown is scheduled to end on the morning of June 17. He said the districts have been divided into two categories. Districts with test positivity rate (TPR) of 5 per cent or less are kept in Category-A while those with more than 5 percent TPR are in Category-B. All shops except shopping malls in 17 districts of Southern and Western Odisha - undivided Ganjam, Kandhamal, Koraput, Kalahandi, Balangir, Sambalpur and Sundargarh - are allowed to transact business from 6 am to 5 pm. However, the restrictions on opening of hotels, restaurants, cinema halls, gyms, swimming pools and salons will continue to stay, he said, adding that night curfew will continue across the state. The Chief Secretary said that shops selling essential goods in 13 districts mostly from coastal districts and coming under the second category have been allowed to open from 6 am to 1 pm against the existing timing of 7 am to 11 am. Keeping in view the livelihood of milk farmers, the government has decided to open sweet shops during these limited hours. They are only allowed to give parcels. Similarly, street vending of food for takeaway is allowed in the 17 districts falling under Category-A. Automobile sale and service, sale of cycle and other livelihood activities exempted from restriction are allowed to function. There is good news for morning walkers and joggers. The restrictions imposed on them have been lifted but parks and gyms will remain closed. The Chief Secretary said that all essential services, transportation of goods, industrial and construction activities will continue without any hindrance. The restrictions on public transport, marriage ceremonies, meetings, social gatherings and opening of temples will remain in force till the lockdown is lifted. While lifting restriction on inter-state movement with Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, the state government has opened border check posts which were so far sealed. However, the check posts on the Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal border will not be allowed for vehicular movement except good transport till the COVID situation improved in the two neighbouring states, Mahapatra said. Government and private offices have been allowed to run with 50 percent of their employees. By Express News Service MALKANGIRI: Security forces seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition from a forest near Kulabeda village in Malkangiri district following an exchange of fire with left wing extremists. Sources said one INSAS, 19 rounds of 5.56x39 mm ammunition, 15 rounds of 7.62x45 mm ammunition, one AK-47 magazine, two INSAS magazine, four Maoist kit bags, two magazine pouchs, one digital camera, detonators, IED making materials, power banks, medicine and Maoist literature have been recovered from the site. Acting on intelligence inputs about a gathering of armed CPI Maoist cadres for carrying out subversive activities, a search and area domination operation was launched by security forces comprising teams of SOG and Malkangiri District Voluntary Force (DVF) in bordering areas of Malkangiri and Koraput districts. "When the combing operation was on in the jungle area near Kulabeda village, there was sudden unprovoked firing from the Maoist side. The security forces retaliated and started controlled firing after warning and appealing to the Maoists," SP Rishikesh D Khilari said in a statement. However, the Maoists managed to flee the area taking advantage of the jungle and hilly terrain. After the exchange of fire, a search operation was conducted during which the arms and ammunition were seized from the area, the SP said. The Maoists are losing public support in the area and facing a backlash due to increased police presence and various developmental initiatives. The SP said there is credible input about a number of Maoists suffering from COVID-19. "We have appealed to the Maoist cadres and militias to surrender and get better treatment besides joining the mainstream and becoming a part of the developmental process," he added. Recently, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and DG of Police Abhay had given a call to the red rebels to surrender and become a part of mainstream society. T Muruganandham By Express News Service CHENNAI: Responding to the continued telephonic interactions of VK Sasikala with AIADMK functionaries, party spokesperson D Jayakumar on Wednesday asserted that the audio politics of Sasikala wont work with the party cadre as they are fully vigilant about her designs. He said the party cadre wont fall prey to her 'divide and rule' tactics even as Sasikala continued her interaction with them on Wednesday. So far, she has spoken to around 60 functionaries. Answering queries of reporters here, Jayakumar said, Sasikala is not even a primary member of the party now. Ahead of the elections, she said she would be quitting politics. Jayakumar explained further, Sasikala thought that the AIADMK led by O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami would face a massive defeat in the Assembly elections. But the AIADMK fared well in the elections and the difference of vote share between the AIADMK and DMK was just around three percent. Unable to digest this performance of the AIADMK, now Sasikala is enacting 'audio politics'. Questioned about the criticism of PMK youth wing president Anbumani Ramadoss against Panneerselvam, Jayakumar said, "Not only PMK but any other party in the alliance criticising the party coordinator O Panneerselvam or joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami is unacceptable. On the expulsion of AIADMK spokesperson V Pugazhendhi for anti-party activities, Jayakumar said, "The party takes action against any functionary after deep thought. Certain things can be revealed and certain things cannot be." The former minister expressed concern at the murder of a 41-year-old COVID-19 patient, whose decomposed body was found in the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital two weeks after she went missing. Investigations revealed that the patient was murdered by a temporary woman staff. Jayakumar sought a detailed inquiry into the murder as there were possibilities for more than one person involved in this crime. This murder has raised serious questions about the safety of patients who come to the government hospital for treatment, he added. Sahaya Novinston Lobo By Express News Service CHENNAI: The 41-year-old Covid-19 patient, whose decomposed body was found in the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital two weeks after she went missing, was murdered by a woman staff of the hospital, police investigations have revealed. On Tuesday, the cops arrested one Rathi Devi, a contract worker, who allegedly killed the victim, M Sunitha, to steal money from her. Sunithas body was left in a spot on the eight floor of the hospital that is rarely visited, and hence went unnoticed for two weeks. According to the police, Rathi Devi initially claimed to have taken Sunitha to the scan unit and then dropped her at the ward on the night of May 23. Rathi Devi, however, on the pretext of taking the victim to the scan centre, took her to the eighth floor on a wheelchair using an emergency lift. There, Rathi Devi strangled Sunitha and dumped her body in the EB room near the staircase, the police said, adding that she took her cash and mobile phone. She laid Sunithas body on the floor, as though she was sleeping, with her slippers under her head, the police explained. Rathi Devi then allegedly left the hospital with the victims cash and mobile phone. Later, she confessed to murdering Sunitha to meet her expenses as she was in dire need of money. She told us she noticed Sunitha counting Rs 500 notes in her bag, said a police officer. Another senior police officer said, The hyoid bone usually breaks during strangulation, but Sunithas was not broken. Earlier, the police had said the autopsy report did not indicate any foul play. However, they later sent viscera samples to the forensic lab for further investigation, which indicated that Sunitha was strangled. The police have recovered the stolen mobile phone from Rathi Devi. Sunitha was found dead on the eighth floor of Tower-3 of the RGGGH on June 8. She had been undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at the hospital since May 21, and went missing from a ward in B-wing of the third floor of Tower-3 on May 23. The last record of her oxygen saturation level was 72 per cent. Sunithas husband, Mouli, who was searching for her, was informed about an unidentified body. He identified the body as his wifes, the police said, adding that, a case was registered. Mouli is a professor of electrical and electronics engineering at a private engineering college in Andhra Pradesh. By Express News Service CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed the anticipatory bail petition moved by former Minister M Manikandan of AIADMK. The minister moved the bail plea in the case booked against him by a Malaysian actor for cheating on false promises of marriage. Justice Abdul Qudhose on Wednesday dismissed the anticipatory bail petition. The issue pertains to Dr M Manikandan, who was apprehending arrest following registration of a sexual harassment complaint from a Malaysia-based woman. He moved the court seeking anticipatory bail in the case. The former minister's counsel John Sathyan argued that there is no iota of truth in the allegations levelled against him and the entire complaint and the accompanying documents are concocted after several attempts for compromise with extortionist demands were not accepted by the minister. However, counsels appearing for the actor alleged that the consent given for sex on the promise of marrying the actor by the minister cannot be considered as consent if the promise is not honoured. The judge recording the submissions from both the counsels dismissed the anticipatory bail petition. Antony Fernando By Express News Service NAGAPATTINAM: The fishers in Tamil Nadu have objected to Sri Lankas initiative to submerge discarded vehicles into Lankan waters, saying their fishing would also be affected. The experts from India also called the move 'irresponsible'. On June 11, the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Navy, submerged 20 degraded and discarded buses near Delft Island (Neduntheevu) in its northern waters (Palk Strait). The move was termed by Sri Lanka as one to help create artificial reef conducive to the marine environment. Tamil Nadu fishers condemned it, saying it will affect their livelihood. The submersion on June 11 was not the first. Sri Lanka has been dropping discarded vehicles for a while. The points of drop are in Sri Lankan waters. Yet, still, Tamil Nadu fishers are concerned. What is the guarantee that the vehicles will not get drifted underwater, will move towards the Indian waters across International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and deposited at the bottom of our waters? We saw the Tsunami washing up such objects for several miles and depositing them near our shore in December 2004. Our fishing will get affected. We request the state government to stop this outrageous move and save our waters, our shore and our fishing, said RMP Rajendra Nattar, a fisher-representative from Nagapattinam. Trawling continues to the primary fishing practice for Tamil Nadu fishers, whereas it is banned in Sri Lanka. Tamil Nadu fishers trawl in Coramandel Waters, Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar, which Sri Lanka also shares. The trawl nets can reach midwater and even the bottom of the sea. Tamil Nadu fishers fear that their trawl nets will get stuck in the submerged vehicles and damaged. They also call the move against IndiaSri Lanka maritime boundary agreements (1974 - 1976). The experts approve the reasoning behind the concern of Tamil Nadu fishers. Dr K Murali, the Head of Ocean Engineering Department in IIT - Madras, said, The drifting of unsupported objects under the water, due to ocean currents is a real phenomenon. The drifting of debris of the aeroplane MH 370, which crashed in 2014, is an example of drifting induced by ocean currents. The debris drifted for hundreds of kilometres. Natural disasters like tsunamis and cyclones can drastically augment drifting. Tamil Nadu and Puducherry government collaborate with institutes like Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) and M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) like has been dropping structures in the sea for past two decades. The dropped blocks had become artificial reefs over months and promote marine life, the idea which Sri Lanka is trying to explore through discarded vehicles. Dr H Mohamad Kasim, a retired principal scientist from CMFRI, said, "We spent a lot of research before deploying reef blocks. We analysed the seabed conditions. Each structure we dropped were only about three feet in height, weighed almost a ton and made of hard concrete. We dropped around 200 permeable and hollow blocks closely in deeper points. Thus, we deployed those reefs that and made them resistant against drifting or displacement. But, the vehicles are not similarly designed for this purpose. They can be overturned and washed away easily through strong ocean currents due to their structural disadvantages." The experts also call the dumping of vehicles disastrous for the environment and are against the 'international laws on anti-dumping. Dr S Velvizhi, the Head of MSSRF- Fish for All Research Centre in Poompuhar, added, "Reefs formed out of concrete blocks are harmless to the ecosystem and is favourable to marine life. But, the bodies of vehicles Sri Lanka is dumping are made of corrosive metal materials. Metal rust is toxic to marine life. 'Fish schools' move indiscriminately in the sea across boundaries, so the point of metal dumping is irrelevant. Our seafood through fishing could thus become poisonous. Sea is not a ground for irresponsible dumping, above all." The Directorate of Fisheries in Tamil Nadu told The New Indian Express that they have responded to the Sri Lankan initiative. Director M Karunakaran IAS said, We have received information in the regard through various media sources. We have urged the Tamil Nadu state government to bring it to the notice of the Union Government to stop the Sri Lankan initiative. By PTI BEIJING: China is all set to send the first three crew members to its new space station for three months on Thursday morning, the country's space agency announced on Wednesday. The spaceship, Shenzhou-12, with three male astronauts will be launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, Ji Qiming, assistant to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) director, said at a press conference held at the launch centre. The spaceship will take Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo into space for the construction of China's space station. This will be the first manned mission during the construction of the space station, he said. The mission is being launched ahead of the 100-year celebrations of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) to be held next month. After entering the orbit, the spaceship will conduct a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the in-orbit space station core module Tianhe, forming a complex with the core module and the cargo craft Tianzhou-2. The astronauts aboard Shenzhou-12 will be stationed in the core module and remain in orbit for three months. The launch will be carried out with a Long March-2F carrier rocket, which will be filled with propellant on Wednesday morning, Ji said. China launched its space station core module Tianhe on April 29. After this China now plans to complete the verification of key technologies and the in-orbit construction of the space station through multiple launches within two years. The space station still under construction is expected to be ready by next year. Yang Liwei, director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office who went into space in the Shenzhou-5 craft on October 15, 2003, said earlier that the astronauts will stay in space for three months, during which they will conduct tasks, including repair and maintenance. In all, China plans to launch 11 space missions this year and next year before the space station is ready. Three will be for modules, four for cargo spaceships and four for manned spaceships, according to official media reports. Astronauts will conduct multiple tasks outside the cabin, carrying out repair and maintenance on the spacecraft, and other construction missions, Yang said. "Astronauts coming out of the cabin will become a new routine, and the duration of such activities will be greatly expanded," he said. China's space station has been equipped with a robotic arm over which the US has raised concerns for its possible military applications. The arm, which can be stretched to 15 metres, will also play a vital role in building the space station in orbit, Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space engineering project, had said. Astronauts will team up with the robotic arm to make in-orbit space station construction and maintenance possible, Yang said. China in the past has launched several scavenger satellites fitted with robotic arms to gather and steer space debris so that it burns up in Earth's atmosphere. James Dickinson, commander of the US Space Command, told a congressional hearing in April that the technology "could be used in a future system for grappling other satellites" and was therefore a concern to the US military. The Chinese space station is expected to be a competitor to the ageing International Space Station (ISS), which is a modular space station in low Earth orbit. The ISS is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies -- NASA (US), Roscomos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe) and CSA (Canada). China's Tiangong is expected to be the sole space station once the ISS retires. By Associated Press LISBON: European Union authorities are moving a step closer to deploying the bloc's massive pandemic recovery fund as the president of the 27-nation bloc's executive commission begins a tour of some EU capitals to announce the initial endorsement of national spending plans. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived Wednesday in Portugal, which was the first EU member to formally present ideas for spending its share of the 750 billion euros ($909 billion) earmarked to help countries out of a sharp economic downturn caused by COVID-19. The money is to be distributed in the form of grants and credit. The EU's 1.1 trillion-euro ($1.3 trillion) seven-year budget from next year will also help national economies. In Portugal, Von der Leyen was expected to tell Prime Minister Antonio Costa that his government's plan for how to use its 16.6 billion-euro windfall (USD 20 billion) has earned the European Commission's blessing. Final approval of EU countries' plans is still weeks away. Portugal says much of its expenditure will go to improving the public health network, reducing pollution from public transportation, making housing more energy efficient and buying computers for schools. So far, 23 of the EU's 27 countries have submitted their spending plans to Brussels authorities, which vet them to ensure they are in line with the bloc's policy goals and plan to follow up to check whether they are abiding by their commitments. After Portugal, Von der Leyen was scheduled in Spain later in the day to meet with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. She plans to visit Greece, Denmark and Luxembourg later this week. By PTI KATHMANDU: Torrential rains battered Nepal, resulting in the death of at least seven people and leaving some 50 others missing, widespread flooding and damage to critical infrastructure, officials said on Wednesday. The worst-affected district due to the heavy rains during the last 48 hours is Sindhupalchok in central Nepal, 65 km from capital Kathmandu, where the Melamchi river has flooded. All the deaths have been reported from Sindhupalchok. The bodies of the deceased were recovered on Tuesday night. Officials on Wednesday said nearly 50 people are still missing, mostly workers at the Melamchi Drinking Water Project. On Facebook, Minister of Health and Population Sher Bahadur Tamang wrote: "Over 50 people are missing in the Melamchi and Indrawati rivers' flooding. The floods have also caused damages to the dam in Melamchi drinking water project, Timbu Bazaar, Chanaute Bazaar, Talamarang Bazaar and Melamchi Bazar." Apart from the deaths, two concrete motorable bridges and estimated five to six suspension bridges have collapsed in Sindhupalchok. Agriculture land and fish farms have also been inundated. The police post in Helambu town, an Armed Police Force Camp and the Drinking Water Project in Melamchi are also out of bounds with excessive flooding. Over 300 hutments in villages along Melamchi river have been swept away. Nearly 15 houses have been washed away in Lamjung district. Officials said nearly 200 houses are at risk in low-lying areas of the district. Chief District Officer of Sindhupalchowk, Arun Pokharel, said rescue and relief operations were being carried out by Nepal Police, the Army, and the Armed Police Force. The Army was using helicopters to rescue stranded persons atop buildings. Officials said the excess rains had led to the rivers overflowing, which has resulted in the widespread destruction. Continuous rains have been recorded in central Nepal's Bagmati and Lamjing provinces since Monday evening. By Associated Press BEIJING: Jack Ma, the Chinese billionaire and founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, who last year ran into trouble with the Chinese government is keeping a low profile and has taken up painting as a hobby, according to his close business partner Joseph Tsai. Last year, Ma was summoned by China's financial regulators and his company was fined USD 2.8 billion for allegedly indulging in a monopolistic act of abusing its dominant market position. In a wide-ranging interview with the US media, Tsai said Ma, 56, was living a 'normal life'. "He is lying low right now," Tsai, executive vice-chairman of Alibaba was quoted as saying on Wednesday by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post owned by Ma. "I talk to him every day and message him through our internal messaging platform. He is actually doing very, very well. He has taken up painting as a hobby. It is pretty good." The formerly outspoken Ma has made only rare public appearances since criticising China's financial regulatory system last October during the Bund Summit, an event attended by hundreds of bankers and regulators in Shanghai. This speech riled the ruling Communist Party-led government which in turn launched a probe against his firm. His prolonged absence created speculation about his whereabouts. Tsai noted that Ma had already stepped down from his chairmanship and CEO role at Alibaba two years ago, and was now focused on hobbies and philanthropy. "That is what he is, now. He's living a normal life, after business," Tsai said. "He is just like you and me, a normal individual. He has built a tremendous company of this scale, and has done great things for society -- and today he just wants to focus on something he really wants to spend time on, all the hobbies, the philanthropy, and that's where he is now." Alibaba went through a stormy 2020, with Ma being summoned by national regulators after he likened traditional Chinese banks to 'pawn shops' and questioned whether the Basel Accords -- a set of global banking regulatory recommendations -- were suitable for China. An initial public offering of Alibaba's affiliate, Ant Financial, was halted at the last minute the next month. In December, Beijing launched an antitrust probe into Alibaba, ultimately slapping a record fine of USD 2.8 billion on the tech giant for monopolistic practices. "I think one has to separate what's happening to Jack, and what's happening to our business," Tsai said. "Our business was under some restructuring, on the financial side of things. And also on the antitrust regulations, we have to pay a big fine, but we have got it behind us," Tsai said. By PTI COLOMBO: The first-ever meeting between Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and a delegation of the island nation's main Tamil party TNA, scheduled to be held on Wednesday to discuss the constitutional reform process, has been postponed without citing any reason, the party said. "We were informed that the meeting fixed for today has been postponed. No new date was informed to us so far," M A Sumanthiran, a prominent Tamil National Alliance legislator, told PTI. He said no reason for the postponement of the meeting had been indicated to them. The TNA remains hopeful that the postponed meeting would take place soon and would open up the dialogue between the main Tamil party and the majority nationalist president. Sumanthiran said they had asked if the president was willing to meet them and discuss the TNA's paper sent to the experts' committee appointed by Rajapaksa in December 2020. Rajapaksa responded indicating he would meet a delegation of TNA, Sumanthiran said. The meeting was the first-ever between Rajapaksa, who had openly declared that he was elected by the Sinhala majority but would be open to addressing minority concerns. He lamented that minorities had refused to be part of his November 2019 presidential election victory. The TNA wants the 13th Amendment to be made meaningful to address the political concerns of the Tamil minority. However, Rajapaksa's public statements reflected his keenness to abolish the system of provincial councils which became part of the Sri Lankan Constitution through the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987 between then-premier Rajiv Gandhi and the then Sri Lankan President Junius Jayawardena. India at all times has insisted that they would want Sri Lanka to pursue the 13A as the tool to address Tamil concerns on devolution of power. The amendment is aimed at creating provincial councils in Sri Lanka and enable Sinhalese and Tamil as national languages while preserving English as the link language. By PTI ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court has adjourned till October 5 the hearing of a government's plea to appoint a counsel for Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav on request of the country's top law officer, according to a media report. Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India approached the International Court of Justice against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan must undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. ALSO READ | Pakistan's National Assembly passes bill to give right of appeal to Kulbhushan Jadhav On Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) adjourned the hearing of the government's plea to appoint counsel for Jadhav till October 5 at the request of the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan, The Express Tribune reported. The court also issued notice to the counsel of the Indian High Commission to appear before the court on the next date of hearing. At the last hearing of the case on May 7, an IHC larger bench, comprising Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aamer Farooq, and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb gave India another chance to appoint a counsel for Jadhav by June 15. At an earlier hearing, AGP Khan had informed the court that India contends that the appearance of its consul before a Pakistani court to defend Jadhav would amount to submission to the jurisdiction of the court and would violate its "sovereign immunity". The larger bench had later issued a three-page written order stating that submission to the jurisdiction of any court is "quite distinct" from appearing before a court to assist it in a matter "At this juncture, the court is conducting proceedings only to work out the way forward to implement the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)," the order had said. The court had said that it was only trying to figure out a way to implement the ICJ order and it needs to be brought to the attention of India so that it may enter the appearance and express its reservations about procedure and methodology for implementation of the judgment. "The present proceedings are being conducted to ensure that Commander Jadhav is provided with a fair opportunity to defend himself in the review proceedings to be carried out as ordered by the ICJ." "In view of the foregoing, the government of Pakistan shall make another effort to communicate with the government of India regarding the purpose of the instant proceedings and ensure presence before the court," the order noted. The Pakistan government last week rushed through the National Assembly a bill to provide the right of appeal to Jadhav, amidst ruckus and boycott by the Opposition. The bill is aimed at allowing Jadhav to have consular access in line with the ICJ verdict. By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan was facing a "temporary" shortage of coronavirus vaccines, a top official acknowledged on Wednesday, amid fears among the people that there may be an extended delay between their first and second jabs, rendering the vaccine ineffectual. At a press conference, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Health, Dr Faisal Sultan rejected speculation, saying the shortage was "temporary" and supply would be improved by the end of this week. "There are more than 2,000 vaccination centres in the country and the number of visitors varies. So there may be a shortage of vaccines in some centres," he said. Sultan allayed fears on the gap between the two doses of the vaccine. "The time duration between vaccine doses is typically between three to four weeks. This is correct. However, please note that there is no harm in extending the duration to six to seven weeks. You can get the second dose after some delay," he said. Pakistan launched its vaccination drive on February 2. So far over 11.7 million doses have been administered. Pakistan reported 1,038 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the number of confirmed cases to 944,065. Another 46 people died in the last 24 hour. The nationwide death toll stands at 21,828, the Ministry of National Health Services said. ALSO WATCH: By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Wednesday barred seven lawmakers, including three from the ruling party, from entering the House, a day after parliamentarians from treasury and opposition benches hurled abuses and threw budget copies at each other. Speaker Qaiser said that members who disrupted the session during Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif's speech have been barred from entering the House as their behaviour was "unparliamentary" and "inappropriate". "They violated the rules and, despite the repeated direction of the chair, interrupted House proceedings," he said. Three lawmakers belonging to the PTI and the PML-N each and one member of Pakistan Peoples Party have been barred from attending the session. They include Ali Gohar Khan (PML-N), Chaudhary Hamid Hameed (PML-N), Sheikh Rohale Asghar (PML-N), Faheem Khan (PTI), Abdul Majeed Khan (PTI), Ali Nawaz Awan (PTI) and Syed Agha Rafiullah (PPP). The Speaker said that the conduct of these "was grossly disorderly. " He further said that they "have been told to not enter the precinct of the Parliament House till further orders. " One of the barred members, Awan, is also Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Capital Development Authority Affairs. He was heard using highly abusive language against a PML-N lawmaker. The ugly scenes were witnessed in the House when PML-N president Sharif attempted to make the customary speech to open the forum for debate on the budget. Within no time, the House turned into a battlefield. The atmosphere was so tense that Speaker Qaiser had to suspend the proceedings of the House thrice. PTI leader and Parliamentary Secretary for Law, Maleeka Bokhari, was hit on the face by some unknown object, injuring her eye and she was given treatment at the Parliament House dispensary. Qaiser met Prime Minister Imran Khan before taking the decision to ban the erring members. He also held telephonic calls with Sharif and PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on the situation in the House. Meanwhile, the National Assembly on the second consecutive day on Wednesday witnessed rumpus, forcing Speaker Qaiser to adjourn the session. The treasury members started protests as soon as the speaker gave the floor to Sharif who started his speech surrounded by sergeants. Qaiser repeatedly urged the lawmakers to sit down and keep silent to let the Leader of the Opposition complete his speech but his warnings fell on deaf ears and eventually he cut short the proceedings after an object was thrown at the speaker's dais. Flustered at the incident, he postponed the session till Thursday. "I will not conduct this House until both the government and the opposition agree to ensure peace, he said. Minister for Planning Asad Umar blamed the Opposition for starting the trouble and said a treasury lawmaker, Akram Cheema, was injured by a bottle thrown at him. Sharif during his brief speech said that the speaker was apparently helpless to rein in the members from his party. "I am saddened by your helplessness," he said. He also alleged that the treasury members were protesting on the behest of Prime Minister Khan. PTI SH ZH ZH 06162224 NNNN By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has written another letter to the top UN officials highlighting the Kashmir issue, the Foreign Office said on Wednesday. Qureshi addressed the letter to the President of the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations Secretary General, it said. The minister, who has been regularly writing letters to the Security Council President and the UN Secretary General, in his latest letter alleged that India was changing the demographic structure of Kashmir through the issuance of fake domicile certificates and other measures. He urged the Security Council to call upon India to reverse its actions, including those initiated on and after August 5, 2019. Tensions between India and Pakistan have spiked since New Delhi abrogated the Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. India's decision evoked strong reactions from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy. India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of the Article 370 was its internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda. In his letter, Qureshi also affirmed that Pakistan desires peaceful relations with all its neighbours, including India. He has also emphasised that the onus is on India to create an enabling environment for result-oriented engagement with Pakistan, the FO said. India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence. By PTI LONDON: Dominic Cummings, the former top aide of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on Wednesday reignited an ongoing row over the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as he shared expletive-laden WhatsApp messages believed to be from his former boss in which the premier brands his health secretary "hopeless". Johnson's former Chief Strategy Adviser, who left Downing Street unceremoniously last year, has previously made withering attacks on UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock and claimed the minister should have been sacked for 15-20 things, including "for lying" to people. Following Hancock's own evidence before a parliamentary committee to deny all the allegations, Cummings took to his blogpost to brand the Cabinet minister's parliamentary evidence as an attempt to rewrite history. "Number10/Hancock have repeatedly lied about the failures last year," he writes in his blog. In screenshots of WhatsApp messages he has shared alongside, the Prime Minister appears to call Hancock's efforts "totally f****** hopeless" in response to a message from Cummings and in others seems to consider replacing him. The 7,000-word blogpost dubs Hancock's version of events as "fiction" and criticises "systemic incompetence" surrounding the UK Prime Minister. Downing Street has refused to be drawn into the latest WhatsApp messages row, with the UK Prime Minister's official spokesperson saying Johnson continued to have "full confidence" in Hancock. "I am not planning to engage with every allegation put forward, the Prime Minister has worked very closely with the Health Secretary throughout and will continue to do so," the spokesperson said. Cummings, who left his role as one of Johnson's closest allies in November 2020 amid a Number 10 Downing Street power struggle, last month gave seven hours of evidence to cross-party MPs on the government's response to the COVID-19 crisis. He used that appearance to particularly focus on Hancock's alleged incompetence. In his own evidence to MPs on the government's COVID response, Hancock last week said it was "telling that no evidence has been provided" about some of the claims Cummings made. It would seem the latest blogpost is a direct reaction to that. Reacting to the latest salvo in a bitter war of words between Cummings and Hancock over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Opposition Labour Party's shadow health minister Justin Madders said: "This is more evidence that the Conservatives were too slow to lockdown, too slow to deliver PPE and too slow to protect our care homes. "With this evidence that even the Prime Minister thinks Hancock is useless, why in the worst pandemic in our history has he left him in charge?" But Conservative business minister Paul Scully dismissed the leaked messages as "little grenades" that were only of importance to the "Westminster bubble" and suggested they may have been the prime minister "letting off steam". SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has long been a source of morbid fascination in rival South Korea, which sits in the shadow of Kim's 1.2-million-strong army and his growing arsenal of nuclear-armed missiles. Has he gained even more weight? Is he struggling for breath after relatively short walks? What about that cane? Why did he miss that important state anniversary? Now, the 37-year-old faces fresh speculation in the South about his health again. But this time, it's because he's noticeably slimmer. Kims health matters in Seoul, Washington, Tokyo and other world capitals because he hasnt publicly anointed a successor who would control an advancing nuclear program targeting the United States and its allies if he is incapacitated. North Korea, never open about the internal workings of its leadership, has over the last year shut itself up even tighter to protect against the coronavirus pandemic. In recent state media images, including those published on Wednesday, Kim appeared to have lost a large amount of weight. The strap on his fancy watch is tighter, and his face thinner. Some observers say Kim who is about 170 centimeters (5 feet, 8 inches) tall and has previously weighed 140 kilograms (308 pounds) may have lost about 10-20 kilograms (22-44 pounds). Kim's apparent weight loss is more likely an attempt to improve his health, rather than a sign of illness, according to Hong Min, a senior analyst at Seouls Korea Institute for National Unification. If he was experiencing health problems, he wouldnt have come out in public to convene the plenary meeting of the Workers Partys Central Committee, a major political conference this week that is expected to last two to three days, Hong said. Kim, known for heavy drinking and smoking, comes from a family with a history of heart problems. His father and grandfather, who ruled North Korea before him, both died of heart issues. Experts have said his weight could increase the possibility of cardiovascular diseases. South Koreas Unification Ministry said it has no information to share about Kims health. His slimmer look has been the focus of keen interest in South Korea, with media outlets publishing photos of his previous and current appearances. Seo Yu-Seok at the Seoul-based Institute of North Korean Studies said the Norths recent creation of a first secretary of the ruling Workers Party, the countrys No. 2 job, might have been related to Kims possible health issues. He said Kim may have allowed the posts establishment at the urging of top officials but still hasn't named anyone to the job because it could loosen his grip on power. If Kim faces a real health problem and is in a condition in which he cant express his opinions, though he isn't dead, who will make a decision to name the first secretary? Seo said. When global speculation flared about Kims health last year after he missed the commemoration of the birthday of his late grandfather, some analysts speculated Kims younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, was next in line to inherit her brother's power. Others said a collective leadership was also possible. News featured Clayton schools hosting Friday Food Pantries through July 16 Staff Photos: Heather Middleton Amanda Moore is food pantry site coordinator and social worker at Riverdale Middle School. Moore and a host of volunteers gather every Friday at the school to pack food boxes for the community. Staff Photo: Heather Middleton Ted Jeans, left, and Donald Bullock, members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, volunteer to pack food boxes for the community at Riverdale Middle School. Staff Photo: Heather Middleton More than 200 families will visit Riverdale Middle School to pick up a box of food every Friday through July 16. Staff Photo: Heather Middleton Volunteers line up to begin loading food boxes into the cars of community members at Riverdale Middle School. Staff Photo: Heather Middleton Volunteers load food into a community member's car Friday at Riverdale Middle School. Staff Photo: Heather Middleton Volunteers Janary Fitzpatrick and Jonathan Rembert pack food bags at Riverdale Middle School Friday. Staff Photo: Heather Middleton Community volunteers pack food bags at Riverdale Middle School Friday. Staff Photo: Heather Middleton Volunteers load food into the trunk of a community member Friday at Riverdale Middle School. RIVERDALE School is out for summer, but Riverdale Middle School was buzzing with activity Friday morning. Volunteers were gathered at 8 a.m. to begin packing food boxes to pass out to the community as part of Clayton County Public Schools Friday Food Pantries program. Every Friday through July 16, the district will host a pantry throughout the county to pass along food to the community. Riverdale Middle School coordinator Amanda Moore said volunteers have been working together and passing out food since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last March. She said the meals are a blessing. This is something to help fill the gap, Moore said. Our schools are a staple in our communities, and we feed everyone that needs it. Vernice and Nehemiah Johnson have been visiting the school for over a year. The couple said the meals they receive come in handy. The food we receive is excellent, and everyone here is so friendly, Vernice Johnson said. Moore encourages all in need to come out to the food pantry. Theres no judgement and no shame, she said, We dont turn anyone away, and were here to help. Riverdale Middle School Principal Prince Bowie was among the volunteers Friday. He said hes there every week to make a connection with the community. Its awesome were able to do this, and Im excited to be able to give back to our families like this, he said. Our schools have a strong impact on our community, and we have good people here. The food pantry offers a variety of foods including breakfast cereal, bread, meats, spices, canned and fresh vegetables and salads. Five locations will be distributing food packages from noon to 2 p.m. every Friday. Lee Street Elementary, 178 Lee St. in Jonesboro Huie Elementary, 1260 Rock Cut Road in Forest Park West Clayton Elementary, 5580 Riverdale Road in Atlanta Riverdale Middle School, 400 Roberts Drive in Riverdale Lovejoy High School, 1587 McDonough Road in Hampton In addition to food pantries, the district is offering free summer meals to children ages 18 and younger and older students with physical or mental disabilities through July 23, except July 5. Food will be distributed from 8 a.m. to noon at the following locations: Babb Middle School, 5500 Reynolds Road, Forest Park Brown Elementary School, 9971 Poston Road, Jonesboro Church Street Elementary, 7013 Church St., Riverdale Fountain Elementary School, 5215 West St., Forest Park Hawthorne Elementary, 10750 English Road, Hampton Haynie Elementary, 1169 Morrow Road, Morrow Huie Elementary School, 1260 Rock Cut Road, Forest Park Lee Street Elementary, 178 Lee St., Jonesboro Smith Elementary School, 6340 Ga. Highway 42 South, Rex Swint Elementary, 500 Ga. Highway 138 Southeast, Jonesboro Tara Elementary, 937 Mount Zion Road, Morrow West Clayton Elementary, 5580 Riverdale Road, College Park 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 Partly to mostly cloudy. High 78F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 54F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Multimedia Specialist Anthony Zilis is a multimedia specialist at The News-Gazette. His email is azilis@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@adzilis). Robert Perry is shown during his arraignment Thursday at the Champaign County Courthouse in Urbana. Perry, 30, faces charges in two cases involving victims who live in the Country Brook Apartments on West Springfield Avenue in Champaign. Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). Champaign, IL (61820) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. High 78F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A mostly clear sky. Low 53F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. Stream and riparian restoration work on Sunnybrook completed has been completed at Geauga Park Districts Sunnybrook Preserve in Chester Township. *Lab confirmed cases only; **Includes cleared backlog of pending antigen tests dating back to Nov. 1; *** Begins data from the Ohio Department of Health Weekly number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Lake County. Figures are as of 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and are included in the Lake County General Health Districts weekly coronavirus data reports. All figures include confirmed and probable cases, unless otherwise noted. A parked vehicle at a home on Honeysuckle Lane blocks a sidewalk in the Hidden Village subdivision on June 10. Hidden Village is located in Perry Village, which has a parking ordinance that prohibits vehicles from blocking sidewalks. A group of Hidden Village residents attended a Perry Village Council meeting on June 10, and explained that the positioning of the sidewalks in the subdivision makes it difficult to park more than two cars in a driveway without violating the ordinance. Perry Village Front yard parking no more? Perry Village Council reviewing proposed ordinance that would prohibit front-yard parking in residential areas Council looking at proposed legislation that would apply to cars, trucks and other motor vehicles 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. At the close of this years G7 Leaders summit, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland announced a donation of an additional 870 million vaccine doses from attendees, with the majority to be delivered through COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID 19 Tools Accelerator, within the next year. Attendees included heads of G7 Member States plus Australia, India, South Africa and Republic of Korea, invited as guests. Leaders confirmed their support for all pillars of the ACT-Accelerator across treatments, tests and strengthening public health systems as well as vaccines (link to the communique). Additionally, they indicated their intention to work together with the private sector, the G20 and other countries to increase their vaccine contribution over the months to come. Since their G7 Early Leaders Summit in February 2021, the G7 has committed one billion doses in total. Timing is key WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, spoke to leaders at their meeting and urged many other countries are now facing a surge in cases and they are facing it without vaccines. We are in the race of our lives, but its not a fair race, and most countries have barely left the starting line. We welcome the generous announcements about donations of vaccines and thank leaders. But we need more, and we need them faster. Over US$ 16 billion is still needed this year to fully fund the work of ACT-Accelerator, the global partnership of leading international health organizations which is mid-way through its 2020-21 funding need. In additional to vital vaccine research and development and procurement work, ACT-Accelerator needs funds to strengthen health systems and protect health workers administering the tools needed to end the pandemic; tests to detect and contain hotspots, as well as identify new variants that will continue to appear; and treatments to save the lives of those who will continue to catch COVID-19 and suffer. There is an urgent need for treatments like oxygen which is seeing a surge in demand that is 5 times and in cases such as India, 10 times greater than the need before the pandemic. The funding needed for the ACT-Accelerator will address challenges delivering products where they are most needed, help establish testing for 500 million people in low- and middle-income countries by mid-2021 and help secure the necessary supply of oxygen as well as distribute 165 million doses of treatments including dexamethasone which can save lives of people critically ill with COVID. Carl Bildt, WHO Special Envoy for the ACT Accelerator, said: "We welcome these commitments but there is still a significant funding gap that must be closed if we are to get the urgently needed treatments, including oxygen, and tests, to low and lower-middle income countries so we arent flying blind to where the virus is and how its changing. The time to act is now. We look to the G7 and G20 to fund the work of the ACT Accelerator, the global multilateral solution that can speed up an end to the pandemic. The world needs their political leadership because left to rage anywhere, the virus will remain a threat everywhere." This is an important moment of global solidarity and a critical milestone in the push to ensure those most at risk, everywhere are protected. As we strive towards or goal of ending the acute phase of the pandemic, we look forward to working with countries to ensure these doses pledged are quickly turned into doses delivered. Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of UNITAID, said: "These commitments from G7 leaders are important and welcome. But it is crucial to remember that right now, COVID-19 patients around the world are dying and suffering due to a lack of oxygen, an essential medicine that is vital for the treatment of COVID-19. I would urge G7 leaders to act now to ensure that all pillars of the ACT-Accelerator are fully funded including those focusing on treatments and tests. As recent events in India, Nepal and elsewhere have shown, we need more than vaccines to end this pandemic everywhere. Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, said: The impact of the pandemic in its second year is already far worse than its first. We are seeing significant and devastating outbreaks all over the world including south Asia, southern Africa and Latin America. We must continue to sound the alarm. The longer the virus continues to spread unchecked, the higher the risk of more deadly or contagious variants emerging. The clearest pathway out of this pandemic is a global, equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics, and the overall strengthening of health systems across the globe, because no one will be safe until we are all safe. Dr Emma Hannay, Chief Access Officer and ACT-Accelerator Lead for FIND, said: We thank the G7 for their leadership and continuing drive to ensure R&D and equitable access to diagnostic testing, necessary both for the fight against COVID-19 and to lay the foundations that will prepare the world to guard against future pandemics. Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said: This is an historic moment - as leaders of some of the wealthiest counties come together to ensure that all parts of the world have access to life saving vaccines. This pandemic has shown us that we cannot set national against international interests. With a disease like COVID-19 we have to ensure that we get it under control everywhere. There is still much to do to get vaccines in arms and ensure our research and development allows us to stay one step ahead of the virus. But for today we give pause and celebrate a watershed moment of political alignment and collaboration. Peter Sands, Executive Director of The Global Fund, said: It is encouraging to see such global collaboration and commitments. However, none of the lifesaving tools to fight COVID-19 will deliver themselves. We need to make sure that health systems are prepared and that front-line health workers are sufficiently protected to deliver these tools without risking their own lives. This can only happen if the ACT-Accelerator is fully funded. Researchers at the University of Helsinki and the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow have discovered how mutated cells promote their chances to form cancer. Typically, the accumulation of harmful cells is prevented by active competition between multiple stem cells in intestinal glands, called crypts. The functioning of intestinal stem cells relies on growth factors, named Wnts, produced by the surrounding environment. Intestinal cancers typically originate from stem cells where mutations allow growth independent of these factors. When we removed a gene called Notum, which renders Wnts inactive, from mutated stem cells, the number of precancerous adenomas in the intestine was greatly reduced. We found that mutated cells use this gene to block environmental factors critical to normal stem cells gaining advantage in competition." Nalle Pentinmikko, Postdoctoral Researcher The research group of Assistant Professor Pekka Katajisto at the Institute of Biotechnology of the University of Helsinki had already previously discovered that the same gene, also called an 'aging gene', is expressed in normal tissue when we age, reducing the ability of stem cells to repair damage. The current study shows that mutated cells use the same gene in order to establish a permanent footing in the tissue. "Mutated cells kind of hijack the ageing gene and use it against the healthy stem cells," Katajisto says. The results from this study may lead to the development of new therapies, because the function of the enzyme encoded by the aging gene can be blocked pharmacologically. The research group led by Katajisto has previously used a compound for this purpose in aged research animals to enhance the function of aged stem cells. In the current study, researchers used the same method to reduce the chance of mutated cells winning in competition. A three-week treatment reduced the number of adenomas in animal models. "The results are promising and create a foundation for developing new therapies for patients predisposed to intestinal cancers. This research demonstrates that by enhancing the natural mechanisms of how tissues remove damaged cells, we could also reduce cancer risk in other tissues," Pekka Katajisto concludes. In early 2020, 329 citizens and residents of the United States, along with their partners, voluntarily repatriated from Japan to the United States on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Soon after their departure, a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was declared among this ship's crew members and passengers. The travelers were quarantined and those who tested positive for COVID-19 were isolated at home or in hospitals. During this time, all passengers were tested using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) every other day. Study: Testing for SARS-CoV-2 among cruise ship travelers repatriated to the United States, February March 2020. Image Credit: Design_Cells / Shutterstock.com Analysis of RT-PCR results and symptoms of travelers In a recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv*, a group of researchers discusses the RT-PCR results and symptoms experienced by the travelers to illustrate the viral dynamics during asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 infection. Overall, this group aimed to guide testing strategies after exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the virus responsible for COVID-19. In their work, the researchers conducted a retrospective, longitudinal evaluation of the repatriated travelers who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Of the 328 repatriated travelers that were quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, 45 (14%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Of these 45 travelers, 28 (62%) had a positive RT-PCR result in Japan prior to their departure. Comparatively, 10 (22%) of the travelers were negative for SARS-CoV-2 in Japan but were subsequently found positive for SARS-CoV-2 upon their arrival in the United States. All travelers who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 remained asymptomatic or experienced only mild symptoms during the isolation period on the ship. Notably, about 50% of the travelers were presymptomatic or asymptomatic at the time of their first positive test. Several travelers remained in extended isolation due to persistent detection of SARS-CoV-2 based on contemporaneous policies. More specifically, due to prolonged viral shedding, 58% of these individuals remained in isolation three weeks post-diagnosis. The fact that most of these travelers were asymptomatic or presymptomatic at the time of testing positive for COVID-19 highlights that symptom-based testing after potential viral exposure is not sufficient to detect all infections and prevent further transmission. Our findings support testing within 3-5 days after possible SARS-CoV-2 exposure to comprehensively identify infections and mitigate transmission. The importance of masks and social distancing According to the authors, in settings where rapid viral transmission is possible, testing, regardless of whether symptoms are present or not, should be performed during COVID-19 outbreaks in an effort to detect asymptomatic and presymptomatic infections. Risk mitigation strategies such as hand hygiene, mask usage, and physical distancing should be universally adopted, as these measures are crucial in preventing viral transmission from asymptomatic individuals. Most of the repatriated travelers in this study remained in isolation for 21 days or more due to persistent viral shedding. It should be noted that these travelers would have been released from isolation 10 days after the onset of their symptoms or their first positive test as per the current symptom- and time-based isolation protocol. Interestingly, only 30% of the travelers had tested negative at 10 days following their first positive test result. Although there is an inverse correlation between the amount of viral genetic material in the specimen and the Ct value, qualitative RT-PCR tests do not determine the viral load. The Ct value dynamics in this study agree with prior findings that demonstrate a reduction in viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) concentrations in upper respiratory specimens after their initial diagnosis. Image Credit: Monster Ztudio / Shutterstock.com Study takeaways In conclusion, the findings of this study support SARS-CoV-2 testing within 3 to 5 days of possible viral exposure to comprehensively detect infections and minimize transmission. This will also help guide both symptom- and time-based isolation recommendations. The authors agree that their analysis has many limitations and that the results may not be representative of the general population in the United States. This is largely due to the small sample size of repatriated travelers in this study that were generally of an older age. Moreover, this study did not include travelers who were hospitalized in Japan with severe COVID-19. Our findings illustrate the importance of timely testing after possible SARS-CoV-2 exposure and lend support to symptom- and time-based isolation recommendations, rather than test-based criteria. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. Researchers in Canada have conducted a study suggesting that the majority of patients living with long COVID (coronavirus disease) following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) experience chronic fatigue that is at least as severe as that seen in several other clinical conditions. The team from the University of Calgary in Alabama and Breath Well Physio in Calgary say that post-exertional malaise (PEM) appears to be a significant challenge for the majority of these patients, reducing their capacity to work and be physically active. Rosie Twomey and colleagues say that the study of more than 200 participants found that the impact of long COVID on health-related quality of life was substantial, despite a relatively young cohort where almost half of participants had no comorbidities. Patients, researchers, and allied health professionals are seeking information on safe rehabilitation for people living with long COVID, particularly regarding exercise, writes the team. Fatigue and post-exertional symptom exacerbation must be monitored and reported in studies involving interventions for people with long COVID. A pre-print version of the research paper is available on the medRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review. Long COVID is a major public health concern Long COVID is a major public health concern, with estimates suggesting that around 14% of people who become infected with SARS-CoV-2 will continue to experience symptoms 12 weeks later. Moreover, long COVID does not only affect patients that require hospitalization or those with comorbidities. Even individuals who are at low risk of COVID-19 mortality may experience chronic symptoms and impaired function of one or more organs. A visualization of the impact of long COVID on health-related quality of life measured using eight SF-36 subscales. Mean scores from the present study are presented alongside data from the general population (normative), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Chronic fatigue is consistently the most frequently reported symptom of long COVID. The condition is characterized by a persistent feeling of tiredness or exhaustion that is not proportional to recent activity levels and is not alleviated by rest. Reports of persistent fatigue alongside fluctuating symptoms that worsen unpredictably or in response to exertion have led to comparisons between long COVID and other post-viral conditions, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), writes Twomey and colleagues. One of the hallmark symptoms of ME/CFS is PEM, which describes a worsening of symptoms and reduced function following physical, cognitive, or emotional activity that would not have posed a problem prior to illness developing. However, the presence of PEM in people living with long COVID has not been clearly identified using self-report tools that are validated in people with ME/CFS, say the researchers. A more detailed assessment of chronic fatigue and PEM among people living with long COVID may help to inform the development of physiotherapy and rehabilitation recommendations, suggests the team. What did the researchers do? The researchers used validated questionnaires to measure the severity of fatigue among adults living with long COVID and compared the findings with normative data and thresholds for clinical relevance in other diseases. They assessed PEM screening methods recommended for use in people living with ME/CFS and measured symptoms of dysfunctional breathing, self-reported physical activity or sitting time, and health-related quality of life. The study was conducted as an online survey involving 213 participants, with data collected between February 11th and April 25th, 2021. Questionnaires included the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue Scale (FACIT-F), the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire-Post-Exertional Malaise (DSQ-PEM) and the Self-Evaluation of Breathing Questionnaire (SEBQ). Health-related quality of life was also measured using the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and physical activity and sitting time were measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF). What did the study find? The majority (85.5%) of participants identified as women, with most (78.4%) aged 40 to 59 years. Most participants (72.3%) had been experiencing long COVID symptoms for 6 months or longer and a large proportion (46.5%) had no medical conditions that pre-dated the illness. A large proportion (42.3%) reported that long COVID was preventing them from working, and 41.8% said the illness had reduced their capacity to work or the hours they were able to work. Only 5.2% of the participants were able to continue working as usual. The total FACIT-F score was 1810 (score range 0-52, with a lower score indicating more severe fatigue), and 71.4% were experiencing chronic fatigue, with symptoms persisting for 3 months or more. Most participants were affected by PEM and 58.7% met the scoring thresholds used for people living with ME/CSF. Participants who experienced a worsening of symptoms following exertion also reported reduced physical and social functioning. According to the SF-36 results, factors that were most impacted by long COVID were role limitations due to physical health problems and fatigue. Symptom exacerbation must be considered in rehabilitation and exercise interventions for people living with long COVID, says Twomey and colleagues. In people with PEM, an activity plan needs to be carefully designed based on individual presentation with input from each patient. The total SEBQ score was 30 17 (score range 0 to 75, with a higher score indicating more severe symptoms). Furthermore, 54.0% of participants had a score of more than 25, indicating significant breathing discomfort. Respiratory physiotherapy and breathing retraining may be helpful for people with breathing discomfort, suggests the team. What did the authors conclude? Long COVID is characterized by chronic fatigue that is clinically relevant and is at least as severe as fatigue in several other clinical conditions, writes Twomey and colleagues. PEM seems to be a common and significant challenge for the majority of this patient group and occurs alongside a reduced capacity to work and function both physically and socially, they add. Because people with long COVID report setbacks and deterioration in function following overexertion, fatigue and post-exertional symptom exacerbation must be monitored and reported in studies involving interventions for people with long COVID, the team concludes. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. Rising numbers of liver cancer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities has led experts at Flinders University to call for more programs, including mobile liver clinics and ultrasound in rural and remote Australia. The Australian study just published in international Lancet journal EClinicalMedicine reveals the survival difference was largely accounted for by factors other than Indigenous status - including rurality, comorbidity burden and lack of curative therapy. The study of liver cancer, or Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), included 229 Indigenous and 3587 non-Indigenous HCC cases in South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. The major finding was important differences in cofactors for HCC between Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients, with Indigenous patients more frequently having multiple cofactors for HCC such as hepatitis B, diabetes and alcohol misuse." Alan Wigg, Professor, Flinders University While cancer care is difficult to deliver to remote Australia, he says HCC is preventable with surveillance. "What is needed is a culturally appropriate model of care that in rural communities that screens for liver disease and identifies at risk patients," says Professor Wigg, who also is Head of Hepatology and Liver Transplant Medicine Unit at the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network in South Australia. "At-risk patients need regular six-monthly high-quality liver ultrasound surveillance, which supports a model of care involving mobile liver clinics using fibro-scans and liver ultrasound." This latest research confirms both the incidence and mortality are about 2.6 fold higher in Indigenous compared to non-Indigenous Australians. Liver disease and HCC is the sixth most common cause of death and HCC is the second most common cause of cancer death in Indigenous Australians. Other important associations with HCC in Indigenous Australians included a higher comorbidity burden, lower socioeconomic status, younger age at onset, higher proportion of females and poorer five-year survival rates. "Our study shows the majority of HCC cases in Indigenous Australians occurred in patients living outside of metropolitan areas, to help address the problem of liver disease and HCC and to design effective interventions to reduce the morbidity and mortality from these diseases," says co-author Professor Patricia Valery, who leads the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute's Cancer and Chronic Disease research group. "This suggests that lower access to care may be contributing to poorer survival in these patients. "The study findings highlight that there is still more work to do on interventions to reduce Indigenous mortality from liver disease and HCC," she says. As of June 15, 2021, over 61% of Israels population have received at least one dose of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Israels ambitious vaccination campaign has significantly reduced the number of new positive cases across all age groups. During the course of their vaccination campaign, Israel experienced two unique and major phases that have been referred to as the transition phase and the immunity phase. During the transition phase, the number of new COVID-19 cases dropped significantly among vaccinated individuals but continued to increase among those who had not yet received the vaccine. Comparatively, the immune phase was defined as the period in which a drop in new COVID-19 cases was observed across all communities, regardless of their vaccination status. Study: BNT162b2 mRNA vaccinations in Israel: understanding the impact and improving the vaccination policies by redefining the immunized population. Image Credit: Studio Romantic / Shutterstock.com Currently, public health professionals are looking to better understand the different factors, aside from vaccinations, that have contributed to this drop in cases. In doing so, these professionals hope to identify different methods that can be used to minimize hospitalizations and overall COVID-19 positivity rates in other countries around the world. In a recent study published on the medRxiv* preprint server, a group of Israeli researchers conducted an observational analysis on COVID-19 data that included over 12,000,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests from 250 different cities in Israel. The researchers examined the effect of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign on these Israeli cities with distinct demographic and ethnic characteristics. They also performed a simulation of various vaccination campaigns to identify the optimal policy. When is herd immunity reached? The current study found that cities with younger populations experienced a reduction in the number of new positive cases early on in Israels vaccination campaign as compared to cities that were predominantly occupied by older populations. This decrease was related to the median age alone rather than any other factors like the population sector or socioeconomic status of the population. Interestingly, the researchers found that the number of new COVID-19 cases plateaued at different points based on the age of the population and their immunization rates. More specifically, cities with younger populations reached this plateau at 50% immunization, whereas cities with older populations instead reached this plateau later, when about 70% of their population was vaccinated. This finding, therefore, contradicts the common belief that 65-70% of the population must be immunized in order to achieve herd immunity. To this end, the researchers found that the establishment of herd immunity instead relies more heavily on the percentage of susceptible individuals that are present in a given population. Who should be vaccinated first? The researchers also simulated 4 different vaccination policies - young to old, old to young, triangle, and all ages with the help of stochastic implementation of the extended Seir model. They found that the final number of cases is lower when the positive impact factor is prioritized for example, the younger population first and the older population later. However, the number of hospitalizations is more complicated, as it appears to be more dependent on the vaccination rate. Overall, not prioritizing ages was found to reduce hospitalizations while the young to old policy has the potential to instead increase hospitalization rates. Considering both factors, the authors conclude that vaccinating all ages simultaneously results in a better outcome compared to other policies. Study takeaways The current studys findings agree with those of a previous study that was conducted in Israel two months after the beginning of this nations vaccination campaign. To this end, the previous study showed that the decrease in clinical measures occurred after more than 50% of the population in a given age group got the first dose of the vaccine or had previously recovered from COVID-19. Another finding that was similar between the two studies was that the effect of the vaccination campaign was higher in cities and geographical areas in which a greater percentage of people were vaccinated earlier. These findings not only affect our understanding of community-immunity but might also help estimate the timing in which other cities, that have only started vaccinating, will reach community-immunity. Based on these results, it is clear that vaccinating the elderly population is crucial for relieving the burden on hospitals. Comparatively, this research demonstrates that vaccinating the younger population also helps to contain viral transmission and reach community-wide immunity. Overall, the findings of the current study reveal the impact that a countrys age structure has on the success of the vaccination campaign, as well as the need to redefine the vaccinated population that leads to community immunity. We believe our analysis can assist other countries to better predict the outcome of vaccinations on their COVID-19 cases and also improve their vaccination policy. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. New AI software developed by researchers at Flinders University shows promise for enabling timely support ahead of relapse in patients with severe mental illness. Niranjan Bidargaddi. Image Credit: Flinders University The AI2 (Actionable Intime Insights) software, developed by a team of digital health researchers at Flinders University, has undergone an eight-month trial with psychiatric patients from the Inner North Community Health Service, located in Gawler, South Australia. The digital tool is tipped to revolutionize consumer-centric timely mental health treatment provision outside hospital, with researchers labeling it as readily available and scalable. In the trial of 304 patients, the AI2 software found that 10% of them were at increased risk of not adhering to treatment plans by failing to take medication or disengaging with health services. This led to interventions which clinicians believe could have prevented the patient from relapsing and experiencing a deterioration of their mental health. The web-based tool uses algorithms to automatically flag gaps in care interactions between different parts of the health system. The project is led by Flinders' Associate Professor Niranjan Bidargaddi who says that the current monitoring, management, and treatment of chronic mental illness across different parts of the health system is poorly coordinated and inadequate. In Australia there are about 600,000 people living with a chronic mental illness with multiple morbidities. One a patient has sought an initial consultation with a clinician they might be provided with a diagnosis, a mental health care plan and then they are sent off with instructions for treatment such as taking medication or trying therapeutic techniques. Multiple ongoing medical appointments and medications are burdensome for patients to manage on their own. The problem is that most clinicians don't have the resources to keep track of every patient manually. This can lead to the patient relapsing and potentially becoming hospitalized." Niranjan Bidargaddi, Associate Professor, Flinders University Some estimates suggest that more than 80% of patients with severe mental illness will relapse several times within the firth five years of their initial treatment. Patients can relapse for a variety of reasons. They might experience intolerable side effects or little initial benefit from the medication, have a poor understanding of the need for ongoing treatment or suffer circumstances such as forgetfulness or homelessness. "This puts the patient on a downhill trajectory, can cause a worsening of symptoms and have an increased burden on the public health system," A/P Bidargaddi says. "AI2 delivers important data in real time, providing clinicians with an effective digital alternative to monitoring patients." Patients included in the study had diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, bipolar or other mood disorders and had been prescribed ongoing psychotropic medications. If taken properly, antipsychotic, antidepressant and mood stabilizing medications are highly effective in reducing the risk of relapse of severe mental illness. The AI2 software continuously analyses a clinician's consented patients' Medicare Benefit Scheme (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data, such as medication prescriptions, from the national My Health Records. Algorithms running on the cloud monitor the patients' data to detect gaps in continuity of care such as medical appointments attendance, prescription refills, or mental health care plan review. Once the gaps are detected, it triggers an intervention alert with the monitoring clinician, prompting them to intervene. A/P Bidargaddi says the study found that monitoring the AI dashboard is not onerous. "The two clinician monitors spend about two hours per week monitoring the dashboard, reviewing case notes and speaking with case managers," he says. "Feedback from the clinicians at this stage suggests they actually saved time on routine calls, as they would only contact the GP when necessary - such as if the software had detected a missed prescription refill." While the rollout of AI2 is currently limited to SA, A/P Bidargaddi says the next step for AI2 is for a randomized controlled trial to be carried out across multiple sites. This will determine whether the technology leads to a reduction in hospitalization over time, and whether it's cost effective. A/P Bidargaddi is working with Digital Health CRC to further refine the quality of algorithms further and explore its use in facilitating optimal care interactions for other chronic conditions such as diabetes. The eye is the first sensory organ that recognizes the presence or shape of an object. The conjunctiva is a thin mucous membrane that covers the front half of the eyeball. It protects the eye by secreting mucus and tears for lubrication, and prevents microorganisms from entering. However, since it is exposed to the air, it is susceptible to damages by microorganisms, bacteria, or dust. In fact, if fibrovascular tissues are left to propagate on its surface, they can lead to diseases like pterygium, which can cause visual deterioration. To treat such conditions, an operation to remove and regenerate the damaged conjunctiva is performed. Recently, a Korean research team has developed a new method for performing sutureless amniotic membrane transplantation using the mussel adhesive protein. Professor Hyung Joon Cha's research team at POSTECH (Ph.D. candidate Seong-Woo Maeng, Dr. Tae Yoon Park) with the team led by Professor Woo Chan Park of the Department of Ophthalmology at Dong-A University College of Medicine (Dr. Ji Sang Min, currently at Kim's Eye Hospital of the Konyang University School of Medicine) have together applied a light-curable protein bioadhesive named FixLight to an animal model that simulated the transplantation of the amniotic membrane on an actual ocular surface. As a result, it was confirmed that the operation could be completed more than five times faster than the traditional suture method and the therapeutic effect of the conjunctival regeneration through stably bonded amniotic membranes could successfully replace the conventional procedure. The amniotic membrane is the innermost membrane of the placenta that surrounds and protects the embryo. Since it contains many factors that promote epithelial regeneration, performing amniotic transplantation to reconstruct the ocular surface has been widely practiced. However, the current method stitches the membrane with sutures and fixes it to the surface of the eyeball, which leaves a scar. And since precise sutures are required due to the thinness of the amniotic membrane, the operation is considerably time-consuming. To this, the POSTECH research team has developed a light-curable adhesive that exists in a liquid state when unexposed to light, but changes into a hydrogel within a few seconds when exposed to visible light of a specific wavelength. Going a step further this time, in joint effort with researchers from Dong-A University College of Medicine, the amniotic membrane was transplanted without sutures on the ocular surface of a rabbit model with conjunctiva defects using a light-curable bioadhesive. The joint research team used a visible light-curable bioadhesive with liquid-solid photocrosslinking characteristics in the amniotic membrane transplantation surgery, focusing on the high transparency of the amniotic membrane. After evenly coating the liquid adhesive, the amniotic membrane was adhered to the defect site by crosslinking it with light of a specific wavelength. In an experiment using a rabbit conjunctiva defect model, the researchers observed stable tissue adhesion ability that showed no significant difference from suture-treated cases even on the wet surface of the eye. In addition, after epithelialization progressed over the transplanted amniotic membrane, the adhesive completely biodegraded and regenerated into an integrated epithelial tissue. We confirmed the effectiveness of a new amniotic membrane transplantation method for conjunctival reconstruction in an actual animal model using the mussel adhesive protein, an original biomaterial." He added, "It is anticipated to be highly useful as a safe bioadhesive to replace sutures in various medical fields." Hyung Joon Cha, Professor, POSTECH FixLight - the visible light-curable protein bioadhesive - shows promise for commercialization in the near future as it has completed the technology transfer to Nature Gluetech Co., Ltd. and is awaiting clinical trials as a safe bioadhesive that can fully replace surgical sutures. "The amniotic membrane transplantation is an important operation in ocular surface reconstruction and this visible light-curable bioadhesive enabled facile and rapid operation," remarked Professor Woo Chan Park of Dong-A University College of Medicine. "This technique shows promise to be applicable to other ophthalmological surgeries such as closing of incisions after cataract operation or other transplantations of the ocular surface, such as conjunctival autografting." The findings from this research were published online in Advanced Healthcare Materials, an international journal on biomaterials. The study was carried out as part the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Nano-New Materials Core Technology Development Program funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Marine Biotechnology Program of the Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of Korea. The devastating medical and economic impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have triggered an unprecedented global effort toward the development of effective vaccines to prevent infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the virus responsible for COVID-19. To date, multiple vaccines have been approved in several nations around the world. Each of these vaccines is parenterally administered, which can pose various logistical challenges. Whether these vaccines offer adequate protection at the mucosal sites of entry of the virus also remains questionable. Currently approved vaccines, as well as other vaccine candidates that are still in development, target the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, which is a surface protein that plays a key role in the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cell. Study: Oral subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induces systemic neutralizing IgG, IgA and cellular immune responses and can boost neutralizing antibody responses primed by an injected vaccine. Image Credit: Love Lego / Shutterstock.com Developing an oral, multi-epitope SARS-CoV-2 vaccine In a recent study published on the pre-print bioRxiv* server, a group of Israeli researchers discusses their progress towards developing an oral multi-antigen SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. This oral vaccine, which is otherwise known as MigVax-101, is comprised of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein, 2 domains of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (N), as well as the heat-labile enterotoxin B (LTB), which is a potent mucosal adjuvant. In their work, the researchers assessed the mucosal, humoral, and cell-mediated immune responses of a 3-dose vaccination schedule, as well as a heterologous subcutaneous prime and oral booster regimen in mice and rats, respectively. The mice that received the oral vaccine showed significantly enhanced production of virus-neutralizing antibody anti-S immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA. These mice also exhibited the N-protein-stimulated production of both interferon (IFN-) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) by T cells following dose 3 as compared to the control mice. When administered as a booster dose to rats following parenteral priming with the SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein, the MigVax-101 vaccine induced significantly higher neutralizing antibody titers as compared to the rats that received the oral placebo booster. A single oral booster after 2 subcutaneous priming vaccine doses was found to induce serum IgG and mucosal IgA levels that were similar to the levels that were raised by 3 subcutaneous doses. This study demonstrated the safety and immunogenicity of a 3-dose vaccination regimen using an oral multi-epitope SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in mice. Based on the observations from this study, the authors concluded that the oral LTB-adjuvanted, multi-antigen SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-elicited versatile cellular, humoral, and mucosal immune responses. In addition to offering protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection through priming or booster programs, these vaccines also minimized the technical and logistical hurdles that are currently associated with the approved parenteral vaccines. Neutralization potency following oral immunization: Mice (BALBc, 8-week-old, 5 males and 5 females per treatment group) were inoculated orally or by gavage on days 0, 14, and 28, with either high dose (oHD-LTB) or low dose (oLD-LTB) or high-dose vaccine without free LTB (oHD) per Figure 2. Mice received the high dose with free LTB (gHD-LTB) by gavage. Control mice were treated with an oral dose of PBS. Sera were diluted 10 fold and assessed for neutralizing activity using the cPass neutralization assay. The y-axis corresponds to the observed percentage of the binding inhibition of ACE2-RBD. The neutralization assay was performed in triplicate for each mouse serum; values show mean standard deviation. Students t-test was performed to determine p-values. Advantages of an oral COVID-19 vaccine The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for easily accessible vaccines like oral inoculations, which are user-friendly approaches that could easily be incorporated into a mass vaccination strategy. Given that SARS-CoV-2 is primarily transmitted via respiratory droplets, strong mucosal immunity might boost protection against nasal and/or oral entry of the virus, thus potentially advancing the development of herd immunity. A vaccine that is administered through the oral route also overcomes many of the technical constraints that are often associated with the administration of traditional vaccines. Some of the ways in which oral vaccines avoid these challenges include eliminating the use of needles, which are extra devices that need to be distributed along with the vaccines. Additionally, this type of vaccine increases the patients comfort level, particularly for individuals who are afraid of needles. An oral vaccine also does not require trained individuals for their administration, which is particularly advantageous in developing countries. The integration of the highly conserved N protein in this vaccine may lead to group-common immunity against many SARS-CoV-2 variants. Apart from the convenience of use, an oral vaccine booster may be beneficial for patients who experienced adverse reactions to the initial doses of injected vaccines. In addition to the potential clinical benefits of careful selection and combination of viral epitopes, the subunit vaccine carries several technical advantages over inactivated, attenuated or viral vector vaccines, including the possibility of mass-production in dedicated fermenters and no risk of contamination with residual pathogenic material. *Important Notice bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center's College of Nursing has received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to fund a much-needed expansion of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training and certification in West Tennessee. SANE programs are designed to train nurses to address survivors' needs and provide trauma-informed care. The 21 counties of West Tennessee have only five certified SANE nurses, four of whom practice in Shelby County. But the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation received nearly 1,600 reports of sexual assault in West Tennessee in 2019, indicating a significant shortage of nurses certified to meet the need for this care. Andrea Sebastian, DNP, PNP, SANE-P, an assistant professor in the UTHSC College of Nursing, has worked as a child abuse nurse practitioner for the last seven years at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and will serve as project manager of the SANE Training and Education through Partnerships for Underserved Populations (STEP UP) grant. During this time, I have recognized the importance of SANE nurses in our community. Currently, we do not have enough SANE nurses in West Tennessee to provide exams and resources to victims. With this grant, we will be able to increase access to these invaluable resources and help victims of sexual assault in our community." Dr. Andrea Sebastian, DNP, PNP, SANE-P, Assistant Professor, UTHSC College of Nursing The UTHSC team will work with West Tennessee Healthcare, the Shelby County Crime Victims and Rape Crisis Center, and the Whiteville Family Medical Clinic on the project. The team's goal is to transform the nursing workforce by increasing the supply, distribution, and retention of certified SANEs and improving access to timely, expert care for all sexual assault survivors in West Tennessee. Assistant Professor Christie Manasco, PhD, RN, is one of the co-investigators on the grant. "The funding from this grant will significantly help us close the gaps to equitable SANE care in West Tennessee. The efforts supported by these funds will help us to reduce inequalities and disparities and promote better outcomes for survivors," she said. Beginning in July, the STEP UP grant team will launch a plan to recruit up to 61 registered nurses or advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) from the West Tennessee counties, with a focus on the rural and underserved areas. The grant will pay for participants to earn certifications through community or academic programs for adult and pediatric patients, known as SANE-A and SANE-P. The grant team will also work with regional stakeholders to develop and implement a regional Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team (SARRT) that will assess the needs for sexual assault services in the area, reduce barriers to SANE training, and coordinate SANE clinical training opportunities. Grant funding also will be used to develop and provide resources for SANE self-care, peer mentoring, continuing education, and recertification. Dr. Sebastian will be supported on this grant by co-investigators including Dr. Manasco, Assistant Professor Lisa Beasley, DNP, APRN, NP-C, RN; Assistant Professor Sally Humphrey, DNP, ARN, CPNP-PC; and Assistant Professor Diana Dedmon, DNP, FNP-BC, director of Clinical Affairs. College of Nursing Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-Bc, FAANP, will serve as women's health adviser on the grant, and the program coordinator for the Doctor of Nursing Practice DNP program, Trimika Bowdre, PhD, MPH, will be the evaluation adviser. "The College of Nursing is very grateful for the funding to support this important work of providing appropriate care to this very vulnerable group of people," Dr. Likes said. "The need for this in West Tennessee is beyond question. I personally look forward to working with this team in the College of Nursing and our community partners to provide this vital service to our communities." The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported as the cause of a rapidly spreading severe respiratory illness in Wuhan, China, towards the end of 2019. Since then, it has ravaged the entire world and emerged in many different variants. In an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), most countries closed their borders to travelers entering or returning from outside or enforced lengthy and strict quarantines on those entering. The effectiveness of these policies will depend on the virus biology, including the specific variant present, the screening test used, and the degree to which travelers observe quarantine regulations. A new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, examines the relative effectiveness of varying strategies, such as pre-flight testing, longer or shorter periods of quarantine, tests for release, or daily testing after the flight, using modeling tools. The results show that it is feasible to avoid quarantine by the use of lateral flow testing daily for five days, achieving higher reductions in the number of secondary cases caused by an infected traveler in the country of destination. This conclusion is especially important now that several variants of concern (VOCs) have emerged and are spreading across international boundaries, posing a threat to the precarious control achieved by widespread vaccine rollouts in many developed countries. What did the study do? The researchers estimated the fraction of detected infections among the travelers that would be detected by each of these strategies, and the resulting decrease in secondary cases per infected traveler. When compared to the total volume of travelers entering each country, and the prevalence of the infection in the country of origin of the travelers, they were able to arrive at the risk of importation. What did they find? The scientists assume that about 28% of travelers actually follow quarantine guidelines, while 71% and 86% self-isolate when symptomatic or tested positive, respectively. Almost half of these will have an asymptomatic infection, with a fifth becoming symptomatic on arrival, and 7% symptomatic on the flight. In this scenario, without either testing before the flight or quarantining after arrival, about two-thirds of entering infections will go undetected. Self-isolation of symptomatic travelers will reduce secondary cases by 45%. 14-day quarantine effective at reducing risk With longer periods of quarantine, symptomatic patients will be more likely to be separated from the community at large at symptom onset, while those leaving quarantine will be mostly non-infectious at that point. In this setting, the utility of the post-quarantine test is reduced. At 14 days of quarantine with a concluding test, the secondary case rate would be almost halved compared to self-isolation of symptomatic cases alone. Should quarantine be shortened? The findings also show that quarantine may be reduced to 10 days without a test to release, averting half the cases. A five-day quarantine with testing to release (if negative) at the end would produce similar reductions. However, since many people will not follow quarantine regulations, almost 40% of infections will go undetected and cause transmission. To correct this, initial pre-flight testing (LFT or PCR) could reduce secondary cases by 91% to 95%. Alternatively, quarantine of all travelers in a supervised facility without testing to release could reduce secondary cases by 95%. The most effective strategies thus include: Complete adherence to quarantine for 14 days without a test zero secondary cases Quarantine with PCR on day 5 or LFT on day 7, to release into the community A pre-flight test and 5 days of quarantine with a test to release - 85% reduction with a pre-flight LFT/post-quarantine LFT or PCR, compared to 93% with a pre-flight PCR/post-flight LFT or PCR combination. The more rapid the test, the closer to actual take-off it can be, maximizing case detection. A daily LFT for five days could allow removal of mandatory quarantine, allowing only 7% of cases to go undetected and zero with ten days of testing. What are the implications? The choice of strategy will depend on the rate of importation and the incidence in the country of destination. Thus, the USA, with a high baseline incidence, may not be able to prevent imported infections by restricting travelers. Conversely, Singapore, with a low incidence but high volume of arriving travelers, would reduce its risk to 43%, but not less, with daily testing. Importation as a percentage of domestic incidence is therefore dependent on the epidemic at both ends of the travel route and the proportion of the variant of concern. Both these factors are important in the context of the increased transmissibility, severity of illness, and immune-evasion capabilities, of the VOCs. It then becomes necessary not just to estimate how many infected travelers are arriving, but how many secondary cases may occur if a given VOC goes undetected. The LFT stands out as a reasonable choice in this setting, especially if used pre-flight as well as daily for 5-7 days, as it yields rapid results and thus prevents currently infectious travelers from boarding. The difficulties of quarantine are also significant, and adherence has been reported to be low, though higher with a positive test. Thus, shorter quarantines may be more efficient at preventing viral spread in the real world, especially in managed facilities, and where most new cases are imported. Improving support to those in quarantine is an important way to improve adherence, as well. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. Clinical evaluation of three COVID-19 vaccine candidates in 2020-21 during a worldwide pandemic that killed or sickened millions was unprecedented in terms of urgency and scope. Responsibility for the safety, integrity and scientific validity of the trials in the United States fell to 12 experts of the federally appointed COVID-19 Vaccine Data and Safety Monitoring Board, or COVID-19 DSMB, who in turn report to an oversight group. This COVID-19 DSMB team -- which included co-contributing author Richard Whitley, M.D., distinguished professor of pediatrics in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine -- has now taken the unusual step of publishing details of their review process in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. Their goal, they say, is to assure the public of the board's independence and lack of interference from external actors, while they operated under exceptional conditions. Challenges the board faced included: The remarkable scale and pace of the trials. The frequency of safety events among a combined enrollment of more than 100,000 people, many of whom were older adults or persons with comorbidities that put them at independent risk of serious health events. The need to monitor a portfolio of related trials rather than a single trial, and the need to harmonize these studies. The politicized setting in which the trials have taken place, including a United States presidential election. Despite these challenges, they say that the COVID-19 Vaccine DSMB also "can serve as a model for future situations in which there is an urgent need for coordinated development of multiple therapeutic or preventive interventions to address rapidly evolving public health threats." The story began in May 2020, as the federal government launched Operation Warp Speed to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development. The operation included funding for multiple large randomized trials to assess the safety and efficacy of candidate vaccines and agreements to purchase hundreds of millions of doses to assure timely manufacture of ample quantities of vaccine. To ensure rigorous, independent and unbiased scientific and ethical oversight of the vaccine field trials, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, empaneled the COVID-19 Vaccine DSMB. The board has 11 members from the United States, Brazil, South Africa and the United Kingdom, including experts in infectious disease, vaccinology, immunology, biostatistics, pharmacoepidemiology, public health and bioethics, as well as a biostatistician, who is a full-time NIAID employee and serves as executive secretary. The DSMB's Journal of Infectious Diseases article details their study review process as they reviewed three formal interim efficacy analyses of trials for vaccine makers Moderna, Janssen and AstraZeneca. The board currently is monitoring the Moderna, Janssen, AstraZeneca and Novavax trials. The trial of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which was not federally funded, has a separate DSMB. The DSMB reports that it has met by videoconference more than 25 times, generally for two to three hours at a time. As needed, the board holds ad hoc meetings to address emerging safety concerns. If accrual or event milestones were met between scheduled meetings, the board met to review interim analyses. The board focused on trial conduct, safety and vaccine efficacy. This included a close look at accrual of trial participants, including the numbers and proportions of people in relevant subgroups like age, sex, race, ethnicity and people with risk factors that predispose them to severe COVID-19. "The DSMB's role in overseeing a portfolio of multiple trials," the board writes, "has facilitated its ability to perform safety monitoring across all trials. For example, when concerns first surfaced about thromboembolic events associated with AstraZeneca's vaccine in Europe, the DSMB was able to review relevant categories of adverse events across its portfolio of trials to look for broader patterns associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccines as a class." Participant safety was a central responsibility for the board, which devoted much attention at each meeting to review interim safety metrics. Given the large number of participants in the trials, the board also received regular reports of individual adverse safety events between meetings and determined what further information or actions in response might be needed. Among the political challenges the board faced was what Science magazine called its "extraordinary rebuke" last March, when the board said the company had used potentially misleading and outdated data in its initial analysis. The highly politicized atmosphere also included an August 2020 tweet by then-President Donald Trump that the United States Food and Drug Administration "deep state" was delaying COVID-19 vaccines, and his September suggestion that a vaccine for COVID-19 could be ready by Election Day. Another political challenge came when then-FDA Director Stephen Hahn said he was prepared to authorize a vaccine before Phase 3 trials were complete. Yet politics did not affect the board's work. In its report, the COVID-19 Vaccine DSMB concluded that "Operation Warp Speed is an unprecedented effort to develop safe and effective vaccines that will help end the COVID-19 pandemic. "Conducting clinical trials under these circumstances requires the utmost attention to participant safety and to data integrity, so that the public and the medical community will ultimately have trust in the vaccines and the process used to develop them. Although (the board) operates behind the scenes, by virtue of its access to unblinded interim data, its charge to recommend changes to ongoing studies based on these data, and its ability to examine emerging data across multiple parallel trials, the COVID-19 Vaccine DSMB is uniquely positioned to ensure that these goals are met." Jeffersonville, IN (47130) Today Partly cloudy. High near 80F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low 58F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Local 'A lifetime assignment' Submitted photo The Rev. Howard McNair preaches in 2020. Submitted photo The Rev. Howard McNair sits in the pulpit, in 1979, at New Stoney Hill Church where he pastored for 56 years. Submitted photo An example of the renaming of Poplar Street to Dr. H.E. McNair Sr., pictured, was shown to McNair while he received care at Kitty Askins Hospice Center. The Rev. Howard E. McNairs 56-year career at New Stoney Hill United Holy Church has come to an end as a rare form of cancer has silenced his preaching forever. He died Tuesday afternoon at Kitty Askins Hospice Center. The 75-year-old was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, a very aggressive cancer, in January. His doctor gave him six months to live. Howard McNairs congregation did some research and believes that he was the longest serving pastor in Goldsboro. Clara Forte, 85, who has been a member of the church for almost 70 years, remembers when McNair first came to New Stoney Hill Church. He was pastoring at that time and was probably in his early 20s, she said. He was going all around different areas preaching before he got this assignment. This was his first full-time church he pastored. Forte said the young pastor was full of new ideas for the church. He grew the church membership, she said. He brought new programs to the church. The missionary programs have grown since he got here. The youth programs have grown. Weve seen about seven associated ministers at one time under him. And a lot of them went out into the ministry in other churches. Forte said the church went through some major renovations under McNairs leadership, including building a dining room and kitchen. He also encouraged members to reach out to the community even more with clothing giveaways and other charitable events. I think hes a preacher, a teacher, Forte said. He likes to make sure his flock receives the word, not just whooping and hollering. He wants us to read and study the Scriptures, and he was our Bible study teacher. She said she cant even think about McNair not being at the church anymore. I think thats going to be a void that no one can fill, Forte said. Its not normal for a pastor to be at one church for 56 years. I think his determination kept him here that long. I think he would stay here as long as he could if he had not gotten sick. One person who knows McNair professionally and personally is his nephew, the Rev. Aaron McNair Sr. Although the 53-year-old pastors at other churches, New Stoney Hill is his home church, the place where he grew up and the place where his ministry began under his uncles leadership. I came to live with him and drive for him and be an aide to him as he was helping my mother out when I was in 10th grade, Aaron McNair said. He has always been one that is ministry driven and focused. His whole life revolved around preaching. He preaches strictly from the Bible, and thats one of his strong points. Aaron noted that his uncles reputation extends beyond his own United Holy Church of America denomination to Church of God, Methodist, Baptist and Zion churches. Hes regarded as a great pulpiteer, Aaron said. Hes revered by many young preachers who sat at his feet to learn the art and science of preaching. What he does has been studied by United Christian College as to how he does it. They used him as a teacher to teach preaching and other subject matters. He spent his life teaching what he does. Aaron McNair learned a lot about preaching from his uncle. I attribute my ministerial success to him, he said. I started learning sermon preparation and sermon formatting by editing his sermons when I was about 15 or 16. I would sit at a typewriter and read through his sermons and make corrections. Little did I know the Lord was preparing me. My style of preaching is much like his style of preaching. When it came time for Aaron McNair to pastor, his uncle recommended him to a church and walked him through the interview process. He has now been pastoring for 26 years. He said he also saw the human side of his uncle. He was a people person and loved to be around people, Aaron McNair said. He doesnt ever sit still, he is always on the go. He spent a lot of time checking on people. What I learned traveling with him and driving for him is time and distance didnt matter to him. If you had a need, he was going to be there. If you were sick, he traveled the distance to go see you, from state to state or whatever it took. If he got word somebody was sick in Ohio, New Jersey, New York, he was on the road. Thats the type of person he was. He also said his uncle loved to dress. In fact, I got my dressing from him, he said. I used to buy regular clothes. He said, Son, you got to learn how to upgrade your clothing. Youre a preacher now. Every day was suit, shirt and tie for him every day. We went to a theme park one time and begged him not to wear a suit. Aaron McNair also learned that preaching isnt something someone does, its who they are. Preaching must consume the preacher, and it must be first and foremost in our lives, he said. Its a lifetime assignment. You may pastor for a certain number of years, but youll preach the rest of your life. And Howard McNair was quite the jokester. He loved to cut up and tell old stories. Were going to miss the Uncle Howard part outside of the pastor part, he said. Aaron McNair said members of New Stoney Hill Church are very heavy-hearted about losing their pastor of 56 years. Stoney Hill Church loved him so much that even with his declining health, they said just give him a microphone and let him to talk to us, he said. When he lost his ability to stand, they built a ramp, so he would wheel up to the pulpit, raise his chair up and preach. And the people never lost interest. To honor Howard McNair, church members are working on having the street that the church is on, Poplar Street, renamed to Dr. H.E. McNair Sr. Street. I showed him a photo of it and told him theyre going to do that, and tears just ran down his face, Aaron McNair said. To help his church members deal with his death, Howard McNair told them who he would like his successor to be, someone hes groomed down through the years, who has his style of preaching and someone he knows has a sense of love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the people of God. A successor has not been named for the church, yet. Goldsboro, NC (27530) Today Thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 77F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. (Newser) Anna Paulina Luna wants to unseat Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist in next year's electionbut she's worried that potential rivals for the Republican nomination will kill her first. Luna, who lost to Crist in Florida's 13th District last year, has obtained a stalking injunction against William Braddock, who plans to enter the race this week, the Tampa Bay Times reports. In her petition, she says she was made aware of a a plan "to murder me made by William Braddock in an effort to prevent me from winning the election." She claims Braddock is working with two other people she describes as "political rivals," including Amanda Makki, her opponent in the district's 2020 GOP primary, to "take her out." story continues below The injunction bans Braddock from a conservative-friendly coffee shop and any event where Luna is speaking. A spokesperson for Luna tells the Hill that there are multiple ongoing law enforcement investigations based on Braddock's "own threats and actions, and we are confident the facts will be public at the appropriate time." There will be a hearing on extending the injunction on June 22 and Braddock tells the Times that he's not planning on preparing for it because he hasn't done anything wrong. "This woman is off her rocker and she does not need to be representing anyone," says Braddock, who accuses Luna of filing a false police report. Luna won the 2020 nomination with the help of a nomination from Rep. Matt Gaetz, Raw Story notes. (Read more Florida stories.) (Newser) Before he walked into a Publix grocery store last week and shot to death a woman and her grandson, the Florida man posted on Facebook that he wanted to kill "people and children," investigators say. Timothy Wall, 55, didn't know his victims, Palm Beach County officials said, the New York Times reports. The sheriff said the killings could have been prevented if someone who saw the posts had warned his department. "If somebody would've let us know who he is, we would have contacted him, see if hes got a gun, get him into mental health, and you wouldnt have two people dead," Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. But Walls' former in-laws said Wall's ex-wife tried that. story continues below "My sister was going to the courthouse, going to police, telling everyone he needs help," said Maia Knight, per the Palm Beach Post, adding that Wall had schizophrenia. "My sister was trying to help him but didn't know how." Officials said the woman, 69, might have saved lives by struggling with the gunman after her grandson, who was almost 2, was shot. The gun may have malfunctioned during the clash, per WPEC, forcing the man to reload as customers ran out of the store. Police said he shot the woman, then killed himself. He's not listed as the gun's owner, and officials are investigating how he acquired it. Florida enacted a "red flag" law, under which guns can be taken from people who might be dangerous, after the 2018 killings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. (Read more shooting stories.) (Newser) Jared Kushner is the latest former member of the Trump administration to score a book deal. Former President Trump's son-in-law is working on an as-yet-untitled memoir about his time in the Trump administration that is expected out early next year, the AP reports. It will be published by Broadside Books, a conservative imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, which declares it will be "the definitive, thorough recounting of the administrationand the truth about what happened behind closed doors." Financial terms have not been released. story continues below The news comes amid a reckoning at publishing companies, with employees often up in arms when the company they work for decides to publish a book by a member of the Trump administration or another controversial figure on the right. The New York Times reports that All Seasons Press is a new publishing company launched by former Simon & Schuster and Hachette execs that says it is ready to welcome conservative authors who are being "attacked, bullied, banned from social media, and, in some cases, outright rejected by politically correct publishers." It has signed deals with former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro. (Read more Jared Kushner stories.) (Newser) Nine names were revealed Tuesday as President Biden's picks for various ambassadorial postsa small step toward filling what USA Today reports are 87 vacancies. Among the most recognizable: former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar as ambassador to Mexico, former Deputy Secretary of State Tom Nides as ambassador to Israel, and hero pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger as US representative on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization. The AP notes that while on the campaign trail, Biden indicated he wouldn't lean as heavily on political appointees as President Trump did, but rather pull more from the State Department's well of career foreign service officers. Per the White House, Biden plans to keep political appointments to around 30% of ambassador picks, as Presidents Obama and Bush did; Trump's figure was 43%. story continues below The New York Times reports the announcement is "the first batch of a multiweek rollout of nominees," with CNN earlier noting there have been "repeated delays" in getting to this point due to the deep vetting the administration did, along with its goal of achieving a diverse list. One former State Department official tells the Hill that the first batch would have ideally been announced in March or April. At the Washington Post, Daniel W. Drezner notes that Tuesday's slate didn't include expected names like Rahm Emmanuel as ambassador to Japan, Nick Burns as ambassador to China, or LA Mayor Eric Garcetti as ambassador to India. "I have read enough and heard enough to know that the Biden White House has been agonizingly slow in the confirmation process," he writes. "They look fine next to Trump, but not when compared to Obama or George W. Bush. Hopefully, the pace will quicken soon. But at least the trajectory is promising." (See the full list of nine here.) (Newser) Mustafa Hashem al-Darwish was just 17 when he allegedly participated in an "armed rebellion" in his home country of Saudi Arabia. And yet, despite claiming last year it would stop sentencing minors with death and would apply the change retroactively, the country executed al-Darwish, then 26, on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reports. Human rights groups had called for the execution to be halted, claiming that in addition to al-Darwish's youth at the time of the offenses, he was subjected to an unfair trial, the BBC reports. The groups also say he only confessed after being tortured, placed in solitary confinement, and beaten so badly he passed out, and that he later recanted. story continues below Al Jazeera notes that his charges stemmed from protest activities like rioting, though the kingdom claimed he formed a terror cell and attempted to launch an armed revolt. "Since his arrest, we have known nothing but pain. It is a living death for the whole family," al-Darwish's family, which only learned about his execution through news reports, says in a statement. "How can they execute a boy because of a photograph on his phone?" They say al-Darwish was arrested on the streets with some friends and released after his phone was confiscated. Authorities say they found an image on it that was "offensive to the security forces." His family says he was called to the station to pick up his phone, but was instead detained. (Read more Saudi Arabia stories.) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S President Joe Biden shake hands during their meeting at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S President Joe Biden shake hands during their meeting at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool) (Newser) Good news for those planning a summer vacation in Europe: The European Union will add the United States to its safe travel list on Friday, lifting a ban on nonessential travelers that has been in place through much of the coronavirus pandemic, according to reports. Nonessential travel from the UK is not yet permitted, as the delta variant is spreading there. But ambassadors of the 27 EU member states agreed to allow nonessential travelers from other localesthe US, Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Lebanon, Taiwan, Macao, and Hong Kongduring a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, report CNBC and the New York Times. "The decision is expected to be formally adopted on Friday and would come into effect immediately," per the Times. story continues below "In principle," this means all US travelers would be allowed to enter the EU, even if unvaccinated, per the Times. The European Commission, which previously recommended that fully vaccinated people be allowed to enter the EU without restrictions, wants travelers to undergo a PCR test, but it will be up to individual countries to decide on rules related to testing or quarantine. Several countries, including Greece, Italy, Spain, Croatia, and Austria, are already permitting US travelers with proof of vaccination and/or a recent negative test result, per CNBC and USA Today. Keep in mind even vaccinated Americans who travel abroad will need to produce a negative COVID-19 test within three days of their return flight to the US, USA Today reports. (Read more Europe stories.) (Newser) There's nothing surprising about a former Olympic gold medalist trying to secure a place in the Tokyo Gameswith one exception, maybe. That would be Laura Wilkinson, who on Sunday finished 10th in the women's 10-meter platform finals (watch one of her dives here), meaning she won't be Japan-bound. So why did she get a standing ovation from every person in the building after her last dive? Her age. Wilkinson, who won gold in the 2000 Sydney Games at age 22, was attempting a comeback as a 43-year-old mother of four. "I'm kind of just surprised I'm doing it, honestly," Wilkinson told USA Today earlier this month. "When I retired at 30 I was old back then, so this whole journey has just been a crazy, fun road." story continues below Click2Houston reports her first dive ended up netting her highest score, and she told the station, "I started off strong and then my fourth one was pretty good, so there was some good stuff in there." Making the "good stuff" all the more impressive: The Today Show reports that in 2018 she had significant surgery on her spine to remove two degenerated disks and bone spurs from her neck; surgeons told her it was possible she would emerge unable to ever dive again. USA Today notes that since Wilkinson's 2000 win, no American woman has won an Olympic diving medal. (Read more uplifting news stories.) (Newser) The power grid in Texas is facing its next challenge: a pre-summer swelter. After a winter storm and cold snap that left millions powerless in February, severe heat in the western part of the USwith temps reaching up to the triple digits expected to continue throughout the weeknow has the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, pleading with customers to cut down or cease altogether certain activities through Friday, reports the Guardian. The nonprofit power-grid operator, which manages about 90% of the state's energy, is asking Texans to raise their thermostat settings to at least 78 degrees, switch off lights and pool pumps, unplug devices that aren't in use, and put off using larger appliances such as washers, dryers, and ovens through Friday, amid a new string of plant outages. story continues below ERCOT spokesman Warren Lasher tells NBC News the company doesn't yet have an explanation for the "unplanned, unscheduled mechanical issues," but he notes officials are "deeply concerned" about them and that an investigation is needed. Woody Rickerson, the company's VP of grid planning and operations, says in a statement the outages are "unusual for this early in the summer season," per CBS News. The outlet notes that ERCOT is the only power grid in the nation that's completely enclosed within one statemaking it exempt from federal regulations, but also unable to draw in supplemental power from other grids. Per the Guardian, this early seasonal push for conservation also poses worrisome questions about how the grid will function amid continuing extreme weather. (Texans were asked to conserve energy when it got warm this spring, too.) (Newser) Tim Castilleja was scared to admit in court what he'd told federal agents: that on May 3, 2019, he'd seen a man brandishing a rifle and a woman frantically cleaning out a vehicle at his tavern in Brownstown, Wash., on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Federal agentsmaking the case that the man with the gun had just shot and killed a 25-year-old womanultimately arrested Castilleja to force him to testify in the murder trial. He did so June 9, telling jurors about his fear of retribution, per the Yakima Herald-Republic. The next day, Jordan Stevens, a member of the Yakama tribe who's to face sentencing in September, was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Alillia "Lala" Minthorn. Then, in the early hours of Saturday, Brownstown Tavern burned to the ground. Castilleja, who lived inside, hasn't been seen since, per the Washington Post. story continues below The apparent motive for Minthorn's murder makes clear why Castilleja was hesitant to speak. Prosecutors said Stevens had shot Minthorn dead because he believed she'd spoken to authorities about an incident in which he and an accomplice, Jasmine McCormack, had allegedly assaulted a driver while trying to steal a car. Castilleja said he'd seen a visibly upset McCormack cleaning out an SUV at his tavern and Stevens carrying a rifle outside, per the Herald-Republic. McCormack ultimately led authorities to Minthorn's body. She and another woman said they'd seen Stevens shoot the woman before hiding her body in a remote spot. They said the group visited the tavern before returning to strip Minthorn's body of clothing, as Stevens feared it would contain his blood. The FBI is to join in investigating the fire and Castilleja's disappearance this week, per the Herald-Republic. (Read more murder stories.) (Newser) A policeman has been charged with murder and two officers charged with attempted murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy, Honolulu prosecutors said Tuesday. The charges come after a grand jury last week declined to indict the same three officers in the shooting that killed Iremamber Sykap on April 5, the AP reports. Geoffrey Thom was charged with one count of murder in the second degree. Zackary Ah Nee and Christopher Fredeluces were each charged with one count of attempted murder in the second degree. Interim Honolulu Police Department Chief Rade Vanic said he was surprised by the prosecutor's decision to seek charges after the grand jury decided not to indict. "This is highly unusual, and we are not aware of a similar action having been taken in the past," he said. story continues below Police have said Iremamber was driving a stolen Honda linked to an armed robbery, burglary, purse snatching, and car theft and led officers on a chase before the shooting. Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Van Marter said in court documents that Thom fired 10 rounds into the rear window of the Honda "without provocation." Eight of the shots hit Iremamber in the back of the head, back of the neck, upper back, and left arm. Iremamber was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital. Fredeluces fired one shot but did not hit Iremamber, he said. Van Marter said that while Thom claimed the Honda rammed into his patrol car, body camera footage didn't show that. Thom's patrol car sustained "a few minor paint chips and some black scuffmarks," Van Marter said. He said Ah Nee fired multiple times at Mark Sykap, Iremamber's brother, who was also in the car. (Read more Hawaii stories.) (Newser) Numerous people have drowned at Monastery Beach in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., earning it the nickname "Mortuary Beach." Kim Avis is not one of them. The Scottish street vendor reported missing at the notoriously dangerous site in 2019 in fact faked his own death while facing dozens of accusations of rape at home, reports the BBC. The scheme only added to his troubles. The 57-year-old, who used several aliases, was convicted last month at the High Court in Glasgow of raping three women, sexually assaulting an 11-year-old, attempting to rape a 12-year-old, and of failing to appear in court. He was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison for the sex crimes and three years for skipping out on his initial trial, which was to begin in March 2019, per the Independent. His teenage son claimed Avis vanished during a swim at Monastery Beach while on vacation in late February. story continues below A three-day search commenced before the story unraveled. The high surf typical of the beach was absent that night, per the BBC. And Avis was said to have gone swimming in only a pair of shorts, which was unusual for a winter evening. The Monterey County Sheriff's Office also found it odd that Avis had apparently taken his passport and other belongings into the ocean with him. Authorities eventually learned he'd flown into Los Angeles under the name Ken Gordon-Avis while on bail in Scotland. He was reportedly seen driving in the Big Sur area before he was traced to Colorado Springs, Colo., in July 2019, following a bank transaction. He was returned to Scotland, where he remained in custody until his trial. "We have had a lot of deaths at Monastery Beach, but I can't think of anyone using it as a ploy before," Sheriff's Commander Derrel Simpson says. (Read more faked death stories.) (Newser) A burger restaurant in Pakistan is being praised for taking a stand against corrupt cops. Gohar Iqbal, chief executive of the Johnny & Jugnu chain, says the full on-shift staff of one of its three Lahore restaurants was arrested after refusing to give free burgers to a group of police officers, the New York Times reports. The 19 workers were taken into custodyleaving fryers still running and customers waiting for their foodand held at a police station for seven hours, Iqbal says. He says he received a "stunning response" after he spoke out about the incident on social media. "Within hours, the customers spread the word, with many messaging that they had spoken to higher authorities on our behalf," he tells the Times. story continues below In an Instagram post, Iqbal said his team had been "dragged to the police station because they refused to give free burgers to someone 'very special.'" He urged fellow business owners and other citizens to join him in condemning "people who misuse their power." Nine police officers have now been suspended. "No one is allowed to take the law into his own hands. Injustice will not be tolerated. All of them will be punished," said provincial police chief Inam Ghani, per the BBC. Iqbal says it's common for police to demand free food, but "the demands kept on increasing, culminating in the Friday night episode." He says he was invited to Ghani's office Tuesday and the chief promised him strict action would be taken against corruption. (Read more Pakistan stories.) President Biden, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet for the US-Russia summit at Villa la Grange in Geneva on Wednesday. (Denis Balibouse/Pool Photo via AP) President Biden, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet for the US-Russia summit at Villa la Grange in Geneva on Wednesday. (Denis Balibouse/Pool Photo via AP) Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses the media during a press conference after the U.S.-Russia summit with U.S. President Joe Biden at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (Denis Balibouse/Pool Photo via AP) Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses the media during a press conference after the U.S.-Russia summit with U.S. President Joe Biden at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16,... (Denis Balibouse/Pool Photo via AP) (Newser) The World Health Organization is out with new numbers on the delta COVID variant, and they're moving in the wrong direction. The variant, which was first identified in India, is now in more than 80 countries around the globe, reports CNBC by way of the WHO, and it's mutating as it spreads. The variant remains the dominant one in the UK currently, accounting for more than 60% of cases; the US percentage has grown from 6% of new cases to 10% in the last week. The Guardian reports the delta variant is thought to be more transmissible than the original strain and the alpha strain first seen in the UK. story continues below As for whether Americans should be concerned, it depends, at least according to Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. If you're vaccinated you should be fine after your second vaccine dose. So if numbers start to spike here and someone decides to get vaccinated as a result, it'll take them five or six weeks to be protected, he tells USA Today. CNN cites CDC stats that show as of Wednesday, 43.9% of all Americans are fully vaccinated. (Read more COVID-19 stories.) (Newser) In 2002, Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden were among the 29 Democratic senators who voted to authorize the use of military force in Iraq. Almost 20 years later, they support repealing the authorization. Schumer said Wednesday that he supports repealing the measure and the Senate will hold a vote on it this year, Politico reports. "The Iraq War has been over for nearly a decade," the Senate majority leader said. "The authorization passed in 2002 is no longer necessary in 2021." The House is expected to pass a bill to revoke the authorization Thursday, reports CNBC. President Biden has said he supports the House bill, which was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee. story continues below The White House said in a statement that the US "has no ongoing military activities that rely solely on the 2002 AUMF as a domestic legal basis" and revoking the law would have "minimal impact" on operations. Schumer said Wednesday that revoking the authorization would not mean the US is turning its back on Iraq, but it would prevent future presidents "reaching back into the legal dustbin to use it as a justification for military adventurism," the AP reports. He cited the Trump administration's Jan. 2020 strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani in Baghdad as an example. Some lawmakers say it's also time to consider replacing the 2001 authorization of military force against terrorists with a more targeted resolution, CNN reports. Lee was the only House lawmaker to vote against the 2001 bill, which was passed three days after the 9/11 attacks. (Read more Iraq stories.) (Newser) Scientists have found a dead Asian giant hornet north of Seattle, the first so-called murder hornet found in the country this year, federal and state investigators said Wednesday. Entomologists from the state and US Agriculture departments said it's the first confirmed report from Snohomish County, north of Seattle, and appears to be unrelated to the 2019 and 2020 findings of the hornets in Canada and Whatcom County, along the Canadian border, that gained widespread attention, the AP reports. In the latest sighting, a resident found the dead hornet near the city of Marysville and reported it June 4 to the state Department of Agriculture. Entomologists contacted the person June 7, then retrieved the dead hornet the next day. It was very dried out, and found to be a male hornet. story continues below Given the time of year, that it was a male, and that the specimen was exceptionally dry, entomologists believe it was an old hornet from a previous season that wasnt discovered until now. New males usually dont emerge until at least July. There is no obvious pathway for how the hornet got to Marysville, state officials said. "The find is perplexing because it is too early for a male to emerge," said Dr. Osama El-Lissy, deputy administrator for the USDA's quarantine program. El-Lissy said the federal agency would work with state officials "to survey the area to verify whether a population exists in Snohomish County. The 2-inch-long invasive insects are native to Asia and pose a threat to honeybees and native hornet species. (Scientists have asked for the public's help in finding the hornets.) A UK teenager has revealed how her daily sunbed habit has been labelled 'blackfishing' on social media. Eighteen-year-old Taylor Humphrey from the English village of Mendlesham, Suffolk says when she experienced a sunbed for the first time she "fell in love". "I was so happy. When I first got it I started off doing eight minutes at a time and built it up over a few months," she tells the Daily Mail. "I would describe myself as being over the top and very glamorous, so having a tan is essential for me... I can't leave the house without a tan." Monster mortgages have gone mainstream, with broker Bruce Patten saying the buyer struggle to keep up with rising house prices is real. "Normally, they're somewhere around six to seven times their gross annual income, as a norm," says mortgage broker Bruce Patten. "We've got young couples, not in relationships, getting together to buy." Now the Government is making moves to prevent buyers from getting up to their eyeballs in debt, allowing the Reserve Bank to limit how much someone can borrow based on how much they earn. It's yet another tool to try and cool house price growth. "Obviously that obscene growth in house prices recently reiterates that need to do even more," says Brad Olsen, Infometrics senior economist. But there are concerns this will make buying impossible for low-income earners. "You're just going to cut so many first-home buyers out of the market," Patten says. Finance Minister Grant Robertson is promising it won't. In a statement he said "any limit should apply only to investors". And he doesn't want it immediately, adding: "The Government has already put in place a number of measures to cool the housing market, and it's important to give these initiatives time to assess their impact." An alternative New Zealand Jewish group says it's "horrified" by comments made about the Israel-Palestine conflict at NZ's first annual hui to combat terrorism. Muslim community members walked out of the inaugural hui in Christchurch on Tuesday, after NZ Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses said leaders needed to be consistent in censuring terrorism. "We need to hear leaders condemn all support for terrorism and all terrorism equally whatever the source, target and circumstances, and even when it is not politically expedient to do so," she said in a speech. Across New Zealand, police are going after the big-time criminals by seizing their bank accounts, properties, and possessions. Over $1 billion worth of assets have been seized under the Criminal Proceeds Act. As part of his documentary Patrick Gower: On P, Gower took a look at a secure police facility where about $20 million worth of property is kept, from luxury cars, to motorbikes, to boats used to bring meth into the country. Watch the video above. Watch Patrick Gower: On P on ThreeNow. Immigration New Zealand says 200 visits to properties over 12 months to catch illegal immigrants were not dawn-raid style operations. Between May 2020 - May 2021, 223 private properties were visited, not all between the standard hours. Of that, only 36 people were found to be working and staying illegally in New Zealand. Geoff Scott, General Manager Verification and Compliance these visits should not be considered raids. "The visits do not involve officers attending private addresses and banging down doors. They involve knocking on the door, engaging with the occupants and where appropriate detaining people who are in the country unlawfully. If no one is present the officers leave and return at a later date," Scott told Newshub. However 19 of these visits were made outside the considered standard hours of 06:00am - 07:00pm. These are done at different hours on a considered case-by-case basis. Scott says the most recent estimate of illegal over-stayers carried out in 2017 is approximately 14,000. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday the Government will formally apologize to the Pasifika community for the 1970s Dawn Raids which she acknowledges racially targeted and terrorised them. Between 1974 and 1976, police raided the homes of Pasifika families and carried out spot-checks in the streets, hunting for people who'd overstayed their visas. The raids were racist - 40 percent of overstayers at the time were British or American, but Pasifika were targeted and the behaviour of the Government at the time sparked further racism toward Pasifika communities. The formal Government apology for the dawn raids will be held at a commemoration event on June 26 in the Auckland Town Hall. An international drug smuggler who works with the Sinaloa Cartel says he sends "crystal, meth, and ice" to New Zealand and Australia. It's produced in laboratories in the mountains of Sinaloa. "We arrange some suitcases with some travellers. We have the boarding to the plane arranged, and also the connection that happens in the city of Los Angeles, we send it by plane," he explains. "That's how we take it into Australia and New Zealand." There is one person in New Zealand who works for them and they are told what to do, he says. Around 12kg of meth gets into New Zealand each month. "We cannot work with big volumes anymore, because last year we sent more than a tonne in a ship inside some electronic devices. They were seized, and so we decided to send less, but securely," he says. He adds New Zealanders are the "best-paying customers" - the Sinaloa Cartel can sell 1kg of meth for around US$75,000 to US$80,000 (NZ$105,000 to NZ$112,000). There are no signs of the meth-making and distribution trade slowing. "Look, this business is growing more and more, everywhere. Because at the end of the day, yes, there are more people consuming the product. This will keep growing, it won't stop," he says. Watch Patrick Gower: On P on ThreeNow. Two people have been found dead in a Pukekohe home. Police say they were called to reports of a sudden death at a home in the Auckland region town on Wednesday at 3:10pm. On arrival, two people were found dead. They say they are making a number of enquiries to find out exactly what happened. Police will remain at the scene throughout Wednesday evening. They add that more information will be given once it is available. Traffic is building on the outskirts of Hamilton as farmers, foodies, petrolheads and animal lovers flock to the National Fieldays, which is tipped to be the biggest agricultural event in the world since COVID-19. The National Fieldays at Mystery Creek near Hamilton runs from June 16-19 with over 120,000 people expected through the gates. Last year the event was cancelled for the first time in its 52-year history, and replaced with an online show that attracted an audience of 90,000 people from 75 countries. Its CEO Peter Nation says "we need the primary sector to continue to thrive and grow and lead New Zealand into recovery". Mega-airline Emirates has posted its biggest loss in the company's history as the financial impacts of COVID-19 extend further into global travel operators. The airline posted a NZ$7.7 billion loss for the last financial year, a huge drop from last year's NZ$404 million profit. It's the first financial loss for the 36-year-old airline since the 1987-88 fiscal year when it operated a fleet of just four aircraft. Passenger numbers over the period dropped to 6.6 million, the lowest since 2003 when the airline flew 6.9 million people. Back then it had a fleet of 46 planes, now it has over 250. The financial result has sparked rumours Emirates would lessen its presence in the New Zealand market, including sponsorship of sporting teams and events. Speaking to media last night, the boss of Emirates Team New Zealand Grant Dalton said he was aware of rumours the airline wasn't going to renew its naming rights deal with the America's Cup team. "We all know, that boy, that's not a great business to be in at the moment is airlines, and God knows how many A380s are sitting on the tarmac at the moment," he said. The Israeli military has confirmed airstrikes against "Hamas military compounds" in Palestine's Gaza Strip were launched as a counter-attack against the firing of incendiary balloons into Israel on Tuesday. A Hamas radio station initially reported on Wednesday that an Israeli aircraft had attacked a Palestinian training camp in Gaza, marking the first Israeli strike in the enclave since a ceasefire ended 11 days of cross-border fighting last month. The Israeli military later confirmed the airstrikes were launched against "Hamas military compounds" in Gaza City and the southern town of Khan Younis. They said the attacks were a reprisal against the launching of incendiary balloons from Gaza on Tuesday. The balloons caused some 20 blazes in open fields in communities near the frontier, the Israeli fire brigade said. The military said it was "ready for all scenarios, including renewed fighting in the face of continued terrorist acts emanating from Gaza". Israel's new Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, has previously said the Israeli government should not tolerate incendiary balloons, and must retaliate as if Hamas had fired rockets into Israel. The flare-up, a first test for Israel's new government, followed a march in East Jerusalem on Tuesday by Jewish nationalists that had drawn threats of action by Hamas, the ruling militant group in Gaza. Hours earlier, thousands of flag-waving Israelis congregated around the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem's Old City before heading to Judaisms holy Western Wall, drawing Palestinian anger and condemnation. Israel, which occupied East Jerusalem in a 1967 war and later annexed it in a move that has not won international recognition, regards the entire city as its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future state that would include the West Bank and Gaza. Prior to Tuesday's march, Israel beefed up its deployment of the Iron Dome anti-missile system in anticipation of possible rocket attacks from Gaza. But as the marchers began to disperse after nightfall in Jerusalem, there was no sign of rocket fire from the enclave. The procession was originally scheduled for May 10 as part of "Jerusalem Day" festivities that celebrate Israel's capture of East Jerusalem. At the last minute, that march was diverted away from the Damascus Gate and the Old Citys Muslim Quarter, but the move was not enough to dissuade Hamas from firing rockets towards Jerusalem, attacks that set off last month's round of fighting. A Hamas spokesman, also confirming the Israeli attacks, said Palestinians would continue to pursue their "brave resistance and defend their rights and sacred sites" in Jerusalem. Reuters Shamokin, PA (17872) Today A few showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving for the afternoon. High 76F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight An isolated thunderstorm possible this evening, then occasional showers overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 86F. ESE winds shifting to SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. Low 59F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. 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. 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TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani participated yesterday in the consultative meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers, which was held in Doha. Chaired by Qatari Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister, the session was attended by Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. The Ministers discussed several issues related to the process of joint Arab action, the challenges facing the Arab world, the political and security situations in a number of Arab countries, and means to enhance cooperation and joint coordination towards regional and international issues and topics. Dr Al Zayani also participated in the meeting of the Arab League Council in its extraordinary session which focused on the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), at the request of Egypt and Sudan. The ministers approved a resolution submitted by Egypt, which affirmed that the water security of Egypt and Sudan is an integral part of Arab national security, and rejected any action or measure that would prejudice their rights in the Nile waters. The resolution also stressed the importance of reaching a fair, balanced and legally binding agreement on the Renaissance Dam that achieves the common interests of the three countries and preserves the water rights of Egypt and Sudan. The resolution expressed concern about the stalled negotiations due to the positions adopted by Ethiopia, and its announced intention to continue filling the reservoir of the Renaissance Dam during the upcoming flood season in the summer of 2021. It considered the move as a unilateral measure that violates the rules of international law, which may cause harm to the water interests of Egypt and Sudan, especially the water facilities in Sudan, the most important of which is the Roseires Dam. The resolution called on Ethiopia to refrain from taking any unilateral measures that harm the water interests of Egypt and Sudan, including refraining from filling the Renaissance Dam reservoir without reaching an agreement on the rules for filling and operating the dam. Challenges could not dampen spirits as Bahrain School graduates score high on achievements Challenges could not dampen spirits as Bahrain School graduates score high on achievements TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Although COVID-19 pushed many final high school year traditions to the wayside and the graduation ceremony, conditioned by the lingering effects of the pandemic, was held virtually, Bahrain School students celebrated both their joyous spirit and their achievements. "The Class of 2021 is composed of 57 students from 12 nations. They have an impressive record of school and community service and are talented leaders, artists, musicians, actors, and athletes," School Principal Shana Seawright said. "They have collectively earned nearly $1,800,000 in scholarships and upon graduation have plans to pursue higher educational degrees or to enter the workforce, all to be productive members of our global community." Six of the graduates are candidates for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, commonly known as IB DP. 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. From concerts to parades, festivals and more, News-Press NOW is the place to find out about events in the community. Subscribe for only 25/ week. NEW MILFORD The districts school board named a new principal for New Milford High School and a new assistant superintendent at a regular meeting on Tuesday night. Holly Hollander, the former director of curriculum and instruction in Lebanon, was hired as the districts next assistant superintendent. Raymond Manka, former principal of Stamford High School, was hired as the next high school principal. They will begin their new roles on or about July 1. Manka will be taking Greg Shugrues position as Shugrue leaves the district to become the Gilbert Schools new head of school. Hollander will fill a spot held by interim assistant superintendent Catherine Calabrese. I am thrilled to welcome Ms. Hollander and Mr. Manka to the New Milford Public Schools administrative team, wrote Superintendent Alisha DiCorpo in a press release sent early Wednesday morning. She stated that both candidates model through their actions, and articulate the importance of collaboration and effective communication. The press release detailed both educators backgrounds, including Hollanders work in curriculum redesign and alignment to assessment review and data management. She has previously served in a variety of administrative positions across the state, including roles as the director of educational programs at the CT Science Center, the director of the Mandell Academy for Teachers, and as the teaching and learning director and the K-12 common core supervisor for Cromwell Public Schools. Hollanders experience includes serving as an instructor at Central Connecticut State University for elementary education, and as the director of student teaching and field experience for nearly 10 years. In addition to her administrative roles, Hollander has worked as a third and fifth grade teacher. Hollander holds a bachelors degree in education from Illinois State University and a masters in elementary education from Central Connecticut State University. Manka comes to New Milford from Stamford, where he has been the high school principal since 2015. During his career, he has also served as assistant principal for high schools in several districts, including Stamford, Norwalk, and Westhill. Mankas first teaching roles were as a sixth grade science teacher in Bridgeport, and a biology teacher at both Jonathan Law High School in Milford and Ridgefield High School. He holds a bachelors degree in elementary education and biology from Western Connecticut State University and a masters degree in education from the University of Bridgeport. Hollanders new post is one that hasnt been filled for some time, and the board has been searching for a full-time replacement since December of 2020. Previously, DiCorpo served as the interim assistant superintendent and then interim superintendent in 2020 before she was hired as the new superintendent earlier this year. When she vacated the interim assistant superintendent position, the board selected Catherine Calabrese to serve in the position until they could find a new hire. At the time, Calabrese was serving as the assistant principal for both Northville Elementary and Schaghticoke Middle Schools, and her appointment as interim assistant superintendent required some reshuffling of positions to cover the vacancies. In the press release, DiCorpo went on to call the new hires reflective educators who will continue to build on the great work already begun in their respective positions. I very much look forward to working alongside them as they begin their work in the district." WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Tuesday installed an energetic critic of Big Tech as a top federal regulator at a time when the industry is under intense pressure from Congress, regulators and state attorneys general. The selection of legal scholar Lina Khan to head the Federal Trade Commission is seen as signaling a tough stance toward tech giants Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple. Khan was sworn in as FTC chair just hours after the Senate confirmed her as one of five members of the commission on a 69-28 vote. Khan has been a professor at Columbia University Law School and burst onto the antitrust scene with her massive scholarly work in 2017 as a Yale law student, Amazons Antitrust Paradox. She helped lay the foundation for a new way of looking at antitrust law beyond the impact of big-company market dominance on consumer prices. As counsel to a House Judiciary antitrust panel in 2019 and 2020, she played a key role in a sweeping bipartisan investigation of the market power of the tech giants. At 32, she is believed to be the youngest chair in the history of the FTC, which polices competition and consumer protection in industry generally as well as digital privacy. Lina brings deep knowledge and expertise to this role and will be a fearless champion for consumers," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who has called for tech industry breakups, said in a statement. Giant tech companies deserve the growing scrutiny they are facing, and consolidation is choking off competition across American industries. With Chair Khan at the helm, we have a huge opportunity to make big, structural change by reviving antitrust enforcement and fighting monopolies that threaten our economy, our society and our democracy. Khan also was a legal adviser to Rohit Chopra, an FTC commissioner, and was previously legal director of the Open Markets Institute, an organization that advocates against corporate concentration. It is a tremendous honor to have been selected by President Biden to lead the Federal Trade Commission, Khan said in a statement. I look forward to working with my colleagues to protect the public from corporate abuse. Biden said as a presidential candidate that dismantling the big tech companies should be considered. He also has said he wants to see quickly crimped the social media companies long-held legal protections for speech on their platforms. Biden in March appointed Tim Wu, also an academic expert on antitrust and industry critic, as a special assistant to the president for technology and competition policy within the National Economic Council. Wu, like Khan a Columbia law professor, has been a senior adviser to the FTC and a senior enforcement attorney in the New York attorney generals office. The tech industry, once lionized by lawmakers and presidents as an engine of innovation and jobs, has seen its political fortunes eroded in recent years. Calls have been rising to break up the Silicon Valley giants. Lawmakers of both parties champion stronger oversight of the tech industry, arguing that its massive market power is out of control, crushing smaller competitors and endangering consumers privacy. They say the companies hide behind a legal shield to allow false information to flourish on their social media networks or to entrench bias. Last fall the Trump Justice Department, joined by states, filed a ground-breaking antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the search giant of abusing its market dominance to stifle competition. That was followed in December by another big antitrust suit against Facebook, brought by the FTC and an array of states. Amazon and Apple are under scrutiny by antitrust enforcers at the Justice Department, now in Bidens purview, and the independent, bipartisan FTC. Twitter has joined Facebook and Google in facing frequent run-ins with lawmakers over its policies for moderating content on its platform. A bipartisan group of House lawmakers, animated by the results of the Judiciary panel investigation of Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple, proposed sweeping legislation Friday to rein in Big Tech, possibly forcing the giants to break up their businesses while making it harder for them to acquire others. Those kinds of mandated breakups through a legislative overhaul would be a radical step for Congress to take and could be a bridge too far for some Republican lawmakers. Some Republican lawmakers have denounced the new school of antitrust thought, championed by Khan and Wu and gaining currency among Democrats, that looks beyond the impact of big-company market dominance on consumer prices to its broader effects on industries, employees and communities. The school is called hipster antitrust by its detractors. With this approach, Democrats are seeking to use antitrust law not to promote competition but to advance social or environmental goals, the Republicans contend. HARTFORD A bill to legalize recreational marijuana passed in the state Senate Tuesday night, but not before its main sponsor pushed through a sweeping change, which abruptly prompted a threatened veto from Gov. Ned Lamont. Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, added and won approval of an amendment giving special consideration for industry licenses to people who had been convicted of cannabis crimes. That is in addition to negotiated provisions that would give favored treatment to people who grew up or resided in targeted, low-income disadvantaged neighborhoods. Winfield claimed his eleventh-hour amendment would expand the pool of potential people eligible for new marijuana business licenses under so-called social equity. But it prompted Lamonts veto threat just as the state Senate was finishing a three-hour debate and preparing to vote on the issue for the second time in a week with the same 19 yes votes in place as last week. Thats the governors prerogative, Winfield, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said in the Senate chamber right after the vote. We didnt hit the target. I cant comment on what he chooses to do. Winfield said that late Tuesday afternoon around the time of a half-hour recess in the middle of the floor debate there were questions from fellow Democrats that led to the amendment he offered. The measure giving advantage to ex-convicts had been debated this year but was rejected. Winfield was part of the agreement to exclude it. I think there were concerns raised in the past couple of hours about what some people thought was the exclusion of people with criminal records as related to cannabis, Winfield said, saying that the idea for the amendment sprung from members of the House of Representatives, including Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, as well as cannabis advocates. There was a concern that it might affect votes, honestly and there was an attempt to fix it, he said. People who are not disproportionately impacted in the criminal justice system might be able to get licenses under this. The vote under the veto promise puts the whole legal-cannabis issue in doubt, even as the House of Representatives is scheduled Wednesday to vote on the controversial measure, which was the focus of intense, months-long negotiations between the governors staff and majority Democrats. The Senate vote was 19-12 including one Republican, Sen. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton. The do-over was needed because the House failed to take up the bill before the end of the regular session, and now the General Assembly is in a special session. The House is scheduled to take up the legislation on Wednesday, but the threatened veto puts a shadow over a bill that advocates worked on for years, and could affect support if it comes to a vote. If approved, the legislation would wipe out lower-level police records, and in a best-case scenario, could get retail, Connecticut-grown cannabis to the adult non-medical market by the spring of 2022. The amendment approved by the Connecticut State Senate to adult use cannabis bill this afternoon, simply put, does not meet the goals laid out during negotiations when it comes to equity and ensuring the wrongs of the past are righted, Paul Mounds, Lamonts chief of staff, said in a statement. To the contrary, this proposal opens the floodgates for tens of thousands of previously ineligible applicants to enter the adult-use cannabis industry. This last-minute amendment creates equity in name only, by allowing these individuals expedited opportunity to obtain access to the marketplace. Winfield acknowledged the governors concerns that eligibility for social-equity licenses would go far beyond impacted neighborhoods. While we made the attempt to square what we were doing with the governors office, clearly, from the governors perspective we didnt. I do recognize the concerns there, but the amendment is what the amendment was. Winfield, speaking with reporters, said that a narrow area for social equity applicants would be desirable, but there are a lot of voices and concerns here and we are and were trying to get to a space where we could take into account the equity proportions and also pass a bill through the Senate and the House. People will see it and assess it and make commentary as they choose. The actual debate for the legislation went much like last week, with conservative Republicans opposed to legalizing cannabis. This law is a drug dealers dream, said Sen. Dan Champagne, R-Vernon, former policeman. The reality is marijuana is an illegal federal produce, said Sen. Tony Hwang, to the other senators, who sit in a circle behind a polished brass rail. This is not the way we want to have our legacy, our tenure in this circle. Republicans also criticized the appointed Social Equity Council, which would be heavy on Democrats and would be in charge of spending about 65 percent of cannabis revenues, which by 2025 could exceed $70 million a year. The bill Winfield introduced at about 3:30, before the amendment, was very similar to last weeks bill. Changes included a two-year ban on former members of the General Assembly joining the legal-cannabis industry, in an attempt to address the potential for a so-called revolving-door opportunities. Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, pointed out that medical professionals warn of the potential harm marijuana presents to children. This is one of the most significant public policies to come before this chamber in my tenure here, he said. We should be listening to the science on this. Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, summing up the debate, said that the bill would try to make up for the generations of young people who were arrested, incarcerated and branded as criminals for marijuana possession. Thats the harm thats been done by our current regimen of laws, Looney said, stressing the portions of the bill on social policy, expunging criminal records and supporting impacted communities with investments that can get them into the cannabis business as growers, processors or in dispensaries. Often that has been done on the basis of race and class. Looney praised the equity portions of the bill, which because of the late amendment, now threatens the potential collapse of the bill Wednesday in the House. Looney likened marijuana prohibition to the banning of alcoholic beverages in the United States from 1919 until 1933 that created illegal markets, crime and profits to satisfy the nations thirst. Remember, that the people who undertook that social experiment did so with the best of intentions, Looney said. They were, in fact, responding to a social problem, the harm caused by alcohol in society, but unfortunately they chose a remedy that went against human nature and human will and human interest and human preferences. We now should do what we already do with alcohol and with tobacco; legalize it for those who are adults, regulate it and tax it. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) South Dakota lawmakers tasked with redrawing legislative districts indicated Tuesday they will focus on the state's two largest cities, as well as Native American reservations. Both the House and Senate committees that are redrawing legislative boundaries decided to create sub-committees tasked with gathering input from Sioux Falls, Rapid City and tribal areas. Lawmakers are readying to receive data from the 2020 Census, develop boundary lines for legislative districts and approve them by Dec. 1. But the districts in urban areas and Indian reservations could have the most hiccups, according to Matt Frame, a lawyer with the Legislative Research Council that is guiding the redistricting process. Lawmakers must ensure that racial minority groups receive adequate representation in state government in order to stay in compliance with federal law. That could create a challenge in areas where mostly Native American people live, especially because those areas have a greater share of younger people who cannot yet register to vote and factors like poverty or physical distance can make it more difficult for people to register to vote. The legislative boundaries must be determined on total population, not voter registration. Kellen Returns From Scout, a staff member with the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association, called for lawmakers to hold government-to-government consultations with tribes as they draw the new boundaries. He said it was important to avoid splitting reservation boundaries. But lawmakers expressed confusion on how to initiate tribal consultations and where to hold them. Democrat Sen. Troy Heinert, who is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, underscored the importance of having the consultations but acknowledged the process differs by the tribe. Still, OJ Semans, co-founder of a Native American voting rights advocacy group called Four Directions that has sued the state in the past, sounded upbeat at the outset of redistricting, noting that the acknowledgement from lawmakers of special consideration for the tribes showed we've come a long, long ways. The state is expecting to receive data from the U.S. Census Bureau in August. That could give lawmakers a tight timeline to propose new maps, host public input meetings and finalize the new boundaries. The Legislature is scheduled to convene Nov. 8 for a special session to approve the new districts. Republican Sen. Jim Bolin said after the state received census data, The process will gear up very intentionally and very rapidly. Twitter is one of the tech giants that has lost its position as an intermediary platform in India due to new IT laws. According to government officials, Twitter is the only prominent social media platform that has not complied with the new legislation. On June 5, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has given Twitter one final warning to comply with the new social media company standards. According to the sources, Twitter also wrote a letter to the government stated that it is making every effort to adhere to new social media company rules and that it has hired a Nodal Contractual Person (NCP) and a Resident Grievance Officer (RGO) on a contract basis. Now Twitter one of the tech giants that has lost its position as an intermediary platform in India due to new IT laws. According to government officials, Twitter is the only prominent social media platform that has not complied with the new legislation. Social media networks with an intermediary status are immune from liability for any third-party data they host. Losing legal protection or position as a social media intermediary has major consequences. The new legislation was enacted by the Indian government in the month of February. According to the rules WhatsApp, Facebook, Google, and other companies must appoint a chief compliance officer, a nodal officer, and a grievance officer in the country, the three officials had to be Indians and personnel of the organizations. In addition, social media platforms must use techniques to detect content depicting rape or sexual abuse of children. They are required to submit a monthly compliance report that details the complaints reported and the actions that were already taken. Also, a few days ago, the UP Police have registered an FIR naming Twitter and others in connection with a video of an elderly Muslim man being assaulted in Ghaziabad on June 5. Twitter is now subject to legal action because it no longer has legal immunity. Till yet Twitter has not replied to a statement on the UP Polices FIR. The unemployment rate in the regions of Pakistan-occupied region is amongst the worst in the areas under the governance of Islamabad. The young people in Pakistan looking to get employed are constantly denied occupation systematically over the years. The streets of Muzaffarabad city in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) were filled with the dissent of the youth regarding an allegedly discriminatory and suppressive legislation sanctioned to regularize ad hoc, temporary and contractual employees. The protest that erupted in the city also included two prominent civil society activists who echoed the voices of the youth. The protestors accused the government of corruption, nepotism, and working towards the oppression of the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The government in power in the region, earlier, approved a law addressing the years-long demands of regularization of the temporary, ad hoc, and contractual workers, but the protestors accuse the government and say that only those who had a connection or any sort of allegiance to the ruling party got the job. Also Read: One year since Galwan: Assessing larger geostrategic implications A petition is also filed in the high court in the region against the legislation, challenging the constitutional aspect of the law. The petition, which was filed by five individuals and two civil society activists, mentioned that the sanctioned legislation did not align with the constitution of that region and called the law inconsistent and in contravention with the constitution. The petition also said that the law had been passed disparaging the UN Charter of Human Rights. The unemployment rate in the regions of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is amongst the worst in the areas under the governance of Islamabad. The young people in Pakistan looking to get employed are constantly denied occupation systematically over the years. The protestors have pledged to continue the demonstration and keep the dissent on the streets of Muzaffarabad until the law is taken back by the legislative assembly or is annulled by the court. ALBERTVILLE, Ala. (AP) A worker wielding a handgun fatally shot two people and wounded two others at an Alabama fire hydrant factory early Tuesday before killing himself near a cemetery where his mother is buried, police said. The shooting which happened about 2:30 a.m. at a Mueller Co. plant in Albertville added to a slew of homicides around the country. Several hours later, gunfire in Chicago claimed four victims. In the Alabama case, a manhunt ended when the shooter's body was found inside a Jeep in Guntersville, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) away from the factory, shortly after daybreak. Multiple weapons were found inside the vehicle, Albertville Police Chief Jamie Smith said at a news conference. Smith said the suspect appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. What prompted him to kill and maim his coworkers wasn't immediately clear, the chief said. He called the shooting completely unprovoked. The chief identified the dead men as Michael Dobbins and David Horton, and the shooter as Andreas Horton, 34. He said that as far as he knew, the Hortons were not related, and had no ties other than co-workers. Two other people Casey Sampson and Isaac Byrd were hospitalized. Their conditions weren't immediately known. They were taken to a nearby hospital and later transferred to a larger hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the chief said. The body of Andreas Horton, who was sometimes called Andy, was found in his vehicle, parked along a road overlooking Guntersville City Cemetery, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the plant. His mother, who died of cancer at age 40 in 2011, was buried just a short walk away. A distant relative of Hortons, Sanchez Watkins, said he last saw Andreas a few months ago at a grocery store. Andy was a good guy. Very quiet, easygoing. You would never expect this from him, Watkins said. Cody Windsor, a Mueller employee who was at home at the time, told The Associated Press that he knew both Hortons, but didn't know what might have prompted the shootings. Windsor said friends working the overnight shift told him the shooting happened in a part of the plant where fire hydrants and pipes are painted, and that an announcement about an active shooter was made over a PA system at the factory, which occupies several buildings over a large area near a railroad track, with fire hydrants stored on racks outside. The police chief said the crime scene encompasses a large area inside the sprawling plant, and victims were found in two or three different locations inside. Windsor said he and David Horton, a foundry helper who could do most any job in the plant, were buddies at work and often hung out together during breaks. Wed sit in our cars and listen to music, he said. Andy Horton was quiet and recently went through the death of his mother, Windsor said. We work together and we bond together. Were here as much as we are at home, he said. He added that the shooting made him nervous about going back to work for fear that somebody is going to walk in the door and shoot you." Ann Walters told Al.com that Dobbins was her grandson, and that he had been working at the factory for nearly a year, saving up to buy a home and a car. He was a perfect gentleman, everybody will tell you. He was good to everybody and put his family first, she said. Mueller Co., based in Cleveland, Tennessee, is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Mueller Water Products Inc., which calls itself a leading maker of water distribution and measurement products in North America. More than 400 people work at the plant in Albertville, giving the city in northwest Alabama its nickname of Fire Hydrant Capital of the World. In a statement read aloud by the police chief, company officials said they were shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific tragedy, and committed to providing help and support to the victims families. The growing gun violence nationwide has police and criminal justice experts concerned. Within hours of the Alabama gunfire Tuesday, four women were killed and four other people were wounded in a pre-dawn shooting at a home in Chicago, police said. The toll from this past weekend included two people killed and at least 30 others wounded in mass shootings in Chicago, the Texas capital of Austin, and Savannah, Georgia. Law officers had hoped that last year's spike in homicides would subside as the nation emerges from coronavirus restrictions, but they remain higher than they were in pre-pandemic times. 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 hasnt happened. And thats 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. Albertville is a tightknit community, and its people will come together to support the victims' families, city spokeswoman Robin Lathan said. Everyone is absolutely heartbroken and devastated, she said. The Mueller Company is part of the lifeblood of who we are in the city of Albertville. Its just a devastating blow. ___ Associated Press reporters Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, and Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia, contributed to this report. HAMDEN Councilman Justin Farmer, D-5, is asking the town to consider new ordinances aimed at increasing transparency around police matters. His proposals would require police commission agendas to list names of potential hires, and mandate the department notify council members of serious crimes via phone within 36 hours. Farmer also is seeking a policy opening police union contract negotiations to the public. The councilman laid out the proposals during virtual press conference Tuesday. He contended communication from the department had been lacking after recent major events, including shootings and the controversial candidacy of a Bridgeport police officer who applied to work in Hamden. If community policing is to be a thing, there has to be trust, and that trust has to be predicated off of communicating on issues of public safety, he said. Council people need to know whats going on so that they can inform the public and we can come up with solutions. Chief of Police John Sullivan did not immediately return requests for comment. He previously said he often informs council members about major crimes in their district, but acknowledged it sometimes comes in the form of a press release, saying that by the time he is able to share, the release often is ready. Sullivan also addressed Farmers concerns over transparency during a June 7 Legislative Council meeting, a recording of which is available on the town website. Sometimes it does take me a little time to report to some of the council members about the incidents that have happened, but I think in my year here as the acting chief and chief, I think Ive been very receptive to any council member who would like that courtesy, he said. Farmer is asking that detectives call or schedule a conversation with a council member within 36 hours of a major crime. Mayor Curt Balzano Leng said in a statement he respected Farmers wish for transparency but suggested the vast majority of times Council members are given courtesy calls to inform them of serious crime occurring in their district. Councilor Farmer has received more of those calls from Both the Police and Fire Chiefs than any council member I can recall in two decades. Receiving information and desiring more information than is appropriate to give are important distinctions here, his statement said. When asked for a response to the statement, Farmer categorically disagreed with the mayors assessment, alleging there have been multiple times during his tenure on council where he has not received calls. Also this is not a courtesy call, he said. This is what community policing looks like. Leng also said all proposed ordinances should be carefully vetted by both legal and public safety professionals to avoid problematic outcomes or unintended problems with existing law. Once this happens I look forward to having further discussion on the matters where it will lead to enhanced Hamden safety for all our residents, his statement concluded. Farmers second proposed ordinance would require names of police candidates or department promotions be listed on police commission agendas far enough before the board makes a decision to allow for public input. He said the idea for the proposal stemmed from the case of James Boulay, a Bridgeport police officer who shot and killed 15-year-old Jayson Negron in 2017. A states attorneys report found the shooting justified, but Negrons death remains a rallying point for police accountability advocates who disagree with that determination. Boulay recently applied for a job in Hamden, but the police commission opted not to hire him during a meeting last month. Boulays name was not included in the agenda for that meeting, nor was it included in the minutes. Rhonda Caldwell, a police accountability advocate, endorsed Farmers proposal to list names of potential hires in meeting agendas. Why do we have a public process where were ... not given all the information? she said. You really wanna deliberately have transparency. Michael Iezzi, chairman of the police commission, said Tuesday he took no issue with publicizing the names and agreed it could help promote transparency. He said he would run it by the town attorney to make sure there were no legal issues, and then put in the request. While the Freedom of Information Act designates lists of potential police hires as public record, towns do not need to include specific names in meeting agendas, according to Thomas Hennick, spokesperson for the state Freedom of Information Commission. Hennick also provided context on FOI laws governing collective bargaining. Such negotiations are exempt from release under FOIA, he said, adding he did not know of anything that would preclude an individual municipality from requiring disclosure. But it would be the first time hes seen that done, he said. Farmer said he is consulting with attorneys to draft the ordinances and hopes to bring them to council for discussion within the next couple weeks. meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com Joe Biden wrapped up the first overseas trip of his presidency Wednesday after rallying allies and facing off with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The eight-day, three-country swing included meetings with leaders of the Group of Seven wealthiest democracies in scenic Cornwall, England, and a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle. NEW HAVEN When Chapel Haven resident Shawn Feldman yelled, ow, on June 3, there was a collective sigh of relief in the cafe. Feldman, 62, was choking on a ham and cheese wrap that she said was dry when two employees stepped into save her - first one who recognized she was choking and another, who successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver. The ow then came from the hard thrusts to her middle. Chapel Haven specializes in creating independent living for adults of all ages with autism or other special needs. Feldman has been part of the program for at least 40 years. They absolutely saved my life, Feldman said. I was in the right place at the right time. Also in the right place at the right time were Sunny Richards, director of community programs, and Adam Ursone, a work-based learning specialist in the CareerAbility program at Chapel Haven. It started in the SAIL program cafe when Richards, who has a long history with Feldman and was sitting across from her, noticed something wasnt right, as Feldman didnt appear to be breathing and wasnt talking. I said, Can you breathe? and she shook her head no, Richards said. I was very scared, Feldman recalled. Thank God for Adam and Sunny. The cafe staff called 911 and Richards tried the Heimlich unsuccessfully. All the staff are trained for emergencies. Ursone, who was at the counter, looked over and noticed Richards effort, and went over to help. I started smacking Shawn in the back, we told her to put arms up, but still the wrap piece was lodged. Finally, he gave Feldman four or five good thrusts, and when she said ow they knew it would all be good. We were all very worried, Ursone said. When the ambulance arrived, they considered sending Feldman to the hospital in case she had a broken rib or other injury, but she declined. Feldman felt some soreness in the days that followed. I was very happy she didnt pass out, Richards said. Im glad I was there. The entire episode was only one to two minutes, but felt more like 10 minutes, Richards said. Feldman said she is eternally grateful to the two staff members. I appreciate both of you - I cant thank you enough, Feldman told the two in a gathering Wednesday. You saved my life and I cant tell you how much I appreciate that. Feldman is part of an new intergenerational program at Chapel Haven to benefit older adults and said she was lucky to be in a setting with others - rather than living in nearby apartments - because if she had been alone there wouldnt have been anyone to save her. Hearst Connecticut Media file Richard Branigan, chief operating officer of the American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region, said choking is the fourth leading cause of accidental death. Richards and Ursone were honored by Chapel Haven President Michael Storz and joined by Branigan. I am so proud of both staff for stepping in and acting so quickly, said Storz. You never know how you will respond in such an urgent situation. Sunny and Adam would not give up and persevered. We are grateful for their efforts. Storz said Feldman is a wonderful woman. Branigan said the two would receive a regional certificate of commendation and that its rare for such awards to be given and their actions show that training is key in saving lives. He encouraged all who can to get training in saving lives, even if its an online course, as one never knows when it will be needed at home or in public. We are pleased to hear of Chapel Havens commitment to prepare their staff, said Branigan. We encourage everyone to take lifesaving courses, so theyll have the knowledge and confidence to act in an emergency, just like Sunny and Adam. WALLINGFORD An investigation into a sexual misconduct allegation made against Choate Rosemary Halls former language department head has determined there was credible evidence to support the claims he was involved in activity with a student, according to the schools headmaster. Headmaster Alex Curtis told members of the school community in an email that third-party investigator Frank Rudewicz concluded after several months of investigation that the allegations against Georges Chahwan were credible. Curtis said Chahwan, who had been with the school for more than a decade, was terminated from his job after he refused to cooperate with the schools investigation process. Given the reasons for his termination, Mr. Chahwan has been banned from Choates campus and from having any contact with current Choate students, Curtis wrote. He said the sexual misconduct allegations did not involve any current student or member of the Class of 2021. Curtis wrote the school became aware of the allegation in early February and reported it to the state Department of Children and Families and appropriate law enforcement. Gary Kleeblatt, a spokesman for DCF, said his office is prohibited from even acknowledging whether any investigation is being conducted into cases involving children. Wallingford Police Chief William Wright said Monday that no complaint had been filed against Chahwan. But Wright said investigation into sexual misconduct involving children typically are handled by DCF, although potentially they could loop us in to the process at some point. Curtis said once school officials became aware of the allegation against Chahwan, he was removed from campus and suspended him from all Choate-related duties. His termination came subsequent to that, according to the headmaster. Chahwan does not have a listed phone number and did not respond to a message sent to him through an online networking site. He was on the Choate faculty from 2010 to Feb. 2021, according to Curtis. As our past actions and communications make clear, the safety of all members of our community is our highest priority, and we have no tolerance for inappropriate conduct by adults in our community, Curtis said. We remain steadfast in our commitment to provide a safe and supportive campus environment and to make student wellbeing paramount in all that we do. Choate put new policies into place following an April 2017 report by a New York attorney on allegations of alleged adult sexual misconduct by faculty at the elite prep school. The report, by New York City attorney Nancy Kestenbaum, covered a period from 1963 to 2010 and found numerous examples of alleged sexual misconduct by faculty at the school involving 24 former students. Since the Kestenbaum report was issued and the new policies were put in place, Choate fired one of its teachers in August 2018 after finding credible evidence he engaged in improper conduct while working at The Foote School in New Haven more than a decade earlier. luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN A tanking commercial office market is not theoretical for these developers. They bet big that converting a large portion of an iconic early 20th century building on the Green to apartments is the right investment. Jacob and Josef Feldman of MOD Equities, which bought the 8-story building at 129 Church St. six years ago for $6.9 million, are proposing an adaptive reuse of the 1912 structure. The brothers would keep a retail presence on the ground level and about nine commercial spaces on the first two floors, with 92 apartments on the third through ninth floors in a transit-oriented development. Jacob Feldman said it has been a struggle to bring in more office users over the years, but they took a big hit during the pandemic when most of the month-to-month small law and professional tenants worked remotely. Keeping it all commercial is not sustainable. We had to come up with a solution quick. This is an historic building it cant sit empty or bad things start to happen, Jacob Feldman said. MOD Equities planned to make its presentation to the City Plan Commission Wednesday night but pitched its plans to a receptive Downtown Wooster Square Community Management Team. Jacob Feldman said they will upgrade the mechanical systems as part of the renovation to set it up for the next 50 to 100 years. The conversion will increase the residential presence along Church Street, which already has apartments at the Eli, the Union, 900 Chapel Residence Court and CenterPointe. Hearst Connecticut Media file The plans are to keep the historic elements with almost no changes to the exterior of the building, which is located next to the federal courthouse on Church Street between Chapel and Elm streets. They will use historic tax credits to cover part of the investment. The new tenants would be able to walk to downtown amenities, as well as the New Haven State Street Station and the Wooster Square neighborhood, the owners said. Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media file The plans call for 12 residential units on the third floor; 13 on each of the fourth through seventh floors; and 14 on the eighth and ninth floors. The apartments will be a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. According to the proposal submitted to the city, there is a rooftop on the third floor, not visible from the street, where the owners plan to create some 3,334 square feet of open space. The amenities would include a fitness center, game room, community room and lounge. Jacob Feldman said they would incorporate the original doors, terrazzo floors and brass elements in the renovated building. There will be a residential entrance and a separate commercial entrance. Forty-six parking spaces are required in connection with the development, but with the provision for at least 12 indoor bicycle spaces, the required number drops to 42. The company is in negotiations with the New Haven Parking Authority to lease those spaces. Jacob Feldman did not think the current Brazilian restaurant on the first floor is likely to reopen; it is the third restaurant the space housed since they bought the building. He told the management team that their business model, which is to invest in older buildings, is always to be competitive with the hundreds of new apartments currently under construction only blocks away in Wooster Square. We always try to be a much better value, he said. Feldman said lumber prices are going down, so that is a good thing. Smart reuse? While converting to residential uses was not part of their original thinking when they bought 129 Church St., Feldman said they had to adjust and figure out the next best thing to do. Hearst Connecticut Media / Community management team Chairman Ian Dunn said it looks like a smart re-use and doing it in a way that honors the character of the building. A big concern of the management team was employment of residents by the contractor, as well as including affordable units in the mix. In response to a question from Elsie Chapman about the hiring of minority contractors, Jacob Feldman said often they get a list from the city for their contractor to work off of. We always try to use minorities when possible and in this particular situation where it is still in the pre-construction phase, we really havent priced out contractors ... but when we do get to that stage, that is definitely first and foremost, Josef Feldman said. Jacob Feldman said they always try to have rents that are 20 percent to 30 percent less expensive than developers working on new construction where there are more amenities. It is more of a boutique-style building, he said, where they have to build smart to keep the rents lower. Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media file Lana Melonakos-Harrison said it looked like a really good project, but she would like to see a certain percentage set aside as affordable. Jacob Feldman said moving forward when they purchase new buildings, they are excited about the proposal for inclusionary zoning that New Haven is considering that has incentives to make those affordable units attractive. Presently, Jacob Feldman said we are not in this really powerful place right now. ... We are in sort of savior mode now; trying to move as fast as we can as every month is difficult. Josef Feldman said he knows affordability is important to New Haven and we really did try to exhaust all our options and the more we went back to it, it really didnt pencil out. He noted the value of inclusionary zoning in the near future. Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media Dunn said generally the city wants to encourage the smaller developers to build and hold onto their properties in the city, as they look to upgrade zoning rules. We dont want to cater to the big, nameless real estate investment trusts that are just designed to make money for shareholders. But we do want to want to cater to people who are looking to build out our city and build out infrastructure in our city that will exist for a long time, Dunn said. Jacob Feldman said he was contacted by the citys consultant on the zoning changes and I was encouraged and excited. ... It has to be a public-private sort of partnership. He said ultimately, a guy like me, my hands are tied ... If the bank doesnt give me any money, we cant do any projects. The proposed incentives tied to inclusionary zoning hopefully bridge the gap to allow for affordable units, he said. Josef Feldman said they are not fly-by-night developers only interested in flipping a property. He said they started 10 years ago buying a single-family house. We really started our business organically from the trunk of our car. ... It has been a long fun ride. ... We are here for the long run, he said. Hearst Connecticut Media file Anstress Farwell, who heads the New Haven Urban Design League and has been a longtime tenant in the building, said the new plans are very sound and that comes from someone who will be displaced from her beloved fourth-floor office with the view of the courthouse and the lions that spit water out in thunderstorms. It is a very special space. Farwell suggested some units could be designed for handicapped tenants one per floor. It is an important value to keep in mind, Farwell said. Jacob Feldman said they hope to break ground in six to eight months. He said they are continuing to work on finishing renovations to 575 Whitney Ave., which involves converting the former Church of the Redeemer to apartments. Also, scaffolding soon will be going up at 105 Court St. at the intersection of State Street. That plan calls for renovating office space at the English Building to 39 apartments a project that had been delayed during the pandemic, but which the brothers hope to complete by 2022. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Iowa. Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday signed into law a tax bill that requires the state to take over funding of mental health services, removing them from local property taxes. The measure also phases out the state inheritance tax by 2025, allows income tax cuts approved three years ago to begin in January 2023, and provides increased housing child care tax credits. NEW HAVEN A 21-year-old man was shot and killed late Tuesday night near Columbus Avenue, according to New Haven police. Officer Scott Shumway said in an email that officers responded to the area of Columbus Avenue between West and Eddy streets at approximately 8:24 p.m., after a ShotSpotter alert and multiple 911 calls regarding gunfire and a person shot. Officers located a 21-year-old New Haven man suffering from a gunshot wound. American Medical Response responded to the scene and transported the male to Yale New Haven Hospital where he was pronounced deceased, Shumway said. On behalf of the department, Shumway asked any witnesses who have not yet spoken with the Police to contact the New Haven Police Department Investigative Services Division at 203-946-6304. He noted that callers may remain anonymous or submit tips anonymously by calling 1-866-888-TIPS(8477), or texting NHPD plus your message to 274637 (CRIMES). Mayor Justin Elicker announced the shooting in an email late Tuesday night, saying had responded to a scene on Thorn Street and noting that local officials had announced the creation of a regional shooting task force earlier in the day, with the goal of helping quell violence. Earlier today I gathered with regional partners to update the public on our efforts to combat the tragic nationwide rise in violent crime that is effecting communities throughout our region and state, Elicker said. In 2020 Connecticut saw a 30% increase in homicides, and New Haven is not an island, which is why were working with regional partners to address this rise, he said. The work is not easy, but were taking a multi-pronged, city-wide approach to combating the violence. Elicker said the shooting task force is a critical component of that effort, but noted the city also opened a re-entry welcome center to provide resources to people released from prison, increased youth programming through the Summer Reset Program, is holding call-ins through Project Safe Neighborhoods and Project Longevity, programs that aim to prevent violence by engaging high risk populations, and is increasing the number of street outreach workers and violence interruption specialists. I was on the scene this evening. Im committed to doing everything in my power to keep our city safe, he said. Before Tuesday nights fatal shooting, there had been 14 homicides this year in New Haven. Before this incident, Alfreda Youmans, Jeffery Dotson, Jorge Osorio-Caballero, Marquis Winfrey, Joseph Mattei, Kevin Jiang, Angel Rodriguez, Dwaneia Turner, Alessia Mesquita, Jack Hopeton, Tashawn Brown, Mariyah Inthirath, Adrian Barwise and Miguel Ramos had been killed in the city to date in 2021. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com A Scottish man who tried to evade justice by fleeing to the United States, where he faked his death at a California beach, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for rape and other sexual offenses, authorities in Scotland said. Kim Avis was found guilty of of raping three women and sexually assaulting a minor following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, Scotland, last month. The 57-year-old was convicted of 13 charges related to sexual offences that occurred between 2006 and 2017, and an additional charge of failing to attend a previous trial date after he fled to America, the Scotland prosecutors office said. Avis was sentenced last week to 12 years in prison for the sexual offenses and three years for failing to appear at an initial trial in March 2019. Avis was on bail when he flew into Los Angeles International Airport in February 2019, using the name Ken Gordon-Avis. Several days later, his teenage son reported him missing at Monastery Beach off the coast of Carmel, California, after he said Avis went for a nighttime swim in treacherous waters. Searchers found no trace off the area sometimes called Mortuary Beach for its deadly reputation. After three days of intense searching, detectives began to suspect a hoax. They said the sons account lacked crucial details, and he couldnt answer basic questions like how the two got to Californias central coast after traveling by air from Scotland to Los Angeles. Authorities in California then discovered that Avis, who is from the Edinburgh area, was wanted on multiple counts of rape in Scotland. His son subsequently returned home and did not face charges for filing a false report. The investigation was turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service, which has responsibility for catching wanted criminals. Avis was arrested five months later in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and extradited back home to Scotland, where he was held in prison until his trial. Kim Avis went to great lengths to evade justice for his crimes, said Fraser Gibson, the public prosecutor for High Court sexual offenses. Thanks to the efforts of police and prosecutors, working together with U.S. law enforcement, he has been brought to justice. NEW HAVEN Avelo Airlines will pay for $1.2 million in improvements to Tweed New Haven Regional Airports existing terminal as part of an agreement between Tweed, Avelo and airport manager Avports LLC that the Airport Authority approved Wednesday. Thats in addition to $2.8 million that Avports will provide for additional upgrades to the current terminal and airport infrastructure in advance of the start of Avelos nonstop service from Tweed to locations still to be announced in the third quarter of the year, officials said. The authority, after an extended closed-door executive session, approved the agreement with no public discussion via a voice vote. Only board member Peter Leonardi voted against it. Under the agreement, Avelo Americas first new mainline airline in nearly 15 years will contribute $1.2 million to upgrade Tweeds existing terminal, administration building, parking and other areas, the company said. All of the improvements are to improve customer experience as Avelo prepares to begin operations at Tweed to several popular destinations, the company said. Last month, we took our first step toward long-overdue improvements to this airport, so that it can finally meet the needs of the region, helping to grow jobs and economic activity, said Sean Scanlon, executive director of the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority. With todays vote, we will begin delivering on that promise of HVN as a more modern, dynamic, economic driver one that listens to and works with the neighboring community, Scanlon said. He said later that the agreement is an 18-month deal and well immediately start negotiating with them on a longer-term deal. As Avelo prepares to make Tweed New Haven our first East Coast base, this investment in the airport will mark the beginning of a new era of choice, convenience, and everyday low fares for Southern Connecticut, said Avelo Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy. This investment in HVN reflects our conviction about the huge opportunity we see in this market. ... We are excited about the opportunity that HVN and Avports are providing us to serve the Greater New Haven community, Levy said. American Airlines currently is the only airline serving Tweed, with American Eagle flights to Philadelphia. As the local operator of HVN for more then twenty years, we are extremely excited to begin moving forward with changes that will enable much-desired new flights and expanded service at the airport, said Avports CEO Jorge Roberts. This new agreement for immediate upgrades is a precursor to improvements that will soon come to HVN. Were appreciative of this partnership with HVN and Avelo, and we are excited to continue serving the airport and neighboring communities, Roberts said. Additional information on HVN and its planned changes can be found at www.thenewhvn.com. Levy said at the initial announcement on May 6 that while he wasnt prepared to announce destinations just yet, Avelo will begin flights in the third quarter and will fly to places local people want to go to. Wed be crazy not to fly to Florida, for instance, Levy said at the time. Other destinations he mentioned as possible were Chicago, maybe D.C. Tweed and Avports officials also announced plans last month for a project totaling more than $100 million to lengthen Tweeds existing runway by 1,035 feet to clear the way for more direct flights to more destinations, and build a new, carbon-neutral, 74,000-square-foot terminal roughly three times the size of the existing terminal with four gates, expandable to six gates on the East Haven side of the airport. A new entrance to the airport would be off Proto Drive, with an approach along Hemingway Avenue. Avports, under a new 43-year contract with Tweed, will front the money for the project, eliminating the need for existing state and city subsidies, which currently total $1.8 million per year. Avelos $1.2 million contribution, first announced on May 6, will be used for shorter-term improvements at the existing terminal to provide a better experience for passengers while the new terminal is being planned, designed and built. By years end, Avelo plans to station three Boeing 737-700 aircraft at the airport, adding more than 100 crew members, including pilots, flight attendants, technicians and customer experience crew members, the company said in the release. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com Niagara Falls, NY (14301) Today Rain showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 71F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 59F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Niagara Falls, NY (14301) Today Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 71F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 59F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has urged residents to show appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari during his visit on Thursday... Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has urged residents to show appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari during his visit on Thursday. In his address on Wednesday, Zulum said the President will appraise the security situation in the North-East and commission some of the projects executed by the state government. Buhari will also inaugurate the first phase of 10,000 houses he approved and for the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees. The Federal Government has completed 4,000 out of the 10,000 houses sited in Kaleri, Dalori, and other locations. Admitting Borno still faces security challenges, Zulum stressed that the President has performed well in the state. Not long ago, President Buhari gave approval for the NNPC to establish a power plant for us. This aims to address our electricity problems in Maiduguri and environs. President Buhari also approved the take off of a Federal Polytechnic in Monguno. The President is also likely to approve a Federal College of Education for Borno, he said. Zulum pointed out that until Buharis authorization, Borno, since 1976, remained without a Federal Polytechnic, a Federal College of Education. The Governor further thanked the President for directing the Nigeria Customs Service, the North-East Development Commission and the National Emergency Management Agency to always support IDPs with food. Zulum added that Buhari is concerned about the humanitarian situation in Borno and committed to finding peace. Borno is known for the culture of dignity, respect and honoring guests. I urge us to demonstrate Bornos creed of hospitality, he appealed. A Mats Hummels own goal gave France a 1-0 victory over Germany in Munich in their first game of Euro 2020 on Tuesday. World champions France... A Mats Hummels own goal gave France a 1-0 victory over Germany in Munich in their first game of Euro 2020 on Tuesday. World champions France fully deserved their Group F win, sealed when Hummels put through his own net in the 20th minute, while Didier Deschamps men also had two goals ruled out for offside in the second half. Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Aviation Minister, on Wednesday named those behind the murder of former Nigerian Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha... Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Aviation Minister, on Wednesday named those behind the murder of former Nigerian Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha and businessman, MKO Abiola. Fani-Kayode claimed that Abacha was killed by one of the bodyguards of late Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat. He claimed that Arafats bodyguard poisoned Abacha through a handshake. In a series of tweets, the former minister alleged that the incident was done with the knowledge of the United States, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and two former Nigerian heads of state. He also alleged that the same people were responsible for the death of Abiola. According to Fani-Kayode: Gen. Sani Abacha was killed by one of late Yasser Arafats bodyguards. He administered poison to him through a handshake. This was done at the behest of the CIA. Two former Nigerian Heads of State and a former Head of Military Intelligence who are also CIA agents knew about the plan. The same people decided that MKO Abiola had to be killed as well in order to balance the equation. The CIA, through Susan Rice and Ambassador Pickering, did the rest. Nigerians please know your history and find out the truth. Stop accepting the lies that are fed to you and stop brushing evil under the carpet. Neither Abacha nor Abiola deserved to be murdered even if we did not all agree with either or both of them. The CIA has no friends and there is nothing more despicable than working for a foreign intelligence agency against ur own people and nation. Meanwhile, a former Chief Security Officer of Abacha, Hamza Al-Mustapha had said the former Head of State developed a brief illness that led to his death after a handshake with Arafats bodyguard in Abuja. Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has called out President Muhammadu Buhari for attributing the security challenges in the country to... Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has called out President Muhammadu Buhari for attributing the security challenges in the country to the failure of states and local governments. Recall that the President during an interview in Arise TV said governors and local government chairmen were also voted into office to provide basic necessities to their electorates. Buhari further directed Governors to tackle the insecurity challenges experienced in their states and stop running to Aso Rock every time. Reacting, Governor Masari in an interview with newsmen, said it was wrong for the President to blame states and local governments. It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to ensure protection of lives and property of citizens in all nooks and cranny of the country. In the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the issue of security is under the Exclusive List so it is the responsibility of the Federal Government and states can only complement and this is what we have always done and are still doing. Based on provisions of the Constitution, the blame should go to the Federal Government for the general state of insecurity in Nigeria, he said. Tragedy struck in Imo State on Wednesday after rampaging hoodlums beheaded two persons in the Orsu Local Government Area of the state. ... Tragedy struck in Imo State on Wednesday after rampaging hoodlums beheaded two persons in the Orsu Local Government Area of the state. The hoodlums also set the country home of the lawmaker representing the area at the state House of Assembly, Ekene Nnodimele, after beheading his gate man. The gunmen also beheaded an All Progressives Congress chieftain in the area, Jonathan Ugochukwu. The multiple attacks took place between 1am and 2am, the villagers disclosed Our correspondent, who visited the area on Wednesday morning, observed that the country home of the immediate past state attorney general of the state and commissioner for justice, Cyprian Akaolisa, was also burnt. Our correspondent saw a team of policemen inspecting the building when he visited Awo Idemili, Akaolisas country home. Also, the house and vehicle of the councilor representing Amaebu Ebenatu ward, Clifford Mazi, were burnt by the hoodlums after they met his absence when they got to his house. The rampaging hoodlums also burnt the house of the President General of Amaebu Ebenatu, Oliver Ejelonu, who also escaped. The wife of one of the victims, Nkechi Ugochukwu, told our correspondent that the attackers invaded their house, carried her husband out, beheaded him and set the house ablaze. When contacted, the immediate-past attorney general and commissioner for justice, said that he had reported the arson to the police. The state commissioner of police, Abutu Yaro, said that the police were investigating the multiple attacks. He, however, disclosed that his command was closing in on the attackers. The National Association of Nigerian Students, Southwest Zone (NANS Zone D) has told the managements of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) a... The National Association of Nigerian Students, Southwest Zone (NANS Zone D) has told the managements of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) to reinstate the Students Union Governments (SUG) in the two institutions within 14 days. NANS threatened to embark on a protest that would halt activities in the two schools if nothing is done. This was contained in a statement made available in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Wednesday by the Deputy Coordinator of NANS, Southwest Zone, Comrade Oladimeji Uthman. Uthman, in the statement, threatened that armless battalions of the students populace will storm the two institutions if nothing is done to ensure the reinstatement of the students body in the institutions within the 14 days. According to him, the SUG remains the only recognized and legitimate representative of the students, adding that its importance cannot be overemphasized. It is on this note that the leadership of National Association of Nigerian Students Southwest Zone (NANS Zone D), demands an unconditional restoration of the Students Union Government in the University of Lagos, Akoka, and Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos State, he said. NANS lamented that the SUG has been suspended in the two institutions for about five years, alleging outright disregard for the freedom of association and abuse of fundamental human rights. NANS Southwest Zone hereby levels a charge of outright disregard for the freedom of association and abuse of fundamental human rights to demand welfarism and justice against both institutions as it is entrenched in the Nigeria constitution. The leadership of National Association of Nigerian Students Southwest Zone under the stewardship of Comrade Kappo Olawale hereby gives the management of the institutions concerned a definite move towards restoring the Students Union Government through the announcement of a total lift of ban on students unionism and a corresponding announcement of the Students Union Government election date within the next 14days or be prepared to receive the secretariat of NANS Zone D and our armless battalions as we shall resort to bringing a massive demonstration that will halt all activities in the institution, the statement reads. The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the election of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his Deputy, Lucky A... The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the election of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his Deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa in the October 10, 2020 election. The five-man panel led by Justice Theresa Orji-Abadua gave the judgement after dismissing the appeal of Eyitayo Jegede, candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the election for lacking merit. Jegede had approached the appellate court after the tribunal on April 20, 2021, dismissed his petition challenging the nomination and election of Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa for lacking in merit. But Justice Abadua of the appellate court came to a conclusion that the appeal lacks merit though some of the grounds were meritorious. The Appeal Court dismissed the case on grounds 3 and 7 and partly allowed ground 6 of Jegedes appeal. The court, however, resolved issues 1, 2, 4 and 5 in favour of the appellant. The remaining four Justices on the appeal, H. A Barka, Andenyangtso Ali, J.G Abudanga concurred to the judgement. The Appeal Panel had two weeks ago reserved judgement in the appeal brought before it by the Jegede of the PDP. Troops of 72 Special Force Brigade, Nigeria Army, Makurdi, have intercepted 73 young men headed to Imo from Nasarawa. They were being transp... Troops of 72 Special Force Brigade, Nigeria Army, Makurdi, have intercepted 73 young men headed to Imo from Nasarawa. They were being transported inside five trucks with 47 motorcycles when soldiers stopped them at Agan Toll Gate within the Benue capital. The vehicles also contained sacks of minerals loaded from Plateau State for delivery at a Port Harcourt-based company. Benue Deputy Governor, Benson Abounu visited the Army barracks on Tuesday. He commended the military personnel for their vigilance and conduct. Abounu said contrary to speculations and fear of attack, no arms were found after a thorough search conducted by the soldiers. He advised the Army to thoroughly profile the you men to ascertain the actual mission of their trip and possibly fish out those who provide questionable responses. Lt. Col. AD Alhassan, Commander of 72 Special Forces Brigade disclosed that his men acted on intelligence. Alhassan confirmed that no weapons were found after the search on conducted on the passengers, trucks and motorcycles. The Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has revealed plans to send an anti-open grazing bill to the Rivers State House of Assembly. This... The Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has revealed plans to send an anti-open grazing bill to the Rivers State House of Assembly. This is part of moves to ban open grazing of cattle across the state. The Governor made the announcement in Port Harcourt. He said the decision to send the bill is in compliance with the resolution reached during the meeting of Southern Governors in Asaba, the Delta State capital last month. Governor Wikes pronouncement is, however, in variance with the pronouncement of President Muhammadu Buhari that he has directed the recovery of cattle routes to enable the country go back to the practice which was obtainable in the first republic. But Governor Wike said the anti-grazing law must be enacted in the state to protect Rivers people. He said, Let me say clearly, now that the Assembly has come back we have to submit a bill; an anti-grazing bill as we agreed at the southern Governors forum. So everybody must understand it, it is clear and without hesitation, we must do it to protect our farms, to protect our women, to protect our youths so that nobody will go and kill them. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Rain this morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 71F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, mainly cloudy late with a few showers. Low 57F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. For aficionados, the Sazerac is more than just a cocktail, more even than a classic cocktail. It is the palate-opener before a great Creole meal, the standing order at countless New Orleans restaurants. Its deep scarlet color in a glass fogged with chill can signal relief at the end of a hot day, and it can equally serve as an aromatic winter warmer when the citys epic humidity turns cold. For some, the Sazerac is also an emblem of the way New Orleans helped guide cocktail culture from its earliest days. In this spirit, the company behind its key ingredients is making the Sazerac the toast of the town next week. The Sazerac House is launching its inaugural Sazerac Cocktail Week, June 21-27, with tours, educational events and naturally, cocktail tastings. Its the start of what organizers hope will be a growing annual happening around New Orleans, and the timing coincides with the week in 2008 when the state Legislature made the Sazerac the official cocktail of New Orleans. Its a way to educate everyone on the importance of the Sazerac and the rich, rich history of the cocktail, said Rhiannon Enlil, experience team leader at Sazerac House. Each of the ingredients is telling part of the history of New Orleans. Sazerac Cocktail Week also doubles as a timely chance to reintroduce the Sazerac House itself, a major downtown attraction that debuted last fall and was just hitting its stride when the pandemic forced a temporarily shutdown. Now its back to more-or-less its original format, with free self-guided tours. The Sazerac House is the brand embassy for a liquor industry giant with roots entwined with that drink the Sazerac Co. Developed in a historic building at the corner of Canal and Magazine streets, it is a multifaceted complex: an interactive museum, an event space, a small-scale production facility for whiskey and bitters. Over three floors, its exhibits and features tell the story of the cocktail and its connections to New Orleans. During Sazerac Cocktail Week, visitors will find new and enhanced exhibits about the Sazerac cocktail in particular, with separate features on the five ingredients that combine for the classic recipe: sugar, Peychauds Bitters, Herbsaint, Sazerac Rye Whiskey and lemon. The tours include a taste of the cocktail for the ultimate in interactive learning. The Sazerac House is also hosting a virtual tasting with step-by-step instructions on June 23 (sign up at sazeraccocktailweek.com). To Enlil, a longtime New Orleans bartender, the Sazerac is the perfect example of what makes the cocktail craft so compelling. The history is one of the reasons Im in love with it, but its the elegance of having five simple ingredients, and knowing if you pull any of those too much in one direction, you lose that elegance, Enlil said. Its the ritual of making the drink in that historic method, muddling the sugar, packing a glass with ice, all those steps. When youre in a relaxed environment and take a sip youre finding so much nuance in this one simple cocktail. Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Whats in a name The Sazerac name itself goes back to France and a family of the same name that started a winery in about 1600. By 1796, the cognac produced here, Sazerac de Forge & Fils, was being exported to New Orleans. The Sazerac Coffee House in the French Quarter took its own name from the popular cocktail originally made with the cognac (later replaced with rye). This bar grew into a liquor company, acquiring other brands, including Peychauds. It became a wholesale grocery company to survive Prohibition, and got back to the booze business after Prohibition was repealed, marketing its Sazerac cocktail. In 1948, the Goldring family of New Orleans acquired the company. In the past few decades, its growth began to snowball, paralleling the dramatic growth of the bourbon business. It became the countrys largest spirits producer and one of the largest such companies in the world. Local businessman Bill Goldring directs the company from New Orleans. The Sazerac House tells its stories in many ways, and works details of its devotion all across the property. On the ground floor, visible through windows from Canal Street, it operates its own microdistillery for Sazerac Rye whiskey. The facility replicates everything that happens at the companys main Kentucky distillery. Upstairs, an exhibit on bitters doubles as a boutique production shop for Peychauds Bitters. Pull open drawers, and you get a whiff of the various herbs, barks and roots used in bitters. Look closely at the intricately patterned railings on the central staircase S shapes signify Sazerac, outlines of anise blossoms represent an ingredient in bitters. The Sazerac name is also affiliated with the Sazerac Bar, at the Roosevelt Hotel, which uses the name under a licensing agreement with the Sazerac Co. A similar arrangement is in place for the new Peychauds Bar, which opened this spring in the Hotel at the Maison DeVille, in a space that was once Antoine Peychauds home. Sazerac Cocktail Week June 21-27 At Sazerac House 101 Magazine St., 504-910-0100 Tours are free. To reserve tours or sign up for the June 23 online Sazerac making class, see sazeraccocktailweek.com Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, former wife of Amazon.com mogul Jeff Bezos, announced Tuesday that she would give more than $2.7 billion to nonprofit cultural organizations across the country, including three in New Orleans. We spent the first quarter of 2021 identifying and evaluating equity-oriented nonprofit teams working in areas that have been neglected, wrote Scott in an announcement on her website. The result was $2,739,000,000 in gifts to 286 high-impact organizations in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked We prioritized organizations with local teams, leaders of color, and a specific focus on empowering women and girls. The Ashe Cultural Arts Center, an Afro-centric gallery, performance and gathering space; Junebug Productions, a 40-year-old Black theater company; and the Youth Empowerment Project, an institution that provides education enhancement to New Orleans youth, appeared on the list of grant recipients on Scotts website. We are beyond grateful and humbled for this unexpected and transformative gift, said Melissa Sawyer, co-founder and CEO of the Youth Empowerment Project, which received $3 million. The organization provides mentoring, employment readiness training, high school equivalency and out-of-school enrichment to people 7 to 24 years old. The $3 million gift is the largest in the history of the YEP organization, which has an annual budget of $4 million. The grant money, which the organizations are free to use for any purpose, will help ensure that the Youth Empowerment Project can continue to expand opportunities for young people in our community for many years to come, Sawyer said. Ashe Cultural Arts Center director Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes said the Central City landmark received $1 million from Scott. It was inspiring to be included among the group of institutions selected, she said. Of course, were overjoyed and extremely grateful. Though its too soon to know exactly how the money will be used, Ecclesiastes said it will certainly shore up our institutions strength. Just last week, the Ashe Center announced that it had been awarded a $3 million grant from the Warner Music Group/Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund. 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 Junebug Productions could not be reached for comment, but the organization released a statement on Wednesday afternoon saying it was "honored" to be among the organizations receiving grants. "For more than 40 years, Junebug has believed in community-centered service," said the nonprofit's executive artistic director, Stephanie Mckee-Anderson, in the statement. "Weve disseminated millions to support New Orleans artists and the arts community as a whole. ... We will continue this work by ensuring that the funding provided by MacKenzie will be deployed to the local creators that need it most. The release didn't say how much money Junebug received. Scott, a novelist who studied under Toni Morrison at Princeton, helped found the digital marketplace Amazon. When she divorced Bezos in 2019 after 25 years of marriage, she retained 4% of the company. In 2021, Forbes magazine estimated her wealth at $53 billion, half of which she has pledged to give away to charity. In 2020, Scott donated more than $4 billion to scattered nonprofit organizations in support of COVID-19 relief, and almost $2 billion to promote race, gender and economic equality. Of that, Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans received $25 million, Xavier University of Louisiana received $20 million, Goodwill Industries of South Louisiana received $10 million, the United Way of Southeast Louisiana received $10 million, and Dillard University received $5 million. When a natural gas pipeline fire in Paradis killed one worker and burned three others in 2017, the Louisiana State Police fined the Phillips 66 company $22,000 fine for failing to report the incident immediately. The fire burned for four days before first responders put it out. But the company ultimately didnt pay any police fine, ending up with just a warning. +11 How Louisiana politicians undermine efforts to fight the petrochemical industry This article was produced by ProPublica in partnership with The Times-Picayune | The Advocate, which was a member of the ProPublica Local Repo That story is common, according to public records reviewed by the Louisiana Illuminator and Floodlight with The Guardian. State Police, which oversees pipeline safety in Louisiana, issued 34 fines and five warning letters in the past five years, and a quarter of the fines were reduced: three lowered, five replaced with warning letters and two dismissed. The fines that did stick were between $2,250 and $8,000. Despite that record, gas companies in the state say they are being treated unfairly and have lobbied to loosen requirements around reporting pipeline leaks. Louisiana has more gas pipelines than state except Texas, and more gas pipeline projects are planned in the state to support the growing demand for U.S. natural gas exports. The latest proposal, House Bill 549 from Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, was approved by the Legislature in the lawmaking session that ended last week and has been sent to Gov. John Bel Edwards. It is one of many efforts by the influential oil and gas industry to lessen regulation and keep its tax rates low. If Edwards signs the bill, the law would absolve companies from reporting natural gas leaks of less than 1,000 pounds, unless the leak causes hospitalization or death. +3 If a pipeline company wants your land, Louisiana ruling says it must pay your legal fees Louisiana landowners who lose property due to eminent domain must be fully compensated, according to the state Constitution. Now a 6-1 ruling Gene Dunegan, program manager for the State Police emergency services unit, defended the agency's record on fines, saying it has reduced them when pipeline companies present reasonable explanations for failing to report leaks within an hour. While Louisiana law requires pipeline companies immediately to report leaks, it does not set a deadline; State Police ask companies to report incidents within an hour. Our goal is not to collect monies, but to keep the violation from recurring, Dunegan said. Most [companies] are proactive and implement needed changes and training prior to hearing from us; others not so much. Aside from potential harms to workers, gas leaks pose fire risks and can cause respiratory problems for people in nearby communities. Phillips 66 would not comment for this story. For its 2017 fire in Paradis, the company was separately fined $20,000 by the Department of Natural Resources. Remains of missing pipeline worker recovered days after explosion in Paradis The remains of a pipeline worker, who had been missing since the Feb. 9 explosion at a Philips 66 pipeline in Paradis, have been recovered, ac State Police issued an average of fewer than 10 tickets per year in the past five years. 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 One pipeline companys name appears on the list more than any other: Centerpoint Energy, which was ticketed seven times in the past three years with fines totaling $38,750. Trey Hill, a lobbyist for Centerpoint, helped push McCormicks bill through the Legislature. Centerpoint contested a ticket for failing to notify State Police of one natural gas release, but State Police dismissed the fine before a judge could decide on the case, Hill said in a legislative meeting in April. Atmos Energy, which was fined twice in 2020, also supported McCormicks bill. +3 Greenhouse gases released by oil, gas-related industry on the rise in Louisiana and nation: report An environmental watchdog group warns that emissions of greenhouse gases from three key industries linked to oil and gas are rising nationwide Louisiana was among the first states to make trespassing on pipelines a felony, which pipeline companies have used to target environmental protesters and journalists. A federal judge recently allowed a challenge to Louisianas anti-protest pipeline law to move forward. Anne Rolfes, director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade environmental organization, said pipeline mishaps are already underreported. These accidents are overlooked, business as usual, she said. In other states, the leaks are often overseen by energy regulators. In Oklahoma, for example, violations are enforced by the Corporation Commission, but that state's highway patrol may also file charges. In Louisiana, the Department of Natural Resources pipeline division regulates only much larger gas leaks in intrastate pipelines that carry toxic or flammable products. Our role is to conduct an investigation after the fact, Steven Giambrone, the pipeline division director, said in an April legislative committee hearing. Were not a first responder. John Porter, commander of the State Police emergency services unit, warned lawmakers that looser reporting thresholds could trigger public health concerns when smaller leaks happen in populated areas. If we have a gas leak at a major intersection, a thousand pounds would be an extreme amount with vehicles traveling by, with pedestrians traveling by, he said. And all were asking is for notification for us so we can get the proper emergency services people out there to protect the public. Freelance reporter Sara Sneath wrote this story for Louisiana Illuminator and Floodlight. Floodlight partners with local news outlets and The Guardian to co-publish investigations about the corporate and ideological interests holding back climate action. The Lindy Boggs Medical Center, the New Orleans hospital turned post-Hurricane Katrina eyesore, has a new owner with plans to bring immediate improvements to the property and its graffiti-covered buildings. City Council member Jay Banks told a Mid-City Neighborhood Association meeting Monday evening that real estate developer Joe Jaeger had sold his interest in the property to a new group led by Paul Flower, CEO of construction firm Woodward Design+Build. Banks said the deal occurred June 8, and that the Flower group promised it would quickly move to erect seven-foot-tall fencing and lighting, drain four to five feet of fetid water from the basement and remove the trash that's been dumped in the area. "We hope to have some real progress in getting that eyesore into a much more neighborhood-friendly condition," Banks said. Jaeger, who has held a 50% interest in the property since 2016 through his foundation, would not comment Tuesday, citing a nondisclosure agreement. The St. Margaret's Foundation, which bought the property in 2010 and partnered with Jaeger to develop part of it, is listed by the Orleans Parish assessor's office as the property's legal owner. According to land records, the foundation transferred its ownership stake to a separate corporate entity earlier this month. Foundation leader Lawrence Stansberry didn't respond to requests for comment. Lindy Boggs redevelopment on hold as legal battle continues, website reports Screen Shot 2015-05-21 at 1.52.01 PM.png Flower said he was out of town on business and wouldn't be able to comment until next week. Banks said plans and timelines were vague on the site's long-term development. But he was told that the developers plan to convert the site into an assisted care center for elderly people, with an emphasis on caring for people with Alzheimer's disease. He also said the Flower group has promised to spend about $180,000 to have the graffiti removed from the building's facade, though the timing of that work will depend on progress on the elderly care project. The new owners are expected to seek U.S. Department of Housing an Urban Development aid, as well as historic building tax credits, to make it financially viable, Banks said. It's not clear what role St. Margaret's Foundation will play in any future development. The new proposal represents the latest in a litany of plans to rehabilitate the building since it was flooded and abandoned after Hurricane Katrina and federal levee failures destroyed much of New Orleans' east bank. 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 Tenet Health Systems, which had operated the hospital, sold it in 2007 to Victory Real Estate, a Columbus, Georgia-based developer that owns nine small shopping centers in and around New Orleans. That group's plan to demolish the buildings and replace them with a food retailer never came to fruition. St. Margaret's Daughters bought the abandoned site in 2010 for $4.2 million and spent $37 million converting the 100,000-square-foot office buildings on Bienville Street into the St. Margaret's at Mercy nursing home. Jaeger, through his family foundation, was brought in later as co-owner of the Lindy Boggs portion of the site. It took several years to address hazardous chemicals stored on the site and to remediate asbestos, with the aid of state and federal agencies. Meanwhile, the deteriorating building stood out more and more as several developments occurred in the surrounding area. Two condominium complexes have sprouted nearby, and the Wrong Iron bar and restaurant on the Lafitte Greenway opened. Houses on nearby streets continue to be renovated. Jaeger's firm, MCC Real Estate, and St. Margaret's said in 2019 they'd agreed to develop Lindy Boggs as an elderly residential complex. At that time, they promised to fix the standing water issue and clean up the outside as they began to design the housing project. They said they had narrowed potential operators to a list of three. Plans taking shape for renovation of long-shuttered Lindy Boggs Medical Center in Mid-City The derelict Lindy Boggs Medical Center in Mid-City, an eyesore and potential health hazard since it was shuttered in the wake of Hurricane Ka Nothing became of those plans, and in the subsequent two years the red brick building has continued to deteriorate. In recent days, Entergy New Orleans trucks have been to the site to erect lights around the property, Banks said. Tests have been run on the standing water that now covers the basement area. Banks said they proved to be nontoxic, so the water may be pumped into public sewers in the next few days. Still, news of the ownership change was greeted with a muted cheer by Mid-City residents, who have long been disappointed by development plans that failed to bear fruit. Chris Blum, president of the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization, said he was relieved to hear of the new ownership but remained skeptical. "There is a history of lack of action to secure the property, of ignoring existing problems, not reporting illegal dumping nor any action to keep out trespassers or squatters," Blum said. Chad Scott, once the hotshot agent of Drug Enforcement Administration's New Orleans regional office, left a federal courtroom in the same type of handcuffs he had slapped on hundreds of suspects over his 20-year career after a jury convicted him Tuesday of two counts related to taking personal property from arrestees. The guilty verdict, delivered after the six-man, six-woman jury deliberated four hours, was a hammer blow to the two dozen or so Scott supporters who sat in the gallery. It adds two more crimes to seven counts of which Scott was found guilty in 2019. The verdict brings closure to a five-year saga that began with the arrest of Johnny Domingue, a former Tangipahoa Parish deputy sheriff who worked closely with Scott on his task force. That arrest kicked off a sweeping federal investigation that saw the eventual indictments of Domingue, fellow deputy Karl Newman, Scott and task force officer Rodney Gemar. Several other agents were put on desk duty due to their perceived closeness with Scott, and the U.S. attorney's office in New Orleans was recused from the case, replaced by special prosecutors from Washington. On Tuesday, the jury acquitted Scott of a third charge that he removed the personal property of arrestees so that federal agents wouldn't find it. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo immediately ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to take Scott into custody. As his wife and mother cried in the front row, an impassive Scott removed his suit jacket, tie, belt and shoes before being cuffed and led away. Gemar, a former Hammond police officer, was found guilty on all three counts. Milazzo let Gemar leave but ordered a detention hearing Wednesday at 9 a.m. to determine whether he, too, should be taken into custody. The verdicts came after six-plus days of testimony in which prosecutors Timothy Duree and Charles Miracle sought to portray Scott as the leader and Gemar a willing participant in a conspiracy to steal property and cash from arrestees for their personal use. They were also accused of conspiring to get rid of some items so federal agents wouldn't find it. The government cited mobile phones, wallets, identification cards and a gun case that were found in Scott's desk at DEA. That those items had not been returned to the arrestees or their families - even years after the case - was evidence that Scott and Gemar had taken them, prosecutors alleged. "The defendants knew these arrestees were trapped like predators, and they used the badge and the gun to get what they wanted," Duree said. "They were supposed to stop drugs, but they were reaping the profits." 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 star witnesses against Scott and Gemar were Domingue and Newman, who were detailed by the Tangipahoa Sheriff's Office to the DEA and worked closely with Scott. Domingue's Janaury 2016 arrest and Newman's arrest weeks later led to them eventually pleading guilty to federal drug crimes and agreeing to testify against Scott and Gemar. Domingue and Newman have admitted to taking drugs and money from suspects. They said they kept some of the drugs and sold some of what they stole. New motion claims witness against former DEA agent Chad Scott sold, used drugs while in jail Convicted federal narcotics agent Chad Scott is asking a federal judge to grant him a new trial on the grounds that one of the government's ke While they never accused Scott or Gemar of taking drugs, they did say that the rogue behavior was standard procedure on Scott's task force. Domingue testified that Newman gave him money and drugs he took from suspects, and Newman testified Scott's task force often operated outside the law. Defense attorneys, as they have in Scott's earlier trials, attacked the two witnesses' credibility. Domingue and Newman have told varying stories to investigators at different times, and during a jailhouse phone call with his wife in 2017, Newman referred to the prosecution's case as a "magic show." During his closing argument Tuesday morning, Scott's attorney, Kerry Miller, urged the jury not to let Newman "perform magic on you." "Karl is a very accomplished liar," Miller said. Newman has already served the sentence connected to his plea deal and is now out of jail. Domingue served 34 months but was rearrested last fall in Texas and accused of attempting to traffic eight kilograms of cocaine. Miller said other key witnesses against Scott were convicted or admitted drug dealers hoping to get a cut in their prison time. Exactly how much time Scott and Gemar will face remains unclear. Federal law gives judges wide leeway in sentencing, and there are a number of factors that must be considered, experts say. Those include whether they abused a position of trust and how to weigh that against any good they might have done. Experts say Scott is likely looking at years behind bars. Sentencing for Scott is set Aug. 11. Gemar's has not been scheduled. On Friday, word spread quickly among residents in the Bell Artspace Campus in the 6th Ward. Michael Foster, a 35-year-old man arrested in their yard on Tuesday after a shooting incident, had bonded himself out of jail. Theres no question that New Orleans Police Department officers arrested Foster quickly and without anyone being injured outside the artists lofts, which sit on the corner of Ursulines Avenue and North Galvez Street and were created from a renovation of the former Andrew J. Bell School building. In total, Foster fired off at least nine shots, one into the air and eight into the windshield of a Nissan that was sitting in the parking lot along North Galvez. Some residents believe that Fosters $15,000 bail was the result of an inappropriately low charge filed against him. The arrest report also didnt mention some racially hateful comments that some residents said they overheard Foster make after he was handcuffed and interviewed by an officer in the yard. I have heard from witnesses who have described there being hate speech and a desire to hurt people of a different race. That should have been included in the report so that the magistrate and prosecutors were able to use it in court, said City Councilman Jason Williams, who has been in touch with building residents. I can tell you for a fact that folks that live there are very, very nervous. Theyre traumatized. Williams, who also works as a criminal defense attorney, said he planned to reach out to the Police Department and to discuss the matter in a future Criminal Justice Committee hearing. Officers are open to hearing more from residents about the case, NOPD spokesman Andy Cunningham said Saturday. The NOPD always encourages citizens to come forward with evidence that could lead to changes in the investigation and, if warranted, additional charges," he said. "Should additional evidence be presented to the NOPD, our investigators will look into the matter further. At this point, much is unknown. Theres no evidence that Foster had ever met the woman who owns the Nissan or her two small children, so it's unclear why he fired at the car. Although surveillance video shows Foster, who uses a walker, exiting an Uber car next to the Bell building, no one knows why he got out there or if he had a specific target once he arrived. We need to know more, why this happened. Wed like to press for more information so that our residents can make the best decisions possible, said Joe Butler, director of the New Orleans office of Artspace. After Fosters arrest about 6:20 a.m. Tuesday, he was booked on illegal possession and discharge of a firearm along with simple criminal damage to property. The stiffer charge of aggravated criminal damage is often used when human life is endangered. Some residents feel the charges were too lenient given the terror he caused them early Tuesday morning. Some said Foster scanned the four-story building with the red laser scope on his firearm, in a way that seemed as though he was waiting for a target to appear in a window. 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 I feel like my life has been threatened, said Jazzmine Johnson-Zucconi, 29, a building resident who stood off to the side of her window videotaping while her husband called police. A 65-year-old resident who didnt want her name used told The Advocate she saw the first gunshots and ran to knock on the Nissan owners door. But the owner said shed never seen the shooter before, the older woman said, and then rushed to hide her children on the floor of their closet. She said the kids are still afraid to get into a car, thinking that they could be shot. On a lower floor, a 77-year-old woman saw the guns red light moving around and dropped to the floor, crawling to her bathroom to take cover. The feeling of panic returned once word spread that Foster had bonded out, using a home address just four blocks from Bell. Im upset. Im angry. Im confused. I feel like I could be picked off by someone whos just angry at the world, said resident Ellis Joseph, 38, who heads up the Free Agents Brass Band and was one of the people who overheard part of Fosters conversation with the arresting officer. He mentioned the (French Quarter) bar Erin Rose. From what I understood, he'd gotten into it with somebody black. The cop asked him another question and he said, 'Yes, African Americans.' The 65-year-old woman had been outside before Joseph arrived. He was saying something about some black bikers had attacked him, hit him in the back of the head, she said. He basically said he was coming here to kill black people. That was scary to hear, she said. She hoped that Foster was just on a drunken rant. Foster had another recent brush with the law: On Sept. 1, New Orleans police cited him for disorderly conduct after he admitted hed thrown his walker in front of an oncoming motorcycle. On Tuesday morning, Foster was less forthcoming about how hed used the Taurus pistol confiscated by officers. The subject stated he did not admit to firing the weapon, but did state that if he did fire, it would have been in self-defense, the officers wrote. A fatal shooting outside a St. Claude Avenue business was declared justified Saturday by New Orleans police. The Police Department said a 24-year-old man "entered into an altercation" with an employee of the unidentified business in the 2600 block of St. Claude on Friday afternoon. "The employee then escorted the subject out of the store, at which time the subject produced a gun and pointed it at the employee," the Police Department said. "Another store employee exited the store armed with a handgun and shot the armed subject, who later died at a hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the shooting." "The NOPD has determined this incident to be a justifiable homicide." The police did not release any more information. Since last week, armed men have been gathering outside Hank's Seafood & Supermarket on St. Claude Avenue in the 9th Ward to protest the fatal shooting of a man by a store manager in October 2020. The store's owners have responded with their own show of force, including a rifle-toting guard posted out front. The tense scene highlights the broad and sometimes controversial freedoms Louisianans have when it comes to the right to carry guns in public. Louisiana "open carry" laws allow people who are 18 or older to carry a gun without a permit as long as the gun is visible and the gun owner doesn't have a prior conviction prohibiting him or her from possessing firearms legally. A few limited areas are off-limits for open carry of firearms, mainly parades and bars. But the rights-of-way in front of Hank's, at 2634 St. Claude Ave., are not off-limits. Federal law prohibits people from possessing newly manufactured fully automatic machine guns. Assault-style weapons, which are often colloquially referred to as machine guns, are legal as long as they are semi-automatic and carried openly. 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 Louisiana residents can obtain permits to carry a concealed gun if they are 21 years old and complete a firearms training course. Non-residents who are military members or have an identification card issued by the state of Louisiana are exempt. However, Louisiana lawmakers have recently moved to legalize the carrying of concealed guns without a permit. The Legislature passed a bill this year that would let people carry concealed guns without any training, but Gov. John Bel Edwards is expected to veto the legislation. Lawmakers say the training courses are too expensive and unjustly bar low-income citizens from getting a permit to carry a concealed gun. If Edwards vetoes the bill, it could be overridden, but only if two-thirds of each house of the Legislature votes to do so. That hasn't happened in Louisiana in over 20 years, plus the Legislature's regular session has already wrapped up for the year. The protests outside Hank's center on the shooting death of Corey Garrison in the parking lot outside of the 9th Ward supermarket last October. Police said that he was shot and killed after an argument began inside the store and he pulled out a gun and pointed it at the store manager. They deemed the killing a "justifiable homicide." Relatives say Corey never pulled out a gun and are questioning the decision of NOPD to not make an arrest. Protesters are demanding the release of in-store video that would allow people to form their own opinions. Seven months ago, a man was shot dead by a store manager outside Hank's Seafood & Supermarket in the 9th Ward. Now, that parking lot has become the site of an armed standoff between store employees and protesters who are questioning why police have yet to arrest the employee who gunned down 24-year-old Corey Garrison on Oct. 30. Survivors including Garrison's uncle, Larry Crockett, and his fiancee, Rochelle Broadnax have returned to the parking lot every day since Friday carrying memorial posters. Accompanying them have been armed protesters from the New Black Panther Party who are demanding that the store, if not police, release surveillance video that proves the manager acted in self-defense, as he claims. The line of Panther protestors, dressed in black and carrying pistols as well as AR-15 rifles, are only allowed to stand in the public right-of-way in front of the store, making them visible to the thousands of motorists who pass through the intersection of St. Claude Avenue and Franklin Avenue every day. Though the store typically attracts a steady stream of customers seeking its fried chicken and cold drinks, many now see the protest and turn away. Too many guns, said one driver as he backed out of the lot last weekend. The manager, who declined to give his name, had a pistol holstered on his right hip when reporters approached him inside the store on Tuesday. He said the New Orleans Police Department determined the shooting was legal months ago, issuing a statement to the press a day after the killing describing it as a justifiable homicide. The statement said Garrison got into an argument inside the store and was being escorted out when he pulled out a gun and pointed it at an employee. That's when the store manager came out and shot Garrison. Police interviewed store employees and reviewed video footage before making that determination, according to the manager's attorney, Sheila Myers. Louisiana law allows people to kill in the defense of another person when it is reasonably apparent that the person attacked could have justifiably used such means himself, and when it is reasonably believed that such intervention is necessary to protect the other person. But Garrison's uncle and fiancee, who were with him when he was shot, tell a vastly different story. According to his uncle Crockett, Garrison exchanged words with a clerk who had skipped over an elderly lady in line. When Garrison was asked to leave, he headed for the door along with his fiancee. The uncle also left, he said. Garrison continued trading insults with the employee outside the store, Crockett and Broadnax said. Crockett pulled Garrison away from the argument and they began walking toward their separate cars. That's when gunshots erupted, he said. Garrison was struck and stumbled toward his uncle, revealing a gun in his waistband, Crockett said. Crockett insisted that the gun had stayed in place, and that Garrison never pulled it out or pointed it at anyone. Crockett also asserted that the store manager shot Garrison up to six times, wounding him in his back and right arm. The manager said his actions are fully supported by footage from 35 security cameras that are installed at Hanks. In response to questions about the footage, he pulled up an image and took a screenshot that he displayed on his phone. The image depicted a hand in the foreground pointed at what looked to be Crockett and a store employee. That hand was Garrisons, the manager said. He declined to show any other images, specifically any that showed Garrisons face as the gunman. I find those images disturbing, he said, adding that it was the polices responsibility to release any images from the video they confiscated. 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 NOPD has declined to release the surveillance footage, saying prosecutors at the Orleans Parish District Attorneys Office are reviewing the case. But on Tuesday, the NOPD issued a statement saying members of Garrisons immediate family, as well as an attorney representing them, had viewed a security-camera video that showed what happened. Garrisons mother, Quiana Garrison, 42, said she hadnt seen any video, though she had requested to view it. Garrisons paternal grandmother and stepmother did see footage, but remain unconvinced. We saw it, but we didnt accept it, said Garrisons 61-year-old paternal grandmother, who declined to give her name out of fear of reprisals. She said that, though the images were clear, there was a large gap in the footage shown to her and Garrisons stepmother. First, he was walking toward his car and people from the store, I was told were following him. Then I saw him falling. What I did not see was my grandson with a gun in his hand. Then there was a gap and I saw him lying on the ground next to men with guns. I said, He looks dead. Why are they standing over him like that? And the police officer said, You werent supposed to see that and shut off the machine. The grandmother said her family asked to see the tape of the dispute inside the store, but they were not allowed to see that. Crockett said he doesnt believe any camera will depict wrongdoing by Garrison. If my nephew had been wrong, I would have acknowledged that, Crockett said. I wouldnt be here. There is also a dispute between the parties over what the coroner's report shows. Protestors say the document lists six entrance wounds one in the chest, three in the back and two in his right upper arm though the coroner believes that there may have been five bullets fired, because one of the rounds seems to have made two entrance wounds, by traveling through the arm into the torso. Myers said she had not been allowed to review the full autopsy report, due to medical privacy law. But, without elaborating, she challenged the assertion that her client fired six times, saying, I believe that the six shots being reported actually reflect three entrance wounds and three exit wounds. Despite the ominous nature of the armed demonstration, things have remained peaceful so far. A New Orleans police squad car, with its lights flashing overhead, has kept watch over the standoff from the McDonalds parking lot across the street. Complicating matters is the fact that a 37-year-old man named Michael Foster has been guarding the stores door while holding an M-16 rifle and wearing paramilitary garb. The store manager wouldnt say whether Foster is working for the store but didnt dispute his identity. Foster wasn't seen at the store Tuesday but had been there on previous days of the protest. When approached, he suggested he works for the store, saying he was hired after Garrisons slaying. Authorities charged Foster with firing off at least nine shots in the yard of Bell Artspace Campus in 2018, eight of which struck the windshield of a Nissan in the complexs parking lot. Though no one was injured in the incident, it terrified some artists living in the Treme-neighborhood complex, because witnesses said Foster had gotten into an argument with a Black group of motorcyclists in the French Quarter and then had been dropped off with his gun outside the Bell yard, talking of killing Black people. Foster pleaded guilty in April to domestic criminal damage of property and the illegal carrying of a weapon. He was ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution and was prohibited from buying or possessing a firearm during a one-day probationary period. The Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office has formally filed charges against a 911 dispatcher accused of pocketing $1.2 million that had been mistakenly deposited into her account Prosecutors charged Kelyn Spadoni, 33, of Harvey with theft valued over $25,000 on June 7, according to court records. +2 Accused of pocketing $1.2 million mistakenly deposited in her account, JPSO employee arrested A 911 dispatcher working for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office was arrested Wednesday for allegedly refusing to return more than $1.2 mill Spadoni, who is free on a $50,000 bond, declined to comment about the case when reached by telephone on Tuesday. Spadoni had worked for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in the 911 center for more than four years when she was arrested April 7 by investigators. Financial services corporation Charles Schwab & Co. had reached out to the the Sheriff's Office after the company accidentally transferred $1,205,619 into a brokerage account owned by Spadoni on Feb. 23. The company had intended to transfer only $82.56, according to a federal lawsuit filed by Charles Schwab. But staffers couldn't immediately stop or reclaim the transfer. 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 When they tried again, the next day, the money was already gone from Spadoni's account. Charles Schwab staffers received a "CASH NOT AVAILABLE" notification, court records said. Sheriff's Office detectives determined that Spadoni had withdrawn the money, which she eventually used to buy a sport utility vehicle and a house, among other things, according to authorities. Meanwhile, Spadoni ignored telephone calls, text messages and emails from Charles Schwab employees seeking to recover the money, court records said. Detectives arrested Spadoni and booked her with theft, bank fraud and illegal transmission of monetary funds. "She has no legal claim to that money, even if it was put in there by mistake. It was an accounting error," said Capt. Jason Rivarde, a Sheriff's Office spokesperson. In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in April, Charles Schwab's attorneys argue that Spadoni signed an account contract agreeing to return any overpayments of funds. The company and investigators had recovered about 75% of the money around the time of Spadoni's arrest. It's not clear if any additional money has since been recovered. Spadoni is scheduled to return to court in Jefferson Parish on Aug. 2 for the criminal case. A 23-year-old woman was pulled out of her vehicle and carjacked in the Bywater neighborhood Tuesday night, police said. The crime was among several major offenses reported to police in a 24-hour period from 7 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday. Authorities also investigated three rapes, one attempted rape, two armed robberies and a shooting and a stabbing. The carjacking was reported to police around 8:30 p.m. in the 800 block of Independence Street (map). The woman was sitting in her vehicle when police say a man with a weapon approached. He pulled her out of the vehicle, got in and drove off, according to preliminary information from police. The stolen vehicle is a blue 2012 Volvo XC60 with Louisiana license plate 185DYM. No other details were immediately available, including a description of the man or the type of weapon. Man robbed at gunpoint after giving woman a ride A man was robbed at gunpoint Tuesday after police say he gave a woman a ride. The crime was reported around 6:30 p.m. in the 3800 block of Iberville Street (map) in Mid-City. Police didn't say if that's where the man picked up the woman or if that's where he dropped her off. 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 New Orleans police find woman's body in Lake Pontchartrain New Orleans police said they found the body of a woman in Lake Pontchartrain Tuesday morning in Gentilly. Police said the the woman asked the man for a ride and he obliged. When they got to their destination, police say, the woman asked the man for money. He gave her some cash, according to preliminary information. Then, the woman pulled out a gun, police say, and took additional cash from him before running away. No more details were immediately available. Man on bike robbed at gunpoint A 37-year-old man riding a bike was robbed at gunpoint early Wednesday at the edge of St. Roch and St. Claude, police said. The robbery was reported to police at 3:05 a.m. in the 2600 block of Marais Street (map). The 37-year-old was riding his bike, police said, when he stopped to talk with a man and woman. The man then pulled out a gun, police said, and took the bicyclist's wallet and money. The gunman and the woman then fled. No other details were immediately available. James M. Singleton Charter School, the Central City school run by the Dryades YMCA, must find a new interim CEO by Friday because the current appointment runs afoul of state ethics laws, according to NOLA Public Schools. The directive, sent in a noncompliance letter dated Monday, is the latest of a series of citations NOLA Public Schools has issued against the charter in recent months, including one investigation that led to the arrest of a high-level administrator accused of falsifying background checks for school employees and pocketing the money instead. The Dryades YMCA denies any ethics law violation, saying the rule doesn't apply in this case because the interim CEO wasn't being paid for his temporary work. Thomas Lambert, the public school district's chief portfolio officer, said in Monday's warning letter that by appointing Dryades YMCA board member Samuel Odom as interim CEO of Singleton, the charter organization had violated state ethics laws that say board members must have been removed or have stepped down for at least two years before being employed or appointed to a position by that board. Lambert gave the school a June 18 deadline to remove Odom and appoint someone else. "Failure to respond to this notice and take the aforementioned steps by this date may result in escalated consequences," Lambert wrote. In a letter shared with The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate on Wednesday morning, Dryades YMCA Chairperson Barbara Lacen-Keller told Lambert on Tuesday that Odom is "continuing public service in a different role" because he stepped away from his board position to volunteer, without compensation, as a temporary interim CEO. "This could have been clarified with a telephone call prior to sending a Notice of Noncompliance. The Board is taking the hiring of its permanent CEO very seriously and wanted more time to identify and evaluate the best consensus candidate available," Lacen-Keller wrote. "No public funds are inuring to any individuals personal benefit; and furthermore, Dr. Odom is not being paid at all." 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 latest warning for Singleton comes about three months after NOLA Public Schools cited the school because it couldn't authenticate criminal background checks for 10 employees, saying it found problems like duplicate audit codes, which are supposed to be unique for each employee, and incorrect State Police signatures. The investigation started because the district had said in December that not all employees had those background checks. When they reviewed the new ones, officials said, they found a host of other problems, including that employees with criminal records had been employed at Singleton. About a week later, the school announced that Douglas Evans, the former interim CEO and president, and Catrina Reed, the CFO, had resigned and the Dryades YMCA's board said it had handed over evidence about falsified background checks to the New Orleans Police Department. Reed was arrested June 1 on 12 counts of injuring public records and one count of theft, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office records. The theft count originated from Reed charging the school for money to order the background checks she allegedly falsified, WWL-TV first reported. Among the background checks Reed was accused of fabricating was her own from 2005, the station reported, as it listed no rap sheet when Reed had actually pleaded guilty to robbing a bank where she worked nearly a decade earlier. Reed had served as chief financial officer or a financial consultant for the Dryades YMCA since 2006. The district told Singleton that officials have to resubmit background checks run prior to Feb. 1 to the Louisiana State Police, The Lens reported. Editor's note: This story was updated after initial publication to include comment from the Dryades YMCA board. The effort to create a buffer between Louisiana's coastline and huge menhaden ships fell flat in the 2021 legislative session, dying last week in a House-Senate conference committee. Sponsored by Rep. Joseph Orgeron, R-Larose, House Bill 535 initially proposed a half-mile exclusion zone, with wider buffers around some barrier islands. Conservationists and recreational fishers backed the bill, arguing it would provide fragile fish nursery grounds in nearshore habitats more protection from the industry's 1,500-foot-long nets. Menhaden industry representatives said trawling a half-mile farther from the coast could cut their revenue by 20% if captains couldn't make up that catch elsewhere. The Senate amended the buffer to an industry-supported quarter mile. Orgeron and the House rejected that June 8, throwing the bill into a conference committee to resolve differences between the two chambers, but the legislative session ended two days later without a report from the committee. While we were unsuccessful this session, I remain committed to seeing this legislation and common-sense conservation measures through until the end that protects both our recreational and commercial fisheries," Orgeron said. "Its clear there needs to be updated regulation of menhaden fishing, and I will keep up the fight for our coastal communities. Conservation groups and industry representatives agree that the big debate over the tiny, oily fish will likely continue. Where the industry welcomes taking a spot approach to buffers, creating exclusion zones in hotspots where stakeholders clash, groups such as the Coastal Conservation Commission of Louisiana, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and National Audubon Society say they will continue to push for a coastwide approach. Environmental news in your inbox Stay up-to-date on the latest on Louisiana's coast and the environment. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Menhaden, also known as pogies or shad, serve a key role in the food chain for other wildlife, including treasured game fish such as speckled trout and redfish. When caught commercially, the oil-rich fish is ground up into animal feed, health supplements and fertilizers. "There's a need for conservation here. The impact to the habitat - that doesn't just happen in the areas where the user conflict is the highest," said Chris Macaluso, the Roosevelt Partnership's marine center director. "The concerns of the people who are seeing the impact these boats are having being so close to the beach - those aren't going away." Ben Landry, Omega Protein's director of public affairs, thinks additional regulation isn't "biologically necessary," and that it places undue burden on an industry already navigating natural burdens such as tropical storms and hurricanes. +5 Big business of catching tiny fish won't be restricted in coastal waters, Louisiana leaders decide A growing conflict over Louisianas largest but perhaps least-known commercial fishery came to a head this week when state leaders rejected a "It's easy for the environmental groups to say, 'They can go fish somewhere else.' That's really not the case," Landry said. "User conflicts are inherent, and we try our best to minimize those, but a blanket coastwide ban is not something that we thought ... was scientifically supportable." The University of Florida and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are expected to release a study later this year on the menhaden industry's effect on fish stock in the Gulf of Mexico. Macaluso hopes it will assist in shifting the management of Gulf fisheries toward an ecosystem-based approach. The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission might also move forward with a proposed notice of intent to create a quarter-mile exclusion zone along Louisiana's shoreline for the 2022 and 2023 fishing seasons, with one- to three-mile buffers around Elmer's Island, Grand Isle and West Grand Terre. The commission tabled the measure in May with plans to revisit after the legislative session. Daniel Allen Cottom was born on June 5, 1953 in Texas where he developed his life long preference for warm weather and snowless winters. Being the overachiever in the family, Dan left high school after his junior year and to begin his undergraduate education. He completed his studies with a Williamsport, Pa. Zack Moore, vice president for government and community relations for Penn State, has been named to the Board of Directors at Pennsylvania College of Technology, a special mission affiliate of Penn State. Recently appointed by The Corporation for Penn State, Moore succeeds Michael DiRaimo, who had served on the Penn College Board since 2017. Moore, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in international politics from Penn State, has extensive lobbying and senior legislative experience in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. He now serves in the role of chief lobbyist for his alma mater, with responsibility over federal, state and local relations efforts. We are delighted to welcome Zack Moore to the Penn College Board of Directors, said President Davie Jane Gilmour. His unique blend of skills and experience will help us navigate the many challenges facing higher education and capitalize on opportunities to help us expand and enhance our role as a national leader in applied technology education," Gilmour said. Moore has wide-ranging government and government relations experience. He began his career as a staff member in the U.S. House, has senior legislative and policy experience in the U.S. Senate, and launched a successful lobbying firm before joining Penn State as director of federal relations in 2007. Since joining Penn State, Moore has represented the University at the federal, state and local levels of government. A Highspire native, he resides in State College with his wife, Jean, a Penn State alumna, and their two children. Sharon Twp., Pa. - On Saturday, June 12, the bridge on State Route 4021 over the Honeoye Creek in Sharon Township, Potter County, was dedicated as the Tec 5 C. Virgil Voorhees Memorial Bridge. Voorhees grew up in a home on Honeoye Road just outside of Shinglehouse. He served as a driver and radioman for the first platoon headquarters of Battery A, 155th Airborne Anti-Aircraft Battalion, United States Army, and was killed in action on March 24, 1945, as he was driving his jeep across open terrain in Germany. Williamsport, Pa. - At the same time the Lycoming County Commissioners were holding their weekly meeting inside the Executive Plaza building on Tuesday, a rally and dance party was held outside the building in support of the LGBTQ+ community. The rally was also to protest Commissioners Scott Metzger and Tony Mussares request that the James V. Brown Library re-shelve a display of books in the childrens wing, largely about gender identity, in honor of Pride month. A request to the librarys executive director to take down the pride display, and a subsequent Facebook post made by Metzger provoked a widespread and vocal reaction, one that occupied most of the meeting - which spilled into more than four hours - to dedicate to public comment on the subject. Related reading: Commissioners request books be removed from Pride display at the James V. Brown Library Thirty-six people addressed the commissioners at the microphone with impassioned messages of support for the library, the display, and overall acceptance for a community that has historically been marginalized. There were also statements of support for the commissioners to continue to stand their ground. Both Metzger and Mussare reinforced that they were elected to their positions based on their values and character and that they had a responsibility to the constituents of the county. NorthCentralPa.com livestreamed the meeting in its entirety. The full recording can be found on Facebook and YouTube. In the end, the library will not be required to take the display down. It was a request, said Metzger, who made it clear that the librarys funding is not in jeopardy over the issue. Sexual identity is an intense personal matter handled in private, said Metzger, with the guidance of parents, clergy, medical professionals, educators, and librarians, who can point out appropriate resources. Commissioner Rick Mirabito noted the word lifestyle referenced multiple times. We have to think about lifestyle versus who I am, he said. LGBTQ+ individuals do not choose a lifestyle, they resonate with a personal identity, and there is a difference, according to Mirabito. At heart of the issue is whether or not children should be exposed to books about gender identity and characters in books who are LGBTQ+. One speaker, Joanne Rinker, said she did not want to have that conversation with her five-year-old grandson. We dont need this controversy, she said, and it should be left to Gods will that a child stumbles across the books on the shelf, should they need those messages. Books on that subject, she said, should not be out in full view. However, many other speakers said that having books that would have affirmed their difference - which they recognized at a young age - in plain view would have been life-affirming. Mirabito added that parents and caregivers bring their children to the library. If we cant divert the attention of a five-year-old in a library full of so many things, he said, we might need to practice that. In a statement by Barbara McGary, executive director of the James V. Brown Library, she said, There is a formal process to challenge materials at the library. As part of that process, patrons receive a copy of our policy and a statement of concern form or request for reconsideration so that they can articulate on their own why they do not want these items in the library." I spoke to one of the commissioners about this process on Tuesday morning before the commissioners meeting and gave him the forms. To this date, we have not received any formal statements from them. I planned on discussing this in executive session with the James V. Brown Library Board of Trustees during the next board meeting," McGary continued. McGary said that before this particular issue, commissioners have been supportive of the librarys mission and have advocated for an increase in the public library subsidy. So many families with children that identify as LGBTQIA+ told me they value these books and resources and are grateful they are welcome in their public library, McGary also said. I want to make it very clear that every person should feel welcome, valued and honored at the public library. Donations in support of the library have come in a variety of ways. Hannah and Jesse Darrow, owners of the Sawhorse Cafe in Williamsport made Pride cupcakes that sold out quickly the first day, with just a bit of promotion on social media. We were just going to sell them on Friday, said Hanna Darrow, but they were so successful, we sold them through Sunday. The Sawhorse Cafe received $946 in donations for the James V. Brown Library, which they matched, raising a total of $1,892. And donations continue to come in, Hanna Said. Outside, the rally and dance party began with a speech by Jay Grandis, lead organizer and president of West Branch Pride. Grandis emphasized that growing up in Central Pennsylvania, we have had to fight, fight, fight against discrimination and for equality for the LGBTQ+ community. Members of and allies of the LGBTQ+ community danced and voiced messages of support to one another. One little girl came to the rally with her mother and grandmother. Dawn Wein, her grandmother, said her granddaughter has two aunts who are a couple. Shes young said Wein, but she sees her two aunts together so she knows something. Alisha Wein, one of her aunts, said, books will not make kids be like me. If they did, then I would be exactly who they wanted me to be, referring to Metzger and Mussare. Both the local committees of the Democratic Party and the Libertarian Party have also come out in support of the library and the LGBTQ+ community. Luke Moyer, Chairperson for the Lycoming County Libertarian Committee addressed the crowd. Commissioner Metzger displays a staggering lack of awareness as to what actually influences children in a society. Every single day our children have exposures. We expose them to the best practices to walk across the street, we expose them to the proper means of acquiring goods in a purchase from an establishment, we expose them to how they should address other people in a conversation, and we expose them to our relationships, he said. If that relationship happens to be straight, then that is what they are exposed to. If that relationship happens to be gay, then that is what they are exposed to. Bi, trans, poly, exposure to all of it only adds to life, liberty, and the human experience," Moyer said. While the debate will likely go on, a statement of appreciation from the library said, The Library firmly champions the Library Bill of Rights, which states that Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.' The Library is a safe space for all people to find information important to them. We remain steadfast in our mission to serve the community and are guided by our mission statement: The James V. Brown Library is the place to go to learn, connect, and grow. Montoursville, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania State Police at Montoursville is searching for Kristopher Fike, 32, who has been missing for more than a week. Fike has brown eyes, black hair, and is 5 feet, 6 inches, 170 pounds, last heard from on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 10:50 a.m. Fike's address is 2800 Lycoming Creek Rd., Loyalsock Township, Pa. According to a release from PSP Montoursville, Fike has a mental health issue for which he does not take prescription medication. He also has a known drug history and has attempted self-harm in the past. Anyone with information on the whearabouts of Fike is asked to call Trooper Kevin Bencsics at (570) 368-5700 or email kbencsics@pa.gov and reference PA21-799707. Family and friends have shared posts on social media, asking for help in finding Fike. Calhoun, GA (30701) Today Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Calhoun, GA (30701) Today Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Business Technical colleges, lawmakers seeking to develop a younger aviation maintenance workforce Doug Walker Georgia Northwestern Technical College Aviation Program Director Jon Byrd (from left) Jerry Hawkland, Rep. David Knight and Technical College System of Georgia board member Joe Yarbrough talk before a tour of the program facilities at Richard B. Russell Regional Airport on Tuesday. Doug Walker State Reps. David Knight and Katie Dempsey visited the GNTC Aviation Center to get an idea of how the state could better allocate resources for aircraft maintenance training programs. dwalker / File Jon Byrd, director of the GNTC aviation program, checks some wiring in a detached wing of an aircraft in this RN-T file photo. As the aviation maintenance and repair industry ages, Georgia lawmakers are taking a long look at how the education system is preparing a new generation of aircraft mechanics and technicians. A group led by state Rep. David Knight, R-Griffin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committees Higher Education subcommittee, visited the Aviation program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College on Tuesday. Industry reports indicate that there are more aircraft maintenance personnel over the age of 60 than there are under the age of 30. There is a vacuum in the industry, said Jon Byrd, director of the aviation program at GNTC. Joe Yarbrough, a Technical College System of Georgia board member, used silver tsunami as a reference to the number of older people in the workforce and the need to turn out more young technicians. This could not be more important to the success of our state, Yarbrough said. Rep. Katie Dempsey, R-Rome, also participated in the session along with several House budget analysts and officials from the TCSG. The lawmakers group is going around the state to analyze the needs of the various aviation programs. We want to make sure that they are adequately funded, (to see) if they have the resources; looking at the ability of students to meet the demand, Knight said. There is going to be a great need to replace those folks who are keeping our aircraft in the air. The good news as it relates to the workforce is that the pandemic only heightened interest in the GNTC aviation program. It currently has 55 people on its waiting list and the program is in the process of transitioning into a competitive admissions process. Its a good problem to have, Byrd said. GNTC President Heidi Popham said its clear more trained workers are needed. The discussion is that, as the state of Georgia, how do we produce more aviation maintenance technicians that have the FAA certification? How do we get a more skilled workforce quicker, she said. Knight asked if the college had room to expand. Byrd said there is additional physical space, but it would also require additional instructors and equipment so the added students would not have to compete for time on the equipment. Byrd explained that he cant just run out to Ace Hardware and pick up a wrench for his students to use everything must meet stringent Federal Aviation Administration specifications. The trio of budget analysts Molly Azziz, Morgan Hall and Sara Arroyo were asked to make specific note of the needs and costs associated with an FAA certified program. Rome, GA (30161) Today Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. New phone cases for the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphones have appeared in a number of live shots that were originally shared on a Chinese social media site. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro cases were also placed next to a case for the Google Pixel 4 XL to give an idea of their size and design evolution. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 5G , Accessory , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are already shaping up to ruffle plenty a feather upon release time (potentially October), with their bespoke Whitechapel processors and unexpected looks. There have been plenty of leaks and rumors about the two Pixel 6 phones over recent weeks, and now we have real-world photos of more cases for the upcoming smartphones. Five images that initially appeared on Weibo (see below) star cases for the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro while a case for the Google Pixel 4 XL from 2019 also makes an appearance in a handy comparison. Its clear to see that the older Pixel and the Pixel 6 are very similar in height and width, while unsurprisingly the Pixel 6 Pro has the height edge (6.7-in display vs. 6.4-in display for the non-Pro model). The obvious main distinction between the three cases is the camera housing design for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. While the Pixel 4 and Pixel 5 had square-shaped camera bumps in the top left-hand corner, the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have camera housing bars that stretch from one side to the other and the camera sensors laid out in a line, with the Pro model featuring an additional cut-out in the case for its extra lens. Buy the Google Pixel 5 on Amazon CCHRC Marks One Year as NRELs Subarctic Laboratory June 16, 2021 The Cold Climate Housing Research Center is the farthest-north LEED Platinum building in the world, demonstrating a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies to show what is possible in the subarctic climate. Photo by Seth Adams In June 2020, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) expanded from its sunny campus in the foothills of Golden, Colorado, to the frozen tundra of Fairbanks, Alaska, by adding the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) to its team. They brought 20 years of unrivaled experience in sustainable housing in extreme climates, said NREL Director Martin Keller. At the same time, their expertise expanded our sense of cultural appropriateness by honoring thousands of years of tradition and keeping our partnerships focused on energy equity for local communities. The inaugural year saw several notable collaborations, including a project to create affordable prefabricated housing, advice on improvements to military housing, and construction of demonstration homes in marginalized communities. Affordable Housing in Alaska and Beyond This July, CCHRC building researchers will load a 20-foot shipping container outfitted with a kitchen, bathroom, and mechanical room onto a barge headed for Unalakleet, a largely Inupiaq village perched on the Bering Sea. After a three-week journey around the long tail of the Aleutian Islands and up Alaskas western coast, crews will hoist the fully plumbed container from the barge with a boom truck, drag it down a series of gravel roads etched into the tundra, and place it inside a newly framed home. This home will provide healthy, modern amenities for a family that has spent many years in overcrowded conditions. Further, combining prefabricated components such as the kitchen-bathroom container with site-built components could begin to address the shortage of affordable housing in Alaska. Unalakleet is a great example of listening to a community to make sure technology meets their needs, said CCHRC Regional Director Bruno Grunau. The village council told us they needed affordable housing for their elders and young people, but they also needed jobs. So we built the most expensive parts of the home in the lab, while leaving the rest of the home to be constructed by local workers. Its not just a house, its an engine for the local economy. A prototype kitchen-bathroom container was assembled at CCHRC's lab and will be shipped to the village of Unalakleet and added to a newly framed home. This semi-modular approach reduces the cost of building in rural Alaska without taking valuable construction jobs out of communities. Thinking beyond one village, researchers are asking how modular technology might transform the nation. NRELs Fairbanks and Colorado teams are working together to investigate the ways in which building homes (or parts of homes) in factories with standard, repeatable processes can both improve performance and lower costs, similar to the way the assembly line transformed automobile manufacturing a century ago, leading to a car in almost every driveway. In theory, such construction could produce millions of homes needed across the nation. At the same time, building engineers and designers must solve the problem of how to make them affordable without compromising on performance. That is where CCHRCs experience comes in, noted NREL Engineer Stacey Rothgeb. CCHRC is waist-deep in affordability, she said. Because Alaskans live in an extreme climate, they are doing this work on the front lines. Thats really important to us. Another innovation taking shape in the Fairbanks lab is called Adaptable, a kit home that packages high-efficiency building technologies into a simple panelized system. Adaptable can be customized and ordered online, like an IKEA closet, then shipped in flat-pack containers and assembled on-site. Think of the way Legos fit togetheryou can mix and match different piecesbut in this case you have superinsulated vacuum panels, solar panels, and other future technologies, Grunau said. With support from a Department of Energy Advanced Building Construction grant, CCHRC is assembling the components that would ensure not just a sustainable building, but one that also reflects a familys lifestyle, with the ability to accommodate a mudroom, a workshop, or even a space for processing subsistence foods. Additionally, with a Department of Agriculture Wood Innovation grant that NREL and CCHRC recently won, researchers are exploring ways to incorporate low-value timber, often left to rot on the forest floor, into a structural frame for Adaptable. In doing so, they are connecting the dots of the circular economy. The Adaptable concept marries high-efficiency building technologies with consumer choice into a panelized, build-it-yourself building system. Military and International Work The military families that move around the country must adapt quickly to new environments. Nowhere is this more true than in Alaska. For the 20,000 active military personnel based in the 49th state, one of the most important elements of success is a warm, healthy home. There are a lot of dynamics that occur within buildings in an extreme environment like Alaska, even though you dont always see them, said Jack Hebert, a senior advisor at NREL who founded CCHRC more than 20 years ago to address just these issues. Poor building science leads to a cold, uncomfortable building that affects our health, our performance, and our happiness. To ensure safe and comfortable housing at Fort Wainwright, in Fairbanks, CCHRC is advising military planners on retrofit strategies that would improve efficiency without compromising indoor air quality. Reducing energy costs not only frees up money for mission-critical work but also improves quality of life for U.S. servicemen and servicewomen in cold climates. A local crew in Mountain Village is constructing six super-insulated tiny homes this summer to provide shelter for overcrowded families and homeless individuals. Coupled with energy retrofits, engineers are also investigating how air-source heat pumps could offset diesel consumption at Fort Wainwright and other cold places. Because air-source heat pumps rely on heat from the outside air to run a refrigeration cycle (just like your refrigerator absorbs heat from the items inside it), these pumps have not been widely used in extremely cold climates. With hardier models now hitting the market, CCHRC is tackling performance challenges such as icing that can form on the evaporator. Solving these challenges means air-source heat pumps could replace traditional heating systems like oil boilers or gas furnaces, not just in Alaska but across the north. While NREL laboratories build technology for the future, social scientists are studying the impact of culture on these technologies. CCHRC is currently looking at community attitudes toward past building designs in rural Alaska, such as modular buildings that cropped up in villages and oil camps in the 1960s and 70s. Working hand in hand with communities and designers, we are learning from the past to make sure new building and energy systems emphasize local traditions, resources, and workforces. A Just Energy Transition A future powered by clean energy is the vision of NREL and its newest center, CCHRC. Part of getting there is identifying disparities within the current energy system. CCHRCs deep experience working with Indigenous and frontline communities furthers NRELs goals of achieving energy justice for all. On the edge of the Arctic, NRELs northern laboratory has a front row seat to climate change. Warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, many Alaska villages are already losing their homes, schools, and subsistence lands to erosion and thawing permafrost. CCHRC has worked for more than a decade to develop sustainable housing and infrastructure so that villages can adapt to this change, while helping others relocate entirely. For example, CCHRC designed energy-efficient, durable homes for Mertarvik, a Yupik village driven to higher ground by coastal erosionand helped oversee construction of 13 new homes in 2019. Now NREL is developing an Arctic Strategy to establish its long-term energy priorities, with Arctic voices at the center. In 2019, Newtok community members built 13 new homes based on CCHRC designs at Mertarvik, its new village site in southwest Alaska. The first village in Alaska to relocate because of climate change, the lessons learned will inform many future efforts. This isnt about observing climate change from the outside. Alaskans and northern people are living the climate transition, said Arctic Strategic Program Manager Sherry Stout. The goal of the Arctic Strategy is to help Arctic peoples meet their energy and housing goals in this changing environment, and do it in a way that minimizes the impacts to traditional ways of life. The partnership will continue to expand. As Keller noted, Though thousands of miles away, our people at CCHRC have blended in with NREL and enriched us all. This new combination of CCHRC and NREL means a deepening focus on energy equity as researchers push for a clean energy transition that leaves no one behind. Learn more about NREL's cold climate housing and buildings research. Molly Rettig Kansas City Engages Community To Expand Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project Focuses on Equitable Distribution of New Streetlight EV Charger Locations June 16, 2021 Installing electric vehicle charging stations on existing streetlights will help Kansas City, Missouri, expand access to EVs. Photo illustration courtesy of the Metropolitan Energy Center Researchers are working to expand access to electric vehicles (EVs) by building more charging stations in neighborhoods that otherwise might be overlooked. Scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are partnering with the Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC) and other organizations to increase the electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Kansas City, Missouri, by installing charging units on existing streetlights. NREL and MEC are working closely with nonprofit organizations, academia, local government, and community members to ensure the station location selection focuses on providing equitable access to EV charging. "There is a real risk that electric vehicle adoption will be concentrated to limited geographic and demographic markets, minimizing the benefits to underserved populations that are already more susceptible to lower air quality and higher vehicle ownership burdens," said Erin Nobler, a project manager with NREL and one of the lead researchers on this project. The streetlight charging stations will be available for anyone to use. They also will be located in residential areas to support overnight charging. Most electric vehicle charging happens at home. But people who live in apartment buildings or other multifamily housing do not always have garages or other places to plug in an electric vehicle. "Folks can park their car curbside as they normally would, go into their apartment, and in the morning their car will be charged," said Miriam Bouallegue, a sustainable transportation project manager with MEC, the lead partner on the project. MEC houses the Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition, which is part of a coordinated group of more than 75 coalitions throughout the country working to advance affordable domestic fuels and technologies. Research Approach The research started by identifying all the streetlights where installing vehicle chargers was technically possible. The next step was to prioritize which streetlights would be selected as charging stations. Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology initially looked at traffic patterns in Kansas City to determine the areas with the most demand. The NREL team added demographic information to the analysis to identify locations where community members had few or no existing options for charging at home. The NREL team looked at the geographic intersection of electric vehicle adoption rates, income, housing ownership, and building parcels. The analysis also incorporated environmental indicators, such as areas of high traffic, noise, and traffic-related air pollution to identify areas where electric vehicle adoption could help mitigate some of these impacts. Community Engagement The project team is now sharing the results of the analysis with the community. Two virtual meetings will be held to gather input from Kansas City residents on where the charging stations should be located. This will also include Spanish-speaking options to provide representation across the community. "We know the locations that are technically feasible, but now it's totally community engagement focused," Nobler said. "We're asking the community what they think about the locations before making siting decisions." The community engagement work is being led by EVNoire, an organization with expertise in community engagement and environmental justice. Local nonprofit organizations with established, trusted relationships within the community are also helping guide the outreach efforts. This organization includes Westside Housing. The team is approaching all aspects of the project from an equity-focused lens. Community members will be compensated for participating in the virtual meetings. If the meetings had been held in person, as originally planned, the research team would have provided childcare and transportation vouchers. "We're asking for the community members to provide their expertise, and we want to treat them just like we would any expert we bring into a team," Nobler said. Next Steps The feedback gathered from the community members will help the project team determine where to install the charging units. Once they are installed, the team will study how they are being used. This information will inform future decisions about installing additional charging infrastructure. "We're really seeing folks get excited about electric vehicles and realize this can be a reality, even here in Kansas City," Bouallegue said. "Electric vehicles aren't just something that people out in California or people with a lot of money drive. Electric vehicles can be a reality for the community here in Kansas City." This project is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to the Metropolitan Energy Center. Project partners include the City of Kansas City, Evergy, Black and McDonald, EVNoire, Lilypad EV, the Missouri University of Science and Technology, NREL, and Westside Housing. Learn more about NREL's sustainable transportation and mobility research. NTV News 24 is a service of Nippon Television, Japan's leading broadcasting network. This page provides a selection of today's stories in English. HAMMOND The U.S. attorney will not retry a former Gary official on public corruption charges. Acting U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay asked a federal judge to dismiss fraud charges that have been pending for seven years against Ethel Shelton. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph S. Van Bokkelen granted the U.S. attorney's motion Wednesday and ordered Shelton be reimbursed for payments she made on her court-imposed fine and other costs. The request came a month after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago overturned a 2018 jury verdict against Shelton. Her defense attorney, Andrea E. Gambino, of Chicago, predicted last month a new trial would be pointless after the appeals court ruled that so much of the evidence against Shelton was improperly gathered by the FBI. Shelton had been an executive secretary between 2003 and 2014 to then Calumet Township Trustee Mary Elgin. The office provides poor relief assistance to Gary residents. Federal prosecutors charged Shelton, 76, of Gary, in 2014 with helping Elgin extort township government employees for contributions to Elgins election fund. CROWN POINT The new Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission is continuing to come together. On Wednesday, the Lake County Commissioners unanimously appointed three of the six voting members to the panel that evaluates and recommends judicial candidates to the governor when there's a vacancy on the Lake Superior Court bench. The individuals selected were: Alfredo Estrada, a partner at the Burke Costanza & Carberry law firm in Merrillville; Brandy Darling, Lake County deputy prosecutor; and Aimbrell Holmes, Gary city court administrator. They join Indiana Supreme Court Justice Mark Massa, the commission chairman who doesn't vote except in case of ties, and three other members yet to be named by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb. Records show Darling and Holmes both were members of the nine-member Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission that was reconstituted this year by the Republican-controlled General Assembly in House Enrolled Act 1453. Previously, half the commission members were selected by Lake County lawyers and judges, instead of by the governor who also fills a judicial vacancy by selecting a candidate from the list recommended by the nominating commission. Fleming was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause and manner of death were pending further investigation. Gary police asked anyone with information about the circumstances of Fleming's death to contact the Metro Homicide Unit. Ivana Jenkins, 31, of Gary, was shot to death about 10 p.m. Monday outside a business in the 2700 block of West Fifth Avenue, police said. Officers found Jenkins after responding to a report of a gunshot victim. She was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus. Two men were wounded in separate shootings Sunday and Monday, Westerfield said. An 18-year-old man sought treatment about 2:20 a.m. Sunday at a local hospital for a gunshot wound to his foot, Westerfield said. The man told police he was driving near 10th Avenue and Clay Street when a man dressed in all black began shooting at his car. The man drove himself to the hospital, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sgt. Daniel Callahan at 219-881-1210. On Monday, a 35-year-old Gary man arrived at Methodist Northlake about 4:30 a.m. after he was shot in the hand, Westerfield said. GARY A 31-year-old woman was shot to death late Monday outside a business off West Fifth Avenue, officials said. Ivana Jenkins, of Gary, was found unresponsive about 10 p.m. in a parking lot in the 2700 block of West Fifth Avenue, Gary police Lt. Dawn Westerfield said. Police were dispatched to the area for a report of a gunshot victim, she said. Jenkins was taken by ambulance to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary, where she was pronounced dead about 10:50 p.m., according to the Lake County coroner's office. Jenkins' cause and manner of death were pending further investigation, a coroner's release said. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at the Lake County/Gary Metro Homicide Unit at 219-755-3855. To remain anonymous, call 866-CRIME-GP. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 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. VALPARAISO The East Porter County School Corp. will have five days a week of full-time instruction for the 2021-2022 school year. At a meeting Monday night, the school board approved a return-to-learn plan that contains two sets of guidelines based on the level of COVID-19 spread. The protocols outline how masking and social distancing might change if there was "substantial spread," defined as 10% of a building testing positive for COVID-19. The two sets of guidelines are broken into "low to moderate spread" and "substantial spread." Both instances allow for in-person learning; however, the plan notes that in-person will continue during substantial spread only as long as there is sufficient staffing. Some of the guidance is the same regardless of the number of cases, as outlined in the plan document. Both guidelines say staff and students should screen for symptoms before coming to school. They encourage social distancing when possible, and require that parents be contacted if there is close contact exposure. The guidelines also say that hand hygiene will be taught. "People are excited about it," he said of the dog park, which already has attracted more than 800 members. The success has been greater than expected and there have been no real issues during this first year of operation, Parks Facilities Assistant Shelby Takacs said. Residents of Valparaiso pay $30 a year (and $10 annually for each additional dog), and out-of-town members pay $45 for the year, she said. The membership fees help offset maintenance and operation costs and will be used for future improvements to the site, McGuire said. Valparaiso Mayor Matt Murphy said parks and gathering spaces continue to be a priority in Valparaiso. "The ValPAWraiso Dog Park is another great opportunity for us to come together, and were really pleased at how beloved it's become in a short time," Murphy said. The park is open to the public from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, though it does not open until 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays to allow time for maintenance, McGuire said. "It's been holding up fairly well," he said, considering the wear and tear created by running and playing dogs. HIGHLAND The Town Council has rejected a proposal to impose term limits on council members and the clerk-treasurer's position. The vote Monday was 4-1 with the negative vote cast by Councilman Mark Schocke, R-3rd. Before the vote, Schocke, who sponsored the ordinance, said the governor and other state offices have term limits and that Highland does not need the same faces running for every election. "It provides reasonable limits," Schocke said of his proposal. If it had been approved, the ordinance would have restricted council members and the clerk-treasurer to two consecutive terms. Under the ordinance, the officeholders would have had to sit out at least one election cycle and then be eligible to run again for two more consecutive terms. "It would be a really good breath of fresh air for our town ... as far as I am concerned, these are not" lifetime positions, Schocke said. Voicing opposition to the ordinance was Councilman Mark Herak, D-2nd, who said term limits are not allowed under the state's Home Rule laws. "This piece of legislation is not good government. It is not good policy." "That entire corridor will be done. It'll open sometime in late November, early December this year for all those phases. And 109th, as far as we're concerned in the city limits, will be done for the next 20 years." Uran later told The Times the city might have to repave the road within the next 20 years, but the infrastructure "should handle today's traffic and future traffic." "We're replacing storm water, replacing the water lines, replacing the sanitary lines out there, the road is being redone, it's being widened and putting in traffic flow so things like that should last," Uran said, noting the city is not trying to make 109th Avenue a pass-through of choice. He later added: "Our residents and our business community is No. 1. We want to make sure traffic and people can get through there safely, efficiently. We're not encouraging people just to drive through that section because that's the easiest way to get to it. We're not trying to make a Route 30." Along with work along 109th Avenue, Crown Point Engineering Superintendent Doug Brite said the city is looking to repair more than 10 miles of road this year. The Indiana Speed Test is available at www.infb.org/speedtest. According to Indiana Farm Bureau, the speed test provides real-time internet speed information from residents. That data then pinpoints areas that are most in need of reliable, affordable access to broadband service. With that data, those gaps in service can hopefully become filled. Local government and broadband groups can come together and come up with solutions. This is something that is beyond due in 2021. Internet access is part of our daily lives. We use it to not only work and go to school but to communicate with others, shop, pay bills and so much more. Indiana Farm Bureau also states that a hope from this project is that the Indiana Speed Test data "will jumpstart efforts to plan broadband infrastructure investments from the local portions of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, so that decision-makers make investments with the greatest impact." This is a common-sense approach to a real issue that affects so many. Not only is expanding broadband access the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do. Days into new government, Israeli planes bomb Gaza The Israeli military conducted airstrikes in the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday, in response to incendiary balloons sent into southern Israel from Gaza by the militant group Hamas. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The day of rising tensions started after the Israeli government permitted a far-right Jewish march to pass through Palestinian areas of Jerusalem on Tuesday night, over the objections of Arab and leftist parties in the coalition, and despite threats from Hamas that it would retaliate. Gaza has barely begun to recover from last months fighting, which killed at least 250 Palestinians and 13 people in Israel and damaged more than 16,000 homes, according to the U.N. Over 11 days, Gaza militants fired more than 4,000 rockets into Israel. Details: The incendiary balloons tend to be less destructive than rockets, though they sometimes scorch large stretches of farmland and land near homes. Israels new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, had previously said that those launching the balloons were terrorists who should be killed. Environmentalists celebrated the pause as a sign that Mr. Biden is serious about shutting down production of fossil fuels, the burning of which is the chief cause of global warming. Scientists have warned that the world needs to urgently cut emissions if it has any chance to keep average global temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared with preindustrial levels. Thats the threshold beyond which experts say the planet will experience catastrophic, irreversible damage. Temperature change is not even around the globe; some regions have already reached an increase of 2 degrees Celsius. A recent report from the International Energy Agency concluded that if the world is to stave off the most devastating consequences of global warming, major economies must immediately stop approving new coal plants and oil and gas fields. Republicans and the oil industry criticized the pause as an example of government overreach that could damage the economy and displace thousands of oil and gas workers. Judge Doughty agreed. Millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake, he wrote in his decision, noting that the states depend on a share of the lease payments to fund government programs, including conservation projects. Local government funding, jobs for plaintiff state workers, and funds for the restoration of Louisianas coastline are at stake. About 10 percent of the countrys oil and gas supply comes from public lands. Fossil fuel drilling on federal lands and waters and tribal land generated more than $8 billion in tax revenue last year, according to the Interior Department. Of that, $2.9 billion went to the federal government, $1.8 billion went to state and local governments, with the remainder spread among Native American tribes, restoration projects and other funds. A spokeswoman for the Interior Department, which manages federal oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters, said in a statement that the administration was reviewing Tuesdays ruling and would comply with it. Tricky Clues There arent many terribly tricky clues today, given the complexity of the theme (described below). Most of this puzzles clues are fairly straightforward, but there are a few that Id like to highlight: 60A. The clue Word with luck or waiter is another what word could come before both of these words? clue. In this case, we are looking for DUMB, a word that can be off-putting for some, because of its stigmatizing connotations, but which is clued as innocuously as possible here. 39A. Similarly, Follower of smart or bad here clues a word that could come after either smart or bad in common phrases. In the interest of not losing my job in my first week at The New York Times, I will leave to the solvers imagination what that entry might be! 1D. Item needed for burning, once is a nice misdirect, especially crossing another clue about burning as it does (1A: Items purportedly burned outside the Miss America Pageant in 1968). But in this case, the burning is more figurative than literal, as you may recall the experience of burning a mix CD for your crush on a BLANK CD and hoping they understood the hidden meanings and perfectly curated song order. Too specific? Todays Theme As Mr. Vigeland explains in his constructor notes below, this theme builds on a revealer that works not one, not two, but three ways! First, we have the surface meaning of the revealer MISDIRECTED, for which the first half of the clue (Led astray) is a perfect fit. But! Then we have the link to four across clues, each of which is nearly the title of a well-known film, but just a little off. And when you compare the title in the puzzle to the title of the actual film, you realize that what has changed is a direction named in the movie title. For instance, the Academy Award-winning Daniel Day-Lewis film My Left Foot has instead become MY RIGHT FOOT, and we have all been MISDIRECTED. The Police Department referred questions about Mr. Gilliams suit to the citys Law Department, which said it planned to review the matter. The detectives union declined to comment; the Police Benevolent Association did not respond to a request for comment. The episode, in the middle of June, began when the three officers stopped around 7:30 p.m. to pick up milkshakes at the Shake Shack in the Fulton Center after ordering them using an app, according to Mr. Gilliams suit. Mr. Gilliam, a shift manager at the shop, had been at work for about three and a half hours. He said he had not thought much of it when the officers, who were in the area to monitor protests, approached him and said they had noticed that the drinks had a bitter and unusual taste. He said he apologized and offered the officers something else from the menu, which they declined. They accepted his offer of free meal vouchers instead, Mr. Gilliam said. I honestly thought they just didnt like it, he said. I just assumed its the flavor they didnt care for. But about two hours after the order had come in, and as Mr. Gilliam was in the process of closing the restaurant for the night, about 20 police officers approached the front door and began to treat the location as a crime scene. One of the officers told Mr. Gilliam that the three officers had been poisoned and that there was a suspicion that someone had added bleach to the drinks, Mr. Gilliam said. This article is part of the Debatable newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The coronavirus may be receding in New York and Toronto and Tel Aviv, but for much of the world it is a more fearsome threat than ever: Fueled by the spread of more-contagious variants and abetted by a profoundly unequal vaccination drive 85 percent of all doses have been administered in high- and upper-middle-income countries the pandemic has already killed more people in 2021 than it did in all of 2020. Trickle-down vaccination is not an effective strategy for fighting a deadly respiratory virus, the director general of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said last month. Covid-19 has already cost more than 3.3 million lives and were on track for the second year of this pandemic to be far more deadly than the first. What will it take to vaccinate the rest of the world more quickly? Heres what people are saying. Are patents the problem? Last month, the Biden administration unexpectedly endorsed the temporary suspension of patent protections for coronavirus vaccines, a move that 57 countries, Tedros and more than 170 former heads of state and Nobel laureates had called for as a necessary step toward ending the pandemic. Ms. Maloney confronted Mr. Wray with messages from the social media site Parler, which she said referred threats of violence to the F.B.I. more than 50 times before the attack on Jan. 6. One message, which Ms. Maloney said Parler had sent to an F.B.I. liaison on Jan. 2, was from a poster who warned, Dont be surprised if we take the Capitol building, and Trump needs us to cause chaos to enact the Insurrection Act. I do not recall hearing about this particular email, Mr. Wray replied. Im not aware of Parler ever trying to contact my office. In hearings before two congressional committees on Tuesday, lawmakers sought new information about the security failures that helped lead to the violence. At one hearing, Ms. Maloney presented her committees research into the delayed response of the National Guard, which showed that the Capitol Police and Washington officials made 12 urgent requests for their support and that Army leaders told the National Guard to stand by five times as the violence escalated. That response took far too long, Ms. Maloney said. This is a shocking failure. Documents obtained by the committee showed that, beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, top officials at the Defense Department received pleas for help from the Capitol Police chief, Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington and other officials. But the National Guard did not arrive until 5:20 p.m., more than four hours after the Capitol perimeter had been breached. Chesley B. Sullenberger III gained fame in 2009 as the pilot whose nimble maneuvers safely landed a malfunctioning plane in the Hudson River. On Tuesday, President Biden, in a likely nod to Mr. Sullenbergers past, selected him as his nominee for ambassador to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency governed by a council of 36 member states that develop policies and standards for global aviation. Mr. Sullenberger, who went on to use his fame to urge the defeat of President Donald J. Trump in last years election, was one of nine ambassador nominees Mr. Biden announced. On Jan. 15, 2009, Mr. Sullenberger, known as Sully, was the captain of a US Airways jetliner that lost power in both its engines after taking off from La Guardia Airport and smacking into a flock of geese. Carefully gliding the plane in the icy river, he averted what might have been a catastrophe and all 155 aboard survived. Witnesses and officials at the time called it miraculous. The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to recognize Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of slaves in the United States, as a federal holiday. Many states have recognized Juneteenth for decades, but only some observe it as an official holiday. The holiday is already celebrated in 47 states and the District of Columbia. In the wake of protests against police brutality last year, dozens of companies moved to give employees the day off for Juneteenth, and the push for federal recognition of the day as a paid holiday gained new momentum. The days most anticipated moment was the election of a new president. But messengers also tackled a slate of resolutions on racial issues, abortion and the Equality Act, a sweeping piece of legislation in Congress that would extend civil rights protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity while eroding some religious liberty protections. A resolution on Christian citizenship included a denunciation of the Capitol insurrection of January 6, 2021. The most contentious topic heading into the meeting was critical race theory, an academic lens for analyzing racism in society and institutions that has swept the imagination of American conservatives. Republican-controlled state legislatures have passed measures against the perceived influence of C.R.T. in public schools. On Tuesday afternoon, messengers passed a resolution that the denomination, which was founded before the Civil War in defense of slavery, reaffirm its 1995 apology for systemic racism but also reject any theory or worldview that denies that racial discrimination is rooted in sin. At its 2019 annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala., messengers affirmed that critical race theory could be used by faithful Baptists, a moment that many conservatives in Nashville characterized as galvanizing. The months leading up to the convention have seen a series of high-profile departures and unusually poisonous clashes by an organization that prides itself on unity in the essentials of the faith. Russell Moore, the denominations head of ethics and public policy, left on June 1. In two letters that leaked after his departure, he accused the denominations executive committee of a pattern of intimidation against sexual abuse survivors and spiritual and psychological abuse.Many Baptists hoped that after months of savage sniping online, the act of gathering in the same room would have a soothing effect. But the meeting in Nashville has included several moments of unusually direct confrontations. On Monday afternoon, Mr. Mohler was accosted inside the convention center by a young messenger who loudly accused him of allowing critical race theory into the seminary he leads. Mr. Mohler, arguably the most well-known face within the denomination, was holding his young grandchild in his arms when the angry man approached him. He left the scene more than a little shaken, he said later. A coalition of more than six dozen scholarly and educational groups has signed onto a statement decrying the spread of proposed legislation limiting classroom discussion of race, racism and other so-called divisive concepts, calling such laws an infringement on the right of faculty to teach and of students to learn and a broader threat to civic life. The clear goal of these efforts is to suppress teaching and learning about the role of racism in the history of the United States, says the statement, whose signatories include the American Historical Association, the American Association of University Professors, the American Federation of Teachers and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The ideal of informed citizenship necessitates an educated public, the statement continues. Educators must provide an accurate view of the past in order to better prepare students for community participation and robust civic engagement. The statement, which was spearheaded by the free expression group PEN America, comes as more than 20 states including New Hampshire, Michigan, Texas and South Carolina have introduced legislation restricting teaching about race. New York Citys mayoral campaign is one of the highest profile instances of a ranked-choice election in the U.S. Rather than selecting only one candidate, voters can instead choose up to five and rank them. The system has some big advantages. In a traditional election, people who vote for a long-shot candidate like Ralph Nader, the Green Party presidential nominee, in 2000 can end up hurting a top-tier candidate like Al Gore that year. With ranked choice, progressive voters could have listed Nader first and Gore second. Once Nader failed to finish in the top two, the final round of the election would have reallocated his voters to their second choice, which often would have been Gore. (Ranked choice is also known as instant-runoff voting, because people vote only once. The various rounds of voting all occur during the counting of ballots.) The basic idea is to allow people both to select their favorite candidate and to indicate their preferences among the other candidates. That combination can allow the most broadly popular candidate to win the election, while also making clear the full spectrum of voters views. If Nader had received, say, 20 percent of first-place votes in 2000, it could have signaled the appeal of his platform and inspired other progressives to run in 2004. Weve avoided some of the worst outcomes so far, but the crisis is not over, said Diane Yentel, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, an advocacy group that has pushed for increased housing assistance. If the Biden administration allows the federal eviction moratorium to expire before states and localities can distribute aid to households in need, millions of households would be at immediate risk of housing instability and, in worst case, homelessness. On Friday, 22 Democratic state attorneys general urged the Supreme Court to uphold the moratorium. An unprecedented wave of mass evictions amid the embryonic stages of the post-pandemic recovery would be catastrophic, they wrote. The moratorium was never a mandate, and local housing court judges have always had broad latitude. As a result, thousands of tenants who were behind in their rents were evicted during the pandemic despite federal and local freezes, often for violations of terms of their leases not directly related to nonpayment. The federal freeze was further weakened in several states, including Ohio and Texas, when federal courts struck down all or part of the federal moratorium, which allowed landlords to evict tenants for nonpayment of their rents. That led to higher eviction rates, but ones that fell far short of the most dire predictions. For all of its shortcomings, the C.D.C. moratorium helped hold off a wave of evictions. And it became a valuable tool after Congress passed more than $40 billion in rental assistance, by buying tenants and their lawyers additional time as they waited for the federal government to review their applications. It takes a really long time to process these applications, and a lot of the landlords dont want to wait six or eight weeks, said Melissa Benson, managing director of the Legal Aid Society of Columbus, Ohio, which represents about 2,000 tenants a year in housing court. So the moratorium gave us a little more time, which gave us a little more leverage. SHANGHAI The Chinese government said on Wednesday that about five of the uranium fuel rods inside a nuclear power plant in southeastern China had been damaged, but added that no radiation had leaked out of reactors at the site. Regulators have also reviewed and approved limits on how much radioactive gas is allowed to accumulate in the water at the reactor, Chinas National Nuclear Safety Administration said in a statement. Nuclear scientists in the United States and Europe said in interviews this week that a buildup of radioactive gas in the water surrounding the fuel rods, while not uncommon at reactors elsewhere, was often a sign of poor design, manufacturing or management. The Taishan Nuclear Power Plant is on the coast about 80 miles southwest of Hong Kong. The power plants Reactor 1, which has encountered difficulties in recent days, has more than 60,000 fuel rods. The reactor is designed to operate safely despite damage to up to 0.25 percent of the fuel rods, the safety agency said. That would be at least 150 fuel rods. Its very disappointing because this is the only airline I fly with, Ms. Brown said. When this happened, it was so frustrating, I had to hold back my tears. Another traveler, Azavier Jackson, 29, said she was disappointed with Southwest, which she was flying for the first time. Her flight from Los Angeles to Charlotte, N.C., was delayed, as was her return trip home on Monday. Ms. Jacksons connecting flight from Dallas to Los Angeles kept getting pushed back on Monday night, and she left the airport at 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Her biggest frustration was that the airline didnt inform her of an earlier flight that she could have taken. Its not humane to make us wait in the airport that long, Ms. Jackson said. There was terrible communication. It felt like they were saying, Just deal with it. The disruptions have been difficult for Southwests staff, too, said Lyn Montgomery, president of Transport Workers Union Local 556, which represents Southwests flight attendants. The airlines management has been providing regular updates to flight attendants, and Southwest worked to provide accommodations for those who were stranded, she said, adding that such outages happen. We are all victims to computers and computer issues, she said, and when it happens at an airline, it tends to be massive. Like other airlines, Southwest suffered severe losses as the pandemic forced many people to cancel travel plans and stay home for months on end. But the airline, which carried more passengers than any other in the United States in 2019, fared better than most. Southwest, which reported an annual loss in 2020, its first in nearly 50 years, entered the pandemic with less debt than any other major U.S. airline. And because it flies largely within the United States, it has been relatively unaffected by the sharp drop in international travel. As a result, Southwest reported a modest profit in the first three months of the year, the first major U.S. airline to make money since the pandemic began. The Education Department wiped out more than $500 million in student loans on Wednesday, in its first step toward unclogging a badly backed-up relief program for students who were scammed by their schools. For the first time in more than four years, the department approved new grounds for claims through the so-called borrower defense program, canceling debts for 18,000 applicants who attended ITT Technical Institute, a for-profit chain that abruptly collapsed in 2016. The program allows students who were defrauded by their schools to have their federal student loans forgiven. The new approvals involved applications from two groups of students: those who attended ITT between 2005 and 2016 and said they had been misled about their earning chances, and those who attended between January 2007 and October 2014 and said they had been misled about their ability to transfer credits to other institutions. Our action today will give thousands of borrowers a fresh start and the relief they deserve after ITT repeatedly lied to them, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said. Beijing also warned against meddling in Chinas internal affairs after Japan said it was donating 1.2 million AstraZeneca doses to Taiwan. Chinese officials were similarly peeved this month when three U.S. senators visited the island to announce a donation of 750,000 doses. On Tuesday, Taiwan said 28 Chinese military aircraft had entered the islands southwestern air defense identification zone, the largest such show of force in months. As Covid infections have spread in Taiwan, Chinese representatives have accused the islands leaders of putting politics above health by refusing to accept Chinese-made vaccines. Chinese state news media has underlined the point by highlighting the Taiwan compatriots who have gotten vaccinated in China. On the vaccine issue or the pandemic issue, I think China is trying to exploit any opportunity they can have, said Lee Che-chuan of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a think tank funded by Taiwans government. Beijing, Mr. Lee said, is telling Taiwan: You are part of China. I can give you vaccines. But if you want to purchase them from some other countries, you have a political purpose: Youre trying to indicate you are independent from China. Taiwans inoculation efforts have taken on greater urgency since a wave of new Covid cases caused the island to enter a soft lockdown last month. The government has placed orders with AstraZeneca, Moderna and two domestic vaccine makers. But shipments have been slow to materialize. Fewer than 5 percent of the islands 23.5 million people have been vaccinated so far. While the screenplay by Tom OConnor (who wrote the first film), Phillip Murphy and Brandon Murphy struggles to make one lick of sense, the performers retreat to their comfort zones. For Jackson, that means being so laid back at times hes almost supine; for Reynolds, whose character sustains more abuse than a crash-test dummy, it means reminding us that wisecracks are the best weapons. Morgan Freeman shows up in a role I wont spoil, and poor Frank Grillo apparently unaware hes in a cartoon plays a Boston cop-turned Interpol agent with an admirably redundant solemnity. Hayek, thankfully, harbors no highfalutin illusions about Sonia, whose Chaucerian way with a curse is matched only by her double-D libido and industrial-strength vocal cords. The performance is at once exhausting and awe-inspiring, making Sonias frustrated desire for a child one of the films more horrifying subplots. Yet, hearing Sonia wail over the disappointing dimensions of her vagina, I also heard the hoofbeats of the next movie. Any takers for The Hitmans Wifes Surrogates Bodyguard? The Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard Rated R for farcical violence and a filthy mouth. Running time: 1 hour 56 minutes. In theaters. VidCon, the annual online video convention that has become the biggest event in the influencer industry, is returning to the Anaheim Convention Center in California this fall. And it has a new top sponsor: TikTok. The announcement on Tuesday, which was first reported by Variety, solidified the apps ascendancy after a year of tremendous growth and reflected a changed social media landscape, one where overnight stardom is more likely to happen on TikTok than on YouTube, which had been VidCons top sponsor since 2013. TikTok, which was introduced in the United States in 2018, made a memorable appearance at the last VidCon, in 2019. Its splashy party drew such a crowd that hundreds of creators were left standing at the entrance. This year, the companys presence will only be bigger. TikTok will bring many of the apps top creators to appear at events, and an executive at the company will deliver the keynote address. You may have heard: Drought is gripping the American West, again, and its looking bad. To help readers understand just how dire conditions have become, we published a series of maps and charts that visualize the crisis. The maps above show that current drought conditions in the West are the most widespread and severe than at any point in at least 20 years. Thats based on data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, the governments official drought-tracking service, which has published weekly maps since 2000. Record-low precipitation and much-higher-than-normal temperatures over the past year have both contributed to the extreme dryness. Now, reservoirs are running low and snowpack, which slowly releases water in the spring and summer, is depleted. That bodes poorly for agriculture, wildlife and plants, but well for fire. The situation is especially concerning because the hottest months of summer are still ahead. (Already, triple-digit heat is blanketing much of California and the Southwest this week.) Covid Updates: N.Y.C. to Move 8,000 Homeless People From Hotels CureVacs vaccine fared poorly in trials, a blow to hopes of meeting urgent global demand. The U.S. surpasses 600,000 Covid deaths. The E.U. is preparing to welcome U.S. tourists. Follow our latest coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. New York City plans to move about 8,000 homeless people from hotels back into shelters by the end of July. The Lucerne was among about 60 hotels in New York City that took in homeless people during the pandemic. Residents received supplies from volunteers outside the hotel in November 2020. Credit... Amr Alfiky/The New York Times New York City plans to move about 8,000 homeless people out of hotel rooms and back to barrackslike dorm shelters by the end of July so that the hotels can reopen to the general public, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday. When the pandemic lockdown began last spring, New York City moved the people out of the shelters, where in some cases as many as 60 adults stayed in a single room, to safeguard them from the coronavirus. Now, with social distancing restrictions lifted and an economic recovery on the line, the city is raring to fill those hotel rooms with tourists. It is time to move homeless folks who were in hotels for a temporary period of time back to shelters where they can get the support they need, Mr. de Blasio said at a morning news conference. The mayor said the city would need the states approval to remove the homeless people from 60 hotels, but a spokesman for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said that as long as all shelter residents even vaccinated ones wore masks, the state had no objections to the plan. On Tuesday, Mr. Cuomo announced that the state was lifting nearly all remaining coronavirus restrictions and social distancing measures, after more than 70 percent of the states adults had received at least a first dose of a vaccine. The hotels, many of them in densely populated parts of Manhattan, have been a source of friction with neighbors who have complained of noise, outdoor drug use and other nuisances and dangers from the hotel guests. Wednesdays announcement signals the end to a social experiment that many homeless people gave high marks to, saying that having a private hotel room was a vastly better experience than sleeping in a room full of adults, many of them battling mental illness or substance abuse or both. Some people said they would sooner live in the street. I dont want to go back its like Im going backward, said Andrew Ward, 39, who has been staying at the Williams Hotel in Brownsville, Brooklyn, after nearly two years at a mens shelter. Its not safe to go back there. Youve got people bringing in knives. CureVacs mRNA vaccine reaches an efficacy level of just 47 percent in a clinical trial. A volunteer receiving the CureVac Covid vaccine during trials in Cruces, Spain, in February. Credit... Luis Tejido/EPA, via Shutterstock The German company CureVac delivered disappointing preliminary results on Wednesday from a clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine, dimming hopes that it could help fill the worlds great need. The trial, which included 40,000 volunteers in Latin America and Europe, estimated that CureVacs mRNA vaccine had an efficacy of just 47 percent, among the lowest reported so far from any Covid vaccine maker. The trial will continue as researchers monitor volunteers for new cases of Covid, with a final analysis expected in two to three weeks. Were going to full speed for the final readout, Franz-Werner Haas, CureVacs chief executive, said in an interview. We are still planning for filing for approval. CureVac plans to apply for approval initially to the European Medicines Agency. The European Union reached an agreement last year to purchase 405 million doses of the vaccine if the agency authorizes it. Independent experts, however, said it would be difficult for CureVac to recover. Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at the University of Florida, said that the vaccines efficacy rate might improve somewhat by the end of the trial. But because most of the data is already in, its unlikely the vaccine will turn out to be highly protective. Its not going to change dramatically, she said. And with an efficacy rate that low far less than the roughly 95 percent of competing mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna the results do not bode well for CureVacs shots getting adopted. This is pretty devastating for them, said Jacob Kirkegaard, a vaccine supply expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a think tank in Washington. The news was disappointing to experts who had hoped the company could provide vaccines for low- and middle-income countries that dont have nearly enough. CureVac had some advantages over the other mRNA vaccines, such as keeping stable for months in a refrigerator. Whats more, compared with its competitors, CureVacs vaccine used fewer mRNA molecules per jab, lowering its cost. The trial results released on Wednesday were based on data from 135 volunteers who got sick with Covid. An independent panel compared the number of sick people who had received a placebo with those who had received the vaccine. Although the vaccine did seem to offer some protection, the statistical difference between the two groups was not stark, working out to an efficacy rate of 47 percent. Annual flu shots, by comparison, can reach 40 to 60 percent effectiveness. Both the World Health Organization and the Food and Drug Administration set a threshold of 50 percent efficacy to consider Covid vaccines for emergency authorization. If CureVac were to stay at 47 percent in the final analysis, it would fail to meet that standard. The results caught scientists by surprise. CureVacs shots yielded promising results in animal experiments and early clinical trials. This ones a bit of a head-scratcher, Dr. Dean said. Dr. Haas blamed the disappointing results on the high number of virus variants in the countries where the vaccine was tested. Out of 124 of the Covid-19 cases that the companys scientists genetically sequenced, only one was caused by the original version of the coronavirus. More than half of the cases were caused by variants that have been shown to be more transmissible or able to blunt the effectiveness of vaccines. CureVacs volunteers were also infected by variants that have yet to be studied carefully. Lambda, which has come to dominate Peru in recent weeks, accounted for 21 percent of the samples. Dr. Haas said that the results should serve as a wake-up call for the threat that new variants can pose to the effectiveness of vaccines. Its a new Covid reality, thats for sure, he said. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech were tested last year before variants had emerged, which could partially account for their much higher efficacy rates. Even so, studies have found that their real-world effectiveness only drops moderately in the face of variants. Dr. Kirkegaard predicted it would be a challenge for CureVac to compete with another Covid vaccine in development, made by Novavax. On Monday, Novavax reported that its vaccine, which doesnt have to be kept frozen, reached an efficacy of 90 percent in a trial in the United States and Mexico. I suspect it will be difficult for them to really get a significant developing-country market, Dr. Kirkegaard said. Tracking Coronavirus Vaccinations Around the World More than 3.08 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, equal to 40 doses for every 100 people. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Hopeless: Leaked messages reveal Boris Johnsons scorn for the British health secretary as Covid exploded. Dominic Cummings, right, a former aide to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, leaving the Houses of Parliament last month after testifying in detail about a chaotic government response to the Covid crisis last year. Credit... Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA, via Shutterstock On the night of March 26, 2020, as the coronavirus was engulfing Britain and its leaders were struggling to fashion a response, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ridiculed his governments health secretary, with a profanity, as totally hopeless, according to a text message posted by his former chief adviser. The WhatsApp message, one of several texts shared on Wednesday by Mr. Johnsons former aide, Dominic Cummings, reignited a debate over how Britain handled the early days of the pandemic a period when Mr. Cummings said it lurched from one course to another and failed to set up an effective test-and-trace program. In riveting testimony before Parliament last month, Mr. Cummings pinned much of the blame for the disarray on the health secretary, Matt Hancock, whom he accused of rank incompetence and serial lying. Mr. Hancock denied the accusations before lawmakers last week. He said it was telling that Mr. Cummings had not provided evidence to back up his most incendiary claims. The WhatsApp messages, and an accompanying 7,000-word blog post, are the former aides attempt to do so. They depict a government under relentless stress, racing to secure ventilators and protective gear, scale up a testing program, and settle on the right strategy to prevent the nations hospitals from collapsing. In the text exchange with Mr. Johnson on March 26, Mr. Cummings noted that the United States went from testing 2,200 people a day to 100,000 in two weeks. He said Mr. Hancock was skeptical about being able to test even 10,000 a day, despite having promised two days earlier to reach that goal within a few days. The exchange prompted Mr. Johnsons profane description of Mr. Hancock. Later, Mr. Johnson was severely ill with Covid-19 and hospitalized, forcing his foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, to lead in his absence. Mr. Cummings said Mr. Raab did a far better job than Mr. Johnson in leading the governments response to the pandemic. Mr. Cummings helped elect Mr. Johnson, but has since had a bitter falling-out with the prime minister. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Europe is edging toward a more open summer, with American tourists. Madrid in May. Some countries heavily dependent on tourism, like Spain and Greece, have already reopened to external travelers. Credit... Emilio Parra Doiztua for The New York Times Warmer weather and low coronavirus case numbers are raising hope in some countries in Europe that vaccine rollouts could usher in a more normal summer after an erratic year of lockdowns. France announced on Wednesday, sooner than expected, that it was ending a mandate on mask wearing outdoors and lifting a nighttime curfew that has lasted for months an increasingly unpopular measure as days grew longer and cafes reopened. The health situation in our country is improving, and it is improving even faster than what we had hoped, Jean Castex, the French prime minister, said in making the announcement, which some political opponents noted came a few days before regional elections. In addition, tourists from the United States may be allowed back into European Union countries as early as Friday a move crucial to lifting Europes battered economies. On Wednesday, ambassadors of the European Union indicated their support for adding the United States to a list of countries considered safe from an epidemiological point of view, a bloc official confirmed, though no official announcement is expected until Friday. The traffic will be one-way, however, unless the United States lifts its ban on many European travelers, which was first announced over a year ago. The U.S. barred noncitizens coming from many countries around the globe, including those in the Schengen area of Europe, Britain and the Republic of Ireland. In Europe, however, low infection numbers in many countries in recent weeks have been taken as an optimistic sign. But that is not the case everywhere. In Britain, officials are keeping watch for the Delta variant, which has spurred a rise in cases, and on Monday delayed by a month a much-anticipated reopening that had been heralded as freedom day. And in Moscow, a surge of cases prompted a shutdown, leaving Russian officials pleading with residents to get vaccinated. Still, the move to open up E.U. countries to tourists coming from the United States signaled a wider hope that the bloc was on a pathway to normalcy. Health policy in the European Union is ultimately the province of member governments, so each country has the right to decide whether to reopen and how to tailor the travel measures further by adding requirements for PCR tests or quarantines, for example. Travel from outside the bloc was practically suspended last year to limit the spread of the coronavirus, with the exception of a handful of countries that fulfilled specific criteria, such as a low infection rate and their overall response to Covid-19. Until Wednesday, the list contained a relatively small number of nations, including Australia, Japan and South Korea, but more are coming, including Albania, Lebanon, North Macedonia and Serbia. Some countries heavily dependent on tourism, like Spain and Greece, have already reopened to external travelers. Germany also lifted more restrictions this month, announcing it would remove a travel warning for locations with low infection rates from July 1. The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, recommended last month that all travelers from third countries who were fully vaccinated with shots approved by the European Medicines Agency or by the World Health Organization should be allowed to enter without restrictions. The loosening of travel measures was enabled by the fast pace of vaccination in the United States and by the acceleration of the inoculation campaign in Europe, and bolstered by advanced talks between the authorities on how to make vaccine certificates acceptable as proof of immunity. The European Union is also finalizing work on a Covid certificate system, which is supposed to be in place on July 1. Fifteen member countries already started issuing and accepting the certificate ahead of schedule this month. The document records whether people have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, recovered from Covid or tested negative within the past 72 hours, and it would eventually allow those who meet one of the three criteria to move freely across the blocs 27 member countries. Travelers coming from outside the bloc would have the opportunity to obtain a Covid certificate from an E.U. country, the European Commission said. That would facilitate travel between different countries inside the bloc, but would not be required for entering the European Union. Monika Pronczuk, Isabella Kwai and The U.S. agrees to buy 200 million more doses of Modernas vaccine, in case boosters are needed. Preparing a Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in Seattle. Credit... Ruth Fremson/The New York Times The Biden administration, planning for the possibility that Americans could need booster shots of the coronavirus vaccine, has agreed to buy an additional 200 million doses from the drugmaker Moderna with the option to include any developed to fight variants as well as pediatric doses. The purchase, with delivery expected to begin this fall and continue into next year, gives the administration the flexibility to administer booster shots if they prove necessary, and to inoculate children under 12 if the Food and Drug Administration authorizes vaccination for that age group, according to two administration officials not authorized to discuss it publicly. Experts do not yet know whether, or when, booster shots might be necessary. The emergence of variants in recent months has accelerated research on boosters, and the current vaccines are considered effective against several variants, including the Alpha variant which was first identified in Britain and which became dominant in the United States. And this week, U.S. health officials classified the Delta variant, which was first found in India, as a variant of concern, sounding the alarm because it spreads rapidly and may cause more serious illness in unvaccinated people. Concern over Delta prompted England to delay lifting restrictions imposed because of the pandemic. Moderna, a company that had no products on the market until the F.D.A. granted its Covid vaccine emergency authorization last year, uses mRNA platform technology to make its vaccine a so-called plug and play method that is especially adaptable to reformulation. Last month, the company announced preliminary data from a clinical trial of a booster vaccine matched to the Beta variant, first identified in South Africa; the study found an increased antibody response against Beta and Gamma, another variant of concern first identified in Brazil. In announcing the purchase on Wednesday, Moderna said it expected to deliver 110 million of the new doses in the fourth quarter of this year, and 90 million in the first quarter of 2022. The option brings the total U.S. procurement of Modernas two-shot vaccine to 500 million doses. We appreciate the collaboration with the U.S. government for these additional doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, which could be used for primary vaccination, including of children, or possibly as a booster if that becomes necessary to continue to defeat the pandemic, Stephane Bancel, Modernas chief executive officer, said in a statement. We remain focused on being proactive as the virus evolves by leveraging the flexibility of our mRNA platform to stay ahead of emerging variants, he said. Under its existing contract with Moderna, the federal government had until Tuesday to exercise the option to purchase doses for future vaccination needs at the same price it is currently paying about $16.50 a dose. Similar conversations are underway with Pfizer-BioNTech, which also makes a two-dose mRNA vaccine, but no agreement has been reached, one of the officials said. State health departments are also preparing for the necessity of revaccination, Dr. Nirav Shah, president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and Maines top health official, told reporters on Wednesday. It may be just a bit too early to tell with finality whether second doses, booster doses will be needed in the fall, Dr. Shah said. Certainly the better job we do now lowers the likelihood that variants could run loose. He added, There is a direct link between what we do now and what we may need to do later. As of Wednesday, about 65 percent of U.S. adults had received at least one shot, according to federal data. But with vaccination rates slowing down, the administration is still focused on trying to meet President Bidens goal of having at least 70 percent of adults get one shot by July 4, and also on addressing the global vaccine shortage. With the concerning Delta variant growing and millions more Americans to vaccinate, we are focused on our urgent and robust response to the pandemic, Kevin Munoz, a White House spokesman, said in a statement Tuesday. Last week, at the outset of his meeting with leaders of the Group of 7 nations, Mr. Biden announced that the United States would buy 500 million doses of Pfizer vaccine and donate them for use by about 100 low- and middle-income countries over the next year, describing it as Americas humanitarian obligation to save as many lives as we can. One of the officials said Wednesday that if the Moderna purchase left the administration with surplus vaccine, the administration would donate those doses to other countries. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Chris Paul, the Phoenix Suns guard, is out indefinitely because of virus protocols. Chris Paul, of the Phoenix Suns, sits on the bench before playing the Los Angeles Lakers in May in Phoenix. Credit... Christian Petersen/Getty Images After leading the Phoenix Suns into the Western Conference finals, Chris Paul is in danger of missing at least part of the series after entering the N.B.A.s coronavirus health and safety protocols. How soon Paul can return to the Suns was not immediately known. The Suns announced Wednesday that Paul was currently out because of the protocols and that they would next provide an update about his status on Saturday. Among the factors that will determine how long Paul, 36, will be away from the Suns are his vaccination status and whether he tested positive for the coronavirus. Players who test positive are typically placed in isolation for 10 to 14 days, but isolation time, depending on the circumstances, can be reduced if a player is vaccinated. The team did not say why Paul was in the protocol. It could mean that he tested positive, but it also could just indicate that he was in close contact with someone who had. The N.B.A. announced Wednesday afternoon that one player had tested positive for the virus within the past week but, as is the usual practice, did not name the player. Its not clear whether Paul has been vaccinated. The prospect of Phoenixs losing Paul after landing a spot in the conference finals on Sunday by completing a four-game sweep of the Denver Nuggets, was the latest blow to an N.B.A. postseason rocked by a string of health-related absences for star players. The W.H.O. urges wealthy nations to give Latin America priority for vaccine donations. Medical personnel transport a patient to an ambulance in Lomas de Zamora, Argentina last week. Credit... Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO The World Health Organization is urging the wealthy nations that recently pledged to donate one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses to give priority to Latin American nations with high levels of virus transmission and mortality. Nine of the ten countries with the most recent deaths in proportion to their populations are in South America or the Caribbean, where vaccination campaigns are mostly off to slow and chaotic starts. Health care professionals in the region are reporting a surge of younger patients requiring hospitalization, and in several cities, intensive care units are full or nearly so, according to Dr. Carissa F. Etianne, director of the Pan American Health Organization, a part of the W.H.O. About 1.1 million new coronavirus cases and more than 31,000 deaths were reported last week in the Americas, most of them in South American nations where transmission remains out of control. Colombia set new records for reported deaths three days in a row this week, peaking on Tuesday with 599 deaths. Brazil is on track to reach the grim milestone of 500,000 total deaths in the next week or two, and is reporting more than 70,000 new cases a day on average. Though Chile has carried out one of the worlds most aggressive inoculation campaigns, it has not yet managed to rein in transmission. Dr. Etianne urged leaders of the major industrial democracies to use epidemiological criteria to determine which countries will be first in line to receive the one billion vaccine doses that the Biden administration and allied nations pledged to distribute. While vaccines are needed everywhere, we hope G7 nations will prioritize doses for countries at greatest risk, especially those in Latin America that have not yet had access to enough vaccines to even protect the most vulnerable, she said. W.H.O. officials said that focusing on the countries where the crisis is worst including Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Chile made sense from both a moral and a pragmatic standpoint. Large sustained outbreaks in those countries raise the potential for more dangerous virus variants to emerge and to cross borders. No region of the world is protected from new peaks of transmission, said Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri, the Covid-19 incident manager at the Pan American Health Organization. No country and no region will be safe until high vaccination coverage is reached. Advertisement Continue reading the main story 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 Distorted and bizarre food smells linger for some Covid survivors. Marcel Kuttab, 28, started getting parosmia distortions of smell and taste months after contracting the coronavirus in March 2020. Credit... Katherine Taylor for The New York Times The pandemic has put a spotlight on parosmia, a once little-known condition that distorts the senses of smell and taste, spurring research and a host of articles in medical journals. Membership has swelled in existing support groups, and new ones have sprouted. A fast-growing British-based parosmia group on Facebook has more than 14,000 members. And parosmia-related ventures, including podcasts and smell training kits, are gaining followers. A key question remains: How long does Covid-19-linked parosmia last? Scientists have no firm answers. Parosmia is one of several Covid-related problems associated with smell and taste. The partial or complete loss of smell, or anosmia, is often the first symptom of the coronavirus. The loss of taste, or ageusia, can also be a symptom. In 2020, parosmia became remarkably widespread, frequently affecting Covid-19 patients, who lost their sense of smell and then largely regained it, before a distorted sense of smell and taste began. Advertisement Continue reading the main story In 11 U.S. states, the rate of vaccination in those over 65 lags the national level. A vaccination site in Cleveland, Miss. The state has vaccinated only 76 percent of its population 65 and older. Credit... Rory Doyle for The New York Times There are 11 states in the United States where at least 20 percent of older adults still havent received a Covid shot, potentially putting the recovery there at risk. People 65 and older were given top priority for vaccinations because they are far more vulnerable to serious illness and death from the coronavirus than younger people are. Those 65 and older have the highest rate of vaccination among all age groups, with 87 percent having received at least one dose, compared with 60 percent for people ages 18 to 64, and 31 percent for those 12 to 17. But in 11 states, seniors who have yet to get a dose of the vaccine pose a risk to their states recovery as most places remove restrictions aimed at limiting new outbreaks. Most of them are in the South: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee. Georgia, Idaho and Missouri are at the 20 percent threshold. West Virginia and Wyoming also have more than 20 percent of people 65 and over without one dose. The 20 percent lines up pretty well with a group of people, especially in the South, who say, No way, no how am I getting vaccinated, said Dr. Michael S. Saag, associate dean for global health and professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Among the factors at play, he said: conspiracy theories, a belief in pseudoscience and a libertarian mind-set that says, You cant tell me what to do. Convincing them that it is in their own interest is a tough nut to crack, Dr. Saag said. For the state of Alabama and other Southern states, this is not for a lack of effort or resources. This is about a population resistant to receiving the message. Older people, in general, feel more threatened from the coronavirus and more likely to die from it, experts say, and its not surprising that they have been among the most receptive to the vaccines. After older age groups were given priority when the first vaccines were authorized for emergency use in December, the proportion of those dying started dropping immediately. Across the United States, those 50 and older continue to make up the bulk of Covid-19 deaths, and the virus continues to kill hundreds of people daily. Death rates remain high in pockets of the nation where vaccination rates are not. Experts are concerned that Southern states, where vaccination rates are lagging, could face a surge in coronavirus cases over the summer. All epidemics are local at the end of the day, and transmission is person to person, Dr. Saag said. There is going to be a hot pocket of transmission if someone becomes infected and others around them are unvaccinated. This is not Epidemiology 101, this is common sense. Last year, a summer surge lasted until September in the South. This year, many people are vaccinated, and there is residual immunity from those who have already had it, Dr. Saag said. Whats more worrying for him, he said, is the dropping of mask ordinances as the more infectious Delta variant spreads. U.S. health officials this week classified the Delta variant, which was first found in India, as a variant of concern, sounding the alarm because it spreads rapidly and may cause more serious illness in unvaccinated people. Were sitting on a powder keg, Dr. Saag said. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found last month that 10 percent of unvaccinated seniors said that they would definitely not get inoculated against the coronavirus. But the same poll showed signs that some hesitant people have been persuaded: About a third who had planned to wait and see whether they would get vaccinated said that they had made vaccine appointments or planned to do so. Mr. de Blasio said his priority was stimulating an economic recovery. This includes vital investments in small business grants, the largest tourism campaign in city history, directly hiring 10,000 New Yorkers in the City Cleanup Corps, providing universal 3-K early education and more, said Laura Feyer, a spokeswoman for Mr. de Blasio. Paring down those investments means slowing down economic recovery. That cant be tolerated. The city, however, was reviewing whether to use federal aid for the homeowner tax credit, Ms. Feyer said. To some extent, the disagreement appears rooted in an ideological divide. Mr. de Blasio has long harbored a distrust for corporate America and a belief that boosting government employment can help revive the economy. Some of those pushing Mr. de Blasio to refocus the use of federal aid have suggested a lack of faith in his managerial acumen and are advancing an agenda that would lean heavily on a partnership between the public and private sectors. New York City is set to receive more than $22 billion in federal assistance over several years, including $7 billion for the citys schools, according to the Citizens Budget Commission. Some funds can only be used in specific ways, while other funding streams, such as $5.9 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act approved under President Biden, have fewer strings attached. The group questioning the citys spending plan largely focuses on the work force and calls for something akin to a post-World War II demobilization effort to connect unemployed New Yorkers with more than 300,000 existing job openings, most of which require more than a high school degree. The program would cost at least $300 million, which the groups members say could be drawn from what they believe are less-pressing needs, including the mayors cleanup corps and the homeowner tax credit. This Saturday is Juneteenth, a holiday dedicated to the end of slavery in the United States, celebrated by African Americans since the late 19th century. The holiday commemorates the moment on June 19, 1865, when Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to tell enslaved African Americans of their freedom, said Michelle Commander, an associate director and curator at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. (News of the Emancipation Proclamation did not arrive there until more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued it.) Juneteenth is a moment where we celebrate, but its also a moment where we lament, Dr. Commander said. Because we see a lot of the ways where the racism that undergirded slavery reverberates in our contemporary society. Though Juneteenth was initially observed predominantly in Texas, it has spread to African American communities across the country. Last year, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York signed an executive order making it a holiday for state employees, and companies are beginning to honor it as a paid day off. As the candidates for mayor of New York City barrel into the final stretch of an unpredictable contest, time is running short for standout moments and efforts to redefine the race. Indeed, one of the last chances to reorder the contest arrives on Wednesday night, as eight candidates gather for the final debate ahead of the June 22 Democratic mayoral primary that is almost certain to determine the citys next mayor. Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, is widely regarded as the front-runner and is expecting to be a focus of attacks again, allies say. He has strong support among Black voters and is connecting across the city with New Yorkers who are motivated by fears of crime, polls show. Kathryn Garcia, a former sanitation commissioner; Maya Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio; and Andrew Yang, a former presidential candidate, are also considered among the top candidates, and one of them could still pull ahead in the final days of a turbulent and rancorous race. Meet Rahel, 19, a human face of a brutal ethnic cleansing now underway in Ethiopia. There were three soldiers, she said as she lay on a bed in a crowded hospital. They were asking me to take off my dress. I refused. I said, You can kill me. The men paid no heed and gang-raped her, part of a scorched-earth counterinsurgency campaign of murder, rape, pillage and famine by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops against rebels and also against innocents like Rahel in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Countless thousands of Tigrayans have already been killed, and tens of thousands of children are in imminent danger of starving to death. This month the United Nations declared that Tigray was in the midst of the worlds worst famine in a decade. Mark Boyer , Asaf Kastner and Robert Richardson robbed a bank of about $5,000 in 1997 and was sentenced to 60 years in prison without the possibility of probation or parole. He was 30 years old when he was locked away in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, making his penalty a virtual life sentence. Mr. Richardson doesnt deny that he did wrong. He concurs with the adage Dont do the crime if you cant do the time. But in the video guest essay above, he contends that life sentences without parole are counterproductive for the prisoner and society alike and should be prohibited. He is joined in the video by his wife, Sibil Fox Richardson, whose decades-long effort to secure his release was documented in the film Time, and by one of their sons, Freedom. Mr. Richardson focuses his lobby on Louisiana, one of the states with the most prisoners serving life sentences without parole. Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana has sought to shed the states reputation as the nations incarceration capital, signing into law a package of criminal justice reform bills intended, in part, to reduce the size of the prison population. New York Citys local elections are in full bloom, and all through town, Democrats are having a rollicking time. On Saturday night, Maya Wiley supporters were treated to a concert by the Strokes. Last week, outside the first in-person mayoral debate last week, rival campaigns gathered on West 57th Street. Instead of a brawl, though, a dance party broke out. Paperboy Prince, a rapper running for mayor, belted out a tune about affordable housing. House, everybody needs a house! he shouted as voters bopped to the beat and nodded in approval. In the crowd, Moises Perez of Washington Heights said Ms. Wiley was No. 1 on his ranked-choice ballot in the June 22 primary because she was unapologetic about her progressivism. Also, he said, New York City needs a woman, a Black woman, for a change. Nearby, supporters of Eric Adams and Maya Wiley put aside their differences over whether to defund the police and danced together in a circle, rocking out to the Pharrell Williams song Happy. In theory, Tim OHara had come to Paris to map the biodiversity of a faraway seamount. In practice, this meant sifting a plastic barrel of preserved brittle stars floating in 95 percent ethanol. For weeks, he sorted through common, five-armed species of echinoderms that are related to starfish, many of which hed seen before. You get humdrum things, said Dr. OHara, a senior curator at Museums Victoria in Australia. One specimen Dr. OHara scooped from the bucket looked unlike any brittle star hed seen before. It had a thorny nest of teeth and, quite peculiarly, eight arms. Brittle stars always have five, a few have six, and the very odd one has more than 10, he said. To suddenly have eight arms? That was special. Dr. OHara believes the echinoderm, which was collected on an earlier expedition to a seamount east of New Caledonia in the South Pacific, represents an entirely new family of brittle stars that hails from an ancient lineage dating back to the Jurassic and survives to this day. He and other researchers described the species, Ophiojura exbodi, in a paper published Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. There will soon be two places in orbit where astronauts live. On a clear, sunny Thursday morning in the Gobi Desert, China launched three astronauts to rendezvous with the countrys nascent space station. They waved to cameras in their capsule as their trip to space began. Twenty-one minutes into the mission, the director of the launch center, Zhang Zhifen, announced that it was a complete success.If all now goes according to plan, they will rendezvous with Chinas nascent space station later in the day, beginning what is planned to be a continuous Chinese presence in Earths orbit for at least the next decade. The space station, called Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace, joins the International Space Station, the project led by the United States and Russia that has been steadily occupied for more than two decades. Thursdays launch is the third of 11 missions planned to complete construction of Chinas first long-term outpost in space before the end of next year. That was a very big invention, which was ahead of his time, said Matthias Ernst, a physical chemist at ETH Zurich who was a former student of Dr. Ernsts (and is not related). This was the 1960s, and the personal computing era had not yet begun; instead, Dr. Ernst and his colleagues had to transfer their data from punch tape to punch cards and then carry them to a computer center for processing. In the 1970s, Dr. Ernst developed two-dimensional N.M.R. In this technique, samples are bombarded with sequences of radio pulses over time. The resulting signals provide more information about the sample and allow scientists to determine the precise composition and structure of large and complex biological molecules. It was beautiful, said Dr. Reimer, who was an undergraduate chemistry student when Dr. Ernst published his results. Richard really pushed the envelope. Two-dimensional N.M.R. is the basis of M.R.I., a medical advancement that allowed doctors to create detailed images of the bodys internal structures. He made N.M.R. the powerful technique that it is today in chemistry, biochemistry and biology, Robert Tycko, a physical chemist at the National Institutes of Health and the president of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance, said in a phone interview. Dr. Ernst was on a trans-Atlantic flight when his Nobel Prize in Chemistry was announced in October 1991; he learned of the honor from the pilot. But in keeping with his characteristic modesty, he was unsettled to discover that he was the sole winner of the prize. He was very happy for the recognition, said Beat H. Meier, a physical chemist at ETH But he also was a little disturbed by the fact that he got it alone and that he was singled out when a lot of people have also contributed. One day in the summer of 1982, the art dealers Penny Pilkington and Wendy Olsoff were driving through the English countryside when their car broke down. The two had met the previous year as entry-level employees at Theo Waddington Gallery on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Though their day jobs were uptown, and they lived in a two-bedroom railroad apartment three blocks away, splitting the rent of $750, the pair shared a disinterest in the art they saw there Waddington showed Fauvists and Inuit artists, while his neighbors were mainly gentlemanly dealers of old masters, Impressionists and male abstract painters. Pilkington and Olsoff were young, in their mid-20s, but they were also gutsy, no-nonsense and imaginative, and they began to fantasize about opening their own space together. They had traveled to the U.K., in part, to visit Pilkingtons parents, who ran Londons Piccadilly Gallery, which focused on turn-of-the-20th-century European art. But that summer day, as would happen both literally and figuratively at various points in their working relationship, they found themselves stranded at the side of the road. After looking under the cars hood, Olsoff recalls, Pilkington removed her stockings, as if this were a very normal thing to do, and tied them in place to create a makeshift replacement for the blown-out fan belt. It worked for just long enough to get to the next garage, Pilkington recalls. For Olsoff, it was a sign that they would always be able to get by. They founded the gallery PPOW, named for their initials, the following year. Ever since, the pair have displayed a knack for being about a decade ahead of the market in terms of taste, showing socially engaged work that reflects their deeply held belief in content over money. Though their gallerys inception coincided with the apex of the art worlds commerciality up until that point in 1983, the New York market alone was estimated to be valued at $2 billion, an unprecedented high the partners remained true to their interests and ideals not only during that first decade, when dealing art became a viable path to achieving substantial wealth and power, but also throughout the intervening years, refusing to buy into the larger trends and waves of hype that tend to drive the industry. Historically, going against these prevailing currents has not been a recipe for success in the art market, but PPOW has nevertheless stayed in business when many of its former peers have not. Its done so partly in spite of its program during the culture wars of the late 80s and early 90s, for example, it represented queer artists and artists of color whose work was not merely undervalued but whose very existence was seen by certain conservative groups as a fundamental threat to American values and also because of it. Though PPOW has moved from the East Village to SoHo to Chelsea and, this year, to TriBeCa, its reputation for integrity and commitment to uplifting work made on the margins have remained constant, cementing its place as the quintessential downtown art gallery, and it is perhaps the last gallery that continues to embody that spirit so fully: It is both a custodian of defining chapters in the citys cultural history and a reliable indicator of its future. Five years ago, Google started making its own smartphones and voice-assisted speakers. Now, Google has a store to sell them in. The company is set to open its first-ever physical store on Thursday on the ground floor of its Manhattan headquarters in the Chelsea neighborhood. The store will carry a full array of Googles gadgets, including Pixel smartphones, Nest home devices and Fitbits wearable fitness products, the company said. Inside, shoppers can try out devices and subscription services, while existing customers can get on-site repairs of broken products. The 5,000-square-foot store will include rooms where customers can experience real-life scenarios in which Google products can be useful, the company said. WASHINGTON One of Lina Khans first projects as a new staff member at an antitrust think tank in 2011 was researching the history of the market for books, which had increasingly been dominated by Amazon. It was an early, unpublished entry in a body of work that has since established her as a major critic of the tech giants and corporate concentration. She spent the next 10 years honing her arguments, becoming a leading figure in a growing movement that calls for more aggressive policing of Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon. Now shes in a position to put those ideas into action and in doing so, potentially reshape how the country regulates its biggest companies. On Tuesday Ms. Khan, 32, was sworn in as chair of the Federal Trade Commission after being appointed to the role by President Biden, the youngest in the agencys history and its most progressive in at least a generation. She brings to the job what I would call the boldest vision for the agency in its history, William Kovacic, a former chairman of the agency, said of her approach to competition law. So in that respect, she is a potentially transformative figure. That moment in which we first cross the threshold is going to really tell us a lot about how things have changed over the course of the year, Nottage said. Theres been so much lip service paid to equity and inclusion. But the real test is in the pudding. So we wanted to create a space that felt welcoming and felt inclusive and that felt safe. And that really meant sort of disrupting the notion of what a theater looks like. For The Watering Hole, that entails in part a different kind of storytelling than what the playwright-centric Signature and its audiences are accustomed to. Collaboratively devised, design-forward, highly varied works that Nottage likened to amuse-bouches, some are narrative in form, while others are more meditative. One of the 10, in some dressing rooms, asks people to participate karaoke-style. After more than a year in which human bodies have been at the center of so much cultural discourse because of the coronavirus, and Black Lives Matter, and attacks on people for their race or gender, or both The Watering Hole is about inviting many kinds of bodies safely into a physical environment. Made by people who have not always felt welcome as artists or audience members, it is about who gets to occupy space in the theater, and whose comfort and catharsis are attended to. Its not altogether surprising that overall crime would drop in 2020; it has fallen in 26 of the last 28 years, including each of the last 17 years. Since most crime is property crime, and since property crime can flourish when people need to be out and about a shoplifter needs stores to be open, for example nationwide quarantines and reduced mobility last year most likely contributed to reduced property crime pretty much everywhere. The right answer on defunding It has become common to blame falling police budgets for last years increase in murders. The National Fraternal Order of Police, the former N.Y.P.D. commissioner Bill Bratton and Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas have been among those making that connection. Yet the available evidence a comparison of changes in murder with changes in the operational budgets for police departments in 105 big cities (those with over 200,000 people) suggests that budgetary changes were not a cause of last years murder increase. Most of the cities increased their police budgets last year, with the budgets decreasing in just 37 of the 105. Places that reduced their police budget were about as likely to see a rise in murder as places that increased it. Murder was up in 31 of the 37 cities that lowered their police budgets (84 percent), while it was up in 54 of the 68 cities (79 percent) of cities that raised their police budgets. It may seem as if the cuts in police budgets were in response to the defund movement. But the changes in budgets last year were relatively normal for times of economic distress. During the Great Recession, for example, between 19 percent and 47 percent of these 105 agencies reduced their budgets each year, according to census data compiled by PoliceScorecard.org. I want to know who I am first before having kids, she said. Ms. De Santiago, 23, said she wanted to start a spa business, which would allow her to control her schedule more than hourly work. I dont want them to feel closer to their babysitter than to me, she said. It is uncertain whether young women will end up having the children that at least so far they are putting off. In surveys, they say they still want them, though the number of children they intend to have has fallen. It is possible that the drop over the past decade is a new normal for fertility in America, one that looks more like what has happened in Europe and some Asian nations. Kristal Wynn, 36, grew up in rural Florida. Her best friend from high school had three children by the time she was 19, and Ms. Wynn knew she did not want that. She eventually became a nurse. Now living in Denver, she is going back to school to earn her bachelors degree, a longtime dream and something no one in her family has done. It was something no one ever expected me to do, I never expected myself to do, she said. As for children, she said she still wants them but that it wont be the end of the world if it doesnt happen. She loves learning, traveling and living in Denver. Im at the point in my life where I could be fulfilled by other things. A 20-year-old man has been convicted of murder for his role in a mass shooting at his Colorado high school in which one student was killed and eight others were injured in 2019. Devon Erickson was 18 when he and another teenager, Alec McKinney, entered the STEM School Highlands Ranch, where they were students, and began shooting inside a classroom on May 7, 2019. The shooting, in an English class where students were watching The Princess Bride three days before the last day of school, killed Kendrick Castillo, 18, a gentle teenager who was fascinated with cars and engineering and who tried to stop the attack. A jury convicted Mr. Erickson on Tuesday of 46 counts related to the shootings, including first-degree murder for the death of Mr. Castillo. Mr. Erickson, who was convicted after a 12-day trial, was also found guilty of conspiring to murder six other students who were shot during the attack but survived. Two other students in another classroom were also injured, according to prosecutors. After awarding Emergent the no-bid contract, the Trump administration reverted to traditional contracting rules and sought competitive proposals for additional bottling and packaging, known in the industry as fill-finish work, the documents show. Ology Bioservices, based in Alachua, Fla., agreed to provide essentially the same services as Emergents Camden and Rockville plants for three-quarters to nearly one-third of the cost, according to a calculation based on the contracts. Under an agreement reached in August, Ology would charge the government fees equating to $6.83 per vial. By comparison, Emergents existing lines would cost it between $9.03 and $18.40 a vial. A health department spokeswoman said Ology was cheaper in part because it can bottle more than 100,000 vials in a single batch, as much as five times what Emergent can handle. That lowers the per vial price by spreading the fixed costs over more vials, she said in an email. Even after bringing on Ology, the government has continued its agreement with Emergent, at the higher cost, to ensure additional capacity is available if or when needed to fill vaccines or therapeutics, she said. At the time of the contract, former and current federal officials said, the government wanted to secure as much manufacturing power as possible before commercial ventures snapped it up. Over the years, Emergent has grown by getting the government to fund expansions of its manufacturing sites and amass reserves of its products. In November 2019, the company announced a plan to double its revenue, in part by expanding its contract manufacturing business. A senior vice president, Syed Husain, outlined a game plan that included cross-selling additional services to existing customers, including the federal government. Six months later, Emergent struck the deal that broadened its existing government contract to include work at the Camden and Rockville sites. Dr. Robert Kadlec, a former Trump administration official who oversaw the agency that awarded Covid-19 contracts, had previously worked as a consultant for Emergent. Dr. Kadlec has said that he did not negotiate the Emergent deal but did approve it. Emergent said it negotiated the agreement with career government officials. Perhaps the biggest driver, however, was a spike in LSAT scores: Applicants took a shorter version of the admissions test, which was administered online, and had more time to study during pandemic lockdowns. I dont think the test questions were any easier, said Mike Spivey, the founder of Spivey Consulting, which helps students navigate the law school admissions process. But the anxiety facing test takers appears to have eased somewhat, he said. The result: more students with strong scores, a record number of applications (out of 200 law schools surveyed by the Law School Admission Council, 190 had an increase), and some schools that accepted too many people are now asking students to defer a year to avoid overcrowding. Overall applications were up by about 30 percent across law schools. The fact that many law schools are finding themselves oversubscribed for this fall is no surprise, said Ann Levine, the president of Law School Expert, another consultancy for would-be lawyers. We knew a year ago that application numbers were going to be through the roof by the number of people taking the LSAT last June. To ease the load, many schools have promised that scholarships will be in place for students if they choose to defer. A few are offering financial incentives. Duke promised $5,000 to students who accepted a binding deferral and promised to go next year. People are anxious and look, Biden had such success at the outset with the Covid relief package that it probably got peoples expectations up very high about how much could be done and how soon, Bob Shrum, the director of the Center for the Political Future at the University of Southern California, said in an interview. Now reality is intruding. The $1.9 trillion economic relief bill that Mr. Biden signed in March remains broadly popular, with six in 10 Americans expressing a positive opinion of it, according to the poll. Thats basically on par with the 63 percent who gave it positive marks in a Monmouth survey in April, soon after the bill was passed. And support for the presidents other top priorities remains high. Sixty-eight percent of Americans support the American Jobs Plan, his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, and 61 percent back the American Families Plan, his similarly large-scale proposal to invest in health care, child care and education. But that support isnt reflected in Congress, where Mr. Bidens party holds the barest of control of both chambers and where even some Democratic lawmakers havent fully gotten behind his proposals. Senators Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have insisted on finding bipartisan compromise, rather than passing those two plans through the process of budgetary reconciliation, which would allow the bills to become law without any Republican votes. The resulting standstill in Washington has left many Democrats feeling impatient. In the April poll, 63 percent of Democratic respondents said they approved of the job that Congress was doing. But that number has now been cut in half: Just 32 percent of Democrats gave Congress positive marks in the Monmouth survey released Wednesday. It produced an extensive report both a detailed analysis and a gripping narrative that changed Americans understanding of the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000, and the terrorist threat. Its 41 separate recommendations led to specific changes to the structure of government, the creation of a director of national intelligence and the National Counterterrorism Center. But the pandemic is a very different circumstance not a discrete one-day event but a crisis that unfolded over months, affecting the entire world and not just the United States. The American response was overwhelmingly led by state and local governments; Sept. 11 produced a largely federal response. Despite the publication of thousands of news articles and even books examining what went wrong, huge unanswered questions remain. Could intelligence officials have worked more closely with epidemiologists to track the virus as it took hold, and do the same with future emerging infections? Could the mass lockdowns last spring have been avoided, or at least limited to inflict less damage on the economy? How do state and local governments coordinate with Washington in a crisis that affects the whole country? This is very important, said J. Stephen Morrison, an expert in global public health at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, who also serves as an adviser to the planning group. Its the biggest national trauma weve experienced since World War II. Six hundred thousand people have died. Our institutions failed in a staggering way and our politics failed and our public health system was shambolic. We have to come to terms with all of that. Backers of the commission idea sense that they now have a critical window. The Trump presidency is in the past, and the 2024 elections are far enough away to keep the effort from getting caught up in presidential politics. A commission established this year could deliver a report in 2023, after the midterm elections. Views differ about how such a panel would be structured. Mr. Menendez says it needs the imprimatur of Congress, with leaders of both parties and the president appointing members, as was the case with the Sept. 11 panel, which was led by Thomas H. Kean, a Republican former governor of New Jersey, and Lee H. Hamilton, a Democrat and former congressman from Indiana. Mr. Menendezs bill calls for a 10-member commission that would include at least one economic policy expert, one public health expert and one former governor appointed by each party. Mr. Zelikow said he believed the panel should be nonpartisan as opposed to bipartisan and argued that the Sept. 11 model would not work in such a highly polarized climate. He fears congressional leaders will name people who are more invested in protecting their own parties than in the truth, which would not help America heal and only further damage faith and trust in American governance. But, he said, the effort needs congressional buy-in. Bipartisan votes have become more rare in commission enforcement matters in recent years, as Democratic commissioners who tend to favor stricter campaign finance rules have sometimes found themselves at loggerheads with their Republican colleagues, who tend to oppose campaign finance restrictions as burdensome infringements on free speech. The result has been deadlocked votes that effectively block the pursuit of cases. The dismissal of the complaint by Mr. Whitaker came amid a flurry of deadlock votes as the commission works its way through a backlog of matters related to the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Whitakers complaint, which was filed in his capacity as the executive director of a conservative watchdog group called the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, asserted that the Trump Tower meeting presented comparable circumstances to the Ukrainian matter. The complaint was based on an article in Politico revealing that Ms. Chalupa had discussions with officials in the Ukrainian embassy in Washington about Mr. Manaforts work for Russia-aligned Ukrainian politicians. Mr. Trump and his allies seized on the report, with the president suggesting on Twitter that his attorney general should investigate the matter, and his press secretary telling reporters, If youre looking for an example of a campaign coordinating with a foreign country or a foreign source, look no further than the D.N.C., who actually coordinated opposition research with the Ukrainian Embassy. Andrii Telizhenko, a former official at the embassy who was quoted in the article discussing Ms. Chalupa, was penalized in January by the Treasury Department for being part of what it called a Russia-linked foreign influence network that spread fraudulent and unsubstantiated allegations about President Biden during the 2020 campaign. While the Treasury Department did not accuse Mr. Telizhenko of spreading disinformation during the 2016 campaign, Ms. Weintraub said in a statement that the assertions by the Treasury Department and others completely undermined the credibility of the complaint based on his claims. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday met with Democratic members of the Texas Legislature who successfully staved off a voter restriction bill in their state last month, calling the group American patriots who had fought to preserve a fundamental democratic right. What we are seeing are examples of an attempt to marginalize and take from people, a right that has already been given. We are not asking for the bestowal of a right. We are talking about the preservation, Ms. Harris told the group in remarks delivered in the Roosevelt Room. That is the right of citizenship. And its that fundamental. It was the first high-profile meeting on the issue that Ms. Harris has hosted since President Biden named her the leader of the administrations broad efforts to protect voting rights, an issue that Mr. Biden feels is central to his legacy. In a call with reporters before the meeting, three senior administration officials said the vice president was personally invested in the issue, and directly sees herself as a beneficiary of laws, including the Voting Rights Act, that have protected the right to vote. The officials did not provide a concrete answer when asked how Ms. Harriss convening of Texas Democrats could help the White House stake out a stronger position should Republicans in the state remain united to pass an election bill, as they have vowed to do this summer. The legal action against Mr. Bolton began last year after Mr. Trump publicly and privately pressured White House aides and Justice Department officials to use their powers to stop Mr. Bolton from publishing his book, which contained disparaging details about his time working in Mr. Trumps White House. News articles in the months before the manuscript was published detailed some of its contents and set off a firestorm, including accounts of Mr. Trumps dealings with Ukraine during his impeachment trial over the matter. Behind closed doors, Mr. Trump called Mr. Bolton a traitor and said his book contained highly sensitive classified information. Were going to try and block the publication of the book, Mr. Trump told television anchors in an off-the-record meeting in February 2020. After I leave office, he can do this. But not in the White House. In the weeks leading up to the release of the book last June, the Justice Department sued Mr. Bolton seeking to stop its publication and to recoup the $2 million he had been paid for it. Judge Royce C. Lamberth of Federal District Court ruled that Mr. Bolton and his publisher, Simon & Schuster, could go forward with the book but that the Justice Department could continue to seek profits from it. Judge Lamberth undermined Mr. Bolton in his ruling, saying that he was persuaded that defendant Bolton likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information in violation of his nondisclosure agreement obligations. Released within days, the memoir immediately became a best seller and fed an increasingly damaging narrative about Mr. Trump during his re-election campaign. Relying on detailed accounts from Mr. Boltons tenure as national security adviser, the book depicted Mr. Trump as a corrupt leader who put his personal and financial interests above the countrys national security. After failing to halt the memoirs publication, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into whether Mr. Bolton had unlawfully disclosed classified information in the book. As part of the inquiry, the department took the unusual step of issuing a grand jury subpoena to Simon & Schuster for communications records about the memoir. Progressive groups are stepping up calls for Justice Stephen G. Breyer to immediately retire from the Supreme Court and allow President Biden to nominate a successor while Democrats control the Senate, which approves judicial nominees. In an advertisement to be released on Friday, 18 legal scholars will describe Justice Breyer as a remarkable jurist but say it is time for him to announce his retirement. Another advertisement endorsed by 13 progressive groups, including Black Lives Matter, Womens March and Battle Born Collective was released on Wednesday. President Biden must have the opportunity to nominate a successor without delay and fulfill his pledge to put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, that advertisement read. At 82, Justice Breyer is the courts oldest justice, and has served as a member of its liberal wing for nearly 27 years. He has thus far appeared to resist calls to step down from his life tenure, frustrating Democrats who argue that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made a terrible miscalculation in deciding not to retire under President Barack Obama, when she was in her early 80s. Justice Ginsburg died in September, allowing President Donald J. Trump to name her successor and shift the Supreme Court to the right. Weve had at least five cars come by and say, Are you guys open? Ogboghodo said. Moments later, a man rode a motorcycle down the sidewalk and asked about coming in. Simon said both the Short Stop and the other bar she manages, Footsies, had been closed during lockdowns; it wouldnt have made financial sense to operate at limited capacity. Reopening, she said, felt surreal. Drinkers in Dodgers jerseys and ball caps bellied up to the bar, shoulder to shoulder, laughing, hugging and taking shots with bartenders. Though the dance floor was still empty, Ice Cubes It Was a Good Day bumped from the speakers. Christina Arutyunyan, 31, and her boyfriend, Hugo Hernandez, 38, were finally back at their regular corner, along with Chris Reynolds, 50, who said hed been coming to the Short Stop since 2003. Ive been giddy all week, Reynolds said. Hernandez said it was a relief to see old faces. At the stadium which over the course of the pandemic became a kind of civic hub it was clear that things had changed. Traffic, for one thing, was in full force. Kristopher Williams, 21, wore a hat celebrating the teams World Series win last year and carried a homemade sign. He had taken public transit from South Los Angeles, leaving at 1:30 p.m. for the 5:30 p.m. gate opening. Williams said he was eager to be part of history. This is a very special game, he said. Inside the stadium, it was hard to remember that not long ago, the parking lot had been one of the nations biggest mass vaccination sites. And not too long before that, thousands of people had driven through the parking lot to administer their own coronavirus tests as instructed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, whose face was projected on giant video screens. JOHANNESBURG A freelance reporter working for The New York Times was granted bail and released from a Zimbabwe jail on Wednesday, three weeks after the authorities arrested him on charges that he improperly helped two Times journalists make a reporting trip to the country. The release of the reporter, Jeffrey Moyo, came after a lawyer for the government wrote in a court filing that the state did not have a strong case against Mr. Moyo and that it did not oppose an appeal by his lawyers to have him released on bail. The courts decision to grant bail amounts to a temporary reprieve for Mr. Moyo, who will have to pay a bail fee of 5,000 Zimbabwean dollars, about $14, and surrender his passport among other restrictions because the charges against him violating immigration rules by committing fraud to facilitate the entry of the reporters are still pending, according to Douglas Coltart, one of his lawyers. The arrest of Mr. Moyo, 37, came amid other highly publicized cases of government attacks on journalists across Africa that have drawn widespread condemnation from news organizations and from press freedom advocates. In Ethiopia, journalists covering the war in the Tigray region have been arrested, threatened and had their press credentials revoked, including a freelance reporter for The Times. In February, the authorities in Mozambique expelled a British journalist covering a violent insurgency in the northern part of the country. DNV said its report was based on the field investigation and the laboratory testing of samples from the accident and that it only contains DNVs hypothesis at this point. The full investigation will be finished later this year, the company said in a statement. Mexico Citys government, which hired DNV to examine the causes of the crash, is also conducting its own investigation into the accident. We promised to provide comprehensive care to the victims and to hire a specialized company to understand with technical professionalism and, based on scientific evidence, the root cause of this terrible tragedy, Claudia Sheinbaum, the mayor of Mexico City, said during the presentation of the DNV report. The results of the independent inquiry could spell trouble for two of Mexicos most powerful figures: Marcelo Ebrard, the foreign secretary, and Carlos Slim, one of the worlds richest businessmen. Mr. Ebrard, the mayor of Mexico City when the line was built, wanted it completed before he left office in 2012, according to multiple people who worked on the project. He is seen as a powerful contender to succeed President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexicos next presidential elections in 2024. In response to the release of the preliminary report, Mr. Ebrard said in a statement that determining the cause of the crash would require both a technical investigation and an inquiry that reviews the entire decision-making process in the design, layout, supervision and maintenance of the metro line. Mr. Slims conglomerate, Group Carso, built Line 12 the part of the metro that collapsed to expand the company into the lucrative rail industry. Shortly after Tojo and the other convicted war criminals were hanged in December 1948, the American military began a tense mission to dispose of their ashes. The effort was conducted behind locked doors and with armed guards, all to prevent the war criminals remains from being salvaged by supporters. The documents provide a detailed account of the execution and final disposition. The bodies were identified and fingerprinted before being placed in wooden coffins that were nailed shut and taken by cargo truck to Yokohama, 22 miles south of Tokyo. There, they were cremated. The documents said that special precaution was taken to preclude overlooking even the smallest particle of remains. In one document, dated Dec. 23, 1948, and stamped secret, a U.S. Army major named Luther Frierson wrote, I certify that I received the remains, supervised cremation, and personally scattered the ashes of the following executed war criminals at sea from an Eighth Army liaison plane. Major Frierson scattered the ashes over a wide area approximately 30 miles of the Pacific Ocean east of Yokohama. David L. Howell, a professor of Japanese history at Harvard University, said that by releasing the ashes into the ocean, U.S. forces had most likely contravened their own rules. He cited a 1947 manual that said remains should be buried or given to the next of kin, when possible, after military executions. He said it was faulty logic for the American authorities to believe that disposing of Tojos remains would prevent him from being deified by sympathizers and nationalists, many of whom continue to perceive Japans wartime efforts as mere acts of self-defense. SEOUL North Korea is bracing itself for a possible food crisis in the coming months. Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, issued a rare warning about a tense food situation brought about by extensive flooding, the coronavirus pandemic and international sanctions, the state news media reported on Wednesday. Mr. Kim convened the Central Committee of his ruling Workers Party on Tuesday to assess the state of affairs in his isolated country, and said resolving the food shortage was a top priority, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. In particular, the peoples food situation is now getting tense as the agricultural sector failed to fulfill its grain production after flood damage, Mr. Kim was quoted as saying in the meeting. It is essential for the whole party and state to concentrate on farming. Although it is no secret that North Koreas economy is in trouble, it is highly unusual for Mr. Kim to acknowledge a national food shortage as publicly and clearly as he did this week. President Biden and his aides were careful to lower expectations for the blockbuster part of his first trip abroad as president: his meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Were not expecting a big set of deliverables out of this meeting, a senior administration official told reporters aboard Air Force One as the president flew from Brussels to Geneva on Tuesday ahead of the summit. But that didnt mean that the administration and the president had not thought about what they hoped to achieve by giving Mr. Putin an international platform something that critics on both the left and the right have said was a mistake for Mr. Biden to do. Since taking office, Mr. Biden has received criticism for not taking a stronger stand on human rights. Some critics say he has not responded forcefully enough to the poisoning of Aleksei A. Navalny, a dissident and Putin critic. 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. Mr. Cummings is hardly an unbiased observer. He and Mr. Johnson had a bitter falling-out a year after Mr. Cummings masterminded the election campaign that gave Mr. Johnsons Conservative Party an 80-seat majority in Parliament. Mr. Johnson fired him last November, and the aide has lately been waging a kind of guerrilla insurgency against his former boss on social media. Public support for Mr. Johnson has remained strong as Britain recovered from its shaky start to deploy vaccines rapidly. Mr. Cummings, for his part, has been in disrepute since last year when reports surfaced that he had violated lockdown rules to travel 260 miles to his parents house in the North of England. The screenshots of WhatsApp texts offer only a fragmentary account of what happened in 10 Downing Street during that period. Mr. Hancock claimed that there was never a nationwide shortage of protective equipment, that the testing system eventually worked, and that everyone who needed treatment for Covid-19 got it. In his testimony, Mr. Hancock said he did not know why Mr. Cummings bore such an animus against him. He said he was aware that Mr. Cummings was agitating to get him fired. But he insisted Mr. Johnson had never wavered in his support and pointed out that it was Mr. Cummings who lost his job. The best thing to say about this, and this will be corroborated by lots of people in government, is that the government has operated better over the past six months, Mr. Hancock told a Parliamentary committee. Still, Mr. Cummings was at the heart of the Covid response and his WhatsApp texts with Mr. Johnson are a real-time glimpse into how the government dealt with it. He accused Mr. Hancock of rewriting history, noting that Britain initially abandoned community testing before reinstating it with Mr. Hancocks much-trumpeted target of 100,000 tests a day by the end of April 2020. LJUBLJANA, Slovenia In Moscow for a conference, the Slovenian magazine editor followed a path well-trodden by foreign visitors. At a flea market piled with kitsch memorabilia, he had his picture taken wearing a Soviet military hat decorated with a red star. Eight years later, that picture has become a weapon part of a conspiracy theory pushed by Slovenias right-wing government, which vilifies critics in the media as traitorous leftists intent on dragging the country back to communist dictatorship. The Trumpian-style tactics, as six European press freedom groups recently described them, of Slovenias prime minister, Janez Jansa, would not normally arouse much concern beyond the borders of a small Balkan nation with a population of just two million. But they are now under intense scrutiny by those looking for signs of what to expect when Mr. Jansas country takes over the European Unions rotating presidency next month. 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. The traffic will be one-way, however, unless the United States lifts its ban on many European travelers, which was first announced over a year ago. The U.S. barred noncitizens coming from many countries around the globe, including those in the Schengen area of Europe, Britain and the Republic of Ireland. In Europe, however, low infection numbers in many countries in recent weeks have been taken as an optimistic sign. But that is not the case everywhere. In Britain, officials are keeping watch for the Delta variant, which has spurred a rise in cases, and on Monday delayed by a month a much-anticipated reopening that had been heralded as freedom day. And in Moscow, a surge of cases prompted a shutdown, leaving Russian officials pleading with residents to get vaccinated. Still, the move to open up E.U. countries to tourists coming from the United States signaled a wider hope that the bloc was on a pathway to normalcy. Health policy in the European Union is ultimately the province of member governments, so each country has the right to decide whether to reopen and how to tailor the travel measures further by adding requirements for PCR tests or quarantines, for example. For starters, Mr. Netanyahu has accused his successor, Naftali Bennett, who was sworn in on Sunday, of committing the fraud of the century by using the votes for his right-wing constituency to lead an ideologically diverse coalition that Mr. Netanyahu has branded as a dangerous left-wing government. He has embraced his new role as a fighting opposition leader with alacrity while at the same time swearing to his own base that he will be back in power sooner than you think, making it sound as if it may hardly be worth uprooting the family from the residence that detractors said they had turned into their castle. Mr. Bennett, for his part, seems in no hurry to move in. A resident of Raanana, a prosperous suburban town in central Israel, he has four children in schools in the area and has made it known that at least initially, he will use the official residence for mostly ceremonial purposes and possibly for family weekends. Stoking public outrage, Ms. Haley posted on Twitter a photograph of her meeting with Mr. Netanyahu on Monday and wrote: Time with Prime Minister @netanyahu is always invaluable. His contributions to Israeli security and prosperity are historic. We have not heard the last from him. Then a lawyer for Crime Minister, a group that campaigned for Mr. Netanyahus resignation after he was charged with corruption, sent a letter to the legal adviser of the prime ministers office demanding that she set a deadline later this month for the family to vacate the mansion or face legal action. What to you get when you combine an old Soviet tank with two Soviet jet engines and a lot of water? The answer is Big Wind, a fire truck capable of stopping oil well fires all by itself. In February of 1991, near the end of the Gulf War, the retreating Iraqi army set over 700 Kuwaiti oil wells on fire, thus creating the desert into an almost apocalyptic landscape. Up to six million barrels of oil burned every day for 30 weeks, sending flames as high as 300 feet into the air and covering the sky with thick, black smoke. The fires reached temperatures of 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, and even the air around them was an unbearable 650 degrees Fahrenheit, but even if anyone managed to get close enough, putting out the fires was a nearly impossible task. But that was just the kind of job that Big Wind was built for Inspired by a Russian idea, Big Wind consisted of T-34 Soviet tank dating back to World War 2, with its gun turret replaced by two MiG-21 fighter-plane engines and six water nozzles. It looks like something out of an old sci-fi movie and, when those two engines are turned on, it sounds like that too. According to Car and Driver, the Soviets had managed to blow out gas and oil well fires and cleared airfields of snow by using a single MiG-15 jet engine bolted onto the bed of a large truck. Inspired by this idea, Hungarian company MB Drilling developed an improved version that uses two powerful jet engines strapped to a more solid base, an old tank. It was named Big Wind. The impressive-looking firetruck was supposed to put out oil well fires in Hungary, but in early 1991 it was flown into Kuwait to help put out the devastating fires, and it managed to do just that at the nine wells that it was used at. Big Wind is not your average fire truck. It couldnt really be used in any old house fire, as it would most likely do more harm than good. Thats because its two jet engines can produce a whopping 27,000 pounds of thrust, blowing out 4591 cubic feet of air at around 770mph. Thats enough to blow the windows and doors, maybe even the walls of a house right off. This incredibly powerful firetruck was specifically designed to put out oil well fires. The powerful air currents pumped out by the two jet engines, mixed with the water coming out through the six nozzles above the engines, are enough to sever the oil stream coming out of the ground, essentially depriving the flames above of fuel. Apparently, the first 15 to 30 feet of oil coming out of the well doesnt burn, because it travels too fast for oxygen to mix with it and ignite. Its this stream of oil that Big Wind targets with its powerful combination of air and water. Cutting through the oil stream kills the fire, and the water also cools the air around the site, thus preventing reignition. Big Wind made history during the Gulf War, managing to put out nine fires and recap the wells, with only a crew of three middle-aged firemen operating it. Its unclear if the impressive-looking contraption is still being used today, or if a newer, improved version exists, but it still regarded as probably the most powerful firetruck in human history. According to a post by Hungarian petroleum giant MOL Group, Big Wind is still in service as the companys fire extinguisher. If you enjoy staring at womens thighs while you eat, theres now a place that allows you to do just that, without looking like a pervert. Welcome to Japans new World of Thighs Photography Cafe! Its no secret that Japan loves themed restaurants and cafes, but if you thought airsoft restaurants and reptile cafes were a bit too much, youre going to love this new joint that is colored by the world of thighs. Young girls thighs, that it. Designed as an extension of Japanese photographer Yurias artistic exhibitions, the newly opened cafe in Tokyos Ebisu district is decorated with photos of womens thighs from Yurias existing portfolio, as well as some never-before-seen pics from a recent photo shoot in Guam. If youre unfamiliar with Yurias body of work, its pretty much centered around female thighs. Photo: Yuria Called World of Thighs Photography Cafe, Tokyos newest themed cafe was inaugurated on October 6 and will stay open until December 6, allowing patrons to feast on various popular dishes while surrounded by dozens of photos of young womens thighs. Judging by some photos released by the organizers, the food will also feature thigh-shaped decorations, although its not yet clear if those are edible. For die-hard female thigh fans, World of Thighs Photography Cafe also features a thigh-themed gift shop where you can buy pins and other thigh-related merchandise. Photo: Yuria via SoraNews24 Hua Zhibing officially registered and became a student of Beijings Tsinghua University on Tuesday. But shes not just another student, but Chinas first AI-powered, virtual student. Hua Zhibings appearance, voice and even the music playing in the background of the vlog she introduced herself to the world in were all created using on a record-breaking AI modeling system called Wudao 2.0. It was unveiled at the 2021 Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI) Conference on June 1, and, according to its developers, it is the first trillion scale model in China and the largest in the world. Wudao 2.0 is designed to enable machines to think like humans and is reportedly close to passing the Turing test in poetry and couplets creation, text summaries, answering questions and painting. Tsinghua Universitys newest student will study in the Department of Computer Science and Technology and is expected to grow and learn faster than an average actual person. Having already developed a strong interest in fine arts and literature, Hua Zhibing can already compose tunes, write poems and draw pictures. Tang Jie, the computer science professor teaching the AI student at Tsinghua University, told Sixth Tone that Hua currently has the cognitive level of a six-year-old, but is expected to reach the level of a 12-year-old in a years time. Ive been addicted to literature and art since I was born, Hua Zhibing said in her first vlog, on Chinese platform Weibo. I became interested in my birth. How was I born? Can I understand myself? Prof. Tang believes that Hua Zhibing is different than any other AI-powered virtual character in that she has some ability in reasoning and emotional interaction. Tang and the other researchers involved in the project hope that she will have a higher EQ (emotional intelligence) and be able to communicate like a real human at some point. Wudao 2.0, the model behind Hua Zhibing, uses 1.75 trillion parameters to simulate conversational speech, write poems and understand pictures, thus surpassing the record of 1.6 trillion parameters set by Googles Switch Transformer. China has been making strides in the field of artificial technology in recent years, and its life-like virtual news anchors are clear proof of that. Bill Huey Companies around the globe are hurtling toward adoption of ESG (Environment, Society, Governance) policies that commit them to goals and practices that they have never had before, or maybe even never thought of before. Pushed by management consulting firms such as McKinsey, which opened its own ESG practice in May, firms are committing to such lofty goals as net-zero emissions, diversity and inclusion in recruiting and labor practices, and social transformation on an unprecedented scale, plus squeaky-clean corporate governance. If you are a CCO or a PR firm consultant asked to take on the task on ESG, it pays to do a LOT of research and a little reflection on the past. In its literature, McKinsey says, Just as ESG is an inextricable part of how you do business, its individual elements are themselves intertwined. For example, social criteria overlaps [sic] with environmental criteria and governance when companies seek to comply with environmental laws and broader concerns about sustainability. Our focus is mostly on environmental and social criteria, but, as every leader knows, governance can never be hermetically separate. Indeed, excelling in governance calls for mastering not just the letter of laws but also their spiritsuch as getting in front of violations before they occur, or ensuring transparency and dialogue with regulators instead of formalistically submitting a report and letting the results speak for themselves. The overarching question, then, is this: Is your company prepared to do all these things? By when? What resources will be required, and who will be accountable for implementation? Will it be tied to compensation? Remember, compensation drives culture, and ESG represents an enormous cultural change for most organizations. Next, cast your mind back to the Eighties and Nineties of the last century (that is if you werent still in high school). Remember Benetton, the high-end Italian manufacturer of colorful sweaters? Starting in 1982, their advertising campaigns under the rubric, The United Colors of Benetton, took on some of the most volatile and touchy social issues of the time: race relations, religious tolerance, AIDS and homosexuality in general. Under the direction of photographer and Benetton creative director Oliviero Toscani, the company created some of the most powerful images ever used in advertising, and created talk (and blowback) around the world. Benetton was praised and honored for its stand on social issues, and vilified as well. People took to sticking their heads into Benetton stores and shouting, Were not shopping here! Today, Benetton is losing money and has been de-listed from the stock exchange. In 2017, founder Luciano Benetton, then 83, took over as chairman of the company. Many of its 5,000 stores have been shuttered, and its once-powerful voice and share of mind have been diminished to almost nothing. PETA launched a boycott against Benetton for buying wool taken from sheep that had been subjected to mulesing, the practice of shearing wool from their rear ends to prevent fly infestations. The worm had turned, and the winds of public opinion were no longer at Benettons back. Of course, that was just an advertising campaign, and Benetton is not IBM or even Facebooknot by a long shot. But it pays to heed some of the lessons of PR history. In the long sweep of things, issues come and go, and favorable winds can shift from a benign breeze at your back to a gale in your face. Choose wisely, and dont get involved with the fashionable or the flavor of the month, the way Ford has with its hortatory Juneteenth commercial. Henry Fords racist past is bound to rear its head. *** Bill Huey is president of Strategic Communications and the author of Carbon Man (Kindle, 2010). Lou Hammond Group lands The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority. LHG will be providing public relations/corporate communications, strategic planning, branding and digital marketing for the client. Situated in Western North Carolinas Blue Ridge Mountains, Jackson County is home to the nations first and only fly-fishing trail as well as miles of scenic hiking trails and waterfalls. The agency has also been engaged by Sharbell Development Corporation, a New Jersey-based real estate developer, and Sycamore Brewing, a Charlotte-based brewery that has been in operation since 2013. Marino adds New Settlement, a Bronx-based organization that provides such community-based services as education, college access, youth development, arts, workforce development and wellness, to its roster of nonprofit accounts. The firm has will work to refresh the New Settlement brand with an emphasis on enhancing the communication of their services within the Bronx community. Marino has also been charged with strengthening the organizations digital presence through a tailored social media strategy. Marino is proud to be working with this incredible organization and their dedicated team to elevate New Settlements visibility and highlight its tremendous impact in strengthening communities, said Robert Barletta, executive vice president at Marino and head of the agencys nonprofit division. LDPR is now working with the Hyatt Centric Downtown Nashville and Hyatt Regency Boston/Cambridge. The agency will manage the media relations programs for the propertiesincluding media visits, communications writing and strategies, as well as select brand partnerships and collaborations. Hyatt Centric Downtown Nashville, located two blocks off of Nashvilles Broadway, is set to open on July 29. Hyatt Regency Boston/Cambridge is undergoing a substantial renovation and is set to debut in September. The agency is also taking on media relations duties for O2 Beach Club & Spa in Barbados and Kensington Tours, which runs trips in more than 100 countries worldwide. Jim Brundsen FleishmanHillard hires Jim Brunsden as senior vice president, financial services in its Brussels-EU office, effective July 1. Brunsden comes to the agency from the Financial Times, where served as EU correspondent. He was previously a financial regulation reporter for Bloomberg News. At FleishmanHillard we endeavor to look at the world around us with an analytical eye, said president and CEO John Saunders. Jim Brundsden will bring a unique perspective to our clients, to our Brussels office and to the whole network around the globe." Dylan Steele Coalition, a cyber insurance and security provider, appoints Dylan Steele as chief marketing officer. Steele comes to Coalition from computer software company Splunk, where he most recently served as vice president, brand & marketing strategy. He was previously vice president, platform product marketing at Salesforce. At Coalition, he will oversee global marketing strategy as Coalition expands its reach and range of offerings to new markets. Dylans demonstrated history of expanding organizations global footprints is exactly what we need as we continue to build the cyber insurance company of the future, said Coalition founder and CEO Joshua Motta. Kierstin De West Alpha Foods, which operates in the plant-based protein category, brings on Kierstin De West as its first chief marketing officer. De West joins the company from lululemon, where she served as VP of global brand management. Before that, she was founder and CEO at Ci: Conscientious Innovation, a brand, marketing and insights consultancy. "Kierstin was an early trailblazer in the purpose-driven brand sector," said Alpha Foods CEO Cole Orobetz. "She understands that exceptional marketing is a commitment to being authentic and connecting with shared human values to create larger cultural conversations. Alpha says that its products will be available in over 10,000 retail locations by the end of the year. Liz Harrington Liz Harrington is off to a fast start in job as Donald Trumps new spokesperson. She replaced Trump hatchetman Jason Miller, who is secretly plotting a new media venture for the former president, on June 16. On her first day on the job, Harrington described the Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol and Americas democracy as a peaceful protest, awkwardly avoiding the stubborn fact that at least five people died and dozens of police officers were injured during that insurrection. She trotted out the super-false equivalency, comparing the Jan. 6 riot to the arsonist who attempted to burn down St. Johns Church, the place where the former president used the Bible as a photo-op to somewhat convey that he gets religion. Harrington, a former spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, editor-in-chief of warroom.org conspiracy site and senior editor for the right-wing Washington Free Beacon, then came up with the whopper of all-time. It is an honor of a lifetime to represent president Trump and to stand for the truth. Trump, whom the Washington Post said spewed 30,573 false or misleading claims during his four years in the Oval Office, is the antithesis of the truth. The 75-year-old Floridian called his new mouthpiece a fighter who played an important part of our receiving more votes than any incumbent president in US history, far more than we received the first time we won. That's another lie. Joe Biden trounced Trump by 7,052,770 votes, grabbing 51.3 percent of the tally compared to 46.9 percent for the sore loser. Fox News fabulist Tucker Carlson has just about completed the right-wing spin cycle that aims to plant doubt that the Jan. 6 insurrection was not the work of Trump supporters. Carlson said on June 15 that the FBI organized a false flag operation at the Capitol to make the president look bad. More than 2,000 criminal charges have been filed against 411 suspects. Carlson claims that a number of people identified in the riot indictments as unindicted co-conspirators were actually government agents. It means that in potentially every single case, they were FBI operatives, Carlson told his adoring audience. While Fox News let Carlson rant on with his ridiculous conspiracy theory, Twitter shot down his drivel. It posted the following: "Federal law does not permit cooperating witnesses or informants to be charged with conspiracy, despite a baseless suggestion by Tucker Carlson that some co-conspirators of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol were not charged because they were undercover FBI agents." Whats Carlsons next move? Dont be too surprised if Tucker says the rioters were actually patriotic do-gooders who wanted to deliver Girl Scout cookies to Congress as they went about certifying the election results. What do you say, Tucker? As progressives jump all over Joe Biden, accusing him of selling out his agenda by trying to reach bipartisan deals with Republicans, they should take a good luck at some of his key appointments. The appointment of 32-year-old Columbia University Law School professor Lina Khan to head the Federal Trade Commission is a game-changer. The Financial Times called Khan one of the most renowned American scholars to criticize large technology companies, such as Amazon, Facebook and Google, for abusing their market power, and had demanded government action to restrain them. Elizabeth Warren, who wants to break up Big Tech, predicted Khan will be a fearless champion for consumers. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, industry group, said the growing populist antitrust agenda would hurt consumers and hobble US companies. Biden has put Big Tech on notice after they pretty much had their own way during the previous administration. 16/06/2021 - The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a historic blow to the Netherlands economy, but a swift policy response, effective support to people and firms, and a workforce with comparatively strong digital skills have helped the country to weather the crisis relatively well. It is important to use the recovery to address long-term challenges including housing shortages, imbalances in the labour market and environmental pressures, according to the latest OECD Economic Survey of the Netherlands. The report says that well-targeted support to households and businesses should continue in the short term, with a focus on training and career guidance for those who lost their jobs. Public investment, supported by European Union recovery funds, should aim to expand digitalisation and accelerate the transition to a greener economy. For the medium term, it will be important to continue addressing emerging pressures from an ageing population and design a multi-year fiscal plan to be implemented once the recovery is self-sustained. The COVID-19 crisis has underlined the need to reduce labour market duality by aligning tax and social security contribution rates between different contract types, and steps should also be taken to reduce the large gap between hours worked for men and women, including by reducing user prices for childcare. The Netherlands is recovering strongly from its largest economic contraction since the Second World War, OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said, presenting the Survey alongside Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy Stef Blok. This is the moment to optimise the strength and the quality of the recovery by reviving productivity growth, boosting skills training and by tackling key pressure points in the labour market and in housing, while continuing to address the environmental challenges in front of all of us. The OECD stands ready to continue to be your reliable partner in these efforts. (Read the full remarks.) After a 3.7% fall in GDP in 2020, the Survey projects the Dutch economy will grow by 2.7% in 2021 and 3.7% in 2022, driven in part by people spending savings accumulated during the pandemic. GDP should be back to pre-crisis levels by early 2022 supported by rebounding exports of goods and services. However, risks remain, with bankruptcies and unemployment set to rise with the phasing out of support measures, high corporate debt likely to restrain investment and the Netherlands exposed to any disruption in global supply chains. High household debt is also a vulnerability. The crisis hit the Netherlands after years of strong growth, and a high degree of digitalisation and teleworking prior to the pandemic dampened the blow. Past fiscal prudence provided room for a strong government response, and swiftly implemented support measures for firms prevented a wave of bankruptcies and meant unemployment rose only slightly. These policies will need to be wound down once the health crisis is brought under control to avoid them hindering necessary structural change. Productivity growth has been weak, but could be boosted by going even further and faster in harnessing the digital revolution. While the Netherlands has good digital infrastructure and a well-educated workforce, the small and medium-sized enterprises that account for a large share of jobs tend to lag behind in adopting digital technologies. Incentives to invest in digital technology should be put in place. Self-employed and flexible workers have been especially affected by the crisis. The low level of social protection for workers on non-standard contracts should be addressed by aligning tax rates and social security contributions for people doing similar jobs on different types of contract. This could also improve productivity by providing an incentive to invest in employees. Training subsidies, already needed to get the most out of digitalisation and automation, are even more important coming out of the COVID-19 crisis, and should be increased to help workers transition to new jobs. The new Personal Learning and Development Budget (STAP) is an innovative contribution to the life-long learning toolbox. The pandemic has aggravated housing shortages, and Dutch house prices have continued to rise faster than in the euro area and across OECD countries. The Survey recommends speeding up land use planning and building procedures, designating locations for new housing and making home-building agreements binding. The favourable tax treatment of owner-occupied housing, which benefits the wealthy, should be phased out, and rent controls that tend to stifle private rentals should be limited to a narrower part of the market. People in the Netherlands are highly exposed to air pollution and flooding risks. Landmark court rulings affecting nitrogen emitting projects and limiting greenhouse gas emissions should help accelerate the green transition and will bring forward closures of polluting economic activities. Action is needed to make emissions pricing more consistent across sectors, and to advance the green transition while allowing investments in infrastructure, buildings and agriculture. See a Survey Overview with key findings and charts (this link can be used in media articles). For further information, journalists are invited to contact Catherine Bremer in the OECD Media Office (+33 1 45 24 80 97). Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to preserve individual liberty and improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world 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. Olean, NY (14760) Today Rain showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 66F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. NEW YORK (AP) A former New York Shake Shack manager has filed a lawsuit against the Detectives Endowment Association, the Police Benevolent Association, and about 20 unnamed officers accusing them of false arrest and defamation. Marcus Gilliam and other employees were accused by officers of serving them poisoned milkshakes last June. In a lawsuit filed Monday, Gilliam said the subsequent interrogation caused him emotional and psychological damages and damage to his reputation. Three officers complained that their shakes made them sick and had a bitter and unusual taste. Two hours later, 20 officers approached the establishment and began to treat the store as a crime scene, The New York Times reported. As the investigation unfolded, police unions announced on Twitter that officers were intentionally attacked. Tonight, three of our fellow officers were intentionally poisoned by one or more workers at the Shake Shack, the detectives union tweeted. Fortunately, they were not seriously harmed. The Police Benevolent Association made a similar post later alleging that the drinks were intentionally spiked with a toxic substance, believed to be bleach or a similar cleaning agent. Several news organizations then reported that someone may have intentionally poisoned the officers. Rodney Harrison, the Police Departments chief of detectives at the time and now the chief of department, tweeted around 4 a.m. that the investigation found no criminality by the employees. The Police Department referred questions about the case to the citys Law Department, which said it plans to review the matter. The detectives union declined to comment. The Police Benevolent Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Shake Shack did not respond to a request for comment. Gilliam is no longer an employee of the company. Are you a current print subscriber? You qualify for online access to the Omak Chronicle. To receive your access, create a website account and then verify your print subscription or e-edition subscription with your subscriber number, which may be found on your bill or mailing label. FILE - This March 4, 2011 file photo shows Judge Jack Weinstein during a visit to the Louis Armstrong housing projects in Bedford-Stuyvesant section of the Brooklyn borough of New York. Weinstein, a federal judge who earned a reputation as a tireless legal maverick while overseeing a series of landmark class-action lawsuits and sensational mob cases, has died. Weinstein's wife confirmed his death at 99 on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Northern Ireland Legislation Moving Rapidly Towards Full Scale Reform Published June 15, 2021 by Lee R The Northern Ireland market is about to get a new face after 35 years. Northern Ireland is moving closer to full regulation with a new reform bill. New Legislation Announced The new model was indicated in an announcement from Communities Minister, Deirdre Hargey, that Northern Ireland is examining reforms to the countrys gambling laws in the coming weeks. Next Step in Legislation These reforms are to be introduced to the Assembly, and when passed will mark the first significant update to Northern Ireland gaming laws in the last 35 years. Legal Adaptations The first key updates rumoured to be on the docket is the permission of bookmakers to open on Sunday and Good Fridays, and making gambling contracts enforceable by law. The legislation will also introduced specific penalties for underage play of gaming machines by children; a so-called statutory levy on gambling operators; and removal of restrictions on promotional prize competitions. Phased Implementation The adaptation is specifically adaptive, with a gradual approach disclosed by Minister Hargey to take place in two phases to remain cognizant of current mandates in Northern Ireland's extant gambling laws. First Focus The first phase will be implemented to address 17 key areas that update land-based gambling directives,with initial focus on protecting youth and expanding permitted hours of operation. Big Picture Phase The second phase is a longer term implementation concerned with adapting a fully reformed gambling regulation model to the current environment. Shift in Policy The forms represent a big step for the traditionally conservative Northern Ireland region, accustomed to a traditional more conservative approach to legislation. Hargey called the landmark changes long overdue after 35 years of stagnation where Northern Ireland's gambling regulation failed to keep pace with industry and technological changes. Public Agreement Hargey further confirmed that the people of Northern Ireland have indicated a level of readiness for the existing legal constraints on gambling to be relaxed. Increasing Accountability Hargey called for the government, the gambling industry and other stakeholders to do more to prevent, control and combat problem gambling. Outlook Increasing accountability across all stakeholders in the industry to protect those they will serve at the earliest, most proactive and preventative stage possible protects citizens and keeps operators compliant with not only existing regulation, but any new adaptations or crackdowns which might otherwise be deemed necessary by the local authority. Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York: New data shows that the number of sustainable funds offered in Europe has doubled over the past three years. Sustainable fund products attracted 52% of all net new flows in 2020, and reflected 11% of total net assets domiciled in Europe at the end of the year. The data comes from the first annual European Sustainable Investment Funds Study by Morningstar and zeb, powered by the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI).The study aims to provide a snapshot on how sustainability objectives and the respective legislative interventions have shaped the fund industry in Europe. "The European sustainable investment landscape continues evolving extremely rapidly. Record ESG fund flows, assets, and product development activity, combined with the most ambitious regulatory agenda, all herald a new era for sustainable investing in Europe," said Hortense Bioy, Global Director of Sustainability Research, Manager Research at Morningstar. "Asset managers have started reporting high numbers of 'green' funds in accordance with the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). Interpretations of the new regulation vary and the debate around what constitutes a sustainable investment is far from being settled. But we can confidently expect that, from 11% today, ESG funds will be representing a much larger share of the overall fund market in the coming years." According to the findings, Equity remains the top asset class of sustainabl...................... To view our full article Click here Opalesque Industry Update - Global Palladium Fund (GPF), which was founded in 2016 by Norilsk Nickel, the diversified mining company, has launched its four physically-backed metal Exchange Traded Commodities (ETCs) on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX). The ETCs have some of the lowest charges in the European marketplace with total expense ratios (TER) ranging from 0.145% to 0.20%. The ETCs were launched in January this year when issuer Ridgex listed them on Deutsche Borse and London Stock Exchange. Targeting wealth managers, institutional and other professional investors, the new physically-backed gold, silver, platinum and palladium ETCs track the spot price of the respective metals they cover. GPF physically custody metal in Switzerland and London and is the first issuer to use Blockchain technology to record bar information into Distributed Ledger Technology, thereby providing an extra layer of security and proof of ownership to all market participants: as an issuer as well as an investor. The ETCs also have a strong focus on ESG. LBMA-approved metal will be sourced when possible from producers and suppliers who support the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda and other global initiatives in sustainable development and responsible mining. Alexander Stoyanov, Chief Executive Officer of GPF said: "This is the third listing of our physically backed metal ETCs which are the first to use Blockchain technology to record bar information into Distributed Ledger Technology, thereby providing an extra layer of security and proof of ownership to the Issuer. Furthermore, the digitalization of commodities means that the source of underlying metals can be traced and the way they were produced captured, along with their ESG credentials - this is of growing importance to institutional investors." NTree International Ltd, a specialist in marketing, and investor engagement, is leading the rollout of the products. NTree has set up a dedicated brand, Metal.Digital as an education resource for professional investors with a focus on metals. Timothy Harvey, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of NTree, said: "We are seeing a growing appetite across Europe for precious and industrial metals because of the possible metals commodities super-cycle. The launch of Global Palladium Fund's ETCs on SIX enables access to physical metals at low cost and bolstered strong ESG commitment and Blockchain technology. CELINA [mdash] Doyle Eugene Brittain Doyle Eugene Brittain was called to the lord on Wednesday, June 9th of 2021 in Mckinney, Texas. Doyle was born in Sigourney, Iowa and one of six children to the late Alfred and Bertha Brittain. His late siblings were Verle, Orbie, Eldon, Ruby, and Vera. H 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. Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content. Philip Schwadel, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Sam Hardy, Brigham Young University (THE CONVERSATION) Religion forms a moral foundation for billions of people throughout the world. In a 2019 survey, 44% of Americans along with 45% of people across 34 nations said that belief in God is necessary to be moral and have good values. So what happens to a persons morality and values when they lose faith? Religion influences morals and values through multiple pathways. It shapes the way people think about and respond to the world, fosters habits such as church attendance and prayer, and provides a web of social connections. As researchers who study the psychology and sociology of religion, we expected that these psychological effects can linger even after observant people leave religion, a group we refer to as religious dones. So together with our co-authors Daryl R. Van Tongeren and C. Nathan DeWall, we sought to test this religion residue effect among Americans. Our research addressed the question: Do religious dones maintain some of the morals and values of religious Americans? In other words, just because some people leave religion, does religion fully leave them? Measuring the religious residue effect Recent research demonstrates that religious dones around the world fall between the never religious and the currently religious in terms of thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Many maintain some of the attributes of religious people, such as volunteering and charitable giving, even after they leave regular faith practices behind. So in our first project, we examined the association between leaving religion and the five moral foundations commonly examined by psychologists: care/harm, fairness/cheating, ingroup loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion and purity/degradation. We found that religious respondents were the most likely to support each of the five moral foundations. These involve intuitive judgments focusing on feeling the pain of others, and tapping into virtues such as kindness and compassion. For instance, religious Americans are relatively likely to oppose acts they deem disgusting, which is a component of the purity/degradation scale. This aligns with previous research on religion and moral foundations. Most importantly, and in line with the religion residue hypothesis, we have found what we call a stairstep pattern of beliefs. The consistently religious are more likely than the dones to endorse each moral foundation, and the religious dones are more likely to endorse them than the consistently nonreligious. The one exception was the moral foundation of fairness/cheating, which the dones and the consistently religious supported at similar rates. Put another way, after leaving religion, religious dones maintain some emphasis on each of the five moral foundations, though less so than the consistently religious, which is why we refer to this as a stairstep pattern. Our second project built on research showing that religion is inextricably linked with values, particularly Schwartzs Circle of Values, the predominant model of universal values used by Western psychologists. Values are the core organizing principles in peoples lives, and religion is positively associated with the values of security, conformity, tradition and benevolence. These are social focus values: beliefs that address a generally understood need for coordinated social action. For this project, we asked a single group of study participants the same questions as they grew older over a period of 10 to 11 years. The participants were adolescents in the first wave of the survey, and in their mid-to-late 20s in the final wave. Our findings revealed another stairstep pattern: The consistently religious among these young adults were significantly more likely than religious dones to support the social focus values of security, conformity and tradition; and religious dones were significantly more likely to support them than the consistently nonreligious. While a similar pattern emerged with the benevolence value, the difference between the religious dones and the consistently nonreligious was not statistically significant. Together, these projects show that the religion residue effect is real. The morals and values of religious dones are more similar to those of religious Americans than they are to the morals and values of other nonreligious Americans. Our follow-up analyses add some nuance to that key finding. For instance, the enduring impact of religious observance on values appears to be strongest among former evangelical Protestants. Among dones who left mainline Protestantism, Catholicism and other religious traditions, the religion residue effect is smaller and less consistent. Our research also suggests that the religious residue effect can decay. The more time that passes after people leave religion, the more their morals and values come to resemble those of people who have never been religious. This is an important finding, because a large and growing number of Americans are leaving organized religion, and there is still much to be learned about the psychological and social consequences of this decline in religion. The growing numbers of nonreligious As recently as 1990, only 7% of Americans reported having no religion. Thirty years later, in 2020, the percentage claiming to be nonreligious had quadrupled, with almost 3 in 10 Americans having no religion. There are now more nonreligious Americans than affiliates of any one single religious tradition, including the two largest: Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism. This shift in religious practice may fundamentally change Americans perceptions of themselves, as well as their views of others. One thing that seems clear, though, is that those who leave religion are not the same as those who have never been religious. Given the rapid and continued growth in the number of nonreligious Americans, we expect that this distinction will become increasingly important to understanding the morals and values of the American people. [Explore the intersection of faith, politics, arts and culture. Sign up for This Week in Religion.] The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content. Joe and Ceil Mattler of Midland are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. Joe married the former Ceil Jurotich on June 16, 1951, in St. Louis, Missouri. They have four children, Janice Mattler, Steven Mattler, James Mattler and Nancy Chew. as well as five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Joe is retired from The Dow Chemical Co. and Ceil is a homemaker. The couple will celebrate their 70th anniversary and Joe's 95th birthday, which was April 3, with the family later this year. GENEVA (AP) There was a bare-chested man in a Vladimir Putin mask doling out fake bills as mock corruption payments, and a Czech fitness instructor, who endured eight hours of tattooing to put a likeness of Putin critic Alexey Navalny on his chest. They were among a couple of dozen supporters of Navalny, the jailed Russian opposition leader, who staged a colorful, cheeky rally Tuesday on a sunny Geneva square a day before Putin arrives in the Swiss city for a high-profile summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. Despite the tiny turnout with possibly more journalists there than demonstrators the protest was well-orchestrated with banners and gimmicks, in a show of dissent that participants said might garner a crackdown by security forces in Putins Russia. U.S. officials have said Biden was expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and human rights in Russia, including Navalnys case, among an array of topics on the table Wednesday. Across town in recent days, a mural of a smiling Navalny holding his fingers in a heart shape with the words Hero of our time in French mysteriously popped up in reference to a similar mural in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, that was quickly covered up by authorities. At the demonstration, banners called for the liberation of political prisoners generally and for Navalny himself. Protesters chanted for a Free Russia! Czech national Petr Pavelec said he had long planned to have his chest tattooed with the likeness of Navalny and moved it up to last weekend to make the protest. Pavelec said he deeply admired Navalny's courage. I believe what hes doing is not just for Russia, but the rest of the world. This incredible guy sacrificed himself by returning to Russia after being poisoned, he said. That was a reference to Navalnys poisoning with a nerve agent similar to Soviet-era Novichok, for which he was transported to Germany for medical care before returning home -- only to be arrested. Andrey Zaitsev, a Russian who was one of the protest organizers, said he and colleagues had traveled from Berlin for the rally, and planned to make a film about Putins trip to Geneva. We are the fruits of the labor of Vladimir Putin. If Russia had a working civil society, we wouldnt even exist as civil activists. We would have a democracy and we would merely be working for the betterment of our society, he said. All of us are united in one matter or another, chiefly because of Vladimir Putin, Zaitsev said. The rally, which took place on a square that the Swiss have authorized for any protests during the summit, marked just one effort to leverage public attention on some of the more hot-button issues that Putin and Biden were likely to address human rights and arms control among them. Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, highlighted the Treaty on the Prohibition for Nuclear Weapons which the U.S. and Russia have both shunned. She said they account for nearly 90% of the worlds nuclear arsenals. I think we need to have moderate expectations on success of the meeting itself, said Fihn, whose group won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. But hopefully this will set up a process where they can hand over to diplomats to actually start negotiating reductions of nuclear weapons. Speaking in an interview on a dock across Lake Geneva from the summit site, Fihn insisted that Putin and Biden could really drive progress on nuclear weapons reductions. Theres a lot of issues on the agenda for the U.S. and Russia to discuss, of course, she said. But I do think that when it comes to nuclear weapons, its really THE issue because these two individuals have the power to end the world as we know it. NEW YORK (AP) Manhattan district attorney candidate Tali Farhadian Weinstein and her husband, a hedge fund manager, paid no federal income taxes in four recent years because they reported negative income from investment losses or used deductions to reduce their bill, ProPublica reported Wednesday. The couple said in response that they have followed the law and paid more than half of their income in federal, state and city taxes, totaling $124 million in tax payments on $246 million in earnings since they married in 2010. Farhadian Weinstein is among eight Democrats running to replace Cyrus Vance Jr., who is retiring at the end of the year, with the winner likely to inherit his ongoing criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump. Primary voting started Saturday and ends next Tuesday. Farhadian Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor, told ProPublica she and Boaz Weinstein, the founder of Saba Capital Management, reported income in 6 of the last 11 years. In those years, she said, they paid more than half of their earnings in federal, state and New York City taxes. In an interview, Farhadian Weinstein told The Associated Press that the issue would have no bearing on her handling of the Trump case, which has involved scrutiny of his tax records. In its article, part of a series on tax strategies of the wealthy, ProPublica said there was no indication the Weinsteins did anything illegal. ProPublica has an ideology that theyve been trying to put out with this series of articles, and I think its interesting and worth discussing whether we should have a wealth tax rather than an income tax, Farhadian Weinstein told the AP. But right now we have an income tax system. And so in the years that you dont earn income, you dont pay taxes. ProPublica reported that Farhadian Weinstein and her husband listed negative income for two of the four years in which they paid no federal income taxes. In the other two years, the nonprofit news organization reported, she and her husband listed about $1 million in earnings but were able to trim their bill through deductions. Boaz Weinstein took issue with ProPublica's reporting and an assertion in the article that he and Farhadian Weinstein paid a federal income tax rate of 25.9% between 2010 and 2018. ProPublicas analysis focuses on individuals who havent had to pay taxes because they havent sold their stock or their companies. That is not us," Boaz Weinstein said. "Nearly all of our investment income is from Saba funds which elected to pay tax every year on all income at ordinary income rates. Because losses in Saba funds in certain years meant that we earned no income, ProPublica has made the simplistic error of averaging a year we paid 50% of our income with a year we had no income to make the claim that we paid on average 25%. Our story said the Weinsteins paid on average 12.6% annually in federal income taxes over a period of nine years and they did, including three years in which they paid zero," ProPublica president Richard Tofel told The Associated Press. "During years they had taxable net income, as we said, their federal income tax averaged just under 26%. Mr. Weinstein is adding in state and local income taxes, which, as we said, are not the subject of our story, and not actually disputing the storys accuracy, Tofel said. ProPublica's report, based on troves of tax records the news organization obtained for some of Americas wealthiest people, led to criticism for Farhadian Weinstein from some of her rivals. Former Manhattan prosecutor Lucy Lang said Farhadian Weinstein was ill-suited to take over the Trump investigation, saying the most high-profile tax evasion investigation in the countrys history can't be entrusted to someone "who themselves has not paid federal taxes. Liz Crotty, another former prosecutor, tweeted: Everyone should have to play by the same rules. That means paying your taxes too, not buying an election. Recent disclosures show Farhadian Weinstein has donated $8.2 million to her campaign, more than the combined amount the seven other candidates have raised. Lang has given $500,000 to her campaign. Farhadian Weinstein said she's spending heavily to ensure voters understand their choices and understand what is at stake in this election, and that they're aware of her background, which includes a stint in the top leadership of the Brooklyn district attorney's office, and her vision for reforming the Manhattan prosecutor's office. Farhadian Weinstein said her opponents are seizing on the tax story and raising concerns about how she'd handle the Trump matter because they want to slow her momentum. Once you clarify that we are, in a very straightforward way, paying 50-plus percent of our income in taxes, theres no story left in terms of a connection to an open investigation, to tax evasion, or any matter related to the DA's office, she said. ___ Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Stamas on Tuesday voted for a supplemental budget bill to invest over $4.3 billion in federal funding to support Michigan students and schools. Many Michigan students struggled and continue to struggle with the sudden and confusing change to virtual or hybrid learning for more than a year during the pandemic, stated Stamas, R-Midland. This supplemental would invest $4.3 billion in federal assistance to help our children recover from any learning loss they experienced and to ensure that our schools and teachers have the resources necessary to provide their students with the instruction and support they need. House Bill 4421 includes $3.3 billion in federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to be distributed through the Title 1 formula. School districts receiving the funds must use at least 20% of the support to address learning loss through the implementation of evidence-based interventions. The bill would use $93 million in federal ARP funding to provide services or assistance to nonpublic schools that enroll a significant percentage of low-income students and are most impacted by COVID-19. HB 4421 also includes $840 million in federal relief funding to be distributed according to the federal Title I formula to support disadvantaged students and nearly $87 million in federal Governors Emergency Education Relief (GEER) grants for nonpublic schools. These federal dollars were previously appropriated in HB 4048 and Senate Bill 29 but vetoed by the governor. The bill now heads back to the House of Representatives for consideration. The Associated Press reports the Michigan Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to allocate nearly $4.4 billion in federal COVID-19 aid to K-12 schools after Republican lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration reached an agreement. The House, meanwhile, voted to release $2.2 billion in coronavirus aid designated for food and rental assistance, and local governments. Final legislative votes are expected Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. The action was a sign of progress weeks after Whitmer and GOP legislative leaders announced the framework of a deal to open budget talks following Republicans' attempts to tie the allotment of some federal funding to curbs on her emergency pandemic powers. She had vetoed some proposed spending as a result. Negotiations continue over the 2021-22 budget and how to use billions in other virus funding. "I appreciate the movement and there is a lot more work to do," state budget director Dave Massaron told the Associated Press. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Thomas Albert, a Lowell Republican, said the measures are time-sensitive because of federal deadlines to distribute aid. "This is another significant step to get families, communities and students the help they need after an extremely difficult year and a half," he told the Associated Press. Under federal law, school districts and charter schools with higher numbers or portions of poor students will automatically get a large share of $4.2 billion. The Senate removed a House-passed provision that would have directed an additional $362 million to districts with higher percentages of children from middle-class and wealthy families a bid to ensure all schools receive an increase of at least $1,093 per student regardless of the federal formula. The status of that funding was not immediately clear, leaving roughly one-third of 537 traditional districts and about 20 of 275 charters in limbo. Nearly $180 million would go to private schools, as designated under federal law. The K-12 Alliance of Michigan, which represents superintendents, said schools need lawmakers to quickly finalize the next school aid budget so they can adequately plan for the upcoming academic year. Executive director Robert McCann told the Associated Press that not including all federal dollars in the bill "means that many districts will receive little support from this package due to inequity in the formula the federal government used for the money allocated today. We're hoping they rethink that and reinsert the equalization funding to ensure every school district receives these badly needed resources." Districts receiving $3.3 billion from the March rescue law must use at least 20% to address learning loss with interventions such as summer learning and afterschool programs. Pulling a pistol from his waistband, the young man spun his human shield toward police. Dont do it! a pursuing officer pleaded. The young man complied, releasing the bystander and tossing the gun, which skittered across the city street and then into the hands of police. They soon learned that the 9mm Beretta had a rap sheet. Bullet casings linked it to four shootings, all of them in Albany, New York. And there was something else. The pistol was U.S. Army property, a weapon intended for use against Americas enemies, not on its streets. The Army couldnt say how its Beretta M9 got to New Yorks capital. Until the June 2018 police foot chase, the Army didnt even realize someone had stolen the gun. Inventory records checked by investigators said the M9 was 600 miles away -- safe inside Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Its incredibly alarming, said Albany County District Attorney David Soares. It raises the other question as to what else is seeping into a community that could pose a clear and present danger. The armed services and the Pentagon are not eager for the public to know the answer. In the first public accounting of its kind in decades, an Associated Press investigation has found that at least 1,900 U.S. military firearms were lost or stolen during the 2010s, with some resurfacing in violent crimes. Because some armed services have suppressed the release of basic information, APs total is a certain undercount. Government records covering the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force show pistols, machine guns, shotguns and automatic assault rifles have vanished from armories, supply warehouses, Navy warships, firing ranges and other places where they were used, stored or transported. These weapons of war disappeared because of unlocked doors, sleeping troops, a surveillance system that didnt record, break-ins and other security lapses that, until now, have not been publicly reported. While APs focus was firearms, military explosives also were lost or stolen, including armor-piercing grenades that ended up in an Atlanta backyard. Weapon theft or loss spanned the militarys global footprint, touching installations from coast to coast, as well as overseas. In Afghanistan, someone cut the padlock on an Army container and stole 65 Beretta M9s -- the same type of gun recovered in Albany. The theft went undetected for at least two weeks, when empty pistol boxes were discovered in the compound. The weapons were not recovered. Even elite units are not immune. A former member of a Marines special operations unit was busted with two stolen guns. A Navy SEAL lost his pistol during a fight in a restaurant in Lebanon. On Tuesday, when AP published its investigation, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee that she would be open to new oversight on weapons accountability, and said the number of military firearms obtained by civilians is likely small. The Pentagon used to share annual updates about stolen weapons with Congress, but the requirement to do so ended years ago and public accountability has slipped. There must be full accountability in Congress with regular reporting of missing or stolen weapons, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in an interview. In a written statement, Pentagon spokeswoman Commander Candice Tresch told AP that the Defense Department "looks forward to continuing to work with Congress to ensure appropriate oversight. The Army and Air Force couldnt readily tell AP how many weapons were lost or stolen from 2010 through 2019. So the AP built its own database, using extensive federal Freedom of Information Act requests to review hundreds of military criminal case files or property loss reports, as well as internal military analysis and data from registries of small arms. Sometimes, weapons disappear without a paper trail. Military investigators regularly close cases without finding the firearms or person responsible because shoddy records lead to dead ends. The militarys weapons are especially vulnerable to corrupt insiders responsible for securing them. They know how to exploit weak points within armories or the militarys enormous supply chains. Often from lower ranks, they may see a chance to make a buck from a military that can afford it. Its about the money, right? said Brig. Gen. Duane Miller, who as deputy provost marshal general is the Armys No. 2 law enforcement official. Theft or loss happens more than the Army has publicly acknowledged. During an initial interview, Miller significantly understated the extent to which weapons disappear, citing records that report only a few hundred missing rifles and handguns. But an internal analysis AP obtained, done by the Armys Office of the Provost Marshal General, tallied 1,303 firearms. In a second interview, Miller said he wasnt aware of the memos, which had been distributed throughout the Army, until AP pointed them out following the first interview. If I had the information in front of me, Miller said, I would share it with you. Other Army officials said the internal analysis might overstate some losses. The APs investigation began a decade ago. From the start, the Army has given conflicting information on a subject with the potential to embarrass -- and thats when it has provided information at all. A former insider described how Army officials resisted releasing details of missing guns when AP first inquired, and indeed that information was never provided. Top officials within the Army, Marines and Secretary of Defenses office said that weapon accountability is a high priority, and when the military knows a weapon is missing it does trigger a concerted response to recover it. The officials also said missing weapons are not a widespread problem and noted that the number is a tiny fraction of the militarys stockpile. We have a very large inventory of several million of these weapons, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in an interview. We take this very seriously and we think we do a very good job. That doesnt mean that there arent losses. It doesnt mean that there arent mistakes made. Kirby said those mistakes are few, though, and last year the military could account for 99.999% of its firearms. Though the numbers are small, one is too many, he said. In the absence of a regular reporting requirement, the Pentagon is responsible for informing Congress of any significant incidents of missing weapons. That hasnt happened since at least 2017. While a missing portable missile such as a Stinger would qualify for notifying lawmakers, a stolen machine gun would not, according to a senior Department of Defense official whom the Pentagon provided for an interview on condition the official not be named. While APs analysis covered the 2010s, incidents persist. In May, an Army trainee who fled Fort Jackson in South Carolina with an M4 rifle hijacked a school bus full of children, pointing his unloaded assault weapon at the driver before eventually letting everyone go. Last October, police in San Diego were startled to find a military grenade launcher on the front seat of a car they pulled over for expired license plates. The driver and his passenger were middle-aged men with criminal records. After publicizing the arrest, police got a call from a Marine Corps base up the Pacific coast. The Marines wanted to know if the grenade launcher was one they needed to find. They read off a serial number. It wasnt a match. ___ CRIME GUNS Stolen military guns have been sold to street gang members, recovered on felons and used in violent crimes. The AP identified eight instances in which five different stolen military firearms were used in a civilian shooting or other violent crime, and others in which felons were caught possessing weapons. To find these cases, AP combed investigative and court records, as well as published reports. Federal restrictions on sharing firearms information publicly mean the case total is certainly an undercount. The military requires itself to inform civilian law enforcement when a gun is lost or stolen, and the services help in subsequent investigations. The Pentagon does not track crime guns, and spokesman Kirby said his office was unaware of any stolen firearms used in civilian crimes. The closest AP could find to an independent tally was done by the FBIs Criminal Justice Information Services. It said 22 guns issued by the U.S. military were used in a felony during the 2010s. That total could include surplus weapons the military sells to the public or loans to civilian law enforcement. Those FBI records also appear to be an undercount. They say that no military-issue gun was used in a felony in 2018, but at least one was. Back in June 2018, Albany police were searching for 21-year-old Alvin Damon. Theyd placed him at a shooting which involved the Beretta M9, a workhorse weapon for the military that is similar to a model Beretta produces for the civilian market. Surveillance video obtained by AP shows another man firing the gun four times at a group of people off camera, taking cover behind a building between shots. Two men walking with him scattered, one dropping his hat in the street. No one was injured. Two months later, Detective Daniel Seeber spotted Damon on a stoop near the Prince Deli corner store. Damon took off running and, not far into the chase, grabbed a bystander who had just emerged from the deli with juice and a bag of chips. After Detective Seeber defused the standoff, officers collected the pistol. A check by New York State Police returned leads to four Albany shootings, including one just the day before in which a bullet lodged in a living room wall. In another, someone was shot in the ankle. At the request of Albany police, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced the guns story. The ATF contacted Armys Criminal Investigation Command, and a review of Army inventory systems showed the M9 had been listed as in-transit between two Fort Bragg units for two years before police recovered it. And the Army still doesnt know who stole the gun, or when. The case wasnt the first in which police recovered a stolen service pistol before troops at Fort Bragg realized it was missing. AP found a second instance, involving a pistol that was among 21 M9s stolen from an arms room. Military police learned of the theft in 2010. By then, one of the M9s was sitting in an evidence room in the Hoke County Sheriffs Department, picked up in a North Carolina backyard not far from Bragg. Another M9 was later seized in Durham after it was used in a parking lot shooting. Another steady North Carolina source of weapons has been Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, where authorities often have an open missing weapons investigation. Detectives in Baltimore found a Beretta M9 stolen from a Lejeune armory during a cocaine bust. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service found in the 2011 case that inventory and security procedures were rarely followed. Three guns were stolen; no one was charged. Deputies in South Carolina were called in 2017 after a man started wildly shooting an M9 pistol into the air during an argument with his girlfriend. The boyfriend, a convicted felon, then started shooting toward a neighbors house. The pistol came from a National Guard armory that a thief entered through an unlocked door, hauling off six automatic weapons, a grenade launcher and five M9s. Meanwhile, authorities in central California are still finding AK-74 assault rifles that were among 26 stolen from Fort Irwin a decade ago. Military police officers stole the guns from the Army base, selling some to the Fresno Bulldogs street gang. At least nine of the AKs have not been recovered. ___ INSIDER THREAT The people with easiest access to military firearms are those who handle and secure them. In the Army, they are often junior soldiers assigned to armories or arms rooms, according to Col. Kenneth Williams, director of supply under the Armys G-4 Logistics branch. This is a young guy or gal, Williams said. This is a person normally on their first tour of duty. So you can see that we put great responsibility on our soldiers immediately when they come in. Armorers have access both to firearms and the spare parts kept for repairs. These upper receivers, lower receivers and trigger assemblies can be used to make new guns or enhance existing ones. Weve seen issues like that in the past where an armorer might build an M16 automatic assault rifle from military parts, said Mark Ridley, a former deputy director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. You have to be really concerned with certain armorers and how they build small arms and small weapons. In 2014, NCIS began investigating the theft of weapons parts from Special Boat Team Twelve, a Navy unit based in Coronado, California. Four M4 trigger assemblies that could make a civilian AR-15 fully automatic were missing. Investigators found an armory inventory manager was manipulating electronic records by moving items or claiming they had been transferred. The parts were never recovered and the case was closed after federal prosecutors declined to file charges. Weapons accountability is part of military routine. Armorers are supposed to check weapons when they open each day. Sight counts, a visual total of weapons on hand, are drilled into troops whether they are in the field, on patrol or in the arms room. But as long as there have been armories, people have been stealing from them. Weapons enter the public three main ways: direct sales from thieves to buyers, through pawn shops and surplus stores, and online. Investigators have found sensitive and restricted parts for military weapons on sites including eBay, which said in a statement it has zero tolerance for stolen military gear on its site. At Fort Campbell, Kentucky, soldiers stole machine gun parts and other items that ended up with online buyers in Russia, China, Mexico and elsewhere. The civilian ringleader, who was found with a warehouse of items, was convicted. Authorities said he made hundreds of thousands of dollars. Often though, recovering a weapon can prove hard. When an M203 grenade launcher couldnt be found during a 2019 inventory at a Marine Corps supply base in Albany, Georgia, investigators sought surveillance camera footage. It didnt exist. The warehouse manager said the system couldnt be played back at the time. An analysis of 45 firearms-only investigations in the Navy and Marines found that in 55% of cases, no suspect could be found and weapons remained missing. In those unresolved cases, investigators found records were destroyed or falsified, armories lacked basic security and inventories werent completed for weeks or months. Gun-decking is Navy slang for faking work. In the case of the USS Comstock, gun-decking led to the disappearance of three pistols. Investigators found numerous security lapses in the 2012 case, including one sailor asleep in the armory. The missing pistols werent properly logged in the ships inventory when they were received several days before. Investigators couldnt pinpoint what day they disappeared because sailors gun-decked inventory reports by not doing actual counts. ___ ROOM FOR DISCREPANCY Military officials shied from discussing how many guns they have, much less how many are missing. AP learned that the Army, the largest of the armed services, is responsible for about 3.1 million small arms. Across all four branches, the U.S. military has an estimated 4.5 million firearms, according to the nonprofit organization Small Arms Survey. In its accounting, whenever possible AP eliminated cases in which firearms were lost in combat, during accidents such as aircraft crashes and similar incidents where a weapons fate was known. Unlike the Army and Air Force, which could not answer basic questions about missing weapons, the Marines and Navy were able to produce data covering the 2010s. The Navy data showed that 211 firearms were reported lost or stolen. In addition, 63 firearms previously considered missing were recovered. According to APs analysis of data from the Marines, 204 firearms were lost or stolen, with 14 later recovered. To account for missing weapons, the Pentagon relies on incident reports from the services, which it keeps for only three years. Pentagon officials said that approximately 100 firearms were unaccounted for in both 2019 and 2018. A majority of those were attributable to accidents or combat losses, they said. Even though APs total excluded accidents and combat losses whenever known, it was higher than what the services reported to the Pentagon. The officials said they could only discuss how many weapons were missing dating to 2018. The reason: They arent required to keep earlier records. Without providing documentation, the Pentagon said the number of missing weapons was down significantly in 2020, when the pandemic curtailed many military operations. The Air Force was the only service branch not to release data. It first responded to several Freedom of Information Act requests by saying no records existed. Air Force representatives then said they would not provide details until yet another FOIA request, filed 1.5 years ago, was fully processed. The Army sought to suppress information on missing weapons and gave misleading numbers that contradict internal memos. The AP began asking the Army for details on missing weapons in 2011 and filed a formal request a year later for records of guns listed as missing, lost, stolen or recovered in the Department of Defense Small Arms and Light Weapons Registry. Charles Royal, the former Army civilian employee who was in charge of the registry, said that he prepared records for release that higher ups eventually blocked in 2013. Youre dealing with millions of weapons, Royal said in a recent interview. But were supposed to have 100% recon, right. OK, were not allowed a discrepancy on that. But theres so much room for discrepancy. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Brandon Kelley said the services property inventory systems dont readily track how many weapons have been lost or stolen. Army officials said the most accurate count could be found in criminal investigative summaries released under yet another federal records request. APs reading of these investigative records showed 230 lost or stolen rifles or handguns between 2010 and 2019 -- a clear undercount. Internal documents show just how much Army officials were downplaying the problem. The AP obtained two memos covering 2013 through 2019 in which the Army tallied 1,303 stolen or lost rifles and handguns, with theft the primary reason for losses. That number, which Army officials said is imperfect because it includes some combat losses and recoveries, and may include some duplications, was based on criminal investigations and incident reports. The internal memos are not "an authoritative document, Kelley said, and were not closely checked with public release in mind. As such, he said, the 1,303 total could be inaccurate. The investigative records Kelley cited show 62 lost or stolen rifles or handguns from 2013 through 2019. Some of those, like the Beretta M9 used in four shootings in Albany, New York, were recovered. One gun creates a ton of devastation, Albany County District Attorney Soares said. And then it puts it on local officials, local law enforcement, to have to work extra hard to try to remove those guns from the community. ___ Hall reported from Nashville, Tennessee; LaPorta reported from Boca Raton, Florida; Pritchard reported from Los Angeles; Myers reported from Chicago. Also contributing were Jeannie Ohm in Arlington, Virginia; Brian Barrett, Randy Herschaft and Jennifer Farrar in New York; Michael Hill in Albany, New York; Dan Huff in Washington; and Pia Deshpande in Chicago. ___ Contact Hall at https://twitter.com/kmhall; contact LaPorta at https://twitter.com/jimlaporta; contact Pritchard at https://twitter.com/JPritchardAP; contact Myers at https://twitter.com/myersjustinc. ___ Email APs Global Investigations Team at investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/. See other work at https://www.apnews.com/hub/ap-investigations. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Andrew Mullin. Sunday, June 13: 11:39 p.m. A deputy responded to an Edenville Township roadway for a personal injury crash. Upon investigation, a 48-year-old Warren Township man was arrested for OWI. The arrested male suffered minor cuts and a passenger in the other vehicle went to the ER for neck and head pain. The male was later transported and lodged at the Midland County Jail without incident. A UD-10 was completed. 11:07 p.m. A deputy responded to a Jerome Township residence for a possible suicidal woman. A 39-year-old Jerome Township woman was transported to ER for a mental health treatment. 10:24 p.m. Officers revoked a drivers license in the area of Isabella Street and West Main Street. 9:01 p.m. Officers responded to a hit and run at East Grove Street. 8:32 p.m. Officers responded to a second offense of an OWI on Coolidge Drive. 5:19 p.m. Deputies were dispatched to the Mid-Michigan Medical Center for a report of a dog bite that occurred at a Jerome Township residence. Deputies contacted a 5-year-old Jerome Township boy that had been bitten in the right cheek by the family dog. The injury was minor, and an isolating notice was issued to the family. 3:57 p.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash on Joe Mann Boulevard. 10:50 a.m. Deputies were dispatched to an Ingersoll Township location for reports of a female wandering around and seeming to be under the influence. Deputies contacted a 34-year-old Ingersoll Township female who was wandering through a neighboring property. The female was under the influence and acting abnormally. Deputies requested EMS to respond to the scene. EMS evaluated the female, who voluntarily decided to get evaluated further at the hospital. Deputies cleared the scene without incident. 5:53 a.m. Officers responded to a domestic verbal situation on Bradley Court. 2:35 a.m. Officers responded to an OWI and OUID in the area of West Wackerly Street and Siebert Street. Palestine, TX (75801) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 86F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening. A steady rain arriving overnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. The Hague, Netherlands (PANA) As the new prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) takes office on Wednesday, a human rights organisation is urging him to seize opportunities to strengthen the courts delivery of justice for victims NEW YORK Prayers have been answered for The Book of Mormon fans. The Tony-winning stage musical will return to Broadway on Nov. 5, producer Anne Garefino announced Wednesday of the raunchy comedy. Broadway shows have been shuttered since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When Broadway shut down, so many amazing and talented people were put out of work, many of whom had become family to us, said the shows authors, Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez, in a joint statement Wednesday. As writers and as fans we are so ready for the Great Broadway Comeback and are so glad that our show can be a part of it. Cant wait to be back with the entire team and our wonderful cast, crew, and orchestra. The Book of Mormon, which opened on Broadway in 2011, won nine Tony Awards honors that year, including best musical. The comedy centers on a pair of Latter-day Saints missionaries who are assigned to spread the word of their religion in Uganda. The show, which also won the Grammy for best musical theater album in 2012, plays at the Eugene ONeill Theatre. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last month that Broadway theaters can return to 100% capacity on Sept. 14. Fans will have the chance to buy tickets to The Book of Mormon beginning June 28. The Book of Mormon becomes the latest high-profile show to announce its Broadway return, with Hamilton, The Lion King and Wicked each set to reopen their doors on Sept. 14. In addition to co-writing The Book of Mormon, Parker and Stone are the creators of the satirical animated comedy series South Park. Wednesdays announcement also said The Book of Mormon will return to Londons West End on Nov. 15, and that a tour will pick up in Cardiff, Wales, on Oct. 12. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 NIANTIC For Aissa Norris, 61, the journey from showing symptoms to receiving a diagnosis was anything but a straight shot. In 2015, Norris was principal at Pershing Early Learning Center in Decatur a job of managing 700 kids and 70 staff that, when coupled with her and her husband's business of running an event venue in Niantic, meant she "was on the go all of the time." "An 80-100-hour week was not unusual for me," Norris said. While she enjoyed her work, the principal position was stressful and that stress is initially what she blamed when strange symptoms began to bother her, she said. "I just noticed my hands weren't working. I had severe pain that would keep me up, severe fatigue and I started having a big variety of symptoms of tightness in my skin and more of an arthritic condition, hurting everywhere and not being able to get out of that," she said. Ultimately, she stepped down from being principal, hoping an easing of stress would relieve the symptoms. Instead, they got worse. "It was to the point that I could no longer brush my teeth, couldn't get my hand to my mouth. I wasn't capable of bathing myself. It turned to where the knob on a light switch it hurt terribly to even have my fingers touch it," she said. "Something definitely was not right." While her symptoms worsened and left her more confused, Norris estimates she saw six doctors, but still didn't have a definitive answer for what her body was doing. While they wondered, Norris lost her ability to walk. "I was finally sent by my general practitioner to occupational therapy to try to help me maintain what mobility I had," she said. "I worked for about six months with an occupational therapist and she said, 'You know, I think you might have a disease called scleroderma.'" When the therapist mentioned scleroderma to her, Norris recognized the disease from her own research, remembering it as a rare illness that hardens and tightens the skin and other, connective tissues, according to Johns Hopkins University. An autoimmune disorder, the disease prompts the body to produce collagen as if there was an injury that needs repair. But the cells don't turn off, produce too much collagen in tissues and can "prevent the body's organs from functioning normally." For some, the experience is limited only to the skin. For others, harm extends to internal organs or the digestive tract. For all who receive the diagnosis, the disease is chronic, though the severity of the illness can vary from person to person. It cannot be cured, but diagnosed properly, it can be treated. Getting the diagnosis, as Norris learned, can be one of the more challenging aspects of managing the disease. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} After hearing from her occupational therapist, Norris went back to her doctor, who said it was possible and planned to send her to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "That was like in November and I couldn't get there until February and every day was getting worse," she said. "From what I knew about scleroderma, if it wasn't treated rapidly, it is terminal in some forms. There are many kinds of scleroderma, but from the symptoms I was having, it was possible I had a pretty bad case." Norris went back online, where she found the national Scleroderma Foundation, which then led to her to a Chicago-based chapter of the advocacy group. From there, Norris learned she could see a doctor who specialized in the autoimmune disorder and rheumatology disease at Northwestern University. "I walked in and the rheumatologist looked at me and said, 'Well, you're a classic case of scleroderma.' I froze in my spot," she said. "'I said, 'Just give me one minute, I have to cry for a second I'm scared to death but I'm so thankful that after searching, somebody can just look at me and say, ''This is what you have.''" Through the Scleroderma Foundation Greater Chicago Chapter, Norris learned of support groups and clinical trials she could attend as a result of her diagnosis. "As I talked to people on the phone, I found out there were shortcuts and things," she said. "Just for someone to talk to you one the phone was unbelievable to say, 'God, I understand that. I know how that feels.'" Stephanie Somers Gresh, executive director of the Chicago Chapter, said that's exactly what the group exists for. More than a decade ago, her own mother was diagnosed with scleroderma, but like Norris, neither her mother nor anyone in her family had heard of the disease before. "We found the foundation and decided that we wanted to do something about it," Gresh saud. "We just thought there is not enough awareness of this." Gresh started as a volunteer 13 years ago and for the past eight has been the chapter's executive director. "I just found the work very important and meaningful," she said. "I want to continue to help and shed light on this cause. (Getting a diagnosis) is definitely part of the issue." The foundation aims to allow opportunities for access to clinical research trials, advanced education for medical professionals so they can better diagnose the disease when they see it and run support groups so people don't have to find all of their information online. Norris said the knowledge and the support of others has changed her life. Her disease remains a chronic condition for those who have it, there is no true cure that eradicates scleroderma. But she's been part of trials, learned to live with it, and began leading a support group to share her story with others, something she plans to do for as long as she can so that fewer people have to live with the uncertainty that she did. "You still have to travel the path you don't get to skip the path, but you're not walking alone," she said. "I think that is a big help and finding, getting people to things quickly is so important for any chronic condition or terminal condition. "We're all dying. We're all going to die. But you can be empowered and live today, for today, in a much happier fashion than being afraid. I think that's very important for people." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 NORMAL A man shot Tuesday night in Normal is in stable condition, authorities said Wednesday. Normal police and Illinois State University police were dispatched at 10:30 p.m. to the 1500 block of Hancock Drive for a report of someone being shot. Officers found a man, who was conscious, with a gunshot wound lying in the street, police said. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The victim, whose identity has not been released, was transported to Carle BroMenn Medical Center. No arrests have been made, as detectives are investigating the possibility of a targeted attack on the victim, police said. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Normal Detective Darren Wolters at 309-454-3415 or dwolters@normal.org. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. CHICAGO Kennedy-King College, a branch of City Colleges of Chicago, has been given a $5 million by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, officials announced Tuesday. City College officials say the money is the largest single private donation ever given Kennedy-King. The donation is part of $2.7 billion given to 286 organizations by Scott, who is the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Forbes Magazine has reported Kennedy-King College, which serves a largely African-American student body, is considered one of the top 10 community colleges in the country as determined by Academic Influence. We are dedicated to realizing the full potential of each one of our talented students, said Kennedy-King College President Greg A. Thomas, adding college officials are deeply grateful to Ms. Scott for the gift. Located in Chicagos South Side Englewood neighborhood, Kennedy-King serves nearly 5,000 students, offering culinary and hospitality, construction technology and creative arts classes. The donations announced Tuesday is the third round of no-strings-attached, major philanthropic gifts Scott has made. Scotts wealth, estimated by Forbes at roughly $60 billion, has only grown since she divorced from Bezos in 2019 and walked away with a 4% stake in Amazon. she has pledged to give away a majority of her wealth during her lifetime. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 1 NORMAL One adult male was injured in an apparent shooting Tuesday night in west Normal, police said. Normal Police Sgt. Steven Koscielak said the incident occurred shortly after 10:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of Hancock Drive, just a few yards west of the intersection with College Park Court. Multiple shots were reported, Koscielak said. No one was in custody as of late Tuesday night. The victim was transported by ambulance to Carle BroMenn Medical Center, Normal. His condition was unknown late Tuesday night. "How bad it's going to be, I can't say at this point," Koscielak said of the victim's injuries. Nearby residents said they heard three pops, but they assumed it was fireworks, which have been ongoing in the neighborhood for several weeks. A person described as a young adult male was seen by witnesses walking west on Hancock Drive with two others described as young adult men before he collapsed in the street. Witnesses said they heard the man cry out, "Call 911, man, I've been shot." Police arrived a short time later, witnesses said, and residents from nearby apartment buildings and condos came out to see what happened. Witnesses said the crowd seemed calm. The area was cordoned off briefly with police tape and orange cones were placed in the street while police worked the scene, which was cleared before midnight, witnesses said. There were no other reports of injuries or property damage associated with the gunfire, police said. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 4 Angry 0 SPRINGFIELD A few feet away from a rare copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday signed legislation making Juneteenth an official state holiday. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed the last enslaved African Americans that the Civil War had ended and that Lincolns proclamation more than two years earlier had declared them free. Today, even a full 156 years after the 13th amendment formally and constitutionally declared slavery illegal throughout the entire United States, we all know what it means to see justice as yet undelivered, Pritzker said before signing the bill at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, will make June 19 National Freedom Day a paid holiday for state workers and public school employees when it falls on a weekday. Because the day falls on a Sunday next year, the first paid holiday will be in 2023. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Flags across the state will be flown at half-staff, and a special Juneteenth flag will fly above the state Capitol beginning this year. Democratic state Rep. LaShawn Ford of Chicago had been pushing for several years to make Juneteenth a state holiday, but the effort gained new momentum last year after the public outcry over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis. Even after the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus championed a sweeping social justice agenda dealing with criminal justice, education, economic opportunity and health care that Pritzker signed into law earlier this year, there remains much work to do to address systemic racism in the state, Ford said. But the measure Pritzker signed Wednesday, which was approved with bipartisan support in the legislature, shows that as much as we think we have a lot of work to do and we do we come together to do things like this, to prove that its possible for us to do a lot more, Ford said. Congress also passed a bill Tuesday that would make Juneteenth a federal holiday, sending the measure to President Joe Biden's desk. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Brenden Moore State Reporter Follow Brenden Moore Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today SPRINGFIELD This past weekend felt weird. It felt, in a word, normal. There was perhaps no better illustration of this return to normalcy than seeing nearly 40,000 fans pack into Wrigley Field last weekend to watch the Chicago Cubs sweep the St. Louis Cardinals. Social distancing gone. Masks gone. Beer cup snakes? Apparently a thing now. All joking aside, such silly illustrations of normalcy are being celebrated as a sign of how far the state has come in the battle to contain COVID-19. Just under six months since the first shots went into the arms of state hospital workers, nearly 46% of the state's population is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. About 77% of those 65 and over have been fully inoculated, as have 56% of of those 18 and over and 53% of those 12 and over. This is by all accounts significant progress and allowed the state to avoid a second "pandemic summer." "As we literally and figuratively appreciate this new dawn, this new beginning, we stop for a moment and pause and mourn the lives of those we've lost, and continue to cherish the memories of our loved ones," said Illinois Department of Public Health director Ngozi Ezike, speaking from the Michigan Avenue bridge over the Chicago River in a video posted to social media last Friday. "But we also move forward towards a new future that is much different than we've endured in the last year and a half." IDPH announced just 165 new cases and nine additional deaths Wednesday. The department, which has sent out a press release with daily COVID-19 numbers since last March, also announced it will continue updating case counts daily but switch to a once-a-week press release. COVID-19 appears to be waning in Illinois and the country, for that matter even as variants continue to rock other countries. Still, even amid that progress, there is still a deadly virus out there and vaccination numbers are not yet where they need to be to achieve herd immunity. And digging deeper, it is clear vaccine administration is lagging in many parts of the state, with the gulf between the most-vaccinated counties and the least growing. DuPage County in suburban Chicago leads the way with nearly 54% inoculated. Whereas Alexander County at the southern tip of the state, has a rate just under 14%. In general, the vaccine hesitancy is mostly concentrated in the mostly-rural southeast portion of the state, with many counties in the 20-30% range. But even some populated areas, such as Macon County, continue to be behind the state average. As of Wednesday, just over 35% of the county, which has a population of about 110,000 people, has been fully vaxxed. "We're not where we need to be in Macon County, I'll be very honest with you," Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe bluntly admitted last week. "... We can do better." The state has offered several incentives encouraging the vaccine-hesitant to get their shot, from free targets at the Worldwide Shooting and Recreation Complex in Sparta to free tickets to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee. And more efforts could be forthcoming. The budget implementation bill passed two weeks ago included authorization for a vaccine lottery, which has been utilized to increase vaccinations in other states with some success. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The state is pulling out all the stops, hoping to avoid surges that could turn back the progress that's been made and force a return to mitigations. But for now, the state is open. It feels normal. Just as the Cubs opened Wrigley to full capacity last weekend, the Chicago White Sox will open Guaranteed Rate Field to full capacity next weekend. The Chicago Bears just announced that Soldier Field will operate at fully capacity this fall. It's progress. But, the world is still dealing with a deadly pandemic. Folks are still dying, even in Illinois. It's important not to lose sight of that. Budget requires cleanup The Illinois House and Senate voted to approve the changes to the $42.3 billion fiscal year 2022 budget after an amendatory veto from Gov. JB Pritzker. The action was necessitated by significant drafting errors, such as the lack of effective dates for certain appropriations. This would have meant that several provisions would not have went into effect until June 1 of next year. The Senate approved the changes Tuesday and the House Wednesday. House Democrats had to change chamber rules to allow for remote voting to ensure they had the votes necessary to approve the governor's changes. There are 73 House Democrats, more than the 71 votes needed, but several could not make it to Springfield this week. Republicans pounced on the embarrassing errors, saying that it was an example of a bill put together haphazardly at the 11th hour. This whole process is a perfect example of what happens when you slap together a 3,000 page budget in the middle of the night with no transparency and then call it for a vote a few minutes later, said state Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington. There is a point. The final budget did not drop until a few minutes before midnight, giving no time for members, staff, reporters and the public to review the document. But, it is typical of Springfield, where everything gets done at the last possible minute. Some lawmakers are pushing for a change in the process, such as mandating that a budget proposal be made public for a certain period of time before voted on. But, I wouldn't hold my breath. Speaker Welch interview Wednesday afternoon, I spoke with House Speaker Chris Welch, D-Hillside, in his Capitol office about his first legislative session. That interview will appear this weekend, so stay tuned. Contact Brenden Moore at 217-421-7984. Follow him on Twitter: @brendenmoore13 Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. PEORIA The Rumberger's Wings and More footprint in Illinois has become a little smaller. Rumberger's has closed permanently its location in Downtown Peoria, at 500 Main St. It opened in 2018 and was one of an often-changing number of Rumberger's outlets. The Main Street Rumberger's had been closed in recent months for remodeling, according to the website of the Peoria-based restaurant chain. When contacted this week, Rumberger's owner Tremayne Branch said impending changes to its building and effects from the coronavirus pandemic contributed to the demise of the Main Street location. "It was slow business," Branch told the Journal Star. "I've been paying rent since October and I couldn't get open. It really didn't work out. I guess it's just part of business." State restrictions on indoor dining had been in effect for most of the pandemic. Last week, almost all COVID-19-related limits in Illinois were lifted. Rumberger's on Main Street was part of the Madison Theater building. Also last week, the Journal Star reported the Madison might soon be sold and redeveloped as a performing-arts venue. The main entrance to the century-old theater at Main Street and Madison Avenue would be through the former Rumberger's site, according to a representative of the building's current owner. Rumberger's also shuttered its downtown Springfield location, which had been open only a few months at 217 S. Fifth St. Branch said the Springfield site was doing great, but he blamed the closure on an inability to find employees. He suggested enhanced federal unemployment benefits have been part of the reason. "I've got some loyal workers, too," Branch said. "Very dedicated workers who have been sticking with me. That's my main goal, keeping them taken care of." Rumberger's continues to operate in Champaign and in Peoria, where it has locations at 8807 N. Knoxville Ave. and at 3125 N. University St. The University Street location opened last year. Before that, the Knoxville Avenue outlet, which debuted in 2016, closed temporarily. Rumberger's first opened in 2014 on Prospect Road on the East Bluff. But that location closed shortly after the Main Street outlet opened. Branch said he's looking for other opportunities to expand, although a national chicken-wing shortage is affecting his business. Demand for chicken wings soared during the pandemic. That and chicken-sandwich wars among major fast-food chains have contributed to the dearth, according to national reports. According to Branch, the cost of chicken has risen about 40% recently. "We're spending an extra 5 grand a month just on wings, if we can get them," he said. "Wings are super-crazy right now." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 On June 01 Patently Apple posted a report titled "A European Parliament lawmaker has stated that the EU's upcoming DMA will force Gatekeepers like Apple to change their Lucrative Business Model." The European Parliament lawmaker Andreas Schwab, which is leading the file for the EU body, stated in his report that "The DMA should be clearly targeted to those platforms that play an unquestionable role as gatekeepers due to their size and their impact on the internal market." The proposed EU draft rules are aimed at reining in the power of Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon. Schwab also proposed beefing up a list of donts set out by the Commission, among them a halt to tech giants favoring their own services on their platforms. Beyond the brazen comments by Mr. Schwab, the EU Competiton Commissioner Margrethe Vestager all-but forecasted the end of the App Store as we know it to accommodate European tech companies in a recent interview with the New York Times reporter Kara Swisher. Two days earlier Vestager made it known that they were also investigating digital assistants from Apple and others. The never-ending wave of attacks on U.S. tech companies comes at a time when the President of France has come out to announce an outline of an ambitious push for Europe to create 10 technology giants worth 100 billion euros ($121.26 billion) each in valuation by 2030, in a bid to rival U.S. companies that dominate the sector. The goals are part of a Europe-wide initiative France is trying to lead to improve funding for start-ups, especially in their later stages of growth, to propel them into a bigger league. To be clear, France's Macron stated at the same VivaTech event that whether to break up US tech giants was a legitimate question. This wave of attacks and investigations on the U.S. tech sector is a means of weakening the progress made by the likes of Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook. Their long term goal is to replace those companies that set the groundwork in the digital age with pure European companies. Their resentment against of U.S. companies is evident on an ongoing basis. Then again, if anyone was hoping for the U.S. under President Biden to stand up for its own technologies companies, think again. Last week Patently Apple posted a report titled "The U.S. House of Representatives is working to introduce Five Antitrust Bills in the next week that will Squarely affect Apple and its App Store." The U.S. bills will be voted on next week. To be clear, Democratic Representative David Cicilline told reporters Wednesday that a proposal prohibiting tech platforms from giving an advantage to their own products over those of competitors would mean Apple cant ship devices with pre-installed apps on its iOS operating platform. Today we finally got to hear Apple's CEO Tim Cook stand against Europe's proposed DMA. Cook, in his first public comments about the Digital Markets Act (DMA) proposed by EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, said parts were good but others were not. He said he feared the draft rules would lead to more installing of apps that do not come via Apple's App Store, or "side-loading." "You take an example here where I don't think it's in the best interest (of the user): the current DMA language that is being discussed would force side-loading on the iPhone," the Apple CEO, speaking remotely, said at VivaTech, France's biggest tech conference. "And so this would be an ultimate way of getting apps onto the iPhone," he said. "It would destroy the security of the iPhone, and a lot of the privacy initiatives that we've built into the App Store or the privacy intrusion labels and app-tracking transparency," he added. Tim Cook added that Apple would take part in the debate about DMA and try to find a way forward. Below is the key segment of the interview with Cook. While the quality of the audio is poor, it still captures the heart of Cook's position against the proposed DMA clearly. In the end, while the EU is on the attack against U.S. tech giants, so is Democratic Representative David Cicilline who is clearly out to hurt Apple. It will almost take a miracle (or great lobbying) to clear these storm clouds over Apple's head. Though it seems like the writing is on the wall. Stay tuned. How is Windows 11 different than Windows 10? Our hands-on look at a leaked early build of Windows 11 begins to answer that question. Simply put, and based only on what weve seen in the leak, Windows 11 appears to update the user interface of Windows 10 without changing the underlying infrastructure of Windows 10 by all that much. These cosmetic changes are nonetheless significant. Our leaked build shows changes in the Windows taskbar and Start menu, leveraging the UI tweaks that Microsoft made to Windows 10X before it put that operating system on ice earlier this year. Theres also a massive Widgets drawer thats entirely new, though wed expect it to evolve between now and when Microsoft will likely launch Windows 11 in the fall. Microsoft may certainly add or subtract features to Windows 11 between now and its launch. But for now, here are the major changes to Windows 11 from the perspective of a Windows 10 user. For a more thorough look, check out our video tour of Windows 11 in the video embedded just below. The Start menu: simple icons, no Live Tiles The Windows 11 Start menu is certainly a major change from Windows 10s legacy of tiled app shortcuts, which began with Windows 8. By default, the Start menu lives in the center of your PCs desktop, in much the same way the Windows 10X Start menu would have behaved had it ever launched. In Windows 10, you launch the Start menu by clicking the left-hand corner of your screen. In Windows 11, the Start icon is simply the left icon on a list of small app icons on your taskbar. And instead of the angled Windows icon from Windows 10, the new Start icon is flat and symmetrical. Mark Hachman / IDG The Windows 11 Start menu. More profound changes appear once youve opened the Start menu itself. In Windows 10, Live Tiles allow app developers to cycle through photos and provide dynamic information to you. Thats all gone. Again, Microsoft is taking its cues from Windows 10X and providing an array of small, static icons. Below, a list of recommended files appear to be shortcuts to either frequently-used files, or at least recent documents you may have opened. Small buttons (All apps, for example) offer shortcuts to any other apps that may be hidden away. The Start menu may not be as friendly as in in years past, but its more functional than ever. Windows Snap has been enhanced with FancyZones One of the great additions that Windows 8 and later Windows 10 brought to Windows was the ability to organize your windows in such a way that they could be snapped to each side, or even each corner, of the screen. In Windows 11, Microsoft has taken this scheme to the next level. Mark Hachman / IDG Windows 11 appears like its implemented FancyZones right in the operating system. On a window within Windows 11, hovering your cursor over the maximize window icon in the upper right-hand-corner of a window does more than just fill the screen with the selected window. It allows you to select from a variety of configurations to organize that window, from a four corners orientation to a narrow strip along one corner of the screen. Its very reminiscent of the FancyZones portion of the Power Tools suite which Microsoft implemented on 2020. All you need to do is highlight which windows configuration you want, then select one of the available alignments for your selected window. A simplified Taskbar Part and parcel of the Start experience is the new Taskbar, a collection of small icons that lives at the bottom of your screen. In Windows 10, the taskbar is dominated by the Search box, which takes up a great deal of space. In Windows 11, those icons cluster together. The upshot is that in Windows 11, theres a great deal more space on your taskbar. Its not clear what exactly Microsoft plans to do with that space, but theres a great deal more of it. Mark Hachman / IDG A closeup of the Windows 11 taskbar. Bye-bye, Cortana Yes, bye-bye Cortanawell, from the Windows 11 Taskbar, anyway. One of the ways in which Microsoft has slimmed down the Windows 11 taskbar has been to fold the Search bar into a simple search icon, and to do away with the Cortana icon entirely. Cortana lives on as an app within Windows 11, but youll have to manually launch the Cortana app, then interact with its limited functionality. Cortana has improved from when she didnt know the answer to 2+2, but shes still limited in her functionality. What in the world is Widgets? While Microsoft may have stripped Cortana from the Windows 11 taskbar, theres a new addition: Widgets, an icon that opens a mammoth sidebar that opens from the left side of the screen. Its not clear what Widgets will eventually become, but for right now Widgets is simply a giant implementation of News & Interests, the somewhat controversial addition Microsoft made to Windows 10 in April. Mark Hachman / IDG Were not sure what Widgets will end up as, but for right now its a showcase for News & Interests within Windows 11. We have to assume that Widgets may end up as a repository for Windows gadgets or other tools. For now, however, it just takes up space. At least it wont intrude upon you unless you click on the Widgets icon. New icons and other UI tweaks One of the new additions that was expected to be part of the Sun Valley Windows refresh was a slew of small UI upgrades: rounded corners and new icons among other tweaks. The new icons are there, but the rounded corners are barely perceptible. Microsoft does offer new wallpapers under the Windows 10 Settings > Personalization tab, however, several of which are truly stunning. Mark Hachman / IDG Some of the new icons within Windows 11. No changes to apps So far, what we havent noticed are any changes to the traditional app model: no limits on 32-bit versus 64-bit apps, and nothing locking you to apps within the Microsoft store. Again, the leaked version of Windows 11 seems to be a visual reskin of Windows 11, implying that youll be able to do the same things with Windows 11 that youd be able to do with Windows 10. The Ghana Association of Bankers, has agreed to comply with the IGPs directive for improved security in relation to Cash in Transit (CIT) operations in the country. This comes following interactions with the top hierarchy of National Security, the Inspector General of Police, the management of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), and third-party private security providers of banks. As a response, we have committed to comply with the latest industry standards in compliance, and certification requirements of Cash in Transit (CIT) operations; strengthen dialogue with the providers of CIT service to develop a comprehensive infrastructure, and implement an aggressively proactive approach to staying at the forefront of the continually evolving security threats that the banking sector is exposed to, the Association said in a statement. The IGP has threatened to withdraw escort services to sub-standard bullion vans if the banks do not upgrade the level of security by the end of June. However, the association did not state clearly whether the June deadline given by the Police would be met. We take this opportunity to assure the banking community and the general public that we have been working on enhanced CIT modalities with the Police Service, BoG and our third party service providers and remain fully committed to strict compliance with established standards, the release added. Meanwhile, the association has extended its condolence to the bereaved families, the police administration, and others affected by the tragedy. The Ghana Association of Bankers is extremely saddened to learn about the events of Monday June 14, 2021, which led to the tragic loss of General Constable Emmanuel Osei of the National SWAT Unit, Police Headquarters Accra. The death of an officer on official duty is always a great tragedy and we offer our heart felt condolences to the family, the Inspector- General of Police and the entire Police Service, the statement read in parts. Source: kasapafmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Amplified, a social marketing project by the Ministry of Information that seeks to highlights and promotes young Ghanaian entrepreneurs has shortlisted 258 young entrepreneurs, Head of Social Media and Digital Innovation at the Ministry, Nathaniel Alpha has said. According to him, the Ministry is impressed with the level of interest and enthusiasm that has greeted the program since it was launched on 27th May 2021 in Accra. Our focus in season one of the Project Amplified is to use the Ministrys social media assets and that of some social media influencers to promote about 20 businesses, hence we estimated to receive about 100 requests from young entrepreneurs. However, having received 258 requests, we would have to increase the number we want to support this year, he said. A project committee made up of representatives from the Ministry Of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Information and some partner bloggers and social media influencers are expected to select the first set of businesses that are to be amplified in phase one. From the request, we have received so far, it is clear that the young entrepreneurs are looking for opportunities to promote their businesses and we at the Ministry of Information led by our Minister, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah is willing and ready to embark on this drive, Nathaniel Alpha added. The Ministry of Information will on Friday 11th June 2021, air the first of series of videos that shows the Minister of Information, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and the Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Alan Kyeremanteng visiting and interacting with young Ghanaian entrepreneurs in order to help them amplify their works to attract more patronage from Ghanaians. Amplified is a social marketing project by the Ministry of Information that seeks to help young Ghanaians reach larger audiences with their entrepreneurial activities, social causes and mentoring programs. The Ministry believes that by amplifying the activities of young entrepreneurs, they can help them reach larger markets with their goods and services which is expected to increase demand for their products and profit margin as well. 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 Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt says he is optimistic that the Police will arrest the armed robbers who killed a Policeman and a trader at Jamestown on Monday, June 14. A Policeman named Emmanuel Osei and a trader were shot dead when some armed robbers on motorbikes attacked a bullion van at Adedenkpo, a suburb of James Town in Accra. The driver of the van sustained gunshot wounds and was rushed to the hospital. Two other women on the van escaped unhurt. The robbers reportedly stole the money in the van and also made away with an AK-47 gun belonging to the late Police officer. Following the incident, the Inspector General of Police, James Oppong-Boanuh directed the Director-General of the Police CID to take over investigations into the attack. The IGP, in a statement, also directed the bankers to use armoured vehicles for carting currencies. He warned that should they fail to provide fortified vehicles by the end of June this year, the Police will withdraw their men from escort duties. Speaking in reaction to the robbery attack Monday morning, Kwesi Pratt believed, by two weeks time, the Police would have arrested the suspects. He explained why he is cocksure the suspects won't last long in their hideout saying ''I have hope that, by two or three weeks, the Police will apprehend these robbers. Do you know why I'm saying this? It's because they killed a Police officer and, in Ghana here, the record is that if you attack and kill a Police officer, the way the Police react is unique''. He, however, advised the Police that, "the same manner that they react when it involves one of them should be same daily for every civilian or any other person" who gets attacked. He spoke to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Following what some perceived to be a growing state of insecurity in the country, there have been calls for the Inspector-General of Police, James Oppong Boanuh and the National Security Officer, Albert Kan Dapaah to be relieved of their position. Armed robbery cases seem to be on the ascendency with the recent one occurring on Monday. Emmanuel Osei, a police officer and Afua Badu. a hawker's life were cut short when they were shot by armed robbers while transporting money in a bullion van. Adam Bonaa speaking to these cases on Neat FM's Me Man Nti programme, said the level of insecurity in the country is an indictment on both the IGP and the national security minister. "Insecurity is growing by the minute and Ghanaians are afraid...what is Oppong Boanuh still doing there, he should have gone by now...they should go for other younger enthusiastic cops to take over from him. Younger and efficient ones" citing Head of Research and Planning, Commissioner of Police (COP), Nathan Kofi Boakye. According to him, the IGP, "Oppong Boanuh has outlived his usefulness in the Ghana Policethese people are my friends but I'll say it as it is. The fact that you are my friend doesnt mean when I'm shot I won't die." He bemoaned the fact that "under Oppong Boanuh, police officers, MPs have been killed, they have not been able to arrest the perpetrators and now ordinary Ghanaians are bearing the brunt; I dont know where were going." Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Founder of Danquah Institute, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has eulogized former Minister for Information, Dr Mustapha Hamid describing him as one of the principled and honest human beings hes ever known in his life. In a post to wish Dr Hamid a happy 50th birthday, Mr Otchere-Darko noted that the Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority(NPA) is the kind of person when he takes campaign money, based on a budget, and he ends up spending less than that to do the same job, brings back the change. Highlighting Dr Hamids traits, Gabby emphasized: Ive known Hamid for over two decades now. He is admirably religious, disciplined but liberal. It is this personality quirk that allows him to get on well with people. But, he resents cheats and those he considers disloyal. He is protectively Ghanaian. Jealously Danquah-Dombo-Busiast. Simply put, Hamid is a proud, humble and decent man. Below is the full post Yesterday was the birthday of one of my best friends, Mustapha Hamid. To put it mildly, he is one of the most principled and honest human beings I have ever known in my life. A sacred trait I pray will guide and guard him for the rest of his life. Hamid is the kind of person when he takes campaign money, based on a budget, and he ends up spending less than that to do the same job, he brings back the change! Abotsi, sorry I was not around to join you yesterday. Welcome to the Club of where real life begins. Forget the hype at 40. This is it! From this time on, you start becoming even more philosophical about things you took for granted. It is not that after 50 ones performance slows down. It only matures! One becomes more efficient in how to use time and energy resources that become more and more precious as the years go by. Ive known Hamid for over two decades now. He is admirably religious, disciplined but liberal. It is this personality quirk that allows him to get on well with people. But, he resents cheats and those he considers disloyal. He is protectively Ghanaian. Jealously Danquah-Dombo-Busiast. Simply put, Hamid is a proud, humble and decent man. He is one of the very few Ghanaians I know who genuinely enjoy reading as a devout hobby! An intellectual of the highest order; loyal to his friends, his beliefs and philosophy and emotionally and intellectually defensive of the things he cherishes and holds in high devotion. Hamid was an editor of a reputable business newspaper, the High Street Journal, when we first became friends. He also became news editor at Choice FM. A couple of years later, I invited him to be the editor of The Statesman. He moved on to become the National Youth Organiser of the NPP, an acknowledgment of his years of service to the party, beginning as a foundation member of the Danquah-Busia Clubs branch at UCC in 1991. As strong an Akufo-Addo loyalist as they come, Hamid later contested and lost the general secretary position of the NPP in 2005, moving on in 2007 to become spokesperson to presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo and remained so throughout the opposition years. He, at the same time, went on to teach at Cape Coast University; became Executive Director of the Danquah Institute; achieved a PhD while teaching at Cape Coast; became a cabinet minister in 2017 and now looking forward to a new challenging chapter after attaining the ripe age of 50. His has been half a century of service with integrity and achievements, with much more to come. I consider myself lucky to be worthy of your friendship, Abotsi. Stay honest, stay true, stay loyal to family, party and country. Source: Kasapafmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu has disclosed that he has petitioned the Ghana Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to conduct an investigation into the allegation of his involvement in Galamsey activities. According to him, his petition to the Ghana Police CID is to arrest the young man called Oscar who claimed in a viral video that he [John Boadu] is one of the NPP bigwigs engaging in illegal mining activities [galamsey]. He said the young man seems to have a lot of information about the owner of the excavators which have been kept in a house at Asankragua. Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the NPP Chief Scribe noted that per his petition to the Police CID, the young man in question was arrested but he was bailed three days ago, waiting for the court trial very soon. "Beyond that, the way the young man spoke in the video, I believe he has a lot of information and I am happy and so I have petitioned the Ghana Police CID to conduct an investigation and invite the young man to tell how he got to know that John Boadu is involved in Galamsey," he said. He, however, has vowed not to allow the issue to die out without going to court to clear his name even though the lawyer of the accused person and a certain Member of Parliament has called to apologise to him over the viral video. They cannot call me secretly to apologise to me. The same way the young man used a video and messages on social media to accuse me of engaging in illegal mining, he should employ the same means to retract everything he said about me. If he says that the excavators and the house are not my own, he should do a voice over and spread it everywhere, he stated. I have taken legal action against the young man; I have handed over the case to the police. He is only doing the voice over to retract his earlier claim to reduce the number of years he will be sentenced. I am not going to tolerate that and so the case is with the Police CID and they need to investigate the matter to the end because it is our forest cover and water bodies that people are destroying, he vowed. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Rwanda's health ministry is reporting a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths despite ongoing vaccination efforts days after President Paul Kagame warned there could be a "new lockdown". Over the weekend, the president urged people to be more cautious, saying there were signs that a third wave could come from the border - a reference to Uganda where cases are also rising. New infections in Rwanda have risen to 1,307 in the last seven days from 334 in the previous week, while deaths rose to 12 from seven in the same period, the health ministry reports. Nearly 390,000 people have so far been vaccinated - and most of those have had their second jabs. Health Minister Daniel Ngamije says nearly five million more vaccines are expected and more have been ordered. Our target is to reach 7.8 million people vaccinated early next year, he told the state broadcaster. People should observe the measures so that in the next six months we may resume normal life because at 60% vaccination the virus cant be a threat anymore." Rwanda has reported a total of more than 28,000 cases and 372 deaths. 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 Mozambique's health ministry is on high alert as Covid-19 cases in the country increase. Cases had gone down from March till May but in the last 14 days, the country has recorded 773 new cases against 442 cases in the same period last month. Deputy National Director of Public Health Benigna Matsinhe said the increase was of "great concern" as it could "destroy all the effort made so far". "Our appeal is that people must remain firm in complying with the general measures to prevent and combat Covid-19 and avoid taking negligent attitudes, considering that the slowdown in the pandemic means the end of the disease among us," she stressed. Tighter restrictions were imposed earlier this year after a second coronavirus wave followed the Christmas break. They were gradually eased from March with the reopening of schools - and last month churches, nurseries and some gyms were allowed to reopen - and some sporting events restarted. A night-time curfew in metropolitan areas has remained, but its hours were shortened at end of May and it now runs from 23:00 and 04:00. Meanwhile, the second phase of the countrys vaccination campaign has started with the aim of vaccinating 23,000 people, including teachers, over the next two weeks. In this second phase, the second dose will be administered to those who have already taken the first dose and the first dose to the new groups, Dr Matsinhe said. So far, Mozambique, which has a population of 29.5 million, has received a total of 744,000 doses: 284,000 from the vaccine-sharing scheme Covax 100,000 from India 260,000 from China. The health ministry has already immunised around 350,000 people - and intends to eventually vaccinate a total of 16 million people. 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 Ghana is committed to injecting new impetus and dynamism into its new trade relations with the United Kingdom (UK), President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated. He said the agreement, which was forged between the two nations after the exit of the UK from the European Union (EU), had strengthened bilateral and trade relations between Ghana and the UK for the mutual interest of their people. President Akufo-Addo said this yesterday when the outgoing UK High Commissioner, Mr Ian Walker, called on him at the Jubilee House to bid him farewell. Mr Walker has completed a four-year duty tour of the country. Ghana entered into a new trade deal with the UK this year to form the basis for trade between the two nations since the economic partnership agreement between Ghana and the EU was not binding on the UK. President Akufo-Addo touched on the 300-year relationship between the two nations and indicated that it had a major impact on the lives of their people. He commended Mr Walker for a successful tour of duty and urged him to be an ambassador for the country in his new endeavour, adding: "We appreciate very much the work you have done here." The President noted that very important officials from the UK visited Ghana during the tenure of Mr Walker. "The energy and the concern you brought to bear on your work here made it clear to us that you have the best interest of our country at heart. President Akufo-Addo indicated that the outgoing High Commissioner had set a difficult pattern for his successor to follow. "Our official language is your language. Many of our institutions are firmly modelled to British institutions. Our system of law in Ghana is based on the common law in your country. All of these are as a result of the intercourse between our people and yours," he said. Support President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo presenting a gift to Mr Ian Walker (left), outgoing UK Ambassador to Ghana, as the latter bids farewell to Ghana after a four-year tour of duty in Ghana. Mr Walker, for his part, thanked the government for the support and added that he made a conscious effort to visit most parts of the country. "I guess time flies when you are having fun but it has been a phenomenal honour and privilege to represent my country here in Ghana," he said. German envoy In a related development, the outgoing President Akufo-Addo presenting a gift to Mr Christoph Retzlaff (left), outgoing German Ambassador to Ghana, at the Jubilee House Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Christoph Retzlaff, also bid President Akufo-Addo farewell after a five-year tour of the country. President Akufo-Addo said Ghana appreciated the way and manner the ambassador had worked for Ghana, his understanding, empathy and sympathy for Ghanas situation, especially the advocacy for the country in Berlin. The President noted that that had been possible because he also had a good relationship with the political leadership in Germany. He mentioned the German compact with Africa, of which Ghana had been a major beneficiary and other initiatives. Visits Mr Retzlaff said the relationship between Ghana and Germany had become even stronger with the visit of Chancellor Angela Merkel to Ghana in recent times and a lot of the state-of-the-art projects that were launched by the German government in Ghana. Those, he said, included the launch of the VW Assemblying Plant and the solar power plants in the Upper West Region. I would like to thank you, Mr President, for the trust and commitment to Ghana-German friendship, and I am happy to say I was able to commit a bit to the strengthening of this relationship, he said. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The High Court in Accra (General Jurisdiction) presided over by Justice Rebecca Sittie has dismissed an application for interlocutory injunction against the family of the late Lillian Dedjoe, a mother of four alleged to have been murdered by her husband. Prince Dedjoe, who is in lawful custody for murder and the applicant in this case, was praying the court to restrain the family from burying his late wife in his absence. Prince Dedjoe, a business executive is said to have on March 1, this year assaulted the wife which led to her death on March 8. Ruling on the application on Tuesday, June 15, the court said, the defendants (family of the late Lillian) have a right to bury their loved one as the corpse of the deceased belongs to the extended family The court also ruled that the scale of inconvenience lies heavily on the family if the deceased is not buried as planned. Justice Sittie said, the authority of what to do with the corpse is vested absolutely on the wifes family and that it is the duty of the extended family to give the deceased a befitting burial as the plaintiffs presence does not prove anything. The court consequently dismissed the interlocutory injunction application and said the family can therefore go ahead with preparations to bury the deceased. Plaintiffs argument Lawyer Charles Ofori holding Nkrabea Effah per their argument said the defendant (head of family) had accused him wrongly and as a result had caused him so much pain and bad publicity with his supposed accusations. According to Plaintiff, his wife died of head injury and not from the slap as father had told the public. Counsel said, Plaintiff, believes he owes his late wife duty to bury her and that once his wife is buried without him it will send a wrong signal Defendants response Afua Eyeson, counsel for the plaintiff opposed the application and argued that Plaintiff has no right over the deceased body. According to counsel, the plaintiff is still in police custody and no one knows if he will be granted bail. She said Plaintiff has no right to hold the family back as they continue to endure hardship over the loss of their child In a related development, the Madina District Court has ordered the Cyber Crime Unit of the Ghana Police Service to unlock the phone of the accused and the late wife to ascertain communication that ensued between them prior to the death of late Lillian. That case at Madina has been adjourned to June 18. Source: kasapafmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Three security analysts have underscored the need to strengthen the entire criminal justice system, with particular emphasis on police intelligence, investigations and prosecution of alleged criminals. Additionally, they said it was imperative for the government to make conscious efforts to tackle systematic challenges, such as unemployment, to dissuade the youth from venturing into crime. The three experts are the Director of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Professor Emmanuel Kwesi Aning; the Regional Director in charge of Research and Capacity Building at the West Africa Network for Peace-Building (WANEP), Dr Festus Kofi Aubyn, and the Executive Director of the Jatikay Centre for Human Security and Peace-Building, Mr Adib Saani. They were reacting to the recent surge in crime, the last being last Mondays attack of a car carting money in Accra which resulted in the death of a policeman and a civilian. The brazenness with which the armed robbers launched the attack, right in the centre of the capital city and in broad daylight, shook the very foundations of the nation and led to intense public discourse on public safety. The robbery led the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr James Oppong-Boanuh, to issue a threat to stop policemen from escorting vehicles carting money if banks did not provide fortified armoured vehicles for such purposes by the end of June this year. Bounty Superintendent Mrs Sheila Kessie Abayie-Buckman The police administration has placed a GH20,000 bounty on the heads of the robbers. The Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Mrs Sheila Kessie Abayie-Buckman, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that anyone whose information would lead to the arrest of any of the suspects would be given GH20,000. Make crime unattractive Prof. Aning said the best approach to curbing crime went beyond just the arrest of criminals or the protection of policemen. He said criminal justice institutions must be empowered to make crime unattractive. If you look at the number of violent crimes, vis-a-vis the percentage of arrest of the perpetrators, those prosecuted and the percentage of those jailed, you will notice that the probability of committing crime and going free is very high. There is, therefore, a perception that one can commit crime and go free, and that has contributed to the culture of impunity that is getting out of hand, he said. Prof. Aning described the IGPs threat to withdraw policemen from escorting vehicles carrying money as too little, too late. He said the fact of policemen escorting vehicles carrying money was not new; again, it was not the first time a policeman had been shot dead while escorting such a vehicle. Nonetheless, he expected the police administration to be more proactive. I would have thought that the police would acquire those armoured vehicles and use them to generate funds internally by hiring them to the banks when they want to transport money, he said. Other factors For Dr Aubyn, the government must tackle the root causes of rampant crime and extreme violence in the country He said vigilantism, youth unemployment, injustice, marginalisation, discrimination, religious intolerance and ethnic tension were some of the factors that could push the youth to engage in criminal activities and also join extremist groups. According to him, while law enforcement needed to be strengthened, it was extremely important that more investment be made to tackle such crimes, while there was the political will to back such investment. Protect policemen Mr Saani, for his part, said more needed to be done to protect policemen who dedicated and sacrificed their lives to protect the public. He condemned the IGPs threat to withdraw policemen escorting vehicles carrying money, stressing that such a threat should have been carried out long ago. The police administration must, as a matter of principle and urgency, halt police escort services for vehicles carrying money until the banks do the needful, he said. Preliminary investigations by the police indicated that the robbers, who were wielding AK47 rifles, attacked the vehicle carrying the money after crossing it on motorbikes. This has rekindled the debate on the use of motorbikes by some criminals to perpetrate crime. Supt Abayie-Buckman told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the police had vigorously been ensuring that only persons who had the requisite licences used motorcycles. We have been conducting a number of swoops on motorcycles to enforce the law, she stated. The police spokesperson said it was a worrying trend that motorcycles had become a major feature in all facets of life in the country, with criminal elements taking advantage of it. Apart from enforcing the law against unlicensed motorcycles, she said, the police administration had also recommended to the appropriate authorities to ban their use in certain places. Certain actions can be taken to restrict the movement of motorcycles in some areas. These actions, however, require the force of law. The police administration has made the recommendation to the appropriate quarters for the necessary legal support, she added. 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 Two STC drivers are feared dead whilst 6 passengers sustained severe injuries after the bus that were travelling in, run into a Trailer parked by the road side. According to the police, a MAN Diesel Articulator truck with registration number GC 7150-11, bound for Accra from Kumasi, driven by one Abdul Raman Haruna age 45years, developed a mechanical problem at a section of the Akim Asafo highway about 0000 hours. The driver abandoned the truck without informing the nearest Police station. At about 0230 hours, Victor Quest now deceased, who was driving the Intercity STC Scania Marcopolo bus with registration number GE 8136-16 heading towards Accra from Kumasi, inadvertently rammed into the rear portion of the faulty truck. Victor Quest, aged about 60 years, together with his second driver Joshua Tay died on the spot. Their bodies have been deposited at the Suhum Government Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy. The injured passengers including the Police escorts No. 46031 G/Cpl. Felix Appiah were rushed to Kibi Government Hospital Hospital for treatment. Source: Michael Akrofi/Peacefmomline.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 Mr Francis-Xavier Sosu, Member of Parliament for Madina, says the view of the nominee for the Deputy Attorney-General position, Mr. Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, that the death penalty must be sustained to deter higher crimes is retrogressive. "Though I respect his right to his opinion and would not use that as a basis for rejection of his nomination, I consider his view on death penalty as very retrogressive and inconsistent with the direction of the State," he said. Mr Tuah-Yeboah, responding to a question during his vetting on Tuesday, urged the State to carry out executions of people who have been sentenced to death to serve as deterrence to murderers. He said some murderers, especially, robbers, deserved to be killed. Since 1992, no President has signed a death warrant to execute anyone on death roll. Mr Sosu said on page 58 of the 2020 Amnesty International Global Report on Death Sentences and Executions, Ghana together with some 27 countries were described as "Abolitionists in Practice." He said that was so because there had not been any execution during the last 10 years and was believed to have a policy or established a practice of not carrying out executions. Mr Sosu said as at the close of 2020, 160 persons comprising of 155 men and five women were serving death sentences and that with each passing day, they were traumatised and emotionally and mentally tortured with the sense of waiting to be killed. He said the 2010 Constitutional Review Commissions recommendations, which was accepted by the Government of Ghana, over nine years ago, showed clearly that Ghanas position on death penalty was to abolish it, therefore, there was no need going back. Mr Sosu said contrary to the Deputy AGs assertion that abolishing the death penalty would lead to increased murders, research had shown that countries that had outlawed the penalty had recorded low crime rates, including murder. He said it was, therefore, time to take that punishment from the statute books, even if it would take the introduction of Private Members Bill. "And I hope my Private Members Bill on this subject gets the necessary support to settle this matter." The National Campaign Coordinator for Amnesty International, Samuel Abotse, also expressed disappointment at the position of the Deputy AG Nominee and said, ...We would have loved that hes with us, but then we are not disturbed at all. In any case, weve gone past the view expressed by him because we have met the President, already. And then, the President has bought into our proposal, that is to amend Criminal Offences Act 29, Section 46 and related offences (like) the death penalty, out of our criminal books. 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 second edition of the ATU Africa Innovation Challenge was today launched by the African Telecommunications Union (ATU). ATU made the announcement in Nairobi-Kenya, in a virtual ceremony hosted with competition partner-the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Announcing the initiative, Secretary-General of the ATU, Mr John OMO said: This initiative will be instrumental in supporting institutional solutions that will boost innovation in Africa and address some of the challenges facing the African community. The ATU Africa Innovation Challenge is a programme that seeks to provide both short and long-term solutions and opportunities to the African Youth. This years competition, themed, Best ecosystem practices in Africa enabling youth ICT innovation, will run from 15th June to 28th September 2021. The competition, sponsored by Huawei (title sponsor) and Intel Corporation, is open to all ecosystem stakeholders such as regulatory authorities, entrepreneurial support organizations, incubators, accelerators, or institutions such as colleges or universities from Africa. African organizations and institutions that have created an enabling environment for youth ICT innovations to thrive are eligible to participate. The winning entity will be awarded USD 10, 000 aside from their practice gaining recognition as the best ecosystem practice in Africa enabling youth ICT innovation. I want to thank our sponsors especially the headline sponsor Huawei for once again demonstrating their commitment to promote innovation and the wider ecosystem in Africa, said John OMO. Honourable Dr. Peya MUSHELENGA, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Namibia who was the chief guest for the event, applauded the two organizations for the initiative and acknowledged the significance of public-private partnerships in promoting development. The collaboration between ATU, Huawei, and other partners is a tool delivered to our hands. Let us use it to generate sustained economic growth in Africa, he said. ITU is proud and pleased to partner with ATU for this particular Challenge as it aligns with our vision for inclusion of youth in digital transformation. Youth innovators are centrally placed to ensure sustainability of innovation in Africa, and they need an enabling environment that fosters and nurtures innovation for them to thrive, said Mr. Stephen BEREAUX from ITU, a specialized United Nations agency responsible for all matters related to information and communication technologies. The inaugural ATU Africa Innovation Challenge that took place in 2020 recognized and awarded 11 finalists across Africa who had developed mobile applications helpful in benefiting Africas fight against COVID-19 and its effects. Egypts Mai Nagy topped the competition, followed by Mr. Abdinoor Yerrow from Kenya and Ms. Bequerelle Matemtsap Mbou from Cameroon. Other countries that made it to the top 11 were Zimbabwe, Senegal, Lesotho, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Benin, and Tanzania. Reflecting on the first Innovation Challenge and the anticipated benefits of the second innovation Challenge, the title sponsor for the Challenge for two years in a row, Mr Samuel Chen, Vice President for Huawei Southern Africa Region highlighted the strong partnership with ATU and noted that: Huawei is committed to developing innovations that bring the benefits of technology to all alongside supporting and enabling innovation and digital ecosystem development in Africa by Africans through training and partnerships alongside infrastructure and digital services. Participants will be required to submit (via the ATU website, www.atuuat.africa) a unique practice that has created an enabling environment for youth ICT innovation to thrive together with success stories of two innovators that are beneficiaries of the practice. The practice must be an original idea/concept developed by the ecosystem stakeholder and must have been successfully implemented (and running) for a minimum of one year. It can be in the form of a policy, an initiative, or a programme. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Leader of the #FixTheCountry campaign, Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor has been heavily condemned by the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe ( a.k.a Abronye) for using his platform to champion the agenda of former President John Mahama. Kwame Baffoe, in an address on Asempa FM show, revealed that the leader of the group, Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor is against the government of President Akufo-Addo because he was once a Presidential staffer under the administration of Mr. Mahama and has stronger ties with the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The NDC, according to the NPP Regional Chairman, was paying the leader of the #FixTheCountry campaign GHC20,000 as monthly salary under the Mahama regime. For this reason, Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor, according to Kwame Baffoe, has made it an agenda to hide behind the #FixTheCountry campaign and confuse Ghanaians who dont know his political background. Today that you are not working in government, you are calling for 'fix the country'. Did you ever think about the masses when you were in the position to help them?, Kwame Baffoe quizzed. He advised Ghanaians to come to the realization that Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor is crying for his f**king stomach. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former Deputy General Secretary of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Baba Jamal says the National Chairman of his party, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo did not err when he said that former President John Dramani Mahama offers direction in the party. According to The Informer Newspaper's Monday, June 14, 2021 edition, recent utterances by the National Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo have strongly pointed to the fact that he is not really in charge of the party as demanded by the partys Constitution. Mr Ofosu Ampofo is reported to have said that he and the party look up to former President John Dramani Mahama for instructions and direction regarding the activities of the party. Reacting to The Informer publication on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the former Member of Parliament(MP) for Akwatia Constituency said that the National Chairman of the NDC at all times is the leader of the party until a Presidential Candidate is elected to lead the party into a general election. If you come to the NDC, at all times, the Chairman of the party is the leader of the party until we vote for a Flagbearer. The moment we vote for a Flagbearer, he or she becomes the leader of the party. If he wins an election to become the President, he continues to be the leader of the party, but if he or she does not win the election, the leadership of the party revert to the National Chairman of the party," he explained. He reiterated that since former President John Dramani Mahama was not successful in the 2020 general election, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo per the partys Constitution is the leader of the party. He, however, pointed out that the reporter of The Informer Newspaper was not wise enough to understand the statement of the NDC National Chairman when he said that the party looks up to John Mahama for inspiration and directions as the only surviving former President of the NDC and also in terms of experience. What Ofosu Ampofo said is simple logic. He premised what he said on the fact that John Mahama is the only surviving President of our party and for that matter, we look up to him for inspiration and direction. In terms of experience, John Mahama has it. It only means that as the only surviving President of our party, he has a lot to offer the party and so he respects his opinion and he takes inspiration from him. All of us, we will continue to revere him and it does not mean that he [Ofosu Ampofo] takes instructions from him [John Mahama], he said. Watch video below Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held its 31st summit in Brussels on Monday. The following are some of the highlights. NATO countries issue communique on China and Russia: The NATO members issued a communique highlighting the threat presented by Russia and the challenges posed by China, following a meeting on Monday. Russias aggressive actions constitute a threat to Euro-Atlantic security," the communique read. On China, the statement said: Chinas growing influence and international policies can present challenges that we need to address together as an Alliance. The statement added that the NATO members "will engage China with a view to defending the security interests of the Alliance. NATO agrees cyberattacks could lead to the invocation of mutual self-defense clause: The leaders of the 30 NATO countries agreed that the impact of significant malicious cumulative cyber activities might, in certain circumstances, be considered as amounting to an armed attack, an assessment that could lead to the invocation of the organizations mutual self-defense clause, Article 5. The countries (reaffirmed) that a decision as to when a cyber attack would lead to the invocation of Article 5 would be taken by the North Atlantic Council on a case-by-case basis, according to a joint statement released during the NATO leaders summit on Monday. Biden says he'll make "red lines" clear to Putin: US President Biden was asked about his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He refused to give details about what he expected the meeting to look like or what topics it might include, but said he will make clear where the "red lines" are. "I'm going to make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate, if he chooses, and if he chooses not to cooperate and acts in a way that he has in the past relative to cybersecurity and some other activities, then we will respond. We will respond in kind," Biden said. NATO backs US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan: NATO leaders largely backed the US decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. Some American allies had griped ahead of the summit that they werent properly consulted before Biden announced he would withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11. Others have questioned how security can be maintained in the country when US troops leave, particularly at Kabul International Airport and at other diplomatic facilities. NATO leaders have also agreed to provide transitional funding to ensure that the international airport in Kabul continues to operate. Biden calls for NATO members to stand up to autocrats and "phony populism": President Biden repeated a call Monday to prove to the world and to our own people that democracy can still prevail against the challenges of our time and deliver the needs of our people. Biden said it was up to Democratic nations to prove to the world that autocracies cannot deliver for their people. He said NATO members must root out corruption, guard against hatred and phony populism, and invest in strengthening institutions that underpin and safeguard our cherished democratic values. 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 Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has called for "greater reforms" of policing in the country in the wake of the murder of another policeman in the line of duty by armed men on Monday. According to him, he has been reliably informed that many police officers were not sufficiently and adequately prepared to protect lives and property, which underscored the need for reforms. He called for more community involvement and participation on the part of the police, and the provision of modern logistics as part of the reforms to enhance the work of the police. "That is why I continuously share the view that as expensive as CCTV cameras would be, it would be the way to go into the future," he said. Book launch Mr Iddrisu was speaking to journalists at the launch of a book titled: My defining moments: A trip from the village to Parliament and beyond, by a former Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Kenneth Dzirasah. In the book, the former Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon and South Tongu chronicles his life experiences from early childhood through to his adult life, capturing intriguing aspects of his life as a lawyer, journalist and politician. Murder of policeman Mr Iddrisu remarks comes on the back of the murder of Lands Corporal Emmanuel Osei of the National SWAT unit and an unidentified woman by suspected robbers who ambushed a vehicle carrying money at James Town, near Korle Bu in Accra on Monday. The police said it had launched a grand security operation to hunt down the suspected robbers. Breakdown of law and order Mr Iddrisu said the murder of another police officer showed that there was gradual breakdown of law and order, and blamed the government for not doing enough to guarantee the safety of police officers. The primary responsibility of the President is the safety and security of the citizens. If what we are reading is anything to go by, then we all must collectively express our disappointment at the Presidency and the handling of matters of personal safety and security, he said. He added: When the police officer who needs to protect the state is not secure, then it leaves much to be desired. While extending his condolences to the bereaved family, Mr Iddrisu further called for calm and restraint in the country while the Minority pushed for reforms in the Ghana Police Service. 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 Former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has taken shots at Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu over his recent comments about President Akufo-Addo's administration. The Minority Leader in Parliament is reported to have said that the recent murder of a Police officer shows there is gradual breakdown of law and order under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo. To him, the government is doing less to safeguard the Police officers. The primary responsibility of the President is the safety and security of the citizens. If what we are reading is anything to go by, then we all must collectively express our disappointment at the Presidency and the handling of matters of personal safety and security, he said, further stating "when the police officer who needs to protect the state is not secure, then it leaves much to be desired". Haruna Iddrisu therefore called for "greater reforms" of policing in the country. "That is why I continuously share the view that as expensive as CCTV cameras would be, it would be the way to go into the future," he added. But Kwamena Duncan isn't enthused about the statements passed by the Minority Leader. "I think the opposition, they have a certain joy that, if something doesn't go right, then it's a bait. Then quickly let's put together and ride over that; let's blame President. Let's blame the government. Let's tell the Ghanaian people that things are out of hand. It must not be so. Opposition doesn't mean you must fan any little thing that happens and magnify it. Opposition is not like that. Opposition is that, yes, these are matters that come with a certain level of concern'', he replied on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'. According to him, it is impossible to find no occurence of crimes in a country. ''Where in the world will it happen that there won't be one or two occurrences of crimes like this in the year?'', he queried. He therefore expected the Minority to offer advice to the government on ways to curb crimes in the nation but not seek to score political points, especially with the murder of the Police officer. ''Some of these things, you wonder, what is the motivating factor? What motivates Members of Parliament that it is just that let's throw in, throw dust, just to blind the people; then eventually, the people will turn their eyes in our direction and then vote us into office? No! We don't do politics this way. Politics must be substantive. It must be matters which border on substantiveness'', he stressed, cautioning ''when you seek to get some political capital out of security matters, then you are not helping the course''. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Said to be one who has the support of the industry, Mark Okraku-Mantey was on June 15 accompanied by some high-profile showbiz personalities as he appeared before the Appointment Committee of Parliament to be vetted following his nomination as Deputy Minister-Designate for Tourism, Arts & Culture. Mr. Okraku-Mantey was accompanied to the vetting at the Parliament House of Ghana by celebrities including musicians Samini, Wendy Shay, Kuami Eugene; renowned playwright and Roverman Productions boss James Ebo Whyte; broadcasters Kwasi Aboagye, Dr. Cann, Franky5, Afia Papabi; artiste manager Bullet; filmmakers Akorfa Ajeani, Socrate Safo; and Anthony Bart, CEO of the Bridge Zone Africa. The vetting which lasted for an hour and twenty minutes saw the nominee answer questions from the committee chaired by Joseph Osei Owusu. Among others, he reiterated his contribution to Highlife music and disagreed with the assertion that the genre is lost in Ghanas industry. He said he has always been around building brands that projected the genre. We have done some in the past. Ive also been part of Mentor as a judge which discovered talents, occasionally, Im on MTN Hitmaker that discovered Kuami Eugene and KiDi, he said. We still enjoy Highlife, we are still producing highlife but it is in a different form for the youth of today. It will be difficult for highlife to die, because most of the music we listen to today, even the dancehall, or other genre of music, they all have the rudiments of highlife. He added: After that generation, we got Ofori Amponsah. If you listen to all these rhythms, you will see that almost everyone comes with different rhythms. You will see that almost everyone comes with a different form of Highlife. So it will be difficult to have a particular type of highlife play for about 20 years. Source: ghanaweb.con Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A swastika is shown on the Baitul Hadi Mosque in Edmonton in this handout photo. Edmonton police say are investigating a string of hateful vandalism after a mosque reported a swastika painted on the building. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Canada 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. Written by Meagan Drillinger Jun 16, 2021 We may earn a commission from affiliate links ( ) Set on the coast of Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido is one of the best worst-kept secrets in all of Mexico. We say best/worst because while it is a far cry from the populated shores of Cancun, Los Cabos, and even Tulum, it is fast on the rise to become the next most popular beach getaway in the country. That's probably because of the number of things to do in Puerto Escondido. For now, tourists who are already in the know flock to its expansive shores to get lost in nature, eat fabulous food, break a sweat, or simply unplug and relax. Puerto Escondido is one of the more populated communities on the coast of Oaxaca, but that's not saying all that much. Still, in recent years, the rise of design hotels and Airbnbs, food markets, and barefoot luxe beachfront restaurants, have started to put it on the map. Puerto Escondido's tourist attractions and things to do make it incredibly special. It has some of the best surf spots in the world, rich wildlife, hot springs, and ancient culture. The destination is at a tipping point, however, before it plunges into the depths of mainstream Mexico. So if you want to visit before it becomes the next "it" spot, you're going to want to go now and check out our list of the top things to do in Puerto Escondido. Note: Some businesses may be temporarily closed due to recent global health and safety issues. Oath of office Sheriff Mark Garton swears in new reserve deputies Adam Zacarias and John Erickson to the Polk County Sheriffs Office on May 11 after the two graduated from the Mid-Valley Reserve Training Academy. Itemizer-Observer DALLAS In the wake of two arrests after a marijuana lab explosion in rural Polk County May 27, the commissioners sought an update from Sheriff Mark Garton on cartel level activity during his monthly update. Jameel Fabela, 29, from Jefferson, and Joel Nielsen, 21, from Corvallis, were arrested and charged with first-degree arson incident to manufacture of cannabiniod extract and unlawful manufacture of marijuana item following a fire in the South Kings Valley Highway area outside of Dallas. Over the next six days, detectives executed multiple warrants, seizing lab production equipment and evidence as well as illegal marijuana products, including a shipping container filled with illegal marijuana product. Numerous jars of finished BHO (Butane Hash Oil) were seized with an estimated value of $100,000. Board Chair Craig Pope sought an update on Gartons observations on the overall situation, what I term cartel-level activity and the overall Oregon Liquor and Licensing Commission with regards to their responsibility to monitoring and managing marijuana grow sights. My observation is marijuana grows are becoming more prevalent. Just last week, June 2, you got to deal with one that should not have been there, a processing facility. Its becoming more apparent and more dangerous in more of the rural community than weve seen before, Pope noted. Garton acknowledged it is challenging dealing with OLCC, just to confirm whether or not a location is a legitimate place to grow. We are seeing an uptick in those types of events. Whats frustrating to people is its not being taking care of quickly, Garton said. Because for a bigger case, it takes time. Theres all these different processes subpoena, search warrant it takes a lot of time to get down. Garton said part of the problem is typically in the past, anything that did happen with marijuana grows, his office could hand off to the Oregon State Patrol marijuana task force that worked across the state. They rarely take anything now, probably based on orders theyre being given. Its being pushed back on local agencies to deal with that, Garton said. He added as the problem of more grow sights pop up, his office does not have the manpower to pursue each one. You cant work that many cases at one time. You have to go in on one at a time, or two, while these others are still occurring. You have the highest priority ones, and look at what is the best outcome were going to get based on the case and make the best decision, Garton said. Especially with courts and DA offices not prosecuting and not getting to court. All those things slow it down. Pope confirmed he was highlighting the discussion during the meeting to be on the record, letting constituents know the limitations of PCSO ability to gather evidence. Pope said in this kind of work, its not a Measure 110 issue, as much as it is about just the restrictions police agencies have on observation and gathering data. Voter-approved Measure 110 decriminalized many controlled substances and allowed subjects to pursue treatment rather than face possession charges. Pope noted a problem with tracking the grow sites is lack of an ability to legally observe operations, be it from public property through 8-foot-tall black fences or from the air via drones. Another problem he pointed out was illegal growers are getting around the law by claiming a legalized crop. This one Im dealing with right now near where I live, theyre saying, well its a hemp grow, Pope said. Well, theres a lot of infrastructure being put in on 20 acres, for a six-month commitment on a piece of land. Pope said theres seemingly a lot of unnecessary water infrastructure being installed and barricades being built around the property put in so you cant see it. You dont need to do that for hemp. Its a crop in the state of Oregon thats legal. You dont need cash. You can bank on it. So why would a hemp crop be treated that way? By the way, hemp is all but done in Willamette Valley, because the market is dead. When you see lots and lots of cash coming in and theyll pay rent with cash, thats not a hemp grow in my experience, Pope said. Garton said the key to investigating these illegal grow sights will be following the money. If you follow the money and turn that off, itll make that hard for them and give us the biggest bang for our buck, Garton said. It takes forensic accounts that we dont have to find and bring in. Thats where you get a business the most, is follow the money. Pope added he fears the consequences of so much cash being handled locally in the illicit operations. This is becoming a serious issue. With the large amounts of cash, suitcases full Im being told, needs to be protected, it can lead to more armed behaviors, Pope said. The leads to challenges of people wandering off to places they shouldnt be. It just makes our communities weaker, more vulnerable all the time. Garton agreed there are challenges. Theres ways around it. We just need to work harder, he said. The Aiken Horse Park Foundations Bruces Field is expanding its facilities, but the growth is taking place without the acquisition of additional land. Because of the Aiken Steeplechase Associations decision to build a new venue for its races, there is more room for additional construction on the equestrian centers property. The inner rail of the former racecourse has been removed, and most of the fencing on the outside of the turf track is gone. Plans call for 10 new barns, with 40 stalls each, to be erected. Bruces Field currently has eight 28-stall barns. At the completion of that project, there will be 624 stalls in permanent structures. Tents now are used to accommodate horses when the existing barns are filled during the competitions held at Bruces Field. Hunter/jumper shows, dressage shows and the LiftMaster Grand-Prix Eventing showcase are conducted there. Bruces Field also has been the site of the Special Olympics South Carolina State Equestrian Show in the past. Barns translate into a better experience for everyone coming to compete here versus being in a tent, said Horse Park Foundation Vice President and Treasurer Tara Bostwick. The 10 new barns also will allow Bruces Field to save money as well as generate more revenue. Its a direct path to economic sustainability for us, Bostwick said. We wont have to rent tents, and well be able to have more competitors here (on the grounds) on a regular basis. Also, when entities such as Equus Events and The Classic Company Ltd. conduct shows at Bruces Field, well be able to lease more stalls to them, Bostwick added. Work is underway near the Powderhouse Road entrance of Bruces Field to get the first four barns built. Dirt has been moved and concrete for the pads for two of the barns has been poured. The goal is to finish them before the Aiken Fall Festival I and II hunter/jumper shows in September, Bostwick said. The sites for the other six new barns also will be prepared in the near future. But their construction isnt scheduled to begin until next year. Bostwick said she hopes that a few will be completed by May, when the 2022 editions of the two Aiken Charity Horse Shows will be held. Grant Larlee of Larlee Construction in Aiken is in charge of the project. Also involved are Hass & Hilderbrand Inc. of Aiken, Gary L. McElmurray Construction Company Inc. of Beech Island, Bentleys Plumbing and Electrical Company of Aiken and the National Barn Company, which has divisions in Tennessee, Oklahoma and Colorado. Also imminent is the construction of a new 250-foot by 350-foot competition arena, where special events will be held, Bostwick said. It might be ready for use next May. Bruces Field currently has four competition arenas and three schooling arenas. One of the schooling arenas is large enough to be divided into two schooling areas. The new barns and the new competition arena are in the first phase of Bruces Field plan for upgrades. More amenities will be added in the second phase, Bostwick said. They are needed, she believes, for Bruces Field to stay relevant at the national level. U.S. Equestrian, formerly known as the United States Equestrian Federation, is looking at reevaluating how they give licenses to different venues and a lot of it is going to be about the amenities, so theyre really important, Bostwick said. In the Southeast, Bruces Field is in competition with the World Equestrian Center in Florida and the Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina to attract the top riders and horses. To provide funding for the Bruces Fields improvements, the Horse Park Foundation has launched a capital campaign known as The Next Chapter. We are in the quiet phase now, Bostwick said. Initially, the Horse Park Foundation would like to raise $5 million. The novel coronavirus pandemic delayed the campaigns start. We were making plans back in 2019, and we were going to trigger it in the spring of 2020 during our Aiken Charity Horse Shows, Bostwick said. But because of the economic uncertainty at the time, it wasnt appropriate to go and ask people for money. For more information about the Horse Park Foundation and Bruces Field, visit aikenhorsepark.org. Bruces Field is at the corner of Powderhouse Road and Audubon Drive. The Aiken Summer Classic I hunter/jumper show began Wednesday at Bruce's Field and continues through Sunday. The Aiken Summer Classic II show is scheduled for June 23-27. Both shows are open to the public. 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. COLUMBIA The State Law Enforcement Division has set up a tip line for help in solving the slayings of Paul Murdaugh and his mother Maggie, members of a powerful family from Colleton County. Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and her son, Paul, 22, were found fatally shot shortly after 10 p.m. June 7 at the familys extensive property on Moselle Road in Islandton. "While SLED continues to pursue all leads in this active and ongoing joint investigation, we want to provide a centralized avenue for any member of the public to use to provide us with information related to this case," the agency said June 16, nine days after the slayings were reported. It set up the hot line, 803-896-2605, and plans to operate it around the clock. SLED continues to refuse to provide the public with the incident report in the case, which is a public record under South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act. Moncks Corner, SC (29461) Today Thunderstorms. High 84F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. As Charleston-area employers look to recruit and retain talent in a post-pandemic environment, making the workplace more adaptable is on their radar, results of a new survey of pay and benefits practices in the region show. "The theme I would say that's emerging is flexibility," said Jacki Renegar, director of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce's Center for Business Research, which conducted the survey. The definition of flexibility can vary by industry, but one notable change logged in the group's survey was the percentage of employers that said they have work-from-home options, Renegar said. About 60 percent of respondents indicated they have a telecommuting policy in place. The same figure was 20 percentage points lower for non-manufacturing employers in the chamber's 2019 study. The share of manufacturers offering work-from-home has doubled since then. Another 8 percent of manufacturers and 9 percent of other firms in the region indicated that they're thinking about adding work-from-home options. Anecdotally, Renegar said, many area employers that switched to remote work for health reasons during the peak of the pandemic seem to be trying out hybrid work models now. Another policy to watch as employers consider more flexibility for workers is subsidized child care, which isn't a common benefit in the Charleston region. It's an employer-subsidized benefit for 8 percent of manufacturers in the tri-county and 2 percent of other employers, according to the 2021 survey. The results were gleaned from responses from 96 employers in the three-county area representing about 40,000 workers, which is the highest response rate the chamber has had for its compensation assessment. The respondents came from a range of sectors, including business services, leisure and hospitality, government, nonprofits, construction, education and healthcare. Manufacturing was represented more than any other single sector, accounting for about a third of the respondents. Responses were gathered in April and early May. This year's survey showed local employers had returned to a standard 3 percent to 3.5 percent raise for employees, compared to a higher-than-normal 5 percent pay increase for hourly workers and 4 percent for salaried employees logged in the 2019 survey, when the Charleston area had a historically low unemployment rate and nearly all industries were feeling the tight labor market. Renegar said firms are again complaining of a lack of available labor, and it's possible those pay increases could go up again. Employers reported a "lack of or too few applicants" as the top concern facing their workplace. For manufacturers, that was followed by soft skills, like punctuality and attitude, and, for other employers, wage expectations were ranked right below a shortage of applicants. Workers in the Charleston metro made an average hourly wage of $24.43 as of May 2020, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics earlier this month. That's about 10 percent below the national average of $27.07. 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! Tri-county employers have beefed up their 401(k) programs, Renegar said, a move that's likely more about retention than recruitment. The vast majority, about 92 percent, of local firms said they have 401(k) plans, and three-fourths offer dollar-for-dollar matches, with the most common match being up to 3 percent. Organizations were also asked about a couple COVID-19-related workplace policies, including whether they are requiring workers to get a coronavirus vaccine to be allowed to work on-site. Zero manufacturers and just 2 percent of other employers said they're mandating COVID-19 shots. With employers in the region reporting a lack of applicants, firms "don't want to put obstacles in the way" of potential candidates, Renegar said. Incentives for getting the vaccine were more common. About a quarter of manufacturing employers and 17 percent of other respondents have them. Employers were also asked for the first time if they have a diversity, equity and inclusion policy. More than three-fourths of Charleston-area manufacturers said they do, and just over half of other employers reported having one, with another 21 percent saying they're considering it. Diversity and inclusion policies are likely to become even more prevalent in the coming years, Renegar said. Employers were "really hungry to get" this year's compensation study, said Robin Willis, an associate vice president at the chamber. Emerging from COVID-19, many firms are taking stock of where they are, evaluating how the pandemic changed their workplace and deciding which changes should be long-term. Renegar said it's become clear that workers are no longer just looking at the pay and benefits of a job. They value amenities and flexible policies, too. That's also what Daniel Guttentag, director of the College of Charleston's Office of Tourism Analysis, found when he specifically surveyed job seekers and employers within the hospitality industry this spring. The tourism sector has been experiencing the region's most acute labor issues, and workers have their pick of jobs. Candidates value things like commute times and free parking more than hospitality employers seemed to realize, the surveys showed. When job opportunities abound, Guttentag said, workers are going to look for the "whole package." The State Ports Authority expects a new distribution site in the Pee Dee region will increase the amount of agricultural goods sent overseas from Charleston, even as such exports nationally are coming under pressure from global shipping trends. Minneapolis-based Northwest Grains International said it will build a $2.5 million transload site adjacent to the SPA's inland port in Dillon, where crops will be transferred from trucks to containers and sent on CSX freight trains to Charleston to be shipped to China and other markets. The Carolinas-grown commodities that will be sent through the facility include soybeans, peanuts, cotton, cotton seed and yellow peas. The Dillon site along Interstate 95 will open in time for soybean season this October and will employ as many as 10 workers. "Agricultural exports are an area where we need to grow significantly," said Jim Newsome, the SPA's president and CEO. He added that demand from overseas customers coupled with the size of the market could propel agricultural exports past plastic resins, which account for about 50,000 20-foot shipping containers per year. Northwest Grains is expected to ship about 1,000 cargo boxes annually from the Pee Dee site, which opened in 2018 to give companies along the I-95 corridor quick access to the Charleston waterfront. At least one other company is opening a Carolinas transload facility to help farmers get their crops overseas. Omaha, Neb.-based Scoular announced a partnership in January with the Port of Wilmington to export North Carolina-grown soybeans from that site. Micah Mallace, the SPA's vice president of sales and marketing, said Northwest Grains will provide an export alternative to North Carolina and South Carolina growers who've traditionally had to rely on domestic sales. Farmers in the interior U.S. have said that crushing import boom has made that side of the business more challenging. At a hearing in Washington, D.C., on July 15, maritime experts said shipping lines are leaving agricultural exports behind so they can instead send empty shipping containers back to Asia. 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 pandemic-driven boom in imports of consumer goods to the U.S. has left an Asian manufacturer with a shortage of the steel cargo boxes needed to send their products overseas. So, instead of sending an empty container to the Midwest so it can be loaded with crops, shipping lines are taking those containers to Asia where they can make more money. Shipping lines are getting as much as $12,000 per box for Asian exports compared to $800 in freight charges for U.S. agricultural exports, Alexis Jacobson, accounts manager for BOSSCO Trading, told a U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee. "Too often, U.S. agriculture and forest products are left stranded here in the U.S., unable to be delivered to foreign markets," she said, adding U.S. exporters are reporting, on average, a loss of 22 percent in sales. "They choose to cancel or deny (agricultural) export bookings to favor those empty containers away from the United States." Pre-pandemic, typically 65 percent of containers on a ship from the U.S. to Asia were loaded. That number is now 50 percent or less, Jacobson said. "There is some truth that ocean carriers will carry fewer containers of American exports than they otherwise would have in order to get empty containers more rapidly back to Asian ports to fill with higher-value import loads," Daniel B. Maffei, chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, told the subcommittee. John Butler, CEO of the World Shipping Council, said data doesn't back up the agricultural exporters' claims. He told the subcommittee that U.S. shipments of soybeans, corn, tree nuts, beef, wheat and chicken are at record levels and the large numbers of empty containers moving back to Asia is a reaction to trade imbalances. "When overall U.S. import volume surges and overall U.S. export volume remains relatively flat as has been the case since mid-2020 this results in an increase of empty containers in the U.S. that need to be repositioned to overseas locations to be filled with U.S. import cargo." If that didn't happen, he said, "U.S. importers would not be able to meet the demands of U.S. businesses and consumers that purchase those imported products." There is no shortage of empty containers at the Port of Charleston port Newsome said about 10,000 were available at the Wando Welch Terminal earlier this week but the demand for imports means shipping lines no longer want to wait for those boxes to move to the Midwest and back for farm exports that don't pay as well. "I understand what the shipping lines are doing they need the boxes back in Asia," Newsome said. "Someone told me today about freight rates of $15,000 (per container) from Asia to the U.S. Who's going to turn that down?" RIDGEVILLE Volvo Cars will invest another $118 million at its Lowcountry plant to add production of a high-performance, electrified sport utility vehicle for the brand it co-owns with China's Geely Holding Group, the companies announced June 16. The Polestar 3 SUV will be built on Volvo's current production line, which now makes the S60 sedan. Polestar isn't announcing details of its new vehicle's design except to say it will have a futuristic look with an emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency. It will be the brand's first vehicle built in the U.S. and aims to compete with the Jaquar I-Pace and Tesla's Model X. "From now on, the USA is no longer an export market but a home market," Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said in a written statement. "I remember the great response when I first shared Polestars vision here in the USA, and I am proud that our first SUV will be manufactured in South Carolina." The first Polestar 3 will roll off Volvo's production line near Ridgeville in 2022. Polestar did not say how many vehicles it will produce each year at the Berkeley County plant off Interstate 26. The vehicles are aimed at U.S. buyers, but the company said it also might export some to foreign markets. The carmaker said it will also build the Polestar 3 in China for that market. "Production in the USA makes procurement more efficient, reduces delivery times and will even have a positive impact on the price of the Polestar 3 SUV," Polestar chief operating officer Dennis Nobelius said in a written statement. "All of this makes the brand even more competitive in the critical American sales market." Polestar said the new vehicle will include "industry-leading connectivity features" based on Google's Android system "as well as high-end, safety-focused autonomous driving features." The Polestar 3 is expected to be the first electrified vehicle that Volvo will produce in the United States. The Ridgeville plant will add its top-selling XC90 SUV, to be available in both electric and hybrid versions, to a second production line in 2023. 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! "Our South Carolina team has done a remarkable job ... readying the plant for the next generation of electrified Volvo cars," Javier Varela, senior vice president of industrial operations and quality for Volvo, said in a written statement. "Now, with the contract to produce the fully electric Polestar 3, we continue to expand our manufacturing operations for electrified vehicles." The Ridgeville plant has produced limited-quantity cars engineered by Polestar in the past. In 2019, for example, the site built 20 high-performance, 415-horsepower S60s featuring a special matte grey finish selected by Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson. A similar Polestar limited-edition S60 built in 2018 sold out of its 20-vehicle allotment in 39 minutes. Polestar also said it will expand its U.S. retail presence, with 25 showrooms in large metro areas by the end of 2021. The news of Polestar's manufacturing expansion follows the recent announcement that the company raised $550 million from a group of long-term external investors in April. The Polestar addition will bring Volvo's total investment to $1.2 billion at the Ridgeville plant, which was announced in 2015 and produced its first vehicle in 2018. The Ridgeville site employs about 1,500 people and expects to have as many as 4,000 workers once the next-generation XC90 begins production. Polestar's first model, the Polestar 1, was a hybrid two-door coupe that debuted in 2020. That was followed the same year by the Polestar 2, an all-electric four-door sedan. Polestar has primarily been a European brand to date, selling nearly 15,000 vehicles since the introduction of its first model. Volvo set a May sales record with 13,221 cars sold in the U.S, up 38.9 percent over 2020 and the 12th consecutive month of year-over-year growth for the automaker in the U.S. Year-to-date, Volvo has sold 51,496 cars in the U.S. including 5,064 S60 sedans. Polestar is the electric performance brand co-founded by Volvo and its owner, Geely Holding Group, in 2017. Volvo recently announced that all of its new cars will be battery-powered beginning in 2030. The Lowcountry is privy to a bevy of celebrity sightings these days, from Justin Bieber's wedding in Bluffton to Joe Jonas' run over the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. The latest celebrity to be seen in the area is "Shameless" star Shanola Hampton, who plays Veronica Fisher on the Showtime dramedy. Hampton is from Summerville and attended Summerville High School. She was back in town and posted on her Instagram story videos of her with her grandmother, in a rocking chair on the front porch of her childhood home and getting coffee in her hometown. Sign up for the Charleston Hot Sheet Get a weekly list of tips on pop-ups, last minute tickets and little-known experiences hand-selected by our newsroom in your inbox each Thursday. Email Sign Up! In the video with her grandmother, she asks how many grandchildren she has. The answer is 25, and 30 great-grandchildren. "And who's your favorite?" Hampton slyly asks. "I'm not talking," her grandmother replies with a laugh. Then, Hampton is seen in a rocking chair on her childhood home's front porch with the caption "It's a Southern thing." She said rocking is a favorite pastime of hers and tells a story about how she used to roll down the hill in the front yard. "I love being home," she adds. Hampton chose Coastal Coffee Roasters for her June 15 coffee outing, proclaiming she plans to go to a new coffee shop every day she's in town to support local businesses. "This place is so cute, and it was so fun," she shared about Coastal Coffee Roasters. "It's delicious and the girls are so sweet in there." Coastal Coffee Roasters took to their Instagram page to promote the visit as well, including snapshots with Hampton and an autograph she signed for the shop: "We had the pleasure of meeting/greeting & serving this gorgeous lady today! Shanola Hampton, we cant thank you enough for stopping in to visit & for your support of Summerville local small businesses it means more to us than you know!" In a caption that could be reminiscent of her rise to fame from her South Carolina town, Hampton posted a selfie along with the text: "You don't have to say, 'I told you so' with words. A look will do," on June 15. COLUMBIA An arrangement approved June 16 by South Carolinas top court official clears the way for nonviolent Midlands defendants who live with a mental illness to have felony charges dismissed if they agree to receive treatment. The Richland County Mental Health Court was installed nearly 20 years ago. But unlike other agencies, the program was overseen entirely by the county probate judge. The latest change approved by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Beatty hands supervision over to the 5th Circuit Solicitors Office. That falls more in line with similar mental health courts in four other counties, including Charleston. The new arrangement allows prosecutors to offer to drop the most serious charges facing defendants, including felonies. Under the probate court, that incentive did not exist, and likely contributed to lower participation, said Hans Pauling, an assistant 5th Circuit solicitor. It became an issue with getting referrals because (defendants) didnt always see the benefit, Pauling said. There would be no carrot at the end. Richland Countys program is available to defendants with an identifiable mental illness without any violent offenses on their record. Qualifying defendants are typically referred by a judge, through agreements arranged by prosecutors and defense attorneys. The shift in Richland is the latest effort by the states law enforcement officials to offer diversions for nonviolent offenders who live with disorders like addiction or mental illness. Lawmakers passed the Mental Health Court Program Act in 2015. Horry and York then opened their own courts, under the administration of the local solicitors. Greenville and Charleston already had their own courts. More recently, Jamal Sutherlands death in sheriff's custody in January renewed debates around how law enforcement cares for people with mental illness. Sutherland died after deputies at the Charleston County jail jolted him with a stun gun and pressed into his back. The 31-year-old Goose Creek resident had been treated for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder since he was a teen. State Sen. Gerald Malloy, a Hartsville Democrat, helped draft the legislation around mental health courts. He said the states jails have swelled with defendants with mental illness who dont receive the help they need. We treat them as common criminals, Malloy said. Whats really needed is treatment more than incarceration. Richland County which also offers diversionary programs for addicts, the homeless and veterans opened its mental health court with the state Supreme Courts permission in 2003. But court rules gave broad administrative authority to the probate court, and have sat mostly unchanged since. Solicitor Byron Gipson said he eyed the change soon after he took office in 2019, before the pandemic caused delays. His office, with an overall operating budget of roughly $4 million, employs three full-time employees to help coordinate the circuits diversionary programs. As it stands, Richlands mental health court is equipped to handle no more than 30 cases at a time, Probate Judge Amy McCulloch said. She and others said they hope the new rules will provide a boost to participation. But McCulloch stressed that caseloads must not exceed levels that staff are capable of handling: The treatment couldnt be compromised just to serve more people. Richland defendants referred by a magistrate or municipal court judge must participate in the program for no fewer than three months. Upon completion, because those lower courts only handle minor offenses, charges are automatically dismissed. Referrals from circuit court, which handles felonies, require defendants participate for at least a year. COLUMBIA The city of Columbia has banned the practice of licensed therapy and counseling that seeks to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors, citing its opposition by many in the medical community as ineffective and harmful. While 20 states and numerous local governments throughout the country have banned the practice, Columbia is the first city in South Carolina with such a measure, said Jeff March, president of SC Pride, a LGBTQ advocacy group. The state has no similar law on the books. Council members in South Carolina's second-largest city also passed a resolution asking state lawmakers to ban so-called conversion therapy on LGBTQ youth. The ordinance makes the practice by licensed counselors or therapists in Columbia a civil violation punishable by a $500 fine. Council members said they had received numerous calls and emails from those both supportive of and opposed to the ban, and their vote was split. Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine, who proposed the ban, and council members Howard Duvall, Sam Davis and Will Brennan voted in favor of the ban. Councilmen Daniel Rickenmann and Ed McDowell joined Mayor Steve Benjamin in opposing the ban. Devine and Rickenmann are vying to succeed Benjamin as mayor this year. "The harm that has been done by conversion therapy methods has been documented," Devine said. "But there has not been anything that proves this therapy does what it purports to say it does." Benjamin, who previously announced he was not seeking a fourth term, voted for the resolution asking for a statewide ban, saying it appropriately stated the city's opposition to the practice without issuing fines. Rickenmann was the only council member to oppose both the conversion ban and the resolution for a statewide law, saying it should be a family's decision. The ban passed a first vote May 4, but city officials spent the past six weeks considering public comments on the issue and the potential legal ramifications. Numerous callers ahead of the vote June 15, including pastors; a Sunday school teacher; and Mark Smith, president of Columbia International University, urged the council to vote against the ban, saying in general that it violated constitutional protections on religious freedom. Columbia International is a private Christian institution of about 1,000 students on Monticello Road. Duvall said those who cited religious reasons for opposing the ban either didn't understand the ordinance or seem to have not read the document, noting that it deals only with licensed practitioners and doesn't restrict religious groups. "Most of the pastors in South Carolina are not licensed practitioners," Duvall said. "The practice of conversion therapy has been shown to be a terrible practice on young adults." Callers who supported the ban cited the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association and other groups that have said the therapy is ineffective and can cause psychological and physical harm to LGBTQ minors. Dylan Gunnels, a former City Council candidate and founder of Agape Table, a Columbia nonprofit aimed at addressing the lack of LGBTQ inclusion in churches, told council a second time about continuing trauma from experiencing conversion therapy at age 15. S.C. United for Justice and Equality, a coalition of dozens of LGBTQ organizations throughout the state, issued a statement praising Columbia's ban. State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Boiling Springs, introduced a bill in the Statehouse before the General Assembly adjourned seeking to override the city's ordinance. He also wrote to Attorney General Alan Wilson, a Republican, on May 13 asking the state's top lawyer to intervene and challenge the city's proposal as unconstitutional. A spokesman for Wilson on June 15 had no further comment beyond acknowledging have received the letter in May. A federal appeals court in November struck down two similar local bans passed in Florida, siding with two therapists who brought the case who argued the rules violated free speech rights. A federal judge in 2019 threw out a lawsuit challenging Marylands ban on the practice of conversion therapy on minors. COLUMBIA Standing resolute in front of the S.C Statehouse, a monument forged of disassembled stainless steel pipes was unveiled June 16 at the corner of Main and Gervais streets. The Architecture of Strength, a monument to the women of Columbia, was not placed at the states intersection of politics and commerce on a whim, said Ann Warner, chief executive of the Womens Rights and Empowerment Network. This monument, which artist Deedee Morrison designed as the figure of woman who is rising, who is becoming visible," as a "challenger to the White male power structure (that) looms large across our state, said Robin Waites, executive director of Historic Columbia. The Columbia City of Women, which is a joint initiative of WREN and Historic Columbia, aims to, as the groups said it, "put women on the Columbia map." Columbia City of Women partnered with One Columbia, the city's arts advocates, to complete the Architecture of Strength. We believe in the power of moving through a city that recognizes women's achievements, Warner said. Our goal is to tell their stories, celebrate their successes and seek to put their names in Columbia's landscape. By doing this, we connect residents of all backgrounds to the impact of women on our city and inspire a future generation of leadership. Columbia City of Women has worked for the past three years and has already honored more than 20 women, Warner said. The first monument to women in the city of Columbia was installed in 1912 to commemorate the South Carolina women of the Confederacy, Waites said. She said it was designed and paid for my men, and that the women it was meant to celebrate rejected it. "The United Daughters of the Confederacy rejected calls for this type of memorialization, believing that it was not indicative of their civic accomplishments, and would adversely affect the growing movement for women's suffrage, Waites said. This 1912 monument was designed to keep women down." The city of Columbias website states that only 4 percent of Columbia's landmarks are specifically named for women. About 10 percent of public art representing historical figures in the United States are of women, according to the Smithsonian American Art Museum. I cant imagine how I might have conceived of myself and my possibilities if, in my formative years, I had moved through a city where most things were named after women and many or most of the monuments were of powerful, successful, honored women, said Rebecca Solnit, who co-authored the book "City of Women." Morrison hopes this monument will encourage acts of belonging and inclusion, Waites said. On March 2, a historic marker and stone monument were unveiled on the same corner to commemorate a 1961 Civil Rights protest. Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin hopes to line the street with monuments representing a much more 21st century vision of what the city and what the state is." Correction: This story has been updated with the correct last name of the artist who designed the monument. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High around 85F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. On June 10, the area around West Columbias State and Meeting streets bustled. New Brookland Tavern cranked closer to pre-pandemic crowds with a concert headlined by Charlestons Babe Club. Up Meeting Street, the parking lot at WECO Bottle and Biergarten was characteristically full and overflowing onto the side streets. The fine dining restaurant Terra also boasted an ample crowd at the corner of State and Meeting, seeming to continue the two particularly strong months of business that chef-owner Mike Davis told Free Times about in May. Circumstances at the areas two recent newcomers were no different. Ds Wings recently opened behind New Brookland and Terra on June 3, moving less than a mile from its original location at Cayces Parkland Plaza. It had a 30-minute wait for a table on June 10, and the bar was full. The brewery and restaurant Savage Craft Ale Works, which sits just a little further back behind State Street, was busy too, as it typically has been since opening in January. This growth and activity comes to a snug area, with stalwarts (New Brookland, Terra, Cafe Strudel, State Street Pub) packed in with a couple other newer-comers (the restaurant Palate, the cafe The Hideout in Weco) along State Street, and the French-ish bistro Black Rooster tucked into the Brookland apartment complex that extends from State to Alexander Road down by the Congaree River. It begs the question: Is there room for all these businesses? Area owners and stakeholders responded to Free Times with a resounding yes. (Im) clearly not worried, said Billy Rentz, the longtime owner of Ds Wings. I wouldn't have done this. Customers supported us in the plaza for so long, I hope theyll support us three-fourths of a mile down the street. Ds new space has a lot to do with that optimism, as its location, tucked between Savages shiny new brewery and the string of State Street facing spots, seems readymade to draw in visitors to the area. Beyond that, Ds has done little to change its long-standing formula for success. With a capacity between 130 and 140, it seats about the same amount as the former location. The new spot has 30 draft taps and offers up a menu that is mostly unchanged from what the 27-year restaurant had before. The areas growth is helping the established spots as well. Terra has received increased foot traffic, owner Mike Davis reported. Rentz suggested each business fills a separate niche, echoing the sentiment that West Columbia Mayor Tem Miles expressed to Free Times in January. Were not competitors, Rentz said. Well serve the same customers, but well serve them (different) things. Savage Craft has its own beer and their own food thing, he continued. Terra has their own thing. My place is where you get a pint of beer and some wings and watch a game. Something more casual. Despite this optimism and the encouragingly strong early returns, concerns linger about the areas lack of parking. That comes despite heavy efforts by the city of West Columbia to expand parking in the area. Recently, city leaders held meetings with business owners, Davis said, and hes optimistic things will be done to help alleviate the issue. Parking has definitely been a challenge. We offer valet for the guests. If we didnt, we would probably be sunk, Davis added. He said it was too early to say whether more parking was needed, but believed it would ultimately end with that result. "We're all for the neighborhood being business and for an increase in business," Davis reasoned. "We just want it to be done smartly and for there to be an infrastructure in place for that." In an interview before Ds Wings opening, Rentz acknowledged there were parking concerns, but noted the citys efforts to expand it and his restaurants resiliency to those issues. Everyone is concerned about the parking clearly, he said. As far as lunch is concerned, were really the only place open for lunch over there. Carlin Thompson, promotion/marketing coordinator and audio engineer at New Brookland Tavern, viewed the growth as mostly positive for the music venue and surrounding area, with foot traffic from Savage Craft helping since the brewerys opening. But the venue has had customers complain about the lack of parking. New Brookland plans to have drone photos taken to help communicate to attendees where they might park, though Thompson said that he also hopes more parking options will be made available. The biggest issue weve run into is that theres no parking anywhere, he explained. It's not that the area is oversaturated, theyre just not sure where to go. Tim James, president of the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce, emphasized that while the area might appear to have just started happening, the current wave of businesses comes after years of planning. He cited the decision in 2017 to purchase the former city hall and surrounding properties for business growth and parking. James posited that some of the area's initial parking issues were alleviated by increasing public awareness of their options and that continues, like the paid parking at the former Thompson Funeral Homes lot and the free parking garage inside the Brookland apartments complex. The most important (part) was educating the patrons on where to park, James said. It's a little bit of a change in our mind and in our way of doing things, but again these are things that the city has put in place. The last thing the city would want to do is to draw a business that would go out of business. GREENVILLE A Chinese manufacturer that specializes in automotive acoustics plans to hire 116 people in Greenville County as it becomes the first tenant of a new business park in Fountain Inn. The announcement that Gissing North America would be launching production at the 200,000-sqaure-foot "Building One" of the Fox Hill Business Park came June 16 during the annual meeting of the Greenville Area Development Corporation (GADC), which itself is celebrating its 20th anniversary of operations in Greenville County. The GADC is the economic development wing of Greenville County, tasked with recruiting employers to the area. Gissing, which has 14 facilities in Asia, Europe and North America, will be making an $18.7 million investment at Fox Hill. A second facility in Sumter is among Gissing's six locations in the United States. The company's products reduce noise and vibrations throughout vehicles from the wheel well to the trunk and customers include BMW, Ford, GM, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda, according to an announcement from the GADC. A GADC spokesman said Gissing expects to move in to Fox Hill by late fall, and production will be going by early 2022. The New York-based chief executive officer of Gissing North America, Claudio Calado, joined the GADC meeting from the road by video link. Calado, a German-educated polyglot who also speaks Spanish and Portuguese, said his company's history traces back to 1993 with a plant in Wuxi, China. Gissing already has a hearty manufacturing presence in the Midwest and in Mexico and was looking for a stronger foothold in the Southeast, he said. "I'd like to thank the GADC and the state of South Carolina for the incredible job and their efforts and their diligence in walking us through this process and making making us feel at home even though we haven't officially come to Greenville County," said Calado. Gissing North America was established in 2016 after the company invested in ConForm Automotive, which produces textiles for car interiors. Brian Sudler, principal of The Sudler Companies, said recruiting Gissing to Greenville County was the result of close collaboration with Greenville County, the GADC and the state's commerce department. Sudler's firm owns and operates Fox Hill Business Park. "We are just elated to have Gissing North America be our first tenant and kicking off the park and really bringing an unbelievably renowned international company to Fox Hill Business Park," Sudler said. Sign up for our Greenville development newsletter. Get all the latest updates on the Upstate real estate market, more openings and closings, exclusive development news and more in your inbox each week. Email Sign Up! Sudler said Fox Hill has also started construction on its second speculative building, which will span 300,000 square feet. The 170-acre park is located just off Interstate 385 in southern Greenville County at 189 Milacron Drive in Fountain Inn. The South Carolina Department of Commerce's Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits for the project, and Greenville County received a $100,000 "set-aside" grant to assist with costs associated with development. A GADC spokesman said a tax incentive deal with Greenville County is also in the works and will be announced at a later date. As part of the June 16 meeting, the GADC's chief executive office, Mark Farris, summarized some of the agency's accomplishments over the past year despite a pandemic that deeply disrupted many sectors of the economy. In 2020, Greenville County announced $631 million in capital investment, a record, he said. The county also announced the creation of 1,422 jobs with mean wages above the county and state average. A recent study found that GADC's activities have an annual economic impact of about $6 billion in Greenville County. "In sum," the study authored by University of South Carolina economist Joey Van Nessen said, "the cumulative impact of all GADC-affiliated business activities between 2001 and 2020 totals over $55 billion." GREENVILLE In a split vote, Greenville County Councils committee of the whole recommended approval of an ordinance that would replace Article 3.1 of the countys land development regulations. If approved twice more over the course of the next two months, the new ordinance would supplant the embattled rule that has become the subject of numerous lawsuits due to vague wording. A judge presiding over the lawsuits has questioned whether Article 3.1 is constitutional. The rule governs how subdivisions are built in the countys 500,000 acres of unzoned land. But the fix the council committee approved by a 7-5 vote June 15 gives local developers more leeway than they requested. At an ad hoc committee meeting June 10, Councilman Mike Barnes introduced an amendment to a proposal by county staff that would have required up to 40 percent of land be left as open space within new subdivisions. Barnes' motion, which the committee agreed to, reduced open space to 30 percent and allowed developers to count clubhouses, swimming pools, utility rights of way and even subdivision streets as part of that open space. Michael Dey, vice president of the Home Builders Association of Greenville told The Post and Courier that even the homebuilders didnt think neighborhood streets should be considered open space. Dey said the HBA was generally in favor of the ordinance but that the group did not suggest the amendments introduced by Barnes. A series of attempts by some council members during the June 15 meeting to change the timeline or amend the proposal failed in a testy meeting where some council members suggested the actions by other council members could open the county up to more legal liability. A group that has coalesced around Chairman Willis Meadows in recent months again held firm, rejecting each attempt to change the proposal by the same 7-5 margin. The two councilmen with the largest share of unzoned areas, Joe Dill in northern Greenville and Lynn Ballard in southern Greenville, found themselves on opposite sides of the vote. Voting with Meadows in favor of the current proposal were council members Barnes, Ballard, Ennis Fant, Xanthene Norris, Steve Shaw, Steve Tzouvelekas. Council members Dill, Chris Harrison, Butch Kirven, Liz Seman and Dan Tripp voted against the current proposal. Their attempts to hold the replacement for two weeks to give time to negotiate, to return to the original plan from county staff, and to send the proposal to the councils planning and development committee and the planning commission each failed by the same 7-5 vote. Harrison, a past member of the planning commission, was shocked that a major change to the countys land development rule may take place without ever passing through the planning and development committee or the planning commission, two county oversight boards that would be directly impacted by the rule change. Its wrong to not even have them get a bite at the apple, a shot at this, Harrison said. Were putting them in a very difficult position. Its wrong. I think a lawsuit is a real possibility if we follow through on this, Kirven said. Dill said, as is, the replacement for Article 3.1 would destroy his community. Sign up for our Greenville development newsletter. Get all the latest updates on the Upstate real estate market, more openings and closings, exclusive development news and more in your inbox each week. Email Sign Up! Now were going to start getting sued by the common people who are afraid youre going to destroy their homes, Dill said. Weve been sued by our own council members though, said Seman, referring to a 2017 lawsuit Meadows brought accusing the council of not following its own rules on a vote to raise fees. Meadows now finds himself on the other side, with council members threatening to sue over the Article 3.1 replacement process. We could do that, its been done before, Dill said. Meadows gaveled the discussion closed. Whatever shape the rule change takes from here, county attorney Mark Tollison said it does take care of the vague wording that currently exists that has caused the county legal headaches ever since it was enacted in 2018. Ballard said afterward the replacement ordinance was a compromise and he had to support the proposal that emerged from the committee he led. He did not commit to supporting it as written when it comes up for second reading, saying the council needed to take another look at the open space provisions, especially that streets were included as open space. Tripp questioned the open space change to the proposal, which he called very pro HBA that would benefit developers. Kirven said it now tilted too far in favor of developers and needed to be reined in. He said the process was rushed and didnt give the council a chance to compare the staff version to the committees version of the change. He said he felt it was being shoved down our throat. Meadows, who first sought to repeal Article 3.1 and then relented to councils desire to replace it instead, said he would have preferred it was more rushed. He said the council has plenty of opportunity to study the ordinance and make amendments over the next two months before it is finalized. Theres a lot of water to go over the dam before we get there, Meadows said. Tripp said he could guarantee the process would be clogged up from here on out." Im telling you the community is not behind this, Tripp said. Were going to get all kinds of grief from the community who see this as a sellout to the HBA. Upstate Forever, the environmental advocacy group, had already sent out an action alert to ask residents to tell the council not to support the weakened replacement ordinance but to support the county staffs version. The ordinance requires a public hearing. Second reading is scheduled for the councils July 20 meeting. The final reading could be held August 17. Fountain Inn will target areas within its city limits where littering is a problem in the coming months as part of the Keep Laurens Beautiful initiative. The push is part of a larger effort in which Laurens County and the cities in it are working to bolster litter ordinances and enforcement. Over the past several months, municipalities have enacted stricter littering laws and the Laurens County Sheriff's Office hired a full-time litter officer. "It's just a signal that all of the municipalities and major players are stepping up and doing our part," said Fountain Inn Mayor GP McLeer. After reviewing its litter ordinances, Fountain Inn determined changes were not necessary to its ordinances. But McLeer said the coming trash pickup efforts, an extension of Palmetto Pride's Keep South Carolina Beautiful program, are new to the Laurens County side of the city. 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! "I think it's going to benefit everyone," he said. "Because Fountain Inn continues to grow that way, too." The effort, which will be organized by the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce, will largely rely on volunteer support to target areas within Fountain Inn and throughout Laurens County where littering is a significant issue. The chamber will bring on a coordinator to manage the initiative. "This points to a larger picture of more coordination and collaboration between Laurens County and the cities," McLeer said. "We've got a lot of newer leadership in each of the cities and towns, and this is one of the many instances I think you're going to see us all working together." A variant of the coronavirus known to spread more quickly that originated in India is the cause of four confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Carolina, though the true count is likely much higher, experts said. Dr. Brannon Traxler, director of public health at the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, said June 16 the health agency has recorded four cases of the Delta variant in the Midlands, Pee Dee and Lowcountry regions. Those four cases have been found through sequencing of samples not only at DHEC's labs, but also at a number of private labs and hospitals. Only a small portion of people who test positive for COVID-19 receive further testing to see which of the virus' strains is responsible for the case. Traxler said she couldn't be sure how many cases have been tested to determine if they are an instance of one of the variants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's modeling predicts about 10 percent of current cases in the United States are the Delta variant. On June 14, the national public health agency named the Delta mutation a "variant of concern." Traxler said although cases of COVID-19 continue to decline in South Carolina, she remains concerned that one or more of these variants could cause another spike. About 40 percent of South Carolinians are fully vaccinated; the vaccines have been proven to be effective even against the new strains. "We realistically could see a surge in cases after that July 4 holiday," Traxler said. "An uptick in cases is simply not the direction we need to be going. We need more people to roll up their sleeves." There has not been an uptick in cases following the Memorial Day holiday. Statewide numbers New cases reported: 86 confirmed, 67 probable. Total cases in S.C.: 492,810 confirmed, 102,500 probable. Percent positive: 2.7 percent. New deaths reported: 2 confirmed, 1 probable. Total deaths in S.C.: 8,619 confirmed, 1,167 probable. Percent of ICU beds filled: 70 percent. Sign up for our new health newsletter The best of health, hospital and science coverage in South Carolina, delivered to your inbox weekly. Email Sign Up! S.C. residents vaccinated DHEC's vaccine dashboard shows that 46 percent of the state's residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Hardest-hit areas In the total number of newly confirmed cases, Horry County (11), Richland County (11) and Spartanburg County (10) saw the highest totals. What about the tri-county? Charleston County had three new cases on June 16, while Berkeley County had five and Dorchester County had two. Deaths Both of the deaths from COVID-19 confirmed June 16 were people age 35 and 64. Hospitalizations Of the 160 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of June 16, 39 were in the ICU and 25 were using ventilators. What do experts say? Traxler also said while it would be nice to know how much of a defense the body mounts after a COVID-19 vaccine, she doesn't recommend getting antibody testing done after vaccination because the tests may not measure the antibodies that the vaccines are meant to induce. "While a positive antibody test result can be used to help identify people who may have had a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, more research is needed in people who have received a COVID-19 vaccination," according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Summerville, SC (29483) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High around 85F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Kingstree, SC (29556) Today Thunderstorms likely. High 81F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Kingstree, SC (29556) Today Thunderstorms. High 81F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain likely. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. SUMMERVILLE A large new mural is gracing the walls of Wood's Ace Hardware. And a team of high school students is behind it. A handful of Fort Dorchester High School students recently spent a small part of their pandemic time completing a mural themed on the azaleas Summerville is known for. "It is a special feeling for our students and teachers to be sought out to share their art in such a public way," said Raymond Aldredge, Fort Dorchester's principal. The idea for the mural started after owners of the business renovated the plant nursery. Sisters-in-law and co-owners Emily and Karmen Wood said they thought about doing a mural to make more out of the space. The two have hosted yoga, pure barre sessions and weekend game events in the nursery. Prior to the mural it was just a giant blank wall on the side of a building. The goal was to make the business feel less like a store and more like a part of the town. We really wanted to encourage a Summerville theme," Karmen Wood said. They connected with Kevin Morrissey, an art teacher at Fort Dorchester High School and local artist. Morrissey's work includes murals at Coastal Coffee Roasters and the Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce office in Summerville. For Wood's Ace Hardware, he gave the owners the option of either having him complete it alone or with students. Because theyre really hungry for something to do outside of school," he said. The owners decided to go with the students as a way to give back to the community. The two made a donation to the school and worked with Morrissey on what the mural would look like. Morrissey said he saw the mural as an opportunity to do project-based learning and real-world work experience. Most of his students have spent their time learning different art theories and techniques without many chances to see what it's like using those skills outside of school. It takes the theory and then combines the application and then gives personal meaning," Morrissey said. A group of Fort Dorchester sophomores, juniors and seniors spent the beginning portion of their spring break finishing the mural. During the painting, students filled out time sheets of their working hours to experience what being a paid artist is like. The students got to see the mural completed from start to finish while adding in their own inputs. By the end of the first weekend of spring break, the students had a completed mural. The finished product includes a ring of azaleas and yellow jessamine South Carolina's state flower. Karmen Wood said she expects people to take photos in front of it when they host weekend events. The mural was designed in a way where people can take photos in front of it without blocking the art. Many are shocked that it was done by high school students," Wood said. Morrissey's students' mural projects haven't just involved the Wood's Ace Hardware project. Kevin Valdez, a rising senior at Fort Dorchester High School, wasn't able to join in with classmates on the azalea mural. But he has worked on a recent solo mural on the high school campus. It's a graffiti-style, spray-paint mural with the words "The Fort" written in huge graphic font. He originally sparked the idea his freshman and sophomore years but never thought it was a possibility. He and his friends are shocked the administration let him do it. I believe it's an outlet where people get to have fun with a vision of their own art," he said. Other businesses curious about potentially partnering with the students on a project can email Morrissey at kmorrissey@dorchester2.k12.sc.us. He would like to make projects like Valdez' and the Wood's Ace Hardware murals a regular opportunity for his students. Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have vaguely referenced the police shooting of North Charleston motorist Walter Scott during his post-summit press conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Speaking to a room full of reporters after meeting with President Joe Biden on June 16, Putin answered a question from a Russian-speaking journalist that broached human rights. The journalist also referenced, indirectly, Biden's earlier comment that he considered Putin to be a "killer." Putin began a long answer that touched on political leaders being responsible when things happen in their respective countries. "In American cities every day, people are killed," Putin said, according to the press conference interpreter. "That includes the leaders of various organizations. You can't say a word about it. You don't have time to say a word and somebody is killed. "I remember that somebody ran away and was shot in the back for example," Putin continued. "But, fine, those are criminal matters. What about Afghanistan? Over 100 people are killed at one time. Let's say it was a mistake. That happens too. From drones or helicopters. Clearly civilians were killed in Iraq. What is that and who takes responsibility for that? Who is the killer?" While it is not a certainty Putin was referring to the Scott shooting, the phone-recorded video of former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager shooting Scott multiple times in the back as he fled a traffic stop and scuffle six years ago was widely disseminated through international news media sources. COLUMBIA The State Law Enforcement Division released details on June 15 of 911 calls made in the deaths of Paul Murdaugh and his mother Maggie, while also confirming police were treating the deaths as murders. Alex Murdaugh called 911 at 10:07 p.m. June 7 to report the deaths of his son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his wife, Maggie, 52, according to a SLED news release. Colleton County sheriff's deputies dispatched to the scene found the mother and son dead of multiple gunshot wounds outside the family's residence at 4147 Moselle Road in Islandton. The Sheriff's Office contacted SLED at 10:28 p.m. to request the agency's assistance in conducting the double murder investigation. SLED Lowcountry Regional agents arrived at 11:47 p.m. and began working with deputies to evaluate the crime scene and take the lead on the investigation. SLED crime scene agents arrived at 12:07 a.m. and worked throughout the morning of June 8 collecting evidence and submitting it to SLED's forensic lab. SLED said agents have been working on the case continuously since arriving that day. "We continue to pursue all leads and the investigation is certainly active and ongoing at this time," according to the release. The agency further said it was "committed to transparency" and will release additional information, including information provided during the 911 call, at "the appropriate time." Colleton County provided a one-sentence report on June 9 from the murder investigation but has not released any other information. The document indicates more information can be found in supplemental reports, but state and county officials have refused to turn those over in violation of the state Freedom of Information Act. Such tactics have become commonplace among some area law enforcement agencies over the last several years. Its a way of hiding public information from the public, particularly when it comes to high-profile murders, rapes and robberies. But such information was made public by the Legislature to help people make informed decisions about safety in their communities and monitor how law enforcement uses their tax money. State lawmakers, in fact, changed the Freedom of Information Act in 1998 to make clear that supplemental reports also are public records, not reservoirs of hidden facts. The amended law requires police to release all reports detailing the nature, substance and location of crimes. Open-records advocates have long argued that the failure to release such details effectively denied people living in the areas of the crimes the ability to know they might be in danger. It also effectively denies police the opportunity to obtain volunteered information from residents who might have seen something, they said. In the Murdaugh case, state and county law enforcement officials have said there is no immediate threat to the public, yet no suspects have been named or arrests made. That has left members of the public confused and on edge, with rumors spreading quickly to fill the void in official information. Still, some police departments have moved away from such secretive tactics. In 2012, Charleston police caught flack for hiding crime details in supplemental reports that they refused to release to the public. City officials insisted there was no policy to do so, but then a memo surfaced in which a top commander instructed officers in how and what to hide. He even erroneously suggested that supplemental reports can be withheld from the public until investigations are completed. The citys police chief vowed to do better, and he did. The department now provides both incident and supplemental reports upon request, generally redacting only personal information such as Social Security numbers or highly sensitive information that could impact a prospective arrest. Most major law enforcement agencies in the Charleston area have taken a similar stance. North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams met with citizens at his second Meet the Mayor event at Summerfield Park on Tuesday. The first Meet the Mayor event was held on Third Thursday in May, an initiative to help residents connect with local businesses. Williams hopes to start close conversations with the public to improve the city. I thought we had good turnout and good questions across the board, something as simple as how come the limbs arent being picked up, to how do we get voters to vote, and how do we improve race relations? We discussed the whole gamut, Williams said. I was appreciative of the questions because they were good questions, and that was a positive; and I thought that everybody was respectful, and I think that the citizens appreciate us coming out, Williams added. North Augusta residents on Tuesday came to speak with Williams as well as Council members Pat Carpenter and David McGhee on the usage of the Flythe property, single-member districts and more. North Augusta resident Richard Adams came to represent Precinct 54 and discuss low voter turnout and the use of single-member districts in local elections. There is a strong degree of apathy here in the entire city, but particularly here in this precinct, so it's just important that as many bodies as we could get to come out here and support this event, Adams said. The residents do not feel like they have equal and fair representation, Adams continued. A lot of people are hopeless, and they feel uninspired and that is a huge reason (and) part of why people did not show up to vote. Council member David McGhee enjoyed listening to residents Tuesday night but hopes for more community involvement in the future. I try to make myself available and talk to people as much as I can, McGhee said. City Council meets regularly on Mondays, starting at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Building off Georgia Avenue. The council will vote on the Riverside Village noise ordinance on Monday. It has all the makings of a classic murder mystery: A prominent small-town attorney comes home late one night to find his wife and 22-year-old son shot to death at the family hunting lodge. The son was awaiting trial on three counts of boating under the influence stemming from a 2019 accident charges that were brought only after the family of the dead woman filed a lawsuit implicating his family and questioning how law enforcement handled the boat wreck. Local police are tight-lipped about the double homicide refusing so much as to release the incident report that recounts the basic who, what, when and where of the crime and they quickly turn the investigation over to the State Law Enforcement Division, saying they have a conflict of interest because the husband works in the solicitors office. SLED releases a single, tantalizing detail: The public, it says, is in no danger. How can the police be so sure the public is not in danger? And why are they being so secretive about a double homicide involving a powerful family? The combination of those two questions feeds rumors and speculation that could be entirely off base, or that could taint a jury once an arrest is made. The information blackout also violates state law. South Carolinas Freedom of Information Act, appropriately, allows police to keep the details of ongoing criminal investigations secret. They dont have to tell us anything that could interfere with a suspects right to a fair trial, identify a confidential source or interfere with a prospective law enforcement proceeding. But the law does require police to release "reports which disclose the nature, substance, and location of any crime or alleged crime reported as having been committed. And more than a week after the June 7 killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, the Colleton County Sheriff's Office and SLED each says the other one has the incident report, and no one has released it. In fact, state law requires more than the normal disclosure procedure for 10 specific types of information, including those police reports. Rather than making people file a written Freedom of Information request and wait for the government agency to get around to providing it, the information must be available anytime the agency is open. Yet when The Post and Courier sent reporters to the sheriffs office and to SLED headquarters, they were turned away. 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! Spokesman Tommy Crosby told the newspaper that SLED would not release any records because the necessary redactions would make them unreadable. Perhaps they would, but thats not SLEDs call. State law demands that the information be released, immediately, adding that Where a report contains information exempt as otherwise provided by law, the law enforcement agency may delete that information from the report. If thats not clear enough, the S.C. Supreme Court spelled it out even more clearly in a 1992 landmark opinion involving SLED, explaining that police in our state have an obligation to provide whatever is left once they redact the information exempt from disclosure under state law. If the legislature had wanted to create a blanket exemption for all criminal investigative reports, regardless of content, it clearly could have done so, the unanimous court wrote. It went on to emphasize that law enforcement agencies do not have carte blanche to deny all FOIA requests for criminal investigative reports. Newberry Publishing Co. v. Newberry County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse is an old opinion, but it hasnt been overturned, and the law hasnt changed in any significant way. (Those four exemptions have since been expanded to seven, providing more detail but no new reasons that would justify withholding the incident report.) Neither has the basis for the law: The public needs to know what its government is doing, particularly about possible threats to the community. SLED issued a statement Tuesday afternoon reiterating its position, and promising to release information "at the appropriate time." That time was more than a week ago. Somebody needs to redact any information in the incident report that is actually exempt under state law and release the report and 911 call; if we cant make sense of it because its so heavily redacted, then so be it. As the court suggested nearly 30 years ago, if police dont like that, their remedy isnt to ignore the law. Its to convince the Legislature to change state law to allow them to hide basic criminal information from the public. On June 7, the Food and Drug Administration approved aducanumab, sold under the brand name Aduhelm, as a new Alzheimers treatment. The medication is designed to slow cognitive decline in those with mild cognitive impairment and early-stage Alzheimers disease. While this is an awesome breakthrough, we need to better understand who gets the treatment and who does not. With a price tag of $56,000 annually (averaging $4,667 per month), most of the population will not be able to afford this monthly infusion that is not without controversy on its effectiveness. Some researchers and scientists question the validity of the positive outcome of the new treatment. Does it really work? While we are ecstatic about the opportunity for new Alzheimers treatments to see the light of day because of this burst of energy with the recent FDA approval, we must be socially responsible in ensuring that all communities will have access to treatments. African Americans are twice as likely to develop Alzheimers but least likely to have the financial resources to access treatment, support and care. Therefore, it is incumbent upon leaders in the Alzheimers research community, such as the Alzheimers Association, to develop a comprehensive road map as to how treatment will be easily accessible to the communities that need it the most. Although uncertainty lies ahead, we are most grateful during this Alzheimers Awareness Month that we have a sliver of hope that one day we will meet the first survivor of Alzheimers disease. MACIE SMITH Gerontology social worker Assembly Street Columbia US flag gives hope During political campaigns, candidates pledge to be unifiers and not dividers. They usually invoke their personal views of what defines Americans. Most would agree that the symbol that best represents our imagined collective views is the American flag. In political ads and public appearances, politicians don flag lapel pins or are photographed with a flag in the background. But once elected, their preferred hue is seldom red, white and blue. Acknowledging that our flag has some scars of historical wrongs, most Americans take pride that more often Old Glory symbolized liberation and a beacon of freedom. Observing this symbol above a municipal or government building gives hope that the promise of unity is really possible. On the other hand, when the rainbow flag is hoisted atop Charleston City Hall on the anniversary of our great naval victory at Midway during World War II, one wonders how a rainbow flag represents all Americans. As the son of a World War II veteran, I have lived through and accepted almost as many changes as my father did. The one thing that he shared with me is that the flag still represents the hope and future of liberty and it should never lose its place above all other symbols on government buildings. ANTHONY JANUSZKIEWICZ Bears Bluff Road 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! Wadmalaw Island Message is lame We now see how the Democrats plan to keep people from illegally crossing our southern border. Send Vice President Kamala Harris to Guatemala and have her say do not come. Brilliant. I cant see what could possibly go wrong. MIKE FREDERICK Meeting Street Charleston VP right on border Vice President Kamala Harris has drawn criticism for not visiting the U.S. southern border with Mexico and instead choosing to visit Guatemala. Gov. Henry McMaster made such a chastisement Monday when Harris visited the Upstate. Perhaps McMaster doesnt realize that when you try to extinguish a fire, you dont point the extinguisher at the flames and smoke. You point it at the source. One of those sources is Guatemala. Another is El Salvador. These are two sources of people migrating toward the U.S. while trying to escape what are essentially corrupt and gangster-ridden countries. Gangs rule or intimidate those who do rule the Central American hideouts from which people, fearing for their lives and the lives of their children, are running. Its reasonable that a stern message (or perhaps a promise of aid) from the vice president of the United States may have some useful impact on the corrupt or frightened figureheads of these dangerous lands. The Biden administration and VP Harris know exactly whats going on in nations to our south, and they know why. GEORGE SPAIN III West Hudson Avenue Folly Beach Mask rule welcome We would like to thank Mayor Will Haynie for keeping Mount Pleasant safe during the pandemic with his mask-wearing mandate. We are sure it protected many from getting COVID-19 and suffering hospitalization or even death. And the hospitals, doctors, nurses and staff likely felt the same way. We urge those who have not received the COVID-19 vaccination to get the vaccine and protect their family and all those they come in contact with. JULIE GAUTREAUX WILSON GAUTREAUX Rice Field Cove Mount Pleasant War reduced parts of Gaza to rubble. It's his job to take it away 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. Pa. found 'forever chemicals' in Berks drinking water. Here's what you need to know Donald Trump sent out this email a few minutes ago: I have accepted the invitation of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to join him on an official visit to our Nations decimated Southern Border on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in U.S history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in U.S history. Its an unmitigated disaster zone. We went from detain-and-remove to catch-and-release. We went from having border security that was the envy of the world to a lawless border that is now pitied around the world. Biden and Harris have handed control of our border over to cartels, criminals, and coyotes. Drug dealers, MS-13 gang members, human smugglers, sex traffickers, and the criminal elements of the world now have free reign. Hospitals and schools are getting crushed and public health is being sacrificed all in service of a radical left anti-borders agenda. Our brave border agents and courageous ICE officers have been illegally stopped from doing their jobs. Our Nation is now one giant sanctuary city where even dangerous criminals are being cut loose and set free inside the U.S interior on a daily basis. If this werent bad enough, Biden and Harris wont even tour the scenes of the wreckage they created, or come down and visit with the Border Patrol and ICE heroes risking their lives to defend our Nation at a time when the White House is doing everything it can to make their job totally impossible. What Biden and Harris have done, and are continuing to do on our border, is a grave and willful dereliction of duty. My visit will hopefully shine a spotlight on these crimes against our Nationand show the incredible people of ICE and Border Patrol that they have our unshakeable support. It will be hard for the press to continue averting its eyes from the border with Trump there. Its a great look: Biden and Harris wont go to the border, but Trump doeson an official visit with the Governor of Texas. And, of course, everything he says in his email is true. Yes, no matter what Yes, but it depends on variety No, for medical reasons, uncertainty No, principle Vote View Results Green Braes Pipes and Drums pipers Neil McCrie (at left) and Heather Campbell play their bagpipes during the conclusion of the D-Day ceremony, June 6. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Tuesday announced that it has awarded a $500,000 (N205 million) co-investment grant through its West Africa Trade & Investment Hub (Trade hub) to PYXERA Global to boost Nigerias agricultural systems and food security pursuit. This was disclosed in a statement by Michael Clements, Trade hubs chief of party. The USAID-funded West Africa Trade & Investment Hub has awarded a $500,000 co-investment grant to PYXERA Global, a not-for-profit with extensive experience designing training and capacity-building programs, to support the launch of its West Africa Agriculture Resilience Program (WAFARP), the statement partly reads. It said the programme will assist 10,000 farmers cultivating rice, maize, and soybean within Nigerias Kebbi, Cross River, and Benue States. According to the statement, these states are focal areas for the Trade Hub in Nigeria, whose work aligns with and supports the mission of the U.S. Governments Feed the Future initiative. It said the smallholder farmers PYXERA Global is assisting have faced numerous challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic, including income loss from not producing crops as planned, and that their challenges have resulted in disrupted market channels and food supply chains. Based on this, Mr Clements said the initiative would be leveraging on the existing agribusiness systems of Dantata Foods and Allied Products Company Limited (Dantata Foods), while PYXERA Global will provide an avenue for smallholders in its programme to increase crop yield and boost their incomes. Nigerias agricultural sector has been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, negatively impacting smallholder farmers and the communities of people who depend on their success in growing crops, Mr Clements said. He said; We are excited about the potential of PYXERA Globals West Africa Agriculture Resilience Program to bolster agricultural systems and expect to co-invest in other such programs as part of our COVID-19 rapid response initiative. Ann Oden, the programmes team lead was quoted to have said; Under the West Africa Agriculture Resilience Program model, we have designed a program that is based on strengthening systems for three agricultural value chainsrice, soybeans and maize, This initiative leverages private sector resources to deliver a strategic program, with the goal of bringing economic prosperity to smallholder farmers while ensuring sustained food security, she said. How the initiative would be implemented Mr Clements explained further that the goal will be achieved by first bringing all the smallholders into Dantata Foods outgrower programme, as the company will both assist the smallholders to increase crops yields and buy from them as well. He said to ensure quality output for the crops it buys, the company will supply the smallholders with quality seeds and other farm inputs. While being supported by PYXERA Global, the statement noted that Dantata Foods will also provide training programs to help the smallholders produce higher-quality crops that command better prices. The crops produced through the program will be taken to Dantata Foods aggregation centers already located in the three target states of Kebbi, Cross River, and Benue, where the smallholders will be paid by the company at prevailing market rates, the statement noted. It said to assist Dantata Foods and the smallholders it is supporting within and outside the program, PYXERA Global, will further fund upgrades to the aggregation centers to allow for state-of-the art cleaning and sorting equipment. Dantata Foods chairman, Tajuddeen Dantata, said, It is our greatest aim to support and improve the livelihood of everyone in the society, especially the underrepresented women and youth in the agricultural sector. Through the program, he explained that the smallholders which will include 50 per cent women or youth are anticipated to produce 25,000 metric tonnes of each of the value chains in the first season and an additional 5,000 metric tons in the subsequent seasons. ADVERTISEMENT The total net income is projected to be $6.72 million and $9.8 million for each respective season, he said. ADVERTISEMENT The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said 17 new coronavirus cases were recorded in Nigeria on Tuesday raising the total infections in the country to 167,095. The NCDC disclosed this on its website Wednesday morning, noting that the infections were recorded in three states. Lagos State led the chart with 13 cases while Rivers and Gombe States reported three and one cases respectively. Again, no new death was recorded in the last 24 hours just as it has been in the past 12 days. A total of 2,117 fatalities have so far been recorded in Nigeria. Meanwhile, experts have hailed the nations efforts towards managing the pandemic, saying that as Africas most populous country, it is gratifying to note that Nigeria has continued to witness a massive reduction in infections while the disease is still spreading in many other parts of the world including Europe, Asia and America. The reduction was from an average of over 1,000 daily cases between December 2020 and February to less than an average of 100 per day in the past one month. However, health experts, however, believe poor testing in somes states in the country could be masking the severity of the spread of the disease. For instance, Kogi, a state of over 3.5 million residents, has tested less than 5,000 samples since the disease started spreading. Specifics The NCDC in the update said Nigeria has tested 2,231,409 samples since the pandemic started in the country in February 2020. According to it, a total of 163,483 people have recovered after treatment in the country as of Tuesday. The agency said that the countrys active COVID-19 cases increased to 1,492 to 1,495 people being treated for the virus across the country A total of 1,978,618 eligible persons have received their first dose of Oxford covid-19 vaccines, while 662,464 Nigerians vaccinated with first dose have collected their second dose, according to an update by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) on its COVID-19 as of June 14. The Nigerian government doubled down on its clampdown on Twitter on Tuesday by accusing Jack Dorsey, the founder of the microblogging platform, of being liable for the losses Nigeria suffered in the aftermath of the EndSARS protest against police brutality. Nigerias information minister, Lai Mohammed, stated this on Tuesday when he featured on Politics Nationwide, a Radio Nigeria call-in programme monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. Mr Mohammed alleged that Mr Dorsey raised funds through Bitcoins to sponsor the EndSARS protest while his platform, Twitter, was used to fuel the crisis. He said when he made the allegations earlier, Nigerians did not take him serious until an online media outfit carried out an investigation and fact-checking. The minister said the online publication confirmed that Mr Dorsey retweeted some of the posts by some of the coalitions supporting the EndSARS protest. He said it was also confirmed that the Twitter founder launched a fundraising asking people to donate via Bitcoins. The minister said Mr Dorsey further launched an Emoji to make the EndSARS protest visible on the microblogging site. He said Mr Dorsey also retweeted the tweets of some foreign and local supporters of EndSARS. If you ask people to donate money via bitcoins for EndSARS protesters then you are vicariously liable for whatever is the outcome of the protest. We have forgotten that EndSARS led to loss of lives, including 37 policemen, six soldiers, 57 civilians while property worth billions of naira were destroyed. 164 police vehicles and 134 police stations were razed to the ground, 265 private corporate organisation were looted while 243 public property were looted. 81 warehouses were looted while over 200 brand new buses bought by Lagos State Government were burnt to ashes, he said. The #EndSARS Protest The EndSARS protest against police brutality in October last year started as a peaceful protest across Nigeria. The protest was led by young Nigerians who mobilised on various social media platforms including Twitter. One of the major demands of the protesters was the disbandment of the notorious police unit, SARS, whose officials had been accused of various crimes including murder, rape, extortion and other human rights abuses. Although the government acceded to the demand and disbanded the SARS, the protesters demanded comprehensive police reforms, prosecution of police officers involved in various crimes, setting up panels to investigate various police rights abuses and so on. To disband the protesters, thugs believed to have been hired by the government attacked protesters in major cities including Lagos and Abuja. Many of such attacks were witnessed and reported by PREMIUM TIMES and other newspapers with videos of some of the incidents also shared. None of the thugs was arrested and some were seen being backed by security agencies. The police also shot and killed protesters in various places including Oyo and Ondo states. However, the shooting of peaceful protesters at Lekki tollgate in Lagos on October 20 by soldiers and police officers turned the protest violent as angry residents and hoodlums attacked private and public facilities. ADVERTISEMENT Although the government claims it is addressing the complaints of the protesters, it has repeatedly twisted the narrative of the EndSARS protest with President Muhammadu Buhari even claiming in an interview that the protest was held to bring down his government. Because Twitter was one of the major platforms used by the protesters to mobilise and raise funds, the government has repeatedly attacked the social media platform and Mr Dorsey. Twitters deletion of a controversial tweet by President Buhari, a tweet that critics said promoted genocide, worsened the relationship leading to the Nigerian government on June 4 suspending the operations of Twitter in Nigeria. Lai Mohammed on Twitter Ban On Tuesday, Mr Mohammed said it was unfair to conclude that the operation of Twitter was suspended indefinitely because the platform deleted President Muhammadu Buharis message. He said the government was unambiguous that the action was taken because the platform was being used to promote the views of those who wanted to destabilise the country. Mr Mohammed added that Twitter consistently offered its platform to promote agenda that were inimical to the corporate existence of Nigeria. Twitter has become a platform of choice for a particular separatist promoter, he said in reference to Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the separatist group, IPOB. The promoter consistently used the platform to direct his loyalists to kill Nigerian soldiers and policemen, run down INEC offices and destroy all symbols of Nigerias sovereignty. Every attempt to persuade Twitter to deny its platform to this separatist leader was not taken serious, he said. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Twitter only deleted some of Mr Kanus controversial tweets after the Twitter suspension. The minister said the federal government has no apology to offer to those unhappy over the suspension of Twitters operations in the country. He said a country must exist in peace before people could exercise freedom of speech and fight for a source of livelihood. Twitters letter Mr Mohammed also said that Twitter has formally written to seek dialogue on issues leading to the indefinite suspension of its operations by the Nigerian government. I can confirm that Twitter has written the Federal Government that they are ready to talk. As we have always maintained, the door is not locked and we are open-minded but Twitter must work toward it, he said. The minister then reiterated the governments previously announced steps which critics, activists and human rights organisations say was a move towards censorship and clampdown on the freedom of expression. Mr Mohammed said among other conditions for Twitter to resume operation in Nigeria is that there must be an agreement as to what contents it could post. He said Twitter and other platforms must also register as a Nigerian company, obtain a license from the National Broadcasting Commission(NBC) and be guided by the rules of the licensing as well as pay taxes. According to the minister, regulation of social media platforms is becoming a global practice. He said most countries were just waking up to the fact that the platforms were becoming more powerful than even government and needed to be regulated. Singapore, Algeria, Pakistan, Turkey regulate the social media, Australia has done so. Even EU that does not have particular laws on social media has made recommendations in a white paper, he said. The minister said that the UK initiated a new law that would make social media companies be fined up to 18 million pounds (about N10.8 billion) if they failed to stamp out online abuses. He said Google was fined 220 million euros (about N110 billion) on June 7 by French Competition Regulator for abusing its dominance in the online advertising market in France. Similarly, the minister said the federal cabinet of Pakistan had approved a new set of rules to regulate social media. In the rules, according to the minister, companies such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even TikTok were to register and open offices in Pakistan. He said in compliance with the new online broadcasting rule of Turkey, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video had obtained licences from that countrys broadcasting authority. Mr Mohammed noted that the regulation of social media was not synonymous with stifling press freedom. We must not confuse press freedom with irresponsibility. How can you stay in your country and allow your own platform to be used to propagate war in another country? The suspension of Twitter is to ensure that no particular platform is used to cause war in Nigeria. Secondly, to ensure that whoever is making money in Nigeria must be made to pay tax. Our appeal to Nigerians is that they should understand where we are coming from. We have no intention to stifle peoples freedom or to cut off the source of livelihood of anybody. There must be a country devoid of war before we can talk of freedom and a source of living, he said. The House of Representatives committee investigating the status of recovered loot has summoned the Chairman of the panel that investigated arms procurement from 2007 to 2015, John Odey, a retired air vice-marshal, over the $459 million falcon eye project. The committee on Tuesday also summoned the management of RTCom Nigeria Limited, the company that executed the project, which is a maritime surveillance infrastructure for the Nigerian Navy. The panel, set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to audit procurement of arms by and for the Nigerian military between 2007 and 2015, submitted a third interim report in 2016. Mr Odey and RTCOM were summoned to explain the circumstances surrounding the transfer of N6.1 billion to the NSA account. Mohammed Jafar, who represented the Office of the National Security Adviser at the hearing, said the ONSA was not involved in the recovery of loots. When queried about the transfer of funds in and out of the recovery account, he urged the committee to summon the Odey-led committee. Mr Jafar, who is the Director of Finance ONSA, had said the account was a post no debit account, but the committee discovered some transactions from the account. If it was a post no debt, why was there movement in the account? The in and out shows that there were transactions, Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), a member of the committee, said. Responding to the question, Mr Jafar said: The committee had the mandate to audit all the defence procurements and expenditures. The committee commenced its tasks at ONSA and had members drawn from various security and intelligence agencies, including the EFCC. During the audit, a recollection account was opened in the Central Bank of Nigeria for the deposit of recovered funds. The account was designated NSA funds recovery account, by the time the committee was rounding off its tasks, the total amount recovered was N9billion and $7.4million, and they were deposited in the CBN account. This account was a post no debit account, as such, no withdrawal was authorised or made from that account. On the issue of N6.1billion paid to NSA in August 2017 and later returned in January, it was for the falcon eye project, the contractor is RTCOM. The project was awarded in 2014, before this administration. The total amount for the project was $459 million. The NSA met that project ongoing when the investigation started, they invited them for contract verification exercise. At that point, the money was paid to us, not on request. The same amount was paid back to the company when the committee cleared them. Mr Jafar also explained that the Osborne Tower loot is not with the ONSA. NSA coordinates the activities of security agencies but does not participate in the recovery of assets, unless when the president directs otherwise. I am not aware of the amount. The money with us is not from Osborn Tower. Let me give you the background. At the heat of crisis in NIA, Mr President directed the committee, headed by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, the then Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and National Security Adviser, Babangana Monguno. In the course of that investigation, I was tasked to go and take over the office of finance in the NIA, in the interim by the Vice President. They said all the funds there, I should count them and document them properly. The one that I actually took over, I was asked to move that money to the NSA and keepIt is not that the money was looted, that I should keep the money until they are done with the investigation. So I went to the account and took over that money. When they concluded their investigation, Mr President directed that we should return the money. That was the money we returned and I have presented the certificate. The Chairman of the House committee, Adejoro Adeogun, gave the directive for both Mr Odey and RTCOM to appear. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Naabba, has accused Nigerian governors of hijacking political party structures in their states and making it difficult for party members opposing them to aspire for any political position. Although Nigeria has over a dozen registered parties, all of Nigerias 36 state governors are members of one of three parties: APC, APGA and PDP, with Nigerias ruling party, APC, having a majority of the governors and APGA only one in Anambra State. Mr Naabba in an interview with BBC Hausa on Tuesday said he is currently not in any political party in Nigeria. I decided not to join any political party in Nigeria at the moment because of how governors have hijacked the whole party structure in their various states thereby making it difficult for any aspiring politician who does not share the same ideology with them to succeed. Mr Naabba became the speaker of the House of Representatives in 1999 on the platform of the PDP after the forced resignation of Salisu Buhari but did not return to the National Assembly in 2003 after losing in the general elections. The then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his party, lost to ANPP in Mr Naabbas Kano municipal constituency of Kano State. According to the former speaker, the people he shares political Ideology with will soon roll out a new political party that will serve as an alternative to the APC and the PDP. We will soon give Nigerians an alternative and when the time come you shall hear from us, he said. Mr Naabba also said he still nurses the ambition of becoming a senator in Nigeria. I once contested for a senatorial seat, but willingly I withdrew when I realised there is not going to be democracy or fairness at the primaries. READ ALSO: I contested for elections twice in 1999 and 2003, and I never gave out money to get elected during the primaries, the system presented me through democratic process. But when I was contesting for senate seat, the party was telling me to give some people money before I could get elected during the primaries, and that was why I withdrew; because unless we allow the process select contestants democratically, everything will just be a scam. The Minister of information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has asked the House of Representatives to include internet broadcasting under the control of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC). The request was contained in his submission at the public hearing into a bill to amend the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission Act organised by the House Committees on Information, Ethics and Values. Mr Mohammed said all online and internet broadcasting entities should be included in section two (c) of the bill. Section two proposes to give NBC the powers to receive, process and consider applications for the establishment, ownership of radio and television stations including. I want to add that internet broadcasting and all online media should be included in the bill, Mr Mohammed said. The bill, if passed with the recommendation of Mr Mohammed, online media entities will have to get approval from the NBC before operating. They would also be mandated to act within the control of the Nigerian government. Opposition The Executive Director of the Institute of Media and Societies, Akin Akingbulu, opposed the inclusion of online digital platforms, saying it would further stifle the civic space. The inclusion of the following among categories of broadcasting services licences will be injurious to the civics space, freedom of expression and media freedom in Nigeria, he said. Mr Akingbulu said the NBC Act fails to provide independence of the regulatory body. He recommended that section 23, which gives the information minister powers to participate in the making of regulations should be expunged. He argued that the involvement of the minister will turn NBC into a tool for political interference. The power to give directives to the commission, vested in the minister of information in section six should be removed and replaced with powers which include policy formulation for the broadcasting sector, the negotiation of international agreements, notification of the policy direction of government and ensuring that the independence of the commission is protected at all times, Mr Akingbulu stated. ALSO READ: Buhari removes acting NBC chief amidst moves to stifle freedom of expression Also speaking on the bill, the International Press Centre (IPC) and Centre for Media Law and Advocacy, in a joint presentation called for stronger independence of the regulator. The Executive Director of IPC, Lanre Arogundade, who presented on behalf of the groups, said the conduct of the NBC overtime presents it as an extension of the office of the minister of information which rarely acts independently. Buhari govt stifling civic space The present administration appears to be exploring all avenues to regulate the media, particularly online media. On June 4, Mr Mohammed announced the ban of Twitter, a few days after the microblogging site removed a tweet by Mr Buhari for breaching its rules. The government also announced that all social media must register with the government to operate in Nigeria. ADVERTISEMENT Last week, NBC, in a newspaper advertorial, asked all social media platforms and online broadcasting service providers in Nigeria to apply for the broadcast licence. The announcement was placed in the Nation newspaper and signed by the then acting NBCs director-general, Armstrong Idachaba. The Twitter suspension and the moves to censor social media have been criticised by many Nigerians, civil society organisations and the international community, which believe it would stifle freedom of expression and shrink the Nigerian civic space. The lawmakers of the ruling All Progressives Congress have also made efforts to regulate social media with draconian laws. ADVERTISEMENT Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Ikeja Division of the Lagos State High Court on Wednesday sentenced Francis Atuche, the former managing director of the defunct Bank PHB, to six years in prison for stealing N27 billion. The judge also sentenced Ugo Anyanwu, the banks former chief financial officer, to six years in prison. Mr Atuches wife, Elizabeth, was, however, discharged and acquitted. The former bank chief, his wife, and Mr Anyanwu were accused of stealing and conspiring to steal N25.7 billion belonging to the bank. They were arraigned in 2011 before Mrs Okunnu and they pleaded not guilty. Reading her judgment that lasted over 10 hours, Mrs Okunnu upheld the arguments of Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), the EFCC prosecutor, that the N25.7 billion was stolen, not loaned,, as argued by Mr Atuche. She held that the money belonged to the bank and that it was capable of being stolen. The 1st defendant confirmed the banks ownership of the money when he said the bank in lending money makes profit. I am persuaded by the statement of Pat Utomi that The bank still has control over money thats left in its coffers, no matter who uses it. Helen Eriyo, who is the account officer of Petosan, being unaware of the loans granted, lends credit to the testimony of Mr Ololo that he was not aware of the loan. The alter egos and true directing mind of the companies knew nothing about the loans. The loans indeed were a hoax. The judge also held that the first and third defendants did not debunk the evidence of the prosecution that the loans were used to purchase shares. They rather contended that the monies granted as loan could be used for whatever purposes. Mr Atuche is also standing trial over N125 billion alleged fraud before the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court. He was arraigned in 2014, alongside Charles Ojo, a former managing director of Spring Bank Plc, on an amended 45 counts before Justice Saliu Seidu, before the judge was transferred out of the Lagos division. The case was subsequently transferred to Justice Ayokunle Faji and the defendants re-arraigned in 2017. Gunmen have attacked the country home of Ekene Nnodimele, the lawmaker representing Orsu State Constituency in the Imo House of Assembly. The Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Abutu Yaro, confirmed this to reporters in Owerri on Wednesday. Mr Yaro said the attack took place at about 1.00 a.m. on Wednesday, and that the gunmen beheaded a security guard on duty in the compound. He said investigation was ongoing to unravel the cause and perpetrators of the attack and bring them to book. We can confirm that there was an attack on the country home of Nnodimele, resulting in the death of a security guard on duty who appeared to have been beheaded. Also, the country home of the immediate past Attorney General of the state, Cyprian Akaolisa, was also attacked and investigation is also ongoing, he said. Speaking to reporters in his hometown, Obibi, Awo Idemili community, Orsu Local Government Area of Imo, Mr Nnodimele confirmed that a security guard on duty in his compound was beheaded. Mr Nnodimele said the guard, attached to a private security firm, was killed when he tried to resist the gunmen. The lawmaker said he was shocked by the incident. He said his constituents were neither violent nor rancorous. He urged security operatives to beef up security in the local government area and also unravel the circumstances surrounding the attack. It was very shocking news to me because my aged parents were there. It is not in our culture to take or end life arbitrarily, so I believe it is the handiwork of foreign mercenaries and I leave everything to Almighty God. Mr Nnodimele said he would continue to support the state government. He urged his constituents to remain law abiding and cooperate with law enforcement agencies so as to return peace to the area. The lawmaker also confirmed an attack on Mr Akaolisas country home which is in the same area. He said that gunshots were heard at the home of the erstwhile commissioner for Justice before the hoodlums moved to his own home. Although parts of the former commissioners house were burnt, no lives were lost in the attack, he said. The two attacks signal a new dimension in the current security challenges in Imo State this is the first time the private residence of a lawmaker has been attacked in the state. The country home of Governor Hope Uzodinma was attacked in April by gunmen who set ablaze a part of it. Ahmed Gulak, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former political adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, was recently shot dead in Owerri. ADVERTISEMENT IPOB, a pro-Biafra group, which has been proscribed by the Nigerian government, has a high concentration of its members and supporters in Imo State which appears to be the epicentre of the groups activities in the countrys South-east region. Apart from the frequent deadly attacks on security officials, there have been reports of police, including the Nigerian military, carrying out indiscriminate killings and arrests of civilians in the state. (NAN) After driving Kona, the assembled-in-Nigeria electric car, at the ongoing Made-in-Nigeria exhibition, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo concluded that the drive was fantastic and the making of the innovative car is a showcase of what is possible in our country. Mr Osinbajo stated this in Abuja Tuesday shortly after the unveiling of the Made-in-Nigeria fair featuring the exhibition of the first electric car assembled in Nigeria, among other locally manufactured products. Aside touring the exhibition stands accompanied by top government officials, the Vice President drove the electric car alongside the Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, and Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu. Speaking to journalists shortly after a tour of the exhibition stands, and a ride in the electric car, Mr Osinbajo said it was a very good drive, fantastic. It just shows what is possible. I am glad to see that this is an assembled-in-Nigeria electric car. You can literally charge it anywhere. I think it is a very fantastic innovation; fantastic product, and I can tell because I just drove it. Other dignitaries at the event which is part of Nigerias 60th anniversary celebration include the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Ministers of FCT, Mohammed Bello; and Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed. Right after the exhibition, the vice president also visited the Federal Road Safety Corps headquarters where he inaugurated the National Traffic Radio, 107.1 FM. There he described the radio as an important and strategic initiative in several respects. The service will enable effective dissemination of relevant information on road safety and the provision of up-to-date information on road conditions, as well as traffic status and security to the public. According to him, beyond the core objective of enhancing the operations of FRSC personnel, the radio station will also be useful in reaching far flung areas for teaching and dissemination of public health advisories and general information to Nigerians. Mr Osinbajo then featured during the radio stations traffic report programme where he gave live traffic situation report across the country particularly from areas in and around the FCT, Jos and Lagos. He was funny and jovial about it. Good afternoon wherever you are in this great country, this is Yemi Osinbajo, your always ready, always accurate traffic reporter, updating you on the traffic situation across the nation. So, lets go the FCT. As of a few minutes ago, the Keffi-Abuja inward section, traffic from Nyanya under bridge to Kugbo, towards the city centre, is slightly free flowing, no impediments reported. Umaru Musa Yaradua way, the situation is report shows that there is free flow of traffic on both sections of the expressway. Kubwa-Katampe, Wuse-Berger, traffic services unit reports affirm that there is seamless traffic flow with moderate movement of vehicles. Traffic update along Lagos-Ibadan expressway as at 11:45 am did say that the inward corridor and section of the expressway is experiencing very slow but moving traffic from the stretch of lotto to NASFAT, Chinese company around Magboro, Punch-Arepo inward, Warewa, due to high influx of vehicles and the narrowed lane around the construction area. The sharp bend coupled with picking and dropping of passengers, all that is causing some slow movement around that area. Traffic from Plateau State from about 12 mid-day. General traffic within Jos-Bukuru metropolis is free flowing. Jos-Hawan Kibo, motorists are admonished to be mindful of hills and steep bends around Hawan Kibo. Also, Jos-Bukuru-Vom is experiencing free flow of traffic while motorists are advised to be careful around Ganaruwa hill. Jos metropolis, road users navigating inwards Polo-Gada Biu through the metropolis should be mindful of heavy duty vehicles and drive with extreme care. At Hill station roundabout to Polo roundabout axis is a sloppy terrain. So, the general conclusion is that road users are enjoined to obey traffic rules, avoid dangerous driving and use the roads as responsibly as possible. All is going to be well today, this is going to be a great and exciting day. I am sure you are going to have some really good news. Thank you dear listeners, stay safe always. ADVERTISEMENT Dignitaries at the event include Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, FCT Minister Mohammed Bello and the FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi. Laolu Akande Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity Office of the Vice President The Commissioners of Education in the 19 Northern States have urged development partners to support the ongoing efforts to ensure security in schools. The commissioners made the call in a communique issued in Kaduna on Wednesday, at the end of a meeting on Students Exchange Programme (SEP), held in Kano. The communique was signed by the Chairman, Shehu Muhammad, who is also the Commissioner of Education, Kaduna State. The meeting was organised to discuss pressing issues affecting education in the region. The commissioners suggested that community members and education stakeholders be part of the security architecture to ensuring security in schools in the region and the country. They appealed to the federal, state governments, development partners, parents, non-governmental organisations and community organisations to support ongoing efforts to ensure security in schools. They also called on state governments to liaise with security agencies to facilitate the conduct of risk assessment by relevant stakeholders on the vulnerability of schools. The commissioners equally resolved to engage with Federal Ministry of Education and Universal Basic Education Commission in developing the needed strategies to tackle the issue of a National Commission for Secondary Education. They added that the engagement would also address issues around Better Education Delivery for All, Tsangaya schools and other issues affecting education in the region. In doing this, efforts will be made to gain the support and cooperation of all stakeholders to ensure success, the commissioners said. The commissioners equally called on the state government to invest in building the administrative capacities of principals and teachers. This, according to them, can be done through organising a series of workshops and supporting school administrators and teachers to attend courses in the Nigerian Institute of Education and Public Administration. They also agreed towards entrenching Information and Communication Technology in school administration. We also want the state government to conduct regular test and certificate verification of teachers to improve the quality of teaching. We equally resolved to intensify the training and retraining of evaluators that are needed in the maintenance of quality of education in our respective states. Also, following the disruption of our school calendar by COVID-19 and insecurity, which is no longer uniform across the SEP participating state, we have recommended that the 2021/2022 session should commence in the third quarter of 2021, they said. They called on the National Commission for Colleges of Education to strengthen its monitoring and quality improvement of colleges that award NCE. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) held a one-day zonal dialogue in Lagos on Wednesday, to deliberate on the implementation of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy (NEIP). The event was organised in partnership with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the National Orientation Agency. The policy is aimed at creating awareness among Nigerians on the need to identify moral value reorientation as a vital tool to fight corruption in the country. Speaking at the event, Waheed Ishola, NOAs Lagos director, advocated for all Nigerians to implement the fundamental rules of the NEIP which he premised on the seven core values of the Policy which are: Human Dignity, Voice and Participation, Patriotism, Personal Responsibility, Integrity, National Unity and Professionalism. The purpose of the policy is to strengthen efforts at national transformation. This will be possible as citizens and those who relate with Nigeria imbibe and embody the core values, Mr Ishola said. Also, it is to help save the country from an erosion of ethics and collapse of values. We need to encourage the citizens to put Nigeria first and help reach national development goals as we reframe the meaning of national purpose. Thus, we need to open up an ongoing dialogue as to how to refine behaviours to bring out the best in ourselves. He said the Policy is designed for all categories of Nigerian citizens to understand and comply with across all levels of government. The assistant director of ICPC Southwest zone, Enoch Ode, called for collaborations among all 16 identified groups in the society to promote the NEIP implementation. He said that strategic plans were identified to actively engage the groups in the National Action Plan of the NEIP. The National Action Plan and Consequence Management Template are prepared to serve as guidelines for each stakeholder to consider as they promote these values, he said. Our emphasis is that the values be promoted towards attaining a better society and serve as an example to our young ones. To enhance communication with all Nigerians, we have simplified the policy and values. We translated them to pidgin and the three major indigenous languages in Nigeria. Stakeholders forums on the NAP and CMT are planned around the country at later dates to get the adoption of stakeholders. Participants present at the dialogues interactive session urged the organization to promote the active involvement of women in political activities, enforcement of anti-corruption laws. They also pleaded for justice to be meted out on corruption offenders irrespective of status. They reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate with the implementation of the Policy. The NEIP was developed to enhance values and integrity towards tackling corruption. ADVERTISEMENT The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the resumption of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) Land Swap Initiative to address infrastructure deficit in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammed Bello, made this known at the end of the council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday at the presidential villa, Abuja. According to the minister, the land swap initiative was started by the previous FCT administration before it was suspended. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative whose worth was put at about one trillion naira under the previous dispensation was designed to remedy the infrastructure deficit in the FCT by swapping land with private investors who would in turn provide necessary infrastructure. Mr Bello said the resumption of the initiative followed a memo he presented to the council, adding that some amendments were made to the original form of the initiative by establishing a legal framework to protect all parties The minister said: Today at the Federal Executive Council meeting I presented a memo and an update on the FCT Land Infrastructures Swap Initiative to the Federal Executive Council. And after a lot of deliberations, the Federal Executive Council approved the FCDA Land Infrastructure Swap Initiative which is popularly known as Land Swap which was commenced some time ago by previous FCT administration. After a review of what has transpired over the years and also the changes made, the Federal Executive Council approved that we now should continue with the land swap initiative on the basis of amendments to the procedures as well as new safeguards introduced so that investors, FCT (the government) as well as up-takers would be protected. He expressed the hope that the initiative would reduce the overall housing deficit within the FCT. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT Police in Bayelsa State have apprehended a 29-year-old man, Apkoviri Jimmy, from Irhodo Community, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta, over alleged impersonation of a medical practitioner. Mr Jimmy, who claimed to be a graduate of psychology from Delta State University, Abraka, was arrested at a popular private hospital, Tobis Hospital, while trying to secure employment as a surgeon. The Commissioner of Police in Bayelsa, Mike Okoli, while parading the suspect in Yenagoa, said Mr Jimmy had been going round hospitals in Delta and Bayelsa pretending to be a medical doctor. Mr Okoli, represented by the police spokesperson in the state, Asinim Butswat, said the man had posed as a medical doctor named Charles Ume who is working in Taraba State. He said people had concerns about the suspects inability to use medical terminologies during medical diagnosis, thereby raising suspicion over his qualifications, which later led to his arrest. The Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Health, Ebiye Sawyer, said the state government does not leave any room for quackery in the state. The Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association, Bayelsa State Branch, Ngowari Torunana, said upon the arrest of the suspect, they contacted the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria which confirmed that the suspect was an impostor. Meanwhile, the suspect admitted before reporters that he was not the owner of the medical certificate in his possession and that he has been using a friends certificate to seek a job as a medical doctor. I met the owner of the credentials in a bus while travelling to Abuja and we took some pictures. While transferring the picture to me, he also transferred copies of his credentials. This is the first time I am using it, he said. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT A former chairman of the Police Service Commission, Simon Okeke, has described the incessant attacks on police officers and their facilities in the South-east as misplaced anger by the citizens. Mr Okeke, who was addressing reporters in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, decried the increasing security challenges in the country, particularly in the South-east. The situation is worrisome, he said. These incessant attacks on the police facilities can be linked to bottled anger or accumulated aggression or what we can call misplaced anger on the part of the citizenry. Though, there may be bad eggs in the police, but it does not justify the series of attacks on them or their facilities, he said. The prevailing situation is very worrisome. South-east had been among the safest states across the country, especially Anambra, but for some time now, that peace and serenity has been disturbed and uprooted, he said. Mr Okeke said 90 per cent of the police facilities were built by private individuals and through community efforts before they were handed over to the police authorities. Nothing happens without a cause. The #EndSARS protest broke down the peace we had. All sets of people, known and unknown hijacked the demonstration to loot and destroy government property. These attackers do not realise that they are just destroying their own property. The police force cannot rebuild these facilities because they do not have the money. It is the same community that will rebuild them, which is currently happening. I agree that the citizens-police relationship today is not the same as it was in my own time. Even the police you are accusing have their own complaints against the government and society, he said. ALSO READ: IGP orders clearance of impounded vehicles in police facilities Mr Okeke said the establishment of state police would help solve the countrys security challenges. Thats why people like me have been advocating for (sic) state police since 2003, without which things will continue to deteriorate. This is because the needs of the Police Force have exceeded the budget approved by the Federal Government. Police prestige is no longer there as they are no longer being taken care of. It is a vicious circle. People are angry because the police are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, he said. (NAN) A lawyer and rights activist, Inibehe Effiong, has sued the federal government over the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria. In his suit filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday, Mr Effiong sued the Minister of information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, along with the federal government. The lawyer, in his originating motion marked FHC/L/CS/542/2021, asked the court to grant his nine prayers, including an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from further suspending, deactivating or banning the operations and accessibility of Twitter or any other social media service in Nigeria. He also asked the court to declare as illegal the threat by the federal government to prosecute citizens who violate the suspension or ban of Twitter in the absence of any written law. The lawyer argued that suspending the operation and accessibility of Twitter in Nigeria without any written law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society enabling the said suspension is unconstitutional, unjustifiable, undemocratic, arbitrary, null and void and amounts to a violation of the right of the applicant and other Nigerians to use Twitter for expression, reception of information and impartation of ideas. It is therefore contrary to Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. A9 L.F.N. 2004. Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, he said in the court papers seen by our correspondent on Wednesday. #TwitterBan infringes on right to freedom of expression Mr Effiong in his supporting affidavit said he has consistently used Twitter and other microblogging platforms to express his views on the failure, inadequacies and performance of the government at all levels, including the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies. The federal government, through the information minister, had banned Twitter in Nigeria on June 4, two days after a controversial tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari, viewed as threatening violence against Igbo people in the South-east was taken by the microblogging site. On Mr Buharis tweet, Mr Effiong said it was a known fact that every Twitter user had agreed to abide by the rules of the platform before being allowed to use it. The decision of the respondents to suspend Twitter has gravely infringed on my freedom of expression and that of broadcast stations and other Nigerian citizens who depend and rely daily on Twitter for information, expression and impartation of ideas. This has caused me emotional trauma and distress and limited my capacity to connect with the global community. Background Mr Mohammed had , on June 4, announced a ban on the operations of the microblogging platform, Twitter, in Nigeria. He also disclosed that the federal government had ordered the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria. On his part, the AGF, Mr Malami, directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) in his office, to swing into action and commence, in earnest, the process of prosecution of violators of the Federal Government De-activation of operations of Twitter in Nigeria. Owing to the ban, Nigerians have been denied access to Twitter and can only access by bypassing domain restrictions through alternative platforms The suspension was a sequel to Twitters deletion of President Muhammadu Buharis controversial tweet about the civil war after some Nigerian users flagged it. The government, in its response, accused the platform of bias against President Buhari and undermining Nigerias corporate existence. Controversy Although the presidency says the ban is temporary and an attempt to curb fake news and Twitters alleged roles in fueling activities that threaten Nigerias corporate existence, human rights activists and foreign missions have criticised the ban as an attack on Nigerians right to freedom of expression and called for its reversal. Despite the ban and prosecution threat, many Nigerians continue to dominate the microblogging platform. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Committee to Protect Journalists said it will honor four courageous journalists from Belarus, Guatemala, Mozambique, and Myanmar with the 2021 International Press Freedom Awards. The press freedom group noted that all four journalists reported during a historically turbulent time, covered protests and political upheaval in their countries. In the midst of a battle over the control of information, these journalists are on the side of the people, covering events, informing communities, and ensuring accountability, CPJ executive director, Joel Simon, said. They have paid a price, confronting violence, harassment, repression, and persecution but refusing to back down. We honor their commitment and sacrifice and look forward to celebrating their courage, alongside all those who stand firm for press freedom and independent journalism. According to a statement released by CPJ Monday, the awardees include Belarusian Katsiaryna Barysevich, a staff correspondent for the influential Belarusian news outlet Tut.by; Guatemalan Anastasia Mejia, a radio journalist based in Joyabaj; Mozambican Matias Guente, the executive editor of Canal de Mocambique, an independent weekly investigative newspaper, and its daily digital publication CanalMoz; and Burmese Aye Chan Naing, co-founder, chief editor, and executive director of the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB). The quartet will be honoured on November 18, 2021, at CPJs annual awards ceremony, a gala that will be both virtual and in-person. The event will be chaired by the president of the Ford Foundation, Darren Walker, and hosted by ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir. PREMIUM TIMES publisher, Dapo Olorunyomi, was among the four winners of the prestigious award in the last edition of the event. About the awardees Katsiaryna Barysevich (Belarus): In 2020, Barysevich was reporting on pro-democracy protests in the country and published a story about a protester allegedly killed by law enforcement, contradicting authorities official statements. As a result, she spent six months behind bars and faced fines. Her colleagues at Tut.by continue to face detentions and harassment. Anastasia Mejia (Guatemala): She co-founded Xolabaj Radio and Xolabaj TV to cover issues of importance for the local community, particularly topics of concern to Indigenous women. In September 2020, police arrested Mejia on criminal charges connected to her coverage of local demonstrations, and she was held in pretrial detention for five weeks before being released on house arrest. Today, her journalistic work is severely restricted. Matias Guente (Mozambique): Over the years, he has faced a myriad of threats for his hard-hitting reporting, including police interrogations, charges of violation of state secrecy and conspiracy against the state, and an attempted kidnapping in 2019. In 2020, unidentified individuals set the outlets offices ablaze. Aye Chan Naing (Myanmar): As a pioneer in Myanmars exile media movement starting in the 1990s, he led DVBs transition from exile-based to in-country operations in 2012, despite continued harassment from the government. In 2021, multiple DVB journalists were arrested or detained amid a harsh crackdown on media and civil society following the military juntas takeover in February. ADVERTISEMENT The Nigerian government has revealed plans to take more loans from China in a bid to extend rail services to more states in the country. The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said this when he featured on Arise TVs Morning Show Tuesday, a week after he said the government would get credit from Standard Chartered Bank and not China. Mr Amaechi did not mention the amount the government is seeking but said the federal government has already begun negotiations. Nigeria owed China $3.402 billion as of March 31, according to the Debt Management Office. The amount covers 11 loan facilities from the China Exim Bank since 2010. Last week, the government disclosed its intention to source funding to develop two key rail lines, and said the funding will come from Standard Chartered Plc and not China. When the loans are granted, it will increase Nigerias public debt stock, which stood at $87.2 billion as of the end of March. Mr Amaechi said the monthly revenue from the Abuja-Kaduna railway operations increased from N70 million to N350 million as of May. When you take the loan, you are expected to pay back and as we are talking today we are paying back, he said. Under the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the loan for Abuja Kaduna was about $500 million. As of today, we have paid over $150 million on that loan. I am not aware that there is any clause in the loan agreement that hands over any of our national assets to China. Yes, by default they go to court and it depends on the outcome of the court case, but I am not aware that there is anything in all the clauses signed by this government or the previous government of Goodluck Jonathan that mortgaged any of our national assets. Nigerias loan history The loans obtained between 2010 and 2020 are for these projects : the Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Project; 40 Parboiled Rice Processing Plants Project (Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development); Abuja Light Rail Project; Nigerian ICT Infrastructure Backbone Project; and the Nigerian Four Airport Terminal Expansion Project (Abuja, Kano, Lagos & Port Harcourt). Others include the Nigerian National Public Security Communication system Project; Nigerian Railway Modernization Project (Idu- Kaduna section); Nigeria Supply of Rolling Stocks and Depot Equipment for Abuja Light Rail Project; and the Nigeria Greater Abuja Water Supply Project. Nigerian Railway Modernization Project (Lagos Ibadan section); Nigeria Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Abuja Keffi Makurdi Road. Loans for the National Public Security Communication system Project of $399 million and the Nigerian Railway Modernization Project (Idu- Kaduna section) of $500 million were secured in December 2010 and will be due for repayment in September 2030. President Muhammadu Buhari will visit Maiduguri on Thursday, on a one-day official visit to Borno State. The state governor, Babagana Zulum, stated this in a special broadcast to the people of the state on Wednesday. Mr Zulum said the president would appraise the security situation and inaugurate some of the viable projects executed by the federal and state governments during the visit. I once again, thank you for supporting our administration. I remain grateful to everyone, for your support, well wishes, prayers and above all, for being good citizens. InshaAllah; our President, Muhammadu Buhari, will be coming to Borno State on Thursday, June 17, 2021. The president is coming to appraise the security situation in the northeast during which he will commission some developmental projects executed by the state government. The president will also commission the first phase of 10,000 houses which he generously approved and funded, for the resettlement of IDPs and refugees, he said. Mr Zulum disclosed that construction work of over 4,000 of the 10,000 houses were completed at Kakeri, Dalori and other communities across the state. The governor noted that the president had demonstrated greater commitment to the security situation, and displayed deep compassion and love for the state. According to him, the president has initiated viable infrastructure development projects to fast track peace restoration and resettlement programmes for sustainable social and economic development of the state. He listed some of the projects to include the establishment of a power plant by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), designed to address epileptic electricity supply in Maiduguri and its environs. The landmark project, he said, would impact positively and encourage growth of Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), to improve social conditions and communal security. Other projects included the establishment of the Federal Polytechnic, Monguno, a pioneer federal polytechnic in the state. Mr Zulum noted that the feat achieved in the ongoing housing and resettlement programmes were only possible by the prevailing relative peace in most of the local government areas of the state. While I must admit that we still have security challenges, at the same time, if we cast our minds back to the realities before President Buharis coming, we would factually recall that many of our communities in northern, central and southern Borno, were mostly, no-go-areas. On humanitarian crises, Mr Zulum said the federal government had implemented the Buhari Initiative to ensure steady food intervention to the displaced persons through the joint efforts of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC), and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). President Buhari is concerned about the humanitarian situation and sincerely committed to finding peace in Borno. This is why he is visiting us on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT I most respectfully invite and urge all of us to come out and honour a President, whose love for Borno has been so obvious. I urge us to demonstrate Bornos creed of hospitality. Borno is known for the culture of dignity, the culture of respect and the culture of honoring our guests. Let us once again, show the Borno in all of us, as we host our President, he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Maiduguri is agog to receive the president as environmental workers scaled up sanitation activities to beautify the town and give him a befitting welcome. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The Nigerian government has expressed worry over the increasing number of motor accidents on the nations highways. Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, stated this while briefing journalists after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday. He said the reports received from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), showed that in January alone, the number of people who died from road crashes exceeded the combined number of people who died from malaria and COVID-19. Because of the importance, council was of the considered view that I brief about the need to take notice of the increased number of road traffic crashes on federal highways because every month we get reports from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), who are usually one of the first arrivals at crash sites on the highways, Mr Fashola said. Those reports are addressed to the Presidency through the Secretary to Government of the Federation, where the FRSC is domiciled but they are copied to my office and we pay attention to these things and we notice unusually high numbers in January 2021, which we compared with January 2020, 2019 and 2018. We saw that in January 2021, the number of people who died from road crashes exceeded the combined number of people who died from malaria and COVID-19 in the same month and while malaria and COVID were receiving national concerted attention, we considered it necessary to bring this to the attention of government as part of our strategy for protecting lives and property. The minister stated that from the data analysed three federal highways in the country had the highest number of casualties. He listed them as Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Keffi-Lafia and Abuja-Kano highways. He said if the number of accidents on the three highways was reduced, the government would have succeeded in curtailing the problem. He said, So, we identified the need for various actions to be taken from municipal, local government level to state and national level and I acknowledge the fact that after this memo was listed, I got the notice of a Presidential Committee, the National Road Safety Advisory Council, which will be inaugurated tomorrow (Thursday) by the Office of the Vice President. This is one-step in the right direction under the aegis of the National Economic Council (NEC). Therefore, that should bring all the 36 States together. We can take this conversation there. We highlighted the fact that my office has asked the FRSC to focus on three roads the Lagos-Ibadan Highway, the Abuja-Kano Highway, and Abuja-Keffi-Lafia Highway, which show from the data we studied that they had the cumulative highest number of accidents. If we reduce accidents in those three main highways, we would have really dented the number, he said. Mr Fashola said drivers were responsible for 70 per cent of the causes of the road crashes on the nations highways. Steps The minister also highlighted some steps being taken to address the problem. These include installation of road traffic signs and more patrol. ALSO READ: Seven dead in Ogun tanker accident So, we started the process in April. We should collate the figure by the end of June, hopefully, into July. This includes installation of road traffic signs and more patrol. We are also looking at putting speed metres on the highway. There is a combination of factors and we are also trying to educate drivers. We saw that the biggest factor for these accidents; from over speeding, loss of control, wrongful overtaking, brake failure, tyre blow-out points to the role of the driver. Consistently, over the years and this data is available, the impact of bad roads and accidents was less than two percent. These factors I have mentioned; over speeding, loss of control, wrongful overtaking cumulate to over 70 per cent. If we reduce this, we bring the numbers down. So, I think our focus as a government is that weve agreed that the driver has a role to play, starting from education and certification. So, this is going to be a multi-disciplinary activity from the Ministry of Education, Ministries of Information, FRSC, state and local governments in terms of how they test and certify drivers, he said. ADVERTISEMENT The nephrologist who checked Peju Ugboma, the Lagos chef who died of complications from a fibroid surgery, ought to have placed her on constant monitoring, a medical consultant has said. Ayoade Akere, who testified before a panel instituted by the Federal Competitions and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) Wednesday, said the constant monitoring should have been done as a proactive step. Session During cross-examination, a member of the panel, Bernard Onigah, questioned if the time between when Mrs Ugboma was at Premier Medical Specialist Centre and when she was transferred to Evercare hospital threatened her life. Mr Akere said the former had to send correspondence to the latter to find out if they had the required equipment to take care of her. I dont see any problem with the timing, he said. Suppose Evercare does not have an ICU and ventilator, they could not have accepted her. But they (Premier) must be able to provide life-sustaining care while the patient is waiting to be transferred. Mr Akeres testimony came as a key figure billed to appear before the panel shunned the proceedings. A doctor with Premier Medical Specialist Centre, identified as Osinowo, failed to appear before the panel investigating a possible violation of patient and consumer rights in the death of Ms Ugboma. The hospitals lawyer said the doctor had travelled out of the country. After Wednesdays proceedings, Babatunde Irukera, the FCCPC chairman, expressed optimism that the deceaseds family would get closure in the matter. The family had accused the hospital of being responsible for the death of Mrs Ugboma after the surgery. We intend to pursue all the provisions of the law that protect the integrity of the process, Mr Irukera, a lawyer, said. Speaking with journalists, Mr Irukera said the absence of the respondents would not stall the proceedings. My greatest concern about the absence of the target of an investigation, in this case, is not whether it compromises the ability of the investigation to meaningfully conclude, its more about whether it compromises the agencies, its regulator or can potentially encourage others to disregard the law or violate the law, he said. Im confident that we would be able to come to a conclusion, which would include the testimony of Premier or if we decide that it is unnecessary, it would still be sufficient for us to make a decision. He noted that the health facility has complied with all the documents requested by the panel. We are going to review the material we have, we are going to continue to engage with all the stakeholders relevant to the investigation like I said it might lead to further oral hearing or in the absence of further hearing, we will continue to gather evidence, he said. ADVERTISEMENT A pastor in Akwa Ibom State, Nigerias South-south, has been detained by the police for allegedly killing his wife. The incident happened at a village called Ikot Ataku, Okon, in Eket Local Government Area. The pastor has been identified as Chris Enoch, the founder of Omega Word Global Ministries. He is from Ebonyi State, Nigerias South-east. The youth president of Okon Clan, Effiong Johnson told PREMIUM TIMES, Wednesday night, that Mr Enoch killed the wife, Patience, seven days ago and buried her corpse in the shallow grave inside their gated compound where they have been living with their five children. The eldest child is 15 years old. Mr Enochs church has been operating inside the same compound which is rented. The community became suspicious when the pastors children complained to neighbours that they had not seen their mother for days after she had a quarrel with their dad. The youths of the community, led by their president, Mr Johnson, who is also a community police officer, went to search the pastors compound and were shocked to discover the womans corpse buried in a shallow grave. The youths handed over the pastor to the police. The slain woman was a petty trader who used to sell pastries in the local market. I am just coming from the (police) station now, he just opened up that he killed the woman about seven days ago, Mr Johnson said. From what the children said, they (the pastor and the wife) had been having issues and sometimes he would say in front of the children that he would kill the wife and nothing would happen. On this particular day, the man chased the children away when he and the wife started fighting, he added. The Clan Head of Okon, Akpabio Inyang, has visited the scene of the incident. When contacted, the Divisional Police Officer in Eket, Sunday Digha, refused to comment on the incident. He said the reporter should speak with the police spokesperson in the state. The police spokesperson, Odiko MacDon, did not respond to calls from our reporter as of the time of filing this report. Professor Osofisan is a well-rounded man: a family man, a fulfilled literatus, and a world-known academic. As he marks the occasion of his 75th year on earth, it is sure that the professor has many things to be happy and smile about. However, I cannot but remind the emeritus professor of the days when he and other literati were at the forefront of activism against the military regime. I am often saddened by one fact: Nigeria is one of the most blessed nations in terms of human resources. Yet, it wallows in underdevelopment due to bad governance, poor policies, and a horde of other negative factors. The internet is awash with the details of many Nigerians who have done and are still engaged in great exploits, and one cannot but wonder how the same country is home to both fantastic people, and to bandits, and myopic leaders. Among the Nigerians who will always fly the countrys flag high and bring glory to its name is an enigmatic literato, the grey-bearded Babafemi Osofisan. Today, June 16 marks Emeritus Professor Babafemi Osofisans 75th birthday. On an auspicious day as this, one is given to lots of reminiscences, which cannot but be rounded up to assertively affirm that Okinba Launko is a literary luminary. His influence spreads its wings beyond the literary world to hover above the Nigerian political space. Although he is not known to have actively participated in politics by contesting for any post, Osofisan is of the order of very few Nigerian literati who significantly influenced national affairs, especially during the military era. Ogun State has long since proven to be the place with the most significant concentration of celebrated Nigerians. It is hardly surprising that renowned Professor Osofisan is from Ogun State, like Professor Wole Soyinka, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, M.K.O. Abiola, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and a host of others. Professor Osofisan was born on June 16, 1946, as Babafemi Adeyemi Osofisan in the Ogun State town of Erunwon. Given the circumstances of the literary icons background, it is not news that he ended up as a professor who married a fellow professor! Osofisan, as he is widely known, was born into a literate family, something the Yoruba will call baawenle. His dad was a schoolteacher, the same as his mom. This background must have sown the seed for Osofisans love for books and literature. Osofisan was given birth in a largely undeveloped place that otherwise would have adversely hampered his development and exposure, but his family and academic disposition helped shape his life. Although Osofisan was born in Erunwon, his studies took him to different parts of Southwestern Nigeria. He started his education in the ancestral home of the Yoruba, Ile-Ife, where he attended primary school between 1952 and 1958. He then proceeded to Government College, Ibadan, one of the three prestigious government colleges in the country that bred some of our most influential literati Osofisan, Soyinka, Achebe, and Clark. A child who would be great would show tendencies for greatness from a very young age. Such is the story of Osofisan. His tilt towards the literary started manifesting from his secondary school days. When he graduated from Government College, Ibadan in 1963, it was with a feather in his cap the T.M. Aluko Prize for Literature. Upon finishing from Government College, Professor Osofisan gained admission to the Department of Modern European Languages, University of Ibadan, to study French. His study lasted for four years between 1966 and 1969. He bagged a Bachelors with honours in 1969. The initial educational trajectory of Professor Osofisan would almost convince one that he would not venture into literature. Thats because, upon the completion of his undergraduate studies in Ibadan and Dakar, he was subsequently awarded a scholarship to study at the famous Sorbonne in Paris. His postgraduate degree in French at the Sorbonne lasted between 1972 and 1973. If life had happened as straightly as Osofisans initial path, perhaps we would have been celebrating Femi Osofisan as a renowned French author or translator on this occasion of his 75thbirthday. However, life and personal interests and passions had another plan for him. Osofisan is known to some as Okinba Launko the Dreamseeker on a Divining Chain. He is of a generation now rare, of an order that has almost entirely left us the ones who held the literary front in much needed defiance against the military era. He is a celebrated African dramatist who has won several local and international awards of repute. Osofisans divergent nature, which would in the future help him brazenly criticise the government of his nation, started to manifest during his programme at Sorbonne. Being an African proud of his roots and deeply interested in drama, Professor Osofisan wanted to work on African drama for his thesis, a proposition that his supervisor rejected. This hindered him from bagging his postgraduate degree in French, and it changed the course of his academic sojourn. What he was denied at Sorbonne, Ibadan offered him. Osofisans career as an academic started at the University of Ibadan, where he had bagged his first degree at the same Department of Modern European Languages. He worked as an assistant lecturer at this department and furthered his passion by doubling as the President of the Ibadan Drama Society. The University of Ibadan served as the consummate breeding ground for Professor Femi Osofisans scholarly sojourn. He started his doctoral programme at the University, where he worked on the origins of drama in Africa. It went down in history that Professor Osofisans doctoral programme was one of the fastest ever. He bagged his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1974, a year after his return from Sorbonne. The academic called Femi Osofisan has worked as a drama and theatre arts lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, and the Kwara State University. He was promoted to the position of professor 11 years after receiving his Ph.D. Although he officially retired from active service in 2011, Professor Osofisan has proven that passion and love for drama fuels and invigorates him. He has agreed to continue to contribute his scholarly wealth to academia, which made the University of Ibadan honour him with the Emeritus Professor status. I have spent time speaking of Osofisan as an academic because that is not the Osofisan generally known. The Osofisan known by many is Femi Osofisan, a literary god, skilled dramaturge, dexterous adapter and sustainer of literary works, social critic, champion of just causes, and lyrically sound poet. Osofisan is known to some as Okinba Launko the Dreamseeker on a Divining Chain. He is of a generation now rare, of an order that has almost entirely left us the ones who held the literary front in much needed defiance against the military era. He is a celebrated African dramatist who has won several local and international awards of repute. Beyond that, his works have been translated into other languages, thereby extending the tentacles of his influence. Everything remarkable has a catalyst a starting point and a phenomenon that catapults it to the limelight or greatness. This is the life story of Professor Osofisan. His career as a dramatist started from the days when he was a columnist for some national dailies. The series of stories he wrote in those dailies became his book titled, Cordelia. In truth, Osofisan is much more known as a dramatist. However, he has written works in all the four genres of literature poetry, drama, prose, and literary criticism. He has four prose works to his name, over 60 plays, five books of poems, and several essays and papers. Osofisan is a critic and activist who voiced out the best way he knew through the mightiness of the pen. For this, he has been honoured as an Officier de lOrdre Nationale de Merite, Rep. de France, which he graciously received in 1999, and also as a recipient of the Nigerian National Order of Merit in the Humanities, the most prestigious merit-based award in Nigeria I will term Osofisan as the African icon of relatable literature, and the reason is not far-fetched. He has carved a niche for himself as a dexterous adapter of other works of literature adaptations that reflect the beauty of the Yoruba culture and serve as relatable works of literature. One of the lessons that his adaptation of works has taught us is that everyone is first human, and human flaws, vices, or strengths are not unique to any one race. As women are often the most affected victims of war in Europe, so are they also the most affected victims of war in Africa, a point projected to light by Femi Osofisans narration of the Owu story, which has semblance to the story of Troy. Professor Osofisan is a recipient of numerous awards. It will not be out of place to call him one of Nigerias most decorated literary icons. He is the winner of the First Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service (WNBS) Prize for Independence Anniversary Essay. His first book of poetry, Minted Coins, won the ANA Poetry Prize and the Regional Commonwealth Poetry Award for a First Collection in 1987. Morountodun and Other Plays won the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) 1983 Award for Drama. He also won the 1993 ANA Award for Drama for his book, Yungba-Yungba and the Dance Contest. He made the shortlist for the prestigious USA-based Neustadt Prize in 2000. He is the only African to have received the World Literary Prize in Drama, the Thalia Laurel. Osofisan is a critic and activist who voiced out the best way he knew through the mightiness of the pen. For this, he has been honoured as an Officier de lOrdre Nationale de Merite, Rep. de France, which he graciously received in 1999, and also as a recipient of the Nigerian National Order of Merit in the Humanities, the most prestigious merit-based award in Nigeria, which recognises the best of the best in various walks of life. He received this award in 2004. In 2006, he equally received the Fonlon-Nichols Prize for Literature and the Struggle for Human Rights. Professor Osofisan is a well-rounded man: a family man, a fulfilled literatus, and a world-known academic. As he marks the occasion of his 75th year on earth, it is sure that the professor has many things to be happy and smile about. However, I cannot but remind the emeritus professor of the days when he and other literati were at the forefront of activism against the military regime. The country claims to run a democratic system of government, but its actions and policies have tended towards dictatorial rule. It would be better for the activism space if Osofisan resumed at the forefront to weigh in on national issues. Happy Birthday, Professor Babafemi Adeyemi Osofisan; you are of the league of those who have placed Nigeria among the stars! Toyin Falola, a professor of History and University Distinguished Teaching Professor, is Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at The University of Texas at Austin. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday received some former political appointees of Governor Ben Ayade who refused to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The Cross River Governor, Mr Ayade, on May 20, defected to the APC alongside some of his aides. The National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, who was in Calabar to receive the former political appointees, described the PDP as the party to take Nigeria to greater heights. He assured party members of level playing ground for all. Speaking, Goodwin Etta, former commissioner for Water Resources, said he could not follow Mr Ayade to the APC because there was no reason for that. Mr Etta said, I am tired of food on the table, and that is why I chose to remain with my people. Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, described Cross River as 100 per cent PDP state. Mr Obi, who was the vice presidential candidate of PDP in the 2019 general elections, said Cross River was Nigerias destination under the administrations of Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke. But today, all Cross River stood for has gone. Before, you could sleep with your eyes closed but today you can no longer sleep with your eyes closed, he said. A former governor of the state, Donald Duke, used the opportunity to officially announce his return to the PDP. I am back, he said. The Governor of Sokoto State and the Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, said the party was ready to take over the federal government in 2023. When we take over the government in 2023, we will start the restructuring of the country, he said. Mr Secondus inaugurated the new secretariat of the state chapter and inaugurated the new interim state executive of the party. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) said the police in Rivers State have arrested Brian Anucha for allegedly parading himself as PHED staff and defrauding customers. Chioma Aninwe, acting manager of Corporate Communications, PHED, made this known in a statement in Port Harcourt on Wednesday. She said Mr Anucha allegedly scammed Emmanuel Nte of N220,000 to activate the victims meter billing account. Anucha paraded himself as PHED staff and was recently apprehended at the Aba Road axis of Port Harcourt. The suspect, while presenting himself as a staff of the company, approached a customer, Emmanuel Nte, and offered to assist him to activate his account and subsequently pay his bills. The customer said that after he allegedly gave Anucha the sum of N220,000 for the activation, the suspect disappeared without rendering the service, she stated. Mrs Aninwe said the victim later reported the matter to a PHED staff during a routine customer check in the area. She said that after receiving the complaint from the victim, security officials attached to the company were sent to arrest the suspect. The security teams effort eventually yielded results after a couple of days of intelligence gathering that resulted in the arrest of Anucha. Anucha has been handed over to the police for further investigation. He will be charged to court for the law to take its full course, the PHED spokesperson stated. Mrs Aninwe recalled that PHED Managing Director, Henry Ajagbawa, had severally cautioned customers against making any form of cash payment with anybody on behalf of the company. According to her, customers are expected to make payments for service only through PHED offices, deposit banks and accredited agents. So, customers should never make cash payments to individuals, to avoid such incidents. After payments through the official channels, customers should also ensure they get a receipt at the point of payment, she said. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The operatives of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Osun State have arrested a woman identified as Omolara Solanke for allegedly obtaining 2.6 million from a political office seeker, Razaq Salami, under false pretences. According to a statement by the spokesperson of NSCDC, Daniel Adigun, in Osogbo, the suspect promised to assist Mr Salami, who was contesting the post of councillor, to win election. Ms Solanke alongside five others took the victim to a town in Ekiti State where the sum was obtained from him, after which they fled. After several failed attempts to get in touch with the fraudsters, Rasaq lodged a complaint with the anti-fraud unit of the corps in Ekiti State, where investigation into the alleged crime began. The anti-fraud unit of NSCDC, Osun command, was contacted to track the suspects. In the process, Omolara Solanke was apprehended. The NSCDC boss in Osun State, Commandant Emmanuel Ocheja, through the anti-fraud unit, handed over the suspect to the Ekiti command of the corps for further investigation and possible prosecution, the statement read. ADVERTISEMENT The Oyo State government has begun the evacuation of beggars from shanties in the states capital, Ibadan, to the newly built Akinyele Resettlement Centre in the state. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that beggars had, over the years, been living around shanties in various parts of Ibadan. The state government on Tuesday, however, said the new site is fitted with social amenities, including schools, hospitals, and recreation centres. Governor Seyi Makindes Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa, said the states Commissioner for Environment, Idowu Oyeleke, led the first set of evacuees to Akinyele on Tuesday. Aside from the ministry of environment, other ministries involved in the exercise include Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Information, Culture and Tourism, Local and Chieftaincy Matters as well as the Office of the Executive Secretary, Oyo State Security Trust Fund. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the government started the evacuation of beggars in October 2019 when about 48 street children, beggars and others were taken from the streets to rehabilitation centres in the state capital. This newspaper also learnt that the Akinyele Resettlement Centre, was earlier toured by Arewa community leaders, and representatives of the beggars on Saturday. ADVERTISEMENT The farmers in Ekiti State have accused traditional rulers of aiding the attacks of herdsmen in various parts of the state. The farmers, under the banner of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), also said the kidnappings and killings rocking the state may lead to famine and adversely affect the state and nations economy. The chairman of the association, Adeniran Alagbada, disclosed this on Tuesday during a Statewide Security Conference organised by the Ekiti Council of Elders. He said criminal herders are already taking refuge in the unutilised expanse of land in the government reserves to launch an attack on farmers and wreak havoc on the farmlands. Some traditional institutions and political are contributing to the menace of insecurity against farmers and residents in the South-West by allocating lands to the herders and buying cows for them to herd. The resultant effect is that they (herders) remain permanent on our land, thereby posing threat to the crop farmers and our crops. He also stressed that government reserves should be allocated to farmers because most unutilised vast of lands tagged government reserved lands contribute to the security risk facing Ekiti farmers and their inhabitants. These vast of land, (which is) supposed to be allocated to intending farmers for agricultural purposes, now serves as hideouts for hemp planters, dens of killer herders, and subterfuge for all sorts of heinous criminals, such as kidnappers and bandits terrorising the state. With all the foregoing, an average Ekiti farmer is exposed to the risk of being murdered, raped or kidnapped by gunmen in the course of providing food security for all and guaranteeing national security, he said. It is not clear as of the time of filing this report whether Governor Kayode Fayemi would allocate Ekiti forest reserves to farmers for the cultivation of crops as advised by the association. His spokesperson, Yinka Oyebode, did not respond to calls and text messages when contacted on the concerns of the states farmers. The chairman of the Ekiti Council of Traditional Rulers, Adebanji Alabi, did not immediately respond to requests for comments on the farmers claims against the monarchs. Phone calls and a text message have not been responded to as of the time of filing this report. ALSO READ: Ogun residents raze Fulani settlement over abduction of woman by suspected herdsmen It would be recalled that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State in January, evicted herders from his state forest reserves following a high rate of insecurity. This triggered controversy, but Mr Akeredolu maintained that the primary responsibility of the government is to ensure the security and welfare of citizens. To forestall the crisis between farmers and herders across various parts of Nigeria, the 17 southern governors on May 11 resolved to ban open grazing of cattle in their states. The governors said the incursion of armed herders, criminals, and bandits into the Southern part of the country has presented a severe security challenge such that citizens are unable to live their normal lives. ADVERTISEMENT The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) confirmed that seven persons died in an explosion after a commercial bus collided with a petrol tanker at Ajilete on the Idiroko expressway on Wednesday. The FRSC Idiroko Unit Commander, Akinwunmi Olaluwoye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota that two other persons sustained injuries in the incident. Mr Olaluwoye said the accident occurred around 8.45 a.m. The unit commander said the bus, due to speeding, rammed into the tanker, laden with litres of petroleum products while it was ascending the sloppy Ajilete road. He said that nine persons were involved in the accident which claimed seven lives, leaving two others with various degrees of injuries. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT For stealing a jewelry box, plasma television, perfumes, and other items, an Osun Magistrate court in Ile-Ife, sentenced a 30-year-old woman, Toyin Akinyemi, to 18 months imprisonment. Ms Akinyemi was arraigned for theft and burglary on Wednesday. She pleaded guilty to the offence said to have been committed on May 28, 2021, around 1.00 p.m. at the Modomo area of Ile-Ife. The prosecutor, Sunday Osanyintuyi, informed the court that the convict broke into the house of the complainant, AbdulHammed Toheeb to steal one Hisense plasma TV valued at N72,000, one industrial machine cost N105,000, and a wristwatch valued at N70,000. She also stole a box of jewellery valued at N50,000, small collection of perfume valued at N4,000; a pair of sandals valued at N15,000, and a power bank valued at N17,000. The offence committed by Ms Akinyemi contravened Sections 383, 390 (9), 411 and 412 of the Criminal Code Laws of Osun, 2002. In her judgment, Magistrate Bose Idowu convicted Ms Akinyemi without an option of a fine. She noted that the conviction would serve as a deterrent to others who may want to engage in such crimes in the future. The ruling party, APC, and the opposition, PDP, have disagreed over the decision of the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, to dismiss the petition filed by Eyitayo Jegede against Rotimi Akeredolu in the October 2020 governorship election. While the APC said the court decision was an affirmation of the peoples decision, the PDP expressed its displeasure over the judgment. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the appeal courts lead Theresa Orji-Abadua, on Wednesday, said the case filed by Mr Jegede lacked merit. The appeal is partly allowed and partly dismissed and the appellants case is also dismissed, she said in the judgment delivered virtually. Parties disagree Reacting to the judgment, the PDP in a statement issued by the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Kennedy Peretei, said the appeal courts decision would be challenged at the Supreme Court. The Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State and candidate of the party at the October 2020 Gubernatorial election will challenge the Court of Appeal decision at the Supreme Court. In concluding her lead judgment, Hon. Justice Theresa Orji-Abadua said the appeal was partially dismissed and partially allowed. To the ordinary man in the street, the judgment was inconclusive and we must approach the Supreme Court to help them conclude the judgment. The kernel of the Eyitayo Jegede/PDP petition was whether or not a gross violation of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) should be allowed to stay. Whether or not Mai Mala Buni, as a sitting Governor of Yobe State can double as National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, to sign the nomination of Rotimi Akeredolu, for the governorship election. While the Court of Appeal acknowledged that it was a violation of the Constitution, it still went ahead to dismiss the appeal, the statement read. On the other hand, the APC in a statement by its spokesperson, Alex Kalejaiye, said the judgment was an affirmation of the peoples decision. The ruling party applauded the Court of Appeal Panel for cementing the judgment of the Tribunal, by upholding a dispassionate, and objective stand on the matter. The state APC Chairman, Adetimehin rejoiced with all the members of the state chapter and the good people of Ondo State, urging them to continually support the performing APC-led government in the Sunshine State. Back story Mr Jegedes counsel, Oyeachi Ikpeazu, had approached the appeal court, saying Mr Akeredolus nomination by his party was unconstitutional. This came after an election petition tribunal, led by Umar Abubakar, ruled on April 20, 2021, that the qualification of the APC candidate and his deputy was not a pre-election matter, but a constitutional matter, which is not within its jurisdiction. The issue raised therein in this petition are settled issues of internal affairs and management of a political party which this tribunal has no jurisdiction, the tribunal said then. This was in accordance with the argument of the counsels of Mr Akeredolu, and the electoral body, INEC. Mr Akeredolu won in 15 of the states 18 local government areas in the October 2020 election. Mr Jegede won in the remaining three local governments. A total of 17 candidates took part in the election. ADVERTISEMENT INECs returning officer and vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Idowu Olayinka, made the announcement after all the results across the states 18 local government areas were collated. Akeredolu woos Jegede Mr Akeredolu, in a statement shortly after the appellate courts verdict, said, notwithstanding the verdict of the appeal court, it is another great opportunity for Jegede to join in the task. The Appeal Court has just, a while ago, delivered a landmark judgment, affirming my election as the duly-elected Governor of Ondo State alongside my Deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa. Understandably, many had waited in animated breaths for the outcome of this case, which commenced from the lower tribunal to this extent. This is a permissible venture in clearly inoffensive exercise of the rights of litigants. No grudges against any in this regard. All have seen the scholarly industry infused into this judicial exercise by the most venerable honourable Appeal Court of eminent jurists. The issues examined and conclusions reached have further enriched our nations jurisprudence, no doubt, he said. Mr Akeredolu, who said the responsibility of leadership reposed in him was tasking, explained that the partnership could only be beneficial if everyone set aside politics for the common goal. According to him, this collective, bi-partisan efforts and approach are more desirable now, than anyone can imagine. This is because we have all won together, and together must we develop our dear state, he said. With gas prices likely soaring for the holiday weekend, are you planning to travel or stay close to home? You voted: Plattsburgh, NY (12901) Today Periods of rain. High around 65F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 57F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Southbury, CT (06488) Today Rain. Thunderstorms possible...mainly in the afternoon. Cooler. High 72F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Occasional rain. Low 58F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. PARIS, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Clearwater Analytics, the leading SaaS solution for investment accounting, reporting, and analytics, is strengthening its presence in Europe by appointing Mr. Thomas van Cauwelaert as Head of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Based in Clearwater's new office in Paris, Thomas will be responsible for accelerating the company's growth in the region and make Clearwater part of its proximity strategy to the local markets. After holding several management positions in financial services in Europe, Thomas previously served as Director of Sales and Marketing at New Access, a Swiss software vendor of a "Core to Digital" suite for private wealth. Prior to New Access, Thomas van Cauwelaert was Vice President at SimCorp, where he led Sales and Marketing for Southern Europe for ten years. Alongside Thomas van Cauwelaert, several employees have already joined the Paris office. Alexander Nakhla leaves Clearwater New York to join Clearwater in France as Business Development Lead; Cristel Cohen-Bacry, recently appointed to Clearwater EMEA Marketing, is also based in Paris. Cristel was Marketing and Communications Director for various software vendors for banking, asset management, and investment funds. Clearwater will be adding several other product and implementation specialists in the coming months to support the growth. "Clearwater Analytics is a game changer with its leading solution for asset management. I am delighted to join Clearwater and lead a group of experts committed to the success of our clients," says Thomas van Cauwelaert. "Clearwater's 'multi-tenant single instance' cloud model brings together industry best practices. By offering a solution, not software, Clearwater Analytics provides an alternative approach to asset managers who have been burdened with lengthy implementation projects and legacy technology. I have been impressed with Clearwater's offering, as well as the culture of innovation and success of its customers." "Thomas brings a wealth of domain, business, and market experience to Clearwater," said Gayatri Raman, Head of Clearwater Analytics for EMEA and APAC. "We are delighted to welcome him to our team. His expertise will be of immense value as we continue expand across Europe and service more clients in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg." About Clearwater Analytics Clearwater Analytics is a global industry leading SaaS solution for automated investment data aggregation, reconciliation, accounting, and reporting. Each day, the Clearwater solution reports on more than $5.5 trillion in assets for clients that include leading insurers, asset managers, corporations, pension plans, governments, and nonprofit organizations helping them make the most of their investment portfolio data with a world-class product and client-centric servicing. Investment professionals in 50 countries trust Clearwater to deliver timely, validated investment data and in-depth reporting. Additional information about Clearwater can be found at www.clearwater-analytics.com, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Related Links www.clearwateranalytics.com SOURCE Clearwater Analytics, LLC LOS ANGELES, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Emad Rajaie, who in 2019 joined asset manager DoubleLine Capital LP to head of the firm's Middle East relationship management, has been assigned the additional responsibility to manage the firm's relations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and continental Europe. Mr. Rajaie reports to Ron Redell, President of DoubleLine Group. "The European market is of strategic importance to DoubleLine's international business," Mr. Redell said. "Emad brings a wealth of experience working with institutional investors and consultants outside North America. He will enhance DoubleLine's ability to provide investment solutions to European investors and consultants in Europe. With his appointment, DoubleLine will continue to thoughtfully expand its presence in the region and work with its partners to best meet European investor needs." Mr. Rajaie has 16 years of experience in the financial sector. In April 2019, he came to DoubleLine from PIMCO where he worked for 10 years, based in London, and was co-head of the fixed-income investment manager's business in the Middle East and Africa. Before PIMCO, Mr. Rajaie served as a consultant at Booz & Company (now part of PricewaterhouseCoopers) and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), an MBA from Saint Louis University (Saint Louis, MO) and a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from Concordia University (Montreal, Canada). "I look forward to working with DoubleLine's senior leadership and our partners to expand our footprint in Europe," Mr. Rajaie said. "The firm has done an exceptional job building a robust investment platform and process to serve our clients around the globe. My role will be to further our reach in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, working with clients to navigate the rather challenging market environment ahead." About DoubleLine Capital LP DoubleLine Capital LP is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. DoubleLine's offices can be reached by telephone at (213) 633-8200 or by e-mail at info@doubleline.com. As of the March 31 close of the first quarter of 2021, DoubleLine Capital LP and its related entities managed $135 billion in assets across all vehicles, including open-end mutual funds, collective investment trusts, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, hedge funds, variable annuities, UCITS and separate accounts. News media can reach DoubleLine by e-mail at media@doubleline.com. DoubleLine is a registered trademark of DoubleLine Capital LP. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/752903/DoubleLine_Logo.jpg Related Links www.doubleline.com SOURCE DoubleLine Located in the heart of the only coastal city in Jordan, Saraya Aqaba Waterpark is the largest waterpark in the Kingdom, spanning an area of more than 28,500 sqm. The waterpark features a diverse range of rides, slides and experiences, in addition to family-friendly eateries. Guests can create memorable experiences under the sun with rides and attractions inspired by Jordan's most iconic landmarks including Dead Sea Drop, where guests can take a vertical plunge to plummet 40 ft downwards, Wadi Rum Race, featuring a multi-racer that allows guests to grab some friends and compete for first place, Aqua Jerash, featuring designated play areas especially for little ones along with family-friendly experiences and much more. Hungry guests can visit Rose City Diner, the waterpark's main dining outlet, to choose from an array of dining options ranging from shareable meals to on-the-go snacks, including a special drinks menu. Refreshment kiosks can also be found around the park serving a variety of snacks, ice cream, drinks and more. Guests who wish to purchase branded merchandise and pool essentials can visit Al Siq Souk, the waterpark's signature shopping outlet. Chris Van Der Merwe, General Manager of Saraya Aqaba Waterpark, said: "We are excited to announce that Saraya Aqaba Waterpark will be the first-of-its-kind waterpark in Aqaba and the largest in the Kingdom of Jordan. At Saraya Aqaba Waterpark, guests from all around the world are in for an aquatic adventure like no other with slides, rides and experiences suitable for guests of all ages. We look forward to welcoming you at Saraya Aqaba Waterpark for unforgettable memories that will last for a lifetime." Saraya Aqaba Waterpark was developed by Eagle Hills, the largest developer in the Kingdom of Jordan and is operated by Farah Experience LLC, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi based Miral Asset Management LLC. For more information, please visit https://sarayaaqabawaterpark.com/ Note to Editors: Opening hours: Daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm Tickets prices: Day Pass ticket JOD 35 About Saraya Aqaba Waterpark: Located in the heart of Aqaba, Jordan's only coastal city, Saraya Aqaba Waterpark will be the first-of-its-kind in Aqaba and the largest in the Kingdom of Jordan, featuring over 25 rides, slides and experiences in addition to family-friendly eateries. The world-class waterpark will deliver adventures like no other for the whole family. Spanning an area of more than 28,500 sqm, the Jordanian-themed park will feature exhilarating rides and attractions named after the Kingdom's most iconic landmarks including Jerash, Wadi Rum and many more. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1529563/Saraya_Aqaba_Waterpark.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1529571/Saraya_Aqaba_Waterpark_Logo.jpg SOURCE Saraya Aqaba Waterpark DUBAI, UAE, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company (TSE: 4502) (NYSE: TAK) ("Takeda"), a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company, headquartered in Japan, is celebrating its 240th founding anniversary in June 2021, marking a significant milestone in bringing Better Health and a Brighter Future to people worldwide. The company was first founded by Chobei Takeda in 1781 in Osaka, Japan, with the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Business starting in 1895 and the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company established in 1915. Today the company has a global presence in over 80 countries with 80 manufacturing and three research sites. Takeda's R&D efforts are currently focused on four therapeutic areas: oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience, and gastroenterology, with targeted R&D investments in plasma-derived therapies and vaccines. Dr. Mahender Nayak, Area Head, ICMEA (India, C.I.S., Middle East, Turkey, and Africa) said, "With roots as a family-startup, our incredible legacy is anchored by our values, and guided by a strong commitment to the highest ethical standards. Our growth will continue to be driven by decisions and actions based on Patient-Trust Reputation-Business, in that order. At both global and area levels, we will continue to deliver sustainable, profitable growth through ensuring patient access to our innovative treatments. As we begin our 240th year, Takeda seeks to deliver even greater value for our patients, people and the planet." He added, "Our focus here across ICMEA is on our innovative portfolio that will see multiple launches planned in 2021 and beyond. Through strategic partnerships, we aim to increase the number of patient lives positively impacted by various initiatives such as Takeda's global Access to Medicines initiatives. Among recent examples is our work in supporting controlling mass disease outbreaks. Studies[1] suggest that our dengue vaccine candidate could help with outbreak prevention, reducing rates of hospitalization and protecting people from dengue regardless of their previous exposure throughout three years." Takeda-ism incorporates Integrity, Fairness, Honesty and Perseverance, with Integrity at the core. Takeda aims to achieve a revenue goal of JPY 1 trillion[2] by FY2030 for its Growth and Emerging Markets Business Unit which includes ICMEA in its remit. Takeda has also achieved carbon neutrality[3] in its value chain in FY 2019, delivered by a continued focus on internal energy conservation measures, procurement of green energy, and investment in renewable energy certificates and high-quality, verified carbon offsets, including more than 30 renewable energy and carbon offset projects across 12 countries. Takeda's ICMEA headquarters in Dubai have received silver level LEED certification. Globally, the company has almost 50,000 employees. The ICMEA Area comprises 38 countries with around 1,000 employees. The region has a gender mix of 58 percent women and 42 percent women with more than 54 nationalities. Takeda was named global Top Employer[4] for fourth consecutive year. About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to bringing Better Health and a Brighter Future to patients by translating science into highly-innovative medicines. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Diseases, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI). We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people's lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com. Important Notice For the purposes of this notice, "press release" means this document, any oral presentation, any question and answer session and any written or oral material discussed or distributed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ("Takeda") regarding this release. This press release (including any oral briefing and any question-and-answer in connection with it) is not intended to, and does not constitute, represent or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, exchange, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. No shares or other securities are being offered to the public by means of this press release. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. This press release is being given (together with any further information which may be provided to the recipient) on the condition that it is for use by the recipient for information purposes only (and not for the evaluation of any investment, acquisition, disposal or any other transaction). Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws. The companies in which Takeda directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release, "Takeda" is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Takeda and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. Forward-Looking Statements This press release and any materials distributed in connection with this press release may contain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions regarding Takeda's future business, future position and results of operations, including estimates, forecasts, targets and plans for Takeda. Without limitation, forward-looking statements often include words such as "targets", "plans", "believes", "hopes", "continues", "expects", "aims", "intends", "ensures", "will", "may", "should", "would", "could" "anticipates", "estimates", "projects" or similar expressions or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: the economic circumstances surrounding Takeda's global business, including general economic conditions in Japan and the United States; competitive pressures and developments; changes to applicable laws and regulations; the success of or failure of product development programs; decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates; the impact of health crises, like the novel coronavirus pandemic, on Takeda and its customers and suppliers, including foreign governments in countries in which Takeda operates, or on other facets of its business; the timing and impact of post-merger integration efforts with acquired companies; the ability to divest assets that are not core to Takeda's operations and the timing of any such divestment(s); and other factors identified in Takeda's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and Takeda's other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takeda's website at: https://www.takeda.com/investors/reports/sec-filings/ or at www.sec.gov . Takeda does not undertake to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results or statements of Takeda in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast, guarantee or projection of Takeda's future results. [1] https://www.takeda.com/newsroom/newsreleases/2021/potential-impact-of-takedas-dengue-vaccine-candidate-reinforced-by--long-term-safety-and-efficacy-results/ [2] https://www.takeda.com/494098/siteassets/system/investors/investor--events/gem-ir-day-presentation.pdf [3] takeda.com/newsroom/newsreleases/2021/takeda-achieved-carbon-neutrality-in-2020/ [4] https://www.takeda.com/newsroom/newsreleases/2021/takeda-named-global-top-employer-for-fourth-consecutive-year/#:~:text=Takeda%20Named%20Global%20Top%20Employer%20for%20Fourth%20Consecutive%20Year,-January%2024%2C%202021&text=OSAKA%2C%20Japan%20and%20CAMBRIDGE%2C%20Massachusetts,Employer%C2%AE%20certification%20for%202021. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534807/Takeda_Logo.jpg SOURCE Takeda Pharmaceuticals TEL AVIV, Israel, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Meron Capital announced today the closing of Meron II, its second $50 million fund to invest in early-stage deep-technology software startups led by Israeli entrepreneurs. The new fund will target 18-20 pre-seed and seed investments in startups that are building software-based solutions for enterprise, cybersecurity, digital health, fintech, DevOps and more. Liron Azrielant and Daniel Roditi, Managing Partners at Meron Capital Photo Credit Meron Capital, by Nir Laksman Meron Capital launched its inaugural fund in 2017 and has invested in 16 startups to date. Four have already made successful exits; AIOps startup Loom Systems was acquired by ServiceNow, API integration platform Reshuffle was acquired by Twitter, digital health company Clear Genetics was purchased by Invitae and IoT startup Axonize was acquired by Planon. In addition, 10 more have so far raised further financing with startups Immunai, Solugen and Armory alone disclosing combined investments in excess of $300 million to date. "We see ourselves as a startup investing in startups - we are creative, scrappy and move fast," said Liron Azrielant, Managing Partner at Meron. "We share the same spirit as our founders and that's why we founded our own firm and chose to face the challenges of being an emergent in a market of incumbents." Liron Azrielant graduated from MIT's LGO dual degree program with a computer science and electrical engineering Masters and an MBA and was the youngest-ever applicant accepted. She earned a degree in Mathematics and Physics at the Hebrew University and served in the IDF 8200's most elite technological unit. She started her career as a software engineer but then moved over to the business side as a consultant, advisor and then investor at Bain, PwC and finally, Blumberg Capital. After leaving Blumberg In 2017, she and Daniel Roditi launched Meron Capital. Liron also manages the Young Venture Capital Forum, an education non-profit connecting over 250 young VC professionals from all firms in Israel. Daniel Roditi was born and raised in Switzerland and started his career - as one might expect - in finance and banking, before joining a commodity trading software startup as one of the first employees. He then came to Israel in 2015 to pursue an MBA at Tel Aviv University, and joined Blumberg Capital as part of their Tel Aviv-based investment team. He left together with Liron to build Meron Capital at the inception, is now an equal Managing Partner and, at 29, the youngest VC in Israel to found a fund. In the current Israeli climate of record-breaking fundraising and exits, the Meron Capital team works with talented founders, helping them ideate their early conceptions and build out their teams. "We don't necessarily expect our founders to be in a position yet to sell us on their idea. We will take a bet on their team, and work with them to crystallize their idea and help them approach customers, prospective employees, and later stage VC firms," explained Roditi. What are Liron and Dani looking for in founders? "Our typical founders are either tech superstars or an established expert in their space," says Azrielant, while Roditi adds "The most important quality is tremendous resilience and fortitude. You have to be able to push back against negative or distracting feedback but at the same time, be perceptive and pick up on subtle criticism by experts who might be sugarcoating their true thoughts." Meron II has already invested in four companies; LendAI, operating in the market of mortgage lending, where Meron was joined by Israel's third-largest bank, Sorbet, the first PTO clearinghouse, in a deal they closed together with Viola, Firmbase, a Fintech startup in which top angels have invested, and Laminar, the first Data Protection platform for cloud-native applications, where they invested alongside TLV Partners and Insight Partners. Media Contact Lazer Cohen WestRay Communications [email protected] 347-753-8256 SOURCE Meron Capital TEL AVIV, Israel, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The FOX group announces today the signature of an agreement between HEARTLAND and TERMINAL X. Upon the completion of the public offering, HEARTLAND will hold around 10.1% of TERMINAL X's equity. HEARTLAND A/S is the investment arm of Danish businessman, Mr. Anders Holch Povlsen, and owner of significant holdings in a variety of industries, including fashion brands and leading fashion e-commerce platforms such as the British fashion site ASOS and the German fashion sites Zalando and About You. The announcement about the partnership came while TERMINAL X announced that it considered an IPO in the Tel Aviv stock exchange. In the investor presentation released to the public, the company presented exceptional growth over the past three years, as well as impressive operational data and growth engines for the future. TERMINAL X, is a multi-brand online company, owned by the FOX group, and became, in just three years, the Israeli leading site in its field. The site offers the Israeli audience more than 160 Leading international brands such as Nike, Mango, American Eagle, as well as leading local brands and a private label of TERMINAL X. TERMINAL X was the first site in Israel to offer one business day delivery, a unique customer experience through advanced technological and logistical capabilities, a fully automated robotic warehouse and a deep understanding in the field of fashion. The FOX group is the leading and biggest retail group in Israel. The group holds a big and varied portfolio of 20 international and domestic brands, among them, Nike, Foot Locker, Mango, American Eagle, Billabong and more, side by side with its home brands such as FOX, FOX Home, Laline, Shilav and more. The group operates around 800 stores in Israel and in the world and employs 8,500 employees. The company has been listed in the stock exchange since 2002 and recently completed public offering and listing the shares of its subsidiary Retailors that operates the Nike, Foot Locker and Dream Sport networks. The listing was made simultaneously with the completion of the assignment of 10% of Retailors' equity to Foot Locker's Global company, a deal that reflects a huge faith expression in the Israeli group. The FOX group operates in several countries in Europe and Canada, in cooperation with Nike and Foot Locker and has a significant expansion plan for the next years. Anders Holch Povlsen: "We are very impressed by TERMINAL X. The company features remarkable capabilities with high sales growth together with a strong increase in business performance which motivated me to make this partnership. I strongly believe in the company, its capabilities and its growth potential." Harel Wizel, owner and CEO of the FOX group: "I am glad about this strategic partnership with HEARTLAND. The expression of faith, when coming from this particular partner, emphasizes TERMINAL X's well deserved position next to the biggest global players and attests to its potential, power and capabilities, more than any grade or number." Nir Horovitz, CEO of TERMINAL X: "The partnership with HEARTLAND will help TERMINAL X both in the domestic market, and in expanding to more countries. TERMINAL X provides its customers with a full buying experience in the highest international standards as a result of which we became the leading, most varied and biggest platform in Israel. HEARTLAND has a proven record in identifying e-commerce players prior to their becoming global leaders and this partnership we are striking today is a strategic meaningful step towards the future of the company and its continued growth." SOURCE The FOX group NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to invest in its Capital Markets business, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR), a global Fintech leader, today announced that it has further strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Fintech and financial services veteran Ray Tierney as President of Itiviti. With extensive experience on both the sell-side and buy-side, Tierney will be responsible for the management and growth of Broadridge's front-office OEMS and Connectivity solutions with its recently completed acquisition of Itiviti. Ray Tierney "Ray is a proven industry leader and the perfect person to build out, scale and drive sustainable global growth as he oversees the extension of our capabilities into the front office and the deepening of our multi-asset class solutions," said Tim Gokey, Broadridge's Chief Executive Officer. "Ray's addition to our leadership team represents another important step in our continued journey to grow our capital markets franchise and capitalize on the significant opportunity to serve our clients' full trade life cycle from order to settlement." Tierney brings 35 years of capital markets experience to Broadridge. Having most recently served as Global CEO of Trading Solutions at Bloomberg LP, he led the design, development, and operations of the firm's global multi-asset, buy- and sell-side order management system. Tierney previously served as CEO and President of Bloomberg Tradebook LLC, and spent 18 years at Morgan Stanley, overseeing distribution teams in the securities division and as Global Head of Trading and Execution in the investment management division. Rob Mackay, CEO of Itiviti since 2019, will assume a role as Senior Advisor. "I am proud of the milestones Itiviti achieved over the last few years, capped off by the Broadridge acquisition," Mackay said. "Ray is the ideal leader to continue to grow and scale the business, leveraging his wealth of capital markets experience to take the team and business to the next level." About Broadridge Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with over $4.5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance, and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. In addition, Broadridge's technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of on average more than U.S. $10 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 12,000 associates in 21 countries. For more information about us and what we can do for you, please visit www.broadridge.com. Contact Information Investors: W. Edings Thibault Investor Relations (516) 472-5129 Media: Gregg Rosenberg Corporate Communications (212) 918-6966 SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. Related Links http://www.broadridge.com Indication-specific motion tracking and delivery adaptation with Accuray-only Synchrony technology, which is used on the platform as a part of every treatment delivery technology, which is used on the platform as a part of every treatment delivery Delivery of non-coplanar, isocentric or non-isocentric treatment beams from potentially thousands of different angles All collimator types - fixed, Iris Variable Aperture and the InCise Multileaf Collimators for the widest range of treatments Fast and accurate dose calculation that enables dose adjustment in real-time Deformable registration and adaptive planning "The introduction of RayStation for the CyberKnife Systems will make it easier for providers with multiple radiotherapy systems to adopt and integrate Accuray technology seamlessly into their clinical operation. As the trend toward standardization on TPS within a radiation department continues to grow, the ability to easily integrate will become increasingly important," said Suzanne Winter, chief commercial officer and senior vice president, R&D at Accuray. "Our goal is to provide customers with options and flexibility in the way they use Accuray radiotherapy delivery systems and has led to the pursuit of multiple paths including valuable partnerships that improve both the functionality of our products and provide greater options for integration. Accuray CyberKnife, Radixact and TomoTherapy Systems interface with both RayStation and the Accuray Precision TPS, enabling our customers to optimize their experience and use of our technology over the long-term." "With the addition of CyberKnife planning support, RayStation becomes the first treatment planning system to support all major photon linacs. Both Radixact and CyberKnife are extremely versatile delivery platforms, and the ability to plan for these systems in parallel with conventional linacs makes it possible to easily assess which patients benefit the most from the capabilities of the Accuray systems. We are also proud to add support for CyberKnife in RayCare* at the same time. This means that RaySearch is able to provide all the software needed in a radiation oncology clinic with Accuray treatment delivery systems," said Bjorn Hardemark, M.Sc., Deputy CEO at RaySearch. About the CyberKnife System The CyberKnife System with the Synchrony motion synchronization technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) to adapt radiation delivery in real-time to patient and/or tumor movement throughout the course of treatment. The system's robotic design facilitates the delivery of radiation from potentially thousands of unique angles, significantly expanding the possible positions from which radiation beams can be delivered. The more angles and points in space from which to approach the tumor, the better a physician will be able to maximize radiation dose delivered to the tumor and minimize dose to surrounding healthy tissues. The CyberKnife System is the only device capable of delivering sub-millimetric stereotactic treatments anywhere in the body with speed, efficiency and accuracy - all without the need for human intervention. About Accuray Accuray is committed to expanding the powerful potential of radiation therapy to improve as many lives as possible. We invent unique, market-changing solutions that are designed to deliver radiation treatments for even the most complex caseswhile making commonly treatable cases even easierto meet the full spectrum of patient needs. We are dedicated to continuous innovation in radiation therapy for oncology, neuro-radiosurgery, and beyond, as we partner with clinicians and administrators, empowering them to help patients get back to their lives, faster. Accuray is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with facilities worldwide. To learn more, visit www.accuray.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. Safe Harbor Statement Statements made in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate, but are not limited, to the effect of the RayStation treatment planning system on clinicians or providers as well as their ability to integrate Accuray systems in their departments to improve workflows and operational efficiency, the company's goals and future growth potential, the company's ability to realize the anticipated benefits of its partnerships, clinical benefits of the company's technologies, patient outcomes and the company's leadership position in radiation oncology innovation and technologies. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if any of the company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to achieve widespread market acceptance of its products and those of its partners, including new product innovations and releases; the company's ability to develop new products or improve existing products to meet customers' needs; the company's ability to effectively manage and grow its relationships with its partners; the company's ability to anticipate or keep pace with changes in the marketplace and the direction of technological innovation and customer demands and such other risks identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in the company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on April 30, 2021, and as updated periodically with the company's other filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made and are based on information available to the company at the time those statements are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events. The company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual performance or results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. Accordingly, investors should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. *RaySearch: Subject to regulatory clearance in some markets. Pending 510(k) clearance. Not for sale in the USA. **CyberKnife System: 510(k) cleared. Subject to regulatory clearance in some markets. Media Contacts Beth Kaplan Accuray +1 (408) 789-4426 [email protected] Christy Maginn Havas +1 (703) 297-7194 [email protected] SOURCE Accuray Incorporated NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) Diagnostics Accelerator today announced four new research investments for development of digital biomarkers for Alzheimer's diagnosis. These technology-based biomarkers will help identify subtle, yet pertinent psychological and behavioral changes that happen very early in people with Alzheimer's but may go unnoticed. "Smart phones, tablets and wearable devices can collect data from patients like never before and big data can help us analyze it to find patterns that can tell early signs of dementia from normal aging," says Howard Fillit, M.D., Founding Executive Director and Chief Science Officer of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation. "Today's awards support exciting research projects across the world that are combining cutting-edge technologies with the latest scientific insights into Alzheimer's." The Diagnostics Accelerator is a partnership with funding commitments totaling nearly $50 million over three years from ADDF Co-Founder Leonard A. Lauder, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott, the Dolby family, the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, and The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, among others, to develop novel biomarkers for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. New digital biomarker research investments The largest of the research awards, up to nearly $2 million, supports work by Rhoda Au, Ph.D. and her team at Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health. The team at Boston University is developing digital profiles to identify changes in cognition, mood and depression that could signal early-stage Alzheimer's. The team is collecting their data from participants in the Framingham Heart Study, the nation's largest and longest running study of risk factors for heart disease. These participants are a perfect fit for Dr. Au's study because they are at the age of high-risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. Guoliang Xing, D.Sc. and his team at the Chinese University of Hong Kong are using a combination of motion sensors in wearable devices, acoustic sensors in tablets and smartphones, and depth sensors to collect data on Alzheimer's patients' ability to complete their everyday activities. The award of up to $641,204 supports not only data collection, but development of deep learning technologies that can recognize, classify, and analyze the data to assess current patient risks and predict Alzheimer's progression. Two other awards are for novel digital tests that can assess cognitive and emotional changes in Alzheimer's patients. Dr. Ramit Ravona-Springer, Dr. Meir Plotnik, and their team at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel were awarded up to $249,810 for their work on a new virtual reality tool that can measure apathy, a common symptom of Alzheimer's that is often misdiagnosed as depression. Neurotrack Technologies in California will be awarded up to $792,990 for their work designing cognitive assessments that can be administered at home on smartphones, tablets, or computers. The at-home tests will allow for ongoing monitoring of multiple data typesincluding eye tracking, voice, and touchthat can distinguish between people with normal cognitive function, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease. Since its 2018 launch, the Diagnostics Accelerator has made investments to 26 world-class researchers across the globe. The investments are made to both academic institutions and biotech companies. In addition to digital biomarkers, the Diagnostics Accelerator supports research into blood, ocular, and genetic biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease. The ADDF invests in a diverse research portfolio of novel drug targets and biomarkers that reflect the many biological pathways and systems associated with the biology of aging, which is the number one risk factor for Alzheimer's and related dementias. "The first step in finding drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's begins with the ability to accurately diagnose patients and identify which biological processes underlie their Alzheimer's," says Dr. Fillit. "In the short-term, this will help ensure the right people are enrolling in clinical trials. But these same tests will eventually be a powerful tool in helping physicians provide precision treatments to Alzheimer's patients." About the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation Founded in 1998 by Leonard A. and Ronald S. Lauder, the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation is dedicated to rapidly accelerating the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease. The ADDF is the only public charity solely focused on funding the development of drugs for Alzheimer's, employing a venture philanthropy model to support research in academia and the biotech industry. Through the generosity of its donors, the ADDF has awarded more than $168 million to fund over 650 Alzheimer's drug discovery and biomarker programs and clinical trials in 19 countries. To learn more, please visit: http://www.alzdiscovery.org/. SOURCE Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation Related Links www.alzdiscovery.org The Civic 50 provides a national standard for corporate citizenship and showcases how companies can use their time, skills and resources to drive social impact in their communities and company. The honorees are companies with annual U.S. revenues of at least $1 billion and are selected based on four dimensions of their corporate citizenship and social impact programs investment of resources, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies and systems and impact measurement. "It is an honor to receive this recognition," said Andrew Dreyfus, president and CEO at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. "Now more than ever, companies must help drive transformative social change. I'm proud of the work of our associates and the strong partnerships we have formed with our community partners to build a more equitable and sustainable future." "Points of Light believes that corporate leadership and commitment to civic engagement is critical to strengthening communities," said Natalye Paquin, president and CEO, Points of Light. "We thank Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts for their investment in the communities where they live and work and look forward to supporting them in leveraging their time, talent and assets to make transformational change." Last year, Blue Cross and its Foundation contributed $22.6 million to more than 500 Massachusetts-based not-for-profit organizations across the state in financial, pro bono and in-kind support, including $12.9 million for COVID-19 relief efforts. The company's pandemic-related contributions focused on addressing food insecurity, helping ensure access to vaccination, and supporting communities of color disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Blue Cross also worked both internally and externally to promote diversity, equity and inclusion; volunteerism; and sustainability and environmental health. In 2020, 2,900 associates participated in 226 virtual and in-person service projects, contributing 56,400 volunteer hours. The company also deployed more than 100 employees to support Massachusetts' contact tracing initiative and the Boston Hope COVID-19 field hospital, and prepared and distributed more than 90,000 free meals to local nonprofits providing food assistance programs. For information on Blue Cross' work in the community, read the 2020 Corporate Citizenship Report. To learn more about The Civic 50 and view the full list of companies honored, visit https://www.pointsoflight.org/the-civic-50-honorees/. About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (bluecrossma.org) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to the relentless pursuit of quality, affordable and equitable health care with an unparalleled consumer experience. Consistent with our promise to always put our members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. About Points of Light Points of Light is a global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world. We envision a world in which every individual discovers the power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies. Through 177 affiliates across 38 countries, and in partnership with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 5 million volunteers in 16 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it's needed most. For more information, visit www.pointsoflight.org. SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Related Links http://www.bluecrossma.com LOS ANGELES, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brentwood Home, maker of California-inspired sleep products, is celebrating 4th of July with an enormous sale, including limited-time savings on top-rated mattresses, the Crystal Cove Yoga Collection, and pet beds. Customers can save $200 on Brentwood's #1 rated, best-selling Oceano Luxury Hybrid mattress using the code UNITY on BrentwoodHome.com. Using the code FREEDOM, shoppers can also save $100 on the Cedar Natural Luxe and dual-sided Crystal Cove Mattress. To save $50 on the affordable 11" inch Cypress Mattress, the code CYPRESS50 is available to all shoppers. Using the code CYPRESS75 customers can also save $75 on the 13" Cypress. Additionally, Brentwood's innovative Hybrid Latex Mattress is $100 off no code required. All service workers, including veterans, military members, first-responders, doctors, nurses, and teachers, can save $250 on the Oceano, Cedar, and Crystal Cove (offer cannot be stacked with the sale). Brentwood Home is also offering 15% off their best-selling Crystal Cove Yoga Collection with the code OMMERICA and 15% off their orthopedic supporting pet beds with the code BARKBQ. All offers are valid through July 5, 2021 and cannot be combined with other offers. Brentwood Home designs and handcrafts their mattresses in Southern California. They include free shipping, a one-year trial period, and a 25-year limited warranty. For every mattress sold on their website, Brentwood Home will make a donation to the National Forest Foundation. Their goal is to plant 10,000 trees part of an ambitious effort to help stem the impact of climate change and help replant America's forests. Brentwood Home is also a carbon negative company. They partner with Climate Neutral to measure, reduce, and offset their emissions across every scope of the business. Since 1987, Brentwood Home has handcrafted the finest luxury mattresses, pillows, and bedding thoughtfully made with nontoxic materials and natural elements in their Los Angeles factory. As designers, makers, and artisans, they thrive on articulating the details that others ignore. Yet it is their "California ethos" that truly defines Brentwood Home, compelling them to craft beautiful sleep products that also promote healthy lifestyles and greater wellbeing. If you would like more information, please contact Jessica Hann at [email protected]. SOURCE Brentwood Home Related Links https://www.brentwoodhome.com/?utm_medium=pr&utm_source=release&utm_campaign=presidents_day_sale With the goal of "Synergize to create digital societies", the contest targets individuals, organizations worldwide that have products, solutions that in 10 fields: mobile application; healthcare; education; finance-banking; agriculture; transport and logistics; energy; resources and environment; manufacturing; corporate management. This year, Vietnam's MIC and Viettel are searching for solutions to specific problems which are listed on the contest's official website. In this season, Viet Solutions also accepts business ideas and increases the prize pool three-fold. The winner will receive 300 million VND (12,000 USD), two 2nd runner-ups 200 million (8,500 USD), two 3rd runner-ups 150 million (6,400 USD). All contestants qualified for the main event will have the opportunity to enter a partnership with Viettel that has a profit-sharing term of up to 75%. Contestants will also be trained in essential skills by professors of top economic universities, angel investors, and CEOs of top companies. Vice Minister of MIC, Nguyen Huy Dung said: "There are many problems that need just the right idea to solve. This is the overarching idea of the current season of Viet Solutions". Viettel's CEO, Mr. Le Dang Dzung said: "The incubator model of three parties, government, corporates, startups generates huge synergetic power. The MIC creates legal corridors. Viettel has a large market worldwide that allows contestants that provide new solutions, products environment to grow. The startup community will provide creative products, solutions to help to solve the issue set by the ministry and are suitable for businesses in the market. This model of collaboration will help Vietnam accelerate its digital transformation progress." Viet Solutions is an annual contest to find creative solutions that help to solve the current problem in society, contribute to the country's digital transformation plan. After two seasons, there have been 554 applications submitted, total revenue from partnerships amounts to 20 billion VND (870,000 USD). In the previous season, the contest chose three winners: Mismart - using UAV to monitor crop health; Map4D - a Vietnamese map platform and CyRada - a cloud and web security solution. Application Deadline: Sunday, 15 August 2021 ICT. ICT. Information about eligibility etc. can be found on Viet Solutions website: http://vietsolutions.net.vn All applications must be done via the Viet Solutions website. SOURCE Viettel Group CAMDEN, N.J., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Camden Dream Center, a nonprofit serving underserved communities in South Jersey with STEM education and IT workforce development assistance, today announced its official designation as a new USDOL registered apprenticeship program (RAP) sponsor. Employers in New Jersey and nationwide can now join the Center's RAP to build a new, more skilled and diverse talent pipeline for two initial occupations Cyber Security Support Technician and Network Technician. The Center, which is located on the Virtua Business Campus, is a Cisco Networking Academy. Through the Academy, apprentices will receive classroom instruction in occupationally-related skills for employment with participating companies. As full-time employees, apprentices will also receive on-the-job training by fully qualified mentors, while also continuing their education through the Academy. Upon program completion, apprentices will attain national industry credentials from both the USDOL and Cisco. "American industry is changing rapidly, and the Camden Dream Center is at the forefront of creating the skilled tech workforce employers need," said Keith Davis, Camden Dream Center CEO & President. "We want employers to know we are their talent pipeline partner. We will provide them with apprentices who are equipped and motivated to become highly-valued, loyal, and long-term employees for critically-needed tech positions." "We're thrilled to see Camden Dream Center approved as the state's newest RAP sponsor," said Michael Blatt, New Jersey State Director, USDOL Office of Apprenticeship. "Their leadership in providing an 'earn and learn' model of training for some of South Jersey's most underserved communities will drive much-needed systems change." Camden Dream Center partnered with Safal Partners and the Cyber Future Foundation (CFF) in developing its new RAP. Safal Partners is a USDOL national industry intermediary expanding apprenticeship in cybersecurity and related tech occupations. The Center will be able to access additional industry training resources through its partnership with Safal as well as technical expertise and professional mentoring from CFF. The Center will hold a formal RAP signing ceremony and a re-opening tour of its facility at 1000 Atlantic Avenue in Camden this Friday, June 18th at 11:00am. Representatives from leading regional employers including Comcast, PSEG, American Water, and more will be in attendance as well as Camden County Workforce Board leadership. Employers interested in joining the Center's new RAP can learn more at www.camdendreamcenter.org/ About Camden Dream Center: Camden Dream Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since 2013 the Center has worked diligently to provide under-served communities with access to economic mobility through workforce and professional development. About Safal Partners: Safal Partners is a mission-driven consulting firm working at the nexus of education and workforce. As a USDOL national industry intermediary Safal Partners is helping cybersecurity and tech employers meet workforce needs through apprenticeship. Learn more at https://cyber.safalpartners.com/ . SOURCE Safal Partners Related Links https://www.safalpartners.com NICOSIA, Cyprus, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The multi-licensed global broker CAPEX.com announced on Monday the closing of a new funding round, raising a total of $21 Million. This was achieved with the help of Growth Box Ventures https://growthbox.vc/ and a syndicate investment led by Moore & Moore https://www.mooreandmooreinvestments.com/. CAPEX.com is currently operating four trading licenses, providing services across Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, Latin America, and South-East Asia. With a robust offering of over 2100 CFD trading instruments, the broker is preparing to expand the offering by including Direct Market Access instruments, DeFi and blockchain-based services. The current funding round of CAPEX.com comes at a moment when interest in online trading and investments is at an all-time high, the company having a rapid growth last year. The new investment will support the launch of new products, fund the broker's rapid expansion by selected M&A deals in key markets and growing the teams and offices worldwide. "Although Millennials are still the leading force behind last year's massive growth of the fintech industry, we can see that 'everyone' is now using apps to manage their finances, make payments, trade and invest, both in traditional but also in neo-finance products. 2021 is a key moment for the financial markets, and here at CAPEX.com we are fully prepared to expand our team and come up with exciting new features and products," declared Octavian Patrascu, CEO of the company that owns CAPEX.com. The CAPEX.com brand, which received its first operating license (CySEC) in 2016, is undergoing a fast expansion process as new offices and regulations are being added. 2020 saw the opening of the Abu Dhabi office, under the ADGM FSRA regulation, along with the new South Africa operation. With more than 250 employees worldwide, the brand has a strong presence in Europe, with the latest opened branch in Spain and several others in progress and is expanding with Latin America and South-East Asia operations. Anchored by a global presence and regional expertise, CAPEX.com is a multi-licensed and multi-product company which holds operating licenses from Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, Abu Dhabi Global Market Financial Services Regulatory Authority, and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority in South Africa. Please visit www.capex.com and follow CAPEX.com on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram for more details and insights. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534723/CAPEX_Logo.jpg SOURCE Key Way Group Ltd Related Links https://capex.com MCLEAN, Va., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, July 22, 2021, at approximately 4:05 p.m. Eastern Time, Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) will release its second quarter 2021 earnings results. Additionally, the company will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to review financial and operating performance for the quarter ending June 30, 2021. The call will be webcast live and the earnings release will be available on the company's homepage at www.capitalone.com. A replay of the webcast will be available 24 hours a day, beginning two hours after the conference call, until 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 5, 2021, through the company's homepage. About Capital One Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., had $310.3 billion in deposits and $425.2 billion in total assets as of March 31, 2021. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has branches located primarily in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index. Visit Capital One About for more Capital One news. SOURCE Capital One Financial Corporation Related Links http://www.capitalone.com "The Grand Prairie distribution center has played a key role in getting us closer to our customers and increasing our inventory footprint. Now, from the talented workforce to its prime location, the expansion of our Grand Prairie facility is a natural next step in growing the business and getting products to customers even faster," said CarParts.com's Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer David Meniane. "We're also excited to open a dedicated will call service center at the location, offering a convenient pick-up option for both online and commercial customers in the area." Since making a home in Grand Prairie in 2020, CarParts.com has become a part of the community, creating over 200 jobs to date and donating $100,000 to Feeding Texas' relief efforts during the winter storms in early 2021. "I'm thrilled that CarParts.com is expanding its operation here in Grand Prairie," said Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen. "We love seeing new opportunities for our community and CarParts.com continues to be a great partner of our city and Texas as a whole." The Grand Prairie distribution center currently stocks a variety of collision, repair, maintenance, tools and accessory products from well-known domestic and European brands including Moog, Raybestos, Monroe, TRW, Beck/Arnley, Bestop, Curt, and more. This expansion will not only increase inventory for brand partners, but also create more space for CarParts.com's own premium brands like TrueDrive, DriveWire, DriveMotive, JC Whitney and the recently launched SureStop brake product line. About CarParts.com With over 25 years of experience and more than 50 million parts delivered, CarParts.com has streamlined its website and sourcing network to better serve the way drivers get the parts they need. Utilizing the latest technologies and design principles, it has created an easy-to-use, mobile-friendly shopping experience that, alongside its own nationwide distribution network, cuts out the brick-and-mortar supply chain costs and provides quality parts at a budget-friendly price. CarParts.com is headquartered in Torrance, California. Contacts Media: Luke Walsh [email protected] Investors: Ryan Lockwood [email protected] SOURCE CarParts.com, Inc. Related Links https://www.carparts.com NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CD Healthcare Infrastructure Partners, LLC (CDHIP), a real estate infrastructure fund dedicated to facilitating consumer-centric healthcare delivery, has acquired a medical property in Phoenix, Arizona. The property is primarily leased to Banner Imaging, a part of Banner Health, the largest health care system in Arizona. As one of the largest employers in Arizona with more than 50,000 employees, Banner Health has an "AA-" investment-grade credit rating and stable outlook with Fitch and S&P. Banner Imaging exterior The property is located in Paradise Valley of northeast Phoenix, one of the most affluent areas of metro Phoenix. The primary market area benefits from high population density and rapidly growing aging demographics. In particular, the population of age 75 and older within a 15-minute drive time is expected to grow at 5.8% per year from 2020 to 2025. Banner Imaging provides MRI, mammography, CT, X-Ray, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, and other imaging services. Palo Verde Cancer Specialists provide PET CT scan for cancer screening at this location. "Healthcare Infrastructure provides compelling risk-adjusted returns, as health care is a necessity. The rapidly growing aging population and expansion of the insured population are driving increased demand for good quality assets in attractive locations. This acquisition fits well with CDHIP's mandate to facilitate health care delivery in a low-cost and convenient setting nearby where people live and work," said Curt Greer, Chairman of CDHIP. "Healthcare Infrastructure benefits from secular growth of the aging megatrend. 10,000 Americans are turning 65+ years old daily and this age group engages in 3.5x the number of per-capita health care spending than the younger population. Expansion of the Affordable Care Act and fast-growing Medicare insurance enrollment for age 65 and above are driving a secular expansion of the insured population," said Clare Duan, Founder & Principal of CDHIP. Duan added, "Our strategy is designed to take advantage of the growth in demand for outpatient care at convenient off-campus medical office buildings, which has unlocked greater demand for consumer-centric health care infrastructure. The supply of quality health care infrastructure is limited due to a lack of speculative construction. Large addressable markets and fragmented ownership provide our firm with massive growth opportunities, and Healthcare Infrastructure tenants have high retention rates due to high switching and fit-out costs." About CD Healthcare Infrastructure Partners LLC CD Healthcare Infrastructure Partners is a vertically integrated real asset investment platform focused on executing a roll-up strategy of core medical office buildings that deliver high current income and facilitate consumer-centric healthcare delivery. As an infrastructure investment firm, CDHIP offers risk-adjusted returns to its investors with uncompromising principles. Investments follow a risk control process of identifying risk, quantifying risk, and mitigating risk. Beyond traditional real estate investing techniques, CDHIP deploys massive data and tools to support physician credit underwriting and healthcare subsector analysis, involving demand drivers, reimbursement risks, competitive physician landscape, and supply and demand assessment. Media Contact Clare Duan Founder and Principal CD Healthcare Infrastructure Partners LLC [email protected] (646) 883-1939 SOURCE CD Healthcare Infrastructure Partners LLC BETHESDA, Md., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE American: LEU) (the "Company") announced the results of its 2021 annual meeting of stockholders held on June 16, 2021. As of April 19, 2021, the meeting's record date, there were 12,918,602 shares of the Company's Class A common stock outstanding, each entitled to one vote, and approximately 79.8 percent of those shares were represented at the annual meeting. The Company's stockholders passed all five proposals, including electing the eight director nominees for a term of one year; approving the Section 382 Rights Agreement, as amended; approving the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended and restated; approving, on an advisory basis, the Company's 2020 executive compensation (i.e., "say on pay"); and ratifying the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company's independent auditors for 2021. Stockholders reelected W. Thomas Jagodinski, Tina W. Jonas, William J. Madia, Daniel B. Poneman, Neil S. Subin, and Mikel H. Williams to the Board of Directors, and newly elected Kirkland H. Donald and Bradley J. Sawatzke to the Board of Directors. Kirkland H. Donald served as a nuclear trained submarine officer for 37 years, achieving the rank of Admiral. His last assignment in the Navy was a successful eight-year term as the Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. This is a dual agency program responsible to the United States Departments of Defense and Energy for the safe and effective operation of all nuclear-powered warships and supporting infrastructure. The program is recognized worldwide for excellence in reactor safety and reliability. Following retirement in 2013, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc., until 2015. His public board service includes Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), where he serves on the Finance Committee and is Chairman of the Nuclear Committee. He supports the Audit Committee on matters pertaining to cybersecurity. He also serves as Chairman of the Board for Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HII) and is a member of the Finance and Cybersecurity Committees. Additionally, Admiral Donald serves on the board of the non-profit, Battelle, and the privately held CyberCore Technologies. Admiral Donald advises the Australian government on matters pertaining to submarine programs. Admiral Donald graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering. Bradley J. Sawatzke was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Energy Northwest (EN) in April 2018. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer/Chief Nuclear Officer, beginning in December 2014, with responsibility for all EN generating units. He joined Energy Northwest as vice president of Nuclear Generation/Chief Nuclear Officer in December 2010. Mr. Sawatzke also serves on the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations board of directors and accrediting board, Association of Washington Business executive committee, Nuclear Energy Institute board of directors, and the Tri-City Development Council (serving the Pacific Northwest) executive committee. Mr. Sawatzke holds a Bachelor of Science and Applied Physics from Winona State University and is a graduate of the Harvard Advanced Management Program. The Company also announced today that after obtaining the approval of stockholders at it 2021 annual meeting, it had entered into the fourth amendment to the Company's Section 382 Rights Agreement (the "Rights Plan") designed to preserve the Company's substantial tax assets associated with net operating loss carryforwards ("NOLs") under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code ("Section 382"). The fourth amendment extends the Rights Plan through June 30, 2023. The Rights Plan is similar to plans adopted by other public companies with significant NOLs. Pursuant to U.S. federal income tax rules, the Company's use of certain tax assets could be substantially limited if the Company experiences an "ownership change" (as defined in Section 382). In general, an ownership change occurs if the ownership of the Company's stock by "5 percent stockholders" increases by more than 50 percent over the lowest percentage owned by such stockholders at any time during the prior three years on a rolling basis. For additional details regarding the amendment to the Rights Plan, please see the Company's forthcoming Current Report on Form 8-K and amendment to Registration Statement on Form 8-A to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. About Centrus Energy Centrus Energy is a trusted supplier of nuclear fuel and services for the nuclear power industry. Centrus provides value to its utility customers through the reliability and diversity of its supply sources helping them meet the growing need for clean, affordable, carbon-free electricity. Since 1998, the Company has provided its utility customers with more than 1,750 reactor years of fuel, which is equivalent to 7 billion tons of coal. With world-class technical and engineering capabilities, Centrus is also advancing the next generation of centrifuge technologies so that America can restore its domestic uranium enrichment capability in the future. Find out more at www.centrusenergy.com. ### Forward Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, may address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "will", "should", "could", "would" or "may" and other words of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For Centrus Energy Corp., particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following which are, and will be, exacerbated by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and any worsening of the global business and economic environment as a result: risks related to natural and other disasters, including the continued impact of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan on the nuclear industry and on our business, results of operations and prospects; risks related to financial difficulties experienced by customers, including possible bankruptcies, insolvencies or any other inability to pay for our products or services or delays in making timely payment; risks related to pandemics and other health crises, such as the global COVID-19 pandemic; the impact and potential extended duration of the current supply/demand imbalance in the market for low-enriched uranium ("LEU"); risks related to our ability to sell the LEU we procure pursuant to our purchase obligations under our supply agreements; risks related to the imposition of sanctions, restrictions or other requirements, including those imposed under the 1992 Russian Suspension Agreement ("RSA"), as amended, international trade legislation and other international trade restrictions; risks related to existing or new trade barriers and contract terms that limit our ability to deliver LEU to customers; pricing trends and demand in the uranium and enrichment markets and their impact on our profitability; movement and timing of customer orders; our dependence on others for deliveries of LEU including deliveries from the Russian government-owned entity TENEX, Joint-Stock Company ("TENEX"), under a commercial supply agreement with TENEX and deliveries under a long-term supply agreement with Orano Cycle ("Orano"); risks associated with our reliance on third-party suppliers to provide essential products and services to us; the fact that we face significant competition from major producers who may be less cost sensitive or are wholly or partially government owned; limitations on our ability to compete in foreign markets; our revenue is largely dependent on our largest customers; risks related to our sales order book, including uncertainty concerning customer actions under current contracts and in future contracting due to market conditions and our lack of current production capability; risks related to whether or when government funding or demand for high-assay low-enriched uranium ("HALEU") for government or commercial uses will materialize; risks and uncertainties regarding funding for continuation and deployment of the American Centrifuge technology and our ability to perform and absorb costs under our agreement with DOE to demonstrate the capability to produce HALEU and our ability to obtain and/or perform under other agreements; uncertainty regarding our ability to commercially deploy competitive enrichment technology; the potential for further demobilization or termination of our American Centrifuge work; risks that we will not be able to timely complete the work that we are obligated to perform; risks related to our ability to perform fixed-price and cost-share contracts, including the risk that costs could be higher than expected; risks related to our significant long-term liabilities, including material unfunded defined benefit pension plan obligations and postretirement health and life benefit obligations; risks relating to our 8.25% notes (the "8.25% Notes") maturing in February 2027 and our Series B Senior Preferred Stock; the risks of revenue and operating results fluctuating significantly from quarter to quarter, and in some cases, year to year; the impact of financial market conditions on our business, liquidity, prospects, pension assets and insurance facilities; risks related to the Company's capital concentration; risks related to the value of our intangible assets related to the sales order book and customer relationships; risks related to the limited trading markets in our securities; risks related to decisions made by our Class B stockholders and our Series B Senior Preferred stockholders regarding their investment in the Company based upon factors that are unrelated to the Company's performance; risks that a small number of Class A stockholders, whose interests may not be aligned with other Class A stockholders, may exert significant influence over the direction of the Company; risks related to the use of our net operating loss ("NOLs") carryforwards and net unrealized built-in losses ("NUBILs") to offset future taxable income and the use of the Rights Agreement (as defined herein) to prevent an "ownership change" as defined in Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") and our ability to generate taxable income to utilize all or a portion of the NOLs and NUBILs prior to the expiration thereof; failures or security breaches of our information technology systems; our ability to attract and retain key personnel; the potential for the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") to seek to terminate or exercise its remedies under its agreements with the Company; risks related to actions, including government reviews, that may be taken by the United States government, the Russian government or other governments that could affect our ability to perform under our contract obligations or the ability of our sources of supply to perform under their contract obligations to us; risks related to our ability to perform and receive timely payment under agreements with DOE or other government agencies, including risks and uncertainties related to the ongoing funding by the government and potential audits; any changes or termination of agreements with the U.S. government; the competitive environment for our products and services; changes in the nuclear energy industry; the competitive bidding process associated with obtaining contracts, including government contracts; risks that we will be unable to obtain new business opportunities or achieve market acceptance of our products and services or that products or services provided by others will render our products or services obsolete or noncompetitive; potential strategic transactions that could be difficult to implement, disrupt our business or change our business profile significantly; the outcome of legal proceedings and other contingencies (including lawsuits and government investigations or audits); the impact of government regulation and policies including by the DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; risks of accidents during the transportation, handling or processing of hazardous or radioactive material that may pose a health risk to humans or animals, cause property or environmental damage, or result in precautionary evacuations; risks associated with claims and litigation arising from past activities at sites that we no longer operate, including the Paducah, Kentucky, and Portsmouth, Ohio, gaseous diffusion plants; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in this and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under Part I, Item1A - "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in this report and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this News Release, except as required by law. Contacts: Investors: Dan Leistikow (301) 564-3399 or [email protected] Media: Lindsey Geisler (301) 564-3392 or [email protected] SOURCE Centrus Energy Corp. Related Links https://www.centrusenergy.com/ The event consisted of a videoconference and an academicians' forum. The attendees discussed a series of issues concerning the role of industrial Internet in the development of the country's "dual circulation" economic development pattern, and reached a consensus on supporting digital governance and digitalization of businesses and promoting high-level development of the manufacturing industry. At the event, the INDICS2.0 was unveiled. INDICS 2.0 is an upgrade of INDICS, a leading industrial Internet platform in China. It is also a critical support for the "digital aerospace" strategy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC), and the latest practice of the "NEW PAGE" new infrastructure strategy of CASICloud, an Internet technology company invested by CASIC and its affiliates. INDICS is leading the industrial Internet sector into a new stage and playing a vital role in bolstering industrial chain modernization and high-level industrial development. INDICS 2.0 has five features: new-generation industrial operation system, new-generation platform system, new-generation systems engineering engine, new-generation cloud-based services, and new business support capacity. It is reported that the platform has provided more than 2,000 intelligent projects and services and formed 84 digital solutions for 16 segments in the sectors of aerospace, electronics, machinery and automobiles; industrial Internet support centers have been set up in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, southwestern, northeastern regions; and cooperation with Tsinghua University, Tongji University, University of Science and Technology Beijing and other higher education institutions have been carried out to build practice-based training rooms and bases; the Industrial Internet Convergence Platform for Central SOEs built and operated by CASIC and a number of central state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has gathered the resources of 15 SOEs' platforms, more than 960 industrial apps, 164 digitalization solutions and more than 7,500 science and technology innovation achievements. At the academicians' forum in Beijing, Wei Yiyin, Sun Youxian, Li Bohu, Gui Weihua, Zheng Weimin, Su Donglin and Zhang Ping, academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, discussed paths of using industrial Internet technology to drive the industrial development in the country. The academicians brainstormed ways of relying on industrial Internet to facilitate collaboration within industry chains, supporting digital governance and helping enterprises realize digitalization, and discussed issues related to integration of 5G and industrial Internet technology and industrial Internet security. They also offered suggestions for the development of the industrial Internet industry, believing that it should revolve around the country's major strategic needs to help enhance resource concentration, promote technology application and drive improvement of the independent controllability of industrial and supply chains to greatly propel a high-level development of the country's manufacturing industry. Contact: Chen Shuo Tel: 008610-81135810, 0086-13601110701 E-mail: [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534517/CASICloud.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534518/CASICloud.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1533892/CASICloud_Logo.jpg SOURCE CASICloud DALLAS, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Comerica Bank and its ongoing commitment to improving the communities it serves received national recognition as it has been named a 2021 honoree of The Civic 50 by Points of Light, the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. The Civic 50 provides a national standard for corporate citizenship and showcases how companies can use their time, skills and resources to drive social impact in their communities and company. The honorees are companies with annual U.S. revenues of at least $1 billion and are selected based on four dimensions of their corporate citizenship and social impact programs investment of resources, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies and systems and impact measurement. This marks the sixth consecutive year Comerica has received the honor, and seventh time overall since the award's inception in 2012. "To be recognized among exceptional companies by Points of Light for the social impact we have on our communities is truly humbling," said Irvin Ashford, Jr., Chief Community Officer. "Comerica's approach to banking, as well as to our employee culture, has revolved around fostering relationships and that starts with building meaningful relationships in our communities. In response to the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic created, we appreciate this recognition as it exemplifies our colleagues unwavering commitment to meet the critical needs of individuals, families, neighborhoods, small businesses and nonprofits in the communities we serve." Comerica Bank and the Comerica Charitable Foundation provided $16 million in investments directed toward small business relief and nonprofits providing essential needs as a result of the pandemic in 2021. Coupled with COVID-19 relief from 2020, $27 million has gone back into supporting communities across Comerica's five-state footprint of Texas, Michigan, California, Arizona and Florida. Colleagues joined in efforts to volunteer during the pandemic much of it which was accomplished virtually totaling more than 30,000 hours. Providing financial assistance to help individuals and small businesses navigate through the challenges of the pandemic continues through its work with Comerica $ense programs and Small Business Bootcamps. Since it was launched in 2012, The Civic 50 has provided a roadmap for good corporate citizenship and showcases how committed companies are moving social impact, civic engagement and community to the center of their business. The survey is administered by True Impact, a company specializing in helping organizations maximize and measure their social and business value, and consists of quantitative and multiple-choice questions that inform the scoring process. The Civic 50 is the only survey and ranking system that exclusively measures corporate involvement in communities. To learn more about The Civic 50 and honorees, visit www.Civic50.org. Comerica Bank is a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA), a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Comerica focuses on relationships, and helping people and businesses be successful. In addition to Texas, Comerica Bank locations can be found in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, with select businesses operating in several other states, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $86.3 billion as of March 31, 2021. About Points of Light Points of Light is a global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world. We envision a world in which every individual discovers the power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies. Through 177 affiliates across 38 countries, and in partnership with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 5 million volunteers in 16 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it's needed most. For more information, visit www.pointsoflight.org. SOURCE Comerica Bank Related Links http://www.comerica.com OKLAHOMA CITY, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental Resources, Inc. announces Eric S. Eissenstat has elected to retire from his position as Sr. Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Risk Officer and Secretary to return to private practice where he will work on access to justice and community service matters and provide high quality legal services to clients, including Continental Resources. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/95419/continental_resources_logo.jpg "Eric has been providing unmatched legal counsel to Continental since the late 1980's when he was in private practice," noted Harold Hamm, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Continental. "He was brought in as General Counsel for Continental in 2010 and has been a valuable member of our executive team and an integral part of our success over the past 10 years. He is a valued advisor and friend. We look forward to continuing our working relationship with Eric as he returns to private practice." Mr. Eissenstat added "It has been a true honor to serve Continental for the last three decades and a privilege to serve on the Executive team and as General Counsel over the past decade. Jim Webb is an excellent choice as General Counsel moving forward; the Company will be in great hands. I look forward to working with Continental in the future and working to make a positive impact in the community." Pursuant to a managed transition, Jim Webb will assume the position as Sr. Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Risk officer and Secretary effective September 1, 2021. Mr. Eissenstat will remain with the Company for a period of time thereafter to work on more substantive matters and transition his duties to Mr. Webb. Mr. Webb was in private practice for 19 years in Denver, Colorado and Oklahoma City until he joined Chesapeake Energy and served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for over 8 years. Bill Berry, Chief Executive Officer, stated "In my time at Continental, first as a board member, and now as CEO, Eric has been a trusted confidante and valuable asset to me personally, to the Board of Directors and to the Company. We are grateful for all Eric has accomplished as General Counsel and know he will be successful in his future endeavors." Berry continued, "Jim Webb brings substantial experience and expertise to Continental and we are very excited he has decided to join our team to help ensure Continental's continued success." About Continental Resources Continental Resources (NYSE: CLR) is a top 10 independent oil producer in the U.S. and a leader in America's energy renaissance. Based in Oklahoma City, Continental is the largest leaseholder and the largest producer in the nation's premier oil field, the Bakken play of North Dakota and Montana. The Company has significant positions in Oklahoma, including its SCOOP Woodford and SCOOP Springer discoveries and the STACK play. The Company also has a newly acquired position in the Powder River Basin play of Wyoming. With a focus on the exploration and production of oil, Continental has unlocked the technology and resources vital to American energy independence and our nation's leadership in the new world oil market. In 2021, the Company will celebrate 54 years of operations. For more information, please visit www.CLR.com. Investor Contact: Media Contact: Rory Sabino Kristin Thomas Vice President, Investor Relations Senior Vice President, Public Relations P/F: 405.234.9620 405-234-9480 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE Continental Resources Related Links http://www.clr.com Kingston offers a wide range of embedded memory and storage solutions, including eMMC, eMCP & DRAM components. Kingston works directly with leading SoC vendors to ensure compatibility and may even be featured within the SoC vendors' reference platforms. Kingston offers high quality, reliable, JEDEC standard memory and storage solutions with short lead times that are backed every step of the way by engineering support resources and tools. Kingston embedded products boast world-class quality and can be customized as needed from pre-SMT programming services to custom firmware configurations like Enhanced mode. They are used in a wide variety of applications including wearables, thermostats, security cameras, smart phones, robotics, automotive, telecommunications and more. Founded in 1987, Kingston is a world leader in memory products and technology solutions. "We are pleased to add Kingston Technology to the Digi-Key Marketplace," said David Stein, vice president of global supplier management for Digi-Key. "Kingston's storage and memory solutions complete with SoC compatibility have a wide range of applications that will serve engineers in a diversity of disciplines." "This distribution partnership with Digi-Key greatly expands Kingston's presence in the design engineer community," said Sarah Shen, general manager of U.S. embedded business for Kingston. "As an established and trusted brand in the memory industry with over three decades of experience, we look forward to working with Digi-Key." For more information about Kingston and to order from their product portfolio, please visit the Digi-Key website. About Kingston From big data, to laptops and PCs, to IoT-based devices like smart and wearable technology, to design-in and contract manufacturing, Kingston helps deliver the solutions used to live, work and play. The world's largest PC makers and cloud-hosting companies depend on Kingston for their manufacturing needs, and our passion fuels the technology the world uses every day. We strive beyond our products to see the bigger picture, to meet the needs of our customers and offer solutions that make a difference. To learn more about how Kingston Is With You, visit Kingston.com. About Digi-Key Electronics Digi-Key Electronics, headquartered in Thief River Falls, Minn., USA, is an authorized global, full-service distributor of electronic components, and provides access to unlimited adjacent products and technologies through their online Marketplace. They offer more than 11.8 million components, with over 2.6 million in stock and available for immediate shipment, from over 1,700 quality name-brand manufacturers. In addition, Marketplace Product provides a singular shopping experience for all things related to technology innovation IoT, industrial automation, test and measurement and more. Additional information and access to the world's broadest resources for technology innovation can be found by visiting www.digikey.com and on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Editorial Contact Shelli Lissick Bellmont Partners +1 651 276 6922 [email protected] SOURCE Digi-Key Electronics Related Links http://www.digikey.com STOCKHOLM, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Securitas, the world's leading intelligent protective services partner, is awarded a net impact rating of AAA (Prime level) by the Upright Project. The Upright net impact model uses artificial intelligence to go through a database of millions of scientific articles and public statistical databases measuring the net impact of companies on the world. The AAA rating is the highest rating possible, and puts Securitas within the top 3% of rated companies. The Upright net impact model relies on AI-driven data and integration algorithms that consolidate information from millions of accumulated scientific and public sources. It provides a net impact by considering comprehensive costs and benefits within comparable industries. In addition, the model captures the entire value chain of a company, not just what happens inside the company. "We are excited and pleased with these results. Unlike models that do not consider factors that lie outside a traditional box, Upright looks at much of the same categories other ESG ratings do, but they go a step further and calculate an objective net impact based on millions of scientific papers and background data. Then they use AI to pull it all together to provide a more comprehensive evaluation," says Cecilia Alenius, Group Sustainability Officer at Securitas. Upright's net impact rating summarizes a company's usage of resources and benefits created into an overall net impact, i.e. the net sum of the positive and negative impacts a company has on the surrounding world. Securitas received a rating of 81%, indicating the company's positive impacts overperform it's negatives with 81%. The rating is higher than 96.9% of all measured companies and is largely driven by Securitas' contributions to society, including providing a significant number of jobs and keeping societies safe, which adds to societal infrastructure. "This report reflects our position as leaders within the industry. It demonstrates that we have an important role in society and we matter to people's lives as we provide stability, jobs, and sustainable protective solutions across the world. We see this as a strong incentive to continue to work with our sustainability values and goals, a journey where we continuously work on improving our positive impact," says Cecilia Alenius. Securitas has 355 000 employees serving 150 global clients and more than 150 000 clients in total across 48 markets. The company aims to double its sales of electronic security and security solutions by 2023. CONTACT: Contact: Media: Helena Andreas, SVP Communications & People; +46 10 470 30 20, [email protected] Investors: Micaela Sjokvist, Head of Investor Relations; +46 76 116 7443, [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/securitas/r/driven-by-substantial-contributions-to-society--securitas-reaches-prime-level-with-aaa-net-impact-ra,c3368311 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/1062/3368311/1432760.pdf AAA Net Impact Rating SOURCE Securitas MILPITAS, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eltropy, Inc. ("Eltropy"), the leading messaging-based platform focused on driving operational efficiency for financial institutions, today announced a $21 million investment from K1 Investment Management ("K1"), a leading investment firm focused on high-growth enterprise software companies. With the investment, Eltropy plans to more than double its headcount and further invest in its all-in-one communication suite. Eltropy is the market-leading messaging platform for financial institutions. The company enables credit unions, banks and other financial institutions to communicate with their customers via text message combining speed, security and regulatory compliance. Eltropy's messaging and workflow platform has driven proven operational efficiency results, such as reducing document submission time for loan applications from over 24 hours to just 33 minutes, on average. Additionally, Eltropy integrates into the core financial service software ecosystem and is compliant with a range of regulatory requirements. "There is a fundamental shift in the way financial institutions interact with their customers. Financial institutions want immediate and convenient ways of communicating with their banking relationships," said Ashish Garg, Eltropy CEO and founder. "We're thrilled to lead the pace of innovation in this market and will be able to further invest in our customers' digital transformation efforts after our investment from K1." "We love working with Eltropy because they always step up to the plate no matter how hard we push them," said Matt McEwen, director of digital banking at Idaho Central Credit Union. "There aren't enough good things to say about them." Customer demand for Eltropy's product suite has increased significantly over the last year due to the complexities of remote work. The company currently serves over 200 financial institutions, including an impressive list of industry leaders such as Patelco Credit Union, SELCO Community Credit Union and Wescom Credit Union. Additionally, the company has built partnerships with and been recognized by CUNA, the national association for credit unions. "This investment once again proves the value of Eltropy's product within the Credit Union ecosystem," said Barbra L. Lowman, president of CUNA Strategic Services (CSS). "Eltropy has consistently shown it is committed to helping Credit Unions provide the best member experience with its digital communication platform. CSS is honored to partner with Eltropy as it continues to increase its growing footprint within the Credit Union industry and beyond." "K1 is thrilled to partner with the Eltropy team as they transform the way consumers interact with its financial institutions," said Christian Grant, Vice President at K1 Investment Management. "The company continues to see mass adoption of its software, with another record bookings month in May 2021, as customers look to automate historically manual communication and workflow tasks." About Eltropy Eltropy enables Financial Institutions to digitally engage in a secure and compliant way. Using our world-class digital communications platform, Credit Unions, Banks, Debt Collectors, Insurance Companies, Lenders and FinTechs can improve operations, engagement and productivity. Eltropy also integrates with IT systems, such as Symitar and Corelation, and uses Analytics to provide engagement insights. For more information about Eltropy, please visit eltropy.com. About K1 K1 builds category-leading enterprise software companies. As a global investment firm, K1 assists high-growth businesses to achieve successful outcomes, and invests alongside strong management teams that continue to guide their organizations on a day-to-day basis. With over 100 professionals, K1 and its operating affiliate, K1 Operations LLC, change industry landscapes by assisting with operationally-focused growth strategies designed to assist portfolio companies scale efficiently. Since inception of the firm, K1 has partnered with over 150 enterprise software companies including industry leaders such as Apttus, Buildium, Checkmarx, Clarizen, ControlUp, Emburse, FMG Suite, Granicus, IronScales, Litera Microsystems, Onit, Rave Mobile Safety, RFPIO, Smarsh, WorkForce Software and Zapproved. For more information about K1, please visit k1capital.com or follow us at linkedin.com/company/k1im. SOURCE K1 Investment Management Related Links https://k1capital.com/ SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Emerald Scientific, LLC has been accepted as an Industry Collaborator by the Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes. Established in June 2019, the Consortium conducts, shares, and supports research on the effects of medical marijuana on health conditions and symptoms. Directed by a leadership team at the University of Florida, the Consortium engages public and private universities across the state of Florida to facilitate and conduct research on medical marijuana across the state to inform clinical care and policy. As an Industry Collaborator, Emerald Scientific is listed in the Connect and Advance Research for Medical Marijuana Analysis (CARMMA) Database. The CARMMA Database was designed to connect key partnerships between researchers, physicians, and industry collaborators with the goal to increase and accelerate medical marijuana research. Access to the CARMMA Database can be requested on the Consortium's website at mmjoutcomes.org. Founded in 2012, Emerald Scientific was the first company 100% dedicated to distributing scientific supplies and equipment exclusively to the cannabis and hemp industries via their website, emeraldscientific.com. Emerald Scientific's years of industry-specific technical expertise provide a valuable resource to the scientific cannabis community for analytical testing, proficiency testing, laboratory equipment and instrumentation, product selection for use in medical marijuana research, consulting on laboratory financing and buildout, and more. As part of their commitment to support collaboration, transparency, and the evolution of science in the cannabis and hemp industry, Emerald Scientific offers The Emerald Test, and inter-laboratory comparison proficiency testing program developed specifically for hemp and cannabis testing labs to assess the accuracy of their analytical capabilities. The Emerald Test is held twice per year, with a Spring and a Fall session. Full information about The Emerald Test, as well as details on past testing data, is available on The Emerald Test website at emeraldtest.com. Media Contact: Amy Dillon [email protected] 877-567-3598 SOURCE Emerald Scientific Over the life of the VPPA, the Azure Sky Wind project will generate approximately 90 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable electricity annually, addressing 33 percent of the electricity used across all 13 of Hood's owned manufacturing facilities in 2020. Hood was advised in their selection and negotiation process by Schneider Electric. "The partnership with Hood demonstrates how industry leading businesses are putting sustainability directly into the hands of consumers," said Georgios Papadimitriou, Head of Enel Green Power in the US and Canada. "Increasingly companies like Hood are turning to renewable energy as an immediate and cost-effective way to help achieve their sustainability goals, creating value for their business and customers alike." The VPPA is a milestone in Hood's sustainability commitment. From the quality and safety of products, to environmental impact, to the safety and wellbeing of employees, Hood has a long, proud legacy of contributing to a sustainable future. Since 2011, Hood has disclosed its annual greenhouse gas emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), embarked on a 1.8-megawatt solar field project in Western MA, installed a cogeneration plant to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions, and increased energy savings and provided electrical resiliency for their facility in Winchester, VA. The company's Agawam plant was also the first fluid dairy processor to be awarded Energy Star certification. This year, the company will launch a new sustainability strategy to optimize operations, bolster responsible sourcing, and reduce emissions. Hood will also continue to support the U.S. dairy industry's goal to be carbon neutral by 2050 through the company's adoption of the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment. "At Hood, sustainability means evolving and developing our business for the long-term. This VPPA is an important investment in our future and a significant step in reducing our climate impact," said Hood President and CFO Gary Kaneb. "We believe sustainability strengthens relationships and consumer trust, and we are committed to the environmental actions to help us achieve that vision." Located west of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Throckmorton County, TX, the Azure Sky Wind and Storage project includes a 350 MW wind project paired with approximately 137 MW of battery storage and is expected to be operational in the first-half of 2022. In addition to Hood, Enel Green Power will also sell the electricity produced by a portion of the Azure Sky Wind project to Kellogg Company, MilliporeSigma, Akamai Technologies, Synopsys and Uber. ABOUT ENEL GREEN POWER Enel Green Power North America is a leading developer, long-term owner and operator of renewable energy plants in North America, with a presence in 15 US states and one Canadian province. The company operates 60 plants with a managed capacity of over 6.7 GW powered by renewable wind, geothermal and solar energy. Enel Green Power, within the Enel Group, is dedicated to the development and operation of renewables across the world, with a presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Enel Green Power is a global leader in the green energy sector with a managed capacity of around 49 GW across a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower, and is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into renewable power plants. ABOUT HP HOOD LLC Founded in 1846, today Hood is one of the largest food and beverage manufacturers in the United States. For 175 years, the name Hood has been synonymous with fresh, quality products that taste great. Hood's portfolio of national and super-regional brands and franchise products includes Hood, Simply Smart Milk, Heluva Good!, Planet Oat, LACTAID, Blue Diamond Almond Breeze, Hershey's Milk & Milkshakes, and more. For more information, please visit Hood.com. Media Relations [email protected] enelgreenpower.com [email protected] Hood.com SOURCE Enel Green Power North America CHICAGO, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In-depth analysis and data-driven insights on the impact of COVID-19 included in this Europe data center colocation market report. The Europe data center colocation market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 5.61% during the period 20202026. Key Highlights Offered in the Report: In 2020, the total number of colocation projects opened and under construction in Europe stood at over 100, with Western Europe contributing to around 70% of the projects. The availability of tax incentives in many European countries is one of the main factors fueling the growth of data centers, with most tax incentives based on economic development. Incentives focused on effective data center operations and renewable energy procurement will increase in the coming years. Data localization regulations in Europe such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), the Danish Data Protection Act, and the Russian Federal Law on Personal Data are some such regulations that have led to an increase in data center demand to store data locally. The rising data center demand in Europe has prompted data center suppliers to sign M&A and joint ventures to expand their portfolios. For instance, Equinix partnered with GIC, a Singapore -based sovereign wealth fund, to invest USD 1 billion in the development of xScale data centers across Europe . The Europe market also witnessed the merger of Interxion and Digital Realty in 2020. Several new data center investors, namely, AQ Compute, Echelon Data Centres, Global Technical Realty, and Stratus DC Management, have announced multiple hyperscale investments in Europe thus aiding market growth for hyperscale colocation data centers. District heating is prominent in the Nordics and Western Europe , with over 90% of the buildings in Finland connected through district heating, and over 25,000 apartments in Sweden heated using district heating. According to the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact signed by 25 data center operators and 17 industry associations, 75% of the power supplied to data centers in Europe will be renewable or carbon-free energy by December 31, 2025 , and the objective is to reach 100% by December 31, 2030 . Key Offerings: Market Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20202026 Market Dynamics Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities Market Segmentation A detailed analysis by infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, cooling systems, general construction, service type, tier standards, and geography Competitive Landscape 11 key vendors, 28 other vendors, and 4 new entrants Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/europe-data-center-colocation-market Europe Data Center Colocation Segmentation To overcome the challenges of VRLA batteries, vendors are introducing lithium-ion UPS solutions, Nickel Zinc, and Prussian Blue Sodium-ion batteries. In 2020, the adoption of lithium-ion UPS systems grew considerably. UPS systems were the highest contributors to market investments by adopting VRLA battery-powered systems in power infrastructure. VRLA battery-powered UPS systems are most widely used in the data center environment and other industrial applications. The contribution from colocation providers will be high in lithium-ion UPS solutions. Vendors are continuously innovating with UPS solutions to boost efficiency and reduce cost. Data center operators are looking for efficient solutions to reduce their CAPEX and OPEX, conserve data center space, and reduce the power consumption of cooling units. Europe experiences colder climatic conditions and will continue to use indirect evaporative coolers and air/water-side economizers. Europe Data Center Colocation by Infrastructure Electrical Infrastructure Mechanical Infrastructure General Construction Europe Data Center Colocation by Electrical Infrastructure UPS System Generators Transfer Switches & Switchgears PDUs Other Electrical Infrastructure Europe Data Center Colocation by Mechanical Infrastructure Cooling Systems CRAC & CRAH Units Chiller Units Cooling Towers, Condensers, and Dry Coolers Economizers & Evaporative Coolers Other Cooling Units Racks Other Mechanical Infrastructure Cooling Technique Air-Based Cooling Technique Liquid-Based Cooling Technique Europe Data Center Colocation by General Construction Core & Shell Development Installation & Commissioning Services Engineering & Building Design Physical Security DCIM Europe Data Center Colocation by Service Type Retail Colocation Wholesale Colocation Europe Data Center Colocation Dynamics The construction of data centers continues to grow at a substantial pace as leading data center service providers invest more than USD 1 billion in new developments and expansions. The rising demand across industries has prompted data center suppliers to sign M&A contracts to expand their portfolios. Additionally, the data center market encourages acquisitions of data centers by real estate and investment firms. This acquisition is followed by expansion, leading to strong market growth. A few of the investments will be focused on developing the data center market, with unexpected demand from current and new clients in data centers. Also, the Western Europe and Nordics data center markets are witnessing increasing investments from operators through joint ventures. For instance, Equinix partnered with GIC, a Singapore-based sovereign wealth fund, to invest USD 1 billion in the development of xScale data centers across Europe in October 2019. Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth: Rising Adoption of Renewable Energy by Colocation Providers Growing Procurement of Innovative UPS Batteries Increase in Cloud Connectivity Increasing Demand for Big Data & IoT Solutions Europe Data Center Colocation Geography In 2020, the Western European colocation data center market witnessed investments in over 70 projects. The data center colocation market in Western Europe is witnessing investment contributions from both global and colocation service providers. The market will also witness the continuous adoption of cloud services among SMEs due to the heightened interest shown for the digital transformation of businesses through solutions such as IoT, big data, and artificial intelligence. The demand for smart devices, coupled with growing internet penetration, will also fuel the growth of colocation data centers and corresponding infrastructure in the region. Data centers in Western Europe are being built to support OCP rack infrastructure solutions. This is aided by the growth of ODM solutions in the market. Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/europe-data-center-colocation-market Europe Data Center Colocation by Geography Western Europe UK Germany Netherlands France Ireland Switzerland Italy Spain Other Western European Countries Nordic Region Denmark Sweden Norway Finland & Iceland & Central & Eastern Europe Russia & Czech Republic & Poland & Austria & Other Central &Eastern European Countries Major Vendors Aruba CyrusOne Colt Data Centre Services DATA4 Digital Realty Equinix Global Switch Green Mountain NTT Global Data Centers QTS Realty Trust Virtus Data Centres (ST Telemedia Global Data Centres) Other Prominent Data Center Colocation Providers 3data Adam AzInTelecom Bahnhof Bulk Infrastructure Group China Mobile International Dataplace DigiPlex EcoDataCenter Euclyde Data Centers DataBank GlobalConnect Hydro66 Holdings Iron Mountain KDDI Keppel Data Centres maincubes One myLoc NDC-GARBE Data Centers Europe noris network Orange Penta Infra Rostelecom Scaleway Datacenter Telecom Italia Sparkle T5 Data Centers Vantage Data Centers WORLDSTREAM New Entrants in Europe Colocation Market AQ Compute Echelon Data Centres Global Technical Realty Stratus DC Management Explore our data center knowledge base profile to know more about the industry. Read some of the top-selling reports: About Arizton: Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services. We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts. Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports. Mail: [email protected] Call: +1-312-235-2040 +1 302 469 0707 SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence The estate is comprised of prestigious Grand Cru vineyard blocks in Bonnes Mares and Clos de Vougeot, Premier Cru parcels in Chambolle-Musigny and Nuits-Saint-Georges, and village blocks in Comblanchien, Gilly-les-Citeaux, and Premeaux-Prissey. "This expansion is a natural next step for us. We constantly seek the best terroir and vineyard sites in the world to fulfill our mission of providing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to our valued customers and wine club members." said Ryan Harris, President & CEO of Evenstad Estates. "The opportunity to offer small production Burgundian wines of iconic quality exclusively to our most dedicated customers fits perfectly with that goal." While Burgundian vintners have been adding Oregon vineyards and wineries to their repertoire for decades, Evenstad Estates flipped the trend in 2015 with the acquisition of Chateau de la Cree and 25 acres of prime vineyard blocks in Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay, and Maranges. The first Oregon-based winemakers to produce a range of wines from Burgundy, Evenstad Estates offers these French wines for tastings and purchase at Domaine Serene locations and to its French wine club members, one of the only wine club programs in the world with a membership devoted solely to the wines of Burgundy. "It was our passion for the great Pinot Noirs of Burgundy that first led us to Oregon to establish Domaine Serene in the Dundee Hills." said Grace Evenstad, Owner, Founder, and Chair of the Board. "Standing in the vineyards of Burgundy, one feels the presence of centuries of wine history, and immense respect for the region's unique terroir. For me, Bonnes Mares in particular has always been a personal favorite and a benchmark for what can be achieved with Pinot Noir grown in exceptional terroir. To own and farm Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards in the Cote de Nuits represents the achievement of a long-held vision. Serving as the steward of this prestigious estate for our generation is a true privilege." The Domaine Christian Confuron et fils estate is primarily comprised of Pinot Noir vineyards with a small percentage of land planted to the extremely rare Nuits-Saint-Georges Pinot Blanc. The land fits the Evenstad Estates approach to quality above all else. A portion of the vines were planted in the 1920's and have been sustainably farmed for decades. The Grand Cru parcels in Bonnes Mares and Clos de Vougeot neighbor vineyards that produce wines which routinely score 97-100 points with international wine critics and publications. To learn more about Evenstad Estates and future projects, visit http://www.domaineserene.com/ our locations, or join the wine club or mailing list, visit www.DomaineSerene.com , call 503-864-4600 and follow us on Instagram and Facebook . About Evenstad Estates Founded in 1989 by Ken and Grace Evenstad in the Dundee Hills, Evenstad Estates produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wine in Oregon and Burgundy, under the award-winning Domaine Serene, Chateau de la Cree, and Maison Evenstad labels. The Evenstads became the first Oregon vintners to own land and produce wine in Burgundy with the 2015 acquisition of the historic Chateau de la Cree in Santenay. Soon after they created the Maison Evenstad wines to compliment the portfolio. In all, the Evenstads own 40 acres of prime vineyards in Burgundy with 25 acres in the Cote de Beaune and 15 acres in the Cote de Nuits. In Oregon, Evenstad Estates operates the Domaine Serene Clubhouse, a state-of-the-art winery and tasting room overlooking the Dundee Hills. Domaine Serene launched the innovative Domaine Serene Wine Lounge brand in 2018, creating outposts in Portland and Lake Oswego, with the third location opening in Bend in fall 2021. The winery currently produces wines from six individual vineyard estates, planted exclusively to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Evenstads own nearly 1,000 total acres of land in the hills of Yamhill County, with 300 acres planted to vine. Having earned 95 points and above by wine critics an astounding 130 times and counting, the wines of Evenstad Estates represent the achievement that is possible in Oregon and Burgundy, the two finest regions in the world for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. For more information, visit www.DomaineSerene.com or www.la-cree.com/en/. CONTACT: Anna Parry Evenstad Estates 6555 NE Hilltop Lane Dayton, OR 97114 (503) 864-4600 [email protected] www.DomaineSerene.com SOURCE Domaine Serene Related Links http://www.domaineserene.com HERNDON, Va., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Exostar, the leader in trusted, secure business collaboration in the Defense Industrial Base, life sciences, and healthcare, today announced the introduction of The Exostar Platform. The Exostar Platform orchestrates multi-enterprise collaboration through rapid and robust onboarding; secure access to an ever-expanding suite of applications; end-to-end data protection, governance, and analytics; and an intuitive, single pane-of-glass dashboard that serves as the centerpiece for all activity within the enterprise and its global network of customers, partners, and suppliers. As the fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, shifts into a higher gear in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, all companies become technology businesses, which makes digital transformation a top priority. Embracing new business models, enhancing customer engagement, and delivering new products and services means enterprises must share higher volumes of more complex information beyond boundaries, while simultaneously mitigating the risk of doing so. Organizations in highly-regulated industries must not only protect sensitive information and intellectual property, but also comply with a growing list of national security cybersecurity regimes such as ISO 27001, CMMC, NIST 800-171, and UK Cyber Essentials. The Exostar Platform's modules let businesses seamlessly, securely & compliantly collaborate with partners & customers. Tweet this "We designed The Exostar Platform to support the intra- and inter-enterprise collaboration necessary to fully realize digital transformation. It delivers clear visibility across multiple applications and all associated data, allowing for greater operational agility, actionable business intelligence, and simplified multi-enterprise engagement and collaboration," said Sudeep Dharan, Exostar's Chief Technology Officer. "The Exostar Platform helps organizations achieve their critical transformation milestones without sacrificing speed, compliance, or security." Leveraging an existing and rapidly expanding community of vetted manufacturers, sponsors, distributors, providers, and other organizations and individuals in highly-regulated industries, The Exostar Platform features multiple modules that allow enterprises to more quickly and securely connect and interact with their partners and customers through streamlined application and information access and management: Onboarding Includes pre-defined and custom workflows to conduct the due diligence and capture the information necessary to determine if a prospective partner is fit for use, as well as to regularly execute the recertification process efficiently. Members of the Exostar community can share existing data and previously completed forms to reduce overhead and speed time to engage. Secure Access Ensures the right parties reach the right applications and data at the right times through identity proofing, credential issuance, multi-factor authentication, and enforcement of roles and permissions defined by asset owners. Business Intelligence Provides a single source of truth by correlating information across multiple data sources and delivering analytics and actionable insights through an expanded, configurable dashboard. Metrics, reporting, and communications include scorecards, order transactions, alerts and notifications, and forms and certifications. Applications Encompasses Exostar and third-party products that support business-critical processes such as research and development, production, and distribution. Includes sourcing and procurement, risk management, content collaboration, and supply chain management capabilities, with more on the horizon. The architecture of The Exostar Platform empowers customers to pick and choose which modules best map to their priorities and objectives. Together, The Exostar Platform's integrated modules allow businesses in highly-regulated industries to seamlessly, securely, and compliantly collaborate with their global networks of partners and customers, facilitating and promoting the digital transformation initiatives mandated by Industry 4.0. Enterprises can begin taking advantage of The Exostar Platform's benefits today. About Exostar The Exostar Platform supports exclusive communities within highly-regulated industries where organizations securely collaborate, share information, and operate compliantly. Within these communities, we build trust. More than 150,000 enterprises and agencies in 175 countries trust Exostar to strengthen security, reduce expenditures, raise productivity, and help them achieve their digital transformation initiatives. Nearly half of the Defense Industrial Base, including 98 of the top 100, transact business over The Exostar Platform. Ten of the top twenty global biopharmaceutical companies rely on The Exostar Platform to help them speed new medicines and therapies to market. Exostar is a Gartner Cool Vendor. For more information, please visit www.exostar.com, and follow Exostar on LinkedIn and Twitter. Media Contact: Alan Gilbert Exostar (703) 793-7735 (o) (703) 624-4675 (m) [email protected] SOURCE Exostar LLC Related Links https://www.exostar.com NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- General Assembly, the global education company that pioneered the field of accelerated training for in-demand tech careers, today announced the appointment of five senior leaders to its expanded leadership team. General Assembly is a fully-owned subsidiary of the Adecco Group, a global company that aspires to enable sustainable and lifelong employability for individuals and empower organizations to optimize their workforce. The announcement follows the appointment of CEO Lisa Lewin, as demand for the firm's digital offerings accelerated among major employers and local governments around the world. In April, General Assembly announced the launch of a public sector reskilling group which will build on the success of partnerships with the cities of Atlanta, Buffalo, Louisville, and Sacramento, in collaboration with major employers including Microsoft, Humana, and M&T Bank. "General Assembly grew in response both to employer demand and the aspirations of professionals on a mission to transform their lives and careers. We are now evolving in the face of emerging challenges in an increasingly complex international labor market," said Lewin. "These hires reflect a commitment to innovating in response to accelerated demand for upskilling and reskilling at scale, and to leveraging best practices for remote learning that we honed during the pandemic to reach new audiences and geographies worldwide." The five leadership appointments announced today include: Ella Balagula , Senior Vice President and Global Head, Enterprise who brings 25 years of general management, digital transformation, and EdTech growth experience to GA. Most recently, she was EVP and GM of Knowledge and Learning at Wiley, managing a portfolio of education businesses. , Senior Vice President and Global Head, Enterprise who brings 25 years of general management, digital transformation, and EdTech growth experience to GA. Most recently, she was EVP and GM of Knowledge and Learning at Wiley, managing a portfolio of education businesses. Danielle Chircop , Senior Vice President and Global Head, Product who joins GA with 16 years of experience in adult education, with over a decade of leadership in instructional design, product, and technology. Most recently, she was VP of Digital Product at Kaplan North America. , Senior Vice President and Global Head, Product who joins GA with 16 years of experience in adult education, with over a decade of leadership in instructional design, product, and technology. Most recently, she was VP of Digital Product at Kaplan North America. Jason Fournier , Vice President, Product Management, who comes to GA after a 15-year career at Pearson , most recently as Vice President, Product Management, AI Products and Solutions. Vice President, Product Management, who comes to GA after a 15-year career at , most recently as Vice President, Product Management, AI Products and Solutions. Roger Lee , Senior Vice President, Marketing & Admissions, who brings 25 years of marketing experience, most recently in his role as Vice President, Performance Marketing at University of Phoenix . Senior Vice President, Marketing & Admissions, who brings 25 years of marketing experience, most recently in his role as Vice President, Performance Marketing at . David Porcaro , PhD, Vice President, Learning and Innovation, who most recently served as Director of Learning Engineering at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Together, Balagula, Chircop, Fournier, Lee, and Porcaro will be tasked with leading GA's product innovation strategy, developing and deploying new educational content aligned to shifting workforce demands, and expanding to reach new audiences and geographies globally. "General Assembly's global reach and focus on social and economic mobility is central to the Adecco Group's strategy to make the world of work, work for everyone," says Alain Dehaze, the CEO of The Adecco Group, General Assembly's parent company. "As individuals pursue new career paths, companies look to close skills gaps, and governments create opportunities for displaced workers, General Assembly's commitment to innovative programs and partnerships positions them to lead the way in helping countries around the world build back better." In addition to the five new leadership team members announced today, General Assembly also shared the appointment of two accomplished executives to drive its people and strategy initiatives. Shweta Bhasin joins GA as Senior Vice President, Human Resources, and brings on board 20 years of experience in HR Consulting and Corporate HR roles across the telecom, professional services, and education industries. She joins GA from Pearson , where she was part of the Global HR leadership team. joins GA as Senior Vice President, Human Resources, and brings on board 20 years of experience in HR Consulting and Corporate HR roles across the telecom, professional services, and education industries. She joins GA from , where she was part of the Global HR leadership team. Alberto Cavero will be GA's inaugural Senior Vice President, Strategy and Transformation, joining the company from Laureate Education, where he served as Chief Transformation Officer and formerly as Strategy Director. Previously, he worked on strategic consulting at Boston Consulting Group. General Assembly's new leadership join a team of seasoned executives including Vice President, Human Resources Catie Brand, Senior Vice President of Finance Philipp Lustenberger, General Counsel Jayshree Mahtani, Vice President of Social Impact & External Affairs Tom Ogletree, and Senior Vice President, Campus Operations Scott Zaloom. The new executive team reflects the company's commitment to continued global expansion, with leadership team members located in Boston, Mexico City, Miami, New York City, Paris, San Diego, San Francisco, and Zurich. About General Assembly General Assembly is advancing the future of work. We create sustainable talent pipelines for businesses and build transparent career pathways to the most transformational work. Offering employer-driven, practitioner-taught training in high-demand fields like data, technology, design, and business, General Assembly's global reach, massive community, and leading outcomes have created an international community of professionals nearly one million strong. The most innovative companies rely on General Assembly's talent pipeline as a service model to benchmark talent, train employees, hire candidates, and increase diversity. Our unmatched scale, flexible training delivery, expert instructors, and employer-tested assessments have enabled hundreds of companies to fill their talent gaps and hundreds of thousands of individuals to pursue the work they love. About the Adecco Group The Adecco Group is the world's leading talent advisory and solutions company. We believe in making the future work for everyone, and every day enable more than 3.5 million careers. We skill, develop, and hire talent in 60 countries, enabling organisations to embrace the future of work. As a Fortune Global 500 company, we lead by example, creating shared value that fuels economies and builds better societies. Our culture of inclusivity, entrepreneurship and teamwork empowers our 30,000 employees. We are proud to have been consistently ranked one of the 'World's Best Workplaces' by Great Place to Work. The Adecco Group AG is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland (ISIN: CH0012138605) and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ADEN). The Group is powered by three global business units: Adecco, Talent Solutions and Modis. Media Contact: Tori McKnight [email protected] SOURCE General Assembly (GA) Market Segmentation by Type: Based on the segmentation by type, the market generated maximum revenue in the HDPE segment in 2019. The market is driven by the increasing number of offshore contracts to drilling companies in search of more oil. The growth of the market will be significant over the forecast period. Market Segmentation by Geography: MEA held the largest market share of 44% in 2019 and the region will offer several growth opportunities to market vendors. The growth of the market in MEA can be attributed to the growing acceptance of engineering-grade flexible materials over the forecast period. Saudi Arabia is a key market for flexible pipes market for oil and gas in MEA. Get more insights about the global trends impacting the future of the market, Buy Technavio's Research Methodology Analysis Report Major Three Flexible Pipes Market Participants: Airborne Oil & Gas BV Airborne Oil & Gas BV offers Thermoplastic Composite Pipe (TCP). The product under this category includes TCP Jumpers, TCP Flowlines, TCP Free Hanging Risers, and TCP Downlines. Continental AG Continental AG's subsidiary ContiTech Oil & Gas offers high-pressure flexible lines for the oil and gas exploration and production industries. FlexSteel Pipeline Technologies Inc. FlexSteel Pipeline Technologies Inc. offers FlexSteel Pipe with different specifications such as 750 PSI / 50 BAR, 1500 PSI / 100 BAR, 2250 PSI / 155 BAR, and 3000 PSI / 200 BAR. Know more about Techanavio's analysis on the impact of Disruption Threats comparing Disruptive sources and Factors driving disruption, Request a Sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43877 Flexible Pipes Market for Oil and Gas 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist flexible pipes market for oil and gas growth during the next five years Estimation of the flexible pipes market for oil and gas size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the flexible pipes market for oil and gas Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of flexible pipes market for oil and gas vendors Related Reports on Energy Include: Global Offshore Drilling Market- The offshore drilling market is segmented by application (shallow water, deepwater, and ultra-deepwater) and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, MEA, and South America). Download FREE Sample Report Global Land Drilling Rigs Market- The land drilling rigs market is segmented by type (conventional rigs and mobile rigs) and geography (MEA, North America, APAC, Europe, and South America). Download FREE Sample Report Available Customization: Along with the market data, Technavio offers customizations as per the specific needs of the companies. The following customization options are available for the flexible pipes market for oil and gas report. Further breakdown of the market segmentation in requested regions. Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players, vendor segmentation, and vendor offerings About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Report Page: https://www.technavio.com/report/flexible-pipes-market-for-oil-and-gas-market-industry-analysis SOURCE Technavio BRUSSELS, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Flight Safety Foundation today called on governments, regulators and health authorities to adopt a data-driven and science-based approach to accelerate safe reopening of borders to international air travel. The Foundation also said that implementation of the European Union (EU) Digital COVID Certificate, which should exempt European travelers from many travel restrictions, is a step in the right direction and encouraged EU states to implement the certificate as quickly as possible. "The EU Digital COVID Certificate will only be effective if it is implemented across the EU and if individual countries refrain from imposing additional travel restrictions unless absolutely necessary," said Foundation President and CEO Dr. Hassan Shahidi. "We also are encouraged by reports of the EU reopening travel from the United States and other non-EU countries." "After 18 months of lockdowns and travel restrictions, the public is eager to take to the airways to conduct business and reunite with their loved ones, but they can't because of a bewildering patchwork of travel restrictions and quarantine requirements," said Capt. Conor Nolan, chairman of the Foundation's Board of Governors. "Safely restarting aviation will require government and industry to agree on a risk-based approach to reopening air travel, but that is nothing new for aviation. Managing safety risk is in our DNA. The tools to restart vaccines, health and hygiene protocols, and proven antigen testing already exist, but we need government leadership to move the process forward." The Foundation shortly will release a white paper on a safe return to the skies. The paper, which has been reviewed by the Foundation's Medical Advisory Committee, outlines a comprehensive approach, including hygiene protocols, risk-based methods and expanded use of COVID testing to reduce or, in some cases, perhaps eliminate, the need to quarantine. "Timely testing post-arrival can help play an important role in reducing quarantine," said Dr. David Hamer, a member of the Foundation's committee and professor of Global Health and Medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine. While some regions have made significant progress on vaccinations, other regions around the world are lagging behind. Vaccinations are a critical tool in the fight against the pandemic and are key to enabling unfettered, safe travel. The Foundation is working with other international organizations and the medical community to help develop comprehensive and sustainable strategies to enable safe travel utilizing a number of proven methods to ease restrictions. About Flight Safety Foundation Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education and communications to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to connect, influence and lead global aviation safety. Media Contact: Frank Jackman Vice President, Communications +1 703.739.6700, ext. 116 [email protected] SOURCE Flight Safety Foundation Related Links www.flightsafety.org MILL VALLEY, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Glassdoor , the worldwide leader in insights about jobs and companies, today announced the winners of its 8th Employees' Choice Awards, honoring the Top CEOs in 2021 across North America and parts of Europe. Unlike any other workplace award, the Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards are based on the input of employees who voluntarily provide anonymous feedback by completing a company review about their CEO's leadership, along with insights into their job, work environment and employer over the past year. This year, the Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards for the Top CEOs feature six distinct company categories across the U.S. , Canada , UK , France and Germany . In the U.S., Glassdoor has revealed the 100 Top CEOs (honoring CEOs at employers with 1,000 or more employees) and the 50 Top CEOs at small & medium companies (honoring CEOs at employers with fewer than 1,000 employees). "Over the past year, company leaders around the world faced unprecedented challenges to support employees during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the employees have spoken and it's clear that these CEOs excelled and found new ways to support their people when the world of work flipped upside down," said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. "Through a challenging year, it's inspiring to see Top CEOs who, according to their employees, adapted to change, redefined visions and led with transparency while putting the health and safety of employees first. I extend my sincerest congratulations to this year's Employees' Choice Award winners." The ten Top CEOs in 2021 in the U.S. are: The five Top CEOs at Small & Medium Companies in 2021 in the U.S. are: Glassdoor's Top 100 CEOs in 2021 Award features winning chief executives across diverse industries spanning technology, health care, finance, manufacturing, retail and more. This year, Boston Consulting Group 's CEO Rich Lesser claims the top spot with a 99 percent approval rating. More than half (56 CEOs) of this year's Top 100 CEOs, including Rich Lesser, are on the list for the first time. Other newcomers include lululemon 's Calvin McDonald (No. 19, 96 percent approval), Slack 's Stewart Butterfield (No. 82, 92 percent approval) and Royal Caribbean Group 's Richard D. Fain (No. 96, 90 percent approval). Five women are honored among the top 100 this year, including In-N-Out Burger 's Lynsi Snyder (No. 20, 96 percent approval), Fidelity Investments ' Abby Johnson (No. 44, 94 percent approval) and Progressive Insurance 's Tricia Griffith (No. 65, 93 percent approval). Apple 's Tim Cook (No. 32, 95 percent approval) is the only CEO to be honored all eight years. On the 2021 list of the Top 50 CEOs at Small & Medium Companies, seven of the top 10 CEOs are newcomers to this list. This year, there are 18 CEOs who are recognized by employees in multiple countries, including one CEO who made four lists Microsoft 's Satya Nadella (U.S. Large, UK, Canada and Germany). When employees submit reviews about their employer on Glassdoor, they are asked to rate several factors tied to their employment experience. These include rating sentiment around their CEO's leadership as well as around senior management, among others. Specifically, when rating their CEO on Glassdoor, employees are asked to report whether they approve or disapprove of or have no opinion about their CEO's performance. Across the approximately 1.5 million employers reviewed on Glassdoor, the average CEO approval rating is 73 percent. Employees' Choice Award winners for the 2021 Top CEOs and Top CEOs at Small & Medium Companies are determined using Glassdoor's proprietary algorithm, taking into account the quantity, quality and consistency of Glassdoor-approved company reviews shared by U.S.-based employees between May 2, 2020 and May 1, 2021. At a minimum, employers considered for the large list must have received at least 100 company reviews, including at least 100 CEO approval ratings and at least 100 senior management ratings. Employers eligible for the small & medium list must have received at least 35 company reviews, including at least 35 CEO approval ratings and at least 35 senior management ratings during the eligibility period. For reporting simplicity, CEO approval ratings are displayed as whole numbers, though calculations extend beyond the thousandth decimal place to determine final rank order. Complete award methodology can be found and downloaded here: https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/index.htm SEE THE 2021 WINNERS: All winning CEOs across this year's six categories can be found by visiting: 100 Top CEOs U.S. 50 Top CEOs at Small & Medium Companies U.S. 25 Top CEOs Canada 50 Top CEOs UK 25 Top CEOs France 25 Top CEOs Germany WHY IS GREAT LEADERSHIP IMPORTANT? According to Glassdoor Economic Research, trust in senior leadership is a leading factor of long-term employee satisfaction and highly-rated CEOs are statistically linked to companies with great cultures and financial performance. INTERVIEWS + EMPLOYEE COMMENTARY: Interviews and employee commentary about winning CEOs, their senior management team and company culture are available upon request. Please email: [email protected] . EDITORIAL: Glassdoor has also published editorial content highlighting women and people of color among the Top 100 CEOs as we advocate for more diversity at companies everywhere. These posts include: About Glassdoor Glassdoor combines the latest jobs with millions of reviews and insights to make it easy for people to find a job that is uniquely right for them. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like employer branding and employee insights products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for more than 1.5 million companies around the world. For more information, visit glassdoor.com. SOURCE Glassdoor Related Links https://www.glassdoor.com SPRING, Texas, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Global Prebiotic Association (GPA), representing the prebiotic industry worldwide, announced the addition of four new members. Ardent Mills and Vitalus have joined at the Member level, and UR Labs/Muniq and PhenoBiome have joined at the Associate level. Prebiotics are nutritional products or ingredients selected to be utilized in the microbiome producing health benefits and play an important role in the human microbiome: their role is to support & feed, increase & produce and balance & optimize. "We're gratified to bring in members that cover all aspects of the diverse prebiotic industry. New, engaged members allow us to expand our workplan and education and therefore impact on the category, influencers and ultimately, human health," said Len Monheit, Executive Director, Global Prebiotic Association. "We're gratified to bring in members that cover all aspects of the diverse prebiotic industry. New, engaged members allow us to expand our workplan and education and therefore impact on the category, influencers and ultimately, human health," said Len Monheit, Executive Director, Global Prebiotic Association. New Member Level Organizations Ardent Mills is the premier flour-milling and ingredient company whose vision is to be the trusted partner in nurturing its customers, consumers and communities through innovative and nutritious grain-based solutions. Vitalus is a global brand providing specialized dairy ingredients for use in a wide variety of food and beverage applications. New Associate Level Organizations PhenoBiome is a bioinfomatics platform for genomics based microbiome bacterial phenotype profiling. UR Labs/Muniq is an emerging health & wellness company developing science-based nutrition products to target prevalent health conditions. Learn more about GPA at prebioticassociation.org. About the Global Prebiotic Association The Global Prebiotic Association is comprised of scientifically-validated prebiotic ingredient manufacturers, brand holders, retailers and service companies. The association is focused on the education and awareness building of prebiotics. For more information on prebiotics and the Global Prebiotic Association, please visit www.prebioticassociation.org . Media Contact: Traci Kantowski, Communications Director +1 (331) 806-3864 p / [email protected] SOURCE Global Prebiotic Association Related Links http://www.prebioticassociation.org NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GoContractor, the leader in the digitization of construction worker onboarding and compliance tracking, announced the launch of their first mobile app, GoContractor Connect , available for iOS and Android. Following their successful web app that hosts over 500,000+ users, this all-mobile experience offers a new way for construction sites to digitally manage and onboard construction workers through iPhone, iPad, and Android Devices. Praised for providing rapid COVID-19 safety training to the entire construction workforce in Ireland , GoContractor helps construction workers access a standardized site specific orientation in the worker's chosen language to complete at their own pace before starting work on the job site. Using the app, construction workers can upload required site qualification documents, such as OSHA certifications, review safety training, and complete customized safety quizzes. General Contractors can provide workers and subcontractors with their company's standard orientation, site or job-specific safety training, request for identification, certifications, and even training in different languages, for non-english speakers. Users can also create a digital identification card through the app. Linked with a unique QR code, site managers can scan and pull up the worker's status, showing whether the worker has provided all necessary documentation and completed their orientation or required safety training. "During COVID-19, the construction industry saw a massive uptick in adopting digital workflows. Now, every site has become familiar using a digital process. Our customers are committed to improving site operations through a digital experience to drive efficiency, keep sites safer, and attract and work with a larger pool of workers. Our mobile app offers an easy way for construction workers to access and complete their site orientation in their own language. Workers have a seamless onboarding experience, and managers can take comfort in knowing every worker on site is trained and fully compliant. Offering an accessible onboarding experience is critical now more than ever, with the growing worker shortage." shares John Naughton, GoContractor CEO. It's no secret that the construction industry is struggling to find qualified, skilled workers. The 2020 Construction Outlook Survey by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) states that 81% of construction firms have trouble filling both salaried and hourly craft positions, and 72% anticipate labor shortages to be the biggest hurdle in the next year. "Anything companies can do to attract more workers is beneficial. Offering orientations that can be completed anywhere, at any time, and in the worker's language is one of the ways in which companies can attract more workers." Naughton shares, "Replacing legacy operations with more efficient digital processes is another, especially when attracting a Millennial and Gen-Z workforce." The GoContractor app features: An easy-to-use interface that walks workers through their site orientation, step by step Customized safety training that can be translated into over 29 languages through Amazon Polly Customized safety quizzes to verify understanding of safety requirements and site-specific information A place to upload mandatory compliance documents, such as identification and OSHA certifications Worker compliance: managers can access a complete record of which workers are compliant and who is not Since the launch of GoContractor, more than 500,000+ construction workers have created individual accounts within the platform, receiving standard site orientations and onboarding, enabling them to enter job-sites fully compliant and ready to work. You can read more about the GoContractor Connect App in the company's in-depth blog post here. About GoContractor GoContractor solves efficiency and safety problems for companies at the worker level. GoContractor digitizes worker orientation and onboarding processes by helping projects achieve safety compliance and productivity before workers step foot on the job site. Workers can register, upload regulatory documents, and even complete safety training from any smart device. Used by both small and large General Contractors throughout the US and Europe, GoContractor is committed to ensuring health and safety on construction job sites. When COVID-19 hit, GoContractor helped over 250,000 workers immediately return to work amidst the initial national lockdown in Ireland. GoContractor has offices in Dublin and New York. Learn more at https://gocontractor.com SOURCE GoContractor Related Links https://gocontractor.com The Company has commenced drilling on the El Nayar target with two drill rigs. The objective of the drill program over the coming months is to confirm the strong results of the mapping and sampling program and establish the geometry and widths of the mineralized zones. See Figure 6 for a location map showing El Nayar within Los Ricos North. "The zone at Casados continues to show some high grade intercepts included within wider zones of potentially bulk mineable grades," said Brad Langille, President and CEO. "We believe that our drilling in Los Ricos North not only will define a significant resource, but with exploration at Casados North and the initiation of the drilling program at El Nayar, we look forward to additional exciting discoveries." Table 1: Drill Hole Intersections Hole ID Area From To Length1 Au Ag AuEq2 AgEq2 (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) LRGCS-21-026 Casados Vein 1 22.3 39.0 16.7 0.32 125.0 1.99 149.0 including 24.6 33.7 9.1 0.53 211.2 3.35 251.2 including 30.3 32.9 2.6 1.55 610.8 9.70 727.3 Casados Vein 2 76.4 80.3 3.9 0.41 80.8 1.48 111.2 LRGCS-21-037 Casados Vein 1 61.7 62.3 0.6 0.85 287.3 4.68 350.7 LRGCS-21-039 Casados Vein 1 37.7 48.5 10.8 0.31 68.8 1.23 92.0 including 40.3 44.3 4.0 0.68 146.4 2.63 197.5 LRGCS-21-041 Casados Vein 1 3.4 7.9 4.5 0.89 98.1 2.20 164.8 LRGCS-21-042 Casados Vein 1 96.0 112.0 16.0 0.33 71.4 1.29 96.4 including 96.0 108.6 12.6 0.41 87.7 1.58 118.4 including 103.2 108.6 5.4 0.78 164.4 2.97 222.6 LRGCS-21-043 Casados Vein 1 27.1 28.0 0.9 0.12 270.1 3.72 279.2 and 68.9 70.3 1.3 0.46 134.6 2.25 168.8 and 217.5 251.1 33.6 0.43 132.5 2.19 164.4 including 224.5 239.7 15.3 0.88 269.8 4.48 335.9 including 225.8 232.5 6.7 1.78 538.8 8.97 672.6 including 227.8 229.7 1.9 3.77 930.0 16.17 1,212.9 LRGCS-21-044 Casados Vein 1 84.0 86.9 2.8 0.46 149.7 2.45 184.0 and 141.0 142.5 1.5 0.46 112.8 1.96 147.3 and 176.8 196.6 19.9 0.31 100.3 1.65 123.7 including 190.0 195.6 5.6 0.78 237.4 3.94 295.8 LRGCS-21-045 Casados Vein 1 30.4 31.0 0.6 0.10 41.6 0.65 48.9 1. Not true width 2. AqEq converted using a silver to gold ratio of 75:1 at recoveries of 100%. 3. Hole LRGS-21-040 is excluded due to insignificant mineralization. The Casados Veins strike nearly E-W, dips 45o to the north and is hosted in andesitic tuffs and is exposed on surface for about 400 metres along strike. In the 7 metres of old stope that is above the water level at the Casados mine, the vein shows as a zone of quartz stringers about a meter wide, but at other places it is more than 2 metres wide. A zone of silicification up to 50 metres wide envelopes the vein and this resistant outcrop forms a steep ridge along the strike of the vein, particularly on the north or hanging wall side. Casados North GoGold's geological mapping program has located a series of historical workings along NNW trending veins that splay off the main Casados Vein along a horsetail structure (see Figure 4 for a plan view map and Figure 5 for a sampling map). A series of low sulphidation epithermal quartz veins have been mapped over an area of 800m x 400m extending on a NNW trend from the area of the Casados mine. The veins are exposed in a dozen historical shallow workings and chip sampling has returned high silver and gold values. Drill hole LRGCS-21-038 (see press release dated May 26, 2021), targeted to test below the Casados mine workings, intersected one of these new veins close to surface as shown on the sampling map. Table 2: Drill Hole Locations Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Length LRGCS-21-026 583705 2337734 701 180 -45 240.0 LRGCS-21-037 583494 2337895 706 180 -70 454.5 LRGCS-21-038 583511 2337857 703 180 -70 313.5 LRGCS-21-039 583605 2337703 680 180 -45 196.7 LRGCS-21-040 583764 2337695 718 180 -45 196.7 LRGCS-21-041 583461 2337873 688 180 -75 337.9 LRGCS-21-042 583615 2337754 704 180 -45 202.5 LRGCS-21-043 583562 2337837 718 180 -65 307.5 LRGCS-21-044 583373 2337852 724 180 -60 346.5 LRGCS-21-045 583546 2337887 718 180 -78 418.8 VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation VRIFY is a platform being used by companies to communicate with investors using 360 virtual tours of remote mining assets, 3D models and interactive presentations. VRIFY can be accessed by website and with the VRIFY iOS and Android apps. Access the GoGold Company Profile on VRIFY at: https://vrify.com The VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation for GoGold can be viewed at: https://vrify.com/explore/decks/9404 and on the Company's website at: www.gogoldresources.com. Los Ricos District Exploration Projects The Company's two exploration projects at its Los Ricos property are in Jalisco state, Mexico. The Los Ricos South Project began in March 2019 and an initial resource was announced on July 29, 2020 which indicated a Measured & Indicated Mineral Resource of 63.7 million ounces AgEq grading 199 g/t AgEq contained in 10.0 million tonnes, and an Inferred Resource of 19.9 million ounces AgEq grading 190 g/t AgEq contained in 3.3 million tonnes. An initial PEA on the project was announced on January 20, 2021 indicating an NPV 5% of US$295M. The Los Ricos North Project was launched in March 2020 and includes drilling at the El Favor, La Trini, Casados and El Orito targets. During 2020, GoGold's exploration team identified over 100 targets on the Los Ricos North properties, demonstrating the significant exploration potential. The Company plans to drill 10 of these targets as part of its 2021 drilling program which is planned to exceed 100,000 metres of drilling and will be one of the largest in Mexico. Procedure, Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Data Verification The diamond drill core (HQ size) is geologically logged, photographed and marked for sampling. When the sample lengths are determined, the full core is sawn with a diamond blade core saw with one half of the core being bagged and tagged for assay. The remaining half portion is returned to the core trays for storage and/or for metallurgical test work. The sealed and tagged sample bags are transported to the SGS Laboratory in Durango, Mexico. SGS crushes the samples and prepares 200-300 gram pulp samples with ninety percent passing Tyler 150 mesh (106m). The pulps are assayed for gold using a 50-gram charge by fire assay (Code GE_FAA515) and over limits greater than 10 grams per tonne are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code GO_FAU333). Silver and multi-element analysis is completed using total digestion (Code 1F2 Total Digestion ICP) and Fire Assay Code GE_AAS42E). Over limits greater than 100 grams per tonne silver are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code GO_FAG333). Quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") procedures monitor the chain-of-custody of the samples and includes the systematic insertion and monitoring of appropriate reference materials (certified standards, blanks and duplicates) into the sample strings. The results of the assaying of the QA/QC material included in each batch are tracked to ensure the integrity of the assay data. All results stated in this announcement have passed GoGold's QA/QC protocols. Mr. David Duncan, P. Geo. is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information of this release. About GoGold Resources GoGold Resources (TSX: GGD) is a Canadian-based silver and gold producer focused on operating, developing, exploring and acquiring high quality projects in Mexico. The Company operates the Parral Tailings mine in the state of Chihuahua and has the Los Ricos South and Los Ricos North exploration projects in the state of Jalisco. Headquartered in Halifax, NS, GoGold is building a portfolio of low cost, high margin projects. For more information visit gogoldresources.com. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy of any of GoGold's securities in the United States. This news release may contain "forward-looking information" as defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Los Ricos South and North projects, and future plans and objectives of GoGold, including the intention to undertake further exploration at Los Ricos North, and the prospect of further discoveries there, constitute forward looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information is based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such information but which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions in connection with the continuance of GoGold and its subsidiaries as a going concern, general economic and market conditions, mineral prices, the accuracy of mineral resource estimates, and the performance of the Parral project. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from GoGold's expectations include exploration and development risks associated with GoGold's projects, the failure to establish estimated mineral resources or mineral reserves, volatility of commodity prices, variations of recovery rates, and global economic conditions. For additional information with respect to risk factors applicable to GoGold, reference should be made to GoGold's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with securities regulators, including, but not limited to, GoGold's Annual Information Form. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date of this release. SOURCE GoGold Resources Inc. Related Links http://www.gogoldresources.com/ LOS ANGELES, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Founder & CEO of GT's Living Foods, GT Dave, announced today the Synergy Scholarship on behalf of new, non-profit entity, the GT Dave Foundation. The Synergy Scholarship fund is a $250,000 commitment awarded to LGBTQ+ youth pursuing entrepreneurial careers. The announcement of the Synergy Scholarship comes as part of a larger summer 2021 initiative, CommUNITY, celebrating three key pillars: uplifting diverse peoples, preservation of the planet, and accessibility to nutritious foods. As a pioneer in the health and wellness movement and the creator of an iconic brand that has earned him the moniker "Kombucha King," GT began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 15 years old. Struggling with the woes of starting a business, GT was also growing up as a gay man and exploring his identity. Through strength and perseverance, he channeled his creativity and unique point of view into the company that today holds leading rank as the #1 kombucha brand in the world. "For many LGBTQ+ youth, there's a quiet, internal battle that happens; a voice from within that can at times carry guilt and shame I say not anymore. I want to be the megaphone that drowns out that voice and affirms that you are loved, you are special, and your ideas matter,'" says GT. "I believe young people are the driving force of change, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. As a gay entrepreneur who is still learning and growing in the business world, I can confidently say there's no set path to follow, so pave your own. With the Synergy Scholarship, I am dedicated to empowering LGBTQ+ youth and helping to mobilize their entrepreneurial dreams." The Synergy Scholarship will be open to high school seniors who will graduate during the 2021-2022 academic year and who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. The scholarship will be awarded each year for five years, divided into differing amounts to deserving young people, totaling $250,000 by 2027. These individuals will have a passion and desire to improve their communities and the world through business and entrepreneurialism. Applicants must also demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue a degree at an accredited US post-secondary institution. In addition to the monetary contribution, GT will mentor the winners offering business guidance and advice during their awarded year. In honor of Pride and the diversity pillar of the CommUNITY initiative, the Synergy Scholarship will help create new opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth. The remainder of CommUNITY's key tenets planet preservation and food accessibility will come to life in partnership with LA-based TreePeople, who since 1973 has grown to become Southern California's largest environmental movement with a mission to inspire, engage, and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, and the Farmers Market Coalition, the only national non-profit dedicated to supporting farmers markets, in July and August, respectively. The Synergy Scholarship will begin accepting applications in October 2021. Stay up to date and get the latest information on applying for the Synergy Scholarship by visiting www.GTsLivingFoods.com/Scholarship and signing up for the newsletter. To learn more about the summer CommUNITY program, go to www.GTsLivingFoods.com/ShineBright. About GT's Living Foods: We believe that Mother Nature is the World's greatest healer. Since 1995, GT's Living Foods has revolutionized how people think and feel about Kombucha and fermented foods in the Western World. From the womb, founder GT Dave was raised vegetarian and taught that food can be medicine. He continues to uphold that philosophy with always pure, potent, and plant-derived fermented offerings produced in their most authentic form, never compromised. The fiercely independent, family-owned, and operated company is available in over 55,000 retailers across North America and Europe. Today and beyond, GT's Living Foods' driving purpose is to spread a global message that food can be medicine and through proper nutrition one can heal thyself. For more information, please visit www.gtslivingfoods.com . Follow GT's Living Foods on social: Instagram @GTsKombucha Facebook @GTsLivingFoods TikTok @GTsKombucha Twitter @GTsKombucha Pinterest @GTsKombucha YouTube www.youtube.com/gtskombucha About TreePeople: TreePeople's mission is to inspire, engage, and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment. Since 1973, TreePeople's mission has driven them towards creating a climate resilient region by empowering and supporting residents to build neighborhoods that are connected, adaptive and thus more resilient to climate change. With several thousand active volunteers, TreePeople endeavors to engage and educate the people throughout the region through their award-winning evidence-based programs. To learn more, go to: www.TreePeople.org. About Famers Market Coalition: The Farmers Market Coalition is a membership-based nonprofit with the mission to strengthen farmers markets for the benefit of farmers, consumers, and communities. Since 2006, FMC has been serving as the only national organization dedicated to supporting farmers market operators and has provided important resources, technical assistance, and advocacy to cultivate the growing farmers market field across the US. Farmers markets are essential. Learn more at farmersmarketcoalition.org. SOURCE GT's Living Foods Related Links https://gtslivingfoods.com/ Translators say 3,800 "language communities" worldwide currently don't have a complete Bible and more than 2,000 of them don't yet have a single verse of Scripture. One Verse Changes Everything "One billion people still don't know what God's Word has to say to them," said Mart Green, ministry investment officer at Hobby Lobby and an avid illumiNations supporter. "You and I have the opportunity to change someone's life forever, because just one verse has tremendous power." For $35, people can sponsor the translation of one verse of Scripture. They can also advance the cause by sharing their favorite verse with others on social media using the hashtag #IWTKBible. According to Christian Today, the three most popular Bible verses in America are: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV) "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13, NIV) The illumiNations partner agencies have thousands of real-life stories showing how Bible verses continue to create shockwaves around the world, transforming lives on every continent. Stories include: In Ukraine , Oleksandr and his wife were told they'd never be able to have children. When she miraculously became pregnant, the couple read Bible verses to their unborn child. Later, doctors told the amazed couple: "You're having twins!" , Oleksandr and his wife were told they'd never be able to have children. When she miraculously became pregnant, the couple read Bible verses to their unborn child. Later, doctors told the amazed couple: "You're having twins!" In Uganda , Tomson heard a Bible verse in his own language for the first time: "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" (Matt.16:26, NLT). He fell to the ground, hugging the Bible. "I've done so many bad things in my life, but now salvation has come to me." , Tomson heard a Bible verse in his own language for the first time: "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" (Matt.16:26, NLT). He fell to the ground, hugging the Bible. "I've done so many bad things in my life, but now salvation has come to me." In Colombia , Christian and Milena a Deaf couple were on the brink of divorce when a pastor shared Bible verses with them in their own sign language. Tears flowed as the couple realized the depth of God's love for them. They restored their relationship and now help others experiencing marriage difficulties. , Christian and Milena a Deaf couple were on the brink of divorce when a pastor shared Bible verses with them in their own sign language. Tears flowed as the couple realized the depth of God's love for them. They restored their relationship and now help others experiencing marriage difficulties. In Suriname , Medai battled depression and fear. After hearing verses from the Bible in her own language for the first time, she said: "The fear inside me [is] gone." Inspired by the Scriptures, she wrote worship songs that God used to help fan the flames of a spiritual revival. , Medai battled depression and fear. After hearing verses from the Bible in her own language for the first time, she said: "The fear inside me [is] gone." Inspired by the Scriptures, she wrote worship songs that God used to help fan the flames of a spiritual revival. In Nigeria , Solomon described what it meant to have the Bible and verses like John 3:16 in his own language for the first time. "Without this Bible, it was like we lacked God's presence; but with it, we have reached the Promised Land." 'Bible For All' in 12 Years illumiNations says it wants everyone to have access to the Bible by 2033 a target the group calls its "All Access Goals." It means 95% of the world's population will have access to a full Bible, 99.96% will have access to a New Testament, and 100% will have access to at least some Scripture. Visit illuminations.bible/know and follow illumiNations on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter to join the campaign. illumiNations is an alliance of 10 Bible translation organizations committed to providing all people access to Scripture by 2033. Partners include American Bible Society, Biblica, Deaf Bible Society, Lutheran Bible Translators, Pioneer Bible Translators, Seed Company, SIL International, United Bible Societies, The Word for the World and Wycliffe Bible Translators USA. Learn more at illuminations.bible . PHOTO CUTLINE: THE POWER OF ONE VERSE: The "I Want to Know" campaign what may be the largest-ever Bible translation effort on social and digital media gives people the opportunity to sponsor the translation of one "life-changing" Bible verse into a language that doesn't yet have a complete Bible. The campaign is spearheaded by illumiNations, an alliance of the world's leading Bible translation organizations. Visit illuminations.bible/know to learn more. About InChrist Communications Press Contact: Gregg Wooding 972-567-7660 https://www.inchristcommunications.com SOURCE illumiNations ARLINGTON, Va., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) issued important updates to the 2021 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes (Standards of Care), in annotations as the Living Standards of Care. Changes include new data on teplizumab and SGLT2 inhibitors as well as medications' effects on patients with chronic kidney disease. These amendments were driven by recently published research and were crafted and approved by the ADA's Professional Practice Committee, which is responsible for producing the Standards of Care. Updates to Section 10, Cardiovascular Disease and Risk Management, have also been reviewed and approved by the American College of Cardiology, which endorses this section. The Living Standards of Care are available immediately online at Diabetes Care. Updates to the Living Standards of Care include information added to the following sections: Section 2. Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes has been revised to include the evidence from a trial on anti-CD3 antibody, teplizumab, in relatives at risk for type 1 diabetes which demonstrated a delay in the development of type I diabetes. has been revised to include the evidence from a trial on anti-CD3 antibody, teplizumab, in relatives at risk for type 1 diabetes which demonstrated a delay in the development of type I diabetes. Section 10. Cardiovascular Disease and Risk Management has been updated to include new evidence from cardiovascular trials, including the Evaluation of Ertugliflozin Efficacy and Safety Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial ( VERTIS CV ), the Effect of Sotagliflozin on Cardiovascular and Renal Events in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Moderate Renal Impairment Who Are at Cardiovascular Risk ( SCORED ) trial, the Empagliflozin Outcome Trial in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure and a Reduced Ejection Fraction ( EMPEROR-Reduced ), and the Effect of Sotagliflozin on Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Post Worsening Heart Failure ( SOLOIST-WHF ) trial. has been updated to include new evidence from cardiovascular trials, including the Evaluation of Ertugliflozin Efficacy and Safety Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial ( ), the Effect of Sotagliflozin on Cardiovascular and Renal Events in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Moderate Renal Impairment Who Are at Cardiovascular Risk ( ) trial, the Empagliflozin Outcome Trial in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure and a Reduced Ejection Fraction ( ), and the Effect of Sotagliflozin on Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Post Worsening Heart Failure ( ) trial. Section 11. Microvascular Complications and Foot Care has been amended to include the new evidence from trials of medications that impact patients with chronic kidney disease: the Dapagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (DAPA-CKD) study and the Finerenone in Reducing Kidney Failure and Disease Progression in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIDELIO-DKD) trial. "There have been so many exciting advancements in the field of diabetes and that is why we are publishing more frequent updates to the Standards of Care. We are proud of the work done by our exceptional team of experts," said Dr. Robert Gabbay, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer for the ADA. "The American Diabetes Association is committed to improving the lives of all those affected by diabetes through this publication of the most widely respected guidelines for diabetes health professionals and updates like these are part of that commitment." The Standards of Care provides the latest in comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of children and adults with type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes; strategies to improve the prevention or delay of type 2 diabetes; and therapeutic approaches that reduce complications and positively affect health outcomes. In 2018, the ADA began updating and revising the online version of the Standards of Care throughout the year, with annotations for new evidence or regulatory changes that merit immediate incorporation. The online version of the Standards of Care now includes any research updates or policy changes that are approved throughout 2021. The complete, annotated Standards of Care, which includes updates made today, can be accessed online at Diabetes Care. The Abridged Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes has also been updated and can be accessed online at Clinical Diabetes. About the American Diabetes Association Every day more than 4,000 people are newly diagnosed with diabetes in America. More than 122 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes and are striving to manage their lives while living with the disease. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading voluntary health organization fighting to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic and help people living with diabetes thrive. For 80 years the ADA has been driving discovery and research to treat, manage and prevent diabetes, while working relentlessly for a cure. We help people with diabetes thrive by fighting for their rights and developing programs, advocacy and education designed to improve their quality of life. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will make us Connected for Life. To learn more or to get involved, visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn). SOURCE American Diabetes Association Related Links https://www.diabetes.org NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Research Dive, the Global MICE Industry Market is estimated to generate a revenue of $1,619.3 billion by 2028, and grow at CAGR of 5.9% over the forecast period (2021 to 2028). As per our analysts, the rapid increase in globalization coupled with the growing expansion of businesses around the world is the major factor expected to propel the growth of the global MICE industry in the coming future. Moreover, technological advancements and the growing popularity of virtual meetings are factors expected to create lucrative growth opportunities in the global market by 2028. On the contrary, the high operation costs associated with conducting a MICE event is estimated to restrict the market growth in projected timeframe. Download PDF Brochure at https://www.researchdive.com/download-sample/8408?utm_source=PRN Negative Impact of COVID-19 on the MICE Industry The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the global MICE industry in a negative way. The decline in the market growth can be attributed to lockdown, travel restrictions, and social distancing measures to avert the spread of coronavirus. In addition, majority of the popular MICE events destinations were cancelled due to lockdown restrictions. For instance, the popular MICE events destinations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) faced huge revenue loss due to travel restrictions, which led to closure of hotels, Emirati Airlines, and tourism sectors. Access Our Comprehensive Analysis of the Impact of COVID-19 on MICE Industry Meetings Sub-segment to Hold Dominant Market Share By type, the meetings sub-segment is anticipated to hold dominant market share and register a revenue of $979.6 billion by 2028. This is mainly because meetings bring people together that helps people in sharing the information, contributing their ideas, and also involves problem solving & discussion. In addition, meetings assist the participants in understanding the effective communication techniques and thus facilitates opportunities for personal growth. Europe Region to Subjugate in the Global Industry By region, the Europe MICE industry accounted $405.4 billion in 2020 and is projected to be most profitable during the forecast period. This growth is owing to the presence of top meeting destinations in the region such as France, UK, Germany, and other countries. Besides, MICE industry is popular in Europe due to high level of customer service, excellent catering, safe & comfortable transport, excellent internet connectivity, and comfortable & safe accommodation. Customize your report as per your requirement, and get 10% or More OFF Top 10 Prominent Market Players in MICE Industry: Top Strategic Moves & Developments Some of the top players of the global MICE industry are: ACCESS Destination Services BCD Group ATPI Ltd. BI Worldwide Cievents Carlson Wagonlit Travel Conference Care Ltd. CSI DMC Creative Group, Inc. IBTM Events. These players are implementing numerous strategies to gain a competitive edge in the global industry. For instance, in February 2021, Thomas Cook India entered into a partnership with Marriott International, and announced the launch of India's first physical MICE event after lockdown with a focus on restarting of MICE travel. The aim of the event is to bringing back confidence in MICE travel. Further, the report presents several aspects of these major players such as business & financial performance, SWOT analysis, latest developments, product portfolio, and many more. - Inquire and Get Quick Access to Top Companies Development Strategies Summary Report [80 pages] More about MICE Industry: How Does the MICE Industry Function? Global MICE Industry to Witness Immense Growth as Globalization has Led to Newer Customers Joining the Industry Related Reports: 1. Event Management: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192027 Request to Download Sample Report About Research Dive Research Dive is a market research firm based in Pune, India. Maintaining the integrity and authenticity of the services, the firm provides the services that are solely based on its exclusive data model, compelled by the 360-degree research methodology, which guarantees comprehensive and accurate analysis. With an unprecedented access to several paid data resources, team of expert researchers, and strict work ethic, the firm offers insights that are extremely precise and reliable. Scrutinizing relevant news releases, government publications, decades of trade data, and technical & white papers, Research dive deliver the required services to its clients well within the required timeframe. Its expertise is focused on examining niche markets, targeting its major driving factors, and spotting threatening hindrances. Complementarily, it also has a seamless collaboration with the major industry aficionado that further offers its research an edge. Contact: Mr. Abhishek Paliwal Research Dive 30 Wall St. 8th Floor, New York NY 10005 (P) +91-(788)-802-9103 (India) Toll Free: 1-888-961-4454 E-mail: [email protected] Website: https://www.researchdive.com Blog: https://www.researchdive.com/blog/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/research-dive/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ResearchDive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Research-Dive-1385542314927521 SOURCE Research Dive DUBLIN, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Medical Electrodes Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2021 to 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global medical electrodes market accounted for a value of US$ 1,317.3 Mn in 2020, and expected to attain US$ 2,806.9 Mn by 2029. Factors characterizing the growth of this market are globally growing elder population base, along with increasing adoption of medical electrodes for the diagnosis and treatment of various conditions, technological advances in medical electrodes, and rising preference for minimally invasive procedures. The older population is highly prone to develop cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and neurophysiological/neurological disorders. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that global population aged 60 years and older has surged from 841.0 Mn in 2013 to 962.3 Mn in 2020, and projected to surpass 2.0 Bn by the end of 2050. Rising prevalence of diseases such as CVDs, circulatory disturbances, sleep disorders, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease (PD), brain disorders, Trigeminal Neuralgia (TGN), sinusitis, tinnitus, Raynaud's disease, gout, and fibromyalgia are propelling the usage of medical device electrodes. Parkinson's Foundation, a nonprofit organization, stated that currently, 10.0 Mn individuals across the globe are living with Parkinson's disease. The WHO reported the global burden of neurological disorders accounted for a total of 94.6 Mn deaths in 2015, which is anticipated to cross 103 Mn by the end of 2030. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) Foundation reported that in 2015, around 422.7 Mn patients were suffering from CVDs and about 17.9 Mn patients died from same in 2016, accounting 31.0% of all worldwide deaths. Additionally, change in lifestyle across the world is causing sleep disorders wherein 20.0% of the global population is sleep deprived, thereby expected to propel the demand for medical device electrodes over the forecast period. The Diagnostics Segment to Command the Market from 2021 to 2029 Worldwide rising need for early diagnosis of CVDs, neurophysiological/neurological disorders, and sleep disorders coupled with mounting adoption of various diagnostic tests such as electrocardiography (ECG), electromyography (EMG), electroencephalography (EEG), electroretinography (ERG), and electronystagmography (ENG) are fuelling the demand for medical electrodes. Electrocardiography electrodes are portable, conductive, and adhesive in nature, thereby are highly used in capturing and storing patients' heartbeats. Globally growing burden of CVDs along with a major focus on early diagnosis of CVDs is also supporting the dominance of the ECG electrodes among the diagnostics' segment. North America Led the Market in 2020 due to the Presence of Supportive Healthcare Infrastructure and Domicile of Key Market Players North America would continue to dominate the market throughout the forecast period owing to the presence of key market participants, favorable healthcare infrastructure, higher adoption of medical electrodes, and availability of technologically developed electrodes including hydrogel & dry electrodes, which offers enhanced adhesion capability and better conduction features in comparison with gel-based electrodes. On the other hand, implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) by the Indian government to avoid the double taxation/cascading effect, thus making it easier to start & expand businesses and comply with tax regulations is contributing to the significant growth of Asia Pacific. Large patient pool in Japan and China are also supporting the quick pace of Asia Pacific market. In addition, the supportive role of various governments across South Asia in practicing Government Reforms and Infrastructure Development (GRID) would assist in market growth in the near future. The Presence of International Market Players Creates Market Penetration Challenging for New Entrants Key participants in this industry are GE Healthcare, Boston Scientific Corporation, Medtronic plc, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Philips Healthcare, 3M Healthcare, C. R. Bard, Inc., CONMED Corporation, Asahi Kasei Corporation, and Natus Medical Incorporated. These manufacturers are adopting growth strategies such as new product launches, collaborations & partnerships, divestitures, mergers & acquisitions (M&As), and operational & geographical expansion. In March 2016, Natus Medical Incorporated acquired the assets of NeuroQuest, LLC; a U.S.-based neurodiagnostic services provider in order to strengthen its division namely Global Neuro-Diagnostics (GND). Key questions answered in this report What are the current market trends and dynamics in the medical electrodes market and valuable opportunities for emerging players? Which electrode type segment contributes to the maximum market share? Which segment accounts for the fastest CAGR during the forecast period? Which diagnostics sub-segment holds the highest market share? Which therapeutics sub-segment accounts for the largest market share? What is the impact of high cost medical electrodes on the market? Are low and middle-income economies investing in the medical electrodes market? What is the market trend and dynamics in emerging markets such as Latin America and Middle East & Africa ? Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Executive Summary 2.1 Market Snapshot: Global ME Market 2.2 Global ME Market, by Type, 2020 (US$ Mn) 2.3 Global ME Market, by Geography, 2020 (US$ Mn) Chapter 3 Market Dynamics 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Market Dynamics 3.2.1 Market Drivers 3.2.1.1 Globally Growing Elderly Population Coupled With Rising Prevalence of Chronic and Other Diseases 3.2.1.2 Driver 2 3.2.2 Challenges 3.2.2.1 Challenge 1 3.2.2.2 Challenge 2 3.2.3 Opportunities 3.2.3.1 Opportunity 1 3.2.3.2 Opportunity 2 3.3 Attractive Investment Proposition, by Geography, 2020 3.4 Market Positioning of Key Players, 2020 Chapter 4 Global Medical Electrodes (ME) Market, by Type, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 4.1 Overview 4.2 Diagnostics 4.2.1 Electrocardiography (ECG) Electrodes 4.2.2 Electroencephalography (EEG) Electrodes 4.2.3 Electromyography (EMG) Electrodes 4.2.4 Electroretinography (ERG) Electrodes 4.2.5 Fetal Scalp Electrodes (FSEs) 4.2.6 Others [Electronystagmography (ENG) Electrodes, Needle Electrodes, Ion-selective Electrodes (ISEs), and Textile Electrodes] 4.3 Therapeutics 4.3.1 Pacemaker Electrodes 4.3.2 Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator (TENS) Electrodes 4.3.3 Defibrillator Electrodes 4.3.4 Electrosurgical Electrodes 4.3.5 Others [Electrical Muscle Stimulator (EMS) Electrodes and Functional Electrical Stimulator Electrodes] Chapter 5 Global Medical Electrodes (ME) Market, by Geography, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.1 Overview 5.2 North America 5.2.1 North America ME Market, by Type, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.2.2 North America ME Market, by Country, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.2.2.1 U.S. 5.2.2.2 Canada 5.3 Europe ME Market, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.3.1 Europe ME Market, by Type, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.3.2 Europe ME Market, by Country/Region, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.3.2.1 U.K. 5.3.2.2 Germany 5.3.2.3 Rest of Europe 5.4 Asia Pacific ME Market, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.4.1 Asia Pacific ME Market, by Type, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.4.2 Asia Pacific ME Market, by Country/Region, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.4.2.1 Japan 5.4.2.2 China 5.4.2.3 Rest of Asia Pacific 5.5 Latin America ME Market, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.5.1 Latin America ME Market, by Type, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.5.2 Latin America ME Market, by Country/Region, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.5.2.1 Brazil 5.5.2.2 Mexico 5.5.2.3 Rest of Latin America 5.6 Middle East & Africa ME Market, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.6.1 Middle East & Africa ME Market, by Type, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.6.2 Middle East & Africa ME Market, by Region, 2019-2029 (US$ Mn) 5.6.2.1 GCC 5.6.2.2 Rest of Middle East & Africa Chapter 6 Company Profiles 6.1 GE Healthcare 6.2 Boston Scientific Corporation 6.3 Medtronic plc 6.4 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. 6.5 Philips Healthcare 6.6 3M Healthcare 6.7 C. R. Bard, Inc. 6.8 CONMED Corporation 6.9 Asahi Kasei Corporation 6.10 Natus Medical Incorporated For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tbs788 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com The move highlights the company's expansion into the most sought-after nearshore and onshore markets today, and robust work-at-home delivery platform. Historically celebrated for being the largest homegrown Caribbean business process outsourcer, itel has taken the qualities their clients value most and built them into their expanding business model to ensure clients will always benefit from a partnership that offers the flexibility, responsiveness and creativity needed to navigate customer experience challenges of today. itel will advance its strategic expansion into nearshore markets this summer, opening new customer experience operations in Guyana and Honduras, as well as establishing a core technology development team in the center of innovation for all of Latin America: Colombia. itel's latest investment in Jamaica will be unveiled this fall. The incredible 90,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kingston will be home to 1,500 on-site employees and manage a network of work-at-home agents. The property is entirely COVID-19 ready, and will feature outdoor lunch and wellness centers, ergonomic workspaces that allow for social distancing between employees, plenty of fresh air, and inspiring art installations that combine nature and technology to tell the company's story of evolution. Discover the new itel. Click here to watch. itel's geographic expansion strategy is driven by a mission to continually increase value for clients by increasing geo-redundancy and access to world-class talent. "itel has always provided a partnership style that is coveted by our clients, and that's not going to change as we grow," said Yoni Epstein, Founding Chairman and CEO. "As change accelerated in 2020, from how we work, to how we shop and how we live, companies were forced to be nimble. For those locked in with CX partners that were too large to pivot and adapt, 2020 left scars on their brand and customer satisfaction." "Our teams are more empowered and accessible than larger customer experience providers, yet our service delivery platform is diversified across the Caribbean and the Americas. Our ability to provide customized CX solutions is one of our true differentiators. The way we partner with our clients, our flat management style, modern workspaces and family-like culture has put us in a league of our own and we're only becoming stronger as we expand internationally." From country to country, itel makes an impact that goes beyond profit. The company is an employer of choice, creating long-term careers in the happiest, most inspiring places to work. It's young and diverse international leadership team reflects the company's commitment to nurturing a forward-thinking and inclusive atmosphere where everyone has a voice. itel's new look and services can be seen on its new website at itelinternational.com, and social media platforms. SOURCE itel Related Links https://itelinternational.com OMAHA, Neb., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jet Linx, the only locally-focused, global private aviation company providing aircraft management, joint ownership and Jet Card membership services through its 20 locations nationwide, has broken ground on a new, state-of-the-art private terminal at Eppley Aireld in Omaha, Nebraska. The existing Jet Linx Omaha facility debuted in 2004 as the Company's first local private terminal to serve its clients. The new private terminal represents a new era for the Company as it further evolves and expands its unique local service offering. The announcement was made by Jamie Walker, President & CEO of Jet Linx. "It is an incredible milestone to be breaking ground and constructing a brand-new private terminal location, just steps from where we chose to launch our first local private terminal 17 years ago," said Mr. Walker. "We have been hyper-focused on delivering a best-in-class service experience for our clients since our inception in 1999, and the scale of our team's achievements are both extraordinary and inspiring as we now serve 20 cities nationwide. It is with great pride that we celebrate the next era of the Jet Linx brand and introduce our new flagship facility, coupled with our Forbes Five-Star service standards, which represent an industry-leading service standard for private aviation. We look forward to continuing to deliver the highest level of customer service possible and further elevating the private travel experience for the Omaha-area community from this new private terminal facility." Jet Linx breaks ground on a new, state-of-the-art private terminal at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska. Tweet this Planned to debut in June 2022, the standalone facility will be constructed just west of the current Jet Linx facility on Amelia Earhart Drive. The new aero-complex, designed in partnership with engineering, architecture, environmental and construction company HDR, will span a sprawling 70,000 square feet and encompass a spacious 10,000 square-foot private terminal with numerous seating areas, a private meeting room, executive lounge and fully stocked kitchenette and bar, in addition to a 60,000 square-foot hangar. Together with Jet Linx's proprietary Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star service, Jet Linx Omaha will continue to offer a singular and distinctive experience for Omaha-based aircraft owners, joint owners, and Jet Card members. Jet Linx hosted its official groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, June 15, for construction of the new private terminal facility, featuring local dignitaries, special guests, and remarks from Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, Willy Theisen of the Omaha Airport Authority Board, and Walker. The news of the new Jet Linx Omaha facility follows the Company's announcement that Jet Linx Miami, its 20th location and first in Florida, is expected to open in early Fall 2021. Jet Linx has continued to develop new markets and expand its network of private terminal locations throughout the past year, having recently welcomed Jet Linx Minneapolis as its 19th location and celebrating a new private terminal in San Antonio, a market they have served since 2011. Jet Linx plans to pursue additional enhancements to current private terminals in Scottsdale and Dallas this year, and open additional new private terminal locations by 2022. For more information, please visit www.jetlinx.com . About Jet Linx Aviation Jet Linx Aviation is a locally-focused private jet company founded in Omaha, NE in 1999 as a more personalized approach to national private jet companies. Jet Linx offers three different ways to experience private aviation a guaranteed jet card, joint ownership, and private jet management program providing its clients with an all-encompassing, local solution to all of their private jet travel needs. Jet Linx is an IS-BAO Stage 3, ARGUS Platinum and Wyvern Wingman safety rated operator, an accomplishment earned by less than one percent of all aircraft operators in the world. In 2019, Jet Linx became the only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star trained and accredited private aviation company in the world. In addition to establishing the independent global rating system's preeminent and unparalleled service standards for the in-flight experience, Jet Linx also collaborated with Forbes Travel Guide to develop their own customized, proprietary Jet Linx standards of service excellence. Jet Linx is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska and has Base locations in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Ft. Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Omaha, San Antonio, Scottsdale, St. Louis, Tulsa and Washington D.C. For additional information, please visit the Jet Linx website ( www.jetlinx.com ). SOURCE Jet Linx Related Links https://www.jetlinx.com JERUSALEM, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KAHR, a cancer immunotherapy company developing novel multifunctional immuno-recruitment proteins, today announced the first closing of an investment round raising $46.5 million. The financing was led by aMoon with participation from new investors BVF Partners LP, DAFNA Capital Management LLC, Peregrine Ventures, Shavit Capital and the Cancer Focus Fund. Existing investors also participated in this financing, including Flerie Invest AB, Oriella Limited (CBG, chaired by Vincent Tchenguiz), Pavilion Capital, Hadasit Bio Holdings Ltd (HBL) and Mirae Asset. Proceeds from the financing will be used to advance clinical development of the Company's lead product candidate, DSP107, a first-in-class CD47x41BB targeting fusion protein for the treatment of solid and blood cancers, through multiple Phase 1/2 studies as well as the development of its preclinical pipeline including DSP502, a TIGITxPD1 fusion protein, and DSP216, a LILRB2xSIRPa fusion protein, through IND-enabling studies. "The successful financing round of this respected syndicate of investors is a testament to our breakthrough technology platforms and promising next-generation multifunctional, immunotherapeutic pipeline," said Yaron Pereg, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of KAHR. "Cancer treatment is challenging in that cancer cells continuously change and develop resistance to existing treatments. Another notable hurdle is the ability of cancer cells to evade recognition and elimination by the body's own immune system. Our novel, multi-pronged product candidates are specifically designed to address these challenges by unmasking cancer cells for immune recognition, and at the same time, providing signals to effectively trigger a targeted synergistic activation of anticancer immunity." "Our unique approach positions us in the forefront of cancer immunotherapy, and through this financing we can continue to advance our clinical asset and accelerate our preclinical projects into clinical development across multiple cancer indications for the benefit of patients who are non-responsive or refractory to existing immunotherapies," added Dr. Pereg. Gur Roshwalb, MD, Partner, aMoon, said, "KAHR's multifunctional immunotherapeutic platform has enormous potential to address unmet needs in immuno-oncology. We are particularly excited about KAHR's differentiated first-in-class CD47x41BB targeting compound, which potentially harnesses both the innate and adaptive immune systems to target solid and hematologic tumors." KAHR develops smart immune-recruitment cancer drugs that activate a targeted immune response by converting cancer camouflage into beacons for the immune system to attack. The Company's lead product candidate, DSP107 is a first-in-class CD47x41BB targeting compound that simultaneously binds cancer cells and immune cells, linking them together for maximal activation of the immune system against the tumor. DSP107 is designed to weaken the tumor's defenses on one hand, and activate an effective, local response of both innate and adaptive immunity on the other hand. Specifically, DSP107 binds to and inhibits CD47, an immune checkpoint protein overexpressed in many cancer types that enables the tumor to evade immune recognition and attack. Simultaneously, DSP107 binds 41BB on T-cells, stimulating their activation. These activities lead to targeted immune activation through both macrophage and T-cell mediated tumor destruction. DSP107 is currently being tested in a Phase 1/2 multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation and expansion study assessing the safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of DSP107 as a monotherapy and in combination with Roche's PD-L1-blocking checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in patients with advanced solid tumors. In addition, KAHR expects to initiate an open label, dose escalation and expansion Phase 1/2 study to evaluate the safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of DSP107 as monotherapy and in combination with azacytidine or with azacytidine plus venetoclax in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and T-cell lymphoproliferative diseases in the coming months. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. and Solebury Capital acted as placement agents for the offering. About KAHR KAHR is developing the next generation of immuno-oncology drug candidates for the treatment of multiple types of cancer. The Company's lead product candidate, DSP107, is a first-in-class CD47x41BB targeting compound that simultaneously targets cancer cells, weakens their innate defenses and activates an effective, local response of both innate and adaptive immunity. KAHR's technology platform is based on multi-functional immuno-recruitment proteins (MIRP) that utilize overexpression of checkpoint antigens on cancer cells to selectively target and bind to the tumor. MIRPs bridge cancer cells to immune cells to produce a targeted synergistic effect by combining immune checkpoint inhibition with localized immune cell activation, unmasking cancer cell camouflage to enable innate immune response, while recruiting the adaptive immune system to bind and selectively kill the cancer cells. For more information, please visit kahrbio.com/. Media Contact: Tsipi Haitovsky Global Media Liaison KAHR +972-52-598-9892 [email protected] Investor Contact: Alan Lada Solebury Trout 617-221-8006 [email protected] SOURCE KAHR Medical KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kutak Rock is pleased to welcome Bridget M. Findley and Greer S. Lang as of counsel to the firm's Kansas City office. The additions further strengthen the firm's public finance and litigation capabilities. "We are excited to welcome Bridget and Greer to the firm's Kansas City office," said Larry Fields, managing partner of Kutak Rock's Kansas City Regional Office. "Their breadth of knowledge, years of diverse legal experience and commitment to excellent client service will benefit not only our local clients in Kansas and Missouri, but our clients across the nation. I am confident our new colleagues will be a great fit." Bridget Findley joined the firm on May 10, 2021 as a member of the firm's public finance department. She has served as bond counsel for Kansas governmental entities and school districts and as economic development counsel representing various projects throughout the state of Kansas. She also has extensive experience in lease purchase agreements, real estate, and continuing disclosure matters. Ms. Findley earned a J.D. and B.A. from Creighton University. She is admitted to practice in Kansas, Missouri and Ohio. Greer Lang joined the firm on June 7, 2021 as a member of the firm's national litigation practice group. Ms. Lang has nearly 30 years of experience representing clients in litigated and non-litigated complex commercial and business-related disputes in state and federal court, both at the trial and appellate level. Her work includes breach of contract matters, shareholder and partnership disputes, employment matters and disputes involving covenants not to compete and other restrictive covenants, loan enforcement actions and lender liability issues, real estate disputes, construction matters, insurance disputes, regulatory matters, trusts, business torts and professional liability matters. She is a frequent speaker and author on issues regarding the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B and ADA website litigation. Ms. Lang earned a J.D. and B. Ed. From Washburn University. She is admitted to practice in Kansas and Missouri. About Kutak Rock LLP With 500+ attorneys in 18 U.S. locations, Kutak Rock represents clients in business and corporate, public finance, litigation, and real estate law. For more information, see www.KutakRock.com. SOURCE Kutak Rock LLP Related Links http://www.KutakRock.com WASHINGTON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Latino Jewish Congressional Caucus was relaunched at an American Jewish Committee (AJC) Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs event on Capitol Hill. "The bipartisan caucus is still going strong," said Dina Siegel Vann, Director of AJC's Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs. "We look forward to working closely with the co-chairs and other caucus members to strengthen Latino-Jewish bonds of friendship, particularly at a time when antisemitism and other forms of hate are on the rise in the U.S. and around the world." Co-chaired by Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), and Jaime Herrera Buetler (R-WA), the caucus convened a bipartisan group of members of Congress to meet with Sergio Massa, Speaker of the House of Argentina's Chamber of Deputies. The conversation focused on U.S.-Argentina relations, Argentina-Israel relations, antisemitism in the country since Argentina adopted last year the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, and terrorism in the country following Argentina's designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 2019. "As my colleagues and I relaunch the Latino Jewish Caucus in the 117th Congress, we are working with our Latin American partners to confront and condemn the growing threat of antisemitism in our hemisphere. Together, we must stand firm against bigotry and hatred in all its forms, said Rep. Diaz-Balart. "I am excited to return as a co-chair of the Congressional Latino-Jewish Caucus and join with the AJC, my fellow co-chairs, and our caucus members to work on areas of mutual interest," said Rep. Espaillat. "Jewish and Latino communities have lived side by side for generations, from Buenos Aires, Argentina all the way to Washington Heights and across my district. In New York, our communities have often joined together to improve the neighborhoods in which we live, and it is this spirit of collaboration that makes me hopeful for growing coalitions on issues that affect each of us, from immigration to civil rights to education. Our communities have much in common, and we must continue to build bridges and uplift our shared voices." "I am thrilled to relaunch the Latino Jewish Caucus in the 117th Congress. This Caucus is a vital forum for promoting the shared values between our two communities and combatting hate and antisemitism whenever or wherever it rears its ugly head," said Rep. Wasserman-Schultz. "I look forward to our continued work this Congress and commend our partner AJC for their longstanding commitment to building bridges between the Latino and Jewish communities at home and across the globe." "I'm honored to help re-launch the Latino Jewish Caucus in Congress where we focus on supporting Jewish and Latino communities in America and around the world," said Rep. Beutler. "With recent attacks on the nation of Israel and a rise in antisemitism rhetoric, we must work to support our greatest ally in the Middle East, as well as condemn all forms of bigotry. I look forward to working with my caucus co-chairs on these common goals, as well as helping promote policies that uplift and benefit these communities and our nation." Founded in 2011, the bipartisan Latino Jewish Congressional Caucus promotes cooperative engagement between Latinos and Jews in the U.S. Congress on domestic and foreign policy issues. The Caucus has weighed in on immigration reform, the search for truth and justice in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Argentina, and global antisemitism. In the 117th Congress, the Caucus will continue its critical work fostering close collaboration between the U.S. Latino and Jewish communities, fighting the uptick in antisemitism and other forms of hate, and strengthening trilateral ties among the U.S., Latin America and Israel based on shared histories, values, and interests. SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org ST. LOUIS, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Perimeter Solutions ("Perimeter Solutions" or the "Company"), a leading global manufacturer of high-quality firefighting products and lubricant additives, today announced an agreement in which EverArc Holdings Ltd. ("EverArc") (LSE: EVRA), a publicly-listed acquisition company with fully committed capital, will acquire Perimeter Solutions from SK Invictus Holdings S.a.r.l., an affiliate of funds advised by SK Capital Partners, LP ("SK Capital") in a transaction valued at approximately $2 billion. Upon closing of the Transaction, it is intended that W. Nicholas Howley and William N. Thorndike, Jr., Founders and Co-Chairmen of EverArc, will serve as Co-Chairmen of the combined business. The Company's current management team, led by CEO Edward Goldberg, will continue to lead Perimeter Solutions. "This transaction is a great opportunity for Perimeter Solutions to partner with an experienced team with an extensive operating and investing track record," said Perimeter Solutions CEO Edward Goldberg. "EverArc's fully committed capital provides Perimeter Solutions access to resources to further enhance our integrated product and service offering and, most importantly, provide crucial protection to communities around the world and peace of mind to our customers as they increasingly rely on our services. We thank SK Capital for our successful and collaborative partnership and are excited to join forces with a unique partner like EverArc." "Perimeter Solutions' comprehensive, safe and effective wildfire prevention and suppression technology is more critical than ever as the severity of wildfires unfortunately shows a steady increase around the world," said EverArc Holdings Founder Haitham Khouri. "The Company's unwavering focus on consistent innovation, exceptional service and strong and durable relationships with key customers have all contributed to its unmatched success. As a public company, Perimeter Solutions will have even greater, long-term access to additional debt and equity capital. We look forward to partnering with Eddie and the rest of Perimeter's talented team in the Company's next phase of growth." "EverArc's goal is to give our shareholders private equity-like returns with the liquidity and long-term focus of a public market," said W. Nicholas Howley and William N. Thorndike, Jr., Founders and Co-Chairmen of EverArc. "To do so, we target specific economic criteria, including: recurring revenue streams; long-term secular growth tailwinds; high-value yet low-cost products and services; high returns on tangible capital; and accretive growth through acquisitions. We believe that Perimeter Solutions is an excellent fit with our target criteria and look forward to supporting the Company's growth objectives." "We have been delighted to partner with the management and employees of Perimeter Solutions over these past three years. Since our acquisition, we have successfully transitioned what was previously a non-core segment within a public company into a thriving standalone organization, with an uncompromising commitment to the highest quality, safety, and reliability standards. The Company has grown significantly during our ownership, driven by investments in innovation and commercial excellence, as well as five highly strategic add-on acquisitions," said Aaron Davenport, a Managing Director of SK Capital. "We believe Eddie and the Perimeter Solutions management team are well-positioned to carry this momentum forward and we wish them all the best under EverArc's ownership." Transaction financing is fully committed and, consistent with EverArc's structure, is not subject to shareholder approval. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. EverArc will now begin the process to transition its public listing from London to New York, where the combined entity is expected to begin trading in Q4 2021. The Valence Group of Piper Sandler and Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisors to EverArc and Greenberg Traurig LLP acted as English and US legal advisor and Maples and Calder acted as BVI and Luxembourg legal advisor to EverArc in relation to the Transaction. Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal advisor to SK Capital Partners. Morgan Stanley and UBS acted as placement agents in relation to the Private Placement. About EverArc Holdings Limited EverArc Holdings Limited (LSE: EVRA / EVWA) is a publicly-listed acquisition company that was formed in November 2019 to undertake an acquisition of a target company or business. About Perimeter Solutions Perimeter is a leading global manufacturer of high-quality firefighting products and lubricant additives. The Fire Safety business includes formulation and manufacturing of fire management products along with services and pre-treatment solutions for managing wildland, military, industrial and municipal fires. The Oil Additives business produces high quality phosphorous pentasulfide ("P2S5") utilized in the preparation of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate ("ZDDP") based lubricant additives, providing critical anti-wear solutions for end customers. Across both businesses, Perimeter Solutions provides world class technology, proprietary formulations, leading innovation, high levels of service and supply chain expertise. About SK Capital SK Capital is a private investment firm with a disciplined focus on the specialty materials, chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors. The firm seeks to build strong and growing businesses that create substantial long-term value. SK Capital aims to utilize its industry, operating and investment experience to identify opportunities to transform businesses into higher performing organizations with improved strategic positioning, growth and profitability as well as lower operating risk. SK Capital's portfolio of businesses generates revenues of approximately $11 billion annually, employs more than 16,000 people globally and operates 150 plants in 28 countries. Forward Looking Statements and Disclaimers This press release does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to purchase, otherwise acquire, issue, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities, nor any solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, issue, subscribe for, sell, or otherwise dispose of any securities. The release, publication or distribution of this press release in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions into which this announcement is released, published or distributed should inform themselves about and observe such restrictions. Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which are based on EverArc's expectations, intentions and projections regarding the Company's future performance, anticipated events or trends and other matters that are not historical facts, including: (i) expectations regarding the anticipated closing date of the Transaction; (ii) intentions regarding changing its jurisdiction of incorporation, filing a registration statement with the SEC and relisting on a U.S.-based exchange; (iii) expectations regarding the future operating and financial performance of the Company; (iv) expectations regarding the Company's growth prospects and the EverArc team's role in its growth and expansion plans; (v) intentions to capitalize on strategic opportunities to expand; (vi) expectations regarding the post-closing composition of the Board of Directors and management team of the Company; (vii) expectations regarding funding of the Transaction; and (viii) intentions to raise additional proceeds from an equity issuance prior to closing and expected use of such proceeds. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including: (i) economic and market conditions, competition, operating difficulties and other risks that may affect the Company's and/or EverArc's future performance; (ii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the definitive agreement entered into among the parties thereto in connection with the Transaction; (iii) the risk that securities markets will react negatively to the Transaction or other actions by EverArc, the Company and/or the combined company after completion of the Transaction; (iv) the risk that the Transaction disrupts current plans and operations as a result of the announcement and consummation of the Transaction described herein; (v) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Transaction and of the Company to take advantage of strategic opportunities; (vi) costs related to the Transaction; (vii) the limited liquidity and trading of EverArc's securities; (viii) the ability of EverArc to successfully effect a listing of Perimeter Solutions S.A.'s securities on a U.S.-based exchange in the anticipated timeframes; (ix) the Company's ability to drive growth and to sustain such growth; (x) EverArc's ability to raise additional proceeds on acceptable terms; (xi) changes in applicable laws or regulations (or the interpretation thereof); (xii) the possibility that EverArc and/or the Company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and (xiii) other risks and uncertainties. Given these risks and uncertainties, prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may, and often do, differ materially from actual results. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of such statements and, except as required by applicable law or regulation, neither EverArc nor the Company undertake any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Nothing in this announcement constitutes or should be construed as constituting a profit forecast. Media Contacts Perimeter Solutions Resource Advantage Barbara A. Mecchi-Knoll [email protected] EverArc Holdings [email protected] SOURCE Perimeter Solutions Abrams brings more than 30 years of public -and private-sector experience leading diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives for organizations such as the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Starbucks Coffee, Parsons and more. Immediately prior to joining Arcadis, he led the diversity practice at the Allen Group, an African-American woman-owned project management company. In this role, he helped develop and implement DE&I strategies for engineering, design and construction teams at organizations such as Bay Area Rapid Transit and San Francisco International Airport. "Our industry needs to evolve to address the challenges of the communities we serve," said Nana Berchie, Arcadis' global people director for diversity, inclusion and belonging and employee experience. "Leamon's expertise driving DE&I through organizations is a welcome addition to Arcadis' team, and it will be pivotal in helping us grow as a company that is inclusive and embraces all Arcadians, clients and industry partners equitably." Prior to hiring Abrams, Arcadis' DE&I efforts in North America were powered primarily through a regional committee and employee affinity groups that championed racial and social equity in public services, workforce development and environmental justice. Abrams will work closely with these groups to drive impactful change across the company and the industry. "In my interview exchanges with several Arcadians, I was inspired by a group of people committed to doing well by doing good," said Abrams. "I love connecting the engineering and design work we do to diverse stakeholders through community partnerships and advocacy." Based in San Francisco, Abrams will report to Berchie and work closely with the North American leadership team. Arcadis first began its national search for a regional diversity leader in mid-2020, in response to increased employee and community calls for change. ABOUT ARCADIS Arcadis is the leading global design & consultancy organization for natural and built assets. We maximize impact for our clients and the communities they serve by providing effective solutions through sustainable outcomes, focus and scale, and digitalization. We are over 27,000 people, active in more than 70 countries that generate 3.3 billion in revenues. We support UN-Habitat with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world. www.arcadis.com SOURCE Arcadis Related Links https://www.arcadis.com Industry leading LG Energy Solution to hold its inaugural forum on next-generation battery on June 22 nd Nobel Laureate Michael Stanley Whittingham to join in on battery-related discussion SEOUL, South Korea, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Energy Solution announced it is hosting an international battery forum on June 22nd, aimed at fostering discussions in the global battery industry to further exchange and discuss business opportunities as well as the status of technological advancements. The 'LG Energy Solution Innovation Forum 2021' is the first such event to be held by the newly-minted battery affiliate, amid the exponential surge in demand for sustainable energy. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, LG Energy Solution said the inaugural forum will be held via webinar, inviting scholars from the U.S., Europe and elsewhere around the world. The 'LG Energy Solution Innovation Forum 2021' will foster discussions on the next-generation batteries as well as the lithium-ion battery cells. The demand for the next-generation batteries have been on a steady rise over its key features of light weight and greater energy density. Lithium-ion batteries are widely being used as the power source for electric vehicles around the world. Forum participants include a number of acclaimed scholars in the electrochemical energy and battery sector like Michael Stanley Whittingham, a 2019 Nobel Laureate for "pioneering research" leading to the development of the lithium-ion battery. Panel of speakers also include Jeff Dahn of Dalhousie University, Linda Nazar of University of Waterloo, Y. Shirley Meng of University of California San Diego, Hee-Tak Kim of KAIST, Sang-Young Lee of Yonsei University, Martin Winter of University of Munster and Peter Bruce of Oxford University. "The inaugural LG Energy Solution Innovation Forum 2021 will introduce a comprehensive insights on the battery-related research front through the eyes of world-renown industry specialists," said Myung-Hwan Kim, Chief Production & Procurement Officer of LGES. "We hope findings presented by keynote speakers will greatly contribute to the development and the expansion of battery industry." LGES says it will hold second such forum next year with the hope of creating an engaging discussion on time-appropriate battery related topics. The open forum invites general public into the discussion on the newest trends, product developments and solutions. For more information on the 'LG Energy Solution Innovation Forum 2021,' visit www.lgesinnovationforum2021.com. About LG Energy Solution LG Energy Solution is a global leader delivering advanced lithium-ion batteries for Electric Vehicles (EV), Mobility & IT applications, and Energy Storage Systems (ESS). With 30 years of experience in advanced battery technology, it continues to grow rapidly towards the realization of sustainable life. With over 23,000 employees working within its robust global network that spans the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia, LG Energy Solution is more committed than ever to developing innovative technologies that will bring the future energy a step closer. For more information, please visit https://www.lgensol.com. Contact: Ashlee Semin Shin Global PR Team / LG Energy Solution [email protected] SOURCE LG Energy Solution Related Links https://www.lgensol.com/en/index BOYNTON BEACH, Fla., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Light E.N.T is excited to announce that Dr. Joshua Light, a nationally recognized medical, and surgical, expert in the treatment of Inner Ear conditions, is a principal investigator for the Phase 2 OTO-313 clinical trial for the treatment of Tinnitus. He has recently enrolled and treated the very first subject in the United States. Light E.N.T. Logo "The robust clinical trial department at Light E.N.T. gives our patients access to the newest innovations in the treatment of ear and sinus conditions." says Dr. Light. "Many of today's most widely used ear and sinus surgical devices and medications were first used at Light E.N.T. through clinical trials, but OTO-313 is the most important one yet. Millions of people suffer from ringing in their ears, or 'Tinnitus', and there has never been a medication which has been proven effective. Tinnitus can disrupt sleep, interfere with concentration at work, or even disrupt leisure activities. This often leads to severe anxiety and depression. The OTO-313 investigational drug offers a potential breakthrough, and we hope that it can finally bring relief to patients who are suffering from Tinnitus." says Dr. Light. The OTO-313 trial is evaluating the effectiveness of an investigational drug (a drug that has not been approved for use outside of clinical research studies) to help people ages 18 to 75 with early-onset tinnitus that affects one ear. Some participants in this tinnitus study will have access to this new drug. Tinnitus affects between 15-20% of people, and pioneering treatments can help improve the quality of life for millions. Being a part of a clinical study with such a wide impact is not only needed, but is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, too. Those who are interested in participating in the clinical study offered by Light E.N.T. can reach out to the clinic via their website, listed below. After a short questionnaire to determine if those interested pre-qualify, the clinic will perform a more thorough examination to determine final eligibility. Members of the press who would like the opportunity to speak to Dr. Light, the patients receiving treatment, or would like to observe treatment taking place are encouraged to reach out. Visit them online today. About Dr. Light Dr. Light is a double board certified physician in Otolaryngology. Dr. Light received his E.N.T. training at NYU Medical Center. His subspecialty focus includes the medical and surgical treatment of Ear Disease, for which he received fellowship training at the Ear Research Foundation. He is an expert Otologic Surgeon who specializes in Stapedectomy surgery for otosclerosis, Tympanic Membrane Reconstruction, and Cochlear Implantation. He is also an expert in the treatment of Meniere's Disease and Vertigo. He has numerous scientific publications which are frequently cited in his field. Dr. Light also specializes in the area of Sinus Surgery and Allergy treatment, and is a nationally recognized expert in minimally invasive office techniques for managing chronic sinusitis with balloon dilation, and drug delivery stents for sinus disease. About Light E.N.T. Light E.N.T. is an ear, nose, and throat clinic located in Palm Beach County, Florida. They offer medical and surgical care to patients with ear conditions, hearing loss, vertigo, nose, sinus and allergy symptoms. The specialists at Light E.N.T are dedicated to offering innovative and breakthrough treatments that improve their patients' health and well-being. To learn more about Light E.N.T. or their tinnitus trial, contact them via their website at https://www.lightent.com/tinnitus-clinical-trial/ . Contact Information: Amal Short [email protected] 561-737-8584 SOURCE Light E.N.T. SHENZHEN, China, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Longsys recently became the first storage enterprise from Chinese Mainland to be admitted to the Automotive Edge Computing Consortium (AECC), with the information being disclosed on the AECC's official website on June 7, 2021. Longsys will strive to promote the development of an open and distributed computing architecture for automotive interconnection through cooperation with mobile network operators as well as the smart automotive industry chain. Automotive interconnection has gained popularity in recent years, and the development of smart cars is now in full swing. Vehicle-mounted sensors and cameras allow smart cars to analyze complex road conditions, pedestrian dynamics, and other information in real-time. The massive and increasing amount of data seen in storage, transmission, calculation, and processing has given rise to immense costs and high latency. However, where there is challenge, there is also opportunity. The automobile industry is ushering in a new era. In 2017, Toyota, Intel, and other world-famous companies jointly established the AECC to create an ecosystem for automotive interconnection. This would better support emerging services such as smart driving, creation of online data maps, and assisted driving based on cloud computing. The AECC has joined hands with leaders in various industries to promote the development of edge network architecture and computing infrastructure. This collaboration also supports large-capacity data services with smarter and more efficient connected cars. Other AECC members include DENSO, Ericsson, Dell, Samsung, and other internationally renowned companies. Thanks to a full range of automotive electronic storage products and efficient services, Longsys was finally admitted into the AECC. Due to the long-term layout and expansion of the vehicle storage market, the automotive storage product lines cover the entire vehicle. Now, Longsys is cutting a figure in the vehicle storage market thanks to its automobile storage eMMC, UFS, industrial SSD, industrial DDR4 memory module, industrial memory card, in-vehicle data backup disks, and customized technical products. In addition, Longsys has won the recognition of industry customers along with the AECC. It is worth mentioning that Longsys has independently designed and developed software, a10nm ASIC high-performance storage test system, and over 30 core test algorithms. Of particular note is FORESEE automotive eMMC successfully passing the AEC-Q100 reliability testing standard in 2020. In order to support the development of automotive electronics business, Longsys has set up an innovation laboratory in Zhongshan Storage Industrial Park for the design and verification of regulation vehicles that can always remain open to customers and the AECC. In addition, Longsys has set up a storage innovation base in the Shanghai Lin-Gang Special Area, which facilitates the provision of technical support and services to automobile manufacturer clients in South China and East China. Longsys also has advantages in quality management and supply chain delivery. Longsys has established a comprehensive quality control system. Meanwhile, Longsys's supply chain delivery center has specially deployed a professional production supply chain that meets the requirements of automotive regulation and can sufficiently support both current and future business development. All of these initiatives guarantee that the demand from automobile clients remains stable and perpetual. Joining the AECC is only the beginning for Longsys. Longsys will embrace engaging in in-depth cooperation with various AECC members. Specifically, Longsys will meet data storage needs related to the Internet of Vehicles through edge computing in order to better integrate into the automotive interconnection industry chain. SOURCE Shenzhen Longsys Electronics Co. Ltd DUBLIN, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (OTCMKTS: MNKKQ), a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved StrataGraft (allogeneic cultured keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts in murine collagen dsat) for the treatment of adults with thermal burns containing intact dermal elements for which surgical intervention is clinically indicated (deep partial-thickness burns). Please see Important Safety Information for StrataGraft below. Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8801751-mallinckrodt-stratagraft This project was funded in part with $86 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under contract HHSO100201500027 for Stratatech Corporation, a Mallinckrodt company, to develop StrataGraft. The FDA approval is supported by data from the pivotal Phase 3 STRATA2016 clinical trial of a single application of StrataGraft in patients with acute thermal burns containing intact dermal elements (deep partial-thickness burns) involving 3%-37% total body surface area, which was conducted at U.S. burn centers. Results, which were recently published in Burns, showed a significantly smaller area of burn wounds treated with StrataGraft required autografting by 3 months compared to the area of burn wounds treated exclusively with autograft (p<0.0001). "While autografting is effective in providing closure of the original wound in patients with deep partial-thickness burns, it can lead to donor site complications, including pain, itching, increased risk of infection and scarring," said Tracee Short, M.D., burn surgeon and burn unit medical director at the Regional Burn Center at Baton Rouge General. "The approval of StrataGraft represents an important advancement in the treatment of patients with deep partial-thickness burns. Burn surgeons will now have a new biologic treatment to eliminate or reduce the need for autografting." Each year, approximately 40,000 patients in the United States require hospitalization for the treatment of severe burns.1 Autograft is the current standard of care for deep partial-thickness burns complex skin injuries in which the damage extends through the entire epidermis (outermost layer of skin) and into the lower part of the dermis (innermost layer of skin). Autograft involves the surgical harvesting of healthy skin from an uninjured site on the patient and transplanting the skin graft to the injury, creating a donor site wound and leaving the patient with more wounded areas requiring care. "Today's FDA approval of StrataGraft marks a significant milestone for the burn care community and underscores our unwavering commitment and ability to bring paradigm-changing treatment options to patients with severe and critical conditions," said Steven Romano, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Mallinckrodt. "We are deeply appreciative of the patients who participated in the StrataGraft clinical trials, the physicians and study investigators involved in the clinical development program, and our employees, who have worked tirelessly over the last 20 years to help us bring StrataGraft to burn surgeons and the patients they treat." In the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial, 96% (68 of 71) of the StrataGraft-treated burn sites across all participants did not require autografting. The difference in the percent area of StrataGraft and control autograft treatment sites that required autografting by 3 months was 98% (p<0.0001). The proportion of patients achieving durable closure of the StrataGraft treatment site at 3 months without autograft placement was 83% (95% CI: 74, 92). The proportion of patients achieving durable closure of the autograft control treatment site at 3 months without additional autograft placement was 86% (95% CI: 78, 94). "Multiple health security threats can result in severe burn wounds, and, to save lives in a public health emergency, healthcare providers need products that are effective and easy to use," said BARDA Director Gary Disbrow, Ph.D. "Having new products available on the commercial market to improve routine care for burn patients gives healthcare providers a level of familiarity and comfort in using the products. This improves our healthcare response during a national emergency and reduces the long-term cost of national preparedness." Clinical trials demonstrated that the safety profile of StrataGraft with regard to wound-related events, including erythema, swelling, local warmth and wound site infections, was comparable to that of autografting in clinical studies. The most common (>2%) adverse reactions were pruritus (itching), blisters, hypertrophic scar and impaired healing. There were no reports of rejection to StrataGraft in the clinical studies, and no patients discontinued study participation due to adverse reactions. About StrataGraft StrataGraft is a viable, bioengineered, allogeneic, cellularized scaffold product derived from keratinocytes grown on gelled collagen containing dermal fibroblasts. StrataGraft is designed to deliver viable cells to support the body's own ability to heal. StrataGraft contains metabolically active cells that produce and secrete a variety of growth factors and cytokines. Growth factors and cytokines are known to be involved in wound repair and regeneration. The product is designed with both dermal and epidermal layers composed of well-characterized human cells. StrataGraft is intended to be applied in appropriate aseptic conditions, such as the operating room, and can be sutured, stapled or secured with a tissue adhesive. The FDA granted StrataGraft orphan drug designation, and it was among the first products designated by the Agency as a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) under the provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act. At the time of approval, the FDA awarded Stratatech Corporation, a Mallinckrodt company, a Priority Review Voucher (PRV). Mallinckrodt is currently conducting a StrataGraft continued access clinical trial (StrataCAT, NCT04123548) under an Expanded Access Program (EAP). The trial sites involved in the pivotal Phase 3 trial (STRATA2016, NCT03005106) have the opportunity to participate in this multicenter, open-label study. The company is planning to evaluate StrataGraft for the treatment of adults with full-thickness burns (also referred to as third-degree burns). Additionally, Mallinckrodt plans to conduct a study evaluating StrataGraft in the treatment of pediatric populations. The safety and effectiveness of StrataGraft in pediatric patients (<18 years) have not been established. BARDA expressed interest in StrataGraft as a medical countermeasure in response to large-scale burn incidents, and provided funding and technical support for the continued development of StrataGraft. These efforts are part of BARDA's strategy to build emergency preparedness in response to mass casualty events involving trauma and thermal burns by developing novel medical countermeasures for adult and at-risk populations. In the case of a mass casualty thermal burn event, the Government Accountability Office estimates that more than 10,000 patients might require thermal burn care.2 The limited number of specialized burn centers and related medical infrastructure in the United States creates a public health need for therapies that could be deployed quickly for use in these and other care sites. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION INDICATION StrataGraft is an allogeneic cellularized scaffold product indicated for the treatment of adults with thermal burns containing intact dermal elements for which surgical intervention is clinically indicated (deep partial-thickness burns). IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Contraindications Do not use in patients with known allergies to murine collagen or products containing ingredients of bovine or porcine origin. Warnings and Precautions StrataGraft contains glycerin. Avoid glycerin in patients with known sensitivity (irritant reaction) to glycerin. Severe hypersensitivity reactions may occur. Monitor for both early and late symptoms and signs of hypersensitivity reaction following StrataGraft application, and treat according to standard medical practice. StrataGraft contains cells from human donors and may transmit infectious diseases or infectious agents, eg, viruses, bacteria, or other pathogens, including the agent that causes transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE, also known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease [CJD or variant CJD]). StrataGraft is a xenotransplantation product because of an historic exposure of the keratinocyte cells to well-characterized murine cells. The cell banks have been tested and found to be free of detectable adventitious agents, and mouse cells are not used in the manufacture of StrataGraft; however, these measures do not entirely eliminate the risk of transmitting infectious diseases and disease agents. Transmission of infectious diseases or agents by StrataGraft has not been reported. StrataGraft is a xenotransplantation product because of an historic exposure of the keratinocyte cells to well-characterized murine cells. The cell banks have been tested and found to be free of detectable adventitious agents, and mouse cells are not used in the manufacture of StrataGraft; however, these measures do not entirely eliminate the risk of transmitting infectious diseases and disease agents. Transmission of infectious diseases or agents by StrataGraft has not been reported. Because StrataGraft is a xenotransplantation product, StrataGraft recipients should not donate whole blood, blood components, plasma, leukocytes, tissues, breast milk, ova, sperm, or other body parts for use in humans. Adverse Reactions The most common adverse reactions (incidence 2%) were itching (pruritus), blisters, hypertrophic scar, and impaired healing. Other adverse events reported are included in the full Prescribing Information. Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of StrataGraft in pediatric patients (<18 years) have not been established. Please see full Prescribing Information. About Mallinckrodt Mallinckrodt is a global business consisting of multiple wholly owned subsidiaries that develop, manufacture, market and distribute specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. The company's Specialty Brands reportable segment's areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics and gastrointestinal products. Its Specialty Generics reportable segment includes specialty generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com. Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website. Cautionary Statements Related to Forward-Looking Statements This release includes forward-looking statements concerning StrataGraft, including anticipated launch timing, its potential impact on patients and anticipated benefits associated with its use, and future clinical trial plans. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: satisfaction of regulatory and other requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; changes in laws and regulations; issues with product quality, manufacturing or supply, or patient safety issues; and other risks identified and described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Mallinckrodt's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, all of which are available on its website. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law. CONTACTS For Trade Media Inquiries Ben Rickles Real Chemistry 404-502-6766 [email protected] For Financial/Dailies Media Inquiries Ron Bartlett H+K Strategies Senior Vice President 813-545-2399 [email protected] Investor Relations Daniel J. Speciale VP, Restructuring and Investor Relations [email protected] Government Affairs Mark Tyndall Senior Vice President, US General Counsel & Government Affairs [email protected] Mallinckrodt, the "M" brand mark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners. 2021 Mallinckrodt. US-2001740 06/21 ________________________ 1 American Burn Association. Burn Incidence Fact Sheet. http://ameriburn.org/who-we-are/media/burn-incidence-fact-sheet/. Accessed May 15, 2020. 2 United States Government Accountability Office. National Preparedness: Countermeasures for Thermal Burns. https://www.gao.gov/assets/590/588738.pdf. Accessed February 12, 2020. SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc Related Links http://www.mallinckrodt.com Located in one of the area's most sought after new neighborhoods, Centra's proximity to mass transit and commuter freeways, as well as its high WalkScore make it desirable with easy access to a growing education and employer base, including IBM, Dignity Health, ASU, Deloitte, and Pinnacle West. Mark Gleiberman, Founder & CEO of MG Properties said, "We are excited about continuing the blueprint that was laid out at Centra and look forward to continuing success within the Arizona market. The demand for luxury residential housing has left a lot of opportunity in Midtown." Further expanding its Arizona portfolio, Centra will mark MG Properties Group's eleventh property in the region, including The Retreat Apartments and Andante Apartments in 2021. MG Properties Group has purchased 13 communities in the past year totaling over 3,750 units and $926 million in combined value. The company is targeting further acquisitions in Washington, Texas, Oregon, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Nevada. The seller was represented by Steven Nicoluzakis and David Fogler of Cushman & Wakefield. The podium-style property was financed with a loan by Key Bank in the amount of $43.1 million arranged by Brooks Benjamin. To learn more visit: www.RentCentraApts.com About MG Properties Group: MG Properties Group (MGPG) is a privately owned real estate owner and operator specializing in multi-family assets. Since 1992, MGPG has acquired over 157 communities with its private investors and institutional joint venture partners totaling over 35,800 units, representing more than $8.0 billion in total asset value, including 28,800 units since 2010. The company's current portfolio includes more than 21,000 units valued at $5.6 billion in California, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon. MGPG employs industry experts leading teams in acquisitions and underwriting as well as asset, property, construction, and investment management. For additional information, visit www.mgproperties.com. SOURCE MG Properties Group Related Links https://mgproperties.com MHIRJ adds approximately 100,000 total sqft of space to its existing hangars Ceremony will include the unveiling of a mockup The new expansion should conclude construction and be operational in roughly 18 months BRIDGEPORT, W.Va., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - MHI RJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ) celebrated the expansion of its MRO hangars today at its Bridgeport location in West Virginia, through a groundbreaking ceremony for the new space. MHIRJ invested $20M, signing a contract on May 27 of this year, to add 100,000 square feet of space to its hangars. Construction is expected to be finalized and the expansion operational in roughly eighteen months. Many dignitaries such as Governor Jim Justice, Senator Michael Romano, representatives of Senator Manchin, Senator Capito and Representative McKinley, David Hinckle, Harrison County Commissioner, and Sean Hill, Director, West Virginia Aeronautics Commission, Department of Transport attended the event. MHIRJ Executives and several hundred shop floor employees were also present at the ceremony. The groundbreaking ceremony also included the unveiling of the site expansion mockup. "This is a significant milestone for MHIRJ as it reinforces the growth of our business. As the largest MRO serving the CRJ Series platform, we aim at creating continued value for our customers by exploring opportunities that will allow us to elevate our service offering, diversify our capabilities and expand our infrastructure," said Ismail Mokabel, Senior Vice President, Head of Aftermarket. "Today's launch of MHIRJ's site expansion at North Central Regional Airport is truly exciting and again proves that West Virginia is the best place to grow a business," Governor Jim Justice said. "When a company is able to keep growing as MHIRJ has done over the past couple years adding hundreds of new jobs, expanding its operations, and building out its facilities it's the sign of great company leadership and puts a spotlight on the profitable business environment we have built in West Virginia. The economic ripple effects of this continued growth are going to bring all kinds of goodness to north central West Virginia, and I could not be prouder that MHIRJ continues to deepen its roots in our great state." "Mitsubishi's expansion at the North Central Regional Airport Aerotech Business Park is another round of fantastic news for the North Central Regional Airport and our entire state," said Senator Manchin. "Work to expand Mitsubishi's hangars will begin soon and will create more than 300 new jobs in the process. I applaud everyone who has worked hard to ensure this process was completed quickly. I am excited for Mitsubishi's investment in the new Aerotech Business Park and the growth it will bring for our regional economy and workforce." "Today's announcement of further investment by Mitsubishi in West Virginia means more jobs and more growth for our state," Senator Capito said. "The local leadership of the Benedum Airport Authority, particularly Airport Director Rick Rock, Commissioner David Hinkle, and Mayor Andy Lang, has been steadfast in their dedication to growing the aerospace economy in north central West Virginia, and I appreciate their efforts in helping make this happen. Today marks another milestone in this strong partnership that will continue to drive economic growth and commercial investments for years to come." "Having MHIRJ with us at the airport is something we are immensely proud of. This expansion is significant for the region; it means more jobs, a wave of opportunity for development for CKB and MHIRJ that both will be able to ride on. We look forward to maintaining and evolving this partnership for many years to come," said Rick Rock, Director of the North Central West Virginia Airport. At the moment, MHIRJ's combined Service Centers can offer maintenance to up to thirty aircraft simultaneously, making MHIRJ's Regional MRO infrastructure the biggest in the world. This expansion comes in concert with other initiatives on MHIRJ's side, such expanding Component Repair Capabilities, diversifying MRO activities to other aircraft types and launching a consulting service (MHIRJ Aero Advisory Services) and projects to expand MRO activities once again to other aircraft types after 2023. About MHI RJ Aviation Group MHI RJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ) provides comprehensive critical operational, engineering and customer support solutions including maintenance, refurbishment, technical publications, marketing and sales activities for the global regional aircraft industry. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, and bolstered by an Aerospace Engineering Centre, MHIRJ's network of service centres, support offices and parts depots are positioned in important aviation hubs in the U.S., Canada and Germany. MHI RJ Aviation Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. For more information about MHI RJ Aviation Group, please visit: www.mhirj.com About MHI Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), headquartered in Tokyo, is one of the world's leading industrial firms with 80,000 group employees and annual consolidated revenues of around US$38 billion. For more than 130 years, the company has channeled big thinking into innovative and integrated solutions that move the world forward. MHI owns a unique business portfolio covering land, sea, sky and even space. MHI delivers innovative and integrated solutions across a wide range of industries from commercial aviation and transportation to power plants and gas turbines, and from machinery and infrastructure to integrated defense and space systems. For more information, please visit MHI's website: www.mhi.com/index.html *CRJ, CRJ Series and MHIRJ are trademarks of MHI RJ Aviation ULC or its affiliates. SOURCE MHI RJ Aviation Group LIMA, Peru, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Minsur S.A. announced today the extension of the Expiration Date and Settlement Date (each, as defined below) of its offer to purchase for cash its outstanding 6.250% Senior Notes due 2024 (the "Notes") for an aggregate purchase price of up to US$300 million, in accordance with Minsur's Offer to Purchase dated May 19, 2021 (the "Offer to Purchase") pursuant to which the tender offer is being made. The tender offer will expire at 8:00 a.m., New York City time (7:00 a.m., Lima time), on July 1, 2021, unless further extended, or earlier expired or terminated by Minsur (such time and date, as the same may be further extended, or earlier expired or terminated by Minsur in its sole discretion, the "Expiration Date"). As of 4:15 p.m., New York City time, on June 16, 2021, US$262,357,000 aggregate principal amount, or approximately 58.30%, of the Notes had been validly tendered and not withdrawn. Tendered Notes may not be withdrawn, except as provided for in the Offer to Purchase or required by applicable law. Minsur is not extending the Withdrawal Deadline (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) or otherwise reinstating withdrawal rights of Holders. Holders who did not validly tender their Notes on or prior to the Early Tender Deadline (as defined in the Offer to Purchase), and validly tender their Notes at or prior to the Expiration Date will be eligible to receive the tender consideration of US$1,035 per US$1,000 principal amount of tendered Notes. Accrued and unpaid interest will be paid on all Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase from the last interest payment date up to, but not including, the settlement date, which is now expected to be on July 5, 2021 (the "Settlement Date"). Minsur's obligation to accept for purchase and to pay for the tendered Notes is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, which are more fully described in the Offer to Purchase, including Minsur having obtained sufficient gross proceeds from a debt financing. Subject to applicable law, Minsur may amend, extend or terminate the tender offer in its sole discretion. The tender offer is being made solely pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase which sets forth a more detailed description of the tender offer. Holders of the Notes are urged to carefully read the Offer to Purchase before making any decision with respect to the tender offer. Minsur will purchase all Notes that have been validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the Expiration Date, for an aggregate purchase price, including accrued interest, up to US$300 million (the principal amount of Notes that does not cause such amount to be exceeded, subject to increase, decrease or elimination, the "Aggregate Maximum Tender Cap"), and all conditions to the tender offer having been satisfied or waived by Minsur, promptly following the Expiration Date, on the Settlement Date. If purchasing all of the validly tendered and not validly withdrawn Notes on the Settlement Date would cause the Aggregate Maximum Tender Cap to be exceeded on the Settlement Date, Minsur will accept for purchase the Notes on a pro rata basis, so as to not exceed the Aggregate Maximum Tender Cap (with adjustments to avoid the purchase of Notes in a principal amount other than in integral multiples of US$1,000). Tenders of Notes submitted after the Expiration Date will not be valid. Minsur has retained BofA Securities, Inc. and Santander Investment Securities Inc. as Dealer Managers for the tender offer. D.F. King & Co., Inc. is the Tender and Information Agent for the tender offer. For additional information regarding the terms of the tender offer, please contact BofA Securities, Inc. collect at +1 (646) 855-8988 or toll free at +1 (888) 292-0070, or Santander Investment Securities Inc. collect at +1 (212) 940-1442 or toll free +1 (855) 404-3636. Requests for copies of the Offer to Purchase and questions regarding the tendering of Notes may be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc. at +1 (212) 269-5550 (banks and brokers), at +1 (800) 714-3305 (all others, toll free) or at [email protected]. This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase securities or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities nor does it constitute an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. None of Minsur, the Tender and Information Agent, the Dealer Managers or the Trustee for the Notes (nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees or affiliates) make any recommendation as to whether holders should tender their Notes pursuant to the tender offer, and no one has been authorized by any of them to make such a recommendation. Holders must make their own decisions as to whether to tender their Notes, and, if so, the principal amount of Notes to tender. Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements represent Minsur's expectations or beliefs concerning future events, and it is possible that the results described in this press release will not be achieved. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of Minsur's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by law, Minsur does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors. No assurance can be given that the transactions described in this press release will be consummated or as to the ultimate terms of any such transactions. Contacts: Minsur S.A., Jr. Bernini 149, 501-A San Borja Lima Peru +(511) 215-8330 SOURCE Minsur S.A. NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CUSIP Global Services (CGS) today announced the release of its CUSIP Issuance Trends Report for May 2021. The report, which tracks the issuance of new security identifiers as an early indicator of debt and capital markets activity over the next quarter, found a significant monthly increase in request volume for new municipal identifiers and a significant decline in request volume for new corporate identifiers. CUSIP identifier requests for the broad category of U.S. and Canadian corporate equity and debt declined 24.8% in May from last month. The monthly decrease was driven largely by U.S. corporate debt and equity identifier requests, which declined by 18.5% and 7.8%, respectively. On a year-over-year basis, corporate CUSIP requests were down 16.9%, reflecting a significant year-over-year decline in January of 2021. Monthly municipal volume increased in May. The aggregate total of all municipal securities including municipal bonds, long-term and short-term notes, and commercial paper rose 5.0% versus April totals. On an annualized basis, municipal CUSIP identifier request volumes were up 7.9% through May. Texas led state-level municipal request volume with a total of 180 new CUSIP requests in May, followed by California with 96 and New York and Oklahoma, which each had 90. "Though we're starting to see some volatility in corporate request volume as the prospect of a Fed taper looms, there is still a great deal of debt and capital markets activity taking place particularly in the municipal sector," said Gerard Faulkner, Director of Operations for CGS. "The next several months will be an important indicator of the continued liquidity of the markets in a possible rising rate environment." Requests for international equity and debt CUSIPs were mixed in May. International equity CUSIP requests were up 2.1% versus April. International debt CUSIPs decreased by 13.0% on a monthly basis. To view the full CUSIP Issuance Trends report for May, click here. Following is a breakdown of new CUSIP Identifier requests by asset class year-to-date through May 2021: Asset Class 2021 YTD 2020 YTD YOY Change International Equity 1,333 719 85.4% International Debt 2,350 1,372 71.3% U.S. Corporate Equity 6,115 4,356 40.4% Canada Corporate Debt & Equity 2,351 1,848 27.2% Private Placement Securities 1,482 1,235 20.0% Syndicated Loans 1,172 882 32.9% Municipal Bonds 5,474 4,680 17.0% Long-Term Municipal Notes 193 168 14.9% U.S. Corporate Debt 6,436 6,031 6.7% Short-Term Municipal Notes 322 370 -13.0% CDs > 1-year Maturity 1,721 4,000 -57.0% CDs < 1-year Maturity 594 2,971 -80.0% About CUSIP Global Services The financial services industry relies on CGS' unrivaled experience in uniquely identifying instruments and entities to support efficient global capital markets. Its extensive focus on standardization over the past 50 years has helped CGS earn its reputation as a trusted originator of quality identifiers and descriptive data, ensuring that essential front- and back-office functions run smoothly. Relied upon worldwide as the industry standard provider of reliable, timely reference data, CGS is also a founding member and co-operates the Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) Service Bureau, a global security and entity identifier database for over 34 million public and privately traded instruments, contributed by 91 national numbering agencies and 25 partner agencies representing 120 different countries. CGS is managed on behalf of the American Bankers Association (ABA) by S&P Global Market Intelligence, with a Board of Trustees that represents the voices of leading financial institutions. For more information, visit www.cusip.com. About The American Bankers Association The American Bankers Association represents banks of all sizes and charters and is the voice for the nation's $13 trillion banking industry and its 2 million employees. Learn more at www.aba.com . For More Information: Farhan Husain [email protected] 212-438-3271 SOURCE CUSIP Global Services Related Links http://www.cusip.com NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lindblad Expeditions has announced the long-awaited inaugural voyage of the world's most advanced polar expedition ship, National Geographic Endurance . The 126-guest state-of-the-art expedition vessel will make her maiden voyage on July 21, 2021 from Reykjavik, Iceland. The first new polar build in the line's history, the ship was named to honor legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton, and embodies every innovation and concept Lindblad has developed in over 50+ years of pioneering expedition travel. Originally set to launch in April 2020, National Geographic Endurance sat out the pandemic in Norwayand is now ready to discover the wilder side of Iceland and Greenland. The 19-day inaugural voyage, National Geographic Endurance Inaugural: Iceland & Greenland, will begin and end in Reykjavik. Guests will explore Iceland's stunning fjords and thundering waterfalls, tour puffin-studded cliffs and hike stunning landscapes. She will then venture along the ice's edge off the east coast of Greenland, an Arctic "savannah" for polar bears, walruses, and whales. If Greenland's border opens for visitors, she'll make landings and explore ashore. With the highest ice class of any purpose-built passenger vesseland her ability to go deeper, farther, longerNational Geographic Endurance will enable the adventurous guests on her inaugural voyage unprecedented access to spectacular, pristine Arctic regions that few have ever seen. Rates begin at $22,190 per person based on double occupancy in a category 1 cabin. Following her inaugural voyage, National Geographic Endurance will embark on two 13-day voyages, Iceland and Greenland: Wild Coasts and Icy Shores. Set for departures on August 7 and August 18, guests will discover Iceland's pristine fjords, the rich biodiversity of the remote Westfjords, soak in geothermal hot springs, and hike over cooled lava fields. She will then follow the edge of Greenland's seasonal sea ice in search of extraordinary wildlife, with a flexible agenda to make the best use of time. Rates begin at $13,350 based on double occupancy in a category 1 cabin. Guests on both itineraries will have the opportunity to hike to the erupting Fagradalsfjall Volcano in the region of Geldingadalur. Offered as an optional and complimentary excursion, the approximately three-hour adventure will culminate with a stunning view of Iceland's erupting volcano. Onboard, guests will revel in National Geographic Endurance's superb amenities; take in the ship-wide polar art exhibit, CHANGE, curated by artist Zaria Forman; relax after a jacuzzi dip or sleep under the stars in the top deck igloos; survey spectacular surroundings in the glass walled yoga studio or gym, and hang out on the expansive bridge with the navigation team. For reservations or additional information on Lindblad Expeditions voyages to some of the most beautiful and fascinating places on Earth, visit www.expeditions.com, call 1-800-EXPEDITION (1-800-397-3348) or contact your travel advisor. Find us on Facebook , Twitter, Instagram , YouTube and Pinterest . SOURCE Lindblad Expeditions SYDNEY, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Businesses across Australia are feeling the pinch following a full year of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by the leading credit insurance firm, Atradius. The Payment Practices Barometer survey of both large and small businesses looked at B2B customer payment behaviour over the past year. The results are dramatic. 5% of all credit sales were written off as uncollectable, more than doubling the 2% averge recorded prior to the pandemic. The same story applies to late payments, 54% of business invoices are overdue (compared to 21% in the pre-pandemic year). In addition to the economic stressors, these significant increases can partly be explained by a large rise in the number of credit sales. More than 4 in 10 of the businesses polled (42%) reported accepting credit requests far more frequently than they did before the pandemic. On average it took the construction industry one week longer than last year to settle overdue invoices. Construction businesses reported an overall DSO that is twice as long as last year (now averaging 49 days). 40% of industry respondents expect DSO levels to further increase this year. A significant percentage of businesses across all sectors pointed to liquidity as one of their greatest concern alongside the health of the global economy. As much as half of the Agri-Food industry believes the domestic economy will drive improvements in their sales and profits rather than export trade. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 3 in 5 of the businesses surveyed reported an increase in debt management administrative costs. However, many businesses said that the key to navigating the difficult economic climate was agility. For example, as many as 67% of respondents in the chemicals industry believe the businesses that were most successful in adapting to the pandemic challenges, will more often accept trade credit requests from their customers going forward. Mark Hoppe, Managing Director for Atradius Oceania, said: "As the customer credit risk environment becomes more challenging with more businesses selling on credit, the insolvency environment is likely to increase. A write off rate of 5% represents significant loss and businesses can put in place measures to protect themselves against the risk of such losses. "As businesses look to grow during this time of economic uncertainty, it's important they continue to employ strategic credit management measures such as credit insurance to minimise the risk of payment defaults. This will help protect businesses from the increased risk of customer bankruptcy, help them manage the additional volume of late payments more efficiently and will also facilitate company growth by helping businesses explore new opportunities including extending more credit to existing customers and new customers, and finding new markets to explore." About Atradius Atradius is a global provider of credit insurance, surety and collection services, with a strategic presence in over 50 countries. The credit insurance, bond and collection products offered by Atradius protect companies around the world against the default risks associated with selling goods and services on credit. Atradius is a member of Grupo Catalana Occidente (GCO.MC), one of the largest insurers in Spain and one of the largest credit insurers in the world. You can find more information online at https://group.atradius.com For further information: Atradius Australia Gabrielle Weiss Head of Marketing Phone.: 02 9201 5769 E-mail: [email protected] https://atradius.com.au Connect with Atradius on Social Media Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/712156/Atradius_Logo.jpg SOURCE Atradius N.V. "We are excited to debut yet another first-to-market cannabis product in Texas and to extend our Surterra Wellness line into the Massachusetts market with the launch of Dream +CBN. Our proprietary formulas are crafted to help qualifying patients improve their quality of sleep, which is a big contributor to overall health and well-being," said William "Beau" Wrigley, Jr., Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Parallel. "Dream +CBN exemplifies Parallel's emphasis on bringing patients a wide variety of innovative product formats and proprietary cannabinoid blends through our dedicated R&D team." In Texas, the Dream +CBN product line comes in a 15mg dose of CBN and THC per milliliter (ml), contains a proprietary Dream terpene profile, and is infused with the cannabinoid ratio of 2 CBN : 1 THC. "goodblend Texas is proud to be the first medical cannabis dispensary in Texas to offer a product with the rare cannabinoid CBN to qualifying patients across the Lone Star State through the Compassionate Use Program. Good quality sleep is essential to overall health and well-being, and we are excited to provide qualifying patients a high-quality alternative to sleep aids to help them feel rested and restored," said Marcus Ruark, President of goodblend Texas. Medical cannabis patients across Texas already registered in the program, and those interested in learning more about cannabis, can access board-certified prescribers, medical cannabis information, services, and products in the following ways: The goodblend Virtual Clinic is a service in which prospective patients can schedule consultations with a board-certified prescriber through a seamless experience. To get started, visit tx.goodblend.com/clinic. is a service in which prospective patients can schedule consultations with a board-certified prescriber through a seamless experience. To get started, visit tx.goodblend.com/clinic. goodblend.com offers a wide variety of products, easy online ordering, and free contactless home delivery, often in as little as three days. offers a wide variety of products, easy online ordering, and free contactless home delivery, often in as little as three days. goodblend's partner clinics in Plano , Houston , Fort Worth , and San Antonio provide registered patients a convenient way to pick up goodblend cannabis products at locations in major metropolitan areas. The launch of the first CBN product in Texas follows the recent news that Parallel invested $25M in a new state-of-the-art cannabis cultivation, production, and retail facility in San Marcos, Texas. This financial commitment expands Parallel's ability to meet the growing demand for medical cannabis products in Texas. The planned 63,000 square-foot facility is expected to create hundreds of new jobs in the San Marcos region over the coming years. The company also recently introduced its goodblend retail brand, which reflects Parallel's intent to lead the way to the future of cannabis by providing patients a trusted, consistent and seamless way to connect and learn, and to access innovative, high-quality cannabis products in a variety of formulations. The brand is about welcoming every type of customer and being an approachable source for customers' well-being. About CBN Cannabinol (CBN) was the first cannabinoid to be identified and isolated from the cannabis plant in 1899 long before the discovery of THC or CBD. One of more than 100 cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, CBN has grown in popularity lately as more customers claim its benefits for sleep. CBN is often used for its potential relaxing qualities and sedative effects when combined with THC. Like all cannabinoids, its effect is generated from the interactions between our endocannabinoid system and its receptors. CBN binds to both endocannabinoid and GABA receptors in the body, neurotransmitters that are crucial to the body's natural sleep cycle. When THC is combined with CBN and other cannabinoids, effects and benefits are amplified. About Surterra Wellness Dream + CBN Surterra Wellness is a line of products designed to help people start living their best lives. It began as a Florida-only cannabis brand and is now offered in a number of product formats in Texas and as the Dream +CBN product in Massachusetts. In Texas, pricing and additional details on Surterra Wellness Dream +CBN (2 CBN : 1 THC), (available to order starting June 22) can be found at tx.goodblend.com. In Massachusetts, the Surterra Wellness Dream +CBN 15 ml tincture oil blends a ratio of 1 CBN : 2 THC, and is sold exclusively through NETA retail stores to both medical and adult customers. Pricing and additional details can be found at netacare.org. About Parallel Parallel is one of the largest privately-held, vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis companies in the United States with a mission to pioneer well-being and improve the quality of life through cannabinoids. Parallel recently announced that it intends to become a public company through a definitive business combination agreement with Ceres Acquisition Corp. ("Ceres"), a special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC). Parallel has ongoing operations in four NEO: CERE.U, CERE.WT;OTCQX: CERAF medical and adult-use markets under the retail brands of Surterra Wellness in Florida; goodblend in Texas; New England Treatment Access (NETA) in Massachusetts, and The Apothecary Shoppe in Nevada. Parallel also has a license under its goodblend Pennsylvania brand for vertically integrated operations and up to six retail locations, in addition to a medical cannabis research partnership with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Subject to regulatory approval, Parallel will add Illinois as a sixth market when its recently announced acquisition of six Windy City Cannabis licenses is complete. Parallel has a diverse portfolio of high quality, proprietary and licensed consumer brands and products including Surterra Wellness, Coral Reefer, Float and Heights. Parallel operates approximately 50 locations nationwide, including 42 retail stores, and cultivation and manufacturing sites. Through its wholly-owned Parallel Biosciences subsidiary, it conducts advanced cannabis science and R&D for new product development in its facilities in Massachusetts, Florida, Texas and a facility in Budapest, Hungary through an exclusive license and partnership. Parallel follows rigorous operations and business practices to ensure the quality, safety, consistency, and efficacy of its products and is building its business by following strong values and putting the well-being of its customers and employees first. Find more information at www.liveparallel.com , or on Instagram and LinkedIn . For more information on goodblend Texas and its products, access tx.goodblend.com and www.facebook.com/goodblendtx . Texas CUP License #0006 Media Contact Taylor Foxman [email protected] Investor Contact [email protected] Forward Looking Statements Certain information in this communication contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and U.S. securities law (referred to herein as forward-looking statements). Except for statements of historical fact, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements, which include, but are not limited to, statements related to activities, events or developments that Parallel expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, statements related to Parallel's business strategy objectives and goals, and Parallel's management's assessment of future plans and operations which are based on current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs, which may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will", "could", "would", "anticipate", 'believe", expect ", "intend", "potential ", "estimate", "budget", "scheduled", "plans", "planned", "forecasts", "goals" and similar expressions or the negatives thereof. Such statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on Parallel's management's belief or interpretation of information currently available. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Forward-looking statements in this communication includes statements regarding the product launch, Parallel's business plans in Texas, the effects of Parallel's products on its customers and Parallel's business strategy. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of factors and assumptions made by management and considered reasonable at the time such information is provided, and forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. SOURCE Parallel Related Links http://www.liveparallel.com LONDON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Established private investigation company PDL has warned that scams are on the rise again throughout the UK and worldwide. So-called 'Boiler room scams' and 'Ponzi schemes' have always been a concern, but with the acceleration of technology available to scammers, and the COVID pandemic making scammers more desperate and more cynically resourceful to keep up, scams are now more prevalent than ever. Consequently, PDL is advising increased due diligence to its individual and corporate clients alike, and has unveiled an updated, comprehensive background checking service in the UK and worldwide. Peter Torley, owner and lead detective at PDL said, "Unfortunately, scams and scammers continue to thrive worldwide, as they adapt to use modern technologies, and a post-pandemic world to their ill-intentioned advantage. Thus we must adapt to combat their methods to protect our finances, businesses, and livelihoods" He continued, "We advise everyone to conduct due diligence into any personal or business arrangement an artful scammer might attempt to exploit. Furthermore, we offer a background checking service that aims to equip our valued clients with peace of mind, and the intelligence needed to make key decisions." He added, "We have repeatedly been approached by clients who have lost hundreds of thousands to millions of pounds on deals and supposed opportunities that an initial background check would have advised against. As such we have experienced first hand that the importance of background checks must not be understated." About PDL PDL is a well-established private investigation company offering a comprehensive range of services to clients across the UK and worldwide, from bases in London, Manchester, and Edinburgh. Contact: Peter Torley, PDL, +44(0)203 747 1865 SOURCE PDL BRONX, N.Y., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Albert Einstein Cancer Center (AECC), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Montefiore Health System today announced that leading cancer biologist Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, Ph.D., has been named founding director of the Cancer Dormancy and Tumor Microenvironment Institute (CDTMI), director of the Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, and co-leader of the AECC Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program. He will also be an endowed professor of cell biology at Einstein. He will assume his new roles on October 1, 2021. "We are honored to have a scientist of Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso's exceptional caliber joining us," said Edward Chu, M.D., M.M.S., director of AECC and vice-president of cancer medicine at Montefiore Medicine, which is composed of Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "His talents as a scientist make him the ideal candidate to lead this first-of-its-kind research institute focused on cancer dormancy and the tumor microenvironment. He is one of the true pioneers in the field. His seminal research has identified the key micro-environmental and signaling mechanisms involved in the biology of dormant cancer cells, which then provides the rational basis for developing novel therapeutic approaches." Untangling the Biology of Metastatic Cancer Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably, destroying body tissue. Cancer dormancy refers to a stage when cancer cells stop dividing but survive, frozen in the cell cycle and waiting for better micro-environmental conditions that may allow the cells to resume replicating. Whether dormant cancer cells remain viable after cancer therapy is crucially important: Clinical tests may indicate a tumor has been successfully treated, but residual dormant cancer cells may survive and go on to seed metastatic tumors or systemic recurrence in hematological malignancies. The tumor microenvironmentthe area immediately surrounding the cancer cellsplays a critical role in influencing their fate. It consists of common cell types in the body, including those that form blood vessels, immune cells, bone cells, nerve cells, and signaling molecules. The continuous interaction between tumors and their microenvironments helps determine whether cancer cells that have spread will remain dormant or instead become active and grow. The new institute will build upon the current strengths in tumor microenvironment research at Einstein, while expanding its purview to include cancer dormancy, which also closely aligns with the biology of aging, stem cells, epigenetics, and systems biology among other disciplines strongly represented at Einstein. The CDTMI will also focus on developing novel technologies to better detect dormant cancer and prevent and control recurrent disease. The goal of the institute is to bring together the strengths of new recruits and existing investigators to advance the field and develop novel diagnostic tools and therapies. "Dr. Chu is leading the effort to even greater heights in our cancer center," said Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D. the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and chief academic officer at Montefiore Medicine. "The recruitment of Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso, an international leader in cancer biology, is a key part of this transformation." Revealing Novel Cancer Processes Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso and colleagues helped lead a major shift in cancer biology by showing that cancer is not perpetually proliferating, as had been thought. They discovered that crosstalk between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment regulates the cells' ability to switch between dormancy and proliferation. His lab has also provided key insights into the early spread of breast cancer and how that process contributes to dormancy and to metastatic progression. His research has also explored how adaptive pathways within cancer cells enable the cells to survive while in a state of dormancy. Those insights led Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso to develop novel strategies for preventing cancer recurrences by targeting residual but undetectable cancer cells that have survived initial chemotherapy. To pursue those strategies, Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso has developed clinical trials supported by funding agencies and also founded a start-up company, HiberCell, that is conducting clinical trials and drug development. His work is revealing ways to maintain residual cancer-cell dormancy, kill dormant cancer cells, and use biomarkers to determine whether disseminated cancer cells are in a dormant or active state. Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso is a reviewer for top-tier journals and for federal, private, and international agencies. His work has been published in journals such as Nature, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Cancer, Science, and Cancer Cell. Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso is currently an Endowed Mount Sinai Professor of Cancer Biology in the departments of medicine, otolaryngology, and oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He co-leads the cancer mechanisms program at The Tisch Cancer Institute and directs head and neck cancer basic research in the department of otolaryngology. He is a member of Mount Sinai's Precision Immunology Institute and the Black Family Stem Cell Institute. He is also president of the Metastasis Research Society and has served at several leadership levels at American Association for Cancer Research. Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso received his Ph.D. from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1997 and completed his postdoctoral training as a Charles H. Revson Fellow at what is now the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2003. He became an assistant professor at the State University of New York-Albany the same year and, since 2008, has been at Mount Sinai, which he joined as an associate professor. About Albert Einstein Cancer Center The Albert Einstein Cancer Center (AECC) was one of the first academic cancer research centers to receive a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designation, which it has held continuously since 1972. For nearly 50 years, research scientists have made fundamental discoveries revealing why cancers form, grow, and spread. The center's clinical and translational investigators are developing novel approaches to cancer diagnostics and treatment and its population scientists are making major contributions to the understanding of the epidemiology of the main cancer types in the Bronx patient population as well the potential viral and other environmental causes of cancer and how to prevent it. The clinical investigators at AECC are conducting hundreds of clinical trials each year. Together, they provide access to the most advanced treatments for residents of the Bronx and Hudson Valley. Approximately 80% of its clinical trial participants are racial or ethnic minorities, and it is one of only 14 minority/underserved clinical sites designated by the NCI Community Research Program. AECC/Montefiore has been named a high-performing center in both adult and pediatric cancer by U.S. News & World Report, reflecting its commitment to delivering advanced patient-centered, multidisciplinary care. About Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2020-21 academic year, Einstein is home to 721 M.D. students, 178 Ph.D. students, 109 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2020, Einstein received more than $197 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit einsteinmed.org, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook , and view us on YouTube. About Montefiore Health System Montefiore Health System is one of New York's premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 11 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and close to 200 outpatient care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube. SOURCE Albert Einstein College of Medicine Related Links www.einstein.yu.edu PHOENIX, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RAADR, Inc. (OTC PINK: RDAR), the "internet anti-bullying company", announced changes today to its business and business strategy description. This announcement is not a change to our business plan. The new branding strategy will create a cohesive and focused description of exactly what RAADR, Inc. does and our general plan going forward. Since 2015, we have been focused on making childrens' lives safer and we remain one of the most focused companies on the OTC in reaching our goals. As we strive to reach our goals, it is imperative that our shareholders and interested parties easily understand what we do. We have not changed our business goals or business plan at all. Today, we have taken steps to make our goals and plans more intelligible for our shareholders. The new description which is being changed at OTC Markets and the description that that will appear on future press releases is as follows: "RAADR, Inc., publishes software and apps that protect children who use social media and the internet. Known as the "internet anti-bullying company", RAADR produces products that allow children, parents, and school districts to monitor bullying and other threatening behavior on the Internet in real time. Armed with many features including keyword tracking, real time alerts, facial recognition and site filtering, RAADR's apps determine in real time whether children or young adults are the victim of stalkers, bullies and other threatening behavior. Parents love the facial recognition feature because in seconds, the app allows parents to upload the child's image and parents can be armed with one of the most powerful tools available to receive alerts each time their child's image appears on a social media site. RAADR Parental 2.0, which is the parenting app that helps parents and adults protect children by using real time monitoring on social media will be released in July 2021. Bully RAADR which arms the kids with RAADR's powerful suite of products allows children to protect themselves and other kids from threatening and dangerous behavior on the internet and social media will be released by the end of summer 2021. RAADR Inc. is committed to making our world and social media a safer and better place for kids and young adults." Jacob DiMartino, Chief Executive Officer of RAADR Inc. said, "Our focus on our business goals has necessitated this re-branding which I believe creates a cohesive and succinct description of exactly what we do and why. RAADR Inc. is the "internet ant-bullying company" and we are focused on achieving our business goals over the next 12 months." About RAADR Inc. RAADR, Inc., publishes software and apps that protect children who use social media and the internet. Known as the "internet anti-bullying company", RAADR produces products that allow children, parents, and school districts to monitor bullying and other threatening behavior on the Internet in real time. Armed with many features including keyword tracking, real time alerts, facial recognition and site filtering, RAADR's apps determine in real time whether children or young adults are the victim of stalkers, bullies and other threatening behavior. Parents love the facial recognition feature because in seconds, the app allows parents to upload the child's image and parents can be armed with one of the most powerful tools available to receive alerts each time their child's image appears on a social media site. RAADR Parental 2.0, which is the parenting app that helps parents and adults protect children by using real time monitoring on social media will be released in July 2021. Bully RAADR which arms the kids with RAADR's powerful suite of products allows children to protect themselves and other kids from threatening and dangerous behavior on the internet and social media will be released by the end of summer 2021. RAADR Inc. is committed to making our world and social media a safer and better place for kids and young adults. SAFE HARBOR ACT Forward-Looking Statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. We are under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact Jacob DiMartino 602-501-3836 [email protected] SOURCE RAADR, Inc. Related Links https://raadr.com/ With nearly two decades of experience in digital, he has worked with some of the world's most recognizable brands including LEGO, Marvel, ESPN, Mailchimp, Google, Volvo, Fossil, Verizon, Michael Kors and Samsung. "What excited me about Valtech was their relentless focus on customer experience," explained David DeCheser, Senior Vice President, Executive Creative Director, North America for Valtech. "2020 turned the whole definition of customer experience on its head. Valtech is uniquely equipped to meet the needs of companies navigating this change, combining deep technical expertise with some of the world's top creative talent." Prior to joining Valtech, DeCheser served as R/GA's vice president, Group Executive Creative Director for a decade, leading some of the agency's most recognizable works. His work has garnered wide-ranging accolades from Cannes Lions, ADC, D&AD, CLIO, The One Show, including a Grand CLIO and Best of Show for the IxDA Awards. His work has also been featured in mainstream media including The New York Times, Fast Company, USA Today, Inc, Vox, The Verge, Mashable, Engadget, and InStyle. As a leader in the creative industry, DeCheser has been a juror for The One Show, and The Webby Awards. He's mentored startups with Techstars, and has spoken at events such as the Design Thinkers conference in Toronto. "We are thrilled for David to be joining Valtech's leadership team. Our clients, and our teams, will greatly benefit from his creative talents and depth of experience in product and service innovation," said Marc Blumberg, Executive Vice President, Valtech North America. About Valtech Valtech is a global digital agency focused on business transformation. Valtech's network of more than 3,700 makers, thinkers, marketers, creatives and developers spanning 5 continents with 51 offices in 18 countries are experts in experience design, technology and marketing with a passion for addressing transformational business challenges. Valtech helps clients such as L'Oreal, MAC Cosmetics, Toyota, easyJet and more to anticipate tomorrow's trends and connect more directly with their consumers across digital and physical touch points, whilst optimizing time-to-market and ROI. From discovery to optimization, clients trust Valtech to remove complexity and deliver innovative, frictionless solutions that close the experience gap between customer expectation and reality. For more information, please visit www.valtech.com. SOURCE Valtech "Chongqing is quickly becoming a powerhouse of both business and recreational activity," said Sonia Cheng, chief executive officer of Rosewood Hotel Group. "It's thrilling to have our latest project emerge in such an impactful city and to have the opportunity to play a real role in transformation of Chongqing's luxury hospitality landscape. It's the perfect place to continue our Asian expansion and we look forward to providing our affluential explorers with exceptional access to all it has to offer." Sitting in close proximity to the City Center and high-end shopping and dining outlets, as well as multiple transportation hubs including an impressive subway interchange station on site, Rosewood Chongqing will be housed in a new build, mixed-use development and serve as an ideal gateway to the destination's myriad business, leisure and cultural offerings. The hotel will occupy the most significant of the project's four towers, which spans 470 meters and 103 floors and is the tallest building in the city and the twelfth tallest building in the world. Together the towers will also feature deluxe offices, apartments, residences, retail shops and public green spaces to present not only an entirely new lifestyle experience, but a completely revitalized city skyline. Upon completion, the hotel will offer 183 refined accommodations, including 25 spacious suites. Apart from four dining outlets a bistro, a living room, a Chinese restaurant and a specialty bar, the hotel will also feature Sense, A Rosewood Spa with multiple treatment rooms, a fitness center and an indoor swimming pool to create a serene urban sanctuary in the bustling city center. Rosewood Chongqing will also offer 945 square meters of meeting and event space for gatherings, including a grand ballroom. Rosewood Chongqing marks the latest addition to the brand's most impressive pipeline to date and evidences Rosewood's strategic expansion in Asia: when it opens, it will be the brand's eighteenth property on the continent and the tenth in the Greater China area alone. This project follows the recent announcements of Rosewood Miyakojima and Rosewood Hangzhou and adds to the additional pipeline properties in key areas including Shanghai, Hoi An and Shenzhen. For more information on Rosewood Chongqing, please visit rosewoodhotels.com. About Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Rosewood Hotels & Resorts manages 27 one-of-a-kind luxury hotels, resorts and residences in 16 countries, with 25 new properties under development. Each Rosewood property embraces the brand's A Sense of Place philosophy to reflect the individual location's history, culture and sensibilities. The Rosewood collection includes some of the world's most legendary hotels and resorts, including The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel in New York, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and Hotel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel in Paris, as well as new classics such as Rosewood Hong Kong. For those who wish to stay a little longer, Rosewood Residences offer a distinct opportunity for ownership or rent in extraordinary destinations within the brand's wide-ranging portfolio. For more information: rosewoodhotels.com Connect with us: Facebook Twitter Instagram WeChat @RosewoodHotels About Sunac China Holdings Limited Sunac China Holdings Limited, a listed company on Hong Kong Stock Exchange, was established in 2003. With real estate as its core business, Sunac adopts to the "real estate +" strategy. Its business covers real estate development, property management, conferences and exhibitions, tourism services, theme parks, commercial operations, hotel operations, medical and health care, IP development and operation, and media content production. After years of steady development, Sunac has the comprehensive capability of urban development and industrial property operation. In 2020, Sunac rebranded its positioning from "a service provider for Chinese families" to a "co-builder of a better city", through engineering its industrial advantages, shaping a better community, and practicing corporate social responsibility. Sunac fully participates in the co-construction of China's cities, uses the promotes the coordinated development of industries and urban employment, improve happiness index of local families, creating a harmonious and better coexistence of the people, the industries and the cities. Media Contacts : North America Kendall Trainer Nike Communications Telephone: +1 646 654 3438 Email: [email protected] United Kingdom Amelia Strange Bacchus PR Telephone: +44 20 8968 0202 Email: [email protected] Mainland China Faye Liu Activation Group Telephone: + 86 21 2601 8752 Email: [email protected] Hong Kong SAR Rosetta Hon Why Not Asia Telephone: +852 9090 0360 Email: [email protected] Thailand and Southeast Asia Nopnarit Lieopanich (Zaadeu) Z Communications Telephone: +66 81 444 8444 Email: [email protected] Japan Mayumi Abe Snaith Colours PR Telephone: +81 80 3256 0766 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Related Links http://www.rosewoodhotels.com BOSTON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sappi North America, Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and pulp, today announced that it will sell its hydroelectric assets on the Presumpscot River in Maine to Dichotomy Power LLC, pending satisfactory completion of regulatory and other approvals. The move is designed to allow Sappi to focus on its core competencies and is consistent with Sappi's recent restructuring of the Westbrook site. "We are happy to have found a strategic buyer in Dichotomy Power, a company with a wealth of expertise in this area, so that Sappi can continue to focus on its core competencies," said Mike Haws, President and CEO, Sappi North America. "Today's announcement allows us to redeploy resources to further develop our growing businesses." "Dichotomy Power is pleased to have reached an agreement with Sappi North America, Inc. to acquire their Presumpscot River hydroelectric facilities," said Ian Clark, CEO of Dichotomy Power LLC. "We are proud to carry on a history of successful traditions that started in 1878 with mechanical waterpower. Dichotomy looks forward to investing in the facilities to increase renewable energy production while honoring the commitments made to the agencies, communities, regulators and stakeholders who helped craft the new licenses." The deal is expected to close by the end of calendar year subject to regulatory and other approvals. About Sappi North America, Inc. Sappi North America, Inc., headquartered in Boston, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of our three diversified businesses high-quality graphic papers, pulp, and packaging and speciality papers is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Our high-quality graphic papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset, and Flo, are the key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books, direct mail and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of dissolving pulp with our Verve brand, a sustainable fiber, which is used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods. We deliver sustainable packaging and specialty papers for luxury packaging and folding carton applications with our single-ply packaging brands, Spectro and Proto, and for the food and label industries with our specialty papers, LusterPrint and LusterCote. We are also one of the world's leading suppliers of casting and release papers with our Ultracast, PolyEx and Classics lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries. Customers rely on Sappi for high technical, operational and market expertise; products and services delivered with consistently high quality and reliability; and, state-of-the-art and cost-competitive assets and innovative spirit. Sappi North America, Inc. is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 12,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 150 countries. About Dichotomy Power LLC Dichotomy Power LLC is a New York-based renewable-energy company engaged in the business of acquiring, renovating as needed, and operating hydroelectric assets in the United States, principally in the Northeast. Founded in 2019, Dichotomy creates value for stakeholders by working alongside regulators and local communities to enhance the fundamental value embedded in each operated renewable energy facility while preserving the environmental and social contributions these assets carry. SOURCE Sappi North America, Inc. Related Links http://www.sappi.com BRATTLEBORO, Vt., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SIT Graduate Institute is proud to highlight three of its scholarships designed to help prospective master's students make the most of this moment and advance their trainingthe Alumni Advantage Scholarship, the Vermonter Scholarship, and the Northern Neighbors Scholarship. These scholarships are part of SIT's longstanding efforts to provide financial support to as many students as possible, as scholarships are an essential tool to ensure that diverse identities and perspectives are represented within SIT's learning community and beyond. "From the COVID-19 pandemic to climate pressures, racial justice movements, expanding crisesthe potential for change is everywhere," says SIT President Dr. Sophia Howlett. "We are so pleased to be able to offer these scholarships to support students during this pivotal moment." SIT Graduate Institute degrees provide the theory and practice needed to take on today's most critical global issueswhether students want to stay in their job and learn part-time or immerse themselves in one of SIT's full-time master's programs. All three scholarships are merit based and can apply to both part-time hybrid and full-time global SIT master's programs*. The first scholarship, the Alumni Advantage, is an $8,000 award for alumni of The Experiment in International Living or SIT Study Abroad programs, to enable alumni to continue their learning journey within the SIT and larger World Learning community. The second, the Vermonter, is an $8,000 award for applicants living in Vermont, where SIT's campus has been based since the early 1960's, when it was founded as a training center for Peace Corps. As a proud member of the Vermont community, SIT is dedicated to strengthening the Vermont workforce, advancing leadership skills within the state, and providing global opportunities for Vermonters. The Northern Neighbors scholarships, seeks to extend SIT's global opportunities to its neighbors throughout the northeast of the United States. This $5,000 award is for applicants living elsewhere New England or in New York state, neighbors to SIT's historic campus in Vermont, and it is focused on supporting globally minded citizens in these states. To learn more about these, and other available scholarships, please visit the SIT Graduate Institute website. SIT is committed to ensuring all prospective students have the information needed to successfully access funding to for their graduate education. "The world is waiting on the next generation of leaders," adds Dr. Howlett. "Change starts with their unique voices and ideas." For all three scholarships, all applicants with demonstrated qualifications will be automatically considered for an eligible SIT scholarship. No additional application is required. However, qualified applicants may not receive more than one SIT scholarship. * These scholarships are not applicable for SIT's Doctorate in Global Education (EdD). The Northern Neighbors scholarship is available to students residing in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island. School for International Training (SIT) is the accredited higher institution within the World Learning Inc. family, which also includes World Learning and The Experiment in International Living. SIT is composed of SIT Graduate Institute, SIT Study Abroad, and the International Honors Program. SIT Graduate Institute, a pioneer in experiential education for more than 50 years, offers part-time hybrid and global master's degrees, certificate programs, and a doctorate focused on some of the most critical global issues. Fields of study include climate change and global sustainability, conflict transformation and peace and justice leadership, international and global education, sustainable development, and TESOL. CONTACT: Kathryn Schoenberger in Washington, +1-202-464-6979 SOURCE School for International Training Related Links http://www.sit.edu NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bernstein Liebhard, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of Skillz Inc. ("Skillz" or the "Company") (NYSE: SKLZ) from December 20, 2020 through April 19, 2021 (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you purchased Skillz securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Skillz Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Joseph R. Seidman, Jr. toll free at (877) 779-1414 or [email protected] The complaint alleges that, during the Class Period, defendants disseminated false and misleading statements and omissions that materially misrepresented Skillz's purported financial condition and prospects. These materially misleading statements and omissions included representations relating to certain of Skillz's business operations, performance metrics and ultimate valuation, including, among other things, Skillz's ability to attract new end-users, future profitability, the shrinking popularity of its hosted games that accounted for 88% of its revenue, and the Company's valuation. On March 8, 2021, Wolfpack Research released a report titled, "SKLZ: IT takes Little Skill to see this SPACtacular Disaster Coming" (the "Wolfpack Report"). The Wolfpack Report alleges that the growth speculations that Skillz and its insiders had touted were "entirely unrealistic" given the fact that Skillz's top three games, representing 88% of Skillz's revenue, reported a decline in downloads since the third quarter of 2020. On this news, the price of Skillz stock plummeted 10.9% to close at $24.45, down $3 from the previous day. Then, on April 19, 2021, Eagle Eye Research posted an anonymous report on Twitter in which it claimed that, through the use of providing users with incentive Bonus Payments, "the company likely recognizes substantial non-cash revenue and [] cash revenues may be less than of GAAP revenue." On this news, SKLZ shares declined 6.61%, or $1 to close at $14.11 on April 19, 2021. Shares further declined the next day to an all-time low of $12.55. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 7, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member. If you purchased Skillz securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit https://www.bernlieb.com/cases/skillzinc-sklz-shareholder-class-action-lawsuit-fraud-stock-397/apply/ or contact Joseph R. Seidman, Jr. toll free at (877) 779-1414 or [email protected] Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for ten consecutive years. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2021 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. The lawyer responsible for this advertisement in the State of Connecticut is Michael S. Bigin. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. Contact Information Joseph R. Seidman, Jr. Bernstein Liebhard LLP https://www.bernlieb.com (877) 779-1414 [email protected] SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP Related Links http://www.bernlieb.com DULLES, Va., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SkyePoint Decisions, Inc. (SkyePoint Decisions) announced today the promotions of Frank Sturek to President and Heather Conigliaro to Chief Operations Officer. Christopher Giusti will continue as the company's Chief Financial Officer. As President, Frank Sturek is responsible for business growth, strategy, and SkyePoint Decisions' business success. This includes developing current capabilities and winning new contracts focused on our clients' cybersecurity and IT challenges. He possesses an extensive track record of leadership built over 21 years of active service in the U.S. Army as an Infantry Officer, including multiple combat tours, leadership positions, and culminating with an assignment on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. He has also served in multiple growth focused roles in the private sector at Northrop Grumman, Engility, Alion Science and Technology, and Axiologic Solutions. Frank Sturek is the right executive to lead SkyePoint Decisions to become a trusted and successful Prime contractor in the Federal market. As Chief Operations Officer, Heather Conigliaro is responsible for all aspects of SkyePoint Decisions' client focused contract delivery execution, our field workforce capability development, and our program management office (PMO). She possesses nearly 20 years of successful experience running all aspects of government services programs, including previously at Northrop Grumman and CACI. Under the leadership of Conigliaro, SkyePoint Decisions is well positioned to lead our delivery organization to the next level focused on Prime contracts. Bo Kimbrough, Founder and CEO of SkyePoint Decisions, stated, "Frank and Heather's promotions will accelerate our prime contract growth momentum, enhance engagement with our clients and industry partners, and foster a growth mindset with our employees. I am confident that we now have the Executive Team structure and roles in place to lead SkyePoint Decisions in exceeding our clients' expectations for 2021 and beyond." For more information on the Executive Leadership Team, please visit our website at https://skyepoint.com/about-skyepoint/leadership-team/. SkyePoint Decisions provides innovative enterprise-wide and targeted solutions for the complex challenges faced by our federal government clients. Our renewed focus is on enabling our client's ability to deliver their mission anytime, anywhere, securely as a prime contractor. We combine technical expertise, mission awareness, and an empowered workforce to produce meaningful results. SkyePoint Decisions is an established ISO 9001:2015, ISO/IEC 27001:2013, and CMMI for Services Level 3 business with operations across the U.S. For more information, visit the SkyePoint Decisions website at www.skyepoint.com. Contact: Jeri Harden 703-234-7880 [email protected] SOURCE SkyePoint Decisions, Inc. FRAMINGHAM, Mass., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Staples, Inc. (the "Company"), the owner and operator of the Staples North American Delivery business, today announced that the Company and J. Alexander (Sandy) M. Douglas, Jr. have mutually agreed that Mr. Douglas will step down as Chief Executive Officer. John A. Lederer, Executive Chairman of the Board, will be appointed interim CEO of the Company. These changes will be effective as of Friday, June 18, 2021. The Company's Board of Directors has commenced a search process to identify a permanent CEO. "On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Sandy for his commitment and dedication to the Company," Mr. Lederer said. "I look forward to working closely with Chief Financial Officer Jeff Hall and the rest of the senior management team to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Company and execute on our growth strategy as the economic recovery in North America gains momentum. As we look ahead, we remain sharply focused on delivering strong performance and the critical products and services required for America's successful return to work." Mr. Lederer has served as Executive Chairman of the Board of Staples, Inc. since 2017 and as a Senior Advisor at Sycamore Partners since 2017. About Staples, Inc. Staples brings technology and people together in innovative ways to consistently deliver products, services and expertise that elevate and delight customers. Staples is in business with businesses and is passionate about helping businesses work better. Headquartered outside of Boston, MA., Staples, Inc. operates primarily in North America. Contacts: Michael Freitag or Arielle Rothstein Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher (212) 355-4449 SOURCE Staples, Inc. WACO, Texas, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies (TFBIC) again received the "Highest Customer Satisfaction Among Auto Insurers in Texas," according to the recently released J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Auto Insurance StudySM. For ten consecutive years, Texas Farm Bureau Insurance has achieved this badge of honor from J.D. Power for auto insurance customer satisfaction. "This distinction is such an honor and we were so encouraged when we received word that we had achieved the highest score for our state again," said Mike Gerik, Executive Vice President for the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies. "We take pride in our membership and are committed to delivering a superior level of personal service to our 500,000+ member-families each and every day. To receive this award for the tenth consecutive year is such a privilege for all of us." Read the full press release from J.D. Power here: https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2021-us-auto-insurance-study About Texas Farm Bureau Insurance: For over six decades, Texas Farm Bureau Insurance has been protecting our members' moments the big, the small, and the everyday. Our 850+ agents and over 300 claims personnel provide prompt, efficient, personal service to our more than 500,000 member-families all across our great state. With auto, home, farm and ranch, life, health, as well as other insurance products, we've been protecting Texans since 1952. For more information, please visit txfb-ins.com. About J.D. Power: J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies. J.D. Power is headquartered in Troy, Mich., and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com. CONTACT Karl Ellis 254 548 5433 [email protected] SOURCE Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Related Links txfb-ins.com CARLSBAD, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific today announced that submissions are now open for the Oncomine Clinical Research Grant program to support clinical research projects in oncology. This grant aims to provide funding for high-quality molecular profiling studies focusing on the impact of immune-based treatments for cancer patients. Through the Oncomine Clinical Research Grant program, Thermo Fisher will award selected independent clinical research teams with financial support worth up to $200,000 in reagents and general funding. The applications will be reviewed and evaluated by independent and internationally recognized experts. Grant proposals are now being accepted through July 16, 2021. "The goal of immunotherapy is to provide the immune system with tools to recognize and fight cancers," said Jose Luis Costa, Ph.D., director of medical affairs for clinical next-generation sequencing and oncology at Thermo Fisher. "To ensure more patients may benefit from revolutionary immunotherapy-based drugs, further investigation is needed to validate predictive biomarkers that can be used to help identify treatment-eligible individuals. Through the Oncomine Grant program, we're proud to provide support for cutting-edge projects to advance this promising area of research and possibly improve cancer patients' overall management." Since its launch in 2020, the Oncomine Clinical Research Grant has been awarded to eight projects worldwide, supporting research in areas including fusion genes detection in solid cancer and hemato-oncology. The most recent Oncomine Clinical Research Grant call focused on advancing research in liquid biopsy, for which four proposals were selected for funding. Grant recipients include Stephen Fox, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia; Giulia Siravegna, Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston; Beatriz Bellosillo, Hospital del Mar, Spain; and Leomar Y. Ballester, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston. "This grant will allow us to efficiently characterize circulating free tumor DNA (ctDNA) isolated from ascites fluid in gastric cancer patients and compare it with matched peripheral blood ctDN," said Dr. Giulia Siravegna, research staff, Massachusetts General Hospital Center and instructor in medicine, Harvard Medical School, Department of Medicine. "The use of ascitic fluid as a source for predictive and prognostic biomarkers is highly innovative and the ability to further our research in this area with the Oncomine Clinical Research Grant will allow for rapid clinical translation and impactful patient results." For more information on the Oncomine Clinical Research Grant Program and how to submit proposals, please visit www.oncomine.com/grants. *For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. About Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $30 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 80,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com. SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific Related Links http://www.thermofisher.com NORFOLK, Va., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Titan America, LLC announced today that it has been named a 2021 USGBC Regional Leadership Award recipient by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Titan America's two U.S. facilities, Titan Florida's Pennsuco Plant (PNS) and Roanoke Cement Company (RCC), join an impressive slate of awardees that include organizations, projects and individuals around the world who are using green building and sustainable practices to improve the quality of life for those around them. This year's recipients were recognized at the USGBC Leadership Awards Ceremony on Thursday, June 10, 2021, during the inaugural USGBC Live virtual event. "Following a difficult year, it is truly inspiring to recognize our green building leaders that have continued their commitment to green building and sustainable communities while adapting to the changing environments around us," said Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO, USGBC. "The 2021 USGBC Leadership Award awardees have improved our world through the power of green building, and it is their contributions and work that have helped our communities stay safe and healthy." PNS exhibited leadership on a grand scale this year through its achievements with zero waste. PNS was rated by the TRUE rating system as "platinum," its highest level of distinction. Sixteen zero waste/sustainability programs were created ranging from waste auditing and environmentally preferred purchasing to composting and every one of the 300 employees contributed in some way. PNS hosted 18 in-person training sessions for the facilities' employees. Two facility-wide policies, (Titan Florida, LLC's Zero Waste Vision & Policy and the Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Policy & Guide) ensure that the gains are continuing and have been incorporated in the plant's culture. Allyson Tombesi, LEED Green Associate, ENV SP, TRUE Advisor and Environmental Engineer, directed the work that led to obtaining recertification in pursuit of TRUE platinum certification, including coordinating the participation in a lunchtime webinar hosted by GBCI highlighting zero waste accomplishments for both plants. "Recertification efforts were guided by our facility-wide commitments and Titan's value system regarding sustainability," says Randy Dunlap, President of Titan Florida. "We are honored to be included with the other USGBC leaders." RCC achieved TRUE Gold Zero Waste in 2020 and has been instrumental in developing and employing environmental product declarations (EPDs) for LEED projects. Vice President of Cement Manufacturing, Zaklina Stamboliska, states, "Through our zero waste programs we have implemented native landscaping and other biodiversity advances to our local ecosystems. We have entered into outreach with local universities to educate students and shared our knowledge among our industry, concrete producers and others through work with EPDs. We are building and spreading the word." The 2021 USGBC Leadership Award recipients represent some of the best of USGBC's 10,000 member organizations, a network of committed professionals with more than 106,000 LEED commercial projects in more than 180 countries and territories around the world. The efforts of the awardees stand out as exceptional examples of sustainability leadership among a strong and growing network of projects, companies and individuals. For more information about the awards ceremony, visit USGBC Live. About the U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, an international network of local community leaders, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn. About Titan America, LLC Titan America, LLC (http://www.titanamerica.com), is a leading heavy building materials producer in Eastern United States. Titan America is headquartered in Norfolk, VA and its products include cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete and fly ash beneficiation. Its parent company, Titan Cement International, S.A., (www.titan-cement.com) , headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, is a participant of the UN Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, based on companies' commitments to implement universal sustainability principles and to support the UN goals. CONTACT: Mary Beth Kramer Kramer Consulting (215) 431-3946 SOURCE Titan America, LLC Related Links http://www.titanamerica.com SAN FRANCISCO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Topia, the leader in Global Talent Mobility technology, today announced that its leading Global Talent Mobility Platform, Topia One, and suite of products, Topia Plan, Manage, Pay, Go, and Compass, was recognized last week by two different award programs in Europe and North America. At the FEM Americas EMMAs ceremony on June 10th, Topia received the award for Most Innovative Use of Technology in Global Mobility. At the June 11th Relocate Awards , Topia was named the overall winner in the Excellence in Technology category. "Winning these awards is a huge validation of the innovative solutions we've brought to market since the introduction of the Topia One platform and our next-generation product suite in June of last year," remarked Steve Black, Topia's Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer. "Since the pandemic began, we've focussed heavily on introducing features that help our customers adapt to a more flexible and agile global talent landscape and keep compliance at the forefront." 2021 is shaping up to be another standout year for Topia. On the product front, Topia has introduced new functionality for organizations to operate in a post-pandemic new normal, including: City-specific location monitoring allowing companies to optimize municipal tax burdens while employees are working remotely; allowing companies to optimize municipal tax burdens while employees are working remotely; Pre-Travel Assessments that automatically detect and alert any travel that may require immigration, social security, or posted worker documentation and automate downstream service initiation; that automatically detect and alert any travel that may require immigration, social security, or posted worker documentation and automate downstream service initiation; Rapid Cost Simulations , putting the power to make rapid decisions in the hands of business users in an easy-to-use, instant tool; , putting the power to make rapid decisions in the hands of business users in an easy-to-use, instant tool; Industry-standard-setting Compensation Worksheets that reimagine the compensation planning and communication process; that reimagine the compensation planning and communication process; Side-by-Side Mobility Simulations , making it fast and easy to create and compare up to three potential mobility scenarios simultaneously to determine the best way to deploy staff or fill a specific role; , making it fast and easy to create and compare up to three potential mobility scenarios simultaneously to determine the best way to deploy staff or fill a specific role; Updated self-service Vendor Management portal providing companies with a comprehensive view of their service providers and the ability to change which vendors serve different policies or populations in a single mouse click; and portal providing companies with a comprehensive view of their service providers and the ability to change which vendors serve different policies or populations in a single mouse click; and Schengen travel compliance , giving companies and employees the option for automatic tracking at the country level or manually reporting Schengen area travel for both personal and business in order to comply with the 90/180-day rule. Leading product innovation has fueled continued growth in Topia's customer base, with new and existing customers across Europe and North America adopting solutions spanning the entire Topia product suite of Topia Plan, Manage, Pay, Go, and Compass. Further signaling Topia's position as the leader in Global Talent Mobility technology is the addition of new partnerships announced earlier this year with other industry leaders including Cartus , AIRINC , and CIBT . "Global Talent Mobility will take on new shapes and forms as businesses adapt to new ways of working in a post-pandemic world," noted Shawn Farshchi, Topia CEO. "Knowledge driven, innovative technology will be critical to organizational success and Topia is leading the way in powering the solutions organizations need to deliver modern talent mobility while staying compliant." About Topia Topia is the leader in Global Talent Mobility. We empower companies to deploy, manage and engage employees anywhere in the world. The Topia platform enables organizations to deliver mobility as part of a broader talent strategy encompassing all types of employee movement remote and distributed workforces, business travel, and more traditional relocations and assignments. This drives enhanced employee experiences and competitive advantage by ensuring the right people are in the right place at the right time, while staying compliant no matter where they are. The Topia platform automates the entire global talent mobility process, including scenario-based planning, expat payroll, tax and immigration compliance, reporting and more. Topia powers global talent mobility programs for world-renowned brands such as Schneider Electric, Dell, Veolia, Equinor and AXA. Topia has raised over $100M from NewView Capital (formerly New Enterprise Associates), Notion Capital and others, and is a global company with offices throughout the Americas and EMEA. MEDIA CONTACT: Kasey Thomas 925-285-6449 [email protected] SOURCE Topia Related Links https://www.topia.com ERIE, Pa., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the COVID-19 pandemic began in the spring of 2020, Americans immediately started looking for ways to reduce in-person contact. Meanwhile, businesses were searching for options to keep their doors open as many faced government-mandated shutdowns and restrictions. A new trend emerged almost overnight: curbside pickup. Make your curbside pickup experience easy and convenient for your customers with these simple tips from Erie Insurance. While adding curbside pickup services may require some changes for your business, there's also a definite upside. You can take advantage of this massive ecommerce opportunity, without the shipping costs that often make online sales a loss leader. So whether your business is looking to add curbside pickup, or just improve the service you already offer, Erie Insurance offers 10 helpful tips. Use technology to your advantage. One reason a customer will choose to place a curbside pickup order is because it's convenient. Ask yourself, how complicated is your online checkout process? Are customers able to notify you when they arrive through a text message, website or app? If customers find it difficult to order online, or experience long wait times when they arrive at your business, it's unlikely they'll try the service again. Give clear directions. There's no real standard for how curbside pickup should work. The practice varies from business to business, and location to location. That's why it's important to provide clear instructions to your customers both before and during the pickup. Make sure the process is clearly and simply explained both on your website and inside your business. Limit in-person contact. Another reason to offer curbside pickup service is to reduce the contact your customers (and employees) will have with others. To this end, make sure your employees are well trained and respect physical distancing guidelines. You should also adapt your pickup processes to reduce in-person contact. Provide protective clothing. By now, we're all aware of the importance of wearing masks to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. But there are other clothing items you should also consider to protect your employees. Wearing bright-colored, high-visibility vests can help drivers spot your employees in crowded parking lots. Proper footwear, such as non-slip shoes, may prevent slips and falls. And warm clothing like hats, coats and gloves are necessary during the cold winter months. Clearly designate your pickup area. Designate a number of spaces in your parking lot, or along the curb outside your building, as a curbside pickup location. Then, make sure the area is well-lit and clearly marked. Follow sanitation best practices. Be sure to make routine cleaning a part of your curbside pickup process and follow the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you're in the restaurant or grocery business, this tip also applies to keeping foods at the appropriate temperature. Make sure you follow federal food safety guidelines by storing both hot and cold foods correctly while orders await pickup. Improve walkway safety. With employees running back and forth to deliver customer orders, your sidewalks will be getting extra traffic. Reduce slips, trips and falls by keeping walkways free of clutter and removing any slip hazards especially snow and ice. If you have potholes in your parking lot or damaged parts of your sidewalk, consider getting them repaired. And make good use of entrance mats and wet floor signs, too. Check your insurance protection. When expanding your service offerings, it's always a good idea to check in with your insurance agent. Your agent can double-check your business insurance policy to ensure you've got enough coverage in place in the event of an injury or lawsuit. Promote your new curbside pickup Offering curbside pickup won't increase sales if your customers don't know about it. To promote this new service, think of all the ways you can reach shoppers with the news. Some options may include print and digital advertising, social media marketing, email distributions and in-store signage. Focus on customer service. Just because a curbside customer isn't walking into your store doesn't mean you can't personalize the experience. Make sure your employees make the most of their brief customer interactions by being friendly and greeting the customer by name. Consider including a personal note or coupon in their order. Check every order for accuracy and try to deliver it as quickly and efficiently as possible. After the customer leaves, you may even want to follow up with an email or text message thanking them for their business. ` Every business is unique. That's why we don't offer a one-size-fits-all policy or an inflexible. Your ERIE agent will listen to you carefully and respond with tailor-made solutions for your business and your budget. To learn more about how an ERIE business insurance policy can help protect you, contact an ERIE agent in your neighborhood today. About Erie Insurance According to A.M. Best Company, Erie Insurance Group, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, is the 11th largest homeowners insurer and 12th largest automobile insurer in the United States based on direct premiums written and the 16th largest property/casualty insurer in the United States based on total lines net premium written. The Group, rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company, has nearly 6 million policies in force and operates in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Erie Insurance Group is a FORTUNE 500 company. News releases and more information about Erie Insurance Group are available at www.erieinsurance.com. SOURCE Erie Insurance Group SECAUCUS, N.J., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ACT Against COVID: The Alliance for Comprehensive Testing (ACT) today announced an effort to improve public health through comprehensive COVID-19 testing initiatives. Mobilized by Quest Diagnostics, ACT is a diverse alliance of organizations dedicated to providing people with information about widespread COVID-19 testing, and encouraging re-engagement with the health system, to improve public health and allow for a sustained, responsible return to daily activities. Multiple studies suggest that lack of access to testing and care in 2020 during the height of the pandemic means many individuals did not receive important diagnostic tests and screenings resulting in an epidemic of undiagnosed and undertreated conditions.i ii For more information about the alliance visit: www.actagainstcovid.com While the COVID-19 vaccines are being administered across the country, those who have not been vaccinated remain vulnerable to infection. A recent poll found that 1 in 5 Americans still do not plan to get vaccinated.iii Public education campaigns promoting vaccines should help, but vaccine hesitancy remains a potential obstacle to reaching herd immunity. Recently, there have been reports of increased infection among children, possibly tied to the circulation of more contagious variants. Additionally, even with vaccination, break through infections are still possible. Given the likelihood that the virus will continue to be a threat, testing remains an essential tool, along with other safety measures, for reducing its transmission. "Our alliance calls upon its members to use their unique platforms to empower people with information about testing to help improve public health, slow the spread of COVID-19 and return to daily activities responsibly," said Kathleen A. Arntsen, President & CEO of Lupus and Allied Diseases Association. "By educating and empowering the public, ACT will help leverage testing to improve health outcomes and will advocate for clear health policy decisions." Alliance members provide resources and educational materials to constituents and stakeholders on the role that diagnostic testing and screening will play in helping society return to normal daily life and emerge post-pandemic. Topics include "how and when" to use the right type of COVID-19 test to support the reopening of businesses and schools; the secondary impact of COVID-19 on people with chronic conditions; and addressing the disproportionate public-health impact the pandemic has had as a result of deferred care, particularly in communities of color. Addressing racial inequities in the healthcare system and the challenges of deferred healthcare services. Lack of access to preventive healthcare fueled a hidden epidemic of undiagnosed conditions across the country. Lockdowns, fear, and social distancing measures caused alarming numbers of people to delay the medical care they need. ACT will, in particular, emphasize the importance of testing programs and re-engagement in the healthcare system in communities where racial and minority ethnic groups have been hard hit by COVID-19. iv "We need to address the underlying reasons why the Black community has been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19," said Derrick Johnson, President & CEO, NAACP. "Lack of access to healthcare and paid sick leave, high-exposure jobs, and a long legacy of mistreatment by the medical establishment are some of the impediments to stopping the spread of the virus in Black communities. In the meantime, it's crucial that we continue affordable, accessible and robust testing programs to help mitigate exposure and reduce health inequities as part of a comprehensive strategy to protect Black lives." Comprehensive COVID-19 Testing Will Still Play an Important Role in a Post Pandemic World As people return to regular life including work, school and leisure, comprehensive COVID-19 testing will continue to play a role in monitoring and minimizing the spread of the virus. Previous epidemics provide a useful model for continuing the role after the initial crisis subsides. "During the AIDS epidemic, the introduction of widespread testing helped curb the virus' deadly spread," commented Michael Ruppal, executive director of the AIDS Institute. "We can follow this successful model in stopping the spread of Covid-19 and speed the return to work, school and everyday activities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued guidance recommending that even people who have been fully vaccinated should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if they have been around someone who is sick, and should get tested if they have any symptoms. "2021 provides an opportunity for individuals to emerge from the pandemic and take back control of their health," said Jay Wohlgemuth, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Quest Diagnostics. "COVID-19 has shone a light on the need for ongoing engagement in the healthcare system. That includes preventive care, chronic care management and managing the spread of COVID-19." About ACT Against COVID: The Alliance for Comprehensive Testing (ACT) ACT Against COVID: The Alliance for Comprehensive Testing (ACT) is a diverse alliance that began as an effort to clarify the value of, and how to access, COVID-19 molecular, antigen and antibody testing. It brings together a wide range of organizations, healthcare and public health professionals, officials, and others who share the belief that comprehensive testing solutions are a critical tool for helping to slow and eventually halt the spread of COVID-19. The Alliance advocates for testing as powerful tool in combatting new variants as they emerge, better understanding how the virus spreads in communities, and uncovering hidden pandemics. Implementing comprehensive testing strategies will support ongoing wellness and help us return to life responsibly. ACT Members include: Advocates for Responsible Care The AIDS Institute Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Massachusetts American Red Cross American Senior Alliance Atlanta Black Chambers Auburn, MA Chamber of Commerce Blackstone Valley, MA Chamber of Commerce Choose Healthy Life Chronic Disease Coalition Clarkston Community Health Center Detroit Association of Black Organizations Georgia 9 to 5 Georgia AFL-CIO Georgia Municipal Association Global Health Crisis Coordination Center HEALS of the South (Hepatitis Education, Awareness, and Liver Support) Heat and Frost Insulators & Allied Workers Local 6 IBEW Local 96 The International Foundation for Autoimmune & Autoinflammatory Arthritis (AiArthritis) Kean University Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc. Massachusetts Association of Early Education and Care Massachusetts Bay Constables Association Massachusetts Concrete and Aggregate Producers Association Massachusetts State Towing Association Meadowlands, NJ Chamber of Commerce NAACP National AIDS Memorial National Council of Negro Women National Safety Council National Urban League Newark, NJ Regional Business Partnership Outfront Media Preparedness and Treatment Equity Coalition Quest Diagnostics Senior Whole Health Union City, GA (Mayor Vince Williams) Worcester, MA Regional Chamber of Commerce For more information about ACT Against COVID, visit ACTAgainstCOVID.com . i https://newsroom.questdiagnostics.com/2020-12-09-New-Quest-Diagnostics-Health-Trends-TM-Survey-Reveals-COVID-19-Testing-Hesitancy-Among-Americans-With-3-of-4-Avoiding-a-Test-When-They-Believed-They-Needed-One#:~:text=9%2C%202020%20%2FPRNewswire%2F%20%2D%2D,%2D2%20virus%20(30%25). ii https://newsroom.questdiagnostics.com/2021-01-18-Black-and-Hispanic-Latinx-Americans-Less-Confident-in-Ability-to-Access-COVID-19-Vaccines-Treatments-and-Healthcare-than-White-Americans-Finds-Quest-Diagnostics-Health-Trends-TM-Analysis iii Insert CIDRAP reference iv https://newsroom.questdiagnostics.com/2020-12-09-New-Quest-Diagnostics-Health-Trends-TM-Survey-Reveals-COVID-19-Testing-Hesitancy-Among-Americans-With-3-of-4-Avoiding-a-Test-When-They-Believed-They-Needed-One#:~:text=9%2C%202020%20%2FPRNewswire%2F%20%2D%2D,%2D2%20virus%20(30%25). SOURCE ACT Against COVID: The Alliance for Comprehensive Testing MUMBAI, India, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited announced that its offshore entity public funds under UCITs (Undertakings for the Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) are now aligned to global ESG framework. The two funds include ABSL Umbrella UCITS Fund PLC - India Frontline Equity Fund (IFEF) (ISIN: IE00BJ8RGN0), India Large Cap biased fund and ABSL Umbrella UCITS Fund PLC - India Quality Advantage Fund (IQAF) (ISIN: IE00BJ8RGS50), India Small & Midcap biased fund. The investment strategy of these funds is to generate long term capital appreciation by investing in Indian companies which are aligned with Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) theme. The asset manager also has expertise in designing bespoke solutions and providing portfolio advisory services to clients. "The fund manager will combine traditional bottom-up stock picking based on business and financial analysis with ESG parameters of a company to identify long term sustainable business opportunities. Under this framework all companies in the portfolio get assessed against a Sustainability Scorecard," said Vikas Gautam, Head Offshore Business, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited. The asset manager has partnered with leading ESG research provider Sustainalytics for ratings. Commenting on this, A. Balasubramanian, MD & CEO, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited said, "The funds offered are known for their consistent performance and rated highly by independent agencies. The funds endeavour to participate in ESG aligned existing and emerging opportunities, eliminate risky companies and invest in high quality sustainable growth compounders to generate better risk adjusted returns. The funds will hold a diversified portfolio that creates superior long term investment opportunity." IFEF returned 79.3% in 1 year, 10.8% in 3 years and 13.2% in 5 years. IQAF returned 95.4% in 1 year, 17.6% in 3 years and 17.1% in 5 years (as on 24th May 2021, source: Morningstar Direct). Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited Established in 1994, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited is a joint venture between the Aditya Birla Capital Limited and Sun Life (India) AMC Investments Inc. It has subsidiaries in Dubai, Mauritius and Singapore. Disclaimer This media release should not be construed as investment advice and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any such securities and the above funds are meant only for accredited/ professional/ institutional investors and not meant for retail clients. SOURCE Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AiFi, the leading company creating frictionless autonomous shopping experiences powered by AI, in tandem with Zabka, the largest convenience store chain in Poland, today announced the official launch of Zabka's first autonomous convenience store in Poznan, Poland. The 210-sqft NanoStore will be situated between a trade -fair center and train station, servicing commuters on the go with fresh coffee and snacks. AiFi's NanoStores are fully autonomous, portable stores that are ready to be shipped and set up at any location. They include all of the AI-enabled hardware and software needed to quickly open a checkout-free, automated store anywhere it fits. AiFi and Zabka plan to continue rolling-out a format that will be a combination of NanoStores and Zabka's micro markets powered by AiFi. "Zabka is one of the fastest growing retail brands in the world and we're very excited to bring the prototypes that we've been developing together to life in Poznan," said Steve Gu, co-founder and CEO at AiFi. "Zabka was interested in our NanoStores because they wanted to bring convenient autonomous shopping close to their customers and make operations easier. This is the future of retail and we're excited to bring this technology and consumer experience to other locations across Poland and Europe in partnership with Zabka." The partnership involves integrating AiFi's autonomous store platform with the Zappka App which has over 5 million users. After scanning to enter, the computer vision-powered cameras around the store will observe and track the items that a customer places in their shopping bag. Once done shopping, customers can walk out and will receive a receipt to their app and email within minutes. On the back end, AiFi's technology will notify the store when products are running low to prevent stockouts of popular items as well as optimize the product mix and improve operating margins. AiFi's computer vision-technology has achieved an accuracy rate above 99%, which helps prevent theft and ensures a seamless customer experience. In order to prioritize customer privacy, AiFi does not use facial recognition or store biometric data. "The opening of this autonomous store is such an exciting moment for us. AiFi is a great partner, allowing us to adjust and customize the experience to fit the needs of our customers," said Tomasz Blicharski, Managing Director of Zabka Future. "The solution we created together is designed to meet our customers' expectations by offering them the most advanced, convenient, and fastest shopping experience on the market." The Zabka network presently consists of more than 7200 shops, offering carefully selected products of leading brands at attractive prices. Zabka is planning to expand the format of its modular store, which to date has only been used seasonally. AiFi will deliver its NanoStore technology to these new stores, enabling checkout-free, fully-automated stores open 24/7. AiFi has 15 stores internationally with brands such as Choice Market, Carrefour, Wundermart and Loop Neighborhood, in addition to Zabka. About Zabka Zabka Polska Sp. z o.o. is the owner of Poland's largest convenience store chain operating over 7200 outlets managed by almost 6000 franchisees under Zabka brand. Across twenty years of its operations on Polish market, the company has won the position of the leader in the convenience sales segment. Zabka stores are visited daily by over 2.5 million customers, and 12 million consumers live within a 300-meter radius from the nearest. Zabka develops its business responsibly. The CSR pillars of the company include care for the natural environment, responsible food sale, personal development and education, support to local communities, as well as care for health and active lifestyles. For more information about Zabka stores visit: www.zabka.pl. For more information about Zabka Polska company visit: www.zabka.pl. Zabka Future is one of the organizational units comprising a new Zabka management structure. Teams operating within the Zabka Future area are responsible for development of businesses and technology for Zabka. About AiFi AiFi enables reliable, cost-effective, and entirely contactless autonomous shopping with AI-powered computer vision technology that provides an unrivaled experience for retailers and consumers. With over 15 stores worldwide, AiFi works with global retailers such as Carrefour, Choice Market, and Zabka to create customized autonomous shopping experiences with flexible integration and entry options. AiFi's NanoStore was recently showcased at the 2021 Indy 500 as a convenience store powered by Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network. AiFi also powers the largest hybrid store in the U.S. in partnership with Choice Market. Since launching in 2016, AiFi has raised $29.5 million from investors including Qualcomm Ventures, Cervin Ventures, TransLink Capital, and Plum Alley. Visit www.aifi.com for more information. Press Contact: Jenny Bourne 2087618447 SOURCE AiFi AUSTIN, Texas, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee applauds Texas Governor Greg Abbott for signing today legislation (HB3257) establishing the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission. AJC Dallas Director Joel Schwitzer and Houston Director Randy Czarlinsky were present for the signing. "In January 2020, during AJC's International Holocaust Remembrance Observance at the State Capitol with the Texas Consular Corps in attendance, Governor Abbott declared that the Texas Legislature would adopt the international definition on antisemitism during its next session," said Randy Czarlinsky, Director of AJC Houston. "The 18-month process concluded today with the Governor signing the bipartisan legislation that was passed unanimously in the Texas House and Texas Senate." The bill references the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, widely considered the premier description of what is antisemitism, and provides examples of hate targeting Jews. The legislation calls for creating an advisory commission that will, among other duties, produce biennial studies of antisemitism in Texas, and work with schools and institutions of higher educations "regarding methods of combating antisemitism and implementation of Holocaust and genocide courses of study and awareness programs." "The use of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism to guide a state-mandated biennial study will help ensure Texas remains a leader in combating antisemitism," said Joel Schwitzer, Director of AJC Dallas. "Given the sharp uptick in antisemitism across America, we are gratified that this legislation has received overwhelmingly bipartisan support." Both AJC Texas regional directors thanked Senator Carol Alvarado, Rep. Craig Goldman and Rep. Phil King for their tireless leadership in shepherding the bill from introduction to passage. SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org BROOKLYN PARK, Minn., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hennepin Technical College Foundation announced that entrepreneur and alliantgroup CEO, Dhaval Jadav, is donating $100,000 for its scholarships. The first $25,000 will support scholarships at the college's robotics program and the remaining donation will provide scholarships to students across all programs at the college. "On behalf of the Hennepin Technical College Foundation, we would like to extend our thanks to Mr. Jadav for his generosity and support. The scholarships will allow greater access to a quality career and technical education which transforms lives and improves the economic vitality of our communities," said Myron Moser, board chair, Foundation. The donation comes at a critical time. Most students at the college are from underserved communities and many are facing additional challenges due to the financial hardships caused by the pandemic. "My personal passion is getting kids excited about STEM learning and opening minds to how these learnings are applied to problem-solving and innovating in everyday life. It's also creating that realization that STEM opens up a world of future job opportunities," said Dhaval Jadav, CEO of alliantgroup. "I try to apply that passion to alliantgroup and have been so excited to share it and collaborate with like-minded partners such as Hennepin Tech. I'm so excited to grow this partnership and feel fortunate to be able to contribute." Jadav co-founded the alliantgroup in 2002. Aligned with Jadav's strong passion for fostering innovative thinkers, alliantgroup was created to help small and medium sized businesses realize the many government incentives that are in place to help further investment in innovation and technical jobs, which keeps the U.S. competitive on the global landscape. And as a philanthropist, Jadav has a longstanding commitment to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education and providing academic opportunities to people underserved communities. About Hennepin Technical College Founded in 1972, Hennepin Technical College (HTC) is the largest stand-alone technical college in Minnesota. With campuses in Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie, the college has a diverse student population and offers degree and non-degree courses in over 45 programs. HTC is a member of Minnesota State, which includes 30 colleges and seven state universities. About alliantgroup alliantgroup is a management and tax consulting company with a mission to strengthen American businesses through reinvestment in innovation and job growth. We educate businesses, the industry groups that serve them and the accounting firms that advise them on federal and state credits and incentives that are legislated by our government to keep the U.S. competitive in the global landscape. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 businesses claim more than $10 billion in credits and incentives. alliantgroup is headquartered in Houston, Texas with additional offices located in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, New York, Irvine, Sacramento, Washington, D.C.; and Bristol and London in the U.K. SOURCE alliantgroup Related Links http://www.alliantgroup.com North Minneapolis' historic Capri Theater the site of Prince's first concert in 1979 is the stage for this inaugural event. Executive produced by award-winning Rae Mackenzie Group , an industry-leading diversity, equity and inclusion firm, and directed by Minnesota State Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, the event is sponsored by Andersen Corporation, manufacturer of America's most loved brand of windows and doors*. The program pays homage to three Black music icons who were denied equal rights during their careers: Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday. On display will be the talents of award-winning Minneapolis musicians, Lawrence Miles, Jamecia Bennett and Thomasina Petrus. Darnell Davis serves as musical director. "In a year that put systemic racism and inequities within our own community in the national spotlight, we turn to music to heal, connect and build cultural bridges with one another," said Chris Galvin, president of the Andersen Division of Andersen Corporation. "Together with our employees, we are thrilled to have Andersen play a role in bringing much-deserved attention and celebration to Black Music Month." As the leader of talent acquisition and inclusion at Andersen, Tracey Gibson, vice president and chief diversity officer, calls the program an inclusive community-building opportunity that employers can share with their employees. "'A Celebration of Black Music: Music is the Window to Our Souls' honors individuals who devoted their art and their lives toward making America a better place for all. The program showcases what Black music means to the very culture and fabric of America," Gibson said. A Minnesota-based company for nearly 120 years, Andersen was named a Forbes Best Employer for Diversity 2021 and is a founding partner of the People Of Color Careers Social Hiring Network. Andersen continually works to build a culture of inclusion, creating a respectful workplace for all employees and removing systemic barriers to success. Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, CEO of the Rae Mackenzie Group and founder of People of Color Careers Social Hiring Network, said: "It's so refreshing to partner with a client like Andersen Corporation, which understands the impact it has in the Black community when they selected a venue that is as meaningful and symbolic as the Capri Theater. It's exciting to be in Minneapolis and have the cream of the crop of local talent to help us create an uplifting program that brings us all together to celebrate Black Music Month." As a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) marketing expert on the national stage, Smith-Akinsanya has long held Andersen Corporation as an example of what a corporation can accomplish when it prioritizes inclusion in every aspect of the company. "Andersen leads out loud when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion," she continued. "Change only happens when leaders embrace change. Thankfully, we have corporations like Andersen that are committed to growth." "A Celebration of Black Music: Music is the Window to Our Souls" premieres at noon CT on Tuesday, June 29, on Facebook and at AndersenWindows.com/BlackMusic. *2020 Andersen brand survey of U.S. homeowners. ABOUT ANDERSEN WINDOWS & DOORS Andersen was founded in 1903 on the philosophy of working "all together" to deliver on its promise to its customers. Andersen delivers products for the way people live, unmatched performance for the comfort and security homeowners desire, and endless design options to achieve any style. Headquartered in Bayport, Minn., Andersen Corporation and its subsidiaries manufacture and market window and door products under the Andersen, Renewal by Andersen, EMCO, Weiland, MQ and Heritage brands. Andersen, a privately held company with more than 10,000 employees, operates manufacturing sites across North America and Europe. Andersen has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2021 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award. Visit us at andersenwindows.com. Follow us on Facebook @AndersenWindows, Twitter @AndersenWindows, and Instagram @andersen_windows. 2021 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. ABOUT RAE MACKENZIE GROUP Founded in 1997, the Rae Mackenzie Group is an award-winning Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) marketing and strategy firm with more than 20 years of experience helping Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and top employers craft winning DEI communication, leader positioning, and messaging. Since opening its doors in Minneapolis, MN, its mission has grown in scope to include closing the wealth and pay gap for People of Color through innovative platforms such as the groundbreaking launch of www.PeopleOfColorCareers.com. Rae Mackenzie Group empowers its clients to drive real, measurable change within their corporate structure and communities and assists top organizations across all sectors in attracting, recruiting, and retaining Talent of Color. Offering a range of culture, leadership, and social impact services, Rae Mackenzie Group tailors DEI solutions to the needs of each client. Learn more by visiting the website. Connect with Rae Mackenzie Group on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. SOURCE Andersen Corporation Related Links https://www.andersenwindows.com FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Meyers Group announced today that Avery Dania Pointe, its newest high-end rental complex in Dania Beach, Florida, is 90% leased, thanks to Apartment Lease-Up Experts (www.apartmentleaseupexperts.com). When Apartment Lease-Up Experts was hired to secure renters at the 264 unit complex in November, only 22% of the units were leased. Avery Dania Pointe originally opened its leasing office in February 2020, during the height of the pandemic and economic turmoil. Fast forward to today, with Apartment Lease-Up as the only leasing company onsite, the occupancy is at 90+% and going strong. Apartment Lease-Up Experts According to Cito Beguiristain, Meyers Group Sr. VP Planning and Development, "Apartment Lease-Up Experts dramatically increased the number of approved applications immediately upon starting at Avery Dania Pointe Apartments. They greatly increased our lease-up velocity, helping us toward our 100% leased goal." Avery at Dania Pointe is the newest luxury apartment community located in the heart of Broward. Its master plan embraces the life/work/shop/play/destination concept created by The Meyers Group. Amenities include resort pool, private cabanas, spa with waterfall, fitness center, game room, gourmet kitchen, theater, and more. The 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom floorplans range from 692 sq. ft. to 1,255 sq. ft. Prices start at $1,895 per month to $3,200, and for a limited time, the first month's rent is free. Santiago Illia, President and Founder of Apartment Lease-Up Experts attributes his success to his accelerated leasing program, which has tripled the previous leasing numbers. With only about 20 apartments left to lease, Santiago says that Avery Dania Pointe will be at 100% by the end of July 1, 2020. He and Vice President (and fiance) Sasha Ezquerra's personalized approach to each and every project gives them a leg up on their competition. According to Sasha Ezquerra, "When the Meyers Group first came to us to help them fill Avery Dania Pointe to 100% capacity, they were giving 2 1/2 months' rent-free. Since we took over, we decreased to the actual concession of 1 month free rent and increased the price twice without any effect on leasing velocity. We immediately identify qualified tenants by using social media and guerilla marketing." Cito Beguiristain of the Meyers Group adds, "I have used Apartment Lease-Up Experts on another project as well in Ft. Myers when we had an occupancy drop and they performed fantastically. I would recommend Santiago Illia and his team to anybody who needs a leasing boost." Apartment Lease-Up Experts has worked with over 300 multi-family projects all over the country. President Santiago Illia and Vice President Sasha Ezquerra are from Argentina and are trilingual in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Contact: Kim Morgan PR, [email protected], (954-261-2149) Related Images image1.jpg SOURCE Apartment Lease-Up Experts BANGALORE, India, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Apna, the market-leading professional networking and jobs platform for India's rising working class, has raised a $70 million Series B round led by Insight Partners and Tiger Global. Existing investors, Sequoia Capital India, Lightspeed India, Greenoaks Capital and Rocketship VC have also participated in the round. The investment amounts to an endorsement of Apna's undisputed market leadership and stellar business growth. With this investment Apna has now raised over $90 million and is now valued at $570 million, within 16 months of product launch. Apna will use the proceeds to strengthen its presence in existing cities and expand pan-India over the next 6 months to help restart India's economy as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The team plans to double down on their edtech platform for skilling by continuing to invest in hiring exceptional talent and building world class engineering and product capabilities. Additionally, Apna plans to expand to high potential international markets such as Southeast Asia and the United States in the coming year. "At Apna we are determined to take a fresh approach towards solving employment and skilling challenges for billions. Over the last month itself Apna has facilitated more than 15 million job interviews and work related conversations where users have helped each other to start a business, find a gig or learn a new skill. We are still in the early stages of solving the problem and are excited to continue on this journey with the backing of our new partners." Nirmit Parikh, Founder & CEO, Apna Founded in 2019, Apna is on a mission to connect people to opportunities. It's tech-driven approach to harness the power of communities has enabled access to better jobs and entrepreneurship for millions of Apna's users. This has been especially crucial in a pandemic year which has seen severe disruption to the labour markets due to intermittent lockdowns. Networking on Apna changed the life trajectory of Shivam Singh, an aspiring graphic designer from a small Indian town who lost his job during the pandemic. He found expert guidance and customers on the Apna app to build a successful business. Today he serves as an inspiration to countless aspiring entrepreneurs and designers. Millions of such lives are transformed every month by Apna, as it focuses on delivering a double bottom line. Today, the app comprises 60+ communities for skilled professionals like carpenters, painters, field sales agents and many others. The app allows users to access local job opportunities, network with peers, practice for interviews, share their accomplishments, and gain new skills. In the short span of a year, Apna has become the app of choice for Indian professionals. Apna has witnessed exceptional growth since its launch - with 10 million+ users and 100,000+ employers, relying on Apna to find appropriate job opportunities and talent respectively. Over the past three months Apna has doubled the number of Indian cities in which it is present to 14. This growth has enabled Apna to catapult from a challenger to the market leader in its category. It has also attracted top global and local talent from firms like Uber, BCG & Swiggy. "We have been incredibly impressed with Apna's stellar growth over the last year. They have built the market leading platform for India's workforce to establish digital professional identity, network, access skills training, and find high quality jobs. Employers are engaging with Apna at a rapid pace to help find high quality talent with low friction which is leading to best in class customer satisfaction scores. We believe that our investment will enable Apna to continue their steep growth trajectory, scale up their operations, and improve access to opportunities for India's workforce." Nikhil Sachdev, Managing Director, Insight Partners Apna's product-led approach to a globally relevant problem makes it infinitely scalable. Griffin Schroeder, Partner, Tiger Global said "Apna's focus on digitizing the process of job discovery, application and employer candidate interaction has the potential to revolutionize the hiring process. The Apna app also helps workers form professional networks and upskill themselves. We are excited to partner with the team as they expand to new markets in India and abroad." Apna's sophisticated data-science led algorithm matches candidates with employers taking into account their skills and experience. This has enabled employers and recruiters to solve for trust, relevancy and candidate volume. Several of India's leading companies, such as Zomato, Burger King, Bharti-AXA, Delhivery, Teamlease, G4S Global, Shadowfax and 1MG rely on Apna to address their most urgent and critical hiring needs. In addition, Apna has partnered with some of India's leading public and private organizations. Apna is supporting National Skill Development Corporation, UNICEF Yuwaah, the Ministry of Minority Affairs of India, in their endeavor to provide better skilling and job opportunities to candidates. About Apna Founded in 2019, the Apna.co is India's largest professional networking platform dedicated to helping India's burgeoning working class to unlock unique professional networking, and skilling opportunities. The app is currently live in 14 cities - Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Ranchi, Kolkata, Surat, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ludhiana, and Chandigarh. Having raised $90+ million from marquee investors like Insight Partners, Tiger Global, Lightspeed India, Sequoia Capital India, Rocketship.vc and Greenoaks Capital, Apna is on a mission to enable livelihoods for billions in India. With over 10 million users, present in 14 cities and counting, and over 100,000 employers that trust the platform - India has a new destination to discover relevant opportunities. About Insight Partners Insight Partners is a leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. Founded in 1995, Insight Partners has invested in more than 400 companies worldwide and has raised through a series of funds more than $30 billion in capital commitments. Insight's mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on software expertise to foster long-term success. Across its people and its portfolio, Insight encourages a culture around a belief that ScaleUp companies and growth create opportunity for all. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter @insightpartners. About Tiger Global Management: Tiger Global Management, LLC is an investment firm that deploys capital globally. The firm's fundamentally oriented investments focus primarily on the global internet, software, financial technology, consumer and industrial sectors. The private equity strategy has a ten-year investment horizon and targets growth-oriented private companies. Such investments have included Spotify, Harry's, Warby Parker, Peloton, JD.com, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yandex, Mail.ru Group, Despegar, Ola and Flipkart. The public equity efforts emphasize deep due diligence on individual companies and long-term secular themes. Tiger Global was founded in 2001 and is based in New York with affiliate offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangalore and Melbourne. ************************************************* Appendix Relevant images and graphics HERE About Nirmit Nirmit Parikh is the Founder and CEO for Apna - the leading hiring and vertical professional network for India's working class. Previously, Nirmit founded Cruxbot (acquired by Kno, Intel Corporation) & was part of the iPhone product-operations team at Apple . He also holds an MBA from Stanford University. About Apna and Backstory The idea for Apna originated in 2019, when Nirmit realized the challenges faced by SMBs in hiring for workers. Nirmit spent time going undercover as a worker to understand the problems faced by India's workforce, of which a large part is unorganized. He realized that our workers face issues related to skill and network gaps and not having access to relevant opportunities in their vicinity. Often their sources for opportunity identification are restricted to their friends and family which naturally cannot scale in a physical world. This led to Nirmit building a product that created an online professional community, similar to what linkedin has done for white collared professionals, and bring networking, learning and jobs under one umbrella. His product also intended to solve for employers and workers to connect and find the right matching hires and opportunities respectively. The name Apna, which means "ours" in Hindi, was inspired by a bollywood song "Apna Time Aayega", which chronicled the rise of an aspiring hip-hop artist from an underprivileged background, fueled by the network and the platform he received to showcase his music skills. Market leadership/ growth Apna has grown tremendously over the last 12 months and has established itself as the leading inclusive professional networking and opportunities platform for India's workforce. The company played a significant role in bridging the gap between employers and candidates during Covid by using it's tech platform as an enabler to facilitate > 45 million candidate - recruiter interactions since the advent of Covid-19 in 2020. The platform has grown ~50X over the past year, overtaking several incumbent market players in terms of scale and product functionality. The platform currently has ~1.4 million job openings across more than 70 different job categories and 14 cities in India. Supporting India during Covid Apna stepped up to help Indian businesses hire at no cost during Covid-19 to help mitigate the financial impact of Covid. The team specifically focused on improving the in-app discovery of frontline jobs in segments like delivery and healthcare to help essential service businesses hire faster to help these services continue uninterrupted operations Apna contributed to the medical and healthcare industry to keep afloat India's fight against Covid 19. Since Mar'21, Apna has catered to over 2500 healthcare organizations by listing over 50,000 openings for roles like Nurses, Ward Boys , Lab-technicians, Pharmacists, among others. Apna has facilitated 2,50,000 interviews in these categories over 14 cities across India over the last 3 months Today the services of Apna remain free to support the challenged businesses and candidates. The Apna Edge On the Apna app, hiring takes place in less than 48 hours. Candidates can connect directly with the recruiter via calls/ whatsapp messages enabled by the app. This eliminates the need for physical interviews and emails, simplifying the employer - candidate interaction The Apna app is available in English and a fusion of Hindi or the regional language with english, coined as " Thoda English " on the Apna app. This medium of communication is commonly used by people across text based communication channels like SMS and Whatsapp. All jobs listed on the Apna platform are verified and free of cost for the candidates. The platform has invested in multiple tech interventional and robust ops processes to ensure this is sacrosanct, as it plays a key role in maintaining user trust in the platform. Apna is focused on helping platform users upskill in order to be able to qualify for better job opportunities and continue to progress on their desired professional path. This solves a burning need among the bottom of the pyramid workforce that have historically not had the right avenues to learn and the access to jobs for newly acquired skills. Apna is currently building out masterclass like skilling modules, outcome or job based skilling, enabling peer to peer learning via its vertical communities like "Learn English" or "Govt. Test Prep" and is also planning to launch career counselling and resume building services for its users. Employer love Apna's employer website is built for ease of use, so that SMBs and enterprises are able to post their job requirements in < 5 mins and get connected to hyperlocal candidates with relevant skills in < 48 hours. Apna has helped >100,000 Indian companies hire the right talent for >70 job categories over the last year, solving a critical problem at scale. Apna's excellence in providing high volume, relevancy and speed of hiring has resulted in Apna receiving high customer satisfaction scores from employers that particularly appreciated the platform's decision to remain free of cost during Covid. "We are elated to be working with Apna which is on a national mission to mitigate the impact that Covid 19 has had on the job market and help India come back to work. We are closely working with Apna for talent discovery across job families. We commend the intent and drive of Team Apna to help the present-day employers onboard the right resources in the shortest time." - Dr. Varun Gupta , SVP- Medical Affairs, 1MG "Team apna has provided us with great support. During the lockdown, 75% of our job fulfillment for delivery personnel has been through the apna portal. I am a huge fan of the skill/asset tag feature as we don't have to manually type out basic requirements and the candidates we receive are already thoroughly screened. Highly recommended, and no complaints!" - Neeraj Gupta , Supply Lead, Shadowfax "We had a great experience working with Apna. It is a great platform for finding employees, especially freshers. We are a young company and require freshers and we got a lot of applications through the platform." Subrata Das , MD - Leon Exports, an SMB User love Apna has played a part in transforming the lives of several members of India's workforce that historically did not have access to professional networks and job opportunities. The bottom of the pyramid workforce would traditionally rely on their immediate family and friends or a limited set of known opportunities for employment, thereby limiting their potential to progress professionally and chart out a long term career path. The Apna platform solves for this issue by giving people access to relevant hyperlocal jobs and the ability to network with like minded professionals and pick up new skills on their vertical communities, all of this at a scale that hasn't been done before. Jyoti Shukla , a nurse by profession, found a job as a Covid nurse at a government hospital within a few hours of downloading the Apna app. This was a huge source of pride for her, as she got a chance to play her part in helping India recover from the pandemic. She then found her business partner on Apna's community for "Start your business'' and started her own placement agency to help other people find opportunities. She then connected with suppliers via the Apna app to purchase medical supplies on extremely short notice, a proof of the power of Apna's professional network. Hadis Munis Khan is an MIS executive who is extremely passionate about developing his excel skills. He spends a lot of time on the "Backoffice" community on the Apna app exchanging learnings and sharing self learnt tips and tricks with other members of the community. He has now become one of the go to members of the community for help, as many people are not able to interface with their office colleagues for help related to excel problems. Shivam Singh was an aspiring graphic designer from the city of Gorakhpur who migrated to Bangalore in search of better job opportunities. After a few months of working at a design studio, he lost his job due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. He downloaded the Apna app to search for opportunities and started engaging with the design community with a personal goal of posting one design every day. Over time, people started following Shivam and he built a repository of best practices and designs, becoming a leading influencer. Today Shivam operates his own freelance business and earns more than he did in his prior jobs, a true example of the power of perseverance and communities. He has even featured as a speaker in Josh Talks , India's 'Ted-talks' garnering more than a million views in 2months. Mayur Chandrakant Sonje was a machine operator from Pune working in the automotive sector with experience across Mercedes, Tata Motors and Fiat India. He began searching for a superior job upon getting married to better support his family's needs. He discovered the Apna app through a Youtube video and proceeded to apply for Sales and Marketing jobs. He landed an interview at Paytm and got selected within a day after clearing his on-site interviews. His new job got him the pay hike that he was looking for and also gave him an opportunity to build skills in a new domain. Now he feels deeply satisfied and is able to provide a better life for his family. Pooja Rajawat is a resident of Gwalior who had completed her nursing course and was looking for job opportunities. Prior to discovering the Apna app she relied on speaking to people in her network to search for opportunities without much success. Upon completing her profile on the Apna app, she started applying to jobs in Delhi , connecting with multiple HRs and going through the interview processes. While she initially experienced some difficulties due to a lack of prior work experience, she got a job in Attico Global as a sales representative. This is a testament to the power of Apna's platform, helping people find jobs that are aligned with their interests and professional development aspirations. Key Enablers of Apna - Product growth and the talent engine Apna is adopting a product & tech first approach towards building a world class product for the next billion users, making it easy to scale to new geographies and launch new products that address the core needs of the end users, both employers and candidates. Today Apna can launch a new city in less than 2 days, and drive 10k+ interviews in 48hours of launch. The team launched work from home jobs while India was experiencing the second wave of Covid. This resulted in a steep growth in the number of users applying for roles like telesales, marketing, support, content writing, etc. that allow users to work remotely. Apna has given a large part of India's workforce access to a digital professional identity by creating virtual business cards and their own website based on the information provided by users as part of the signup process within the app. Users often share their visiting cards or link to their site with friends, family and colleagues, which in turn further awareness about Apna. The Apna team is a set of mission driven professionals that have joined from several top companies in the consulting and consumer tech domain like BCG, Mckinsey, Uber, Myntra, Lightspeed India Partners, Swiggy and Flipkart to solve a burning issue for the next billion users. The team has members from some of the top elite schools from around the world like Stanford GSB, Chicago Booth, IITs, IIMs. The team has grown to over 200 members across product, engineering and business roles, a 2X growth over the last 6 months, as the company builds new capabilities to scale the business for the long term. SOURCE Apna TAMPA, Fla., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Artur Pawlowski, a Polish born preacher and civil rights activist who now lives in Canada, is making the trip South to the United States this weekend, where he will join dozens of healthcare freedom and faith-based activists at Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne's mega-church for a three-day long Healthcare & Freedom Conference "RALLY TO REOPEN AMERICA." Artur Pawlowski Artur Pawlowski Pawlowski, who was born in Communist Poland and reached great success with his construction business in the 80's and 90's, eventually lost it all after a years long struggle with suicidal thoughts and alcoholism. After meeting the women who would become his wife, Pawlowski would be introduced to Christianity and has never looked back. Since then, he has spent decades spreading the words of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bible, often to underserved communities like the homeless, has become well-known and respected in the Christian world for his willingness to take to the streets to encourage people to harness the power of faith. These operations are part of Pawlowski's "Street Church Ministries." Pawlowski's own church, which has faced unlawful lockdown orders in Canada since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Steadfast and committed to providing his community access to fellowship and faith, Pawlowski has been attacked by the Canadian government and law enforcement for keeping his doors open. Pawlowski's arrest for his refusal to shut his doors and failing to stop his organizing of faith based gatherings went viral last week after videos of law enforcement officers swarming the preacher were posted online. "It is during the toughest of times that we need Jesus Christ the most. Cowering to authoritarian government edicts and misguided law enforcement officers is the opposite of what God would want from us as Christians. I'm no stranger to struggle and I am excited to join so many fellow Christians in Tampa to fight for our right to worship," said Pawlowski. The Rally To Reopen America is one of many stops on Pawlowski's first US Tour with other speaking engagements in Scottsdale, AZ on June 22nd and California June 24th & 25th. Full schedule at FECUnited.com with updates being made daily. To schedule an interview with Pawlowski, please contact Cindy Chafian at 757-329-8342 or [email protected] SOURCE Artur Pawlowski BERLIN, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- European medical cannabis company Cantourage today launched its new and innovative platform, enabling cultivators from across the world to bring their product into the growing and profitable European market more quickly and cheaply. Already a price leader with a significant market share in the competitive German Dronabinol market, Cantourage and its partners now offer products in all relevant market segments dried flowers, extracts and Dronabinol. "We look forward to expanding our offering with the launch of our platform, which kicks off with more than 10 partners from all continents. The current European market is dominated by just a few companies. Market entrants face many hurdles when trying to enter these profitable markets. We empower cultivators and offer them fast-tracked, secure European market access, while helping them grow their brand", Philip Schetter, Co-CEO of Cantourage, comments. "Our platform expands and enhances the offering to patients and healthcare providers in Europe, in terms of both product and pricing. More importantly, Cantourage guarantees the highest European quality standards for flowers from all over the world. We are set to revolutionize the market", Dr. Florian Holzapfel, Co-founder of Cantourage, added. Cantourage disrupts and breaks the current market oligopoly by offering unbureaucratic and fast market access to the European market to cannabis cultivators worldwide. The company enables cultivators to sell under their own brands. Through its presence in various segments, Cantourage aims to democratize the market, offer pharmacies and medical cannabis distributors alternative buying opportunities across the entire market offering, and create new opportunities for the market to further grow. Based in Germany but already active across Europe in four countries, Cantourage is set-up to scale at high speed. Norman Ruchholtz, Co-CEO at Cantourage says: "The European market for medical cannabis is the fastest-growing, with over 20 European countries already having legalized medical cannabis and sales expected to generate over $3 billion by 2025. Roughly 1 2% of the population is estimated to be a potential medical cannabis patient, but access to the European market for producers and the offering for patients is still highly restricted, with just a few players creating a quasi-oligopoly. We firmly believe in the interest of our customers that this market is ripe for change and disruption." More than 10 cultivators from all continents, from Jamaica through to Portugal and Uruguay, have already signed on as partners and clients, with more scheduled to join in a few weeks' time. "Cantourage is one of the few players that can supply the market at high speed leveraging its existing production and distribution networks. Our dried flower product Flos FOTMER T3h is already available in German pharmacies. Together with our investors, we will further grow our European footprint and reach to service additional markets," explains Co-founder Patrick Hoffmann. Recently, the already profitable company closed its Series B funding, led by long-term partner Think.Health Ventures. Next to all previous investors, 10x Group joined the funding round which was set at a high double-digit million Euro valuation. "The management team leading Cantourage is exceptional. Their 25-plus years of experience, deep understanding of the market, exceptional set-up and aim of expanding the offerings in the market makes us very excited to be on board." explains Dr. Florian Kainzinger, CEO of Think.Health Ventures, which was also the first venture capital firm in 2015 to invest in the medical cannabis sector in Germany. Cantourage with its market disrupting model and the more than 10 signed supply contracts in place, is about to become one of the European leaders in medical cannabis. About Cantourage Cantourage is a leading European medical cannabis company. The Berlin-based company was founded in 2019 by industry pioneers Dr. Florian Holzapfel, Norman Ruchholtz and Patrick Hoffman. Cantourage enables producers from across the world to bring their product into the growing and profitable European market more quickly and cheaply, while guaranteeing and further developing highest European quality standards. It offers products in all relevant market segments: dried flowers, extracts and Dronabinol, with a strong and growing market share in the latter. Press contact Kekst CNC [email protected] Roland Leithaeuser +49 162-207-4592 SOURCE Cantourage "Points of Light believes that corporate leadership and commitment to civic engagement is critical to strengthening communities," said Natalye Paquin, president and CEO, Points of Light. "We thank Blue Shield of California for their investment in the communities where they live and work and look forward to supporting them in leveraging their time, talent and assets to make transformational change." One of Blue Shield of California's crowning achievements has been the 2019 launch of its BlueSky youth mental health initiative. The program is currently providing extra counselors in 20 schools in California, alongside other resources, to boost the emotional well-being of middle and high school students. Blue Shield has also been very active in corporate giving, funding dozens of nonprofits. Employees have also pitched in on this effort to support nonprofits to empower all Californians to live their healthiest, most productive and fulfilling lives. 2020 was a record-setting year for both volunteer hours (more than 30,000) and dollars (more than $1,000,000) donated by Blue Shield employees. So far in 2021 more than 60% of Blue Shield employees have donated more than 5,500 volunteer hours and $400,000 (including a company match) to worthy causes. "As a mission-driven, nonprofit health plan, Blue Shield of California is committed to improving the health and well-being of all Californians," said Paul Markovich, president, and CEO of Blue Shield of California. "From youth mental health and climate change to homelessness and COVID-19, we are committed doing all we can to address inequalities and to empower youth to reach their full potential. We are thrilled that our work has been recognized by Points of Light." Community groups that work with Blue Shield say the recognition is deserving. "Our mission has always been to provide housing and supportive services for young people experiencing homeless and trafficking in California. We do this with absolute respect and unconditional love for our young people, but we cannot do that work alone," said Bill Bedrossian, CEO at Covenant House California. "Fortunately, we have partners like Blue Shield of California who - over the years - have taken a holistic approach to partnership by providing financial support and volunteers." "Through the generosity of partners like Blue Shield of California, we've been able to continue to deliver culturally competent, tech-focused programming for students around the world," leaders at the Bay Area non-profit youth program, Black Girls CODE, said in a statement. The Civic 50 honorees are companies with annual U.S. revenues of at least $1 billion and are selected based on four dimensions of their corporate citizenship and social impact programs investment of resources, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies and systems and impact measurement. To learn more about The Civic 50 and see a list of the other 2021 honorees, visit www.Civic50.org. About Blue Shield of California Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with over 4.5 million members, over 7,500 employees and more than $21 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid, and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $150 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last four years to have an impact on California communities. For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. About Points of Light Points of Light is a global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world. We envision a world in which every individual discovers the power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies. Through 177 affiliates across 38 countries, and in partnership with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 5 million volunteers in 16 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it's needed most. For more information, visit www.pointsoflight.org CONTACT: Mark Seelig Blue Shield of California 510-607-2359 [email protected] SOURCE Blue Shield of California Related Links www.bcbs.com BERLIN, Conn., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc. announces today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval of its Abbreviated New Drug Application for Carfilzomib Intravenous Powder (generic for Kyprolis). This product was developed in collaboration with Natco Pharma Limited. Breckenridge received final approval for the 10mg and 60mg strengths and tentative approval for the 30mg strength. Onyx Therapeutics, Inc., Breckenridge and Natco have reached a Settlement Agreement and the District Court case against Breckenridge and Natco has been dismissed. By virtue of the settlement, Breckenridge has been granted a license permitting the launch of its generic carfilzomib product on a date that is held as confidential in 2027 or sooner depending on certain occurrences. The parties cannot make further comment as to the terms of the Settlement Agreement. According to industry sales data, Kyprolis generated annual sales of $711 million during the twelve months ending April 2021. About Breckenridge: Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc., a subsidiary of Towa Pharmaceutical (Osaka, Japan), partners with manufacturers nationwide and around the world to bring quality, cost-effective generic pharmaceuticals to U.S. patients. With our dedication to customer service, on-time delivery, reliable supply and quality manufacturing, we improve the health and quality of life of the patients we and our customers serve. www.bpirx.com About Natco: Natco Pharma Limited is a global generic pharmaceutical research, development, manufacturing and marketing company. The company was established in 1981 in India. Natco supplies pharmaceutical products to over 50 countries across the globe, including the United States. Natco focuses on the development and manufacturing of oncology and other specialty pharmaceuticals. www.natcopharma.co.in For further information, please contact: Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc. Robert Gasparino, Associate Vice President Business Development Tel: 860-828-8140 E-mail: [email protected] *All brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc. Related Links http://www.bpirx.com SAO PAULO, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BRF S.A. ("BRF") today announces the extension of the Total Consideration (as defined below) to be paid in connection with its previously announced offer to purchase for cash for up to the Maximum Amount (as defined below) of the outstanding 4.875% Senior Notes due 2030 ("Notes") issued by BRF (the "Offer") such that holders of Notes who validly tender their Notes after the date hereof and on or prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below) will also be eligible to receive the Tender Consideration (as defined below) and the Early Tender Premium (as defined below). The Offer is being made upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase dated June 2, 2021 (the "Offer to Purchase"). Except for the modification described above, this press release is qualified in its entirety by the Offer to Purchase. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the meanings ascribed to them in the Offer to Purchase. The Offer will expire at 11:59 p.m. (New York City time) on June 29, 2021, unless earlier terminated or extended by BRF (such time and date, as the same may be extended, the "Expiration Date"). Holders who validly tender their Notes in the Offer on or prior to the Expiration Date will be eligible to receive the total consideration of U.S.$1,047.50 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes tendered (the "Total Consideration"), which includes the tender consideration of U.S.$1,017.50 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes tendered (the "Tender Consideration") and an early tender premium of U.S.$30.00 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered (the "Early Tender Premium"). Accordingly, the Total Consideration for holders of Notes who validly tendered and did not validly withdraw their Notes at or prior to 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on June 15, 2021 (the "Early Tender Date") applies to holders of Notes who validly tender their Notes on or prior to the Expiration Date. The deadline for holders of Notes to validly withdraw tenders of Notes has passed. Accordingly, Notes tendered on or prior to the Early Tender Date may not be withdrawn or revoked, and Notes tendered after the date hereof and on or prior to the Expiration Date may not be withdrawn or revoked, except as required by applicable law. In addition to the Total Consideration, holders whose Notes are validly tendered and accepted for purchase in the Offer will also receive accrued and unpaid interest ("Accrued Interest") from, and including, the last interest payment date to, but not including, the Settlement Date (as defined below). The settlement date for the Notes validly tendered on or before the Expiration Date and accepted for purchase is expected to be on or about one Business Day following the Expiration Date, which would be June 30, 2021 (the "Settlement Date"), unless the Expiration Date is extended by BRF in its sole discretion. The following table sets forth certain revised information relating to the Offer. Title of Security CUSIPs ISINs Principal Amount Outstanding Maximum Amount(3) Tender Consideration(1) Early Tender Premium(1) Total Consideration(1)(2) 4.875% Senior Notes due 2030 10552T AG2 / P1905CJX9 US10552TAG22 / USP1905CJX94 U.S.$750,000,000 U.S.$180,000,000 U.S.$1,017.50 U.S.$30.00 U.S.$1,047.50 (1) The amount to be paid for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase, excluding Accrued Interest on the Notes to the Settlement Date. (2) The Total Consideration equals the Tender Consideration plus the Early Tender Premium. (3) The Maximum Amount equals a total purchase price, including any applicable Tender Consideration and Early Tender Premium but excluding any applicable Accrued Interest, of U.S.$180.0 million. General Information BRF's obligation to accept for purchase, and pay for, Notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn pursuant to the Offer is conditioned upon the satisfaction or waiver by BRF of a number of conditions described in the Offer to Purchase. BRF has the right, in its sole discretion, to amend or terminate the Offer at any time, subject to applicable law. BRF has retained Banco BTG Pactual S.A.Cayman Branch and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. to serve as dealer managers and D.F. King & Co., Inc. to serve as information and tender agent for the Offer. The Offer to Purchase and any related supplements are available at the D.F. King & Co., Inc. website at www.dfking.com/brf. Requests for the Offer to Purchase and any related supplements may also be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc. by telephone at +1 (212) 269-5550 or +1 (866) 856-3065 (U.S. toll free) or in writing at [email protected]. Questions about the Offer may be directed to Banco BTG Pactual S.A.Cayman Branch by telephone at +1 (212) 293-4600 (collect) or by email at [email protected] and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. by telephone at +1 (212) 723-6106 (toll free) or +1 (800) 558-3745 (collect). This press release shall not constitute an offer to purchase or a solicitation of acceptance of the offer to purchase, which are being made only pursuant to the terms and conditions contained in the Offer to Purchase, as modified by the terms above. The Offer is not being made to, nor will BRF accept tenders of Notes from, holders in any jurisdiction in which the Offer or the acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction where the laws require the Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Offer will be made by the dealer managers on behalf of BRF. None of BRF, the information and tender agent, the dealer managers or the trustee with respect to the Notes, nor any of their respective affiliates, makes any recommendation as to whether holders should tender or refrain from tendering all or any portion of their Notes in response to the Offer. None of BRF, the information and tender agent, the dealer managers or the trustee with respect to the Notes, nor any of their respective affiliates, has authorized any person to give any information or to make any representation in connection with the Offer other than the information and representations contained in the Offer to Purchase. Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any U.S. state securities commission nor any regulatory authority of any other country has approved or disapproved of the Offer, passed upon the merits or fairness of the Offer or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of the disclosure in the Offer to Purchase. About BRF BRF is a sociedade anonima (corporation) organized under the laws of the Federative Republic of Brazil. BRF's principal executive offices are located at Av. das Nacoes Unidas, 8501 1st Floor, Pinheiros, 05425-070, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, and its telephone number at this address is +55-11-2322-5000/5355/5048. Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Other than statements of historical fact, information regarding activities, events and developments that BRF expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements based on management's estimates, assumptions and projections. Many forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe, "estimate" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are predictions only and actual results could differ materially from management's expectations due to a variety of factors, including those described the section titled "Risk Factors" in BRF's Annual Report for fiscal year 2020 on Form 20-F. All forward-looking statements attributable to BRF are expressly qualified in their entirety by such risk factors. The forward-looking statements that BRF makes in this press release are based on management's current views and assumptions regarding future events and speak only as of their dates. BRF and the dealer managers assume no obligation to update developments of these risk factors or to announce publicly any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements that BRF makes, or to make corrections to reflect future events or developments, except as required by the U.S. federal securities laws. DISCLAIMER This press release must be read in conjunction with the Offer to Purchase, which contains important information. None of BRF, the dealer managers, the information and tender agent and any person who controls, or is a director, officer, employee or agent of such persons, or any affiliate of such persons, makes any recommendation as to whether holders of Notes should participate in the Offer. SOURCE BRF Related Links https://www.brf-global.com/en INDIANAPOLIS, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Noodle, the country's fastest-growing online learning network, announced a partnership with Butler University , named the Midwest Region's #1 Most Innovative School by U.S. News & World Report. The partnership will build on Butler's strategy of increasing adult learners' access to higher education by immediately launching three online programs with plans for adding more in the near future. With an aggressive rollout, Butler will offer three online graduate degrees in Spring 2022: a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Science in Strategic Communication, and a Master of Science (MS) in Data Analytics. As Butler looks to expand the University's impact through its new strategic direction, Butler Beyond, the partnership will lead to a wide array of additional online programs, aligning with Butler's mission of innovating in an ever-evolving academic world. Innovation is, in fact, a Butler hallmark: in March 2021, the University announced it had received a nearly $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through Charting the Future for Indiana's Colleges and Universities, a statewide initiative. Lilly Endowment designed Charting the Future to help Indiana's 38 colleges and universities "engage in thoughtful discernment about the future of their institutions and advance strategic planning and implementation efforts to address key challenges and opportunities." An earlier Charting the Future planning grant helped Butler research, identify and prioritize the needs it wanted to address. A portion of funding from the latest Charting the Future grant will support the University's efforts to address the needs of both adult learners and employers. "We are excited to help Butler University build on its reputation for academic excellence and become a vibrant online destination," notes Noodle CEO John Katzman. "I founded Noodle to provide world-class online programs that meet adult learners' needs. Butler's ambitious plan will increase access and improve students' and communities' quality of life." "Butler University recognizes that different learners have different needs, and may require different models of education," Butler University President James M. Danko said. "As an institution of higher education, we are committed to embracing and supporting learners of all life stages and backgrounds. I'm confident that these newly created online graduate programs will prove to be popular with adult learners who value a high-quality Butler University education that can be delivered in a manner that accommodates their extremely busy work-life schedules." Information about Butler's graduate and online programs, including the three new programs that will launch next year, is available at www.butler.edu/graduate-professional . About Butler University: Butler University is a nationally recognized comprehensive university encompassing six colleges: Arts, Business, Communication, Education, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Pharmacy & Health Sciences. Approximately 4,600 undergraduate and 800 graduate students are enrolled at Butler, representing 45 states and 30 countries. More than 75 percent of Butler students will participate in some form of internship, and Butler students have had significant success after graduation, as demonstrated by the University's 98 percent placement rate within six months of graduation. The University was recently listed as the No. 1 regional university in the Midwest, according to the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, in addition to being included in The Princeton Review's annual "best colleges" guidebook. About Noodle: Noodle is a certified B Corp that creates excellent online and agile programs that elevate campus-wide teaching and technology. Since January 2019, Noodle has launched as many online programs with elite US universities as have all of our competitors combined. Our network of universities, higher education leaders, providers and students fuel innovation and efficiency in learning design, marketing, recruitment, technology, student and faculty support, and clinical placement. For more information, visit partners.noodle.com and follow us on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/noodleeducation and Twitter @NoodleEducation. MEDIA CONTACT: Renee Young Noodle 914-523-5320 [email protected] SOURCE Noodle Related Links https://partners.noodle.com PHOENIX, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading ready-to-eat bakery brand Cafe Valley today announced it is making a significant investment in employee wages. The company is increasing starting pay to $15/hour and investing $7.2 million to raise the pay scale at its U.S. production plants. This commitment is part of the company's broader strategy to minimize turnover while enhancing loyalty among employees to enable firmwide recruitment and retention. "At Cafe Valley, we firmly believe in maximizing opportunity for our workforce," said Brian Owens, chief executive officer of Cafe Valley. "Like many companies, we continue to face a challenging hiring environment as a result of the pandemic. We're committed to our team members and will continue to provide competitive pay and advanced training programs to enrich the employee experience." As part of this investment, Cafe Valley is rolling out its fast-track career pathing program. The goal of the fast-track program is to cultivate ownership and opportunity from day one. The program allows entry level staff to follow a promotional path from production team member to supervisor in training in some instances within the course of a year. Throughout the year, staff members have the opportunity to earn several pay increases, which can increase hourly rates from $15/hour to as much as $20/hour. "We've established new onboarding programs with intention and are dedicated to providing a culture of support and achievement," said Donna Lane, vice president of human resources at Cafe Valley. "By linking the new pay increase with dynamic talent programming, we intend to create valuable, accessible career paths for current and prospective employees." Interested candidates should visit the Cafe Valley careers page on its website to apply for a position. Applicants take part in a formal screening before receiving an invitation to interview for a position. Upon receiving an offer, team members can benefit from competitive compensation packages, referral bonuses and vaccination incentives. The wage increases for new and existing employees became effective on June 6, 2021. Cafe Valley also offers a $1,500 employee referral bonus and a loyalty increase every year for the first five years. The company is looking to hire 400 new team members between its Phoenix, Arizona, and Marion, Indiana, production facilities. For more information on careers, visit: www.cafevalley.com/careers. About Cafe Valley Bakery Since 1987, Cafe Valley Bakery has been producing high-quality bakery products for in-store bakeries, club stores, food service and convenience stores throughout the world. Their products include croissants, muffins, Bundt cakes, ring cakes, loaf cakes, turnovers and cafe bites. With facilities in Phoenix, Arizona, and Marion, Indiana, Cafe Valley products are available to mass retailers throughout the United States. The company is committed to an extensive food safety program and has donated significant time, money and gifts to communities across the United States. Visit www.cafevalley.com to learn more. Contact: Emma Wach [email protected] Lambert & Co. SOURCE Cafe Valley Related Links https://www.cafevalley.com LONDON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today released a new Global Research Report which examines the ability of nations and institutions to respond to unexpected challenges or opportunities in science, medicine, technology and social sciences based on the diversity of their research activities and expertise. With the publication of, " Subject diversity in research portfolios", analysts at the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) at Clarivate consider subject diversity in a research context and show trends in national and institutional research portfolios by examining publications from across the G71 and BRICK2 nations from 1981 2018. The report finds that subject diversity provides benefit, notably in resilience and responsiveness to unexpected challenges and examines these nations' ability to provide for their citizens' needs in responding to a severe unforeseen global challenge - the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, Clarivate identifies a new and readily usable analytical approach to evaluate the capacity and competency of research organizations and nations. The report looks to the Web of Science citation index, relying on the familiar Gini coefficient to provide a pragmatic approach to examining research diversity by identifying a stable global baseline for national comparisons, using highly structured data gathered over forty years. By focusing on the category balance or evenness, rapid visual comparisons can be made over time and between entities. The study demonstrates that diversity analysis provides a new forward-looking view of the opportunities for intellectual, and scientific evolution, in contrast to retrospective publication citation analysis, which looks back to achievement. Bibliometric data have been thoroughly explored as a tool for tracking past performance and outcomes. Understanding and assessing diversity may prove not only to be a useful forward-looking index for research organizations but also to be a critical tool for national and institutional research managers in anticipating and preparing for the unexpected - and deploying an effective response. Jonathan Adams, Chief Scientist at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate said: "The association between diversity of research topics and response to challenge and innovation points to a new source of information for those that manage research portfolios and will form a valuable new tool in support of strategic investment planning." Diversity and research response COVID-19 presented an unforeseen global research challenge, and the ISI identified 67,756 papers (articles or reviews) indexed in the Web of Science and published in 2020-21 related to COVID-19. Their analysis of these papers suggests that a diverse research base is indeed of potential benefit in enabling a more comprehensive response, as it provides agility and the scope for recombining knowledge in unexpected interdisciplinary situations. Countries with a diverse research base responded with a rapid and comprehensive range of innovative research but most specialist countries did not. An exception, Brazil, has a narrow research base but one pre-adapted to this particular challenge. Joel Haspel, SVP Strategy, Science at Clarivate said: "Diversity matters. Research diversity, in all its forms, is an engine of economic progress. It stimulates innovation and contributes to stability and resilience in national portfolios and should be a valuable part of management planning for research and development for countries and institutions." Notes to editors: 1 G7 nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States 2 BRICK nations: Brazil, Russia, India, Mainland China, South Korea About Clarivate Clarivate is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the lifecycle of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world's most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of science and intellectual property. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise. For more information, please visit clarivate.com. Media Contact Rebecca Krahenbuhl, External Communications Manager, Science [email protected] SOURCE Clarivate Plc "Investing in the future of our students at Clark Atlanta University is paramount toward the creation of pipelines." Tweet this The AltFinance initiative's initial partnership will be with Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. It is designed to diversify the alternative investment industry by attracting, training, and providing career development, mentored fellowships, and scholarship opportunities for college students at the three inaugural HBCUs, all of which are part of the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC). "Investing in the future of our students at Clark Atlanta University is paramount toward the creation of pipelines designed to increase diversity in all industries, specifically the alternative investment industry," said President George T. French, Jr. "We are truly grateful for Apollo Global Management, Inc., Ares Management Corporation, and Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. for their vision to partner and form AltFinance. This investment will undoubtedly empower Clark Atlanta's scholars and prepare them to be globally competitive in the alternative investment industry. Additionally, this partnership with Clark Atlanta University will give our scholars much-needed scholarships, introductions to industry experts, create networking opportunities, and grant them access to resources from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and Management Leadership for Tomorrow. Clark Atlanta University students are extraordinary, and partnerships such as this open doors for them to show the world their brilliance." Additionally, there will be a virtual institute offering curriculum designed by the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Students selected for the mentored fellowships will work directly with an industry mentor and learn all aspects of finance and alternatives. The fellowship program will be run in partnership with Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), a national non-profit organization working to ensure that marking the first major multi-firm commitment to increase opportunities in the alternatives industry. About Clark Atlanta University Established in 1988 by the historic consolidation of Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869). Clark Atlanta University continues a 150-year legacy rooted in African-American tradition and focused on the future. Through global innovation, transformative educational experiences, and high-value engagement. CAU cultivates lifted lives that transform the world. Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson; American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing "The Black National Anthem"; Ralph David Abernathy Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu. SOURCE Clark Atlanta University Related Links www.cau.edu ST. LOUIS, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Concordance, a non-profit re-entry program headquartered in St. Louis, commemorated its fifth anniversary of providing services to participants today by announcing several achievements, including receiving peer accreditation and making significant progress towards multi-city expansion. When Concordance began supporting participants in 2016, it began delivering the country's first integrated, holistic, and evidence-informed services to individuals returning to society from prison. After five years, Concordance has lowered reincarceration rates among its participants by 44% - exceeding its original goal of 33%. By contrast, typically 77%, or four out of five people released from prison, are rearrested within five years. Concordance was founded by Danny Ludeman, former president and CEO of Wells Fargo Advisors, and is supported by notable business executives, prominent civic leaders, and respected academics nationwide. This past fall, Concordance launched a $50 million campaign to expand its services nationally, opening centers in 11 additional cities over the next five years. Today Ludeman announced that Concordance has already received more than $15 million from prominent business leaders nationwide. "We're proud to commemorate our fifth anniversary knowing that this is just the beginning," Ludeman said. "We are humbled and inspired by the support we've received from leaders across the country who have shown up with passion to help us take the next steps in expanding Concordance's proven solution to other cities throughout the nation." Concordance's First Chance campaign is chaired by David Steward, chairman and founder of World Wide Technology, the largest minority owned enterprise (MBE) in the world. More than 75 business leaders support the campaign as co-chairs, including John Thompson, chairman of Microsoft; Jim Crane, chairman, Crane Worldwide Logistics and owner and chairman, Houston Astros; Jim Fish, Jr., president and CEO, Waste Management; Steve Phelps, president, NASCAR; Arnold Donald, CEO, Carnival Corporation; Wayne Frederick, president, Howard University; David A. Thomas, president, Morehouse College; Mary Schmidt Campbell, president, Spelman College; Emily Procter, actress, entrepreneur and activist; and others. "I have been a supporter of Concordance since it was an idea on a piece of paper. Over five years later, I am honored to be a part of this team making such a difference in our community. As partners of the First Chance campaign, we have assembled a truly impressive group of co-chairs who are dedicated to the mission of Concordance and to making a lasting impact in our communities. Thanks to their support, Concordance can advance its expansion plans, targeting cities with the need, demographics, and policy landscape to best ensure continued success in dramatically reducing the recidivism rate," said Steward. Ludeman also announced that Concordance has received accreditation from CARF, the international accrediting body that establishes and evaluates standards for health and human service programs and services. Concordance achieved its CARF Three-Year Term of Accreditation through rigorous peer review and onsite assessments. "We've been able to witness the results of our program every day since Concordance began service to its first participants five years ago, and this CARF accreditation proves that our program meets the highest standards in mission and methodology, as this is the highest level of accreditation an organization like ours can receive," Ludeman said. CARF accreditation surveyors reported in its Accreditation Decision Final Report, "The CEO of Concordance is a former corporate executive who combines a business mindset with a heart for the work of helping persons who have been incarcerated to re-enter society. The result is a high-performing organization that bases its entire reputation on the level of impact. With a successful track record of care since 2016, Concordance is well positioned to achieve its strategic goal of national expansion." "We are taking a proven solution with demonstrated results in lowering reincarceration rates and expanding it to additional cities throughout the nation," said Ludeman. "It is our hope and our expectation that as we scale, more participants, families, and communities will feel the ripple effect from the Concordance program." About Concordance Concordance is a St. Louis-based CARF-accredited non-profit that offers the country's first set of integrated, holistic, and evidence-informed services to individuals returning to society from prison. The program assists participants in three primary areas: behavioral health and wellness; education and employment; and community and life skills. Concordance starts working with individuals six months prior to release and continues assisting for up to a year after their return to the community. Founded by President and CEO Danny Ludeman, Concordance is committed to restoring individuals, reuniting families, transforming communities, and advancing the field of re-entry services. For more information, visit www.concordanceacademy.org . Resources for news media including fact sheets, photos, and videos are available at https://concordanceacademy.org/media-kit/ About CARF CARF is an independent, non-profit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. SOURCE Concordance Related Links https://concordanceacademy.org/ DENVER, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Controlled Products Systems Group (CPSG), the leading nationwide distributor of perimeter access control products, has partnered with Gibraltar Perimeter Security, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of anti-ram vehicle barriers. "Protecting critical infrastructure against vehicle-based threats is one of the areas that our installing dealers are tasked with nationwide," said Scott Rosenbloom, CPSG Product Manager. "By adding Gibraltar's crash-rated anti-vehicle barriers and high-security anti-personnel fence products to our product offerings, we are better able to meet the ever-growing needs of our customers and the industries they service." Gibraltar's expertly engineered products are easy-to-install and designed to protect high-value facilities, assets and pedestrians. Their bollards, barriers, gates, and fencing have been designed to meet the specific needs of the end user and have been certified or engineered to meet ASTM F-2656 and ASTM F-3016 requirements. Historically, these solutions have been thought of as anti-terrorism measures. The more practical application is storefronts, outdoor dining, farmers markets and other commercial applications. As reported by the Storefront Safety Council*, accidents happen over 60 times per day with over 4,000 injured annually. The top causes of these accidents are "operator error" and/or "pedal error". These products provide opportunities to significantly increase the safety of public areas. About Controlled Products Systems Group Controlled Products Systems Group (CPSG) is the largest wholesale distributor of perimeter access control equipment in the U.S. With 35 locations, CPSG supplies equipment to authorized dealers from coast to coast. CPSG offers the highest quality, most widely recognized brands of access-control products available on the market. They are the industry leader in product knowledge and technical support. For more information on CPSG's products, services, or to find a location, visit controlledproducts.com . About Gibraltar Perimeter Security Gibraltar offers anti-vehicle barriers and specializes in designing active and passive vehicle barriers, anti-ram fence products, and anti-personnel fencing. These products are found on both the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Barrier List and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Department of Defense (USACE DOD) Barrier List. Gibraltar's products are proudly manufactured in the USA utilizing American steel and components and meet all requirements of Buy America and Buy American with our barriers. For more information, visit gibraltarperimetersecurity.com. *Storefront Safety Council Article Contact: Jamie Emerson Marketing Communications Manager 2425 Pomona Rd Corona, CA 92880 O: 800.622.5335 [email protected] Related Images image1.png SOURCE Controlled Products Systems Group TEL AVIV, Israel and CHIASSO, Switzerland, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyberpion , a cybersecurity pioneer in discovering and protecting online ecosystems, today announced a strategic reseller agreement with LS International , a system integrator and technology provider, targeting enterprises based in Switzerland and Europe. Cyberpion's Ecosystem Security Platform proactively identifies vulnerabilities in the hyperconnected IT infrastructures of enterprises before they are exploited by attackers, as well as provides continuous risk assessment of third party assets with timely alerts. Cyberpion's Ecosystem Risk Discovery Program will provide LS International with a non-intrusive approach to identify and attract potential customers, using a step-by-step process to create tailored remediation and ongoing continuous protection plans that includes technical and sales support. Under this program, LS International can provide potential customers with a high-level report that indicates areas of concern and key findings specific to their company - particularly if there is serious exposure that should be remediated immediately. In today's business operations, enterprises utilize a myriad of third-party online solutions to augment their market presence, improve operations, and best serve customers. Extending far beyond the traditional network perimeter, each of these solutions leverage their own third-party IT assets and infrastructures, creating an ever-expanding attack surface for the enterprise. Due to the scale, complexity, and lack of oversight, this external attack surface is uniquely appealing to hackers to conduct an indirect attack on the enterprise, and is extremely complicated for enterprises to manage securely. Cyberpion Ecosystem Security Platform, combined with LS International expertise, can help enterprises by: Creating and maintaining an extensive map of their online ecosystem (DISCOVERY). Running continuous security assessments of each asset and connection to discover threats and vulnerabilities (RISK ASSESSMENT). Protecting, when possible, the organization against vulnerable connections with active actions (CONTINUOUS PROTECTION). Gaining visibility of ongoing ecosystem information, inventory, findings, alerts, and recommended actions (VISIBILITY & ALERTS). "Large organizations around the world struggle to understand and gain control over their entire online ecosystem, which can result in attacks and abuses by hackers with the intent of stealing data," said Davide Bortolotto, CEO at LS International. "Cyberpion's powerful platform will help our customers become aware of the risks from their online ecosystem and to mitigate them before they are exploited by attackers." "We look forward to working with LS International to give European customers a novel security approach based on understanding their vulnerable connections," said Tracy Hickox who leads Cyberpion's channel sales initiative. "With Cyberpion's Ecosystem Risk Discovery Program, LS International helps companies prevent digital supply chain attacks before they happen and become proactive in managing risks originating from third-party suppliers." About Cyberpion Cyberpion solves the rising cybersecurity challenge of understanding the risks and vulnerabilities of your connected online assets that form an external attack surface. Knowing how your organization is vulnerable, where those threats come from, and what infrastructures are at risk, is critical to preventing an attack before it happens. Cyberpion helps organizations mitigate these advanced threats by continuously monitoring, discovering, and assessing the threat vectors present throughout online ecosystems that exist outside the traditional security perimeter. With an R&D team based in Israel, the company is funded by leading cybersecurity venture capitalists. To learn more, visit cyberpion.com . About LS International LS International SA is a Swiss company with an international vision: it is part of Lantech Longwave, the Italian leading system integrator, and part of the Zucchetti Group, the first software house in Europe. Its main focus is creating simple and efficient ways to collaborate between people and companies through innovative IT networking technologies with a special attention for Cybersecurity. To learn more, visit www.lsinternational.ch and follow us on LinkedIn , For more information, please contact: CYBERPION Josh Turner [email protected] LS INTERNATIONAL Marta Brambilla [email protected] SOURCE Cyberpion TORONTO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - DeFi Technologies Inc. (the "Company" or "DeFi Technologies") (NEO: DEFI) (GR: RMJR) (OTC: DEFTF) announces that its wholly owned subsidiary, Valour Structured Products ("Valour") , has today signed a Letter of Intent with Arcane Crypto's wholly owned subsidiary Arcane Assets AS ("Arcane Assets") with the intention to explore the issuance and listing of an Exchange-Traded Product (ETP) based on Arcane's cryptocurrency fund. The ETP would be the first to have a cryptocurrency fund as an underlying asset and the market provides exciting expansion possibilities for both the Arcane Fund and Valour. Valour and Arcane Assets are working on a definitive partnership agreement and a plan for issuance and expect these to be completed later this year. Torbjrn Bull Jenssen CEO of Arcane Crypto AS said of the partnership "Valour has successfully launched several ETPs tracking cryptocurrencies in the past and is an ideal partner for us. By joining forces, our intention is to bring a truly new and innovative product to market, lowering the frictions associated with cryptocurrency investments." Valour (a wholly owned subsidiary of DeFi Technologies Inc.) is an issuer of ETPs that track underlying digital assets and the ETPs are listed on regulated European stock exchanges. This enables investors to easily gain exposure to this emerging asset class through their regular bank or broker like Avanza and Nordnet. An ETP based on the Arcane Fund would work in the same way. In other words, investors would be able to buy and sell the ETP through their broker, which would track the performance of the Arcane Fund. Eric Wall, CIO of Arcane Assets commented "We're constructing this as an ideal one-stop shop solution for investors' entire cryptocurrency exposure based on active portfolio management. We use all the market intelligence on a daily basis to offer the best kind of product, and investors can potentially gain exposure to our portfolio through an ISK (Investeringssparkonto) savings account." Diana Biggs CEO of Valour commented "We're delighted to be partnering with Arcane to launch the world's first fund-based crypto ETP. Arcane Assets bring unparalleled knowledge of cryptocurrencies both from a technology and an investment perspective, rightly placing them as one of the most well-respected hedge funds in this space, and this product partnership is a key milestone in our ongoing mission to provide investors of all types with access to the most innovative and highest quality digital asset ETPs." About Valour Structured Products Ltd.: Valour Structured Products Inc. issues exchange-listed financial products that enable retail and institutional investors to access investment in disruptive innovations, such as digital assets, in a simple and secure way. Established in 2019 and with offices in Zug, Switzerland, Valour is a wholly owned subsidiary of DeFi Technologies Inc. (NEO: DEFI, GR:RMJR, OTC: DEFTF). For more information on Valour, visit www.valour.com . About Arcane Crypto: Arcane Crypto develops and invests in projects, focusing on bitcoin and digital assets. Arcane operates a portfolio of businesses, spanning the value chain for digital finance. As a group we deliver services targeting payments, investment, and trading. In addition, we have a media and research division. Arcane has the ambition to become a leading player in the digital assets space by growing the existing businesses, invest in cutting edge projects, and through acquisitions and consolidation. About DeFi Technologies Inc.: DeFi Technologies Inc. is a Canadian company that carries on business with the objective of enhancing shareholder value through building and managing assets in the decentralized finance sector. For more information, visit https://defi.tech/ Cautionary note regarding forward-looking information: This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to Valour and its partnership with Arcane Assets, any ETP launch by Valour and Arcane Assets or any other products launched by Valour; the growth or potential of any of Valour's products; the decentralized finance industry and the merits or potential returns of any such opportunities. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. THE NEO STOCK EXCHANGE DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE DeFi Technologies, Inc. LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Epson America, Inc. today announced the expansion of its Business Inkjet Supertank portfolio to include the WorkForce ST-C8090 Supertank color MFP, offering two years of ink guaranteed1 and a standard two-year limited warranty. The new ST-C8090 is engineered for high-volume printing up to 13"x19" and equipped with PCL2/PS support for simple setup. The ST-C8090 includes enough ink in the box to print up to 19,500 pages black/14,800 color,3 high-yield ink bottles for zero-cartridge waste and delivers print-shop-quality output. Businesses looking to onboard an A3 color MFP with low TCO can benefit from up to 60 percent lower total printing costs vs. color laser4 and a very low cost per page with about two cents per color ISO page5 with replacement ink. With Epson Open Platform and PCL2/PS support, the ST-C8090 is compatible with Epson's Solutions Suite and industry-leading third-party solutions for integration in many different environments. "The demand for desktop color MFPs used for dedicated, in-house printing has significantly increased, especially within industries such as hospitality, architecture, engineering, and finance where everyday printing is critical for operations," said Alan Chen, product manager, Business Imaging, Epson America, Inc. "Knowing this demand is not diminishing, Epson engineered the ST-C8090 to integrate into virtually any environment and support multiple users while allowing businesses to reduce energy consumption and consumables waste." Built with PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology and designed to decrease downtime and interventions, the ST-C8090 delivers a fast first page out and the lowest energy consumption in its class.6 The ST-C8090 prints up to 25 ISO ppm black and color print speed and copies and scans up to 11"x17". Additional features include: Key security features: WPA2 protection to help create a secured network for both wireless and Wi-Fi Direct 7 WPA2 protection to help create a secured network for both wireless and Wi-Fi Direct Load paper less often: 550-sheet paper capacity with two front trays and a rear feed for specialty paper 550-sheet paper capacity with two front trays and a rear feed for specialty paper Productivity features: Auto 2-sided print/copy/scan/fax; 4.3" color touchscreen for easy setup and navigation; hands-free voice-activated printing 8 Auto 2-sided print/copy/scan/fax; 4.3" color touchscreen for easy setup and navigation; hands-free voice-activated printing Print-shop quality output: Epson DURABrite pigment-based inks deliver crisp, vibrant prints in black-and-white and color and borderless prints up to 11"x17" Epson DURABrite pigment-based inks deliver crisp, vibrant prints in black-and-white and color and borderless prints up to 11"x17" Wireless and networking capabilities: Includes Wi-Fi Direct7 and Ethernet, and supports printing from an iPad, iPhone, Android tablet and smartphone9 Availability and Support The Epson WorkForce ST-C8090 Supertank Color MFP is now available through authorized BusinessFirstSM dealers. For more information and availability, please visit epson.com/business-inkjet-printers. About Epson Business Inkjet Epson's portfolio of high-performance business inkjet printing solutions forge the future of office printing and set the new standard for minimal intervention, affordability and low energy consumption. Engineered with Epson's innovative PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology, Epson's groundbreaking business printing solutions from Supertank, WorkForce, WorkForce Pro and WorkForce Pro HC for hybrid work-from-home and in-office small businesses to WorkForce Enterprise deliver high performance with few moving parts to exceed market needs. To learn more about Epson's portfolio of business inkjet printing solutions, visit Epson.com/BusinessInkjet. To learn more about Epson PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology, visit Epson.com/Heat-Free. About Epson Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to co-creating sustainability and enriching communities by leveraging its efficient, compact, and precision technologies and digital technologies to connect people, things, and information. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson's goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of around JPY 1 trillion. global.epson.com/ Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica). Black print speeds are measured in accordance with ISO/IEC 24734. Actual print times will vary based on factors including system configuration, software, and page complexity. For more information, visit www.epson.com/printspeed 1 Promo valid for ST-2000, ST-3000, ST-4000, ST-M1000, ST-M3000, ST-C8000, ST-C8090, WF-C5790 Supertank (C11CG02201-LB), and WF-M5799 Supertank (C11CG04201-LB) printers through authorized Epson resellers only from 10/1/19 to 03/31/22. Product must be registered before 04/30/21. Limit 8 additional bottles of 502 inks, 542 inks or 902 packs per printer. Max 8 claims per printer. Each claim cannot contain multiple bottles or packs of the same color. Limit 2 additional bottles of 532 inks or M02XL120 packs per printer. Limit one bottle per claim. Based on average monthly document print volumes of about 150 pages (ST-2000), 300 pages (ST-3000/ST-4000/ST-M1000/ST-M3000), 500 pages (WF-C5790 Supertank) and 750 pages (WF-M5799 Supertank). Promo applies to ink only. Printer covered by Epson 2-year limited warranty. For promo participation, you must register your product. 2 Not all media types are supported for PCL printing. 3 Part of the ink from the included bottles is used for initial setup; yields are lower than those of replacement ink bottles. Replacement and included ink bottle yields based on the ISO/IEC 24712 pattern with Epson's methodology. Actual ink yields will vary considerably for reasons including images printed, print settings, temperature and humidity. Yields may be lower when printing infrequently or predominantly with one ink color. All ink colors are used for printing and printer maintenance, and all colors must be available for printing. For more information, visit www.epson.com/inkinfo 4 Actual savings will vary based on print task and use conditions. Compared with best-selling, A3 color laser printers priced at $1,499 (USD) or less and 40 ppm or less, as of December 2020. Calculation based on continuous printing with standard-capacity individual cartridges. 5 Actual cost per page will vary considerably based on print tasks, print volumes and usage conditions. Cost per ISO page calculations are based on the MSRP (USD) and the ISO yields for replacement Epson ink bottles available for the ST-C8000/ST-C8090 supertank printers as of December 2020. 6 Actual energy savings will vary based on print task and use conditions. Compared with best-selling, A3 color laser printers priced at $1,499 (USD) or less and 40 ppm or less, as of December 2020. Competitive data gathered from manufacturer websites and third-party industry sources. 7 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED; level of performance subject to the range of the router being used. Wi-Fi Direct may require printer software. 8 Epson Connect account and voice-activated account registration required. See www.epson.com/voice for device compatibility. 9 Most features require an Internet connection to the printer, as well as an Internet- and/or email-enabled device. For a list of Epson Connect enabled printers and compatible devices and apps, visit www.epson.com/connect All rights reserved. EPSON, DURABrite, PrecisionCore and WorkForce are registered trademarks, EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark, Epson Connect and PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology are trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2021 Epson America, Inc. SOURCE Epson America, Inc. Related Links https://www.epson.com FORT WORTH, Texas, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- eTrueNorth is one of the largest providers of COVID-19 tests to Americans. With more than 700 sites located across the country, eTrueNorth allows Americans to schedule free COVID-19 tests via its website www.doIneedacovid19test.com. Drawing on the millions of COVID-19 tests performed since the beginning of the pandemic, eTrueNorth is offering advice to travelers on best practices when obtaining a COVID-19 test related to travel. 1.) Know the Requirements "This is by far the most important bit of advice I can give Americans," said Coral May, eTrueNorth's CEO. "Understand the requirements of the airline, cruise ship, and destination country. The requirements are not uniform, and learning the requirements specific to your mode of travel and destination is paramount." The rules are different and vary depending on how you are traveling (bus, airplane, rail, cruise ship, etc.) and where your final destination will be. From the length of time from testing to boarding date, to the testing method, there are many variables for travelers to understand. It's also important to understand that these rules are being adapted and updated all the time with the changing situation, so check in often to determine if anything has changed that will affect your travel plans. For example: Not all destinations, airlines and cruise ships will accept an at-home COVID-19 test. Some travel-related requirements demand the COVID-19 test be performed at a certified laboratory, while others will accept a rapid test. (See Tip #2 for explanation of laboratory test vs. rapid onsite test.) Some want test results within 72 hours of travel, and others require results closer to your arrival date. There are some destinations that want you to have a laboratory test before you board a plane and a rapid test when you arrive. "Just know the requirements that are relevant to your travel plans," said May. "I recommend that the first step, even before you book tickets, is to understand exactly what the testing requirements are for travel and for your final destination. Don't assume. Ask specifics." 2.) Understand the Difference between RT-PCR (laboratory processed); NAAT (molecular rapid) and Point-of-Care Antigen (onsite rapid results) In general, a PCR test is performed at an offsite traditional laboratory; a molecular NAAT test is usually run at the testing site. If the specimen (nasal swab or saliva) will be collected at one location and then shipped to a laboratory for processing, the PCR test typically requires three to four business days to obtain a result from the day of your specimen collection. Remember, the specimen will likely be shipped for overnight delivery to a laboratory. So, even if you arrive at the specimen collection site at 8 a.m., that specimen may not ship to a laboratory until that evening. Then, when your specimen arrives at the laboratory, there may be thousands of specimens in front of you. Finally, once the specimen is analyzed, it may need to be analyzed a second time. Hence, the process takes three to four business days. Oftentimes, results are available sooner, however plan on three to four days. If your specimen (nasal) is tested on a NAAT Rapid Molecular (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) analyzer at the testing site, the results are typically available in several hours. Please note, not all travel modalities will accept NAAT test results. A rapid antigen test is typically performed onsite, with results provided "while you wait." For a rapid test, the specimen is collected and tested on a point-of-care medical device that will attempt to provide a test result in about 15 to 20 minutes. While the rapid tests are much more convenient to Americans, they are in general less accurate than the more sensitive PCR tests performed at laboratories. Back to Tip #1 - Know the Requirements. Be sure you understand if your destination or airline will accept either test method. You absolutely do not want to arrive at your final destination, especially if this is a different country, to learn that you did not have the required COVID-19 test for entry. 3.) Plan Ahead "Do yourself a favor and plan on at least three business days to get a result from a PCR test," said Michael McEntee, eTrueNorth Chief Science Officer. "You may get the result in one to two days, however plan for the worst-case scenario. It is a very bad idea to wait until the day before your departure date to locate a site, get a specimen collected and hope to obtain results. Just plan ahead." A best practice would be to have your specimen collected Monday through Thursday. For the PCR tests, the specimen must be shipped. If you get a specimen collected on a Saturday, that specimen will not be analyzed until Monday. The major shipping companies do not deliver on Sundays. Some laboratories work on the weekends and others don't. Be mindful of holidays. For example, there will be laboratories that will not work the July 4th weekend. 4.) Understand That Not All COVID-19 Tests are Free Don't assume that your COVID-19 test will be free. Many of the sites sponsored by the Federal Government will be free to Americans. However, especially when a rapid onsite test is being performed, it's best to ask ahead if there will be a charge for the COVID-19 test. COVID-19 testing in the United States is generally set up for analysis to be done at a laboratory. Having said this, there are sites that perform rapid testing for free. It's always best to ask, to avoid surprise bills. Before you obtain a COVID-19 test at an urgent care, be sure to ask if an office copay will be applied. The COVID-19 test may be free, however the urgent care may charge for an office visit. For travelers that need a rapid COVID-19 test, an office visit fee may be appropriate. There are certainly private testing providers that offer testing for a fee. Again, in situations where the traveler has waited to obtain a test, a "fee for service" COVID-19 test may be appropriate. Our advice is always to ask if there will be costs associated with the COVID-19 test before your specimen is collected. 5.) Get a Vaccine While being fully vaccinated won't meet the COVID-19 testing requirement for travel, it's simply the best thing Americans can do to protect themselves and their community against the virus. Even with the vaccine, Americans should test to ensure that they are disease-free. So get the vaccine. Then get tested before you travel. "Our tips are best practices and come from a common-sense standpoint. We closely monitor all the questions that arrive in our call center. We want all Americans to have as much information as possible before they travel to ensure their summer trips go smoothly," said May. "Travelers can turn to the CDC for the official recommendations. Talk to airlines and cruise ship operators, and double check the entry requirements for international travel. There are many resources for Americans to get a COVID-19 test today. One option is eTrueNorth's www.doineedacovid19test.com." Another important thing to know when getting a COVID-19 test for travel is to understand generally how the process works. Typically, individuals must schedule an appointment for specimen collection. There may or may not be a line to get an appointment. Don't assume you will get a same-day appointment. Plan ahead. Arrive to your scheduled appointment on time. You don't want to lose your place in line because you arrived late to your appointment. When you arrive at the testing site, a specimen will be collected for analysis. This can be either a nose swab or saliva. For testing performed at an offsite laboratory, that specimen must be shipped to the laboratory. For rapid onsite testing, the analysis will be complete in about 15 to 20 minutes. Once the analysis is done, the result will be digitally uploaded for the individual to obtain result. Typically, the individual will need to remember the username and password they created when they scheduled the appointment. They will use these same login credentials to obtain results. A great resource is the CDC website, where they offer advice on international travel: International Travel During COVID-19 - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/international-travel-during-covid19.html - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/international-travel-during-covid19.html Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test or Recovery from COVID-19 for All Air Passengers Arriving in the United States - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html eTrueNorth is in the forefront of public health initiatives. In April 2020, eTrueNorth began its participation in the drive-through COVID-19 testing site program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. With 700 sites across the country, eTrueNorth has responded by enabling nearly 2 million COVID-19 tests over the last six months. In the future, eTrueNorth will continue to support COVID-19 tests. eTrueNorth is working to implement its infrastructure for other public health concerns, such as HIV and Hep C testing, as well as for maintenance of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Proven strategies and clinical expertise prepare the company to address public health concerns, known and unknown. Media Contact: Tom Wiser eTrueNorth Communications [email protected] 317-517-2216 SOURCE eTrueNorth NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The FAIR Health Board of Directors has elected Marcella Alsan, MD, MPH, PhD, a professor of public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, to the Board. A national, independent nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information, FAIR Health is governed by a Board comprising leaders from all parts of the healthcare sector. Dr. Alsan received a BA from Harvard University, a master's in public health from Harvard School of Public Health, an MD from Loyola University and a PhD in Economics from Harvard University. Dr. Alsan trained at Brigham and Women's Hospital Hiatt Global Health Equity Residency Fellowship, then combined the PhD with an Infectious Disease Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. Prior to returning to Harvard, she was on faculty at Stanford. She is an applied microeconomist studying health inequality. Some recent papers include "Does Diversity Matter for Health: Experimental Evidence from Oakland" and "Tuskegee and the Health of Black Men," published in the American Economic Review and the Quarterly Journal of Economics, respectively. These papers have been cited in the New York Times and other major media outlets and findings have been presented to the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Alsan is currently on the Board of Editors for Science Magazine, Co-editor of the Journal of Health Economics and Co-chair of the Health Care Delivery Initiative of Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab based out of MIT. She is a co-recipient of the 2019 Arrow Award for Best Paper in Health Economics. "We are excited to welcome Dr. Alsan to the FAIR Health Board," said Sara Rosenbaum, Chair of FAIR Health's Board of Directors. "Her expertise in health inequality will profoundly augment the Board's conversations." "FAIR Health is honored to have Dr. Alsan join this esteemed assembly of healthcare leaders," commented Robin Gelburd, President of FAIR Health. "Her background in medicine and microeconomics will make her a valuable addition to our Board." Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth About FAIR Health FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 34 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of over 2 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data productsincluding benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indicesto commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health includes among the private claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Dr. Marty Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Careand How to Fix It and Elisabeth Rosenthal's book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org. Contact: Rachel Kent Senior Director of Marketing, Outreach and Communications FAIR Health 646-396-0795 [email protected] SOURCE FAIR Health Related Links www.fairhealth.org NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fixed Income Analysts Society (FIASI) in collaboration with Fordham University's Center for Research in Contemporary Finance and the O'Shea Center for Credit Analysis and Investment are hosting an early evening virtual presentation by the authors of three winning research papers in the FIASI/Fordham University ESG in Fixed Income Research Competition. Please join us for this first time event, scheduled to take place on June 17 at 4:00 PM EST. You can register for this free event at www.fiasi.com. On April 23, 2021 FIASI and Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business announced the winners of three undergraduate and graduate student research papers, as part of the first annual student research competition on environmental, social and governance (ESG) focused investments and innovations. The following winners will present their research paper findings and engage in brief Q&A sessions. Undergraduate research paper Julia de Xavier, Resham Sansi (faculty advisor: N.K. Chidambaran): The Impact of ESG Scores on Bond Yields and Bond Characteristics. The paper examines whether issuer ESG ratings affect bond yields, bond ratings, and the covenants on bonds. Graduate research papers Eun-Hee Kim and Mingying Chen: Strategic Environmental Disclosure and Financial Materiality. The paper evaluates how firms with poor environmental performance manage the tension between the pressure to disclose environmental information and the desire to avoid financial repercussions. Elsa Allman and Joonsung Won: The Effect of ESG Disclosure on Corporate Investment Efficiency. The paper examines the effect of environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure on investment efficiency using the adoption of Directive 2014/95/EU as a quasi-natural shock on disclosure quality. Copies of the research papers are available for download on the FIASI website. The first annual Student Research Competition on environmental, social and governance (ESG) focused investments and innovations, a collaborative effort launched by FIASI and Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business, was announced in early February. Each winning submission will receive an award of $2,000. Details regarding the 2nd annual competition will be announced in early September 2021. Media Contact: Lauren Nauser, Executive Director, FIASI, 212-943-1900, [email protected] SOURCE Fixed Income Analysts Society (FIASI) Related Links http://www.fiasi.com Fingerpaint is known for its innovative and data-driven approach to providing analytics-enabled, integrated marketing solutions to a growing roster of healthcare clients, specifically in the pharmaceutical, rare disease, and gene therapy sectors. The acquisition and full integration of Splice into the Fingerpaint brand will bolster the company, which was just named Agency of the Year, Category I, by Med Ad News, give it a footprint on the West Coast, and support its continued commitment to being a best-in-class commercialization services provider for biopharma. "Splice has built a great company filled with top healthcare communications talent who we are looking forward to welcoming into the Fingerpaint family," said Bill McEllen, a Fingerpaint Partner who also leads the firm's advertising group. "As Fingerpaint continues to partner with biopharma earlier in the commercialization process, this move will help us grow in a geographical area where biopharma companies are booming." According to the California Life Sciences Association's 2020 California Life Sciences Sector Report released in October, there are 3,766 life sciences companies, up 348 from the prior year, in California, with 1,380 new therapies in the development pipeline. As part of the transaction, Splice Co-Founder Paul Hagopian will continue to lead the group's day-to-day operations, reporting directly to McEllen. Hagopian has nearly 25 years of healthcare communications expertise and held a number of leadership positions prior to founding Splice. "Fingerpaint's people-first culture and its award-winning work made for the perfect combination," said Hagopian. "Integrating into Fingerpaint will allow us to provide new and enhanced services to our clients and growth opportunities for our employees while still maintaining our West Coast roots." Knox Lane, a private equity firm based in San Francisco, is a strategic investor in Fingerpaint. "We are confident that this acquisition will continue growing Fingerpaint's roster of best-in-class talent and services as they continue to hold their spot as the premier commercialization partner for biopharma," said Shamik Patel, Partner at Knox Lane. In March, Fingerpaint announced a strategic investment in Leaderboard Branding, a leading global naming and branding business based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It joined other Fingerpaint companies: 1798, a market access and commercialization firm that specializes in healthcare consulting services, including patient and provider access services, financial impact analysis and analytics, competitive intelligence, and pull-through solutions; and Photo 51, a consultancy focused solely on advanced therapeutics, such as gene and cell therapies. About Fingerpaint Reset your expectations of a health and wellness firm. Independent by design and built on a foundation of empathy, Fingerpaint is biopharma's commercialization partner for analytics-enabled integrated solutions. At its core is an award-winning global team of more than 580 people who are committed to creating and executing meaningful brand experiences for healthcare providers, care partners, and patients. Fingerpaint was named 2021 Agency of the Year by Med Ad News, and in 2018, it won the Heart Award from Med Ad News for its commitment to philanthropy and social causes. Additionally, it has been on Inc. Magazine's list of the 5,000 Fastest-Growing Companies for the past eight years. Visit us at Fingerpaint.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Media Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Fingerpaint VANCOUVER, BC, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - First Mining Gold Corp. ("First Mining" or the "Company") (TSX: FF) (OTCQX: FFMGF) (FRANKFURT: FMG) is pleased to announce that the Company will be holding its annual general & special meeting of its shareholders at 10 a.m. (Pacific Time) on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 (the "2021 AGM"). Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 AGM will be held virtually only, via live webcast at https://agm.issuerdirect.com/ff. Shareholders of record as of May 3, 2021 (the "Record Date") are entitled to vote their First Mining shares at the 2021 AGM. The Company encourages its shareholders to vote in advance of the 2021 AGM using the Voting Instruction Form or the Form of Proxy that was mailed to them with the meeting materials. Shareholders are reminded that proxies must be received by 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) on Monday, June 28, 2021. Copies of the meeting materials are available under First Mining's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and on First Mining's website at https://www.firstmininggold.com/investors/AGM. At the 2021 AGM, in addition to general annual matters (such as the appointment of First Mining's directors and auditor), our shareholders will be asked to pass a special resolution in connection with the distribution of shares and warrants of Treasury Metals Inc. ("Treasury Metals") to First Mining's shareholders (the "Distribution"). Full details regarding the Distribution and voting your First Mining shares are set out in the management information circular for the 2021 AGM (the "Circular"). Shareholders are encouraged to review the disclosure in the Circular carefully. "We are excited to move forward with the Distribution and for all of our First Mining shareholders to become direct shareholders of Treasury Metals," said Dan Wilton, CEO of First Mining. "This Distribution delivers on giving value directly to our shareholders as a result of our sale of Goldlund to Treasury Metals. The team at Treasury Metals is doing an excellent job advancing the Goliath Gold Complex, which is proving itself to be one of the most robust gold development projects in Canada." "This Distribution delivers on the promises we made when we established First Mining in 2015," said Keith Neumeyer, Chairman of First Mining. "We had always intended to deliver value directly to our shareholders as we realized value from our outstanding portfolio of high quality gold projects in Canada." Key Dates Relating to the 2021 AGM and the Distribution June 28th: Deadline for submitting your proxies (10 a.m. (Pacific Time)) June 30th: Date of 2021 AGM (10 a.m. (Pacific Time)) July 5th: Expected date of final court approval (provided the Distribution is approved at the 2021 AGM) July 14th: Expected record date for the Distribution (this will be finalized once First Mining has received final court approval) July 15th: Expected date of the Distribution (this will be finalized once First Mining has received final court approval) Once First Mining has received final court approval for the Distribution, the Company will issue a news release announcing the finalized record date of the Distribution, as well as the date that the Distribution will occur. As long as you are a First Mining shareholder as of the finalized record date for the Distribution, you will be entitled to receive your pro rata share of the Treasury Metals shares and warrants that are being distributed to First Mining's shareholders. For the purposes of soliciting proxies in connection with the 2021 AGM, First Mining has engaged Kingsdale Advisors ("Kingsdale") as its strategic shareholder advisor and proxy solicitation agent. Accordingly, shareholders may be contacted by a representative of Kingsdale up to June 28th (the proxy submission deadline) for the purposes of providing shareholders with assistance in voting their shares and answering questions relating to the Distribution. If any shareholders wish to reach out to Kingsdale for assistance in voting their shares, they may do so by calling 1-877-659-1822 (toll-free telephone in North America) or 416-867-2272 (collect call outside North America), or by e-mail at [email protected]. Shareholders with questions relating to the Distribution, or about First Mining or Treasury Metals in general, can contact Janet Meiklejohn, First Mining's Vice President, Investor Relations, at 1.844.306.8827, or by e-mail: [email protected]. First Mining's board of directors (the "Board") has unanimously determined that the Distribution is fair to shareholders and is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. The Board has unanimously approved the Distribution and recommends that First Mining's shareholders vote in favour of the special resolution approving the Distribution. Attending the Virtual 2021 AGM As the 2021 AGM will be completely virtual, shareholders will not be able to attend the meeting in person. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 AGM will be held as a completely virtual meeting , which will be conducted via live webcast at https://agm.issuerdirect.com/ff. All First Mining shareholders regardless of geographic location and equity ownership will have an equal opportunity to participate at the Meeting and engage with directors of First Mining and management. Shareholders are encouraged to read the Circular for details as to how they can vote at the 2021 AGM itself (only registered shareholders and non-registered shareholders who have appointed and registered themselves with Computershare as proxyholder can vote at the meeting itself). About First Mining Gold Corp. First Mining is a Canadian gold developer focused on the development and permitting of the Springpole Gold Project in northwestern Ontario. Springpole is one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in Canada. The results of a positive Pre-Feasibility Study for the Springpole Gold Project were announced by First Mining in January 2021, and permitting activities are on-going with submission of an Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") for the project targeted for 2021. The Company also holds a large equity position in Treasury Metals Inc. who are advancing the Goliath Gold Complex toward construction. First Mining's portfolio of gold projects in eastern Canada also includes the Pickle Crow (being advanced in partnership with Auteco Minerals Ltd.), Hope Brook (being advanced in partnership with Big Ridge Gold) Cameron, Duparquet, Duquesne, and Pitt gold projects. First Mining was established in 2015 by Mr. Keith Neumeyer, founding President and CEO of First Majestic Silver Corp. ON BEHALF OF FIRST MINING GOLD CORP. Daniel W. Wilton Chief Executive Officer and Director Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "intends", "estimates", "envisages", "potential", "possible", "strategy", "goals", "opportunities", "objectives", "targeted", "advancing", "proving" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to future events or future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the date of the 2021 AGM, timing for the receipt of proxies in connection with the 2021 AGM and voting on the day of the 2021 AGM itself; (ii) the resolutions being put forward for First Mining's shareholders to vote on at the 2021 AGM and the success of those resolutions being passed by their requisite majority; (iii) all dates in respect of the 2021 AGM and the Distribution, including the expected timing for final court approval, the record date for the Distribution and when the Distribution will be effected; (iv) timing for any future news releases by First Mining in connection with the Distribution; and (v) the number of shares and warrants of Treasury Metals to be distributed to First Mining's shareholders of record as of the finalized record date for the Distribution of First Mining; (vi) the advancement and merits of the Goliath Gold Project; and (vii) the submission of the EIS for the Springpole Gold Project. All forward-looking statements are based on First Mining's or its consultants' current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Such factors include, without limitation the Company's business, operations and financial condition potentially being materially adversely affected by the outbreak of epidemics, pandemics or other health crises, such as COVID-19, and by reactions by government and private actors to such outbreaks; risks to employee health and safety as a result of the outbreak of epidemics, pandemics or other health crises, such as COVID-19, that may result in a slowdown or temporary suspension of operations at some or all of the Company's mineral properties as well as its head office; fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in the currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar); changes in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding); the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities, indigenous populations and other stakeholders; availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; title to properties; and the additional risks described in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com , and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F filed with the SEC on EDGAR. First Mining cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to First Mining, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. First Mining does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Company or on our behalf, except as required by law. SOURCE First Mining Gold Corp. Related Links https://firstmininggold.com/ TORONTO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FRNT Financial (the "Company" or "FRNT"), a platform to help permitted clients exploit inefficiencies and find alpha in cryptocurrency and alternative markets, today announced the appointment of Raymond Ritchie as Head of Trading. Mr. Ritchie has over two decades of capital markets experience with institutions including Bank of Montreal, Macquarie, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, and maintains strong networks of relationships in London, New York, and Toronto. Throughout his career, Mr. Ritchie has built successful teams across multiple sectors; none more so than the risk arbitrage team he assembled at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Ritchie holds a BAH, Economics from Queen's University. In his role as Head of Trading at FRNT, Mr. Ritchie will be responsible for OTC Derivative trading and support sales efforts across all other FRNT business lines. "Leveraging previous work with institutional clients, Ray brings to the crypto space the services and attention incumbent financial institutions expect from counterparties," says Stephane Ouellette, CEO & Co-Founder of FRNT Financial. "His intuitive grasp of the markets, coupled with his understanding of institutional needs, means we're able to identify opportunities within the marketplace that others likely miss." "I believe we are at the intersection of fintech, anthropology, behavioral economics and investment," said Raymond Richie. "As this cultural and societal shift takes place, I'm proud to be a part of this forward-looking team that has seized cryptocurrency as an opportunity to build a technology-embracing capital markets firm. We're working hard - and smart - to develop future-forward business lines that seize the opportunities of new innovation." About FRNT Financial FRNT Financial is a next-generation capital markets platform specializing in cryptocurrency and alternative markets. The leadership and executive team have deep professional experience spanning institutional sales and trading, investment banking, software engineering, and data & analytics. FRNT's primary focus in cryptocurrency and alternative finance is capturing market inefficiencies and arbitrage opportunities. As a whole, FRNT serves to educate institutional clients about the opportunities in crypto/web-based finance and other opportunities. The Company was founded in 2018, is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, and is led by CEO Stephane Ouellette. https://www.frnt.io Investor Relations: Jackie Kelly [email protected] 416-301-2949 SOURCE FRNT Financial SUMMERVILLE, S.C., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Resilient Infrastructure + Secure Energy (RISE) Consortium hosted its "The Future of Resilient Infrastructure and Secure Energy (RISE)" virtual launch event Tuesday afternoon, signaling the future is now for addressing energy security and climate crises. Nearly 300 attendees engaged with an array of energy experts on how industry and the federal government can work together to reimagine: How we use, generate, transport, and store energy How we build efficient, modern, and resilient infrastructure How we scale innovative technologies to accelerate energy security and infrastructure modernization "The RISE Consortium will serve as a transformational platform for energy and climate collaboration for the U.S. military and the federal government," said Michael Wu, newly appointed RISE Consortium Executive Director and Co-Founder & Principal of Converge Strategies LLC (CSL). "This event demonstrated how much excitement and opportunity there is for private and public sector innovators to work together, and through the RISE Consortium, we will streamline and accelerate those collaborations for our most urgent energy and climate security challenges." Michael Wu and Chris Van Metre, President and CEO of Advanced Technology International (ATI), delivered introductory remarks. They were followed by insightful interviews and panel discussions with various experts from government and industry: Melanie Nakagawa (The White House), Sharon Burke (New America), Kim Carnahan (ENGIE Impact), Iris Ferguson (U.S. Air Force), Mr. Robert Hughes (U.S. Army), Alexina Jackson (The AES Corporation), Paul Stockton (Paul N Stockton LLC), Margaret Jackson (Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center), Dawn Lippert (Elemental Excelerator) and Jon Powers (CleanCapital). The following discussions featured the aforementioned experts: "Climate Resilience" Why energy and climate are a national security imperative and how the federal government and private sector can accelerate innovation. "Operational Energy" How the aviation industry, the federal government and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) can collaborate for sustainable aviation. "Installation Energy" How industry and the federal government can work together to build efficient, modern and resilient infrastructure. Live recording of CleanCapital's "Experts Only" podcast with Jon Powers and Dawn Lippert How private industry and the DoD can collaborate to scale innovative technologies to strengthen energy security and accelerate infrastructure modernization. The complete listing of speakers can be viewed on this web page. Stay tuned for video highlights to be posted on the RISE Consortium's YouTube , LinkedIn and Twitter pages. "The collective knowledge and enthusiasm from the 'Future of RISE' launch event was so encouraging," said Chris Van Metre. "Collaboration is at the core of the RISE Consortium's mission, and this event was a great first step towards developing collaborative solutions to national challenges. Under Michael Wu's leadership, the RISE Consortium is ready to support the federal government in providing innovative solutions to the energy security and climate crises." CSL and ATI, the pioneer in R&D collaboration management, have partnered to form the RISE Consortium. Michael Wu is the RISE Consortium's first executive director. With CSL , he helps build partnerships with the military, civilians, and government to accelerate resilience and security in the clean energy transformation. Wu's expertise at the nexus of clean energy, resilience, and national security has been built by a diverse career across government and industry. He has held leadership positions with the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force and the Truman National Security Project. The RISE Consortium is dedicated to energy and climate action for the U.S. government. Currently, there is no cost to join this transformational platform to connect to the energy and climate innovation ecosystems. To join, please visit this web page . ABOUT ATI: ATI, a nonprofit based in Summerville, S.C., builds and manages collaborations that conduct research and development of new technologies to solve our nation's most pressing challenges. Fueled by a community of experts from industry, academia, and government, ATI uses the power of collaboration to help the federal government quickly acquire novel technologies. ATI manages both Other Transaction Agreement (OTA)-based and Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR)-based collaborations, many of which are for the Department of Defense. ATI.org | LinkedIn | Twitter | collaborATIon app SOURCE Resilient Infrastructure + Secure Energy (RISE) Consortium; ATI (Advanced Technology International) Related Links https://www.ati.org/ MONTREAL, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GHGSat, the global leader in high-resolution greenhouse gas monitoring from space, today launches SPECTRA, the company's emission data management portal. Designed to monitor, analyze and communicate emissions intelligence, SPECTRA seamlessly integrates GHGSat's unique high-resolution data with customer information, for full, actionable insights into emission risk. The need for timely and accurate measurement, monitoring, and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions is growing as new legislation to reduce emissions comes into force across Europe and the United States, in particular for methane. Knowing emissions volumes alone is not sufficient to guide operators: they need to identify point sources quickly and understand patterns and trends in emissions, particularly potential failure risks. A comprehensive approach to emissions intelligence, SPECTRA is the customer gateway for GHGSat's range of data products and services. The company is the only emissions data provider to deliver high-resolution satellite imagery from their fast-growing constellation of satellites. Users can access GHGSat's satellite and aircraft campaign data as well as a growing list of third-party datasets. This includes low-resolution data from the European Space Agency's TROPOMI and NASA's AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) and VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instruments. With SPECTRA, customers can optimize their methane emission management activities and accelerate decision-making by adding further layers of metrics and emission indicators to asset-specific information including hotspots and flare activity, which can all be visualized over time. Powered by proprietary machine learning algorithms, these data layers provide a comprehensive analysis of emissions for operators to focus on short- and long-term emission-reduction targets. SPECTRA is an ESRI-based portal - a global standard for geospatial data products. Offering complete integration, users can download and share data from SPECTRA across their business, link and deliver actionable intelligence, or upload data directly into their GIS client solution. With an intuitive interface devised to support decision-making, SPECTRA makes it easy for operators to navigate the data related to their sites or zones of activity to evaluate emission risk. Announcing the new portal, Stephane Germain, CEO, GHGSat said: "Offering an integrated and centralized approach to emissions with SPECTRA eliminates the challenge of multi-source data management. SPECTRA is designed to integrate publicly available data with our own world-leading proprietary high-resolution emissions data and extract actionable intelligence to address emissions and streamline maintenance operations, supporting a broad range of industries from energy to waste management and mining." For further information, please contact Sevana Jinbachian at [email protected]. About GHGSat GHGSat is a leader in high-resolution greenhouse gas monitoring from space, providing actionable emission data to businesses, governments, and regulators worldwide. With proprietary remote-sensing capabilities and patented technology, GHGSat can monitor individual facilities, offering greater data accuracy, and facilitating timely strategic decision-making insights. www.ghgsat.com Related Images spectra-ghgsat.jpg SPECTRA GHGSat Emission Data Management Portal SOURCE GHGSat DUBLIN, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Electric & Hybrid Multi-Purpose Vehicle Market, By Tonnage Capacity (Up to 3.5 Ton & Above 3.5 Ton), By Fuel Type (Hybrid and Electric), By End Use (Personal & Commercial), By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Electric & Hybrid Multi-purpose Vehicle Market stood at around 419.90 thousand units in 2020 and is expected to register growth of 10.72% by volume in the forecast period. Various government organizations are offering incentive schemes for the adoption of electric vehicles throughout the globe. Moreover, with lower ownership and running costs of electric or hybrid vehicles, as compared to diesel or petrol vehicles, the demand for electric and hybrid multi-purpose vehicles is growing especially from small and medium enterprises. According to a report published by "The Union of Concerned Scientists", passenger cars and trucks are one of the leading causes of air pollution which increases respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis, heightens the risk of life-threatening conditions like cancer, and burdens the health care system with substantial medical costs. Particulate matter is singlehandedly responsible for up to 30,000 premature deaths each year. Governments across the globe are taking initiatives in cutting down the vehicle emissions, therefore there are various discounts and tax exemptions on electric vehicles which are making various fleet owners adopt EVs rapidly. These reasons cumulatively are expected to aid the growth of the Global Electric & Hybrid Multi-purpose Vehicle Market in the forecast period. Continuous business expansion of the worlds' leading electric & hybrid automobile brands by increasing their product portfolio and customer outreach through more dealer addition is anticipated to intensify the competition in the Global Electric & Hybrid Multi-purpose Vehicle Market over the course of next five years. The Global Electric & Hybrid Multi-purpose Vehicle Market can be segmented based on tonnage capacity, fuel type, end-use, region and company. In terms of tonnage capacity, the majority of the market is held by electric & hybrid multi-purpose vehicles of engine capacity up to 3.5 tones. Since, most of the customers prefer this segment for lighter use, as compared to vans or minibuses, for transportation of 6-7 people. Hence, heavier multi-purpose vehicles are not popular in this category. A similar trend is expected to be witnessed in the forecast period. On the basis of fuel type, hybrid vehicles are still more popular among consumers, owing to the better range and performance they offer. Based on end-use, the market is dominated by personal use vehicles. However, with numerous radio cab and taxi companies also involved in the adoption of electric & hybrid multi-purpose vehicles in their fleet, the commercial end-use is expected to gain popularity at a faster rate in the forecast period. The market is also segmented among global regions of Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe. As of 2020, Asia-Pacific contributed a majority of the share, however, with increasing environmental concerns and growing EV infrastructure in Europe, countries in this region are expected to register the fastest growth through 2026. Toyota Motor Corporation, Renault-Nissan Alliance, Honda Motor Company, Ltd., Stellantis N.V. (Citroen), Mercedes-Benz AG, etc. are some of the leading players operating in the Global Electric & Hybrid Multi-purpose Vehicle Market. Apart from these flagship companies, many startup companies are also increasing their footprint in the Global Electric & Hybrid Multi-purpose Vehicle Market by pushing their low-cost products blended with ease of availability. Years considered for this report: Historical Period: 2018-2019 Base Year: 2020 Estimated Year: 2021 Forecast Period: 2022-2026 .Report Scope: Global Electric & Hybrid Multi-Purpose Vehicle Market, By Tonnage Capacity: Up to 3.5 Ton Above 3.5 Ton Global Electric & Hybrid Multi-Purpose Vehicle Market, By Fuel Type: Hybrid Electric Global Electric & Hybrid Multi-Purpose Vehicle Market, By End-Use: Personal Commercial Global Electric & Hybrid Multi-Purpose Vehicle Market, By Region: Asia-Pacific North America Europe Company Profiles: Toyota Motor Corporation Renault-Nissan Alliance Honda Motor Company, Ltd. Stellantis N.V. (Citroen) Mercedes-Benz AG Vauxhall Motors Limited Groupe PSA (Peugeot) For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mnswan Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com TORONTO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Globally Local Technologies Inc. (TSXV: GBLY), founder of one of the world's first vegan fast-food chains and first to go public, today announced it will rebrand as Odd Burger Corporation. It has applied for a ticker symbol change with the TSXV and expects to trade under "ODD" on approximately July 5, 2021. Along with the renaming of the parent company, its restaurant chain will receive a new name, image, website, and brand: Odd Burger. Currently operating locations will be rebranded as Odd Burger, and all locations opening this summer will carry the new name. The rebrand includes new design elements including emoji-inspired characters, anthropomorphic chickpeas the base of the chain's beloved burgers and a contemporary black, white, and pink colour scheme. Odd Burger's "personality" will be incorporated into its food packaging, interior and exterior signage, interior design, social media content, staff apparel, and merchandise. The company worked with Concrete, an independent creative brand agency based in Toronto, to develop the new brand identity. "Our challenge was to marry the associations we have surrounding traditional fast food with the forward-looking sensibilities in our shifting culture," said John Pylypczak, Concrete president. "We wanted to give Odd Burger a platform to increase awareness about important concepts like sustainability and animal protection. But at the same time, the brand conveys to the customer 'we take these issues seriously, but we don't take ourselves too seriously.'" "Our decision to rebrand is an essential part of our strategy to create a global fast-food chain that is able to connect with people everywhere," said Globally Local CEO James McInnes. "Being on the verge of expansion into new communities meant thinking about how to express who we are and what we stand for in a more meaningful and powerful way. We are proud to be doing things differently and reclaiming the notion of 'odd,' because changing the norm is what's needed to solve the sustainability challenges in our food system." Globally Local Technologies currently operates a manufacturing facility and two restaurants in Canada, with plans to open 20 additional locations across North America in the next 12 months. About Globally Local Technologies Inc. Globally Local is a plant-based food technology company that manufactures and distributes industry-leading plant-based protein and dairy alternatives using locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. The company distributes its products through a proprietary food service line to company-owned and franchised fast-food restaurants. Its locations operate as smart kitchens, which use state-of-the art cooking technology and automation solutions to deliver a delicious food experience to customers craving healthier and more sustainable fast food. With small store footprints optimized for delivery and takeout, advanced cooking technology, competitive pricing, a vertically integrated supply chain along with healthier ingredients, Globally Local is revolutionizing the fast-food industry. Globally Local Technologies is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol GBLY. For more information visit https://globallylocal.ca. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "plans", "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the company. Specifically, this press release contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements of information are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements only as expressly required by Canadian securities law. SOURCE Globally Local Technologies Inc. Related Links https://globallylocal.ca/ Solomon succeeds Stephen Sadove, former chairman and chief executive officer of Saks Inc. and a 1973 Hamilton graduate. "Hamilton is a special place which had an enormous impact on my life and career," Solomon said. "Every day I rely on the critical-thinking and communications skills I developed there. I'm honored to serve as board chair and look forward to making Hamilton even stronger for its students, faculty, administration, and alums." "David Solomon is a gifted leader and strategic thinker who understands the foundational role a liberal arts education can play in preparing students for lives of meaning and purpose," said President David Wippman. "He is committed to keeping a Hamilton education affordable, and he is eager to build on Hamilton's growing national and international reputation." Solomon first joined the Hamilton Board of Trustees in 1996 and has been engaged on the student affairs, nominations, investment, and executive committees. He has mentored many young alumni, serving as a volunteer for the Career Center. Before assuming his current position at Goldman Sachs, Solomon served, among other roles, as president and chief operating officer of the firm and as co-head of the investment banking division. He is the parent of a 2016 Hamilton graduate. Solomon's philanthropic interests at Hamilton include student scholarships, faculty professorships, and campus infrastructure. He is a member of the board of directors of the Robin Hood Foundation, the board of trustees of New York Presbyterian Hospital, and the executive committee of the Partnership for New York City. Hamilton College was founded in 1793 as Hamilton-Oneida Academy and rechartered in 1812. Named for its first trustee, statesman Alexander Hamilton, the College is distinguished by an open curriculum that gives students freedom to choose courses that reflect their unique interests; a need-blind admission policy that ensures access to students with limited financial means; and a focus on preparing students for lives of meaning, purpose, and active citizenship. Hamilton enrolls approximately 1,850 students from 49 states and 46 countries. SOURCE Hamilton College Related Links http://www.hamilton.edu SANTA MARIA, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hardy Diagnostics is proud to announce that the popular media solution CompactDry Yeast Mold-Rapid has achieved a matrix extension validation for dried cannabis flower in the recent AOAC Emergency Response Validation program. This certification is an important step forward for cannabis testing programs focused on both quality and regulation compliance. The easy-to-use media plate offers long-term, room temperature storage and provides both qualitative and quantitative results to its users. The rapid format is validated to provide reliable results for cannabis in just 72 hours, protecting the quick turnaround times most labs require. Chromogens simplify the distinction between yeasts and molds for technicians, and the construction of the plate provides the right amount of headspace for colonies to form naturally. This helps keep the fungal structures intact and makes identification and subculture easier as well. Hardy Diagnostics Cannabis plants have long been known to harbor potentially dangerous pathogenic molds. This has led most regulators to require some form of mold testing program from the certified cannabis testing labs in their jurisdiction. One of the challenges facing these labs has been the lack of validated, standardized scientific methods. The legal landscape for cannabis across the U.S. has resulted in a patchwork of solutions and approaches, making it more difficult for everyone to achieve compliance. AOAC INTERNATIONAL took an important first step in addressing this issue by creating the Cannabis Analytical Science Program, or CASP. AOAC has a history of bringing together government, industry, and academia to establish standard methods of analysis that ensure the safety and integrity of foods and other products that impact public health around the world. AOAC Research Institute created a matrix extension protocol for method developers to validate their yeast/mold detection assays with dried cannabis flower. By partnering with cannabis testing labs across Michigan, solutions were tested and proven against the standards set by AOAC. Hardy Diagnostics is a proud partner of the cannabis industry and has been actively supporting the microbiology needs of cannabis labs and cultivation for over six years. We are proud to present the entire line of CompactDry product assays to the cannabis industry, with the first CompactDry product (Yeast Mold-Rapid) now PTM certified for dried cannabis flower. As our industry continues to grow, you can trust that the Hardy team is there for you. Contact Person: Jessa Youngblood Company Name: HARDY DIAGNOSTICS Voice Phone Number: (805) 346-2766, Ext: 5653 Fax Number: (805) 346-8199 Email Address: [email protected] Website: www.HardyDiagnostics.com Related Files AOAC cert YMR cannabis.pdf 19ddf878a0dad1259f3916313e79.pdf Related Images compactdry-yeast-mold-rapid.png CompactDry Yeast Mold Rapid Related Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIOGp588GiY SOURCE Hardy Diagnostics SAUGUS, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HASA Inc. (www.Hasa.com), the leading West Coast supplier of liquid sodium hypochlorite for water and swimming pool sanitization, is proud to announce that it has acquired all assets and intellectual property of Pool Chemistry Training Institute (PCTI) as part of an initiative to support the continued education of and support for its essential pool service professional community. Co-founded in 2018 by pool chemistry expert Dr. Bob Lowry, PCTIs training program is the first of its kind to provide an in-depth pool water chemistry class specifically for residential pool service professionals. PCTIs signature 1-Day Residential Pool Chemistry Certification coursecalled Pool Chemistry Certified (or PCC-R)is widely recognized as the gold-standard curriculum in the pool training space. While the PCC-R course is aimed primarily at pool service technicians, it also benefits retail storesand even pool ownersand is the only pool chemistry certification course available for residential pool pros. HASA will now selectively sponsor, improve, and support the 1-Day Residential Pool Chemistry Certification Class, which leverages Dr. Lowrys 45 years of water chemistry knowledge. HASA will also expand availability of the program at upcoming tradeshows, distributor events and online to help enhance the expertise and credentials of backyard pool service pros. For the past five decades, HASA has provided best in class support to pool service pros, allowing them to make water safe and sparkling for families and swimming enthusiasts all across the western United States, said Rick Sawin, Vice President of Pool, Distribution and Sales for HASA, Inc. We have long been impressed with Bob Lowrys tremendous contribution to the swimming pool field. He has made an indelible impact by delivering highly specialized pool maintenance training curriculum to the industryand this new HASA-PCTI partnership offers a great way to educate and certify pool service professionals seeking advanced training and credentials. Dr. Lowry has a long and esteemed reputation within the pool care industry. Prior to co-founding PCTI, he served as a technology officer for DEL Ozone, an ozone generator manufacturer. He also has been a consultant to numerous corporations including DuPont, Olin, Nalco, Arch and FMCand has advised industry brands such as Natural Chemistry, LaMotte, ITS, Pentair and Jacuzzi. Dr. Lowry has written 21 pool and spa water chemistry books, published more than 175 technical articles, written 29 technical white papers, penned a monthly column for Pool & Spa News, and crafted three comprehensive IPSSA training manuals presenting 425 pages on water chemistry instruction. With the increase in backyard pool use weve witnessed within the past year alone, the need for essential, well trained pool service pros is stronger than ever and expected to be unprecedented this season, added Terry Arko, HASAs Product Content and Training Manager. Dr. Lowry is a true luminary within the swimming pool industryand HASA is thrilled to partner with PCTI to promote this incredibly in-depth, yet practical, water chemistry class to aid pool pros looking to further build their knowledge base. PCTI testing apps will be available this summer season through HASAs new mobile appavailable for download on the Apple and Google Play app stores under HASA Rewards. For more information, please visit Hasa.com. About HASA HASA, Inc. is a leading producer and supplier of high-quality water treatment products used to sanitize and maintain water systems, including swimming pools, water tanks and containment vessels for recreational, industrial and municipal end markets. Founded in 1964, the company operates out of facilities in California, Arizona, Washington, Nevada and Texas. HASA's many dealers, distributors, service professionals and end-user customers have all played a vital role in the company's success. SOURCE HASA Inc. Related Links http://www.Hasa.com The appointment is notable in that it is the first announcement made since Henry Ford Health System and MSU finalized their 30-year partnership in January. Under the agreement , Henry Ford and MSU aim to transform health care, advance medical research and address health disparities. In his Medical Group leadership role, Dr. Leach will oversee all clinical, research and administrative services for Women's Health, which provides specialized and routine care in gynecology and breast health, obstetrics, infertility, cancer and pelvic health disorders. Women's Health also offers a diverse group of certified midwives who work closely with Henry Ford obstetricians and gynecologists. The Medical Group, part of the Henry Ford Health System, is one of the largest group practices in the country with more than 1,800 physicians and researchers in more than 40 specialties. Physicians care for patients in Henry Ford hospitals and outpatient medical centers across Southeast Michigan and Jackson. "I am thrilled to have Dr. Leach join the Medical Group in this leadership role," said Steven Kalkanis, M.D., CEO of the Henry Ford Medical Group and Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer. "This combined chair role for Dr. Leach is seen as the much-anticipated start of joining the renowned clinical and applied research expertise at Henry Ford with the intellectual research power of MSU. Moreover, connecting Henry Ford's premier academic Women's Health Services and Research departments with the resources of MSU's Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology will accelerate the delivery of unparalleled health services to all women, leading to promote health equity." Dr. Kalkanis said Dr. Leach, who is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology with subspecialty certification in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, will guide the Women's Health Research program under the Henry Ford-MSU Health Sciences Center. "This firmly establishes our Henry Ford-MSU affiliation as a top five NIH funded program in the country," he said. "MSU and Henry Ford are building a community of world class experts, leaders and practitioners, like no other. This is a first step in this bold, new partnership between our two institutions," said Norman J. Beauchamp Jr., MD, MHS, executive vice president for Health Sciences at Michigan State University and chair of the board for the Health Science Center. "With the appointment of Dr. Leach, our region will have access to a world-class leader dedicated to improving the lives of our communities. Research and education in women's health are a priority for both of our institutions and we're committed to being a first choice for women and families." Dr. Leach joined MSU in 2008 as the first researcher hired for the College of Human Medicine's new women's reproductive health research endeavor in Grand Rapids. Since that time, he recruited an elite team of researchers and, today, MSU is among the premier women's health research institutions in the country. In 2020, the department's researchers received nearly $10 million in NIH grants the fifth largest among 68 similar departments nationwide according to the nonprofit Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. Dr. Leach earned his medical degree from Wayne State University and completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Beaumont Health and a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the Mayo Clinic. He is a Fellow in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American College of Surgeons and American College of Clinical Endocrinologists. About Henry Ford Health System Founded in 1915 by Henry Ford himself, Henry Ford Health System is a nonprofit, academic and integrated health system comprising five acute-care hospitals, three behavioral health facilities, a health plan and more than 250 care sites, including medical centers, walk-in and urgent care clinics, pharmacies, eye care facilities and other health care operations. The health system has more than 33,000 employees and is home to the 1,900-member Henry Ford Medical Group, one of the nation's oldest physician groups. More than 2,500 physicians are also affiliated with the health system through the Henry Ford Physician Network and Jackson Health Network. Henry Ford Health System is also one of the nation's major academic medical centers, receiving nearly $100 million in annual research funding, among Michigan's largest NIH-funded institutions. Also, an active participant in medical education and training, the health system has trained nearly 40% of physicians currently practicing in Michigan and provides education and training for other health professionals including nurses, pharmacists, radiology and respiratory technicians. About MSU Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges. MSU has offered health care education for more than a century. Combined, the human health colleges the College of Human Medicine, the College of Nursing and the College of Osteopathic Medicine have nearly 2,000 medical students, 2,500 residents and fellows, more than 500 nursing students and 20,000 alumni, most of whom practice in Michigan. It is the only university in the country with on-campus schools graduating allopathic and osteopathic physicians, as well as nurses and veterinarians. SOURCE Henry Ford Health System Related Links http://www.henryford.com "As a growing bank dedicated to supporting the people, businesses and communities throughout our expanded footprint, we recognize the responsibility we have to help improve economic opportunity for those we serve," said Steve Steinour, Huntington chairman, president and CEO. "Our purpose of looking out for people guides us to be a catalyst for positive change and to ensure under-resourced consumers and businesses have the access to capital, affordable housing and other resources to achieve their goals and to pursue their dreams. Our recently completed merger with TCF Financial Corporation enables us to renew and strengthen our commitment to improving the financial stability and quality of life for people in our local communities." Huntington met with 400 community organizations across its current and newly expanded footprint to identify community needs outlined in the plan. Huntington's expanded 2021 Community Plan addresses several key areas of need, which the bank identified through ongoing conversations with community partners, colleagues, and customers: Racial and Social Equity : Huntington will place special emphasis on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, including those that support environmental equity, to strengthen customers, businesses and organizations that represent diverse demographics. As detailed below, of the $40 billion commitment, the bank will allocate $16 billion of the Community Plan to minority borrowers and communities to advance meaningful and systemic change. : Huntington will place special emphasis on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, including those that support environmental equity, to strengthen customers, businesses and organizations that represent diverse demographics. As detailed below, of the commitment, the bank will allocate of the Community Plan to minority borrowers and communities to advance meaningful and systemic change. Consumer and Home Lending : Homeownership is a catalyst to help build assets and increase economic opportunity. Huntington will adopt an affordable housing and consumer lending goal of $24 billion , of which $12 billion of this amount is committed to meeting the needs of minority and under-resourced populations. : Homeownership is a catalyst to help build assets and increase economic opportunity. Huntington will adopt an affordable housing and consumer lending goal of , of which of this amount is committed to meeting the needs of minority and under-resourced populations. Small Business : Huntington will expand its Small Business lending programs into its new footprint and commit $10 billion over five years, of which $2 billion will focus on lending to minority-owned businesses or businesses operating in majority-minority communities. : Huntington will expand its Small Business lending programs into its new footprint and commit over five years, of which will focus on lending to minority-owned businesses or businesses operating in majority-minority communities. Community Development Lending and Investing: Huntington is dedicated to increasing capital to historically disadvantaged people, businesses and communities. The bank will commit $6.5 billion in loans and investments to enhance programs and services that foster equity in areas including but not limited to affordable housing, small business financing and community services that provide food security, financial empowerment and workforce development. Of the $6.5 billion , $2 billion will focus on minority initiatives in these areas. In addition, Huntington will continue its philanthropic giving and other support as part of the 2021 Community Plan. The challenges of the past year have highlighted the disproportionate environmental impacts on certain communities. Huntington is committed to help drive meaningful change and to improve the economic vitality, financial security and sustainable future for those it serves. In the next several months, the bank will engage in conversations with a cross-section of leaders to develop specific initiatives to address environmental health challenges faced by under-resourced communities. Huntington's sustainability commitments will evolve as the bank continues to listen and take action to meet the changing needs of local communities. The 2021 Strategic Community Plan comes one week after Huntington's merger with TCF Financial Corporation, which created a top-25 U.S. bank holding company and solidifies the combined company's commitment to the customers and communities it serves. The plan represents an increase of approximately $5 billion of new funding above the historical lending and investing of Huntington and TCF. Both banks have deep-rooted connections in the community, including the National Community Advisory Council (NCAC) that Huntington established in partnership with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) in 2017 to further engage critical community organizations in conversations about the critical needs of low- to moderate- and under-resourced communities. Huntington will continue to work with community organizations across its footprint to ensure the new plan aligns with the needs of all the communities it serves. "We appreciate the leadership and commitment of Huntington Bank to come back to the table with NCRC and our members to develop a new community benefits plan that makes specific and significant commitments to increase investments, lending and access to affordable homes in communities of color," said NCRC CEO Jesse Van Tol. "The commitment to advance the bank's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives is encouraging. This effort, and the $40 billion commitment that it produced, makes me hopeful that we are making a lasting impact on lives, families and neighborhoods." "Banks are the stewards of a community's wealth," said NCRC President and Founder John Taylor. "It is their solemn obligation to treat such wealth with the utmost of diligence. In the forefront of that obligation is the bank's commitment to reinvest in those communities to allow the citizens' wealth to grow and expand via bank investments." Through Huntington's prior Community Plans, the bank has assisted more than 14,000 first-time home buyers, invested or lent $962 million for 8,693 units of affordable housing developments, and in total provided more than $22.7 billion in community development programs and products, loans and investments to meet needs across its footprint. "We are so grateful for Huntington's 155-year history in Ohio and continued leadership today," said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. "This Community Plan is bold, thoughtful and life-changing for the people who will be helped by itone homeowner, one business owner, one community at a time." The merger between Huntington and TCF will create an even stronger commitment to economic and technological innovation for Detroit, home of the commercial bank headquarters, and throughout Michigan. The collective strength of the combined company will allow for greater impact as the bank continues to engage with community partners in this region to determine core needs of the people who live and work in minority communities. "We recognize the crucial need for change, and the unique position our bank is in to strengthen individuals, businesses and communities. We are proud that our combined bank is leaning in to help business owners, new homeowners and others create wealth and pursue their dreams," said Huntington Bank Chairman Gary Torgow. "Huntington and TCF already have shown their dedication to Detroit by pledging $10 million to the Strategic Neighborhood Fund. So, we are especially proud that the new combined bank chose our city to make such an important announcement about its national Community Plan," said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. "Building Huntington's co-headquarters in Detroit and furthering support of the region with another $1 billion pledge to the city and Wayne County is evidence of the bank's deep-rooted commitment to our residents, businesses and communities. Gary Torgow and Steve Steinour have been phenomenal partners over the years, and it is great to see the two banks come together with a broader community strategy." Huntington continues to invest in its communities to support economic inclusion and to help make its customers and communities more financially secure. Huntington Lift Local Business is a small-business lending program focused on serving minority, women and veteran-owned businesses. Building on its small-business advocacy and expertise, Huntington developed creative lending options and a variety of other features that will help bring relief, recovery and growth to small businesses across the Midwest. More than a decade ago, Huntington introduced 24-Hour Grace to help customers avoid overdraft fees. The bank later doubled down and extended 24-Hour Grace to business customers and introduced no overdraft fee $50 Safety Zone SM, further helping to protect customers from overdraft fees. Earlier this month, the bank launched Standby Cash, a line of credit giving eligible customers immediate access up to $1,000 with no interest or fees if customers sign up for automatic payments (otherwise, a 1% monthly interest charge, 12% APR, applies to outstanding balances). The bank also just launched Early Pay, giving Huntington customers access to their paychecks up to two days early, at no additional cost. This includes salary, Social Security, pension and military income payments. About Huntington Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (Nasdaq: HBAN) is a $175 billion asset regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1866, The Huntington National Bank and its affiliates provide consumers, small and middle-market businesses, corporations, municipalities, and other organizations with a comprehensive suite of banking, payments, wealth management, and risk management products and services. Huntington operates more than 1,100 branches in 12 states, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Visit Huntington.com for more information. SOURCE Huntington Bancshares Inc. SEOUL, South Korea, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung is visiting the U.S. to review the Group's strategies for future mobility and the direction of technological development. Chairman Chung has met executives and engineers of Motional Inc., the Group's autonomous driving joint venture (JV), in Boston, Mass., as well as Boston Dynamics in Waltham, Mass. The Chairman will also visit Motional's R&D facility in Pittsburgh, Penn. During his visit to Motional, Chairman Chung discussed the business direction of autonomous technology with the JV's executives in Boston and will tour its R&D site in Pittsburgh where the next-generation system is being developed. It is the first time that Chairman Chung is visiting Motional since the Group announced its investment in the JV with Aptiv in 2019. Chairman Chung also visited the headquarters of Boston Dynamics, of which the Group announced its intent to acquire a controlling interest in December 2020 and going through regulatory approvals. There, the Chairman met with company executives to discuss the future of the business and trends in the robotics industry. Chairman Chung's visit to both companies reaffirms the Group's aim to make future mobility business into a new growth engine, as he emphasized in his New Year's message earlier this year. In that message, the Chairman presented his vision for transforming the Group by strengthening business competitiveness in innovative mobility technologies, such as autonomous driving and robotics. By pursuing this strategy, the Group plans to develop and innovate human-centered mobility for a better future for the humanity. At Motional: IONIQ 5 autonomous car tests, robotaxis and more During his visit to Motional, Chairman Chung discussed ways to collaborate as well as the direction and advancement plan of future business. At Motional's R&D facility, the Chairman will take a tour of the facility and meet with researchers. Among various collaborative projects, Chairman Chung inspected the autonomous Hyundai IONIQ 5 battery electric vehicle (BEV), which is equipped with Motional's next-generation autonomous driving platform. Motional is currently testing the self-driving BEV on roads in the U.S. Last year, Motional obtained the industry's first unmanned autonomous driving test license in the state of Nevada, and it plans to commercialize a robotaxi service using unmanned autonomous vehicles with Lyft in 2023. Headquartered in Boston, Motional has offices in Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Santa Monica and Singapore, and has opened an additional office in Seoul, which will serve as another core technology hub and will test autonomous driving technologies. At Boston Dynamics: Robotics on the rise Chairman Chung also visited the headquarters of Boston Dynamics, which is in the process of being acquired by the Group, and had discussions with its executives about the future of the business and trends in the robotics industry. He also experienced firsthand Boston Dynamics' various cutting-edge robotic technologies, such as the its first commercial quadrupedal robot, Spot as well as Atlas, a research robot that walks upright like a human, and Stretch, the company's newest box-moving robot aimed at warehouse automation. Stretch will be Boston Dynamics' second commercialized product and is scheduled to be release next year. "In the future, I think robots will play the role of assistants who help people at all times," said Chairman Chung at a town hall meeting held for Group employees in March this year. "While robots charge themselves and manage schedules, people will be able to focus on more productive and creative work." In addition to improving its own robot development capabilities, the Group plans to actively seek synergies with autonomous vehicles, Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and smart factory technologies. Amid the global megatrend of aging populations and non-contact, the robot's role in public service, such as safety, security, health and disaster relief, is also expected. About Hyundai Motor Group Hyundai Motor Group is a global enterprise that has created a value chain based on mobility, steel, and construction, as well as logistics, finance, IT, and service. With about 250,000 employees worldwide, the Group's mobility brands include Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. Armed with creative thinking, cooperative communication and the will to take on any challenges, we strive to create a better future for all. More information about Hyundai Motor Group, please see: www.hyundaimotorgroup.com More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at: worldwide.hyundai.com or globalpr.hyundai.com Visit the Kia Global Media Center for more information: www.kianewscenter.com For more information on Genesis and its new definition of luxury, please visit https://www.genesis.com Disclaimer: Hyundai Motor Group believes the information contained herein to be accurate at the time of release. However, the company may upload new or updated information if required and assumes that it is not liable for the accuracy of any information interpreted and used by the reader. SOURCE Kia America FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iBASEt, the company that simplifies how complex products are built and maintained, today announced a further expansion of its leadership team as the company positions itself for continued expansion. Tom Hennessey was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer and Jennifer Martinez to Vice President of Human Resources. "We are thrilled to leverage Tom Hennessey's strategic thinking and approach to growth at this pivotal time in iBASEt's transformation journey," said Naveen Poonian, CEO, iBASEt. "We are confident Tom's proven track record in leading business transformation focused on market expansion, growth, and strong brand positioning will accelerate our shift to a subscription and SaaS business model." Hennessey brings 25 years of experience that will play a critical role in driving iBASEt's expanding business development efforts, both through its direct and indirect partner channels. "I'm honored to be leading iBASEt's market growth efforts, building on the excellent work this team has already accomplished. I'll work to expand iBASEt's influence as a leading brand driving the future of complex discrete manufacturing and sustainment operations," said Tom Hennessey, CMO, iBASEt. "Our success is highly dependent on how well our workforce evolves to meet new market conditions," said Naveen Poonian, CEO, iBASEt. "Jennifer Martinez has demonstrated her ability in not only attracting top talent but in enabling and empowering employees to succeed further. Her skills will be leveraged in this newly formed executive position to help continue our aggressive growth trajectory." Martinez brings 20 years of Human Resources and employee development expertise to a role that is important as iBASEt ramps up hiring across all global regions. "I am excited to lead the investment iBASEt is making in our workforce. My initial focus will be on streamlining the recruitment and onboarding process while nurturing employee education and leadership development to empower our workforce, to go above and beyond what they ever imagined possible in their career," said Jennifer Martinez, Vice President, Human Resources at iBASEt. Both positions are vital to achieving the company's aggressive growth plan. The company recently launched Solumina iSeries as a cloud-native offering that simplifies how complex industrial products are built and maintained. Increased demand has triggered a need to add staffing and to place greater focus on the company's future strategy as the manufacturing industry accelerates its digital transformation. About iBASEt iBASEt is a software company that simplifies how complex products are built and maintained. Founded in Southern California in 1986, iBASEt solutions ensure digital continuity across manufacturing, quality, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operations on a global scale. The iSeries, powered by Solumina, is a cloud-native platform that establishes a digital ecosystem to drive innovation and improve operational performance. iBASEt customers include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and Textron. Learn more at iBASEt.com. Media Contact Gordon Benzie (949) 958-5200 [email protected] SOURCE iBASEt CHICAGO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Three years after a landslide victory in a hotly contested, three-way statewide election, Anna Krolikowska, J.D. will be installed as the fifth female President of The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) on June 17, 2021. Krolikowska won the election in a decisive victory including her winning every county in Illinois 102 in all. Founded in 1877, the ISBA, has more than 29,000 members. Illinois Supreme Court Justice, Anne Burke, will swear-in Krolikowska during a ceremony at the Illinois Supreme Court Building in Springfield, Illinois. During her tenure as ISBA President Krolikowska will focus on three core initiatives. First, she will focus on issues of diversity and inclusion for attorneys in Illinois. Second, she will focus on initiatives encouraging professional life/work wellness for all attorneys in Illinois. Third, she will focus on creation of an ISBA Business Institute, with a mission of fostering resources for attorneys to draw upon in support of their practices. Krolikowska is driving awareness that law practices are businesses and there are many opportunities to help attorneys further develop their back-office skills and resources for even greater success. Professionally, Krolikowska has distinguished herself as family law attorney in private practice based in Northbrook, Illinois. Aside from litigating divorce cases, she is a highly experienced mediator and collaborative divorce process attorney. Krolikowska has served on the ISBA Board of Governors since 2014 and the General Assembly since 2009. She was actively involved in the passage of the Uniform Collaborative Act which ensured collaborative process was codifed into Illinois law. "I'm delighted I've earned the confidence of so many people and am looking forward to bringing my skills and energy to the ISBA, an organization that means so much to me and to each and every member." said Anna following the announcement of her victory. "Anna will bring a new vision and focus to the ISBA during her leadership. She's aware of the many issues facing lawyers from all disciplines in Illinois and she'll be a tireless advocate for each and every one of them." said supporter, Emily Masalski, a Chicago-based environmental law attorney. View the ISBA Election results page here. Press Contact & Media Inquiries: Rebecca Hoffman | Good Egg Concepts [email protected] Telephone: 312-282-4254 SOURCE Anna Krolikowska DUBLIN, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Target Drone Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on End-User, Application, Platform, Mode of Operation, Speed, Target Type, Payload, and Country - Analysis and Forecast, 2021-2031" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The target drone technology and products have been used widely by various countries since the second world war. The technological advancements in terms of payload, platform, target type, speed, and mode of operation are driving use for target drones in defense and homeland security sectors in areas including combat training for military personnel, countering cross-border terrorism, smuggling activities, and maritime security. The global target drone market is estimated to reach $10,433.9 million in 2031, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.77% during the forecast period 2021-2031. The major driving factor for robust of the market will be because of increasing defense budgets by major countries for military modernization and strengthening national security activities. Key Companies Profiled AeroTargets International LLC, Air Affairs Australia, Airbus S.A.S., Boeing, Denel SOC Ltd., Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Griffon Aerospace, Kadet Defence Systems, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., Leonardo S.p.A., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman, QinetiQ, Robonic Ltd Oy, SCR, Sistemas de Control Remoto Growth/Marketing Strategy Players operating in the global target drone market are developing innovative products to enhance the capabilities of their product offerings. Growth/marketing strategies will help the readers in understanding the revenue-generating strategies adopted by the players operating in the global target drone market. For instance, in December 2020, the U.S. Navy awarded a $57 million contract to Northrop Grumman Corporation to manufacture Coyote supersonic targets. The contract could be worth $250 million for an additional 84 target vehicles in the coming years. Moreover, other strategies adopted by the market players will help the reader in making strategic decisions, such as go-to-market strategies. Competitive Strategy Players analyzed and profiled in the study involve Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and component providers that capture maximum share in the global target drone market. Moreover, a detailed competitive benchmarking of the players operating in global target drone has been done that will help the reader to understand how players stack against each other, presenting a clear market landscape. Additionally, comprehensive competitive strategies such as partnerships, agreements, and collaborations will aid the reader in understanding the untapped revenue pockets in the market. Key questions answered in the Target Drone Market Report What are the futuristic trends in this market, and how is the market expected to change over the forecast years 2021-2031? What are the key drivers and challenges faced by the companies that are currently working in the global target drone market? How is the market expected to grow during the forecast period 2021-2031? What are the opportunities for the companies to expand their businesses in the global target drone market? Which region is expected to be leading the global target drone market by 2031? What are the key developmental strategies implemented by the key players to sustain in this highly competitive market? What is the current and future revenue scenario of this market? What is the competitive scenario of the key players in the global target drone market? What are the emerging technologies that the key companies are focusing on to increase their market share? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the companies that are influencing the growth of the market? Impact of COVID-19 on Target Drone Technology Market The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted the growth of the market as the companies have lowered their research and development funding to develop innovative solutions. The key players in the U.S. and Europe were affected the most during the first wave of the COVID-19 and had to impose strict lockdowns to ensure the safety of their employees. This has affected the manufacturing and development of the target drones. However, with the vaccination process being implemented, the market is expected to grow gradually. Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis Some of the original equipment manufacturers operating in the market include Airbus S.A.S., Boeing, Leonardo S.p.A., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman, AeroTargets International LLC, Air Affairs Australia, Denel SOC Ltd, DRDO, Griffon Aerospace, Kadet Defence Systems, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., QinetiQ, SCR, and Sistemas de Control Remoto, among others. In addition, there are certain component providers operating in the market, including BAE Systems, General Dynamics Corporation, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Robonic Ltd Oy, Meggitt Defense Systems, and Safran. Key Topics Covered: 1 Markets 1.1 Industry Outlook 1.1.1 Global Target Drone Market: Overview 1.2 Leading Manufacturers, Products, and Technical Specifications 1.3 Current and Emerging Technological Trends 1.3.1 Hypersonic Propulsion for Target Drones 1.3.2 Fuel Cell Technology 1.3.3 Hybrid Propulsion 1.3.4 AI-Enabled Control System 1.3.5 Internet of Things (IoT) Battlefield 1.4 Target Drone Contract Analysis, 2018 - 2020 1.5 Patent Analysis 1.5.1 Patent Analysis (by Status) 1.6 Supply Chain Analysis 1.7 Business Dynamics 1.7.1 Business Drivers 1.7.1.1 Increasing Adoption of Unmanned Systems for Military Operations 1.7.1.2 Advancements in Military Training to Simulate Real Combat Scenario 1.7.2 Business Challenges 1.7.2.1 Lack of Skilled Workforce 1.7.2.2 Short Endurance of Target Drones 1.7.3 Business Opportunities 1.7.3.1 Growing Defense Budgets of Major Economies 1.7.3.2 Rising Deployment of Defense Systems in Emerging Countries 1.8 Business Strategies 1.8.1.1 Partnerships and Contracts 1.8.1.2 Product Development and Innovation 1.8.1.3 Others 2 Application 2.1 Global Target Drone Market (by Application) 2.1.1 Overview 2.1.2 Global Target Drone Market (by End User) 2.1.2.1 Military 2.1.2.2 Homeland Security 2.1.2.3 Defense Companies 2.1.2.4 Demand Analysis of Global Target Drone Market (by End User) 2.1.3 Global Target Drone Market (by Application) 2.1.3.1 Combat Training 2.1.3.2 Target and Decoy 2.1.3.3 Target Identification 2.1.3.4 Target Acquisition 2.1.3.5 Others 2.1.3.6 Demand Analysis of Global Target Drone Market (by Application) 3 Product 3.1 Global Target Drone Market (by Product) 3.1.1 Overview 3.1.2 Global Target Drone Market (by Platform) 3.1.2.1 Aerial Targets 3.1.2.2 Marine Targets 3.1.2.3 Ground Targets 3.1.2.4 Demand Analysis for Global Target Drone Market (by Platform) 3.1.3 Global Target Drone Market (by Mode of Operation) 3.1.3.1 Remotely Piloted 3.1.3.2 Optionally Piloted 3.1.3.3 Autonomous Operation 3.1.3.4 Demand Analysis for Global Target Drone Market (by Mode of Operation) 3.1.4 Global Target Drone Market (by Speed of Aerial Target Drones) 3.1.4.1 Subsonic (<_8 />3.1.4.2 Transonic (0.8-1.2 Mach) 3.1.4.3 Supersonic (1.2-5.0 Mach) 3.1.4.4 Hypersonic (> 5.0 Mach) 3.1.4.5 Demand Analysis for Global Target Drone Market (by Speed of Aerial Target Drone) 3.1.5 Global Target Drone Market (by Target Type) 3.1.5.1 Full Scale 3.1.5.2 Sub-Scaled 3.1.5.3 Towing 3.1.5.4 Demand Analysis for Global Target Drone Market (by Target Type) 3.1.6 Global Target Drone Market (by Payload) * 3.1.6.1 Flares 3.1.6.2 Passive and Active Radar Augmentation Devices 3.1.6.3 Infrared Augmentation Devices 3.1.6.4 Electronic Payloads 3.1.6.5 Others 4 Region 5 Markets - Competitive Benchmarking & Company Profiles 6 Research Methodology For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qrfnae Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com "Instacart is proud to join the White House's effort to encourage more vaccinations in the U.S. so we can all gather safely around the table again and celebrate summertime with friends and family," said Apoorva Mehta, Founder & CEO of Instacart. "Over the last year, Instacart has been deeply committed to supporting the health and safety of customers, shoppers and employees throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and today is another important step we're taking to encourage the communities we serve to get vaccinated. With the Get Vaxxed For Snacks program, we hope to offer customers one more reason to get vaccinated so we can collectively bring this pandemic to an end." Here's how customers who have received their first shot or who are fully vaccinated can enter the Get Vaxxed For Snacks sweepstakes: Enter at www.instacart.com/vaxxedforsnacks by June 30 at 11:59 p.m. PST . by at . On July 1 , Instacart will select 200 winners to receive a $500 Instacart gift card to keep their fridge and pantry stocked with their favorite summertime snacks, from ice cream and popsicles to salsa and guacamole and everything in between! , Instacart will select 200 winners to receive a Instacart gift card to keep their fridge and pantry stocked with their favorite summertime snacks, from ice cream and popsicles to salsa and guacamole and everything in between! For complete details on the sweepstakes, click here for the official rules . When COVID-19 vaccines became available earlier this year, Instacart was early to support vaccinations with a COVID-19 Vaccine Stipend Program for the Instacart shopper community. This program provides shoppers and in-store teams with financial assistance as they take time to get vaccinated against COVID-19. To date, the company's vaccine stipend has paid out nearly $2 million to support Instacart shoppers who received the COVID-19 vaccine. Instacart is proud to serve millions of Americans from all backgrounds throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Elderly and immunocompromised individuals and their families have come to rely on Instacart to access fresh food and essential items through convenient options, including curbside pickup and contactless delivery services. Instacart has also provided a lifeline for shoppers needing to earn flexible income and has invested more than $30 million to support the health and safety of more than 500,000 shoppers nationwide. For more information about Instacart's COVID-19 response, please visit www.instacart.com/company . To learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations and schedule an appointment near you, visit www.vaccines.gov . To learn more about how Instacart shoppers have supported their local communities throughout the pandemic, visit www.instacart.com/beyondthecart . About Instacart Instacart is the leading online grocery platform in North America. Instacart shoppers offer same-day delivery and pickup services to bring fresh groceries and everyday essentials to busy people and families across the U.S. and Canada. Instacart has partnered with more than 600 beloved national, regional and local retailers, including unique brand names, to deliver from nearly 55,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America. Instacart's delivery service is available to 85% of U.S. households and 80% of Canadian households. The company's cutting-edge enterprise technology also powers the ecommerce platforms of some of the world's biggest retail players, supporting their white-label websites, applications and delivery solutions. Instacart offers an Instacart Express membership that includes reduced service fees and unlimited free delivery on orders over $35. For more information, visit www.instacart.com . For anyone interested in becoming an Instacart shopper, visit https://shoppers.instacart.com/ . CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE Instacart Related Links http://www.instacart.com It's been reported that up to 69% of all CRM projects fail*, which is a problem Introhive uncovered early on. Companies not using CRM to its potential, relationship data not being mapped internally, and a lack of insight into actionable data were all opportunities Introhive identified and built a platform dedicated to helping client-facing teams overcome. Leveraging proprietary algorithms and artificial intelligence to provide automatic updates to companies' sales and client data, communications and behavior, Introhive provides teams with actionable insights on one of their organizations' most important focus area: growing customer relationships and generating more sales. By uncovering hidden revenue growth opportunities and saving businesses an average of $68,400 a year per employee on lost productivity and automating manual work, Introhive continues to aim to set the standard for the future of revenue operations and the overall sales cycle. "We've learned that Introhive's benefits and pain-point eliminations transcend industries and organization size," said Jody Glidden , Introhive CEO and Co-Founder. "We often say 'first you buy a CRM, then you buy us.' Our internal compass focuses on the 3 R's revenue, retention, and relationships as the key ingredients to a successful and thriving business. Whether a company is trying to reduce customer or employee churn, make their revenue generating teams more effective or leverage the numerous untapped connections of 'who knows who' that exist in their company, Introhive is creating raving fans." Introhive's unique blend of solutions work collaboratively with any CRM and integrate to numerous other systems, including marketing automation and business intelligence (BI) technologies to help enterprises grow and scale. The company supports some of the largest and most security conscious brands in the world, including one customer with a deployment of 100,000+ seats across numerous continents, making it the largest revenue acceleration platform. Introhive customers include industry leaders such as PwC, Colliers International, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Plante Moran, and Clark Nexsen and in industries ranging from technology to financial services, recruitment to professional services. "We are in the business of relationships, so moving the dial on a single relationship can lead to millions of dollars in revenue," said David Chun , Founder and CEO of Equilar. "Introhive has been extremely flexible in working with us as we define specific use cases and leverage data science to add value to our business. Their ability to easily onboard our team and data to their platform and quickly deliver actionable revenue insights has been impressive compared to what we've seen from others in the industry." Nicole France , Vice President and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research adds: "Great salespeople are most valuable when they're building relationships and business with customers. By intelligently capturing data insights, technologies like Introhive increase the quality and timeliness of the data and help salespeople prioritize their efforts where it matters most. Sellers can focus more of their time on the insights generated from relationship intelligence and putting it to use. As a result, sales and account teams understand the needs of their customers and prospects better than ever before, resulting in more upsells, shorter lead times and more revenue." While most companies were scaling down in 2020, Introhive's platform processed more than one trillion transactions, captured 60+ million contacts and relationships, saved nine million employee hours and supported users across 90 countries. This makes Introhive a back-to-back winner of the fastest growing companies on Deloitte's Fast 500 and Fast 50 lists. "We are extremely excited to be partnering with Introhive as they seek to continue to rapidly grow the CRM automation and relationship intelligence platform," said Rick Essex, Managing Director at PSG, who will join Introhive's Board of Directors. "Businesses of all sizes are looking for better ways to leverage relationships and drive revenue, and we believe Introhive has built a unique and innovative set of capabilities that allows them to do this more effectively. In our view, Jody and Stewart (Walchli) have built a world class product and management team, and the business is well positioned for its next phase of growth. We couldn't be happier to join them on their journey." Founded in 2012 by Glidden and Chief Revenue Officer Stewart Walchli, Introhive has quickly grown to more than 300 employees with 10 global office locations, supporting customers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Middle East and Asia. "This round of funding is intended to will enable us to continue to innovate and leverage AI to deliver automated relationship intelligence that strengthens every interaction our customers and partners touch," said Walchli. "Introhive is the Revenue Acceleration platform we expect companies will be using in the future to seek to make their lives easier and their companies stronger." *Source: Why Do CRM Projects Fail About Introhive Introhive is one of the fastest-growing AI-powered sales and relationship intelligence platforms, with the single largest revenue acceleration deployment in the world with customer PwC. Trusted by some of the world's most recognizable brands, including PwC, Clark Nexsen, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Colliers International, and Plante Moran, the company has been recognized with 2019 and 2020 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and Fast 500 Awards, a 2020 MarTech Breakthrough Awards, and is Great Place to Work certified in Canada. Introhive's AI-powered SaaS platform seeks to enable organizations to realize the full value of their relationships across the business and to leverage untapped data to drive revenues and increase productivity while simultaneously improving the customer experience. Learn more at introhive.ai. About PSG PSG is a growth equity firm that partners with middle-market software and technology-enabled services companies to help them navigate transformational growth, capitalize on strategic opportunities and build strong teams. Having backed more than 65 companies and facilitated over 300 add-on acquisitions, PSG brings extensive investment experience, deep expertise in software and technology, and a firm commitment to collaborating with management teams. Founded in 2014, PSG operates out of offices in Boston, Kansas City and London. To learn more about PSG, visit www.psgequity.com. Media Inquiries : Renee Maler Philosophy PR + Marketing 510.499.9746 [email protected] Jackie Schofield Prosek Partners (PSG) 646.818.9100 [email protected] SOURCE Introhive Related Links http://www.psgequity.com ATLANTA, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ), a leading global investment management firm, announced today the findings of its 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, which highlights several areas, including the firm's response to the COVID-19 pandemic; efforts to further improve diversity, equity and inclusion; commitment to the environment; and progress with regard to ESG. "Employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion were important focus areas for Invesco in 2020," said Marty Flanagan, President & CEO of Invesco. "Between the COVID-19 pandemic, a global racial reckoning, and a fully remote working environment, the focus on growing an inclusive and supportive culture became increasingly important. We fundamentally believe that creating a diverse workplace where everyone is equally valued will lead to better outcomes for our clients, and the only way to do that is to ensure an authentically inclusive culture." Key highlights of the report include: COVID-19 In 2020, Invesco took a number of steps to help its clients, employees and communities meet the challenges of a global pandemic: Specifically, the firm: Rotated nearly all of its employees to work-from-home status, enabling us to manage the health and well-being of our employees while continuing to meet client needs. Further enhanced its client communications and connectivity by implementing a fully digital client-engagement strategy consisting of COVID-19 resource hubs, "digital roadshows," webinars and virtual meetings. Signed onto the ICCR Investor Statement on Coronavirus Response. The statement urges the business community to take any steps possible with focus on providing paid leave, prioritizing health/safety, maintaining supplier/customer relationships and continuing financial prudence. To date, Invesco has donated over $1 million (USD) to global COVID-19 relief efforts. This included a donation to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and the Greater Atlanta , NYC and Houston COVID-19 Recovery Funds. (USD) to global COVID-19 relief efforts. This included a donation to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and the , NYC and Houston COVID-19 Recovery Funds. The firm also donated $54,000 to 11 schools through Operation Backpack. Access to technology and school supplies has always been a vital need in underserved areas, but it became especially critical when the majority of schools moved to virtual learning during the pandemic. Invesco Cares chapters in North America partnered with Operation Backpack to help students thrive despite the move to virtual learning by providing needed technology devices and school supplies so that students could participate in their classes. Diversity & Inclusion Invesco has for many years been focused on strengthening diversity and inclusion, which we view as crucial to achieving the diversity of thought that helps us deliver great outcomes for clients, for our business and for each other. As part of our focus on strengthening Diversity & Inclusion, Invesco: Pledged to increase female representation of senior managers to 35% by 2022 across the globe. As of December 31, 2020 , women comprise 33% of Invesco's senior management positions and 39% of our total workforce. , women comprise 33% of Invesco's senior management positions and 39% of our total workforce. Launched Invesco's first global #CountMeIn employee self-identification campaign, which enables employees to provide demographic data beyond gender, including sexual orientation, gender identity, race and ethnicity, veteran, neurodiversity and caregiver status. This data will help inform Invesco's diversity strategy and help ensure a more inclusive culture for all. Strengthened our talent acquisition practices by ensuring greater diversity in our candidate and interview slates. ] During 2020, 58% of the candidate slates were gender diverse, and 78% of the interview panels were gender diverse. Invesco's goal is to ensure 95% of all candidate slates and interview panels are gender diverse and our enhanced data set will enable us to define this beyond gender The firm is also tracking candidate slates for racial diversity, which will help further enhance our talent acquisition practices. Received a score of 100 (a perfect score) on Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index and was named as a "Top Employer for LGBTG+ Inclusion." Expanded outreach to educational institutions serving significant minority populations. Remained highly active in a number of industry bodies (e.g. The Diversity Project in the UK and North America ) to build awareness of industry opportunities among women and minorities. ) to build awareness of industry opportunities among women and minorities. Signed the Confluence Philanthropy 2020 Belonging Pledge, joined the State of Connecticut Corporate Call to Action: Coalition for Equity & Opportunity, participated in the Atlanta Committee for Progress Pledge and signed a joint letter of Commitment to support the passage of Georgia Hate Crimes Bill, all which aimed to address economic and racial disparities. Recognized Juneteenth as a paid Day of Reflection in the US to observe, support and engage in efforts to address and eliminate inequality. Further expanded and supported the growing number of Business Resource Groups (BRGs) at Invesco, including the Invesco Pan-Asian Professionals Network, the Invesco Black Professionals Network, Invesco Proud Network, EMEA Ethnicity BRG, Invesco Women's Network and others, bringing our total number of BRGs to nine. Climate Change In support of efforts to mitigate impact on our environment, Invesco: Joined and is a working member of the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative, where we've taken a global pledge focusing investment managers on reaching net-zero GHG emissions across investment portfolios, in line with the Paris Agreement goal to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by 2050 or sooner. Reduced carbon dioxide emissions resulting from corporate air and rail travel by 74% through the implementation of carbon offsetting when compared to 2019. Exceeded the targets for energy use and GHG emissions with a 23% reduction, although these were impacted by global office closures. Retained its Global ISO 14001:2015 Certification. As of 2020, 70% of our offices across the globe are ISO 14001. Actively served in several climate-focused organizations, including The Sustainable Financial Organisations (ACGA, Asia ), UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF, UK), Council of Institutional Investors (CII, US) and Responsible Investment Association (RIA, Canada ) ), UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF, UK), Council of Institutional Investors (CII, US) and Responsible Investment Association (RIA, ) Invesco has published its first inaugural report on Climate Change in line with the TCFD, and going forward will publish an annual report with progress and further actions. ESG In support of our commitments to further strengthening Environmental, Social and Governance engagement and activities within our firm, Invesco: Signed the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, joining other asset managers to support the global goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner. Further worked to integrated ESG into our investment capabilities. Invesco's goal is to have ESG integrated across 100% of our investment capabilities by 2023. Currently, 75% of our investment teams have attained the ESG integration level defined as minimal by systematic integration. Received an A or A+ rating by the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) across all categories and were awarded an A+ for the Company's strategy and governance in responsible investment for the fourth year in a row. Launched ESGIntel, a proprietary tool built by Invesco's Global ESG research team in collaboration with our Technology, Strategy, Innovation and Planning (SIP) team providing ESG insights, metrics, data points and direction of change. ESGintel provides a way for Invesco to have a proprietary view on ESG risks and opportunities related to the companies in which we invest. Of the 45,000 companies with data currently in the system, 16,500 companies have enough ESG data to create an overall ESG rating. Remains the second-largest ESG ETF provider in the US, with a number of products having a track record of more than 15 years. Views proxy voting as an integral part of its investment management responsibilities and our patented proxy voting portal facilitates investment-led voting decisions. Our proprietary proxy voting platform, PROXYintel, facilitates implementation of voting decisions and rationales across global investment teams. Served as an active participant member and supporter of ESG initiatives, including Climate Action 100 +, the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), the Asian Investors Group on Climate Change (AIIGCC), the Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI), One Planet Asset Managers Initiative, Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return Initiative (FAIIR) and PRI collective engagement initiatives such as the tailings mine safety initiative. To learn more about Invesco's ESG efforts, please view Invesco's 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance Investment Stewardship Report Corporate Citizenship In 2020, Invesco supported over 128 charity organizations and non-profits through 19 Invesco Cares chapters globally. In 2020, our U.K. employees voted to select the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) as their Charity of the Year. CALM is a leader in suicide prevention and mental health support, and their selection showcases our employees' support of this important cause. As charity of the year, CALM received 223,500 pounds sterling (US$310,441) from Invesco raised by employees via a virtual triathlon, a salary sacrifice, Invesco Christmas donation and a grant from the Invesco Cares Foundation. from Invesco raised by employees via a virtual triathlon, a salary sacrifice, Invesco Christmas donation and a grant from the Invesco Cares Foundation. Due to the pandemic and not being able to volunteer in person, Invesco launched a first-ever global, company-matching gift program for organizations specifically targeting COVID-19 relief and/or racial injustice. Invesco matched employee donations up to $250,000 . "2020 was an unprecedented year, however, we continued to focus on creating solutions and long-term value for our clients, employees, shareholders and the communities we serve," said Flanagan. "I'm proud of the progress Invesco's 8,000+ employees made last year and look forward to building further on this progress in 2021." To learn more about Invesco's commitment to corporate responsibility and to view the full report, read it online here. About Invesco Ltd. Invesco Ltd. (TickerNYSE: IVZ) is a global independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. With offices in more than 20 countries, our distinctive investment teams deliver a comprehensive range of active, passive and alternative investment capabilities. Invesco managed US $1.4 trillion in assets on behalf of clients worldwide as of March 31, 2021. For more information, visit www.invesco.com/corporate. Follow Invesco Ltd on LinkedIn. Contact: Gina Simonis [email protected] +1 (917) 715-8339 SOURCE Invesco Ltd. Related Links https://www.invesco.com Company follows through on plan to leverage strong cash position to consolidate its stake in capitalizing on the economic recovery. MONTREAL, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - IOU FINANCIAL INC. ("IOU" or "the Company") (TSXV: IOU), a leading online lender to small businesses (IOUFinancial.com), announced today that, pursuant to its announcement on April 8, 2021 to repurchase up to $2.0M of its convertible debentures, it is repurchasing approximately $1.9 million of its convertible debentures in the capital of the Company (the "Debentures") at a discount per $1,000 of aggregate principal amount per Debenture. Such transactions are being carried out pursuant to repurchase agreements entered into with individual holders of Debentures. The move to repurchase the Debentures comes after a year of strategic initiatives as part of IOU's Pandemic Resilience Plan that focussed on reducing corporate expenses while reaffirming commitments from its diverse portfolio of funding sources and capitalizing on new opportunities to continue to support small businesses in 2020. "IOU's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 put the Company in a position of strength to consolidate its stake in developing the opportunities ahead," said Robert Gloer, CEO. "We are proud and excited to follow through on that plan and maximize our exposure to the economic recovery." Furthermore, IOU intends to repurchase up to an additional $500,000 of its Debentures at a discount per $1,000 of aggregate principal amount per Debenture ("the Repurchases"). IOU will seek to repurchase such Debentures pursuant to repurchase agreements to be entered into with individual holders of Debentures and to close the Repurchases by no later than July 31, 2021. There can be no assurances that any Debentures will be so repurchased, that all Debentures that an individual holder wishes to be repurchased will so be, or that the Repurchases will be completed by such date. About IOU Financial Inc. IOU Financial Inc. is a wholesale lender that provides quick and easy access to growth capital to small businesses through a network of preferred brokers across the US and Canada. Built on a proprietary technology platform that connects underwriters, merchants and brokers in real time, IOU Financial has become a trusted alternative to banks by underwriting US$898 million in loans to fund small business growth since 2009. To learn more about IOU Financial's corporate history, financial products, or to join our broker network please visit www.IOUFinancial.com. Forward Looking Statements Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address or discuss activities, events or developments that IOU expects or anticipates may occur in the future. These forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words and phrases such as "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "expects", "may", "plans", "projects", "should", "will", "intends", "seeks", "allows", "creates a path for", "puts in a position to" or the negative thereof or other variations thereon. These forward-looking statements are subject to and involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of IOU, including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, dependence upon regulatory and shareholder approvals, the execution of definitive documentation, the uncertainty of obtaining additional financing, risks related to the Company's incapacity to execute on its business plan, dependence on third-party service providers, competition, dependence on key personnel, security and confidentiality risk, technological development risk, IT disruptions, maintenance of client relationships, and litigation risk. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by such statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefit IOU will derive from them. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. IOU does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found beginning on page 20 under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in IOU's management's discussion and analysis dated May 20, 2021, which is available under IOU's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE IOU Financial Inc. Related Links https://ioufinancial.com/en-ca/ JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After a thoughtful search, the Jacksonville Black Chamber of Commerce today named Jasmine Lashawn as president and CEO of the organization. Lashawn, currently serves as CEO of The Opulence Firm. Jasmine Lashawn "It is an honor to serve our black business community and I look forward to engaging with all of the business owners throughout Jacksonville. Whether entrepreneurial startups or established corporations, they employ our people and serve as the economic engine for our city. I am eager to advance this agenda they've helped define to ensure these businesses continue to thrive here in Jacksonville. I see this as an opportunity to work with city and state leaders to improve the state of Jacksonville's businesses to retain and sustainably grow jobs, to build bridges between the religious organizations, political organizations, LGBTQ organizations and the black business community." "Jasmine Lashawn will be a great leader for the organization," said Tyrica Nelson, Chairman and owner of Tea Posh Naturals. "Jasmine is a visionary leader; She exhibits the passion, communication and executive skills needed to help the Chamber. Jasmine brings a proven record of success in business and organizational leadership." Jasmine has several connections to Jacksonville being born and raised here in the River City. She also earned a Bachelors and Masters in Business and Communications and Juris Doctorate in Law. At The Opulence Firm she works to educate local businesses on properly structuring their business. She plans to advocate for regulatory changes to improve Jacksonville's competitive business climate, quality workforce, education reform and much more. Media contact Opulence Firm 9042507459 SOURCE Jacksonville Black Chamber of Commerce DETROIT, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kolene Corporation has acquired the Chemical Division of Park Thermal International Corporation. The president of Park Thermal, Mr. Jay Mistry, will work with Kolene going forward to assure the transition of all Park Thermal standard and proprietary heat treat chemical blends, as well as providing customer support. Kolene Corporation has been a trusted brand for both ferrous and non-ferrous metal cleaning products for 82 years and is also known for their Ferritic Nitrocarburizing (FNC) salts. "We are very excited to broaden our molten salt offerings into the heat treat market and utilize Jay's extensive chemical knowledge and excellent technical customer support to do so," says Mr. Peter Shoemaker, VP of Purchasing, at Kolene. "It's great to have Jay as a partner with Kolene as we relaunch the industry trusted Iso-Therm product line." Mr. Jay Mistry stated, "We were challenged with the Covid downturn in our business and we were looking for a strong partner to continue supporting our established customer base. I am glad to have found the Kolene team, a trusted and competent North American partner who has the technical and commercial bandwidth to carry our heat treat salt business into the next phase. I am looking forward to working with Kolene." For inquiries on heat treat products in North America, please call Kolene at 1-800-521-4182, or 1-313-273-9220, or email [email protected] For further information on this business transaction, please reach out to: [email protected] About Kolene Corporation: Kolene Corporation, Detroit, Michigan has continuously operated as a family business for 82 years. Kolene's business model is to be the leading North American thermal chemical provider as a one stop shop for equipment, chemicals, service, spare parts, and lab support. Their established supply chain ensures continuous and reliable product production. About Park Thermal International Corporation: Park Thermal International Corporation of Georgetown, Ontario, Canada, was founded in 1938. Jay Mistry started as chemist at Park Thermal in 1989 and bought out the company from Brian Reid in 2017. With Jay's expertise, Park Thermal has developed chemical blends for special customer demands. SOURCE Kolene Corporation Related Links www.kolene.com NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Krane Funds Advisors, LLC, ("KraneShares"), a global asset management firm known for its China-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and innovative China investment strategies, today announced that the KraneShares Electric Vehicles & Future Mobility ETF (Ticker: KARS) now tracks the Bloomberg Electric Vehicles Index. KARS currently has over $200 million in assets under management (AUM).1 The Bloomberg Electric Vehicles Index is Bloomberg Index Services' first-ever thematic equity index.2 Bloomberg is a leader in indexing and financial data services. The Bloomberg Electric Vehicles Index encompasses the entire electric vehicles ecosystem, including car manufacturers, battery makers, raw materials, vehicle connectivity suppliers, alternative renewable energy sources including hydrogen, and more. The Bloomberg Electric Vehicles Index is constructed through a rigorous basket identification process powered by Bloomberg Intelligence (BI), which includes over 350 research professionals. The index construction process employs both quantitative and qualitative analysis as well as research from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) in an attempt to build the best possible representation of the electric vehicles industry. The index is reevaluated on a quarterly basis.3 "We are proud to become the first asset manager to track a Bloomberg thematic equity index through our KARS ETF," said Jonathan Krane. "We have partnered with Bloomberg in the past on fixed income funds. Due to Bloomberg's strong equity research capabilities, we believe their index is the best suited to capture the complex and rapidly changing electric vehicles industry." "With the launch of our global equity benchmarks, we are meeting demand for thematic indices that are backed by independent research and driven off transparent processes," said Alan Campbell, Head of Product Management for Bloomberg's Multi-Asset Index business. "Integrated with Bloomberg's data and distribution channels, our thematic indices are positioned to be leading benchmarks for ETFs and we're proud that KraneShares has adopted our electric vehicles index for KARS." The Bloomberg Electric Vehicles Index was launched on June 2, 2021. Approximately 38% of the index was comprised of stocks in the consumer discretionary sector, 22% in the materials sector, 20% in the information technology sector, and 20% in the industrials sector as of June 10, 2021. The top three country weights in the index were China, the United States, and Germany as of the same date. Previously, the KARS ETF tracked the Solactive Electric Vehicles and Future Mobility Index. For more information about KARS, please visit www.kraneshares.com/kars. About KraneShares Krane Funds Advisors, LLC is the investment manager for KraneShares ETFs. Our suite of China-focused ETFs provides investors with solutions to capture China's importance as an essential element of a well-designed investment portfolio. We strive to deliver innovative, first-to-market strategies developed based on our strong partnerships and deep knowledge of investing. We help investors stay up to date on global market trends and aim to provide meaningful diversification. Krane Funds Advisors, LLC, is a signatory of the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investing (UN PRI). The firm is majority owned by China International Capital Corporation (CICC). Citations AUM as of 5/31/2021 "Press Announcement Bloomberg Expands Equity Indices with Emerging Markets and Thematic Benchmarks," Bloomberg. June 8, 2021 . Bloomberg Index Services. Important Notes Carefully consider the Funds' investment objectives, risk factors, charges, and expenses before investing. This and additional information can be found in the Funds' full and summary prospectus, which may be obtained by visiting www.kraneshares.com/kars. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. Risk Disclosures Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. There can be no assurance that a Fund will achieve its stated objectives. The Funds are subject to political, social, or economic instability within China which may cause a decline in value. Fluctuations in currency of foreign countries may have an adverse effect on domestic currency values. Emerging markets involve heightened risk related to the same factors as well as increased volatility and lower trading volume. The ability of the KraneShares Electric Vehicles & Future Mobility ETF to achieve its respective investment objectives is dependent, in part, on the continuous availability of A Shares and the ability to obtain, if necessary, an additional A Shares quota. If the Fund is unable to obtain sufficient exposure due to the limited availability of A Share quotas, the Fund could seek exposure to the component securities of the Underlying Index by investment in other types of securities. The fund may invest in derivatives, which are often more volatile than other investments and may magnify the Fund's gains or losses. The Fund is subject to industry concentration risk and is non-diversified. Narrowly focused investments typically exhibit higher volatility. The KraneShares ETFs are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Company (SIDCO), which is not affiliated with Krane Funds Advisors, LLC, the Investment Adviser for the Fund, any sub-advisers for the Funds, or Bloomberg Index Services Limited. SOURCE Krane Funds Advisors, LLC Related Links http://kraneshares.com GARNER, N.C., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for blood donations has increased tremendously. Lane & Associates Family Dentistry (LAA) is pleased to be partnering with The Blood Connection to host 10 blood drives across North Carolina. With over 40 locations, LAA spreads awareness on this crucial need by rallying patients, employees, family, and friends to donate. "Donating is an opportunity for us to perform extraordinary acts of service and generosity. What better way to turn compassion into action!" says Dr. Don Lane. Donations from these drives help patients of all ages in a variety of situations. Simply saving lives; that's neighbors helping neighbors in the best way. These events do call for online appointment reservations via The Blood Connection website. You will need to create an account to sign up. The upcoming blood drives will be held on: June 17 th in Cary (St. Charles Location) June 22 nd in Durham (Miami Boulevard Location) June 24 th in Sanford (Horner Boulevard Location) June 29 th in Jacksonville If you've never donated blood before, don't worry. It's simple! The process and the procedure itself usually only lasts 7 to 12 minutes. In that amount of time, you can save up to 3 lives. "The local blood supply is critically low after months of historically low donor turnout. It is very important now for donors to support their community. We are urging any eligible donor, and anyone interested in becoming a donor, to come out now," said Ellen Kirtner, Partnerships & Media Coordinator for The Blood Connection. To be eligible to donate you must be in good health, at least 17 years old (16 years old with written parental consent) and weigh at least 110 pounds. To further determine eligibility, there will be questions asked about your health, travel, and medicines. For more information about eligibility or the donation process please visit https://thebloodconnection.org/important-donor-information/ . For four decades, Lane & Associates has been committed to offering the best comprehensive approach to dentistry, protecting and preserving the dental health of children, teenagers, and adults across North Carolina. We continue to ensure the safety of our patients and staff is our number one priority. For more information, visit www.lanedds.com or contact Lane and Associates by calling 1-877-LANE-DDS (526-3337). At Lane & Associates Family Dentistry, we love to make you smile! Contact Information: Alicia Wilson Social Media Manager | Marketing Associate 919.820.1967 [email protected] SOURCE Lane & Associates Family Dentistry Related Links http://www.lanedds.com MENLO PARK, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LeoLabs, Inc., the world's leading commercial provider of low Earth orbit (LEO) mapping and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services, today announced the Azores as the site for its next space radar. As a strategic addition to LeoLabs expanding global constellation of LEO sensors, the Azores Space Radar will go operational in the first half of 2022. "We are very excited about our decision to locate in the Azores," said Dan Ceperley, CEO and LeoLabs co-Founder. "This is a multi-decade investment on the part of LeoLabs, and a great opportunity for us to support the space sustainability goals of Portugal as they grow their presence in the global space community. It also signals LeoLabs commitment to a long-term presence in Europe." "The mission of LeoLabs remains clear: serve the growth of the LEO economy, and ensure the long-term survivability of LEO for future generations. Today we are the only end-to-end supplier of radar infrastructure and services that can execute on this mission," continued Ceperley. "Our global network already produces the world's largest number of LEO observations, and the Azores Space Radar will build on that and expand our tracking of LEO objects by an additional 25%. This opens our ability to grow our LEO catalogue from tracking 15,000 objects today to a massive 250,000 objects. The Azores Space Radar also adds more timely updates on critical events in LEO, including collisions, breakups, maneuvers, new launches, and re-entries." Strategic Location, Strategic Partnerships LeoLabs' Azores Space Radar investment also reflects alignment with Portugal's goals at the national and regional levels. "We welcome LeoLabs to Portugal with the installation of a new space radar in the Azores," said Ricardo Conde, President of Portugal Space. "LEO has rapidly emerged as a sphere of commercial opportunity for innovators like LeoLabs, and it is important to build infrastructure that allows us to mitigate the risks of increased space debris. The radar will improve mapping and cataloguing services that identify the positioning and dynamics of these objects in LEO and inform our ability to set policies that address risks." "We are pleased to welcome this ground-breaking investment by LeoLabs in the Azores," said Dr Susete Amaro, Azores Regional Secretary for Culture, Science and Digital Transition. "The Azores Space Radar represents an important contribution to the development of Santa Maria's space ecosystem. It further validates our Santa Maria Teleport as an innovative model capable of attracting international investment from the space sector. We look forward to a long-term engagement with LeoLabs, and for the Azores to become a bridge to space just as we are a bridge across the Atlantic." Investment in Portugal, Investment in Europe LeoLabs investment in Portugal represents an important addition to LeoLabs' global radar constellation, and a key element of infrastructure to inform satellite operators, defense, space and regulatory agencies, and the space insurance sector. "We are delighted LeoLabs chose Portugal as home for its first European space investment," said Manuel Heitor, Portugal's Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education. "This is clearly a strategic contribution to Portugal, consistent with our national ethic of promoting responsible stewardship of space, and a timely step toward increasing our contribution to the European space sector. In addition, LeoLabs and Portugal are clearly excited about expanding commercial and educational opportunities within Portugal itself, applicable to space. We look forward to a long and constructive engagement." "We are certainly grateful for the support of Minister Heitor and the Portuguese government," stated Dan Ceperley. "As we scale our operations, and we look forward to building on our Portugal presence to engage more with ESA, the EU SST and member state initiatives, as well as engaging other European space actors in defense, space agency and commercial operators. In the near term," continued Ceperley, "LeoLabs is looking to expand our engagement in Europe along two dimensions: 1) data licensing and services agreements, and 2) additional radar sites. The announcement today with Portugal is an encouraging and fortunate start for LeoLabs, and we will continue to build on this partnership to deepen our European operations." LEO Backdrop: Opportunities, Risks, and the "Data Deficit" Low Earth Orbit is rapidly emerging as the commercial frontier in space. Rapid deployment of new satellite constellations, the demand for innovative services from imaging to broadband to IoT (internet of things), and the billions of dollars of new investment in space-based infrastructure are redefining a domain shared by governments, space agencies, regulators, commercial operators, and space insurance. Against this backdrop of unprecedented opportunity are two challenges critical to investment and the long-term viability of LEO. The first is the need to develop LEO sustainably by addressing the threat posed by space debris. Approximately 250,000 dangerous pieces of orbital debris have gone untracked by government legacy systems that can no longer keep pace with increasing risks to satellite constellations. Sustainability is not just an arena for operators to address, but also for regulators to establish international best practices, set standards, and define rules of behavior. A second challenge critical to the long-term viability of LEO is keeping it open and secure. As the number of private space enterprises and space-faring nations continue to grow, so does the need to track and make transparent the full range of events that threaten an open space environment. "The single greatest challenge to both the sustainability and security threats in LEO is solving the "data deficit", said Dan Ceperley, LeoLabs CEO. "The number of assets in LEO doubled last year, will double again this year, and is expected to grow 25x in the next five years. LeoLabs is already the largest provider of data for LEO today, and this lead will expand rapidly as we execute on our constellation of radars." Ceperley continued, "The legacy government-built SSA infrastructures of the past simply cannot scale to track the new levels of LEO activity, and they have no path to get there. Our commercially driven infrastructure is the only viable and scalable way to address this "data deficit". The Azores Space Radar will make a critical contribution to solving these challenges. Because of its strategic Atlantic location, the radar complements other LeoLabs radar sites, and will increase the frequency of observations LeoLabs collects on each satellite and orbital debris. This improves response times, and supports effective tracking and safety of flight. Second, the additional two S-band radars at the Azores adds critical resiliency to the global network, improving operational service levels and persistent tracking. And third, the Azores Space Radar accelerates LeoLabs ability to discover, track and catalogue the objects never before tracked, those under 10 centimeters. About LeoLabs Founded in 2016 as a venture-funded spinout of Silicon Valley research pioneer, SRI International, LeoLabs provides access to critical mapping and SSA data for low Earth orbit. LeoLabs' services include collision prevention, risk assessment, constellation monitoring, and commercial SSA. LeoLabs today serves regulatory and space agencies, commercial satellite operators, defense, and scientific/academic organizations that are driving generational change in LEO. LeoLabs' core technology includes a patent-pending global phased-array radar network which tracks debris and satellites in LEO. Observations generated from this network are the foundation of the LeoLabs mapping and SSA software platform, providing timely and accurate orbital and situational data. Further information on LeoLabs is available at leolabs.space. SOURCE LeoLabs, Inc. ARLINGTON, Va., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leonardo DRS, Inc. announced today that it will support Homes For Our Troops, a national nonprofit that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. The company was named the exclusive build-event sponsor for two home builds taking place in 2021 one in Ramona, Calif., and the other in Muskego, Wis. The houses will support families living within 30 miles of Leonardo DRS facilities, allowing the company's employees to participate in the Community Kickoff, the Volunteer Day, and Key Ceremony, for each home build. Following their mission statement of "Building Homes, Rebuilding Lives," Homes For Our Troops has designed, built, and donated over 318 homes for severely injured military Veterans since 2004. Each home is custom-built to meet the Veteran's special needs and physical limitations. A pro-bono financial planner is assigned to each family for three years to assist in budgeting and homeownership education to ensure long-term success. Homes For Our Troops also provides regular check-ins with Veterans and access to peer mentoring programs, employment opportunities, education, and more. "The employees of Leonardo DRS are honored to support the first families of America, our military families, especially for those troops who sustained combat injuries to keep all of us free," said John Baylouny, Leonardo DRS Chief Operating Officer. "We are looking forward to the build events and salute the service to our nation and the long healthy lives going forward of each of these cherished Veterans and their families." The first home Leonard DRS will be the sponsor for is in Ramona, California, and will be donated to retired Army Sergeant Joshua Hooker and his family. Joshua enlisted in the Army in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq in 2005 as a cavalry scout with the 101st Airborne Division. In 2006, Hooker and his unit were hit with an improvised explosive device (IED) while on patrol in Baghdad, resulting in severe damage to both of his legs and an eventual amputation of his left leg. The second home build will be donated to Marine Lance Corporal Robert "Bobby" McCardle, who was also hit with an IED on his second deployment in Iraq. McCardle underwent more than 40 surgeries to repair the damage from the blast and he was left with an amputated right leg, internal injuries, and a traumatic brain injury (TBI). His new family home will be built in Muskego, Wis. "When HFOT builds in communities across the country, it is critical to have partners like Leonardo DRS", said Brig Gen Tom Landwermeyer, USA (Ret), President/CEO, Homes For Our Troops. "They share our commitment to support these severely injured Veterans and their families, and we look forward to having the Leonardo DRS Team join us for Bobby McCardle's and Josh Hooker's build events." For more information about Leonardo DRS' support of HFOT, click here. About Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) is a publicly funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. Most of these Veterans have sustained life-altering injuries including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis, and/or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. HFOT builds these homes where the Veteran chooses to live, and continues its relationship with the Veterans after home delivery to assist them with rebuilding their lives. Since its inception in 2004, nearly 90 cents of every dollar spent has gone directly to our program services supporting Veterans. For more information, visit www.hfotusa.org. About Leonardo DRS Leonardo DRS is a leading provider of defense products and technologies that are used across land, air, sea, space and cyber domains. Its diverse array of defense systems and solutions is offered to all branches of the U.S. military, major aerospace and defense prime contractors, government intelligence agencies and international military customers for deployment on a wide range of military platforms. Leonardo DRS focuses its capabilities in areas of critical importance to the U.S. military, such as sensing, electronic warfare & cyber, network computing, communications, force protection and electrical power and propulsion. With a portfolio that includes internally developed proprietary intellectual property and products at the component, sub-system and system level, Leonardo DRS serves as either a prime contractor or a sub-contractor. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Leonardo DRS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leonardo S.p.A. See the full range of capabilities at www.LeonardoDRS.com For additional information please contact: Michael Mount Vice President, Public Relations and EE Communications 571-447-4624 [email protected] SOURCE Leonardo DRS, Inc. Related Links http://www.drs.com PARIS and SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, LVMH and Google Cloud announced a strategic partnership to accelerate innovation and develop new cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. Both companies will join forces to empower LVMH's Maisonsthe company's individual luxury brandsto create new, personalized customer experiences that foster long-term growth. The partnership combines both companies' creativity, assets, technological capabilities, thirst for innovation and recognized positions in their respective markets. The collaboration between LVMH and Google Cloud will assist Maisons' human talent by providing new AI and machine learning (ML) technologies that not only will improve business operations by enhancing demand forecasting and inventory optimization, but also will elevate customer experiences through personalizationwhile meeting LVMH's strictest privacy and security requirements. As AI will increasingly touch every part of the value chain at LVMH, from product development to supply chain, to the interfaces with employees, partners, and customers, LVMH will leverage Google Cloud's cutting-edge cloud technology and world-class AI/ML tools to enable the development of new business use cases at scale, addressing the highest standards of Maisons' customers. LVMH will also get Google Cloud's support in enhancing its culture of innovation, including the creation of dedicated, inclusive upskilling and certification programs for Maisons' teams. In addition, both companies will explore co-innovation opportunities and launch a Data and AI Academy in Paris to accelerate their expertise and innovation in these fields. As part of the partnership, LVMH will also use Google Cloud to modernize components of its IT infrastructure, fostering the agility, security, cost efficiency and performance at scale required to support its business ambitions. "This new, unprecedented and significant partnership with Google Cloud is the reflection of our high ambitions in this area. By combining our best-in-class approaches in our respective industries, it will take us a step forward in the use of data and AI. For us, privacy, personalization, and luxury are synonymous, and that will always remain true. The new opportunities offered to our customers are exactly what our talented teams are working for at LVMH: a unique and unforgettable experience," said Toni Belloni, Group Managing Director, LVMH. "We are proud to be entering into such an innovative and extensive partnership with LVMH to power its innovation through cloud technology and AI capacities. Together, we can help drive the future of customer experience in the luxury industry," said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud. About LVMH LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton is represented in Wines and Spirits by a portfolio of brands that includes Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Krug, Ruinart, Mercier, Chateau d'Yquem, Domaine du Clos des Lambrays, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Colgin Cellars, Hennessy, Glenmorangie, Ardbeg, Belvedere, Woodinville, Volcan de Mi Tierra, Chandon, Cloudy Bay, Terrazas de los Andes, Cheval des Andes, Cape Mentelle, Newton, Bodega Numanthia, Ao Yun, Chateau d'Esclans and Chateau du Galoupet. Its Fashion and Leather Goods division includes Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior Couture, Celine, Loewe, Kenzo, Givenchy, Fendi, Emilio Pucci, Marc Jacobs, Berluti, Loro Piana, RIMOWA, Patou and Fenty. LVMH is present in the Perfumes and Cosmetics sector with Parfums Christian Dior, Guerlain, Parfums Givenchy, Kenzo Parfums, Perfumes Loewe, Benefit Cosmetics, Make Up For Ever, Acqua di Parma, Fresh, Fenty Beauty by Rihanna and Maison Francis Kurkdjian. LVMH's Watches and Jewelry division comprises Bvlgari, Tiffany & Co, TAG Heuer, Chaumet, Dior Watches, Zenith, Fred and Hublot. LVMH is also active in selective retailing as well as in other activities through DFS, Sephora, Le Bon Marche, La Samaritaine, Groupe Les Echos, Cova, Le Jardin d'Acclimatation, Royal Van Lent, Belmond and Cheval Blanc hotels. About Google Cloud Google Cloud accelerates organizations' ability to digitally transform their business with the best infrastructure, platform, industry solutions and expertise. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google's cutting-edge technology all on the cleanest cloud in the industry. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems. SOURCE Google Cloud DENVER, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmland Partners Inc. (NYSE: FPI) (the "Company" or "Farmland") today announced that the Maryland Circuit Court for Baltimore City has dismissed pending shareholder derivative claims brought by two Farmland shareholders against the Company, its officers and board of directors. Derivative Complaints Based on Solely on False and Misleading Statements in a "Short and Distort Attack" Plaintiffs' demands arose from a "short-and-distort" attack on Farmland, in which an anonymous short-seller writing under the pseudonym "Rota Fortunae" later disclosed as Quinton Mathews, published an article on Seeking Alpha alleging fraud at the Company, including allegations that the company had improperly failed to disclose certain loans that it had made to farmers as material related-party transactions. As its author and his co-conspirators intended, the post caused a substantial decline in the Company's stock price. In the days after the post was published, the Company investigated the allegations, concluded that they were unfounded, and released a detailed public response rebutting the allegations. The Company later sued Rota Fortunae for defamation, disparagement, intentional interference with prospective business relations, unjust enrichment, and violations of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act (the "Rota Fortunae Action"). Rota Fortunae's motion to dismiss the Rota Fortunae Action was denied and that case remains ongoing. As a result of the publication of the false and misleading article, a federal securities class action was filed against the Company, its CEO Paul Pittman, and its CFO Luca Fabbri, adopting some of Rota Fortunae's allegations (the "Turner Action"). That case remains ongoing, as well. Background of Derivative Claims After those suits were filed, Plaintiffs Shawn Luger and Brent Hustedde separately served litigation demands on the members of the Company's board of directors (the "Demands"). Plaintiffs demanded that the board pursue claims against the Company's officers and directors based on the allegations in the Rota Fortunae Post and in the Turner Action. However, the Company and the board had already investigated the allegations extensively both in connection with the Company's initial response to the Rota Fortunae Post and in connection with the board's oversight of the ongoing Rota Fortunae and Turner Actions. The board responded to Luger's demand, informing him that the board was fully aware of Rota Fortunae's allegations, had investigated them, and had concluded that the allegations were without merit and that pursuing legal action based on Rota Fortunae's allegations would not be in the Company's best interest. Luger and Hustedde then filed shareholder derivative complaints in the Maryland Circuit Court for Baltimore City (the "Court"), seeking to step into the Company's shoes and sue the Company's officers and directors on the Company's behalf. Both Luger and Hustedde argued that they should be permitted to act on the Company's behalf because the Board "wrongfully refused" their Demands. The Court's Ruling in Favor of Farmland Partners Inc. and Other Defendants The Court consolidated the two cases and Plaintiffs filed a consolidated shareholder derivative complaint (the "Complaint"). The Company then moved to dismiss the Complaint, arguing that the Complaint failed to plead facts showing either that the board's investigation in response to the demands was not conducted independently and in good faith or that the board's decision not to pursue claims based on Rota Fortunae's allegations was unreasonable. The Court agreed and granted the Company's motion to dismiss for lack of derivative standing finding that Plaintiffs failed to plead facts showing that the Board acted wrongfully when it refused Plaintiffs' Demands. First, the Court concluded that Plaintiffs "failed to establish facts that show more than mere suspicions that Plaintiffs' litigation demands were wrongfully refused in regard to the board's duty to conduct an investigation or otherwise act on an informed basis." Second, the Court concluded that Plaintiffs "failed to state facts" showing "more than mere suspicions that Plaintiffs' litigation demands were wrongfully refused in regard to the Board's obligation to carry out its fiduciary independently and in good faith." Finally, the Court found "no founded claims which allege that the Board did not honestly believe" it was "acting in the best interest of Farmland Partners in their decision to refuse Plaintiffs' litigation demands." Having found no factual support for Plaintiffs' claims that the board wrongfully refused the Demands, the Court ordered that Luger and Hustedde's claims be dismissed. "This is one step closer to putting the entire short and distort attack behind us," said Paul A. Pittman, the Company's Chairman and CEO. "We will continue to work towards a successful resolution of the Rota Fortunae and Turner Actions until we can finally eliminate unnecessary litigation costs and obtain justice for the Company and its shareholders." About Farmland Partners Inc. Farmland Partners Inc. is an internally managed real estate company that owns and seeks to acquire high-quality North American farmland and makes loans to farmers secured by farm real estate. As of the date of this release, the Company owns approximately 157,000 acres in 16 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota and Virginia. We have approximately 26 crop types and over 100 tenants. The Company elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, commencing with the taxable year ended December 31, 2014. Additional information: www.farmlandpartners.com or (720) 452-3100. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including, without limitation, statements with respect to the Rota Fortunae Action and the Turner Action. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "should," "could," "would," "predicts," "potential," "continue," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" or similar expressions or their negatives, as well as statements in future tense. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, beliefs and expectations, such forward-looking statements are not predictions of future events or guarantees of future performance and our actual results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. For a description of certain of such factors see the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking information presented herein is made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise. SOURCE Farmland Partners Inc. Related Links http://www.farmlandpartners.com What are the major market threats? The pressure from substitutes and a high level of threat from new entrants have resulted in the moderate bargaining power of suppliers. The pressure from substitutes and a high level of threat from new entrants have resulted in the moderate bargaining power of suppliers. What is the expected price changes in this market? The Merchant Services Market is expected to have a CAGR of 9.35% during 2021-2025. The Merchant Services Market is expected to have a CAGR of 9.35% during 2021-2025. Who are the top players in the market? PayPal Holdings Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Square Inc., Fiserv Inc., Flow Payments LLC, Global Payment Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Helcim Inc., Stripe Inc., NetPay Merchant Services Ltd., and Adyen NV, are some of the major market participants. PayPal Holdings Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Square Inc., Fiserv Inc., Flow Payments LLC, Global Payment Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Helcim Inc., Stripe Inc., NetPay Merchant Services Ltd., and Adyen NV, are some of the major market participants. What are the pricing models followed by buyers? Flat-rate pricing model, interchange fee pricing, and tiered pricing are the widely adopted pricing models in Merchant Services Market. SpendEdge suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. SpendEdge's in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports. Request for a FREE sample to access the definite purchasing guide on Merchant Services procurement. Related Reports on Financial Services Include: Mortgage Processing - Forecast and Analysis: The mortgage processing services will grow at a CAGR of 5.09% during 2021-2025. Prices will increase by 5%-8% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate in this market. Tax Accounting Services Sourcing and Procurement Report: This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their tax accounting services requirements. Some of the leading tax accounting services suppliers profiled are extensively in this report. Account Reconciliation - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: This report evaluates suppliers based on extent of implementation and training support offered, flexibility in SLA terms, customization capability, and support for multiple data sources. To access the definite purchasing guide on the Merchant Services that answers all your key questions on price trends and analysis: Am I paying/getting the right prices? Is my Merchant Services 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 Contacts SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SOURCE SpendEdge "Messer will extend our strong southwestern merchant gases supply network to meet growing customer demand in the region," said Jens Luehring, President and CEO of Messer Americas. "Our expansion in this market has been on an upward trajectory for several years and we have been supplying customers from our plants in LaPorte and Terrell, Texas, as well as Lewisville, Arkansas. Not only will the new plant expand our service capabilities to support the medium- and long-term growth of key accounts and industries around Central Texas, but it further supports our mission to become the premier supplier of choice for industrial, medical and specialty products in the Americas," Luehring said. About Messer Americas Messer is the largest privately held industrial gas business in the world, and a leading industrial and medical gas company in North and South America. Messer offers over 120 years of expertise in industrial, medical, specialty, and electronic gases and safely delivers quality gases, related services and technology via an extensive production and distribution network. Messer Americas is part of Messer Group, representing a USD ~3.8 billion enterprise with presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit: www.messeramericas.com. SOURCE Messer Americas Related Links https://www.messeramericas.com OXFORD, Miss., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Right Track Medical Group, a leading provider of outpatient mental healthcare services in Mississippi, is pleased to announce Trace Swartzfager has been named CEO. Swartzfager brings more than 30 years of experience in behavioral health administration to the role, including more than 20 years at St. Dominic's in Jackson, Mississippi. He most recently served as St. Dominic's Vice President of Business Development and Behavioral Health Services. Trace Swartzfager has been named CEO of Right Track Medical Group, a leading provider of behavioral healthcare services in Mississippi. "Trace is the right leader at the right time," said Billy Young, Right Track's founder and current CEO, who will continue to serve as chairman of the board. "We established our first clinic in 2018 with a commitment to making mental healthcare accessible to as many patients as possible. Trace has strong behavioral health knowledge and the leadership experience that it will take to continue that growth while ensuring the focus is always on patient experience and outcomes." It's that commitment to access that solidified Swartzfager's interest in joining the Right Track team. "I'm a believer in enhancing access to care in the local communities," he said. "I want to see Right Track become well known in the communities we serve, to become part of the healthcare fabric in each community working hand-in-hand with primary care and other local providers." As CEO, Swartzfager will continue to work with Young, as well as the organization's physician-led team that includes Katherine Pannel, DO, Medical Director; Stephen Pannel, DO, ABPN, ABAM, Chief Medical Officer; and Johanna Lu, MD, ABPN, Clinical Director. "Right Track's physician-led model means a patient can receive all the care they need under one roof, including therapy and medication management," he said. "It's a model that I believe in because it puts the patient first. I'm looking forward to traveling to each Right Track clinic and getting to know our entire team and the communities we serve." Swartzfager is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Telehealth Association and is a Board Member for Harbor House of Jackson. Swartzfager assumes the role of CEO on June 14. For more information, please visit our blog. To schedule an interview, please contact Rhes Low, Director of Strategy and Media Relations, at [email protected] or (662) 801-9599. About Right Track Medical Group Right Track Medical Group offers a physician-led approach to treating anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders on an outpatient basis. Right Track clinics are located throughout Mississippi in Biloxi, Columbus, Corinth, Hattiesburg, Madison, Meridian, Olive Branch, Oxford, Starkville and Tupelo. We are also located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. To learn about Right Track Medical Group's approach to mental healthcare and our team, visit www.righttrackmedical.com. Related Images trace-swartzfager-ceo.jpg Trace Swartzfager, CEO Trace Swartzfager has been named CEO of Right Track Medical Group, a leading provider of behavioral healthcare services in Mississippi. SOURCE Right Track Medical Group SAN FRANCISCO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LEGAL NOTICE If you were a Minted account holder or have provided Minted your personal information you could get benefits from a class action settlement A class action settlement has been proposed in litigation against Minted, Inc. ("Minted") relating to a data breach on or about May 6, 2020 in which malicious actors allegedly accessed Minted customers' personal information. The settlement will provide payments and credit services to U.S. residents who were Minted online account holders, or provided Minted their name, email address, street address and/or other personal information via email, the Minted website, or other online communications, on or before June 27, 2020. If you qualify, you may submit a claim form requesting benefits, or you can exclude yourself from or object to the settlement. The Court will have a hearing to consider whether to approve the Settlement, so that the benefits may be paid. WHO'S AFFECTED? Residents of the United States who had a Minted online account, or provided Minted their name, email address, street address and/or other personal information via email, the Minted website, or other online communications, on or before June 27, 2020. WHAT'S THIS ABOUT? The lawsuit claimed that in or about May of 2020, malicious actors accessed Minted customers' personal information. The stolen personal information included names, email addresses and hashed and salted passwords, and for individuals who provided that information, telephone numbers, billing and shipping addresses and dates of birth. Plaintiffs claimed that Minted failed to adequately protect customers' sensitive personal information. Minted denies all allegations and has asserted many defenses. The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing or an indication that any law was violated. WHAT CAN YOU GET FROM THE SETTLEMENT? Under the Settlement, Minted will pay $5,000,000 (five million dollars) into a settlement fund to provide payments and other benefits to Settlement Class Members. From the total settlement of $5 million, Class Counsel will request no more than 24% to cover the attorneys' fees and costs, approximately $200,000 will be used for claims administration and notice to the Settlement Class, approximately $50,000 will be used to pay the cost of credit monitoring services for the Settlement Class, and Class Counsel will seek service awards of $5,000 each for the Class Representatives. The estimated remaining total to be distributed to the Settlement Class is approximately $3,540,000. Class members who submit a valid Claim Form can get: (1) Payment: A payment of approximately $43.00, subject to an increase or decrease depending on how many people participate; and (2) Credit Services: Two Years of Credit Services, including credit monitoring, fraud alerts, and identity restoration services. HOW DO YOU GET A PAYMENT? A detailed notice and claim form provides everything you need. Just visit the settlement website at www.MintedSettlement.com to get more information and file a claim. Claim forms are due by September 16, 2021. WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS? If you do not want to receive a cash payment or other services and you do not want to be legally bound by the settlement, you must exclude yourself by September 16, 2021, or you won't be able to sue, or continue to sue, Minted about the legal claims in this case. If you do not opt out, you are releasing all claims against Minted based only on the identical facts in this case. If you opt out, you will not be eligible to receive a cash payment or other services from this settlement. If you stay in the Class, you may object to the settlement by September 16, 2021. The detailed Notice describes how to exclude yourself or object. The Court will hold a hearing in this case (Atkinson, et al. v. Minted, Inc., et al., Case No. 3:20-cv-03869-VC) on December 2, 2021 to consider whether to approve the settlement and attorneys' fees and expenses totaling no more than $1.2 million. You may appear at the hearing, but you do not have to. For more details, call toll free 888-777-9145, go to www.MintedSettlement.com, or write to Minted Settlement, c/o A.B. Data, Ltd., P.O. Box 170500, Milwaukee, WI 53217. 1-888-777-9145 www.MintedSettlement.com SOURCE MoginRubin LLP and Schack Law Group Related Links https://www.mintedsettlement.com CLEVELAND, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland recently announced the winners of its University Student Design Challenge. "This year's design challenge brought together undergraduate students with diverse knowledge and backgrounds from across the country," said Darlene Walker, director of Glenn's Office of STEM Engagement. "They used their resourcefulness to contribute to NASA's mission while building crucial technical, communication, and team-building skills." Space Challenge I winner, team AURORA, created a universal chassis that could streamline robotic exploration across our solar system. Credit: Team AURORA Space Challenge II winner, team VICTRIX, from University of Texas at Austin, created a conceptual design for a suite of Venus landers. Credit: Team VICTRIX The 2020-2021 University Student Design Challenge featured two space-themed projects: Space Challenge I charged students with designing a system that can perform science and exploration anywhere in the solar system with little to no modification to enable lower cost missions. Space Challenge II tasked students to develop a surface system capable of ground and atmospheric analysis of Venus while surviving on the surface for at least 90 Earth days. Space Challenge I winner, AURORA, created a universal chassis with plug-and-play science instruments and mobility capabilities that could streamline robotic exploration across our solar system. Team AURORA members are: Dr. Craig Hardgrove , advisor, and Nicole Swatton of Arizona State University, Tempe , advisor, and of Skye Rummer of University of California Merced of Ben Harte of Saint Mary's College of California , Moraga of , Delano Campos of University of California, Los Angeles of Xavier Salcido of Washington University in St. Louis Space Challenge II winner, VICTRIX, from University of Texas at Austin, created a conceptual design for a suite of landers using the latest NASA technologies that could enable long-term Venus exploration in the near future. Members of VICTRIX are Rujing Zha, Zoelle Wong, Grace Calkins, Kaylee Champion, and their advisor, Adam Nokes. "These students have shown that the future of space exploration will be in extremely capable hands as they take their place as aerospace leaders," said Aerospace Engineer Jeff Woytach, the team lead for this year's challenge. The winners and their faculty advisors will be honored and deliver their winning design presentations to an audience of Glenn's senior managers, researchers, mentors, and summer interns during a virtual event on June 17. Media can contact winning teams at: Nicole Swatton, [email protected], Team AURORA Rujing Zha, [email protected], Team VICTRIX Registration for the 2021-2022 University Student Design Challenge opens Sept. 10 and closes Oct. 22, 2021. SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov MANCHESTER, N.H., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) is about to land in New Hampshire to connect the summits of the Granite State with the sandy beaches and theme parks of the Sunshine State. Today the airline announced plans to give Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) More Go with convenient, nonstop flights to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando & Tampa starting Oct. 7. Photos and video available here. "We can't wait to welcome Guests from around Manchester onboard and show them why Spirit is the best value in the sky," said Matt Klein, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer for Spirit Airlines. "We looked closely at what New Hampshire travelers want, and we saw a great opportunity to give them easy access to some great vacation destinations. We look forward to partnering with the community to kick off service, strengthening our local ties and adding more flights in the years to come." Flights from Manchester (MHT) Destination: Flights Available: Launch Date: Fort Lauderdale (FLL) Daily Oct. 7, 2021 Orlando (MCO) Daily Oct. 7, 2021 Fort Myers (RSW) 4X Weekly Nov. 17, 2021 Tampa (TPA) 3X Weekly Nov. 18, 2021 Manchester is the eleventh new city added to Spirit's network in the past year. The airline continues to seize opportunities to bring affordable, high value fares to new markets as the demand for air travel increases. This year, 16 new fuel-efficient Airbus A320neo planes will join the airline's Fit Fleet, which is among the youngest in the industry. Next year, Spirit plans to accept another 21 new planes to continue adding new and exciting travel options for Spirit Guests. "The residents of New Hampshire have been patiently waiting for a new airline, and we're excited to announce that Spirit Airlines is coming to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport," said New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu. "Now's our time to take advantage of these new routes and low fares and keep New Hampshire dollars in New Hampshire. We look forward to a successful launch and seeing Spirit grow their options from MHT in the future. So shop localand fly local from MHT!" "We are thrilled to welcome Spirit Airlines to Manchester this fall," said Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig. "As a leading low-cost carrier, Spirit's investment in our community will open new destinations for Granite Staters and allow more travelers to experience all Manchester and New Hampshire has to offer." "We are incredibly excited to welcome Spirit Airlines to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport," said Airport Director Ted Kitchens, A.A.E. "Residents of New Hampshire have stated time and time again they wanted lower fares and more flights out of MHT, and Spirit has delivered! The low fares to popular vacation destinations in Florida and beyond that Spirit provides are exactly what the community is looking for as they take to the skies." Recognition Spirit continues to garner awards and recognition in 2021. Spirit is one of only three U.S. airlines listed on FORTUNE's 2021 list of World's Most Admired Companies, which measures companies with the strongest reputation within their industries. The carrier is a Gold Stevie Award winner for its groundbreaking self-bag drop system with biometric photo matching, which speeds the check-in process and reduces face-to-face contact. Spirit also earned "Platinum" status in the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Health Safety initiative powered by SimpliFlying. Additionally, WalletHub recently named Spirit "Most Affordable Airline" in their 2021 Best Airlines awards and ranked Spirit third out of 11 in the overall rankings. Guest Safety Spirit's commitment to Safe Travels includes enhanced cleaning, advanced air filtration and a health acknowledgement at check-in. Airlines and airports remain subject to federal law requiring Guests to wear an appropriate face covering at airports and on flights. Please visit Spirit's COVID-19 Information Center for more information on safety enhancements. About Spirit Airlines: Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) is committed to delivering the best value in the sky. We are the leader in providing customizable travel options starting with an unbundled fare. This allows our Guests to pay only for the options they choose like bags, seat assignments and refreshments something we call A La Smarte. We make it possible for our Guests to venture further and discover more than ever before. Our Fit Fleet is one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient in the U.S. We serve destinations throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, and are dedicated to giving back and improving those communities. Come save with us at spirit.com . About Manchester-Boston Regional Airport Strategically situated in the heart of New England, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport is located less than fifty miles north of Boston, Massachusetts, and less than an hour's drive from the region's most popular ski areas, scenic seacoast beaches and peaceful lakefront resorts. Having not closed for winter weather in over 30 years, MHT provides operational certainty and is the premier aviation gateway for the region. For more information, visit www.flymanchester.com. SOURCE Spirit Airlines, Inc. Related Links https://www.spirit.com The Plaintiff in the Salmonella lawsuit became seriously ill with a Salmonella infection after eating at a Don Julio Mexican Restaurant in North Branch, Minnesota. After seeking medical attention and testing positive for Salmonella , public health officials interviewed him specifically about his dining at the Don Julio restaurant in North Branch, indicating that others have also been infected with Salmonella after dining there. The plaintiff is still sick and continues to test positive for the outbreak Salmonella strain. The suit names Don Julio, Inc., the company that owns and operates the restaurant, as the defendant. A copy of the complaint is available upon request. OFT Salmonella Lawyer Brendan Flaherty says that the outbreak shows the risks of restaurant food poisoning remain as people return to in-person dining: "A restaurant Salmonella outbreak can be caused by unsafe food practices at the restaurant or by serving food or ingredients that was contaminated up the supply chain. But customers always have a right to safe food, and we intend to get to the bottom of this outbreak." Ryan Osterholm, Food Safety Lawyer at OFT Law, says his client wants restaurants to bring a renewed focus to food safety. "For the past year, public health departments have been overwhelmed trying to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, which has likely left some food poisoning outbreaks unnoticed or unsolved. As life returns to normal, and people return to restaurants, it is critical that restaurants and their suppliers safely handle and prepare the food they serve to customers." With over four decades of combined experience, the lawyers at OFT Law have recovered millions in compensation for food poisoning victims. OFT's team also includes attorney Lindsay Lien Rinholen, an experienced food safety lawyer. If you have been affected by this outbreak, contact OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers for a free consultation today. Call 888-828-7087 or email [email protected] . Primary Contact: Secondary Contact: Brendan Flaherty Ryan Osterholm Partner | OFT Law Partner | OFT Law 888-828-7087 888-828-7087 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE OFT Law PLLC Related Links https://www.oftlaw.com/ BOSTON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the apparent recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, about 22% of North American public companies were not financially or operationally stable at the end of the first quarter of 2021, according to new research from Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Of these companies, 20% were stressed, meaning underperforming industry peers or experiencing pressure from internal or external sources, and 2% were distressed, meaning having trouble meeting financial obligations or experiencing severe operational challenges. The results, current as of March 31, are based on the BCG TURN Radar index, which tracks the financial and operational performance of public companies using more than 20 forward- and backward-looking financial and stock market performance indicators and qualitative gauges. The index was developed by BCG TURN, BCG's special transformation, turnaround, and restructuring unit. Nevertheless, the trajectory is positive: as of the end of the third quarter of 2020mid-pandemicabout 32% of North American public companies were not in the stable category (27% stressed, 5% distressed). In other words, there was a 10-percentage-point increase in the proportion of stable companies over the six-month period ending March 31, 2021. "Companies in North America have grown more stable since September 30, 2020. Demand is returning because of vaccinations and other measures. Equally important, many companies acted decisively to shore up their cost bases during the pandemic. And on a macro level, strong capital markets and aggressive monetary and stimulus moves have helped companies," said Luke Pototschnik, BCG senior partner and head of the firm's Transformation practice and BCG TURN in North America. Stress and Distress Still Significant in Media, Fashion, Retail, and Travel Industries "But BCG Radar data also show that a great number of public companies, concentrated in a handful of industries, remain under real stress. For many of them, the pandemic accentuated or hastened an existential inflection point that was already on its way," Pototschnik added. According to the data, as of the end of the first quarter of 2021 in North America: 38% of media companies were stressed or in distress 37% of fashion and luxury companies were stressed or in distress 36% of oil and gas companies were stressed or in distress 32% of travel and tourism companies were stressed or in distress 27% of retail companies were stressed or in distress 23% of materials and processing companies were stressed or in distress There have been some improvements within these industries since mid-pandemic. At the end of the third quarter of 2020, 69% of fashion and luxury companies were stressed or in distress and 53% of media companies were stressed or in distress. However, as of March 31, 2021, 8% of fashion and luxury companies, 6% of media companies, and 4% of retail companies were in actual distress, according to the index. Many Companies Require a Fundamental Resetand the Ability to Fund It "In some industriestravel, for instancethe situation may be macro-driven, and demand will strengthen as the pandemic abates. However, in other industries where there are many unstable companies, key players will require a fundamental reset in how they go to market and how they operate. It will not be an easy fix," Pototschnik said. "The pandemic dramatically revealed and accelerated shifts that were already underway in how people use digital media, how they shop, and the kind of clothing and other items they'll seek," he added. "The rub for many companies is that they will have to do more than design a fundamental, top-line transformation. Despite their stressed financial and operational position, they will also need to unlock the funding to recruit the right talent and develop the management systems to really pivot the business and sequence the right bold actions. It's a tall order." Media Industry Neal Zuckerman, BCG senior partner and member of the Strategy and Technology, Media & Telecommunications practices, cited the example of the media industry. Viewers have increased the amount of time they spend watching TV or streaming video and plan to continue to watch and stream more after the pandemic. But, at the same time, the number of services they subscribe to hasn't increased. "Despite this dynamic of more watching without more subscribing, media companies continue to organize themselves largely as they did 10 or 20 years ago, with each channel or streaming service constituting its own profit center. It's not unusual for one company to maintain up to a dozen largely siloed business units. Not only is this model enormously expensive, but it also undermines the programming synergies that can be achieved with a collaborative cross-distribution channel approach. Smart media companies are starting to rethink their organizations, budgets, and operating models," Zuckerman said. "That kind of fundamental change is key to media companies reversing the stress and distress mounting in their industry." Fashion and Luxury Industry The fashion and luxury industry, which remains stressed, faces the same inflection point. "As the light begins to appear at the end of the pandemic tunnel, luxury brands need to rethink what, when, where, and how they sell," said BCG senior partner Christine Barton, member of the Transformation, Marketing, Sales & Pricing, and Consumer practices. "Many need an operating model transformation that right-sizes multiple traditional investment areas and reinvests the savings in digital, marketing, and data analytics capabilities. Doing that can help speed and focus commercial decision making, deliver a reduction or reallocation of 10% to 30% in costs, and provide visibility and control for capital stewardship. Further, tools and analytics can help fashion and luxury companies engage customers more meaningfully and allow them to offer digital styling, seamless purchases, and post-purchase relationship management. Those efforts have proven to lift net sales by 10% to 15%. In most cases in this sector, investing in these areas is a must," Barton said. "It also frees up time and expense for reinvestment in creativity, innovation, and product." Stability and Company Size The BCG TURN Radar index shows that large public companies in North America have overall been somewhat more stable through the pandemic than smaller ones. Pototschnik suggests that this situation may lead smaller firms to diversify geographic risk, even within countries. "Bigger companies have the scale to be more diversified. And one issue that came into play during the pandemic was geographic risknot just country risk, but risk within regions or even states. Supply chains and demand were variable within regions, something companies probably never planned for. Now, companies of all sizes will probably be building this kind of geographic risk into their planning," Pototschnik said. For media inquiries, please contact Michael-Jon Romano at [email protected]. About BCG TURN BCG TURN is a special unit of BCG that helps CEOs and business leaders deliver rapid, visible, and sustainable step-change improvement in business performance while strengthening their organizations and positioning them to win in the years ahead. BCG TURN helps organizations change their trajectories by turning their upside potential into radical performance gains. The BCG TURN team consists of transformation practitioners and battle-tested experts with a proven track record in large-scale transformation. BCG TURN is invested in the sustainable success of clients, with a focus on performance acceleration and a commitment to value delivered. About Boston Consulting Group Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholdersempowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact. Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place. SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Related Links https://www.bcg.com "AAG is uniquely positioned to help us advance WelcomeHomeOC with its corporate alignment around the importance of a home and its advocacy for seniors and veterans," said Susan B. Parks, president and chief executive officer, Orange County United Way. "With AAG's help, we can further expand our property owners' network and provide the types of support services that our program participants need to ensure that they remain in their new homes." "By partnering with United Way, we believe we can help provide much needed housing solutions to those seniors and veterans who are experiencing homelessness, which will have a real and lasting positive impact on our community," said Reza Jahangiri, chief executive officer, AAG. The WelcomeHomeOC program prioritizes moving a person into permanent housing with supportive services as quickly as possible so they have a stable foundation to rebuild their life. Since its inception two years ago, this unique landlord incentive and housing navigation program has helped more than 400 people find a place to call home with 100 of them just in the first quarter of 2021. Already 68 property owners have joined the WelcomeHomeOC Property Owner Network. Additional facts about homelessness: According to HUD's 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, in 2020, 580,000 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States , 161,548 in California (28% of the total). California accounted for more than half of all unsheltered people in the country (51% or 113,660). , 161,548 in (28% of the total). accounted for more than half of all unsheltered people in the country (51% or 113,660). A recent study from Dr. Margot Kushel , director of the UC San Francisco Center for Vulnerable Populations, found that people born in the second half of the baby boom (1955-1965) have an elevated risk of homelessness throughout their lifetime. , director of the UC San Francisco Center for Vulnerable Populations, found that people born in the second half of the baby boom (1955-1965) have an elevated risk of homelessness throughout their lifetime. According to a recent study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania , University of California Los Angeles and Boston University , the national population of people 65 and older experiencing homelessness is projected to nearly triple from 40,000 in 2017 to 106,000 in 2030. , and , the national population of people 65 and older experiencing homelessness is projected to nearly triple from 40,000 in 2017 to 106,000 in 2030. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, single adults over the age of 50 account for 35% of people experiencing homelessness. According to the Orange County Point in Time Count, there were 6,860 homeless individuals in Orange County in 2019. This includes 612 Seniors (ages 62 and older), 311 Veterans, and 275 Transitional Age Youth. To learn more about the United to End Homelessness and the WelcomeHomeOC program, visit www.welcomehomeoc.org. About AAG AAG is dedicated to helping older Americans find new ways to fund a better retirement through the responsible use of home equity. As the nation's leader in reverse mortgage lending, AAG offers a suite of home equity solutions including Home Equity Conversion Mortgages, traditional and proprietary mortgages, and real estate services that are designed to give seniors a better financial outcome in retirement. AAG is a proud member of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA). To learn more about AAG and reverse mortgage loans, please visit the company's website at www.aag.com. American Advisors Group, NMLS ID: 9392, 18200 Von Karman Ave., Suite 300, Irvine, CA 92612 About Orange County United Way Today's Orange County United Way is committed to leading the fight for equity by removing barriers, closing gaps, and leveling the playing field for everyone who lives here. More than a fundraiser, we're hands-on, delivering more than 50 programs countywide to improve lives in our community. Every day we are doing more for the Education, Health, Housing, and Financial Stability of people in Orange County. We are working to ensure our students succeed, our struggling families find financial security, and our homeless neighbors find a place to call home. To learn more or discover how you can help, visit UnitedWayOC.org. Orange County United Way is a standalone, independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Media Contacts: AAG Ryan Whittington [email protected] (909) 770-2952 Orange County United Way Annie Noebel [email protected] (949) 525-7024 SOURCE American Advisors Group (AAG) Related Links http://www.aag.com MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pack4U, a personalized medication delivery and monitoring company, has opened a central fill hub in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, allowing pharmacies to go digital and improve patient care. The new facility will immediately increase community pharmacy reach and direct-care options in the province with connected health tools that span the care continuum, including spencer in-home medication dispensers, MyMedTimes mobile medication reminders, and oneMAR electronic medication administration records. "Allowing community pharmacists to play a key role in digital health results in high-quality care for people at home at a reduced overall cost," said Pack4U President Rahul Chopra. "Together with the province and leading pharmacists, we're changing lives by leveraging technology to personalize care for people at home." Pack4U starts by helping people take their medication as prescribed with easy-to-use digital health tools then goes beyond adherence to make sure that medications are doing what they should. With access to real-time data, community pharmacists are playing a critical role in improving health outcomes. People achieve 98% medication adherence with the help of Pack4U's connected care system, which monitors adherence, links medications to Bluetooth device readings, and offers user-friendly telehealth via a two-way camera. Patients maintain their independence, while the timing and complexity of their medications are managed for them. Pack4U's central-fill hubs such as this newest location in Saskatchewan produce specialty medication packaging at scale, freeing up community pharmacists' time for patient care. Pack4U Saskatoon is the fourth central fill in the company's growing North American network. "We are proud to be at the forefront of transformational tech-enabled services that are improving the quality of patient care and health outcomes at scale," said Chopra. About Pack4U Pack4U Inc is a digital health company that optimizes prescribed medications. We connect people with community pharmacists to manage drug complexity and maximize health benefits through personalized medication delivery, monitoring and proactive care. Our fully automated, high volume central fill pharmacy hubs and proprietary medication adherence network platform power a robust, scalable solution to multiple chronic condition management that leads to better patient outcomes and total cost of care reduction. Media Contact: Teresa Pavlin [email protected] (250) 317-2242 SOURCE Pack4U HERNDON, Va., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In an expansion of Securitas Critical Infrastructure Services, Inc.'s (SCIS) current Department of State work, a joint venture between SCIS and Securitas Chile will provide security services to the U.S. Embassy Santiago. SCIS is the parent company to Paragon Systems, Inc. The contract worth $14MUSD and five potential service years is the first of its type for Securitas in Chile. "We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Department of State, as well as providing oversight and management guidance to our Chilean affiliate," remarked Tony Sabatino, Chief Executive Officer. SCIS and Paragon have a decades long history of providing safeguarding services to the Department of State and currently support six Embassies globally. Paragon and Securitas Critical Infrastructure Services employ over 14,000 professionals in specialized operations providing security, fire, investigations, inspections, cybersecurity, risk management, and mission support services to the U.S. Federal Government and other critical infrastructure clients. SOURCE Paragon Systems Related Links https://parasys.com/ CANTON, Mass., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care today announced its combined organization will be known as Point32Health. Bringing together more than 90 years of service to 2.2 million members across New England, Point32Health helps individuals find their version of healthier living through a broad range of health plans and tools that make navigating health and wellbeing easier. Inspired by the 32 points on a compass, Point32Health represents the role the organization plays in guiding and empowering its members and making a meaningful impact across the health care industry. "Point32Health reflects the shared values between Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim expanding health care access, delivering innovative products to solve health care's greatest challenges, and improving the health care experience regardless of age, health, race, identity or income," said Tom Croswell, chief executive officer of Point32Health. "We'll continue to deliver the trusted, high-quality services that we are known for, with a reinvigorated focus on creating a new health care journey that is more personal, seamless and empowering than ever before." "We are excited to reach this important milestone for our organization with a name that is intentionally modern and unique in the health care industry," said Richard O'Connor, chief marketing officer of Point32Health. "As an organization with deep roots in the New England region, we look forward to continuing to drive innovation and seamlessly connecting our members to all points of the health care continuum." While Point32Health is the name of the parent organization, the Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim brands will continue to appear in the marketplace for the foreseeable future. Point32Health is headquartered in Canton, Mass. and will welcome employees to its headquarters in the fall of 2021. About Point32Health Point32Health is a leading health and wellbeing organization, delivering an ever-better health care experience to everyone in our communities. Building on the quality, nonprofit heritage of our founding organizations, Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, we leverage our experience and expertise to help people find their version of healthier living through a broad range of health plans and tools that make navigating health and wellbeing easier. Our programs take a 360-degree view of health for our membersno matter their age, health, race, identity or incomeand our Foundation and Institute work to improve population health. We use empathy to understand what's important to those we serve, always making their priorities our own. And we work to guide and empower people by bringing together wide-ranging partners and perspectives to create new approaches that make a real difference for both our industry and our 2.2 million members across New England. SOURCE Harvard Pilgrim Health Care WILLIAMSPORT, Md., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), will host two teachers from Washington and Frederick counties this summer as part of the Maryland Chamber Foundation's 2021 Teacher Externship Program. Potomac Edison is one of 13 companies in Maryland participating in the paid externship program, which helps teachers gain valuable technical and career pipeline knowledge that can be passed on to their students. Bobby Burkhart, a biology teacher at Williamsport High School in Washington County, and Steven Hensley, a physics teacher at Walkersville High School in Frederick County, will spend four weeks at Potomac Edison's headquarters in Williamsport from mid-July through early August. During that period, the two will spend time with company executives learning about various aspects of Potomac Edison's operations, including service reliability, engineering and design, substations, meter reading, vegetation management and emerging technologies. "Developing qualified talent is vitally important for the future of our company and for ongoing economic development efforts across the state," said James A. Sears, Jr., president of FirstEnergy's Maryland operations and a board member of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. "We look forward to hosting Bobby and Steven this summer and providing them with insights about our business that will help inform their teachings and generate awareness about career opportunities with Potomac Edison." Now in its third year, the Maryland Chamber Foundation's Teacher Externship Program bridges the gap between businesses and educators by pairing high school teachers with top Maryland businesses that provide hands-on experience in industries related to the subjects they teach. Maryland teachers then bring this knowledge back to the classroom, where they can empower their students with the essential information and skills needed for a future career path. To learn more, visit www.mdchamber.org/foundation/teacher-externships. To learn more about career opportunities with FirstEnergy, visit www.firstenergycorp.com/careers. Potomac Edison serves about 275,000 customers in all or parts of Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery, and Washington counties in Maryland and about 151,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Follow Potomac Edison at www.potomacedison.com, on Twitter @PotomacEdison, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PotomacEdison. FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp. SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp. Related Links http://www.firstenergycorp.com Virtual celebrations held by RBC Capital Markets employees in Canada , U.S., U.K., France , Germany , Japan , Hong Kong , Australia , Barbados and Bahamas US$5 million donated to over 50 charities worldwide 18 U.S. charities Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, Boys & Girls Club of Chicago , Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County, Breakthrough New York, Capital for Kids, CASA Orange County , Children of Fallen Patriots, Comer Children's, Cookies for Kids' Cancer, Horizons National, iMentor, Jersey City Medical Center Foundation, Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas , Memorial Sloan Kettering, Ronald McDonald House New York, Ronald McDonald House Upper Midwest, The TEAK Fellowship, Youth INC NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - As part of a global charitable initiative called RBC Charity Day for the Kids, US$5 million is being donated to more than 50 youth-focused charities around the globe, reaffirming RBC's strong commitment to supporting youth organizations. What started out in 2015 as RBC Trade for the Kids, has progressively become an integral charitable initiative for all RBC Capital Markets staff globally. The troubling impacts of COVID-19 continue to affect many children and youth around the world due to greater stress caused by social isolation and lack of in-person activities. During this period, demand for youth mental health and wellness services has notably increased. RBC continues to strengthen its community response efforts, including supporting many charitable organizations and youth mental well-being resources around the world. Since 2015, RBC Charity Day for the Kids has donated more than US$20.2 million to 100 youth-focused charity partners around the world. This year's global RBC Charity Day for the Kids event consisted of increased internal and external awareness and education related to the work and efforts of our youth-focused charity partners. Employees in Canada, U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Barbados and Bahamas celebrated RBC's year-round culture of giving and philanthropy by virtually taking part in a day full of creative and engaging multimedia content. In the U.S., where RBC Charity Day for the Kids celebrated its seventh year, former patients, families and staff from 18 of the U.S.'s leading youth charities (see full list of charities here) made the day compelling by sharing their heart-felt, surprise webcam reactions to the reveal of the RBC Charity Day the Kids' donation announcements with RBC staff globally. "Charities and non-profits globally, and in particular those supporting youth mental health services, continue to feel significant strain brought on by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Derek Neldner, CEO and Group Head of RBC Capital Markets. "There is a growing need to provide necessary support services and resources to navigate these extremely challenging times and RBC and its employees are proud to rally support for these worthy initiatives. RBC Charity Day for the Kids is one of the many ways in which our employees and clients have the opportunity to learn more about supporting our youth through direct engagement with our charity partners. We thank our charity partners for their commitment to helping revive our communities, as well as our employees and clients for living our culture of giving." In 2020, RBC donated CA$140 million to charitable organizations through cash donations and community investments. For more on RBC Charity Day for the Kids and the benefitting charities, click here . About RBC Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 86,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com. We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact. About RBC Capital Markets RBC Capital Markets is recognized by the most significant corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments around the globe as an innovative, trusted partner with an in-depth expertise in capital markets, banking, and finance. We are well-established in the largest, most mature capital markets with over 7,900 employees across North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region in 58 offices and 14 countries, collectively encompassing more than 85% of global investment banking activity each year. About RBC Charity Day for the Kids Launched in 2015 in New York, RBC Charity Day for the Kids formerly known as RBC Trade for the Kids, is a day focused on raising money and awareness of some of RBC's longstanding charitable partnerships aimed at supporting children and youth. In 2021, RBC Charity Day was held for the fourth time globally across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Caribbean, supporting over 50 charities. To date, through this initiative, RBC has donated US$20.2 million to 100 charities. For more on RBC Charity Day for the Kids and the benefitting charities, click here . SOURCE RBC Capital Markets Related Links http://www.rbc.com NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As per the study by Fact MR, the rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market saw stellar growth in 2021, reaching the market valuation of US$ 60 Bn. Fact.MR also forecast that the rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market valuation will increase further between 2021 and 2031 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of greater than 10%. As per the World Health Organization, traditional medicines were found effective in treating severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China. Around 80% of African population used various forms of herbal medicines for treating SARS. This garnered herbal medicines increasing attention in global healthcare industry. Leading market players are eyeing developing economies like India, China, and Nigeria for expanding their market, which is in turn elevating the prospects for rhizoma gastrodiae tablets According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, about 2 million people die across the globe per year due to liver diseases. Majority of the deaths are direct result of complications arising out of cirrhosis and remaining deaths are due to viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Heavy alcohol ingestion on a global level has elevated the prevalence of alcohol abuse related liver diseases. Large group of peoples are living with fatty liver and are at risk of liver diseases. Rhizoma gastrodiae tablets are finding its use in treating such diseases thus boosting its market demand. "Increasing clinical research on introducing traditional plant based medicines in treating severely affected COVID-19 patients will fuel the market growth," said a lead analyst at Fact.MR. Request a report sample with 170 pages to gain comprehensive insights at https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=6322 Key Takeaways The U.S. market is anticipated to grow at around 5% CAGR throughout the forecast period. Growth will be propelled by high demand of herbal medicines among younger populations and its high effectiveness in reducing inflammation. China is expected to remain at the center-stage of the global rhizoma gastrodiae tablets through 2031, owing to presence of large number of regional market players and production facilities. is expected to remain at the center-stage of the global rhizoma gastrodiae tablets through 2031, owing to presence of large number of regional market players and production facilities. India rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market is expected to grow at a healthy pace at about 9% CAGR throughout the forecast period. Increasing number of registered ayurvedic medicine practitioners in the country along with growing concerns regarding side effects of allopathic medicines will influence the market growth in the country. rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market is expected to grow at a healthy pace at about 9% CAGR throughout the forecast period. Increasing number of registered ayurvedic medicine practitioners in the country along with growing concerns regarding side effects of allopathic medicines will influence the market growth in the country. Extensive use of gastrodia elata f. glauca rhizoma gastrodiae tablets in treatment of epilepsy, stroke and various other ailments will increase the demand for rhizoma gastrodiae tablets. The gastrodia elata f. glauca rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market is expected to grow at 10% CAGR till the end of forecast period 2021-2031. Rising incorporation of traditional herbal medicines in healthcare system in Africa to treat respiratory diseases like SARS will drive the rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market growth. to treat respiratory diseases like SARS will drive the rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market growth. Studies indicating the potential use of rhizoma gastrodiae tablets in reducing inflammation in patients suffering from COVID-19 will boost the market growth. Prominent Drivers Increasing mortality rate due to chronic liver ailments like viral hepatitis is driving the rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market demand. Elevated consumption of alcohol across the globe led to increasing number of alcohol based liver disorder patients. Increasing cases of such disorders will boost the market growth. Rising consumer inclination towards herbal and plant based benefits owing to its lack of side effects is fueling the rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market growth. Key Restraints Limited number of rhizoma gastrodiae tablets manufacturing facilities and high concentration of production plants in China is hampering the market sales. is hampering the market sales. Stringent regulatory policies due to lack of evidence regarding effectiveness of medicines is restricting the market growth. Delay in new product launches due to difficulty in product clearance by government will hamper the market growth. Discover more about the rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market with 132 figures and 25 data tables, along with the table of contents. https://www.factmr.com/report/rhizoma-gastrodiae-tablets-market Competitive Landscape Leading players operating in rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market profiled by Fact.MR are Zhaotong Huacheng Pharmaceuticals, Guangdong Luofu Shan National Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Beijing Tong Ren Tang, Guizhou Bailing Group, Guangxi Changzhou Natural Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Lanzhou Foci Pharmaceutical, Shaanxi Tianyang Pharmaceutical, Taiji Group Sichuan Mianyang Pharmaceutical, Tsumura & Co. and others. Market players are prioritizing new product development to consolidate their market position. The market is dominated by Chinese manufacturers making it highly consolidated. They are also engaging in forming strategic alliances, merger and acquisitions to expand their global reach while maintain a strong supply and distribution network. For instance, Tsumura & Co. completed its Letter of Intent associated to Tianjin China Medico Technology Co. Ltd. in November 2019. The letter is intended to form a capital partnership to expand its traditional Chinese medicines business and maintain a steady flow of crude drugs supply. More Valuable Insights on Rhizoma Gastrodiae Tablets Market Fact.MR, in its new report, offers an unbiased analysis of the global rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market, analyzing forecast statistics through 2019 and beyond. The study reveals growth projections on in rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market on the basis of type (gastrodia elata f. glauca rhizoma gastrodiae tablets, g. elata bl. f. elta rhizoma gastrodiae tablets), distribution channel (hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, online pharmacies), across regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia, Oceania, and Middle East & Africa). Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RC&rep_id=6322 Key Questions Covered in the Report How will rhizoma gastrodiae tablets sales expand until 2031? Which is likely to be the most promising market for rhizoma gastrodiae tablets? Which region is the most prominent growth contributor for rhizoma gastrodiae tablets? Which rhizoma gastrodiae tablets product is expected to generate most revenue? What are the key restraints for rhizoma gastrodiae tablets market? Explore Fact.MR's Coverage on the Healthcare Domain Antibacterial Drugs Market - The market for antibacterial medications is sluggish, with a very small development pipeline further depressing market expectations. However, government efforts in a number of nations, particularly in Europe and North America, are expected to result in an increase in the creation of branded pharmaceuticals. Herbal Drugs Market - The increased prevalence of chronic diseases among individuals is the key driver of the herbal medication market's rapid expansion. In terms of value, the tablet section of the herbal medicines industry will be the most valuable, followed by capsules. This is owing to the fact that consumers prefer pills and capsules. Colorectal Cancer Diagnostics Market - Unmet colorectal cancer diagnostics needs in many emerging economies, as well as a shortage of neoadjuvant and adjuvant pipeline therapies for identifying high-risk patients with respectable colorectal cancer, are expected to provide substantial potential prospects for global market leaders. About Fact.MR Market research and consulting agency with a difference! That's why 80% of Fortune 1,000 companies trust us for making their most critical decisions. We have offices in US and Dublin, whereas our global headquarter is in Dubai. While our experienced consultants employ the latest technologies to extract hard-to-find insights, we believe our USP is the trust clients have on our expertise. Spanning a wide range from automotive & industry 4.0 to healthcare & retail, our coverage is expansive, but we ensure even the most niche categories are analyzed. Reach out to us with your goals, and we'll be an able research partner. Contact: Mahendra Singh US Sales Office: 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Tel: +1 (628) 251-1583 E: [email protected] Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter SOURCE Fact.MR Ramey will join the College on Aug. 2 as a member of Cabinet, reporting to President Michael C. Maxey. Ramey comes to Roanoke College with vast experience in higher education. She most recently served as vice president for regional and community programs at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina, where she led diversity and inclusion efforts through programming, presentations, training and leadership development. Ramey served as vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Francis Marion prior to her appointment as the university's vice president for regional and community programs. In the Florence community, Ramey has served on several boards, including the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and the Diversity Initiatives Network Advisory Board. Ramey also has served as interim dean of students and associate dean of students at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to that, she was assistant dean of students at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, as well as coordinator of judicial affairs. She also has held positions at Aiken Technical College, Case Western Reserve University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. At Roanoke, Ramey will lead collegewide efforts to create a community where all students, faculty and staff are respected and valued, and have a sense of belonging. Building on the momentum and accomplishments of recent years, Ramey will work to accelerate and refine the College's efforts for and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. "We are excited for Teresa to bring her expertise in building strong communities to our community at Roanoke College," Maxey said. "Throughout the candidate selection process, Teresa notably connected with faculty, staff and students, and we know she will collaborate and connect in powerful ways at Roanoke College." "We are grateful to the Board of Trustees for recognizing the importance of the role and supporting the hire," Maxey said. Ramey holds a Bachelor of Arts in speech communications from Western Kentucky University and a Master of Science in instructional development from Jacksonville State University. She is close to completing her dissertation toward the Doctor of Education in higher education administration from Northeastern University. "I know how special the Roanoke College community is, and I can't wait to work with the students, faculty, staff and others along the way to further the College's success and involve everyone in meaningful community inclusion work," Ramey said. "I am honored to serve the College under President Maxey's leadership." Roanoke College, located in Salem, Virginia, offers an innovative core curriculum and majors that allow for depth of study and research. Roanoke College encourages students to believe in themselves and their potential. Students participate in internships, creative projects, community service, and study away endeavors that help them find their purpose in life. The Roanoke College experience is a full one, only enhanced by its setting minutes away from a vibrant city and the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains. Follow Roanoke College on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . SOURCE Roanoke College Related Links http://Roanoke.edu NEW YORK, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) between October 26, 2019 and April 30, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important July 27, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Virgin Galactic 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 Virgin Galactic class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2087.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 27, 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) for accounting purposes, Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp.'s ("SCH") warrants were required to be treated as liabilities rather than equities; (2) Virgin Galactic had deficient disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting; (3) as a result, Virgin Galactic improperly accounted for SCH warrants that were outstanding at the time of the business confirmation of SCH, a special purpose acquisition company ("SPAC"), and the Company's then-private predecessor; and (4) 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 Virgin Galactic class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2087.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 BIRMINGHAM, Mich., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Author, industry analyst, and founder of IT-Harvest, Richard Stiennon, announced the publication of "Security Yearbook 2021: A History and Directory of the IT Security Industry." The book is available at http://www.it-harvest.com/shop. It was produced and printed in hardcover with the support of sponsors Anitian and Cofense. Security Yearbook 2021 Richard Stiennon, industry analyst and author of Security Yearbook 2021 2020 was a year of dramatic developments for the cybersecurity industry. There were two notable failures of funded startups added to the chapter on failures. 271 vendors received new funding for a total of $10 billion in new investments. 225 vendors were acquired with private equity claiming the majority of M&A activity. Complete lists of new funding and M&A are published in the new book. The impact of COVID-19 slowed growth for many vendors as they expected demand to drop. But the move to work-from-home increased demand for technology to protect newly distributed organizations. Zero trust networking and SASE solutions saw tremendous growth in 2020. "Security Yearbook" is the only published history of the IT security industry. This year the 2021 edition includes 2,615 vendors listed by country and category. The percent change in headcount is provided for each vendor. "This is one of the most valuable metrics for determining a vendor's health," Stiennon said. "Successful companies grow. By monitoring head count I can get early warning of trouble at a vendor." The result of over a decade of research, "Security Yearbook 2021" starts at the early days of RACF, ACF2, Check Point Software, Symantec, and McAfee, coming right up to the present day. "Security Yearbook 2021" is not a summary of technologies; this is a book filled with rich histories of the vendors and the people behind the companies the misfits and pioneers that have built today's $300+ billion cybersecurity industry. Their individual stories are recounted in their own voice alongside the author's market research and analysis, making this a one-of-a-kind read and an indispensable guide to the entire IT security industry. "Security Yearbook has become my life's work," said Richard Stiennon. "It is a full-time job just keeping up with the space. In this book I incorporate everything I have learned in 25 years of being part of an industry that grows over 24% every year." "Security Yearbook" is already an indispensable reference for industry veterans and CISOs. Industry analysts, Wall Street analysts, professors, and marketing teams use it for product selection, and identifying trends. The industry is subdivided into 16 different sectors, including Network, Endpoint, Data Security, GRC, and MSSPs. New sectors such as Security Analytics, Threat Intelligence, and Deception will be of particular interest to practitioners who are looking to understand advanced cyber defense tools and practices. About Stiennon: Richard Stiennon is Chief Research Analyst for IT-Harvest, the firm he founded in 2005 to cover the 2,615 vendors that make up the IT security industry. He has presented on the topic of cybersecurity in 31 countries on six continents. He was a lecturer at Charles Sturt University in Australia. He is the author of Security Yearbook 2021: A History and Directory of the IT Security Industry. He published Curmudgeon: How to Succeed as an Industry Analyst in 2020. In 2019 he published Secure Cloud Transformation: The CIO's Journey. He also wrote Surviving Cyberwar (Government Institutes, 2010) and Washington Post Best Seller, There Will Be Cyberwar. He writes for Security Boulevard and The Analyst Syndicate. He is a member of the advisory board at several technology startups and sits on the board of Anitian. Stiennon was Chief Strategy Officer for Blancco Technology Group, the Chief Marketing Officer for Fortinet, Inc. and VP Threat Research at Webroot Software. Prior to that he was a Research VP at Gartner. He has a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and his MA in War in the Modern World from King's College, London. Follow @cyberwar on Twitter. About Anitian Anitian delivers a fast path to security and compliance in the cloud. Anitian's Compliance Automation Platform and SecureCloud DevSecOps Platform help high-growth SaaS companies get applications to market quickly, so they can unlock revenue in weeks, not months or years. Its automated cloud platform and service delivers a full suite of security controls pre-engineered and pre-configured to security standards such as FedRAMP, PCI, CMMC, GDPR, or ISO27001. Anitian's pre-engineered environment and platform use the full power and scale of the cloud to accelerate time-to-market and time-to-revenue. Find out more at http://www.anitian.com. About Cofense Cofense is a provider of phishing detection and response solutions. Designed for enterprise organizations, the Cofense Phishing Detection and Response (PDR) platform leverages a global network of over 25 million people actively reporting suspected phish, combined with advanced automation to stop phishing attacks faster and stay ahead of breaches. When deploying the full suite of Cofense solutions, organizations can educate employees on how to identify and report phish, detect phish in their environment and respond quickly to remediate threats. With seamless integration into most major TIPs, SIEMs, and SOARs, Cofense solutions easily align with existing security ecosystems. Find out more at http://www.cofense.com. Contact: Justin Goldstein 212-879-2871 [email protected] SOURCE IT-Harvest Press BOSTON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Servier, a growing leader in oncology committed to bringing the promise of tomorrow to the patients we serve, today announced that Clinical Cancer Research has published data from its Phase 1 study evaluating single-agent vorasidenib in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutant advanced solid tumors, including low-grade glioma. Vorasidenib is an investigational, oral, selective, brain-penetrant dual inhibitor of mutant IDH1 and IDH2 enzymes. In the first-in-human study (NCT02481154), vorasidenib demonstrated both a favorable safety profile at doses <100 mg once daily and preliminary clinical activity in recurrent or progressive IDH1/2 mutant low-grade glioma. The study data demonstrated a median progression-free survival of 36.8 months (3.1 years) [95% confidence interval (CI), 11.240.8 months] for patients with nonenhancing low-grade glioma. The protocol-defined objective response rate per Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria for LGG (RANO-LGG) in patients with nonenhancing low-grade glioma was 18% (one partial response, three minor responses). Exploratory evaluation of tumor volumes showed sustained tumor shrinkage in multiple patients with nonenhancing low-grade glioma. "Given the toxicities associated with chemotherapy and radiation, there remains a significant unmet need to improve treatment options for patients living with IDH mutant low-grade glioma," said Tim Cloughesy, M.D., David Geffen School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, an investigator for the Phase 1 study. "These early results reinforce the potential benefit of vorasidenib and the further exploration of more targeted therapies." Mutations in the metabolic enzymes IDH1/2 occur in up to approximately 80% of patients with low-grade gliomas. Standard treatment of low-grade gliomas includes tumor resection, followed by radiation and chemotherapy as appropriate. This treatment is not curative and current therapy is associated with short- and long-term toxicity, with most patients experiencing disease recurrence and progression to a higher tumor grade. In this study, vorasidenib demonstrated a favorable safety profile. Dose-limiting toxicities of elevated transaminases occurred at doses 100 mg and were reversible. "We are excited to announce the publication of our first clinical data manuscript in glioma in Clinical Cancer Research, underscoring the potential benefit of vorasidenib in IDH mutant low-grade glioma," said Susan Pandya, M.D., Vice President, Clinical Development, Head of Cancer Metabolism Global Development, Servier Pharmaceuticals. "These data provide further support for our registration-enabling Phase 3 INDIGO study evaluating the activity of vorasidenib at an early stage of the disease where delaying the need for more aggressive treatments could provide a meaningful benefit to patients." Vorasidenib is currently being evaluated in the registration-enabling Phase 3 INDIGO study as a potential treatment for patients with residual or recurrent grade 2 low-grade glioma (NCT04164901). --- Vorasidenib Phase 1 Dose-Escalation Study Vorasidenib, an investigational, oral, selective, brain-penetrant dual inhibitor of mutant IDH1 and IDH2 enzymes, is being evaluated as a single agent in an ongoing Phase 1 dose-escalation trial in IDH1/2 mutant advanced solid tumors (n=93), including glioma (n=52). Vorasidenib was administered orally, once daily, in 28-day cycles until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Enrollment was completed in June 2017 (NCT02481154). Vorasidenib INDIGO Phase 3 Study Vorasidenib, an investigational, oral, selective, brain-penetrant dual inhibitor of mutant IDH1 and IDH2 enzymes, is currently being evaluated in the registration-enabling Phase 3 INDIGO study as a potential treatment for patients with residual or recurrent grade 2 low-grade glioma (NCT04164901). About Glioma Glioma presents in varying degrees of tumor aggressiveness, ranging from slower growing (low-grade glioma) to rapidly progressing (high-grade glioma-Glioblastoma Multiforme). Tumor enhancement is an imaging characteristic assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and enhancing tumors are more likely to be high-grade. Common symptoms of glioma include seizures, memory disturbance, sensory impairment and neurologic deficits. The long-term prognosis is poor, and regardless of treatment, the majority of patients with low-grade gliomas will have recurrent disease that will progress over time. Approximately 11,000 low-grade glioma patients are diagnosed annually in the U.S. and EU and approximately 80% have an IDH mutation. About Servier Pharmaceuticals Servier Pharmaceuticals LLC is a commercial-stage company with a passion for innovation and improving the lives of patients, their families and caregivers. A privately held company, Servier has the unique freedom to devote its time and energy toward putting those who require our treatment and care first, with future growth driven by innovation in areas of unmet medical need. As a growing leader in oncology, Servier is committed to finding solutions that will address today's challenges. The company's oncology portfolio of innovative medicines is designed to bring more life-saving treatments to a greater number of patients across the entire spectrum of disease and in a variety of tumor types. Servier believes co-creation is fundamental to driving innovation and is actively building alliances, acquisitions, licensing deals and partnerships that bring solutions and accelerate access to therapies. With our commercial expertise, global reach, scientific expertise and commitment to clinical excellence, Servier Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to bringing the promise of tomorrow to the patients that we serve. More information: www.servier.us About Servier Servier is a global pharmaceutical group governed by a Foundation. With a strong international presence in 150 countries and a total revenue of 4.7 billion euros in 2020, Servier employs 22,500 people worldwide. Servier is an independent group that invests over 20% of its brand-name revenue in Research and Development every year. To accelerate therapeutic innovation for the benefit of patients, the Group is committed to open and collaborative innovation with academic partners, pharmaceutical groups, and biotech companies. It also integrates the patient's voice at the heart of its activities. A leader in cardiology, the ambition of the Servier Group is to become a recognized and innovative player in oncology. Its growth is based on a sustained commitment to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, oncology and immuno-inflammatory, and neurodegenerative diseases. To promote access to healthcare for all, the Servier Group also offers a range of quality generic drugs covering most pathologies. More information: www.servier.com Follow us on Social Media: LinkedIn, Twitter Press contacts Servier Pharmaceuticals (U.S.) Megan Talon [email protected] Disclosures This release contains general information about the Servier Group and its entities (hereinafter "Servier and its Affiliates") and is intended for informational purposes only. The information is thought to be reliable; however, Servier and its Affiliates make no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein or otherwise provided and accept no responsibility or liability, in contract, in tort, in negligence, or otherwise, should the information be found to be inaccurate or incomplete in any respect. Servier and its Affiliates are not acting as an advisor to the recipient of this information, and the ultimate decision to proceed with any transaction rests solely with the recipient of this information. Therefore, prior to entering into any proposed transaction, the recipient of this information should determine, without reliance upon Servier or its Affiliates, the economic risks and merits, as well as the legal, tax, and accounting characterizations and consequences, of the transaction and that it is able to assume these risks. This statement also contains forward-looking statements that are subject to varying levels of uncertainty and risk. Investigational new drugs and indications are subject to further scientific and medical review and regulatory approval. They are not approved for use by the FDA. Any reliance placed on this document is done entirely at the risk of the person placing such reliance. The information contained in this document is neither an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an offer to enter into a transaction. The content of this document is a summary only, is not complete, and does not include all material information about Servier and its Affiliates, including potential conflicts of interest. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, Servier and its Affiliates disclaim all representations, warranties, conditions and guarantees, whether express, implied, statutory or of other kind, nor does it accept any duty to any person, in connection with this document. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, Servier and its Affiliates do not warrant or represent that the information or opinions contained in this document is accurate or complete. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, Servier and its Affiliates shall not be liable for any loss, damage or expense whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, howsoever arising, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability or otherwise, for direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive or special damages arising out of or in connection with this document, including (without limitation) any course of action taken on the basis of the same. The estimates, strategies, and views expressed in this document are based upon past or current data and information and are subject to change without notice. SOURCE Servier Pharmaceuticals Related Links https://www.servier.us NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner at Monteverde & Associates PC, a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Marlin Business Services Corp. ("MRLN" or the "Company") (MRLN) relating to its proposed acquisition by HPS Investment Partners LLC. MRLN shareholders will receive $23.50 in cash per share they own. The investigation focuses on whether Marlin Business Services Corp. and its Board of Directors violated securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties to the Company by 1) failing to conduct a fair process, and 2) whether the transaction is properly valued. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/marlin-business-services-corp. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you. About Monteverde & Associates PC We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2020 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, over the years the firm has recovered or secured over a dozen cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases. If you owned common stock in the Company and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341. Contact: Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC The Empire State Building 350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405 New York, NY 10118 United States of America [email protected] Tel: (212) 971-1341 Attorney Advertising. (C) 2021 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC Related Links http://www.monteverdelaw.com WASHINGTON, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), in response to the Departments of State and Homeland Security expanding the Central American Minors (CAM) program: "Today's joint announcement by the Departments of State and Homeland Security expanding the Central American Minors (CAM) program is nothing more than a blatant attempt by the Biden administration to perpetuate unchecked illegal immigration without the bad optics of the ongoing border crisis created by their policies. "CAM represents a flagrant abuse of the executive branch's parole authority by asserting that the president and his appointees have virtually unlimited authority to permit entry of broad categories of foreign nationals who are otherwise inadmissible under federal law. "The expanded CAM program actually gives illegal aliens living in the United States preferential treatment in bringing family members to this country. While U.S. citizens and legal immigrants often wait years for permission to bring a relative to this country, CAM moves relatives of illegal aliens to the front of the line and it does so at taxpayers' expense. Under the program, the American public will pay to transport minors, who were left behind by parents who entered the United States illegally, to our country. "Today's announcement is a blatant attempt by the Biden administration to end the horrifying spectacle of children being smuggled to our border by criminal cartels that have been emboldened and enriched by the policies of this administration by having the United States government act as the delivery agent. Just about everybody in Central America who seeks to settle in this country will be able do so, regardless of the impact on American citizens and their communities. "Not surprisingly, the architect of this latest attempt to subvert U.S. immigration laws and create de facto open borders is DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Today's action reaffirms FAIR's call for the resignation or removal of Mayorkas from his post. He, and the damaging and illegal policies he has implemented, must go." Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004 or [email protected] ABOUT FAIR Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced. SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) Related Links http://www.fairus.org MONTE CARLO, Monaco, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vita Inclinata Technologies, Inc. has announced the appointment of Sir Anthony Ritossa, Chairman of the Ritossa Family Office, as an honorary company board member. They will also be present to showcase the company at Sir Anthony Ritossa's 15th Global Family Office Investment Summit to be held June 30-July 2 at the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel in Monaco under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco. The event is expected to attract 600+ family offices, private investors, Sheikhs, royal families, and leading businesses from 30+ countries representing more than $4.5 trillion in wealth. Vita Inclinata's breakthrough technology makes search and rescue operations instantly safer, faster, and more efficient. With just the touch of a button, the award-winning technology instantly and autonomously stops chaotic swing and spin, and easily adds precision for rotor wing and fixed wing aircraft and cranes. The company's products, including proprietary software, are built to military specifications, and tested to ensure no EMF interference. Vita is the first startup to be recognized in the US National Defense appropriations bill, including supporting language asking for more research and development to use its technology across all branches of the military. "Vita expands what's possible for search and rescue, firefighting, public safety, construction, wind turbines, and oil and gas all while saving lives, time, money, and jobs. We've retained a talented team of young innovators and seasoned leaders alike, across the military, aerospace, construction, and startup ecosystems. With backgrounds from UBER, Microsoft, NASA, and more, plus all branches of military service, we have come together with one mission: to save lives. We are honored to present at the Global Family Office Investment Summit and look forward to Sir Anthony's contributions to our Advisory Board," said Founder Caleb Carr. "Caleb's impressive background in search and rescue combined with his business savvy and his team's technological expertise are the basis for the company's impressive success to date. The family office attendees at the Global Family Office Investment Summit in Monaco are seeking opportunities that make an impact and Vita Inclinata is a perfect example of a mission-based company that is saving lives. I am incredibly honoured to join the Advisory Board especially since it already includes a high-level roster of experts that represent governments, military, technology and the corporate world," said Sir Anthony Ritossa of the Ritossa Family Office. As with past Summits, the programme will highlight topics such as technology, healthcare, blockchain, fintech, family legacy and governance, philanthropy, education, the environment, energy, transportation and global inclusion. Trust, commitment, energy, respect, transformation and responsibility are among the important top of mind themes for the influential group and will also be addressed behind closed doors. For details on Vita Inclinata and the 15th Global Family Office Investment Summit, please visit https://www.ritossafamilyoffice.com/monaco or email [email protected] Contact: Simon Miley | Head of EMEA & Member of the Investment Committee Email [email protected] M: +44 (0)7759 668 255 SOURCE Ritossa Family Office "National Bridal Sale Day, also called Bridal Saturday, is an annual tradition for the bridal industry similar to a Black Friday or Small Business Saturday for other retail stores. It is recognized by Chase's Calendar of Events and scheduled annually on the third Saturday in July," says the event's creator, Sue Maslowski, owner of Jay West Bridal in Haddonfield, N.J. "It also means brides do not have to shop the Internet for price," Maslowski says. "They can walk into any participating bridal salon across the country and in Canada on that day and touch, see and feel what they are purchasing with no surprises. And often, they can take the gown home the same day!" For a list of participating bridal shops, brides can visit Home - National Bridal Sale Event .The site also offers brides a guide to successful shopping for a wedding gown as well as changing features such as the bridal-shop-of-the-month, and designer-of-the-month that brides will find useful year-round. In addition to registering for $3,000 in NBSE Sweepstakes prizes, brides can also download a coupon good toward wedding gown cleaning as well as wedding gown cleaning and preservation at a nearby Certified Wedding Gown Specialist.TM. Organizations supporting the event are the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists, BelleTheMagazine.com, BridalBoutiques.us, Bridal Guide, BridalMusings.com, Bruce Campbell Marketing, International Bridal Manufacturers Association (IBMA), National Bridal Market Chicago, TheKnot.com, Vow: New World of Bridal Atlanta, Vows Magazine, WeddingChicks,com, and WeddingWire.com. For more information about how to participate in the event, bridal shops, manufacturers, and sponsors may also contact NBSE at [email protected]. CONTACT: Sue Maslowski E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.nationalbridalsaleevent.com SOURCE National Bridal Sale Related Links nationalbridalsaleday.com SHANGHAI, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 16th, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation held its 9th SMIC Liver Transplant Program Donation Ceremony at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine's Renji Hospital. As of this year, SMIC has cumulatively raised over 33 million yuan, saving 572 needy children from all over the country and helping them regain their lives. Chairman of SMIC Dr. Zhou Zixue, Honorary Chairman of SMIC Mr. Zhang Wenyi, Vice Chairman of SMIC Dr. Chiang Shang-Yi, Co-CEO of SMIC Dr. Zhao Haijun, President of Renji Hospital Mr. Xia Qiang and Vice Director of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation's Fund Department Ms. Liu Ying attended the donation ceremony. While the COVID-19 pandemic is normalizing, SMIC is also facing very challenging external circumstances with increased uncertainties. With the concern and support from various facets of society, SMIC has been collaborating to overcome difficulties with precision and maintaining operational continuity. In the first quarter of this year, the revenue for the first half of 2021 is expected to exceed original expectations. In line with the philosophy of "Caring for people, caring for the environment, and caring for society", this year, SMIC donated 2.34 million yuan to the SMIC Liver Transplant Program, including donations from more than 1,800 employees. Meanwhile, our partners from the IC industry actively responded to the Program, 98 enterprises and individuals donating 2.04 million yuan, which greatly surpassed the amount last year. At the ceremony, the Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zhou Zixue said, "Since its establishment, the SMIC Liver Transplant Program has helped 572 needy children receive surgeries and regain their health. Behind this number are small faces that smile through tears, families that have regained hope, and SMIC taking corporate responsibility with practical actions. Next year, we will witness the tenth year of the SMIC Liver Transplant Program, and as the saying goes, it takes ten years to grow a tree; we hope that more people can participate in this Program to help more children have a healthy and happy life." President of Renji Hospital Mr. Xia Qiang said, "Since the formation of the Children Liver Transplant Program, remarkable achievements have been made. Up to now, 2,609 operations have been completed, ranking first for eight consecutive years on the number of children liver transplant operations performed in one single institute, of which 572 cases were supported by the fund. SMIC Liver Transplant Program has brought warmth and help to families with needy children. The healthy growth of children matters a lot to the development of the country and the future of the nation, and it is medical staff's great responsibility to care for the growth of every child. I believe that the Children Liver Transplant Program of our hospital will improve and reach a higher level of medicine with the care and support of everyone." Vice Director of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation's Fund Department Ms. Liu Ying commented, "Since its creation nearly 40 years ago, the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation has always adhered to Ms. Soong Ching Ling's deep commitment to "building the future". The Foundation is committed to improving the level of medical health of children and perfecting the medical and healthcare service system to create a good environment for the comprehensive development and healthy growth of children. I hope that, with the joint efforts of SMIC, Renji Hospital and many compassionate companies and warm-hearted individuals, the small good will turn into a great blessing and more children with liver disease from needy families will receive effective treatments. We also wish to make new contributions to accelerating the Healthy China Initiative and offering a better environment for children to grow and become accomplished." SOURCE Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation Related Links www.smics.com ROCKVILLE, Md., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SolaREIT, a solar real estate investment fund, has announced two new hires and the expansion of the company's leadership team. Laura Klein will serve as the company's Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer and Jeff Gorman will serve as their Senior Vice President of Business Development. SolaREIT is bringing innovative new models for financing solar to the solar industry. The company, launched in late 2020, is actively looking to partner with project owners, solar developers, and landowners to provide innovative financing options for land purchases and solar lease 'buy-outs.' Laura Klein has been hired as the CFO and COO by SolaREIT a solar real estate investment fund. Jeff Gorman has been hired as SVP of Business Development by SolaREIT a solar real estate investment fund. "We're extremely excited to be adding Laura and Jeff to our team," says Laura Pagliarulo, President of SolaREIT. "The depth and breadth of experience and expertise they bring to the leadership team will be instrumental to executing SolaREIT's mission. SolaREIT is expanding financing choices that will help the solar industry continue to grow and thrive providing farmers and landowners with more options for their land, and developers and project owners innovative structures to reduce their lease payments." Laura Klein, CFO and COO, SolaREIT Laura has developed over 1 GW of utility scale solar energy projects and closed approximately $1 billion in financing for small to mid-sized projects over her more than 15 years in the industry. She has worked across the energy industry including with electric utilities, independent power producers, developers, start-ups, VCs, non-profits, and multi-laterals. Prior to joining SolaREIT, she founded Oriole Solar, a consultant to solar asset owners focused on origination, development and M&A in the Southeast U.S., and a partner in KL Solar Development. From 2017-2019, she was Managing Director for Development at Eagle Solar Group, a joint venture between DEPCOM Power Inc. and D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments. She began her career in renewables at SunEdison in the project finance group, rising to Managing Director for Project Finance and later Managing Director for Development for SunEdison's distributed generation portfolio. Prior to SunEdison, she held roles in finance at Duke Energy and the World Bank's Carbon Funds, where she developed low-carbon projects in developing countries. Jeff Gorman, Senior Vice President of Business Development, SolaREIT Jeff brings more than two decades of experience in the energy and renewable energy industries. Prior to joining SolaREIT, Jeff was a Director on the business development team originating, acquiring, and financing commercial distributed generation and utility scale solar and solar + storage generation projects for AES. His first role in the solar industry was as a sales director at SunEdison where he led solar distributed generation project origination and development efforts in the northeast markets. Prior to SunEdison, Jeff was a director at IVG Energy where he facilitated renewable energy transactions to help utilities and other retail electric providers with the procurement of eligible renewable energy products to meet their RPS obligations. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that solar will cover 3 million acres by 2030. While the majority of solar projects are on leased property, SolaREIT can offer alternative options to developers and project owners that reduce their lease costs. Earlier this year, SolaREIT announced their "Pre-Paid Solar Land Lease" allowing solar developers to provide landowners with up-front payment for up to 30-years of lease payments. About SolaREIT: SolaREIT, based in Rockville, Maryland, focuses on making investments in acquiring, developing, and managing climate-friendly solar assets that support the transformation to a low-carbon economy. We aim to provide unique products to clients while generating attractive returns for our investors. For more information, please visit www.solareit.com . Media Contact: Sam Boykin 917.447.2657 [email protected] SOURCE SolaREIT Related Links http://www.solareit.com LONDON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a brief ceremony at the St Kitts and Nevis High Commission in London, His Excellency High Commissioner Kevin M. Isaac was joined by his Cameroonian counterpart Mr. Albert Njoteh Fotabang to sign a joint communique forming diplomatic relations between the two nations. The diplomats discussed areas of mutual interest including promoting cultural exchange and enhancing support for small states in international organisations. Additionally, they agreed upon moving towards establishing a visa waiver, enabling citizens to travel freely between the countries. The signing between St Kitts and Nevis and Cameroon aligns with the government's commitment to further relations with the African continent, bridging the gap between the regions and emphasising their shared history and challenges. The last few years has seen St Kitts and Nevis commence ties with countries including Mozambique, Djibouti, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe amongst many others. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mark Brantley, praised the signing as a long-time advocate for strengthening diplomacy between Africa and the Caribbean. High Commissioner Dr. Kevin M. Isaac also spoke about what the signing means for the relationship between the regions: "We are delighted to have formalised diplomatic relations with Cameroon. We know that building new relationships and deepening existing ones are key elements of Government's policy. We are also confident in the belief that in working together to bridge the geographical divide, we will bring about tremendous opportunities for our citizens on both sides," he told CS Global Partners. In recent decades, St Kitts and Nevis has become a popular destination amongst African investors seeking second citizenship. Through its Citizenship by Investment Programme, the dual-island nation has been welcoming high net-worth individuals and their families to become citizens once making an investment into its Sustainable Growth Fund. As the oldest CBI Programme on the market, St Kitts and Nevis offers an attractive investment route that guarantees citizenship within two months, granted that applicants can successfully pass the necessary due diligence checks. Gaining St Kitts and Nevis citizenship comes with a wealth of opportunities including alternative business prospects, access to higher quality education and healthcare and a second home in a stable democracy committed to the rule of law. Most significantly, investors gain visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to nearly 160 countries and territories, increasing global mobility and removing the bureaucratic hassle associated with applying for visas. "CBI has long been considered an option amongst wealthy Africans. Lengthy and often hard to obtain visas mean that travel has generally been a challenge for most African passport holders. By obtaining dual citizenship, you are able to diversify your options and gain easier access to the rest of the world," says Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners. St Kitts and Nevis also boasts a growing economy and a stable currency pegged to the US dollar. African investors who choose to do business on the islands are privy to a number of incentives along with the knowledge that they can pass down their citizenship for generations to come, establishing a future legacy for ones family. Contact: +447867942505, [email protected], www.csglobalpartners.com SOURCE CS Global Partners MINNEAPOLIS, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Student social innovators with inspiring ideas ranging from ecological bricks made from plastic waste to programs that create meaningful, one-on-one connections between youth and older adults competed virtually June 12 to win a share of more than $60,000 in seed funding at the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge (Fowler GSIC) Finals . This is the first time that the University of St. Thomas has hosted the event, a joint venture with the University of San Diego (USD) designed to increase the scope and scale of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem at their respective universities and beyond. The Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas and the Center for Peace and Commerce at USD alternate hosting the Global Finals each year. "The Fowler GSIC is for the trailblazers, the doers and the dreamers. Never has this mindset been more relevant than in these current times," said Laura Dunham, associate dean of the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship. "This competition is important to expanding the social innovation movement." Each team in the multi-round competition leading up to the Global Finals engaged with one or more of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals , ranging from ending hunger by promoting sustainable agriculture to achieving gender equality, building resilient infrastructure, combating climate change, and providing access to justice for all. Students from 15 countries and 28 universities competed in the Global Finals . The winners included: Changemaker Award winner ($22,000) Seedloans , University of Oxford , Changemaker Award second place ($10,000) Big & Mini , University of Texas at Austin , Changemaker Award third place ($5,000) Hempress Hygienics , San Diego State University , Women Innovators Award ($1,000) Govuka, Duke University Govuka, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award ($1,000) Meraki , CETYS Universidad Tijuana , CETYS Universidad Audience Choice Award ($1,000) HBN , University of San Diego , Additional prizes of nearly $20,000 were given away to runner-up teams in the Changemaker and preliminary pitch round as well as special prizes. Stefanie Lenway, dean of the Opus College of Business, is grateful to Ron and Alexis Fowler for making this global social entrepreneurship competition possible. The competition was established in 2011 by the University of San Diego as the Social Innovation Challenge. To date, more than $500,000 in seed funding has been awarded to the winning teams. Since 2011, 2,500 social entrepreneurs have had the opportunity to get feedback on their ventures from leaders in both the private and nonprofit sectors. In 2019, with the generous support of Ron and Alexis Fowler, the challenge was renamed the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge and a collaboration between the University of San Diego and St. Thomas was launched . "The Schulze School of Entrepreneurship and the Opus College of Business is honored to partner with the Center for Peace and Commerce at the University of San Diego, a strong ally in higher education social entrepreneurship programming," Lenway said. "In addition to highlighting solutions to societal challenges, the Fowler GSIC widens the circle of impact for both universities by helping social entrepreneurs from around the world sharpen their business plans, thereby increasing their chances of success and contributing to the common good." CONTACT: Vineeta Sawkar, [email protected] SOURCE Schulze School of Entrepreneurship ATLANTA, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In March 2020, Atlanta-based nonprofit Star-C had to suspend after-school programs in the wake of the pandemic, pivoting to focus on in-home learning, the digital divide, hunger relief and, notably, rental assistance through its Eviction Relief Fund (ERF). Originally targeting a $50,000 crowdfunded fundraise, the ERF has now raised $9.9 million, thus far helping over 3,400 families avoid eviction in 14 counties in Metro Atlanta. Star-C Executive Director Audrea Rease Star-C Founder Marjy Stagmeier "Star-C and our families are so very grateful for outpouring of support from our donors who stepped up to assist vulnerable families in these unprecedented times," says Marjy Stagmeier, who has over 20 years of experience as an apartment landlord and is the founder of Star-C. "We have fielded thousands of phone calls from so many hard-working people who just were simply not prepared for the consequences of the COVID pandemic. It was so encouraging to see the Atlanta community rally to provide support to those less fortunate." Still, she notes that even as the world is wading into post-pandemic life, the Fund is not winding down. Because of the lingering effects of the pandemic which disproportionately affected affordable housing residents and other working families Star-C's eviction relief work will continue in earnest for the foreseeable future, including fundraising. Star-C is currently providing rent and utilities assistance in Cobb County, under a $4.1 million Emergency Rental Assistance Program allocation. "You might say we grabbed the tiger by the tail, but it has been a wonderful and consuming ride," says Audrea Rease, Executive Director of Star-C Programs. "Through incredible collaboration, grants and strong individual giving, we've been able to help more people across a broader area than we ever imagined, and that need continues, which is why we are continuing to ask for donations to continuing helping hardworking Atlantans who have temporary challenges paying rent." Rease notes that the Eviction Relief Fund ("ERF") benefited from CARES Act funding provided by Cobb County, DeKalb County and the City of Atlanta, in addition to Cobb's Emergency Rental Assistance Program. She says the program partnered with 330 landlords representing 65,000 apartment units, as they administered the ERF. "Last year we quickly pivoted from primarily providing after-school and related programs to offering what we thought would be a relatively short-term rental-assistance program," Rease says. "Once kids have (in part) returned to classrooms and, especially, as we offer our traditional summer programs for them, we've ramped back up Star-C's core programs, but at the same time recognizing that the eviction crisis continues." Star-C is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that bills itself as an education model with an affordable housing solution. Star-C improves educational outcomes by helping to reduce transiency in underserved areas by providing wraparound services to students and families in our partner affordable housing communities. Star-C holds a monthly breakfast so anyone can learn more about the organization, programs and outlook; see Monthly Breakfast information on its website: http://www.star-c.org/events. Media Contact: Drew Plant Star-C Board Member [email protected] 678-637-5532 Star-C contact: Audrea Rease [email protected] 404-936-4212 SOURCE Star-C Programs OTTAWA, ON, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, today issued the following statement: "We are very pleased that the Senate has passed Bill C-15, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. We now eagerly await Royal Assent. "Today represents a critical step in recognizing, promoting, protecting and upholding the human rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. It marks another important move forward in the evolving history of the Crown-Indigenous relationship, one that will help forge stronger relationships and support the path to self-determination for First Nations, Inuit and Metis while taking action to advance reconciliation, together. "The implementation of the Declaration through Bill C-15 is part of the government's commitment to addressing injustices, combating prejudice and eliminating all forms of violence, racism and discrimination, including systemic racism and discrimination, against Indigenous Peoples. "This legislation will require the Government of Canada to examine federal laws, policies, and practices and to take all measures, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples, to ensure consistency with the Declaration. It provides the foundation for transformational change in Canada's relationships with Indigenous Peoples. "The legislation will complement other initiatives underway across Canada with Indigenous partners to close socio-economic gaps, advance reconciliation and renew relationships based on the affirmation of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership. "The work to undo centuries of colonial policies could not be more urgent. The horrific finding of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, as well as other possible graves, are yet another reminder of that truth. The harms experienced by First Nations, Inuit and Metis families and communities are real and ongoing and must be confronted. "Through Calls to Action 43 and 44, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called on all levels of government to implement the Declaration as the framework for reconciliation, and develop an action plan, strategies and other concrete measures to achieve its goals. "Together, we must continue to walk the path of reconciliation to ensure that the rights, languages, cultures, and identities of all Indigenous Peoples are recognized, honoured, and respected. Bill C-15 provides a framework for the federal government to move forward in partnership with Indigenous Peoples for the benefit of all Canadians." Associated Links SOURCE Department of Justice Canada Related Links http://www.justice.gc.ca NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Templum, Inc. ("Templum"), a provider of next-generation capital markets infrastructure for alternatives and private securities, announced it has closed a strategic financing round led by WestCap . The partnership enables Templum to expand on marketplace services for its growing list of global clientele and enhance liquidity for institutional and retail investors across the ecosystem. Templum and its wholly owned broker dealer subsidiary, Templum Markets LLC, deliver transparency and liquidity to investors and marketplaces with its frictionless, end-to-end white-label trading technology products, using its proprietary Alternative Trading System ("ATS") and brokerage solutions. "The most recent investment from WestCap advances Templum's strategy to transform the alternative asset sector," said Templum CEO Christopher Pallotta . "Our innovative modular infrastructure powers marketplaces by offering fractionalized investing in alternative assets such as private equity, limited partnerships, real estate, collectibles, art, commodities, and debt products. We're seeing increasing appetite from investors for alternative assets and have experienced that first hand with our clients. The partnership with WestCap accelerates distribution and adoption of alternative assets with Templum as the underlying infrastructure." The investment was led by Laurence Tosi , WestCap's founder and former CFO of Airbnb and Blackstone, and by Scott Ganeles , senior partner at WestCap, who will now join Templum's Board of Directors. As longtime partners, Tosi and Ganeles also co-founded iPreo, a leading capital markets fintech company acquired by IHS Markit . WestCap has been actively monitoring the alternative asset industry as investor allocation to alternatives has grown throughout shifting economic trends over the past year. Per research firm Preqin , the alternatives asset industry is projected to increase to $17.14 trillion AUM by 2025 as alternatives are expected to continue to outperform public markets and bring significant diversification benefits to an overall portfolio strategy. "We're excited to partner with Templum as their proven technology and efficient marketplace removes the complexity in the alternative asset industry for capital markets participants," said Scott Ganeles. "Templum's streamlined solution is key to driving liquidity and transparency for alternative assets. Our investment in Templum expands access to the industry and positions WestCap, Templum, and their clients to capitalize on a space that is growing exponentially." For more information, please visit templuminc.com . About Templum Templum Markets LLC. is a New York-based broker-dealer and Alternative Trading System (ATS) approved to trade unregistered private securities in 53 U.S. States and Territories, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Templum, Inc., a trading technology company. Templum is paving the way for investors to participate in new asset classes through integrated market technologies and APIs for primary issuance and secondary trading. Templum's combined solution provides liquidity and distribution in private markets by enabling a continuous trading experience for investors, rather than the manual processes currently in place. In doing so, Templum delivers custom trading solutions to power marketplaces. For more information, please visit www.templuminc.com . About WestCap Group WestCap Group is a growth equity firm founded by Laurence A. Tosi, who, together with the WestCap Group team, has founded, capitalized, and operated tech-enabled, asset-light marketplaces for over 20 years. With over $2 billion of assets under management, WestCap Group has made notable investments in technology businesses such as Airbnb, StubHub, iPreo, Skillz, Sonder, Addepar, Hopper, iCapital and Bolt. To learn more about WestCap Group, please visit WestCap.com . SOURCE Templum Inc. Related Links templuminc.com Since the 9-11 terror attacks, the United States has employed thousands of local Afghan translators to help U.S. forces during the war. In exchange for their help, the United States promised a pathway to U.S. citizenship for Afghan interpreters and their families. Not honoring this promise creates an enormous national security issue for future military operations. "Our wartime allies saved countless American lives despite grave dangers to themselves and their families," American Legion National Commander James W. "Bill" Oxford said. "It would be a moral failure to withdraw our troops and leave behind the brave Afghan interpreters who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. troops through multiple operations." Congress passed the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009. The act provides special immigrant visas (SIVs) to Afghans who worked for at least one year as translators or interpreters, or who were employed by, or on behalf of, the U.S. government in Afghanistan. The visa allows these wartime allies to resettle in the United States. To qualify, visa applicants must demonstrate that their lives were threatened because of their work in support of a U.S. mission. As of April 2021, there are approximately 18,000 Afghan interpreters in limbo under the SIV program due to bureaucratic red tape and limited spots. "The current SIV process will not work, as it takes an average of 800+ days, and we have less than 100," said Steven A. Brennan, chairman of The American Legion's National Security Commission. "The American Legion strongly encourages the U.S. government to prioritize the protection of our allies and their families by creating and implementing an immediate plan to extract these heroes. Not honoring our promises creates an enormous national security risk in the future because other countries will be unwilling to help us." This is not a new issue. The United States has conducted evacuations before at a far greater scale. In 1975, the United States evacuated approximately 130,000 Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon. Most of these refugees were held temporarily in Guam before being transported to the continental United States to finish visa processing. Again in 1996, the United States evacuated thousands of Kurds at the end of the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War, also temporarily holding them in Guam. Despite those efforts, thousands were still left behind and killed in Vietnam and Iraq. "We have experience with this type of evacuation in times of crisis," Brennan added. "The current environment in Afghanistan clearly merits similar action but with even better results." About The American Legion With a current membership of nearly 2 million veterans, The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans' affairs, Americanism and youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 12,000 posts across the nation. Contact: Judy Welage Email: [email protected] Phone: (917) 697-9838 SOURCE The American Legion BRECKSVILLE, Ohio, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Illuminating Company, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), recently partnered with wildlife officials to protect an active red-tailed hawk nest containing eggs situated on a transformer near an energized power line in Strongsville. The proactive work will also prevent power disruptions in the area that could be caused by the fire hazard created from a wet nest capable of conducting electricity. To keep the birds safe until the hatchlings fledge in the fall, the company worked with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to install a new pole and transformer adjacent to the existing equipment. Power was redirected to the new equipment and the equipment around the nest was de-energized without impacting service to customers. "Disturbing or removing nests can be a complicated task due to environmental regulations," said Amy Ruszala, an environmental scientist and avian expert at FirstEnergy. "When a nest with eggs is situated on our equipment and poses a serious threat to the birds' safety and our service reliability, we work with state and federal wildlife officials to devise a plan to keep the birds out of harm's way and the power flowing reliably to our customers." Birds of prey, like red-tailed hawks, often seek out tall structures, including utility poles and electric transmission towers, to build their nests. These nesting habits often place the birds near energized electrical equipment jeopardizing their well-being and potentially causing power outages. When the birds head south for the winter, The Illuminating Company personnel plan to remove the transformer on which the hawk nest is currently situated. They will also install nesting deterrents atop the new electrical equipment to discourage birds from nesting there in the future. Protecting birds is nothing new to FirstEnergy and its utilities. The company has made great strides enhancing its avian protection efforts, including the implementation of drones to complete bird nest inspections and deployment of a mobile app that allows utility personnel to report avian issues in real time, stream that lining the process to protect nesting birds and enhance electric service reliability. These ongoing efforts continue to help reduce power outages caused by nesting birds. The Illuminating Company serves 755,000 customers across Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties. Connect with The Illuminating Company at www.illuminatingcompany.com, on Twitter @IlluminatingCo and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IlluminatingCo. FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter: @FirstEnergyCorp. Editor's Note: Photos of the red-tailed hawk eggs and The Illuminating Company personnel installing the new equipment are available for download on Flickr. SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp. Related Links http://www.firstenergycorp.com TORONTO, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - The Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc. ("Supreme", the "Company" or "we") (TSX: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF) (FRA: 53S1), is pleased to announce that it has been granted the final court order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) approving the plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") with Canopy Growth Corporation ("Canopy"), pursuant to which, among other things, Canopy will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Supreme (the "Supreme Shares") for consideration consisting of 0.01165872 of a Canopy common share and $0.0001 in cash (the "Consideration") in exchange for each Supreme Share held, which was previously announced on April 8, 2021. Receipt of the final order follows approval of the Arrangement by shareholders of Supreme (the "Supreme Shareholders") at its special meeting of Supreme Shareholders held on June 10, 2021. Assuming the satisfaction of all conditions, closing of the Arrangement is expected to occur on or about June 22, 2021. Upon the closing of the Arrangement, Supreme Shareholders will be entitled to receive the Consideration in exchange for each Supreme Share held. Registered Supreme Shareholders can submit their share certificates along with a duly completed letter of transmittal in order to receive the Consideration under the Arrangement. Further information about the Arrangement is available in the management information circular (the "Information Circular") dated May 11, 2021 and related proxy materials, which are available on SEDAR under Supreme's issuer profile and on Supreme's website at https://www.supreme.ca/canopy-growth-acquisition. ABOUT SUPREME The Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc., (TSX: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF) (FRA: 53S1), is a global diversified portfolio of distinct cannabis companies, products and brands. Since 2014, the Company has emerged as one of the world's most premium producers of recreational, wholesale and medical cannabis products. Supreme's portfolio of brands caters to diverse consumer and patient experiences, with brands and products that address recreational, wellness, medical and new consumer preferences. The Company's recreational brand portfolio includes, 7ACRES, 7ACRES Craft Collective, Blissco, sugarleaf, and Hiway. Supreme addresses national and international medical cannabis opportunities through its premium Truverra brand. Supreme's brands are backed by a focused suite of world-class operating assets that serve key functions in the value chain, including, scaled cultivation, value-add processing, automated packaging and product testing and R&D. Follow the Company on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. We simply grow better. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Supreme or its respective subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release. Examples of such statements include statements with respect to the closing of the Arrangement. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including assumptions as to the ability of the parties to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory and court approvals; the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the completion of the Arrangement; risks related to the value of the Canopy common shares to be issued pursuant to the Arrangement; regulatory and licensing risks; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial and stock markets; risks related to infectious diseases, including the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic; legal and regulatory risks inherent in the cannabis industry, including the global regulatory landscape and enforcement related to cannabis, political risks and risks relating to regulatory change; risks relating to anti-money laundering laws; compliance with extensive government regulation and the interpretation of various laws regulations and policies; public opinion and perception of the cannabis industry; and such other risks contained in the public filings of Supreme filed with Canadian securities regulators and available under Supreme's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com , including the Information Circular and Supreme's annual information form for the year ended June 30, 2020. Although Supreme believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information or forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Should one or more of the foregoing risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Supreme has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and Supreme does not undertake any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking information or forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE The Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc. Related Links https://www.supreme.ca/ AUSTIN, Texas, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- X Delivery is a tech-driven shipping carrier for top-selling ecommerce brands, announcing thirteen new tech integrations. Say 'goodbye' to hidden fees and reclaim the margin other shipping carriers have suppressed for too long when you leave your shipping carrier and switch to X Delivery. X Delivery is tech that ships. X Delivery Top-selling ecommerce brands are switching to X Delivery this summer to focus on the biggest holiday season of their careers. The first thirteen tech integrations announced make switching from other national shipping carriers to X Delivery easier: Aftership Buku Ship Creative Logistics Solutions Curotec Easyship eJOOV Essential Hub Fishbowl Inventory Fulfillment.com Narvar Ordoro Rock Solid Internet Shipping Vanlo X Delivery is the leading shipping carrier for high-growth direct-to-consumer ecommerce brands who ship 500 or more packages per day. X Delivery's 'Fundamental Why' is to fix logistics. That starts with a more connected logistics platform. By connecting our shipping carrier service to thirteen new tech integrators, we are one step closer. When you decide that a carrier diversification project is due, X Delivery is the answer. Click here to see the complete announcement on X Delivery's website Contact Pete Hillowe, Head of Marketing at 516.661.9715 or [email protected] to coordinate all press and media availability SOURCE X Delivery SAN FRANCISCO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Treasury Prime ( https://treasuryprime.com ), the leading Banking as a Service (BaaS) company, today announced it has appointed two senior executives with deep experience in banking and compliance. Marty Roberts joins as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) and Jeff Nowicki joins as Head of Bank Partnerships. "Attracting exceptional talent like Marty and Jeff is key to Treasury Prime's success," said Chris Dean, Co-founder and CEO, Treasury Prime. "Marty and Jeff bring an extraordinary level of knowledge of the financial services industry. Marty's legal expertise and Jeff's experience with banking innovation will contribute greatly to our future growth, accelerate market penetration, and strengthen our operational performance." Marty will oversee all of Treasury Prime's legal functions, as well as compliance and risk management across the enterprise. With many years of experience as a legal operations leader and general counsel, Marty has developed an exceptional reputation managing legal, operational, and compliance functions for private and public companies. He enjoyed a long career at RPX, a patent risk management company based in San Francisco. He joined RPX as General Counsel in 2010 and advised the company during its successful IPO as well as several mergers and acquisitions. In 2017, he was promoted to President and CEO and led the Company through its acquisition by a leading private equity firm. Earlier in his career, Marty worked at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) where he advised on regulatory matters and the administration of bank receiverships. Marty is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law. Jeff's role as Head of Bank Partnerships is a key position in helping Treasury Prime achieve its core mission of connecting fintechs and banks. As Treasury Prime modernizes the API banking and technology systems to deliver new value, Jeff will create new opportunities for banks to grow topline revenue, become more efficient, and lower the cost of deposits through partnerships with fintechs and other companies embedding banking services. Prior to joining Treasury Prime, Jeff was Senior Vice President of Deposit and Product for BankProv, where he managed product development and deposit acquisition for both traditional channels and emerging markets. There his focus was to build a market leading banking experience for the digital asset and BaaS communities in partnership with Treasury Prime. For over 5 years, Jeff held various roles at Radius Bank including leading the strategic partnership and micro-to-small business lines, and helped build an integral part of the foundation for the Bank's continuing success. Radius Bank was recently acquired by Lending Club and remains a valued partner in the Treasury Prime bank network. Jeff is a graduate of Suffolk University with a Master's Degree in Financial Services and Banking. He has proudly served on a number of advisory boards in the fintech community and previously as board member for the March of Dimes Boston. About Treasury Prime Treasury Prime is the leading Banking as a Service (BaaS) company that connects banks and fintechs through an API so developers can start building in minutes and launch in days. Treasury Prime's full integration into core banking systems gives developers access to a wide range of banking services from opening accounts to making payments to issuing cards. Treasury Prime is backed by Deciens Capital, Nyca Partners, Pacific Western Bank, QED Investors, SaaStr Fund, Susa Ventures, and Y Combinator. Developers can start building today at https://developers.sandbox.treasuryprime.com/ . For more information, visit www.treasuryprime.com . SOURCE Treasury Prime Related Links treasuryprime.com TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) ("Trulieve" or "the Company"), a leading and top-performing cannabis company based in the United States, announced today the opening of a new Florida dispensary, the Company's 90th nationwide. The latest dispensary, located in the Florida Keys, supports Trulieve's goal of ensuring medical cannabis patients across Florida have safe, reliable access to the medications they rely on. The Tavernier dispensary joins the nearby Key West dispensary, as well as several others throughout the Miami area. In honor of Trulieve's 84th Florida dispensary, all patients from those new to Trulieve to the dedicated Truliever community will be eligible for a 25% in-store discount at the new dispensary on opening day. ANNOUNCING: Trulieve Tavernier Grand Opening WHERE: 91216 Overseas Highway, Tavernier, FL 33070 WHEN: Thursday, June 17, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. In stores and online, patients will find Florida's largest selection of THC and CBD products in a variety of delivery methods, including edibles, smokable flower, concentrates, tinctures, topical creams, vaporizers, and more. Trulieve also offers home delivery statewide for patients and convenient in-store pickup at each of its 84 dispensaries in Florida. To assist patients with ordering, Trulieve's entire catalog of products is available for online orders, with in-store pickup or statewide home delivery options available depending on patient preference. Additionally, Trulieve offers complimentary 30-minute virtual consultations with a Trulieve consultant to help navigate questions on products, devices, or review their doctor's recommendation. Appointments can be made on Trulieve's website and are open to all patients, whether starting their journey with medical cannabis or those with experience looking for alternative treatment options. At this time, all visitors are required to wear masks for the duration of their dispensary visit. Only patients and their state-approved caregivers will be allowed inside the waiting room and dispensary until further notice. For more information, please visit www.Trulieve.com. About Trulieve Trulieve is primarily a vertically integrated "seed-to-sale" company in the U.S. and is the first and largest fully licensed medical cannabis company in the State of Florida. Trulieve cultivates and produces all of its products in-house and distributes those products to Trulieve-branded stores (dispensaries) throughout the State of Florida, as well as directly to patients via home delivery. Trulieve also holds licenses to operate in California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and West Virginia. Trulieve is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol TRUL and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol TCNNF. To learn more about Trulieve, visit www.Trulieve.com. SOURCE Trulieve Cannabis Corp. Related Links https://www.trulieve.com/ PLEASANTON, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UNTUCKit, one of the fastest-growing retail apparel brands in North America, has selected global payments provider Blackhawk Network to expand its gift card program into leading grocery and mall channels across the country just in time for summer gifting occasions. Blackhawk will be issuing and distributing UNTUCKit's physical and digital gift cards in top brick-and-mortar locations and online gift card malls in addition to handling all of the gift card program's customer service support needs. The cards are available in denominations ranging from $25 to $250 and are redeemable at UNTUCKit's 86 retail locations and on its website. "As more states reopen and people trickle back to work and social gatherings, many find themselves in need of a wardrobe refresh," said Aaron Sanandres, CEO and co-founder of UNTUCKit. "Our brand is perfect for a variety of dress-for-occasion scenarios like dinners, travel, work, weekend barbecues and more. We expect demand to grow steadily as America starts to live their lives againand Father's Day may be a catalyst that enhances that demand. We needed a partner with end-to-end experience and a vast network to expand our gift card program ahead of this major gifting holiday, and Blackhawk was our go-to choice." According to Blackhawk research1, 76% of surveyed Americans anticipate giving more gifts now that COVID restrictions are being lifted. Respondents also report they plan to spend more on gifts, with 79% likely to increase spending on gifts. "We are pleased to welcome UNTUCKit to Blackhawk's physical and digital channels," said Brett Narlinger, head of global commerce, Blackhawk Network. "With consumers eager to get back into the world and spend big, it's never been more critical for brands to have a robust, two-pronged gift card program that offers both purchasing and redemption flexibility. Meeting consumers where they arewhether in-store or onlineis a must for brands looking to optimize customers' brand experiences, nurture growth and drive loyalty." Blackhawk Network is one of the top issuers of gift and prepaid cards. To learn more about Blackhawk's capabilities, visit www.blackhawknetwork.com, Founded in 2011 in SoHo, New York City, UNTUCKit is known for its affordable shirts designed specifically to be worn untucked. For more information, visit the UNTUCKit website. About Blackhawk Network Blackhawk Network delivers branded payment solutions through the prepaid products, technologies and network that connect brands and people. We collaborate with our partners to innovate, translating market trends in branded payments to increase reach, loyalty and revenue. We reliably execute security-minded solutions worldwide. Join us as we shape the future of global branded payments. Learn more at blackhawknetwork.com. About UNTUCKit Created in 2011 by founder Chris Riccobono and CEO Aaron Sanandres, UNTUCKit has given men a seamless way to look sharp and feel casual by creating shirts designed specifically to be worn untucked. The brand has since expanded to offer fit combinations for all shapes and sizes, as well as new product categories like polos, tees, Henleys, pants, sweaters, jackets, and sport coats. It also offers a wide selection of shirts, dresses, and blazers for women. UNTUCKit is dedicated to creating an unmatched shopping experience with more than 80 physical retail locations across the US, Canada, and the UK. For more information, visit UNTUCKit.com. 1 The "Return of Consumer Spending" report is an internet-based study conducted by AA Insights & Isometric Solutions on behalf of Blackhawk Network March 710, 2021. The sample size included 1,056 U.S. gift card buyers. MEDIA CONTACT: Ashley Jackson The Fletcher Group 719.332.3495 [email protected] SOURCE Blackhawk Network Related Links https://blackhawknetwork.com DUBLIN, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "US Data Center Interconnect (DCI) Market 2020-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The US market for DCI is projected to grow at a considerable CAGR during the forecast period. The market is mainly driven by the various pivotal factors including well-developed ICT infrastructure, a significant number of large enterprises, coupled with a proliferation of advanced network technologies in the country. Moreover, the availability of the major data center cluster such as Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC Area, Chicago, and Bay Area coupled cross border DCI services further provide ample opportunity to the market. However, the regulation and standards related to the enterprises' data security and privacy are further projected to hinder the market growth during the forecast period. The US DCI market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, and end-user. Based on the product type, the market is further classified into hardware and software & services. The software and services segment is projected to have considerable growth in the US market during the forecast period. On the basis of application, the market is further categorized into disaster recovery and business continuity, data (storage) mobility, shared data, and resources. Based on the end-user, the US DCI market is further segmented into BFSI, retail, IT & telecommunication, manufacturing, utility & power, government, others. The healthcare segment is estimated to grow at a considerable CAGR during the forecast owing to the significant adoption of healthcare IT solutions in the country. The companies which are contributing to the growth of the US DCI market include Ciena Corp., Cisco Systems, Inc., Corning Inc., Infinera Corp., Juniper Networks, Inc., Pluribus Networks, Inc., Equinix, Inc., and others. Product launch, merger, and acquisition, collaborations with government, and technological advancements through which market players are considerably contributing to the market growth to stay competitive in the market. Key Topics Covered: 1. Report Summary 1.1. Research Methods and Tools 1.2. Market Breakdown 1.2.1. By Segments 2. Market Overview and Insights 2.1. Scope of the Report 2.2. Analyst Insight & Current Market Trends 2.2.1. Key Findings 2.2.2. Recommendations 2.2.3. Conclusion 2.3. Rules & Regulations 3. Market Determinants 3.1. Motivators 3.2. Restraints 3.3. Opportunities 4. Market Segmentation 4.1. US DCI Market by Product Type 4.1.1. Hardware 4.1.2. Software & Services 4.2. US DCI Market by Application 4.2.1. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity 4.2.2. Data (Storage) Mobility 4.2.3. Shared Data and Resources 4.3. US DCI Market by End-User 4.3.1. BFSI 4.3.2. Retail 4.3.3. IT & Telecommunication 4.3.4. Manufacturing 4.3.5. Utility& Power 4.3.6. Government 4.3.7. Others (Healthcare) 5. Company Profiles 5.1. Ciena Corp. 5.2. Cisco Systems, Inc. 5.3. Cologix 5.4. Corning Inc. 5.5. Digital Realty Trust Inc. 5.6. Extreme Networks, Inc. 5.7. Equinix, Inc. 5.8. Innovium, Inc. 5.9. Infinera Corp. 5.10. Juniper Networks, Inc. 5.11. Pluribus Networks, Inc. 5.12. XKL, LLC For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wr0jj5 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Leading global suppliers can assist buyers in realizing high-cost savings through their efforts on areas such as forward integration, supplier synergies, reducing total ownership cost, negotiate on pricing and contractual terms, reduction in ad-hoc spend, managing labor price volatility, level of automation, backward integration, and horizontal integration. Collaborations with global suppliers will also help buyers in cost-saving and ensuring 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 Network Administration Services Market in India: Key Price Trends According to the Network Administration Services 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 Network Administration Services. , the US, , , and will increase the price of exported Network Administration Services. 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 Network Administration Services suppliers' manufacturing costs. Insights Offered in this Network Administration Services Market Report Top Network Administration Services suppliers and their cost structures Top Network Administration Services suppliers in the US and their cost structures Network Administration Services market spend analysis in the US Network Administration Services price trends, and forecasts Cost drivers influencing the Network Administration Services prices Some of the top Network Administration Services suppliers listed in this report: This Network Administration Services procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies. FUJITSU Ltd. Dell Technologies Inc. Cisco Systems Inc. HP Inc. Nokia Corp. Speak to our Analyst for a Customized Report: www.spendedge.com/report/network-administration-services-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report 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. Related Reports on Financial Services Market: Mortgage Processing - Forecast and Analysis: The mortgage processing services will grow at a CAGR of 5.09% during 2021-2025. Prices will increase by 5%-8% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate in this market. The mortgage processing services will grow at a CAGR of 5.09% during 2021-2025. Prices will increase by 5%-8% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate in this market. Tax Accounting Services Sourcing and Procurement Report: This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their tax accounting services requirements. Some of the leading tax accounting services suppliers profiled are extensively in this report. This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their tax accounting services requirements. Some of the leading tax accounting services suppliers profiled are extensively in this report. Account Reconciliation - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: This report evaluates suppliers based on extent of implementation and training support offered, flexibility in SLA terms, customization capability, and support for multiple data sources. To access the definite purchasing guide on the Network Administration Services that answers all your key questions on price trends and analysis: Am I paying/getting the right prices? Is my Network Administration Services 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 SOURCE SpendEdge Request a Free Sample Report to Know More The spend momentum for the food enzymes market is accelerating due to the rise in demand for packaged and processed food, growing health awareness, and enhanced product offerings. The supply market for food enzymes is also affected by the increase in the use of food enzymes to improve the stability of dough and enhance the shelf life of baked products. This procurement report also offers detailed insights into the supply market and the procurement best practices to help the buyers identify cost-saving opportunities. Market Player Information Get Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players including the vendor segmentation, and vendor offerings. Know the strategies adopted by vendors during the COVID-19 Recovery Phase. This report provides in-depth inputs on streamlining category management practices and provides detailed answers on: The strategic sourcing objectives, activities, and enablers for Food Enzymes Category category Food Enzymes Category procurement best practices to promote in my supply chain Insights Offered in this Food Enzymes Category Market Report Top Food Enzymes Category suppliers and their cost structures Top Food Enzymes Category suppliers in the US and their cost structures Food Enzymes Category market spend analysis in the US Food Enzymes Category price trends, and forecasts Cost drivers influencing the Food Enzymes Category prices Download a FREE Sample Report: www.spendedge.com/report/food-enzymes-procurement-report Some of the top Food Enzymes Category suppliers listed in this report: This Food Enzymes Category procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies. Novozymes AS BASF SE DuPont de Nemours Inc Koninklijke DSM NV Amano Enzyme Inc Associated British Foods Plc, Biocatalysts Ltd Speak to our Analyst for a Customized Report Related Reports on Utilities Market: Oil and Gas Pipeline Safety- Sourcing and Procurement Market Intelligence Report: The oil and gas pipeline safety will grow at a CAGR of 5.91% during 2021-2025. Prices will increase by 2%-4% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate bargaining power in this market. Electric Utilities - Sourcing and Procurement Market Intelligence Report: Duke Energy Corp., ENGIE SA , National Grid Plc, NextEra Energy Inc., EDF, Enel Spa, Dominion Energy, Iberdrola S.A., Southern Co., and Exelon Corp. are among the prominent suppliers in electric utilities market. , National Grid Plc, NextEra Energy Inc., EDF, Enel Spa, Dominion Energy, Iberdrola S.A., Southern Co., and Exelon Corp. are among the prominent suppliers in electric utilities market. Oxygen - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their oxygen requirements. Some of the leading oxygen suppliers are profiled extensively in this report. To access the definite purchasing guide on the Food Enzymes Category that answers all your key questions on price trends and analysis: Am I paying/getting the right prices? Is my Food Enzymes 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. Contact SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SOURCE SpendEdge Related Links https://procurement.spendedge.com/?utm_source=PRnewswire&utm_medium=Pressrelease&utm_campaign=T4_Week24_rfs7&utm_content=IRCMSTR21314 CINCINNATI, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- VNDLY, an innovative, cloud-based vendor management software company disrupting the VMS landscape, has joined APSCo OutSource as a Trusted Partner. APSCo OutSource, the trade association for Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Managed Service Providers, Statement of Work and Managed Projects, offers unique benefits to its members and is a thought leader in the talent solutions market. APSCo OutSource's Trusted Partners must complete a robust assessment process before joining, ensuring that APSCo OutSource is recommending industry leaders to their members. Melanie Forbes, Managing Director of APSCo OutSource, commented: "I'm pleased to welcome VNDLY as an APSCo OutSource Trusted Partner. The cloud-based VMS firm joins our other Partners in its commitment to delivering high-quality, compliant solutions to the recruitment outsourcing sector that are in line with our own values. Our Trusted Partners are fully vetted and abide by a code of conduct to ensure they remain the best of breed and represent the gold standard of recruitment suppliers and vendor management solutions. We're looking forward to supporting the business and helping it to achieve its full potential through a continued best practice approach to outsourced services." VNDLY is the first VMS to qualify as an OutSource Trusted Partner, and recognizes that APSCo is a platform for thought leadership in the industry. "Joining APSCo OutSource as a Trusted Partner bolsters VNDLY's growing reputation as a leader in the industry," said Shashank Saxena, co-founder and CEO of VNDLY, "Our goal of bringing easy-to-use, adaptive technology to the workforce management industry closely aligns with APSCo OutSource's mission to provide real value to their members. We look forward to working with APSCo OutSource and furthering the partnership to benefit both organizations and the industry as a whole." As the partnership moves forward, VNDLY and APSCo OutSource will work together to bring thought leadership and industry knowledge to both APSCo members and the recruitment outsourcing sector at large. Contact: Paul Hernandez Director, Marketing [email protected] About VNDLY Founded in 2017, VNDLY transforms how companies manage their extended workforces. Our modern, cloud-based platform and pre-built API integrations allow us to create and support technology ecosystems while fostering digital transformations. Our clients, including Fortune 500 companies, benefit from VNDLY's configurable interface that allows changes to program management as quickly as the market demands. Our platform is composed of four modules: contingent workforce management, statement of work management, independent contractor compliance, and total talent acquisition. For more information, visit www.VNDLY.com. About APSCo OutSource APSCo OutSource is the trade association for Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Managed Service Providers, Statement of Work and Managed Projects. Developed from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) as a separate trade body, it represents the interests of outsource providers and their service partners. For more information, visit www.apsco.org/outsource. SOURCE VNDLY Related Links https://vndly.com/ CHICAGO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- West Monroe, a national business and technology consulting firm, today announced the appointment of seven partners to new leadership roles as the firm flexes its management structure to continue serving clients' growing digital needs and adapt to its own significant growth. Additionally, to increase scale, West Monroe announced the promotions of eight partners. "As we help clients prepare to be increasingly digital through repeatable offerings, we will need to continue expanding our management team. We look to these leaders to fill critical executive roles and provide leadership for scaling our ability to serve clients and delivering on strategy," said Doug Armstrong, West Monroe's chief operating officer. "Today's announcements also exemplify our mission to build the next generation of leaders. As these individuals assume new responsibilities, new leadership opportunities open up for other talented partners." To better serve clients through increased collaboration and operational efficiency across its U.S. markets, West Monroe named three current members of its executive team to regional leadership roles, responsible for working with office and market leads to achieve strategic goals: The following appointments were effective March 1, 2021: Tom Ewers, managing partner, leads the Central Region, which includes the Minneapolis, Chicago, and Dallas offices. He has been with West Monroe since 2002 and launched the firm's Minneapolis office in 2013. Gil Mermelstein, managing partner, leads the East Coast Region, which includes the New York City and Washington, D.C., offices. He joined the firm in 2010 to open the New York City office. Brian Paulen, managing partner, leads the West Coast Region, which includes the Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles offices. He joined the firm through an acquisition in 2014 and has since served as Seattle office leader. In addition, West Monroe named four other partners to national practice leadership roles: Dan Belmont, now a managing partner, will lead the Energy & Utilities practice. With three decades of industry experience, he has been instrumental in developing the practice's size and reputation since joining West Monroe in 2008. Chris Caulfield, senior partner, will lead the Financial Services practice. He has been part of the practice's leadership team since joining West Monroe through a 2017 acquisition. Andrew Gaeckle, senior partner, will lead the Customer Solutions practice. He has been a member of the practice's leadership team since joining West Monroe through an acquisition in 2015. Mazen Ghalayini, managing partner, will head the Products & Experiences Lab West Monroe's newest practice, focused on digital innovation and leadership. He joined West Monroe in 2004 and previously launched and led the Customer Experience practice. West Monroe also promoted the following partners, effective July 1, 2021: Michael Amiot, in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice, to managing partner Jodi Bednar, in the Energy & Utilities practice, to senior partner Keith Campbell, in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice, to senior partner Cory Chaplin, in the Technology practice, to managing partner Kaumil Dalal, in the Technology practice, to senior partner Scott Fuzer, in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice, to senior partner Adam Gersting, Dallas office lead, to managing partner Will Wu, leader of the High-Tech & Software practice and San Francisco office lead, to managing partner In January, West Monroe announced the Capital & Profits Interest Program, which creates an additional avenue for senior leaders to invest in and benefit from the company's rapid growth, in addition to their participation in the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). The firm has designated more than 120 executives as partners. About West Monroe West Monroe is a national consulting firm that was born in technology but built for businesspartnering with companies in transformative industries to deliver real, measurable results. Technology is who we are, it is not something we bolted on overnight, and we believe it is one of the greatest enablers of business value. That's why we work in diverse, multidisciplinary teams that blend industry expertise with deep operational and technology capabilities to create quantifiable, financial value for our clients. Our 1,300 employees based in eight offices across the United States also own 100% of our business, so when you partner with us you know we are committedbecause your success is our success. Our undeniably different approach breeds undeniable results. Visit WestMonroe.com to learn more. For all inquiries, please contact: Christina Galoozis Senior Manager, External Communications [email protected] 847.302.1762 SOURCE West Monroe DUBLIN, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market: Focus on Product Type, Technology, Type of Cancer, Applications, End Users, Country Data, and Competitive Landscape - Analysis and Forecast, 2021-2031" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The publisher's healthcare experts have found flow cytometry in oncology industry to be one of the most rapidly evolving and dynamic markets. The global market for flow cytometry in oncology is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 12.02% over the forecast period 2021-2031. The market is driven by certain factors, including rising incidence of hematological malignancies, increasing fund infusions for hematological malignancies, and growing consumer awareness for tailored therapy and precision medicine. Key Surgical Instrument Tracking Devices Companies Profiled Agilent Technologies, Inc., Apogee Flow Systems Ltd., Becton, Dickinson and Company, bioAffinity Technologies, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Bio-Techne Corporation, Cytek Biosciences, Cytognos, S.L., Danaher Corporation, Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Luminex Corporation, NeoGenomics Laboratories, Inc., Sony Corporation, and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Key Questions Answered in this Report: How is flow cytometry revolutionizing the field of oncology? What are the major market drivers, challenges, and opportunities in the global flow cytometry in oncology market? What are the underlying structures resulting in the emerging trends within the global flow cytometry in oncology market? How is the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the global flow cytometry in oncology ecosystem? What are the key development strategies that are being implemented by the major players in order to sustain the competitive market? What are the key regulatory implications in developed and developing regions pertaining to the use of flow cytometry in the field of oncology? What are the potential entry barriers expected to be faced by the companies willing to enter a particular region? How is each segment of the market expected to grow during the forecast period 2021-2031, and what is the anticipated revenue to be generated by each of the segments? Following are the segments: Product Type (assays and kits, instruments, reagents and consumables, and software) Technology (cell-based and bead-based) Type of Cancer (hematological malignancies and solid tumor) Application (translational research and clinical applications) End User (diagnostic laboratories, hospitals and healthcare clinics, academic and research institutions, and other end users) Region ( North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , Latin America , and Rest-of-the-World) , , , , and Rest-of-the-World) What are the growth opportunities for the companies in the region of their operation? Who are the leading players with significant offerings in the global flow cytometry in oncology market? Which companies are anticipated to be highly disruptive in the future, and why? Market Overview The market is favored by the developments in the field of cancer diagnostic testing and its attributes such as flow cytometry. Currently, the flow cytometry in oncology industry is witnessing an upsurge due to the rising incidence of hematological malignancies, increasing fund infusions for hematological malignancies, and growing consumer awareness for tailored therapy and precision medicine. Additionally, high adoption of flow cytometry instruments by the end users to conduct cancer diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring are some of the critical factors that are expected to bolster the market growth. Furthermore, biotechnology companies are focusing on the development of robust flow cytometry solutions for a wide range of applications, including translational research and clinical applications, to support researchers and physicians in unraveling insights pertaining to cellular alterations. Within the research report, the market is segmented on the basis of product type, technology, type of cancer, application, end users, and region. Each of these segments covers the snapshot of the market over the projected years, the inclination of the market revenue, underlying patterns, and trends by using analytics on the primary and secondary data obtained. Competitive Landscape The exponential rise in the number of cases associated with cancer, particularly hematological malignancies, has created a buzz among the biotechnology companies to further invest in the development of cancer diagnostic solutions such as flow cytometry, further aiding physicians to offer value-based therapeutic outcomes to patients. Becton, Dickinson and Company has been a pioneer in this field and has been a significant competitor in this market due to the presence of a diverse product portfolio and intense market penetration. On the basis of region, in 2020, North America held the largest share of the flow cytometry in oncology market due to high infusion of funding from the government organizations for conducting cancer research, growing incidence and prevalence of cancer, growing awareness about precision medicine, and increasing awareness about early cancer detection, among others. Apart from this, the Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period 2021-2031. Key Topics Covered: 1 Product Definition 2 Market Scope 3 Research Methodology 4 Market Overview 4.1 Market Definition 4.2 Application of Flow Cytometry in Oncology (Hematological vs. Solid Tumors) 4.3 Market Footprint and Growth Potential 4.4 COVID-19 Impact: Global Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market 5 Industry Insights 5.1 Overview 5.2 Legal Requirements and Framework in U.S. 5.3 Legal Requirements and Framework in Europe 5.4 Legal Requirements and Framework in Asia-Pacific 5.4.1 China 5.4.2 Japan 6 Market Dynamics 6.1 Overview 6.2 Impact Analysis 6.3 Market Drivers 6.3.1 Rising Incidence of Hematological Malignancies 6.3.2 Increasing Fund Infusions for Hematological Malignancies 6.3.3 Growing Consumer Awareness for Tailored Therapy and Precision Medicine 6.4 Market Restraints 6.4.1 False Negatives and Positives 6.4.2 Restricted Specificity Offered by Conventional Flow Cytometry-Based MRD Assessment 6.5 Market Opportunities 6.5.1 Technological Evolution in the Field of Flow Cytometry 6.5.1.1 Emergence of Multiparametric Flow Cytometry for Hematologic Malignancies 6.5.1.2 Growing Focus on Next-Generation Flow Cytometry 6.5.2 Growth in Solid Tumor Applications of Flow Cytometry 7 Competitive Landscape 7.1 Product Launches 7.2 Synergistic Activities 7.3 Acquisitions 7.4 Product Approvals and Business Expansion Activities 7.5 Market Share Analysis, 2019-2020 7.6 Growth Share Analysis 7.6.1 Growth Share Analysis (by Company) 7.6.2 Growth Share Analysis (by Technology) 7.6.3 Growth Share Analysis (by Type of Cancer) 7.6.4 Growth Share Analysis (by Application) 7.7 Competitive Assessment of Different Technologies Utilized for MRD Testing 8 Global Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market (by Product Type), $Million, 2020-2031 8.1 Overview 8.2 Assays and Kits 8.3 Instruments 8.4 Reagents and Consumables 8.5 Software 9 Global Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market (by Technology), $Million, 2020-2031 9.1 Overview 9.2 Cell-Based 9.3 Bead-Based 10 Global Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market (by Type of Cancer), $Million, 2020-2031 10.1 Overview 10.2 Hematological Malignancies 10.2.1 Lymphoma 10.2.2 Leukemia 10.2.3 Myeloma 10.2.4 Other Hematological Malignancies 10.2.5 Global Flow Cytometry Market for Hematological Malignancies (by Technology) 10.3 Solid Tumors 10.3.1 Breast Cancer 10.3.2 Prostate Cancer 10.3.3 Colorectal Cancer (CRC) 10.3.4 Lung Cancer 10.3.5 Other Solid Tumors 10.3.6 Global Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market for Solid Tumors (by Technology) 11 Global Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market (by Application), $Million, 2020-2031 11.1 Overview 11.2 Translational Research 11.3 Clinical Applications 11.3.1 Screening and Diagnostics 11.3.2 Treatment Monitoring 12 Global Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market (by End User), $Million, 2020-2031 12.1 Overview 12.2 Diagnostic Laboratories 12.3 Hospitals and Healthcare Clinics 12.4 Academic and Research Institutions 12.5 Other End Users 13 Global Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market (by Region), $Million, 2020-2031 13.1 Overview 13.2 North America 13.2.1 U.S. 13.2.2 Canada 13.2.3 North America Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market (by Type of Cancer) 13.3 Europe 13.3.1 Germany 13.3.2 U.K. 13.3.3 France 13.3.4 Italy 13.3.5 Spain 13.3.6 Netherlands 13.3.7 Rest-of-Europe 13.3.8 Europe Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market (by Type of Cancer) 13.4 Asia-Pacific (APAC) 13.4.1 China 13.4.2 Japan 13.4.3 India 13.4.4 Australia 13.4.5 South Korea 13.4.6 Singapore 13.4.7 Rest-of-Asia-Pacific (RoAPAC) 13.4.8 Asia-Pacific Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market (by Type of Cancer) 13.5 Latin America (LATAM0 13.5.1 Brazil 13.5.2 Mexico 13.5.3 Rest-of-Latin America (RoLA) 13.5.4 Latin America Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market (by Type of Cancer) 13.6 Rest-of-the-World (RoW) 13.6.1 Rest-of-the-World Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market (by Type of Cancer) 14 Company Profiles 14.1 Overview 14.2 Agilent Technologies, Inc. 14.2.1 Company Overview 14.2.2 Role of Agilent Technologies, Inc. in the Global Flow Cytometry in Oncology Market 14.2.3 Financials 14.2.4 Key Insights About Financial Health of the Company 14.2.5 SWOT Analysis 14.3 Apogee Flow Systems Ltd. 14.4 Becton, Dickinson and Company 14.5 bioAffinity Technologies, Inc. 14.6 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. 14.7 Bio-Techne Corporation 14.8 Cytek Biosciences 14.9 Cytognos, S.L. 14.10 Danaher Corporation 14.11 Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG 14.12 Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings 14.13 Luminex Corporation 14.14 NeoGenomics Laboratories, Inc. 14.15 Sony Corporation 14.16 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/h7dbx8 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com DUBLIN, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Solar Battery Market by Type and End-User: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global solar battery market was valued at $113.4 million in 2019, and is projected to reach $360.4 million by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 15.5% from 2020 to 2027. Solar battery is used for storage of excess solar power. Generally, solar battery is installed with inverter. It is rechargeable and can be generally used in solar panel systems. For industrial applications, solar battery can be used with other renewable power sources such as hydropower and wind power. In future, solar battery will be used with other renewable power sources as a part of renewable electricity mix to provide sustainable energy solutions. Some of the major applications of solar battery include solar charging stations, storage for power plants, and storage system for off-grids. Rise in demand for eco-friendly and cost-effective energy solutions for industrial and commercial energy storage is expected to drive the market growth. Moreover, the application of solar battery can effectively reduce carbon footprints. Implementation of solar battery can make a nation energy independent and reduce the dependence on imported fossil energy resources. Furthermore, growing interest of industry players toward renewable energy storage solutions is expected to increase investment opportunities during the forecast timeframe. For instance, countries, such as the UK and Portugal, are encouraging capacity auctions for solar battery storage instead of conventional energy storage systems. Such developments will positively impact market growth. However, the initial installation cost is a burden for small & medium-sized enterprises. At the current stage, financing for solar project requires selling of assets to aggregators to maintain sufficient liquid capital to develop the next project and cover operational overhead. Such factors may negatively impact market growth. Nonetheless, the growing prominence of energy trading with block chain and AI technologies opened new market opportunities. This will provide the owner of solar battery and solar PV systems a new opportunity to export the excess energy and sell it at premium price. The global solar battery market is segmented on the basis of type, end-user, and region. On the basis of type, it is divided into lead acid, lithium ion, flow battery, and others. Based on end-user, the market is classified into industrial, commercial, and residential. Region-wise, it is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. Major players have adopted business expansion, merger, and acquisition to sustain the intense market competition. Some of the key players profiled in the report include BYD Company, Kokam.Co, Carnegie Clean Energy, Primus Power, LG Chem, and EnerSys. COVID-19 scenario analysis The global solar battery market had immediate impact of COVID-19 due to shortage of manpower and social distancing norms. These led to delayed installations and cancellation of new projects. In addition, the sharp decline in consumer expenditure highly affected the demand. Reduced expenditure of consumers during the lockdown highly impacted the market for solar products, including various solar storage systems. Moreover, the upstream and downstream channels have been affected due to restrictions on movement, which lead to increase in the amount of inventories. Furthermore, high dependency on Chinese exports for solar cell, solar battery, and solar module negatively impacted the market. India imports around 80% of its solar products from China . Since the manufacturing firms in China were idle for the last 6-7 months, it highly impacted the production process in India . imports around 80% of its solar products from . Since the manufacturing firms in were idle for the last 6-7 months, it highly impacted the production process in . However, shifting trend toward remote working is considered a vital solution to improve the market conditions. Various automation companies utilize remote connectivity to ensure the access to field operators and service engineers who cannot be on-site at this time. These companies are providing control room livestreams, process data, operational insights, and plant key performance indicators to users sheltering at home. Such developments will provide new market opportunities in the post COVID-19 period. Key Benefits The global solar battery market analysis covers in-depth information of major industry participants. Porter's five forces analysis helps analyze the potential of buyers & suppliers and the competitive scenario of the industry for strategy building. Major countries have been mapped according to their individual revenue contribution to the regional market. The report provides in-depth analysis of the global solar battery market forecast for the period 2020-2027. The report outlines the current global solar battery market trends and future estimations of the market from 2019 to 2027 to understand the prevailing opportunities and potential investment pockets. The key drivers, restraints, & market opportunity and their detailed impact analysis are explained in the study. Key Topics Covered: CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CHAPTER 3: MARKET OVERVIEW 3.1. Market definition and scope 3.2. Key forces shaping global Solar Battery Market 3.3. Market dynamics 3.3.1. Drivers 3.3.1.1. Significant surge in demand for eco-friendly energy solutions 3.3.1.2. Growing interest of industry players toward renewable energy storage solutions 3.3.1.3. Self-reliance of energy owner 3.3.2. Restraint 3.3.2.1. High initial installation and maintenance cost 3.3.3. Opportunities 3.3.3.1. Growing prominence of energy trading 3.4. Value chain analysis 3.5. Patent analysis 3.5.1. By countries, 2012-2020 3.6. Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the Solar Battery Market CHAPTER 4: GLOBAL SOLAR BATTERY MARKET, BY TYPE 4.1. Overview 4.1.1. Market size and forecast 4.2. Lithium ion 4.2.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities 4.2.2. Market size and forecast, by region 4.3. Lead Acid 4.3.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities 4.3.2. Market size and forecast 4.4. Flow battery 4.4.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities 4.4.2. Market size and forecast 4.5. Others 4.5.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities 4.5.2. Market size and forecast CHAPTER 5: GLOBAL SOLAR BATTERY MARKET, BY END USER 5.1. Overview 5.1.1. Market size and forecast 5.2. Industrial 5.2.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities 5.2.2. Market size and forecast 5.3. Commercial 5.3.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities 5.3.2. Market size and forecast 5.4. Residential 5.4.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities 5.4.2. Market size and forecast CHAPTER 6: SOLAR BATTERY MARKET, BY REGION CHAPTER 7: COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE 7.1. Introduction 7.1.1. Market player positioning, 2020 7.2. Top winning strategies 7.3. Product mapping of top 10 player 7.4. Competitive heatmap 7.5. Key developments 7.5.1. Acquisition 7.5.2. Partnership CHAPTER 8: COMPANY PROFILES: 8.1. Tesla 8.1.1. Company overview 8.1.2. Company snapshot 8.1.3. Operating Product segments 8.1.4. Product portfolio 8.1.5. Business Performance 8.1.6. Key strategic moves and developments 8.2. LG 8.2.1. Company Overview 8.2.2. Company Snapshot 8.2.3. Operating Business Segment 8.2.4. Product Portfolio 8.2.5. Business Performance 8.2.6. Key strategic moves and developments 8.3. CATL 8.3.1. Company Overview 8.3.2. Company Snapshot 8.3.3. Operating Business Segment 8.3.4. Product Portfolio 8.3.5. Business Performance 8.3.6. Key strategic moves and developments 8.4. Loom Solar 8.4.1. Company Overview 8.4.2. Company Snapshot 8.4.3. Product Portfolio 8.5. Panasonic 8.5.1. Company Overview 8.5.2. Company Snapshot 8.5.3. Operating Business Segment 8.5.4. Product Portfolio 8.5.5. Business Performance 8.5.6. Key strategic moves and developments 8.6. A123 Systems LLC 8.6.1. Company Overview 8.6.2. Company Snapshot 8.6.3. Product Portfolio 8.7. Alpha Technologies, Inc. 8.7.1. Company Overview 8.7.2. Company Snapshot 8.7.3. Product Portfolio 8.7.4. Business Performance 8.8. BAE Batterien GmbH 8.8.1. Company Overview 8.8.2. Company Snapshot 8.8.3. Product Portfolio 8.9. BYD Co. Ltd. 8.9.1. Company Overview 8.9.2. Company Snapshot 8.9.3. Product Portfolio 8.10. EnerSys 8.10.1. Company Overview 8.10.2. Company Snapshot 8.10.3. Operating Business Segment 8.10.4. Product Portfolio 8.10.5. Business Performance 8.10.6. Key strategic moves and developments For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9pmxri Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SAN DIEGO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zempleo, a certified Minority Owned Business (MBE), is pleased to announce their new strategic partnership with EPG Group (EPG), a leading global provider of Payroll, HR and Workforce Management services. Zempleo The new partnership will expand Zempleo's global payroll service presence through the integration of EPG's world-class HCM platform, Expedo. The actionable, cost-effective and scalable technology platform provides the rapid deployment of staff with continuous workforce recommendations to optimize human capital management programs. Delivering a first-class user experience, the globally consistent workflows and processes provide a seamless journey from recruitment and onboarding to Payroll Service. This new partnership provides Zempleo with the ability to connect HR and payroll functions and offers a large range of solutions from workforce management to hiring functions and talent management services on an international scale. Steve Mann, Executive Vice President at Zempleo explains, "We're truly excited to expand our payrolling footprint. By growing our presence internationally, with EPG Group, we are able to flex with our clients and provide them with a global network and HR expertise to manage contractors throughout the world." Zempleo clients can maximize efficiencies with full visibility into their workforce programs while relying on HR and Legal expertise to remain compliant in local, state, country and global markets. "We're thrilled to work with Zempleo to help broaden their services globally," stated Amy Diehl, EPG's Chief Operating Officer, AMER. "We have been working with Zempleo to combine our solutions in order to deliver global professional staffing services through our intelligent Human Capital Management technology platform." EPG's integration capabilities allow Zempleo's programs to use technology that will ease global hiring concerns and create a seamless journey to make better strategic decisions while managing day-to-day HR functions. Whether companies need a Managed Service Provider (MSP) or Staffing, Payroll, IC Compliance services, EPG and Zempleo's integrated technology can provide it. About Zempleo Headquartered in San Diego with office locations throughout the U.S., Zempleo, a certified minority-owned business is a leading provider of human capital management that specializes in creating customized offerings for Payroll, IC Compliance, Managed Services and Staffing Solutions. For more information, please call 888.508.0015 or visit https://www.zempleo.com About EPG Group EPG Group is headquartered in Sydney, Australia with offices throughout APAC, EMEA, and the U.S. EPG offers global HR and Payroll Services, Staffing solutions, both permanent and contingent, and Migration Services, all powered by the Expedo HCM technology platform. With local processing bureaus, in-country expertise and leading technology, EPG assures employment compliance across multiple jurisdictions, position types, industries and pay regime complexities. For more information, please visit www.epggroup.co. Related Images global-payroll.jpg Global Payroll SOURCE Zempleo The design furniture retailer looks to raise 100mln in its IPO Plc ( ) saw its shares sliding on the first day of trading. The posh sofas and tables seller set the IPO price of 200p per share, the bottom of its mooted 200-265p range, but was changing hands for as low at 185p in early trades. The offer, which values the design furniture retailer at 775mln, which was already a bit of a disappointment after pre-listing expectations for the market cap to reach 1bn. Independent retail analyst Nick Bubb called the initial performance "a bit of a flop". The offer included 50mln of new shares, raising 100mln for the company, and 46.9mln shares to be sold by existing shareholders for a total offer size of 193mln. An extra 14.5mln shares will be available by some selling shareholders as part of the over-allotment option, which would increase the total offer to 111.5mln shares in total and 29% of the company. Our successful track record in the UK and internationally has been made possible with the foundations that we have built over the last eleven years - a unique combination of a well-recognised brand, a proprietary, data-driven platform, and a bespoke, vertically integrated supply chain connecting our network of designers, artists and collaborators with our customers, said Philippe Chainieux, Made's chief executive. A listing in London, where the business was founded, will enable us to accelerate our growth as we lead the development of the online furniture and homewares market as it moves online, both in the UK and internationally." The cash will be used to accelerate its growth in existing markets, improve service through a reduction of lead times offered to customers, scale its homeware range and give the group increased working capital flexibility. Founded in 2010, Made styles itself as the leading digitally native lifestyle brand in home, with local websites in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands. In the first quarter of this year, around 48% of gross sales were generated from orders outside of the UK. Sales were up 63% on the preceding quarter, with the homeware divisions growth outstripping that of the furniture division. From 2015, gross sales in the UK grew at a compound annualised growth rate (CAGR) of 28% from 48mln to 165mln in 2020. Sales in Continental Europe grew at a CAGR of 49% over the same period from 21mln to 150mln. --Adds analyst comment, share price-- The company recently launched a review to explore the best ways to extract the substantial value it has created in coal-fuelled projects ( ) said it will refocus its business towards renewable energy opportunities following an extensive review of its operations. In line with its refocused strategy, Kibo said it will now proceed with a previously announced transaction to jointly develop a portfolio of waste-to-energy projects in South Africa following positive due diligence results. The transaction, announced in May, will see it take a majority stake in a project that will convert plastic waste into syngas that will in-turn fire gas engines to generate electrical power. The company said that its South Africa deal will provide the core of its new business, though it anticipates further investments and/or acquisitions in the renewable sector. Formerly a developer of coal mining assets in Botswana, the company now sees itself as a multi-asset, Africa & UK focused energy company. In October 2019, the company launched a venture to build flexible power plants in the UK, focused on small-scale reserve power generation. It presently also retains interests in clean coal fuelled power projects in Tanzania, Botswana, and Mozambique. Kibo believes such projects will still be necessary to support Africa's rapidly increasing energy needs over a decades long transitional period. Nevertheless, it has decided to dispose its coal related assets and advisors will be appointed to oversee the sale. Since early 2020 and the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the renewable energy drive has gathered pace with governments worldwide pledging to reduce the reliance on carbon fuels within their energy strategies, the company said. With this background, the company undertook a review of operations to establish the best way to extract the substantial value it had created in its coal-fuelled projects for shareholders. A look at the major movers on the London market on Wednesday Mercantile Ports & Logistics Limited ( ) is sailing higher after restructuring its debt facility. The company said the agreement with its consortium of banks "both takes into account the significant progress made with business at its Karanja port and logistics facility [in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra] while also recognising the acute disruption in India caused by the COVID-19 pandemic." The new terms include a reduction in the interest rate from 13.45% to 9.5% a year and a moratorium on interest rate payments until February 2022 in recognition of the severity of the pandemic which is currently impacting India. Chairman Jeremy Warner Allen said: "Our Karanja based port and logistics facility has moved from being a development project to becoming a revenue generating asset. While the COVID-19 pandemic has, as for many companies in India and around the world, had an impact on our business, I am pleased about the progress that has been made by our business development team. While navigating the COVID-19 restrictions, they have continued to sign new customers and develop a healthy pipeline of new business that could use the facility." The company's shares have climbed 24.07% to 0.67p. 2.32pm: Cash shell jumps on share stake news Cash shell Ridgecrest PLC (LON:RDGC) is getting fired up. The company finalised the sale of its recruitment operating businesses to in April, but had been a cash shell as of 5 January. Under Aim rules that means it must come up with a deal by 5 July, see its shares suspended or become re-listed as an investment company. For the latter to happen it would have to raise at least 6mln. It currently has 2mln in cash. The company said in April there had been discussions with a number of reverse takeover candidates. But it added: "Whilst the Board continues to assess a number of opportunities, no discussions have, to date, proceeded beyond a preliminary stage. From a number of the discussions held, the Board is becoming increasingly aware that, whilst a reverse takeover candidate would value Ridgecrest at a premium to its net asset value, such a valuation would be at a material discount to its current market capitalisation, which currently stands at more than three times net asset value." The only news today is that investor Paul McKillen has appeared on the shareholder register with a 3.01% stake. This follows an announcement a month ago that Edward and Sarah Spencer raised their stakes from 6.07% to 7.09%. But today the shares have jumped 27.03% or 0.25p to 1.18p. Perhaps investors hope a deal is near. 12.04pm: Christie climbs after strong demand for its professional services (LON:CGT) is seeing strong demand for its professional services despite lockdown. The company - which focuses on a range of sectors including hospitality, leisure and medical - has seen its shares jump 9.11% or 10.38p to 124.38p after it told its annual meeting that it was trading in line with market expectations and expected a strong second half. It was involved in the sale of 164 hospitality businesses by the end of May, it said, while its appraisal business Pinders had seen an upturn in the number of valuations commissioned by "asset-rich businesses raising additional loans to tide them over for short term cash flow requirements." Chairman and chief executive David Rugg told shareholders: "Most of the businesses upon which our services are focused are property based. Historically, these have provided a hedge against inflation. Each of our services and all of our sectors are in demand. "We expect further progress once our remaining hospitality markets fully re-open for business both here and in mainland Europe. Based upon current momentum we look forward to a strong second half." 11.09am: Acquisition company to pay $2bn for US firefighting products group UK-listed acquisition vehicle has found a target after nearly 18 months. It is buying Perimeter Solutions, a US manufacturer of firefighting products and oil additives, for around US$2bn in cash and shares from investment firm SK Capital. EverArc, formed in November 2019, has seen its shares jump 8% to US$13.5 on the news. The company makes a point on its website of saying its model is different to a SPAC, a listed shell which raises funds to buy a private company and take it public. There have been a spate of such deals recently but EverArc says its capital "contrasts with SPAC capital which is highly constrained and conditional." In any case it plans to delist its London shares once the deal is done and re-list on a US stock exchange. 8.49am: Best of the Best tumbles after seeing slowdown in customer numbers as lockdown eases Best of the Best PLC ( ), which runs online competitions to win cars and other luxury prizes, is one of the big day's losers. The company stopped running competitions in airports in September 2019 which - given the effect of the pandemic on travel - was with hindsight a great call. Its focus now is purely on its digital business, and its full year results show revenues rising from 17.79mln to 45.68mln, with profits up from 4.19mln to 14.06mln. But with all its eggs now in one digital basket, any signs of a slowdown could unsettle investors. So these comments from chief executive William Hindmarch appear to have gone down badly. After saying the business was excited about the opportunities ahead as the economy recovers and some form of normality returns, he added: "However, in contrast to the summer 2020 period, we have experienced somewhat of a reduction in customer engagement since the latest easing of lockdown restrictions on April 12, 2021, specifically relating to the understandably long-awaited re-opening of hospitality and non-essential retail. We are closely monitoring this, but with our flexible model, growth strategy and plans for the year ahead, we expect customer engagement to return to normal levels before too long." The company also said that after a formal sales process was launched during the year, there were extensive talks with a number of interested parties. But these came to nothing as the company decided to stick with its existing growth strategy. All this has seen Best of the Best tumble 27.76% or 730p to 1900p. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell said: With COVID-19 increasingly being put in the rear-view mirror and life getting back to normal, were getting more lockdown winners seeing their purple patch fade away. The latest casualty is car competition provider Best of the Best whose shares crashed... after it revealed that customers have become less engaged since lockdown restrictions started to ease. It thrived when we were all stuck at home, but everyone is bored of that now and desperate to enjoy the great outdoors. 8.31am: Predator takes a step closer to starting Moroccan drilliing It has been a busy month so far for ( ). At the start of June the Jersey-based oil and gas company, which has operations in Trinidad, Morocco and Ireland, raised 1.785mln in a placing. The funds will be used to evaluate and acquire new business opportunities and for general working capital. Now it has made an important step towards beginning drilling at a key new well. It has announced that the Star Valley Rig 101 is now under contract to Predator Gas Ventures Ltd and is being mobilised to Guercif in Morocco to drill the MOU-1 well. Drilling operations at Guercif are expected to start in the next few days, on track for the estimate of between 15 - 27 June. Chief executive Paul Griffiths has previously called the drilling programme "potentially the single most important catalyst to creating near-term shareholder value over the last 3 years." The update has seen Predator's shares climb 7.73% or 1.28p to 17.91p. Also on the way up is ( ) after an update from its 100%-owned Pitombeiras Vanadium project in Brazil. Its shares have jumped 15.09% or 1.2p to 9.15p after it announced that a new report showed a 221% increase in measured and indicated resources at the site. Executive chairman Brian McMaste said, "We are thrilled by these results as they sit firmly within expectations and bode well for future development as we look to fast-track plans to take the project to production." Proactive news headlines ( ) said it is participating in the latest funding round by investee company ( ). ( ) said it has completed an equity fundraise of 1mln through a share placing in order to provide additional capital for the expansion of its loan portfolio and the development of new products. Teleradiology specialist ( ) said its positive start to 2021 has continued. The comment was made by chairman Roy Davis ahead of the firms annual meeting later Wednesday. ( ) said it successfully completed the construction of a new water dam at the La Parrilla mine in Spain to resolve the issue of the high water levels. Dewatering of the mine pit is now underway and once water levels are reduced the team will be in a position to safely regain access to high-grade ore areas. ( ) said it has been awarded a long-term managed service contract to provide port screening services at the Monrovia Freeport in Liberia. ( ) said it is continuing to experience an increasing level of demand for its services across all of its markets as lockdown restrictions are eased and vaccine rollouts continue. (LON:CWR.L) has appointed Professor Dame Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, as an independent non-executive director effective from tomorrow. Sirius Real Estate Limited ( ) has raised 350mln through the issue of its first corporate bond. ( ) has rescheduled its annual strategy day to 20 October, following the extension of UK lockdown restrictions until mid-July. Executive chair Ray Anderson said "Bango strategy day is an extremely popular and well-attended event each year. We are keen for all shareholders, prospective investors and analysts to join us at this valuable event." PLC ( ) has appointed Dr Qu Li as a non-executive director to the board with immediate effect. Dr Li is an entrepreneur, investor and businesswoman with over 30 years of experience in corporate mergers and acquisitions, development and restructuring, and financing and investments. (LON: XLM) has appointed Julie Markey as a non-executive director with immediate effect, bringing a wealth of experience in the organisation and management of people in international businesses. Most recently, she was group people director for Ocado. Zephyr Energy Plc ( ) has updated on its recently acquired interests in the Williston Basin, North Dakota, where wells are in the process of being brought online for production. ( )( ) issued a clarification over its recently completed acquisitions of a Bermuda-based insurance company, which it says is not related to the similarly named Northstar Financial Services Bermuda Limited. ( ) announced that it is holding a capital markets day for investors at its factory in Croydon today and . The initial event is restricted in terms of numbers of attendees in order to comply with current Covid safety recommendations and it is hoped another event will be held later in the year for a larger number of investors, the company said, though a presentation will be available on its website after the event. ( ) announced that, following the latest UK Covid-19 restrictions, its annual general meeting on 23 June will now be held as a closed meeting. All shareholders are encouraged to vote using the form of proxy and to assist with voting, the company has provided a pre-recorded online presentation including a Q&A session, available at https://6ix.com/event/oriole-resources-agm/. The company reported progress in Ghana and Kenya ahead of its AGM later today. ( ) said it produced 62,000 barrels of oil per day, in line with expectations, in the month of May. The company, in a statement ahead of its AGM, said its operational improvement plan in Ghana is delivering results with 98% average uptime year-to-date across both the Jubilee and TEN floating production facilities. It added that production is supported by reliable gas offtake from the Government of Ghana which regularly averages between 110 - 130 mmscfd. Additionally it noted, as previously announced in April, that a multi-year drilling campaign is underway in Ghana. The first new production well at the Jubilee field has been completed, along with a water injector, and will be back online in the third quarter. Tullow also updated on its operations onshore Kenya where alongside partners it is working to deliver a full field development plan that is sustainable and economic at low oil prices. It said that technical work is complete, supported by early production data, and resource volumes are presently being audited whilst a detailed project plan is being prepared ahead of talks with the Ministry of Mining and Petroleum and the Government of Kenya. Infrastructure aspects of the project are progressing including work at Lamu Port which was commissioned in May. Tullow said its exploration team is focussing on unlocking value from the substantial risked resources in the emerging and maturing basins of Guyana, Suriname, Argentina and Cote d'Ivoire. Analysts at the investment bank said airlines with young, fuel efficient fleets have a clear advantage amid a growing need to cut down on carbon emissions, noting that Wizz currently has the youngest fleet among the European airlines in its coverage PLC ( ) is the greenest airline in Europe and is expected by analysts at JP Morgan to return to net income margins of between 13-15% despite a growing need for European airlines to cut down on carbon emissions, according to analysts at JP Morgan. In a note on Wednesday, the investment bank said the need to reduce CO2 emissions is a financial headwind for the sector amid the need to invest in new aircraft while also contending with compulsory emissions charges and mandatory carbon offsetting by 2027. However, analysts said airlines with young, fuel efficient fleets have a clear advantage, noting that Wizz, which they rate at overweight with a target price of 5,350p, has the youngest fleet of aircraft among the carriers in its coverage. Despite this, JP Morgan predicted that both Wizz and its rival ( ) will face rising carbon credit costs as the European Emissions Trading Systems penalise fast-growing airlines. However, we still expect WIZZ to return to net income margins of 13-15% in the coming years, the bank said. Shares in Wizz were flat at 4,723p in late morning trading. Given the Kachi Projects compelling ESG credentials and financial robustness, the report flagged a valuation of A$1.89 per share. Lake Resources N.L. ( ) ( ) (FRA:LK1) has welcomed a research report by Orior analyst Simon Francis which highlights the potential upside for the companys Kachi Lithium Project in Argentina. Notably, the report flagged that Lake is incredibly cheap and assigned the company a valuation of A$1.89 per share - seven times the current share price. Francis said: Assuming that Lakes four other projects are being valued at say US$50 million, the market is valuing Kachi at just 10% of its post-tax NPV8 of US$1.6 billion (A$2 billion). This is incredibly cheap. Lakes most obvious peer, Standard Lithium Ltd (OTCMKTS:STLHF) (CVE:SLL) (FRA:S5L), another direct lithium extraction (DLE) based company is currently trading at 107% of its adjusted attributable post-tax NPV8. On this basis, the market is valuing Lake at a 90% discount to Standard Lithium. Valuing Kachi at 100% of NPV and other projects at US$100 million, suggests a valuation of A$1.89/share. This is 7x the current share price. Kachi advances towards development Over the next year, Lake is expected to complete a number of tests and developments that will significantly advance the Kachi project. This includes expanding and upgrading the resource; completing a definitive feasibility study (DFS) (expected Q1 22); completing an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (Q2 22); undertaking brine extraction and reinjection tests; further discussions with Export Credit Agencies; further discussions regarding offtake agreements; results from further battery tests at Novonix; a decision on expanding the project to an assumed capacity of 51,200 tonnes per annum (probably later this year); and a potential listing in the US (targeted for Q4 21). The report said: Once these tests are completed, and given Kachis compelling environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) credentials and financial robustness, it seems reasonable to expect Lake to trade at a similar valuation as Standard Lithium. Production in 2H 2024 The Kachi project is expected to commence production in 2H 2024, and to generate annual EBITDA of US$261 million. The analyst said: Assuming financing of 70% debt and 30% new equity issued at A$1.50/share, and an EV/EBITDA multiple range of 15x to 25x, Lake could be valued at A$3.63/share to A$6.24/share. This represents 13x to 23x the current share price. If this is achieved by mid-2025, it would represent an annual return of 91% to 119% over the next four years. While these valuations may seem high in the context of Lakes current (undervalued) share price, the multiples on which they are based are low compared to current lithium sector multiples. Livent is trading at ~65x 2021 EV/EBITDA. Albemarle is trading at ~26x, and the market seems to be valuing its lithium business at ~37x. Increasing production capacity The report also noted that the company is examining the potential to double capacity at Kachi. The large scale of the resource, the robust outlook for demand, the strong ESG credentials of the project, and the fact that battery makers will require large volumes of consistently high-purity product over a period of decades, would all seem to justify expansion. Assuming Phase 2 comes on stream in 2028, lifting total capacity to 51,200 tonnes per annum lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), and based on standardized cost estimates, and selling prices of US$15,500/tonne LCE, an expanded Kachi could boast a post-tax NPV8 of US$3.8 billion and an IRR of 53%. In full production, the project could generate annual EBITDA of US$571 million. Assuming a similar 70:30 debt-to-equity financing (even though Phase 2 could probably be financed out of cash flows from Phase 1) with equity issued at A$3.00/share, and an EV/EBITDA multiple of 15x, Lake could be valued at A$7.83/share. Summary of potential Lake Resources valuations. Robust outlook for demand The analyst highlighted that lithium demand is expected to rise tenfold over the next decade to more than 3 million tonnes per annum LCE by 2030. This incredible outlook is underpinned by government policies aimed at encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles, an acceleration in production commitments from global automakers, pledges from private-sector vehicle fleet users and falling battery costs. US president Joe Bidens American Jobs Plan includes US$174 billion in spending aimed at building domestic supply chains for electric vehicles. Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) is now forecasting demand of 1.14 million tonnes LCE by 2025. Over the past two and a half years, Albemarle has raised its forecast for demand in 2025 by the equivalent of about one lithium project per quarter. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global EV sales reached 3.2 million units in 2020, representing 4.6% of total vehicle sales and under the Sustainable Development Scenario, this is expected to rise to more than 46 million units in 2030, representing 35% of total sales, and growth of 31% per annum over the next decade. The report noted that the supply-side will struggle to keep pace, and that to meet this demand some 2.6 million tonnes per annum in new capacity will be required over the next decade. This equates to 37x Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chiles (NYSE:SQM) production of lithium products in 2020, or 52 expanded Kachi projects. Direct lithium extraction the future Francis forecasts that, realistically, the only viable way to meet demand this is by the rapid deployment of DLE type projects. He said: The only realistic option to achieve both the growth in supply required, and sustainability, is to use direct lithium extraction. DLE is expected to become the primary method of lithium extraction over the next few years. At some stage, lithium producers currently using evaporation ponds are likely to come under pressure to upgrade facilities and use some form of DLE." Lake provides DLE exposure Today, lithium is mainly produced either via inefficient evaporation ponds in South America or from Australian hard rock sources that are processed in China. Francis said: Neither is ideal from the perspective of a western world automaker. Developing DLE projects in South America, as well as in the US and Europe, will create more diversified supply chains. As project financing becomes increasingly tied to ESG credentials, DLE offers substantial benefits in terms of environmental footprint, water use and carbon emissions. Francis said: "Lake Resources provides investors with one of the very few ways to gain exposure to direct extraction, the technology that represents the future for lithium. There is huge upside potential as Kachi and other projects get developed. The company looks incredibly cheap. That presents an opportunity." Brussels, June 16 : The European Union (EU) and the United States held their first summit in seven years on Tuesday as US President Joe Biden was on his first overseas trip since taking office to revamp the transatlantic ties. During the summit in Brussels, Biden met European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the leaders agreed to cooperate more on trade, investment and preparation for future global health challenges, the Xinhua news agency reported. Von der Leyen told a press conference following the summit that bilateral trade and investment between the two sides were "unrivaled," and the trade was worth almost one trillion euros in 2020 despite the Covid-19 pandemic, she said. The EU and the US agreed on a truce in their long-standing conflict over aircraft subsidies. The dispute over subsidies for US planemaker Boeing and its European rival Airbus has resulted in parallel cases filed at the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2004. Both sides had agreed in March to a four-month suspension of tariffs on $11.5 billion of goods from EU wine to US tobacco and spirits, which they had imposed during the dispute. During the summit, both sides agreed to remove the tariffs for five years until they continue discussions on an overarching deal on the subsidies. They also agreed to establish an EU-US Trade and Technology Council with a view to expand bilateral trade and investments and discuss how to avoid new unjustified technical barriers and how to cooperate in areas with high potential from both economies. According to a joint statement issued after the summit, the leaders set a Joint Transatlantic Agenda for the post-pandemic era and commit to regular dialogue to take stock of progress. On the Covid-19 vaccines, they agreed to set up a joint task force to move faster and quicker to help vaccinate the world. Biden arrived in Brussels from Cornwall, Britain, where he attended the Group of Seven summit. He joined the leaders of other NATO members for a summit in Brussels on Monday. Following the EU-US summit, Biden left for Geneva, where he would meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Lisbon, June 16 : Ministers of agriculture and fisheries from the European Union (EU) member states closed an agreement on Tuesday, vowing to maintain and improve the objectives of the current Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy. The agreement was reached at a meeting in Lisbon promoted by the Portuguese presidency of the EU Council, the Xinhua news agency reported. Ricardo Santos, Portuguese minister of maritime affairs, said that all participants confirmed that the progress achieved in the fisheries policy since 2014 is "unquestionable." He noted that all his European counterparts agreed that the exploitation of resources should be conducted "in sustainable conditions from an environmental, economic and social point of view." "The need to strengthen the principle of equity between the European fleet and those from third countries was highlighted," he added. The ministers also discussed an agreement on the future Common Agricultural Policy for the period of 2023-2027. The EU must keep the fishing sector sustainable and competitive, which "generates wealth and employment with a horizon of stability and future," said Luis Planas, Spanish minister of agriculture, fisheries and food. Los Angeles, June 16 : Hollywood actor Owen Wilson has opened up on his first reaction to his role of Agent Mobius in the web series "Loki". "When the director Kate Herron and I first had a conversation, which was before I'd read the script, she was describing the character and describing the relationship between Loki and Mobius, and describing Mobius and his mission, and the way Loki ties into that," Wilson said, recalling the moment his curiosity was piqued about the character. Wilson, who makes his entry into the superhero genre with the series, said Mobius just sounded too complicated and interesting to gloss over. He described the character and the show as "maybe not something you would expect from a comic book world, while still providing some of the excitement and thrills and sense of adventure that you do expect from these stories". The show stars Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and also features Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant. Written by Michael Waldron, "Loki"' airs on Disney+ Hotstar Premium and in Hindi on Disney+ Hotstar VIP. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 16 : She vividly remembers the four-storey haveli in Qissa Khwani Bazaar of Peshawar she was born in and where the family would spend most of its time in summers. The cool basement where they would play, the living room where all children would gather during winter evenings to eavesdrop on men sharing tales from across undivided India. The 95-year- old Shanta Kapoor, younger sister to the screen and stage legend Prithviraj Kapoor now wants to visit that home -- 'Kapoor Haveli' in Pakistan's largest city holding small, ancient memories. "I still smile thinking about my childhood there. It really does not matter that it has been 90 years since I visited that house. Something tells me that the rooms still remember me -- those wooden floors, the water freezing in the pipes during winters..." says Gurugram-based Kapoor. The Pakistani government's move to turn the 'Kapoor Haveli' into a museum has given her a sense of relief. "At least now it will be maintained properly and people will continue to remember my father and brother. This is a really special gesture." In fact, along with 'Kapoor Haveli', actor Dilip Kumar's house (also in Peshawar) is now owned by the local government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and will also be converted into a museum. It was in 2018 that Pakistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that he had received a call from late actor Rishi Kapoor requesting that the haveli be converted into a museum. Shanta Kapoor, the last living member of the family to have lived in that house had moved to Calcutta when she was four years old but would keep visiting the haveli during her holidays. "I have heard that 60 rooms in that house still survive." Smiling that she was "a mistake", Shanta who was the youngest among the five children born to Basheshwarnath Nath and Channa Kapoor, was just two years younger to Raj Kapoor. "We were an extremely close-knit family -- while Raj and my two brothers were older, Ramesh and Vishwanath, and I grew up like siblings." Shanta, who has not applied for a visa to visit Pakistan, hopes that there might be an invitation to visit her house that she has not seen since the Partition. "That would be just perfect. Also, is it not high time that people-to-people contact between the two countries increased?" While she may not be in touch with anyone from there, Shanta knows that many people who were close friends with the family still reside there. "Sometimes, I wonder how it would be to meet them after decades...." When Prithviraj Kapoor joined BN Sircar's 'New Theatres' in Calcutta, he brought his family to the city. "His salary was eventually raised to Rs 500, which was a big sum for those times." When her elder brother, who shot to fame with 'Sikander' in 1941 entered films, it was time to make Mumbai home. Married to an engineer, Chander P Dhawan, working with the Tatas at Jamshedpur, who passed away in 2015, Shanta Kapoor now lives with her younger son. June 16 : From the sets of his forthcoming film Laal Singh Chaddha, Aamir Khan appeared in a video to show his gratitude on the 20th anniversary of his epic film Lagaan. In a video shared on Aamir Khan Productions official Instagram handle, Aamir can be seen in his army officers look from the film Laal Singh Chaddha. This avatar of the actor from the film was never seen before. In the video, Aamir thanked the audience as his film Lagaan turned 20 on Tuesday. Laal Singh Chaddha stars Aamir and Kareena Kapoor Khan in the lead roles of the film. The film is the Hindi remake of the Hollywood movie Forest Gump. The film is directed by Advait Chandan of Secret Superstar fame. In the video, Aamir thanked the cast, crew, and audience for making Lagaan a successful film. The film received critical and commercial acclaim across the globe, and was nominated in the Best Foreign Language category at the 74th Academy Awards. In the video, Aamir said that he had just wrapped up the shoot for the day on the sets of Laal Singh Chaddha and was looking forward towards a video call with Lagaans team to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film. With Lagaans 20th anniversary, Aamir Khan Productions has also completed 20 years in the industry. Meanwhile, #MyLagaan had trended on social media on Tuesday as Aamir Khans fans shared their memories of watching Lagaan 20 years ago. Fans shared on social media their fond memories. 20 GLORIOUS YRS OF LAGAAN Remember watching #AamirKhan 's #Lagaan in LA.. Was blown-away by the universal appeal of the movie.. Glad it made it to #Oscar short-list.. Remember #Aamir 's campaign there.. Wish he makes another movie like this and wins#MyLagaan @AKPPL_Official pic.twitter.com/O4f10JA74N Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) June 15, 2021 Rarely we have seen a film's anniversary being celebrated with such zeal! Users of social media, fans of the film trend #MyLagaan on social media and that too at #1! #20YearsOfLagaan in the most unique way possible! This innovative campaign is a rage! pic.twitter.com/vHwSqgzrar Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) June 15, 2021 Meanwhile, Aamir Khan resumed shooting for Laal Singh Chaddha in Mumbai on Monday. Only a small portion of the film is left to be filmed. Earlier, in January this year, the leading lady of the film, Kareena Kapoor had wrapped up her portions of the film. Laal Singh Chaddha has been filmed in more than 100 Indian locations including Chandigarh and Delhi. Aamir has decided that despite the strict restrictions, some portions of the movie can be filmed. The filmmaker has decided to go ahead with a small team and under all precautions. Kochi : , June 16 (IANS) A rescue team of forest and police officials on Wednesday started operation to save a wild elephant which had fallen into a well in a private property near Kothamangalam about 70 kms from here. The incident was first noticed on Wednesday morning when locals heard the cries of an elephant and found the elephant stuck in the well. They immediately informed the local authorities who swung into action. The rescue team was also being helped by a large number of local people. According to them, this happened at a place called Pinavoorkudy where wild elephants from the forest area often come into the human settlements and cause damage to the vegetation. The locals said that on Tuesday night a herd of wild elephants had come into the area and this incident might have occurred when they were returning to the forest. Those officials involved in the rescue efforts said they were confident that they would be able to take out the jumbo. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Chennai, June 16 : Former interim general secretary of AIADMK, V.K. Sasikala, who was expelled from the party after being arrested in a disproportionate assets case, has in a series of audio clippings and phone calls to AIADMK cadres exhorted that she will be back in the party. The AIADMK leadership had on Monday expelled 17 party leaders, including the former minister and Member of Parliament for having communicated with Sasikala. Sasikala, who was the close associate of former Chief Minister late J. Jayalalithaa had in a series of phone calls to AIADMK cadres made promises to return to the party fold, which has been categorically denied by the party leadership. Former Minister and AIADMK leader CVe Shanmugham had openly stated that Sasikala does not have any role in the party and that she was only an "aide" of Jayalalithaa. This had infuriated the supporters of Sasikala and Shanmugham had to file a complaint with the police that he was getting more than 500 threat calls a day, including death threats. AIADMK spokesman Puzhagendhi, former Minister Anandan and former Member of Parliament, Chinnaswamy was among the 17 party functionaries, who were expelled by the party on Monday following their communication with Sasikala. The audio clippings which are being circulated extensively were in response to the expulsion of these senior party leaders. Sasikala has in the latest audio clippings told the cadres that she was willing to allow O. Panneerselvam to continue as Chief Minister when he went against her and commenced a "Dharmayudh" at the memorial of Jayalalithaa. The former interim general secretary also told cadres that then she made K. Palaniswami the CM, and then both the leaders "backstabbed" her. Sasikala said "my back is full of stab wounds and there is no empty space". The former leader of AIADMK also said that she and AIADMK are inseparable and that she would continue to fight for the party till her last breath. Sasikala said that she cannot be a mute spectator if the party is being disintegrated and added that she would strive to work for the party cadres and functionaries. Sasikala in a phone call to a cadre was heard saying: "After the lockdown is lifted I will start new innings with AIADMK and will build back the party nourished by Amma (Jayalalithaa) and will strive to bring Amma's rule back to the state. "I want the AIADMK to remain a strong force in the next century also and that I will do with the support of the cadres." -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 16 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that the Code of Conduct negotiations will lead to positive outcomes in the South China Sea as tension escalated in the waters, causing concern all the nations in the region and beyond. The minister asserted that India supports freedom of navigation, over flight, and unimpeded commerce in these international waterways. Singh was referring to escalating territorial tensions in the South China Sea in recent weeks. China lays claim to nearly all of the South China Sea while other countries also claim parts of the region leading to territorial disputes in the region. China's sweeping claims of sovereignty over the sea have antagonized competing claimants Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Earlier this month, Malaysia scrambled jets to intercept Chinese aircraft it accused of breaching its airspace. The persistent presence of Chinese vessels in its economic zone, Philippines has protested. Seeing threats from China, Vietnam expanded its maritime forces and Indonesia decided to bolster its Navy. Addressing the 8th meeting of defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Singh said India calls for a free, open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific, based upon respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and adherence to international rules and laws. The ministers gathered online for a meeting hosted by Brunei, this year's ASEAN chair. "India has strengthened its cooperative engagements in the Indo-Pacific based on converging visions and values for promotion of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region," the minister said. Premised upon the centrality of ASEAN, India supports utilization of ASEAN-led mechanisms as important platforms for implementation of our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific, he asserted. India's engagement with the South East Asian region, of which ASEAN has been a primary component, is based on its 'Act East Policy' announced by Prime Minister Narender Modi in November 2014. Key elements of this policy are to promote economic cooperation, cultural ties and develop strategic relationships with countries in the Indo-Pacific region through continuous engagement at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels. "Maritime security challenges are another area of concern to India," the minister said. The Sea lanes of Communication are critical for peace, stability, prosperity and development of the Indo-Pacific region. In this regard, developments in the South China Sea have attracted attention in the region and beyond, Singh said. "India supports freedom of navigation, over flight, and unimpeded commerce in these international waterways," he said. India hopes that the Code of Conduct negotiations will lead to outcomes that are in keeping with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and do not prejudice the legitimate rights and interests of nations that are not party to these discussions. The minister also spoke about terrorism and cyber threats during his address to his counterparts. Talking about terrorism, Singh said terrorism and radicalization are the gravest threats to peace and security that the world is facing today. India shares global concerns about terrorism and believes that, in an era when networking amongst terrorists is reaching alarming proportions, only through collective cooperation can the terror organizations and their networks be fully disrupted, the perpetrators identified and held accountable, and strong measures be undertaken against those who encourage, support and finance terrorism and provide sanctuary to terrorists. "As a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), India remains committed to combat financing of terrorism,a the minister said. Cyber threats loom large as demonstrated by incidents of ransomware, Wannacry attacks and crypto currency thefts and are a cause of concern. A multi-stakeholder approach, guided by democratic values, with a governance structure that is open and inclusive and a secure, open and stable internet with due respect to sovereignty of countries, would drive the future of cyberspace. He also said that India shares a deep connect with ASEAN and has continued its active engagement in many areas contributing to regional peace and stability, particularly through ASEAN led mechanisms. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Chandigarh, June 16 : Perturbed over the fate of the agitation of farmers against three contentious farm laws, a 55-year-old marginal farmer on Wednesday allegedly committed suicide by consuming poisonous substance at a protest site in Jind district of Haryana. The victim, Zile Singh, had been actively involved in serving food to farmers at the protest site on the Khatkar toll plaza for several months. He is survived by his wife and three children. Farmers at the protest site told the police that Zile Singh was under depression for the past few days over the fate of the agitation. District BKU leader Azad Singh said Zile Singh was alone at the protest site when he committed the suicide at night. In the morning when farmers arrived at the protest site they found him lying on the bed in an unconscious condition. A bottle of poison was recovered from there, he added. Thiruvananthapuram, June 16 : With just two weeks left for a new Kerala Police chief to take over and the name yet to be decided, things appeared to have turned murky after a complaint against one of the front runners to the coveted post proved to be fake. Incumbent state police chief (SPC) Loknath Behera is to superannuate on June 30 and before that his successor has to be named. This has to be done by the Pinarayi Vijayan government from a three-member list which has to come from the UPSC. According to sources, ranked first in the list is Arun Kumar Sinha, presently heading the SPG in Delhi. Other names doing the rounds are of Tomin J. Thachenkery, who is posted in the Kerala State Human Rights Commission and then Sudheesh Kumar, the head of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, here. Sinha is most unlikely to return to Kerala and hence Thachenkery, who is regarded as the close confidant of Vijayan, was all set to get the post, but then a complaint against him by a Kochi resident to the UPSC has set the cat among the pigeons. However, a probe by the authorities has found the complaint to be fake and the complainant is understood to have died five years ago. Irked by this, Thachenkery has now approached the higher ups to probe the false complaint and urged them to take appropriate action as he feels that 'this was the handiwork of his detractors in the force, who are against him and are trying everything to prevent him from occupying the prized post'. A source in the know of things said that as per the present set of rules, the state government sends a list of names according to the seniority to the Centre, who first makes a screening on the track record of each person and then sends back the list to the state. The state government then can choose anyone from that list. According to the rules only those who have a minimum of two years service left can be appointed and here too Thachenkery qualifies and hence Vijayan, who will be the final decision maker, is certain to go for him as their close relationship began since the mid nineties, sources said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Hyderabad, June 16 : Bharat Biotech dispatched its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin to nine states through the government of India and to 16 states through the respective state governments. Company's co-founder and joint managing director Suchitra Ella on Wednesday tweeted that Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana were supplied the vaccines through government of India from June 8 to 14. The Hyderabad-based vaccine maker also made supplies to 16 states during the same period. The states are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. She also tweeted that vaccine doses were also dispatched to private hospitals in 27 cities across the country from June 8 to 14. These include Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad. A total of seven cities in Telangana and Andhra were dispatched the vaccine under this category. She, however, has not provided details like the number of doses dispatched under the three categories. "Our mission is to deliver Covaxin to your towns-cities & states. Pls register & vaccinate @ govt or pvt hospitals near you," tweeted Suchitra Ella. The company had Monday defended differential pricing policy for the central and state governments and private sector. It said that the supply price of Covaxin to the government of India at Rs 150 per dose, is a non-competitive price and clearly not sustainable in the long run. Hence a higher price in private markets is required to offset part of the costs, it said in a statement. The company clarified that Covaxin is more expensive for private sector is due to fundamental business reasons, ranging from low procurement volumes, high distribution costs and retail margins. At Rs 1,200 per dose for private hospitals, Covaxin is reported to be third costly vaccine globally. Bharat Biotech had fixed the price of Covaxin for state governments at Rs 600 per dose but later slashed it to Rs 400. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 16 : Delhi-NCR is expected to emerge as a new data centre hotspot as demand from government departments and IT and IT-enabled services (ITeS) are expected to drive further growth, as per JLL report. Titled '2020 India Data Center Market Update', the report said that the data centre capacity of Delhi-NCR is likely to grow by 2.2 times to 89 MW by 2023. Around 49 MW capacity addition is expected during 2021-23. "NCR-Delhi data centers are expected to tend to the increasing demand arising from various digital transformation initiatives by the government. This coupled with supportive state policies for the industry is likely to drive 49 MW supply during 2021-23," said Manish Aggarwal, Managing Director - North & East, JLL India. Large cloud players are expected to take up capacities to meet the increasing demand, Aggarwal said. Rachit Mohan, Head-Data Center Advisory (India), JLL said that India's colocation data centre industry witnessed unprecedented absorption of 102 MW during 2020, notching higher absorption than most key markets of Europe and America. "Fuelled by longer-term trends of rising cloud adoption, increasing digitalisation and progressive legislation, we anticipate increased demand for colocation space nationwide. Rising demand led data center operators and developers to pursue ambitious expansion plans, while some adopted the acquisition route to enter Indian markets, which we expect to continue," he said. Colo capacity grew by around 28 per cent to reach 447 MW in 2020 from 350 MW in 2019, Mohan added. The JLL report noted that as the data centre landscape continues to evolve, the industry is expected to grow exponentially to reach 1,007 MW by 2023 from its existing capacity of 447 MW. With the growing reliance on digital connectivity, demand is likely to ramp up further due to the imminent rollout of 5G, IoT-linked devices, data localisation and cloud adoption. Further, India's data centre sector will require an investment of $3.7 billion over the next three years to fulfill the 6 million square feet greenfield development opportunity for the industry, it said. Kolkata, June 16 : Kolkata Police virtually questioned BJP leader and Mithun Chakraborty on a complaint lodged against him alleging that the actor was responsible for inciting violence through one of his speeches made during a BJP campaign. A complaint filed in Maniktala police station against him, has accused the actor of inciting post-poll violence in West Bengal through his speeches. Chakraborty moved the Calcutta High Court for quashing the case against him. But the court asked him to appear for questioning through video conferencing. In the complaint it has been mentioned that the popular actor has used phrases like "marbo ekhane lash porbe shoshane (Will hit you here and the body will land in the crematorium)" and "ek chobole chobi (one snake bite and you will turn into a photograph)" at a rally in Kolkata after he joined the BJP on March 7. The complaint also mentioned that these dialogues were enough to incite violence. The national award-winning actor, however, told the court that he had just uttered popular dialogues from his films. The actor claimed that the utterances of such film dialogues were only recreational and that he is innocent and in no way connected with any offence as alleged by the complainant. After the hearing the Calcutta High Court directed Chakraborty to provide his e-mail address to the state so that he can make himself available for questioning through video conferencing. Kolkata police following the direction of the court have started questioning Chakraborty. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Gandhinagar, June 16 : In a tragic accident in Gujarat's Anand district, a car collided head on with a truck on Wednesday morning, killing nine members of a family, including 2 kids. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and union home minister Amit Shah have offered their condolences. "The accident took place on the state highway connecting Tarapur in Anand district to Vataman in Ahmedabad district at around 5 a.m. in the morning. Total nine persons including five men, two women and two children around 4-5 years of age were killed. All the deceased were taken to the Tarapur Referral hospital and the police is carrying out the identification process," said an official of the Tarapur police station. The EECO vehicle containing eight passengers was going from Surat to Bhavnagar, while an oncoming speeding truck driving on the wrong side smashed it near Duravat factory, Indranaj village in Gujarat's Anand district on Wednesday morning, the police said. "The entire Ajmeri family is from Bhavnagar and were returning from Surat," said one of the relatives of the family who rushed to the spot. As soon as the accident happened, the local police and the 108 emergency services ambulance reached the spot. The official informed that both the driver and the cleaner of the truck fled from the spot after the accident. The police has registered a case and is investigating the matter. According to the police, the truck is having registration of neighbouring state, Madhya Pradesh. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani has offered his condolences to the victims' families and assured appropriate compensation for the kin. He had a telephonic conversation with the Anand district officials and instructed them for appropriate action. Union home minister Amit Shah also offered his condolences to the victims' families. Shah tweeted, "I am terribly disturbed by the news of the tragic accident at Tarapur highway in Anand. The news of eleven of a single family losing their lives in this accident can shake anybody. God may bless the victims' soul and give strength to the bereaved family members. Om Shanti Shanti..." Puducherry, June 16 : Mahe which comes under the Union Territory of Puducherry and geographically sandwiched between Kannur and Kozhikode districts of Kerala, is turning into a major focal point for the smuggling of liquor to several areas of North Kerala especially amid the Covid-induced lockdown on the liquor shops and bars in Kerala. Mahe and its suburbs like Koppalam, Pandakkal, Palloor are under the Union Territory of Puducherry and has bars and liquor vends and ever since the reopening of liquor shops in the UT after relaxation of lockdown rules, there has been huge smuggling from the UT areas. Several trucks, mini lorries, four-wheelers like cars, besides inter-district buses and two-wheelers are being used to ferry liquor from Mahe and other areas of the UT which is hardly 5 km away from both Kannur district areas like Thalassery, Panoor and Kuthuparamba and Kozhikode district towns like Nadapuram, Valayam, Kallachi, Vadakara and other areas. People can even walk down from these areas and smuggle liquor to the other side of the bother. While there is a heavy posse of police and excise personnel at the check posts, there are several areas and small lanes through which two-wheelers and bicycles can be used to carry and smuggle liquor into Kerala areas. Pradeep Kumar, a businessman in Thalassery told IANS: "People are moving to Mahe, Paloor, Koppalam, and Pandakkal and buying liquor and selling it at a premium of four to five times the original price in Thalassery, Kannur, Kuthuparamba and Panoor areas." While there is less transport of liquor through interstate buses, it is also taking place with women being used as carriers. Most of the transport of liquor is taking place in mini lorries which carry vegetables, eggs, fish, and poultry. Most of these vehicles are transporting in early morning hours. Trains are also being used as a gateway with people booking tickets in Second AC and AC chair cars where checking is less and are also using general compartments to smuggle liquor. With a sea and river connectivity between Mahe and other parts of Kannur district, fishing boats and small boats are also used to ferry liquor. Purushothaman, owner of a popular liquor shop in Palloor told IANS: "We are doing brisk business but we don't know whether it is being smuggled to Kerala as there is no difference between the dialect which the people speak here and in other parts of North Kerala." While Kerala is opening its liquor shops from Thursday, there is a hindrance in buying liquor as people will have to register with a mobile app registered with the Beverages corporation to buy liquor. When traffic becomes heavy, the app will shut down thus creating difficulties and hence the liquor smuggling from Mahe is likely to continue unabated. New Delhi, June 16 : Race to become Commissioner of Delhi Police has intensified with serving Commissioner S.N. Shrivastava, a 1985 batch Indian Police Service officer, is all set to hang up his boots by June end. Shrivastava's four juniors -- three from 1987 batch -- A.S.M. Sahai, Satyendra K. Garg and Dilbagh Singh and one from 1988 batch Balaji Srivastava -- are jostling for the top post in the national capital. S.M. Sahai and Dilbagh Singh are from erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir cadre, which was merged with Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre after Centre abrogated Article 370 and the Parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, dissolving the state and reorganised it into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The union territories are administered by the AGMUT cadre government officials. Sahai is currently serving as Additional Secretary in National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) since September 23, 2018 and in October 2020 got an extension for one year on central deputation. Singh is serving as director general of the Jammu and Kashmir Police from November 2018. Singh took over as chief of the police force after his predecessor S.P. Vaid, caught in a verbal duel with Jammu and Kashmir administration, was shunted out and posted as transport commissioner. Singh has shown interest in becoming Commissioner of Police. However, there was a serious complaint against him by one of his juniors of alleged misappropriation of funds. Garg is currently serving as Director General of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police. Before joining, he was posted as joint secretary in the union home ministry and was handling the North East division in the home ministry as joint secretary before being repatriated to his cadre. Garg was the senior most in AGMUT cadre before merger with Jammu and Kashmir. Post that, Sahai is the senior most in the cadre followed by Garg and then by Singh. Balaji Srivastava of 1988 batch is junior to all of these three officers but is considered in the race of the Commissioner of Police. He is currently serving as Special Commissioner of Police Vigilance in Delhi Police. All these four officers in the race for the post of top position of Delhi Police face alleged corrupt practices, favouritism and nepotism. The alleged process of transfer and posting of Station Houses Officers is the dark underbelly of the force. The outgoing Commissioner S.N. Shrivastava, a AGMUT cadre officer, was appointed when Delhi was burning in north eastern parts. The riots in Northeast Delhi had left 53 people dead. Back then the Central government had written to Maharashtra government to send then Director General of State Police Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, a 1985 batch officer, for Central deputation so that he can take charge of Commissioner of Police, Delhi. But the Maharashtra government did not relieve him. Jaiswal is currently serving as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief. Then the government decided to give the additional charge of Commissioner of Police, Delhi to Shrivastava, who was on Central deputation with Central Reserve Police Force. Last month, the Centre had given full charge to the Commissioner of Police. Shrivastava is behind bringing back the morale of the force -- that protested against his predecessor Amulya Patnaik for ill treatment. In the history of Delhi Police, for the first time the force protested against its own head and demanded the government to bring back two legendary IPS officers -- Kiran Bedi and Deepak Mishra -- to head the force. Both the officers were great leaders, as claimed by the force and their juniors, but were not made Delhi police chief. Over selecting the police commissioner of Delhi, as rightly said by most of the officers working with the Ministry of Home Affairs: "No one can say who will be Delhi police chief beforehand..." (Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 16 : After the controversy erupted on the issue of land purchase by Shri Ram Mandir trust, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said that it has hurt the people's faith and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi give the details of the money spent as the trust was formed by him. She also demanded a Supreme Court monitored probe in the alleged land deal. In a Facebook post in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi, who is in-charge of the Uttar Pradesh Congress said, "According to news reports there have been irregularities in buying land. On March 18, two people bought land in Ayodhya for Rs 2 crore. And within five minutes the land was bought by the Shri Ram Mandir Trust which was formed by the Prime Minister for Rs 18.5 crore." She said that it means the value of land increased by Rs 5.5 lakh per second. "Can anyone imagine and believe this? Not to be forgotten, the entire money belongs to the people of the country who donated for the construction of Ram temple," she said. She also said that in the sale deed of the land and registry papers, most of the names in the column of witnesses were common. Priyanka Gandhi said, "One of the witnesses is one of the Trustees of the Ram Mandir Trust (who is a former member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and another one is a BJP leader and mayor of Ayodhya," she said. She further stated that the statement from the Shri Ram Trust claimed that the rate of land increased and it was the reason why a whopping amount was paid. As per the reports the value of land is around Rs five crore as per the existing circle rate, she claimed. She also cited several media reports and said that the Chairperson of the Ram Mandir Trust Nritya Gopal Das made allegations of no transparency in the functioning of the Trust. Priyanka Gandhi said that people of the country donated for the construction of the Ram temple. Several women also donated their savings for the construction. "No one touches the money donated by people in the name of God. In those donations the faith, devotion, belief and trust is there," she said. "The Shri Ram Mandir Trust was formed by Modi and many of the members of the trust are close to him. And it is the responsibility of the Prime Minister to assure that the money donated by people for the temple is utilised for the temple and religious works and not in any scams," Priyanka Gandhi said. Finding an opportunity in faith is a blot on the belief of the crores of people, she said. "The Shri Ram temple trust was formed on the directions of the Supreme Court. And on behalf of the people of the country, we demand a Supreme Court monitored probe into the land deal," the Congress leader added. Earlier, Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, issued a statement amid the allegations of corruption in the purchase of the Ram temple land. He said that the trust is working to provide the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple a grand look according to Vastu Shastra, to make the complex safe in all respects and convenient for the visitors. He said that important temples/places falling within the boundary of the construction wall and retaining wall in the east and west part of this temple have been purchased with mutual consent. The statement also said that it has been the decision that every institution/person displaced in this process will be rehabilitated. The selection of land for rehabilitation is being done with the consent of the concerned institutions/individuals. Under this process 1.20 hectares of land located at Bagh Bijesi, Ayodhya has been purchased with complete transparency and with the consent of important temples like Kaushalya Sadan, etc. It is worth noting that the above-mentioned land is on a prime location situated on the route near Ayodhya Railway Station, the statement further said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Chennai, June 16 : The Tamil Nadu CBCID police, the elite wing of the state police force, has arrested controversial Guru, Shiv Shankar Baba from New Delhi. Baba was absconding from Tamil Nadu after a few former students of his residential school, including a minor, complained that he had molested them. Shiv Shankar Baba runs a residential school in the outskirts of Chennai, Sushil Hari International Residential School and students of this school and former students had complained against him. The Mahabalipuram All Women's Police Station (AWPS) has registered three cases against Shiv Shankar Baba under various sections of the IPC, POCSO Act, and Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act. A senior police officer told IANS, "Cases were filed based on three complaints against him and one of them is a minor and they have alleged that Shiv Shankar Baba had sexually harassed them a few years ago while they were studying in the school." After Baba failed to appear before the police stating that he was under medication, the police raided his premises and found that he was absconding. After a few days of search, CBCID, the elite squad of the Tamil Nadu police, arrested the self-styled Guru on Wednesday in New Delhi. Police sources said that he will be produced before a court in New Delhi and will be brought to Chennai on Wednesday itself. Pune : , June 16 (IANS) The much-castigated decision to print the photos and a message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on crores of Covid-19 Vaccination Certificates, was apparently taken by the 'Government of India, a RTI reply has revealed. A Pune-based activist Prafful Sarda had filed a RTI query in May (last month) seeking details and circumstances that culminated in the PM's photo plus message figuring on all the privileged, but provisional, Covid Vaccination Certificates (CVC), issued in the name of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW). "The due procedure has been followed at Government of India level to use and affix the photograph and name of Prime Minister on the vaccination certificate to provide message on Covid-19 appropriate behavior," says the terse reply from Sarita Nair, FAA & Deputy Secretary, MOHFW. Surprisingly, the officer has also clarified that she does not deal with matters pertaining to the Co-Win portal, nor was she in the hierarchy pertaining to the decision/process/system, and the RTI reply has been given by some other person. "Therefore, the RTI application was sent to the concerned office/officer/technical officer who deals with the Co-Win/Co-Win portal matter (but due to some technical/administrative reasons, he has not been nominated as CPIO yet), therefore the information/reply provided by them is as under," Nair said. Sarda contended said that the MOHFW'S reply seems to "hide more than revealing anything" about who actually authorized the use of the PM's photo on the CVCs, as the term "Government of India" used is vague and confusing. "Since India is the only country in the world currently known to print its PM's photos on the CVCs, there must have been a due procedure followed, a proposal by some authority, its approval by an authorized panel, and other subsequent norms, before it was cleared... Who were the individuals/authorities in the huge 'Government of India' behind this crucial decision remains in the dark," Sarda pointed out. The MOHFW's CVCs have a printed strip with Modi's photo, along with slogans English and Hindi - "Together We Will Defeat Covid-19" and "Medicines As Well As Rigour" (Davai Bhi Aur Kadai Bhi"), with the National Emblem of the Lion Capital of India at the top left. Sarda said that as per the RTI reply, if the "due procedure" was indeed followed, then, were there any other alternatives suggested, "like the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhiji, Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan who is a renowned Otorhinolaryngologist and currently WHO Executive Board Chairman, or the two Vaccine developers, Bharat Biotech International Ltd Chairman Krishna Ella and Serum Institute of India CEO Adar C. Poonawalla, or a completely neutral one like the Indian Tricolour, etc". In the past few months, all major Indian Opposition parties have severely slammed the move to affix the PM's photos on CVCs as "a publicity stunt" while West Bengal is now issuing the CVCs to those given the jabs with the picture of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee! Till date in India, the provisional CVCs have been issued to over 26,19,72,014 people who got their doses (including 4,92,90,093 administered their second jabs), which allows certain privileges to the beneficiaries. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Mumbai, June 16 : Actress Janhvi Kapoor makes quite a splash with a new set of bikini pictures she posted on Wednesday. Janhvi wears a white and leopard print bikini in the photograph she posted o n Instagram. She does not reveal details of the shoot or vacation where it was clicked. In one of the images, Janhvi is seen coming out of the water with the sun se tting behind her. Another picture has the actress running towards the sea. She is seen holding hands with a friend, identified as Orhan Awatramani. The l ast picture has the actress sitting on a rock and gazing at the sea. "Maybe half the beauty of every blurred sunset is that it is fleeting," she wrote as caption. Janhvi will next be seen in "Dostana 2" and "Good Luck Jerry" . New Delhi, June 16 : Refuting rumour spread by some social media posts, the Central government on Wednesday clarified that Covaxin, India's indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, does not contain newborn calf serum at all. "There have been some social media posts regarding composition of the Covaxin vaccine where it has been suggested that it contains the newborn calf serum. Facts have been twisted and misrepresented in these posts," said the Ministry. "Newborn Calf Serum is used only for preparation or growth of vero cells." Noting that different kinds of bovine and other animal serum are standard enrichment ingredient, and they are used globally for vero cell growth, the Ministry said vero cells are used to establish cell lives which help in production of vaccines. This technique has been used for decades in Polio, Rabies, and Influenza vaccines. These vero cells, after the growth, are washed with water, with chemicals (also technically known as buffer), many times to make it free from the newborn calf serum. Thereafter, these vero cells are infected with corona virus for viral growth. "The vero cells are completely destroyed in the process of viral growth. Thereafter this grown virus is also killed (inactivated) and purified. This killed virus is then used to make the final vaccine, and in the final vaccine formulation no calf serum is used." Hence, the Ministry said, the final vaccine Covaxin does not contain newborn calf serum at all and the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product. Covaxin is India's first indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech. It is being used on adults in India's ongoing Covid-19 vaccination drive since January 16 this year. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Kolkata, June 16 : Bhutan has lifted its lockdown at capital Thimphu after a boy tested for Covid infection reported negative along with possible contacts. Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering was quoted by local media as saying: "The lockdown in Thimphu is being lifted with immediate effect, upon ruling out all possibilities of Covid-19 disease presence in the capital for now." A 72-hour lockdown was imposed in Thimphu on June 12 after the eight-year-old boy of the Druk School had tested positive via Rapid Antigen Test. However, the confirmatory RT-PCR test results on the boy produced negative results on Monday. Test results on his family members and all the possible contacts of the boy also returned negative, paving the way for lifting of the lockdown in Thimphu. "The confirmatory test of the eight-year-old suspect came out negative this afternoon. All close contacts and related 2,029 samples collected from the community also tested negative so far," Tshering, himself a doctor, said. "The lockdown was imposed to prevent potential spread of Covid . We were taking no chances," he added. Tshering further said: "It is critical that we maintain highest response standards, and do not compromise on all fronts, especially where it concerns our children." Bhutan is South Asia's and the world's one of the few success stories in prevention since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. While giant neighbours India and China, one the world's now worst hit and the other the origin of the C-virus, has been ravaged by the pandemic, Bhutan has so far reported only one death. On January 7, a 34-year-old man, admitted to a hospital in Bhutan's capital, Thimphu, with preexisting liver and kidney problems, died of Covid-19. His was the country's first and only death from the C-virus. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, June 16 : To make dates easier and more interesting on Bumble, the women-first dating and social networking app, the platform has announced the launch of "Night In", a new virtual dating experience where two people can participate in an interactive game over a one-on-one video chat after matching within the app. The dating platforms newest innovative product feature now offers daters in India an opportunity to create more meaningful and deeper connections, expanding the app's portfolio of existing virtual dating options. After two people have matched, they have the option to participate in a newly imagined virtual date through "Night In" by clicking the icon within the chat message. After opting for this feature, both parties will receive notifications within the app for their video date. Once both people are within their virtual game room, they will be presented with a virtual game and explanation of rules. It will offer trivia upon launch, and the company plans to expand this feature with new game options and virtual experiences in the near future. Priti Joshi, VP of Global Strategy and Operations, shares, "At the beginning of the pandemic, we knew that we were well-positioned to pivot to virtual dating because we already had our Voice Call and Video Chat feature in place. In fact, we recently found that 40 per cent of single Indians claim to opt for virtual dating in 2021. With current restrictions in India, our newest innovations in virtual dating will offer an opportunity for people to engage with each other in a more interesting way and showcase their unfiltered and authentic selves when chatting on Bumble." Following the launch of audio notes last year, it has now also launched Video Notes. This feature enables people to send quick videos to each other directly in chat to help break the ice and build deeper conversations. To show their fun side, people can choose to add five Snapchat lenses for their video notes, including Atmosphere, Reactions, and Fox Ears/Tail. This enables people to send quick videos to each other directly in chat to help break the ice and build deeper conversations. People can also select video calling backgrounds such as a picnic in Paris, a gondola ride in Venice and a campfire under the stars, among others. These 360-degree backgrounds will imitate being together in real life and will react to your movement. The AR backgrounds will be available in Bumble's existing video calling feature, allowing people to make their video calls more exciting to kickstart conversations. Joshi added, "The way we interact with each other might have changed, but what hasn't changed is our need for human connection. As more people in India opt for video dates, they are proving to be a great way to form meaningful connections! We will continue to look for innovative ways to help our community get to know each other virtually." (IANSlife Features can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 16 : Spanish retail giant Zara finds itself spat in the middle of a controversy after its head designer Vanessa Perliman allegedly made anti-Muslim, anti-Palestine remarks in a conversation with a Palestinian model. Qaher Harhash, a Palestinian model from occupied east Jerusalem, shared screenshots of his conversation with Perliman on Instagram. The fast fashion giant now faces the heats as calls to boycott the brand are trending on social media. Defending Israel and putting the blame of terrorism in Gaza and Palestinians, Perliman allegedly writes in the message: "Maybe if your people were educated, they wouldn't blow up hospitals and schools that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza." "Israelis don't teach children to hate, nor throw stones at soldiers as your people do," Perliman states as per the screen shots posted by Harhash. "The people in my industry know the truth about Israel and Palestine and I will never stop defending Israel. People like you just come and go in the end. Maybe if your people were educated then they won't go and blow-up schools and hospitals that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza," she added. Harhash wrote to Zara complaining about the incident. However, he was disappointed with the "generic feedback" she received as the brand's response. Expressing his disappointment, he shared another screenshot of the email he received as the response to his complaint against Perilman and called to boycott the brand. He wrote: "This is @zara's generic feedback to everyone who got in touch with them regarding Venessa Perliman. This is a disappointing and frankly insulting response from the brand. Venessa's hate speech is extremely xenophobic and racist. It's laughable that Zara justified her behaviour by claiming she "apologized" and "that's that". ZARA, you are now complicit. The power is in your purse people and based on this response from the brand, it's time to: #BOYCOTTZARA." Since then, several users called out ZARA for not taking strict action against Perliman. A user shared that she emailed Zara for a statement too and the brand took a rather casual approach to her request. "Vanessa Perliman, a head designer at Zara, DM-ed a young Palestinian model this racist garbage and when she was called out, gave a lukewarm apology before deleting all her social media. I emailed Zara to demand that disciplinary action be taken and this was their dismal response." Another user wrote: "So apparently, Zara's Head Designer Vanessa Perilman was caught being Islamophobic and abusive about Palestinian people? Zara, if this is true and all you did was basically nothing because she didn't use your own branded social media account, that is a cop-out." One of the users wrote: "Absolutely disgraceful! Backing these types of comments from your designers? No wonder the standards of your clothing have dropped! The company needs to educate itself and its staff!" (Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in) San Francisco, June 16 : WhatsApp has submitted update 2.21.120.9 through the TestFlight beta with a new search for stickers shortcuts. According to 9To5Mac, it's already possible to search for stickers in WhatsApp, but with this new update, currently in beta, users will be able to find this feature easier. As per WABetaInfo, when typing a specific word or emoji that reflects one of the stickers in your sticker library, WhatsApp will animate the sticker button in order to alert the user that a sticker has been found. Default WhatsApp sticker packs already support this feature, so if you have installed one of them, try to type emojis or specific words in the chat bar, to see if the feature is available for your WhatsApp account. WABetaInfo said this feature might not work for third-party sticker packs, "because the designers don't often associate emojis with the stickers". The team behind the app has also been working on some other features, such as support to disappearing mode. When this feature is available, the user will need to go to WhatsApp Settings, Privacy, and then toggle on the Disappearing Mode function. Islamabad, June 16 : Lack of coordination among government bodies, coupled with a disruption in supply from China, had hit the Covid vaccines supply in Pakistan. Officials in the federal government said that the task of procuring the vaccines had been assigned to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) while the National Health Ministry was relieved of this duty. As a result, a lack of coordination was witnessed while there was a disruption in vaccine supplies from China which led to the crisis, Geotv reported. The NDMA, officials said, was not only dealing with Chinese vaccine manufacturers, including Sinopharm, Sinovac, and CansinoBIO, but it was also negotiating with Pfizer for the procurement of its mRNA vaccine for the country, a deal which could not be struck yet. The officials added that Pakistan was relying heavily on the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad for the preparation and filing of single-dose Chinese vaccine Cansino from the bulk concentrate, which is being distributed in the name of PakVac, but the NIH also failed to fulfil its commitment of sustained supply of the single-dose vaccine. "NIH Islamabad had assured that they would be providing three million doses of PakVac (Cansino) vaccine per month but it failed to meet its commitment", officials added. New Delhi, June 16 : The Delhi government will provide training to 5000 youth, who will be working under the direction of doctors and nurses as health assistants in view of a possible third wave of Covid-19. They will be called community nursing assistants. Making an announcement through a digital press conference on Wednesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said these community nursing assistants will be trained in basic nursing, paramedic, lifesaving, first aid, and home care, sample collection, oxygen concentrators and cylinder operations among other things. The development has come keeping in mind the shortage of medical staff witnessed during the first and second wave of Covid-19. "In case a third wave emerges, we might also witness a shortage of medical and paramedical staff as we had seen during the second and the first waves. Keeping that in mind, the government has devised a big plan of training 5000 health assistants. They will be trained for two weeks by IP University and the 9 medical institutes of Delhi, where they will be given basic training," Kejriwal added. The community nursing assistants will work on those tasks assigned to them by the doctors and nurses and will not be able to decide on their own. They will be trained in basic nursing, paramedic, lifesaving, first aid, and home care. They will also be trained in patient care, diaper changing, catheter, bedpan, sample collection, how an oxygen concentrator works, how an oxygen cylinder works, how to put on a mask, etc. "They will be given a salary according to the number of days they work. So, online applications can be filled starting June 17. Training period will start from June 28 in different batches. 500 people will be trained in each batch," Kejriwal said. All those who have passed class 12 and are above 18 years of age can apply online and the section will be done on a first come first serve basis. "I believe this will strengthen our preparation for the third wave as manpower will be available in case a third wave does emerge. I again hope that a third wave does not come about, but as per the information from the UK, a third wave has emerged there. So we should also be fully prepared, keeping in mind the developments all over the world," Kejriwal said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Chennai, June 16 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday announced that an amount of Rs 4000 will again be given to all ration cardholders of Tamil Nadu along with 15 kg of rice. A sum of Rs 341 crores has been allocated for providing immediate assistance to people, the CM said. Stalin said that free food kits will also be distributed to all cardholders, adding that policemen will be provided with an additional Rs 5000. The Chief Minister while addressing mediapersons said that the government would take steps to include more people in the health insurance scheme. The government will commence a new Rs 10 lakh insurance scheme for media persons and a Rs 25 lakh insurance scheme for health workers and corporation employees. An amount of Rs 3 lakh will be deposited in the name of children who have lost both their parents due to Covid-19. Women who have lost their jobs owing to Covid-19 would be provided loans to open new ventures. Rs 84 crore has been earmarked for this. These women will be provided an interim solatium of Rs 6000. Stalin said that the government would continue to bear the expenses for Covid-19 treatment in private hospitals and will include the charges of PPE kits and other incidental expenses in the private hospitals. The CM added that strict action would be taken against those private hospitals which deny Covid-19 treatment to patients. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Hyderabad, June 16 : Bharat Biotech on Wednesday clarified that while new born calf serum is used in the manufacturing of viral vaccines, the final formulation of its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin is free from all impurities. "New born calf serum is used in the manufacturing of viral vaccines. It is used for the growth of cells, but neither used in growth of SARS CoV2 virus nor in the final formulation," the company said in a statement. "Covaxin is is highly purified to contain only the inactivated virus components by removing all other impurities," it added. The Hyderbad-based vaccine manufacturer clarified that bovine serum is widely used in the manufacture of vaccines globally for several decades. It also stated that the usage of new born calf serum was transparently documented in various publications for the last 9 months. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Lucknow, June 16 : It is going to be 'yoga from home' this year on the International Yoga Day on June 21. In view of the prevailing pandemic situation, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has urged people to stay at home and do yoga with family, under Covid protocols. He said that programmes being organised on this day, will also be required to follow Covid protocols including social distancing. Yoga programmes will not be held in schools in view of the pandemic and also the fact that schools are closed. The Chief Minister, however, directed officials to publicize the event and also the fact that Yoga is beneficial for all- more so, in the pandemic. The government has decided to hold online competitions that will also be publicized through social media platforms. The government will also organize a yoga video competition, yoga art competition and yoga quiz. Under the yoga video competition, prizes will be given under three categories to the first, second and third prize winners. The categories include women, men and professionals. The competition is open to those in the age group of 5 years to 60 years. It has been made compulsory to register at least 500 participants in each level under each category at the state level and at least 50 participants at the district level. Special programmes, including live telecast of Prime minister Narendra Modi's speech on the event, will be done by Doordarshan. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Lucknow, June 16 : Uttar Pradesh is finally overcoming the second wave of the pandemic. The state has recorded merely 310 fresh Covid cases -- the lowest daily count in over two-and-a-half months -- with positivity rate down to just 0.1 per cent. Additional chief secretary, information, Navneet Sehgal, said that this was a result of numerous proactive measures adopted by chief minister Yogi Adityanath in limiting the transmission of the virus in the densely populated state. Uttar Pradesh, he said, has also been registering a steep decline in the number of active Covid cases as the figure has dropped from a high of 3,10,783 in April to 6,496 now -- a remarkable reduction by 98 per cent. The number of active Covid cases has also gone below the 300-mark in all the districts, barring one. As many as 2,86,396 samples for the novel coronavirus infection were tested in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of tests to 5,41,45,947 so far. Despite aggressive tracing and testing, Uttar Pradesh's positivity rate - which shows the level of infections among people - has been registering a steady decline for several days indicating signs that the dangerous Covid wave is receding from the state. Sehgal said that the UP Covid model of Yogi Adityanath which initially started with the T3 regime (Trace, Test and Treat) and later added aggressive vaccination in it, has done wonders. "Aggressive Vaccination is an integral pillar of the comprehensive strategy of the Uttar Pradesh government for containment and management of the pandemic, along with T3 and adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour," he said. In a recent achievement, Uttar Pradesh has crossed the milestone of administering 2.30 crore cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses. UP has outnumbered many states in terms of vaccination against Covid. So far, the state has administered as many as 2,39,49,661 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, cumulatively. Uttar Pradesh has also become self-reliant in terms of producing oxygen with as many as 14 more oxygen producing plants becoming functional in the state. As many as 100 of the 436 sanctioned oxygen plants have already been established and are functional while work on the rest is going on in Uttar Pradesh, he said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text June 16 : After back-to-back film shoots, Taapsee Pannu is currently vacationing in Russia with her sister Shagun Pannu. The actress will be soon seen in Haseen Dillruba, and before she begins her film promotions, she jetted off for a brief vacation. Taking to social media today, the Thappad actress shared new pictures from her vacay. The sister duo are on a photo-sharing spree from Russia, updating fans and followers with their regular activities. Taapsee took to her Instagram stories today and shared new pictures and videos from Moscow. In the pictures, the siblings can be seen sightseeing, zooming around on a scooter, and enjoying local food. In one picture, the actress can be seen posing against a wooden wall, wearing a blue dress, as she captioned the post as, "Vintage Russian evening. In another photo, the Badla actress can be seen sitting at a bar, wearing a blue saree, which she captioned as Day 3. Image Source: Instagram/taapsee Taapsee shares new pics on her instagram story Sharing a picture on her instagram handle, Taapsee wrote, Lets woooooooooosh! My sight seeing partner #TouristPartner #Moscow #TapcTravels. In the picture, the actress can be seen in a blue dress, all set for sight-seeing. The actress can be seen exploring the streets of Moscow on a scooter. Image Source: Instagram/taapsee Taapsee Pannu shares new pics from her Russia vacation On Tuesday, the actress shared some more fun glimpses from her vacation album. In one picture, Taapsee was seen going on a hot air balloon safari. Earlier, Taapsee shared a picture of herself with her sister, twinning in white, as she captioned it as, Beginning June with high spirit and higher hope. Hang by your support system and get through this. We are almost there. Image Source: Instagram/taapsee Taapsee shared new pictures from her vacay Meanwhile, on the work front, Taapsee will next be seen in the Netflix release Haseen Dillruba, alongside Vikrant Massey and Harshvardhan Rane. Directed by Vinil Mathew, the film will start streaming on July 2. Taapsee also has Looop Lapeta, Rashmi Rocket, Shabaash Mithu, and Dobaaraa in her kitty. She is yet to complete shoot for Shabaash Mithu. New Delhi, June 16 : In an attempt to provide aid to the underprivileged section of the society, Home Credit India pledges to lend support to the impacted communities. Home Credit India, a local arm of the international consumer finance provider with operations spanning over Europe and Asia, has partnered with Don Bosco Network and Earth Saviours Foundation to ignite the ray of hope as the company is providing medical & hygiene kits to around 10,000 affected people. The beneficiaries include slum dwellers, daily wage earners, migratory population, old and poor, and abandoned people in home for destitute. As prescribed by AIIMS, each medical & hygiene kit provided to a family consists of Pulse oximeter, Digital thermometer, N95 face masks, Hand sanitizer essential medicines like Paracetamol, Vitamin C, Zinc etc. Commenting on this contribution, Ondrej Kubik, CEO, Home Credit India said; "We are saddened by the magnitude of humanitarian crisis at this hour. We are at this juncture where the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on human lives and has turned out to be devastating. Our heart goes out to those affected and we are committed to aid recovery from the pandemic induced loss to humanity. During this challenging phase of C0VID-19, we stand united to overcome this health crisis together. I am happy to partner with Don Bosco Network and Earth Saviours foundation, who have been tirelessly working for the betterment of the vulnerable section. The endeavour is to ensure that the impacted are safe, healthful and are able to restore their livelihoods at the earliest." Home Credit is making its earnest efforts and has stepped up to provide tangible assistance to meet real needs on the ground. In partnership with Don Bosco Network and to assist the needy, Home Credit is providing medical and hygiene kits to people affected with COVID-19. Earth Saviours Foundation, home to several people abandoned by the society is conducting a medical camp for its residents with support from Home Credit. The camp is aimed to address the general health problems faced by the residents. They shall be provided medicines and support for lab investigations wherever needed. The idea is to bring these people back in good mental and physical health and enable them to restore their livelihood. Commenting on the aid received from HCIN, Father Noel Maddhichetty, Director, Don Bosco Network South Asia said, "The second wave of COVID-19 had a devastating impact on the lives of people across the country. Don Bosco Network launched its COVID relief program 'Save and Sustain in Solidarity' to support the vulnerable sections of the society. Home Credit India's COVID relief intervention has propelled our act of giving for people to sustain with dignity and to alleviate the suffering of the affected people in these pandemic times. Don Bosco Network is confident to fulfill its mission with a partner like Home Credit, who is keen to take forward our mission for the people in dire need." On association with Home Credit India, Ravi Kalra, Founder & President, The Earth Saviours Foundation said, "We feel privileged to partner with Home Credit India for the outreach to support COVID affected people. The medical camps have proved to be a life saviour for many underprivileged people who cannot afford COVID testing and struggle to get proper diagnosis. I would once again like to thank Home Credit India for all its support rendered towards our foundation, to serve the community at this hour when the world is reeling under the second wave of COVID." Recently, Home Credit India introduced a spree of activities for the wellness of their employees during the COVID-19 lockdown. Under the campaign #TogetherWeWin, a plethora of activities like mindfulness sessions, online doctor consultations, COVID-19 awareness drive, and welfare sessions for employees' children are being organized. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, June 16 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday afternoon met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and apprised him about the Covid management in the state. During the meeting, which lasted for around 80 minutes, Chouhan briefed the Prime Minister about the measures taken to control the second wave of Covid-19 in the state and the current situation of the virus infection. "Today, I met Prime Minister Narendra Modiji in New Delhi and apprised him about the current situation in Covid in Madhya Pradesh. I told him about the efforts made by the state government to control Covid and discussed the preparations to deal with the third wave," Chouhan tweeted after meeting with the Prime Minister. In another tweet, Chouhan said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance is always available for the development of Madhya Pradesh and welfare of people. The Prime Minister is the man of ideas and under his guidance development works in Madhya Pradesh are being carried forward with great pace. "Discussed several issues including development of state, public welfare, Covid control measures and vaccination with the prime Minister. Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, I will be able to take forward works at a faster pace," he said. Chouhan also briefed the Prime Minister about a mega vaccination campaign starting from June 21 in the state. "On June 21, all the ministers including me, MPs, MLAs, Crisis Management Committees, eminent personalities from different walks of life will come together for maga vaccination drive. Received Prime Minister's guidance to complete the vaccination programme within the fixed timeframe," he said. Chouhan said he also informed the Prime Minister about decisions taken by the crisis management committee to control the Covid. "Today 160 positive cases were reported in Madhya Pradesh and the positivity rate 0.2 per cent," he said. He said that the state government is prepared with full strength to control the third wave of Covid. "Maximum testing, isolating persons found positive, contract tracing, continuing kill corona campaign, keeping the Covid care centres running, and getting the public to follow the Covid appropriate behaviour will continue," the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said. Chouhan is expected to meet Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and D.V. Sadananda Gowda. The BJP sources said that Chouhan may also meet party Chief J. P. Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Patna, June 16 : BJP MLC Tunna Ji Pandey who was suspended by the party in the first week of June for criticising Nitish Kumar, participated in a virtual meeting of the party chaired by state president Sanjay Jaiswal. The virtual meeting was organized on Tuesday evening and Pandey himself uploaded the photograph of the meeting on social media platforms. Besides Sanjay Jaiswal, BJP state organization head Nagendra Ji and many other ministers in the Nitish Kumar government, district presidents, district in-charges, assembly constituency in-charges participated in the meeting. Tunna Ji Pandey uploaded the photographs tagging Sanjay Jaiswal and wrote: "Today I participated in BJP virtual meeting and interacted with state president Dr Sanjay Jaiswal." The fight between the BJP MLC and the JDU started on June 1 after the former tweeted that Nitish Kumar is the circumstantial CM. The people of Bihar had given the mandate to Tejashwi Yadav. He had stolen the mandate using government machinery during the assembly election and became chief minister of Bihar, he had said. He added that he is not afraid of Nitish Kumar and stands by his statement. After his tweet, the JDU strongly objected to that statement and asked the BJP to take action against Pandey. Jaiswal then pulled up Pandey for having spoken "in violation of party discipline", and handed him a show cause notice. On June 4, Sanjay Jaiswal suspended Pandey for his remark against CM Nitish Kumar. When asked about the participation of Tunna Ji Pandey in the party meeting, Jaiswal said that the matter is pending with the disciplinary committee. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Visakhapatnam, June 16 : A senior Maoist leader is among 6 naxals killed in an encounter that took place in Wednesday morning in Visakhapatnam district, while some more leaders are believed to have escaped from the spot, sources have said. Police are continuing search operations in the area where encounter took place. Six Maoists were gunned down by Andhra Pradesh Greyhounds police on Wednesday morning at Theegalametta forest area in Visakhapatnam district. "Today (Wednesday) in the morning hours, an exchange of fire took place between CPI (Maoist) and Greyhounds parties at Theegalametta forest areas (Koyyru surrounding areas)," said an official statement. The encounter occurred under the police station limits of Mampa, surrounding the Koyyuru area, even as a search operation is underway. Among the six dead, police said there were female corpses as well. Andhra Pradesh DGP, Gautam Sawant said that police had launched combing operations in the area after receiving reliable inputs. The Greyhounds police recovered an AK-47 rifle, a self-loading rifle, one carbine and two more guns from the spot. Gurugram, June 16 : The Gurugram health department will start trials of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine within 2-3 days at a private hospital. After the trial, Sputnik V will be officially launched by the Haryana government, a senior official of the district health department told IANS. With this initiative, the Gurugram district will be among the first ones in Haryana, where the Russian-made vaccine trial will begin. A senior health official requesting anonymity said that the Sputnik V vaccine first trial will be conducted on at least 400 staffers of a private hospital. "Sputnik V will be made available in Gurugram through the state government. However, the supply chain and mechanism of vaccination will be followed accordingly. The vaccine trial will be first conducted in Gurugram," he said. The official further said a training session for the health workers related to Sputnik V vaccination and its uploading process on the Cowin-app has already been completed. Sputnik V vaccine option is also available on Cowin-app. "It was the biggest achievement of the Gurugram district to become first to administer half of its population. This could be possible because of an organised vaccination drive conducted in Gurugram. The district health department had also vaccinated Gurugram residents along with several people of Delhi and NCR. Such vaccine drives will continue in future as well," Dr M.P. Singh, district immunization officer told IANS. Apart from this, Haryana Health Minister, Anil Vij on Tuesday said that a survey done by the Government of India has ranked Gurugram first among the 24 major urban cities in the country where 49.3 per cent of its population has been vaccinated. Meanwhile, around 8,84,461 people in Gurugram have been administered corona vaccines till Tuesday. New Delhi, June 16 : Breaking silence over the drama in the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) following the coup ousting him as its President, Chirag Paswan on Wednesday said that he tried his best to keep the family and the party united but failed, and termed the way in which his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras was elected party leader "illegal". He also defended his decision to contest last year's Bihar Assembly elections solo saying he did not want to buckle down to Chief Minister and JD-U chief Nitish Kumar. Addressing a press conference here at his residence, Chirag Paswan said: "Our fight is long, I don't think one press conference can clear all things." "Till the end, I tried my best to keep the family and thee party united. I even went to my uncle's house. My mother also tried to speak to uncle. But all went in vain. "And when we realised that everything has gone out of hand, we called a virtual meeting of National Executive and took disciplinary action against them (the rebel MPs)," he said. The LJP National Executive on Tuesday sacked five party MPs, including Paras, from the party for anti-party activities. Chirag Paswan said: "People said they removed me from party President's post and from the post of leader of the LJP in the Lok Sabha. But the way in which they were elected as leader of party is not legal, it is illegal." Citing the party's constitution, he said: "Power of the (parliamentary) board resides with the President of the LJP. Sitting MPs cannot take decision on their own, it has to be taken by the National Executive." He also said that the LJP constitution says that post of party President can be filled only after the existing President dies or resigns wilfully. "My uncle was elected as leader of the party in LS illegally. If my uncle would have spoken to me, I would have given him the post," Chirag Paswan said. About his father and party founder, the late Ram Vilas Paswan, he said: "All of you have seen that on October 8, my father passed away and we had to go to the (Bihar) polls. "It was a tough time for us. Those 40 days I didn't get time to think about my father. But after the elections, I spent time with family," he said. On his decision to go solo in Assembly elections, he said: "We had decided to go solo in Bihar and we fought bravely." He said that the LJP got a major victory. "Earlier, the LJP was called one per cent or two per cent votes party, but this time, we got more than 6 per cent vote share," he said, asserting that the LJP didn't compromise on its principles even after Assembly elections. "After elections and before elections, few people from the party and few people from Janata Dal-United (JD-U) tried to break our party. My father told me, when he was in ICU, about attempts to break the party. He also spoke to my uncle," he said. Chirag Paswan said that this was clear that few people were not ready to struggle and were happy in an alliance. "And if we had to go to NDA alliance, then we have to fall on the feet of Nitish Kumar," he said. He said that he had no faith in Nitish Kumar's seven promises, as they were not enough to fulfill the aspirations of people of Bihar. "And thus I didn't go with NDA. And few people were not happy. My uncle and party MPs were not campaigning for the party in Bihar. The kind of support which was expected was not given," he alleged. He also said that after elections, he spent time with family and also suffered from typhoid. "And when I was unwell, few people backstabbed me. I wrote on March 29 about the loneliness and asked my uncle to speak to me about the party issues but he kept himself away," Chirag said about the letter he wrote to Paras. Asked about the allegations of sexual molestation by a woman party worker against his cousin Prince Raj, who is also one of the rebel MPs, he said: "The matter of the sexual molestation came to me on January this year, if I remember correctly. Then I tried to bring both the parties together to discuss the matter as both had different versions to narrate." The rift in the LJP has been wide open since Monday after five of the LJP's six MPs --Paras, Prince Raj, Mehboob Ali Kaiser, Veena Devi and Chandan Singh rebeled against Chirag Paswan and removed as leader of the party in Lok Sabha. The rebel MPs also removed Chirag Paswan as party President on Tuesday afternoon. The LJP was formed by Ram Vilas Paswan 21 years ago. Geneva, June 16 : US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to meet each other here in a highly anticipated summit. The talks come at a time when both sides describe the ties between the two countries as being at the rock bottom. The summit is expected to cover a wide range of topics, including arms control, sanctions and US allegations of Russian cyber-attacks and election interference, the BBC reported. However, no major breakthroughs are expected, even as there are hopes of finding small areas of agreement. The arrangements for the meeting have been carefully choreographed, with the Russian President due to arrive first at a grand villa overlooking Lake Geneva where the summit is taking place, followed by Biden, the BBC reported. The meeting comes on the tail-end of Biden's first foreign trip as US President, in which he has also attended meetings with G7 and Nato leaders. Going into the summit, Biden has stressed that he has the backing of his Western partners. Biden had said the meeting an important step if they are to ultimately find "stability and predictability" in relations, while Putin told state TV there were "issues where we can work together", the report said. However, Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign affairs adviser, told journalists that there was "not much" ground for optimism. There are hints of possible progress in talks on the fate of US prisoners in Russia, including the former US marine Paul Whelan, convicted of espionage: Moscow has long been pushing for a swap for its own high-profile detainees in America. Though the expectation in terms of concrete deliverables from the discussion but the White House had said that the meeting is better than the alternative, the BBC reported. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 16 : The Congress is going to launch a massive outreach program to reach 12 crore persons in a month to collect data about Covid and Sonia Gandhi will write personal condolence messages to those who lost their kin during the pandemic. In a Statement issued by K.C. Venugopal, General Secretary, Organisation, on Wednesday, the party said, "This outreach program aims to cover approx 3 crore households in 30 days thereby indirectly touching approximately 12 crore people (at an average of 4 members per family). Total expected feet on ground would be 1,51,340 at the peak of the campaign." The Congress will push 10 workers per block and 10 workers per town area and designate them as "Covid Warriors" to collect data and relay the information thus collected through BCCs/DCCs/PCCs to the AICC Control Room/Data Department, thus covering 7,199 Blocks and 7,935 Towns in 736 Districts of the country. Each party worker will visit a minimum of 10 to 15 households per day during the period of 30 days, expectedly covering total of not less than 200 households in 30 days. Carrying a questionnaire with questions like - Was anyone from your family infected by Covid-19; Has any family member died due to Covid-19; Their name and age; Was he/she the bread winner of the family; Has anyone in your family lost his/her job due to Covid-19 lockdown; Any support that they may be needing (ration, job, education, financial support) etc? The teams visiting the families in consultation with PCC will facilitate delivery of government approved medicine kits; will deliver mask/sanitiser; will help in delivery of ration/food for extremely vulnerable families and also help arrange vaccination registration and will coordinate with ambulance service as provided by the INC in affected areas. "Congress President Sonia Gandhi and respective PCC Presidents will also be writing condolence letters to the next of kin of those who passed away due to the pandemic," the statement said. The party seeks to reach out to frontline health workers as also those severely affected by the pandemic with a helping hand. A subsidiary aim is also to gather primary data of Covid affected families, patients and deceased. The Pradesh Congress Committees in states will be setting up a control room at their respective PCC offices. PCCs and District Congress Committees & City Congress Committees (CCCs) will be appointing minimum one point person as a coordinator per Block or Corporation or Ward (relevant administrative area) to monitor activities in his/her Block for the duration of the campaign. An information campaign on Covid through leaflets and SMS services will also be run to create awareness amongst people in general as also for Covid affected families for a period of 30 days. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 16 : Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said, the Centre has denied approval to a committee set up by the Delhi government to probe deaths caused by the lack of oxygen during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and award compensation to the families of the deceased. Addressing a digital press conference, Sisodia said, "The Centre has refused to grant approval for the formation of the committee. The BJP-led Centre only interferes with the work of state governments. Why doesn't it allow the state governments to function?" He said the Delhi government had sent the file seeking approval for the four-member committee to Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal. On June 4, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ruled Delhi government had announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the kin of those Covid-19 patients who died due to lack of oxygen. Sisodia, who is also Delhi finance minister said that a four-member expert committee was formed to look into the deaths due to oxygen shortage during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. And, "If the panel finds deaths happened due to oxygen shortage, Rs 5 lakh compensation will be given to a family of deceased." Sisodia had made this statement on June 4. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Chennai, June 16 : The Madras High Court on Wednesday rejected the anticipatory bail plea moved by former Tamil Nadu Minister and AIADMK leader Manikandan in a case pertaining to a sexual harassment complaint filed by a Malaysia-based woman. A bench of Justice Abdul Quddhose rejected the anticipatory bail plea. The former minister's counsel John Sathyan argued that there is no truth in the allegations raised by the Malayasia-based woman, who also claims to be an actor, that the former minister had sexually harassed her by promising to marry her. He claimed that the complainant had tried several extortion attempts from the former minister and that when she did not succeed in this, she had resorted to police complaints on a false allegation of sexual harassment. However, the advocates appearing for the woman said that the former minister had entered into a sexual relationship with her on the promise of marriage and if the promise is not honoured, the consent given for sex cannot be considered as consent. After hearing both sides, the judge dismissed the anticipatory bail plea. While Manikandan was not available for comment, his lawyer said that they would move the division bench. Mumbai, June 16 : Actor Anupam Kher took to social media on Wednesday to inform that he is headed for his home in Shimla after a gap of two years. The actor is accompanied by his mother Dulari Kher. Kher shared a video where he is seen walking hand in hand with his mother inside Mumbai airport. Asked where she is headed to, Dulari replies in Hindi: "To our home in Shimla." "Taking Mom home in Shimla after two years. She has stayed indoors all this time. Now vaccinated with both jabs. She is excited and ecstatic like a child!! Jai Ho! #DulariRocks #Home #Life #Happy," Kher shared on Instagram. On Tuesday evening, Anupam Kher shared a throwback photograph where he is seen posing in a simple Kurta pajama together with Jackie Shroff and Shah Rukh Khan, who holds a plate of food. "When innocently looking at the camera was a style statement!! Unless you are @apnabhidu!! When a plate of food in the hand was a natural thing. When a plain kurta pajama was the ultimate party dress. With #Jackie and @iamsrk!! From my album of memories! #Friends #Actors #OldPics #Memories," Kher captioned the photo. Washington, June 16 : The US federal government investigators have announced plans to launch a review into how the National Institutes of Health (NIH) manages and monitors its grant programme, which also includes funding to controversial 'gain of function' research at China's Wuhan lab, media reports said. The comprehensive review also coincides with renewed questions over the origin of the Covid-19 virus and the potential role that China's Wuhan Institute of Virology may have played, CNN reported. "We share stakeholders' concerns regarding compliance and oversight of NIH grant funds. We have been monitoring this issue for some time and consider it a high-priority matter that can pose a threat to the integrity of the NIH grant programme," Tesia Williams, the director of communications for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, was quoted as saying on CNN. "Based on our preliminary research and analysis, HHS-OIG (Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General) has decided to conduct an extensive audit reviewing how NIH monitored selected grants and how the grantees and subgrantees used and managed federal funds between years 2014 through 2021," Williams said. Dr Anthony Fauci, who is also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases within the NIH, had confirmed to lawmakers earlier this year that hundreds of thousands of dollars that the NIH had given to the New York-based global nonprofit went to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronaviruses in bats. "About $600,000 was spent over a five-year period," Fauci said during a congressional budget hearing. "That comes to anywhere between $125 (thousand) and $150,000 per year that went to collaboration with Wuhan." Questions have also been raised on NIH's relationship with EcoHealth Alliance, the global nonprofit that helped fund some research at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, to attack Fauci, CNN said. The role of US funding to the gain of function experiments also came under scrutiny after Fauci's emails recently were made public. Peter Daszak, head at EcoHealth Alliance, in an email sent last April thanked Fauci for publicly stating that scientific evidence does not support the lab-leak theory. Daszak praised Fauci calling him "brave" for seeking to debunk the lab leak theory. Roughly 80 per cent of NIH funding goes to supporting research grants, including grants to foreign organisations. According to the work plan on the review, it will look at how these grants are monitored and make sure the recipient's use and management of NIH grant funds is in accordance with federal requirements, CNN said. New Delhi, June 16 : After the Central government's order allowing reopening of monuments for the general public from Wednesday, tourists are enthusiastically thronging historical sites like Qutub Minar and Red Fort in the national capital. Historical buildings, memorial sites and museums protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have opened their doors for tourists and local visitors as the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is slowing receding. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ASI had decided to close historical monuments and sites till June 15 this year. Qutub Minar and Red Fort were sanitised properly before the arrival of tourists. The people will once again be able to visit the fort by booking e-tickets and scan the QR code using the Paytm app. Tourists must follow social distancing norms inside the monument. Thermal screening of tourists would be done before entering the fort. They will be permitted to enter the premises only if their body temperature is normal. Officials working in the Red Fort told IANS that since morning, tourists have started coming, and about 50 tourists have visited the monument so far. Tourists will have to follow the Covid-19 guidelines. All the tourists who have come so far to the fort are residents of Delhi, we have not seen any foreign tourist till now, said officials at the Red Fort. Shahzad, a Delhi resident, said the Red Fort had remained closed for a long time due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the people had been confined to their homes. But when the Covid-infected cases are declining it is a good decision taken by the Central government to open monuments for the people again. By visiting the Red Fort and other famous monuments, people will also experience mental recreation. Archit, a local who visited Qutub Minar in Delhi, said, "I was waiting for Qutub Minar to be opened for people since a very long time. Although there was some problem in booking online tickets due to internet issues, but after some time I was able to book my online tickets. At present, I have visited the Qutub MInar. If there is more time left then I will visit other monuments as well." Minister of State for Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel, had tweeted on Monday saying "The Union Ministry of Culture and Tourism has given approval to duly open all the ASI protected monuments from June 16, 2021. Tourists can visit the monuments following the Covid-19 protocols. Best wishes to everyone." The ASI had earlier ordered closure of all centrally protected monuments from April 16 to May 15. The ASI had again issued an order on May 12 to keep all monuments closed till June 15. Humayun's Tomb, Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan's or Rahim's Tomb and other important historical places in Delhi have been opened for public viewing from Wednesday. The ASI has been ordered to open 3,693 monuments and 50 museums across the country. However, the final decision to open these historical sites will rest with the district administration. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Agartala, June 16 : Speculation that some BJP MLAs and leaders in Tripura may follow the example of BJP national Vice President Mukul Roy who returned to the Trinamool Congress, three senior central leaders arrived in the state on Wednesday and were holding hectic meetings with state leaders. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, however, rubbished any fresh political development in the party in the northeastern state. BJP sources said that national General Secretary, Organisation, B.L. Santosh, General Secretary in-charge of northeast region Ajay Jamwal and central observer Fanindra Nath Sharma arrived in Agartala on Wednesday on a two-day visit for holding meetings with the state leaders, legislators, ministers and other party functionaries. Another central observer Vinod Sonkar was scheduled to come on Wednesday but his tour was cancelled at the last minute. BJP's chief spokesman Subrata Chakraborty said that the Trinamool can revive in Tripura as part of the democratic process but the West Bengal-based party had earlier attempted twice to establish political base there and miserably failed as it has "zero acceptance" in the state. On the other hand, Trinamool's Tripura state President Ashish Singha said that party supremo and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee are eager to revive the party in Tripura and they would soon send some leaders to the state to further strengthen the organisation. Strong speculations about fresh political development in Tripura are rife after Mukul Roy along with his son Subhrangshu Roy rejoined the Trinamool. Roy, before joining the BJP around four years ago, had often visited Tripura to supervise the Trinamool's organisational matters. Under Roy's influence, seven Congress MLAs led by Sudip Roy Barman and a large number of party leaders and workers joined the Trinamool in 2016 and next year, joined the BJP, boosting the political strength of the saffron party. All the seven were elected on BJP tickets in the 2018 polls and among them Roy Barman, Pranajit Singha Roy and Ratan Lal Nath made Ministers and Biswabandhu Sen appointed Deputy Speaker. Roy Barman, son of former Chief Minister and Congress leader Samir Ranjan Barman, became the Health and Family Welfare, Information Technology and Science and Technology Minister, but as sacked in May 2019 following differences of opinion with Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb. At Least 11 BJP legislators and some party leaders led by Roy Barman and fellow MLA and former party Vice President Ram Prasad Paul went to Delhi in October last year to discuss "party affairs in Tripura with the central leadership". Amid dissidence and discontent among a section of BJP leaders and legislators, Chief Minister Deb in December last year announced to take "public mandate" through a public gatherings in Agartala but subsequently with the request of the central and state leaders, the plan was called off. New Delhi, June 16 : With IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slamming Twitter once again, ironically in a series of tweets, leading experts on Wednesday began a debate on whether the micro-blogging platform has actually lost its "legal shield" in the country from prosecution over posts. There is no doubt that India needs to ensure that the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 do not become a mere paper tiger and are effectively implemented. However, can the country stipulate stringent liabilities against social media firms like Twitter for failing to comply with its directions? By virtue of Rule 7 of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines) rules 2021, the moment any intermediary including any significant social media intermediary does not comply with the IT rules, they automatically lose their statutory exemption from legal liability. "Further, they become liable for being punished for various offences under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Indian Penal Code, 1860. In this case, Twitter by not complying with the IT rules 2021 has lost its statutory immunity after the expiry of 90 days from February 25," leading cyberlaw expert Pavan Duggal told IANS. According to him, Twitter no longer has the "suraksha kavach" or statutory exemption from legal liability. "This effectively means that they are liable to be sued in civil and criminal actions across the country and they are liable to defend each one of them for third party data or information made available by them," Duggal added. However, according to non-profit Internet Freedom Foundation, the "intermediary status" is not a registration that is granted by the government. "The present concerns arise from Rule 7 of the IT Rules, but Rule 7 only says that the provisions of Section 79 of the IT Act won't apply to intermediaries that fail to observe the IT Rules," the foundation said in a series of tweets. "The new IT Rules, as per several digital rights organisations, are unconstitutional. In fact, they have been challenged in several state High Courts (like by TM Krishna, a prominent Carnatic music vocalist and cultural critic in Madras HC)," the foundation added. According to Virag Gupta, the lawyer of former RSS ideologue K.N. Govindacharya, who is arguing the social media Designated Officers' matter before the Delhi High Court, there are three aspects of new IT Rules. "However, there is debate only on one aspect of Grievance Officer. Facebook, Google, WhatsApp and other tech giants including Twitter have yet not fully complied with rules related to Nodal Officer and Compliance Officer," Gupta told IANS. Article 14 of the Constitution mandates equality, but the government is "singling out Twitter and not taking action against other social media companies which are not compliant with the law", Gupta argued. According to Minister Prasad, Twitter was given multiple opportunities to comply with the same, but has "deliberately chosen" the path of non-compliance. "In certain scenarios, with the amplification of social media, even a small spark can cause a fire, especially with the menace of fake news. This was one of the objectives of bringing the Intermediary Guidelines," he said in a series of tweets. "Further, what is perplexing is that Twitter fails to address the grievances of users by refusing to set up process as mandated by the law of the land. Additionally, it chooses a policy of flagging manipulated media, only when it suits, its likes and dislikes," the IT Minister added. Twitter was yet to react to the latest tweets by IT Minister. Experts argued that India needs to come up with effective legal provisions stipulating the consequences to be faced by social media companies in case they do not take effective steps to fight the menace of fake news/misinformation on their platforms. The options for the government are now to start legal proceedings against Twitter for third-party data and information. "Further, all affected persons who have been affected by the inactions of the service provider, can sue the service provider, both for legal action and also for criminal liability," said Duggal. Since Twitter, as a service provider, has not complied with the new IT rules, the government can also start initiating action to prevent them from offering their service in "a seamless manner in the Indian context", the experts noted. (Nishant Arora can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 16 : Two-wheeler major Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) on Wednesday launched the luxury touring bike '2021 Gold Wing Tour' in India with a starting price of Rs 37.20 lakh (ex-showroom Gurugram). The new model makes its way to the Indian market through the 'Completely Built-Up' (CBU) route from Japan. The 2021 Gold Wing Tour is being offered in two variants -- Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) with airbag and Manual Transmission. The bike is powered by a 1,833cc liquid-cooled 4-stroke 24-valve SOHC flat-6 engine which produces peak power of 93kW@5,500rpm and peak torque of 170Nm@4,500rpm, the company said. The company opened the bookings on Wednesday and said the deliveries will commence by July. "Since its introduction in 1975, Honda Gold Wing has always represented the ultimate in two-wheeled touring experience," said HMSI Managing Director, President and CEO, Atsushi Ogata. "It is a motorcycle that's been very much on its own journey over the decades, all the while creating an enduring and unrivalled reputation for luxury, quality and comfort. We are proud to add the highly awaited model -- 2021 Gold Wing Tour -- to our premium motorcycle product portfolio in India," Ogata added. -- Syndicated from IANS Kuala Lumpur, June 16 : Malaysia will soon receive a contribution of CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on Wednesday. Hishammuddin said the vaccine doses would greatly assist Malaysia in its efforts to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic. "Malaysia is highly appreciative of the invaluable support extended thus far by the People's Republic of China. Through this recent initiative, Malaysia hopes the close and friendly ties will be further consolidated for the mutual benefits of our two countries," he said in a statement. "This timely contribution will bolster the vaccination process and assist the ongoing rollout of Malaysia's national Covid-19 immunisation programme," he added. In a statement announcing the vaccines' donation, the Chinese embassy in Malaysia said the governments and the peoples of China and Malaysia have stood shoulder to shoulder and extended assistance to each other since the pandemic, Xinhua reported. Malaysia was the first country to sign an intergovernmental cooperation agreement on Covid-19 vaccines and make a reciprocal arrangement for vaccination with China. Both countries have engaged in all-round cooperation in vaccine production, development, trials, procurement, among others, highlighting the two countries' joint efforts to fight against the pandemic, said the embassy. "The donation of vaccine made by China to Malaysia is another testament of the deep friendship between the two countries as a Malay proverb that goes, 'bukit sama didaki, lurah sama dituruni,' which means to climb the hill together and go down the ravine together," said the embassy, adding that China and Malaysia will deepen cooperation to improve health and wellbeing of the two peoples to make contribution to a global community of health for all. The Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine has been used in Malaysia's national immunization program since its National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) granted the vaccine conditional approval in March. Malaysia's leading pharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga is also in partnership with Sinovac to produce locally fill-and-finish vaccine as the first ever human vaccine produced in Malaysia, which in turn is a significant milestone for Malaysia's pharmaceutical industry. Malaysia on Tuesday has also conditionally approved emergency use of the single-dose Covid-19 vaccine developed by Chinese company CanSino Biologics, with the company set to supply Malaysia with finished products and currently working with Malaysian partners over local manufacturing. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Patna, June 16 : After the upheaval in the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Pasupati Kumar Paras reached Bihar capital Patna to participate in the national executive committee meeting he has called on Thursday. A large number of Paras's supporters assembled at the Jai Prakash Narayan airport in Patna on Wednesday with music bands at the airport as well as the LJP office in Patna. A mild clash between Paras and Chirag supporters also took place on the street connecting the airport and the LJP office. The supporters of Chirag showed black flags to the convoy of Paras. They showed black flags at the LJP's office as well. Following the incident, police personnel present at the place intervened. The supporters of Chirag Paswan also chanted slogans of "Paras Murdabad" (Dead) and "Paras Go Back" at the airport as well as the LJP office in Patna. While the supporters of Chirag Paswan painted the nameplates of Paras and Prince Raj with black colour at the LJP office on Tuesday, Paras's supporters cleaned the black paint and also put up hoardings at the LJP office without the photograph of Chirag Paswan on Wednesday. The infighting in the LJP arose after Paras declared himself as leader of the party in Parliament and also gave the names of 5 supporting MPs to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Following the development, Chirag, who claims to be the president of the party, sacked those 5 MPs from its primary membership. Chennai, June 16 : A male lion named 'Pathbanathan (12) died due to Covid-19 at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, popularly known as Vandalur Zoo, here on Wednesday. The Vandalur Zoo management said in a statement that the samples of the lion tested positive for SARS Cov-2, as per the report of the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, communicated on June 3. Since then, the lion was under intensive care. Earlier this month, a nine-year-old lioness named 'Neela' had died because of Covid in the same zoo. After that the in-house veterinary team of the zoo had collected the blood samples, nasal/rectal swabs and faecal samples of 11 lions, which were sent for testing to the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS), and NIHSAD. As per the laboratory test results furnished by the institute, the samples of nine lions out of the 11 sent had tested positive for SARS CoV-2. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New delhi, June 16: India has quietly upped its game in Africa. While pundits have been busy analysing Indias involvement with China, US and other European countries, Indian public sector as well as private sector have been making deep inroads in Africa. So when India became Africas third largest trading partner, the news failed to grab eyeball. "Every Indian company wanting to expand globally is looking at Africa as the land of a new set of opportunities," Chandrajit Banerjee, director general of Confederation of Indian Industry said in an interview. The recent visit of external affairs minister S Jaishankar to Kenya just highlighted the importance India is now attaching to Africa notwithstanding the derailment in engagement between India and the African countries due to the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic. Several Indian companies such as ONGC Videsh, Tata Group, Bharti, Godrej Group, Mahindra & Mahindra, Escorts, Apollo, and Essar among others are already present in Africa. The Economist in a report published in April said "many Zambians, like people in many other developing countries, complain loudly and often about the Chinese firms that are big local investors. India is also a big commercial presence but no one bats an eyelid." "In central Lusaka a brand-new flyover flutters with the green, white and saffron of the Indian flag. Throughout the Zambian capital lorries produced by Tata Motors, part of the steel-to-tech Tata empire, are used for everything from construction to rubbish collection. Signs inside the vehicles instruct drivers in both English and Hindi. The lorries' occupants phone each other over a mobile network run by Bharti Airtel, an Indian telecoms firm," the report said. Africa, rich in natural resources such as minerals, also has 40 per cent of the world's potential hydroelectric power and a large swath of untilled farmland. "Africa's importance will only grow in the coming years and India, which has already expanded its engagements in the continent must continue to do so with a more focused strategy amid the changing global political order," a member of an industry body who deals with Africa told India Narrative. Agriculture is one area of investment that India must look at, said another analyst. According to the Diplomat, Africa, as a continent of increasing importance to both China and India, stands to see another manifestation of this competition. The Diplomat further said that India can compete with China in two ways-by working to enable greater African agency and also pursue its interests, and it can also leverage the long standing and well-integrated diaspora. "This can enable India to chart its own course between the United States, the European Union, and China, in Africa," it said. Africa is home to more than three million people of Indian origin. The Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) that was initiated by India and Japan jointly could now once get much needed fillip. "India and Japan need to now move fast on this. Until now there has been negligible progress on this mega project. The governments of the two countries must get the project started at the earliest," the analyst said. As the geopolitical thrust shifts towards the Indo Pacific and Africa, the Group of Seven nations in it just concluded meeting said that collaboration with the continent will increase. "We resolve to collaborate with partners around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific and Africa, to actively promote these shared values for the good of all," the statement issued at the end of the summit said. (This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/ Chandigarh, June 16 : The Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes on Wednesday summoned Congress' Ludhiana MP Ravneet Bittu for personal hearing on June 22 for allegedly hurting the sentiments of BSP workers. Bittu stirred up a row after he said the 'sacred' seats of Anandpur Sahib and Chamkaur Sahib have been given to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Chairperson Tejinder Kaur said the commission has received a complaint from Pawan Kumar Tinnu against the viral video and news in which Bittu used unparliamentary language. She said the commission has decided to investigate the matter and summoned Bittu to appear personally under section 12(2) of the Punjab State Schedule Castes Commission Act of 2004. Bittu has posted a video on his Facebook page, commenting on the newly forged SAD-BSP alliance. BSP leaders called the comment casteist and held protests across the state. Chennai, June 16 : Arputhammal, mother of AG Perarivalan one of the seven convicts in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at his office in the Secretariat on Wednesday. She told journalists that she thanked the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for having granted parole to Perarivalan on medical grounds. She added that she requested the Chief Minister to continue providing medical treatment to her son in jail. Arputhammal told journalists, "The Tamil Nadu CM was very cordial and he told me that he also shared my sentiments regarding treatment to Perarivalan and said that he would do whatever possible for that." Stalin had written to President Ram Nath Kovind requesting clemency and pardon to all the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Several Tamil political outfits including the DMK's alliance partners MDMK and VCK have been demanding the release of the convicts ever since the front assumed office. The founder-president of Pattali Makkal Katchi(PMK), S. Ramadoss had in a letter on Friday called upon the Chief Minister to request the Tamil Nadu Governor to speed up the petition of clemency by the previous AIADMK government. He had added that it was better to follow up with the Tamil Nadu Governor than raising a fresh petition with the President of India. Actor turned politician Seeman of Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) who has been a vociferous supporter of the Tamil Eelam movement has also called upon the Tamil Nadu government to take necessary steps to get freedom for the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts. Chepauk MLA Udayanidhi Stalin and other senior officials were present during the meeting of Arputhammal with Stalin at his office. New Delhi, June 16 : The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is likely to submit before the Supreme Court on Thursday the assessment system for class 12 students. Senior officials of the CBSE have expressed hope that the evaluation criteria, which has been prepared on the basis of the report of the 12-member committee of experts, may be released this week. The committee was formed to prepare the formula for giving results and marks for class 12 students. The committee consists of 12 persons, including Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Education and senior IAS officer Vipin Kumar. The CBSE had issued a notification in this regard on June 4. While issuing the notification, CBSE's controller of examinations Sanyam Bhardwaj said that there are 12 members in this committee. This committee will decide the basis for promoting the students and preparing their mark sheets. According to the notification issued by Sanyam Bhardwaj, the committee was to prepare its report within 10 days. Now this report was not submitted within 10 days i.e. till June 14, so the evaluation criteria have not been released so far. The government had cancelled the 12th board examinations on June 1 due to the surge in Covid cases. The Supreme Court while welcoming the government's decision had wanted to know the criteria to be applied for evaluation of students. The CBSE wanted four weeks time, but the court said that would delay the process for students looking to study abroad and gave two weeks time. Now the CBSE board has to submit the formula for awarding marks to the students of class 12. Bengaluru, June 16 : Just ahead of BJP's Karnataka in-charge Arun Singhs three-day visit to the southern state, the partys state unit chief Nalin Kumar Kateel said on Wednesday that there is no question of a change in leadership in Karnataka as incumbent Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will be at the helm of affairs till the next Assembly polls scheduled in 2023. Kateel told reporters that Singh is coming to Karnataka (on Wednesday) to discuss with various leaders and legislators the issues concerning each individual, and not about a leadership change in the state. He said that all those who have issues can meet Singh and discuss their cases individually, as the latter will be in the state for the next two days. However, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K.S. Eshwarappa told reporters earlier that he would be lying if he said that there are no problems in Karnataka BJP. "Yes, certainly the ruling party is facing some problems. That is the sole reason why Singh is arriving here for three days. A section in our party wants Yediyurappa to step down, while another section is backing him to the hilt. This is not at all a secret anymore," he said in response to a question. Eshwarappa also said that he has full faith in the BJP's internal mechanism, which is capable of stemming out any sort of rebellion in the party. "Singh's arrival is a sign that the BJP is willing to hear both sides of the case and then take a final call. As the party high command is strong, everyone will fall in line if the directions come from the top," he said. Eshwarappa added that ministers, MLAs and BJP office-bearers will be allowed to meet Singh during his visit. Meanwhile, Minister for Muzrai and Backward Classes Welfare, Kota Srinivas Poojary, also asserted that there is no question of discussing leadership change with Singh. "What is the need for replacing Yediyurappa at this point," he asked. He, however, conceded that the ruling party is facing several issues which need urgent hearing from the party high command. "Like every family, we too are facing problems and these issues need the intervention of the elders. Singh is not coming to the state for the first time. Whenever he visits Karnataka, he comes up with new ideas that the party needs to implement here. So unless I meet him, I won't be able to tell exactly why he is coming," Poojary said in response to a question. Singh is likely to hold a meeting with the state ministers later on Wednesday. On Thursday, he will be meeting Karnataka BJP leaders, before addressing the party's core committee on Friday. On June 11, Singh had ruled out replacing Yediyurappa. Shimla, June 16 : The Himachal Pradesh Police have seized the skin of an adult leopard in Solan town and arrested a person in connection with the case before he could escape from the state, Director General of Police (DGP), Sanjay Kundu, said here on Wednesday. Kundu said the accused was about to reach the inter-state barrier near Parwanoo on Tuesday when he was caught red-handed with the leopard skin concealed in his bag. The officer said that since January this year, the police have arrested 22 persons under various provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They were involved in 16 cases of unlawfully detaining, killing and smuggling of wildlife of different species, including leopards, sambars, cobras and lizards. On June 6, the police had seized three leopard skins, teeth and nails from a shop in New Shimla and arrested three persons in connection with the case. The police had also recovered three leopard skins from Dehra in Kangra district on February 17. In their pursuit of protecting the wildlife, the DGP said the police are keeping continuous vigil and taking strict action against the perpetrators of the crime. Sydney, June 16 : Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan called on his federal government to stop anti-China rhetoric and mend relations with China. "As a country we can and should have a good relationship with our largest trading partner, China," the Australian Financial Review (AFR) quoted him as saying in a Tuesday report. Speaking at an annual Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association conference in Perth, capital of the state, McGowan told about 1,700 delegates that it was time for a national reset of the relationship, the report said. "The federal talk of conflict and trade retaliation can and must stop," McGowan told the country's largest oil and gas conference, Xinhua reported. "It is in our security and economic interest to do so. The LNG industry that exports to China, and knows there are many international competitors, would understand that better than most," he noted, referring to the country's liquefied natural gas exports. McGowan said his state, as Australia's strongest trading state, has put a lot of effort into maintaining "cordial and successful relationships with our investment and trading partners" worldwide. McGowan's remarks were echoed by Kevin Gallagher, chief executive of Santos, Australia's leading energy company, who said all companies wanted stable and cordial relationships with trading partners, according to the AFR report. New Delhi, June 16 : After the demise of Rajeev Satav, the Congress is yet to announce the in-charge for Gujarat while sources say after the bypoll and municipality debacle a change of state president is on the cards. Arjun Modwadia, a former state president, is the frontrunner but Bharat Singh Solanki is also in the fray. Solanki is a former Union Minister and son of former Gujarat Chief Minister Madhav Sinh Solanki and is a strong contender. He was in Delhi to meet former Congress president Rahul Gandhi recently but sources say Rahul Gandhi did not meet him as he was not well. Attempts to reach him did not yield any result. Modwadia hails from Porbandar and was at the helm of the party when Narendra Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat and is a forceful voice against the BJP. Modwadia refused to comment and said, "It is an internal party matter who gets what, the mission is to defeat the BJP in the state." The party has seen defections and it is said that the local state leadership is unable to hold on to the MLAs. The other person whose name is being taken is Shakti Singh Gohil who is a Rajya Sabha MP and in-charge of Delhi but as he is a MP so the chances are less to send him to the state. Young Patidar leader Hardik Patel who is the working president of the party is also being considered but sources in the AICC said that a senior and strong leader who knows the nuances of the state politics will be given charge ahead of the assembly elections. Congress president Sonia Gandhi recently met senior leaders of the party and discussed the leadership issues of the states and a change in the AICC setup. The process of appointing a state president may start after the appointment of a new in-charge. In between Congress' Gujarat Working President Hardik Patel on Monday had accused the BJP of circulating false reports of his joining the AAP in an attempt to malign his image and hide the state government's failure in dealing with the second wave of the Covid pandemic. "The reports from various media quarters that I am going to join the Aam Aadmi Party and become its face for the next elections in Gujarat are quite surprising. These reports are malicious in intent and are being released at the behest of the BJP in order to create confusion among the Congress supporters and the wider Patidar community. The Congress, which posed a tough challenge to the BJP in the last assembly polls was decimated in the 2021 municipality polls as the BJP had swept the state. Surprisingly the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made inroads in Gujarat's urban centres which is a bigger threat to the Congress. The Congress lost all the Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2019 General Elections. Kolkata, June 16 : Soon after West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar met two Central ministers in the national capital on Wednesday, the Trinamool Congress and the CPI(M) accused the Governor of overstepping the limits of his constitutional boundary. Dhankhar, who met Union ministers Pralhad Joshi and Prahlad Singh Patel on Wednesday, is also likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah during his two-day visit to Delhi. Taking to Twitter, Dhankhar said: "Had useful interaction with Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs of India @JoshiPralhad on varied issues." Later in another tweet, the Bengal Governor said: "Had useful deliberations with Union Minister for Culture, Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel on issues pertaining to Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum and Asiatic Society aimed at enhancing the impact of these bodies." Dhankhar, who is expected to Modi and Shah on Thursday, is likely to brief them on the 'deteriorating' law and order situation in Bengal. He had already written a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday, urging her to react to the law and order situation in the state and restore the faith of the people in the state administration and the police in general. The state government, however, had reacted strongly to the letter, alleging that the Governor made the letter public even before it reached the secretariat. Dhankhar's meeting with the Union ministers on Wednesday drew strong criticism from the Trinamool Congress and the CPI(M), which accused the Governor of overstepping his constitutional limits. Speaking to the media, senior Trinamool leader Sougata Roy said, "I don't know what he is doing. He is meeting Central ministers. He is going to places with BJP leaders. He stays in a huge house which he has turned into a party office. He is saying something which he should not have said." "He is supposed to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Banerjee, but he is not doing that. He has nothing to do beyond that. Where is it written in the Constitution that a Governor can do all these things," Roy asked. Left Front Chairman and veteran CPI(M) leader Biman Bose said, "The Governor is overstepping his constitutional limits. He went to some places even in North Bengal and moved with the BJP leaders. I am not saying that he cannot go to any place on his own, but why should he move only with BJP leaders? He is not a BJP man, but his activities are tantamount to that of a BJP person. This cannot happen. We cannot expect this from a Governor." New Delhi, June 16 : At 55, Milind Soman continues to defy the laws of aging. On Wednesday evening, a a Milind posted a video and a picture on Instagram that would give serious complex to guys half his age. The Instagram image and clip capture a shirtless Milind in the mood for fitness therapy. The picture sees him flaunt rippling biceps and chiselled abs. The model-actor looks away from the camera to strike an attitude pose. If anything at all gives away his age, it his carefully trimmed grey-white beard and matching hair. The video sees Milind doing 40 push-ups. He goes non-stop till number 39, looks up at a camera while resting for a couple of seconds and smiles, and then completes the final push-up. Milind reveals his mantra of fitness in the caption. "Never forget the basics. Even when I say I have no time in the entire day to exercise, I can still spare a minute! And most times that's all I need how many in 60secs? No excuses of no time, no space, no equipment, being able to move your own body weight is good enough. Just keep trying to increase the number of push-ups in a minute. It's a good goal to start with, and a great goal to finish with!" he writes along with the image and video clip. Mumbai, June 16 : The new Jubin Nautiyal track "Bedardi se pyaar ka", which is composed by Meet Bros, has hit 43 million views on YouTube within a week of release. Gurmeet Choudhary, who is one of the actors featuring in the music video, is naturally happy. The video of the song, penned by Manoj Muntashir, features Gurmeet alongside Sherine Singh and Kaashish Vohra. "It was a dream team to work with Jubin, Meet Bros and Manoj Muntashir part of it. I have always loved Jubin's songs, they have touched my heart. Fans have loved our combination and have been sharing their appreciation to song from their amazing reels. The song has touched 43 million views in just six days, all credit to (producer) Bhushanj (Kumar) ji," said Gurmeet. The song, which released on June 8 has been shot across locales in Dehradun and Mussoorie. Berlin, June 16 : The German battery market grew 35 per cent to 5.9 billion euros (7.2 billion US dollars) last year, faster than in 2019, the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (ZVEI) said on Wednesday. Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in electric cars and e-bikes, accounted for the largest share of the market at three billion euros, according to the ZVEI. The segment increased by 63 per cent year-on-year, Xinhua reported. "Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the German battery market is on an upward trend," said Christian Eckert, managing director of ZVEI's batteries division, in a statement. The volume of the market for lithium-ion batteries in particular "increased enormously." The market volume for lithium-ion batteries was partly due to the "high growth in imports" of battery cells to Germany, the association noted. Imports of lithium-ion batteries from Asia grew 14 per cent in 2020, with imports from China even increasing 16 per cent. "China is by far the most important battery supplier for Germany from Asia," the ZVEI noted. In total, 1.9 billion euros worth of batteries were imported by Germany from China in 2020. "Almost all of Germany's battery imports come from Asia and Europe," the ZVEI said. Europe accounted for 52 per cent of total imports, and Asia, 46 per cent. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 16 : Automobile manufacturer Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has introduced a new service offering 'Door Delivery of genuine auto parts. According to the company, the new service is an extension of 'Toyota Parts Connect', an outreach programme aimed at assisting customers with the availability and accessibility of genuine auto parts, which was launched in 2015. "The recently launched 'Door Delivery' option will further improve customer convenience and provide a seamless experience to Toyota customers," the company said in a statement. "With the introduction of the option of 'Door Delivery', customers will have the choice to opt for pickup of parts from the dealerships or get it home delivered," it added. Besides, Toyota has increased the range of products under this programme, including car care essentials, engine oil and other categories namely tyre and battery, among others. As per the statement, this service is currently available across 12 cities and will be further expanded to all the cities in the country by the end of 2021. -- Syndicated from IANS New Delhi, June 16 : Actress Alaya F on Wednesday posted a video taking her first shot of the Covid vaccine. In the video, Alaya is scared of the shot to begin with. The nurse and mecidal staff assure her it would be fine and ask her to "just relax". Once the shot is given, Alaya is surprised that she did not feel a thing. As the nurse tells her that the vaccination has been done, she seems pleasantly relieved. "Oh really?! Oh, thank you, that was so great! That wasn't bad at all!" she exclaims. Pooja Bedi's daughter Alaya made a commendable debut in the rom-com "Jawaani Jaaneman" last year. The Nitin Kakkar directorial also starred Saif Ali Khan and Tabu. Earlier this year, the 23-year-old actress was seen in the music video of Goldie Sohel's song "Aaj sajeya". Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Srinagar, June 16 : The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist killed in an encounter in the Wagoora area of Nowgam in Srinagar on Wednesday had refused to surrender and fired indiscriminately at the security forces, drawing retaliation that led to the encounter, officials said. The police said that on the intervening night of June 15-16, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by the Srinagar police, the army and the CRPF after receiving specific information about the presence of a terrorist in the Wagoora area. "After the presence of the terrorist got ascertained, he was given an opportunity to surrender. However, he fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter," the police said. The police said that in the ensuing encounter, one terrorist was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of encounter. He has been identified as Uzair Ashraf Dar, resident of Wandina Melhoora, Shopian. "As per police records, he was part of groups involved in many terror crime cases, including attacks on security forces. He was linked to the proscribed terror outfit LeT," the police said. Arms, ammunition and other incriminating materials were recovered from the site of the encounter. The police said all the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe his complicity in other terror crimes. New Delhi, June 16 : US based 'charity organisations linked to Pakistan had started collecting funds in the name of helping India during the Covid crisis, according to a report. After collecting millions of dollars, few of them came together and sent peanuts in the name of help. All of them claimed the credits so that their donors would think that money was well spent, according to the report by DisinfoLab. "The money collected could go from terror finance to Pakistan army to Islamists to Hamas - apart from the pocket money to the charities," DisinfoLab said in its disclosure. This is what is being called the 'CovidAidScam2021'. While on one hand, there were several stories of individuals and group heroics, there were far bigger vultures who were smelling blood and taking advantage of a colossal humanitarian crisis, the report said. They went on to steal money in the name of 'Help India Breathe', duping hundreds of thousands of well-meaning people who wished to help the needy in India, the document said. Thousands of people who donated funds to some of these organisations would be shocked to learn that not only their contributions did not reach their destination, but they are also likely to be used for far worse activities - ranging from fomenting protests and social disturbances to sponsoring outright terror attacks, it added. Several fund-raisers were set up on April 27 and 28 in the US by Islamist organisations being run from Pakistan, it said. One of the organizations, which was very aggressive in fund collections, was IMANA, which was running an aid campaign on Instagram, and one of the fastest to receive funds. The fund collection was so good that IMANA was also frequently revising its target amount, once the previous one was met. But it was one of the least transparent in terms of providing updates. As per the document, it also turned out that there were not one or two but hundreds of fund collections going on in India to help in Covid times. And there were several platforms being used for these - from social media to dedicated fund-raising platforms. Among the social media platforms, the least transparent was Instagram, which was also one of the most used platforms. Among the fund-raiser platforms, one with maximum number of fund-raisers and with minimum transparency was Launch Good. IMANA - Islamic Medical Association of North America -- is an Illinois-based medical relief organisation that was formerly established as Islamic Medical Association (IMA) in 1967, and was subsequently renamed to IMANA. It was formed by some of the core members of an Islamic organization -- Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). However, unlike several other organisations, IMANA was rather opaque in its recent charity drive during the Covid crisis, and had provided scanty details about the manner it spent crores of rupees that it collected, the report said. IMANA's updates were sketchy while the claims were grand. This seemed rather odd, as most of the charities survive on public relations. And for anyone asking questions, the stock reply was labelling the tag of 'Islamophobia'. (IMANA officially didn't, but a doctor, Aaliya Yakub, who is associated with IMANA, did), the document said. The current chairman of IMANA is Ismail Mehr, who has been the lead of the 'Help India Breathe' project. He is a Pakistan-origin doctor and currently resides in the US. He seems to have a bachelor degree in medicine (Anesthesia). However, there is some confusion about his actual degree. In one of the versions, Ismail Mehr is a 1998 batch medical graduate from the Universidad Iberoamericana in the Dominican Republic. The same information is mentioned in one of the 2013 newsletters of IMANA. But according to the US Physicians' Directory WebMd.com, Mehr had graduated from Mexico. IMANA created buzz last month with its fundraiser. It started the #HelpIndiaBreathe campaign on Instagram on April 27, and set an initial target of Rs 1.8 crore. While seeking help in India, it used a map that would please the Indian audience, while their website has a map endorsed by the Pakistan government. If IMANA were to be neutral, it could have at least used the map several international organisations and the UN use. And as the money poured in from good-hearted people in India and from other parts of the world, IMANA saw an opportunity and kept revising the targets for fund collection (Rs 1.8 crore to Rs 3 crore and then to Rs 5.62 crore). So much so that IMANA managed to raise Rs 8.7 crore against a target of Rs 5.62 crore on Instagram alone, the report said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Panaji, June 16 : Four years after being accused of sabotaging Congress efforts to form a coalition government in Goa in 2017, former Chief Minister and ex-state Congress President Luizinho Faleiro on Wednesday made a sarcastic remark about the claims made then by other Congress leaders about forming a government within 24 hours. "I was told by some of our MLAs that they want to form the government within 24 hours. Many of them were not coming if Luizinho Faleiro was there. So, I told them I will go to Delhi, I had already submitted my resignation, But I will talk to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others and ask them to accept my resignation. They did not accept it," Faleiro told reporters. His comments came a few days ahead of an impending reshuffle in the party's organisational structure, with an eye on the upcoming state Assembly polls, scheduled to be held in February 2022. Even as the term of the ruling dispensation led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is scheduled to come to an end soon, Faleiro said that he is still waiting for the same Congress leaders who had demanded his ouster to form a Congress government in Goa. "I am waiting since 2017 for those 24 hours to get over, so that we form the Congress government in Goa. I have never interfered since 2017 till today," Faleiro said. The Congress was in the driver's seat after the 2017 Assembly polls, emerging as the single largest party. But a critical delay by the Congress leadership to formally stake claim before the Governor as well as quick manoeuvring by the BJP leadership had resulted in the BJP forming a coalition government in the coastal state. Faleiro, who was the state Congress President then, and the then AICC General Secretary in-charge of Goa, Digvijaya Singh, had blamed one another over the lost opportunity to form a government in Goa. When asked if he was in the ring for the post of state Congress chief once again ahead of the polls, Faleiro said: "There are many claimants. Many are interested. They should get an opportunity to become the president. I am not interested. It is up to the party high command to meet everybody and take a decision in the interest of the party and the organisation. The elections are fast approaching. The faster they do, the better it is." Kolkata, June 16 : West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra has asked Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan not to dismantle the Raw Materials Division (RMD) of SAIL - headquartered in Kolkata - because that will not only create unemployment during lockdown but also cut-off the supply line of iron ore to Durgapur and Burnpur Integrated Steel Plants in West Bengal. The finance minister also apprehended that this is a ploy of the BJP after its defeat in the recent Assembly election. In a two-page letter written to Pradhan, Mitra said, "I am shocked to learn from the media that the Raw Materials Division (RMD) of SAIL, headquartered in Kolkata, is being dismantled. This will result in the job loss of scores of contractual employees in the midst of this COVID pandemic, literally putting them in harm's way. And over hundred permanent employees working in RMD, Kolkata will face total destabilization of their families, their spouses and their children, with imminent transfer, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic." "It is even more alarming that with the dismantling of RMD, the iconic Durgapur and Burnpur Integrated Steel Plants in West Bengal would be left with no captive mines, nor would they get supplies of iron ore since the RMD vertical would have been dismantled. Apparently, the 15 Iron Ore mines, Flux Mines and Collieries run by Raw Materials Division of SAIL would now be entirely allocated to Rourkela and Bokaro Steel Plants, where Odisha mines will be allocated to Rourkela and Jharkhand mines will be allocated to Bokaro," he added. Criticising the move, Amit Mitra alleged that this dismantling would make both the plants that generate 14,400 jobs uncompetitive and thus sick. "You are very well aware that the raw material prices like that of 'fines' is Rs 9,500/- a tonne in the open market, while RMD was supplying to Durgapur and Burnpur at a price of Rs 650/- a tonne. Therefore, by throwing Durgapur and Burnpur into the open market, these plants would be rendered uncompetitive. And, over time, these plants would become cost inefficient, unprofitable and unviable," Mitra wrote. "It appears to me that there is a rather devious intent of undermining these two iconic steel plants in Bengal. By dismantling the Raw Materials Division of SAIL headquartered in Kolkata and on top of that, not providing any captive mines to Durgapur and Burnpur, these two massive steel plants, employing 14,400 workers, would soon be in dire straits. I may point out that these plants today are profitable entities having yielded a profit of Rs 1,486 crores," he added. Alleging that this is a BJP ploy after its defeat in the election in West Bengal, Mitra wrote, "I am even more disturbed to hear that when the workers' unions of SAIL met with the top management in Delhi in Ispat Bhavan, they were informally told that the newly appointed chairperson, the first woman chairperson of SAIL, would not be able to do anything about the dismantling of RMD and non-allocation of mines to Durgapur and Burnpur, because the Hon'ble Steel Minister himself is behind this unfortunate strategic decision." "I am deeply apprehensive that these two massive plants in Bengal would either be asset stripped or be sold off in the name of disinvestment, having crippled them through the current policy shift. Incidentally, this move of dismantling RMD headquartered in Kolkata and the resultant negative implications on Durgapur and Burnpur follows in the heels of BJP's recent electoral loss in Bengal," he added. "Since several senior officers of your Ministry sit on the Board of SAIL and have powerful influence on the Board's decisions (due to Central Government owning majority share in SAIL) I sincerely urge you to instruct your officers on the Board to stop SAIL from dismantling RMD and thereby saving the two great iconic and profitable institutions of the Maharatna PSU," he concluded. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Shillong, June 16 : The body of one of the five trapped miners was retrieved from a flooded coal pit in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills on Wednesday, 18 days after they were trapped, officials said. State Disaster Management Authority Executive Director Ibashisha Mawlong said that the first body was retrieved from the 152 metre deep pit by Navy and National Disaster Response Force divers. "The rescuers have spotted three of the five bodies deep inside the bottom of the mine. Their efforts to recover all the five bodies are continuing," Mawlong told IANS over phone. She said that the high water level in the coal mine hindered the rescue operations. Mawlong, who is also Meghalaya's Joint Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, said that rescue operations involving the NDRF are going on since the five workers got trapped inside the coal mine on May 30. "A 13-member Indian Navy team also joined the rescue operation on Sunday with remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and other equipment," she said. According to fire service officials, the vertical depth of water inside the pit is nearly 152 feet. Other rescuers said the depth of the rat hole mine would be more than 500 feet. Following the accident at the mine at Umpleng Elaka Sutnga, East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police, Jagpal Singh Dhanoa, had said these workers got trapped due the sudden rush of water inside the mine after the dynamite blast used to split the coal pit and within no time, the mine was inundated. Of the five miners, four were from Assam while one is from Tripura. Six co-workers managed to save themselves as they were on the outer side of the mine then and have returned to their homes in Assam. Police arrested mine owner, Shining Langstang, and charged him with violation of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order banning unscientific mining and transportation of coal. The 'Sordar' (mine manager and head of the workers) is on the run and a lookout notice has been issued since he had brought the workers from Assam and Tripura to work in the illegal mine. At least six people, who hailed from Assam's Karimganj district, were killed when they were working inside a coal mine in East Jaintia Hills on January 21 this year. The latest incident on May 30 is a grim reminder of the December 2018 tragedy in the same district when 15 migrant miners from Assam died inside in an abandoned coal mine. The 15 miners had been stuck in the coal mine at a depth of nearly 370 feet after a tunnel was flooded with water from the nearby Lytein river. Even their bodies could not be retrieved. In April 2014, the NGT had banned the indiscriminate and hazardous rat hole coal mining in Meghalaya. But mining continued illegally with the authorities turning a blind eye, allege environmental activists in Meghalaya and Assam. Chennai, June 16 : PMK youth wing leader and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss has called upon the Tamil Nadu government to close down all liquor shops in the state after five persons lost their lives in drunken brawls on the day of the reopening of TASMAC shops. Ramadoss said in a tweet on Wednesday that two men in Chennai and three others in other parts of Tamil Nadu were killed following drunken brawls on Monday. He said, "It is now clear that alcohol is the reason for all the murders and in the days to come, it will be proven that alcohol will be the root cause of all increasing incidents of crime." The PMK leader said that alcohol is the root cause of all the problems and demanded that all liquor shops should be shut down in the state for the welfare of its people. The former Union Health Minister said that the state government must forego the revenues earned from the sale of liquor. New Delhi, June 16 : Funds worth tens of crores donated by well-meaning people from world over to help India in times of Covid crisis were stolen, DisinfoLab said in a disclosure. The Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) collected money in the name of Covid crisis in India from all over the world, including from countries where India had sent Covid vaccines, thereby exploiting the goodwill that India and the Indians enjoy around the globe. IMANA remained opaque about everything, from fund collection to its actual deliveries. Its chairman nonetheless seems capable of fluent lie in fluent English, claiming to have robust ground network of 'Hindu and Sikh' friends. (Only he could explain the point of emphasising on religions). He was also in touch with the DRDO and the Indian Ministry of Agriculture for distributing the help, the disclosure said. "However, in terms of delivery, till date they could manage 100-odd concentrators (that too in association with Saiyed Foundation which itself was collecting funds for the same). And in the end, the help was sent to GSWT affiliated Shifa Hospital, whose staff was arrested for illegal activities related to essential medicines during the crisis," it added. The disclosure said that the 'Covid Scam 2021' was not merely a financial fraud. It was a sophisticated operation put in place. This whole farce pulled out by the so-called charity organisations was not merely a financial fraud, but it was a crime against humanity at multiple levels. The sinister designs to target India had been put in place to damage simultaneously from several angles, it said. These include mopping up crucial funds at a critical time which could have saved lives, thereby further perpetuating the crisis, by exploiting the goodwill that India and Indians have acquired world over. The donations and advertisement campaigns further amplified the crisis in India, it said. Despite their criminal agenda, they presented themselves as saviours, creating goodwill in India and abroad for future activities. The funds are likely used for other sinister activities, which in turn are going to target India again, it said. It is worth noting that on April 26, US President Joe Biden had made a public appeal - that India had helped the US in its crisis, and now it was the US' turn to help. And lo and behold, several fund-raisers were set up on April 27 and 28 in the US by Islamist organisations being run from Pakistan, the disclosure said. "This crisis and the scam have provided a window into the design and capabilities these entities have acquired over a period of time to target India. The sheer scale of this exercise is mind-numbing. It is obvious that this machinery has managed to create an eco-system which is self-sustainable from funding to marketing to delivery -- entities having close ties with radical Islamist and terrorist organisations, and being run in cahoots with the Pakistan army -- managing to raise funds in the name of India, exploiting India's hard-earned goodwill," it added. Saiyed Foundation is a Texas-based 501(c)(3) organisation (Company No. 0802185645 & Tax ID 473598514). The foundation was registered in March 2015. However, within three years by 2018, it appears to have become defunct after failing to comply with tax filings, and the current status of it shows as inactive on various corporate registrars (The details were used from Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts), it said . In the last six years of its existence, the foundation has NIL transactions -- zero receipts and zero expenses. It is likely that given no activity for continuously five years, the status of the foundation is shown as inactive. The Saiyed Foundation was inactive and had no social media profiles until the 'Help India Breathe' campaign started on Launch Good on April 28 (where they managed to raise an amount of $38,976). The Facebook page of the foundation was created on April 28 in the name of Salim Saiyed, which was later changed to Saiyed Foundation on the very same day, the disclosure said. Gujarat Sarvajanik Welfare Trust (GSWT) is an Ahmedabad based charitable trust (Registration No. E15454/Ahmedabad), which owns several institutions such as Shama Hostel & Shifa Hospital. Afzal Memon (not to confuse with the one who raised funds) is the managing trustee of GSWT. GSWT had once stated that it was applying for FCRA every year since 2003. But its application has always met with refusal considering its activities against public interest, it said. As per IMANA's social media post updates, the IMANA-Saiyed Foundation's combined help of 100 oxygen concentrators landed at the Shama Hostel, which is a girls' hostel being run by GSWT. As per their claim, these concentrators were to be used at Shifa Hospital, also run by GSWT. Unfortunately, on April 26, the Shifa Hospital was in news for all wrong reasons. During the peak of the Covid crisis, three people, including a staff of Shifa Hospital, were found to have been indulged in the illegal sale of Remdesivir. All of them were arrested following the incident. (To be continued...) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Mumbai, June 16 : Maharashtra's Covid-19 deaths remained in the higher ranges even as new infections also spurted to breach the 10,000 level, though the number of patients cured also increased, health officials said on Wednesday. Against 1,458 deaths declared on Monday, the state now revealed a lower figure of 1,236 fatalities (237 new, and 999 earlier deaths), taking the toll to 115,390. The number of fresh cases increased from 9,350 on Tuesday to 10,107, taking the tally to 59,34,880. In Mumbai, for the 20th consecutive day, the new infections remained below the 1,000 level, but shot up from 572 a day earlier to 821, sending the city tally to 717,172. Deaths dropped from 14 a day earlier to 11, to take total fatalities to 15,227. The number of active cases fell from 138,361 to 136,661, while 10,567 fully cured patients - again more than the number of fresh infections - returned home, taking the total to 56,79,746, while the recovery rate dipped from 95.69 per cent to 95.07 per cent. The Mumbai Circle - comprising Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad districts - recorded a rise in new cases, from 1,971 to 2,330, to take its tally to 15,67,290 and with 56 more deaths, the toll rose to 30,990. Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home isolation stood at 878,781, while those in institutional quarantine was at 5,401. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Visakhapatnam, June 16 : The Andhra Pradesh police on Wednesday morning gunned down six Maoists, three males and three females, in the Teegalametta forest area in Visakhapatnam district. "On (receiving) reliable information on the movement of Maoists in the Teegalametta forest area under the Mampa police station limits in Visakhapatnam district, a combing operation was launched to apprehend the extremists," said a police officer. The exchange of fire between the police and the Maoists took place at around 10 a.m., leading to the death of the six Maoists. The police have identified the slain Maoists as Arjun (DCM), Ashok (DCM), Santu Nachika (ACM), Lalita (PM), Paike (PM), while one female Maoist could not be identified. "Few Maoists with injuries seem to have escaped despite the police appealing to them to surrender assuring best possible medical treatment," the officer said. Visakhapatnam district Superintendent of Police, B. Krishna Rao, also appealed to the Maoists to surrender, promising all benefits as per the existing policy. The encounter occurred under the police station limits of Mampa, surrounding the Koyyuru area, and a search operation is underway. Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP), Gautam Sawang, said that the police had launched combing operations in the area after receiving reliable inputs. The police recovered an AK-47 rifle, a self-loading rifle, one carbine, along with literature, kit bags and explosive materials from the site of the operation. New Delhi, June 16 : The Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) was not the only organisation stealing funds in the name of Covid crisis in India. There were many, as per DisinfoLab documents. It was one-in-a-century crisis, and they knew how much they could milch it. It was also an opportunity to capitalise on India's and Indians' goodwill the world over. And they did capitalise, as per the disclosure. It added that during the last counting, in one fund-raising platform alone (LaunchGood), there were about 66 fund raising campaigns being run in the name of India. The maximum campaigns seem to have been run on LaunchGood, which also happens to be the least transparent platform, as per the report. Some of the major organisations that have collected funds on LaunchGood include ICNA Relief Canada, Human Concern International (Canada), Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD), and Islamic Relief UK. Human Concern International (HCI) is a Canada-based NGO founded. The purpose behind the creation of HCI was to provide humanitarian relief in Afghanistan. However, in the past it was reported to have had links with Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaida. CBS News Canada had reported that Ahmed Said Khadr, the first head of the Pakistan desk of Human Concern International, had links with militant and Mujahideen leaders in Afghanistan. He was also accused of financing the Al Qaida during his tenure. In July 2019, counter-terrorism forces of Pakistan had arrested Ali Nawaz, the head of Human Concern International (Pakistan office) for funding Al Qaeda militants. The involvement in Pakistan goes up to its establishment. Former Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan, Rustam Shah Mohmand, was also accused of financing terrorism during the arrest of Ali Nawaz back in 2019. His association was also present with Human Concern International, as per Pakistani media Dawn. The disclosure said it is not a coincidence that one of the most preferred platforms for siphoning India's money was LaunchGood. Ever since its official launch, the platform has emerged as the Silicon Valley for all the fund-raising NGOs and organisations that serve only one community all over the world. The purpose behind creating this organisation is to serve the Muslim community worldwide via crowdfunding and providing aid, it said. And as per the website, LaunchGood has helped raise over $243.8 million in 149 countries with over 30.5K campaigns since its advent. IMANA is one of the largest Muslim medical healthcare organisations in North America. And while it does maintain a faAade of charity, IMANA's background provides a good insight about the nature and potential utilisation of the Covid aid scam it has carried out in India, it said. IMANA espouses the idea of Islamic Shura Council and Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). It has also worked with 'Justice for All', the disclosure said. Again, like its brainchild IMANA, the Islamic Circle of North America (ISNA) also projects itself as a charity and advocacy organisation, but has strong organic relations with radical Islamists and terror groups, it said. In 2017, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) had audited ISNA's books for two years between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009. It found shocking details. The ISNA-established Jami Mosque was used for terror funding to Relief Organization for Kashmiri Muslims (ROKM), a charitable arm of Jamaat-e-lslami, Pakistan. Subsequent to the findings, CRA revoked the charity status of ISNA for distributing over $280,000 to an organisation, which was linked to terrorist groups in Pakistan, such as Hizbul Mujahideen. ISNA's terror funding networks do not only reach India's neighborhoods, but are spread the world over. ISNA has even been alleged to have financed terror activities of Hamas. In addition, IMANA and ISNA have also been funding the Al-Khidmat Foundation, which apart from being the 'charity wing' of JeI, has also been funding the Hamas. Another organization, Holy Land Foundation, is banned in the US for to its link with Hamas. Its connection is found with ISNA. IMANA provides 'help' to Pakistan through the Al-Mustafa Welfare Trust (AMT), according to the IMANA Care 2020 annual report. The AMT is nothing but part of Pakistan's Milbus 'military capital', that is used for the personal benefit of the Pakistan Army fraternity, especially the officer cadre, but is neither recorded, nor part of the defence budget. (Concluded) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Visakhapatnam, June 16 : Senior YSRCP leader and Rajya Sabha member V. Vijayasai Reddy said on Wednesday that the state government is distributing 24 lakh Oxford English dictionaries to as many government school students to enhance their English skills. "As part of the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme, Oxford English dictionaries are being distributed to 23.59 lakh students in an effort to enhance their English skills," said Reddy. In a major English push, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is promoting the language that is most in demand professionally across the globe to brighten the employment prospects of the students of the southern state. The move is aimed at transforming the communication skills of lakhs of students. Recently, Andhra Pradesh decided to introduce English medium education from the school level to the degree college level. Meanwhile, Vijayasai Reddy mocked Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu and its general secretary Nara Lokesh, asking the education department to handover a copy of the dictionary to them as well. He said four dictionaries should be delivered to Naidu, Lokesh, Devineni Umamaheshwar Rao and party's state president Kinjarapu Atchannaidu. The TDP had vociferously opposed the idea of introducing English education in the state, alleging that the mother tongue Telugu is getting sidelined and disrespected. Ruling YSRCP leaders retaliated to this accusation by quizzing the opposition leaders as to from where their children and grandchildren were pursuing their education, whether from English medium or Telugu medium institutions. According to Vijayasai Reddy, a delegation of 17 senior Telangana officials has appreciated the welfare schemes being implemented in the state. Following a visit to Krishna district to study these schemes, he said the officials are exploring the possibility of implementing programmes such as Nadu-Nedu in neighbouring Telangana. Earlier, a delegation of senior Karnataka officials had also visited the Anantapur district to study the grassroots governance system. Bengaluru, June 17 : Under the Indo-Israel agriculture project, Karnataka would use Israeli technologies to increase horticulture production in the southern state, an official said on Wednesday. "Under the project, three Centres of Excellence (CoE) have been set up to improve and boost production of mangoes at Kolar, pomegranate at Bagalkote and vegetables at Dharwad," said the official. The three centres were virtually unveiled jointly by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi and state Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa here. "The three CoEs in the state are part of 29 such centres in operation in 12 states across the country to use advanced Israeli agro-technology tailored to local conditions," the official said in a statement. The project is being implemented under the government-to-government (G2G) cooperation between the Agriculture Ministry's mission for integrated development of horticulture division and Israel's agency for international development cooperation. "The CoEs will demonstrate best practices and train the growers to choose and adopt the technology that suits them to boost output and double income," said the official. For instance, the CoE at Kolar will generate new varieties of mangoes by adopting best cultivation practices and using Israeli rootstocks, based on commercial hi-tech nursery management. "The centre will define canopy management guidelines to rejuvenate old trees and plant new young orchards. It will also implement drip-irrigation and fertigation systems for optimal water use," said the official. Similarly, the CoE at Bagalkote will introduce irrigation management-based on precision agriculture by satellite imaging, advanced fertigation and beneficial demonstration of super Bhagwa canopy management techniques to improve and increase pomegranate production. Fertigation is the application of specialty fertilisers through drip-irrigation. "The CoE at Dharwad will produce quality seedlings, demonstrate best practices in greenhouse structures with Israeli standards, introduce Israeli vegetable varieties and generate nematode solutions," said the statement. The cooperation between the two countries envisages the setting up Indo-Israel Villages of Excellence (IIVoE) to create a model ecosystem in agriculture in eight states, including Karnataka, and link it with the CoEs at Bagalkote and Kolar. "The IIVoE will establish modern agriculture infrastructure, support farmers with capacity building activities and enhance market linkage to optimise the profitability of farmers," said the statement. Lauding the partnership, Yediyurappa said there is scope for adoption of new technologies in crop production and post-harvest management to boost horticulture production in the state. "The CoEs will help the growers in the state to access Israeli technologies and adopt them to increase production and productivity for doubling their income," said Tomar on the occasion. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, who hails from Dharwad, said the centres would help farmers in getting quality seeds and technologies with automation irrigation and fertigation. Israeli Ambassador to India, Ron Malka, said the partnership would give local farmers a competitive edge in the domestic and overseas markets for exports and for doubling their income. Bengaluru, June 17 : Mocking the internal feud of Karnataka's ruling BJP, the Congress' state unit on Wednesday said that BJP incharge Arun Singh's three-day visit to Bengaluru to hold settlement meetings was to save power in the state instead of serving people in the times of the pandemic. In a three-part tweet in Kannada, the state Congress caustically remarked: "Dear Arun Singh, you are rushing here to hold a 'settlement meeting' (Katte Panchayati) but don't you have the time to address the grievances of people? From the day one of coming to power, this government has been in news for internal strife. Due to internal strife, the ruling party's achievement is zero." The Congress further alleged that the BJP's internal strife has hit a climax at a time when the state was facing serious problems. It charged the ruling party with having no time to think about price rise, unemployment, third wave of Covid, black fungus infection, hardship faced by farmers, economic downturns, but "lots of time for power struggle". The Congress tweets came just hours before arrival of Arun Singh, who is slated to hold a series of meetings with MLAs, party workers and ministers till Friday. These meetings were lined up by the ruling party amidst speculations in some quarters about leadership change in Karnataka, though Singh had been ruling out replacing Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. Dhaka, June 17 : Azharul Islam, the former organising secretary of militant outfit Hefazat-e-Islams Dhaka city chapter, has been arrested from the Jatrabari area in the national capital. Confirming the news with IANS, Iftekharul Islam, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations), Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said that Azharul is accused in several cases, including the May 2013 massacre in Shapla Chattor area of Dhaka. From March 26 to April 4 this year, Hefazat militants led a series of violent protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka. As many as 17 cases in this connection have been filed in Dhaka alone. Srinagar, June 17 : Riding high on the success of ambitious 'Back to Village initiative, J&K government is planning to reach out to 50,000 youth for financial assistance under the next leg of Back to Village program, the details of which would be finalised soon, officials said on Wednesday. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha during his visits to various villages in the third phase of 'Back To Village' program had underscored the need to involve youth in the developmental process to make them financially independent, and job providers instead of job seekers. Taking his vision forward, Jammu and Kashmir Bank advanced more than Rs 340 crore to as many as 19,600 youth from across the UT, against the target of about 8,800 youth. These youth were granted financial assistance, making them not only financially independent but also a source of livelihood to other families. The Lt Governor during a high-level meeting of DDC Chairpersons, Administrative Secretaries, and District Development Commissioners on Wednesday announced that this year, the UT administration should aim to provide financial assistance to 50,000 unemployed youth in order to make them entrepreneur. "Last year, our target was to pick up two unemployed boys and girls from each Panchayat to make them Entrepreneur. The youth of Jammu & Kashmir have immense talent and till date, we have provided this opportunity to more than 19,000 boys and girls. This year our aim should be to reach out to 50,000 youths with all the assistance so that they can become entrepreneurs," the Lt Governor observed." Besides this, 18,000 posts have been advertised by SSB for recruitment in various departments. More posts are being identified. Another significant decision taken by the government is that no work will be taken up by any department without following due procedure of tendering. Avoiding laid down procedures has been found leading to pilferages and quality issues. Tendering process will ensure transparency, accountability, and quality of works. Geneva, June 17 : The Presidents of the US and Russia have praised their talks in Geneva but have made little concrete progress at the first such meeting since 2018. Disagreements were stated, said US President Joe Biden, but not in a hyperbolic way, and he said Russia did not want a new Cold War, the BBC reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Biden was an experienced statesman and the two "spoke the same language". The talks lasted four hours, less time than was scheduled. Biden said that they did not need to spend more time talking and there was now a genuine prospect to improve relations with Russia. The two sides agreed to begin a dialogue on nuclear arms control. They also said that they would return ambassadors to each other's capitals - the envoys were mutually withdrawn for consultations in March, after the US accused Russia of meddling in the 2020 presidential election. However, there was little sign of agreement on other issues, including cyber-security, Ukraine and the fate of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is currently serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence in a penal colony. Biden said that there would be "devastating consequences" for Russia if Navalny died in prison. Before the summit, both sides said relations were at rock bottom. Putin that hinted at a possible deal on exchanging prisoners, saying he believed compromises could be found. On cyber-attacks, Putin brushed away accusations of Russian responsibility, saying that most cyber-attacks in Russia originated from the US. Biden said that he told Putin that critical infrastructure, such as water or energy, must be "off-limits" to hacking or other attacks. The two sides differed sharply on human rights, including the right to protest. Putin dismissed the US concerns about Alexei Navalny, who recently undertook a 24-day hunger strike. He said that Navalny ignored the law and knew that he would face imprisonment when he returned to Russia after having sought medical treatment in Germany. Navalny says he was poisoned with a nerve agent on Putin's orders - an accusation Putin denies. He said that Russia did not want disturbances on its territory comparable to the Capitol riots or the Black Lives Matter movement. Biden dismissed Putin's comments about Black Lives Matter as "ridiculous", and said human rights would "always be on the table". Asked why Russia would want to co-operate with the US, Biden said that it was "in a very, very difficult spot right now". "They are being squeezed by China. They want desperately to remain a major power," he told reporters, shortly before leaving Geneva. Aespire Brand Agency For 25 years, weve built deep connections with leaders and organizations that are invested in creating meaning for their companies and their communities. Brian Sooy, founder and president of Aespire, an Ohio-based branding firm, has announced that the company is celebrating its 25th year of business. According to the company, Aespire has a long, proven history of helping businesses build purpose-driven brands that empower, equip, and enrich peoples lives. 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Their additional businesses include Altered Ego Fonts, a digital type foundry focused on creating typefaces that make words beautiful and books easier to read; My Lasting Legacy, an entity that exclusively supports Community Foundations; Aespire Websites Made Simple, an easy-to-use website builder; and EntreWorship, which offers resources for faith-driven professionals. Brian Sooy was one of the Top 100 Marketing Influencers to Follow in 2020, according to Relevance.com. About Aespire In a world where company values matter to consumers as much as products, many companies struggle to create meaning for their brand and connection with consumers. Aespire helps B2B and B2C businesses build purpose-driven brands that empower, equip, and enrich peoples lives through strategy, design, and the StoryBrand marketing framework. Companies that choose Aespire make smarter marketing decisions, reduce sales costs, and grow their business. For more information, visit Aespire on their website. To request Brian Sooy as a speaker, click here. The growth of the staff that I have and the people that have stuck with me and with the company theres some dedication." - Steve Bidgood Since the government-mandated state-wide closures on non-essential businesses last March, many restaurateurs restructured their entire business models to stay afloat. They built outdoor dining spaces, created take-out menus, installed sanitation stations and fumigation services, among other changes to adhere to Covid-19 restrictions. However, as businesses ease back to normal operations following New Jersey Governor Phil Murphys overturn of all restrictions on May 28th, the battle to survive is not over. Following the shutdowns, Richard Santore, Vice President of Bielat Santore & Company, interviewed restaurateur and partner of the Salt Creek Grill restaurants, Steve Bidgood, in the Restaurant Rap interview series. In the revival series, How Ya Doin?, Bidgood provides updates on how his businesses have weathered post-pandemic. This is my 50th year in the restaurant business, and 2020, even part of 2021, has been the most challenging in my career, said Bidgood reflecting on the last year of the global pandemic. Like other restaurateurs, Bidgood relied primarily on take-out services and outdoor dining at his five restaurants, confessing that it was a challenge to withstand. Last year was the most trying time also for my company, said Bidgood. The New Jersey native co-owns Salt Creek Grille restaurants in Princeton and Rumson, New Jersey, and three locations in California: Dana Point, El Segundo, and Valencia. California and New Jersey were two of the toughest states to do business, said Bidgood. Now that restrictions have loosened for those vaccinated from Covid-19, restaurateurs combat new struggles such as purchasing equipment, enlisting employees, and obtaining produce, meats, and other products. Its an amazing time that we are living through, said Bidgood. Although the lack of staff has become a significant roadblock for restaurant owners as businesses reopen to full capacity, Bidgood is thankful that customers are returning. We have a lot of loyal guests. Its been great because they might have canceled [their engagements] in 2020, but they have rebooked in 2021, said Bidgood, referring to the event spaces at each of his venues. You cant [reserve] a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday [at the Rumson venue for parties] until September. Thats how busy it is! The entrepreneur also revealed his plans to add a sushi bar to the Rumson, New Jersey eatery, similar to the one featured in the Princeton location. Bidgood had some time to consider these additions, admitting that he furloughed himself during the shutdowns. To be honest with you, we furloughed every employee, including myself and my partners, said Bidgood. I really dont think we wouldve survived [otherwise]. He also credited the success of his restaurants to the landlords at each of his locations. Weve been around for a while, so they all worked with us. That helped us quite a bit, said Bidgood. In addition to the Paycheck Protection Program Loans that Bidgood received to alleviate the financial hardships on his businesses, he also applied for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund for further assistance. We have applied for it; we really havent heard of anything, said Bidgood. But theyre going to have to give more. The program provides restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss of up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. I dont want to see it start to happen again and the Governor starts shutting everything down again, said Bidgood. Thats one of my biggest concerns. Hoping for continuous busy weekends like his restaurants experienced over Memorial Day Weekend, Bidgood says finding staff remains his primary conflict. The labor market of getting people to be able to do it, and be able to work, and want to work. That has been my biggest challenge, said Bidgood. On the flip side, Bidgood praised his employees that endured by his side, despite the stressful year. The growth of the staff that I have and the people that have stuck with me and with the company theres some dedication, said Bidgood. To view the full video interview, visit Bielat Santore & Companys website at http://www.123bsc.com and stay tuned for the next video of the How Ya Doin? series. About Bielat Santore & Company Bielat Santore & Company is an established commercial real estate firm. The companys expertise lies chiefly within the restaurant and hospitality industry, specializing in the sale of restaurants and other food and beverage real estate businesses. Since 1978, the principals of Bielat Santore & Company, Barry Bielat and Richard Santore, have sold more restaurants and similar type properties in New Jersey than any other real estate company. Furthermore, the firm has secured in excess of $500,000,000 in financing to facilitate these transactions. Visit the companys website, http://www.123bsc.com for the latest in new listings, property searches, available land, market data, financing trends, RSS feeds, press releases and more. The 112-room Bethany Beach Ocean Suites, Residence Inn, the first and only hotel on the Bethany Beach boardwalk. "At Blue Water, we dont shy away from complicated projects. The stellar performance of the Ocean Suites is just one example of our ongoing persistence and determination to create unique, high-end family-friendly assets in markets with high barriers to entry," Todd Burbage, Blue Water CEO. Blue Water Development, a premier real estate investment and outdoor hospitality management company, recently announced the sale of the only two hotels in the popular East Coast beach community of Bethany Beach, Del. The 112-room Bethany Beach Ocean Suites, Residence Inn by Marriott, and the 100-room Holiday Inn Express Bethany Beach were purchased by a privately-held real estate investment firm. Blue Water built the Bethany Beach Ocean Suites in 2015 as the first, and only, hotel on the resorts boardwalk, and the oceanfront luxury hotel has been the upscale lodging of choice in Delawares Quiet Resorts ever since. Our focus is creating standout accommodations for our guests, and we believed that navigating the complex process of a boardwalk build in one of the most desirable East Coast beach destinations would be well worth the effort and we were right, said Blue Water CEO Todd Burbage. At Blue Water, we dont shy away from complicated projects. The stellar performance of the Ocean Suites is just one example of our ongoing persistence and determination to create unique, high-end family-friendly assets in markets with high barriers to entry. We look forward to pursuing similar opportunities and know that were leaving this special project in good hands. To further serve families and business travelers visiting Bethany Beach and the surrounding Coastal Delaware communities, Blue Water acquired the Holiday Inn Express in 2018. Offering an outdoor pool, fitness center, and ample meeting space, this is the only other hotel in the immediate area and is just two blocks from the beach. Building, owning and operating these hotels along with our numerous water-adjacent properties - has provided us with unique insights on what family beachgoers are looking for in both a destination and an experience, Burbage added. Were excited to apply these insights to new regions throughout the country and work to provide the ultimate vacation experience for all of our camping, glamping and hoteling families. In addition to its existing portfolio of nearly two dozen waterfront or water-adjacent properties, Blue Water is currently developing seven RV resorts and four hotels. The firm specializes in transforming properties to upscale, luxury assets by focusing its portfolio on already-developed properties, with growth potential, in desirable locations near a body of water and/or public park lands. Blue Water also has extensive experience in the entitlement and ground-up construction of resort hotels and RV resorts. Learn more about the Blue Water portfolio of hotels, RV resorts, and attractions at https://bwdc.com/portfolio/. To discuss acquisition or investment opportunities, please contact Carl Kruelle, Chief Investment Officer, at ckruelle@bwdc.com. About Blue Water Development Founded by Jack and Todd Burbage in 2002, Blue Water specializes in investing, developing, and managing RV resorts, campgrounds, hotels, and attractions. Blue Water's integrated approach to marketing, revenue management, and operations has quickly established itself as a hospitality industry leader. With two dozen resort-area properties in East Coast states from Maine to Florida, the Blue Water family is committed to creating elite assets, delivering exceptional guest experiences, and enhancing the communities we serve. To learn more, visit BWDC.com. The British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Centre (BVI IAC), an independent not-for-profit institution serving the demands for dispute resolution in the international business community, today announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement with the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC). According to Francois Lassalle, Chief Executive Officer of the BVI IAC, The Cooperation Agreement provides both institutions with the possibility for holding hearings at the others facilities and encourages knowledge and best practices sharing between HKIAC and BVI IAC. We are excited about our formal collaboration with HKIAC and look forward to continuing to work together in the best interest of the international business community. Sarah Grimmer, Secretary-General of HKIAC said, HKIACs arbitration caseload has consistently included a significant number of entities incorporated in the BVI. We are pleased to cooperate with the BVI IAC through the exchange of knowledge and best practice to support users needs and preferences in this jurisdiction. We look forward to working with our friends at the BVI IAC into the future. The BVI IAC is renowned for offering a quality legal framework and a stable political environment as a British Overseas Territory. Many business executives in emerging industries benefit from resolving disputes in the BVI, because of the flexible rules that govern the region and its openness to trying new ideas and procedures. About BVI IAC: The British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Centre (BVI IAC) was established to meet the rapidly evolving dispute resolution needs of arbitration users worldwide. The Centre meets the demands of the international business community for a neutral, impartial, efficient and reliable dispute resolution institution in the Caribbean, Latin America and at the cross-roads of the Americas. The BVI offers a quality legal framework and a stable political environment as a British Overseas Territory Party to the New York Convention. Users of the BVI IAC arbitration clause benefit from arbitration-friendly legislations that improve ease of business and support. The BVI IAC Panel includes arbitrators from over 40 countries, speaking more than 20 languages, and is one of the most gender-diverse panels in the world. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology and the flexibility to meet the unique requirements of any virtual arbitration, BVI IAC offers world-class facilities for conducting arbitral hearings. For more information, please visit http://www.bviiac.org. About HKIAC: The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) is a company limited by guarantee and a non-profit organisation established under Hong Kong law. It is one of the world's leading dispute resolution organisations and ranked third globally in the Queen Mary, University of London and White & Case 2021 International Arbitration Survey. HKIAC specializes in arbitration, mediation, adjudication and domain name dispute resolution and maintains one of the largest caseloads in the Asia-Pacific region, having handled over 11,000 commercial cases since its establishment in 1985. HKIAC offers tried and tested state-of-the-art facilities and a dedicated support team for physical and virtual hearings. For more information, go to http://www.hkiac.org. Diesel IT and Century partner to bring seamless credit card processing directly into Dynamics. Century Business Solutions is constantly broadening and improving its EBizCharge platform for use with many solutions. We are proud to work with clients and Century Business Solutions to bring these offerings to a broader market. Diesel-IT Century Business Solutions is excited to announce its partnership with Diesel-IT, a software selection and implementation consulting firm, to allow credit card processing directly within Microsoft Dynamics. Century Business Solutions development team has built a payment integration for Microsoft Dynamics that uses Centurys proprietary payment gateway, EBizCharge, to provide credit card processing for thousands of merchants across the country. Centurys credit card integration allows merchants to process credit cards from directly within Microsoft Dynamics. The powerful EBizCharge payment gateway is designed to lower processing fees by submitting line-item details directly to the bank. EBizCharge is fully PCI compliant and offers advanced data encryption and tokenization technology to ensure maximum transaction security within Microsoft Dynamics. EBizCharge is compatible with over 100 leading ERP and accounting systems and major online shopping carts and provides unlimited transaction and batch history for reporting purposes. Century Business Solutions is constantly broadening and improving its EBizCharge platform for use with many solutions. We are proud to work with clients and Century Business Solutions to bring these offerings to a broader market. Diesel-IT With EBizCharge, users can run custom reports, sort through transactions by category, and immediately release funds when issuing refunds. The partnership between Diesel-IT and Century Business Solutions will help streamline workflow, eliminate double data entry, and make payment processing more efficient within Microsoft Dynamics. About Century Business Solutions Century Business Solutions is reinventing the way companies accept credit card payments with their all-in-one payment solution, EBizCharge. EBizCharge is one of the top payment gateway alternatives to its more expensive and inefficient counterparts and is specifically designed to reduce payment processing costs and inefficiencies. EBizCharge integrates seamlessly with over 100+ accounting, ERP, CRM, and shopping cart systems, including QuickBooks, Sage, SAP B1, Microsoft Dynamics, Acumatica, Magento, and WooCommerce. Century is partnered and certified with Microsoft Dynamics, Acumatica, SAP, Oracle, QuickBooks, WooCommerce, Magento, and many more. For more information, visit https://www.centurybizsolutions.net. About Diesel-IT Diesel-IT is a software selection and implementation consulting firm. Along with our partners, our software and services expertise can help you choose the best ERP, CRM, other tools, and implementation team. For more information, visit http://www.diesel-it.com. The ripple effects we will experience here at Chaffey College and throughout the region will be tremendous. We are extremely grateful to Mrs. Scott. Chaffey College has received a generous and historic gift of $25 million from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, she announced on her website Tuesday. Scott, who has given millions in support of higher education and marginalized people, chose Chaffey because of its dedication to equity. Higher education is a proven pathway to opportunity, so we looked for 2- and 4-year institutions successfully educating students who come from communities that have been chronically underserved, she wrote. Chaffey College Superintendent/President Henry Shannon said the college is absolutely overwhelmed by Scotts generosity. Headlines across the country detail the ripple effects that Mrs. Scotts gifts have created in the philanthropic world, Shannon said. The ripple effects we will experience here at Chaffey College and throughout the region will be tremendous. We are extremely grateful to Mrs. Scott. Chaffey is one of 286 organizations receiving $2.7 billion in gifts. The organizations include several community and state colleges. Scott has donated hundreds of millions to higher education including Hispanic-Serving Institutions, historically Black colleges and universities and tribal colleges and universities serving Native Americans. She described these organizations and others she has supported as agents of change. Their service supports and empowers people who go on to support and empower others, Scott said. Chaffey College Governing Board President Gary C. Ovitt credited Shannons leadership in driving equity and educational access initiatives with helping the college capture the attention it needed to gain this unsolicited windfall. Shannon is the 2018 recipient of the Association of Community College Trustees national CEO of the Year award. Chaffey was named a top 10 community college in the nation by the Aspen Institute for Community College Excellence. Chaffey College has seen incredible success under Dr. Shannons leadership, Ovitt said. His influence reaches across local, state and national levels with his service on various academic and government organizations. And his work on our campuses has transformed countless lives. While we are surprised and excited to receive Mrs. Scotts gift, I am not surprised that Dr. Shannon and students, faculty and staff are the catalysts that led to it. The leadership of the Chaffey College Governing Board has also played a critical role in securing the gift. We are fortunate to be surrounded by the visionary leadership of our Governing Board, executive team and campus community, Shannon said. Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett, are part of the Giving Pledge, a campaign dedicated toward encouraging extremely wealthy people to contribute a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes. In the last quarter of 2020 alone, Scott gave $4.1 billion to 384 organizations that could help people suffering from the effects of the pandemic from food banks to legal defense funds dedicated to fighting institutional discrimination. Chaffey College plans to use the gift to support students who are the first in their families to go to college, students of color and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Funding will also support basic needs programs. About Chaffey College Chaffey College, founded in 1883 as a private agriculture school in Ontario, has grown into a nationally-recognized public community college that offers more than 170 degree and certificate programs for students at its three Southern California campuses. Chaffey College is a Hispanic-Serving Institution, with a diverse student body that reflects the diversity of the region. Nathan Wethington, GM of the new division, said, "Over the years, ColonialWebb has established a unique brand in the region while completing the most challenging mission-critical projects. This dedicated focus allows us continued growth while helping ensure long-lasting relationships with clients." With 20 years of experience in advanced technology projects, the new division will dedicate a uniquely trained team to leverage the company's preconstruction and operational expertise. The dedicated business unit will serve enterprise and hyperscale facilities in the region while providing informed decisions throughout the lifecycle of their facilities. ColonialWebb has experience with greenfield enterprise and hyperscale data centers as well as existing building renovations and upfits, white space buildouts, facility expansions, equipment upgrades, specialty system updates, and long-term facility maintenance and service. The regional clout of ColonialWebb combined with its relationship with Comfort Systems USA, provides a financial, operational, and technical competency that is unrivaled in the area. More information on ColonialWebbs new Mission Critical Division is available at colonialwebb.com/mission-critical Cruise Planners, (SVP Scott Koepf), hosts the companys Where2Next Series about Hawaii with representatives from Norwegian Cruise Line, Classic Vacations & the Hawaii Tourism Authority. "Hawaii offers exotic beauty and is a bucket-list trip for many, so we are happy to send clients there in waves now that Americans are traveling again," said Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative. Hawaii is a hot destination for U.S. travelers in 2021, and Cruise Planners celebrated this popular travel spot at its latest Where2Next virtual consumer series with record-breaking attendance. Where2Next: Hawaii, Islands of Paradise offers travelers a look at an exotic escape but still within the US. Hawaii vacations are in high demand and selling quickly. This consumer-facing virtual event featured several ways to see and experience Hawaii through Norwegian Cruise Line, Classic Vacations and the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Our advisors are ready to help their clients book their perfect vacation and our sales data is showing that many consumers are opting for an exotic destination while not leaving the country, and whats better than to travel to a U.S. state composed entirely of islands, said Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative. Hawaii offers exotic beauty and is a bucket-list trip for many, so we are happy to send clients there in waves now that Americans are traveling again. Cruise Planners, award-winning, nation-wide home-based franchise travel agency, created this monthly series of virtual events at the onset of the pandemic in an effort to inspire clients to travel, stay up to date on the latest travel trends and provide yet another hands-free marketing program for its network of advisors. Hawaii is always a popular destination for both cruise and land vacations and the last two weeks, Cruise Planners had its highest weekly volume of Hawaii cruise purchases since the pandemic and 2022 overall departures are trending at more than 40% higher, proving how hot this destination is. How This Hands-Free Program Works For Advisors Cruise Planners Home Office invites clients using their proprietary matching system, SmartSelect, a data mining system to enhance return on investment (ROI) through targeted marketing. To further drive sales, Cruise Planners promoted exclusive, limited-time offers to travelers during the event. Automated follow up marketing is sent through a series of triggered emails sent from their travel advisor with the travel advisors call to action. An important part of being a successful travel advisor is showcasing your agencys expertise in various destinations. Our home office team provides creative marketing and consumer events to help our advisor network showcase the range of products, destinations and vacation options to their clients and prospective clients, Fee said. But, we dont stop there, we push out a 360-degree follow-up campaign to drive leads into our advisors door through video, social media, emails and more. Disaronno Velvet "The New Dolce Vita" & The Busker "Born to be Here" Born to Be Here brings to life our award-winning Irish whiskey The Busker reimagining an entirely new generation of American whiskey drinkers. The New Dolce Vita brings to life the sophisticated and elegant qualities of Disaronno Velvet with a beautiful backdrop of Rome, Italy. Disaronno International USA announced today the launch of two exciting campaigns featuring their newest products, Born to Be Here for The Busker Irish Whiskey and The New Dolce Vita for Disaronno Velvet Cream Liqueur. Both campaigns will run on streaming platforms and social media through July 18th under a $7.3 million advertising spend. Disaronno made the strategic decision to run the commercials entirely on digital and social to reach their target audiences through a bold, multiplatform approach across different touch points. In the calendar year 2021, Disaronno anticipates investing more than $10 million on media campaigns, one of few portfolios who have committed to such a robust marketing spend. The Buskers Born To Be Here campaign presents the new Irish whiskey created with the millennial American whiskey drinker in mind. Launched in 2020, The Busker aims to disrupt the category with their four distinct, award-winning expressions (Single Grain, Single Pot Still, Single Malt and Triple Cask Triple Smooth Blend), with smoother and deeper tasting notes than found in other leading Irish whiskies. The commercial conveys The Buskers proud Irish heritage, while noting the spirit itself is much more American in mindset and flavor profile. With a $4.8 million advertising budget, it is anticipated that the commercial will have 260 million impressions, aimed at urban consumers aged 25-44 years old. The Born to Be Here commercial has a :15 second and :30 second spot. Following up on Disaronnos 2020 The Endless Dolce Vita 2020 global commercial highlighting Disaronno Originale, The New Dolce Vita stars Disaronno Velvet. Elegant yet lighthearted, the commercial showcases a modern, cosmopolitan sensibility that keeps in line with Italys timeless style. The commercial features a sophisticated black and white rooftop terrace setting in Rome, until the final scene which transforms the commercial into full color revealing Disaronnos contemporary all-white bottle design as the new dolce vita once again bringing Disaronnos timeless style and unmistakable flavor into the modern world. Disaronno Velvet was launched in 2020, blending the distinctive flavor of Disaronno with the richness of a velvety cream. With a $2.5 million advertising spend, the commercial is expected to garner 138 million impressions from spirit drinkers around the country. The New Dolce Vita can be viewed here. We are excited to launch in the US our most ambitious media campaigns to date, says Ignacio Llaneza, Vice President of Brand & Trade Marketing for Disaronno International. Each commercial is unique and tells an engaging brand story that will be appealing to our target audience. Born to Be Here brings to life our award-winning Irish whiskey The Busker reimagining an entire new generation of American whiskey drinkers. The New Dolce Vita brings to life the sophisticated and elegant qualities of Disaronno Velvet with a beautiful backdrop of Rome, Italy. We cant wait for American consumers to get acquainted with and enjoy these two great brands. The campaigns come at an exciting time for the Disaronno portfolio, which has had several successful launches since 2020, including The Busker and Disaronno Velvet, along with a revamp of Tia Maria Cold Brew, the launch of Tia Marias Iced Coffee Frappe RTD and Tia Maria Matcha. While other brands have laid dormant riding out the pandemic, we have escalated our innovations and have our eyes set on expanding our audiences in bold and exciting ways, said Llaneza. Both commercials can be viewed on social media channels Instagram and Facebook. The commercials will air in the USA during June and July on YouTube and multiple streaming platforms and networks including NBC, CBS, ABC, Univision, FOX, HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, BET, TBS, USA, CNN, MTV, TNT, Food Network, The Weather Channel, AMC, BBC America, BET, CMT, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Discovery, DIY, E!, Freeform, HGTV, History Channel, ID, IFC, Lifetime, MSNBC, OWN, Oxygen, Reelz, TBS, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, TV Land, USA Network, VH1, Vice and more. DISARONNO Disaronno is the worlds favourite Italian liqueur. Featuring an original taste and unmistakable aroma, Disaronno stands out on the world stage with distribution in more than 160 countries. The Disaronno bottle has a unique design and a cap, which lends elegance and modernity, embellished with a golden label that enhances its contemporary style. Disaronno is a pleasure to enjoy on the rocks as well as in its various mixed drinks, including the new Disaronno Fizz. Recognizable and versatile, it makes every cocktail one-of-a-kind. http://www.disaronno.com https://www.facebook.com/Disaronno https://www.instagram.com/disaronno_official/ The Busker The Busker is a "new to world" Irish Whiskey that is born out of a modern Ireland, where the contemporary and bold meet at the crossroads of tradition. The Busker is produced at the Royal Oak Distillery, in County Carlow, Ireland, located on an 18th century estate in Ireland's Ancient East region. It is the only distillery in Ireland which offers all three classic Irish styles of whiskey - Single Grain, Single Malt, & Single Pot Still, which make The Busker Single Collection. The Busker portfolio also includes The Busker Blend which is a beautiful blend of The Single Collection. The Busker uses different casks during the maturation process of their whiskeys including Bourbon casks, Sherry casks and Marsala casks. http://www.thebusker.com/ http://www.facebook.com/TheBuskerIrishWhiskey http://www.instagram.com/thebusker_official/ Customers in Thousand Oaks, California, can make reservations for the all-new Volkswagen ID.4 SUV at Neftin Volkswagen There is no denying the fact that electric cars are indeed the future of the automotive industry. With several top manufacturers in the world working on the same project, Volkswagen has also come up with its brand new electric vehicle the Volkswagen ID.4 SUV. This new electric vehicle from Volkswagen is available in two trims: ID.4 1st Edition and ID.4 Pro. Customers can now reserve and schedule a test drive for the all-new Volkswagen ID.4 at Neftin Volkswagen in Thousand Oaks, Calif. From clean aerodynamic lines for the exterior to a spacious and comfortable cabin for the interior, the Volkswagen ID.4 has almost everything a next-generation electric vehicle should have. The estimated value for this new electric vehicle is as low as $32,495 (after potential federal tax credit) and the estimated charging time at a public DC fast charger is 60 miles in about 10 minutes. Once customers have reserved and ordered their Volkswagen ID.4, the configuration of their car can be viewed at the Neftin Volkswagen dealership and on the My ID.4 Reservation. All the updates of the ID.4, right from the point it leaves the factory, travels across the ocean to the US and to the point when it physically arrives at the Neftin Volkswagen showroom can be tracked by the customer using this facility. Once the Volkswagen ID.4 is available to be picked up from Neftin Volkswagen, customers will be invited to complete their financing at the dealership. For all other information regarding the build process of the Volkswagen ID.4 and pointers on navigating the EV lifestyle, customers can manage it through the My ID.4 Reservation. For any further information regarding the Volkswagen ID.4, customers are encouraged to visit the Neftin Volkswagen showroom located at 3550 Auto Mall Drive, Thousand Oaks, Calif., 91362. Members of the dealership staff are also available by phone, 855-416-8566, to assist with any further questions. Auto Simple makes it easy for drivers in the Chattanooga area to resell their vehicles Drivers who are planning to sell their car for some immediate cash often fund it to be a tedious task. It is not that easy to find the right deal for a pre-owned vehicle. Having said that, there is some good news for the people around Chattanooga, Tenn., who are looking to sell off their pre-owned cars. Auto Simple in Chattanooga, Tenn., is paying top dollars for pre-owned cars, trucks, vans and SUVs. Payment can be made on the spot with no hidden fees, obligations, or pressure. When customers visit Auto Simple (a Buy Here Pay Here dealership), they will get a free appraisal and an offer would be made the same day itself. Drivers could save a lot of time and effort in waiting for the right buyer and price to trade in their car by walking into Auto Simple. There is no prior appointment that has to be made and customers also have the option to visit either of the other two locations where Auto Simple operates (Cleveland, Tenn. and Dalton, Ga.). Once the customer visits the dealership, one of the appraisers would evaluate the car and make an offer that is valid for seven days. Customers must make sure to carry the following documents when they bring their car: vehicle's title or payoff information, Government-issued photo ID card, all keys and remotes and the valid and current vehicle registration. The benefits of selling a pre-owned car at Auto Simple are: the appraisals are fast and free, they honor their offers for up to seven days and 300 miles, friendly and professional service, they pay top dollar for any car and finally there no obligation to sell it to them. Drivers who are trying to sell off their car near Chattanooga, Tenn., are encouraged to visit the Auto Simple dealership at 6008 Shallowford Road, Chattanooga, Tenn. 37421. Members of the dealership staff are also available by phone, 423-551-3600, to assist with any further queries. Dutch Qualitys Weathered Plank captures the appearance of knots, grooves, and nail holes within the grain during the molding process. Shown: Weathered Plank 4 and 6 Blend in Winesburg. Wood has been a beloved component of design and architecture throughout history, bringing a feeling of comfort and a connection to the natural world. Dutch Quality Stone, an Ohio-based manufacturer of stone veneer products, announces the addition of Weathered Plank 4 and Weathered Plank 6 to its wide selection of traditionally crafted stone styles, colors, and sizes. The appearance of knots, grooves, and nail holes within the grain are precisely captured in the molding process to create remarkable interior accent walls, fireplaces, exterior facades and more. Wood has been a beloved component of design and architecture throughout history, bringing a feeling of comfort and a connection to the natural world. said Sarah Lograsso, Director of Marketing and Product Design for Dutch Quality Stone. The trend of adding organic elements to design and bringing the outdoors into homes continues to grow as designers and consumers look to create a sense of tranquility and coziness. Dutch Quality Stones Weathered Plank profiles mirror the nuances of reclaimed barn wood while offering versatility and ease of installation. TWEET THIS: Two new Weathered Plank profiles from @DutchQuality_ offer new and inspiring possibilities for adding organic warmth and comfort to interior designs. Choose from 4-inch planks, 6-inch planks or combine the sizes to create stylish wood accents. https://dutchqualitystone.com/ Weathered Plank 4 is designed with 4-inch-high planks, while Weather Plank 6 offers 6-inch-high planks. Both planks measure 36 inches in length. Used individually, the profiles create sleek, uniform finishes. When paired, the blend of 4-inch and 6-inch planks may be used in a variety of unique and stylish patterns. Both profiles are available in two color palettes, Winesburg and Industrial Grey. Established by five Amish artisans in 1996, Dutch Quality Stone holds true to its founders legacy of craftmanship. Nearly 80 percent of the company hails from Amish and Mennonite communities, and multiple generations of the same families have contributed their artistry, traditions and values for 25 years. Committed to high quality work, beauty, and value, the company has a reputation for some of the most thoughtfully designed stone veneer products on the market. To learn more about Dutch Quality Stone and its catalogue of products, visit DutchQualityStone.com. About Dutch Quality Stone Created by a tight-knit group of local artisans in Ohio, Dutch Quality Stone manufactures stone veneer products that exemplify the hard work, tempered skills and straightforward solutions that have formed the brands identity since its humble beginnings. Dutch Quality Stone products exhibit all the unique qualities of nature for application in a range of residential and commercial settings. Pride goes in. Proud comes out. For more information, visit DutchQualityStone.com. One out of five parents says that it is hard to concentrate on what the doctor or nurse says when their child is upset. Worlds of Wow, a Texas interior design firm, released a special report, Easing Anxieties in Pediatric Patients. The report brings awareness to the positive impact design has on the wellbeing of pediatric patients. Children begin to become aware of doctor visits around the age of three to six. 89% of parents surveyed said the biggest source of fear for their child involved getting a shot. One out of five parents says that it is hard to concentrate on what the doctor or nurse says when their child is upset. In this special report, Worlds of Wow interviews three pediatric dental practices with playful interior designs. Each unique custom office interior changed dread to delight for the young patients and their parents. The report covers: How a fun environment leads to long-term relationships Causes of anxiety in young patients Tips for accommodating patients with special needs How to create a custom, colorful fun space for young patients Medical offices can be sterile, which can scare and intimidate children. An intentionally designed office can feel welcoming and remove the dread of return visits. Creating a space that makes kids feel excited can make a huge difference in how they take care of their health and their willingness to attend appointments. The report can be downloaded for free at http://www.worldsofwow.com/case-studies/easing-anxiety-in-pediatric-patients. About Worlds of Wow Worlds of Wow, a PlayCore company, is a team of artists, problem solvers, and makers committed to the idea that intentionally designed spaces have the power to build community, connect families, and create opportunities for kids of all abilities to play together. We help our clients better understand their vision, help clarify its purpose, and bring it to life using play, 3D decor, interactive elements, technology, and murals. About PlayCore PlayCore is a purpose-driven company committed to building stronger communities around the world by advancing play and recreation. The company infuses scholarly learning, through its Center for Outreach, Research, and Education, into its comprehensive family of brands. PlayCore combines best-in-class educational programming with the most comprehensive portfolio of play and recreation products and services to create tailored solutions that match the unique needs of each community served. Learn more at playcore.com Media Contact Christina Sebesta 817-897-2100 christina.sebesta@worldsofwow.com SOURCE WORLDS OF WOW Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the lawsuit against Sterling BV, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. The Los Angeles employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a lawsuit against Sterling BV, Inc., alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against Sterling BV, Inc., is currently pending in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. 21STCV17197. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here. According to the lawsuit filed, Sterling BV, Inc. allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, and (f) failed to provide wages when due, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in Labor Code Sections 201, 202, 203, 226, 226.7, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct. The complaint further alleges Sterling BV, Inc. committed acts of unfair competition in violation of the California Unfair Competition Law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 17200, et seq. (the UCL), by engaging in a company-wide policy and procedure which allegedly failed to accurately calculate and record all missed meal and rest periods by PLAINTIFF and other CALIFORNIA CLASS Members. As a result of DEFENDANTs alleged intentional disregard of the obligation to meet this burden, DEFENDANT allegedly failed to properly calculate and/or pay all required compensation for work performed by the members of the CALIFORNIA CLASS and allegedly violated the California Labor Code. For more information about the lawsuit against Sterling BV, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** 511 S Beach Rd, Hobe Sound, FL 33455 We recognize that select properties and clientele require a specialized and nuanced level of expertise...With a culture of exclusivity behind us, our advisors are able to meet those needs in all the markets we serve throughout Florida. Engel & Volkers Florida today announced the record-breaking sale of 511 S Beach Rd, Hobe Sound, FL 33455. The Meierling Group, a husband and wife team consisting of Ken and Kandyce Meierling with Engel & Volkers Jupiter represented the seller in their $26,000,000 sale. The notable transaction set a new local record for price per linear foot on the ocean. Our relationship with the seller began five years ago, said Ken Meierling. Following our record-breaking sale of another property on Jupiter Island for $38 million, we were invited to pitch for the listing of an ocean to intracoastal estate. We went through a multi-month selection process and were one of three finalists. The seller decided to split the property into three parcels and give each finalist one listing. Over the years, we prevailed and ended up the sole broker for the seller. We successfully sold the two Intracoastal properties earlier this year for $13 million, and now closed on the remaining property for $26 million. The property was listed for sale by the Meierlings, on behalf of a European client, at the beginning of 2021 for $28,000,000. The recent $26 million sale set a new local record for price per linear foot on the ocean. While the property is not a vacant piece of land, the buyer will likely tear down the existing structures and rebuild, said Kandyce Meierling. Taking this into consideration, it would be fair to say the property was sold at land value; $100,000 per linear foot on the ocean, which is a new local record. The compound totals 5.32 acres with 262 feet of private, pristine beach. Behind an ornate, two-story iron gate and veil of towering palm trees, lie five renaissance-style buildings which include a main villa, tower apartments, a guest house, a spa and staff quarters. A separate service entrance leads to the staff quarters of seven bedrooms with a six-car garage and motor court. We recognize that select properties and clientele require a specialized and nuanced level of expertise, said Peter Giese, Chief Growth Officer at Engel & Volkers Florida. The Florida real estate market has been in overdrive the past nine months, as a record number of wealthy individuals from across the globe make lifestyle decisions about where they want to live. With a culture of exclusivity behind us, our advisors are able to meet those needs in all the markets we serve throughout Florida. The average value of homes in Jupiter Island is $5,737,201 and prices have risen nearly nine-percent over the past year. 511 S Beach Rd was among the top three most expensive properties available for purchase on Jupiter Island until its recent sale. Press contact: Linzee Werkmeister, Junior Vice President, Marketing & Franchise Support Email: Linzee.Werkmeister(at)evrealestate.com Tel: (239) 348-9000 About Engel & Volkers: Engel & Volkers is a global luxury real estate brand. Founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1977, Engel & Volkers draws on its rich European history to deliver a fresh approach to luxury real estate in the Americas with a focus on creating a personalized client experience at every stage of the home buying or selling process for todays savvy homeowner. Engel & Volkers currently operates approximately 240 shop locations with 5,000 real estate advisors in the Americas, contributing to the brands global network of over 14,000 real estate professionals in more than 30 countries, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services, including real estate and yachting. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and platforms; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. For more information, visit http://www.evrealestate.com. About Engel & Volkers Florida: Engel & Volkers Florida is the Master License Partner of the global luxury real estate brand Engel & Volkers in the state of Florida. Recognized for uniquely recruiting, training and equipping some of the top professionals in the real estate industry, Engel & Volkers Floridas exclusive franchise model positions its license partners at the top of the premium market to gain market share and support their bottom line. The company represents franchise locations in: 30A Beaches, Amelia Island, Belleair, Boca Raton, Bonita Springs-Estero, Cape Coral, Clermont, Delray Beach, Destin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers Downtown, Gainesville, Hollywood Beach, Islamorada, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Jupiter, Madeira Beach, Marco Island, Melbourne Beachside, Melbourne Central, Melbourne Downtown, Miami Coconut Grove, Neptune Beach, Olde Naples, Orlando, Orlando Downtown, Orlando-Winter Park, Palm Beach, Palm Coast, Sarasota, South Tampa, St. Augustine, St. Pete, St. Pete Beach, Stuart, Venice Downtown, Wellington, and Windermere. Engel & Volkers Florida is continuing to strategically strengthen and expand its presence in premium real estate markets across the state of Florida. If you would like to know more about the Engel & Volkers brand or how to join its global networkwhich is known for demonstrating competence, exclusivity and passion, feel free to call our corporate office, located at 633 Tamiami Trl N, Suite 201, Naples, FL 34102 USA. Tel: +1 239-348-9000. For more information about Engel & Volkers Florida, please visit http://www.florida.evrealestate.com GU Oncology Now is excited to officially announce that it has expanded the content available on its collaborative and innovative digital platform for healthcare professionals treating genitourinary diseases, by partnering with the founders of the Uromigos podcasts, Drs. Thomas Powles and Brian Rini. This strategic alliance strengthens our ability to further develop practical, timely and relevant clinical information to practicing physicians treating genitourinary cancer, said Joe Palumbo, CEO of Integrated Medical Communications. Were very appreciative of the time and effort put forth by both our publisher Mashup Media and The Uromigos in solidifying this partnership. We are so proud to be uniting with the Uromigos Podcast program, said JC Landry, President of Mashup Media. The clinical content and educational value this partnership provides is unparalleled. I am confident it will further foster collaboration and innovation with the common goal of increasing education and making impacts in the field of GU oncology. Launched in 2020, The Uromigos podcast has released over 100 episodes featuring a host of topics across GU malignancies. Each podcast features a guest expert from around the world discussing the latest data and clinical news relevant to the practical clinical care of genitourinary oncology patients. The podcast also features breaking news from key medical conference including: the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). We are very excited to be able to further expand our listenership of these podcasts and broadcast to a wider audience through this partnership. By utilizing the GU Oncology Now platform, we expand upon our goal of making a scientific impact and improving patient care said, Dr. Brian Rini. The Uromigos podcast will premier its launch on GU Oncology Now with exclusive coverage from the ASCO 2021 Annual Meeting featuring coverage of abstracts in kidney, bladder, and prostate cancer. About GU Oncology Now GU Oncology Now is a print and digital platform that aims to deliver the latest news in therapeutics, conference coverage, clinical trials, and more. The print journal reaches a circulation of over 14,000, with recipients including medical oncologists, urologists, radiation oncologists, and nuclear medical radiologists who will benefit from the latest news surrounding genitourinary cancer. GU Oncology Now is owned and operated by Integrated Medical Communications (IMC) and published by Mashup Media. IMC is a medical publishing company aimed at providing the latest in healthcare news and published literature to healthcare professional across multiple specialties. IMC promotes excellence through providing news that is fair, balanced, and accurate. IMC collaborates with societies, organizations, thought leaders and experts to develop high level content in both digital and print platforms. To learn more, visit: https://www.integratedmedicalcommunications.com/ About The Uromigos Thomas Powles, MBBS, MRCP, MD is a Clinical Professor of Genitourinary Oncology (HCC) at Barts Cancer Institute, UK. His research largely focuses on bladder and renal cancers. He has contributed immensely to the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors in renal cancer. Currently, he is researching redefining the treatment of patients with relapsed testis cancer, and the mechanisms of resistance to therapy in urology cancer. Follow @tompowles1 Brian Rini, MD, FASCO is the Chief of Clinical Trials at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, where he also serves as an Ingram Professor of Medicine. He previously worked at Cleveland Clinic as director of the Genitourinary Cancer Program. Dr. Rini was the lead investigator of the study that resulted in the Food and Drug Administrations approval of the combination of the targeted therapy axitinib and the immunotherapy pembrolizumab. Dr. Rini also served as immediate past Chair of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) to FDA. Follow @brian_rini Visit the full list of Uromigos podcasts: https://www.docwirenews.com/uromigos/ Set to include a combination of residential and commercial spaces, The Heritage at Acworth aims to further contribute to the vibrancy and revitalization of historic downtown Acworth. The goal is to provide quality living spaces that are easily walkable to many of the town's shops and restaurants, combined with a range of commercial and retail opportunities. "My team and I are excited to be a part of this incredible project," said John Wieland, President and CEO of JW Collection. "Downtown Acworth is an area that boasts a rich history, quaint shops and boutiques, and an energetic presence. I look forward to partnering with this amazing city to further add to its growing future." Built by award-winning builder John Wieland, residential opportunities will range from 2,100 sq. ft. townhomes to 3,900 sq. ft. elevator-served homes in this mixed-use building. A shared green space in the center of the development will serve as a gathering area for residents to relax. About JW Collection For more than half a century, John Wieland's name has been synonymous with excellence in community design and homebuilding. The JW Collection is the legacy business of John Wieland and represents his 50-year commitment to building better homes, a promise he has kept for more than 30,000 homeowners. The JW Collection attracts leading architects, interior designers, foremen, and tradesmen. The team is inspired by John's solid history and is driven by its collective vision to continue to push the envelope for excellence in design, construction, and customer service. Visit http://www.jwcollectionhomes.com for more information. Laynes Chicken Fingers, the fan-favorite chicken franchise out of Texas, is now open in Katy. Located at 23703 Cinco Ranch Blvd Suite A, the new restaurant is giving Katy residents a chance to find out what has made Laynes an iconic name in Texas. (Hint: chicken fingers dont get much crispier than these.) Masroor Fatany is a Houston-native and seasoned restaurateur, who owns and operates multiple Halal Guys in the Houston area, but he just couldnt shake the love for his college staple from when he attended Texas A&M in College Station, Laynes Chicken Fingers. After experiencing massive success with Halal Guys, he decided it was finally time for him to bring Laynes to Houston as the brands first franchisee. Fatany plans to open five locations of the Aggie favorite in the Houston Area over the next few years. Ive been looking for another concept for some time, but I wanted to find a brand that I really enjoyed, Fatany said. The menu was simple. That was important. And then there was the connection to my alma mater in College Station, so I knew Laynes would have that built-in following. Everyone at A&M knows Laynes. It's just good food at a great price. I mean, who doesnt want that. The menu features irresistible twists on classic fried chicken fare, including a three-finger chicken sandwich served on Texas toast, a fried chicken club sandwich with bacon and cheese and of course, chicken fingers served with insanely addictive sauces like buttermilk ranch, honey mustard, BBQ and Laynes a tangy, zesty in-house creation that has become a go-to among loyal customers. Laynes new Katy location is the latest addition to the fast-growing franchise brands roster of thriving restaurants, including eight in their home state of Texas. We couldnt be more thrilled to have Masroor as the first Laynes franchisee, and not just because hes an Aggie, said Garrett Reed, CEO of Laynes. He understands our vision, our values and is a skilled multi-unit operator. Best of all, he shares the same passion we have and believes the skys the limit for Laynes. The franchise has plans to reach 100 units in markets across the country within the next four years and is actively recruiting franchisees who want to join the growing brand. Top markets for development include Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico and Florida. ABOUT LAYNES CHICKEN FINGERS Founded in 1994 in College Station, the original location became a Texas A&M legend known for its small-town charm, friendly service, iconic chicken fingers and secret sauce. While opening corporate locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the leadership team focused on fine tuning its operations and starting to franchise. Now, the company is planning to bring Laynes Soon to be Famous Chicken Fingers to the rest of the world with plans to open 100 locations in the next four years. A $500 rebate is available for eligible U.S. military personnel at Lexington Toyota for purchase or lease of select Toyota vehicles To honor the sacrifices made by our brave soldiers at the frontline, Lexington Toyota in Lexington, Mass., has come up with a Military Rebate Program. Eligible U.S. military personnel are offered a $500 rebate toward the purchase or lease of any new Toyota vehicle, dated from June 2nd, 2021 to July 6th, 2021, through Lexington Toyota and Toyota Financial Services. The Military Rebate Program is also offered to the household members of eligible U.S. military personnel, including Gold Star families. The Military Rebate Program is made available to i) U.S. military personnel, ii) U.S. military retirees, iii) U.S. military veterans (within 2 years of discharge) and iv) Household members of eligible U.S. military personnel (including Gold Star families). To ensure eligibility for the rebate program, the following criteria have to be met: i) Submit verifiable proof of military status or active service at the time of purchase/lease (Leave and Earning Statement or Military ID card or DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), ii) Receive a qualifying salary, and iii) Receive credit approval by Toyota Financial Services through a Lexington Toyota. On the lease contracts, the rebate must be applied toward the amount due at lease signing or toward the capitalized cost reduction. Also note that the Military Rebate Program cannot be combined with the College Graduate Rebate Program, the iFi Program, and the Lease-End Refi Program. For any further information, drivers are encouraged to visit the Lexington Toyota showroom located at 409 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, Mass. 02420. Drivers could also reach out to the dealership staff at 781-325-8558 to get help with any additional queries. We need to be more prepared for the next virus Targeting the greatest vulnerability to COVID-19 infection, stagnant air in enclosed spaces, LifeWings Peak Performance and KFI Engineers today unveiled an initiative that promises to dramatically increase the safety of students and staff as they return to full-time, in-person instruction statewide. This alliance, built on world-class medical and engineering expertise, aims to revamp schools, government properties, and other buildings to create healthier breathing environments. Life Wings and KFI will discuss their "2021 Improved Air Initiative" in a June 24 CSBA webinar https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7707874893809932560?source=Lifewings and explain what it means for school sites and other public buildings as government agencies seek to return to something approaching normalcy. Attendees, including the target audience of school board members, superintendents, facilities chiefs, and other education leaders, will learn how to improve indoor air quality and reduce hazards associated with coronavirus and other highly infectious respiratory diseases. "We must start designing buildings and their systems with optimal risk reduction in mind as opposed to just hitting federal regulatory targets. Targets that often fall short of what is needed while offering a false sense of comfort," said session panel member Dr. Mark Weir, an engineering and environmental researcher, microbial risk modeler, and faculty member at The Ohio State University. We need to be more prepared for the next virus and the next run of respiratory illnesses because they're coming, Weir continued. We have to understand building environments must be properly retrofitted for optimal air quality. Dr. Scott Altman, a LifeWings consultant from the Chicago area and a session speaker, noted, You can't trust fate. You need to bring hard-core science to the LEA discussion, and now we can say that while there arent solutions that can eliminate risk, we can greatly mitigate the risk of the virus spread indoors. "Part of the process is providing recommendations and implementing what needs updating to improve air quality, said KFI Engineers Principal Randy Christenson. The tools available include increasing the filtration efficiency and reviewing outside air ventilation and existing indoor airflows. KFI also turns to use new technology such as UV technology and humidity adjustments to improve indoor air. "This pandemic isn't going away completely," Christenson said. "There is a potential to be re-infected, new virus strains, and whatever the next virus is out there. Since the pandemic began, KFI Engineers have provided hundreds of building assessments to schools, colleges, hospitals, correctional facilities, and other public facilities on ways to improve air quality levels for indoor spaces so occupancy can resume sooner rather than later. Specifically, KFI handles interior improvements from start to finish: testing the air, assessing and making the needed upgrades, followed by air quality monitoring that identifies any required adjustments. "There continue to be the parents, students, administrators, and teachers who are concerned about safety," said LifeWings Senior Vice President Richard Doss. "The science has told us that you must have a comprehensive view of your building, its geometry, the airflow, air distribution systems, and student and staff movements. Our team is dedicated to bringing this knowledge to California's K-12 schools so they can deploy it in service of students, families, and staff. About LifeWings Peak Performance: LifeWings Peak Performance LLC, based in Minneapolis with additional offices in Miami, comprises an exceptional team of physicians, nurses, pilots, engineers, and healthcare executives. It relies on commercial and military aviation and cutting-edge manufacturing methodologies to assist healthcare organizations in creating safe, efficient, and high-performing hospitals and clinics. Our team has more than 400 years of combined experience designing and implementing high-reliability communication, operations, and facility systems for hospitals, clinics, schools, and insurance carriers. For more information, visit https://www.LifeWingsPP.com/. About KFI Engineers: KFI Engineers of Roseville, Minn., is an industry leader in process and facility infrastructure design and performance. We serve clients throughout the United States, Canada, and Central America, with capabilities not commonly found in traditional engineering firms. Managing projects end to end gives us a deep understanding of our work's engineering and business side. From identifying obstacles early to designing systems that make sense for your business, we drive projects to successful completion for you. We created Minnesota's first LEED-certified workplace and continue to refine upon that accomplishment. Our clients enjoy fresh ideas that work based on real-life experience. We have operations in Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, and North Dakota, with a team of more than 150 professionals. For more information, visit https://www.kfi-eng.com/. About CBSA The California School Boards Association is the nonprofit education association representing the elected officials who govern the states public school districts and county offices of education. With a membership of nearly 1,000 educational agencies statewide, CSBA brings together school governing boards and administrators from districts and county offices of education to advocate for effective policies that advance the education and well-being of the state's more than 6 million school-age children. A membership-driven association, CSBA provides policy resources and training to members and represents the statewide interests of public education through legal, political, legislative, community, and media advocacy. Visit CSBA.org Lightbridge Academy, one of the nations leading providers of educational child care, is accelerating its already rapid expansion in markets across the U.S. The franchise has announced plans to expand its system from 57 to more than 150 locations by 2026. The expansion will make Lightbridge Academys innovative early education program accessible to even more families around the country. More importantly, it will also provide trusted and nurturing learning environments for young children as families navigate the post-COVID world. A New Investment Partner and Elevated Leadership The catalyst for this accelerated growth plan is an infusion of capital from investment partners Westerly Group (Westerly) & Elmsley Capital (Elmsley). Unlike traditional private equity investors, who invest from funds with limited holding periods, Westerly & Elmsley invest on behalf of a small handful of families without a requirement to sell. This permanent capital makes them the ideal partners for Lightbridge Academy, whose core commitment to providing a high quality of care and early education in a safe and trusted environment has played a critical role in the lives of thousands of families for the past 24 years. This shift will combine Lightbridge Franchise Company with Jule Holdings, the owner of the corporately-operated child care centers, under a new company Lightbridge Holdings Group. In tandem with the Westerly & Elmsley investment, Lightbridge Academys President Gigi Schweikert has been promoted to CEO of Lightbridge Holdings Group. Since joining Lightbridge Franchise Company in 2015, Schweikert has served as COO and most recently as President. Founder Guy Falzarano will continue in his role of Chairman for the combined company, providing strategic oversight alongside the Board of Directors. Since joining the company in 2015, Gigi has proven herself to be an inspirational leader and effective integrator, Falzarano said. I have complete confidence in her ability to lead this company through our next phase of development. Whats Staying the Same: Core Values Since its founding in 1997, through several recessions to a pandemic and onto todays springboard to national prominence, Lightbridge Academy has remained steadfast in its mission to be The Solution for Working Parents. At the bedrock of this mission are the brands core values, which include the Lightbridge Academy Circle of Care philosophy that draws parents, children, franchise owners, staff members and entire communities together to support and enrich the health, well-being and education of children. Westerly & Elmsley are investing behind those values and are well-suited to advance the Lightbridge mission. Westerly & Elmsley share our vision and values, and it is clear that they are committed to our long-term success, Falzarano said. They place tremendous value on the business model and culture we have created, and they want us to keep doing everything weve been doing to continue to grow and thrive. Improving Real Estate for Franchise Owners Westerly & Elmsleys deep expertise in real estate development will provide the perfect complement to Lightbridge Academys successful franchise opportunity, allowing the brand to provide full service real estate solutions for new franchise owners. Historically, its been incumbent on our prospective franchisees to locate, negotiate and lease or purchase commercial property for their center location, Schweikert said. In the future, we will offer turnkey franchise opportunities that include fully developed sites. This means we will be able to speed up the opening process and offer even better real estate options for future franchise owners. A Pandemic-Proof Model and Historic Growth Despite the widespread and unpredictable challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lightbridge Academy enjoyed historic growth in 2020 opening ten new centers. It is leveraging that success for additional expansion in the coming years. Our goal is to have over 150 centers open by 2026, Falzarano said. We will open new markets to achieve our accelerated growth plan as we expand outside of our core presence in the Mid-Atlantic region. I am heartened by the fact that every time we open a new center, we help people fulfill their dreams of becoming a business owner, offer jobs to those living in that community and most importantly, support working parents by providing their children with the highest level of care and quality early education programs. According to Westerly founder Ross Brendel, Lightbridge Academy has successfully navigated the past year and positioned the brand to grow as a prominent leader in the child care industry. From our first meeting with Guy and the team amid the tumultuous year that was 2020, we were incredibly impressed by the depth of talent, the resilience of the Lightbridge Academys centers, and the care taken to preserve Lightbridge Academys brand and core values. We are excited to back Guy, Gigi and the entire team as they continue to provide best-in-class services and innovation in early childhood education, added Brian Burke, Managing Partner of Elmsley. We feel very fortunate to work with the talented team at Lightbridge and assist with their mission to deliver high quality education and child care to families everywhere. About Lightbridge Academy: Established in 1997, the company was founded as a family business based on core values and a Circle of Care philosophy that places equal importance on the needs of children, their families, teachers, center owners and the community. Lightbridge Academy provides quality early education and child care programs to children aged six weeks through kindergarten. The company currently has over 100 child care centers either open or in development throughout Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. In response to COVID-19, Lightbridge Academy launched The Lightbridge Promise as the Gold Standard for health & safety in the child care industry. In 2020, the company was featured on the Inc. 5000 ranking, Franchise Times Top 200+ awards, and Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 and most recently, was recognized on Newsweeks 2021 list of Americas Best Customer Service. ### We are very excited about this collaborative interdisciplinary conference that brings together thought leaders from health policy and clinical practice to discuss the care needs of America's largest patient population - those living with pain and multiple chronic conditions, says Dr. Kuebler. This interdisciplinary conference offers over 10 continuing education credits for medicine, nursing, physician assistant, physical therapist, pharmacist, chiropractor, social worker, and attorney. This conference brings health policy and clinical practice thought leaders together to discuss the largest American patient populations: Those with pain and multiple chronic conditions. Sponsored by Ortho Sport and Spine Physicians, national leaders in spine and orthopedic practice. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Arlene Bierman MD, MD Director Center for Evidence & Practice Improvement at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. She oversees 5 agencies: The Evidence-Based Practice Center Program; the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Program; the Division of Decision Science and Patient Engagement; the Division of Health Information Technology; and the Division of Practice Improvement, as well as the National Center for Excellence in Primary Care Research. Register Now for Early-Bird Pricing https://www.multiplechronicconditions.org/trends-in-policy-and-practice-making-a-difference At Natreve, we dont just talk about sustainability, we are leading the way as the worlds first Plastic Neutral and Carbon Neutral wellness company." said Roland Radu, CEO, Natreve. The 2021 Mindful Awards Program announced today that Natreve, the Worlds first Plastic and Carbon Neutral wellness company, has been selected as the Overall Supplement Product of the Year. The Mindful Awards is an independent recognition platform highlighting conscious companies and products that mindfully make waves in the ever-expanding world of consumer-packaged goods. Natreve delivers a fresh, modern approach to premium wellness, with innovative products and a strong global community that prioritizes diversity, equality, and acceptance. The company is committed to reducing plastic from reaching the worlds oceans, creating economic value and empowerment in impoverished countries, and becoming the most sustainable wellness company in the world. Through a partnership with Plastic Bank, it has helped remove 28 million pounds of plastic from the worlds oceans, nearly 650 million water bottles. Plastic collectors in underserved communities around the world receive a premium for materials collected, helping provide basic family necessities such as groceries, tuition, and health insurance. We are honored to accept the award for Overall Supplement Product of the Year from the 2021 Mindful Awards, said Roland Radu, CEO, Natreve. At Natreve, we dont just talk about sustainability, we are leading the way as the worlds first Plastic Neutral and Carbon Neutral wellness company. This award helps highlight to the world that you can deliver best-in-class products and services with a commitment to sustainability and economic empowerment. The mission of the Mindful Awards program is to honor conscious companies and products that do whats right for people and the planet. Recognizing the best in transparent, fair, natural, organic, sustainable, healthy and delicious products. This years program attracted more than 1,500 nominations from companies all over the world. All nominations are evaluated by an independent panel of experts within the consumer-packaged goods industry, with the winning products and companies selected based on a variety of criteria, ranging from brand principles, environmental impact, health, taste and transparency. Natreve sets itself apart in the industry with a commitment to reducing carbon emissions and ocean waste, investing in impoverished communities on a global scale, and in delivering life-changing wellness products to its community, said Travis Grant, Managing Director, Mindful Awards. They represent the values the Mindful Awards program was created to honor, and we are excited to help share their mission with the world. #### About Natreve Natreve is a premium wellness company delivering innovative products with a commitment to reducing plastic from reaching our oceans, creating economic value and empowerment in impoverished countries, and becoming the most sustainable wellness company in the world. About Mindful Awards The Mindful Awards organization is devoted to honoring mindful companies in the consumer-packaged goods industry that are setting the foundation for our future. The Mindful Awards are devoted to providing a forum for public recognition around the achievements in categories Food, Beverage, Snacks and Supplements. Mindful Awards goal is to further expand recognition of mindful companies. For more information visit MindfulAwards.com. Paying a ransom demand does not guarantee a successful recovery, does not prevent the attackers from hitting the victim organization again, and in the end only exacerbates the problem by encouraging more attacks," said Lior Div, CEO and Co-founder, Cybereason. Cybereason, the leader in future-ready attack protection, today released research findings from a global ransomware study of nearly 1,300 security professionals that reveals more than half of organizations have been the victim of a ransomware attack, and that 80 percent of businesses that chose to pay a ransom demand suffered a second ransomware attack, often at the hands of the same threat actor group. The report, titled Ransomware: The True Cost to Business, also divulged that of the organizations who opted to pay a ransom demand in order to regain access to their encrypted systems, 46 percent reported that some or all of the data was corrupted during the recovery process. These findings underscore why it does not pay to pay ransomware attackers, and that organizations should focus on early detection and prevention strategies to end ransomware attacks at the earliest stages before critical systems and data are put in jeopardy. Key findings in the research include: Loss of Business Revenue: 66 percent of organizations reported significant loss of revenue following a ransomware attack Ransom Demands Increasing: 35 percent of businesses that paid a ransom demand shelled out between $350,000-$1.4 million, while 7 percent paid ransoms exceeding $1.4 million Brand and Reputation Damage: 53 percent of organizations indicated that their brand and reputation were damaged as a result of a successful attack C-Level Talent Loss: 32 percent of organizations reported losing C-Level talent as a direct result of ransomware attacks Employee Layoffs: 29 percent reported being forced to layoff employees due to financial pressures following a ransomware attack Business Closures: A startling 26 percent of organizations reported that a ransomware attack forced the business to close down operations for some period of time Other key findings included in the full report reveal the extent to which losses to the business may be covered by cyber insurance, how prepared organizations are to address ransomware threats to the business with regard to adequate security policies and staffing, and more granular information on the impact of ransomware attacks by region, company size and industry vertical. In addition, the report provides actionable data on the types of security solutions organizations had in place prior to an attack, as well as which solutions were most often implemented by organizations after they experienced a ransomware attack. Ransomware attacks are a major concern for organizations across the globe, often causing massive business disruptions including the loss of income and valuable human resources as a direct result. In the case of the recent Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, disruptions were felt up and down the East Coast of the United States and negatively impacted other businesses who are dependent on Colonials operations, said Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Cybereason, Lior Div. Paying a ransom demand does not guarantee a successful recovery, does not prevent the attackers from hitting the victim organization again, and in the end only exacerbates the problem by encouraging more attacks. Getting in front of the threat by adopting a prevention-first strategy for early detection will allow organizations to stop disruptive ransomware before they can hurt the business. The full report can be found here: Ransomware: The True Cost to Business. Cybereason is dedicated to teaming with defenders to end ransomware attacks on the endpoint, across enterprise, to everywhere the battle is taking place. Learn more about ransomware defense here or schedule a demo today to learn how your organization can benefit from an operation-centric approach to security. Survey Methodology The research was conducted by Censuswide in April of 2021 on behalf of Cybereason. 1,263 cybersecurity professionals took part in the surveywith participants from the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, United Arab Emirates, and Singapore. Major industry verticals covered in the research include the Technology, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Retail, Healthcare, Automotive, Legal and Government sectors. About Cybereason Cybereason is the champion for todays cyber defenders providing future-ready attack protection that unifies security from the endpoint, to the enterprise, to everywhere the battle moves. The Cybereason Defense Platform combines the industrys top-rated detection and response (EDR and XDR), next-gen anti-virus (NGAV), and proactive threat hunting to deliver context-rich analysis of every element of a Malop (malicious operation). The result: defenders can end cyber attacks from endpoints to everywhere. Cybereason is a privately held, international company headquartered in Boston with customers in more than 30 countries. Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/ Follow us: Blog | Twitter | Facebook Media Contacts: Bill Keeler Senior Director, Global Public Relations Cybereason bill.keeler@cybereason.com (929) 259-3261 Texas Connections Academy Celebrates The Class of 2021 This is my final year as a school administrator and I am so pleased that it was spent with such an exceptional class. We are grateful we were able to provide a consistent education despite the disruption caused by the pandemic. Graduates from Texas Connections Academy, a tuition-free, full-time online public school for students in grades 3-12 across the state, were celebrated during an online commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 13. The Class of 2021 is made up of 736 graduates who collectively earned more than $3.8 million in scholarships and awards. This is my final year as a school administrator and I am so pleased that it was spent with such an exceptional class, said Lea Ann Lockard, Executive Director of Texas Connections Academy, who will retire at the end of the school year. We are grateful we were able to provide a consistent education despite the disruption caused by the pandemic. These students have shown their perseverance and were able to succeed under the most difficult circumstances. They are truly unstoppable. Texas Connections Academy students have diverse backgrounds, which means they have a variety of plans for the future. From the 2021 graduating class, nearly 66 percent have plans to attend two- or four-year colleges or universities. Additionally, graduates intend to enter the workforce directly upon graduation (9 percent) or attend vocational training programs (8 percent), while other have plans to join the military, take a gap year or to pursue other opportunities. Among the graduates is valedictorian Emily Moon and salutatorian Anna Asako. The 2020-21 school year was a highly successful one for Texas Connections Academy. The school was recently ranked No. 28 in Niches 2021 Best Online High Schools in America report for the best online high schools in the country. Additionally, Texas Connections Academy received the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award. Texas Connections Academy is in its 12th year providing students a welcoming and distraction-free learning environment and serves more than 7,800 students in grades 3-12 across the state. The school offers learning plans that are flexible and can be uniquely tailored to match a childs needs and abilities. Texas Connections Academys state-certified teachers work hard to foster meaningful connections by providing individualized student attention and a positive, engaging learning environment. Students have regular opportunities to share ideas, compare experiences and have fun learning with their peers through online classroom sessions. Enrollment for Texas Connections Academys 2021-2022 school year is currently open. The school delivers a high-quality educational experience that keeps students motivated and engaged in a safe, virtual learning environment. Families interested in Texas Connections Academy are encouraged to attend an online information session to learn more, ask questions and discover if virtual school is the right fit for their student. To learn more about the enrollment process and view a complete list of events, visit http://www.TexasConnectionsAcademy.com or call 1-800-382-6010. About Texas Connections Academy Texas Connections Academy is a unique, tuition-free, online public school for students in grades 3-12. Operating as an approved Houston Independent School District (HISD) External Performance Contract Campus and accredited through HISD, Texas Connections Academy creates a high-quality educational experience that keeps students motivated and engaged in a safe, virtual learning environment. In addition to academics, teachers focus on emotional well-being and social development, working closely with families to help students learn how they learn best. Here, students gain the skills and confidence they need to direct their own educational journey, learning to thrive in the real world by first learning how to be resourceful and resilient. For more information, call 8003826010 or visit http://www.TexasConnectionsAcademy.com. Planet Technologies has signed an exclusive arrangement to provide Directions on Microsoft licensing management and planning services on its GSA schedule. These services include the best-in-class Directions on Microsoft Portal, an all-in-one source of accurate and impartial information about Microsoft technologies and licensing policies for IT planners. Also included are Directions industry-leading Microsoft licensing training for IT procurement and software asset management professionals. Planet is the most awarded and recognized Microsoft partner in government. We built this trusted relationship by helping our clients optimize their investment in Microsoft technologies, save money and set realistic schedules for deployment and effective adoption. By adding these unique solutions from Directions On Microsoft, Planet is the only Microsoft partner who provides a one-stop shop of Microsoft services for government agencies to confidently plan, purchase, deploy and manage their Microsoft solutions and investments, says Scott Tucker, President and CEO at Planet Technologies. For 29 years, we have delivered on a mission of being the industrys most complete source of information and insight about Microsoft enterprise technologies, roadmaps, and licensing policies. With Planet, we are providing a suite of Microsoft-focused services to government clients that is totally unique in the market, states Jeff Parker, President at Directions on Microsoft. About Planet Technologies Launched in 1997, Planet Technologies is recognized as the leading provider of Microsoft consulting services across the United States. We are in the business of trust and most of our clients are repeat customers - our greatest achievement. Planet has been awarded Microsoft Cloud Partner of the Year, Security Partner of the Year, Federal Partner of the Year, State and Local Government Partner of the Year, and Windows Partner of the Year. With 14 Microsoft Gold Competencies and 6 Microsoft Advanced Specializations, there are very few partners in the world that can claim equivalent Microsoft expertise and industry knowledge. About DOM Directions on Microsoft is an independent IT planning, information and training service that has focused exclusively on Microsoft since 1992. Directions on Microsoft Reports, Roadmaps, Licensing Reference Set, Webinars, Decision Kits, and Microsoft Licensing Boot Camps help organizations build accurate plans and budgets for their Microsoft purchases and proactively prepare for disruptive changes in Microsoft technologies and services. Since our inception, weve been at the center of reducing transaction friction between buyers and sellers PunchOut2Go, a global provider of transaction automation solutions for business-to-business (B2B) commerce, announced today that it has received a significant investment from Susquehanna Growth Equity, LLC ("SGE"). This is the first external investment in PunchOut2Gos history and furthers the companys mission to make it easy for B2B suppliers and buyers to transact online. PunchOut2Gos integration platform as a service (iPaaS) offering which connects suppliers ecommerce platforms to the eProcurement systems used by corporate buyers automates B2B transactions and eliminates manual work related to processing corporate orders for goods ranging from medical supplies to heavy equipment. PunchOut2Gos customers benefit from increased automation, reduced processing costs, and higher customer satisfaction. The company facilitated over $200 billion in transaction volume and over 30 million transactions in 2020 for global customers including Lowes, Herman Miller, Coupa, VCA Animal Hospitals and GE Healthcare. Since our inception, weve been at the center of reducing transaction friction between buyers and sellers, said Brady Behrman, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of PunchOut2Go. We now have the leadership team and resources in place to grow our business to extend the value we deliver to current and new customers. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically accelerated the shift to online in B2B commerce. I could not be more excited for whats to come for PunchOut2Go. As part of the transaction, Troy Lynch and Steve Shaffer will assume the roles of CEO and President/COO, respectively. "We are humbled by what Brady and the team have built, and incredibly excited to partner with the Susquehanna Growth Equity team," said Troy Lynch. "SGEs investment will be used to extend our platform, support deeper connections with our customers and their trading partners, and expand our teams global footprint so we can better serve PunchOut2Gos global network of customers and partners." "We are thrilled to partner with PunchOut2Go, said Ben Weinberg, Managing Director at SGE. B2B commerce is moving online at an incredibly rapid pace. At the same time, its difficult for buyers and suppliers to connect their systems. PunchOut2Go makes these connections easy, which is why thousands of suppliers and buyers use PunchOut2Go to connect with their trading partners. We look forward to supporting Troy, Steve, Brady and the rest of PunchOut2Go team in the next phase of the companys growth. ABOUT PUNCHOUT2GO PunchOut2Go is a global B2B integration company specializing in connecting commerce business platforms with eProcurement spend management and enterprise resource planning applications, allowing companies worldwide to streamline purchasing processes and transact electronically. PunchOut2Gos flexible iPaaS technology links business applications to automate the flow of purchasing data and reduces integration complexities for PunchOut catalogs, electronic purchase orders, eInvoices, and other B2B sales order automation documents to accelerate business results. Learn more at https://www.punchout2go.com/. ABOUT SUSQUEHANNA GROWTH EQUITY Susquehanna Growth Equity, LLC (SGE) is an entrepreneur-centric growth equity fund with flexible capital and time horizons. SGE is exclusively focused on growth-stage software, internet, and information services companies. The firm has invested over two billion dollars in 60+ market-leading technology companies over the last 15 years and has portfolio companies across the US, Canada, EU, and Israel. SGE is backed by a unique and patient source of capital, enabling the firm to give entrepreneurs and management teams freedom and flexibility to maximize growth. To learn more, please visit http://www.sgep.com. Media Contacts For PunchOut2Go Kari Cress kari.cress@punchout2go.com 888-623-2374 For Susquehanna Growth Equity Gasthalter & Co. sge@gasthalter.com (212) 257-4170 George Delaplaine has been good to Frederick County and is one of Marylands true business visionaries. Im glad R.W. Warner, Inc. could help Hood, who made a great decision in naming their business school after George. - Matthew Warner, President, R.W. Warner, Inc. The R.W. Warner, Inc. Fund, a component fund of The Community Foundation of Frederick County, recently awarded a grant to the George B. Delaplaine Jr. School of Business at Hood College. One of The R.W. Warner, Inc. Funds primary motives is the support of educational endeavors throughout the Frederick County community. With its donation, the fund is creating greater opportunity for Hood College students and nurturing a sense of social entrepreneurship within the community. The business school is named after Frederick businessman George Delaplaine who has served as a leader and role model for entrepreneurs. George Delaplaine has been good to Frederick County and is one of Marylands true business visionaries, said Matthew Warner, president of R.W. Warner, Inc. Im glad R.W. Warner, Inc. could help Hood, who made a great decision in naming their business school after George. About R.W. Warner, Inc. R.W. Warner, Inc. is a multi-faceted company based in Frederick, Md., specializing in services such as construction, plumbing, HVAC, and sheet metal fabrication in residential, retail, office, industrial, and institutional sectors. The organization was founded in 1937 and is now in its third generation of family ownership. The company is committed to its core values and has a dedicated philanthropic connection to its community. Among its various philanthropic efforts, the R.W. Warner, Inc. Fund was established in 1997 with the purpose of supporting charitable, educational, religious, and scientific endeavors within the community. The fund was established in memory of Reese W. Warner Sr. and Mary J. Warner. To learn more about R.W. Warner and its philanthropic initiatives, please visit http://www.rwwarner.com. About The George B. Delaplaine Jr. School of Business The George B. Delaplaine Jr. School of Business at Hood College is dedicated to providing its business students with the tools to be impactful entrepreneurs beyond the classroom. Following in the footsteps of George Delaplaine, the school aims to teach his commendable business leadership skills to its undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. To learn more about the George Delaplaine School of Business, please visit http://www.hood.edu. About The Community Foundation of Frederick County Since 1986, generous citizens have turned to the credibility and expertise of The Community Foundation of Frederick County to establish funds that provide scholarships to deserving students and grants to worthy nonprofit organizations, contributing more than $71 million throughout Frederick County. For additional information about the Community Foundation, visit http://www.FrederickCountyGives.org. SGF's Center for Male Fertility is led by board certified urologists, Drs. Paul Shin and Cori Tanrikut, who offer diagnostic testing, evaluation, and treatment for male infertility and vasectomy. Male factor is the cause of infertility in 40 to 50 percent of couples. However, our research tells us that only 44 percent of couples complete fertility testing at the same time." June is Mens Health Month, a time dedicated to heightening awareness of preventable healthcare, early detection, and treatment of predominately male diseases, conditions, or health risk factors. Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) is taking extra measures to shed light on male reproductive health with virtual events and free downloadable resources this June. What many couples dont realize is that male factor is the cause of infertility in 40 to 50 percent of couples, explains Paul R. Shin, M.D., Director of Reproductive Urology for SGFs Center for Male Fertility. However, our research tells us that only 44 percent of couples complete fertility testing at the same time. Its critical that men receive the same level of upfront attention during fertility testing as women, before treatment begins, to help save time, money, and potential heartache. Dr. Shin, who sees patients at SGFs Rockville, K Street, Woodbridge, Frederick, and Fair Oaks offices, will be hosting a Male Fertility webinar on June 17, 2021, at 12 pm. This event is intended for anyone who might suspect male-factor infertility is impacting their ability to conceive or for those interested in learning more about male fertility. While this SGF event is complimentary, interested parties must register to attend by visiting the SGF calendar of events. During the live virtual event, viewers will learn about: male and female reproduction and the role they both play in the ability to conceive, the simple tests used to evaluate male fertility, common causes of male factor infertility, lifestyle changes that can improve a mans fertility, effective treatment options, and treatment success rates. The majority of referrals of semen analyses we receive at SGF are initiated by female partners whose gynecologists ask for it, shares Dr. Shin. Women engage in the medical system and routine medical care at much earlier ages than men. Some men may even see going to a physician about their genitalia as a sign of weakness, but wed like to flip that perception, and position it as an empowering way for men to proactively take healthcare into their own hands. Event attendees will also learn about SGFs Center for Male Fertility and how SGF reproductive urologists provide a collaborative approach to care by working closely with SGF reproductive endocrinologists to optimize treatment outcomes. This unique integrated care model provides comprehensive male and female infertility services to ensure continuity of care and communication for both partners before, during, and after treatment. SGFs Center for Male Fertility Offers Specialty Services in Mens Reproductive Health SGFs Center for Male Fertility, led by Dr. Shin, and Cori Tanrikut, M.D. offers a range of male services including: basic evaluation and testing, state-of-the-art microsurgical techniques including varicocele repair, vasectomy reversal, and vasectomy, and sperm injection and extraction techniques that have nearly eliminated infertility among couples with a severe male factor. Between 60 and 70 percent of the male population experience some issues with sexual health and fertility, whether it is delayed ejaculation, premature ejaculation, sperm count, or injuries, explains Dr. Tanrikut. When men come to SGF, we explore the roots of those issues, whether they stem from physical status, or are also complicated by anxiety or perhaps a loss of confidence. Another advantage to the Center for Male Fertility at SGF is that patients outside of the practice may be referred directly to Drs. Shin or Tanrikut for diagnostic testing, evaluation, and/or treatment for male infertility or SGFs unique no needle, no-scalpel vasectomy services. I remind my patients that if there are any existing conditions that could be affecting their ability to conceive, such as low testosterone, erectile dysfunction (ED), or problems ejaculating, its time to see a specialist sooner rather than later, advises Dr. Tanrikut. SGF offers a wide array of resources for men seeking more knowledge on reproductive health: Explore SGFs free resource library of on-demand webinars, E-books, and other education resources on topics such as mens health and much more. To schedule a consultation with an SGF physician or for more information, call 888-761-1967. About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 85,000 babies born and 5,000+ 5-star patient reviews. With 40 locations, including new locations in Colorado and Norfolk, VA, as well as throughout FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, VA, D.C. and Santiago, Chile, SGF offers patients virtual physician consults, delivers individualized care, accepts most insurance plans, and makes treatment affordable through innovative financial options, including 100% refund guarantees. More physicians refer their patients to SGF than any other center. SGF is among the founding partner practices of US Fertility, the largest physician-owned, physician-led partnership of top-tier fertility practices in the U.S. Call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com. Without the arts we cannot tell our story. Tampa is not just a city trying to be like somewhere else. We want to raise up the profile of our arts and culture to show off what makes Tampa unique. There is a lot to love here. We are pleased to announce the formation of the nonprofit group, the Tampa Arts Alliance. The Tampa Arts Alliance is a non-governmental arts organization for the Tampa arts scene. This is an organization Tampa is ready for, says Neil Gobioff, Chair. Several arts leaders were gathering separately to discuss how to increase support for the arts as Tampa grows. The Tampa Arts Alliance began to take shape as the Gobioff Foundation teamed up with Bill Carlson of Tucker/Hall, Inc. to produce a series of roundtables and forums that addressed the current position of the arts at both organizational and grassroots levels. With the support of the City and local leadership, we have grown momentum in support of the arts as key to Tampas economic well-being and quality of life, Gobioff said. Without the arts we cannot tell our story. Tampa is not just a city trying to be like somewhere else. We want to raise up the profile of our arts and culture to show off what makes Tampa unique. There is a lot to love here. Start-up funding is being provided by Tucker/Hall and the Gobioff Foundation and legal services are provided by Sandy Rief of Allen Dell. First steps included the formation of a Board of Directors and an interim Executive Director. In addition to the Board of Directors, the organization is developing committees to address the needs of keys aspects within our arts ecosystem including support for grassroots artists, connecting non-profit leadership, fundraising, and advocacy. The Board of Directors officers include: Neil Gobioff, Chair Neil Gobioff is the President of the Gobioff Foundation and CFO of Crab Devil Dana Warner, Vice-Chair Dana Warner is the Development Director of Friends of Carrollwood Cultural Center Kathy Durdin, Treasurer/Secretary Kathy Durdin is Director of Operations at the Florida Watercolor Society Additional members of the Board of Directors include: Bill Carlson - President of Tucker Hall and Tampa City Council Member Gary Sasso - President and CEO of Carlton Fields Sara Richter - Arts Leader Frank J. Sandy Rief, III Shareholder at Allen Dell and The Duckwall Foundation Jennifer R. Malin - Community Foundation of Tampa Bay Lauren Brigman - Board Chair, Stageworks Theatre Henry Gonzalez, III Tampa Bay Market President of Beach Community Bank Jeff Gibson Shareholder at Macfarlane Ferguson & McMullen Michele Smith - The Resiliency School, is acting as Executive Director The work of the Tampa Arts Alliance will include, but will not be limited to: Helping create a clearer vision for the arts in Tampa Attracting funding for the arts Fostering greater awareness inside and outside the City of Tampa about the artists who work here and the arts venues, outlets, and programming available Working with arts organizations to inventory Tampas cultural assets Helping connect local artists and arts organizations with each other Developing, enhancing, and fostering greater availability of resources to support local artists and arts venues Advocating, as necessary, for greater support for and recognition of the arts by public authorities Identifying and creating places and spaces where artists can connect Exploring parts of Tampa (e.g., Ybor City) where we might help encourage and support the creation of an arts district Gathering information about best practices and success stories in other communities known for the arts, e.g., Seattle ### The Tampa Arts Alliance is a nonprofit 5013 established in 2021 as a catalyst and convener of arts advocates dedicated to making Tampa a city known for excellence in the arts. For more information, please follow us on Facebook at @TampaArtsAlliance. Recent college graduates in Lompoc are offered a $500 rebate on lease or finance of select Toyota vehicles at Toyota of Lompoc Owning a car is a dream for most people who are fresh out of college and about to take a step into the corporate world. Toyota of Lompoc in Lompoc, Calif., has come up with a College Graduate Rebate Program for qualifying graduates. All the graduates who qualify can receive a $500 rebate on all new unlicensed Toyota models when you finance or lease through Toyota of Lompoc and Toyota Financial Services (TFS). Students who have graduated in the past 2 calendar years or in the next 6 months with proof of current employment would be qualified for this rebate program. Toyota Certified Used Vehicles (TCUVs) and Scion Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles are not eligible for the College Graduate Rebate Program. The customers who are qualified for the rebate program must produce their proof of graduation (either showing upcoming graduation in the next six months or recent graduation within 2 calendar years from signing the vehicles lease/finance contract). The document can be a copy of a diploma or a letter from the college/university/trade school registrars office or a copy of the final transcript or a copy of the current transcript. Eligible graduates should also meet the credit approval requirements and also furnish proof of present or future employment. For more information on the College Graduate Rebate Program, drivers can get in touch with the Toyota of Lompoc customer support team. The Toyota of Lompoc dealership is located at 203 East Ocean Avenue, Lompoc, Calif. 93436. Customers can also reach out to the dealership staff who are available by phone, 805-736-1295 to assist with any of your queries. Kyushu branch office With this upsized center network, a total of 6,400 workstations covering the Kyushu and Okinawa region, transcosmos aims to help clients deliver an enhanced customer experience, boost customer loyalty, and expand sales. transcosmos inc. hereby announces that the company opened the Kyushu branch office, relocating and expanding its Fukuoka branch office (5F Nishitetsu-Tenjin Building, 1-13-6, Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka prefecture) on June 14, 2021. By consolidating all sales-related functions into the new office, transcosmos will enhance its service delivery framework for its DX services. At the same time, the company will expand its contact centers located in Kyushu and Okinawa, thereby growing its business in the region. transcosmos opened its first business office in Fukuoka and Okinawa in 1981 and 1999 respectively. Since then, the company has been growing its business in the area. Today, transcosmos delivers a diverse range of services including contact centers, digital marketing, e-commerce and BPO at its 20 centers located across the Kyushu and Okinawa region. As client's DX partner, transcosmos will enhance its services at every customer touchpoint that continues to diversify by building on its expertise in business-to-consumer communication and digital technologies accumulated over many years. In addition, the company will expand the "Marketing Chain Management Center Tenjin" located in the former Fukuoka branch office, and offer contact center services with a total of 6,400 workstations covering the Kyushu and Okinawa region. With this upsized center network, transcosmos aims to help clients deliver a greater customer experience, boost customer loyalty, and expand sales. Kyushu Branch Office Overview New location: 5F Diamond Building, 1-12-7, Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 810-0001 Japan Main phone number: +81-92-726-8311 Main fax number: +81-92-726-8321 *transcosmos is a trademark or registered trademark of transcosmos inc. in Japan and other countries. *Other company names and product or service names used here are trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies. About transcosmos inc. transcosmos launched its operations in 1966. Since then, we have combined superior "people" with up-to-date "technology" to enhance the competitive strength of our clients by providing them with superior and valuable services. transcosmos currently offers services that support clients' business processes focusing on both sales expansion and cost optimization through our 166 bases across 30 countries/regions with a focus on Asia, while continuously pursuing Operational Excellence. Furthermore, following the expansion of e-commerce market on the global scale, transcosmos provides a comprehensive One-Stop Global E-Commerce Services to deliver our clients' excellent products and services to consumers in 48 countries/regions around the globe. transcosmos aims to be the "Global Digital Transformation Partner" of our clients, supporting the clients' transformation by leveraging digital technology, responding to the ever-changing business environment. Visit us here https://www.trans-cosmos.co.jp/english/ Washington Connections Academy Celebrates Class of 2021 Attending Washington Connections Academy amid the pandemic allowed me to spend more time working on assignments and projects while really understanding the content that will prepare me for college. I truly believe that being at Connections Academy for my senior year really brought out the best in me Washington Connections Academy, one of Washingtons most experienced tuition-free, online public schools for students in grades K-12, honored the schools 200 graduating high school seniors during an online ceremony on Tuesday. While graduates were unable to celebrate in person due to the ongoing pandemic, school administrators, teachers and family members cheered on the graduates during the virtual commencement. Washington Connections Academys Class of 2021 consists of graduates from across the state, including Seattle, Pullman and Spokane, among other cities, who experienced a high-quality, uninterrupted education despite the challenging year. Graduating as co-valedictorians are Logan Poston, Shrey Arora, Aleia Lagonoy and Kataryna Vinski, with McKenzie McIntosh and Nejme Apergis as co-salutatorians. The flexibility of Washington Connections Academy helped me learn how I learn best, said co-valedictorian Logan Poston. The variety of classes and electives sparked new interests in me, and now Im excited to go to college and pursue a career where I can combine my passions for marine science and computer science. Upon graduation, Poston will attend Wenatchee Valley College before transferring to a four-year university. Among the graduating class, nearly half plan to attend two- or four-year colleges or universities, 25 percent plan to enter the work force and 9 percent plan to attend vocational or technical school. Another standout senior from this years graduating class is Aedan Azeka, a North Bend resident set to attend University of Washington Bothell come fall to study biology. Attending Washington Connections Academy amid the pandemic allowed me to spend more time working on assignments and projects while really understanding the content that will prepare me for college, said Azeka. I truly believe that being at Connections Academy for my senior year really brought out the best in me. In a year when families everywhere faced difficult circumstances, the Class of 2021 persevered in the face of adversity and demonstrated their resilience and leadership, said Jenn Francis, Executive Director of Washington Connections Academy. Its an honor to celebrate this incredible group of students, and we are excited to see them take the next steps toward a successful and purposeful future. Washington Connections Academys network of schools currently serves approximately 4,700 students in grades K-12 across Washington, providing students with the continuous support of highly-skilled teachers and curriculum that focuses on both academics and social-emotional learning, while helping them gain the skills and confidence they need to thrive in a changing world. The schools teachers are specially trained to bring their skills and personality to the virtual classroom and emphasize the importance of fostering meaningful connections with students and their families. Learning plans are flexible and can be uniquely tailored based on a students specific needs. At Washington Connections Academy, students have access to advanced courses, extracurricular activities and flexible scheduling that helps them to take ownership of their educational journey. Students who enroll in the school join a collaborative community of their fellow students and educators that provides a welcoming, distraction-free learning environment. For more information on Washington Connections Academys network of schools, please visit the schools website at http://www.WashingtonConnectionsAcademy.com. About Washington Connections Academy Washington Connections Academy, Pacific Northwest Connections Academy and Washington Connections Academy Goldendale are a network of unique, tuition-free, online public schools for K-12 students. Operating in partnership with the Mary M. Knight School District, the South Kitsap School District and Goldendale School District respectively, the network offers a high-quality educational experience that keeps students motivated and engaged in a safe, virtual learning environment. In addition to academics, teachers focus on emotional well-being and social development, working closely with families to help students learn how they learn best. Here, students gain the skills and confidence they need to direct their own educational journey, learning to thrive in the real world by first learning how to be resourceful and resilient. For more information, call 1-800-382-6010 or visit our website. An industry first, Webastos novel, menu-driven approach allows customers to upfit vans with auxiliary HVAC systems faster, while carrying less inventory and all at a lower cost. Essentially, the concept was to provide lower-cost unbundled components that could later be re-bundled, based solely on application and demand. Mike Cicioni Webasto North America, a top-100 global tier-one automotive, commercial vehicle and aftermarket equipment manufacturer, today announced the introduction of its new A La Carte Aftermarket Van HVAC Kit-Building System. An industry first, Webastos novel, menu-driven approach allows customers to upfit Ford Transit, RAM ProMaster or Mercedes Sprinter vans with auxiliary HVAC systems faster, while carrying less inventory and all at a lower cost. Until today, those in the market for auxiliary, tie-in heating/cooling or stand-alone HVAC kits for todays most popular commercial van makes and models would have to first obtain a model-specific kit designed to fit that particular vehicle. However, with the popularity of vans and the variety of models out there, chances are that one of the 25 to 30 most popular kits might not be in inventory locally or otherwise readily available. Webasto has been making aftermarket van HVAC kits for years, and we alone made 22 separate systems, each designed to fit the leading van makes and models, said Mike Cicioni, HVAC application manager. Our systems work seamlessly, but our distributors had to carry multiples of all 22 kits if they wanted to be stocked and ready to meet the marketplace variables. Webasto realized that many of the HVAC components they were using to make their kits were common among varying makes and models, and that others were purpose designed and manufactured. They also realized that unbundling the components might make it easier for body builders, upfitters and fleets to all get what they wanted with more speed and consistency. Our objective was to find a way to remove the burden from our customers, enabling them to carry a reduced inventory of the constituent components, instead of 22 or more vehicle-specific kits, said Cicioni. Essentially, the concept was to provide lower-cost unbundled components that could later be re-bundled, based solely on application and demand. Webasto engineers set out to reexamine each system and component, in an effort to minimize variability and optimize application performance. As they honed their designs, their technical teams conducted fieldwork with numerous installer groups to understand the way they would approach an installation. They took what they learned and made their designs and process even more streamlined. The new A La Carte Aftermarket Van HVAC Kit-Building System was born. The revolutionary approach enables Webasto to cover 90% of the van market with approximately 30 a la carte HVAC components. With Webastos system, its customers carry less inventory, while increasing their ability to be more responsive to fluctuating demand. The system also puts its customers in a more favorable position to capture a wider variety of work truck applications beyond Webastos existing van-specific HVAC kits. Webasto developed a decision tree method that allows virtually anyone to choose the right system components, based on answering just eight simple questions. The company is also introducing a product brochure that includes the eight-question product specifier. The questions can be answered by simply marking the brochure and noting the corresponding part numbers. An online configurator is also in the works and it will be compatible with both desktop and mobile devices. Weve taken a complex task and made it easy for customers to check a few boxes and specify an HVAC system that is precisely optimized for their unique application, said Matt Wheeler, head of HVAC light & medium duty. We did the hard work to make our customers work easier. One of the issues that Webastos A La Carte Aftermarket Van HVAC Kit-Building System addresses is the common problem of over- or under-specifying of aftermarket HVAC systems. As in the realm of consumer HVAC system purchases, there is often confusion surrounding the correct sizing of an HVAC system required to heat or cool a specific van make and model. This can be a matter of inventory, because when someone doesnt have the right system for a specific vehicle, they may recommend something they have in stock, said Wheeler. Since that system isnt optimized for that particular vehicle, its going to be mechanically and electronically overperforming or underperforming from the start, resulting in comfort issues and service and maintenance problems down the road. When specified and configured using their unique a la carte method, a Webasto aftermarket HVAC kit will integrate seamlessly with a vehicles factory system. The Webasto system will provide users with optimal auxiliary heating and cooling performance, because it is the right size and the right configuration for that particular vehicle and that particular application. For large-volume customers and specialty on-road vehicle manufacturers, Webasto will still provide the direct support and customized application solutions theyve always enjoyed. Webastos team of experts will deploy to a customers production facility and after observation, will produce a custom bill of goods as needed. Weve designed, engineered and brought to market a system of exceptional quality that is easy to specify and install, and all at a competitive price, said Wheeler. Webastos A La Carte Aftermarket Van HVAC Kit-Building System will quite literally change the status quo in the aftermarket auxiliary van HVAC segment, and that change will be better for everyone involved. To access images of Webastos A La Carte Aftermarket Van HVAC Kit-Building System, please visit: http://www.worktruckhvac.com/ About Webasto: The Webasto Group is a global innovative systems partner to the mobility industry and one of the 100 largest suppliers to the automotive sector worldwide. The company's offering includes in-house developed roof, heating and cooling systems for various types of vehicles, batteries and charging solutions for hybrid and electric vehicles, and additional services related to thermal management and electromobility. Among the customers of Webasto are manufacturers of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and boats, as well as dealers and end customers. In 2020, the Group generated sales of around 3.3 billion euros and employed more than 14,000 people at over 50 locations. The headquarters of the company, which was founded in 1901, is located in Stockdorf near Munich (Germany). For more information, please visit http://www.webasto-group.com Corporate Contact: Aubrey Stewart Marketing Communications Specialist Phone: 810-593-6062 E-Mail: Aubrey.Stewart@webasto.com David A. Leezer, Vice President of Business Attraction for the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce, looks forward to the possibilities of the Remote Worker Incentive Program We created the Remote Worker Incentive Program to encourage global industries to hire our current and future residents and differentiate Wichita Falls from everyone else, stated David Leezer, Vice President of Business Attraction. The Wichita Falls (TX) Chamber of Commerce, the lead economic development agency for the City of Wichita Falls and Wichita County, recently announced the development of a Remote Worker Incentive program. Unlike other remote worker programs, Wichita Falls will incentivize companies for employing remote workers in the city or relocating those employees to Wichita Falls. Several regions have created a specialized program to encourage people to relocate to their communities. It was important to have Wichita Falls differentiate itself from everyone else, stated David Leezer, Vice President of Business Attraction for the Chamber. We created this program to encourage global industries to hire our current and future residents. The Remote Worker Program is an amendment to the organizations existing Cash for Jobs program which rewards companies for creating new jobs in Wichita Falls. The change allows for the inclusion of remote workers. The COVID pandemic forced companies to expand their remote workers policy, stated Henry Florsheim, President and CEO of the Wichita Falls Chamber. This is our way of adapting to the new reality. Qualified companies could receive the Cash for Jobs benefit for a remote employee if they meet certain guidelines, which include: Create a new primary job in Wichita Falls and retain that job for at least six months. Eligible companies can be existing Wichita Falls industries or those that do not have a brick-and-mortar presence. Outbound Call Centers, temporary and contract employees are not eligible. All remote workers must live within the corporate limits of Wichita Falls. Companies must prove the remote worker(s) has been a resident for at least 6 months. All remote worker incentives must be approved by the Wichita Falls Economic Development Corporation Board and the City of Wichita Falls. This incentive, while available to anyone, will be targeted towards pending graduates of Midwestern State University and anyone associated with Sheppard Air Force Base including trailing spouses, soon-to-be retirees, someone leaving the military and/or their spouse, Leezer added. But again, it is open to any present or future resident of the City of Wichita Falls. Florsheim also said this program allows employers to utilize another valuable resource from the Chamber, the Talent Parntership. Taylor Davis is our Director of the Wichita Falls Talent Partnership and Military Liaison which means this could be one of many ways companies will be able to connect with a potential remote worker. David Leezer i s the V.P. of Business Attraction and can be reached at david@wichitafallschamber.com or 940-723-2741. Year Up founder and CEO Gerald Chertavian has been honored as one of the Top CEOs in 2021 in the U.S. SMB Category on Glassdoor, one of the worlds largest job and recruiting sites. Gerald received a Glassdoor Employees Choice Award, which recognizes top leaders that employees love working for in countries throughout North America and parts of Europe. Year Up is a leading workforce development nonprofit founded by Chertavian in Boston in 2000. The program has served more than 34,000 students across 35 campuses in the United States. Among chief executives recognized by employees in the U.S., Chertavian received an impressive approval rating based on the anonymous and voluntary reviews shared by current and former Year Up employees on Glassdoor throughout the past year. According to the website, 98 percent of Year Up employees reported that they approved of Chertavians leadership as CEO. Across the approximately 1.5 million employers reviewed on Glassdoor, the average CEO approval rating is 73 percent. Several reviews on Glassdoor discuss the high level of engagement among coworkers and the professional development opportunities available at Year Up. The most critical area that Year Up continues to actively focus on is diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), with the goal of making much-needed progress in improving the retention and advancement of people of color. In the past year, weve overcome tremendous challenges while continuing to work to close the Opportunity Divide for young adults across the country, said Chertavian. Ive aspired to demonstrate empathetic leadership in both piloting new program models externally and creating a more inclusive, supportive culture internally, and Im honored to have these efforts recognized positively by Year Up staff. That said, theres still a lot more work to be done, and Im indebted to the extraordinary talent in our organization as we continue on our journey to become an anti-racist organization. Over the past year, company leaders around the world faced unprecedented challenges to support employees during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the employees have spoken and its clear that these CEOs excelled and found new ways to support their people when the world of work flipped upside down, said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. Through a challenging year, its inspiring to see Top CEOs who, according to their employees, adapted to change, redefined visions and led with transparency while putting the health and safety of employees first. I extend my sincerest congratulations to this years Employees Choice Award winners. When employees submit reviews about their employer on Glassdoor, they are asked to rate several factors tied to their employment experience. These include rating sentiment around their CEOs leadership as well as around senior management, among others. Specifically, when rating their CEO on Glassdoor, employees are asked to report whether they approve or disapprove of or have no opinion about their CEOs performance. Employees Choice Award winners for the 2021 Top CEOs and Top CEOs at Small & Medium Companies are determined using Glassdoors proprietary algorithm, taking into account the quantity, quality and consistency of Glassdoor-approved company reviews shared by U.S.-based employees between May 2, 2020 and May 1, 2021. At a minimum, employers considered for the large list must have received at least 100 company reviews, including at least 100 CEO approval ratings and at least 100 senior management ratings. Employers eligible for the small & medium list must have received at least 35 company reviews, including at least 35 CEO approval ratings and at least 35 senior management ratings during the eligibility period. For reporting simplicity, CEO approval ratings are displayed as whole numbers, though calculations extend beyond the thousandth decimal place to determine final rank order. Complete award methodology can be found and downloaded here: https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/index.htm SEE THE 2021 WINNERS: All winning CEOs across this years six categories can be found by visiting: 100 Top CEOs U.S. 50 Top CEOs at Small & Medium Companies U.S. 25 Top CEOs Canada 50 Top CEOs UK 10 Top CEOs France 10 Top CEOs Germany About Year Up Year Up is a national 501(c)3 workforce development organization committed to ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adultsno matter their background, income, or zip code. Year Up is offered at no cost to participants, and utilizes a high expectations, high support model where students learn in-demand technical and professional skills and apply them during a corporate internship. Year Up has served more than 34,000 young adults across 35 campuses since its founding in 2000 and has been voted one of the Best Non-Profits to Work For by The NonProfit Times. To learn more, visit http://www.yearup.org, and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. About Glassdoor Glassdoor combines all the latest jobs with millions of reviews and insights to make it easy for people to find a job that is uniquely right for them. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like employer branding and employee insights products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for more than one million companies around the world. For more information, visit glassdoor.com. In her short career, cartoonist Tillie Waldens talent for creating works of emotional depth and deep personal reflection, including understanding and embracing her own sexuality, has resulted in two Eisner awardsSpinning in 2018 and Are You Listening? in 2020and an L.A. Times Book Prize in 2019 for On a Sunbeam. Waldens new book, Alone in Space, to be published in July by Avery Hill, is a chronicle of her earliest published work, collecting three early graphic novellas in one volume: The End of Summer and I Love This Part (both originally published in 2015), and A City Inside (2016). The book also includes a generous sampling of one-off strips and short stories drawn between the years Walden was 16 and 20, including ephemera from her two years of studying at the Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) in White River Junction, Vermont. As a result, the collection neatly archives the early years of this multiple award-winning, highly prolific young creators career. Walden was born in 1996 in San Diego but spent her early childhood years in New Jersey. When she was 10 her family moved to Texas. She was encouraged by her father and inspired by the Winsor McCay comics and manga he gave her to read. But Walden kept these influences close to the vest until she began to draw her own comics in earnest many years later. She has also cited Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio, as a major influence. In her early works, Waldens storytelling explores themes of loneliness, alienation and romantic yearning through the use of fantasy and dreamy, indirect allegory. These early works are also notable for Waldens remarkably detailed, skillful renderings of various architectural forms. Her first novella, The End of Summer, published when she was 18, depicts a royal family hibernating in their vast castle through a deadly three-year long winter, slowly unraveling due to their isolation and the eventual exposure of dark family secrets. Walden tells the story through the eyes of Lars, a sensitive, bedridden adolescent whose best friends are his deeply troubled sister Maja and his gigantic cat named Nemo. Walden says that Lars and Maja were based on a mishmash of herself and her twin brother. Its a dark and somber story, Walden says, But I was in a dark and somber mood and didnt really overthink it. Its very much a raw portrayal of where I was in that moment. The End of Summer earned Walden the 2016 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Artist. Walden recognized her same-sex attractions at a very early age and channeled her sense of disaffection into a gay-themed work for her second novella. I Love This Part, told in a series of full-page drawings, is a visually striking tale of two young schoolgirls falling in love, based loosely on Waldens own experience with her first girlfriend. In the scenes that delineate the girls mutually amorous feelings, Walden captures the romance by depicting the pair as giants, soaring high above the buildings and the trees surrounding them. But as fears and doubts about their secret relationship creep in, the pair are presented in normal proportions, as if their angst is literally cutting them down to size. Walden, who tends to work instinctually and without a full working script, nevertheless felt compelled to present something that would allow her to come out to the world that I'm gay. As to the reversed proportions of her characters and their surroundings, she explains, I actually think that the mechanism of drawing big characters against a little world was a method of shielding myself a bit from the raw reality of what happens when two twelve-year-old girls develop deep feelings for each other. It really was just sort of a drawing comfort zone for me. She admits to being somewhat surprised that so many people really connected to the story. The book won Walden another Ignatz Award and was also nominated for an Eisner award. With her third book, A City Inside, Walden branched out a little thematically, while still relying on her instinctual, organic approach to storytelling. The narrative describes a womans life from childhood to adulthood, including her first relationship with another woman. I wanted to leave behind straight narrative and try writing what felt a little bit more like poetry, and in a very different voice than I was used to. I did A City Inside very much as a stream of consciousness project. I just started with page one, going straight to ink, and I still remember thinking, I don't know what I'm doing, but I like where this is going, Walden explains. She felt compelled to examine larger life issues: I had really stayed sort of firmly in this more youthful space of dealing with kids' stories. Even though they were dark, they were still about children. I hadn't touched upon time, and how time passes. I hadn't touched upon adulthood or aging, she explains, citing A City Inside as among her favorite creations. Walden graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies in 2016 and credits CCS for nurturing the ethos of always finishing her projects. She thus managed to turn her thesis project into the full-length graphic memoir, Spinning (First Second), her first fully autobiographical work. The narrative is a deep-dive into the 12 years Walden spent as a competitive figure-skater, all the while grappling with coming-of-age and coming out, as well as a traumatizing sexual assault. The book was a success, winning almost universal critical praise and landing Walden an Eisner Award for nonfiction, Best Reality-Based Work. Walden says the process of creating Spinning was difficult but also rewarding: I worked not just through raw emotion, but through a little more understanding, a little more thought. I made drafts, and did a little bit of writing beforehand, which I hadn't really done before. My process began to change, I started trying to define things a little more. As with her previously published work, Walden enjoyed working with her editor to help synthesize the raw material that resulted in Spinning. Walden says, I've always had quite a significant editorial process because when you make a story, just like that, without a plan, you get a lot of really interesting raw materials. I work without a plan and then at the end someone helps me pull it all together, shape it and help me see what it needs, like: You're touching upon something interesting here, you need to expand on it. You don't need this other stuff. Otherwise, I just work on my stories and make them as they come. Walden followed Spinning with a 500+ page opus On a Sunbeam, which she first presented as a webcomic before it was published as a book by First Second in 2018 (Walden has chosen to continue to present the entire work online for free). Sunbeam is also a queer romance, with the central relationship between protagonist Mia and her long-lost love, Grace, set within an intergalactic science-fiction fantasy, with the characters journeying through all kinds of alien worlds and magical landscapes. Walden explains, at the time I was living in Japan, and then in Germany. I was bouncing around Europe and who knows where, so the story itself is very influenced by all this traveling, these strange new places, strange new worlds. I was feeling a bit unmoored, and Mia, the protagonist of Sunbeam, is also feeling unmoored for much of that story. In 2019 Walden published Are You Listening?, a magical-realist fantasy that again features a pair of young women in love, this time on the lam from danger in an increasingly dangerous landscape. Walden considers the book the end of a very specific era of her life, and says she thinks that all the books she will do in the future will be very different, She explains that, my life looks very different than it did. Now comics still occupy a lot of my time, but they definitely don't occupy all of it. I'm glad I went through everything that I did, all that exhausting touring and stuff, because to know that something's wrong, you have to just experience it and be able to see it and then change whatever isnt working. I learned a lot. As Walden readies for the release of Alone in Space, she looks back on these early works with a sense of affection, while continuing to look firmly to the future. The person who made those stories was a much unhappier Tilly, and I think a little bit stranger, she muses. I want to honor and appreciate who I was back then. And I do think that you can't change where you came from or what your roots are. I still see so much in those early stories and early books; I see myself trying so hard to express myself. And I can never fault myself for that. Eight years after it bought McGraw-Hill Education for $2.4 billion, Apollo Global Management has reached an agreement to sell the company to another private equity firm, Platinum Equity, for $4.5 billion. The proposed purchase comes about a year after MH and Cengage called off their merger following opposition from the Justice Department. When Apollo acquired the publisher, MHE had revenue of about $2 billion; in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, company revenue was $1.58 billion and it had an operating loss of $135.3 million, with EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $372.9 million. Results for fiscal 2021 have not been released, but for the nine months ended December 31, 2020, revenue fell 5.4%, to $1.22 billion; still, the company posted net income of $118 million, up from a loss of $28.3 million. EBITDA in the nine months rose 6.4%, to $439.9 million. In announcing the deal, the parties emphasized the increase in digital sales over the last eight years, which have risen from about 25% of total revenue to approximately 60% now. To get there, MHE made six digitally-focused acquisitions. Following the completion of the acquisition, which is expected to occur this summer, MHE will continue to be led by CEO Simon Allen and his leadership team. Allen said he is looking forward to working with Platinum to accelerate MHEs digital growth. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. The Purdue University Global School of Nursing Bachelor of Science in nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs have received 10-year accreditation approval from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our faculty and staff, Purdue Global has demonstrated a commitment to nursing education excellence and a culture of continuous improvement of academic quality, said Melissa Burdi, Purdue Global vice president and dean of the School of Nursing. I am pleased that CCNE has recognized our collective efforts and the commitment we make to our students. Officially recognized by the U.S. secretary of education as a national accreditation agency, CCNE is an autonomous accrediting agency, contributing to the improvement of the public's health. CCNE ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate and residency programs in nursing. CCNE serves the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices. As a voluntary, self-regulatory process, CCNE accreditation supports and encourages continuing self-assessment by nursing programs and supports continuing growth and improvement of collegiate professional education and nurse residency programs. Students with a degree from an accredited program are more competitive in the job market since employers know their education has adhered to national standards. While the School of Nursing will continue to submit routine reports and updates to CCNE regarding the progress of its academic programs, Purdue Global will not engage in another accreditation site visit for these two programs until 2030. It is the maximum amount of accreditation approval granted to nursing higher education institutions. The masters degree in nursing and postgraduate advanced practice registered nurses certificate programs at Purdue Global also are accredited by CCNE. About Purdue University Global Purdue University Global delivers personalized online education tailored to the unique needs of adults who have work or life experience beyond the classroom, enabling them to develop essential academic and professional skills with the support and flexibility they need to achieve their career goals. It offers personalized paths for students to earn an associate, bachelors, masters or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits and other considerations no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global serves 34,000 students (as of April 2021), most of whom earn their degree online. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue Universitys flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana, as well as serving science, engineering and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. For more information, visit purdueglobal.edu. Writer/Media Contact: Tom Schott, 765-427-1721, tschott@purdue.edu Source: Melissa Burdi Here's what you need to know about Purdue's legal systems. When: Monday, June 21, 2021, 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Where: Online, Book now Jean Monnet Network; Trade & Investment in Services Associates Policy Research Outreach Series 2021 Event co-hosted by Institute for International Trade, The University of Adelaide Queen Mary, University of London Australian Services Roundtable TheCityUK UK Professional and Business Services Council Australia and the United Kingdom launched negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) on 17 June 2020. Both sides have committed to an ambitious and comprehensive agreement that covers services, investment and digital trade. With Prime ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison set to announce the in-principle agreement on 15 June 2021, the focus will turn to how to maximise the benefits of the agreement and the future of Australia-UK services trade. Industry participants from the Australian Services Roundtable, TheCityUK and the UK Professional and Business Services Council will participate in an interactive business discussion on the prospects for enhanced trade relations under the agreement. Date: Monday 21 June, 2021 Time: 5.00 - 6.00pm (Adelaide) | 5.30 - 6.30pm (Sydney) | 08.30 - 09.30am (London) (1.0 hour event) Moderator: Gabriel Gari, Reader in International Economic Law, Queen Mary, University of London Keynote Speakers: Chief Services Negotiator for Australia, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (tbc) UK Chief Services Negotiator, Department for International Trade (tbc) Business Discussants: Alvernia University CollegeTowne concept headed for Pottsville Alvernia University is looking to take its Reading CollegeTowne model to Pottsville The scene of a head-on crash between a car and a tractor-trailer on Route 183 in Penn Township on Monday that sent the car into Northkill Creek. A Florida man who was driving the car was killed, officials said. Juneteenth 2021 Reading will commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. with a three-day celebration this month. Spot of T We can all strive to be more like Sheila One of the most important truths about economics is also the most basic: all human action is a tradeoff. Its ridiculous that something so obvious needs to be stated, but it does. Reduced to simplest form, to turn left is to not turn right. Spending is no different in terms of paths not taken. This is worth thinking about in consideration of the exciting recent announcement that United Airlines has placed an order for 15 supersonic jets from Boom Technology Inc. The would-be innovator intends to have a prototype ready by 2022, after which it expects its jets to be moving paying passengers around the world by 2029. The higher speeds have the potential to transform travel. Six hour flights from New York to London will shrink to roughly 3 1/2, and then its projected that 10 hour flights from San Francisco to Tokyo will be reduced to six. Where all of this gets interesting is that as readers can guess, Boom isnt the only player in the supersonic space. According to the Wall Street Journals Matt Grossman and Alison Sider, Boston-based Spike Aerospace is working to develop an 18-seat jet capable of similar speeds to Booms. And then theres Aerion Corp. Formerly a competitor of both Boom and Spike, Grossman and Sider report that it folded last month after it said it had been unable to raise enough money to produce a planned supersonic business jet. Aerions demise is the point of this piece. Up front, its useful to acknowledge that folded technology firms are the norm in the sector. The source of the sectors dynamism and immense wealth isnt that most companies succeed; rather its the opposite. In the technology space there are few sacred cows. When businesses lose the interest of investors, theyre allowed to die quick deaths on the way to their human and physical assets being released to opportunities that investors regard more highly. Wealth never sits idle. Whats part of failure is soon acquired and put to a perceived better use. What Aerion developed wont be wasted. Good. So while its certainly true that belly-up businesses are the rule in the most economically dynamic and richest country in the world, theres surely an unseen quality to Aerion. It went under once again because it had been unable to raise enough money to produce a planned supersonic business jet. This truth rates endless thought in consideration of government spending, particularly on the federal level. Thats the case because the U.S. Treasury never has trouble raising money. Backed by the most productive people on earth (the American people), Treasury owns a substantial piece of the annual earnings and wealth created by the most productive people on earth. In 2020 Treasury collected $3.42 trillion from U.S. taxpayers. It did so despite a quarter of the worlds largest economy being shut down for a time care of corona-nailbiting politicians. Whats important about the above number is that its size enables gargantuan amounts of borrowing by the U.S. Treasury. Indeed, while left and right continue to promote the laughable fiction that federal budget deficits are a consequence of either too few revenues (left) or too much spending (right), the reality is that deficits are a consequence of way too much in the way of federal revenues now, along with the expectation of much greater Treasury collections in the future. That which takes in copious amounts of tax dollars, and that which will take in exponentially greater amounts, can borrow with ease. In other words, Americans are way overtaxed. Thats why the U.S. Treasury can borrow so easily. Whats crucial about this is that the borrowing versus the taxing is really of no consequence. What matters is total dollars spent by Congress. Thats the case because government spending is the ultimate tax on production. We know this because every human action, and every dollar spent, is a trade-off. With government consumption, the tradeoff is particularly cruel. Think about it. When government consumes, we have Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, and Chuck Schumer exerting vast control over the direction of trillions worth of economic resources. In the past year alone Congress has passed emergency spending bills totaling $2.9 trillion and $1.9 trillion, along with the routine annual spending overseen by Congress. And while he wont get his proposed $6 trillion budget, thats what President Biden is presently asking for. Think of all that money. Better yet, please think about Aerion. Its not presently operating not because the impressive minds in its employ voluntarily closed their doors, but because they had been unable to raise enough money. While Nancy Pelosi has trillions at her disposal, along with ownership of a percentage of American production that enables the borrowing of trillions more, private businesses arent so fortunate. Particularly in the early days, each day is perilous given the basic truth that it could be the companys last. Its something to keep in mind in consideration of the massive size of the federal government. Trillions in annual spending by politicians logically limits the amount of capital available for businesses trying to improve the present, or in Aerions case, striving to create a much better future. Clueless economists tell us government spending stimulates economic growth. No, government consumption stifles it as evidenced by entrepreneurs and businesses bidding for funds against a government that's growing by the trillions. An adage credited to Mark Twain holds that you should get the facts first, then distort them as you please. This cynical advice comes to mind when reading the sprawling, controversial election bill called the For the People Act of 2021 especially its entire section aimed at the Supreme Courts much-maligned Citizens United v. FEC ruling, which struck down the ban on corporations making independent political communications more than a decade ago. I was chair of the FEC when this took place. The bill, which passed the House of Representatives on a party-line vote and is now in the Senate, calls for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, contending that the opinion and its progeny have empowered large corporations, extremely wealthy individuals, and special interests to dominate election spending, corrupt our politics, and degrade our democracy through tidal waves of unlimited and anonymous spending. This criticism echoes the New York Times, which at the time of the ruling declared that Citizens United has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and has distorted the political system to ensure that Republican candidates will be at an enormous advantage in future elections. But if we stick with the facts, we can see some major upsides to Citizens United. Alarmist predictions that powerful businesses would buy elections have not materialized. For-profit corporations have largely avoided contributing to super PACs or making direct expenditures for fear of angering their consumers, employees, and lenders. So far, most companies have decided that directly intervening in elections is bad for business. Also, little evidence suggests that Citizens United has led to a deluge of corruption. In fact, an Institute for Free Speech study shows that, while independent political spending has exponentially increased in the opinions wake, public corruption prosecutions brought by the Department of Justice have declined. Data suggesting that outside spending buys legislators votes is scant. And judging by recent voter turnout rates, our democracy has grown stronger, not weaker, since Citizens United. More than 66% of voters turned out in 2020, the best showing in a presidential election in 120 years. This followed 2018, which saw the highest midterm voter turnout rates in over a century. While many do not like heavy political spending on often-negative advertising, increased outside money has not diminished voter engagement but looks to be enhancing it by providing the electorate with helpful information about candidates and issues. Nor has Citizens United delivered a political windfall for Republicans. Instead, outside spending fueled by wealthy individual donors empowered by the decision tends to favor the party that does not control the White House: The GOP benefited from a surge in independent expenditures when Barack Obama was president, followed by a shift toward the Democrats after Donald Trump won in 2016. According to numbers compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, liberal outside groups outspent conservative ones, $1.6 billion to $1.3 billion, in the 2020 election cycle; and with respect to so-called dark money the political spending financed by undisclosed donors the Democrats enjoyed a more than 2-to-1 advantage. Few things motivate donors more than the tantalizing prospect of their side regaining power. So do not be surprised if Republicans regain the outside spending advantage in 2022. Post-Citizens United, what especially stands out is how competitive our electoral politics have become, with power fluctuating between the parties. When the Supreme Court issued its decision in early 2010, the Democratic Party controlled the presidency and held large House and Senate majorities. Since then, we have seen: 2010 Republicans recapture the House by netting 63 seats, while winning six Senate seats. 2012 Democrats retain the White House. 2014 Republicans retake the Senate with the biggest net seat gain since 1980. 2016 Republicans win the presidency and obtain unified control of the White House and Congress for the first time since 2006. 2018 Democrats win 41 seats to take back the House. 2020 Democrats take back the White House, the Senate ends up tied 50-50, and Republicans narrow the Democrats House majority to a mere five seats. One likely reason for this back-and-forth struggle is that outside spending helps offset the built-in advantages enjoyed by entrenched incumbents, whose broad name recognition and established fundraising networks typically allow them to outraise challengers by lopsided margins. Independent expenditures in favor of challengers level the financial playing field and, combined with a donor motivation advantage for the out-of-power party, look like they have contributed significantly to a period of remarkable parity between the parties. Though I believe Citizens United deserves a lot of credit for these outcomes, there is certainly room for debate regarding the rulings impact. Still, in the decisions aftermath, rather than our government being sold to the highest bidder, we see robust election competition, engaged voters, and more even-handed political spending all without increased corruption. In the debate around Citizens United, we don't need to play by Mark Twains rules. Facts alone are far more helpful than distortions. President Obama used his first overseas trip -- to Europe -- as stop one on an extended apology tour across several continents. President Trump headed straight to Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem before getting around to meeting with our European allies on his no-apologies first foreign trip, throwing out tradition and diplomacy to openly spar with Americas longtime partners, threaten to withdraw from NATO and cement his America-first agenda. Over the past week, President Biden has done all he can to make his first overseas foray an apology-for-Trump tour, reassuring G-7 and NATO allies that he once again has their back and will partner up with them when it comes to climate issues, the pandemic recovery, trade and defense, instead of putting America first. Earlier this week, Biden called the U.S. commitment to NATO rock-solid and unshakable as well as sacred. There was no talk of continuing to force NATO allies to pay their fair share in defense costs. It was the inverse of Trump. But that was the easy part. Even without Trump in office, fissures with European allies remain, especially when it comes to Americas biggest adversaries and their growing influence in the region and the world. While rekindling old friendships, Biden knew he needed to project strength against recent aggression from Russia and China. Both have been testing the new administration to see just how far they can push, where the new lines of demarcation lie. In Bidens first remarks after touching down in Britain last week, he used some form of the word strength eight times as he tried to lay out a choice to the European nations and the world between democracy and autocracy. It was meant as a warning about the dangers of continuing to develop closer economic and strategic ties to China and Russia despite the long-term security threat both pose. Biden was not so subtly calling out our European allies, particularly Germany, which wants to finalize the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to deliver gas from Russia and whose big automakers want to expand access to the Chinese market. Europeans in recent years have found themselves caught in a tug of war between the superpowers and the pandemic only exacerbated the split economic loyalties as Chinas GDP is set to outpace Americas after COVID. It hasnt helped that Biden has sent mixed messages in recent weeks by lifting sanctions on Nord Stream 2, angering defense hawks in Congress responsible for them. We are in a contest not with China per se, but a contest with autocratic governments around the world and whether democracies can compete with them in a rapidly changing 21st century, Biden told reporters Sunday. How we act and whether we pull together as democracies will determine whether our grandchildren look back 15 years time and say, Did they step up? On that thornier goal, Biden scored some significant diplomatic paper victories but could not gain unanimous support on more punitive actions against Beijing and Moscow. To counter Chinas massive Belt and Road initiative, Biden and other leaders at the G-7 meeting announced a greener global infrastructure plan, which they dubbed Build Back Better World, or B3W, a nod to both Bidens and British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons campaign slogans. Belt and Road, or BRI, is Chinese President Xi Jinpings signature foreign policy endeavor. Launched in 2013, it provides funding in other countries for building roads, power plants, ports, railways and, through Huawei, communications systems using 5G networks over which it could exercise significant control. The U.S. and some other Western countries view BRI as Chinas biggest economic threat, feeding a growing sense in developing and second-world countries that China is on the rise and the power of the United States and its partners is fading. While Biden and the G-7 deserve credit for tackling the issue, serious concerns remain that its too little, too late and wont have the funds it needs to compete with Beijing. The Belt and Road moniker has been attached to hundreds of projects around the world, write Jennifer Hillman and David Sacks, two senior fellows at the Council on Foreign Relations who co-direct the groups independent task force report on Chinas BRI. Xi attracts dozens of heads of state for Belt and Road forums in Beijing, and the Chinese government has inserted language into the World Health Organization and other U.N. bodies, all of which furthers its narrative power. After their meeting, G-7 leaders produced a communique criticizing China for undermining the global economy and for abusing human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Biden at a press conference Sunday said there was no mention of China in the final communique the last time the G-7 met, and this time there was plenty of action on China, so he was satisfied. Biden didnt mention that the final language was not as strong as the U.S. had wanted. Beijing immediately dismissed this shot across its bow. The day when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries is long gone, its embassy in London boasted in statement. NATO took an even stronger tack toward Beijing after its meeting, saying Chinas military buildup and the expansion of its nuclear arsenal threatened rules-based international order. On the other hand, NATO said it maintains a constructive dialogue with China where possible and we welcome opportunities to engage with China on areas of relevance to the Alliance and on common challenges such as climate change. Reciprocal transparency and understanding would benefit both NATO and China. It wasnt nuanced enough for Beijing, which quickly pushed back, accusing NATO of exaggerating the China threat theory and claiming its military buildup is defensive in nature. "Our pursuit of defense and military modernization is justified, reasonable, open and transparent," China's mission to the European Union said in a statement. The statement also stressed that NATO should view China's development in a "rational manner" and "stop taking China's legitimate interests and rights as an excuse to manipulate bloc politics, create confrontation and fuel geopolitical competition." But then China undermined its own defense. Beijings rebuttal came on the same day it flew 28 air force jets into Taiwan's air defense zone, the fifth incursion this month and the largest to date. James Carafano, the vice president for national security and foreign policy at the conservative Heritage Foundation, characterized Bidens overseas trip as finger-waving and rhetoric. Whats missing is what the Russians and Chinese really pay attention to, which is the component of hard power that would actually force them to do things differently, he said. Tell me one thing from the G-7 that, if you were China and Russia and you were sitting there reading the communique, youd say, How are we going to deal with this? And the answer is nothing. NATO also called for a Phase 2 study from the World Health Organization into the origins of the pandemic in China. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that China must cooperate with the probe now that the world is insisting that Beijing do so. Giving the WHO a second chance to hold China accountable when its first investigation was roundly criticized for undue Chinese influence drew derision from the right. Didnt Einstein once say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? Fox News anchor John Roberts mocked. Actually, it wasnt Einstein, but Roberts point was echoed by others. Sen. Tom Cotton, a top China hawk in Congress, blasted NATO for downplaying the China threat while focusing too closely on the menace Russia poses. Russia is a threat, [but] China is the threat to the United States and the free world, Cotton told Fox News. The NATO communique mentions Russia 61 times but China only 10 times. All these European leaders want Chinese money to continue to come flooding into their countries, all at the risk of our shared common security, Cotton continued, and Joe Biden simply did not push hard enough for our European allies to recognize China as the leading threat that we face and that the free world faces. Others, however, have given Biden far more credit. Adm. James Stavridis, the retired former supreme allied commander of NATO during the Obama years, praised NATO allies for signing up their naval ships to check Chinese aggression over a disputed and strategic set of islands in the South China Sea. He noted that the British carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is on its way there along with six NATO escort vessels. The Germans are coming, the French are coming. The Italians are discussing it, he said. Bottom line, I think the alliance is in the B-plus range on cyber, China and climate. Ahead of Bidens big meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, Stavridis also had some advice for holding Putin accountable for ransomware attacks and other cybercrimes while going after the criminals themselves and clawing back some of the stolen billions. Increase the sanctions on Russia and tighten the noose around Vladimir Putin, around his inner circle, their assets abroad, he said. At the onset of the trip last week, Biden boasted that he would tell Putin what I want him to know regarding the recent ransomware attacks emanating from Russia, and warned that he U.S. would respond in a robust and meaningful way. Nearly a week later, he toned down the rhetoric ahead of sit-down with Putin. Biden did accuse Russia and China of trying to drive a wedge into the transatlantic alliance and that, while he was not seeking conflict with Russia, NATO would respond if Moscow continued its harmful activities. But the president is avoiding the politically perilous optics of standing next to Putin at a press conference where he would undoubtedly be asked again whether he considered the Russian president a killer, knowing that responding honestly would stoke more international tensions than it would resolve. When Trump held a joint press conference with Putin in 2018, he made headlines for essentially agreeing with Putin that Russia didnt interfere in the 2016 presidential election, siding with the ruthless autocrat over his own U.S. intelligence community. On Tuesday Biden met with NATO leaders, and one topic of discussion was Russias aggressive acts that pose a threat to NATO and our national security. I shared with our allies what Ill convey to Putin: that Im not looking for conflict with Russia, Biden said, but that we will respond if Russia continues its harmful activities. And we will not fail to defend NATO or stand up for democratic values. A particularly awkward moment came during the press conference when the president was asked whether he still stands behind his remarks as a candidate that Putin is a killer. Putin had been pressed about that comment in a recent TV interview; the Russian leader laughed at the question and said it was not something I worry about in the least. When a reporter asked Biden about the killer remark and referenced Putin laughing at the suggestion, the U.S. president also began his answer by chuckling. Im laughing too, he said. Actually I well, look, he has made clear that uh, uh ... There was then a pause lasting seven seconds as Biden awkwardly considered his response. The answer is, I believe he has in the past essentially acknowledged that there were certain things he would do, or did do, he said. But look. When I was [first] asked that question on air, I answered it honestly, but I dont think it matters a whole lot in terms of this next meeting were about to have. Thats where Biden is wrong. Of course it matters whether Putin murders his political opponents and enemies. Theres no way to brush it aside for a one-on-one meeting. The fact that Putin was building up forces outside Ukraine and failing to stop ransomware attacks while Chinese President Xi Jinping continues to enter Taiwanese airspace shows both leaders sense weakness from Biden and believe they can push the U.S. and its allies around. Unfortunately, the lukewarm rhetoric coming out of Bidens first G-7 and NATO summits wont stop them in their tracks. Bidens first venture overseas has hardly been a tour de force but has provided some diplomatic steps albeit small ones in the right direction. Now the question is whether those words will be translated into action. The cast of Pixar's new animated movie Luca said the film teaches viewers to overcome their fears through the anxiety of a sea monster mother voiced by Maya Rudolph when her son leaves the ocean. ADVERTISEMENT "One of the most terrifying aspects of having children is knowing that they have to go out into the world," Rudolph said. "It's less about your child than it is about what the dangers of the world are." The film, premiering Friday on Disney+, follows Daniela (Rudolph), Luca (Jacob Tremblay) and his father, Lorenzo (Jim Gaffigan) -- a family of sea monsters. Rudolph sympathized with Daniela's overprotective nature. As the mother of four children -- Lucille, Jack, Pearl Minnie and Minnie Ida Anderson -- Rudolph said letting one's children go is a source of great anxiety for parents. "I think deep down, she knows her son is going to explore," the 48-year-old said. "It's the scariest thing in the world to let your babies run out in the world and explore, even though you know they need to." Luca discovers he can turn into a human when he meets Alberto ( Jack Dylan Grazer ). The two visit the town of Portorosso on the Italian Riviera and enjoy human activities, like eating ice cream cones and having home-cooked meals with their new friend, Giulia (newcomer Emma Berman). However, Luca and Alberto have to hide their true sea monster identity. "The overarching message in this film is being comfortable in your skin and not dressing the part for anybody but yourself," Jack said. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! In Portorosso, Luca, Alberto and Giullia enter the Portorosso Cup, a citywide bicycle race. Luca and Alberto want to use the prize money to buy a Vespa scooter. Luca still has to overcome his self-doubt, doubts about winning the race and fitting in in Portorosso. Alberto calls that voice of self-doubt Bruno, and encourages Luca to say, "Silencio Bruno." The 14-year-old Jacob, who has been acting professionally since he was 7, said he relates to Bruno. Jacob said he still pushes through his own self-doubt in each performance. "In acting, you have to really go 100% on all your performances or else, it's going to fall flat," Jacob said. "For me, using your words to silence your anxiety about certain things, you really need to do that for acting." Jack, 17, said he could relate to Alberto's willingness to try dangerous things, be it a bicycle race or playing on the shore with Luca. "I, myself, have always been a really impulsive decision maker," Jack said. "It might end up being a terrible decision, but I'm hoping [it will be] wonderful." Gaffigan said he identified with his role as Luca's father, too. Even though Lorenzo joins Daniela in Portorosso to search for Luca, Daniela is leading the charge. Gaffigan said he found the negotiation two parents share while raising children accurate compared to his own marriage. "I'm kind of overwhelmed, hopefully well-intended as a parent," Gaffigan said. "Lorenzo might be distracted, but he's not disinterested." The voice cast of Luca recorded their dialogue remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jacob said Luca's spirit of exploration will resonate with other kids who have been cooped up at home for over a year. "I relate to his eagerness to go out and explore, especially right now," Jacob said. "Because of COVID, I feel like we can all really relate to Luca in wanting to go out and ride a Vespa through Italy." Rudolph said she was concerned she would have to speak in an Italian accent, like some characters in Portorosso, who have flamboyant accents. But the characters who come from the sea speak in the actors' natural dialects. "I got to just be the essence of mama," Rudolph said. "She's a very serious mom. She's not messing around, and that, to me, just equals love. That protection, that strong discipline is love and wanting to raise her family right." Luca is 12-year-old Emma's first film. Her previous credits include voicing toys for Leapfrog. Emma said she is living proof that the message of Luca pays off in real life. Giulia has attempted the Portorosso cup before, but she doesn't let past losses hold her back. "She just keeps pushing, and for me that relates to auditioning for acting," Emma said. "Don't get a job, keep auditioning, don't get that job, keep auditioning." By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/16/2021 ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. couple Lauren Burnham and Arie Luyendyk Jr. have revealed the "heartbreaking" news that their newborn baby girl is still hospitalized with respiratory issues and asked their fans to pray for her.Arie and Lauren welcomed their baby twins , a boy and a girl, via C-section on June 11 and were able to bring their son home on Tuesday; however, Lauren shared on Instagram her newborn daughter had to stay behind in the hospital.Lauren posted a photo of the siblings on her Instagram Stories before leaving the hospital with her baby boy and wrote, "2/3 of my heart right here.""Today is so bittersweet, we get to leave the hospital," Lauren, 29, continued in her post on Tuesday. "But little sis has to stay behind for now."As a video played of Lauren rubbing her baby girl's hand, she wrote, "I've never felt heartbreak like this. Pls say prayers for our girl."Arie, 39, and Lauren shared a video of their babies Monday on YouTube and a nurse revealed to the couple what was happening with their daughter from a medical perspective."Babies transition really quickly during the first 12 hours of life," a nurse explained to Arie and Lauren as Lauren rubbed the newborn's back."Some babies need it for a couple days. It's just depending... [on] when the doctor comes over if she's still needing respiratory support for a couple more hours. We might get a chest X-ray just to see a better picture of what's going on."Arie and Lauren's son -- who only spent "a few hours" in the NICU after his birth -- was "doing so good" at the time, while his sister gained strength and "got a little support" in the NICU.Arie and Lauren are also parents of a two-year-old daughter, Alessi, who was born in May 2019.Alessi apparently got to meet her new brother for the first time on Tuesday once Arie and Lauren returned home from the hospital with one of their twins."Already loves her brother so much," Arie posted photos of Alessi were her younger sibling."Thank you everyone for the kind words and for those that watched our vlog on YouTube. Emotional few days but Alessi meeting her little brother today was cuter than words could describe. We'll post more soon just resting."Lauren also shared a photo of her twins on Instagram and just captioned it, "6.11.21. @luyendyktwins."Arie shared the first photos of the newborns with their mom on Monday, when he gushed about Lauren."Never been prouder of my wife than in this moment," Arie wrote on Instagram. "She is the strongest woman I know and I'm lucky to be on this incredible journey with her. We are proud parents of a healthy boy and girl!"Arie surprised Lauren with a backyard baby shower for their twins in late April when Lauren was 29 weeks along in her pregnancy."Never been more surprised than I was walking into my backyard today. love all of you ppl so much & @luyendyktwins. We can't wait to meet you!" Lauren gushed on Instagram after the big bash.The couple announced Lauren was pregnant with twins in December 2020, not long after Lauren suffered a miscarriage in May of last year.Arie and Lauren then revealed in January 2021 they had a baby boy and a baby girl on the way , who were due to arrive in June.As for where they plan to live with their three children, Arie and Lauren recently bought a house in Hawaii , although they won't stay there "full-time." The pair reportedly plan to split their time between Hawaii and Arizona."For anyone who has been to Arizona during the summer, you know it's kind of miserable here," Lauren shared with the magazine in May. "We just wanted to have a good escape, and I've always wanted to be near the beach."Lauren finished Arie's season of in second place when Arie actually chose Becca Kufrin as his winner and popped the question to her during the Final Rose Ceremony, which aired in March 2018.But weeks after getting engaged, Arie decided to dump Becca because he claimed he was still in love with Lauren, and so he begged Lauren for a second chance.Arie proposed marriage to Lauren in March 2018 on : After the Final Rose after Season 22 aired on ABC.The couple then moved into their first home together in Phoenix, AZ, in April of that year.The pair announced they were expecting their first child together in November 2018 and revealed two months later that Lauren was pregnant with a daughter.Arie and Lauren tied the knot at Haiku Mill in Maui, Hawaii in January 2019 and then welcomed Alessi on May 29, 2019.Interested in more news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group Long-running musical The Book of Mormon will return Broadway in November. ADVERTISEMENT Producers for the musical comedy announced Wednesday on Twitter that performances will resume Nov. 5 at Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York. "Wanna know something INCREDIBLE?! The Book of Mormon returns to Broadway November 5, 2021," the post reads. The Book of Mormon features music, lyrics and a book by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and composer Robert Lopez. The musical follows a pair of Mormon missionaries in Uganda. "When Broadway shut down, so many amazing and talented people were put out of work, many of whom had become family to us," Parker, Stone and Lopez said in a joint statement. "As writers and as fans we are so ready for the 'Great Broadway Comeback' and are so glad that our show can be a part of it. Can't wait to be back with the entire team and our wonderful cast, crew and orchestra." Deadline said aspects of the show may be revised. Earlier this year, 20 actors from the original and most recent Broadway casts signed a letter asking writers and producers to reevaluate elements of the show deemed racially problematic. The original Broadway cast included Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad. Casting for the new shows will be announced in the coming weeks, with tickets to go on sale June 28. Scott Rudin, a producer on The Book of Mormon, stepped back from the show and his other projects on Broadway in April after apologizing for "troubling interactions with colleagues." FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! The Book of Mormon will also resume West End performances Nov. 15 at Prince of Wales Theatre in London. The show will begin a U.K. tour in October. The Killers and Bruce Springsteen have teamed up on a new song. ADVERTISEMENT The rock band and Springsteen, 71, released the song "Dustland" on Tuesday. "Dustland" is a remake of The Killers' 2008 song "A Dustland Fairytale," which appeared on the group's album Day & Age. In an Instagram post, The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers recalled how Springsteen texted him about working together in February 2020. Flowers said he wrote "A Dustland Fairytale" during his late mom's battle with cancer. "It was an attempt to better understand my dad, who is sometimes a mystery to me. To grieve for my mother. To acknowledge their sacrifices and maybe even catch a glimpse of just how strong love needs to be to make it in this world. It was my therapy. It was cathartic," he wrote. Flowers said Springsteen has written "a lot about people like my parents and found a whole lot of beauty in otherwise invisible people's hopes and dreams. Their struggles, and their losses." "I'm grateful to him for opening this door for me. I'm grateful to my parents for their example to me. Now go find something new out about your dad, give your mom a big hug, and for god's sake listen to Bruce Springsteen," he ended the post. The Killers and Springsteen discussed and performed "Dustland" during Wednesday's episode of Today. In the interview, Flowers voiced his admiration for Springsteen. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! "He's somebody that, he's a part of American culture and fabric, and he's such an icon. So just to have him be aware of what we do is really special to us," Flowers said. The Killers released their sixth studio album, Imploding the Mirage, in August. Springsteen released his 20th album, Letter to You, in October. 56, of Traverse City, died, June 25, 2021. He is the son of Elizabeth Yates and brother of Marcia Emery. Scott was preceded in death by his brother, James McCann. Services will be held 11 a.m., Friday, July 2, 2021 at the Greensky Hill Indian Methodist Church, 8484 Greensky Hill, Charlevoix. Athens, GA (30605) Today Variable clouds with thunderstorms, especially during the afternoon hours. High 84F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly this evening. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Athens, GA (30605) Today A few showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving for the afternoon. High 84F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some passing clouds. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Greenville, NC (27833) Today Thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 77F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Members of the Brattleboro Fire Department visit the St. Michaels Preschool and Youth Summer Camp during the Community Heroes week on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. The members of the fire department went through fire safety with the children and then showed them the equipment that is stored on Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Rain likely. High 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.. Tonight A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. General Assignment Reporter Chris Mays is a general assignment reporter for the Brattleboro Reformer. He has been with New England Newspapers Inc. since 2012. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Rain likely. High 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.. Tonight Occasional rain. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Beckley, WV (25801) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 70F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 52F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. With some researchers predicting the Delta COVID variant may become the dominant strain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has heightened its designation of it to a variant of concern. The new designation for this variant, which was first discovered in India, follows research that shows the mutation is more transmissible and may be able to escape the bodys immune response. A small number of cases in Connecticut have been attributed to this variant, according to researchers. I think its more motivation to get vaccinated, said Dr. Michael Parry, chair of infectious diseases for Stamford Health. Its sort of a wait-and-see proposition with all of these variants, theres a lot of things we dont know, he added. The variant is believed to spread among people more easily than the original strain of coronavirus that led to the global pandemic, and more easily than the Alpha variant first detected in the U.K., according to research from the U.K. that was cited by the CDC. The strain is one of several variants first detected in India believed to have fueled that countrys deadly second wave of the virus this spring. There have been 32 cases of the Delta variant confirmed in Connecticut through genomic sequencing of positive test kits, according to the most recent data compiled by the Yale School of Public Health, Jackson Labs, the state Department of Public Health and others. The variant comprised 6.5 percent of samples sequenced in the previous week, up by about 3.2 percentage points, according to the data from June 10. A new report is expected later this week. In comparison, the Alpha variant comprised almost 57 percent of samples taken, but the data also showed the prevalence of Alpha dropped by nearly 11 percentage points over the previous week. The data also shows the Gamma variant, a strain of the virus first found in Brazil also known as P.1, trending upwards. The variant made up nearly 11 percent of the variants sequenced, up 2.7 percentage points from the week before. What will happen in CT and the (U.S.)? Delta will likely become dominant, tweeted Nathan Grubaugh, who heads the Yale School of Public Healths efforts to sequence the virus. How we prevent Delta (and other variants) from causing another (wave) is pretty simple. Get vaccinated, he said. Researchers believe the Delta variant may be able to evade the bodys immune response, either from vaccination or from treatments of monoclonal antibodies given to COVID-19 patients. So far, research in the U.K. has shown the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is still highly effective. I think the good news, it seems like the vaccines are protective, said Dr. David Banach, head of infection prevention at UConn Health. He also emphasized the variant is another reason for those who have not yet been vaccinated to get their shots. While he said the potential for the variant to be transmitted to someone whose immune system is compromised, and for whom the vaccines might offer less protection, he was more concerned about the highly transmissible variants ability to pass between people who arent yet vaccinated. As of Tuesday, just under 53 percent of the U.S. population have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to CDC data. In Connecticut, and much of the Northeast, the number is higher, with a little more than 65 percent of the population having received at least one dose of the vaccine. In the U.K., research has shown the variant may now comprise more than 90 percent of the countrys new COVID-19 infections, supplanting the Alpha variant, which is now thought to be the dominant lineage in the U.S. That has scientists concerned the Delta variant could also become dominant in the U.S., even as states work to vaccinate more people. We cannot let that happen in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci said during the White House COVID-19 briefing last week, urging people to get vaccinated and follow through on getting their second shots. Parry said hospitals still dont receive data back from the state when they send samples for genetic sequencing on patients with concerning cases such as severe cases of COVID-19 or breakthrough cases involving vaccinated patients. He said the state Department of Public Health has promised to begin giving them the data to use clinically, but its unclear exactly when hospitals will receive it. Along with the rest of the country, Connecticuts COVID-19 metrics have remained low throughout the spring, and like most states, nearly all of the pandemic restrictions have been lifted here. On Wednesday, the state reported 39 new cases of the illness from 10,187 tests for a daily positivity rate of 0.38 percent. Hospitalizations remained flat at 50 statewide, while two more fatalities brought the official death toll to 8,265. At Stamford Hospital, only one patient is hospitalized for the virus, Parry said Wednesday afternoon. With the majority of the states older population vaccinated, patients hospitalized for COVID-19 are trending younger, and are predominantly people who are not vaccinated, he said. LAKE CITY, Iowa (AP) Fire has destroyed a western Iowa business that made pipe organs for churches, schools and customers from around the world, officials said. The fire at Dobson Pipe Organ Builders in Lake City was reported around 4 p.m. Tuesday, officials said. Firefighters found the building engulfed in flames that caused its exterior walls to collapse. CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) A northern Nevada attorney who has questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election and was outside the U.S. Capitol the day it was violently stormed has announced he's running for governor. Republican Joey Gilbert told an applauding audience at the Ahern Hotel in Las Vegas over the weekend that he planned to challenge Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in Nevada's 2022 gubernatorial race, according to a video of the event posted on Facebook. Gilbert's assistant Andrea Wexelblatt said he was unavailable to comment Tuesday but she confirmed his campaign announcement to The Associated Press. Gilbert, a former professional boxer, said in his remarks Saturday that he believed Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election and was still our president." Let me say this: If election integrity is not the No. 1 issue of these guys running, then theyre either lost, confused, or too stupid to be running, he said, referencing other Republicans who intend to run. He positioned voter fraud allegations at the center of his campaign, falsely claimed COVID-19 vaccines were unproven and urged people not to take them. He also referred to the coronavirus as a plandemic, using a term that suggests the pandemic was intentionally created. The coronavirus vaccine has been administered to millions of people across the world, the vast majority of whom have not experienced side effects. Research has shown that the COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use by federal health officials prevent severe illness from COVID-19. Gilbert joins Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee and Gardnerville doctor Fred Simon in the Republican primary field. U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei has said hes mulling a run against Sisolak and that former U.S. Sen. Dean Heller informed him that he was considering it as well. Amodei and Heller, both Republicans, have not announced any decisions. Gilbert was advertised as a speaker for a MAGA Freedom Rally, organized by the anti-vaccine political action committee United Medical Freedom, one block from the U.S. Capitol the day of the Jan. 6 insurrection. The Reno Gazette Journal reported in January that Gilbert had also gone to the Capitol after barricades were torn down and the building was overrun by hundreds of Trumps supporters. Gilbert said in a video on his Facebook page that he had not gone inside the Capitol. Gilbert did not respond to emailed questions about actions on Jan. 6. He has not been charged with any crime related to the insurrection. In addition to advertising his legal practice on billboards throughout the Reno area, Gilbert is a fixture at rallies for right-wing causes in northern Nevada. Gilbert has spoken at events in rural Elko and Lander County celebrating local officials decisions to join the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, a right-wing group that believes county sheriffs have a duty to uphold the constitution that supersedes other elected officials up to the president. Hes worked with local activists in rural counties to rescind mask mandates and filed lawsuits challenging restrictions put on businesses and places of worship to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He has protested Black Lives Matter, COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, the teaching of critical race theory in schools and the results of the election. Legal challenges attempting to invalidate President Joe Bidens electoral victory in Nevada have failed in the courts and Nevada's Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske has defended the results as reliable and accurate. ___ 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. Pennsylvanias General Assembly is sometimes called a do-nothing legislature, but thats not really true. Party bosses do a lot to ram through their agendas while often obstructing efforts to pass laws that voters want. Unfortunately, leaders of the majority party currently the GOP have granted themselves the power to decide whether a bill merits a vote or even a hearing. And they use it. The nonprofit group Fair Districts PA said late last year that fewer than 10% of House and Senate bills become law. If donors dont like a popular proposal like raising fracking taxes or changing the way public schools are funded, its easier to let it languish than to alienate constituents by going on record against it. And its not surprising that many legislators wouldnt be thrilled about campaign finance reform and other moves to reduce their power. Right now, theres no way to get around this logjam. Registered voters can say yes or no to ballot questions, but only if the Legislature approves them first. Wouldnt it be better if we, the people, could just bypass Harrisburg and get our own proposals on the ballot? Not all legislators are against the idea. This year and in the last legislative session, Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-18, has introduced legislation to allow registered voters to present initiatives (to enact new laws or change the constitution) and referendums (to overturn an existing statute). I think more than ever, the people of Pennsylvania need a greater say in our government, she said, especially as hyper-partisanship makes reform harder to accomplish. Now serving her fifth term as a senator, Boscola came to this conclusion after watching the Legislature fail to agree on school property tax reform and refuse to relinquish control of the crucial redistricting process. (She represents a Lehigh Valley district that she said is shaped like a Transformers robot.) Her current proposal, Senate Bill 538, is similar to Arizonas rules for citizens ballot measures. Voters there approved a redistricting initiative that the state legislature challenged, but the U.S. Supreme Court upheld. If everyone who wants to change the way government works could take their ideas directly to the voters, wed be filling out pages of books instead of a sheet of paper at the polls. So Boscolas bill would limit the number of initiatives and referendums to two each per election and three each within a two-year period. SB 538 also sets a very high bar for ballot-worthiness. Proponents of an initiative or referendum would first have to gather petition signatures of registered voters equal in number to 5% of the votes last cast for governor. That currently comes to about 175,000, and theyd have to be spread across 45 of Pennsylvanias 67 counties. If a referendum petition gets double that number of signatures, it would keep the law thats being challenged from taking effect until the public votes on the measure. The bill excludes proposals consisting of more than one subject or involving religion, judicial appointments or decisions, a specific appropriation from the treasury or the hiring of a private corporation. A measure that passes muster would go on the ballot for the next primary or general election. Under SB 538, the Legislature would have to pass laws setting limits on and mandating full disclosure of campaign funding by advocates and opponents. If a simple majority of the voters approve the measure, it would become a law that the governor couldnt veto and the Legislature couldnt repeal. Citizens ballot initiatives and referendums are hardly a radical idea. Besides Arizona, 25 states allow their voters to initiate and pass one or more types of laws. Still, this would shift some power from the Legislature to the electorate, and Boscola acknowledges that it would take a massive grassroots effort to make this happen. She notes that if voters could make laws, legislators would be more responsive. If the people want to put an initiative or referendum on the ballot, she said, youll see the Legislature act so quickly within a couple of months like youve never seen before. That way, she noted, lawmakers could craft a bill themselves and take credit for getting the job done. (Von Ahn is Schuylkill Indivisible chair, but the opinions expressed here are her own) Ashland The Mr. Sticky sale sponsored by the Ashland Public Library and scheduled for June 21 has been canceled. Those who paid for orders will be reimbursed at the library, 1229 Centre St., or can call 570-875-3175. Barnesville Naturalist Robin Tracey of Tuscarora State Park will lead a hike at the Landingville Marsh on June 25. The 4-mile trail is rated easy. There will be a stop at the Auburn Dam. Participants will meet at the advance mall parking lot 10:40 a.m. to carpool to the site. For more information and to register, call Tracey at 570-467-2506. Forestville The Forestville Fish & Game Clubs reorganization meeting is set for 4 p.m. Sunday at the Forestville Citizens Fire Company. Gilberton Continental Hose Company No. 3, 229 Main St., will have a hoagie sale beginning 9 a.m. June 26. To order in advance or for more information, call 570-933-0415. Walk-ins also are welcome. Orders come with a beverage and chips. Lansford The Music in the Park concert for 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, at the Kennedy Park Gazebo, will feature Ashlands Shoreliners orchestra playing polka music classics. People should bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the show. Mahanoy City Elks Lodge 695, 135 E. Centre St., will have a meat bingo on Saturday. Doors will open 7 p.m.; food will be for sale. For more information, call 570-573-2649. Orwigsburg A white elephant yard sale with raffle baskets, baked goods and food is set for 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Zions Red Church, Route 61. POTTSVILLE A Pottsville man is headed to state prison after a Schuylkill County judge recently sentenced him for breaking into a building in September 2020 in the city. Kevin A. Smith Jr., 32, must serve two to four years in a state correctional institution, pay costs, $50 in fines, $50 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account and $961.20 restitution, and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities, President Judge William E. Baldwin ruled. Smith pleaded guilty to burglary, resisting arrest, loitering and prowling at nighttime and three counts of criminal mischief. Prosecutors withdrew two counts of criminal trespass. Pottsville police charged Smith with breaking into a building on Sept. 21, 2020. Smith already is an inmate at the county prison, and Baldwin conducted the hearing by videoconference. In another recent case, Baldwin sentenced Jacqueline E. Chattin, 30, of Pottsville, to serve one to two years in a state correctional institution, pay costs and a $50 CJEA payment and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities. Chattin pleaded guilty to criminal trespass. Pottsville police charged her with breaking into a building on Jan. 17 in the city. She already is an inmate at the county prison, and Baldwin conducted the hearing by videoconference. Also recently in the county court, Judge James P. Goodman sentenced Wesley W. Grubb, 43, of Frackville, to serve 72 hours to six months in prison and pay costs, a $25 fine and $100 to the Substance Abuse Education Fund. Grubb pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, with prosecutors withdrawing a charge of failing to use low beams. State police at Frackville alleged Grubb was DUI on Feb. 20, 2020. Grubb already is an inmate at the county prison, and Goodman conducted the hearing by videoconference. In another recent county court case, Tamara A. Williams, 30, of Archbald, pleaded guilty to criminal trespass. Prosecutors withdrew charges of flight to avoid apprehension or trial, loitering and prowling at nighttime and resisting arrest. Judge Charles M. Miller accepted the plea and, pursuant to an agreement between prosecutors and Williams, sentenced the defendant to spend 15 to 30 months in a state correctional institution, pay costs and a $50 CJEA payment and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities. Shenandoah police charged Williams with breaking into a building on July 9, 2020, in the borough. Williams already is an inmate at Lackawanna County Prison, and Miller conducted the hearing by videoconference. Also recently in the county court, Baldwin sentenced Russell G. Keener, 55, of Kingston, to serve 48 hours to six months in prison and pay costs, $525 in fines, and a $100 SAEF payment. Keener had pleaded guilty on May 14 to DUI and disregarding traffic lane. Prosecutors withdrew charges of reckless driving and careless driving. State police at Frackville alleged Keener was DUI on Aug. 20, 2020. Anthony J. Kilker SHENANDOAH A Pottsville man arrested by Shenandoah police on drug charges after an incident on March 24 appeared for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker. Cody Lee Harris, 29, of 127 Saint Clair Ave., was arrested by Police Chief George Carado and charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. Prosecutors withdrew one count of possession of a controlled substance and Harris waived the remaining two charges to Schuylkill County Court, where he can now plead guilty or enter a not guilty plea and request a trial. Carado charged Harris with an incident at 605 W. Penn St., where he left the area and his vehicle subsequently stopped. During the stop, Carado said, Harris was found with fentanyl inside the vehicle and a subsequent investigation determined he had an active arrest warrant on him from neighboring Dauphin County. After being taken into custody, Carado said, Harris had a pack of cigarettes that contained an amount of methamphetamine inside aluminum foil. Other court cases included: Matthew Hower, 49, of 10 St. Ann St., Barnesville; held for court: DUI-controlled substance, operating a vehicle without a valid inspection, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked and failure to use safety belts. Philip M. Alcaraz, 73, of 150 W. Ogden St., Girardville; waived for court: DUI, DUI-high rate, turning movements and required signals and no rear lights. Tessa Ann Collins, 20, of 22 E. Lloyd St., Shenandoah; withdrawn: bad checks. Matthew Lee Ketchledge, 35, of 201 Clay St., Box 593, Tamaqua; guilty plea entered: possession of drug paraphernalia. Joseph T. Pecika, 63, of 340 Roosevelt Drive, Mahanoy City; held for court: driving with a suspended or revoked license, driving without a license and driving a vehicle without a valid inspection. Thomas H. Xavios FRACKVILLE An inmate at SCI/Frackville charged with assaulting a corrections officer and nurse at the jail on July 2, 2020, had charges against him held to court during a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Thomas H. Xavios. James Capron Ha Bradley, 25, was arrested by state police Trooper Andrew Letcavage of the Frackville station and charged with four felony counts of aggravated harassment by prisoner and a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. Xavios ruled prosecutors presented enough evidence to substantiate their case and ordered all five charges to Schuylkill County Court, where Bradley can plead guilty or plead not guilty and request a trial. Letcavage said Corrections Officer Joseph Gornal and registered nurse Michelle Delpais were passing out medications in the restricted housing unit passing the cell of Bradley who sprayed an unknown substance from a toothpaste container at them. Letcavage said Gornal was struck on the left side of his face and his chest and torso while Delpais was hit on the back of her shirt and her pants and shoes. The toothpaste container was sent to the state police laboratory in Bethlehem where testing confirmed it contained urine, Letcavage said. Other court cases included: Tiffany Ann Yunevage, 39, of 47 Trailer Road, Ringtown; held for court: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Brandon J. Bond, 29, of 1319 E. Mahanoy Ave., Mahanoy City; held for court: possession of a controlled substance, possession of a small amount of marijuana and driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked. Charles A. Lindenmuth, 67, of 12 S. Broad Mountain Ave., Frackville; waived for court: DUI-controlled substance, disregard for single traffic lane, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Josue Martinez, 20, of Box 96, Tamaqua; withdrawn: possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. David J. Hower, 31, of 22 S. Broad Mountain Ave., Frackville; held for court: DUI-controlled substance, careless driving, no headlights and failure to keep right. Joshua C. Acker, 44, of 801 Main St., Zion Grove; dismissed: simple assault and harassment. Mellany Ann Knobl, 47, of 3919 N. Front St., Harrisburg; held for court: disorderly conduct, public drunkenness, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Dennis T. Cooney, 45, of 1115 W. Centre St., Shenandoah; waived for court: disorderly conduct and criminal mischief. Anthony Yadiel Laboy, 23, of 237 E. Coal St., Apt. C, Shenandoah; waived for court: DUI-controlled substance, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving without insurance and careless driving. John Jay R. Jeffries, 62, of 7 Hotel Lane, Barnesville; waived for court: DUI, DUI-highest rate and accidents involving damage to attended vehicles or property. Erica G. Shingara, 32, of 1711 Sunshine Road, Shamokin; held for court: unsworn falsification to authorities, statements under penalty and materially false written statements for the purchase, delivery or transfer of a firearm. Mary A. Conte, 39, of 1118 Watson St., Scranton; waived for court: firearms not to be carried without a license and driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked. Christopher M. Brown, 39, of 32 S. Mahanoy Ave., Frackville; dismissed: burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and harassment. Tammy Labota, 44, of 212 E. Main St., Apt. 3, Schuylkill Haven; held for court: criminal mischief and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Harold J. Fowler, 46, of 514 W. Spring St., Frackville; waived for court: retail theft and criminal attempt to commit retail theft. Michael A. Badamo, 21, of 41 Fairway Lane, Sugarloaf; waived for court: DUI, purchase of alcohol by a minor, disregard for single traffic lane and careless driving. Kelly A. Barnes, 53, of 1328 Market St., Ashland; waived for court: false reports. Robert F. Moncrief Jr., 26, of 36 S. Wylam St., Frackville; waived for court: DUI-controlled substance and operating a vehicle without a valid inspection. Kathryn G. Wasser, 42, of 105 Park Place Circle, Womelsdorf; withdrawn: terroristic threats and harassment. Jose A. Williams, 56, of SCI/Frackville, Frackville; waived for court: aggravated harassment by prisoner and disorderly conduct. David A. Plachko PORT CARBON A 25-year-old man arrested by Saint Clair police for an alleged assault on a pregnant girlfriend on April 22 waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko. Nathias D. Vengen II, of 210 N. Second St., Apt. 1, was arrested by Patrolman Brad Blanner and charged with two counts of simple assault and one count of harassment. By waiving his right to a hearing, Vengen will now have to answer to all three charges in Schuylkill County Court, where he can plead guilty or enter a not guilty plea and request a trial. Blanner said he was called to the couples home around 1:35 p.m. for a report of an assault and told by the victim, Morgan Kollars, that Vengen punched her in the face during an argument. Blanner said Kollars suffered red marks on her face and swelling around her left eye and also complained of pain in her abdomen relating to her pregnancy. The officer also said that when Vengen was interviewed, he admitted to hitting the woman with an open palm. Other court cases included: Haley N. Meyer, 21, of 9 S. Morris St., Saint Clair; waived for court: resisting arrest. Brenda L. Setlock, 56, LKA 33 Front St., Floor 2, Cresson; waived for court: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Kori Lynn Meyer, 20, of 41 N. Lehigh Ave., Apt. B, Frackville; waived for court: DUI, DUI-minor, driving without a license, disregard for single traffic lane and failure to use safety belts. Jai Green, 29, of 259 Chestnut St., Apt. 1, Pottstown; waived for court: DUI-controlled substance, disregard for single traffic lane and no rear lights. (Staff writer Frank Andruscavage compiled this report) FOUNTAIN SPRINGS The former Saint Catherine Medical Center is on sale through an online auction that ends Thursday afternoon. The medical center is listed on the auction website of Ten-X, an online commercial real estate exchange. The property at 101 Broad St. is identified as Former Ashland State General Hospital, with the primary property site classified as Office. As of Wednesday afternoon, there was at least one bid, of $400,000 from an unidentified bidder, but the reserve had not been met. The starting bid was $200,000. The Schuylkill County Parcel Locator shows that Province Healthcare-Ashland LP purchased the property on Aug. 15, 2001, for $2,500,000. On April 26, 2006, the company sold the property to Saint Catherine Healthcare of Pennsylvania for $350,250, which in turn sold the property to Ashland Properties LLC for $550,000 on March 6, 2015. The last transfer of the property was on March 13, 2020, to MSCG PA Spe LLC for $1. As explained on the auction website, the property information is described as a Six-story, 191,858 square-foot brick three-winged vacant medical office located in Ashland, PA. Typical hospital layout with a central kitchen and glass ceiling cafeteria. Recent updates include a new natural gas/heating oil dual boiler system, new roofing and electrical systems. Easy access to I-81 and major highways, 60 miles (1 hr.) from Harrisburg International Airport. Significant Value-Add Opportunity with Upside in Leasing & Management. This former acute care general hospital includes three additional buildings, 285 parking spaces and a helipad. The entire size of the property is 20.69 acres. The property is rentable according to the website listing at www.ten-x.com/commercial/listing/101-broad-street-ashland-pa-17921/1000014472. Founded as the State Hospital for Injured Persons of the Anthracite Coal Region at Fountain Springs by the state Legislature in 1879, the construction of the original hospital began in May 1880 on land in Butler Township near Ashland. Construction was completed in 1882, though the first patient, John Lucas, of Shenandoah, was admitted on Nov. 14, 1883. Lucas was injured while working at the Kohinoor Colliery in Shenandoah. It was the first hospital in Schuylkill County. The state purchased most of the land for $1 per acre, with the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Co. donating 18 acres, and $60,000 was appropriated by the state Legislature for the hospital construction, which included the original building with several wards, an administrative wing, operating rooms, laundry and a stable. The hospitals name became Ashland State General Hospital over the years, with a new hospital building constructed in 1967 behind the original building, which was located on what is now the front lawn along state Route 61. When the commonwealth divested its general hospitals in 1992, the facility became Ashland Regional Medical Center, owned by a local board. In 2001, ARMC filed for bankruptcy protection, with Province Healthcare, Brentwood, Tennessee, purchasing the facility later that year. In 2006, the transfer of ownership was made to Saint Catherine Hospital of Pennsylvania LLC, from LifePoint Hospitals Inc., which became the owner in a merger with Province. The hospital was renamed Saint Catherines at the time of the purchase. The closing of the hospital in 2012 was mainly due to serious financial problems, including $5.8 million of debt. Lack of medical supplies for patients, workers not receiving their paychecks for weeks, and other factors led to the closing of the facility. An investigation by the state Department of Health led to an order on March 23 that the hospital could not admit new patients due to serious deficiencies and violations of applicable regulations that it felt posed a significant threat to the health and safety of the patients at the facility. Within a week, the hospital was banned from performing laboratory work and accepting patients in the emergency department. All patients were eventually removed from the hospital. The bankruptcy and closure left around 160 employees out of a job. The Ten-X broker Arlene Richardson could not be reached for additional information. A new travel plaza with a full-sized Burger King and convenience store could be operating by May in the Highridge Business Park at the Gordon exit of Interstate 81. Scranton-based Onvo, which already operates 32 travel plazas and gas stations throughout Pennsylvania and New York, finalized purchase of a 37-acre property near Exit 119 in Cass Township on Tuesday and announced its plans Wednesday. Onvo Travel Plaza-Highridge will serve travelers and truck drivers with premium fuel, food service and a convenience store, the company announced. It will be located at the southwest corner of Highridge Park Road and Keystone Boulevard, said Harman Aulakh, marketing manager for Onvo. Highridge, which sits on 2,000 acres along the interstate in Butler, Cass and Foster townships, is already home to a Country Inn & Suites by Radisson at Exit 119. Highridge, operated by the Schuylkill County Economic Development Corp., set aside 30 acres at the park for commercial development off the exit at Keystone Boulevard and Highridge Park Road, Executive Director Frank Zukas said at a May meeting. He said the site for Onvo already has necessary permits, with the exception of a building permit, and has stormwater systems in place. Onvo said the plaza building will comprise 9,500 square feet, including the Burger King, which will also have a drive-through. There will be 65 parking spots for passenger vehicles and 34 for tractor-trailers, with the company planning to add an additional 56 tractor-trailer parking spots in the future. Overnight parking is permitted. Construction will begin in early fall with the company aiming to open the site by Memorial Day. The store and restaurant will create up to 70 full-time jobs, and the property has potential for additional retail, food service and hospitality development that will also be explored by Onvo, the company reported. The nearest full travel plazas along Interstate 81 are also owned by Onvo. To the south is Raceway Truck Stop at Exit 104 in Ravine and, to the north, the Blue Ridge Travel Plaza at Exit 155 in Dorrance, Luzerne County. The latter is temporarily closed for remodeling and will be reopened as the companys new flagship design later this fall, Aulakh said. Founded in 1988 in Tunkhannock, Onvo has grown into a network of more than 50 businesses, including the travel plazas, 23 quick-service and full-service restaurants and five hotels in northeastern and central Pennsylvania and upstate New York, the company reports. Its behind other developments in northeastern and central Pennsylvania, including a 110-room Residence Inn set to open this summer near Wilkes-Barre. The company employs more than 1,000 in hospitality, customer service and petroleum distribution jobs. A federal judge last week dismissed a partisan attempt to challenge the regulatory authority of a bureau that protects the integrity of the Delaware River. Judge Paul Diamond in Philadelphia threw out a lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania Senate Republicans Gene Yaw, of Lycoming County, and Lisa Baker, of Luzerne County. They were joined by other Republicans who had argued that the Delaware River Basin Commission exceeded its authority and infringed upon the Legislatures domain by enacting a ban on deep natural gas drilling and fracking near the river and its tributaries. Diamond found Yaw and Baker lacked standing to sue. He also dismissed intervention in the suit by Wayne and Carbon counties, and Damascus and Dyberry townships in Wayne County. But he allowed the municipalities several weeks to refile the suit and spell out exactly how they have been harmed by the prohibition. The commission voted for a permanent drilling embargo in February after concluding that it would pose an unreasonable risk throughout the Delaware River watershed, which covers more than 13,000 square miles and provides drinking water to some 13 million people. The commission is a compact between the federal government and Delaware River states Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware. Meanwhile, another challenge in federal court continues to go forward in Scranton, where a judge has scheduled an October trial in litigation filed by Pennsylvania property owners who allege the drilling moratorium represents an illegal taking of their property. Diamonds ruling deals a serious blow to Republicans who haul water religiously for the gas industry, along with all proponents of unrestricted drilling. They steadfastly refuse to recognize that the commission makes decisions based on its mission to conserve the Delaware River watersheds resources and assure the welfare of the public. The commissions refusal to roll over for the interests of drillers or attempts at political interference compliments that mission. To the Editor: Unless they get a traffic ticket and are required to attend a hearing, most people are unaware of the many functions our magisterial district judges of the minor judiciary form. They conduct civil trials in personal injury and contract actions for claims up to $12,000. They preside over landlord-tenant actions. In the criminal arena, they issue search warrants and arrest warrants. They may accept guilty pleas in minor offenses, and in the more serious offenses, they determine the appropriate amount of bail to assure the defendants appearance at future proceedings. They conduct preliminary hearings to determine whether there is enough evidence against the accused for the case to go further. As with all members of the judiciary, it is essential that those who serve as magisterial district judges do so with integrity, competence and fairness. We are fortunate that we have such individuals serving in the role of magisterial district judges in our county, and one of the very best in that role has been Magisterial District Judge James R. Ferrier of District Court 21-3-05 in Orwigsburg. Judge Ferrier has served the court and the people of his district with distinction for 35 years. His dedication to the law was manifested daily in the way he managed his office and presided over the many proceedings before him. As President Judge, I must work closely with our magisterial district judges in the management of our court system. Judge Ferriers input has always been helpful and valued. Judge Ferrier has earned the respect of his staff, the attorneys and parties who appeared before him, his fellow magisterial district judges and the judges of the Court of Common Pleas. On May 31, after a long and distinguished career, Judge Ferrier decided to retire from the bench and devote more time enjoying his family. We in the judiciary wish him a long, healthy and happy retirement one which has been so well earned. William E. Baldwin President Judge Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas Filmmaker Anil Sharma's Gadar: Ek Prem Katha starring Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel completed 20 years since its release in 2001. On Tuesday, June 15, actor Ameesha Patel took to her social media handle to celebrate the milestone with a BTS pic featuring her late grandmother. Ameesha Patel marks 20 years of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha Sharing a throwback picture of herself and her late grandmother that was clicked during the movie's premiere, Ameesha Patel wrote, "This for me was the most beautiful n special moment of alllllll .. 14th June 2001 .. all dressed up as Sakeena 2 attend the Grand premier of GADAR with the most special person in the world .. my first n last love(n evry thing in between).. whom I love to the moon n back.. my heartbeat .. my late GRACIOUS GRANDMOTHER." In the picture, Ameesha is dressed as her character of Sakeena and is wearing a navy blue Patiala suit with the dupatta covering her head. Her hair is in tight curls and her jewellery includes bangles, earrings, necklace and maang tikka all in silver. Ameesha's grandmother is sitting on the couch while the actor is sitting on the arm of the couch and both are all smiles for the camera. Check it out. Reactions to Ameesha Patel's throwback picture Ameesha's fans were quick to react to the picture and flooded her comment section with heart and starstruck emojis. The netizens also praised the actor for her performance in the movie and showered her with compliments on her looks. Take a look. Ameesha Patel shares BTS pics and videos from Gadar The movie is about a married couple Tara Singh (Sunny Deol) and Sakeena (Ameesha) whose happiness is short-lived as Sakeena's father forces her to stay in Pakistan and separates her from her husband and son after India-Pakistan partition post Independence. Ameesha has recently shared many BTS pictures and videos from the sets of the movie to celebrate 20 years of Gadar. Check out her Instagram posts below. More about Ameesha Patel The actor turned into an overnight star post her debut in Bollywood with the blockbuster movie Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai. Post that the actor was a part of Gadar which became one of the biggest blockbusters in Indian cinema making her rise to prominence. After Gadar, the actor has been a part of several popular movies including Humraaz, Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Race 2. On the work front, the actor was last seen in the 2018 movie Bhaiaji Superhit alongside Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Arshad Warsi and Shreyas Talpade. IMAGE: AMEESHA PATEL'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. A youth from Bihar, working in Bahrain has been sentenced to three years in jail for not following the COVID-19 rules. Along with this, a fine of about ten lakh rupees has also been imposed on him. This incident came into the limelight after the Hyderabad-based brother of the accused, Mohammad Khalid, Hussain Ahmed wrote a letter to the Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and requested help by tweeting in this regard. Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Bahrain has contacted Khalid's brother Hussain Ahmed. .@DrSJaishankar Sir Mohd Khalid from Bihar working in Bahrain was asked to be home Qurentine for 15 days after he was found positive, After completion of his 15 days he came out to buy food below his building/1@meaMADAD @ProtectorGenGOI @IndiaInBahrain @HelplinePBSK pic.twitter.com/QtewFEOs0Y Amjed Ullah Khan MBT (@amjedmbt) June 14, 2021 Taking to Twitter, the accused brother Ahmed has shared the letter he wrote to the Ministry and a video of the whole incident. He claimed that Mohammad Khalid has been working in Bahrain for the last eight years. After being COVID positive, he completed a 17-day home quarantine and did not break any rules. "On May 18, my brother was tested COVID positive and was sent to Sitra COVID Camp for three days. Later, he was shifted to Al Andalus Hotel and again to Salminiya Hospital. He was discharged on May 31 and was advised for 17 days of Home quarantine with an Electronic tracker wristband on his wrists. As he stays in a company-provided room and there was no one to provide food and essentials to him, so he went down on June 7, 2021, almost 50 yards from his residence. Suddenly one local from Bahrain saw Electronic Tracker Wristband in his hand and made a video and circulated it on social media. After that, the local police arrested him and took him to Sitra Camp where he was tested and found negative and the camp authorities removed his ETW and gave him a clean chit," the letter read. Suddenly one local from Bahrain saw Electronic Tracker Wristband on his hand and made a video and circulated on social media,The local police arrested him and took him to Sitra Camp where he was tested and found negative,The Sitra Camp removed his ETW and gave him a clean chit/2 pic.twitter.com/JLKJZ39Jkk Amjed Ullah Khan MBT (@amjedmbt) June 14, 2021 "Again on June 7, he was rearrested and taken to court which sentenced him to three years imprisonment. He has also been asked to pay 5000 BD, our entire family is in a state of shock," he added. Ahmed assured that his brother is illegally sentenced and has urged the intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs in this entire matter. He has pleaded for the release of his brother from jail. Indian Embassy intervenes After Ahmed's request, the Indian embassy in Bahrain has extended help and has asked for the contact and other relevant details including CPR of Mohd Khalid. Taking to Twitter, the embassy has provided an email address and contact number to get in touch with the victim's family. Please send us the contact and other relevant details including CPR of Mr Mohd Khalid at wel2.bahrain@mea.gov.in or contact at Tel: 00973 17180529 India in Bahrain (@IndiaInBahrain) June 15, 2021 (Image Credits: @THEJAISHANKAR/FACEBOOK/@amjedmbt-TWITTER/PIXABAY) Almost after a month of increasing the gap between two doses of Covishield to 12-16 weeks, Chairman of India's COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), Dr. N K Arora, on Wednesday said that decision was taken 'on scientific evidence in a transparent manner'. Explaining the decision further, Dr. Arora added that the efficiency differed from 65% - 88%. According to the NTAGI official, increased intervals of vaccines also showed better results. #LargestVaccineDrive Decision to increase gap between #COVISHIELD doses taken on scientific evidence in a transparent manner- NTAGI Chair Dr N. K. Arora https://t.co/UV4zlhGhUC pic.twitter.com/cl83QyCMjS Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) June 16, 2021 Dr. Arora cited the example of the UK while explaining the scientific evidence. "In the last week of April, 2021 the data released by Public Health England, United Kingdoms executive agency of the Department of Health, showed that vaccine efficacy varied between 65% - 88% when interval is 12 weeks. This was the basis on which they overcame their epidemic outbreak due to the Alpha variant. The UK was able to come out of it because the interval they kept was 12 weeks. We also thought that this is a good idea, since there are fundamental scientific reasons to show that when interval is increased, adenovector vaccines give better response. Hence the decision was taken on May 13, to increase the interval to 12 - 16 weeks, Dr. Arora was quoted speaking. The official further highlighted India's vaccination system as 'open and transparent' and marked that the decision was taken with 'no dissenting voice'. While answering the question of why it was not done before, Dr. Arora added that the advisory group was waiting 'for ground-level data from the UK (the other biggest user of AstraZeneca vaccine)'. The NTAGI Chief also cited the examples of Canada, Sri Lanka and few other countries justifying India's decision to follow the same. India to revert to four or eight weeks interval? While answering the above-mentioned question, Dr. Arora added that discussions are going on since mid-May if 'India should revert to four or eight weeks'. Dr. Arora further compared the efficiency between two doses of vaccine adding the example of AstraZeneca vaccine which gives only 33% protection with the first dose and two doses give about 60% protection. NTAGI is monitoring the response of the vaccination programme and type of vaccine and interval between doses, and what happens when someone is fully / partially immunized, as decided by the advisory team. "Vaccine effectiveness 75% for both partially immunized and fully immunized" While referring to a study by PGI Chandigarh, and CMC Vellore, Tamil Nadu Dr. Arora added that "study very clearly shows that vaccine effectiveness was 75% for both partially immunized and fully immunized" resulting in similar effects to those who received only one dose of vaccine or both. However, this is particularly regarding the Alpha variant, which proved devastating in Punjab, Northern India, and Delhi. Saudi Arabia had decided to restrict the annual Haj pilgrimage to its own citizens and residents for the second year running in response to the COVID pandemic. Responding to this decision, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi while speaking to ANI stated that the government welcomes the decision as "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I had already said that we are with the decision of Saudi Arabia. We had done all the arrangements for Haj 2021, we were only waiting for Saudi Arabia's decision and we are with their decision". The Union Minister stated that Saudi Arabia has taken the decision in the interests of people's safety and health. He also expressed happiness over Saudi Arabia allowing women to go on Haj without accompanied by 'Marham' (male partner). "India has already taken this decision three years ago under the leadership of PM Modi. Many questions were raised then. After getting rid of this malpractice, around 5,000 women had gone on Haj that year," Naqvi said. The Haj Committee of India A circular by the Haj Committee of India said, "The Ministry of Haj and Umrah, Kingdom of Saudia Arabia issues a statement informing that due to Corona Pandemic Conditions "The Kingdom of Saudia Arabia has decided to allow citizens and residents inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia only to attend Haj 1442 in limited numbers. International Haj has been cancelled". Circular by the Committee further added, "Hence, it has been decided by the Haj Committee of India that all the applications for Haj-2021 stand cancelled". Haj safety guidelines Only people aged between 18 to 65 who have been vaccinated or immunised against the Coronavirus, and are free of chronic diseases, will be allowed to take part. It also set a maximum of 60,000 participants. Only approved COVID vaccines from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson will be valid for the Haj. According to official data, before the pandemic enforced social distancing globally, nearly 2.5 million pilgrims used to visit the holiest sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina for the week-long haj, and the lesser, year-round umrah pilgrimage, which altogether earned the kingdom about $12 billion a year. (Image Credit: AP) Twitter Breaks Silence After Losing 'legal Shield'; Strives To Comply With New IT Rules In its first reaction after losing the "safe harbour" immunity in India, Twitter reiterated that it is making all possible efforts to comply with the new IT rules. A Twitter spokesperson stated on Wednesday that the interim Chief Compliance Officer had been retained by the company, the details of which will be shared with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology soon. While it earlier appointed a Nodal Contact Person and a Resident Grievance Officer on a contractual basis, it had also invited applications for the aforesaid three posts on LinkedIn. Read more here Mayawati Mocks SP After BSP Rebel MLAs Meet Akhilesh Yadav; Says 'expelled Them Long Ago' A day after 9 rebel BSP MLAs met Akhilesh Yadav, former UP CM Mayawati lashed out at the Samajwadi Party for trying to portray a split in her party. Contending that SP practises the "disgusting" politics of horsetrading, revenge and casteism, she pointed out that the MLAs in question- Hakim Lal Bind, Vandana Singh, Ramveer Upadhyay, Anil Kumar Singh, Aslam Raini, Aslam Ali, Mujtaba Siddiqui, Hargovind Bhargava and Sushma Patel had been expelled ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls in October 2020. They were accused of collaborating with SP in a bid to defeat BSP's candidate Ramji Gautam. Read more here Kolkata Police Questions BJP's Mithun Chakraborty Over Controversial Election Speech The Kolkata Police are virtually questioning actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty over his controversial speech during election campaigning for West Bengal polls. The development comes after an FIR was registered against the actor in Maniktala after his speech. Earlier in May, TMC worker Mrityunjoy Paul had filed a police complaint against West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh and the actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty for "instigating and provoking" BJP workers. Read more here Mehul Choksi Appointed 'dummy' Director In His Firms, Republic Uncovers Modus Operandi Even as fugitive Mehul Choksi is opposing his extradition to India, Republic TV has exposed the modus operandi of the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. Along with his nephew Nirav Modi, he has been accused of allegedly siphoning off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the PNB using letters of undertaking. This important investigation centres around the revelations by Dinesh Bhatia who was a Director in Choksi's firms Gili India Ltd and Nakshatra Brand Ltd. Read more here Twitter, Congress Leaders Among 9 Named In FIR By UP Police Over Ghaziabad Viral Video In a big development on Tuesday night, the Ghaziabad Police registered an FIR against Twitter, Twitter India and 7 others over the video of an elderly man from Uttar Pradesh which has gone viral. It showed an elderly man Abdul Samad Saifi being assaulted, his beard being forcibly cut by unknown persons and being allegedly asked to chant slogans of Jai Shri Ram and Vande Mataram. It has accused AltNews co-founder Muhammad Zubair, Congress leaders Maskoor Usmani, Salman Nizami and Shama Mohamed, journalists Saba Naqvi and Rana Ayyub and news publication The Wire of trying to give a communal spin to the incident. Read more here Pakistan Linked NGOs 'mopped Up' Funds In India's Name During COVID-19 Crisis: Report As India is witnessing a second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, help came from all around the world. However, some organisations used the crisis time to collect funds in the name of charity. The United States-based Pakistan-linked charity organisations started collecting funds in name of helping India in the COVID-19 Crisis. The organisations after collecting millions of dollars sent a small amount in the name of help to India, according to the DisInfo Lab report. Read more here Twitter Ban: UP Minister Cites Communal Content After Social Network Loses 'legal Shield' After Twitter lost its intermediary status over its failure to comply with the new IT rules, Uttar Pradesh Minister Sidharth Nath Singh welcomed the move accusing the platform of allowing communal hate to be peddled in India. Speaking to Republic TV, the UP Minister said, "We are nearing the elections and the Opposition particularly the SP which has a track record of communal tension in the state is looking to come to power through polarisation. They are blaming the Hindus, creating a tension between Hindus and Muslims, and therefore rightly the government has applied the law of land. The law of the land has to prevail to maintain peace and we are very proud that in the last 4 years of Yogi Aditynath's rule there has been no major incident of communal violence." Read more here India Reports 62,224 New COVID-19 Cases, 2,542 Deaths In 24 Hours; Active Cases Below 9 L Continuing the rapid fall in new cases, India reported over 62,000 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the country's total caseload to over 2.96 crore. After more than 2,500 deaths in the same period, the death toll in the country has risen to near 3.80 lakh. According to data released by the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday morning, India has reported 62,224 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 2,96,33,105. The death toll has risen to 3,79,573 after 2,542 people have died as a result of the deadly infection. Read more here BJP Asks Top Leadership To Connect With Party Workers & Public Through Various Campaigns The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to mark and celebrate at least seven events in June and July to engage with party workers and the public, ranging from Yog Diwas to training health volunteers under 'Sewa hi Sangathan. The party has assigned its top officials to review these events to ensure that they are carried out efficiently by party workers. The party General Secretary Arun Singh, National Secretaries Vinod Tawde and Bisweswar Tudu will be in charge of the Yog Diwas celebrations and publicity, while Arun Singh and national secretaries Sunil Deodhar, DK Aruna, Alka Gurjar, and Omprakash Dhurve will be in charge of the tree plantation drive. Read more here Ghaziabad Viral Video: Union Min Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Alleges 'conspiracy' To Defame India Two days after an elderly Muslim man was physically assaulted and harassed by a mob in Ghaziabad's Loni, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has alleged that the incident is a 'dangerous conspiracy' as it has been given a 'Communal twist'. In the incident, the Muslim man had claimed that he was held at gunpoint by a mob who forced him to chant a religious slogan. The video which emerged on social media soon became viral across the country, leading to Ghaziabad Police to issue a statement. Read more here The Uttar Pradesh Government on Wednesday issued a strong-worded message to the Rohingya infiltrators who have illegally set up camps near the Kalindi Kunj area of the national capital. On June 15, the UP Government attempted to evacuate the 55 illegal Rohingya families whose camps have been set up on the UP government's land in Delhi. However, amid the evacuation attempts, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan reportedly arrived at the area to prevent action from being taken against the infiltrators. "Caution! This land belongs to the Irrigation Department of the Uttar Pradesh Government. Any sort of selling, buying, construction work, or disposal of debris is an illegal and offensive act. Strong action will be taken against the violators," the notice read. Face-off between UP & Delhi Govt over Rohingya camps The illegal Rohingya camps have led to a face-off between the Yogi Aditynatah and the Arvind Kejriwal-led government after the former alleged that the AAP government was solely responsible for land-grabbing in Delhi. "They have set up tents arbitrarily, When we attempted to take them out, the Delhi government supported them. They are responsible for land-grabbing activities in Delhi. They are providing protection to them," said UP irrigation Minister Mahendra Singh. In 2018, a fire had broken out at the Kalindi Kunj camp in the middle of the night. Thereafter, the immigrants were shifted to Madanpur Khadar camp which although is owned by the UP Government's irrigation board, comes under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Government. Speaking to Republic TV, a Rohingya immigrant from Myanmar said, "We came from Burma, fire burnt down our camps so we shifted here." Over the last 1 year, the UP Police has arrested 11 Rohingyas who have illegally sneaked into Indian land and are attempting to send them back to their land. "Illegal entry and settlement in any state of India is not permitted and action will be taken," said Uttar Pradesh ADGP Prashant Kumar. On Wednesday, the Nagpur Crime branch detained an Afghan national Noor Mohammed aka Abdul Haq who has been staying illegally in India since 2010. After detaining Mohammed, the crime branch further investigated after which bullet marks were found all over the accused body-- that raised serious suspicions. Nagpur Crime Branch informs ATS The crime branch further informed the Nagpur Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) which later reached the branch and took stock of the accused. While Mohammad was grilled by the ATS, he told the police that his name is Noor Mohammed but in his passport, the name is Abdul Haque. He was also questioned about the bullet marks. His social media profile was then checked and was found that he had shared multiple videos that favoured the Taliban. IB joins probe After the Taliban videos were found, Intelligence Bureau (IB) has also joined the interrogation and questioning him on his connection with the Taliban. Indias supports Afghan-Taliban Talks Meanwhile, India is willing to start a dialogue with a group of the Afghan Taliban. The dialogue will be led by security officials and will be limited to the Taliban group that is not under the influence of Pakistan or Iran and considered as "nationalist" External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad here in Qatars capital and exchanged perspectives on the war-torn nation and the region during his second visit to the key Gulf nation in a week. India has been keenly following the evolving political situation after the US signed the peace deal with the Taliban. The deal provided for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, effectively drawing curtains on Washington''s 18-year war with the Taliban in the country. Jaishankar also said that India has been supportive of all the efforts being made to accelerate the dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban, including intra-Afghan negotiations. (With PTI Inputs) (Image Credits: PTI/REPRESENTATIVEIMAGE) NASA has released time-lapse video of its new Space Launch System's 212-foot-tall core stage being placed between 177-foot-tall twin solid rocket boosters. The replacement for the Apollo-era Saturn V rocket is being integrated inside its Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA plans to launch the Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket and an uncrewed Orion spacecraft by the end of this year, with the capsule flying to the moon and back as a prelude to crew missions. It named the moon program Artemis after Apollo's twin sister in Greek mythology. NASA aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon by 2024. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Kolkata, Jun 16 (PTI) The special task force (STF) of the West Bengal Police is planning to bring arrested Chinese national Han Junwe to Kolkata as a part of their investigation into his intrusion into India, a senior officer said on Wednesday. The STF, which took over the investigations on Tuesday, got a 10-day remand of Junwe when they produced him at a court in Malda, he said. "Our sleuths in Malda are questioning him, but we are planning to bring him to Kolkata and interrogate him here," a top officer of the STF told PTI. "Junwe was supposed to be produced in the court on June 18, but since we took over the investigations on Tuesday we needed to take him in our remand," he added. Unable to unlock Junwe's laptop and iPhone that have passwords in Mandarin, the investigators are looking for an expert in the language, the officer said. "We think we can get more information about Junwe once these devices are unlocked," he said. The investigators took Junwe to the spot in Malda along the India-Bangladesh border -- from where he was arrested last Thursday -- and enquired about the means he had adopted to sneak past the BSF security personnel posted there, the officer said. Junwe, known to be a resident of Hubei in China, was nabbed by the BSF. One of his associates, Sun Jiang, was arrested by the UP Police earlier this year. PTI SCH SOM SOM (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) A Pakistani court has adjourned till October 5 the hearing of a governments plea to appoint a counsel for Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav on request of the countrys top law officer, according to a media report. Mr Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India approached the International Court of Justice against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Mr. Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan must undertake an effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence of Mr. Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. On Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) adjourned the hearing of the governments plea to appoint counsel for Jadhav till October 5 at the request of the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan, The Express Tribune reported. The court also issued notice to the counsel of the Indian High Commission to appear before the court on the next date of hearing. At the last hearing of the case on May 7, an IHC larger bench comprising Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb gave India another chance to appoint a counsel for Mr. Jadhav by June 15. At an earlier hearing, AGP Khan had informed the court that India contends that the appearance of its consul before a Pakistani court to defend Mr. Jadhav would amount to submission to the jurisdiction of the court and would violate its sovereign immunity. The larger bench had later issued a three-page written order stating that submission to the jurisdiction of any court is quite distinct from appearing before a court to assist it in a matter. At this juncture, the court is conducting proceedings only to work out the way forward to implement the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the order had said. The court had said that it was only trying to figure out a way to implement the ICJ order and it needs to be brought to the attention of India so that it may enter the appearance and express its reservations about procedure and methodology for implementation of the judgment. The present proceedings are being conducted to ensure that Commander Jadhav is provided with a fair opportunity to defend himself in the review proceedings to be carried out as ordered by the ICJ. In view of the foregoing, the government of Pakistan shall make another effort to communicate with the government of India regarding the purpose of the instant proceedings and ensure presence before the court, the order noted. The Pakistan government last week rushed through the National Assembly a bill to provide the right of appeal to Mr. Jadhav, amidst ruckus and boycott by the Opposition. The bill is aimed at allowing Mr. Jadhav to have consular access in line with the ICJ verdict. As India is witnessing a second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, help came from all around the world. However, some organisations used the crisis time to collect funds in the name of charity. The United States-based Pakistan-linked charity organisations started collecting funds in name of helping India in the COVID-19 Crisis. The organisations after collecting millions of dollars sent a small amount in the name of help to India, according to the DisInfo Lab report. In an elaborate report, DisInfo Lab uncovered the 'Covid-19 Scam 2021', which it says is "one of the worst scams in human history" in terms of the humanitarian cost as millions of dollars were stolen in the name of 'Helping India Breath'. DisInfo Lab exposes COVID-19 Scam 2021 The DisInfo Lab exposed several charity organisations, which managed to raise funds by exploiting India's hard-earned goodwill. One such organisation which claimed to have worked for India is the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA). The current chairman of IMANA is Dr Ismail Mehr, who has been leading the Help India Breathe project is a Pakistan-origin doctor and currently resides in the US, according to the report. IMANA started the #HelpIndiaBreathe campaign on Instagram on April 27, 2021, and set an initial target of 1.8 crores. As the money started coming, IMANA kept revising targets for fund collection. IMANA managed to raise a fund of INR 8.7 Crore of a target of INR 5.62 Crore. While the Instagram campaign was on, they started another campaign on the crowdfunding platform Just Giving, where it managed to raise US$298,919 (approx. 2 crores INR). IMANA also provided other donation options such as direct donations on the website, etc. According to the report, IMANA chairman on May 7 claimed that after reaching $100K on the second day, it started receiving donations at a speed of $100K per hour. As per the report, taking that into account, the total amount as per calculations could be anywhere between US$ 4.12 million to US$21 million (Rs. 30 crores- 158 crores). Disinfo Lab said, "Given that IMANA has almost zero transparency about the fund it collected, there is no way to ascertain actual amount it might have received." They also claimed to have tied up with Air India for free shipment for Chicago - Delhi route and the material was 'ready to be shipped, but no update was provided on the arrival and distribution in India, as per the report. IMANA claimed that they had tied up with DRDO and the Ministry of Agriculture for coordinating their help in India. None of these claims could be verified from the open-source, mentioned in the report. IMANA provides help to Pakistan through Al-Mustafa Welfare Trust (AMT), the report said citing IMANA Care 2020 Annual Report. The AMT is part of Pakistans Milbus military capital, which is used for the personal benefit of the Pak Army, according to the report. These organisations have close ties with radical Islamist and terrorist organisations and are in collusion with the Pakistani military, said the report. Several organisations with questionable records and without the approval of the FCRA conducted campaigns and raised funds. There were about 23 such organisations and they managed to raise more than USD 1.2 million with small fundraising activities, it added. "It is worth mentioning that FATF has already raised this concern that lot of funding in the name of Covid is likely to go towards terror funding. Given the scale of network of one set of organizations, the scale of total terror funding could only be imagined," the report read. The DisInfo lab suggested that the governments - from the USA to India - should take note of the terror-funding money-making machinery and provide some mechanism to ensure transparency from these groups. (With ANI inputs) IMAGE: Pixabay Kathmandu, Jun 16 (PTI) Nepals former prime minister and a senior leader of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal Jhalanath Khanal will be flown to New Delhi for medical treatment on Wednesday as his health condition has deteriorated. Khanal,71, was admitted to Norvic Hospital in Thapathali on Monday after having difficulties in respiration and deficiency of haemoglobin. According to the party officials, preparations are underway to take the senior Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) CPN (UML) leader to Apollo Hospital in New Delhi. "Since no improvement was seen in leader Khanal's health, he is heading to New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon on the recommendation of doctors at Norvic Hospital," said a close aid of the veteran leader. Khanal's wife, son, and a doctor will be accompanying him for the medical visit. Doctors suspect Khanal might have developed post COVID-19 problems. Khanal was elected the prime minister in February 2011 with support from the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). He resigned in August after he failed to reach a consensus with the other parties on drafting a new Constitution and the peace process. PTI SBP MRJ MRJ (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Torrential rains in Nepal on Wednesday killed at least seven people, leaving 50 others missing, as well as causing severe flooding and damage to essential infrastructure. Sindhupalchok in central Nepal, 65 kilometres from Kathmandu, is the worst-affected region. The Melamchi river has overflowed. All the deaths have been reported from Sindhupalchok so far. On Tuesday night, June 15, the bodies of the deceased were discovered. Officials confirmed on Wednesday that approximately 50 people, mainly workers at the Melamchi Drinking Water Project, are still missing. Torrential rains drench Nepal Minister of Health and Population Sher Bahadur Tamang wrote on Facebook, "Over 50 people are missing in the Melamchi and Indrawati rivers'' flooding. The floods have also caused damages to the dam in Melamchi drinking water project, Timbu Bazaar, Chanaute Bazaar, Talamarang Bazaar and Melamchi Bazar." Arun Pokhrel, Chief District Officer of Sindhupalchowk said, "We suspect the flood originated from the main source of Melamchi and Indrawati River. As of now we only have confirmed report of one dead." In Sindhupalchok, two concrete motorable bridges and an estimated five to six suspension bridges have collapsed, in addition to the deaths. Land for agriculture and fish farms has also been flooded. Excessive flooding has forced the closure of a police station in Helambu town, an Armed Police Force Camp, and the Melamchi Drinking Water Project. Over 300 hutments in Melamchi River communities have been swept away. In Lamjung district, over 15 houses have been washed away. Nearly 200 homes in low-lying portions of the district are under risk, according to officials. Nepal flood Nepal Police, the Army, and the Armed Police Force are carrying out rescue and relief activities, according to Arun Pokharel, the Chief District Officer of Sindhupalchowk. The Army used helicopters to rescue people trapped on top of buildings. According to officials, the excessive rainfall caused rivers to overflow, resulting in severe damages. Since Monday evening, continuous rains have been observed in central Nepal's Bagmati and Lamjing provinces. (with inputs from ANI/PTI) Picture Credit: ANI MOSCOW (AP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Azerbaijan Tuesday for a two-day visit and, with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, traveled to Shusha, a city that Azerbaijan recaptured from Armenian forces in last autumns war. Shusha, a center of Azeri culture for centuries, came under Armenian control in 1992 in fighting over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region. Its retaking by Azerbaijans forces in November was important both symbolically and strategically because it sits high above the regions nearby capital, Stepanakert. In Shusha, Erdogan and Aliyev held talks and signed a declaration on allied relations between the two countries aimed at deepening ties in several areas of cooperation, including security. Today is a historic day, Aliyev said after the signing. The declaration raises our relations to the highest level." Turkey actively supported Azerbaijan in the last war over Nagorno-Karabakh. After six weeks of fighting that killed more than 6,000 people, Azerbaijan regained control of much of the region and Armenian-held surrounding territories. Erdogan, the first foreign leader to visit Shusha after it was retaken by Azerbaijan, also promised to open a Turkish consulate in the city. In that way, we will ensure that our activities are carried out faster and more effectively, he said. Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but was under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia after a separatist war there ended in 1994. A Russia-brokered peace deal that ended the hostilities last November was celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan. But it sparked a political crisis in Armenia, with thousands of opposition supporters taking to the streets to protest the terms of the deal and to demand the resignation of Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Under pressure to step down, Pashinyan called snap elections, and the vote is scheduled to take place on June 20. Armenia's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned Erdogan's and Aliyev's visit to Shusha in a statement, calling it provocative actions that significantly harm international efforts to establish stability in the region and (that) are absolutely unacceptable. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) As the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) wind down their military presence in Afghanistan, a United Nations (UN) report released last week said that the risks of an Al-Qaeda revival are rising. As per the report, the Taliban operatives consisting of Afghan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar nationals now run Al-Qaeda's Indian sub-continent chapter from Kandahar, Helmand, and Nimruz provinces in Afghanistan. The UN report informed the Al-Qaeda Indian chapter's leader is Osama Mahmood, who recently succeeded the late Asim Umar. Umar's wife was among 5,000 Taliban prisoners freed by the Afghan government in 2020 as part of the Doha agreement with the United States, which facilitated the US troop withdrawal. "The group is such an 'organic' or essential part of the insurgency that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to separate it from its Taliban allies," the report said. The UN Analytical Support and Sanction Monitoring Team listed the Haqqani network, the terrorist group that has used asymmetric warfare to battle US-led NATO forces, as the main link between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, reported Asia Times. It added that Al-Qaeda and the Haqqani network are closely interlinked on "ideological alignment, common struggle, and intermarriage." As per an ANI report, the Haqqani network, which has been blamed for several high-profile suicide attacks in Afghanistan, also has the backing of elements within the Pakistani security establishment. Washington deemed the group a terrorist organization in 2012 and repeatedly called on Pakistani authorities to launch military operations against the group. Al-Qaeda Chief Al-Zawahiri likely to be near Afghan-Pakistan border: UN Prominent Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri and other important leaders of the militant group reside in Afghanistan and Pakistan border region, stated another United Nations report last week. The report, issued on Friday, said that Zawahiri is probably alive but too frail to be featured in propaganda. It also said that significant numbers of Al-Qaeda fighters along with other foreign extremist elements that align with the Taliban are housed in various parts of Afghanistan. (With ANI Inputs) Spain is preparing to go green with electric vehicles as it waits for the European Union's pandemic recovery funds to kick start its electric vehicle industry. An electric bus company is set to launch its service between Barcelona and Madrid, transporting passengers between the major cities with zero emissions. The fully electric e-busKar will cover the 626 kilometer (389 mile) route that separates the two cities with three stops over 11 hours. The new service is a partnership between the bus manufacturer Karsan, and Circontrol - a Spanish company that develops battery charging solutions for electrical mobility. The company believes that public charging infrastructure will help strengthen and facilitate the viability of long distance journeys in electric vehicles. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is due to visit Spain Wednesday and will meet Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at the headquarters of the Spanish Electric Network in Madrid. Spain is aiming to use a portion of the 70 billion Euros (85 million USD) it is set to receive from the EU to invest in electric vehicles. The final approval for the plans to be discussed by Sanchez and von der Leyern comes from the European Council, but Wednesday's meeting is key as the pair will discuss the result of the European Commission's assessment. The European Council's vote is scheduled in the coming weeks and is seen as a rubber-stamp of the Commission's decision. With 5% of its cars sold being electric, Spain is well under the European average despite being its second-largest car manufacturer. The left-wing government wants to spend big to both encourage car manufacturers to boost production of electric vehicles and convince consumers to go green with financial incentives. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-Sook attended a gala dinner with the King and Queen of Spain Tuesday as the two countries seek to deepen economic ties. At the dinner King Felipe VI, accompanied by his wife Queen Letizia, spoke of the common ties between the two countries and their mutual respect for the rule of law and the protection of human rights. During his two-day stay, Moon was also due to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other members of the government, as well as attend a business event in Barcelona on Wednesday evening. Moon's visit to Spain is the first by a South Korean president in 14 years. The Spanish king and queen visited South Korea in 2019. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) The largest privately owned zoo in Chile is offering "God Parenting" packages to individuals interested in helping the zoo to help pay for the care of the 2,500 animals that live there. The "Bruin Zoo" is suffering deep financial distress due to having been closed to the public since March 2020 because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. "We are the zoo that has been locked down the most due to this pandemic which takes us to a very delicate situation," said Ignacio Idalsoaga, the zoo's Director. Among the animals available for the special "God Parenting" financial aid packages are the rhinos, a giraffe, lions, a puma and a crocodile. "Happily people are being motivated to "God Parent" some animals," volunteered Idalsoaga without letting on how much had been collected. The 400 animal species that live in the zoo consume enormous quantities of food each week. Each month the carnivores at the zoo eat some 2,500 kilos of meat (just over 5,500 lbs), and 1,00 kilos of fish (2,200 lbs.). The rhinos eat 1,100 bales of hay each year. The Chilean government partners with the zoo on various programs and brings injured wild animals to the rehabilitation and rescue center there. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) The Navy never had to look too hard to fill its elite SEAL force. For years, eager recruits poured in to try out for naval special warfare teams but they were overwhelmingly white. Now, Naval Special Warfare Command leaders are trying to turn that around, developing programs to seek out recruits from more diverse regions of the country. We have been passive in the way that we recruit, Were SEAL Team. Come find us, said Rear Adm. H. Wyman Howard III, top commander for Naval Special Warfare, in an interview with The Associated Press. Now, he said, we have to go where diversity lives." Army leaders have been doing some of the same things. Lt. Gen. Fran Beaudette, head of Army Special Operations Command, said they have loosened some restrictions on who can try out for special forces units which included requirements on the amount of time in the service or in rank a soldier had done. And the Army has created new, specialized teams to better reach out to more diverse populations. The effort comes as the military and the nation struggles with racism, extremism and hate crimes. Leaders see greater diversity as a way to combat extremism in the ranks, even as they increase other training and education programs. Commando forces particularly the officers tend to be far less diverse than the military as a whole. While only a small percentage of those who try out eventually pass the grueling, years-long training for special operations, leaders hope that bringing in a wider array of recruits will lead to a more diverse force. As of March 2021, a full 95% of all SEAL and combatant-craft crew (SWCC) officers were white and just 2% were Black, according to Naval Special Warfare statistics provided to the AP. The officers corps of Army Special Forces is 87% white, and also 2% Black. The enlisted ranks are only slightly more diverse. About 84% of the Navy SEAL and SWCC enlisted troops are white, and 2% are Black. The greater diversity comes in the number of American Indian, Alaskan Native and those who say they are multiple races. The Armys enlisted special forces are also 84% white, but the percentage of Blacks goes up to 4. When all members of Naval Special Warfare and Army Special Operations Command are included which would add combat support, civil affairs and psychological operations personnel the diversity grows slightly. But it still doesnt match the overall Army and Navy statistics. For example, 40% of the Navys enlisted force and 24% of its officers are non-white. Senior leaders have few answers when asked why minority recruits havent gravitated to special operations jobs in larger numbers. Some suggest that minority youth in urban areas may not be exposed to troops who do the more elite jobs, or that they tend to go where they see a greater ethnic mix. For the SEALs in particular, leaders say young minorites may have less access to pools or be less focused on swimming and may not be attracted to jobs that require high levels of water expertise. Most troops who join SEAL teams or Special Forces want to concentrate on combat missions, not recruiting. With fewer minorities overall, that leaves a tiny number that can be recruiters. That will be changing. Howard has set up an outreach command that will send troops to cities like Chicago and Detroit to reach out to populations that otherwise may not think about special warfare as a potential choice. Meanwhile, Beaudette said Special Forces Command has supercharged its marketing. Weve become less shy about advocating for ourselves and explaining what it is we do and how we do it, he said. One of the more effective efforts, he said, is having a diverse group of young non-commissioned officers go to Army posts and stations, talking about their experiences. Already, he said, he's seen results from loosening some application requirements and boosting recruiting. For some of the special operations jobs, as much as 20% more applicants have expressed interest in going through the selection process. The standards for passing the course havent changed, he said, but at least the applicant pool is more diverse. More broadly, Army Recruiting Command has set up two nine-member teams representing various ethnicities, ranks, jobs and gender to reach out to a wider array of recruits online and through community outreach. Their job is to tell their stories, so that others understand the opportunities in the military. Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, who heads the command, said Army and special operations leaders are all in agreement that diversity is good. Its not necessarily what you look like we do agree that thats important but its also diversity of thought and experiences that really add to making the Army so much better. Howard and Beaudette say they hope that attracting a wider pool of applicants will eventually expand diversity, and help build a more inclusive force that can better protect America. I think, in a republic, its a foundational point you have to reflect the people you defend, Howard said. One of his first moves when he took command was to change his recruits' initial military experience. For years, when SEAL and special warfare recruits arrived at boot camp they were quickly funneled into a separate training group to hone their skills. But that specialized training had an unintended result: The mostly white recruits had little interaction with a more diverse force. The separate training was designed, Howard said, to quickily build the special operations force during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and better prepare recruits as they moved into the selection process for special warfare. But as he looked around, he realized it also enclosed them in a nearly all-white bubble. It made sense at the time. Doesnt make sense now, said Howard, who took command last September and had eliminated the separate training by December. Now, all special warfare recruits go through boot camp with the other sailor-trainees. Sitting in the Pentagon recently, Howard reflected on the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and the racial discord that has wracked the nation. A number of former and current military members were among those who stormed the Capitol. He pulls a small, red, hard-bound copy of the U.S. Constitution from his pocket. After the riot, Howard bought 10,000 copies, and he and Navy Master Chief Bill King have been giving them to troops. Inside is a card with a message to his force. Serving the nation, it says, requires we remain strictly apolitical and non-partisan to maintain the trust and confidence of all our fellow citizens. Handing out the books, he said, reminds troops of their oath, and that we have an obligation to be inclusive, it's how we solve problems. And that's what we're doing. IMAGE: AP (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. A court in Cambodia Wednesday upheld an 18-month jail sentence against a rapper convicted last year for his songs critical of the government, disappointing his supporters who say he was merely expressing himself. Authorities arrested Kea Sokun and fellow rapper Long Puthera in September 2020 in the northwestern province of Siem Reap after they released songs that claimed that the government mishandled a border dispute with Vietnam and that Prime Minister Hun Sens lack of leadership led to Cambodias economic decline. In December, the Siem Reap Provincial Court handed Kea Sokun, 22, an 18-month jail term and Long Putheara, 17, a five-month jail term, for incitement to commit a felony or cause social unrest under Article 495 of Cambodias Penal Code. The appellate court in the western province of Battambang Wednesday ruled that Kea Sokun should serve the entire 18 months, nine of which he has already served. He is set to be released in the next two months, with the remainder of the sentence to be served in suspension. Kea Sokuns father Phal Kea told RFAs Khmer Service Wednesday that his son did not commit any crimes and the verdict is unjust. We thought the Appeals Court would drop the charges or reduce the prison term but instead the court upheld the verdict, he said. We are so disappointed. I am sad because it is very unjust, I cannot believe the court upheld this verdict, said Phal Kea. He said that he is not sure whether his son will appeal the appellate courts verdict because his son is due to be released within the next two months. RFA was unable to reach Appeals Court Secretariat Teang Sambo for comment Wednesday. Am Sam Ath of local rights group LICADHO told RFA that he was saddened with the courts decision. He said Kea Sokun simply expressed himself by rapping on social issues and that is not a crime. All of the songs he rapped on do not provoke or incite social unrest. The courts verdict is only to intimidate youth to prevent them from rapping, he said. According to a recent report by the American Bar Association (ABA), Kea Sokuns case is part of a larger trend of the Cambodian government silencing dissidents and others who openly criticize it. While Sokuns case raises issues concerning his rights to fair trial and freedom of expression, it is not an aberration in Cambodia. It is one of many in a recent crackdown on young activists by the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP). the report said. In recent years, the Cambodian government has intensified its curtailment of rights and civic freedoms and rapidly escalated its attempts to close civic space. Frivolous criminal charges are used to stifle dissidents and critical voices. Although Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliamentary body, one ruling party has dominated the political system for decades, the ABA said. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Reports of a potential radioactive leak at a French-built nuclear reactor at Taishan in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong point to longer-term safety concerns, but aren't a cause for immediate alarm, experts told RFA. The Taishan Nuclear Power Plant, operated by China General Nuclear (CGN) and joint-venture partner Framatome, controlled by EDF, has moved to reassure the public after CNN reported on that the U.S. government had spent the past week assessing a report of a leak at the plant. Framatome and EDF are working with experts to propose solutions to "any potential issue" after a build-up of noble, or inert, gases inside one of the reactors, but said the plant is operating within safety parameters. EDF said the build-up of noble gases had affected the primary circuit of Unit 1 of the Taishan plant, was a "known phenomenon, studied and provided for in the reactor operating procedures." Li Min, dean of the Institute of Atomic Sciences at Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University, said the leakage of inert gases from nuclear power plants suggests defective fuel rod sheaths. "I don't think there is any need to panic at all," Li told RFA. "There is really no need to panic because the amounts of inert gas that leak [in this situation] is always very small." "It really isn't that serious," he said. But he said it was possible that Framatome had written to the U.S. Department of Energy about the issue, as reported by CNN on , because it would need U.S. approval for the use of certain technologies to locate any defective fuel rods. Safety protocol concerns The U.S. Department of Commerce included four CGN-affiliated companies on a list of companies suspected of intending to obtain U.S. advanced nuclear technology and apply it for military use in China. The move meant that no nuclear power industry technology bought from the U.S. can be transferred to CGN without a special exemption. Engineer Albert Lai, who runs campaign group the Hong Kong Professional Commons, and who has followed technical developments since construction began on the Taishan plant in 2009, also said the available information suggests that there isn't a major crisis brewing at the plant. "Theoretically, [the inert gases] won't leak out into the atmosphere, but if this issue isn't properly handled, then an accumulation of gas could lead to bigger technical problems in future," Lai said. He said there are long-running concerns over homegrown safety protocols that China is using at the U.S.$8.3 billion Taishan plant, which is the first in the world to use European pressurized reactors (EPR) designed by French nuclear firm Areva, and which has been plagued by delays and technical problems. In , tests in France found that excessive carbon in the steel that formed the EPR reactors top and bottom could lead to unexpected cracks that could later spread, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper reported at the time. The plants two advanced 1.75GW pressurized water reactors are the largest single-piece electric generators in the world, and have a strong safety reputation, it said. But France's nuclear safety authority, the ASN, raised concerns over the EPR reactors destined for the Taishan plant, saying the reactors hadn't been subjected to the most rigorous form of testing. It said some mechanical properties can be measured only by destructive tests, which had not been carried out on the Taishan reactors. Problems with the design of the reactors were also cited by Areva's parent company, energy giant Electricite de France (EDF) in a recommendation to the U.K. parliament that it postpone the Chinese-invested Hinkley Point nuclear plant, which will also use EPR technology. 'Lower standards' Lai said China had used the French technology despite safety concerns. "France gives them this technology, but they don't apply its safety standards, but instead apply a different set of lower standards," Lai said. "If this situation continues, then who knows when the next problem could occur." He said CGN could choose to delay replacing the rods to save the huge costs involved in doing so, and that the Chinese nuclear safety agency was unlikely to have the clout to insist. Gamma radiation levels in Hong Kong, 135 kilometers (85 miles) from the plant were within normal range on , data displayed on the Hong Kong Observatory website showed. Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam told reporters on that the city authorities are closely following developments, but that that "relevant data" in Hong Kong are currently in the normal range. The meteorological bureau in neighboring Macau also reported gamma radiation levels within normal range. Macau police cited the Guangdong Nuclear Emergency Committee as saying that all environmental indicators in the vicinity of Taishan were also normal. Reported by Lu Xi for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. The move comes weeks after Hong Kong closed its office and accused Taipei of providing aid to 'violent protesters' in the wake of the 2019 protest movement. The Macau Economic and Cutural Office in Taiwan is shown in a file photo. The formerly Portuguese-run city of Macau, which has been under ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control since 1999, is shutting down its representative office in democratic Taiwan, the city government said on Wednesday. The Macau Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan will suspend operations starting June 19, the Macau Special Administrative Region government said in a statement. "A 24-hour telephone hotline ... set up by the Macao Government Tourism Office will be - during the period of operation suspension - addressing general enquires, and providing other services and any assistance requested by Macau residents that are in Taiwan," it said. "The telephone hotline will also provide people in Taiwan with information about Macau," it said. The suspension will be for an indefinite time, with no reason given for the decision. The move comes weeks after Hong Kong shut down its representative office in Taipei, responding to the Taiwan government's setting up of an office to process applications for political asylum for Hong Kong residents fleeing a broadening crackdown on dissent and political opposition under a national security law imposed by Beijing from July 1, 2020. That office provides a one-stop-shop service to Hongkongers wanting to study, do business, invest, or seek asylum in the country, as part of a humanitarian assistance project Taiwan offered to Hong Kong people in the wake of mass arrests during and since the 2019 protest movement against the rolling back of democratic freedoms in the city. Hong Kong's government has accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan of "offering assistance to violent protesters and people who tried to shatter Hong Kong's prosperity and stability." Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said the closure of Macau's representative office had been a unilateral decision. "The Macau representative office was set up under a mutual agreement in 2011," MAC spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng told reporters. "We are very sorry that the Macau government has unilaterally arrived at this decision," Chiu said. "As for the continued operation of our office in Macau, our staff will still stick to their posts and try their best to provide services to the people of Taiwan and Macau to look after the rights and well-being of those people." 'Coming from the top' Exiled Hongkonger Lam Wing-kei, who runs the Causeway Bay bookstore in Taiwan, said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is worried that Taiwan, which has never been ruled by the CCP, will become a base for the former Hong Kong opposition movement, attracting others who share their views to live and settle there. Lam said he fully expects the CCP to minimize or terminate the operations of Taiwan's representative offices in Hong Kong and Macau. Authorities in Hong Kong have already withheld visas for Taiwanese staff, who have been unable to take up their posts for several months. "This is clearly coming from the top. Will they shut down Taiwan's offices in Hong Kong and Macau? I think they may do this gradually," Lam said. "That is the next thing they will deal with." He said ties were further strained by fears that the CCP will use residents of Hong Kong or Taiwan to infiltrate its political life. "Taiwan announced a clause in its immigration rules a few days ago which means it now asks applicants if they have ever worked in government or taking part in CCP-related activities, and whether or not they have ever taken an oath of allegiance [to the CCP or the Hong Kong and Macau governments]," Lam said. Cheng An-kuo, who was Taiwan's first representative to Hong Kong after the 1997 handover, agreed, but said it was the wrong direction to be going in. "I think this will have a negative effect on cross-straits relations and on the future direction taken by the current Taiwan government," Cheng told RFA. "From Beijing's perspective, it would be better if there were more ties between Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, not less." Reported by Chung Kuang-cheng for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Hwang Chun-mei for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Ashes are all that remain of some 250 houses burned down in Kin Ma village, in central Myanmar's Magway region, June 16, 2021. Four elderly villagers in central Myanmar were killed when a fire tore through their village, destroying about 250 houses and sending 1,000 people fleeing to safety in nearby mountains, residents said Wednesday. Residents of Kin Ma village in Magway region told RFA that the military set the fire Tuesday night, with one saying troops torched the village after up to 15 soldiers were killed in a shootout with a local militia. Junta-controlled TV said troops were trying to clear terrorists from Kin Ma and found the village burning. The report said troops helped extinguish the fire. "I heard that there were four people who died in the fire, a very old man and three old ladies. They were in their 80s and 90s, said a resident of a nearby village of Pauk, who identified the man as Mya Maung. These elderly people were all sick and bedridden and couldnt run. The soldiers got into the village unannounced and we didnt have time to do anything, the witness said. No one had expected them to set fire to the houses. We tried to rescue as many as we could, the villager added. A resident of Kin Ma village, who spoke to RFAs Myanmar Service on condition of anonymity, said as many as 15 soldiers were killed in a shootout Tuesday with local militias, one the many fighting forces that have sprung up across Myanmar to fight junta troops after the military seized power on Feb. 1. "Between seven and 15 soldiers were killed in a clash between the local defense forces and the military in Kyaukkwe, just east of Kin Ma village, the villager said. Later, as the local forces retreated from the scene and while the villagers were fleeing to safety, the military set fire to Tin Wins house, just across the street from the school in the south of Kin Ma village. The fire then spread to other houses until late into the night, he said. About 250 houses, two-thirds of Kin Ma village, were burnt to the ground and over a thousand people who were displaced are now hiding in the nearby mountains, the villager said. Some people returned to the village Wednesday morning but ran back to safety when they saw soldiers in three trucks returning to Kin Ma village, villagers said. Smoke rises from remains of houses burned down in Kin Ma village, in central Myanmar's Magway region, June 16, 2021, Credit: Citizen Journalist Terrible crimes One villager said the attack by junta troops stemmed from a shooting about 12 miles from Kin Ma village Saturday, when someone opened fire at the house of the administrator of Dee Dot Kwin village. Soldiers found a motorcycle that was left behind. In connection with that, they thought one of the gunmen was from Kin Ma village and came to attack us, said the villager, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Civilian resistance fighters from Pauk township had clashed with regime troops near Kin Ma village on May 31, the online news outlet The Irrawaddy reported Wednesday. The British embassy in Yangon issued a statement deploring the militarys attacks on innocent civilians. Reports that the junta has burned down an entire village in Magway, killing elderly residents, demonstrate once again that the military continues to commit terrible crimes and has no regard for the people of Myanmar, the mission said in a tweet. RFA called the Deputy Minister of Information Major General Zaw Min Tun for reaction and comments on the incident but the calls were not answered. The Thailand-based rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says that since the Feb. 1 coup, security forces have killed 865 people in violent crackdowns on mass protests and detained, charged, or sentenced 4,911. Local militias. or Peoples Self-Defense Forces, meanwhile, claim to have killed more than 100 regime troops in guerilla warfare across the mountainous country of 54 million people. In Magways neighboring Sagaing region, at least 4 junta troops were killed in clashes between local militia group and a joint force of regime forces and supporters of the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) supporters Tuesday, local fighters said. Two clashes in Mingin township broke out between the People's Defense Force and the military accompanied by USDP members and militia early Tuesday. They retreated and then it broke out again in the afternoon. Four of them were hit and one was found dead outside the village. At least four will die, said a member of Mingin Township People's Defense Force. We can't go to look for them. They were at the bottom of the hill and we were from higher ground. There were no casualties on our side, the fighter added. Scene of widespread destruction in Kin Ma village, June 16, 2021. Credit: Citizen Journalist. USDP abets junta troops He said the military which used to get reinforcements from Yinmabin and Kani in Sagaing region, are now in Mingin Township and are pillaging and destroying villages, having driven more than 1,000 people from six villages into hiding. There isnt any food left at home even if we want to go get it. The soldiers have taken away everything. Chickens, pigs, everything, said a local resident, who said fellow villagers fled their villages in fear of shellings by the military. Vendors dare not come to the village and no shops are open. The health situation for the elderly is worrisome, added the villager. RFA has not been able to independently confirm the Mingin militia account that four soldiers were killed. Calls to Deputy Information Minister Zaw Min Tun to ask about casualties went unanswered Wednesday. The Mingin Township People's Defense Force PDF said Tuesday it had declared the USDP a terrorist group because some of its members wore military uniforms when it joined junta troops in raids on villages on June 12. Mingin has been a strong base for USDP, a military proxy party which lost badly in November elections to the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), who victory was nullified by the juntas Feb. 1 takeover, on unsupported claims of election fraud. "USDP members are wearing military uniforms. People in Mingin had earlier thought that the coup was a problem between NLD and the military, said a member of the Mingin militia. The fighter identified San Win of the USDP as leader of the forces helping regime troops. His men have been provided with weapons and are moving around villages at night, said the Mingin militia member. USDP spokesman Nanda Hla Myint told RFA both on telephone and through an online chat that he could not immediately comment as he has no authorization from higher levels. USDP has said at least 60 of its members have been killed in the past four months in Sagaing region. "Full exercise of the right to self-defense becomes an indispensable option for personal security if the rule of law is not fully reliable, said a statement on the USDPs official Facebook page on May 28. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Paul Eckert. Everybody is upset that a simple, honest farmer was killed without doing anything, said a neighbor. Protesters make the three-finger salute as they take part in a flash mob demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, June 14, 2021. Farmer Myo Myint Than was in the wrong place at the wrong time Sunday, seen near a shop where an informant for the military junta was shot. Three hours later, his parents had to retrieve the badly beaten body of the latest of nearly two dozen people to die during interrogation by Myanmar securities since the Feb. 1 coup. CCTV footage showed Myo Myint Than, 38, passing by the Yoon Yoon electronics shop in Taungtha Market in Mandalay, where two unidentified men had shot the owner Hnin Hnin, an open supporter of the junta, sources close to the slain farmers family told RFA. Shortly after the shooting, about 60 regime soldiers came to Indae village to arrest him, the family friend said. "He was a really honest farmer. He had no weapons. He was arrested in the village and beaten by the soldiers, said the source. When his parents went to see him, the body was covered with a piece of cloth. Only the face was shown. It was badly beaten. They were not allowed to look at the lower part of the body, added the family friend. Myo Myint Than's body was buried by family members in Taungtha Cemetery in the presence of junta guards Monday evening, added the friend. Some local residents said Hnin Hnin, the owner of the store, had survived the shooting and is being treated at Naypyidaw Military Hospital, but RFA has been unable still to confirm her condition. A resident of Taungtha said Hnin Hnin had flown flags of the military proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in front of her shop during protests against the military, had joined pro-military protests and had threatened to hand over members of National League for Democracy (NLD to the junta. She had attended USDP organized events. She said How many NLD members do you want? I could hand them over to the military. She had also provided supplies to the soldiers, said the resident, who declined to be named. Myanmar Now News yesterday said that Taungtha Township Peoples Defense Forces, a local militia, had claimed responsibility for the shooting of the pro-junta female informer in. RFA tried to contact the Taungtha PDF by phone but the calls were not successful. A local resident in Taungtha township said the whole village was saddened by the killing of a simple farmer. "There might be young people who are in the resistance, but everybody is upset that a simple, honest farmer was killed without doing anything, said the villager. We dont want to live under a military dictatorship. Theres no difference between living under a dictator and being dead. We just have to revolt. " According to Taungtha township residents, about 70 local villagers have been arrested under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code for inciting dissent against the military and are facing trial in prison. 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 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. The Thailand-based rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) says that since the Feb. 1 coup, at least 22 people have died during interrogations, with more than half having died within 24 hours after being arrested. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Paul Eckert. Many say that there is no future for the young in junta-led Myanmar. Protesters hold the Myanmar Student Union flag as they make the three-finger salute during a flash mob demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on June 13, 2021 Myanmars youth are increasingly looking to move abroad in hopes of finding better opportunities, with many saying the Feb. 1 military takeover effectively killed off any hope they had in their homeland, youths told RFA. Sources in the country said that the situation for young people was already difficult, as many with advanced degrees had been unable to find work in their field. The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 made the situation even worse as many of the businesses that traditionally hire young people had to shut down. Now with the military violently cracking down on widespread pro-democracy demonstrations and supporters of a return to a democratically elected government taking up arms, many youth would rather just leave the country and find their fortunes elsewhere. I learned IT only during Daw Suus government, an IT professional told RFAs Myanmar Service, referring to the ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, currently on trial in a junta court on sedition charges. When the good companies came in, we had to work hard to learn what we did not know before, and we were happy to get good jobs. That was why people here didnt need to go abroad anymore. There was no need to go overseas to study, she said. All that changed on Feb. 1, according to the young woman. Now that all this has happened, it is likely that everyone will leave. Its now so crowded at the passport office, she said. Another youth who recently graduated IT school said she decided to leave Myanmar because the coup crushed her hope of finding gainful employment or education. If this situation continues there will be no job opportunities for IT professionals in the country. Most IT companies are international companies, she said. Local companies are small and are not growing significantly. Most of them support the military. If the foreign companies leave Burma, theres no way our careers will improve, she said, using an older name for the country. The coup has also affected the prospects of young artists. A filmmaker told RFA it would be impossible to achieve his goals with all the restrictions that he believes will come under junta rule. Since 2018, the Myanmar film industry has released really good movies, and it was only getting better since then. We young people expected that we could make good films, but now our dreams are gone, he said. How will you be able to work independently in the future? Everyone loves their country and wants to work in their own country. But if you cant work in your own country you will have to find a more suitable place, the filmmaker said. The father of a young engineer told RFA that the younger generation have lost any sense of direction because there was already a scarcity of jobs in Myanmar, and the situation only got worse with the COVID-19 pandemic and then the coup. From 2010 until now, my son had no opportunity to work as an engineer and have a job suited to his degree. He had to work as a clerk with a salary of 200,000 to 300,000 [U.S. $120 to $180] per month, the engineers father said. Some graduates have had to work as delivery boys. Others as driversThis economy is not good. I dont know what they will do next. There is no future here Thats why they are now focusing on going abroad because their lives will not be stable here, he said. Emigration statistics since the Feb. 1 coup have not been made available. Some Myanmar residents have fled to India or Thailand to avoid military conflict. But while some youth are trying find ways to leave, others are staying, risking their lives for what they believe is right. I have been thinking about how to protect my house from the rain and sun, a young man, speaking metaphorically about his homeland, told RFA. Now is the time to heal our wounds. Now is the time to face the problems of our own country again. Its time to solve these problems ourselves. That is why I cannot turn my back on my dying homeland, he said. Moe Thwe, a member of the pro-democracy youth movement called Generation Wave, told RFA that most youth understand the risks of staying the country and of trying to achieve their goals overseas. She hopes they will one day return. This is a situation we cant avoid. I dont see it as a negative thing and in some cases I even encourage them to go abroad because well be working with a wider international current, even with international organizations, said Moe Thwe. She urged Myanmar youth abroad to support their communities back home by sending money back to their families. Additionally, she called on them to share Myanmars story online. This will support the revolutionary movement in Myanmar both financially and academically I see it as an investment for a post-revolution country, she said. According to figures from the World Bank, Myanmars employment rate for people aged 15-24 hovered around 1.5 percent before the countrys first openly contested elections in 2015. It then spiked to about 4 percent in 2017 before falling to the 1.5 percent level by 2019. Data for 2020 are not yet available. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Eugene Whong. A search of one reporter's home uncovered confidential government papers, with police now calling for a new investigation, state media say, Vietnamese independent journalists Nguyen Thanh Nha, Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao, and Doan Kien Giang are shown left to right in undated photos. Four independent journalists held in southern Vietnams Can Tho province for slandering government leaders in their investigative reports may soon face additional and more serious charges of revealing state secrets, state media said on Wednesday. Police investigators on May 18 recommended that the four writers for the popular Facebook page Clean Newspaper (Bao Sach), which discussed Vietnamese social issues and has now been taken offline, be prosecuted for abusing democracy and freedom to infringe on State interests under Article 331 of Vietnams 2015 Penal Code. The reportersTruong Chau Huu Danh, arrested on Dec. 17 last year, and Nguyen Thanh Nha, Doan Kien Giang, and Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao, arrested on April 20had posted criticisms online of the Jan. 9, 2020 raid by security forces intervening in a land dispute at Dong Tam commune in which a village elder was shot dead by police. They had also written articles criticizing the widely unpopular build-operate-transfer (BOT) highway schemes adopted by Vietnam in recent years that have sparked rare protests over toll collections described by motorists as unfair. International human rights and media watchdog groups Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Committee to Protect Journalists have all condemned the arrests, calling for the journalists immediate and unconditional release. A search of Truong Chau Huu Danhs home has since uncovered government documents containing confidential material, though, state media reports said, and police in Can Tho are now calling for a new investigation into charges of intentionally disclosing State secrets, appropriating, buying or selling or disposing of items or secrets of the State. The new charge under Article 263 of Vietnams Penal Code carries a possible sentence of death. Harsh forms of persecution With Vietnams media all following Communist Party orders, the only sources of independently-reported information are bloggers and independent journalists, who are being subjected to ever-harsher forms of persecution, the press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says in its 2021 Press Freedoms Index. Measures taken against them now include assaults by plainclothes police, RSF said in its report, which placed Vietnam at 175 out of 180 countries surveyed worldwide, a ranking unchanged from last year. To justify jailing them, the Party resorts to the criminal codes, especially three articles under which activities aimed at overthrowing the government, anti-state propaganda and abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to threaten the interests of the state are punishable by long prison terms, the rights group said. Vietnams already low tolerance of dissent deteriorated sharply last year with a spate of arrests of independent journalists, publishers, and Facebook personalities as authorities continued to stifle critics in the run-up to the ruling Communist Party Congress in January. But arrests continue in 2021. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Armenian authorities to immediately drop the charge of incitement of national enmity against Yazidi rights activist Sashik Sultanian. In its June 16 statement, HRW said the charges against Sultanian are "in retaliation" for his interview in which he talked about problems faced by the Yazidi community in Armenia. Yazidis are mostly Kurdish dialect-speaking people with their own faith that has elements of Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Islam. Although Armenian authorities might disagree with the content of [Sultanians] interview, the opinions he expressed in it fall squarely within the boundaries of legitimate speech, protected under international law, said HRW's associate Europe and Central Asia director, Giorgi Gogia, The authorities should immediately drop the charges against [Sultanian] and ensure that there is no undue interference in his legitimate human rights work. Sultanian chairs the Yazidi Center for Human Rights, an NGO that since 2018 has worked on community mobilization, awareness raising, and anti-corruption issues in Armenia. The probe against the activist was launched in October 2020, after the interview in question was published by Yezidinews.am website in June that year. Sultanian said in the interview that Yazidis face discrimination in Armenia, being unable to study in their language and develop their culture. Sultanian also said in the interview that Yazidis are underrepresented in local government structures, adding that Armenians had seized Yazidi property, that authorities do not protect their rights, and that Yazidis live in fear. The probe against Sultanian was launched after the Veto Movement, a radical group that has built a reputation for aggressive hostility against human rights defenders in Armenia, filed a complaint with the authorities. According to HRW, several procedural regulations have been violated during the investigative process. Armenian authorities are violating [Sultanians] right to his freedom of expression, Gogia said. While fighting national and ethnic hatred is the governments responsibility, its not achieved through criminalizing legitimate speech or otherwise violating the rights of those who speak out on sensitive matters. The total number of Yazidis is estimated at some 1.5 million, of whom the majority reside in the Middle East. There are some 40,000 Yazidis in Armenia. MINSK -- The widow of a Belarusian activist who was shot dead in August 2020 by riot police in Minsk has been ordered to pay taxes on donations she received after the killing. Alena Herman, the widowed mother of a 4-year-old girl, received the donations after her 34-year-old husband, Alyaksandr Taraykouski, became the first fatality in a brutal crackdown by police on demonstrations against the disputed presidential election. Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusians continue to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a brutal crackdown on protesters. The West refuses to recognize him as the country's legitimate leader after an August 9 election considered fraudulent. Election officials said longtime authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka won the vote. But the United States, the European Union, and several other countries refuse to recognize the official tally and do not consider Lukashenka as the country's legitimate leader. Herman said on June 16 that tax authorities in Minsk had ordered her to pay taxes totaling more than 11,000 rubles ($4,430) on the donations. She said she thinks the tax is wrong. "My husband was self-employed and everything he earned he used to support our family," Herman said. "All donations I received from good people were made, I believe were made, from their own pockets, after taxes." Belarus's Investigative Committee decided in February not launch a probe into Taraykouski death. It claims that Taraykouski was "very drunk" and "provoked" riot police to use "nonlethal weapons" against him. Initially, officials said Taraykouski was killed by an improvised explosive device he was trying to throw at riot police. However, graphic footage of his death posted on social media contradicted official claims. The site of Taraykouski's death near the Pushkin subway station in Minsk temporarily became a makeshift memorial where protesters gathered regularly, bringing flowers and renewing "We will not forget" inscriptions on the sidewalk. Several protesters have been killed and thousands of people arrested during the months of demonstrations. There have also been credible reports of detainees being tortured by the authorities during the crackdown. Most opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, including Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya -- the opposition candidate that many believe was the legitimate winner of the election. The chief executive of Ryanair says he opposes a long-term ban on flights over Belarus, warning that its dangerous to politicize a countrys airspace. Michael O'Leary said the forced landing of a Ryanair flight on May 23 in Minsk was carried out on false pretenses in what was "clearly a premeditated breach of all the international aviation rules." But he argued that the international response to halt flights over Belarus was not tenable in the long-term. OLeary testified before the British Parliament's Transport Select Committee on June 15 about the diversion of the Ryanair flight, which was en route from Athens to Vilnius. After the flight landed in Minsk, authorities detained two passengers -- Belarusian opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, -- sparking global outrage. Belarusian traffic controllers told Ryanair pilots to divert the flight, citing a bomb threat that proved to be false. A Belarusian military jet was sent to accompany the plane. Britain and the European Union responded by telling airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace and banning the country's flagship carrier Belavia. "This is not in our long-term interests, of the industry, or in our passengers' best interests," OLeary told the committee, noting that flights between the U.K. and Asia, for example, now have to fly around Belarus. "It is a very dangerous territory we are in, if we're going to start politicizing overfly and flying rights over any country," OLeary added. The chief executive of the U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority, Richard Moriarty, said he agreed with O'Leary on the need to get back to what is the protocol of civil aviation around overflights." "If it is the case that this was a forced diversion under pretext, that really is an exceptional event in the last 70 years," said Moriarty. Belarus's ambassador to London, Maksim Yermalovich, declined an invitation to give evidence to the committee. But in a statement he criticized Britain's decision to suspend Belavia's operating permit, saying it went "far beyond the spirit of cooperation." The diversion of the Ryanair flight is currently being investigated by the UNs International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is due to issue a report in the coming weeks. The 26-year-old Pratasevich was a key administrator of the Telegram channel, Nexta-Live, which has been covering mass protests denouncing the official results of the Belarusian presidential election last August, which handed authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth presidential term. The opposition says the vote was rigged and that opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya was the victor. Tsikhanouskaya also addressed British lawmakers on June 15, urging them to impose tougher sanctions on Lukashenka. She told the Foreign Affairs Committee that now is the time "when all should unite and put more pressure on this regime. We have to use this moment." Making a plea similar to the one she made last week before U.S. lawmakers, Tsikhanouskaya called for new sanctions against Belarusian state-owned enterprises that are fueling the regime" and against individual "businessmen and oligarchs" and suggested targeting Belarusian sovereign debt. Tsikhanouskaya also asked the U.K. to help bring about democratic elections in the ex-Soviet state and suggested the U.K. could initiate a preliminary discussion" on an "international high-level political conference on resolving the crisis" and invite representatives of Russia and the Belarusian regime. With reporting by AFP and Reuters U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have said they found some common ground on minor issues at their first face-to-face summit while major differences that have brought bilateral ties to one of their lowest points since the Cold War remain. Following more than three hours of talks in Geneva on June 16, Biden said the discussions between the two leaders had been intense and detailed to the point that "we didn't need to spend more time talking." For his part Putin said the meeting featured pragmatic talks with a constructive, experienced partner, that spoke "the same language," even if their relationship doesn't reach the point of friendship. "We, President of the United States of America Joseph R. Biden and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, note the United States and Russia have demonstrated that, even in periods of tension, they are able to make progress on our shared goals of ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere, reducing the risk of armed conflicts and the threat of nuclear war," a joint statement issued after the summit in the Swiss city of Geneva said. The summit came as Putin continues to consolidate his dominance of Russia's political system, squeezing opposition activists like Aleksei Navalny and throttling independent media and NGOs ahead of September parliamentary elections. Ahead of the meeting, expectations for any substantial gains were low, with both sides expressing pessimism at the prospects of significant progress given the range of issues -- from arms control and cyberattacks to election interference and Ukraine -- that have widened the divide between the two superpowers. In a show of that chasm, Biden and Putin held separate news conferences after the talks, a far cry from the more chummy atmosphere the Russian leader had at a 2018 summit with Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump. 'Basic Rules' The U.S. president said he had told Putin "we need some basic rules of the road that we can all abide by," adding, "I did what I came to do." He added that Putin's actions "diminish" his country's standing on the world stage. "What would it be like if we engaged in activities that he's engaged in?" Biden, who months earlier said in an interview that he believed Putin was a killer, said. "It diminishes the standing of a country that is desperately trying to make sure it maintains its standing as a major world power," Biden added on June 16. For his part, Putin, who held his press conference first, said there was no hostility during the meeting and that the conversation was "rather constructive." "Our assessment of many issues differ, but in my view both sides demonstrated the desire to understand each other and look for ways to get closer," he said. Putin said Moscow and Washington had agreed to launch nuclear arms control talks to build on the New START treaty, a cornerstone of global arms control. The joint statement said "the United States and Russia will embark together on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in the near future that will be deliberate and robust. Through this Dialogue, we seek to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures." The "Strategic Stability Dialogue" would be a series of preliminary talks meant to set the framework for a negotiation by sorting out what exactly should be negotiated. As a general goal, it would aim to diminish the risk of war between the world's two largest nuclear powers. The summit started at Geneva's famed Villa de la Grange with just over 90 minutes of discussions between the two leaders along with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. After a short break, the presidents met for another session involving additional aides that lasted about 65 minutes. Cyberattacks Biden said he and Putin agreed to further discussions on keeping certain types of critical infrastructure off-limits to cyberattacks. Biden also said they will have additional talks on the pursuit of criminals carrying out ransomware attacks. He told reporters in Geneva that 16 types of critical infrastructure -- including the energy and water sectors -- should be off-limits to cyberattacks, "period." The focus on cyberattacks comes after a ransomware attack in May on one of the largest pipeline operators in the United States forced the shutdown of fuel supplies to much of the East Coast for nearly a week. The United States has blamed the attack on a Russian criminal gang and says Moscow has not cooperated with criminal investigations on ransomware and has not extradited suspects to the United States. Earlier, Putin said Russia and the United States shared a responsibility for nuclear stability, and would hold talks on possible changes to their recently extended New START arms-limitation treaty. Biden said he told Putin that human rights will always be on the table, and that he will continue to raise the issue, including the arrest of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny. He also brought up the case of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a U.S.-funded independent broadcaster, which Russian authorities have targeted through its so-called "foreign agent" legislation. The Russian leader dismissed Washington's concerns over the crackdown on dissent and the free press, as well as Russia's increased military presence near Ukraine's eastern border. Navalny was arrested early this year when he returned to Russia from Germany, where he had received treatment for a near-fatal poisoning inside Russia with a Soviet-era nerve agent. Navalny has blamed Putin directly for the attack, a claim the Kremlin has denied. During their summit in Geneva on June 16, U.S. President Joe Biden raised the issue of Kremlin pressure against RFE/RL's Russian-language services in Russia with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The United States has accused Russia of attempting to drive RFE/RL out of the country by listing it as a "foreign agent" media organization and imposing fines against it for failing to comply with requirements that all its materials be prominently labeled. "I also raised the ability of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty to operate and the importance of a free press and freedom of speech," Biden said at his press conference in Geneva when listing some of the issues the two leaders discussed. The same day, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) agreed to hear an appeal by RFE/RL against the Russian government over the "foreign agent" label and the labelling requirements. At his own separate news conference following the summit talks, Putin said that Biden "raised the question of the work of Liberty and, uh, their Free Europes in Russia." He repeated the Kremlin's assertion that the labeling of RFE/RL's Russian-language outlets -- including Current Time, a network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA -- as "foreign agents" was a response to a 2017 decision by the United States to compel Russian state-controlled network RT, sometimes known as Russia Today, to register under a 1938 law called the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). "It should be noted that Russia Today fulfills all the demands of the [U.S.] regulators and the law -- they registered as required and so on," Putin said. "Unfortunately, the American media don't completely comply with the requirements of Russian law." FARA does not require that every news story be prominently labeled as the product of a "foreign agent" media organization. The U.S. decision to compel RT to register came after a January 2017 U.S. intelligence finding that RT and Russia's Sputnik news agency spread disinformation as part of a Kremlin effort to undermine faith in the U.S. democracy and influence the 2016 presidential election in favor of Republican candidate and eventual winner Donald Trump. Moscow has denied any such effort. In Geneva, Putin expressed the "hope" that "we will manage to settle this" diplomatically. 'Patriotic Russians' In a statement following the Geneva summit, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly rejected the "foreign agent" label. "RFE/RL journalists are not 'foreign agents,'" Fly said. "They are patriotic Russians who are only trying to serve their fellow citizens by giving them objective news and information. The Kremlin's ongoing attacks against our journalists and other independent media outlets only serve to deprive the Russian people of their right to access uncensored information." Russia's so-called "foreign agent" legislation was adopted in 2012 and has been modified repeatedly. It requires nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign assistance and that the government deems to be engaged in political activity to be registered, to identify themselves as "foreign agents," and to submit to audits. Later modifications targeted foreign-funded media. In 2017, the Russian government placed RFE/RL's Russian Service on the list, along with six other RFE/RL Russian-language news services and Current Time. The Russian Service of VOA was also added to the list. At the end of 2020, the legislation was modified to allow the Russian government to include individuals, including foreign journalists, on its "foreign agents" list and to impose restrictions on them. Several RFE/RL contributors were placed on the list in December 2020. The Russian state media monitor Roskomnadzor last year adopted rules requiring listed media to mark all written materials with a lengthy notice in large text, all radio materials with an audio statement, and all video materials with a 15-second text declaration. RFE/RL rejects the "foreign agent" designation and has refused to comply with the rules, so the agency has prepared hundreds of complaints against RFE/RL's projects. The total fines levied could run to more than $3 million. 'Coercion And Intimidation' RFE/RL has called the fines "a state-sponsored campaign of coercion and intimidation," while the U.S. State Department has described them as "intolerable." Human Rights Watch has described the foreign agent legislation as "restrictive" and intended "to demonize independent groups." In April, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said that "Russia's actions against RFE/RL and other media organizations labeled as so-called 'foreign agents' reflect significant intolerance and oppressive restrictions." "Should the Russian government continue to move to forcibly shut down RFE/RL, we will respond," Price said, without elaborating. While RT distributes its programs freely in the United States on cable television, RFE/RL and VOA have no access to cable television in Russia. RFE/RL once had distribution agreements with nearly 100 radio channels inside Russia, but had lost them all by 2012 following a campaign of pressure by the authorities. RFE/RL is an editorially independent media company funded by a grant from the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Each week, nearly 7 million people access RFE/RL's news portals in Russia. BISHKEK -- Some 300 people rallied in Bishkek on June 16 to demand that authorities locate a Turkish-Kyrgyz educator who disappeared more than two weeks earlier. The protesters gathered in front of the government's headquarters and marched to the parliament's building carrying portraits of Orhan Inandy, the leader of the Sapat educational network in Kyrgyzstan who went missing late on May 31. Some of the demonstrators carried posters saying "Find Orhan Inandy!" Inandy's car was found in downtown Bishkek early on June 1 with the doors wide open and valuable items still inside -- suggesting his disappearance was not the result of a robbery. His wife Reyhan Inandy said earlier that she has evidence her husband was being held in the Turkish Embassy in Bishkek. But Turkey's diplomatic mission denies her claim. Protests demanding an effective investigation into Inandys disappearance have taken place in the Kyrgyz capital almost daily. Many demonstrators say they think he was abducted by Turkish secret service agents. Human Rights Watch has said that if Inandy was returned to Turkey, he would face arbitrary detention and an unfair trial on terrorism charges, as well as possible ill-treatment and torture. Inandy -- known in his Turkish documents as Orhan Inan -- is a founder of Ala-Too University in Bishkek. He has lived in Kyrgyzstan since 1995 and holds dual Turkish-Kyrgyz citizenship. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has ordered the Interior Ministry to find him. Police in Bishkek have created a special investigative group for the case. Ankara in 2019 officially requested that Bishkek extradite two men working for the Sapat educational network in Kyrgyzstan -- Sinan Yilmaz and Sancar Abdulhakim. Ankara said the two were wanted in Turkey but did not specify criminal charges against them. The Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General's Office ruled in favor of extraditing the two men at the time. But that decision was overturned by a Bishkek court following protest rallies against the move. During the past five years, Turkey has called on Kyrgyzstan to shut down the activities of the Sapat educational network. It claims the organization is linked to the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for a failed coup in July 2016. Gulen rejects the claim. Welcome back to the China In Eurasia briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter tracking China's resurgent influence from Eastern Europe to Central Asia. The China In Eurasia briefing is nearly six months old and I want your feedback. Send me an e-mail and let me know what you like so far, what you want to see more of, and what you think can be improved. Send your feedback to StandishR@rferl.org I'm RFE/RL correspondent Reid Standish and here's what I'm following right now. The Fight In Budapest Over A Chinese University The showdown in Hungary over government plans to take out a $1.5 billion loan from a Chinese lender to build a satellite campus for Shanghai's Fudan University has intensified. In the last two weeks, the temperature around the issue has risen, with protests in the streets of Budapest and political maneuvering ahead of parliamentary elections in 2022 as the country's disparate opposition targets Prime Minister Viktor Orban's China ties. Finding Perspective: The escalation began with Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony announcing that the streets surrounding the proposed project site would be renamed Free Hong Kong Road, Dalai Lama Road, and Uyghur Martyrs Road to highlight sensitive issues around China's human rights record. That was followed by protests in Budapest on June 5, where thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against the university project, which is slated to be built at a site where affordable housing for Hungarian students was previously planned. This sparked action within the Hungarian government. Orban's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, floated the idea of a referendum on the issue -- something the opposition has been calling for -- but not until at least 2023. This was followed by Orban announcing that a vote would be held on the issue. As my colleague Balint Szalai and I reported, this sets up a prolonged and tense political showdown in Hungary as the country prepares for 2022 elections, with the Chinese university taking center stage. Why It Matters: Hungary's opposition candidates have united against Orban's Fidesz party as the prime minister faces what appears to be the first competitive elections after three successive landslides since 2010. Surveys show a united opposition and Fidesz polling neck and neck, with Karacsony an early front-runner to be the opposition's candidate. While China itself isn't much of a wedge issue, Karacsony has chosen the Fudan campus and other China-backed projects as a way to frame larger political topics and draw attention to the government's poor track record on transparency, deteriorating rule of law, and democratic backsliding. Read More "This has become a political issue and we should decide this in a way that is the most acceptable to all," Orban said on June 10 as he announced that a referendum would be held on the issue. Although few other specifics have been given. Many observers see the government trying to push any vote on the campus until after next year's election in an attempt to defuse any momentum around the issue that the opposition has generated. The Hungarian parliament voted on the issue on June 15, RFE/RL's Hungarian Service reported. Lawmakers voted to transfer assets to Fudan University for the project, despite the government's talk of a referendum. Critics of the project say that this vote now makes preventing the campus from being built extremely difficult. Expert's Corner: The Budapest Mayor Talks About Fudan University I received many questions about the situation in Hungary lately, so here's more from what Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony had to say to RFE/RL for our article. "The Student City will provide affordable housing to young Hungarians from the countryside, so the demonstration on [June 5] in Budapest was primarily about the well-being and opportunities for youth in rural areas. Therefore, the referendum should be nationwide, it should be about China's debt and the chances for rural youth. We stand against the Chinese debt and for housing for rural youth." "It's understandable that China acts in order to increase its political and economic influence, but it is unacceptable for the Hungarian government to serve this Chinese influence-boosting effort instead of Hungary's own interests." Do you have a question about China's growing footprint in Eurasia? Send it to me at StandishR@rferl.org or reply directly to this e-mail and I'll get it answered by leading experts and policymakers. Three More Stories From Eurasia 1. Extraordinary Rendition Lawyers for Uyghur groups have submitted new evidence to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor showing the government in Tajikistan has been cooperating with Beijing to send Uyghurs back to China, my colleague Bruce Pannier reports. The Details: The lawyers are trying to get the ICC to target China for its treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, but given that Beijing is not a member, the court cannot open an investigation. Instead, the complaint submitted by the legal team is targeting countries that have extradited Uyghurs back to China, where Beijing is alleged to be operating an internment camp system against Muslim minorities and accused by several Western governments and human rights watchdogs of committing crimes against humanity and genocide. Tajikistan, one of China's western neighbors, is a target of the complaint, as is Cambodia. Both countries are ICC members and under The Hague court's jurisdiction. The complaint alleges that "members of the Chinese Public Security Bureau who are present in Tajikistan direct local Tajik police to carry out raids on the areas where Uyghurs live and work," and that those Uyghurs who did not have "correct paperwork" were "then deported back into China by Chinese authorities in small groups of up to 10 to avoid international attention." It also accuses Tajik authorities of helping to facilitate the extraordinary rendition of Uyghurs from Turkey back to China. 2. Debt Drama Montenegro is negotiating how to access hundreds of millions in affordable credit from the European Union in order to help pay down its soaring debt, a large chunk of which is owed to China, Reuters reported. Searching For A Solution: In addition to searching for cheap credit from Brussels, the Reuters report also said that Podgorica was looking into selling off state assets in order to pay down its debt and ease its financial dependence on China. However, the government has since denied any plans to sell off state property to pay down its debts, my colleagues at RFE/RL's Balkan Service tell me. "It is not true that any sale of state property is being prepared, nor is there a need for that. This government has ensured that Montenegro has the money to finance all obligations, which include those towards Chinese creditors," said a government spokesperson. Background: Montenegro's debt to China is at the heart of a hot debate about Chinese influence in Europe. The country borrowed $1 billion from the Export-Import Bank of China in 2014 to fund a 41-kilometer stretch of highway that was to be the first leg of a 163-kilometer link to neighboring Serbia. Although that initial segment is behind schedule and still incomplete. China agreed to defer repayment of Montenegro's first tranche of the loan, which is now due in late 2022. 3. How Beijing And Islamabad Negotiate A recent study of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Pakistan suggests Beijing has less control over its massive development projects as was first thought and often has to alter its plans to accommodate Pakistani officials. The Flagship Project: I interviewed Filippo Boni, one of the report's authors, about the research, which was done for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Beijing's growing footprint in Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has made it one of the most visible case studies of China's growing presence abroad and has led to accusations by critics that the grouping of projects is a tool for Chinese expansion and a way to impose its will on Islamabad. But Boni and co-author Katharine Adeney dug into the internal machinery of how CPEC is unfolding on the ground, looking at negotiations between Beijing and Islamabad and how China has adapted its plans to suit the domestic situation within Pakistan. "China can't just get its way through the local context as easily as some might suggest," Boni said. "It's about negotiations and mutual interest. China's power has its limits, and it needs to adapt." Across The Supercontinent Reinforcements: Sinovac, a Chinese vaccine, has arrived for use in Kazakhstan and received approval from the World Health Organization, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. Sinopharm, another Chinese vaccine, is already available in the country. View On The Ground: Local environmentalists in Montenegro say China wants to repair only a fraction of the damage incurred during construction for the country's $1 billion highway in a gorge declared a UNESCO site, RFE/RL's Balkan Service reported. A Watching Eye: The Russian state company Rostelecom told my colleague, Zoya Simbirskaya, from RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service, that China's Hikvision will be providing video surveillance cameras for the upcoming September elections in Russia. Banned: Romanian President Klaus Iohannis signed a bill on June 11 that banned China and Huawei from taking part in the development of its 5G telecommunication networks. A 20-Year Footprint: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) turned 20 on June 15. Raffaello Pantucci takes a look at the lasting imprint of the China-backed bloc for the Oxus Society. Chinese Cash: The Kyrgyz government is looking for investors to build a logistics center in the At-Bashinsky district of the Naryn region, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. Chinese investors had previously expressed interest in the project, but the plans were put on hold last year amid protests by residents against the center being financed by Chinese money. One Thing To Watch The Tokyo Olympics are set to kick off at the end of July, but in political circles, attention is already shifting to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. A group of politicians spanning 11 countries across Europe and North America launched coordinated efforts earlier this month to call for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 games. Their aim is to pressure governments to decline invitations to the Beijing Olympics, due to human rights abuses by the Chinese government, particularly over the treatment of Uyghurs and Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The initiative appears to be gathering steam. U.S. lawmakers pledged a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Olympics as part of a wide-ranging, China-focused bill passed by the Senate and, this week, the Czech Senate called on politicians not to attend next year's Winter Olympics. That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you might have. If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition,. It will be sent to your in-box the first and third Wednesday of each month. The European Commission says it will study a controversial Hungarian law banning the discussion and dissemination of information in schools that is deemed by authorities to promote homosexuality and gender change. Critics have slammed the amendment, passed on June 15, as an attack on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. After passage, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said the new legislation "raises concerns" about "freedom of expression" and included restrictions that "have no place in democratic society." Then, on June 16, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she was "very concerned about the new law in Hungary." "We are assessing if it breaches relevant EU legislation," she tweeted. "I believe in a Europe which embraces diversity, not one which hides it from our children. No one should be discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation," von der Leyen added. A commission spokeswoman, Dana Spinant, had cautioned hours earlier that "we need to base those [decisions] on a thorough reflection on what is actually in that law, and what the problems with that law would be." Before the bill's approval, the European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli warned that the EU could withhold funding over Hungary's move. On June 14, thousands of protesters gathered in Budapest to condemn the legislation. It calls for a ban on books, films, and other content that are accessible to children and young people and in which sexuality is depicted other than heterosexuality. The ban also applies to advertising by banning ads deemed to target people under 18 years of age if they are seen as showing solidarity with gay people. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, which has backed a strongly conservative social agenda, has said that the legislation is needed to protect the "right of children to their gender identity received at birth." Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto defended the new amendment -- to a bill to combat pedophilia -- during a visit to Bratislava on June 16, saying: "No duty is more important than the protection of children. So yes, children must be protected from pedophiles." During the debate of the bill in parliament on June 15, lawmaker Timea Szabo of the opposition Dialogue party accused Orban and his ruling Fidesz party of trying to "conflate pedophile crimes with people's different sexual identity." Associations of the LBGT community and human rights advocates have said the law will "trample on the rights of homosexual and transgender youth." They compared the ban to a discriminatory 2013 Russian law banning so-called "gay propaganda," which is viewed by human rights defenders as a tool of discrimination. This is a dark day for [LGBT] rights and for Hungary. Like the infamous Russian 'propaganda law' this new legislation will further stigmatise {LGBT] people and their allies. It will expose people already facing a hostile environment to even greater discrimination," Amnesty International's Hungarian office said on June 15 in a statement after the law was adopted. "Tagging these amendments to a bill that seeks to crack down on child abuse appears to be a deliberate attempt by the Hungarian government to conflate paedophilia with LGBTI people," it added. Orban's government has already embedded language in the constitution stating that marriage can only be between a man and a woman. It also has banned adoptions by same-sex couples. Hungary's government has also retroactively prohibited legal status for transgender people in a move ruled as unconstitutional by the country's Constitutional Court. With reporting by AFP NUR-SULTAN -- Dozens of protesters from different parts of Kazakhstan have staged separate, single-person protests in front of the Supreme Court in Nur-Sultan. They are demanding a meeting with the head of the Supreme Court, Zhaqyp Asanov, to discuss what they say is corruption within Kazakhstan's judicial system. Starting their overnight protests on June 15, they circumvented the need to obtain advanced permission from authorities by staging separate individual demonstrations. One protester left a sign on a fence in front of the Supreme Court calling on President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev to "root out the rotten judicial system of Kazakhstan." The demonstrators say they are victims of erroneous court decisions. They said they decided to picket the Supreme Court because they'd failed to find justice through other courts. They are demanding new investigations into their cases and retrials. There have been similar protests in Nur-Sultan and Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty in recent years. In February, a group of protesters picketed the presidential palace in Nur-Sultan to highlight what they said were erroneous court rulings against them or their relatives. Presidential aide Tamara Duisenova met with those demonstrators and promised to create a working group to look into each individual case. International and local rights activists have said for decades that corruption is a major problem in Kazakhstan. After all that, it came down to this: ambassadors and nuclear weapons. U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva on June 16 for their first summit -- five months after Biden took office, and more than 21 years since Putin first did. With bilateral relations spiraling into potentially dangerous territory, both leaders, and their advisers, had telegraphed their goals ahead of time. For Biden, it was pushing back against several years of what U.S. officials have called the Kremlin's "malign activities." For Putin, it was appearing on the world stage as an equal to the U.S. president, an echo of the Great Power politics of the Soviet era, when Washington and Moscow played on a Cold War chessboard across the globe. "This is not about trust. This is about self-interest and verification of self-interest. That's what it's about Let's see what happens," Biden told reporters afterward. Neither the White House nor the Kremlin had held out hopes for major breakthroughs. And the outcomes, at least publicly, met those low expectations, with two small "deliverables" -- and a bevy of other smoldering issues that may again burst into flame in the coming months. "Not much was agreed upon; not much was done," said James Nixey, director of the Russia-Eurasia program at Chatham House, a London-based think tank. "And that was probably appropriate, proportionate to the state of the relations between the two." "You don't want the train to come off the rails" in the Russian-American relationship, Nixey told RFE/RL, "but you don't want any more than that because that would imply some sort of concession" to Moscow. For Dmitry Trenin, director of the Moscow Carnegie Center, the summit met expectations: "Not a reset, but maybe better managed confrontation lies ahead," he said in a post to Twitter. Here's a short list of what was achieved, and a longer list of what wasn't: Diplomacy Deliverable Ahead of the Geneva summit, many observers predicted that the easiest thing Putin and Biden could agree on was also the simplest: the return of ambassadors to the two countries' diplomatic missions in Moscow and Washington. Both Russia and the United States have done tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats for several years now; the Obama administration expelled nearly three dozen Russian diplomats -- some believed to be intelligence officers -- in 2016 after finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Moscow retaliated. The Trump administration kicked out another 60 in 2018, in response to Britain's finding that Russian intelligence agents used a military-grade nerve agent against Sergei Skripal, a former Russian agent who was living in England at the time. The U.S. diplomatic presence in Russia has since dwindled to a fraction of its normal size. More recently, Russia's ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, returned to Moscow for consultations after Biden gave a TV interview in which he agreed with the suggestion that Putin was "a killer." Not long after, the U.S. ambassador, John Sullivan, left Moscow, ostensibly for discussions in Washington, though diplomatic sources told RFE/RL he was all but forced to leave by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Returning the two ambassadors to their posts at the very least allows for formal, high-level diplomatic interactions, experts said; the absence meant virtually none of that. Stability Deliverable During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States built an entire scaffolding of arms control and confidence-building treaties meant to avert accidental war, nuclear or otherwise. After the Soviet collapse, that scaffolding weakened; the 2002 decision by President George W. Bush's administration to pull out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty is often cited by the Kremlin as a major blow to that framework. Since then, a series of other treaties have collapsed; most notably, the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, known as the INF. And there were fears that New START, the last major agreement capping the world's two largest nuclear arsenals, would be scrapped, potentially leading to an all-out arms race. Days after taking office and shortly before New START's early-February expiration date, Biden agreed with Russia on a five-year extension, his first major foreign policy decision as president. In a joint statement issued by the White House and the Kremlin during the summit, Biden and Putin said the extension of New START "exemplifies our commitment to nuclear arms control." They said they would hold new talks "to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures." Biden and Putin "have demonstrated that, even in periods of tension, they are able to make progress on our shared goals of ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere, reducing the risk of armed conflicts and the threat of nuclear war," the statement said. To be sure, neither side is saying they intend to sign a new treaty. And there are lingering doubts about whether Russia secretly developed an INF-violating missile, hoping the Americans wouldn't find out about it. And both sides are modernizing their arsenals and developing new weapons and new delivery systems. But the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a Washington-based advocacy group, welcomed the agreement on further talks. "The clear statement by the two presidents that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought is an important foundation for reducing nuclear risks," it said. Cyber Domain The White House had made clear that the issue of cyberoffensives -- hacking, espionage, ransomware, viruses, critical infrastructure attacks -- was a priority for Biden's meeting with Putin. The U.S. government last year announced a massive breach of U.S. computer systems and blamed it on Russia's foreign intelligence service. Ransomware attacks that have paralyzed U.S. commercial interests have been blamed on criminal gangs harbored in Russia. And then there's the 2016 election-related hacking that resulted in criminal indictments against Russian military intelligence officers. Russian military intelligence agents have also been blamed for a major hack that briefly shut down portions of Ukraine's electricity grid in the winters of 2015 and 2016. After the summit, Biden told reporters that he raised the issue of Russian hacking with Putin. "I pointed out to him that we have significant cybercapability. And he knows it. He doesn't know exactly what it is but it's significant. If, in fact, they violate basic norms -- we will respond. He knows: in a cyber way," Biden said. "Responsible countries need to take action against criminals who conduct ransomware activities on their territory," Biden said. He also said he didn't make any threats on the subject, but posed a theoretical question to Putin about the dangers of cyberattacks. "I looked at him and said, How would you feel if ransomware took on the pipelines from your oil fields? He said it would matter," Biden said. Critical infrastructure should be "off-limits" to cyberattacks, Biden said he told Putin, and he proposed a list of organizations that should be off-limits in 16 economic sectors. He did not identify them. For his part, Putin claimed, somewhat implausibly, that most of the cyberattacks in the world came from the United States, Canada, and Britain. "We certainly see where the attacks are coming from. We see that this work is coordinated from U.S. cyberspace," Putin said. "Russia is not on the list of countries from where -- from the cyberspace of which -- most of the various cyberattacks are carried out." It's unclear whether any more specific agreement on cyberattacks and hacking was reached behind closed doors. Human Rights, Opposition Politics, Navalny Going into the summit, Biden faced calls in Washington and elsewhere to confront Putin on the plight of Russia's political opposition and civil society. That includes, first and foremost, corruption crusader Aleksei Navalny, who survived a nerve-agent poisoning last August that he blames on Putin. Navalny was promptly jailed upon returning to Russia after recuperating in Germany. Two days prior to the summit, Biden said in a speech in England that were Navalny to die in a Russian prison "it would be a tragedy, it would do nothing but hurt relations with the rest of the world, and me." And after the summit, Biden said that he did raise Navalny's case with Putin, and pledged to persist: "I made it clear to President Putin that we'll continue to raise issues of fundamental human rights because that's what we are. That's who we are" as Americans. He also vowed to fight for the release of Americans imprisoned in Russia on what they say are spurious charges, including two former U.S. Marines, Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed. For his part, Putin gave no ground on Navalny, suggesting that his treatment was a domestic matter and refusing, as in the past, to utter the opposition leader's name, calling him "the citizen you have just mentioned." Russian officials have in the past also floated the idea of a prisoner swap, indicated they sought the release of convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout or drug-smuggling pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko. On the broader question of Russian opposition politics, Putin tried to draw a parallel with the crowd of Trump supporters who rioted outside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, some of whom broke into the Capitol building. Putin, who in the past has distorted U.S. domestic politics to serve his arguments, suggested the hundreds of people arrested were being subjected to "persecution for political opinions." In his own comments to reporters, Biden dismissed Putin's argument. "It's one thing for literally criminals to break through a cordon, go into the Capitol, kill a police officer and be held unaccountable, [and another] for people objectively marching on the capitol and saying 'You are not allowing me to speak freely,'" he said. "That's a ridiculous comparison." Biden appeared to be referring to the Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who was initially believed to have died from injuries suffered during the attack. A medical examiner later ruled that he died from natural causes, but said the stressful circumstances he faced in the melee the day before he died had contributed to his condition. A reformist candidate and two hard-liners have dropped out of Iran's presidential election on the last day of the campaign -- leaving just four candidates in a June 18 vote widely expected to be won by ultraconservative judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi. Mohsen Mehralizadeh, a former vice president under reformist President Mohammad Khatami, withdrew from the race on June 16, apparently to boost the chances of former Central Bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati, who has been running as a moderate and as a stand-in for outgoing President Hassan Rohani. The hard-line candidates Alireza Zakani and Saeed Jalili also announced their departure, throwing their support behind Raisi, a candidate seen as being close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei . Mehralizadeh and Hemmati were the only two candidates considered reformists permitted to run in the election to replace Rohani, who has served the maximum two consecutive terms. With Raisi's victory seen as a foregone conclusion, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli acknowledged on June 16 that turnout among Iran's nearly 60 million eligible voters "may be lower compared to previous elections." "A weakness in competition is one reason, and the coronavirus situation another," Fazli told journalists. In an attempt to lure the disillusioned public back to the polls, Khamenei urged voters to come out in droves to elect "a powerful president," lashing out against Iran's "enemies" for discouraging people from voting. Opinion polls suggest voter turnout could be less than the record low of 57 percent registered in parliamentary elections in February 2020. Thousands of candidates, many of them moderates and reformists, were barred from running in that election. The presidential election comes amid talks between Tehran and world powers aimed at reviving a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, and amid popular discontent about a severe economic and social crisis in the sanctions-hit country. The coronavirus pandemic also appears to be contributing to voter apathy. Candidates were expected to quit the race on June 16 after more than 200 lawmakers in Iran's parliament, which is dominated by hard-liners, urged remaining hard-liners candidates to withdraw and back Raisi. Zakani, who heads the parliament's research center, became known as a lawmaker for his outspoken opposition to Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. He also has served since the late 1990s as the head of Iran's volunteer Basij paramilitary militia -- an organization established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 that is affiliated with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Jalili served as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council for five years from 2007. He was appointed in 2013 as a member to the powerful Expediency Council -- a body that advises Khamenei. With reporting by AFP, AP, and RFE/RL's Radio Farda Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has warned of the "gradual disappearance" of independent media in Russia, and urged President Vladimir Putin to repeal a "draconian 'foreign agents' law" that has been used to target RFE/RL and other news outlets. In a statement issued on June 16, the Paris-based media watchdog lists the demise of the Russia-based VTimes and risks to other media outlets such as the Latvian-based Meduza. "Only a handful of independent media outlets are managing to survive the growing pressure from the authorities," it says, citing "intimidation attempts" against TV Dozhd, Fortanga and Chernovik in the North Caucasus, as well as the Kaliningrad-based Novye Kolesa. "The gradual disappearance of independent outlets from the Russian media landscape in the past few years and the recent acceleration of this process are very disturbing," said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSFs Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. "We urge Vladimir Putin and the Russian justice ministry to immediately repeal the 'foreign agents' law, which is undermining media pluralism, throttling independent media and slowly killing them off." Russias so-called foreign agent legislation was adopted in 2012 and has been modified repeatedly. It requires NGOs that receive foreign assistance and that the government deems to be engaged in political activity to be registered, to identify themselves as "foreign agents," and to submit to audits. More recent modifications have targeted foreign-funded media, including multiple RFE/RL services, and individual journalists. RSF cited RFE/RL Russian Service's Lyudmila Savitskaya and Sergei Markelov as among the first to be ordered to register as "foreign agents," related fines, and the freezing of RFE/RL bank accounts in Russia for refusing to comply with the strictures. RFE/RL has called the fines "a state-sponsored campaign of coercion and intimidation." The labeling of "foreign agents" has been interpreted by many civil society activists as another tool for the Kremlin to intimidate Russia's political opposition, especially with parliamentary elections looming in September and the ruling United Russia party slumping in opinion polls. "The Russian government has worked hard to destabilize media outlets in recent years," RSF said, with "around 20 draconian laws targeting both traditional and online media" since major anti-Putin demonstrations eight years ago. The watchdog said the Russian state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, which it calls "a digital press freedom predator, has become increasingly intrusive since first establishing a blacklist of websites in 2012." A closed-door trial has begun in Tajikistan of 18 suspected members of the banned Salafiya movement, with almost no information made public about the defendants or the charges they face. The trial comes just two months after the country's Supreme Court handed down prison sentences to nearly 120 people whom it had convicted of being members of another outlawed Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood. Tajik authorities often warn about what they describe as "serious threats" posed by religious extremist groups seeking to overthrow the secular government in Dushanbe and destabilize the Muslim-majority Central Asian country. Critics, however, accuse the government of exaggerating the threats in order to crack down on dissent and ordinary members of the opposition. Security raids against alleged extremist cells, the arrest of suspects, and subsequent trials are often shrouded in secrecy in Tajikistan. The latest group of Salafiya suspects -- all of them residents of the Bobojon Ghafurov district in northern Tajikistan -- were arrested in a police raid in February. The defendants deny having links with the Salafi movement or any other religious extremist group, their relatives said ahead of the trial on June 12. They also accused police of torturing the detainees to obtain confessions. Leading human rights lawyer Oinihol Bobonazarova said the defendants weren't given access to defense lawyers in the first five days of their detention. "It is a common practice in Tajikistan that suspects are tortured in the early days of pretrial detention to get confessions, and only after that authorities allow the detainees to meet with lawyers," said Bobonazarova, the head of the Perspektiva+ human rights group. She added that at least one of the defendants has told the court that his confession was obtained under duress. RFE/RL hasn't been able to get details of the charges against the 18 defendants and their ongoing trial in the northern province of Sughd. The charges in the previous case -- involving suspected members of a Muslim Brotherhood cell -- included setting up an extremist group, funding terrorist activities, and promoting extremism. That trial -- which concluded on April 8 -- marked the largest number of defendants in a single extremism-related case in recent years. They were sentenced to prison terms ranging between three and 23 years. There were university professors, schoolteachers, doctors, lawyers, students, and religious figures among the suspects that were arrested in several raids across the county in early 2020. All of them denied the charges against them. Fight Against Terrorism, Extremism Tajikistan has banned 18 groups as terrorist and extremist organizations that include Islamic State, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Taliban, and Al-Qaeda. Among the banned organizations is the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRTP), a major opposition party that boasted about 40,000 members at its peak. The increasingly influential IRTP -- whose members previously served in parliament -- was branded terrorist and banned in 2015. The party maintains it has no "terrorist" or "extremist" links or agenda. The secular opposition movement Group 24 was banned as an "extremist" organization in 2014 after calling for anti-government protests. IRPT and Group 24 accuse the government of authoritarian President Emomali Rahmon of targeting political opponents, journalists, and activists using the fight against extremism and terrorism as a pretext. Critics also say that many peaceful followers of Islam have been targeted in the government's campaign against terrorism. But the government insists that the threat of religious extremism is real and that it has been rapidly rising in Tajikistan in recent years. Just ahead of the pandemic, Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon (no relation to the president) said Tajikistan had recorded 1,029 extremism and terrorism-related crimes in 2019, marking a 30 percent increase from the previous year. The official also said authorities had opened criminal cases against 395 Tajik nationals with suspected links to foreign terrorist organizations or for allegedly fighting alongside terrorist groups abroad. Another 214 probes were opened against suspected Salafiya followers, Rahmon said. He also spoke about terrorism and extremism-related activities in Tajik prisons. Without providing details, Rahmon said 29 extremist cell leaders in prisons "had been brought to justice." In a separate statement in early 2020, Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda announced 161 suspected members of extremist and terrorist movements had been detained in the previous year. According to the minister, 81 of them belonged to Islamic State (IS), while 54 had links to Salafiaya. The government says some 2,000 Tajiks have joined IS in Syria and Iraq. Dozens more fight alongside an IS affiliate and other militant groups in Afghanistan. IS has claimed responsibility for two deadly prison riots in Tajikistan that took place in November 2018 and May 2019 in the Khujand and Vahdat prisons, respectively. Authorities say more than 50 inmates and five prison guards were killed in the riots. The extremist group also claimed it was behind a terrorist attack that killed four western cyclists in southern Tajikistan in July 2018. Tajik authorities, however, rejected that claim and blamed IRTP followers. The IRPT has vehemently denied any involvement in the attack, saying the government's claim was "shameless and illogical slander." Written by Farangis Najibullah based on reporting by RFE/RL's Tajik Service Police in Ukraine said on June 16 that they exposed a ring of hackers who targeted some of the most prestigious U.S. universities as well as commercial companies in South Korea. They said raids on the suspects' homes had found some 5 million hryvnyas (around $185,000) in cash. But they didn't say whether any suspects were detained. The group's attacks caused at least $500 million in damage, Ukrainian authorities said. The hacks included the use of an encryption virus that blocked internal servers and network computers at four South Korean firms in 2019, at least some of which paid a ransom. The group also targeted financial and personal records at Stanford University Medical School and the University of California, among others. Based on reporting by AP Ukraines government is repatriating a Ukrainian woman and her seven children from Syria, an RFE/RL correspondent on the Syrian-Iraqi border reported. Officials said the operation has been organized by the government in Kyiv with the support of the authorities in Iraqs semiautonomous Kurdish region. The family had been detained at the Roj camp in northeastern Syria since at least 2019. The woman identified as Amina, told RFE/RL that she used to live in Crimea and fled the Black Sea peninsula after Russia illegally annexed it in February-March 2014. She then lived for some time in Ukraine's western city of Lviv before moving to Syria. "I am very thankful to the Ukrainian government for not forgetting about us and bringing us back home," Amina said. After returning to Ukraine, the authorities are expected to restore their documents. "It will be important for women and children to adapt to normal life," said Vadym Skibitskiy, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate. This is the second such evacuation organized by Kyiv since December 2020, when two Ukrainian women and seven children returned to their homeland on December 31, 2020, after the security services checked they had not been involved in terrorist activities." Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Kyiv to increase consular assistance to and repatriate an estimated 40 Ukrainian women and children it says were being "unlawfully" held in "horrific" conditions in Roj and Al-Hol, another camp in northeastern Syria. The majority of them were children, some as young as 2 years old, the New York-based human rights watchdog said. According to HRW, the group was among nearly 43,000 foreigners with links to the Islamic State extremist group who were being held by regional authorities. Many countries cite the potential security risks posed by their nationals as a reason for not bringing them home. Russian national Oleg Koshkin has been found guilty by a U.S. jury in Connecticut of operating a "crypting" service that helped hackers infect computers around the world with malware, the U.S. Justice Department announced on July 16. Koshkin, 41 and formerly of Estonia, reportedly operated websites that offered to make intrusive software like "botnets, remote-access trojans, keyloggers, credential stealers and cryptocurrency miners" virtually undetectable. He could face 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on September 20. "The defendant designed and operated a service that was an essential tool for some of the world's most destructive cybercriminals, including ransomware attackers," acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid said. "The verdict should serve as a warning to those who provide infrastructure to cybercriminals...[that] our law enforcement partners consider you to be just as culpable as the hackers whose crimes you enable." Koshkin provided services to Russian national Pyotr Levashov, the operator of the "Kelihos" botnet that compromised more than 50,000 computers before it was dismantled by the FBI. Levashov is one of the world's most notorious spammers, and also used Kelihos to harvest account credentials, conduct denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, and distribute ransomware and other malicious software. A botnet is a network of computers infected with malicious software that allows a third party to control an entire computer network without the knowledge or consent of the computer owners. Levashov pleaded guilty to multiple counts in a U.S. court in 2018 after his extradition from Spain. Koshkin was arrested in California in 2019. A co-defendant, Pavel Tsurkan, has also been charged with cybercrimes. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he didn't feel under any pressure during his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva on June 16. He said he found Biden to be a very experienced leader with whom he had plenty to talk about during an almost two-hour face-to-face conversation that took place amid a low point in U.S.-Russian relations. In his solo news conference that followed, Putin stuck to his usual talking points about events in Ukraine and NGOs being deemed foreign agents in Russia, as well as the suppression of the opposition and independent media there. He promised a possible prisoner exchange and paraphrased a quote by Leo Tolstoy, saying that there may not have been an abundance of trust between the two sides during the meeting but there were "glimmers" of it. EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published on Oct. 20, 2017 by the Ohio History Connection. Knox Pages has entered into a collaborative agreement with the Ohio History Connection to share content across our sites. EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published on June 12, 2020 by the Ohio History Connection. Richland Source has entered into a collaborative agreement with the Ohio History Connection to share content across our sites. Our current national conversation about race is leading many of you to want to dig deeper into the real stories of African American history. This week, many Black communities will commemorate Juneteenth. It's hard to believe that this milestone of American history isn't more well known. The story of Juneteenth is an essential part of the history of the Civil War. During the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation made slavery's demise one of the North's principal war aims. But in the beginning, few Northerners or Southerners thought the conflict was about slavery. Southerners contended that the war was the result of the federal government's refusal to respect the rights of the states. Northerners argued that the federal government had to protect and preserve the Union. President Abraham Lincoln also sought only to preserve the United States. Lincoln refused to end slavery during 1861 and the first half of 1862 for several reasons. First, he believed that the United States Constitution prevented the president from seizing the property enslaved Africans of a citizen without due process. Second, Lincoln didn't want to alienate the residents of slave states that had remained in the Union. These included Kentucky, Missouri, Delaware, and Maryland. If these states joined with the South, thousands of more men would join the Confederacy. Lincoln wanted to solidify the North's control over these slaveholding states. Third, Lincoln realized that many Southerners and Northerners would not support the end of slavery because it would pave the way for African American equality. Finally, Lincoln worried that ending slavery would alienate any Union sympathizers currently in the South, further strengthening the Confederacy. But by the summer of 1862, Lincoln had become convinced that slavery had to end. Northern troops had firm control over the Border States. Lincoln was convinced that any Union support in the Confederacy would not persuade secessionists to rejoin the United States. And a growing number of Northerners began to believe that slavery was morally wrong. As Northern soldiers marched into the South, many of these men saw the real brutality of slavery for the first time. These soldiers wrote to their loved ones in the North about the injustice, prompting calls for the end of slavery. Eventually, Lincoln decided that the federal government did have the right to hamper the South's ability to wage war. He reasoned that the Constitution allowed the president to adopt measures during times of war to help guarantee a military victory. Lincoln decided that ending slavery would diminish the Confederate war effort, making his actions legal under the United States Constitution. Lincoln drafted an initial version of the Emancipation Proclamation in July 1862, but he did not issue it to the public until Sept. 22, 1862. Lincoln believed that U.S. citizens and other nations might negatively view his action unless some Union victories preceded it. Following the Battle of Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862, Lincoln finally had a critical Union victory in the east. Ohioans greeted the Emancipation Proclamation differently. Radical Republicans, like Senator Benjamin Wade, welcomed the document, as did Ohio's abolitionists and Quakers. Others, especially those from working-class backgrounds, were not as welcoming. Many feared that Blacks would flee the South, move to Northern states, and take jobs away from White working people. Some Ohioans serving in the Union military refused to fight a war to end slavery, so they deserted and returned home. The Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the Border States or in areas in the South that Union forces had conquered. Slavery did not end everywhere in the United States until the passage of the 13th amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865. However, the news about the 13th amendment did not reach many southern plantations. Soon after the war, the state of Texas itself abolished slavery on June 19, 1865. On that day, there were still enslaved African Americans in Galveston and other cities. When Union General Gordan Granger came to Galveston to enforce the emancipation, word spread quickly, and a celebration ensued. Today, Texas, along with 44 other states, recognize Juneteenth as an official American holiday. To this day, the holiday is celebrated as Freedom Day or Juneteenth Independence Day by many African Americans, and by our institution. National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC) held its first Juneteenth Jubilation at the museum grounds, bringing the community together with music, games, food, dancing, crafts, and learning about our heritage. Each year, the museum celebrates Juneteenth to ensure that all Ohioans remember what it means to African Americans and the history of our entire country. Juneteenth represents one of the first steps toward equality for enslaved African Americans. Although the unknown road ahead still meant other 160-year human rights struggle for African Americans, our ancestors on June 19, 1865, still yelled in unison, "We Are Free." MANSFIELD -- Mansfield City Council on Tuesday approved the sale of land that could lead to the largest financial investment in the area in the last decade. Council voted unanimously to to OK the sale of five acres at the Airport West Industrial Park to Airport West I, a local developer who plans to construct a building on the site for sale to a company in need of a new production and distribution facility. The land is located near the intersection of Airport West Industrial Parkway and Crall Road. Tim Bowersock, the city's economic development director, told council members the proposed development near Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport would "be a significant project" that could require additional land on an adjoining property if it goes forward. Mansfield is one of three finalists for the project, according to Bowersock, who said it "would probably be the largest investment in the area in the last 10 years or so if it comes to pass." "They have a non-disclosure agreement, so I can't discuss who it is at this point," Bowersock said. "They are in the final decision-making process. "This will be a very good project in that it will be a significant number of jobs. And they will be primarily technology-related jobs, so they will be on the higher-pay end," Bowersock said. It would be another large piece of economic good news for the Mansfield/Richland County metropolitan statistical area, which was ranked seventh in the nation during 2020 for significant economic projects per capita for areas under 200,000 in population by Site Selection magazine. Bowersock said the company has visited the local site a couple of times. "We believe we have a really good chance, but one of the things they stressed is the need to move quickly once they make their decision," Bowersock said in asking council to move quickly on the proposed sale. City Council doesn't meet again until July 20. The selling price is $15,000 per acre, according to the legislation, totaling $75,000. The sale would be done through the Richland County Growth Association, working as an agent for the City of Mansfield. Bowersock said if the company selects Mansfield, he would likely return to council in July with a community reinvestment area property tax abatement request and also a job-creation tax credit agreement. "Plus, there would possibly be an option for additional land for a phase two of this project. That is still being decided at the other end at this time." It's the second such project in recent months for Airport West I, a partnership headed up by Adena Corp. President Randy Payne, located at 1310 W. Fourth St. City Council in late 2020 approved a tax incentive package for Airport West I for the construction of a 160,000 square-foot industrial building/warehouse at 1750 Airport West Road. Bowersock said that construction is continuing on that 15-acre initial site. CRESTLINE A monthly market featuring homemade items from Ohio artisans has been created in the villages center. Local Tracks, located at 228 North Seltzer St. in Crestline, opened its door to the community at the end of April. Co-owner Rachel Masters said the shop will remain open one or two full weekends from Thursday through Sunday each month. The opening dates will also coordinate with local events to bring more attraction to the area, Masters said. The business was open for a car show and a Mothers Day event last month. Masters said the unique opening schedule makes the business more appealing to customers. New items arrive each month and people will have a fresh shopping experience every time. Customers can find a wide variety of products at the shop, including earrings, clothing, natural soaps and lotions, seasonings and furniture. Masters said there is a section of baby clothes and toys. A small school section features tumbler water bottles and T-shirts of Crestline, Colonel Crawford and Ontario. All the products were made by 45 artisans based in Crestline, Mansfield, Bellville, Cleveland and other different areas in Ohio, Masters said. The price ranges from one to a couple of hundred dollars. Everyone can get something (at the shop). We have anything for babies, kids, men and women, she said. Masters established Local Tracks with her sister and brother, Natalie and Sam Sayre, and Sams girlfriend, Braeden Rachel. The four owners are all artisans Masters and Natalie make pottery and macrame items. Sam focuses on woodworking and Rachel does signs. We kind of wanted to branch out from that, Masters said. (We) thought it would be cool to have more artisans and local businesses all in one place. And of course, she said it is always good to support other Ohioans. The business name, Local Tracks, reflects Crestlines history and connection with the railroad. Masters said Natalie came up with the name and painted a locomotive on the shops wall with Rachel. To strengthen that handcraft vibe, Local Tracks will have monthly craft class at the shop throughout the rest of the year. Masters said a sign-making class is scheduled for the end of this month. Pottery and earring-making class will likely be coming, she said. Vendors and the shops owners will teach those classes. Masters said people need to sign up for those events in advance and will have an opportunity to shop there as well. Local Tracks will open from June 24 to June 27. It opens from July 8 to July 11 next month. Masters said the business always welcomes new vendors. More information about the shop could be found on its Facebook page. WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted a news conference call Wednesday to discuss the return of in-person summer manufacturing camps around the state. Locally, those camps will take place in Richland County (July 19 to 23) and Knox County (July 25 to 30). For the ninth straight year, the camps will allow Ohio businesses, educators and community leaders to partner together to help young Ohioans learn about manufacturing jobs available in Ohio. Last year, students participated in virtual camps due to the pandemic, and while safety concerns related to the pandemic have made it harder to access manufacturing sites this summer, students in at least nine counties will be able to learn in-person about modern manufacturing at this years camps. Manufacturing is an important industry in our state, and these camps allow students to find out more about real-world opportunities in the field, Brown said. While last year, campers were able to learn about these careers from their own living rooms, Im excited that this year students will be able to visit manufacturing facilities, connect with mentors and participate in person in hands-on projects with other students. Browns office started organizing these camps in 2013. Last year, three camps were held virtually in three counties around the state and this year at least nine camps will be held in nine counties. Summer manufacturing camps started in early June and will run through August. This summer, camps have taken place or are scheduled to take place in: Portage County: June 7 to 11. Summit County: June 7 to 11. Lake/Geauga Counties: June 7 to 25. Defiance County: June 14 to 16. Mahoning County: June 28 to July 2. Richland County: July 19 to 23. Knox County: July 25 to 30. Jackson County: July 27 and 28. Trumbull County: Aug. 2 to 6. Theres a common sentiment among many in Ripon. I want to die before Todd Goheen. So gifted was this Ripon funeral director that some folks around town hoped that when the time came to meet their maker, Goheen would be the one to gently care for their remains, oversee their funerals and burials, and care for, and sympathize with, their survivors. Last week Goheen contravened many of their hopes and plans Todd D. Goheen Todd D. Goheen, age 60, of Oshkosh, WI, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. This is not to say there arent many other competent, compassionate funeral directors in and around the Ripon area. We are blessed to enjoy the talents of people who, as the industry joke goes, when they put you down they wont let you down. But the fellow who succeeded Jerry Marchant in the management and ownership of Butzin-Marchant Funeral Home seemed perfectly suited for his position. Todd D. Goheen A celebration of Todd's life for his family and friends will be held on Friday, June 18, 2021, from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm at "Papa's Land" 665 Always dapper, polite, respectful, courteous, detail-oriented and quietly competent, the former North Dakota farm boy proved rock-solid in his character and proficiency. Goheen understood that because he was in a business dealing with families suffering unspeakably profound losses, he had an obligation not only to give them his best, but to expect the best of all of his associates who helped guide family members through their immediate, personal grief. Although typically placid, gentle Goheens hackles could be raised if someone didnt meet his standards for carrying out a familys wishes. He once angrily took this writer to task for daring to edit obituaries sent to the Commonwealth. When I explained that we were making the write-ups conform to Associated Press style and were, for example, removing references to Wisconsin following city names such as Ripon and Green Lake, Goheen would have none of it. He made clear, with a slightly raised voice, that obituaries had been composed and approved by families who expected them to appear in the paper exactly as written. In short, he was a fierce, steadfast advocate for this customers, which is exactly what is required for people in their greatest time of need. Goheen joined Butzin-Marchant in 1992 and remained until his passing earlier this month. That meant he was at the funeral home a year longer than the 29-year tenure of Jerry Marchant, who sold him the business on Jan. 2, 1995. That he didnt change the name to Butzin-Marchant-Goheen is a credit to the stellar reputation the funeral home had under Marchants management and ownership. But it also reflects Goheens nature. He was a quiet, God-fearing, behind-the-scenes sort of fellow who didnt like to see his name or picture in the paper. But both occasionally slipped through when the community honored him with awards, when he served as auctioneer for organizations fund raisers, co-chaired Ripon Rotarys rose sale, offered a blessing at a prayer breakfast or was caught quietly doing something extra special for a family in need. This writer witnessed Goheen in action one last time the Friday before he died, before the memorial service for Lois Ellis at the First Congregational Church of Ripon. Goheen walked over to shake my hand and to ask me about how I was enjoying retirement. While I answered that I appreciated being master of my schedule, but before I could suggest he do the same, he was off to grab packages of Kleenex to hand out to the three Ellis daughters. And now the Kleenex must go to his wife Tamera, daughters Rolanda and Davanna, as well as to other family members including his son-in-law and outstanding successor, Chris Bjornstad. The man who for almost three decades came into our homes and hospital rooms at all hours of the day and night, consoling so many of us at times of high anxiety and unspeakable grief is now, finally himself, at peace. Tim Lyke Written By Joe Schulz served as the reporter of the Green Laker in 2019 and 2020, before being hired as a reporter for the Commonwealth in October 2020. He is from Oshkosh and graduated from UW-Oshkosh in December with a bachelor's degree in journalism. | Rocky Mount, NC (27804) Today Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 77F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall possibly over one inch.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Roanoke Rapids, NC (27870) Today Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High around 75F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall may reach one inch.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Pandemic 2020 Receive the most important developments on the Conavirus (COVID-19) in your inbox every day. All stories linked in the newsletter are free to access. Help Our Community Please help local businesses by taking an online survey to help us navigate through these unprecedented times. None of the responses will be shared or used for any other purpose except to better serve our community. The survey is at: www.pulsepoll.com $1,000 is being awarded. Everyone completing the survey will be able to enter a contest to Win as our way of saying, "Thank You" for your time. Thank You! Take The Survey Danvers, MA (01923) Today Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. Cooler. High near 65F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 58F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Danvers, MA (01923) Today A steady rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. Cooler. High 66F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 58F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Sanford, NC (27330) Today Showers and thunderstorms. High 78F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Close Thick blankets of cobwebs are covering the Southeastern parts of Australia in what has been dubbed as the "spider apocalypse" after experiencing flooding with powerful winds. Residents in the Gippsland region taken photos and posted them on social media, showing the horror movie-evoking cobwebs. The spooky pictures were first shared on the website Reddit and has since then become viral across different social media platforms. Before this spider apocalypse, Southeastern Australia experienced the mouse plague that destroyed crops and caused house fires in the area. Spider Apocalypse in Australia A Reddit user posted on the website a photo taken from the East Gippsland region showing cobwebs covering large swaths like a carpet. The user posted the picture with a caption: "If the floods weren't enough, I give you, spider apocalypse." One person wrote in the comment section that the picture was most likely taken in Victoria, Australia, as it consistently experiences the same phenomenon every after flooding as spiders swarm together and make a carpet of cobwebs to avoid the water. According to MSN, Victoria was recently hit by heavy rains and strong winds, which forced many residents to evacuate their homes. Although some chose to stay even without power as authorities fix the transformers and repair roads. But until this week, Gippsland still experiences heavy rainfall, with emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp saying that there could be a chance of up to 50mm rain in East Gippsland to the south and West Gippsland. Crisp said in an interview that the spiders seen in Victoria that caused the thick cobwebs are the sheet web spiders that mostly stay in the ground, but heavy rains and flooding have forced them to move. Spider Ballooning It turns out; spiders are one of the best pilots in nature. Local news media calls the phenomenon in Gippsland as "ballooning," in which spiders release silk threads that are caught by the wind and carried away, covering large swaths and sometimes travel across land or sea. According to National Geographic, spiders release sail-like trails of silk that lift them up and off into the wind, sometimes reaching the oceans as they got caught in jet streams. Despite their creepy blankets of spider webs, these arachnids do not pose any harm to humans. These spiders are the Red and Black Spider or scientifically known as Ambicodamus crinitus. ALSO READ: Newly Discovered Spider Named After the Popular Disney Pixar Movie, Finding Nemo Mouse Plague in Australia Before Southeastern Australia was covered with spider webs, the pest problem started with millions of mice rampaging communities that caused the petition to consider the mouse plague as a "natural disaster" so affected individuals could claim insurance payouts after a disaster caused by the mice. The mouse plague in Australia has torched houses and cars and even destroyed crops. These horrific outbreaks are recorded 1,000km from Brisbane to Melbourne and have been wreaking havoc for farming communities, The Sun reported. According to The Times, this year's outbreak is the worst mouse plague that ever happened in more than 30 years. A farmer's wife was rushed to the hospital after waking up to a mouse chewing on her eyeball. The rodents have eaten through electrical wires that caused house fires and left cars being damaged. The plague is getting worse, according to one mechanic who said that he is now getting four cars a day to repair. Parts of #Gippsland are covered in #spider web??!! The little black dots are spiders. There is web as far as the eye can see. This is near Longford #Victoria thanks Carolyn Crossley for the video pic.twitter.com/wcAOGU9ZTu (@mim_cook) June 15, 2021 RELATED ARTICLE: Huntsman Spiders Invade Australian Homes Due to Weather, Experts Said Check out more news and information on Australia and Spiders in Science Times. The Latest on U.S. President Joe Biden's trip to Europe: GENEVA A few dozen supporters of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny have staged a colorful, cheeky rally in Geneva, in the hope of sending a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. The rally, on a square that Swiss police have authorized for protests during Wednesdays meeting, marked one effort to leverage public attention on some of the more hot-button issues Putin and Biden are likely to address human rights and arms control among them. Despite the tiny turnout with possibly more journalists than demonstrators Tuesdays protest was well-orchestrated, in a show of dissent that participants said might have garnered a crackdown by security forces in Russia. Banners called for the liberation of political prisoners generally and of Navalny himself. Protesters chanted for a Free Russia! ___ BRUSSELS The United States and the European Union have agreed to set up a high-level dialogue about Russia as part of a renewed trans-Atlantic partnership between the U.S. and the 27-nation bloc. A summit statement released Tuesday after talks in Brussels between U.S. President Joe Biden and the heads of two of the EUs main institutions said they stand united in our principled approach towards Russia" and "are ready to respond decisively to its repeating pattern of negative behavior and harmful activities. They also agreed to urge Russia to stop its continuous crackdown on civil society, the opposition and independent media and release all political prisoners. The statement was issued as Biden prepares for a Wednesday summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva. The president and the EU leaders said the U.S. and EU also aim to keep channels of communication open with Russia for cooperation in areas of common interest. They offered support for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova in the face of Russia's attempts to expand its influence. The leaders said they also by the people of Belarus and back their demands for human rights and democracy. ___ GENEVA President Joe Biden arrived in Geneva Tuesday for a high-pressure meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Thats after a week-long series of confidence-building meetings between the U.S. leader and his European allies. Biden held long days of meetings at summits of Group of Seven, NATO and European Union leaders, and he helped secure communiques expressing concern over Russia and China. On Tuesday, he presided over a tension-easing breakthrough in a long-running U.S.-EU trade dispute involving airplane subsidies. But Bidens Wednesday meeting with the Russian president is his most highly anticipated. Biden plans to confront Putin on everything from Moscows cyberattacks to its election interference efforts and human rights abuses,. He's said he also hopes to look for areas where the United States and Russia can cooperate and to normalize the historically icy relationship between the two nations. ___ BRUSSELS The trade association for producers and marketers of distilled spirits sold in the United States said the five-year suspension of tariffs outlined in deal between the U.S. and the European Union to end their 17-year dispute over aircraft subsidies will be critical to helping the industry recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The dispute over subsidies for Boeing and Airbus saw tit-for-tat duties slapped on a range of companies that have nothing to do with aircraft production. The Distilled Spirits Council said the agreement announced Tuesday will end the EU's 25% tariff on U.S. rum, brandy and vodka, as well as the 25% U.S. tariff on liqueurs and cordials from Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain, and on certain cognacs and other grape brandies from France and Germany. The council said that removing the tariffs will benefit restaurants, bars and small craft distilleries that had to close during the pandemic. But it noted that the EU and the United Kingdom still have a 25% tariff on American whiskey as part of a steel and aluminum trade dispute stemming from the Trump administration. Until steps are taken to permanently remove these tariffs on American whiskeys, the United States largest spirits export category will remain at a serious competitive disadvantage in our two most important export markets, the trade group said. ___ BRUSSELS The United States and the European Union reached a deal Tuesday to end a damaging dispute over subsidies to rival plane makers Boeing and Airbus and phase out billions of dollars in punitive tariffs, the U.S. trade envoy said. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the two sides have come to terms on a five-year agreement to suspend the tariffs at the center of the dispute. She said they could be reimplemented if the U.S. companies are not able to compete fairly with those in Europe. Todays announcement resolves a long-standing irritant in the U.S.-EU relationship, Tai said, as President Joe Biden met with EU leaders in Brussels. Instead of fighting with one of our closest allies, we are finally coming together against a common threat. The dispute saw tit-for-tat duties slapped on a range of companies that have nothing to do with aircraft production, from French winemakers to German cookie bakers in Europe and U.S. spirits producers in the United States, among many others. ___ BRUSSELS The United States and the European Union appear close to reaching a deal to end a damaging dispute over subsidies to rival plane makers Boeing and Airbus and lift billions of dollars in punitive tariffs. A person familiar with the discussions said U.S. and EU officials have reached principles of an agreement to end their 17-year dispute over the aircraft subsidies. The person was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The trade dispute skyrocketed under the Trump administration, and saw tit-for-tat duties slapped on a range of companies that have nothing to do with aircraft production, from French winemakers to U.S. spirits producers. The U.S. imposed $7.5 billion in tariffs on European exports in 2019 after the World Trade Organization ruled that the EU had not complied with its rulings on subsidies for Airbus, which is based in France. The EU retaliated last November with $4 billion in punitive duties after the WTO ruled that the U.S. had provided illegal subsidies to Boeing. In March, weeks after Biden had taken office, the two sides agreed to suspend the tariffs. By Aamer Madhani ___ BRUSSELS President Joe Biden is seeking to tamp down trade tensions with European allies as he spends one last day consulting with Western democracies ahead of his highly anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After a pair of summits with Group of Seven world leaders in the U.K. and then NATO allies in Brussels, Biden meets Tuesday with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The president has sought to marshal widespread European support for his efforts to counter Russia prior to his Wednesday meeting in Geneva with Putin. But the U.S.-EU relationship is not without some tensions. Biden will meet with the top EU officials as the continents leaders are becoming impatient that the American president has not yet addressed Donald Trumps 2018 decision to impose import taxes on foreign steel and aluminum. Theres also a longstanding dispute over how much of a government subsidy each side unfairly provides for its aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing in the United States and Airbus in the EU. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee rejected calls to lift COVID-19 restrictions and reopen the state early on Tuesday, urging residents to "stay the course" and get vaccinated if they have not already done so. "I have said repeatedly we are going to [reopen] on June 30 or when we hit 70% of people 16 and up initiating vaccinations whichever happens first. We use age 16 and up as that population was eligible when we made the announcement," Inslee said in an official statement Tuesday. "For those who would advocate changing our strategy, we are on the two-yard line. We are not going to change the game plan now. We are going to see this through." As of June 12, 67.2% of residents in the state 16 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, representing 4.1 million people according to Washington Department of Health (DOH) data. That number is still below the goal Inslee set earlier in May of at least 70% of the population receiving one dose. Inslee also clarified discrepancies in state versus federal data, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently shows the state is above the 70% threshold with 71.7% of the state receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. However, the state is basing reopening off of its own calculations, not the CDC's data which uses different metrics. "Our state uses data for people age 16 and up; the federal government uses data for ages 18 and up. We use the most recent Census data from 2020; the federal government uses older data," Inslee wrote. There have been some promising milestones in the fight against the virus: King County, the state's largest county, hit its target 70% vaccination rate on Tuesday, according to local health officials. However, the county's mask mandate, which urged continued use of face coverings indoors, will not lift until June 29 as it takes two weeks for people's immune system to fully respond to the vaccine. Despite those high rates in some parts of the state, other counties are still recording low vaccination rates, leaving many unprotected and at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus. Stevens, Pend Oreille, Garfield, Asotin, Columbia, Franklin and Skamania counties have less than 30% of their population fully vaccinated against the virus, according DOH data. The city of Seattle also reached the 70% vaccination threshold last week, becoming the most-vaccinated major U.S. city. However, state health officials have noted that the state has been experiencing softening demand for vaccines in the past few weeks, a concerning trend. Unvaccinated people ages 45 to 64 currently have a 21 times higher risk for a COVID-19 hospitalization in the state compared to vaccinated people, while unvaccinated people ages 65 and older currently have a 15 times higher risk for hospitalization, according to Secretary of Health Umair Shah. The push to reopen prior to the June 30 date has come from several state lawmakers, including House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox and Senate Republican Leader John Braun who issued a joint statement to the governor calling for a June 15 reopening date. "The time to move our state forward is now. Washingtonians want to return to a sense of normalcy and businesses need more certainty as they attempt to recover," the two lawmakers wrote in their statement. Hospitality industry leaders from the Washington Hospitality Association also advocated for an earlier reopening, saying that their industry has been one of the most impacted by the pandemic and subsequent restrictions. Our industry has been the hardest hit by far over the last 14 months of the pandemic, yet we have not called for reopening until today," said Anthony Anton, president and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association in a news release. "While other states have a plan for moving forward, Washingtons plan only moves in one direction: backward." West Coast states remain varied in their approach to reopening, with Oregon following a plan similar to Washington's and lifting most restrictions once 70% of the states adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine. However, California fully reopened its economy on Tuesday, ending capacity limits and social distancing requirements. As leisure travel continues to return to pre-pandemic levels, airlines are adding enticing deals to lure guests back to the skies. This weeks airline news reveals incredible fare sales for Alaska, Delta, and Southwest. Alaska Airlines is also thinking ahead to cooler months and announcing new routes for popular sunny destinations. Keep reading to discover the latest airline news for the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Alaska Airlines adds new routes to sun-filled spots Alaska wants guests to get ahead of the winter blues by taking advantage of newly added routes to sun-filled spots. This latest announcement comes in addition to its summer fare sale. This December, Portland will have two new seasonal nonstop flights servicing Tampa and New Orleans. In November, a route will be added between Palm Springs and Austin. For Alaskas summer fare sale, low fares currently on offer include Seattle (SEA) to Los Angeles (LAX) or San Diego (SAN) starting at $59 for select July dates and Seattle to San Francisco starting at $59 for select August dates. Alaska deals from Everett (PAE) include July airfare deals starting at $89 for service to San Francisco (SFO) and $99 for service to San Diego (SAN). BraunS/Getty Images Delta deals for Seattle; meals return to premium domestic cabins Deltas Seattle-exclusive award deals continue with new options for redeeming miles to popular summer destinations. Current offerings include Seattle (SEA) to Palm Springs or Seattle to Las Vegas (LAS) for 4,000 miles plus taxes and fees. Award flights to Anchorage (ANC) or Denver (DEN) start at 5,000 miles. Summer deals are not restricted to redeeming miles, though, as Deltas travel planner shows incredible roundtrip airfare deals for summer hot spots. Seattle roundtrip flights to Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) start at $97 in basic economy, while roundtrip fares to Bozeman/Big Sky, Montana start at $117 in main cabin. As of June 15, Delta has started reintroducing hot meals within premium domestic cabins. This complements Deltas recent return of a full snack and beverage service for all cabins. The new meals are the latest in an ongoing series of enhancements weve been making to our offerings in flight, said Deltas Chief Customer Experience Officer Allison Ausband. Delta continues to take an intentional approach to the return of our onboard food and beverage program to ensure service is coming back safely and even better than before. Matt York/AP Southwest offers 50% off base fares for 50 days of fall travel Southwest Airlines is celebrating 50 years of service this week by offering 50% off base fares for 50 days of fall travel. Promotional pricing is valid through June 17, 2021 (11:59 p.m. Central Daylight Time). Customers can save 50% on qualifying base fares by using the promotion code SAVE50 when purchasing on Southwest.com for travel September 15 through November 3, 2021. Promotion code savings is valid for one-way or roundtrip Wanna Get Away, Anytime, and Business Select base fares. MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) Nicaraguas police have arrested a prominent banker in a sign the government's pursuit of opponents is expanding beyond political leaders and potential challengers to President Daniel Ortega. Police arrested the executive president of Banco de Produccion SA, Luis Rivas Anduray, late Tuesday and said they are investigating him for inciting foreign interference and seeking military intervention. The charges are similar to those leveled at 13 leaders of the political opposition arrested in recent weeks. The police statement said he was also under investigation for organizing with financing from foreign powers to carry out acts of terrorism and destabilization" and calling for and applauding sanctions against the Nicaraguan government and its citizens. Both are crimes under a law passed in December. Banpro, part of the Grupo Promerica consortium, is one of the largest banks in Nicaragua. Among its clients are the police and the Social Security Institute. Since the 2018 protests, the bank has blocked the accounts of at least 31 government officials and Ortega associates who have been sanctioned by the United States. Nicaragua's congress passed a law in February prohibiting banks from closing such accounts without prior notification. Rivas Anduray holds a doctorate in economics from Cornell University and has worked for Banpro since 2004. The bank was founded in 1991 and has offices throughout Central America and in the Caribbean. In a statement Wednesday, Banpro General Manager Juan Carlos Arguello expressed confidence that the situation would be cleared up. Before joining Banpro, Rivas Anduray held high-level positions in the Central Bank and Finance Ministry during the government of President Enrique Bolanos, who died Monday. In 2011, he showed up at the newspaper El Nuevo Diario to announce that Banpro had purchased it. The paper closed in 2019 under pressure from the government. Journalist Letzira Sevilla, who worked at the paper then, said Dr. Rivas came infrequently to the paper, but we all knew his professionalism and humanity." She said Rivas Anduray helped pay for her hospital bills last year when she suffered from COVID-19. I pray there is justice in his case and for all of the political prisoners. Rivas Anduray is the 16th person arrested since late May for allegedly committing crimes against the state. Most of the others were potential candidates for the presidential elections Nov. 7 or opposition party leaders. His arrest came the same day that the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States approved a resolution condemning the arrests and demanding their immediate release. Oscar Rene Vargas, a political analyst who was threatened by the government and fled to Costa Rica in 2018, said the objective of the arrests is force the United States into negotiations. Talks would allow Ortega to win time, give away the minimum to stay in power and achieve the lifting of sanctions on his family and immediate circle, Vargas said. HELSINKI (AP) NATO member Estonia said Wednesday that two Russian fighter jets have violated its airspace, in what it claimed was the fourth such incident this year. Two Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighters entered the Baltic country's airspace in the vicinity of Hiiumaa, a Baltic Sea island belonging to Estonia, without permission and spent less than one minute there Tuesday morning, Estonias military said in a statement. It added that the transponders on the Russian planes werent switched on, they hadnt filed a flight plan and there was no two-way radio communication with the Estonian air traffic service. The Russian Embassy's charge daffaires was summoned to the Estonian Foreign Ministry and handed a note on the incident. In a quick response, Moscow denied the air intrusion and said the planes had performed a routine flight over the international waters of the Baltic Sea on Tuesday. The flight took place strictly in accordance with the set route. During the flight, the planes did not deviate from their route, which is confirmed by air situation data, the Russian Defense Ministry said, as quoted by the news agency Interfax. European Union member Estonia has recorded numerous air violations by Russian aircraft civilian and military in past years and made repeated protests to Moscow. Relations between Estonia and neighboring Russia have remained icy since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The two countries have yet to ratify a border treaty nearly 30 years after Estonia, a former Soviet republic, regained its independence in 1991. Estonias Baltic neighbor Lithuania said separately on Wednesday that two Russian Su-24 fighter jets allegedly violated its airspace while flying over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday morning. According to Lithuanian officials, the Russian planes flew one kilometer (0.6 miles) into Lithuanian airspace, where they spent about one minute. Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas linked the alleged Russian air intrusion with the ongoing U.S Navy-led Baltops naval exercise in the Baltic Sea with participation from 18 NATO members and other nations. With the Baltops exercise ongoing in that region, I imagine that (the Russians) are interested in that (Baltic Sea) area, Anusauskas told the regions main news agency Baltic News Service. The agency said Lithuanias foreign ministry handed a note of protest to a representative of the Russian Embassy. On Monday, Denmark said it had summoned Russias ambassador and complained after Russian military planes allegedly twice violated the Scandinavian countrys airspace over the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm last week. As cases tumble and states reopen, the potential final stage in the U.S. campaign to vanquish COVID-19 is turning into a slog, with a worrisome variant gaining a bigger foothold and lotteries and other prizes failing to persuade some Americans to get vaccinated. The last half, the last mile, the last quarter-mile always requires more effort, Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday. While two of the states slammed hardest by the disaster, California and New York, celebrated their reopenings this week with fireworks and a multimillion-dollar drawing, hospitalizations in parts of Missouri are surging and cases are rising sharply in Texas, illustrating the challenges the country faces this summer. One major concern is the highly contagious and potentially more severe delta variant of the coronavirus that originated in India. While health officials say the vaccines are effective against it, the fear is that it will lead to outbreaks in states with lower vaccination rates. The delta variant has increased from 2.7% of all cases in May to 9.7% this month, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a call for governors on Monday, according to details provided by the Washington governor's office. At the same time, states are convening focus groups to better understand who is declining to get vaccinated, why, and how to convince them that getting the shot is the right thing to do. Its a race between the vaccines going into people and the current or future variants, said Kansas Health Secretary Dr. Lee Norman. Average deaths and cases per day have plummeted 90% or more across the U.S. since the winter. But the picture is uneven. In Texas, the rolling average of newly confirmed infections has climbed from about 1,000 per day on May 31 to nearly 2,000 this week. A swath of Missouri is seeing a big rise in cases and hospitalizations as tourists eager to get out after being cooped up for a year make their way to popular destinations like Branson and Lake of the Ozarks. Health officials said more than 200 people were hospitalized with the virus in southwestern Missouri, nearly double the number at the start of May. The number of patients in intensive care units in the region has tripled. Health experts cite two factors driving the surge there: the faster-spreading delta variant and a reluctance among residents to get vaccinated. The U.S. is expected to fall short of President Joe Biden's goal of dispensing at least one dose to 70% of American adults by July 4. The figure stands at about 65%. Among the states that dont expect to hit the goal are Kansas and Idaho. In Idaho, some counties have adult vaccination rates under 30%, said Elke Shaw-Tulloch, public health administrator for the state Department of Health and Welfare. To increase vaccinations, several states are working to break up large shipments of vaccine into smaller lots, which can then be distributed to doctors' offices. Health officials see primary care physicians as key to easing people's concerns. People want to hear it from their doctor, their medical providers, people that they know and trust, Norman said. Big, splashy giveaways such as lotteries have gotten a lot of headlines and dispensed millions of dollars. In Maine, home of the outdoor wear company L.L. Bean, Bean gift cards were a big hit. But elsewhere, there has been skepticism about such programs. Shaw-Tulloch said some businesses in Idaho had offered financial incentives for employees to get vaccinated but didn't get many takers. Instead, she said, the key is making it easy to get a vaccine by turning it into part of a person's daily flow. Some people's attitude is that if a vaccine were to fall out of the sky and hit me in the arm, Ill get it. But Im not going to interrupt my busy daily life to make that effort and go in and get a vaccination," she said. She added: Thats why were really focusing on walk-in clinics, pop-up clinics where, wherever they turn, theres a place thats easily available for getting the vaccine." Elsewhere around the world, there have been glimmers of hope, as India reopened the Taj Mahal amid a decline in new infections. In France, where virus cases are below 4,000 per day down from 35,000 in the spring authorities eased the requirements on wearing masks outdoors and said the nightly curfew will end this weekend. We have not known such a low level of virus spreading since last August, Prime Minister Jean Castex said. Meanwhile, South Africa imposed tighter restrictions on public gatherings and liquor sales as hospital admissions due to COVID-19 increased by 59% over the past two weeks, authorities said. New cases there have nearly doubled. The recorded U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 600,000 on Tuesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, it stands at 3.8 million, though both numbers are thought to be a significant undercount. ___ Associated Press writer Rachel La Corte contributed to this report. 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. Keene, NH (03431) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. High near 65F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 54F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. The San Francisco Chronicle today launches a series of profiles as part of Lift Every Voice, a Hearst-wide project that connects young Black journalists with Black elders in local communities to celebrate and learn from their life experiences, with a goal of deepening connections with the past to position us all for a better future. More than 60 profiles are being published across Hearst newspapers, magazines, television stations and on OprahDaily.com, with The Chronicle sharing the stories of six Black leaders in the Bay Area. The newspapers projects have been months in development and feature in-depth video interviews, portrait photography and a special digital presentation. Lift Every Voice is a project that has resonated with the newsroom as the work has moved from conception to execution. I grew up hearing stories from the elders in my family about the pain and struggle and triumphs of being Black in America, said Michael Bolden, The Chronicles Director of Culture and Operations. We cant let those elements of history slip away from us. The contributions of our Black elders have shaped who we are as a community. We cant afford not to remember. Lift Every Voice helps center us on where we are on our collective journey and can help guide us on our path forward. The Chronicle featured profiles of six Bay Area leaders: Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of Third Baptist Church of S.F., president of the NAACP in San Francisco and civil rights champion Dr. Clayborne Carson, director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Institute at Stanford University and publisher of the King Papers Project Dr. Harry Edwards, organizer of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, athlete advisor and professor emeritus of sociology at UC Berkeley Walter Riley, longtime activist and Oakland civil rights lawyer Barbara Rodgers, Emmy-winning retired KPIX-TV newscaster and pioneering journalist Betty Reid Soskin, author and the countrys oldest national park ranger at Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park The profiles were written by young Black journalists from the Bay Area, including students and recent graduates of San Francisco State University, Las Positas Community College, Chabot College, Stanford University and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. The Chronicle worked with six contributing reporters: Brittany Bracy, a journalism student at Las Positas College in Livermore with an emphasis in broadcasting and a passion for writing Ashlea Brown, a reporter interested in narrative and audio stories who graduated from UC Berkeleys Graduate School of Journalism in May Jerusha Kamoji, a San Francisco State graduate with a bachelors in international relations and a minor in journalism, who is interning as a staff writer at Clearlink and works at New Degree Press as a freelance publisher Jonathan Piper II, an advocate and public speaker from Oakland who attends Chabot College in Hayward and interned with KDOL Youth Beat Ryce Stoughtenborough, a freelance journalist with a knack for visual storytelling who graduated from San Francisco State University in 2020 with a bachelors degree in journalism Mya Vinnett, a communication major at Stanford University and aspiring broadcast journalist who interviews emerging talent on her YouTube show, Some Real Talk Chronicle visual journalists produced the imagery and multimedia for the project. Staff photographer Yalonda Yoshi M. James took the portraits of the profile subjects, and multimedia journalist Caron Creighton shot and edited the video interviews of each Black leader. Named after Martin Luther Kings daughter, Yalonda, this is a project that Yoshi James was born to photograph, said Chronicle Photo Director Nicole Fruge. Her elegant portraits reflect the power and determination of these Black elders that shaped the civil rights movement. It was an honor to be given the opportunity to learn from our elders in the civil rights movement, Creighton said. Perhaps no one summed up Lift Every Voice better than one of The Chronicles featured profile subjects. What Im sharing with you, needs to be a story that's told every month, every week, every day, said Rev. Amos Brown in his interview with Stoughtenborough. We need to have rituals of remembrance. About the project title inspiration The first people to publicly perform Lift Every Voice and Sing were children. Fittingly, the hymn now known as the Black National Anthem was first sung in 1900 by 500 Black students at the segregated Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida. Principal James Weldon Johnson composed the lyrics as a poem to honor President Abraham Lincolns birthday. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson, set it to music and set the stage for the song to resound in history. In 1901, the Johnson brothers took their talents to New York, where together they wrote more than 200 songs for Broadway. There, James Weldon Johnson grew into an important figure in civil rights, diplomacy, education and the Harlem Renaissance. He served as the U.S. consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua, joined the NAACP as field secretary, and in 1920 became the executive secretary of the NAACP, battling segregation and Black voter disenfranchisement over a decade-long career at the head of the organization. He also wrote or edited several books, taught at Fisk University in Nashville and was the first Black professor at New York University. As Johnsons profile rose, so too did that of his early composition. Sung at Black churches, in community meetings and during protests, Lift Every Voice and Sing was adopted by the NAACP and became the anthem of the civil rights movement, a stirring call to remember the darkness of the past, embrace the hope of tomorrow and march on till victory is won. 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' lyrics "Lift Every Voice and Sing" By James Weldon Johnson Lift every voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the listening skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us, Facing the rising sun of our new day begun Let us march on till victory is won. Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chastening rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed? We have come over a way that with tears has been watered, We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy past, Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast. God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way; Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand. True to our God, True to our native land. See More Collapse About The San Francisco Chronicle The San Francisco Chronicle (www.sfchronicle.com) is the largest newspaper in Northern California and the second largest on the West Coast. Acquired by the Hearst Corporation in 2000, The San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 by Charles and Michael de Young and has been awarded six Pulitzer Prizes for journalistic excellence. Follow us on Twitter at @SFChronicle. San Francisco prosecutors charged a former city human resources manager with felony forgery for allegedly falsifying a settlement agreement with an employee who had filed a complaint against the city, authorities said. Rebecca Sherman, who resigned in September 2020, surrendered on Tuesday to be booked on charges. The district attorneys office said it is not asking that she be detained. Sherman, who was an Equal Employment Opportunity manager in San Franciscos Department of Human Resources, admitted in an email to her superiors that she drafted a document appearing to be a proposed settlement agreement and gave it to an employee who had filed an EEO complaint against the city, district attorneys officials said Tuesday. The employee who filed a discrimination complaint worked for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, The Chronicle previously reported. The DAs office said Sherman failed to investigate the claims made by the employee, instead repeatedly misleading the worker about the status of their complaint and city officials willingness to settle the employees claim in court. Sherman crafted a fake settlement agreement between the employee and the city, forging three electronic signatures of city employees, including two attorneys, the DAs office said. The fake agreement was given to the employee in July 2020, the DAs office said. When the employee asked for changes to be made to the agreement, the DAs office said, Sherman amended the fake agreement, forged the signatures again, and sent it back to the employee in August 2020. Believing that the settlement agreement was real and binding, the employee then moved to dismiss her lawsuit against the City, the DAs office said. It was only after doing so that the employee discovered that the settlement agreement was a forgery. Shermans attorney, Jeffrey Bornstein, said Sherman is very sorry for her actions and that she did not financially benefit from her actions and had no intent to harm anyone. Rebecca Sherman was overwhelmed and under a great deal of stress and pressure and there were a number of extenuating circumstances, Bornstein said. She resigned her position with the City and reached out to both the City Attorney and the District Attorneys Office to tell them what she did. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said Tuesday that his office will not tolerate those who work in San Franciscos government agencies defrauding the very people they are entrusted to serve. Sherman is scheduled to be arraigned on July 15. Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez Walter Riley hadnt dreamed of becoming an activist. His initial goal wasnt to battle segregation in the Jim Crow South. However, growing up in the 1950s as a Black man in Durham County, N.C., he found that to have self-respect and dignity, he had no choice but to fight. As a teenager, Riley entered the movement. He organized protests and picket lines, sat in at lunch counters, and held conversations with civil rights leaders like Malcolm X and Floyd McKissick. After moving to the Bay Area in 1965, Riley joined the 1968 student strike for ethnic studies at San Francisco State University and eventually settled in Oakland. There, he has worked as a civil rights attorney and activist, passing the culture of struggle on to his own family, including his son, filmmaker, rapper and organizer Boots Riley, and his grandson, Akil Riley, who co-led last years Black Lives Matter march from Oakland Technical High School. More than 60 years after beginning to work for change, Riley, 77, is still fighting, speaking on the importance of youth finding their collective power and securing a future where there is no police violence, no racial discrimination and a greater value for human life. This interview is part of Lift Every Voice, a series that connects young Black journalists with Black elders in our communities to celebrate and learn from their life experiences. The San Francisco Chronicle has joined Hearst newspapers, magazines and television stations to publish dozens of profiles as part of the project. Now Playing: Video: Caron Creighton Q: You grew up in Durham, N.C., and became a civil rights protester and organizer as a teenager. What did it feel like to be a part of the movement so young and at the forefront of the work? A: I got started very young. I can remember specifically feeling, like, Why am I having to do this? Because I wish that the generations ahead of me had done more so that I didnt feel the need. I very clearly remember my desire to be a kid, but I didnt feel I could be a kid because I was too aware of what was going on around me. Participating in the civil rights movement was stressful. But that was always the plight of Black people living in the South. It was my plight as I became conscious of the world around me in the 50s. I enjoyed it also. I enjoyed being able to assert my own individuality, my own desire to be part of a collective approach, a common approach to dealing with racism in society, the need for change, and trying to fulfill what I thought was an essential aspect of growing up and becoming mature enough to handle the problems around me. Q: You were a leader with the Congress of Racial Equality, which pioneered nonviolent action, organized the Freedom Rides and eventually grew to support Black nationalism. How did your work with CORE influence your career path as an attorney? A: CORE was a group of people that pushed the edge a bit more at the time that I became involved in the early 60s. Perhaps CORE was in some ways for me and the folks around Durham I was working with more intent on challenging the laws, challenging segregation and challenging the customs in a more direct way. Those values for challenging the customs around me have been part of my life and instilled in me concepts of what one has to do in this society to be a full citizen, to have dignity, to respect your community and your family. Q: When you were just 18, you moderated a conversation between Malcolm X and Floyd McKissick, correct? A: I did. And I spent some time with Malcolm. Floyd McKissick was an NAACP attorney. And (he) was a mentor. I had a desk in his office, and he was one of the reasons I wanted to become a lawyer, because I saw him as a person with independence. He had a livelihood that was determined by him and his relationship to his clients, and his clients came from his community. That made a difference. I met Malcolm X and many other people through the movement, but really, Malcolm X left an impression on me that (became) part of my life every day. There are many axioms from his philosophy that people use, but what we all got out of that was: We have a right to exist. We have a right to fight for ourselves. And we have a right to challenge the system that oppresses us. And thats extremely important for us to carry with us at all times. Q: Given the work you did with the Freedom Riders and the lunch counter sit-ins to get us where we are today, were you more oriented towards nonviolent action or change by any means necessary? A: I was not a philosopher, a follower of Gandhis approach. I wasnt a person who said you had to allow yourself to be beaten and turn the other cheek. So Malcolm Xs position resonated with me. But Floyd McKissick was one of the people who articulated the position in both the NAACP and later as the leader of CORE and as a radical attorney that we have to use the tactics of nonviolence at this point because we cant win with guns. Many times in Durham, (we) had to figure out ways of defending ourselves. But we were not organizing a violent confrontation with the state, with the system. Nonviolence was a tactic. My experience at that time and even more so now is that there has been no change in world history where the oppressed have been able to eliminate the oppressor without violence. Theres been plenty of violence heaped on Black folk and many other folks in the United States in our history. And its through the resistance to that violence, that any change that has been experienced has come. Q: Were still under attack. Which tactic do you believe would support us in liberation today? Given the unprovoked attacks and the deaths of many Black individuals at the hands of police, what do you believe needs to be done or can be done to protect the Black community? A: I think we are reaching the ability in some places to engage in policymaking that can change that. Thats not true for a lot of the country. There are many places, many counties, many small towns and villages where law enforcement is not going to be impacted by policy input from Black folk or Native Americans or Latinos. But in places where we do have the ability to participate in the governing process of the city councils, the school board, through reform movements, we have to engage in those things. We have to also engage in public confrontations around these issues. We have to do sit-ins and city council meetings, because we dont get heard if we dont have them. We have to have major demonstrations where we mobilize folks, because thats part of raising the awareness of these issues. We have to do everything we can, and we should use all the means necessary to do that. Q: As an attorney, an activist and an elder in our community, what was your take on the guilty verdict in the George Floyd case? What does justice look like to you? A: The verdict was welcomed. I think its a step forward that that happened, but it is not justice. That doesnt bring George Floyd back, and it doesnt alleviate the grief that we share across the world when we look at that video. It doesnt resolve the conflict that we have with a racist system and a police culture in this country that continues to engage in murder of Black folk. Justice would look like equal and fair employment practices across the country. Justice would look like more jobs in our community. Justice would look like compensation for the years of abuse that have existed. Justice would look like housing for our communities. Justice would look like decent medical care, and justice would look like better education and educational opportunities. Structural reform requires a different philosophical outlook and understanding of the world we live in. So, justice would look like a very different society and a very different police force. Q: Youre a father and grandfather. Were you fearful of bringing children into the world? How did you prepare them for how the world would react to them? A: I was always aware that in this dominant society their lives didnt matter to the extent that they mattered to me. My kids had to live in a society where their father was engaged in political action, challenging the nature of the system, and they began to understand that and act accordingly. Raising two Black boys as a single parent primarily in Oakland was a challenge, because anything could happen when you go out on the streets. I wanted my boys to be aware that because they were Black boys, that they have to think about their safety, but not to run from struggle, not to avoid being engaged with their friends and their community. And I think they learned that. They learned ways of coping and dealing with the system that allowed them to find joy with their friends, to find joy with their families, to find the ability to combine with other people to make movement, to make change. Q: What advice do you have for the youth who arent fully engaged yet? A: I want to raise up that point in all of our lives when we are open to seeing a new world. From adolescence at least until early adulthood, into our 20s, theres a chance for challenging the system, not accepting the things around us and looking for the change. I guess the real advice is to be open to looking for a world that you can fit into and making that world respond to you, so you dont have to just figure out how to change yourself. Theres no rock out there that cant be busted, no wall that you cant penetrate. Do not accept limitations. Mayor London Breed could announce a new city attorney within weeks, following the San Francisco Public Utility Commissions Wednesday decision to formally recommend the citys top lawyer, Dennis Herrera, as the agencys next general manager. Breed nominated Herrera to the position in April, months after the FBI charged the previous general manager, Harlan Kelly, with allegedly accepting bribes from a city contractor and permit consultant. Kelly resigned in November. Before Herreras appointment is official, he must finalize his contract with the commission. Then he must officially step down from his current job, which he has held since 2001. San Franciscos public utility deserves innovative and decisive leadership, Herrera said in a press release. I am ready to stand up for ratepayers and meet the challenge of responding to climate change. Herrera would manage a sprawling department with about 2,300 employees and an annual operating budget of about $700 million. The powerful agency manages contracts for water, power and sewer systems. Breeds decision to nominate Herrera to the commission gives her the ability to pick the next city attorney, a significant position in San Francisco. Whoever she appoints will also oversee an ongoing probe into a sweeping City Hall corruption scandal. Herrera launched that local investigation in January 2020, just before the U.S. Attorneys Office publicly announced it charged former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru with fraud and lying to the FBI. Both the federal and local investigations have led to the arrest and resignation of several city contractors and department heads. The scandal has also prompted a reshuffling of several public officials into new positions. In a previous interview with The Chronicle, Herrera said he is absolutely confident that the integrity of the investigation will remain regardless of who the mayor chooses for his position. Under Herreras leadership, the City Attorneys Office has gained national recognition for its work on cases related to public utilities, same-sex marriage, climate change and gun control. He also sued the citys school board during the pandemic over what he said was a slow reopening plan. More recently, he has been overseeing a lawsuit over the states attempt to limit the citys Sierra Nevada water supplies. Depending on who Breed chooses, her appointment could set off another wave of political changes on the local and possibly state level. Assembly Member David Chiu has been widely discussed among political insiders as a potential nominee, which would prompt a special election for his seat. In a statement to the Chronicle, Chiu said he would give the City Attorney role serious consideration if presented with the opportunity. Ive always looked for ways I can best serve our city, and will continue to do so, he said. Meanwhile, David Campos, chief of staff for the district attorney and a former progressive supervisor, previously told the Chronicle that he would certainly consider running for the position this year if hes able to. On Wednesday, he said hes keeping all options open. Whoever Breed picks will have to run for election during the statewide recall campaign but only if theyre appointed more than 120 days before the recall. Its unclear when the recall will be held, though state officials said the earliest date could be in mid-September. If the new city attorney does not run in the statewide recall campaign, they will have to face voters in the June 2022 primary. Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani Gov. Gavin Newsom says the work of recovery is not over, despite Californias reopening. He vowed Wednesday to get relief to those who have suffered over the past year. The state and the county of Santa Clara both announced new giveaways to encourage people to get vaccinated, and the European Union is set to reopen its borders to American travelers just in time for summer vaction. Pandemic times, meanwhile, have provided boom sales for the gun industry in California. Resources on COVID-19 and Californias reopening: For detailed maps and new city-by-city Bay Area data, check out The Chronicles Coronavirus Tracker. See a visual guide to what will and wont change here. To get regular updates on our coverage, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter. Wednesdays updates: Uber requires masks on rides, even for those who are vaccinated: The ride-sharing company detailed its no mask, no ride policy to app users on Wednesday, saying it will continue to require all customers to wear masks in its vehicles. To help keep each other safe, all riders and drivers are required to wear a mask when using Uber, it said in an email, adding if you have received the COVID-19 vaccine, you are still required to wear a mask when using Uber. The app will require customers to complete a safety checklist before using its service. Influenza symptoms spike for children under 4: While doctors office visits associated with influenza-like illness have remained stable for nearly all age groups, the percentage of visits for one group shows a sharp rise, according to weekly data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 10% of hospital visits for children under the age of 4 were linked to flu-like symptoms for the week ending May 29 (the most recent date with available data), while less than 2% were linked to those between the age of 5 and 24, and less than 1% for individuals over the age of 25. With widespread mask usage and social distancing measures in place, confirmed cases of influenza plummeted during the 2020-2021 flu season, according to the CDC. Those numbers may now be reversing as pandemic measures are lifted. City College of SF will offer 30% of fall classes partly in-person: Although most City College classes will remain remote, nearly a third will include some face-to-face instruction, the college announced Wednesday. City Colleges searchable class schedule provides details. The college will not require vaccinations, so students and employees will need to wear masks and maintain social distancing. On Friday, City College will launch a Return to Campus web page with more information. Millionaire Canadian couple fined after jumping Indigenous people vax line: A Vancouver couple were fined $2,300 aftger chartering a plane to fly to a remote Yukon Territory Indigenous community to get COVID vaccinations in January. They pleaded guilty to failing to adhere to an entry declaration form and failing to self-isolate. Rodney Baker, the former CEO of Great Canadian Gaming Corp., and his wife, actress Ekaterina Baker, posed as local motel workers to get shots, flouting a 14-day quarantine requirement. They were fined the maximum $500 plus a $75 surcharge on each count, totaling $2,300, according to CBC. Fortunately, nothing physical happened in this case, no one got COVID as a result, said Judge Michael Cozens, delivering the sentences. He said the harm was psychological. Last pandemic stretch is a slog: As cases tumble, the potential final stage in the U.S. campaign to vanquish COVID-19 is turning into a slog, with the worrisome delta variant gaining a bigger foothold and lotteries and other prizes failing to persuade some Americans to get vaccinated, the Associated Press reports. The last half, the last mile, the last quarter-mile always requires more effort, Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday. California and New York both celebrated their reopenings this week evan as hospitalizations in parts of Missouri are surging and cases are rising sharply in Texas, illustrating the challenges the country faces this summer. Common cold viruses help combat COVID-19, study shows: Exposure to the rhinovirus, the most frequent cause of the common cold, can protect against infection by the virus that causes COVID-19, Yale researchers have found. When a that cold virus triggers immune defenses early in the course of COVID-19 infection, it can halt the replication of the coronavirus within airway tissues infected with the cold, said Ellen Foxman, Yale assistant professor of laboratory medicine and immunobiology and senior author of the study published Tuesday in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. But it all depends upon the timing, Foxman said. There appears to be a viral sweet spot at the beginning of COVID-19, during which the virus replicates exponentially before it triggers a strong defense response. 2:55 p.m. Newsom previews strike teams that will activate in case of spikes: With Californias pandemic metrics overall now going in the right direction, albeit with wide regional disparity in vaccination rates, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that the state is prepared to launch strike teams locally where progress may reverse down the road. They will assess community spread, and conduct contract tracing, with aggressive vaccination efforts and pushing in a more targeted way, he said on a visit to a Bakersfield fitness center. Newsom also said the delta variant remains concerning: its now is responsible for 1 in 10 infections nationally, and an estimated 4% in California. I assure you we are going to maintain our vigilance, he said. 2:26 p.m. Newsom announces health and fitness council: Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced hes forming a new Governors Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being, headed by his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Visiting a Bakersfield fitness center, Newsom emphasized the importance of exercise in physical and mental health in emerging from the stress of the pandemic and reengaging socially. We want to bring in the wellness factor, he said. The council will include mindfulness and have a special emphasis on child physical and mental health to support kids and make sure young athletes are not burning out, Siebel Newsom said. We need to work on ourselves, Newsom said in Bakersfield. If you want to take care of your family youve got to take care of yourself. He urged people also to renew memberships in health clubs now that pandemic restrictions are lifted. Pandemic times busy for the gun-sales business: The pandemic year of 2020 saw Californians on a gun-buying spree, with 1.26 million guns purchased in the state. That was a 56% increase from the previous year, and the most since at least 2000. Sales data through May of 2021 show gun purchases in California remain well above pre-pandemic levels. The most significant sales spikes were early in the pandemic, after the police murder of George Floyd, and around the November presidential election, according to data from journalism non-profit The Trace. Read the full story. Royal Caribbean postpones cruise due to virus outbreaks among crew: One of the highly anticipated first sailings from the U.S. since the pandemic began has been postponed for nearly a month because eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19, the Associated Press reports. The new Odyssey of the Seas was to set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on July 3 but is now postponed to July 31. Royal Caribbean Internationals CEO Michael Bayley posted on Facebook late Tuesday that the decision was out of an abundance of caution. He said the company is also rescheduling a simulation cruise scheduled for late June. Royal Caribbean passengers are strongly recommended to get vaccinated. Unvaccinated passengers must undergo virus testing and follow other measures. Even more goodies for the vaccinated: People who get COVID-19 shots in Santa Clara County have a chance at more than 100 event tickets and prizes, Santa Clara County officials announced Wednesday in the latest Bay Area effort to get everyone vaccinated. Prizes and tickets to the Golden State Warriors, Harry Styles, the Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber and other artists will be raffled off each Wednesday for 8 to 10 winners. The county is collaborating with the city of San Jose, the SAP Center and the Golden State Warriors on the giveaways, with people who get vaccinated at select county-run sites eligible: Overfelt High School, the County Fairgrounds Expo Hall, Emmanuel Baptist church, Valley Specialty Center, Levis Stadium (through June 24), Mountain View Community Center and Gilroy High School. Delta variant apparently mutated into more virulent strain: Public health experts in India believe the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus has mutated into a more infectious variant: delta plus. The new mutation appears resistant to monoclonal antibodies, Times of India reports. Cases of the variant have been identified in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Russia, Japan, Nepal, Switzerland, Portugal, and a handful of other countries. The delta variant was first identified in India and is faulted in a devastaing spike of COVID there. Anti-vaxxers and former child star protest Foo Fighters concert for vaccinated: Ricky Schroder, who starred in the 80s sitcom Silver Spoons, was among a dozen protesters outside a Foo Fighters concert in Agoura Hills for a vaccinated audience of 600, Variety reports. Objecting to the shows vaccine policy, they held signs that read, Foo Fighters fight to bring segregation back and Vaccines cause injury and death. In a Facebook post, the former child star called out the bands singer, a former member of Nirvana. Dave Grohl is an ignorant punk who needs slapped for supporting Discrimination. Ignorance comes in all shapes & sizes. Kurt Cobain is laughing at you Dave along with Millions of Patriots.Fool. Schroder went viral earlier this year in a video that showed him harassing an employee over Costcos mask policy. Foo Fighters are scheduled for a June 20 concert for a fully vaccinated crowd at Madison Square Garden. S.F. Performances is back to full live schedule: San Francisco Performances is marking a full return to live performances, announcing that pianist Isata Kenneh-Mason, soprano Golda Schultz and the Catalyst Quartet are among the performers slated to debut as part of the 2021-22 season. The three-concert Sanctuary series, with solo appearances by bass-baritone Dashon Burton, violinist Johnny Gandelsman and cellist Matt Haimovitz, will feature intimate programs originally conceived for online presentation during the pandemic. Read the story here. Cases in California prisons down to a few dozen: In California prisons, 68 inmates currently have coronavirus infections, state data showed Wednesday. In all, the state prison system has seen 49,380 cases, and 224 deaths, including San Quentins 28 fatalities, the most of any prison. The transfer of infected inmates into San Quentin spurred a horrific outbreak, highlighted by The Chronicles reporting, that led to a scathing inspector generals report faulting the prison system. Earlier this year, regulators fined the California prison system more than $400,000 for health violations many of them coronavirus-related at San Quentin. Newsom says recovery work lies ahead: Californias reopening this week, with nearly all pandemic restrictions dropped, does not mean the work of getting the state back to normal is complete, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. Were here for all Californians that have struggled and suffered. We want to let you know that we didnt just end those efforts yesterday, and we are continuing them today, tomorrow, for weeks and months until everygody is thriving, he said during a visit to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California. He vowed to work to make sure we are wise and thoughtful about use of the states budget surplus of nearly $76 billion. The surplus is enabling the states historic tax rebate, with checks and bank deposits of up to $1,200 expected in the coming weeks for about two thirds of the states residents, he noted. Newsom also is pushing in the Legislature for rent relief for those hurt by the pandemic. Latinas experienced the highest unemployment rate during the pandemic: A new UCLA study finds that Latinas and Black women at the end of 2020 had nearly double the pandemic unemployment rate of their white counterparts, the Associated Press reports. Latinas experienced the highest jobless rate 20% of any demographic in April 2020, right after coronavirus stay-at-home orders were issued, the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative found. That could spell trouble not just for pandemic economic recovery but for longer term U.S. stability as baby boomers retire. Latinas were projected to increase their workforce numbers by nearly 26% from 2019-29 a higher rate than any other group. Sylvia Allegretto, a UC Berkeley labor economist, says higher pay and better benefits are needed for those re-entering the workforce. The long-term trend is we dont have enough workers, she said. 10:10 a.m. More vax lures from Newsom: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced yet another lure to entice Californians to get vaccinated: Free tickets to any Six Flags theme park for the next 50,000 Californians to get vaccinated at one of 65 participating clinics in 13 counties. The governor made the announcement at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia in Southern California. He said the tickets, at a total value of $4.5 million, are not transferrable. Were fully reopening Californias economy, but were not letting up on our efforts to get more Californians vaccinated especially in our hardest hit communities so we can all safely get back to the activities and places we love, including our states iconic landmarks, Newsom said. Dangerous delta variant rapidly increasing in U.S.: The delta variant, which the CDC this week labeled as a variant of concern, now accounts for 10% of coronavirus infections in the United States. Experts are worried the variant, first identified in India, could become dominant in the U.S. Saying that delta is rapidly increasing here in the United States, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CNN Tuesday, Im worried about those who are unvaccinated. The CDC cites evidence of increased transmissibility, more severe disease and reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines linked to the variant. Experts fault delta in Indias devastating coronavirus surge over recent months and also the outbreaks that caused the U.K. to delay its reopening plans this week. Vaccinations lag among pregnant women: Pregnant women are receiving COVID-19 vaccinations at a lower rate than the general population in the U.S., according to a pre-print study from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 16% of pregnant women had received at least one shot as of May 8. Black and Hispanic women, in particular, are falling behind, as well as women ages 18 to 24. The researched released Tuesday involved nearly 136,000 pregnant women who visited health care centers between December and May. About 11% were fully vaccinated by May 8, compared with nearly 25% of their non-pregnant peers. Improving outreach to and engagement with health care providers and pregnant women, especially those who are younger and from racial and ethnic minority groups, could increase vaccine confidence and thus coverage of COVID-19 vaccination in this population, the researchers conclude. Glad-handing and grins are back in Congress: Virtual caucus meetings, mask requirements and long, socially distanced votes are officially a thing of the past as Congress, the Hill reports, as the nation starts to turn the page on the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers also returned to Washington this week without the universal mask requirement in the House chamber. Masks are now sparse throughout the Capitol complex, among both parties, aside from a few who choose to wear them. House Democrats on Tuesday held their first in-person caucus meeting in more than a year. Portugal reopens to US tourists: Ahead of an anticipated decision Friday by the European Union to reopen the continent for non-essential travel to visitors from the United States, Reuters reports that Portugal announced Wednesday that it is now open to American tourists who can show a negative coronavirus test result on arrival. Oman sees fatal fungal infection in COVID patients: Doctors in Oman have detected a potentially fatal fungal infection afflicting some coronavirus patients, the first such known cases on the Arabian Peninsula as the sultanate faces a surge in COVID-19 infections that has swamped its hospitals. The countrys Health Ministry reported that three COVID-19 patients in Oman have become infected with mucormycosis, a life-threatening condition commonly known as black fungus, which has spread quickly among virus patients in hard-hit India. The disease is relatively rare, but its sudden increase has stirred fears among doctors and health officials fighting COVID around the world. No more masks outdoors in France: France on Wednesday said it will no longer require people to wear face masks outside beginning Thursday and will lift its nightly coronavirus curfew stating Sunday, media accounts report. Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the very good news. He noted that curfew would be lifted ten days earlier than the government had initially planned. Study shows Regeneron can reduce hospital deaths: New clinical trial data offers the strongest evidence yet that the antibody treatment Regeneron can reduce deaths in a subset of hospitalized patients: those whose immune systems are unable to mount a natural response to the virus, according to the New York Times. The results came from a large study in Britain. Regeneron has emergency authorization for high-risk patients who are not yet sick enough to be hospitalized, It plans to seek FDA approval to allow the drug to be given to appropriate hospitalized patients. California has lost more than 62,000 lives to pandemic: As the state embarks on its new era without pandemic restrictions, 15 months of COVID-19 leaves a trail of tragedy for countless friends and family of the 62,913 Californians who lost their lives to the insidious virus. The Bay Area toll is 6,241 dead thus far, and nationwide more than 600,000 lives have been lost. The rate of new coronavirus cases in California has slowed dramatically, but only after 3,778,207 Californians were infected, as of Wednesday morning. Investigating the pandemic: The lawyer who led the inquiry into the 9-11 terrorism attacks, has quietly laid a foundation for a commission to investigate the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Times reports. The Covid Commission Planning Group has financial backing from four foundations, including one affiliated with conservative philanthropist Charles Koch. A paid staff already interviewed more than 200 public health experts, business and elected officials, victims and their families. The effort, little noticed by the public, grew from a call from former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt to the 9-11 commission lawyer, Philip Zelikow, the Times reported. NBA point guard Chris Paul sidelined by COVID protocols: Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul has been sidelined by the NBAs COVID-19 safety protocols, sports-news outlet The Athletic reported Wednesday. Paul, who led the suns to the Western Conference Finals, is out for an indefinite period of time. Europe vacations on the horizon for Americans: European Union regulators are expected to lift a ban on non-essential travel for U.S. tourists this week, The New York Times reported. A bloc of E.U. nations are expected to confirm the relaxed rules Friday and they would take effect immediately. Many Bay Area restaurants setting their own masking rules despite states reopening: June 15s reopening is bringing a host of changes to Bay Area restaurants this week but masks are likely to remain a common sight. Some restaurant owners say theyll continue requiring masks for employees to make diners feel more comfortable. At others, workers will soon get to decide whether to mask up. Read the full story here. Arizona governor bans vaccine requirements, masks for students: Gov. Doug Ducey signed an executive order Tuesday stating that students at Arizonas public universities and community colleges cannot be mandated to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, forced to show proof of inoculation or wear masks in order to participate in learning. They also cannot be required to be tested for the coronavirus. The vaccine works, and we encourage Arizonans to take it, Ducey said in a statement. But it is a choice and we need to keep it that way. He added, Public education is a public right, and taxpayers are paying for it. We need to make our public universities available for students to return to learning. Fireworks return to Disney parks in July: Nightly fireworks shows will return to Disneyland starting July 4, according to a blog post from Disney. Walt Disney reportedly called the nightly shows, a tradition since 1957, the Southern California amusement parks kiss goodnight to guests. The shows will also return to Walt Disney World in Florida beginning July 1. Beginning in July, just in time for the nations Independence Day celebrations, our incredibly popular nighttime fireworks spectaculars are returning to Disney parks, the post said. Thousands in the Bay Area skipped their second shot. Why?: Thousands of Bay Area residents have skipped their second dose of coronavirus vaccine, prompting health experts to urge them anew to get their second shot especially amid emerging evidence that one dose of Pfizer vaccine is less effective against the delta variant that could become widespread in the United States by winter. See previous updates in The Chronicles comprehensive timeline of the coronavirus outbreak in the Bay Area. As a dangerous heat wave intensifies in the Bay Area this week, cooling centers are opening up widely across the region right on the heels of Californias reopening Tuesday. A heat advisory goes into effect Wednesday morning and lasts through Friday evening for most of the inland Bay Area, with temperatures expected to peak at 108 degrees Thursday. Last summer, many cooling centers were closed or limited because of COVID pandemic restrictions. With the June 15 statewide reopening, most restrictions were eased, and cooling centers will be more widely available though under current guidelines for shelter settings, everyone, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a face covering. The guidelines say visitors should undergo screening, and anyone exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms should be provided a separate space in the cooling center if possible. In addition to seeking air-conditioned buildings, the National Weather Service recommends the following safety tips during periods of exessive heat: Drink more water than usual. Limit strenuous outdoor activities during the hottest time of day. Help elderly people and children stay cool. Wear light-colored clothing and a hat. Provide a cool area for your pets to stay. Here is a list of locations and links to find a cooling center near you in the region. You can also use PG&Es finder to search within a specific distance of a city or ZIP code. Alameda County The county maintains a list of open cooling centers on this site. Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless provides the latest information and directs residents to reach out to their nearest cooling center for operational hours. Here are confirmed cooling center locations: San Leandro Public Library: 300 Estudillo Ave. Open Tuesday through Sat, noon-7 p.m. Bayfair Shopping Center Mall: 15555 E. 14th St. Open daily 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Robert Livermore Community Center: 4444 East Ave., Livermore. Open Wednesday, June 16 through Friday, June 18 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, June 19 and Sunday, June 20 from noon-5 p.m. Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services Department offices are open as cooling centers through Friday, June 18 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Antioch: 4545 Delta Fair Blvd. Pleasant Hill: 400 Ellinwood Way Martinez: 40 Douglas Drive Hercules: 151 Linus Pauling Richmond: 1305 Macdonald Ave. A number of cities will open cooling centers in senior centers and community centers. Call first to confirm hours: Concord Senior Center: 2727 Parkside Circle, Concord, 925-671-3320 Martinez Senior Center: 818 Green St., Martinez, 925-370-8770 Pittsburg Senior Center: 300 Presidio Lane, 925-252-4890 Nick Rodriguez Community Center: 213 F St., Antioch, 925-776-3050 Other cooling centers will pop up in various locations: Albany and San Ramon maintain a list of cooling centers during extreme temperatures; call ahead to ensure they are open. Concord is hosting cooling centers in a number of businesses. Napa County Napa Senior Activity Center: 1500 Jefferson St. Open Wednesday, June 16 to Thursday, June 17 from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Friday, June 18 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Calistoga Public Works Facility: 414 Washington St. Open as a cooling center Wednesday, June 16, through Friday, June 16 from noon-9 p.m. Santa Clara County Cupertino Library: 10800 Torre Ave, Cupertino. Open Wednesday, June 16 to Thursday, June 17 from 1-6 p.m. Gilroy Library: 350 W. 6th St., Gilroy. Open Wednesday, June 16 to Thursday, June 17 from 1-6 p.m. Los Altos Library: 13 S. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos. Open Wednesday, June 16 to Thursday, June 17 from 1-6 p.m. Milpitas Library: 160 N. Main St., Milpitas. Open Wednesday, June 16 to Thursday, June 17 from 1-6 p.m. Morgan Hill Library: 660 W. Main Ave., Morgan Hill. Open Wednesday, June 16 to Thursday, June 17 from 1-6 p.m. Camden Community Center: 3369 Union Ave., San Jose. Open Wednesday, June 16 to Friday, June 18 from 1-6 p.m. Joyce Ellington Library: 491 E. Empire St., San Jose. Open Wednesday, June 16 to Friday, June 18 from 1-6 p.m. Senior Center: 1303 Fremont St., Santa Clara. Open Wednesday, June 16 to Friday, June 18 from 1-6 p.m. Saratoga Library: 13650 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga. Open Wednesday, June 16 to Thursday, June 17 from 1-5 p.m. Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center (APJCC): 14855 Oka Road, Los Gatos. Open Wednesday, June 16, 4-8 p.m., Thursday, June 17, 6 a.m-8 p.m., Friday, June 18, 6 a.m.-8p.m., Saturday, June 19, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday, June 20, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. https://emergencymanagement.sccgov.org/residents/hot-weather-safety Solano County McBride Senior Center: 91 Town Square Pl., Vacaville. Open as a cooling center on Thursday, June 17 through Friday, June 18 from noon-8 p.m. Joseph Nelson Community Center: 611 Village Dr., Suisun City. Open as a cooling center on Wednesday, June 16 to Thursday, June 17 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. whenever it is 100 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Solano County Public Libraries are open as cooling centers during normal operating hours. Pets are not allowed. Visit www.solanolibrary.com for locations and hours. You can also contact your city office to find cooling centers in your area. City of Benicia: 707-746-4200 City of Fairfield: 707-428-7400 City of Vallejo: 707-648-4362 City of Dixon: 707-678-7000 According to their websites, either cooling centers were not yet planned to open or no information was yet available for the coastal counties of San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo and Sonoma. Jessica Flores and Kellie Hwang are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com, kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com As one of this years first major heat waves blankets the West, Texas electric grid operator early this week asked Texans to conserve energy as much as possible through Friday as increased demand strains the states supply and a similar call was issued for Thursday in California. And the summer hasnt even officially started yet. After keeping a close watch on the building Western heat wave early this week, Californias power grid operator on Wednesday said it would trigger a Flex Alert on Thursday from 5-10 p.m. Such alerts call on consumers to voluntarily reduce energy use to avert potential blackouts. Steps to prepare include pre-cooling your home or apartment by lowering the thermostat, closing window coverings and charging any electronics. The heat wave and Texas power problems may remind Californians of last summer, when a heat wave in August drove up air-conditioner use, creating a demand-driven energy shortage that prompted rolling power blackouts. The blackouts lasted for about two hours on Aug. 14 and 20 minutes on Aug. 15 and affected fewer than 250,000 customers. They were the first rolling blackouts since 2001. Experts say that even though Texass power grid is already strained, Californias grid is unlikely to suffer to the same degree as either the Lone Star State or as California itself did last summer. I am pretty confident that sometime this summer, people are going to be asked to conserve energy because the grid is tight, UC Berkeley energy economist Severin Borenstein said. But as far as facing rolling blackouts? We could, but its pretty unlikely, he said. Borenstein said that because California is getting hotter and drier, demand for energy is increasing faster than supply can keep up causing things like more frequent Flex Alerts from CAISO and the blackouts last summer. But experts say that we are in a better position to handle the heat than we were last summer. CAISO has significantly increased its battery storage capacity for solar and wind energy something the state previously lacked. Last year, about 250 megawatts of energy storage resources were available. As of April, the system had about 500 megawatts and is expected to reach 2,000 megawatts by August, according to CAISO more than the 500-megawatt shortfall that caused the August outages. One megawatt powers about 750 to 1,000 homes, according to the agency. Daniel Kammen, a professor of energy at UC Berkeley, said that this storage will become the glue of the clean energy grid as California shifts to a more diverse mix of energy sources including solar, wind, geothermal power, hydropower and fossil gas. Those extra 2,000 megawatts, as the sun is setting, and suddenly all of the solar production is ramping down, can be incredibly valuable, Borenstein added. Adjusting demand is also a part of the solution to stress on the power grid, experts said. Its not just about adding more generation or more storage, said Ralph Cavanagh, the Bay Area-based energy program co-director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Its also about continuing to make our homes and businesses more efficient. He added that Californians response to things like Flex Alerts and voluntary appeals for reduced electricity are the states secret weapon. Whenever we really need the public to come through, they have done so, he said, and I expect that to continue. California also uses energy from the Western Interconnection, one of two main electrical grids that cover the entire U.S., allowing states to share energy when resources are strained a big help during last years August heat wave. But Texas is not a part of either the Western or the Eastern electric grid, making it the only state that relies almost entirely on its own energy supply, run by the state-owned Electric Reliability Council of Texas. That means that Californias total capacity to import and export power is about 20,000 megawatts, according to Cavanagh, who worked with Texas energy companies earlier in his career. Thats compared to Texas 800 megawatts. We are fully interconnected with our neighbors, he said. All that diversity is part of what makes us and all of our Western neighbors better positioned than Texas to ride through extreme climate events. Still, as extreme weather continues as a result of climate change, theres still more work for California to do. Borenstein said that even though energy storage has improved in the short term, there are still questions about long-term storage, especially as California moves further away from natural gas. No one has ever run a grid with this much lithium ion battery on it, so this is going to be a bit of a learning-on-the-job situation, he said. But the batteries which hold energy for four hours arent going to help when the state needs to pull on solar resources after days of low sunlight, he said. If we dont [transition to renewables] well, we could be facing what Texas had, he said. There is no question that climate change is undermining reliability across not just this continent, but all continents, Cavanagh added. So we still have a great deal to do. Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Twitter: @DanielleEchev Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Californias electric grid operators are urging residents to save as much power as possible for five hours on Thursday to ward off rolling blackouts as a heat wave bakes the western United States. The California Independent System Operator, a nonprofit that manages most of the states grid, has issued a Flex Alert calling for voluntary power conservation from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday. The alert, the first of the year, asks residents to reduce demand for electricity by raising their thermostats to 78 degrees or higher and not using major appliances during those hours. Officials at the system operator are projecting a modest supply shortfall of about 300 megawatts, and theyre cautiously optimistic that they can avoid rolling blackouts like those the state briefly endured over two days last August. As we know, Californians have stepped up many times before when asked to pitch in, and Im confident they will do so (again), Elliot Mainzer, the system operators CEO, told reporters Wednesday afternoon on a conference call. The current heat wave is not as extreme as the one that led to rotating outages last year, namely because temperatures arent as high along the coast, officials said. Still, grid managers are grappling with a challenge they faced last year a reduced ability to import power from other states facing the same punishing temperatures. Californias hydroelectric facilities are also strained by the severe drought gripping the state. Regulators have taken steps to prevent a repeat of last summers rolling blackouts, the states first such power cuts in nearly two decades. In February, the California Public Utilities Commission ordered large power companies to secure more energy supplies by this summer. And in March, the commission gave the companies greater ability to cut demand when the grid is stressed by authorizing a new program in which utilities can call on certain energy resources to reduce load for as much as five hours at a time. The system operator has also sought to prevent utility errors from limiting supplies when the power system needs them most. Thats because on one of the blackout days last August, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. mistakenly told a Fresno County power plant to scale back when the company meant it to ramp up to full capacity. Certainly, we dont want to see a repeat of anything like that this year, and I think weve put a lot of energy in across the board in making sure that communication protocols are as sharp as possible, Mainzer said. PG&E said its customers can help ease the burden on the grid by shifting most of their energy use to the morning and nighttime hours, along with raising their thermostats and closing shades. The company also has about 261,000 customer accounts enrolled in demand response programs that provide incentives for homes and businesses to conserve during peak hours. PG&E is prepared and, based on forecasts, doesnt anticipate any issues meeting the increased demand for power, the company said in a statement. Rolling blackouts required by the system operator are distinct from the preemptive shut-offs that PG&E and other utilities implement to prevent their power lines from sparking wildfires in extremely windy and dry weather. PG&E said it does not expect to issue any fire safety power shut-offs in the next seven days and that it plans to warn customers multiple times when shut-offs are near. While this weeks heat wave brings hot and dry conditions, it does not meet the criteria for fire weather hazards in the Bay Area because there is not enough wind, National Weather Service meteorologist Gerry Diaz said. Red-flag warnings of extreme fire danger are issued when there is high heat, dry conditions and gusty winds. Still, the hot and dry conditions mean that there is a slight risk of isolated fire, he added. J.D. Morris and Danielle Echeverria are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Twitter: @thejdmorris @DanielleEchev Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com San Francisco public school dad Kit Lam has worked hard to collect at least 1,900 signatures in the long-shot bid to recall three school board members more than any other volunteer. So when a thief tried to make off with hard-won signatures on a recent weekend, Lam wouldnt let it go. And the thief may just learn a lesson: When youre looking to interfere with the electoral process, dont go after a determined dad who used to work as an agent rooting out corruption for Hong Kongs equivalent of the FBI. You might regret it. By now, many San Franciscans have seen the viral video of the fallout of an apparent theft of petitions in a signature drive to recall three school board members that took place May 30 at the farmers market on Clement Street in the Inner Richmond. A man in a bright yellow recall T-shirt shouts, You took the petition! I saw you! as he points at a man with brown hair, a flowered mask and red glasses. A woman off camera repeatedly screams, Call 911! The man in red glasses eventually seems to acknowledge he swiped the petitions, a batch of which was oddly hidden under a car and another set even more oddly stuck down his own pants pocket. After handing them over, the apparent thief walks away. The man in yellow follows him, shouting, Im fighting for my kids lives! Regardless of what you think of the school board and the recall effort against three of its members, stealing signed petitions is an outrageous act. If you decry the trend of Republican lawmakers infringing on voters rights, you must decry the man in red glasses, too. Twitter sleuths are convinced theyve identified the man in red glasses, though were not revealing his name here because police have not publicly identified him as a suspect and said only that investigators are working on the case, but would not provide details. Leaving aside the man in the red glasses, I had another question. Who was the man in the yellow T-shirt? And why does he care so desperately about recalling three members of the school board? Turns out the story behind the riveting video is interesting, too. Lam, 45, wore the same yellow T-shirt when I interviewed him the other day near his home in the Inner Richmond, not far from the site of the theft. He was born and raised in Hong Kong and worked as an agent for its Independent Commission Against Corruption. He checks in frequently with the police, offering them tips. He sees an arrest and prosecution as essential, and hes right. Its a threat to democracy, Lam said. In America, we have a right to petition the government. Nick Otto/Special to The Chronicle Lam moved to the United States to attend UC Santa Cruz, graduating with a degree in psychology in 1998 before earning a masters degree from Golden Gate University. He then moved back to Hong Kong and worked as an anti-corruption agent. He and his wife, who teaches English as a Second Language at City College, met while he was a student in the Bay Area and dated long distance for years. He eventually returned to San Francisco for her. Lam has worked as an investigator for the San Francisco Unified School District for 11 years, rooting out fraud in families reported home addresses that could gain them an unfair advantage in school admissions, though he stressed hes speaking only for himself and not the district. His job allows him to see school records, and last fall, as the districts distance learning dragged on, he began spotting worrisome reports. Like a fourth-grader whose teacher said he wasnt even reading at a first-grade level. Or a teacher who said a student hadnt shown up for 35 days. When I saw that, I was so upset, he said. What was the Board of Education doing? What they were doing, Lam knew, was focusing on unrelated matters like renaming 44 schools and changing the way kids are admitted to Lowell High. He rarely heard them mention the harm distance learning caused students mental health and academic performance. Meanwhile, Lams own kids were floundering. Jim, who just finished ninth grade at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, still hasnt met his classmates or teachers. He sings bass, but singing together on Zoom was pretty much impossible. Theres a constant lag, said Jim. All of our pitches seem off. None of his classmates turned on their cameras so he didnt, either. Some of his teachers were great, but others only taught for five minutes before sticking students in a breakout room without much to do. It can feel really lonely, Jim said of Zoom school. It felt really exhausting just staring at the computer all day knowing I didnt know when it was going to end. I felt a lot angrier, and I was playing a lot of video games. I snapped at times, too, at my parents. Jims little sister, Jillian, will start fifth grade at the Chinese Immersion School at De Avila where shes studying Cantonese. She said she got easily distracted during distance learning and missed her friends. I was sad, but I didnt really tell anyone, she said. I didnt want anyone to worry about me. Lam grew so frustrated by February that he reached out to the parents behind a recall effort of three school board members, offering to help. And has he ever. He translated their website into Chinese. Hes worked the recall table at the farmers market for five hours every Sunday since early April. Hes appeared numerous times on Chinese radio, collected signatures in Chinatown and personally delivered petitions to any Chinese person in the city who requests one. In total, the effort has collected 20,000 signatures and aims to gather 70,000 by Sept. 7. The campaign is now hiring professional signature gatherers who can stand outside businesses all day rather than have parent volunteers work a few hours on the weekends. I dont think about failure, Lam said. Well see. On May 30, the man in red glasses approached Lams table and signed the petition though its unclear if he used a real name. Lam said he turned to help somebody else and when he turned back, he saw his clipboard was gone. He scanned the crowd and said he saw the thief tossing the clipboard under a car. I had to confront him, Lam said. The petitions are legal documents, and they have the voters signatures, addresses and names, and I am responsible for them. I knew he committed a crime. Lam continued, Hes assuming Im an Asian immigrant who wouldnt confront him or notice what he did, but Im trained to be alert. In other words, the man in red glasses underestimated Lam. And he seems to have simply gotten him wrong. For some reason, parents who oppose the school board and support the recall effort have been painted with a broad brush as Republicans. Lam is a registered Democrat and so is his wife. He nearly voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders in last years primary, but switched to Joe Biden because he thought hed have a better chance of beating President Trump. He thought San Francisco was liberal and kind and tolerant of opposing viewpoints. Lately, its been anything but that. Im just a parent volunteer, Lam said. I didnt expect it would come to this. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf SACRAMENTO Construction on a 220-mph bullet train line through Californias Central Valley has been under way for six years, but state legislators still cant agree on the most basic question: Should the money be spent somewhere else first? The high-speed rail project, long a flash point at the state Capitol, is once again at a crossroads as Gov. Gavin Newsom seeks to use $4.2 billion in voter-approved bonds to finish building an initial 171-mile stretch from Merced to Bakersfield. Newsom and rail advocates want to focus on completing that segment ahead of running track to San Francisco and Los Angeles. But the funding ask has given skeptical legislators new leverage to air their frustrations about the rail project and the attention paid to the Central Valley versus more densely populated urban centers. Assembly members from Southern California have pushed to divert money into local rail projects. Supporters of high-speed rail warn taking money from the Central Valley segment would only cause further construction delays and drive up costs. They said it could also put California at a disadvantage as it competes with other states for tens of billions of dollars in federal rail funding that could be part of President Bidens infrastructure plan. To take money away from that project and therefore doom that project to failure and put it into bits and pieces in other areas is counterproductive, not only for California but for the nation, said Rod Diridon, a former Santa Clara County supervisor who served on the California High-Speed Rail Authority board for a decade. He added, Instead of fumbling around and stopping and starting, we should be showing off and showing were ready to go. California voters approved $9.95 billion in bond funding for high-speed rail in 2008, with the promise that money would be used to help build a bullet-train system to zip riders between San Francisco and L.A. in less than three hours. But the project has faced ridicule over repeated construction delays and soaring construction costs, with its budget growing from $33 billion to about $83 billion. Trains were initially supposed to start running last year. Now, the Rail Authority doesnt anticipate the Central Valley segment will start operating until 2029, followed by the longer line in 2033. Newsom also stunned many legislators and rail advocates two years ago, when he announced he would focus first on the Central Valley line due largely to rising cost. Originally, the Rail Authority planned to build track inward from Los Angeles and the Bay Area, including a line running east from Silicon Valley. Progress on the project was later throttled under the Trump administration, when the U.S. Dept. of Transportation withheld nearly $1 billion in expected funding in 2019, arguing the state had missed required benchmarks. That money was recently restored by the Biden administration. Funding was further thrown into chaos at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, when revenue from the states cap-and-trade auctions tanked. Those auctions have since rebounded. The continued uncertainty about the rail project has fueled resistance at the Capitol. Members of the powerful Los Angeles delegation, led by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, argue regions with the most transit riders should take priority for state spending. The speaker has been supportive of focusing high-speed rail funding in areas where it will meet the greatest need, including the Bay Area and Los Angeles, Rendons spokesperson said in an email. Bay Area legislators, meanwhile, have been some of the projects most vocal defenders. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said he worries that diverting monies would give federal officials a very negative message about Californias commitment to high-speed rail. The Golden States program is now the only bullet train under construction in the U.S. Wiener said while planning mistakes have been made, the project remains an important first in North America. He noted that other transformative infrastructure projects, such as the Golden Gate Bridge, were bogged down by lawsuits and planning delays before they came to fruition. Theyre always controversial, but once you build them, 10 years later, you cant imagine living without them, Wiener said. We need (high-speed rail) desperately. Weve got to give people efficient ways to get around the state. During a hearing on the Rail Authoritys business plan in March, Assembly members grilled rail executives about their strategy. They pushed, unsuccessfully, for the authority to consider alternative routes. I worry that insufficient funding could leave us with infrastructure that doesnt accomplish the vision of high-speed rail, and doesnt benefit Southern California, Assembly Member Luz Rivas, D-Arleta (Los Angeles County), told rail officials. Now, legislators have another chance to try to reroute train funding with the state budget. This week, they approved a placeholder state budget, a day before a constitutional deadline, that defers action on the $4.2 billion in bonds. Newsom and legislative leaders are negotiating over how funding could be divided up in a final budget theyre expected to approve in a few weeks. The Governors Office said his budget proposal offers lawmakers a chance to invest heavily both in local transportation and high-speed rail. It includes $1 billion for trains that connect local and state transit services, $1 billion to help L.A. complete projects ahead of the 2028 Olympics, and $500 million for bike and pedestrian infrastructure. This isnt about doing either or its about doing all of it, a spokesperson said in an email. Were finishing electrified high-speed rail in the Central Valley first because thats the first segment well under construction. Despite emphasizing the Merced to Bakersfield stretch, Newsom has said he also supports connecting the states largest metro areas. However, its not clear how the state would pay for the full, 500-mile system. Boris Lipkin, the authoritys Northern California regional director, said the agency has enough money to continue construction through the end of the year. After that, he said, work could come to a halt if legislators dont act. We have to slow down construction and potentially lay off workers if these funds arent appropriated, Lipkin said. The more that we can do faster, the less that the system will cost. Since the Rail Authority broke ground in 2015, it has constructed large viaducts and overpasses in the Central Valley. Work is now under way on more than 30 construction sites, though no track has been laid. Supporters of high-speed rail said the focus on regional interests loses sight of the projects vision. They said the system was designed to help level inequities between the two Californias: its more affluent, cosmopolitan coast and inland counties, where people suffer from high unemployment and poor air quality. Assembly Member Alex Lee, D-San Jose, said while he would have preferred a Bay Area line be built earlier, the state cannot lose momentum on what it has started building. He said California needs a modern transit system to meet its climate goals and compete economically with countries in Asia and Europe, where high-speed rail is ubiquitous. We are behind the rest of the developed world, Lee said. If we stall the momentum were making right now, were really going to set ourselves back. Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner The Biden administration on Wednesday moved to restore the right of victims of domestic violence and gang violence in their home countries to seek political asylum in the United States after a campaign led by Bay Area immigrant advocates. Attorney General Merrick Garland revoked a June 2018 decision by President Donald Trumps first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, that said immigrants fleeing privately inflicted harm in their homelands in particular, by spouses, domestic partners or gangs would be ineligible for asylum in virtually all cases. Sessions ruling overturned a 2014 decision by a U.S. immigration court and potentially affected thousands of cases. Sessions decision threatens to create confusion and discourage careful case-by-case adjudication of asylum claims, Garland said in his revocation order. He said his office and the Department of Homeland Security, headed by Xavier Becerra, would address the issue in new regulations ordered Feb. 2 by President Biden to define categories of immigrants who are eligible for asylum. In the meantime, Garland said, immigration courts will consider their applications under the pre-2018 standards. In a separate order, Garland withdrew a decision by former Attorney General William Barr in 2019 that said immigrants could no longer seek asylum on the grounds that they and other members of their family faced persecution in their homeland. Garland said Barrs decision conflicted with several earlier rulings by federal appeals courts, a higher legal authority than immigration courts, and would be addressed in the forthcoming regulations. Were thrilled for all of the women, children and families who will benefit, said Blaine Bookey, legal director of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at UC Hastings in San Francisco, who along with her colleagues had urged the Biden administration to overrule Sessions and Barr. Bookey was also a lawyer for the Salvadoran immigrant in the 2018 case decided by Sessions. That woman said she fled to the U.S. after her husband beat and raped her, and police did nothing to protect her. Under the law, immigrants are eligible for asylum if they face persecution because of their membership in a particular social group and the government is unable or unwilling to protect them. Sessions said victims of domestic abuse or other privately inflicted violence should not be considered members of such social groups rejecting numerous immigration court rulings to the contrary and also said the failure of police to respond to a crime victims report did not mean they were unable or unwilling to combat crime. The asylum statute does not provide redress for all misfortune, Sessions said. His decision was binding on immigration courts, an arm of the Justice Department, but not on federal courts where immigrants could appeal their cases. Bookey said several appeals courts, including the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, have criticized Sessions reasoning and agreed to consider claims of asylum in domestic violence and gang cases, but rulings have varied among the courts. Trump closed the U.S.-Mexico border to asylum applicants and other immigrants in March 2020, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden has allowed a small number of migrants to enter and apply for asylum while considering a broader reopening. Meanwhile, Bookey noted, Garlands orders will apply to asylum applicants who were already in the United States. His orders were praised by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who said Sessions 2018 ruling weakened our moral standing in the world. The United States has long been a safe haven for victims of violence, Feinstein said in a statement. The attorney generals decisions reaffirm that core American value and our commitment to helping those fleeing persecution. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Ruben Garcia would create posts on Craigslist, targeting women between the ages of 18 to 20 who aspired to work in the modeling industry. The posts were made under the auspices of a fake, but legitimate-seeming clothed modeling agency with names like Bubblegum Casting complete with a website that made it appear that its applicants would be able to break into the fashion industry through their services. But once the women applied, Garcia and his colleague Michael Pratt informed them that they were in fact, looking for models to do porn. Pratt, a New Zealand man currently on the FBIs Most Wanted list, founded the pornography sites GirlsDoPorn (GDP) and GirlsDoToys (GDT) notorious sites that marketed themselves as amateur women making pornographic videos. Garcia, 31, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in San Diego court after pleading guilty last December to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, the Department of Justice said in a statement Monday. The charge is the first after 22 anonymous women came forward and sued GirlsDoPorn for fradulent bait-and-switch tactics in the fall of 2019, reported Courthouse News, and the case later evolved into a case of human trafficking charges leveled against Garcia, Pratt and videographers and other employees. The details surrounding the recruitment, recording and distribution of these videos, viewed a cumulative billion times, were described by officials as utterly callous and driven by greed. The men and their affiliates made millions out of this grift, officials said. If the young women were reluctant to participate in the videos, according to the DOJ, Garcia, an actor for the company, would instruct women who had previously worked with the company to assure them that the videos wouldnt be shared online and that their loved ones would not be privy to the videos. The decision to recruit other women for this was intentional, the DOJ said, since both Garcia and Pratt believed that the victims were more likely to believe other young women over them. And of course, their anonymity was not guaranteed. Garcia, the DOJ reported, took active steps to conceal the fact that he worked for these sites, including in contracts the women signed before the videos were recorded. Victims were also not given a copy of the contract they signed. Once the victims agreed to participating, the process to shoot the videos was quick. A flight would be booked for them in San Diego within days in order to limit the chances that the victim would change her mind. Once at the hotel or rental unit, Garcia again falsely emphasized that the videos would not be shared online. Garcia and others involved, the agency reports, also went against standard practice in adult film by coercing victims to complete videos once recording began even if they were scared, in pain or bleeding threatening lawsuits, flight cancellations and leaking the videos if they were not completed. The team behind GDP also reportedly blocked the doors with recording equipment. As a result, the victims felt powerless and unable to leave. The victims were paid less than promised once the recording was done. They were promised between $3,000 to $5,000, but Garcia cited moles or tattoos or another imperfection. And when videos were shared on their site or on PornHub or other hub sites with millions of viewers daily, calls from the women were blocked or ignored. This defendant lured one victim after another with fake modeling ads, false promises and deceptive front companies, ultimately devolving to threats to coerce these women into making sex videos, said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. Even when victims told Garcia how the scheme had devastated their lives, he showed no regard for their well-being. The crime was utterly callous in nature and there is no excuse or justification for his conduct, which was driven purely by greed." At a sentencing hearing Monday, it was revealed that one of the victims targeted by Garcia was underaged and conned into sending nude photos when she was 17. Garcia was repentant in court, calling his actions deceitful and the porn industry an evil business, reported Courthouse News. But that did not sway U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino. Ive been doing this a very long time and I can tell you I havent had a case like this, Sammartino told the victims during the hearing, reported Courthouse News. You were treated in the poorest of ways, you were disregarded, treated as disposable commodities in someones quest for money. The site shuttered in 2020. Pratt is still at large; the FBI offered $10,000 for any relevant information regarding his whereabouts. Small museums and private institutions that accept federal CARES Act money or other stimulus funds could be forced to relinquish thousands of Indigenous items and ancestral remains now in their collections. Under the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA), museums or other institutions that accept federal funding must compile an inventory of Indigenous cultural items and initiate repatriation of the collections and remains to tribes or family members. At least two museums are now facing possible scrutiny the nonprofit Favell Museum of Native American Artifacts and Contemporary Western Art in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and the End of the Trail Museum, which is connected to the Trees of Mystery gift shop in the redwood forest in Klamath, California. Hundreds of other small museums and institutions could also face scrutiny of their Indigenous collections if they have accepted federal funds. This will likely have an impact on private collections that previously did not have NAGPRA obligations, Melanie O'Brien, manager for the national NAGPRA program, wrote in an email to Indian Country Today. Museum representatives did not respond to requests for comment from Indian Country Today. California Assemblymember James C. Ramos, a citizen of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and the first Native American elected to the states Legislature, said institutions should step up and comply with NAGPRA. If these museums across the state and nation received federal funding in the form of the CARES Act, maybe now is the opportunity for those items to be given back to Indian peoples, Ramos said. The CARES Act the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act was signed into law in March 2020, providing $2.2 trillion in stimulus funds to families, expansion of unemployment benefits and loans to small businesses, corporations and state and local governments. A subsequent law, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, invested $200 million in pandemic funding for libraries and museums, including nearly $24 million in California, $19 million in Texas and $14 million in Florida, according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Favell Museum Data provided by the NAGPRA office in Washington, D.C., indicate the Favell Museum received two loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration to aid small businesses in maintaining a work force during the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum received a loan for $24,200 on May 6, 2020, and one for $24,273 on Jan. 23, 2021, according to data collected at USAspending.gov. As of May 11, the museums website stated that it receives no government funds and little money from grants. Founded by Klamath Falls businessman Eugene Gene Favell and his wife, Winifred, the museum opened in 1972 with the familys private collection of artifacts, including Indigenous baskets collected by Favells mother, Ruth. Today, the museum is home to more than 100,000 Native artifacts, including a fire opal arrowhead from Nevadas Black Rock Desert along with other arrowheads, obsidian knives, Native clothing, stone tools, beadwork, baskets and pottery, according to the museum website. It also houses a collection of contemporary Western artists, including an original painting by Charles M. Russell, and century-old photos of Native people from Edward Curtis. It is not known to have any human remains, as are found in holdings of other museums. But information presented on the Favell website implies cultures represented at the museum from throughout the Americas are now extinct. According to the museums collections page, The collections on display give the visitor a suggestion of the richness and variety of societies no longer here and they illustrate how creative and adaptive the native people were. Some of the living tribes and cultures referred to in the past tense are the Chumash, Klamath, Modoc, Apache, Washoe, Pomo and Tlingit people. Favell purchased the fire opal arrowhead and some other artifacts from California dentist H.H. Stuart, another collector, according to the museum website. Scholar and author Tony Platt said in his book Grave Matters: Excavating Californias Buried Past that Stuart collected items from hundreds of burial sites. In a recent interview with Indian Country Today, Platt said that during his last visit to the Favell Museum, he noticed that labels on Stuarts items indicated that the bulk of the collection came from Yurok and Wiyot graves. Three years before he died in 1976, Stuart sold many of the items to Favell for $13,500, Platt reported in his book. Favell died in 2001 at age 75, but the museum has continued without him. A Favell representative responded to a request for comment from Indian Country Today by saying via email that the museum manager was on vacation and that the person who had overseen the collections had retired. A subsequent request has not been answered. Ted Hernandez, chair of the Wiyot Tribal Council, said the tribe has not received a list of Favell holdings. All of our art, they have a spirit and a life and they (the Favell) are not taking care of our ancestors as they should be, he said. Each basket is a living being. They are too close together in those cases, so they cant breathe. Ashley Harrell End of the Trail About 200 miles southwest of the Favell Museum, the End of the Trail museum operates as part of the Trees of Mystery roadside attraction in northern California. Trees of Mystery has received three federal Small Business Administration loans totaling $650,000 related to the pandemic, according to USAspending.gov. On April 28, 2020, and again on Feb. 25, 2021, Trees of Mystery received two SBA loans, each for $250,000, to provide help in maintaining a work force during the pandemic. The business also received a $150,000 loan from the SBA on June 11, 2020, to help restore the company to pre-disaster conditions, according to government records. According to the Trees of Mystery website, the End of the Trail Museum is attached to the gift shop, which provides the only access into the free museum. The Trees of Mystery attraction on storied Highway 101 has operated in some form in Klamath, California, since the 1930s. It first opened as a fishing camp and evolved into the Wonderland Redwood Park, the Kingdom of Trees and then the Trees of Mystery. In 1946, Marylee and Ray Thompson purchased the site and began operating the attraction, according to RoadsideAmerica.com. The attraction features walkways through the redwood trees, a crude carving of The End of the Trail statue and a large statue of Paul Bunyan, according to RoadsideAmerica.com. A newly constructed Redwood Canopy Trail includes a suspended walkway 50 to 100 feet off the ground that winds through the trees. The new canopy trail opened just as the pandemic was forcing shutdowns but has since reopened, according to the website. The museum opened on March 10, 1968, largely to display items collected by Marylee Thompson. It is described on the museums website as one of the largest privately owned world class museums, and cites artifacts and history of the First Americans. Photos on the website show display cases filled with basketry, cradle boards, drums, masks, carvings, Native clothing and other items. A Trees of Mystery representative responded to a request for comment from Indian Country Today by asking that questions be emailed to a museum owner identified only as Debbie. That person has not yet responded to the questions. The Better Business Bureau lists Trees of Mystery as a sole proprietorship with four employees, though far more workers can be seen there on a typical day. The owner is listed as John Thompson, who has been identified as the son of Marylee and Ray Thompson. Courtesy of the Office of James C. Ramos Repatriation has begun NAGPRA has already hit a number of other museums across the nation, including the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at the UC Berkeley. The California State Auditors office conducted an analysis in 2019 of the university systems compliance with the federal NAGPRA law and a state counterpart, known as CalNAGPRA, and found that the university had fallen short of requirements for repatriation of ancestral remains and artifacts. Berkeley had nearly 500,000 Native American remains and artifacts as of 2019, and had returned only about 20%, the auditors office concluded. The remains and objects are stored at the Hearst Museum and are not on display. Research on them has stopped, and they are not accessible to the public, students or faculty, university officials told Indian Country Today. The auditors office found that the three universities reviewed the Berkeley, Los Angeles and Davis campuses needed to do more to comply with NAGPRA. The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, meanwhile, issued an apology in March over its handling of ancestral remains and funerary objects and pledged to work with tribes to facilitate the returns. The Yale University Peabody Museum of Natural History is also working to repatriate some of its collections. The state of Mississippi recently returned items to the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. The remains had largely been found during excavations over the past 50 or more years, and more than 1,000 still must be identified and returned to tribes. And Indiana University also returned more than 700 ancestral remains excavated from the Angel Mounds State Historic Site. The remains had been in the universitys Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology since 1971. Spiritual ties For California Assemblymember Ramos, repatriation is personal. Baskets woven by Ramos great-grandmother and great-great-aunt were recently returned to the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians by a local county museum. During a celebration of Yaamava which means spring in the Serrano language they honored the baskets with a ceremony that included Serrano bighorn sheep and Cahuilla bird songs. Ramos said the songs that welcomed his elders baskets home now live inside him and aid in his continuing efforts to bring cultural artifacts home. Regaining those baskets opens up advocacy that those items are tied spiritually to a people, he said. Ramos said some museums dont understand the importance of non-funerary items and do not recognize them as part of the Indigenous cultural identity. Many tribes recognize baskets as relations, he said. Different cultures throughout the state of California that weave baskets breathe life into those baskets, he said. Looking ahead What happens next is unclear. When asked about possible investigations of museums or institutions that received pandemic funds, OBrien said her office was unable to comment on the status of any investigations regarding failure to comply with NAGPRA. Officials with the Wiyot and Hoopa Valley tribes, however, said they had not received any notifications from the Favell or the End of the Trail museums about cultural items contained within the collections. Hernandez said the Wiyot Tribe is ready to send out a cultural liaison to validate any inventory of items they might receive. The museums that have our items and are not taking care of them, he said, its a high disrespect to the Native community. Nanette Kelley, Osage/Cherokee, is the 2021 California Arts Council Administrators of Color Fellow for the Greater Northern Region. Indian Country Today is a nonprofit news organization that covers the Indigenous world with a daily digital platform and weekday broadcast with international viewership. https://indiancountrytoday.com/ COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) The Ohio Senates budget plan would squash the states momentum toward boosting broadband access and make it harder to get more residents connected to high-speed internet in areas where the private sector isnt stepping in, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said. As lawmakers sort through competing state budget proposals this week in pursuit of an agreement, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's administration is advocating for them to keep the $190 million that the House proposed for expanding residential broadband and scrap the Senate's proposed restrictions for local government-owned broadband networks. Operators of such networks say the Senate proposal could hamstring or kill their operations just as theyre seeing a federal tailwind. President Joe Bidens administration is advocating for funding such networks and local governments getting access to huge amounts of federal relief funding that could be used to address broadband needs. The pandemic exposed how important high-speed internet has become for schooling, business and other aspects of modern life. Economic development officials consider it an essential service, akin to public utilities. But state officials say an estimated 300,000 households and at least 1 million residents across Ohio lack broadband, and some advocates say the numbers are even higher. The language passed by the Republican-led Senate would restrict local governments to establishing government-owned networks to provide broadband service only in unserved areas within their own jurisdiction limiting partnerships and excluding service to adjacent areas, even if those might be economical. The bill also would restrict how those networks could use federal or other funds toward the substantial costs of such projects. For communities hoping to use federal relief funding to create or expand their own broadband networks, This bill could just cut us off at the knees, said Bethany Dentler, executive director of the Medina County Economic Development Corporation. And its the citizens and the businesses who are worse off for it. The open-access broadband network Medina County created has helped improve access and lowered customers' broadband costs, she said. But she said the budget legislation would block the subscriber growth that the county's network needs to help cover its costs, and could jeopardize a private-sector partners $50 million commitment to expanding residential broadband in the area. It's also possible the restrictions could be challenged as an intrusion on local governments' home rule rights under Ohio law, said Lindsay Miller, a former director of the nonprofit Connect Ohio who now works on broadband issues with the Ice Miller law firm. Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, indicated the language was added to the bill to make sure municipalities are serving underserved areas in their own jurisdictions, not getting into the broadband business as profit-seeking competitors to private providers in a wider area. The lieutenant governor argues that's not the problem. Solutions are still needed for areas often poor or rural areas where private providers understandably don't operate because they can't make enough money to justify their investment, said Husted, who also leads the states InnovateOhio effort. The state took a step to address that this spring by allotting an initial $20 million for the new Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program, intended to connect more hard-to-reach homes by funding the parts of such projects that providers consider unjustifiable from a business perspective. The House version of the budget included another $190 million, but Senate Republicans excluded that funding. Huffman said more clarity was needed about the plan for using that money. Husted said the level of interest expressed for potential projects is already exceeding the amount proposed by the House. Were trying to help the communities and the people who dont have access because the private sector isnt coming, he said. Sue Ogrocki/AP DALLAS (AP) Passengers on Southwest Airlines had to deal with canceled flights and delays for a third day on Wednesday, as the airline tried to recover from technology problems that started earlier this week. By late afternoon Central time, Southwest had canceled nearly 400 flights and more than 1,000 were delayed, according to tracking service FlightAware. Combined, the disruptions affected 40% of the airline's schedule. A brisk and bright sun-dappled fable of above-ground adventure and below-the-surface identity, Enrico Casarosa's Luca a summery, shimmering fish-out-of-water fairy tale is one of Pixar's most pure and condensed enchantments. Pixar has plunged into the sea before, of course, in the aquatic Finding Nemo and Finding Dory. Lushly detailed waters have been sprinkled through many of the studio's films, from the rushing river of The Good Dinosaur to the frothy seaside surf of Piper. One personal favorite: how, after the frantic Paris chase in Ratatouille, the diminutive Chef Skinner bobs furiously in the Seine. But in Luca, we're in the ocean to look longingly upon another world, which happens to be our own. Luca Paguro (Jacob Tremblay) is a 13-year-old sea monster who lives off the coast of the Italian Riviera. He's a farm boy, like many protagonists before him, with dreams of another, forbidden realm only Luca shepherds goatfish, instead of goats, on rolling underwater pastures. To him, the surface is a magical, unknowable place that he's only heard rumors of from his grandmother (Sandy Martin), who's quickly shushed by his protective parents (Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan). But curiosity and the urgings of another, more land-accustomed sea monster, Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), compel Luca to swim up to a beach and stride ashore. He watches Alberto do it first. When Luca gets up the nerve, the transformation is immediate. Fin turns to foot. Tail disappears. And a very sea-legged boy steps forward, swiftly falling on his face and flopping on the ground like a fish. Walking comes quickly enough, though, and through Luca's eyes we see the wonders of surface-dwelling anew the blue sky, the swaying trees, the rustling grass. Luca and Alberto (who already has a fort with collected treasures) rush to frolic in all the fun of being human. Luca, feeling guilty, keeps saying he's about to rush home. But he can't help himself. In Luca, young life is a stolen adventure. They don't have everything quite figured out. Alberto, more confident and reckless than Luca, calls a phonograph a magic singing lady machine and believes the stars in the night sky are little glittering anchovies. But they are absolutely certain of one thing: the Vespa is the single greatest human invention. That draws them to the nearby town of Portorosso (the name seems a nod to the great and most European of the Studio Ghibli canon, Porco Rosso), a quintessential Italian hamlet with a village fountain and a La Strada poster on the wall. It's the late 1950s. They quickly recognize an unexpected danger. Portorosso is adorned with pictures of slayed and slaughtered sea monsters. The whole town lives in fear of them a concern mirrored by Luca's family who quake at the thought of land monsters. Revealing their true natures would be suicidal, and all it takes is a water balloon or a bit of rain to ruin their human disguises. Still, that doesn't stop Luca and Alberto from entering a triathlon with the hope of winning a Vespa, or from befriending a village girl, Giuilia (Emma Berman), with a fearsome fisherman father (Marco Barricelli). It would be easy to label Luca, which arrives Friday on Disney+, minor Pixar. Its visuals, while beguiling, don't push new digital ground the way many Pixar animations have. There isn't an existential journey into the mind, beyond the grave or into the heavens. It's a couple of kids coming of age over a sun-kissed summer. But I think the modesty of Luca is part of what makes it great. As much as Pixar's recent output ("Soul," Onward, Coco) has been daringly conceptual, it has sometimes felt as though the studio and its artists are too focused on charting new narrative territory. Luca, Pixar's shortest feature since its first ("Toy Story"), is modest, straightforward and classical. It feels like Pixar's page out of Italo Calvino's Italian Folktales. Casarosa's film comes and goes like a soft summer breeze, but that doesn't stop it from being utterly charming and, by the time of its magnificent final shot, a little devastating, too. In sweet sea monsters that just want to do what other kids do, Luca finds a simple and beautiful metaphor for all those who feel like they need to hide themselves to fit in. It left me, anyway, with a fish-eating grin. Luca, a Walt Disney Co. release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for rude humor, language, some thematic elements and brief violence. Running time: 95 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four. ___ Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP BARTLETT, Tenn. (AP) Seven members of a Tennessee family have been charged with murder in the starvation death of a 14-year-old boy, authorities said. A mother and six relatives who lived together in a community home arrangement in the Memphis suburb of Bartlett have been indicted on charges of murder in the perpetration of aggravated child abuse and neglect, the Shelby County district attorney's office said Tuesday. Tim Castilleja was so rattled about testifying in a murder trial last week that federal agents had to arrest him to get him into court. On the stand, Castilleja told jurors that he feared reprisals for telling them what he saw at his tavern on the Yakama Indian Reservation two years ago. But his testimony was important for prosecutors making the case that Jordan Stevens, a member of the Yakama tribe, had shot and killed Alillia "Lala" Minthorn, 25, and then hidden her body in a remote wilderness on the reservation. Stevens was convicted of murder on Thursday. Two days later, Castilleja's tavern burned to the ground - and the witness has also vanished, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported. Now the FBI is working with local authorities to determine what happened to Castilleja's establishment, the Brownstown Tavern, and to try to find Castilleja. The fire and disappearance are a twist to a case that federal authorities had heralded as proof of their renewed focus on violent crime on Indian reservations, where advocates have long demanded action on unresolved cases involving missing women and girls. Last year, when the Bureau of Indian Affairs established a new cold-case task force, there were more than 1,500 unsolved cases of missing or murdered Indigenous women nationwide. "This office is committed to prosecuting aggressively cases involving violent acts committed against Native American women who reside on Reservation lands within this District," Joseph Harrington, the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, said in a statement after Stevens's conviction last week. Before the trial, Minthorn was among dozens of women listed as missing or mysteriously killed on the Yakama Indian Reservation. She was first reported missing on May 9, 2019, and was last seen getting into a car near "the compound," a homeless encampment in the reservation, according to court documents. For weeks, her whereabouts were unknown. Then, in mid-May, a woman named Jasmine McCormack called the FBI with a harrowing tale. McCormack said she had been driving with Stevens and another woman when they picked up Minthorn. They drove to a closed-off area of the reservation, north of a small community called Brownstown. Then Stevens marched Minthorn out of the car and killed her with a rifle. The motive, the feds later said, was Stevens's belief that Minthorn had talked to police about an earlier incident when he and McCormack allegedly tried to steal a vehicle and assaulted the driver. After the killing, McCormack said, she and Stevens and the other woman drove to the Brownstown Tavern, where they hung out and eventually cleaned blood out of the car. When Stevens suddenly became convinced his own blood had gotten onto Minthorn's clothes, they drove back to the remote spot where they had dumped her and removed her clothes. After talking to agents, McCormack tried to flee with Stevens, but both were arrested on May 20. Nine days later, federal agents said, McCormack led them to Minthorn's body. Castilleja later provided key supporting testimony to federal agents, telling them that he'd seen McCormack, Stevens and the other woman at his tavern on the day of the murder. He'd also seen Stevens brandishing a rifle and a woman frantically cleaning out the car. When it came time to testify in court, though, Castilleja was a no-show, the Herald-Republic reported. Chief District Judge Stanley Bastian ordered federal agents to arrest him to compel him to talk, and on the stand on June 9, he repeated what he had told federal agents - and warned that he was scared about testifying, the Herald-Republic reported at the time. On Thursday, the jury found Stevens guilty of first-degree murder. Federal authorities hailed the result as visible progress in combating a wave of crime on the reservation. "Too often, violence on the reservation results in the tragic and senseless loss of life," Donald Voiret, the FBI's special agent in charge of the Seattle field office, said in a statement. "The FBI is committed to combatting crime on our state's reservations." Then, around 4:40 a.m. on Saturday, Yakima firefighters raced to the Brownstown Tavern to find the business fully engulfed in flames. "At that point, it was unsurvivable conditions," Yakima County Fire Chief Kevin Frazier told the Herald-Republic. Castilleja, who lived in the tavern, hasn't been seen since, the Herald-Republic reported. Fire officials told the newspaper they expect to meet Thursday with FBI agents at the tavern, which was reduced to a smoldering pit of broken bricks and rubble. Stevens, meanwhile, is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in September. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) San Francisco police arrested a man hours after he allegedly stabbed a 94-year-old Asian woman Wednesday in an unprovoked attack, officials said. Officers responded to a report about a stabbing and found the woman with several stab wounds and rendered medical aid while medics arrived at the scene. The victim was taken to a local hospital, where she is expected to survive, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement. Detectives found a knife near the crime scene and obtained a photo of the man and circulated it to all police officers. Two hours later, officers arrested Daniel Cauich, 35. Cauich, who has a long criminal history, was awaiting trial on burglary charges when a judge released him from jail last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing court records. He now faces charges including attempted homicide, elder abuse and committing a felony while on bail. Investigators are working to determine if race was a motivating factor in the attack, police said. The attack comes amid a wave of assaults against Asian Americans in San Francisco and across the country since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S. In Southern California, authorities said Wednesday they are investigating another attack on an Asian American woman as a possible hate crime. A man assaulted the victim around 1 a.m. Monday as she walked to work in Culver City, a Los Angeles suburb. The attack was recorded by security cameras, and the video was released by police in an effort to identify the assailant, who fled the scene. The Culver City Police Department said the man asked the woman for a cigarette and she said she did not have one. As the victim attempted to walk away, the suspect approached her from behind, yelled a racial slur and hit her on the right side of her head causing her to fall to the ground, a police statement said. Firefighters treated the woman for a severe laceration of her right ear and took her to a hospital for treatment. Police said she is expected to make a full recovery. DETROIT (AP) The Flint water criminal case involving former Gov. Rick Snyder took a strange side trip Wednesday into bankruptcy court where his lawyers asked a judge to penalize state attorneys for distributing confidential documents from Detroit's historic financial restructuring. The documents were related to private talks between Detroit, the state and creditors while the city was trying to emerge from bankruptcy in 2014. Snyder's administration played a key role in groundbreaking deals. Armed with a search warrant in 2019, prosecutors in the attorney general's office obtained documents from computer servers controlled by other state attorneys who had represented Snyder in matters related to Flint's lead-contaminated water. The search apparently swept up sensitive documents from the Detroit bankruptcy as well as attorney-client communications of other state officials, Snyder attorney Charles Ash said. There has been a massive breach. ... We dont know how this happened and dont really know the full extent of the problem," Ash told bankruptcy Judge Thomas Tucker. The records were given to other people charged with crimes in the Flint water scandal because prosecutors have an obligation to share documents with defense lawyers. In response, John VanDeventer, chief counsel to the attorney general, told the judge that the problem can be cured by telling all parties that the records must remain confidential. The department believes this motion has little to do with the protection of sensitive information and everything to do with bringing the Flint water criminal prosecution to a halt, VanDeventer said. Snyder, who served as governor until 2019, faces misdemeanor charges of willful neglect of duty. Flint, while under the control of Snyder-appointed managers, used the Flint River for drinking water in 2014-15 without properly treating it to reduce corrosion. Lead leached from old pipes and contaminated the system. After years of discussion and plans for downtown revitalization, the Beaumont City Council ultimately voted to wait a little longer to decide whether to buy the AT&T building. Instead of approving the use of nearly $2.8 million from the rainy day fund to purchase the building and some 4 acres of property, nearly all of the seven-member elected body voted to wait 60 days to make a final decision so they can gather information and more information out to the public. Ward III Councilman Audwin Samuel was the only vote against the motion. Before the City Council even began discussing the item, Mayor Becky Ames called for a motion to table the item until after the mayoral runoff election this weekend, which ultimately was made by At-large Councilman Randy Feldschau. Im passionate about the project, and I dont want to mar it, Ames said. There are people that are saying I made it happen before I left because I wanted my way. That is farthest from the truth. I know how things work, and that some things just wont happen if they are marred from the beginning. Ames said that she didnt believe a new mayor would change the minds of council members that already have committed to the idea, but she was happy to step aside from the final decision if it meant the project had a future. Samuel said he was ready to give a motion for a vote on the purchase and was frustrated at the decision to seemingly stall at the last moment. I have questions about what just happened, Samuel told the Enterprise after the meeting. While City Attorney Tyrone Cooper said there was a provision in the proposal that was before the council on Tuesday that says the offer expired at 5 p.m. Tuesday, building owner Tom Flanagan said he would be willing to extend the offer on the condition that we set a reasonable period of time and we wouldnt be doing character assassination in the meantime. After the meeting, Flanagan told the Enterprise that he felt the proposal was still in a good place and he understood Ames decision to step away from the decision. But he noted that he only came to the bargaining table because he was convinced that most of the council was serious about fueling downtown renovation. We didnt have a for sale sign on the building, the city approached us with the idea, Flanagan said. We dont like to see any historical building tore down, but one thing that convinced us was a serious development plan that would take place over several years. The City Council attempted to buy the building in 2019 but was outbid by Flanagan at auction, who purchased the building for $2.15 million. The property last was valued at $2.6 million, according to the Jefferson County Appraisal District. Although he voted in favor of tabling the subject, Ward II Councilman Mike Getz still was the only member to say publicly that they are opposed to buying the building. In his comments, Getz said he respected Ames decision to allow more transparency in the process but still didnt agree that the council should even be considering the purchase of the building. I also want to see riverfront development, but I have been against this particular project for over two years now, Getz said. I am for downtown development, and I believe it can be done without buying a building like this. The final vote came after more than an hour and a half of public comment, in which some 20 residents gave a wide range of opinions regarding a public-backed downtown revitalization plan. Some residents thought the city should be focusing on the water and sewer system and other infrastructure projects, others supported the idea, but not if it was funded by taxpayers, while still others said theyd come around to the project in recent years. Pat Guidry noted that the city has hired three engineering firms to look at the water system, but she hasnt heard the findings of relayed to taxpayers. And when Texas experienced a catastrophic freeze earlier this year, there werent enough places for elderly or unhoused people to go. Theres just too many things that need to be addressed within our city before we consider making that kind of p urchase, she said. The building is not located on the riverfront, and I dont know how it could be used to accomodate the riverfront expansion. But LaDonna Sherwood, who noted she is a business owner, acknowledged that sometimes you have to spend money to make money. And when people ask her why she would go back to boring Beaumont, its clear that now might be the time to spend some of that money. The overall quality of life has got to be improved in Beaumont, and I feel like for so many years, its been stagnant and Beaumont has been reactive instead of proactive and being on the pioneering front of things that they can do to engage the citizens and improve the overall quality of life, she said. Im looking forward to them revitalizing downtown and the riverfront expansion. jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/jd_journalism JACKSON, Miss. (AP) A prominent Mississippi business leader said Wednesday the decision to change the state's flag has removed a significant impediment to economic development in Mississippi. Mississippi lawmakers voted last year to retire a Confederate-themed flag state as part of the national reckoning over racial injustice. This, I think, removes a significant impediment, and will change perceptions of Mississippi across this country and across the world," said Anthony Wilson, 2020-2021 Mississippi Economic Council chair, at the councils annual meeting in Jackson. The Mississippi Economic Council was a staunch supporter of the legislature's decision to surrender the last state banner in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. The rebel flag has been used by Ku Klux Klan groups and is widely condemned as racist. During the November 2020 Election, Mississippi voters approved the new state flag with a magnolia and the phrase In God We Trust." That flag was officially adopted by the state Legislature this year. The flag was displayed prominently at the in-person event at the Jackson Convention Complex, which drew hundreds of business leaders from across the state. Dozens of small state flags lined a red carpet in front of a stage and podium, behind which was displayed another massive state flag. Wilson, who is president and CEO of Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, said he is filled with pride when he sees people all over Mississippi choosing to fly the new flag. I see more state flags today than I ever have in my life," he said. Without question, taking down the controversial state flag was a defining moment for our state. Also present at the event was Tribal Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Cyrus Ben, who was one of the nine members selected by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves to serve on the Mississippi State Flag Commission. Commission members parsed through thousands of designs submitted by the public to chose a final design to put on the November ballot. Ben said serving on the commission was an honor that gave him a chance to educate people in Mississippi about the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the state's only federally recognized Native American tribe. It's a perspective that has historically been forgotten or overlooked, he said. Many are not aware of who we are, that we are still alive and thriving here in central Mississippi, he said. The new flag design features a gold star is made of diamond shapes that are significant to the Choctaw culture. Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority John Rounsaville was a panelist at the event. He said the importance of the flag change to a business looking to come to Mississippi depends on the industry. On your consumer-facing manufacturers or consumer-facing businesses, it can be important its not a major topic of discussion," Rounsaville said. But when we talk to site consultants, and even some companies, there have been times when it comes up. I think, overall, its very favorable to the state of Mississippi to have the flag change, he added. The governor did not specifically mention the flag in his address at the meeting, instead focusing on the economic growth in the state during the last year. Reeves said the average capital investment in the state of Mississippi during the last 10 years was $900 million per year. In 2020, it was $1.7 billion, he said. After his speech, when asked about the flag and other major factors that contributed to that economic growth, Reeves said: This business community that is represented here today has worked very closely with our administration to remove hurdles, and to make Mississippi an even better place to invest capital and create jobs. ___ Leah Willingham is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Thousands of Central California farmers were warned Tuesday that they could face water cutoffs this summer as the state deals with a drought that already has curtailed federal and state irrigation supplies. The State Water Resources Control Board notified about 6,600 farmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed who have rights to use water from the Central Valley estuary of impending water unavailability" that may continue until winter rains come. This is how dry things are, water board Chairman Joaquin Esquivel told the Sacramento Bee. The hydrology that were seeing is not there ... There will not be enough natural flow. The state also must provide enough flow in the rivers to maintain populations of protected fish species in rivers while keeping cities and communities from running out of water, Esquivel said. It's unclear when the allocations will be cut or whom it will affect. Some farmers have first crack at supplies under a complicated distribution system involving rights-holders. Many farmers already have been told they will get little or nothing from two large allocation systems, the federal Central Valley Project and the State Water Project. In May, the federal government announced that it was slashing allocations for agricultural and urban uses because of projected drops in water flow to the Sacramento, Feather, Yuba and American rivers. The 2021 water year for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basin is currently the driest since 1977," the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation warned. Gov. Gavin Newsom last month declared a drought emergency for much of the state, including the Central Valley, and the U.S. Drought Monitor says most of California's population is in areas suffering from extensive drought just a few years after California emerged from the last punishing multiyear dry spell. California has seen unusually dry winters and extraordinarily warm spring temperatures. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides about a third of the states water, was at just 59% of average on April 1, when it is normally at its peak. And the warm spring led to quick melting of the snowpack in the waterways that feed the Sacramento River, which in turn supplies much of the states summer water supply. LHASA, China (AP) A brisk wind ruffles yellow prayer flags as dozens of Tibetans, some on crutches, circle a shrine in a time-honored Buddhist ritual. Across the street, a red banner spells out a new belief system, one being enforced with increasing fervor, of China's ruling Communist Party. Xi Jinpings new socialist ideology with Chinese characteristics is the guide for the whole party and all nationalities to fight for the great rejuvenation of China, the sign proclaims in Tibetan and Chinese script, referring to China's leader, who has sought to put his imprint on virtually every aspect of life across the vast county. Lately, that has increasingly encompassed religion, both in central China and on its fringes, such as Tibet. The party is pressing a program to Sinicize Tibetan life through programs to separate Tibetans from their language, culture, and especially, their devotion to the Dalai Lama, Tibets traditional spiritual leader who has lived in exile since 1959. In the sun-drenched courtyard of the Jokhang Temple, one of the holiest sites in Tibetan Buddhism, the head monk, Lhakpa, said the Dalai Lama is not its spiritual leader. Asked who is, he said: Xi Jinping. The Associated Press joined a rare and strictly controlled media tour to Tibet highlighting what the government describes as the social stability and economic development of the region after 70 years of Communist Party rule. Stops included monasteries, temples, schools, poverty alleviation projects and tourist sites. That appears to reflect the party's confidence that it is prevailing in the global battle of public opinion over Tibet. As a counterweight, Tibet rights groups continue to report frequent detentions, economic marginalization, a suffocating security presence and heavy pressure to assimilate with Chinas Han majority while pledging loyalty to the Communist Party. Tibetans in exile say they were effectively independent for centuries and accuse China of trying to wipe out Tibets Buddhist culture and language while exploiting its natural resources and encouraging Chinese to move there from other parts of the country. Beijing says Tibet has long been a part of China and that the Communists liberated hundreds of thousands of illiterate serfs when they overthrew the ruling theocracy in 1951. Security has been tightened significantly since widespread anti-government protests in 2008, shortly before the Beijing Summer Olympics, accompanied by redoubled efforts at economic development and the declining influence of Buddhism. In the model village of Baji east of Lhasa, the capital, residents dressed in traditional garments told foreign journalists how poverty alleviation campaigns had changed their lives. Time has changed, so peoples demands have changed. People needed religious beliefs as their spiritual sustenance in old times, but now we dont," said Tsering Yudron, 25, an accountant. The government points to the billions of dollars it has invested in roads, airports, railways, schools and hospitals, saying development has doubled life expectancy, brought electrification, jobs, and opportunities to a region that long lagged behind. Tibet has eradicated extreme poverty, reads a 2019 government report on Tibet. People now lead better lives and live in contentment. A brand new socialist Tibet has taken shape. The impact on traditional culture has been stark. Like Christians and Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists have increasingly been pressured to Sinicize their religions under a program put forth by Xi, China's most authoritarian leader since Mao Zedong. While repression has been less harsh than in nearby Xinjiang, which has seen mass incarcerations of Turkic Muslims, residents are under extreme pressure to monitor each other and infractions can bring long prison sentences, rights groups say. The party has evolved a system to try to control Tibetans through their faith, said Robert Barnett, a Tibet scholar at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Especially since the 2008 protests, the government has sought to get the love of the Communist Party into those Tibetan minds when theyre children, he said. From campuses to homes, portraits of Xi now hang from the walls of homes and temples as once did images of the Dalai Lama. Tibetan Buddhism should be guided in adapting to the socialist society and should be developed in the Chinese context, Xi said last year during a meeting focused on Tibet. China has increasingly vilified the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet amid a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, and has in recent years relinquished his political role as head of the self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile. Seeking to quell protests that pop up every decade or so, the party banned all images of the Dalai Lama in 1996, excised the exiled leader from books and broadcasts, and installed cadres in most villages, monasteries and nunneries. While the Dalai Lama says he seeks only meaningful autonomy under Chinese rule, Beijing accuses him of supporting terrorism and seeking to split Tibet from China, and has cut off all contacts with his representatives. With the Dalai Lama soon to turn 86, attention has increasingly turned to the question of his succession, or reincarnation as traditional belief holds. The successor is traditionally identified by senior monastic disciples, based on spiritual signs and visions. But China says that only Beijing can appoint the next Dalai Lama in a ceremony using a golden urn to pick from among candidates approved by the central government. Reincarnation of living Buddhas including the Dalai Lama must comply with Chinese laws and regulations and follow religious rituals and historical conventions, said a foreign ministry spokesperson in 2019. At the government-built Tibetan Buddhist College outside of Lhasa, more than 900 students study religion along with politics, law, computer science, Chinese and Tibetan. Among them are eight monks aged 7 to 11, recognized as reincarnations or living Buddhas. Chalk art celebrating 70 years of Chinas military takeover of Tibet adorns the wall next to a portrait of Xi in a class taught in Tibetan. We must adhere to the leadership of the party over the religious affairs and the Sinicization of religions. We must continue to accommodate the religions to the socialist system of China, said Zhang Liangtian, the colleges top communist party official. China has built a network of schools and institutions across Tibet to try and manufacture a domesticated version of Tibetan Buddhism to counter the leadership in exile, said Dibyesh Anand, the head of University of Westminsters international relations department in London. The goal, Anand says, is to change the very core of Tibetan Buddhism by generating confusion about the Dalai Lama and his leadership, and eventually to dismantle his legacy as a paramount national leader. China has meanwhile sought to elevate other spiritual figures, particularly Tibetan Buddhism's second ranking figure, the Panchen Lama. A boy recognized by the Dalai Lama as the new Panchen disappeared soon after and Beijing produced its own successor, whose legitimacy is highly contested. Zhang, the Tibet Buddhism Colleges top party official, said that while the Dalai Lama had betrayed his country," the Panchen Lamas love the country and the religion. Barnett said the close management of schools is a campaign to change the minds of future generations of Tibetans to push for removing the possibility that people will listen to the Dalai Lama if they even get to hear what he says." Still, China believes it needs a religious leader to act as their proxy in order to control Tibet, Barnett said. It's all about a long-term historical project to control the next Dalai Lama," he said, even if you cant control this one. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A Colorado couple is donating $25 million to a capital campaign for Maine Medical Center, the states largest hospital. The largest single donation to the hospital comes from John and Leslie Malone, who spend summers in Boothbay Harbor. Leslie Malone recently received cardiac care at the hospital. We were very impressed by the level of care that Leslie received at Maine Medical Center, John Malone said in a statement. We believe strongly in supporting healthcare innovation, and ensuring that all who call Maine home have access to world-class care. The donation will go to the hospitals $150 million capital improvement program. A new tower for cardiac and vascular service, which will be named for the Malones, will consolidate the hospitals cardiac and vascular care into one building. It will feature modern surgery space and 64 patient beds. John Malone, 80, is a cable television executive, former CEO of Tele-Communications Inc. and chairman of Liberty Media, which owns the Atlanta Braves. Hes also a large land owner whose holdings include 1 million acres in Maine, the Portland Press Herald reported. Malone, who serves on the board of the libertarian Cato Institute, has given tens of millions of dollars in donations to other institutions including Colorado State University, Yale University and John Hopkins University. He's also a political donor who gave $500,000 to a political action committee that supported GOP Sen. Susan Collins' reelection. With the gift, Maine Med has now raised $135 million of its $150 million goal. The project, called The Next 150, comes 150 years after the cornerstone of the original hospital was set. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) The city council in Columbia, South Carolina, has banned licensed therapists from offering conversion therapy to minors in attempts to change their sexual orientations or gender identities. News outlets reported that the body passed the ordinance Tuesday in a 4-3 vote. Columbia is the first city in the state to ban the practice, Jeff March, president of the LGBTQ advocacy group SC Pride, told The Post and Courier. Local officials in the states capital and second-largest city said they received hundreds of messages supporting or opposing the measure after it unanimously passed the council on a first vote May 4. Eleven of the 14 community members who spoke at Tuesdays council meeting opposed the ban, according to The State. Some said it would affect their First Amendment rights and religious freedoms. Council member Howard Duvall said the ordinance doesnt interfere with pastor-resident conversations. Most of the pastors in South Carolina are not licensed practitioners, Duvall said. The practice of conversion therapy has been shown to be a terrible practice on young adults. The ordinance will prevent licensed therapists and counselors from providing whats known as conversion therapy to individuals under the age of 18 within city limits. Violations will constitute a civil penalty and carry a $500 fine. The council passed a separate resolution Tuesday in support of statewide legislation that would prohibit conversion therapy for minors. It passed 6-1 but doesnt carry the force of law. Council member Daniel Rickenmann, a mayoral candidate, cast the sole dissenting vote. He also voted against the Columbia ban. I believe this is a family choice, and we need to allow the families to make those decisions, Rickenmann said. Twenty states and Washington, D.C., have prohibited conversion therapy for minors to date, according to news outlets. Dozens of cities and counties across the U.S. have also opposed it. The second-largest county in Kentucky banned it in May. In 2019, a federal judge tossed a lawsuit that challenged Marylands ban on conversion therapy for minors. But a federal appeals court in November blocked the enforcement of local bans in Florida, siding with two therapists who said their free speech rights were violated. Republican state Sen. Josh Kimbrell asked South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson to block the Columbia ordinance last month. He also introduced a bill before the General Assembly adjourned that he said would override the ban. It cant be considered until the 2022 session starts in January. BOSTON (AP) A company that authorities say failed to deliver on a contract to supply one million N95 face masks to the state of Massachusetts and then made false statements in connection with its obligation to refund the state has agreed to pay nearly $3.5 million to settle the allegations, the state attorney general's office said Wednesday. The company, Salem-based Bedrock Group LLC, signed a $3.6 million contract with the state in April 2020 in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic to supply the masks, essential for health care workers, according to a statement from authorities. The state made the purchase after it was contacted by the companys president with an offer to supply the masks, which the president said would come from a reputable manufacturer in China. The masks were supposed to be shipped to the state in mid-April 2020, but the order was terminated in June after fewer than 100,000 of the masks were delivered. Bedrock repeatedly acknowledged its obligation to refund the state but failed to do so, according to the attorney general's office. This company tried to take advantage of the state by holding onto millions of taxpayer dollars it owed for masks that it never delivered, Attorney General Maura Healey said. In addition to repaying the money, Bedrock is not allowed to seek another state contract for five years. Bedrock does not admit to wrongdoing in the settlement and blamed the problem on the supplier. Bedrock was confronted with demands for additional fees well outside their agreement with their Chinese supplier, company officer Jonathan Roth said in a statement. ___ MBTA WEEKEND SERVICE In a sign that the coronavirus is easing in Massachusetts, weekend service on all Boston-area commuter rail lines is scheduled to resume on July 3. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Keolis, which runs the system, shut down weekend service on seven of the 12 lines in January because the pandemic resulted in much lower ridership levels. The decision to resume full weekend service came as demand for it increased, the T said Tuesday. More than 50% of the pre-pandemic ridership has returned to the commuter rail lines still offering weekend service. Resumption of weekend service represents a major milestone in the MBTAs aggressive plans to restore service to meet rider demand, T General Manager Steve Poftak said in a statement. Weekend service on the Fitchburg, Franklin, Greenbush, Haverhill, Kingston, Lowell, and Needham lines was halted in January. ___ IMMUNIZATIONS Nearly 8.3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Massachusetts as of Wednesday. That includes more than 4.3 million first doses and more than 3.7 million second doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. There have been more than 266,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered. More than 4 million people have been fully immunized. Gov. Charlie Baker has set a goal of 4.1 million people in the state fully vaccinated. ___ VIRUS BY THE NUMBERS The number of new daily cases of COVID-19 increased by about 60 on Wednesday while the number of newly confirmed coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts rose by four. The new numbers pushed the states confirmed COVID-19 death toll to 17,590 since the start of the pandemic, while its confirmed caseload rose to nearly 663,000. The true number of cases is likely higher because studies suggest some people can be infected and not feel sick. There were fewer than 120 people reported hospitalized Wednesday because of confirmed cases of COVID-19, with about 40 in intensive care units. The average age of those hospitalized was 59. There were an estimated 2,300 people with current active cases of COVID-19 in the state. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Charlie Gerow, a longtime conservative activist, said he will run for governor of Pennsylvania, formally joining the field of candidates vying for the Republican Party's nomination next year. Gerow, 66, runs a communications and marketing firm in Harrisburg, is vice chairman of the American Conservative Union and is a rank-and-file state party committee member. He is also known to Sunday morning television audiences in central Pennsylvania for appearing for more than two decades on Face the State, a public affairs show on the local CBS affiliate. Gerow said he will formally announce his campaign on Thursday at a volunteer firehouse in Cumberland County. Gerow has appeared on the GOP's event circuit in recent months, speaking to audiences as a potential candidate. This would be Gerow's first statewide campaign after running unsuccessfully for Congress and the state Legislature in the past. The governor's office is open in 2023 since Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, is term-limited. To succeed him, Democrats are coalescing around Pennsylvanias second-term Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who has said he expects to run for governor, but has yet to formally announce his candidacy. On the Republican side, already declared is Lou Barletta, the former four-term congressman who was the partys nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 before he lost to Democrat Bob Casey. Other Republicans who have said they are interested in running include U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, Bill McSwain, a former chief federal prosecutor in Philadelphia, and state Sens. Dan Laughlin, Scott Martin and Doug Mastriano. Several others are declared candidates: Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale, Pittsburgh lawyer Jason Richey and Dr. Nche Zama, a cardiothoracic surgeon. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the correct network affiliate of Face the State is CBS, not ABC. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California's county elections officials are urging the lieutenant governor not to schedule the expected recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom before mid-September. One reason? Any earlier and they can't guarantee enough paper to print ballots. The California Association of Clerks and Election Officials (CACEO) members are committed to running an efficient, accurate, cost-effective, and transparent election," the group wrote in a Monday letter. We urge the Lieutenant Governors office (to) take our concerns seriously, which will allow us to conduct a successful election process. We owe this to our voters." The election date remains uncertain. While the state has signaled the recall has qualified for the ballot, several convoluted steps remain before it is certified to go to voters. Among them: formally estimating the cost of the election. Democrats who control the Legislature already voted to give counties $215 million and are trying to change the recall law to speed up the process, potentially allowing the recall to be scheduled by late summer. Meanwhile, the county clerks are warning against moving too fast. Many California counties mailed everyone a ballot before the pandemic, but for the 2020 election the state required all counties to do so because of coronavirus concerns. Lawmakers extended that rule for 2021 elections, meaning more paper costs for local officials. Printers that supply the majority of the states counties with ballots told local officials they cant provide materials to hold an election any earlier than Sept. 14. Because the contest hasnt been certified, officials still dont know how many candidates will run and how much paper theyll need. In the 2003 governors recall, more than 100 people sought the office. The clerks also noted some counties need to recruit poll workers in up to 14 different languages, with a training process than can take two to four months. That process is even harder in the summer, they said. Their letter lists a host of other potential logistical problems, including the trouble of renting vehicles to help transport ballots and set up vote centers during the summer travel season. The recall will be California's only statewide election this year, coming about a year before Newsom's regularly scheduled 2022 reelection. Republicans already running against him include former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, businessman John Cox, reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner and former congressman Doug Ose. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced all candidates running in the recall must release their five most recent years of tax returns. The Democratically-controlled Legislature passed a law requiring candidates for governor to release their returns in 2019. But the law applies to candidates running in a primary and is silent on a recall, and someone may challenge Weber's interpretation. Ose and a spokesman for Faulconer said they would release their returns. Anthony Ramirez, a spokesman for John Cox, said Cox would be on the ballot but did not directly answer whether he would release his returns. A spokesman for Jenner said the campaign will meet all requirements of the recall election. Newsom released his 2019 tax returns in May. He requested an extension on his 2020 returns and has not yet filed them. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) As the coronavirus pandemic raged over the past year, Virginia prison officials released more than 2,100 inmates early to try to control the spread of the virus by reducing the prison population. That practice will end on July 1, the Department of Corrections announced Wednesday. In April 2020, state lawmakers approved a proposed budget amendment from Gov. Ralph Northam giving the director of the Department of Corrections authority to consider early release for inmates with less than one year left to serve on their sentences. Inmates convicted of a Class 1 felony or a sexually violent offense were not eligible. A total of 2,114 state inmates were released early 1,326 from state DOC facilities and 788 from local jails. The authorization for the early release plan expires on July 1, the same day Virginia's COVID-19 State of Emergency is scheduled to end. The average daily inmate population at the end of April was 23,897. The early release plan was an innovative way to ensure the safety and security of our incarcerated population as well as the public," Brian Moran, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, said in a news release. Prison officials considered multiple factors when deciding who was eligible for early release, including the offense type and history, medical conditions, a documented and approved home plan, good time earning level and recidivism risk. Some inmate advocates said the program did not reduce the prison population as significantly as they had hoped. Maisie Osteen, an attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center's Civil Rights and Racial Justice Program, said the program's strict eligibility guidelines limited the number of inmates who were considered for early release. The scope was just far too narrow and really didn't offer the relief we were hoping for and a lot of other advocates were hoping for, Osteen said. We should acknowledge that there was some small relief offered from this program. It just wasn't as far-reaching as we'd hoped. Department of Corrections Director Harold Clarke said that about 70% of the inmate population has now been vaccinated against COVID-19, and there are no current cases among the population. A total of 56 inmates and five staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 have died during the pandemic. The DOC said it is planning a phased-in approach to allow visitors back into prisons while continuing to follow federal guidelines for congregate settings. Face masks continue to be required in congregate settings, including correctional facilities. Last month, the state eased all distancing and capacity restrictions, with Northam citing increased vaccination rates in the state's population, and declining COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and the statewide test positivity rate. Governor Northam will continue to work with our public safety and public health officials to monitor infection and vaccination rates in Virginia and consider mitigation measures as necessary," said Alena Yarmosky, Northam's spokeswoman. ___ This story has been corrected to note that Virginias COVID-19 State of Emergency and the authorization for the early release of inmates both end on July 1. WASHINGTON (AP) House Democrats and Republicans backed away Wednesday from a tit-for-tat battle over punishing firebrand lawmakers from the other party, setting aside for now a fight that risked inflicting political damage on each side. The mutual reluctance to battle anew over statements by Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., reflects concerns that a partisan attack would only ease the headaches that each lawmaker has inflicted on her own party. Each side also worries that such a fight would give the targeted lawmaker fresh attention and bolster their already formidable fundraising abilities. A Republican attempt to strip Omar of her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee would distract from Democratic divisions over her recent remarks, a top GOP aide said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe closed-door conversations. Omar last week tweeted about unthinkable atrocities" committed by the United States, Israel, Hamas and the Taliban. House Democratic leaders and a dozen Jewish Democratic lawmakers complained that those remarks drew a false and damaging equivalence between the two countries and the hard-line groups. Omar later said she was not drawing a moral comparison. Omar's comments had prompted progressive lawmakers to rally around her and criticize their Democratic colleagues for mistreating women of color in the party, in an embarrassing display of divisiveness. Enough with the anti-Blackness and Islamophobia, tweeted Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo. Omar is one of two Muslim women in Congress. Even so, several Democrats said any GOP effort to strip Omar of her committee assignments would be defeated, despite Democrats' narrow majority. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Tuesday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., should remove Omar from the committee. Pelosi has shown no interest in doing that. Speaking on Fox News' Fox and Friends, McCarthy also said that if Republicans win House control in the 2022 elections, Omar would not be serving on Foreign Affairs, or anybody that has an anti-Semitic, anti-American view. At a closed-door House GOP meeting later Tuesday, no rank-and-file lawmakers went to the microphones to talk about Omar, the Republican aide said. Meanwhile, Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said late Wednesday that he was abandoning his plan for a House vote censuring Greene. Greene in May compared required mask wearing in the House chamber, imposed by Pelosi to protect against COVID-19, to Nazis requiring Jews to wear a gold star and herding them into gas chambers during the Holocaust. The stars were actually yellow. Greene apologized for her remarks Monday, telling reporters she had just visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and saying, Theres no comparison and there never ever will be. In a statement, Schneider said he was accepting her apology and would hold off at this time. He added: I hope that Congress can take the necessary steps to serve as a model to a nation desperately in need of leaders willing to correct themselves when they are wrong. Greene, a first-term hard-right conservative, has long promoted conspiracy theories. She also has indicated support on social media for calls for violence, including before her election suggesting support for shooting Pelosi in the head. The House took the rare step of stripping Greene of her committee assignments in February for her statements. All but 11 Republicans opposed that move. In 2019 shortly after Omar arrived in Congress, the House approved a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry without mentioning her after she made remarks that critics said accused Israel supporters of having dual allegiances. Those included a tweet saying, "Its all about the Benjamins baby, a reference to $100 bills that some said suggested Israel's backers were motivated by political contributions. MADRID (AP) The European Union moved a step closer Wednesday to deploying the blocs massive pandemic recovery fund, with a top executive going to Portugal and Spain to announce the blocs initial endorsement of their national spending plans. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen first visited Portugal, which was the first of the EUs 27 countries to formally present ideas for spending its share of the 800 billion euros ($970 billion) earmarked last year to help countries out of a sharp economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. She then crossed the border to visit Madrid, where she met with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to give the stamp of approval to Spains plan to use nearly 70 billion euros ($85 billion) in grant money. The commission highlighted Spains emphasis on the environment with investments in renewable energy and climate-friendly technologies like electric cars. This plan will deeply transform Spains economy, make it greener, more digital, more resilient, von der Leyen said. We have endorsed this plan because it is ambitious, far-sighted and will help build a better future for the Spanish people. The commissions green light for the proposals will have to ratified by the leaders of the member states within four weeks. In coming years, Spain is also to receive an additional 70 million euros in loans, leaving it only behind Italy as the biggest beneficiary of the funds after both southern European countries were the first of the bloc to be pummeled by the pandemic. In Portugal, von der Leyen told Prime Minister Antonio Costa that his governments plan for how to use its 16.6 billion-euro windfall ($20 billion) in grants and loans has earned the commissions blessing. Portugal says much of its spending will go to improving the public health network, reducing pollution from public transportation, making housing more energy efficient and buying computers for schools. So far, 23 of the EUs 27 countries have submitted their spending plans to Brussels authorities, which vet them to ensure they are in line with the blocs policy goals. EU officials will follow up later to check whether nations are abiding by their commitments. The EUs 1.1 trillion-euro ($1.3 trillion) seven-year budget from next year will also help national economies recover from the economic hurt caused by COVID-19. Von der Leyen also plans to visit Greece, Denmark and Luxembourg later this week. She started her tour of member states a day after the bloc launched its bond sale for the EU Next Generation funds. Johannes Hahn, the European Commission for Budget and Administration, said Tuesday that the issue of 20 billion euros in bonds was the largest ever issuance from a European public sector institution and the largest amount the EU has raised in a single transaction. BRUSSELS (AP) The European Unions testy relations with Russia are likely to get worse and the blocs 27 member countries must ensure that Moscow does not divide them, the EUs top diplomat warned Wednesday. Unveiling a report on ways to deal with what the Europeans believe is an increasingly authoritarian Russia hostile to the West, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the likelihood that ties will improve anytime soon remains a distant prospect. The EU, Borrell told reporters in Brussels, needs to be realistic and prepare for a further downturn of our relations with Russia, which right now are at the lowest level. His new strategy will be debated by EU leaders at a June 24-25 summit. It focuses on pushing back when Russia infringes international law or human rights, containing Moscow when it pressures the EU and engaging on issues that are in Europes interests. But member countries are deeply divided over the best approach to take with Moscow. Russia is the EUs biggest natural gas supplier. It also plays a key role in a series of international conflicts and issues, including the Iran nuclear deal and conflicts in Syria and Libya. European heavyweight Germany has strong economic interests with Russia, notably the NordStream 2 undersea pipeline project, and a number of countries, including the other heavyweight EU member France, are reluctant when it comes to imposing sanctions on Russia. Borrell, who was publicly humiliated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a trip to Moscow in February, said the only way to force Russia to listen to the EU is for its member states to refuse to be divided or do bilateral deals with President Vladimir Putin's government. I have been told directly: Russia is not interested in engaging with the European Union and they prefer to go directly to talk with member states that are especially relevant for them, said Borrell, as U.S. President Joe Biden and Putin were holding talks in Geneva. If Europeans want to show unity in front of Russia, and they want really to implement this policy, they will have to understand that they cannot go one by one having bilateral deals, he said. If everybody said: You have to talk with the European Union, then Russia will have to talk with the European Union or talk with no one. AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) A proposal for Maine to require statewide regulations on the use of facial recognition by police and other agencies has cleared its first hurdle in the state Legislature. It was unanimously approved by Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee last month, and received initial approval in both chambers of the Legislature. Further votes are needed. JERUSALEM (AP) Mai Afaneh appeared to have a happy family life and a fulfilling career. So when she left her West Bank home early on Wednesday, no one thought anything was wrong. But a short while later, her family received the devastating news that she had been shot and killed by Israeli troops, allegedly after carrying out an attempted car-ramming attack. In just a few short moments, she became another statistic the latest in a list of Palestinians killed by the Israeli military under unclear circumstances. The cases play out in a similar pattern. The army reports an attempted attack by a Palestinian assailant, usually acting alone and unaffiliated with any militant group. Then, it says troops neutralized the attacker. Some 20 Israelis have been killed in shootings, stabbings and car-ramming attacks since 2018, according to Israels Foreign Ministry. Many others have been badly hurt. But not all cases are clear. In cases without Israeli casualties, sometimes there is video evidence to support the account. Other times, there isnt. Human rights groups say many of the attackers could have been stopped without killing them, and in some cases, have suggested innocent people were killed. Military investigations are sometimes launched but rarely provide clarity and almost never find wrongdoing on the part of troops. Families, meanwhile, are left wondering what really happened to their loved ones. Afaneh, who was 28, left an inconclusive trail of clues behind her. She had suffered some health problems. There were some distraught Facebook posts about Palestinians killed by Israel. But relatives said she had no reason or ability to carry out an attack. She had earned her doctorate in psychology in Jordan, was happily teaching at a local university and had a good family life with her husband and 5-year-old daughter, relatives said. She was not politically affiliated. All she cared about was her studies and helping her family and husband, said her father, Khaled Afaneh. He said the previous night she was laughing and talkative before dropping off her daughter to spend the night with the grandparents. He said she needed colon surgery, had just gotten out of the hospital and was very weak. Even if she really wanted to attack, they could easily stop her. There was no justification to kill her, he said, speaking at the familys home in Abu Dis, a town on the eastern outskirts of Jerusalem. According to the military, Afaneh drove her car toward a group of soldiers who were guarding a construction site in Hizmeh, about a half-hour drive from her home, then got out of the vehicle brandishing a knife before she was shot. The military said one soldier was lightly injured jumping out of the way of the car. It said there were no security cameras at the scene so it couldn't provide footage of the incident. I believe she lost control over the car. Maybe she entered the wrong way, said her uncle, Usama Afaneh. I dont believe she intended to do anything. Its not her nature. The uncle said she had told her husband that morning that she was going out to pick up some breakfast. He had no idea how she ended up so far away from the house but speculated she was on her way to the city of Ramallah, where she sometimes did work for her university. Despite her upbeat demeanor, some of Afaneh's posts on social media were troubling. On May 15, at the height of Israels war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip last month, she posted a photo of what appears to be a dead Palestinian child. We will stay here, either martyrdom or victory, she wrote. A smaller photo showed her with a Palestinian flag painted on her face. On Instagram, she wrote: There is no more life left to live. The following day, under the same photo of the child, she wrote on Facebook: My little one, your tears are cleaner than Zamzam water, referring to a spring in Saudi Arabia that is revered by Muslims. We will give birth to children even if we know that they will be martyrs in the future. Her father played down the posts, saying they were written at the height of a bloody war and reflected the general mood of Palestinians at the time. He said he remained in shock as he searched for answers. I didnt expect this to happen. Actually I dont know what happened. Nobody has seen what happened, he said. TAMPA, Fla. (AP) A Florida man was convicted of killing a man with a machete after he and others broke into a marijuana grow house, prosecutors said in a Wednesday press release. A judge in Hillsborough County sentenced Yuniel Sentmanat-Gonzalez, 41, to life in prison after a jury convicted him late Tuesday night of first-degree felony murder, burglary of a dwelling and attempted robbery. The U.S. Army has hidden or downplayed the extent to which its firearms disappear, significantly understating losses and thefts even as some weapons are used in street crimes. The Armys pattern of secrecy and suppression dates back nearly a decade, when The Associated Press began investigating weapons accountability within the military. Officials fought the release of information for years, then offered misleading answers that contradict internal records. Military guns arent just disappearing. Stolen weapons have been used in shootings, brandished to rob and threaten people, including children, and recovered in the hands of felons. Thieves sold assault rifles to a street gang. Army officials cited information that suggests only a couple of hundred firearms vanished during the 2010s. Internal Army memos that AP obtained show losses many times higher. Efforts to suppress information date to 2012, when AP filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records from a registry where all four armed services are supposed to report firearms loss or theft. The former Army insider who oversaw this registry described how he pulled an accounting of the Armys lost or stolen weapons. His superiors later blocked its release. As AP continued to press for information, including through legal challenges, the Army produced a list of missing weapons that was clearly incomplete. They later produced a second set of records that also did not give a full count. During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, when AP first published its investigation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., challenged Army Secretary Christine Wormuth on her branchs release of information. Id be happy to look into how weve handled this issue, Wormuth replied. The Army wasnt alone in keeping details of missing weapons from the public. While the Marines and Navy produced accountings, the Air Force refused to release data or discuss trends. Brig. Gen. Duane Miller, the Army's No. 2 law enforcement official, said missing weapons cases are thoroughly investigated and represent a small fraction of the Army's more than 10,000 felony cases each year. I absolutely believe that the procedures we had in place absolutely mitigated any weapon from getting lost or stolen, Miller said of his own experience as a commander. But does it happen? It sure does. The Associated Press began investigating the loss and theft of military firearms by asking a simple question in 2011: How many guns are unaccounted for across the Army, Marines Corps, Navy and Air Force? AP was told the answer could be found in the Department of Defense Small Arms and Light Weapons Registry. That centralized database, which the Army oversees, tracks the life cycle of rifles, pistols, shotguns, machine guns and more. Getting data from the registry, however, would require a formal Freedom of Information Act request. That request, filed in 2012, came to Charles Royal, then the longtime Army civilian employee who was in charge of the registry at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Royal was accustomed to inquiries. Military and civilian law enforcement agencies would call him thousands of times each year, often because they were looking for a military weapon or had recovered one. In response to APs request, Royal pulled data on missing weapons, then showed the results to his boss. After he got it, he said, We cant be letting this out like this, said Royal. His boss didnt say exactly why, but Royal, who is now retired, said the release he prepared was heavily scrutinized within the Army. The numbers that we were going to give was going to kind of freak everybody out to a certain extent, Royal said -- not just because they were firearms, but also because the military requires strict supervision of them. AP was unable to reach Royals boss and an Army spokesman had no comment on the handling of the FOIA request. The Army told AP in 2013 it would not release anything. The AP appealed, and won, but it wasn't until 2019 that the Army released a small batch of data from the registry. The records listed 288 firearms over six years. Though years in the making, the response was clearly incomplete. So reporters filed another records act request, this time for criminal investigations. In response, Armys Criminal Investigation Command produced summaries of closed missing weapons cases. Army officials cited those as encompassing the most accurate list of losses. The total -- 230 missing rifles or handguns during the 2010s -- was yet again a clear undercount. Armys first two answers -- 288 and 230 -- are contradicted by an internal analysis. In 2019 and 2020, the Army distributed memos saying the numbers of missing arms and arms components remain the same or increased over the seven years covered by the memos. Army officials cautioned the internal memos may have mistakes. The document counted 1,303 missing rifles and handguns from 2013-2019. It cited theft and neglect as the most common factors. ___ Hall reported from Nashville, Tennessee; LaPorta reported from Boca Raton, Florida; Pritchard reported from Los Angeles. Also contributing were Lolita Baldor and Dan Huff in Washington; Brian Barrett in New York; and Justin Myers in Chicago. __ Contact Hall at https://twitter.com/kmhall; contact LaPorta at https://twitter.com/jimlaporta; contact Pritchard at https://twitter.com/JPritchardAP __ Email APs Global Investigations Team at investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/. See other work at https://www.apnews.com/hub/ap-investigations. GROVETOWN, Ga. (AP) A former mayor in Georgia has received a prestigious military honor from the government of France for his service during World War II. Vincent Hommeril, the consul general of France in Atlanta, placed the Legion of Honor on 96-year-old Dennis Trudeau at a ceremony Friday in Grovetown, the Augusta Chronicle reports. Trudeau was once mayor of the city in eastern Georgia. PARIS (AP) A Frenchman accused of inspiring the kidnapping of a young girl arrived in his home country Wednesday to face changes following his expulsion from Malaysia. France had issued an Interpol arrest notice for Remy Daillet-Wiedemann, who was detained on immigration charges by Malaysia after living for several years in the Southeast Asian country. His return was delayed by 48 hours in transit in Singapore over concerns about his pregnant partner's health. BERLIN (AP) A German-Algerian woman was convicted Wednesday of membership in the Islamic State group and of holding Yazidi women as slaves in Syria after she traveled there as a teenager. She was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison. The state court in Duesseldorf announced its verdict against the 23-year-old defendant, identified only as Sarah O. in line with German privacy rules, after a trial held behind closed doors because some of the offenses were committed when she was a minor. ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) A federal appeals court on Wednesday reinstated a lawsuit from a northern Virginia student who said her school failed to take appropriate action after she said she was sexually assaulted on a band trip. The student, who has since graduated, said administrators at Oakton High School in Fairfax County, treated her with indifference after she said another student touched her inappropriately without her consent on a school bus during an out-of-state trip in 2017. At a trial in 2019 in federal court in Alexandria, a jury found that she had indeed been assaulted. But they tossed out her case on a technicality, ruling that the school system had no actual notice of the assault. Indeed, there was clear indication from the jury that it was confused over what was required to show actual notice. The jury asked a question about the standard during its deliberations, and multiple jurors said after the case that there was a misunderstanding. In Wednesday's 2-1 ruling from a three judge-panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Judge James Wynn said it was obvious that the school had notice, given that the girl herself told administrators she'd been touched without her consent, and multiple students and parents reported the alleged assault as word got around. At the 2019 trial, the school systems lawyers argued that no assault took place. They said evidence showed that the girl was ambivalent about her participation in the conduct and really became upset only after learning the male student had a girlfriend. The female student, identified in court only as Jane Doe, testified that she tried to block the male students hands from groping her while they huddled under a blanket and that she at one point pulled her hand away from his genitals only to have him grab it and put it back. She acknowledged that she never told him no and she didnt try to get up and walk away. But she was adamant she didnt consent. Its pretty simple. I never said yes to him doing any of that to me, she testified. The boy who committed the alleged assault was not punished. Emails sent by administrators included jokes about the alleged assault, including a school security officer who sent a text making a one time at band camp joke about the incident, referring to a line in the movie American Pie about sexual activity among band students. In a statement provided by her lawyers Wednesday, Doe said she was grateful for the appeals court's ruling. "It means a lot to me that the appeals courts strong opinion will protect other survivors. Every student deserves to feel safe in school, she said. Alexandra Brodsky, a lawyer with Public Justice, which represented Doe, said that FCPSs behavior dismissing a students report of sexual assault out of hand is too common among school districts across the country. The Fourth Circuits ruling in Jane Does case should serve as a warning that all schools must train staff to recognize and address sexual harassment." Doe's lawsuit was one of four lawsuits filed against Fairfax County Public Schools, the nation's 10th largest school system, over a two-year period over its handling of sexual-assault claims. The school system issued a brief statement Wednesday saying it respects the court's decision and is reviewing it. The school system could appeal the ruling to either the full 4th Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court. In a dissent, Judge Paul Niemeyer argued that the jury's verdict should have stood. He said that while the school system did receive notice of the alleged assault, the after-the-fact notice about an isolated, one-time incident afforded no real opportunity for the school district to have taken action. NEW YORK (AP) Rudy Giuliani and his lawyers will get to designate which materials seized from him will be reviewed by a court-appointed expert reviewer to determine what should never be seen by federal prosecutors. Barbara Jones, who will serve as the special master in the review, said in her first report to a federal judge that she will not be looking at everything seized in the late-April raids on ex-President Donald Trumps former personal attorney. Instead, she'll look at potentially privileged documents" chosen by lawyers for Giuliani and Washington attorney Victoria Toensing, a former federal prosecutor and ally of Giuliani and Trump whose cell phone was also taken. Investigators are probing Giulianis interactions with Ukrainian figures to see if he violated a law governing lobbying on behalf of foreign countries or entities. As part of the investigation, federal agents seized 18 electronic devices from Giuliani's residence and his firm, Giuliani Partners LLC. They've already returned 11 devices belonging to Giuliani but have said seven more devices belonging to Giuliani and others at his firm will require more time to unlock without access to passcodes. Toensing's law firm has said she was told she was not a target of the investigation. Jones, who was appointed her to the task by the judge, said lawyers for Giuliani and Toensing will designate documents for her review that they believe are protected by attorney-client privilege or are highly personal, such as medical records. At that point, remaining materials in each batch of items that were not designated for review will be released to prosecutors. On occasion, Jones said she may speak to government representatives if she needs additional background information to help her decide whether an item is protected by privilege. If Jones finds any of the potentially privileged documents should in fact be released to prosecutors, she will refer them to a judge to make a final decision. The process is similar to how Jones conducted a privilege review of materials seized in 2018 from Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime personal attorney who pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges and other crimes and was sentenced to three years in prison. Cohen, who has spoken out repeatedly against Trump, was freed last year after serving about a year in prison due to coronavirus prison population reductions. He is finishing his detention at home. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and one-time presidential candidate, has not been charged with a crime. He has said all of his activities in Ukraine were conducted on behalf of Trump. At the time, Giuliani was leading a campaign to press Ukraine for an investigation into Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, before Biden was elected president. NEW ORLEANS (AP) A foundation created by a graduate's family is giving a private university in New Orleans $1 million to help treat military veterans brain injuries and service-related mental health problems. The Priddy Family Foundation, led by economics alumnus Robert Priddy and his wife, Kikie, is creating a new fund to support intensive outpatient care with an emphasis on music therapy at Tulane University's Center for Brain Health, the university said in a news release Tuesday. Were excited to see how Tulanes Center for Brain Health will use music therapy to improve the lives of afflicted veterans who need help, Kikie Priddy said. The new Priddy Family Brain Health Fund will help treat veterans suffering from mild traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and other service-related mental health issues, the university said. Tulane said the center blends conventional medicine such as neurology and pharmacology with complementary and alternative options that include yoga, canine therapy, and art and music therapies. The center expects to evaluate about 150 to 200 veterans each year. Its three-day evaluations provide services that could take 17 to 18 months for veterans using traditional healthcare channels, the university said. The foundation has a particular interest in advancing brain science and finding cures and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, Tulane said. In 2018 it gave $1 million to the Tulane Brain Institute for a fund to provide competitive awards to faculty for early-stage research. The Priddys live in New Orleans. Their foundation also includes a son who lives in Dallas with his family, and a daughter and son-in-law who live in Charlotte, North Carolina and have a son who's attending Tulane Medical School. PHOENIX (AP) An unusually early and long-lasting heat wave brought more triple-digit temperatures Wednesday to a large swath of the U.S. West, raising concerns that such extreme weather could become the new normal amid a decades-long drought. Phoenix, which is seeing some of the highest temperatures this week, tied a record for the second day in a row when it reached 115 degrees (46 Celsius) Wednesday and was expected to hit 117 (47 Celsius) each of the next two days, the National Weather Service said. Scientists who study drought and climate change say that people living in the American West can expect to see more of the same in the coming years. Heat waves are getting worse in the West because the soil is so dry from the region's megadrought, said Park Williams, a University of California, Los Angeles, climate and fire scientist who has calculated that soil in the western half of the nation is the driest it has been since 1895. We could have two, three, four, five of these heat waves before the end of the summer. A few clouds were holding the temperatures down slightly in the desert region of southwest Arizona and southeast California. But there was no real relief expected from the excessive heat warning in effect until at least Sunday. Palm Springs hit a high of 120 degrees on Tuesday, The dome of high pressure spread over the West the week before the official start of summer, causing unusually hot days and warm evenings. Expecting crowds trying to cool off, a half dozen lifeguards in wide-brimmed straw hats and red T-shirts over swimsuits waited for people to arrive at a city pool in downtown Phoenix that features a water slide and several fountains. Several blocks away, outdoor misters spritzed diners on restaurant patios. In California, the operator of the state's power grid is asking residents to voluntarily conserve power for a few hours Thursday evening as record-breaking heat blankets the West this week. The California Independent System Operator issued the alert to help relieve stress on the grid. It asks people to set thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, turn off unnecessary lights and avoid using major appliances. CEO Elliot Mainzer said the grid was stable and there was no expectation of rotating power outages, but that could change as temperatures spike in the coming days. Higher temperatures also were felt in the normally temperate San Francisco Bay Area. A few cooling centers were open but mostly empty by the afternoon. Kathleen Craft, shelter coordinator for the city of Livermore, California, said temperatures had reached 99 degrees (37 Celsius) shortly after midday but only one woman had shown up at the city's cooling center. Were anticipating well see more people tomorrow when a temperature of 108 degrees is forecast, Craft said. Elsewhere in the West, triple-digit heat was forecast in Denver, which saw a record high of 101 degrees (38 Celsius) Tuesday. The weather service issued an excessive heat warning for parts of western Colorado, most of which is experiencing extreme drought conditions. Bekka Hamburg was trying to beat the heat by paddle-boarding on a lake just west of downtown Denver on Wednesday. I rented this (paddleboard) a week ago knowing that it would be like 100 degrees, the 24-year-old visiting from Indianapolis said. I didnt pack any pants, didnt pack any T-shirts. I just packed tank tops and shorts. Hamburg said it was the first time she had experienced Colorados dry heat, adding that its much easier to manage than the humid heat common in the Midwest. In Nevada, Las Vegas hit 116 degrees (46.6 Celsius), breaking the record of 114 degrees (45.5 Celsius) for the date set during a record hot spell on June 16, 1940. The region is expected to remain at 113 degrees (45 C) or hotter through Sunday, National Weather Service meteorologist John Salmen said, and still could top the all-time local high of 117 degrees (47 Celsius), set June 20, 2017. This is pretty impressive. Were seeing all-time records fall, Salmen said. New Mexico also experienced more record-breaking highs. But a possible respite was in sight with showers and thunderstorms expected in parts of the state. In Montana, temperatures over 100 degrees (38 Celsius) have made it tougher to fight wildfires that have exploded in size, triggering evacuations and destroying an undetermined number of homes. Furious winds have stoked the flames and forced the crash-landing of a firefighting helicopter. At least 14 new fires have been reported in Montana and Wyoming since Tuesday. The dry weather was also being felt in Idaho, where authorities are preparing for what could be a challenging wildfire season. Nick Nauslar, a meteorologist with the National Interagency Fire Center, told state officials this week that nearly 80% of Idaho is in drought and the rest will likely experience it in the coming months. He said Idaho had its second-driest spring in the last 126 years. ___ Associated Press journalists Olga R. Rodriguez in San Francisco; John Antczak and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Thomas Peipert and Brittany Peterson in Denver; Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana; Ken Ritter in Las Vegas; and Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report. WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. (AP) A 64-year-old Florida woman in a mobility scooter was struck and killed while gathering mail at the edge of the road on Tuesday. The woman who struck her in the Wesley Chapel neighborhood then fled the scene, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release. CHICAGO (AP) Five people standing outside on Chicago's West Side were shot in a violent end to a day that began with a mass shooting on the city's South Side that left four people dead and four more injured, police said. Four men and one woman were shot about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday near Garfield Park, possibly "by multiple offenders," police said. They were rushed to area hospitals, where a 38-year-old man was listed in critical condition while the others were listed in good condition. The shooting came about 16 hours after three women and a man were fatally shot and four other people suffered gunshot wounds inside a house on the South Side. Shermetria L. Williams, 19, of the suburb of Harvey, was among the dead, the Cook County Medical Examiners office said Wednesday. The office on Tuesday identified another victim as Ratanya Aryiel Rogers, 28, of Chicago. The names of the other two will be released after next of kin have been notified, the office said. Police have not made any arrests in either shooting, nor have they made arrests in the death of a 16-year-old boy who was shot Tuesday night in the city's Gage Park neighborhood. Police said a gunman opened fire on him and a 20-year-old man who was critically injured. Those and other shootings added to a growing roster of people who have been shot in the city and around the United States. Several mass shootings over the weekend stoked concerns about a spike in U.S. gun violence heading into the summer, as coronavirus restrictions ease and more people are free to socialize. Chicago, which saw a dramatic spike in the number of homicides in 2020, is on a pace to eclipse that year's total. Even before the latest shootings, according to the police department's statistics there were 282 homicides as of Sunday compared with 269 for the same period in 2020. A database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University that tracks mass killings defined as four or more dead, not including the perpetrator shows Tuesdays shooting in Chicago was the 18th mass killing, of which 17 were shootings, so far this year in the U.S. HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) Proponents of legalizing the adult use of marijuana in Connecticut dodged a threatened veto on Wednesday, advancing a revamped bill that Gov. Ned Lamont supports by a narrow vote in the House of Representatives. The much-debated proposal now awaits final legislative approval in the Senate. Connecticuts time has finally come," said Rep. Steven Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the General Assemblys Judiciary Committee. We take the next step, as this chamber, in recognizing the war on drugs has failed us and the criminalization of cannabis was the wrong course of action for our state and for our nation." The Democratic controlled House voted 76-62 in favor of a nearly 300-page bill that sets the stage for a new, legalized market as early as the spring of 2022. A dozen Democrats joined all but one of the Republicans in opposition. Ultimately, the House approved the same deal that leaders of the House and Senate recently reached with Lamont, stripping a contentious section about social equity applicants for marijuana licenses that was added at the eleventh-hour in the Democratic controlled Senate on Tuesday. Lamont had threatened to veto the Senate's version of the bill, arguing it would open up the industry and give preference to tens of thousands of people with a history of cannabis crimes, or members of their families, regardless of their financial means. This last-minute amendment creates equity in name only by allowing these individuals expedited opportunity to obtain access to the marketplace, Paul Mounds, Lamont's chief of staff, said in a statement issued shortly before the Senate's vote. Proponents said they disagreed with that assessment, but decided to instead return to the deal reached originally with Lamont. Proponents said they wanted the language added to the bill to make sure people with criminal records, particularly marijuana-related offenses, would be able to participate in the new legalized industry in an effort to promote economic equity. When the governor said hed veto the bill. I think thats what made everybody say, Well thats a game changer, said House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford. As in previous debates, opponents cautioned about the ramifications of Connecticut following the path of other states that have legalized cannabis. One by one, they warned it will send a harmful message to children and will lead to higher addiction rates and more car crashes. I have no question in my mind this is a mistake for the state of Connecticut, said House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford. Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, who told an emotional story about how her late husband died in a 2012 crash, begged her colleagues to hit the pause button on the bill and come up with another way to address the inequities of the war on drugs a key motivator for many supporters. If we feel that opportunities are needed in our cities, lets work on that. But please, this is not the way. This is not the way when we know what the result is going to be, Cheeseman said. I dont want to have to look in the face of a family and know I took a vote that may have created heartache and pain and took away a future." But Rep. Juan Candelaria, D-New Haven, who has been working to pass a legalization bill for years, insisted the proposal, which he said will highly regulate the substance and make sure it's safe, is needed now more than ever. We have an unregulated black market that's thriving. That's not a secret. We're talking over $300 million, he said. Our kids are smoking. Our kids are smoking a substance that's laced with what we don't know what's in it. Wednesday's debate at the state Capitol was happening in a special legislative session, one week after the General Assembly adjourned its regular session without the House voting on marijuana legalization. The Senate is now expected to vote again on the issue on Thursday. It will be the third time senators will have voted on cannabis legalization. Under the bill, it will be legal for individuals 21 and older to possess and use cannabis beginning July 1. A person would be allowed to have up to 1.5 ounces, with an additional 5 ounces secured in their home or vehicle. Retail sales of recreational cannabis in Connecticut are not expected to begin until May 2022, at the earliest. Besides the cannabis legalization bill, the House was expected to vote on a bill that's more than 800 pages and spells out details of the newly passed two-year $46.3 billion state budget, among other provisions. Ritter said some changes will be made to that bill as well, requiring another vote by the Senate. BOISE, Idaho (AP) Idaho officials are bracing for what could be a challenging wildfire season. A meteorologist on Tuesday told Republican Gov. Brad Little and other statewide elected officials on the Idaho Land Board that the state had its second driest spring in the last 126 years and one of its hottest previous 12 months. Nick Nauslar with the National Interagency Fire Center said nearly 80% of the state is immersed in drought and the rest of the state will likely be in drought in the next several months. Much of the U.S. West is also in drought, something Little said could lead to a shortage of firefighters and equipment as the wildfire season heats up. Because of the call I have with other governors, other states are trying to get resources deployed into those other states that are a lot drier, he said. I worry that there is going to be a lot of stuff elsewhere, and given the fact that COVID protocols by other states are going to diminish the frontline effectiveness. COVID-19 protocols to prevent firefighters from staying together in large camps make the logistics of keeping crews in the field more difficult and expensive. State officials told Little that helicopters are used to bring food to firefighters scattered around fires rather than concentrating them in large camps where coronavirus infections could spread. The Idaho Department of Lands is responsible for fighting wildfires on state and private land, as well as some federal land, in Idaho. Agency Directory Dustin Miller said firefighters are encouraged to get the coronavirus vaccine. Josh Harvey, fire management bureau chief for the Lands Department, said that as of Monday there have been 96 fires on 432 acres (172 hectares) and that 91 of the fires were human-caused. The number of fires and acres burned are each more than 200% of the state's 20-year average. A wildfire in eastern Idaho near American Falls on Monday grew to 4 square miles (10 square kilometers) within 24 hours and destroyed two homes. Harvey said the state has aircraft in Coeur d'Alene, Grangeville and McCall to fight wildfires. That includes two helicopters, two amphibious water scoopers initially located in Coeur d'Alene, and four single-engine airtankers located in Grangeville and McCall. He said the state also has agreements to use other aircraft as well and six unmanned aircraft outfitted with infrared cameras that can detect hotspots that firefighters can then attack. The department also has 29 fire engines and a 10-person hand crew that can move around to various fires. The state has hired 140 firefighters this year that travel nationally and to Canada to fight wildfires as needed. Firefighters from other states also come come to Idaho. The state has 10 Rangeland Fire Protection Associations that fight wildfires, with the state and U.S. Bureau of Land Management supplying ranchers with training and firefighting equipment to help put out fires before they grow large. The associations protect about 14,000 square miles (36,000 square kilometers), mostly in southern Idaho. Tell everybody to be safe out there, Little told Lands Department officials. This is going to be a real risky year. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California is giving away more goodies to people who get coronavirus vaccinations and plans to make it easier to show who has been inoculated as health officials and businesses encourage people to get their shots so they can fully partake in the state's newly reopened economy. A day after giving away $1.5 million each to 10 vaccinated jackpot winners, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced a new incentive: Six Flags locations are giving free tickets to 50,000 Californians 12 and up who get at least their first vaccine dose at certain clinic locations. The tickets provided by Six Flags Entertainment Corp. are worth $4.5 million. The new giveaway comes after the state promised to pay 2 million people $50 each in the form of gift cards to get shots and awarded $50,000 each to 30 vaccinated people drawn at random. The incentives doled out in the weeks leading up to Tuesday's full reopening of the economy totaled $116.5 million. Critics of the Democratic governor, including his Republican opponents in an upcoming recall election, have panned the state-funded promotions and Newsom's overall handling of the pandemic. They say he was too quick to impose restrictions on personal freedoms and business activities and too slow to loosen them. During an event at Six Flags Magic Mountain just outside Los Angeles, Newsom defended the promotions, saying they have increased vaccinations at a time when more was needed to get people to overcome reservations or inertia. He also acknowledged that he has been having fun acting as a gameshow host at the lottery-style drawings, even as he insisted he is also focused on negotiating a state budget and preparing for a drought-driven wildfire season. Newsom said he hoped to personally call one of the $1.5 million winners Wednesday if officials could find a way around various privacy rules. You know what? There's nothing more fun than feeling like you're Oprah a million dollars for you, a million dollars for you, a million for you, $50,000 for you, Newsom said. It's also been rewarding to learn how some will spend the money, he said, recalling how a 17-year-old winner from a struggling immigrant family can now use the money for college. He then joined others in riding a roller coaster at the theme park. A list of the participating vaccination sites is available at Covid19.ca.gov/Vax-For-The-Win. The tickets are good through Sept. 6 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, Hurricane Harbor Concord and Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles. Newsom earlier said the state this week will also unveil a way for people to show that they have been vaccinated without having to carry their paper vaccination card. Its not a passport, its not a requirement," Newsom said Monday. Its just the ability now to have an electronic version of that paper version. Both Hawaii and New York have variations on a state-sponsored program. Newsoms office did not provide more details. California Retailers Association President and CEO Rachel Michelin said the governors staff told her organization that "theyre working on something, but its not ready to be released. State worksite regulators are poised to approve new rules Thursday that, among other things, no longer require fully vaccinated employees to wear masks in most circumstances. Employers would be required to document that workers who don't wear masks indoors are indeed fully vaccinated, under the pending California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board rules. But employers would have a choice: requiring workers to show proof of vaccination, or allowing employees to self-attest to their vaccination status, with the employer keeping a record of who self-attests. It's difficult to say if the state's electronic version would be helpful to employers trying to verify the vaccine status of customers and workers, said both Michelin and Robert Moutrie, a policy advocate at the California Chamber of Commerce. The issue of how to verify and keep a record of a persons vaccination status, while respecting their privacy and complying with applicable laws, is certainly a difficult area that many employers are struggling to get sorted out as we re-open and Cal/OSHAs new regulation relies on vaccination records, Moutrie said. Even if the state's electronic version is voluntary, people may be reluctant to download another app or have privacy issues with showing the card, Michelin said. That extends to whether it would be helpful under the state's pending workplace rules. Worksite regulators, she said, need to clearly specify what an employer has to do in terms of keeping on file documentation for vaccine verification. Many businesses seem inclined to allow employees to self-attest that they have been vaccinated, she said, if only so they can avoid creating a medical record by keeping copies of vaccination cards. And there can be penalties for lying employees could potentially be fired for dishonesty, Michelin said. BERLIN (AP) German vaccine maker CureVac said Wednesday that interim data from late-stage testing of its coronavirus shot show a comparatively low effectiveness in protecting people against COVID-19. The results appear to be a significant setback for CureVac's efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine, and the company's stock value tumbled in after-hours trading. While not all the data from its trial involving 40,000 participants in Latin America and Europe have been assessed yet, the company said interim results show the vaccine has an efficacy of 47% against COVID-19 disease of any severity. This did not meet what the company said were its prespecified statistical success criteria, though it didnt state what those were. The World Health Organization has said vaccines with an efficacy above 50% are worth using, though many of those already approved have a far higher rate. CureVac said that the study was hampered by the broad range of variants found among the COVID-19 cases reviewed in the trial and that final results may still change. While we were hoping for a stronger interim outcome, we recognize that demonstrating high efficacy in this unprecedented broad diversity of variants is challenging, its chief executive, Franz-Werner Haas, was quoted as saying. Haas said CureVac would continue to work on a final analysis and the overall vaccine efficacy may change. The company said it has sent the data to the European Medicines Agency, which is conducting a rolling revue of the vaccine. The study is continuing to the final analysis and the totality of the data will be assessed for the most appropriate regulatory pathway, CureVac said. Outside experts called the data so far disappointing, but cautioned against comparing it directly with other shots already authorized for use. Deborah Fuller, a professor of microbiology and vaccine specialist at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said CureVac was dealing with quite a different environment than some of its rivals who had tested their shots when the original variant was still dominant. CureVac's trials took place in 10 different countries, she noted: The more countries youre testing in, the more variants you have to test against. Another issue could be the mRNA technology used in the CureVac shot, which is slightly different to that employed in the BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, said Mark Slifka, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Oregon Health and Science University. CureVac uses unmodified mRNA, which may trigger a different immune response in the body that affects the efficacy, he said. It could be the variants, it could be the type of mRNA, or it could be a combination of all of the above, said Slifka. Haas, the chief executive, said the large number of variants CureVac encountered in its trial with only a single case of COVID-19 attributable to the original variant underlines the importance of developing next-generation vaccines as new virus variants continue to emerge. ___ Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to accept defeat in Ivory Coast's 2010 presidential election sparked months of violence that killed at least 3,000 people and brought the country to the brink of civil war. It's been more than a decade since his arrest inside an underground bunker at the presidential residence, much of it spent awaiting trial at The Hague on crimes against humanity charges. Now after his acquittal on all charges was upheld, Gbagbo's scheduled return to Ivory Coast on Thursday is galvanizing his supporters who long felt his prosecution was politically motivated. Gbagbo also appears to be receiving a cautious welcome from Alassane Ouattara, his political rival who ultimately won the contested election and has been president ever since. Some observers say Gbagbo's plans for a triumphant homecoming will further test the country's political stability less than a year after the incumbent sparked controversy by seeking a term in office. Laurent Gbagbo, for certain communities of victims, is like the wolf that was chased away from the sheepfold and is now coming back," said Issiaka Diaby, president of an advocacy group for victims of the political violence, known as CVCI. The victims in Ivory Coast are thirsty for justice, thirsty for truth, thirsty for repentance, thirsty for reparations, through the actions of the criminal justice system," he said. "This is an element that Ivory Coast has always lacked in order to achieve reconciliation. Gbagbo was arrested in 2011 and sent six months later to The Hague so he could be tried for war crimes at the International Criminal Court. In 2019, the judge said prosecutors had failed to make their case even before the defense lawyers had presented their side. The ex-president was released from custody two years ago but has been living in Belgium pending the outcome of the appeal by ICC prosecutors. He's expected to take a commercial flight from Brussels, arriving Thursday afternoon at Felix Houphouet-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan. Among those likely to greet him will be his wife, Simone, who has not left Ivory Coast over the past decade because there is still an ICC arrest warrant for her stemming from the post-electoral conflict. Gbagbo's supporters already have begun preparations for a festive welcome, with signs bearing the ex-president's photo on display in parts of Abidjan. Jubilant celebrations took place over the weekend in Mama, his hometown, where he is expected to visit his mother's grave. The current president, Ouattara, appears to be making efforts for his former rival's smooth return. A week after Gbagbo's acquittal was upheld, Ouattara said that the former presidents travel expenses, as well as those of his family, would be covered by the state. However, it remains unclear what will become of other pending criminal charges against the ex-president. Gbagbo and three of his former ministers were sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges they broke into the Abidjan branch of the Central Bank of West African States to get cash amid the post-election crisis in January 2011. It's unlikely that Ivorian authorities will jail the ex-president, says Ousmane Zina, a political scientist at the University of Bouake. Ultimately, I think that the Ivorian authorities will not make this mistake, which would be a serious blow to the reconciliation process and to the stability of the country, he said. However, Ouattara is likely to attach conditions to Gbagbo's return in an effort to avoid reigniting tensions of the past, he added. Before granting a pardon or amnesty, he will want to obtain a guarantee that the country will remain peaceful," Zina said. Gbagbo officially received nearly 46% of the vote in 2010 and maintains a strong base of supporters who allege they have been left out of the reconciliation process in the years since his ouster. They maintain that most of the prosecutions related to the post-electoral violence targeted allies of Gbagbo, while few loyal to Ouattara faced trial. Gbagbo's return also comes seven months after Ouattara won a controversial third term in office after he argued that term limits did not apply to him. Gbagbo was disqualified from taking part in that election and his future political ambitions remain unclear. Yao-Edmond Kouassi, a political researcher at Alassane Ouattara University in Bouake, said Ivory Coast is on the path of reconciliation. "But the opposing camp must understand that their living together will have more meaning with the arrival of Mr. Gbagbo, he said. ___ Associated Press writer Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal contributed. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) A 24-member joint committee of Oklahoma House and Senate members has been selected to consider proposals for the state's share of funds from the latest federal coronavirus relief legislation. House Speaker Charles McCall and Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, both Republicans, announced the committee Wednesday. JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) Juneau city leaders have declined a $2 million donation from Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. amid concerns from some Assembly members about the public perception of accepting the money. The company, which operates Norwegian Cruise Line, last month announced plans to donate $10 million total to Alaska port communities with tourist economies hit hard by the lack of cruise ship passengers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. SEATTLE (AP) A federal jury is deciding whether one of the nation's biggest private prison companies must pay minimum wage instead of $1 a day to immigration detainees who perform tasks like cooking and cleaning at its jail in Washington state. Democratic Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued the Florida-based GEO Group in 2017, saying the company had unjustly profited by running the Northwest detention center in Tacoma on the backs of captive workers. A separate lawsuit filed on behalf of detainees was also filed that year, seeking back pay. Tacoma-based U.S. District Judge Robert Bryan, who rejected several attempts by GEO to dismiss the lawsuits, consolidated the cases for trial, which he conducted via Zoom because of the pandemic. What GEO is doing to exploit captive detainee workers at the Northwest detention center is for real and at a massive scale, Assistant Attorney General Andrea Brenneke told the jury in closing arguments Tuesday. GEO could easily pay detainee workers the minimum wage and still make millions of dollars in profits from the facility each year. GEO's response is that the detainees simply aren't employees. Even if they were, the company says, it would be unlawfully discriminatory for Washington to require GEO to pay them minimum wage now $13.69 an hour when the state doesn't pay minimum wage to inmates who work at its own prisons or other detention facilities. In her closing argument, GEO attorney Joan Mell accused the state and detainee advocates of using the lawsuits to attack the immigration detention system. GEO has operated the detainee work program for more than a decade, and the state made no effort to get the company to pay the minimum wage until 2017, amid a flurry of lawsuits Ferguson filed against the Trump administration. If the plaintiffs can prove the Minimum Wage Act is quote applicable ... then they can reform immigration detention without ever having to go to Congress, she said. Theyre taking a shortcut via the courthouse to get what they want. The Northwest detention center houses people who are in custody while the government seeks to deport them or reviews their immigration status. It can hold up to 1,575 detainees, making it one of the nation's largest immigration jails, though as of early this month its population was just 216, largely due to the pandemic. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which pays GEO to run the facility, requires the company to operate a voluntary work program to keep the detainees occupied. It requires them to be paid at least $1 per day for work that includes cleaning bathrooms, showers and industrial kitchens; washing and folding laundry; sweeping and buffing floors; preparing and serving food; and cutting hair. Former detainees testified that they worked because they needed money to buy extra food or clothing at the commissary or to make phone calls to loved ones. The shifts often last just an hour or two. GEO's own analysis said it that if detainees didn't do the work, it would need to hire 85 full-time workers from the community. GEO's contract with ICE also requires it to comply with applicable state and local law which, the state says, includes the Washington Minimum Wage Act. Washington appears to be the only state suing a private detention contractor for not paying minimum wage to immigration detainees. But similar lawsuits have been brought on behalf of immigration detainees in other states, including New Mexico, Colorado and California, seeking to force GEO and another major private detention company, CoreCivic, to pay minimum wage to detainees there. The Colorado and California cases are pending, but a federal judge rejected the lawsuit brought by former detainees of CoreCivic's Cibola detention center in New Mexico a decision upheld by a federal appeals court panel in March. Persons in custodial detentionsuch as appellantsare not in an employer-employee relationship but in a detainer-detainee relationship, the panel wrote. That is the crux of GEO's argument in the Washington case. The company acknowledges it has the money to pay detainees the minimum wage if it wants. In 2018 GEO made $18.6 million in profits from the facility; it would have cost $3.4 million to pay the minimum wage to detainees. Mell also pointed to provisions in GEO's contract with ICE that state that any employees GEO hires must have legal status in the U.S. Many of the detainees don't. The contract spells it out: The detainees are not employees, Mell said. They cant be. But the definition of employee in Washington's minimum wage law is extremely broad it includes anyone who is permitted to work by an employer, without regard to immigration or legal work status. The law says residents of a state, county, or municipal" detention facility are not entitled to minimum wage. According to lawyers for the state and for the detainees, that exception doesn't cover a private, for-profit jail such as GEO's. Further, GEO oversaw the scheduling and performance of the work just as a typical employer does, they said. If the jury finds that the minimum wage law applies to GEO, a second phase of the trial will be held to determine damages. Jurors did not reach a verdict Tuesday; they were to resume deliberations Wednesday. In a separate effort, Washington is trying to close the detention center entirely. This spring Gov. Jay Inslee signed a law that would ban for-profit detention centers in the state. GEO has sued to block it. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Police in Kansas City are investigating a shooting death inside a home in the Ivanhoe Northeast neighborhood. The shooting occurred around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday near E. 36th and Olive streets, police said in a news release. Arriving officers found a man in the home who had been shot. The man was declared dead at the scene. The victim's name was not immediately released, and no arrests or suspects in the case were announced. Police said the death marked the citys 69th homicide this year, compared with 83 homicides in Kansas City by this time last year. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) A Kansas teenager will be tried as an adult for murder in the shooting death of a Kansas City, Missouri, man, Jackson County prosecutors said Wednesday. Jayvon Hunter, 16, was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder and three other counts in the Oct. 19 death of 44-year-old Cristobal Gutierrez-Castillas. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned about possible food shortages and urged the country to brace for extended COVID-19 restrictions as he opened a major political conference to discuss national efforts to salvage a broken economy. The Norths official Korean Central News Agency also said Wednesday that Kim called for discussions on how the North should deal with the current international situation, though it did not mention any specific comments from Kim about the United States or South Korea. North Korea has so far ignored the allies calls to resume nuclear negotiations that have stalled for two years following the collapse of Kims ambitious summitry with former President Donald Trump, It was derailed by disagreements over exchanging relief from crippling U.S.-led sanctions with denuclearization steps by the North. The Norths economy has deteriorated amid pandemic border closures, which choked off trade with China, while devastating typhoons and floods last summer decimated crops. Monitors assessing the situation in North Korea have yet to see signs of mass starvation or major instability, but some analysts say conditions could be aligning for a perfect storm that undercuts food and exchange markets and triggers public panic. The Korea Development Institute, a South Korean government think tank, said last month the North could face food shortages of around 1 million tons this year. During the plenary meeting of the ruling Workers Partys Central Committee that opened Tuesday, Kim urged officials to find ways to boost agricultural production, saying the countrys food situation "is now getting tense. KCNA said Kim also set forth the tasks for the state to maintain perfect anti-epidemic state suggesting North Korea would extend its pandemic lockdown despite the stress on its economy. While the report was short on specifics, the party meeting does provide more clues about how serious food and consumer goods shortages are becoming in North Korea, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul. Extended pandemic border restrictions are taking a toll on the economy as price and exchange rate indicators appear to be worsening, he said. Experts widely doubt North Korea's claim that it has not had a single COVID-19 case, given its poor health infrastructure and porous border with China, its major ally and economic lifeline. Kim had called for the party meeting to review national efforts to rebuild the economy in the first half of the year. While addressing unfavorable conditions and challenges on Tuesday, Kim also expressed appreciation over what he described as improvements, claiming that the countrys industrial output rose 25% from last year, KCNA said. The report said the Central Committee meeting will continue but did not specify until when. North Korea held its first ruling party congress in five years in January, when it laid out development plans for the next five years. At that meeting Kim urged the country to be resilient in their struggle for economic self-reliance, He also called for reasserting greater state control over the economy, boosting agricultural production and prioritizing the development of the chemical and metal industries. Experts say those sectors are crucial to revitalizing industrial production that has been undercut by sanctions and the suspension of imports of factory materials amid the pandemic. PHOENIX (AP) Teresa Marez spent 14 years building a strong clientele base as a hair stylist in San Antonio. When her son, who is autistic, had to switch to virtual learning because of the pandemic, she quit her job to help him. Its been 10 months, and the clients are all gone. Marez is one of many Latinas who have been out of work since last year. Latinas have left the workforce at rates higher than any other demographic and have had some of the highest unemployment rates throughout the pandemic, according to a report by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative, a Latino-focused think tank, provided to The Associated Press before its release on Wednesday. That could spell trouble not just for a post-pandemic economic recovery but for the long-term stability of the country as baby boomers continue to retire and women in general are feeling compelled to leave work. And women like Marez, who has used much of her savings, are missing out on years of economic gains. Before the pandemic, Latinas were projected to increase their numbers in the workforce by nearly 26% from 2019 to 2029 a higher rate than any other group, the report found. Its unclear if or how that projection will now change. Marez isnt sure what shes going to do next. If I did go back to doing hair, I would be starting from the beginning again, really, she said. I was kind of burned out anyway and I cant see myself at like 45 years old starting from the beginning. Marez is thinking about going back to school to study nutrition and Spanish, but she's still working out a plan. The UCLA study found that Latinas experienced the highest unemployment rate 20% of any demographic in April 2020, right after all of the business shutdowns began. By the end of 2020, when businesses were starting to reopen, Latinas and Black women still had nearly double the unemployment rate of their white counterparts, the study found. Also troubling: the rate at which Latinas dropped from the workforce altogether, which the government usually considers to be the case when someone hasnt actively looked for work in four weeks. Participation in the labor force for Latinas aged 25 to 54 fell from 71% pre-pandemic to just below 67% in May 2021, according to the latest available data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That translates to 465,000 fewer Latinas working or seeking work. Kassandra Hernandez, a lead researcher on the UCLA report, said this is crucial to how the economy recovers from the pandemic. If we dont recognize the complexities or the nuances of these narratives, of whats happening with Latinas, we might actually be set back, Hernandez said. Simply put: The American workforce needs Latinas to fill the many jobs that are slowly starting to come back, and those that will be left behind by retiring baby boomers. Sylvia Allegretto, a labor economist at the University of California, Berkeley, said the U.S. economy already faces challenges from slowing birthrates, an aging workforce and declining immigration. Retirements among older Americans have also increased. A growing workforce is a key driver of economic growth. The long-term trend is we dont have enough workers, she said. If you want to make sure you have a vibrant, growing economy, you need more people. But Allegretto said businesses also need to offer higher pay and better benefits so that more of those who were laid off or quit jobs during the pandemic can re-enter the workforce. That may take more time as much of the economy is still reopening from the pandemic shutdown. California just lifted all its business restrictions Tuesday, she noted. If (employers) have to start sweetening the deal, maybe with some benefits, maybe with some time off, thats a good thing, Allegretto said. Latinas face many hurdles. Research has shown Latinas are more likely than all other U.S. mothers to stay home with children instead of work. They also tend to do much more work at home than the men in their lives, spending twice as much time on household activities and nearly three times more time caring for household members than Latinos. Latinas are overrepresented in low-wage jobs in the hospitality and broader service industries, stifling their upward mobility. Hernandez said women need access to child care, better pay and educational opportunities to help them overcome not just the disparities in career opportunities but the setbacks that the pandemic brought. The pandemic forced many Latinas to leave work to care not just for their children but also for extended family the tios or abuelos or vecinos you name it, said Xochitl Oseguera, the vice president of MamasConPoder, the Spanish-language community that's part of MomsRising, a grassroots organization that works to improve womens economic security. Latinos were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. They were more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their vaccination rates are much lower, too, so while many Americans feel the coronavirus is behind them, the pandemic lives in Latino communities. Oseguera works with Latinas in different industries and hears firsthand why so many haven't returned to the workforce. Theyre worried about going back and getting sick, Oseguera said. My hope is also that those jobs really reconsider the way that we have been working with essential workers to not only have a secure environment but also have access to paid family leave, paid sick leave, access to fair pay, so that we can really recover from the last year of not being part of the workforce. For Ciara Fernandez Faber, going back to work also depends on the work-life balance she needs to care for her toddler. Faber, who lives in Denver, left her job as an attorney when her son's preschool closed. Her husband is a doctor, and it wasn't an option for him to stay home with him. To my experience, like, it doesnt matter what profession it is, it just seems like across the board its impacted Latina women more. I dont know if its like values that we place on work-life balance or child care issues. I dont know, Faber said. - Associated Press writers Alexandra Olson in New York City and Chris Rugaber in Arlington, Virginia, contributed to this report. - Galvan covers issues impacting Latinos in the U.S. for the APs Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/astridgalvan The Justice Department on Wednesday abandoned its lawsuit against John Bolton, former President Donald Trump's onetime national security adviser, over his book that officials argued disclosed classified information, according to court documents and Bolton's representatives. Prosecutors also have dropped a grand jury investigation over the book's publication, Bolton's lawyer said Wednesday. The Trump administration sued last year to block the release of Boltons book, The Room Where It Happened, and to recover copies of the book that had already been distributed. The book, released in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, offered a behind-the-scenes, and unflattering, account of Trumps foreign policy dealings. It described how Trump asked Chinas President Xi Jinping to help the American's reelection prospects and how Trump had pressured his Ukraine counterpart for politically charged investigations. Justice Department lawyers who sued over the book had insisted that the manuscript contained classified information that could damage national security and that Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, had failed to complete a prepublication review process designed to prevent the disclosure of government secrets. On Wednesday, the Biden administration filed a document in federal court dismissing the suit, formally bringing the yearlong court fight to an end. These actions represent a complete vindication for Ambassador Bolton, and a repudiation of former President Trumps attempt, under the pretext of protecting classified information, first to suppress the books publication and when that failed in court, to penalize the ambassador, said Bolton spokeswoman Sarah Tinsley. Boltons lawyers say he moved forward with the book after a White House National Security Council official, with whom Bolton had worked for months, had said the manuscript no longer contained classified information. That official, Ellen Knight, described in a letter submitted to the court last September how Trump administration officials repeatedly exerted political pressure in an unsuccessful effort to block the book's release. She described an unusual process of delay tactics and legal maneuverings. Knight, a career government records professional, said through her lawyer that after she had determined that the manuscript no longer contained classified information and was ready for clearance, she learned that a political appointee with no experience in the prepublication review process had been assigned by the White House to conduct a new review. That official subsequently flagged hundreds of passages in Bolton's manuscript that the official believed were still classified. A federal judge last year rejected the Justice Department's efforts to halt the book's release, partly because hundreds of thousands of copies had already been distributed. But the judge expressed concern that Bolton published the book before receiving a formal clearance letter, which Knight said was blocked by the White House. Besides suing Bolton, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation over the book, though that inquiry has now been dropped, said Bolton's representatives. A department spokesman declined to comment on Wednesday. Bolton's lawyer, Charles J. Cooper, described the government's efforts to block the book as part of a politically motivated order by Trump. By ending these proceedings without in any way penalizing Ambassador Bolton or limiting his proceeds from the book, the Department of Justice has tacitly acknowledged that President Trump and his White House officials acted illegitimately, Cooper said in a statement. The book generated substantial attention even before its publication after news broke during Trump's first impeachment trial that Bolton had written how Trump had linked the supply of military assistance to Ukraine to that countrys willingness to conduct investigations into Trump's Democratic rival, now-President Joe Biden. Those allegations were at the heart of an impeachment trial that ended with Trump's Senate acquittal in February 2020. Bolton though refused to testify at impeachment proceedings. Bolton's time at the Trump White House was unsurprisingly rocky. A noted national security hawk, Bolton was an odd choice for Trump, who advocated ending the United States' overseas military operations. The two continued to clash in public comments long after Bolton left office. The governments abandonment of both the criminal investigation of Bolton and the civil lawsuit indicates that both actions were pursued at the behest of the Trump White House as political retribution against Bolton, and not on the legal merits, said former Justice Department national security official David Laufman. This is now one additional matter warranting investigation by the Justice Departments Inspector General, he added. ____ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP The U.S. Education Department said Wednesday it's erasing student debt for thousands of borrowers who attended a for-profit college chain that made exaggerated claims about its graduates success in finding jobs. The Biden administration said it is approving 18,000 loan forgiveness claims from former students of ITT Technical Institute, a chain that closed in 2016 after being dealt a series of sanctions by the Obama administration. The new loan discharges will clear more than $500 million in debt. The move marks a step forward in the Biden administrations effort to clear a backlog of claims in the borrower defense program, which provides loan forgiveness to students who were defrauded by their colleges. Claims piled up during the Trump administration, which stalled the program and only started processing claims after a federal court demanded it. There are now more than 100,000 pending claims. In announcing the new action, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona vowed to continue standing up for students who are deceived by their schools. Our action today will give thousands of borrowers a fresh start and the relief they deserve, Cardona said in a statement. Many of these borrowers have waited a long time for relief, and we need to work swiftly to render decisions for those whose claims are still pending. It follows another round of loan discharges in March, when the Education Department cleared $1 billion in federal student debt for 72,000 borrowers. Those claims all came from former students of for-profit colleges. Borrower advocates applauded the new approvals but called for swift relief for the thousands of other students whose claims are still pending, including many who attended ITT Tech. It appears the Biden administration genuinely wants to help people who are owed discharges," said Alex Elson, vice president of Student Defense, a Washington legal group. But that makes it all the more confounding that they are so hesitant to use their authority to immediately and automatically help the countless additional borrowers who are still waiting. Borrower defense is among several education programs targeted for an overhaul by the Biden administration as it works to reverse Trump-era policies. Cardona is hosting a series of hearings this month as his agency considers changes to that policy and others. The program was rarely used until 2015, when the Education Department received thousands of claims from former students of Corinthian Colleges. The chain of for-profit colleges had recently shut down following findings that it lied to students about job placement rates. Following the collapse of Corinthian and other beleaguered for-profit colleges, the Obama administration moved to make it easier for students to get loans erased. But the overhaul was reversed by the Trump administration, which later wrote its own rules making it tougher to get relief. In changing the rules, then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said it had become too easy to get loans forgiven. Cardona began chipping away at DeVos rules in March when he rescinded a formula that allowed the Education Department to give only partial loan discharges to students whose claims were approved. All borrowers granted relief will now get their loans cleared in full. Many of the 18,000 claims from ITT Tech were approved after the Education Department found that the company lied about graduates job prospects. The agency said ITT made repeated and significant misrepresentations about its ability to help students get jobs. In reality, many students said it was harder to find employment when they listed ITT on their resumes, the department said. Other claims were approved after the department found that ITT misled students about their ability to transfer course credits to other colleges. Credits were rarely accepted elsewhere, the department said, leaving students with little to no progress in their academic careers. Borrowers will be notified about their claim approvals in the coming weeks, the agency said. PLAQUEMINE, La. (AP) A parish council in Louisiana has approved a one-year moratorium on new development in part of its jurisdiction to address concerns about drainage following severe flash flooding in May. Iberville Parish Council unanimously voted on Tuesday night to halt the construction of high-density subdivisions within unincorporated areas east of the Mississippi River, news outlets reported. The meeting featured some tense exchanges between council members, residents and housing developers. St. Gabriel resident Jeremy Cronon supported the development pause. Homeowners in his neighborhood still have sandbags in their yards after water from the recent floods didnt drain for weeks, according to WAFB-TV. Cronon said: Every time it rains, Im wondering, Is this going to push it higher? A tropical depression forming in the Gulf of Mexico could arrive in southern Louisiana sometime on Friday, forecasters say, worrying locals about further damage that more rain could cause. While developers say moratoriums stunt the growth of the parish and hurt jobs, the council says it needs to take time to assess these issues. Can you guarantee the people who buy your house that that water is going to stay out of there? I dont think you can, Matthew Jewell, chair of the Iberville Parish council, told developers at Tuesdays meeting. Other local governments in the Baton Rouge region have also considered temporarily stopping development in recent years to address concerns about roads that are overwhelmed by traffic and drainage, according to The Advocate. Ascension Parish is expected to approve a halt on new commercial and residential growth Thursday. Its president, Clint Cointment, said the flooding in May trapped people in newly built neighborhoods that should have met the latest development standards. We need to make changes now, he told the newspaper. We should not have a new subdivision be approved without adequate drainage standards, period. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine's state of the emergency over the coronavirus pandemic is entering its final two weeks. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills declared the state of civil emergency in the early stages of the pandemic. The declaration has allowed Mills to use all available government resources to try to contain the spread of the virus. Mills has said the emergency order will end June 30. Many Republicans in the state have charged the order has gone on for too long and given Mills too much authority. She has maintained that the order played an important role in the fight against coronavirus in Maine, which has faced a lower burden of the virus than many states. Mills extended the order a final time Sunday. She has said the end of the order is a welcome milestone that reflects the progress Maine has made in getting people vaccinated, reducing the spread of the virus, and getting back to normal. In other pandemic news in Maine: THE NUMBERS The number of daily new coronavirus infections in the state continued to fall. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Maine did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 97.14 new cases a day on May 31 to 43.14 new cases per day on Monday. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 0.14 deaths a day on May 31 to 1.14 deaths a day Monday. More than 56% of the state's total population is fully vaccinated against coronavirus. That's one of the highest percentages in the country. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that there have been more than 68,000 cases of the virus in the state since the start of the pandemic. There have also been 853 deaths. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) A Malaysian high court found Wednesday that a coroner erred in ruling that the death of a French-Irish teenager whose body was found near a jungle resort was likely due to a misadventure that didn't involve other people. High Court Judge Azizul Azmi Adnan agreed with Nora Anne Quoirin's parents that it would not have been likely for the 15-year-old to venture out on her own, navigate the steep terrain and evade detection for days due to her mental and physical disabilities. He ruled that the verdict of misadventure ought to be vacated in the interest of justice and substituted with an open verdict," which would mean there was suspicion of foul play but inadequate proof. The ruling is a legal victory for Nora's parents, who believe she was likely kidnapped and had appealed the coroners verdict, issued in January. They listened to the online verdict from their home in London. We still feel that the circumstances surrounding Noras death were suspicious," the teens mother, Meabh Quoirin, told Irish broadcaster RTE Radio. "But in terms of whats legally available to us, an open verdict was incredibly important in our quest for justice for Nora, and thats what we got today. The teen disappeared at the Dusun eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state on Aug. 4, 2019, a day after the family arrived for a vacation. After a massive search, her body was found on Aug. 13 beside a stream on a palm oil estate about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) from the resort. The coroner had ruled out homicide, natural death and suicide and said she likely got lost after leaving her familys cottage on her own, and that no one else was involved. Police have said there was no evidence of foul play, but her parents said she wouldn't have wandered off on her own. They told the inquest that a third party could have dumped her body in the area following the search for her. The coroner had described the familys suggestions as nothing more than probably theory with no evidence. Nora was wearing only underwear when she went missing at nighttime, but her body was found naked. The coroner noted the familys contention that this gave credence to the possibility of sexual assault but said an extensive autopsy found no such proof or evidence of a struggle or smothering. The coroner also said there were no suspicious circumstances prior to the teenagers disappearance, no ransom request and no signs of intrusion into the familys cottage. To get from the resort to the place where her body was found, Judge Azizul said Nora would have had to cross rocky streams and navigate hilly roads in terrain that is challenging even for well-equipped adults. He noted she was shy, attached to her parents and not a curious child. I am willing to accept that on the evidence before the court the possibility of third party involvement was lower than the possibility that Nora Anne had somehow inadvertently gotten herself into a situation from which she could not extricate herself," he said. That does not mean however, that I should enter a verdict of misadventure ... given the evidence that was before the court, I fail to see how it could have been said that it was more probable than not that Nora Anne had died as a result of misadventure," he said. The family had cited unidentified fingerprints on the outside of a window in their cottage that was found open on the morning of her disappearance, the initial failure of hundreds of trained rescuers to find her, and police dogs unable to follow her scent. They feared possible DNA evidence was lost because of the lapsed time and the finding of her body in water, and noted a lack of major physical damage to her body that would have been likely from walking through the rough terrain. They also said the possibility of sexual assault remained, even though there was no evidence of violent assault, and that her highly submissive nature ruled out any struggle. A British pathologist who performed a second autopsy on her body in the United Kingdom testified that he agreed with the Malaysian findings that she died of intestinal bleeding due to starvation and stress. However, he said he couldnt fully rule out sexual assault due to severe body decomposition. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) An Arkansas man arrested for sitting with his feet on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot asked a federal judge to allow him to travel for a classic-car swap meet. Richard Barnett 's attorney, Joseph McBride of New York City, claims Barnett needs to travel to make a living. Mr. Barnetts second job of buying and selling classic cars is now his primary source of income. Consequently, his ability to travel for work is crucial to his ability to pay his bills, provide for his family and fund his legal defense. Barnett is currently only allowed to travel up to 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) from his residence while he is on home detention awaiting trial, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Petit Jean Mountain, where the car show is being held, is 200 miles (321.87 kilometers) from Gravette. Barnett, 61, was among supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol as lawmakers assembled to certify President-elect Joe Bidens victory over Trump. Prosecutors say Barnett was carrying a stun gun when he entered the building. In his letter to the court, McBride said Barnett is asking for permission to spend Friday night in the vicinity of Petit Jean Mountain and return to Gravette on Saturday evening. "We are respectfully asking that Mr. Barnetts travel restriction be modified so that pretrial services can grant or deny work related travel requests, and shield the details of said requests from the prying eyes of the public, wrote McBride. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Dohrmann told the court the government opposes McBride's request to loosen his restrictions. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper asked Dorhmann to file a response by Thursday so he could make a decision in time for Barnett to travel on Friday, if he is allowed to do so. Barnetts next court hearing is set for Aug. 24. A trial date hasnt been scheduled yet. NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (AP) A 48-year-old Saugus man was killed Tuesday in a three-car crash on Interstate 95 , Massachusetts State Police said. The crash happened at 3 p.m., roughly a mile from Exit 86 in Newburyport. State police said the man was heading north at a high rate of speed when his car struck the rear of a van. The car then crossed the median into the southbound lanes where it struck a pickup truck before leaving the roadway. The man, who police have not yet named, was rushed to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, where he died from his injuries, state police said. The driver of the van, a 28-year-old Beverly man, was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital after his vehicle rolled over. The truck driver was uninjured, according to police. The crash, which remains under investigation, temporarily shut down two lanes on both sides of the highway. HONEY GROVE, Texas (AP) A man suspected of shooting a police officer in the leg in a small North Texas city appears to have fatally shot himself after an overnight standoff with officers, authorities said. Police in Honey Grove said the officer responded to a home because of a possible domestic dispute at about 11 p.m. Tuesday. The officer then encountered a man who appeared to be armed with a rifle. Police say a constable arrived to assist, and authorities were fired upon. After the officer was shot, the constable pulled the officer to safety amid gunfire. MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexican authorities said Tuesday they have fully confirmed the match between a bone fragment and a student missing since 2014. Jhosivani Guerrero de la Cruz was one of 43 students who were detained by police and turned over to a drug gang in September 2014. The gang members allegedly believed the students worked for a rival gang, and killed them. Guerrero de la Cruz had initially been partly identified by DNA analysis at the University of Innsbruck in Austria in 2015. That analysis said the bone most probably belonged to someone related to his mother. But the more definitive Innsbruck test results announced Tuesday firmly established it was Guerrero de la Cruz. Authorities in 2014 and 2015 claimed that many of the students bodies had been burned in a giant pyre at a trash dump, but the bone fragments in the most recent test did not show signs of having been burned. In 2020, Mexican authorities identified the remains of another of the 43 students, Christian Alfonso Rodriguez Telumbre, again through DNA analysis at the University of Innsbruck. The remains of a third student, Alexander Mora, were identified in December 2014. On Sept. 26, 2014, students from the teachers college at Ayotzinapa in the southern state of Guerrero were abducted by local police in the town of Iguala. Many of the suspects in the case have since been released because of evidence that authorities tortured them during interrogation. MEXICO CITY (AP) The Mexican resort of Cozumel on Wednesday welcomed the first arrival of a cruise ship carrying passengers since the coronavirus pandemic essentially collapsed the industry. Officials in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo welcomed Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas as it arrived from Nassau in The Bahamas at the arrival at the worlds busiest stopover for cruise ships. The cruise line requires all passengers 16 and over to be fully vaccinated. Those that arent have to get COVID-19 tests. Gov. Carlos Joaquin said about 5% of passengers aboard the ship about 150 youths or those with chronic health conditions havent been vaccinated and would be subject to special rules. State and federal health officials were on hand to oversee the arrival. The company proposed that the non-vaccinated group can only disembark on excursion packages with sanitary bubble protocols, not just to any place, Joaquin said. As you can see, these cruise ships have very strict conditions. The cruise line touted the trip as a chance to venture into Maya history during a visit to Cozumel. Quintana Roo is home to resorts like Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Tulum. The state depends on tourism for 87% of its economic activity. Alejandra Aguirre, the state health secretary, wrote of the cruise ship arrival, We are working together for an orderly revival of economic activity. However, fate didnt appear to be smiling on the return of the cruise ships; Wednesdays weather started off fairly rainy, with significant amounts of sargasso seaweed at many of the states beaches. Mexico has not instituted any testing requirement for incoming passengers, and anecdotal evidence suggests tourists are attracted to Mexicos Caribbean resorts in part because there has been no lockdown and health precautions are largely voluntary. Many visitors shed their masks when they reach their hotels or beach clubs. The state has seen a recent upsurge in COPVID-19 cases, in part linked to increased travel around Easter week, and partial reductions at businesses like hotels and restaurants have been implemented to stem the upsurge. Mexico has never enforced a strict, European-style lockdown. BUTTE, Mont. (AP) A Montana woman has pleaded guilty in the death of her older boyfriend and said she strangled him with a rope after a heated argument. Sandy Rose Moore faces up to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to mitigated deliberate homicide in the January 2020 death of Larry Coon, 49, in Dillon. MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) A Moorhead man was arrested and charged with a firearms violation in connection with the March death of a 6-year-old boy who was unintentionally shot with a handgun. Phillip Jones Jr., 33, is charged in federal court with felon in charge of a firearm. Authorities say he has several prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, including attempted drive-by shooting. BOSTON (AP) Some pandemic-era policies that had expired on Tuesday such as allowing restaurants to offer take-out cocktails were quickly extended Wednesday after Republican Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill sent to him by state lawmakers. The new law would also let government bodies continue to hold virtual public hearings and extend some protections for tenants facing eviction. Those protections briefly expired after the coronavirus state of emergency, which had been in place for more than a year, was lifted in Massachusetts on Tuesday. The new law would also extend hardship protections to those facing eviction by continuing the court practice of offering temporary continuances to tenants who have filed applications for rental assistance, thereby preventing evictions in cases where tenants are unable to pay rent due to COVID-19-related financial hardship until April of 2022. The new law also includes provisions intended to help tenants facing possible eviction understand their legal options. It requires landlords notifying tenants to leave a dwelling for nonpayment of rent to also provide a form that reads: This notice to quit is not an eviction. You do not need to immediately leave your unit. You are entitled to a legal proceeding in which you can defend against the eviction. Only a court order can force you to leave your unit. The form must also include information on rental assistance programs, applicable trial court rules and any relevant federal or state legal restrictions on residential evictions. Restaurants, which were among those businesses hardest hit during the pandemic, would be allowed to continue offering expanded outdoor dining through April of next year. Also under the new law, take-out cocktails would have to be sold at the same price as drinks that are consumed at the restaurant. The new law also allows podiatrists, phlebotomists, medical assistants, who otherwise wouldnt be allowed to give vaccine shots, to continue to administer COVID-19 vaccines. Most of the policies won't be extended permanently, although some supporters have pushed to have them written into state law. The take-out cocktail provision will be allowed through May 2022, while virtual hearings will continue to be an option through April of next year as long as residents are offered a method of public access during the meetings. Advocates have been pushing for the extension of remote public hearings, saying they make it easier for residents to participate without having to take time off work or schedule a babysitter to attend a meeting. Two other closely watched pandemic-era policies the expansion of early voting and mail-in voting were not included in the final bill shipped to Bakers desk. The state had offered broad mail-in voting, while also expanding the use of early voting and ballot drop boxes, to help diminish the pandemic health risk of voters crowding polling locations. Among those who support making those options permanent are voting advocates and Democratic Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin. Democratic Senate President Karen Spilka said the bill signed by Baker addressed many issues that were common to both Senate and House versions of the bill and was designed to ensure critical policies continued as quickly as possible. She also said lawmakers from both chambers will continue working together to resolve items in the near-term that were not included in the bill, including the expanded voting measures. BESSEMER CITY, N.C. (AP) A man died Wednesday after being shot by a police officer who chased him after trying to serve warrants, a North Carolina police chief said. Gaston County Police Chief Joe Ramey said Bessemer City police went to an address to serve warrants on an individual, the Gaston Gazette reported. Ramey said a foot chase began and continued about two blocks to a location near a cemetery. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has signed a bill passed by the Legislature legalizing human composting. Brown signed House Bill 2574 on Tuesday, which will legalize whats also known as natural organic reduction, KOIN-TV reported. It also clarifies rules surrounding alkaline hydrolysis, known as aqua cremation. The law goes into effect July 1, 2022. Rep. Pam Marsh, from in Southern Jackson County, who co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Brian Clem, said she decided to sponsor the bill because her constituents are interested in alternative after-death options. My colleagues could see as well that in addition to providing families with a choice, it also is a business opportunity, she said. Elizabeth Fournier, owner of Cornerstone Funeral Services in Boring, Oregon, and author of a green burial guidebook, provides green and eco-friendly after-death services, and has given clients the option of natural organic reduction since it was legalized in Washington state in 2020. Fournier takes bodies to Herland Forest in Wahkiacus, Washington. Its a natural burial cemetery about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of Portland. In 2020, Fournier witnessed her first natural organic reduction and said seeing the process for herself made her more comfortable in talking to her clients about that option. Marsh said the state plans to have its rules in place for natural organic reduction facilities by 2022. BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) A commission that reviews emergency spending requests said Wednesday that it would not approve the allocation of millions of federal dollars sought by North Dakota agencies, due to a state law that limits the panels spending to $50 million each two-year legislative cycle. The six-member Emergency Commission, headed by Republican Gov. Doug Burgum, approved three requests totaling $2.8 million but did not act on others, including human services programs, that would have exceeded the new threshold. Instead, the panel will count on the full Legislature to take up the requests later this year. State Office of Management and Budget Director Joe Morrissette said none of the delayed requests would result in loss of funds and would have only a minimal impact in some cases. The GOP-led Legislature passed the law in April after the state received $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding last year. The commission alone largely determined how the money would be spent, angering many lawmakers, who believed the full body should have that responsibility. The commission is comprised of the governor, the secretary of state, the chairmen of the state House and Senate appropriations committees, and the majority leaders of the House and Senate. The new law requires the governor to call a special legislative session for expenditures above $50 million. The Legislature easily overrode Burgums veto of the bill that he said clearly violates the separation of powers doctrine and would be unconstitutional. Wednesdays meeting of the emergency commission was the first since the law was enacted, and revealed confusion on how to apply it in some cases. Burgum said it showed the new law has constraints and could result in unintended consequences. Kim Konikow, executive director of the North Dakota Council on the Arts, worried that delaying approval of the funds could limit agencies from seeking grants. The governor said that was a fair point. The new law also allows the Legislatures Budget Section to alter decisions made by the emergency commission. The Budget Section comprises the chambers floor leaders and the members of appropriations committees, which are in charge of crafting state agency budgets. Burgum has said the $50 million trigger that would force the governor to call a special session would risk violating the state constitution by having the Legislature meet for more than the 80 days its allowed every two years. North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem has said the new law may not survive a court challenge. Stenehjem said the governor was well within his constitutional authority to veto the bill and that he thought the new law would be difficult to defend from a constitutional aspect. Burgum declined to say Wednesday if he would challenge the law in court. The Legislature adjourned in April after meeting for 76 days. The Legislature will use the four remaining days it is allowed later in the year to take up the requests, along with approval of new legislative districts and other issues that may arise. Detectives are interviewing and re-interviewing people who might hold the keys to knowing why a gunman opened fire on his co-workers at an Alabama fire hydrant factory, but the answer might prove elusive, a police official said Wednesday. Andreas Horton, 34, used a handgun to kill two co-workers at the Mueller Co. plant in Albertville and wound two others before dawn Tuesday, authorities said. A few hours later, Horton was found dead in his vehicle in nearby Guntersville from what police said was a self-inflicted gunshot. He had parked along a road beside the cemetery where his mother was buried after dying of cancer at age 40 in 2011. The Albertville police forces entire detective division is working on the case and trying to learn the motive, Assistant Police Chief J.T. Cartee said Wednesday. But he said that based on his experience and the fact that Horton is dead people might never know why it happened. They're trying to get that answer to that question that everyone wants to know why?," Cartee said. We might not ever know why. That doesnt sit well with folks but in my years of experience, I've learned that we dont always get all the answers." Police identified the dead men as Michael Dobbins and David Horton. Police Chief Jamie Smith said that as far as he knew, the Hortons shared the same last name but were not related. All involved worked at the sprawling plant that gave the city in northwest Alabama its nickname of Fire Hydrant Capital of the World. The two survivors - Casey Sampson and Isaac Byrd were in critical condition at a hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, after the shooting, Cartee said. The hospital was unable to provide an update on their conditions Wednesday, but Byrds pastor told Al.com that he was undergoing surgery for extensive injuries. Pastor Glenn Randall sent a text around 4 a.m. Wednesday asking members of the congregation, Crossroads Assembly of God in Albertville, to pray for the young man. Mueller Co., based in Cleveland, Tennessee, is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Mueller Water Products Inc., which calls itself a leading maker of water distribution and measurement products in North America. More than 400 people work at the Albertville plant. LAS VEGAS (AP) Prosecutors are expected to decide by next month whether to seek the death penalty against three men charged in the 2019 fatal shooting of a 14-year-old girl in North Las Vegas. Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal said prosecutors will review charges and decide whether to seek the death penalty against 24-year-old Marcus Covington, 24-year-old Marcus Parker and 23-year-old Dasean Williams in the slaying of Amillion Scott. NEW LONDON, Wis. (AP) U.S. military officials announced Wednesday that the remains of three brothers from Wisconsin who were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor have been identified. Officials say 22-year-old Navy Fireman 1st Class Malcolm J. Barber, 21-year-old Navy Fireman 1st Class LeRoy K. Barber and 18-year-old Navy Fireman 2nd Class Randolph H. Barber were assigned to the USS Oklahoma in World War II. They grew up in New London. NEW YORK (AP) One of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's sisters helped raise money to pay the legal fees of a former close aide of the governor, Joseph Percoco, who was convicted of accepting bribes. Madeline Cuomo sent an email in February 2020 to two dozen people, including allies and former employees of the governor, asking them to donate to Percoco's legal defense, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Percoco was sentenced to six years in prison in 2018 for accepting more than $300,000 from companies that wanted influence with the Cuomo administration. Cuomo was not accused of wrongdoing, but the conviction of an aide he likened to a brother was an embarrassment that highlighted corruption in Albany. Madeline Cuomo told the Times she never informed the governor about her fundraising for Percoco, who also worked for her father, the late Gov. Mario Cuomo. I have known Joe most of my life, and I care for my friend, she told The Times. I did want to help him, but once the pandemic hit, everyones priorities quickly shifted. My brother Andrew was neither involved with, nor privy to, my independent effort. I still believe helping a friend is the morally right thing to do. In her fundraising email, Cuomo, who also donated to Percoco's legal defense, said his legal fight was far from over and he still needed money for appeals. My family and I will be participating in that effort, and I hope we can count on you to join in the effort," she wrote. Percoco's lead trial attorney, Barry Bohrer, did not respond to requests for comment from the newspaper. Ben Gray/AP ATLANTA (AP) Two Republicans will advance to a runoff in a special election in a southeast Georgia state House district, while a Republican and a Democrat will advance to a runoff in a Cobb County state House district. In House District 156, which covers all of Montgomery and Toombs counties and parts of Appling and Jefferson Davis counties, Toombs County Republican Party Chairman Leesa Hagan of Lyons and auto dealer Wally Sapp of Baxley will advance to a July 13 runoff after voting concluded Tuesday. Democrat Wright Gres of Baxley finished third according to final, unofficial election results. WASHINGTON (AP) Both Republican and Democratic senators pressed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for answers Wednesday after a federal court blocked the Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. In a sharply worded ruling Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Louisiana ordered that plans for lease sales continue in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Alaska and in all eligible onshore properties nationwide. The ruling came after President Joe Biden shut down oil and gas lease sales from the nations vast public lands and waters in his first days in office, citing worries about climate change. It's a fresh decision. Our department is reviewing the judges opinion as we speak and consulting with the Justice Department, Haaland said under questioning at a Senate hearing on her departments budget. We will respect the judges decision. Any other information will be forthcoming, she said. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Interior subcommittee, said she was flabbergasted that Haaland did not address the court ruling or the government's vast oil and gas leasing program in her prepared remarks. I was really struck by the fact that in 17 pages of discussions outlining the budget there really is no recognition for the production on our federal land and the role that plays, Murkowski said. In light of the court ruling, she told Haaland: I expect to hear your plans to resume implementation of those lease sales. We expect you to follow the law." Haaland, a former Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico, responded, I will always follow the law." Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana also appeared impatient with Haaland, saying the review ordered by Biden nearly two months before Haaland took office in mid-March appeared to be dragging on. As this review rolls on, a leasing pause gives folks in the oil and gas industry a lot of uncertainty," Tester said. Its getting harder and harder to extend that trust without hard information in the review. Tester asked Haaland when the review will be ready for prime time. Officials have said all along early summer ... so my guess is theyll be getting it sometime in the near future, Haaland said. I'm taking that as itll be out in the next month, Tester replied. Haaland did not commit to a firm timetable. The back-and-forth over the leasing pause and the court decision showed the stakes of Biden's effort to reform and likely scale back the multibillion-dollar leasing program without crushing a significant sector of the U.S. economy. Doughty's ruling, in a lawsuit filed by Louisiana Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states, is a blow to Bidens efforts to transition the nation away from fossil fuels and stave off the worst effects of climate change, including catastrophic droughts, floods and wildfires. Biden and Haaland have said the leasing ban is only temporary, though officials have declined to say how long it will last. And its unclear how much legal authority the government has to stop drilling on about 23 million acres (93,000 square kilometers) previously leased to energy companies. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called the judge's decision a victory for the rule of law and American energy workers.'' Biden's illegal ban (on new lease sales) has hurt workers and deprived Wyoming and other states of a principal source of revenue that they use for public education, Barrasso said. President Biden should immediately rescind his punishing ban and let Americans get back to work. Following Biden's Jan. 27 order, the Interior Department canceled oil and gas lease sales from public lands through June affecting Nevada, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, as well as offshore sales in the Gulf of Mexico. The department also abandoned a public comment period for a planned offshore sale in Alaska. The 13 states that sued said that the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken and said that the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs. Doughty, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Donald Trump in 2017, said millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake for local governments and other public uses. TRENTON, Ga. (AP) A nursing home director in northwestern Georgia was charged with cruelty after a sheriff said authorities discovered that the facility didnt have working air conditioning and had only one staff member looking after residents. Dade County deputies arrested Kent Allen Womack on Monday night, news outlets reported. The 55-year-old was in custody at the county jail, and Sheriff Ray Cross said more charges are pending. It wasnt immediately clear if he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. Authorities reported to Woodhaven Senior Living in Trenton after receiving a call from a family member about the residents, who are between 61 and 97 years old, being evicted and having an hour to pack up their belongings. Deputies who went to the nursing home learned that one staff member who wasnt a trained nurse had been watching the residents for 32 hours straight, according to news outlets. Every other employee quit because of the conditions. It was also discovered that the air conditioning in the building only worked near Womacks office. Once you first walk in the door, you can tell there was no air at all. It was so hot in there. We checked the temperature in one of the air units in there and it registered over 100 degrees, Cross said at a news conference Tuesday. The sheriff said Womack smelled of alcohol when he arrived at the facility. Cross asked if he had been drinking, and the nursing home owner responded, I didnt drive here. Authorities found two small bottles of alcohol in Womacks pocket, Cross said. Nine patients were taken to other facilities. Two were hospitalized, and Dade County Detective Chad Payne said they were in good condition as of Tuesday morning. Lois Sharps father was in the facility, according to WTVC-TV. She said hes an Army veteran and has Alzheimers. How could he do these old people like that? My dads 83 years old. He dont deserve this, she told the station. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the case. ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) Lawmakers from Jersey Shore towns are pushing back against a bill meant to fast-track offshore wind energy projects by taking away local control over transmission lines and other onshore infrastructure. A bill moving quickly and quietly through the state Legislature would give wind energy projects approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities authority to locate, build, use and maintain wires and associated land-based infrastructure as long as they run underground on public property including streets. The BPU could determine that some aboveground wires are necessary. It appears to be an effort to head off any local objections to at least one wind power project envisioned to come ashore at two former power plants, and run cables under two of the states most popular beaches. But the measure ran into opposition from lawmakers representing shore communities on Wednesday, even as it gained support from business groups. This bill takes away the ability of shore communities to protect themselves, said Tom Rotondi, a city councilman in Ocean City, where an offshore wind project planned by the Danish firm Orsted would run power lines ashore to connect with the electrical grid. A foreign company comes in and tells shore communities what they can and can't do with their property rights. Assemblyman John Burzichelli, a southern New Jersey Democrat who sponsored the bill, said it will be amended to take local concerns into account, but did not specify which changes might be made to it. I can assure you, having been at ground zero of these discussions, we will allow nothing to happen that will disrupt Ocean City and the true gem that it is, Burzichelli said at a state Assembly hearing during which the bill was advanced. But the bottom line is transmission lines have to come. But they won't run down the middle of your street. A project planned by Orsted and Public Service Enterprise Group, a New Jersey utility company, would connect to the electric grid at decommissioned power plants in Ocean and Cape May Counties. Cables running from the wind farm, to be located between 15 and 27 miles (24 to 43 kilometers) off the coast of Atlantic City, would come ashore at one of three potential locations in Ocean City, and would run under a roadway to a former power plant in Upper Township. Cables also would need to cross Island Beach State Park in Ocean County, running under the dunes and beach and existing parking lots, out into Barnegat Bay. They would come ashore either directly at the former Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in the Forked River section of Lacey, or in Waretown, also known as Ocean Township in Ocean County. Orsted said Tuesday that the bill's mitigation process is "critical for keeping timelines and schedules not only for the developer, but for the supply chain and workforce dedicated to the project. As originally written, the bill entitles a qualified wind energy project to obtain easements, rights-of-way or other property rights from any level of government that are necessary to build the project. The BPU would make a final decision if such approvals are withheld by governments. No state, county or local government would be able to prohibit or charge a fee for the use of a street or other public property other than a road opening permit. If these governments refuse the permit for any other reason than legitimate public safety concerns, the state utilities board would be required to issue an order granting the necessary approval. ___ Follow Wayne Parry at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC WASHINGTON (AP) Speaking near the steamy banks of a shimmering lake in Switzerland, one president nonchalantly removed his jacket and spoke confidently about standing up to an adversary. The other held court in a bland, air-conditioned room where he sought to portray strength amid scrutiny of human rights abuses. By abandoning the traditional joint press conference in favor of separate events, U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin accomplished important objectives following their summit on Wednesday. Biden was able to privately air objections with the Russian leader while preventing a scene in which he and Putin found themselves on equal footing. And Putin, at least for a few hours, captured much of the world's attention. Their back-to-back press conferences were an opportunity for both men to make policy commitments on issues including nuclear weapons. But the settings of the events, the side tangents the leaders indulged and the questions that inflamed their tempers also revealed how Biden and Putin see their roles and vulnerabilities. At times, they were both fatalistic in their assessments of the U.S.-Russian relationship. Look, this is not about trust, Biden said. This is about self-interest. Putin was especially glum when asked about the prospect of a new bond with the U.S. Let me tell you in life there is no happiness," he said. Theres only a mirage on the horizon, so well cherish that. Wednesday marked the first formal summit between Putin and an American president since 2018. At that meeting in Helsinki, then-President Donald Trump shocked leaders in Washington and around the globe by siding with Putin over his own intelligence agencies on the issue of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Biden's team pushed for stagecraft, including the separate news conferences, that would avoid any repeat scenes of chumminess with the Russian leader and drive home the point that the two countries have many differences to work through. The summit concluded the first overseas trip of Biden's presidency, which has been dominated thus far by a pandemic that has dramatically disrupted global travel. But the president's news conference reinforced his administration's message that Americans can return to some degree of normalcy after vaccinations have helped dent coronavirus infections. Many of the reporters at the outdoor news conference were maskless and were allowed to gather in ways that would have been impossible just months ago. Journalists at the indoor Putin news conference, meanwhile, mostly wore masks and observed social distancing. The Russian leader went first and opted against delivering opening remarks, moving immediately to questions from reporters. He said there was no hostility during his meeting with Biden. Putin fielded questions from more than a dozen reporters, including several from Western outlets. His face was largely expressionless as he listened to questions, rarely betraying any anger or frustration at confrontational queries. Instead, he adopted a what-aboutism stance that attempted to deflect criticism of his country and focus instead on the U.S. When Rachel Scott of ABC News asked Putin why so many of his opponents end up in jail and pressed on what he is so afraid of, the president responded by seemingly comparing Russian dissidents to American protesters who demonstrated last year in favor of racial justice. What we saw, mass violations of the law and so on and so forth, we sympathize with the Americans but we do not wish that this type of thing could happen on our territory, he said. We will do our utmost to prevent it. Putin also pointed to gun violence in the U.S. and sought to dismiss concerns about human rights abuses in Russia by noting that the Americans still have the military detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It doesnt come under any kind of law, international, American, nothing, Putin said. But it still exists. Putin repeatedly said the next question would be his last, only to keep taking additional inquiries, including one from a reporter who invoked her 9-year-old daughter in asking the Russian leader why he was so tough on protesters. Amid the exchanges, he found ways to weave in some flattery of Biden, who he described as a very experienced politician. That was an apparent contrast to Trump, who entered the White House with no political experience. And in a nod to Biden's famous devotion to his family, Putin noted that the American president spoke of his mother during their private session. Biden said he watched Putin's performance while he waited for his turn. After striding onto a stage with a picturesque view of Lake Geneva, he spoke about half as long and mostly took questions from a pre-selected group of reporters, none of whom represented Russian media, which is often viewed as aligned with the Kremlin. The American president had a particularly sharp exchange with CNN's Kaitlan Collins over whether he thought Putin would actually change his approach after their meeting. Biden later apologized to Collins. Still, in going second, Biden had the final say and the opportunity to respond to some of Putin's comments. He called Putin's comparison of Black Lives Matter protesters to the crackdown on democracy activists in Russia ridiculous. More generally, Biden said he brought his relatable style of politics into the meeting with Putin, describing his approach as somewhat colloquial. You know how I am, he said. I explained things on a personal basis. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Police say a teenager was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Minneapolis. The 16-year-old boy was either on foot or skateboarding when he was struck in north Minneapolis about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. Police and fire personnel provided aid until paramedics arrived and took the boy to North Memorial Health Hospital, where he died. The teen has not been identified. According to officials, that after striking the teen, the driver continued north, struck several parked cars and left the road before coming to rest in a yard where the individual was arrested. Drugs or alcohol may be a contributing factor in the crash, police said. WESTMORELAND, Tenn. (AP) A Tennessee sheriff's deputy was wounded and a suspect was found dead after authorities responding to a report of an armed man causing a disturbance exchanged gunfire with him, officials said. Deputies from the Macon County Sheriffs Office responded Tuesday afternoon to a report of a male subject with a gun, walking down a road and causing a disturbance, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. Nathaniel Damien Raabe, 48, fired shots when the deputies arrived and the officers returned fire, the statement said. TOWNSHEND, Vt. (AP) A Vermont town is divided about renaming a brook that has an outdated, racialized name, though a state agency may ultimately make the decision. The Vermont Board of Libraries is meeting Thursday to respond to a petition asking for the renaming of Negro Brook, which is located in Townshend State Park, the Brattleboro Reformer reported. Residents of Burlington first asked for the name to be changed two years ago. One of them, Evan Litwin, said the brook is the only known United States Geological Survey natural feature in Vermont that continues to have a race-based name. Steffen Gillom, president of the Windham County NAACP, supports renaming the brook after Susanna Toby, a Black woman who was an early settler of the town. No one likes it, Gillom said of the brook's current name. We definitely dont like it. So it made sense to support the change and we thought the story of Susanna Toby was compelling, and it was powerful." Toby moved to the town in as early as 1810 and died there in 1855, according to Vermont independent historian Elise Guyette. Her husband, who was an enslaved Black person, fought in the Revolutionary War in the place of the son of the man who owned him. A researcher with the Townshend Historical Society told the newspaper the group does not support naming the brook after Toby because town records indicated she did not live close to it. The Board of Libraries has jurisdiction over changing the name of the brook because it is on state land, the newspaper reported, but a decision by the Townshend Select Board last week may delay any action. At a meeting on June 8, the town's Select Board voted to support renaming the brook after Toby, but also to bring the question before voters next March. Bruce Post, chairman of the Board of Libraries, told the newspaper he hopes to make a decision on Thursday but said he did not know if the Select Board decision to allow voters to weigh in on the question would prevent them from doing so. Two men from Estonia have been convicted of federal cybercrime charges involving ransomware and other attacks on computer systems around the globe. Oleg Koshkin, 41, was convicted Tuesday by a jury in U.S. District Court in Hartford of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse as well as aiding and abetting computer fraud and abuse. His co-defendant, Pavel Tsurkan, 33, pleaded guilty Wednesday to aiding and abetting the unauthorized access to a protected computer. Prosecutors said Koshkin, a Russian national who lived in Estonia, and Tsurken who lived in both Estonia and Thailand, operated an online encryption service known as Crypt4U, which helped conceal malware infections from antivirus software. That technology allowed hackers to infect computer systems around the world between September 2013 and December 2017, including in Connecticut, prosecutors said. Koshkin designed and operated a service that was an essential tool for some of the worlds most destructive cybercriminals, including ransomware attackers, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid of the Justice Departments Criminal Division said in a statement. "The verdict should serve as a warning to those who provide infrastructure to cybercriminals: the Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners consider you to be just as culpable as the hackers whose crimes you enable and we will work tirelessly to bring you to justice." One of the men's clients was Peter Levashov, the operator of what became known as the Kelihos botnet, which gave him control over the computer networks he infiltrated, prosecutors said. Levashov used Koshkin's technology to help him infect about 200,000 computers around the world before the Kelihos system was dismantled by the FBI, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges including identity theft and causing intentional damage to a protected computer. Koshkin, who has been in federal custody since his arrest in California in 2019, faces up to 15 years in prison at a sentencing scheduled for September 20. Tsurkan, who has been free on bond, faces up to nine years in prison when he is sentenced on September 27. The FBIs New Haven office investigated the case through its Connecticut Cyber Task Force. MEXICO CITY (AP) In consecutive visits this month, Vice President Kamala Harris and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have conveyed to the most important U.S. partner that the Biden administration is taking a more nuanced approach to immigration than its predecessor, but still asking what more Mexico can do. Mayorkas said Tuesday at the conclusion of two days of high-level meetings: We have challenged one another with respect to what more can each of us do to address the level of irregular migration that has persisted for several months. In May, encounters with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border inched up from April to more than 180,000, more than double the number in January, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Record arrivals of migrant children have been especially challenging for the Biden administration, as they were for his predecessors, with the U.S. government picking up nearly 60,000 children traveling without their parents across the Mexican border from February to May. When then President Donald Trump threatened damaging tariffs on all Mexican imports unless Mexico did more to stem the flow of migrants in 2019, Mexico deployed its newly created National Guard to boost enforcement efforts. The Biden administration is taking what Mayorkas called a multipronged approach and he rejected any suggestion that the White House had sent mixed messages that could have encouraged more migration to the border. Harris is leading U.S. efforts to identify and address the root causes of immigration. On her visit to Guatemala and Mexico earlier this month, she urged Central Americans not to try to reach the U.S. border while also trying to give people a sense of hope that would encourage them to stay home. The Biden administration has struggled to show a more compassionate face on U.S. immigration policies and undo some of Trumps harshest measures while not spurring more migration. Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, has been visiting the Northern Triangle countries this week announcing new aid aimed at improving conditions there. Power and Harris have spoken against the endemic corruption in the region and the need for greater economic opportunity. Mayorkas said other elements of that approach were opening alternative legal pathways to the U.S., including the expansion of the Central American Minors Program announced Tuesday. The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it was expanding a newly revived effort to bring Central American children to the United States to reunite with parents legally living in the country. Trump announced in August 2017 that he was halting the Central American Minors Program in August 2017 in his crackdown on immigration. The U.S. restarted the program in March for children from Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador who had applied to be paroled into the United States before Trump ended the program. The expansion announced Tuesday makes eligible families whose parents are in the U.S. with various forms of legal status, including green cards and Temporary Protected Status for designated countries afflicted by natural disasters or civil strife. Parents with pending asylum claims and people who applied for visas for crime victims before May 15 may also be eligible to bring their children from Central America. The administration didnt say how many people may be covered by the expansion but Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a joint statement that the changes will dramatically expand eligibility. The visits to the region for Harris, Mayorkas and Power were all their first foreign trips for a new administration, sending a message that the regions problems have its attention. Mexico has other priorities, in particular reopening to the U.S.-Mexico border, which has been closed to non-essential travel for more than a year. On Tuesday, 1.35 million doses of Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine donated by the United States arrived in Mexico. The U.S. vaccine shipment will be used to vaccinate anyone over 18 in four cities along the U.S. border: Tijuana, Mexicali, Ciudad Juarez and Reynosa. Mexico has said the goal is to boost vaccination rates there to levels similar to the U.S. cities they adjoin. Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said that after the vaccinations there will be no public health arguments for keeping the border closed. Later, Ebrard added via Twitter that he had told Mayorkas that Mexico wanted to accelerate the vaccination of people living along their shared border so that life there can return to normal. The Secretary indicated that facilitating trade, tourism and travel is his priority, Ebrard wrote. We both also understand the economic consequences of the restrictions on not only the border communities of Mexico, but the border of the United States, Mayorkas said. On the touchy subject of security cooperation, Mayorkas said he emerged from a meeting with Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero optimistic. After U.S. authorities arrested former Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos last year on drug trafficking charges and then released him under pressure from Mexico, security cooperation between the two countries took a hit. Mexico imposed restrictions on U.S. agents in the country. I left that meeting, as I hope the attorney general did, optimistic that those restrictions will not serve as an impediment to address our security imperatives, Mayorkas said. Mayorkas declined to pass judgment on Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors hugs not bullets approach to dealing with Mexicos drug cartels, saying he did not understand what it means in practice. Lopez Obrador has criticized the policies of his predecessors that prioritized going after cartel leaders. CAIRO (AP) The United States is planning to increase funding to Egypt to help it convert to solar energy and move away from fossil fuels, U.S. special envoy for climate John Kerry said in Cairo on Wednesday. Egypt is blessed to be the number one country in the world when it comes to making use of solar energy, Kerry told reporters following meetings with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry. Egypt remains reliant on fossil fuels for its energy needs, and a gigantic cloud of air pollution often hovers over its capital of Cairo, home to some 20 million people. But President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's government is taking steps towards renewables. El-Sissi has said that he aims to take greater advantage of the countrys optimal solar and wind conditions for energy harvesting. Officials have said they plan to get 20% of the countrys energy needs met by renewables before 2022, and 43% by 2035. Kerry said that switching to renewable energy could help Egypt create jobs as well. Roughly a third of Egyptian citizens live below the poverty line, according to a government study from 2019. And the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have also hit hard the tourism-dependent nation. Kerry also told reporters that the world has a long way to go before it meets international goals that were set by the historic 2015 Paris climate accord. President Joe Biden, who has said that fighting global warming is among his highest priorities, had the United States rejoin the historic Paris accord in the first hours of his presidency, undoing the U.S. withdrawal ordered by his predecessor Donald Trump. Major emitters of greenhouse gases are preparing for the next U.N. climate summit, due in November in Glasgow, U.K. The summit aims to relaunch global efforts to keep rising global temperatures to below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) as agreed in the Paris accord. WATERBURY, Vt. (AP) The Vermont Department of Corrections is hoping to begin resuming in-person visits at the states prisons July 1. Corrections Commissioner Jim Baker says family visits to incarcerated individuals will be the next focus of the department. We understand, and weve understood the entire time what a strain this has been on families, not being able to see their loved ones," Baker told WCAX-TV. "So were starting to plan, hopefully, on July 1st, we will slowly start rolling out visitation. The department is also trying to get as many incarcerated people vaccinated against COVID-19 as possible. Currently, between 65% and 75% of the inmate population has been vaccinated. The move by the Corrections Department comes after Republican Gov. Phil Scott lifted all COVID-19 restrictions. The state of emergency that allowed the governor to impose the COVID-19 restrictions expired at midnight Tuesday. ___ NUMBERS On Wednesday, the Vermont Department of Health reported nine new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to nearly 24,350. There were two people hospitalized across the state, including one in intensive care. The number of deaths remained at 256. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 12.57 new cases a day on May 31 to 6.29 new cases a day on Monday. The Associated Press is using data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering to measure outbreak caseloads and deaths across the United States. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) A jury has convicted a Washington state man, who stood trial on robbery and murder charges, for the fourth time, officials said. The state Court of Appeals overturned the previous three convictions on procedural grounds. Terrance Jon Irby, 63, was found guilty on Monday of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the death of James Rock in 2005, the Skagit Valley Herald reported. MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) West Virginia University plans to fully open its campuses this fall due to recent drops in COVID-19 cases across the country. In a news release Tuesday, the university cited state figures showing the number of active coronavirus cases statewide had dropped 57% in the past month. The university also said more than 52% of West Virginians above age 12 had received at least one vaccine dose. Cory Morse/AP LANSING, Mich. (AP) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday asked Michigan lawmakers to reinstate certain employers' ability to hire new workers who, while working, would still get a $300-a-week unemployment benefit into early September. The governor this week has been touting the states workshare program as a return-to-work incentive as companies struggle to fill jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic. It provides partial jobless benefits when businesses bring back laid-off employees at reduced hours or they cut workers hours rather than let them go. MADISON, Wis. (AP) A man convicted of killing his brother-in-law after he allegedly discovered child pornography on his computer deserves a new trial because a jury could decide he acted in self-defense, a divided Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The justices ruled 4-3 that the jury that convicted Alan Johnson in 2017 should have instructed on self-defense doctrines. A jury in Walworth County convicted Johnson in 2017 of first-degree reckless homicide in connection with the shooting death of his brother-in-law, Ken Myszkewicz. Johnson testified during his trial that Myszkewicz married his sister when he was a child and verbally, physically and sexually abused him. Years before Myszkewicz died, Johnson discovered what he believed was child pornography on Myszkewicz's computer. Johnson went to the police but was told the evidence was stale, according to court documents. Around midnight on an October night in 2016, Johnson snuck into Myszkewicz's home in Whitewater armed with a gun and powered up Myszkewicz's computer searching for more child pornography. Myszkewicz discovered him and attacked him, Johnson testified. Myszkewicz was shot five times and died. Johnson said he didn't remember seeing or hearing his gun fire but eventually told police he killed him. He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide using a dangerous weapon and armed burglary. The jury ultimately acquitted him on the burglary count but convicted him of first-degree reckless homicide. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Johnson argued on appeal that trial Judge Kristine Drettwan should have instructed the jury that it could find that he acted in self-defense. Drettwan ruled that no reasonable person would believe that was true in Johnson's case. The Supreme Court found the evidence could support such a contention. Justice Brian Hagedorn, writing for the majority, noted that Johnson testified he wasn't looking to confront Myszkewicz, that Myszkewicz had cornered him in the computer room and then attacked him. Even granting the unusual circumstance of seeing an unwelcome family member in one's home, a reasonable jury could conclude that (Myszkewicz) engaged in an unprovoked physical attack on his brother-in-law to harm and possibly kill him, Hagedorn wrote. Even though Johnson was not able to describe what happened in detail and why he made the decisions he did when the attack began, a reasonable jury could still infer that Johnson responded with the level of force necessary to stop the attack. Justice Annette Ziegler wrote in dissent that the ruling sends a message to home invaders should carry guns, shoot first and later claim they were afraid to avoid convictions. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice, which defended Johnson's conviction, had no immediate comment. ___ Follow Todd Richmond on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trichmond1 CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) West Virginia's Supreme Court has turned back a petition from a group whose attempt to open the state's first charter school was rejected in two northern counties. School boards in Monongalia and Preston counties denied separate applications in November from the West Virginia Academy. The academy would have located in Morgantown while recruiting students from across Monongalia County and portions of Preston and Marion counties. The academy's board chairman, John Treu, is a West Virginia University accounting professor. The academy petitioned the high court to try to force the state Department of Education to approve the public charter application. But the justices ruled in a memorandum decision Tuesday that the department has no authority under state law over the matter. Earlier this year the state Legislature made changes to the 2019 charter schools law that allows for denied applications to be appealed to the state Board of Education. But those changes came after the academy filed its lawsuit in February. Treu told the Charleston Gazette-Mail on Wednesday that his board would have to decide its next move. I can say that we wont pursue a local application ever again, Treu said. He said any possible application in the future most likely would go through the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board, which was established this year as a possible authorizer of charter schools. The justices noted that the academy did not sue the local school boards. True told the newspaper that did not happen because the academy did not want a potential multiyear factual dispute over every sentence of our application." SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) After San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin last week announced he would enter into treatment for alcohol dependency, on Tuesday he elaborated and said he would remain in office while in treatment. The District 3 supervisor first announced last Thursday he would be entering treatment and thanked his friends, family, colleagues and staff for standing by his side as he confronted his personal issues. During Tuesday's Board of Supervisor's meeting, Peskin further thanked his constituents and the public for the outpour of support he received since making the admission. "I owe you all a sincere apology. This is not how I had hoped to come out of this pandemic. But, without or without alcohol and with or without stress I am accountable for my behavior, and I am sorry and frankly embarrassed by the tenor I have struck at times in my work. I have a problem and have taken serious steps to address it," he said. "I've entered treatment for alcohol dependence under the guidance of professionals and I intend to stay in treatment as long as it takes to recover. These professionals recommend I continue to work while I also work at my recovery and therefore, I will continue to serve the people of this city as a full-time supervisor," he said. "I'm going to be on this journey for as long as it takes to address my issues but I also recognize that ultimately this is an opportunity to temper my attitude and reflect on my behavior." Both Board President Shamann Walton and Mayor London Breed said at Tuesday's meeting they supported Peskin in his effort to seek treatment. Walton, however, had more words for Breed, calling members of her staff "true bullies," and said he would continue to defend his colleagues who are mistreated by members of Breed's staff, department leaders and nonprofit leaders. In response, Breed called for more respect for city employees. "I know there was a number of comments mentioned about me and my staff, President Walton, but those things could easily be said about you as well. We need to move past that. I know as a former supervisor I completely understand the importance of asking the hard questions and holding departments accountable. That's part of the duty of this board," she said. "Our hard-working city employees should look forward to attending board hearings. That's one of the reasons they join public service, to attend important policy debates and to change the future of this city. At the beginning of this pandemic, it was hard and we expected so much out of them. They definitely deserve better," she said. Peskin's announcement came just days after a tense Board of Supervisor's meeting last week, in which a visibly heated Peskin grilled San Francisco Recreation and Park Department Phil Ginsburg over knowledge of a letter sent to Supervisor Connie Chan by the San Francisco Parks Alliance, which the supervisors said had a threatening tone. Copyright 2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. Copyright 2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. A quaint 1920s two-bedroom home in Los Angeles's Los Feliz neighborhood sold this week, according to Redfin. The sale wasn't easy the home had been on the market for 8 months and had taken a hefty price cut. This may have been due to the address's dark history. The house at 3311 Waverly Drive (previously 3301) is where supermarket chain owner Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary, who ran a clothing business, were killed by Charles Manson and his family in the early hours of Aug. 10, 1969. The previous night, under the direction of Manson, four members of the cult murdered actress Sharon Tate and four others across town at 10050 Cielo Drive. (Tate's husband, director Roman Polanski, was working on a movie in Europe at the time.) After being unhappy with the media response to the Cielo Drive mass murder, it's believed Manson drove around with "family" members the following night to "show them how it's done," according to court testimony at the time. He chose the Los Feliz address when he recognized it after partying at a home next door the previous year. While the buyer of the property in Los Feliz reportedly wishes to keep a low profile, the previous owner bought the house due to, not in spite of, its notoriety. Bettmann/Bettmann Archive "Ghost Adventures" host Zak Bagans, a notorious paranormal investigator, purchased the home in 2019 for $1.889 million, though cancelled plans to shoot an "investigation" there after deciding it would be disrespectful to the dead, says TMZ. After only a year of ownership Bagans listed the home for $2.2 million in October 2020, and after multiple price drops, finally sold it for $1.875 million to the anonymous buyer this week. Bagans has a history of buying supposedly "haunted" properties, also purchasing the so-called "Demon House" in Indiana. The Waverly Drive home offers Italian tiled floors, a patio overlooking the pool and "breathtaking, unobstructed front and back views," per the listing. And while any details and names associated with the 1969 murders were kept from the real estate blurb, the listing does make brief mention of an "infamous history," and speculates that it may be a home for "history buffs." Find the full listing and photographs of the home here. As I slide my finger into the hand grip, a rubber ring clamps down on my knuckle to hold it into place. Its a gentle reminder that I should be moving as little as possible, though I've also been warned not to be too rigid. Ready, I announce. The flashing machine takes a photo of my finger, capturing exactly where my ragged cuticles border my nail and the length of the nail itself. The familiar whirring of an inkjet printer begins and a small rectangular capsule with a pointed tip, almost like the tip of a paint pen, descends towards my index fingernail, but not without stopping to do a quick blot of the maroon color on a pad toward the back of the machine. Just like your local manicurist makes sure theres that goldilocks amount of nail polish on the bottles brush when she starts your color not too much, not too little the robotic arm does too. Im getting a manicure from a robot in the Marina and yes, it may be one of the most stereotypical, tech-loving San Francisco things Ive ever done. But as I watch the tiny brush head trace an almost-perfect outline of my nail before continuing to fill it in with color in a mesmerizing loop, I reluctantly admit to myself that this is, almost certainly, the future. Or at least, some part of the future, much like Ubers are now more ubiquitous than taxis and Soylent is part of the food system. Theyre options that are here to stay, whether we like it or not. For starters, a robot painting your nails is fast and cheap. The shellacking of a deep maroon cost me $8 and was done within 10 minutes. Plus, you dont need cash to tip a robot. Thats exactly why founder Renuka Apte dreamed up her company, Clockwork. I used to feel really guilty about the amount of time I was spending on beauty routines and that was not something that my mostly male colleagues related to, she said. They would say, Oh then dont do it, but they didnt understand. It was an ongoing thing in the back of my mind. She and a coworker, Aaron Feldstein, had been talking about starting a company together for awhile and after some focus groups with women, Apte convinced him that this was their big opportunity. Two and a half years later, Apte estimates that Clockwork may be the fastest robotics company to earn revenue out there. It took about eight months to get an initial prototype, and theyve been improving the machine ever since. The biggest learning curve was figuring out that they couldnt use traditional nail polish bottles; they had to invent their own cartridge. Today, they purchase colors from well known brands like OPI and CND and create the proprietary cartridges out of them. Then, there was the hand grip, something that seemed like it would be simple, Apte said, but ended up being anything but. She had to solve for the best method of keeping people relaxed, comfortable and still while accommodating for varying hand sizes. As some nail polish spilled over onto the skin of my pinky, Apte said the machine is also still learning the more nails it sees, the better the AI gets. Its also just one coat of polish (though it feels thicker than one coat youd do at home), but I was told to add a top coat at home if I wanted the manicure to last longer. Clockwork Without the recommended top coat, my index fingernail lost a corner of polish and was chipped by the next morning, and by day four I debated taking it off altogether. Even still, as someone who doesnt get her nails done at a salon on any regular basis (this was my first manicure since January 2020), my first question for Apte was when she plans to debut her robots in airports, where someone might opt for a quick, more temporary solution without the hassle of trying to squeeze in a manicure before a trip. I know thats exactly what I want to do pre-vacation when my flight is delayed and Ive already had my limit of pre-flight beers. Apte said the company doesnt have any plans for airport infiltration just yet, but she does see the machines like I do. Maybe they wont replace the gel manicure you need for your sisters wedding, but it could certainly replace the weekly manicure you get just to look professional for a night out. She envisions the machines in the lobbies of luxury apartments or commercial buildings or even in retail stores, and ideally, never more than a 10-minute walk from you. The Clockwork location I visited in the Marina is designed to be more of a showroom and demo space and is currently only taking appointments Fridays through Sundays. While the demand is certainly there to be open more days each week, Apte said they need to be focusing on other aspects of the business. In the future, she hopes, you wont need a Clockwork appointment. Youll just pull up their app and walk to the nearest machine. We want to make this as easy as a cup of coffee and as affordable as that, she said. ...We want to be the fast-casual restaurant of beauty. It started with a dispute over illegal firework sales and ended with a rampage in a San Francisco restaurant that in under 60 seconds left five innocent bystanders dead, and 11 injured. Here's the story of 1977's Golden Dragon Massacre and the Chinatown underground war between two rival street gangs, the Joe Boys and the Wah Ching, that led three teenage shooters to carry out one of the worst mass murders in San Francisco history. San Francisco in '70s was a bloody, violent city. So many high profile crimes occurred during that period that a gang-fueled bloodbath in the middle of Chinatown is often a footnote to the chaos. Only a few years after the hippie utopia of the Summer of Love, mid-70s San Francisco was embattled in violence and bloodshed. The racially-motivated Zebra murders claimed up to 70 lives, causing panic across the city. Jim Jones gathered his doomed herd at his headquarters on Geary Street. The Symbionese Liberation Army had kidnapped 19-year-old Patty Hearst from her Berkeley apartment and the Zodiac Killer was still on the loose. But as racially-provoked slaughters, heiress kidnappings and serial killing sprees were unfolding elsewhere in the city, a feud was erupting between the street gangs of Chinatown. The Golden Dragon slaughter came after years of battle between the two rival gangs over control of protection rackets, gambling and prostitution. In less than a decade, the street warfare would claim over fifty lives, largely in and around the narrow streets and alleys of Chinatown. Bill Lee, an author and former member of the Joe Boys, wrote that the Wah Ching gang was formed in San Francisco in the '60s by Hong Kong-born immigrants, who had long been belittled and tormented by American-born Chinese. These guys grew up on the rough streets of Hong Kong and Macao where gangs were hardcore. Many had spent a good part of their youth in brutal prisons. This was now their Chinatown, Lee wrote. In the late '60s the Joe Boys, who came to control the Sunset District, splintered off from the Wah Ching, who continued to rule Chinatown. Three infamous murderous episodes over holiday weekends in 1977 Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day would bring the warfare of the city's Chinese underworld screaming into the public consciousness. Sarahbeth Maney/The Ping Yuen housing project In May 1977, Wah Ching member Kin Chuen Louie was shot by an unknown assailant over ten times as he tried to escape in his car on Kearny Street. North Beach poet Michael McClure was the first to find the body and memorialized Louie's death in his poem, "The Death of Kin Chuen Louie," which included the line, "we arrived on the empty street and looked through shattered glass at the young Chinese man, blood pouring out of the holes in his head." The murderous tit-for-tat gang war saw no end, and the battle for Chinatown was fought by child soldiers. On July 4 of that year, a dispute over the control of lucrative firework sales between the gangs led to a shootout at the Ping Yuen housing project on Stockton and Pacific that killed a 16-year-old gang member. It was Dodge City in Chinatown. Weapons were drawn and gunfire erupted, with gangsters running up and down the street, ducking behind cars and into doorways, blasting at one another, Lee wrote. Weapons retrieved from the bay, used in the Golden Dragon slayings/SFC The wild gun battle at the apartment complex, where the sound of gunshots popped amid the Independence Day fireworks, left teenager Felix Huey dead, and wounded another Joe Boy member, Melvin Yu. When the Joe Boys visited Huey's grave they found it had been urinated on and vandalized. They were furious, and demanded revenge. The gang began to plan a bigger, more memorable attack, right in Wah Ching's favorite hangout, the Golden Dragon Restaurant on Washington Street. Over the following months the Joe Boys, led by Tom Yu, prepared for the attack. They stole a blue Dodge Dart, acquired firearms and stockpiled the weapons in a Pacifica apartment that belonged to a friend. On Labor Day weekend 1977, they gathered there and arranged for a friend to tip them off when the Wah Ching members were seen at the restaurant. That Saturday night the boys smoked weed, drank beer and waited by the phone. The call came at 2 a.m. on Sunday. The Wah Ching were eating at the Golden Dragon, and among them 20-year-old Michael "Hot Dog" Louie, the leader of the gang, was seen. Four Joe Boys Chester Yu, Curtis Tam, Melvin Yu, and Peter Ng, all only 17 years of age loaded the Dodge with the guns and drove the stolen car up 280 from Pacifica to San Francisco. Ringleader Tom Yu, who was later likened to Charles Manson by an arresting officer, did not go to San Francisco that night, sending his minions in his stead. They rolled up to 818 Washington street shortly after 2.30 a.m. Tom's brother, Chester, double-parked the Dodge, left it running outside the restaurant and waited in the driver's seat while the others donned nylon stocking masks and picked their weapons a .45-caliber Commando Mark III rifle, two 12 gauge pump-action shotguns, and a .38-caliber revolver. Melvin Yu, who had been shot in the July 4 firefight, wanted to do the most damage and grabbed .45 automatic rifle. The Golden Dragon was a popular spot to grab a bowl of noodles and hang out after a Saturday night of drinking in North Beach. Around 100 late night diners were in the restaurant at 2.40 a.m., when a bloodbath ensued. John O'Hara The tip was accurate, the targets of the killings were indeed in the restaurant that night, including Hot Dog Louie and around ten other Wah Ching members. They were seated in a booth in the upper, mezzanine level. One of the gang members in Louies booth looked out onto Washington Street and saw a man running outside with a sawed-off shotgun, followed by a second man brandishing a long-barrel shotgun. A third man, holding a semi-automatic, stared through the window, looking for his prey. Man with a gun! was yelled in Cantonese, and Louie leapt across the aisle and ducked down as the three gunmen burst through the doors. The masked shooters entered and fanned out through the restaurant, peppering the crowd of innocent diners with gunfire. Melvin Yu walked directly up to a man at a table and shot him nine times, continuing to fire after the victim had fallen to the floor. Yu then redirected his automatic rifle and shot randomly into the crowd, accompanied by two shotgun blasts from the other gunmen. That first victim, later identified as Paul Wada, a law student at USF known for his volunteer work, was likely misidentified as a gang member by Yu. The Chronicle Curtis Tam later claimed that he had been forced to join the shooting and deliberately did not target any diners. "I heard Melvin start shooting, then Peter. I fired my first shot at the sofa. The second I aimed where nobody was," he said in his confession, claiming to have killed no-one. When asked at trial why he didn't just stay in Pacifica, Tam responded, I dont know my way around there. They dont have BART or a bus. Comedian Philip Proctor the voice of Bo the Seahorse in Finding Nemo was eating at the Golden Dragon after performing at the Great American Music Hall that night and later testified in the case. Two off-duty armed police officers were also dining at the Golden Dragon during the attack. They radioed for help and pulled their revolvers but were unable get a shot off at the gunman as restaurant goers were blocking their line of fire. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle After a minute of gunfire the shooters exited the restaurant, climbed into the stolen Dodge and raced out of Chinatown. None of the 5 dead or 11 wounded at the Golden Dragon that night were affiliated with any gangs. Beyond USF student Wada, the dead included Denise Louie, a tourist visiting from Seattle; Calvin Fong, a high school honor student; Donald Kwan, a San Francisco steel worker and Fong Wong, a 48-year-old waiter with seven children who was looking forward to his first day off in two weeks. Golden Dragon victim Denise Louie/The International Examiner The killers made it back to the Pacifica apartment without pursuit, where they stayed up all night discussing the massacre, before breaking down the weapons and dropping them into the Bay near San Francisco Airport the following day. The city was stunned and Chinatown became ghost town at night, but a code of silence took hold of the terrified residents. No arrests were made and the violence didn't stop. The following week two teenage Joe Boys not involved in the restaurant massacre were shot and killed near their apartment in the Richmond in a revenge killing by suspected Wah Ching gunmen. The SFPD grew frustrated at not being able to identify the killers. Chief Charles Gain criticized the Chinatown community for its silence and "abdication of responsibility" due to "the subculture of fear" of reprisals. The founder of the Joe Boys who had been jailed for an earlier killing, Joe Fong, said in an interview from prison that the SFPD were corrupt and paid to protect gambling rackets in Chinatown. Mayor George Moscone announced that an unprecedented $100,000 reward would be given by the city for information leading to the conviction of the killers, yet still no arrests were made. Six months later, after another gun battle in Portsmouth Square that left two Wah Ching members injured, the reward was eventually collected by Robert Woo of the Joe Boys. Woo had been arrested for his involvement in the Portsmouth Square shooting and subsequently turned informant, providing SFPD with a tape recording of Curtis Tam talking about what went down at the Golden Dragon. Tam, a student at Galileo High School at the time, became the first to be arrested, and subsequently implicated the others. At his trial Tam claimed, "They made me do it. If I didn't shoot somebody then they'd say, you know, I'm chicken. I don't think I shot anybody 'cause I didn't aim at anybody." The three shooters, ringleader Tom Yu, and his brother, getaway driver Chester Yu, were all eventually arrested and convicted. The guns were retrieved from the shallow waters of the bay, and further arrests were made of other gang members involved in the plan, resulting in a total of nine arrests. Mug shot of Tom Yu At the trial, shooters Melvin Yu and Peter Ng were found guilty on multiple counts of first degree murder. Tam, who claimed he acted under duress, was found guilty of second degree murder and Tom Yu, who was described as an evil, evil person, by arresting officer Daniel Foley, was found guilty on five counts of first degree murder. All received prison sentences of over 20 years. Three further convictions were made in closed juvenile court proceedings. Michael "Hot Dog" Louie, the head of the Wah Ching gang, was imprisoned later in 1977 after shooting his 18-year-old girlfriend in the head. Louie claimed he just wanted to scare her after being angered that she was "whoring around with Joe Boys." He said that he put an unloaded gun to her head as she was sleeping and pulled the trigger. Although he had removed the clip to unload it, the chamber still held a live round and he shot and killed her at point-blank range. He dumped her body near Stinson Beach. Robert Woo, the informant who collected the $100,000 reward, was killed during a shootout with police while robbing a jewelry shop in LA in 1984. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle The Golden Dragon restaurant remained open until 2006, when it changed hands and reopened as the Imperial Palace Restaurant. It still bears the gold signage "Golden Dragon Dining" on its green tiled exterior. San Francisco was near-broken from the violence of the '70s, and pressure was put on the authorities to clean up the city. Shortly after the bloodshed the SFPD established the Chinatown Gang Task Force. The Joe Boys disbanded shortly after the convictions, leaving the Wah Ching full reign over the underworld, but the police task force successfully stopped their crime spree, and is credited with ending gang-related violence in Chinatown by 1983. None of the convicted Joe Boys are still behind bars, some returned to Hong Kong after their release, others stayed in San Francisco. Curtis Tam was paroled in 1991 and went on to work as a radiologist in Fairfield for nearly 30 years. Foley, the SFPD officer who arrested Tam, befriended him while he was in prison. Tam was a good kid who got caught up in Mr. Yus psycho-pathological plan. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, Foley said at a court appearance seeking a pardon for Tam in 2018, where he also revealed that he was godfather to Tam's child. Tam, who was 17 and had only been in the country for four months at the time of the killings, wrote, at the age of 58, There isnt a day that goes by without me wishing that I could turn back the hands of time. I want to apologize to the living victims and the relatives of the deceased victims. I am truly sorry. Sharon, PA (16146) Today Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 69F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Individualism is good, collectivism is bad. Thats what I first concluded as a teenager after reading Friedrich Hayeks seminal treatise, The Road to Serfdom. Every life experience since then has confirmed my hunch. That makes it all the more irritating when opponents of individualism, out (StatePoint) If youre among the millions of fans of the hit show Bridgerton, or of the novels that inspired it, you know that societys fin Shippensburg, PA (17257) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 58F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. 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. Page Content Employers' use of artificial intelligence in disciplining workersor the potential for using ithas started to receive attention in Europe, where various court rulings, proposals and regulations seek to protect employees. In Spain, a new decree, the Rider Law, which goes into effect in August and amends the country's Workers' Statute, aims to protect food delivery drivers working through digital platforms. The law establishes that delivery drivers (called "riders") have an employment relationship with companies providing service through online platforms and gives the couriers' representatives the right to information about algorithms or AI systems that affect working conditions and termination decisions, noted Raquel Florez, an attorney with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Madrid. Riders' works councils, or employee representative bodies, will have the right to know the parameters, rules and instructions that the AI systems are based on, she said. Given how broad the provision is, "the specifics of the information that companies are required to provide are still to be defined," Florez added. For example, she explained, it remains to be seen whether companies need to provide a report with context on how the AI operates or if the algorithm's raw code is enough. "Companies are starting to use artificial intelligence in assessing employee performance, but this is still fairly new," said Sonia Cortes, an attorney with Littler in Barcelona, Spain. Digital delivery platforms, however, regularly use AI to manage and assess their delivery riders' performance. "Riders whose performance was below a certain ratio according to algorithms were terminated or were subject to a change in contract terms," she noted. This led to significant controversy regarding whether these riders were misclassified and should be deemed employees, Cortes said. The Spanish Supreme court ruled in September 2020 that riders were employees. The Rider Law, enacted in May, applies specifically to drivers delivering products to consumers via digital platform. European Commission Proposes Rules More broadly, the European Commission (EC), the European Union's (EU's) executive arm, recently identified AI systems used in employment and worker management as high-risk and proposed harmonized rules that would subject such tools to strict requirements and oversight, Florez noted. The proposal cites AI systems used in recruitment and hiring; task allocation; and in evaluating, promoting and terminating employees. Such AI systems should be classified as high-risk because they "may appreciably impact [workers'] future career prospects and livelihoods," according to the EC proposal. "Throughout the evaluation, promotion or retention of persons in work-related contractual relationships, such systems may perpetuate historical patterns of discrimination, for example against women, certain age groups, persons with disabilities, or persons of certain racial or ethnic origins or sexual orientation," the EC proposal says. "AI systems used to monitor the performance and behavior of these persons may also impact their rights to data protection and privacy." GDPR Provisions While no current EU regulation specifically addresses the use of AI in workplace discipline, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) generally requires companies to seek consent before collecting data on individuals in most circumstances, Florez noted. Moreover, the GDPR's Article 22 establishes an individual's right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, that has legal consequences or otherwise significantly affects the person. Article 22 makes some exceptions, including cases in which an individual has given consent, but clarifications elsewhere in the GDPR suggest a power imbalance in the employer-employee relationship would prevent true consent in labor situations, Florez said. The EC doesn't prohibit or limit the use of high-risk AI systems but argues that they should be subject to strict obligations before they can be put on the market and should be subject to oversight afterwards. Plus, they must comply with GDPR Article 22, according to Florez. These obligations, she said, include: Adequate risk assessment and mitigation systems. High-quality datasets feeding the system to minimize risks and discriminatory outcomes. Detailed documentation providing all information necessary on the system and its purpose. Clear and adequate information to companies and individuals using the AI system. Appropriate human oversight measures and high levels of security and accuracy. It remains to be seen how the EC proposal would affect Spain's Rider Law and legislation in other EU countries, Florez said. Ruling in the Netherlands Judges in the Netherlands this year found in favor of app-based ridesharing drivers who complained they'd been dismissed after being subjected to automated decision-making. The Amsterdam District Court, citing GDPR Article 22, ruled in February that one platform had deactivated drivers based solely on automated processing and ordered the company to pay and reinstate the drivers. The same court in March ordered two ridesharing companies to provide data used to deduct earnings, assign work and suspend drivers. German Amendment The use of algorithms in managing platform-based drivers appears to be the exception among employers in Europe, however. Data analytics may help companies make decisions on layoffs but doesn't much come into play for discipline, according to Jan-Ove Becker, an attorney in Littler's Hamburg, Germany office. Changes in Germany's recently amended works council law include a provision giving councils more involvement in deciding the use of AI in the workplace, Becker said, noting that this provision arose from ongoing European initiatives on developing new AI regulations. "It is clear that AI is here to stay, and it would not be realistic to think it will not be used as a tool in HR," Florez said. "AI is not good or bad in itself, but it raises concerns, including, particularly, that it may perpetuate existing patterns of discrimination, among other things. The key will be finding the right balance between finding an efficient way to guarantee EU citizens' fundamental rights while incentivizing innovation." Dinah Wisenberg Brin is a freelance writer and reporter based in Philadelphia. Page Content Massachusetts has established a statewide mandate for employers to temporarily provide employees up to 40 hours of COVID-19 Massachusetts emergency paid sick leave (MA EPSL) when they are unable to work due to specific qualifying reasons related to the pandemic. Gov. Charlie Baker originally vetoed the MA EPSL legislation in April with recommended amendments, but the Massachusetts legislature reworked the bill and resubmitted it to the governor. He signed HB 3702 into law on May 28. Per the law, which appears as Chapter 16 of the Acts of 2021, employees are entitled to MA EPSL benefits from May 28, 2021, until the earlier of Sept. 30 or until reimbursement funds are depleted. The new MA EPSL benefit is in addition to existing paid time-off benefits offered by employers or required by law (such as earned sick time), subject to some limited exceptions. Although all employers (except the federal government) must provide the MA EPSL, they are eligible to be reimbursed for the costs of MA EPSL from a newly established state fund. As explained below, employers may not "double dip" by seeking reimbursement for MA EPSL, which is also subject to reimbursement through the federal government. Qualifying Reasons Under the newly enacted law, all Massachusetts employers are obligated to provide up to 40 hours of MA EPSL to Massachusetts-based employees who are absent from and unable to work due to any of the following reasons: An employee's need to: Self-isolate and care for oneself because of the employee's COVID-19 diagnosis. Seek or obtain medical diagnosis, care, or treatment for COVID-19 symptoms. Obtain immunization related to COVID-19 or the employee is recovering from an injury, disability, illness, or condition related to such immunization. An employee's need to care for a family member who: Is self-isolating due to a COVID-19 diagnosis. Needs medical diagnosis, care, or treatment for COVID-19 symptoms. An employee's need to comply with quarantine order or other determination by a local, state or federal public official; a health authority having jurisdiction; the employee's employer; or a healthcare provider stating that the employee's presence on the job or in the community would jeopardize the health of others because of the employee's exposure to COVID-19 or exhibiting of symptoms, regardless of whether the employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19. An employee's need to care for a family member due to a quarantine order or other determination by a local, state, or federal public official; a health authority having jurisdiction; the family member's employer; or a healthcare provider stating that the family member's presence on the job or in the community would jeopardize the health of others because of the family member's exposure to COVID-19, regardless of whether the family member has been diagnosed with COVID-19. An employee's inability to telework because the employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and the symptoms inhibit the ability of the employee to telework. The statutory definition of "family member" includes: an employee's spouse, domestic partner, child, parent (including the parent of a spouse or domestic partner), a grandchild, grandparent, or sibling. Amount of MA EPSL Available Employees working at least 40 hours per week are entitled to the maximum entitlement of 40 hours of MA EPSL. Employees working fewer than 40 hours per week on a regular schedule with consistent hours are entitled to MA EPSL in an amount equal to the average number of hours they work during a regular 14-day schedule. Employees with varying hours and schedules are entitled to MA EPSL in an amount equal to the average hours they worked during the prior six-month period. Employees may use MA EPSL on an intermittent basis and in hourly increments. Benefits and Protections Employees are entitled to MA EPSL in addition to all other job protected leave (paid or unpaid) that the employer is required to provide to employees under the Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law, the employer's existing policies or programs, collective bargaining agreements, or federal law. Employers, however, who have voluntarily created a COVID-19 sick leave policy that provides employees the required amounts of COVID-19 sick leave for the qualifying reasons under the law are not required to provide additional MA EPSL. Employers may not require an employee to use other forms of leave before using MA EPSL (unless required by federal law). While an employee is on MA EPSL, the employer must maintain the same employment benefits to which the employees is otherwise entitled, such as group health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, sick leave, or vacation leave. It is unlawful for an employer to interfere with, restrain, or deny an employee's use of MA EPSL or to retaliate against an employee for the use of MA EPSL or for opposing any practice in violation of the new law. Limits on MA EPSL During MA EPSL, employers must compensate employees up to a maximum of $850 per week. Although MA EPSL is in addition to other required forms of paid time off, it may be reduced if the aggregate amount the employee receives would exceed the employee's average weekly wage. MA EPSL also may be reduced by the amount of wages or wage replacement that an employee receives under any government program or law (such as unemployment benefits). Reimbursement for Employers As noted above, all employers, regardless of size, are required to provide MA EPSL. Employers, however, may seek reimbursement from the state for the amounts of MA EPSL paid to employees, up to the $850 per week cap. To the extent certain covered employers may have opted to obtain payroll tax credits through the extension of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and its extensions, most recently through the American Rescue Plan Act, they may not seek reimbursement from both the state and the federal government. Payments for leave that are eligible for reimbursement under FFCRA are not eligible for reimbursement from the state's MA EPSL fund. Obligations During MA EPSL Employees are required to provide notice to employers of the need for MA EPSL as soon as practicable or foreseeable. Employers may require employees to provide a written request, with relevant information, for MA EPSL. This relevant information, in turn, will be required if an eligible employer seeks reimbursement. Health information regarding an employee or an employee's family member must be treated as confidential medical records, kept confidential under state and federal law, not disclosed except to the affected employee or with the affected employee's express permission, and maintained on a separate form and in a separate file from other personnel information. After the first day of MA EPSL, employers may require employees to follow reasonable notice procedures to continue to receive MA EPSL. Notice Obligation Employers are required to provide a copy to all employees and post a notice regarding MA EPSL. The notice is available here. Availability of MA EPSL Employees are entitled to use MA EPSL from May 28 until Sept. 30 or until the state provides notice that MA EPSL fund will be depleted, whichever is first. Potential Regulations Additional guidance and information regarding MA EPSL may be forthcoming, because the law provides for the possible promulgation of regulations necessary for implementation of the MA EPSL provisions. Brian E. Lewis is an attorney with Jackson Lewis in Boston. Kevin M. Sibbernsen is an attorney with Jackson Lewis in Portsmouth, N.H. 2021 Jackson Lewis. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission. Also available is organic honey processed by an army of 2.5 crore honeybees. Besides, organic dal, pulses, and vegetables, Saintfarm has an in-house apiary to produce pure, unadulterated honey. Currently, there are three apiaries located around North India, but more apiaries are expected to be added by the next spring. On Tuesday, Saintfarm launched an app for customers to buy from its basket of myriad organic products. Saintfarm Agro LLP which calls itself as India's first ever 100 percent organic food company has adopted the digital way of life. Having made the digital plunge, Saintfarm is planning to add more honeybees, connect 15,000 farmers in the next two years, and improve its processing facility from 240 MT to 1,000 MT by end of 2023. Entrepreneur Sajan Raj Kurup the Chairman of Ventureland Asia is already an investor in ecommerce, education, healthcare, Agri-Tech and esports. Kurup acquired an Ahmedabad based 10 year old organic retail firm Arpit Organic in 2019 and has been scaling it ever since. He says, "Saintfarm has been a lot of hard work for two years of being connected to the soil and putting together an ecosystem of food that is really needed today." "The Pandemic only strengthened my resolve to get more invested in the food business," he adds. "With Saintfarm, I really want to make organic more affordable and mainstream across the length and breadth of this vast country and be a significant contributor to the organic movement globally. We made a strategic business decision to invest and our own create Agri-tech infrastructure. Saintfarms founding architecture is based on three tenets. Respect for the land we till. Respect for the farmers who till the land. And Respect for the produce that we grow. I sincerely believe that organic and sustainable living isnt just a choice but a right everyone must exercise." The organic food market is expected to reach $380.84 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 14.5%. The Indian organic food market which reached a value of $815 Million in 2020 may see competition sizzling. Saintfarm joins the league of established brands such as Dabur, Patanjali Ayurved, Organic Tattva, and several other in the Indian market. Market research firm IMARC expects India's market to grow at a CAGR of around 24% between 2021-2026. "The overall trade deficit (services plus merchandise) for the period April-May 2021 is estimated at $5.85 billion as compared to a surplus of $4.06 billion recorded during April-May 2020," read the release from the ministry. New Delhi: India's trade deficit (exports minus imports) according to latest data from India's ministry of Commerce and Trade has swung back to the negative mark. The ministry shared the provisional data for the financial year April 2020 to May 2021. Imports and exports have picked up in this period. Merchandise exports were estimated at $ 32.27 Billion compared to $19.05 Billion in the previous year -- a growth of 69.35 per cent. In Rupee terms, exports were estimated at Rs. 2.36 lakh crores for May 2021 - 64.00% yoy growth. India's bulk of exports were product groups such as agricultural products, Petroleum products, handicrafts, gems and jewellery, dairy products, etc. Imports stood at $38.55 Billion or Rs. 2.82 lakh crores -- an increase of 73.64 per cent in Dollar terms and 68.15 per cent in Rupee terms. In the last year, imports stood at $22.20 bn or Rs 1.67 lakh crores. Oil imports for this period are estimated at $9.45 billion - a 171 percent increase. The ministry quoted a World Bank estimate on global Brent price ($/bbl) increasing by 119.34% in May 2021 vis-a-vis May 2020 as a rational for the increase. Non-oil imports in May 2021 were estimated at USD 29.10 Billion (Rs. 2,13,198.28 Crore) which was 55.48 percent higher in Dollar terms (50.57 percent higher in Rupee terms), compared to USD 18.71 Billion (Rs. 1,41,597.18 Crore) in May 2020. Merchandise trade deficit ballooned by 99.61 percent within a year to hit $6.28 bn in May 2021. The estimate for Service trade balance, on the contrary, in May is a surplus of $7.88 billion. "We broke our backs while making Lagaan, but our hearts were full of joy. Lagaan has showered us all with so much love. I am so grateful to all my fellow travellers on this magical journey," said Aamir of the film, which marked his production debut besides casting him in the central role, and was nominated for an Oscar in Best Foreign Film category. A new reunion special titled "Chale Chalo Lagaan: Once Upon" celebrates 20 years of Aamir Khan's iconic blockbuster "Lagaan". The film was released on June 15, 2001. "Lagaan is something I am extremely grateful for and I will always cherish every memory of this ongoing journey. It is also so wonderful to see that the journey of Lagaan continues, and I am really looking forward to reconnecting with the Lagaan gang thanks to this initiative by Netflix. Re Bhaiyya chhuttey Lagaan!!" Aamir added, about the reunion special. The film's director Ashutosh Gowariker said: "My ultimate dr eam was to create something that will linger in the audience's mind. That it would be appreciated 20 years down the line is something that is unimaginable." Gowariker added: "It is overwhelming for me as well as the entire te am of the film that this dream became a reality. Lagaan is the story of people coming together and standing united against all odds." "Lagaan is one of the most iconic creations of Indian cinema. It is an epic tale that won hearts everywhere and showed the brilliance of Indian storytelling on the global stage. It's an honour for Netflix to celebrate 20 years of Lagaan with the incredible team behind this film," said Moni ka Shergill, VP, Content, Netflix India. The special by Aamir Khan Productio ns, Ashutosh Gowariker and Netlflix will stream on Netflix India's YouTube channel. For more stories click here: Kollywood l Malayalam l Bollywood l Telugu After hearing both sides, the magistrate took cognisance and recorded the complainant's statement. Kasemi, director of Al Madrasatu Mueenul Islam, a Qawmi madarsa which is believed to be breeding ground of militants, filed the case in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Morshed Al Mamun Bhuiyan on Tuesday. The court directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), a specialised unit of the Bangladesh Police performing criminal investigation and digital forensic service on orders of the court, police headquarters and other police units, to investigate the case and submit a report to it by July 17. According to the case documents, the accused embezzled properties worth 20 crore takas by showing various kinds of expenses, including construction of building, for the madrasa. The accused also allegedly stormed into the Al Madrasatu Mueenul Islam and looted cash and valuable documents on October 9 last year, said the statement. However, the PBI said that it has not get any order from the court till June 16. Its chief, Deputy Inspector General Banaj Kumar Majumder, told IANS that any order by the court takes a week's time to reach the agency. He said he hoped to receive the order next week. The PBI chief also told IANS that Hefazat-e-Islam chief Junaid Babunagari will be interrogated soon. "We have brought Babunagari, Mamunul and other Hefazat leaders for questioning in 24 cases. 10 of them including Mamunul confessed their involvement in crimes. But top Hefazat leader Babunagari denied his involvement in death of former Hefazat chief Ahmed Shafi. We will bring him again and then will interrogate him, focussing on the murder case of Shafi," he said, adding that the embezzlement case will be the 25th. He said that the PBI will place the charge sheets against the Hefazat militant leaders before the court. On May 30, the police officials said that they had found transactions of 6 crore takas through bank accounts of Haque. Most of the funds came from expatriates, and law enforcers found "inconsistencies" in using these funds, Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Joint Commissioner, Detective Branch, Mahbub Alam said. Most of the money had been donated for the welfare of madrasa students, Rohingya aid, development of madrasas but was diverted to Hefazat's fund and allegedly used to fund militancy. Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) officials are still waiting to get details of financial transactions and assets from the Central Bank of Bangladesh and other authorities to interrogate Hefazat leaders like Babunagari and Mamunul on charges of embezzlement from the organisation's funds, various madrassas, orphanages, Islamic institutions and foreign aid, and corruption. --IANS sumi/vd The millennial era is empowered with multiple career options for youngsters. And business always finds its way to globally connected; so, management education interestingly attracts the learners.Considering the terrible impact and upcoming possibility of the pandemic, recently, several states, Union Territories, and CBSE, CISCE have cancelled Class 12th board exams. Students across the country have expressed their mixed reactions. If some are disappointed, others have relief, but all have anxiety for further study. Technically, the students are promoted to be undergraduate students. So, its high time to think and acknowledge the multiple programs that an undergraduate student can opt for concerning their interest. Among various options, management education is one of the most pursuing courses in todays times. Moreover, many undergraduate programs for business or management study, such as BBA, B.Com, and B.Sc. Finance is considered one of the top three choices. These programs are an intelligent amalgamation of domain knowledge with novel technological information. It offers multiple specializations, the flexibility of stream, empowers a holistic approach to learning, teaches entrepreneurial skills, and lays a robust foundation for MBA. For pursuing the right course, the selection of the right institute is significant. Platforms, like the internet, newspaper, magazines, and any career advising organization, will provide you with several options with aggressive promotions direct to an extensive confusion about which college to enroll into. Well, I chose to recommend the best. NMIMS Anil Surendra Modi School of Commerce is one of the top business schools in India. This institute offers qualitative study and assists in increasing career prospects. NMIMS was graded as the 2nd Best BBA institute in India by the India Today MDRA Survey, 2020. Its curriculum is planned to endow the industry with young managers for introductory positions as their initial experience in a corporate role. Lets go through the usual parameters of comparing colleges of our choice, and you will be surprised to see NMIMS School of Commerce will check most of these. Qualifications of faculty members: The backbone of any successful institution is always its team of highly qualified and experienced faculty. Analyzing the faculty members, their qualifications, and experience from the website of the respective institutes, social media, and past students gives a good idea about the institute. To fulfil the requirement of professional education and training for learners in all aspects associated to the management discipline, NMIMS hires faculty from the industry itself. Its knowledgeable and upgraded faculty team prepares students for excellence in business administration and industry. They endeavor for continuous improvement in instructions, teaching methodology, and course content to complete the needs and expectations of the corporate world. Examine the infrastructure: Another critical thing to inspect is the infrastructure of an institute. Any management education is inadequate without appropriate knowledge of data management and data analysis. An ideal Institute presents highly interactive classes with an opportunity for the students to use vital resources like computer software, the internet, library books, journals, etc. NMIMS School of Commerce provides advanced infrastructure and all the required facilities to students to sustenance and boost their career paths, whether executive, administrative or entrepreneurial. Evaluation of the curriculum: Management education is very different from the traditional educating system. It is much more than just attending classes and taking notes. It embraces case studies, internship opportunities, soft skill development sessions, event planning, and to name a few. NMIMSs curriculum of diverse courses is designed to train young managers for real-life industry problems. It is subordinated with Councils, Academic Bodies of executive education, and corporate bodies regarding the studies, curriculum advancement and development, and the up-gradation in the course content to confirm that the students are employable and prepared knowledge and skills. Explore further to unearth about placements: Review every year statistics of the college and explore parameters like percentage placed, median salary offered, positions available, and others. NMIMS appeals to top companies to their campus for recruitment, and a student always prefers to be enrolled in such a college with an active placement unit. It also cooperates with institutes and organizations in India and abroad with parallel objectives and functions to enable exchange programs. The assortment process: Usually, it has been observed that a strict selection process of any college guaranteed learning with highly ambitious and intelligent aristocracies. NMIMS has a skillfully conducted entrance exam in place - the NMIMS NPAT - certifying that learners with high academic stature get through and model a competitive batch. Learning with such peers will encourage all students to exceed themselves and emphasize being the best. After being aware of the fact that NMIMS School of Commerce ranks highly when it comes to commerce UG programs, now its time to have a look at the desirable degrees they offer to management aspirants: BBA course In arrears of a BBA degree, most students at NMIMS leads directly to the marketing and strategic roles after completing the degree. The extensive curriculum aids them in enhancing exposure to market trends and strategic decision-making. The syllabus, as presently predicted, provides students an option of specialization in marketing and finance roles in the 3rd year of their program. At the same time, it supports them to generate a more substantial business understanding, which makes them capable of making splendid decisions to benefit the firms success rate. During a functional methodology towards the syllabus, under the guidance of the faculty from the industry itself, students are ready for the real corporate world. Inventive strategies for educating comprising contextual investigation conversations, introductions, classroom discussions, and pretends are utilized to make the classroom experience a reviving one. These skills massively benefit learners who excel in the eyes of prospective employers, offering them a broader opportunity to seek an influential career. Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a course of 6 semesters, with six subjects being taught each semester, which is summed 36 subjects. The program covers a complement of three years and enrolls 600 students. Learners can specialize in Marketing & Finance and prepare to be multipurpose professionals once employed. B. Com. (Hons.) Course B.Com is one of the most pursuing courses in India that provide excessive employment opportunities across diverse segments. It is due to commerce and trade are some of the top players in the Indian economy. An aspirant has chosen contingent on the field; they decide to pursue a career path in either the public or private segment. After graduated from B.Com, one can go for higher studies as M-Com (Masters of Commerce) or MBA (Masters in Business Administration), both being postgraduate programs focusing in Commerce, Accounting, Economics, and Management interrelated subjects. B.Com also gives the choice of career prospects like CA (Chartered Accountant), CS (Company Secretary ), and ICWA (Cost and Work Accountant ) as a sophisticated career opportunity in this field. At NMIMS, undergraduates are conveyed with specialized skill sets in Finance, accounting, and taxation to shape their careers in financial services. The essential center is for them to work as first-class leaders in the monetary administration industry in various tasks. The full-time program expects to support growing ability, assemble a learning climate, and urge students to foster administration quality. B. Sc. Finance course India has an expanded financial segment going through fast extension, both in solid development of existing financial services companies and novel entities entering the market. The segment includes commercial banks, insurance companies, non-banking financial companies, co-operatives, pension funds, mutual funds, and more modest financial entities. B.Sc. Finance at NMIMS goals at offering specialized knowledge in the field of Finance. It empowers an advanced understanding of international financial markets, investment analysis, financial risk management, corporate finance, portfolio management, and some more facets of the finance domain. Additionally, it helps learners to become Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA). It also includes most of Level-I and part of Level-II of the CFA programme. Undergraduates can pursue MBA, CA, and other professional programs after completing their undergraduate Financial degree. Receiving a B. Sc. in Finance brings some more opportunities in numerous sectors, such as banking, finance, insurance, credit rating, etc. Novel career options like Investment Analyst and Portfolio Management are also accessible. The 3-year program can act as a Stepping Stone for forthcoming CFOs. With 180 seats for every batch, NMIMS B.Sc. Finance sets students on professional platforms to induce an excellent average salary of 4.53 lacs per annum and go as high as 6.00 lacs per annum. With colleges in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Navi Mumbai, Indore, Chandigarh, Dhule, and Hyderabad and MOU with University of South Florida, USA, seek 4th year of bachelors degree in General Studies, NMIMS School of Commerce assists as the chance to discover the world of business. Therefore, for being an employers first choice, given your receptiveness, enthusiasm, and creativity, you should enlist into BBA at NMIMS now! By Mariam Mokhtar Last May, during the drive from KLIA to Kuala Lumpur to start his two-week quarantine, Bruce was given a brief overview of the social situation in Malaysia by the taxi driver. Many people had lost their jobs, and companies were forced to shut down, there was an increase in people suffering from mental health issues, and some had taken their lives. The taxi driver said that before the pandemic, his earnings were around RM4,000 and could comfortably support his wife and family. However, with the lockdown, he said that he was lucky to bring home RM1,500 and after he finished his shift at 10 pm, he would mount his kapchai and become a food delivery rider to earn extra income. Most nights, after two to three hours of work, his takings would only amount to RM20. Two days into his 14-day quarantine at a hotel in KLCC, Bruce received the bad news that his sister had died after an operation. He had flown in from England to visit his sick sister, but sadly his trip home was to attend her funeral. Bruce is grateful to the Ministry of Health which for compassionate reasons granted him three hours to attend the funeral. He was rigged out in full personal protective equipment (PPE), collected by ambulance to transport him to his sister's home and joined the few family members who were allowed to attend the funeral service, under strict social distancing rules. Bruce's quarantine had to continue despite the death in his family. While locked away in his hotel room, the story of the taxi driver kept troubling him. His stories were reinforced by his observations during his brief drive around KL, from limited conversations with hotel employees and WhatsApp chats with Malaysian friends. With plenty of time to focus and to channel his energies into helping the starving poor, Bruce contacted an old friend, Thomas Fann, to see what more could be done. He knew that Fann had been instrumental in starting MakanKongsi 1.0 in 2020. Fann introduced Bruce to the human rights NGO called Engage and to a social enterprise called Good Kitchen (GK). After a few discussions, and with Bersih's endorsement, Bruce, Engage and GK decided to form what is known as MakanKongsi 2.0. The official launch of MakanKongsi 2.0 was on 7 June and within seven days, the appeal to help Malaysia's starving poor reached RM240,000. Their target is RM500,000. Lennie is one of the leading members of Good Kitchen. Growing up in Sabah, she had already been exposed to much poverty and when she moved to work in KL, she decided to continue helping the poor. She said, "I am originally from Sabah, and used to pick up the street kids and give them food. I am now involved in MakanKongsi 2.0 to help the marginalized and communities in need. "I assist in creating awareness of this campaign and I look for groups that do not have a voice to represent them. "Refugees and migrant workers are relatively well represented, but some locals, especially the illiterate, the very poor, those who are not computer literate or on social media, do not know where to seek help." Lennie said the number of starving people had risen because of the pandemic. She has noticed that professional and working people who once had stable jobs are now in dire straits, and that most professionals are too embarrassed to ask for help. Business owners who once did very well are also hesitant to seek aid. She said, "When I went out early one morning during the pandemic, I was shocked to find homeless people in the KLCC area. "We normally associate the homeless with the poor, and most of them congregate in the Chow Kit area. "To find homeless people in the KLCC area must mean that things are really bad." She said that MakanKongsi 2.0 has also helped many single mothers and foreigners who have been abandoned by their Malaysian husbands. Foreign workers who were cheated by their agents ended up losing their passports, and were then unable to find jobs or buy food. She said, "We raise funds, we provide grants to help NGOs, individuals and volunteers whom we trust and can depend on to help the poor. "We have a meeting every night to discuss each application and perform background checks. Our small committee of volunteers is comprised of members of the business, financial and charity sectors." She stresses that they help individuals and not ailing businesses. She was also keen to point out that people want food items and not cooked food, because dry food can last longer. MakanKongsi 2.0 is currently looking for representatives in Perlis, Kelantan, Ipoh and Terengganu. To apply for grants or to volunteer your services to help the starving poor, please visit the MakanKongsi 2.0 Facebook page. Sources: 1. Yahoo News: Bersih and co relaunch MakanKongsi to feed the poor during total lockdown 2. MakanKongsi 2.0 Facebook (Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.) KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 (Sin Chew Daily) The cabinet was informed today that two countries had agreed to donate 2.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Malaysia. A source said science, technology and innovation minister Khairy Jamaluddin is expected to make an announcement soon. Following the donation of 2.1 million vaccine doses, Malaysia wil have additional supply of vaccines to expedite its national immunization program to achieve the herd immunity goal early. On possible contamination or near expiry of donated vaccines, the source said the government would make sure the safety and quality of donated vaccines. Khairy said yesterday that Malaysia is expected to receive vaccines donated by the United States and Japan early next month. Japan's foreign ministry announced yesterday that the country would donate AstraZeneca vaccine to Malaysia, but did not specify the amount. By Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew Daily Today (Wednesday), the Malay Rulers will meet in a special meeting that may determine the future of Muhyiddin Yassin and his Perikatan Nasional government. Thanks to the chaotic politics, pandemic and depressed economy, the country is constantly overcast by a thickening gloom, forcing His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers to exert their constitutional roles to seek effective solutions to the current stalemate. On the surface, the political focus today is on whether the Parliament will reconvene, but this is only an excuse. The real battle is to grab the bridgehead post-Emergency. Whoever wins this battle will emerge as the new political power from this moment on. The Emergency decree in place since the beginning of the year has offered the PN administration a momentary respite. If Muhyiddin's government were able to do something impressive during this period of time to contain the spread of the virus and revive the economy, its grips on power would remain solid, effectively defusing the pressure build-up from Umno and PH, after the Emergency ends, owing to support from the Rulers and the electorate. Unfortunately after almost half a year, the pandemic has worsened, with the economy remaining stagnant. The PN government's approval rating has dived. At the same time, opposition forces have been banking on this opportunity to quietly integrate their strengths in hope of taking down Muhyiddin's administration soon. Reconvening of the Parliament is only a start. Anyone with the slightest political experiences should be able to tell that it won't be just things as simple as talking about the pandemic and economic issues once the Parliament reconvenes, but more likely a head count of supporters in the hall. With the Emergency's deadline just around the corner, sure enough PN's wish is to have it extended for as long as possible in order to buy time. Meanwhile, opposition forces, including the PH alliance and rival forces within the ruling coalition such as the Zahid/Najib camp in Umno, simply can't wait to end the Emergency decree in order to wage their offensives against the PM. As the custodian of the nation, the King finds himself in a very delicate position. On the one hand he has to strictly adhere to his constitutional role and meet the expectations of Malaysians towards his role as the Ruler, on the other hand he has to prevent the country from falling into utter chaos which is poised to trigger even bigger political and pandemic crises. The special meeting of the Malay Rulers today is very unusual as it is not a regular meeting but one that is summoned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in the absence of the prime minister and menteris besar in a clear move to exclude government intervention. What is more unusual is that His Majesty has summoned major political stakeholders to listen to their views on the pandemic and the country's political development. Given the political disarray at this moment, the roles played by the King and other Malay Rulers have thus become all the more delicate. Objectively they should be seen by all quarters as being fair and just, but subjectively, the way they intervene should be seen as a form of coordination and not interference. They should take care of the needs of all parties and not to side any particular party. Right now the opposition and the public are generally against the Emergency and as such, an extension of it may not be consented by the Rulers even if it has been proposed by the government. Nevertheless, His Majesty must also strive to prevent the government's instant collapse the moment the Emergency decree is lifted., as the momentary power vacuum will only exacerbate the existing pandemic and political crises. Additionally, holding a general election in the height of the pandemic should not become an immediate option. The challenge of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers lies with the establishment of a peace accord to ensure that the government will continue to function normally without the need for a hastily held election after the Emergency is lifted and Parliament reconvened. A possible solution is for the ruling coalition and the opposition to adopt a Confidence and Supply Agreement whereby certain resources, government positions and powers are to be delegated to the opposition in exchange for their support and not to table a no-confidence motion. Another possible solution is to restructure the government to include opposition forces such as representatives from PH and pro-Zahid Umno leaders. Neither the first nor the second solution can be long-term plan but more of a near-term contingency plan to last until the pandemic is well under control or latest by the expiry of the current Parliament when a general election must be called. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! The head of the nations biggest brewer says the coronavirus pandemic has sparked an unlikely resurgence for classic beer brands such as VB and Carlton, in a sign the multi-year craft-beer craze may be fading. Beer giant Asahis Australian chief executive, Robert Iervasi, told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald the company had seen a strong uptick in sales of iconic lagers such as Victoria Bitter over the past year and he expects the easy-drinking category to be one of the business key growth drivers in the near future. Robert Iervasi, chief executive of Asahi Australia, is expecting classic beers to be a key growth area in coming years. Credit:Eugene Hyland During COVID-19 ... we found that consumers returned to brands they felt had a lot of brand equity for them personally, he said. Victoria Bitter was a very good example of that, it was in strong growth last year of around 10 per cent. This marked the first time VB had grown on an annual basis in several years, he said. Easy drinking beers, such as Great Northern, and classic Australian beers were the biggest segment for national packaged beer sales last year, according to data from market research firm IRI. Classic beers also accounted for 60 per cent of sales at major supermarket Coles Liquorland division in 2020, with sales volume increasing 17 per cent for the category. Historic media proprietor John B. Fairfax has lamented the savage cost-cutting carried out by some publishers during the coronavirus pandemic and urged media companies to recognise their responsibilities to communities and think beyond profits. Mr Fairfax, who was the largest shareholder in this mastheads former owner Fairfax Media between 2007 and 2011 said media organisations must recognise their responsibilities to serve their communities with trusted information and public interest journalism. If youre going to be in newspaper publishing or even the media, you shouldnt necessarily focus entirely on profit. You need to consider your role within in the community generally, and have a slightly sanctimonious view of doing your job he told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in an interview. John B Fairfax says social media has reduced trust and certainty in newspapers. Credit:Danielle Smith Mr Fairfax is a descendant of John Fairfax, who bought the Sydney Herald in 1841, and a cousin of Warwick Fairfax, whose bid to privatise the company sent it to receivers in 1987. He emerged from that turmoil with an investment in regional publisher Rural Press, which he helped develop into a profitable enterprise and was merged with Fairfax. Last financial year, the business reported $50 million in revenue and a loss of $3.2 million for the twelve months to the end of June, a result which included $1 million in JobKeeper payments. Mr Young is still the business majority shareholder, with other company directors and executives making up the remaining investors. Campos Coffee was founded in 2002 by Will Young, starting out as a single cafe and roastery in Newtown. Since then, the company has grown to be served in over 600 cafes across the country under its Campos and Sacred Grounds brands. The $24 billion multinational, which is listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange, announced on Wednesday it had bought the Sydney-based roaster for an undisclosed amount, ending 20 years of private ownership for the business. JDE Peets acquisition, expected to be finalised in July, will see the business join a range of other high-profile coffee and tea brands in Australia, including LOR, Moccona, Harris, and Pickwick, and will bolster the companys already significant Asia Pacific region, which reported sales of 659 million ($1 billion) last year. It marks the latest acquisition of a major Australian coffee brand by an international beverage giant, with beer and spirits giant Asahi purchasing local roaster and cafe operator Allpress in late April. Australias coffee industry is worth about $1.3 billion and has been consistently growing over the past five years, fuelled largely by demand for premium coffee. Founder Mr Young said in a Facebook post announcing the deal he was looking forward to the company being supercharged under the ownership of JDE Peets and said he would be stepping back from the day-to-day operation of the business. Campos is built on amazing coffee and deep, meaningful connections to all our stakeholders. We know this is what has brought us this far, and this is what will take us much further, he said. JDE deeply respects this and vows to deliver with the same passion as always. Ill sleep well knowing the brand I love so much remains in the best of hands. Leah Purcells The Drovers Wife a revisionist, feminist Indigenous western loosely based on Henry Lawsons short story of the same name will open the Melbourne International Film Festival on August 5. MIFF artistic director Al Cossar hailed The Drovers Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson as an extraordinary, necessary film ... that takes on the oppressions of our Australian history, and speaks volumes to a moment of systems being challenged, and the drive for change. MIFFs artistic director Al Cossar and chair Teresa Zolnierkiewicz test drive the Coburg Drive-in, one of the locations for this years hybrid event. Credit:Jason South The film tells the story of a hardy frontier woman in the Alpine region in the 19th century, bringing up a brood of kids while her husband is away droving, and fending off the unwanted attentions of rogue bulls, police, drunkards and an Indigenous man (Rob Collins). Described by Cossar as potent and accomplished, the film marks the directing debut of Purcell, who also stars in it and wrote the screenplay based on her award-winning play. Purcell said she was thrilled The Drovers Wife would make its much-delayed Australian debut at MIFF, following a virtual bow at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas last year. PERCY VS GOLIATH M, 99 minutes Poor Christopher Walken. All those years spent being elegant and creepy, smiling as if he learned it from a manual, speaking in an accent not otherwise heard on planet earth. And now here he is, late in life, playing a crusty old Canadian canola farmer who stands up against the system, a role that could have gone to any reasonably well-known actor of 70-plus. Actor Christopher Walken plays real-life Canadian Percy Schmeiser in Percy vs Goliath. Which doesnt mean Percy Schmeiser, as portrayed in Clark Johnsons Percy vs Goliath, is in all respects an average guy. He has Walkens formal, remote quality, which might be taken as a symptom of old age or an indication that he was always a maverick of sorts. Hes also uncommonly fond of the word seeds, often put at the end of sentences for emphasis. I got my own seeds, hell announce, or These are my seeds, OK? This is not a metaphor for anxieties about his legacy or his masculinity, or not explicitly. The seeds are literal the subject of a courtroom battle between Percy and the agribusiness giant Monsanto, which sues him for using their genetically engineered product without a license. Percys defence is that the seeds blew onto his property, and that anyway hes acted no differently from generations of farmers before him. Russell Crowe sees a new film studio at Coffs Harbour on the NSW north coast as supplementing rather than competing with existing production facilities in Sydney and the Gold Coast. I like to think of us as more of a bespoke studio, the Oscar-winning actor said after announcing plans to build the Pacific Bay Resort Studios And Village at a media conference in the coastal city. While Sydneys Fox Studios and the Gold Coasts Village Roadshow Studios are expected to keep attracting big-budget movies, Crowe said the new venture would be ideal for shooting smaller-scale projects, both Australian and international. At the announcement of the new studio in Coffs Harbour (from left) Jack Thompson, Keith Rodger, Russell Crowe, deputy premier John Barilaro and local MP Gurmesh Singh. Credit:AAP This isnt a studio to compete for those $200 million tentpoles, he told this masthead. If youve got a $10 million independent film, there are aspects of this studio which make it more sensible and cheaper and more production-friendly to shoot here. FROM THE VINE M, 94 minutes There are certain films you indulge because you enjoy the company of the people youre watching. The plot may be cobbled together with all the elegance of a backyard shed with a leaning frame and a leaky roof but somehow you warm to the characters propping it up. From the Vine aspires to be just that sort of movie. Its comprehensively furnished with cliches about mid-life crises and the joys of leaving behind the stresses of the city for an idyllic new life among vineyards and olive groves. And giving it a bit of extra heft is the fact its adapted from a novel with autobiographical elements. Like his restless hero, the author, Kenneth C. Cancellara, is a Canadian corporate lawyer who was born in Acerenza, the small town in Italys Southern Apennines, where the film is set. Grape expectations: Joe Pantoliano plays Marco Gentile, a businessman turned winemaker. His fictional alter ego, Marco Gentile (Joe Pantoliano), abruptly walks out on his lucrative job with a large Canadian car company because his new bosses have rejected his ideas about making the firms practices more sustainable. And, instead of giving his wife, Marina (Wendy Crewson) the news, he buys two air tickets to Italy and over dinner that night, tells her he wants her to drop everything, including her own job, and go with him. Understandably shocked, she refuses and he sets off alone to Acerenza, a spectacularly picturesque hill town where his former schoolfriends, who havent seen him in 40 years, greet him with wholehearted but inexplicable enthusiasm. For a short time, the scenic delights of the place keep you interested but after you have settled in, its up to Pantoliano to prove he has the charm to persuade you to overlook the storys improbabilities and engage with him and its a hard sell. He is one of the most ubiquitous character actors on the screen. His raspy voice and excitable presence have helped enliven a range of film and TV hits stretching from Hill Street Blues to The Sopranos but in this context, his habitual cockiness becomes an irritant. Loading He breezily takes over the vineyard once owned by his grandfather, whos long dead, and talks the townspeople into working for him despite the fact he cant even name the variety of grapes hes growing. Nothing fazes him and when his wife and daughter arrive from Canada, determined to bring him home, things glide uneventfully to a wholly foreseeable conclusion. There has been a sharp fall in demand for the AstraZeneca vaccine today as people across the country cancel their appointments, several medical clinics and doctors have told our journalists. Earlier today, Health Minister Greg Hunt announced Pfizer was now the preferred vaccine for under-60s and the government would immediately move to open access for 40- to 59-year-olds. In Melbourne, doctors say patients are calling in droves to cancel their AstraZeneca appointments. General practioner Todd Cameron, who runs several medical practices, said a groundswell of cancellations led him to call off two vaccine clinics due to administer 500 AstraZeneca doses to patients this weekend. Melbourne GP Todd Cameron says his practice has fielded dozens of patient calls about the AstraZeneca vaccine. Credit:Jason South He anticipates thousands more appointments for AstraZeneca doses, scheduled in the coming weeks for the 50 to 60 age group, will also be cancelled. This will hold up the vaccine rollout massively, Dr Cameron said. Public confidence in the vaccine has yet again been completely shot. Nathan Pinskier, who runs multiple GP practices across Melbourne, said doctors were bracing for pushback from people over the age of 60, who may no longer want the AstraZeneca vaccine. It is quite clear that for anyone over the age of 60, the risk of receiving AstraZeneca is much lower than if youre in a younger age group and it remains a safe vaccine. But conveying that to people is going to be very challenging, he said. He feared doctors would be left with huge oversupply of AstraZeneca and not enough Pfizer. The question is will we have enough Pfizer in the coming months or are we going to end up with this massive supply of AZ and nobody to give it to? In Sydney, where new locally-acquired cases have cropped up in the eastern suburbs, the Bondi Junction respiratory clinic expected to be totally overwhelmed with demand for the first doses. ATAGI said people who have had their first AstraZeneca dose without any serious adverse events should receive their second dose. Credit:Getty Images That has not happened, business manager Vladimir Stamenkovic said. Instead, around 20 per cent of the clinics AstraZeneca appointments on Thursday were cancelled, including 10 of the first 40 people booked in. Mr Stamenkovic said he expected first dose cancellations in those aged 50 to 59 due to the changes, but surprisingly among those scrapping their appointments were people due for their second dose. It doesnt make sense to me, he said. Theres no indication or advice which says if you had your first AstraZeneca, youre precluded from getting your second shot. In fact, people in their 50s who have received their first AstraZeneca dose have been urged to get their second - which carries less risk - as they would have before the new advice. And West Australians aged 50-59 booked in for their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine will now receive the Pfizer jab in the wake of updated advice from federal health authorities. The changes will put more pressure on already constrained supplies of Pfizer but Premier Mark McGowan said the 38,000 first dose appointments booked by people aged 30 to 39 would be honoured. Its that time of year again when a red army (no, not that kind) hits the streets in aid of the Salvation Armys annual Red Shield Appeal. David Gonski, doorknocking as a schoolboy for the Red Shield Appeal. Credit:Illustration: John Shakespeare UNSW chancellor David Gonski led a roll-call of company directors and philanthropists on Wednesday including Macquarie Bank director Jillian Broadbent and University of Sydney chancellor Belinda Hutchinson at Sydneys Fullerton Hotel to launch the charitys famous doorknocking drive. This years effort has a fundraising target of $32 million which will be directed to the Salvos homelessness services. Highlights of the day included a $225,000 contribution from the NSW government. But Gonski stole the show recalling his doorknocking experience more than half a century ago as a recently arrived schoolboy from South Africa. Trudging around the mansions of Bellevue Hill in Sydneys eastern suburbs, Gonski had an unexpectedly sharp encounter after ringing the ornate doorbell at the end of a very long drive. His appeal for a donation received a tart response from a society doyenne who bellowed Do you know who I am? from the staircase, before admonishing the schoolboy for having the temerity to stand on her doorstep asking for money given her standing in the fundraising community. An inmate who told police he was in a sexual relationship with a prison guard has been charged with contempt after he refused to give evidence against the woman in court potentially thwarting the prosecutions case against her. Melissa Maree Goodwin, 26, is accused of having a sexual relationship with Corey London, an inmate formerly under her supervision at the maximum-security Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre in Silverwater. She is also accused of providing him with contraband tobacco, cigarette lighters and chewing gum. Suspended corrections officer Melissa Goodwin leaving Burwood court. Credit:Nick Moir Ms Goodwin has pleaded guilty to having an intimate relationship with London, a 21-year-old in jail for armed robbery with a dangerous weapon, but she says it was not sexual and also denies smuggling the contraband. London was due to give evidence about their alleged affair at Burwood Local Court on Wednesday but upon his arrival under escort, he refused to enter the courtroom. Additional venues of concern in Redfern and Zetland were also announced on Wednesday evening, including Coles at the East Village Shopping Centre on Monday June 14 between 11am and 1pm, Taste Growers in the same centre in that timeframe or the Wax Car Wash Cafe in Redfern on Monday June 14 between midday and 3pm. Anyone who visited Harrys Coffee and Kitchen in Bondi Junction on Tuesday June 15 between 3pm and 3.40pm, NAB in Westfield at Bondi Junction on Tuesday between 2.45pm and 3.10pm, David Jones in the same shopping centre between 3.30pm and 4.15pm or Field to Fork in Vaucluse on Friday June 11 between midday and 4pm is also being asked to contact NSW Health immediately, get tested and self-isolate for 14 days from the date they were at the venue, regardless of their test result. It comes after another driver who had transported international air crew caught the virus in December. NSW Health had previously announced there were no new local cases on Wednesday as investigations continue into whether a returned traveller caught COVID-19 within a Sydney quarantine hotel. Loading The ministry said it was investigating whether a person quarantined at the Radisson Blu, in Sydneys CBD, had possibly caught COVID-19 from a couple staying in an adjacent room. The three returned travellers arrived in Sydney on the same flight from Doha on June 1. The couple returned a positive test on June 3 and were moved to Special Health Accommodation, as occurs with people who test positive during their quarantine. The other person tested negative on this date but returned a positive test on June 5. The cases all have an identical viral sequence of the Alpha variant of COVID-19. People who were quarantined at the Radisson from June 1 to June 5 and have been subsequently released have been asked to get tested and self-isolate. Early possibilities as to where transmission may have occurred from the couple to the secondary case include on the flight, on transport from the airport to the hotel, in the lobby of the hotel, or while in quarantine, NSW Health said. Currently, there is no evidence of further transmission. The Alpha variant, seen in large numbers in returned travellers from the UK over summer, has consistently been the most common variant of concern among returned overseas travellers in NSW who test positive to COVID-19. At this stage we still dont know if it happened on the plane, transporting from the plane to the accommodation, at the accommodation or whether it was just a coincidence that they had the same sequencing, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said when asked about the investigation on Wednesday. Since March 2020, there have been more than 190,000 people quarantined in NSWs police-managed hotel quarantine system. Loading During that time, 12 COVID-19 infections have been reported in people either quarantining in the system or working in roles directly involved or adjacent to the system, which were concluded to have been caught from returned overseas travellers in NSW. The first were two security guards at the Marriott, whose infections were reported in August 2020. In December, a cleaner at the Novotel Darling Harbour, the aforementioned air crew driver and two patient transport officers involved in the transport of returned overseas travellers tested positive in three separate incidents. A security guard at the Sofitel Wentworth tested positive in March, found to have caught the Alpha variant from a returned traveller within the hotel. An additional returned traveller staying on the same floor was also found to have caught the virus from the first traveller. Loading In April, one quarantined traveller at the Mercure on George Street and a family of three at the Adina Town Hall were found to have each caught COVID-19 from fellow quarantine travellers in an adjacent room. The Adina exposure involved the Alpha variant and the Mercure exposure involved the Beta variant. Of all of these incidents, the only case to result in widespread community transmission was a patient transport worker whose quick trip to the BWS at Berala before testing positive led to a cluster of local infections. Following news of the new local case, attendees at the 1.45pm screening of the film at Bondi Junction Event Cinemas were asked to immediately call NSW Health on 1800 943 553, get tested and self-isolate until Sunday week (June 27). Doctors warn that people who are shopping around for vaccines outside their eligibility could drag out the vaccine program, with the number of people in NSW over 50 who have received a first dose lagging behind the national average. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Dr Karen Price says there were inequities in the vaccine rollout, with some people getting Pfizer who are not eligible while others in remote communities aged 40 to 49 are still waiting. The AstraZeneca vaccine. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The majority are doing the right thing but some people are shopping around for preferred vaccines outside the national eligibility guidelines. Many of these vaccine consumers are the over 50s who want Pfizer but who arent eligible. They are creating trouble for GPs, said Dr Price. We need to be stronger with our message on who is eligible The NSW government will push to establish the state as a world leader in bushfire research eventually marketing new technology overseas, with close to $30 million set aside for the new project in next weeks budget. The $28 million in state funding will be directed into research and development of bushfire technology over the next four years, including the potential of using robots to aid responders, aggregating satellite imagery to predict fire fronts and drones to assist with escape routes. The NSW government will invest close to $30 million in bushfire research and development. Credit:Nick Moir Prompted to act after the devastating Black Summer fires, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the funding would prepare the state for future natural disasters and position it to lead the world with new bushfire technology. NSW is, unfortunately, one of the worlds bushfire hotspots, so it makes sense that we should package our hard-won know-how and take it to the world, Mr Perrottet said. Power company AusNet Services is telling customers in the worst-affected areas of the Dandenong Ranges that they might be without power for three more weeks as overnight temperatures are set to drop to six degrees. About 10,000 AusNet customers in Melbournes outer-eastern suburbs are still without power after a storm lashed parts of the state last week. Storms wrought widespread destruction in Olinda and other parts of the Dandenongs last week. Credit:Joe Armao AusNet revised their estimates late on Wednesday, saying initial predictions about when power would be restored to the area were wrong. Customers in the worst-affected areas of The Dandenongs should prepare to be without power for the next three weeks, AusNet tweeted on Wednesday night. For almost a year, those of us in Britain and the United States have looked on with envy as AFL, rugby, tennis and cricket stadiums in Australia have been full or well attended, and life went on almost as usual. As we locked down for month after month it was clear that Australia had got it right in going for zero COVID by taking advantage of its island continent status, albeit at a high price for citizens marooned overseas. Queuing for vaccinations in Sydney. For most of the world, there is still no queue to join. Credit:Cole Bennetts Now, as Britain and the US reawaken thanks to the miracle of highly effective vaccines, we too are seeing crowds, demob-happy people throwing off their masks, and it can seem like the worst of the pandemic is behind us. But what if we are only nearing the end of the first quarter, or are in a tiebreaker in the first set and we dont know if this is a three-set or five-set match? And will Australia be obliged to navigate months or years more of this uncertainty? The federal government is forging ahead with a plan to overhaul the $3.2 trillion superannuation sector in a bid to usher in a new regime by July, bringing a surprise motion to debate the legislation in the Senate. The Your Future, Your Super package was unveiled in the 2020-21 federal budget last October and has been the subject of a months-long war between the industry funds, Labor and the Coalition over several controversial measures within the legislation. These include the so-called stapling of workers to their super accounts and subjecting funds to investment benchmark tests to weed out poor performers. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has a critical vote on the superannuation legislation. Credit:James Brickwood The bill, along with two others relating super, were brought on in the Senate on Wednesday evening for a second reading and debate. This may mean a vote on the controversial changes is reached on Thursday. Federal government sources said there had been plenty of work behind the scenes to achieve the necessary support for the legislation, amid fierce opposition from Labor and some of the crossbench. Crossbenchers want major amendments including scrapping the ability for the government to intervene in funds spending with regulations. Big business and tourism groups want the Victorian government to give more clarity on further easing of coronavirus restrictions after what they saw as another conservative step out of lockdown. Acting Premier James Merlino announced on Wednesday that from 11.59pm on Thursday, Melburnians can travel to regional Victoria, masks will no longer be mandatory outdoors in the city and capacity limits at events and hospitality venues will rise slightly across the state. With visitor numbers to the CBD still suffering from restrictions, businesses and tourism groups want more clarity. Credit:Getty Images Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said Victoria would continue to move stage by stage out of the circuit-breaker lockdown imposed three weeks ago, because the risk of the virus circulating in the community undetected was still present, particularly as testing numbers continued at fewer than 20,000 a day. With five new cases all linked with known outbreaks on Wednesday, Professor Sutton flagged a pretty strong expectation of further easing in a week, without going into detail on what was likely to change. A spokesman for Mr Hunt said the Commonwealth had almost doubled the Pfizer allocation to Victoria, including GPs, from 380,000 in June to 560,000 in July. Victorias allocation of Pfizer vaccines has actually increased from 71,370 per week in June to 83,070 per week in July, the spokesman said. At the Victorian governments request, we provided an additional 150,930 doses to the Victorian government to assist them in meeting demand and managing their second doses. This has provided an immediate increase to Victoria above their population allocation and we note they provided written confirmation that they understood this is a temporary one-off allocation, not a continous increase. A Victorian government spokesman said acknowleding your supply is about to be cut is not the same as accepting it. It is simply a fact, that with a 20,000 cut to our supply, it will mean less Victorians getting vaccinated and it is entirely appropriate to call that out, the spokesman said. Every step of this vaccine rollout, we have advocated to have the supply, to meet the demand we have just this week we receive a further 50,000 doses following advocacy by Minister Foley. If the Commonwealth now want to turn around, cut Victorias supply, and think we will accept it, they are wrong. Acknowledging your supply is about to be cut, is not the same as accepting it. In late May the Commonwealth temporarily raised the number of Pfizer jabs sent to Victoria from 71,000 a week to 105,000 for three weeks on the condition the state government would administer all the doses and ensure Victorians who were due for their second dose would receive their jab. Loading Victoria has had the lowest rate of people receiving their second dose, and is one of the only states that has not allowed people to book in their second dose while making a booking for their first dose. The Victorian government this week halted all walk-ins for Pfizer at its mass vaccination hubs and limited the number of first dose bookings, citing constraints on supply. The Pfizer supply is set to be 83,000 a week from July a cut from the 105,000 Victoria will be receiving for three weeks as part of the temporary uplift in supply, but an increase from its baseline. State officials have argued it would be impossible to provide second doses of the Pfizer vaccine under the allocation timetable if it continued to inoculate about 100,000 people a week, given supply is set to drop by 20,000 within three weeks. Until June 7, the Commonwealth allocated about 71,000 doses of Pfizer a week to Victoria. This increased to 105,300 doses for the week of June 14. The federal government has advised Victoria it will receive 104,130 doses next week, and 104,130 doses the week after. On the week of July 5, Victorias supply will drop to 83,070 doses and remain at that level. NSW has been advised it will receive 101,790 doses a week from July 5. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has consistently demanded that states and territories use all the jabs they have been allocated, reassuring them that the Commonwealth was storing enough second doses. Following a national cabinet meeting on June 4, Mr Morrison issued a statement that said: The Commonwealth reconfirmed that states and territories do not need to provision for second doses as the Commonwealth retains doses for second uses. Loading The second dose of Pfizer must be given between three and six weeks after the first dose has been administered. The Victorian government says the state is not receiving the supply of Pfizer it needs to continue vaccinating people at its current rate. Stephen Duckett, the Grattan Institutes health program director and a former secretary of the federal Health Department, said the Commonwealth should entrust state and territory governments with managing their own supply, instead of holding back second doses. Theres been a dramatic ramp up in Victoria of vaccinations so the more they do now, the more theyll need in three or six weeks, and they may be sceptical whether they will be available, Professor Duckett said. The state knows Pfizer supply is limited theyre just sceptical about whether the Commonwealth will be able to deliver on their promise. Given the track record of the experiences the states have had, that is understandable. Theyre never sure about whether theyre going to get what theyve been promised. The logical thing to do is for the Commonwealth to say to the states you manage the distribution in the mass distribution centres, and we will promise you x thousand doses each week for the next six weeks, and you have to manage how many first and second doses youre giving. Older males, those aged over 55, and regional Victorians showed the greatest support for the Coalition while Labor remains popular among younger voters, particularly women in suburban seats. The survey shows months of lockdowns have made the Premier a divisive figure in Victoria, with Mr Andrews recording a net likeability rating of plus 10 per cent, with 42 per cent of voters expressing a positive view of him, compared with 32 per cent feeling negatively towards him. Acting Premier James Merlino provides an update on Covid-19 restrictions Credit:Jason South By comparison, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian last month recorded a likeability score of plus 33 points, with 50 per cent of NSW voters holding a positive view of their premier compared with 17 per cent feeling negatively towards her. Mr Merlino, who has been acting Premier since March while Mr Andrews recovers from a back injury, also out-polled his boss with a likeability score of plus 15 per cent. On Sunday, Mr Merlino welcomed the news that Mr Andrews had been given the all-clear by doctors to return to work on June 28, insisting he is not interested in the top job. "I will happily hand him back the keys," he said. Only 14 per cent of voters expressed a positive view of Opposition Leader Michael OBrien, with 22 per cent feeling negatively towards him, resulting in a likeability score of minus 8. As part of its research, Resolve Strategic also probes the reasons behind voting intentions. The results reveal a deep divide over the government's pandemic response with those backing Labor reporting a high level of trust in the government and a belief that the government had little choice in locking down the state. Victorians who oppose the government questioned why Victorians have faced more lockdowns than the rest of Australia and questioned whether the restrictions were fair on small businesses. Despite the split, Mr Andrews remains the preferred Premier with 49 per cent of voters, compared with just 23 per cent who believe Michael OBrien would do a better job. More than one quarter of respondents 27 per cent remain undecided. Premier Daniel Andrews is due back to work soon. Credit:Office of the Premier Senior politics lecturer at Monash University, Dr Zareh Ghazarian said the survey showed Mr Andrews still enjoyed voters goodwill but it was clear the lockdowns and restrictions have taken a toll and are eating away at the governments support. During last years lockdown people saw Dan every morning and that gave them a clear sense of whether they did like him and supported him, or they didnt, he said. He clearly has pockets of really strong support, but those who have been negatively impacted by the lockdown simply dont like him. While Dr Ghazarian downplayed the low personal support for Liberal leader Michael OBrien as preferred premier, he said the poll showed worrying signs for the Coalition which had failed to improve its vote despite a slip in support for Labor. To some extent you would expect Labors vote to come down given its a second term government chasing a third term, Dr Ghazarian said. People who are thinking about changing their vote at the next election aren't going to the Coalition and that is a problematic sign. Loading He said while the Coalition doesnt appear to be in an election winning position, the Liberal and National parties havent lost support. The silver lining is that the Coalition is holding on to its core base, including rural electorates and older voters. While Labor has attempted to blame the latest lockdown on the federal governments slow vaccine rollout, the survey found 63 per cent of Victorians felt the state government should have been better prepared for the latest outbreak. And almost half of those polled - 46 per cent - believe Victoria was too quick to lockdown large parts of the state following the latest outbreak of COVID-19. Victorians were also lukewarm on the state governments latest budget with one in four voters believing the measures, which including billions for mental health funded by a big business tax, would be bad for the State as a whole. Only 28 per cent of Victorians believe the budget will leave them better off. Its tight... and McKeon hits the wall in 52.35s, ahead of Cate Campbell in 52.59s! Not as fast as the heats this morning but good signs for Tokyo. Great race. Super fast field. Madi Wilson in 52.76s, Meg Harris 52.92s and Bronte Campbell 53.08s. McKeon: My focus now I have made it is on Olympics. The fact that I swam 52.1s this morning shows I can swim fast in the morning which definitely gives me confidence for Tokyo. Cate Campbell, who is going to her fourth Olympics: Relief is the emotion for me. Who would have thought? I dreamt of going to the Olympics when I was nine years old. Most people get to do it once in their life and here I am, nearly 30, getting to do it for a fourth time. Its honestly a dream come true. Can we have a look at that scoreboard for a second. Can we appreciate the depth of talent that we have in the womens 100m freestyle in this country! That is a world-class scoreboard. She is pumped. Paris: Overcoming the challenge of China and pushing back against anti-market forces will require a global effort not seen for many decades, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has predicted on the final day of a whirlwind international trip. In an address to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Morrison warned rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific were a threat to the financial prosperity of other nations and called on leaders to defend a world order that supports freedom. Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks at the OECD in Paris on Thursday. Credit:Bevan Shields The global trading system and rules-based order is under serious strain and threat, he said. Meeting these challenges will require a degree of active cooperation not seen for many decades. PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Anna Richardson announced on Wednesday that a Ministerial Decree will be issued today Wednesday, June 16th to curb illegal gathering, noise pollution, and loitering. The decree will take immediate effect and will be extended until public order is fully restored. The Minister of Justice said that since the government of St. Maarten enhanced its policy on closing businesses at 11 pm to curb the spread of the coronavirus there has been a growing trend these past weeks where persons are illegally gathering in parking lots and gas stations. At these locations, she said there is loud music, the use of alcohol and narcotics and as such the need has arisen where stricter measures have to be put in place to give law enforcement the necessary tools to act. Minister Richardson said that the illegal gathering causes noise nuisances, disturbing public order, dangerous traffic situations, and the excess use of alcohol and narcotics. Due to this behavior, the Ministry of Justice will issue an MB to compliment the Ministry of TEATT with the implementation of the Zero Tolerance Ministerial Decree that would bring about stricter enforcement or ban on the gathering such as gas stations and public parking lots, and other public areas. Minister Richardson said that the Ministry of Justice and TEATT have formed a joint task force to specifically address the issues surrounding the illegal gathering. She said a plan of approach has already been established by the St. Maarten Police Force which would include the immigration mobile unit that will be carrying out the joint controls. The Minister said that these types of behavior are unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated, those include loitering, noise nuisance, disturbance of the peace, which are all illegal acts that have been regulated by law, thus authorities will exercise their duties to enforce order within the communities. Grand Cayman:--- CCRIF SPC is pleased to announce that its member governments have renewed their parametric insurance coverage for tropical cyclones, excess rainfall, earthquakes, and the fisheries sector ahead of the upcoming 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season. This is the second year in a row that members have ceded over US$1 billion in risk to CCRIF. The Facilitys first non-government member, ANGLEC Anguillas electric utility company not only renewed but increased its coverage. ANGLEC joined CCRIF in 2020, purchasing the newest product that offers coverage for electric transmission and distribution systems. CCRIF started operations in 2007 with 16 Caribbean member governments and just under US$500 million in coverage for tropical cyclones and earthquakes. Fourteen years later, CCRIF now offers five parametric insurance products to 23 members (19 Caribbean governments, 3 Central American governments, and 1 electric utility). CCRIFs members continue to grapple with the socioeconomic challenges brought about by COVID-19 and are well aware that a natural disaster can further impact their recovery, which is being projected to be slow and may last until 2024 by some estimates. The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting another above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, although it does not anticipate the historic level of storm activity of 2020. As the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins, CCRIFs members are assured that they are covered for another year against tropical cyclones and excess rainfall events (which can occur during a hurricane or tropical storm or any rain system throughout the year) as well as earthquakes that may occur at any time. CCRIFs CEO, Isaac Anthony, in commenting on the renewals said, CCRIF continues to offer insurance products not readily available in traditional insurance markets. These parametric insurance products allow governments to have access to liquidity within 14 days of an event. This is key as it helps governments reduce budget volatility after a natural disaster, support the most vulnerable in their population and begin the process of recovery in short order. Mr. Anthony also used this medium to thank wholeheartedly development partners who early in the pandemic stepped forward to support member governments to help offset their policy premiums for 2020/21 and 2021/22. Grants provided by development partners, including the European Union and the Government of Canada, were most welcomed by members given the fiscal challenges they continue to face. The flexibility in the use of the funds was also well received by members as they were able to use a portion of the funds during the last policy year and a portion for this current policy year. In 2020, the European Union (EU) under its Global COVID-19 Response, provided a grant of 10 million (US$12 million) to CCRIF for premium support or for increasing coverage for its Caribbean members. This financial assistance was channeled through the EU Regional Resilience Building Facility managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). This grant provided to each Caribbean member country a 26 per cent discount on total gross premium or an increase in policy coverage under their CCRIF parametric insurance policies. Indeed, many members utilized a portion of the discount in the 2020/21 policy year, leaving a portion for use during this current policy year. This year, the EU has provided additional financial support of 262,000 (US$317,000) through the 3,000,000 Technical Assistance Program for Disaster Risk Financing in Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), for the delivery of training activities to selected OCTs to better understand CCRIF products and services. Also, nine Caribbean countries seven current CCRIF members benefitted from a total of US$12.4 million under the Canada-CARICOM Climate Adaptation Fund. Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines were able to use their allocation to cover a portion of their premium costs for their CCRIF parametric insurance policies for the policy year 2020/21 and/or 2021/22. Two countries Guyana and Suriname which are not yet members of CCRIF would be able to use their allocations towards their participation fees as well as for premium support when they join the Facility. The World Bank provided premium support to pilot countries Grenada and Saint Lucia for a third year for their 2021/22 COAST policies for the fisheries sector, which were first offered in 2019. CCRIFs Central American members also received special benefits as part of the Facilitys response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These benefits, totaling US$11 million, included a reduction in premium costs on their parametric insurance policies and/or an increase in CCRIF coverage. This effort was supported by the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) of the Catastrophe Risk Insurance Program of Central America and the Caribbean, administered by the World Bank. CCRIFs value to members was demonstrated again last year: during the 2020 hurricane season, CCRIF made 8 payouts due to tropical cyclones Cristobal, Laura, Zeta, Eta, and Iota totaling US$48 million to 6 member governments on their tropical cyclone and/or excess rainfall policies. Since the Facilitys inception in 2007, it has made a total of 50 payouts to 16 of its member governments, totaling approximately US$200 million all within 14 days of the event. CCRIF was formed as the rst multi-country risk pool in the world and was the rst insurance instrument to successfully develop parametric insurance policies for natural catastrophes. The Facility is a working example of an effective disaster risk financing instrument and one of a suite of such instruments available to governments to assist in post-disaster recovery and to help close the protection gap. Ridgeline Minerals Intersects 123.2 g/t Silver over 44.2 meters and Initiates Phase I Metallurgy Program at the Selena Project, Nevada Posted by Publisher Internet Ridgeline Minerals Corp. (?Ridgeline? or the ?Company?) (TSX-V: RDG | OTCQB: RDGMF | FRA: 0GC0 https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/ridgeline-minerals-corp/) is pleased to announce high-grade silver intercepts from the first four of fourteen drill holes from the Company?s recently completed 3,445 meter (?m?) Phase IV drill program at the Selena oxide silver-gold project (?Selena?), Nevada (Figure 1). The Company has also initiated a Phase I, bottle-roll metallurgy program to assess the potential viability of a future heap-leach processing scenario at the project. The first four holes focused on infill drilling within the 2020 mineralized footprint with high-grade silver intercepts in drill hole SE21-024 and SE21-025 interpreted as structurally controlled ?feeder? zones to the larger mineralized system. Of particular interest to the Company is the identification of elevated lead (?Pb?) and Zinc (?Zn?) mineralization associated with higher-grade silver in both holes (Table 1). The Ag-Pb-Zn mineralization may represent a distal metal zonation pattern to the known copper-gold (?Cu-Au?) porphyry system located approximately 1 kilometer (?km?) west of the Selena property boundary. Highlight intercepts are listed below with results from the remaining ten step-out holes to be released as they are received. Highlight Drill Intercepts (See Table 1): SE21-024: 10.7m grading 194.0 g/t grams per tonne (?g/t?) silver (?Ag?), 0.3 g/t gold (?Au?), 2.0% lead (?Pb?) and 1.7% Zinc (?Zn?) starting at 191m true vertical depth (?TVD?) Including: 4.6m grading 421.0 g/t Ag, 0.6 g/t Au, 4.4% Pb and 3.7% Zn starting at 193m TVD (Figure 2.0) SE21-025: 44.2m grading 123.2 g/t Ag, 0.17 g/t Au, 1.5% Pb and 0.6% Zn starting at 232m TVD Including: 13.7m grading 221.1 g/t Ag, 0.1 g/t Au, 2.2% Pb and 0.5% Zn starting at 249m TVD Chad Peters, Ridgeline?s President & CEO commented, ?We are very encouraged by the initial infill results at Selena, which returned the highest-grade intercepts drilled to-date, confirming the high-grade silver potential of the oxide system. The elevated lead and zinc mineralization in multiple holes is an exciting new development that supports our team?s growing belief that Selena is host to a large mineralized system with potential to discover multiple deposit types across the more than 35 square kilometer project.? Click HERE for a video of Chad Peters, President & CEO discussing the highlights of today?s press release. Figure 1: Plan view map showing highlight drill intercepts over silver equivalent grade thickness (?GT?) contours. To view X-sections A-A? Click Here , B-B? Click Here, or C?C? Click Here, Phase I Metallurgy Program The Company has recently contracted Samuel Engineering to oversee a Phase I metallurgy program at the Selena project with two primary objectives: 1) A complete re-assay of all reported drill and trench assay intercepts from 2020 utilizing a 4-acid digest and ICP-MS analysis. This was initiated by the Company in Q1, 2021 when standard assay re-checks as part of Ridgeline?s internal QAQC procedures noted that silver assays at Selena were commonly under-reported when comparing original assay results utilizing an Aqua Regia sample digestion to 4-acid sample digestion methods. The switch to a 4-acid digest method ensures a 100% digestion of all drill samples and has returned an average increase in silver grades of 30-50% (no change to fire assay gold values). To ensure consistency moving forward, all 2021 drilling has been analyzed with the aforementioned 4-acid digest and ICP-MS analysis. View updated 4-acid assay composite table for all 2020 Ridgeline drilling HERE. 2) Ten representative bottle roll composites located throughout the mineralized footprint have been submitted to McClelland Laboratories Inc. of Reno Nevada. Results of the bottle roll program are anticipated in early Q3, 2020 and will be the first step in confirming the potential viability of a heap leach processing operation at Selena. Selena Project Selena is located in White Pine County, Nevada, approximately 64 km north of the town of Ely, NV, and 12 km southeast of the Kinross owned and operated Bald Mountain Gold Mine. The 100% owned property is comprised of 35 square kilometers of highly prospective exploration ground, which has seen limited (View the Selena VRIFY Deck Here) exploration activity over the past twenty years prior to being acquired by Ridgeline in 2019. QAQC Procedures All samples are submitted to Paragon Geochemical Assay Laboratories (PAL) of Sparks, NV, which is a certified and accredited laboratory, independent of the Company. Samples are run through standard prep methods and analysed using AU-OES30 (Au; 30g fire assay AQR digest) and 34MA-OESm (35 element Suite; 0.5g 4-acid digestion/ICP-MS; + 10ppb Hg) methods. PAL also undertakes its own internal coarse and pulp duplicate analysis to ensure proper sample preparation and equipment calibration. Ridgeline?s QA/QC program includes regular insertion of CRM standards, duplicates, and blanks into the sample stream with a stringent review of all results completed by the Company?s QP, Michael T. Harp, Vice President, Exploration. Technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Michael T. Harp, P.Geo. the Company?s Vice President, Exploration, who is Ridgeline?s qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 and responsible for technical matters of this release. About Ridgeline Minerals Corp. Ridgeline is a discovery focused gold explorer with a proven management team and a 125 km? exploration portfolio across four projects in the highly prospective Carlin and Battle Mountain ? Eureka Trends in Nevada, USA. More information about Ridgeline can be found at www.RidgelineMinerals.com. On behalf of the Board ?Chad Peters? President & CEO Further Information: Chad Peters, P.Geo. President & CEO Ridgeline Minerals Corp. 1-866-RDG-NVAU (734-6828) ? toll free info@ridgelineminerals.com In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Cautionary Note regarding Forward Looking Statements Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are ?forward-looking information? or ?forward-looking statements? (collectively, ?Forward-Looking Information?) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, the anticipated timing for release of additional drill results, plans to drill test prospective targets in 2021 and the potential advancement of mineral exploration, exploration drilling, development, and/or operating programs. The words ?potential,? ?anticipate,? ?significant,? ?discovery,? ?forecast,? ?believe,? ?estimate,? ?expect,? ?may,? ?will,? ?project,? ?plan?, ?historical?, ?historic? and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify Forward-Looking Information. Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by the Forward-Looking Information. In preparing the Forward-Looking Information in this news release, Ridgeline has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions that the current objectives concerning its mineral projects can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected; that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner; and that all requisite information will be available in a timely manner. Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Ridgeline to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-Looking Information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks related to dependence on key personnel; risks related to unforeseen delays; risks related to historical data that has not been verified by the company; as well as those factors discussed in Ridgeline\-\-s public disclosure record. Although Ridgeline has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Ridgeline and may cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, Ridgeline does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Somerset, KY (42501) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 79F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear skies. Low 54F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Drone X Tradeshow & Conference 2021 Drones are transforming the processes of many sectors and improving safety. More and more companies are using drones for different purposes. At the DroneX Trade Show & Conference you can reimagine the possibilities of unmanned vertical flight, and take a first-hand look into the latest technological advancements. DroneX Trade Show & Conference is the UKs largest event dedicated to UAV products, parts and accessories with over 3,000 key buyers attending within the industry. This year will include some amazing features such as a live demo area, dedicated Emergency Service Zone, Cinema Experience, themed theatres and a keynote seminar hall. We have everything our visitors need under one roof with headline sponsors such as Drone Major and Arpas UK! Situated at an altitude of 5500 feet above sea level, Namchi (means Sky High) is one of the famous and biggest tourist destinations in Sikkim, a state of northeast India. Surrounded by the spectacular view of the mountains, emerald, and green forest, Namchi is well-known for its old monasteries, sacred temples, and annual festivals such as Namchi Mahotsav. Smart Cities Mission Namchi was selected to be part of the Smart Cities Mission, an ambitious programme of Govt. of India. Under this programme, the city aspires to be a world-class tourist destination and simultaneously maintain ecological balance with a vibrant community, offering an enriched quality of life supported by a robust local economy. In recent years, the city infrastructure has also shown rapid growth and welcoming thousands of tourists each year, hence, making the city vulnerable to threats driven by overcrowding, chaotic traffic, haphazard parking in addition to other law & order issues. In the first phase of the project, Namchi Smart City Limited wanted to cover its citizens as well as tourists with a robust surveillance system with proper traffic management without disrupting the normal day-to-day activities. The solution Videonetics designed a modular and scalable unified solution, based on its Intelligent VMS and AI & DL powered Video Analytics After a thorough assessment of the requirements and consequent discussions with the officials of Namchi Smart City Limited, Videonetics designed a modular and scalable unified solution, based on its Intelligent VMS and AI & DL powered Video Analytics, aimed to ensure continuous monitoring, efficient traffic monitoring, quicker response times and faster access to evidence in case of investigations and law & order management. Eyeing on every corner of the city A group of over 120 IP Cameras has been installed at the important locations to monitor the entry and exit points connecting to the city, public ways, transport hubs, tourist attractions, markets, streets, traffic junctions to name a few. Now, security operators can easily view and manage citywide deployed IP cameras with the intuitive interface of Videonetics Intelligent VMS, having complete situational awareness, and can respond smartly to critical situations. Moreover, the smart navigation feature of Intelligent VMS allows simultaneous viewing of the life and the recorded videos in the same interface, which helps in prompt investigation of past activities without taking their eye off from the current incidents. Parking and directional analytics Namchi being a hilly terrain has narrow roads with the limited scope of turning it into broader ones, the authorities used to manage the traffic by declaring some of the roads as a one-way carriage. Frequently, the city faced chaotic traffic congestion and accidents, due to unauthorized parking and wrong-way driving. The unified solution empowers command control operators to receive real-time insights and predict unusual behaviour To address such concerns, Videonetics Artificial Intelligence-powered video analytics including No Parking Detection and Wrong-Way Movement Detection were deployed to detect such situations. Operators are notified as soon as any vehicle is parked in a restricted zone and if any vehicle moves in the wrong direction. The Videonetics unified solution empowers command control operators to receive real-time insights from the city and upon recognition or prediction of unusual behaviour, they receive an immediate alert and notify the authorities. Centralised view of the city Videonetics Intelligent VMS and Video Analytics application are seamlessly integrated with Namchi Operations Center (NOC), an Integrated Command Control Center (ICCC), to simplify the response coordination between stakeholders and speeding up incident resolution. Working in conjunction with city administration, control room operators can switch from camera to camera using dynamic maps, which empowers them to obtain critical event information as well as manage emergencies by alerting respective stakeholders for quick action. And when necessary, Videonetics's unified solution makes it possible to share forensic videos across departments, facilitating more collaborative and successful response efforts. Open architecture solution The sagacious collaboration between Videonetics, Astrikos Consulting, and Namchi Smart City Ltd, has become an exemplary model for other cities. AI-Unified Solution has exceeded the city administrations expectations in terms of its intuitive functionalities Videonetics Unified Solution has exceeded city administrations expectations in terms of its intuitive functionalities, identifying suspicious activities, and ensuring smooth traffic movements. And the solutions open architecture allows the seamless addition of more cameras and integration with other security systems as the city continues to grow and identify more needs. It signifies future development potential with maximum impact on people. Situational awareness Furthermore, the integrated solution has been extremely helpful for the city authority in aggregating and visualising the video data collected over time, to deliver critical statistical information such as directional traffic data, traffic flow insights, hotspots of public gathering, etc. Eventually, increasing the situational awareness, standardising response protocol and implementing SOPs at the city level and enhancing collaboration across various departments/bodies emphasising the citizens come first mindset of Namchi city. Airspace security technology solutions provider, Dedrone has been awarded certification from the U.K. Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) for its counter-drone technology platform, DedroneTracker for the second time, following Dedrones successful certification in 2019. DedroneTracker DedroneTracker detects, identifies, and locates drones by using multi-sensor capability combining radio frequency, radar, and optical sensors. The CPNI counter-drone standard enables organisations deemed to be of critical national importance, including refineries, data centres, airports, and ports, to adopt drone detection technology with the assurance that it has been tested rigorously. Dedrones continued participation and certification with CPNI reflects Dedrones efficacy and performance in detecting, tracking, and identifying different drone types for its customers. Dedrone technology Dedrone technology was evaluated to detect drones within a specific launch time Dedrone technology was evaluated to detect drones within a specific launch time, consistent and reliable tracking, timely alerts, and notifications, with DedroneTracker software showing reliable information on drone heights, speeds, and ranges. Dedrone is pleased to report that DedroneTracker platform has successfully met CPNIs rigorous testing standards for the second time in row, shares Amit Samani, Vice President of Enterprise Sales, Americas & UK at Dedrone. Standard for global counter-drone technology testing He adds, The challenge of unwanted drones at critical infrastructure sites is complex and unique, and will continually evolve as more drones come to market and as drone regulations and laws advance. Amit Samani further stated, CPNI has set the standard for global counter-drone technology testing, and any organisation protecting against drone threats can take comfort in knowing that Dedrones technology has successfully been evaluated, tested, and proven to deliver smart airspace security. Software and radio frequency sensors DedroneTracker 4.5 automatically synthesizes sensor data and provides immediate alerts of unauthorised drone activity, enabling security providers to safeguard their premises. Dedrones software and radio frequency sensors provide detection, identification, and drone flight paths. Additionally, third-party sensors may be added to the Dedrone system, including Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras and radar systems, providing additional layers of drone information, enabling the user to visually verify the drone and its payload. Enterprise, AL (36331) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Medford, NJ (08055) Today Light rain this morning. Scattered thunderstorms for the afternoon. High 79F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. Scattered thunderstorms this evening. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. New York, June 15, 2021 (SPS) - Algerian Ambassador to the United Nations Sofiane Mimouni on Monday called for the rapid appointment of a new UNSG personal envoy for Western Sahara, deploring the "unilateral procrastination "and the" consciously raised obstacles "to the organization of the self-determination referendum in the occupied territories. "The resumption of direct and substantial talks between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO is the obvious way to reach a just and lasting solution. In this spirit, we urge the Secretary General to quickly appoint a new personal envoy in the hope that he will help relaunch the dialogue between the two parties, "said Mimouni, speaking at the annual session of the Special Committee on Decolonization, said Committee of 24.SPS 125/090/TRA Ever Given hasnt budged after being freed from the Suez Canal. Egypts government has impounded the vessel for months as it awaits payment on a $900 million compensation bill, CNN reports. The ship made headlines in March when it ran aground in the canal for six days, blocking hundreds of ships from passing through the waterway. Suez Canal Authority filed a $916 compensation claim against the ships owner, Japans Shoei Kisen Kaisha or Evergreen, for losses and damages that accrued during that time. Two weeks after President Biden unveiled a set of proposals to close what the White House called a racial wealth gap in the United States, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes was named to lead a Congressional panel that will address earnings disparities across demographic groups and geographic pockets. On Tuesday night, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi named Himes, D-Conn., to chair a new Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth, whose members include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Himes district is peppered with some of the wealthiest towns in the country including Greenwich where he lives. But his district also includes Bridgeport, where household income and employment trail the rest of the state. Pelosi cited Himes experience as well in financial circles, having spent a dozen years with investment bank Goldman Sachs before leading a New York City nonprofit focused on increasing the stock of affordable housing in the Bronx. House Democrats invoked the Temporary National Economic Committee formed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938 to tackle the problem of economic clout wielded by big corporations during the Great Depression. In a Wednesday interview, Himes said that some historians see Roosevelts New Deal policies as designed to save capitalism from itself in his words, by finding ways to open up paths for people to escape systemic poverty. There is no system that has generated the wealth that market capitalism has generated, Himes said. It has also generated profound inequities, and I believe that if those inequities get bad enough, market capitalism could implode. ... Our democracy though not an economic system is reliant on it. Committee members have been tasked with analyzing causes and potential solutions for specific problems, with Ocasio-Cortez addressing how to increase worker leverage in the economy. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., will tackle how to reduce the wealth gap of minority earners. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., is focusing on increasing working wages. Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., will study considerations for workers that must balance jobs with raising children. Other committee members will focus on rekindling economic growth in cities and rural areas that have fallen behind, and improving the nations infrastructure to benefit those local economies. During a March hearing of the House Financial Services Committee on which Himes sits, Ocasio-Cortez said education alone is not the answer to addressing the widening wealth gap. While I appreciate the emphasis on education and it makes up part of the importance we know that that is not the solution, Ocasio-Cortez said. Wealth in America what it is partially predicated on is generational wealth. ... Policy created it, and policy needs to solve it. In a press release, House Democrats described the widening chasm between CEO compensation and worker pay as having gone from unfair to immoral and that the situation of families no longer believing that their children will have a brighter future than they is seriously damaging and demoralizing to our society. That theory has currency among some of the nations wealthiest, including Greenwich billionaire Ray Dalio who is Connecticuts richest resident as founder of Bridgewater Associates, the worlds largest hedge fund based in Westport. Dalio has explored the topic in public forums like the World Economic Forum in Switzerland and the Greenwich Economic Forum he helped organize, and has kept up an ongoing barrage of posts on his LinkedIn page framing the problem of extremes in wealth and poverty in the United States and globally. If we dont have broad productivity and employment which comes from education and jobs programs and such then were going to have a continuation of the worsening [and] greater polarity and I think that will be a problem, Dalio told CNN in an interview last December. There will have to be a resolution of this system working for the majority of people. ... That can be obtained either in a smart, bipartisan way, or it will come by greater conflict. Himes said the committee has yet to draw up a schedule of hearings to come up with ideas, and was reluctant Wednesday to express any preferred vehicle to implement them until his fellow legislators can hear ideas. I think a massive bill would be recipe for failure for one thing, its a committee so we have Democrats and Republicans and the idea that we could agree on some massive bill to address economic inequality is at least 10 bridges too far, Himes said. Poverty is an issue in blue states Bridgeport, Connecticut is in my district but its also an issue in Appalachia, which is deeply red. So at a minimum, I know we are going to agree that theres some problem here, and well see where we can take that. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman STAMFORD After 30 weeks, credits finally rolled on Mayor David Martins pandemic broadcasts to the community. The mayor touted the citys progress against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on Tuesady, citing high vaccine uptake levels and a low caseload at Stamford Health as proof of the communitys victory against the virus. Stamford is doing so well, Martin said, he had a special announcement. This is going to be the last show were going to perform, and I think you understand why, he said with a smile. About 80 percent of adults in Stamford have received at least one vaccination shot, cases are at a record low and yet another mass vaccination site is closing, Martin said at his weekly COVID-19 update. All signs point towards a pandemic rolling steadily towards a close. Martin began the weekly virtual coronavirus press conferences just ahead of Thanksgiving when a new wave of infections slammed the state. On a 14-day moving average, about 55 residents were testing positive for COVID-19 daily in mid-November. Now, Stamford is recording only two new COVID cases on average per day, according to the mayors update. Statewide, only 0.66 percent of coronavirus tests are returning positive. Martins data indicates that 99.9 percent of adults over 65 have received at least one vaccine against the virus. About 86 percent of adults 45 to 64 have gotten at minimum the first dose, and just under 68 percent of people 15 to 44 meet that same threshold. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 61.5 percent of people 12 years or older have received at least their first vaccine dose nationwide. The David Martin COVID Show isnt the only pandemic-era staple taking a bow. The mayor announced that Community Health Center on June 30 will shutter its Bulls Head drive-through clinic, which operates out of the Lord & Taylor parking lot. Community Health Center will continue vaccinating people out of its 5th Street suite. Even Stamford Public School bid the pandemic goodbye during the citys final update. Most public schools in the district, barring Westhill High School, will celebrate their last day of school on June 16, said Associate Superintendent. Michael Fernandes. The press conference ran like a greatest hits list of Martins broadcasts. Dr. Michael Bernstein of Stamford Health briefed the audience on the coronavirus variant that originated in India, a subtle reminder that infections are still happening throughout the country. Laura Burwick, one of Martins special assistants, rattled off all the vaccination sites still open within the city. We are pretty much blanketing the Downtown, West Side and East Side for the next two weeks, she said. Pop-up clinics are scheduled everywhere, from the Domus building on the East Side through Friday to the Spring Street Farmers Market on June 24. Vaccines will even be available at the Juneteenth celebrations at the Ferguson Library Saturday. I have never been prouder of this city, Martin said after thanking a litany of community organizations, city staff and healthcare providers. For a moment, his voice caught. The mayor sounded like he was choking up. So thank you, and have a good night. And then, for the last time, the screen cut to black. veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com GREENWICH Seemingly everywhere Kimberly Fiorello looked this year, the Republican state representative says she saw evidence of race-based thinking. At a virtual Town Hall on critical race theory, Fiorello said discussions of race and racism came up in legislation on topics from housing to health care during her first term in office. At the same time, Fiorello said she was hearing from constituents in Greenwich and Stamford who were concerned about what their children were learning in public schools. In both municipalities, tension over the alleged teaching of critical race theory has been simmering for months. Critical race theory began as a legal framework in the late 1970s and, according to the American Bar Association, involves the practice of interrogating the role of race and racism in society that emerged in the legal academy and spread to other fields of scholarship. Fiorello has been a vocal opponent of critical race theory, and recently appeared on Fox News to speak out against a recent state bill declaring racism a public health crisis. At the Monday evening virtual Town Hall, which she organized, Fiorello spoke of the existence of American racism. I would like to acknowledge one truth: that our country has a history of racial injustice, Fiorello said. There is an evil of racism that exists in America. And racists have had power over people in the past in our country. There are racists who exert power now and they will have power in the future. Fiorello titled the event, Why is the Accusation of Racism Everything and Everywhere and enlisted Peter Wood, an anthropologist, historian and president of the conservative think tank National Association of Scholars, as a speaker. The virtual Town Hall was capped at 100 participants, but Fiorello said nearly 300 people registered to attend. According to Fiorello, Wood and many of the speakers who participated in the town hall, the idea that racism is foundational to American institutions has become so pervasive as to undermine the institutions themselves. But questions linger about where critical race theory is, or is not, present. Those critical of the ideology see it everywhere in schools, in local, state and national government. Those more amenable to the doctrine have questioned whether changes referenced by critics are actually critical race theory or merely long overdue changes to the way we teach and understand race. According to Fiorello, the result of a new Equity and Diversity policy approved by the Stamford Board of Education in May was the elimination of high-level math courses. The district did recently change its middle school honors system, but the districts Public Affairs Officer Sharon Beadle said no elimination of high-level math was caused by the passage of the school board policy. Beadle said Stamford Superintendent of Schools Tamu Lucero was not invited to participate in the town hall. Greenwich Superintendent Toni Jones, who has repeatedly denied that critical race theory is taught in her district, was also not invited, according to a spokesperson for the district. Fiorello began the Monday night discussion by tracing critical race theorys lineage to Marxism an assertion advanced by many of its critics, including Christopher Rufo, and challenged by other intellectuals, including Helen Pluckrose, who say its more in line with the postmodern work of the French philosopher Michel Foucalt. The idea in its more modern form was popularized by the academics Derrick Bell and Richard Delgado, as well as Kimberle Crenshaw, of Columbia Law School, who coined the term intersectionality, itself a tool to understand how social and personal identities relate to discrimination and privilege. More recent iterations of critical race theory, as identified by critics, include the authors Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo, whose books on anti-racism have been used widely as a tool of professional development in schools and in corporate settings. The New York Times controversial 1619 Project a collection of essays and journalistic articles concentrated around the idea that the true founding of America was 1619, with the arrival of slaves to Jamestown is also a flashpoint in the debate around critical race theory. Wood, a former professor and faculty member at Boston University and a former provost at Kings College in New York City, has written extensively about race in America, including several books. Most recently, he published 1620: A Critical Response to the 1619 Project, which sets out to refute the work laid out in the New York Times series. Like Fiorello, Wood acknowledged the presence of racism in America but described critical race theory as a simplistic concept. The existence of racism in Americas past, and in its present, does not mean that the racism itself is foundational or intrinsic to American institutions, Wood said. So, by analogy, you could say that cars emit pollution. And that doesnt mean that all cars do and will forever. It doesnt mean that pollution emitted by cars today is as bad as pollution emitted by cars in the 1950s. Distinctions are in order. So critical race theory, unfortunately, obliterates those sorts of distinctions. Warnings about critical race theory in schools have grown louder in the last year, since the term entered the mainstream and became a regular talking point on conservative cable news some link its rise to an appearance made by Rufo on Fox News last September. Wood spoke of nearly 20 state legislatures throughout the country that have written laws to either ban or curtail the teaching of the 1619 Project and, more broadly, critical race theory. State Sen. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, also spoke during the call about his attempt to pass similar legislation in Connecticut. The legislation failed, but gained the support of every Republican in the state Senate. For Wood, such legislation is a cause for optimism in a fight against a pernicious idea that promotes racial antagonism. Never before, Wood said, has he seen the outpouring of public concern like he has over critical race theory, wokeness and cancel culture. But proponents of recent curricular changes, like Ingrid Canady of the Connecticut State Education Resource Center, view it as an attempt to correct historical wrongs and unite people. The reality was that our students, through current history books, were not getting the countrys full history, said Canady, who last year helped design a state curriculum on African American, Black, Puerto Rican and Latino history. Those voices, they were never represented. ... So the essence of the curriculum is to be able to represent the contributions of every one of those missing histories. And even some on the right are cautious about recent legislation to limit critical race theory. David French, a former National Review staff writer and founder of the conservative news site The Dispatch, recently cautioned the folly of anti-critical race theory legislation. In short, banning ideas is dangerous, French tweeted Friday. The statutes are overbroad and vague. Existing civil rights law provides strong protection against radical excesses without resort to banning ideas. The better course of action is replacing bad curriculum with better curriculum. justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586 ROCKTON, Ill. (AP) An industrial firefighting team continued battling a fire Tuesday that has consumed an chemical plant in northern Illinois and forced the evacuation of nearby homes and businesses. Before pouring fire-fighting foam on the Chemtool plant in Rockton, Louisiana-based U.S. Fire Pumps dug a trench around the facility and installed absorbent booms along the Rock River to prevent residual material from escaping into the village's source of drinking water. Rockton fire Chief Kirk Wilson said the smoke plume from the fire has dissipated substantially as a result of U.S. Fire Pumps' effort "This is their forte. This is what they do," Wilson said, adding the company has larger pumps and a larger delivery capability to battle the fire than local fire departments. "At this point in time we have detected no visible runoff into the waterway (that) is just west of Chemtool and to our main waterway. Despite the fire being under control, Wilson said the fire is not completely out. This is going to continue to burn. When were in the overhaul stage and were moving debris around, things may flair up, Wilson said. But we want to assure the public that it is under control. It is contained in the area of origin in the building where the fire occurred. The explosions and resulting fires Monday prompted officials to evacuate an estimated 1,000 residents who lived within a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) radius of the plant and to urge anyone within 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) to wear masks due to the threat posed by airborne impurities, Wilson said. He said it was unclear when the evacuation order would be lifted, but asked residents to stay vigilant." We are doing this out of extreme caution. We have come this far in suppressing a very difficult fire with myriad chemicals, Winnebago County Health Department Administrator Sandra Martell said. We want to assure our population that they are safe to return to their homes. Wilson said once the fires are extinguished, investigators will begin looking into what caused them, he said. The Chemtool plant in Winnebago County was outfitted with a sprinkler system in 2008, but Wilson said he did not know if that system was still active when the explosion and fires happened. Bill Snyder, vice president of operations at Lubrizol Corp., the parent company of Chemtool, said he had no information on a possible cause, but that the company would cooperate with authorities. He said it was too early to address the question of whether the plants fire suppression may have failed. Lubrizol Corp. is owned by Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, based in Nebraska. More than 80 fire departments have been helping battle the fires, working eight-hour shifts at a time, Wilson said. Snyder apologized to the local community, particularly those who had to evacuate their homes, noting that the fires had a very severe impact" on residents. Alicia Tate-Nadeau, director of Illinois Emergency Management Agency, said state officials are working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other entities to monitor air quality, as well as making sure no contaminants enter the local water supply. This is an ongoing event. Were not out of this yet, Tate-Nadeau said. The Chemtool plant was inspected by a federal agency less than a month before Monday's blast sent debris raining down onto nearby areas, WLS-TV reported. Inspectors from the U.S. Labor Departments Occupational Health and Safety Administration on May 20 investigated a complaint at the plant. The station reported that a summary record of that inspection does not explain what was being inspected at the plant. That record states only that the complaint involved safety and health, and the case remains open, the station reported. OSHA officials said they have six months to complete their investigation at the plant, and no further information will be made public until that work is finished, WLS-TV reported. There are no other outstanding cases or any violations in U.S. records pertaining to the plant. Chemtool has recorded no U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violations during at least the last three years, the station reported. WOLCOTT, Ind. (AP) A man who exchanged gunfire with northwest Indiana police officers sent to arrest him on a warrant was struck by gunfire and died at a hospital, police said Wednesday. Perry Boyd, 56, of Wolcott, died from his injuries Tuesday night at a Lafayette hospital where he had been transported in a helicopter from a Monticello-area hospital, police said. NEW YORK (AP) Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump and one of his top advisers during his administration, has a book deal. Broadside Books, a conservative imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced that Kushner's book will come out in early 2022. Kushner has begun working on the memoir, currently untitled, and is expected to write about everything from the Middle East to criminal justice reform to the pandemic. His book will be the definitive, thorough recounting of the administration and the truth about what happened behind closed doors, Broadside announced Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. Kushner was often at the center of the Trump administration's policies whether brokering the normalization of relationships between Israel and United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco the so-called Abraham Accords or playing a key role in a criminal justice bill passed by Congress in 2018. He has also been the subject of numerous controversies, whether for his financial dealings and potential conflicts of interest or for the administration's widely criticized handling of COVID-19. In April 2020, less than two months into the pandemic, Kushner labeled the White House response a great success story," dismissed the eternal lockdown crowd and also said: I think youll see by June a lot of the country should be back to normal and the hope is that by July the countrys really rocking again." The signing of Kushner comes during an ongoing debate within the book industry over which Trump officials, notably Trump himself, can be taken on without starting a revolt at the publishing house. Hundreds of Simon & Schuster employees and thousands from outside the company signed a petition this spring condemning the publishers decision to sign up former Vice President Mike Pence. At a Simon & Schuster town hall in May, employees confronted CEO Jonathan Karp, who responded that he felt the company had a mission to hear opposing sides of political debates. He also said that he did not want to publish Trump, who issued his 2015 book Crippled America through the Simon & Schuster imprint Threshold Editions, because he didn't think the former president would provide an honest account of his time in office. Trump issued a statement last week that he was writing like crazy and had turned down two offers from the most unlikely of publishers, a claim widely disputed within the industry. ___ This story was first published on June 15, 2021. It was updated on June 16, 2021 to correct that a petition protesting a book deal for former Vice President Mike Pence was signed by hundreds of Simon & Schuster employees, not thousands. CONCORD, N.H. (AP) A judge has ruled in favor of a group of hotels whose owners sued their insurance carriers over lost business during the coronavirus pandemic. Businessman Mark Stebbins of Schleicher & Stebbins Hotels, LLC, one of the plaintiffs, said the pandemic caused tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue for about two dozen hotels in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New Jersey. The group had paid for $600 million in insurance. In April 2020, it filed an insurance claim to cover COVID-19-related losses. The insurance companies questioned direct physical loss of or damage" to property and said the hotels did not provide enough details. The hotel owners said they hosted infected guests and staff. They sued the insurance companies; both sides asked for a court ruling. The court is satisfied that any requirement under the policies of loss or damage' or direct physical loss of or damage to property' is met where property is contaminated" by the COVID-19 virus, Merrimack County Superior Court Judge John Kissinger ruled Tuesday. In other coronavirus-related news: EMERGENCY ORDERS Lawmakers adopted language during budget negotiations Wednesday that would allow the Legislature to end a state of emergency or any emergency order issued by the governor by a majority vote. The governors power to renew a state of emergency shall terminate upon a majority vote of both chambers, according to the amendment agreed to by a committee of conference. The full Legislature will vote on the change next week. The amendment also requires the governor to tell legislative leaders as soon as practicable" about pending emergency orders. The changes were discussed after legislators were not able to come to an agreement on a separate bill aimed at curtailing the governors authority during future pandemics or other emergencies. Under current law, the governor can declare a state of emergency and renew it every 21 days as long as he or she finds it necessary to protect public safety and welfare, though the Legislature can vote to terminate it by adopting a concurrent resolution. The amendment would change the renewal date to 30 days. ___ DARTMOUTH-HOUSING CRUNCH Dartmouth College, which is expecting a housing crunch this fall, is prepared spend up to $1 million in a one-time lottery to encourage up to 200 returning students to live off campus. The Valley News reports if selected, students will receive a $5,000 payment in lieu of on-campus housing, Mike Wooten, associate dean of residential life, told students on the housing waitlist on Monday. As expected, demand has exceeded our capacity, Wooten wrote in an email. Although this has been the case in prior years, interest in living on campus has understandably surged following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. He said the school is shifting some of its larger doubles to triples and converting lounges to student rooms where possible. Students have until 5 p.m. Monday to decide whether to place their names in the lottery. Those who do will be notified June 23 about whether they have been selected for the payment and removed from the housing pool. ___ THE NUMBERS More than 99,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, including 25 cases announced Wednesday. No new deaths were announced, keeping the total at 1,364. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire decreased over the past two weeks, going from 48 new cases a day on May 31 to 33 new cases a day on Monday. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. NEW HAVEN - Reginald Mayo was superintendent of schools when the late Jeffie Frazier was principal of Helene W. Grant School, yet he always wore his best shirt and tie when he visited the school he didnt want to catch any flack for not looking good enough. She was a no-nonsense type of person, Mayo, now retired, said of the late Frazier. Jeffie didnt work for me - I worked for her. Working for Jeffie, I became a better person, superintendent. Mayo said Frazier took the school, and turned it around - students, parents and teachers alike. Mayo said Frazier never needed to be led herself, and so, he never did, as, She was way ahead of most of us in knowing what kids needed to succeed. Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media file Frazier was known throughout the state for her positive effect on education and recognized at the state level with a prestigious award, Mayo said. Shell be missed in this community - believe me, he said. Frazier, whose death was announced over the weekend, was remembered locally as being fierce in advocating for her students, tapping every resource possible for success, including parents, school officials, the Board of Education, social service agencies and community leaders. As fierce as she was, she also brought her maternal side to the job, quietly visiting the homes of students with suspected problems or who were missing school - knowing something might be amiss at home. Hearst Connecticut Media file She connected families with social service agencies before they became unraveled, intervening to keep mothers from losing their children, those who knew her said. Frazier washed school uniforms if thats what kids needed, she styled their hair in her office if needed and even kept a kid-friendly food stash ready for those who arrived late and hungry after school breakfast had been served. She was ahead of her time. She really ruled with love, but she had high expectations, said longtime friend Doris Dumas, who knew Frazier as an educator, sorority sister and friend. Some people take (the word) legendary lightly, but she really was. She wears that crown well as legend. Contributed / The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Community announced over the weekend that Frazier had died. They said she was a Louisiana native who came to New Haven and taught in the citys public schools beginning in 1966. She eventually became principal of Helene W. Grant School on Goffe Street, which later became the combined Wexler-Grant School. Former Mayor John DeStefano Jr. said principals are the most important people in running a school because theyre the on the ground leaders, and Frazier excelled at that, creating expectations and accountability. She was fierce, DeStefano said. She was fiercely passionate about giving kids in her school every opportunity to succeed, fiercely passionate about rallying the community for support, and fierce in the expectation of staff, as well as students - that students would work hard, treat each other with respect and treat themselves with respect, he said. Peter Casolino / Hearst Connecticut Media file City Librarian Diane X Brown, New Haven Free Public Library Stetson branch manager, said Frazier became a mentor and dear friend through the years and often worked quietly together for the benefit of kids in the community, Frazier recognizing the neighborhood library as a great resource. Were all serving the same Dixwell Village. She pushed everyone for the common cause of getting every child in the village educated, Brown said. She modeled the behavior that we as Black people should have in the community. She didnt talk about it - she did it. Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media file Frazier, who has a street named after her - Jeffie Frazier Way - did so much quietly, including visiting the homes of children, and in some of those cases, helping moms keep their children by finding interventions for problems, Brown said. Frazier did whatever was needed, Brown said, recalling once when Brown came in one day and Frazier was doing the hair of a little girl who was receiving services, with the mothers permission. She cared, she really, really cared, Brown said. A lot of it was behind the scenes. Dumas said people in the community always respected Frazier, once president of the sorority. Hearst Connecticut Media file photo She said Frazier visited childrens homes to knock down personal barriers to success. She knew a student wasnt acting out or missing school for no reason, Dumas said. She was ahead of her time. If a person was falling off, she made personal visits. Frazier instituted uniforms in her school before uniform policies were common, to make it more of a level playing field. She wanted them to have pride, dignity, Dumas said. She poured pride and love into the students. It made a difference and everyone in the community knew. Dumas, president of the Greater New Haven Branch of the NAACP, also praised Frazier for highlighting to students African Americans doing great things. In the sorority, as in the schools, Frazier would do anything and everything she could to uplift, Dumas said. She will be missed. Shes touched so many lives, Brown said. BRIDGEPORT A person suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being shot Tuesday night by a city police officer assigned to a federal task force, state police said Wednesday. Connecticut State Police Trooper First Class Josue Dorelus confirmed that detectives from the agencys Eastern District Major Crimes Squad were requested to investigate an officer-involved shooting in Bridgeport. State police have yet to identify the victim of the shooting, who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. A silver car remained behind police tape on Wednesday morning, with severe front-end damage and a fluid leak after apparently colliding with a utility pole. There were at least five other vehicles behind the police tape, one of which appeared to be an unmarked police vehicle. Its unclear if any other vehicle was damaged. Dennis Waiters, of Ludlow Street in Stamford, was identified as the driver of a vehicle that crashed, according to a police report obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media on Wednesday. Waiters is expected to be served with an arrest warrant in connection with the incident. LaMain Heard, identified in the report as a passenger in the vehicle, was released on a $500 bond on an interfering with police charge, the report indicated. The report identified the officer who fired his weapon as Carlos Vazquez. He has been with the department since July 2007. Police have not said whether Vazquez was hurt during the incident. Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia and Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim both briefly acknowledged the police shooting in a press conference Wednesday afternoon, addressing an increase in gun violence in the city. They said little about the shooting, referring inquiries to the state police. In a statement Wednesday morning, state police said the shooting happened shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday. Police were on scene overnight and into Wednesday morning. More News News Police in Connecticut have shot 5 people in 2021 Bridgeport police said the incident happened in the area of Main and Catherine streets. The intersection is located near a Route 8/Route 25 overpass. State police said the officer involved was a Bridgeport cop assigned to the federal FBI Safe Streets Task Force. State police offered no details on what led to the shooting. Scott Appleby, the citys director of emergency communications and emergency management, said the incident is being investigated by state police under Stamford States Attorney Paul J. Ferencek. Appleby said more details will be available as the investigation unfolds. Before Tuesday nights shooting, Vazquez previously captured attention when he and other officers were accused of excessive force in 2009, and again two years later when he was seriously hurt in a major crash. On Aug. 29, 2009, officers driving by Stratford Avenue and Hewitt Street saw two men leaving an abandoned house and approached them. One of them, later identified as Lorenzo Osborne, ran and was tackled by Vazquez, according to a police report. Osborne was accused of hitting Vazquez and resisting arrest, prompting another officer to use a Taser. At one point during the struggle, authorities said, Osborne allegedly reached into his pocked, cocked a loaded gun and tried to point it at officers. The weapon eventually fell to the ground and fired. No one was hit. Osborne later filed a federal lawsuit, accusing Vazquez and the other officers involved in his arrest of excessive force. In September 2015, a federal court jury cleared the men in the case. A few weeks before they were cleared, Vazquez was named Police Officer of the Year by the Bridgeport Elks Lodge No. 36, which described him as an active, self-motivated and conscientious police officer. The lodge said Vazquez was involved in an accident on Dec. 26, 2011, after another driver ran a stop sign. He suffered serious injuries and had to learn how to walk again. Seven months after the accident, he was back to work on light duty status. He returned to full duty in December 2012. Staff writer Daniel Tepfer contributed reporting to this story. GENEVA (AP) President Joe Biden marked his first presidential summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin with a gift, presenting his counterpart with a pair of custom aviator sunglasses. Biden is so known for wearing aviator shades that he's sometimes parodied over them. He notably kept wearing his aviators while meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on Sunday. The custom aviators are a brand manufactured in Massachusetts and designed for fighter pilots, the White House said, announcing the gifts after Biden and Putin concluded their summit in Geneva on Wednesday. The U.S. leader also gave Putin a crystal sculpture of an American bison made by a New York-based glass company. The Kremlin has not said whether and how Putin may have reciprocated. ___ What does it mean when Biden nods his head? Apparently not much, according to the White House. Biden's silent nod during a photo op Wednesday at his summit with Putin appeared to suggest that he can take Putin at his word. A reporter had shouted over colleagues to ask Biden whether Putin could be trusted. That nod set off a flurry of media speculation had Biden just indicated a new level of trust about the man he referred to days ago as a worthy adversary"? Not so fast, the White House said. Communications director Kate Bedingfield and press secretary Jen Psaki both said Biden wasn't responding to a particular question during the chaotic moments when U.S. and Russian reporters shouted over one another and struggled to get into the small room for a glimpse of the leaders. Biden was just acknowledging the media generally, they said. Bedingfield added that Biden had earlier said his approach to Putin would be to verify, then trust. ___ Some pushing and shoving between journalists and security officials is practically routine at high-level news events, but unusually fierce shoving and shouting broke out at the Biden-Putin photo op. Russian and U.S. security officials initially blocked journalists as they tried to enter the small, library-like room where the leaders sat. U.S. journalists described Russian security and news media grabbing them by the arms and clothes to try to hold them back. U.S. journalists tried to shoulder their way in, and one was knocked to the ground. Some reporters were heard screaming, Stop pushing! and Don't touch me! Others described being crushed in the melee. Biden and Putin watched awkwardly at first, then laughed at the tumult. ___ The Swiss government will reimburse scores of businesses in Geneva that were forced to close because of security measures surrounding the U.S.-Russia summit. Geneva officials adopted a decree to compensate the owners of shops that ended up inside the security perimeter set up for the meeting between Biden and Putin. Laurent Paoliello, a spokesperson for the regional security department, says the federal government will provide the funding but cautioned that it wouldnt be a blank check. The spokesperson says the payments will be distributed after an analysis of revenue shortfalls by up to 100 businesses. ___ Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report. STAMFORD A city man admitted to trafficking counterfeit oxycodone pills that mimicked the effects of fentanyl during a court appearance on Tuesday, federal prosecutors said. Vincent Decaro, 31, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogues. An analogue is a drug that can mimic the effects of another, so a fentanyl analogue would give a person effects similar to ingesting fentanyl. Decaro was released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for Sept. 10. Decaro and an associate bought fentanyl analogues from suppliers in China and pressed it into counterfeit oxycodone pills in Decaros West Hill Circle home in Stamford, prosecutors said. The individuals then sold the drug on the dark web, prosecutors said. David Reichard, who briefly lived at Decaros Stamford home, is accused of helping to press pills and mail them to customers, prosecutors said. During a court-authorized search of Decaros home on April 3, 2018, law enforcement officers found numerous pills with about 330 grams of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, 40 grams of fentanyl analogues in powder form, three pill presses, instructions on how to prepare the fentanyl analogue carfentanil, a hazardous material suit, a gas/respirator-type mask and several U.S. Postal Service envelopes, according to prosecutors. When investigators searched Decaros home, he was in Europe. On Sept. 21, 2018, Decaro and one of his associates were arrested by Albanian State Police while trying to cross the border from Albania to Kosovo. When police searched the apartment in Tirana where they had been staying, prosecutors said they found alprazolam, fentanyl and other controlled substances, tools and dyes for pressing pills and instructions on synthesizing fentanyl. Reichard, whose attorney said he was arrested in Stamford, pleaded guilty to a related charge in September 2019 and awaits sentencing. Correction: This story has been updated to reflect David Reichard was arrested in Stamford. Milton, PA (17847) Today Showers this morning then scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 76F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low 57F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Ogden jazz icon Joe McQueen may be gone, but his memory and legacy live on. One physical reminder of his life, McQueen's lifelong home at 3158 Grant Ave., has now become available for sale. The house received extensive remodeling, but as investor Richard Casperson has said, "Joe's energy is Ashtabula, OH (44004) Today A few showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 68F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 61F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Leader of Social Democrat Deputies Alfred Simonis on Wednesday said there is nothing that would justify the removal of the Ombudswoman from office adding that Social Democrats are going to attack the Parliament's decision on Renate Weber with the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR). "There is nothing that could possibly justify the removal of the Ombudswoman, if you looked at procedures. Therefore, we are going to attack this vote given by the joint chamber today with the Constitutional Court. The only reason for which the majority coalition wants and is in a hurry to remove the Onbudswoman is a single one: since this current government took charge you messed with everyone - the pensioners, the doctors, the teachers, the farmers, and lately the children, and these days you are going to issue an emergency ordinance to cancel the increase in the child allowance. Basically, you messed with the entire Romanian people and now you want to leave it without anyone to defend it," Simions told the plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate. The Deputies and Senators on Wednesday voted the bill on the removal of Renate Weber from the office of Ombudswoman. There were 247 votes cats "in favour" of the removal, 32 "against" and one MP abstained. The Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) reported 5,000 new investors in the last quarter of this year alone, an increase by 8%, BVB CEO Adrian Tanase said on Wednesday at an online debate, noting that there is currently a positive context "on all fronts" on the stock market. "There is a context on the stock market, and the context is a positive one on all fronts, we have a very good performance registered in the last year and year to date: almost 20% of the BET index and 40% year on year. We have witnessed an increase in the number of investors with direct investments on the stock exchange, we have witnessed five consecutive quarters of growth. In the last quarter, there was at least an 8% increase in the number of investors, so we have 5,000 new investors in the last quarter alone. We have exceeded 70,000 investors, and last year the increase in the number of investors was almost 30%. Given the context, we are interested in seeing if these developments also reflect on the asset management industry," Tanase told a debate with investment fund managers. Chairman of the Association of Romanian Fund Managers (AAF) Horia Gusta pointed out that the returns made by investment funds in Romanian shares are about 37% in the last 12 months, an excellent figure that was obtained in a favorable context. "I want to congratulate you especially on the performance you generate for investors, and thanks to you the industry is growing. Today, we are talking with figures on the table that show returns on investment of approximately 37% reported by Romanian equity investment funds in the last 12 months, which is excellent. We are certainly in a favorable context (...) That counts, but also do the efforts that the association has been making lately under its 'Save smart!' project in an attempt to develop, to explain in detail what makes a fund, what strategy an educational project has, and the results are noticeable," said Gusta. In his opinion, the results are quantified in an increase in the number of investors but also in almost all types of funds. "We are approaching 400,000 investors in open-end investment funds in industry, a record figure. We see increases on almost all levels by types of funds, but even more gratifying, we see an increase in the number of investors in equity funds, which is very well in this favourable context," he added. According to the latest report published by the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA), among the European countries with the largest investments in the asset management industry are France, Germany and the United Kingdom, with values between 1.8 and 2.5 trillion euro, with Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and Bulgaria lagging behind. In Romania, at the end of 2020, the level of assets in the asset management industry stood at 9.1 billion euros, including foreign funds sold locally. By AAF reckoning, the average investment in Romania is 450 euros per person (relative to the country's population), lower than in other countries such as Greece, where the average holding is 896 euros/person, the Czech Republic with 1,403 euros average investment/person, and Poland with 1,660 euros average investment person. Romania - Turkey parliamentary and economic cooperation can be intensified and the direct bilateral dialogue needs to be stepped up, chairperson of the Chamber of Deputies' Foreign Affairs Committee, deputy of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania Rozalia-Ibolya Biro declared after a meeting with Turkey's ambassador in Bucharest, Fusun Aramaz. "Turkey is a key partner for Romania, both at bilateral and regional level. Turkey is an important NATO ally on Black Sea issues; together we can contribute to the efficient management of regional challenges," Biro said during the meeting that took place on June 8 at the Palace of Parliament. Citing the good relations between Romania and Turkey, Rozalia Biro expressed her intention to see dialogue and bilateral and regional cooperation expanded, given the strategic partnership signed in 2011 "which ensures a solid relationship of bilateral cooperation in a wide range of sectors." Turkey's ambassador Fusun Aramaz welcomed the good state of bilateral relations and expressed the desire for intensified contacts in the most important areas, especially in economy, as there is still a huge growth potential despite the already very good relations. Also, the diplomat reminded that her country has received positive signals in the EU-Turkey relationship, stating that Romania's support is also expected in this regard. In this context, Rozalia Biro pointed out that the European Council's statement in March this year paves the way for the development of dialogue and cooperation with Turkey "based on a gradual, proportionate and reversible approach", as well as for a positive dynamic, with "a sustainable constructive behavior in Turkey." During the meeting, the two officials also discussed the unprecedented health situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic and at the same time highlighted the need for continued dialogue and the importance of finding the best ways for the two countries' cooperation on the parliamentary dimension. In this context, they agreed to organize an online meeting between the foreign affairs committees of the two states' Chambers of Deputies. Deputy Prime Minister Kelemen Hunor declared on Tuesday evening, for private broadcaster B1TV, that in his opinion, pensions should be maximum 75% of net salary, and current pensions that surpass the salary are not correct. Kelemen Hunor specified that if Romania has some categories which throughout the career had restrictions, such as magistrates, mayors, MPs, police officers, military, then their pensions can be compensated with additional points, beyond the principle of contribution, but the Romanian state needs to make a decision in this sense. "There are pensions that are larger than the gross salary, that is why we are reaching 30-40-50,000 RON per month and this is not right. (...) From the net salary, the pension should be 75% maximum. (...) The Germans do it, the French do it. From 70%, 75%, some go to 76-77%. They do this reward for these professional categories in many countries. We are avoiding to discuss this," the deputy PM said. He reminded that within the coalition a work group was founded to analyze the matter of these pension categories. Two thirds of foreign investors plan to establish or extend their operations in Romania this year, compared to only 27 pct in 2020, according to the EY Romania Attractiveness Survey, sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday. "Romania recorded the highest increase in GDP in the European Union in the first quarter of 2021, yet the challenge is not yet overcome. The pandemic had a powerful impact on global economic trends, provoking modifications of investment plans and changing the factors that the business leaders take into account when evaluating investment destinations. In order to generate durable and healthy economic growth, Romania must be perceived as a stable and attractive destination for investments," said Bogdan Ion, Country Managing Partner, EY Romania and Moldova and Chief Operating Officer for EY Central and Southeastern Europe and the Central Asian region. For 2021, most investors polled (75 pct) stated that their investment plans are no longer influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, and five large cities (Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Brasov, Iasi) represent the destination for nearly 70 pct of all FDI projects this year. In the coming 12 months, 66 pct of investors interviewed plan to establish or expand operations in Romania (over the European average of 41 pct), compared to only 27 pct in 2020. In the long term, 41 pct of investors believe that Romania's attractiveness will increase after the pandemic, and the main priorities should be: supporting SMEs (36 pct), encouraging environmental protection policies and attitudes (33 pct) and increasing the quality of products and the added value of services (31 pct). In Romania, the FDI drop was significant, but the country' capacities in the IT sector, the logistics projects and the development projects in retail have attracted investors, 57 projects being recorded in 2020, which have generated nearly 2000 new jobs, according to the EY Romania Attractiveness Survey. In 2020, in keeping with the European market in general, the software and IT services sector in Romania drew the largest number of FDI projects, with a market share of 32 pct. The sector of wholesale, retail and distribution came in second, with a market share of 18 pct. The sector that generated the largest number of jobs (1000), occupying third place, is the electronics industry. In what regards the types of investment projects, logistics dominate the FDI arena, totaling nearly a third of projects announced for 2021. The sales and marketing projects come in second, and in third, surprisingly, are research-development projects. This final type of activity demonstrates a new interest on the part of foreign investors towards this domain, given that Romania did not attract many research-development projects in the previous years. As part of the EY's attractiveness survey for Romania, the research in the field was done by Euromoney between March 2 and 31 through online interviews with 101 leaders of relevant international companies, of which 50 pct are already established in Romania, while 50 pct are established outside Romania. President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday that Estonia is well ahead of Romania in terms of digitalisation and e-government, a context in which he said he would encourage Romanian leaders in the field to contact Estonian counterparts for a collaboration. "It is well known that Estonia is a champion of digitalisation and e-government. It is equally clear that our very good relations are a solid basis for collaboration in this field. I will encourage all those in the field in our country to contact their Estonian counterparts and let us try to work together on a successful concept. Estonia is well ahead of us in terms of e-government systems, digital services for all citizens, network security and so on. We have a lot to learn and I am optimistic about a very healthy collaboration in this area," Iohannis said in a joint conference with his Estonian counterpart Kersti Kaljulaid, noting that he will visit the e-Estonia Center on Thursday. The head of state also stressed in discussions with his Estonian counterpart the special interest in intensifying trade and sectoral exchanges."We also noticed that after the problems caused by the pandemic, our economic relations have been experiencing a good recovery since the beginning of this year," he said.The Estonian President said that her country is open to cooperating with Romania in the digital field."I am happy that you have decided to visit the e-Estonia Center tomorrow, because this pandemic period has shown us that we cannot live without secure digital tools. (...) We are very open to cooperate in this regard as well," added Kersti Kaljulaid.President Klaus Iohannis pays a state visit to Estonia on Wednesday and Thursday. President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday that NATO is the strongest military alliance and reiterated that Romania's security is better guaranteed by the decisions taken at the recent Alliance Summit. "Through the decisions taken at the NATO Summit on June 14, Romania and Romanians are better protected, Romania's security is better guaranteed. For our states, for both our nations, a strong transatlantic relationship is vital. The transatlantic relationship is not a diplomatic one. The transatlantic relationship is the very basis of our values-based democracies, and I would like to mention in this context something that President Biden said in his speech at NATO: unfortunately, nowadays, there are fewer democracies and more autocracies in the world. It is worrying and it is our task, it is our goal, to keep our democratic approach. This means for us to be strong. NATO is the strongest military alliance ever but this does not allow us to let our guard down," Iohannis told a joint news conference with Estonian counterpart Kersti Kaljulaid. He stressed that the allies must be stronger, more resilient, faster, better prepared."We must ensure that NATO remains, together with the United States, together with the European Union, where the state of the art is. We must be the guarantors of an economic, democratic, technological development that is extremely efficient, but also open to all our citizens," Iohannis said.In this context, the President pointed out that the allies must work on a new strategic concept."The old one dates back to 2010, since then the world has changed and we must change, we must adapt our strategic concept. The permanent adaptation to a rapidly changing world is vital. Without it we will not be able to perform as we all want. The fact that this summit took place and proved that we are united, that we are in solidarity is probably the best news that our nations could receive and that is why I said: in this context, Romania, but also Estonia and all allies are better positioned and better protected," Iohannis said.The Estonian president also spoke about NATO's new strategic concept."In terms of security, NATO's level of deterrence has been increased when needed, and sometimes moderated to create a stronger Europe. Now we are at a growth point and I think we will be in a position to a growth point for another period, because behind NATO's eastern border there is an unpredictable neighbour. NATO is 100% successful in protecting the territorial integrity of its members, but this does not happen by itself, it comes after a hard work on the part of all members, "he said.President Klaus Iohannis pays a state visit to Estonia on Wednesday and Thursday. On Thursday, he will meet with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Estonian Parliament Speaker Juri Ratas. He will also lay a wreath at the War of Independence Monument and will visit Tallinn City Hall, the e-Estonia Center and the start-up Unicorn Squad, a professional robotics school. Labour Minister Raluca Turcan in Brussels on Tuesday discussed with European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira the issue of vulnerable people and the improvement of social services in Romania. "I know that the dialogues of the Romanian authorities with the European institutions often seem bureaucratic exercises, of little immediate interest in 'real life', but the discussion we had today (Tuesday) with Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, addressed not only the objectives, stages and planning of the ministry's processes from the perspective of accessing European funding programmes, but also the difficulties encountered in the process of reforming public systems and the immediate impact of these reforms on people. We have also addressed the issue of vulnerable people and the improvement of social services in Romania, but also the challenges that the post-pandemic transition raises in the field of occupation," Raluca Turcan wrote on Facebook. The minister mentioned that, for Romania, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) is an opportunity to re-establish on a fair basis both the pension system and public sector pay, the budget allocated to these two major projects being EUR 102 million. "We have also presented at length the investment plans for social infrastructure for children and people with disabilities undertaken by the PNRR, with a financing of EUR 100 million. An important part of our discussion has also been about how we will use European funds to support social assistance reform, i.e. the development of integrated services to actually support vulnerable groups. An example of this is the commitment that Romania has made to implement the guarantee for children, as recommended by the Commission, which will ensure access to healthcare, education, care, decent housing or adequate nutrition," Turcan said. According to the Labour minister, in the coming period, our country will have close cooperation with the European Commission to finalise these two operational programmes which together mean around EUR 7 billion for the benefit of the most vulnerable categories. "Another important topic that we addressed at the meeting was the opportunities created by the Fund for a Fair Transition, aimed at economic diversification of the areas affected by the climate transition and on the requalification and reintegration into the labour market of workers and jobseekers in these regions. Our concern, as the Ministry of Labour, is to support employees in these areas to remain active, and the Fund for a Fair Transition can fund specific projects for these regions. We set out to get involved, along with the Ministry of Investments and European Projects (MIPE), which manages the plans for a fair transition, in the elaboration of measures and calls for projects aimed at these areas," the official said. "I have concluded the meeting with European Commissioner Elisa Ferreira with the confidence that Romania has not only the opportunity to make major changes in the social field thanks to the funds available, but also support from the European Commission to carry out these steps," Raluca Turcan wrote. The reform of the social security system, increasing employment, training skilled employees, and also the digitization of services provided by institutions belonging to the Ministry of Labour were the main topics addressed by the Minister of Labour, Raluca Turca, at the meeting she had on Wednesday with Nicolas Schimt, the European Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, according to a post on Raluca Turcan's Facebook page. According to the same source, the European Commission has provided us with important support in defining our reform objectives and investments included in the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan). The Minister spoke with the European official about increasing employment, an important objective of the Ministry of Labour. ANOFM, the institution with key attributions both in the field of training and in the field of employment, needs to be streamlined and modernized. The guarantee for children is a priority for both the Commission and Romania, she added. "We will receive the necessary support from the Commission to be able to implement the children's guarantee at national level and we intend to establish, in this respect, a collaboration with the relevant ministries. We intend to use European funds for investments in the social economy, an insufficiently used tool. "The Education and Employment Operational Programme may include an intervention axis dedicated to the social economy area, especially in disadvantaged rural areas where such enterprises can differentiate for vulnerable groups," added the Minister of Labour. The Commission will provide us with assistance for the development of the social economy in Romania. Authorities at the western Nadlac II Border Crossing Point denied entry to Romania of more than 17 tons of aluminum waste discovered in a road train, because the cargo did not meet the legal conditions. The road train was driven by a 37-year-old Romanian man, who was transporting, according to the documents accompanying the freight, aluminum waste from a Dutch company for a Romanian company. "With suspicions regarding the legality of the transports, the border police officers requested authorized support from the representatives of the Bucharest General Commissariat within the National Environmental Guard. Following the analysis of the documents presented at the border control, it was found that the cargo under investigation does not meet the legal conditions for entering the country, and the driver does not have the necessary documentation provided by law for the transfer of waste. Overall, the vehicle was transporting 17,194 kilograms of waste," informed, on Wednesday, the Arad Border Police. Authorities denied the tractor-trailer entry to the country and investigations are underway. The Iasi National Opera House organised lately several staffing contests, and the Ballet Department has drawn the toughest competition as over 240 dancers from 20 countries applied to join. "The toughest competition is at the Ballet Department that will hold an assessment and selection audition for in-house collaborating dancers for the 2021-2022 season. No less than 243 artists from 20 countries - Romania, Russia, the US, Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Bulgaria, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Belarus and Georgia - have expressed their intention to be part of the team of the Iasi Opera House. 87 of them were selected for the audition that will take place on Sunday at 9:00 at the headquarters of the Iasi cultural institution,'' the company informs in a release. The commission that will supervise the competition, made up of famous specialists such as Cristina Nicoleta Demian ("Gheorghe Dima" National Academy of Music), master of art Eugen Girnet (Chisinau) and choreographer Rosemarie Stocec Bot, will select the 15 dancers who will be working next season at the Iasi Opera House. "I am convinced that following the June 20 audition we will complete our valuable team with names that will generate new special artistic energies, to the joy of our beloved audience," said Daniel Sandru, interim manager of the Iasi National Opera House. The legal committees of the Senate and Deputies' Chamber on Wednesday issued a positive report, with a majority of votes, on the request made by PNL (National Liberal Party), USR PLUS (Save Romania Union, Freedom, Liberty, Solidarity Party) and the UDMR (Democratic Union of Hungarians of Romania) regarding the removal from office of the Ombudswoman, Renate Weber. The Ombudswoman, Renate Weber, failed to meet her legal obligations and violated the law on the organisation and functioning of this institution, and the Constitution, shows the request for her removal, submitted by PNL, USR and UDMR. The three parties in the governing coalition claim that Renate Weber failed to send to Parliament and the Government the special report and the recommendations on the problems existing in the system, as discovered during the investigation into the Caracal murders, violating thus article 5 of the law on the organisation and functioning of the Ombudsman institution, and failed to meet her legal obligations and duty in the defence, protection, and promotion of child rights fields. The Ombudswoman, Renate Weber, rejected the accusations and said that, had she been invited earlier than one hour before the start of the meeting, she would have brought the documents in support of the activity of this institution. The Senators and Deputies on Tuesday rejected at their joint meeting the activity reports of the Ombudswoman for the past three years. The plenary sitting of Parliament is going to meet on Wednesday to debate on the request to remove the Ombudswoman, Renate Weber, according to a decision of the joint permanent bureaus. President Klaus Iohannis was received on Wednesday at the Kadriorg Palace by his Estonian counterpart, Kersti Kaljulaid, during his state visit to Estonia. The two heads of state will have one-on-one talks, and at the end they will make a joint press statement. President Klaus Iohannis pays a state visit to Estonia on Wednesday and Thursday. The visit takes place in the context of the centennial of the Romanian-Estonian diplomatic relations and the 30th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations, as well as as a result of the constant Romanian-Estonian dialogue at a high level in recent years.On Thursday, the head of state will meet with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Estonian Parliament Speaker Juri Ratas. President Iohannis will also lay a wreath at the War of Independence Monument and visit Tallinn City Hall, the e-Estonia Center and the start-up Unicorn Squad, a professional robotics school. The chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Marcel Ciolacu, reiterated, on Tuesday evening, at private broadcaster Romania TV, that the Social-Democrats will submit a censure motion against the Citu Government, which they announced and they will do all in their power for it to pass, maintaining that the party he leads is at this time ready to take over governing. "Categorically we will submit a censure motion. We are getting used to this Bolshevik system, as Ms. Clotilde [e.n. - Armand] said, in which it doesn't matter what Romanians or politicians vote, it's starting to seem that it matters who's counting. We will submit the censure motion, we will do all in our power for the motion to pass. We will use this new approach in which we don't address only politicians, but also social partners, so people know what led to the submitting of such a motion. And I believe that the responsible persons sent by Romanians to Parliament will vote this censure motion. There's also the minorities' group... they're very serious people, like all groups," said Ciolacu. Ciolacu also said that the Social-Democrats will submit a criminal complaint against the session chair in the Chamber of Deputies which presided over the forum at the simple motion against Minister Ghinea, Save Romania Union (USR PLUS) deputy Cristina Pruna. "And in what regards illegalities, categorically we will submit a criminal complaint against the session chair today. It's inadmissible, I believe that a first week student knows this, a simple motion or a motion of censure is not a normative act, it's not a law, you don't do online voting. You can't come to add [e.n. - the votes in plenum and votes on tablet] because the party chairs requested it," said the leader of the Social Democrats. When told that President Klaus Iohannis will be the "key" to a new government in the scenario in which the censure motion of the PSD will pass, Ciolacu replied: "According to the Constitution, the President has the attribution of designating the future Prime Minister, PSD is ready at this time to take over governing." "We wait, next week we will do all in our power for this motion to pass," he emphasized. Not least, on the same subject, Ciolacu rejected the formation of a government together with the National Liberal Party (PNL) and USR PLUS, invoking as possibilities "a PSD minority government" or "early elections." Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu told Tuesday evening private broadcaster Romania TV, that he will address the European Commission regarding "a frontal assault on the rule of law" in case the governing coalition will "force" in Parliament the replacement of the Ombudsman from office, specifying, at the same time, that the Social Democrats will notify the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) regarding this situation. "When the PSD was at its most blamed moment ... they are trying to overtake us 100 times. I don't think anything like that ever happened. They made the appointments at TVR [Romanian National Television Broadcasting Corporation], at the Radio [Romanian National Radio Broadcasting Corporation], now they want the Ombudsman position. They should not think that tomorrow, after they force the replacement of the Ombudsman, apart from the fact that we will contest at CCR, as I did with the appointments at the Radio, at TVR 1 I will not talk to the European Commissioners and I will not address the European Commission that they are conducting a frontal assault on the rule of law. PSD has regained its credibility in front of the European Commission and we will continue these steps. They also changed the CNA [the National Audiovisual Council] today [ed.n. - June 15]," said Marcel Ciolacu. Senators and deputies rejected, on Tuesday, in a joint session, the Ombudsman's activity reports for the last three years. Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Ludovic Orban also declared on Tuesday that, following the rejection of Ombudsman, Ms. Renate Weber's activity reports for the last three years, her revocation from the leadership of this institution will also be requested. Romania will donate 100,800 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Ukraine and 50,400 doses to Serbia, senior official with the Romanian Health Ministry Monica Althamer announced on Wednesday at the end of a government meeting. "A government decision on humanitarian aid, COVID-19 vaccine doses, to Ukraine and Serbia has been approved today. We are talking about 100,800 doses to Ukraine and 50,400 doses to Serbia," she told a news briefing at the Government House. The remains of a Romanian hero of World War 2, fallen in the battles of August 1944 in Iasi County, were re-interred in his home village in Alba, 77 years since his death. On June 14, a delegate of the Military Prosecutors' Office attached to the Iasi Military Tribunal turned over to relatives the earthly remains of a Romanian soldier fallen in combat in World War 2, the remains of which were discovered in 2016 by civilians, together with munitions and military effects on the territory of Ciurea commune in Iasi County. Following the discovery, policemen in the commune notified the Military Prosecutors' Office attached to the Iasi Military Tribunal. An operative team, made up of military criminologist prosecutors, policemen and medical examiners, conducted investigations at the scene, identifying objects of military use and human remains at depths of nearly 0.05 m - 0.20 m. Furthermore, persons from Ciurea commune were heard in the case, archival documents were obtained which proved that military operations took place in spring-summer 1944, on the territory of Ciurea commune, and several expert reports were drawn up (criminology, ballistics, and anthropological forensic). According to a release of the Military Prosecutors' Office, the criminology report established that a metal object taken from the scene is a military identification plate of German fabrication with the inscription: "MATR 129 CTG 1944" and "REG 10 YM", the investigations showing that the plate was in the use of the Romanian Army, and its owner was soldier Botezan Panfilie, born on February 1, 1922 in the Sanbenedic commune of Alba County, taken into service by the Alba County Military Center on April 2, 1943 and reported missing in 1944 during the fighting in Iasi County. Soldier Botezan Panfilie was mobilized on September 20, 1943 in the 8th Mountain Huntsmen Battalion of the 108th Regiment. He went on mission in the area of operations of the battalion on April 24, 1944, and on August 27, 1944 was presumed dead in the fighting in Iasi on August 23, 1944. At the end of the investigations, the case was closed, being established that death was a result of military operations in which artillery was used. After the finalization of investigations in the case recorded in 2016, the Military Prosecutors' Office attached to the Iasi Military Tribunal conducted all necessary demarches to re-inter the fallen soldier with the ceremonial provided for by art. 81-86 of the Regulations regarding military honors and ceremonies of June 10, 2013, approved through Order no. M 63/2013 of the National Defence Minister. The turnover of the remains was carried out in the cemetery of Farau commune, Alba County, in the presence of local and county, military and civilian, authorities and the people of the commune. A patient with burns on roughly 60 percent of the body will be flown today to the Queen Astrid Military Hospital in Brussels with the Cessna Citation V plane of the Mobile Emergency Resuscitation and Extrication Service (SMURD) which is especially equipped for medevac missions. The patient will be closely monitored and assisted throughout the flight by a team of doctors from the SMURD Bucharest Emergency Department until he is safely handed over to the doctors in Belgium, the General Aviation Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said. A Oh, yeah. It was for my grandpa in Puerto Rico to a rhumba record. Shaking my little booty. And he loved it. He was clapping in time to the music. And I was thinking: Wow, this is fun. And hes loving this. I like this a lot. I mean, I was born to be a performer. I think some people are just wired that way. I was just born to perform and please people and that got out of hand, too. A Oh, yeah. That was difficult. And talking about my husband (cardiologist Lenny Gordon, who died in 2010) was difficult in a different way. In so many ways he was a remarkable man. He was loving. Ive never seen a more devoted grandfather and father and husband. But what happened with us is that he was a controlling person. I have a theory that when some people have relationships, they make a contract with each other that is never spoken or verbalized. In our case, it was Ill be the little girl and Ill be charming and I will please you. But you have to be my daddy and take care of me and protect me. That was our agreement. It was never spoken. But thats what it was. I didnt realize it until one day I wanted to start growing up, and the marriage was not working. Its so much not a part of who I am. Plus, I was brought up that way. You have to please the man. But I suffered a lot. I remember times when Id say I was going to go to the grocery store, and Id go somewhere to park the car and cry. Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson again play frenemies, and their exchanges still crackle with electricity (and lots of potty language). Reynolds is bodyguard Michael Bryce, a careful, safe professional (Boring is always best, is his motto) who has found himself on hard times. Jackson is Darius Kincaid, a shoot-first, reckless hitman. If The Hitmans Bodyguard was a bromance between these two, The Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard is a threesome, thanks to the scene-stealing role of Kincaids wife, played with insane energy by Hayek. Shes as lethal and profane and impulsive as her husband. (Your mouth needs an exorcism, a shocked Bryce tells her). But the effect is that this talented trio are unbalanced and awkward; three is definitely a crowd. If there was a stylish chic in the first film, its gone in the second, which sometimes seems cloying in its attempt to re-create the first. In addition to Ace of Base, returning this time are repeat references to: Hello by Lionel Richie, a gaggle of nuns, the deadly use of a penknife, a Richard E. Grant cameo, someone ejected from a car for not wearing a seatbelt and the leads getting kidnapped by having their heads put in a bag. This feels familiar, cracks Bryce. We know the feeling. June is Pride Month, a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and a remembrance of the fight for civil rights that started in June 1969 at the Stonewall Inn and continues to this day. While Pride is often about celebrating with community, theres no reason why it cant reflect in your streaming movie and TV choices as well. Here are a few suggestions for streaming options timed to Pride. I cant recommend enough one of my favorite streaming services, WOW Presents Plus. World of Wonder is the production company behind the RuPauls Drag Race juggernaut, and WOW Presents Plus is the destination for all of the WOW content that isnt available on VH1, Logo or Paramount+. That includes all of the international seasons of Drag Race, which are a dream and a delight. UK (two seasons), Canada, Holland, Thailand (two seasons), Espana, Down Under and Chile (called The Switch) offers more Drag Race, but also a cultural immersion in each country via its queer life. Season 1 of Drag Race Down Under and Drag Race Espana are currently airing, so now is the perfect time to celebrate Pride with as much Drag Race as you can handle. California lifted most of its Covid-19 restrictions Tuesday as part of a grand reopening in which the state will end capacity limits, physical distancing and -- at least for those vaccinated -- mask requirements. CNN's Dan Simon reports. As US states lift more coronavirus restrictions, experts are worried people who aren't fully vaccinated could contribute to further spread of the virus. The Delta variant, first reported in India, currently accounts for nearly 10% of coronavirus cases in the US, according to the CDC. With concerns it could become the dominant strain soon, medical experts are underscoring the importance of full vaccination. "I'm worried about those who are unvaccinated," US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CNN Tuesday, noting the Delta variant "is rapidly increasing here in the United States." The CDC has determined the Delta variant is a "variant of concern," a designation given to strains of the virus that scientists believe are more transmissible or can cause more severe disease. The Delta variant "appears to be significantly more transmissible than even the Alpha variant or the UK variant, which is now dominant in the United States," Murthy told CNN. (The lawsuit) kind of had me second-guessing, Did I make the right choice? Did I do the right thing? Because as community leaders we want to help people. We want to see people not struggle, be happy, know that it is a village behind them, Poole-Jones said. Im relieved I can breathe. Theres something in black and white that says I didnt do anything wrong. Poole-Jones passed out flyers in April after she was asked by Yusef Scroggins, county director of family and community services and co-chairman of the regional commission on homelessness, to help identify those at the highest risk of eviction and inform them that millions of dollars are still available in rental assistance. She knocked on doors of addresses Scroggins said had pending eviction cases, and she handed out flyers with phone numbers and emails to agencies that could help. Poole-Jones nonprofit, founded in 2019, connects homeless people with resources. Attorneys for the nonprofit and Poole-Jones previously called the suit egregious but were not immediately available for comment Tuesday. The apartment complexs attorney, Randall Reinker, did not immediately return a request for comment. Highway Patrol did not have 2020 data immediately available, but in June 2018, there was one fatal boating crash and nine drownings. In June 2017, there were three fatal boating crashes and nine drownings. And in June 2016, there were two fatal boating crashes and nine drownings. Search and rescue crews converged on Sherman Beach Park on Tuesday night in an effort to find Johnsons body. The Highway Patrol closed the entrances to the park and the parks public trails when the search began. Early Wednesday, Highway Patrol announced it believed a search team had found Johnson, using sonar. Highway Patrol and West Metro Fire Protection District search crews were both at the scene. Johnsons family, which declined comment, waited outside the police line all day Wednesday for news. About 3:30 p.m., Highway Patrol officers led the family down to the riverside. Locals say that jumping off the railroad bridge is recreation for daring teens, sometimes emboldened by alcohol. The bridge is actively used by the Missouri Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads, adding to the danger. Water depths vary throughout the river and depending on the weather, meaning landing in the wrong part of the river, or at the wrong time, may mean a broken arm, or worse. Granda did not have a timeline for when the policy review will be complete, but told commissioners that he hoped the process will conclude by the end of the year. Granda added that the department on Tuesday would conduct a training where officers would simulate a fatal police shooting caught on body camera to help them create the protocol. The commissioners will eventually vote whether to approve the new policy, and several members of the board pushed for urgency. Commissioner Michelle Schwerin said a detailed policy will be vital for critical incidents, which can include police shootings or other high-profile events. I want to make sure we do this right, Schwerin said. The department launched its body camera program in 2019 with 700 cameras. Today, every patrol, special response unit and tactical officer with the department is outfitted with body cameras. City policy vague, too In St. Louis city, the policy for release of body camera footage remains vague and similar to the countys current policy, stating that footage will be released in accordance with the Missouri Sunshine Law, the statute that governs access to public records in the state. Robinson has not been enrolled at Columbia since May 2018, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. He entered a four- to seven-year doctoral program at New York Universitys Teachers College in 2011, then attended full or part time through the spring semester of 2018. Doctoral candidates must be continuously enrolled until they complete their degrees, according to the universitys policies. Robinsons lack of credentials and connections to a charter school that is trying to open in Normandy led to community outcry and calls for his ouster. In April, state education leaders added two new members to the Normandy board, William Humphrey and Michael Jones. Jones said Tuesday that the status of Robinsons path to the superintendent credential is still rather nebulous and not very concrete and specific. ST. LOUIS Mayor Tishaura O. Jones is challenging aldermen to approve by July 1 an $80 million federal aid plan she submitted Tuesday to help city residents cope with the continuing effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Jones said because some money from an earlier federal outlay must be spent by the end of this month, delays in approving the new aid could temporarily halt some services such as paying rent for people facing possible eviction. People will fall through the holes in our social safety net for absolutely no reason beyond a desire to score political points if the July 1 date isnt met, Jones said at a news conference in the City Hall rotunda. Lets work together. Mary Goodman, a spokeswoman for Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, said the mayors timetable is unrealistic and that committee hearings and aldermanic consideration couldnt take place that quickly. However, Goodman said passing a plan by July 16, when the board begins a two-month midsummer break, is doable. Goodman disputed Jones contention that critical COVID-19 services are just going to abruptly end if the July 1 date isnt met. It does feel kind of like someone dropped a bomb in some areas (of Portland), but I think theyre very contained areas, said Ocean Howell, a professor at the University of Oregon who teaches urban history and planning. I think theres likely some businesses that are gone and arent coming back. And there are just some people, generally, who are kind of spooked from everything. City officials insist Portland is resilient as they launch a revitalization plan in the form of citywide cleanups of protest damage, aggressive encampment removals, increased homeless services and police reform to repair its reputation. But even the city's famously liberal locals grew weary of months of racial justice protests, increased shootings, a more noticeable homeless population and strict COVID-19 restrictions. When the pandemic reached Portland in March 2020, businesses boarded up, turned off neon open signs and sent employees home. A year ago, when we were at the end of the longest economic expansion in post World War history in this country. We had 100,000-plus individuals coming in and out of downtown daily, said Andrew Hoan, president and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance. And then, overnight, they disappeared. Video posted by the Ukrainian police showed Korean police taking part in this week's raids, where cash, cell phones and cars were also seized. The police statement said four Korean companies hit by the gang with the ransomware which scrambles data that can only be unlocked with a software key obtained by paying the criminals had paid ransoms. It said the gang targeted U.S. universities, including Stanford Medical School and the University of Maryland. Wednesdays raid is a continuation of the much more aggressive posture that law enforcement has taken against ransomware gangs this year, said analyst Allan Liska of the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. It really does feel like law enforcement has figured out how to attack the ransomware scourge, and hopefully, will slow down the attacks. As soon as President Donald Trump was inaugurated (after an election in which almost 3 million fewer of the people voted for him than his opponent), McConnell immediately killed the filibuster for Supreme Court appointees so he could approve Trumps first nominee, Neil Gorsuch, to fill the seat. Trump was able to fill two more vacancies during his term including the seat opened by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg less than two months before the November 2020 election. So much for letting the people decide. Since McConnell applies different rules to court vacancies depending upon partisan circumstances, it was important that he be asked the hypothetical: What if Republicans retake the Senate next year, and then a court seat opens in 2024 as the election is approaching? McConnell, asked that question by an interviewer Monday, called it highly unlikely hed allow Biden to fill it. And if the vacancy came in 2023, with two years left in Bidens term? Well, wed have to wait and see what happens. Sen. Manchin isnt naive and Justice Breyer isnt immortal. Both of them are endangering the very principles they claim to cherish by providing openings for this deeply Machiavellian senator to continue empowering his party at the expense of democracy. Manchin could lead other moderate Democrats to finally kill the filibuster in its entirety so America can move on from McConnells obstructionism. And Breyer should heed the advice that Ginsburg ignored, and step down before its too late. A lawsuit over the Legislatures refusal to expand Medicaid opens in Cole County circuit court on Friday. Whatever its fate, Missourians should be aware of what their lawmakers have done: They made it more expensive to do business in our state. By refusing to expand Medicaid as voters directed, the Legislature shifted close to $1 billion in annual medical expenses onto private businesses and their workers. And its not the first time this has happened. The Republican-controlled Legislature has actively shifted those costs onto businesses for the past decade. Lawmakers turned down federal help when, for the first five years of the Affordable Care Act, it would have paid for 100% of the expansion of Medicaid, the joint federal-state health care program for the poor. This year, the Legislature turned down federal help that would have paid for 90% of the cost of expansion. Where could they have found the money to pay for it? From the provider taxes that pay for the rest of Medicaid. In 2016, researchers Eitan Hersh and Yair Ghitza counted married couples among registered voters. They focused on registered voters in the 30 states that track voters party affiliation. They found that 30% of couples were politically mixed, meaning they did not share a party identification. Most of the marriages were between fellow partisans or independents, and 9% of marriages were between Democrats and Republicans. In 2020, four years after that survey, only 21% of marriages were found to be politically mixed. That meager 9% of marriages between Democrats and Republicans dropped to 4%. Partisanship seems to be invading even the nonpolitical areas of our lives. In the 2019 book, I Love You, but I Hate Your Politics: How to Protect Your Intimate Relationships in a Poisonous Partisan World, author Jeanne Safer recommends couples focus on what they have in common. Safer, a self-described liberal Democrat is married to Richard Brookhiser, a conservative senior fellow and senior editor at National Review. Safer not only relied on experiences in her own marital relationship, she also interviewed more than 50 inter-political pairings for her book. Not all of the interviewees were married couples living under the same roof. Some were siblings or friends, and some were parent-child relationships. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. In April China celebrated the 72nd Anniversary of Communist Chinas Navy and in doing so revealed details of some recent accomplishments. This included details of improved Chinese SSBNs (ballistic missile carrying nuclear subs) and the two types of SLBMs (sub launched ballistic missiles) available for their SSBNs. The older SLBM is the 42-ton JL(Julang)-2, which is 13 meters (43 feet) long and two meters (6.5 feet) in diameter with a range of 7,200 kilometers. The warhead can carry one large (megaton yield) nuclear weapon or three to eight smaller warheads each programmed to hit a different target. The more recent JL-3 has a longer range (about 10,000 kilometers) and was not much larger or heavier than the JL-2. This was accomplished by using a lighter version of the JL-2 warhead (carrying up to three warheads) with redesigned rocket motors and missile casing to achieve longer range without a significantly larger or heavier missile. China also revealed that all six of its Type 94 SSBNs were built as, or upgraded to, the latest Type 94A standard and the last of these was put into service just before the navy anniversary celebration. Most of the 94A improvements were known but now China revealed that one of those upgrades involved modifying the sixteen 94A missile silos so they could handle either the JL-2 or JL-3. It was also disclosed that this feature was developed in part so the new Type 96 SSBNs under construction could carry 24 JL-2s or JL-3s. That was necessary because China has had a lot of problems developing reliable and longer range SLBMs. Most of these reliability problems were solved about five years ago, enabling work on the JL-3 to proceed. The Type 96 SSBNs were always meant to carry the longer range JL-3 but it wasnt until some fundamental Chinese SLBM reliability problems were solved that the Type 96 was certain of having the JL-3. The first Type 96 is nearly completed and should be entering sea trails in the next year or so. The Type 96 will have all the improvements developed for the 94A plus some new ones. The 94A SSBNs differ from the first two Type 094s to include a different shaped sail containing improved equipment. The aft (rear) ends of the 94As now have storage space for a towed sonar array. This type of passive (listen-only) sonar can be deployed behind the sub via a cable that supplies power and links the sonar with the onboard computers and digital libraries of known underwater sounds. The towed sonar operates in an environment where there are no noises from the sub to muddle the sounds detected and improve the SSBNs ability to detect other subs, particularly American Virginia class SSNs that might be tracking them or trying to. Another potential threat is quieter diesel-electric Japanese or South Koreans subs that can stay underwater for weeks at a time searching for Chinese surface ships and subs. The Type 94A upgrades included more powerful computers and additional data storage. There were also upgrades to the torpedo tubes and torpedo control systems as well as a long list of minor mechanical and electronic upgrades throughout the sub. Two 094s under construction were completed in 2019 as Type 94A while the last two (of six) Type 94a were built as 94As to see if the upgrades worked. For years it was known that some of the earlier four Type 94s were being upgraded and now it has been confirmed that all of them were. The Type 94 is an 8,000-ton (on the surface) sub that is 138 meters long. Construction on one of the new Type 96 SSBNs was confirmed as under construction and nearly completed. A year ago, it was unclear if the first Type 96 was being built. This is because Chinese nuclear subs are built in sheds making satellite photos impossible. Even so, by 2020 it was believed that the first Type 96 would be in service by the end of the decade. The Type 94A is comparable to American Franklin class SSBNs that entered service in the late 1960s. These served into the 1990s when they were replaced by the much-improved Ohio class. China seems to be seeking to make a similar leap with the Type 96 SSBN, which will build on all China has learned about SSBNs in the last few decades. The second generation Chinese SSBN, the Type 94, entered service in 2007 but was limited by its poor performance and the persistent problems with the JL-2 SLBM it was designed to carry. China apparently hopes to avoid all this partial success with the Type 96 SSBN and Jl-3 SLBM. That approach often works for the Chinese, who are persistent in these matters and are willing to keep at it even after decades of partial successes. The Type 94 SSBNs carry twelve JL- 2 SLBMs. The missile has had a lot of problems as have the SSBNs that carry them. The JL-2 enabled China to aim missiles at any target in the United States from a 094 class SSBN cruising off Hawaii or Alaska. China concluded that putting their SSBNs that far out into the Pacific was impractical as the United States and its Pacific allies had submarine detection aircraft and other submarine detection systems on surface ships or submarines that could detect SSBNs seeking to get close to North America with shorter range JL-2 SLBMs. The JL-3 enables Chinese SSBNs to operate more safely in the Western Pacific. One reason for Chinese efforts to take control of the South China Sea and other waters off the coasts of Japan is to make it safer for their SSBNs to operate undetected. During the Cold War Russia established a similar protected Bastion off its arctic north coast. American SSNs were able to penetrate the Bastion but with difficulty and these penetration operations were not frequent. JL-2s are naval versions of the existing land-based 42-ton DF-31 ICBM. The JL-2 was supposed to have entered service by 2015 but kept failing test launches. China decided that JL-2 was reliable enough and ordered it installed in all six of the Type 94 SLBMs. Now there is also an improved SLBM, the JL-3, which is more reliable because of recent reliability improvements developed for the JL-2. No Chinese SSBN has ever gone on a long-range combat cruise to the East Pacific because these boats, as well as the SLBMs, have been very unreliable. Initially the JL-3 was called the JL-2A and was supposed to be a more reliable JL-2. It turned out that the JL-2A was the JL-3, a different design but similar in size to the JL-2 for the reasons recently revealed. China is also sending some SSBNs on long range combat patrols towards Hawaii just to test the effectiveness of the American SSBN detection and tracking capabilities. The current American Ohio class SSBNs are 171 meters long and displace 15,600 (on the surface) tons. They are being replaced with the new Columbia class SSBNs, which will be about the same length as the Ohios but about 5 percent larger in diameter and displace 18,500 tons. The Ohios were based on 1980s technology and, although upgraded over the years, are showing their age. The Ohios entered service between 1981 and 1997. Originally there were to be 24 Ohios but only 18 were built. With the end of the Cold War in 1991 even fewer were needed and four were converted to SSGNs (carrying cruise missiles instead of SLBMs), a process that was completed in 2008. Originally built to last 30 years, it was later realized that this service life could be extended to at least 42 years. That means the Ohios will begin reaching retirement age in 2023 and the entire class will be gone by the late 2030s. If no replacement class of SSBNs is built the SSBNs will be gone. The first American SSBNs were the five 6,000-ton boats of the George Washington class. These were basically an SSN design that was enlarged to add a missile compartment for 16 Polaris missiles. The first of these boats entered service in 1960 and was soon joined by five of the 6,900-ton Ethan Allen class, which was designed from the start as an SSBN. These entered service in the early 1960s. Basically, this was an improved George Washington class. Next came nine 7,200-ton Lafayette class boats, with the first entering service in 1963, and the last one decommissioned in 1994. The next two classes (James Madison and Benjamin Franklin) were similar, with incremental improvements. The incremental improvements were not trivial. The Benjamin Franklins had much quieter machinery, better electronics and enough room to handle the Trident 1 missile. The last of the Franklins was decommissioned in 2002, after over 30 years of service, leaving just the Ohios. In their first fifty years, U.S. SSBNs have made nearly 4,000 deployments (gone to sea for 11-12 weeks at a time). By 2009 the Ohios completed their 1,000th deployment. After the late 1990s, the number of deployments each year declined by about half in large part because the need (potential for nuclear war) greatly decreased. One area where China was way behind was the design and construction of SLBMs but they have worked hard to close the gap with American SLBMs. Chinese media announced successful tests of JL-3 SLBM in late 2020. What was still unknown until recently was if the JL-3 was larger than the JL-2 to the point where it would not fit in the Type 94A SSBNs. The JL-3 may be the first Chinese SLBM reliable enough to use regularly in Chinese SSBNs and allow them to operate at sea frequently and reliably. Development problems also delayed the first Chinese SLBM, the JL-1, from entering regular service. Work on the JL-1 began in the late 1960s and it was designed as a 14.5-ton solid fuel ballistic missile with a range of 1,700 (later 2,500) kilometers. It carried one nuclear warhead. Its first test launch at sea occurred in 1982. Meanwhile, work was underway on the first Chinese SSBN, the Type 92, which was not a success. The single Type 92 was built in 1981 and entered service with JL-1 SLBMs in 1987. Neither the Type 92 nor its JL-1 SLBM ever performed well and the Type 92 only made one voyage beyond Chinese coastal waters. The Type 92 is technically still in service but has spent most of its time tied up at a pier and reportedly serving as a testbed for new submarine technologies. The JL-1 also served on Chinese Type 31 diesel-electric SSBs but never went far from Chinese coastal waters. The JL-1 was also modified to operate as the land-based DF-21 and that was a much more successful missile. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy is upgrading and refurbishing its current Trident II SLBMs so that these weapons will still be effective until 2040. There have already been upgrades to the electronics and mechanical components in the guidance system. Upgrades are underway to the reentry body (heat shield and such that gets individual warheads to the ground intact). Some of the upgrades are classified and details on all of them are kept secret for obvious reasons. The Trident II is one of those rare complex systems that consistently perform flawlessly. They do exist. For example, test firings of production models of the Trident II have never failed. There have been 150 of these missiles launched each involving an SSBN firing one of their Trident IIs, with the nuclear warhead replaced by one of similar weight but containing sensors and communications equipment. The test results for the Trident while in development were equally impressive, with 87 percent successful (in 23 development tests) for the Trident I and 98 percent (49 tests) of the Trident II. The Trident I served from 1979-2005, while the Trident II entered service in 1990 and may end up serving for half a century. Trident II is a 59-ton missile with a max range of 7,200-11,000 kilometers (depending on the number of warheads carried). Up to eight W76 nuclear warheads can be carried, each with the explosive power equal to 100,000 tons of high explosives. Trident IIs cost about $31 million each. The success of the Trident is in sharp contrast to the problems Russia and China have had developing SLBMs. The latest Russian SLBM, the Bulava (also known as R-30 3M30 and SS-NX-30), was almost canceled because test flights kept failing. The Bulava finally completed its test program and entered service in 2013. But since then, there have been failures during test launches. The Russians have no choice but to accept the less reliable Bulavas for their new class of SSBNs. China has tried to avoid the mistakes the Russians made and adopt the methods employed by the Americans. The Chinese are often successful at this but it is not an instant process. China often has to develop (or steal) new technologies and learn how to manufacture new components reliably. This takes time, but the Chinese are willing to be patient. by Austin Bay June 16, 2021 In response to China's increasingly powerful blue-water navy and deployment of long-range "carrier killer" anti-ship ballistic missiles, the U.S. Army has developed a suite of weapons designed to destroy or suppress Chinese targets from very long ranges, and do so quickly and precisely while reducing the threat these Chinese weapons pose to vital Navy and Air Force offensive weaponry. The commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Navy Admiral Philip Davidson, recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee he likes the Army's idea. When Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., posed a question about China's disruptive military power in the western Pacific, Davidson replied, "A wider base of long-range precision fires ... enabled by all our terrestrial forces -- not just sea and air, but by land forces as well -- is critically important to stabilizing what is becoming a more unstable environment in the western Pacific ... Long-range precision fires delivered by the ground force, I think, are critically important." Chinese weapons now put precious Navy and Air Force offensive systems, such as aircraft carriers and strategic bombers, at risk. Adm. Davidson understands that a "wider base of fires" means more American firepower coming from more and different places -- "dispersed and distributed positions" is the jargon. The Army programs complicate warfighting for Chinese targeteers while simultaneously threatening China's long-range weapons systems. In April 2020, Army Chief of Staff James McConville said the Army's ground-based weapons give commanders multiple options and "present multiple dilemmas to someone that we are trying to compete against so they can't focus on just one option that we have." Davidson and McConville are attempting to defeat China's anti-access/area denial strategy in the Pacific. English translation: If the Navy thinks it might lose a super carrier to a long-range Chinese weapon, it will keep its key offensive task forces, the carrier battle groups, away from the western Pacific and out of range. Keeping the carrier battlegroups in the central or eastern Pacific has military and diplomatic costs. It could give Chinese forces time to gain regional military superiority and seize Taiwan. A key weapon in China's anti-access/area denial strategy is the Dong Feng 21D anti-ship ballistic missile, which the Pentagon believes has achieved "initial operational capability," which means it's already a threat to the carriers. In a nutshell, the Army wants to place mobile, long-range missile and extended-range artillery batteries on Pacific islands and perhaps in Japan and South Korea. The missiles and artillery rounds are "smart" -- meaning precise. Should China attack, the Army's missile fire would complement other long-range attacks to destroy Chinese ballistic missiles, air bases, coastal defenses and even warships. With China's long-range fires "softened up," Navy carrier battle groups head west and, along with Air Force airstrikes, deliver the counterattack: perhaps the coup de grace to China's communist dictatorship. Chinese belligerence might give other Asian mainland nations good reason to occasionally let the U.S. position Army weapons on their territory. Two possibilities: Vietnam and India both know communist China is their worst enemy. The Army's weapons suite includes the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, which should be available in 2023. Its range is over 1,700 miles, meaning missiles on Guam can strike Chinese forces attacking Taiwan. The Precision Strike Missile has a 300-mile range. Extended-range tube artillery is also in the mix. These weapons can be air-delivered, by C-17s or, conceivably, a C-130 seaplane that is under consideration. Some Air Force officers find the Army programs problematic -- they infringe on Air Force long-range strike prerogatives and thus violate the 1948 Key West Agreement that defined service roles and missions. Putting long-range Chinese weapons at risk would flip the script and directly challenge Chinese military and diplomatic strategy in the western and central Pacific. That type of antiquated interservice rivalry leads to self-defeat. This is a fact: As 2021 began, the Air Force only had 158 B-1, B-2 and B-52 strategic bombers. Its jet fighters are dependent on airbases that Chinese missiles and aircraft threaten -- at least until distributed long range U.S. firepower eliminates the threat. VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Brains Bioceutical Corp. (Brains or the Company) is pleased to announce the completion of a USD $31.9 million capital raise with DSM Venturing and existing Brains shareholders. DSM Venturing, who acted as lead investor in this round, is the corporate venture arm of Royal DSM (DSM), a global, purpose led science-based company active in health, nutrition and sustainable living. This landmark investment and strategic transaction solidifies Brains position as one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the cannabinoid (CBD) sector. Del Morgan & Co. acted as Brains financial agent in respect to the capital raise. The completion of the capital raise marks an exciting milestone for the Brains team. To have the confidence of DSM in this next round solidifies Brains strategic position within the pharmaceutical industry, said Brains' CEO & Chairman Rick Brar. The growing demand for isolated CBD Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) within the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry continues to expand. Our team has worked tirelessly to position Brains as the market leader within the CBD industry. Our suite of licences has allowed Brains to scale rapidly within the industry, Brar continued. Pieter Wolters, Managing Director DSM Venturing, commented: The CBD market is fast-growing, powered by increasingly strong scientific evidence that demonstrate the potential of CBD APIs in a number of therapeutic areas. Also, consumers increasingly turn to CBDs to address health issues. Brains unparalleled expertise and manufacturing capabilities in the CBD space combined with DSMs unique scientific and marketing capabilities in the pharmaceutical sector make this the ideal partnership to help pharmaceutical players realizing the potential of CBDs for early stage drug development. Brains is one of a few companies in the world producing CBD as an API for pharmaceutical applications, research, development, and clinical trials. It is also one of the rare few manufacturers in commercial production in Europe with EU-GMDP certification, producing CBD API for both human and veterinary use within a MHRA licensed facility. Brains CBD APIits primary offering to the marketcontains 99.7% CBD and zero Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Advancements made by Brains in the development of pure, natural CBD benefit the scientific and health care community on a global level. Brains phyto-cannabinoid pure CBD API has successfully been tested by the INRS Laboratory, a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) facility. These screening reports have confirmed that Brains CBD API is free of THC, pesticides and other banned substances listed by WADA. Brains is first of its kind in the industry to get such a confirmation from a WADA-accredited laboratory for the purity of its CBD and the absence of prohibitory substances. WADA has removed CBD from its banned substance list. All activities undertaken in the UK are in accordance with UK law and subject to routine, periodic inspection by UK authorities. Brains has also launched its branded nutraceutical CBD Brains Pure products in top tier health and wellness retail and pharmacy chains in the UK. All Brains productswhether Brains-branded or white-labeledincluding a partnership with a leading UK vitamin company, will bear the Brains Inside trademark, providing a stamp of quality assurance. Brains is also well positioned to navigate the strict Novel Foods requirements in the UK from the Food Standards Association (FSA) and in Europe by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for CBD products. The Brains partnership with DSM Venturing will allow the company to take advantage of strategic partnerships that DSM has developed since their initial inception in 1902. ABOUT BRAINS BIOCEUTICAL CORP. Brains Bioceutical Corp. is a leader in EU-GMP-certified production of naturally sourced active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Brains Bioceutical is one of the only natural plant-based cannabinoid active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers in commercial production today and is involved in academic and clinical trials across the globe. Brains Senior Management Team is comprised of a rare hybrid of pharmaceutical and consumer goods executives-having held C-suite and other senior positions with companies such as GW Pharma, Merck, Danone, Earthbound Farms, International Herbs, Cascadia Specialties and The Royal Navy. Brains' wholly owned subsidiary in the UK, BSPG Laboratories, is one of only a few companies that has the commercial capability and EU-GMDP certification to produce CBD API. About DSM Venturing DSM Venturing is the corporate venture arm of Royal DSM a global, purpose-led, science-based company active in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living. DSMs purpose is to create brighter lives for all. DSM addresses with its products and solutions some of the worlds biggest challenges while simultaneously creating economic, environmental and societal value for all its stakeholders customers, employees, shareholders, and society at large. DSM delivers innovative solutions for human nutrition, animal nutrition, personal care and aroma, medical devices, green products and applications, and new mobility and connectivity. DSM and its associated companies deliver annual net sales of about 10 billion with approximately 23,000 employees. The company was founded in 1902 and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information can be found at www.dsm.com/venturing. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: This news release contains forward looking statements or forward-looking information ("forward-looking statements") within the meaning of securities laws. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, in this news release are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking statements could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210615006207/en/ Ricky Brar Brains Bioceutical Corp. Vancouver, BC, Canada 1-855-927-2476 BrainsBio.com info@brainsbio.com Source: Brains Bioceutical Corp. Partnership Enhances Advisor Access to Griffin Capitals Alternative Investment Solutions EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Griffin Capital Company, LLC (Griffin Capital), a leading alternative investment asset manager, today announced a partnership with iCapital Network1, the leading global financial technology platform driving access and efficiency in alternative investing for the asset and wealth management industries. The partnership provides financial advisors and wealth management intermediaries, most significantly Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), more seamless access to Griffin Capitals alternative strategies. iCapitals end-to-end technology solution automates the alternative investing subscription process and provides transparency into each step of the investing process for advisors and their high-net-worth clients. We are excited to partner with iCapital and to integrate their industry-leading technology. This investment in our platform is a continuation of our commitment to making it easier and more efficient for advisors to provide their clients with access to institutional-quality investment strategies, said Kevin Shields, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Griffin Capital. The iCapital team strives to make the alternative investing process as simple for advisors as other investment transactions, and this relationship with Griffin Capital exemplifies that goal, said Lawrence Calcano, Chairman and CEO of iCapital Network. Alternative investments have historically been difficult to implement for the wealth management community, leaving advisors and investors without access to the benefits they can provide. We are thrilled to partner with Griffin Capital to support our shared ambition to make access to alternatives a reality for advisors. _______________________________ 1 Institutional Capital Network, Inc., and its affiliates (together, iCapital Network or iCapital) About Griffin Capital Company, LLC* Griffin Capital is a leading alternative investment asset manager headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1995, Griffin Capital has owned, managed, sponsored or co-sponsored investment programs encompassing over $20 billion in assets. Griffin Capital is an investor first, and fund manager second. The companys senior executives and employees have co-invested over $300 million in its various sponsored investment verticals aligning its interest with its investors. Griffin Capitals alternative investment solutions include actively managed interval funds in the companys Institutional Access fund family, and tax-advantaged private real estate strategies that include qualified opportunity zone funds and 1031 DST solutions. The firms investment team, individually or through its strategic relationships and subadvisors, have managed and/or developed multiple asset classes including: core public and private real estate securities; multifamily, industrial, office and clinical healthcare, real estate; and global corporate credit securities. Griffin Capital Securities, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, is the wholesale marketing agent for interval funds and the master placement agent for private offerings sponsored and/or co-sponsored by Griffin Capital Company, LLC. These offerings are distributed to investors exclusively through independent and insurance broker-dealers, national wirehouses and registered investment advisors. * As of March 31, 2021. Additional information is available at www.griffincapital.com, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/griffin-capital/ About iCapital Network Founded in 2013 in NYC, iCapital Network is the leading global financial technology company powering the worlds alternative investment marketplace. It has transformed the way the wealth management, banking, and asset management industries facilitate access to private markets investments for their high-net-worth clients by providing intuitive, end-to-end technology and service solutions. Wealth management firms use iCapitals solutions to provide clients with quality funds at lower minimums and simplified digital workflows. Asset managers and banks leverage iCapitals technology to streamline and scale their private investments operational infrastructure. Additionally, the iCapital flagship platform offers financial advisors and their high-net-worth clients access to a curated menu of private equity, private credit, hedge funds, and other alternative investments to help meet their investing needs for return and diversification. iCapitals research and diligence team offers robust analysis alongside the firms extensive suite of advisor education, compliance, portfolio management, and portfolio analytics tools and services. iCapital was recognized on the Forbes FinTech 50 list in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, the Forbes Americas Best Startup Employers in 2021, and MMI/Barrons Industry Awards as Solutions Provider of the Year in 2020. As of April 30, 2021, iCapital Network has more than 400 employees and services $75 billion in global client assets across more than 750 funds. Headquartered in New York, it also has offices in Zurich, London, Lisbon and Hong Kong. For additional information, please visit iCapitals website at www.icapitalnetwork.com | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icapital-network-inc | Twitter: @icapitalnetwork View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005576/en/ Diana Keary Senior Vice President Griffin Capital Company Dkeary@griffincapital.com 949-270-9303 Source: Griffin Capital Company, LLC TORONTO, June 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CF Energy Corp. (TSX-V: CFY) (CF Energy or the Company, together with its subsidiaries, the Group), a leading new energy service provider in the Peoples Republic of China (the PRC or China), is pleased to announce that one of the wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company has received the approval for a credit facility of RMB50 million (approx. CAD$9.5 million) (the Credit Facility) from China Everbright Bank, Sanya Branch, Hainan province, the PRC (CEB) for a period of one year, renewable at the request of the Borrower, subject to credit reassessment and approval by CEB. The Credit Facility, which is guaranteed by another wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, is for working capital purposes and charges and fees are be determined and agreed upon each drawdown up to the overall limit of facility. About CF Energy Corp. (Previously known as: Changfeng Energy Inc.) CF Energy Corp. is a Canadian public company currently traded on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the stock symbol CFY. It is an integrated energy provider and natural gas distribution company (or natural gas utility) in the PRC. CF Energy strives to combine leading clean energy technology with natural gas usage to provide sustainable energy to its customer base in the PRC. In 2009, CF Energy was recognized as being one of Chinas the Top Ten Most Influential Brands in the Natural Gas Industry and in 2019, ranked amongst the 2019 TSX Venture 50 top performers on the TSXV for the 2018 year. CONTACT INFORMATION Corporate Investment RelationsInvestor.relations@changfengenergy.cn Charles WangExecutive Assistant to CEO & Chair of the Boardzhaoyu.wang@changfengenergy.cn Frederick WongDirector of the Boardfred.wong@changfengenergy.cn Mike LiuVP Capital Marketmike.liu@changfengenergy.cn Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, Forward-Looking Statements). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included or incorporated by reference in this document are forward-looking statements including statements regarding activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as will, expect, intend, plan, estimate, anticipate, believe, continue, other similar words and/or the negatives thereof. No assurance is given that the plans, intentions or expectations or assumptions upon which these forward-looking statements are based will prove to be correct and the forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. Though management believes that the expectations outlined in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will materialize. Such-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to deviate materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, without limitation, significant and continuing adverse changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those risks and uncertainties detailed in the Corporations filings with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities, copies of which are available at www.sedar.com. The Company urges readers to carefully consider these factors. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this document and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. This news release neither constitutes an offer to sell nor a solicitation of offers to buy any of the securities described herein. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on its contents. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Source: CF Energy Corp. Edmonton, Alberta, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Flair Airlines, Canadas only independent ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC), continues its growth with the addition of service to Grande Prairie, Alberta. Flights will begin in August and for less than the cost of a meal for two people, customers can access non-stop service to Toronto and Vancouver. Canadians are tired of being gouged for air travel and Flair is excited to bring our low fares to a fourth Alberta market, says Garth Lund, Chief Commercial Officer. Flair continues to deliver tremendous value to underserved communities where restoring affordable regional travel will help reignite the Canadian economy. Service to Grande Prairie (IATA: YQU) will be twice a week for both non-stop routes. Vancouver flights will begin August 1 with evening flights on Wednesdays and Sundays. Toronto flights will begin August 4 with afternoon flights on Wednesday and Saturdays. Grande Prairie is the 20th destination served by Flair Airlines as it grows rapidly to meet the demand for low fare travel across Canada. Flairs fleet of aircraft is growing with the addition of 13 new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft joining its existing fleet of 737-800. Examples of one-way base fares currently available are listed below. All base fares include taxes and fees, and there are limited seats and limited availability. Grande Prairie (YQU) to Vancouver (YVR): $39 one way, inc. taxes and fees. Travel on August 4. Vancouver (YVR) to Grande Prairie (YQU): $39 one way, inc. taxes and fees. Travel on August 4. Grande Prairie (YQU) to Toronto (YYZ): $49 one way, inc. taxes and fees. Travel on August 7. Toronto (YYZ) to Grande Prairie (YQU): $49 one way, inc. taxes and fees. Travel on August 7. About Flair Airlines Flair Airlines is Canadas only independent Ultra Low-Cost Carrier (ULCC) and is on a mission to liberate the lives of Canadians by providing affordable air travel that connects them to the people and experiences they love. With an expanding fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, Flair is growing to serve 19 cities across Canada. For more information, please visit www.flyflair.com Jamina Kotak Flair Airlines 780.887.9209 media@flyflair.com Source: Flair Airlines New York, NY, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UNITED NATIONS, New York, 16 June 2021 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was joined by Heads of State and dozens of Chief Executive Officers and UN Chiefs at this years United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit to address the converging crises of climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, worsening social and economic inequality and unchecked corruption in order to offer a roadmap for a sustainable recovery. Opening the Summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Chair of the Board of the UN Global Compact remarked: Only through global cooperation at an unprecedented level can we build back from the pandemic, get on track to achieve the SDGs and avert the worst impacts of climate change. Business has a central role to play. Your efforts and leadership can lift the entire world. But you need to embrace transformational change. In every sector, a much deeper, faster and more ambitious response is needed to unleash the social and economic changes demanded by the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Sanda Ojiambo, CEO & Executive Director of the UN Global Compact noted that: Events in the extraordinary year since our last Leaders Summit have proven how fragile our systems and how unequal our societies really are. Amidst a pandemic, an economic crisis and a climate emergency, business as usual is no longer an option. Instead, this is a time for ambition. Sanda Ojiambo also announced that Expo 2020 Dubai and the United Nations Global Compact are joining forces to hold a Sustainable Development Goals Business Forum during Expos Global Goals Week (16-22 January 2022), to spur further action towards a sustainable and inclusive future. Marking the first anniversary of the Race to Zero campaign, Alok Sharma, President for COP 26, issued a strong call to action to business leaders to accelerate the transition to a net-zero world by 2050: Race to Zero is central to our COP26 Presidency. We are urging companies and investors, cities and regions, organisations of all kinds, to sign-up. To play their part in keeping 1.5 degrees within reach. And to make clear to governments that climate action will be welcomed and not resisted across the economy. Over 26 hours of continuous virtual programming -- including more than 100 global, regional and local sessions - leaders from business, civil society, governments and the UN reflected on the importance of collaboration and public-private partnerships and pledged to increase their ambition to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and accelerate climate action. In a series of sessions under the banner Elevating Ambition for Corporate Action the UN Global Compacts new strategic plan for the next three years was launched to galvanize bold, rapid progress on sustainability through business transformation. It calls for enhanced corporate accountability, including cutting carbon emissions in line with a pathway to net-zero by mid century and envisions regionally-balanced growth of the UN Global Compact network. It also enables greater flexibility for business action at the local level, with companies adapting to each countrys unique context as well as seeking to harness the energy of small and medium-sized enterprises as the foundation of national and local economies. And it promotes stronger business engagement with UN partners, including partnerships to finance the 2030 Agenda. It was also announced that the UN Global Compact SDG Ambition Accelerator programme will now be open to further participants to set and meet bold, tangible targets for sustainability. Paul Polman, Vice Chair of the UN Global Compact presented on the results of the UN Global Compact 2021 survey of companies and CEOs, in partnership with Accenture, which revealed 79 per cent of CEOs believe the pandemic has highlighted the need to transition to more sustainable business models. During the plenary session Financing the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement which explored how linking ESG to meaningful corporate sustainability action will benefit investors and companies, the UN Global Compact CFO Taskforce committed to key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure their progress towards the implementation of the CFO Principles on Integrated SDG Investment and Finance. Further corporate action was called for during the CEO panel discussion Accelerating Progress Towards Setting Science Based Targets which looked at the key role the private sector has to play in sending strong market signals and scaling innovative solutions to present concrete, realistic plans towards a zero-carbon economy while advocating for a green recovery. The session built on the findings of a recent report from the Science Based Targets initiative, the UN Global Compact and CDP which showed that none of the Group of Seven countries' main stock indexes are aligned with goals to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius. The session The Road to Transformational Governance: Launching the Business Framework for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions discussed how to accelerate action on the G in ESG to strengthen business culture, ethics and performance and support public institutions, laws and systems building on the recently released SDG 16 Business Framework: A Blueprint for Transformational Governance. The high-level session entitled Uniting Against Corruption: Launch of the UN Global Compact Anti-Corruption Collective Action Playbook looked at how companies and other stakeholders from civil society and the public sector can come together to tackle corruption through a six step approach drawn from the collective action methodology. The UN Global Compact Leaders Summit also recognised the work of ten 2021 SDG Pioneers who are doing an exceptional job to advance the Global Goals through the implementation of the UN Global Compact Ten Principles on human rights, environment, labor and anti-corruption. Government speakers who participated in this years event included President of the Republic of Singapore, Mdm Halimah Yacob; Prime Minister of Jamaica, H.E. Andrew Holness; Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Kim Boo-kyum; Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission; Mr. Erick Thohir, Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Indonesia; Ms. Marina Sereni, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy; Mr. Ville Skinnari, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Finland; Niels Annen, Minister of State, Federal Foreign Office, Germany; Ms. Birgitta Tazelaar, Vice Minister for International Cooperation, Netherlands; Ms. Jarosinska-Jedynak, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, Poland; Ms. Anna Karin Enestrom, Permanent Representative, Mission of Sweden to the UN; Dr. Wissanu Krea-Ngam, Deputy Prime Minister, Thailand; Mr. Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, State of Qatar; Howard Boyd, Chair, UK Environment Agency. Other speakers included UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed; Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP; Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Sharan Burrow, Secretary-General of the International Trade Union Confederation and Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation as well as more than two dozen leading CEOs including Julie Sweet, CEO, Accenture; Roberto Marques, CEO, Natura &Co; Jean-Pascal Tricoire, CEO, Schneider Electric; Francesco Starace, CEO, Enel; Paul Polman, Chair of Imagine and Vice Board Chair of the UN Global Compact; Jane Karuku, Managing Director and CEO, East African Breweries Ltd and Olukayode Pitan, CEO, Bank of Industry, Nigeria. Notes to Editors About the United Nations Global Compact As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 12,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the worlds largest corporate sustainability initiative one Global Compact uniting business for a better world. For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org For media inquiries and interview requests please contact: Alexandra Gee +447887 804594 alex@mackworthassociates.com Media Team United Nations Global Compact (212) 907-1301 media@unglobalcompact.org Source: United Nations Global Compact BOCA RATON, Fla., June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xeriant, Inc. (Xeriant or the Company)(OTC PINK: XERI), a new aerospace technology and advanced materials holding company, announces the Robb Report, the leading voice in the global luxury market covered Xeriants relationship with XTI Aircraft Company (XTI). The Robb Report article stated, With its two big ducted fans on the wings and a third on the tail, the TriFan 600 looks much different than other VTOLs on the market. Its numbers are impressive: It has a top speed of 345 mph and range of 1,380 miles, with a 29,000-foot cruise altitude. The entire article is available at the following link: https://robbreport.com/motors/aviation/xtis-trifan-600-1234619199/. Xeriant held a press conference Monday with XTI, at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, in Denver, CO, to detail the joint venture between the two companies. Shareholders, press and interested parties can replay the video at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0otR7U1ySw Additionally, Xeriant posted an informational video about XTIs TriFan 600: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_Ey6Zsl7fY. For company updates, be sure to sign up for our newsletter at https://www.xeriant.com/newsletter or follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/xeriant). About Robb Report Robb Report is the leading voice in the global luxury market. Its discerning audience around the world has a shared appreciation and desire for quality, exclusivity, heritage, taste, and fine design. It is the brand the most successful people rely on to discover the ideas, opinions, products, and experiences that will matter most to them. Robb Report is synonymous with affluence, luxury, and the best of the best. Robb Report: Luxury Without Compromise. About XTI Aircraft Company Based in Englewood, Colorado, XTI Aircraft Company is a privately owned OEM and developer of next-generation, cleantech VTOL aircraft, including the TriFan 600. XTI is guided by a leadership team with decades of experience, expertise, and success bringing new aircraft to market. XTI is founded on a culture of customer-focused problem solving to meet the evolving needs of modern travelers. For more information, please go to www.xtiaircraft.com. About Xeriant Xeriant, Inc. (d.b.a. Xeriant Aerospace) is a holding and operating company taking an active role in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), the technological revolution enabling the aerospace industrys transition to more efficient, sustainable, and autonomous flight operations. AAM promises to expand accessibility and applications for aerial services across the economy through the development and safe integration of new aircraft with vertical flight capability (VTOL), which facilitate the point-to-point transport of passengers and cargo. Xeriant is located at the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida adjacent to the Boca Raton Airport. The Company is an OTC Markets public company trading under the stock symbol, XERI. For more information, please go to www.xeriant.com. SAFE HARBOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS In connection with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Xeriant, Inc. is hereby providing cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements (as defined in such act). Any statements that are not historical facts and that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, indicated through the use of words or phrases such as will likely result, are expected to, will continue, is anticipated, estimated, intends, plans, believes and projects) may be forward-looking and may involve estimates and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, our expectations concerning our ability to attract investors. We caution that the factors described herein could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements we make and that investors should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all such factors. Further, we cannot assess the impact of each such factor on our results of operations or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. XERIANT, INC. Investor Relations Dept.:(818) 923-5302IR@xeriant.com www.xeriant.com Source: Xeriant, Inc. WILMINGTON, Del., and NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TransPerfect, the worlds largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business, today applauded the decision of the Delaware Supreme Court to create the Delaware Bench and Bar Diversity Project. This new initiative, announced by Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz, Jr. and Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves, has a stated goal of working to build and sustain a more diverse Delaware bench and bar. The higher up the judicial ladder you go, racial diversity drops, reported WHYY News, noting that the Delaware Justice of the Peace Court, which is responsible for bail decisions for most defendants, is 65% white, while the states top business panel, the Court of Chancery, is 100% white. The announcement of the new diversity project failed to credit the lobbying effort of TransPerfect employees as a motivating factor driving the Courts new initiative. However, observers of the Delaware courts recognize that the lack of judicial diversity in the Delaware court system had been a long-standing pattern that continued unchecked until the TransPerfect employee-led group called attention to the shocking racial imbalance. The call for diversity came amidst questionable decision-making by ex-Skadden Partner Bob Pincus while acting as Chancery Court appointed custodian. During the three-year period that TransPerfect was controlled by the Chancery Court Custodian, two minority C-level officers were targeted, had their compensation held, and were thus forced to sue the company. Mr. Pincus also cut employee benefits in a manner that disproportionately harmed minority workers. These acts drew widespread criticism and publicity, not only for the controversy they created, but also for their expenseas Mr. Pincus paid himself, his law firm, and his other agents more than $40 million. Roy Trujillo, Chief Operating Officer at TransPerfect, commented, We are far from the most affected victims of the lack of diversity in the Delaware court system, but I feel a personal duty to use my voice and energy to shine a light on a problem that has existed for far too long. We are pleased that the Delaware Supreme Court has finally heard the voices of TransPerfect employees, and taken these first steps toward progress. The fight for meaningful and systematic change in Delaware has only begun. About TransPerfectTransPerfect is the worlds largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business. From offices in over 100 cities on six continents, TransPerfect offers a full range of services in 170+ languages to clients worldwide. More than 5,000 global organizations employ TransPerfects GlobalLink technology to simplify management of multilingual content. With an unparalleled commitment to quality and client service, TransPerfect is fully ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certified. TransPerfect has global headquarters in New York, with regional headquarters in London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit our website at www.transperfect.com. Contact: Ryan Simper +1 212.689.5555mediainquiry@transperfect.com Source: TransPerfect Shares Outstanding: 277,483,967Trading Symbols: TSX: GGDOTCQX: GLGDF HALIFAX, NS, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - GoGold Resources Inc. (TSX: GGD) (OTCQX: GLGDF) ("GoGold", "the Company") is pleased to release the results of 8 new drill holes from the Casados deposit in the Los Ricos North project. Drill hole LRGCS-21-043 intersected 1,213 g/t silver equivalent ("AgEq") over 1.9m within 33.6m of 164 g/t AgEq. See Table 1 for breakdown of silver and gold values. The Company has commenced drilling on the El Nayar target with two drill rigs. The objective of the drill program over the coming months is to confirm the strong results of the mapping and sampling program and establish the geometry and widths of the mineralized zones. See Figure 6 for a location map showing El Nayar within Los Ricos North. "The zone at Casados continues to show some high grade intercepts included within wider zones of potentially bulk mineable grades," said Brad Langille, President and CEO. "We believe that our drilling in Los Ricos North not only will define a significant resource, but with exploration at Casados North and the initiation of the drilling program at El Nayar, we look forward to additional exciting discoveries." Table 1: Drill Hole Intersections Hole ID Area From To Length1 Au Ag AuEq2 AgEq2 (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) LRGCS-21-026 Casados Vein 1 22.3 39.0 16.7 0.32 125.0 1.99 149.0 including 24.6 33.7 9.1 0.53 211.2 3.35 251.2 including 30.3 32.9 2.6 1.55 610.8 9.70 727.3 Casados Vein 2 76.4 80.3 3.9 0.41 80.8 1.48 111.2 LRGCS-21-037 Casados Vein 1 61.7 62.3 0.6 0.85 287.3 4.68 350.7 LRGCS-21-039 Casados Vein 1 37.7 48.5 10.8 0.31 68.8 1.23 92.0 including 40.3 44.3 4.0 0.68 146.4 2.63 197.5 LRGCS-21-041 Casados Vein 1 3.4 7.9 4.5 0.89 98.1 2.20 164.8 LRGCS-21-042 Casados Vein 1 96.0 112.0 16.0 0.33 71.4 1.29 96.4 including 96.0 108.6 12.6 0.41 87.7 1.58 118.4 including 103.2 108.6 5.4 0.78 164.4 2.97 222.6 LRGCS-21-043 Casados Vein 1 27.1 28.0 0.9 0.12 270.1 3.72 279.2 and 68.9 70.3 1.3 0.46 134.6 2.25 168.8 and 217.5 251.1 33.6 0.43 132.5 2.19 164.4 including 224.5 239.7 15.3 0.88 269.8 4.48 335.9 including 225.8 232.5 6.7 1.78 538.8 8.97 672.6 including 227.8 229.7 1.9 3.77 930.0 16.17 1,212.9 LRGCS-21-044 Casados Vein 1 84.0 86.9 2.8 0.46 149.7 2.45 184.0 and 141.0 142.5 1.5 0.46 112.8 1.96 147.3 and 176.8 196.6 19.9 0.31 100.3 1.65 123.7 including 190.0 195.6 5.6 0.78 237.4 3.94 295.8 LRGCS-21-045 Casados Vein 1 30.4 31.0 0.6 0.10 41.6 0.65 48.9 1. Not true width 2. AqEq converted using a silver to gold ratio of 75:1 at recoveries of 100%. 3. Hole LRGS-21-040 is excluded due to insignificant mineralization. The Casados Veins strike nearly E-W, dips 45o to the north and is hosted in andesitic tuffs and is exposed on surface for about 400 metres along strike. In the 7 metres of old stope that is above the water level at the Casados mine, the vein shows as a zone of quartz stringers about a meter wide, but at other places it is more than 2 metres wide. A zone of silicification up to 50 metres wide envelopes the vein and this resistant outcrop forms a steep ridge along the strike of the vein, particularly on the north or hanging wall side. Casados NorthGoGold's geological mapping program has located a series of historical workings along NNW trending veins that splay off the main Casados Vein along a horsetail structure (see Figure 4 for a plan view map and Figure 5 for a sampling map). A series of low sulphidation epithermal quartz veins have been mapped over an area of 800m x 400m extending on a NNW trend from the area of the Casados mine. The veins are exposed in a dozen historical shallow workings and chip sampling has returned high silver and gold values. Drill hole LRGCS-21-038 (see press release dated May 26, 2021), targeted to test below the Casados mine workings, intersected one of these new veins close to surface as shown on the sampling map. Table 2: Drill Hole Locations Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Length LRGCS-21-026 583705 2337734 701 180 -45 240.0 LRGCS-21-037 583494 2337895 706 180 -70 454.5 LRGCS-21-038 583511 2337857 703 180 -70 313.5 LRGCS-21-039 583605 2337703 680 180 -45 196.7 LRGCS-21-040 583764 2337695 718 180 -45 196.7 LRGCS-21-041 583461 2337873 688 180 -75 337.9 LRGCS-21-042 583615 2337754 704 180 -45 202.5 LRGCS-21-043 583562 2337837 718 180 -65 307.5 LRGCS-21-044 583373 2337852 724 180 -60 346.5 LRGCS-21-045 583546 2337887 718 180 -78 418.8 VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation VRIFY is a platform being used by companies to communicate with investors using 360 virtual tours of remote mining assets, 3D models and interactive presentations. VRIFY can be accessed by website and with the VRIFY iOS and Android apps. Access the GoGold Company Profile on VRIFY at: https://vrify.com The VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation for GoGold can be viewed at: https://vrify.com/explore/decks/9404 and on the Company's website at: www.gogoldresources.com. Los Ricos District Exploration ProjectsThe Company's two exploration projects at its Los Ricos property are in Jalisco state, Mexico. The Los Ricos South Project began in March 2019 and an initial resource was announced on July 29, 2020 which indicated a Measured & Indicated Mineral Resource of 63.7 million ounces AgEq grading 199 g/t AgEq contained in 10.0 million tonnes, and an Inferred Resource of 19.9 million ounces AgEq grading 190 g/t AgEq contained in 3.3 million tonnes. An initial PEA on the project was announced on January 20, 2021 indicating an NPV5% of US$295M. The Los Ricos North Project was launched in March 2020 and includes drilling at the El Favor, La Trini, Casados and El Orito targets. During 2020, GoGold's exploration team identified over 100 targets on the Los Ricos North properties, demonstrating the significant exploration potential. The Company plans to drill 10 of these targets as part of its 2021 drilling program which is planned to exceed 100,000 metres of drilling and will be one of the largest in Mexico. Procedure, Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Data Verification The diamond drill core (HQ size) is geologically logged, photographed and marked for sampling. When the sample lengths are determined, the full core is sawn with a diamond blade core saw with one half of the core being bagged and tagged for assay. The remaining half portion is returned to the core trays for storage and/or for metallurgical test work. The sealed and tagged sample bags are transported to the SGS Laboratory in Durango, Mexico. SGS crushes the samples and prepares 200-300 gram pulp samples with ninety percent passing Tyler 150 mesh (106m). The pulps are assayed for gold using a 50-gram charge by fire assay (Code GE_FAA515) and over limits greater than 10 grams per tonne are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code GO_FAU333). Silver and multi-element analysis is completed using total digestion (Code 1F2 Total Digestion ICP) and Fire Assay Code GE_AAS42E). Over limits greater than 100 grams per tonne silver are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code GO_FAG333). Quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") procedures monitor the chain-of-custody of the samples and includes the systematic insertion and monitoring of appropriate reference materials (certified standards, blanks and duplicates) into the sample strings. The results of the assaying of the QA/QC material included in each batch are tracked to ensure the integrity of the assay data. All results stated in this announcement have passed GoGold's QA/QC protocols. Mr. David Duncan, P. Geo. is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information of this release. About GoGold ResourcesGoGold Resources (TSX: GGD) is a Canadian-based silver and gold producer focused on operating, developing, exploring and acquiring high quality projects in Mexico. The Company operates the Parral Tailings mine in the state of Chihuahua and has the Los Ricos South and Los Ricos North exploration projects in the state of Jalisco. Headquartered in Halifax, NS, GoGold is building a portfolio of low cost, high margin projects. For more information visit gogoldresources.com. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT:The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy of any of GoGold's securities in the United States. This news release may contain "forward-looking information" as defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Los Ricos South and North projects, and future plans and objectives of GoGold, including the intention to undertake further exploration at Los Ricos North, and the prospect of further discoveries there, constitute forward looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information is based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such information but which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions in connection with the continuance of GoGold and its subsidiaries as a going concern, general economic and market conditions, mineral prices, the accuracy of mineral resource estimates, and the performance of the Parral project. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from GoGold's expectations include exploration and development risks associated with GoGold's projects, the failure to establish estimated mineral resources or mineral reserves, volatility of commodity prices, variations of recovery rates, and global economic conditions. For additional information with respect to risk factors applicable to GoGold, reference should be made to GoGold's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with securities regulators, including, but not limited to, GoGold's Annual Information Form. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date of this release. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gogold-drills-1-213-gt-ageq-over-1-9m-within-33-6m-of-164-gt-ageq-at-casados-in-los-ricos-north-301313439.html SOURCE GoGold Resources Inc. HONG KONG, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has been appointed by Chongqing Sunac Huacheng Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. to manage Rosewood Chongqing, set to open in the city's Central Business District in 2030. Situated in the Jiangbeizui International Financial Center, one of China's preeminent establishments for financial services, the ultra-luxury hotel will underscore Chongqing's rapid economic development and growing tourism market as the city continues to build influence and recognition as one of the country's most premium destinations. In addition to the prosperous potential of the locale, which is one of just four Chinese municipalities, the property further demonstrates Rosewood's unwavering efforts to diversify its regional footprint as the tenth project in Greater China and the eighteenth in Asia. "Chongqing is quickly becoming a powerhouse of both business and recreational activity," said Sonia Cheng, chief executive officer of Rosewood Hotel Group. "It's thrilling to have our latest project emerge in such an impactful city and to have the opportunity to play a real role in transformation of Chongqing's luxury hospitality landscape. It's the perfect place to continue our Asian expansion and we look forward to providing our affluential explorers with exceptional access to all it has to offer." Sitting in close proximity to the City Center and high-end shopping and dining outlets, as well as multiple transportation hubs including an impressive subway interchange station on site, Rosewood Chongqing will be housed in a new build, mixed-use development and serve as an ideal gateway to the destination's myriad business, leisure and cultural offerings. The hotel will occupy the most significant of the project's four towers, which spans 470 meters and 103 floors and is the tallest building in the city and the twelfth tallest building in the world. Together the towers will also feature deluxe offices, apartments, residences, retail shops and public green spaces to present not only an entirely new lifestyle experience, but a completely revitalized city skyline. Upon completion, the hotel will offer 183 refined accommodations, including 25 spacious suites. Apart from four dining outlets a bistro, a living room, a Chinese restaurant and a specialty bar, the hotel will also feature Sense, A Rosewood Spa with multiple treatment rooms, a fitness center and an indoor swimming pool to create a serene urban sanctuary in the bustling city center. Rosewood Chongqing will also offer 945 square meters of meeting and event space for gatherings, including a grand ballroom. Rosewood Chongqing marks the latest addition to the brand's most impressive pipeline to date and evidences Rosewood's strategic expansion in Asia: when it opens, it will be the brand's eighteenth property on the continent and the tenth in the Greater China area alone. This project follows the recent announcements of Rosewood Miyakojima and Rosewood Hangzhou and adds to the additional pipeline properties in key areas including Shanghai, Hoi An and Shenzhen. For more information on Rosewood Chongqing, please visit rosewoodhotels.com. About Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Rosewood Hotels & Resorts manages 27 one-of-a-kind luxury hotels, resorts and residences in 16 countries, with 25 new properties under development. Each Rosewood property embraces the brand's A Sense of Place philosophy to reflect the individual location's history, culture and sensibilities. The Rosewood collection includes some of the world's most legendary hotels and resorts, including The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel in New York, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and Hotel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel in Paris, as well as new classics such as Rosewood Hong Kong. For those who wish to stay a little longer, Rosewood Residences offer a distinct opportunity for ownership or rent in extraordinary destinations within the brand's wide-ranging portfolio. For more information: rosewoodhotels.comConnect with us: Facebook Twitter Instagram WeChat @RosewoodHotels About Sunac China Holdings LimitedSunac China Holdings Limited, a listed company on Hong Kong Stock Exchange, was established in 2003. With real estate as its core business, Sunac adopts to the "real estate +" strategy. Its business covers real estate development, property management, conferences and exhibitions, tourism services, theme parks, commercial operations, hotel operations, medical and health care, IP development and operation, and media content production. After years of steady development, Sunac has the comprehensive capability of urban development and industrial property operation. In 2020, Sunac rebranded its positioning from "a service provider for Chinese families" to a "co-builder of a better city", through engineering its industrial advantages, shaping a better community, and practicing corporate social responsibility. Sunac fully participates in the co-construction of China's cities, uses the promotes the coordinated development of industries and urban employment, improve happiness index of local families, creating a harmonious and better coexistence of the people, the industries and the cities. Media Contacts: North AmericaKendall TrainerNike CommunicationsTelephone: +1 646 654 3438Email: ktrainer@nikecomm.com United KingdomAmelia StrangeBacchus PRTelephone: +44 20 8968 0202Email: amelia@bacchus.agency Mainland ChinaFaye LiuActivation GroupTelephone: + 86 21 2601 8752Email: ay_liu@activation-gp.com Hong Kong SARRosetta HonWhy Not AsiaTelephone: +852 9090 0360Email: rosetta.hon@whynot.asia Thailand and Southeast AsiaNopnarit Lieopanich (Zaadeu)Z CommunicationsTelephone: +66 81 444 8444Email: zaadeu@groupzinternational.com JapanMayumi Abe SnaithColours PRTelephone: +81 80 3256 0766Email: mayumi.abe@prcolours.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rosewood-chongqing-to-open-in-2030-301313884.html SOURCE Rosewood Hotels & Resorts ANNANDALE, N.J., June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thor's Outdoor Science Academy announced today that its episode "Hot Sauce" has been named a Silver Winner for Non-Broadcast, General-Nature/Wildlife in the 42nd Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks and production companies. In 2020, Thornton "Thor" Giese developed his own series of experiential science videos, Thor's Outdoor Science Academy, which was picked up by the Emmy-winning Into the Outdoors network, which currently airs on PBS in 27 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The science academy tackles the elements of earth, air, fire and water in fun and relatable ways. Exploring these elements through science, history, language, food and great stories, Thor taps into his experience as an archaeologist and museum educator to bring the subjects alive for the audience. "I am so blown away and honored to be recognized with a Telly Award. It has been a remarkable year and validates all the hard work my team and I have done to create fun, engaging and educational science videos. I am so proud to be a part of the esteemed list of winners." "In the face of a year like no other, Thor's Outdoor Science Academy has continued to defy the limitations of our new world, in continuing to create compelling and engaging work," said Telly Awards Executive Director Sabrina Dridje. "This year's submissions doubled down on what we already know about the industry. Creativity cannot be stopped. Collaboration will always prevail. New ideas and stories will always find a way to break through to an audience." On his website, Thor features his science and cooking segments, as well as recommendations on books, podcasts and other ponderings. About Thor Giese & Thor's Outdoor Science Academy Combining his love for science with a passion for education, beginning in 2020, Thor developed a series of experiential science videos, Thor's Outdoor Science Academy, where he tackles the elements of earth, air, fire and water. Exploring these elements through science, history, language, food and great stories, Thor is entertaining and educating viewers of all ages on our great big world of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Follow on social media at: FacebookTwitterInstagramYoutubeTikTok About The Telly Awards The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Council an industry body of more than 200 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks, reflective of the multiscreen industry The Telly Awards celebrates. Partners of The Telly Awards include Ghetto Film School, We Are Parable, LAPPG, NAB, Stash, Storyhunter, NYWIFT, Production Hub, IFP and Social Media Week. Related Images thors-outdoor-science-academy.png Thor's Outdoor Science Academy View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thors-outdoor-science-academy-wins-telly-award-301313115.html SOURCE Thor's Outdoor Science Academy PLANO, Texas, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Financial Services (TFS), a longtime Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) leader, has once again been named one of the most community-minded companies in the nation by Points of Light Foundation. For the seventh consecutive year, TFS has been included on the nonprofit's Civic 50 list. In a year wrought with a global health crisis and social justice issues, TFS found new ways to help those in need and is once again recognized for its CSR initiatives and dedication to supporting and empowering communities. The Civic 50 sets the standard for nationwide corporate community engagement and creates a roadmap for companies seeking to best use their time, talent and resources to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business. Each year, 50 companies are honored as determined by an annual survey. Winners are selected based on four dimensions of their national community engagement programs: Integration, Investment, Impact and Institutionalization. TFS attained high scores in all four categories. As in previous years, TFS is recognized for its unwavering commitment to youth development, successful volunteer programs and strong national and local partnerships, such as those with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Girl Scouts of the USA. However, 2020 presented new challenges. In-person volunteering was impossible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and social justice issues had a devastating impact on communities across the nation. TFS had to rethink its CSR strategy and leverage its engaged workforce and technological expertise to establish virtual volunteer efforts and emphasize its already strong dedication to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, marketplace and our communities. Understanding the dire need for medical gear, especially during the beginning of the health crisis, TFS partnered with Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) to help supply face shields, respirators and other medical gear to caregivers on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19, utilizing the Toyota Production System to speed up production and delivery. In addition, the company's longstanding $5.7 million-dollar matching gifts program was optimized to enable Toyota and Lexus dealers to further support COVID-19 response initiatives, as well as social and racial justice efforts. This included a variety of campaigns, large and small such as delivering lunches to children out of school due to the pandemic, helping sanitize city vehicles (e.g., police, fire, handicapped, parks and recreation) and offering free grocery delivery for those aged 65 and up. TFS also focused heavily on social justice issues by supporting eleven Historically Black Colleges and Universities through a $110,000 grant to the United Negro College Fund, issuing its fifth Diversity & Inclusion bond in the amount of $750 million; and incentivizing its team members to receive a "double match" by donating to specific organizations focused on social and racial justice. Together with TMNA, the company also partnered with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) to host a two-day workplace equity summit and created We Stand Together, a new brand initiative reinforcing Toyota's commitment to its team members and communities. "Toyota Financial Services saw the challenges of this past year as an opportunity to think of innovative ways to support our underserved youth and communities in need, and keep doing our part to help make the world a better place for all people," said Mark Templin, TFS president & CEO. "TFS has an incredibly passionate workforce that wanted to continue volunteering and standing up for social justice, despite social distancing necessitated by COVID-19. By providing opportunities for our team members to donate their time, knowledge and resources through virtual means, we have been able to make a difference for those facing struggles throughout the pandemic. We are honored that Points of Light Foundation recognizes our efforts and has again named us one of its Civic 50." TFS' philanthropic success would not be possible without its highly engaged team members, whom the company supports and develops by offering paid time volunteering and opportunities to participate in community mentorship, board leadership and community involvement programs. Through these activities, team members are empowered to develop key workplace skills while building strategic partnerships with local nonprofits. TFS also offer grants for volunteer time and service on nonprofit boards. Providing these development opportunities not only enables team members to positively impact local communities but also demonstrates TFS' commitment as an agent for greater social change. For more information on The Civic 50 and the latest trends on community engagement, view the report at www.civic50.org. About Toyota Financial Services Toyota Financial Services (TFS) is the brand for finance and related products for Toyota in the United States, offering retail auto financing and leasing through Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Lease Trust. TFS also offers vehicle and payment protection products through Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS). The company services Lexus dealers and customers using the Lexus Financial Services brand. As of March 31, 2021, TFS employed approximately 3,600 team members nationwide, and had assets totaling over $133 billion. It is part of a worldwide network of comprehensive financial services offered by Toyota Financial Services Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation. We announce material financial information using the investor relations section of our website (www.toyotafinancial.com) and SEC filings. We use these channels, press releases, and social media to communicate about our company, our services and other issues. While not all information we post on social media is of a material nature, some information could be material. Therefore, we encourage those interested in our company to review our posts on Twitter at www.twitter.com/toyotafinancial. Media Contact: Derrick Brown (469) 486-9065 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/toyota-financial-services-tfs-earns-place-on-civic-50-list-for-seventh-consecutive-year-301313940.html SOURCE Toyota Financial Services EGLIN AFB, Fla. (Tribune News Service) A second squadron of F-35A fighter jets is coming to Eglin Air Force Base, according to a Monday announcement from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. While details were scarce, that news was confirmed Tuesday by public affairs personnel from the 33rd Fighter Wing, the Eglin-headquartered wing to which the new squadron will be assigned, and the 96th Test Wing, the base's host unit. In a news release from his office, Rubio called the Air Force's announcement of the new training squadron coming to Eglin "a big win for Northwest Florida and our nation's military readiness." According to Rubio's announcement, a new squadron will bring 24 F-35A jets to Eglin. Other estimates of the impact of the new squadron have indicated that it could bring as many as 500 new personnel onto the installation. Ann Stefanek, chief of media operations for the Air Force, said that the service notified Congress of its decision on Monday but hasn't made a broader announcement because the Air Force is still working through the timing for the move. Closer to home, Col. Jon Wheeler, commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing, called the announcement "the culmination of years of work to bring increased capabilities to the 33rd Fighter Wing mission." Wheeler added that the 33rd Fighter Wing is "thrilled with this decision, which will effectively double our F-35 pilot production in the future and ultimately, enhance the readiness of our combat air forces." Expectations that Eglin would get a second F-35A squadron to train pilots and maintenance personnel on the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet began forming in 2019, when the Air Force announced that Eglin was its preferred location for a new F-35A squadron. That announcement was followed by an evaluation that included an assessment of the squadron's potential environmental impacts, including the possibility for noise pollution for areas near Eglin. Monday's announcement is an indication that the environmental assessment, which included public comment on the proposed addition of an F-35A squadron, has been successfully completed. At the time it announced that Eglin was its preferred location for a new F-35A squadron, the Air Force indicated that the new aircraft could begin arriving in the fall of 2021, with a new squadron slated to reach full operational capability by the spring of 2023. The Air Force's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, calls for the acquisition of 48 new F-35A jets. The F-35A is the Air Force's version of the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, and has been among the aircraft on Eglin's flight line since 2011. The base also has hosted Marine Corps training on the F-35B, which can land vertically and can take off in a short distance, and has hosted Navy training on the F-35C, which is designed for operating from aircraft carriers. The Marine Corps relocated its F-35Bs in 2014 and the Navy relocated its F-35Cs in 2019 after initial training on the aircraft had been completed. The announcement that a new F-35A training squadron will arrive at Eglin comes just a few months after the Air Force announced that three new F-35A squadrons will come to Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City as part of the 325th Fighter Wing. That decision came in the days after Hurricane Michael all but leveled Tyndall in 2018. The base is being rebuilt as what the Air Force calls the "installation of the future," in part specifically to accommodate the needs of the F-35A. The first of what eventually will be a fleet of 72 F-35A jets are scheduled to begin arriving at Tyndall in September 2023, according to the Air Force. The F-35As at Tyndall and Eglin will be able easily to take advantage of the Gulf Test and Training Range, which includes a 120,000-square-mile section of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The telemetry and other equipment on the range is currently being modernized to meet testing and training needs for the Air Force and other military services that use the range, which is overseen by Eglin's 96th Test Wing. (c)2021 the Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) Visit the Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) at www.nwfdailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Pfc. Asia Graham is shown after completing basic training. (U.S. Army) EL PASO, Texas (Tribune News Service) A young Fort Bliss soldier found dead in her barracks room New Year's Eve died due to an accidental drug mixture, military officials said Wednesday. A military autopsy determined that 19-year-old Pfc. Asia Graham died due to "accidental mixed drug intoxication" of fentanyl and multiple synthetic cannabinoids, a Fort Bliss news release stated. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid. Synthetic cannabinoids are commonly known as synthetic marijuana, K2 and Spice. The autopsy was conducted by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Fort Bliss stated that details surrounding Grahams death remain under investigation by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. A military court-martial is underway at Fort Bliss for Pfc. Christian G. Alvarado on multiple sexual assault charges, including for allegedly raping Graham. Graham allegedly was raped by Alvarado while she was unconscious on Dec. 30, 2019, within the first month of her arrival at Fort Bliss. Fort Bliss was her first duty station after joining the Army five months earlier. Military officials said Graham was found dead in her barracks room on the morning of Dec. 31, 2020, almost exactly a year since the alleged assault took place. (c)2021 the El Paso Times (El Paso, Texas) Visit the El Paso Times (El Paso, Texas) at www.elpasotimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of Naval Operations, rebuffed pointed interrogations by GOP lawmakers who grilled him over his decision to recommend sailors read a book deemed by some conservatives as anti-American. The U.S. Navys top admiral also defended moves to address and root out racism and extremism in the forces as well as its efforts to bolster inclusion and diversity, which have prompted criticism from some conservatives and Republican lawmakers. Do you personally consider advocating for the destruction of American capitalism to be extremist? Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., asked Gilday during a House Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, referring to a passage from Ibram X. Kendis book How to Be an Antiracist, which argues capitalism and racism are interlinked. Banks continued to interrogate the admiral over specific quotes from Kendis book, which was a No. 1 New York Times best seller in 2020, and statements he had made elsewhere in the past. Visibly distraught, Gilday fired back: I am not going to sit here and defend cherry-picked quotes from somebodys book, he said. This is a bigger issue than Kendis book. What this is really about is trying to paint the United States military, and the United States Navy, as weak, as woke. He added that sailors had spent 341 days at sea last year with minimal port visits the longest deployments the Navy has done, he said. We are not weak. We are strong, Gilday said. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., also challenged the admiral by citing specific quotes from the book and asked him how those ideas laid out by Kendi would further advance or improve the Navys power. Gilday responded by arguing the importance of transparency and open dialogue about racism. There is racism in the Navy just as there is racism in our country, and the way we are going to get out of it is by being honest and not to sweep it under the rug, he expounded, adding that he does not agree with everything the author says in the book. The key point however, he said, is for sailors to be able to think critically. The exchange was the latest in vociferous complaints from some conservative leaders and lawmakers who suggest the armed forces are becoming a pawn for the countrys culture wars and wokeness ideology, as the military takes steps to address issues of racial inclusion, extremism, racism and white supremacy. And only last week, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., accosted Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about Kendis book, which Cotton said promoted critical race theories at a different Senate Armed Services Committee hearing where Austin was testifying. Days earlier, Cotton and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas two combat veterans launched a whistleblowers online platform to report examples of woke ideology in the military. Enough is enough. We wont let our military fall to woke ideology, Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, said in a tweet. Also in February, Austin instructed a one-day stand-down across the Defense Department pausing regular activities to address extremism and white nationalism in the ranks an issue Austin declared as a priority after a number of rioters at the U.S. Capitol in January were found to have military backgrounds. The stand down completed in April was an effort to better understand the scope of the problem of extremism in the ranks, Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby said in a briefing then. Earlier, Austin had revoked a ban on diversity training for the military. More recently, in May, a U.S. Army animated ad focused on soldier diversity featuring the real story of a soldier who enlisted after being raised by two mothers in California drew criticism and political backlash from some conservative lawmakers. Holy crap, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a tweet. Perhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea. . . . Cruz was referring to a TikTok video that compared the U.S. Army ad with a Russia campaign that showed buff soldiers doing push-ups and leaping out of airplanes, adding that the contrast made the American soldiers into pansies. The confrontation Tuesday is also the latest in reproaches by Rep. Banks, who is a Naval Reserve officer, and other GOP members over Gildays recommendation to include Kendis book in the Chief of Naval Operations Professional Reading Program. In February, Banks sent a letter to Gilday arguing that the views promoted in the book are explicitly anti-American and demanded Gilday explain the Navys decision to include it on the reading list or remove it. Gilday responded to Banks in a letter obtained by Fox News saying that the book was included on the list because it evokes the authors own personal journey in understanding barriers to true inclusion, the deep nuances of racism and racial inequalities. Lamborn and Rep. Vicky Hartzler, D-Mo., also wrote a letter to the admiral to convey their concern about the inclusion of Kendis book as well as Michelle Alexanders The New Jim Crow and Jason Piercesons Sexual Minorities and Politics. The GOP lawmakers argued the books reinforce a view that America is a confederation of identity categories of the oppressed and their oppressors rather than a common homeland of individual citizens who are united by common purposes, Lamborn and Hartzler wrote, according to Fox News. U.S. soldiers from the East African Response Force walk toward a C-130J Super Hercules Jan. 21, 2021, in Somalia. U.S. military officials are developing a proposal to send dozens of special operations troops back into Somalia, where security conditions have worsened in the months since nearly 700 troops were pulled out of the country, The New York Times reported Tuesday. (Charles Fultz/U.S. Air Force) STUTTGART, Germany U.S. military officials are preparing a proposal to send a special operations contingent back into Somalia, where security conditions have worsened in the months since nearly 700 troops were pulled out of the country, a news report said Tuesday. The plan, which would involve several dozen troops, hasnt yet been formally presented to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, The New York Times reported. The newspaper cited unnamed Pentagon policymakers saying they want to step up counterterrorism efforts against militants aligned with al-Qaida. In January, President Donald Trump ordered some 700 U.S. troops out of Somalia, where special operations forces had been assisting local units for several years in a long-running battle against the al-Shabab group. Now, there are concerns that militants are gaining ground in the country, where U.S. airstrikes also have ground to a halt in recent months. The Stuttgart-based U.S. Africa Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposal. Although U.S. troops left the bases in Somalia, AFRICOM continues to send teams into the country on a rotational basis to keep up with efforts to train indigenous troops. No U.S. airstrikes have been reported since President Joe Biden took office in January. The White House is in the midst of a review into rules regarding how airstrikes are conducted. In 2020, the U.S. conducted 63 strikes against Islamic militants in Somalia. Before they were halted, AFRICOM frequently emphasized that the aerial attacks were crucial to keeping al-Shabab off balance. Still, despite years of strikes and U.S. advisers supporting Somali forces, al-Shabab has maintained a fighting force of several thousand guerrillas and was able to mount high-profile attacks against partner and U.S. troops. In January 2020, one U.S. soldier and two defense contractors were killed when the militants stormed a military compound in Kenya that was used for carrying out missions in neighboring Somalia. On Tuesday, al-Shabab attacked a Somali military training center in Mogadishu, killing at least 15 and injuring 20 others. vandiver.john@stripes.com Twitter: @john_vandiver Africa Since the pandemic began, Guam has confirmed 8,261 coronavirus cases, 56 of which were active as of Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (Pixabay) Guams governor signed an executive order Wednesday that extends a quarantine exemption to travelers who are fully vaccinated with shots approved by the World Health Organization. An exemption is already in place for new arrivals who have received Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccines Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen. The update, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, adds the WHO-approved Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to the list. Fully vaccinated new arrivals must also monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms, according to the order from Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero. COVID-19 is the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. Unvaccinated travelers who present a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of their arrival on the island can quarantine and monitor their symptoms at home, the order states. Since the pandemic began, Guam has confirmed 8,261 coronavirus cases, 56 of which were active as of Wednesday, and 139 deaths, according to the islands Joint Information Center. Ten new patients were identified on Tuesday. Guerreros order comes about a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lowered Guams coronavirus travel-risk level from very high to moderate, meaning fully vaccinated people are now OK to fly to the U.S. island territory. However, unvaccinated travelers who are apt to become severely ill from the coronavirus respiratory disease are encouraged to avoid all unnecessary travel there. The CDCs moderate designation, also called level two, means Guam has tallied between 50 and 99 new COVID-19 cases over the past 28 days. The island had been at level four, which urges people to avoid all travel because of a high number of new infections, between May 17 and June 7. news@stripes.com Twitter: @starsandstripes Tech. Sgt. Alexisa Humphre of the 8th Medical Group prepares to inject a dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, Dec. 29, 2020. (Jordan Garner/U.S. Air Force) WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is considering whether to mandate the coronavirus vaccine for service members after the shot receives full Food and Drug Administration approval, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Harker told the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. Austins office is coming up with guidance on requiring the vaccine for troops, Harker said during a hearing on the Navys 2022 budget proposal. I believe the secretary is considering making that decision to do so, but its not something that he has announced to us yet, Harker told the committee during a hearing that included in-person and virtual attendees after more than a year of online-only meetings because of the pandemic. While the Pentagon can make vaccinations fully cleared by the FDA mandatory for troops, it cannot do so for the coronavirus vaccinations while they are authorized only on an emergency basis, unless the president orders it mandatory. President Joe Biden, so far, has not done so. Though not yet required, the coronavirus vaccine is optional for service members. To date, 840,492 active duty, Reserve and National Guard troops are fully vaccinated and another 291,809 have received at least one dose, according to the latest Defense Department data published Monday. That means about half of the total force of approximately 2.3 million active duty, Reserve and Guard troops have received the vaccine so far. However, a vaccination mandate for troops could come soon as vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna applied for full FDA approval on May 7 and June 1, respectively. The third vaccine under emergency-use authorization, which was developed by Johnson & Johnson, has not yet applied for full approval. The FDA requires extensive data and reviews by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research before issuing full approval. The FDA has not offered a timeline for how long that process will take for the coronavirus vaccines. doornbos.caitlin@stripes.com Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos Buy Photo Reps. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., and Jason Crow, D-Colo., both Army veterans, stand beside members of the American Legion at a news conference Wednesday in front of the Capitol to urge President Joe Biden to evacuate Afghan interpreters and their families ahead of the full withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. (Sarah Cammarata/Stars and Stripes) WASHINGTON Two Army veterans who serve on the House Armed Services Committee delivered a stark message Wednesday to President Joe Biden: act now to evacuate thousands of Afghan interpreters and their families who worked with U.S. personnel or there will be consequences. If [President Joe Biden] doesnt act, and he doesnt get these people out, blood will be on his hands and on his administrations hands. And I for one will very publicly and very loudly hold him accountable for that, Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., said during a news conference outside the Capitol. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., joined Waltz and members of the American Legion to ramp up calls for Biden to help roughly 18,000 Afghans whose visa applications remain stalled by moving them to Guam or another friendly country. People need to know that the American handshake matters. That we will stand by them through thick and thin, said Crow, a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The news conference comes as members of the House and Senate, advocacy groups and veterans have been mounting pressure on the Biden administration to protect U.S. allies under the threat of death by the Taliban as the Pentagon accelerates the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of war. Under scrutiny from lawmakers, Defense Department officials have testified at recent Capitol Hill hearings on Afghanistan that they would support helping translators and their families get to the United States. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have said they are developing contingency plans to conduct an evacuation if they are ordered to do so. State Department officials have agreed to that, too, yet the final approval must be made by the White House, Crow said. And the clock is ticking, said Waltz, a former Green Beret who served combat tours in Afghanistan and other parts of Africa and the Middle East. The withdrawal from Afghanistan is set to be complete sooner than Sept. 11, the deadline that Biden had set in April for the remaining 2,500 U.S. forces to leave the country. Were closing our only air base in just a few weeks we have a moral and national security obligation to get these people out. Evacuate them now, the lawmaker said. Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero wrote in a letter this month to Biden that the administration there will assist in carrying out the U.S. governments evacuation plans. The State Department-run Special Immigrant Visa program has been plagued by delays since it was created in 2009 to provide a pathway for Afghan interpreters, contractors and other personnel to reach the U.S. safely and eventually gain citizenship. The lawmakers said they will introduce a package of bills Thursday called the Allies Act that would increase the cap on the number of slots and make other fixes to the program to expedite the process. The legislative package comes after the pair of lawmakers introduced a bill in late May that would allow applicants to the program to forgo a medical examination, which can cost thousands of dollars. When Biden was a senator, he voted against evacuating Vietnamese allies out of their country during the final days of the Vietnam War in 1975, Waltz said. Had he had his way, we would not have gotten those people out, he said. The lawmaker said that during his last combat tour in Afghanistan his executive officer was a Vietnamese-American who was evacuated out at the time as a young child. How many great American contributions wont we have if President Biden doesnt act? Waltz asked. Cammarata.Sarah@stripes.com Twitter: @sarahjcamm One of the first cruises scheduled to sail from the United States has been postponed after eight crew members tested positive for the coronavirus during routine testing. Royal Caribbean Internationals Odyssey of the Seas, which was scheduled to sail to the Caribbean on July 3 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will now start its first voyage on July 31. Two steps forward and one step back! Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday night. He said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution. Its the latest reminder of the difficulty of keeping the virus off cruise ships, which have not carried passengers from U.S. shores since March 2020. Earlier this month, two passengers on a Celebrity cruise that left St. Maarten tested positive during a Caribbean sailing, despite a requirement that everyone over 16 be fully vaccinated. Also this month, two people on an MSC cruise in the Mediterranean tested positive during a routine test; vaccinations were not required for that voyage. All 1,400 crew members on Odyssey of the Seas got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on June 4, according to the cruise line. Because the vaccine only requires one dose, they would have been considered fully vaccinated after two weeks had passed. But the crew members in question tested positive on June 10. Two have mild symptoms, and the rest are asymptomatic. Now, all crew are being quarantined for 14 days to protect the remaining crew and prevent any further cases, with routine testing continuing, Bayley wrote. The Miami-based cruise line announced plans earlier this month for Odyssey of the Seas, its newest ship, to start Caribbean cruises on July 3. It would have been the second Royal Caribbean ship to sail from the United States, following Freedom of the Seas on July 2. A test cruise on Odyssey, which is required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention if fewer than 95% of passengers will be vaccinated, had been scheduled for late June but has also been postponed. Guests and travel partners will be notified and given several options to consider, the company said in a statement. While disappointing, this is the right decision for the health and well-being of our crew and guests. Royal Caribbean is requiring passengers older than 16 to be fully vaccinated on cruises from all ports in the United States except those in Florida, where a state law says companies are not allowed to require proof of vaccination. As of Aug. 1, all passengers 12 and older will have to be vaccinated unless they are sailing from Florida. Vaccination is required for crew. In Florida, where the bulk of U.S. cruises originate, Royal Caribbean says all guests are strongly recommended to be fully vaccinated. The company said it expects 90% of guests will be fully vaccinated, based on its own surveys. Guests eligible but not fully vaccinated or able to show proof of vaccination will be subject to testing and additional health protocols at their own expense, the cruise line said. Representatives of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R, have said that any businesses found to be in violation of the law banning vaccine requirements would be subject to a fine of up to $5,000 per violation. Still, some cruise lines including Celebrity, part of Royal Caribbean Group are requiring passengers to be vaccinated. Some Facebook users pleaded with Bayley to put the same requirement in place. Can we PLEASE do fully vaccinated cruises from Florida?!??? one woman wrote. I feel like things like this are going to be significantly worse without fully vaccinated passengers and crew....I know cases will happen but I want [Royal] to have success in sailing during this time and vaccines really will set you up for success! Stars and Stripes regional reporter Rose L. Thayer won a Society of Professional Journalists DC chapter Dateline Award on Tuesday for her work on the disappearance and death of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen. (LinkedIn) Stars and Stripes regional reporter Rose L. Thayer won a Society of Professional Journalists DC chapter Dateline Award on Tuesday for her work on the disappearance and death of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen. The Fort Hood soldier, 20, was killed in April 2020 on base by another soldier. Her remains were found miles from the base two months later, leading to charges of systemic failures in how the military handled her case. Thayer has been with Stars and Stripes for three years, focusing on military and veteran issues primarily in the western portion of the United States. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, an Army veteran, and their son. The collection of stories below won for non-breaking news in a daily newspaper. Why is Fort Hood the Armys most crime ridden post? We are all angry: Female veterans take action after Spc. Vanessa Guillens death to stop discrimination in the military Family of airman killed at Grand Forks AFB see same issues in military as Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen news@stripes.com Twitter: @starsandstripes WASHINGTON Advocates warned lawmakers Wednesday that the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium June 30 could push more veterans into homelessness, causing an unprecedented wave in the next few months. Kathryn Monet, CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, a nonprofit focused on ending veteran homelessness, urged lawmakers Wednesday to extend the halt on evictions and foreclosures for qualified tenants. The halt was implemented in September to help people affected by the pandemic stay in their homes. Monet predicted that the countrys housing crisis will deepen when the moratorium expires. Im of the opinion we shouldnt be ending these eviction and foreclosure moratoriums, Monet told members of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. I dont think the economy has recovered to a point where people are able to cover all of these expenses or have all gone back to work. I think thats a huge problem. If Congress and President Joe Bidens administration allow the halt on evictions and foreclosures to end June 30, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Labor and the Department of Housing and Urban Development will need more funding to address the increase in veterans at risk of homelessness, Monet said. In its budget request for fiscal 2022, the VA asked for $2.6 billion to address veteran homelessness. Monet said that amount was insufficient and asked Congress for $1.6 billion more. The additional funding would go toward temporary housing for veterans, more case managers and a program that helps veterans get back into the workforce. During the pandemic, the federal government paid for veterans most at risk for the coronavirus to stay in hotels and motels, rather than in group living facilities. Monet suggested that HUD be given $95 million to help those veterans into permanent housing, rather than releasing them back onto the streets when the federal support ends. We are in the middle of an emergency and veterans experiencing and at risk of homelessness need safe housing now more than ever, Monet said. Akilah Templeton, chief executive officer of Veterans Village of San Diego, also pushed for more support from Congress on Wednesday. Veterans Village operates emergency housing and offers veterans mental health services, rental assistance, rehabilitation and more. The crisis response funding approved by Congress over the past year allowed Templeton to bring more homeless veterans in from the streets, provide quality care to veterans in emergency housing and update her organizations technology to allow veterans to attend telehealth appointments. The last year showed us that, as a nation, we can adequately address problems when we see them as problems worth solving, Templeton said. Templeton asked specifically that Congress continue to fund the VAs grant and per diem program at higher rates. Congress approved more funding for the program last year. The money went to shelters, which get paid for filling beds but were unable to house as many veterans in order to abide by social distancing guidelines. Shelters continue to operate at lower capacities. We do not control the purse string that fund our programs, and we do not vote on the legislation that can give us what we need to do our jobs, Templeton said. All we can do is show up. That is what we ask of you all, to show up, work across the aisle, work together to keep the momentum going, even as threat of virus diminishes. The effect of the coronavirus pandemic on veteran homelessness isnt yet known. A report released in March showed that the number of homeless veterans in the United States increased from 2019 to 2020. However, the data was collected before the pandemic began and does not account for its economic effects. Wentling.nikki@stripes.com Twitter: @nikkiwentling Buy Photo The Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C. is shown in this undated file photo. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes) The USS Maryland floats beside the capsized USS Oklahoma, Dec. 7, 1941, as the USS West Virginia burns in the background following Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (U.S. National Archives) (Tribune News Service) For the first time in nearly 80 years, since Japanese torpedoes tore through the USS Oklahoma on Dec. 7, 1941, brothers Harold and William Trapp, who grew up together, joined the Navy together and served and died on the same battleship, are now resting in peace together at Punchbowl cemetery. Harold, 24, and William, 23, formerly interred as "unknowns" at the cemetery, were buried with full military honors Tuesday one casket atop the other after the Defense POW /MIA Accounting Agency identified them and notified the family back in November. "I feel relieved, " said Carol Sowar, 70, their niece, who flew out from Albuquerque, N.M., for the service. "I have been crying off and on for seven months, and all of a sudden I feel peaceful and I've got closure. I know they are where they should be." For the first time, the Indiana brothers have headstones which will be side by side above the single grave noting their full names, Navy service and battleship they served on. It's not often that two brothers who served and died at Pearl Harbor are identified and buried at Punchbowl, officially known as the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Harold F. Trapp, 24, and Navy Electricians Mate 3rd Class William H. Trapp, 23, of La Porte, Ind,, killed during World War II, were accounted for on Nov. 24, 2020. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) Twelve family members were present. So were more than 75 uniformed service members, including upward of 55 sailors. A rifle salute was conducted for each brother during the service at the base of the steps leading to the statue of Lady Columbia, and taps was played for each. Six sailors reverently folded American flags over each casket. One was presented to Sowar, and another was given to her son, Matthew. "We all know that on Dec. 7 we were attacked. The USS Oklahoma was attacked viciously, and it sank, " chaplain Navy Cmdr. Randal Potter said during the service. "429 crewmen died on that day among them, these two brothers." Potter said he sought to "bring honor to this family" and also to "recognize that there is grief, recognize that there is loss and recognize that because of the advance of technology, we now have been able to correctly and fully identify these two men who sacrificed for our country." Their 80-year journey back to reunification took them from the dark days after the Pearl Harbor attack when identification of many of the mangled remains was impossible, to interment at Punchbowl as "unknowns " in caskets with commingled remains, to identification in late 2020 with advances in science, including the use of DNA. Their skeletal remains were found across multiple caskets. The Defense POW /MIA Accounting Agency, which searches for, recovers and identifies missing American war dead around the world, is ending a six-year effort to identify USS Oklahoma unknowns that in 2015 led to the disinterment of 388 crew members from Punchbowl and identification of more than 332 of them. As a result of that mission, Fire Controlman 2nd Class Harold Frank Trapp and Electrician's Mate 3rd Class William Herman Trapp have their names on separate grave markers. Their niece said it was a "beautiful" service that "gave them the dignity that they deserved after all these years." She previously related why it was so important to finally have her uncles identified. "I think it's the feeling that, well, if they are just commingled (remains), it gives this feeling that there wasn't any respect even if there was a ceremony and everything when they died," she said. "It feels like ... there wasn't any love being shown to them at that time." For a long time her mother, who along with her two brothers "were like three peas in a pod" growing up, thought Harold and William were buried at sea, but she later learned of the commingled burials at Punchbowl. "It was something that bothered my mother the whole time," Sowar said. "This was very hard on my mother, and the fact that they were not buried the way that you'd want them to be buried, with dignity and a service, always bothered her. It was always very painful for her." Her mother, Irene Louise Trapp Welch, died in 2007. The brothers who gave their lives on Dec. 7, 1941, at the dawn of America's involvement in World War II now are at rest, together and identified, near the shade of a big narra tree in a section of World War II veterans interred at Punchbowl. (c)2021 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser Visit The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at www.staradvertiser.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. WASHINGTON A bill to be introduced Wednesday in Congress would order the Department of Veterans Affairs to add LGBTQ veterans to its Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. A bipartisan group of senators will introduce the Voices for Veterans Act, which would change the makeup of the committee that advises the VA on issues affecting minority veterans. The committee was established by federal law in 1994. The law calls for a committee that is made up of Asian American, Black, Hispanic, Native American and Pacific-Islander veterans. The Voices for Veterans Act demands that LGBTQ veterans be part of the committee. As things stand, the needs of LGBTQ+ veterans are often overlooked, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a statement. This bipartisan legislation will expand the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans to ensure our LGBTQ+ veterans have a voice and will receive the care and support they have earned. Klobuchar will introduce the Senate bill with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Reps. Suzan Delbene, D-Wash., and Chris Pappas, D-N.H., will introduce the House version. The purpose of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans is to provide recommendations, concerns and observations to the VA secretary and Congress about the departments delivery of services to minority veterans. Committee members make periodic site visits to VA facilities and hold town hall meetings with veterans to hear their concerns. Our country must ensure all our veterans have equal access to the care, benefits, and services they have earned for their sacrifice and service, regardless of who they are or who they love, DelBene said in a statement. According to Disabled Veterans of America, a national veterans organization, there are about 1 million LGBTQ veterans in the United States. The Government Accountability Office reported last year that the VA was not collecting data from veterans about sexual orientation or gender identity. The lack of data could mean that VA doctors are missing medical trends in this population of veterans, the GAO said. Shortly after VA Secretary Denis McDonough was sworn into office in February, he issued a review of VA policies to determine how to make the agency a more welcoming and inclusive place for LGBTQ veterans and employees. The review falls in line with an executive order President Joe Biden signed during his first day as president. He directed the head of each federal agency to assess whether underserved communities face barriers at those departments. The results of the VA review had not been shared as of Tuesday. wentling.nikki@stripes.com Twitter: @nikkiwentling A bill to be introduced Wednesday in Congress would order the Department of Veterans Affairs to add LGBTQ veterans to its Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. (Nito100) Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., walks on Capitol Hill during the fifth day of the second impeachment trial of former President Trump, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021 at the Capitol in Washington. Jacob Dalton Payne passed away June 25, 2021.Visitation is from Thursday-Saturday at Strode Funeral Home. Services will be 2:00pm Saturday, July 3, 2021 at the Strode Funeral Home Chapel. Reception to follow at the Stillwater Community Center. The former home of the American-Finnish Club, located at the corner of Madison Street and Delaware Avenue, may soon host Lighthouse Baptist Church. Last week, the City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance that would provide the church a special exception to operate on the residentially zoned property. The citys Historic Review Board on Tuesday welcomed new member Jesse Germany to its ranks. Germany is a homeowner in the historic district and is happy to now be a part of the board. I have a vested interest in how the properties around me look, he said during their meeting Tuesday at City Hall, 201 Vigo St. I like (the) idea of Vincennes finding its roots again in a way that people can see its history. The HRB now has four members, but they remain in need of a fifth, preferably someone with knowledge of construction. Members are appointed by the mayor. In other business Tuesday, local resident Michael Allen spoke to the board about painting his property at 219 S. Fourth St. He presented them with paint samples of shades of green for the house itself and off-white for the trim around the windows. Each color was favorable to a historic pallet, members noted. When asked what the current color of the house Allen said, dirt, to which members chuckled. He offered pictures to the board to show the current state of the home, and he also noted that he would be doing the work himself. Board member Sarah Wolfe thought that his color choices were appropriate. Its not hot pink, she said, laughing. So happy painting. Also going before the HRB Tuesday were Elizabeth and Shepard Dunn regarding their property a mix of residential and commercial space at 29 N. First St. Elizabeth Dunn, a member of the HRB herself, presented her fellow members with plans to restore the buildings original facade. The couple had looked into the cost of having the building re-painted and found it would be $5,000 or more. Their plans evolved when they were approached by Ewing Printing Co. about a different option alumigraphic. Its a thin aluminum material that would be adhered to the building. It would only be applied over the original signage and wording areas; the detail in the brick would still be seen. An existing example of this technique is the graphic on the wall of Davis Hall, 1200 N. Second St., on the Vincennes University campus. Ewing Printing, located at 516 Vigo St., quoted just over $3,200 for the front of the building. Its not only cheaper, but it will last longer and be done in less than half the time, Dunn said. The board was impressed by the innovative and cost-effective method and approved the restoration project. Dunn is particularly happy to keep the project local. We werent even aware they had a product that would do that, Dunn said. They brought the rendition over and we were impressed. The building currently houses Dots and was, previously, the St. Louis Soda Shop. Waikato Are you looking for a change in company? Or are you in between work and ready to start immediately? Then this job is for... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Do you already have a paid subscription to any of the SWNewsMedia newspapers? If so, you can Activate your Premium online account by clicking here. Activation will allow you to view unlimited online articles each month. To activate your Premium online account, the email address and phone number provided with your paid newspaper subscription needs to match the information you use in setting up your online user account. If you are having trouble or want to confirm what email address and phone number is listed on your subscription account, please call 952-345-6682 or email circulation@swpub.com and we'll be happy to assist. Lawton, OK (73501) Today Thunderstorms, some locally heavy this morning will become more isolated during the afternoon hours. High 82F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mostly cloudy skies. Low around 70F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. 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. Storyteller Gayle Ross, a direct descendant of Principal Chief John Ross, was told about the story of Tsisdu, or Rabbit, by her family. She now tells stories such as this to those who will hear her. 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. Thank you for Reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and Purchase a Subscription to continue reading. Many educators and education advocacy groups had opposed the bill, saying it limits honest conversations about race and racism in American society and will force teachers to equivocate on controversial or sensitive topics that will result in less educated students. Credit: Tgo Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Pata(l)-Jaipur Posts: 1,046 Thanked: 2,752 Times View My Garage Re: Green One (AWD) - Body Shop Visit & Facelift Consider this a midlife Rejuvenation Immediately after returning from the Jaisalmer trip I met with an accident. A bird hit the windshield and I panicked. While trying to brake after recovering I rear ended a pick-up which resulted in a smashed front end of my vehicle. The power steering reservoir was also leaking through a crack. I noticed it in time and instead of risking the pump and sending debris into the steering rack, I decided to pull the fuse which powers the pump. Believe me when I say, It was a troublesome experience which made me appreciate the level of assist offered by the system. Had to send it for repairs to the body-shop the next day. After a thorough inspection and assessment of the damage, I was informed that quite a few things need to be replaced which included: Condenser, Radiator, Intercooler, Headlamps, Left fender, Bonnet, Bonnet Hinges, Front Apron, Intercooler Hose, Upper and Lower Grilles and the Bumper. Also the power steering pump and its reservoir that had cracked was a single assembly so the whole pump assembly required a replacement. Luckily, the airbags didnt go off. The windshield had to be replaced too. Got the approval from the insurer within a week to begin work on the vehicle. Waited for a week - 10 days for the power steering pump to arrive. I was okay with the delays since I had a spare vehicle to use in the time being. The SA requested permission to go ahead with type-2 facelift parts for the repairs. I was apprehensive in the beginning because of my car being a stock vehicle and my plans for keeping it that way. Later after some back and forth with the body shop, I understood that the spares for the facelift are cheaper than the type-1 - which made sense since in the long run when Zero-Dep option on the future insurance policies run out, I would have to shell out less in repairs. For an example: Old Grille - 40K | New Grille - 14K Old Headlamp - 13K | New Headlamp - 6K Old Bumper - 13K | New Bumper - 9K The body shop kept me in the loop with the progress and insurance approval process. They kept sending me updates and pictures of the car during the process. I asked them if they could arrange for a replacement windshield sticker (which is called the TLP - Third Licence Plate). I eventually had to arrange it by myself, but they were thoughtful enough to keep a cutout from the windshield glass which had the sticker on it in the boot when the work was completed. I have retained it even though I have the new sticker which is colour coded now as per new norms. The first glimpse while the paint gets buffed. The final delivery of the vehicle was being delayed by the year end closing phenomenon which delayed the delivery order from the insurance company. In the meanwhile, I pointed out that the silver cladding from the bumper (as per RXZ model) is missing. Which is a separate part not approved by the insurance company as it was not damaged in the older bumper. I though about getting it installed at my cost, but also thought of living with this look for a while. A large silver painted cladding is anyway prone to scuffs which would look awful. The black would hide the scuffs better. In the mean-time, the SA talked me into installing the wheel arch cladding kit on the vehicle. There was a discount on the kit and I thought of going ahead with it since I had no qualms now of retaining originality. This required repair of a dent in the LHS rear quarter panel as the cladding was not covering it, leaving a seam open for dust and water to get trapped in between the cladding and the panel. Gave them a go ahead for repairing it at a reasonable cost. Necessitated repairs The cladding does gives it a butch look and drastically reinforces the fenders as well. There is negligible flex in the panels now. The final touch. Finally, after a delay of 10 days the DO was issued by the insurer. The bill was a huge one and was glad to know that I had to pay only the processing fee for the claim. The windshield replacement, LHS quarter-panel repair and the wheel arch cladding was on my account which was a separate bill. The vehicle was finally ready and delivered after spending a month at the body-shop. I tested positive for COVID-19 and had to undergo home quarantine. So as to not affect the elders in the house, my wife and I decided to shift to the farm house. Luckily for me, spent the time in isolation by indulging in car stuff. -There was my own car getting prepped and delivered. -Then I booked the Fortuner I had borrowed for a service. This being bought as a used vehicle, had a lot of issues which I was following-up with the guys at Toyota. -Then there was a colleague who had bought a used 2003 Santro and he needed parts for a full service from Boodmo, ordered and tracked those for him. -Got in touch with my Father-in-law who was looking to buy a Duster AWD and scouted for cars for him. -And was helping a fellow bhpian sort the mess he was in dealing with Renault. Time went by quickly. Few more days before I get a go. With the parents visiting us to re-stock supplies it had been 45 days later (since the accident) that I got to drive the car. -Noticed vibrations from the engine bay. Got it checked and it turned out that the protection plate for the engine bay was loose. With the new power steering pump at half turn the steering effort has reduced considerably. -The new windshield is scratch free and is a welcome feature while driving in the night. -The wheel arch cladding paid for itself after sustaining a minor scuff recently. -The installation of the new grill is such that it is touching against the horn, which has muted it a bit. -The tyre pressure was quite high due to wheel alignment carried out during repair so reduced it accordingly. -Took it to some kachcha roads around the farm and got the four wheels spinning to give the AWD system a little workout too. After its service and suspension check-up done recently, the car drives like new. The 450 km journey back to my workplace validated this further. Had already bought a set of window shades for it. I don't particularly like these as they sit on top of the door frame and get squished in between the door seals and the frame. But they help in keeping the cabin temp low in this hot weather. Going to remove them in a few months. And a set of OEM 3D mats to freshen-up the interiors a bit. The mats stay in place as they have welcro strips to secure them with the carpet. No, we cannot place the older carpet mats within these. Took-up the suggestion from the Team-BHP homepage advert for turtle wax products at a discount, and re-stocked my car cleaning supplies after almost 5 years. Will probably try my hand at claying the car this time specially the older panels, as the newer ones were cut and buffed after the paint job. The products offer good value, I guess, that's about it. Two months and it turns 6. After some 3 hours of TLC, lets have some colour back in our lives. Needless to say, -I applied the plastic trim restores after these clicks, -also did a once through with tyre finisher, -it rained that night messing everything up, -and now, almost always, walking up to it feels like walking up to someone else's car. Good or Bad? I am undecided... Immediately after returning from the Jaisalmer trip I met with an accident. A bird hit the windshield and I panicked. While trying to brake after recovering I rear ended a pick-up which resulted in a smashed front end of my vehicle. The power steering reservoir was also leaking through a crack. I noticed it in time and instead of risking the pump and sending debris into the steering rack, I decided to pull the fuse which powers the pump. Believe me when I say, It was a troublesome experience which made me appreciate the level of assist offered by the system.I tested positive for COVID-19 and had to undergo home quarantine. So as to not affect the elders in the house, my wife and I decided to shift to the farm house. Luckily for me, spent the time in isolation by indulging in car stuff.Few more days before I get a go.With the parents visiting us to re-stock supplies it had been(since the accident) that I got to drive the car.After its service and suspension check-up done recently, the car drives like new. The 450 km journey back to my workplace validated this further.Had already bought a set of window shades for it. I don't particularly like these as they sit on top of the door frame and get squished in between the door seals and the frame. But they help in keeping the cabin temp low in this hot weather. Going to remove them in a few months.And a set of OEM 3D mats to freshen-up the interiors a bit. The mats stay in place as they have welcro strips to secure them with the carpet. No, we cannot place the older carpet mats within these.Took-up the suggestion from the Team-BHP homepage advert for turtle wax products at a discount, and re-stocked my car cleaning supplies after almost 5 years. Will probably try my hand at claying the car this time specially the older panels, as the newer ones were cut and buffed after the paint job. The products offer good value, I guess, that's about it.Needless to say,-I applied the plastic trim restores after these clicks,-also did a once through with tyre finisher,messing everything up,-and now, almost always, walking up to it feels like walking up to someone else's car. Good or Bad? I am undecided... HBO Max just unveiled its lower-priced subscription plan with commercials, and Paramount+ recently relaunched its ad-supported plan at an even cheaper price point. Just dont expect Disney+ to follow suit, or at least not in the near term. During the Credit Suisse 23rd Annual Communications Conference on Tuesday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said that an ad-supported version of Disney+ isnt currently on tap, according to The Verge, althoughpredictablyhe didnt dismiss the idea entirely. Were always reevaluating how we go to market across the world, but weve got no such plans now to do that, Chapek said at the conference. Were happy with the models that weve got right now. Indeed, Disney+s pricing model seems to be working pretty well. The streamer reported in May that it has signed up more than 100 million subscribers, a spectacular figure given that the service only launched about a year and a half ago. The lone Disney+ membership tier currently costs $8 a month, following a one-dollar price hike back in March. Thats a relative bargain compared to HBO Max and Paramount+ two competing services that just rolled out new, ad-supported tiers. HBO Max, which charges a lofty $15 a month for commercial-free streaming, teed up a $10-a-month With Ads plan earlier in June, although even that new, ad-supported tier costs more than Disney+s commercial-free offering. Meanwhile, Paramount+ just replaced its older $6-a-month ad-supported plan with a new $5/month Essentials tier, which is basically the same plan minus access to live feeds of local CBS affiliates. For commercial-free streaming, Paramount+ charges $10 a month. At just $8 a month for its single, no-ads tier, its easy to see why Disney isnt too worried about spinning up a cheaper, ad-supported version of its enormously popular streaming service. Disney further pads its Disney+ revenue stream by charging $30 Premier Access fees, so subscribers can get early access to its tentpole films, with Cruella being the most recent. By not crossing that $10-a-month barrier, Disney+ is easy to sneak into ones monthly nut, and given its arsenal of Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar movies, the streamer has become as much of an essential utility in our household as Netflix is. An ad-supported Disney+ may arrive somedayheck, anythings possiblebut probably not anytime soon. Decode Your Future with an Online Computer Science Degree from Drexel Drexel University's online computer science programs are designed to prepare you for work on the cutting edge of technology. The curriculum is designed for students with any level of experience or previous knowledge. Choose the program that's right for you. Learn More. Reports of a data breach of TurboTax have been overblown, according to Intuit which owns the tax preparation platform. Several news outlets recently reported that an unspecified number of TurboTax accounts were compromised in a wave of credential stuffing attacks. Those kinds of attacks exploit credentials stolen from other websites and reused at the TurboTax site. "There was no breach of Intuit systems," said spokesman Rick Heineman. He explained that Intuit notified one customer in Massachusetts that it locked their account after discovering what appeared to be an attempt at unauthorized access to it. "We then shared a copy of that notification to the one individual with local authorities," he told TechNewsWorld. When Intuit fraud prevention teams notice an attempted or successful login to an Intuit account that has leveraged harvested credentials from third-party sources, Heineman observed, we immediately block access to that account, send a notification to the customer, require a process of identity verification by the account owner, and ask that their credentials be changed in order to re-access the account. "Intuit undertakes robust real-time fraud prevention processes -- including at login and in-product -- to flag any perceived anomalous behavior," he said. In order to protect customer information, he added, the company has implemented a number of organizational, technical and administrative controls across its products and services. They include multi-factor authentication, encryption, and robust logging, monitoring and blocking capabilities. Profitable Tactic Bleeping Computer on Saturday reported that Intuit had notified TurboTax customers that some of their personal and financial information was accessed by attackers following what looks like a series of account takeover attacks. A similar report appeared Monday at the TechRadar website. Financial software maker Intuit has notified users of its TurboTax platform that some of their personal and financial information was accessed by attackers in what appears to be a series of account takeover attacks, it reported. A credential stuffing attack on a site like TurboTax could be highly lucrative, noted James McQuiggan, a security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, a cybersecurity training provider in Clearwater, Fla. "It provides access to personal information about the user, their tax information and of course, their social security numbers for them and possibly their immediate family," he told TechNewsWorld. "With over 8.4 million passwords in the wild and over 3.5 billion of those passwords tied to actual email addresses, it provides a starting point for cyber criminals to target various online sites that utilize accounts for their customers," he continued. "If users set up accounts with the previously exposed passwords, they are making it easy for cyber criminals to steal their data," he said. "Conducting credential stuffing attacks are easy, low-risk, and deliver high return on investment , if successful," added Leo Pate, an application security consultant with nVisium, an application security provider in Herndon, Va. "From a criminal point-of-view, many platforms don't offer strong security controls, like multi-factor authentication, or users simply do not take advantage of them, even if available, thereby resulting in a higher rate of successful compromise," he told TechNewsWorld. Use Unique Passwords Despite warnings about reusing passwords, consumers continue the practice. "Old habits are hard to break," observed McQuiggan. "For example," he continued, "people dislike coming up with different passwords for each account. They find it easier to use one they can easily remember or add some variation to it, like a different number or website name." "Consumers today use dozens of services online. Keeping a unique, strong password for each service in anyone's head is nearly impossible due to different complexity requirements, length requirements, and sheer quantity of services consumed," added Ben Eichorst, principal engineer at Yubico, of Palo Alto, Calif., a maker of USB and wireless authentication solutions. He told TechNewsWorld that recent research shows that 51 percent of IT security respondents say their organizations have experienced a phishing attack, with another 12 percent of respondents stating that their organizations experienced credential theft. Yet, only 53 percent of IT security respondents say their organizations have changed how passwords or protected corporate accounts were managed. "Interestingly enough," he continued, "individuals reuse passwords across an average of 16 workplace accounts and IT security respondents say they reuse passwords across an average of 12 workplace accounts." Protecting Users and the Business Alexa Slinger, an identity management expert with OneLogin a cloud identity and access management solution maker in San Francisco, noted that as the number of data breaches rise so, too, does the amount of stolen credentials. "Despite the consistent media coverage of breaches, users continue to reuse passwords and put organizations at risk," she told TechNewsWorld. "To protect their users and their business, organizations should put additional security measures in place." Such measures could include: Limiting the number of authentication requests per session to decrease the speed of credential stuffing bot attacks. Suggesting or requiring setup of multi-factor authentication which will require the bad actor to have another form of identification other than the stolen credential. Use a compromised credential check to alert and prevent user's from using breached login information. You've Been Pwned In recent times, consumers have begun receiving alerts when one of their passwords appears in a cache of stolen data. "Users who have embraced storing and generating their passwords through a secure password manager may get notification of known breaches," Eichorst said. "One of the primary values of a password manager is that it will let you know which of your online accounts have been breached," added Chris Hazelton, director of security solutions at Lookout, a provider of mobile phishing solutions in San Francisco. "It may also automate the password change process which allows you to react more quickly after a breach," he told TechNewsWorld. Eichorst added that individual companies with an online presence are improving their password checking methods to prohibit known leaked passwords. That still isn't a common practice yet, however. "It is definitely more common to be notified, but those notifications are just guidance and users are not prevented from continuing to use those compromised passwords," noted David Stewart, CEO of Approov, of Edinburgh in the UK, which performs binary-level dynamic analysis of software. "Consideration should be taken regarding whether users should be blocked from accessing services until they have updated a compromised password," he told TechNewsWorld. "This is currently very rare but would seem like a sensible step." Consumers concerned about their passwords having been compromised can also be more proactive by running a check of their passwords at the HaveIBeenPwned website, which tracks email addresses and phone numbers that have been in data breaches over the past fifteen years. John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John. In context: A recent Windows 10 update saw Microsoft quietly adding the News and interests feed to users' taskbars. Although not everyone was a fan and disabled the feature right away, those that did pay it attention noticed the text was appearing blurry. Microsoft has now acknowledged the bug and notes that a fix will arrive in a future update. Microsoft rolled out a widget-like 'News and interests' feature for Windows 10 users last month. It's meant to be an informative section in the taskbar that displays weather and expands into a personalized news feed on mouse hover. However, the feature was unlikely to be met with open arms, considering that Microsoft installed and enabled the feed by default - right onto the taskbar for millions of users. What worsened the experience was that the text was appearing blurry for many people. Thankfully, disabling the feature is pretty straightforward. Right-click on the taskbar > select News and interests > select Turn off. However, those who find the feed useful and are annoyed by the blurred text will be pleased to know that Microsoft has acknowledged the bug and will issue a fix in an upcoming release. The feature is fairly customizable, after all, and is a quick way to catch up on the latest news. The blurriness, Microsoft says, appears for users who've installed update KB5001391 or later and with 'certain display configurations,' though it didn't provide any further details (resolutions/multi-monitor setups etc.). For now, the best workaround might just be disabling the feed and wait for Microsoft's fix to arrive. In brief: NASA's Artemis I mission to the moon is gathering pace. With assembly of the massive SLS rocket progressing, the agency has moved onto the next important step: picking a name for the non-human passenger. You can decide what this "moonikin" (a play on manikin) will be called, though it involves choosing from a list, so there'll be no Kirk, Picard, or Moony McMoonface. The "Name The Artemis Moonikin Challenge" offers eight pre-selected names for the public to choose. Each one has a back story, rather than just being picked out of a hat. The view looks good. ICYMI: Workers at @NASAKennedy attached the @NASA_SLS core stage to its twin solid rocket boosters. This massive rocket will propel our @NASA_Orion spacecraft on the #Artemis I mission around the Moon: https://t.co/PktwXexXDZ pic.twitter.com/d5yNL6JEdf NASA (@NASA) June 14, 2021 The first is ACE, an acronym for Artemis Crew Explorer. This is a personal favorite and should appeal to fans of British sci-fi series Red Dwarf. Next is Campos, named after the NASA electrical engineer Arturo Campos who was instrumental in getting the Apollo 13 crew home safely. There's also Delos, a reference to an island in the Aegean Sea, and Duhart, a tribute to Dr. Irene Duhart Long, the first African American woman to serve in the Senior Executive Service at Kennedy Space Center. The final four options are Montgomery, not a reference to Star Trek's Scotty but to Julius Montgomery, the first African American ever hired at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to work as a technical professional; Rigel, from the star; Shackleton, a nod to Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton; and finally, there's Wargo, which originates from Michael Wargo, who represented NASA as the first Chief Exploration Scientist for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. You'll be able to vote for your favorite name on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram from today in a knockout-style tournament. The final vote will take place on June 28, and the winner will be announced on June 29. Nasa said the moonikin would "be equipped with two radiation sensors, and sensors in the seat -- one under the headrest and another behind the seat -- to record acceleration and vibration throughout the mission as Orion travels around the Moon and back to Earth." It will be joined on the craft by two model human torsos Zolgar and Helgamade from materials that mimic the bones, soft tissue, and organs of an adult female. Nasa is calling the half-bodies "phantoms," somewhat creepily. The big picture: Virtual reality has yet to take off in a big way, but a shift in consumer habits along with the introduction of more affordable headsets like the Oculus Quest 2 have rejuvenated this market segment to the point where Japan Display is betting its future on making displays for VR headsets. It's a calculated risk that could pay off in the future when the market will be more mature and JDI will have established a strong foothold. Japan Display (JDI) used to be one of Apple's main suppliers of LCDs for the iPhone, and over the years most of its business was focused on that. Back in 2019, the company sold its screen manufacturing plant to Sharp for $390 million to repay debt to Apple and avoid further losses from the industry's growing preference for OLED screens in smartphones. That said, the Tokyo-based LCD manufacturer believes OLED still are at a disadvantage compared to LCD technology when it comes to achieving a higher yield for high-resolution displays, which in turn makes the latter technology more competitive in terms of price. Moving forward, Japan Display will focus on perfecting its LCD tech for VR headsets, which are expected to become more popular in the coming years. According to a Bloomberg report, the lockdowns during the pandemic have created higher demand for VR headsets, with Facebook and HTC both experiencing a surge in sales over the last 12 months. That consumer trend has persisted even as the restrictions eased, and VR headset manufacturers have largely shifted away from OLED on newer models like the Oculus Quest 2. JDI VR chief Takeshi Harayama told Bloomberg, "its hard to find a VR headset maker who doesnt have a relationship with us," which is why the company feels confident about its strategy. Chief VR headset engineer Yoshihiro Watanabe says JDI is capable of making displays with pixel densities of 1,200 pixels per inch, which is a lot higher that that found on high-end smartphones. OLED makers like Samsung and LG aren't particularly interested in the VR headset market, since it's a lot smaller than the smartphone market. JDI believes it can fill this gap, but not all VR headset manufacturers are opting for LCD screens. For instance, Sony is said to use OLED panels in its next PlayStation VR headset, but JDI still expects revenue from non-mobile businesses, which includes VR headsets, to increase 25 percent this year and reach 70 billion yen ($637 million). (Photo : Getty Image: David McNew) A US defense contractor, Sol Oriens, was attacked by REvil hacking group, a famous ransomware gang. The company was also related to the US nuclear weapons program, also hit by REvil's ransomware crusade. As a result, the hackers were able to steal data from the company. The group seems to keep themselves busy because they are also responsible for Invenergy's data breach. Invenergy is a Chicago-based solar and wind power corporation, and they recently announced that their systems had been hacked. A current trend in data breaches is going on, and the company experienced it in the hands of the REvil hacking group. REvil's Ransomware Attack on US Weapons Contractor In a tweet, a company spokesperson announced that the entire company got a virus. Sol Oriens contracted an infected system with REvil ransomware directly from a notorious Russian ransomware group. It offers ransomware as one of its malware services. According to The Cheraw Chronicle, Sol Oriens assists the US Department of Defense in implementing the nuclear program. For example, it is responsible for managing the arsenal. We dont know everything this small company does. But job postings like this one indicate it handles nuclear weapons issues: https://t.co/WJPoME0gl1 Senior Nuclear Weapon System Subject Matter. Expert with more than 20 years of experience with nuclear weapons like the W80-4. Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) June 10, 2021 Bleeping Computer also reported that the REvil ransomware operation released a list of companies that they have already attacked. They are about to auction the data to the highest bidder. Sol Oriens is on the list, and REvil claims they stole business and employee data from the company. The data they gathered includes social security numbers and salary information of employees. Invenergy Data Breach On the other hand, Info Security Magazine stated that the REvil gang also claimed they got 4TB of essential project information, including various contracts and endless non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). According to Soft Pedia News, the company stated that their activities were not stopped at any time and that no data was encrypted. On top of that, Invenergy is said to follow all data breach disclosure requirements. The company also claims that it has not paid the infamous hacking group, and it does not plan on paying them a ransom. However, REvil stands to their statement that they managed to hack the company's systems and stole 4TB of data. Read Also: Ransomware Gang REvil Attacks PC Giant Acer and Demands $50 Million. REvil Might Have Data on Polsky's Private Life Soft Pedia News also stated that the REvil hacking gang claimed to have their hands on Polsky's private correspondence. Details include sensitive details on personal photos along with his divorce from his first wife, Maya. Forbes reported that Polsky abandoned Soviet Ukraine and migrated to the United States back in 1976, taking $1.5 billion. His wife's divorce is considered one of the most expensive divorce processes in history, as Maya got half of Polsky's money and assets back in 2007. REvils Previous Victims REvil became famous for its ransomware attack on JBS, the world's largest meat-processing company. The company admitted to releasing a total of $11 million to the hacktivists for the ransomware attack. They also hacked a Taiwanese Apple Inc. supplier, Quanta. Furthermore, REvil hacking gang is a notorious ransomware group that claimed to be unafraid of the US ransomware focus. Related Article: Cybercrime: Furniture Village Admits System Failure is a Cyber-Attack 7 Days into Database Malfunction This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Fran Sanders 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. China will soon get rid of all Bitcoin miners in the country. These miners, meanwhile, may soon be headed for Texas, which is is more accepting of the trade. In the past months, China has been very restrictive and critical of the leading cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, and it has been long in conflict with the transactions to this cryptocurrency. The Chinese government has had it, and it is not taking Bitcoin anymore, especially as mining is a massive event within its territory. It is known that China has almost half of the world's Bitcoin miners, and that is a lot more than the average compared to the country where cryptocurrency is mostly invested in or traces back its origins. Earlier disputes have shown that Beijing has been restrictive of the trade and mining, with BTC.TOP and HashCow being among those which have been stopped by China to continue their operations in the country. The move to Texas is the most ideal, especially as it is a state that still has no regulations on cryptocurrency and is more accepting of Bitcoin. Read Also: El Salvador Makes Leading Cryptocurrency a Legal Coin in The Country-What Does This Say About the US? China Gets Rid of Bitcoin Miners Last May, China has been reported to have cracked down on cryptocurrency miners, particularly against Bitcoin, and is one of the known countries to have been in strict regulation of the coins. According to CNBC, the country has cracked down on most of the crypto mining operations in the country and has centered mostly on Bitcoin. Texas is the place to be, say experts, and it features the lowest energy prices, along with clean energy alternatives like solar and wind power. This would be ideal for Bitcoin mining, especially as it has been previously criticized by Musk and dropped by Tesla due to its use of coal energy. Moreover, this could potentially move $BTC to a more eco-friendly use of energy, especially as it was said that more than half of the world's Bitcoin miners are from China. And this is what Tesla is waiting for, to resume its dealings and transactions using its Bitcoins with the members of the public or other miners present in the society. What is with China and Bitcoin? China and Bitcoin do not have much history, only that the country is not supportive of mining within its territories for unknown reasons. Its may be pulling from different strings, including the use of coal mining, which the country would want to reduce, or that $BTC is not properly regulated or traded by the workers and the companies. Nonetheless, this is one of the most massive news that showed a country is in so much conflict with the leading cryptocurrency, despite El Salvador fully accepting it and making it a "currency." Legitimate as it may be for most countries, this is not something China has fully accepted yet, despite being home to most crypto miners. Related Article: China Centralized Television is Talking About Uniswap $UNI | Could China Be Selective on Cryptocurrency? This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Richard 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Photo : Sebastian Voortman from Pexels) The Artemis Accords, an international agreement on responsible and sustainable moon exploration, has been signed by Brazil, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced. In doing so, Brazil became the first ever South American country to sign, joining 11other countries that include Japan, Canada, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, Luxembourg, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Ukraine, and Italy. The Artemis Accords was signed by Brazil Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Marcos Pontes on June 15 in a ceremony held in Brasilia. President Jair Bolsonaro, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Alberto Franca, and other Brazilian officials were present at the ceremony. "As an astronaut and Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, it is an honor for me to sign Brazil's adhesion to the Artemis Accords," Pontes said in a statement. Artemis Accords: What is It? Established in 2020 by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, the Artemis Accords is an international agreement that aims for a safe, responsible exploration of the moon. It also reinforces the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, which is also known as the Outer Space Treaty. Ten principles have been established by the Artemis Accords to guide the participating nations: Peaceful Exploration - All activities of the Artemis Program will be conducted for peaceful purposes and will enhance peaceful relationships between participating nations Transparency - Participating nations must be transparent with all their plans and policies regarding the project Interoperability - Partners are encouraged to open and develop international standards for space exploration Emergency Assistance - NASA and the participating nations reaffirm their commitment to the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space Registration of Space Objects - The Artemis Accords encourages partner nations to join the Registration Convention as soon as possible Release of Scientific Data - Scientific data must be released publicly for the full benefit of everyone Preserving Heritage - NASA and the signatories of the Artemis Accords will commit to protecting historical sites and artifacts Space Resources - Partner nations can only extract and utilize resources on the Moon, Mars, and asteroids as mandated by the Outer Space Treaty Deconfliction of Activities - Public information regarding the location and general nature of the operations will be made available Orbital Debris - The signatories of the Artemis Accords will commit to mitigating orbital debris, including the safe and responsible disposal of spacecrafts used According to Space, signatories of the Artemis Accords will also participate in the Artemis Program, which seeks to return humans to the moon in 2024. Related Article: NASA Announces 8 Countries Signing Up for the Artemis Accords with the Newest Addition, the UAE! Other Countries That Haven't Signed China and Russia are noticeably absent from the current list of supporters of the Artemis Accords. NASA has been banned by the U.S. Congress to collaborate with China, according to Business Insider. As for Russia, no clear reason has been given yet beyond the program being too "US-centric." Other countries and organizations who have yet to sign the Accords despite having the resources for space exploration include France, Germany, India, and the European Space Agency (ESA). Also Read: China Chang'e 6 Lunar Exploration 2024: European Countries' Tech to be Showcased This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isabella James 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Photo : Screenshot From Commons.Wikipedia.org) China Space Crew to Head to Chinese Space Station Shenzhou-12 at 9:22 AM GMT June 17, 2021 China space crew is now expected to head to the Chinese version of the ISS, the Shenzhou-12 space station at 9:22 AM GMT on June 17, 2021. Two of the astronauts heading into space actually have previous experience as they flew during previous missions while the third is now going to space for the very first time ever. Chinese Space Station Shenzhou-12 According to abcNews, Ji Qiming, the Assistant Director of the China Manned Space Agency, told reporters over at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in northwest China on June 16, 2021 that two astronauts had previous experience. The main section of the Tianhe or the Heavenly Harmony station was officially launched into orbit on April 29, 2021. Three men that are headed to the space station on June 17, 2021 plan to live there for a total of three months while conducting spacewalks, maintenance works, and of course, science experiments. The astronauts are traveling to the Shenzhou-12 spaceship through the Long March-2F Y12 rocket which is set to blast off at 9:22 AM GMT on June 17, 2021. Chinese Astronauts The mission is set to be the third out of 11 that are now planned throughout the end of next year to help build and maintain the station as well as sending up crew members and supplies. The two other modules are expected to launch some time next year. This is going to be the very first crewed mission from China in five years. The country has previously sent a total of 11 astronauts directly into space ever since becoming just the third country to do so back in 2003. All of the pilots came from the ruling Communist Party of China's military wing, specifically the People's Liberation Army. Tianhe Crew All Male Although the initial Tianhe crew is said to be all male, women will later on be part of the future crews to brave the station, according to officials. Tianhe now builds on experience China has gained from operating two different experimental space stations some time earlier in its increasingly optimistic space program. The Chinese astronauts spent a total of 33 days living on the second of the previous station. They were able to carry out spacewalks and even taught science classes which were then beamed down to students stretching across the country. Read Also: 1,500 Drones Create QR Codes in China For Players Who Want to Download 'Princess Connect Re: Dive' Tianwen-1 Mars Probe China previously landed a probe called Tianwen-1 on Mars some time last month which was carrying a rover, the Zhurong, according to an article by Space. It had also been able to bring back lunar samples which was the first by any country's individual space program ever since the 1970s, and even landed a probe and rover on the moon's much less explored far side. Beijing technically doesn't participate in the official ISS or International Space Station due to the US concerns when it comes to Chinese program's secrecy as well as military connections. Related Article: China Makes Moves to Reach Interstellar Space by the Mid-Century This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Urian B. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Best Buy's "Bigger Deal Savings Event" emerges to compete with Amazon's Prime Day sales event. The big event from the former would be pushed through June 22, the exact closing date of the latter. While people have been busy criticizing the Andy Jassy-led company about its offers, what Best Buy displays are much bigger and more user-friendly deals from electronics to smart home appliances and devices. Why 'Bigger Deal Savings Event' is Better than Prime Day Deals? From the official website of Best Buy, the ongoing "Bigger Deal Savings Event" is faring farther than its Amazon event counterpart. In the Prime Day Sales event, users should first need to be a subscriber to purchase the highly-sought deals in the market. In Best Buy, you are not required to buy a paid subscription to obtain your favorite items on stock. Moreover, Amazon Prime would ask you to pay a yearly fee of $129 to join the big sales, but Best Buy does not allow you to release any payment before diving into the best deals in town. Another reason why Best Buy edges Amazon in its sales event is the in-store transaction. There, you could go directly to its physical store and check first the items that you want to buy. In this way, you can guarantee that the shipped item is in perfect condition before being delivered to your doorstep. What's better is its faster shipping schedule that would only take a few moments to happen. Amazon, on the other hand, is the opposite of a quick shipping system. On the bright side, Amazon Prime Day Deals exhibits a wider variety of products that you could choose from compared to Best Buy's Bigger Deal Savings Event. The event would continue until next week, but since there are only a few items that you could select, now is the best chance to grab the sure-fire deals from the store. Make sure to visit the site regularly and look for the "Deal of the Day" which you might stumble into. Read Also: New Acer ChromeBook Spin 713 Boasts 11th Gen Intel Chip and Thunderbolt 4 Connections: Best Buy Deals For its Features Best Buy 'Bigger Deals Savings Event:' Don't Sleep On These Products According to an article written by Rolling Stone on Tuesday, June 15, here are the ten items which you can check during the week-long sale from Best Buy. GoPro HERO9 Black ($379.99) This action camera could take shots underwater. It also supports 5K streaming. Samsung Odyssey Gaming Monitor ($279.99) Your gaming experience would be twice smoother through this monitor. It includes the G-sync tech of NVIDIA which would bar you from experiencing game bugs. Lenovo Legion 5 ($899.99) This laptop would do the job of impressing you with its features that are out of this world. This computer could handle VR gaming as well. Vizio 55-Inch OLED 4K TV ($1199.99) A perfect home theater TV that features its cutting-edge screen tech. Anova Precision Cooker Nano ($99.99) You can now monitor your cooking through your Android or iOS app through this cooking tool KitchenAid Pro 5 ($419.99) This high-tech mixer comes with a variety of baking accessories like a beater, whisk, and other attachments. iRobot Roomba i3+ ($449.99) This robot is your go-to friend in cleaning. It hastens your household chores through its automatic dirt disposal which easily empties your dust bin. 13-Inch MacBook Pro ($1199.99) Up to this moment, this Apple laptop is the best pick for those people who love faster processing. You could use it for 20 hours on one charge. AirPods Pro ($199.99) Still, Apple's earplugs remain the best pick on top of Bowers & Wilkins and Sony. LG 2.1-Channel 300W Soundbar System ($179.99) For those who love surround music, this soundbar from LG could provide you a stellar sound for your home theater. Related Article: Amazon Prime Day 2021: Dates, Schedules, and Early Deals You Can Buy Now This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Photo : Scott Olson/Getty Images) A Southwest Airlines jet lands at Midway International Airport on January 28, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. Southwest Airlines today reported its first annual loss since 1972. Southwest Airlines was forced to cancel 500 flights across the U.S. on Tuesday after the airline company encountered a technological issue. It left thousands of passengers stranded at their points of origin and caused congestion at multiple airports. According to USA Today, a brief pause in the network connectivity of Southwest Airlines caused the disruption in the airline's operation. By Tuesday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration tweeted that it was issuing a nationwide ground stop at the request of the airline. The order was lifted an hour later after the issue was resolved. Tuesday isn't the first time this week that Southwest Airlines had to ground flights. Just the night before, flights were grounded when the airline's third-party weather data provider encountered issues. Per Reuters, the data provider encountered intermittent performance issues that hindered the transmission of data. Southwest Airlines's Disgruntled Passengers It's no surprise that the airline's inconvenienced passengers took to social media to complain about the delays and cancellation brought about by the tech issues. One Twitter poster complained about missing his connecting flight due to the two-hour delay of his Southwest Airline flight. He was then told by airline staff to sleep in the airport by the airline's staff instead of being offered a hotel stay. Another said she expects a full refund after the "crappiest flying experience" she's had. Other passengers chose to share the positive aspects of their experience, including photos of pilots serving water to passengers and playing with the children on the flight. Past Tech-Related Incidents The two straight days of tech issues aren't the first for Southwest as the airline has had its share of tech-related incidents. In 2015, online booking problems caused delays for hundreds of flights. The airline's customer service technology systems in the airport experienced problems, which prompted the ground staff to manually check in passengers in line. And, in an incident that has nothing to do with the company's systems, a passenger's Samsung Galaxy Note 7 caught fire during a flight in 2016. The flight, which was traveling from Louisville to Baltimore was still at the gate when the incident occured and everyone onboard was evacuated from their aircraft. Related Article: Global Internet Glitch: Amazon, Reddit, Spotify, Twitch, and More are Down in Some Countries! Background of Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines was established in 1967 by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King. It initially only served passengers in Texas until former President Jimmy Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Law in 1978. Today, the airline has flights to U.S. cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Sacramento, San Diego, and many more. Outside the country, they offer flights to destinations such as Aruba, Belize, Costa Rica, and Cuba. According to Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines is now "the largest airline operating in the U.S. in terms of passengers served." Read Also: Airplanes Followed a Pattern of Biological Evolution, Physics Study Says This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isabella James 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Photo : Getty Image: Sascha Schuermann) In the near future, the world of gaming will shift into a new era. The industry will enjoy an overflow of virtual reality, and Sony is already starting to adapt to the ever-changing trend in the tech field. Sony recently released its PlayStation 5, which has been received excellently by players. And with their steady supply of first and third-party games, console enthusiasts are thrilled now more than ever. With the momentum that the company has, Sony seems interested to move to more extraordinary lengths. Soon, the company will provide users with the latest era of VR gaming as it seems like the gaming giantbis moving ahead and gearing up for a PS5 VR headset. Sony PlayStation VR According to a report by Droid News, Sony's PlayStation VR for the PS4 had a huge success, selling approximately 5 million headsets in 2020. Despite being overshadowed by PS4's enormous sales, it seems like 2022 will be an excellent year to release another version of the Sony Playstation VR that will provide a fantastic gaming experience to PS5 players. Bloomberg stated that Sony is looking to launch the next-generation version of its PlayStation VR. The report mentioned that the release would have most likely in the holiday period of 2022, welcoming 2023 with a bang. Read Also: Best Buy PS5 Restock 'Might' Happen Soon as Xbox Series X Restock Just Dropped Should Fans Be Excited for Sony PlayStation VR - PS5 Next-Gen? At first, VR technology did not yield the best positive result. However, 2020 made VR seem more promising, thanks to the release of "Half-Life: Alyx." Until 2021, its release is still considered one of the most defining moments of VR technology, and it seems like developers and tech giants only started to scratch the surface. PlayStation VR for Sony's PS4 was received pretty well by fans and critics alike, agreeing that the VR headset was a beautiful addition to their PS4 console-setup. It's no surprise that many are excited for the next-gen VR set. However, there are still no details regarding PS5 PlayStation VR's price and design. According to a report by VG247, the VR headset will feature OLED panels. It is the same panel as the original PlayStation VR for PS4. Sony PlayStation VR's Controller Droid News also reported that the company already released a teaser of the PlayStation VR controller for PS5. So far, enthusiasts and critics find the new design more impressive than the previous VR for PS4. The controller has a gauntlet-like layout that seems to be more responsive and tactile. It also resembles the original PS3's move-like controllers, making fans all the more excited to get their hands on the VR. Players can still pair their original PlayStation VR with their new PS5, which means that they won't have to buy the new VR for PS5 to enjoy an exceptional gaming experience. Related Article: PS5 Redesign CONFIRMED? Alleged NEW PS5 Model Spotted This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Fran Sanders 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Regeneron's COVID-19 antibody cocktail helped reduce the number of deaths in severe cases by 20%. The worst-case happens when the immune systems of the patients struggle to fight the virus. The death toll of COVID-19 worldwide has reached a total of 3,823,206, as per Bloomberg. The whopping numbers are due to the absence or lack of antibodies in some people stricken by the novel coronavirus. Ideally, the protection from the virus should be swift, but some victims could not keep up with the virus. Thus, it leads to severe cases, which require ventilators and thorough medical care. The Regeneron Pharmaceuticals drug produces antibodies for COVID-19 patients who could not. In turn, it helps in preventing some patients to succumb to the wrath of the virus. Additionally, the drug also shortens the length of hospitalization without a ventilator, which cuts the hospital stay of severe cases. It lessens the suffering that patients experience. Antibody Therapy Reuters reported that the cocktail drug is used in an antibody therapy called REGEN-COV. A large study from the United Kingdom saw six fewer deaths for every 100 patients in 28 days as long as they receive the imdevimab and casirivimab antibodies from the cocktail. On the other hand, patients with existing antibodies did not see any benefit after the therapy. So, it turns out that the treatment is only effective for those who lack the COVID-19 natural protection. The current data is the largest-scale study for the antibody cocktail of Regeneron. A total of 9,785 hospitalized COVID-19 patients received either the therapy or the typical medical care for comparison. In addition, the current study was conducted when most of the patients are not yet fully vaccinated. Read Also: WHO Claims COVID-19 Delta Strain Could Be the Most Dominant! What Vaccine Can Prevent It? Earlier-Use On October 8, 2020, Former President Donald Trump received the still experimental cocktail drug Regeneron after contracting the virus. He received it alongside, Dexamethasone, and Remdesivir. According to Reuters, its use is currently limited to mild and moderate cases due to the emergency use authorization (EUA). Bloomberg added that patients seen with a huge risk of getting severe symptoms are allowed to participate in the therapy in the United States. The positive result of the research could push for wider utilization of the Regeneron drug, the company told the publication. To be exact, the United States Food and Drug Administration issued the EUA to Regeneron on November 21, 2020. Meanwhile, Pfizer is planning to provide boosters shots by September on top of the vaccine that people recieved. On the flip side, Moderna eyes the roll out by the end of 2021. It should improve the protection from the virus to finally put an end to its threat. Related Article: COVID-19 Delta Variant is An Extreme Threat Against US, Particularly in Low Vaccination Locations, Says Experts This article is owned by TechTimes Written by Teejay Boris 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Photo : NASA) The California-based Rocket Lab has finally got Mars in its crosshairs as the company will send a NASA CubeSat mission straight to the Earth's moon in fall. It also plans to launch its private life-hunting Venus Mission set for 2023. Rocket Lab is a multi-awarded company, and it was recently awarded a contract with NASA to design the twin spacecraft for the space company's future ESCAPADE Mars Mission. ESCAPADE Mars Spacecraft ESCAPADE is an acronym for "Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamic Explorers." It would utilize two spacecrafts that could orbit around Mars, aiming to study how the planet's atmosphere is completely taken away by the solar wind. The solar wind is composed of a stream of positively and negatively charged particles that constantly flow from the sun. Rocket Lab to Design Mars Spacecrafts According to Space.com, Rocket Lab will create ESCAPADE's design using its Photon spacecraft bus, as announced by its representative on June 15. Rocket Lab company is famous for Electron, a 58-foot-tall booster responsible for giving small satellites dedicated rides toward the final frontier. However, the company seems to be branching out into the spacecraft field, together with Photon, which is a flexible satellite bus made to carry over 440 pounds to the lower Earth orbit and around 88 pounds during interplanetary missions. The media outlet also mentioned that Rocket Lab is currently developing a giant rocket, Neutron, which could be ready by 2024. As of June, Rocket Lab already got to launch two test versions of Photon toward the Earth's orbit. It also launched the satellite bus to carry NASA's CAPSTONE spacecraft to lunar orbit later in 2021. Read Also: NASA's Juno Will Have a Chance to Peek Into Jupiter's Moon - Ganymede The ESCAPADE Mars Mission The purpose of the ESCAPADE mission is to help scientists understand why and how Mars' climate continues to change over time. Researchers prove that the Mars we see today is quite different from the Mars that previous explorers have witnessed. The barren planet's thick atmosphere became thin, and it has lost an enormous amount of water on its surface. Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, recently stated in its website that the mission is promising, and they will do their best to deliver big science in a small yet capable package. Beck added that planetary science missions usually cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and some even take ten years to come to fruition. With this in mind, he mentioned that Rocket Lab's Photon spacecraft dedicated to ESCAPADE would exemplify the most cost-effective approach for planetary explorations. He and his company aim to increase the science community's knowledge and access to the solar system. Space.com also stated that once ESCAPADE gets selected, it will most probably fly in 2024. ESCAPADE's fate will be out and about soon, as NASA will be performing a preliminary design review by the end of June and a confirmation review in July. Related Article: NASA Curiosity Rover Presents the Earth with Rare, Breathtaking Photos of Iridescent Clouds on Mars This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Fran Sanders 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Apple announced that its new Secret Health Care Program could be useful for patients and medical experts. The tech giant manufacturer also confirmed that it is now testing its new health program called Casper with doctors at its Apple-owned clinics. On the other hand, some Apple critics claimed that the new Casper program could help the giant tech firm provide primary health care service to patients visiting its Apple-owned clinics. Apple said that its emerging Casper project was already conceived in 2016, which is just one year after the Apple Watch release back in 2015. To give you more ideas, here are other details of Apple's new Casper program. Apple's Casper Program To Help Doctors and Patients According to Gizmodo's latest report, Apple's new Secret Health Care Program could help doctors and patients to be in touch with one another even more. This impact was already envisioned by the tech giant manufacturer's CEO, Jeff Williams. Also Read: Apple Anti-Theft Feature Renders Tens of Thousands of Supposedly 'Reusable' iPhones Useless Because of this, Apple's Casper is also dubbed the "363," which is a reference to the fact that a normal person only visits a doctor or other medical expert two times a year. This is currently a bad habit, especially since the global COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting various countries across the globe. On the other hand, Apple also discussed that the 363 issue means that most people only visit their doctors when there is already something wrong with their health. "The team decided one of the best ways to realize that vision was to provide a medical service of its own," said the involved researchers in the new Apple project. "Apple would offer primary care, but also continuous health monitoring as part of a subscription-based personalized health program, according to these people and the documents," the further explained. This just shows that just like Facebook and other tech firms, Apple is not starting to expand its scope to focus on developing advanced gadgets, such as the new Apple Watch Series 7 and more. Apple Says Health App Is Drastically Improving Since Apple now focuses on helping its customers be healthy, the tech giant manufacturer also confirmed that its Health app is now better than before, thanks to iOS 15. Tech Crunch reported that once the Health app's centralized location is developed, they could create a new system that could store essential health-related data and an API and architecture, which could help developers store the mentioned information. For more news updates about Apple and its new technologies, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: Apple Apps Track User Despite Refusing Consent | Here's Why This article is owned by TechTimes Written by: Griffin Davis 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. For now, only billionaires can afford space tourism. Sounds cool, right? But experts alarm about the possible effect on our planet--Earth. Space tourism could soon be a reality since various agencies make advanced technologies that could bring people outside of the Earth. This is currently noticeable on the plans of Blue Origin, SpaceX, NASA, and other giant space agencies. However, some critics and other experts claimed that this could have a massive negative impact on the planet. Although this is the case, they added that space tourism could great for research, especially since there is a high chance that Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and other wealthy tourists could reach the orbit first. This is already done by Yusaku Maezawa, the Japanese billionaire that spends a huge amount of money on SpaceX back in 2018 for a private trip around the moon and back. However, Maezawa did not disclose the exact amount. Since Elon Musk and other rich people could easily pay for a trip outside the Earth and back to the planet, space tourism could definitely grow once it begins. But, why is this a bad thing? Space Tourism's Impact On Earth According to Mashable's latest report, SpaceX, Space Adventures, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and other rising space agencies could make space tourism a possibility. Also Read: Elon Musk Tweets A Beautiful Photo of SpaceX's Enormous Starship Rocket Booster With all the bad things happening around the world, especially the COVID-19 pandemic, which has another new variant, many people would pay to leave the planet. However, experts said that this could greatly lead to huge environmental costs. They explained that all fuel used during rocket launches emit a lot of heat, which could agitate nitrogen in the atmosphere and lead to disruptive nitrogen oxides. "Depending on where they're released in altitude, those nitrogen oxides can either contribute to the formation of ozone or depletion of ozone," said Eloise Marais, an associate professor of physical geography at University College London. "[Nitrogen oxide] is important, sure, but there are also solid fuels that are burnt and those produce chlorine. Chlorine contributes to the destruction of the ozone layer and it's very, very efficient at doing that," she added. Elon Musk's Mars Colonization Was the First Issue Before the issue of space tourism appeared, various experts were concerned about the popular Mars Colonization plan of Elon Musk. They said that people who will participate in the upcoming launch will have a low chance of survival on the Red Planet. Popular Mechanics reported that one of the main reasons why humans won't last long on Mars is because of the planet's harsh conditions. Aside from this, people would also have a hard time on the neighboring planet since scientists explained that they need to live underground if they want to survive. For more news updates about space tourism and other related stories, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: Rocket Lab to Design NASA's Mars Spacecraft: ESCAPADE Duo Using Photon Spacecraft Bus This article is owned by TechTimes Written by: Griffin Davis 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. You would think Joey Reed cringes at every new development in the increasingly tense series of cyber aggressions by Russia toward the United S 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. Ada, OK (74820) Today Variable clouds with scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly during the afternoon hours. High 83F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 67F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. A houses reflects in the surrounding flood waters on Bluff Road as Ascension and Iberville Parishes continue to deal with flooding problems Monday May 24, 2021, in Ascension Parish, La. The people who live in Bluff Swamp began flooding late last week from rain and drainage in the swamp region west of Bluff Road. Iberville has been putting up Aquadams to protect those people from more water from Bayou Manchac. But EBR says the dams could worsen flooding there. More than 1,000 employees, earning a minimum $15 an hour plus benefits, will work at the $200 million, 3.8 million-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center that will replace Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge, officials said Wednesday. Demolition on Cortana Mall has been underway, and Amazon expects the fulfillment center to be fully operational by December 2022. In their first release of details about the center, Amazon officials said that hiring will begin two months before the facility opens. An economic impact analysis by Louisiana Economic Development estimates nearly $26 million in tax revenue to come from the project, with $2.9 billion to be funneled into the economy over the next two decades. The Cortana facility will be the largest robotics prototype fulfillment center for Amazon and the largest non-industrial project in Louisiana since 2000. The centers employees will pick, pack and ship smaller household items like books, toys and cleaning supplies with help from the latest technology Amazon has to offer. Amazon employees will receive comprehensive benefits on their first day including full medical, dental and vision insurance and 401(k) savings with a 50% company match. The online retail giant offers 20 weeks of paid maternity leave, 6 weeks of paid paternity leave and 6 weeks of leave for adoptive parents. Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the companys investment at a Baton Rouge Area Chamber press conference with Amazon and city officials. LED expects the center to generate 1,100 indirect, spin-off jobs and support at least 800 construction jobs during its development, bringing over 2,100 permanent jobs in total to Louisianas capital area. From the local jobs we bring, to the local people we employ, train and upskill, our business is made up of people from the communities like Baton Rouge, said Bri Tye, regional director of operations at Amazon. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Tye said that more than 14,500 small and midsize Louisiana businesses sell their products through Amazon. LEDs analysis estimates that in the first 10 years of the centers operation $12.2 million in sales and property tax revenue will go to East Baton Rouge public schools. Over a 20-year time span, $31 million in tax revenue will support local public education. The Cortana fulfillment center is the third of its kind announced in Louisiana since December 2020. Formal discussions for the Cortana fulfillment center began in January 2020. To secure the investment, the state offered Amazon a $5 million performance-based grant to be paid in 2022 and 2023. The company will also have access to LEDs FastStart workforce training and hiring program. The Metro Council approved a 10-year tax abatement worth more than $30 million for Seefried Industrial Properties, which coordinated the project for Amazon. Payment In Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, grants mega nonmanufacturing projects an exemption on annual property tax payments to the city-parish as long as they meet certain thresholds for job creation and economic impact. Through its agreement with the Capital Area Finance Authority, Seefried will avoid approximately $3.1 million annually in property tax payments to the city-parish not to exceed about $35.4 million over the 10-year span of the abatement period. The fulfillment center is among a number of properties Amazon is developing in south Louisiana. A $100 million, 500-job fulfillment center in Carencro near Lafayette will handle larger products in a 1 million-square-foot facility. The company is constructing a sortation center in Port Allen and a distribution warehouse in Slidell. Amazon recently opened a distribution warehouse in south Baton Rouge and already has facilities in New Orleans. Amazon also is investing in a $200 million fulfillment center as a logistics hub in north Shreveport that will employ 1,000 workers. A Zachary man serving a life sentence as a repeat offender is entitled to "no relief" under U.S. Supreme Court rulings that outlawed split-jury verdicts but refused to make the ban retroactive, a state court commissioner has ruled. Marlon Romaine Carter, 48, had been acquitted in 2016 in the 2014 killing of two homeless men in Baton Rouge, but was later convicted by a non-unanimous jury in 2017 on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to life behind bars as a habitual offender because he had two other convictions for crimes of violence. After acquittal in 2 slayings, Zachary man gets life in prison on gun charge as habitual offender, appeals court affirms Seven months after Marlon Romaine Carter was acquitted in the 2014 slaying of two homeless men in Baton Rouge, sparing him a lifetime behind b The state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed Carter's gun conviction and sentence, as well as his habitual offender classification, in 2018, and the Louisiana Supreme Court did the same in April 2019. A year later, the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Evangelisto Ramos, of New Orleans, outlawed split-jury verdicts and said its ruling applied to cases still on direct appeal. Last month, the high court in a Baton Rouge case refused to make its ban retroactive to older cases where appeals have been exhausted. Carter cited the Supreme Court's 2020 ruling in seeking a new trial on his non-unanimous gun conviction. But 19th Judicial District Commissioner Kina Kimble recommended last week that his application for post-conviction relief be dismissed without the necessity of a hearing. Kimble wrote that the high court's recent refusal to apply its 2020 split-jury verdict ruling retroactively means there is "no relief available to him" via either ruling. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Her recommendation now moves to state District Judge Beau Higginbotham. Carter has a "lengthy criminal history" that includes 16 arrests from 1990 to 2014, the 1st Circuit said in 2018. His gun conviction stemmed from a routine traffic stop in 2014 when Baton Rouge police officers noticed Carter riding a bicycle at night with no lights on the front or back. Carter fled, initially on the bike and then on foot, but was eventually trapped in an alley. At the end of the pursuit, officers found a loaded gun on the ground near him, the appeals court said. His prior convictions were in East Baton Rouge Parish for aggravated battery and second-degree battery, and in West Feliciana Parish for cocaine possession. He was acquitted in 2016 in the shooting deaths of Travis Jones, 22, on July 10, 2014, and Charles Vincent, 59, on July 14, 2014. Jones was found in the middle of South 17th Street between America Street and Louisiana Avenue, and Vincent was shot a few blocks away across the street from the Greyhound bus station on Florida Boulevard. Baton Rouge Police say an autopsy of an 18-year-old revealed that he died from injuries sustained in a car crash, not from gunshot wounds. The crash took place at about 11:34 p.m. Friday near Essen Lane in Baton Rouge, according to BRPD. Police originally said they found Cornell McDuffey, 18, with a gunshot wound lying in a grassy area near the crash, along with three people trying to flee on foot. McDuffey was taken to a nearby hospital where he died from his wounds. However, the East Baton Rouge Forensics Laboratory's autopsy showed that McDuffey's injuries were the result of the crash; he did not have a gunshot wound. Teen dies in shooting after police found him with gunshot wound near crash site Police say an 18-year-old is dead after officials discovered him lying on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound after a car crash. BRPD spokesman Sgt. L'Jean McKneely Jr. said in his original statement that officers detained two of the three men fleeing, though they were uncooperative during interviews with detectives. A weapon was found at the scene, which BRPD collected as evidence. A major racial gap continues in who takes high school classes for college credit, an education consultant told Louisiana public school and college leaders Wednesday. Studies show that 22% of Black students take the classes called dual enrollment compared to 42% of White students, according to Adam Lowe, a consultant with Education Strategy Group, which is based in suburban Washington, D. C. ACT exam is unfair to Black high schoolers seeking college credits, education group says The ACT requirement is the key barrier, and an unfair one, to Black students enrolling in high school classes for college credit, education of In addition, the percentage of students enrolled in the classes drops as the percentage of Black students in a school rises, Lowe said. Schools with Black enrollment of up to 20% have 46% taking dual enrollment courses while those comprised of up to 80% of Black students include only 28% taking classes for both high school and college credit. "We have some things to celebrate and some significant work to do," Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed told the gathering. The issue surfaced during a nearly-two hour meeting of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Louisiana Board of Regents. BESE oversees public schools statewide. The Board of Regents, which has a contract with Education Strategy Group, sets policies for colleges and universities. The two boards typically meet jointly twice a year. The latest snapshot dovetails with what previous reports have said. Black students make up more than 40% of the public high school population, or nearly double the dual enrollment participation. "To achieve the state's goals to develop talent and eliminate equity gaps in higher education much greater intentionality and commitment is needed from all high schools, school systems, colleges and universities in harnessing these successful programs for the benefit of students of color, those from low-income households, first-generation students and special education students," according to the state's first annual report on the issue. State leaders are trying to make dual enrollment a bigger presence in high schools since Louisiana has long lagged behind other states in the number of students who earn college credentials. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Studies show students who take the classes are more likely to enroll and finish college. The state's 2029 goal is for all high school graduates to earn college credit or an academic or career and technical credential or both. During the 2018-19 school year, the last academic year before the coronavirus pandemic, 32% of public high school graduates took at least one dual enrollment course. Lowe said eight public school systems feature dual enrollment participation by 50% or more of its students, including the St. John the Baptist School District, 67%; St. James, 65%; St. Martin, 51% and St. Tammany, 51%. +2 Louisiana state panel recommends major expansion of high school classes for college credit While funding and other key hurdles remain, members of a state task force Monday said eligible Louisiana high school students should have acce High schools where more than 75% of graduates took a dual enrollment class include Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Thomas Jefferson High School for Advanced Studies and Haynes Academy School for Advanced Studies, all Jefferson Parish; Early College Academy in Lafayette Parish and Thrive Academy in East Baton Rouge Parish. A total of 91% of students who take the classes score an A, B or C, according to the annual review. The most popular courses are math and statistics. The University of Louisiana System and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System account for 84% of enrollments. I am the author along with fifteen other state representatives of House Bill 498. Guest columnist Jennifer Herricks is misinformed about HB498 Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission The boss of cancer-fighting outfit Imugene says now is the time for Australia to double down on investment in clinical trials infrastructure to become a magnet for global pharmaceuticals firms. If we can prove that you can develop medication here, success breeds on success, said Leslie Chong. If you build it, they will come. Imugenes shares have been on a tear the past 12 months, gaining 1033 per cent to 34c as the company has updated the market on its key research projects. The biotech has no product on the market yet, but its sharemarket value has swollen beyond $2 billion over the past few months. Leslie Chong is chief executive of Imugene, which has seen its share price rally more than 1000 per cent over the past year. Credit:Paul Jeffers Investors have been taking notice of the company after it posted a number of key clinical updates on its immunotherapy products, including phase 1 trial data for its HER-Vaxx cancer vaccine, designed to treat cancers that over-express a protein called HER-2, like gastric and breast cancers. At a tense press conference, media outlets quizzed Mr McGowan on the political pull held by the owner of the states only daily newspaper, but the Premier refused to answer questions about whether he had discussed the Waitsia exemption with Mr Stokes or Seven Group chief executive Ryan Stokes. Beach Energys shares skyrocketed 6.8 per cent in a single day, thanks in part to the announcement, a jump netting Mr Stokes about $65 million on paper that day. The business world was blindsided. The peak petroleum industry body said the policy actually ran counter to COVID-19 recovery plans by reducing investment in other onshore gas projects. Gas reliant companies such as Fortescue Metals Group and Alcoa predicted the move would push up WA gas prices. Behind the scenes: How the paper pushers made it work Under Freedom of Information laws, WAtoday has obtained government emails, text messages, ministerial briefing notes and other documents that show how public servants were jolted into turning a policy update that had been theoretical for two years, to publication within 12 weeks to complement the governments positive COVID-19 recovery narratives, and Waitsias looming final investment decision. The Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation workers were faced with the additional challenge of not only updating the ageing policy to ensure energy security, but working in an exception the Premier had already given, which seemed to go against the basic spirit of the update. They also had to advise the Premier on how this could be justified to the public and an unsuspecting industry. Correspondence between them and the Premiers office, and the draft policys tracked changes, show that in the end, the review that had been contemplated for two years and in progress for one came down to rewriting and adding a handful of sentences in a document less than two pages long. A spokesman for the Waitsia joint venture confirmed they had begun discussing commercialisation options with the Premiers office in 2018 and that the project would not have been commercially viable without the opportunity to export. Mitsui first met with Mr McGowans office on February 20, briefing them on export plans As the then domestic gas reservation policy was unclear on the treatment of onshore gas, [we] sought advice from the WA government on what options were available in terms of export capacity while seeking to align with an expected capacity shortfall at the North West Shelf, he said. This was long before WA recorded its first COVID-19 case or heard its first-ever dire warning from the Australian Medical Association of WA. On May 1, after the pandemic hit, Mr McGowan wrote to the Waitsia JV saying until recently there had been no need to contemplate the ramifications of exporting gas. He flagged that the policy would be updated going forward, but said meanwhile he supported the export plan on the understanding that once the project was established it would make remaining reserves available to the domestic market. The policy review was then kicked into a higher gear. Less than a fortnight later Mr McGowans office held a policy meeting with the department. The department staff told the meeting they were aware that Santos and Strike Energy (Waitsia JVs biggest Mid West competitor) were also interested in exporting. But they prepared graphs for the meeting showing Waitsia as helping meet domestic demand after 2028. They did not factor in any projects from Strike or Santos projects, even though the graphs showed a shortfall in the states gas requirements from 2026. They said allowing some export may sometimes be in the states interest if it was limited to an exception, took into account domestic demand, and was necessary to encourage industry development. Following the meeting, the Premiers staff told the department officers to provide the draft policy update within four weeks, and to add industry development as an objective, not just energy security. The Premiers office wants the policy update to be part of the COVID recovery narrative, noted a department staffer. The documents show the majority of the departmental staffs focus was on tightening the policy according to the original intention of safeguarding supply, making it very clear gas in the WA pipeline network is not for export, and beefing up transparency and compliance. Over the weeks that followed and knowing a policy update was in the wind, the DomGas Alliance representing big gas users that included Alcoa and FMG wrote to government warning of a predicted domestic gas shortfall from 2026-2029. It warned the government to apply the policy consistently and not allow exemptions for onshore producers hoping to export. But by then Waitsias exemption was a done deal. The department officers missed their four-week deadline, but by early July were back in touch with the Premiers office with draft policy updates that they noted the government was already executing; asking if they were heading in the right direction; and giving assurance the update could be promoted as part of COVID response initiatives. We havent done any consultation none is planned, the department staffer told the Premiers staff, who said they would talk internally about how this could fit with the [COVID-19 recovery] body of work. By early August a briefing note was readied for Mr McGowan. Updates to the policy will be contentious, department staff wrote. [Department staff understand] there is an opportunity to announce the policy updates as part of COVID-19 economic recovery initiatives. You have agreed [Waitsia] can export some of its gas this is not in the public domain. [The department] has spoken about the risks of export from the WA pipeline network for the WA gas market outlook the updates to the policy have been discussed with your office. No stakeholder consultation has occurred. The Waitsia joint venture is targeting final investment decision by end September. The briefing note said to manage expectations in the market, the Waitsia export approval could be positioned as an exception. This possibility of exceptional circumstances was noted in the policy but not spelt out. The note told the Premier he could justify the Waitsia arrangement on the basis of a well-supplied market and a need for export volumes to underpin gas industry development. It recommended the government resolve appropriate communication with Waitsia ahead of the updates to the policy going live. The briefing WAtoday has obtained noted other gas projects were also contemplating export, with Strike speaking publicly of its plans for West Erregula but had yet to raise plans with the department. Two other projects were redacted from the briefing document on commercial sensitivity grounds. On August 17 the government announced the changes to the policy saying Waitsia was shovel ready and promised 200 construction jobs. Waitsia has yet to commence construction, which is scheduled for July. Government keeping WA strong WAtoday asked the Premiers office when discussions first began with Mitsui, as the first briefing meeting taking place in February 2020 suggested the process was under way before the pandemic hit. It also asked whether any of the other companies contemplating export had requested an audience with the Premiers office on this issue before the Premier approved the Waitsia plan. A spokeswoman did not reply in detail but said the government had always upheld the highest standards. Our priority is to keep WA strong, by creating WA jobs and diversifying the WA economy, she said. The Waitsia Gas Project Stage 2 in the Mid West provided urgently needed jobs, royalties and economic stimulus for the region and the state. The domestic gas arrangement enabled the project to get off the ground and in the long-term deliver large volumes of domestic gas to the support the states economy. Beach Energy managing director and chief executive Matt Kay told an Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association event on Tuesday Waitsias policy win wasnt a matter of their major shareholder Mr Stokes picking up the phone and telling the state he wanted the project to happen. Were trying to work through to get stage two, a larger development underway, that was pretty challenging in the domestic market to get through that gate and obviously being able to facilitate North West Shelf provides more domestic gas as well. So for me, its a win-win-win, he said. Its a great policy, frankly, from the WA government, it brings more royalty, more jobs, more development slash that means its a great thing for the state, including the customers in WA. The managing director of Waitsia competitor Strike Energy, Stuart Nicholls, has said the policy had little impact on its own gas assets. But at the same time he confirmed the decision to limit LNG exports did accelerate the companys move into value-adding to its own gas resources a different way, with a multi-billion urea fertiliser project near Geraldton dubbed Project Haber. This reduces the Strikes exposure to volatile international energy and shipping prices and keeps the wealth and prosperity right here in WA, he said. One of the ten sectors prioritised within Chinas Made in China 2025 strategy is aerospace. It has set itself a target of gaining 25 per cent of the global market for narrow-bodied jets by 2035, including a third of its own domestic market. Via a joint venture with Russia, it also aspires to supplying at least 10 per cent of the market for wide-bodied aircraft within 20 years. Instead of fighting with one of our closest allies, we are finally coming together against a common threat: US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. Credit:AP In support of its ambitions it created the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) in 2008 and has since ploughed tens of billions of dollars (on some estimates more than $US70 billion) into COMACs development. COMAC has produced a short haul regional jet, a 78 to 90-seat narrow-body aircraft now operated by a number of Chinas domestic airlines but its real ambition lies with the C919 aircraft, a potential direct competitor to Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX planes. The C919 would be a single-aisle, narrow-body jet capable of carrying about 158 passengers, with a range of just over 4000 km. So far its development has only reached the prototype stage since 2017 it has been flying up to six C919s but has yet to carry commercial passengers. The challenge to Chinas aspirations is that the C919 is inferior to its American and European competitors it has less capacity, less range and is less fuel-efficient than them and is, so far, very reliant on US technology. COMAC is aiming for certification this year and, perhaps, its first commercial deliveries. Chinas interest in aerospace lies in the sectors leading edge technologies, some of which have military applications, which fits within its broader ambition of dominating the key technologies that will drive economic progress and deliver geopolitical clout over the next several decades. Its natural competitive advantage in aviation lies in the size of its domestic market, which became the worlds largest as a result of the collapse in travel in the US last year as a result of the pandemic. Its manufactured advantage is its willingness to throw the resources of the state behind its ambitions. Not only has COMAC been massively funded by the state but China has a central procurement agency for aircraft and aircraft engines China Aviation Supplies Holding Company -- which enables it to compel its domestic airlines to buy locally-produced aircraft. China created the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) in 2008 and has since ploughed tens of billions of dollars into COMACs development. Credit:AP Last year, as the pandemic ravaged the industry, China deferred scheduled deliveries of more than 100 Boeing and Airbus planes while maintaining all COMACs deliveries to its domestic carriers. Those state-owned carriers will have no option but to support the C919 project. The challenge to Chinas aspirations is that the C919 is inferior to its American and European competitors it has less capacity, less range and is less fuel-efficient than them and is, so far, very reliant on US technology. Its engines are made by General Electric and Frances CFM and there are estimates that about 60 per cent of the suppliers for the C919 are American and a further 30 per cent European. The Biden administration could, if it wished, cut off COMACs access to US technology, including the crucial engines. If it coordinates its actions with the EU, it could wipe out Chinas access to almost all the technology underpinning the C919 project. China is trying to develop domestic supplier capability of its own (aided by forced technology transfers) and also to reverse-engineer the GE engines. It has built large stockpiles of critical components and is also looking to Russia, Brazil and other potential suppliers in the event the US limits its ability to acquire key components from US companies. Another, potentially even more limiting, reality that could impact Chinas ambitions to gatecrash the global industry is that, apart from starting well behind what is a fast-moving target of advanced aeronautical technology, it doesnt have the global infrastructure and support networks Boeing and Airbus have developed over many decades. The significance of incumbency was illustrated dramatically by the experience of Canadas Bombardier early this century when it set out to develop a larger plane than the regional jets it was renowned for. Its CSeries planes were next-generation aircraft that would seat up to 150 passengers, taking on Boeing and Airbus in segments they dominated. The project partners included the Canadian and UK governments. The first flight occurred in 2013 and the plane was certified in 2015. Chinas C919 remains reliant on US technology. Credit:AP While Bombardier did secure orders for the new aircraft, Boeing responded with big discounts to deter US carriers from ordering the plane and a complaint to the US government of government subsidies that resulted in punishing tariffs being imposed. In 2018, with Bombardier financially stretched and the CSeries program in trouble, Airbus emerged with a majority stake in the program (which it lifted to 75 per cent last year) and rebadged the plane as the A220. Commuters have been given a glimpse of the new metro train lines under Sydneys harbour which will connect the future Barangaroo and North Sydney stations. The 800-metre section of track in the northbound harbour tunnel is now complete while tracklaying on the southbound tunnel is expected to finish by July. Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Transport Minister Andrew Constance inside the new cross-harbour metro tunnel between Blues Point and Barangaroo. Credit:Nick Moir The NSW governments flagship rail project will be composed of a line from Chatswood to the CBD, traversing under Sydney harbour, and then onto Sydenham and Bankstown. Around 50,000 people will have worked on this incredible city-shaping project by the time services start in 2024, with about 800 involved in the tunnel fit-out and 5000 currently working on the project, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. By late Wednesday morning, all that was left for Ben Roberts-Smiths barrister was to gather the strings, to convey the magnitude of the impact of the articles on his client, to give the unhappy ending. Bruce McClintock, SC, had escorted the former SAS soldier through four days of evidence, addressing each of the allegations published by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times and countering them. Bruce McClintock, SC, left, with Ben Roberts-Smith outside court last week. Credit:Getty Images Last week, they trudged through the battlefields of Afghanistan, where Mr Roberts-Smith earned his Victoria Cross, and then the messy aftermath, where some soldiers were labelled cowards and others became known as braggarts. It was in this context, Mr Roberts-Smith argued, that jealous rivals made allegations to the press that he had committed war crimes. On Tuesday, Mr McClintock unspooled the ragged wire of Mr Roberts-Smiths personal life in the months before he is alleged to have punched his mistress in the face. It was against this background, Mr Roberts-Smith argued, that she over-indulged in alcohol and fell down the stairs. As to the poor unfortunate who made the mistake. They will be very aware of what they are uploading in future. Beef battle Northcote, to your battle stations! The little-known Parliamentary Friends of Red Meat enjoyed a rare moment in the sun on Tuesday when a Canberra sitting week catch-up over a barbie turned very newsworthy indeed. The Friends announcement of a Senate inquiry into food labelling of meat-free products led to an explosion of media interest. Queensland co-conveners LNP Senator Susan McDonald and Labor MP Milton Dick announced the inquiry would zero in on non-animal proteins billed as meat including sausage made with plants or vegan bacon or meat free mince. And what better event to announce an assault on plants masquerading as meat than the Friends meat-fuelled extravaganza. Officially, the event promised a Red Meat Advisory Council showcase of Australias renowned red meat and livestock category brands. What guests got was a whole lot more. No Linda McCartney vegetarian sausages here. Choice items on the decidedly extra menu included wagyu beef nigiri served with aromatic rice, a beef katsu sando and a Kamado BBQ beef shin with spinach and mushroom. Lamb delicacies included gochujang ribs, a char siu cutlet (native and pepper-spiced in a panko crumb) and a lamb rump served with desert lime piccalilli and Davidson plum. But our favourite has to be a goat tagine with saltbush, wattleseed and flatbread - a punchy choice, to be sure. With a dish like that, who needs veggies? The Friends event followed the slew of MPs who jetted into Rockhampton last month for the Beef Week promotional cattle fest. LNP Senator Matt Canavan scored tickets to 12 events including Beef, Beer and Bubbles with Telstra, a BBQ with Central Queensland University and an outing at the ANZ National Beef Carcase Competition Awards dinner. Capricornia MP Michelle Landry made appearances at Beef Australias Nose to Tail Dinner, the Graeme Acton Beef Connections Lunch and the NAB Ladies Lunch. Clearly, there are plenty of votes in beef. David Gonski, doorknocking as a schoolboy for the Red Shield Appeal. Credit:Illustration: John Shakespeare Hitting the streets Its that time of year again when a red army (no, not that kind) hits the streets in aid of the Salvation Armys annual Red Shield Appeal. UNSW chancellor David Gonski led a roll-call of company directors and philanthropists on Wednesday, including Macquarie Bank director Jillian Broadbent and University of Sydney chancellor Belinda Hutchinson at Sydneys Fullerton Hotel to launch the charitys famous doorknocking drive. This years effort has a fundraising target of $32 million which will be directed to the Salvos homelessness services. Gonski stole the show recalling his doorknocking experience more than half a century ago as a recently arrived schoolboy from South Africa. Trudging around the mansions of Bellevue Hill in Sydneys eastern suburbs, Gonski had an unexpectedly sharp encounter after ringing the ornate doorbell at the end of a very long drive. His appeal for a donation received a tart response from a society doyenne who bellowed Do you know who I am? from the staircase, before admonishing the schoolboy for having the temerity to stand on her doorstep asking for money given her standing in the fundraising community. And she wasnt a Salvation Army person, but she was part of the social scene, Gonski sniffed, clearly still smarting from the memory. A short while later, and several streets away, a Jaguar stopped by the young Gonski and a man dressed in a uniform got out. He gave me $10 and said here, my boss says [his] wife was out of order, he laughed. Ever the gentleman, Gonski declined to say who the homeowner was, likewise gracious host Peter Overton, but we all know whom they were talking about. Happy to assist Loading Over in Perth, the annual shindig for the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association is still trying to recover after iron ore magnate Andrew Twiggy Forrest let loose at industry players Santos, Chevron and Woodside in The Australian Financial Review and opined that the trio had a disgraceful track record with their carbon emissions. How very dare he! The conference has been running for 60 years and there are 1700 delegates attending Perths Convention and Exhibition Centre, plus 120 exhibitors, which makes it the largest of the COVID-19 era. So the industry is in rude health. Or maybe not, when you consider just how heavily subsidised some attendees have been thanks to a grants program courtesy of the federal governments trade and exporting quango Austrade. It has shelled out more than $500,000 to oil and gas companies to cover up to 50 per cent of eligible costs at the industrys flagship event. Adelaide, which was struck by a magnitude 6.5 shock in 1954, has been assigned the low risk rating of one. There, tall buildings have to be reinforced, adding about 10 per cent to their cost. Victorias seismic history goes back to the opening of the Tasman Sea 100 million years ago, according to Dr Peter Wellman, a geophysicist at the Bureau of Mineral Resources in Canberra. The continental plate that supports Australia on the subterranean sea of molten rock broke up and New Zealand literally floated eastwards. Australia was drifting northwards over a volcanic hot spot at the same time. Thirty million years ago the hot spot was under Queensland and six million years ago it passed under the Macedon region where lava squeezed through the crust to form landmarks such as Hanging Rock. The Eastern Highlands were rising throughout this period of seismic activity and still are. Dr Wellman has traced the uplift, caused by an east-west compression of the continent, by measuring the rate of down-cutting of river valleys. Imagine a piece of bread with a diagonal cut across it, Dr Wellman said. Pushed together, one piece will over-ride the other. This is what is happening in south-east Australia. Cleaning up how we consume on this planet We are going through a challenging upheaval because racial, gender, religious and other minority groups are asserting their right to a fair share of what society offers and the rest of society is learning to adjust. But a far larger struggle is looming since humans have become the Earths dominant species survival of every other voiceless (non-voting) organism upon which human life depends. Ignoring that challenge imperils us all. Learning to limit the human urge to dominate everything is the challenge of the century. Former competition watchdog Graeme Samuels recommendations to strengthen the federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act are now up for a vote in the Senate. The acts improvements need Senate support, together with a comprehensive process to clean up how we consume on this planet. Robbert Veerman, Buxton We will pay the price for not having a carbon tax Nick OMalley (The Age, 16/6) provides a clear analysis of one of the negative consequences for Australia of not having a carbon price: the high likelihood of having to pay higher tariffs on our exports to nations that are taking serious climate action. It counters the federal governments fairy tale narrative of technology, not taxes. The results of the Resolve Strategic survey (The Age, 16/6) show that a majority of the people surveyed have bought the governments story line, despite the contradictions between its rhetoric and evidence (for example the barriers to the uptake of electric vehicles). Evidence shows that market mechanisms are the best way to reduce emissions. Thank you, Nick OMalley, for setting us straight about the reality of Australias climate and economic negligence. Jenny Henty, Canterbury THE FORUM Acting on climate change It is unsurprising that a small minority of people are prepared to pay for emitting carbon dioxide (The Age, 16/6). There seems to be a disconnect between a growing acceptance of climate change and actually realising we have to spend money to do something about it. Yet we are starting to pay big time for our lack of action, in the costs of the dramatically increasing weather events. Compounding the problem would be a lack of understanding of how a price on carbon would work. Forward-thinking leaders would be able to take the public with them on this, in the same way that John Howard convinced the public that a GST was needed in the late 1990s. We do not have a government that is promoting new low emissions technology either, given its lack of interest in incentivising electric vehicles, but instead allowing tradies to claim their new diesel ute as a full tax deduction. Its focus is on short-term political gain. Alex Judd, Blackburn North Loss of our precious earth Scott Morrison persists on placing the value of trade above the major influences we are experiencing in climate change. What will it take for him to understand that money is worthless when we can no longer live on our beloved earth? His value systems are archaic and belong in the white, male and pale garbage bin along with the mammoth he cannot see in the room. I feel distraught that he can continue to take us down this path. Please save us from this man. Christine Garth, Malvern Beyond the call of duty Jenna Price (Opinion, 15/6) suggests that honours should go to volunteers and not to people who only do their highly paid jobs. My OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia) was for volunteering, but in my professional life as a teacher I was part of a community in which some teachers did far more than was required by their jobs writing textbooks, organising teacher networks, developing new curriculum, offering much time for tutoring weak students while others did the bare minimum. I am sure it is the same for all professions. So I have no problem with national awards going to these leaders of their professions. It is the same with volunteers some contribute a day a year, others devote most of every waking day to their passion for volunteering, often in several fields. From what I can tell, the judging panels do a thorough job of assessing whether a nomination deserves an award. Robert Bender, Ivanhoe East Why we still need cash I strongly disagree with Howard Brownscombes proposal to outlaw cash (Letters, 16/6). Cash is reliable (digital payment methods are unusable when power supplies are disrupted), secure and convenient. Electronic payment methods can compromise ones privacy, can have added fees and are also unusable if the network and power go down, as has happened several times. Suzanne McHale, Bentleigh Speed is of the essence Geraldine OSullivan asks why there can be 50-plus people in a restaurant, but no one in my house (Letters, 15/6). This rule is put in place to assist contact tracers who are a critical part of the response to the pandemic. When 50 people go to a restaurant, they are all registered either through a QR code or manually. If a viral outbreak occurs that is connected to the restaurant, the contact tracers have a flying start at contacting these people quickly. However, it would be more difficult, and take more time, for the contact tracers to get in touch with the people who have come over for a meal. In the event of an outbreak, the virus could be out of control before they could do their job. Brian Tait, Blackburn Promises, promises Isnt it interesting that we are being told we have a shortage of the Pfizer vaccine because of the appetite of Victorians to get the jab?. It has nothing to do with the bizarre lack of orders for it, despite the attestation to the public that plenty had been arranged and that we would all be vaccinated by the end of 2021. Its not a race? No, it is a crawl over a trail of broken promises. Lisa Dooley, South Melbourne Understand the mask-less Thank you to the reader who explained why they cannot wear a mask for extended periods (Letters, 15/6). I truly feel for you and others with medical conditions who also cannot wear masks for example, those with lung diseases. As a health care worker, I might have been someone who has glared at you, in an outside setting. There should be a way you can avoid these awful experiences. Would it be possible to wear an approved lanyard or a badge explaining your exemption? Penelope Jones, Hawthorn East Making sense of policies I am confused. Is the Morrison governments refusal to allow the Biloela family to remain in Australia because the people smugglers and boats will return, or is it because when they do not return it will expose the governments cruel and costly refugee policy for what it is cruel and costly? Geoff Wasley, Berwick The economic argument After listening in despair to Immigration Minister Alex Hawke speak this week, it is clear to me that appealing for a compassionate outcome is not going to sway the government. Perhaps we need to focus on the ridiculous cost of its actions in detaining the Murugappan family and ask what else this money should be spent on. Glenice Brant, Eltham Such twisted thinking The appalling response of the government to the plight of the lovely Murugappan family convinces me that it is in the thrall of a new conspiracy group I have called BNumb. Its members believe that compassion is bad, that accountability displays weakness, that words speak louder than actions, that the laying of hands is better than doing something useful with them, that boats can miraculously appear from nowhere and that vaccination is not race. Michael Feeney, Malvern When laws need to change Is Amanda Vanstone (Opinion, 14/6) serious? Surely she is not advocating for laws to remain the same because changing them may be unfair to previous victims of these laws. Think about it. Dorothy Waterfield, Seaholme The media loves misery I have myself considered the morality of deporting the Sri Lankan family, until I read Amanda Vanstones article. Always enlightening, she gives an unbiased perspective. We have good, fair laws in this country and it irks me that the media so often takes an opposing stance on our immigration systems decisions, tested and re-tested as they are. We are bombarded with this tale of woe. Have you nothing more compelling to write about in such challenging times? Bronwyn Pearl, Brighton Look at the real danger The Prime Minister expects us to believe that the Biloela family poses a serious threat whilst his friend, Tim Stewart, and his son, both followers of far-right conspiracy theory QAnon, are of no concern...to him. Kerry Bergin, Abbotsford Such admirable loyalty Four Corners depicted Jenny and Scott Morrison on the way up who remained loyal to their longstanding friends, while a father and son developed some beliefs which could be twisted to undermine the political ascendancy. Commendable (for a change). As for the use of the word ritual in the Prime Ministers 2019 apology to victims of institutional sex abuse, at the time and given the context, it was the perfect choice of word. Ronald Elliott, Sandringham More than a bit loopy Julie Szego, not all conspiracy lovers are loveable if sometimes annoying (Opinion, 16/6). This was evident in the Four Corners program (ABC TV, 14/6) where a grandson allegedly sent threatening texts to his family. It was evident in the behaviour of those who stormed the US Capitol. Saying, Mate, I respect your opinion tells them it is OK to believe these unproven, dangerous ideas. It is not. Also, I do not have friends who have one or two loopy ideas. I choose my friends wisely. Julie Carrick, Leopold Such a worn out excuse Clearly the Prime Ministers association with QAnon member Tim Stewart is yet another on water matter so questions will go unanswered. That excuse is well past its use-by date. Robyn Westwood, Heidelberg Heights End negative gearing The laments from some Liberal MPs about high house prices (The Age, 16/6) are nothing more than crocodile tears. The solution is obvious get rid of negative gearing so housing is not as attractive to investors. But their government will never do this. They would offend too many of their wealthy supporters. Grant Nichol, North Ringwood Match made in heaven Sam Roggeveen, it is so refreshing to see that someone has had a look at the map, and has discovered that Indonesia is the obvious candidate for a natural security partner Australia should look to friends closer to home (Opinion, 16/6). Europe and the United States are all very well, but Indonesia is large and on our side of the world, a clear choice for sharing the common objective of keeping maritime south-east Asia open and free. Stuart Robson, adjunct professor of Indonesian studies, Monash University Why we need red tape The West Gate Tunnel Project has blown out to a total of $11billion, more than double the original estimate Transurban claims $4b amid tunnel soil crisis (The Age, 16/6). The project has been riddled with poor planning. We used to have sound planning processes in this state but they took time and did not fit in with political cycles, so we introduced the Major Projects Facilitation Act to cut red tape. It just shows that you get what you plan for. Jeff Moran, Bacchus Marsh AND ANOTHER THING Illustration: Matt Golding Credit:Illustration: Matt Golding Biloela family Immigration detention in Perth. Not home to Biloela? How did I ever imagine that decency and compassion might prevail? Kathy Deutsch, Kew ScoMo has done what he does best: counted the votes, worked out that this family has public support. Ron Snell, Elsternwick Hallelujah, hallelujah. Australia finally has a heart, even if the pulse is low.| Catherine Healy, Brighton The family would have had no problems if they were au pairs and lived in Duttons electorate. Rob King, Carrum It seems to be true: people smugglers are determining Australias border policy. Elizabeth Chipman, Seaford Wait until youre pushed and then do just enough but this time its not enough, Scott Morrison. Barbara Lynch, South Yarra Politics Four Corners QAnon expose will surely bring another round of cuts to the ABCs budget. John Sale, Glen Waverley My low confidence in ScoMo has been reduced to zero after watching Four Corners. Geoff Castles, Ringwood North What awful journalism. What was Four Corners trying to prove? It was more like a vindictive witch hunt. Olivia Cuming, Hawthorn Nathan Buckley put the team ahead of himself. If only Albanese would display the same class and make way for Plibersek, Australias Jacinda Ardern. Raymond Such, Brunswick Who the hell am I going to vote for in the next state and federal elections? Gill Salmon, Carnegie Furthermore Enough of Collingwood, please. Ursula Miller, Frankston South Dont worry. Its just China trying to be cuddly. Martin Vaelioja, Endeavour Hills COVID: Citizens Of Victoria Ignoring Directions. Ken Mcleod, Williamstown The federal government has accepted advice from Australias expert immunisation panel that the age range for those using AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine be increased to 60 and over, from 50 previously. Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Thursday Pfizer was now the preferred vaccine for under 60s and the government would immediately move to open access to the vaccine for 40 to 59-year-olds. People who have had one dose of AstraZeneca are still encouraged to get their second dose. The Australian Technical Group on Immunisation has recommended raising the age for AstraZeneca to 60. Credit:AP Seven of the 12 new cases of a rare blood-clotting disorder linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine confirmed in the past week were in people aged 50 to 59, according to the latest vaccine safety report. Mr Hunt said on Thursday the decision would open access to Pfizer to about 2.1 million people in the 50-59 age group who were yet to receive a vaccination. He urged patience as the change was rolled out to GPs and Commonwealth and state clinics. Read the full story here. Regularly, the great and the good from the worlds of business, media and politics tell us that we will have to learn to live with the virus. In the strictest sense, they are right, because the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 will be with us forever. But what does living with the virus mean? If it means going about our daily affairs the way we did before early 2020, with few or no changes to our behaviour, then some of us wont be living with the virus, well be dying from it. If we are going to have to learn to live with the virus we will also have to accept that some people may die from the virus. Credit:Getty Images Theres no way that this would not be the case. Even a celebrated advocate for living with the virus, Virgin Australias CEO Jayne Hrdlicka, acknowledged this in controversial remarks last month. It will make us sick but wont put us into hospital. Some people may die but it will be way smaller than the flu, she said. The fractured logic within Hrdlickas comments it wont be serious but will also kill some of us - captured the confused thinking that still prevails when it comes to what Australia will do once we get past the current stage of dealing with COVID-19, which is to throw taxpayers money at all the problems its causing while keeping our borders closed. Its been a big few days for Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who this morning is in Paris for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. This was after his first face-to-face meeting with the Queen in Windsor, following a few days as a guest on the sidelines of the G7 in Cornwall. At the G7 meeting Australias position on China was warmly backed with significant supportive language from the group, which includes the United States and the UK. At Downing Street with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Mr Morrison signed a free trade agreement with Britain. Today on Please Explain, Europe correspondent Bevan Shields speaks with Tory Maguire about the G7 summit and Australias stance with China. Parents highlighted the need for more transparency around care options childcare, family day care, preschool or nannies what each involved and how much they cost. New data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies also found that since the lockdowns of 2020 there has been a 25-percentage-point increase in working from home, with 67 per cent of respondents working at home some or all of the time at the end of last year compared with 42 per cent pre-pandemic. Of the more than 3600 people surveyed in November and December last year 29 per cent were always working at home, compared with 7 per cent at the start of 2020. Lead researcher on the study Jennifer Baxter said many people liked the lack of commute and better balance of doing some work at home. Half of parents found it difficult to combine work and childcare at home. Mothers working at home carried out more childcare and risked needing to do two jobs at once which some did, without sacrificing productivity. For some people working at home has created challenges; it depends on what your caring responsibilities are, what support you have from a partner and whether or not theyre participating in the caring or home management, said Dr Baxter. Loading Working from home hasnt necessarily improved things for women overall. Theres still a lot of work to be done combining work, care and other household work that is still largely falling to women. The government is aiming to address the problem of parents not being able to find childcare that fits their need with a new website, allocated $16.9 million in the May budget. Education Minister Alan Tudge expects it to launch in 2022. Department officials say this will offer parents information that is currently spread across several sites. Its about bringing together quality data with fee data much more in real-time and much more localised, allowing people to do a bit of a calculation based on where their rate of subsidy is at, and where there might be a service that meets that in that particular area, deputy secretary Ros Baxter said. Jane Hunt, chief executive of the Front Project, was surprised by the high proportion of families nearly four in five saying the expense of childcare was a barrier to starting or returning to work. We knew affordability was an issue, but we didnt know it was that much of an issue, she said. For many families, looking for the right place for their child to be in education and care was stressful and in fact, there was little genuine choice once you factored in its geography, availability of hours and ... hours that suited their family needs. The research found all families experienced similar barriers to participation in work, although those with higher incomes were more able to look at alternatives such as nannies or weather the financial challenges. Loading The survey of 1695 parents with children aged 5 and under and focus groups were done before the government announced its plan to increase the subsidy for families with two or more children in care at the same time. Ms Hunt said this would go some way to alleviating concerns around affordability. The governments policy, expected to start in mid-2022, will help some 250,000 families who have two or more children aged under 6 in care about a quarter of all those with young children in childcare. Labor announced last year it would increase subsidies across the board, to a maximum of 90 per cent. Budapest: Hungary has banned any portrayals of homosexuality or gender fluidity being shown to minors, something supporters claim will help fight paedophilia but which human rights groups gave denounced as discrimination. Fidesz, the conservative ruling party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, introduced the legislation, which is the latest effort to curtail the rights of gay men, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people in the European nation. Hungarys National Assembly approved the bill in a 157-1 vote, opposed by one independent. A drag queen waves a rainbow flag during an LGBT rights demonstration in front of the Hungarian Parliament building in Budapest, Hungary on June. 14, 2021. Credit:AP Csaba Domotor, the Fidesz state secretary, described the goal as the protection of children, noting that the changes include the introduction of a searchable registry of convicted paedophiles. Prague: Dreadlocked, pacifist and a lover of psychedelic trance music, former software architect Ivan Bartos doesnt come across as your typical eastern European leader. The 41-year-old is chairman of the Pirate Party, the Czech version of the groups that have sprung up over the past decade or so to champion civil rights and challenge corruption. Less than four months before national elections, however, polls suggest Bartos could end up running the country, heading a coalition of mayors and independents to oust billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis. Ivan Bartos of the Czech Pirate Party Credit:CC For Czechs, a Pirate victory in the October 8-9 vote would reflect an electorate that has grown weary of the pandemic and allegations of corruption and cronyism. But for the European Union, theres broader significance: it would loosen political ties with Poland and Hungary after they clashed with Brussels over emergency funding from the bloc. Lima: Peruvians from the Huinchiri community in Cusco region are rebuilding a 500-year-old Incan hanging bridge, made using traditional weaving techniques to literally string a crossing together spanning the Apurimac river far below. Members of the Huinchiri community rebuild an Incan hanging bridge, known as the Qeswachaka bridge, using traditional weaving techniques in Canas, Peru. Credit:Qoriankatours.com The Qeswachaka bridge has been used for more than 500 years to connect communities divided by the river. It is maintained by locals every year, but during the COVID-19 pandemic it fell into disrepair and collapsed in March. Members of the affected communities, such as the Huinchiri, decided to rebuild the 30-metre-long bridge in the traditional Incan woven style. Teams of workers, starting from both sides of the ravine and balancing on giant main ropes that had been stretched over the river, worked towards the centre putting in place smaller ropes as barriers between the handrail ropes and the walkways floor. I am never quite sure just where the ideas will come to me for our weekly articles, but part of enjoying this process is to see how and where God will provide me with the information that I share with you each week. This week will be in a sense doing a two-part series (first time I have done Van Buren, AR (72956) Today Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low 63F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Up for debate: Live legislation tracker Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics. This Sept. 10, 2017 file photo shows waves crashing over a seawall at the mouth of the Miami River from Biscayne Bay, Fla., as storm surge from Hurricane Irma impacts Miami. Staff Reporter Nyamekye Daniel has been a journalist for five years. She was the managing editor for the South Florida Media Network and a staff writer for The Miami Times. Daniel's work has also appeared in the Sun-Sentinel, Miami Herald and The New York Times. Cheyenne, WY (82001) Today Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. High 79F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 59F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Instant unlimited access to all of our E-Editions and content on thechronicleonline.com. The Chronicle E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) Batavia, NY (14020) Today Light rain this morning with thunderstorms by evening. High 66F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 56F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Towanda, PA (18848) Today Rain showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 74F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Towanda, PA (18848) Today Rain showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 73F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Oneonta, NY (13820) Today Rain this morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 68F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low near 55F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Oneonta, NY (13820) Today Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 68F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Click the image to the left and log in to get your exclusive reader perks. Melanie joined The Daily Times in the early 90s and has served as the Life section editor since 1993. A William Blount and UT alum, Melanie is generally the early arriver who turns on the lights in the newsroom. Follow Melanie Tucker Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Forest City, NC (28043) Today Showers likely along with a possible rumble of thunder this morning, then cloudy skies this afternoon. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Neighborhood Flavor profiles the people behind the familiar restaurants, bars and food businesses of the Eastside Historic Filipinotown -- From dancer to drummer, nurse to chef, Justin Foronda has done it all. A brief stint in culinary school provided him the skills to start his own brunch pop-up Benaddictz, as a side hustle to his nursing career. Even though he rose through the ranks quickly as a nurse, Foronda felt he needed a creative outlet, so he officially opened HiFi Kitchen inspired by the Filipino dishes he enjoyed growing up. Heres what Foronda said about running his own business" Where did the name HiFi Kitchen come from? I remember not knowing where Historic Filipinotown started and ended. I would visit Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Little Armenia, Thai Town. When you're in those places, you know you're in those specific cultural enclaves. Filipinotown never had that. So as a young kid, I would always wonder, how can I change it? I'm turning 36 in July, and it still hasn't changed, so I figured I'm going to take it into my own hands. That's why I named the restaurant after the neighborhood to provide visibility, so people know what it is. When you see HIFI kitchen, you think it probably has something to do with music. When they get there, they realize like, oh HIFI stands for Historic Filipinotown. What did you do before you opened HiFi? I had been a nurse for around five years. I made it up the latter pretty quickly. And I was like, is this it? Is this gonna be my life? I don't know everything but I kind of got into like it was a 9-to-5 type of deal, where I'm clocking-in, doing work, clocking-out. All my peers were starting to get married and buying houses and shit. I was just like, is this what I'm supposed to do now? Like is this the end of my life? (Laughs) How did HiFi Kitchen come to be? I don't have kids, so I felt like now's a good time to do it, because if I fail, I'm only affecting myself. I can always go back to school. I can always become an NP later on. I started doing a brunch pop-up. It was called Benaddictz. We did different kinds of Eggs Benedicts, while I was a full time nurse. L.A. Weekly [wrote about us] us, and we went from having just a few people on the waiting list to like 70 to 100 people on the waiting list for these brunches. I was like, "Can this be something? Can I really do this?" And that was kind of like the indicator that maybe I could. Sign up for The Eastsider's Daily Digest newsletter Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. And then a few years later, somebody that had connections with the space that I'm in now, caught wind of my brunch, came to the brunch, and was like, "Hey, I know these guys that have a restaurant space and it's been closed for a year, you want to take it over?" And I was like, "I'm going to jump in." What is the best part of owning your own business? Seeing your passions and ideas through. Figuring out how those come to fruition, because there's so much more that goes into cooking. One, you gotta learn how to cook. Two, you have to learn how to run a business. It's also kind of like the worst part, coming from a medical background. It's a very steep learning curve. The problem solving is really fun. As a breakdancer, beatboys, there's no school. There's a lot of problem solving, techniques and grit and grind that I learned from that. I have to really self evaluate, be very self conscious about the process. I take that analysis part and apply it to my business. How did you adapt to COVID? When everything shut down, I actually left the restaurant to work more hours at the hospital. We are pretty dependent on the local offices and our area doesn't have a lot of walking foot traffic. It was just a ghost town, so I had to think of different ways to get people in. Let me get back to the drawing board. Me being a nurse my first reaction was like, "We got to serve the nurses." We have to figure out a way to donate food because they're working a lot, right now. The first hospital that we donated to was the one that I worked at. What is your favorite item on the menu? Can you describe it? It has to be the chicken adobo. My dad taught me how to make it. I flipped it with ingredients that I was familiar with. He taught me a traditional way, and being from L.A. and just being a weird creative kid, I was just like, what if we sub-out the vinegar for this? What if we sub-out the soy sauce with this? It's sweet \-savory, like umami, super tender. The way the rice soaks up the jus is probably the best part. I mean the chicken is good, but what makes it different, and what makes it delicious is how the rice carries the jus. We do our own pickled cucumber salad and that helps cut through the sweet umami of it. Can you share any tips or recipes for the readers? Don't be afraid of getting creative. If something calls for salt in the recipe, think of something else that's very salty and add that. Don't worry about following recipes. One person's pinch of salt is different from another person's pinch. I mean, just get funky with it, man. 22 States Urge Court: Repeal of Californias Assault Weapons Ban Should Be Kept Twenty-two Republican-led states have filed a court brief in support of a decision that struck down Californias assault weapons ban last month as the state appeals to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 22 states, led by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, said in a June 15 filing (pdf) that the 9th Circuit should uphold a lower court decision to strike down a ban on what California describes as illegal military-style rifles. Earlier this month, a federal judge issued an injunction and gave the state 30 days to file an appeal. The experience in Arizona and other states shows that modern rifles are common to the point of ubiquity among law-abiding gun owners and their use promotes public safety, the states court filing reads. Furthermore, Brnovich argued that describing modern rifles as assault rifles is a misnomer, claiming that such rifles are the ones most often used by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes like personal protection or target and sport shooting. There is nothing sinister about citizens keeping or bearing a modern rifle, the court filing states. Law-abiding citizens keeping and bearing modern rifles benefit public safety, counter-balance the threat of illegal gun violence, and help make our homes and streets safer. While characterizing Californias law as draconian, Brnovich argued that because such firearms are commonly used, the ban strikes at the core of the Second Amendment. The court filing noted that Californias appeal doesnt dispute that thousands of its residents possess the rifles for home defense or sporting. Modern rifles have in fact repeatedly been used for that purpose, including stopping mass shootings, the court filing reads. The attorneys general also sought to dispute a claim in Californias appeal that the rifles are used for illegal activities and that residents can use other means for self-defense, noting that argument was rejected in a previous court ruling. California first handed down restrictions on assault weapons in 1989. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, has said those restrictions are necessary because such weapons are more dangerous than other firearms. Bonta and other officials also objected to U.S. District Judge Roger Benitezs description of the AR-15 as being like a Swiss Army knife, or a combination of a home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment. Equating firearms that have been used in many of the deadliest mass shootings in this country with Swiss Army knives has no basis in law or fact, Bonta said. Gov. Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, defended the states ban on the weapons and said it has saved lives. But Brnovich argued that the ban is an infringement on Americans Second Amendment right to bear arms. Our Second Amendment is constantly under attack from out-of-touch Californians and ignorant special interest groups, the Republican attorney general said in a statement. America must never abandon her law-abiding citizens and their fundamental right to defend themselves. Other states joining Arizona in the amicus petition were Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and U.S President Joe Biden (R) enter the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16, 2021. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo) White House Responds to Claim That Biden Nodded in Agreement About Trusting Putin A high-stakes meeting between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin is underway in Geneva, Switzerland. Before their meeting on Wednesday, the two leaders shook hands before going inside for the closed-door talks. During a scrum with media outlets and amid heavy security, a reporter asked Biden about whether he trusts Putin, during which he appeared to nod up and down. Biden looked at her and nodded in the affirmative, according to a White House pool reporter. But White House officials later said that he wasnt nodding in agreement to the question. It was a chaotic scrum with reporters shouting over each other. President Biden was very clearly not responding to any one question, but nodding in acknowledgment to the press generally, White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield told reporters on Wednesday. And White House press secretary Jen Psaki also pushed back on the claim Biden nodded in the affirmative to the question. During a chaotic free for all with members of the press shouting questions over each other, the President gave a general head nod in the direction of the media. He wasnt responding to any question or anything other than the chaos, Psaki said of the incident. The two leaders issued several comments before their hour-long meeting. President Joe Biden prepares to shake hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to the US-Russia summit at the Villa La Grange, in Geneva on June 16, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP) Mr. President, Id like to thank you for your initiative to meet today, Putin said while sitting next to Biden on Wednesday. U.S. and Russian relations have a lot of issues accumulated that require the highest level meeting, he added. Biden, meanwhile, said that the United States is seeking a predictable and rational relationship with Moscow, making reference to the United States and Russia being two great powers. I think its always better to meet face to face, try to determine where we have mutual interest, cooperate, the president also remarked. Both leaders, in the lead-up to their summit, noted that relations between the two nations are at a low point. Federal officials have said that they believe Russian-based ransomware hackers not linked to the Kremlin targeted key infrastructure and businesses inside the United States in recent weeks, including the 5,500-mile-long Colonial Pipeline last month and JBS Foods several weeks ago. The FBI also claimed that Moscow was behind the sweeping cybersecurity breach targeting SolarWinds software used by several agencies. Other issues that are likely to be touched upon in the meeting include Russias massive troop buildup along its border with Ukraines Donbas region and its treatment of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who claims to have been poisoned by Putin. Earlier this year, the United States authorized more sanctions targeting Russian financial institutions over the SolarWinds breach as well as alleged election interference during the 2020 election. The issue of state-sponsored cyberattacks of that scope and scale remains a matter of grave concern to the United States, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters earlier this month. It will be a topic of conversation between the presidents. In an interview with NBC News last week, Putin denied Russia was involved in the cyberattacks or election interference. We have been accused of all kinds of things, Putin said. Election interference, cyberattacks, and so on and so forth. And not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof. Just unfounded accusations. Separately, Biden told reporters on Sunday that he wont be holding a joint press conference alongside Putinlike former President Donald Trump did during their meeting in 2019arguing that it would lead to rampant speculation in the press. I always found, and I dont mean to suggest the press should not know, but this is not a contest about who can do better in front of a press conference or try to embarrass each other, Biden said. Dong Feng D21 Threat: A U.S. Marine Corps C-130 Hercules aircraft leads a formation of F/A-18C Hornet strike fighters and A/V-8B Harrier jets over the aircraft carrier USS George Washington off the coast of South Korea on July 27, 2010. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Charles Oki/U.S. Navy via Getty Images) Army Long-Range Strike Gives China a Taste of Its Own Medicine Commentary In response to Chinas increasingly powerful blue-water navy and deployment of long-range carrier killer anti-ship ballistic missiles, the U.S. Army has developed a suite of weapons designed to destroy or suppress Chinese targets from very long ranges, and do so quickly and precisely while reducing the threat these Chinese weapons pose to vital Navy and Air Force offensive weaponry. The commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Navy Admiral Philip Davidson, recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee he likes the Armys idea. When Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) posed a question about Chinas disruptive military power in the western Pacific, Davidson replied, A wider base of long-range precision fires enabled by all our terrestrial forcesnot just sea and air, but by land forces as wellis critically important to stabilizing what is becoming a more unstable environment in the western Pacific . Long-range precision fires delivered by the ground force, I think, are critically important. Chinese weapons now put precious Navy and Air Force offensive systems, such as aircraft carriers and strategic bombers, at risk. Adm. Davidson understands that a wider base of fires means more American firepower coming from more and different placesdispersed and distributed positions is the jargon. The Army programs complicate warfighting for Chinese targeteers while simultaneously threatening Chinas long-range weapons systems. In April 2020, Army Chief of Staff James McConville said the Armys ground-based weapons give commanders multiple options and present multiple dilemmas to someone that we are trying to compete against so they cant focus on just one option that we have. Davidson and McConville are attempting to defeat Chinas anti-access/area denial strategy in the Pacific. English translation: If the Navy thinks it might lose a super carrier to a long-range Chinese weapon, it will keep its key offensive task forces, the carrier battle groups, away from the western Pacific and out of range. Keeping the carrier battlegroups in the central or eastern Pacific has military and diplomatic costs. It could give Chinese forces time to gain regional military superiority and seize Taiwan. A key weapon in Chinas anti-access/area denial strategy is the Dong Feng 21D anti-ship ballistic missile, which the Pentagon believes has achieved initial operational capability, which means its already a threat to the carriers. In a nutshell, the Army wants to place mobile, long-range missile and extended-range artillery batteries on Pacific islands and perhaps in Japan and South Korea. The missiles and artillery rounds are smartmeaning precise. Should China attack, the Armys missile fire would complement other long-range attacks to destroy Chinese ballistic missiles, air bases, coastal defenses and even warships. With Chinas long-range fires softened up, Navy carrier battle groups head west and, along with Air Force airstrikes, deliver the counterattack: perhaps the coup de grace to Chinas communist dictatorship. Chinese belligerence might give other Asian mainland nations good reason to occasionally let the U.S. position Army weapons on their territory. Two possibilities: Vietnam and India both know communist China is their worst enemy. The Armys weapons suite includes the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, which should be available in 2023. Its range is over 1,700 miles, meaning missiles on Guam can strike Chinese forces attacking Taiwan. The Precision Strike Missile has a 300-mile range. Extended-range tube artillery is also in the mix. These weapons can be air-delivered, by C-17s or, conceivably, a C-130 seaplane that is under consideration. Some Air Force officers find the Army programs problematicthey infringe on Air Force long-range strike prerogatives and thus violate the 1948 Key West Agreement that defined service roles and missions. Putting long-range Chinese weapons at risk would flip the script and directly challenge Chinese military and diplomatic strategy in the western and central Pacific. That type of antiquated interservice rivalry leads to self-defeat. This is a fact: As 2021 began, the Air Force only had 158 B-1, B-2, and B-52 strategic bombers. Its jet fighters are dependent on airbases that Chinese missiles and aircraft threatenat least until distributed long range U.S. firepower eliminates the threat. Austin Bay is a colonel (ret.) in the U.S. Army Reserve, author, syndicated columnist, and teacher of strategy and strategic theory at the University of TexasAustin. His latest book is Cocktails from Hell: Five Wars Shaping the 21st Century. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Arrest Warrant Issued for Rep. Eric Swalwell Associate Who Allegedly Entered GOP Lawmakers Home An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for a process server hired by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) after allegedly entering Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) home to serve a lawsuit. The warrant was issued for Christian Seklecki, a private investigator based in Georgia, for a misdemeanor of first-degree criminal trespass charge, according to a statement from Brooks. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Seklecki entering Brooks home without their knowledge or permission. Madison County District Attorney Rob Broussard told local media that the warrant was sworn out by Mo Brooks wife, Martha Brooks, on June 15. Mo and I take our security very seriously, as do all families, said Martha Brooks a news release from the congressmans office. My hope is that my actions today will cause the process server to think twice before illegally invading the sanctity of someone elses home, and put those who would threaten our security on notice that we will pursue illegal actions to the fullest extent of the law. According to Alabamas legal code, Seklecki, if convicted, could face up to one year in jail and a $6,000 fine. Rep. Brooks, meanwhile, said in the news release that Swalwell lied in his politically motivated, meritless lawsuit against President Donald Trump and me when he falsely claimed I incited the January 6th Capitol violence and also lied again when they accused him of avoiding being served with the lawsuit. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) speaks to the media at the Bullet and Barrel gun range before formally announcing his candidacy to represent Alabama in the U.S. Senate in Huntsville, Alabama, on March 22, 2021. (Ivan Pentchoukov/The Epoch Times) The fact is they could have served me roughly a hundred times before, during or after both Swalwell and I voted together on the House floor, or served me by U.S. Mail to my home address, he said. In fact, when they finally got serious about serving me with the lawsuit, they served me not once, not twice, but three times, all within one week! So much for avoiding service or being difficult to find! The Epoch Times has contacted Seklecki and Swalwells office for comment. Last week, Seklecki said in a sworn affidavit that he knocked on the Brooks family homes door in Alabama earlier this month. When there was no response, according to the court papers, he waited until Martha Brooks arrived and parked in the garage. I followed and also drove down the driveway, he said in the affidavit. When I stopped my car at the bottom of the hill, the Toyota Highlander was parked in a parking garage and the parking garage door was open. I got out of my car and walked to the drivers side door of the Toyota Highlander. After she opened the door, Seklecki then attempted to hand the lawsuit to her, according to the sworn statement. I extended the papers towards the woman for her to accept and said, Mrs. Brooks, I am serving you with legal paperwork. This is for your husband, Mo Brooks,' Seklecki continued, adding: She did not answer but yelled at me to leave and told me that she is calling the police. Australia Looks to Develop Quantum-Computer-Based Guided Weapons Systems The Australian Missile Corporation (AMC) has propelled plans to beef up the nations defence industry with an agreement that could see the development of quantum computing technology for its new guided weapons systems. The deal arrives amid burgeoning global tensions with China, with growing concerns regarding the communist regimes rapidly expanding military might. Archer Materials, a manufacturer of quantum computing processors, announced it had signed a non-binding letter of intent with AMC to potentially support the development of Australias sovereign defence capabilities. Archer is developing quantum computing processor chip technology and currently possesses advanced semiconductor manufacturing capabilities that will be of benefit to a future sovereign guided weapons enterprise, stated an AMC media release. Archer plans to collaborate with AMCa subsidiary of NIOA, Australias largest weapons and munitions contractorto support the Australian Governments $1 billion (US$770 million) injection towards the Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise (SGWE), announced in March. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison holds an ammunition shell during a visit to the Rheinmetall NIOA Munition factory in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, on Jan. 21, 2021. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) The SGWE plans to bolster Australias defence potential and facilitate the ability to manufacture a suite of precision weapons domestically, particularly in preparation for any potential disruption of global supply chains. Archer supports the Governments vision for the development of a sovereign guided weapons enterprise in Australia, and we look forward to contributing to NIOAs collaborative initiative, said Archer CEO Mohammad Choucair. The SGWE is part of a $270 billion (US$210 billion) government plan to strengthen the nations defence industry over the next 10 years, including the development of high-tech submarines, fighter jets, hypersonic weapons, and advanced munitions. Creating our own sovereign capability on Australian soil is essential to keep Australians safe, while also providing thousands of local jobs in businesses right across the defence supply chain, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. Its an imperative we now proceed with the creation of a sovereign guided weapons capability as a priority, Morrison added. Quantum Computing Limitations One of the limitations of current quantum computing processors, also known as qubit processors, involves the need for chips to be held at frigid temperatures of -273 degrees celsius, slightly above absolute zerothe coldest temperature matter can reach. Current quantum computing technologies are limited in ownership and use because they use qubit processors that can only operate at low temperatures and/or are difficult to integrate in modern electronics, Archer stated on their website. Archer promises a ground-breaking, world-first design that could allow for operation in room temperatures with their patented 12CQ qubit processor chipmaking the technology more accessible across industries and is currently being built in Sydney, Australia. The successful development of Archers 12CQ room-temperature qubit processor chip could potentially provide a breakthrough solution to the widespread use and ownership of quantum computing powered technology, owing to the unique materials properties of the 12CQ chip, Archer said. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) and Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrive to give a statement in the garden of 10 Downing street in central London on June 15, 2021. (Dominic Lipinski/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Australia-UK Trade Deal Another Step Towards Diversification For Wine, Meat Industry Leading export industry bodiesimpacted by Beijings economic coercion tactics over the past year have welcomed the signing of the Australia-UK free trade deal on Wednesday. Tony Battaglene, CEO of Australian Grape and Wine, congratulated the federal governments efforts and hailed the free trade agreement as a key milestone. The United Kingdom is an incredibly important market for Australias grape and wine businesses, and British consumers are some of the most enthusiastic Australian wine aficionados, Battaglene said in a statement (pdf). The value of Australias wine exports to the UK grew by 33 percent to $461 million in the year to Mar. 31, 2021, representing more than 17 percent of the total value of our exports over this period, and there is plenty of room to grow in the coming years. The newly minted Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (A-UK FTA) will see tariffs on wine into the UK removed, a move likely to assist Australias burgeoning presence in the market. Other areas we are hoping to see progress on include simpler certification requirements and improvements in our ability to further process and package Australian wines in the UK market, which will drive innovation, create jobs here and in the UK, and reduce our carbon footprint, he added. Bottles of Australian wine are displayed at a supermarket in Hangzhou, in eastern Chinas Zhejiang province, on November 27, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) The Australian wine was one of many industries impacted by Beijings economic coercion campaign launched in April last year in response to calls for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. The wine sector was hit hard by tariffs implemented in March by Beijings Ministry of Commerce, ranging from 116 to 218 percent. In May, data from Wine Australia revealed that wine exports to China plummeted 96 percent as a result, from $325 million in sales (December to March 2020) to just $12 million (December to March 2021). However, this loss was offset by a 10 percent increase in sales to alternative markets worldwide. Sales to the UK increased 33 percent, overtaking the United States to become the second-largest export market for Australian winemakers. This was followed by the United States (up 4 percent to $432 million), Canada (up 9 percent to $195 million), Hong Kong (up 55 percent to $148 million), and New Zealand (up 10 percent to $104 million). The meat industry, which has also endured economic strikes from Beijing, has also welcomed the signing of the FTA. Australian beef is seen at a supermarket in Beijing on May 12, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) Six large Australian abattoirs last year had their exports to China suspended by Chinese customs authorities. Under the trade deal, tariffs on beef and lamb will be phased out over a ten-year period. Initially, exporters will have immediate access to a duty-free quota of 35,000 tonnes (beef) and 25,000 tonnes (lamb). The number will gradually increase over the decade to 110,000 tonnes and 75,000 tonnes, respectively. Australia and the UK have shared values when it comes to the production of high-quality red meat, according to Andrew McDonald, chair of the A-UK Red Meat Market Access Taskforce. While our ability to service the market has previously been constrained by a highly restrictive UK (and prior to 2021, European Union) import regime, the A-UK FTA will facilitate an easier response to British consumers seeking to buy Aussieshould they wish to do so, he said in a statement. The securing of this phase of the A-UK FTA signals a new chapter in our bilateral relations and an opportunity for us to work collaboratively for years to come. Grammy Award-winning rapper and founder of the hip-hop group Fugees, Pras Michel poses following an interview with AFP in Los Angeles on June 11, 2015. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) Beijing Enlisted an American Hip-Hop Artist to Help Locate Chinese Dissident, US Prosecutors Say The Chinese regime used a former U.S. hip-hop artist to lobby the FBI to help locate a Chinese dissident in the United States who was being sought by Beijing officials, according to U.S. prosecutors. Prakazrel Pras Michel, 48, a former member of the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees, engaged in the campaign under the direction of a Malaysian financier named Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, and an unnamed vice minister of Chinas public security, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a June 11 statement. Michel, Low, the Chinese minister, and some representatives of the Chinese regime met with FBI agents in 2017, according to a recently unsealed superseding indictment. During the meeting, they lobbied the FBI to deport the Chinese dissident and asked for the dissidents whereabouts and his security arrangements. The court document didnt disclose the name of the dissident but characterized the person as having a high profile and living in the United States on a temporary visa. Additionally, Interpol had issued a red notice for the person. A red notice isnt an arrest warrant but a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. Days after the meeting, Michel came into possession of images of the dissidents passport and identity card and other documents showing the crimes he is alleged to have committed, the court filing said. It isnt clear if Michel passed on these materials to the FBI as part of the campaign. Aside from facing charges relating to the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act over the alleged lobbying efforts, Michel and Low are both implicated in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) money-laundering scandal. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who established the state-owned investment fund in 2009, was accused of channeling money from the fund to his personal bank accounts. The scandal involved officials in both Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates and some leading international banks, including Goldman Sachs Group and Deutsche Bank. Low, the alleged mastermind behind the scandal, reached a settlement deal with the DOJ in October 2019 over how he and Malaysian officials siphoned over $4.5 billion from the fund from 2009 to 2015. Separately, the DOJ has also investigated several individuals over a plot to influence the U.S. government into dropping its probes into the 1MDB scandal on behalf of Chinese and Malaysian interests. In September 2020, the DOJ fined Nickie Mali Lum Davis, a consultant living in Hawaii, $3 million over the scheme. Former top Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy pleaded guilty over the influence efforts in October of that year, although he was pardoned by former President Donald Trump in January. In November 2018, former DOJ employee George Higginbotham pleaded guilty for his role in assisting Low to deceive U.S. banks to finance the influence campaign. According to the June 11 DOJ statement, Michel and Low were accused of new charges related to the schemethey began their illegal influence operation beginning in or about 2017. Meeting in China Before attempting to lobby the FBI, Michel went to China and met the Chinese minister in person, according to the court document. That meeting was attended by Low and others implicated in the 1MDB scandal. In May 2017, about a month before the FBI meeting, Michel, Broidy, and Lum Davis went to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. They met with Low and the Chinese minister. The latter asked Broidy to use his influence with high-ranking United States government officials to advocate for having the dissident sent back to China, the filing said. A few months later in July, Michel, under the direction of the Chinese minister, asked Higginbotham to meet with the Chinese ambassador to the United States at the Chinese Embassy in Washington. During the meeting, Higginbotham told the Ambassador that United States government officials were working on the extradition of PRC National A [the dissident] and that there would be additional information in the future concerning the logistics of the extradition, according to the document. Cui Tiankai, a current Chinese ambassador to the United States, has held the diplomatic position since 2013. Bloomberg, which cited an unnamed person familiar with the matter, has identified the dissident as Guo Wengui. Guo, an exiled businessman in the United States who is also known as Miles Kwok, is wanted by Beijing for alleged economic crimes. He is also known for making allegations about corruption against high-ranking Chinese Communist Party officials. In April 2017, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Interpol had issued a red notice for Guo. Benjamin Brafman, a lawyer for Michel, told The Epoch Times in an email that Michel intends to defend against these baseless allegations. The evidence at trial will demonstrate this to be a selective prosecution and we are confident that a jury will ultimately acquit him, Brafman said. President Joe Biden speaks about jobs and the economy as Vice President Kamala Harris listens, at the White House in Washington on April 7, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Biden Is Determined to Create Jobs in China Commentary Its the largest American jobs investment since World War II, President Joe Biden said on March 31 in Pittsburgh, as he announced his $2.3 trillion infrastructure program. It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs. He is correct. Biden will, in his American Jobs Plan as its formally called, create millions of good-paying jobs. Many of those jobs, however, will not be in America. For three principal reasons, his jobs plan will create full employment in China. First, Biden will create substantially more demand for Chinese materials to go into Americas planned physical infrastructure improvements. Second, the large corporate tax increases he proposes will drive even more businesses out of the United Statesand across the Pacific. Third, Bidens green energy ideas will eliminate one of the crucial advantages American manufacturers now have: cheap energy. In Beijing, there must be, at the moment, great elation and anticipation. On the first point, Americas infrastructure spending will thicken the profits mainly of Chinese producers. Biden, at the Carpenters Pittsburgh Training Center, proposed to spend $621 billion to, among other things, modernize 20,000 miles of roadways, repair the 10 most economically significant bridges and 10,000 smaller bridges, and upgrade ports and airports. Those tasks and others requiring cement and steel will benefit the worlds No. 1 producer of these products: China. Last year, China made 56.5 percent of the worlds crude steel. The United States accounted for 3.9 percent. While global output fell 0.9 percent in 2020, U.S. output plummeted 17.2 percent as mills closed. In 2020, the United States produced 90.0 million metric tons of cement. China produced 2.2 billion metric tons, more than half the worlds production. Biden also proposes to replace all the lead pipe in the United States. Pipe these days is made with polyvinyl chloride, PVC. China makes more PVC than any other country. The American Jobs Plan, therefore, will inevitably stoke demand for Chinese producers because China, more than the United States, has the capacity to produce the needed products and raw materials and it can do so at the lowest prices. It is true that Bidens Buy American plan, issued in a Jan. 25 executive order, represents a substantial improvement over President Donald Trumps efforts in this area, but Bidens new order probably will not cover the bulk of materials required for the infrastructure contemplated by his American Jobs Plan. As onshoring advocate Jonathan Bass told Gatestone, Bidens American Jobs Plan should be a ground-up effort, requiring the production in the United States of materials that go into new infrastructure. Bass points out that jobs making such materials tend to be higher-paying, and he argues that bringing back production to America enhances supply-chain security. Unless we invest in the capacity to make the steel, cement, and the other materials that go into our roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, we will always be at the mercy of Chinas Communist Party, stated Bass, also CEO of Whom Home. Moreover, Bass pointed out that those with government connectionsmostly multinationals and other large businesseswill enjoy windfall profits as they import into America the materials China will be producing for the Biden plan. Biden, of course, wants American producers to benefit. President Biden is calling on Congress to invest $50 billion to create a new office at the Department of Commerce dedicated to monitoring domestic industrial capacity and funding investments to support production of critical goods, the White Houses Fact Sheet states. Its unlikely that a yet-to-be-organized office, even with massive funding, can affect current spending. A clear make-in-America mandate, Bass told Gatestone, would be much more effective. On the second point, the Biden plan asks Congress to pass large tax hikes to pay for all the proposed spending, including increasing the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent and the minimum corporate rate to 21 percent from 13 percent. As Trump charged in a statement, Joe Bidens radical plan to implement the largest tax hike in American history is a massive giveaway to China, and many other countries, that will send thousands of factories, millions of jobs, and trillions of dollars to these competitive nations. Washington, D.C.-based trade expert Alan Tonelson agrees. The proposed business tax increases and resulting increase in corporate costs will remove a big reason to invest in productive facilities in America and increase the attractiveness of placing or moving them elsewhereincluding China, he told Gatestone. Perhaps Larry Kudlow, on his Fox Business show on March 30, put it best when interviewing Trumps U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer: I saw it first under Reagan, but its the same under Trump. Domestic security, domestic economic security, is essential to international security. If we damage our economy, Bob, with all these tax hikes, including the corporate tax hikes, companies will be leaving, not coming here. We will lose jobs, not gain jobs. Our whole economy will suffer. The Chinese will laugh all the way to the bank. On the third point, Bidens plan looks as if it will increase, at least in the early stages, the cost of energy, thereby putting American manufacturers at further disadvantage. At the moment, the United States is the hydrocarbon superpower, surpassing Russia in 2011 to become the worlds largest producer of natural gas and overtaking Saudi Arabia in 2018 to become the No. 1 driller of petroleum. Because of plentiful fossil fuels, they are inexpensive in America, but Biden will create disincentives for their use. As Tonelson, who blogs at RealityChek, told Gatestone, American companies can be disadvantaged by the wave of environmental and climate change regulation Mr. Biden favors. So, do we really need the federal government to do anything? After all, industry is moving in a green energy direction on its own. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that in 2019 renewable energy consumption, thanks largely to wind and solar, surpassed coal for the first time in more than 130 years. That year, coal consumption fell almost 15 percent while renewables consumption increased by 1 percent. Biden, governing like a big-government advocate, seems determined to harm American business competitiveness. Let us remember, therefore, Kudlows famous motto: Free-market capitalism is the best path to prosperity. The free market, as we can see from recent energy-use trends in America, is also the best path to a cleaner environment. So much is at stake. This competition with China, which is really, really, really important, perhaps the most important thing thats going on, is going to be very much affected by our domestic economic policy, said Lighthizer to Kudlow. We cant have a policy that sets us behind and still win a competition with China. From the Gatestone Institute. Gordon G. Chang is a distinguished senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, a member of its Advisory Board, and the author of The Coming Collapse of China. Follow Gordon at GordonChang.com and on Twitter @GordonGChang. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. U.S. President Joe Biden (L) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16, 2021. (Denis Balibouse/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) Biden and Putin Depart Geneva After Summit President Joe Biden is aboard Air Force One and is on his way back to Washington after Wednesdays meeting at an 18th-century lakeside villa in Switzerland. Russian President Vladimir Putin had already departed for Moscow aboard his plane by the time Air Force One took off. Both leaders flew out of Switzerland after holding solo news conferences and meeting for more than three hours. Security was tight and access extremely limited to areas around the summit site. The pair met for nearly four hours on Wednesday, first in a smaller session and later in a larger meeting that was expanded to include more officials from both sides and which lasted about 65 minutes. Biden called it a discussion between two great powers and said it was always better to meet face to face. Putin said he hoped the talks would be productive. Biden Open to Possible Prisoner Swap With Russia Biden says after his meeting with Putin that he is not going to walk away from the plight of two Americans detained in Russia. Speaking to reporters, Biden says he raised the imprisonment of Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed in his meeting with Putin. Speaking to reporters after the meeting in Geneva, Biden said: We discussed it. Im going to follow through with that discussion. Putin opened the door to possible discussions about a prisoner swap with the United States for the release of the Americans and said those conversations would continue. The United States did not immediately comment on Putins characterization of the discussion. Biden Seeks Talks to Limit Cyberattack Targets Biden said he and Putin agreed to further discussions on keeping certain types of critical infrastructure off-limits to cyberattacks. Biden also said they will have additional talks on the pursuit of criminals carrying out ransomware attacks. Biden told reporters in Geneva that 16 types of critical infrastructure should be off-limits to cyberattacks, period. He said that includes the energy and water sector. It comes after a ransomware attack in May on one of the largest pipeline operators in the United States forced the shutdown of fuel supplies to much of the East Coast for nearly a week. That attack is blamed on a Russian criminal gang. Russia has not cooperated with criminal investigations of ransomware and does not extradite suspects to the United States. Discussion on Arms Control Measures Biden says he and Putin discussed in detail the next steps our countries should take on arms control measures to reduce the risk of war. At a news conference, Biden said this means that diplomats and military experts from both countries will meet for what he called a strategic stability dialogue to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures. He did not say when the talks would begin. The idea is to work out a way to set the stage for negotiations on an arms control deal to succeed the New START treaty that is set to expire in 2026. Biden Stresses Human Rights in Talks With Putin Biden says he stressed human rights issues in his meeting with Putin. That includes the cases of two Americans who Biden says are wrongfully imprisoned in Russia. Biden also says hell continue to raise concerns about cases like Alexei Navalny, the jailed leader of the Russian opposition to Putin. Biden adds that hell keep on airing concerns about issues of fundamental human rights because thats what we are. Russia, US to Hold Cybersecurity Talks Putin says that he and Biden have agreed that their two nations will start consultations on cybersecurity. After a meeting with Biden in Geneva, Putin said: We believe that cybersecurity is important for the world in general, for the United States in particular, and for Russia as well. The Russian president said that the two countries just need to abandon various insinuations, sit down at the expert level and start working in the interests of the United States and Russia. Putin charged that most of the cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the cyber realm of the United States, with Canada and Britain coming second and third. However, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have been attributed by the United States and the European Union to Russias GRU military intelligence agency, including the NotPetya virus that did more than $10 billion in economic damage in 2017, hitting companies including shipping giant Maersk, the pharmaceutical company Merck and food company Mondolez. While the United States, Canada, and Britain all engage in cyber espionage, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have come either from state-backed Russian hackers or Russian-speaking ransomware criminals who operate with impunity in Russia and allied nations. Putin Says Navalny Deserved Prison Sentence Putin says opposition leader Alexei Navalny got what he deserved when he was handed a prison sentence. Navalny, Putins most ardent political foe, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlinan accusation that Russian officials reject. In February, Navalny was given a 2 1/2-year prison term for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated. Speaking after the summit with Biden in Geneva, Putin said Navalny received his due punishment for violating the terms of his probation, adding that he was aware that he was facing a prison sentence when he returned to Russia. He deliberately moved to be arrested, Putin said, sticking to his habit of not mentioning Navalny by name. Last week, a Moscow court outlawed the organizations founded by Navalny by labeling them extremist, the latest move in a campaign to silence dissent and bar Kremlin critics from running for parliament in September. Biden, Putin Set Consultations on Updating Nuclear Pact Putin says an agreement has been reached to conduct U.S.-Russian negotiations on limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Putin said they agreed that the U.S. State Department and the Russian Foreign Ministry would work out details for the talks. Russia has long called for the start of strategic stability talks to potentially replace the New START treaty limiting nuclear weapons after it expires in 2026. Washington broke off talks with Moscow in 2014 in response to Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea and its military intervention in support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. Talks resumed in 2017 but gained little traction and failed to produce an agreement on extending the New START treaty. Shortly after Biden took office in January, the two sides agreed to a five-year extension of the pact just days before it was due to expire. Moscow has said its ready to include its prospective doomsday weaponssuch as the Poseidon atomic-powered, nuclear-armed underwater drone and the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missilein the talks on condition the U.S. brings its missile defense and possible space-based weapons into the equation. Putin Says No Hostility in Meeting With Biden Putin has described the tone of the talks with Biden as constructive and said there was no hostility during the talks. His remarks came at a news conference after he and Biden met in Geneva for a high-stakes summit amid tensions between the West and the Kremlin. Our assessment of many issues differ, but in my view both sides demonstrated the desire to understand each other and looks for ways to get our positions closer, Putin said. The conversation was rather constructive, he added. Putin Says Russia, US to Return Ambassadors to Posts Putin says he and Biden have agreed to return their ambassadors to their posts in a bid to lower tensions. The return of ambassadors follows a diplomatic tug-of-war that saw deep cuts in diplomatic personnel. Russias ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, was recalled from Washington about three months ago after Biden described Putin as a killer. U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan left Moscow almost two months ago after Russia suggested he return to Washington for consultations. Meeting Opens With Reporters Shoving Bidens summit with Putin began with minutes of unusually fierce shoving and shouting among U.S. and Russian journalists and security forces. Organizers at Wednesdays summit in Geneva opened the meeting room to journalists for whats normally a few minutes of news media filming and shouting questions before talks start. On Wednesday, however, Russian and U.S. security forces and officials initially blocked journalists as they tried to enter the site for the press spray. The scene then devolved into minutes of chaos inside the meeting room. American journalists described Russian security and news media grabbing them by the arms and clothes to try to hold them back. U.S. journalists tried to shoulder their way in, and a U.S. reporter was knocked to the ground. Before the scene calmed, some in the crowd shouted they were being crushed in the melee. Biden and Putin initially sat awkwardly in front of the press, but then watched and at times laughed at the tumult. Biden nodded when a reporter asked if Putin could be trusted, but the White House quickly sent out a tweet insisting that the president was very clearly not responding to any one question, but nodding in acknowledgment to the press generally. Putin ignored shouted questions from reporters, including if he feared jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The two leaders did shake handsBiden extended his hand first and smiled at the stoic Russian leadermoments earlier when they posed with Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who welcomed them to Switzerland for the summit. President Joe Biden holds a news conference after the U.S.-Russia summit with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16, 2021. (Peter Klaunzer/Pool via Reuters) Biden Says Chinese Leader Xi Not an Old Friend, Questions Beijings Desire to Find Virus Origin Chinese leader Xi Jinping is not President Joe Bidens old friend, Biden said on June 16 as he raised concerns about Beijings willingness to help find the origins of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Asked if the president would call Xi and ask him old friend to old friend to re-admit World Health Organization investigators, Biden said: Lets get something straight: We know each other well, were not old friends. Its just pure business. The remarks appeared to be a departure from previous comments from Biden where he sought to highlight his close relationship with Xi cultivated from when he was vice president. Xi was Chinas vice chair, and thus Bidens counterpart at the time. The two had spent more than 24 hours in private meetings and 17,000 miles traveling together during that time, according to Biden. During a 2013 trip Biden made to Beijing, Xi addressed the then-vice president as my old friend. Biden, speaking at a press conference after his meeting with Russias President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, expressed skepticism about the Chinese regimes cooperation with a virus origins investigation. China is trying very hard to project itself as a responsible and very, very forthcoming nation, and they are trying very hard to talk about how theyre helping the world in terms of COVID-19 and vaccines, the president said. Look, certain things you dont have to explain to the people of the world, they see the results. Is China really actually trying to get to the bottom of this? Biden in May ordered aides to find answers to the origin of the virus that causes COVID-19, which was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, and said U.S. intelligence agencies are looking at rival theories, potentially including the possibility of a laboratory accident in China. Earlier this year, a team of foreign and Chinese scientists assembled by the WHO that spent two weeks on the ground in Wuhan in February found in its report that the virus likely transmitted from bats to humans via another animal, and the possibility it leaked from a lab was extremely unlikely. But the report was widely criticized, with Washington and other governments saying the study was insufficient and inconclusive. In addition, Beijing refused to provide the team with raw data to early COVID-19 cases nor access to records of the Wuhan Institute of Virologythe lab at the center of the lab leak theory. In recent weeks, the United States and allies have stepped up calls for a thorough investigation into the pandemic origins, while ratcheting pressure on Beijing to fully cooperate. On June 13, Group of Seven leaders issued a joint statement calling for a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened Phase 2 COVID-19 Origins study including, as recommended by the experts report, in China. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this week: We need to understand what happened. We need to get to the bottom of it. And were working on that through the WHO. Were also working on that ourselves. Reuters contributed to this report. Flags of Taiwan and the United States are placed for a meeting between U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce speaks and with Su Chia-chyuan, President of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, Taiwan on March 27, 2018. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) Bidens Asia Nominee Says US Should Develop Taiwan Ties in Every Sector WASHINGTONThe nominee to be the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia said on Tuesday that Washington should develop its relationship with Taiwan in every sector, hours after Chinas largest reported incursion to date into the islands air defense identification zone. Daniel Kritenbrink said it was important for Washington to demonstrate its resolve to meet its rock-solid obligations toward Taiwan in the face of pressure from China, which claims the self-governing island as its own territory. Its incumbent upon us to further develop our robust relationship with Taiwan in every sector, Kritenbrink told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be assistant secretary of state for East Asia. Earlier, Taiwan said 28 Chinese aircraft, including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers, entered its air defense identification zone. The Group of Seven leaders issued a statement on Sunday scolding China for a series of issues and underscoring the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, comments that China called slander. Kritenbrink, a career foreign service officer who was most recently ambassador to Vietnam and a former deputy head of mission in China, was asked if Washington should switch from a long-standing stance of strategic ambiguity to make a clear commitment to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. He said the U.S. one-China policy that formally recognizes Beijing and not Taipei had ensured cross-strait stability and Taiwans security for many decades. He added: I do think that maintenance of that status quo and of that security is a dynamic situation. As the threat from [China] grows, as Beijings aggressive and bullying behavior vis-a-vis Taiwan grows, I think that our response has to be calibrated as well. Responding to a request for comment, Chinese Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said Washington should stop elevating its relationship with the Taiwan region in any substantive way so as to avoid serious damage to China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Follow Through Critical Kritenbrink described China as the major challenge the United States faces today and said new guidelines adopted by the Biden administration for Taiwan relations were significantly liberalized and explicitly designed to further develop our relationships and our partnership. He said Washington should continue to take steps to hold to account Chinese leaders responsible for what it calls genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslims in Chinas Xinjiang region. The ongoing genocide in Xinjiang shocks the conscience, he said. We estimate more than 1 million Uyghurs have been forcibly detained, put into re-education camps, forced to provide labor, and many other disturbing allegations about how they are being treated, he said. We need to continue to take steps using all the tools that the U.S. government has at its disposal to hold to account the leaders who are carrying out these atrocities, Kritenbrink said. Liu repeated Chinese denials of abuses in Xinjiang, saying: Facts have proved that there has never been any genocide in Xinjiang. In a tweet, Sophie Richardson, China director for Human Rights Watch, called Kritenbrinks Xinjiang remarks a strong pledge, while adding: Follow through critical. People are seen in Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney, Australia on Dec. 21, 2020.(enny Evans/Getty Images) Bondi Venues on Alert After Sydney Man Test Positive For CCP Virus New South Wales (NSW) Health authorities have reported that one new, locally transmitted case of the CCP virus has been recorded in Sydneys east, with the source of the infection unknown. The case is believed to be a man in his 60s who worked as a driver, including transporting international flight crew. He was tested on Tuesday and returned a positive result on Wednesday, with NSW Health rushing to undertake contact tracing to find the source of his infection. Urgent investigations into the source of the infection and contact tracing are underway, as is genome sequencing, NSW Health stated in a public health alert. The man visited several venues while potentially infectious in Bondi Junction, Vaucluse, and North Ryde. The screening of the film Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard at Cinema 1 at Events Cinema at Bondi Junction on Sunday between 1.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. has been identified as a close contact venue. Anyone who attended that screening must immediately contact NSW Health and get tested and isolate for 14 days. Other venues of concern in Bondi Junction, Vaucluse, and North Ryde include cafes, a Myer store, and a bakery. The list of venues can be found on the NSW Health website. The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee will convene on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the Bondi case. It comes as NSW Health also investigates a potential hotel quarantine breach after two cases in adjacent rooms returned identical viral sequencing results. Its unclear how and where transmission occurred from a couple to another returned traveller who were all staying on the fourth floor of Sydneys Radisson Blu quarantine hotel. Genomic sequencing has shown all three cases have identical viral sequences of the Alpha strain (B.1.1.7), NSW Health said. The Alpha strain was formerly known as the UK variant. At this stage, we still dont know if it happened on the plane, transporting from the plane to the accommodation, at the accommodation or whether it was just a coincidence, Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Wednesday. The couple, who were asymptomatic, tested positive to COVID-19 on a routine day two test on June 3, NSW Health said in a statement. The other returned traveller returned a negative day two test on June 3 before subsequently developing symptoms and testing positive for COVID-19 following a test on June 5. The three cases were transferred from the Radisson Blu to the Special Health Accommodation, where they remain. All three arrived in Sydney on the same flight from Doha on June 1 and stayed in adjacent rooms in the quarantine hotel. NSW Health said there was no evidence of further transmission. All guests and staff who were on the fourth floor of the hotel between June 1 and June 5 have been asked to get tested and isolate pending further advice. Meanwhile, NSW Health says it administered a record 17,223 COVID-19 vaccines in the 24 hours to 8 pm on Tuesday, including 6048 at the vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park. The total number of COVID-19 vaccines administered in NSW is now 1,737,557. AAP contributed to this report. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a joint news conference with European Council President Charles Michel European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen following the EU-Canada Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on June 15, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) Canada-EU Announce New Partnership on Raw Materials to Cut Reliance from China Canada and the European Union (EU) announced on Tuesday a new strategic partnership on raw materials, aimed at cutting dependency on China for critical mineral supplies. We as Europeans want to diversify our imports away from producers like China because we want more sustainability, less environmental damage, and we want transparency on raw materials, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, told reporters a day after the Canada-EU leaders summit in Brussels on Monday. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also mentioned other goals of the new partnership. Canada and the EU have a long history of close cooperation. Over the past year, the challenges brought on by COVID-19 have demonstrated the importance of working together to end the pandemic and tackle global issues, Trudeau said in a statement. By strengthening our relationship, we are able to keep our people safe and healthy, create good, middle class jobs, and build back better in a way that works for everyone. According to the leaders joint statement (pdf), the partnership aims to address a wide variety of issues, from technology collaboration to human rights concerns in Russia and China. Canada and the EU said in a joint statement that the partnership will focus on enhancing security and sustainability of trade and investment; integration of raw material value chains; science, technology and innovation collaboration; and environmental, social, governance criteria. In particular, Canada thanked its European allies for continued support for the two Canadian citizensMichael Kovrig and Michael Spavorwho have been arbitrarily detained by Chinese authorities since December 2018. The men, known as two Michaels, were detained days after Canadian authorities arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition request. Meng was charged with bank fraud for allegedly lying to multiple financial institutions, including HSBC, in an effort to evade American sanctions against Iran. A protester uses a sledge hammer to remove the head of the Egerton Ryerson statue at Ryerson University in Toronto on June 6, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young) Changing Ryerson Universitys Name Could Have Serious Consequences: Ryerson Prof As Ryerson University considers changing its name and after a statue of its namesake was recently toppled, a professor at the Toronto school worries that a name change could have a domino effect given that so many Canadian institutions are named after figures who symbolize British colonialism. If Canadian decision-makers are going to be logical, there are going to be serious consequences to changing the name of Ryerson University, Patrice Dutil, a professor of politics and public administration at Ryerson, told The Epoch Times. As calls grow for the removal of symbols of Canadas colonial history and monuments honouring the countrys founders, Dutil lists several schools in Ontario alone that could be affected, such as Brock University, Carleton University, Queens University, Centennial College, George Brown College, and Fleming College. My point is that, well, wait a minute, if we get rid of Ryerson, what about the rest of the universities in Ontario? Were giving in to a very fashionable idea right now, and I think this would be a terrible mistake. On June 6, a statue of Egerton Ryerson on the grounds of the university was toppled following a 1,000-strong rally to honour the victims of residential schools. Ryerson was a prominent 19th-century educator who was instrumental in the design of the residential school system. The statue, which Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi has said will not be replaced, was knocked off its pedestal in response to the reported discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 indigenous children at the location of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. Last fall, amid calls to change its name, the university established a task force to examine Ryersons history. The task force is scheduled to submit its final report to the board of governors for consideration in September. But calls to rename the school increased after the toppling of the statue, with around 345 Ryerson professors and other faculty members signing a letter demanding the name be changed, saying now is the time to stop commemorating Ryerson. Ryerson University Professor Patrice Dutil. (Patrice Dutil) Given that Ryerson is a provincial institution and not a private corporation, Dutil has publicly called on the Ontario government to make sure that it has the last word on naming universities rather than leaving it up to the university board. If that doesnt happen, he believes it could set a precedent for all other post-secondary education institutions across the country, and even put historical provincial names at risk. Every province has colonial names. Alberta is a colonial name, British Columbia is a colonial name. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Islandthose are all colonial names and every one of them has schools and universities and colleges, and theyre all going to feel the impact, he said. Following the announcement of the Kamloops discovery, the Charlottetown city council on Prince Edward Island decided to remove a statue of Canadas first prime minister, John A. Macdonald, under whose government the residential school system was established. Dutil says while some of what Canadas founders did in their time would not be acceptable today, it is important to put people in the context of their times and appreciate their actions and achievements in that historical context. I want to defend the memory of a man who was a good man, he said of Ryerson. This was a man who respected minorities. For a man in the 19th century, he was very progressive. He was a champion of educationeducation for everybody, education for Catholic, education for the French. He was a champion for public schools, for public libraries, he said. Did he have indigenous people at the top of his mind? No, nobody did in those days, but when he did think about indigenous people, he was fair. And thats why I want to help protect his memory, because he was a good man. Dutil said a fitting place for a statue of Ryerson would be on the grounds of Queens Park in Toronto, the seat of the provincial government. Id love to have him at Queens Park because Egerton Ryerson was a provincial leader, he had a provincial impact, and I think that he deserves a place at Queens Park. Chinese National in New York Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Loan Fraud: DOJ A Chinese national has pleaded guilty after being accused of cheating the federal government and banks to obtain tens of millions of COVID-19 relief loans meant for small businesses. He could be sentenced to up to 32 years in prison, the Justice Department said in a June 15 press release. The 37-year-old New York resident, named Muge Ma, also known as Hummer Mars, had been detained and accused since May 21, 2020, of fraudulently attempting to claim over $20 million of government-backed loans for two of his companiesNew York International Capital LLC (NYIC) and Hurley Human Resources LLC (Hurley). Evidence shows that he paid millions of dollars in wages to hundreds of employees, but Ma was later found to be the sole employee of both companies. The false representations made to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and at least five financial institutions include a range of falsified and doctored bank records, tax records, insurance records, payroll records, and audited financial statements. Ma allegedly described one of his companies as a patriotic American firm and the other as one that would help the country reduce the high unemployment rate caused by the pandemic by helping unemployed American workers and unemployed American fresh graduates find jobs as quickly as possible. Situated on the sixth-floor of a luxury New York apartment building, both companies were declared to be global in nature. As a legal permanent resident of the United States with Chinese nationality, he also falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced yesterday that Ma pleaded guilty to fraudulently attempting to obtain over $20 million in COVID-19 relief loans from the federal government. MA, 37 of New York, New York, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years to be run consecutively with any other sentence imposed, said the press release. Before the fraud was discovered, the SBA had approved loans of $500,000 to NYIC and $150,000 to Hurley. Additionally, a bank had approved an $800,000 government-guaranteed loan to Hurley, which was later frozen due to the investigation. Sentencing in Mas case is scheduled for Sept. 22, 2021. (L-R) President of the European Council Charles Michel, U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga, British PM Boris Johnson, and Italian PM Mario Draghi pose for the Leaders official welcome and family photo during the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, on June 11, 2021. (Leon Neal/WPA Pool/Getty Images) Chinese State-Run Media Publish Controversial Cartoon Mocking G-7 After the Group of Seven (G-7) summit finished with a strong statement condemning the Chinese communist regime over its human rights abuses, a cartoon mocking the G-7 leaders went viral on Chinese social media. Chinese state-run media have promoted the satirical cartoon with nationalistic fervor, triggering backlash from Western observers. Netizen Bantonglaoatang, who is a digital painter and blogger on Chinese social media site Weibo, published a satirical cartoon titled The Last G-7 on June 12, mocking the G-7 leaders participating in the summit in Cornwall, UK. Screenshot of The Last G-7 on Chinese social media site Weibo on June 12, 2021. (Screenshot/The Epoch Times) The cartoon is a parody of Leonardo da Vincis The Last Supper. The leaders of the countries attending the G-7 are portrayed as their respective national animals, wearing hats made from their national flags, and plotting to rule the world. The animals are sitting by a dinner table with a Chinese map-shaped cake on it. The bald eagle represents the United States, the lion the UK, the black hawk Germany, the Gallic rooster France, the wolf Italy, the nutria Canada, and the Akita dog Japan. Australia and India, who were invited to attend the G-7 summit and have had tense relations with China recently, also appeared in the cartoon, portrayed as a kangaroo and a kneeling elephant. Taiwan is portrayed as a frog. Chinese regime mouthpiece the Global Times published an article to introduce the cartoon to the public on June 13, when the G-7 issued a statement saying it will take a tougher stance on China and investigate the origin of COVID-19. The article hopes to stir up anti-West and nationalist sentiment among Chinese readers, describing the G-7 cartoon as mocking the blocs attempt to suppress China. The report also cited comments from young pro-communist Chinese on social media praising the cartoon for vividly revealing the evil intentions of the West that tries to lay a siege to China, and saying this [G-7 summit] is probably their last supper. The cartoon triggered backlash from the international community. UK media called the cartoon eerie, vicious, and a propaganda attack. Voice of America (VOA) said the creator of the cartoon is a wolf warrior artist, and the cartoon doesnt help to create a more lovable image of China, referring to regime leader Xi Jinpings recent call for such a portrayal. Bantonglaoatang is not the only Chinese wolf warrior artist to ridicule the G-7 leaders through cartoons. Another Chinese artist with the online name Wuhe Qilin portrayed the G-7 leaders in a style of historical photo from the Eight-Nation Alliance era. The date shown on the wall in the photo is 1900, and its title is invaders. It implies that the current G-7 countries are still trying to invade and bring harm to China, provoking anti-West sentiments among Chinese people. Wuhe Qilin once called himself the wolf warrior painter on his Weibo account. The VOA said that if the country has too many wolf warrior artists, its really hard to create a lovable image of communist China. Arizona Citizens Asked by Unknown Individuals Who They Voted For: Sheriffs Office Several people in an Arizona county were recently approached by unknown individuals who asked whether they voted in the 2020 election and, if they did, who they voted for, authorities say. The people who were approached said the unknown individuals identified themselves as volunteers for the Yavapai County Recorders Office. Those approached asked the unknown individuals for identification and names, but the individuals refused to provide either and left. Yavapai County Recorder Leslie Hoffman said that one of the people who called to report such an incident was an elderly woman in a retirement community, while another was a person living elsewhere. After hearing of what allegedly transpired, the county sheriffs office sent out an alert letting residents know that the recorder would never send anyone to a residence asking voters for personal information. Before it went any further, I wanted to get out there right away and let them know, let our citizens know, that its always important to ask for ID when people are knocking on their doors, Hoffman told The Epoch Times. Hoffman noted that the warning may cause the unknown individuals to stop what they have been doing. The county sheriffs office said law enforcement was concerned that what happened may have been an attempt to obtain personal information for fraudulent purposes. Hoffman had similar thoughts, linking the situation with scams that target the elderly. I worry about identity on some of our older citizens here and releasing information, she said. Liz Harris, a former Republican congressional candidate, said in a social media video that she had canvassers going around in Arizona. These are all straight-laced great canvassers, they dont do any of what this letter states with the exception of, did you vote and what method did you use? They dont ever ask who they voted for, who the person being interviewed voted for. And the other big thing is, they never state that they work for a recorders office or anything like that, she said. Harris told The Epoch Times in an email that her canvassing operation has been active statewide since December 2020. The warning that has been released is not our canvassers and I seriously question the validity of the 2 complaints received, she wrote. Election auditors in Maricopa County, which abuts Yavapai County, had plans to canvass voters whose ballots were deemed questionable in the audit. But after the Department of Justice said the plan could amount to voter intimidation, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, who ordered the audit, said the plan was on hold indefinitely. If and to the extent the Senate subsequently decides that canvassing is necessary to the successful completion of the audit, its vendor will implement detailed requirements to ensure that the canvassing is conducted in a manner that complies fully with the commands of the United States Constitution and federal and state civil rights laws, Fann said. A spokesperson for the Arizona Senate Republicans didnt respond to a request for comment by press time. Julie Fisher, the deputy Arizona Senate audit liaison, told The Epoch Times via email that what happened in Yavapai County is not related to the audit. There is no update on the canvassing plan, she said. WE Charity co-founders Craig (L) and Marc Kielburger introduce Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau as they appear at WE Day celebrations in Ottawa on Nov. 10, 2015. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) Committees Recommendations to Protect Against Secret Lobbying Not Strong Enough: Democracy Advocate Commons committee report on WE Charity deal calls for tougher lobbying measures, conflict of interest safeguards Recommendations in a Commons committee report on the WE Charity scandal to safeguard against secret lobbying and conflicts of interest in government spending fall short, says the co-founder of a government accountability watchdog group. Essentially, even if the recommendations of the committee were put in place, secret lobbying would still be legal, Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher told The Epoch Times. Its not a bad report. Its just not strong enough to actually stop this stuff from happening again. You need to address secret lobbying. The WE Charity scandal erupted in June 2020 over the Liberal governments deal to pay the organization up to $43.5 million to administer the now-defunct $912 million Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) program, designed to cover up to $5,000 in education costs for students who volunteered during the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement ignited controversy because of the close ties between WE founders Craig and Marc Kielburger, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, then-finance minister Bill Morneau, and family members of both Trudeau and Morneau. After its review of the affair, the Commons Ethics Committee published a report on June 10 with recommendations on how the federal government should make decisions on contracts to avoid inappropriate lobbying and conflicts of interest. One of the committees recommendations suggested removing a significant part of duties registration threshold, also known as the 20 percent rule, from in-house lobbyists. The 20 percent rule means that if youre working for an organization and you are lobbying less than 20 percent of your time, then you dont have to disclose your lobbying, Conacher explains. While its good that the committee wants the rule removed, the door remains open to lobby in secret if youre not paid for your lobbying, he said. The committee said it was deeply concerning that Craig Kielburger was able to directly lobby former finance minister Bill Morneau due to their friendship, which staff within his ministerial office knew about. Morneau, whose daughter worked for WE and who had made generous donations to the charity, also came under fire over the CSSG deal. He and Trudeau apologized for not recusing themselves from the decision-making to award the grant. In May, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion cleared Trudeau of breaches to the Conflicts of Interest Act. But in a separate report, he ruled that Morneau had contravened the act by giving preferential treatment to WE Charity based on his friendship with Craig Kielburger. Duff Conacher, co-founder of the group Democracy Watch, speaks with reporters during a break from proceedings in Federal Court in Ottawa on Sept. 8, 2009. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Kate Bahen, managing director of Charity Intelligence Canada, said the ethics committee did the best job they can on the report, adding that she was shocked by the federal governments lack of due diligence before doling out the grant money. If anybody had taken 20 minutes to read WE Charitys audited financial statements, that would have raised a lot of questions, Bahen said in an interview. It was written by the auditor in black and white. It was written that there was a breach of bank covenants in 2018 and 2019. Never seen that before. So heres a charity that has so much debt its now in default to the banks. The committee said it was deeply troubling that the Liberal government signed the contract not with WE Charity itself but with WE Charity Foundation, a shell company with no assets. So all the money was going to go into a shell. How does that make you feel as a taxpayer? Bahen said. Would have disclosed to the Government board transition, governance structure, Kielburger co-founder control, lobbying, breach of bank covenants, layoffs, speaker fees, WE Charity Foundation directors (Victor Li, Scott Baker, Dalal Al-Waheidi all WE insiders not arms-length) Kate Bahen (@kate_bahen) June 10, 2021 The committee called on the government to refrain from awarding further contracts to the WE group until an independent audit or a Canada Revenue Agency forensic audit can be undertaken to determine exactly how the finances flow between their charitable operations and their multitude of side companies and real estate holdings. One of the committees recommendations was to put in place a conflict of interest screen that allows staff to remove ministers from being involved in decisions where they could have a conflict of interest. But Conacher says this wont achieve anything. Its just naive to think that a person working for the minister is actually stopping the minister from taking part in decisions that the minister wants to take part in, he said. Theyre smokescreens that hide whether a minister is actually stepping aside and not taking part in a decision-making process when they have a conflict of interest. Another major loophole, Conacher noted, is the Conflict of Interest Act itself. It actually should be called the Almost Impossible to be in a Conflict of Interest Act, he said, because it allows ministers to participate in decisions even when they have a clear conflict of interest, as long as the decision applies generally. Ninety-nine percent of the decisions that ministers make can apply generally, he said. In their own dissenting report, Liberal committee members agreed with the need to review both the Lobbying Act and the Conflict of Interest Act, but accused the opposition of a veritable witch hunt that led to WE and others being targeted for harassment and threats online and elsewhere. With files from The Canadian Press A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chemist checks pills containing fentanyl at the DEA Northeast Regional Laboratory in New York on Oct. 8, 2019. (Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images) Connecticut Man Admits to Manufacturing, Trafficking Counterfeit Pills Containing Fentanyl A Stamford, Connecticut man has pleaded guilty to manufacturing and distributing counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl analogues, the Department of Justice said Tuesday. Vincent Decaro, 31, along with an associate, worked from his Stamford home to purchase fentanyl analogues from suppliers in China. The pair pressed the drug into counterfeit oxycodone pills, which they then sold to customers on dark web markets, Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, said. David Reichard, Decaros associate, helped Decaro press pills and mail them to customers. Decaro pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogues, Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced this week. Authorities in April 2018 received a court authorization to search the 31-year-olds home and found numerous pills containing approximately 330 grams of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, approximately 40 grams of fentanyl analogues in powder form, three pill presses, instructions on how to prepare the fentanyl analogue Carfentanil, a hazardous material suit, a gas/respirator-type mask, and numerous U.S. postal mail envelopes. Decaro and his associate were in Europe at the time of the April search. They were arrested by Albanian State Police as they were attempting to cross the border from Albania into Kosovo on Sept. 21, 2018. Police found alprazolam, fentanyl, and other controlled substances; tools and dies for pressing pills, and instructions for synthesizing fentanyl upon searching an apartment in Tirana where the pair had been staying. Decaro has been released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing, scheduled Sept. 10. His associate, Reichard also pleaded guilty to a related charge in September 2019, but is yet to be sentenced. Fentanyl is the synthetic opioid attributed to the escalating overdose death rate in the United States. It is most often manufactured in Mexico using chemicals supplied by China. Its mixed with other narcotics to increase potency as well as pressed into counterfeit pain pills commonly known as Mexican oxys. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in December 2020 that deaths from drug overdoses accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overdose deaths were already increasing in the months before the pandemic started, but the latest numbers suggest a further acceleration, the agency said. Over 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in the 12 months ending in May 2020, the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period, according to provisional data the CDC released. According to the agency, thats an 18 percent increase over the previous 12-month period. Synthetic opioids, primarily the illicitly manufactured fentanyl, appeared to be the primary driver in the increased number of overdose deaths, the CDC said. Those deaths increased by 38.4 percent during the period in question, when compared to the 12-month period ending in June 2019. In the past, fentanyl had mainly been mixed into heroin to boost the high, but now its often pressed into small blue tablets and stamped with M30 to closely match the color and markings of prescription oxycodone pills. Buyers may be unaware the pills contain fentanyl, of which a 2 mg dose can be fatal. Homeland Security Investigations in the fiscal year 2020 seized 6,105 pounds of fentanyl nationwide, making 31,915 criminal arrests alongside operations. Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report. Chinese paramilitary police guard an alley in a street next to Tiananmen Square ahead of an overnight rehearsal of a military parade to mark communist China's 70th anniversary, in Beijing on Sept. 7, 2019. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) Suppression and Restrictions as CCP Prepares for 100-Year Anniversary In the lead-up to the 100-year anniversary of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) founding on July 1, Beijing has imposed extensive stability maintenance measures, including flight bans, traffic controls, and repression of people who wish to file petitions against the authorities. Stability maintenance is an often-used Chinese term for the authorities efforts to censor public opinion and suppress dissent, including petitioners and human rights activists. Since May 22, authorities have been driving out external persons, or anyone who isnt registered as a native Beijing resident. Many dissidents and concerned citizens come to Beijing from all around the country in order to petition the government. According to Weiquan Wang, a Chinese website devoted to news about human rights activists, Beijing began a massive drive to remove such people on June 12, demanding the complete elimination of political dissent by June 20. On June 11, Beijings municipal authorities announced they would classify nine administrative districts as restricted areas from June 13 to July 1, including Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai, Shijingshan, Fangshan, Tongzhou, and Daxing, where the flying of drones, remote-control aircraft, kites, balloons, and paper lanterns would now be prohibited. Restrictions also now apply to domesticated birds, depending on the time and zone. In the Tongzhou district, birds such as pigeons must be kept in captivity at all times. Flying bans in the other eight districts came into effect from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The first rehearsal for the anniversary ceremony was held in Beijings Tiananmen Square from 9 p.m. on June 12 until early in the morning, and traffic was tightly controlled during the event, according to Chinese authorities. Petitioner Wu Shiming, a Wuxi-based petitioner, told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on June 13 that he was absolutely not allowed to go to Beijing. Now, as soon as you buy a ticket [to Beijing], they will ask you to come back. If time allows, they will come to the train station to bring you back. If not, they will wait to arrest you in Beijing, he said. [Ill be] sent to jail if caught. Their brutality does not have a bottom line. Wu became a petitioner after the familys ancestral home was demolished by local authorities in 2014. He was then violently assaulted until he lost consciousness; his right eye was left disabled. Nominally, its maintaining stability, but actually its robbing and killing, he said. Wus father was both physically and mentally devastated, and died a few days after the house was demolished. Wus mother, who was suffering from serious illnesses, attempted to commit suicide after witnessing the demolition, but ultimately survived. According to a report by Radio Free Asia, some petitioners residing in Beijing will be forced to travel, a euphemism for being expelled from the city, on the eve of July 1. Beijings Intentions One analyst said Beijings high-profile commemoration is intended to reinforce the legitimacy of the CCPs rule, which has been questioned since it was founded on July 1, 1921, for subverting Chinas then-legitimate government, the Republic of China. U.S.-based China affairs expert Tang Jingyuan told The Epoch Times that it marks the end of the first stage of the 200-year goal of the party, which now officially means to build a moderately prosperous society. The goal of two 100 years, first proposed by former Party leader Jiang Zemin in 1997, refers both to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party and the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. It was later changed by the current leader, Xi Jinping, into building a moderately prosperous society and building a modernized socialist powerhouse. Its not important whether the goal is actually achieved, Tang said. By remarking on the so-called great national rejuvenation, the regime will consolidate and strengthen the legitimacy of its rule, including Xis quest for reelection or even lifelong rule. Xi previously amended Chinas constitution to remove the limit of two consecutive terms for the Partys chairman. At the 20th National Party Congress, to be held next year, Xi could be reappointed by Party members for a third term. FDA Authorizes More Doses of J&J CCP Virus Vaccine The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized a new batch of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus vaccine. In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said it authorized a batch of the J&J vaccine made at a facility in Baltimore run by Emergent BioSolutions, bringing the total number of FDA-authorized J&J batches made at the facility to three. The FDA did not specify how many doses were in the new batch authorized under the emergency use authorization (EUA). Federal authorities in April halted production of the J&J vaccine at the site after they discovered that ingredients from AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine, also being produced at the plant at the time, contaminated a batch of J&Js vaccine. An FDA inspection also turned up a long list of sanitary problems and bad manufacturing practices at the Emergent plant. J&J was put in charge of manufacturing at the plant and AstraZenecas shot is no longer being made there. The agency said in its latest announcement that it 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 has concluded that these batches are suitable for use, the FDA said. It added that while it is not yet ready to include the Baltimore facility as an authorized manufacturer in the EUA, it continues to work through issues there with Janssen and Emergent BioSolutions management. Emergent BioSolutions said in a statement to news outlets late Tuesday that it welcomes the new authorization. We remain committed to addressing the FDAs observations in order to resume production as soon as possible and look forward to continuing our work to end this pandemic, the company added. A pharmacy student prepares a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Los Angeles, California, on May 7, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) In April, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended a pause in the J&J vaccine amid several reports of blood clots. The two health bodies later that month advised that administration of the vaccine could resume, but attached warnings to their recommendations, including advice about possible risks. The J&J vaccine is developed by the companys subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies. Like the AstraZeneca vaccine, it is based on a new technology that uses a modified version of adenoviruses, which cause the common cold, as vectors to ferry instructions to human cells. J&J scientists have refuted the idea that the design of the vaccine is linked to clots. Reuters contributed to this report. (L-R) Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, attend a briefing on the administration's CCP virus response in the press briefing room of the White House in Washington on March 2, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Former CDC Director Robert Redfield Supports the Wuhan Lab-Leak Theory Former Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Robert Redfield explained why he thinks the CCP virus came from a Chinese lab (the Wuhan Institute of Virology or WIV), echoing support for the theory that was dismissed by media and politicians as having no scientific merit and not worth investigating. The former CDC director sat down with Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor at NYU and Fox News contributor, to discuss the pandemics origins. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the governments voice of scientific authority on the pandemic before and during the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has long argued that the virus came from an animal market in Wuhan China and not a lab leak. Until last month, the infectious disease expert had maintained that COVID-19 had developed naturally. Fauci told National Geographic in May 2020 that theres no scientific evidence that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus was made in a lab. Everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that [this virus] evolved in nature and then jumped species, Fauci told the publication at the time. The statement from last year was completely false, Adm. Brett Giroir, former Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assistant secretary, told Fox News. There was no pattern of mutations that suggest that it went right from an animal in a natural situation to humansand theres still no evidence to show that. So that statement was completely wrong. Redfield argued that the COVID-19 virus has a much faster rate of transmission than other lethal coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS which have been found to spread through animals and at a much slower rate. Theres an alternative hypothesis that it went from a bat virus, got into a laboratory where in the laboratory, it was taughteducated, it evolvedso that it became a virus that could efficiently transmit human to human, Redfield said. And my professional opinion, as a virologist, is thats the hypothesis that I support. You know, other individualsTony Fauci, for examplewould say that he prefers to support it evolved from nature. I think those are the two hypotheses. Early reports about an outbreak of the CCP virus first appeared in Wuhan in late 2019, when a cluster of cases was reported by state-controlled media to be linked to a local wet market. More than a year later, the origins of the virus remain unconfirmed, although the theory that the virus leaked from a laboratory at Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology is gaining traction. Peter Daszak, a member of the World Health Organization team investigating the origins of COVID-19, speaks to media upon arriving at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in Chinas central Hubei province on Feb. 3, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) The lab-leak theory, which until recently had been dismissed by most mainstream media outlets and fact-checkers as a debunked conspiracy, gained significant traction after The Wall Street Journal reported on May 23 that three researchers at the WIV were hospitalized in November 2019 with symptoms consistent with seasonal flu and COVID-19. The newspaper cited unnamed U.S. government sources familiar with a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report. Redfield, a virologist, expressed disappointment in what he described as a lack of openness within scientific circles to pursue both hypotheses. Im just giving my best opinion as a virologist, and I dont think its plausible that this virus went from a bat to an animalwe still dont know that animaland then went into humans and immediately had learned how to be human-to-human transmissible to the point of now causing one of the greatest pandemics weve had in the history of the world, Redfield said. President Joe Biden in May ordered the U.S. Intelligence Community to ramp up efforts to investigate the viruss origins and produce a report in 90 days. Chinese scientists and officials have consistently rejected the lab-leak hypothesis, claiming the virus could have circulated in other regions before it hit Wuhan and might have even entered China through imported frozen food shipments or wildlife trading. The World Health Organization (WHO) published a report about its investigation to identify the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population, including the possible role of intermediate hosts, including through efforts such as scientific and collaborative field missions. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the findings of the probe were inconclusive and called for further investigations. Redfield expressed concern that the WHO was highly compromised by the CCP. Clearly, they were incapable of compelling China to adhere to the treaty agreements that they have on global health, because they didnt do that. Clearly, they allowed China to define the group of scientists that could come and investigate, Redfield said. Thats not consistent with their role. Isabel van Brugen and Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Leaders of the G-7 pose for a group photo overlooking the beach at the Carbis Bay Hotel in Carbis Bay, St. Ives, Cornwall, England, on June 11, 2021. (Patrick Semansky/Pool/AP Photo) G-7 Tax Deal Could Face Senate Hurdle as It Affects US Firms the Most WASHINGTONThe Group of Seven (G-7) leaders rallied around a global tax deal last week in an effort to make big multinational companies pay their fair share of taxes. The agreement was met with swift opposition from Republicans, who called it a tax surrender for the United States. Studies show that U.S. companies are likely to see the greatest impact on their taxes under the new proposal. Leaders of the worlds seven richest nations on June 13 endorsed a plan that would allow governments to tax large companies more broadly and implement a global minimum tax of 15 percent. The proposal, however, faces a roadblock in Congress. It may require changes to international tax treaties, which need bipartisan support. Several Republican lawmakers have already opposed the G-7 agreement. If the policy has to be adopted through a new tax treaty, which I think is likely, then you will need a two-thirds majority in the Senate to ratify it, Daniel Bunn, vice president of global projects at the Tax Foundation, told The Epoch Times. There are portions, however, that will require changes to laws other than tax treaties, he said. Some actions, including changing the rules for the U.S. tax on global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI), could be done through a reconciliation process, which requires a simple majority vote. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act introduced a 10.5 percent minimum tax on GILTI to discourage corporations from shifting profits into tax havens by using intellectual property. In his American Jobs Plan, President Joe Biden has already proposed changing this rule and implementing a 21 percent tax on offshore profits of U.S. corporations. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) called the G-7 agreement crazy, according to a report by Financial Times. Certainly, the whole fact that they had to try to persuade all these other countries to make sure they raise their taxes is a confession of the damage were doing to our own country, Toomey told reporters on Capitol Hill, adding that there would be insufficient votes to approve a new tax treaty. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also reacted to the global tax deal, saying on Twitter, This is what a cartel looks like, after the announcement of the agreement by G-7 finance ministers. The G-7 countriesCanada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United Statesreached an agreement in principle, which is split into two pillars. The first pillar focuses on allocation of taxing rights. Under the proposal, the worlds largest and most profitable multinational companies would pay more taxes in countries where they generate sales. This new tax could potentially replace digital services taxes on big technology companies, mainly U.S. firms such as Facebook, Apple, and Google. The second pillar imposes a global minimum tax on potentially any company that has a low effective tax rate on foreign earnings. It proposes a global minimum tax of at least 15 percent to operate on a country-by-country basis, in order to remove the benefits of shifting profits. Under the proposal, if companies pay lower rates in a particular country, their home countries could top-up their taxes on foreign earnings to the minimum rate. With this, we have taken a significant step towards creating a fairer tax system fit for the 21st century, and reversing a 40-year race to the bottom, the G-7 summit communique reads. The leaders agreed to continue the discussion to reach an agreement at the Group of 20 meetings in July. This may finally lead to a global agreement among 140 countries led by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which has been working on cross-border tax reform for years. The proposed changes could increase global corporate income tax revenues by $50 billion80 billion per year, according to the OECD. Countries such as Ireland and Hungary that have a corporate tax rate below 15 percent are expected to lose tax revenues to other countries. Impact on US Under the first pillar, technology, health care, and pharmaceutical companies are likely to see the greatest impact on their tax rates, according to a research report by Morgan Stanley. From a corporate tax revenue perspective, the U.S. is likely to have the greatest impact, the report stated, which could result in reduced tax revenue for the United States. This is because out of the 100 multinationals that could come under its scope, the majority of them are based in the United States (roughly 48 percent), followed by France (8 percent), Germany (7 percent), and Japan (7 percent), according to the report. Under the second pillar, Morgan Stanley estimated that 400 companies across 23 developed markets could be exposed to a 15 percent minimum tax rate, and these companies currently pay a median cash tax rate of nearly 8 percent. Thus, in theory, a 15 percent minimum would nearly double the aggregate tax burden of this group, the report said. If minimum tax is adopted globally, companies incorporated in the United States (27 percent), Cayman Islands (7 percent), Canada (6 percent), Bermuda (6 percent), Taiwan (4 percent), and Japan (4 percent) would be the most affected, according to the report. Among the U.S. tech giants, Amazon and Facebook pay two of the lowest tax rates. Amazons effective tax rate was 11.8 percent and Facebooks was 12.2 percent in 2020, according to S&P Global. There are also other tech companies that pay even lower tax rates, such as chipmaker NVIDIA Corp., which had an effective tax rate of 1.7 percent in 2020 due to income earned in low-tax jurisdictions, as well as research and development credits and various tax benefits. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) welcomed the G-7 agreement in a statement on June 5. We look forward to reviewing the details of todays deal and applaud the Biden Administrations leadership in working to level the international playing field and support American workers, the Democratic lawmakers wrote. GOP members, however, pledged to fight tooth and nail against the global minimum tax, top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee Kevin Brady (R-Texas) told The Associated Press. They view the minimum tax as a surrender for American companies and a windfall for foreign competitors. Despite the fanfare surrounding the Administrations foreign tax deal, creation of this global tax cabal is no cause for celebration, a statement by Ways and Means Republicans said. It confirms President Bidens willingness to surrender American jobs and provide protection to foreign competitionnot to American companies and workers. In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell appears via video link during her arraignment hearing in Manhattan Federal Court in New York City, on July 14, 2020. (Jane Rosenberg/File Photo/Reuters) Ghislaine Maxwell Objects to Raw Sewage, Nosy Guards in NY Jail NEW YORKGhislaine Maxwell, the British socialite fighting U.S. federal sex trafficking charges, remains subjected to raw sewage, water deprivation, hyper-surveillance by overbearing guards, and other unacceptable treatment in jail, according to her lawyer. Maxwell, 59, is preparing for a possible November trial on charges she procured four underage girls for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse. Maxwell has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted. In a Tuesday night filing, lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said Maxwell was forced to change cells at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after raw sewage last week permeated her cell. Sternheim also said guards are still able to read Maxwells confidential legal papers and monitor her meetings with lawyers, and that neither Maxwell nor her lawyers were allowed water during a four-hour meeting on Sunday. Despite complaints about Maxwells treatment, little if anything has been done, Sternheim wrote. The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) is pictured in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 6, 2020. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images) The ever-changing rules are negatively impacting Ms. Maxwells ability to prepare for trial, Sternheim added. The hyper-surveillance of Ms. Maxwell and counsel during legal visits is highly inappropriate and invasive. Sternheims letter was in response to a June 7 letter from prosecutors that said guards can see but cannot hear Maxwells discussions with the lawyers. Prosecutors also said Maxwell still gets more time than any other inmate at the Brooklyn jail to use a computer and review evidence, and at least as much time to talk with her lawyers. They also said Maxwell remains physically healthy. The office of U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss in Manhattan declined to comment on Sternheims letter. The letter from prosecutors was made public on Wednesday. Maxwell is the daughter of the late British publishing magnate Robert Maxwell, and a former girlfriend and longtime associate of Epstein. She has been denied bail three times by U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, who oversees the case, and twice by a federal appeals court. Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 after pleading not guilty to sex trafficking charges. New York Citys medical examiner called the death a suicide. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) (C) arrives to sign an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 13, 2021. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images) GOP House Members Who Voted to Impeach Trump Face 2022 MAGA Primary Opponents The 10 Republicans who joined the Democrat effort to impeach former President Donald Trump in February, saying he was responsible for the breach on the Capitol, all received criticism from their home stateswhile some were censured, others were told to resign. Currently, 9 out of the 10 are facing primary challengers from within the GOP, Trumps America First Wing. Instead of attacking me and, more importantly, the voters of our movement, top establishment Republicans in Washington should be spending their energy in opposing Biden, Pelosi, Schumer, and the Democrats, Trump said in his February CPAC speech. Congressional members Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.), Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) all voted to impeach Trump, while the majority of Republicans voted against the impeachment, believing it was unconstitutional and unwarranted. The Democrats dont have grandstanders and in the House, Tom Rice, Adam Kinzinger, Dan Newhouse, Anthony Gonzalez Fred Upton, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Peter Meijer, John Katko, David Valadao, and of course the warmonger, a person that loves seeing our troops fighting, Liz Cheney, Trump said. How about that? The good news is in her state, shes been censured, and in her state, her poll numbers have dropped faster than any human being Ive ever seen. So hopefully theyll get rid of her with the next election. Get rid of them all, Trump added. Rep. Cheney, the most well-known and established congresswoman in the group of 10, has faced constant backlash since voting to impeach Trump, including being censured by her states Republican Party and later being removed as GOP House Conference Chair for her constant criticism of Trump. Cheney is being challenged by Wyoming State Senator Anthony Bouchard whose campaign raised $400,000 in 3 months in small donations. Bouchard said he is the strong conservative that Wyoming needs. A protester shouts in agreement with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as he gives a speech during a rally against Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) outside the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on Jan. 28, 2021. (Michael Cummo/The Wyoming Tribune Eagle via AP) President Trump stated, The Liz Cheneys of the world: We have to get rid of them, said Bouchard in a media release. It looks like conservatives across America, but especially in Wyoming, agree as strongly with him as I do. My campaigns momentum is growing every day. Although Trump has not formally endorsed Bouchard, Trumps press director put out a statement saying a Wyoming poll found that Cheney is extremely vulnerable since her state voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2020. Despite the backlash from within the party, Cheney and the other nine Congress members have held firm to their decision to impeach Trump and received support from Democrats. However, their opponents believe the vote against Trump is key in swaying voters. Rep. Gonzalez is being challenged by former Trump aide Max Miller. The former president called Miller a great person in his February press statement. He is a Marine Veteran, a son of Ohio, and a true PATRIOT. Current Rep. Anthony Gonzalez should not be representing the people of the 16th district because he does not represent their interest or their heart. Beutler is facing opposition from former Green Beret Joe Kent, who was deployed 12 times and whose wife was killed while fighting in Iraq. Kent criticized Beutlers voting record as being liberal and for supporting failed policies that put America last. Beutler claimed shes a conservative. Beutler voted with the radical left to halt the construction of the border wall. She voted for amnesty. She voted for the sham impeachment and was the star witness in the trial, Kent said in a recent statement. Christopher Miller, then-director of the National Counterterrorism Center, testifies to Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24, 2020. (Tom Williams/Pool via Reuters) Trumps Secretary of Defense, Christopher Miller endorsed Kent, saying, I have been in combat with Joe Kent. In combat, a persons true character is revealed. The only things that matter are honor, endurance, selfless service, and empathy. No one I know better exemplifies those virtues. Meanwhile, Rep. Kinzinger is being challenged by former Trump aide Catalina Lauf, who criticized the incumbent for voting a third of the time with Democrats. I proudly served in the Trump Administration to advance the Presidents pro-growth agenda. My opponent has spent his time in Congress enabling the Democrats anti-American agenda. America First put IL-16 firstimpeachment put the Swamp first, Lauf said in a social media statement Monday. Kinzinger spokesperson Maura Gillespie in February told the Sun-Times in an email, Its a bit early to comment when we dont even know what the districts will look like. But I will say that Congressman Kinzinger has a proven record of leadership and integrity, serving the interests of his constituents and his countrynot the sole interests of one man. According to Andrew Boucher, a partner at RightVoter and an organizer of The Charleston Meeting, You cant be an anti-Trump Republican and win a primary in this party anywhere in America. Andrew Boucher, partner at RightVoter speaks in an episode of Epoch Timess Crossroads on March 19, 2021. There is not going to be a single person who wins a Republican primary in 2022 who runs on the basis of I think we should move past Donald Trump; I dont think Donald Trump did a good job as president, Boucher told The Epoch Timess Crossroads program in a wide-ranging March interview. Rep. Meijer is being challenged by Audra Johnson and Tom Norton. Both are running as conservatives who are passionate about the America First agenda of following the U.S. Constitution, Border Security, Trumps economic plan, and gun rights. Johnson calls herself a constitutional conservative and has vowed to fight for Trump policies. Norton, an Afghanistan War veteran and former Sand Lake Village Housing President, said Meijers vote to impeach was a violation of the Constitution because it lacked due process. If you can violate due process of law for a sitting president of the United States, Norton continued, those rights could be taken from every American. Newhouse has state Rep. Brad Klippert and former GOP candidate for governor, Loren Culp running against him for his House seat. Culp filed a statement of candidacy in April. Rice is being challenged by Mayor Mark McBride who said his 12 years as Mayor of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and his support of the America First agenda makes him the best candidate for his district. U.S. Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) speaks with constituents during a congressional town hall meeting in Society Hill, S.C. on Aug. 23, 2017. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images) Tom Rice betrayed President Trump and South Carolina by joining Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats to impeach the president unconstitutionally after his term expired, said McBride in a Facebook statement. Upton, who since the impeachment in February has become the vice-chair of the bipartisan House Problem Solver Caucus, is being primaried by Jon Rocha, state Rep. Steve Carra, and Berrien County Commissioner Ezra Scott. Chris Mathys is challenging Valadao of California. In his online biography, he states that he gets his strength from God and not the government. I will stand up for America, always putting God, family, and country first. We must defend our freedoms, our conservative values, the voters of our district and former President Donald Trump, said Mathys in a press statement. Rep. Katko of New York currently is the only one of the 10 that does not have a challenger yet. U.S. House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) speaks during a news conference at the U.S Capitol in Washington on June 15, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) GOP Lawmakers Unveil Bill to Sanction Chinese Health Officials Over COVID-19 Origins A pair of Republican lawmakers unveiled a bill on June 15 that seeks to sanction top Chinese health officials and hold the communist regime accountable until it allows an independent probe into whether COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan lab. The World Deserves to Know Act (pdf), introduced by Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Robert Wittman (R-Va.), aims to hold the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for their intellectual property theft, multiple human rights abuses until theres an independent and unimpeded investigation into the origins of COVID-19. As the leader of the free world, the United States must hold Chinese Communist Party officials accountable for their unconscionable actions, Stefanik said in a statement. A thorough, unimpeded investigation is necessary to determine the extent of their actions and prevent the Chinese Communist Party from financially benefiting, in any form, especially at the expense of the American people. The proposed legislation comes as the hypothesis that the CCP virus could have been artificially or deliberately manipulated at Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) is receiving wider recognition. Early reports about an outbreak of the CCP virus first appeared in Wuhan in late 2019, when a cluster of cases was reported by state-controlled media to be linked to a local wet market. More than a year later, the origins of the virus remain unknown, although the possibility that the virus leaked from a laboratory at the WIV is gaining traction. Workers place barriers outside the closed Huanan Seafood wholesale market during a visit by members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of COVID-19 in Wuhan, Chinas central Hubei Province, on Jan. 31, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) The Wall Street Journal reported on May 23 that three researchers at the WIV were hospitalized in November 2019 with symptoms consistent with seasonal flu and COVID-19. The newspaper cited unnamed U.S. government sources familiar with a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report. President Joe Biden has ordered the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) to ramp up efforts to investigate the viruss origins. If signed into law, the bill would also instruct Biden to work with the IC to identify CCP members involved in the persecution of whistleblowers and journalists during the onset of the pandemic and sanction them for human rights abuses, Stefaniks office stated. The National Academy of Sciences would also be banned from using federal funds to enter into new contracts to fund Chinese-based institutes or universities that are part of Chinas National Health Commission. In addition, the bill would also review whether National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding has been directly or indirectly funneled to gain-of-function research. We cannot allow China to impede a free and fair investigation into the origins of COVID-19, Wittman said in a statement. Nor can we tolerate Chinas suppression of information which could prove critically important to preventing future pandemics. The sanctions imposed by the World Deserves to Know Act pave the way to uncover the truth about COVID-19s origins. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on June 13 that Beijing must work with further investigations into the origins of the CCP virus. He noted that Chinas failure to cooperate was one reason that the World Health Organizations initial report didnt go well. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies during a hearing before Senate Foreign Relations Committee at Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, on June 8, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Blinken said the initial reporta phase one study published by the WHO in Marchhad real problems with it, not the least of which was Chinas failure to cooperate. The report was based on findings by a WHO-led investigation team that conducted groundwork in the Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this year. Wuhan is where the first cluster of COVID-19 cases emerged, after which Chinese authorities linked these cases to a local wet market. However, Beijing refused to provide raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the investigation team. Critics have noted that the WHO investigation lacked independence, as some team members had ties to the CCP. The initial report adhered to Beijings preferred stances on the viruss origin and concluded that the possibility of the virus originating from a lab leak was extremely unlikely. Beijing has pushed a natural zoonotic hypothesisthat the virus had transmitted to humans from an animal host. Frank Fang contributed to this report. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) questions President Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of Defense, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 19, 2021. (Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images) GOP Senators Urge Tightening of Export Controls to Counteract Chinas Economic Predation Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has led a group of 10 Republican senators in calling on the Biden administration to act more quickly to finalize a list of emerging and foundational technologies that are key to national security and should be subject to stricter export controls as a guardrail against their acquisition and misuse by China for military and intelligence purposes. In a June 15 letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo (pdf), the senators urged the department to expeditiously identify the essential technologies, as mandated years ago by the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) (pdf). The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is executing a strategy of Military-Civil Fusion (MCF), in which notionally private Chinese companies acquire cutting-edge technology overseas in part to help the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) develop and field advanced military capabilities, the senators wrote, noting that, in practice, the strategy transforms the technology sector of the Chinese economy into a military-driven ecosystem, centrally coordinated by the CCP. We remain concerned that U.S. businesses export sensitive technologies to ostensibly civilian Chinese firms or accept investment from them only for these Chinese firms to promptly hand over this technology to the Chinese military or intelligence services. While the Commerce Department has taken steps to solicit expert advice and public comment on the emerging and foundational technologies list, issuing an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking in November 2018, the senators argued that these efforts have only resulted in a limited set of controlled emerging technologies and omit many of the 45 potential emerging technologies that the Commerce Department listed in the notice. Some of the technologies identified in the proposed rulemaking notice include artificial intelligence, advanced surveillance, and micro-robotic systems, along with a variety of brain-computer systems like mind-machine interfaces. So long as these lists remain incomplete and underutilized, the federal government will lack a properly functioning export control system and foreign investment screening process, the letter reads, noting that this would leave the United States unacceptably vulnerable to Chinas economic predation. A U.S. congressional advisory report from this month stated that the Commerce Department was failing to do its part to protect national security and keep sensitive technology out of the hands of Chinas military. The U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission report said the Commerce Department had been slow to create a list of sensitive technology that should be scrutinized before export to China. The Commerce Department said on June 15 in response that because innovation is not static and technology triggering national security concerns can evolve over time, the goal to identify these technologies will be a continuous effort and will not be an objective that is finished or complete.' The department noted that it has issued four rules on controls on emerging technologies and more are pending. It has already expanded the military end-user rule and added companies to its entity list restricting U.S. suppliers from selling to companies like Huawei Technologies and Hangzhou Hikvision. The ECRA, which was signed into law in August 2018, directs the Commerce Departments Bureau of Industry and Security to carry out an interagency review process to identify emerging and foundational technologies, which would be added to the Commerce Control List and controlled under the Export Administration Regulations. Also, any so-identified technologies would be considered critical technologies under the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, potentially requiring any foreign investments in U.S. businesses that engage in activities involving those technologies to be subject to a mandatory notification to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Reuters contributed to this report. Australian Housing Values Rise to Record Levels as Affordability Crisis Worsens The value of Australian houses rose by $450 million in the March quarter, the highest rise on record, bringing renewed calls for action to address the growing housing affordability crisis. According to the latest figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australian residential dwellings surpassed $8 trillion for the first time. New South Wales (NSW) alone accounted for around 40 percent of total national value. The average price of residential dwellings in NSW rose to $1.01 million, ABS Head of Prices Statistics Michelle Marquardt said. This was the first time any state or territory had seen the average price of dwellings rise above $1 million. The sky-high prices in tandem with a looming housing supply shortage mean some residents are moving further away from workplaces to avoid falling into housing stress. The government defines housing stress as a household that is earning in the bottom 40 percent of the national income and is spending more than 30 percent of its income on housing. A report by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute found that an increasing number of essential workers in Sydney and Melbourne were struggling to find affordable housing near the city. Around 20 percent of key workers such as nurses, emergency officers, and teachers were experiencing housing stress in Sydney and 17 percent in Melbourne. Moderate-income households who previously would have become homeowners are now being locked out of the housing market, putting strain on the rental sector, the report said. To cope with the lack of affordably priced housing close to jobs, some workers are commuting long distances, and there are suggestions that some young people are leaving Sydney and Melbourne altogether to settle in more affordable cities and regions. A prospective buyer looks at a property before the home auction for a four-bedroom house on Feb. 14, 2015, in Blacktown, Australia. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) Commonwealth Bank chief economist Stephen Halmarick told the Committee for Economic Development of Australia online conference on Tuesday that the lack of attention on housing supply is causing this crisis. If you increase demand and you dont increase the supply, then theres only one result that we all learn in economics 101which is the price goes up. Its really going to be important to focus on the supply side, and while the population growth rate is down, I think this the opportunity to really accelerate the construction of new residential properties in Australia, Halmarick said. A new report from the University of NSW, Housing: Taming the Elephant in the Economy, called Australias property market dysfunctional and a threat to the countrys economic future. Report lead author Professor Duncan Maclennan said the report affirms that the current housing system is failing an increasing number of young people, so an immediate overhaul was needed. Australias approach to housing policy has fuelled income and wealth inequality and created significant economic instability, Maclennan said. This is becoming a huge drag on productivity and warping Australias capital investment patterns. Liberal MP for Bennelong John Alexander said his own governments policies were causing a dysfunctional housing market. He said every level of government needed to implement policies to squash prices down to around three times annual household income. I think you have to put in place policies that are farsighted, ones that make our biggest asset class as safe as houses, Alexander told Sydney Morning Herald. The commonwealth of this nation is tied to homeownership. But we now have homeownership at its lowest level in 60 years. According to Demographia International Housing Affordability 2021 (pdf), five Australian capital cities are listed among the 25 least affordable housing markets in the world. Sydney (3) is Australias least affordable city, followed by Melbourne (6), Adelaide (13), Brisbane (18), and Perth (23). A large group of protesters stand on the east steps of the Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images) House Ethics Committee Rejects Capitol Breach Claims Against Reps. Brooks, Gosar The House Ethics Committee has declined to investigate claims that Reps. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) had any involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. The Republican congressmen on June 15 released notices they received from Committee Chairman Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), who said the panel wont create a special investigative subcommittee to look into their alleged actions in the days leading up to Jan. 6, when a group of protesters breached the Capitol building complex. While Brooks had no comment on the committees decision, Gosar said the accusation that he helped instigate the Jan. 6 incident was baseless and politically motivated. This patently baseless claim attempted to conflate political disagreements with ethics, Gosar said in a statement, adding that the House Ethics Committee, which includes an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, should not be politicized for partisan purposes. The notices came a day after Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) announced that she also was cleared by the panel. The matter began after Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) filed three separate complaints in March, alleging that Boebert, Brooks, and Gosar were somehow responsible for the breach of the Capitol, which she said endangered the lives of their colleagues. All three were among the 120 House Republicans who voted to reject the Electoral College results from Arizona in the 2020 presidential election. Representative Boebert endangered fellow members lives and pursued a disinformation campaign related to the election results that resulted in an armed uprising, Jayapal wrote in one of the complaints. Representative Boebert has not apologized for her statements leading up to the January 6 riot and continued to claim that the election was stolen. Boebert said on June 14 that the complaint filed against her was partisan in nature and a waste of taxpayers money. I would love to see how many taxpayer dollars Rep. Jayapal wasted on this ridiculous ethics complaint rehashing leftist media talking points and offering no real substance, the first-time congresswoman said in a statement. She represents the worst of the entrenched swamp creatures who waste taxpayer money on partisan crusades and endless investigations. Luckily, the House Committee on Ethics saw through Rep. Jayapals posturing and dismissed her ethics complaint. Jayapal has also filed similar ethics charges against the three Republican lawmakers to the Office of Congressional Ethics, which doesnt include members of Congress, but acts as an independent, nonpartisan entity consisting primarily of attorneys and other professionals with expertise in ethics law and investigations. The office has yet to rule on any of Jayapals complaints. Border Patrol takes seven illegal aliens from Guatemala into custody near Brackettville, Texas, on May 25, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Illegal Immigrants Intentionally Damaging Property, Says Texas Sheriff KINNEY COUNTY, TexasThis years illegal immigrants are unlike those from previous years, according to Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe, who was also a Border Patrol agent for 31 years. Were starting to see more intentional damage, Coe told The Epoch Times. Ive never seen it quite like this. Somebodys making a statement. He said in the past six months, illegal aliens that get past Border Patrol in the Del Rio, Texas, area are walking through ranches, destroying fences and water pipes, leaving water faucets on, and breaking into homes. Weve always had a fence cut here, fence cut there, because theyre hauling dope or small kids or something, he said. But weve never seen the intentional big four-by-four holes in the fence, or now, a 10-foot section just cut completely out. Thats really starting to bother me. The cost of replacing a mile of fencing can be up to $30,000, several ranchers told The Epoch Times. Its all just out of spite, I think, Coe said. In May, Border Patrol detected 51,000 illegal immigrants that slipped past them along the U.SMexico border. In the same month, apprehensions hit a 21-year monthly high, with the agency arresting 180,034 illegal border-crossers. The majority of the illegal immigrants eluding Border Patrol and walking through the ranches, or being smuggled in vehicles, are young males traveling in groups, according to local sheriffs and Border Patrol agents. Many ranchers and homeowners are now having to constantly carry a firearm while on their property, and Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco said the illegal immigrants now are more aggressive. A resident told Nolasco that he had to hold an illegal alien at gunpoint, but the man still wasnt backing down. And [the resident] finally had to cock the hammer back and say, Hey, you take a step further, then things are gonna change here,' Nolasco said. Thats the last thing I want to hearthat we have a shooting, [that] we have somebody that had to kill somebody I hope it never happens. Nolasco said stolen vehicles, criminal mischief, and burglaries have all ticked up in conjunction with the influx of illegal aliens this year. Its a mess. Thats what it is. But nobody seems to care about us down here. Were 60, 65 miles away from the border. And they say that everythings OK. No, its not OK, he said. Most of the [vehicle] stops, theyre finding weapons in the vehicles, so thats nuts. Coe said in the past, illegal immigrants crossing through his county would be respectful and largely stay away from homes and property, unless they really needed help. These people now, theyre demanding, You will feed me, you will give me water,' he said. Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said a resident was given a list of demands by a group of illegal aliens that approached him at home. Another couple was threatened with I know where you live by an illegal alien as he was being arrested on their property. Rancher John Sewell said his three Blue Lacy dogs have likely helped change the outcome in several situations, including when a group of men approached and said they wanted to take his truck. Coe said he doesnt expect things to slow down before October, as summer is usually the busiest, and most dangerous, crossing season. Normally, around here, we have one death every 18 to 24 monthssomebody will find a deceased person on their property, he said. This is May, weve had two this month. So if thats any indication of what the rest of the year is going to be like, thats going to be kind of scary. Meanwhile, the governors of Arizona and Texas have asked other states to deploy available police or law enforcement to the U.S.Mexico border to assist Border Patrol agents as they deal with a surge in encounters. With your help, we can apprehend more of these perpetrators of state and federal crimes, before they can cause problems in your state, Govs. Greg Abbott and Doug Ducey, both Republicans, wrote in a letter to other governors on June 10. Abbott announced on June 10 that Texas will begin arresting illegal immigrants who enter the state. Were going to start making arrests, sending a message to anyone thinking about coming here: Youre not getting a free pass. Youre getting a straight pass to a jail cell. IRS Denies Tax Exemption to Texas Religious Group Because Prayer, Bible Reading Boost the Republican Party An IRS official denied tax-exempt status to a Texas group that encourages church members to pray for state and national leaders, regardless of their party affiliation, because it benefits the private interests of the [Republican] Party. You do not qualify as an organization described in IRS Section 501(c)(3). You engage in prohibited political campaign intervention, wrote Stephen A. Martin, director of the IRS Office of Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements, in a May 18 letter (pdf) to Christians Engaged, the Garland, Texas-based prayer group recognized by Texas officials as tax-exempt. You are also not operated exclusively for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (c)(3), because you operate for a substantial non-exempt private purpose and for the private interests of the D party. The D party is a reference to the Republican Party, according to a novel legend that Martin provided at the top of his letter to the Texas group. Martins letter was made public on June 16 by the First Liberty Institute, a Plano, Texas-based public interest law firm that specializes in religious freedom litigation. Martin also noted that the groups activities educate believers on national issues that are central to their belief in the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. Specifically, you educate Christians on what the Bible says in areas where they can be instrumental, including the areas of sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, biblical justice, freedom of speech, defense, and borders and immigration, U.S. and Israel relations, he wrote. The Bible teachings are typically affiliated with the D party and candidates. This disqualifies you from exemption under IRS Section 501(c)(3). Christians Engaged President Bunni Pounds said in a statement issued by the First Liberty Institute: We just want to encourage more people to vote and participate in the political process. How can anyone be against that? First Liberty Institute is appealing Martins decision on behalf of Christians Engaged. The IRS states in an official letter that Biblical values are exclusively Republican. That might be news to President Joe Biden, who is often described as basing his political ideology on his religious beliefs, First Liberty Institute counsel Lea Patterson said in the statement. Only a politicized IRS could see Americans who pray for their nation, vote in every election, and work to engage others in the political process as a threat. The IRS violated its own regulations in denying tax-exempt status because Christians Engaged teaches biblical values. In the appeal letter, First Liberty said, By finding that Christians Engaged does not meet the operational test, Director Martin errs in three ways 1) he invents a nonexistent requirement that exempt organizations be neutral on public policy issues; 2) he incorrectly concludes that Christians Engaged primarily serves private, nonexempt purposes rather than public, exempt purposes because he thinks its beliefs overlap with the Republican Partys policy positions; and 3) he violates the First Amendments Free Speech, and Free Exercise, and Establishment clauses by engaging in both viewpoint discrimination and religious discrimination. Martins letter and decision are certain to ignite a new firestorm of protests among congressional Republicans, conservative and religious freedom advocacy groups, and civil liberties defenders, as happened during President Barack Obamas Oval Office tenure. The IRS under Obama singled out hundreds of conservative, Tea Party, and evangelical tax-exemption applicants for special treatment that included long delays and multiple requests for detailed information about the beliefs and activities of officials associated with the groups. Multiple lawsuits were filed against the IRS by such groups, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) agreed in two separate settlements to compensate them for undisclosed amounts. The DOJ also acknowledged that the IRS had targeted the groups on the basis of their political and religious activities and beliefs for heightened scrutiny and inordinate delays. The act of praying for our country and our leaders is about the most nonpartisan and patriotic thing that Americans can do. Millions of citizens do it every day, Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) told The Epoch Times on June 16. The IRS was wrong to deny tax-exempt status based on the false belief that the Bible somehow only belongs to one political party. The IRS still has a long way to go to ensure religious liberty for all. A field is on fire after Palestinians in Gaza sent incendiary balloons over the border between Gaza and Israel, Near Nir Am, on June 15, 2021. (Amir Cohen/Reuters) Israeli Military Confirms Air Strikes on Hamas Compounds in Gaza Attacks were in response to incendiary balloons launched from Gaza Strip, the IDF said The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed in the early hours of June 16 that its aircraft attacked armed compounds belonging to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The attacks were in response to the launching of incendiary balloons from Gaza on June 15 that sparked fires in fields in southern Israel. The Israeli fire brigade reported that at least 20 fires were started by the explosive-laden arson balloons. An Israeli firefighter attempts to extinguish a fire caused by an incendiary balloon launched by Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, on the IsraeliGaza border, on June 15, 2021. (Tsafrir Abayov/AP Photo) In a statement, the military said the aircraft attacked Hamas compounds in both Gaza City and the southern town of Khan Younis. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) added that it was ready for all scenarios, including renewed fighting in the face of continued terrorist acts emanating from Gaza. A Hamas spokesman, confirming the Israeli attacks, said it would continue to pursue its brave resistance and defend their [Palestinians] rights and sacred sites in Jerusalem. It comes after dozens of Palestinians clashed with the IDF near the Old Citys Damascus Gate along the Gaza border on June 15, as thousands of people participated in an Israeli nationalist march in East Jerusalem. Jewish people waving Israeli flags participate in the Flags March next to Damascus Gate, outside Jerusalems Old City, on June 15, 2021. (Mahmoud Illean/AP Photo) A Palestinian uses a sling to hurl stones at Israeli forces during riots over a flag-waving procession by Israeli people in and around East Jerusalems Old City, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, in the West Bank, on June 15, 2021. (Mohamad Torokman/Reuters) According to Israeli news outlet Haaretz, the Islamic Jihad terrorist group called on Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank to gather along the route of the planned Jerusalem flag march to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosquea compound revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. The planned Jewish nationalist march was originally scheduled for May 10 as part of annual Jerusalem Day festivities that commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem and Israels control over the Old City in East Jerusalem in the aftermath of the Six-Day War in June 1967. In a recent statement, the IDF said that during the Six-Day War, 54 years ago, it had successfully defended the State of Israel against enemy countries on three different fronts, in just six days. The march on June 15 began at the Damascus Gate of Jerusalems Old City and moved to Judaisms holy Western Wall. The Times of Israel reported that Hamas had threatened to renew rocket fire to Israel if the march went ahead. Prior to the June 15 march, Israel prepared its deployment of the Iron Dome anti-missile system in anticipation of possible rocket attacks from Gaza, reported Reuters. But there was no sign of rocket fire as the march dispersed after nightfall in Jerusalem. Jewish people covered with Israeli flags participate in the Flags March next to the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews go to pray, in the Old City of Jerusalem, June 15, 2021. (Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo) The latest conflict marks the first exchange of fire between Israel and Gaza terrorists since a ceasefire brokered by Egypt ended 11 days of cross-border fighting that began on May 10. Its also the first flare-up since the Israeli parliament approved a new government. At least 12 people died in Israel as a result of the fighting last month, when repeated rocket attacks from Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza sent residents in Israel rushing into underground shelters. The IDF said that its Iron Dome air defense system was able to intercept about 90 percent of the rocket attacks from Gaza. At least 230 people were killed in Gaza. Of the approximately 4,000 rockets that were fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel, about 600 misfired and fell inside Gaza, according to the IDF. Some of the misfired rockets potentially killed and injured Palestinians. Israel and Hamas have waged multiple conflicts since the terrorist group took control of Gaza in 2007. Israeli airstrikes in retaliation to rockets fired from Gaza arent rare. Reuters contributed to this report. A judges gavel rests on top of a desk in the courtroom of the newly opened Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum in Miami, Fla., on Feb. 3, 2009. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Judge Dismisses Murder Charges Against Simone Biles Brother CLEVELANDA judge in Ohio has dismissed murder charges filed against the brother of Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles, ruling Tuesday that prosecutors did not present evidence to sustain a conviction in a 2018 New Years Eve party shooting in Cleveland that left three men dead. Moments after Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Joan Synenberg issued her ruling that acquitted Tevin Biles-Thomas, a woman in the court gallery charged at the defendant and screamed You killed my baby! Three sheriffs deputies tackled the woman before she could reach Biles-Thomas. Defense lawyers had sought the judges ruling, which also acquitted Biles-Thomas of voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault charges. They said there was no forensic evidence connecting their client to the killings and that no witnesses testified that they saw Biles-Thomas shoot. Biles-Thomas, a U.S. Army soldier, has maintained his innocence. His first trial ended in a mistrial last month after jurors said they had read legal paperwork that inadvertently was included in evidence given to them to review. Authorities have said gunfire broke out when a group of men arrived uninvited to the party in 2018. Nineteen-year-old DelVaunte Johnson, 21-year-old Toshaun Banks, and 23-year-old DeVaughn Gibson were killed. Simone Biles has said on Twitter that she was struggling with her brothers arrest and that her heart ached for the victims and their families. A person uses a computer in an Internet cafe in Shenyang, China, in this file photo. (AP Photo) Activist Chinese Blogger Reportedly Caught by Police After Preserving Anonymity for 12 Years A prominent Chinese IT professional, who for more than 10 years posted on his blog deep-dive analyses of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) without punishment, was reportedly whisked away by Shanghai authorities and is enduring brutal interrogation. Program Think, a pseudonym he adopted on Blogspot, has vanished since his last blog posts on May 9. The blogger ran afoul of Chinese authorities by exposing the communist regimes elite families and propaganda tactics, as well as introducing methods for bypassing the Great Fire Wall (GFW), an advanced internet censorship system in China. The Epoch Times recently learned from a person familiar with the matter that the anonymous blogger was tracked down and arrested by the police in Shanghai, Chinas financial hub, in early May. Radio Free Asia was first to report on the bloggers arrest. He is enduring brutal tortures, said the man who has kept a close eye on Chinese dissidents and activists for years. He gave the surname Zhao in the interview with The Epoch Times. Zhao claimed that reliable sources told him the blogger is being held in custody by police. Considering the safety of the sources and himself, he chose not to disclose more personal information. The authorities are sure to impose stiff sentences very soon, he added in the interview on June 16. Zhao hopes the voice of media outlets and the international community acts as a deterrent to the authorities, reducing the imprisoned dissidents suffering. To evade the CCPs surveillance and aggressive hacking, the blogger mentioned in 2019 that all information related to his identity had been concealed, as he writes or contacts under the pseudonym. Therefore, The Epoch Times could not directly verify his arrest. But the blogger noted in 2017 that if he did not update the blog for over 14 days, he likely has been arrested or severely injured. As of Wednesday, his blog has remained silent for 40 days. He Is a Legend The anonymous author, dubbing himself as an enemy of the Party Country on his blog, had secured his personal information in China for 12 years under the Chinese regimes strict surveillance and internet. He is a legend, Zhao said on the phone call through the internet. On his Blogspot, Program Think covered a number of topics that could stir up the regime, including details of the Tiananmen Square massacre, Hong Kongs pro-democratic protests in 2014 and 2019, and the corruption of the elite families in China. Among them is personal and business information on the Princeling offspring of Chinese leaders and high-ranking officials, mainly sourced from the regimes websites and Western mainstream media that had been blocked in China. Soon after it was posted on GitHub, a warning message from the Cyber Security Association of China required the blogger to remove a post labeled malicious slander of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He is the man the CCP most wanted to crush, Zhao added. Speaking Out Identifying himself as an IT professional, Program Thinks original intention was to introduce IT knowledge and methods for bypassing the GFW, as his pen-name implies. However, in 2009, the mandatory pre-installation of a content-censoring software and the blocking of several leading websites, including Bing, Twitter, and Blogspot, prompted him to write articles about politics. He quoted Martin Niemollers confessional prose, First they came, to explain the change of his focus on the blog. First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for meand there was no one left to speak for me. Luo Ya contributed to this report. Lighting Fires: A Salute to Teachers Miss Fleming. Mrs. Jessup. Mrs. Spear. Mr. Darden. Dr. Hood. Ed Burrows. Dr. Barefield. These are names in my pantheon of personal heroes, men and women who placed their stamp on me and helped me become who I am. My mom and dad, my siblings and friends, my wife, and my children and grandchildren have all helped shape me, giving me even in my older age insights into life and bits of wisdom. A conversation with my daughter several years ago, for example, taught me about humility and the importance of allowing others to show me charity. My moms bravery on her death bed took away my fear of the Grim Reaper, and a friends guidance over our long fellowship has comforted me in hard times and at one point gave me the courage to get to my feet when my life fell apart. And those seven names above? Where do they fit into this picture? They werent my aunts or uncles or cousins. With one exception, they werent my friends. Again with one exception, I had few intimate conversations with them and knew little of their personal lives. So who were they? They were my teachers. My best teachers. The Either-Or Fallacy Often we paint our educators with too broad a brush. We either sentimentalize them, deeming them noble, hard-working professionals seeking to inspire our young people to fulfill their potential, or else we blast them as being indifferent to their young charges, concerned more about salary hikes, benefits, and summer vacations than whether Johnny can read or Sally can solve equilateral equations. When we lump all teachers into one of these categories, we are making a grave mistake. The truth is there are good teachers and bad teachers, entertaining teachers and teachers dull as dishwater, teachers who connect with their students and teachers who are as cold as fish in the classroom. And then there are the best teachers. Hand on the Helm Fundamental to all good teaching is this basic precept: Command the classroom. At Boonville Elementary School, Miss Fleming, Mrs. Jessup, and Mrs. Spear were my teachers in the third, fifth, and sixth grades, respectively, and they controlled their classrooms like captains at the helm of a battleship. Breaches of discipline were rare, and when they occurred, the offender could expect to have his hand spanked with a ruler or suffer a disgraced exile in the hallway outside the classroom. All three women had one advantage missing in many schools today. They were natives of Boonville, population around 600, or of the surrounding countryside, and therefore knew the families of their students. If some student had a certain quirk, for example, like an indifference to bookwork or the ability to turn an ordinary event into a tall tale, the teachers probably said, as did the townspeople, Well, hes a Shore or Thats the Moxley blood coming out in her. Each of these women taught us reading, basic math, handwritingalways my worst subjectand all other subjects. That education was grounded in basics with lots of rote memorization, and yet I hold the academic gifts given me by these women in great esteem. In the seventh grade, I entered a military school 200 miles away, where at the end of the year I received a medal for standing at the top of my class academically. For the rest of my life, I have credited that honor to my Boonville teachers. A teachers first duty is to maintain discipline and instill knowledge. Creativity Mr. Paul Darden taught my ninth-grade block class, geography and honors English, at Southwest Junior High School near Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was a lanky man who often wore loafers and a sweater vest, remaining in my minds eye a precursor to Mr. Rogers of television fame, and was as easygoing as a Sunday afternoon. His classes were fun and filled with worthwhile projects. The one I remember best was his European travel itinerary, where we had to plan out a day-by-day schedule of a trip to places like England and France. This was long before the internet, and so my classmates and I visited libraries and travel agencies to gather information for our plans. It was such a wonderful way to learn about European history and geography, that more than 30 years later I copied this idea and used it in a couple of my own classes. To express my appreciation, I mailed Mr. Darden a letter thanking him for being my teacher and for this project in particular. Poet W.B. Yeats once said, Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire. Mr. Darden gave his students matches and kindling. Classrooms Off Campus Professor Henry Hood of Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, looked a little bit like the comedian Don Rickles. He wore wrinkled jackets and a tie loose at the throat, and frequently carried a crazed gleam in his eyes. He would march into the classroom, sit at the chair behind his desk, lean back, put his hands behind his head, and without using notes of any kind, would kick off into a lecture on the Huns, Queen Elizabeth, or the wars of the Reformation. Dr. Hood also invited students into his home, where he served supperKentucky Fried Chicken was a favoriteplayed for us on his harpsichord or the bagpipes, and entertained us with stories from history and from his youth. Our Byzantine history class regularly met in his living room, and to this day, whenever I read of that long-lost empire, I can still taste the peanuts and apple cider he served up on those occasions. Years later, as a teacher in Asheville, I adopted Dr. Hoods practice of holding classes in the home and expanded it. Throughout the academic year, various seminars I taught met not only in my apartment, but also at places like Barnes and Noble, the Battery Park Book Exchange, the Basilica of Saint Lawrence, and several cafes. The discussions conducted in these places brought the students closer together, gave them insights into my own philosophy, and provided a break from the plastic chairs and folding tables of the church classroom where we normally met. Good teachers can make learning as pleasurable as well, as peanuts and apple cider. A Kind Heart In January 1971, I resigned honorably from the U.S. Military Academy and shortly afterward entered Guildford College. In what he undoubtedly regarded as a great practical joke, the registrar assigned me as my faculty adviser Dr. Ed Burrows, who had served time in prison as a pacifist during World War II. If the registrar intended comedy, his joke backfired. Until his death in 1998, Ed and I remained good friends. Given the canyon separating us politically, he once asked me why the two of us had remained friends. I thought a moment, shrugged, and said, I guess I like laughing together with you. That friendship began with my admiration for his teaching abilities. Ed was a good man, kind to his students, with a keen sense of humor. I took several classes with him, and never once did I see him become angry or raise his voice to a student. He was beloved by many of us for his gentle criticisms and suggestions. Good teachers can be both demanding and kind. Demanding Excellence In college, I normally received high grades on my papers and essays, but there I sat as a graduate student in the office of history professor James Barefield at Wake Forest University, and the first chapter of my masters thesis looked as if someone had just squirted several packets of ketchup on it. Twenty-two years old, and I was choking back tears of frustration. Dr. Barefield quietly led me through my many mistakes, such as the overuse of adverbs, the occasional lack of connections between paragraphs, and poor word choices. Over the next months, the splashes of red ink became less frequent, and slowly my prose style improved. Dr. Barefield and I never became particularly close, but he was always in my corner, helping me enter the doctorate program I never finished, pushing me to study for my required exam in basic French, and encouraging me when my studies overwhelmed me. Always, I sensed, he wanted the best for me and from me. Good teachers set the bar high in terms of expectations. Gratitude Good teachers can make an enormous difference in the lives of their students. They give us valuable tools for making our way in the world, inspire us to aim high and become better people, and refuse to listen to our excuses or condone shoddy work. If youve had teachers like that, I encourage you to drop them a note expressing your appreciation, no matter how many years have passed since you last sat in a classroom or lecture hall. Our educators need to know we cherish their efforts and talents, and the effect they had on us. Speaking from my own experience, I can assure you a letter or an email of gratitude from a former student leaves me walking on air for the rest of the day. Give a thank you to your teachers. I wish I could thank mine. Jeff Minick has four children and a growing platoon of grandchildren. For 20 years, he taught history, literature, and Latin to seminars of homeschooling students in Asheville, N.C. He is the author of two novels, Amanda Bell and Dust on Their Wings, and two works of non-fiction, Learning as I Go and Movies Make the Man. Today, he lives and writes in Front Royal, Va. See JeffMinick.com to follow his blog. Live Q&A: Texas Asserts Sovereignty Under 10th Amendment; Counties Vow to Uphold Full Bill of Rights Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a resolution asserting Texas sovereignty under the 10th Amendment on all powers not granted to the federal government by the Constitution. Meanwhile, two counties in Nevada have declared they will go constitutional by upholding the full content of the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. And in other news, a recent study shows that Americans are leaving New York and California in droves for Texas and Florida. In this Live Q&A with Crossroads host Joshua Philipp, well discuss these stories and others, and answer questions from the audience. Were being heavily censored by Big Tech. Our solution? Create our own independent platform free of censorship. Join us today on EpochTV. Weve got a country to save: http://epochtv.com/Crossroads Follow EpochTV on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus A worker holds a white rat at the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy established by the West China Medical School of Sichuan University in Chengdu of Sichuan Province, southwest China, on Aug. 3, 2005. (China Photos/Getty Images) Male Rats Giving Birth Shows Need to Regulate Biotechnology Commentary Biotechnology is being harnessed to accelerate social-revolutionary policies and cross what once were immutable moral boundaries. The latest example occurred in Chinawhere scientific ethics go to die. Heres the story: Two Shanghai-based researchers surgically attached male and female rats. They then transplanted uteruses into male rats and ensured that the females blood nurtured the organs now in the male bodies. The male rats were then impregnated via IVF and embryo transfer, and some of the males became, well, mothers. For the first time, a mammalian animal model of male pregnancy was constructed by us, the researchers bragged in a paper published by BioRXiv, an open-access journal hosted by Cold Spring Harbor. Why do that? Part of the impetus may have been to advance a deeply yearned goal of the transgender movement, that is, to enable trans womenbiological males who identify as femaleto give birth. Indeed, some in bioethics consider that prospect to be a human right. For example, an article in the Oxford University-based Journal of Medical Ethics argued, There is a moral imperative to ensure equitable access to UTx [uterine transplant] for genetically XY [transgender] women. Failing to assure the full female reproductive experience to these patients, the bioethicists argued, is discrimination against genetically XY women as a social group. In other words, medical science has a social justice duty to overturn natures transphobic realities. Altering the Genome Transgenderism isnt the only field in which Big Biotech is radically revisioning procreation and family. Take human germ-line genetic engineering, that is, altering the genome in ways that will pass down the generations. Two germ-line engineered babies were already bornagain, in China. Yes, there was an international uproar. But note, the controversy wasnt so much because of what was donebut when. You see, the cardinal sin wasnt altering the childrens germ lines. That has always been a goal of gene-editing research on human embryosblessed by, among others, the influential National Academy of Sciences. No, the real great wrong was doing the deed before the public had been properly anesthetized with soothing assurances from bioethicists that the moral, social, and safety implications of the technology have all been properly pondered. Indeed, George Daley, the dean of Harvard Medical School, argued in the wake of the announcement that scientists should continue to move into human germ-line engineering, despite the furor. Biotechnologists are also bent on creating three-parent embryos. The process, a quasi-cloning technique, removes the nucleus from the egg of one woman, puts it into an egg of another which had its own nucleus removed, and then fertilizing the genetically modified ovum with sperm. Voila, three biological parents. The purported purpose of this extreme method of procreation is to enable women to bear biologically related children without passing on mitochondrial disease. Fine. But you know the technique, once perfected, wouldnt stop there. At some point, polyamorous threesomes desiring to have children biologically related to all partners will also demand access. Considering the way medicine is now applied to facilitate lifestyles as well as heal illnessesand given the huge money to be madewho believes IVF clinics would say no? And if they did, they would probably be sued for discrimination. The same could be said of the fortunes to be made in other areas of intensive biotechnological research. For example, scientists are working to create human eggs and sperm from skin cells. What are some of the potential uses for such manufactured sperm and eggs? Unlimited eggs for human cloning research and eventually the birth of a cloned child. Creating mass quantities of cloned embryos for use in embryo research or, once artificial wombs are online, fetal farming, that is creating fetuses as donors for organ transplant patients. Radically restructuring family formation, for example, making sperm from a womans skin cells for use in siring a child by her wife. Experimenting on Embryos This much is sure: Big Biotech intends to increasingly experiment on embryosand, I believe, eventually fetusesfar beyond what they have done heretofore. Indeed, a primary ethical shackle impeding that end was just repealed by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). Until now, biotechnologists who experiment on human embryos were supposed to follow the 14-day rule, meaning that experiment embryos had to be destroyed at two weeks. The time limit was supposedly selected because that is when the neural system begins to form. But the actual reason was that scientists hadnt yet developed the techniques to maintain embryos outside a womans body for longer than that. Thus, by agreeing to nix experiments they couldnt yet do, the ISCCR created an open field for research that could be accomplished. That research led to the ability of scientists to maintain embryos longer, and so the 14-day rule is now toast. The new plan calls for no time limits but relies on scientists to get each others ethical permission before doing experiments. Excuse me for being underwhelmed. Biotechnologists have recently used the body parts of nascent human beings in gruesome experimentswith full ethical approval from their peers. A paper published in the prestigious science journal Nature discussed grafting human full-thickness fetal skin(literally) scalped and flayed dead babies from abortions performed at 18-20 weeksas a platform for studying human skin infections. The photos of the humanized rat models in the report are not for the squeamish. They depict the fetal scalps attached to rats still with human hair. How do these experiments happen? Blame us. We permit the scientists to self-regulate, hoping they will give us miraculous breakthroughs in return. But to truly serve society beneficently, science requires humility and good ethics to accompany its quests. Or put another way, every powerful enterpriseand nothing matches the life-altering potential of biotechnologyrequires rigorous checks and balances to stay on a righteous path. Heres the bottom line: Unless society begins the crucial process of deciding through democratic processes and law what to allow or prevent legallybased both on the scientific benefit we hope to gain and the ethical horrors we are morally bound to preventthe dystopian future prophesied in the novel Brave New World will become reality. Award-winning author Wesley J. Smith is chairman of the Discovery Institutes Center on Human Exceptionalism. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Man Reunites With His Stolen Wallet After 20 Years With All the Cards Still Intact A Scottish man has been left stunned by the return of an old wallet that was stolen from him in a pub 20 years ago. Most incredibly, the wallet was discovered in a bush outside the same pub, with all his cards intact. Ryan Seymour, a 37-year-old graphic designer from Lochgelly in Fife, Scotland, was out drinking with friends at The Elizabethan pub in Dunfermline in 2001 when he left his wallet in a bathroom stall, after which it was stolen. The pocketbook, embossed with his name in gold, contained bank cards, a work ID card, a library card, a video rental card, and 60 pounds (approx. US$85) in cash, all of which Seymour eventually thought hed never see again. Twenty years later, in April this year, Seymour, who is a father of one, was shocked when his local police station contacted him on Facebook. His wallet had been found in a hedge outside the pub by a passerby, with everything except the cash. Sharing a screenshot of the Facebook message from a Dunfermline Police representative, Gillian, in late April, Seymour claimed, honestly I cant stop laughing. Replying to Gillian, he admitted he could barely remember the night, but planned to retrieve the wallet for sentimental reasons. However, it took Seymour almost four weeks to go and collect the wallet, according to The Daily Mail. In May, Seymour posted a Tweet, sharing a photo of the leather billfold and a few of the cards inside. He wrote: Well ladies & gents. You might remember a few weeks ago, the police got in touch to say my wallet had been handed in, that was stolen 20 YEARS AGO. Well. Here it is Opening the relic, Seymour was amused to see himself as a fresh-faced Bank of Scotland employee on his old work ID card. The video rental card, given how far technology has come, made him chuckle. The Elizabethan pub in Dunfermline, Fife. (Screenshot/Google Maps) On June 3, Seymour received another unexpected surprise. The person who found his wallet reached out on social media to say he was glad it had been returned to its owner; owing to its condition, he had been in two minds about handing it in. Yet Seymour was impressed at the wallets longevity. Its crazy how intact it is after all these years, especially when you think about all the rain and snow weve had since then, Seymour told the Scottish Sun. It was certainly a trip down memory lane when I sifted though it my life then was a total contrast to my life now. Seymour is still good friends with the man he went drinking with the night he lost his wallet. Hes finding this whole thing hilarious, he said. But perhaps best pleased was Seymours mother, who gifted her son the embossed pocketbook as a Christmas present. To the thief who stole his wallet and cash some 20 years ago, Seymour had a parting message: Its all water under the bridge, but I do hope that person has changed their ways. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired Newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter A small group of Chinese youth walk past several dazibao, revolutionary placards, in February 1967 in downtown Beijing, during the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution." (Jean Vincent/AFP/Getty Images) Maos Cultural Revolution Has Arrived in America Commentary From 1966 to 1976, Chinese society suffered under what we now call the Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution, previously known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a multifaceted affair undergirded by a vicious, fanatical campaign to destroy the Four Olds. In 1971, The New York Times described the campaign thusly: One of the early objectives of the Cultural Revolution in China was to wipe out the four oldsold things, old ideas, old customs, and old habits. The four olds had already suffered setbacks in the years of Communist rule preceding the Cultural Revolution, but the Maoist leadership tried to use the new revolutionary upsurge launched in 1966 to eliminate them completely. In the turbulent years from 1966 to 1968, what remained of old religious practices, old superstitions, old festivals, old social practices such as traditional weddings and funerals, and old ways of dress were violently attacked and suppressed. Visual evidences of old things were destroyed, and there was an orgy of burning of old books and smashing of old art objects. Tragically, it seems as if the United States is in the midst of its own Cultural Revolution. Like the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the current revolution in the United States is being waged by the youthat the behest of radical leftists, of course. Also, much like the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, Woke Revolution in the United States is hellbent on destroying any and all vestiges of traditional society, especially those that celebrate freedom, individualism, and American exceptionalism, in general. In China during the Cultural Revolution, as The New York Times describes, the four oldsold things, old ideas, old customs, and old habitshad to be eliminated. In the United States during the Woke Revolution, were following the same path. Old things, such as fossil fuels, the Founding Fathers, and the Electoral College must go. Old ideas, such as equality of opportunity and meritocracy, are now moot. Old customs, such as standing for the National Anthem and vigorously defending ones right to freedom of speech, are long gone. And, old habits, such as the Protestant work ethic and rugged individualism, have been seriously undermined. In place of these old aspects of our culture, the Woke Revolution desires to turn our society on its head. The Woke Revolution, like the Cultural Revolution, is predicated on Marxist ideology. Individualism is being replaced with communalism. Equity, better known as equality of outcome, now trumps equality of opportunity. Sadly, even Martin Luther King Jr.s dream of a color-blind society has given way to critical race theory, which is the epitome of racism. And, above all else, class warfare reigns supreme. Rich versus poor. Privileged versus oppressed. No longer is the United States the land of opportunity. Henceforth, it shall be known as the land of oppression. Or so were told. Perhaps most disconcerting when one compares the Cultural Revolution to the contemporary United States is the disdain for the past. In China, this manifested in mass book burnings and wanton destruction of historic monuments. That sounds a lot like whats been happening in the United States recently. The parallels between Chinas Cultural Revolution and the United Statess Woke Revolution are becoming closer by the day. As The New York Times article chronicling Chinas Cultural Revolution concluded: A new generation has appeared, and though much of the old China is too indelible to erase as yet, a new China with ways quite different from the old is in existence. The same could be said about the United States in 2021. Chris Talgo is senior editor at The Heartland Institute. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A voter puts her ballot in the tabulation machine after voting in the 2020 general election. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images) Michigan Senate Passes Legislation to Add Voter ID Requirements: Overwhelmingly Popular Michigans Republican-led Senate on June 16 passed several bills that, if signed into law, would implement more voter identification requirements for in-person voters and absentee voters, adding Michigan to a growing list of states pursuing more stringent election measures. All Senate Republicans voted in favor of the three bills, while every Senate Democrat opposed them. Current law stipulates that Michigan residents who dont have photo identification when they vote in person can still cast their ballot if they sign an affidavit at their designated polling location. More than 11,000 individuals cast ballots this way during the Nov. 3 election, according to election officials. With one bill, which passed in the Senate 1916, that process would be barred, and voters who dont have identification would have to cast a provisional ballot and confirm their identity up to six days after casting their vote. The Senate also voted 1916 to pass a bill that would mandate that applicants who seek absentee ballots provide their drivers license number, their official state identification number if they dont have a license, or the last four digits of their Social Security number. According to the legislations text, applicants could attach or present a copy of their identification to their applications. Another bill that was approved by the Senate on June 16, again in a 1916 vote, stipulates that voters who receive a provisional ballot have to be notified of the six-day requirement to verify their identity. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, is expected to veto the three bills. Previously, shes expressed opposition to Republican-backed bills targeting the states voting laws and has pledged to veto them. However, Republicans can circumvent Whitmers executive authority and can start a petition to create a ballot initiative for the three voting bills. They would need more than 340,000 voters to sign it. The Epoch Times has contacted the governors office for comment. Democrats, as they have in other states, characterized the Republican-backed bills as attempts to suppress voter turnout rates. The most fundamental right we have is to vote, Sen. Adam Hollier, a Democrat, said on the Senate floor. It should be easy. Republicans, however, said the measure wasnt a partisan power grab and that both parties would benefit from enhanced regulations. We hear a lot about how Theres only this little bit of fraud, and therefore nothing else is needed, said Sen. Ed McBroom, a Republican. But just because you can say we caught this amount of fraud isnt somehow compelling proof that there wasnt more that wasnt caught. Another Republican lawmaker pointed to polls that show that most Americans support laws that require that voters verify their identity. It is overwhelmingly popular among voters that they verify their identity to vote, Republican Sen. Lana Theis said. With the bills approval by the Senate, Michigan joins a growing list of states that have opted to pass legislation targeting election laws and rules that Republicans have said are too lax and can easily be exploited. Last week, Republicans in Pennsylvania proposed a measure that would overhaul the commonwealths election system. The bill includes more stringent voter identification requirements and mail-ballot signature verification. Among other regulations, the legislation would eliminate the states permanent mail-in voting list, establish a new Bureau of Election Audits agency, and allow early in-person voting starting in 2025. This year, legislatures in Florida, Georgia, and Texas approved similar bills amid criticism from Democrats, including members of the Biden administration. Suspect in Multistate Shooting Spree Accused of Targeting White Men: Officials A 39-year-old black man accused of shooting and injuring five people in Alabama and Georgia told authorities that his attacks were racially motivated and he was targeting white men, a detective testified on Monday. Justin Tyran Roberts told police that white men had picked on him and wronged him all his life. Basically, he explained throughout his life, specifically white males had taken from him, and also what he described as military-looking white males had taken from him, Detective Brandon Lockhart testified, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. Roberts also alleged that those men were shooting at him in a wooded area with a slingshot, and that his skin was wounded, testified the investigator, who added that the police didnt find the wounds to substantiate that claim. Lockhart also testified during the preliminary hearing on Monday that the alleged shooter said about one of the gunfire victims, I had to have him. Roberts has been accused by law enforcement officers of opening fire on five people during three different attacks. All five are expected to recover, Columbus Police Chief Freddie Blackmon said Sunday. He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, gun possession after felony conviction, and possession of a gun during commission of a crime, in addition, police said that the firearm was stolen and added a theft charge. Robin King, a public defender, issued a request for mental health evaluation of the accused aggressor, alleging that he is suffering from delusion. The officers testimony has demonstrated that Mr. Roberts is having delusions and a disconnect from reality, King told the judge. Police said the first person was hurt in a shooting Friday night at a hotel in Phenix City. Less than two hours later, three people were shot in Columbus. A fifth person was shot Saturday afternoon. Police said there is no evidence that Roberts knew any of the victims. The Associated Press contributed to this report. NATO Heads of the states and governments pose for a family photo during the NATO summit at the Alliance's headquarters, in Brussels on June 14. (Yves Herman/Pool/Reuters) NATO Got It Wrong: China Is a Bigger Threat Than Russia Commentary NATO finally addressed China in a half-serious way. The U.S.-led alliance system described the country as a challenge in a communique. But NATO continues to plod along, way behind the curve. While NATO rightly recognizes Russia as an aggressive threat (the country did invade Ukraine in 2014, and is still there), historys most powerful democratic alliance system continues to downplay historys biggest totalitarian threat: China. NATO isnt filled with dummy intel analysts. Most likely its public communique, however, was carefully sanitized by heads of state more concerned with pleasing their billionaire political donors, than writing the truth. And their political donors are making a lot of money in China, so they dont want it to be a threat. The United States and European Union jointly do over $1 trillion in annual trade with China, plus more than $300 billion in two-way foreign direct investment. The NATO communique, issued June 14 at the end of a summit that included heads of state from all major NATO countries, cannot therefore be accepted as an unbiased description of the threats facing NATO members. For that, we must go elsewhere. Asked which is the bigger threat, China or Russia, U.S. Naval War College Professor James Kraska responded that China is a threat orders of magnitude greater than Russia. Kraska, who also teaches international law at Harvard University, wrote in an email that, Russia is a one-dimensional power, with a potent armed forces and nuclear weapons. But Russia lacks political and economic power, both of which China has. Professor Kraska sees the need for NATO to act as a balancer that maintains the international equilibrium. Asia, not Europe, is getting out of balance, and so needs NATOs attention. Russias economy and population are both about one-tenth the size of Chinas, he writes. While Russia is well balanced by the three or four most powerful European NATO states that independently have an economy and population greater than twice that of Russia (plus a UK and French nuclear deterrent), in East Asia the largest three or four states resisting China are combined outmatched in terms of population, economic heft, and of course military power. Rick Fisher, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center in the Washington, D.C. area, also argues that China is ultimately the bigger threat, including through its influence in Moscow. In the very long run China is the greatest challenge to NATO as it is Chinas goal [to] subordinate Russia to its objectives, he wrote in an email. A Russian worker walking before cranes at the RasonConTrans coal port at Rajin harbor in the Rason Special Economic Zone, on Nov. 21, 2017. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images) The NATO communique mentions Russia 62 times, terrorism 23 times, and China only 10 times, and with weaker language. While terrorism certainly remains a threat, the United States and its closest allies are currently withdrawing from Afghanistan, a terrorist safe-haven, and reorienting towards China. Terrorism, as bad as it is, does not pose the existential threat to global democracies that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does. Beijing is no longer content to promote its own national interests. The country is now putting its substantial economic heft, and terrorist tactics, behind promoting authoritarian over democratic forms of governance on a global level. Counter-terrorism is a hypocritical Chinese talking point, and a justification it uses for its genocide against the Uyghurs. So its a safe point for Europeans trying to do more business with China. Russia too, is a safe target. That the United States and Europe focus on Russia and terrorism leaves China free to continue its expansion. As an alliance, NATO is at the beginning of its recognition of China [as] a challenge, as it still values dialogue with China and has not set any force level goals to meet what is a rapidly developing China-Russia strategic and military challenge, Fisher wrote. Compare the magnitude of the China threat against NATOs timid start of the China discussion in its communique. Chinas growing influence and international policies can present challenges that we need to address together as an alliance. We will engage China with a view to defending the security interests of the Alliance. How obvious. We are increasingly confronted by cyber, hybrid, and other asymmetric threats, including disinformation campaigns, and by the malicious use of ever-more sophisticated emerging and disruptive technologies, NATO notes in the next sentence, without explicitly tying it to China. To be fair, some individuals with current influence at NATO, namely President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (who writers at Politico.eu dismiss as pandering to American money), have pushed the alliance to take a stronger stand against China. Former President Donald Trumps threat to leave the organization, likely in part over its failure to address China, may have been consequential in getting the Europeans to include the China language now. Theyre giving good grandpa cop Biden the credit, for what bad crazy cop Trump achieved. In June 2020, Stoltenberg rightly focused comments on China, while discussing bullying and the need for closer coordination with Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. But NATO is a product of consensus, and Germany, France, and Eastern European and Baltic states, which do relatively extensive trade with China, continue to push the focus onto Moscow. Trump, and now Biden with his Putin meeting, are rightly, or should be, trying to pull Russia out of an alliance with China. Europes trade-driven willful ignorance of the China threat explains Trumps threat to leave NATO. French President Emmanuel Macrons answer is a more unified European Union defense and foreign policy, which is needed for an independent and therefore stronger defense of Europe against Russia and China. But a more unified Europe should not be an excuse for leaving the United States to face the more dire China threat alone. Europe must fight China equally with the United States, or Chinas divide-and-conquer strategy will win. Later in the NATO communique, Chinas challenge is rightly called systemic. Chinas stated ambitions and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to Alliance security. We are concerned by those coercive policies which stand in contrast to the fundamental values enshrined in the Washington Treaty. The Washington Treaty, signed in 1949, established NATO. The values and goals of NATO are set forth in the treatys preamble, to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilisation of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. Though the June 14 NATO communique does not go far enough, it is at least consistent with these goals and values. It also details Chinas rising power, noting, China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal with more warheads and a larger number of sophisticated delivery systems to establish a nuclear triad. It is opaque in implementing its military modernisation and its publicly declared military-civil fusion strategy. It is also cooperating militarily with Russia, including through participation in Russian exercises in the Euro-Atlantic area. We remain concerned with Chinas frequent lack of transparency and use of disinformation. We call on China to uphold its international commitments and to act responsibly in the international system, including in the space, cyber, and maritime domains, in keeping with its role as a major power. Chinas military shows off their latest missiles during a parade in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2009. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images) But if the European members of NATO were honest about addressing the China threat, NATO would not beg China to uphold commitments and flatter it with language about acting responsibly in keeping with its role as a major power. In reality, China is ruled by a bunch of communist thugs who imposed an empire by force starting in 1931, including from sometimes independent chunks of territory held by Chinese nationalists, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Japanese imperialists, and a smattering of European traders. The CCP, since then, has never stopped expanding. Xi Jinping and the CCP, which now rule 18 percent of the worlds population, including at-risk minority ethnic and religious communities, as their own personal fiefdom, are nowhere to be found in the communique. The CCP already proved itself untrustworthy, having reneged on the Hong Kong treaty with Britain, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The CCP just definitively grabbed the South China Sea in 2009, tearing it from the often impoverished fishers and traders of the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Its long past time to stop begging China to follow its international commitments. Instead, NATO must demonstrate military resolve against the CCPs apparently never-ending military aggression and human rights abuse. Fisher argues that Europe needs a more robust nuclear deterrent against China, and its ally Russia. For example, NATO nuclear member Britain and France may require a combined total of 700 to 1000 nuclear warheads in order to deter a combined China-Russia nuclear threat. Is NATO up to the task, or will it let our nuclear deterrents degrade, and thereby risk nuclear war? Its communique flatly states that civilian and military cooperation with Russia is over, but hastens to welcome cooperation with China, fast becoming the bigger and more cunning nuclear threat. Shouldnt we be taking the opposite approach, attempting to split off Chinas allies, like Russia, Iran, and North Korea, while leaving China out in the cold and at the point of a bayonet? Otherwise, China holds the power position in the middle between NATO and Chinas gallery of rogue nations and satrapies. We grant China power when we make it an intermediary to our many relatively weaker global adversaries. According to the communique, NATO maintains a constructive dialogue with China where possible. Based on our interests, we welcome opportunities to engage with China on areas of relevance to the Alliance and on common challenges such as climate change. While global warming is real, against which we desperately need international agreements, NATO is falling over itself by clownishly attempting an agreement with a country that has proven itself unreliable as a counter-party. Experts widely panned half a century of engagement with China as a disastrously failed strategy that only empowered the country to now threaten not only the United States, Japan, and Taiwan in Asia, but NATO in Europe. Yet, NATO continues with the engagement charade. Its communique naively urges transparency on Chinas nuclear capabilities, when we know that the CCP is a habitual liar on issues ranging from its own economy, to the origins of COVID-19. NATO even includes Beijings own talking points when it promotes yet more unending dialogue. Allies urge China to engage meaningfully in dialogue, confidence-building, and transparency measures regarding its nuclear capabilities and doctrine, NATO blandly states. Reciprocal transparency and understanding would benefit both NATO and China. Chinese dredgers work on the construction of artificial islands on and around Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea on May 2, 2015. (U.S. Navy) Anyone who loves freedom should by now be sickened by NATO continuing to act the chump. A call for dialogue at this late stage of Chinas aggression is little more than falling for Chinas take-and-talk strategy. While China has since the 1970s grabbed new territory in the South China Sea through violence, and since the mid-2010s fortified its South China Sea islands with sand dredgers, airstrips, missiles, and docks for aircraft carriers and submarines, NATO is still begging for dialogue, now from a position of increasing weakness. Had NATO taken a robust military stand against Chinas island-grabbing in the South China Sea fifty or seventy years ago, we would not be facing the much graver threat we now face in a stronger and bolder China. The clock is still ticking, and China is building its navy faster than we are ours. Time, and therefore ever more dialogue, is on Chinas side. Rather than begging and flattering China, NATO should show much more military resolve. Beijing respects nothing less. It watches what NATO does, not what it says. The rest of us should, too. And if NATO doesnt get stronger, tougher, and more united in the next 10, 50, or 100 years, Europe could be invaded by not only Russia, but China. The latter already has a military base in northern Africa, has patrolled the Mediterranean, and is nosing its way around the horn of Africa to its western side. Would a President Trump defend the democracies of Europe from China after Europe refused to defend the democracies of Asia from the same? Im not sure. NATOs failure on China implies the need for more citizen involvement. Citizens of NATO countries must more closely investigate why NATO policies are weak and failing when its citizens and values are so gravely threatened. NATO should strike fear into our adversaries, or at the very least show an aloof distance from genocidal and territorially aggressive communists who lead a country that is one of the worlds worst human rights abusers. Leave diplomacy to the diplomats. In times of military crisis in places like Ukraine, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea, NATO should shed its velvet-gloved parochialism, and realize that the world and its worst authoritarian powers are ever-more global, connected, and coordinated. NATO must emit a fiercer image, and a strategic stance of military readiness and forward deployment, before it weakens any further. Lift yourself up, NATO. Stand taller. Think not about one nations interests, but of the interests of democracies and freedom-loving people everywhere. Be a champion. Anders Corr has a bachelors/masters in political science from Yale University (2001) and a doctorate in government from Harvard University (2008). He is a principal at Corr Analytics Inc., publisher of the Journal of Political Risk, and has conducted extensive research in North America, Europe, and Asia. He authored The Concentration of Power (forthcoming in 2021) and No Trespassing, and edited Great Powers, Grand Strategies. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. New Study Debunks Xi Jinpings Miracle: Extreme Poverty Exists in China A newly released Swiss-sponsored study reveals that China has not eradicated poverty, a miracle that Chinese leader Xi Jinping claims to have achieved. On Feb. 25, the Chinese regime organized an awards ceremony, in which Xi announced China had eradicated poverty, based on Chinas poverty standards. [China] created another miracle in the annals of history, Xi commented on the eradication of poverty. [Its a] major historic achievement. On April 6, the Chinese regime released a white paper titled Chinas Practice in Human Poverty Reduction. With this paper, the Beijing authorities want to set China as a role model to the world. China has not eradicated povertyeven extreme poverty, Bill Bikales, former UN lead economist in China, writes in the report Reflection on Poverty Reduction in China (pdf) that was published on June 8. Bikales pointed out that poverty is dynamic, but the Beijing regime only focuses on the people who were from rural areas and were registered in 2014-5 as poor, without updating the list in the years since nor covering the majority of the Chinese population, which live in urban areas. No statistics were ever released [in China] regarding newly poor households due to the income shock that occurred [due to the pandemic] and assistance to non-registered poor households was limited, Bikales wrote. To accurately capture the impact of COVID-19 on poverty anywhere other than in the already identified counties and villages would have required systems that were simply not in place. The Chinese regime claims that if a persons income is higher than 3,218 yuan ($500) per year, he or she cant be counted as poor. If a poor persons income reaches 4,000 yuan ($625), he or she is removed from the list of those eligible for social security benefits, and can never again be counted as poor. China claims that because the cost of commodities in China is low, individuals do not require a high income to live free of poverty. In the past months, interviewees from mainland China told The Epoch Times that they still couldnt obtain clean water, enough food, and public transportation, but the regime refused to pay social security benefits because China had supposedly eliminated poverty. Chinese state-run media has revealed that even the delisted poor people are still living in extreme poverty, and the local authorities have lied to the central authorities. Farmer Liu Qingyou at his residence in Baojing County, in central Chinas Hunan Province on Jan. 12, 2021. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) Peoples Voice A large number of Chinese in rural areas dont have clean water to drink and dont have enough money to buy meat and other foods that are rich in protein and fat, according to interviewees. There are Chinese people in urban areas who also cant feed themselves and their families. My father and his fellow villagers dont have money. They eat what they planted and dont have meat in general. My father doesnt have enough money to pay for electricity, not to mention the sanitation facilities, bathing, a woman surnamed Wang told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on Feb. 25. Wang lives in a city and has electricity, water, internet, and telephone. Her father lives in Taohe township in Xichuan County, in central Chinas Henan Province, which is in the mountains. They dont have tap water. They rely on a small-size reservoir [which can save the rainwater] and water that is shipped from outside, Wang said. They dont have money to pay for hospitals, clinics, or even medicine. They simply fight diseases by using their bodies immune system. Once they are seriously ill, they just wait for death at home. Farmers plant Saxaul trees in Dunhuang, northwestern Chinas Gansu Province in China on April 22, 2019. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) A different Wang is a Beijing migrant worker who is from northern Chinas Hebei Province. He told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on March 2 that farmers in Hebei dont have money to pay for medical insurance in general, the regime doesnt supply free medical service, and farmers dont have money to treat diseases. For us, we just visit a small clinic if we have some non-fatal diseases. Once we are very sick, we will try to borrow money from relatives. If we can receive some money, we will visit a hospital. Otherwise, we just stay at home and wait for death, Wang said. The majority of Chinese poor people dont have a phone, nor a computer, and the regimes censorship doesnt allow relevant facts to be exposed online. However, evidence of extreme poverty can be found from what people report in conversation, as well as in the medias reports on other topics. On Dec. 12, 2020, a social media account posted a long article on WeChat, in which it talked about children in urban areas who suicided because their families were too poor to pay for their education, feed them, or treat their diseases. Bikales wrote in his study that 63 percent of Chinese people live in cities, and these people have never been included in Chinas poverty list. And, contrary to Xis claimes, even the poor people in the list havent escaped poverty. In April, CCTV reported cases in Luonan County, northwestern Chinas Shaanxi Province, in which people dont have a safe home to live in and dont have clean water to drink. The local officials lied about the situation, and tried to grab the reporters cell phone, which the reporter used to record the scene. A farmer is working on a field at a bank opposite Zhongba, a small island near southwestern Chinas Chongqing city on Nov. 29, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) Removed from Poverty List Luonan was removed from the poverty list in February 2020, which means all residents in the county are said to earn an income higher than the poverty threshold. In the middle of April, when CCTV arrived at the county, the reporters found an old man Leng who lived in a small and dilapidated brick one-room house. The house has no kitchen, no bathroom, and no heating. Leng was on the poverty list. He told CCTV that the brick house used to be a storage space for his relative. Because his mud house is cracked and may fall down at any time, his relative allows him to live in this brick house. Leng has no income and has no money to rent a room. CCTV visited two villages in Luonan, both didnt have drinking water. Villagers need to drive a long way to buy water from other towns, and this water needs to be filtered before use. Because villagers are poor in general, most of them dont have money to buy water frequently. They save rainwater and in their daily lives try to save any drop of water that they can. The Shanghai-based news website The Paper reported another case from southwestern Chinas Yunnan Province on Nov. 19, 2020. The local regime in Zhenxiong County, Zhaotong City removed villager Jiang Tongxun from the poverty list in October 2020 because the regime said Jiangs gross income in 2020 would be 5,811.76 yuan ($908). This is higher than the 2020 income level of 4,000 yuan ($625), under which the person can remain eligible for the poverty list. Jiang disagreed with the regime and refused to sign the paper to give up his right to receive any more social security benefits. According to the regimes data, Jiang earned 3,000 yuan ($465) by working as a migrant worker, received 2,568 yuan ($398) social security benefits from the regime, and 243.76 yuan ($38) subsidies from the regime, which was used to buy farming seeds and fertilizers. Jiang said he didnt receive benefits from the regime, and the poverty alleviation funding from the central regime or provincial regime was allocated to the villagers who have good relationships with officials. The report said Jiang lost his poverty qualification and was criticized by the regime. Chinese people told The Epoch Times in phone call interviews that 4,000 yuan isnt enough to maintain a basic life. Zhou, a retired man who lives in Shanghai city, told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on Feb. 25: The minimum cost of food is 500 yuan ($78) per month per person in Shanghai. You need to spend 200 yuan ($31) for transportation, and over 2,000 yuan ($310) to rent a room 4,000 yuan per year means 333 per month. You cant survive with this income. Hu Ping, honorary editor-in-chief of New York-based Beijing Spring magazine and China affairs expert, told The Epoch Times on Feb. 26: China is still extremely poor in this year How much grain does China have now? Including other agricultural products, China needs much more than it has [to feed people]. Farmers harvest cabbage at Huarong county in southern Chinas Hunan Province on March 5, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) Orange County DA Partners With Police to Reduce Catalytic Converter Thefts The Orange County District Attorneys (OCDA) office recently teamed up with Buena Park, La Palma, and Cypress police to combat catalytic converter thefts. During the June 12 event, residents could bring their vehicles to Buena Park, Calif. to have their catalytic converters etched with their license plate numbers, connecting the converters to the vehicles in the event of a theft. The initiative came after police locally and nationally reported a rise in stolen catalytic converters. The crime trend is due to the precious metals that are inside the parts, such as rhodium, palladium, and platinum, with rhodium being sold for up to $25,000 per ounce. Its devastating to people who are the victim of it because they cant drive their car after the catalytic converter is stolen, OCDA spokesperson Kimberly Edds told The Epoch Times. And then because so many are being stolen right now, theres a huge backlog in even ordering the replacement parts for these vehicles. So people are reporting that their vehicles are out of commission for weeks or up to a month at a time, which compounds the issue. During the Buena Park event, license plate numbers were engraved into 435 converters; an additional 200 cars underwent the procedure at a previous Huntington Beach event. Catalytic convertor thefts have been steadily increasing nationally since 2018, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NCIB), and California is one of the top five states where it is occurring. In 2019 the number of converters stolen in Orange County was 314; in 2020 that number jumped to 1,600, Edds said. When converters are stolen, they can be sold to recyclers for $50 to $250, yet the replacement will cost car owners significantly more. Owners can expect to pay between $700 to $1,500 for a replacement part, with labor bringing the bill to between $3,000 and $4,000, Edds said. The etching does more than prevent the car part from getting nabbed. It also makes prosecuting the crimes easier, since it is hard to prove the part was stolen without it. Without a victim, it is hard to prove that thieves did not come across the car part in a legal manner. Because a felony now has to be a value of $950 or more, it creates a lot of prosecution issues, Edds said. Plus, its hard to tie that part to a particular vehicle without a marking, thats why were doing the etching, because we have to be able to prove that it in fact was your catalytic converter. Other than getting the converter etched, authorities encourage car owners to park in a garage at night, and if that is not possible, to park under a street light. Pregnant Mom Feels Baby Kick When Doctor Suggests Abortion; Now That Baby Is 6 and Thriving As one of the tiniest babies ever delivered by her doctors, micro-preemie Naomi Bakker faced an uphill battle for survival from the first. Many medical professionals feared she had no hope. When abortion was tabled as an alternative, Naomis parents said no. When it seemed prayer was their only hope, they prayed. Now, at almost 6 years old, not only has Naomi survived, but she is thriving like any other kid her ageand no less feisty. Naomi Joy Bakker, now almost 6 years old. (Courtesy of Angela Bakker) A 22-week pregnancy scan revealed to parents Angela and Michael Bakker, of Reno, Nevada, that their unborn child was suffering from intrauterine growth restriction. So, friends advised them to travel to San Francisco for a second opinion. They told us pretty much the same thing we heard in Reno, Michael told The Epoch Times in a video interview. They estimated her at about 350 grams, and they said you needed to be about 500 grams in order to survive birth. It was determined that Angela had the beginnings of preeclampsia (a high blood pressure-related pregnancy complication); and although she didnt recall her doctors using the word abortion, it was implied. They kind of around-about ways said, Well, we can always end this early, she said. We were right at 24 weeks where its illegal to do it after that point, added Michael. But they said, We can always make exceptions in your case. At the very moment this was uttered, Angela felt the baby announce her presence by kicking. The couple decided termination was not to be an option. Yet, mom and baby could not hold out until the safety of the 28-week mark was reached. By July of 2015, Angelas preeclampsia had worsened and the babys heartbeat grew erratic. They rushed her to Renown Regional Medical Center; and Naomi Joy Bakker was delivered via caesarean at 25 weeks gestation. With 16 medics on hand, the preemie baby was born in quietude, as she was too tiny to even have a voice. Yet as doctors succeeded intubating her, the room was abuzz with excitement. Naomis eyes were still fused shut, and she weighed under 13 ounces (364 grams)but she was alive. She was rushed to the NICU, leaving her parents overwhelmed by all that had transpired. Doctors said the chances of Naomi being a normal kid were under 1 percent, predicting deafness, blindness, and brain bleeds. The first 24 hours were her biggest challenge, they said. Amidst these dire predictions, Angela turned to social media in seek of support. I was in a hospital room, I didnt have my baby with me, and I went on Facebook to see if theres any groups for people in this situation, she shared. (Years later, she would come to offer support right back to those in needstating that a handful of parents have even had the courage to refuse abortion after hearing her story. Let people help you, she insists. They want to help you, and its a heavy burden to carry when youve got such a sick child and youre facing life and death every few days.) The mom held her daughter for the first time two days after giving birth. She credits her nurses for helping her have interaction with the frail infant. Mom Angela and daughter Naomi. (Courtesy of Angela Bakker) Later, Michael also started a blog which followed Naomis progress. Originally just for loved ones, it soon blew up, and her story of survival began touching people all over the globe. One of the doctors whos an atheist, he said, I dont believe in God. But keep praying Keep praying because its working, Angela recalled. During her 142 days in the NICU, Naomi endured two bowel repairs, hernia surgery, a collapsed lung, and chronic lung disease. Earning the nickname Little Karate for her feistiness, she traversed these obstacles and was discharged just in time for Thanksgiving. Angela remembers it being the best day of her life. Big brother Nathaniel meeting Naomi for the first time. (Courtesy of Angela Bakker) In footage showing Naomis homecoming, nurse Carrie Archie said that for a 12-ounce-and-change baby [to] do so well is amazing. With a chorus of teary-eyed farewells, Naomi headed home to a new lifeand a big brother, Nathaniel, who couldnt wait to meet her. Little Karate then smashed through one milestone after another, gaining weight and coming off oxygen at around 7 months. And eventually, life got easier. Naomi at home with her oxygen tank. (Courtesy of Angela Bakker) The family celebrated Naomis first experiences: her wide-eyed fascination with lifeplants and animals; and her first little steps fortuitously falling on Washingtons March for Life. I made a big fuss about that, Angela told The Epoch Times. Like, shes not viable with life, but shes walking. Now fast approaching her 6th birthday, Naomi is a normal kid, who can read, write, and even snowboard like her big brother. She loves chicken nuggets, joking around, and she never lost her feisty spirit. Shes growing up fearless, walking into class on her first day of preschool without so much as a backward glance. The best doctors in the United States of America were wrong about her, said Angela. And so take their advice, but you can still have hope theyre wrong. Michael believes their daughters story of hope is one that God wants to tell. For both her parents, Naomi achieving normal makes her nothing short of a miracle. Naomi with dad Michael, mom Angela, and brother Nathaniel. (Courtesy of Angela Bakker) Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired Newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter A Fox News channel sign is seen at the News Corporation building in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, on June 15, 2018. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters) Fox 26 Fires Reporter After Release of Censorship Clips via Project Veritas A Fox affiliate station has fired a reporter after she went off-script during a weather segment on Monday saying she is being allegedly muzzled by Fox News, and later shared with Project Veritas recordings she says show the networks censorship and corruption. Ivory Hecker, 32, who formerly worked for Fox 26 in Houston, has been let go by the station, a representative confirmed in a statement to several news outlets Tuesday. Hecker during the live segment claimed that Fox Corporation has been muzzling her to keep certain information from you, the viewer. And from what I am gathering I am not the only reporter being subjected to this. I am going to be releasing some recordings about what goes on behind the scenes at Fox because it applies to you, the viewers. I found a nonprofit journalism group called Project Veritas thats going to help put that out tomorrow so tune into them, she said, before proceeding with the weather report. The 32-year-old, according to Fox 26s website, was a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor. She previously worked for KARE-11, an NBC affiliate station in Minneapolis. Heckers Instagram says she is a music recording artist who has released several songs. Hecker took her clips to investigative journalism nonprofit Project Veritas. In an Instagram story on her personal account, she said that she had made it clear to her bosses that she was recording them. She told Project Veritas that the Fox affiliate station came at my throat for standing up against censorship. Whats happening within Fox Corp is an operation of prioritizing corporate interests above the viewers interest and, therefore, operating in a deceptive way, Hecker told Project Veritas James OKeefe. It is unspoken, but if you accidentally step outside the narrative, if you dont sense what that narrative is, and go with it, there will be great consequences for you, she continued. My newsroom kind of groups everyone into racial groups. In one of the clips Hecker shared with Project Veritas, Lee Meier, an assistant news director with the station can be heard saying: Its not just about the viewers; its about what our CEO reads; its about what our GM [general manager] reads. BREAKING: Fox 26 Reporter Releases tape of Corruption, Censorship. Fox Corp Boss told Hecker cease & desist posting on Hydroxychloroquine & Poor African-Americans dont care about Bitcoin. Viewers being Deceived#Fox26Whistleblower pic.twitter.com/vwVcy3MBvS veritastips@protonmail.com (@EricSpracklen) June 15, 2021 Meier implies in the clip that the station wouldnt run a story on the cryptocurrency based on specific demographics. I have passed on Bitcoin storiesBitcoin for poor African American audience at 5, its probably not going to play. Thats a choice Im making. An editorial choice, Meier says in the recording. Hecker also revealed how she was instructed to cease and desist on content that would present hydroxychloroquine as a feasible treatment for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. She told OKeefe that she was sent to a hospital to report on COVID-19 treatment, and ended up interviewing Dr. Joseph Varon, chief of critical care at United Memorial Medical Center on his use of hydroxychloroquine. We have used it. I mean, we know its a drug that has been politicized up to the wazoo. Weve used it. We use it with good success, Varon told Hecker. In response, Susan Schiller, Fox 26 vice president and news director, told Hecker she had failed as a reporter. You need to cease and desist posting about hydroxychloroquine, Schiller says in one clip, citing a New England Journal of Medicine study on the drug. Whats happening within Fox Corp is an operation of prioritizing corporate interests above the viewers interest and, therefore, operating in a deceptive way, said Hecker. The viewers are being deceived by a carefully crafted narrative in some stories. Fox 26 Houston has responded to several news outlets through a company spokesperson: FOX 26 adheres to the highest editorial standards of accuracy and impartiality. This incident involves nothing more than a disgruntled former employee seeking publicity by promoting a false narrative produced through selective editing and misrepresentation. Hecker announced on her personal Instagram page late Tuesday that she will soon be releasing additional recordings that show the depths to which the company will stoop. This story has not fully been told, she told her followers. The Epoch Times has contacted Fox 26 and Fox Corporation for comment. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Rick Scott Vows to Delay Biden DHS Nominees Until President Visits Border Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Wednesday promised to delay President Joe Bidens homeland security nominees until the Democrat visits the U.S.-Mexico border. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee met in Washington and, in a unanimous voice vote sent three nominees to the Senate for a vote, including Jen Easterly to be the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). But Scott said after the vote he would hold Easterlys nomination, and others, until Biden travels to the border. Im very concerned about the crisis on the southern border and Im very disappointed that the president has elected not to go there and address what hes going to do to take steps to stop the crisis, the former governor of Florida told colleagues. I clearly support Jen Easterly to be the director of CISA, shes got the right background to be able to do the job. It has no reflection on her nomination, but I am going to hold all nominations including hers until the president visits the border, and I think the president needs to visit the border and tell us how he is going to address the crisis. A spokesman for the senator told The Epoch Times via email that Scott was referring only to Department of Homeland Security nominees. CISA is an office inside the department. Scott initially announced the plan of action last month. If Biden refuses to help those risking their lives every day to keep us safe, and put an end to a humanitarian crisis he has recklessly created, I cant allow his nominees to move forward in an expedited fashion. His crisis can no longer be ignored. The American people deserve accountability, and to know that our country is secure and our families are being protected. I wont accept anything less, he said at the time, blaming Bidens policies for the surge in illegal immigration seen since the Democrat entered office in January. The White House did not immediately return an inquiry. A group of Venezuelans wait to be picked up by Border Patrol after illegally crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into Del Rio, Texas, on June 3, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) responded during the meeting by claiming Biden, who has spent decades in various roles in Washington, has probably been to the U.S.-Mexico border more than anybody on this committee, and my guess is hell go again, Carper said during the hearing. Carper said that he favors welcoming immigrants who arrive at the border and is in alignment with the administration on focusing on root causes of illegal immigration. Joe Biden is all about root causes, and Im all about root causes. Thats where we need to focus our time and energy, he said. The president earlier this year tasked Vice President Kamala Harris with dealing with the causes of migration. Harris recently took a trip to Guatemala to meet with leaders there on the matter. Russian National Found Guilty of Charges Related to Ransomware Attacks A Russian national was convicted for operating crypting services that helped other cyber criminals conduct illicit activities on thousands of computers around the world, federal authorities said. His services were used to hide Kelihos malware from different antivirus software, which allowed hackers to invade the computers of their victims with malware and ransomware. Oleg Koshkin, 41, a former Estonian, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse and one other count of aiding and abetting computer fraud and abuse. By operating a website that was intended to hide malware from antivirus programs, Koshkin provided a critical service that enabled other cyber criminals to infect thousands of computers around the world, Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard Boyle stated. We will investigate and prosecute the individuals who aid and abet cyber criminals as vigorously as we do the ones who actually hit the send button on viruses and other malicious software. Koshkin allegedly operated websites such as crypt4u.com and fud.bz which offered to make malicious software that is fully undetectable by almost all major antivirus software providers. Authorities say that Koshkin and his co-conspirators claimed that their operations would enable malware such as credential stealers, keyloggers, cryptocurrency miners, remote access trojans, and botnets. The defendant designed and operated a service that was an essential tool for some of the worlds most destructive cybercriminals, including ransomware attackers, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. The verdict should serve as a warning to those who provide infrastructure to cybercriminals: the Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners consider you to be just as culpable as the hackers whose crimes you enableand we will work tirelessly to bring you to justice, he added. Koshkin was arrested in Spain in April 2017 and pleaded guilty in September 2018. He is facing a maximum of 15 years in prison and will be sentenced on Sept. 20. A homeless man walks with his bike, dog, and possessions in Santa Ana, Calif., on Dec. 17, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Santa Ana Approves Temporary 75-Bed Homeless Shelter The city council in Santa Ana, California, on June 15 tentatively approved the opening of a 75-bed temporary homeless shelter in partnership with the Salvation Army. The council directed city staff to execute an agreement with the Salvation Army to operate the Hospitality House for the homeless, at 818 East Third St. The council will need to approve the agreement before plans move forward. It is part of the city of Santa Anas ongoing efforts to provide services, housing, and support to the unhoused individuals in Santa Ana, Santa Ana spokesperson Paul Eakins told The Epoch Times. The city council considers homelessness to be a high priority. Hospitality House will provide the homeless with personal bed space, three meals per day, and the opportunity to work with a professional housing navigator to expedite their placement in permanent housing. The Salvation Army agreed to open and operate Hospitality House while the citys permanent 200-bed Carnegie Avenue shelter is under construction. The permanent shelter is expected to open by years end. The need for Hospitality House arose after the citys temporary 200-bed Link Shelter recently closed after more than two years of operation. We had the Link Shelter before, and that one was intended to be a temporary shelter, Eakins said. We had to vacate that because the building was being sold and is being developed. The Carnegie shelter is intended to replace that. Hospitality House will only be operational until the permanent shelter is open; under the proposed plan, the city would allocate $390,000 for an anticipated 90 days. The contract is subject to extension, for a total amount of up to $780,000, from June 28 through Dec. 28. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) speaks to media while Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) (L) looks on at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 27, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Sen. Barrasso: GOP Focused on Making Biden a Half-Term President The third-ranking member in the Senate Republican leadership said last week that his party wants to make sure President Joe Biden is a one-half-term president by reclaiming majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in 2022. Senate Republican Conference Chair John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) made the statement at an event hosted by the conservative Ripon Society, a public policy organization that promotes secure borders, low taxes, and small government. Im looking forward to a very successful 2022. You know, Mitch McConnell has come under a lot of criticism for saying he wanted, at one point he said he wanted to make sure that Obama was a one-term president. I want to make Joe Biden, a one-half term president, Barrasso said at the June 10 event. He went on to say that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) set the policy agenda and control what legislation gets voted. Hes not going to get anything he doesnt agree to to sign, hes just along for the ride right now and theyre running the show, and the party is being driven further and further to the left, said Barrasso, referring to President Joe Biden. The Wyoming senator added that Democrats want to grow the government while Republicans want to grow the economy. We believe in free markets, limited government, individual freedoms, national security, and the traditional values of America, and we see a different party on the other side of the aisle, which really is a party of socialism. Its freedom or socialism, added Barrasso. Currently, Democrats hold a slim majority in the House with 220 Democrats, 211 Republicans, and 4 vacancies. The Senate has an even split of 50 senators from both parties with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie breaker. Both parties are hard at work raising money for the mid-terms and laying the groundwork for an expensive and confrontational campaign cycle for 2022. According to Open Secrets, the Democratic National Committee raised $63.7 million through the first four months of 2021, while the Republican National Committee raised $57.6 million through April and ended the month of May with $90.5 million in the bank. One of the long-standing patterns of midterm elections is that the presidents party usually loses seats in the House. Out of the 40 mid-term elections since 1862, the presidents party lost House seats in 37 of those, according to the Brookings Institution (pdf). This is also true of Senate seats but not as many and as consistently. Other factors that could play into the number of seats gained or lost by each party are population shifts in each state due to pandemic restrictions, job losses, and redistricting. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) recently replaced Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as House Conference Chair, after it became clear that Cheneys vocal opposition to former President Donald Trump was in conflict with the majority of members. Stefanik said she continues to see that Trumps America First policies still resonate with voters in her district and working-class districts across the United States. She has been credited with growing the number of Republican women in her party during the 2020 cycle when she was chair of the Elevate PAC (a Republican PAC to promote Republican women candidates) and is hopeful that the momentum will continue with 2022. During a May interview with Steve Bannon, Stefanik said the GOP continues to grow and bring in more women. Most of them are very conservative women who are going to be really important voices, whether its from California to Texas to Iowa to Michigan, so Im very excited about those rising stars, she said. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) walks through the Senate subway on his way to a vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 27, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Senate Approves Bill That Would Make Juneteenth a Federal Holiday The Senate approved on June 15 a resolution that would add Juneteenth, the day marking the end of slavery in the United States, to the slate of federal holidays. The measure passed with unanimous consent, without a roll call vote or objections from the chamber. House lawmakers are also expected to approve the bipartisan legislation. The resolution designates June 19 as Juneteenth independence day, in recognition of the same date in 1865. The day, traditionally marked in southern states only, marks when news of the end of slavery reached the slaves in the southwestern states. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) described how Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger in 1865 delivered the news in Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War was over, and that enslaved people were free, more than two years after President Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation. Im a proud co-sponsor of the Senate resolution designating June 19, 2021, as Juneteenth independence day to honor the historical significance this day has in the United States, he said. Juneteenth is an important day. Its a somber reminder of the original sin of slavery that our nation inherited from colonial powers. Still, it is also a celebration of the fact that our country strives each and every day to make good on its promise to protect the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all men and all women who are created equal. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) previously objected to the bill, arguing that adding another federal holiday would unnecessarily burden taxpayers. Johnson initially proposed making Juneteenth a holiday in exchange for deemphasizing Columbus Day, a proposal he withdrew after backlash. The previous effort to pass the Juneteenth bill involved no debate or amendments, Johnson said in a statement on June 15. Although I strongly support celebrating Emancipation, I objected to the cost and lack of debate. While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter. Therefore, I do not intend to object, he added. There are currently 10 paid federal holidays. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) speaks during a ceremony in Tulsa, Okla., on May 31, 2021. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), said he was pleased that the Senate passed it. Juneteenth has been a state holiday in Texas for more than 40 years, he said. Now more than ever, we need to learn from our history and continue to form a more perfect union. Lee said she was working to make sure the bill would be passed by the House. It has been a long journey! Juneteenth equals freedom and freedom is what America is about! she wrote in a Twitter post. Simple Rules for Creative Agencies to Have Constructive Conversations About Politics (Yes, It Is Possible!) His marketing career nearly got derailed by political conversations at work. Today, he runs a creative PR agency where people are free to say what's on their minds. Public relations agencies and other creative agencies like mine can still host honest, even divisive conversations about everything under the sun. Creative people need room to talk out loud and think through problems. They should face criticism and argument to help refine their ideas. Shutting down conversations does not generally lead to good outcomes. To be sure, I dont know if big companies can encourage a free-thinking culture. I sure admire the companies like Basecamp that are trying in these weird times. But the signs arent good. Recently, woke Twitter (which is to say, Twitter) sure hated it when Basecamps founders announced they were effectively banning societal and political discussions on the company account. The reason? Sensitivities are at 11, and every discussion remotely related to politics, advocacy, or society at large quickly spins away from pleasant. You shouldnt have to wonder if staying out of it means youre complicit or wading into it means youre a target People can take the conversations with willing co-workers to Signal, Whatsapp, or even a personal Basecamp account, but it cant happen where the work happens anymore. Which is to say, divisive political conversations were demoralizing and time-wasting. These are generally things that businesses try to avoid. That goes double for a company thats all about fostering productive project management and team communication. Nonetheless, the digital hunting bands on social media platforms were annoyed. Heck, so were many of Basecamps employees. A third of Basecamps workforce has quit. Yikes! Too Much Divisiveness by the Digital Water Cooler? Basecamp is far from the first company thats gotten hurt by too much politics by the water cooler (or lately, on Zoom, Slack, or however we talk to each other under lockdown). Coke went woke (and then pressed pause, indicating the problem was not enough internal discussion at the top levels of the consequences of allowing one stream of politics to direct core business functions). Stifled revolts by social justice activist employees at publishing houses for Jordan Peterson and JK Rowling show a similar trend. In these cases, it would seem that honest conversations about politics, speech, and respect for diverse opinions (the really valuable kind of diversity) actually needed to happen years ago. Ive experienced this kind of weirdness at work before setting up my own PR agency. I was working in-house in the marketing department at a startup. Gillette had just launched a new Is this the best a man can get? marketing campaign, effectively insinuating that a large proportion of its target demographic (that is, all men who shave) was a bunch of toxic jerks. Another employee in a different department threw a message into the #marketing channel on Slack, linking to Gillettes commercial: What a great marketing campaign! To which I replied with a message Id coincidentally discovered on Facebook that summed up my view: We are living in an era of woke capitalism in which companies pretend to care about social justice to sell products to people who pretend to hate capitalism. Boy was that dumb. More than dumbI knew perfectly well that such a statement could be risky, given the well-known progressive views of my employer and the vast majority of the startups team. But what the hell. I figured it was worth the risk. Another Slack message from the same employee in the thread: What do you have against such a brave commercial? Related: How to Navigate Election Tensions at Work Well, I hadnt started this but fine, Id take the bait. It looks like theyre going out of their way to insult their customers, I wrote back, or something to that effect. And so, my downfall began. That message got me thrown into a Maoist struggle session with my progressive boss, followed by another one-on-one with them a few weeks later. I couldnt really opt out of meetings with my boss, but then I refused the next step: to schedule meetings to confess my wrongthink to fellow employees and be schooled in the correct thinking. I tried to hunker down and focus on my task list, as usual, but work became stressful. That was followed by me leaving the company for an uncertain future. Founding my PR agency wasnt a plan so much as an escape hatch that fortunately worked out well. That is to say, I know on a deep, personal level just how stupid, time-wasting, demoralizing, and ultimately career-defeating many political discussions at work can be. Related: Entrepreneurs Shouldnt Discuss Politics at Work, Right? Not So Fast, Experts Say. How Creatives Can Allow Politics Into a Conversation After such an experience, you might expect that Id institute a similar rule to the new Basecamp status quo. I havent. The reasons are partly philosophical, partly for businessand maybe, partly hubris. First, Im pretty much a free-speech absolutist. People should say what they think. But from the perspective of a guy running a PR agency, I want creative people to be able to say whats on their minds. Good ideas come from all directions. The more I stifle speech that treads incidentally or more deeply on political trends, the less creative we can be. Thats particularly true when politics bleeds so much into our culture, in a way that didnt seem to be as important when I was coming up. How do I make this work? I have a few rules: Dont force politics into conversations. If it happens organically, go with it. Lets say were talking about green energy ideas. One person brings up an interesting news story about climate change, the oilpatch, and government policy that we can reference in a pitch. Its all good. If were talking about AI and the conversation turns to how machine learning algorithms seem to be creating biased outcomes that affect certain identifiable groups negatively, we can debate facts around this. Everyone remains respectful. No interrupting. No snide remarks. And the moment it seems one person wants to shift from the political back to the tech or business angle, thats what happens. Recognize your own bias. As a PR guy, Im a keen observer of the media. One trend Im not happy with is the odd disconnect between what some media organizations say about themselves and how others perceive them. When CNN says theyre the trusted name in news or The New York Times masthead says all the news thats fit to print I know that there are reasonable people who would disagree with those characterizations. In conversation, its sometimes just easier to recognize the bias you see in yourself and name it. I know what Im about to say might sound like a right-wing talking point, but Be up-front about where youre coming from, and people will respect you for it. No indoctrination allowed. We have conversations, not lectures. Questions are encouraged as opportunities to check whether we really know what we think we know. Especially if Im the one kicking off a political discussion in the context of a business, Ill preface it with phrases like I could be wrong about this or even if you think what Im saying sounds right, or if you suspect its not, do your own research. See what you find. No team member should ever feel like they need to support anyones political views to protect their job. For a Creative Agency, Political Chatter Can Work. For Other Kinds of Companies, Maybe Not Lets face it: encouraging political conversations at work did not work for Basecamp. In practice, encouraging such conversations may have actually helped lead to a new, one-sided, woke corporate culture thats here to stay. When groups get too big, in-groups and out-groups can naturally form. Maybe were okay with it because were small and nimble and staffed by the right mix of creative people who are genuinely interested in learning about new perspectives. Then again, maybe it functions because its led by a guy who learned the hard way how badly political discussions could poison a workplace; and that person is determined to show how it can be done better. In this screenshot from the RNCs livestream of the 2020 Republican National Convention, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem addresses the virtual convention on Aug. 26, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images) South Dakota Gov. Accuses Biden of Hypocrisy Over Mount Rushmore Fireworks Display Controversy South Dakotas Republican Gov. Kristi Noem accused the Biden administration of a double standard by rejecting her states bid to hold a Fourth of July fireworks display at Mouth Rushmore while encouraging other states to stage July 4 events and itself planning a fireworks show in Washington. Noem took to Twitter on Tuesday to direct a scathing rebuke at President Joe Biden over the Mount Rushmore fireworks rejection controversy and accused him of hypocrisy. What a hypocrite. President @JoeBiden wants a summer of freedom where we mark independence from the virus by celebrating with events across the country,' Noem wrote, sharing a screenshot of a White House announcement encouraging states to host Independence Day events. Translation: fireworks are fine at the White House, but not at Mount Rushmore, Noem added. What a hypocrite. President @JoeBiden wants a summer of freedom where we mark independence from the virus by celebrating with events across the country. Translation: fireworks are fine at the White House, but not at Mount Rushmore. pic.twitter.com/kHHqkHqlBk Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) June 15, 2021 As part of its July 4th celebrations, the White House said it would host an event with essential workers and military service members, with around 1,000 guests expected at an event that is to include a fireworks display over the National Mall, according to officials. Tuesdays letter from the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairsaddressed to State, Tribal, and local elected officialshails the Biden administrations efforts to fight the pandemic and encourages local leaders to host Independence Day events to honor our freedom, salute those who have been serving on the frontlines, and celebrate our progress in fighting this pandemic. On July 4, because of our strong response, America will mark independence from the virus by celebrating with events across the country, the letter states, adding that the country is headed into a summer dramatically different from last year. A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of reunions and celebrations. It comes as a federal judge earlier this month ruled not to grant Noem a preliminary injunction that would see fireworks allowed at Mount Rushmore for July 4. That decision came following a lawsuit filed by Noem against members of the Biden administration after the National Parks Service denied South Dakotas fireworks permit request for reasons that include concern over the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak, the potential for wildfires, and undermining relationships with Native American tribes in the area. Rules for thee but not for me a long time favorite from the Democrat playbook. @joebiden, why are you being so hypocritical? Youre having your own personal fireworks show in D.C., but South Dakotans are told no? Noem wrote in a tweet. The South Dakota governor added that she plans to resubmit a request to hold a celebration at Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is the very best place to celebrate Americas birthday and all that makes our country special, Noem said when announcing her lawsuit, which was backed by 17 Republican attorneys general. Given the importance of the Fourth of July holiday and the special role of Mount Rushmore as a national monument, amici States have an interest in seeing the fireworks display take place again this year, the attorneys general said in a court document (pdf), filed on May 21, which called the Biden administrations decision to cancel the fireworks display arbitrary and capricious. In rejecting Noems lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Roberto Lange, an Obama appointee, ruled that the suit was unlikely to succeed and that the Biden administrations rejection of the fireworks permit was not arbitrary or capricious. Stopping Celebrities Hollywood Coddling Commentary It happened again. Another big-name Hollywood elite coddled up to the Peoples Republic of China. John Cena, a wrestling legend and A-list movie star, recently issued an apology on his press tour for the Fast & Furious 9 after accidentally referring to Taiwan as a country. The incident sparked strong pushback on the Chinese mainland, where questioning the countrys One-China policy almost always results in an instant wave of condemnation. Taiwan is an independent country with an independent government. Its been that way for 49 years. But for its own predatory purposes, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims the country is still under its control and puts immense military and financial pressure on other countries and influencers to accept this premise. Cena, of course, appears to be counting on China to spend millions of dollars on tickets on the latest Fast & Furious flick, which has already grossed $135 million and counting in the country, so he issued a heartfelt apology to calm the storm. However, his apology has set off its own wave of criticism in the United States. And rightfully so. This pushback to Hollywoods never-ending China appeasement is long overdue. After this year of horrific human rights abuses emanating from the Peoples Republic, their virtue signaling to the communist regime has simply become too much to stomach. The world recently watched in horror as the Chinese regime cracked down on individual freedom in Hong Kong and continued ethnic cleansing in their northern region of Xinjiang. Yet, many of the woke activists in Hollywood, who are more than happy to condemn America, have stayed largely silent, avoiding any utterance that may anger this important business market. While this is Cenas first offense, many high-profile influencers have taken the same appeasement approach, putting profits above principles and patriotism. Take billionaire and recent Saturday Night Live host Elon Musk. Musk has a massive business stake in China with Tesla and has taken to praising the Chinese regime in recent months as the pushback against his subsidized corporations has intensified. Even as the world became fully aware of Chinas wrongdoings, Musk publicly praised the nation as moving ahead of the United States and seemed to quickly buckle to the countrys regulatory concerns toward his vehicles. Compare that to his actions in America. Musk has hurled insults at regulators who dared investigate his car companys autopilot feature that may have contributed to fatal road accidents, as well as his space company, which recently launched an exploding rocket despite being denied a safety waiver. The U.S. government has funneled a lot of money into Musks pockets, so youd think he would respect what U.S. regulators ask of him. But just like the rest of the liberal elite, he instead decided to blast the United States while kowtowing to Chinas every word and request. Disney, which has bent over backward to appease the CCP as it looks to expand its footprint in China, has similarly appeared to tolerate CCP abuses to pursue greater profits. The movie Mulan caught flack last year after the company thanked the oppressive Xinjiang police bureau for its support in making the film. The company issued this praise even though the United States blacklisted the bureau for its role in the alleged ongoing genocide of Uyghur Muslims in the country. This praise of China from Disney came just months after the company fired conservative actress Gina Carano over a social media post criticizing COVID-restrictions that some deemed offensivebecause thats obviously a far worse sin than mass genocide. Its frankly astounding that these celebrities and companies feel comfortable selling out to communist China so quickly. Liberals love telling people in this country whats wrong with America, but their blatant hypocrisy exposes the fact that their moral outrage only happens when profits arent under threat. Heres the truth: Real moral integrity doesnt have a profit exception. Standing up for whats right regardless of the financial cost is the type of thing everyone in this country used to celebrate. But it seems that many on the left have been blinded by either greed or the leftist politics of the Peoples Regime. Let this be a final warning to Hollywood: Either stop the China double standard or expect much of America to tune you out completely. Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer is a retired senior intelligence operations officer and president of the London Center for Policy Research. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Taco Bell Employee Has Bike Stolen Outside Restaurantso Police Officer Gets Him a New One A Taco Bell employee who had his bike stolen outside the restaurant where he worked in Ferndale, Michigan, got a pleasant surprise when a kind police officer got him a new set of wheels. Ferndale police officer Christopher Wiacek got a call about the stolen bike from the scene at Taco Bell on West Nine Mile Road. The bikes owner, Tyreese Taylor, had been using it as his main mode of transportation to and from work for over a year. That morning, hed been following his usual routine. He arrived at work early and was listening to his headphones, waiting for his manager to arrive. Thats when a man, who appeared to be in his 30s, approached and offered Taylor some money to use his phone. The Taco Bell on West Nine Mile Road in Ferndale, Michigan. (Screenshot/Google Maps) The Taco Bell employee told him to ask his manager for permission; but the man instead grabbed Taylors bike, discarding the contents of its basket, and took off. I was upset, mad. I was trying to not let it get to me, Taylor told FOX 2 Detroit. By the time police arrived, the suspect was long gone, while efforts to trace him proved futile, as the franchises CCTV footage could not distinguish his features. When I arrived, I met the victim Tyreese, and as I spoke to him, it became pretty clear his bike was important to him, said officer Wiacek. Empathizing with Taylor, Wiacek contacted Motor City Pawn Brokers in a bid to purchase a new bike for him. Upon explaining the young mans situation, the store owner insisted on donating the bike, rather than have the officer pay for it. The bike was shipped from the owners other store location and it arrived nine days later. Wiacek then brought the bike to Trek Bicycle Store in Royal Oak to have it tuned upwhich was once again offered for free. He had lights installed and even got a new bike lock for Taylorwhich Wiacek paid for out of his own pocket. Then on May 11, the officer handed the new bike over to Taylor. It was awesome, I was surprised. I thought they were joking at first, the thankful employee said. One of Wiaceks colleagues later took to Facebook and posted a photo of Wiacek and Taylor, with his new bike, and congratulated the officer for his kind act. Thank you, officer Wiacek and Motor City Pawn Brokers, for going above and beyond to help an individual in our community, the post read. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on June 8, 2021. (Montinique Monroe/Getty Images) Texas Gov. Abbott Signs Law Preventing Teaching of Critical Race Theory in Public Schools Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law Tuesday, preventing Critical Race Theory (CRT) and The 1619 Project from being taught in public schools in the Lone Star State. Abbott didnt make any comments when signing the bill, but said he supports it and would sign it into law. 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, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said when the bill passed the state Senate last month. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks after Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the reopening of more Texas businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic at a press conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Monday, May 18, 2020. (Lynda M. Gonzalez-Pool/Getty Images) These abhorrent concepts have erupted in our culture in an effort to divide us. Unfortunately, they are cropping up in Texas classrooms, even in elementary schools, Patrick added. The bill, HB 3979 (pdf), doesnt mention CRT by name but states that teachers, employees of state agencies, school districts, or open-enrollment charter schools may not require or make part of a course similar tenets or concepts, such as an individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive by virtue of race or sex; or an individual bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex. Teachers or school districts also cannot require an understanding of The 1619 Project. The 1619 Project was published by The New York Times and attempts to cast the Atlantic slave trade as the dominant factor in the founding of America instead of ideals such as individual liberty and natural rights. The bill lists a series of historical texts which can be taught in classrooms, such as the founding documents of the United States and Martin Luther King Jr.s I Have a Dream speech. The bill also prevents teachers and school districts from requiring or giving credit to students for political activism, also called action civics or protest civics. Critics say this kind of civics education is teaching kids to protest. Private funding for courses or curriculums incorporated with action civics is also prohibited. The bill further protects teachers from training, orientation, or therapy that presents any form of race or sex-stereotyping or blame on the basis of race or sex. Teachers are in the crosshairs of critical race theory, Texas GOP state Rep. Steve Toth told National Review. Theyre reaching out to me to share examples of how theyre being threatened, that if they dont teach critical race theory, theyre going to lose their job. Toth is the primary author of the bill. The bill will take effect on Sept. 1. Republicans across the nation are trying to prevent the teaching of CRT in classrooms. Multiple states have passed or enacted similar laws and executive orders. Proponents of CRT call such measures censorship of discussions and claim that the theory helps kids think critically about the role race has played in American history. Last week, Abbott signed a law that establishes the 1836 Project, an advisory committee designed to promote patriotic education and increase awareness of the Texas values. On Monday, a group of GOP House Representatives unveiled legislation that would block federal funds for public schools from being used to teach the controversial 1619 Project. Texas Governor Signs Bill Prohibiting Government From Closing Churches, Places of Worship Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill on June 15 that prohibits government agencies from ordering churches and houses of worship to close, following health-related orders that were handed down during the COVID-19 pandemic that mandated the closure of churches and other religious houses. Stating that the bill is designed to protect Texans First Amendment right to religious freedom, Abbott said the Republican-backed bill, HB 1239, prohibits any public official or government agency in Texas from issuing an order that closes places of worship. The First Amendment right to freedom of religion shall never be infringed, he wrote on June 15. This past year, the governor signed an executive order to shut down many businesses and institutions in Texas, including churches, as they were deemed nonessential during the pandemic. Abbott was later sued by faith leaders to reopen churches across the state and deem them essential before he reversed the order. State Rep. Scott Sanford, a Republican who sponsored the measure, said this week that houses of worship provide essential spiritual, mental, and physical support in a time of crisis. Closing churches not only eliminated these critical ministries and services, he argued, but it violated their religious freedom, guaranteed by our laws and Constitution. State Rep. John Turner, a Democrat, told the Texas Tribune in April that he tried to add in amendments to the bill that would specify certain definitions and terms, although they failed. Turner noted that during natural disasters, including hurricanes, churches were shut down. Critics of the measure, including Turner, criticized it as being too sweeping and too broad. I just thought it was a broadly written bill that could be problematic if its applied as written, the lawmaker told the paper. In response to Turners arguments, Republican lawmakers who supported the law noted that in Texas, strip clubs and liquor stores remained open while houses of worship were forced to close last year. On June 14, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure that would require K-12 public schools to mandate a minute of silence at the start of each school day. The bill text says that too few persons are able to experience even a moment of quiet reflection before plunging headlong into the activities of daily life and that young people are particularly affected by the absence of an opportunity for a moment of quiet reflection. Teachers are prohibited from making suggestions about the nature of reflection during the minute of silence. You [cant] just push God out of every institution and be successful, DeSantis said during a signing event. Im sorry, our Founding Fathers did not believe that. The Gift of Seashells: A Fathers Hope for His Children On a recent trip to the Dominican Republic, I had the opportunity to purchase five seashells. I haggled for them in Spanish with a man at a roadside stop, perhaps the last hurdle to prove that one is finally fluent in a foreign language. But the goal was to bring home the goods at the best price possible, and I think I succeeded, although exactly how much a Dominican peso is worth each day in U.S. dollars is always a question. But I wanted to have the shells for a good reasonas you will see. Seashells have always captivated me. Whether they are the large but very plain clamshells I played with on the Jersey Shore as a child, or the small but intricate ones found on Sanibel and Captiva Islands off the Gulf Coast of Florida, each one is different and has its own story. The seashells gifted by the author to his children. (Courtesy of Wayne A. Barnes) When a man lives his life, its the quality of that life and ones feeling about it that separates him, not just from the lower animals, but also from the rest of humanity. In his heart and mind, he knows what he does each day, and how it contributes to the fabric from which he weaves the full set of clothing that is the life he leads. At the end of each day, he must look at himself in the mirror and see if he is proud of the clothes he wears. Are they clean and well-fitting, and something he worked very hard to be able to wear, or are they shabby and worn, tattered and threadbare? Each morning as we arise, we should set our sights on what we want to accomplish and how we plan to get there. But we must do so with a strict code of ethics, and a strong will to reach our goals. Stacking together an entire life of such days culminates in a life worth living. Others will admire such a life, although that should never be the goal. It doesnt matter that you didnt invent the newest time-saving contraption or cure the worst plague. What matters is how you lived each day. Have you done your best by mankind, especially for those you care about and love, and not caused intentional harm, even to those you hold in less regard? Most of all, how do you feel about yourself, and can you look unwavering into the mirror and see someone you are proud of? If a day has gone by and you believe you havent done your best and lived up to your potential, while others may not know it, you alone will feel the burden of such a day pressing down upon your shoulders. It will prevent you from standing tall and proud. Man is fortunate always to have another chance, beginning with the very next tomorrow, to try again to do better, but its within your thoughts, alone, that you must ponder the days events as you rest your head on your pillow each night. The small animal that lived within the seashell you receive today couldnt have had such weighty thoughts, but each of its thousands of days did contribute to its life, and the record and commemoration of what it was is here for you to hold. Its hard and strong, beautifully shaped and colorful, and its something to be admired. In our lives, there will be no human shell once our days are gone. There will only be the pride we lived with and our own colorful legacy, added to, just as with the sea creature, one single day at a time, that has made us what we will have become, something worth looking back on. Now grasp the shell and try to repicture your life, commemorated as something sturdy and glorious. Each day, add to its strength and beauty. With much love to all of my children of whom I am so very proud, Ariel, Natalia, Gavin, Sebastian, and Thomas. Wayne A. Barnes was an FBI agent for 29 years working counterintelligence. He had many undercover assignments, including as a member of the Black Panthers. His first spy stories were from debriefing Soviet KGB defectors. He now investigates privately in South Florida. (L) President Joe Biden waits to speak as he visits the Sportrock Climbing Centers in Alexandria, Va., on May 28, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) (R) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a meeting with members of the Council of Legislators of the Federal Assembly, at the Tauride Palace, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on April 27, 2021. (Alexei Danichev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images) There Were No Threats: Biden Says the Last Thing Putin Wants Is a New Cold War Following a closed-door meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Joe Biden said his agenda isnt designed to go against Russia but that hes attempting to promote the interests of the American people. The two leaders met for about 3 1/2 hours in Geneva, after both acknowledged that U.S.Russia relations were at their lowest point in decades. I told President Putin my agenda is not against Russia, or anyone else, its for the American people. Fighting COVID-19, rebuilding our economy, reestablishing relationships around the world, Biden said at a news conference, adding that Russia and the United States need stable and predictable ties. When asked about the conduct of the meeting, Biden said there were no threats by either of them. We need to have some basic rules of the road that we can all abide by, he said, adding that the last thing Putin wants is a new Cold War. Issues that were discussed, according to Biden, include cyberattacks, human rights, and alleged election interference, among other topics. In recent weeks, federal officials have claimed that Russia-based hackers were responsible for several high-profile breaches, including ransomware hacks targeting the Colonial Pipeline system and JBS Foods. Biden stressed that he told Putin that cyberattacks or attacks by any other means against critical infrastructure such as the pipeline breach need to be off-limits moving forward. During an announcement last month, Biden said that Russia-based hackers were likely responsible for the pipeline attack, but he said U.S. intelligence officials didnt link the group to the Kremlin. The president on June 16 didnt elaborate on the potential consequences if hackers again target critical infrastructure systems within the United States. The administration earlier this year imposed sanctions on Russian financial institutions over the SolarWinds breach, which affected several federal agencies and, according to the White House, over alleged election interference in 2020. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during their meeting in Geneva, on June 16, 2021. (Mikhail Metzel/Pool Photo via AP) Putin said in a press conference on June 16 that Russia and the United States have agreed to restart talks on curbing cyberattacks while shifting some of the blame toward Washington. And the question of who, to what degree, needs to take on responsibility, that should be resolved during the negotiation process, Putin said. During an NBC interview last week, the Russian leader denied that Moscow had anything to do with cyberattacks or had interfered in the U.S. election and claimed those allegations were part of a pattern of American politicians using Russia as a scapegoat. We have been accused of all kinds of things, Putin said on June 14. Election interference, cyberattacks, and so on and so forth. And not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof. Just unfounded accusations. Biden also touched on the situation involving Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whos been detained in a Russian jail, which Western powers said is a violation of his human rights. Biden said that if Navalnywho has long accused Putin of corruptionwere to die, the United States would retaliate, and the consequences would be devastating for Russia. But Navalny, Putin said, had ignored the law and knew that he would be arrested if he returned to Russia from Germany, where he received medical treatment from an alleged poisoning attempt. He said Ukraine also broke its ceasefire agreement with pro-Russian separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine amid a massive military buildup along the eastern border. White House officials or Biden havent publicly said whether there will be another summit between the two. A car is seen submerged by flood water in Traralgon, Victoria, Australia on June 10, 2021. (AAP Image/James Ross) Thousands of Australians Warned Not to Drink Tap Water After Winter Storms Thousands of residents in the city of Melbournes outer east have been told not to drink their tap water, even after it is boiled, due to contamination. The Department of Health issued an urgent warning early Wednesday morning advising people who live, work or are in Kallista, Sherbrooke or The Patch not to drink tap water until further notice. The warning is expected to be in place for at least three days. An equipment failure caused the water contamination at Yarra Valley Water drinking water tank after recent severe winter weather felled trees, ravaged homes and knocked out power across swaths of the states. Residents in the affected suburbs have been instructed not to use the tap water for drinking, preparing beverages, washing and preparing food, preparing baby formula, brushing teeth or making ice. Boiling water will not remove any potential contaminants, a notice issued by Yarra Valley Water on Wednesday said, Special care should be taken to not ingest the water when bathing or showering. Emergency drinking water will be available at The Patch Hall and The Kallista Public Hall. People have also been told to bring their own containers (bottles, pots, kettles) to fill up from the tankers. Those who have ingested the water and feel unwell are asked to contact their GP, and anyone with special needs can contact Yarra Valley Water on 13 2762. The warning comes after wild storms battered Victoria last week, killing two people and leaving more than 300,000 homes without power at the peak of the emergency. About 17,000 homes in the eastern area are still engulfed by blackouts for a sixth day, with many remaining in darkness for at least another three days. Olinda, Monbulk, Croydon, Mr Evelyn, Mt Dandenong and parts of Lilydale, Gippsland and Belgrave are among the worst-hit areas. Map shows which streets the advisory relates to (Screenshot from Yarra Valley River website) Emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp said a dozen towns remain unable to dial triple zero, but Red Cross volunteers are knocking on doors to make sure people can access information. With those particular communities, they might be isolated in terms of some telecommunications, but theyre not geographically isolated so people can get in and out, he told reporters. Rest assured everythings being done to ensure that those people get back on power as soon as possible. Crisp commented after severe floods forced an evacuation at the Yallourn Power Station, which provides electricity to 22 percent of Victoria, on Sunday. Rising floodwaters have also disrupted millions of local spiders, which were seen trying to get to higher ground, resulting in waves of spiderwebs blanketing a regional Victorian town. Acting Premier James Merlino announced on Sunday the disaster relief payments of up to $42,000 to assist homes and businesses that have suffered damage from floods and storms. Whether its support for accomodation, major repairs at home, we want to get people back in their homes as quickly as possible, Merlino said. We observed through the helicopter the extent of the damage. What was quite evident is whilst its receding now, it still is quite deep in parts, and theres many, many areas that have been quite severely impacted. Timeless Wisdom: But Above All Things, Fatherly Advice From John Adams One of my favorite Founders is John Adams. In my opinion, he wasnt only the most intellectually brilliant of the Founders, but the most insightful. He had both great knowledge, and great wisdom. He didnt look at the world through rose-colored glasses. And yet, he wasnt a cynicdespite the fact that he had understandable reasons to be one. Adams was extremely well-read, particularly in history. He was fluent in several languages, most notably Latin, and could read the Greek and Roman classics in their original languages. When confronting the challenges necessarily associated with establishing the independence of a country, and establishing its founding institutions, he invariably looked to history as a guide, and could cite numerous examples from multiple nations as examples for emulation or avoidance. But one of the things that most attracted me to him was how he wrote to his children, in particular his oldest son, John Quincy Adams, who would go on to become a congressman, secretary of state, and president of the United States (among other things). Adams took John Quincy with him when he went to Europe as Americas minister to France in 1778. The reasons were perhaps best expressed by his mother, Abigail Adams, in one of her first letters to the 10-year-old boy upon his arrival in Paris: Improve your understanding for acquiring useful knowledge and virtue, such as will render you an ornament to society, an Honor to your Country, and a Blessing to your parents. Being part of the Adams family meant public service was all but a given. One of my favorite letters from Adams to his son was written in 1782. The father was in Amsterdam, and the son was in St. Petersburg, working as the secretary to the American ambassador in Russia. Adams first commended his son on more practical matters: I am well pleased with your learning German for many Reasons, and principally because I am told that Science and Literature flourish more at present in Germany than anywhere. A Variety of Languages will do no harm unless you should get a habit of attending more to Words than Things. Ensuring his son was a polyglot was important to Adams, for it would not only enable him to be a better diplomat, but a better reader of classic textsthe preeminent source of his and many of the Founders own education. But, as he emphasized to John Quincy, the purpose of language is to describe things, and thus better understand reality, and that was to be his focus. But the second (and final) paragraph is where the real gold is: But, my dear Boy, above all Things, preserve your Innocence, and a pure Conscience. Your morals are of more importance, both to yourself and the World than all Languages and all Sciences. The least Stain upon your Character will do more harm to your Happiness than all Accomplishments will do it good. Here we have the essence of John Adams in his understanding of the primacy of the moral over the practical and the expedient. As he knew a free republic required a moral foundation to survive, so he knew the same truth applied to individuals. Indeed, in numerous places, both he and Abigail taught John Quincy that not only were morals essential to happiness, but that he would be accountable to God for his behavior in this life. Indeed, anyone who engages in self-reflection knows this to be true. As Benjamin Franklin said in the 1741 edition of Poor Richards Almanac, a good conscience is a continual Christmas. Doing what we know to be right is essential to a healthy sense of self-worth and confidence. A divided conscience is a pathway to insecurity, angst, and deep unhappiness. Despite our struggle to attain it, we are wired to seek the good. And what a lesson for all of us to consider, particularly in an age when our education system has been overtaken by a technocratic and economic view, as if the primary and essential purpose of training was to make children merely economically productive, rather than training them in virtue! Its no wonder depression and anxiety are at record levels among the young. But as John Adams knewand as he taught his son in this, one of his best pieces of fatherly advicemorals are far more important to happiness than productivity, both in this life, and the next. Joshua Charles is a former White House speechwriter for Vice President Mike Pence, a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, a historian, writer/ghostwriter, and public speaker. Hes been a historical adviser for several documentaries and published books on topics ranging from the Founding Fathers, to Israel, to the role of faith in American history, to the impact of the Bible on human civilization. He was the senior editor and concept developer of the Global Impact Bible, published by the D.C.-based Museum of the Bible in 2017, and is an affiliated scholar of the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center in Philadelphia. He is a Tikvah and Philos Fellow and has spoken around the country on topics such as history, politics, faith, and worldview. He is a concert pianist and holds a masters in government and a law degree. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaTCharles or see JoshuaTCharles.com. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington on March 17, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Top House Republicans Demand Answers From Biden Admin on CCP Influence in Higher Education Two House Republican leaders are asking the Biden administration whether it has a plan to investigate Chinas financial ties with American colleges and universities and counter the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) economic influence in higher education. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the top Republican on the House Education Committee, and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who chairs the conservative caucus Republican Study Committee, said they are concerned that the Education Department is not taking the threat posed by the CCP seriously. Hostile governments and their instrumentalities have targeted the higher education sector for exploitation to infiltrate cutting-edge American research projects, influence curricula, and gain access to systems and information available through overseas campuses that receive less rigorous oversight than their domestic counterparts, Foxx and Banks wrote in a letter (pdf) to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. The American public deserves to know that their money is not being compromised by Communist China and other adversarial nations. Starting in 2019, the Education Department under then-Secretary Betsy DeVos heightened scrutiny to the enforcement of Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which requires colleges to report all gifts and contracts involving foreign sources valued at $250,000 or more. Those efforts led to an October 2020 reporting of approximately $6.5 billion in previously undisclosed foreign money including from China and Russia, as well as compliance investigations into 19 of the nations top universities. The Education Department under Cardona, according to the Republicans, has so far made little progress to address that matter. The previous administration modernized the reporting process and found over $6.5 billion in unreported gifts and contracts and opened 19 university investigations, they said in the letter. However, the Department has closed only four of those investigations to date. Moreover, you have not started or provided status updates on any other investigations into foreign gifts or contracts. Specifically, the two Republicans asked whether the Education Department has opened any new college investigations or issued any related subpoenas, or if it intends on completing the remaining 15 investigations initiated by the Trump administration. In addition, they asked the department what the total amount of reported foreign gifts was through the reporting period ending in January, how many full-time staff members are working on Section 117 assessment, and what range of corrective measures it would use to force noncompliant schools to disclose foreign money. The Republican leaders request comes as Congress considers the CONFUCIUS Act, which aims to reduce the influence Beijing could have on American college campuses that host CCP-sponsored Confucius Institutes. The bill passed the Senate earlier this month with unanimous approval. At universities across the U.S., the Chinese government is waging an influence and propaganda effort through its Confucius Institutes, said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who sponsored the bill. Though ostensibly designed to promote cultural studies on college campuses, Confucius Institutes are an extension of the communist Chinese government and follow its dictates. Once over 100 at its peak, the number of Confucius Institutes in the United States has fallen to just about 50 as of May 2021, largely due to pressure from the Trump administration in the past two years. Toxic Chemicals Found in Half of Commonly Used US Cosmetics: Study Toxic cancer-causing chemicals have been detected in more than half of commonly used cosmetics sold in the United States and Canada, a study has found. New research from the University of Notre Dame shows that many of the cosmetics contain high levels of chemicals which are resistant to breaking down in the environmentknown as perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Some have been linked to cancers, liver damage, low birth weight and an array of other health problems. More than 230 commonly used cosmetics were analyzed in the study, published Tuesday in the journal of Environmental Science and Technology Letters. Researchers found that high levels of fluorine were detected in 56 percent of foundations and eye products, 48 percent of lip products and 47 percent of mascaras. Fluorine is an indicator of PFAS, used in a wide range of products including stain- and water-resistant fabrics and carpets, as well as cleaning products, paints, water repellents, and fire-fighting foams. According to the study, some of the highest levels of the man-made forever chemicals were detected in waterproof mascara, 82 percent, and long-lasting lipstick, 62 percent. These results are particularly concerning when you consider the risk of exposure to the consumer combined with the size and scale of a multibillion-dollar industry that provides these products to millions of consumers daily, said lead researcher Graham Peaslee, professor of physics at Notre Dame. Theres the individual riskthese are products that are applied around the eyes and mouth with the potential for absorption through the skin or at the tear duct, as well as possible inhalation or ingestion, he added. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health and Sciences (NIEHS), PFAS chemicals gradually accumulate and generally remain in a body over time due to more intake than excretion of the chemicals. PFAS is a persistent chemicalwhen it gets into the bloodstream, it stays there and accumulates, Peaslee warned. Theres also the additional risk of environmental contamination associated with the manufacture and disposal of these products, which could affect many more people. The study found that when 29 products with high fluorine concentrations were subject to further tests, they were found to contain between four and 13 specific PFAS. But only one of these products listed PFAS as an ingredient on its label. This is a red flag, Peaslee said. Our measurements indicate widespread use of PFAS in these productsbut its important to note that the full extent of use of fluorinated chemicals in cosmetics is hard to estimate due to lack of strict labeling requirements in both countries. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates cosmetics, states on its website that, As the science on PFAS in cosmetics continues to advance, the FDA will continue to monitor published research and voluntary data submitted by the industry. The results of the study were released as a bipartisan group of senators unveiled a bill to ban the use of the toxic chemicals in cosmetics products. The No PFAS in Cosmetics Act was introduced by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) on June 15. There is nothing safe and nothing good about PFAS, said Blumenthal in a statement. These chemicals are a menace hidden in plain sight that people literally display on their faces every day. The measure would direct the FDA to issue a proposed rule banning the intentional addition of PFAS in cosmetics, within 270 days of enactment. It would also require a final rule to be issued 90 days after that. The proposed legislation will save millions of people from putting poison on their faces, said Blumenthal. Former President Donald Trump addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 28, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Trump Wanted Supreme Court to Order New Election in Key Swing States, Emails Show Then-President Donald Trump, through a lawyer and White House officials, placed pressure on Department of Justice (DOJ) officials to probe the 2020 election results and wanted the Supreme Court to authorize a new election in key swing states, according to newly released emails. Kurt Olsen, a Trump lawyer, was shown in one of the emails asking DOJ officials to connect him to then-Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. He said that he represented Texas in the Supreme Court lawsuit against Pennsylvania and other states and that Trump had directed him to meet with Rosen to discuss a similar action to be brought by the United States. A draft document attached to Olsens December 2020 message alleges that elections in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada violated the U.S. Constitution. It asks the Supreme Court to stop the states from using their election results to appoint presidential electors to the Electoral College and to authorize them to conduct a special election to appoint electors. The document was never filed. The Texas lawsuit noted that nonlegislative officials in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin put into place election measures without the approval of their legislatures. Texas asked the Supreme Court to declare the election in the states unconstitutional. At least one judge said the arguments had merit, blocking certification of the election results in Pennsylvania in a separate case until her order was overturned and the case was dismissed. The Supreme Court ultimately rejected Texass lawsuit. Molly Michael, an assistant to Trump, also directly sent Rosen and other DOJ officials the draft complaint Trump wanted the United States to file. In another set of emails, Mark Meadows, who was Trumps chief of staff at the time, asked Rosen to have the DOJ investigate fraud allegations. In one message to Rosen, Meadows sent a petition contesting the election that was submitted to Fulton County Superior Court by Trump and David Shafer, the Georgia Republican Party chairman. Can you have your team look into these allegations of wrongdoing. Only the alleged fraudulent activity. Thanks Mark, the email stated. The petitioners on Jan. 7 voluntarily withdrew the petition. Then-Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington on Sept. 14, 2020. (Susan Walsh/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) In another email, Meadows told Rosen that there had been allegations of signature-match anomalies in Fulton County, Georgia. He asked Rosen to get a DOJ official, Jeffrey Clark, to engage on this issue immediately to determine if there is any truth to this allegation. Rosen sent the email to Richard Donoghue, the acting deputy attorney general, commenting: Can you believe this? I am not going to respond. Rosen did ask Clark to follow up on allegations of fraud in Atlanta, and Clark said he was doing so. A group of Georgia voters is currently engaged in an ongoing petition regarding fraud claims in Fulton County. A judge is set to hear motions to dismiss on June 21. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, meanwhile, is probing the recent allegations of a county official saying that some forms documenting chain of custody for mail-in ballots are missing. Meadows also requested a review of allegations of fraud in New Mexico and sent Rosen documents and a video that claimed American electoral data was changed in facilities in Italy, with assistance from U.S. intelligence officials. Donoghue, who again forwarded one of the emails, called the claims pure insanity. Rosen said he learned that Brad Johnson, who created the video, was working with Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and Rosen refused a request to have the FBI meet with Johnson. The emails were released by House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), who said they show that President Trump tried to corrupt our nations chief law enforcement agency in a brazen attempt to overturn an election that he lost. Those who aided or witnessed President Trumps unlawful actions must answer the Committees questions about this attempted subversion of democracy, she said. Maloneys panel wants Meadows, Donoghue, Clark, and several others to sit for transcribed interviews. The DOJ didnt respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. Trump didnt return requests for comment sent to his campaign and political action committee. Trump has made no secret of his view that the 2020 election was rife with fraud. Last week, after the DOJ announced it would focus on protecting voter access and probe election audits for possible legal violations, Trump said the agency would seem to have no choice but to look at the massive voter fraud which took place in certain Swing States, and I assume elsewhere, during the 2020 Presidential Election Scam. Whether it be voting machines, underaged people, dead people, illegal aliens, ballot drops, ballot cheating, absentee ballots, post office delivery (or lack thereof!), lock boxes, people being paid to vote, or other things, the 2020 Presidential Election is, in my mind, the Crime of the Century, he said. President Donald Trump before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, en route to West Palm Beach, Fla., on Feb. 16. 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Trump to Join Texas Gov. Abbott on Visit to USMexico Border Former President Donald Trump plans to join Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a June 30 visit to the southern border, according to a statement from Trumps official website. Trump said he accepted an invitation from Abbott, a Republican, to visit our Nations decimated Southern Border. The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in U.S history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in U.S history. Its an unmitigated disaster zone, Trump said. We went from detain-and-remove to catch-and-release. We went from having border security that was the envy of the world to a lawless border that is now pitied around the world. Illegal border crossings continue to climb since President Joe Biden took office in January. Border Patrol apprehended 180,000 illegal aliens in May, the highest total in 21 years. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials say the majority, more than 112,000, were expelled under the Title 42 emergency health provision put in place under Trump. Upon taking office, Biden revoked, put on hold, or partly rescinded dozens of executive actions put in place by Trump to stem the flow of illegal aliens. Trump has repeatedly denounced Biden over his handling of the border; Biden subsequently said the situation on the border is a crisis. Biden and Harris have handed control of our border over to cartels, criminals, and coyotes, Trump said, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden tasked with handling the border crisis. What Biden and Harris have done, and are continuing to do on our border, is a grave and willful dereliction of duty. My visit will hopefully shine a spotlight on these crimes against our Nationand show the incredible people of ICE and Border Patrol that they have our unshakeable support. The White House didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump implemented Title 42 in March 2020, effectively closing the border to nonessential travel in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. It allowed Border Patrol to turn back illegal border-crossers almost immediately, rather than going through protracted deportation proceedings. The Biden administration has already exempted unaccompanied minors and many family units from Title 42, whereas single adults from Spanish-speaking nations are almost all still subject to immediate expulsion, according to Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller. But Border Patrol is also encountering more illegal aliens from non-Spanish speaking nations, Brazil and Haiti in particular, who Miller suggests arent being expelled. The number of unaccompanied minors and individuals within family units dropped in May compared to April, but still comprised more than 33,000 apprehensions. The Title 42 restrictions have triggered a higher-than-normal recidivism rate of illegal crossings, as single adults repeatedly attempt to cross and evade capture, according to the CBP. During May, 38 percent of Border Patrol apprehensions were individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months. The average one-year re-encounter rate during the previous five years was roughly 15 percent, the CBP stated. In addition, Border Patrol detected, but didnt capture, more than 51,000 illegal border-crossers in May, according to statistics obtained by The Epoch Times. Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report. UK Advisory Body Not Recommending CCP Virus Vaccines for Children: Minister The UKs official advisory body on vaccines will not recommend the government extend its CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus vaccination programme to under-18s, a cabinet minister said on Wednesday. Asked about the issue of vaccinating children against COVID-19 on the BBCs Breakfast programme, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said that the government will look very closely at the JCVIs recommendations, referring to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. It is my understanding that they are not recommending the vaccination of under-18s and we will be saying more in due course about that, she said. The UKs medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use among children aged 12 and over in the UK. When asked on Monday if the government was planning to vaccinate children, government chief medical officer Chris Whitty said that you wouldnt want to vaccinate [children] unless the vaccine is very safe. And vaccines are now being licensed in some countries, and were accruing safety data on the safety of these vaccines in children. He added that there are two possible reasons you would want to vaccinate children, potentially, but with caution. One of them is if the child is at high risk of serious harm if they contract COVID-19, Whitty said, adding that he believes JCVI will be bringing forward advice on which groups they think are at particularly high risk of getting severe COVID-19. And those children specifically should be vaccinated, he said. But the wider question is around also the effect on childrens, particularly, education, Whitty added, implying vaccinating children would help prevent their education being disrupted. Calum Semple, a member of the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that the risk of children dying from COVID-19 is one in a million. We know in wave one and wave two put together there were 12 deaths in childrenin England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland put togetherand that is rare because there are about 13 to 14 million children in the UK, the child health and outbreak medicine professor said. Semple said that vaccinating children is something that we do do happily for flu, but actually, flu does make some very young children very sick too. France said on Tuesday that children as young as 12 are invited to get vaccinated, and the United States started doing so from mid-May. The Commission on Human Medicines, a public body that advises the UK government on medicinal products, said more than 2,000 children were involved in a clinical trial to determine the safety of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Alexander Zhang and PA contributed to this report. A representation of virtual currency Bitcoin and small toy figures are placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken on Jan. 7, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters) Violent Extremists Turning to Virtual Currency to Raise Funds: Financial Intelligence Unit Violent extremists are increasingly turning to virtual currency for fundraising, according to Canadas financial intelligence unit. The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) issued a special bulletin Tuesday, warning that ideologically-motivated violent extremist (IMVE) groups are switching to virtual currency to raise funds after facing obstruction from online platforms. As online crowdfunding platforms and social media sites have cracked down on these groups in recent years, theyve turned to alternative, smaller outlets and have encouraged their followers to send them money via mail, cheques, or money orders, which arent as easily detected, the centre said. IMVE threat actors have also increasingly turned to virtual currencies for fundraising, the bulletin said, adding that they mainly use the virtual currency donations to fund their propaganda and recruitment efforts. To date, virtual currency is not considered a legal tender in Canada. In February, the Canadian government added four groups it deems as IMVE to its list of terror groups: Atomwaffen Division, the Base, the Proud Boys, and Russian Imperial Movement. The government also listed three al-Qaeda affiliates Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimin, Front de Liberation du Macina, and Ansar Dine; five Daesh affiliates Islamic State West Africa Province, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, Islamic State in Libya, Islamic State East Asia, and Islamic State-Bangladesh; and Hizbul Mujahideen into its Criminal Code list of terrorist entities. FINTRAC said firms mandated to report suspicious transaction activity, which include banks, security dealers, and money service businesses, should be aware of these groups and their financing behavior. Most funds were sent to pay for membership fees, purchase merchandise and gear, and make donations to overseas IMVE groups they support. While these transactions tended to be small, recurring transfers to multiple nodes of the same international network in different countries, they totalled significant amounts, the centre said, noting that Canadians were most often senders, not recipients, of funds. As for Canadian-based IMVE groups, they used personal and business accounts to purchase firearms and gear among other things, FINTRAC said. Personal accounts tend to be of smaller amounts and rely largely on electronic money transfers and cash deposits. Business accounts, on the other hand, raise larger amounts under the guise of legitimate business transactions. FINTRAC is aware of the growing use of virtual currencies by IMVE threat actors to send and receive funds. However, the individuals conducting transactions with someone in the network of IMVE threat actors were not always an IMVE threat actor themselves, said the bulletin. The centre also highlighted so-called lone actors who attempt to execute attacks themselves without any of their family members or friends awareness. [L]one actors may be difficult to identify through transactions patterns or financial activity alone, FINTRAC said, because they primarily use their employment income or those received from family members to carry out their attacks. Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 6, 2021. (Matt York/AP Photo) Wisconsin GOP Lawmakers Visit Arizona Election Audit, Say Similar Review Needed in Their State Two Wisconsin Republican state lawmakers said that Wisconsin should authorize an audit of the 2020 election thats similar to the one thats being conducted in Maricopa County, Arizona, after they traveled to the county to observe the process. State Rep. Janel Brandtjen, a Republican who chairs the Campaigns and Elections Committee, said that a review of the election is needed due to the significant amount of private funding that was used in several major cities in Wisconsin, according to WisPolitics. However, the lawmaker said she isnt sure if the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau has that authority. Listen, we need to restore integrity as we have huge numbers of individuals that have questions about a process thats become highly politicized, Brandtjen said of the states election procedures. President Joe Biden was certified as the winner of Wisconsins 11 electoral votes over former President Donald Trump by a slim margin during the 2020 contest. Wisconsin Rep. Dave Murphy told a local news website that he believes Wisconsin should conduct a similar audit, while asserting that mainstream media outlets have distorted the audit. Over the past several weeks, auditors have been reviewing 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County, which has drawn scrutiny from not only media outlets, but from the U.S. Department of Justice. I think the press is trying to spin it in a different direction. It feels like theyre always trying to spin it in the most devious type of way that they possibly can, Murphy told WisPolitics. In an interview with the Journal-Sentinel, he said that he had to gain the approval of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, before going to Arizona last weekend. The lawmaker added that he met with the CEO of Florida-based firm CyberNinjas, which is leading the audit, while in Arizona. This was a very buttoned-down operation, Murphy said. The precision and security that I saw there was unbelievable. Auditors started in April their review of ballots, election systems, and voting machines involved in the Nov. 3 election in Maricopa County. Stating they expect to complete their work by the end of June, the auditors noted that they would produce a report about their findings. Some Arizona state Republicans recently vowed to take action should any irregularities be found. A file photo shows an election voter collecting the count from a voting machine in a file photo of the Nov. 3 election in Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Democrats, including Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, have continually decried the Arizona audit, saying its unorthodox and partisan. The procedures have continued to change, Hobbs, a Democrat, said in a June 13 interview. The adherence to security practices has been very lax. In late May, Vos told local media outlets that he will hire three retired law enforcement officials to investigate the states election process, noting that theyll work with an Assembly committee with investigatory powers. We need to have a fact basis to continue to show the public in Wisconsin that, number one, we continue to take these irregularities seriously, and that at the end of the day, the laws that we proposed are based on facts in addition to anecdotes, Vos told the Wisconsin State Journal last month. After returning from Arizona, Murphy said that those three investigators hired by Vos will only answer to the speaker and his aidesnot the Assembly Elections Committee. On the one hand, I have to give the speaker credit for bringing in the three investigators and the attorney to oversee that, he said in a radio interview. On the other hand, they are in charge of that operation, not our committee. Republicans have, since the conclusion of the November election, said that outside groupsincluding the partially Mark Zuckerberg-funded Center for Tech and Civic Lifeprovided support in some of Wisconsins largest cities. Five of the biggest cities received some $6.3 million from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, an organization Republicans have suggested is partisan in nature and needs to be investigated. Voss office didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. A masked teacher walks by as students wait in a single file line after eating a socially distanced lunch at Medora Elementary School in Louisville, Ky., on March 17, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images) Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Dane Countys Order to Close Schools Unconstitutional In a 43 decision, Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled last Friday that its unconstitutional and violating freedom of religion for local health officials to close all public and private schools for grade 312 students last August. Justice Rebecca Grassl Bradley wrote the majority opinion (pdf), stating that the majority of justices agree with the petitioners and hold local health officers do not have the statutory power to close schools under Wisconsin law and the local officials order to close the school infringes the petitioners fundamental right to the free exercise of religion guaranteed under the Wisconsin Constitution. Accordingly, those portions of the order restricting or prohibiting in-person instruction are unlawful, unenforceable, and are hereby vacated, Bradley continued. Janel Heinrich, Public Health Officer of Public Health of Madison and Dane County, issued an emergency order #9 (pdf) on August 21, 2020, which closed all public and private schools for in-person instruction for students in grades 312, except for child care and youth recreational activities. But the order allowed k2 students and college students to attend schools in person. Madison is the capital of Wisconsin and the seat of Dane County. One day after Heinrich released the order, a parent of two students enrolled in a private religious school in Madison filed a petition challenging the orders lawfulness. Some private schools later joined the suit or filed their own suits, saying in-person religious education is a vital part of the exercise of their religion. On September 10, 2020, the Supreme Court consolidated the cases into one single case and issued an injunction to suspend the order, allowing schools to re-open for in-person instructions until the court decided. Masked students wait in a socially distanced single file line before heading to the cafeteria at an elementary school in Louisville, Ky., on March 17, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images) One of Heinrichs arguments was that the Wisconsin law authorized her to close schools. For example, one statute states that local health officers may do what is reasonable and necessary for the prevention and suppression of disease; may forbid public gatherings when deemed necessary to control outbreaks or epidemics. Bradley said that the statute doesnt specifically give Heinrich the authority to close schools because under the doctrine of express mention of one matter excludes other similar matters [that are] not mentioned. In this case, forbid public gatherings is mentioned and excludes close schools. And from the statues history, close the schools had been specifically struck down from statues which later became the present statue. In all this time, the legislature never gave local health officers the power to close schoolsonly the statewide health agency, Bradley wrote. Bradley pointed out that Heinrichs order not only burdened academic schooling but also burdened the exercise of religious practices. While Heinrich allowed schools to use their premises for child care and youth recreational activities, the government barred students from attending Mass, receiving Holy Communion at weekly Masses with their classmates and teachers, Bradley added. Heinrichs order also failed to explain why college students were able to attend schools while students in grades 312 were not, Bradley noted. Even in times of crisisperhaps especially in times of crisiswe have a duty to hold governments to the Constitution, Bradley cited the opinion of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, ruling that Heinrichs order violates the Wisconsin Constitution. Justice Rebecca Frank Dallet called the majoritys ruling an erroneous interpretation in her dissenting opinion, saying the only statutory question before the court is whether the statute prevents the local officials from closing schools, which she believes it doesnt. Dallet also argued that Heinrichs order cannot possibly violate anyones constitutional rights because the majority strikes down the order. She further pointed out that Heinrichs order explicitly exempts religious practices from its in-person gathering restrictions. Rick Esenberg, president and general counsel of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), applauded the decision, saying in a statement that the decision provides a critical correction that ought to prevent future abuses of power in an emergency. WILL represented some of the petitioners in the lawsuit. Heinrich said he is extremely disappointed about the ruling. This decision hinders the ability of local health officers in Wisconsin to prevent and contain public health threats for decades to come, Heinrich said in a statement. Unnecessary, preventable illness may certainly occur as a result of this ruling. On March 31, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ruled that Gov. Tony Everss statewide mask mandate is unlawful, saying the Democrat overstepped his legal authority. Taco Bell fans have a reason to celebrate again after the beloved Quesalupa was removed from menus again after a brief revival. The cause for excitement this time around? Free food, of course. The chain announced that California residents who are vaccinated against Covid-19 are eligible to receive a free seasoned beef Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco at participating California Taco Bell locations on June 15. Related: Ohio Vaccine Lottery -- Five Vaccinated Residents Will Win $1 Million All you need to do is show proof of vaccination to get the free grub. We are all ready to put Covid-19 behind us, says Taco Bell CEO Mark King. We are thrilled to do our part and give back to our home state with something everyone knows and loves to celebrate those who have made the decision to get vaccinated." The chain, which is headquartered in Irvine, California, is running the promotion in participation with the state-funded Vax for the Win program. It's our biggest thank you yet to Californians who have received their Covid-19 vaccine, the state wrote of the initiative. Ten winners will be selected on June 15 to receive $1.5 million each prizes totaling $15 million! All Californians who have had at least one Covid-19 dose will automatically be entered. Related: Grocery Chain to Give Away $5 million to Vaccinated Customers Other incentives the program is offering include free queso at Chipotle on June 15, discounted merchandise from the Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers and trips to visit Disneyland, San Diego and Palm Springs. Californias program was created in the same vein as other incentive programs designed to encourage residents to get vaccinated, such as Ohios $1 million vaccine lottery and Krogers $5 million giveaway to vaccinated customers. Since last year, Taco Bell has made several pushes to give back amid the pandemic, including donating $5.5 million to No Kid Hungry and running job fairs at nearly 2,000 different locations across the country. Its no secret that the labor market is tight, which is why we are thrilled to host our fourth round of Hiring Parties in partnership with our franchisees, says Kelly McCulloch, Taco Bells chief people officer, in reference to the companys hiring initiatives. Were eager to welcome prospective new hires into the family and show them why working at Taco Bell can be more than just a job. Currently, California is about 66% partially vaccinated, with about 55.2% of the state fully vaccinated and 11% having at least one dose or partial vaccination. Related: How the Coronavirus Has Changed the Future of Work Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved QUITO, Ecuador (AP) They were a pair of young doctors in love who put off marriage to save lives. As the pandemic raged in Ecuador last year, they posted a social media photo of themselves dressed in biohazard suits kissing and holding a sign saying: Today was to be our wedding day, but instead David Vallejo and Mavelin Bonillas decision to postpone their May 23, 2020, wedding to treat COVID-19 patients at a large public hospital in southern Quito moved many people in Ecuador and beyond. A second photo posted later showed them holding a sign reading: We are working for you. BE CAREFUL! Dont let your guard down. But within months, both would come down with what appeared to be COVID-19. Vallejo would be fighting for his life in intensive care. Bonilla, who experienced only mild symptoms, would be shattered after being told her fiancee had a less than 10% chance of survival. Bonilla, 26, told The Associated Press that she had been sad when the couple posted the initial photo announcing the wedding delay. It really was a dream I dont know if for all girls but at least for me it was to leave my house in white and marry David. It was my longing, my dream. But the health crisis in Ecuador was spiraling out of control. Hundreds of patients were arriving every day at the Social Security hospital where they worked, and there were long waiting lists for hospital beds. The South American country of 17.4 million people by now has recorded about 434,000 cases and 21,000 confirmed deaths. Vallejo was the oldest resident at the time and was in charge of the most seriously ill patients. He immersed himself for months trying to save lives and sometimes failing. They were months in which a lot of patients died and it was hard; I came home crying, said Vallejo, who survived COVID-19 but is still undergoing physical and speech therapy to recover. I had to call the relatives to inform them. In January, both of the couple exhibited COVID-19 symptoms and Vallejos condition deteriorated rapidly. He was told he would be intubated for seven days to save his life. I never felt more scared, he recalled. He said he asked for a pen and paper and wrote: I am Doc David, I have a fervent desire to live life, fulfill my dreams. Among his dreams, he wrote, was to get married, build a family and travel to Spain to study a specialty. He thanked his colleagues for their efforts to save him. On Jan. 17, he was sedated and his memories went on hold, but the ordeal was just beginning for Bonilla. She recalls that at the end of January a doctor informed her that David was very ill and only has a 10% chance of surviving. She cried uncontrollably but had to keep their families informed. Vallejo was still unconscious and in intensive care on Feb. 2, his 28th birthday. Bonilla and his medical colleagues brought a birthday cake and a loudspeaker and sang Happy Birthday to him from outside the hospital holding hands in the shape of a heart. After 17 days, Vallejo emerged from sedation, but was then overtaken by a hospital infection that almost claimed his life again. It took 30 days to recover from that. The young doctor emerged from the ordeal with a facial paralysis and no strength in his muscles from his prolonged immobility. He couldnt even raise his hand, he recalls. He communicated with his fiancee by moving his eyelashes. I had to learn to speak again with therapy, learn to walk, to do all things, he said. He said the hardest thing was thinking of how Mavelin felt during that time that I was asleep. How my parents felt, and I think it is the worst thing that, unintentionally, I put them in that situation. The couple say they are waiting for the Civil Registry date for their long-delayed wedding and hope it will be at the end of this month. They plan a small wedding, due to pandemic restrictions, with only their closest family members. In early July, they plan to travel to Spain to study a medical specialty. Even before this, I always thought you had to value the little things, the little shared moments, Vallejo said. Now I believe this more than ever. To go for a walk holding her hand is a great moment for me. ___ One Good Thing is a series that highlights individuals whose actions provide glimmers of joy in hard times stories of people who find a way to make a difference, no matter how small. Read the collection of stories at https://apnews.com/hub/one-good-thing JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli airstrikes hit militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, and Palestinians responded by sending a series of fire-carrying balloons back across the border for a second straight day further testing the fragile cease-fire that ended last months war between Israel and Hamas. The latest round of violence was prompted by a parade of Israeli ultranationalists through contested east Jerusalem on Tuesday. Palestinians saw the march as a provocation and sent balloons into southern Israel, causing several blazes in parched farmland. Israel then carried out the airstrikes the first such raids since the May 21 cease-fire ended 11 days of fighting and more balloons followed. The airstrikes targeted facilities used by Hamas militants for meetings to plan attacks, the army said. There were no reports of injuries. The Hamas terror organization is responsible for all events transpiring in the Gaza Strip, and will bear the consequences for its actions, the army said. It added that it was prepared for any scenario, including a resumption of hostilities. By Wednesday afternoon, masked Palestinians sent a number of balloons, laden with fuses and flaming rags, into Israel. Several fires were reported. The unrest provided the first test of the cease-fire at a time when Egyptian mediators have been working to reach a longer-term agreement. It comes as tensions have risen again in Jerusalem, as they did before the recent war, leading Gaza's Hamas rulers to fire a barrage of rockets at the holy city on May 10. The fighting claimed more than 250 Palestinian lives and killed 13 people in Israel. An Egyptian security official said his government has been in direct and around-the-clock contacts with Israeli officials and the Gaza rulers to keep the cease-fire and to urge them to refrain from provocative acts. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing behind-the-scenes diplomacy, said the U.S. administration has also been in touch with Israel as part of the efforts. The two sides seem to agree "not to escalate to the tipping point, he said. And we do every effort to prevent this. The flare-up also has created a test for Israels new government, which took office early this week. The diverse coalition includes several hard-line parties as well as dovish and centrist parties, along with the first Arab faction ever to be part of an Israeli government. Keeping the delicate coalition intact will be a difficult task for the new prime minister, Naftali Bennett. In Tuesdays parade, hundreds of Israeli ultranationalists, some chanting Death to Arabs, marched in east Jerusalem in a show of force. Hamas called on Palestinians to resist the parade, which was meant to celebrate Israels capture of east Jerusalem in 1967. Palestinians consider it a provocation. In a scathing condemnation on Twitter, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who heads the centrist Yesh Atid Party, said those shouting racist slogans were a disgrace to the Israeli people. Bennett, who will hand over the prime ministers job to Lapid after two years, is a hard-line Israeli nationalist who has promised a pragmatic approach as he presides over a delicate, diverse coalition government. Though there were concerns the march would raise tensions, canceling it would have opened Bennett and other right-wing members of the coalition to intense criticism from those who would view it as a capitulation to Hamas. Mansour Abbas, whose Raam party is the first Arab faction to join an Israeli coalition, said the march was an attempt to set the region on fire for political aims, with the intention of undermining the new government. Abbas said the police and public security minister should have canceled the event. While the parade provided the immediate impetus for the balloons, Hamas is also angry because Israel has tightened its blockade of the territory since the cease-fire. The restrictions include a ban on imports of fuel for Gazas power plant and raw materials. Israel imposed the blockade after Hamas, a militant group that seeks Israels destruction, seized control of Gaza from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in 2007. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and numerous skirmishes since then. Israel says the blockade, enforced with Egypt, is needed to prevent Hamas from importing and developing weapons. One of the masked activists firing the balloons said they launched hundreds of them Tuesday and will continue sending them in response to what he described as Israeli provocations in east Jerusalem. After capturing east Jerusalem in 1967, Israel annexed the area in a move not recognized by most of the international community. It considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state. The competing claims over east Jerusalem, home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites, lie at the heart of the conflict and have sparked many rounds of violence. ___ Associated Press journalists Samy Magdy and Fares Akram in Cairo, and Wafaa Shurafa in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report. ROME (AP) A Rome court has strongly backed Vatican prosecutors in their pursuit of an Italian businessman accused of bilking the Holy See of millions of euros in a London real estate deal, saying he used bad-faith negotiations, last-minute contractual changes and a web of accomplices. The three-judge panel of the Tribunal of Review rejected several motions by lawyers for Gialuigi Torzi, lodged after Rome prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Torzi in April. The tribunal let the warrant stand, and Torzi was arrested in London but is now free pending extradition hearings. In the 18-page interim order, obtained Wednesday, the Rome judges gave the most comprehensive evaluation yet of the Vatican case against Torzi and several other Italian businessmen and Vatican officials who have been implicated in the investigation. They strongly backed Vatican prosecutors, saying the evidence shows Torzi defrauded the Vatican with the help of others, and that the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and his deputy were duped into agreeing to his terms by a lawyer who told them it was the right thing to do. The judges werent ruling on Torzis guilt or innocence but were merely evaluating the evidence at their disposal documentation from Vatican prosecutors, Rome prosecutors as well as Torzis lawyers to respond to the defense motions. Torzi has denied wrongdoing, has not been charged in Italy or the Vatican and has said the dispute is the fruit of a misunderstanding. Vatican prosecutors have accused Torzi of extorting 15 million euros ($17.8 million) from the Holy See to turn over ownership of the luxury London building in which the Vaticans secretariat of state had invested some 350 million euros ($420 million), largely donations from the faithful. Torzi had been retained by the Vatican to help it acquire full ownership of the building from another money manager, Raffaele Mincione, who had handled the initial investment. The deal involved the Vatican paying Mincione 40 million euros to exit the deal while letting Torzis Gutt SA company take over control of the building. The Rome judges determined that Torzi and Mincione had a previous business relationship and suggested that Torzi helped engineer Minciones 40-million-euro payout to pay Torzi back for a previous 26.4-million-euro loan he had made. In addition, the Rome tribunal determined that Torzi inserted a last-minute clause into the contract he signed with the Vatican that gave him full voting rights in the deal contrary to any good faith negotiation. The new clause alarmed Parolin and his deputy, but they were assured it was in their interest to go along with it by a lawyer who, it turns out, worked for a firm that did business with Torzi. When the Vatican got wind that it had been hoodwinked, even Pope Francis intervened to try to get Torzi to give up the building. Torzi initially proposed a 5-million-euro fee but then increased it to 20 million in what the Rome judges said was evidence of extortion and blackmail. The judges determined that Torzis contractual negotiations were not a mere manifestation of sheer cleverness ... but a behavior that, perpetrated thanks to internal help, assumes the form of a true and proper fraud. That said, the judge didnt answer some crucial questions, including who in the Vatican had brought Torzi in in the first place or why the Vatican's monsignors were doing such high-stakes business with such brokers without the expertise of independent, capable money managers and lawyers. BANGKOK (AP) Thailand plans to fully reopen to vaccinated foreign visitors by mid-October as the government seeks to restart the crucial coronavirus-devastated tourism industry, the prime minister announced Wednesday. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said fully inoculated foreign visitors and returning Thai citizens must be allowed entry without quarantine or other inconvenient restrictions, and that his goal is to open up the country within 120 days. Prayuth acknowledged that the push to re-open might create problems. I know this decision comes with some risk because, when we open the country, there will be an increase in infections, no matter how good our precautions, he said. But I think when we take into consideration the economic needs of the people, the time has come for us to take that calculated risk. Tourism is a major contributor to Thailand's economy and employs millions of people. The country attracted nearly 40 million foreign arrivals in 2019, which plunged in 2020 because of an entry ban to control the coronavirus. Prayuth said the government would reconsider the reopening only if a serious situation develops. The government had previously targeted next January for reopening the country. Thailand is in the midst of a surge in coronavirus cases that started in April and has accounted for more than 80% of the countrys 204,595 total confirmed cases and 90% of its 1,525 deaths. The surge has caused special concern because Thailand has been late in securing and deploying vaccine supplies. So far it only has supplies of Sinovac from China and AstraZeneca, which is beginning to be produced locally under license. Just over 7% of the country's 69 million people have had at least one dose. Prayuth, who has come under fierce criticism over the vaccine supply situation, said his government is making progress in obtaining other vaccines, including those from Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna. To date, we have signed reservation and supply contracts for 105.5 million doses to be delivered this year, putting us ahead of our target for vaccine supplies, he said. Based on our current plans, we will administer an average of about 10 million shots a month from July, so that by early October almost 50 million people will have had at least their first shot administered." Thailand plans to begin a trial project next month in which it will allow fully vaccinated visitors from abroad to enter Phuket without quarantine. But the so-called Phuket sandbox still entails restrictions, including a requirement to stay on the island for 14 days before heading to the mainland. MOSCOW (AP) Ukrainian police have carried out nearly two dozen raids targeting alleged associates of a Russian-speaking ransomware gang it blamed for a half billion dollars in cyberattacks and extortion that hit the United States and South Korea especially hard. A police statement on Wednesday said 21 raids were conducted on the homes of suspects affiliated with the Clop ransomware syndicate in Kyiv and elsewhere, with computer equipment and about 5 million hryna ($185,000) in cash seized. Six defendants carried out attacks on U.S. and Korean companies for which they face up to eight years in prison for violating computer crime and money-laundering laws, the statement said. It did not say whether any suspects were detained, and said the investigation was ongoing. The Clop dark web leak site remained online hours after the raids were announced, suggesting the gang's internet infrastructure might still be intact. The most potent ransomware gangs operate with Kremlin tolerance, based out of reach of Western law enforcement. Russia neither prosecutes not extradites them. Trying to persuade its president, Vladimir Putin, to change that was a priority of U.S. President Joe Biden in their meeting Wednesday in Geneva. It's not clear whether Biden made any headway. Video posted by the Ukrainian police showed Korean police taking part in this week's raids, where cash, cell phones and cars were also seized. The police statement said four Korean companies hit by the gang with the ransomware which scrambles data that can only be unlocked with a software key obtained by paying the criminals had paid ransoms. It said the gang targeted U.S. universities, including Stanford Medical School and the University of Maryland. Wednesdays raid is a continuation of the much more aggressive posture that law enforcement has taken against ransomware gangs this year, said analyst Allan Liska of the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. It really does feel like law enforcement has figured out how to attack the ransomware scourge, and hopefully, will slow down the attacks. After last months attack on the Colonial Pipeline affected fuel shipments to the U.S. East Coast, the White House began taking ransomware criminals as seriously as it does terrorists, and many are now lying low. The author of the Colonial attack went into hiding and a different group, Avaddon, suddenly announced its retirement. Cybersecurity analysts caution, however, that such retirements are not new and can be a ruse to thwart law enforcement while the criminals reconstitute and create new products with different brands. And while some arrests have been made and ransomware infrastructure disabled in recent months, no kingpins have been snared. Clop is among the more prolific ransomware gangs, known for extorting victims by threatening to publish data stolen from them. It has published the names of 65 victims to its dark web extortion site since August, said Liska. In some cases, Clop has extorted victims with data it may not have obtained directly but purchased instead from third party cyberthieves. It's what security researchers suspect happened in the case of the Universities of Colorado and Miami, the rail transport company CSX Corporation, the Kroger grocery and pharmacy chain, the Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier and the prominent law firm Jones Day. That data was stolen in the hack of a software tool made by the California firm Accellion, used to manage large email attachments. ___ Bajak reported from Boston Recently I was reviewing the records of my maternal grandmothers family. I came across a discrepancy that I have consistently ignored because I didnt have access to any additional records. Heres the problem. I have copies of pages from a bible that belonged to my grandmothers sister. On these pages, she compiled the birth, marriage, and death dates of her parents, siblings, and half-siblings. The information was handwritten on the title page and the following blank pages of the bible. The last two entries have always puzzled me because of the similarity of the given names - Barney and Maria Bernadine. Maria Bernadine is listed with the birthdate of Dec. 8, 1867, but no death date. For Barney, there is only a name. This bible is the only place I find the name Maria Bernadine. While Barney is listed in obituaries for other family members, I have not discovered any other records for him. With the recent availability of church records through Ancestry.com, I checked for a baptism record for Maria Bernadine, born Dec. 8, 1867, and found it. The family is German Catholic and the name on the record is listed in the Latin form as Maria Bernardus. I searched my favorite helpful Latin websites and discovered that Bernardus is Bernard, a male name, which could be shortened to Barney. But is Maria a boys name in 1867? A bit more research revealed that Maria can be used as a middle name for boys, especially if the birthdate is near one of the feast days in the Catholic Church celebrating Mary, and Dec. 8 is one of those days. It could also simply be an error by the priest recording the information. I am beginning to remember why I consistently ignore this discrepancy. I need more information on Barney/Bernard. I began searching the census records, focusing on the 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses. I found him in Indiana in 1900 and Ohio in 1910 but I dont find him in 1920. I decided to broaden my search beyond the census records. Using FamilySearch.org with the name, birthplace as Illinois, and residence as Ohio, I eventually found the image of his death certificate. Bernard died in a Tuberculosis Hospital in Toledo, Ohio in 1921. According to the death certificate, he was born Dec. 8, 1867, in Illinois. The names of his parents match my records. Another helpful hint is that the informant for the death certificate is his brother Joseph, also living in Ohio. This was a fantastic find. I now turned to Maria Bernadine and searched for any additional records for her, but with no luck. To avoid repeating this search, I compiled all of the information and the sources for Bernard and Maria Bernadine in a document and a timeline for future reference. My conclusion at this point is that the baptismal record for Maria Bernardus is the record for Bernard/Barney and Maria Bernadine never existed. However, I am still researching all possibilities! Mary Westerhold has worked most of the last twenty years at the Madison County Archival Library helping others find their family roots. POCAHONTAS While he was attending Greenville College, Frank Doll spent time as a student-teacher, and he didnt like it. Today, in his role as owner of Dolls Dairy in Pocahontas, Doll is first and foremost a farmer. But he also loves to teach others about life on a dairy farm. Doll is president of the board of the St. Louis Dairy Council and is a board member for Prairie Farms Dairy. He is also president of the Illinois Milk Promotion Board, vice president and past president of the Bond County Farm Bureau, and a board member for Dairy Lab Services. He and other farmers travel to schools of all sizes to promote the positive message of agriculture, especially dairy. Ive been to Edwardsville two or three times for Saturday Morning Scholars, said Doll, whose wife, Pam, teaches at Greenville High School. I have a cousin that teaches there and shes trying to schedule me for next year. I get peppered with questions and I enjoy that. There is a lot of misinformation about dairy and it gets frustrating sometimes because people just dont know. Most people are two or three generations removed from a farm and dont even know anybody that has a farm. With social media, it doesnt matter if the news that gets out there is true or not, so we try to spread the truth about what goes on in dairy. Doll has 200 cows on his farm and milks about 180 of them on a daily basis. Dolls milking schedule is three times a day, running cows through the parlor at 6 a.m., 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. This is a parallel parlor that we built in 2003 and we milk 20 cows at a time, Doll said. The cows face away from us and we milk them between their hind legs. We can milk 100 cows an hour with one or two people in here. With the parlor that we had before, we could milk six cows at a time and maybe 24 to 30 in an hour. That was four or five hours of milking a day and now we do it in two hours. Dolls farm is a member of the Prairie Farms cooperative, which is headquartered in Edwardsville. Dolls grandfather for whom he was named started the farm in 1938. Like most farms of the era, it included livestock, row crops and an orchard. His father, Homer, took over the farm around 1960 and gradually sold off the hogs and chickens and began moving the farm toward a dairy. He expanded the herd from 20 to 80 cows by the time Doll took over the farm in the early 1990s, and Doll has expanded it further. We sold milk to several dairies and back then there were hundreds of small dairy farms in this area, Doll said. As our farm developed, we went from a small dairy to a medium-size dairy and I really liked what Prairie Farms and the coop had to offer. I told my dad when I got out of college that we needed to switch (to Prairie Farms) or I was probably going to look for a different job. We made the move to Prairie Farms by the mid-1990s and its been a great decision for us. As a dairy farmer, Doll is a survivor in an industry where the smaller dairy farms are disappearing and the bigger farms are producing more milk. When I was in high school in 1987, Bond County had 55 dairy farms and were down to nine now, Doll said. There are less than 30,000 dairy farms in the whole country and there used to be hundreds of thousands of them back in the 1950s and 1960s. Sustainable farming is a term that has become more popular in recent years, but Doll believes that his familys farm has always practiced sustainability. We started in 1938 and were still here and I want it to go on for another 50 years or longer with my son taking over at some point, Doll said. Weve evolved over the years and there are things that we did when I was in high school that we dont do anymore. Part of the sustainable farming process involves adapting to new ideas. About four years ago we put in a big manure pit and we now capture all of the cow manure and wastewater that runs off the lot and we take it back out to the field, Doll said. We inject it with a dragline hose and hire a service to come out here and do that. We take all of the nutrients from that manure and wastewater and put it back in the field at opportune times. We grow corn, wheat and alfalfa out of that. We harvest those crops, especially the alfalfa, and put it back in here to feed to the cows, who produce meat and milk. They produce the manure and we scrape it up and haul it back out, so its a continuous cycle. Cover crops, which have become another agricultural buzzword, have been a common practice at Dolls Dairy for years. We grow alfalfa and we grow wheat and we harvest those crops and we plant something else behind it, Doll said. We plant rye in the fall because we always need something to feed the cows. We dont like bare dirt because thats a missed opportunity to grow another crop. Dairy farms are way ahead of the curve compared to grain farms. Theyre dragging behind because they dont see the economic benefits, but we do because we can produce our own feed and it benefits the soil. Doll grows his own feed on 800 acres, 350 of which are planted in corn. The rest is divided between soybeans, wheat and alfalfa. Most of the feed we grow ourselves, provided we have ample rainfall, Doll said. Our corn looks as good as any in the state of Illinois. Well chop 100 to 150 acres of corn for silage and save the rest for grain or to sell. Right now, Im sitting on about 8,000 bushels of corn that I might be able to market at extremely high prices. But I dont want to let go of that until I know I have corn raised to feed my cows through the next winter. While many industries are experiencing a labor shortage, Doll has had no problem finding people to work on his farm. He usually has 10 to 15 part-time employees, mostly high school and college students. A lot of kids come to work here and love it because they dont want to work at McDonalds, which is one of their only other options in this area, Doll said. Some kids work here one day, and they dont like it because they dont want to be outdoors with flies and heat and cow manure. They want to be behind a keyboard, but its good for people to see what some of us get to do every day. Dolls two sons are also involved with the family farm. My older son Blake is a junior at Southern Illinois Carbondale, and he has an interest in the dairy, Doll said. We also farm about 800 acres and I think he likes the grain farming aspect best. Eventually, hes going to slide into taking over the farm. My younger son Logan is a sophomore at Kaskaskia College, where he plays baseball. I think he has an interest in teaching and maybe being an agricultural teacher, but he doesnt really like the dairy farm. He comes and works for me, but I have to force him. Dolls father takes an active role on the farm as well. My dad will be 80 in November, but farming is a lifestyle and works two or three hours in the morning and a little bit in the afternoon and some in the evening, Doll said. He does what he wants to do when he wants to do it, but hes always out here. My mom used to do the books, but shes retired that over to my sister. Its a family operation from generation to generation and hopefully, well continue that. While many dairies are going the high-tech route and installing robotic milkers, Doll doesnt feel that is the best option for his farm. We built this parlor in 2003 and I want to make it run for 30 years, Doll said. We can milk 500 cows through here if we wanted to expand to that level, but you need to have the labor to do it. With robotics, you save some on labor, but youre going to spend that same money on upkeep. Theres computer work that I cant do, but I can fix most of what goes wrong in here. All of Dolls cows are Holsteins. He runs a 95-pound tank average and a 28,000-pound rolling herd average, getting 11 to 12 gallons per cow daily. Its been an interesting challenge since the pandemic started, Doll said. Milk prices skyrocketed and then plummeted and the entire pricing mechanism in the dairy industry is a little dysfunctional right now. We have some big winners and some big losers and Im right in the middle. Prairie Farms and other dairies are working on changing the milk pricing structure, but it takes a lot of work to get that done and its going really slow. Doll genetically tests each animal. Those that are below average are sold as beef. I just had a calf born through embryo transfer and it was from a high-genetic male where the embryo was put into a surrogate cow, Doll said. I will test that calf and come up with a ton of information about a month from now. Ill know if that calf is superior and Im going to want to add it to my herd. If its going to be a bottom-ender, it will be culled off as beef or sold to another dairy farm. Doll and other dairymen participate in an Adopt-a-Calf program that involves 1,000 schools nationwide. They take calves to schools on a regular basis so that children can see them grow. During the pandemic, the program has continued in a virtual format. We take a picture of a baby calf born here and every month we take another picture so the kids can watch the calf grow virtually, Doll said. This year were going to start doing Zoom messages with the calf and talk about what its doing. At the end of the year, some of the kids get to take a field trip to visit the dairy farm. About a month ago, we had a field trip here with more than 60 first-graders plus a lot of parents. This was one of the first times they had a chance to get out after the pandemic and they got to see their calf, which is now over two years old and full grown and the age to be a milking cow. As much as Doll loves the life of a dairy farmer, he keeps a busy schedule away from the farm. On weekends, he usually relies on high school and college students to perform the duties. It used to be that farmers took pride in never missing a milking. Ive heard guys say they milked 30 years in a row and the only time they missed it was when they had their leg cut off and then they came back in a wheelchair, Doll said, laughing. From a young age, I thought that was not going to be me. Doll, who played football at Greenville College is a longtime volunteer football coach at Greenville High School. I like to be active in the community and do some traveling, Doll said. Once you get involved with Prairie Farms and other organizations, there are national conferences and Ive gotten to see a lot of the country that way. Every time I go somewhere with other farmers, were networking and picking each others brains. I really enjoy coaching football and was a paid coach for four or five years at Breese Central High School. I resigned when my kids were born and a friend of mine that I played college football with became the head coach at Greenville High School. I tagged on there as a volunteer coach around 1995 and 1996 and Ive been doing that ever since. EDWARDSVILLE Renee Childs is doing her part to turn anxiety and depression among teens into motivation and creation. Childs is the executive director and founder of Youth Be Heard (YBH), an Edwardsville-based nonprofit with a vision for all youth to believe in their own value and potential. Their mission is to elevate youth so they can inspire each other and the world. Through its website, youthbeheard.org, the organization offers youths a chance to express themselves through writing and art. I remember the first couple of times I was published in a newspaper and it was so exciting, Childs said. I just love seeing youth get excited when theyre able to say, Im an author. Thats the best feeling. After a career in business, Childs returned to school for her masters degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis. That led to her decision to create Youth Be Heard, which was incorporated by the state of Illinois in July 2018 and registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit shortly afterward. Our beginnings were at East St. Louis High School, where I was doing a practicum for social work, Childs said. I was leading the Strengths-Based Writing Program, which was designed to be an innovative method to prevent the occurrence of mental illness. When I was getting a masters in social work, all of my research showed that the screaming issue was the rise in mental health issues among youth. After there is already anxiety, depression and suicide, it can be too late, or harder to fix. I wanted to do something in an attempt to prevent its onset in the first place. The Strengths-Based Writing Program is designed to focus on peoples strengths, because a lot of times in psychology, the focus is only on what is wrong with you and overlooks the assets. Youth Be Heard uses a Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach, which is done through recognizing a youths strengths and encourage them to see how they are assets and contributors to the greater good of society. If we get 10 comments on social media and nine of them are great and one of them is mean, were going to focus on the negative one, Childs said. The writing group at East St. Louis was focusing on what is good about you and what is unique. There was a poem called The Nice Things from a youth poet from East St. Louis, Kymontiana McShan, Childs said. It was based on a writing prompt we did, to write out all of the compliments you can remember ever receiving. It was such a great poem and something in me said its not OK for this to end with me. Its hard to get published, so I wanted to create a more accessible platform for youth to share their voices that was also very high-quality and respectable. A section of the YBH website called Youth Voices includes a poem called Graduate from Scottlynn Ballard of Edwardsville, as well as an opinion piece titled COVID-19 and College by Emilee Adams, also from Edwardsville. Another poem, Chasing After the Wind, was written by Edwardsville High School graduate Jonathan Koons, 23. Youth Voices also includes some of Childs favorite art pieces, such as Path to Peace by Yahan Wang, 17; Tarpon by Will Wagner, 18; and Magic Fair by Charlotte Cheung, 17. We dont really limit the genre, Childs said. We do have some longer stories but its typically short stories, essays, opinions, and poetry and plus a variety of art. Pieces about mental health include Its Safer in My Bedroom, a written essay by Hanna, 17; and a painting, Color Beyond the Abyss by Jennifer Aburto, 17 among many others which can be found in the categories on the right-hand side of the site. It helps them to normalize the struggle, Childs said. So many people feel alone, but there is so much power in sharing your voice. There is a Carrie Fisher quote, take your broken heart and turn it into art, and there is a human need that we have to be heard. Childs noted that while youth can post on social media platforms, they do not offer mentorship in life or cultivate their talent to express themselves in meaningful ways. They are also not safe spaces, unlike Youth Be Heard, where all content is monitored. Thankfully we havent had an issue with anybody being mean, Childs said. We want to create a feeling of the community up front and I think that has been helpful. Matched with a skilled mentor, youth ages 13 to 24 receive encouragement and editing to prepare their work for publication on the YBH site. We count youth as ages 13 to 24 based on the science of brain development, Childs said. Well take a piece of writing which isnt publishable and do our best to get to the point where it is publishable. In addition to a team of volunteer board members, editors and mentors, Youth Be Heard has a youth advisory board, comprised of YBH members from across the nation. The YBH website also offers other ways for members to express and share their talents. We have programs like an annual Poets Be Heard open mic night, which has all been virtual, but youth from across the country have taken part in that, Childs said. We had 40 registrations and 20 performing original poetry. Its always incredibly inspiring. We had an art and writing contest with about 200 applicants. We also offer the Strengths-Based Writing program to small groups of teens which is virtual right now, but we hope to start doing it in person through high schools. The biggest challenge facing Youth Be Heard is funding, which is a constant struggle. Weve been working hard to get grant funding, Childs said. We got a $2,000 grant from Electro Savings Credit Union and were thankful for that, and weve received a small grant from the Junior Service Club of Edwardsville/Glen Carbon annually. We dont have any really big donors and we would like to get some more individual and recurring donations to cover our expenses. Ive been mostly working as a volunteer, but its not sustainable forever. We are working on developing revenue streams as well, but dont want to take away from the mission and authenticity of the ad-free site. To make a donation or for more information, go to youthbeheard.org or visit Youth Be Heard on Facebook and Instagram. The U.S. government on Wednesday ended two Trump administration policies that made it harder for immigrants fleeing violence to qualify for asylum, especially Central Americans. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued new instructions to immigration judges to stop following the Trump-era rules that made it tough for immigrants who faced domestic or gang violence to win asylum in the United States. He also undid a policy that made it difficult for immigrants to obtain asylum based on threats to a family member. The moves could make it easier for immigrants to win their cases for humanitarian protection and were widely celebrated by immigrant advocates. The significance of this cannot be overstated, said Kate Melloy Goettel, legal director of litigation at the American Immigration Council. This was one of the worst anti-asylum decisions under the Trump era, and this is a really important first step in undoing that. Garland said he was making the changes after President Joe Biden ordered his office and the Department of Homeland Security to draft rules addressing complex issues in immigration law about groups of people who should qualify for asylum. Gene Hamilton, a key architect of many of former President Donald Trumps immigration policies who served in the Justice Department, said in a statement that he believed the change would lead to more immigrants filing asylum claims based on crime and that should not be a reason for protections. The Biden administration changes come as U.S. immigration authorities have reported unusually high numbers of encounters with migrants on the southern border. In April, border officials reported the highest number of encounters in more than 20 years, though many migrants were repeat crossers who previously had been expelled from the country under pandemic-related powers. The number of children crossing the border alone also has hovered at all-time highs. Many Central Americans arrive on the border fleeing gang violence in their countries. But it isn't easy to qualify for asylum under U.S. immigration laws, and the Trump-era policies made it that much harder. More than half of asylum cases decided by the immigration courts in the 2020 fiscal year were denials, according to data from the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review. Four years earlier, it was about one in five cases. In the current fiscal year, people from countries such as Russia and Cameroon have seen higher asylum grant rates in the immigration courts than people from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, the data shows. Immigration judges abide by instructions set by the attorney general, and their courts are within the Justice Department. In one of the reversals, Garland restored a 2014 case that defined married women in Guatemala who are unable to leave their relationship as a group deserving of asylum, a decision that eased the way for other victims of domestic violence. In 2018, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions overturned that guidance and added that victims of gang violence also should be largely ineligible, extending the scope to large swaths of non-government actors. In another case involving a Mexican man who claimed his father was targeted by a drug cartel, Garland reversed a decision by former Attorney General William Barr that said such family ties were insufficient grounds for an asylum claim. Jason Dzubow, an immigration attorney in Washington who focuses on asylum, said he recently represented a Salvadoran family in which the husband was killed and gang members started coming after his children. While Dzubow argued they were in danger because of their family ties, he said the immigration judge denied the case, citing the Trump-era decision among the reasons. Dzubow welcomed Garland's changes but said he doesn't expect to suddenly see large numbers of Central Americans winning their asylum cases, which remain difficult under U.S. law. I don't expect it is going to open the floodgates, and all of a sudden everyone from Central America can win their cases. Those cases are very burdensome and difficult, he said. We need to make a decision: Do we want to protect these people?' ___ Taxin reported from Orange County, California. Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report. A New York City Parks Department worker was overcome be fecal fumes at Sara D. Roosevelt Park this week and hospitalized after experiencing nausea and dizziness. The story was first reported by the blog, A Walk in the Park. More details: Daniel Roca, 54, arrived at work for his 8 a.m. shift (Monday) but before he even got past the second set of doors into the building he was confronted by a putrid smell. The buildings basement had been flooded with fecal matter after the adjacent public bathroom was clogged. A hoodie and other items were found jammed into the toilet which caused the plumbing to back up into the building. It smelled so strong. I was gagging, the worker said. Roca said he threw up in the street from the stench while out getting masks. Park workers told the blog that the bathrooms, located in a building on Broome Street, had been left open overnight on several occasions. One worker said, junkies stuff rags, shirts and newspapers down the toilet Theres no toilet paper, the homeless and junkies steal it. The worker pointed out that bathrooms uptown in Central Park and Bryant Park are taken care of by maintenance staff. A parks department spokesperson told Gothamist , NYC Parks has already begun undertaking necessary improvements to the facility, including a thorough cleaning and plumbing repairs. The spokesperson acknowledged that Rocca was hospitalized but said its a leap to assume his illness was caused by the fecal fumes. UPDATE 9:52 a.m. From K Webster of the From K Webster of the Sara D. Roosevelt Park Coalition Salida, CO (81201) Today Mixed clouds and sun this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 79F. N winds shifting to ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low around 55F. SSE winds shifting to WNW at 10 to 15 mph. News Ole Smoky Distillery launches new premium whiskey Courtesy Ole Smoky Distillery Ole Smoky Distillery launches James Ownby Reserve Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey, with less than 200 barrels released this month. Cindy Simpson/The Mountain Press Ole Smoky Distillery founder Joe Baker discusses the companys latest product, James Ownby Reserve Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which is named after Bakers fifth generation great-grandfather, a Revolutionary War soldier who would settle in the Gatlinburg area. Cindy Simpson/The Mountain Press Carmella May fills sample servings of the new bourbon whiskey for guests at a launch celebration on Tuesday. GATLINBURG Ole Smoky Distillery pays tribute to family history with the release of its latest product, the James Ownby Reserve Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The 94-proof whiskey commemorates the rich history of James Ownby, the fifth generation great-grandfather of Ole Smoky Distillerys founder, Joe Baker. Over the 11 years the company has been in business our expertise has grown, expertise in the production and blending of spirit products. So we now feel ready to introduce a very fine Tennessee straight bourbon whiskey product, James Ownby Reserve, and simultaneously celebrate the family of our founder Joe Baker, CEO Robert Hall said. The bourbon is aged in American virgin charred oak barrels and filtered utilizing the Lincoln County Process, passing through sugar maple charcoal before aging. Less than 200 barrels of James Ownby Reserve will be released this month. James Ownby was a Revolutionary War soldier who served six tours, including as a member of the renowned Overmountain Men regiment under command of Col. John Sevier in the Battle of Kings Mountain. He settled for some time just a stones throw from where Ole Smoky operates the distillery today, on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Ownby family became known as one of the original families who settled in the area and brought their knowledge of distilling. His son, John Ownby, who as I understand it fought in the War of 1812, was the beneficiary of a land grant and came here and established a home in Greenbrier in a part now part of the national park, Baker said. Baker formed Ole Smoky 11 years ago with co-founder Cory Cottongim, president of consumer experience and operations, opening the first location in Gatlinburg. The company focused at its onset on offering moonshine and whiskey products. The pair always wanted to expand on that, however. We always knew we wanted to create an aged product that we could enjoy ourselves, something wed enjoy drinking, something wed enjoy sharing and something we could always be proud and celebrate as part of our heritage, Baker said. An aged product is much more challenging to produce than their traditional products. The product we are releasing today under the name James Ownby Reserve is really a testament to a lot of the hard work that our distillers and the operations team has put in over the last 10 years. This is not a product we decided to do and roll out tomorrow. This is something that requires time. It requires age on the whiskey, the flavors that are derived from the barrels, the flavor derived from the grains. All of that requires a lot of time and hard work, Baker said. The James Ownby Reserve bottle and label design celebrates Tennessee with the states three stars found on the Tennessee State Flag, each representing the states three areas of middle, east and west. The bottle includes a personal message from Baker, as well as his signature. The bourbon whiskey is a rich, warm, deep caramel, easy-sipping spirit with a distinctly southern soul. Baker is proud their business has celebrated not only his history, but the history of area, and the fact they have been able to grow a business that benefits Sevier County. I think celebrating the heritage of our families, the ancestry of people in the Smokies, we have been able to do that in a meaningful way. Now the business has grown to become the largest craft distillery in the country. We are selling about a million cases of spirits that go out all over the world now, and on the bottle on every bottle you are going to always see Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Baker said. There is nothing that makes me happier and prouder than to know we have created so much opportunity for so many people here. For more information visit JamesOwnby Reserve.com. Sevierville, TN (37876) Today A shower or two around the area early, then partly cloudy during the afternoon. High 82F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 57F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Here Long-stay O-A visa holders will need virus cover THAILAND: All foreigners living in Thailand as non-immigrants will in the future have to prove they have insurance coverage of at least US$100,000 (B3 million) against COVID-19. CoronavirusCOVID-19health By Bangkok Post Wednesday 16 June 2021, 12:15PM The new proposal will apply to all holders of the one-year, non-immigrant visa. Photo: AFP CORRECTION: The original story reported that the COVID insurance requirement will apply to all foreigners staying in Thailand long term under a non-immigrant visa. That is not correct. The new COVID insurance requirement approved in principle by the Cabinet on Tuesday (June 15) is to apply to foreigners staying on Non-Immigrant O-A visas only. The error is sincerely regretted. UPDATE: Since this story was posted, more detalis of the Cabinet recommendations to Immigration regarding mandatory COVID health insurance for foriegners have become available. See story here. The proposal was approved in principle by the cabinet yesterday (June 15) and Traisuree Taisaranakul, deputy spokeswoman for the government, said it would apply to all holders of the one-year, non-immigrant visa (NIV). NIVs are awarded in four categories: marriage, work, business and retirement. The new rule follows an amendment to the regulations approved by the cabinet in April last year. At present, holders of the NIV must be insured to the tune of just B40,000 for out-patient treatment, or B400,000 for in-patient treatment at a hospital. Future NIV applicants must produce proof they have taken out the far higher insurance against COVID-19 and if they are eligible to state-sponsored welfare or insurance, the same minimum coverage applies. Those seeking to renew their NIV are free to buy the insurance from abroad. If they have access to state-sponsored insurance, they must submit documentary proof certified by the Bangkok-based embassies of their respective nations or by authorised official of the Foreign Ministry of their native countries. If someone is denied the requisite COVID-19 insurance because they are deemed to be in an at-risk group, they must present the rejection document as well as proof of financial security, bank account or other health insurance valued at a minimum US$100,000. Ms Traisuree said that since the cabinet had approved the new rule in principle the next step would be for the Immigration Bureau to publish full details and make it official. The Foreign Affairs Ministry will also work to improve the NIV application procedure while the Public Health Ministry and the Interior Ministry will be in charge of modifying related regulations and telling the public about them. Ms Traisuree said the current NIV regulation was flawed as foreign nationals aged over 70 could not buy insurance in Thailand, causing them to be disqualified from remaining long-term in the kingdom. National police chief donates B100k to support shot noodle vendor PHUKET: National police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk has donated B100,000 to the wife of a noodle vendor shot by a drunken off-duty police officer on Bangla Rd and vowed to ensure justice in the case, Phuke police said yesterday. crimeviolencepolicepatong By Eakkapop Thongtub Wednesday 16 June 2021, 09:51AM Region 8 Police Commander Lt Gen Kitrat Panpetch said that national police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk has ordered to ensure justice in his case. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Region 8 Police Commander Lt Gen Kitrat Panpetch said that national police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk has ordered to ensure justice in his case. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub The noodle vendor, Aroon Thongplab, was shot in the stomach by Cpl Pornthep Channarong of the Phuket Provincial Police just before 6am on Feb 23 while he was walking along the Bangla Rd after collecting a noodle bowl from a customer. In less than 24 hours Pornthep was quickly stripped of his rank and discharged from the Royal Thai Police, and now faces charges of attempted murder, carring a firearm in a public area without necessary reason, and firing a weapon in a public area. His trial is to start on June 28. Region 8 Police Commander Lt Gen Kitrat Panpetch arrived at the familys rented home in Patong to hand over the donation yesterday (June 15). Joining him were Phuket Provincial Police Chief Maj Gen Pornsak Nuannoo and Patong Police Chief Col Sujin Nilabodi. Lt Gen Kitrat told Mr Aroons wife, Kulthida Chananan, that he had come to give B100,000 to her family on behalf of national police chief Pol Gen Suwat. Do not be worried about the case because the national police chief has ordered to work on this case decisively. Police will not help bad police, Lt Gen Kitrat said. Which finger is bad, we are ready to cut, he said. Before yesterday, the only support Mr Aroon and his stricken family had received from the Royal Thai Police were flowers and B20,000 cash handed over by Region 8 Police the day after the shooting and B10,000 from the Phuket Provincial Police. A campaign launched last month founded by a Phuket expat to help Mr Aroon raised almost B400,000 in just one week. Mr Aroon was left paralysed by the bullet, which entered through the stomach and became lodged in his spine. After Mr Aroon woke from a coma, doctors at Vachira Phuket Hospital managed to safely remove the bullet, but were unable to help Mr Aroon recover the use of his legs. After months in recovery, Mr Aroon was only recently discharged from Vachira Hospital to return to stay with his family at their rented house in Patong. Ms Kulthida explained that she needs to replan everything for her familys future because her husband has been left unable to make any income to the family. The young couple, Mr Aroon is 25 years old and his wife is 26, have two children: a 4-year-old daughter and a 6-month-old son. Aroon still suffers pain in his lungs from surgery and is unable to move or feel the lower part of his body, from his waist to his toes, Ms Kulthida said. Luckily, the upper part of his body can move and feel. He can use his hands to hold a spoon and fork to eat normally, Ms Kulthida said. I have to thank every person for helping me in this hard time. My husband is likely to be disabled for his whole life, but I still have a good hope. If he is healthy, in the future he may go through physical therapy, enabling him to walk again, she said. Aroon can hear everything I say and reply to me by gestures. He can speak, but it tires him. Nodding is yes and shaking his hand is no, she said. He needed to use an aspirator for three months in the hospital, but now he can breathe by himself, she added. As for progress in the court case, the court has appointed to have a questioning on June 28. Porntheps family has never talked with me or offered any help. His mother knows what she should do, she said. Phuket airport holds tourist arrival rehearsal PHUKET: Staff and officials at Phuket International Airport held a rehearsal yesterday (June 15) as the island prepares for the arrival of international tourists from July 1. COVID-19Coronavirustourismhealtheconomics By The Phuket News Wednesday 16 June 2021, 12:56PM A rehearsal to prepare for the arrival of international tourists from July 1 was held at Phuket Airport yesterday (June 15). Photo: AoT Phuket A rehearsal to prepare for the arrival of international tourists from July 1 was held at Phuket Airport yesterday (June 15). Photo: AoT Phuket A rehearsal to prepare for the arrival of international tourists from July 1 was held at Phuket Airport yesterday (June 15). Photo: AoT Phuket A rehearsal to prepare for the arrival of international tourists from July 1 was held at Phuket Airport yesterday (June 15). Photo: AoT Phuket A rehearsal to prepare for the arrival of international tourists from July 1 was held at Phuket Airport yesterday (June 15). Photo: AoT Phuket A rehearsal to prepare for the arrival of international tourists from July 1 was held at Phuket Airport yesterday (June 15). Photo: AoT Phuket Leading the rehearsal yesterday was Airport Director Thanee Chuangchoo, accompanied by Phuket Airport Deputy Director Kanyarat Suthipatanakit and other Airports of Thailand (AoT) Phuket senior staff. Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday explained that similar rehearsals will be held at other main entry points to the island, namely at the Phuket Check Point at Tha Chatchai and at the major ports in Phuket used by boats arriving from other provinces, said a report by the Phuket office of the government broadcaster Radio Thailand. Following the training session yesterday, further practice runs will be held at the airport tomorrow and Saturday (June 17 and 19), with another full rehearsal held next Wednesday (June 23). Similar rehearsals will be held at Rassada Pier and at the Phuket Check Point at Tha Chatchai on June 25, said the report. In Stage 2 of the preparations, a full rehearsal will be held on June 29 as the last and final rehearsal before international tourists arrive, the report added. Under the current requirements for foreign tourists to be allowed to enter Phuket from July 1, they must be vaccinated with a vaccine recognised and approved by Thai health authorities at least 14 days but not more than one year after being vaccinated. Tourist arrivals must also present certification proving they have tested negative for COVID-19 by RT-PCR test within 72 hours of departure. Children under 6 years of age are exempt from needing to be vaccinated but must be tested on arrival in the country. The children must travel only with their parents or guardians who have been vaccinated. In the case the parents or guardians are found to have COVID-19, the children are to be placed in isolation for 14 days, the TAT explained in its release last week. Every visitor arriving must have a valid visa and be issued a Certificate of Entry from a Thai embassy before arriving. International travellers must have insurance covering treatment and medical expenses including those related to COVID-19 with a minimum coverage of US$100,000. The insurance must cover the total duration of stay in Thailand. For tourists arriving under the Sandbox model, it is mandatory to book a SHA Plus hotel for the first 14 nights in Phuket. Staying at a friends place is not allowed. The TAT is maintaining a list of the conditions of entry for tourists arriving under the Phuket Tourism Sandbox scheme. The list published (see here) is described as a living document and has already undergone several revisions, including over the past two days. The Sandbox policy has already been approved by the Centre for COVID-19 Economic Situation Administration (CESA), chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, but the conditions of entry have yet to be finalised by the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration, which is to meet today to discuss the policy. The Sandbox scheme has also yet to be approved by the Cabinet, which is set to discuss the policy next Tuesday (June 22). Phuket provincial officials have already announced the requirements for domestic travellers to enter the province several times, most recently in English. According to the Radio Thailand report, Governor Woonciew yesterday said that forign tourists arriving after July 1 will be allowed to travel elsewhere in the country after spending 14 days in Phuket. Arrivals will now be tested three times before being allowed to travel outside Phuket: once on arrival, again on Day 7 of their stay and finally on Day 14 of their stay. All domestic travellers, with the exception of children under 5 years old, entering through any port of entry on Phuket must have received the full dose of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Royal Thai Government and as recommended by the manufacturer, or received 1 dose of AstraZeneca vaccine. Or those who have recovered from COVID-19 no longer than the past 90 days prior to entering Phuket, or have tested negative for COVID-19 via a RT-PCR or Rapid Antigen Test no more than 7 days from the date tested. If the above requirements cannot be met the travellers are required to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days. Where the Disease Control Officer has issued an order to quarantine in the accommodation (Home Quarantine for Phuket residents or Hotel Quarantine for Domestic visitors) the traveller is to be monitored by officers of the Sub-District Center (EOC, Sub-District, municipality, sub-district administrative organisation) throughout the period of quarantine. See the full list of conditions for domestic arrivals to Phuket by road, sea or air here. Phuket IVA to hold employment assistance fair PHUKET: The International Veterans Association (IVA) Phuket will hold an employment assistance fair to help local people, and local businesses, find skilled staff as the island prepares to reopen to receiving vaccinated international tourists from July 1. By The Phuket News Wednesday 16 June 2021, 03:12PM The IVA Phuket and the Halfway Inn on Nanai Rd in Patong have joined forces to help people find jobs, and businesses to find staff. The IVA Phuket and the Halfway Inn on Nanai Rd in Patong have joined forces to help people find jobs, and businesses to find staff. The IVA Phuket and the Halfway Inn on Nanai Rd in Patong have joined forces to help people find jobs, and businesses to find staff. When the pandemic hit the island, many workers travelled back to their homes in their villages. Businesses closed, many without a plan, explained Steve Pearce, IVAs inaugural president. Areas like Patong beach are desolate, with all but a few of the thousands of businesses managing to remain open. Hundreds of locals remain in the area, but most are struggling to get by. With the Phuket Sandbox just around the corner, hundreds of businesses will have a plan to reopen in the coming weeks, ready for the tourists, he noted. One hurdle that the business owners and managers will face is, how do they find staff so that they can reopen? The doors have been closed for 15 months, so walk-in staff are not readily available, Steve explained. To provide help for those in need, the IVA in partnership with the owners of the Halfway Inn Bar and Restaurant have decided to run a three-day employment assistance fair, Steve added. Locals looking for work will be able to visit the Halfway Inn bar and complete a short declaration that they are ready for work. It includes basic information such as name, telephone number, type of work sought and previous experience, Steve explained. Potential employers can also visit the Halfway Inn and take the information left by the locals in order to arrange interviews with the hopeful staff. If need be, interviews may take place at the Halfway Inn, he added. The event will take place on Thursday and Friday next week (June 24-25), from 11am to 5pm daily. Please let your Thai friends who may be looking for work, know about this project. The Halfway Inn bar is on Nanai Rd in Patong [click here, or see map below], said Steve. The employment assistance fair is expected to mainly focus on businesses in the area, mainly bars, shops, hotels, restaurants and clubs, he noted. Employers and HR managers are welcome to visit anytime, Steve added. For more information about the International Veterans Association, visit the website PhuketVeterans.com. Alternatively, visit their Facebook page or call +66 (0) 895 870 819 or email contact.us@phuketveterans.com Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 78F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Artists Dan Seymour and Amber Burns put the finishing touches on the postcard-style mural on the old Harry's Service Station building in downtown Wedowee. UNITED NATIONS (AP) Ethiopias U.N. ambassador said Tuesday that Eritrean troops who have been fighting with his countrys forces in a war against the Tigray regions fugitive leaders will definitely leave soon, a move that would be welcomed by many including the United Nations whose humanitarian chief accused the Eritreans of using starvation as a weapon of war. The war in Tigray was the subject of an informal closed meeting of the U.N. Security Council where aid chief Mark Lowcock warned that over 350,000 people were in famine conditions, with deaths from starvation already reported and Ethiopias U.N. envoy Taye Atske Selassie Amde disputed the famine-related data but said there is food insecurity in Tigray and expressed gratitude for donor help. Lowcock strongly defended the data released last week showing that 350,000 people are facing famine and over 2 million are just a step away . It was released by The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification known as the IPC, which is a global partnership of 15 U.N. agencies and international humanitarian organizations, and uses five categories of food security ranging from people who have enough to eat to those facing Famine-Humanitarian Catastrophe. In his briefing to the Security Council obtained by The Associated Press, Lowcock called the IPC the worlds most sophisticated, authoritative, comprehensive, professionally rigorous assessment and said if it was wrong, it is because it is too optimistic. The Tigray administration have reported deaths from starvation, he said. The situation is set to get worse in the coming months, not only in Tigray, but in (neighboring) Afar and Amhara as well. Lowcock said the more than 350,000 people in famine catastrophe conditions is a larger number than the world has seen anywhere in the world since 250,000 Somalis lost their lives to famine in 2011. The largely agricultural Tigray region of about 5.5 million people already had a food security problem amid a locust outbreak when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Nov. 4 announced fighting between his forces and those of the defiant regional government. Tigray leaders dominated Ethiopia for almost three decades but were sidelined after Abiy introduced reforms that won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. No one knows how many thousands of civilians or combatants have been killed. More than 50,000 have fled into neighboring Sudan. Though Abiy declared victory in late November, Ethiopias military and allied fighters remain active including troops from neighboring Eritrea, a bitter enemy of the now-fugitive officials who once led Tigray. In addition to Eritrean soldiers using starvation as a weapon of war, Lowcock told the Security Council that rape is being used systematically to terrorize women and girls. ... Displaced people are being rounded up, beaten and threatened. Aid workers have been killed, interrogated, beaten, blocked from taking aid to the starving and suffering and told not to come back. He warned that without an end to the war and a political solution in Tigray, protection of civilians, and the departure of Eritrean soldiers who are responsible for substantial violations of international humanitarian law, no one should be surprised to see a re-run of 1984. In the disastrous famine of 1984-85, about 2 million Africans died of starvation or famine-related ailments, about half of them in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Prime Minister Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in late March that the Eritreans had agreed to go. Asked when they would leave, Ethiopia's Amde told reporters after the council meeting that there is a commitment from my government, and the Eritreans are very clear as well, that it is a matter of sorting out some technical and procedural issues. Our expectation is they will definitely leave soon. Britains U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said, there can be no further delay. Farmers have been unable to plant next years crops due to the violence, she told reporters. The window for them to do so is about to close. And while the violence continues, it is not only condemning the people of Tigray to desperate hunger this year, but next year, too. Woodward stressed that the lives of millions of people hang in the balance. The solution is clear: a cease-fire, humanitarian access and political dialogue, she said. Woodward said the United Kingdom has announced a further 16.7 million pounds ($23.4 million) in aid for Ethiopia, bringing the total to 47.7 million pounds ($66.8 million) since the conflict began eight months ago. Ambassador Amde singled out the contributions from the UK and China. Lowcock said the United States is the only donor who has stepped up in any sort of meaningful way so far. He stressed that funding is needed now to prevent the famine from getting worse. The three African members of the Security Council Tunisia, Niger, Kenya joined by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines issued a statement late Tuesday expressing concern for the humanitarian needs faced by 17.1 million Ethiopians including people in the Tigray region and called for stepped up aid. The 14 point statement never mentions famine and warns the council that any action it takes must recognize and respond to the reality that Ethiopia is finalizing preparations for an election that is barely a week away." Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Cloudy with occasional showers this afternoon. High 19C. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 14C. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Please note The Sun Chronicle is providing this story and all of our local coronavirus coverage for free so that all readers have access to this important information about the pandemic. Please visit our dedicated coronavirus coverage page for more stories. If you'd like to support our mission, please subscribe. I saw In the Heights at the new NCG Cinema-Alton. With all the buzz about the new Lin-Manuel Miranda movie, I thought that the theater would be packed, but I was the only one there, until four teenagers came in. They only stayed for 15 minutes and I was all alone again. The new theater has wonderful lounge chairs, which make the experience so much better. Its like watching from a comfy chair at home. In the Heights was a successful Broadway musical before it came to the big screen, and that is the only way to see this extravaganza. No matter how big your television is, In the Heights is better with surround sound and a giant screen. In the Heights begins as Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) tells four children on a beach in the Caribbean the story of people living in Washington Heights, an uppermost part of the borough of Manhattan, during the 1970s, in the days leading up to a blackout in New York City. Washington Heights is primarily a Latinx community. Usnavi is at the center of the movie, a bodega owner who looks after the aging Cuban lady next door, Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz), and pines for Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) the gorgeous girl working in the neighboring beauty salon. Usnavi dreams of winning the lottery and escaping to the shores of his fathers native Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, Nina Rosario (Leslie Grace), a childhood friend of Usnavis, has returned to the neighborhood from her first year at college at Stanford with surprising news for her father, Kevin (Jimmy Smits), who has spent his life savings on building a better life for their daughter. Ultimately, Usnavi and the residents of the close-knit neighborhood get a dose of what it means to be home. The music by Academy Award nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda is fabulous as are all the singing voices of the cast. But, I was bowled over by the dancing. Christopher Scott choreographed the dance numbers. Scott borrowed one scene from the Busby Berkeley movies of the 1930s. Scott devised an elaborate musical production number at a swimming pool that involved complex geometric patterns using a large number of performers in a kaleidoscopic on-screen performance. He also borrowed a dance sequence from an old Fred Astaire movie where a couple are dancing on the side of a tall building. Jon Chu of Crazy Rich Asians fame directed. Quira Alegria Hudes wrote the screenplay based on his musical play. The score was by Lin-Manuel Miranda. There is almost no dialog in the film. You must pay attention to the words of the songs to understand the story. Each character tells an important aspect of the story. Listen carefully. I enjoyed the PG-13 film showing in Alton and Edwardsville and think it is a must see for all lovers of musicals. I give In the Heights five out of five stars. Movie critic Mary Cox lives in Wood River and studied film at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has worked in L.A. with various directors and industry professionals. Contact Mary at mary.cox@edwpub.net. EDWARDSVILLE An exhibit about voting and democracy by the Smithsonian Institute will be on view beginning July 17 in the atrium of the Madison County Administration Building. A reception is planned for 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, July 21. Madison County History Museum Superintendent Jon Parkin said the exhibit, Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, was originally set to appear in June, but has been pushed back because of the coronavirus. The exhibit is part of the Smithsonians Museum on Main Streets program and will run through Aug. 21. The exhibit is very timely, he said, because of the polarization of American society. If you dont know where youre coming from, how do you move forward? he said recently. At this time in our nations history, when we have been so Balkanized on so many levels, I think its crucial to us to share our common heritage, so we can have productive dialogue and find that important common ground. He said people tend to naturally look at differences, and there is currently a tendency to not try understanding people who have a different agenda than yours. Parkin said that history is not always a neat, clean, linear development. Like any nation, there are skeletons in our closet that were not proud of, he said. Its an experiment. It is evolving. I was born into a world where segregation was not only de facto, it was de jure. I can remember visiting Washington (D.C) and there were segregated water fountains and bathrooms. Were still not there and were still not perfect, but an exhibit like this can provide optimism, he said. According to information provided by the Smithsonian, Voices and Votes: Democracy in America examines questions stemming from the leap of faith taken by the American revolutionaries who established a government that entrusted the power of the nation not in a monarchy, but in its citizens. The exhibit examines the following questions: Who has the right to vote? What are the freedoms and responsibilities of citizens? Whose voices will be heard? The display is divided into five sections: The Great Leap, which details the context and main controversies behind voting in the U.S; A Vote, A Voice, a look at how the right to vote expanded from just propertied men to include those originally shut out of voting; The Machinery of Democracy, a look at the institutions that have developed to support voting, from parties to political conventions; Beyond the Ballot, focusing on the First Amendment and the many ways citizens can make their voices heard; and, Creating Citizens, which looks at basic questions about what it means to be a citizen and how to balance rights and responsibilities. Voices and Votes is based on a major exhibition at the Smithsonians National Museum of American History called American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith. It includes a number of dynamic features, such as historical and contemporary photos; educational and archival video; engaging multimedia interactives with short games, and additional footage, photos and information; and, historical objects, such as campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia and protest material. Voices and Votes also offers an exciting educational component called American Experiments. This companion traveling trunk will have a collection of activities designed to engage visitors inside the exhibition, as well as students in the classroom. For information visit www.ilhumanities.org or www.museumonmainstreet.org. Parkin noted that there will be some local artifacts and information included in the exhibit that came from an online suffrage exhibit last year. Im also in discussion with the League of Women Voters to see if theres anything we can collaborate on, he said. Parkin said they also are looking for volunteers for the exhibit. Anyone interested can email Parkin at jlparkin@co.madison.il.us. More information, as well as exhibit updates, are available at the Madison County web page. BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) A car bomb exploded inside a military base in the Colombian border town of Cucuta on Tuesday, leaving 36 people injured, including three in critical condition, officials said. During an emergency visit to the base, Defense Minister Diego Molano described the blast as a vile terrorist attack" that targeted Colombian soldiers and sought to injure as many troops as possible. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota wrote on its Twitter account that a small group of American military personnel were at the base when the explosion occurred but were not harmed. The U.S. soldiers were there to conduct training exercises, the embassy said. Molano said the National Liberation Army, Colombia's largest remaining rebel group, was likely behind the attack, though he did not provide any evidence to support that claim. He also said dissident members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a group that signed a peace deal with the government in 2016, could have been involved. Cucuta is located on the border with Venezuela and is the capital of North Santander state, where several criminal groups are fighting over drug trafficking routes and use the loosely patrolled border with Venezuela to smuggle fuel and weapons. Last year a group of U.S. military trainers and advisers from the First Security Force Assistance Brigade spent time at the base that was bombed Tuesday, where they helped the Colombian military to plan anti narcotics operations. Videos posted on social media showed dark columns of smoke rising from the base followed by a loud explosion that shattered windows and destroyed offices. The explosion comes as antigovernment protests appear to wind down in Colombia, with protest leaders announcing Tuesday that they will suspend marches that have been going on for seven weeks. At least 50 people have died in the protests over poverty and growing inequality, which started on April 28. Molano said Tuesday's explosion occurred shortly after 3 p.m. when men disguised as soldiers drove a white pick up truck into the base. In 2019, a car bomb set off by the ELN at a police academy in Bogota, killed 21 people and prompted the government to end peace talks with the rebel group. On Wednesday, CNN reported that cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 are increasing so that the strain may become dominant among those who remain unvaccinated in the United States. The Delta variant currently accounts for 10 percent of coronavirus cases in the United States according to the CDC. Its trend toward becoming the dominant variant is concerning because it is more transmissible than even the Alpha variant or the UK variant, which is now dominant in the United States, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CNN. The good news is a study from Public Health England found that two doses of a vaccine is highly effective against hospitalization by the Delta variant. The same study found that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is 96 percent effective against hospitalization for those who are fully vaccinated. However, the Delta strain can be concerning for those who remain unvaccinated. There is some data to indicate that it may be more dangerous, may cause more severe illness, Murthy told CNN. These are two important concerns and they explain in part ... why this has become the dominant strain in the UK, where over 90 percent of cases are the Delta variant. The Delta variant was declared by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday a variant of concern, joining a list of four other strains. A variant of concern, according to the CDC, is a variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease, significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures. Delta joins the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Epsilon variants on the list. Variant of concern is one of three labels, the middle ground between Variant of Interest and Variant of High Consequence. No variant has yet risen to high consequence status. The Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced that 64 cases of the Delta variant have been found across 14 counties. The Delta variant accounted for 10 percent of the new cases announced from May 23 to June 6 in the United States. This news comes less than a week after Illinois fully reopened and lifted all guidelines. Photo Provided/Centerstone In 2020, Madison County case filings with the Third Judicial Circuit Court fell to their lowest point since 2005, according to court statistics. Total filings fell from 68,655 to 44,871 a drop of 23,784 cases or 34.6 percent. Thats the largest change in 15 years. Across 25 categories including adoption, traffic violations and small claims, 24 categories saw a decrease from 2019. The only one that increased was mental health, going from 291 filings to 358, the highest number of cases in 15 years. These cases, which go through Mental Health court, one of three specialty courts set up in Madison county, can be anything from aggravated battery (including domestic incidents) to addiction and substance abuse. COVID-19 also interfered with many individuals ability to get access to assessment for mental health issues. Even in less high-risk individuals, or those who didnt have pre-existing mental health issues, the stress of the pandemic may have taken a toll on mental health. We went through a pandemic and a crisis, and people maintained during the crisis, but now that were near the end, for those who have mental health issues, the floodgates are opened, said Deborah Humphrey, executive director of the Madison County Mental Health Board. Those with mental health issues, theyre letting down now. Madison County and Illinois may be just starting a mental health crisis brought on by the pandemic. I think were just seeing the tip of this, Humphrey said. Weve all been exposed to trauma. Someone who might already have anxiety, theyre going to see a marked increase because of the trauma, theyve had to cope with all of these events and your coping skills only last so long before youre just not coping anymore. Per the New York Times, preliminary studies of local communities in states like Illinois, Maryland and Connecticut found a rise in suicides among Black Americans and other people of color when compared with previous years. Suicide rates overall, after a five percent dip from 2019 to 2020, may be climbing once more. Nationally and locally the suicide rates are going up, we didnt see that here, but were still seeing suicide, Humphrey said. There have been nearly 15 deaths by suicide in Madison County so far this year. Those who need immediate support can contact CenterStone of Illinois, which has an office in Alton and offers crisis support. Call 877-HOPE123. While Illinois passed 20 bills related to mental health through both houses in the 2021 state legislative session (even more could still be addressed later), more work remains to be done in terms of mental health. There is, as in many fields, a shortage of labor for those able to work in mental health. Our agencies are crying for workers, Humphrey said. One agency had 15 positions open. A lot of clinicians went private and started practicing on their own. Theres not a pool of clinicians out there that are certified and able to do the training. Thats added to the behavioral health issues, for a very underfunded health issue, all of this has just complicated it by all these other factors theyre still trying to meet the need while understaffed, but then these long waitlists happen," Humphrey continued. This crisis could also be just starting. Humphrey said shes heard estimates that the crisis brought on by the pandemic could last as long as five years. The Illinois legislative bodies, by passing 20 bills addressing the crisis and creating even more legislation that has yet to pass, seem determined to address the issue. Things like telehealth, where those in need can see licensed professionals through the web, also seem to be long-term solutions. If an individual is going through stress at a more manageable level, there are also ways to address it. Get away from the stress, Humphrey said. Do physical exercise, take a mental break, find someone whos supportive and who listens, whoever you feel comfortable with, move the stress from internal to external. Take care of your physical self, stress impacts your physical health as well. Socialization, which was minimized during the pandemic, may also be critical. A lot of things were taken from us thats important to all of us, Humphrey said. Socialization, thats something to be encouraged. Whatever you can do to address whatever level of stress you can do. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a number of vital support groups. Those with mental illness, its going to linger before they feel reassured. Its going to be longer lasting. Who: Family and friends of Michael Jake Burkhardt knew the teen as a fun, kind and generous person with an amazing smile. Standing at 6 feet, 4 inches, with blond hair, Burkhardt enjoyed outdoor activities, including hiking and campfires, as well as spending time with his brother Ben and his two beagles. Burkhardt planned to make a career out of his interest in nature and studied wildlife biology at Keystone College. He undertook research at Lacawac Sanctuary in Lake Ariel for a Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science project in high school and interned at SEEDS (Sustainable Energy Education & Development Support) of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Honesdale-based nonprofit is committed to developing local renewable energy infrastructure, promoting energy efficiency and encouraging sustainable living in our region, explained Executive Director Olga Trushina. In January 2016, however, the 19-year-old was tagging along with friends one night when three deer ran in front of their vehicle. Burkhardt, sitting in the front passenger seat, was killed, but he gave back to his world even then as an organ donor, helping several people in need. What: After his death, Burkhardts family sought to give back to SEEDS, which had given him a scholarship following his graduation with honors from Western Wayne High School in 2015. The Burkhardt Memorial Scholarship was established in his memory and is open to seniors from Western Wayne, Honesdale, Wallenpaupack Area and Stroudsburg high schools and Damascus and Canaan Christian academies as well as to home-schooled seniors living in those districts. Each year, a SEEDS panel poses a question about sustainability and local issues to area high school students and asks them to come up with solutions in an essay. The panel then reviews the essays to pick the scholarship recipient. The most recent winner, Sinclaire Ogof of Western Wayne, came up with the metaphor of putting on the red cape when making eco-friendly decisions, a concept Trushina said closely describes what our scholarship does for the community. Were equipping our local youth with red capes so they can be local environmental superheroes, she said. Why: The Burkhardt family cannot financially afford to continue funding the scholarship, so Trushina said SEEDS has started fundraising to keep it going. The organization has raised about 25% of what it needs to fund the scholarship for the next decade, she added, and it hopes to collect another $40,000 to continue putting on red capes on local students. This scholarship doesnt only provide the students with funding needed for higher education, but it also focuses attention on local issues and kindles love for the Northeast Pennsylvania community, Trushina said. How: People can donate to the scholarship fund through a GoFundMe page, Putting on the Red Cape in Rural America; SEEDS website, seedsgroup.net; or PayPal (include a note specifying that the donation is for the scholarship). SEEDS also accepts check and money order donations by mail at 1030 Main St., Floor 2, Honesdale, PA 18431. For more information, email info@seedsgroup.net. In her own words: Support for this campaign goes directly into the Burkhardt Memorial Scholarship. This means that each year a local student will be able to consider the preservation of the NEPA environment, economy and community in their essay contemplations and long-term goals. Olga Trushina, SEEDS executive director An Old Forge scrapyard owner whose business has been at odds with the borough for years is in substantial compliance with a Lackawanna County Court order to remove nonworking equipment from his property, his attorney said. Walter Stocki Jr. and his company, Scrap Enterprises, faced a Tuesday deadline to rid the site at Rear 105 N. Keyser Ave. of all nonoperational equipment, vehicles and machinery under an April 22 order issued by Judge Thomas Munley. Although it is a monumental task, Stocki has been working to clean up the site and is substantially in compliance with the court directive, attorney Edmund Scacchitti said. Whether someone else would agree the businessman is in compliance is something for another day and maybe another court hearing, the attorney said. But Im pretty comfortable with what he is trying to do there, Scacchitti said. Its just a question of whether the borough is comfortable with it. Stocki and the borough have been locked in a dispute over the operation of Scrap Enterprises since 2017. Old Forge officials contend the business is an illegal junkyard in violation of the borough zoning ordinance. In his April 22 opinion and order, Munley held Stocki in contempt for defying two previous court orders to clean up the property and to comply with borough ordinances. Tuesdays deadline was the first of two contained in the judges most recent order. The next one is June 30, when Stocki must bring the property into full compliance with the zoning ordinance. Stocki said Tuesday he believes his business is in compliance but questioned whether the borough would ever concede that. There are numerous other businesses who are allowed to operate however they feel ... but I am the only target on their list, he said. During a borough council meeting Tuesday night, Councilman Jim Hoover asked solicitor William Rinaldi what their next step will be. Rinaldi said he will likely meet with the borough zoning and code enforcement officer, Christopher Hart, to see if they can view Stockis property and then notify Munley of its condition. Council Vice President Rick Notari asked Rinaldi how they would go about collecting the fines Stocki owes the borough, estimating the figure is about $650,000 at $500 per day since November 2017. That will be the next step, Rinaldi said. An appeal Stocki filed last month of Munleys April 22 order is pending before state Superior Court. Joseph Kohut and Frank Wilkes Lesnefsky, staff writers, contributed to this story. DICKSON CITY A Discount Tire store will occupy the former location of the Tilted Kilt at 4011 Commerce Blvd., said Dickson City Borough Manager Cesare Forconi. The Tilted Kilt closed at the end of 2018 after about a year in business. Forconi said the Arizona-based business plans to knock down the existing building and build a new one. He anticipates the store may open by late fall. Hes grateful to have another new business moving into the borough. Whether it be the property taxes or the business privilege tax and wage taxes, it all contributes to help us run the municipality, Forconi said. ROBERT TOMKAVAGE Settlers Hospitality raised its starting wage to $15 per hour for employees. The base living wage will be extended to current employees and new hires. Salaried staff members will receive a cost of living increase, and the company is expanding its employee benefits package. Settlers Hospitality consists of The Settlers Inn, Ledges Hotel, Silver Birches Resort, Hotel Anthracite, Sayre Mansion, The Dock on Wallenpaupack, Glasswine.bar.kitchen, Kol Steakhouse, Cocoon Coffeehouse and Bakery, Lake Region Fitness and Art on the Edge. The company has multiple openings for full- and part-time positions at all of its locations. For more information about job openings, visit settlershospitality.com. SCRANTON In a subdued voice, former Old Forge Borough Council President Robert Semenza on Tuesday told a federal judge he took bribes to help a business owner being sued by the borough. Dressed in a dark suit and a blue face mask, the 47-year-old replied guilty when asked directly by U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion how he pleaded to a felony charge of bribery. Nearly a decade after he was appointed to council to replace his father, who died in office, Semenzas time as a public official brought him to Courtroom 3 in the William J. Nealon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse for pocketing between $6,500 and $15,000. When he took the position in council in 2012, he took it very seriously and it was a heavy responsibility, said Semenzas attorney, Jason Mattioli, adding that there are some things that happened which led him down this path. Mattioli declined to elaborate Tuesday, saying it would be inappropriate to do so before Semenza is sentenced. Asked if it was related to any medical issues, he said, not medical, but I will get into it fully. And Ill be able to comment in full after his sentence. Semenza did not speak as he exited the courthouse. Attempts to reach him later were unsuccessful. Federal prosecutors last week charged Semenza with soliciting, demanding and accepting cash in exchange for performing and promising official acts between January 2019 and February 2020. He resigned from council in May as part of the plea agreement. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and three years of supervised release. A criminal information filed against Semenza alleged he accepted bribes related to a unnamed business owner sued by the borough over a dispute about local zoning ordinances. In announcing the charge last week, acting U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler said in a statement Semenza accepted money in exchange for agreeing to vote on the business owners behalf and to advocate for the business owners interest before council. Semenza couched the payments as loans, according to charging documents, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo said in court they really were just cash bribes. Federal prosecutors did not identify the business or its owner in court Tuesday or in charging documents; Mattioli also declined to identify either. However, county court records coinciding with information in the federal paperwork indicate it is Walter Stocki Jr., owner of Scrap Enterprises, Rear 105 N. Keyser Ave. Around the end of July 2018, according to the criminal information, council obtained an injunction from the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas against a business and its owner which required it cease all activity violating the boroughs zoning ordinances. The court found on or about May 9, 2019, the business owner was in violation of the July 31, 2018, injunction and ordered the owner pay a bond in excess of $5,000, according to the charging paperwork. On or about Aug. 5, 2019, council petitioned the court to hold the business owner in contempt, it stated. On July 31, 2018, Lackawanna County Judge Thomas J. Munley ordered that Stocki cease all activity on his property. On May 9, 2019, Munley gave Stocki 100 days to cease business, clean up his property and post a $20,000 bond. The borough soon after petitioned the court to hold Stocki in contempt. Reached Tuesday, Stocki declined to comment on the Semenza case. Semenza took money along with an unindicted co-conspirator referred to only as Individual No. 3 who owned and operated a consulting business in Old Forge. Individual No. 3 received thousands in dollars in payments as well and remitted a portion of it to Semenza, Caraballo said in court. Semenza will remain free pending his sentencing, which has not been set. A teenage girl told a jury Wednesday that an Elmhurst Twp. man sexually assaulted her at least once a month over a five-year period as testimony in his trial opened in Lackawanna County Court. Francis Collin Vetter, 35, is charged with scores of offenses, including multiple counts of child rape and statutory sexual assault, related to the alleged sexual abuse of two children. State police originally charged him in January 2019, with assaulting a minor girl and added more charges involving a boy two months later. He is also accused of trying to obstruct the investigation. The Times-Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault. After jurors were seated and heard opening statements Tuesday, the girl, now 15, was the first witness called Wednesday by Deputy District Attorney Sara Varela. With Judge Andy Jarbola reminding her several times to keep her voice up, the girl told jurors the abuse began when she was 7 and Vetter had her watch pornography on his phone. It soon escalated to oral sex, which she said she performed on Vetter at homes in the North Pocono area and in his car. He said not to tell anybody because he could get into a lot of trouble, she said. Vetter had intercourse with her for the first time when she was 9, and he continued to have sex with her through December 2018, when she was 12, the girl testified. Once a month, maybe twice a month, the girl replied when Varela asked how frequently the assaults happened. After the girl disclosed the abuse to a family member, she was interviewed in early 2019, at the Childrens Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania, where she also received a medical examination that ultimately revealed she had chlamydia, she testified. State police have said Vetter had the same sexually transmitted disease. During cross-examination, defense attorney Joseph DAndrea quizzed the girl at length about a pair of letters, both of which she signed, in which she said the allegations against Vetter were not true. She acknowledged writing one of the letters but testified she did not write and had not really read the other, which was submitted to District Attorney Mark Powell. She disavowed the contents of both and stood by her court testimony. I was in a place where everyone was against me. It was easier for me to say it didnt happen, she said of the letters. The trial is expected to continue until at least Friday and possibly into early next week. June 16, 1936 Special delivery for area veterans Postal carriers were to fan out across the area to make special twilight deliveries to veterans of the Great War. The carriers would be delivering bonus bonds to 6,000 veterans who lived in Scranton, Dunmore, Dickson City, Taylor, Minooka and parts of Taylor and Old Forge. Scranton Postmaster Joseph Conrad asked that all veterans be at home to receive their bonus. Four thousand veterans living in other parts of the county were to receive their bonuses over the next few days. Starting on June 17 through June 20, veterans were able to go to the Lackawanna County Courthouse to receive assistance in cashing in their bonds. If they desired to cash in their bonds they had to bring along two people to confirm their identity. For those who did not wish to cash them, the bond would receive 3% interest annually and mature in June 1945. C.S. Weston steps down as bank head Charles S. Weston, president of the First National Bank of Scranton since 1913, announced at the regular meeting of the banks board of directors that he was retiring from his role as bank president. Weston told the board that he would remain chairman of the banks board of directors. Taking over as bank president was Dr. U.A. Noble, president of the Cleland-Simpson Co. Noble, who was also the president of the Scranton Chamber of Commerce, became one of First Nationals directors when it took over the former Peoples Saving and Dime Bank. Noble received his medical degree from Columbia University and did his internship at Moses Taylor Hospital. In 1909, he gave up his medical career to join the Cleland-Simpson Co. Shopping list Steaks (porterhouse, sirloin or round) were 27 cents per pound, veal chops were 17 cents per pound, bologna was 15 cents per pound, halibut was 18 cents per pound, Swiss cheese was 29 cents per pound, butter was 29 cents per pound and assorted flavors of store-made cream pies were 13 cents each. BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribunes expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140. Veterans and the Volunteers of America nonprofit organization in Wilkes-Barre are embroiled in a controversy about the American flag. Veterans are calling out the organization for flying a LGBTQ pride flag and a Black Lives Matter flag outside its River Street headquarters, but not the American flag.The organization said the American flag has been abused in recent months as a symbol of mob violence and feels its critics, including local veterans, are resorting to bullying tactics, harassment and coercion about the issue. Veterans recently donated a new U.S. flag to the organization, which displayed the flag for Flag Day on Monday. But the flag was removed by Tuesday morning. I was brought up to love the flag. It doesnt represent mobs and violence, said Dwayne McDavitt, 59, a correctional officer from Kingston whose June 9 Facebook post about the lack of a U.S. flag at the Volunteers of America building sparked the controversy. You shouldnt take the American flag down to replace it with a political one. After the post, the nonprofit was inundated with phone calls, people approached the building and peeked inside and cars paraded by the office in an attempt to intimidate, the Volunteers of America said in a statement. People who commented on McDavitts post urged violence against the group and one suggested the LGBTQ and Black Lives Matter flags be burned, the groups statement said. The pressure was so alarming that teenagers who live in transitional housing units adjacent to the headquarters were moved to a hotel for several days, the organization said. Threats and cyberbullying are detracting from our ability to serve the community, Jodina Hicks, president of the Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania, said in a statement. People are using the American flag as a litmus test for patriotism, which is counter to the freedom the flag represents. McDavitt, who delivered the new U.S. flag to the organization last week with Navy veteran Nicole Guest, said he never called for threats against the Volunteers of America and has nothing but good things to say about the great community service they provide, including to veterans. Ive never said one bad word about Volunteers of America. Their press release is bashing us, McDavitt said. The press release points out McDavitt is a member of Bikers for Trump, a fact McDavitt says is irrelevant. Guest, the former district commander of the American Legions in the region, said she and McDavitt had a cordial meeting with an official with Volunteers of America last week and she was happy to see the organization put up the flag Monday in honor of Flag Day above the LGBTQ and Black Lives Matter flags. Then, later that day, the organization released a statement about the controversy with the headline, When Flying Flags Becomes Divisive. They made it political. Not the veterans, Guest said. The American flag doesnt stand for race, religion, color, or politics Republican, or Democrat. It stands for freedom. Without the U.S. flag, there would be no other flags. As an organization that is partially funded by local, state and federal government dollars, the Volunteers of America should always fly the U.S. flag, Guest said. The Volunteers of America said it had long flown two flags in front of its Wilkes-Barre building, but they were taken down earlier this year because they were tattered. The organization is in the process of installing a flagpole and larger U.S. flag to have it permanently on display, the organizations statement said.The statement said the teenagers who live in transitional housing suggested a variety of awareness flags to fly in recent months and no one complained until the organization recently hung the Black Lives Matter flag. Louis Sewell, 69, a Black Army veteran of the Vietnam era and former district commander of the areas American Legions, said he was offended by the Volunteers of America taking down the U.S. flag and its statement regarding the controversy. If they dont want to live under that flag they should leave. I served under that flag for 16 years, Sewell, of Hanover Twp., said. Why fly the other flags if youre not flying the American flag? High notes Western Wayne High School Band Director Elaine Ort will join band directors from across the country on Jan. 1 in the annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. Ort will join a marching band of band directors on a custom-designed animated float in Pasadena, California. The parade entry will convey the theme: We teach music. We teach life. The Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation, based in Pickerington, Ohio, is the sponsoring organization behind the project. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to march in the parade, Ort said. It is an honor to represent Western Wayne. Ort has devoted much of her life to the study and performance of music. A native of New England and graduate of Marywood University, she is a member of the Scranton Brass Orchestra, the Providence Brass, the Schutzengiggles Oompah Band and the Marywood University Wind Symphony, and performs often in musical pit orchestras throughout the region. As an educator, Ort has served as the director of instrumental activities in the Western Wayne School District since 2014. She teaches sixth grade brass instruction, eighth grade band instruction and the Wildcat High School Band. Under her direction and guidance, the school continues to invest heavily in its music program and was recently named a KHS America Academic Alliance Platinum school for its investment in instrumental education. It is the only school in Pennsylvania and one of only 39 in the United States to have received that honor. Super students Local students and University of Pittsburgh graduates Joey Runco, Patrick Donnelly and Annika Wessel were among nine of their peers inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the national dental honor society. Runco, a North Pocono High School graduate, received his undergraduate degree at Fordham University; Donnelly, from Pittston, received his undergraduate degree at the University of Scranton and holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University; and Wessel, from Drums, also received her undergraduate degree at the University of Scranton. Donnelly is joining a private practice in Bucks County while Runco will attend the University of Colorado and Wessel will attend Seton Hill for specialization programs in orthodontics. GENEVA President Joe Biden traded the warm welcome of European allies Wednesday for his first sit-down as head of state with Russian President Vladimir Putin, holding nearly four hours of talks at a time when relations between Washington and Moscow are arguably at their worst since the Cold War. Noting the hype around the summit, Biden said he was frank about the Kremlins trampling of human rights and democracy. I told President Putin my agenda is not against Russia or anyone else; it is for the American people, Biden added at a news conference after the summit. Biden said he raised the cases of two Americans imprisoned in Russia, along with the repression inside Moscow of several foreign media outlets. Biden addressed Putins increasingly brazen efforts to weaken American democracy, including election interference, and the recent cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure which intelligence officials say are linked to Russia. Bottom line, I said we need to have some basic rules of the road that we can all abide by, Biden said at his news conference, which started after the Russian leader spoke to reporters for about an hour. It was important we meet in person, Biden said, in order to prevent any misunderstandings. The tone was good, positive, there wasnt any strident action taken. Putin said there was no hostility; quite the contrary at the summit. We dont share the same positions in many areas, but I think both sides showed a willingness to understand one another and to find ways to bring our positions closer together. But he deflected blame on military buildup at the Ukrainian border, the jailing and deaths of opponents, brought up mass shootings in the United States and accused the U.S. of human rights violations. To the cyberattack charges, Putin said of the U.S.: All they do is make insinuations. He said he thought the U.S. was not genuinely interested in getting to the bottom of these cases. Putin praised Bidens moral values as attractive. It is clear to me that we did speak the same language. That certainly doesnt mean we must look into each others eyes and find a soul, he said, alluding to a 2011 meeting with Biden, then vice president. Biden had said he looked into Putins eyes and told him, I dont think you have a soul. President Biden is an experienced statesman, Putin told reporters. He is very different from President Trump. Biden had sought a summit soon after taking office to address the deteriorating relationship between the worlds two former superpowers. Putins military buildup along his countrys border with Ukraine following his 2014 annexation of Crimea has induced growing anxiety across Europe and the West. His imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny has laid bare the autocratic Russian leaders iron grip on power and indifference to the international norms Biden is eager to reaffirm. Navalny, who has called for peaceful protests, survived a poisoning with Russian nerve gas last year. In his news conference, Putin cast Navalny without saying his name as part of an unauthorized opposition that takes foreign money and illegally calls for mass demonstrations. He likened his opponents to those Americans who tried to take over the U.S. Congress on Jan. 6. We sympathize with what happens in the U.S. but we do not want it to happen in Russia, Putin said. Biden and Putin had opened the Geneva meeting with gestures of respect. Putin, notorious for late arrivals intended to make his rivals wait, pulled into the driveway of the summit site first and ahead of schedule. Biden, whose armored limousine pulled up 15 minutes later at the front door of the picturesque 18th century villa, stood with Putin as Swiss President Guy Parmelin welcomed them. Biden was the first to reach out to shake hands with Putin, later gesturing for the Russian leader to enter the villa ahead of him. Inside, Biden thanked Putin ahead of the talks. As I said outside, its always better to meet face to face. And in an aside that appeared to elevate Russias positioning on the world stage, Biden referred to the U.S. and Russia as two great powers. When a U.S. reporter just three made it into the room amid a physical scrum with Russian journalists outside asked Biden if he trusted Putin, he appeared to nod. But White House communications director Kate Bedingfield tweeted quickly to clarify that the president was very clearly not responding to any one question, but nodding in acknowledgment to the press generally. Interpreters sat just behind the two leaders. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sat to Putins left. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken sat to Bidens right. The first session began at 1:45 and wrapped up an hour and and a half later. More aides joined an expanded meeting later: national security adviser Jake Sullivan, undersecretary of State for political affairs Victoria Nuland, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan, as well as the National Security Councils top two Russia experts, Eric Green and Stergos Kaloudis. The summit ended shortly after 5 p.m. and Biden left a short time later. Biden, who had prepared for the summit for weeks along with advisers Sullivan and Blinken, previewed his message for Putin during a news conference Monday after a day of meetings at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The president said he would offer Putin opportunities to work with the U.S. on issues of mutual interest such as arms control and climate change but only if Russian hostilities abate. Im going to make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate, if he chooses, Biden said. And if he chooses not to cooperate and acts in a way that he has in the past, relative to cybersecurity and some other activities, then we will respond. We will respond in kind. Biden also dismissed questions about whether he was meeting with Putin whom he called a worthy adversary too soon in his presidency, noting that NATO allies whod spoken to him about it uniformly expressed their support. To a certain extent, Bidens eagerness for the meeting reflected a desire to deal early on with issues related to Russia in a way that, if successful, would enable him to shift his foreign policy focus more toward the Indo-Pacific and efforts to counter China. For Putin, the summit itself offered a major upside, as the possibility of improving relations with the U.S. could signal that democratic leaders are ready to move beyond tensions resulting from his incursions into Ukraine and meddling in U.S. elections. Privately, however, U.S. officials had acknowledged they did not anticipate major breakthroughs. The obvious tensions surrounding the meeting contrasted with the idyllic landscape at the summit site, a chateau tucked into towering pines on the banks of Lake Geneva. The city, which hosted the 1985 summit where President Ronald Reagan and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met for the first time, has adorned bridges over the glimmering blue lake with alternating flags of both countries. Hundreds of journalists descended on the city, too, drawn by a meeting with potential geopolitical ramifications. Hours before the leaders arrived, multiple media posts on Twitter showed a large banner with a message for Putin from an overpass above the motorcade route. Navalny poisoned ... And still no investigation? How come President Putin? read the sign, which featured an image of Navalnys face. Swiss police quickly took it down. (Los Angeles Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson contributed reporting from Washington.) 2021 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. OLD FORGE A lifelong resident and previous mayoral candidate will replace former Councilman Robert Semenza. for the next six months. Council voted 3-2 on Tuesday to appoint Republican Michael Komensky, 57, to serve out the remainder of Semenzas term, which expires Jan. 3, 2022. Council members Michele Avvisato, Jim Hoover and Russell Rinaldi voted for Komensky, with Councilman Michael Lettieri abstaining. Council members Lou Febbo and Rick Notari voted for candidate Andy Butler. Semenza, who had served as council president, pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to one felony count of bribery. As part of his plea deal, he resigned from council last month and agreed not to seek or accept any public office or position of public trust for at least 10 years. Members of council interviewed three applicants: Komensky, Butler and Deborah Butrim. Questions included asking about candidates experience, how they would improve the borough, what they believe they could accomplish over the next six months and whether they would run for office in the future. Komensky is the distribution manager at Horsham-based Bimbo Bakeries. He said he has always aspired to be involved in politics and noted his run for mayor in 2017 where he lost to Mayor Robert Legg in the general election. While I do realize that there are seven people, and nothing is ever going to be easy, theres a lot of hard decisions to make no matter what it is whether its in business, whether its in council, he said. But I think I could bring fairness and accountability and try to get everybody to work together for the betterment of the 8,000 residents of a town we all love. He said his work experience has been in supply chain and warehousing for the past 25 years, and working at Bimbo, he noted he works at the largest baking company in the world. My knowledge is in supply chain, people, labor relations and human resources, he said. Komensky also served as Old Forges Emergency Management Agency coordinator for the past seven years, although he agreed to resign from the position if appointed to council. In addition to appointing Komensky, council also unanimously voted to appoint Rinaldi as president and Notari as vice president. Rinaldi previously served as vice president. In light of his predecessors resignation and criminal charge, Rinaldi said that regardless of what happened, councils interest is always going to be whats best for the borough and its residents. Nothing at this table is going to change as far as the work we put in for them, the dedication and the time, he said. Tick, tick, tick ... The final countdown to the latest Josh Shapiro bombshell to fizzle like a sparkler in a sudden downpour began Monday at 9 a.m. in a small courtroom in Moscow, a dozen miles south of Scranton and almost 150 miles removed from Harrisburg. Just 14 minutes later, Magisterial District Judge Kipp Adcock gaveled another Shapiro gaffe to a quiet close. Another day in court for a state attorney generals office that promised spectacular fireworks to skeptical Scrantonians. Another thudding dud. Nine grinding months ago, when Shapiro charged former Scranton School District Superintendent Alexis Kirijan, Ed.D., former Chief Operating Officer Jeff Brazil and former daytime maintenance foreman Joe Slack, the ambitious AG and his handlers mounted a production fit for a Broadway blockbuster despite COVID restrictions. Flanked by a phalanx of state troopers and investigators in the district administration building, Shapiro began the soft launch of his 2022 run for governor by charging the trio with a combined 133 counts including a staggering 76 felonies. Kirijan, Brazil and Slack knew about lead and asbestos contamination in schools and chose not to act, Shapiro said, a potentially deadly sin he vowed would not go unpunished. Our children deserve to be safe at school. Period, Shapiro said. They should be safe when they take a drink of water from the fountain. They should be safe breathing the air in their classrooms. They should be safe no matter where they go to school in our commonwealth. The subjects of this investigation ... repeatedly failed to protect students when tests discovered dangerous levels of lead in school drinking water and asbestos in school buildings over the course of three years. They knew it was dangerous and they chose to leave everyone in the dark, not just the parents and the public, but principals and staff and teachers too ... their silence, their coverup, their inaction will now have consequences. Strong words. Team Shapiro amplified them on Sept. 30 with indelible images. The three defendants were handcuffed and perp-walked into a downtown magistrates office while news cameras rolled and reporters shouted stupid questions like, Did you do it? Are you sorry? and Any comment? If you didnt know the players, you might have thought Kirijan was a mob matriarch and Brazil and Slack were top capos. Shapiro appeared to have the goods. A grand jury sure thought so. So did I, but red flags were already flying. Asked if he had any evidence anyone was harmed by the officials failure to resolve the contamination problems, Shapiro said he couldnt answer. Shapiros response was irksome, but surely he knew more than he could say, right? Maybe he was finally getting some value out of the sweetheart deal his office gave Gregg Sunday. The former district business manager pleaded guilty to an obscure third-degree felony that preserved his $79,000-a-year public pension in exchange for cooperating with investigators. Gregg was an expert on illicit car repairs. Maybe he knew about plumbing, too. Another red flag: It is infamously, nauseatingly true that a prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. Think of the recommendation for charges as sliced bread. Its the prosecutors job to deliver the meat. Shapiros prosecutors never showed up with the ham, which gave defense attorneys cause to out his case as a bunch of bargain bologna. Shapiros bizarre bid to skip preliminary hearings and head straight to trial 3 months after filing the charges was yet another red flag. A judge rightly nixed that attempted dodge around due process, setting the stage for the reddest flags of all repeated prosecution requests for continuances, apparently to buy investigators more time to find evidence to back up Shapiros splashy claims last fall. When his office waved a white flag on Monday, Shapiro was nowhere in sight. In his stead, he sent a deputy from Philly who repeatedly mispronounced the former superintendents last name. So did Adcock, stepping hard on the j in Kirijan. Its pronounced Kiri-yin, although Kiri-yawn best describes Mondays hearing. The arraignments were done downtown. Mondays retreat was made in Mayberry. No perp walk. No phalanx of state troopers. No TV cameras. About that: I noticed that at least one local station used footage of the defendants exiting their cars at a previous proceeding. It gave the misleading impression that the station sent a crew and the defendants attended Mondays hearing. Neither showed up. Kirijan appeared by Zoom, as did one of her attorneys. Her other lawyer and attorneys for Brazil and Slack were there to see all charges against their clients dropped. It took seven minutes to eighty-six all but three misdemeanors against Kirijan, who will apply for Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, or ARD, and likely have her record expunged after completing the program. Chris Caputo, Brazils attorney, said his client lost things he will never get back. Tim Hinton, representing Slack, said the pressure of the past nine months damaged his clients physical and financial health. This awful experience will weigh on him for the rest of his life, Hinton said. He never harmed any students or placed them at risk. Apparently, neither did Kirijan. The asterisk is the three remaining misdemeanor charges, which Shapiros office refuses to detail or explain. Thats outrageously unfair. Dont perp-walk a 72-year-old grandmother through a media gauntlet downtown, quietly drop the most serious charges in a legal outpost and leave any doubt hanging over her head. Once again, Shapiro overcharged and underdelivered. He should show all his cards on Kirijan or fold. Next, he should personally answer for this debacle. A guy running for governor cant afford to run away from his mistakes, even if his likely opponent is Lou Barletta. Removed from Harrisburg applies to more than court hearings. The statement issued by Shapiros office after Mondays retreat is a case study in deflection: Our office brought these matters to light even before our investigation was complete because of our responsibility to public health and safety. Risky and drawn-out litigation is not the only tool at our Offices disposal. Two of our defendants, Mr. Slack and Brazil, have since cooperated with our investigation and provided additional information... Thats great news, Josh, but run it by Gregg Sunday before you charge anyone. Tick, tick, tick ... It was 115 degrees in Phoenix on Monday. As residents of Arizona and Nevada braced for record-breaking heat, people in Texas were encouraged on Monday to cut their electricity usage or risk power outages. In Harrisburg on Monday, though, Senate Republicans resurrected a 2020 fight with Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and passed a bill requiring him to get legislative approval in order to join the multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. A veto-proof Senate majority passed the bill, which would prevent Wolf from imposing prices on power plant greenhouse gas emissions. It would require legislative approval to join the conservation consortium after public comment and hearings. Wolfs office said he would veto the bill, which must go to the House. In 2020, Wolf vetoed similar legislation to restrict him from bringing the state into the RGGI, which sets prices on carbon emissions emitted by power plants driven by fossil fuels. Under his plan, Pennsylvania would join Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont in efforts to cut carbon pollution. Power generators would have to take part in auctions to buy carbon allowances, which would raise hundreds of millions in annual revenue for the state. The Wolf administration expects regulatory approval for the plan this year and carbon pricing to start in 2022. Republicans, who oppose a shift to clean energy in order to protect the states dwindling coal industry and other fossil fuel interests, have resorted to a failed measure to try to halt the transition. Pennsylvanians who favor energy efficiency and a cleaner and healthier environment should support Wolfs initiative. Editor: Congratulations, Pennsylvania. Lawmakers recently took the power to declare an emergency away from a single executive the governor and placed it in the hands of the General Assembly. That should speed things up nicely. I can see it now: The emergency is in her district? Im not voting for that. She didnt support my emergency. DICK DIKANT STROUDSBURG Editor: The planned withdrawal of all U.S. and European troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 will probably allow the Taliban to reconquer the country, impose a strict Islamist regime and establish terrorist organizations devoted to attacking the United States. The Taliban followers are terrorists who are aligned with al-Qaida. They are the same groups that have launched terrorist attacks in the world over the past 30 years, including the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. We need to keep adequate military forces in the region of Asia outside of Afghanistan to counter Taliban and al-Qaida moves in Afghanistan and to keep them off balance to prevent attacks against us. Approximately 3,000 U.S. troops should be based on the Arabian peninsula in case they are needed as a quick reaction force. U.S. Special Forces in the region will probably have to be beefed up. We need ground assault aircraft available in Saudi Arabia and the United Araba Emirates. Additionally, a squadron of B-52s should be based in the region. A U.S. Navy carrier battle group and an amphibious assault force must be deployed in the region to provide the capabilities for air bombardment and missile attacks as necessary. The Taliban are the enemy and must be treated as such. DONALD MOSKOWITZ LONDONDERRY, NEW HAMPSHIRE Editor: I want to draw attention to a social problem that seems to receive very little attention. That problem is ageism and age discrimination. I never understood why I feel that I have not been treated well by a lot of people I have known in politics in recent years. More and more of them seem to have no interest in my participation and involvement and they dont seem to care what I think and believe and have to say. I dont think that I have become dumber in my senior years. So, whats different about me now? My wife said to me: You are about to turn 71 years of age. It is not that you have somehow become an unlikable idiot who doesnt know what he is talking about. You are old. The No. 1 complaint and grievance of the elderly is that they feel that they have become invisible to younger people, especially to people under age 50. That hurts. STEWART B. EPSTEIN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK Brenda Darlene (Burnett, Witt, Bollmer) Curtin, 52, of Cincinnati, Ohio passed away June 21, 2021. She was born November 13, 1968, in Cincinnati, Ohio to the late Gladys (Jones) Napier and the late Wilburn Burnett. Brenda was preceded in death by a daughter, Jennifer Witt and sisters Alta Ru Westerly, RI (02891) Today A steady rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. Cooler. High 69F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Periods of rain. Low 58F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Westerly, RI (02891) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. Cooler. High 69F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 58F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Sofa seller ScS has reinstated dividend payments and paid back furlough support after the reopening of its stores lead to strong sales. Shares in the Sunderland-based firm soared by 5.5 per cent today as it revealed like-for-like sales in the 46 weeks to June 12 were up 10.6 per cent on the previous year. Meanwhile, demand between April 4 and June 12 climbed 79 per cent on the same period two years ago and was 370.8 per cent higher on their levels last year when its outlets were shut for much of the time. Good sofa: ScS has seen its sales climb since early April following the reopening of its stores Thanks to these impressive figures, the group has said it will reward investors with a 3p per share interim dividend payout in July, having suspended payments in April 2020 soon after the UK went into lockdown. It further confirmed that it had returned 3million it claimed from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) to the government, which it promised to do when its half-year results were published in March. Other home furnishings companies, including Dunelm and B&Q owner Kingfisher, have handed back furlough cash following huge boosts in pandemic-induced sales as Britons sought to smarten up their homes. Rival DFS announced last week that it would also restart dividend payments after the reopening of its stores led to orders nearly doubling in the past ten weeks compared with 2019. The launch of a new website, alongside temporary store closures, has also helped digital sales at ScS jump by 95.3 per cent so far this year and by 165 per cent on a two-year basis. ScS now expects its full-year performance for the 2021 financial year will surpass market expectations while it said its outlook for the next year 'is substantially better than current market forecasts.' Hand back: ScS confirmed that it had returned 3million in furlough cash to the government It added: 'Whilst some uncertainty persists relating to the end to all Covid restrictions, the Board believes the Group is well-positioned to maximise opportunities for growth. 'The group has a robust balance sheet, and the re-introduction of dividends today reflects the Board's confidence in the business going forward.' Home furnishing firms hope that Britons will use some of the 160billion they have built up in extra savings over the last 16 months towards home renovation while the work-from-home trend persists and people seek more spacious places to live. Restart: Russ Mould, an investment director at AJ Bell, said: 'It's unsurprising that ScS has seen a big improvement in trading as physical shops were able to reopen' This could provide a further boost for such companies' share prices, which have already done very well out of the pandemic boom, with ScS's share price more than doubling over the last year and Topps Tiles's up by over 70 per cent. Russ Mould, an investment director at AJ Bell, said: 'It's unsurprising that ScS has seen a big improvement in trading as physical shops were able to reopen, particularly given there is a cohort of consumers who have saved up cash during the pandemic through reduced outgoings on things like commuting and socialising. 'Given ScS sells flooring too, it is likely benefiting from the wider push to refresh interiors as people have been forced to confront their fraying or worn carpets and stained kitchen and bathroom lino.' But he warned: 'ScS needs to be prepared for fluctuations in demand as pent-up demand eases and with the economic outlook and recovery from Covid still fairly uncertain. The company at least has the buffer of a strong balance sheet to fall back on.' British music exports climbed to a record amount last year as the popularity of streaming services such as Spotify during the pandemic accelerated. They grew by 6 per cent to 519.7million as music fans across the globe tuned in to Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, as well as golden oldies such as The Beatles and Pink Floyd, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It is the highest figure since the organisation started measuring the record labels' foreign sales at the start of the century and makes the UK the second-highest exporter of music behind the United States. Hitmaker: Ed Sheeran helped British music exports grow by 6 per cent to 519.7million in 2020 However, the share of worldwide music revenue deriving from Britain is now only 10 per cent, having been 17 per cent in 2015, and the growth in exports has not kept up with the overall expansion of the global music market. Not a single one of the world's top ten streamed musicians is from the UK either, despite the wealth of talent and the popularity of performers such as Coldplay, Adele, and the Rolling Stones. Nonetheless, streaming is making up an increasing amount of the sector's revenue, with previous BPI statistics showing that streaming sales of British artists jumped 15.4 per cent to 736.5million in 2020. These formed an especially critical source of earnings for some musicians last year due to the coronavirus pandemic bringing the live music scene to a virtual halt and forcing bands to cancel or postpone tours. BPI's chief executive Geoff Taylor said: 'The explosive growth of music streaming around the world represents an unprecedented opportunity for British music.' 'With global competition intensifying, now is the time to push hard, to actively promote our artists to a global audience and maximise our share of global growth.' Power players: Hipgnosis founders Nile Rodgers (left) and Merck Mercuriadis (right) have bought the back catalogues of major artists, including Chrissie Hynde and Mark Ronson The BPI reiterated its call for the UK government to double funding for the Music Export Growth Scheme, which provides independent record labels with funding to promote performers overseas. Previous beneficiaries of the scheme - which BPI has claimed brings in 12 to the UK for every 1 invested - have included Mercury Prize-winning rock band Wolf Alice, the London Symphony Orchestra, and Welsh indie group Catfish & the Bottlemen. In addition, it wants a music production tax credit to encourage more artists to record music in the UK, much like the tax reliefs granted to the film production industry. Covid-19 restrictions are still set to impede the recording and touring of music acts though, so many long-time artists such as Chrissie Hynde and Mark Ronson have sold the rights to their back catalogues in order to earn a massive payday. Small pickings: A poll by the Ivors Academy and Musicians' Union last year found that more than eight in ten musicians earned under 200 a year from streaming Both Hynde and Ronson sold their rights to Guernsey-based Hipgnosis Songs Fund, which owns the rights to an estimated 65,000 songs and was founded by former Elton John manager Merck Mercuriadis and Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers. The company announced today that it was looking to raise another 150million to buy more back catalogues, having already bought 84 of them for 710million last year, including those of music producer LA Reid and iconic crooner Barry Manilow. 'This raise gives our public markets investors, historic and new, the only chance for the next 12 months to get access to Hipgnosis' existing portfolio as well as a pipeline comprising some of the most important and successful songs of all time,' remarked Mercuriadis. The announcements by Hipgnosis and the BPI come as an inquiry by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee has heard complaints from artists and industry representatives that streaming services are underpaying musicians. Even though audio streams constitute about 80 per cent of UK music consumption, a poll last December by the Ivors Academy and Musicians' Union found that more than eight in ten musicians earned under 200 a year from streaming. Tifton, GA (31794) Today Cloudy skies this morning followed by thunderstorms during the afternoon. High near 85F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely, especially this evening. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Instant unlimited access to all of our content on tillamookheadlightherald.com. The Headlight Herald E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) Cresaptown, MD (21502) Today Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 57F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. remaining of SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Thomasville, GA (31792) Today Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High 83F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. @rachelravina on Twitter Rachel Ravina is a journalist covering news and lifestyle features in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Blue Bell and graduated from Penn State. She's also a news enthusiast who is passionate about covering topics people want to read. St. Eleanor Parish to host clothing drive to benefit the work of the St. Vincent DePaul Society Sudans transitional government and the countrys main rebel group failed to reach a peace deal to end a decades-long conflict in the East African country, officials said Tuesday. The latest round of talks between the Sudanese government and the Sudan Popular Liberation Movement North, led by Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu, began last month in South Sudans capital, Juba. Sudans transitional government has been engaging in peace talks with rebel groups over the past two years. Its looking to stabilize the country and help its fragile path to democracy survive following the militarys overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. It reached a peace deal with another rebel alliance in October. Sudan and the PLM-N agreed Tuesday to end negotiations and conduct further consultations over their disputed points, said Tut Galuak, a security adviser to South Sudans president who led mediation efforts. He said the two sides have reached significant understandings of the disputed issues, and that only four out of 19 points remain unsolved. He did not elaborate. Galuaks comments came in a statement released by Sudans ruling sovereign council. Also in the statement, Gen. Shams Eddin Kabashi, a member of the sovereign council and the governments chief negotiator, said the sides would return to the negotiating table once conditions are more favorable. The rebel groups chief negotiator, Ammar Amount, said they have agreed on between 75% to 80% of the deal and the remaining issues need further consultations with their leaders. Neither side gave a time frame for a return to the talks. Al-Hilus movement is Sudans single largest rebel group and is active in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan provinces, where it controls significant chunks of territory. The most recent round of talks came less than two months after the government and the al-Hilu movement signed a declaration of principles detailing a roadmap for the talks. Al-Hilus group participated in negotiations leading up to that agreement but did not sign the final deal. It called for a secular state with no role for religion in lawmaking, the disbanding of all of al-Bashirs militias and the re-vamping of the countrys military. Al-Hilus group said if its demands arent met, it will call for self-determination in areas it controls. Another major rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army, led by Abdel-Wahid Nour, rejects the transitional government and has not taken part in talks. Sudanese rebels for years fought al-Bashirs loyalists in Darfur but also in the southern provinces of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. The fighting has often fallen along religious and ethnic lines. SOURCE: AP Dutchess and Putnam County residents: lock your cars. And for those throughout the Hudson Valley, beware. Thefts of vehicles happening in the early morning are on the rise again, similar to last summer when police from across the region called on the public to take preventative measures. At the end of May, the Dutchess County Sheriffs Office reported several larcenies from vehicles as well as thefts of actual vehicles themselves. In each case, the perpetrators targeted vehicles that were unlocked with the key fobs inside. This latest uptick follows a jump in auto theft last year at the start of the pandemic across the lower Hudson Valley region in particular. From March to July 2020, New York State Police reported that more than 400 vehicles were stolen in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess and Rockland counties. Michael Lane of Pleasant Valley is one resident who very recently had his car stolen. His GMC Sierra truck was missing from his driveway on Salt Point Turnpike when he woke up on June 11 after leaving his keys in the vehicle the day before. The vehicle could have been stolen any time between 8 a.m. on the 10th to 6 a.m. the following day. Ive lived in Dutchess my entire life 32 years, Lane wrote in a message to the Times Union: Hudson Valley. Ive never had any issues here up to this point. Im more upset that someone was on my property without me knowing while my family was most likely asleep than my truck being gone. If they were comfortable enough to do that, what else are they capable of, and thats the part that bothers me the most. A suspect is in custody as of last Saturday for two vehicles stolen on Cramer Road in the Town of LaGrange, said Dutchess County Captain John Watterson. This incident was separate from a larger out-of-state crime ring at hand that is suspected to be responsible for car thefts across towns east of the Hudson River. Im not sure what the crime ring's motivation is for stealing the cars, said Watterson. A lot of the stolen cars from New York have been recovered in Connecticut and a lot of stolen cars from Connecticut have been recovered here. The Dutchess County thefts are primarily in and around Dover. Watterson said in the past the motivation for stealing cars and things from cars have been drug related. When someones car is stolen, it is uncertain whether or not their car will be recovered and if it is recovered, what condition it will be in. The thieves are flipping the handle of the car, and if its open, they go in, said Watterson. In August 2020, Putnam County Sheriff Robert Langley Jr. reported an increase in auto thefts, stating that it isnt isolated to the area but that there has been an alarming increase in these thefts throughout the state. Putnam Countys investigation revealed that the break-ins occurred between the hours of 3 and 5 a.m. and that the cars were high-end. Similar to Dutchess, they believe that autos were stolen by individuals from out of state. Last summer, New York State Police asked for the publics assistance to help curb the recent increase in car theft in the lower Hudson Valley. At the time, numerous arrests had been made and some vehicles had been recovered. Its possible that the thefts continue into this summer, said Watterson. In the warmer weather we do tend to see more theft crimes. The best thing for people to know is to keep their cars locked. In Connecticut, a State Police Auto Theft Task Force was created to address the problem with a large-scale investigation. Police advise locking your car doors even in your own driveway. Additionally, leave all the windows and sunroofs closed, park in well-lit areas, dont leave valuables in your car and never leave your vehicle unattended while it is running. Tips can be sent to Dutchess County Detective Wilber at 845-486-3826 or the tip line at 845-605-2583. More than seven weeks after they finally were able to apply for federal relief funds that Congress approved in December, nearly all area arts venues are still awaiting word on whether and when they might receive money from the $16.2 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program. In contrast, pandemic-related Paycheck Protection Program aid arrived at businesses relatively quickly last year, and members of the Capital Region hospitality industry reported waiting only two to three weeks from applying for Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants to receiving money this spring. All three programs are managed by the federal Small Business Administration. As of Monday, according to an SBA report, less than 3 percent of the received eligible SVOG applications or 411 out of 14,214 had been approved. (A week ago the number was 90.) The application portal opened April 8, crashed within minutes and didn't reopen again until April 26. "At this point, I'm cautiously optimistic that the money might arrive by early July, but I can't depend on it, because we have to get started," said Owen Smith, producing artistic director of Playhouse Stage Company. On Monday night it began rehearsals for "Ain't Misbehavin'," the Fats Waller musical that will be the main Park Playhouse production at Albany's Washington Park Lakehouse amphitheater this summer, opening July 6. Playhouse Stage's SVOG application was accepted when Smith applied on April 26, he said, and he received a grant estimate of $140,000 to $150,000, but there has been no word on the grant's status or its final amount. SVOG awards are divided into three tiers of urgency, depending on a venue's lost income during the pandemic period; Playhouse Stage, which saw revenue drop by more than 70 percent, is in the second tier, Smith said. Only one Capital Region venue, the Palace Theatre in Albany, in the first tier of applicants, could be immediately identified as having been approved for SVOG funds. Stephen Baboulis, chair of the Palace's board of directors, said Tuesday that the theater had received word it would receive a little less than the approximately $2.3 million for which it was eligible. Danny Taylor, the Palace's general manager, said the approved amount is $2.1 million and should arrive in Palace coffers in the coming weeks. "We're going to be able to bring back staff, hire new staff, and I expect we will have a bunch of new announcements soon of shows that will be coming," Baboulis said, noting that Taylor and a core group of Palace management worked in recent months on tentative bookings based on the expected reopening of New York and the easing of capacity restrictions. On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that New York had passed the threshold of a 70 percent vaccination rate for adults. As a result, all state mandates including capacity limits for venues, health screenings, cleaning and disinfection protocols and others will be fully relaxed. But, Cuomo said, individual businesses and local governments can keep restrictions in place if they choose. Some local venues including Park Playhouse and the Palace will reopen at full capacity, according to representatives, but others, including Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, will be more measured in their seating expansion, believing patrons would not immediately feel comfortable in a full house. "We could be at 100 percent capacity tonight, but I don't think there'd be anybody here," Caffe Lena Executive and Artistic Director Sarah Craig said. Caffe Lena officially seats 110; through the end of June, Craig said, its pod-style seating arrangement will accommodate about 75 percent capacity. She said Caffe Lena is eligible for about $200,000, though, as it is a third-tier venue, she doesn't expect to see money for another two months or so. "We're just going to keep slogging along. Our community has been very supportive," Craig said. The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall also expects not to receive its federal funds, of approximately $650,000, until August, according to Jon Elbaum, its executive director. The hall is scheduling shows for an October reopening, he said. The largest area grant most likely will be to Schenectady-based Proctors Collaborative, eligible for the SVOG maximum of $10 million. Its subsidiary companies, Capital Repertory Theater in Albany and Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs, should receive up to $834,000 and $405,000, respectively, Proctors CEO Philip Morris said. The uncertainty about the funds' arrival makes planning difficult, Morris said, adding, "We built a plan and we're working toward executing it, but not knowing for sure (about SVOG money) makes it hard to jump all the way into the frigid water." Tommy Nicchi, owner of The Comedy Works, based in Saratoga and with a club at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, said the eventual arrival of federal relief will be welcome but is unnecessary to the reopening of his Spa City venue. (The Las Vegas Comedy Works has been hosting comics again since April 30.) Nicchi said the 100-seat Saratoga Comedy Works will reopen at full capacity, and he hopes to be able to do so around the start of the Saratoga Race Course season on July 15, but he is having difficulty finding comedians to perform as venues nationwide expand their schedules and compete for talent hungry to work. Nonetheless, Nicchi said, he is confident audiences will return. "Vegas is so busy, and I know people are going out in Saratoga, too," he said. "It feels like the Roaring 20s you hear about, just 1o0 year later. I'm looking forward to getting my piece of it." LOS ANGELES (AP) Gov. Gavin Newsom doled out $1.5 million each to 10 vaccinated winners at Universal Studios on Tuesday to mark the end of the state's coronavirus restrictions. The $15 million total was the final part of Newsom's $116.5 million so-called Vax for the Win program, an effort to encourage residents to get vaccinated and hasten California's recovery in the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed 3.8 million globally and 600,000 nationwide. Tuesday, hailed as California's reopening, meant the end of many coronavirus-related restrictions such as masks, social distancing and capacity limits in most settings. Universal Studios encouraged guests to be masked and vaccinated but did not require it. Newsom and Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state's health secretary, were among those who did not wear masks during the vaccine lottery ceremony in front of the massive rotating Universal Studios globe, a Southern California tourism landmark. Newsom, a Democrat, faces an expected recall election and his critics have called the taxpayer-money giveaways a publicity stunt. Vaccine incentives nationwide have ranged from beer to season tickets to vacations. Ghaly said the state does not have specific data benchmarks that would prompt a return to restrictions and that local officials are expected to monitor their cases numbers and vaccination rates in the coming months. There is not a trigger, he said. More than 3.6 million people have tested positive for the virus in California and over 62,000 state residents died figures that are higher than anywhere else in the country, though the nations most populous state had a lower per capita death rate than most others. Now, California has one of the lowest rates of infection in the country below 1%, and more than 70% of adults have received at least one vaccine dose. Still, Newsom said state officials will continue to urge people to get vaccines for themselves and their children. On Tuesday, the state reported that 977 people with confirmed COVID cases were hospitalized including 251 in intensive care units. This is not a day where we announce mission accomplished, he said. Newsom was accompanied at Universal by some of the studio's famous characters like the minions from the Despicable Me franchise and Optimus Prime from the Transformers, as well as "Access Hollywood" host Scott Evans and Helen Cordova. Cordova is the Los Angeles nurse who was the state's first person to receive a vaccine in mid-December as the holiday virus surge raged in hospitals across California. It was definitely one of the hardest points of my career, Cordova said. We saw way more death than we'd ever like to see. The trio pulled balls with numbers on them, in the style of game show hosts handing out huge checks, to represent the 10 winners throughout the state. The names of the winners among 22 million people who had to have received at least one dose; more than 40 million doses in total have been administered were not made public. BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) Colombias president named a new ambassador to Washington on Monday, as he tries to improve his nations image abroad and maintain bilateral programs with the U.S. that have been jeopardized by recent abuses against protesters. President Ivan Duque said that Juan Carlos Pinzon who was defense minister from 2011 to 2015 -- will be Colombias ambassador to the United States, where he is expected to begin his duties in August. Pinzon, 49, had already been Colombias ambassador to Washington between 2015 and 2017, when Colombias government signed a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that was backed by the U.S. and ended five decades of internal conflict in the South American country. But after leaving his post as ambassador, Pinzon became a critic of the peace deal, saying its terms were too lenient to rebel commanders who committed war crimes and that it gave strategic advantages to drug trafficking groups still operating in Colombia. Pinzon ran for vice president unsuccessfully in 2018 with the conservative Radical Change party. His appointment comes as violence against protesters tarnishes Colombias image in the U.S. and creates frictions with some U.S. members of congress. In May, a group of 55 members of the House of Representatives wrote a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which they asked him to suspend aid to Colombias police and stop sales of riot gear until progress was made on human rights. More than 50 people have been killed in antigovernment protests that began on April 28. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 20 of those deaths can be attributed to police officers who have shot at protesters with firearms or delivered fatal injuries with tear gas canisters. Speaking Monday, Pinzon said he will work across party lines to improve the relationship with the United States. He said reaching consensus on human rights issues will be on his agenda, but he also mentioned that he will work with the U.S. to fight drug trafficking groups, implement initiatives against climate change and try to find resources for programs that generate employment for Colombian youth. Colombia received $350 million in U.S. military aid in 2020. Both countries have been working closely in recent years to isolate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and bring about free elections in that country. While relations between the U.S. and Colombia are still strong, they were recently blemished by the efforts of politicians from Duque's party to back Donald Trumps re-election in Florida in November, through campaigns that depicted Biden as a supporter of authoritarian regimes in Latin America. BALLSTON SPA - Saratoga County's human resources director, who played a large role in the pandemic pay debacle, has been replaced. The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to end its relationship with Marcy McNamara, whose six-year term expired in mid-May, Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett said. She will be replaced by Scot Chamberlain of Halfmoon who has a long history in human resources, Barrett said. Chamberlain's LinkedIn page indicates he is manager of HR for the New York State Teachers Retirement System. He's also spent time as director of employee relations at the state Office of Mental Health. The vote was contentious with a split between supervisors from smaller towns, who wanted to keep McNamara, and larger-town supervisors who didn't. Stillwater Supervisor Ed Kinowski said that there is no reason to remove McNamara. "The county is tossing aside another loyal, dedicated, hardworking employee of Saratoga County," Kinowski said after the meeting. "(There is) no reason, other than they can." McNamara, along with former County Administrator Spencer Hellwig, devised the pandemic pay plan in March 2020. The plan was to pay all employees, including department heads like Hellwig, time and a half for every hour worked during the early days of the pandemic. As part of the push to get approval for the 50 percent pay increase, McNamara told the law and finance committee that "every municipality is doing it," including Saratoga Springs, Greenfield, Malta and Wilton. However, none of those communities paid their workers time-and-a-half for regular hours during the pandemic. The pay plan was roundly criticized and scrapped within weeks. However, the fallout continued. Among the casualties was Hellwig, who was removed from the top county job, in a similarly heated debate, in January. County Attorney Stephen Dorsey, who aided Hellwig and McNamara on the pandemic pay plan, stepped down at the end of 2020. At Tuesday's meeting, Kinowski read from a statement written by Northumberland Supervisor Willard Peck, who could not be at the meeting. In it, he complained that the new Board of Supervisors is hiring "friends and family." The statement also said the county is now being ruled by "fear and intimidation" and that employee morale is suffering because some employees worry they are on a "hit list." "The past several months I have had many employees from numerous county departments tell me they are counting the days until their retirement date," Peck said in a statement. "Just trying to get there under the radar so they dont cross the wrong supervisor and get fired, losing everything they have worked so hard and long to achieve." After Kinowski read Peck's statement, Barrett reminded Kinowski that his son is the deputy director of human resources, hired by McNamara. On Wednesday, Barrett also said he never met Chamberlain before he was interviewed. He also noted that the previous administration created other positions for "favored individuals." "The projection utilized by a couple of Supervisors during deliberations on the future of the County HR department felt like Washington politics being injected into Saratoga County," Barrett said on Wednesday. "Negative impressions about the work environment at the county promoted at the (supervisors' meeting) meeting were evident in past years, but has since changed." Board of Supervisors Chair Todd Kusnierz could not be reached for comment. However, he has said in the past that the human resources job is "very important" to the county. McNamara also could not be reached for comment. According to the county posting that Chamberlain answered, he will earn $125,898 a year. He too will serve a six-year term, as determined by state law. GUILDERLAND - Candidates seeking to be the Democratic standard-bearers for the Guilderland Town Board will present their positions during an online forum from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 16, according to the League of Women Voters of Albany County. Amanda Beedle, Kevin McDonald, Christine Napierski and Paul Pastore, who seek the two ballot spots on the party's line in the June primary, will answer questions from moderator Richard Rifkin, an LWV member. A New York judge on Tuesday approved disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's extradition to California, where he faces additional sexual assault charges, ending a legal fight prolonged by the COVID-19 pandemic, the defense's concerns about Weinstein's failing health and a squabble over paperwork. Judge Kenneth Case said there was no reason to delay Weinstein's transfer any longer, denying his lawyer's request to keep him at a state prison near Buffalo where he is serving a 23-year sentence for a rape conviction last year until the start of jury selection in the Los Angeles case. Los Angeles authorities plan to collect Weinstein, 69, from the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York, at the end of June or in early July, prosecutors said at Tuesday's extradition hearing in Buffalo, giving Weinstein's lawyer time to appeal Judge Case's decision. Weinstein's lawyer, Norman Effman, argued he should remain in Wende's hospital-like maximum-security setting while receiving treatment for maladies including a loss of eyesight, rather than being shipped cross-country to a Los Angeles jail cell. His suggestion that Weinstein instead be arraigned by video was also rejected. What we were trying to do is not avoid the trial, but avoid an unnecessary stay in a jail rather than a prison," Effman said, claiming pre-trial detention in California would rob Weinstein of needed medical care. Erie County Assistant District Attorney Colleen Curtin Gable, arguing in favor of Weinstein's extradition, retorted: Its Los Angeles. Its not some remote outpost that doesnt have any sort of medical care." Weinstein faces 11 sexual assault counts in California involving five women, stemming from alleged assaults in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills from 2004 to 2013. The charges include rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual battery by restraint and sexual penetration by use of force. Los Angeles prosecutors first charged Weinstein in January 2020, just as jury selection was getting underway in the New York City case that ended in his conviction and imprisonment. Weinstein is appealing the verdict that he raped an aspiring actress in 2013 in a Manhattan hotel room and forcibly performed oral sex on TV and film production assistant in 2006 at his Manhattan apartment. Because Weinstein is incarcerated in New York, Case's authorization was needed in order to transfer him to the custody of Los Angeles authorities under the terms of an interstate extradition agreement. One other way Weinstein's move could have been blocked was by an objection from New York's governor, but Gable said there was no such action by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Weinstein, appearing via video from the Wende prison, placed his hands on his mask-covered face after Case announced his decision. Earlier in the hearing, Weinstein had the mask drooping from his right ear as he sat in what appeared to be a prison meeting room. In addition to concerns about Weinstein's health, Effman questioned the legitimacy of extradition paperwork filed by Los Angeles authorities, which he said was defective because it listed only some of the charges. We are challenging the paperwork because its not right. Its wrong... They just copied the form and changed the date," Effman told Case. Gable said the paperwork absolutely met the requirements of the extradition agreement. Gable also challenged Effman's claims about Weinstein's health, telling the judge Weinstein last week rejected a prescribed treatment for his eye condition because he said he wasnt psychologically ready for it" and that prison officials cycled through ophthalmologists trying to find one acceptable to the defendant. Weinstein has myriad health problems and his condition has worsened since hes been in prisons, according to his lawyers, including a bout with COVID-19 two weeks after his sentencing in March 2020. Weinstein has diabetes, extensive coronary artery disease, anemia, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic lower back pain, sciatica , chronic leg pain and arthritis that severe limits his ability to walk, and eye ailments that have severely degraded his vision, his lawyers said. Every inmate has an absolute right to appropriate treatment when he or she is in custody, Gable said. But they don't have a say in when and where they get their treatment, and theres absolutely nothing in either doctors report that says this treatment cant be done in Los Angeles. ___ Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Minneapolis police on Tuesday identified the man suspected of driving into a crowd of demonstrators, killing one and injuring three others as a 35-year-old from St. Paul with multiple convictions for driving while impaired. Police say Nicholas Kraus was booked into the Hennepin County jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide. Online jail records show he was arrested early Monday and was being held without bail. He's also being held on suspicion of driving after a license was canceled and providing false information to police, records show. The Hennepin County jail does not accept messages for people in custody and a phone message could not be left for Kraus. Prosecutors have asked for an extension until noon Wednesday to file charges. It was not immediately clear if Kraus had an attorney to speak on his behalf. A woman, who family members identified as 31-year-old Deona Knajdek, was killed Sunday night and three other people were injured when Kraus allegedly drove into demonstrators during a rally in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood. Protests have been ongoing in Uptown since the June 3 shooting of Winston Boogie Smith Jr., a 32-year-old Black father of three, by members of a federal U.S. Marshals Service task force. Authorities said they were trying to arrest Smith on a warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm when he displayed a handgun from inside a parked vehicle and task force members fired. Authorities also say evidence shows Smith fired his gun from inside the vehicle, but a female passenger has said she never saw him with a gun. Minneapolis has also been on edge since the death of George Floyd under an officers' knee in May 2020 and the fatal police shooting of another Black man, Daunte Wright, in a nearby suburb. On Tuesday, city crews began clearing and reopening streets near the site of Smith's shooting and Knajdek's death, but after police left, protesters moved back in and blocked traffic. Protesters told radio station WCCO they want the busy Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue intersection shut down much like the site of Floyd's arrest is closed to traffic and memorialized as George Floyd Square. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said: This is a safety concern. We cant have a major commercial corridor like this shut down. We cant have unauthorized closure of our streets, period. People need service. Witnesses have said the driver of an SUV in Sunday's crash, now identified as Kraus, struck a parked car, tossing it into the crowd of demonstrators. Police have not confirmed that account. Police said protesters pulled Kraus from his vehicle and witnesses reported demonstrators struck him. Kraus was arrested and treated for injuries at a hospital. Police have said Kraus' motive wasn't clear, but that a preliminary investigation indicated drugs or alcohol may have been involved. Kraus has five convictions for driving while impaired dating back to a 2007 incident, according to online court records. Court records also show his driver's license was canceled in 2013 because he was found to be inimical to public safety. A search warrant affidavit obtained by TV station KARE-11 says Kraus admitted several times that he was the driver, without being asked, but when asked specific questions he gave illogical and irrelevant answers. Kraus told police his name was Jesus Christ and Tim Burton, that he had been a carpenter for 2,000 years, and that he wanted to get his children to the Super Bowl, the affidavit says. Police noted his pupils were small and didn't react to a flashlight. A field sobriety test could not be performed because of his injuries. The affidavit says a city camera captured the incident and appears to show no brake lights before the crash. On Tuesday, police asked for the public's help in locating a person who climbed a pole and spray painted a city-owned camera. Police say this particular camera would have recorded the crash had it not been disabled. Other injuries and deaths have been reported involving vehicles at protests across the U.S. as people have increasingly taken to the streets to press their grievances. In Minneapolis, marching onto freeways has become a common tactic. Last year, a semitrailer rolled into a crowd marching on a closed Minneapolis freeway. No one was seriously injured. Republican politicians in several states, including Oklahoma, Florida and Iowa, have sought legal immunity for drivers who hit protesters. KAHNAWAKE MOHAWK TERRITORY, Quebec - The concept of environmental justice looms large in discussions of efforts in New York to shift from a fossil-fuel to a green economy that relies on clean energy. The idea is that new green energy projects should benefit groups that have historically suffered the effects of pollution or climate change. These groups can range from the poor, whose homes may be near landfills or smokestack industries, to minorities - in this case Native North Americans. With that in mind, Hydro-Quebec, the large provincially owned power company is partnering with a Mohawk group in co-ownership of a portion of the transmission line they hope will eventually carry electricity from Quebec to New York City. Specifically, Hydro-Quebec has reached an agreement with the Mohawk Council of Kahnawa:ke in which the tribe will become joint owners of the line that runs 37 miles from the Montreal area to the border. Details of the agreement arent finalized, but if the line is built to New York City, it should provide revenue and other benefits to the tribe, whose land sits between Montreal and the U.S. border. A partnership like the one with the Mohawk Council of Kahnawa:ke is the first of its kind for Hydro-Quebec export transmission infrastructure, Hydro-Quebec spokeswoman Lynn St.-Laurent said in announcing the deal. Hydro-Quebec is working with the Albany-based Transmission Developers Inc. to develop the proposed Champlain Hudson Power Express line which would go 337 miles from a series of large hydroelectric projects in Quebec to New York City. Most of the line would go underground and under Lake Champlain and the Hudson River on its way south. Hydro-Quebec says it can supply New York City with up to 1,250 megawatts of hydropower, which is enough electricity to power more than 1.2 million homes. The project with the Mohawks would be known as the Hertel interconnection between the Montreal suburb of La Prairie, Canada, and the border. The agreement is notable in that it represents an early, concrete example of how an underserved community might benefit from a green power project. The 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act calls for the state to have 100 percent zero-emission electric grid by 2040, portending a large shift from gas to renewables like wind solar and hydropower. Policymakers in New York, through a special Climate Action Council and numerous subcommittees have for months been discussing the road map for achieving these greenhouse gas reductions. Many of the discussions have also touched on the issue of environmental justice and the Council includes a special unit or subcommittee to focus on that issue alone. Despite that, the deal with the Quebec Mohawks won't give Hydro-Quebec an edge in the vigorous competition for the rights to build this power line. That's because the Mohawk beneficiaries of this line are not New York residents. The "evaluation process prioritizes consideration of projects that bring the highest and best value to New York State, including evaluation criteria during the selection process explicitly valuing the interests of disadvantaged communities and economic benefits in New York," said a spokesman for the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency. That's the group that will choose who gets to build the lines, with a decision likely to come later than this year. More than one bidder could be chosen, however. A separate Native American group, the Akwesasne or St. Regis Mohawks live in territory that spans the border in both northern New York and Quebec. But they have a separate unaffiliated government. That is a different Mohawk community, said Brendan White, spokesman for the St. Regis Mohawks in New York. All in all, there are seven bidders seeking to supply the power to New York City, including at least two other that want to place a power line in the Hudson River. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU ALBANY - In the waning hours of every state legislative session there are always some bills that slip through unnoticed, which are then praised or condemned, depending on ones point of view. They are often dubbed Midnight Riders, for their late night passage by the groups that have an interest in such, often arcane, bills. The states vast and diverse business community is no exception. This year, for example, insurers are worried about a bill, passed in the pre-dawn hours last Friday, that expands the disclosure an insurance company has to provide lawyers if the insured is being sued. In contrast to other issues that had been front and center all year, this came up suddenly, taking people by surprise. This was quintessential Albany backroom dealing, said Tom Stebbins, executive director of the state Lawsuit Reform Alliance, which frequently opposes laws it believes would expand the potential grounds for lawsuits. Like other bills passed last week it still needs to be signed or vetoed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. There were a number of those, state Business Council Vice President Ken Pokalsky added, referring to last-minute mandates. With COVID-19 dominating the landscape, many of the measures centered on health and safety, and not all were late-minute adds. Foremost among them was the Hero Act, already signed by Cuomo, which directs state agencies to set up health and safety standards in the workplace. Unions cheered the law, saying it was needed due to the pandemic. AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento said it was one of an unprecedented number of victories they had during the session. But business leaders are worried about what they say is the uncertainty surrounding the laws mandate that workplaces with 10 or more people must set up special safety councils. The major new mandates will come under the Hero Act, Pokalsky said of the numerous requirements businesses are facing this year. Overall, though, the session, say business leaders, had its share of wins and losses as well as last-minute fixes or no votes on bills they were worried about. Heres a quick list of winners, losers and battles expected from a business point of view. The $800 million in federal pass-through pandemic relief bill for small business grants was cheered by small businesses, said Greg Biryla, state director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Applications for those grants started last week and should help thousands of small businesses that were hit unexpected pandemic expenses. We certainly think that was a wise use of the money, said Biryla. Small businesses, he added, also should benefit from creation of special liaison offices in major state agencies that deal with contractors. These offices could help entrepreneurs cope with the paperwork and at-times complex requirements of working for the state. Legislation to help contain the experience rating or ways that an employers insurance benefit premiums are calculated was also welcome, although Biryla said he takes that with a grain of salt. Thats because unemployment rates paid by businesses are still rising due to the number of people left unemployed by the pandemic. A bill that makes it easier for workers to sue a general contractor if the worker has been stiffed on wages from one of the subcontractors on, say a construction job, has contractors complaining they are being blamed for things that may not be their fault. There was a late compromise, with the look-back period being reduced from six to three years, but Mike Elmendorf, president of the Associated General Contractors says his group still sees the law, if signed by the governor, as onerous. He believes the state Department of Labor, rather than trial lawyers who get a third of anything recovered, should police wage theft. The AFL-CIO, though, noted that for contractors, the bill includes language to allow union contracts to waive the lawsuit remedy. They say there are other prevention mechanisms in the bill to improve enforcement. Like businesses, labor also was happy with some of the unemployment insurance changes. One bill should help unemployed people who work part-time keep more of their unemployment insurance. Another bill removed the 26-week cap on the duration of unemployment insurance benefits for workers in the shared work program. Shared work lets workers whose hours have been reduced collect a reduced unemployment benefit to make up for the reduction in hours. From a business standpoint, Pokalsky said some of their victories, as is often the case, came from laws that didnt pass, which they believed would harm the economy. Foremost on that list was the Climate and Community Investment Act which would have mandated a carbon tax on all emissions of greenhouse gas, whether from hospitals, factories, universities, power plants or just about anything else that uses fossil fuels. Environmentalists sought the bill saying it would spur a quicker change to green energy like solar and wind as well as more electric vehicle use. But predictions that it could lead to a de facto 55-cent-a-gallon gas hike killed its chances in the legislature, especially with suburban lawmakers. The concept of a carbon tax is almost sure to come up next year, probably with a good deal of debate and study to accompany it. Pokalsky said his constituents believe the ways that a carbon tax is levied need more thought and study in order to avoid what would amount to a new tax. A lot of businesses had concerns about the Climate and Community Investment Act. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU ALBANY A Niskayuna man charged with participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has been arrested again this time after he allegedly called the mother of a federal probation officer on Monday. Brandon Fellows, 27, who faces felony charges in connection with the riot, appeared Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Daniel Stewart in Albany for an alleged violation of his release conditions that led to his arrest. Federal prosecutors requested Fellows be jailed as he awaits trial. It was the third time since Fellows was first arrested in mid-January that the government asked that he be detained, court documents show. The judge ordered Fellows jailed for now but reserved issuing a final decision, prosecutors said. Fellows, a 2012 Niskayuna High School graduate who smirked throughout his initial court appearance, has brazenly boasted on social media that he is a "proud Capitol rioter." On Monday, prosecutors revealed that before Fellows participated in the insurrection he violated an order of protection. He has been accused of harassing an ex-girlfriend. In that case, prosecutors said a court clerk tried to call Fellows at his listed contact number -- and it turned out to be an office number for the wife of the judge handling the matter. That took place in the town of Guilderland, according to people familiar with the matter. In the most recent instance, prosecutors said Fellows canceled a mental health appointment on Monday, telling a probation officer he did not feel well. When the officer asked Fellows if he could work, Fellows allegedly said no, then asked the officer: Have you checked your hormones? A supervisory probation official directed Fellows to report to the probation officer. Shortly after the call, the probation officer learned that a man had called the officers mother in another state and asked twice if it was the correct number for the officer, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Lee M. Furst stated in a motion filed in federal court in Washington D.C. Caller identification revealed the callers number to be the same number used by Fellows to contact the probation office, Furst said. In the almost four months since he has been on release, the defendant has consistently violated the conditions of bond, and continues to disrespect his supervising officer and the courts orders, Furst stated. He failed to report as directed, failed to call in, and most concerning, left a voicemail for the supervising officer that was totally inappropriate. The prosecutor added: "The defendant had ample opportunities to respect the government courts trust in his release pending trial, but has gone past ignoring the court and into the dangerous areas of intimidation and harassment. As such the United States agrees that he poses a threat to the community, supports the issuance of the warrant requested, and moves for the defendants revocation of his pre-trial release." Two days after supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of President-elect Joseph Biden's Electoral College victory, Fellows' Instagram account showed Fellows in a fake orange beard and a jacket that said "USA" on a police motorcycle outside the Capitol. The motorcycle image was later posted on Fellows' Facebook page. "We took the Capitol and it was glorious," Fellows said in one post. While inside the Capitol, Fellows put his feet up on the desk of U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon. On Feb. 6, a grand jury indicted Fellows on charges of obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds when the vice president and vice president-elect were temporarily visiting; disorderly and destructive conduct in a restricted building or grounds when the vice president and vice president-elect were temporarily visiting; entering and remaining in certain rooms in the Capitol building; and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building. On Jan. 19, Stewart placed Fellows on home detention, with conditions that he be allowed to leave for work, school, religious services, medical reasons, substance abuse or mental health treatment, attorney visits, court appearances, court-ordered obligations or other activities pre-approved by probation or the judge, "I want to make sure, Mr. Fellows, that you understand the seriousness of what we're talking about here," the judge told Fellows at the time. CHICAGO (AP) Two Chicago educational institutions have received donations from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the largest gifts from a single person in their histories, officials said Tuesday. Kennedy-King College, a branch of City Colleges of Chicago, was given $5 million by Scott. The University of Illinois-Chicago received $40 million from the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Ms. Scotts extremely generous donation will advance the lives of students who are poised to make great contributions to our city, our state and our world, said UIC Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis. "Her gift is a vote of confidence in the mission of public higher education and in UIC. City College officials say the money is the largest single private donation ever given Kennedy-King. The donation is part of $2.7 billion given to 286 organizations by Scott. Forbes Magazine has reported Kennedy-King College, which serves a largely African-American student body, is considered one of the top 10 community colleges in the country as determined by Academic Influence. We are dedicated to realizing the full potential of each one of our talented students, said Kennedy-King College President Greg A. Thomas, adding college officials are deeply grateful to Ms. Scott for the gift. Located in Chicagos South Side Englewood neighborhood, Kennedy-King serves nearly 5,000 students, offering culinary and hospitality, construction technology and creative arts classes. The donations announced Tuesday is the third round of no-strings-attached, major philanthropic gifts Scott has made. Scotts wealth, estimated by Forbes at roughly $60 billion, has only grown since she divorced from Bezos in 2019 and walked away with a 4% stake in Amazon. She has pledged to give away a majority of her wealth during her lifetime. COBLESKILL Police have charged a parolee with first-degree manslaughter for deliberately ramming his car into a man sitting on a bench with his two dogs outside a motel on Tuesday afternoon. The two men, both of whom were staying at the Colonial motel on East Main Street, had argued earlier, police said. The deadly crash that claimed the life of 50-year-old James Williams Jr.and the two animals also displaced 11 other people, according to village police and the local chapter of the American Red Cross. Police say after striking Williams, the 2008 Saturn Vue careened through a wall before coming to rest inside a room. Authorities say the damage to the motel caused by the wreck made it unsafe. An autopsy is slated Wednesday to determine the exact cause of Williams' death. The driver, who police identified as Raymond George Jr., 53, fled the scene but was taken into custody by police less than a mile away from the motel. George, police said, is a Level 3 sex offender and on parole in New York. He was arraigned in Cobleskill Town Court and sent to the Schoharie County Correctional Facility without bail. The investigation is ongoing and police say additional charges against George are pending. The Red Cross said it had provided financial assistance to aid with shelter, food and clothing to 11 adults. "Volunteers also offered health services, mental health assistance and emotional support," it said. "In the coming days, Red Cross staff and volunteers will remain available to help those affected by the incident as they navigate the road to recovery." The Cobleskill Police Department was assisted by the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Schoharie County Sheriffs Office, the Schoharie County district attorney, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the Cobleskill Fire Department, and the Cobleskill Rescue Squad among others. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Vladimir Enrique Medenica, University of Delaware and David Ebner, University of Delaware (THE CONVERSATION) The effects of American racial bias and anti-Asian sentiment do not end at the nations borders. The racial attitudes of white people also influence their support for American military intervention abroad, according to our working paper on U.S. foreign policy and racism. White Americans who hold racist beliefs are significantly more likely to endorse aggressive military interventions over diplomacy or economic strategies in foreign countries at odds with the United States, if the residents of those countries are perceived as nonwhite. This is particularly true when it comes to China. Race and public opinion Researchers have long known that race and racism powerfully shape white Americans views on domestic issues like social welfare and criminal justice. Scholars have given less attention to how the racial resentment harbored by white people influences their foreign policy views, in part because the typical voter cares less about foreign policy than about domestic policies that affect their everyday lives. But when tensions between the U.S. and another country escalate, as they have lately with Iran, North Korea and China, popular interest in foreign policy rises. That can influence policy decisions. To analyze how racial attitudes affect support for U.S. military action abroad, we examined 30 years of public opinion data collected by one of the countrys longest-running national public opinion surveys, the American National Election Study. Our analysis focused on answers by white Americans from 1986 to 2016. Specifically, we examined their responses to the racial resentment scale. Social scientists use this meticulously tested set of questions to assess anti-Black prejudice in the post-civil rights era. In recent decades, white Americans have become less willing to express explicitly racist views, such as opposing interracial marriage or supporting segregation. But they may still harbor bigoted perceptions, doubting Black Americans work ethic or commitment to self-reliance, for example. The racial resentment scale is designed to capture this kind of discriminatory anti-Black views. Social scientists have repeatedly demonstrated that white people who hold such views are also likely to hold negative views of other nonwhite U.S. populations, including Latinos, immigrants, Muslim Americans and Asian Americans. Based on responses to the racial resentment scale in the most recent American National Election Studies administered in 2012 and 2016 to about 3,000 non-Hispanic white respondents each we found that racist attitudes are correlated with and meaningfully influence white Americans support for U.S. military interventions in other countries. For example, people with racist attitudes favored more aggressive action against Iran. Thirty-five percent would support bombing Iranian suspected nuclear development sites, compared with 15% of whites with less racist attitudes and 31% of white Americans overall. White Americans with racist views also favor military engagement against Muslim populations. For example, they are five percentage points more supportive of continuing the global war on terror than the overall white population, 46% to 41%. Because a number of factors influence peoples foreign policy opinions including educational status, income, gender, ideology, military service and partisan affiliation we adjusted for these in our study. We also controlled for respondents reported attention to political news, their level of white ethnocentrism and their authoritarian leanings. We find that racial resentment has a significant effect above and beyond these other variables. Anti-China views Racial resentment seemed especially influential in white American views of China which has become an economic and political competitor to the U.S. over the last decade. In 2012, of the 3,196 white Americans surveyed in the American National Election Study, 28% believed that China posed a major military threat to the U.S., 53% saw China as a minor threat and 19% did not see China as a threat. Racially resentful whites were 36 percentage points more likely to see China as a major threat than other white respondents, according to our analysis. In 2016, 3,505 white Americans answered the same survey questions about China. Forty-five percent saw China as a major threat to the U.S. and 43% saw it as a minor threat; only 11% of whites believed that China presented no threat to the U.S. Again, racial attitudes strongly shaped these perceptions. Our analysis found that whites with racist attitude were 20 percentage points more likely to consider China a major threat in 2016 than other whites. While at first glance this might suggest that racial attitudes were less of a factor in 2016 than 2012, the lower percentage reflects the fact that a much higher percentage of Americans viewed China as a threat in 2016 than 2012. This trend continued during the presidency of Donald Trump, who portrayed China as a great adversary, calling it a threat to the world. Today 22% of all Americans see China as the greatest enemy of the U.S., according to a 2020 Gallup poll. A vicious cycle Americans growing perception of China as a threat comes as both countries compete for control over the South China Sea. China and the U.S. routinely deploy weapons and engage in military planning and exercises in the South China Sea. U.S. President Joe Biden frames tensions between the two countries as a competition between democracy and autocracy. He has described relations with China as one of the top priorities of his administration. [Like what youve read? Want more? Sign up for The Conversations daily newsletter.] Many analysts, including high-ranking U.S. military personel, view the risks of violent conflict between the U.S. and China as relatively low. But all that saber-rattling in the South China Sea, and years of heated presidential rhetoric under Trump, have domestic implications. Studies suggest that when politicians describe the relationship between the U.S. and China as a great power competition, it stokes anti-Asian beliefs among white Americans. These anti-Asian beliefs, in turn, make white Americans more likely to see China as a major threat, according to our research one potentially worthy going to war over. We document a vicious cycle of racial animosity with potentially global consequences. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/racial-bias-makes-white-americans-more-likely-to-support-wars-in-nonwhite-foreign-countries-new-study-157638. SCHENECTADY City police are forming several civilian committees designed to oversee internal department reforms adopted earlier this spring as part of a state mandate. Officials are putting out the call for volunteers for groups to oversee shifts in community policing; those designed to study ways to reduce weaponizing the police, and another to guide future conversations that activists have said form the bedrock to lasting reform. The community wants us there as observers of community conversations, said Police Chief Eric Clifford, and we want to open ourselves up to be observed or participate if asked. Clifford asked for members of the community organizations guiding the reform efforts to tap volunteers to lead the process, when to meet and the structure of the meetings. We are slowly implementing it as we go along by having more walking beats and attending more meetings, Clifford said. Detectives have also been assigned to each neighborhood to aid patrolmen when needed. The group advising city brass on reforms met virtually for the first time in three months on Wednesday to listen to Clifford give an update on recommendations included in the final package of reforms, ordered by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer last May. Localities that failed to adopt road maps for reform risked losing state funds. Reforms in the City Council-adopted package are broadly designed to make the department more responsive to historically overpoliced neighborhoods and restore a sense of eroded trust, including the creation of new community policing units. Over time, police also aim to phase out responding to calls involving distressed minors - such as unruly children who refuse to attend school, for instance. Additional changes will tighten civilian oversight over the citys police misconduct board (although not as significantly as activists would have liked), as well strengthen wellness and peer support services and de-escalation and anti-racism training for officers. City police are also refining data collection on when an officer uses force, as well as improving online tools for the community to report crimes. Authorities have already collected 25 days of data, which will further help track interactions between police and people of color, from traffic stops to street interventions. Work is also under way on steering mental health crisis calls to agencies better equipped to handle them, including Northern Rivers, a human services agency. Roughly 10 percent of calls are now being directed to that agency instead of local departments, officials said. Doing so would ideally reduce scenarios that lead to fatalities such as the death of Daniel Prude last spring in Rochester, who died following an encounter with police while suffering a mental health episode. Its still a little bit of work in progress, said Kevin Spawn, director of Schenectady County Unified Communications Center. Other community-requested reforms are already being implemented, including the formation of a civilian advisory panel to vet police recruits; more foot patrols and de-escalation training, which is being disseminated to all patrol officers after higher-ups achieved certification allowing them to lead local training courses. Youre seeing them walking in regions where they traditionally have not walked before, Clifford said. City police are also working with the citys affirmative action officer to study how to diversify the force, which is largely white and resides in the suburbs. The citys reform committee, formally dubbed the Schenectady Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, contains dozens of civilian, clergy and neighborhood leaders. I need the organizations that are represented on this call to get me one candidate to pass the (civilian service exam), score where theyre reachable on the list and pass a physical and background check so I can appoint them, said city Mayor Gary McCarthy. Police also aim to roll out a mobile command station that would serve the role as a substation, another recommendation included in the final report. That unit, Clifford said, may integrate additional city offices, including the codes and fire departments, and perhaps even outside medical services. Some of these problems go beyond policing, McCarthy said. If you do some of these things right, the demand for policing drops. City resident Molain Gilmore praised the police presence stationed at the Electric City Barn on Craig Street in the citys Hamilton Hill neighborhood, but said residents were long promised a substation from the developers behind that effort not a limited presence. Its still a sore spot and thats something that has to be looked at, Gilmore said. "I applaud the mobile one, but thats not what we talked about in the community. Officials will meet again next month for a progress report. WASHINGTON (AP) Senate Democrats pledged Tuesday to forge ahead with a likely doomed vote on their sprawling elections and voting bill next week, even as it faces universal opposition from Republicans, as well as from a key senator in their own party. Democrats have made the elections bill a major focus, touting it as the best way to counteract voting restrictions that have advanced in Republican-controlled statehouses across the U.S. in the wake of Donald Trump's false claims about a stolen 2020 election. With a vote nearing, a delegation of Texas state legislators met with senators Tuesday to make the case for congressional action. The legislators talked about their dramatic walkout last month, which effectively blocked Republicans in the Texas legislature from approving new voting limits. Carol Alvarado, a Texas state senator from Houston, said she hoped the visit gave Congress some fight, some strength. Democrats gave the group multiple standing ovations. Yet Sen. Joe Manchin, a key holdout on the elections legislation, did not attend the lunch. And with Republicans united against the measure, Democrats seemed to be careening toward a failed vote next week that is certain to add to the frustrations of liberal activists and others in the party who fear that a chance to safeguard access to the ballot is slipping away. Many of them say Democrats should change the Senates filibuster rules to muscle the bill through, but Manchin and others are against taking that step. Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed to press ahead. He said Democrats will hold a special meeting later this week to discuss the path forward. We have to get it done, Schumer said. Schumer said Republican legislatures are passing the most draconian restrictions since the beginning of Jim Crow, potentially disenfranchising tens of millions of Americans." The Democrats' bill would bring about the largest overhaul of U.S. voting in a generation, touching nearly every aspect of the electoral process. It would remove hurdles to voting erected in the name of election security, like voter ID laws, while curtailing the influence of big money in politics. It would create a nonpartisan process for redrawing congressional districts, while expanding mail voting and early voting, while restoring the rights of felons to cast a ballot, among scores of other provisions. Passing the bill was always going to be a huge lift in an evenly split 50-50 Senate, where Vice President Kamala Harris can cast tie-breaking votes. Senate procedural rules require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, and Republicans are united against the bill, calling it a power grab. The core desire they have is to federalize all elections to try to achieve a benefit to the Democrats at the expense of the Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday. Not surprisingly, there will not be a single Republican who supports it. Manchin, a moderate West Virginia Democrat, has also said he would vote against the bill because it doesn't have bipartisan support. What exactly will be palatable to Manchin, however, remains unclear. He supported previous versions of the bill and has said that action on voting rights is needed. He is also supposed to provide a list of criteria that he would support or oppose to Senate leadership, though it's unclear if he has done so. Manchin has pushed for Democrats get behind a narrower piece of legislation that updates the Voting Rights Act to reinstate a requirement that new voting laws and legislative districts be subject to federal approval. His proposal would for the first time impose those requirements on all 50 states. But that bill also lacks support from Republicans, with only Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski supportive of the effort. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said both bills must pass. The voting rights bill protects us in the current elections and must pass now," Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues. The update to the Voting Rights Act, she wrote, is the foundation for future elections and must be passed in a way that is constitutionally ironclad. Any premature passage could be very damaging to its success. Pelosi spoke several times with Manchin about the bill over the weekend, according to a senior Democratic aide who was granted anonymity to confirm the private calls. An aide to Pelosi declined to comment on their discussions. It was President Dwight Eisenhower who said, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days government had better get out of their way and let them have it. The citizens of America and Russia want peace, including disarming the two largest nuclear weapons arsenals in the world. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin must remember this June 16 when they meet at the summit in Geneva and beyond. We need to get back to serious negotiations in eliminating nukes, instead of the snails pace diplomacy of recent years. We have had no treaties on nuclear disarmament since the 2010 New START treaty that President Barack Obama signed with Russia. That agreement puts deployed strategic nuclear weapons at a limit of 1,550 on each side but does not include other weapons like tactical nukes. So more needs to be done. The Arms Control Association says there are 13,500 nuclear warheads worldwide, with the United States and Russia holding more than 90 percent. Both America and Russia have a vital interest in deep cuts to nuclear weapons. Neither nation wants or can afford an expensive arms race. The pressing issues of a pandemic, climate change, hunger and poverty show how precious resources cannot be wasted on nukes. By spending so much on nukes, our national security is actually weakened. When it comes to nukes, less is more. Biden and Putin should follow the roadmap set forth in 1996 by Generals Andrew Goodpaster (a former Eisenhower aide) and General Lee Butler. Their plan wisely called for the United States and Russia to take the lead on global nuclear disarmament, bringing their arsenals to very low levels into the hundreds. Goodpaster and Butler said, Taking the lead, U.S. and Russian reductions can open the door for the negotiation of multilateral reductions capping all arsenals at very low levels. ... The ultimate objective of phased reductions should be the complete elimination of nuclear weapons from all nations. The United States and Russia should also rejoin the Open Skies Treaty and the U.S. Senate should ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. That is what the people of America and Russia want a world of peace, free from the danger and heavy expense of nuclear weapons. William Lambers is the author of Nuclear Weapons, The Road to Peace and Ending World Hunger. His writings have been published by The Washington Post, Newsweek, History News Network and many other news outlets. Police say a 20-year-old Iowa man shot and killed his parents and his younger sister at the familys Cedar Rapids home, and has been taken into custody The Alaska House has passed a state budget that would result in a $525 dividend to residents this year and leave in doubt funding for a number of programs and infrastructure projects after failing to garner sufficient support for a key vote A 20-year-old man charged with killing his parents and younger sister in their family home in Iowa told police that a masked intruder was to blame for the homicides Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is castigating the Biden administration for what he called a disaster and an emergency at the nations border with Mexico [June 16, 2021] AM Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for Health Services Welfare Society Limited AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "bbb-" (Good) of Health Services Welfare Society Limited (New Zealand), trading as Accuro Health Insurance (Accuro). The Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect Accuro's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as adequate, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The revision of the outlooks to negative reflects AM Best's expectation of increased pressure on Accuro's balance sheet strength fundamentals. Over the medium term, a substantial technology investment is expected to drive a notable deterioration in Accuro's risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). Whilst the infrastructure investment is considered important to Accuro's long-term strategy and competitive positioning, the costs associated with the technology upgrade are expected to be significant and drive an increase in intangible assets on the company's balance sheet. Other balance sheet considerations include the company's relatively high underwriting leverage compared with other New Zealand health insurers and its small absolute capital base, which increase the sensitivity of capital adequacy to stressed scenarios and/or fluctuations in performance. During fiscal year 2020, the company's exposure to investment risk increased as a result of shifting part of its portfolio from cash and short-term deposits to fixed income securities, equities and listed property holdings. Despite this change in investment strategy, the company's bond holdings are typically of high credit quality and the overall investment portfolio continues to be viewed as low-to-moderate risk. As a member-owned organisation, AM Best considers Accuro's financial flexibility to be limited. AM Best views Accuro's operating performance to be adequate with a five-year average operating ratio of 97.9% (fiscal years 2016-2020), albeit with a moderate level of volatility oer this period. The company's claims volume declined in fiscal year 2020 due to the deferral of elective surgeries amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which supported an improvement in the company's overall operating result for the year. However, a subsequent catch-up in claims activity is anticipated in fiscal year 2021. Prospectively, AM Best expects Accuro to maintain adequate operating results, supported by a robust pricing strategy and positive investment returns. Accuro is a not-for-profit organisation that provides health insurance in New Zealand. The company's business profile assessment of limited reflects its relatively small-scale operations, and limited product and geographical diversification in New Zealand. Accuro is a small insurer in New Zealand's health insurance industry, with a market share of less than 2% based on gross premiums in 2020. Despite competitive market conditions, the company's membership has grown over the past five years due to the development of new products, including various product enhancements bolstering the value proposition. Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best Rating Action Press Releases. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005750/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] AM Best Upgrades Credit Ratings of China Reinsurance (Hong Kong) Company Limited AM Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to "a" (Excellent) from "a-" (Excellent) of China Reinsurance (Hong Kong) Company Limited (China Re HK) (Hong Kong). The outlook of the Long-Term ICR has been revised to positive from stable, whilst the outlook of the FSR is stable. These Credit Rating (rating) actions follow AM Best's assessment of China Re HK being a newly added member of the group's lead rating unit, China Reinsurance (Group) Corporation (China Re Group). China Re HK is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Life Reinsurance Company Ltd. (China Re Life), which is wholly owned by China Re Group. The group's ultimate parent is China Investment Corporation. The ratings reflect China Re Group's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The ratings also reflect China Re HK's strategic importance to and integration within China Re Group, as its only overseas life reinsurance subsidiary, in addition to the implicit and explicit support the company receives from its immediate parent, China Re Life, including capital, brand recognition, business development, investment, risk management and operational support. In June 2021, China Re Life provided a capital injection of HKD 2 billion (USD 258 million) to China Re HK to support the company's future business growth and maintain a healthy capitalisation level. Going forward, AM Best expects China Re Life willremain committed to provide financial supports in the future to satisfy China Re HK's business expansion needs. Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best Rating Action Press Releases. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005763/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] C4T Secures 17M to Set the Global Standard for Customs MECHELEN, Belgium, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Customs4trade (C4T) (www.customs4trade.com), the Belgium-based pioneer in digital-first customs management, announced today the closing of 17 Million in Series C funding led by 83North (www.83north.com), a global venture capital firm with $1.8 billion capital under management. The investment positions C4T for worldwide expansion, continuing to set the standard for the next generation of customs management. Customs is important for all businesses involved in international trade and is time critical for a fluid supply chain. In an industry notorious for its complexity and fragmentation, C4T simplifies customs and trade with its SaaS solution, CAS, which was designed as a unique global standard to overcome the challenging variations between countries and disconnected local solutions. CAS connects corporations, logistics service providers, customs brokers, and customs authorities with a centralised, multi-country platform that has built-in legal compliance. C4T has helped customers across industries, including retail, automotive, high tech, manufacturing, raw materials, and fast-moving consumer goods, accelerate international commerce, realise duty and administrative savings, and adapt to massive changes in trade, including Brexit. A CAS subscription can save companies up to 90% on customs administration and bottom-line duty costs. Logistics providers have the possibility to expand and increase their revenue 10-fold with CAS's comprehensive, multi-country functionality. "There's a coming-of-age of tech and the ability to build phenomenal companies in Europe," commented 83North partner Laurel Bowden. "We believeCustoms4trade will set the standard for their category and go on to achieve the exceptional." "This investment will allow C4T to expand sales from European regions to the USA and accelerate integration with customs systems around the world, solidifying CAS as the global standard for customs and trade management," said C4T CEO and Founder Pieter Haesaert. "It is through people that we gain success, so hiring talent will be key to our growth strategy," added Ilse Vermeersch, COO and co-founder. In 2019, Customs4trade raised 2,145 Million in Series A financing from Munich-based investors 42CAP (www.42cap.com) and 10x Group (www.10x.group), shortly followed by 3 Million in Series B financing led by Paris-based investors Hi Inov - Dentressangle (www.hiinov.com). "It was our belief, but their achievement," remarked 42CAP partner Alex Meyer about C4T's latest funding. This Series C round brings C4T's total financing to 22,145 Million ($27 million). About Customs4trade Customs4trade's (C4T) unique team of customs experts and best-of-breed technology engineers has developed CAS, a one-of-a-kind software solution that automates customs and trade compliance. CAS is a collaborative hub, designed to manage regional and worldwide customs and trade compliance quickly and accurately, within one single platform. By automating all import and export processes, C4T clients experience faster time to market, eliminate customs duty and administration costs, and gain strategic visibility into their customs operations. Built on the Microsoft Azure platform and delivered as a Service (SaaS), CAS provides customers with continual updates and feature enhancements, including the incorporation of any changes to legislation and compliance regulationsalong with Azure's signature accessibility, scalability, and security. About 83North 83North is a global venture capital firm based in Tel Aviv and London. With only six people on the investment team and $1.8 billion in capital under management, the firm operates as a focused team, positioned to give their portfolio firms individualised attention in addition to their financial backing. 83North takes an entrepreneur-first approach, providing advice, connections, expertise, and capital while leaving the leaders of their investments to innovate and define the future. With 12 unicorns and 21 exits, 83North's portfolio companies are known for defining and leading their global categories. Investments include leading European and Israeli tech companies, including Mirakl, iZettle, Just Eat, Celonis, Marqeta, and Vast. For more information, please visit www.83north.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1531616/Customs4trade_founders.jpg www.customs4trade.com For more information, please contact: Pieter Haesaert CEO pieter.haesaert@customs4tade.com +32 499 58 28 77 Ilse Vermeersch COO ilse.vermeersch@customs4trade.com +32 475 582 534 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/c4t-secures-17m-to-set-the-global-standard-for-customs-301313626.html SOURCE Customs4trade [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] California District Court Rules in Favor of NaviStone on Privacy Issue In November 2018, NaviStone was sued in federal court in California for alleged privacy law violations. In June 2021, the federal court dismissed the case (No. 18-cv-06827-VC) in its entirety, entering judgment in NaviStone's favor. United States District Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California on June 10, 2021, determined that the Plaintiff had failed to prove claims of wiretapping and invasion of privacy, and dismissed the case with prejudice. The following statement can be attributed to Larry Kavanagh, CEO of NaviStone. We are pleased the courts have once again found for NaviStone and its commitment to consumer privacy. NaviStone proved that the plaintiff had never been "wiretapped", and both in discovery and in expert reports NaviStone's established that its services preserved and protected website visitor anonymity. Plaintiffs were unable to counter that evidence. NaviStone's expert witness, Dr. Greg Humphreys said, "This ruling is important for the entire industry. NaviStone uses the same fundamental approach as almost all analytics companies. If it were disallowed, the entire modern web as we know it would cease to exist." Dr. Humphreys is an award-winnin software expert and former assistant professor at the University of Virginia, with a PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University. According to David Bertoni, a partner with Brann & Isaacson who represented NaviStone, "Litigating class actions has, unfortunately, become a rite of passage for successful tech companies. Given NaviStone has won every one of the five cases brought by the same law firm, it's clear the company is both privacy centric and can prove it in court." NaviStone has designed a marketing platform that helps clients deliver more relevant advertising for the purpose of enhancing consumers' experience with that brand, while protecting their privacy. NaviStone's program is built from the ground up to protect the privacy and anonymity of visitors to its clients' websites. The company's commitment to privacy is published on its website. We will continue to fulfill on this commitment to our clients and consumers. About NaviStone: NaviStone combines classic direct mail with digital retargeting and provides the newest, most responsive marketing channel: web-powered direct mail. Our premise is simple, website visitors show their interests through the product pages they browse. Our patented technology then helps transform these engaged browsers into customers. For more information on NaviStone and our products visit www.navistone.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005232/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Call for applications for the 2nd season of Viet Solutions - a contest for digital products/solutions by Viettel HANOI, Vietnam, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) and Viettel Group announces the second season of Viet Solutions - a contest to find products/solutions to accelerate the digital transformation progress. Interested parties can submit their application on the contest's official website www.vietsolutions.net.vn until 15/8/2021. With the goal of "Synergize to create digital societies", the contest targets individuals, organizations worldwide that have products, solutions that in 10 fields: mobile application; healthcare; education; finance-banking; agriculture; transport and logistics; energy; resources and environment; manufacturing; corporate management. This year, Vietnam's MIC and Viettel are searching for solutions to specific problems which are listed on the contest's official website. In this season Viet Solutions also accepts business ideas and increases the prize pool three-fold. The winner will receive 300 million VND (12,000 USD), two 2nd runner-ups 200 million (8,500 USD), two 3rd runner-ups 150 million (6,400 USD). All contestants qualified for the main event will have the opportunity to enter a partnership with Viettel that has a profit-sharing term of up to 75%. Contestants will also be trained in essential skills by professors of top economic universities, angel investors, and CEOs of top companies. Vice Minister of MIC, Nguyen Huy Dung said: "There are many problems that need just the right idea to solve. This is the overarching idea of the current season of Viet Solutions". Viettel's CEO, Mr. Le Dang Dzung said: "The incubator model of three parties, government, corporates, startups generates huge synergetic power. The MIC creates legal corridors. Viettel has a large market worldwide that allows contestants that provide new solutions, products environment to grow. The startup community will provide creative products, solutions to help to. This model of collaboration will help Vietnam accelerate its digital transformation progress." Viet Solutions is an annual contest to find creative solutions that help to solve the current problem in society, contribute to the country's digital transformation plan. After two seasons, there have been 554 applications submitted, total revenue from partnerships amounts to 20 billion VND (870,000 USD). In the previous season, the contest chose three winners: Mismart - using UAV to monitor crop health; Map4D - a Vietnamese map platform and CyRada - a cloud and web security solution. Application Deadline: Sunday, 15 August 2021 ICT. ICT. Information about eligibility etc. can be found on Viet Solutions website: http://vietsolutions.net.vn All applications must be done via the Viet Solutions website. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/call-for-applications-for-the-2nd-season-of-viet-solutions---a-contest-for-digital-productssolutions-by-viettel-301313345.html SOURCE Viettel Group [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Clearwater Analytics Appoints Thomas van Cauwelaert as Region Head for France, Belgium and Luxembourg, and Opens Paris Office PARIS, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Clearwater Analytics, the leading SaaS solution for investment accounting, reporting, and analytics, is strengthening its presence in Europe by appointing Mr. Thomas van Cauwelaert as Head of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Based in Clearwater's new office in Paris, Thomas will be responsible for accelerating the company's growth in the region and make Clearwater part of its proximity strategy to the local markets. After holding several management positions in financial services in Europe, Thomas previously served as Director of Sales and Marketing at New Access, a Swiss software vendor of a "Core to Digital" suite for private wealth. Prior to New Access, Thomas van Cauwelaert was Vice President at SimCorp, where he led Sales and Marketing for Southern Europe for ten years. Alongside Thomas van Cauwelaert, several employees have already joined the Paris office. Alexander Nakhla leaves Clearwater New York to join Clearwater in France as Business Development Lead; Cristel Cohen-Bacry, recently appointed to Clearwater EMEA Marketing, is also based in Pris. Cristel was Marketing and Communications Director for various software vendors for banking, asset management, and investment funds. Clearwater will be adding several other product and implementation specialists in the coming months to support the growth. "Clearwater Analytics is a game changer with its leading solution for asset management. I am delighted to join Clearwater and lead a group of experts committed to the success of our clients," says Thomas van Cauwelaert. "Clearwater's 'multi-tenant single instance' cloud model brings together industry best practices. By offering a solution, not software, Clearwater Analytics provides an alternative approach to asset managers who have been burdened with lengthy implementation projects and legacy technology. I have been impressed with Clearwater's offering, as well as the culture of innovation and success of its customers." "Thomas brings a wealth of domain, business, and market experience to Clearwater," said Gayatri Raman, Head of Clearwater Analytics for EMEA and APAC. "We are delighted to welcome him to our team. His expertise will be of immense value as we continue expand across Europe and service more clients in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg." About Clearwater Analytics Clearwater Analytics is a global industry leading SaaS solution for automated investment data aggregation, reconciliation, accounting, and reporting. Each day, the Clearwater solution reports on more than $5.5 trillion in assets for clients that include leading insurers, asset managers, corporations, pension plans, governments, and nonprofit organizations helping them make the most of their investment portfolio data with a world-class product and client-centric servicing. Investment professionals in 50 countries trust Clearwater to deliver timely, validated investment data and in-depth reporting. Additional information about Clearwater can be found at www.clearwater-analytics.com, LinkedIn, and Twitter. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Coin Cloud Set to Install 2,000th Digital Currency Machine as Popularity of Digital Money Grows Coin Cloud, the largest and fastest-growing digital currency machine ( DCM (News - Alert) ) operator in the world, announced today it is set to install its 2,000th kiosk across the United States and Brazil following retail partnerships with CAL's Convenience Store, United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), and the National Alliance of Trade Associations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005368/en/ With over 2,000 locations nationwide, in 47 states and Brazil, Coin Cloud operates the world's largest and fastest-growing network of 100% two-way digital currency machines (Photo: Business Wire) With its 2,000th kiosk landing in San Antonio-based grocery store chain H-E-B, Coin Cloud's rapid expansion provides customers an easy and convenient point of access to more than 30 digital currencies, which include popular cryptocurrency options like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, Litecoin, several US dollar stablecoins and numerous DeFi tokens. "We're thrilled to reach this juncture of our business, as our growth is a tangible representation of interest in digital currencies and of Coin Cloud's mission to provide communities with seamless options to buy and sell," says Chris McAlary, Founder and CEO of Coin Cloud. "As we continue to expand, retailers will become increasingly aware of the important role digital currency plays in the future and how Coin Cloud's expansive rollout of DCMs will help them meet the forward-looking needs of their shoppers from a technological and financial standpoint." Coin Cloud is a prime example of the unique solutions UNFI's Professional Serices teams offer independent grocery retail customers to remain current, on-trend and competitive. For the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor throughout the U.S. and Canada, giving customers the opportunity to step into the digital currency space through small footprint DCMs is just one example of cost-effective and scalable solutions that help set retailers apart as cutting-edge leaders in the space. As the only national operator of 100 percent two-way DCMs, Coin Cloud announced its 1,250th kiosk in December 2020. Reaching the 2,000 DCM mark after only seven months is a notable accomplishment in an industry that typically averages about 50 machines in the same time period. "When Coin Cloud said they were going to deliver and install over 200 machines in a week, I didn't believe them," says CAL's Convenience Store CMO Ray Harrison. "The speed and ease at which they were able to execute was impressive. Operationally, it was the quickest and highest quality rollout we have ever experienced." Coin Cloud's strategy behind the rapid DCM rollout is to stay ahead of the growing popularity of digital currencies, including cryptocurrency, by creating a seamless client experience that allows users to buy and sell various currencies with cash at any of their DCMs and utilize Coin Cloud's free mobile wallet to manage, store, buy or sell from anywhere in the world. The growth milestone also comes as the Federal Reserve recently announced exploratory efforts to develop its own central bank digital currency and stands as a testament to Coin Cloud's mission to become the leading digital currency provider in the world. "As digital currency becomes more and more popular across the U.S., it was important for us to provide our stores with one of the largest and most reliable providers in this space," said Mike Thompson, CEO of National Alliance of Trade Associations. "By partnering with NATA, Coin Cloud gains access to the same communities NATA is investing in." The locations of all 2,000 Coin Cloud DCMs can be found at http://coin.cloud. Recent DCM partners include: More than 300 UNFI customer locations: UNFI is a deeply integrated grocery distributor with an emphasis on sustainability, fresh food, and healthy choices. As consumers become increasingly aware of where their food comes from and how it's grown, Coin Cloud gains visibility with some of the most forward-thinking people across the country. UNFI provides an efficient and easily accessible on-ramp for consumers looking to enter the digital currency ecosystem. UNFI customer locations: UNFI is a deeply integrated grocery distributor with an emphasis on sustainability, fresh food, and healthy choices. As consumers become increasingly aware of where their food comes from and how it's grown, Coin Cloud gains visibility with some of the most forward-thinking people across the country. UNFI provides an efficient and easily accessible on-ramp for consumers looking to enter the digital currency ecosystem. More than 200 CAL's Convenience Store locations: With over 200 locations launched in one week, Coin Cloud installed these digital currency machines at an unprecedented speed. CAL's Convenience Store locations: With over 200 locations launched in one week, Coin Cloud installed these digital currency machines at an unprecedented speed. National Alliance of Trade Associations: National Alliance of Trade Associations (NATA) is the nation's leading independent convenience store cooperative. Formed in the mid 1990s, NATA's 13 partner Trade Associations support over 6,000 independently owned convenience store members across 16 states in the southeastern region of the United States. About Coin Cloud: Founded in 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Coin Cloud is the leading digital currency machine (DCM) company globally. With over 2,000 locations nationwide, in 47 states and Brazil, Coin Cloud operates the world's largest and fastest-growing network of 100% two-way DCMs, a more advanced version of the Bitcoin ATM. Every Coin Cloud DCM empowers you to quickly and easily buy and sell 30+ virtual currency options with cash. You can find your nearest Coin Cloud DCM at https://Coin.Cloud. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005368/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Colerain Township, Cincinnati Bell Partner to Provide Public WiFi at Local Parks Colerain Township is pleased to announce a new initiative with Cincinnati Bell (News - Alert) Inc. that will deliver free high-speed public WiFi at four parks within the Township: Skyline Park: 8507 Neptune Drive Groesbeck Park: 8296 Clara Avenue Wert Park: 3460 Galbraith Road Clippard Park: 3500 Bevis Lane Colerain Township is partnering with Cincinnati Bell's UniCity Smart City program on the WiFi (News - Alert) project, which is being funded through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Hamilton County supports 41 jurisdictions with CDBG funding on a wide range of projects that improve the quality of life for all residents including: park and playground improvements, senior center improvements, ADA accessibility infrastructure, and facade improvement programs, among other community-centered projects. The project will help Colerain Township to connect with, engage, and inform residents and visitors to its park system. "This project helps our Township bridge the digital divide, providing free internet access to our residents in our beautiful Township parks," said Township Administrator Geoff Milz "It also adds an amenity to our parks that has not existed in the past, enhancing the experience for those who use them. We are grateful for our partnership with Cincinnati Bell and for the financial support of Hamilton County Community Development that made it possible." UniCity works with governments of all sizes to problem solve through smart city solutions, building on a foundation of connectivity through fiber and high-speed public WiFi networks. For more information on Cincinnati Bell's UniCity program, please click here. About Cincinnati Bell Inc. With headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati Bell Inc. (NYSE: CBB) delivers integrated communications solutions to residential and business customers over its fiber-optic and copper networks including high-speed internet, video, voice and data. Cincinnati Bell provides service in areas of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Hawaii. In addition, enterprise customers across the United States and Canada rely on CBTS and OnX, wholly-owned subsidiaries, for efficient, scalable office communications systems and end-to-end IT solutions. For more information, please visit www.cincinnatibell.com. The information on the Company's website is not incorporated by reference in this press release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005897/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Convosight, World's First Community Creator Monetization Platform, Raises $9 Million in Series A Funding NEW YORK, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Convosight, the world's first platform to help community creators monetize, announced it has raised a $9 Mn Series-A round led by Singapore-based VC firm Qualgro. Unilever Ventures and Ajay Gupta (ex. McKinsey), along with existing backers IvyCap Ventures and Sequoia Capital India's Surge also participated in the round. The passion economy ecosystem is seeing burgeoning growth and community creators, who run communities driven by passion and purpose, are at the epicenter of this movement. But while passion trumps all, monetization and sustainability are the biggest pain points for millions of community creators globally. The idea behind Convosight came after founders Tarun, Tamanna and Kartik built and scaled their network of Parenting Communities to 2MM members in India. "We were able to use technology and analytics to create value for brands to co-exist with our communities, giving us revenue, and brands a quantifiable ROI on community marketing. In 2020, we decided to productize our learnings to enable community creators globally to start monetizing via purpose-led community marketing with brands. At Convosight, our mission is to enable millions of community creators across Facebook Groups, Reddit, and Discord to earn sustainably. We are thrilled by the support of ambitious, successful investors who see the disruptive potential of Convosight in creating the community marketing category," says Convosight co-founder, Tamanna Dhamija. Since its launch, the Company has grown rapidly, reporting 10x user growth within the last 15 months to over 45K+ Communities with over 300MM+ managed members across 75 countries. "Just like the Influencer Marketing ecosystem has changed the marketing landscape and enabled millions of influencers to earn a living, Convosight is igniting a new ecosystem for community marketing whch will impact millions of community creators and start a new chapter in marketing. They have leveraged their unique tech and data platform in creating a new purpose-led digital marketing category. Qualgro is delighted to partner with Convosight and help them further accelerate international expansion and build a global presence," said Heang Chhor, Managing Partner & Founder of Qualgro. Marketing heads of both Consumer Enterprise Brands such as Reckitt, Nestle, J&J, P&G, and D2C brands such as Plum use Convosight to drive insight-led organic customer engagement, adoption, and brand consideration through community marketing across many consumer categories such as nutrition, health, beauty, giving fuel to community creator earnings. "The rise of communities is remarkable as consumers turn to Facebook and WhatsApp group communities to discuss their pain points, opinions on various categories and brands. Through communities, we have seen a shift in engagement narrative from likes to meaningful conversations leading to consideration, advocacy, and increased ROI. Community Marketing is now a critical and high performing part of the overall media mix for several brands within Reckitt," says Shashishekhar Mukherjee, Head of Media for Reckitt. The company has seen a 25x jump in earnings for community creators via Convosight - with close to $1 Mn in total payouts with the top 25% of Creators earning $500/month. "We are a geographically dispersed team of volunteers who spend thousands of hours managing our groups (230+ in 70 cities, 500k members) but sustainability was a challenge for us and we had no ideas around how to pitch and start monetizing. We started using Convosight to build our pitch book using their metrics and insights dashboards and were able to land campaigns," says Anne Scott, Admin of FB Group Girl Gone International About Convosight: Convosight is the world's first Community Monetization platform for Creators with a mission to empower and enable community administrators to monetize their passions. We bring brands and communities together to build sustainable monetization models delivering immense value to consumers, creators, and brands. The company has offices in New York, New Delhi, and Singapore. www.convosight.com About Qualgro: Qualgro is a Venture Capital firm based in Singapore, investing mainly in B2B companies in Data, SaaS, and Artificial Intelligence, to support talented entrepreneurs with regional or global growth ambition. Qualgro invests across Southeast Asia, Australia/New Zealand, primarily at Series A & Series B. Quality & Growth. Qualgro www.qualgro.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/convosight-worlds-first-community-creator-monetization-platform-raises-9-million-in-series-a-funding-301313291.html SOURCE Convosight Analytics, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] EFG Companies Adds More Talent to Nationally Award-Winning Field Team EFG Companies, the innovator behind the award-winning Hyundai Assurance program, today announced three new additions to its nationally award-winning field team. Jay Gordon, former Director of Enterprise Accounts at Cox (News - Alert) Automotive, has joined the company as Regional Vice President, Dealer Services. Brian Townsend and Shane Hildy join the Powersports Division serving clients as Account Executives. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2N2SfM0. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005319/en/ Jay Gordon, former Director of Enterprise Accounts at Cox Automotive, joins EFG Companies as Regional Vice President, Dealer Services, bringing 25 years of experience and a focus on maximizing client growth and F&I profitability. (Photo: Business Wire) "At EFG, we take pride in the caliber of our team members and expertise we provide our clients," said John Pappanastos, President and CEO, EFG Companies. "Our mission has always been to mobilize a talented team to engage intensely, reliably, transparently, and innovatively to drive profitable results for our clients. The addition of Jay, Brian, and Shane to our team is an extension of our efforts to provide industry-leading support for our clients." Jay Gordon brings 25 years of experience in business develoment and strategic account management to his role as Regional Vice President of Dealer Services. His focus is on expanding EFG's award-winning service by expanding the cultivation of the company's consultative team to serve as trusted advisors, maximizing client growth and F&I profitability. At Cox Automotive, Gordon delivered year-over-year growth as a President's Club member. Gordon began his career as a Field Manager for The Reynolds and Reynolds Company, where he eventually served as the Senior Director of Major Accounts. While there, Gordon was recognized as a member of the 300 Club/100% Club for more than a decade. He was also presented with the Field Manager of the Year Award in 2000. Gordon holds a B.S. degree in finance from Towson State University. "The powersports industry has experienced record quarter-over-quarter sales and revenue metrics, but inventory and market share continue to be challenges for retail dealers," said Glenice Wilder, Vice President, Powersports Division, EFG Companies. "With the addition of Brian and Shane to our team, we are ramping up the level of on-the-ground powersports expertise to turn market challenges into profitable opportunities for our clients." EFG's Powersports clients will benefit from Bryan Townsend's unique combination of experience within powersports and automotive dealerships. After a successful career as a tenured Business and Communications Professor for Louisiana Tech University, Townsend made his passion for motorsports his career. Since 2014, Townsend has trained and managed powersports sales teams, tripling back-end income within one year by maintaining a PRU of up to $2,000 in F&I, and generating a front-end gross average of up to $4,000 per unit. Having led teams both large and small, Townsend is well equipped to enable clients of all sizes to achieve their profitability goals. He holds a PhD in applied statistical analysis/organizational communications from the University of Georgia. Shane Hildy brings more than 15 years of experience in Powersports management to his position as an Account Executive at EFG, where he will apply his award-winning management techniques and in-depth ownership experience to drive greater profitability for EFG's clients. Most recently, Hildy served as the Sales and Finance Manager at Riva Motorsports Miami, FL. During his tenure, Riva Motorsports was recognized as a Top 5 Yamaha (News - Alert) White Diamond Boat Dealer for three consecutive years, as well as a Top 5 Yamaha White Diamond PWC Dealer. They also were recognized as the #2 Yamaha ATV Dealer in the U.S. and were a two-time winner of Suzuki's Top 50 Dealer. Hildy also purchased and developed Rockstar Motorsports in Davie, Florida, where he increased annual sales by 200 percent per year for the first two years and was recognized by Powersports Business Magazine in Power Profiles. "A company's value is reflected in the talent of its leaders, and these individuals bring a tremendous skillset to our team," said Eric Fifield, Chief Revenue Officer at EFG Companies. "While the economy is rebounding, the retail sales model at both automotive and powersports dealerships has changed significantly. As trusted advisors, we are committed to providing our clients with exceptional insight, experienced guidance, and proven business acumen to deliver profitable solutions to their business challenges." About EFG Companies EFG Companies drives the industry's highest-reported compliant F&I profitability through its distinct engagement model in which the company operates as an extension of the dealer's management team. EFG addresses total dealership performance, and its client satisfaction Net Promoter score is higher than national corporate leaders such as Southwest Airlines, USAA Banking and Finance, and Nordstrom. Learn more about EFG at: www.efgcompanies.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005319/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Enigmai, Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of Golden Star Enterprises Ltd., Makes a Splash at Live Webinar: "Efficiency Tools for Call Centers", Held in Israel Claymont, Delaware, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Golden Star Enterprises Ltd., (OTCPink: GSPT) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Enigmai Ltd., was featured at Live Webinar: Efficiency Tools for Call Centers, earlier this spring in Israel. This prestigious live event, which was attended by some of Israels largest call centers, provided the perfect venue for Enigmai to showcase its innovative Workforce Management (WFM) solution to a wide range of participants. The event was organized by Lior Lurye, the pre-eminent consulting CEO at Lior Lurye Computer Applications Ltd., an industry leader in Call Center solutions in Israel for over 20 years. Lior Lurye has worked with the largest and most recognized companies in the Israeli market, specializing in the industry intersection between call center operations, services, and technology. As a featured presenter, Enigmai highlighted its proprietary Workforce Management platform geared specifically to call centers. The Enigmai software solution turns call center scheduling and operations into an easy-to-accomplish click of a button to manage everything from scheduling shifts and breaks to allowing employees to request time off and scheduling changes. Enigmai helps their Israeli clients streamline their operations and scheduling issues with an all-in-one solution that is completely web-based, feature-rich, and can easily integrate with all in-house software systems. Mrs. Eital Muskal, VP of Strategy and Business Development for Enigmai, commented, Everyone at Enigmai is excited about the spotlight we received at the Live Webinar. Having such positive feedback from our peers acknowledgesthat Enigmai is offering a product and service that exceeds our customers expectations and fully addresses their WFM software needs. Our success at the webinar resulted in several connections that we look forward to exploring in the near future. Attendee feedback confirmed that Enigmais presentation was positively received by participants, and the post-presentation Q&A sessions led to substantive questions and in-depth interest in its WFM solution from various participants. With plenty of questions about the product, Mrs. Muskal added, We look forward to pursuing all new customer opportunities resulting from the webinar. Mr. Eliav Kling, CEO of Golden Star Enterprises, continued, I am pleased to hear Enigmais introduction to its unique WFM software solutions was met with resounding success at the Live event. The Enigmai team continues to push forward, targeting significant gains in the Workforce Management arena. All of us at Golden Star couldnt be happier with the outcome of the webinar. Client feedback, and now prospective customer input, continue to support the Companys belief that it has an outstanding platform, supported by an outstanding team that we feel are poised to make waves in the call center industry. About Enigmai Enigmai was founded in Israel in 2009. As an Israeli tech company, Enigmai developed a unique and advanced solution to address the challenges large contact centers face with workforce management. Our solution supports the entire workflow cycle, from managing shifts and employee breaks to forecasting every days HR needs. Our system offers numerous advantages like integration with other organization systems in use, real-time information update, easy access reports, and a web-based solution. Leading financial and insurance companies in Israel currently use our system, supporting the operation of hundreds of employees daily. Email: info@enigmai.com www.enigmai.com About Golden Star Enterprises Ltd. Golden Star Enterprises Ltd. (GSPT) is a publicly-traded holding and acquisition company interested in taking technology start-ups and growing them to the next level. We actively search for exceptional investment opportunities in the technology vertical. We leverage managements extensive experience in the marketplace and tech industry connections to create opportunities for companies in our portfolio. Email: info@goldenstarenterprisesltd.com www.goldenstarenterprisesltd.com This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current beliefs, expectations or intentions regarding future events. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements. Words such as "will," "will be," "anticipate," "predict," expect "continue," "future," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause views and expectations to change. The Company assumes no obligation, and specifically disclaims any intention or obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Enviva Honored by Northampton County Chamber of Commerce with "Corporate Business of the Year" Award Enviva, a leading renewable energy company specializing in sustainable wood bioenergy, today announced it was the recipient of the Northampton County Chamber of Commerce's "Corporate Business of the Year" award. The Northampton County Chamber of Commerce was established to advance the general welfare and prosperity of the county as well as to promote economic, civic, commercial, cultural, industrial, and educational interests to enhance the well-being of local citizens. Enviva was selected as a recipient of this year's award for its commitment to manufacturing excellence, its outstanding community outreach, along with its support of several existing educational and non-profit partnerships within the region. "We are both honored and humbled to be the recipient of this year's Northampton County Chamber of Commerce's 'Corporate Business of the Year' award," said Chris Brown (News - Alert) , Senior Community Relations Manager of the Mid-Atlantic at Enviva. "This award further underscores our commitment to leaving a positive impact on the communities we are grateful to serve, and we look forward to strengthening our relationship with the Northampton community for years to come." Enviva's Involvement in Northampton County Over the last year, Enviva has sponsored and supported several county initiatives including the new Northampton Career and Technical Academy of Innovation, which is slated to open later this fall; the Halifax Community College's Foundation, which supports student scholarships; and the construction of Northampton County's new walking trail and playground in Rich Square, which will provide local residents an inclusive community place to enjoy and recreate outdoors. "Enviva has been a staple of this community since they began their operations here in 2013 and we are honored to present them with this award," said Judy Collier, Executive Director of the Northampton, North Carolina Chamber of Commerce. "As an active member of this community, Enviva has continuously supported, donated, and invested their time and talents into local organizations and causes. We are very luck to have Enviva as part of our community as they continue to bring more business and more support to Northampton County. We look forward to working and partnering with Enviva more in the future." In an effort to empower and recruit top talent within the community, Enviva actively supports the Halifax Community College's RAMP East Program - a 96-hour curriculum that helps prepare undergraduate students for a job in the manufacturing industry. Enviva associates provide invaluable input to the training program curriculum and interview graduating program members for positions that may be available at the company's Northampton and Ahoskie, NC facilities. Several program graduates are now successfully employed by Enviva in those plants, with more currently in the pipeline. Yet another example of the company's community engagement is the partnership that started in 2015 with the Roanoke Electric Cooperative and the Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project (SFLR), to assist forest landowners in obtaining access to technical assistance, cost-share funds, and certification programs. Enviva also partners with the local organizations, such as the Northampton County NAACP, on several events from back-to-school drives in August to holiday food distributions around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Enviva's total economic impact in North Carolina is forecasted to be close to $1 billion annually. In Northampton County alone, Enviva employs 97 full-time workers and on average offers compensation close to 40% higher than the average wage in the county. To-date, Enviva has invested close to $200 million in the Northampton plant. About Enviva Holdings, LP Enviva Holdings, LP is the world's largest producer of industrial wood pellets, a renewable and sustainable energy source used to generate electricity and heat. Through its subsidiaries, Enviva Holdings, LP owns and operates wood pellet processing plants and deep-water export terminals in the U.S. Southeast. We export our pellets to power plants in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan that previously were fueled by coal, enabling them to reduce their lifecycle carbon footprint by more than 85 percent. We make our pellets using sustainable practices that protect Southern forests and employ about 1,200 people and support many other businesses in the U.S. Southeast. Enviva Holdings, LP conducts its activities primarily through two entities: Enviva Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership (NYSE: EVA), and Enviva Development Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned private company. To learn more about Enviva Holdings, LP, please visit our website at www.envivabiomass.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005768/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Former Federal Prosecutor Joins Sheppard Mullin in New York Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce that Michael J. Gilbert has joined the firm's New York office as a partner in the Government Contracts, Investigations and International Trade practice group. Gilbert joins from Dechert LLP in New York and is the 11th partner to join the firm this year. "We enthusiastically welcome Michael to the firm," said MaryJeanette Dee, Sheppard Mullin managing partner. "He has an impressive background, including experience as a former federal prosecutor and in private practice. Michael will add immediate value to our nationally recognized Government Contracts and Investigations practice." Jeff Kern, Sheppard Mullin New York office managing partner added, "Michael's reputation and accomplishments strengthen our white collar capabilities in New York in a significant way. With the possibility of a resurgence of white collar investigations and prosecutions under the Biden Administration, Michael's keen ability to navigate complex government investigations will be invaluable to our clients in New York and firmwide." Gilbert, a former federal prosecutor, served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in the Southern District of New York prior to entering private practice. While serving as an AUSA, he investigated and prosecuted matters involving a wide variety of federal criminal laws, including mail and wire fraud, bribery, healthcare fraud and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). He represented the government in numerous jury trials and argued appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In private practice, Gilbert has focused on government and internal investigations and white collar criminal defense. He advises idividuals and companies in a range of industries - including financial services, healthcare, life sciences, fintech and cryptocurrency - in navigating sensitive, complex government investigations conducted by a range of enforcement authorities, including the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Attorney General's Office, the New York City Department of Investigation, and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. He has also represented individuals and entities in connection with matters under investigation by regulators and enforcement authorities in other countries, including Canada, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom. Gilbert has extensive experience with FCPA matters and is regularly consulted about FCPA issues in the context of transactions such as potential mergers and acquisitions. Gilbert also litigates civil cases, including cases arising under the False Claims Act. He has extensive experience with criminal tax investigations. Gilbert earned his B.A., cum laude, from Tufts University and his J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he also served as Comments Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. Following law school, Gilbert clerked in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and on the Second Circuit. About Sheppard Mullin's Government Contracts, Investigations and International Trade practice group Sheppard Mullin's Government Contracts, Investigations & International Trade practice group provides a full range of legal services to clients that do business with governmental entities. We advise clients on complying with complex government regulations and defending them in the event of litigation. We specialize in handling government contract disputes, bid protests, claims and defending individuals and corporations in a wide range of administrative, civil and criminal proceedings, including fraud investigations and whistleblower lawsuits. Sheppard Mullin also has the ability to serve clients in such areas as legislative advocacy, public relations and other related fields. About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP Sheppard Mullin is a full-service AmLaw 50 firm with more than 980 attorneys in 15 offices located in the United States, Europe and Asia. Since 1927, industry-leading companies have turned to Sheppard Mullin to handle corporate and technology matters, high-stakes litigation and complex financial transactions. In the U.S., the firm's clients include almost half of the Fortune 100. For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005688/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] INVESTOR ALERT: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Announces the Filing of a Securities Class Action on Behalf of RLX Technology Inc. (RLX) Investors Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased RLX Technology Inc. ("RLX" or the "Company") (NYSE: RLX) American Depositary Shares ("ADSs" or "shares") pursuant or traceable to the Registration Statement and Prospectus issued in connection with RLX's January 2021 initial public offering ("IPO"). RLX investors have until August 9, 2021 to file a lead plaintiff motion. Investors suffering losses on their RLX investments are encouraged to contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss their legal rights in this class action at 888-638-4847 or by email to howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com. RLX purports to be the "No. 1 branded e-vapor company in China," which the Company claims is its "largest potential market." In January 2021, RLX conducted its IPO, selling approximately 116.5 million ADSs at $12 per ADS, raising approximately $1.4 billion in grossproceeds. On March 22, 2021, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology posted draft regulations confirming that e-cigarettes and new tobacco products would be regulated similar to traditional tobacco offerings. On this news, RLX's share price fell $9.31, or 48%, to close at $10.15 per share on March 22, 2021, thereby injuring investors. Then, on June 2, 2021, the Company announced its first quarter 2021 financial results, reporting only a 48% increase in net revenues quarter over quarter, and second quarter guidance suggesting that its gross margin would "remain steady." On this news, RLX's share price fell $0.97, or nearly 9%, to close at $9.90 per share on June 4, 2021, thereby damaging investors further. The Company's shares have traded as low as $7.89 per ADS, or 32% below the IPO price. The complaint alleges that Defendants overstated certain financial metrics and failed to disclose that these metrics were not indicative of future financial performance since regulators in China were already working on a national standard for e-cigarettes that would regulate them either under the same rules or in the same manner as ordinary cigarettes. If you purchased RLX ADSs, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020, by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com, or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005096/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] IP Infusion Named to Top 50 Software-Defined Data Center List by CRN IP Infusion, a leading provider of network disaggregation solutions for telecom and data communications operators, today announced that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named IP Infusion (News - Alert) to its 2021 Software-Defined Data Center 50 list. This annual list acknowledges technology vendors that partner with solution providers to virtualize all aspects of data center infrastructure - from storage and networking to compute and security - to truly deliver a software-centric IT solution. The list is selected by a panel of CRN editors each year, who review companies based on feedback from solution providers in the industry as well as the strength of the vendors' technology portfolios, effectiveness, visibility, business and sales influence, and their impact on the channel. CRN chose IP Infusion based on ongoing feedback throughout the year from solution providers regarding the strength of IP Infusion's web-scale and cost-effective data center solutions, specifically the OcNOS network operating system for its rich set of control plane features, and robust quality in data center applications. OcNOS is recognized for redefining open networking, enabling the industry's rapid transition to disaggregated networks for data center and internet exchange point use cases. "From industry stalwarts to innovative startups, these vendors are transforming the software-defined data center market, partnering with top solution providers to create agile, efficient, cost-effective data center solutions that foster scalable, easy-to-manage IT environments," said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. "We at The Channel Company congratulate them on their dedication to delivering best-in-class data center products and services to help improve business across the industry. They are truly raising the bar for the modern data center." The Software-Defined Data Center 50 list is featured online at www.CRN.com/SDDC50. About IP Infusion IP Infusion enables disaggregated networking solutions for carriers, service providers and data center operators. We provide network OS solutions for today's networks to allow network operators to reduce network costs, increase flexibility, and to deploy new features and services quickly. IP Infusion is a solution provider of the OcNOS and ZebOS network operating systems to our more than 350 customers and is an integrator and customer service provider for DANOS- Vyatta (News - Alert) edition and Commercial SONiC Distribution. IP Infusion is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and is a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of ACCESS CO., LTD. Additional information can be found at http://www.ipinfusion.com About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com 2021 The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is as registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. IP Infusion, ZebOS, and OcNOS are trademarks or registered trademarks of IP Infusion. ACCESS is registered trademarks or trademarks of ACCESS CO., LTD. in the United States, Japan and/or other countries. Northforge Innovations is a registered trademark of Northforge Innovations, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, or registered service marks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005005/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Key Private Bank Expands Use of Charles River Wealth Management Solution Charles River Development, a State Street Company, today announced that Key Private Bank, the wealth management division of KeyCorp, has consolidated management of its portfolio management capabilities onto the Charles River Wealth Management Solution. Key Private Bank has also enhanced its use of the platform, adopting compliance, data services, IBOR, and performance measurement and attribution capabilities. "Centralizing our private banking operations onto the Charles River Wealth Management Solution is a strategic step to scale and support efficient growth," said Joe Calabrese, Chief Operating Officer, Wealth Management at KeyBank. "As a business partner, Charles River has been a vital contributor to our success as the firm continues to evolve. Expanding our use of the platform helps streamline workflows for our advisors and traders, allowing us to better serve our clients." "We believe that working in collaboration with clients is critical to helping them achieve their goals in today's competitive marketplace," said Randy Bullard, Global Head of Wealth, Charles River. "Consolidating business lines onto a scalable, open architecture platform helps firms like Key Private Bank increase efficiency and modernize their operating models while positioning for growth with innovative capabilities and next-gen technology." About Key Private Bank Key Private Bank is a leading provider of wealth management solutions and advice for high-net worth and ultra-high-net worth clients, including wealth advisory, investment management, trust administration, customized credit, family office and private banking services. Key's wealth management platform combines the market insights of local advisors with a national team of wealth and investment strategists to deliver proactive and personalized advice and expertise to clients. Advisors also leverage partnerships with Key's business banking and capital markets teams to build wealth plans tailored to meet each client's specific need. Key Private Bank's wealth management platform is delivered across 15 of the United States. Key Private Bank has $45.2 billion in AUM and $52.7 billion in AUA at March 31, 2021. About Charles River, A State Street Company Investment firms, asset owners, wealth managers, hedge funds and insurers in more than 30 countries rely on Charles River's front and middle office investment management platform to manage more than US$30 Trillion (News - Alert) in assets. Together with State Street's middle and back office capabilities, Charles River's cloud-deployed software technology forms the foundation of State Street Alpha?. The Charles River Investment Management Solution (Charles River IMS) is designed to automate and simplify the institutional investment process across asset classes, from portfolio management and risk analytics through trading and post-trade settlement, with integrated compliance and managd data throughout. Charles River's growing partner ecosystem enables clients to seamlessly access external data and analytics, applications and liquidity venues that support the unique demands of their product and asset class mix. Headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, we serve clients globally with more than 1,000 employees in 11 regional offices. For more information, please visit www.crd.com. About State Street Corporation State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) is one of the world's leading providers of financial services to institutional investors including investment servicing, investment management and investment research and trading. With $40.3 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration and $3.6 trillion* in assets under management as of March 31, 2021, State Street operates globally in more than 100 geographic markets and employs approximately 39,000 worldwide. For more information, visit State Street's website at www.statestreet.com. * Assets under management as of March 31, 2021 includes approximately $60 billion of assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated. 2021 State Street Corporation - All Rights Reserved State Street Corporation, One Lincoln St, Boston MA 02111 Charles River Development - A State Street Company is a wholly owned business of State Street Corporation (incorporated in Massachusetts). 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Information Classification: General View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005539/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Kuwait Oil Company Selects Halliburton for Digital Transformation Projects Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL) today announced it received a contract from Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), a world leader in digital transformation, to expand KOC's digital transformation journey by implementing solutions to maximize operational efficiency and increase production. The scope applies to all Kuwait fields including West Kuwait, South and East Kuwait, and Heavy Oil, complementing a recently awarded contract for similar services in North Kuwait. Halliburton will collaborate with KOC to accelerate their data-to-decisions cycle by implementing automated work processes and digital twins across KOC's major assets. The solutions will leverage DecisionSpace 365, Halliburton's cloud-based subscription service for E&P applications, to automate work processes to accurately plan, forecast, and optimize production throughout the KOC portfolio. Built on an open architecture, the service integrates Halliburton and third-party technologies to enhance operational performance and increase ultimate recovery. "This award signifies our strong relationship with KOC as we collaborate and innovate across their company-wide digital transformation initiatives," said Nagaraj Srinivasan, senior vice president of Landmark, Halliburton Digital Solutions and Consulting. "This contract further demonstrates Halliburton's strategic priority to accelerate the adoption of our digital services. Our software and consulting services will support KOC to opimize their assets, reduce production costs and increase recovery." About Halliburton Founded in 1919, Halliburton is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the energy industry. With approximately 40,000 employees, representing 130 nationalities in more than 70 countries, the company helps its customers maximize value throughout the lifecycle of the reservoir - from locating hydrocarbons and managing geological data, to drilling and formation evaluation, well construction and completion, and optimizing production throughout the life of the asset. Visit the company's website at www.halliburton.com. Connect with Halliburton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005060/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Lanco International, Inc. Announces Sale of Its Technical Services International (TSI), Hubert Line, and Hubert Rail Companies to Remprex, LLC Lanco International, Inc., parent company of Mi-Jack Products, Inc. of Hazel Crest, Illinois, today announced the sale of its Technical Services International ( TSI (News - Alert) ), Hubert Line and Hubert Rail companies to Remprex, LLC, effective as of the close of business May 31, 2021. Terms of the sale are confidential. Frank Calomino - Executive Vice President of Lanco International, Inc. said, "We recognized early on that Remprex would represent an optimal path forward from a perspective of increased growth and innovation as one of our existing trusted partners and we are excited for both companies." Remprex, LLC is a high-growth, technology-enabled company that has expanded rapidly in the last decade into many areas of the transportation ecosystem, including lift operations, engineering, eqipment management, IT services and remote operations, all with a view towards leveraging the integration of technology into these services. Remy Diebes, President & CEO of Remprex, said, "We are looking forward to building on the foundation of this great business. We continue to expand our line of services in the rail & port facility space and see unlimited growth opportunities ahead of us." Mi-Jack Products will continue to concentrate on building its manufacturing portfolio with expanded product lines in rail, port, and industrial markets. In addition, its efforts to provide parts and service support to its customers will be enhanced with state-of-the-art processes to deliver the best support for all its industries. Lastly, it continues its commitment to provide industry-leading technical training via the John J. Lanigan Sr. Training Academy (JJLST). Its total immersion approach and multitude of certification paths empower customers' technicians to develop more independence, become more productive and versatile, as well as reduce risk, all while becoming experts at supporting Mi-Jack equipment. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005621/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Lemonade Day National Youth Entrepreneurship Organization Announces Nicole Cassier-Mason as New CEO Lemonade Day today announced that Nicole Cassier-Mason has been named chief executive officer. Lemonade Day is a nonprofit youth entrepreneurship organization that helps to prepare youth for life and equips them to become leaders and forward-thinking citizens of tomorrow through fun, experiential programs. Cassier-Mason joined Lemonade Day on June 7 as the organization executes a plan of strategic growth in licensed cities, fund development and stewardship, sponsor development, and the launch and implementation of the My Lemonade Day app. Cassier-Mason came to Lemonade Day after nearly 12 years with New Hope Housing, Inc. as vice president, fund development/communications. New Hope Housing provides affordable housing with support services for Houston's most vulnerable citizens on very liited incomes. As an officer, she oversaw public/private fundraising activities, envisioned and implemented communication and brand awareness campaigns, and devised innovative outreach and stewardship strategies. She previously served as the Development Director at The Heritage Society, and as an Event Coordinator at the City of Houston Mayor's Office of Special Events. "Nicole has proven her passion for planting the seeds that change lives. Our decision was influenced by her unique combination of thought leadership, experience, and energy," said Charlie Hamilton, Lemonade Day National Chairman of the Board of Directors. "The board is excited to work with Nicole as our new CEO and confident that Lemonade Day will be well-positioned under her leadership and thrive in the years to come." View Cassier-Mason's full biography at https://lemonadeday.org/press-releases. "This is a tremendous opportunity to lead a great organization focused on providing kids with the skills and experience to become a business owner through running a lemonade stand," Cassier-Mason commented. "I look forward to working with the Board, talented staff, and all of Lemonade Day's partners and supporters to spearhead the next phase of the organization's growth." About Lemonade Day Founded in Houston in 2007, Lemonade Day has expanded to 84 licensed markets in the United States, Canada, Bermuda, six U.S. military bases, and growing. More than one million children and thousands of adult mentors have participated since 2007. Children can experience the taste of the sweet success that comes with owning their own business by registering at lemonadeday.org/find-your-city. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616006012/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] LiveArt Market Opens Trading LiveArt is pleased to announce the public launch of LiveArt Market, the digital peer-to-peer marketplace that places control into the hands of sellers and buyers. LiveArt Market began limited, invitation-only trading last week and has already achieved sales approaching $5 million, with more than 1,000 works of art valued at approximately $120 million in the pipeline for sale. Prices have ranged between $50,000 and $500,000, with works by Amoako Boafo and Ed Clark commanding six-figure sums. Early offerings available for purchase include works by Derrick Adams, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Yayoi Kusama, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, among others. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005925/en/ Yayoi Kusama, Little Flower, 1952, Gouache, pastel, ink, pen on paper, 11.5 x 8.5 in (Photo: Business Wire) LiveArt puts collectors in control by providing participants with one destination for real-time information and an efficient and secure marketplace in which to privately transact. All LiveArt Market participants are extensively vetted and therefore can transact anonymously in virtual deal rooms. Additionally, sellers can control the visibility of their works of art and only share exact details and images once they are comfortable with a potential buyer - addressing two key concerns often raised by market participants. Marisa Kayyem, Chief Content & Data Officer for LiveArt: "Privacy is a hallmark of LiveArt, critically important for those who want to pursue a potential sale or purchase without the risk of overexposing a work or revealing a collecting strategy. At the same time, LiveArt offers more transparency into the sale process than any other platform or venue - a single seller and a single buyer, and straight-forward and low fees. The virtual deal rooms empower both sellers and buyers to control the outcome and all-in price." Sellers upload works of art from their own collection to LiveArt's AI-powered comprehensive data platform and instantly receive a LiveArt Estimate, view price trends and comparable sales, and make informed decisions about a potential sale. Buyers discover works by browsing the LiveArt Market and viewing works listed publicly, as well as those listed privately - where comparable works are shown and details are only shared once the seller approves. Once there is commitment to move ahead with a sale, the work is shipped to a secure facility in Delaware for inspection before the sale is completed. Funds are held in escrow before being released to the seller, and a flat 10% fee is charged to successful purchasers. George O' Dell (News - Alert) , Executive Vice President of LiveArt: "LiveArt provides a level of access and discovery that was previously available only to the most seasoned market participants. The platform is an exciting place for collectors to engage directly and chase otherwise unavailable blue-chip treasures, observe the latest trends, and discover artists usually reserved for a small coterie of insiders. For the first time, collectors anywhere in the world will have access to an exciting offering of works to suit all tastes." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005925/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Longsys Officially Joins the AECC to Jointly Promote Automotive Interconnection Data Storage SHENZHEN, China, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Longsys recently became the first storage enterprise from Chinese Mainland to be admitted to the Automotive Edge Computing Consortium (AECC), with the information being disclosed on the AECC's official website on June 7, 2021. Longsys will strive to promote the development of an open and distributed computing architecture for automotive interconnection through cooperation with mobile network operators as well as the smart automotive industry chain. Automotive interconnection has gained popularity in recent years, and the development of smart cars is now in full swing. Vehicle-mounted sensors and cameras allow smart cars to analyze complex road conditions, pedestrian dynamics, and other information in real-time. The massive and increasing amount of data seen in storage, transmission, calculation, and processing has given rise to immense costs and high latency. However, where there is challenge, there is also opportunity. The automobile industry is ushering in a new era. In 2017, Toyota, Intel, and other world-famous companies jointly established the AECC to create an ecosystem for automotive interconnection. This would better support emerging services such as smart driving, creation of online data maps, and assisted driving based on cloud computing. The AECC has joined hands with leaders in various industries to promote the development of edge network architecture and computing infrastructure. This collaboration also supports large-capacity data servics with smarter and more efficient connected cars. Other AECC members include DENSO, Ericsson, Dell, Samsung, and other internationally renowned companies. Thanks to a full range of automotive electronic storage products and efficient services, Longsys was finally admitted into the AECC. Due to the long-term layout and expansion of the vehicle storage market, the automotive storage product lines cover the entire vehicle. Now, Longsys is cutting a figure in the vehicle storage market thanks to its automobile storage eMMC, UFS, industrial SSD, industrial DDR4 memory module, industrial memory card, in-vehicle data backup disks, and customized technical products. In addition, Longsys has won the recognition of industry customers along with the AECC. It is worth mentioning that Longsys has independently designed and developed software, a10nm ASIC high-performance storage test system, and over 30 core test algorithms. Of particular note is FORESEE automotive eMMC successfully passing the AEC-Q100 reliability testing standard in 2020. In order to support the development of automotive electronics business, Longsys has set up an innovation laboratory in Zhongshan Storage Industrial Park for the design and verification of regulation vehicles that can always remain open to customers and the AECC. In addition, Longsys has set up a storage innovation base in the Shanghai Lin-Gang Special Area, which facilitates the provision of technical support and services to automobile manufacturer clients in South China and East China. Longsys also has advantages in quality management and supply chain delivery. Longsys has established a comprehensive quality control system. Meanwhile, Longsys's supply chain delivery center has specially deployed a professional production supply chain that meets the requirements of automotive regulation and can sufficiently support both current and future business development. All of these initiatives guarantee that the demand from automobile clients remains stable and perpetual. Joining the AECC is only the beginning for Longsys. Longsys will embrace engaging in in-depth cooperation with various AECC members. Specifically, Longsys will meet data storage needs related to the Internet of Vehicles through edge computing in order to better integrate into the automotive interconnection industry chain. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/longsys-officially-joins-the-aecc-to-jointly-promote-automotive-interconnection-data-storage-301313623.html SOURCE Shenzhen Longsys Electronics Co. Ltd [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] McKesson Canada Launches Full-Suite Digital Offering for Patients and Healthcare Professionals Industry-leading partnership with Auxita simplifies the specialty patient journey MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 16, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, McKesson Canada is pleased to announce Canada's most robust set of integrated digital solutions intended to enhance specialty physicians' ability to support their patients through their entire healthcare journey. This initiative builds on our ongoing efforts to provide better digital offerings for Canadians. "Managing a patient who requires a specialty medication entails detailed planning and an investment in time and resources to adequately diagnose and provide treatment," said Ramy Ayad, Senior Vice-President, Specialty Health, McKesson Canada. "Our goal with today's announcement is to alleviate the administrative burden on healthcare professionals in areas such as medication access, workflow and communication, so that more time can be spent on what matters most caring for patients." A strategic partnership delivering market-leading digital capabilities McKesson Canada, in partnership with leading Canadian technology firm Auxita, is expanding modern digital capabilities to simplify the patient journey. These solutions and capabilities will enable digital connectivity into Patient Support Programs (PSPs), streamlining the clinical workflow and patient experience to navigate complexities related to specialty medications and providing real time data on where the patient is on their treatment journey. The technology facilitates patient to physician communication and eliminates administrative tasks, creating significant program efficiencies, enhancing the patient experience and shortening the amount of time to receive therapy. The platform will be Elecronic Medical Record (EMR) agnostic and will be available for providers who do not have compatible EMRs. "The Auxita platform is a comprehensive digital health care ecosystem. It delivers actionable insights, evidence-based pathways, simplified enrolment, and seamless communication to improve patient care," said Matt Cahill, CEO at Auxita. "We are looking forward to this partnership positively impacting the lives of Canadians, as we simplify the specialty healthcare experience." A new, simplified specialty patient journey Unlike existing solutions on the market today, the Auxita platform integrates directly into the existing office workflow. It seamlessly connects with EMRs to provide real time data on where the patient is on their treatment journey. "As the largest technological initiative in the history of McKesson Canada Specialty Health, the new platform offers intelligent condition-specific alerts and reminders, getting patients started on a treatment plan sooner where a prescription is already available, and creates patient programs that support better treatment outcomes," continued Ayad. McKesson Canada expects all digital capabilities to be fully operational by December 2021. For more information about this initiative, please contact media@mckesson.ca. About McKesson Canada Founded more than 100 years ago, McKesson Canada is dedicated to delivering vital medicines, supplies and information technologies that enable the healthcare industry to provide patients better, safer care. Our solutions empower pharmacies, our biopharma partners, hospitals and other healthcare institutions by enabling them to get closer to the millions of patients they serve every single day, while contributing to the quality and safety of care in Canada. For more information, please visit mckesson.ca. About Auxita Auxita is a secure digital platform that seamlessly integrates with Electronic Medical Records to link patient data and clinical information across multiple systems. It connects doctors, patients, and patient support programs while eliminating the administrative tasks that can overwhelm today's healthcare providers. Auxita has an established footprint in Canada's healthcare sector and collaborates with strategic partners to ensure a consistent and secure flow of information throughout the patient journey. For more information on Auxita's next-generation medical technology that leads to better care, visit www.auxita.com. SOURCE MCKESSON CANADA [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Minister Bibeau announces program open to applicants to help farmers and agri-businesses develop and adopt clean technologies OTTAWA, ON, June 16, 2021 /CNW/ - Farmers and agri-businesses in Quebec and across Canada are leaders in climate-smart agriculture, finding new ways to make their operations more sustainable. To help them continue towards a low-carbon economy, the Government of Canada is supporting the research, innovation and adoption of clean technologies. Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced that the new $165.7-million Agricultural Clean Technology Program is now open to applicants. This new program provides farmers and agri-businesses with access to funding to help develop and adopt the latest clean technologies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhance their competitiveness. The new program has two funding streams: The Adoption Stream will support the purchase and installation of proven clean technologies and solutions that show meaningful reductions in GHG emissions. will support the purchase and installation of proven clean technologies and solutions that show meaningful reductions in GHG emissions. The Research and Innovation Stream will support pre-market innovation including research, development, demonstration and commercialization of agricultural clean technologies. The two-step intake process to apply launches today. Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis until funding has been fully committed or otherwise announced by the program. For more information about eligibility and to apply, visit Agricultural Clean Technology Program: Research and Innovation Stream or Agricultural Clean Technology Program: Adoption Stream. The Government of Canada's strengthened climate plan supports the development and adoption of cleaner practices and technologies that further reduce GHG emissions and protect the land, water and air that farmers depend on for their long-term sustainability. Quote "Canadian farmers are good stewards of the land and leaders in sustainable agriculture. In the face of this new climate reality and the expectations of Canadian and foreign consumers who want to know that their food has been sustainably produced, we must double down on our efforts, particularly by investing in the development and adoption of energy-eficient technologies. Together, we will grow our agricultural sector in an even more sustainable way." Quick Facts The agriculture sector has generated approximately 10% of Canada's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually since 1990. total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually since 1990. Canada's agricultural industry is already making contributions in the fight against climate change, as farmers and agri-businesses continue to make their operations more sustainable. Thanks to innovative best practices and technologies, agricultural production in Canada has doubled over the last 22 years while emissions have remained relatively stable. agricultural industry is already making contributions in the fight against climate change, as farmers and agri-businesses continue to make their operations more sustainable. Thanks to innovative best practices and technologies, agricultural production in has doubled over the last 22 years while emissions have remained relatively stable. The new $165.7-million Agricultural Clean Technology Program will focus on three priority areas: green energy and energy efficiency; precision agriculture; and the bioeconomy. The program will allocate $50 million specifically for the purchase of more efficient grain dryers for farmers across Canada and $10 million towards powering farms with clean energy and moving off diesel. Agricultural Clean Technology Program will focus on three priority areas: green energy and energy efficiency; precision agriculture; and the bioeconomy. The program will allocate specifically for the purchase of more efficient grain dryers for farmers across and towards powering farms with clean energy and moving off diesel. The program's two-step application process includes first submitting a Project Summary Form, which will help to determine a project's eligibility and alignment with program criteria and priorities. Those successful at this stage will be invited to submit a full application. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada estimates that this program has the potential to reduce up to 1 megaton of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide equivalent) from the Earth's atmosphere. The new program is part of the government's strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy , which is a key pillar in the government's commitment to create over one million jobs, restoring employment to pre-pandemic levels. , which is a key pillar in the government's commitment to create over one million jobs, restoring employment to pre-pandemic levels. As part of this climate plan, the Government of Canada launched the $185 million , 10-year Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS), to help develop and implement farming practices to sequester carbon and tackle greenhouse gas emissions. Budget 2021 committed an additional $200 million to support the adoption of practices that will accelerate emission reductions in the sector. Additional Links Agricultural Clean Technology Program: Research and Innovation Stream Agricultural Clean Technology Program: Adoption Stream Helping farmers and food processors adopt clean technologies to reduce emissions and enhance competitiveness A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy Agricultural Climate Solutions Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth and Resilience Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn Web: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada [June 16, 2021] Ray Fernandez-Andes Named CFO at Next Level Aviation Seasoned finance executive Ray Fernandez-Andes has been named Chief Financial Officer at Next Level Aviation, a leader in the global distribution of used serviceable material (USM) for commercial aircraft and jet engines. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005177/en/ Ray Fernandez-Andes has been named Chief Financial Officer of Next Level Aviation. He will help create financial strategies to support the company's planned growth in the coming years, both organically and through acquisition. (Photo: Business Wire) Fernandez-Andes brings a high level of finance expertise in the airline and commercial aviation aftermarket to NLA. He has xtensive experience in improving financial results, providing strategic advice for growth and capital deployment, as well as managing banking and investor relationships. Fernandez-Andes is a certified public accountant (CPA) in the state of Florida, and a former auditor at Arthur Andersen. He has held senior finance management positions at the following companies: Aerolease Aviation, LLC Aviation Repair Technologies LLC Arrow Cargo World Air Lease, Inc. GE Engine Services "We are pleased to welcome Ray to Next Level Aviation as Chief Financial Officer. He will play a key role in ensuring that we maintain our low-cost structure as we execute our growth strategy. Ray's extensive CFO experience at airlines, leasing companies, and repair stations will provide a unique perspective from within our target markets," said Next Level Chairman and CEO Jack Gordon. "Ray is a critical member of the executive team who will help our business provide creative nose-to-tail support solutions for our customers to reduce their maintenance costs and maximize operational efficiency," added Gordon. Gordon continued, "We would also like to thank Steve Favazza from SCF Consulting Services for his dedication, support and expertise over this past year as our interim CFO through a very challenging operating environment." "Next Level Aviation is well-positioned for growth and profitable expansion in the commercial aviation aftermarket," said Fernandez-Andes. "I am excited to join the world-class team at NLA as we execute our strategy." ABOUT NEXT LEVEL AVIATION Next Level Aviation is an ASA-100 accredited and FAA Advisory Circular 00-56B compliant supplier stocking commercial aircraft/jet engine used serviceable material (USM) for all Boeing (News - Alert) and Airbus aircraft platforms and associated jet engines. Next Level specifically focuses on stocking spare parts for the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families of aircraft and their associated jet engines, which currently make up about 70% of the global commercial fleet. Founded in March 2013 by Jack Gordon, Mike Dreyer, and Matt Dreyer, Next Level Aviation has grown into a top global supplier of commercial aircraft/jet engine, used serviceable material. www.nextlevelaviation.net To find out more information or to request additional images, please contact Jack Gordon at 305-439-1944 or jack@nextlevelaviation.net. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005177/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] ShoreOne Announces Entry Into New Jersey With a Comprehensive Policy That Combines Homeowners and Full Flood Insurance for Coastal Properties ShoreOne Insurance Managers, Inc. is launching its admitted, residential homeowners policy with full flood insurance protection in New Jersey. This first-of-its-kind product is already live in South Carolina and there are plans to expand into other states on the Eastern Seaboard after New Jersey, as well. Previously, homeowners with coastal properties had to purchase separate policies and pay separate deductibles. The flood policies were generically priced and did not cover the real cost of replacing the home or temporary living expenses if the homeowner was displaced. New Jersey coastal homeowners became acutely aware of the dangers of flood in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The 2012 event found many without adequate insurance, some of whom have been unable to rebuild nearly nine years later. ShoreOne's proprietary technology delivers a highly customized policy designed to close this protection gap. Policies are sold exclusively through ShoreOne agency partners. Homeowners will find significantl broader coverage, and in many cases, premium savings compared to their existing insurance. Nick Steffey, ShoreOne Chief Executive Officer said, "We've been very pleased by the support from the Department of Banking and Insurance in New Jersey. They, like their counterparts in South Carolina, have recognized the need for more comprehensive flood solutions for their coastal constituents." Bill McMahon, President of McMahon Insurance Agency of Ocean City, NJ and Anderson Insurance Agency of Manahawkin, NJ says, "There is a large coverage gap for coastal homeowners who frequently get inadequate flood coverage. We are pleased to see ShoreOne enter New Jersey and as leading coastal agencies in this area, we support continued growth in the private flood market." About ShoreOne Insurance ShoreOne Insurance Managers, Inc. was founded in 2019 to address the significant coverage gap that flood-exposed coastal homeowners face. Rather than placing the burden on homeowners to piece together coverage for their properties, ShoreOne provides one policy that covers both traditional homeowners' perils and flood. ShoreOne policies are distributed through independent insurance agents with strong technical expertise and experience in solving coastal insurance problems. ShoreOne is backed by some of the largest reinsurers in the world who have combined assets in excess of $90 billion. Bringing together experienced leadership, proprietary technology, and a family-friendly way of doing business, ShoreOne is taking better care of coastal homeowners.? View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005083/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Sierra Space and Rhodium Scientific Sign Agreement Exploring Viability of Science Operations on Sierra Space LIFE Habitat Sierra Space Corporation (Sierra Space), the new commercial space subsidiary of global aerospace and national security leader Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), today announced the signing of a joint agreement with Rhodium Scientific, an innovative provider of space microgravity science mission and logistics services. Specializing in space-based scientific research, Rhodium Scientific will test the viability of science operations on Sierra Space's LIFE habitat for scientific payloads planned to fly to space on a future CRS-2 mission. Combining the innovation and expertise of Sierra Space's LIFE Habitat and mission operations facilities with Rhodium Scientifics experience in science payload development and management using industry-level quality assurance, provides a unique opportunity to leverage Sierra Space operational capabilities with science operations. Sierra Space's Dream Chaser spaceplane and LIFE habitat platforms paired with Rhodium Scientific's "science first" modality enables a scalable testing and production model required to advance the low Earth orbit (LEO) commercial economy. "Sierra Space continues to build momentum in the marketplace with its 'space-as-a-service' business model, and is very pleased to work with Rhodium Scientific, an innovative pioneer in space biotech. Our agreement is a significant step forward in leveraging the flexible and expandable Sierra Space LIFE habitat for in-space scientific research and analysis and we look forward to working with Rhodium Scientific on a host of shared opportunities in the future," said Dr. Janet Kavandi, Executive Vice President of Sierra Space. This memorandum of understanding ("MOU") in the life sciences and scientific research operations industry is among new commercial agreements for Sierra Space across multiple industries - including space-enabled manufacturing, biopharma and life sciences research and scientific operations, on-orbit satellite servicing assembly and manufacturing, and microgravity research. SNC announced last month the transition of its space business to Sierra Space, a new commercial space company. "Rhodium Scientific shares avision with Sierra Space for the new space economy and is very pleased to enter into this new agreement and explore the business and scientific opportunities that lie ahead with our leading-edge research and the LIFE habitat," said Olivia Gamez Holzhaus, CEO and Founder of Rhodium Scientific. "As an innovator in the commercial space biotech industry, we see great promise for a wide range of research in-space and in partnership with Sierra Space." Rhodium Scientific is a leader in commercializing scientific discovery in space, specializing in Life Sciences, with seven successfully completed missions in 2020. Rhodium Scientific brings a unique heritage of laboratory facility workflow and equipment optimization that will establish science-focused capabilities. These ground analog efforts will lay the foundation required to demonstrate how Sierra Space and Rhodium Scientific can transition terrestrial research programs into a microgravity research pipeline in the areas of drug discovery, regenerative medicine and biomanufacturing. Sierra Space recently announced plans for the first free-flying commercial space station in low-Earth orbit that includes multiple LIFE habitats and docking ports for Dream Chaser and other visiting vehicles and modules. The space station is modular, flexible and provides a large environment for living and working and open to industries like pharmaceuticals, space tourism and agriculture. For more information, visit www.sncorp.com. About Sierra Space Sierra Space is a new independent commercial space company, created from the space capabilities of Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). Leveraging breakthrough technologies including the Dream Chaser spaceplane and expandable LIFE habitat, Sierra Space builds and delivers the future of space transportation, destinations and infrastructure for LEO commercialization. Its turnkey, space-as-a-service solutions are modular, scalable and reusable, opening space to new participants globally. With 30+ years of proven spaceflight heritage, Sierra Space has provided more than 4,000 systems, subsystems and components to customers worldwide, and participated in more than 500 missions to space, including to Mars. Sierra Space is a subsidiary of global aerospace and national security leader Sierra Nevada Corporation. About Rhodium Scientific, LLC Rhodium Scientific, LLC, is a biotechnology company located in Houston, Texas. The company is a woman, Hispanic-American owned small business specializing in life science, mission integration, and hardware services that enables the frontier of microgravity research and production. Since 2014, the Rhodium Scientific team has developed and managed 400+ scientific projects, participated in over 20 missions to space, and has established a portfolio of flight-certified hardware capable of facilitating a broad range of biotech industry requirements. Led by scientists and industry experts, Rhodium Scientific offers clients mission-science resources and strategic partnerships to effectively navigate the unique challenges associated with space-based research. For more information, visit https://rhodiumscientific.com. About Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Owned by Chairwoman and President Eren Ozmen and CEO Fatih Ozmen, SNC is a trusted leader in engineering answers to the world's toughest challenges, through customer-focused technologies and best-of-breed integrations in aerospace and defense and national security space. For nearly 60 years, SNC technology has delivered state-of-the-art civil, military and commercial solutions. SNC has received numerous awards and distinctions innovation, customer satisfaction and leadership including being named a US Best Managed Company for two consecutive years. In spring 2021, SNC announced the transition of its Space Systems business area to an independent commercial space company, Sierra Space. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005263/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] TMRW by UOB Continues to Blaze Trails in Digital Banking with Recognition by International Finance as Best Digital Bank in Indonesia and Thailand SINGAPORE, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TMRW by UOB was awarded the best digital bank in both Indonesia and Thailand at the International Finance Awards 2021, adding to the digital bank's growing list of 33 accolades in the past two years. The awards were organised by International Finance, an international business and finance publication read by C-level executives and leading decision-makers in key markets across Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. TMRW's relentless focus on deepening customer engagement, which is embedded in its growth strategy and customer experience, set it apart in a crowded field of digital banking players in Indonesia and Thailand. In just over two years since TMRW launched in Thailand in March 2019 and a mere 10 months after its launch in Indonesia in August 2020, TMRW has achieved strong results in growing UOB's regional customer franchise. As at the end of March 2021, TMRW customers made up about one in five of all UOB retail banking customers in Thailand and Indonesia. Mr Kevin Lam, Head of TMRW Digital Group and UOB Digital, UOB said, "As a challenger bank in Indonesia and Thailand, our goal every day is to continue to bring to our customrs the simple, engaging and transparent banking experience which they have come to expect from TMRW. It is an honour and very heartening to have our efforts recognised as the best in class in the two markets in which TMRW operates by International Finance Award's global panel of judges." Given that TMRW benchmarks itself against customer experience and satisfaction, net promoter scores (NPS) is one of digital banks' key performance metric. In Indonesia, TMRW has consistently achieved an NPS of more than 50. In Thailand, the digital bank's NPS is first for a foreign bank and second overall in the country at 43. NPS is an impartial metric used by the industry to measure customer's satisfaction and how likely they are to recommend TMRW to others. As more customers recommend TMRW to their family and friends, this has enabled the digital bank to enjoy lower costs of acquisition while growing organically. To enhance cost efficiencies, TMRW is also focused on growing its ecosystem of strategic partnerships to provide customers with data-driven customised services and solutions across all areas of their lives. In just the first quarter of 2021 compared with the previous quarter, TMRW's customer base had grown by 16 per cent. The digital bank's cost of acquisitions had also decreased by 44 per cent in the same time period. "As we enter phase two of our growth journey, we are channeling these cost savings into scaling and commercialising across ASEAN. Our focus remains on deepening customer engagement with every interaction. We will do this through enhancing our progressive solutions for customers to serve their financial needs and expanding our strategic partnerships in the region to serve their lifestyle needs. We will also continue to leverage our lean business model by sharing capabilities across UOB group and partnering like-minded financial technology firms to stay nimble and to push the boundaries of banking innovation for our customers in a cost-effective manner," Mr Lam said. About UOB United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) is a leading bank in Asia with a global network of more than 500 offices in 19 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Since its incorporation in 1935, UOB has grown organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions. UOB is rated among the world's top banks: Aa1 by Moody's Investors Service and AA- by both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings. In Asia, UOB operates through its head office in Singapore and banking subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as branches and representative offices across the region. Over more than eight decades, generations of UOB employees have carried through the entrepreneurial spirit, the focus on long-term value creation and an unwavering commitment to do what is right for our customers and our colleagues. We believe in being a responsible financial services provider and we are committed to making a difference in the lives of our stakeholders and in the communities in which we operate. Just as we are dedicated to helping our customers manage their finances wisely and to grow their businesses, UOB is steadfast in our support of social development, particularly in the areas of art, children and education. SOURCE United Overseas Bank [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] TulsaLabs Announces Launch of Space Application Research Lab in Tulsa, OK Tulsa, OK, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- TulsaLabs, a division of AppSwarm, Corp. (OTC: SWRM), announces collaboration with AI Venturetech, Inc. for the development and launch of space technology research labs in New York, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The joint research labs will focus on the development of commercial space-related technologies utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and edge computing. The goal is to deliver high-performance computing micro-cloud applications in orbit, which can process and analyze the vast amounts of data being created in space. Some areas of research will include: - Astronaut Assistants - Mission Design and Planning - Edge Computing - Satellite Data Processing - Robotics and Autonomous Rovers - Space Debris Tracking - Navigation Systems Edge Computing will speed time-to-insight from months to minutes on various experiments in space, from processing medical imaging and DNA sequencing to unlocking key insights from volumes of remote sensors and satellites. Other use cases include plant and hydroponics analysis to support food growth and life sciences in space, weather modeling of dust storms to enable future modeling for Mars missions, and medical imaging using ultrasound on long-duration space vehicles to support astronaut healthcare. To request updates on the New York space research lab please visit https://aiventuretech.com/projects/space/ TulsaLabs recently announced an advsory agreement with Data Syndicate, LLC for the development of next-generation technology in Tulsa, OK. Data Syndicate is a fintech mechatronic accelerator focused on the intersection of cryptocurrencies, supply chain technologies for both terrestrial and commercial space markets. Data Syndicate will also advise AI Venturetech towards the development of a space research lab in New York City. Tulsa Aerospace Industry Tulsa has a rich history of aerospace innovation that continues to grow. A recent Oklahoma Aviation and Aerospace Economic Impact Study found that the aviation and aerospace industries have an annual economic impact of $11.7 billion. Tom Bustamante, the Founder and CEO of AI Venturetech, Inc., commented, "The rapid growth of the aerospace industry in the Tulsa, OK region makes it a prime location for a space application research lab. TulsaLabs location around some of the largest aerospace players, Data Syndicate's developer expertise, and our access to institutional funding we feel we have the pieces to expand TulsaLabs into space application research. Institutional investment firms interested in partnering with our space research project please reach out to us at https://tulsalabs.io/investors/ About APPSWARM AppSwarm is a technology company specializing in accelerated development and publishing of mobile apps and other software platforms for gaming and business applications and seeks to acquire symmetric business opportunities. AppSwarm partners with and assists other development firms in technology development, business management, and funding needs. For more information, visit us at www.app-swarm.com or follow us on www.facebook.com/AppSwarm Twitter https://twitter.com/AppSwarm or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/appswarm/ LEGAL DISCLAIMER AppSwarm, and its affiliate labs are strictly research firms focused on the development of blockchain applications, and in no way is involved with the buying, selling or the issuance of any cryptocurrencies, or investment advice. Forward-Looking Statements: "Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risk and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the impact of competitive products, product demand, market acceptance risks, fluctuations in operating results, political risk, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with OTCMarkets.com and as required to the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks could cause SWRM's actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company. Investor and Media Contacts: AppSwarm, Corp. 888-886-8583 info@app-swarm.com AI Venturetech 212-206-0984 info@aiventuretech.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] United States Steel Corporation Releases 2020 Sustainability Report United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) ("U. S. Steel") today announced the release of its 2020 Sustainability Report, entitled "Doing What's Best for Our Most Demanding Customer," to update stakeholders on progress in its Best for All? strategy, encompassing a full range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005981/en/ "Our history is defined by setting bold goals and then working together to achieve them. The climate crisis is a challenge that requires that level of commitment and big thinking," said David B. Burritt, U. S. Steel President & Chief Executive Officer. "While 2020 brought some unique challenges, it also reinforced the importance of a strong domestic supply chain, anchored on a strong domestic steel industry. The people of U. S. Steel know that we must take the steel industry to a more sustainable future, and that means prioritizing innovative and profitable solutions that support our customers, our communities and our most demanding 'customer' - the planet." The U. S. Steel report outlines progress made by the company in 2020 in areas like process and product innovation, empoering its people, protecting the environment and maintaining strong and transparent corporate governance. It also touches on further advances made to date in 2021, including U. S. Steel's goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and its decision to become the first North American steelmaker to join ResponsibleSteel, a standard setting and certification organization targeting a more sustainable future for the steel industry. "Sustainability is interwoven as an essential element of our overall corporate strategy because we know that it is critical to our ongoing success," said Rich Fruehauf, U. S. Steel's Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer. "We must ensure that we continue to excel in safety. We must continually reduce our impact on the environment. We must maintain a workplace where diverse talents are empowered to achieve their full potential. We must support our communities. And we must be flexible and resilient as we deliver valuable solutions to our customers. We invite all of our stakeholders to review our full sustainability report to learn more about our efforts and the progress we have made this past year." Founded in 1901, United States Steel Corporation is a leading steel producer. Together with its subsidiary Big River Steel and an unwavering focus on safety, the company's customer-centric Best for All? strategy is advancing a more secure, sustainable future for U. S. Steel and its stakeholders. With a renewed emphasis on innovation, U. S. Steel serves the automotive, construction, appliance, energy, containers, and packaging industries with high value-added steel products such as U. S. Steel's proprietary XG3 advanced high-strength steel. The company also maintains competitively advantaged iron ore production and has an annual raw steelmaking capability of 26.2 million net tons. U. S. Steel is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with world-class operations across the United States and in Central Europe. For more information, please visit www.ussteel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005981/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Women of Commonwealth Initiative Emphasizes Commitment to Inclusion and Community Commonwealth Financial Network, a national firm dedicated to providing advisor-focused business solutions, recognizes the strength in its community of women advisors and is committed to creating a space where all feel supported, valued, and empowered, as well as providing the tools to elevate their success. With this goal in mind, the Women of Commonwealth initiative launched earlier this year. Its annual event, the Summit for Women Advisors, which is being held virtually June 23-24, will provide an opportunity to promote growth, influence change, and encourage connection. Backed by a dedicated internal steering committee that shares ideas, knowledge, and talent, as well as an advisory council of 17 women advisors, whose varied backgrounds and expertise provide unique perspectives, the Women of Commonwealth initiative supports women advisors in achieving their personal and business-related goals, builds allies, and strengthens the Commonwealth community as a whole. "Women are uniquely positioned to excel within the financial advisory industry, but are significantly underrepresented," said Jessica Fougere, vice president, conferences, events, and community engagement. "Continuing to level the playing field is not only the right thing to do; investing in this community will undeniably lead to a stronger Commonwealth and better world." The summit, now in its third year, will feature dynamic content focused on timely, relevant topics for both business and life, presented by Commonwealth expert and guest speakers, as well as virtual networking opportunities for the more than 250 attendees. The agenda offers a variety of sessions, including: Investing in Women: Achieve Performance and Impact Financial Services Sisterhood: How to Bring More Women into Our Industry Planning for Single Women Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Is Important to Corporate Strength and Driving Social Change Panel Discussion: A Seat at the Table: Creating Change Through Board Representation What High-Net-Worth Women Want Featured keynote speakers include Glennon Doyle, author, activist, and founder of Together Rising; Brad Phillips, chief executive, Throughliner Group; and Renee Rongen, speaker, author, and business consultant. "We strive to nurture and grow this exemplary community through impactful programming and opportunities for amplified conversations, and we're eager to kick off our 2021 Summit for Women Advisors," added Fougere. "The summit agenda was built in partnership with the Women Advisor Council, and we thank these accomplished and inspiring women for their ongoing support and contributions." About Commonwealth Financial Network Commonwealth Financial Network, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser, provides a suite of business solutions that empowers more than 2,000 independent financial advisors nationwide. J.D. Power ranks Commonwealth "#1 in Independent Advisor Satisfaction Among Financial Investment Firms, Seven Times in a Row." Privately held since 1979, the firm has headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts, and San Diego, California. Learn more about Commonwealth by visiting www.commonwealth.com. Commonwealth received the highest score in the independent advisor segment of the J.D. Power 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Financial Advisor Satisfaction Studies of customers' satisfaction among financial advisors. Visit jdpower.com/awards. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005126/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] XAG R150 ground robot debuts to help Japanese farmers overcome aging ONO, Japan, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Seeing the potential of drones in reshaping agriculture, Japanese farmers now expect the first mass-produced, lightweight farm robot XAG R150 to reap a higher yield with quality fruits. As Japan's population is aging fast, XAG has introduced its R150 unmanned ground vehicle, open for sale in June, to help farmers relieve their physical burden. The XAG R150 just made its debut to pollinate an apple orchard of Takayama in a Japanese-first, bringing hope to tackle labour shortage and the decline of bees. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan formulated the Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture, and Rural Areas in 2020 to achieve smart agriculture for the next 10 years. The government has charted the roadmap of adopting digital technologies, such as robots and artificial intelligence, to drive new growth in its agricultural economy. In response to the pollination crisis In April this year, XAG Japan hosted a demonstration to test the competency of XAG R150 using its on-board JetSprayer system to pollinate apple trees. The field trial was conducted in Village Takayama, Nagano Prefecture of Japan, and watched by experts from Japan Agricultural Cooperatives. The idea of applying ground robots for fruit tree pollination was a bold attempt to cope with the pollination crisis. According to the estimate of Japanese government, the number of bee swarms in Japan has experienced a 40% reduction over the past nine years. The absence of important insect pollinators could cast a massive fruit yield reduction and cause fatal blow on the annual revenue of fruit farmers. During the demonstration, the operator poured a special mixed solution of pollen into the liquid tank of XAG R150, which then started to move autonomously and spray liquid pollen on the Sun Fuji apples following the pre-settled route. As an all-electric, mini-scale autonomous farm robot, the R150 travelled nimbly between three rows of Sun Fuji apples, spraying atomised pollen slution uniformly on every tree from the bottom up. From a distance, the operator could adjust the spray angle and spread width simply through the smartphone app. When automation happens on farms Sun Fuji is a dwarfed variety of apples that fruit farmers accustomed to planting densely to save space in one single row. In busy season, due to the short window of pollination, one farmer had to work 2 hours non-stop to manually pollinate one row of Sun Fuji, which became more difficult especially when the trees have grown over the height of a man. To make sure every blossom from the top of the trees gets successfully pollinated, workers often needed to use ladders to climb up and down for artificial pollination. This traditional method was not only tiring, tedious, and time-consuming, but also presented a potential safety risk of falling to the workers. With the introduction of XAG R150, one row of apple trees could now be pollinated within 10 minutes, 12 times more efficient than that of hand spray. Through high-speed airflow, the pollen was spread precisely and attached on every corner needed to be cared for, including the blossoms that grew on top of the trees. In this trial, the farm robot proved its capacity to save labour and prevent yield loss that might result from a marked decline in the number of farmers and animal pollinators. The use of water and pollen were also greatly reduced because of the high precision sprays. This mean that a large-scale orchard can be sprayed within a short period of time, and farm owners can forget about the worries of not able to hire sufficient workers. Makoto Arai, a fruit grower who lives in Village Takayama, were one of the guests invited to witness the first appearance of XAG R150 in the demonstration of apple pollination. Earlier this March, he just participated another pre-sale roadshow in Kanagawa Prefecture and was impressed by the performance of this ground vehicle on spraying cabbage fields for pest control. "I knew my hunch of autonomous robot was right. I felt that I could anticipate a reduction in labour cost if I were to adopt one of these smart helpers. Instead of investing my time into manual labour, I could focus on sales, branding and business expansion of my fruit farm in the future," he said. Robots and young farmers as new blood Started from 2016, XAG has set up an oversea subsidiary in Japan to cover a wide range of market that serves the 11st biggest country of agricultural production. As the pioneer of promoting smart agriculture, XAG Japan has scaled up its agricultural drones to over 28 cities and served more than 10 species of crop varieties. The aim is to help the aging Japanese farmer embrace advanced technologies, while bringing young people back to village to start business in agriculture. Since 2019, the Japanese government has decided to raise its national export goal of agricultural, forestry and fisheries products and food to $19.28 billion dollars in the year 2025 and $48.21 billion dollars in 2035. These target numbers set a higher demand to speed up the transformation of Japan's agricultural production system. However, the decreasing agricultural workforce and loss of pollinators have become two major challenges facing the production of fruits in Japan's aging society. The number of births in Japan has marked the lowest level on record, while the average age of farmers has reached over 60 without young successors. This reveals a huge untapped space for drones and robots as fresh blood to replenish. After a series of nationwide demonstration across Japan, XAG R150 unmanned ground vehicle has been ready for sales to the public from June this year. This summer, XAG agricultural drones will be joined by the ground robots to bring higher level of automation on food production. And Japanese farmers would be further empowered to become the real managers of their own farms. About XAG Founded in 2007, XAG is a world-leading robotics and AI company, as well as the world's largest agricultural drone maker. With the mission of advancing agriculture, it focuses on using technology to empower agriculture and help create a food-secure future. Up to December 2020, XAG's smart agriculture technologies and solutions have reached 42 countries and regions, serving 9.31 million farmers and 52 million hectares of farmlands. Read more: https://www.xa.com/en/news View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xag-r150-ground-robot-debuts-to-help-japanese-farmers-overcome-aging-301313838.html SOURCE XAG [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 15, 2021] DTC Brand Builder RPG Commerce Bags Series A from Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia, Hires ex-Uber and Cloud Kitchen Exec to Propel Growth RPG Commerce will be directing the funds raised towards regional expansion across Southeast Asia , talent acquisition, brand building, and research and development efforts KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RPG Commerce, a leading DTC (direct-to-consumer) e-Commerce company, announced today that it has secured an undisclosed amount in a Series A round led by Temasek-backed Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia, a Singapore-based venture capital investment holding company and co-founder and Chairman of 17 Live, Joseph Phua. RPG Commerce is a multi-brand DTC company that launches and operates a suite of DTC brands via a "shared backend infrastructure" approach. Unlike the recent wave of startups that seek to "roll-up" small e-commerce brands purely via brand acquisitions and selling on other e-commerce platforms, RPG Commerce primarily launches and incubates its own native brands in tandem to acquiring brands. With a more capital and cost efficient approach, the Company is able to develop, test and launch a brand with a lot less capital and, at the same time, being able to scale each brand quickly. To-date RPG Commerce has launched over 10 brands globally in different categories such as men's fashion, home & living and fashion accessories. Many of these brands are already generating multi-million dollar revenues annually. The funds raised will be used to accelerate growth of more brands and further its expansion globally. RPG Commerce has experienced explosive growth in 2020, quadrupling its headcount to over 100 and is hiring more talent in brand management, operations and tech. It will continue to enhance the supply chain management, its predictive demand-testing algorithms and proprietary marketing platform. In line with the funds raised, RPG Commerce also announced the appointment of Warren Tseng asthe company's new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Warren will be tasked with leading the operation of the business and championing the strategic direction in alignment with the company's development. Warren was previously General Manager of ride-hailing giant, Uber, for Singapore and Malaysia, and helmed the APAC market as Regional General Manager at Cloud Kitchen, a startup venture by Travis Kalanick, co-founder and former CEO of Uber. Commenting on the funding, RPG Commerce co-founder and CEO Melvin Chee, said "This funding round is a significant milestone for RPG Commerce. We are honored that our partners have placed their trust and confidence in us as we continue to build, launch, and scale e-commerce brands globally. We are in the business of creating a new generation of impactful direct-to-consumer brands that we hope will remain top of consumers' minds in the long-term." "This new-normal created by societal reaction to the pandemic has accelerated the entire e-Commerce industry and never been a more favourable period for DTC brands to rise. Having direct access to our customers gives us a strategic advantage over better understanding of their needs, armed with our agile operations that continuously enhance our products based on our customers' feedback. We firmly believe that brands will build a long lasting relationships with their customers through satisfying their needs and achieving their goals," said Melvin. Melvin further added "I am very happy that RPG Commerce is able to attract strong talent like Warren who brings a wealth of experience to help us scale and grow our business. We will continue to add in more talents this year to scale the business as we are seeing tremendous growth opportunities." Chua Joo Hock, Managing Partner of Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia said "We have seen the scaling problems of 1st generation D2C e-commerce models that generally focus on single product or vertical. We are happy to partner with Melvin and his team, as the first outside investor in RPG Commerce, to build the next generation leader of D2C company based on multi-brands. Melvin has built a company with very capital efficient approach of building a brand. He has prior strong background in performance marketing and supply chain management which are key factors to the success of this current business. We look forward to working closely with the RPG Commerce team to build a champion in this space." About RPG Commerce RPG Commerce is a rapidly growing D2C e-commerce company incorporated in Singapore. RPG Commerce builds, launches, and scales multi-brand e-commerce businesses globally. While its products are present in over 40 countries, its current main markets are in the USA, Europe, Australia and Asia. Since its establishment, it now has over 100 employees in several locations globally and with the headquarter in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Company is a VC-backed company and a portfolio of Temasek-backed Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia. To find more about RPG Commerce, kindly visit their website at https://www.rpg.ventures/. About Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia Temasek-backed Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia (VVSEA) is a leading venture capital investor in Southeast Asia and India. It has a long and good track record of investing early and building champions like Grab, Patsnap, 17Live, Nium, FirstCry, Licious, AsianParents, Validus and others. VVSEA is part of the global Vertex Ventures network of funds. Its global network also comprises affiliates in Silicon Valley, China and Israel. Providing anchor funding and operational support to these venture capital funds, Vertex Ventures network has 6 network funds, more than 90 professionals globally, over US$4 billion assets under management, and more than 200 active portfolio companies. For more information about Vertex Ventures SEA, pls go to the website https://www.vertexventures.sg SOURCE RPG Commerce [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 15, 2021] Veritas(TM) Extends Ransomware Protection for Kubernetes and Cloud Environments SINGAPORE, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Veritas Technologies, the global leader in enterprise data protection, today announced updates to its Enterprise Data Services Platform to extend ransomware protection to every part of the enterprise. Veritas' flagship NetBackup solution now provides the most robust backup solution available on the market by delivering ransomware protection for containerized environments, immutability for Amazon S3, and integrated anomaly detection. Further enhancements include the launch of the NetBackup Flex 5350 appliance, which offers data immutability, doubles the performance of its closest competitor, and completes the upgraded Veritas family of ransomware-hardened data protection appliances. Doug Matthews, VP of Product Management at Veritas, said: "With the increase in ransomware attacks targeting mission critical infrastructure like oil & gas, healthcare, telecommunications and beef & dairy, our newest NetBackup release represents a significant advancement in Veritas' leadership of backup and recovery solutions by further protecting customers against increasingly prevalent ransomware attacks, irrespective of where their data resides: cloud, containers or on-premises." NetBackup delivers more resiliency against ransomware Integrated AI/ML anomaly detection : Veritas is folding Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning-driven anomaly detection into NetBackup as an inclusive feature to alert backup admins of potential issues and ensure data is always recoverable. : Veritas is folding Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning-driven anomaly detection into NetBackup as an inclusive feature to alert backup admins of potential issues and ensure data is always recoverable. New ransomware-hardened appliance: Veritas' new NetBackup Flex release delivers the industry's best ransomware protection, from the edge of the enterprise network to the core data center, and now includes the most complete family of hardened data protection appliances on the market today. The new Flex 5350 appliance, with 300% improved backup performance, delivers 40% lower total cost of ownership, twice the performance and twice the capacity of its closest competitor, making it the solution of choice for consolidating the most demanding core data center workloads. Veritas' new NetBackup Flex release delivers the industry's best ransomware protection, from the edge of the enterprise network to the core data center, and now includes the most complete family of hardened data protection appliances on the market today. The new Flex 5350 appliance, with 300% improved backup performance, delivers 40% lower total cost of ownership, twice the performance and twice the capacity of its closest competitor, making it the solution of choice for consolidating the most demanding core data center workloads. CDP and NetBackup Instant Rollback for VMware : Veritas is now offering Continuous Data Protection and Instant Rollback capabilitiesenabling VMware users to quickly recover from ransomware and other events in minutes instead of hours. : Veritas is now offering Continuous Data Protection and Instant Rollback capabilitiesenabling VMware users to quickly recover from ransomware and other events in minutes instead of hours. Multiple service level objectives : Starting with VMware but eventually expanding to any application, NetBackup now allows organizations to improve resilience from ransomware and other unplanned data loss events by defining and automatically executing multiple service level objectives, including the recovery technique (e.g., recover from backup, recovery from replication, etc.) and data, for each application. : Starting with VMware but eventually expanding to any application, NetBackup now allows organizations to improve resilience from ransomware and other unplanned data loss events by defining and automatically executing multiple service level objectives, including the recovery technique (e.g., recover from backup, recovery from replication, etc.) and data, for each application. Immutable storage on Amazon S3: Veritas is extending Write Once Read Many (WORM) storage to AWS S3 cloud environments, enabling businesses to meet the most stringent compliance requirements while offering complete protection against ransomware. NetBackup introduces fully integrated native protection for Kubernetes environments Complete Kubernetes protection: NetBackup provides native protection across multiple Kubernetes distributions and layers including clusters, namespaces, custom resources and persistent volumes to ensure complete protection and flexible recovery options. Today, Veritas protects against ransomware from edge to core to cloud and from traditional to virtualized to containerized environments. NetBackup provides native protection across multiple Kubernetes distributions and layers including clusters, namespaces, custom resources and persistent volumes to ensure complete protection and flexible recovery options. Today, Veritas protects against ransomware from edge to core to cloud and from traditional to virtualized to containerized environments. Unparalleled breadth of Kubernetes integration: NetBackup has an agnostic approach to container protection allowing users to quickly add support for multiple Kubernetes distributions in the future. Today, NetBackup supports Red Hat OpenShift, VMware Tanzu and Google Kubernetes Engine, with support for additional Kubernetes platform distributions to follow. No other provider is able to offer this breadth of support or extensive level of integration and data protection for Kubernetes. Alessio Carmazzi, Senior Cloud Architect at Sorint.lab said "We are implementing Kubernetes more and more frequently with our customers. The new features of NetBackup makes protecting Kubernetes application data as simple as any other task, providing high-level protection to on prem and cloud workloads." Pat Lee, VP Strategic & Emerging ISVs at VMware, said: "VMware is helping enterprises use containers and Kubernetes in productionworking to simplify access to and adoption of these technologies through the VMware Tanzu portfolio. To move with confidence, these enterprises need to enable data protection across their Kubernetes footprint. For that reason, we're excited to see Veritas' support of VMware Tanzu as part of the NetBackup platform." NetBackup enhances ransomware protection in the cloud Cloud resource autoscaling : Veritas NetBackup delivers cost-effective ransomware resilience in the cloud by automatically provisioning/de-provisioning cloud resources as needed, ensuring backups do not fail due to insufficient resources, while managing costs. : Veritas NetBackup delivers cost-effective ransomware resilience in the cloud by automatically provisioning/de-provisioning cloud resources as needed, ensuring backups do not fail due to insufficient resources, while managing costs. Cloud-based intelligent policies : NetBackup empowers businesses to simplify operations in the cloud while ensuring protection from ransomware and other unplanned data loss events by defining policies that automatically protect new workloads as they come online -avoiding data protection gaps. : NetBackup empowers businesses to simplify operations in the cloud while ensuring protection from ransomware and other unplanned data loss events by defining policies that automatically protect new workloads as they come online -avoiding data protection gaps. Faster and more secure data to the cloud: Enhancements to the NetBackup transport security layer makes data movement to the cloud 20% faster while new cryptographic encryption across all data transports including replication, backup and recovery and deduplication improves security and reduces vulnerabilities from attacks. Krista Macomber, Senior Analyst at Evaluator Group said: "If containers aren't already a reality, they are coming down the pike for enterprises. More than one-third of respondents in our upcoming Hybrid Cloud Study said that their organization intends to use a mixture of container and more traditional environments, such as virtual machines, for the foreseeable future. For enterprise IT, this creates a complicated, heterogeneous environment that needs to be protected. This complexity can lead to poor data practices, where information is mismanaged or overlooked, and winds up unprotected. We hear from customers that being able to oversee, protect and manage all environments from a single platform would greatly reduce their risk of data loss." To learn more about the latest updates to NetBackup and our launch announcement, visit http://vrt.as/NetBackup. About Veritas Veritas Technologies is the global leader in enterprise backup and data recovery solutions. Over 80,000 customersincluding 87 percent of the Fortune Global 500rely on us to abstract IT complexity and simplify data management. The Veritas Enterprise Data Services Platform automates enterprise data protection, ensures 24/7 availability of business-critical applications, and provides enterprises with the insights they need to comply with evolving data regulations. With a reputation for reliability at scale and a deployment model to fit any need, the Veritas Enterprise Data Services Platform supports more than 800 different data sources, over 100 different operating systems, more than 1,400 storage targets, and more than 60 different cloud platforms. Learn more at www.veritas.com. Follow us on Twitter at @veritastechllc. Veritas, the Veritas Logo and NetBackup are trademarks or registered trademarks of Veritas Technologies LLC or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. VMware and Tanzu are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. SOURCE Veritas Technologies LLC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 15, 2021] SMU's Centre for AI and Data Governance launches new research, policy and community outreach initiative to improve human-AI exchanges SINGAPORE, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore Management University (SMU)'s Centre for AI and Data Governance (CAIDG), has launched a research initiative "AI in Community" to locate AI and Big Data within communities. The outcomes would transform the relationship between AI designers and the community, such that AI technology would not only be customised for AI clients, but designed for the community in mind. The research will identify AI as a trusted tool to nurture positive community perspectives and to improve thepublic's understanding of it. By exploring the way that AI and data can be a part of the community, CAIDG aims to debunk the public's perception that benefits and risks associated with AI and mass data sharing are beyond their control. AI in Community allows people to see where AI is, what it does, why it is doing what it does, and have a say in the data it produces. For example, job applications processed by AI that are rejected without explanation, on information that was incorrect. AI in community would reveal these problems and allow timely corrections. You want your personal data to travel with you when you switch banks. AI in community can ensure this. You may be fine with having a robot assist your surgeon in performing a delicate operation, but would you go to a robot dentist? AI in community will offer opportunities to discuss and determine when AI is appropriate and when it is not. Have you been frustrated by chatbots that never seem to listen or have the right answers? AI in community can help develop chatbots that service customer need and not just streamline enquiry administration. Professor Mark Findlay, Director, CAIDG, said, "This new initiative is especially significant for post-COVID recovery. AI In Community is designed as a people-first research commitment in CAIDG to ensure the expansion of AI and mass data use. Communities should be involved in the important stages of AI creation and deployment to ensure that technology sits comfortably within the societies in which we prefer to live. Our work on building trust and ensuring AI-to-humans accountability has clearly shown that public confidence in AI depends on answering social concerns and explaining risks." SOURCE Singapore Management University [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 15, 2021] Greenway Health Expands Multi-nationally, Opens Office in Bangalore, India, with Seasoned Team at the Helm Expansion strengthens company's ability to deliver high-quality products and services to its ambulatory care clients TAMPA, Fla. and BANGALORE, India, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S.-based Greenway Health, a leading health information technology services provider, today announced it has expanded its operations with a recently launched office in Bangalore, India. The expansion follows a period of innovation for Greenway, a Vista Equity Partners portfolio company, and signifies the company's commitment to rapid product and software execution, revenue growth and client success. Throughout the last year, Greenway significantly adapted its approach to meet client needs in response to COVID-19 and the new healthcare environment, including new collaborations, the launch of new solutions and the appointment of new C-level executives to its leadership team. The opening of an office in Bangalore, India, will further the company's ability to deliver innovative, customizable health technology solutions and service to its clients. "Greenway is committed to improving lives through innovative solutions. This year we have doubled down on our commitment to client success as our top priority and further enhanced the overall client experience. This includes delivering high-quality poducts on a rapid timeline and enabling more frequent communications," said Pratap Sarker, president of Greenway Health. "Expanding our operations and workforce globally not only helps us further our mission, but ensures Greenway thrives in any environment so our clients can continue providing quality patient care no matter the circumstances." At the start of 2021, Prasan Sathyamoorthy was hired as general manager of Greenway India, working alongside a seasoned leadership team with experience in setting up and scaling India Centers. "The healthcare industry is a thriving, dynamic ecosystem rooted in innovation. I am delighted to join the Greenway team and work with like-minded, mission-oriented individuals who have a passion for developing software-based solutions, designed to improve patient lives," said Sathyamoorthy. Notably, Greenway was recently named a Gold Winner in the Company Rethinking of the Year category of the Golden Bridge Awards, and was honored by Frost & Sullivan with its North American Ambulatory Revenue Cycle Management Customer Value Leadership Award, further demonstrating the value of its services and innovative suite of solutions. This year Greenway is seeking the best and brightest talent to join the team, with plans to hire 300 new, full-time employees in India and 400 new hires in 2022. Greenway's Bangalore office is located at WeWork Vaishanvi Signature on Outer Ring Road. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and to further support the desires of employees nationwide, the company will continue to assess a 'work from anywhere' model while meeting business and client requirements. To view all job openings in India and to learn more about Greenway's solutions and services, visit www.greenwayhealth.com/careers/explore-jobs. About Greenway Health Improving healthcare through innovation is at the heart of Greenway Health's work. We provide electronic health record (EHR), practice management, and revenue cycle management solutions that help practices in multiple specialties grow profitably, remain compliant, work more efficiently, and improve patient outcomes. Our team of clinical, financial, and technology experts serve as trusted advisers, committed to our client's success. Greenway works with over 55,000 providers across multiple specialties, which translates into millions of lives touched daily by our solutions. For details on how we can work together to build a more efficient healthcare system, visit www.greenwayhealth.com , call 877-537-0063, or follow Greenway on Facebook , Twitter , and LinkedIn . Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1529976/Greenway_Health_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 15, 2021] dunnhumby launches Coding Challenge exclusively for women Calling the best female coders, programmers and tech enthusiasts interested in competitive coding and problem solving to compete for an opportunity to work at dunnhumby GURUGRAM, India, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- dunnhumby India, a world leader in customer data science, has announced the launch of a Coding Challenge, exclusively for women, which gives winners the chance to work at dunnhumby. The challenge will be run in partnership with TechGig, India's largest tech community. dunnhumby, one of the fastest growing customer data science companies in India, has a workforce touching close to 700 working from all over the country. During lockdown, the company has expanded their team with over 150 professionals through virtual hiring and onboarding. dunnhumby India plans to grow with similar momentum in the coming years. Manoj Madhusudanan, Head of dunnhumby India adds, "After two successful runs of Code Combat - dunnhumby's prize challenge, this coding challenge presents potential employees an exciting opportunity to show us their talent in action as we target to hire over 100 engineers this year. dunnhumby believes diversity of thought is a competitive edge and the fantastic success of female participants in the previous edition of Code Combat only goes to show the tremendous female talent we have in our country. We all need to work much harder to enable greater diversity in the workplace. One of the ways to move the needle is to change thebalance of hiring significantly, and we are hoping to do just that with this challenge." The challenge calls for the best female coders, programmers and tech enthusiasts from all over India and challenges them to creatively resolve a complex problem in a time based-controlled environment whilst seeing how they perform under pressure. There are three challenges which match skill sets sought for three different roles that dunnhumby is hiring for: Data Engineer DevOps Engineer Web Developer The participants will be judged on their technical skills, business understanding, innovative approach, scalability and the effectiveness of the solution. The challenges are now live and you can register here. About dunnhumby India Established in 2008, dunnhumby India is a hub of Data Engineering, Data Science, and Product Development with deep expertise in Price & Promotions, Category Management, Customer Knowledge, Customer Engagement, and Media delivery. The teams in India play a key role for clients spread globally at different stages of their journey with dunnhumby. With a long history of Data Science and software development and the ability to attract exceptional talent through encouraging a culture of innovation, agility and flexibility, the India office sits at the heart of global dunnhumby, influencing the success of our entire client network. It is at the forefront of developing the best products and science using a variety of techniques and tools including highly scalable cloud hosted models, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. About dunnhumby dunnhumby is the global leader in Customer Data Science, empowering businesses everywhere to compete and thrive in the modern data-driven economy. We always put the Customer First. Our mission: to enable businesses to grow and reimagine themselves by becoming advocates and champions for their Customers. With deep heritage and expertise in retail - one of the world's most competitive markets, with a deluge of multi-dimensional data - dunnhumby today enables businesses all over the world, across industries, to be Customer First. The dunnhumby Customer Data Science Platform is our unique mix of technology, software and consulting, enabling businesses to increase revenue and profits by delivering exceptional experiences for their Customers - in-store, offline and online. dunnhumby employs over 2,000 experts in offices throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas working for transformative, iconic brands such as Tesco, Coca-Cola, Meijer, Procter & Gamble, Raley's, L'Oreal and Monoprix. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1216769/Dunnhumby__Logo.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1533741/dunnhumby_Coding_Challenge_for_women.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Wipro joins World Economic Forum's Partnership for New Work Standards initiative Wipro (News - Alert) Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today announced that it has joined the World Economic Forum's Partnership for New Work Standards initiative to establish a healthy, resilient and equitable future of work. This initiative aims to co-create new frameworks, shape forward-thinking people policies and utilize tools and technologies to collectively build human-first work standards, with people at the heart of business. Saurabh Govil, President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Wipro Limited, said, "Companies around the world today are reinventing themselves so they can offer better employee flexibility, stability and security. Wipro is committed to advancing work standards for improved job quality, employee safety, and overall employee well-being. As we join the World Economic Forum's Partnership for New Work Standards initiative, we hope to contribute to global discussions and behavioral change around work. This step demonstrates our willingness to contribute to collective action that helps build a sustainable and resilient future of work." Wipro has invested in its workforce, developed new ways of working, and created a more relevant and inclusive post-pandemic work environment to seamlessly transition to a sustainable future of work. The company is also undertaking initiatives to support and equip its people with dedicated programs for physical, social, financial and mental well-being. Read Wipro's response, key insights and lessons from the COVID-19 crisis to foster employee engagement and mental health here: Resetting the Future of Work Agenda: Disruption and Renewal in a Post-COVID World. Till Leopold, Head of Action Initiatives, Centre for the New Economy and Society at the World Economic Forum, said, "As organizations transition from the COVID-19 crisis into the 'new' future of work, there is the opportunity for employers to collectively reset their approach to the future of work and put people first. Getting this right will help determine whether the post-pandemic recovery leads to positive outcomes for business and for society." About Wipro Limited Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 200,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future. Forward-looking Statements The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Wipro's beliefs regarding future events, many of which are by their nature, inherently uncertain and outside Wipro's control. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Wipro's growth prospects, its future financial operating results, and its plans, expectations and intentions. Wipro cautions readers that the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, complete proposed corporate actions, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. The conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could decrease technology spending, adversely affect demand for our products, affect the rate of customer spending and could adversely affect our customers' ability or willingness to purchase our offerings, delay prospective customers' purchasing decisions, adversely impact our ability to provide on-site consulting services and our inability to deliver our customers or delay the provisioning of our offerings, all of which could adversely affect our future sales, operating results and overall financial performance. Our operations may also be negatively affected by a range of external factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic that are not within our control. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Annual Reports on Form 20-F. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210615006260/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Magic EdTech Named Great Place To Work-Certified Company NOIDA, India, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Magic EdTech, a leader in enabling digital learning solutions, platforms, and products to Educational Publishers and edtech companies, in the first week of June 2021 announced that it has been Certified as a Great Place to Work(GPTW). Great Place to Work is the Global Authority on creating, sustaining, and recognizing Great Workplaces characterized by a High Trust, High-Performance Culture. It assesses the company's culture through the Trust Index Survey where the employees share and assess their experience around Trust, Pride, and Camaraderie. Speaking on this occasion, Acky Kamdar, CEO Magic EdTech, said, "Since its inception in 1989, Magic team(Magicians!) has nurtured a growth mindset powered by collaboration and innovation and believing in the idea of 'digital learning for everyone'. This journey is possible only when its team nurtures and lives in a culture of high trust, pride, and camaraderie. Great Place to Work certification is a testament to our constant focus on employee growth and well-being." Magic serves global edtech clienele which requires its team to remain agile, engaged, and outcome focused. Magic leadership works with every individual to help them find their purpose in the overall company's mission of enabling life-long digital learning that is sustainable, affordable, and accessible. We allow our teams substantial leeway in delivering outcomes while providing tools and frameworks for self-governance and accountability. Magic's recent ISO certification further validates its robust in-house processes. About Magic EdTech Magic EdTech, is a New York-headquartered company that develops digital learning products and platforms for education companies. The company has served over 200 clients worldwide and has built long-standing relationships with most of them over the last decade. Magic's experience of delivering learning platforms with analytics to empower students and educators manifests in its cloud-hosted out-of-the-box SaaS platform, MagicBox (Gold Award winner, IMS, Learning Impact Award 2020 -https://www.getmagicbox.com) that is currently used by 5MM students globally. About Great Places to Work Great Place to Work is the Global Authority on creating, sustaining, and recognizing Great Workplaces. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees around the world and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Great Place to Work helps organizations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. Their unparalleled benchmark data is used to recognize Great Place to Work-Certified companies and the Best Workplaces in the US and more than 60 countries. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] First Page Launching in Australia MELBOURNE, Australia, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, Australia has attracted a giant digital marketing agency that has just launched a new branch in Melbourne. First Page Digital is a revolutionary digital marketing company ready to help businesses explore and venture into the lucrative online market. Professionalism, expertise, and experience are the perfect words to define First Page. Over the years, the company has created a massive client base, which can be attributed to First Page Digital's success in Asia. The company's entry into the Australian market gives hope to many businesses trying to penetrate the digital world. The First Page Australia team selling point is their highly experienced web marketing professionals ready to elevate your business presence online. The company comprises experts in online paid advertising, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), content marketing, social media marketing and digital consultancy. First Page offers comprehensive digital marketing solutions to enhance brand awareness and online business presence. History First Page Digital is a digital marketing agency with a rich history and a remarkable track record. Since the company started its operations, it has created a massive client base and helped hundreds of thousands of businesses and organizations infiltrate the complex and competitiv digital market world. First page clients are spread all over the world with impressive dominance in the Asian market. Currently, the company has offices in different countries across Asia, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Dubai. The new office launched in Melbourne, Australia, is an excellent milestone towards achieving the company goal of creating as many business partnerships around the globe as possible. First Page Services First Page Digital offers numerous digital marketing solutions to help businesses maximize profits by building a diverse and massive online client base. As mentioned above, the digital market is growing every day thanks to easy access to the internet by most smartphone users around the globe. The significant internet users worldwide and in Australia create a vast market for different products and services, and every investor needs to utilize the opportunities available online. First Page provides a solid and reliable way of reaching out to as many internet users as possible through the following services; 1. Search Engine Optimization Search engines offer the best opportunity to create brand awareness and market various products and services to millions of internet users. First page experts are knowledgeable in optimizing business websites to be friendly to search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo and much more. Building a business website is not enough; making it compatible with search engines is where First Page excels. The company boasts of SEO experts who design websites to enhance user experience and ranking on search engines. Optimizing websites for First Page SEO makes it easy for internet users to find the site when they search for any name of a product or service associated with a specific business or company 2. Social Media Marketing In recent times, social media has attracted billions of users who can be converted into customers. Business social media presence is vital in enhancing brand awareness and expanding the client base. First Page Digital is here to help companies maneuver and take advantage of the massive audience on different social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In, Tiktok, and much more. 3. Content Marketing & Paid Advertising Apart from optimizing the website, First Page Digital helps develop SEO content to help boost business website ranking on search engines. Content is king when it comes to SEO. High-quality SEO website content makes it easy for search engines to rank websites. Besides, when customers visit any website, they expect good content to help them understand the products or services on sale. First Page has a team of experienced content marketers ready to write unique content educating and calling to action the site visitors to place their order for the services or products on sale. Why First Page Digital Australia? This is a great opportunity for all Australian businesses to try out the online market now that a new and professional partner has opened doors for them. First Page Digital management has expressed the company's desire to work closely with Australian companies ready to venture into the online market world. The company aims at building a strong, long-term, and fruitful business relationship with companies and businesses in and outside Australia. First Page Digital Australia presents a promising online market future for local and regional businesses. The company guarantees 100% satisfaction, and through their experience, professionalism, and record, it's time for Australian businesses to grow bigger and better. SOURCE First Page Australia [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Brains Bioceutical Corp. completes a USD $31.9 Million Capital Raise with Lead Investor DSM Venturing VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brains Bioceutical Corp. (Brains or the Company) is pleased to announce the completion of a USD $31.9 million capital raise with DSM Venturing and existing Brains shareholders. DSM Venturing, who acted as lead investor in this round, is the corporate venture arm of Royal DSM (DSM), a global, purpose led science-based company active in health, nutrition and sustainable living. This landmark investment and strategic transaction solidifies Brains position as one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the cannabinoid (CBD) sector. Del Morgan & Co. acted as Brains financial agent in respect to the capital raise. The completion of the capital raise marks an exciting milestone for the Brains team. To have the confidence of DSM in this next round solidifies Brains strategic position within the pharmaceutical industry, said Brains' CEO & Chairman Rick Brar. The growing demand for isolated CBD Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) within the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry continues to expand. Our team has worked tirelessly to position Brains as the market leader within the CBD industry. Our suite of licences has allowed Brains to scale rapidly within the industry, Brar continued. Pieter Wolters, Managing Director DSM Venturing, commented: "The CBD market is fast-growing, powered by increasingly strong scientific evidence that demonstrate the potential of CBD APIs in a number of therapeutic areas. Also, consumers increasingly turn to CBDs to address health issues. Brains unparalleled expertise and manufacturing capabilities in the CBD space combined with DSMs unique scientific and marketing capabilities in the pharmaceutical sector make this the ideal partnership to help pharmaceutical players realizing the potential of CBDs for early stage drug development. Brains is one of a few companies in the world producing CBD as an API for pharmaceutical applications, research, development, and clinical trials. It is also one of the rare few manufacturers in commercial production in Europe with EU-GMDP certification, producing CBD API for both human and veterinary use within a MHRA licensed facility. Brains CBD APIits primary offering to the marketcontains 99.7% CBD and zero Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Advancements made by Brains in the development of pure, natural CBD benefit the scientific and health care community on a global level. Brains phyto-cannabinoid pure CBD API has successfully been tested by the INRS Laboratory, a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) facility. These screening reports have confirmed that Brains CBD API is free of THC, pesticides and other banned substances listed by WADA. Brains is first of its kind in the industry to et such a confirmation from a WADA-accredited laboratory for the purity of its CBD and the absence of prohibitory substances. WADA has removed CBD from its banned substance list. All activities undertaken in the UK are in accordance with UK law and subject to routine, periodic inspection by UK authorities. Brains has also launched its branded nutraceutical CBD Brains Pure products in top tier health and wellness retail and pharmacy chains in the UK. All Brains productswhether Brains-branded or white-labeledincluding a partnership with a leading UK vitamin company, will bear the Brains Inside? trademark, providing a stamp of quality assurance. Brains is also well positioned to navigate the strict Novel Foods requirements in the UK from the Food Standards Association (FSA) and in Europe by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for CBD products. The Brains partnership with DSM Venturing will allow the company to take advantage of strategic partnerships that DSM has developed since their initial inception in 1902. ABOUT BRAINS BIOCEUTICAL CORP. Brains Bioceutical Corp. is a leader in EU-GMP-certified production of naturally sourced active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Brains Bioceutical is one of the only natural plant-based cannabinoid active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers in commercial production today and is involved in academic and clinical trials across the globe. Brains Senior Management Team is comprised of a rare hybrid of pharmaceutical and consumer goods executives-having held C-suite and other senior positions with companies such as GW Pharma, Merck, Danone, Earthbound Farms, International Herbs, Cascadia Specialties and The Royal Navy. Brains' wholly owned subsidiary in the UK, BSPG Laboratories, is one of only a few companies that has the commercial capability and EU-GMDP certification to produce CBD API. About DSM Venturing DSM Venturing is the corporate venture arm of Royal DSM a global, purpose-led, science-based company active in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living. DSMs purpose is to create brighter lives for all. DSM addresses with its products and solutions some of the worlds biggest challenges while simultaneously creating economic, environmental and societal value for all its stakeholders customers, employees, shareholders, and society at large. DSM delivers innovative solutions for human nutrition, animal nutrition, personal care and aroma, medical devices, green products and applications, and new mobility and connectivity. DSM and its associated companies deliver annual net sales of about 10 billion with approximately 23,000 employees. The company was founded in 1902 and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information can be found at www.dsm.com/venturing. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: This news release contains forward looking statements or forward-looking information ("forward-looking statements") within the meaning of securities laws. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, in this news release are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking statements could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws. CONTACT Brains Bioceutical Corp. Vancouver, BC, Canada 1-855-927-2476 BrainsBio.com info@brainsbio.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Invesco Office J-REIT, Inc.: Notice Concerning the Results of Tender Offer by Starwood Capital Group Invesco Office J-REIT, Inc. (TOKYO:3298) hereby disclosed following documents. For the details, please visit our website. Notice Concerning the Results of Tender Offer by Starwood Capital Group (PDF) http://www.invesco-reit.co.jp/en/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005349/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Crestmont Capital Secures a Total of $740 Million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans Crestmont Capital (Crestmont), a leader in small business lending, today announced it facilitated more than $740 million in first and second draw Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. These results, which reflect the most recent round of government-allocated PPP funding, provided over 10,000 small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with vital financing. Crestmont's team of experienced consultants worked tirelessly to provide both First Draw and Second Draw PPP loans to eligible small businesses. A total of $380 million was funded in the form of First Draw loans and a total of $360 million was funded in the form of Second Draw loans. Crestmont's average loan size was $74,200 compared to the national average of $42,000. These results far outperformed many larger financial institutions. PPP lending in 2021 was a much different process than in 2020. Crestmonts PPP team had more time to prepare but also faced more complications and greater scrutiny in the SBA review process. It took a full-time, dedicated effort from dozens of associates and partners in advising clients with their PPP applications. Crestmont was also able to help hundreds of small businesses in low and moderate-income areas through its outreach efforts aimed at supporting all businesses in need. With lending now closed, the SBA appears to be processing and approving forgiveness applications at a faster rate. Crestmont is encouraging first round PPP borrowers to apply for forgiveness now before deadlines start hitting in the summer. "I strongly believe that the Paycheck Protection Program is one of the most effective uses of government stimulus I have ever seen. Local businesses needed help, and this injection of funding helped millions of them survive. We join everyone in hoping that we are seeing the light at the end of this tunnel. In the meantime, we will continue to work to provide those who are eligible for alternative financing with increased peace of mind," said Gregory Keleshian, CEO of Crestmont Capital. About Crestmont Capital Crestmont Capital's portfolio of loan products and advisory services offers small businesses resources well beyond those offered by traditional banks. The financial analysts and consultants who make up the lending divisions of Crestmont Capital have assisted in facilitating the capital requirements for tens of thousands of small businesses. For more information about Crestmont Capital, visit www.crestmontcapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005243/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Adlib Achieves SOC 2 Type I Certification for Its Content Intelligence Cloud Platform TORONTO, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adlib, the leader in Content Intelligence Cloud solutions, today announced that it has completed the SOC 2 Type I Service Organization Control (SOC 2) audit for its Content Intelligence platform in accordance with the attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The certification demonstrates Adlibs ability to implement critical security policies and prove compliance over an extended period to protect its customers and partners data. Certification was granted on March 31st, 2021, following an audit of SOC 2 reports conducted by A-LIGN. Adlibs SOC 2 Type I certification confirms that its systems are designed based on relied-upon controls defined by the Trust Services Criteria and are operating effectively. Trust Services Criteria relevant to Security (applicable trust services criteria) set forth in TSP section 100, 2017 Trust Services Criteria for Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy (AICPA, Trust Services Criteria). Adlibs SOC 2 Type I report is available to customers, partners, and prospects upon request. "Organizations are struggling to secure and govern their data, especially in a multi-cloud world, said Michael Grainge, Vice President, Product Engineering, Adlib. Adlibs Content Intelligence platform is trusted by some of the largest organizations in the most regulated and sensitive industries and this certification validates our ongoing commitment to data security, governance, risk, and privacy, added Mike. Adlib customers find tremendous value in centralized security and compliance policies that are enforced across multiple workflowsespecially as they transition to multi- and hybrid-cloud infrastructures. With Adlibs Content Intelligence platform enterprises can trust they have the most up-to-date security policies supporting different use cases and workloads. Security and data privacy are top priorities for our customers and partners and this certification, among the company's extensive list of security capabilities, is an affirmation of why Adlibs global customers in highly regulated industries, Banks, Insurance Pharmaceutical/Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Oil, Gas and Energy companies, trust Adlib with their most sensitive data, said Brett Mellon, CEO, Adlib. Last year, we launched our Content Intelligence Cloud platform to provide customers and partners with an extensive portfolio of market-required content intelligence solutions, added Brett. Today, we take this one step further with our SOC 2 Type I certification demonstrating our commitment to maintaining industry recognized security standards and protecting our customers and partners investment and infrastructure. About Adlib Our purpose is to create intelligent data that amplifies human potential and maximizes business performance. Our content intelligence and automation solutions make it easy to discover, standardize, classify, extract, and leverage clean structured data from complex unstructured documents. In doing so, our global customers reduce risk, simplify compliance, automate processes, and create a whole new level of performance. For more information, visit us at www.adlibsoftware.com or contact us at info@adlibsoftware.com, or follow us on LinkedIn , Twitter and Facebook Media Contact: Marc Fuentes, Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Sales Development Email: mfuentes@adlibsoftware.com Phone: 1866 991 1704 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] WSO2 Introduces Choreo, a Next-Generation Integration Platform as a Service for Cloud Native Engineering Santa Clara, CA, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enterprises worldwide are accelerating their digital transformation initiatives, with many starting years earlier than originally planned. But, too often, these initiatives are hampered by the lack of deep technical expertise required to get projects off the ground and deliver digital products and solutions. WSO2 addresses this challenge with todays introduction of Choreo , the new integration platform as a service (iPaaS) for cloud native engineering. Now in public beta, Choreo gives organizations a single, all-inclusive platform for creating integrations, services and APIs; managing APIs; and deploying services and APIsgoing from ideas to production in hours. Using the new iPaaS, enterprises can: Facilitate collaboration between business users and IT using the only iPaaS that leverages the open-source Ballerina programming language to let developers engineer in low-code and code simultaneously. using the only iPaaS that leverages the open-source Ballerina programming language to let developers engineer in low-code and code simultaneously. Focus immediately on creating production-ready business applications , since Choreo provides a full, ready-to-use platform for building, testing and deploying in Kubernetes. , since Choreo provides a full, ready-to-use platform for building, testing and deploying in Kubernetes. Observe performance, identify anomalies, and troubleshoot issues using Choreos deep observability functionality. using Choreos deep observability functionality. Improve the quality of code with artificial intelligence (AI) assisted development. with artificial intelligence (AI) assisted development. Produce lock-in free low-code, since the low-code diagram creates source code that enterprises can take and run wherever they want. Hundreds of the worlds largest corporations, top universities, and governments rely on WSO2s solutions to harness the full power of their APIs to securely deliver their digital services and applicationsexecuting more than 18 trillion transactions annually. With Choreo, WSO2 continues to build on its industry-leading, open-source, cloud native software for API management, integration, and customer identity and access management (CIAM) to power the next stage of the digital transformation evolution. Enterprises are increasingly leveraging cloud-native platforms to speed their time to market, scale out rapidly, and increase agility. Yet its still too hard. It can take months or years to bring digital products into production as developers struggle with integration and the complexity of adopting cloud native engineering practices and deploying on Kubernetes-based platforms. Were removing those roadblocks with Choreo, our next-generation iPaaS for cloud native engineering, said Eric Newcomer, WSO2 CTO. Now developers at all skill levels can collaborate in producing enterprise-class code and APIs whether they prefer programming in low-code, code or even no-code using templates. And because its an all-inclusive iPaaS, built on proven technology, enterprises can imediately focus on delivering business value. Choreo All-Inclusive Platform Choreo provides the infrastructure and tools enterprises need for cloud native engineering, eliminating time needed to build a platform for services and APIs deployed on Kubernetes. As a result, organizations can immediately focus on building, testing and deploying APIs and services, and IT teams can take control of their DevOps flow, production multi-environment deployment, and production configuration with a microservices-style programming model. With Choreo, enterprise developers can: Create integrations . Triggered periodically or by an event, developers can execute low-code integration logic to control hundreds of software as a service (SaaS) APIs via Choreos pre-built connectors and templates or using the organizations own custom-built templates. . Triggered periodically or by an event, developers can execute low-code integration logic to control hundreds of software as a service (SaaS) APIs via Choreos pre-built connectors and templates or using the organizations own custom-built templates. Create Microservices and APis . Developers can write services that compose and expose APIs and along with their integration and business logic using low-code or code. . Developers can write services that compose and expose APIs and along with their integration and business logic using low-code or code. Manage APIs . Developers can publish their services as managed APIs and control them using the market-leading API management capabilities from WSO2. . Developers can publish their services as managed APIs and control them using the market-leading API management capabilities from WSO2. Share via an API Marketplace . Choreo also comes with a marketplace for an organizations APIs, event streams, and data sources. Developers can share integrations and microservices for re-use by no-code enterprise users via templates. . Choreo also comes with a marketplace for an organizations APIs, event streams, and data sources. Developers can share integrations and microservices for re-use by no-code enterprise users via templates. Run professional DevOps. IT teams can build, deploy, and run on Kubernetes (without setting up any YAML files for deployment); manage multiple environments; and observe themall in a few clicks. Collaboration and Control via Limitless Low-Code The Choreo iPaaS is the first commercial application of Ballerina , the only programming language that provides a limitless low code experience using a bidirectional mapping for all source code between its textual syntax and its graphical representation as a sequence diagram. The result is easier collaboration among developers with varying skills, as well as source code that is independent of Choreo, which empowers enterprises to maintain full control over their code. The collaborative platform for developers of all skill levels provided by Choreo significantly enhances productivity. Highly skilled developers have the flexibility to move between coding with text or diagrams while others have a low-code option for contributing to the organizations app developmentwhile maintaining full fidelity to the code. Lock-in free low-code is enabled by Choreo since all low-code is just open-source Ballerina source code. Unlike other low-code offerings that are only executable in a vendor's platform, Choreo lets organizations clone the repository, build it using freely available open-source Ballerina tools, and run the code wherever they want. AI-assisted Development and Observability Choreo leverages AI to assist in development as well as to enable the deep observability capabilities provided by the platform. With AI-assisted development, Choreo learns from historical activities and performance behaviors in order to anticipate most of a developers needs. As developers code, it pushes the boundaries of AI to provide performance feedback, code completion, anomaly detection, and data mapping. The deep observability capabilities in Choreo enable enterprises to view observability data at both design-time and run-time in order to troubleshoot issues. Additionally, AI-based anomaly alerts call attention to developers when required and help isolate the problem. Availability Choreo by WSO2 is available today as a public beta at https://wso2.com/choreo . About WSO2 Founded in 2005, WSO2 radically simplifies the way enterprises create, deliver, and scale digital experiences. Our cloud native, API-first approach helps developers and architects to innovate at speed and accelerate time to market. Customers choose us for our broad, integrated platform and our expertise in API management, enterprise integration, and identity and access managementthe cornerstones of every successful digital transformation initiative. With offices in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Sri Lanka, the UAE, the UK, and the US, WSO2 employs over 800 engineers, consultants, and professionals worldwide. Today, hundreds of leading brands and thousands of global projects execute more than 18 trillion transactions annually using WSO2 technologies. Visit https://wso2.com to learn more. Follow WSO2 on LinkedIn and Twitter . Trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Molly Ryner Lewis Global Communications for WSO2 molly.ryner@teamlewis.com 619-308-5238 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Wireless Broadband in Public Safety Market worth $69.6 billion by 2026 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets CHICAGO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report "Wireless Broadband in Public Safety Market by Technology (WIFI and Cellular M2M), Offering (Hardware, Software Solutions and Services), Application, End User (First Responders, Critical Infrastructures), and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Wireless Broadband in Public Safety Market size to grow from USD 20.6 billion in 2021 to USD 69.6 billion by 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 27.6% from 2021 to 2026. Increasing demand for Wireless Broadband in Public Safety due to COVID-19 outbreak, Mobility growth and increase in mobile connectivity, enhancement in public safety and availability of real-time information and big investments in wireless broadband are major growth factors for the market. Enhancing next-generation technologies and availability of wireless broadband in rural areas provide lucrative opportunities for vendors in the Wireless Broadband in Public Safety Market. Browse in-depth TOC on "Wireless Broadband in Public Safety Market" 183 Tables 48 Figures 202 Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=64 By offering, Hardware segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period A wireless network consists of several components that support communications using radio or light waves propagating through an air medium. Some of these elements overlap with those of wired networks, but special consideration is necessary for all of these components when deploying a wireless network. MarketsandMarkets has analyzed wireless adapter, access point and range extender, modem, routers, switches, and hubs as key hardware elements in the Wireless Broadband in Public Safety Market. In application, Critical Communication to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period The public safety vertical is a major adopter of critical communication systems. Public safety is one of the most important responsibilities of any government; it involves protecting individuals from crimes and natural disasters, among other harmful activities. An effective public safety mechanism involves disaster management and coordination between organizations, such as law enforcement and border control, fire fighters, and emergency medical services. Effective communication is imperative for these organizations while dealing with any natural or man-made disaster. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are responsible for ensuring public safety within countries a these agencies must identify emerging threats, adapt to changing legislative policies, and develop human resources and skills to address evolving threats. Law enforcement agencies heavily rely on critical communication networks as they need to communicate with different agencies during emergencies. Various agencies provide emergency and rescue services and ensure public safety. The purpose of these agencies is to deal with typical emergencies and ad-hoc emergencies as part of their regular responsibilities. Spreading community awareness and running prevention programs to effectively detect, mitigate, and report emergencies are major functions of these emergency solution providers. Critical communication systems are used by these service providers during emergencies, such as natural and man-made disasters. Request Sample: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=64 North America to hold the largest market size during the forecast period The Wireless Broadband in Public Safety Market in North America is expected to be the highest revenue contributor during the forecast period. The region accounted for the largest share of the overall Wireless Broadband in Public Safety Market in 2014. Major countries in this region are the US, Mexico, and Canada. Post 9/11, government officials in North America have been taking major steps for improving public safety by investing in wireless broadband technologies. Several initiatives are taken for the growth of wireless spectrums, signifying a wide pool of opportunities in the interoperable wireless network for public safety. In terms of population, the P25 technology is widely employed in North America due to its technical specifications, despite the extensive use of TETRA in RoW. The wide area coverage and greater range of P25 make it the preferred choice in the US markets. Public safety departments in North America are stringent when it comes to the implementation of critical communication solutions on airports, ports, roads, railways, and metros. Governments in this region have formulated various authorities to set up critical communication networks and network protocols, such as FirstNet and Next Generation 911 (NG911), respectively. Major vendors in the global Wireless Broadband in Public Safety Market include Aruba Networks (US), AT&T (US), Broadcom (US), Cisco (US), Ericsson (Sweden), Extreme Networks (US), Hitachi (Japan), Juniper Networks (US), Motorola Solutions (US), Huawei (China), NEC (Japan), Netgear (US), Sierra Wireless (Canada), Verizon (US), ZTE (China), General Dynamics (US), Harris (US), Bittium (Finland), Hughes (US) etc. Browse Adjacent Markets: Mobility and Telecom Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports Public Safety and Security Market by Component, Solution (Critical Communication Network, Biometric & Authentication System, Surveillance System, Emergency & Disaster Management, Cyber Security), Service, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/public-safety-security-market-1024.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/wireless-broadband-safety-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/wireless-broadband-safety.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Harris Williams Advises American Dental Partners on its Sale to Heartland Dental Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces it advised American Dental Partners (ADPI), a portfolio company of JLL Partners (JLL), on its sale to Heartland Dental, a portfolio company of KKR. ADPI is one of the largest dental practice management companies in the United States. The transaction was led by James Clark, Whit Knier, Geoff Smith, Nathan Robertson and Bill Whitaker of the Harris Williams Healthcare & Life Sciences (HCLS) Group. "ADPI provides vital business services support to dental groups throughout the country, allowing dentists to focus more on patient care and less on administrative tasks," said Geoff Smith, a managing director at Harris Williams. "ADPI found an excellent partner in Heartland Dental, another best-in-class dental support organization, and we are excited to watch the combined company thrive." "After patient visits in general and specialty dentistry slowed substntially during the early days of COVID-19, the dental market has come roaring back and investors are eager to put capital to work in the space," said James Clark, a managing director at Harris Williams. ADPI was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Wakefield, Massachusetts. The company is one of the largest dental practice management companies in the United States, providing business services to medically-oriented, multi-specialty dental groups, with over 270 facilities across more than 20 states. ADPI provides affiliates with capital, systems and management expertise. The company's affiliated dental groups are typically among the largest providers of dental care in their respective markets. JLL is a middle market private equity firm with over three decades of experience transforming businesses in the healthcare, specialty industrials and business services sectors. The firm is dedicated to partnering with companies that it can help build into market leaders through a combination of strategic mergers and acquisitions, organic growth initiatives, and operational enhancements. The JLL team is comprised of seasoned investment professionals and operating partners who are focused on driving long-term value creation across its portfolio. Since its founding in 1988, JLL has committed over $5.5 billion of equity capital across eight private equity funds, with over 50 platform investments and more than 190 add-on acquisitions. Heartland Dental was founded in 1997 by Rick Workman, DMD. Today, the Effingham, Illinois-based company is the nation's largest dental support organization providing non-clinical, administrative support services to over 1,450 dental offices across 38 states. Heartland Dental supports dentists as they deliver high quality care across a spectrum of dental services, and is majority owned by KKR. KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC (News - Alert) Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The Harris Williams HCLS Group has experience across a broad range of sectors, including healthcare providers; payors and payor services; outsourced pharmaceutical services; medical device supply chain; healthcare IT; and pharmacy. For more information on the HCLS Group and other recent transactions, visit the HCLS Group's section of the Harris Williams website. Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 8th Floor, 20 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AB, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: hwgermany@harriswilliams.com). Geschaftsfuhrer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005600/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Viken Detection Channel Partner, Federal Resources, Selected by US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for a Five-Year $2.5 Million Blanket Purchase Agreement Viken Detection, pioneer of x-ray imaging and analytical devices, today announced its channel partner, Federal Resources, has been awarded a $2.5 million contract from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for Viken Detection's NIGHTHAWK-HBI handheld x-ray imager. The five-year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) allows the agency the flexibility to deploy a unique array of technologies which have been designed to meet the specific needs of their diverse mission. "Viken Detection is honored to support the DEA in its critical mission to disrupt the flow of illegal drugs in the United States," said Jim Ryan, CEO of Viken Detection. "The opioid crisis is ongoing, and Viken will continue to do its part to support the law enforcement agencies on the front lines." Viken Detection's NIGHTHAWK-HBI is a handheld backscatter imagr that enables law enforcement officers and agents to quickly, safely and cost-effectively locate concealed narcotics, explosives and other contraband. Viken's technology has already aided in thousands of seizures in the U.S. and around the world. Training will also be provided as part of the long-term contract. For more information about Viken Detection, please visit us at www.vikendetection.com. About Viken Detection Viken Detection provides enabling security imaging and material identification solutions that help law enforcement and safety inspection professionals keep the public safe from drug trafficking, terrorism and environmental hazardous threats. The company's innovative handheld products, the HBI-120 & NIGHTHAWK-HBI (handled imagers) and Pb200i (lead-paint analyzer), are the recognized leaders in their markets. Viken Detection is headquartered just west of Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, visit vikendetection.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005214/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Diversified and Vyopta Partner to Deliver Best Digital Experience with Varied Collaboration Technologies KENILWORTH, N.J. and AUSTIN, Texas, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Diversified, a leading global technology solutions provider has selected Vyopta to power the collaboration platform intelligence for their PULSE offering. PULSE , as part of the company's global service ecosystem, combines Diversified's IoT managed service offering with Vyopta products that enable them to monitor, manage, report and analyze the IoT landscape. "It's more important than ever to proactively manage environments with multiple vendors and devices, ensure security and governance, and avoid performance disruptions," said Alfredo Ramirez, co-founder and CEO of Vyopta. "With a managed service provider like Diversified, enterprises can focus on their core business and rest assured their technology infrastructure is maintained." The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the digital transformation taking place in every business by sending knowledge workers home from the office for over a year and resulting in a 6x increase in Unified Communications (UC) usage, according to Vyopta data. Executives need and demand visibility into multiple collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Cisco Webex as well as insights into their conference room devices. "In order to provide comprehensive managed services for organizations' collaboration ecosystems, we knew we needed best-in-breed and we found Vyopta," said Stephen Jenkins/span>, Vice President of Global Services at Diversified. "The vast majority of our clients are using multiple UC technologies, and with Vyopta we can provide them with the assurance that their environments are working properly and efficiently." Diversified's services include white glove executive support, even when members of the C-suite are traveling or working from home. Vyopta provides the deep insights needed for this level of support and responsiveness at the highest levels. "Diversified is a Vyopta Certified Deployment Partner and has deep expertise with the Vyopta platform, and the monitoring and analytics needs for their customers," said Marc Haimsohn, Vyopta's Senior Director of Business Development. "The incorporation of Vyopta into their core services makes everything much more efficient and effective for their customers. They extend the value of our platform and make their customers more successful." Related Vyopta Partner Community Grew by 75% in 2020 Vyopta Certified Deployment Partner Program About Diversified Diversified is a leading global technology solutions provider delivering a comprehensive suite of solutions to help a diverse clientele achieve the highest performance levels, enhance their operations, increase productivity and drive ROI. Our mission is to enable a digital futureconnecting people, technology and experiences, where and when it matters most. Our solutions are experienced by millions every day. Removing the distance. Delivering a message. Powering business. Celebrating fandom. Even saving lives. Founded in 1993, we're a global organization serving local needs with 2,000+ employees in 50+ locations worldwide. About Vyopta Incorporated Vyopta , the Collaboration Intelligence company, is a global leader in comprehensive monitoring and analytics for Collaboration Performance Management and Workspace Insights. By integrating insights from multi-vendor Unified Communications & Collaboration vendors and IOT devices, Vyopta helps organizations deliver the best UC user experience and optimize their UC and real estate investments. Vyopta helps hundreds of organizations worldwide spanning 20+ industries monitor 6 million endpoints and over 20 billion meeting minutes a year. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/diversified-and-vyopta-partner-to-deliver-best-digital-experience-with-varied-collaboration-technologies-301313769.html SOURCE Vyopta Inc [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Kane Biotech launches 2021 business update series WINNIPEG, Manitoba, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kane Biotech Inc. (TSX-V:KNE; OTCQB:KNBIF), (the Company or Kane Biotech), goes live today with the first of a 5-part 2021 business update video series. Meant to offer investors and other stakeholders bite-sized explainers that discuss and layout the strategies and differentiators for each of Kanes three strategic pillars: OTC or consumer products, animal health, and wound care. Episode 1 The Fundamentals features conversations with Marc Edwards, CEO and Gordon Guay, PhD, Kanes Chief Scientific Officer. The first episode is intended to offer the viewer a sense of Kanes market opportunity and how it is differentiating itself in its quest to solve the biofilm problem behind the various health, environmental and societal conditions that other businesses or communities are trying to solve. Episode 2 Consumer Products, or OTC: Charting new territory with DermaKBTM hair products and scalp therapies. Kanes Director of Marketing, Wendy Nachtigall, tells us about recent oversubscribed consumer trials providing optimism in the potential for a commercial partnership. Episode 3 Get an overview and update on STEM Animal Health, Kanes joint venture with UK-based Animalcare. The discussion will include STEMs CEO, Kevin Cole. Learn how our innovation in oral care for dogs and cats is creating new market opportunities across several complementary categories in this $150 billion market. Episode 4 Ray Dupuis, CFO, explains how innovation across each business segment is being funded whether managing the cash burn to run the business or through the ongoing identification of potential sources to secure interest-free loans and grants from public sector innovation or science funds. Episode 5 Before wrapping up the series with a summary of Kanes strategic objectives and direction for the upcoming 3-5 years, Marc Edwards, CEO speaks to the last of Kanes pillars and perhaps the largest one from a dollar and market standpoint - wound care. Learn about Kanes progress in this business segment as well as the endorsement and support it is receiving from the US Dpartment of Defense and, in Canada, the Western Economic Diversification Business Scale-up and Productivity program. Watch Episode 1 The Fundamentals on kanebiotech.com or by clicking here and sign up to get notified as new episodes are posted every 10-15 days. About Kane Biotech Kane Biotech is a biotechnology company engaged in the research, development and commercialization of technologies and products that prevent and remove microbial biofilms. The Company has a portfolio of biotechnologies, intellectual property (54 patents and patents pending, trade secrets and trademarks) and products developed by the Company's own biofilm research expertise and acquired from leading research institutions. StrixNB, DispersinB, Aledex, bluestem, bluestem, silkstem, goldstem, coactiv+, coactive+, DermaKB and DermaKB Biofilm are trademarks of Kane Biotech Inc. The Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "KNE" and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol KNBIF. For more information, please visit www.kanebiotech.com , or contact: Marc Edwards Ray Dupuis Lorne Gorber Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer Investor Relations Kane Biotech Inc Kane Biotech Inc Kane Biotech Inc. medwards@kanebiotech.com rdupuis@kanebiotech.com lgorber@kanebiotech.com +1 (514) 910-6991 +1 (204) 298-2200 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Barchart and Oakland Corporation Announce Grain Accounting Integration CHICAGO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Barchart, leading provider of data, tools, and software to America's agribusinesses, and Oakland Corporation, a trusted provider of software and IT solutions within the agricultural industry, jointly announce a partnership to streamline client workflows. The new integration allows agribusinesses, using Oakland's leading grain accounting solutions, to provide grain producers with secure access to contracts and scale tickets in mobile apps that are fully branded to their business . Further simplifying agribusiness workflows, these apps connect seamlessly with Barchart's leading grain merchandiser platform , through offer management, chat, grower data, and eSign for grain contracts . The partnership also allows Oakland to access Barchart's market leading network of over 3,000 grain elevators to integrate any of these digital features into Oakland's own products and services. "We're thrilled to expand our best-in-class ERP connectivity with a market leader in grain accounting like Oakland," says Barchart CEO Mark Haraburda. "Our clients want choice, and this partnership provides exactly that, while helping us provide more agribusinesses with tools that digitally connect their business to their producers." <>"In the years since our first integration in 2009, Barchart has become the primary source of market-related data and services for agribusiness organizations running Oakland's grain accounting platform, and we're happy to announce this new connectivity between systems," says Dan Oakland , Director of Development for Oakland Corporation. "By providing our common client base with the ability to easily access accounting-related data directly within Barchart services and applications, we're able to open up powerful new options for our client companies." "We look forward to growing our partnership with Oakland, and working together to drive the digitization of agriculture," added Haraburda. With grain bid management solutions, branded Marketplace apps, digital execution of grain contracts through eSign, and the leading commodity analytics platform - cmdtyView Pro - Barchart provides the industry with the most comprehensive suite of agribusiness solutions available on the market. About Barchart Barchart is a leading provider of market data and services to the global financial, media, and commodity industries. Our diversified client base trusts Barchart's innovative Solutions across data, software, and technology to power their operation from front to back office, while our Media brands enable financial and commodity professionals to make decisions through web content, news, and publications. For more information, please visit www.barchart.com/solutions . About Oakland Corporation Oakland Corporation develops software and IT solutions for grain, agronomy, and petroleum companies, cooperatives, and other agricultural businesses. With nearly 40 years of experience serving agribusiness enterprises, Oakland provides an integrated system of business rules that reliably balances all facets of an organization across multiple locations and departments, while still maintaining the flexibility to grow and evolve with the needs of each. For more information, please visit www.oaklandcorp.com . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/barchart-and-oakland-corporation-announce-grain-accounting-integration-301313567.html SOURCE Barchart [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] CPS Brings Cloud Pricing Index to eCloud's Managed Service Practice Cloud Pricing Services, Inc. (CPS) and eCloud Managed Solutions, LLC (eCloud) have reached an agreement whereby the companies will integrate CPS's Inframeter technology into eCloud's managed service practice. CPS and eCloud will unite Inframeter with implementations used by eCloud and its clientele. The companies will also establish several pricing benchmark indices for eCloud's clients based upon Inframeter's patented output, the Workload Consumption Unit (WCU). Integrations will include Cloudcheckr and AWS QuickSight. Inframeter, an IT financial management SaaS (News - Alert) metering platform, facilitates visibility into IT workloads and provides leadership with essential intelligence. Inframeter uniquely outputs WCUs, a standardized measurement that helps enterprises rationalize workload costs across providers, environments, applications, and departments. The WCU will serve as the basis of eCloud's pricing information service. eCloud is a vendor-agnostic hybrid cloud solutions integrator and MSP with expertise across AWS, Azure, and GCP. eCloud delivers security, agility, and speed to maximize any environment and enhance business performance. With a global footprint of 1600+ data centers, 450+ domestic and global network providers, and over 50,000 migrated VMs, eCloud leverages industry partnerships to ensure the most competitive prices and IT procurement possible. "This partnership complements each of our unique capabilities," said CPS Co-Founder and CEO, Tim Martin. "What we love about eCloud is not only their breadth of echnical expertise, but also their unmatched passion for saving clients' money," Martin said. "What's unique about CPS is their ability to deliver total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis at the workload level," said eCloud Managing Partner, Eric Sanders. "We're excited to bring this enhanced offering to market," Sanders said. eCloud has 'Certified Inframeter Professionals' on staff and is now deploying Inframeter in client environments. Interested parties should contact eric@ecloudms.com. About Cloud Pricing Services, Inc. Cloud Pricing Services (CPS) is the developer of Inframeter, an IT financial management SaaS metering platform. Inframeter facilitates visibility into IT workloads and provides leadership with unique information they can trust to make financial decisions with complete confidence. Inframeter includes an intuitive 'executive dashboard' along with dynamic APIs that developers can use to produce actionable outcomes (e.g., idle shutdown, infrastructure-as-code, third-party integrations, M&A consolidations, "third-wave cloud" rationalization). For more information: www.cloudpricingservices.com. About eCloud Managed Solutions, LLC eCloud Managed Solutions helps businesses in the cloud or considering cloud evolve their legacy infrastructures. eCloud is a women-owned, hybrid cloud solutions integrator that takes an application-centric and consultative approach to supporting critical IT systems. eCloud's managed services accelerate scale to achieve an average of 34% cost reduction, giving clients the support they need for critical systems without the cost and hassle of doing it all in-house. With a full suite of managed services ranging from data center to desktop, eCloud has the capacity to customize solutions and educate clients on how to secure funding from providers to maximize their investment. To learn more about how eCloud can be your one-stop shop for your company's IT needs, visit: https://ecloudms.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005209/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Alliance Memory Moves Taiwan Office to Larger Facility to Accommodate Global Growth KIRKLAND, Wash., June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To help accommodate its rapid global expansion while providing room for future growth, Alliance Memory has moved into a new building in Taiwan with twice the warehouse and office space of the companys previous local facility. Effective immediately, the new Alliance Memory address in Taiwan is No. 22, Xingde Road, Dayuan District, Taoyuan City 337002. Our global presence has expanded greatly since we opened our office in Taiwan six years ago, said David Bagby, president and CEO of Alliance Memory. Coupled with the recent additions to our product portfolio with many more on the horizon we were simply running out of warehouse space to support our growing customer base. Were excited to be moving into a larger facility that gives us the room we need to provide the level of service our customers expect. Recent introductions to the Alliance Memory product lineup include 1.8V to 3V serial peripheral interface (SPI) NAND flash memory products with densities from 1Gb to 8Gb; 2Gb, 4Gb, and 8b LPDDR4 SDRAMs featuring on-chip ECC; and 8Gb DDR SDRAMs. In addition, the company has become an authorized supplier for 3V and 5V M29 Parallel NOR Flash; M25P, M45P, and N25Q SPI NOR Flash; and J3, P30, and P33 Parallel NOR Flash devices from Micron Technology. Alliance Memory's products provide reliable drop-in, pin-for-pin-compatible replacements for a number of similar solutions in industrial, consumer, commercial, medical, telecom, and networking products eliminating the need for costly redesigns and part requalification. About Alliance Memory Inc. Alliance Memory is a worldwide provider of critical and hard-to-find memory ICs for the communications, computing, consumer electronics, medical, automotive, and industrial markets. The companys product range includes flash, DRAM, and SRAM memory ICs with commercial, industrial, and automotive operating temperature ranges and densities from 64Kb to 8Gb. Privately held, Alliance Memory maintains headquarters in Kirkland, Washington, and regional offices in Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America. More information about Alliance Memory is available online at www.alliancememory.com . Agency Contact: Bob Decker Redpines +1 415 409 0233 bob.decker@redpinesgroup.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] CIRI Announces the 2021 Recipients for the Award for Excellence and the Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations The Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI), Canada's national association representing investor relations professionals, is pleased to announce that Jerry Ormiston has been chosen as the 33rd recipient of the Award for Excellence in Investor Relations and Galina Meleger has been chosen as the 12th recipient of the Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations. These individuals were honoured at CIRI's 34th Annual Investor Relations Conference. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005552/en/ Galina Meleger, Recipient of CIRI's 2021 Award for Leadership (Photo: Business Wire) Award for Excellence in Investor Relations The Award for Excellence in Investor Relations is given by CIRI to honour individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the investor relations profession and to the Institute. Jerry Ormiston is a highly regarded investor relations professional, now consultant, who has made a significant contribution to CIRI and the issuer community. Over his many years as a CIRI member, he has been actively involved at both the Chapter and National level. Jerry was a member of the Ontario Chapter Executive holding roles on the Programming Committee, Membership Committee and Chapter President. He was also a member of the National Board; Vendor Committee; Editorial Board and the Issues Committee, where he continues to provide valuable insight and support. Jerry began his investor relations career in 1995 at Allelix Biopharmaceuticals, the year he joined CIRI. Following this role, he was the Executive Director at Draxis Pharmaceuticals where he was responsible for investor relations. Here, he was a member of the company's executive committee and reported directly to the CEO. Jerry remained in that role until the company was taken over in 2008 at which point he launched Ormiston & Associates, an independent consulting firm providing IR and communications services to small to mid-sized public companies. "I am very pleased that CIRI has recognized Jerry with this honour. In my mind, he embodies who an Award of Excellence recipient should be." said Eleanor Fritz, the recipient of the 2020 Award of Excellence. "I want to expess my sincere gratitude to CIRI and its members for this prestigious award. It is a privilege to be included in the group of special and talented people who have previously received this honour," said Jerry Ormiston, recipient of the 2021 Award for Excellence. "During my IR career, I have had the backing of excellent senior management teams, the professionals in the vendor community and most importantly the staff and members of CIRI. Throughout, CIRI has been there at my side, providing knowledge, guidance, resources and unflinching support. I am truly thankful for having had the opportunity to know, work with and become friends with so many of my CIRI colleagues." "I met Jerry in my early days in investor relations and have had the good fortune of working closely with him on issues advocacy over the last number of years," said Yvette Lokker, President and CEO, CIRI. "He has been a constant force in the investor relations community throughout his career and a trusted advisor to many, myself included." Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations The Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations is given by CIRI in honour of the late Belle Mulligan to recognize individuals who have shown singular leadership in one or more aspects of the practice of investor relations. Belle Mulligan (1940-2009) will long be remembered as a leader and standard setter in the IR profession and as a founder of CIRI. Her passion for IR began through her association with NIRI in the early 1970s and in 1981, she joined a small cadre of IR leaders to help develop NIRI Canada, now CIRI. She served on both the CIRI and NIRI Boards and was cited by one analyst as "adding 10% to the valuation" of the senior gold mining company she represented. Her professionalism won her many admirers, and her engaging personality and generous heart won her a wide circle of friends. She was a mentor to many IROs, urging them to set their sights high within their organizations. Galina Meleger is the Director of Investor Relations at Endeavour Silver. Prior to joining Endeavour Silver, Galina worked for Newmarket Gold and subsequently Kirkland Lake Gold where she was Director of Corporate Communications. Prior to that, she worked for KGHM in a communications role overseeing the North and South American division. From 2010 to 2015, Galina worked for Copper Mountain Mining, responsible for investor relations and corporate communications. She studied at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), completing a Business Diploma in Financial Management and is a licensed Corporate Social Responsibility practitioner. "What caught CIRI's attention, was Galina's creative and innovative approach to investor relations," said Yvette Lokker. "Not only did she educate the broader market on her company and industry through videos and podcasts, she developed a video outlining how she enhanced her IR program through the use of technology, complete with KPIs, as a demonstration for other IROs." With over 15 years of investor relations and corporate communications experience in the mining industry, Galina has worked closely with management to increase shareholder value, secure analyst coverage and implement effective communication to stakeholders. To do this, she leverages technology, including video and podcasts, as well as social media in educating stakeholders on the industry and business; delivering updates on the company; and reaching and engaging with shareholders. This has been particularly important and effective during the pandemic. "It's a tremendous honour and it means very much to me to be recognized by CIRI and by the investor relations community. The pandemic has changed the corporate communications landscape and resultingly, investor relations professionals have had to work hard to pivot their strategies to maximize outreach through digital avenues. The resources provided by CIRI have been very helpful during this time. I am truly grateful to be recognized amongst leaders in our industry." About CIRI CIRI is a professional, not-for-profit association of executives responsible for communication between public corporations, investors and the financial community. CIRI contributes to the transparency and integrity of the Canadian capital markets by advancing the practice of investor relations, the professional competency of its members and the stature of the profession. With close to 500 members and four Chapters across the country, CIRI is the voice of IR in Canada. For further information, please visit CIRI.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005552/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Seismic Named a "Leader" in The Aragon Research Globe for Sales Enablement Platforms, 2021 Report Seismic, the global leader in sales enablement, today announced Aragon Research named Seismic a Leader in the Globe for Sales Enablement Platforms, 2021. The report notes Seismic's "rich content experiences that help sales teams connect with buyers," as well as its integrations with leading CRM, messaging and social media platforms. The Aragon Globe for Sales Enablement Platforms, 2021, also acknowledges Seismic's latest product innovations including its AI engine Seismic Aura, CRM SmartPlays, and Seismic LiveSocial, a social sales engagement solution resulting from Seismic's 2020 acquisition of Grapevine6. The addition of LiveSocial to the Seismic Storytelling Platform makes Seismic the only sales enablement provider with an integrated social engagement solution. Seismic is also a pioneer in sales enablement for its content automation technology, LiveDocs. "The latest Globe report from Aragon is exciting, not only because we are once again named a Leader, but also because it highlights the tremendous potential there is in the sales enablement space," said Doug Winter, Seismic co-founder and CEO. "From AI-guided selling to the intelligent insights available to sales and marketing teams, there are incredible opportunities for organizations to drive significant improvements in the ways they engage with prospects and customers. We're thankful to our customers, partners, and employees who are helping us pave the path forward for this category." Seismic was named a Leader among 14 sales enablement platforms evaluated in the report, which includes a rigorous analysis of vendors across three parameters: strategy, performance, and reach. All vendors are segmented into four secors - Leaders, Contenders, Innovators, Specialists - representing high and low in both the strategy and performance dimensions. "Sales enablement platforms have become a vital part of the enterprise tech stack over the last year, with many organizations only beginning to realize its value," said Jim Lundy, Founder and CEO, Aragon Research. "Seismic is demonstrating innovation by incorporating AI and social selling capabilities into its platform." This is the fifth consecutive year Seismic has been named a Leader in the Aragon Globe. Seismic was also a winner of Aragon's 2020 Innovation Award for Sales Engagement, which is given to companies leveraging visionary use of technology to disrupt and evolve their market. Visit Seismic's website to access the full Globe for Sales Enablement Platforms, 2021. Aragon Research does not endorse vendors, or their products or services that are referenced in its research publications, and does not advise users to select those vendors that are rated the highest. Aragon Research publications consist of the opinions of Aragon Research and Advisory Services organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Aragon Research provides its research publications and the information contained in them "AS IS," without warranty of any kind. About Seismic Seismic is the industry-leading sales enablement and digital sales engagement solution, aligning go-to-market teams and empowering them to deliver engaging buyer experiences that drive growth. Seismic's Storytelling Platform delivers innovative capabilities for marketers to orchestrate content delivery across all channels, and for sellers to engage with prospective buyers in a compelling, resonant manner at every step of the buyer journey. More than 700 enterprises including IBM and American Express (News - Alert) have made Seismic their sales enablement platform of choice. The Seismic Storytelling Platform integrates with business-critical platforms including Microsoft, Salesforce, Google (News - Alert) and Adobe. Seismic is headquartered in San Diego, with offices across North America, Europe, and Australia. To learn more, visit Seismic.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. About Aragon Research Aragon Research is an independent research and advisory firm that provides business and IT executives with the actionable insights they need to navigate technology's ever-evolving impact on business. Headquartered in Morgan Hill, CA (News - Alert) , Aragon Research works with executives at every major level of the business and across industries to give them the tools they need to make more informed technology and strategy decisions. Aragon delivers high-impact advisory, research, and consulting services, and has a proven team of veteran analysts. For more information, visit www.aragonresearch.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005615/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] NYCHSRO/MEDREVIEW, Inc. Announces CEO Transition Spencer Young, SVP of Operations and Client Development became the CEO of NYCHSRO/MEDREVIEW, Inc., a health review organization, on April 1. He replaces Joseph Stamm, who served for 36 years as President and CEO. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005735/en/ Spencer Young on the left, shaking hands with outgoing President and CEO Joseph Stamm (Photo: Business Wire) Mr. Young's vision for the future includes aims of operational excellence and efficiency, strengthening client relationships and expanding the client base. "I want to continue the growth trajectory that we have had for several years," said Mr. Young. "We are looking for organic growth by expanding our claims audit and review offerings to our base. Then we plan to increase that base through expanded services." "The outstanding work to eploy the latest technological advances to our infrastructure and create industry-leading workflows has paid off in our ability to scale quickly while improving the quality of our audits," added Young. "The recent launch of a dedicated Customer Service Department to handle audit status queries, medical records requests, and others, frees our account managers to focus solely on the client. I have very big shoes to fill and expectations to meet. I am going to do my best to do both." Mr. Stamm, who was with the firm for 45 years, is a new board member, former CEO and present consultant to the company. "I want to acknowledge everyone who helped establish this review organization as one of the most successful in New York and nationwide," said Mr. Stamm. "I look forward to working with the Board to ensure a seamless transition, and I have every confidence that Spencer Young, our expanding executive team, and our excellent staff all together will not only ensure our continued growth but will far surpass our historic achievements." Key achievements under Mr. Stamm's leadership include: Founding of MedReview Inc., the for-profit counterpart of NYCHSRO in 1984 Expanding business as a health review organization to 50 states and U.S. territories Achieving accreditation of URAC and certification of HITRUST Launching a 24-hour Prior Authorization call center Mr. Stamm also negotiated ongoing contracts with one of the largest labor-management funds in the nation, New York City's Office of Labor Relations and Human Resources Administration, and since 2009, a national rollout of all lines of business for one of America's largest healthcare insurers. Board Chairman Norman B. Medow, MD, also spoke about the firm's once-in-a-half-century transition and its newest Board member. "Joe Stamm is stepping down but not leaving us, and he leaves the organization in able hands," Dr. Medow said. "Spencer Young takes the helm with the Board's robust support. We are fully confident that the former and current CEO will each carry out their new roles with continued success and to the benefit of the entire company." ABOUT MEDREVIEW: MedReview's exceptional integration of medical expertise with business intelligence developed through 45 years in the field of claims audit and review is the cornerstone of this organization's state-of-the-art operational efficiency and effectiveness on behalf of its clients. What we do is not just a business; it is a mission. In support of these efforts to ensure fair and accurate billing and payment to clients and providers while also monitoring the quality of care provided, MedReview has sought and won both HITRUST certification since 2018 as well as URAC accreditation as an Independent Review Organization (IRO) and a Health Utilization Management (HUM) organization since 2012. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005735/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Guideline Raises $200M in Funding Led by General Atlantic to Fuel Growth of Comprehensive Retirement Plan Solutions Guideline, a leading provider of easy, affordable retirement plan solutions for small-and-medium-sized businesses (SMBs), today announced it has raised $200M in new funding led by General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm. Existing investors Generation Investment Management, Greyhound Capital, Felicis Ventures, Propel Ventures and others also participated. Guideline plans to use the funds to further scale its offering of full-service 401(k) plans, as well as introduce new retirement plan solution products. Founded in 2015 by CEO, Kevin Busque, CPO, Jeremy Caballero, and CTO, Mike Nelson, Guideline's mission is to help everyone arrive at a safe, secure retirement, whether they are a small business owner, an employee or are self-employed. Guideline offers a full suite of support, spanning plan administration and employee onboarding, to compliance testing, government filing and recordkeeping. By leveraging fully-integrated technology to eliminate the barriers that often make retirement plans cost prohibitive for many SMBs and by automating processes within the 401(k) lifecycle for clients, Guideline is able to remove complicated and excessive hidden fees and prioritize participant savings. Guideline is built on a differentiated and automated tech platform that offers a broad menu of self-service options for both employers and employees, which drives satisfaction among customers. To date, over 20,000 companies representing hundreds of thousands of participants have entrusted Guideline with managing their retirement plans, totaling more than $4.5 Billion in AUM. In addition to its offering of traditional 401(k) plans, Guideline supports self-employed individuals through Simplified Emplyee Pension Plan (SEP) IRAs. Guideline's platform ultimately helps to remove complexity and doubt from retirement planning, instead helping instill knowledge and clarity so people can invest in their financial future with confidence. Kevin Busque, Co-founder and CEO of Guideline, said, "We founded Guideline with the mission to better serve small business owners and their employees by transforming access to retirement savings plans. We are proud of our significant growth over the past six years as we have worked to modernize a legacy component of the U.S. economic system and ensure retirement planning is accessible to all. We are excited to draw upon General Atlantic's deep expertise at the intersection of technology and financial services as we continue to empower businesses and their employees to plan for the future." "Guideline is uniquely positioned as a modern, digital-first solution for small and mid-size employers who have been traditionally underserved by legacy providers. The Guideline team deeply understands the needs of its client base, offering a holistic platform that allows employers to seamlessly provide retirement benefits and enables employees to begin building retirement savings," continued Aaron Goldman, Managing Director and Global Co-Head of Financial Services at General Atlantic. "We admire Guideline's transparent approach and believe the business is poised to expand as it scales its platform and offerings. We look forward to partnering with Kevin and the Guideline team in this new phase of the business' growth." As part of the transaction, Aaron Goldman will join the Guideline board of directors. Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed. About Guideline Guideline is the easy, affordable retirement platform trusted by more than 20,000 small businesses. With a platform that takes complexity and doubt out of retirement planning and replaces it with knowledge and clarity, Guideline empowers people to invest in their financial future with confidence. Since its launch in 2016, Guideline's assets under management have soared to more than $4.5 billion. The company has raised $344 million in venture capital from investors including General Atlantic, Generation Investment Management, Greyhound Capital, Felicis Ventures, Propel Ventures, and others. Named one of the World's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company, Guideline was founded in 2015 by Kevin Busque, Jeremy Caballero, and Mike Nelson. The company is based in San Mateo, CA (News - Alert) . About General Atlantic General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for growth companies. Established in 1980, General Atlantic combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to build exceptional businesses worldwide. General Atlantic has more than 175 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Greenwich, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto (News - Alert) , Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit the website: www.generalatlantic.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005127/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Announces Investigation of Koninklijke Philips N.V. (PHG) on Behalf of Investors The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces an investigation of Koninklijke Philips (News - Alert) N.V. ("Philips" or the "Company") (NYSE: PHG) on behalf of investors concerning the Company's possible violations of federal securities laws. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. On April 26, 2021, Philips announced its first quarter 2021 financial results and reported a EUR 250 million provision for "a quality issue in a component that is used in ertain sleep and respiratory care products." Specifically, the Company revealed "possible risks to users related to the sound abatement foam used in certain of Philips' sleep and respiratory care devices currently in use." On this news, the Company's share price fell $2.32, or 3.8%, to close at $58.78 per share on April 26, 2021, thereby injuring investors. Then, on June 14, 2021, Philips issued a recall notification for certain devices "to address identified potential health risks related to the polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) sound abatement foam component in these devices." Moreover, it stated that "[t]he majority of the affected devices within the advised 5-year service life are in the first-generation DreamStation product family." On this news, the Company's share price fell $2.25, or 3.98%, to close at $54.25 per share on June 14, 2021, thereby injuring investors further. Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert) : twitter.com/FRC_LAW. If you purchased Philips securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to info@frankcruzlaw.com, or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005362/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Vianai Systems raises additional $140M to build upon strong customer adoption Vianai Systems, a Human-Centered AI platform and products company, today announced that it has raised $140M in a Series B financing from SoftBank Vision Fund 2* and several industry luminaries. Vianai will use the new capital to accelerate the delivery of its human-centered AI platform and products to enterprises worldwide. For many enterprises, AI has not lived up to its hype. AI's true potential originates from the ability to put humans at the center of technological solutions. Vianai's pioneering human-centered AI approach amplifies human judgment thus empowering domain experts with AI tools to deliver powerful business value. Vianai has already delivered successful business outcomes to numerous world-leading enterprises. "Vianai's human-centered approach to AI has been critical to the design of an advanced early warning system for our underwriters. The system, which extracts actionable insights from non-traditional data sources, has the potential to drive significant business value for us, and our customers," said Dr. Torsten Jeworrek, Member of the Group Executive Board and Global Head of Reinsurance at Munich Re. "With Vianai as an innovation partner, Munich Re is on a path towards breakthrough digital transformation of our core business, and that of the industry as a whole." Vianai's customer success, cutting-edge technology and management expertise has the company poised for growth. Dr. Fei-Fei Li, Co-Director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, said, "I am pleased tojoin Vianai as an advisor, as Vishal and his team work to make human-centered AI a reality for businesses. I believe that AI is made by humans, intended to behave by humans, and, ultimately, to impact human lives and human society. Its success depends on how humans and AI work together." "With the AI revolution underway, we believe Vianai's human-centered AI platform and products provide global enterprises with operational and customer intelligence to make better business decisions," said Deep Nishar, Senior Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers. "We are pleased to partner with Dr. Sikka and the Vianai team to support their ambition to fulfill AI's promise to drive fundamental digital transformations." "We have been working hard to build a better AI platform, one that puts human judgment at the center of systems that bring vast AI capabilities to amplify human potential," said Dr. Vishal Sikka, Founder and CEO of Vianai. "I am grateful for the trust and the confidence that our customers and our investors have put in us as we help enterprises achieve great, purposeful transformations with human-centered AI." Vianai investors include Jim Davidson (co-Founder of Silver Lake), Henry Kravis and George Roberts (co-founders of KKR), and Jerry Yang (News - Alert) (founding partner of AME and co-founder of Yahoo! Inc.). Joining Vianai's previously announced advisory board is Dr. Fei-Fei Li (co-director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI). About Vianai: Vianai Systems, Inc. is a Human-Centered AI platform and products company launched in 2019 to address the unfulfilled promise of enterprise AI. Vianai began with $50 million in seed investment and has received an additional $140 million in a Series B equity round in June of 2021. Vianai's customers include many of the largest and most respected businesses in the world, to which it delivers AI, ML and data science platforms and products. Vianai helps its customers amplify the transformation potential within their organizations using a variety of advanced AI and ML tools with a distinct approach in how it thoughtfully brings together humans with technology. This human-centered approach differentiates Vianai from other platform and product companies and enables its customers to fulfill AI's true promise. *As of the date of this press release, SoftBank Group Corp. has made capital contributions to allow investments by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 ("SVF 2") in certain portfolio companies. The information included herein is made for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy limited partnership interests in any fund, including SVF 2. SVF 2 has yet to have an external close, and any potential third-party investors shall receive additional information related to any SVF 2 investments prior to closing. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005776/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Stater Bros. Selects Mercatus' Integrated Commerce to Power Retailer's New Online Grocery Channel Mercatus, a leading provider of grocery eCommerce solutions, today announced that it will work with Stater Bros. Markets to expand the grocer's digital grocery presence with a retailer-branded and -controlled online shopping experience that will scale with its business. With 170-plus stores, the San Bernardino-based company is the largest privately owned supermarket chain in southern California. The chain turned to Mercatus and its expansive ecosystem of technology partners to adopt a fully integrated online ordering and fulfillment experience for Stater Bros. customers. Transitioning to Mercatus' SaaS (News - Alert) platform will enable Stater Bros. to increase its digital grocery capabilities by offering curbside and delivery options, all while providing excellent service to its customers. "Now more than ever, our customers are looking for the convenience of shopping online," said Pete Van Helden, CEO, Stater Bros. Markets. "We see this as an opportunity to build stronger relationships with our shoppers through an eCommerce journey that truly embodies our brand's promise of excellence in food and service. With the Mercatus platform, we're excited to offer a wide range of services and options to make online shopping even more rewarding." The Mercatus solution will include an online shopping site that's fully responsive for optimized browsing on any device and a complete eCommerce mobile app. Customers will be able to shop the full range of Stater Bros. products, including popular prepared meals and customized selections like deli counter foods. Customers can choose from contactless curbside pickup or delivery, and will have the additional option to pay nline with SNAP EBT or EBT Cash benefits. The Stater Bros. online offering will also include Mercatus' Enhanced Fulfillment capability powered in partnership by ADC's ShopperKit and Flybuy. Through ShopperKit, Stater Bros. will be empowered to scale its digital shopping experience by managing all in-store fulfillment activities related to online orders, helping the grocer maximize operational efficiencies to deliver growth and profitability. Meanwhile, the retailer will utilize Flybuy's geolocation technology to facilitate the handoff of pickup orders to curbside customers in two minutes or less - yet another opportunity to ensure customer satisfaction in a competitive landscape. Stater Bros. will also gain from using Mercatus' integrated digital advertising capability. This turnkey solution, powered in partnership with CitrusAd, will help Stater Bros. claim its share of CPG digital advertising dollars and drive additional revenue from its online grocery experience. "We want to thank Stater Bros. Markets for its partnership and welcome this iconic retailer to our roster of grocery retail clients," said Sylvain Perrier, president & CEO, Mercatus. "We look forward to working closely with the team at Stater Bros. to roll out a differentiated online shopping offering that will give the grocer the ability to strengthen connections to its customers and improve contribution margin in the process." About Stater Bros. Markets Stater Bros. was founded in 1936 in Yucaipa, California, and has grown steadily through the years to become the largest privately owned Supermarket Chain in Southern California and the largest private employer in both San Bernardino County and Riverside County. The Company currently operates 170 Supermarkets, and there are approximately 18,000 members of the Stater Bros. Supermarket Family. Since 2008, Stater Bros. and Stater Bros. Charities have contributed more than $80 million in food and funds to local Southern California communities. For more information, visit staterbros.com. About Mercatus Mercatus helps leading grocers get back in charge of their eCommerce experience, empowering them to deliver exceptional retailer-branded, end-to-end online shopping, from store to door. Our expansive network of more than 50 integration partners allows grocers to work with their partners of choice, on their terms. Together, we enable clients to create authentic digital shopping experiences with solutions to drive shopper engagement, grow share of wallet and profitability, and quickly adapt to changes in consumer behavior. The Mercatus Integrated Commerce platform is used by leading North American retailers, including Weis Markets, Save Mart brands, Brookshire's Grocery Company brands, WinCo Foods, Smart & Final, Stater Bros. Markets and others. Mercatus is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005806/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] Nexa3D Presents Future of AM at ASME The ASME AM Tech Forum is an interactive one-day virtual event dedicated to tech product discovery. Held on June 17, 2021, all industries will be featured. At the event, companies are invited to compare solutions side-by-side with product demonstrations and launches. The event also enables professionals to connect with solution providers as part of a live competition. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005880/en/ Avi Reichental (Photo: Business Wire) Nexa3D will be presenting two talks; Demo Jam: Get rid of dialup and upgrade to broadband printing presented by chief operating officer Kevin McAlea at 12:00 PM and Demo Jam: Nexa3D: Transforming AM by Avi Reichental, Founder and CEO at 2:30 PM. Nexa3D is also a premium sponsor of the overall event. In his talk, Kevin McAlea will be demonstrating two new print engines; Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing (LSPc) and Quantum Laser Sinterin (QLS), which are designed for high-speed production applications. McAlea will also shed light on Nexa3D's Digital Twin (News - Alert) Printing (DTP) software and detail how it assures process stability, results in higher yields and drives performance to new levels. Avi Reichental's talk will discuss how Nexa3D is transforming the AM world, by presenting ground-breaking new 3D printing technologies that improve efficiency and productivity and ultimately help product development teams create new products faster. Using the NexaX 2.0 platform, Reichental will explain how Nexa3D's products reduce production cycles from days to minutes, whilst also minimising waste, unlike traditional manufacturing. "The ASME AM Tech Forum is a great opportunity for all the brilliant minds in the AM industry to come together, collaborate and share knowledge," explained Reichental. "Nexa3D is passionate about digitizing the world's supply chains sustainably, and invites the rest of the industry to attend out talks and to join our mission." For more information on the ASME AM Tech Forum and to register for the presentations by Nexa3D, sign up to the online webinar at: https://event.asme.org/AMtechforum. About Nexa3D Nexa3D is passionate about digitizing the world's supply chain sustainably. The company makes ultrafast industrial grade polymer 3D printers affordable for professionals and businesses of all sizes. The company's photoplastic printers are powered by its proprietary Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing (LSPc) while its thermoplastic printers are powered by Quantum (News - Alert) Laser Sintering (QLS), both of which increase print productivity some 20X. The company's partnerships with world-class material suppliers unlocks the full potential of functional polymers that are tailored for production at scale. The company's NexaX proprietary software platform optimizes the entire production cycle through process interplay algorithms to ensure part performance and production consistency, while minimizing material usage and waste, reducing energy and carbon footprints. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005880/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] AM Best Removes From Under Review With Developing Implications and Affirms Credit Ratings of Most Members of Farmers Insurance Group AM Best has removed from under review with developing implications and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of "a" (Excellent) of most members of Farmers Insurance Group (Farmers). At the same time, AM Best has removed from under review with negative implications and downgraded the Long-Term ICRs to "a" (Excellent) from "a+" (Excellent) and affirmed the FSR of A (Excellent) of certain members of Farmers Insurance Group. Concurrently, AM Best has removed from under review with developing implications and affirmed the Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings (Long-Term IR) of "bbb+" (Good) on the outstanding surplus notes of Farmers Insurance Exchange (Exchange) (Woodland Hills, CA (News - Alert) ) and Farmers Exchange Capital. The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. All companies are domiciled in Los Angeles, CA, unless otherwise specified. (Please see link below for a detailed listing of the companies and ratings.) The ratings of Farmers reflect the group's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. Farmers continues to deliver positive operating performance, as the company has implemented considerable measures to enhance its underwriting performance through targeted pricing actions and risk-mitigation strategies, revised product offerings and strengthening of underwriting controls. In addition, AM Best believes the acquisition of MetLife P&C operations will be a significant contributor to underwriting profitability going forward. Partially offsetting these strengths is Farmers' high exposure to ctastrophe losses and reliance on over $2 billion of surplus notes. A complete listing of Farmers' FSRs, Long-Term ICRs and Long-Term IRs also is available. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best Rating Action Press Releases. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005911/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 16, 2021] SIGGRAPH 2021 Announces First Wave of Featured Speakers for Virtual Conference CHICAGO, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SIGGRAPH 2021 is announcing the first wave of its featured speaker lineup for this summer's virtual conference, which includes Grant Sanderson, Dr. Kate Darling, and Hany Farid. For its 48th year, the conference's live events and "can't miss" scheduled sessions will take place throughout the week of 913 August, with on-demand content available from 2 August through 29 October. The first wave of featured speakers for the conference includes Grant Sanderson , Dr. Kate Darling , and Hany Farid . Featured speaker sessions at SIGGRAPH 2021 will offer a chance for industry experts to discuss some of the most prominent topics in computer graphics and interactive techniques. "I am excited to be welcoming such an incredible group of experts to speak at SIGGRAPH," shared SIGGRAPH 2021 Conference Chair Pol Jeremias-Vila, of Pixar Animation Studios. "Our goal with each featured session is to offer varied perspectives across multiple disciplines in a way that best represents our community Grant, Kate, and Hany embody this to the fullest." Grant Sanderson, author of YouTube channel 3Blue1Brown, has made a name for himself teaching higher mathematics with a distinct visual perspective to more than 3.5 million subscribers. During his session, Sanderson will discuss some of the more interesting examples of mathematical nuances that have come up when illustrating 3Blue1Brown content. "Having spent so uch of my time using computer graphics to help teach math, I'm excited to engage more with the graphics community itself," said Sanderson. Dr. Kate Darling, research specialist at the MIT Media Lab, is a leading expert in human-robot interaction and robot ethics. Her session will focus on how a different analogy for human-robot interaction has the power to illuminate new paths for our relationships with machines through the lens of her latest book "The New Breed: What Our History with Animals Reveals about Our Future with Robots", released 20 April. "My favorite thing about SIGGRAPH is the interdisciplinarity," shared Darling. "I can't wait to talk to everyone about robots!" Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, is a known authority on the dangers and opportunities of deepfake technology, with numerous appearances discussing the subject, including, most recently, an episode of ABC News' "Nightline" in March. For his session, Farid will cover "Creating, Weaponizing, and Detecting Deepfakes", with an emphasis on how rapid advances in machine learning play a role. Farid commented, "The computer graphics community is at the forefront of developing powerful tools for the creation of highly realistic, synthetic content, and are in the best position to think about the implications and mitigations of these technologies." For full bios on each featured speaker, visit our website. News about additional featured speakers will be shared as it is available, including forthcoming announcements from conference sponsors NVIDIA, Unity, Intel, and Amazon Web Services. Featured speaker sessions will be streamed virtually throughout the week of 913 August. Access to the sessions is open to all virtual pass levels. Register for SIGGRAPH 2021 at s2021.SIGGRAPH.org/register. About ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH, and SIGGRAPH 2021 ACM , the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges. ACM SIGGRAPH is a special interest group within ACM that serves as an interdisciplinary community for members in research, technology, and applications in computer graphics and interactive techniques. The SIGGRAPH conference is the world's leading annual interdisciplinary educational experience showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH 2021, the 48th annual conference hosted by ACM SIGGRAPH, will take place virtually with live events 913 August and on-demand content available starting 2 August through 29 October. Click here for news from the conference and its partners. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/siggraph-2021-announces-first-wave-of-featured-speakers-for-virtual-conference-301314087.html SOURCE SIGGRAPH [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Announces Investigation of Eastman Kodak Company (KODK) on Behalf of Investors The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz is investigating potential claims against the board of directors of Eastman Kodak (News - Alert) Company ("Kodak" or the "Company") (NYSE: KODK) concerning whether the board breached its fiduciary duties to shareholders. If you are a shareholder, click here to participate. In mid-2020, Kodak announced a $765 million government loan for the Company to develop a "new manuacturing initiative" to produce pharmaceutical materials, including ingredients for COVID-19 drugs. Following reports that insiders had received "unusual" option grants shortly before the loan announcement, Kodak is being investigated by several congressional committees, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the New York Attorney General's office. Recently, Kodak's Chief Executive Officer and general counsel were ordered to testify in the New York Attorney General's investigation regarding insider trading around the time of the loan announcement. Our investigation concerns whether the Company's board of directors breached its fiduciary duties to shareholders and/or grossly mismanaged the Company in connection with the above alleged misconduct. Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert) : twitter.com/FRC_LAW. If you still hold Kodak shares purchased before July, 2020 and wish to discuss this matter with us, or have any questions concerning your rights and interests with regards to this matter, please contact Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to info@frankcruzlaw.com, or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005970/en/ [June 16, 2021] Colony Capital to Present Strategic Priorities and Rebrand as DigitalBridge at its Upcoming 2021 Investor Day Colony Capital, Inc. (NYSE:CLNY) ("Colony" or the "Company") today announced that the Company will be holding its inaugural Investor Day virtually on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 starting at 11:00 am ET. During the virtual event, investors will get exposure to the broadest, deepest team in digital infrastructure as the Company shares its strategic priorities, including: Next Chapter as DigitalBridge: Reflecting the significant business transformation the Company has undergone, Colony Capital will rebrand as DigitalBridge and begin trading under a new ticker DBRG, effective June 22, 2021 and will provide more background on the new name, rebrand and logo. Digital Infrastructure Opportunity: The Company's leadership team will outline the fast-growing digital infrastructure thematics DigitalBridge is levered to and provide insight into how it is executing on these opportunities - past, present, and into the future. Financial Overview: An update to the Company's medium and longer-term financial outlook and guidance. Buy vs Build: Where are the opportunities 'today' across a dynamic digital infrastructure landscape. To register and for additional information, please visit the event's site: DigitalBridge Investor Day or the Events Presentations page of the Shareholders section of the Company's website at www.clny.com About Colony Capital Colony Capital, Inc. (NYSE: CLNY) is a leading global investment firm with a heritage of identifying and capitalizing on key secular trends in real estate. Colony Capital, structured as a REIT, is headquartered in Boca Raton with key offices in Los Angeles, New York, London and Singapore. Cautionary Statement regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," or "potential" or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, and may cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Factors that might cause such a difference include, without limitation, the timing and pace of the Company's digital transformation, including the Company's ability to rotate the balance sheet and redeploy capital into digital infrastructure, whether the Company will realize any of the anticipated benefits of such transformation, and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in Colony Capital's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, and its other reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements reflect the Company's good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance. Colony Capital cautions investors not to unduly rely on any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Colony Capital is under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this press release, nor to conform prior statements to actual results or revised expectations, and Colony Capital does not intend to do so. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005979/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] CROSSVILLE, Tenn. When COVID-19 swept across the United States and throughout Tennessee in March 2020, Spc. Anthony Spencer knew it was his duty to help his community and state during this time of distress. A trained healthcare specialist with the Tennessee National Guard and lifelong Scout, he had the skills and character to do what he knew was right. A Crossville native and District Executive for the Boy Scouts of America, Spencer put his career on hold, left home, and risked his own health as a part of the Tennessee National Guards initial COVID-19 response team. For more than a year now, he has been a key part of Tennessees fight against the deadly pandemic. As a Scout and Guardsman, I felt called to be a part of the response and give back to my community that had given me so much, said Spencer. Serving his country and being a Scout is something Spencer does not take lightly. He began scouting in elementary school as a Cub Scout and progressed through the ranks to become an Eagle Scout with Crossvilles Boy Scout Troop 271 in 2011. He earned Eagle Scout, the highest honor a Boy Scout can earn, by planning, developing, and constructing a firefighter memorial in front of the Crossville Public Safety building. There is only one name on the memorial, and I hope that it stays that way forever, said Spencer. Once Spencer finished the project he continued supporting scouting, trying to live the Scout Slogan, do a good turn daily, and Scout Motto, be prepared. While in high school, he worked as a scouting instructor at Camp Buck Toms in Rockwood, Tennessee, and mentored scouts at his troops meetings. After graduating from Crossville High School in 2014, Spencer attended Cumberland University in Lebanon to earn his bachelors degree in biochemistry. While studying, he contributed to his local scout troop and served as a lifeguard and ski instructor at Camp Buck Toms. By his junior year, he was the camps aquatics director. Two days after graduating from college in May 2018, Spencer enlisted in the Tennessee National Guard as a medic for the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiments 2nd Squadron, headquartered in Cookeville. When school was over, I wanted to do something bigger than myself, I felt called to serve my county, said Spencer. I chose to become a medic because I wanted to help people directly. Scouting teaches us that service to others is the highest calling. In September, Spencer left for basic combat training at Fort Benning, Georgia, followed by 16 weeks of advanced training as a healthcare specialist at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He learned how to treat Soldiers for everything from mild illnesses to battlefield casualties. Once he graduated in March 2019, Spencer returned to Tennessee to drill at his unit in Cookeville. That summer, Spencer also returned to his scouting roots and worked again at Camp Buck Toms, as he did every year since turning 15-years-old. He also applied for and was offered a position as the District Executive for the Boy Scouts of Americas Great Smoky Mountain Council. He now serves the Eagle Creek District, which serves Cumberland, Fentress, Morgan, Pickett, Roane, and Scott County. It was a dream of mine to become a professional scouter and help give younger scouts the character building experiences that helped me, said Spencer. After all those years working at summer camp, I really wanted to make it a career. As the district executive, Spencer helps the organizations in his district plan events, organize and manage their troops, ensure all policies and procedures are followed, and help fundraise. He was the executive for nearly a year when the pandemic began. Troops and packs stopped having meetings and schools shut down. Everything came to a grinding halt as we started to understand what it meant to live in a pandemic, said Spencer. As everyone braced for the statewide shutdown in March 2020, the state of Tennessee began fighting COVID-19. Gov. Bill Lee and Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes, Tennessees Adjutant General, mobilized more than 250 Soldiers and Airmen with medical backgrounds to support the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and Department of Health. These Guardsmen were to be on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 and supporting testing of Tennessee citizens. When my unit called and told me I was needed, there was no pause, I was excited to do what I was trained for, said Spencer. It was a wonderful opportunity to really use my skills as a medic at home and live up to the Scout Slogan to do a good turn daily. He mobilized with the first group of Guardsmen to help test Tennesseans for COVID-19 at drive-thru testing centers across the state. After completing initial training in Smyrna on how to conduct tests and protect yourself and others from the disease, Spencer reported to the Jackson County Health Department to assist with their testing efforts. Everything happened so quickly, said Spencer. In just a few days, I was swabbing people who feared they might had contracted the virus. Some people were very scared, but we did everything we could to comfort them and ensure people we were doing all we could to help. After a few months, he returned to Smyrna and helped with COVID-19 testing at various nursing homes across Middle Tennessee. He helped at high-risk communities, long-term care facilities, and he even tested Tennessee State Troopers in Jackson. He spent months supporting missions throughout Middle Tennessee to help those in need. At times, he also assisted with administration and traffic control at testing sites. In November, Spencer reported to Lebanon to support the drive-thru testing site serving Wilson County. He also helped stand up an aid center at the Methodist Hospital in Memphis. Around January, the Tennessee National Guard began establishing vaccination sites. Spencer stayed in Lebanon to develop vaccination protocols for Wilson County and then began vaccinating local citizens. Many people who came to be vaccinated were excited and relieved that this day had finally arrived. Some were so happy that they began to cry and kept thanking me, said Spencer. Many times, I was glad to lend my ear to someone who needed comforting due to his or her fear of what was going on. It was humbling to know we were able to have a positive impact on someone's life. From January to April, the Lebanon testing and vaccination site was averaging more than 650 vaccinations per day. Once the vaccination rate began to slow, Spencer had an opportunity to utilize his skills in a different community. In April, he was selected to help stand up another vaccination and testing site in Hartsville with the Trousdale County Health Department. The site averaged nearly 70 vaccinations a day in an area where vaccines were not available previously. Currently, Spencer is still providing vaccinations at the Trousdale County Health Department. His team has also begun visiting various businesses and organizations in the community offering to vaccinate in locations convenient to them. Everyone Ive worked with during this pandemic has been professional and are doing everything they can to help those in need, said Spencer. I love being able to help my fellow Tennesseans to combat this unforeseen enemy. Its been a privilege to serve. Spencer will continue serving until the Guard is no longer needed to help during this crisis. He then plans to return to the Eagle Creek District of the Boy Scouts of America as their district executive. Its amazing how much Scouting and the Guard have in common, said Spencer. The Guard has given me the opportunity to live my Scout Oath and Promise every day and to give back. Its been a privilege and a gift to be able to help this past year and I look forward to taking my experiences back to scouting. Aftermath on a tragic local story and the latest bit of outcry against local law enforcement . . . Read more about the aftermath of a not-so-long-ago spate of Downtown gunfire : KC police shot man 17 times as he was being used as a human shield, lawsuit claims KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A woman filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Kansas City Police Department, Board of Police Commissioners, and others over the June 2018 shooting death of her son. Denise White claims her son's civil rights were violated when she says police used excessive force and shot him 17 times. KCPD being sued over 2018 police shooting KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- A woman is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the Kanas City Police Department and the Board of Police Commissioners over the shooting death of her son. It happened three years ago this month. Denise White claims her son's civil rights were violated when she says police used excessive force and shot him 17 times. Developing . . . We're all out of opinions on Mayor Q today . . . Nevertheless, his later power move in partnership with the White House is important to document. Read more about another losing cause undertaken by 12th & Oak . . . Kansas City's mayor wants help from the federal government to end gun violence There have been 68 homicides in Kansas City, Missouri, so far this year, according to Kansas City Police Department records. Victims younger than 25 account for 31% of those deaths.Mayor Quinton Lucas said he wants help from the federal government to end the violence. Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas advocates to president for gun violence prevention KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas is one of more than 20 mayors advocating for more gun violence prevention at the national level. In a letter to President Joe Biden, 27 mayors called reducing gun violence "a public health imperative" and urged the White House to support mental and community health initiatives, along with "enacting meaningful and common sense gun control legislation." Developing . . . Right now we share pop culture, community news and top headlines posted only for the most dedicated denizens of the Kansas City discourse . . . Check-it Resources For Kansas City Survivors Initiative aims to help survivors of Kansas City gun violence The toll of gun violence in Kansas City is compounded by the number of people who survive shootings.The Jackson County prosecutor said that less than a quarter of those cases make it to court.Now, an initiative that aims to help people heal from both the physical and psychological trauma of violence is working to reach survivors in the emergency room."Each one has a story behind it and so few get to come here for prosecution," said Jean Peters Baker, Jackson County prosecutor.This year in Kansas City, Missouri, more than 50 people have been lost to violence. KCK Chief Talks New Job New KCK Police Chief Karl Oakman focused on community, efficiency and transparency KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Tuesday was day two on the job for Kansas City, Kansas' new police chief, but Karl Oakman is no stranger to the top ranks in law enforcement, having been the deputy chief in Kansas City, Missouri. In an exclusive, one-on-one interview, Oakman said he brings a unique perspective to the other side of the state line. Head Check Amid Restart Changed by pandemic, many workers won't return to old jobs There's a wild card in the push to return to pre-pandemic life: Many workers don't want to go back to the jobs they once had. Layoffs and lockdowns, combined with enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks, gave many Americans the time and the financial cushion to rethink their careers. China Set To Conquer Space China set to send first crew to new space station Thursday JIUQUAN, China (AP) - China is set to send the first three crew members to its new space station Thursday morning and envisions growing international cooperation on the ambitious project, a space agency official said Wednesday. Two of the astronauts... Waging Holy War Israeli airstrikes target Gaza sites, first since cease-fire The march posed a test for Israel's fragile new government as well as the tenuous truce that ended last month's 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. Palestinians consider the march, meant to celebrate Israel's capture of east Jerusalem in 1967, to be a provocation. Everybody Has Pointers For Prez Biden Sen. Daines warns Biden ahead of Putin meeting: 'If you go in with weakness, the bully comes out on top' President Biden is facing strong warnings from Republicans about his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines, said in an interview on "America Reports," Tuesday that Biden must approach the Wednesday meeting in Geneva from a position of "strength" or "the bully will come out on top." Celeb Drama Persists Chrissy Teigen's online bullying of Courtney Stodden explained: What to know Chrissy Teigen issued a long, detailed apology on Monday for her history of bullying on online platforms such as Twitter. She'd been accused of harassing actor Courtney Stodden, among others. "There is simply no excuse for my past horrible tweets," Teigen, a US model and TV actor, wrote on Medium. Tragic Vacay Blow Up Boat explosion injures 6 people at the Lake of the Ozarks CAMDENTON, Mo. - A boat explosion at the Lake of the Ozarks injured six people Tuesday afternoon. That includes a 16 year-old boy and an adult who were airlifted to hospitals. Two other adults, a 12 year-old boy and a 2 year-old boy were also taken to hospitals for treatment. Hipsters Share Clips Paris Williams, Unfit Wives, Liam Kazar, and more of the best local music videos Illustrated by Katelyn Betz Anyone else finding it difficult to get back into the swing of being social in public settings? The first week I started going out, it was always a plan to have a drink or two and head home. Kansas City Gets Baked Out Of Kindness Baked, Together We Rise: Baking Bread With a Charitable Component - In Kansas City When the pandemic lockdown hit last year, baker Karen Rundle got busy whipping up loaves of sourdough bread. Initially, Rundle was worried when she saw bread being wiped clean from grocery aisles. Not only that, but there was no yeast available in the stores. "Many people in our community were posting in neighborhood groups, worried... Royal Disappointment Takes Hold Royals are bad at everything in yet another loss, 4-3 to Tigers I've tried to remain pretty level-headed to this point in the Royals season. There have been some ups and a few more downs, but I've tried to avoid completely melting down about a team pre-All Star break. I'm getting really close to running out of patience. The Royals lost to the Detroit Tigers, 4-3. Forecast For Now . . . Ozone alert issued for Wednesday Hide Transcript Show Transcript ALSO 89 88 IN MARSHALL 90S EVERYWHERE ELSE EVENING. FORECASTS WILL DIP THROUGH THOSE 80S INTO THE 70S NO CHANCE OF INRA CLEAR SKI,ES BUT NOT MUCH WIND SO THINGS DON'T GET STIRRED UP MUCH AT ALL AS FAR AS THE AIR QUALITY IS CONCERNED SO THAT OZONE ALERT DAY STARTS WITH A FAIRLY WARM BEGINNING 68. And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. A great many of the working poor will be forced out of their homes in the near future as pandemic housing policy shifts yet again . . . This time around there might be fewer protests given that the Democratic Party majority in D.C. don't seem to want to intervene with anything more than a few token freebie vouchers . . . Read more on the local angle and a few national news resources . . . 'We're absolutely in a crisis': Kansas City applications surge as eviction moratorium set to lift The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eviction moratorium, which went into effect last September, will expire at the end of June. With no sign of another extension, Kansas City organizations that help with rent and utility assistance are seeing a surge of applications. With eviction ban expiring in 14 days, many states have given out under 5% of rental assistance For months, renter Sabrina Floyd waited to hear if she and her family were approved for help from the Clark County rental assistance program in Las Vegas. She'd often ask her caseworker for updates and would get the same reply: "Thank you for your continued patience during these hard times," the email said. Millions Could Face Eviction With Federal Moratorium Ending And A Logjam In Aid Mehran Mossaddad has spent much of the pandemic scared and lying awake at night. He's a single dad with an 10-year-old daughter living outside Atlanta. "I get panic attacks not knowing what's in store for us," he says. "I have to take care of her." U.S. Supreme Court urged by 22 states to maintain eviction ban WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) - The attorneys general of 22 states on Friday urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to end the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's pandemic-related residential eviction moratorium that has been challenged by landlord groups. Developing . . . We'll let the amateur legal eagles try to explain the latest developments in this court case THAT PUTS THE SYSTEM ON TRIAL!!! (lulz) The only thing we know for sure is that a decision isn't coming anytime soon and local racially charged slap fighting will continue. Check recent updates on the progress of the case or lack thereof . . . Kansas City police board shaken up after commissioner's sudden exit, suggested reforms KANSAS CITY, Mo. - While a seat lays empty on the governor-appointed Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, Mayor Quinton Lucas is getting to work in an attempt to make changes. Tuesday's regular meeting came one day after Commissioner Nathan Garrett announced his resignation, and Lucas unveiled a proposed new roadmap for the board. Court filing in police budget lawsuit points to race-related history of state control KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- Kansas City has one more week to put together its legal response to a lawsuit filed over the police budget and who gets control of it. But the biggest "what's next" in the battle now has to do with the Missouri and United States Constitutions. City of KCMO requests week extension to respond to BOPC lawsuit KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The original deadline for Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas and other City Council members to respond to a lawsuit filed by the Kansas City Police Department Board of Police Commissioners was Tuesday. A spokesperson said the City has requested another week to respond. Developing . . . A quick pandemic sign of the times along with a realization of public health policy mostly out of the hands of the public . . . Read more: William Jewell and Rockhurst University will require COVID-19 vaccinations for students this fall by: Heidi Schmidt Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - William Jewell joined Rockhurst University announcing that all students will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus in August. William Jewell confirmed it would require both students and employees to recieve the vaccine. Whilst most of Kansas City media politely ignores community objections to slipshod changes in zoning ordinances to benefit sketchy homeless villages, a financially struggling newspaper focuses all of their editorial muscle in support of Mayor Quinton Lucas. Here are two examples published over the past 24 hours . . . Kansas City needs these tiny shelters, so lets not let scare tactics get in the way Today's dead-tree media fantasy . . . Kansas Citys right to build a homeless camp. But why not build public support, too? Both of these editorial screeds screeds are hidden behind a paywall so they're not really worth debating . . . However, the newspaper locking down their opinions inspires our blog community to fire off more freely available public info on the sordid topic . . . Take a look . . . Council lady Katheryn Shields has dumped Mayor Q on this issue and her outcry should garner attention from other denizens of the council who might be interested in maintaining a political future. Public reaction to spending 4.7 MILLION BUCKS ON HOMELESS HOUSING has been less than enthusiastic. In fact, whilst Kansas City is very compassionate toward the homeless, many locals have noted that these funds would be better spent on local organizations that provide long-term services to help fight endemic poverty. Finally . . . Mayor Q has locked down this conversation and neighborhood leaders are frustrated that they can't speak out on the topic directly or even by way of Zoom call. And so . . . Voter and homeowner sentiment on this issue isn't even close . . . KANSAS CITY NEIGHBORHOODS OPPOSE THE TINY HOMELESS VILLAGE EMERGENCY ZONING SWITCHEROO!!! If Mayor Q and his supporters/enablers were smart they would reverse course or reevaluate rather than attempt to silence opposition or shame the public into compliance. Developing . . . Dutch and Finnish smart mobility specialists Monotch and Nodeon have announced that they have signed a partnership agreement for the deployment of C-ITS in Finland. The partnership will provide Finnish road authorities with the opportunity to adopt Monotchs TLEX I2V software platform and take full advantage of its C-ITS services. The services being rolled out in Finland include traffic light priority, traffic light optimization and real-time information services for road users. Monotch provides data flows via the TLEX platform by connecting traffic light controllers and other roadside equipment to service providers, the automotive industry, road authorities, emergency services and ultimately road users. TLEX I2V is a highly scalable system that is specifically designed to send and receive massive volumes of data with ultra-low latency. The ready-to-use technology with available interfacing and various protocol options is applied in the nationwide UDAP platform initiated by the Dutch Talking Traffic programme, in InterCor, Concorda and in the NordicWay3 project. ') } // --> ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> Nodeon has in-depth knowledge of technological traffic systems and data communication. The companys overall design in smart traffic projects often includes the integration design of electrical, automation, data communication, tele and safety systems as well as lighting. The combined solutions will make a significant contribution to traffic flow optimization and real-time information to road users. Both companies believe that collaboration is essential for the further rollout of C-ITS technology and C-ITS data exchange services. The deployment of ITS systems and data exchange via V2X platforms provides many benefits for the stakeholders in the C-ITS ecosystem. Road authorities can improve traffic flow and road safety and prioritize certain road users. Freight traffic, emergency services, public transport and cyclists can be given priority over other traffic at traffic lights. But more importantly, the platforms are used to inform road users real-time. [Monotch and Nodeon] will share experiences from C-ITS deployments in the Netherlands and implement them under new specifications and architectural set-ups that differ from our previous deployments, says Gary Lin, international business developer at Monotch. We are both confident to deploy the TLEX I2V platform in Finland, find pilot customers and realise the benefits of C-ITS services. Monotch has gained a lot of experience in the field of data exchange in several European projects, Lin continues. If we can combine this with Nodeons expertise in implementing smart traffic projects, both parties can strengthen each other. For us, C-ITS is a natural path to leave a mark on the development of the ITS sector and next-generation ITS solutions, adds Aapo Poyhonen, Nodeon director of sales. I believe we can be an excellent deployment partner for V2X platforms in Finland. @IsaacAvilucea on Twitter Isaac Avilucea is The Trentonians main municipal scribe. A two-time prior restraint winner and testicular cancer survivor, he relishes his reputation as the "Mean Girls" reporter that followed his 18-day stay at the now-defunct North Adams Transcript. Johnstown, PA (15901) Today Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers this afternoon. High near 70F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms this evening followed by a few showers overnight. Low 57F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Sabrina Terry is the chief of programs and strategic development at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. Dedrick Asante-Muhammad is the chief of membership, policy and equity at NCRC and an associate fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies. Stay up to date on COVID-19 Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Sponsored By: Dorsett Automotive Canton, GA (30114) Today Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Ive decided to save southern Oregon and Northern California for another trip. Right now Im thinking of visiting mt rainier from Seattle as a day trip on a Monday (late august) (or should I stay a night in Packwood to spend more time at MRNP?) I like nice scenery and photography. It looks like the Grove of the Patriarchs trail is fairly easy, so that will be the main hike and if there isnt a long line, Ill probably take a short hike from one of the visitors centers. Should a visitor center be the first stop or the GOP trail? Would it be possible to do these things in one day? Or should I stay in Packwood and return the next day? After Mt Rainier, Im heading to the Columbia Gorge area through Yakima. If I visit Mt Rainier for only one day, should I stay overnight in Yakima? Im planning to stay 3 nights in Hood River. Is this too long? Im not familiar with these areas so Im not sure how many nights would be best. I want to visit the sites Ive seen recommended in the CG threads, the fruit loop, and timberline lodge. After Columbia Gorge Im heading back to Seattle for the weekend and then back home. Any recommendations that you have will be appreciated. A look at the Dunn Landfill on Partition Street Extension in the city of Rensselaer. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Tucson, AZ (85741) Today A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 96F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later at night. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 80F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. You will receive full, ad-free access to TullahomaNews.com.com as well as full access to the Electronic Edition of the newspaper. ONLY $3.99 per month for the first 3 months! Only $5.99 per month after promotional period. Or ONLY $39.99 per year for the 1st year Only $44.99 per year after promotional period. State Concern Ukroboronprom and investors from Canada have started cooperation on the establishment of an ammunition factory in Ukraine and are already working on pre-project documentation for the enterprise. "We have started cooperation with partners from Canada. Currently, the economic justification for the establishment of an ammunition factory in Ukraine is being drafted at investors expense. This is only the first stage, but we are interested in attracting investments and technologies to strengthen the defense industry in the country," Director General of Ukroboronprom Yuri Husev said during the opening of the XVII International Specialized Exhibition "Weapons and Security 2021" and the XII International Aviation and Space Salon "Aviasvit - XXI". Also, according to Husev, the talks with high-tech global companies, which are also interested in deepening cooperation with Ukraine, were held in France the day before. In particular, working groups have already been set up which, together with NATO partners, work on joint projects to develop Ukraine's defense and industrial potential. "We are interested in in-depth cooperation with our partners. This concerns joint projects, programs, and, of course, the corporatization of Ukroboronprom's reform which will allow us to ensure technology transfer and set up joint ventures for equipment modernization in a transparent manner," Husev added. ol On June 15, First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Minister of Economy of Ukraine Oleksiy Lyubchenko met with Minister of Economy of the Republic of North Macedonia Kreshnik Bekteshi to discuss key issues of trade and economic cooperation. "We are interested in deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with North Macedonia which is a promising trade and economic partner for Ukraine. In the first three months of 2021, trade between our countries almost doubled. Tomorrow, we will hold Intergovernmental UkraineNorth Macedonia Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, which will outline the key issues of our cooperation in various sectors of the economy," said First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Lyubchenko, the Government portal informs. Thus, the parties discussed the priorities of bilateral cooperation, including holding a regular meeting of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of Free Trade Agreement, intensification of industrial cooperation, in particular, the possibility of Ukrainian machine-building enterprises to supply machines for re-equipment and modernization of Macedonian energy facilities and mining enterprises. As noted, other important areas of cooperation are the expansion of partnership in the field of plant quarantine and protection, intensification of humanitarian cooperation, and liberalization of flights between the countries. In addition, the North Macedonian delegation expressed interest in cooperating with Ukraine on the transition of electricity to the use of renewable energy sources. The parties also exchanged experiences on stimulating the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. In particular, Ukraine and North Macedonia have prospects for establishing mutually beneficial business ties and deepening international cooperation. The event was also attended by Deputy Economy Minister Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of North Macedonia to Ukraine Krum Efremov. As the Government portal informs, in JanuaryMarch 2021, the foreign trade turnover between Ukraine and the Republic of North Macedonia amounted to $40.7 million, which is almost twice as much as over the same period last year. In particular, exports of Ukrainian goods and services amounted to $36.8 million, imports totaled $3.9 million. ol Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba admits that Germany may change its position on Nord Stream 2 project after the elections in the country. In fact, there are many voices against North Stream 2 in Germany and Berlins position may change after their upcoming elections. Neither has the US given up on sanctions completely, saying it is rather a break, Kuleba said in an interview with CEENERGYNEWS, Ukrinform reports. The minister underscored that the struggle to preserve Ukraines national interests and European security would continue. Our main expectation is to convince our German and U.S. partners to take the existing threat seriously. This is what Ukrainian diplomacy is currently working on, Kuleba noted. The Ukrainian minister stressed that there was no market need for the project, but there were clear political goals for Russia: depreciate Ukraines role in European gas transit and weaken Ukraine in its resolve to Russian aggression. He forecasted that the next few years were set to be quite challenging for the gas transit system of Ukraine. The current transit agreement with Gazprom provides for the reservation of Ukrainian GTS capacity until the end of 2024. Russia has tried for many years and failed to discredit Ukraine as a reliable gas transit partner. Now it tries to bypass Ukraine, Kuleba added. ol President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Ann Linde on June 15 in Kyiv. The President noted the attention that the Swedish presidency of the OSCE pays to the issue of restoring the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and a peaceful settlement in the east of our state, the Presidents Office informs. We have a meeting in Kyiv for the second time this year. The trip you made to the east of Ukraine these days is important, the President said. Zelensky and Linde discussed the security situation in the east and near the borders of Ukraine. The interlocutors exchanged views on the high level of military threat to Ukraine. Ways to strengthen security in the Black Sea region were also discussed. The Head of State noted that the Trilateral Contact Group should resume full-fledged work. The President stressed the importance of the OSCE SMM situation monitoring along the temporarily uncontrolled part of the Ukrainian-Russian border, in the temporarily occupied Crimea and in the Azov-Black Sea region, reads the statement. In addition, President Zelensky thanked the Swedish side for the decision to provide the original Constitution of Hetman Pylyp Orlyk for a temporary presentation in Kyiv. For the first time in more than 300 years, this attribute of our statehood will be in Ukraine again. This is an extremely friendly gesture of Sweden, which we very much appreciate, the President said. Zelensky also pointed out the importance of the Swedish side's participation in the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform at a high level in August this year. ol Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevhen Yenin and Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine Takashi Kurai have discussed steps to deepen cooperation between the two countries, Ukrinform reports with reference to the press service of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Yenin thanked the Japanese side for its continued support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, reforms in the country, and the provision of financial, expert and humanitarian assistance. The ambassador, in turn, reaffirmed the readiness of official Tokyo to continue the policy of comprehensive support for Ukraine. "The parties discussed steps to deepen cooperation between Ukraine and Japan in the political, security, financial, economic, trade, investment and humanitarian spheres," the report says. In addition, the parties paid special attention to the development of draft bilateral agreements and strengthening cooperation in international organizations. A separate topic of the meeting was preparations for the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform. As Ukrinform reported, on June 1, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidents Office of Roman Mashovets and Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine Takashi Kurai discussed ways of further development of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Japan in the defense and military-technical spheres. iy The newly appointed ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ukraine has presented copies of his credentials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the ministrys press service reports. "On June 15, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Yevhen Yenin received copies of credentials from newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ukraine Kim Hyun Te," the report reads. Yenin congratulated the ambassador on the beginning of his diplomatic mission in Ukraine and expressed hope for further development and strengthening of Ukrainian-Korean relations. The deputy minister welcomed the consistent position of the Republic of Korea on the inviolability of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. He also briefed the Korean diplomat on the initiative of the Crimean Platform, which aims to unite the efforts of Ukraine and international partners in order to de-occupy and reintegrate Crimea as soon as possible, calling to join its practical implementation. The interlocutors agreed on priority steps to prepare the Ukraine-Korea Partnership Strategy for 2021-2025, intensify high-level political dialogue, revive inter-parliamentary ties, and cooperate within the framework of the Ukrainian-Korean Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. The parties stressed the need for a fuller use of the existing potential of bilateral economic relations, an increase in the inflow of Korean investments in the production sectors of the Ukrainian economy, and the implementation of joint projects. The deputy minister and the ambassador also discussed joint events in the context of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the Republic of Korea in 2022. As Ukrinform reported, on June 9, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar discussed with Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea Kim Jong the preparations for the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform to be held in Kyiv on August 23. ish Support for Ukraine, its independence and territorial integrity remains a fundamental part of the renewed EU policy towards Russia. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said this during the presentation of a Joint Communication on the EU's relations with Russia in Brussels today, June 16, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The fundamental part of the Joint Communication is that we will reaffirm our support to Ukraine and its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. And we will continue to call on Russia to assume its responsibility as a party to the conflict and to fully implement the Minsk agreements, Borrell said. The Joint Communication reviews the state of implementation of the five principles that guide the EU's relations with Russia, namely: the full implementation of the Minsk agreements; strengthened relations with the EU's eastern partners and other neighbours; strengthened resilience of the EU; selective engagement with Russia on issues of interest to the EU; and people-to-people contacts and support to Russian civil society. Under present circumstances, a renewed partnership between the European Union and Russia, allowing for closer cooperation, seems a distant prospect. Our ambition should be to explore paths that could help change the current dynamics gradually into a more predictable and stable relationship. The EU will simultaneously push back, constrain and engage with Russia, based on a strong common understanding of Russia's aims and an approach of principled pragmatism, Borrell stressed. The Joint Communication will be presented to the European Council on June 24-25. On the basis of this Joint Communication, the Leaders will discuss EU-Russia relations and the way forward in the EU's Russia policy. A regular court hearing in the MH17 trial will take place in the Netherlands tomorrow. The hearing on the merits began on June 7. During the first four days of hearings, photos and videos of Buk surface-to-air missile system were presented in court, judges read out testimonies of secret witnesses, who saw how the system was installed, and recordings of telephone calls of four defendants Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy, Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko who fought on the side of DPR were heard. The MH17 case files consist of 65,000 pages. Lawyers have access to the case and have studied it well. Instead, their clients family members of MH17 Flight victims found out a lot of new things during the first four days of hearings. Some information was very difficult to perceive emotionally, in particular regarding the procedure for identifying the remains of the dead at the military base in the Dutch city of Hilversum, as well as the dissection and examination of the bodies of the dead with fragments of a missile that hit the passenger plane, causing the death of 298 people. The prosecution and Oleg Pulatov's lawyers are expected to speak in court on June 17-18. On the eve of the court hearing, Ukrinform talked to the lawyer of victims family members, Peter Langstraat. He has been taking on the MH17 case since September 2014. In his Rotterdam office, an entire closet and two desks are covered with documents and files of the investigation into the tragedy. CLASSIFIED CASE FILES Question: Mr. Langstraat, what is your impression of the first four days of hearings? Which of the files presented was new, shocking information made public for the first time? Answer: For us, it was not much news but for the family members it was emotional sometimes, hearing about the metal parts in some bodies and seeing the images again of the crash-site after the downing. Question: What impressed you personally the most during these four days in court? Have you examined all 65,000 pages? Answer: First of all, the most impressive thing was that the court was able to summarize, make this fantastic summary 65,000 pages of case files. This is a really big advantage to be able to do this in a clear format because some parts of the case are very complex, but they managed to explain almost everything to relatives and people involved in the trial in a fairly understandable form. Nothing new was for us, we know the case files. Question: Do you have access to all 65,000 pages of the MH17 case files? Answer: Yes, I have. We received case files that were classified. We could not share all the files we received with our clients, the relatives of the victims, but we were able to discuss the case in general terms. So there was nothing new for us, while the relatives of the dead found out some new details. Some points were very impressive, in particular the procedure for identifying the remains. Question: Did you know anyone on board the MH17 Flight? Answer: No, I do not know anyone who was directly on board but, as I said, this is the largest attack on the civilian population of the Netherlands since World War II. And everyone, including me, knows someone who knows someone whose neighbors were affected by this tragedy. It has spread throughout Dutch society, but personally I don't know anyone. This also makes it easier for me to do my job because when you are directly involved in a tragedy, such as losing a friend or being a relative, your emotions run high. And it complicates everything because as a lawyer you always have to be at arm's length to keep a clear head. For example, here is the chair I'm sitting on now: one of my clients was sitting on it. This man lost not only his son but his entire family. When you talk to such clients, of course, you are overwhelmed with emotions. Question: But I sometimes see emotions on your face and other lawyers faces in the courtroom. Answer: Yes, because you know the atmosphere in the courtroom. I think that it will be especially powerful and emotional in September when 90 relatives of MH17 Flight victims will appear before the court for three weeks. It will be really difficult even for us. There may be some moments when we will have to keep emotions under control, and this is not always easy. But it's part of our job, I've been in it for 32 years, I'm trained a little bit. Strong emotions are always inherent in any serious case involving physical or moral injury when someone receives disability or dies and you talk to relatives. But MH17 trial is very special, because it is multiplied by 298 and, therefore, it cannot be compared to other cases. WITNESS PROTECTION Question: During these days we could also hear that there are witnesses who saw Buk, saw how this system was installed. What about these people? Where are they? And will we see and hear them one day in the courtroom? Witnesses are classified, but can they, for example, appear in court as shadows with altered voices? Answer: As you have heard, in order to protect some witnesses, even the court does not know their names because, as you know, they are in danger. So they were questioned by an investigating judge, but it is very unlikely that we will see these people in court. Question: Do you know anything about the information that these people allegedly now live in the Netherlands? Answer: No, we do not know anything. They are under the protection of a special program, that's all we know. What this program is exactly, where they are, whether their names have been changed we do not know. And it is good that we do not have any information about it, because if we had such information, this program (witness protection) would fail as there is a real threat for these people, it is obvious. EARPHONE HELMETS Question: What do you know about the Buk system crew? Will the investigation focus on who these people are? Will they be tried? Answer: The investigation continues, we know this from the district attorney. But the longer it takes the less likely they are to be brought before the court. What we know from the witnesses they had helmets with ears typical for the Russian military and some said they even spoke with an accent from Moscow. Question: Currently, the consideration of MH17 criminal proceedings against four persons is ongoing at the Schiphol Judicial Complex. However, new names of those involved in the tragedy appear from time to time. Will there be trials against other people those who, in particular, directly pressed the button and gave the order? Answer: I think we need to be realistic: the longer it lasts, the less likely it is that new suspects will be brought to justice. Of course, since we only have general information from the district attorney, this is the only guess for us, but sometimes you can hear something in between, and for us there is no indication that new suspects will be brought before a Dutch court. This is very disappointing. Who were the people who pressed the button? Russian military? Who sent them? What were their orders? Was that a mistake? If it was a mistake, why did they make it? You have all these questions. And, of course, it would be great for the families of the victims to get answers. The longer it lasts, the less likely it is that people involved directly will be taken to a Dutch court. Question: In your opinion, was it a mistake? Answer: According to those pieces of information, in particular, the published audio recordings, we may think it was a terrible mistake. REPRESENTATIVES OF DEFENDANT PULATOV Question: What do you think about the Dutch lawyers who represent one of the four defendants, Oleg Pulatov? Are they involved in the process to have access to the case files so that Russia, in turn, has the access to the case files through them? Answer: We don't know what communication they have. They represent Mr. Pulatov that's all we know. But we do not know what part of Pulatov's file was transferred to the people in power in Russia. There is a lot of speculation about this. But we also discussed this with the relatives of the victims, and we are glad that they are there, because you can imagine what kind of trial we would have without them. Now there is an antagonist in the trial, a lot of details, we focus on every emphasis they make. On the one hand, the relatives of the victims are sometimes a little bit angry with these lawyers because they prolong the case, file petitions that do not matter, it causes some irritation. But on the other hand, they say: "We are glad that you are here because though it is not a full-fledged trial now, the defendants are not present in court, but it is still closer to a full-fledged trial." Question: Could you be Pulatov's lawyer? Answer: It is impossible for me because I am not a criminal lawyer, I do not have the relevant experience and knowledge. I am a personal injury lawyer. This is also the reason why we have criminal lawyers whom we have asked to join our team because they have the relevant knowledge of criminal law. So, first of all, I couldn't do that. To be honest, if you are a criminal lawyer in the Netherlands and have nothing to do with family members or people, who knew the family members of the victims, then the case seems big and reputable, you are in the spotlight every day, but also each of your mistakes will be in front of the camera. So it is a big responsibility for them. ECHR TO HOLD HEARINGS IN NOVEMBER Question: After the tragedy, the family members of MH17 Flight victims appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, accusing Russia of human rights violations. When will the ECHR hearings take place? Answer: The ECHR hearings were postponed to November 24, 2021, but that is the combined case of the Netherlands and Ukraine against the Russian Federation and will only be about formal legal issues, mainly admissibility [of the case for consideration]. Question: Is there a risk that the ECHR will not consider the case on the merits? It may rule that the lawsuit should be primarily filed in Russia as according to the procedure when you sue a country, you must first exhaust all legal remedies in that country. Answer: There is a certain risk because of the rule of exhaustion of domestic remedies. However, there is no possibility in the Russian Federation in a criminal procedure to hold the Russian Federation accountable. And more practical and realistic: it is very unlikely that any judge in the Russian Federation will rule against the government in a case like this. Last but not least: no lawyer in the Russian Federation will be willing to start such a procedure against the Russian state. Question: How do you estimate the role of Ukraine in this tragedy? Answer: Well, some say the tragedy was caused because Ukraine did not close the airspace. Some victims of the tragedy victims are still angry about that. But a recent investigation instigated by our parliament did not lead to that conclusion. Question: How many lawyers are involved in the MH17 trial? How many of them are in the Schiphol Judicial Complex and in the ECHR? Answer: The team has six personal injury lawyers and two criminal lawyers for the criminal trial. For the procedure at the ECHR, the team consists of one personal injury lawyer and three other lawyers, specialized in human rights. So the total team is 11 lawyers. Question: How do you assess the trial in the Schiphol Judicial Complex and how many years can it last? In your opinion, will there be a trial against those who pressed the button, gave the order, and against Putin? Who do you think is responsible for delivering Buk to Ukraine? Answer: As said, a verdict in the criminal trial will be probably delivered in spring next year. I dont think the persons who fired the Buk missile will be brought before the court. All evidence points to one direction: the Russian federation delivered the Buk missile and the necessary military personnel to the separatists in the East of Ukraine. Question: When, in your opinion, a judgment on four defendants will be delivered? Answer: I expect a decision somewhere between March-June 2022. Iryna Drabok, The Hague Photos courtesy of the author The Iranian side has submitted the case over the downing of a Ukraine International Airlines plane over Tehran in January 2020 to court. "The Iranian side says it has submitted the case to court. And the head of their delegation, Mr. Mohsen Baharwand, invited Ukrainian prosecutors to review the case within the framework of national law. In addition, Iran promised to qualify the crime on each of the ten defendants," Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Gyunduz Mamedov said in an interview with Radio Liberty, Ukrinform reports. Mamedov noted that the case in Iran was being investigated over manslaughter. At the same time, it is qualified in Ukraine as the premeditated murder of 176 passengers and crew members. For this reason, Mamedov believes, Iranian representatives refused to set up a joint investigation team. The refusal to set up a joint investigation team is a right of Iran based on their national legislation. We respect that right. But as far as we can deduce from the cooperation with the Iranian side, the key reason for the refusal is still our qualification of this crime as premeditated: the premeditated murder of 176 passengers and crew members and the deliberate destruction of the plane. They are investigating manslaughter, human error, and, accordingly, the degree of responsibility in this case is completely different, he said. According to the official, the Iranian side has not yet provided Ukraine with the facts proving the manslaughter. "We hope that the very possibility of access to the case file promised by Iran will be able to convince us of the unintentional nature of the crime. There must be protocols of interrogations of defendants, conclusions of military examinations, data obtained from TOR-M1 system documentation, Mamedov said. As reported, on January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines plane (Flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). All of them died. On January 11, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner. On March 17, 2021, Iran's Civil Aviation Organization released the final report on the crash of the Ukrainian passenger plane in January 2020. The report blamed an error by an air defence operator for the accidental downing of the Ukrainian plane. Ontario's Superior Court of Justice has ruled that the shooting down of UIA passenger plane near Tehran in January 2020 was an intentional act of terrorism. ol | By Laura Lee Juneteenth is a celebration of Black joy, says Seante Hatcher, LCSW-C, associate dean of continuing professional education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work (UMSSW). Its a time when we can all come together to see how rich and vast Black culture is. We are so much more than the descendants of slaves." Clockwise l-r: Terri Freeman, executive director, Reginald F. Lewis Museum; Seante Hatcher, UMSSW; Chanel Compton, executive director, Banneker-Douglass Museum; Earl W. Stafford, philanthropist, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. It was June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers, led by Major Gen. Gordon Granger, landed in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and the enslaved were now free more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. For over 150 years, June 19, or Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, and Liberation Day, has been observed in pockets of the African American community as a day of freedom, reflection, and rejoicing. As the holiday gains increasing acknowledgment across the United States, this year the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is recognizing the date as the preeminent national celebration of freedom from slavery in the United States by designating it as a holiday for the first time. In a letter March 29, 2021, UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS wrote Juneteenth serves as a day to reflect on the fight for freedom and justice then and now and to joyfully celebrate Black history and culture, and Black resistance and resilience. Since Juneteenth falls on a Saturday this year, UMB will observe the holiday by closing the University on Friday, June 18, and granting administrative leave to employees. Jarrell released his letter to the UMB community on March 29 and by March 30, Hatcher, along with Danielle Harris, LCSW-C, associate director, UMB Community Engagement Center; Courtney Jones Carney, MBA, executive director, Intercultural Leadership and Engagement; Neijma Celestine-Donnor, LCSW-C, assistant dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion, UMSSW; and Chrishna Williams, MS, director of alumni relations and career service, UMSSW, sprang into action to plan a week of cultural events for the UMB community celebrating the contributions and resilience of African Americans. The celebration kicked off Monday, June 14, with a panel of museum leaders who discussed Black history post-enslavement and the strides that have been made to obtain full physical and financial autonomy. Panelists included Chanel Compton, executive director, Banneker-Douglass Museum; Earl W. Stafford, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; and Terri Freeman, executive director, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. Moderated by Hatcher, the freewheeling discussion ranged from the impact of integration on African Americans to the importance of the arts in education. Reflecting on the importance of African American museums, Freeman said the Reginald F. Lewis Museum and others like it provide an understanding of the 400 years of fundamental contributions Black people have made in America. Its not African American history. Its American history through the lens of the African American experience, she said, emphasizing there is no way to disentangle the two. The Black experience in America was a topic of discussion during Tuesdays virtual Juneteenth event Black Diasporic Experience: Are We All Seeking Collective Liberation? which explored the Black diaspora and the diversity of cultures and people within it. Moderated by Celestine-Donnor, the panel included speakers of African descent from Ghana, Belize, and the United States who discussed cultural differences within the Black community. Check out the rest of UMBs Juneteenth Events: Juneteenth Jubilee Community Day Block Party Wednesday, June 16, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. ET This is a live and in-person celebration of everything BLACK! Celebrate the ending of chattel slavery in the United States through food, giveaways, and music. Wear a Juneteenth T-shirt and join the celebration at the UMB Community Engagement Center, 16 S. Poppleton St., Baltimore, MD 21201. Register here. Black Joy Zoom (House) Party Thursday, June 17, 2 p.m.-4 p.m. ET Move from virtual room to virtual room in this casual house party designed to emphasize Black joy through music, trivia, and social (distancing) connection. Register here. To learn more about Juneteenth, check out these resources: The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth (National Museum of African American History and Culture) Juneteenth: Our Other Independence Day (Smithsonian Magazine) What Is Juneteenth? (PBS: This website also hosts The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, a video series on African American history, culture, and perspectives.) | By Mary Therese Phelan and Giordana Segneri Nurses play a key role in applying lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigating the impacts caused by social determinants of health, according to the keynote speakers at the 2021 Maryland Action Coalition (MDAC) Virtual Leadership Summit, hosted by the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON). The theme of the annual conference: Meeting Challenges Head On: Maryland Nurses Respond. Keynote speakers Brian C. Castrucci and Susan Hassmiller. "We've all lived through a year and a half of COVID. And people always ask, why is COVID so much worse in the United States than it is elsewhere? I suggest that COVID was the match, and we provided a whole lot of kindling for it with our decisions, offered Brian C. Castrucci, DrPH, MA, president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation, in his keynote address, Skills and Perspectives that Nurses Need to Lead a Post-Pandemic Public Health Renaissance. There are policy decisions that we've made over the past at least two decades, if not past 400 years, that really impacted how COVID played out in the United States, said Castrucci, whose parents were emergency room nurses. MDAC strives to improve health care by implementing recommendations set forth in the landmark report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, released in 2010 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report addressed the challenges facing the nursing profession, in particular the need to prepare the nursing workforce to provide excellent care to an increasingly diverse and aging population, within a rapidly changing health care system. MDAC was formed in 2011 in response to the report. But what's killing us, what's causing our ill health is nothing that can be really determined and treated inside a clinic, Castrucci continued. We know that social determinants of health are what's really challenging populations now. But our response has been to buy more and bigger buckets to bail out the boat. Were not fixing the hole. Most of the nations COVID-19 deaths could have been prevented, he asserted, because they had more to do with the social determinants of health than the virus itself. The reason so many people died was not because of COVID. It's because of decisions that we had made five, 10, 100 years ago that for the first time for everyone in America were front and center, he said. COVID has made it really hard to ignore things. And we were super good at that in America." His biggest fear? Once everyones vaccinated, and we're all at the beach, and we're all living our lives again, that we will just go back to the way things were, he said. COVID is like Mother Nature sending us a warning shot. He likened it to the bypass surgery patient who asks a nurse for a cigarette before he is even out of the hospital. Are we going to be the bypass patient who smokes? Or the bypass patient who eats well and exercises? I'm too concerned that America is already reaching for a pack of [Marlboro] Reds. In kicking off the conference, Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing, referred to a report recently released by the National Academy of Medicine, The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity, which showed a need to reduce health disparities and tackle issues of structural racism. Of course, these are not new challenges, said Kirschling, MDAC co-chair. But for many of us, they have been brought into sharper focus and given greater urgency as a result of the clearly disparate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on certain populations and the ongoing discussions about the impact of structural racism following the events of last spring. Another outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic? The incredible toll that it has taken on nurses throughout the country, Kirschling said. Many of us are learning more about the level of moral distress experienced by nurses on the front lines of care delivery. New thinking is emerging on how we can better and more fully support nursing at all levels. Castrucci said that too often, health care professionals think they are addressing social determinants of health when in fact they are addressing the social needs of an individual patient. To illustrate his point, he relayed an encounter he had with a community health worker who told him she was working on the social determinants of health. She was assigned a patient, Mr. Johnson, a diabetic who was not compliant with his medication and was a frequent visitor to the emergency room. Figuring that Mr. Johnson was lonely, the community health worker began to take him on walks and to weekly bowling outings. He is now taking his medication properly and avoiding expensive hospital stays. The woman told Castrucci she was addressing social determinants of health. She wasnt, he said. I was like, no, you have addressed the social needs of one particular human being, which is laudatory, but will not solve the problems that we have, he said. Because there are thousands upon thousands of Mr. Johnsons, and we don't have the resources to give each of them a person to go bowling with them. It is critical to the future of nursing that the terms be used correctly, he emphasized. Social determinants are those things working at that community and policy level, while social needs are those things that are impacting a patient's health but are outside the realm of the clinic. Those two things are different, and they're equally important, and they need to be addressed that way. But right now, health care is focusing mostly on social needs. Where to begin on the many lessons that can be learned from COVID-19? Communication is a good place to start, Castrucci said. For me, much of COVID-19 stands as a monument to really poor public health communication, he said. We needed to couch things from the start as we don't know everything there is to know yet, but as we know more we're going to share. Initial stay-at-home orders were framed as lockdowns, instantly drawing up negative connotations of prisons and active shooter drills at schools. We never found a way to talk about Americans shared anxiety. And this is our challenge, he said. Nurses play a critical role in educating the vaccine-concerned, a phrase Castrucci prefers over vaccine-hesitant, he added, noting a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed that nurses and other health care professionals are viewed as trusted sources of information. Nurses were always quick to respond from the pandemics early days to today. Nurses were there to get our backs throughout this entire pandemic, in the community, in the hospital, in the clinic, at the mass vax sites, and I don't think our society has done much at all to get your back, and that is something that we have to reckon with, Castrucci said. The afternoon session featured an endnote presentation by Susan Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, senior adviser for nursing, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, who since January 2019 has served as a key member of the leadership team for the National Academy of Medicines recent report. It was her first presentation on the report to an action coalition. Achieving health equity is the most salient issue of our time, Hassmiller said. And I believe this is nursings time to help lead this change. She reinforced that structural inequities lead to poorer health and increased stress, putting people of color at higher risk for many health conditions, including COVID-19. Given that the report covers a time period beginning in 2020 but was released in May 2021, Hassmiller acknowledged that the only way for the report to be relevant was to delay its release, to recognize lessons learned from the pandemic and the ever-growing call for racial justice. This report is being released during a critical time in our nations history and in nursing, she said. We need policy reform to unleash our potential. You have been such a key part of our efforts to strengthen education and advanced practice and promote nursing leadership and increase workforce diversity, she told a virtual audience of nurses from throughout the state. We have built the capacity of this workforce to expand high-quality care to more Americans. The new report builds on the gains that weve made and seeks to leverage this capacity to advance health equity. Hassmiller outlined four key takeaways and related recommendations, out of nine major areas and 54 recommendations that the report addresses: Takeaway 1: Permanently remove practice barriers. Recommendation: All organizations should enable all nurses to practice to the full extent of their education by removing regulatory, private, and public payment limitations and restrictive policies and practices. Takeaway 2: Value nurses contributions. Recommendation: Payers and public health agencies should establish sustainable, flexible payment mechanisms to support nurses in health care and public health, including school nurses, in advancing health equity. Takeaway 3: Prepare nurses to tackle health equity. Recommendation: Nursing schools need to integrate content about drivers of health, health inequities, and population health concepts through the entire curriculum and expand community learning opportunities to encourage nurses to work with other health and non-health colleagues. Takeaway 4: Fully support nurses. Recommendation: Nursing education programs, employers, nursing leaders, licensing boards, and nursing organizations should initiate the implementation of structures, systems, and evidence-based interventions to promote nurses health and well-being immediately. The report recommends this should happen by the end of the year. Hassmillers presentation was followed by a poster session, which featured 20 live presentations and Q&A via a chat box. Another 31 entries were added to the MDAC website. The virtual summit ended with closing remarks from Patricia Travis, PhD, RN, CCRP, senior associate director, clinical trials, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and co-chair of MDAC. She bestowed the Best Poster Award on Patty Palmer, MSN, lead author with Vanessa Fahie, PhD, assistant professor, UMSON, for An Assessment of the 2020 Health Care Summer College and Workforce Development Institute. Travis also conducted an online poll, asking What should the state of Maryland focus on as a priority from The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report? The option Prepare nurses to tackle and understand health equity led the audience response, with 33% of votes out of four possible options. Katie Wunderlich, MPP, executive director, Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC), also presented on Marylands Experience and Progress in Implementing Value-Based Healthcare Reform. The HSCRC is an independent state agency responsible for regulating the quality and costs of hospital services to ensure all Marylanders have access to high quality healthcare. Before kicking off her presentation, Wunderlich expressed gratitude to those nurses who endured the pandemic from the frontlines. I really want to extend a very heartfelt thank you to all the nurses out there. I know your work and dedication over the last 16 months has been a huge undertaking, she said. You have absolutely been on the frontlines of this pandemic. And those of us who do not serve in a clinical capacity, can't fully appreciate how that is, to be on frontlines. I know it's taken a toll on your families, on your health and on your mental health. For more details about the summit and to view abstracts and posters, visit: www.nursing.umaryland.edu/MDAC/ A migrant swims towards the Vos Triton commercial supply ship off the coast of Libya's coast on May 11, 2019. REUTERS The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, can confirm that over 270 migrants and refugees were handed over to the Libyan Coast Guard by the ship Vos Triton, sailing under the flag of Gibraltar. Vos Triton had rescued the group in international waters during their attempt to reach Europe on 14 June. On 15 June, the Libyan Coast Guard returned them to the main port of Tripoli, from where they were taken into detention by the Libyan authorities. The two organizations reiterate that no one should be returned to Libya after being rescued at sea. Under international maritime law, rescued individuals should be disembarked at a place of safety. IOM and UNHCR staff are in Libya, providing life-saving humanitarian assistance. However, the agencies reiterate that the basic preconditions to ensure the safety and protection of rescued migrants and refugees post-disembarkation are lacking; therefore, Libya cannot be considered a safe place. In the absence of predictable disembarkation mechanisms, maritime actors should not be obliged to return refugees and migrants to unsafe places. IOM and UNHCR call on States to coordinate so that merchant vessels rescuing people in distress are granted swift permission for disembarkation in a place of safety, to avoid lives being placed at risk. The Libyan Coast Guard has returned more than 13,000 people to Libya this year, already surpassing the number of people intercepted or rescued and disembarked in all of 2020. Hundreds of others have perished at sea. The continuing departures from Libya highlight the need for a predictable rescue and disembarkation mechanism along the Central Mediterranean route, with immediate effect and in full compliance with international human rights principles and standards. Migrants and refugees disembarked in Libya often end up in appalling conditions where they may be exposed to abuse and extortion. Others go missing and are unaccounted for, raising fears that some may have been channeled into human trafficking networks. IOM and UNHCR call for an end to arbitrary detention in Libya, through the establishment of a judicial review process, and advocate for alternatives to detention starting with the immediate release of the most vulnerable. For more information please contact: IOM Safa Msehli at IOM Geneva, Tel: +41 79 403 5526. Email: [email protected] Ryan Schroeder at IOM Brussels Tel + 32 492 25 02 34. Email: [email protected] Flavio Di Giacomo at IOM Rome Tel: +39.347.089.89.96 E-mail: [email protected] UNHCR Register for a FREE account to keep reading! Register now for a FREE account to keep reading. No cost and no credit card required! Access up to 5 articles per month when you register, or get unlimited access to all of our content online starting at $1.99 now! Already registered? Click the log in link below THE OTHER DAY I mentioned to a guy I know that some Buddhist monks in Nepal are fans of my song Slow Days of Summer, according to their ESL teacher Jennifer who stopped me on the street to tell me, and I said (which is the truth) that I felt enormously honored, whereupon the guy said that Some New Hampshire Republicans (and not a few Democrats) are already suffering angst at the possibility that Gov. Chris Sununu may set his sights on a U.S. Senate seat next year. What will become of New Hampshire if the young man opts to save Washington from the clutches of Maggie Hassan and Milledgeville, GA (31061) Today Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High 81F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, mainly cloudy late with a few showers. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Union Springs, AL (36089) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 81F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Brussels, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2021 ) :EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Wednesday the bloc needs to "push back, constrain and engage" Moscow, as the leaders of Russia and the US met in Geneva. "We believe that a renewed partnership, allowing us to realise the full potential of a close cooperation with Russia is a distant prospect and the EU, therefore, needs to be realistic and prepare for a further downturn of our relation with Russia," Borrell said. He said Brussels' approach must now be to "push back, constrain and engage with" Moscow as he presented a new report detailing a strategy to build a "more predictable and stable relationship" with the Kremlin. Ties between Russia and the 27-nation union have hit a fresh low after the EU imposed sanctions on Moscow over the arrest of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and the Russian authorities hit back by targeting officials in Brussels. EU leaders -- who will debate the report at a summit next week -- are looking to fashion a common approach to their giant eastern neighbour despite splits between some members over how to handle Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Time and again, the European Union has demonstrated unity despite attempts by Russia to divide us, and this unity remains our biggest asset and needs to be even more robust," Borrell said. - 'Malicious actions' - Member states, he said, "will have to understand that they cannot go one-by-one having bilateral deals with Russia". The unveiling of the EU's strategy on Russia came as US President Joe Biden sat down with Putin for a hotly-anticipated meeting in Switzerland. Biden -- who jetted to meet his Russian counterpart after meetings with EU partners and NATO allies in Brussels -- has vowed to lay down "red lines" to Putin to halt Moscow's aggressive behaviour. The EU report said the bloc would continue to confront Russia over human rights abuses at home and its meddling abroad, including in neighbours such as Ukraine. "The EU will continue to respond to the Russian government's malicious actions, including hybrid threats, in an appropriate manner, and will aim at limiting the resources the Russian government can draw on to carry out its disruptive foreign policy," a statement said. To constrain Moscow the bloc needs to boost its resilience and look to "make better use of the leverage provided by our energy transition" as the EU moves to wean itself off the fossil fuels Russia relies on to keep its economy going, it argued. But it also laid out areas -- from climate change to the Iran nuclear deal -- where the EU would seek to work together with Moscow. "The EU will further people-to-people contacts, which could include more visa facilitation for certain Russian citizens, and will also enhance its support to Russian civil society and human rights defenders," it said. VIENTIANE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2021 ) --:Lao health authorities are rolling out the second round of vaccination program, aiming to immunize hundreds of thousands of people against COVID-19. Inoculations of the first doses of Pfizer vaccine and Sinopharm vaccine began on Tuesday. The second doses will be given 21-28 days later, local daily Vientiane Times on Wednesday quoted Phonepaseuth Ounaphom, director general of the Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion under the Lao Ministry of Health, as saying. The Pfizer vaccine is provided by the World Health Organization-led COVAX Facility. A new batch of Sinopharm vaccine provided by the Chinese government arrived in Laos on Monday. The Pfizer vaccine will be given to 50,300 people over the age of 60 and those with underlying health conditions. Other priority groups are government officials, medical staff, those who work in border areas, and people who regularly cross the border. So far, Laos has received about 2,136,620 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including 132,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and 1,000 doses of Sputnik V. As of Saturday, some 712,793 people had received their first dose of vaccine, while 385,921 had been given a second dose, according to the Ministry of Health. Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2021 ) :The US death toll from Covid-19 surpassed 600,000 on Tuesday, although officials hailed progress towards a return to normality as its world-leading vaccination program promised to turn the page on one of the worst health crises in American history. The United States has racked up by far the largest national death toll -- ahead of Brazil and India -- after a heavily-criticized early response to the pandemic, but has since organized among the world's most effective immunization drives. Progress against the coronavirus was underlined as New York announced more than 70 percent of adults had received at least one vaccine dose and the last of the state's restrictions could be lifted. "There's still too many lives being lost," President Joe Biden said, noting that despite the daily number of dead dropping sharply, the continuing loss of life was still "a real tragedy." "My heart goes out to all those who have lost a loved one," he said, speaking on Monday in Brussels as the Johns Hopkins University tally ticked close to 600,000. Biden has set July 4 as the target date for 70 percent of US adults to have received at least one dose, but several states in the South are lagging far behind and the country might miss that goal. In New York city -- where more than 33,000 died from Covid -- life took a major step forward as almost all restrictions were lifted. "We have hit 70 percent vaccination," Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "It is the national goal, and we hit it ahead of schedule. What does 70 percent mean? It means that we can now return to life as we know it." - 'Reopening day' in California - California -- the first US state to enact a stay-at-home order just under 15 months ago -- also celebrated its "reopening day" Tuesday by lifting almost all pandemic-related social distancing and capacity limits. Vaccinated people will be free to ditch their masks in nearly all of the nation's richest and most populous state, though exceptions will remain for locations including public transport, schools and hospitals. "Finally we are here, June 15, to turn the page, to move beyond capacity limits... move beyond social distancing and physical distancing," Governor Gavin Newsom said at a ceremony to mark "the full reopening of the California economy. " "We saw way more death than we'd ever like to see -- we held way too many hands because families were not able to come into the unit," said nurse Helen Cordova, the first Californian to get a vaccine dose last December. The capital Washington entered the 70 percent club on Monday. - Delta variant worries - Whether the US vaccination program succeeds in ending America's chapter of the pandemic will depend on authorities' ability to reach vaccine holdouts, who remain the most vulnerable to the coronavirus. Experts are particularly worried about the rise of the Delta variant, first identified in India. The US campaign has been pushed hard since the authorization of the first vaccines in December, and peaked in April, with up to more than four million shots a day. But the pace has slowed rapidly since then. Just over 52 percent of the US population, or 174 million people, have received at least one dose of one of the three vaccines authorized in the country, according to official data. The US passed the 500,000 death mark at the end of February, just under four months ago. By comparison, it had only taken one month for the country to go from 400,000 to 500,000 deaths. Experts are concerned about the rise of the Delta variant which now accounts for 10 percent of US cases and is likely to become the dominant strain in the coming months, according to experts. Research from Britain, where it now accounts for 96 percent of cases, has shown it is 60 percent more transmissible than the Alpha variant, first identified in England. Vaccine effectiveness for the Delta variant is comparable to that for the Alpha strain after two doses, but appears to be significantly lower after just one dose. Health authorities are trying to convince more people to get the shot by increasing vaccination sites and helping people access them in partnership with private companies that can provide transport or childcare. Some states have even launched lotteries which only vaccinated people can enter, with prizes of up to several million Dollars. Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Jun, 2021 ) :The US death toll from Covid-19 surpassed 600,000 on Tuesday, although authorities hailed progress towards a return to normality as its world-leading vaccination program promised to turn the page on one of the worst health crises in its history. The United States has racked up by far the largest national death toll -- ahead of Brazil and India -- after a heavily-criticized early response to the pandemic, but has since organized among the world's most effective vaccine roll-outs. Progress against the coronavirus was underlined as New York announced more than 70 percent of adults had received at least one vaccine dose and the last of the state's restrictions could be lifted. "There's still too many lives being lost," President Joe Biden said, noting that despite the daily number of dead dropping sharply, the continuing loss of life was still "a real tragedy." "My heart goes out to all those who have lost a loved one," he said, speaking on Monday in Brussels as the Johns Hopkins University tally ticked close to 600,000. "We have more work to do to beat this virus. And now's not the time to let our guard down. Please get vaccinated as soon as possible." In New York city -- where more than 33,000 died from Covid -- life took a major step forward as almost all restrictions were lifted. "We have hit 70 percent vaccination," state Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "It is the national goal, and we hit it ahead of schedule. What does 70 percent mean? It means that we can now return to life as we know it." - New variant worries - The US's massive vaccination campaign has been pushed hard since the authorization of the first vaccines in December, and peaked in April, with up to more than four million shots a day. But the pace has slowed rapidly since then, and unvaccinated people remain vulnerable to the disease. Just over 52 percent of the US population, or 174 million people, have received at least one dose of one of the three vaccines authorized in the country, according to health officials. Biden has set a goal of 70 percent of adults to have received at least one shot by the national holiday of July 4, but the program may fall short of that goal. The US passed the 500,000 death mark at the end of February, just under four months ago. By comparison, it had only taken one month for the country to go from 400,000 to 500,000 deaths. Experts are concerned about the recent arrival of the new Delta variant of the disease, which initially appeared in India. Health authorities are trying to convince more people to get the shot by increasing vaccination sites and helping people access to them in partnership with private companies that can provide transport or childcare. Some states have even launched lotteries which only vaccinated people can enter, with prizes of up to several million Dollars. (@FahadShabbir) Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has called upon the President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the United Nations Secretary General to take note of the repression in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), calling for an urgent action ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2021 ) :Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has called upon the President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the United Nations Secretary General to take note of the repression in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), calling for an urgent action. In a letter addressed to the top UN offices, the foreign minister expressed Pakistan's grave concern on reports indicating that India may be contemplating the imposition of further illegal and unilateral measures in IIOJK, including division, bifurcation and additional demographic changes in the occupied territory. The Foreign Minister's letter was handed over to the President of the Security Council by Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN in New York. Qureshi also urged the Security Council to call upon India to end its campaign of repression in IIOJK and reverse all its illegal actions, including those initiated on and after 5 August 2019, and to cease and desist from imposing any additional unilateral changes in the occupied territory. In his letter, the Foreign Minister drew attention to India's continued military siege of IIOJK - continued for over 22 months, to suppress the Kashmiris' legitimate demands through a massive campaign of repression including gross and systematic violations of human rights. The Foreign Minister recalled that, since India's illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, Indian occupation forces had killed, tortured, arbitrarily arrested and detained hundreds of Kashmiris, and put almost the entire Kashmiri leadership behind bars. Highlighting India's design to undermine the exercise of the inalienable right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people by changing the demographic structure of IIOJK, including issuance of fake domicile certificates. The foreign minister underscored that "all the unilateral and illegal actions taken by India in IIOJK since 1951, including the measures initiated on and after 5 August 2019, and any additional unilateral changes that India may introduce in the future, were violations of international law including the Security Council Resolutions and the 4th Geneva Convention, and ipso facto null and void." Stressing that the people of IIOJK had vociferously rejected the illegal measures imposed by India, the Foreign Minister called upon the Security Council to fulfill its responsibility to ensure full implementation of its resolutions on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. The Foreign Minister's letter also affirmed that Pakistan desires peaceful relations with all its neighbours, including India. Noting that a just settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people is essential for durable peace and stability in South Asia, the Foreign Minister emphasized that the onus was on India to create an enabling environment for result-oriented engagement with Pakistan. The Foreign Minister has been regularly addressing letters to the Security Council and the UN Secretary General in order to keep the UN fully informed of the grave situation in the territory occupied by India, and to remind the Security Council of its responsibility for peaceful and just settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions. A bear has killed a 57-year-old Slovak man, officials said on Wednesday, in an attack that sparked irate reactions from Slovak hunters claiming that Slovakia has too many bears Bratislava, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2021 ) :A bear has killed a 57-year-old Slovak man, officials said on Wednesday, in an attack that sparked irate reactions from Slovak hunters claiming that Slovakia has too many bears. "This was the first known case when an encounter with a bear had fatal consequences in Slovakia," Marina Debnarova from the Lesy SR state forestry agency told AFP on Wednesday. The man was found mauled to death surrounded by fresh bear prints on Monday in Bansko Valley, 250 kilometres (155 miles) from the capital Bratislava. "The man was bitten on the head and side of the neck, and an autopsy confirmed that he died from the injuries inflicted on him by a bear," Debnarova said. Imrich Suba, director general of the Slovak Hunting Chamber, told AFP that the incident was due to "an unsystematic, populist approach" to conservation. "We have done everything to protect bears, now it is high time that people be protected," he said. Bear hunting is currently banned in Slovakia. Suba said that in the 1920s there were only 30 bears in Slovakia but that the population of brown bears has now grown to more than 2,700. HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th June, 2021) The Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) said on Wednesday that two Russian Su-35 fighter jets had violated the country's airspace. "Two Russian Su-35 aircraft on Tuesday entered the Estonian airspace without permission near the island Hiiumaa. The planes spent in the country's airspace less than a minute. Their transponders were off, there were no flight plans and no two-way radio communication with Estonia's aviation service," the EDF Headquarters said in a statement. Tallinn summoned the Russian charge d'affaires and presented him a note of protest on Wednesday, according to the statement. The Russian defense ministry responded to Estonia's allegation by saying that its planes always fly in accordance with international rules and do not breach other countries' borders. (@FahadShabbir) ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2021) The Greek and Lithuanian foreign ministers met in Vilnius on Tuesday to talk about common concerns that range from nuclear power plants near their borders to illegal migration. Greece's Nikos Dendias said at a press conference he attended together with Lithuania's Gabrielius Landsbergis that the two EU members considered getting Brussels involved in their respective disputes with Turkey and Belarus. "Both cases have to do with Russian technology and we would like to address it together. To see how nuclear plants go with the EU and can be built in a way that saves us if there is an accident in the neighboring countries," he said. Greece has taken an issue with the Akkuyu power plant, Turkey's first such project, arguing that it poses a security threat to the Eastern Mediterranean. Another Rosatom-led project, in Belarus' Astravets, close to the Lithuanian border, was given a test run last year. Dendias said that Greece and Lithuania had no issues that separated them but shared "many things that tie us together." He named threats of illegal migration from Turkey and Belarus and the recent diversion of a Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius as some of the topics they would tackle together. Peru's leftist presidential hopeful Pedro Castillo, narrowly leading in a vote count already nine days under way, on Tuesday rejected calls from the rightwing camp for elections to be annulled Lima, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Jun, 2021 ) :Peru's leftist presidential hopeful Pedro Castillo, narrowly leading in a vote count already nine days under way, on Tuesday rejected calls from the rightwing camp for elections to be annulled. "The calls continue for an election to be annulled," Castillo told foreign journalists at his party's headquarters in Lima, adding: "We are patiently awaiting a result" even as his rival Keiko Fujimori has claimed fraud and her backers have called for new elections to be held. On Monday, lawmaker and retired admiral Jorge Montoya, a Fujimori backer, called for "new elections" to be held. With 63 other retired generals and admirals, he questioned the fairness of the June 6 vote -- prompting Peru's defense ministry to stress the group "does not represent the Armed Forces." Supporters of Fujimori have been protesting outside the offices of the ONPE electoral body, which organized the vote and the count, and the JNE elections jury, which is reviewing challenges to the process and must announce the winner. "I do not know if it is legally possible to annul the elections, but every day there is evidence of manipulation of electoral records and a series of irregularities," Fujimori advisor Fernando Rospigliosi has told AFP. With over 99.9 percent of ballots counted, rural school teacher Castillo, 51, led by 44,800 votes or 50.12 percent to Fujimori's 49.87 percent, according to ONPE data. Observers from the Organization of American States have declared the ballot free and with no "serious irregularities."Yet Fujimori has asked an election jury to annul tens of thousands of ballots, which could flip the balance in her favor. A review of her application is expected to last several days. Peruvians voted last Sunday for their fifth president in three years after a series of crises and corruption scandals saw three different leaders in office in a single week last November. WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2021) NASA has ordered the design of two new unmanned spacecraft for a Mars orbital surveillance mission, the California-based company Rocket Lab announced on Tuesday. "Rocket Lab, a global leader in dedicated launch and space systems, has been awarded a contract to design two Photon spacecraft for a scientific mission to Mars," the company said in a press release. The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) project is a twin-spacecraft science mission that will orbit two spacecraft around Mars to understand the structure, composition, variability and dynamics of the planet's hybrid magnetosphere, the release said. ESCAPADE is being developed under NASA's Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program in the Science Mission Directorate, the release also said. The two spacecraft are planned for launch in 2024 to Mars ridesharing aboard a NASA-provided commercial launch vehicle, the release added. The mission will use the Curie P propulsion system to investigate the Mars environment to explore how the solar wind strips atmosphere away from the planet to better understand how its climate has changed over time, according to the release. WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2021) The US Senate confirmed on Tuesday the appointment of Lina Khan as Federal Trade Commissioner, putting a major critic of Big Tech in charge of the country's domestic trade amid the Biden administration's crackdown against alleged antitrust practices by firms such as Google and Facebook. The Senate voted 69-28 to confirm the 32-year-old Khan, making the Columbia University professor the youngest person ever to head the Federal Trade Commission. Her confirmation also signals a bipartisan desire to impose more regulations on Big Tech companies increasingly accused of shutting out smaller competitors to monopolize online search and digital advertising among other activities. Khan achieved recognition in antitrust circles after writing "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox" for the Yale Law Review in 2017, while a student at that university. The paper made the case for using a different framework for evaluating competitive harm than the popular consumer welfare standard. That standard essentially says that antitrust law violations can be determined based on harm to consumers, which is often measured based on prices. But Khan's criticism was that such a standard could miss significant competitive harm in the modern economy, like predatory pricing that lowered consumer prices in the short term but allows a company that can afford it to quickly gain market share. She also said that by both owning and selling on a marketplace platform, as Amazon did, the online retailing behemoth could exploit information across the ecosystem to undercut the competition. In recent years, Khan has become a favored advocate for those eager to see more expansive enforcement of the antitrust laws. She also participated in the Congress Judiciary subcommittee's antitrust investigation into Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, helping to compile the report from Democratic staff that found each held monopoly power. In October, the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google for alleged abuse of online search dominance. It was the most forceful action in more than two decades by the US government to ostensibly protect competition in the online search space since the groundbreaking case that began in the late 1990s against microsoft. It could also be a precursor to similar antitrust actions against other big tech Names. Valdosta, GA (31601) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 86F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Pope Francis prays for the victims of violence in Ethiopia's Tigray region, as well as for all those who risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea, and for children forced into labour. By Vatican News staff writer Addressing the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square for the Sunday Angelus Pope Francis turned his thoughts to the suffering people of Ethiopia's Tigray region "which is suffering from a serious humanitarian crisis that could expose the poorest to famine". The Pope warned that there is already famine in the region. "Let us pray together that the violence will cease immediately, that food and health care will be guaranteed to all, and that social harmony will be restored as soon as possible", he said. The Pope then thanked all those "who work to alleviate the suffering of the people". Wold Day Against Child Labour Pope Francis then went on to note that Saturday marked World Day against Child Labor. "It is not possible to close our eyes to the exploitation of children, deprived of the right to play, to study and to dream", said the Pope. He said that according to estimates by the International Labour Organization, there are over 150 million children exploited for work today - a tragedy! "150 million: more or less the same as all the inhabitants of Spain, together with France and together with Italy", he added. "Let's renew all together the effort to eliminate this slavery of our times", concluded the Pope. The plight of Migrants The Pope then went on to pray for the numerous tragedies that continue to occur over the Mediterranean Sea. He noted that "this afternoon, a ceremony will take place in Augusta, Sicily, to receive the wreck of the boat that was shipwrecked on 18 April, 2015". "May this symbol of so many tragedies of the Mediterranean Sea continue to challenge the conscience of all and foster the growth of a more supportive humanity, which breaks down the wall of indifference", said the Pope. Let's think about it: the Mediterranean has become the largest cemetery in Europe. World Blood Donor Day Concluding his appeals, Pope Francis noted that tomorrow, Monday, is World Blood Donor Day. "I heartily thank the volunteers and I encourage them to continue their work, bearing witness to the values of generosity and gratuitousness", said the Pope. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has delayed by four weeks the planned lifting of most remaining Covid-19 restrictions in England, with the new date now set for July 19th. Johnson said if the government were to lift restrictions on June 21st as first planned, there could be thousands more deaths owing to the rapid spread of the more infectious Delta variant. By Suzy Hodges The delay in the lifting of all remaining Covid-19 restrictions had been widely expected after a number of scientists had warned the government earlier of a significant rise in people needing hospital treatment if the easing of restrictions went ahead. Britain has experienced a dramatic surge of new Covid-19 cases in recent weeks, blamed on the spread of the Delta variant that first emerged in India. Health experts believe the variant is up to 60 percent more transmissible than the original dominant strain and it now represents over 90 percent of new cases in the UK. Last weeks tally of Covid-19 cases was more than 50,000 which was almost double that for the previous week. This is despite Britain having one of the highest vaccination rates in the world with nearly 80 percent of the adult population having received at least one dose and more than 56 percent now fully inoculated. Johnson said a four-week delay in the final easing of the lockdown would allow more people to get vaccinated and save many thousands of lives. The delay means pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and other venues wont be allowed to fully reopen for another four weeks. However, some restrictions will be lifted on June 21st including the limits on wedding guest numbers. Meanwhile the Health Ministry has announced that Englands vaccination programme will be speeded up with access to vaccines being rolled out in more areas of the country. The government says Johnson is determined that the remaining Covid-19 restrictions in England will be lifted on July 19th but scientists are warning that a rise in deaths could scupper this plan. The announcement over the weekend that the G-7 would throw its weight behind a U.S.-led proposal to create an alternative to China's eight-year-old Belt and Road Initiative was met with cautious optimism by international development experts. The experts welcomed the focus on helping low- and moderate-income nations develop needed infrastructure but had many questions about how it would be implemented that defied immediate explanation. The plan aims to "collectively catalyze hundreds of billions of dollars of infrastructure investment for low- and middle-income countries in the coming years," according to a White House document. It is part of a broader effort being pushed by President Joe Biden, who said this weekend that the G-7 and other democracies around the world are locked in a battle with autocratic regimes like China and Russia to exert influence with developing countries. The effort, dubbed the Build Back Better World Partnership, is aimed at "rallying the world's democracies to meet the challenges that the world faces, and deliver for our people and for people, quite frankly, everywhere," Biden said. 'An extraordinarily positive step' "Certainly, the fact that the United States was present and very engaged in the G-7 was an extraordinarily positive step," said Lisa Bos, director of government relations for World Vision, a Christian global humanitarian organization. "That we showed leadership was an extraordinarily positive step. But now, are we going to show the leadership to actually achieve the outcomes and the objectives, and to make those objectives really meaningful?" Bos said that current circumstances, in which the pandemic has focused attention on the interconnectedness of the world and the value of strong institutions, have created an opportunity of sorts. "There's a moment in time now where we can really reinvigorate and reenergize the work that many of the more developed countries are trying to do in creating a safer, more secure, more prosperous, healthier world," Bos said. "If it's not going to happen now, then when? We're at a really critical moment and ... now's not the time to back off. Now's the time to press the gas." Sustained follow-up necessary "I think it's really positive that the G-7 countries recognize the issue and recognize a need to react," said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas. "There are real needs out there that need to be met. And folks in emerging markets and elsewhere, as well, if they don't see solutions coming from the democracies, are looking for a solution wherever they can get one. And China, of course, has a lot of money." To be successful, the B3W initiative, as the Biden administration is calling it, will require sustained effort from all the countries involved, Farnsworth said. The G-7 is made up of wealthy, highly industrialized nations, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the U.S. "You can make the announcement, but the key is going to be not just follow-up but meaningful, sustainable follow-up, so that it's not a one-off but it's actually a priority," he said. "Sustainability, in my view, is key, as well, because, you know, this has to be something that people know that they can rely on that if they sign up to a compact or some such thing with the U.S. or the EU, that it will still be operational three years from now or five years from now." Not exactly competition with Beijing While presented by Biden as an explicit challenge to China, it's notable that the areas on which the plan will focus climate, health and health security, digital technology, and gender equity and equality, according to the White House are not really in direct competition with much of what China has been doing through the Belt and Road program. China's focus has largely been on big-ticket projects that fall under the category of traditional infrastructure investment, including ports, highways, airports, dams, and so on. That is not to say the areas identified as the focus of the B3W program are not in need of significant investment. Vital and interrelated "Each of these four areas is important, and they are interrelated," said Michelle Brown, associate director of advocacy for Action Against Hunger. "COVID has demonstrated that a lack of investment in critical infrastructure in health and health security can have devastating consequences. The lack of basic services exacerbated the impacts of the pandemic in both rich and poor countries. Social, economic and gender inequalities further deepened the negative impacts of COVID," she said. The effects of climate change and a lack of digital infrastructure in the most underdeveloped parts of the world, she added, only further contributed to the damage wrought by the pandemic. More constraints It is highly unlikely that the B3W program will be able to operate with as few constraints as Beijing can under one-party rule. The Belt and Road Initiative has frequently involved bilateral funding agreements between Chinese banks and developing countries, with the infrastructure projects themselves serving as collateral for the loans. The U.S. and its partners, operating in democracies with clear demarcations between the state and private businesses, won't be able to direct funding with that kind of precision. Instead, the B3W project will have to mobilize private and intergovernmental agencies, likely through programs of loan guarantees and other financing measures that require far more in the way of transparency and risk mitigation than Beijing has demanded. Complexity could be a good thing Beijing's freedom to act as it sees fit in cutting Belt and Road deals has not always been beneficial, neither for China nor the countries supposedly benefiting from the program. In a number of cases, countries have found themselves unable to service the loans that China extended, creating concerns that Beijing's status as creditor gives it unusual leverage over domestic policy decisions that might affect Chinese firms. In other cases, projects have been undertaken without the involvement of communities that would be most affected by them. Some, including an ongoing port project in Peru, have damaged the local environment and disrupted the livelihoods of people they were ostensibly meant to benefit. Still others, like the Coca Codo Sinclair Dam in Ecuador, have caused embarrassment to all parties involved due to poor planning and shoddy execution that caused projects to fail to deliver on the promise of economic benefits that spurred their construction in the first place. Opportunity awaits According to Farnsworth of the Americas Society, the Build Back Better World Partnership has at the very least a chance to reassert the position of democratic nations as the best alternative for developing nations going forward. That is, he said, if Biden and other leaders can frame it as a strategic benefit for their various constituencies to take a global leadership role as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than leaving China to help developing countries pick up the pieces. "This isn't just a matter now of finance and debt repayments and things like that, but there is a strategic narrative here about whether the West can respond, or whether China is the de facto lender of last resort going forward," Farnsworth said. Chinese diplomats were dismissive of the results of the G-7 summit, with a spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in London telling Reuters that "the days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone," and adding, "We always believe that countries, big or small, strong or weak, poor or rich, are equals, and that world affairs should be handled through consultation by all countries." (REUTERS) - Danish director Camilla Nielssons documentary President (2021) is an up-close, intimate tale. It follows the election travails of Zimbabwes main opposition party the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance and its leader, Nelson Chamisa. Winner of the prestigious Sundance Film Festivals Special Jury Award for Verite Filmmaking, the film deploys an in the moment technique as it follows the lead-up to the 2018 general elections. It documents Chamisas battle against the governing Zanu-PF party leader and acting Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa ousted Zimbabwes 37-year ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017. As the films promotional material explains: As the election looms closer, it becomes increasingly clear that an election is no guarantee of a democratic outcome. If you have lingering hopes that the Zanu-PF soldiers coup replacing the doddering nonagenerian would leave Mugabes legacy behind, settle down for an intense viewing. Your hopes will crash, with the opposition troops that President follows. They will die, shot down as brutally as the six demonstrators and bystanders displaying their anger at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commissions delayed election tallies. But perhaps enough Zimbabwean politics-watchers in southern Africa can move the discussion beyond the liberal good vs evil platitudes repeated by the films reviewers to date. A local audience should offer critical and nuanced views. A Fulbright graduate of visual anthropology and filmmaking at New York University, director Nielsson has several socially conscious films under her belt, often about the plight of children, in Afghanistan, Darfur and India. Her famed documentary Democrats (2014) covered Zimbabwes 2010-2013 constitution-making excursion. President avoids feeding the audience a lot of background history and politics. Nielsson says: "We try to be there when things happen, instead of telling it all backwards and coming up with some sort of analysis." The film is sold as a political thriller. But as Eric Kohn perhaps the sole, though mild, critical voice writes: the long meetings with Chamisa and company debating how to beat the unbeatable are less thrilling than exhaustive, a kind of informational activism in feature form. Maybe 45 wasted minutes covering meetings could have been used to fill in some glaring gaps that local audiences will notice. One such moment might have followed the (unnamed) academic Phillan Zamchiya. (The film does not identify enough of its characters.) In a hotel room, Chamisas lawyerly team debates the next steps. It becomes starkly apparent that this election will go down the drain too. The camera catches Zamchiya from behind. No polite critic, he argues that Zanu-PF are military. They are guerrillas, he says: If people are not prepared to die, to go to prison you are not going to take power away from this regime, believe me or not. He might have qualified that Zanu-PF is especially so after the coup, when the pro-Mugabe intelligentsia faction was dumped. Once a student leader severely battered during the early struggles for Zimbabwes democracy as is true for Chamisa, the film shows Zamchiya knows of what he speaks. The tortured polling agents filing affidavits about their beatings as they posted ballot reports speak eloquently of that plight. However, the film is silent about how ill-prepared they were for their crucial task. The deceased 1 August demonstrators, angry at the deliberately slow counting of the vote, speak for their last time. The timid commission of inquiry into their deaths muted them further. Presidents filming of those moments is classic. Its clear why a good documentary can beat the stills. Watch very closely as the officer congratulates the soldier who shot at the dispersing crowd. Yet Zamchiyas challenge, if pursued, could have raised more questions of the films unfolding events. Like what other forces shaped this moment? During Rhodesias white rule the liberation armies military pressure forced the racist regime to the negotiating table. This would not have happened without the West because of the Cold War. But the Wests post-1989 enthusiasm for democracy-lite waned. By 2017 it seemed the once oppostion-friendly Brits were backing the sluggish thug Emmerson Mnangagwa who took over the country. Or the context of how the original oppositions trade union roots disappeared due to devastating de-industrialisation after the fast track land reform started in the early 2000s leading to the opposition partys takeover by lawyers and neo-liberal fantasies. Lawyers do argue well. Thabani Mpofus valiant, expertly filmed, attempts at the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe to challenge the vote counting amounted to nothing in the end. It was pleasurable, though, to watch electoral commission bosses and judges trying not to squirm. But those who adored Nielssons previous film Democrats and its hero, the lawyer Douglas Mwonzora, will know that he has become a leader of a splinter opposition faction allegedly working with Zanu-PF. They will wonder how long this move brewed. The Movement for Democratic Changes earlier splits, patched up in the alliance only as elections approached, are ignored too. So too Chamisas rapid and contested moves to the top of the party after former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai died. Those 45 minutes could have offered much more meaning. Aside from avoiding Chamisas religious side President could have screened its footage of Chamisas press conference in the wake of Zanu-PFs chaotic coup consolidator, as 2019 began. Dead: at least 17 demonstrators and bystanders. Raped: the same number. Meanwhile, Zanu-PF youth set the opposition headquarters alight. The charred walls said it all. They would answer the question of why Chamisas pursuit of free and fair elections will not go far in 2023, but also why there are no other choices. President zooms in on the moment at the cost of the big picture. Zooming out could have helped. President opens the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival in Johannesburg on 10 June and then plays in select South African cinemas from 11-21 June. Zimbabwean prison authorities released New York Times freelancer Jeffrey Moyo on Wednesday, one day after the High Court in Bulawayo granted him bail. Police arrested the 37-year-old in May, alleging he helped two of the U.S. newspaper's journalists illegally enter Zimbabwe. Moyo's attorney, Doug Coltart, a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer, said Moyo should have been released a day earlier, but prison officials noted a problem with the warrant of liberation. Speaking from Bulawayo via a messaging app, Coltart voiced anger about his client being detained an extra day. "It's a typical tactic which is used to extend the detention of prisoners after they have been granted bail, which is why the legal team specially requested to see the warrant of liberation before leaving the Magistrates Court," Coltart said. "That request was denied, which is why when prison officials started claiming that there was an error on it late in the evening last night (Tuesday) again, the legal team requested to see the warrant of liberation. That request was again denied." Government officials were not immediately available to comment on Moyo's case. Moyo was arrested on May 26, along with a Zimbabwe Media Commission official, Thabang Manhika, for allegedly processing fake accreditations for two South Africa-based Times journalists who entered Zimbabwe last month and have since been deported. Western diplomats and international press freedom groups voiced concerns about the arrests. A lower court had denied Moyo and Manhika bail, saying they were a danger to national security because they helped U.S. journalists interview Zimbabweans without the government's permission. "The state papers on appeal essentially admit that the grounds they advanced for opposing (Moyo's) bail in the magistrates court were baseless and frivolous and essentially they do not have any case against and that he is not a national security threat as they alleged," Coltart said. The government has dismissed accusations that Zimbabwe is disregarding media freedom. On social media, The Information Ministry secretary, Ndabaningi Mangwana, said Moyo and Manhika had been arrested for breaking immigration laws. Tabani Moyo of the Media Institute of Southern Africa who is no relation to Jeffrey Moyo said he welcomed Jeffrey Moyo's release and was looking forward to the trial. "Trial of Jeffrey Moyo is a trial on fairness in that you are only guilty when proven such," he said. "Fairness is a key element in discharge of our judiciary services. So we are saying it's fairness on trial that he is out on bail. It is the first step in that process. And we hope that to the conclusion of the case, fairness will be at the center of the trial as it should be to every Zimbabwean." No trial dates have been set for Manhika and Moyo. The two men face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. 87 year old Maurie Grundei was reported missing and the family believed he may have been heading to Alexandria. Grundei has Alzheimers and diabetes and the family was very concerned about his sudden disappearance early Thursday, June 23rd. The family later reported that he was found, safe and sound in Elk River. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A St. Paul man accused of speeding up and driving into a group of protesters in Minneapolis while he was drunk, killing one person, was charged Wednesday with intentional second-degree murder. Prosecutors say Nicholas Kraus, 35, was visibly intoxicated Sunday night when he sped up and tried to jump a car that was being used as a barricade by protesters in the citys Uptown neighborhood. Thirty-one-year-old Deona Knajdek, also known as Deona Erickson, was killed. Theres nothing in the criminal complaint to suggest Kraus actions were motivated by political views or anger at protesters. The murder count alleges Kraus intended to cause death, but his actions were not premeditated. Hes also charged with two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, for injuring two other protesters. According to the criminal complaint, Kraus told officers he saw the car and believed he needed to get over it. He said he saw people in the area, but he accelerated in order to try and jump the barricade and acknowledged that he did not attempt to brake, the complaint says. It also says he admitted that he thought he might have hit someone. Kraus will make his first court appearance Thursday and it wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney to comment on his behalf. He's being held at the Hennepin County jail, which does not take messages for people in custody. Protests have been ongoing in Uptown since members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force fatally shot Winston Boogie Smith Jr., a 32-year-old Black man and father of three, on June 3. Authorities said they were trying to arrest Smith on a warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm when he displayed a handgun from inside a parked SUV. Authorities also say evidence shows Smith fired his gun from inside the SUV, but a female passenger has said she never saw him with a gun. Minneapolis has been on edge since the death of George Floyd, who died last year after an officer used his knee to pin Floyd's neck to the ground, and the fatal police shooting of another Black man, Daunte Wright, in a nearby suburb. On Tuesday, city crews began clearing and reopening streets near the site of Smiths shooting and Knajdeks death, but after police left, protesters moved back in and blocked traffic. Police say 30 people were arrested Tuesday night, with most receiving misdemeanor citations. The street was open to traffic Wednesday afternoon. Though obstructions to traffic were removed, a memorial featuring messages in chalk and flowers left by mourners remained intact. The Minnesota National Guard tweeted that at the request of the city it was prepared to send about 100 soldiers to Minneapolis in the event of unrest. Witnesses have said Kraus was driving an SUV when he struck a parked car, sending it into the crowd of demonstrators. Police said protesters pulled Kraus from his vehicle and witnesses reported demonstrators struck him. Kraus was arrested and treated for injuries at a hospital. Kraus has five convictions for driving while impaired dating back to a 2007 incident, according to online court records. At one point, he told officers that the SUV he was driving on Sunday was in another person's name because he had no license due to his drunken driving offenses, the complaint says. Court records show his drivers license was canceled in 2013. A search warrant affidavit seeking a blood sample from Kraus says he admitted several times that he was the driver, without being asked, but when asked specific questions he gave illogical and irrelevant answers. Kraus told police his name was Jesus Christ and Tim Burton, that he had been a carpenter for 2,000 years, and that he wanted to get his children to the Super Bowl, the affidavit says. The officer tried to perform a field sobriety test, but Kraus was unable to follow directions and would not keep his eyes open long enough to complete the test," the affidavit said. Results from the blood tests are pending. Other injuries and deaths have been reported involving vehicles at protests across the U.S. as people have increasingly taken to the streets to press their grievances. In Minneapolis, marching onto freeways has become a common tactic. Last year, a semitrailer rolled into a crowd marching on a closed freeway. No one was seriously injured. Republican politicians in several states, including Oklahoma, Florida and Iowa, have sought legal immunity for drivers who hit protesters. Associated Press/Report for America writer Mohamed Ibrahim contributed to this report. This story has been corrected to show the day of Kraus first appearance is Thursday. WAAY31 is continuing to hear from people in the community who are affected by the tragic shooting at Mueller Company, specifically the employees at the plant. Early Tuesday morning, police from three different police agencies rushed to Mueller for a mass shooting call. A call that shocked the hundreds of people who work here. Mueller plant in Albertville Mueller plant in Albertville "I was just coming into work like a normal day," says Cody Windsor, an employee at the plant. That's when Windsor heard the news - there was an active shooter at his workplace. "I had a lot of messages from people that worked here telling me that, uh, some people in the factory got shot," says Windsor. His friend was one of two people killed by the gunman. "I didn't find out later until my friend, David, David Horton, he was shot and I got home and I actually started crying. It really it just, it just hit me like that," says Windsor. His workplace forever changed by one violent action. "You're always going to have that on your mind thinking that somebody is going to walk through the door and shoot you, you never know," says Windsor. He said his colleagues bond over their work and have a real sense of community, making this violent incident even more difficult to understand. Mueller Water Products released a statement saying they will provide support for employees and their family members. WAAY31 reached out to try and find out what the support will look like, but are still waiting to hear back. Isaac Byrd, 21, was one of the four victims shot Tuesday morning at the Mueller plant in Albertville. Just a few months ago, Byrd worked at Local Joe's, a BBQ restaurant in Albertville. His former co-workers said he suffered from multiple gunshot wounds by his shoulder. Tuesday afternoon, Byrd went through surgery and is currently in serious condition. Floyd Powell, manager of Local Joe's, hired Byrd about a year ago. "He really cared about his job, he cared about his work and Im sure he did the same at Mueller," said Powell. Powell hired Byrd after he graduated high school and said his work ethic was unmatched. "He particularly liked the dish area," said Powell. "For what reason, I dont know." In fact, Isaac was the restaurant's first "Employee of the Month." Powell said it wasn't just his work ethic that stood out, it was his heart. "He was the type of person where even late at night youd get a text from him that said, Mr. Floyd, is there anything you need prayers about," said Powell. Aiden Jones has been friends with Byrd for about eight years. He said Byrd's energy is infectious. Every time that someone is around him, they can't help but smile. "He didn't mind praying for anybody, he cared for everybody," said Jones. When Jones last spoke to Byrd, Byrd told him he really enjoyed working at Mueller. "I think he made some friends, everyone liked him there too of course," said Jones. Byrd's heart of gold and love for others is something Jones said you don't find too often. "Every time he sees me he gives me a hug and tells me that he loves me," said Jones. Powell said he's praying there is no permanent damage to Byrd's upper body. He said Bryd has a passion for playing the drums and performs each Sunday at church. Jones, calling his friend a warrior. We will bring you more details on Byrd and the other victim's conditions when we have that information. The Madison County Sheriff's Office has suspended a manhunt for a man who led Tennessee deputies on a car chase into Madison County. Officials say Anthony Scott May led Tennessee deputies across state lines before crashing in Madison County. Overnight authorities had a search party looking for May. The search included a helicopter and search dogs. He was last seen fleeing the scene on foot in the area of Winchester Road and Steele Lane in New Market. If you have any information on the whereabouts of May, contact the Madison County Sheriff's Office. From earlier: A manhunt is underway in Madison County for a man originally being chased by Franklin County, Tennessee deputies. The Madison County Sheriff's office tweeted that they're looking for Anthony Scott May in the area of Winchester Road and Steele Lane in New Market. They say May led Tennessee deputies across state lines in a car chase before crashing in Madison County. They say May is currently on foot. Deputies are searching for him with a Helicopter and search dogs. If you have any information about his whereabouts, you are encouraged to contact the Madison County Sheriff's office. Early Tuesday morning, a gunman shot and killed two people and wounded two more at the Mueller Water Products plant in Albertville. WAAY31 spoke with an employee who was inside the facility when the shooting started. "We went into work like it was any other night and then right after 2 a.m. we was all getting ready to leave and then we heard gun shots. And the intercom system said active shooter," said the employee, who wishes to remain anonymous. He says the supervisors directed all employees into a quiet hallway where they waited until about 5 a.m. That's when police escorted them out of the facility. While he was waiting, he said he didn't know what was going on in the search for the shooter or what had happened to his co-workers. "I knew stuff like this is possible but I just never thought it would affect me directly, and last night it did. And that scared me," he says. He added that the incident will make him think differently about co-workers from now on. "It's just eye opening you know what I mean. You know just being a little more alert, looking for signs and keep my eyes open," says the employee. He hopes that this shooting will lead to some changes to keep workplace shootings like this from happening again, saying "there's got to be some kind of compromise, that the people of America and the lawmakers, something we can find to help with the gun violence because this is just getting completely out of hand." However, he's mainly feeling grateful that he was able to return home safely to his wife and kids. Huge financial boost could be coming to the fairgrounds Police: Man arrested after barricading self in home was wanted on sexual assault warrant No positive covid-19 cases over last 24 hours in Italy's one-time coronavirus epicentre Codogno. Codogno has declared itself 'covid-free' for the first time since 20 February 2020, when the small town in the northern Italian region of Lombardy became the epicentre of Italy's coronavirus outbreak. The news, based on the daily update from local health agency ATS, was announced last night by Codogno mayor Francesco Passerini who described it as a "dream we have been waiting for for almost 16 months." "It has never happened since 20 February last year" - said Passerini - "We had been monitoring the situation for several days, waiting to reach this milestone which is a further step towards normality that we miss a lot." Codogno made international news on 21 February 2020 when its hospital announced the first official case of covid-19 in Europe with the emergency hospitalisation of 'Patient 1' Mattia Maestri.* Mayor Passerini explained last night that "for the first time we arrived at zero positives in the town in the late afternoon. We called the last person on the positive list and he told us that he has already completed the quarantine and that he has already undergone three swabs that gave negative results." Passerini recalled that, after 'Patient 1,' there were "peaks of almost 700 people sick at the same time" in Codogno which would become Europe's first 'zona rossa', or red zone, to be locked down in February 2020. Codogno would become a symbol of Italy's fight against the coronavirus pandemic, with the country's president Sergio Mattarella choosing to travel to the town on the Festa della Repubblica last year, to show his solidarity and pay homage to the victims. Reaching the new 'covid-free' milestone was gradual, with the recent closure of Codogno's covid emergency ward, then no more new infections, before culminating in the end of all active cases on the evening of 15 June. "It seemed one of those impossible goals" - added the mayor - "but we have finally arrived. We hope to always stay at zero. Now we look ahead and take back our lives but in a safe way." *Italy's Patient 1 Mattia Maestri, a 38-year-old Unilever manager, was hospitalised on 20 February 2020 after testing positive for covid-19, becoming the first confirmed case of domestic transmission of the virus in Italy. (Despite going down in history as 'Paziente 1' it was later discovered that the virus had been already been circulating for months.) When Maestri presented with a high fever, cough and difficulty breathing, doctors broke protocol by performing a coronavirus test on him. Codogno was locked down in February 2020. Photo La Repubblica. Until then covid screening was only carried out on people who had been in China, where the virus was raging in Wuhan. The doctors suspicions proved right, triggering a national emergency, with Codogno coming under the glare of the international media overnight. The Italian government locked down Codogno and nine other nearby towns in Lombardy as well as Vo' Euganeo, in the Veneto region, where Italy's first official coronavirus death was recorded the same day. Since then Italy has registered more than 127,000 deaths linked to covid-19, the second-highest toll in Europe after the UK and the eighth-highest in the world. For official information relating to the covid-19 situation in Italy - in English - see the health ministry website. Image: Codogno covid ward closes. Photo: Il Giorno Lodi Blame it on the Gaokao: the national college admission test, administered in June, that decides which universities one can attend, thereby determining the fates of millions. Its considered a playing-field leveler for those aspiring to move up the social ladder. Only 1.9% of nearly 11 million students who sat for the Gaokao in 2020 made it to a top-tier institution like Peking, Fudan or Tsinghua universities. Preparations begin many years before, in some cases as early as pre-school, as parents try to give their children every possible edge. Ironically, years of government entreaties to lessen the burden of homework may have driven anxious parents to private companies. After-school tutoring flourished, supplemented by online classes that in turn exploded during the Covid-19 pandemic. Chinas market for private tutoring is expected to almost double to 1.17 trillion yuan ($183 billion) in 2023, from 619.1 billion yuan in 2019, according to Macquarie Research. Up until recently, its worked out fairly well for them. Prior to the pandemic, U.S. production of pork and beef had grown every year, respectively, since 2014 and 2015 to satisfy a rising global taste for meat. But in August 2019, a fire at a cattle-slaughtering plant in Holcomb, Kansas, shocked the market: cattle prices plummeted while beef prices soared. That dynamic was even more pronounced in 2020 when lockdowns forced by the Covid-19 outbreaks prompted limited meat shortages -- such as a lack of burgers at Wendys. With thousands of plant workers sickened, food supplies slowed into the restaurant and retail channels and the meat giants faced criticism for not protecting workers. With prices rising, the farmers who raise cattle, hogs and chickens have complained about rising inequities in the market -- that while consumers are paying more for meat, the farmers are not sharing the profits. Abbott and Republicans around the country have repeatedly demanded that Biden and Harris visit the southern border as dozens of House and Senate members have sojourned there in recent months. The frequent pilgrimages to the banks of the Rio Grande have yielded little in the way of congressional action on immigration as the number of border apprehensions increased to 180,000 in May, data shows. Confused: People with responsibility for sick family members dont always get a lot of advance notice that theyre needed at home. Certainly, the pandemic accelerated many such decisions; last year, with the growing awareness that as the country was basically shutting down, they knew their own ability to travel and relocate might be severely restricted. If your co-worker says she is not charging, perhaps to skirt any rules about peddling in the office, then you are not expected to pay. And if reasonable attempts to dissuade her (Its so kind of you, but please do not think you need to do all this work its too much) fail, there is always the closet or the trash can. He does have one clue, though: a drawing that he discovered before he met Ro. Its signed by his dad and looks like a rough version of what is now a popular comic called Spacebound. The name of the creator is different from his dads, but Benji is sure that his father is writing and illustrating using a pen (fake) name. Deggans praised Hanks, using words like wise and wonderful. He began: First I must note how much I love Tom Hanks as a performer, Hollywood citizen and all-around stand-up guy. And he went on, in a measured way, to urge that Hanks should now go further: After many years of speaking out about race and media in America, I know the toughest thing for some white Americans especially those who consider themselves advocates against racism is to admit how they were personally and specifically connected to the elevation of white culture over other cultures. In the Washington region, the money must go toward developers who have joint agreements with Metro, and individual developers need to apply for funding. Out of eight joint initiatives that have received approval, six are in Maryland, with one each in D.C. and Virginia although none are near the HQ2 site. More are likely to appear along the 11-mile Silver Line extension into Loudoun County. An attorney for the career official who conducted the clearance review agreed, saying White House aides took unprecedented steps to commandeer the review and erroneously claimed it spilled secrets to thwart its release. Ellen Knights attorney wrote in September that she came forward to warn against the politicization of government proceedings, noting for example that Trump appointees halted a response to Boltons request to prioritize review of a chapter about Trumps interactions with Ukraine so it could be made public during his first Senate impeachment trial. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit was examining a 1973 law generally barring women from terminating their pregnancies after 20 weeks, a measure similar to laws in more than a dozen other states. The court rejected North Carolinas argument that it was a case without controversy because no abortion providers have been prosecuted under the states law. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Morales, 34, was elected to the House of Delegates in 2014 but lost her bid for reelection in 2018. In Annapolis, she said, she felt as if she was pigeonholed and singled out because of her ethnicity. When she sponsored the Trust Act, a bill that would have barred state and local government agencies from sharing data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she received so much blowback from conservative activists that she shut down her Twitter account. Thats a step toward justice, but more are needed. The Justice Department is still defending the Park Police in the wrongful-death civil suit, and a hearing in August will determine whether Fairfaxs manslaughter charges can be sustained. The Trump Justice Department entered the state case as an interested party, presumably to buttress the officers claims that they are immune from state charges because their actions were necessary and proper. If the department continues as an interested party, it should make clear it was neither necessary nor proper to fire repeatedly at an unarmed man who posed no threat after a minor traffic accident. And it is time indeed long past time for the government to accept its responsibility for this needless and unwarranted shooting by settling the Ghaisar familys civil suit before it goes to trial. Latest: Putin swaggers toward summit with Biden as an old hand at dueling with the West Live updates: Biden arrives in Geneva for Putin summit after meeting with European Union leaders in Brussels Analysis and more: Amid internal disputes over Russia policy, Biden has chosen a mix of confrontation and cooperation Part of the club: Biden relishes revival of alliances that Trump dismissed Biden, E.U. eliminate long-running aircraft trade dispute, but other Trump tariffs still stand in the way Biden takes steps to rein in forever wars in Afghanistan and Iraq Photos: Putins rocky relationship with American presidents Biden will give Putin a list of demands. The Russian president may ignore them. NATO expands focus to China, a win for Biden in his first trip to the battered alliance President Biden says Queen Elizabeth II reminded me of my mother Trumps shadow still looms over cloudy skies at G-7 summit Show More The videos posted on social media dont show all the events. State Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-Worcester) said that she watched the departments police videos of the arrests and that the individuals arrested were informed of the smoking and vaping prohibition on the Boardwalk, and their follow-up violent actions led to their arrest. The department, which said the incident is under review by its office of professional standards, should release tapes of the incidents, and there should be an independent review by the states attorney or the U.S. attorney. It is also important to determine why there seemed to be little or no attempt by the officers to de-escalate the situations. Teens can be unruly and disrespectful, but would the response by police have been different if the teens had been White and not Black? Instead of using force and a Taser, would they have tried a little common sense? "America just recently had very severe events after well-known events, after a killing of an African American, and an entire movement developed known as Black Lives Matter," the Russian leader said. "What we saw was disorder, destruction, violations of the law, et cetera. We feel sympathy for the United States of America, but we don't want that to happen on our territory, and we're doing our utmost in order to not allow it to happen." He is the justice who most often preaches the virtues of compromise and may feel his skills will be needed next term, when the conservative court has already said it will take up gun rights and an abortion rights case that could serve as a challenge to Roe v. Wade. Even as Harris has faced concerns from some moderate Democrats that she has not addressed the migration surge aggressively enough, liberals have at times been critical of what they see as too harsh a tone. Some were unhappy when Harris told would-be migrants not to make the trek to the United States. Do not come, she said during her trip, echoing a refrain Biden and other top administration officials adopted earlier this year. When he was growing up near Fairlawn, Thompsons mom would take him to play in Anacostia Park, and he expects to do the same with his children. From picnics to the Anacostia River Festival, the park remains a community space, though residents wonder what changes the upcoming Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and 11th Street Bridge Park will bring. A Salvation Army EMS vehicle is set up as a cooling station as people line up to get into a splash park while trying to beat the heat in Calgary. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press/AP) Authorities in the region are investigating the recent deaths, but have all indicated that they are due to the heat dome that has trapped hot air in the normally temperate area. Charles L. Riney, 86, of Washington, went home to be with our Lord and Savior on Sunday, June 27, 2021, at 7:25 a.m. He was born in Washington on Nov. 3, 1934, to Thomas and Ann Marie (Smith) Riney. He loved gardening and spending time with his beloved dog. He is survived by one sister, Paul Trusted local news has never been more important, but providing the information you need, information that can change sometimes minute-by-minute, requires a partnership with you, our readers. Please consider making a contribution today to support this vital resource that you and countless others depend on. Up until this point in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case, it has been the former soldiers opportunity to give the best possible account of himself, unchallenged by the other side. That opportunity ends on Thursday when Nicholas Owens, SC, the lead barrister for the respondents (The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times) begins his cross-examination a process that could keep Roberts-Smith on the witness stand for another week or more. Ben Roberts-Smith has completed his evidence in chief. Cross examination by the medias lawyers is to come. Credit:Rhett Wyman Even under the benign questioning of his own barrister, Bruce McClintock, SC, the former soldiers time in the witness box has not all been smooth sailing. McClintock has drawn him out on his career, his army service, his feats of battle in Afghanistan (reported at length in many media outlets at the weekend) and his account of the deaths of six Afghan males that he says occurred within the rules of combat, but which the media outlets allege were murders he either committed or was complicit in. The youngest child in the Murugappan family will probably remain in hospital for another week while her parents, reunited by her bedside, wait anxiously on news from the man with the powers to set them all free. Carina Ford, lawyer for the Murugappan family, said four-year-old Tharnicaas specialist hospital treatment in Perth could be extended even longer as she hit back at earlier comments from Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews on Wednesday interpreted as suggesting the little girl was not as sick as friends and media had made out. Latasha Jesuthasan, 5, was among the supporters who welcomed the Murugappan family at Perth Airport on Tuesday. Credit:Sharon Smith The child is sick, Ms Ford said. I dont need to disclose what is wrong with [Tharnicaa]. I think it can be accepted that doctors in Australia do not keep children unnecessarily in hospital. Supporters of the Tamil asylum seeker family from Biloela and media reports have variously described Tharnicaas illness as pneumonia, sepsis and a blood infection. The former chief of staff at the US Department of Homeland Security, Miles Taylor, told the ABCs Four Corners that QAnon conspiracy theories could jump the tracks into violence very, very easily. Speaking about Prime Minister Scott Morrisons friend, Tim Stewart, a QAnon follower, Taylor said: I think its important for the Prime Minister and any other national leader to disavow individuals either within their orbit or outside of their orbit who harbour these types of extremist views ... We all have friends and family members that have unorthodox views, but when youre put in a position of trust you have to maintain the publics trust. Prime Minister Scott Morrison with Tim Stewart. Credit:Rhett Wyman, Facebook So we all have that certain friend or relative: you know, the kind with unorthodox views. That friend who has a heart of gold, but also one or two loopy ideas. Like maybe this friend believes a cabal of Satan-worshipping, deep-state elites are running a paedophile ring that harvests childrens blood. Or that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and the organs of state are covering up the truth about his accident on March 9. Or perhaps this friend is just one of those well-intentioned but slightly misguided types who reckon COVID-19 is a psy-op, or that someone other than Martin Bryant carried out the Port Arthur massacre, or that Joe Biden is US President because of The Big Lie and there should be a Myanmar-style coup to reinstate Donald Trump which is, admittedly, an idea even Trumps former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, endorses. But of course, China is huge too. Even if we accept all the pessimistic prognoses about Chinas economic future ageing population, ballooning debt, environmental disasters it is safe to assume that a country which already boasts the worlds second-largest economy will hold on to that mantle, and might even ascend to first place. Its important to stress that this is not an argument about Western decline, which is a vastly overstated prospect. The European Union is a massive and vibrant economic actor, and NATO is one of the most successful alliances in modern history. The United States remains fantastically powerful, and that wont change in our lifetime. It has a resilient and growing economy, favourable demographics (lots of young people), tremendous capacity for innovation, a huge military, and it is surrounded by vast oceans to the east and west and friendly neighbours to the north and south. Lets hope the Australian government is not taking these headlines too seriously, because the harsh truth is that there will be no Western alliance to contain China, and no united democratic front against Beijings authoritarianism. The sooner we realise this and build it into our foreign and defence policies, the safer we will be. The summits of the G7 group and the NATO alliance over the past few days have produced an avalanche of headlines about a growing anti-China mood among Western nations and an appetite to stand up to Beijings assertiveness. That in turn raises the stakes of any geopolitical contest between China and the West, especially for Europe, which has no obvious reason to get involved. Why would NATO deal itself into such a high-stakes contest when China poses no conceivable military threat to Europe? You might argue that Europe has economic interests to protect, but European nations have not had a substantial military presence in Asia for decades, while their economic ties to Asia have grown. Doesnt Europe have an interest in protecting democracy from the rise of authoritarianism? Perhaps, but China is not an ideological exporter. While it certainly wants to defend its own political system from Western liberal influences, it shows no signs of wanting to impose its model on the world as the Soviet Union once tried. Many of these same arguments apply to the United States, but the difference is that Washington already has a substantial security presence in Asia and a network of alliances. It is trying to defend a position of leadership which it has held for decades. That is a powerful motivation. The United States may decide that holding on to leadership in Asia is so important that it ought to engage in a fierce contest of economic and political systems in order to defend its status. But is leadership alone enough of a motivation? Will the US engage in such a costly contest, and risk a potentially catastrophic war, just to preserve its status? Because there really is no other pressing reason for the US to go all-in. China is no more of a threat to Americas cherished democratic principles than it is to Europes political systems. America is also one of the most secure nations in the world it cannot be invaded or militarily coerced. And as for protecting its economic interests: well, if Europe can grow its economic ties with Asia even though it has no military presence there, why cant the US do the same? None of this is to say Australia is friendless and that our alliance with the US is worthless. An American withdrawal from Asia is a very distant prospect. But while the US will remain an important partner, the Morrison government should assume that the credibility of Americas alliance commitments in Asia will diminish over time. Chinas rise means the costs to America of meeting its commitments to allies have risen sharply, while the incentives for doing so are diminishing. And that means allies will no longer believe, deep in their bones, that the US will be there for them in a military emergency. Wilmington, DE (19810) Today Light rain this morning. Scattered thunderstorms for the afternoon. High around 80F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 61F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Wilmington, DE (19810) Today Light rain this morning. Scattered thunderstorms for the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 61F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Paul Cason, one of the thousands looking for a redo, is a U.S. Army veteran who enrolled at ITT Tech in Louisville in 2015 with the goal of becoming an electrical engineer. Now, he works for Park Place Technologies handling logistics and is looking for what's next. 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. Weatherford, TX (76086) Today Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. High 88F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 72F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. WOODSTOCK A farmhouse on Route 169 that has been in the Reynolds family for generations was lost to a fire early Monday morning that killed their five rescue dogs and their rescue bird, according to family members. During the early-morning hours, fire crews responded to a three-story farmhouse, according to officials with the Dudley Fire Department in Massachusetts that sent units to the scene for mutual aid. Firefighters from Dudley responded to help local crews battle the blaze, officials said. One engine tanker from Massachusetts provided the fireground with a continuous flow of water, which had to be trucked in because of a lack of hydrants in the area. A GoFundMe campaign was launched Tuesday afternoon as news spread of the fire that destroyed the farmhouse, which was built in the 1700s. The information on the page was written by the niece of Jay and Lori Reynolds, who lived at the home and are known locally for running a nearby seasonal business. As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, nearly $2,000 had already been donated to the campaign. A $20,000 goal has been set. Their niece said the couple raised their family and many pets in the home throughout the years. The family was able to get out of the burning home, but the house and everything in it has been destroyed, the GoFundMe page said. Their five dogs Petunia, Piper, Rizzo, Walter and Zuko and their bird Sancho all died in the fire. Four of the five dogs were rescues the family adopted through the Wings of Freedom Animal Rescue, a nonprofit that works with rescue animals in Connecticut and neighboring states. The nonprofit is sponsoring the GoFundMe, making all donations tax deductible. This family has very deep ties to our rescue and we want to help them by sponsoring this fundraiser, the nonprofit said in the GoFundMe description. In a Facebook post, the nonprofit called the news devastating. The rescue said one person remains in a hospital in Massachusetts in stable condition, another remains hospitalized locally and three others were treated and released. This traumatic loss is a monumental burden to bear, the fundraisers description said. On top of these losses, they must now deal with the emotional and physical labor, as well as take on the financial burden, of medical costs and rebuilding their lives. According to the GoFundMe, the Reynolds family owns, The Christmas Barn, a seasonal store open annually from September through the end of the year, across the street from the farmhouse. WESTPORT Public comment is being sought on a proposed cell tower at 92 Greens Farms Road, a site where a similar proposal failed seven years ago. The wireless communications company Tarpon Towers is proposing a structure on the private property that includes a roughly 124-foot-tall monopole tower (a type of cell tower), with a new 35-by-64-foot gravel-based fenced equipment compound. An access drive and underground electrical and telephone service will extend from Greens Farms Road, read a news release from the town. The new tower and equipment compound will allow for the future co-location of multiple service providers. In 2014, another company, North Atlantic Towers, proposed a tower facility at this same location, an attempt that was met with resistance by many neighbors, who held a protest at the site, claiming the project wasnt necessary. North Atlantic eventually stopped pursuing the project. Although the proposed tower facility location is at a private residence, under state law, the Connecticut Siting Council has exclusive jurisdiction over telecommunication facilities, meaning the local planning and zoning commission doesnt have oversight. As noted, we have dealt with this specific request once before, First Selectman Jim Marpe said in a news release. It is at the very preliminary stage of a larger process. He said if the application goes forward, Tarpon Towers would be expected to file a petition with the CSC and seek consultation with the Westport officials. It is anticipated that the town attorney will seek to understand the necessity of the proposed tower facilities, as well as whether other sites may be available, Marpe said in his statment. Depending upon timing and procedure, eventually, there would be a public hearing on the matter. The town will make every reasonable effort to keep the public apprised of additional requests for input or revisions to the proposed plans. Those wishing to make public comments regarding potential effects of the proposed structure on historic properties may submit them to All-Points Technology Corporation; Attention: Jennifer Young Gaudet; 567 Vauxhall Street Extension, Suite 311; Waterford, CT 06285. People can also call 860-663-1697 ext. 231 or email jyounggaudet@allpointstech.com. If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here. Laura McLain, executive director of the Slate Belt Chamber of Commerce, will retire at the end of 2021 after 21+ years of service. Thomas Ripsam has been named the new CEO of Martin Guitar. He succeeds longtime Chairman and CEO Christian Frederick Martin IV. . Owners of Tucker Silk Mill to open wine bar and garden in down Easton in early 2022. Kabinett will have a mostly Australian and German wine list, with light fare, and an outdoor patio overlooking the Delaware River. Community Action Lehigh Valley promoted Dawn Godshall to executive director and Jessica Reimert to deputy executive director for operations, and hired Jaana Kelley as associate executive director for community services. The Trolley Stop diner opened May 29th at 201 S. McCartney Street in Easton Bitty & Beau's, a coffee shop that employs people with disabilities, will set up shop at 74 W. Broad St. in Bethlehem. PPL Corporation named by DiversityInc as one of top utilities in nation for workforce diversity Semper Pie, 14 S. Reading Ave. in Boyertown, hosting grand opening with cheesecake and more on May 22. St. Lukes OB/GYN Complete Womens Care, 9 Daves Way, in Hamburg, will accept new patients starting May 6. Rolling Hills Recreation mini golf course, 4565 Spring Hill Dr. in Schnecksville, will hold its grand opening May 1. The Red Rose Diner, Route 22 in Phillipsburg, has announced that it will close its doors May 2. Pizza DOro restaurant on College Hill, Easton reopened on April 21 as Joey D's. The restaurant offers dine-in and takeout options. The Da Vinci Science Center announced that Lin Erickson, executive director and CEO, has been named a Take the Lead honoree by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania. . Deliciously Decorated, 143 S. Main St. in Nazareth, will host a grand opening and ribbon cutting 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 8. Jack Callaghan's is reopening as Cuzin's Pub and Grill at 2027 W. Tilghman St. . John L. Walsh will retire as President and CEO of UGI Corporation on June 25, 2021. He will continue to serve as a member of UGI's Board of Directors. . Bru Daddy's Brewing to launch new restaurant, Blended by Bru Daddy's, on downtown Allentown ArtsWalk. Soft opening is planned for May with grand opening in June. BSI Corporate Benefits, LLC (BSI) promoted Valerie (Val) Lewis to Chief Operating Officer. The nationwide employee benefits consulting firm executes cost control strategies to manage their clients healthcare costs. . UPMC Health Plan appoints Dr. Amy Meister as chief medical health and wellness officer Center for Vision Loss, a nonprofit in the Lehigh Valley and Monroe County, changes name to Sights for Hope PPL Corporation names Gregory Dudkin executive vice president and chief operating officer. Stephanie Raymond will succeed him as president of PPL Electric Utilities. New Vision Theatres Tilghman Square 8 will become Tilghman Square 8. Its anticipated opening is in April 2021. .Genesis Bicycles in Easton has been sold to Trek Bicycle. Genesis' retirement sale starts Thursday, April 1 European Wax Center to open at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley in summer 2021 Split Pine Axe Throwing opens at 627 Hamilton Street in Allentown Krave 2 Taste opens new location at the Lehigh Valley Mall, next to Verizon. The frappe and smoothie shop will hold a grand opening event on March 27 from 12-3 p.m. First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union appoints James Gagliano as new chief experience officer New Bethany Ministries in Bethlehem announced several promotions: Veronne Demesyeux was named Associate Executive Director; Tina Sargent was promoted to Director of Finance and Administration; and Lisa Myers was named Controller. . PPL Corporation named Best Place to Work for LGBTQ equality on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2021 Corporate Equality Index. It's the fifth consecutive year PPL has earned high marks on the national report GEICO has opened an office in the Broadcasting Square shopping center, 2733 Papermill Road, Suite X3, in Spring Township. Office hours are Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - State lawmakers kicked off a special session at the state capitol Tuesday morning to hash out the details on two critically important topics: The budget and recreational marijuana. The discussions that will happen during the special session will have repercussions on millions of Connecticut residents for years to come. When the legislative session ended last week, lawmakers said they already knew they still had some major work ahead of them. State senators returned to the capitol Tuesday morning and members of the House of Representatives come back Wednesday. The plan is to work on the state budget and legalizing recreational marijuana. The Senate narrowly passed a proposal to greenlight the sale of recreational marijuana, but that bill went up in smoke because the House failed to come to an agreement during the regular session. Gov. Ned Lamont responded by calling for the special session, which brought lawmakers to where they were Tuesday morning. On Tuesday evening, the Senate voted to approve recreational marijuana. it will now head to the House of Representatives for a vote that's expected on Wednesday, but Governor Ned Lamont promised to veto the bill. An amendment was added on right before the vote and Lamont's staff said it doesn't meet the goals of what was laid out in negotiations for equity. Following the vote, Lamont's Chief of Staff, Paul Mounds Jr., released a statement saying, The amendment approved by the Connecticut State Senate to adult use cannabis bill this afternoon, simply put, does not meet the goals laid out during negotiations when it comes to equity and ensuring the wrongs of the past are righted. To the contrary, this proposal opens the floodgates for tens of thousands of previously ineligible applicants to enter the adult-use cannabis industry. This last-minute amendment creates equity in name only by allowing these individuals expedited opportunity to obtain access to the marketplace. Governor Lamont has said from the beginning that this legislation must allow those most impacted by the war on drugs to have a fair shot in the process to enter into this new industry. This measure as amended fails to achieve the goals and the needs of our state when it comes to equity. Senate Bill 1201 now allows just about anyone with a history of cannabis crimes or a member of their family, regardless of financial means, who was once arrested on simple possession to be considered with the same weight as someone from a neighborhood who has seen many of their friends and loved ones face significant penalties and discrimination due to their past cannabis crimes. That is not equity, and Governor Lamont will veto this bill if it reaches his desk in its current form. "What's becoming more and more abundantly clear is that this whole bill is about the money," said Senator Kevin Kelly. The amendment allows an individual their parents or a child with a prior conviction for marijuana to get an equity license to grow and sell legal week. Equity has been a big part of the legislations. The intent was to give people of color and those in distressed communities opportunities. Lamont feels this amendment would give wealthy people the same opportunities. "Well, that's certainly something that was not our intent or not what we believe was the purpose of the bill, but we did opt this language at the expressed request of a group in the House whose support was necessary to make the bill pass," said Senator Martin Looney. The House is expected to take up marijuana on Wednesday with the amendment and they could make changes and send it back to the Senate. The Senate would then vote for a third time. The Senate also discussed the budget on Tuesday. Both chambers hammered out a 2-year $46 billion budget last week that does not require a tax increase or any spending cuts. Despite the agreement however, lawmakers were not able to put the finishing touches on it before a June 9 deadline, so both sides will have to sign off on an implementer bill during the special session. Many Republicans voted for the budget but say the implementer has much more in it. Just because you are in the majority party doesnt mean you should act this way, said Republican State Senator Craig Miner. In the implementer is a controversial proposal to strip funding from towns with schools with Native American nicknames or mascots. Killingly made national news by reinstating Red Men as their high school mascot. Senator Cathy Osten wrote the language. Her district is home to the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, and she said schools would lose their share of state aid generated by the casinos. When are we going to address this issue. Do we tell them they have to sit down and wait their turn -when does their turn come up? They were here first, and we should start recognizing that, Osten said. The session started at 11 a.m. Stay with Channel 3 for continuing coverage. Inevitably perhaps in such uncertain times, the return of theatre has felt tentative. There has been a heart-warming rush to be back sharing space with actors and audience alike, but intellectually at least, little has stretched. So, it's a joy to report that Michael Frayn's 1998, knotty, thorny masterpiece Copenhagen has finally landed in Bath. This alone deserves our plaudits. Originally programmed for the theatre's return last Autumn, in a production directed by Polly Findlay, a new lockdown was announced while the show was still in tech, the show getting only as far as a dress rehearsal before being put back into storage, returning with assistant Emma Howlett having now taken over the mantle of steering the ship. This turnover appears to have done no harm to the production, which confirms the work as one of the great late 20th Century plays, and provides platforms for some excellent performances, in particular from Haydn Gwynne and Malcolm Sinclair as Margrethe and Niels Bohr, a Danish scientist and his wife, who received an officially documented visit from former protege Werner Heisenberg (Philip Arditti) in 1941 in Copenhagen. What exactly was discussed at this meeting in which a fracture between the relationship seems to have occurred, has always been clouded in mystery and is at the heart of Frayn's text. Heisenberg, the bright young thing of scientific discovery, the pioneer of the uncertainty theory, and at the heart of Nazi Germany's nuclear programme, never created an atomic bomb for the Nazis. Was this a heroic attempt to bluff a dangerous paymaster to save the catastrophic destruction of many? Or a fateful misjudgement in his calculations that meant he had decided it was all but impossible? There is a Brechtian spin on a work that posits that the Allie Bohr was at least indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands in Hiroshima, having assisted the allies in supporting the creation of the bomb, while the Nazi working Heisenberg was not responsible for a single death. What could have become a dry thesis play, has knotty propositions like this all night. Frayn's play spins it into ever-increasing expressionistic circles. The three characters are reunited in the afterlife, to replay, rethink and re-explore that fateful evening in 1941. When the characters want to view the incident again from another angle, a different viewpoint, they ask for a different draft'. Findlay and Howlett's production, finds something of this spiritual outpost where time and place don't exist, in some neat stage pictures, the characters debating in triangles in Alex Eales, stripped back set, the theatre's back walls exposed in another Brechtian nod. Sinclair is all fatherly kindness, a constant hand going to the back of his young protege, as a decent man-made to reckon with his life hand, not only in his contribution to a weapon that ended a war but to the death of his son in a drowning incident. You feel the symbiotic importance of the relationship with his young German colleague, to who Arditti invests a nervous energy, ideas spilling out of him at a pace almost too quick for him to comprehend. Gwynne meanwhile is impervious- she is a magnificent stage creature- constantly blocked to be at the base of the debate, but gradually taking on its moral centre. All decisions are personal she exclaims, getting to the heart of Frayn's work, that takes on big questions of science and finds an intimate touch. It's a night where concentration is imperative, but one where you leave the theatre with mind racing at the ideas and debates and with a stronger sense that finally, theatre, in all its knotty complexities is back. Police say an argument in a house on Chicago's South Side erupted into gunfire, leaving four people dead and four more wounded Senior Laboratory Technician (Insect Pest Control Lab), Seibersdorf, Austria Organization: IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency Country: Austria Field location: Seibersdorf, Austria Office: IAEA in Seibersdorf Grade: G-6 Closing date: Wednesday, 7 July 2021 Senior Laboratory Technician (Insect Pest Control Lab)(G6) ( 2021/0329 (005344) ) Organization: NAFA-Insect Pest Control Laboratory Primary Location: Austria-Lower Austria-Seibersdorf-IAEA Laboratories in Seibersdorf Job Posting: 2021-06-09, 3:21:54 PM Contract Type : Fixed Term Regular Probation Period : 1 Year Organizational Setting The Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications implements the IAEAs Major Programme 2, "Nuclear Techniques for Development and Environmental Protection". This Major Programme comprises individual programmes on food and agriculture, human health, water resources, environment and radiation technologies. These programmes are supported by laboratories in Seibersdorf, Monaco and Vienna. The Major Programmes objective is to enhance the capacity of Member States to meet basic human needs and to assess and manage the marine and terrestrial environments through the use of nuclear and isotopic techniques in sustainable development programmes. The Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture assists Member States of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the IAEA in using nuclear techniques and related technologies to improve food security, alleviate poverty and promote sustainable agriculture. The Joint Division consists of five Sections, each with an associated laboratory (located in Seibersdorf, 45 km south-east of Vienna), in the areas of: animal production and health; plant breeding and genetics; insect pest control; soil and water management and crop nutrition; and food and environmental protection. The Insect Pest Control Section and Laboratory assist Member States with the development, dissemination and transfer of sterile insect and related environmentally friendly technologies for the area-wide integrated suppression, containment or eradication of major insect pests affecting crops, livestock and human health. Main Purpose As a member of a team of the Insect Pest Control Laboratory (IPCL), the Senior Laboratory Technician will work under the supervision of the Molecular Biologist of the Genetics and Molecular Biology Group and is responsible for assisting the implementation of research activities in the field of genetics and molecular biology of plant pests, livestock pests and disease vectors in the context of developing innovative and sustainable pest control technologies, transferring them to Member States, and helping them in the planning and application of area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programmes incorporating the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and related technologies. Functions / Key Results Expected Providing R&D support to the development and validation of methods and protocols related to molecular biology and molecular genetic aspects of the SIT for plant pests, livestock pests and human disease vectors. Genotype strains of SIT-targeted plant pests, livestock pests and human disease vectors. Monitor the shipping of biological material and equipment to counterparts in FAO and IAEA Member States. Collect and tabulate research data. Coordinate the support of the other technicians to R&D activities, and assist with the training of fellows. Monitor the maintenance and ordering of laboratory equipment and other resources. Tags animal production civil servants disease vectors entomology environmental protection food security knowledge sharing livestock molecular biology nuclear science pest management plant breeding procurement sustainable agriculture sustainable development water management water resources Provide support to visiting scientists and collaborators from national, regional and international research institutes who are hosted at the Insect Pest Control Laboratory to conduct R&D. Provide scientific assistance to field projects (e.g. procurement of equipment, consumables) that are implemented in Member States and that are integrating the SIT against fruit flies and/or other major plant pests, livestock pests and human disease vectors. Competencies and Expertise Core Competencies Name Definition Planning and Organizing Plans and organizes his/her own work in support of achieving the team or Sections priorities. Takes into account potential changes and proposes contingency plans. Communication Communicates orally and in writing in a clear, concise and impartial manner. Takes time to listen to and understand the perspectives of others and proposes solutions. Achieving Results Takes initiative in defining realistic outputs and clarifying roles, responsibilities and expected results in the context of the Department/Divisions programme. Evaluates his/her results realistically, drawing conclusions from lessons learned. Teamwork Actively contributes to achieving team results. Supports team decisions. Functional Competencies Name Definition Analytical thinking Analyses information to identify cause and effect relationships and correlations. Identifies critical elements and assesses consequences of different courses of action and proposes solutions. Client orientation Helps clients to analyse their needs. Seeks to understand service needs from the clients perspective and ensure that the clients standards are met. Knowledge sharing and learning Actively seeks learning opportunities and actively shares knowledge and information with others; shares specialized knowledge, skills and learning from experience across different situations and contexts effectively. Technical/scientific credibility Ensures that work is in compliance with internationally accepted professional standards and scientific methods. Provides scientifically/technically accepted information that is credible and reliable. Qualifications, Experience and Language skills Completed secondary education. University degree in Biology, Entomology or related field would be an asset. Minimum of six years of working experience in applied R&D (molecular biology and molecular genetics) related to the application of the SIT and related techniques as part of area-wide integrated pest management programmes against fruit flies and other major plant pests, livestock pests and human disease vectors. Solid knowledge of laboratory practices such as the development of molecular biology and molecular genetics techniques for the SIT. Knowledge on insect embryonic microinjections in support of SIT will be an asset. Knowledge on insect symbiosis and applications in support of SIT will be an asset. Good oral and written command of English. Knowledge of other official IAEA languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Russian and Spanish) is an asset. English Language Test (Level 2) at IAEA standard. Remuneration The IAEA offers an attractive remuneration package including a tax-free annual net base salary starting at EUR 54871 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance), 6 weeks annual vacation, pension plan and health insurance Appointment is subject to a satisfactory medical report. Recruitment will be on a LOCAL BASIS only. Non-local candidates will be considered only when no suitable candidate from the duty station is identified and will be subject to local recruitment. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. Outside applicants are required to supply to the IAEA or to authorize it to seek all information relevant to their suitability for employment by the IAEA. Testing may be part of the recruitment process. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applicants should be aware that IAEA staff members are international civil servants and may not accept instructions from any other authority. The IAEA is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. As part of the United Nations common system, the IAEA subscribes to the following core ethical standards (or values): Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for diversity. Staff members may be assigned to any location. The IAEA retains the discretion not to make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade or with a different contract type, or to make an appointment with a modified job description or for shorter duration than indicated above. Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1623266068069 Weather Alert ...Patchy Dense Fog This Morning... Fog has developed across portions of Middle TN early this morning as a frontal boundary passes through. Some locations have dropped below a half mile visibility and conditions may deterioate further southward as the boundary pushes south. If you encounter areas of dense fog, slow down as visibility can change quickly in a short distance, and allow for extra time to reach your destination this morning. Fog should dissipate shortly after sunrise. WILTON As local leaders examine the best way to utilize the $5.3 million allotted to Wilton through the federal American Rescue Plan, early indications show there may be limited reimbursements available to the town because of its improved financial standing, the first selectwoman has said. According to the plan, funds can be used up until Dec. 31, 2024, for specific causes involving the COVID-19 public health emergency and cover costs related to it, including assistance to households, small businesses, nonprofits and affected industries such as tourism, travel and hospitality. Funds may also be used to pay essential workers and invest in infrastructure, among other initiatives. Qualified expenditures, or money spent, would have to have taken place on March 3 of this year onward, First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice said at a Board of Finance meeting earlier this week. So it does not go back to the beginning of the pandemic, she said. Which puts you in a little bit of a difficult position, because youre not going to know if its an expenditure you may have qualified (for) until after youve spent the money. She added that the town must be careful to make certain the money spent will qualify for ARP reimbursements. Vanderslice said Wednesday that the town is discussing setting a room up in the Comstock Community Center for both remote and hybrid meetings. Those expenses would be reimbursable, she said, as the project would be infrastructure work directly related to the pandemic. The National League of Cities, an organization of city, town and village leaders that help and advocate for each other on improving the quality of life for their current and future constituents, is providing information for municipalities to clear up language and better understand what expenditures will qualify. These training sessions are ongoing. Vanderslice also said the Western Connecticut Council of Governments will be providing a consultant to assist member towns, noting the grant does allow for reimbursement of expenses to a consultant to help determine how to spend the money. One of the conditions of reimbursable funds is lost revenue from the fiscal year prior to the pandemic. Vanderslice that because the town was overbudget in total revenue, meaning that it did not suffer from lost revenue as a whole, it does qualify for that reimbursement. This creates a difficulty for a community like Wilton where we dont have that many people who are underserved or at an income level that would qualify for a lot of assistance, Vanderslice explained. She also pointed out a slide taken from the National League of Cities, which points to reimbursement opportunities for towns that have 50 percent of households with incomes below 60 percent of the area median income or have a poverty rate of 25 percent or more. Once again, Wilton does not qualify in that category. As you go through the training or language, you can see how maybe only a limited amount of that will qualify (for Wilton), Vanderslice said. At the meeting, Board of Finance Member Chris Stroup said perhaps we dont have the needs other communities may have and that should be looked at as a positive. Vanderslice agreed, saying she would rather be in the position where we dont qualify because we dont need it. That is usually how these programs would work, based on need, where more would be directed towards cities and underseved communities, Vanderslice said Wednesday. As for the upcoming emergency radio project vote in the fall, the first selectwoman and the BOF want to be sure that the money allotted could be used for the project before making any decision. While the language in the ARP states broadband infrastructure as an included investment option, Vanderslice said she wants to make sure to avoid putting the next generation of selectmen and finance board members in a bind. We really need the guidance to be 100 percent clear, she said. Viewed of Take Five - This is your final free article during this 30 day period.Stay in touch with all of the news from Winchester, Frederick and Clarke. Sign up today for complete digital access to The Winchester Star. OTTAWA - Canadas prime minister has checked in at the final stop from his trip overseas. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a joint news conference with European Council President Charles Michel European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen following the EU-Canada Summit Tuesday June 15, 2021 in Brussels, Belgium. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - Canadas prime minister has checked in at the final stop from his trip overseas. Trudeau and the rest of the Canadian delegation who travelled to the United Kingdom and Belgium checked in at a three-star hotel near the Ottawa airport Tuesday evening to begin a 14-day quarantine. Canada introduced a rule earlier in the year that those entering the country by air without an exemption have to stay at a government-approved hotel for up to three nights before going home to finish the rest of their quarantine. Trudeau's office has said the prime minister, as well as his official delegation, will follow all the same COVID-19 travel rules being asked of Canadians. The Opposition Conservatives have railed against the fact the prime minister isn't staying at one of the same government-authorized hotels citizens have to choose from. Where he and the rest of the delegation were staying was quiet Tuesday evening. Journalists and government staff were given rooms on the same floor and greeted by boxed lunches. Those in the delegation are expected to not leave the hotel room until negative results return from a COVID-19 test that was administered when they arrived. Trudeau and those on the trip were tested nearly ten times for COVID-19 several days before the flight left Ottawa for Europe last week. An expert advisory panel recently told the Liberal government it should phase out the policy of forcing people to stay in quarantine hotels, because it doesn't follow science and contains too many loopholes to be consistently followed. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2021 So youre ready to hit the skies for an international flight after more than a year of COVID-19 lockdowns, quarantines and restrictions, but where can you go? Some countries are reopening to Americans, but the degree of reopening varies. FILE - In this Friday, March 19, 2021 file photo, an airliner lands at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) So youre ready to hit the skies for an international flight after more than a year of COVID-19 lockdowns, quarantines and restrictions, but where can you go? Some countries are reopening to Americans, but the degree of reopening varies. Some countries will let you in, but only if you agree to a multiday quarantine. Other countries require a negative COVID-19 test even if youre vaccinated, which will add extra items to your pre-departure to-do list. These locations are among the least complicated to get into and are largely embracing American tourists this summer: 1. MEXICO Mexico has always been one of the most convenient countries for Americans to visit because of the short flights. Now, its among the countries with the fewest restrictions for entry: According to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, travelers do not need a negative COVID-19 test and there is no requirement to provide proof of vaccination. Instead, youll need to fill out a form at the Vuela Seguro website to complete a quick but mandatory health questionnaire, either upon arrival in Mexico or up to 12 hours before your arrival. After completing the questionnaire, youll receive a personal QR code. Screenshot this QR code and save it to your phone for easy access as youll need to show it before immigration processing in Mexico. Save yourself some time by filling it out in advance and youll walk right past all the other passengers scrambling to fill it out at the airport. 2. THE BAHAMAS Visitors traveling to the Bahamas who are fully vaccinated with approved vaccines and have passed the two-week immunity period are exempt from COVID-19 testing requirements. If you havent yet been vaccinated, you can still visit, but you must obtain a negative COVID-19 PCR test no more than five days before arrival. You need to upload vaccination proof or a negative test result to the Bahamas travel health site, as well as apply for a Bahamas Travel Health Visa, which costs $40 for U.S. visitors. Once youre there, there are a few restrictions, including curfews between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Nassau and Paradise Island, and between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Grand Bahama Island. While youre permitted to roam around your resort during those hours, you cant be out on the town. If the Bahamas isnt the perfect fit for you, consider one of the other Caribbean island nations, as many have similarly easy access rules. 3. THE EUROPEAN UNION The European Union announced in May that it would welcome fully vaccinated travelers who have received EU-approved vaccines without needing to take a test or quarantine. Individual countries will create systems to check vaccination status, and member states will set their own requirements. Some countries are using whats called an EU Digital COVID Certificate for travel clearance. The certificates are expected to become available in all EU member states as of July 1. An EU spokesperson told media outlets that the certificate system may soon be available to U.S. citizens, but that decision is up to individual countries for now. More EU countries will open as the summer progresses. But for now, popular destinations like Spain , Greece and Germany are open for U.S. tourists who can prove theyve been vaccinated. Unvaccinated children should also be allowed in when traveling with vaccinated parents but may need a negative test in place of vaccination. If youre eyeing a specific EU country for your summer travel, check the U.S. Embassy website for entry requirements. WHAT ABOUT RETURNING TO THE U.S.? While these countries may let you in, dont discount your return trip home. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires that all airline passengers regardless of vaccination status or country youre from arriving in the U.S. who are 2 years and older must provide a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of travel (or you can show documentation that you recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days). Many Mexican and Caribbean resorts and hotels are offering complimentary COVID-19 tests to certain travelers. Check your hotels website or call directly to see whats offered. If not, hotels can likely point you in the right direction for a test, but youll need to pay for it. Wherever you decide to venture off to, be sure to do your homework ahead of time and know the entry requirements for the specific location. This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Sally French is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: sfrench@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SAFmedia. RELATED LINKS: NerdWallet: How to Travel to the Caribbean on a Budget http://bit.ly/NerdWallet-caribbean-travel COVID-19 Information for U.S. Citizens in Mexico https://mx.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/covid-19-information/ Bahama Travel Health Site https://travel.gov.bs/ MIAMI (AP) Royal Caribbean International is postponing for nearly a month one of the highly anticipated first sailings from the U.S. since the pandemic began because eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19, the company's CEO said. FILE - In this March 14, 2020 file photo, Royal Caribbean International cruise ship docked at PortMiami, among other cruise ships, as the world deals with the coronavirus outbreak in Miami. Royal Caribbean is postponing the initial voyages by one of its cruise ships after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19. The company said Wednesday, June 16, 2021, that the Odyssey of the Seas' first trip is being pushed back from July 3 to July 31. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File) MIAMI (AP) Royal Caribbean International is postponing for nearly a month one of the highly anticipated first sailings from the U.S. since the pandemic began because eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19, the company's CEO said. The brand new Odyssey of the Seas was to set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 3 but is now postponed to July 31. Royal Caribbean Internationals CEO Michael Bayley said late Tuesday on Facebook that the decision had been made out of an abundance of caution," adding that the company is also rescheduling a simulation cruise scheduled for late June. While disappointing, this is the right decision for the health and well-being of our crew and guests, he said. Bayley said all 1,400 crew members aboard the Odyssey of the Seas were vaccinated on June 4, but two weeks had not passed for their bodies to build protection against the virus. Six of the crew members who tested positive are asymptomatic and two are mildly sick, he said, adding that the company has quarantined all crew members for 14 days and will continue routine testing. Company spokeswoman Lyan Sierra-Caro said the trial voyage with volunteer passengers that was originally planned for later this month would help the cruise line meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirements before resuming trips with paying passengers. The CDC has not yet approved the trial run, Sierra-Caro said. The debut of the Odyssey of the Seas was highly anticipated as cruise lines attempt a comeback after more than 15 months of not sailing from the U.S. because of the pandemic. Royal Caribbean International has said that passengers are strongly recommended to get vaccinated, adding that unvaccinated passengers must be tested for the virus and follow other measures. Celebrity Edge, also part of the Royal Caribbean Group, is set to become the first post-pandemic ship to sail from the U.S. with ticketed passengers on June 26. A Celebrity Cruises' spokeswoman told The Associated Press that Celebrity Edge is able to sail without a test run because it is following CDC guidelines allowing ships with 98% vaccinated crew and 95% vaccinated guests to skip that step. We are exceeding these guidelines, said Celebrity Cruises spokeswoman Susan Lomax in an email. A new Florida law bans businesses from requiring customers to show proof of vaccination. Gov. Ron DeSantis argues the legislation was meant to preserve individual freedom and medical privacy. Lomax said the state law stipulates that businesses may not require customers to provide any documents, but we are able to ask guests if they would like to share their vaccination status. ____ Associated Press writer David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report. Courier Tyler Sholikovski makes lots of deliveries, but what hes most proud of is what he isnt making: tailpipe emissions. Courier Tyler Sholikovski makes lots of deliveries, but what hes most proud of is what he isnt making: tailpipe emissions. "I accomplish the same thing as other couriers, only I do it in a Nissan Leaf," says Sholikovski, who founded Envirodel Zero Emissions Courier after years of reconnaissance and a pandemic-related layoff. "Its all about being as efficient as possible." Thats his whole schtick, he says the electric vehicle, which can get nearly 400 kilometres out of a single charge from a port in his garage. But its a good schtick: businesses are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental footprints and tire-prints, and by partnering with Sholikovski, they go down a greener road while getting a good bit of marketing out of it. That green edge has, so far, attracted customers in nearly every sector, he says. The idea for the business started about two years ago at home, where Sholikovski and his wife Kelsey, also an entrepreneur and owner of a clothing store, did "little things" such as composting, not using plastic bags, and buying eco-friendly products. When Kelsey was trying to get something couriered for her business, she checked to see if there was an eco-friendly option. Tyler Sholikovski founded Envirodel Zero Emissions Courier after years of reconnaissance and a pandemic-related layoff. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press) "She said there wasnt, and that maybe someone should start one," Sholikovski says. "Hmm. What an interesting thought." From there, he jumped down a research rabbit hole, looking at vehicle specs and developing a business plan. He saw that Manitobas greatest source for emissions was by far the burning of fossil fuels, which contributed 60 per cent of the provinces total greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. Of that 60 per cent, 40 per cent came from transportation, which is not only the movement of people, but the movement of goods and services. Across Canada since 2005, there has been a broad reduction of kilometres driven per vehicle, yet the total number of vehicles has increased by over 40 per cent, leading to more kilometres driven overall. According to Statistics Canada, Manitobas greenhouse gas emissions rose by 10 per cent between 2005 and 2019, while the national emission level decreased by 1.1 per cent. And, says Climate Change Connection, the emission level in 2019 was 30 per cent higher than the target set out by the Kyoto Protocol, which should have been reached in 2012; emissions were at an all-time high in 2018, and nearly as high in 2019. At the time of Kelseys suggestion, Sholikovski was working a job that left him feeling unfulfilled, selling commercial insulation. It was the latest vocation in a long line that left him feeling that way, and when the pandemic came, he was worried: would his long-gestating idea be squashed before it even came to fruition? Would anybody even shop now if they were out of work? Would anybody care if his car puttered down Portage without a puff of exhaust behind it? Would he still even have his unfulfilling job? Well, he was right about a few things and wrong about others. He was indeed laid off in the summer before returning to work in the fall. However, people kept shopping (oh, boy, did they keep shopping), the environmental movement continued to influence businesses, and with the pandemic forcing those firms to promote home delivery, couriers remained a hot commodity, putting even more strain on the environment as a result. He took that all as a sign, and decided to leave his job and start Envirodel, calling up friends and contacts to see if they were looking for a new courier service. Sholikovski's Nissan Leaf can get nearly 400 kilometres out of a single charge from a port in his garage. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press) "Early on, I was doing all the calling," he says, reaching out through various channels to get some clients. Slowly but surely, people started picking up what he was putting down. Now, they call him. One of the first clients, aside from Kelseys shop Margot + Maude, was the Corydon Animal Hospital, which sends lab samples to the veterinary laboratory at the University of Manitoba. Brenley Mikolajek, the hospitals project manager and a friend of Sholikovskis, says the courier service is used at least three times per week, while other bigger clinics have caught on, too. "Obviously its great for us to support a small business that cares about the environment," she says. "And a little selfishly, it shows up really well for the clinic. We can show that these are the steps were taking to be greener, and clients really respond to that." A diverse range of clients followed, including Keener Jerseys, Fingernails Are Pretty, Denatured Lab, Good Neighbour Brewing, and IQmetrix. As is often the case, a zero emissions vehicular courier (bike couriers arent new) existed elsewhere before Winnipeg, says Sholikovski, with companies in Canada operating in Kitchener-Waterloo and on Vancouver Island. Its a concept that has existed in European cities for years, especially in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. Swedish giant IKEA announced earlier this year that the company would be partnering with Canadian logistics company Second Closet and Quebec-based electric vehicle manufacturer Lion Electric to offer no-emission home deliveries in Boucherville, Que., Etobicoke, Ont., and Richmond B.C., this fall, with a goal of 100 per cent zero emission deliveries by 2025. "There is no word yet on whether their drivers will have to assemble (the vehicles) first," wrote Jil McIntosh on driving.ca. Sholikovski is hoping to acquire a second vehicle and eventually have an entire fleet thats carbon-negative. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) That all gave Sholikovski assurance the idea would work here, with a dense urban population and a suburban/exurban population thats still well within range of a growing number of charging stations. It also showed that counter to some fears, electric vehicles can handle cold climates, though the charges dont last quite as long at -30 C. And if he has to charge mid-day, which is rare, its not wasted time: for half an hour, he whips out his laptop and cellphone and does work from the drivers seat, catching up on clerical work and checking in with clients. Slowly, infrastructure for electric vehicles is expanding in Manitoba, with approximately nine charging stations per 100,000 people, significantly below Torontos 31 and Montreals 96. And for whatever desire exists for electric vehicles, without sufficient infrastructure, many are holding off from going full electric: 211 new battery-electric vehicles were registered last year in Manitoba, representing only 0.5 per cent of all new vehicles in the province. Still, the number of electric vehicles is growing at a considerable rate. In 2017, 21 battery electric vehicles were registered in Manitoba, in 2018, 73, in 2019, 149, and in 2020, 211, all paltry figures compared to Quebec, Ontario, and B.C., provinces that offer, or did offer, generous government rebates for electric-vehicle purchases. Recently, a number of manufacturers have launched electric vehicles in the crossover segment Volkswagen ID4, Kia Niro EV, Ford Mustang Mach-e, among others that should drive more interest in EVs. In 2020, crossovers comprised 82 per cent of the Canadian market, while most EVs to that point were sedans or hatchbacks, vehicles that dont gain much traction even when burning fossil fuels. Selling EVs as vehicles people actually want to buy should make it easier to grow the market. Sholikovski is hoping to add to that Manitoban number in the coming months, looking to acquire a second vehicle and eventually grow an enviable fleet thats carbon-negative. "Right now, its just me driving," he says. "Thats not something I can do forever with more and more stops." He has to be efficient, after all. ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca MONTREAL - DavidsTea Inc. has taken a step toward exiting insolvency after the Quebec Superior Court approved its plan to pay creditors $18 million. A DavidsTea store is seen in Montreal on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson MONTREAL - DavidsTea Inc. has taken a step toward exiting insolvency after the Quebec Superior Court approved its plan to pay creditors $18 million. The company said the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware is expected to recognize that decision on Thursday. Approvals would mean the Montreal-based company would exit court protection from creditors in both countries later this summer. The plan of arrangement was approved by creditors of DavidsTea and its U.S. subsidiary on June 11 and calls for the distribution of the funds in mid-July as a full and final settlement of all claims against the company. DavidsTea faced $118.2 million of claims from more than 1,500 creditors, with 60 per cent originating in Canada. The claims include $3.9 million from Canadian employees, according a report from court-appointed monitor PricewaterhouseCoopers. CEO Sarah Segal says the insolvent retailer would emerge from creditor protection a "radically different organization" with a digital-first strategy after exiting its entire retail network except 18 Canadian stores while also supplying more than 2,500 grocery stores and pharmacies. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. MADRID (AP) The European Union moved a step closer Wednesday to deploying the blocs massive pandemic recovery fund, with a top executive going to Portugal and Spain to announce the blocs initial endorsement of their national spending plans. European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, right, speaks during a joint news conference with European Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn, on the Recovery Plan for Europe at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, June 15, 2021. (Stephanie Lecocq, Pool Photo via AP) MADRID (AP) The European Union moved a step closer Wednesday to deploying the blocs massive pandemic recovery fund, with a top executive going to Portugal and Spain to announce the blocs initial endorsement of their national spending plans. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen first visited Portugal, which was the first of the EUs 27 countries to formally present ideas for spending its share of the 800 billion euros ($970 billion) earmarked last year to help countries out of a sharp economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. She then crossed the border to visit Madrid, where she met with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to give the stamp of approval to Spains plan to use nearly 70 billion euros ($85 billion) in grant money. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center, and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, right, join schoolchildren in a kitchen lab at the Center for Living Science in Lisbon, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. The president of the European Commission has started in Lisbon a tour of some European Union capitals to announce the initial endorsement of their plans for spending the bloc's massive economic recovery fund. (AP Photo/Armando Franca) The commission highlighted Spains emphasis on the environment with investments in renewable energy and climate-friendly technologies like electric cars. This plan will deeply transform Spains economy, make it greener, more digital, more resilient, von der Leyen said. We have endorsed this plan because it is ambitious, far-sighted and will help build a better future for the Spanish people. The commissions green light for the proposals will have to ratified by the leaders of the member states within four weeks. In coming years, Spain is also to receive an additional 70 million euros in loans, leaving it only behind Italy as the biggest beneficiary of the funds after both southern European countries were the first of the bloc to be pummeled by the pandemic. In Portugal, von der Leyen told Prime Minister Antonio Costa that his governments plan for how to use its 16.6 billion-euro windfall ($20 billion) in grants and loans has earned the commissions blessing. Portugal says much of its spending will go to improving the public health network, reducing pollution from public transportation, making housing more energy efficient and buying computers for schools. So far, 23 of the EUs 27 countries have submitted their spending plans to Brussels authorities, which vet them to ensure they are in line with the blocs policy goals. EU officials will follow up later to check whether nations are abiding by their commitments. The EUs 1.1 trillion-euro ($1.3 trillion) seven-year budget from next year will also help national economies recover from the economic hurt caused by COVID-19. Von der Leyen also plans to visit Greece, Denmark and Luxembourg later this week. She started her tour of member states a day after the bloc launched its bond sale for the EU Next Generation funds. Johannes Hahn, the European Commission for Budget and Administration, said Tuesday that the issue of 20 billion euros in bonds was the largest ever issuance from a European public sector institution and the largest amount the EU has raised in a single transaction. DETROIT (AP) General Motors will raise spending on electric and autonomous vehicles and add two U.S. battery factories as it gambles that consumers will eagerly switch from gasoline to the new technology. DETROIT (AP) General Motors will raise spending on electric and autonomous vehicles and add two U.S. battery factories as it gambles that consumers will eagerly switch from gasoline to the new technology. The announcements Wednesday came as crosstown rival Ford said its entire Lincoln luxury brand lineup would be electric or gas-electric hybrid by 2030, including four fully electric vehicles. For months, the automakers have been one-upping each other with electric vehicle announcements, which have fueled stock price increases for both companies. GM wouldn't give details about where it will build the new plants, but Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson said they would be similar in size to two factories now under construction in Lordstown, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee. Those factories each will employ more than 1,000 workers and cost about $2.3 billion. The new plants were to come later in the decade, but now are expected to be in operation around 2025. They are part of GM's plan to spend $35 billion on electric and autonomous vehicles from 2020 to 2025. The company also said it will switch more U.S. assembly plant capacity to electric vehicles, but gave no details Wednesday. GM has previously said it would spend $27 billion on electric and autonomous vehicle development by 2025 as it rolled out 30 new electric vehicles worldwide. Jacobson said the company would increase the number of electric vehicles but gave no details. GM has set a goal of selling only electric passenger vehicles by 2035. Electric vehicles accounted for less than 2% of U.S. vehicle sales last year, largely in luxury brands. But industry analysts are predicting big growth later in the decade as EVs move beyond early adopters. Jacobson said GM is seeing success with a new version of its Chevrolet Bolt hatchback and new Bolt small SUV, giving it confidence that EV adoption is reaching an inflection point. This is really no-regrets capital. We know that we will need those battery plants as we further our goals. Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said GM and Ford are continually trying to outdo each other with electric vehicle announcements. This is an EV arms race going on in Detroit with Ford and GM competing for market and mind share in this green tidal wave, Ives said in an email. Both automakers, he said, are competing for what's expected to be a $5 trillion market during the next decade. GM came out earlier than Ford, which is trying to catch up and not be viewed as the little brother, he said. Also Wednesday, GM raised its first-half pretax earnings guidance from $5.5 billion to between $8.5 billion and $9.5 billion, with net income of $6.2 billion to $7 billion. Jacobson said the increase comes as GM continues to see strong demand for its vehicles, and because it has been able to mitigate production losses due to a global shortage of computer chips. He said GM probably won't be able to build up its depleted inventory until mid-to-late next year. GM, Jacobson said, was able to pull some chip deliveries ahead from the third quarter. He sees $2 billion to $3 billion worth of added costs in the second half of the year. For instance, chip and raw material prices are starting to rise due to a coronavirus outbreak in Malaysia. Because of chip-related factory shutdowns and continued high demand, many dealers running out of vehicles, Jacobson said. We continue to see the chip issues, while they're declining, still being there into '22, he said. GM also announced more deals to sell its battery and hydrogen technology to other companies. GM said it will build two electric vehicles for EV and hydrogen partner Honda, and it will supply hydrogen fuel cells for Liebherr Aerospace. Also on Wednesday, Ford said the Lincoln brands first fully electric vehicle will go on sale next year, but gave no details. The company said that by mid-decade it expects half of Lincolns global sales will be zero emissions vehicles. Shares of GM rose 1.3% to $61.58 in Wednesday afternoon trading, near a record high. Ford shares fell slightly to $14.97. GM also said that CEO Mary Barra is in Washington to meet with legislators and the administration of President Joe Biden on federal pollution and fuel economy standards. Biden is in the process of reversing former President Donald Trump's rollback of pollution limits and plans to announce stricter standards in July. On CNBC Wednesday, Barra said she's optimistic that legislators will expand tax credits to jump-start purchases of electric vehicles. Currently there's a $7,500 federal credit for EV purchasers, and there are proposals to expand it to as much as $12,500. But once a manufacturer sells 200,000 electric vehicles, the tax credit is phased out. GM and Tesla have hit the cap and can't offer the credit anymore. We really think being a first mover shouldn't be something that's penalized as we look at EV adoption," Barra said. "We're going forward with a full portfolio, but we think to level the playing field, having everybody have that same opportunity is going to be important. NEW DELHI (AP) The standoff between the Indian government and Twitter escalated Wednesday when the countrys technology minister accused the social media giant of deliberately not complying with local laws. FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, file photo, India's Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, left, and Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar address a press conference announcing new regulations for social media companies and digital streaming websites in New Delhi, India. The standoff between the Indian government and Twitter escalated Wednesday, June 16, when the countrys technology minister accused the social media giant of deliberately not complying with local laws. Prasad said Twitter has chosen the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to following new internet regulations that digital activists have said could curtail online speech and privacy in India. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File) NEW DELHI (AP) The standoff between the Indian government and Twitter escalated Wednesday when the countrys technology minister accused the social media giant of deliberately not complying with local laws. Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Twitter has chosen the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to following new internet regulations that digital activists have said could curtail online speech and privacy in India. If any foreign entity believes that they can portray itself as the flag bearer of free speech in India to excuse itself from complying with the law of the land, such attempts are misplaced, Prasad said in a series of tweets. The Indian government has been at odds with major social media websites over a new set of sweeping regulations that give it more power to police online content. It requires companies to erase content that authorities deem unlawful, comply with government takedown orders, help with police investigations and identify the originators of mischievous information. Under the new laws, social media websites and tech companies will also have to remove content within 36 hours after an administrative or legal order is issued. Their employees can be held criminally liable for failing to comply with the governments requests. Twitter said in a statement Tuesday that it was making every effort to comply with the new regulations. The company said it had appointed an interim chief compliance officer in India, a requirement under the new regulations, and will soon notify Indias Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The new rules also require social media platforms to appoint what the government calls grievance officers to handle complaints from law enforcement agencies. Prasad, the IT minister, also accused Twitter of bias and said it was labeling some content as manipulated media, only when it suits its likes and dislikes. In May, leaders from Modis party tweeted parts of a document they said was created by the main opposition Congress Party to discredit the government's handling of the pandemic. Some Congress leaders complained to Twitter, saying the document was forged. In response, Twitter marked some posts as manipulated media. Twitter rules apply manipulated media tags to posts that have been deceptively altered or fabricated. The new internet regulations, announced in February, are among many challenges social media companies face after Prime Minister Narendra Modis pushed back against criticism that its new rules restrict online speech. Modis government has sought for years to control social media and has often directed Twitter to take down tweets or accounts that appear critical of his party and its leaders, including his administrations handling of the pandemic. Twitter has complied with most of those orders. The friction has intensified recently, with the government threatening social media companies with legal action and their employees with prison time if they refuse to comply with the takedown directives. Initially, Twitter expressed concern about what it called the potential threat to freedom of expression when the new rules came into effect late last month. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran's presidential contest headed toward a showdown between the country's hard-line judiciary chief and moderate former Central Bank chief on Wednesday, as two candidates dropped out on the last day of campaigning to clear a path for the challengers. In this picture made available by Young Journalists Club, YJC, presidential candidate for June 18, elections Mohsen Mehralizadeh speaks in the final debate of the candidates, at a state-run TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 12, 2021. Iran's seven presidential candidates offered starkly different views Saturday in the country's final debate, with hard-liners describing those seeking ties with the West as "infiltrators" and the race's sole moderate warning a hard-line government would only bring more sanctions for the Islamic Republic. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/ Young Journalists Club, YJC via AP) TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran's presidential contest headed toward a showdown between the country's hard-line judiciary chief and moderate former Central Bank chief on Wednesday, as two candidates dropped out on the last day of campaigning to clear a path for the challengers. Mohsen Mehralizadeh, the only reformist candidate in the vote, as well as hard-line contender Alireza Zakani withdrew from the race, state media reported, leaving just five candidates in the field. Such dropouts are common in Iranian presidential elections in order to boost the chances of similar candidates. No campaigning is allowed on Thursday, 24 hours before polls open. The departure of 64-year-old Mehralizadeh, who served as governor in two Iranian provinces, is aimed at consolidating support for top banker Abdolnasser Hemmati, who has positioned himself as a leading moderate and stand-in for President Hassan Rouhani, who is term-limited from running again. Polling and analysts indicate Hemmati lags behind hard-line judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, the presumed front-runner long cultivated by Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Also ending his campaign, Zakani, a 55-year-old hard-line lawmaker twice rejected from running for president, threw his support behind Raisi. I consider him (Raisi) to be the most qualified, Zakani was quoted as saying by state TV. Other candidates were expected to follow suit later Wednesday. Over 200 lawmakers in parliament, which is dominated by hard-liners, released a statement urging the rest of the conservative contenders to withdraw and back Raisi's presidential bid. Some candidates, however, doubled down on their campaigning. In a mass text message to citizens, hard-liner Mohsen Rezaei repeated his pledges to expand affordable housing for the country's poorest, pay monthly salaries to homemakers and provide all Iranians with a monthly $20 stipend. Mehralizadeh, the pro-reform candidate, had previously served as vice president in charge of physical education under reformist President Mohammad Khatami and as a deputy in the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, which runs the countrys civilian nuclear program. He came in last place in Irans 2005 election, but found himself barred from running in 2015. Hard-liner Zakani heads the parliament's research center. As a lawmaker, he became known for his outspoken opposition to Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Starting in the late 1990s, he served as head of students Basij organization, affiliated with the powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. As the field narrowed on Wednesday and Hemmati sought to rally the pro-reform vote, he announced that he'd select current Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to join his administration as either vice president or foreign minister, embracing the top diplomat who was an architect of Tehran's now-tattered nuclear deal. The economic development of Iran is not possible without strong diplomatic engagement abroad," Hemmati wrote on Twitter to explain his choice of Zarif. My administration is after the removal of sanctions and use of foreign policy to achieve political development. Zarif, among the best-known political figures in the Rouhani administration, has come under fire from the political establishment in recent weeks after the leak of a contentious audiotape in which he offered a blunt appraisal of power struggles in the Islamic Republic. There was no immediate word from Zarif on Hemmati's announcement, but the minister has previously indicated a willingness to join the incoming administration. Within Iran, candidates exist on a political spectrum that broadly includes hard-liners who want to expand Irans nuclear program and confront the world, moderates who hold onto the status quo and reformists who want to change the theocracy from within. Although a range of prominent reformists and key Rouhani allies registered to run for president, Iran's clerical vetting body allowed just several low-profile candidates, mostly hard-liners, to run against Raisi. Owing in part to the disqualifications as well as the raging coronavirus pandemic, voter apathy runs deep. The state-linked Iranian Student Polling Agency has most recently projected a 42% turnout from the countrys 59 million eligible voters, which would be a historic low amid mounting calls for a boycott. Rouhani, who had publicly protested the Guardian Council's rejection of high-profile nominees, pleaded with the Iranian public to vote nonetheless. The way of expressing our complaints is not turning our backs on ballot boxes. ... Some may say that the situation has become so tough for us. I tell them to cast their votes despite the troubles," he said. Going to polling stations in present circumstances ... makes us more powerful. In video widely shared on social media Wednesday, former reformist President Khatami urges pro-reform Iranians to vote despite their disappointment in the approved candidate list. He accused powerful hard-liners of vaulting Raisi to power at the expense of wider political participation. I hope the people make an effort, show up and vote to reverse this plan by a political faction to bring some people to power at any cost," he said. Separately, Khatami praised Mehalizadeh for his withdrawal, saying it will prevent the splitting of (reformist) votes." And though Khatami did not endorse any specific candidate, his appeals could help Hemmati attract support from disillusioned reformists. Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. OTTAWA - Better protections for the rights of air travellers, immediate refunds for customers and more monetary relief for airlines and airports are some of the recommendations in a parliamentary committees report on the air industrys recovery from the global pandemic. A plane is silhouetted as it takes off from Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., May 13, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward OTTAWA - Better protections for the rights of air travellers, immediate refunds for customers and more monetary relief for airlines and airports are some of the recommendations in a parliamentary committees report on the air industrys recovery from the global pandemic. However, the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities said Wednesday that any financial support from the government should be on the condition that airlines immediately refund Canadian travellers for pandemic related cancellations and restore regional routes in the country. Airlines dropped multiple routes in regions like Atlantic Canada during the pandemic, as passenger volume plummeted with COVID-19 restrictions. The report acknowledged the air transport industry will need extended financial relief that outlasts existing government subsidies, and that programs like wage subsidies and rent relief must continue past the summer for airlines and airports. There is no doubt that the air transport sector is critical to Canada's economic recovery and to the connectivity of the entire country, said Vance Badawey, chair of the committee and Liberal MP, in a statement. He said the committee's recommendations are "aimed at maintaining the sector's competitiveness, protecting jobs and ensuring the health and safety of workers, passengers and the Canadian public. The committee report said any federal aid should be aimed at protecting existing jobs and re-hiring workers. Air Passenger Rights, an advocacy group, said the reports recommendations to require airlines to provide refunds were good to see. The organization said many travellers have struggled to actually receive their money back, despite financial aid from the government that was aimed at helping airlines issue refunds. The report fully vindicates our position, said Gabor Lukacs, Air Passenger Rights president in a statement. Common sense, decency, and fairness dictate that if a business is unable to deliver services, it must refund customers." Meanwhile, the committee called on the government to form a detailed aviation restart program, something that airlines and travel operators have been calling for to help the industries develop a clear plan for the coming months. The committee also called on the government to consult with public health authorities around whether self-quarantine requirements can be lowered to seven or 10 days from the current 14-day requirement. The federal government has already planned to scrap the 14-day requirement for fully vaccinated travellers some time in July. Looking forward, the committee called on Transport Canada to draft a report about lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic to serve as reference for any future emergencies. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. WASHINGTON (AP) Both Republican and Democratic senators pressed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for answers Wednesday after a federal court blocked the Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland appears before the Senate Appropriations Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON (AP) Both Republican and Democratic senators pressed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for answers Wednesday after a federal court blocked the Biden administrations suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. In a sharply worded ruling Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Louisiana ordered that plans for lease sales continue in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Alaska and in all eligible onshore properties nationwide. The ruling came after President Joe Biden shut down oil and gas lease sales from the nations vast public lands and waters in his first days in office, citing worries about climate change. It's a fresh decision. Our department is reviewing the judges opinion as we speak and consulting with the Justice Department, Haaland said under questioning at a Senate hearing on her departments budget. We will respect the judges decision. Any other information will be forthcoming, she said. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Interior subcommittee, said she was flabbergasted that Haaland did not address the court ruling or the government's vast oil and gas leasing program in her prepared remarks. I was really struck by the fact that in 17 pages of discussions outlining the budget there really is no recognition for the production on our federal land and the role that plays, Murkowski said. In light of the court ruling, she told Haaland: I expect to hear your plans to resume implementation of those lease sales. We expect you to follow the law." Haaland, a former Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico, responded, I will always follow the law." Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana also appeared impatient with Haaland, saying the review ordered by Biden nearly two months before Haaland took office in mid-March appeared to be dragging on. As this review rolls on, a leasing pause gives folks in the oil and gas industry a lot of uncertainty," Tester said. Its getting harder and harder to extend that trust without hard information in the review. Tester asked Haaland when the review will be ready for prime time. Officials have said all along early summer ... so my guess is theyll be getting it sometime in the near future, Haaland said. I'm taking that as itll be out in the next month, Tester replied. Haaland did not commit to a firm timetable. The back-and-forth over the leasing pause and the court decision showed the stakes of Biden's effort to reform and likely scale back the multibillion-dollar leasing program without crushing a significant sector of the U.S. economy. Doughty's ruling, in a lawsuit filed by Louisiana Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states, is a blow to Bidens efforts to transition the nation away from fossil fuels and stave off the worst effects of climate change, including catastrophic droughts, floods and wildfires. Biden and Haaland have said the leasing ban is only temporary, though officials have declined to say how long it will last. And its unclear how much legal authority the government has to stop drilling on about 23 million acres (93,000 square kilometers) previously leased to energy companies. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called the judge's decision a victory for the rule of law and American energy workers.'' Biden's illegal ban (on new lease sales) has hurt workers and deprived Wyoming and other states of a principal source of revenue that they use for public education, Barrasso said. President Biden should immediately rescind his punishing ban and let Americans get back to work. Following Biden's Jan. 27 order, the Interior Department canceled oil and gas lease sales from public lands through June affecting Nevada, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, as well as offshore sales in the Gulf of Mexico. The department also abandoned a public comment period for a planned offshore sale in Alaska. The 13 states that sued said that the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken and said that the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs. Doughty, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Donald Trump in 2017, said millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake for local governments and other public uses. BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Daniel Sanchez is one of the luckier electric car owners in Spain. With a free recharging station less than a kilometer from his home just north of Barcelona, he can keep his Tesla ready to roll. A man charges his electric car at an electrical charging point in Rivas Vaciamadrid, Spain, Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Spain is Europe's second-leading car maker but it is lagging behind when it comes to electric cars, a situation that the government aims to change by using around five billion euros of the EU pandemic recovery funds to kickstart the electric car industry. The government plans to spend big, to install a network of public recharging stations and to convince customers about the benefits of buying electric or hybrid vehicles. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Daniel Sanchez is one of the luckier electric car owners in Spain. With a free recharging station less than a kilometer from his home just north of Barcelona, he can keep his Tesla ready to roll. I cannot imagine stopping at a gas station ever again," the 41-year-old transport company owner said. "We feel like those people who got off a horse-drawn carriage and climbed into a car. There is no going back. Other Spaniards are considerably less enthusiastic. The dearth of places to plug in, compared to western and northern Europe, and the price of electric cars have left Spain lagging as the continent races to get greener. Now the government wants to usher the entire country into this new paradigm. The ruling left-wing coalition plans to use a chunk of the 140 billion euros ($166 billion) Spain is set to receive from the European Unions pandemic recovery plan to kickstart its electric car industry. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Madrid on Wednesday, at the start of her tour of member states to endorse their plans to deploy the massive windfall designed to erase the economic pain of the pandemic. Final approval from Brussels is expected in coming weeks. Von der Leyen met with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has compared the EU Next Generation funds to a new Marshall Plan. Spains Secretary of State for Industry Raul Blanco told The Associated Press that the government is aiming at spending around 5 billion euros ($6 billion) over the next three years on its electric vehicle initiative. Spain produced 2.2 million cars and trucks in 2020, second only to Germany in Europe. But only 140,000 of these were electric or hybrids, according to ANFAC, the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers. A man charges his electric car at an electrical charging point in Rivas Vaciamadrid, Spain, Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Spain is Europe's second-leading car maker but it is lagging behind when it comes to electric cars, a situation that the government aims to change by using around five billion euros of the EU pandemic recovery funds to kickstart the electric car industry. The government plans to spend big, to install a network of public recharging stations and to convince customers about the benefits of buying electric or hybrid vehicles. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) What we are doing is accelerating a change that is already taking place, Blanco said. This is a unique opportunity. The automakers are on board, and there are resources to carry out the investments. A leader in highspeed electric trains, Spain wants to put 250,000 more electric vehicles on its roads within two years, adding to the current 96,000. The push for electric cars should reduce CO2 emissions by 450,000 tons, according to government projections as Spain aims to completely convert to renewable energy by 2050, in line with EU targets. Spain can carry out these industrial activities with green energy, Blanco said. Compared to other countries of central and eastern Europe that still rely on fossil fuels, or other countries which use nuclear, Spain can rely on renewable energies since it has wind and solar. The environmental group Greenpeace supported the push for electric vehicles but argued that the EU funds should not be used to keep clogging cities with cars. It is vital that the aid is prioritized to help rural populations that have poorer access to other modes of alternative transport, the group said. Spain is counting on its robust car industry, and the deposits of lithium key to battery production for electric vehicles that it shares with Portugal. The goal is to establish a supply chain by encouraging private investment to build a battery factory, along with assembly plants and software design, all with the goal of driving more climate-friendly cars off production lines. The plans success, however, faces hurdles. Spain has fewer than 2 public plug-in points per 100,000 square kilometers, compared to over 10 in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, according to a 2020 report by the European Court of Auditors. It is a snake that bites its own tail, said Salvador Ejarque, president of Spains Association of Electric Car Users, or AUVE. People dont buy cars because they cant charge them, and those who can invest dont do it quickly enough because the bureaucracy is complex and slow going, The government wants to boost the total number of recharging points nationwide from 11,500 to 100,000 in three years. ANFAC, the carmakers group, said more may be needed. We must overcome the autonomy anxiety of drivers by assuring them that charging their car is as easy as filling up with gas, spokesman Jose Lopez-Tafall told the AP. It is necessary to set up a calendar with set goals to reach 340,000 charging points by 2030. Price, too, matters. The average annual income in Spain is 15,000 euros ($18,100) below the EU mean. Luxury cars are a rare sight in Spanish cities, where economy models and motorbikes reign. So while electric vehicles can lure more affluent Europeans, they give many Spaniards sticker shock. To overcome this, the government has already dedicated 400 million euros ($484 million) for rebates of up to 7,000 euros ($8,400) on purchases of electric and hybrid vehicles. It must also convince carmakers that Spain is their best investment bet, while Germany and France have the advantage of having major manufacturers based in their countries. Spanish carmaker SEAT, a member of the Volkswagen group, has committed to producing an electric car in the 20,000-25,000 euro range that Blanco believes will hit the price points for domestic shoppers. Fords president for Europe, Stuart Rowley, spoke with Prime Minister Sanchez in April about Fords battery sourcing strategy and the importance of support from the Spanish Government in the framework of the EU Next Generation funds, the company said in a statement provided to the AP. Renault has also reaffirmed its focus on making hybrids at its Spanish plants. Labor unions have welcomed the huge public investment in an industry that provides 10% of Spains GDP and 9% of its employment. Garbine Espejo, general secretary of industry for the CCOO trade union confederation, said the recent decision by Nissan to close plants in and near Barcelona was a warning of what could come if the private and public sector don't join hands. Spains auto industry is in good health, Espejo told the AP. But if we do not seize this opportunity to transform Spain into a leader in new technologies, the impact for industry and jobs will be dire. Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate. GENEVA President Joe Biden says he stressed human rights issues in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That includes the cases of two Americans who Biden says are wrongfully imprisoned in Russia. Swiss police forces block a road that will be taken by U.S. President Joe Biden and Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland, early Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Biden and Putin will meet later Wednesday for talks in Geneva. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) GENEVA President Joe Biden says he stressed human rights issues in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That includes the cases of two Americans who Biden says are "wrongfully imprisoned" in Russia. Biden also says hell continue to raise concerns about cases like Alexei Navalny, the jailed leader of the Russian opposition to Putin. Biden adds that hell keep on airing concerns about issues of "fundamental human rights because thats what we are." Biden commented after a nearly four-hour meeting with Putin in Geneva on Wednesday. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed U.S. President Joe Biden as a constructive and highly experienced leader after their summit in Geneva. Speaking at a news conference after Wednesdays talks, Putin said he believes that he and Biden "were speaking the same language" despite sharp disagreements on a variety of issues. He said that Biden is a "very constructive, balanced ... and extremely experienced." The Russian leader noted that he appreciated Biden making "some recollections about his family, about what his mon was telling him." "These are important things even though they arent directly linked to the business, they show the level, the quality of his moral values," he said of the U.S. president. "Its all very attractive." A police officer sits on a bench in in front of the 'Villa la Grange' ahead of the meeting of US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the villa, in Geneva, Switzerland Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Asked about Bidens description of him as a "killer" in an interview earlier this year, Putin responded that the U.S. president explained himself in a phone call. He argued that "we dont have to look each other in the eye and soul and make pledges of eternal love and friendship," adding that "we defend the interests of our countries and peoples and our relations always have primarily pragmatic character." GENEVA President Joe Biden gave Vladimir Putin something close to both mens style to mark their first presidential summit together a pair of custom aviator sunglasses. Biden in particular is known for wearing aviator shades, and is sometimes parodied for them. The White House announced the gifts at the close of the two mens summit in Geneva on Wednesday. The custom aviators given the Russian president were a brand manufactured in Massachusetts and designed for fighter pilots. The U.S. leader also gave Putin a crystal sculpture of an American bison made by a New York-based glass company. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed that their two nations will start consultations on cybersecurity. After a meeting with Biden in Geneva, Putin said: "We believe that cybersecurity is important for the world in general, for the U.S. in particular, and for Russia as well." The Russian president said that the two countries "just need to abandon various insinuations, sit down at the expert level and start working in the interests of the U.S. and Russia." Police on motorcycles pass the Villa La Grange where the US - Russia summit between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to happen later today in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (Leandre Duggan/Keystone via AP) Putin charged that "most of the cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the cyber realm of the United States," with Canada, two Latin American countries he didnt name and Britain next on the list. However, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have been attributed by the United States and the European Union to Russias GRU military intelligence agency, including the NotPetya virus that did more than $10 billion in economic damage in 2017, hitting companies including shipping giant Maersk, the pharmaceutical company Merck and food company Mondolez. While the U.S., Canada and Britain all engage in cyberespionage, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have come either from state-backed Russian hackers or Russian-speaking ransomware criminals who operate with impunity in Russia and allied nations. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says opposition leader Alexei Navalny got what he deserved when he was handed a prison sentence. Navalny, Putins most ardent political foe, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin an accusation that Russian officials reject. In February, Navalny was given a 2 1/2-year prison term for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated. Speaking Wednesday after a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Putin said Navalny received his due punishment for violating the terms of his probation, adding that he was aware that he was facing a prison sentence when he returned to Russia. "He deliberately moved to be arrested," Putin said, sticking to his habit of not mentioning Navalny by name. Last week, a Moscow court outlawed the organizations founded by Navalny by labeling them extremist, the latest move in a campaign to silence dissent and bar Kremlin critics from running for parliament in September. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says an agreement has been reached to conduct U.S.-Russian negotiations on limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Speaking after a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Putin said they agreed that the U.S. State Department and the Russian Foreign Ministry would work out details for the talks. A worker vacuums the red carpet in front of the venue where President Joe Biden will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Russia has long called for the start of strategic stability talks to potentially replace the New START treaty limiting nuclear weapons after it expires in 2026. Washington broke off talks with Moscow in 2014 in response to Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea and its military intervention in support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. Talks resumed in 2017 but gained little traction and failed to produce an agreement on extending the New START treaty during the Trump administration. Shortly after Biden took office in January, the two sides agreed to a five-year extension of the pact just days before it was due to expire. Moscow has said its ready to include its prospective doomsday weapons such as the Poseidon atomic-powered, nuclear-armed underwater drone and the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile in the talks on condition the U.S. brings its missile defense and possible space-based weapons into the equation. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the tone of the talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday as "constructive" and said there was no hostility during the talks. His remarks came at a news conference after he and Biden met in Geneva for a high-stakes summit amid tensions between the West and the Kremlin. "Our assessment of many issues differ, but in my view both sides demonstrated the desire to understand each other and looks for ways to get our positions closer," Putin said. "The conversation was rather constructive," he added. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin says he and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed to return their ambassadors to their posts in a bid to lower tensions. Putin made the announcement at a news conference following a summit on Wednesday with Biden in Geneva. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S President Joe Biden shake hands during their meeting at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool) The return of ambassadors follows a diplomatic tug-of-war that saw deep cuts in diplomatic personnel. Russias ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, was recalled from Washington about three months ago after Biden described Putin as a killer. U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan left Moscow almost two months ago after Russia suggested he return to Washington for consultations. GENEVA President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have concluded their meetings in Geneva, the White House said. The pair met for nearly four hours on Wednesday, first in a smaller session and later in a larger meeting that was expanded to include more officials from both sides and which lasted about 65 minutes. Putin and then Biden are scheduled to hold press conferences before departing the summit site. GENEVA -- Several posters dedicated to the imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appeared in Geneva on Wednesday, the day of the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden. Navalny, Putins most vocal critic, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin an accusation that Russian officials reject. Biden has condemned Navalnys poisoning and subsequent arrest, and was expected to raise the issue on Wednesday. The posters, which were written in both English and French and were taken down on Wednesday evening, read: "Navalny poisoned with Novichok. And still no investigation? How come, President Putin?" President Joe Biden meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) On Tuesday, a few dozen supporters of Navalny protested in Geneva, hoping to send a message to Putin. HELSINKI NATO member Estonia says two Russian fighter jets violated its airspace this week, in what it claimed was the fourth such incident this year. Two Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighters entered Estonias airspace in the vicinity of Hiiumaa, a Baltic Sea island belonging to Estonia, without permission and spent there less than one minute Tuesday morning, Estonias military said in a statement. It added that the transponders on the Russian planes werent switched on, they hadnt filed a flight plan and there was no two-way radio communication with the Estonian air traffic service. The Russian Embassy charge daffaires was summoned to the Estonian Foreign Ministry and handed over a note on the incident on Wednesday. BRUSSELS The European Unions top diplomat is warning that the blocs testy relations with Russia will probably get worse and that EU member countries must not let Moscow divide them. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said ties with Russia are "at the lowest level" and the likelihood they will improve soon remains "a distant prospect." His remarks came Wednesday as President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin were meeting in Geneva for a high-stakes summit amid tensions between the West and the Kremlin. Borrell's comments were made as he unveiled his recommendations Wednesday for new strategy toward Russia. EU leaders will debate it at their next summit on June 24-25. But EU member countries are deeply divided over the best approach to take with Moscow. Russia is the EUs biggest natural gas supplier and plays a pivotal role in a series of international conflicts and issues. President Joe Biden meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at the 'Villa la Grange', in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) __ GENEVA -- A former U.S. ambassador to Russia says he "can guess" why U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not have a joint news conference after their summit in Geneva on Wednesday. Michael McFaul, who served as U.S. Ambassador in Moscow between 2012 and 2014, recalled that the last joint press conference between Putin and a U.S. president Donald Trump in Helsinki in 2018 "was terrible for American national interests." The Helsinki news conference was considered a "win" for the Russian side after Trump appeared to side with Putin over his own security agencies on allegations of Russian election interference. This year, the White House opted against a joint news conference after the summit between Putin and Biden, deciding it did not want to appear to elevate Putin at a time when the U.S. president is urging European allies to pressure Putin to cut out myriad provocations. After the talks, Putin and Biden are scheduled to hold their own separate news conferences, one after another. GENEVA The Swiss government is going to reimburse scores of Geneva businesses that have been forced to close because of security measures linked to the Russia-U.S. summit on Wednesday. Geneva officials adopted a decree Wednesday to compensate the owners of shops that ended up inside the security perimeter set up around the meeting of Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. Laurent Paoliello, a spokesman for the regional security department, said the funds would come from the federal government, but cautioned that it wouldnt be a "blank check." He said the payments would be doled out after a thorough analysis over the coming weeks of revenue shortfalls by what he said could amount to about 100 enterprises. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrive to meet at the 'Villa la Grange', Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) GENEVA Peace activists unfurled a huge banner in Lake Geneva on Wednesday calling on the Russian and U.S. presidents to slash their nuclear arsenals. Campaigners in a sailboat spread the banner, reading "Peace and Security Through Disarmament," in the water so that it could be seen from the sky soon before Russian President Vladimir Putin landed at the Geneva airport for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. It was an initiative by Swiss anti-nuclear group Campax, which is urging the leaders to not only get rid of existing warheads but also stop investing in developing new ones, arguing that would set an example for other nuclear powers. The action was among multiple mini-protests around Wednesdays summit, their first since Biden took office. The leaders are expected to talk about arms control. Anti-nuclear groups say the U.S. and Russia account for nearly 90% of the worlds nuclear arsenals. GENEVA -- President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have finished the first round of their summit talks Wednesday and are proceeding to the first of two larger meetings in Geneva. Biden and Putin first met accompanied by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a pair of translators. Two additional sessions are planned Wednesday afternoon with the leaders to be joined by additional aides and translators. On the U.S. side, the larger meetings are set to include Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan and National Security Council Russia experts Eric Green and Stergos Kaloudis. The Russian delegation is to include Lavrov, Putins foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, Lavrovs deputy Sergei Ryabkov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian military Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russian ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov, as well as Kremlin envoys on Ukraine and Syria and Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov. U.S. President Joe Biden, left, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, right, meet at the start of the U.S.-Russia summit at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (Denis Balibouse/Pool Photo via AP) Overall, the summit is projected to last four to five hours before each leader holds a press conference. - GENEVA President Joe Bidens summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin began with minutes of unusually fierce shoving and shouting among U.S. and Russian journalists and security forces. Organizers at Wednesdays summit in Geneva opened the meeting room to journalists for whats normally a few minutes of news media filming and shouting questions before talks start. On Wednesday, however, Russian and U.S. security forces and officials initially blocked journalists as they tried to enter the room. The scene then devolved into minutes of chaos inside the meeting room. American journalists described Russian security and news media grabbing them by the arms and clothes to try to hold them back. U.S. journalists tried to shoulder their way in, and a U.S. reporter was knocked to the ground. Before the scene calmed, some in the crowd shouted they were being crushed in the melee. Biden and Putin initially sat awkwardly in front of the press, but then watched and at times laughed at the tumult. WASHINGTON The White House says that President Joe Biden was not suggesting to reporters that he trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin with his reaction to a reporter's question in Geneva. U.S President Joe Biden, center, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shake hands during their meeting at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked President Joe Biden and expressed wishes for a "productive" meeting as the two kicked off their meeting in Geneva Wednesday. (Mikhail Metzel/Pool Photo via AP) At the start of a high-stakes summit in Geneva, Biden appeared to suggest that he can take the Russian leader at his word, nodding his head during a photo opportunity when asked by a reporter if Putin can be trusted. Communications director Kate Bedingfield said later there was a "chaotic scrum with reporters shouting over each other" in that moment. She argued that Biden "was very clearly not responding to any one question" when a journalist asked if he trusted Putin. Journalists and security officials were shoving to get into the small room where Biden and Putin are meeting. Bedingfield said Biden was "nodding in acknowledgment to the press generally." She noted that Biden on Monday told reporters that his approach with Putin would be to "verify, then trust." Biden's press secretary Jen Psaki later said that the president "wasnt responding to any question or anything other than the chaos." GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked President Joe Biden and expressed wishes for a "productive" meeting as the two kicked off their meeting in Geneva Wednesday. Putin told Biden upon first meeting him he was thankful for the gathering as he knew the U.S. president "had a long trip and lots of work." But the Russian president emphasized that there are "lots of questions accumulated in Russia-U.S. relations that require discussion on the highest level." The two are expected to address everything from cybercrime to Russias alleged interference in U.S. elections during their meeting. Image released by Swiss anti-nuclear group Campax showing a sailboat unfurling a banner over the waters of Lake Geneva that reads "Peace and Security Through Disarmament," Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Campaigners in a sailboat spread the banner, in the water so that it could be seen from the sky soon before Russian President Vladimir Putin landed at the Geneva airport for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. (Campax via AP) Biden, who has spoken to Putin over the phone, told the Russian leader that "it is always better to meet face to face." GENEVA Swiss President Guy Parmelin welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden for the start of their summit under blue skies, wishing them a "fruitful dialogue" in Geneva -- which he touted as a "city of peace." It was a moment in the sun for Switzerland both literally and figuratively. Parmelin, whom Swiss media have poked fun at for his allegedly poor English, spoke in French -- his native language and one historically associated with fine diplomacy. He used the opportunity to promote Switzerlands image for neutrality and as a hub of international diplomacy. "Switzerland is very honored to welcome you for this summit, and it is delighted -- in line with its tradition of good offices -- to support dialogue and mutual understanding," said Parmelin, flanked by Putin and Biden on the steps of Villa La Grange, the 18th century manor house overlooking Lake Geneva that hosted the landmark U.S.-Russia summit on Wednesday. "I wish you both, Mr. Presidents, a fruitful dialogue in the interest of your two countries and the world," he said. He then quipped "Best wishes, and goodbye" in both English and Russian. GENEVA President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are starting their diplomatic talks in Geneva. The two were first greeted by the Swiss president before sitting down for a small meeting that includes just Biden, Putin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with a translator for each side. Theyll then move to larger talks, which will include more senior aides and are expected to last hours. The two plan to discuss everything from cybercrime to Russias alleged interference in Americas elections, as well as arms control and Russias intrusion in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference after his meeting with U.S President Joe Biden at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool) Both sides have played down expectations for any major breakthroughs, but both Biden and Putin have stressed the need to restore more stable relations between the two nations. GENEVA -- President Joe Biden has arrived at the 18th-century manor house in Geneva where hell hold high-profile talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden is set to meet in person with the Russian president for the first time in a decade. He last met Putin when the Russian leader was prime minister and Biden was serving as vice president, in March of 2011. He has since called Putin both a "killer" and a "worthy adversary." The two are likely to discuss some issues that also were central to their 2011 meeting, like trade and arms control. But this meeting comes at a low point in diplomatic relations between the two nations. Biden says he hopes to find areas of "cooperation" with Putin, but hes also expected to confront the Russian president on cybercrime, Russias interference in U.S. elections and other issues that have contributed to frosty relations between the two countries. GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is frequently late at high-level meetings, arrived on time at the 18th century Villa La Grange in Geneva for his high-stakes summit with President Joe Biden. The Russian leader landed in Geneva and traveled to the summit venue, located in the Swiss city's largest park, in a Russian-made Aurus limousine that was airlifted from Moscow for the summit along with a fleet of other vehicles. Putin, 68, who has received a Russian-made vaccine against the coronavirus, wasnt wearing a mask. However members of his delegation were wearing masks. GENEVA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived at a lakeside villa in Geneva for his summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. The two leaders are set to start their meeting accompanied by their top diplomats and a pair of translators. Other senior officials plan to join them for two successive rounds of talks that are expected to last for several hours Wednesday. President Joe Biden arrives to speak at a news conference after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Topics on the summit agenda include strategic stability, cyber security, climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and the Arctic. Putin and Biden also are expected to cover regional crises in Ukraine, Syria and Libya, as well as the Iranian nuclear program and Afghanistan. Putins foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, sought to moderate expectations for the summit but strongly emphasized the meetings importance amid the strained ties between Moscow and Washington. "Its the first such meeting that takes place at a time when the bilateral relations are extremely bad," Ushakov told reporters this week. "Both parties realize its time to start dealing with the issues that have piled up." GENEVA Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the Swiss city of Geneva for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. Their meeting comes amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions. The summit agenda covers a broad range of issues, from arms control and cybercrime to the pandemic and a diplomatic tug-of-war between Moscow and Washington. The White House and the Kremlin have sought to downplay expectations for Wednesdays summit. But Biden and Putin have both emphasized the importance of a direct dialogue to try to negotiate a more stable and predictable relationship despite the sharp policy differences between the United States and Russia. Ties between the two powers have remained at post-Cold War lows over Moscows 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimean peninsula, accusations of Russian interference in elections, hacking attacks and other irritants. The two leaders are scheduled to meet for four or five hours at a lakeside mansion. GENEVA The acting chief of protocol for the Geneva region says staff members at the villa where U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting will keep face masks on during the summit even if the two leaders don't. Geneva authorities require the wearing of masks in public, though there are exceptions. The requirement holds particularly in places with a lot of pedestrian traffic, such as shopping areas. Marion Bordier Bueschi, who is managing the grand lakeside mansion that will serve as the summit site, told The Associated Press that staffers inside Villa La Grange were already wearing masks. She said Putin and Biden would likely not wear masks during their talks on Wednesday. She noted that both leaders have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 have dropped across Switzerland, and authorities are planning steps to ease the mask requirement later this month. GENEVA U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are both coming to the summit table in Geneva with their own agendas and non-negotiable red lines. There will be no talk of a "reset" in U.S.-Russian relations. Biden and his aides have made clear that he will not follow in the footsteps of his recent predecessors by aiming to radically alter the United States ties to Russia. Instead, the White House is looking to move toward a more predictable relationship and attempt to rein in Russias disruptive behavior. Biden will push Putin on Wednesday to stop meddling in democratic elections, to ease tensions with Ukraine and to stop giving safe harbor to hackers carrying out cyber and ransomware attacks. Aides believe that lowering the temperature with Russia will also reinforce the United States ties to democracies existing in Moscows shadow. Putin also wont be expecting a new detente to mend the rift caused by Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. Nor does he count on a rollback of the crippling U.S. and EU sanctions that have restricted Moscows access to global financial markets and top Western technologies. Putins task now is more modest to spell out Russias top security concerns and try to restore basic channels of communication that would prevent an even more dangerous destabilization. The main red line for Moscow is Ukraines aspirations to join NATO. GENEVA A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned that Putin's talks with U.S. President Joe Biden "will not be easy" or likely yield any breakthroughs. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told The Associated Press a few hours before the Russia-U.S. summit in Geneva on Wednesday that the topics on the broad agenda "are mostly problematic." "We have many long-neglected questions that need to be trawled through. Thats why President Putin is arriving with an attitude to frankly and constructively set questions and try to find solutions," Peskov said. "No, this day cannot become historic, and we shouldnt expect any breakthroughs. The situation is too difficult in Russian-American relations," he continued. "However, the fact that the two presidents agreed to meet and finally start to speak openly about the problems is already an achievement. We can say that without having started yet, the summit already has a positive result, but we should not await breakthroughs." Peskov said the bilateral issues Russia wants to discuss include strategic stability, arms control, cooperation in regional conflicts, cooperation on the pandemic, and climate change. GENEVA U.S. President Joe Biden and Russias Vladimir Putin are set to meet for their highly anticipated summit in the Swiss city of Geneva. Its a moment of high-stakes diplomacy that comes as both leaders agree that U.S.-Russian relations are at an all-time low. For four months, the two leaders have traded sharp rhetoric. Biden has repeatedly called out Putin for malicious cyberattacks by Russian-based hackers on U.S. interests, for disregard of democracy in the jailing of Russias top opposition leader and for interfering in American elections. Their talks on Wednesday are expected to last four to five hours. In advance, both sides set out to lower expectations. Arrangements for the meeting have been carefully choreographed and vigorously negotiated by both sides. Putin and his entourage will arrive first at the summit site: Villa La Grange, a grand lakeside mansion set in Genevas biggest park. Next come Biden and his team. Swiss President Guy Parmelin will greet the two leaders. Biden and Putin first will hold a relatively intimate meeting joined by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The talks will then expand to include five senior aides on each side. After the meeting concludes, Putin is scheduled to hold a solo news conference, with Biden following suit. The White House opted against a joint news conference, deciding it did not want to appear to elevate Putin at a time when the president is urging European allies to pressure Putin to cut out myriad provocations. MONTREAL - Air Transat plans to offer flights to nearly 50 cities this winter as Canadians look to resume travelling after the industry came to standstill during the pandemic. An Air Transat Airbus A330 lands at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Sunday, July 31, 2016. Air Transat plans to offer flights to nearly 50 destinations this winter as Canadians look to resume travelling after the industry came to standstill during the pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes MONTREAL - Air Transat plans to offer flights to nearly 50 cities this winter as Canadians look to resume travelling after the industry came to standstill during the pandemic. The airline says it will fly to destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, the United States and Europe starting Nov. 1. "We know that our clients are eager to travel, whether it's to visit loved ones or for a change of scenery," said Annick Guerard, President and CEO of Transat in a statement. "And we are sure to meet this strong, pent-up demand with the rich variety of destinations we are offering this winter. Transat suspended operations on Jan. 29 after Ottawa requested a suspension of travel to Mexico and the Caribbean as well as the adoption of new quarantine measures and testing requirements. The company announced earlier this month that it would begin a gradual resumption of flying starting July 30. Transat's plan for this winter includes two new destinations for the company, which will now offer direct flights from Montreal to Miami and Fort Myers, Fla., starting in December. Some other destinations include Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, France, Portugal, Spain and Italy. The airline is focusing on international departures from three cities: Quebec City, Montreal and Toronto. Meanwhile, it will also offer connecting domestic flights from Vancouver. Transat said clients are still eligible for refunds if current situations around the pandemic change and the operator is forced to cancel flights. Earlier this month, Guerard said the company was optimistic about the future after noticing increased interest in travel, especially after the federal government announced this month that fully vaccinated travellers would no longer have to quarantine on return to Canada. She said bookings in early June for the winter season were matching pre-pandemic levels similar to 2018 and 2019, although warned for caution around whether that level of activity will hold up since people are booking further ahead than usual. The airline has also let go of some older aircraft, including Boeing 737s and Airbus A310s, in an effort to consolidate its fleet to newer models of Airbus A330s and A321s that will lower operating costs. Guerard has said Transat is taking steps to become a leaner company, with more of a focus on an airline business, with less emphasis on tour operating and its services as a travel agency. The company also said it plans to sell off its hotel properties in certain destinations. Transat's quarterly results for the period ended April 30 reflected the company's lack of operations, with a net loss attributable to shareholders of $69.6 million or $1.84 per diluted share for the quarter. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ) OTTAWA - Children and youth in remote First Nations who have died by suicide are a tragic examples showing Canada's harms toward Indigenous kids was wilful and reckless, lawyers argued in Federal Court Wednesday. The flag on the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa flies at half mast on May 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA - Children and youth in remote First Nations who have died by suicide are a tragic examples showing Canada's harms toward Indigenous kids was wilful and reckless, lawyers argued in Federal Court Wednesday. Akosua Matthews, representing the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, a political territorial organization representing 49 mainly remote First Nations in northwestern Ontario, says the federal government's arguments before the court are merely an attempt to avoid responsibility. Ottawa has said that there was inadequate evidence for the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to award compensation to First Nations children harmed by the child-welfare system. Matthews pointed to tragic cases in the remote First Nation of Wapekeka, which in 2016 was concerned about suicide pacts among a group of young girls in the area. Wapekeka submitted a proposal to Health Canada in July 2016 seeking funding for an in-community mental health team as a preventive measure, but the proposal was left unaddressed by for several months by Ottawa. A response only came after two 12-year-old girls, Jolynn Winter and Chantal Fox, died by suicide in January 2017. "The fact that there are gaps in services and the fact that this has incentivized placing children in care in order to obtain access to services meant Canada's lack of action in general and lack of a response to Wapekeka in particular, was wilful and reckless and the tribunal says it was intentional," Matthews told the court Wednesday. "The tribunal's decision to award compensation for denials and delays of Jordan's Principle claims was eminently reasonable." The arguments are the latest in an ongoing judicial review brought by Ottawa of a 2019 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision that awarded $40,000 to each Indigenous child who was removed from their families and communities before 2006 by a systemically underfunded child-welfare system. The compensation was also awarded to their caregivers. The federal governments lawyer, Robert Frater, told Federal Court Justice Paul Favel Monday, and again Wednesday in response to other parties' submissions, that the tribunals award was far too broad and sweeping. Frater argues the tribunal did not have the authority to award individual damages because it did not hear any evidence or testimony from children or their families to justify individual compensation. "Because it awarded compensation based on inadequate evidence, the tribunal was unable to draw important distinctions and provided vague, sometimes ambiguous, delineations of who is to be compensated and in what circumstances," the government's factum states. It added that the CHRT "failed to define concepts that are critical to establishing a link between Canadas conduct and the compensable harm." It is the Nishnawbe Aski Nation's view, however, that the tragedy in Wapekeka demonstrates that there was "ample evidence of individual harm of the gravest degree before the tribunal and is a stark example of the tribunal's ruling against the federal government," Matthews argued. The tribunals 2019 decision said Ottawa wilfully and recklessly discriminated against Indigenous children living on-reserve by not properly funding child and family services and awarded each child, and their parents or grandparents, $40,000 in compensation. The case will continue in Federal Court Thursday, where lawyers will present their arguments on a second, related decision by the tribunal that expands Jordans Principle to children who live off-reserve or who are not registered under the Indian Act. Jordans Principle is a rule stating that when different levels of government disagree about whos responsible for providing services to First Nations children, they must help a child in need before deciding which one is responsible for the bills. It was named after young Jordan River Anderson from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba who died in hospital while the provincial and federal governments argued for years over which who should pay for his care in a special home. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. OTTAWA - The federal Liberals are being accused of letting down victims of military sexual misconduct as a parliamentary committee prepares to rise for the summer without producing a report on the government's handling of allegations involving former defence chief Jonathan Vance. Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan takes part in a press conference via video link in Ottawa on March 24, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - The federal Liberals are being accused of letting down victims of military sexual misconduct as a parliamentary committee prepares to rise for the summer without producing a report on the government's handling of allegations involving former defence chief Jonathan Vance. The House of Commons defence committee has been investigating the government's handling of complaints against Vance as well as current chief of defence staff Admiral Art McDonald since allegations against the two first emerged in February. Yet opposition members say nearly a month of Liberal filibustering has prevented the committee from finishing its final report before the House of Commons rises for the summer and a possible fall election. It has also kept two other reports, including one on access to mental health for service members, from being tabled in the House of Commons. "Multiple defence reports are now casualties of this government's partisan antics," Conservative committee member Bob Benzen told the House of Commons on Wednesday. "The Liberal members continue to place their party above the people, and especially above victims of misconduct in our military." The committee is scheduled to meet on Friday and Monday before the House rises next Wednesday, which NDP defence critic Randall Garrison suggested might be barely enough time to get everything done. But, he added, that is only if the Liberals stop their delay tactics. "If we don't finish something on Friday, then there's no way it's going to get tabled in the House," he said in an interview. Liberal committee member Anita Vandenbeld in turn accused opposition parties of having dragged out the study, noting the committee previously agreed to start working on a report before the Conservatives pushed to call for more witnesses last month. Those witnesses included Sajjan's former chief of staff Zita Astravas, who previously ignored a call from the House of Commons to appear before the committee. "The committee had previously adopted a deadline that would have allowed us to finalize a report for tabling in the House of Commons," Vandenbeld said in an email. "From the beginning, Liberal members have worked tirelessly to bring forward reports with recommendations focused on survivors and the women and men of the CAF." Opposition parties say the Liberals have been filibustering the move to work on a report after the Conservatives sought last month to withdraw their efforts to have Astravas testify. "We strongly denounce the Liberals' repeated obstruction of the defence committee," Bloc Quebecois committee member Xavier Barsalou-Duval said in an email in French. "Ultimately, by blocking any new testimony and the good work of the committee, the Liberals will prevent the production of a report that would clearly blame the government for their mismanagement of cases of sexual misconduct in the military and their continued existence." The defence committee is actually one of two committees looking into military sexual misconduct. The committee on the status of women has been investigating the broader issue and is expected to produce a report that contains recommendations to address the problem. Yet Garrison argued that unless Parliament and Canadians understand why the Liberal government failed to do more when the military ombudsman flagged an allegation involving Vance to Sajjan in March 2018, then there is the risk a similar situation will occur again. Garrison nonetheless said he was particularly upset that the study on military mental health could become a casualty of partisan politics given the clear needs that exist for those serving in uniform. The Canadian Armed Forces reported last week that 16 service members took their own lives last year, bringing the total over the past decade to 191 more than died during the whole of the war in Afghanistan. Global News first reported allegations in February that Vance had a relationship with a subordinate that began in 2001 and continued after he accepted the top job in 2015. Vance has also been accused of sending a lewd email to a junior member in 2012. Vance, who stepped down in January, has not declined requests for comment from The Canadian Press, but Global has reported he denies any wrongdoing. While opposition parties expressed concerns on Wednesday about the fate of the defence committee, the Conservatives were also putting the House of Commons on notice that they may force a vote to censure Sajjan and express the House's disappointment in him. The motion is one of three that the party can choose to have the House of Commons debate during a special opposition day on Thursday, which would lead to a vote next week. The others include one on parliamentary rulings and another on Canada-China relations. Conservatives also ramped up their calls for Sajjan to be fired, with Leader Erin O'Toole blasting the minister for his handling of sexual misconduct in the military, overstating his role in Canada's largest battle in Afghanistan and other actions. Garrison said he also believed Sajjan should be removed as defence minister, a position he has held since the Trudeau government first came to power in 2015, particularly after two senior officers were discovered to have golfed with Vance earlier this month. Sajjan in turn accused the Conservatives in question period of having let down the military during their own turn in power by cutting the defence budget. He defended his government's record when it comes to addressing inappropriate sexual behaviour in the ranks. "Our government has a lot more work to do when it comes to dealing with misconduct, and we will (do) that," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. OTTAWA - Annamie Paul is firing back against the coterie of party executives who sought to oust her as head of the Greens, calling them out for "racist" and "sexist" accusations as she seeks to defend her leadership and affirm her authority within a dividedparty. Green party Leader Annamie Paul speaks during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Paul has survived another day of party strife after a planned ouster shifted course, leaving her with a tenuous grip on power ahead of a likely federal election this year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA - Annamie Paul is firing back against the coterie of party executives who sought to oust her as head of the Greens, calling them out for "racist" and "sexist" accusations as she seeks to defend her leadership and affirm her authority within a dividedparty. The defiantwords at a news conference Wednesday came after Paul survived another day of party strife when a move to push her out shifted course on Tuesday night, leaving her with a tenuous grip on power ahead of a likely federal election this year. Paul said the change she represents is "often perceived as a threat to the existing institutional gatekeepers" and pointed to unnamed members of federal council, the party's governing body. "Many of these councillors are deeply, deeply committed to this mandate of transformation and diversity. Sadly, though, not all are," she said. A scathing series of accusations in a letter, obtained by The Canadian Press, that accompanied a non-confidence motion signed by six of 15 councillors laid bare the level of acrimony toward Paul from some insiders. "Since her election as leader, Annamie Paul has acted with an autocratic attitude of hostility, superiority and rejection," the document claims, stating that she failed to develop a "collaborative working relationship" or "compromise" with executives. It goes on to say Paul has attended few council meetings, "has displayed anger in long, repetitive, aggressive monologues and has failed to recognize the value of any ideas except her own." Paul, the first Black woman elected to lead a mainstream federal party, said the document was "so racist, so sexist" that it was "immediately disavowed by a majority of party brassand both Green MPs. "In the case of a Black woman like myself, the most classic trope of all is that we are angry or we are aggressive," she said in an interview. "It's very difficult to navigate that because in order to be a leader, and particularly a senior leader, you need to be able to speak with conviction to direct people." Paul noted that she "inherited" the current set of councillors, whose terms expire next month and whose non-confidence motion came despite "no substantive consultation with the members they represent," she said. Paul also came out swinging against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying he sought to sow "division and disarray" among Greens by takingMP Jenica Atwin on board. "You are no ally, and you are no feminist," she said. A spokesman for Trudeau declined to comment. The Green caucus, which includes former leader Elizabeth May, is now down to two after Atwin defected to the governing Liberals last week, citing internal clashes over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a key reason for her decision. On Tuesday, a tense virtual gathering of party executives resulted in an effective ultimatum demanding that Paul and Green MP Paul Manly arrange a joint press conference where she would repudiate a former adviser's "attacks" and reiterate her "explicit support" for caucus. Otherwise a vote of no-confidence in the leader would take place on July 20. Council also voted to hold a virtual general meeting of party members on the weekend of Aug. 21, raising further questions about the stability of Paul's eight-month reign. The fallout from discord in her party has continued apace, with two of the federal council's members resigning last night. Lia Renaud, who represents the Greens' Nova Scotia wing, told The Canadian Press she "could not in good conscience continue" her support for Paul, but said she still backs May and Manly. Lucas Knell also confirmed he stepped down as the representative for Newfoundland and Labrador, potentially leaving Paul's political fate in the hands of the remaining 13 councillors, some of whom were appointed rather than elected by party members. The resignations follow two others declared in the last few weeks, including John Kidder, a vice-president and May's husband. The rift stems in part from a statement by Paul's then-adviser Noah Zatzman, who said in a social media post on May 14 that "we will work to defeat you," referring to unspecified Green MPs, among others, whom he accused of antisemitic rhetoric. The post came largely as a response to Atwin, who deemed the Green leader's statement on violence in the Palestinian Territories "completely inadequate" and called on Israel to "#EndApartheid" in a Twitter post on May 11. That post has since been deleted, though Atwin told CTV's "Question Period" on Sunday that "I certainly stand by what I'm saying." She then adjusted her stance on Israel to align with the more moderate Liberal position on Monday. Manly had said in a May 10 post the planned removal of Palestinian families from the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah "is ethnic cleansing." Paul has avoided explicit rejection of Zatzman's statement, butreiterated Wednesdaythat he no longer serves a senior adviser and that she does "not consider any of our MPs to be antisemites," including Atwin. Neither May nor Manly responded to questions about Wednesday's events. They have yet to publicly express support for Paul since Atwin's departure, the "conditions" for which stemmed from Zatzman's statements against her, they said last week. But Paul, who stressed her support for caucus repeatedly on Wednesday, said she felt supported in turn after May and Manly reached out to condemn the councillors' letter as "inflammatory and divisive," she said in the interview, adding that the pair had no hand in writing it. Jo-Ann Roberts, who served as interim party leader for nearly a year, said Paul is facing the "growing pains" of a party whose membership spans multiple factions, from fiscal conservatives to eco-socialists. "She's learned some very tough lessons the hard way very publicly about the need to be in touch with people, know what they're thinking," Roberts said in an interview. "I think this has been a communications breakdown, and that's going to take some work to fix." The answer right now is not to change leaders, she added. "She is new to the job and deserves to have the chance to figure this out." May also faced backlash from the grassroots after she resisted a vote by members in favour of a resolution supporting sanctions against Israel in 2016, Roberts noted. At the time, May opposed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, calling it "polarizing and divisive." Questions of bullying and racial bias against Paul, who is also the second Jewish person to lead a mainstream federal party (the NDP's David Lewis was the first), had already bubbled to the surface. Operation Black Vote Canada said in a statement Tuesday it was "disappointed and dismayed" to learn of the initial non-confidence motion, and that it represented a "step backward" in the mission to diversify Canadian politics. Daniel Beland, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said Paul is "facing an outright revolt." "This does not bode well for the party ahead of the next potential federal campaign, during which both the Liberals and the New Democrats will do their best to sway environmentally conscious voters," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. A woman who was on a boat during a fatal collision on an Ontario lake acknowledged Wednesday that she couldn't clearly recall how many of the boat's lights were on when it was struck by the other vessel, and that some may have been turned off at some point that night. A woman who was on a boat during a fatal collision on an Ontario lake acknowledged Wednesday that she couldn't clearly recall how many of the boat's lights were on when it was struck by the other vessel, and that some may have been turned off at some point that night. Susan Auricchio testified by video conference at the trial of Linda O'Leary, who is charged under the Canada Shipping Act in connection with the incident. Auricchio initially told the court that the boat she was aboard the night of Aug. 24, 2019 had all of its lights on, including at the time of the collision. She and a group of friends and acquaintances had gone out on Lake Joseph, north of Toronto, to stargaze after a dinner party hosted by Irv Edwards, court has heard. Edwards was keen to take people out on his new boat, though he handed over the controls to a friend early in the outing, she said. When they stopped on the lake, the boat's navigational lights and its dashboard were on, Auricchio said, noting it did not interfere with the group's ability to see the stars. "To my recollection, the lights were never off," she said. Under cross-examination, however, she acknowledged telling prosecutors this past April that she couldn't say "for sure" which lights were on aside from the dashboard. Court heard she told the Crown at that time that while the lights were on when the group set out, she couldn't say if that was still the case "at the time of the actual accident" because she was focused on her safety. "I thought I was going to die so I wasn't really paying attention to the lights," she said in the statement, which was read in court. Auricchio, an insurance worker living in New York State, also viewed security footage of the lake from that night and agreed with the defence that it appeared to show the boat's lights being turned off at one point. "I take it (that) what this demonstrates is that your recollection is incorrect," defence lawyer Brian Greenspan told her. "At that point, yes," she replied. Another passenger, Cathryn Hibbard, was also pressed on the boat's lighting during her testimony Wednesday. Hibbard said the boat was "lit up" but she couldn't say which lights were on, specifically. She did note under cross-examination that the light atop the boat was on, adding it had interfered with their stargazing. The status of the boat's lights is a central point in the case, with the defence suggesting the boat was not visible at the time of the collision because its lights were off. Two people were killed in the crash. Gary Poltash, 64, from Florida, died that night after the damaged boat returned to shore. Suzana Brito, 48, from Uxbridge, Ont. died in hospital days later. Three people were also injured. One of the people injured, Murray Wohlmuth, is Edwards's cousin and was dating Brito at the time, court heard. Both women who testified Wednesday said Wohlmuth was dazed after being knocked to the ground from the impact of the crash. Auricchio, who was sitting near where Wohlmuth collapsed, said he had blood coming out of one ear and didn't know where he was or what had just happened. "He was hanging on to consciousness," she said. Hibbard said Wohlmoth didn't recognize his own girlfriend due to his injury. Court heard the O'Leary boat went on top of the Edwards boat during the crash. "Their boat was on top of our boat and then it slid back down into the water," Hibbard testified. O'Leary, the wife of celebrity businessman Kevin O'Leary, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of careless operation of a vessel under the Canada Shipping Act, which federal prosecutors have said could carry a fine of up to $10,000 if she is convicted. An agreed statement of facts said she was operating the boat when the collision took place. Her husband was also aboard. Kevin O'Leary, the former star of the popular CBC show "Dragons' Den,'' also stars in the ABC show "Shark Tank.'' He briefly sought the leadership of the federal Conservatives in 2017. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. QUEBEC - The excrement that is flushed away in Canadian toilets each day is in fact the world's "most underrated, limitless resource," says the creator of a new museum exhibit that delves into one of humankind's messiest subjects. QUEBEC - The excrement that is flushed away in Canadian toilets each day is in fact the world's "most underrated, limitless resource," says the creator of a new museum exhibit that delves into one of humankind's messiest subjects. Coline Niess of the Musee de la civilisation in Quebec City says the upcoming exhibit titled "Oh Shit!" will explore all the facets of human waste and that it's not a laughing matter. The Musee de la civilisation will open a very bold exhibition, entitled Oh Shit! - part of the exhibit is shown in this handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-The Musee de la civilisation *MANDATORY CREDIT* "Yes, theres humour when you talk about it, but its not only about laughing and everything when we talk about poop" she said in a phone interview Wednesday. "Its a very large and important subject." She said the exhibition, which opens at the provincially funded museum Thursday, will explore humans' complex relationship with excrement, the challenges of waste management and the health problems caused by poor sanitation around the world, and the opportunities to recycle waste. In particular, it delves into the environmental and social issues surrounding waste, and how best to address them, she said. "We wanted to explain the different crises through the world about the management of water, about pathologies, and inequality of people, women, children," she said. She said North Americans often take access to safe and clean sanitation facilities for granted. That's not true in many parts of the world, where cholera, an illness linked to poor sanitation, is still a leading cause of infant mortality, she said. Niess acknowledged that most people's instinct is to either laugh or change the subject when excrement is discussed, but it wasn't always that way. In previous centuries, people used communal toilets and used to discuss waste regularly, she said. In fact, she said, the standard French greeting "Comment ca va?" ("How's it going" in English) is believed to have originally referred to bowel movements. Niess said the exhibition does include humour, which is balanced with more serious subjects. It will also have interactive elements, including video games on fecal-matter management, excrement-themed art and a recreation of a collective toilet from Roman antiquity, complete with cleaning sticks. But the exhibit will ultimately explore the potential uses of human waste as a sustainable resource to preserve the planet's future, Niess said. She said organizers hope to get people to ask themselves questions, such as why people defecate into water-filled toilets when many people around the world don't have access to safe drinking water. She said North America is also behind many parts of the world, including Europe, India and Africa, when it comes to transforming human excrement for other uses. In some places, it has been used to fuel public transit, she said. When properly collected, she said excrement can be used to produce compost or fertilizer or can be turned into biogas that can produce fuel and energy, she said. "People don't know that poop is a resource," she said. The exhibition is scheduled to run until March 26, 2023. Niess says organizers hope there will be enough interest to eventually send it abroad to museums in Europe and elsewhere. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021. By Morgan Lowrie in Montreal Myung Suk Kang was in her West Broadway convenience store when shots rang out; a bullet pierced the front window and hit the ice-cream freezer just feet away from the cramped counter. Myung Suk Kang was in her West Broadway convenience store when shots rang out; a bullet pierced the front window and hit the ice-cream freezer just feet away from the cramped counter. "My window shot, broken," Suk Kang said Tuesday as she talked about the brazen shooting of Kyle Anthony Braithwaite, 29, at Young and Balmoral streets around 3:45 p.m. Monday. Despite resuscitation efforts by two passersby, who were nurses, he died in hospital. Suk Kang said she heard four or five gunshots the sound was deafening. She ran and hid behind the counter. When she looked outside about 15 minutes after the shooting, she saw blood "everywhere." A woman was wailing next to the injured man as two people performed CPR, Suk Kang said. Police believe the homicide wasn't random but would not say whether it was gang-related. No arrests have been announced. However, Mitch Bourbonniere, a Mama Bear Clan community outreach worker with decades of experience dealing with street gangs, said the shooting was part of an active war between B-side and the Mad Cowz. Bourbonniere said Braithwaite's killing was in retaliation for another recent incident in which a Mad Cowz gangbanger was shot. The two street gangs have long been rivals with sometimes bloody results in February 2013, B-sider William Moar was shot to death inside Johnny Gs restaurant on Main Street. In June 2013, a Mad Cowz gang member was left brain-damaged after he was shot several times at close range as he sat in a car near Sherbrook Street and Wolseley Avenue. Braithwaite had a lengthy criminal record, including a prison sentence for aggravated assault, but was not currently before the court on any charges. Most recently, Braithwaite was sentenced in April 2020 to six months in jail for several offences, including two counts of assaulting police officers, impaired driving, and possession of a stolen automobile. Mitch Bourbonniere, a Mama Bear Clan community outreach worker with decades of experience dealing with street gangs, said the shooting was part of an active war between B-side and the Mad Cowz. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files) On Monday, a witness told the Free Press he saw a black vehicle peel away from the scene across from Balmoral Hall School around 3:45 p.m., a time when parents would normally pick up their girls after classes let out at the posh private school. A day later, bloody footprints marked with blue chalk still lined the Young Street sidewalk next to the mostly washed away pool of blood on the street, while police markings and measuring tape pointed to bullet damage on the side of an apartment building across from Suk Kangs shop. A black nitrile glove was littered on the boulevard and an unmarked police vehicle driven by two men in suits slowly made its way down Young Street. Kevin, who has lived in an apartment across the street from the shooting scene since 2016 and requested his surname be withheld, said the area is safe. He thought the gunshots were construction noises, at first. "It's usually a really good area. We don't see that kind of thing," Kevin said, having just left Suk Kang's shop with a carton of milk and a pack of cigarettes. A caretaker who lives nearby also said the shooting surprised him. "It's a quiet neighbourhood. Friendly," he said. "It could happen here. It could happen anywhere." Down the street, Balmoral Hall students played in the school yard over the lunch hour. As for Suk Kang, Monday's violence marked the second time in the past year a bullet has ripped into her store. Earlier, someone shot at her heavy metal door, she said as she pointed to the imprint of a bullet. with files from Dean Pritchard and Malak Abas erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca Western premiers are demanding the Trudeau government present a draft plan to reopen the border with the U.S. and allow tourists to fly in from abroad. Western premiers are demanding the Trudeau government present a draft plan to reopen the border with the U.S. and allow tourists to fly in from abroad. "Come Thursday, we expect the federal government to have a plan, and then we'll work on building consensus around that," B.C. Premier John Horgan told reporters Tuesday, after meeting with his counterparts from the Prairies and three territories. Throughout the pandemic, premiers have had a virtual call on Thursday evenings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Horgan said the provinces want Ottawa to release its plan to allow tourists into the country, and for Canadians to return without needing a two-week quarantine. Since March 2020, Canada has restricted Americans from crossing the land border for non-essential reasons. Most foreigners have been banned from entering Canada unless they have a residency permit or special permission, such as visiting a palliative care patient. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said hed prefer that include benchmarks based around how much of the Canadian population is immunized. "Any discussion around reduction of border barriers has to also recognize the reality of the vaccine as the way out of this mess," he said. The premiers hope to get information on the possibility of a national proof-of-immunization card. Manitoba launched its own immunization card, which can be used to access services within the province. Earlier in the day, federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Ottawa had not considered a domestic card, but will help figure out a system for those who travel abroad. "The idea would be to find the best common secure platform for Canadians who want to have proof of vaccination in the context of international travel," he told reporters. "Whether some provinces choose to have vaccination proof as a requirement for certain public activities or certain gatherings, that is a provincial jurisdiction." On Tuesday, the premiers reiterated their call for more generous health-care transfer payments, to account for the mounting costs of caring for the aging population. Trudeau said last December he would consider that after Canada emerges from the pandemic. The premiers argued that with vaccine programs underway, now is the time to have that discussion. The Liberals have shown no desire to make health-care transfers a focus of their campaign in the next election, expected this fall. Pallister did not speak up when a reporter asked all premiers whether they support Alberta if it asks for a revision of the federal equalization program. The province is planning a referendum on that issue. The equalization program, which has existed since the 1950s, involves Ottawa transferring funds to provinces so that each Canadian, no matter where they live, receives comparable services at comparable taxation rates. Saskatchewan, whose energy sector makes it a net contributor to equalization, would support Alberta, said Premier Scott Moe. Manitoba was the only recipient province at Tuesdays meeting and Pallister did not answer. Neither did the B.C. premier. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca In our youth-obsessed culture, conversations around menopause tend to be hushed. That is, if they occur at all. In our youth-obsessed culture, conversations around menopause tend to be hushed. That is, if they occur at all. Menopause the cessation of menstruation is obliquely and frighteningly referred to as The Change. Depictions in popular culture consist of, like, a sweating lady leaning into an open freezer to a laugh track. Our culture talks about women "over a certain age," as though we fall off a cliff and disappear the moment we turn 50. As though we have an expiration date, like a jug of 2%. "If menopause is sold as your graduation date to your irrelevance," says Dr. Jen Gunter, "who wants to talk about it?" Gunter does want to talk about it but she wants to change the conversation. The Menopause Manifesto (Supplied) The Winnipeg-born and raised obstetrician-gynecologist is back with her second book, The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health With Facts and Feminism, which was released in May via Random House Canada. (I will be hosting her virtual book launch hosted by McNally Robinson on June 17, at 7 p.m. Registration is required to participate in the Zoom seminar, and it will be simultaneously streamed on YouTube and available for viewing afterwards. To register, go to wfp.to/jengunter) A practical, reassuring menopause manifesto was a natural followup her bestselling 2019 debut, The Vagina Bible, which has since been translated into 19 languages. "Im gonna be honest, (a menopause book) is what people asked for," says Gunter, 54, with a laugh, over the phone from her office in San Francisco. "When I when I was on tour for The Vagina Bible, I just got asked question after question about menopause, or what did I think about this book, or what did I think about that book on menopause? Id be like, OK, I think theres something here. Clearly just addressing the vaginal health part of menopause in the Vagina Bible was not enough." But it was a specific observation a woman made that really stuck out to Gunter: menopause was lonely, and there was no culture around it. "It just made me really think about that," she says. "I started to think that every single thing weve really heard about menopause has been given to us through this patriarchal gaze, and I wanted to go back and not only give women the medical facts, but also explain how we got to where we are, to give them basically some culture." Indeed, there is no Are You There God, Its Me Margaret? for menopause. Dr. Jen Gunter (Supplied / Jason Lecras Photo) The Menopause Manifesto does what Gunter specializes in, which is empowering women with facts. Gunter has been fighting against misinformation about womens bodies and the snake-oil of the wellness industrial complex for years, emerging as a trusted, no-bull and also funny voice on all things related to womens health. In addition to her regular practice, Gunter is active on Twitter, where she has 340,000 followers, writes columns for the New York Times, hosts a podcast called Body Stuff and hosts the CBC Gem show Jensplaining, which is heading into its second season. The Menopause Manifesto delves into specific menopause symptoms, why they are happening, and how to manage them, Gunter challenges the way we think about menopause. As she points out, it is a planned change. It is not a disease or something to be "cured." Thats one of the biggest myths and misconceptions shes run into. "Menopause doesnt need to be cured any more than being a child needs to be cured or being an adult needs to be cured," she says. "Its a phase of life." Another big myth shes encountered is that hormone tests are useful in determining whether or not menopause is occurring. "Theyre not, at all," she says. "Just like you didnt need a hormone test to see if you were going through puberty, you dont need a hormone test to see if youre going through menopause if its happening at the right time. So if youre 12, and having a growth spurt and having acne, no one needs to do a blood test to see where you are in your puberty, right? Thats all happening as it should, just like if youre 47, and having hot flashes and irregular periods. "Menopause doesnt need to be cured any more than being a child needs to be cured or being an adult needs to be cured. Its a phase of life." Dr. Jen Gunter "If were able to not medicalize puberty that way, we should be able to not medicalize menopause." In addition to being a medical expert, Gunter has gone through menopause. Her experience included incredibly heavy bleeding or, as she calls it, "catastrophic flooding." "But I knew it could happen, so I wasnt freaked out," she says. "And I think thats one of the big differences. When you know something unpleasant could happen and it does, you dont have that extra level of fear on top of the inconvenience." She knows that not everyone is a gynecologist, so Gunter wanted to put something out in the world that could serve as a map or a guidebook for a journey most women will take in their lifetimes. Think of The Menopause Manifesto as a What To Expect When Youre Expecting Menopause, which is, as it happens, the title of part two of the manifesto. "Imagine you have to take this journey and you really have no idea whats ahead," she says. "Dragons! Who knows? Maybe theyre tame? Whatever! Like, you have no idea and every single step youre taking, youre like, am I going in the right direction? Is this right? You have no idea and then youre alone. Youre thinking, am I the only person whose this is happening to? Am I the only one whos gone down this pathway? "Knowing that theres all these pathways, and that theres this guidebook you still have to take the journey, but it takes out a lot of the unknowns and a lot of the fear." jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @JenZoratti Manitoba may have lost the race against the B.1.1.7 variant that crippled the provinces hospital system and caused nearly 100 deaths this year, but it still has a chance to beat the newer Delta (B.1.617.2) if government plays its cards right. Manitoba may have lost the race against the B.1.1.7 variant that crippled the provinces hospital system and caused nearly 100 deaths this year, but it still has a chance to beat the newer Delta (B.1.617.2) if government plays its cards right. The Pallister government did not play its cards right in April, when it knew how rapidly B.1.1.7 was spreading in Ontario and Alberta. It refused to bring in stricter measures to contain the more contagious novel coronavirus strain, despite repeated calls from experts to do so. The results were catastrophic, including 22 COVID-19 deaths over the past week. As of June 15, there were 97 deaths in Manitoba tied to the B.1.1.7 variant. Manitoba had by far the highest per capita COVID-19 deaths in Canada during the first two weeks of June. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba premier Brian Pallister (right) and chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin. Emergency wards and intensive care units continue to struggle to keep up with admissions of COVID-19 patients. Manitoba was the only province forced to airlift critical care patients to other jurisdictions for treatment. All of that was the direct result of the Pallister governments response to the pandemic's third wave. Government gambled it could vaccinate enough people, particularly those over age 70, to prevent large-scale hospitalization and death. It lost, and a lot of people died. It now has to decide how it plans to respond to the Delta variant, which is not only more contagious than B.1.1.7, its more resistant to a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Two shots of the vaccine are required for full protection.) Government gambled it could vaccinate enough people, particularly those over age 70, to prevent largescale hospitalization and death. It lost, and a lot of people died. That poses a challenge, since only 18 per cent of Manitobans aged 12 and over have received two doses. Demand is strong and supply is growing rapidly, but it will take many weeks (perhaps two to three months) to get enough people fully immunized to prevent Delta from overwhelming hospitals. In the meantime, the only way to control it is through public health measures. If government eases restrictions too quickly, Manitoba could be hit with a fourth wave. What adds to the complexity of the decision making is public health officials still dont know how contagious the Delta variant really is, or how resistant it is to a single dose of the vaccine. If they underestimate its strength, the results could be deadly. Manitobans still dont know the details of the Pallister governments reopening plan. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES As of June 15, there were 97 deaths in Manitoba tied to the B.1.1.7 variant. The province says it is seeking to reopen some businesses with limited capacity based on vaccine uptake. However, the plan released last week is so vague, even the business community doesn't know what the province has in mind. Government says it plans to ease restrictions Canada Day and the first weekends of August and September, as long as vaccine benchmarks are met and case numbers are "under control." (The "under control" part has not been defined.) Manitobas case numbers are trending in the right direction. The restrictions put in place in early May are working. Case numbers and the test positivity rate are falling. Vaccinations are also helping bring those numbers down. Hospitalizations, which are lagging indicators, are beginning to level off. There is no reason cases wont continue to fall under current restrictions. The question is: will the Pallister government go back to the gambling table and bet enough people will be vaccinated before the first week of July that the province can ease restrictions in two weeks? Only about 25 per cent of eligible Manitobans are expected to be fully vaccinated by then. If the Delta variant is as virulent as some experts warn, easing any restrictions at all in two weeks could have serious consequences. Manitobas test positivity rate was still above 10 per cent Tuesday. It seems unlikely it would fall enough by July 1 to consider any significant changes to public health orders, even if daily case numbers drop below 100 by then. What Manitoba needs over the next few weeks is less gambling and more science. If science wins the day, theres no reason Manitoba cant beat the Delta variant. tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca GENEVA (AP) U.S. President Joe Biden and Russias Vladimir Putin exchanged cordial words and plotted modest steps on arms control and diplomacy but emerged from their much-anticipated Swiss summit Wednesday largely where they started -- with deep differences on human rights, cyberattacks, election interference and more. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S President Joe Biden shake hands during their meeting at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool) GENEVA (AP) U.S. President Joe Biden and Russias Vladimir Putin exchanged cordial words and plotted modest steps on arms control and diplomacy but emerged from their much-anticipated Swiss summit Wednesday largely where they started -- with deep differences on human rights, cyberattacks, election interference and more. The two leaders reached an important, but hardly relationship-changing agreement to return their chief diplomats to Moscow and Washington after they were called home as the relationship deteriorated in recent months. And Biden and Putin agreed to start working on a plan to solidify their countries' last remaining treaty limiting nuclear weapons. But their three hours of talks on the shores of Lake Geneva left both men standing firmly in the same positions they had started in. Im not confident hell change his behavior," Biden said at a post-summit news conference, when he was asked about what evidence he saw that former KGB agent Putin would adjust his ways and actions. What will change his behavior is the rest of the world reacts to them, and they diminish their standing in the world. Im not confident in anything. Both the White House and Kremlin had set low expectations going into the summit. They issued a joint statement after the conclusion that said their meeting showed the practical work our two countries can do to advance our mutual interests and also benefit the world." Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S President Joe Biden shake hands during their meeting at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool) But over and over, Biden defaulted to well find out when assessing whether their discussions about nuclear power, cybersecurity and other thorny issues will pay off. Back-to-back news conferences by Biden and Putin after the summit also put in stark relief that getting at the root of tensions between the U.S. and Russia will remain an enormously difficult task including when the two sides, at least in public comments, sketched dramatically different realities on cyber matters. Biden came into the summit pushing Putin to clamp down on the surge of Russian-originated cybersecurity and ransomware attacks that have targeted businesses and government agencies in the U.S. and around the globe. But when the summit ended, it wasn't evident that more than superficial progress had been made. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as they meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Biden said he made clear to Putin that if Russia crossed certain red lines including going after major American infrastructure his administration would respond and the consequences of that would be devastating, Putin, in turn, continued to insist Russia had nothing to do with cyber intrusions despite U.S. intelligence evidence that indicates otherwise. Most of the cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the cyber realm of the United States, said Putin, also adding Canada, two Latin American countries he didnt name and Britain to the list. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrive to meet at the 'Villa la Grange', Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) While the U.S., Canada and Britain all engage in cyberespionage, the most damaging cyberattacks on record have come either from state-backed Russian hackers or Russian-speaking ransomware criminals who operate with impunity in Russia and allied nations. In fact, the worst have been attributed by the United States and the European Union to Russias GRU military intelligence agency, including the NotPetya virus that did more than $10 billion in economic damage in 2017, hitting companies including shipping giant Maersk, the pharmaceutical company Merck and food company Mondolez. Putin agreed at the summit that Russia will begin consultations with the U.S. on the matter and acknowledged that ransomware and cyberattacks are big problems. Still, he maintained that the two countries just need to abandon various insinuations. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrive to meet at the 'Villa la Grange', Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP) Despite the clear differences, Biden insisted that progress had been made, scolding reporters for being too pessimistic during a chat on the tarmac just before he boarded Air Force One to return home. There is a value to being realistic and putting on ... an optimistic face, the president said. Biden said the two leaders spent a great deal of time discussing cybersecurity and he believed Putin understood the U.S. position. President Joe Biden, right, shakes hands and meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at the 'Villa la Grange', in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) I pointed out to him, we have significant cyber capability," Biden said. In fact, (if) they violate basic norms, we will respond. A disconnect between the two leaders was apparent on other matters, large and small. Biden raised human rights issues with Putin, including the fate of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Putin defended Navalnys prison sentence and deflected repeated questions about mistreatment of Russian opposition leaders by highlighting U.S. domestic turmoil, including the Black Lives Matter protests and the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Biden was having none of it. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrive to meet at the 'Villa la Grange', Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) My response is kind of what I communicated" to Putin, Biden said. Thats a ridiculous comparison. Putin held forth for nearly an hour before international reporters after the summit. While showing defiance at questions about Biden pressing him on human rights, he also expressed respect for the U.S. president as an experienced political leader. The Russian noted that Biden repeated wise advice his mother had given him and that American president also spoke about his family messaging that Putin said might not have been entirely relevant to their summit but demonstrated Biden's moral values. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference after his meeting with U.S President Joe Biden at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool) Overall, the tone was more businesslike than Putin's 2018 summit with then-President Donald Trump, who embraced some of Putin's unlikely statements about election interference but was considered somewhat amateurish and unpredictable by the Russians. At this faceoff, though Putin raised doubt that the U.S.-Russia relationship could soon return to a measure of equilibrium of years past, he suggested that Biden was someone he could work with. The meeting was actually very efficient, Putin said. It was substantive, it was specific. It was aimed at achieving results, and one of them was pushing back the frontiers of trust. US president Joe Biden puts on his sunglasses at the end of his closing press conference during the US - Russia summit in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (Peter Klaunzer/Keystone via AP, Pool) The summit had a somewhat awkward beginning both men appeared to avoid looking directly at each other during a brief and chaotic photo opportunity before a scrum of jostling reporters. It ended sooner than expected. Biden said that was because they had covered all the key areas and then looked at each other like, OK, what next? Then Biden answered his own question What is going to happen next is we are going to be able to look back, look ahead in three to six months and say Did the things we agreed to sit down and try to work out, did it work? Associated Press writer Zeke Miller in Washington and AP video journalist Daniel Kozin contributed to this report. AP: Your life seems to be this long process of unlearning the cruel or wrong things you were told about yourself. Moreno: What a wonderful way to put it. Youre absolutely on the money. I had to learn that I was a person of value like all other people. But its very difficult when you learn something from childhood. Its not as though I came to this country when I was 20 and learned something different. I was a little girl and youre very impressionable. You believe that you dont have value. You dont know why you dont have it, but you believe it. And, man, that is so hard to get rid of. AP: Your central therapy session followed years with Marlon Brando. In your memoir, you spoke about him as your greatest lover but your time with him was torturous. Moreno: Heres whats hilarious to me. It was he who said to me: You need help. You need therapy. So the lunatic is telling the crazy woman that she needs help! (Laughs). But he was right! He was right. I remember the day he said that to me, I thought: Yeah, but hes crazy as a loon! AP: After West Side Story, youve said you were offered only similar, stereotypical roles for years. An Indiana man who traveled to Wisconsin multiple times two years ago for sex with a 12-year-old Cottage Grove girl was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of the girl that included taking videos of some of their encounters. U.S. District Judge William Conley told Adrian C. Gardiner, 42, that he did incredible harm to the girl, whom he met online and convinced he was an 18-year-old man who had foster siblings in order to relate to the girl, who was herself in foster care. "Seldom has the court seen a defendant engage in a more repeated horrendous conduct at the age of 41," Conley said. "I'm having a great deal of trouble not finding him to be a continuing danger to society." Gardiner, of Hammond, Indiana, met the girl online and traveled repeatedly to Wisconsin to have sex with her in parks and motels. The girl said he was physically and verbally abusive at times. He took video of some of the encounters and sent one of those videos to the girl's iPad. Gardiner claimed he did not know the girl's age when he first came to Wisconsin, but returned to the area multiple times for sex with the girl despite knowing she was 12. WASHINGTON (AP) More than half the cosmetics sold in the United States and Canada are awash with a toxic industrial compound associated with serious health conditions, including cancer and reduced birth weight, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame tested more than 230 commonly used cosmetics and found that 56% of foundations and eye products, 48% of lip products and 47% of mascaras contained fluorine an indicator of PFAS, so-called forever chemicals that are used in nonstick frying pans, rugs and countless other consumer products. Some of the highest PFAS levels were found in waterproof mascara (82%) and long-lasting lipstick (62%), according to the study published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters. Twenty-nine products with higher fluorine concentrations were tested further and found to contain between four and 13 specific PFAS chemicals, the study found. Only one item listed PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, as an ingredient on the label. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Minneapolis police on Tuesday identified the man suspected of driving into a crowd of demonstrators, killing one and injuring three others as a 35-year-old from St. Paul with multiple convictions for driving while impaired. Police say Nicholas Kraus was booked into the Hennepin County jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide. Online jail records show he was arrested early Monday and was being held without bail. He's also being held on suspicion of driving after a license was canceled and providing false information to police, records show. The Hennepin County jail does not accept messages for people in custody and a phone message could not be left for Kraus. Prosecutors have asked for an extension until noon Wednesday to file charges. It was not immediately clear if Kraus had an attorney to speak on his behalf. A woman, who family members identified as 31-year-old Deona Knajdek, was killed Sunday night and three other people were injured when Kraus allegedly drove into demonstrators during a rally in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood. Construction costs for the U.S. interstate highway system have also risen dramatically since the mid-20th century, according to a study from scholars at George Washington University and Yale. These patterns are not readily explained by labor or materials prices. Analyses suggest no correlation between a countrys gross domestic product per capita and subway construction costs. Nor does it seem likely that European countries are keeping costs down because they care less about labor or environmental standards than we do. Rather, for reasons that have proven difficult to untangle including poor planning, complicated procurement processes, our multilayered federalist system, NIMBYism and risks of litigation were just worse at this than other countries. The United States also funds projects that add little value, perhaps because of political pressures to distribute infrastructure dollars to every constituency, regardless of need or population density. Historically, since the Obama administration, weve seen a proliferation of pretty dubious projects on the transit side, says Eric Goldwyn, a program director and professor at the Marron Institute. So its a bit of a double whammy, where youre building bad projects, but youre also paying a lot to build bad projects. JUNEAU A June 29 plea hearing has been scheduled for a 36-year-old Beaver Dam man accused of causing a fatal three-vehicle crash during the summer of 2019 while driving under the influence. Dustin Vandergalien faces 13 charges including first degree reckless homicide, first degree reckless injury, five counts of first degree recklessly endangering safety and six counts of causing injury while operating under a controlled substance. Vandergalien was driving a 2008 Chrysler 300 sedan around 6:40 p.m., July 30, 2019, on Highway E near Swan Road. According to the criminal complaint, Vandergalien crossed the center line and struck a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox headed in the opposite direction. The Chrysler then struck a 2007 Ford Focus that had been behind the Equinox. Gavin Rivas, 22, Orfordville, died following the crash. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Rivas was a front-seat passenger in the Ford, which was driven by Blake Mejaki, 21, of Mayville. Mejaki was flown from the scene by Med Flight to University Hospital in Madison with injuries that were not life-threatening. Dustin Frederick, 22, Iron Ridge, and a 16-year-old Mayville girl, who were passengers in the back seat of the Ford, were both taken to Aurora Summit Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Wisconsin Dells School Districts preliminary budget shows taxes could potentially increase in the 2021-22 fiscal year. However, state aid numbers still need to be determined before the budget is set in stone. The total tax levy for 2021-22 is predicted at $19.3 million, $578,992 more than last year. The mill rate is estimated at $7.74 per $1,000 of assessed value, 11 cents up from the mill rate predicted in the adopted 2020-21 budget. This is due to a prediction the school districts enrollment will decline into next year and state aid will remain unchanged. The school board unanimously approved both the districts revenue and expenditure budgets for the 2021-22 school year at its June 15 meeting. Board Member Kathy Anderson was absent. The preliminary budget will be presented before the electors at the Aug. 2 annual meeting, where taxpayers will vote on the budget. The final budget will be reviewed for adoption in the fall, when the third Friday counts for this year is calculated to determine how much state aid the school will receive. Myss wrote When the camps were liberated, American soldiers found David unconscious and dying. Transported to the United States, David spent two and a half years in a coma in a military hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan. When he finally came out of the coma, his body was so weakened from his prison camp experiences that he could not walk. He was fitted for heavy leg braces and, using crutches, he could drag himself short distances. David made up his mind to return to his reservation, say a last good-bye to his people, then enter a veterans hospital and stay there for the rest of his life. When he arrived at the reservation, his family and friends were horrified at what had become of him. They gathered together and held council to figure out how to help him. After the council meeting the elders approached David, yanked the braces off his legs, tied a rope around his waist, and threw him into deep water. David, call your spirit back, they commanded. Your spirit is no longer in your body. If you cant call your spirit back, we will let you go. No one can live without his spirit. Your spirit is your power. You know there's something deeply wrong with American conservatism when a Republican member of Congress has to go to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and hold a news conference to admit it's "offensive" to compare Capitol Hill mask-wearing rules to the Holocaust. But that's what Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene did on Monday. For an elected official to say "it happened" and "the Holocaust is -- there's nothing comparable to it" while offering the shallow apology of "I made a mistake" for making such a disgusting comparison tells you just how low the baseline is here. Rhetoric like that is an ugly and dangerous provocation, at once minimizing one of the most horrific crimes against humanity in modern history and maximally villainizing one's fellow citizens not as political opponents in an adversarial system but as wannabe genocidal murderers. But that's what the GOP has embraced in Greene, a conspiracy theorist, liar and bigot who nonetheless continues to enjoy her party's support. Given her stunned post-museum-visit posturing, one has to wonder what, exactly, Greene believed happened during the Holocaust before visiting the museum. She also felt a bizarre -- and perhaps telling -- need to emphasize that those murdered in the Holocaust were "not just Jewish people -- Black people, Christians, all kinds of groups." While it's true that "all kinds of groups" were indeed killed by the Nazis, Jews were the primary focus; members of some Christian sects such as Jehovah's Witnesses were targeted by the Nazis, and many Christians were members of other groups singled out or marked for extermination, but Nazis were not interested in exterminating Christians generally. They were unquestionably motivated to exterminate Jews. Greene's initial comments about the Holocaust were what necessitated this public relations event in the first place. "You know, we can look back at a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second-class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany," Greene said in May on a right-wing podcast. "And this is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about." She later tweeted, "Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazis forced Jewish people to wear a gold star." (Jews, it should be said, were not forced to wear gold stars signifying recognition or reward, but yellow stars meant to mark them for ostracization and violence). And she told rallygoers at an America First event on May 27, "You know, Nazis were the National Socialist Party. Just like the Democrats are now a national socialist party." Tellingly, when asked Monday about this Nazi comparison, Greene did not disavow or apologize for it. She even reinforced her criticism of Democrats: "I'll never stop saying we have to save America and stop socialism." (The Nazis were an authoritarian right-wing nationalist party, and the Democrats are not a socialist party, national or otherwise). Greene has crossed the line so many times that even a few leaders of her own party finally criticized her comments. But they stopped short of withdrawing their support of her. And while Greene is likely to be the subject of a Democrat-written House resolution that would censure her for her Holocaust remarks, Republican members of the House (and, shamefully, many Democratic ones) are instead focusing their ire on Democratic representative Ilhan Omar for her, in my reading, patently correct (if ineloquently written) tweet about the need to "have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity," whether those alleged crimes are perpetrated by Hamas or the Taliban or Israel or the US. Omar's critics claim she's equating the US with terrorist groups, an accusation that falls apart as soon as one watches the video she included with the tweet, which offers her broader perspective. She also offered a clarifying statement that she had never made "a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the US and Israel." Omar's tweet was also sent in the context of an ongoing debate about America exempting itself from the International Criminal Court, even as American troops abroad are alleged to have committed serious crimes that could otherwise come under the ICC's purview. The Trump administration went so far as to impose sanctions on the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court after she launched an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed by American soldiers in Afghanistan and the ICC opened an investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel. The Biden administration lifted those sanctions, but Omar was essentially asking where victims of war crimes are supposed to go to get justice if not the ICC -- and why the US refuses to subject itself to the inquiry of the same institution it trusts to adjudicate war crimes other countries are accused of. The Biden administration has an answer: the US and Israel have judicial systems sophisticated enough to adjudicate these claims themselves (left unexplained was why, if the capabilities are in place, so few of these cases have actually been brought, let alone resulted in justice being done). But that doesn't make it out of bounds for Omar to ask the same question often posed by international human rights organizations and members of the ICC itself. These two things, in other words, are not comparable: One congresswoman is questioning policy decisions made by her government; the other is comparing Covid-19 restrictions to the mass murder of Jews and the opposition party to genocidaires. And yet it's Omar, not Greene, who Republicans have decided to target for censure. This hypocrisy, deeply unsettling on its face, is even more troubling at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise and American knowledge of the Holocaust seems to be waning, with young people radically underestimating the number of Jews murdered. And while Americans generally are fairly knowledgeable about the basics, fewer than half understand that Hitler came to power via democratic processes, according to Pew. American Jews have also been targeted by waves of anti-Semitic attacks in recent years, from Trump-supporting White supremacists in Charlottesville in 2017 chanting, "Jews will not replace us" before a young woman was murdered to more recent spates of violence from New York to Los Angeles. That makes Greene's comments downright dangerous. Our elected representatives shouldn't be conspiracy-mongering yahoos; they should be people of solid moral character, intelligence and deep commitment to representing their constituents and making America a better place. Greene does not fit the bill. If only her own party had the self-respect to recognize that and demand better. ILION, N.Y. Three people are accused of stealing more than $65,000 from Remington Arms through a fradulent business scheme over the course of several months in 2019. David E. Tabor, 49, of Poland; Matthew J. Edwards, 43, of Remsen; and Rachel C. Geer, 38, of Remsen have been indicted on grand larceny, scheme to defraud and conspiracy charges. According to state police, the three allegedly worked together to set up a fake business in order to steal money from Remington Arms in Ilion, where one of them worked. Remington noticed suspicious inconsistences in December of 2019, and contacted state police to investigate. The investigation was turned over to the Herkimer County district attorneys office for grand jury consideration in November of 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Edwards and Geer were arrested on Friday, June 11, and Tabor turned himself in to New York State Police on Monday, June 14. Emergency radio transmissions narrate a tense and dangerous pursuit, as police followed a stolen ambulance from Utica to Rochester Sunday, where the driver crashed it into Irondequoit Bay. "Currently 261 westbound, ambulance is not stopping.....261 westbound in the passing lane...failure to comply" reveals the transmission, shared by Broadcastify.com. The speed, and potential danger, escalated, as the Kunkel Ambulance, stolen from their Utica facility, went faster and faster, with speeds reaching 100 miles per hour. Several attempts by police to stop the driver by throwing down spike strips, failed. "Be advised stingers have been missed. Stingers have been missed twice now." At one point, the decision was made to end the pursuit. "Advise them, terminate, do not follow. Advise the adjoining counties and next zone upcoming of the ambulance, but do not follow." Then, the shocking transmission that the driver had crashed the ambulance into the bay. "SP 67 SAM. I'm at the Newport Yacht club. The ambulance just drove in to the water." Police say 32-year-old Vanessa Armstead, of Buffalo, volunteered no information about the chase or the crash. She's charged with burglary and grand larceny. UTICA, N.Y. -- The Utica skyline was lit up with fireworks as New York State hit a major milestone in the fight against COVID-19. Governor, Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that most COVID restrictions were lifted, effective immediately, after data showed that 70 percent of the state's population received at least one dose of the vaccine. After a year and a half of restrictions, it seems to be noteworthy part in this process, and people are glad that the state is one of many in the country turning the corner. Cathy Jantzen, a former healthcare worker, had to leave the industry once the pandemic began in 2020 due to her husband's already compromised health history. She says she's glad that the state can finally move on. "We're free, it's amazing. It's been a long battle." A long battle that, for some nations around the world, is still happening. Multiple variants are still affecting those in other countries, but Dawn Jones hopes this will help the rest of the world in their recovery as well. "There's been so many deaths. I just want it to be over." Man are thinking about the first thing they'll do now that restrictions are lifted. For Jones, she's focused on seeing her family, including her great grandchildren, who she hasn't been able to visit since the pandemic began. "(I want to) be with my family. We're going to have a big to-do in Indiana because my daughter is there and I haven't really be able to see her because we haven't been able to travel." An opportunity that Jones, and many others will now finally be able to safely take part in as a step to return to a state of normalcy that New Yorkers have been craving for over a year. WKTV -- On Tuesday, the Boards of Education of the Schenevus and Worcester central school districts each unanimously approved putting the proposed annexation merger between the school districts to a public vote in the fall. Next in the process is a "straw vote" or advisory referendum. The straw vote will be conducted in each district on Sept. 22. If a majority of the voters in both communities approve the straw vote, the Commissioner of Education will then formally lay out the merged school district and call for a formal referendum. A tentative date of Dec. 3 has been set for that vote. Should the voters from both school districts approve the merger in the formal referendum, the merger of the two school districts would be approved. However, if the merger vote does not receive majority voter approval in each district, the merger vote fails and the two school districts remain in their current status. More information about the proposed merger can be found at www.mscsw.org. UPDATE : A missing teen from Roseboom in Otsego County whom police had been looking for for the past few days has been located. State Police say 14-year-old Anjelia Sturtevant was located Saturday morning after a 911 tip came in about her whereabouts. Before being located police say she was last seen at her home in Roseboom Monday night. No other information about where she has been is being released. Original story on June 17th, 2021 : ROSEBOOM, N.Y. New York State Police are searching for a missing Otsego County teen last seen on Monday. According to police, 14-year-old Anjelia Sturtevant was last seen at her home in the town of Roseboom on Monday night. Anjelia is 5-foot-2, about 190 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She also has piercings in her left eyebrow, nose, tongue, ears and lower lip. She was last seen wearing a pink camouflage hoodie, and police say she may be carrying a white makeup bag with a gray pattern. Anjelias mom, Kristen, says the teen has been learning remotely, and doesnt often leave the house. Anyone with information on Anjelias whereabouts can contact state police at 607-561-7400. WOLCOTT, Ind. An altercation between neighbors in this small town ended with criminal charges being filed. Court documents in the case add more background to why police officers arrived Tuesday night to 56-year-old Perry Boyd's home, where they shot and killed him while serving an arrest warrant on battery charges. Police were first called May 5 to Boyd's home in the 400 block of West Anderson Street. Boyd's neighbors told officers he punched and spit on them during a disagreement outside their homes. As News 18 previously reported, officers returned at about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday to arrest Boyd on battery charges. They followed him into his home and exchanged gunfire, according to a news release from Indiana State Police. Boyd was hit by a bullet and died at a Monticello hospital. A Wolcott town marshall was also hit and taken to a Lafayette hospital with minor injuries. Marilyn Young, who's lived on the street for 48 years, said she's shocked that what seemed like a small disturbance last month ended in tragedy. "I knew the police had been on our block about a month ago for a little disturbance of some kind but, yeah, it was quite a surprise that we would have a shooting on this block," she said. Neighbors said police cruisers, ambulances and a helicopter surrounded the scene of the shooting. "There was cops and ambulances and people everywhere when we got home, lights flashing," Young said. "It was kind of disturbing ... it's traumatic and like the little girl across the street said, she didn't sleep well last night because of the whole situation." Indiana State Police detectives are looking into the shooting. An ISP spokesperson in a statement called the case an "active and ongoing criminal investigation." ISP hasn't released the names of the officers pending a review by the White County prosecutor. It's unclear what happened inside the home to spur the exchange of gunfire. WHITE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) The Indiana State Police is investigating a police officer involved shooting in White County. Around 9:20 Tuesday night, White County Sheriffs Department Deputies, the Monon Town Marshal and a Wolcott Town Deputy Marshal went to serve an arrest warrant at 403 West Anderson Street in Wolcott. The arrest warrant was for 56-year old Perry Boyd. Upon arrival, Boyd fled into the residence. Deputies followed Boyd inside. Shots were fired by officers and Boyd. A Wolcott Town Marshal and Boyd were hit. First aid was provided to both Boyd and the Marshal while waiting for EMS. The Wolcott Town Marshal was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injures. Boyd was taken to a Monticello hospital. Upon arriving, Boyd died from his injuries. The White County Prosecutor will look over ISP's completed investigation before the names of the officers involved are released. This is an active and ongoing criminal investigation by the Indiana State Police. W&Ms inaugural Juneteenth celebration set for June 19 Celebrating Juneteenth: William & Mary will present a virtual Juneteenth commemoration program at 2 p.m. The program will include a performance of Evolution of a Black Girl by actress Morgan McCoy; music from such acts as The Gonzales Sisters, The Three Tenors and Matthew Willard; and remarks from university and community leaders. The program will also include footage from the groundbreaking for W&Ms Memorial to the Enslaved and a reading of the names of people who were enslaved by the university. Photo - of - Hide Caption Virtual event is part of a community-wide celebration William & Mary is celebrating Juneteenth for the first time on June 19 with a virtual event featuring performances, remarks from community leaders and more. The event is part of a community-wide celebration of the holiday, which marks the day on which news about the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas. The universitys event, which begins at 2 p.m., is free and open to the public and may be streamed at www.wm.edu/juneteenth/watch. It comes just weeks after the university celebrated the beginning of construction on Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved. William & Mary is excited to be a part of this community-wide effort as we celebrate the groundbreaking of the Memorial to the Enslaved and join in with our partners to honor the meaning of Juneteenth and share that often untold history in various formats throughout the day, said Chon Glover, W&Ms chief diversity officer and co-chair of the universitys Juneteenth committee. The universitys virtual event will include a performance of Evolution of a Black Girl: From The Slave House to the White House by actress Morgan McCoy as well as music from The Gonzales Sisters, The Three Tenors and Matthew Willard. Additionally, the program will feature video highlights from the recent groundbreaking event for the memorial and a reading of names of people enslaved by the university. W&M President Katherine A. Rowe has provided remarks for the event, along with Williamsburg Mayor Doug Pons, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation President and CEO Cliff Fleet and President of the Let Freedom Ring Foundation Connie Hartshaw. The university has partnered with several community organizations to present the event and to support additional local Juneteenth celebrations, including multiple events being hosted by Colonial Williamsburg and a community collaboration motor parade that will pass near campus and end in Bicentennial Park where additional events will follow. Several members of the W&M community are participating in Colonial Williamsburg's planned events, including Student Assembly President Meghana Boojala '22, Associate Professor of History Adrienne Petty and Oral Historian Andre Taylor. Information on CW's programming and other area Juneteenth events is available on W&M's website along with additional resources, including a video about Juneteenth from Williamsburg's League of Women Voters. William & Mary is delighted to be included in what we hope will become an annual area-wide celebration, said Glover. While the university decided to host this years celebration virtually due to COVID-19 precautions, William & Mary expects to host its first in-person Juneteenth celebration next year, soon after the memorial is expected to be completed. Woodward, OK (73801) Today Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 66F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Photos by Joseph B. Nadeau Marcel Daignault is pictured at the gravesite of Robert N. Lebrun at St. Jean the Baptiste Cemetery in Bellingham. Daignault, a Vietnam veteran, recently made an effort to restore the grave markers visibility after it had been obscured by soil and vegetation. Lebrun, a city native, was killed in action in Vietnam in 1971. The term, Mid-Atlantic States, refers to 7 U.S. states in the eastern U.S., stretching from the southern border of the New England states to the northern border of the state of North Carolina. This U.S. region also includes the District of Columbia, where the national capital, Washington, is situated. The Mid-Atlantic States are New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. New York is the largest and most populous state of the Mid-Atlantic States, while Delaware is the smallest and least populous. All but one of these states were part of the 13 original American colonies that fought for independence from England and became the United States of America. Read MoreThe Thirteen Colonies Contents: New York New York state flag New York is the largest and most northerly of the Mid-Atlantic States. It includes New York City, the largest city in the United States. New York City is the home of the Statue of Liberty, the Broadway Theatre District, the United Nations, Wall Street, and many other famous sites. New Yorks state capital is called Albany, and is located close to the border with the New England states of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The population of the state of New York is approximately 19.4 million, making it the 4th most populous state in the U.S. The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle in New York, establishing the colony of New Amsterdam in 1644, in what is now New York City. Some places in New York City still carry Dutch names, like the neighborhood of Harlem and the borough of Manhattan. But the English took over the colony in 1664 and renamed it New York. Between 1892 and 1954, millions of new immigrants came to the U.S. via New York Harbor. In fact, it is estimated that up to 40% of the American public have at least one ancestor that came to the country through that harbor. New Jersey New Jersey state flag New Jersey is located to the west of New York City, across the Hudson River. Most of the rest of the state faces the Atlantic Ocean. New Jersey also borders Pennsylvania to the west. Approximately 8.88 million people live in the state. The two largest cities in the state are Newark and Jersey City, both of which have populations in excess of 200,000. The state capital, Trenton, is located in the central part of the state, on the border with Pennsylvania. Atlantic City, on the southeastern New Jersey coast, is a popular gambling and resort city in the U.S. New Jersey is also home to Princeton University, one of the so-called Ivy League schools, which means that it is one of the best post-secondary institutions in the country. The state was originally the home of the Delaware Indians. The Dutch, Swedes, and Finns were the first Europeans to settle there. The first European settlement, Bergen, was founded in 1660. In 1664, the English took New Jersey from the Dutch and added it to their American colonies on the Atlantic coast. Many people consider the battle of Trenton, which became New Jerseys state capital, to be a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state flag Pennsylvania is named after William Penn, who founded the American colony in 1681. The state is located south of New York, west of New Jersey, and north of Maryland. Pennsylvanias population is an estimated 12.8 million, making it the 6th most populous state in the U.S. Formally known as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the state contains some of the most important historical sites in the U.S. Indeed, Pennsylvania is nicknamed The Keystone State for its important role in building what became the United States of America. Philadelphia, the largest city in the state, is where the 1st and 2nd Continental Congresses were held. The 2nd Continental Congress produced the U.S. Declaration of Independence that sparked the Revolutionary War. Philadelphia also served as the U.S. capital for a time. The U.S. Constitution was also written in Pennsylvania, as was the Gettysburg Address, which abolished slavery in the country. The Battle of Gettysburg, a town in the southern part of the state, was a turning point in the U.S. Civil War, when the Union Army of the north defeated the Confederate army of the south, ending the latters invasion of the northern Union states. Pennsylvania was also the home of Benjamin Franklin, who was a famous inventor, not to mention one of Americas Founding Fathers. Delaware Delaware state flag Delaware is located east of Maryland and southwest of New Jersey. It is the smallest and least populous of the Mid-Atlantic States. Actually, Delaware is the second smallest state in the entire country. The states size and its population of approximately 973,000 make it one of the most densely populated states in the U.S. Delaware is also the lowest state in the country, being just 60 feet above sea level. Over two thirds of all Fortune 500 companies are Delaware entities. In fact, there are more corporate entities in the state than there are residents. If you want to shop on the cheap, then Delaware may be the ideal place to do it, as it is one of the five U.S. states that does not have a sales tax. The first European settlement founded in present-day Delaware was that of the New Sweden Company in 1638. It was taken over by the Dutch in 1655, then by the English in 1664. After the English took over, Delaware was governed from New York, then from Pennsylvania. It was finally given status as a separate colony in 1701. Delaware is nicknamed The First State, because it was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Maryland Maryland state flag Maryland is situated south of Pennsylvania and west of Delaware, with some eastern coastline facing the Atlantic Ocean. Marylands northern border was formerly part of the Mason-Dixon Line, which was the border that separated states that banned slavery in the north from states that allowed it in the south. About 6 million people call Maryland home. Baltimore is by far the states largest city, with a population of approximately 609,000. Maryland was founded as an English colony in 1634. It was named in honor of Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I. It was in Maryland where Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner, upon witnessing a battle during the War of 1812. The song became the U.S. national anthem. During the U.S. Civil War, Maryland was one of the southern states that stayed in the Union, despite slavery being legal there at the time. The Maryland Gazette, founded in 1727, is the oldest continuously published paper in the country. Virginia Virignia state flag Virginia is the southernmost state of the Mid-Atlantic States. It is located southwest of Maryland, east of West Virginia and Kentucky, and north of North Carolina. The states population is an estimated 8.5 million people. Virginia was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth I, Englands so-called Virgin Queen. The state is nicknamed The Birthplace of a Nation. Indeed, the first English settlement in what became the U.S. was Jamestown, Virginia. Thus, Virginia was the first of the original 13 American colonies. In addition, the Revolutionary War in which the U.S. won its independence ended in Virginia with the surrender of British military commander Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of Yorktown. The states capital, Richmond, was the capital of the Confederate States of America during the U.S. Civil War. Virginia is also home to the College of William and Mary, which is the second-oldest college in the U.S., having been founded in 1693. At one time Virginia was once composed, not only of its present-day territory, but also the territory of what became the states of West Virginia and Kentucky. West Virginia West Virignia state flag West Virginia is unique among the Mid-Atlantic States in that it is the only one that does not have direct access to the Atlantic Ocean via an ocean coastline or an adjacent river. It is completely landlocked, surrounded by the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland. West Virginia has a population of about 1.79 million. The state is located within a days drive of 75% of the U.S. population. West Virginia is nicknamed The Mountain State because it is the only state that is situated completely in the Appalachian mountain range. West Virginia is also the 3rd most forested state in the U.S. One forest, the Monongahela Forest, covers nearly a million acres of land. West Virginia may not have come into being if it were not for the U.S. Civil War. The people of the mountainous western region of Virginia opposed the states decision to secede from the U.S. and join the Confederate States. As a result, they formed their own state, called West Virginia, which was formally admitted to the Union as a state on June 20, 1863. Washington D.C. Washington D.C. is not a state. D.C. stands for District of Columbia, which was created to host the U.S. capital, Washington. It is located on the eastern shores of the Potomac River, between Virginia and Maryland. Washington D.C. is self-governing, which means that it is not under the jurisdiction of any U.S. state. It is named after George Washington, the first President of the United States. It was he who picked the exact site on the Potomac River on which the city would be built. The city was founded in 1790, after both Maryland and Virginia ceded land that was to be part of the national capital. All three levels of government are based in Washington D.C. Capitol Hill is the building that houses the U.S. legislature, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The White House on Pennsylvania Avenue is the residence of the U.S. President. The Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, is also based in the capital. Appeal launched over refusal of housing plans at former Polish hospital site in Wrexham An appeal has been launched after plans to build houses on a former Polish hospital site on the outskirts of Wrexham county borough were refused. Llannerch Panna in Penley was one of three field hospitals set up in the old Maelor district in 1946 after World War Two. It followed Winston Churchill pledging to provide free care for Polish war veterans settling in the UK. Most of the buildings at the site off Tudor Drive have since been demolished and an application was submitted towards the end of last year to build 17 houses on it. The proposals were later refused by planning officers from Wrexham Council because of the land being located outside of the villages settlement boundary, the loss of woodland caused by the development and the impact on wildlife. However, landowner James Sadowski has now appealed to the Planning Inspectorate in a bid to have the decision overturned. Consultants acting on his behalf said permission should be given due to a claimed shortage of houses in the area. In a statement, they said: It is clear that there has been a prolonged and consistent under-delivery of housing within Wrexham over many years and it is not a problem that any future adoption of the Local Development Plan can put right. In these circumstances, considerable weight should be attached to the benefit of providing additional housing on the appeal site. The appeal site has had planning permission for residential redevelopment in the past and it represents a logical extension to the existing settlement on a site where development would not be of material detriment to the character of the area. Although the appeal site forms part of a woodland area that is the subject of a tree protection order, the great majority of the trees upon the site are failing and falling of their own accord due to them being largely rooted in concrete and shale, this is an ongoing process and such value that the site has will progressively reduce. They added: The ecological interest within the appeal site is extremely limited, it is difficult to understand on what basis it was ever justified for designation as a local wildlife site. For the above reasons it is clear that none of the three reasons for refusal are justified. A decision will be made on the appeal by an inspector appointed by the Welsh Government at a later date. By Liam Randall BBC Local Democracy Reporter Health board appealing to those aged between 18-39 to come forward for vaccines as take up lowest in those groups The delta variant accounts for over 90% of new positive covid cases in North Wales, and is spreading much more quickly amongst people who have not been vaccinated say the health board. Gill Harris, Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, gave North Wales wide data: Were continuing to make good progress, with 85 per cent of eligible adults vaccinated with a first dose, and 55 per cent receiving both doses. This includes at least 80 per cent take up among all groups above the age of 40. We are currently targeting those aged 30-39 (currently 59 per cent take up) and those aged 18-29 (currently 68 per cent take up) and are continuing to use a variety of communications to encourage our younger citizens to take up the offer of the vaccine. Weve come so far, so quickly, but the speed at which we can all return to normal life could depend on how swiftly we vaccinate the remainder of people in these younger age groups. The statement from the health board also contained information around the delta variant, with the importance of vaccinations given in the context of the continued spread of the delta variant of coronavirus, which is thought to be 60 per cent more transmissible than the previously dominant alpha variant. The health board say the delta variant is spreading much more quickly amongst people who have not been vaccinated and now accounts for over 90 per cent of new positive coronavirus cases in North Wales. They quote a study published in The Lancet showing that those infected with it are 85 per cent more likely to be admitted to hospital than those with the alpha variant, with the risk of hospitalisation from the delta variant falls by around 70 per cent, 28 days after having a second dose. Those in younger age groups who may feel no personal risk from COVID are reminded that vaccination is the best way to ensure that restrictions are eased and we can all return to normal life with a nudge that proof of vaccination may be required to travel on holiday abroad and attend festivals, concerts and sporting events. The new online systems mean it is quick and easy to book a first or second dose of the vaccine at a convenient date, time and location you can access that service via this website. People are reminded if youve not yet had your first dose please dont wait for an appointment letter to arrive in the post book your appointment online as soon as possible. Owing to the threat posed by the delta variant, the health board have brought forward the second dose interval for the Pfizer vaccine to eight weeks. This means that anyone who has had a first dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine can now book their second dose appointment for the same brand vaccine, once eight weeks have passed since their first dose. Those living in North Wales who are registered with a GP in England can receive their COVID vaccine at any of the clinics bookable through our website. Our online booking service has been updated to reflect this. This is especially relevant to people living in border towns and villages in Flintshire and Wrexham. Aside from the North Wales data above, we also published the more local data yesterday, including: In Wrexham the numbers of people vaccinated in each cohort, include: NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - It has been exactly six months since Tennessee administered its first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer's vaccine had just received emergency approval from the FDA days before the first shot was given here in Middle Tennessee. The honor belonged to Dr. William Polk. Dr. Polk had participated in a Clinical Research Associates trial for the Pfizer vaccine and received his first dose of the vaccine on December 16. News4 interviewed Dr. Polk after he received his shot in December, and checked back in with him to see how life has been since. Once I hit the three week mark following the second shot of the vaccine, I have felt completely unchained, and its been fantastic from that perspective," Dr. Polk said. Dr. Polk encourages everyone who is able to receive their COVID vaccine. However, he added that it's surprising how many eligible people have still not received a shot. "Its not hard to get the vaccine at this point in time anyone that wants it can get it but I am astounded how many people still are hesitant to get the vaccine," Dr. Polk said. Right now Tennessee sits just over 40 percent of eligible people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 35 percent for both. NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Protesters gathered outside a Nashville hat shop on Saturday after its owner posted a photo to social media of a Star of David patch with the words "not vaccinated" on them. The protesters outside Hatwrks Nashville said the stars are offensive to the Jewish community and insensitive to victims and survivors of the Holocaust. Local Rabbi reacts to viral post NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - A Nashville controversy brews on social media as a picture goes viral across the country. Theres no way to reasonably associate choosing to go without vaccinations for COVID or whatever and assuming youre in the same spot as Jewish people in Nazi Germany, said Roger Abramson. In the since-deleted post, the owner said the star patches were on sale for $5 apiece. News4 reached out to the stores owner and has not received a response. Stetson Hats, one of the companies that supplies hats to Hatwrks, tweeted a statement about the incident on Saturday. We are aware of the situation in Nashville. We take this matter seriously and are investigating in order to take the necessary and appropriate next steps, the company said. Along with our distribution partners, Stetson condemns antisemitism and discrimination of any kind. The company later said it intended to cease sales of Stetson products at Hatwrks. As a result of the offensive content and opinions shared by HatWRKS in Nashville, Stetson and our distribution partners will cease the sale of all Stetson products. We thank you for your continued support and patience. John B. Stetson (@StetsonUSA) May 29, 2021 Hatmakers Goorin Bros. and Bailey Hats also announced plans to cease distribution of products to the shop. Due to the recent offensive content shared by Hatwrks in Nashville, Goorin Bros. has ended their distribution with this business effective immediately. Thank you for the continued support. Goorin Bros. (@GoorinBros) May 30, 2021 On Saturday night, Hatwrks removed the original post and apologized for the patches. in NO WAY did I intend to trivialize the Star of David or disrespect what happened to millions of people. That is not who I am & what I stand for. My intent was not to exploit or make a profit. My hope was to share my genuine concern & fear, and to do all that I can make sure that nothing like that ever happens again. I sincerely apologize for any insensitivity, the company said in a statement posted to Instagram. The company responded with another post on Instagram on Sunday. It has been 100% been fighting the totalitarian march & power grab we are seeing play out across the globe. There are millions who are awake to this, in that I am not alone. The power grab is coming in many forms on many fronts, Hatwrks posted on Instagram on Sunday. I was willing to put my business on the line to stand up for the freedoms that we still have in our country. What I didnt expect is being accused of the very things I was fighting against. Australia Post (AP) told workers on May 26 it would not seek an extension of Temporary Regulatory Relief measures exempting the government-owned postal service from its obligation to provide daily letter delivery throughout the country. The announcement means an official end to the Alternative Delivery Model (ADM) on June 30, which the Communications Electrical Plumbers Union (CEPU) has heralded as a victory for AP workers. The union declared: Members have won this incredible achievement off the back of a dedicated campaign within our communities and in our parliament. Australia Post facility in Sydney In fact, postal workers have won nothing. The announcement is a clear indication of APs confidence that the union will continue to work closely with management to ram through permanent restructuring as part of negotiations for the next enterprise agreement (EA). The CEPUs claim that the end of the ADM represents an incredibly positive step should be seen for what it is, an attempt to blind workers to the attacks being prepared by management and the union. The union has provided virtually no information to justify its assertions of victory. Postal workers must demand full details of what the CEPU officials have been discussing with management, what AP has been pushing for in the new agreement, and what the union has already agreed to. Workers should insist that they will not vote on any agreement, without these details and its full text. This is all the more necessary, given the scale of the changes that have been introduced under the ADM, initiated in April, 2020. Some 2,000 posties were transferred to the companys lucrative parcel delivery section, where they had to cover four beats, and 2,000 more became floaters, who could be shunted to any area of the business by management. Postal workers now routinely face 12-hour-days and, in the manner of the gig economy, van drivers are subject to disciplinary action if they fail to deliver items in the precise order prescribed by an electronic optimiser. The CEPU has given no indication of how these arrangements, which are already in place, are to be wound back or what is to replace them. It has not stated that it is fighting for an increase in staffing, an essential precondition for an end to gruelling overtime, which postal workers must demand. Nor has it said anything about the prospect of redundancies, even though thousands were threatened last year. The ADM was not a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as claimed by management and the union, but was in reality one step in a process of restructuring conceived well before the pandemic broke out. The central aim of these moves, recommended in a 2019 Boston Consulting Group review commissioned by the federal government, is to drastically reduce costs in APs declining letter delivery business and prepare the lucrative parcel delivery division for privatisation. The recent senate inquiry has made clear that while ousted CEO Christine Holgate and AP board members disagreed over the precise details of the restructure, there is no section of the companys management, or the Australian ruling class as a whole, that opposes the eventual privatisation of AP in one form or another. Over the past 12 months, the union has demonstrated its full agreement with this agenda, enforcing the ADM in the face of widespread opposition. Behind the backs of workers, the union signed a memorandum of understanding last July, assuring management that it would enforce the restructure and that no industrial action would be carried out for 12 months. The recent announcement has changed nothing. The union has made clear that a new delivery model will be a central component of the next EA, writing: In our view, EBA10 can simply not be finalised without this forming part of the overall EBA10 package. The union wrote on May 26: A future delivery model means a new way forwardgreat. But what is critically important at this stage is determining what kind of role our members can and should play in that important process. There is nothing great for postal workers about a different delivery model that will inevitably bring cuts to jobs and conditions. Any new or revised delivery model hatched between AP management and the union will be great only for the profits and future privatisation of AP. On June 10, the CEPU told workers it was seeking to put members in the drivers seat in determining how any new model would be developed and implemented. Accepting the restructuring as an inevitability, and providing no details about how workers would be involved in its implementation, the union said there were just a few outstanding matters of contention. It was overly confident that agreement could be reached, so that we can bury ADM once and for all. The reality is, the ADM was implemented with the support of the union while workers were simply forced to accept it. This must be a warning to workers, the door has been well and truly opened for the process of restructuring and ultimate privatisation to proceed. The June 10 update advanced no demands, but outlined several meagre principles that the new model must address. The principles are: One run per postie, delivering five days per week; The ongoing maintenance of traditional take-home pay components; Restoring entitlements and benefits lost across all workforce areas impacted by the temporary reform and COVID-19 changes; Sufficient resourcing, modelled around quality permanent jobsand where that work offering can efficiently be modelled around full-time employment, this should always be the preferred method of engagement. Given the unions track record, workers would be making a grave mistake to think that the CEPU officials have any great commitment to these principles. And even still, the final principle shows that the CEPU has no intention of opposing the increased use of casual and contract labour, as long as management deems it more efficient than providing secure full-time employment. Nothing will be resolved in negotiations with management over the next EA. The union continues to fully support restructuring, albeit within the framework of the enterprise bargaining process. When the ADM was first announced last year, management declared that failure to accept would result in mass job cuts. The companys calculations have not changed in the interim, meaning that any deal struck by the union will allow for job destruction, cost-cutting through the erosion of conditions, or both. Workers should place no confidence in the CEPU and instead fight to build the Postal Workers Rank-And-File Committee (PWRFC). The PWRFC calls on the union to make public all details of discussions with AP management. Workers have a right to know the details of the negotiations and what delivery models are being discussed between AP management and the union. In April the PWRFC wrote the following: In order to fight this ongoing offensive, the Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee calls on postal workers to reject the entire enterprise bargaining straitjacket and anti-strike laws that the unions have enforced against the working class since the unions Accords with the Hawke and Keating Labor governments in the 1980s and 1990s. We urge our fellow workers to join the rank-and-file committee, which is completely independent of the CEPU, to advance the demands needed to defend the jobs and basic rights of postal workers. These demands include: The immediate ending of the ADM and all attempts to impose a new version of it. No to privatisation. The governments Boston Consulting Group secret report and its recommendations must be made fully public. All fixed term contract workers and casuals must be given full-time positions. Increase full-time staff to deal with extra parcels and reduce the workload on existing staff. One beat, one postie. Recast beats on the basis of finishing within rostered hours. Rank-and-file committees must be established to plan and control the organisation of beats and other aspects of production. 10 percent wage increases per year, with absolutely NO trade-offs. Postal workers must receive a living wage to meet the escalating cost of living. End the unaddressed mail service (UMS) of junk mail. All statistical information about the level of accidents and mental health issues as a result of the ADM to be reported to the workers. Rank-and-file committees must be elected, independent of management and the unions, to organise and fight for the protection of workers health and safety. These committees will give regular reports to the workers and make the necessary recommendations. Workers whose health has been affected must be paid their full wage, including overtime, until they make a full recovery and can carry out their regular duties, with no management harassment. Stop the surveillance of postal workers and end the ban on public comments by Australia Post staff to expose management practices. Free speech is a democratic right. Increase annual leave by two weeks. Return the Authorised Holiday to the Christmas period, as previously established. End the gravy train for top executives. All executives to be paid the same rate as team leaders. Australia Post must be transformed into a genuine public utility, under real public ownership and the democratic control of the working class, to meet the needs of society, including the basic social right to a secure and affordable postal service. We call on workers to build and expand our committee to discuss and prepare for the full mobilisation of all postal workers in a campaign of mass industrial and political action to fight for these and other agreed demands. Contact the Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee at auspostalworkers@gmail.com. Stellantis Belvidere Assembly Plant will remain on extended shutdown through at least June 28, the company said in an announcement last week. First shift workers at the plant, who build the Jeep Cherokee crossover SUV, are expected to return on July 6, following the previously planned idle week of June 28. The plant has been shut down since June 7 and was originally expected to last two weeks. This is the second shutdown to hit the plant this year; Belvidere had earlier been on shutdown beginning March 29. After pushing the reopening date back at least twice, the plant finally reopened June 1 before closing again a week later. The Stellantis sign is seen outside the Chrysler Technology Center, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) During the shutdowns, many workers have reported major difficulties in being able to collect much-needed state unemployment benefits on time in order to pay for bills, housing and food. The closures are due to the continuing global semiconductor chip shortage, which is expected to have an effect on global supply chains into 2022. However, it is being worsened by new outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, where a majority of the chips are produced. They are critical components in communications, computers and weapons manufacture, and in the auto industry they are used in heated seats, touchscreens, infotainment and driverless technology systems. However, workers at Belvidere have faced a series of job cuts in recent years which place a question mark over the plants future. In May, the company announced it would indefinitely lay off the entire second shift of 1,641 hourly workers, half of the plants workforce, by July 26. However, management sped up these plans when it earlier announced plans to resume production on June 1 with the first shift only. United Auto Workers Local 1268, which has done nothing to fight years of job cuts, posted a schedule of in-person meetings on its public Facebook page, held yesterday at the Tebala Event Center in Rockford, Illinois, for all workers who received layoff notices. Last week, Stellantis sent a form to workers who are being laid off to volunteer to transfer to its Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Warren, Michigan, nearly 400 miles away. Workers who decide to transfer their jobs and who are granted the transfer must do so under the condition that they cannot reverse their decision and must report to work by either July 19 or July 26 at managements discretion. Workers must decide by June 17 and were given just one week to make their decision. When the indefinite layoff of the second shift was announced May 14, the UAW remained virtually silent until May 28, when it posted benefit information for those who would be laid off. Local officials made no efforts to voice opposition to the job cuts. On June 3, after two articles had been published by the World Socialist Web Site exposing the unions acceptance of the layoffs, Local 1268 President Kevin Logan posted a condescending letter to the Facebook page that outlined the locals excuses for keeping silent in an effort to tamp down opposition from the rank and file. I received a call from the HR Manager ... on May 14, the letter reads. ... He said the Company was going to send a call-post out by 9:30 a.m., with notification to employees of the shift reduction. It [sic] was also told that the WARN [layoff] letters were going out in the mail that same morning. ... The WARN letters were already typed up prior to anyone in the UAW Local 1268 Leadership getting a chance to discuss it with management, so there could be more accurate information on what needed to be done to determine approximately what seniority would hold the plant The letter goes on to state that the Shop Committee was not able to do any work since the week following Easter because of the temporary layoff and because no one from management was able to meet with them to discuss the process with the Company to determine a plan moving forward. The letter concludes by condescendingly telling workers that The best way to protect the future of this plant, and the potential return of the 2nd and 3rd shifts, is to continue to build the best vehicle possible. In a year in which the two most recent former presidents of the UAW have been sentenced to prison for embezzling dues money and accepting company bribes, the letter is a further exposure of the pro-company allegiance of the UAW. The union is not organizing Belvidere Assembly to halt the layoffs. Instead, adopting the language and tone of management, it is instructing them to work harder or else risk losing their jobs. Indeed, there is no reason to believe that continuing to build the best vehicle possible will do anything to secure the future of the Belvidere Assembly Plant. A recent Detroit News article cited industry group LMC Automotives forecast for Belvidere Assembly, which projects that the plant will run under 40 percent of its productive capacity this year due to the layoffs, below the industry standard to ensure profitability. LMC reports that the plant was producing at 90 percent capacity in 2018 but dropped to 70 percent in 2019 after then-Fiat Chrysler cut the third shift after the ratification of the four-year national contract. Moreover, the union is deliberately isolating workers at Stellantis and other major automakers from the Volvo Trucks workers in strike in Dublin, Virginia. The UAW was compelled to call the strike only after workers twice defied threats from the local and International bureaucrats and voted down a concessions-laden contract, which was personally backed by Secretary-Treasurer Ray Curry. To date, the union has not even acknowledged the strike on its website or any of its social media pages, and many autoworkers are not even aware a strike is taking place. Workers must be on guard against the Made in America nationalism, which will inevitably be employed by the UAW as a smokescreen, blaming the cuts in the plant on competition from foreign workers. This will only pit workers around the world, all of whom have the same interests and confront the same multinational corporations, against each other in a race to accept lower wages in order to preserve their own national industry. Such America First nationalism has long been the stock-in-trade of the UAW, which has the added function of obscuring its own role in carrying through plant closures. In 1979, Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca brought the UAW onto the companys board of directors in order to collaborate with the union in closing down dozens of facilities and laying off tens of thousands of workers. Meanwhile, the union has been handsomely rewarded through its control of billions of dollars in corporate stock, in addition to direct bribes. Frustration and anger are taking hold among workers at Belvidere. One veteran worker said, They are having meetings soon for anybody that wants to go to Warren Truck for either $30,000 to permanently stay or $6,000 with the option of coming back to Belvidere. No word yet if there will be any buyouts. We get no info on the future of the plant. One question I have is that 10 years ago there were [buyout] packages worth $100,000. Now Im only worth $60,000? Where was my union for that? The way forward for Stellantis Belvidere Assembly workers has been demonstrated by the Volvo truck workers, who have formed a rank-and-file committee to oppose the UAW-backed sellout contract and challenge the unions isolation of their strike. Such committees must be built at plants throughout the country. Rank-and-file committees are also being built around the world as part of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC), linking workers together on an international scale on the basis of a common platform of strategy as a critical step to unleashing the full power and potential of the working class in the fight for higher living standards and for a science-based strategy to end the pandemic. If you are a Stellantis Belvidere worker, contact the WSWS today to learn how you can start a rank-and-file committee at your plant. Despite a powerful response by thousands of people to the determined campaign spearheaded by the working-class community of Biloela, the Liberal-National Coalition government yesterday refused to permit a Tamil refugee family to return to the town to live. Instead, the Murugappan family will be subjected to community detention in Perth, on the other side of the continent, denied visas and work rights, and under continued threat of deportation back to Sri Lanka where they fear persecution. Nades, Priya, Kopika and Tharnicaa. (Credit: @hometobilo) Knowing it has the bipartisan backing of the Labor Party opposition, Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government declared that to grant the family visas would violate the anti-refugee regime, erected by the last Labor government, which bars any asylum seeker arriving by boat from ever settling in Australia. After dragging Nades and Priya Murugappan and their two infant girls out of Biloela through a terrifying pre-dawn Australian Border Force raid in March 2018, and imprisoning them for more than three years, the government is determined to prevent them from being reunited with the people of the Queensland town, which is a regional coal-mining centre. Immigration Minister Alexander Hawke declared that the decision to relocate the family to Perth from the remote Indian Ocean detention facility on Christmas Island does not create a pathway to a visa. He reiterated the ban, first imposed by the Gillard and Rudd Labor governments in 201213: Anyone who arrives in Australia illegally by boat will not be resettled permanently. Anyone who is found not to be owed protection will be expected to leave Australia. By moving the family to Perth, the government hopes to deflect the widespread public outrage over the treatment of Tharnicaa, the familys youngest daughter, who last weekend turned four. She was flown to Perth with a life-threatening blood condition early last week, only after suffering for ten days from septicaemia due to untreated pneumonia. While accompanied by her mother, Priya, she was separated from her father, Nades and five-year-old sister Kopika, who were initially forced to remain in the notorious immigration prison on Christmas Island, more than 3,000 kilometres off the Australian mainland. The Home to Bilo fight launched in 2018 by the residents of Biloela and the immense support it has generated demolish the myth, long peddled by the media and parliamentary establishment, that the cruel bipartisan treatment of asylum seekers enjoys broad public support. Biloela is a working-class heartland, surrounded by coal mining operations, and less than an hours drive from Moura, where a 1994 mine explosion claimed the lives of 11 workers. Biloela has the third largest abattoir in Queensland, which employs hundreds of immigrant workers, including Nades before his arrest in 2018. It also hosts one of the states biggest power stations, Callide. The plight of the Murugappan family is only in the news because of the protracted campaign by the people of Biloela, who have won mass support by organising demonstrations and vigils in the town and right across the country, and raising funds to pay for legal appeals against visa denials. But the governments defiance points to the danger of any illusions that popular pressure will force a change of policy by the ruling establishment. While Labor and Greens politicians have declared their support for the family, they too remain firmly wedded to the underlying national-based border protection regime. Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles, speaking to Sky News this morning, emphasised Labors absolute support for the policy, which he said would not be altered by a Labor government. Marles stuck to the line that the inhuman treatment of refugees is justified because it deters others from thinking of fleeing to Australia to seek protection. The anti-refugee rhetoric did not start with the current government. It originated with the Keating Labor government. In 1992, Labor set a global precedent by introducing mandatory detention for all refugees, including children, who arrived by boat. This paved the way for the Howard Coalition governments brutal Pacific Solution, introduced in 2001, which transported asylum seekers to prison camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. The Rudd and Gillard governments went further. They reopened the offshore camps and declared that detainees would remain there indefinitely, unless they returned to the country they had fled, or another government accepted them. In 2012, Gillard agreed with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to return all Sri Lankan asylum seekers who reached Australia by boat. As a result, at least 700 were quickly deported, despite reports that they were immediately arrested and some tortured or disappeared. Greens leader Adam Bandt has blamed the Liberal-National Coalition and Labor for the Tamil familys imprisonment. Yet the Greens propped up the minority Labor government from 2010 to 2013, as Tamil refugees were removed, and thousands of asylum seekers were imprisoned indefinitely offshore. While the Greens feign sympathy for refugees, they are just as committed to maintaining the national framework that bars entry to asylum seekers. The fate of the Murugappan family is bound up with that of the more than 80 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, fleeing repression, poverty and climate-related disastersa refugee crisis eclipsing that caused by World War II. Their futures cannot be left in the hands of the very governments and capitalist elites responsible for this crisis. While presiding over the wars, economic disasters and staggering social inequality that forces people to flee, the ruling class and its political establishment vilifies refugees, trying to make them scapegoats for the deteriorating living conditions of workers at home. Following the lead of the Biloela residents, workers and youth everywhere must take up the fight to free, not just this family, but every asylum seeker worldwide. This struggle must be linked with the demand that all people, regardless of their background, have the basic democratic right to live and work wherever they want in the world with full civil and social rights. Only the unified struggle of the international working class, directed against the capitalist system of national borders, can free refugees worldwide. Transit workers in Beaumont, Texas have voted down a contract proposed by the citys transportation company and gave union officials permission to authorize a strike if negotiations break down. On Monday, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) said members of Local 1031 unanimously rejected what First Transit, the company, called its final offer for a new contract. The contract between the ATU and First Transits subsidiary, Transit Management of Beaumont, states that the union must provide a seven-day notice that it does not want to resume their monthly extension, which has been automatically renewed since the workers last annual contract expired in October 2020. The union said the authorization vote does not mean it will call a strike, but it does give union leadership the ability to initiate one if an agreement is not reached. Beaumont transit bus (Wikimedia Commons) The vote comes as a lockout of 650 ExxonMobil refinery workers in Beaumont continues into its second month. While the United Steelworkers (USW) union has isolated workers at the plant, the stand taken by transit workers shows the potential for a united struggle with other key sections of the working class. The city of Beaumont hired First Transit to take over management of its transit system last year after the previous company declined to seek renewal of its contract. Since then, the company said it has met with the ATU about ten times to negotiate a new contract. Company representatives told the Beaumont Enterprise that it had accepted additional terms to its original contract in the latest proposal workers rejected but did not disclose any details. Transit workers have issued multiple demands that include a wage increase, measures to protect job security, and safety improvements. Workers said that nearly 90 percent of the citys buses are unfit for service, after an in-depth safety survey was conducted between April 20 and May 3. Union officials stated that 16 out of the 18 vehicles inspected showed safety-related defects. For example, the inspection found that: 50 percent of the vehicles had brake defects, including brakes that reacted too slowly or pulled the vehicle sharply in one direction. 88 percent of the vehicles had unsafe body defects, including cracked windows, broken mirror controls, broken windshield wipers and more. 44 percent of vehicles had problems with accessibility, such as malfunctioning kneeling systems and ramps for loading wheelchairs. 44 percent of vehicles had malfunctioning driver and passenger seats, including seat belts that would not unlock. More than a quarter of the vehicles had malfunctioning transmissions, lights, fire suppression systems or failing suspension. Workers have been complaining about the safety issues for more than two years to no avail. Union officials also said that Beaumont does not have a body shop to send the buses for repair. In an email, Transit Management of Beaumont spokesperson Jay Brock claimed that many of the workers requests are out of the companys control because it can only manage resources provided and set by the city of Beaumont. The additional funding request by ATU 1031, right now at more than $1 million, is not within the approved budget issued from the City of Beaumont and used by First Transit, Transit Management of Beaumont, Brock wrote. The City of Beaumont is responsible for the financials, capital, and budget for the Beaumont Municipal Transit System, including all funding requests above the budgeted amount set for the current fiscal year, ending on September 30, 2021. Local 1031 has repeatedly called on the city to intervene in the dispute. The union organized a picket outside city hall in May to put forward issues and demands workers have stated they need for a safer and fairer workplace. However, workers have gotten little response from city officials. At the same time, First Transit has continually told workers that the city is the only party that can answer their demands. Considering First Transit, a US subsidiary of the British multinational transit company, boasts of its Maintenance Excellence on its website, the companys claims are difficult to believe. According to its website, First Transit operates in over 300 locations, carrying more than 350 million passengers annually throughout 39 US states, Puerto Rico, Panama, India and four Canadian provinces. First Transit has more than 19,000 employees and operates and maintains more than 49,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment. Meanwhile, officials from ExxonMobil and the United Steelworkers met for the first time in almost a month on Thursday. Transit workers from the ATU asked city officials to become involved in the dispute as well at their May picket. The meeting reopened talks that ended unsuccessfully on May 12, but both parties say there was nothing new to discuss. ExxonMobil Beaumont spokesperson Nakisha Burns in an email told the Enterprise that no new proposals were discussed at the meeting, and the company still offered its previously proposed six-year contract. Workers have repeatedly stated ExxonMobils proposal was a nonstarter because it erodes job security and safety measures. Workers speaking to the World Socialist Web Site explained that ExxonMobils proposal would eliminate seniority procedures for 120 key positions. They said the change would drastically reduce workplace safety. Company officials have maintained that their proposed changes are necessary to modernize the Beaumont facility and remain competitive. The two sides will continue to meet weekly on Thursday but expected negotiations may drag on for a while. On Tuesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held its second hearing on Unexplained Delays and Unanswered Questions regarding former President Donald Trumps attempted coup on January 6. The hearing featured stunning revelations related to the refusal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to issue an intelligence bulletin or threat assessment prior to January 6, despite having received detailed reports on plans for violence at the Capitol from the social media company Parler. In addition to taking testimony from FBI Director Christopher Wray, the committee questioned two top generals who, in the midst of the violent attack on Congress, ignored multiple appeals from besieged lawmakers, as well as then-D.C. National Guard Commander William Walker and then-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, for authorization to deploy National Guard forces to clear the mob from the Capitol. FBI Director Christopher Wray goes through his documents as a video is shown from Jan. 6, 2021 at the Capitol, during the House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the FBI on June 10, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, director of the Army staff, and Gen. Charles Flynn, currently the commanding general of the US Army Pacific, testified before the committee for the first time. Piatt acknowledged that he received frantic requests for help as hundreds of Trump supporters, led by Proud Boy, Oath Keeper and III Percenter militia members, rampaged through the Capitol looking to kidnap and/or kill Democratic lawmakers as well as then-Vice President Mike Pence. They nevertheless sought to justify the nearly four-hour gap between the first appeals for help, at about 1:30 PM, and the actual arrival of D.C. National Guard troops at the Capitol complex at 5:20 PM. Both made the absurd claim that no standing plans existed to defend the center of the US government from attack, making it impossible to more quickly dispatch National Guard troops to prevent the overthrow of the elections and establishment of a de facto presidential dictatorship under Trump. In the course of the more than three-hour hearing, no one mentioned that Gen. Charles Flynn is the brother of retired Army Gen. Michael Flynn, Trumps one-time national security adviser and vocal supporter of the ex-presidents drive to nullify the election of Joe Biden. In the run-up to January 6, Michael Flynn advocated the military occupation of swing states that voted for Biden and the holding of new elections under gunpoint. Flynn continues to back Trumps claims of a stolen election. On May 30, he spoke at a meeting in Dallas of several hundred QAnon and other far-right forces and voiced support for a Burma-style coup against Biden. Neither Piatt nor Flynn could explain why official Department of Defense timelines did not match those provided by the D.C. National Guard or the Capitol Police. General Piatt admitted during the hearing that despite knowing the Capitol had been breached by fascist militias, he pushed back on requests by Walker and Sund to deploy the National Guard. Piatt told the committee that federal troops should not be used as a clearing force at the Capitol. Apparently, the US military is to be deployed domestically only against peaceful anti-police violence protesters or striking workers. On the morning of the hearing, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform released damning emails dating back to December 2020 that detail Trumps unconstitutional efforts to pressure Jeffrey Rosen, the acting attorney general following the resignation of William Barr, to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Before announcing his decision to leave office, Barr announced that the Justice Department had found no evidence of election fraud sufficient to change the outcome of the presidential vote. In her opening statement, the chairwoman of the committee, Carolyn Maloney (Democrat from New York) stated that beginning at 1:30 p.m. on January 6, the Department of Defense received 12 urgent requests for help, yet National Guard troops did not arrive for hours, which she characterized as a shocking failure. Maloney also revealed that the social media company Parler, which became the preferred platform of fascists and racists leading up to the attempted coup, had informed the FBI prior to January 6 of 50 separate instances of users planning violence at the Capitol aimed at preventing Congress from officially counting the Electoral College vote. Under questioning, FBI Director Wray claimed to have had no knowledge of these emails. One of the emails forwarded to the FBI from a Parler employee included a quote from a Trump supporter that read: This is not a rally and its no longer a protest. This is a final stand where we are drawing the red line at the Capitol Hill! It continued, Trump needs us to cause chaos to enact the Insurrection Act. Maloney revealed that that FBI has failed to respond to document requests made by the committee more than three months ago. She stated that the Department of Justice under Biden has similarly failed to turn over documents requested by the committee. Republican members of the committee denounced the hearing as a partisan political exercise and diversion from what they called serious issues, such as Bidens alleged failure to halt the flow of immigrants across the southwestern border and his reluctance to prosecute anti-police violence rioters. They reiterated the position of virtually the entire Republican Party that nothing of any great consequence occurred on January 6, and that Trumps claims of a stolen election were and remain entirely legitimate. Maloneys opening statement referred to the emails that had been acquired and released by the committee prior to the hearing. They show that from day one of acting Attorney General Rosens brief stint as head of the Justice Department under Trump, the White House bombarded him with demands that he resurrect the lawsuits filed by Trump lawyers and loyalists claiming massive election fraud, all of which had been thrown out by state and federal courts, including the US Supreme Court. Trump and his accomplices, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his chief of staff Mark Meadows, and mid-level Justice Department flunkies such as Jeffrey Clark, demanded that Rosen adopt the cases and seek to bring them before the US Supreme Court. The demands became increasingly desperate and outlandish. Meadows peppered Rosen with demands that he investigate baseless conspiracy theories, including an alleged plot involving an Italian defense contractor who worked in coordination with senior US intelligence officials (CIA) to change the electoral results via military satellites. Meadows also demanded that Rosen investigate alleged irregularities involving Dominion voting machines in New Mexico, and signature match anomalies in Georgia. Finally, Trump demanded that Rosen take up a Texas lawsuit that had been rejected by the Supreme Court earlier in December. The suit called for the nullification of the popular vote in six states due to alleged fraud, so that the Republican-dominated state legislatures could submit their own slate of pro-Trump electors. When Rosen refused to go along, Trump moved to have him replaced by Jeffrey Clark, who headed the civil division of the Justice Department. When top Justice officials threatened to resign if Trump fired Rosen, Trump pulled back. In her statement, Maloney said Trumps response to his failure to get the Justice Department to overthrow the election results came on the morning of January 6, when he sent an angry, violent mob to the Capitol. The goal was to use violence to stop Congress from certifying that Joe Biden had won the election. In other words, continued Maloney, Donald Trump was attempting to instigate a coup. But in her closing statement at the end of the hearing, Maloney described the actions of the FBI as merely an intelligence failure, and the stand down of security forces by the Defense Department and the military as merely a mistake. The reality is that in the more than five months since the attempted coup, no one who actually planned and facilitated the coup at the highest levels of the Trump administration and the state has been held to account or charged. This demonstrates that the fight against the fascist threat cannot be left to the Democratic Party, a party of Wall Street and the intelligence agencies, beholden to the same class interests as its fascistic colleagues. A group calling itself the May 1 Movement has appeared on the community protest outside the General Mills plant in Sydney, posturing as champions of the workers who launched an indefinite strike there on June 4 for better wages and conditions. This group is working closely with the United Workers Union (UWU), especially in seeking to bar socialistsSocialist Equality Party (SEP) supportersfrom discussing with the striking workers the political issues they and other workers confront. Workers, along with UWU officials and Labor MP Ed Husic outside General Mills (Credit: Facebook/Ed Husic) UWU officials have aggressively grabbed World Socialist Web Site leaflets from the hands of SEP campaigners, physically blocked WSWS reporters from speaking to workers, and threatened to organise violence to push you off. In carrying out this thuggish operation, the UWU has called on the assistance of the so-called May 1 Movement. It convened a community rally at the factory, from which SEP supporters were also physically barred. What exactly is the May 1 Movement, and what is its relationship to the UWU and other trade unions? It was established by the Stalinist Communist Party of Australia (CPA) in February 2020, above all, for the purpose of seeking to prevent workers from breaking out of the grip of the increasingly discredited trade unions. By posing as a militant outfit, it is trying to channel the growing discontent of workers back into the arms of the same apparatuses that have systematically suppressed workers struggles for the past 40 years, especially since the corporatist Accords between the unions and the Hawke and Keating Labor governments of 198396. At the May 1 Movements launch, Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) delegate Dennis McNamara urged the audience of about 60 people to try to revive the unions. If your union leadership is weak, you must organise to make them strong, he implored them. The event was held at the Sydney office of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and the main speaker was a leading member of the CPA, then MUA Sydney branch secretary Paul McAleer. He blamed workers themselves for the onslaught conducted against them since the unions and the Labor Party used the Accords to bust up workplace committees and impose a vast pro-market restructuring of the economy and working conditions. Former MUA Sydney branch secretary Paul McAleer at Port Botany (WSWS Media) McAleer claimed that divisions within the working class and among activists had facilitated the imposition of neo-liberalism. He cynically criticised the criminal Fair Work Act, which outlaws all strikes except during union-controlled enterprise bargaining negotiations, without mentioning that it was drafted by the unions themselves in collaboration with the Rudd-Gillard Labor government of 2007 to 2013. Significantly, the May 1 Movement launch received a glowing write-up by a pseudo-left group, Socialist Alliance, in its publication Green Left Weekly. The article promoted McAleers declaration: This is not just about May 1; it is about building a movement to defend workers rights, the rights of the oppressed and to demand real action on climate change. A Stalinist history In reality, the May 1 Movement is another front for the CPA, which is the rump party left after decades of betrayal by the Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union and its affiliated parties internationally, of the 1917 Russian Revolution. Todays CPA has nothing whatsoever in common with the revolutionary party established under that name one hundred years ago. The CPA was founded in 1920 as part of the enthusiastic worldwide response of millions of workers to the October 1917 Revolution. That massive uprising demonstrated the capacity of the working class, with a genuine revolutionary and internationalist leadership, to overthrow the capitalist ruling classes and take forward the fight for world socialism. However, the isolation of the first workers state following the failure of revolutions in Germany and other advanced countries by 1923 saw the emergence of a bureaucracy under Stalin that abandoned the Marxist perspective of global socialist revolution and adopted the nationalist program of socialism in one country. By 1927, following further defeats of the working class in China and Britain, this regime was able to prevail over the Left Opposition formed by Leon Trotsky, the co-leader of the 1917 Revolution with Vladimir Lenin. The Left Opposition had been established in 1923 to defend Marxism and maintain the essential struggle for international socialism. The CPA, like other communist parties around the world, became transformed into an appendage of the Stalinist bureaucracy, faithfully pursuing the foreign policy needs of that regime for coexistence with global capitalism. To this day, the CPA continues to defend the Stalinist atrocities of 1936 to 1939the Moscow show trials, the execution of all the leaders of the 1917 Russian Revolution, the mass killings of entire generations of Marxists and the betrayal of countless revolutionary struggles around the world. Stalins regime conducted this political genocide in order to secure the survival of its rule in the Soviet Union, fearing that the looming World War II would create the conditions for revolutionary working class struggles, just as World War I had helped trigger the 1917 Revolution. That counter-revolutionary violence culminated in the assassination of Trotsky and other leaders of the Fourth International that he had founded in 1938 to fight the betrayals of Stalinism and renew the struggle for international socialism. The CPA regurgitated the Stalinist regimes slanderous identification of the Left Opposition with Nazism, as documented in Betrayal: a history of the Communist Party of Australia, published by the Socialist Labour League (the forerunner to the SEP) in 1981. On September 5, 1936, for example, Richard Dixon, a central CPA leader, instructed a meeting of party officials: Trotskyism is identified as fascism, and as we would deal with fascists, so let us deal with Trotskyists. Todays CPA derives from the Moscow-line Socialist Party of Australia (SPA). The SPA split from the CPA, because it could not tolerate the latters mealy-mouthed criticisms of the Soviet Stalinist invasion of Czechoslovakia. The SPA was founded on the principle of open support for the brutal suppression of the 1968 Prague Spring uprising of workers and youth. After the Stalinist bureaucrats ultimately dissolved the Soviet Union in 1991, transforming themselves into capitalist oligarchs, the old CPA likewise shut itself down, and the SPA renamed itself the CPA in 1996. In the meantime, leading CPA and SPA figures, such as Laurie Carmichael, Pat Clancy and Stan Sharkey, integrated themselves into the trade union leaderships, in full agreement with their nationalist outlook, and were instrumental in drafting and enforcing the union-government Accords under Hawke and Keating. The last line of defence of the unions Today, the political situation is very different from the 1930s, when the Stalinists and their allies could prevail. The May 1 Movement and its partners in the middle-class pseudo-left organisations form the last line of defence for the trade unions. These are unions only in name. They have long ceased to be workers organisations. While once they endeavoured to gain limited concessions for their membersalways within the framework of the wage labour system of capitalismthey have been transformed by the globalisation of production over the past four decades into pro-corporate industrial police forces. Sitting on huge assets and superannuation funds, and staffed by well-paid bureaucrats, they have ruthlessly enforced the endless cost-cutting demands of the employers for global competitiveness for Australian capitalism, at the expense of the wages and conditions of workers in Australia and internationally. The thuggish operation at General Mills marks an extension of such conduct, from Stalinist-led unions like the MUA to others, like the UWU, which have portrayed themselves as new amalgamated super unions. In a Facebook post last week, Alex Suhle, a UWU organiser who has been involved in the campaign against the SEP, bragged: I am just applying the MUA model to dealing with the SEP. its very effective comrade. The comment referred to the methods employed by the MUA, led by the CPAs McAleer, during the 2015 strike at Hutchison Ports in Sydney, triggered by the companys sacking of 97 waterfront workers by text message. On August 14 that year, just as the MUA prepared to shut down the strike, falsely claiming a victory after a week of backroom talks with management, McAleer and about 20 CFMEU representatives surrounded three SEP campaigners, whom they jostled and threatened to murder. Over the following days, MUA and CFMEU officials repeatedly threatened SEP members. Three months later, the MUA revealed that its agreement with Hutchison provided for the destruction of at least 65 jobs, an extension of working hours, cuts to overtime payments and an expansion of the use of casuals. In other words, the attack on the SEP was a crucial preparation in shutting down the strike and imposing the companys demands. Fear of a working-class breakout The resort by the UWU to Stalinist-style thuggery also parallels similar attacks by mining union officials in the United States, and Twitter statements and memes by leading members of the Democratic Socialists of America, a faction of the big business Democratic Party, celebrating the assassination of Trotsky and threatening to employ such methods again. What animates these reactions is fear that the intensifying discontent of workers, expressed in the eruption of strikes internationally in response to the global COVID-19 disaster, decades of ever-greater social inequality, and relentless assaults on the working class, will take a conscious and organised form on a global scale. In particular, the union bureaucracies and their allies are alarmed by the global campaign by the SEPs for the development of rank-and-file committeesgenuine independent working class organisations, outside the control of the pro-corporate unions, through which the workers can unite and coordinate an industrial and political struggle for their interests against the capitalist ruling class. It is no accident that violent threats have erupted since the call issued by the world Trotskyist party, the International Committee of Fourth International, for the establishment of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC ), to strive to unify workers in a common worldwide fight, in support of the struggles that are erupting, including the General Mills strike and the Volvo Truckstrike in Virginia, against the union-enforced corporate offensive. We call on all who uphold democratic rights, above all, the right of workers to openly and freely discuss the political issues they confront, to denounce the Stalinist and union thuggery, and join the fight to develop the IWA-RFC. This week marks 50 years since the publication in the New York Times of the Pentagon Papers, which played a significant role in galvanizing popular opposition to the Vietnam War. The manner in which the Times itself chose to commemorate the anniversary provides a case study in the profound shift to the right by the media and the entire political establishment in the intervening five decades. Nowhere is this shift expressed more nakedly than in the newspapers stony silence on the case of the imprisoned WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange, whose persecution by the US and British governments pose the issue of basic democratic rights to free speech and a free press even more sharply than the events of 50 years ago. Daniel Ellsberg speaks to reporters outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles. Ellsberg's co-defendant, Anthony Russo is at center right, January 17, 1973. (Image Credit: AP Photo) The Pentagon Papers, officially known as the Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force, was a 7,000-page internal study conducted by the Pentagon on the policies that led to the Vietnam war and it continuous escalation. Consisting of 4,000 secret US government documents and analysis, the report exposed the wars criminality and the lies told to the American people to justify it. The Pentagon Papers provided a damning indictment, not primarily of the Republican administration of President Richard Nixon, who had taken office in 1969, the eighth year of the US military intervention, but of his Democratic predecessors, particularly Lyndon Johnson, for invading Vietnam and waging a brutal colonial-style war against its people that would claim the lives of 3 million Vietnamese as well as 58,000 American soldiers. The papers were secretly copied and then leaked to the Times by former Rand Corporation Pentagon consultant Daniel Ellsberg, who had become a determined opponent of the Vietnam War, prepared to place his life on the line to make these secret documents known to the American public. The first installment of the Times reporting on the papers was published on June 13, 1971. The public impact of the revelations was immensely amplified by the Nixon administrations quasi-dictatorial action of obtaining a court injunction enforcing prior restraint on further publication of the Times series. This act of censorship and abrogation of the First Amendments guarantee of freedom of speech and the press had virtually no precedent in the US. Even as the Times was forced to halt publication, the Washington Post began publishing the papers, only to be hit with a similar injunction. Before the case was settled, the material had appeared in 19 different US newspapers. Within barely two weeks the injunctions were overturned by a 6-3 decision of the US Supreme Court. In its 1971 editorial on the high courts decision, the Times commented, We believe that its more profound significance lies in the implicit but inescapable conclusion that the American people have a presumptive right to be informed of the political decisions of their government. Fifty years on, the owners and editors of the Times have thoroughly repudiated any commitment to this presumptive right in both words and deeds. The newspaper has served as an indispensable partner of the US government in promoting and fabricating lies used to justify imperialist wars, from the weapons of mass destruction that paved the way to a war that claimed the lives of a million Iraqis, to the current Wuhan lab propaganda campaign blaming China for the COVID-19 pandemic and the deaths of millions. Speaking for the Times, former executive editor Bill Keller in 2013 defended the newspapers role as an instrument of state propaganda and a direct partner of the government in withholding information from the public: We agree wholeheartedly that transparency is not an absolute good, he wrote. Freedom of the press includes freedom not to publish, and that is a freedom we exercise with some regularity. The statement came in the context of the exposure of Washingtons war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, massive US government spying on the people of the United States and the world and the global conspiracies of US imperialism. While the Times editor celebrated the newspapers collusion in suppressing such revelations, the Obama administration was pursuing the relentless persecution of those who had made this information public, principally Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden. It was in this same reactionary vein that the Times marked the 50th anniversary of the Pentagon Papers. The principal essay in a special section published for the occasion was written by David Sanger, the newspapers national security correspondent. Sanger lamented the emergence of a whole new pipeline to the public that largely bypasses traditional journalistic safeguardsand that is already eroding the quiet give-and-take between government officials and reporters. Sanger, in addition to his writing for the Times, has taught at Harvards Kennedy School of Government, known for training future heads of state, top officials and generals from around the world, and is a member of both the Council on Foreign Relations and the Aspen Strategy Group. He is a personification of traditional journalistic safeguards and a favorite conduit for leaks and propaganda that the CIA and the Pentagon want published. The emergence of the internet and sources of information outside of this cozy give-and-take threatened to undermine the fragile post-Pentagon Papers understanding between the government and traditional news organizations, Sanger writes. He concludes the comment writing: In 1971, when the Supreme Court ruled against the governments attempt at prior restraint, these kinds of quasi-journalistic media outlets did not exist. And none of them have yet precipitated a legal showdown that might force a reconsideration of the Pentagon Papers case and its central protection of press freedom. But it is only a matter of time. What miserable cowardice and complicity! While Sanger mentions WikiLeaks four times in his comment, the name Julian Assange is deliberately omitted. The online version of the Times made the shamefaced addition of a photograph of Assange to Sangers piece. It still did not mention, however, that the WikiLeaks editor is currently being held for 22 hours a day in a 7 by 11-foot cell in Belmarsh, the UKs harshest prison. He is awaiting possible extradition to the US where he faces an Espionage Act prosecution that could send him to jail for the rest of his life, precisely the kind of legal showdown that Sanger claims has not yet taken place. For good measure, the Times marked the 50th anniversary by opening up its editorial pages to a guest column by Gabriel Schoenfeld, the former editor of the neoconservative Commentary magazine and Republican political adviser. The piece was titled, Leaking the Pentagon Papers Was an Assault on Democracy. The piece denounces Daniel Ellsberg as a rogue actor guilty of illegally exploiting his privileged access to secret information. In other words, he deserved the same treatment as Assange, prosecution under the Espionage Act and a potential death sentence. Ellsberg was prepared to face that prospect. The case against him was thrown out in 1973 and he was spared the consequences, thanks to the gross misconduct of the government, which included sending the same operatives that would later carry out the Watergate break-in to burglarize his psychiatrists office in an attempt to dig up dirt to be used to blackmail or publicly smear him. The Times neglected to inform its readers that in 2006 this same Schoenfeld used Commentary to denounce the newspapers own reporters and editors as traitors in the war on terrorism and call for their prosecution under the Espionage Act for exposing an illegal domestic spying operation mounted by the National Security Agency. The newspaper of record is once again showing how broadminded it is toward those advocating methods associated with police-state dictatorship, even if it involves the potential execution of its own reporters. It did the same a year ago, inviting Republican Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas to contribute an op-ed headlined Send in the Troops, calling upon President Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and send the Army into the streets to suppress protests against police brutality. Unlike the Times, the man who made publication of the Pentagon Papers possible, Daniel Ellsberg, has remained true to the principles that guided his exposure of US crimes in Vietnam half a century ago. At the age of 90, he has made public fresh documents detailing plans by the US military to launch a nuclear war against China during the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1958. In doing so, he made clear that his decision was driven by the current US buildup to war against China and his conviction that those directing the Pentagon and the US government today were no less stupid or thoughtless than those who drew up plans to incinerate Shanghai then. Ellsberg has deliberately dared the government to once again prosecute him under the Espionage Act. Unlike the Times, Ellsberg has unwaveringly opposed all those trying to draw some distinction between his leak of the Pentagon Papers 50 years ago and the publication of the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs and secret State Department documents by Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. He testified last September via video link on Assanges behalf at an extradition hearing held in Londons Old Bailey. He explicitly rejected the good Ellsberg-bad Assange theory in terms of exposing war crimes. He insisted that he and Assange shared a great disagreement with not only the current administration but with all recent past administrations in the American government. Namely, that there was such a lack of transparency in government decision making, in really all of its declarations to the publicso many of them were untrueas to the nature of the conflict, the prospects for success, what was being done in our names, that there was no effective democracy. The stark contrast between the attitude towards Assange on the part of Ellsberg and that of the Times only underscores the fact that within the American ruling elite and the corporate media, there exists no real constituency for the defense of the democratic principles involved in the Pentagon Papers case half a century ago. Unprecedented social inequality, the dominant feature of US society, and the stranglehold over economic and political life by a financial and corporate oligarchy are incompatible with the defense of freedom of speech and the press, or any other basic democratic right. The defense of these rights and the fight for the immediate release of Julian Assange can be carried forward only through the independent political mobilization of the working class on the basis of a socialist and internationalist program. Under conditions of a rising class struggle, these issues will become matters of burning importance for workers all over the world. Footage of BBC Newsnights political editor Nick Watt being chased and abused by anti-lockdown demonstrators in Whitehall, central London on Monday evening has gone viral. The protest of several dozen had gathered in the run-up to Prime Minister Boris Johnsons announcement that the lifting of the final, limited Covid-19 social distancing measures would be delayed from the scheduled June 21 for up to four weeks. A masked Wattwho was wearing a BBC lanyardwas rounded on by the crowd when they realised he was a journalist. He was pursued by several angry people, with one shouting traitor repeatedly. As Watt attempted to move away, another man pushes the journalist, shouting in his face. Watt was forced to turn around and run towards Downing Street as he is chased behind the security barriers, with people shouting, shame on you and "how can it be legal to lock people in their houses?" Many sharing the video were justifiably angry at the harassment of the journalist. Newsnight editor, Esme Wren, said All journalists should be able to do their work without impediment or risking their safety. The condemnation by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in contrast is both hypocritical and mendacious. In a tweet, Johnson declared, Disgraceful to see the hounding of Nick Watt doing his job. The media must be able to report the facts without fear or favourthey are the lifeblood of our democracy. Johnson leads a government that is continuing the vicious persecution of Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder and multi-award-winning journalist. Alongside Chelsea Manning, he was responsible for the publication of the Iraq and Afghan war logs and the US diplomatic cables in 2010 and the Guantanamo files in 2011, which exposed war crimes, torture, coup plots and corruption by the US and its allies across the globe. For these heroic endeavours, Assange has spent more than a decade victimised, slandered and imprisoned on trumped up allegations. April 11 marked two years since he was seized from the Ecuadorian Embassy. Upon Assanges arrest, Johnson tweeted, Its only right that Julian Assange finally faces justice. Credit to foreign office officials who have worked tirelessly to secure this outcome. He has since then been imprisoned in Londons Belmarsh maximum-security prison, fighting extradition to the US, where he faces a potential 175-year sentence for charges under the Espionage Act. Julian Assange in Belmarsh Prison in 2019 This is despite judge Vanessa Baraitser ruling in January that Assanges extradition would be oppressive by virtue of his mental health and risk of suicide in the US prison system. Nonetheless, the degrading show trial upheld all other aspects of the US governments hounding of the internationally renowned journalist. His continued detention flouts all democratic and judicial norms. Assange has been denied bail while the Biden Democrat administration continues the inhuman efforts to silence the whistle-blower, taking over from Donald Trump. The only charge he faces has been ruled out of order by a British court, yet he remains behind bars. This is the latest in a series of repeated and flagrant abrogating of his legal rightsincluding denying him access to his lawyer and materials necessary for his defence, strip searches and the ongoing disregard for his health, especially his vulnerability given his respiratory condition to the spread of COVID-19 in Belmarsh. Stella Moris, Assanges partner, recently described him as barely hanging on inside Belmarsh this feels like an endless punishment. At times he is in such despair he thinks he is a burden, so suicide is a very real fear. Assanges father and brother, John and Gabriel Shipton, are currently touring the US to build support for his freedom, if the UK judge allows the US governments appeal. This is a real danger, especially given Johnsons efforts to mend relations with the Biden administration post-Brexit. The treatment of Assange is state-orchestrated and sanctioned torture, easily equivalent to any meted out against journalists in countries routinely denounced as authoritarian and anti-democratic by the British government. Its implications for press freedom and journalistic safety more broadly are chilling. That Johnson can tweet supposedly in defence of Watt while perpetrating the criminalisation of Assange speaks to the atrophying of any constituency for democratic rights within the bourgeoisie. Indeed, on June 10 parliament hosted a debate on the safety of journalists. It lasted less than 60 minutes, with just 14 MPs participating. The brief contributions were determined far more by Britains strategic geo-political interests than any real concern for the professed subject. Hence, only one reference was made to Israels bombing of the media tower in Gaza housing the offices of Al Jazeera, the Associated Press (AP) and other outlets just three weeks prior. And only two MPs referenced the case of AssangeLabours John McDonnell and Richard Burgon. This consisted of mealy-mouthed references to Assanges imprisonment being a continuing stain on Britains reputation and appeals to Biden to do the right thing. Meanwhile, the Labour Party, to which both obsequiously defer, is led by Sir Keir Starmer who, as Director of Public Prosecution 2008-2013, was head of the Crown Prosecution Service that helped fast track Assanges extradition and, according to leaked emails from August 2012, advised the Swedish legal team considering whether to continue pursuing Assange, Dont you dare get cold feet. As for the anti-lockdown protestors that intimidated Watt, they have been energised by the Johnson governments own herd immunity policy and attack on scientists and honest reporting of the pandemic. Having been forced into lockdown in March due to public pressure, the governmentwith Labours supporthas systematically withdrawn most social distancing measures. Schools and most workplaces are fully reopened to recoup the profits of the corporations and super-rich at the expense of workers lives and health, as Johnson made good on his pledge in October that there must be no more f***ing lockdownslet the bodies pile high in their thousands. Amongst those haranguing Watt was a supporter from Resistance GB. According to the Times, the anti-lock down, pro-freedom group was established by former Tory councillor, William Coleshill, who was suspended from the party for making racist remarks. On Wednesday, a 57-year-old man was charged with threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour. But the reality is that the calls by the likes of Resistance GB to Open the UK for business now, has significant backing in parliament, particularly the Tory Party. Those such as Jacob Rees-Mogg are vocal in opposing Johnsons limited extension of certain social distancing measures, arguing You can't run society just to stop hospitals being full, otherwise you'd never let us get in our cars and drive anywhere... The Government doesn't have the right to take charge of people's lives purely to prevent them seeing the doctor." In parliament on Monday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, said Its clear that a goal of eradication of this virus is impossible. Therefore, we must learn to live with it and how we can live our normal lives with this virus. The Daily Telegraph rivalled Johnson for the most hypocritical defence of Watt, calling his treatment disgraceful just one day after denouncing the decision to delay the end of the last public health restrictions as an attack on the inalienable right to freedom. The paper published opinion pieces including, It doesnt matter what you say, Prime Minister-June 21 will still be our Freedom Day, Boris is right: we need to learn to live with Covid. So why not now? and Boris is still paying the price for the original sin of locking down. This is said as figures show the more contagious Delta variant now account for more than 90 percent of all positive tests in the UK, a 50 percent increase in one week. Infections are at the highest level since February, despite 40 percent of the population being fully vaccinated. Just days before Johnsons retreat, new modelling for the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) committee of experts highlighted the danger of a substantial third wave of infections and hospitalisations. The Imperial College Covid-19 Response Team has also warned that cases are growing rapidly and could lead to deaths on a similar level as in winter. Officially, more than 152,000 people have died from Covid-19 and deaths are rising, albeit slowly for the moment. Johnson has insisted, however, that he is confident we wont need [to delay the lifting of all restrictions] more than four weeks. The persecution of Assange and the exposure of workers and their families to a deadly and resurgent virus are the twin prongs of bourgeois class rule. At the same time the western imperialist powers are spewing the poison of the Wuhan lab lie in preparation for military confrontations with China, they declare openly that working people must live with Covid-19that is, die or suffer prolonged ill-healthto satiate the greed of the financial oligarchy. The defence of democratic rights, opposition to war and the implementation of emergency measures to eradicate the virus depend on the mobilisation of the international working class for the overthrow of capitalism and the building of a socialist world. The Conservative governments bailout of Transport for London (TfL), agreed by Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, is a brutal shake-down operation. The threat of bankruptcy is being used to force through a fire-sale of public assets, the gutting of transport workers pay and pensions, the introduction of driverless trains and the hiking of fares in what is already one of the most expensive passenger transport systems in the world. Last May, as passenger revenue collapsed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, TfL came within days of being unable to meet its financial obligations. Londons transport authority relies on fare revenue to fund a staggering 72 percent of its operations, compared to 38 percent for New Yorks Metropolitan Transit Authority, 38 percent for Pariss Ile-de-France Mobilites, and 37 percent for Hong Kongs Mass Transit Railway. The situation is now critical, Khan wrote to Chancellor Rishi Sunak on May 10, 2020. TfL cant provide their staff, suppliers or lenders certainty that it can pay them beyond the next payment run. London Mayor Sadiq Khan (AP Photo/Robert Stevens, FILE) Documents obtained under Freedom of Information show that TfLs pleas for financial assistance were repeatedly ignored. On May 14, 2020, the transport authority came within hours of issuing a Section 114 notice under the Local Government Act, declaring its inability to meet its expenditures. In scenes reminiscent of a failed state or banana republic, frantic phone calls by the Mayor to the Chancellor went unanswered, with Khan finally sending a written appeal to Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning of, the closure of London Underground and most of the capitals bus network, as we will not have the funds to continue. Johnson, the former Mayor of London, responded with deliberate brinkmanship. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps issued a reply to Khan at the eleventh hour, setting out the terms of an Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement. It provided 1.6 billion in place of lost fare revenue between April and October 2020. Bankruptcy was averted on the basis of savage cuts across the transport network agreed by Khan and the TfL board. Extraordinary powers were handed to newly installed Special Representatives who would enjoy complete oversight over all TfL decisions by the Mayor and TfLs board, reporting directly to Number 10 Downing Street. A further 1.8 billion bailout was signed in November. Whats in the bailout? The latest bailout agreement signed on June 1 is the most draconian yet. Emboldened by the complicity of Labours mayor and the transport unions with bailout agreements over the preceding yearincluding a TfL-commissioned review that called for swingeing cutsthe Conservative government has gone for the jugular, setting in place an efficiencies programme to achieve financial sustainability (i.e., free of government emergency support) by April 2023. In return for 1.8 billion to replace lost fare revenue to December 11, 2021, Khan and the TfL board have agreed to make rapid progress on longer term reforms which are likely to be implemented beyond 2023. Khan has approved a free-marketeers shopping list reportedly overseen personally by Johnson, Sunak and Shapps. They speak for a generation of Tory leaders intent on completing Prime Minister Margaret Thatchers drive to roll back the frontiers of the state, regarding any form of state support for the NHS, education and transport as anathema. TfL is viewed in these circles as a socialistic quango beholden to the unions whose reliance on government funding must be ended. That billions of pounds have been handed to private rail and bus companies during the pandemic poses no contradiction, it merely confirms that socialism for the rich is alive and well, and that, contrary to Thatchers paeans to the free market, capitalism could not survive for one second without constant state support and intervention. Under the banner of self-reliance, the bailout gives prominence to TfL growing its commercial development income, calling for the creation of a dedicated commercial property company. It sets the pace for a fire-sale of property assets, with TfL required to submit a housing development plan to Shapps by June 11. TfL is one of the largest landholders in London, with an estate of 5,700 acres, worth billions. In 2015, an already cash-strapped TfL announced the development of 50 sites, but around 600 more are ripe for the picking. The vultures are already swooping. Dozens of business leaders published a letter to Shapps and Khan last month, ordering them to fix Londons transport system and demanding now is the time for action. The majority of its CEO signatories were from property and investment firms which stand to profit from the sale and development of TfL land and property assets. The bailout establishes stringent delivery timescales for further operating efficiencies of at least 300m in 2021/22 along with identification and consultation on new/increased income sources of between 0.5-1.0bn p/a from 2023. Khan and the TfL board have also agreed to accelerating TfLs existing modernisation programme to implement the full 730m of recurring savings delivered by April 2023. Khan has sought to distance himself and Labour Deputy Mayor for Transport Heidi Alexander from these slash-and-burn measures, telling the press, This is not the deal we wanted. But he is beholden to the same financial interests. Indeed, Khan boasted of his own role in slashing costs since 2016: as Mayor I reduced TfLs deficit by 71 per cent and increased its cash balances by 13 per cent. In July 2020, in response to the collapse in TfL finances, Khan commissioned an independent review to investigate options for providing TfL with long-term financial sustainability. Led by bankers, its recommendations included: gutting pensions on the London Underground to save 100 million per year; a 25 percent increase in all fares that include Zone 1 travel; continued suspension of the Freedom Pass during morning peak times for people aged 66+ and the disabled; axing the 60+ pass to save 156 million; and extension of the central London congestion charge to outer London to raise 500 million each year. Shapps Emergency Funding Agreement rubbed these proposals in Khans face, declaring that TfL would be required to demonstrate how they have taken into account the findings and recommendations of its own Independent Review. A key recommendation of Khans review was pension reform. It argued that TfLs current pension model is expensive The scheme is generous to employees when benchmarked against the Network Rail and Civil Service schemes, which have been reformed. The current outdated scheme should be replaced by a career average model rather than the current final salary scheme and be closed to new entrants. Shapps merely walked through Khans open door, his Funding Agreement citing the Mayors Independent Review which had agreed to carry out a review of their pension scheme and reform options with the explicit aim of moving TfLs Pension Fund into a financially sustainable position. TfL must present its final recommendations for pension reform by 31 March 2022. TfLs support for driverless trains on the London Underground is also a precondition for the latest round of bailout funds. It is considered a pet project of Johnson. Earlier this month, the Telegraph recalled Johnsons visit last year to a site in Goole, East Yorkshire where Siemens will open a rail manufacturing facility in 2022 to construct a new fleet of Underground trains fitted with driverless technology. Clambering on board a digger at the site, Johnson had told reporters, lets not be the prisoners of the unions anymore, lets go to driverless trains and lets make that a condition of the funding settlement for Transport for London this autumn. Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Siemens Rail Factory Construction Site in Goole. July 6, 2020. (Picture by Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street-flickr) The Telegraphs chief business correspondent Oliver Gill observed, Driverless trains are as much about ideology as they are about dragging the worlds oldest underground railway into the 21st century. Johnsons desire to weaponise driverless trains to defeat the unions can be traced back to his days as London mayor between 2008 and 2016. During this time, Johnson clashed repeatedly with London transport workers on pay and privatisation. While the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT) is portrayed as the Tories bete noire, Johnson relied on the RMT leadership to wind down strikes against the mass closure of ticket offices, enforcing the destruction of hundreds of jobs. He said the RMTs then leader Bob Crow was the man he would go to if the deal was to be done. During the next six months, TfL must show sufficient progress towards the conversion of at least one Underground line to Grade-of-Automation 3 (driverless, but with an on-board attendant, as on the Docklands Light Railway) and a Full Business Case for the Waterloo & City Line within 12 months and for the Piccadilly Line within 18 months. A KPMG report into driverless trains commissioned last year by TfL concluded it would cost 7 billion, and that the financial payback is negative. Others have placed the cost at closer to 10 billion, with engineers and other experts warning the system is not suited to the speed of trains on the London Underground, nor to the curved design of its criss-crossing network of tunnels. Still, Shapps bailout commits TfL to Market engagement into alternative platform edge protection technology, to be led by TfL and completed by 30 November 2021, Design work on rolling stock specification, new signalling, and Platform Edge Doors (PEDs) and a full review of the potential for the implementation of GoA3 on the rest of the network. The review will conclude within the next twelve months. DfTs assessment of progress made towards conversion will factor into agreeing any longer-term funding settlement in the future. Elsewhere, the bailout agreement makes clear that the safe introduction of driverless technology cannot be entrusted to a ruling class whose every decision is premised on protecting profits. With the coronavirus pandemic having killed more than 65 rail, bus and London Underground workers over the past year, and with hundreds left with debilitating long-COVID symptoms, the bailout stipulates that TfL will take all practicable steps to manage absence levels to support the delivery of services. The government has also secured Khans agreement that TfL will take all reasonable steps to avoid industrial action during the funding period, and if necessary, will be expected to take all reasonable steps to mitigate the impact of any industrial action. It states, We expect TfL to freeze pay in line with the public sector pay pause. The deal includes the especially punitive clause that travel concessions for school children and the elderly in London will not be met by HMG [Her Majestys Government] funding and that TfL must fund these concessions by maintaining the Congestion Charging changes implemented in June 2020 and by increasing council tax. It is telling that the governments own report into TfL, conducted by KPMG, has remained secret. Even the TfLs new commissioner Andy Byford was forced to read the report under lock and key in an office at the Department for Transport, according to the Telegraph . Meanwhile, the bailout agreement sets a chilling precedent, with Khans powers as a twice-elected Mayor effectively overturned and subsumed by unelected Special Representatives who must approve each staged release of funding based on progress in slashing costs. The RMT has responded with denunciations of the TfL bailout as a disgraceful stitch up of a deal. RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch declared, Attacks on workers pensions are wholly unacceptable while driverless trains are unwanted, unaffordable and unsafe. But the RMT is currently participating in the governments Rail Recovery Group that has pledged to gut pensions and slash costs across the rail network nationally. While indicating the RMT will not seek reaffiliation to the Labour Party, Lynch told the Morning Star, Clearly it is in the interests of everyone in the working class to have a strong and powerful Labour Party, even if we dont support everything it does. It is therefore no surprise that the RMT has sought to whitewash Labours role in the TfL bailout. A May 27 press release cited Khans recent election pledge: Ill fearlessly stand up for the city, oppose further austerity, argue for the investment London needs and face down shameful attacks on our values. The unions call for a long term TFL financial package that secures the future of jobs and services is framed to echo Labours own meaningless appeals to the Johnson government. The Shapps-Khan bailout is an act of social vandalism against the working class. A safe, efficient and affordable mass transportation system can only be achieved through a frontal assault by workers on the wealth and power of the financial oligarchy. The transport companies, property developers and banks must be expropriated, their enormous wealth seized, and the knowledge of engineers, scientists and transport workers harnessed to meet societys needs. This task requires a struggle to build a socialist leadership in the working class. Updated June 16, 10:01 a.m. According to the Corinth Police Department, Flake has been found and is safe. Original article below CORINTH, Miss. (WTVA) - Corinth police are asking the public for help locating Michelle Lynn Flake. Someone last saw the 49-year-old on April 29 at the Southern Motel in Corinth. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the Corinth Police Department at 662-286-3377. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now calls the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus, also known as B.1.617.2, a 'variant of concern.' The variant of concern designation is given to strains of the virus that scientists believe are more transmissible or can cause more severe disease. Vaccines, treatments and tests that detect the virus may also be less effective against a variant of concern. Previously, the CDC had considered the Delta variant to be a variant of interest. The CDC said the Delta variant, which was first identified in India, shows increased transmissibility, potential reduction in neutralization by some monoclonal antibody treatments under emergency authorization and potential reduction in neutralization from sera after vaccination in lab tests. The World Health Organization classified the Delta variant as a variant of concern on May 10. Covid-19 cases have been declining over the past few months in the United States, but there's concern that could change as the pace of vaccinations slows and the Delta variant spreads. The CDC estimates it accounted for 9.9% of cases in the US as of June 5. At a White House Covid-19 briefing last week, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci encouraged everyone to get vaccinated against Covid-19, noting that the Delta variant is was in circulation in the United States at a rate similar to the tipping point seen in the UK, where the variant is now dominant. 'We cannot let that happen in the United States,' Fauci said, calling the UK's experience 'such powerful argument' to get vaccinated. The variant is believed to be responsible for the most recent rise in cases in the UK and a study of cases in Scotland published on Monday found that it was associated with about double the risk of hospitalization compared with the Alpha variant, B.1.1.7, that was first identified in the UK. The UK announced Monday that the easing of coronavirus restrictions would be delayed another four weeks, until July 19, following a rise in cases and, in particular, the growing spread of the Delta variant. Delta variant in the United States As of Sunday, the Delta variant was responsible for about 10.3% of US Covid-19 cases, according to Dr. Eric Topol, the founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, whose outbreak.info has been tracking variants throughout the pandemic. The may not seem like a lot, but the speed with which it's spreading is a concern. 'It doubles every seven to 10 days, which means when it gets to three weeks from now, this variant will be dominant,' Topol said. 'That means we have two to three weeks to just go flat out with vaccination to stop this trend.' Vaccinations generally seem to keep variants in check. The Alpha strain, for instance, is the dominant strain in the United States and has been since about late April. But with exceptions such as Michigan, it didn't cause surges in cases in most parts of the country. Topol said that the US was able to 'ante up' and go 'full tilt on vaccination' when the variant arrived in the United States. With the Delta variant, Topol isn't as optimistic. 'This is the most troubling variant by far, because it's another 60% more contagious than the Alpha, so it's a super spreader strain,' Topol said. But the vaccination rate is stalling. While 43.9% in the US is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC, the rate at which people are getting vaccinated has been slowing down. In Mississippi, nearly 29% of population is fully vaccinated. In Alabama it's less than 31%. In Arkansas, less than 33%. In Louisiana, Georgia, and Wyoming it's less than 34%, according to CDC data. Vaccines and the Delta variant The good news is that people who are fully vaccinated seem to have solid protection against the Delta variant. A study published in the Lancet found a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine wasn't enough, but after the second dose, the Pfizer-BioNTech provided 79% protection from the Delta variant. That compares with 92% protection against the Alpha variant. Another analysis from England's public health agency found two doses of the Pfizer vaccine seemed 96% effective against hospitalization. Dr. Peter Hotez, director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, said on CNN's New Day Tuesday that he is 'extremely worried' about the Delta variant, although two doses of Pfizer or Moderna's Covid-19 vaccines look like they function 'really well' to protect against it. Now is 'crunch time,' Hotez said, looking back to the surge of coronavirus cases across the South last year, when a 'horrible' wave of cases emerged in July and August. 'I have to believe this, with this new Delta variant, the same thing is going to happen again with anyone who's either unvaccinated or only a single dose of vaccine,' he said. 'And so this is the time for everyone to get vaccinated, because even if you want to get yourself vaccinated tomorrow or your adolescent child tomorrow, it's still going to take five to six weeks to get both of those doses of vaccine and then another week after that.' SALTILLO, Miss. (WTVA) Governor Tate Reeves gave his assessment of how soon he will call the Legislature into a special session to revive the state's new medical marijuana program that died last month at the hands of the state's highest court. "Next week is not likely, but clearly, it should be sooner rather than later," said Reeves. Gov. Tate Reeves (second from left) on a tour of the Ashley Furniture Industries plant in Saltillo, Miss., on June 15, 2021 (Craig Ford) Gov. Tate Reeves (second from left) on a tour of the Ashley Furniture Industries plant in Saltillo, Miss., on June 15, 2021 (Craig Ford) The governor told reporters Tuesday he wants lawmakers to agree on a medical marijuana plan before he brings them back to Jackson to approve one since a special session would cost $30,000 a day. A majority of justices on the Mississippi Supreme Court killed the program last month when they ruled the ballot initiative process, which is how voters approved it, was unconstitutional. Reeves' comments came prior to a tour of the Ashley Furniture Industries plant in Saltillo, one of many employers trying to fill job openings blamed on the $300 a week federal coronavirus unemployment supplement. The governor stopped that supplement over the weekend after hearing from businesses. "We cannot have a full economic recovery until we get all of our people back employed," said Reeves. The Republican governor added that public school students will not be required to wear masks when they return for classes later this year and they will not be required, at least for now, to get the coronavirus vaccine. "I believe the vaccines are perfectly safe, but they are under an emergency use authorization. They have not been fully approved by the CDC and by the FDA," said Reeves. Researchers have found more evidence that coronavirus was circulating at low levels across the United States as early as December 2019 -- weeks before the first officially reported cases. Frozen blood samples indicate people in five states -- Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Massachusetts -- were infected with coronavirus days or weeks before any cases were officially reported in those states. Volunteers taking part in the National Institutes of Health's All of Us study, an ongoing effort to gather health information on 1 million people, donated blood as part of the study. Tests of 24,000 samples taken in early 2020 showed antibodies to coronavirus in the blood of at least nine people, the All of Us researchers reported in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. "These included individuals with specimens collected January 7 from Illinois, January 8 from Massachusetts, February 3 from Wisconsin, February 15 from Pennsylvania, and March 6 in Mississippi," they wrote. The first previously recognized case of Covid-19 in Illinois was reported on January 24 in a woman who had just returned from Wuhan, China, the researchers said. The first confirmed case in Massachusetts was not until February 1. In Wisconsin, the first confirmed case had been February 5, in Pennsylvania the first reported case was March 6 and in Mississippi it was March 11. Since it takes about two weeks to develop antibodies after infection, the findings indicate some of the volunteers were infected in December, the researchers said. "This study contributes to the evidence of low-level circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in many states at the start of the US epidemic," the researchers wrote. "Among the first 12 known cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the United States, the earliest recognized symptoms onset date was January 14, 2020, and all 12 cases had recently traveled to mainland China or were close contacts of recent travelers. Domestic testing for SARS-CoV-2 began in mid-January 2020," they added. At the time. the federal government only recommended testing people with symptoms who had a history of travel, or direct contact with a traveler. These findings suggest that policy missed cases, the researchers said. "I think what this study shows is that there are a lot of pieces still that we have to uncover and put together from all the days of this epidemic in the United States," Dr. Keri Althoff, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who worked on the study, told CNN. A study published last November found evidence of antibodies in people's blood in the US as early as December 13. Other studies have also indicated the virus landed in the US in December. While the data being given as part of the study is anonymized, the researchers can contact the volunteers and plan to do so, Sheri Schully, who is working on the All of Us project at NIH, told CNN. "They have a participant portal where they can actually go in and see what's being done with their specimens," Schully said. They'll be asked for any more information about whether they had traveled or been in contact with someone who may have traveled back in 2019 and early 2020. One of the volunteers whose blood tested positive who also filled out a health survey reported fever, cough and sore throat and said they believed they may have had Covid-19 at around the time the blood specimen was taken. "Review of electronic health record data during the relevant time frame revealed two seropositive participants had illnesses compatible with mild COVID-19 (e.g., fatigue and mild respiratory symptoms), but additional testing was limited and no diagnosis was confirmed. The other seven seropositive participants had no evidence of health care utilization in their electronic health record data," the researchers added. The findings do not mean coronavirus was spreading widely in the United States in December 2019 or January 2020, the researchers said. "It's important to remember that if you did think maybe you had Covid in those early days -- which I don't think there's a person out there who hasn't racked their brain about what they might have had at the start of the pandemic -- it was very, very low prevalence," Althoff said. "So if you did have some sort of respiratory infection, the likelihood that it was SARS-CoV-2 is actually pretty low in this timeframe." The researchers took care to make sure they did not get false positives on the antibody tests, and tested each sample twice. Nonetheless, they said, it's possible the tests detected pre-existing immunity to coronaviruses that happened to randomly create antibodies to the 2019 coronavirus. Four other coronaviruses regularly infect people, causing common cold symptoms. The tests used on the blood samples detect the immune response to infection and do not look for direct evidence of infection. The findings also indicated minorities were harder hit by the virus even early in the pandemic. Seven of the nine samples were taken from older, minority participants, the researchers said. Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. If you have a subscription, please Log In . Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. If you believe you've gotten this message in error, please Log In. 41-year-old Clarksburg West Virginia man gets 2-10 years in prison for violent attack & failure to register But Kendrick Fitzgerald Vinson could have been looking at a three-strikes lifetime sentence if he'd taken the matter to trial instead of pleading guilty Previously had been ordered to self-report but was turned away from jail when he complained of chest pains & had high-blood pressure You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Clarksburg, WV (26301) Today Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 72F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 54F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and host of the podcast Deep Background. He is a professor of law at Harvard University and was a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter. His books include The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President. 2021, Bloomberg Opinion Weston, WV (26452) Today A mix of clouds and sun. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 75F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 54F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Police blotter is a list of recent arrests compiled from public records in Laramie County. All people listed here are innocent until proven guilty. Anyone listed who has a charge dismissed or is acquitted of the charge may bring or mail a court document proving such to the WTE editor, 702 W. Lincolnway, Cheyenne, WY 82001. This company has provided permissive policies behind high-profile police shootings of Black men The North Carolina sheriff's deputies who fatally shot Andrew Brown Jr. in April could have avoided taking his life, policing experts say, if they had followed best practices and not opened fire when he fled in a car as they tried to serve warrants. But the fatal shooting may well have complied with the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office use-of-force policy, which allows deputies to shoot at a moving vehicle even when best practices say they shouldn't. That's by design. But the policy wasn't designed by the Sheriff's Office, the county commission or any other government authority. The Sheriff's Office obtained its use-of-force policy from a company that sells ready-to-use manuals that prioritize law enforcement officers' discretion policies that hold them to a minimum standard that's defensible in court rather than best practices in policing. A portion of the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office use-of-force policy. The policy defines "imminent" as "impending," not immediate or instantaneous. The Texas-based company, Lexipol LLC, markets its policies as a way to protect local governments from frivolous lawsuits. That message has attracted clients all over the country, making Lexipol an influential player in the world of law enforcement. Lexipol says its policies set appropriate standards for officers while taking into account the challenges of making split-second decisions. Policing experts and civil rights advocates say the companys guidelines and the willingness of some agencies to embrace them with little or no alteration has contributed to a heavy-handed approach that has disproportionately cost the lives of Black men. They cite Browns fatal encounter with police as an example. Brown, 42, was shot April 21 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, as he tried to drive away from deputies serving him with drug-related warrants. His car bumper passed close to a deputy, who put his hand on the car to jump out of the way. That's when the first shot rang out. Within seconds, deputies fired 13 more shots as Brown sped across a grassy lot. An autopsy commissioned by the family determined Brown was hit five times, including a fatal shot to the back of his head. Story continues The car stopped in a neighboring yard after striking a tree. No weapons were found on Brown or in his vehicle. The Sheriff's Office policy says deputies should shoot at a moving vehicle only if they "reasonably" believe there's no other way to avoid an "imminent threat" to deputies or the public. It defines "imminent" as "impending," not immediate. The local district attorney said the shooting was justified. Scott Greenwood, a prominent constitutional law attorney, said that shows the shortcomings of the department's policy. "It's a weak policy, its a permissive policy; it doesnt impose any types of restrictions on officers' use of deadly force beyond the bare, constitutional minimum," Greenwood said. "As a result, its quite easy to justify the use of deadly force in circumstances that most practitioners, most police leaders, would tell you would not merit a use of deadly force," he said. Lexipol declined to provide a company representative for an interview and did not respond to written questions submitted at its request. The company's policies are full of qualifiers and hedges, a trademark of sorts for the private equity-owned company, which says it works with 8,100 public safety agencies and municipalities in at least 35 states. It's the country's largest purveyor of law enforcement policies. Founded in 2003 and based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Lexipol has filled a vacuum from the lack of national policing standards. It caters to small and midsize departments that make up the vast majority of the roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. The company promises to keep them up to date with evolving standards and case law. Critics say its policies are vague and permissive, and departments are unlikely to customize them for the same reason they turned to Lexipol in the first place: Policymaking is time-consuming and expensive. Lexipol's website is loaded with arguments against best practices advocated by policing experts, such as mandating de-escalation, banning shooting at moving vehicles, and limiting officers' discretion. For example, the company says officers can't always de-escalate situations because subjects may show signs of "excited delirium" a condition in which someone displays aggression and apparent immunity to pain, often tied to drug use and mental illness. Those arguments are contradicted by experts. The American Psychiatric Association says excited delirium is a vague condition disproportionately used to justify harming Black men in police custody. Ingrid Eagly, a professor at UCLA School of Law who co-wrote a paper on Lexipol for the Texas Law Review, concluded the company structures its policies in a way that's "designed to give maximum discretion to law enforcement officers." Lexipol clients have included police departments in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, where Daunte Wright was killed this year, and Pasadena, California, where Anthony McClain was killed in 2020. St. Anthony, Minnesota, adopted Lexipol after Philando Castile was killed in 2016. Sacramento, California, did the same after Stephon Clark was killed in 2018. All were Black men. Lexipol charges public safety agencies annual fees on a sliding scale depending on their size. Often the purchase is subsidized by municipal risk pools. The company has become a one-stop shop for law enforcement agencies, providing online training, grant assistance, legal analyses, webinars and media through sites like Police One, whose articles are cited by expert witnesses. Bruce Praet, one of the founders, is a defense attorney who frequently represents officers and departments that have been sued, many of which have Lexipol policies. Co-founder Gordon Graham is an attorney and portrays himself as a risk-management guru. Both are former California cops. The company regularly partners with the Force Science Institute, whose founder, psychologist Bill Lewinski, is viewed by many policing experts as biased toward police. An editor for the American Psychology Journal called his work "pseudoscience." The Justice Department said it's unreliable. An independent law enforcement expert who reviewed Brown's death for the Pasquotank County sheriff cited Lexipol and Force Science Institute language, concluding that the use of deadly force "was in direct response to the imminent threat of serious physical harm to persons caused by Mr. Browns wanton and reckless operation of his motor vehicle. Sheriff Tommy Wooten did not respond to requests for comment. "There's a growing public demand for police departments to use less force and to use less pain compliance," Greenwood said. "A use-of-force policy that you get from a vendor that allows you to go ... right up to the absolute limit of what you can get away with constitutionally is completely inconsistent with the growing public sentiment." Nothing in police work is black and white In 2016, the influential Washington, D.C.-based Police Executive Research Forum urged law enforcement agencies to raise their use-of-force standards above the constitutional minimum. The litmus test established by case law is that proper use of force is based on whether a reasonable officer would have done the same thing in the same circumstance, with the same knowledge. The group's stricter guidance was fought by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents 356,000 law enforcement officers across the country. Lexipol was on their side. In a series of articles published on its site, the company criticized the forum's report, saying its guidelines sacrificed officer safety and overemphasized the "sanctity of life." A year later, law enforcement groups put out a "National Consensus Policy on Use of Force" recommending, among other things, that agencies mandate de-escalation tactics and avoid shooting at moving vehicles. Again, Lexipol pushed back. Calling de-escalation "the latest buzzword," Praet wrote that "agencies must exercise extreme caution" when mandating what officers should do. In a webinar after the 2019 passage of a California law mandating a higher standard for deadly force, Praet said, "One of our secret sauces, so to speak, is that rarely, if ever, will you see the use of the word 'shall' in our policies because nothing in police work is black and white." Praet encourages liberal use of the word "reasonably" in policies as in "reasonably appears necessary" or "reasonably believes." But that makes for murky guidance. "If theres any kind of room for extenuating circumstances, officers interpret that as, well, this could be an extenuating circumstance," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum. "You need to be clear and unambiguous. What these other policies do is allow some kind of wiggle room." California Attorney General Xavier Becerra gestures towards the three binders containing his office's investigation into last year's fatal shooting of Stephon Clark by two Sacramento Police Officer, during a news conference,Tuesday, March 5, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif. Becerra said that after a nearly year long investigation, his office will not file criminal charges against the officers. Lexipol staff often use edge cases to make their points. At a May conference, program manager Mike Ranalli, retired chief of the Glenville, New York, police department, discussed shooting at a moving vehicle. He showed a video of officers on foot trying to stop a car in the snow. One of the officers falls and slides in front of the fleeing vehicle. Ranalli said the situation showed why officers may need to fire at a moving vehicle. That's not a typical situation, Wexler said. Most cases in which officers shoot at a moving car involve those who place themselves in danger, such as by moving in front of a fleeing vehicle, he said. The New York Police Department has banned shooting at moving vehicles for nearly 50 years as long as the threat is solely from the vehicle. That move led to an immediate, sharp reduction in uses of lethal force, Wexler said. Other major police departments have followed suit. Co-opting the language of reform Windsor, Virginia, drew national attention after video showed U.S. Army Lt. Caron Nazario being pulled over in uniform by two police officers in December and ordered out of his SUV at gunpoint. With his hands up, the Black and Latino soldier was pepper-sprayed in the face. In an effort to improve policing and regain community confidence, Windsor Police Chief Rodney Riddle pushed the town's council to outsource the department's policies, training and enforcement strategies to Lexipol. Officials hoped to use federal coronavirus stimulus funding to pay the roughly $25,000 fee. In this image made from Windsor Police video, a police officer uses a spray agent on Caron Nazario on Dec. 20, 2020, in Windsor, Va. Lexipol policies have been implemented in departments facing civil rights investigations, such as New Orleans; Newark, New Jersey; and Oakland, California. More recently, its policies have appeared in departments seeking to reform themselves. "Everything about the (Lexipol) policies is the exact opposite of what people marched in the streets to secure," said Carl Takei, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU who focuses on police practices. "But Lexipol is very creative at finding new ways to make a buck off of the policies that they sell. And one way is to co-opt the language of reform." Some of New York's more than 500 law enforcement agencies turned to Lexipol after the governor ordered them to modernize policing based on community input or lose state funding. "Most agencies dont have the capacity to keep their policy manuals up to date," said Jim Bueermann, a retired Redlands, California, police chief and former National Police Foundation president. He sits on Lexipol's Law Enforcement Advisory Council. The smaller the department, the older its policy manual likely is, he said. At one time, his department's manual was 15 years old. In Minnesota, where lawmakers banned chokeholds after George Floyd was murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, there was discussion of legislation requiring law enforcement agencies to use Lexipol. Bill Bolt, the police chief for the town of Minneota, wrote his state representative asking him not to move forward. Minnesota is so diverse that a statewide policy would never meet every community's needs, Bolt wrote. Bolt said that while Lexipol told him he could change its policies to fit his needs, it made him wonder: "Why would I need to get rid of of my current policy and adopt another which I would end up changing so significantly that it would not be in line with the original Lexipol policy." No time for community input Berkeley, California, known for its liberal activism, has prided itself on strong civilian oversight of its police department, the result of years of community outreach. That stopped once the Berkeley Police Department adopted Lexipol's policies, said Andrea Prichett, the founder of Berkeley Copwatch. She resigned from the city's Police Review Commission, an independent civilian oversight agency, in 2018. A Berkeley resident for more than 35 years, Prichett said she saw decades of community input disappear, replaced with policies all "about liability and not about what's best for our community." In this July 18, 2019, file photo, traffic and pedestrians cross Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. The politically liberal city of Berkeley in Northern California decided last year to shift traffic enforcement from armed police to unarmed city workers. Supporters said the separation would curb racial profiling and reduce police encounters that can turn deadly, especially for Black motorists. When the department adopted Lexipol, it "would give us batches of 20 policies at a time," she said. "The police chief said, 'Were going to release these policies; you better hurry up if you want to comment on it. We spent a lot of money on this.'" Prichett said it was impossible to digest the policies and solicit public input so quickly. Eventually the commission created a committee, which included lawyers, that spent hundreds of hours going through the policies, she said. In an emailed statement, department spokesman Officer Byron White said "most existing policies were simply converted into Lexipol policy format with no substantive changes." The department isn't required to receive approval from the commission for its policies, White said, but it allowed "ample time to review and engage with the community." The commission still hasn't reviewed 50 of some 200 policies provided nearly three years ago, he said. Policies become embedded in an agency's culture when they are homegrown, said Greenwood, who frequently reviews them for police departments. "I've had command-level personnel in some agencies tell me very bluntly before that they pay no attention to the policy book because it's not theirs," Greenwood said. "They refer to it as the Lexipol manual." Still, Lexipol's templated approach has created much-needed consistency among the nation's law enforcement agencies, Bueermann said. "It's not a perfect system," he said. "You buy the core concepts, then you have to decide if thats going to work in your city or not." Upping the legal bar for deadly force In California, where the company got its start, Lexipol policies have been used by about 95% of public safety agencies. In 2019, the company worked behind the scenes with a law enforcement lobbying group to weaken legislation that upped the standard for deadly force from "reasonable" to "necessary." Theresa Smith, right, the mother of Caesar Cruz, who was killed in a confrontation with police, wipes her eyes after testifying about her loss on April 23, 2019, at the Capitol in Sacramento as California lawmakers worked to find common ground between law enforcement groups and reformers intent on adopting first-in-the-nation standards designed to limit fatal shootings by police. In a 2019 webinar, Lexipol's Praet told clients that, contrary to media reports, the legislation had changed nothing. The final language of the California Act to Save Lives removed a requirement that officers de-escalate situations. It stripped out the definition of "necessary," which said an officer needed to "conclude that there was no reasonable alternative to the use of deadly force" that would keep someone from being hurt or killed. "The good news is, they didn't get 'necessary.' We stuck with reasonableness," Praet said in the webinar. "If it had gone 'necessary,' my advice to you would have been (to) retire because you couldn't have done police work anymore." He continued, "What is the new standard? The new standard is the exact same thing we've had for the last 50 years, and that is the Graham vs. Connor objective reasonableness standard." After the law was changed, the Peace Officer Research Association of California, the state's largest law enforcement organization and lobbying arm, provided its members with a link to a "legal analysis" on the new law, written by Praet. Lexipol co-founder Bruce Praet wrote in a "client alert" sent to law enforcement that a California law raising the standard for deadly force contained "benign changes." The ACLU of Southern California said Lexipol policies misinterpret the law, which says law enforcement can use deadly force only when necessary. Without a definition for "necessary," it will be up to courts to interpret the law, said Samuel Sinyangwe, co-founder of Campaign Zero, a national nonprofit focused on ending police violence. For now, he said, "the only people who are defining this are the people writing the policy for the police departments, which is Lexipol." Tuesday, the ACLU of Southern California, the League of Women Voters of California and 23 other organizations sent Lexipol a letter about its "inaccurate instruction" of the state's new standard for deadly force. They said Lexipol confuses the different standards for force by sprinkling "reasonableness" throughout its policies, even though California law now says deadly force must be necessary. SUBSCRIBE: Help support quality journalism like this. They urged the company to adopt clearer language that tells officers to use the "minimal force necessary." Agencies say they trust Lexipol, said Ashley Raveche, deputy director for social policy for the League of Women Voters of California. "Folks are being penny-wise and pound-foolish," she said. "Theyre relying on Lexipol because its cheap, it's easy." The ACLU has sued the Pomona Police Department for using Lexipol policies and training that conflict with the new law. Its officers have been involved in multiple fatal shootings since the law went into effect last year. A killing in Pasadena Pasadena's Police Chief John Perez politely rebuffed the League of Women Voters when he received a letter raising questions about the department's use-of-force policy, said Kris Ockershauser, a longtime Pasadena-area activist and a leader of the local chapter. Then Floyd was killed. The city revised its policy over the summer to align with state law. "We police with the consent of our communities, so we have to make sure it fits," Perez said in an interview. He said Lexipol brings many benefits: It saves time and money, emails departments about policy updates and offers online training. Less than a month after the department updated the policy, a Pasadena police officer fatally shot 32-year-old McClain, a Black man, as he ran away after a traffic stop. Attorney Ben Crump, who led the legal team for George Floyd's family, gestures while addressing a crowd gathered in front of City Hall in Pasadena, California, on May 17, 2021. People gathered to demand accountability for the Anthony McClain, who was shot in the back by police in Pasadena in August 2020. McClain family dispute the police account of the shooting, alleging that officers "planted" the gun to falsely justify the shooting, and that Anthony McClain was killed "without warning" and "without justification." The League of Women Voters and civil liberties groups questioned whether officers properly followed the revised policy. The Los Angeles County DA's office is reviewing the officer's conduct, a spokesman said. The family, represented by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, has filed a federal lawsuit. The officer who shot Brown is back on duty after mandatory paid leave to get counseling, a requirement of any officer involved in a serious incident, said Pasadena spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. Due to the lawsuit she declined to provide details on the incident. Officers "don't need to be attorneys" to do their jobs, Raveche said. "They need clear directives on how to do their job." USA TODAY national correspondent Tami Abdollah covers inequities in the criminal justice system. Send story tips by DM @latams or tami(at)usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Use of force policies written by Lexipol at play in police shootings Photo credit: Courtesy of the Raskin Family Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin was thrust onto the national stage earlier this year when he was chosen by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump on the charge of inciting a mob to storm the Capitol on January 6. On that day Raskin, like his fellow lawmakers, had been forced to take cover in the buildingand put on a gas maskas throngs of far-right protesters spent hours defacing art, breaking glass, looting offices, and gravely injuring police officers. It also happened to be the day Raskin had brought his daughter Tabitha and son-in-law Hank with him to work, so that they could witness the counting of electoral votes and what should have been an iconic moment in American democracy: the peaceful transfer of power. Instead they hid under a desk and thought they were going to die. In the midst of all of that, Raskin and his wife were grieving a terrible tragedy at home: the death of their son Thomas (Tommy to those who knew him), who took his own life on New Years Eve. The family had buried him only the day before the Capitol insurrection. Photo credit: Handout - Getty Images Tommy Raskin had a perfect heart, a perfect soul, a riotously outrageous and relentless sense of humor, and a dazzling, radiant mind, Raskin wrote in an emotional tribute. The 25-year-old had been a second-year student at Harvard Law School, his parents alma mater. (His father is a former constitutional law professor; his mother Sarah Bloom Raskin was President Obamas deputy secretary of the Treasury.) In his twenties he began battling depression, a disorder that afflicts nearly 19 percent of Americans, with those in the 1829 age group representing the highest percentage (21 percent) of adults who experience symptoms. The pandemics toll on mental health has been undeniably catastrophic. In June 2020, 40 percent of adults in the country reported dealing with mental health issues and substance abuse. Tommys struggle showed me that our obligation to treat mental health needs is just as urgent as our obligation to treat physical health needs, Raskin says. In theory, federal law governing health insurance now requires them to be treated equally, but this remains more of a paper commitment than a living reality. Most of the nations counties, for example, dont have a child psychiatrist, and treatments for depression arent easily accessible for many families in need. In March the Maryland General Assembly unanimously passed a lawrenamed the Thomas Bloom Raskin Actthat will establish a crisis hotline that not only connects callers with counselors but also periodically checks in on them (the program launches in July). Story continues The state of our society is a crucial component in how we are all doing, Raskin says. Covid-19 is hardly the only major stressor. The racism, the misogyny, the irrational thinking and conspiracy theories, the public ridicule and hostility we have allowed to fester in America, especially on the internet, create a difficult emotional and social climate for everyone. Next up for the congressman: passing a bill to get the National Institutes of Health to complete the first independent study on the damaging effects of social media on childrens emotional, physical, and cognitive development. Were reaching a crisis point on this specific issue, he says. Then hes writing a book about Tommy. This story appears in the Summer 2021 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW You Might Also Like Dana Rohrabacher has been dubbed Putins favorite Congress member by his scores of critics. A former California congressman has admitted that he was present at the U.S. Capitol riots on January 6. Republican Dana Rohrabacher, 73, Orange Countys longest-serving representative, was outed as a participant in the insurrection after a social media account called Capitol Hunters shared photos of him that fateful day in Washington, D.C. Former California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher confirmed on Monday that he was at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) Monday, Rohrabacher, who has moved to Maine, addressed his presence at the deadly insurrection. He told The Portland Press Herald he marched to protest, and I thought the election was fraudulent and it should be investigated, and I wanted to express that and be supportive of that demand. But I was not there to make a scene, he added, and do things that were unacceptable for anyone to do. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Rohrabacher claimed that he didnt enter the Capitol Building, where he once represented Californias 42nd district, and he also condemned those who did. By going into the building, he said, they gave the left the ability to direct the discussion of what was going on in a way that was harmful to the things we believe in. More than 400 people have been arrested for their participation. The Jan. 6 rioters were supporters of former President Donald Trump, but Rohrabacher echoed the claim by some other Republicans that leftist provocateurs were present and responsible for urging the crowd to unlawfully enter the building. The former congressman lost his seat to Democrat Harley Rouda in 2018 after being investigated for ties to Russia and its leader, President Vladimir Putin. Hes been dubbed Putins favorite Congress member by his many critics. President Joe Biden described the insurrection as an unprecedented assault on Americas democracy. The president arrived in Geneva this morning for a summit with Putin, and Rollcall.com said Biden should expect for Putin to reference the insurrection if pressed about his record of how he handles his political rivals. Story continues Putin recently told NBC News Russia has been accused of election interference, cyberattacks and so on and so forth. And not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof. Just unfounded accusations. Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now! TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today! The post Former GOP congressman admits he stormed Capitol: Not there to make a scene appeared first on TheGrio. The City of London skyline Goldman Sachs has delayed plans to bring all UK staff back into the office after the government extended coronavirus restrictions to July 19. The bank had told staff to be ready to return to the workplace in June, but confirmed the change in a note to workers late on Tuesday. Meanwhile, NatWest said its plans for "priority workers" to return on 21 June were also under review. Its new working model could see just 13% of staff in the office full-time. Goldman Sachs International chief executive, Richard Gnodde, told staff its office London remained "open and available" in line with government guidelines. He added that according to "anonymised data" from its recent vaccination survey, "the majority of our people have either had their first dose or expect to receive it before Monday 21 June". But a spokesman confirmed the bank now planned to get all staff back in the office after July 19. Goldman Sachs International's boss, Richard Gnodde, said its London office is '"open and available' Banks appear to be split over whether staff should come back to the office full-time or work from home for some or all days of the week Goldman Sachs' group chief executive, David Solomon, has described working from home as "an aberration", while James Gorman, the boss of rival US investment bank Morgan Stanley said: "If you can go into a restaurant in New York City, you can come into the office." However, NatWest said just over a third of its 59,300 UK full-time employees would continue to work remotely. Some 55% of its staff would adopt a hybrid model of working between the office and home. NatWest chief executive, Alison Rose, said leaders would hold conversations with staff over the summer about which category they fall into. "I would say that we've busted the myth that jobs need to be done in a certain way," she previously told staff. "We have learnt new ways of working and it's important we carry those learnings forward." The government's decision to delay easing all coronavirus restrictions from the original date of 21 June prompted criticism from hospitality industry groups, who said it could cost businesses 3bn in lost sales. Story continues In the City of London, also known as the Square Mile, the drop in people commuting to the offices of big firms has hampered shops, cafes and restaurants, which are reliant on workers to stay in business. 'Delay has killed summer for us' David Abrahamovitch, chief executive and founder of Grind coffee shops, said the four-week delay to restrictions ending "killed the summer". He does not expect a "material change" in the number of commuters to city centres until September to October time. Mr Abrahamovitch said it was "encouraging" that some firms had decided workers would return to office working once restrictions are lifted, but added it was a "completely different landscape" compared to pre-pandemic times. "We are a long way away of seeing the same kind of working patterns we had in 2019," he said. Mr Abrahamovitch said online subscriptions for Grind coffee had "bailed us out" during the pandemic, which had become the "focus of our business" now. Some traders have been working in Canary Wharf during the pandemic Barclays bank told the BBC it expected to "invite" more staff back to its Canary Wharf office over the summer, but said it was "moving towards a hybrid way of working". Barclays boss, Jes Staley, had previously said home working was "not sustainable" for large financial institutions. A HSBC spokesman said it planned to adopt a hybrid model of working. Despite several firms forecasting to have less people in their buildings, Marcus Geddes, managing director for central London for property giant Land Securities, said tenants and customers were "telling us, loudly and clearly" the office was a "key part of ensuring productivity and culture can thrive". Banner saying 'Get in touch' Have you got a question about working from home or hybrid working? Are you uncertain about how to change the way you work? You can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. Wales continue their Group A campaign against Turkey in the heat of Baku on Wednesday, while favourites France and Portugal both opened their Euro 2020 campaigns with impressive victories. After battling back to a 1-1 draw in their first match against Switzerland, Robert Pages squad will be determined to build on that momentum when they face a Turkey side out to respond after a 3-0 defeat by Italy. Elsewhere on Wednesday, the Swiss travel to Rome, while in Group B, Finland face Russia in St Petersburg, returning to action for the first time since Saturdays match with Denmark which saw Christian Eriksen suffer a cardiac arrest before being revived and taken to hospital where his treatment continues. PA Graphics On Tuesday night, France underlined their Euro 2020 favourites tag as they beat Germany 1-0 in Munich. An own goal from Mats Hummels at the Allianz Arena proved the difference, although Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema both had second-half efforts ruled out for offside. Watch: Euro 2020 briefing June 16 - France take the lead against Germany Holders Portugal opened their Group F campaign with a 3-0 win against Hungary in Budapest, where Cristiano Ronaldo became the tournaments all-time leading goalscorer with a late double to silence a capacity crowd at the Puskas Arena. Tweet of the day This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Allez Les Bleus Didier Deschamps guided his side to victory in Munich, where France could have run out more comfortable winners as Les Bleus took control of Euro 2020s Group of Death (Franck Fife/Pool via AP) Quote of the day Gareth Bale insists Wales will be given a bit of extra incentive by partisan Turkish support at Bakus Olympic Stadium. Budapests bumper crowd The return of mass crowds made for an electric atmosphere at the Puskas Arena in Budapest (Bernadett Szabo/Pool via AP) The Puskas Arena in Budapest hosted the biggest attendance of the tournament so far on Tuesday night, with a near-capacity 61,000 crowd as Hungary where there has been a huge Covid-19 vaccination rollout opened their Group F campaign with a defeat to dampen the party atmosphere. Stat attack This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Portugal forward Ronaldo became the first player to appear in five European Championship finals when he led the team out against Hungary and then went on to set another benchmark as two late goals made him the tournaments all-time top scorer with 11. Story continues Up next June 16 Finland vs Russia (Group B, St Petersburg, 1400) Turkey v Wales (Group A, Baku, 1700) Italy vs Switzerland (Group A, Rome, 2000) Watch: Low impact workout Jun. 16MANKATO Minnesota is in the midst of peak tick season and, unfortunately, Mankato's hot and relatively dry June isn't likely to hold the pests at bay. It's true ticks thrive most in a combination of hot and more humid conditions. An early spring already gave them what they needed to emerge. Even with a stretch of hot but drier weather this month, the Minnesota River Valley seems to provide enough cover for the arachnids to avoid drying out. Researchers aren't having much trouble finding ticks when they've been out in the field so far this year, said Elizabeth Schiffman, epidemiologist supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Health's vectorborne diseases unit. "They're pretty hardy," she said. "They don't like it if it's really hot and dry or it's windy, but the blacklegged ticks and deer ticks use nice wooded areas to keep conditions at their level." State researchers weren't out in the field looking for ticks as much last year or this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They've scoured the Minnesota River Valley in past years, though, as a way to get a read on how far tick territories have expanded in the state. There's still a goal to visit every county in the state, Schiffman said, with the Minnesota River Valley remaining of interest to researchers. "We're visiting some sites in Le Sueur County and other areas of that part of the state, and we're definitely finding ticks," she said. Blacklegged ticks, or deer ticks, remain a particular concern due to their ability to spread Lyme disease. The health department documented a general rise in reported Lyme disease cases in the state over about the last two decades. Broader tick habitats and more Lyme disease cases are why health officials stress the need for precautions when people venture in or near wooded areas. Schiffman recommends applying repellent containing the insecticide permethrin before heading out and then scanning for any ticks upon return. Story continues After getting bit by a tick a couple of years ago, Shanna Hood said she's cautious and alert for them when going outside. She and her family love the outdoors and have sprayed their clothes to repel the pests. Hood didn't have a bull's-eye or any other rash on her after her bite, but started having a fever and intense fatigue days after finding the tick on her. She found out she had Lyme disease, with recovery helped along by how fast she sought treatment. Now when she hears about others getting tick bites, she cautions them to be aware of symptoms. Not having a rash doesn't mean people won't get Lyme disease, she said. "Before I felt like 'Oh it's just a tick,' and now it's 'Oh you had a tick bite? You have to monitor yourself,'" she said. The Mankato woman read into how ticks seem to be more prevalent in the area. She and her family even set out "tick tubes" in their yard in the hopes of proactively keeping the pests away. The open-ended tubes contain cotton treated with permethrin. Mice, one of the main carriers of ticks, then use the cotton to line their dens and take down the ticks in the process reportedly leaving the mice unharmed. So far, Hood said the tubes seemed to work in keeping ticks away. "For me it was thinking about how can I stop it easier than before they're on me and I have to use the spray," she said. Taking precautions and being proactive helps her continue doing what she and her family love to do outdoors despite her past tick bite. Health department officials have a similar message for Minnesotans during peak tick season. "We want people to get out and enjoy the outdoors," Schiffman said. "Just take those precautions." Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola Hearst Magazines and Verizon Media may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. As (arguably) the most fascinatingly weird holiday there is, it's not surprising that Halloween has a rich, varied, and somewhat elusive history. Have you ever wondered where all our contemporary Halloween rituals come from? Why, for example, do we ask strangers for sweets and threaten to trick them if they hold out on us? Sounds like a red flag to me. But there are indeed historical reasons for these traditions, and we learned all about them. It turns out that between all the candy consumption, dress-up opportunities, mischief-making, and dark side dabbling, the holiday is traceable to an ancient Celtic festival. From there, it only gets more complex, though. If you're like, wait, what about the witches and ghosts and stuff? don't worry, we'll get there, but first, we're dipping into the real dark side of the holiday, which has much more to do with the violence of imperialism than it does with The Wicked Witch of the West. Like many annual rituals that now seem arbitrary (dyeing eggs on Easter? It's all about fertility! But that's a whole other tangent we'll save for spring), several Halloween traditions have origin stories deeply rooted in mythology. So keep reading to learn about Halloween's origin story and how it has evolved over the centuries at the whims of history and through oral tradition into the beguilingalbeit commercializedholiday we know and love today. Ancient Celtic Origins Photo credit: Getty Images The OG Halloween predates Christianity, stretching all the way to an ancient Celtic celebration (and by ancient we mean about 2,000 years ago) known as Samhain (pronounced "sow-in") in what is now modern-day Ireland, parts of France, and the United Kingdom. Like most ancient holidays, Samhain marked a transition of seasons, from summer to the beginning of winter, hence the sort of dark and stormy vibes of Halloween today. Celebrators believed that on this night, October 31st, the portal between the realm of the living and the dead opened, allowing lost souls to return to human-occupied earth. Story continues This ghostly presence was associated with a few things, from the agriculturalwreaking havoc on cropsto the supernaturalenhancing the clairvoyant capacity of Druids (Celtic priests) so that they could make predictions and communicate with the dead to facilitate happier, warmer winters. The festivals also typically involved bonfires, at which the attendees wore costumes (yup!) and participated in sacrifices of crops and animals. Afterward, the community would use the bonfire to light their own hearths as a sort of closing ceremony for summer and the initiation of winter. So while death and fear are at the heart of it, so are fun and celebration. Photo credit: House Beautiful Roman Rule (27 BCE476 CE) After the Roman Empire conquered much of the Celtic territory in 43 CE, Romans ruled there for some few hundred centuries, during which the tradition evolved with many Catholic influences. There are some links to the Roman festival of Feralia, in which the community mourned its dead, as well as another ceremony called Pomona (named for the Roman Goddess of the Apple), in which celebrators honored fruits and trees. The Middle Ages By a few hundred years into Roman reign, the Catholic church was increasingly attempting to replace "Pagan" practices (or, indigenous ones), with their own, often while vilifying the formerbut keeping some of its traditions. In the eighth century, when "local people converted to Christianity during the early Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church often incorporated modified versions of older religious traditions in order to win converts," reports Albany University. As a result, many elements of Samhain persisted. And according to History.com, "the church made November 2nd All Souls Day, a day to honor the dead," and all saints known and unknown, in an attempt to replace the Celtic holiday with a church-sanctioned version of it. Festivities on this day included dressing up as various saints, angels, and the devil. All Saint's Day was also known as "All Hallow's Days," hence, the later moniker of All Hallow's Eve. Photo credit: Grant Faint - Getty Images 16th Century England In the 1500s, England's King Henry VIII cut ties with the Roman Catholic Church (because the pope refused to annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon). As a result, there was much more tolerance extended to the Protestant Church for some years, but the Church of England remained mostly Catholicand became even more so during the reign of Queen Mary I, aka Bloody Mary. She established England's connection to the Roman Catholic Church, in part by ordering the execution of 300 Protestants. After her, it was sort of the opposite, as Queen Elizabeth I, was a Protestant. Okay, but what does this have to do with Halloween, you might be thinking. Well, let's fast forward to the pilgrimage across the Atlantic. In What Is Now the United States Colonial Period (1600s1700s) The popularity of Hallow's Eve during the American Colonial era varied from place to place, depending on how devoutly Protestant the communities were. The early settler colonialists were Puritans and fled England because of religious persecution, which is why they were known as Separatists. So, for example, in a very Puritanical New England, Hallow's Eve wasn't as widespread, but in less rigid southern colonies, the holiday was still observed. During this era, celebrations around the harvest emerged and became associated with Hallow's Eve, likely a result of the cultural exchanges between indigenous people and Anglo-Saxon settler colonialists. Similar to the way in which the Roman Catholic Church replaced indigenous cultural and religious practices with their own iterations, the same happened here with the settlers and local indigenous populations. Photo credit: duncan1890 - Getty Images The Early Republic (late 1700s1800s) A few generations later, once the U.S. won independence and formed a nation, the country saw a huge wave of European immigrants, who brought with them new traditionsand media. In 1759, Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote a poem entitled Halloween, which described some of the holiday's practices at the time, and introduced the term we know today. "The word itself seems to be a portmanteau of the word 'Hallow,' which originally meant 'saint', mixed with 'een' which was an abbreviation of the word "eve," or night before," according to BigThink.com. European and American Imperialism So how did the holiday reach so many different countries around the world? The answer is simple: European Imperialism. As with most holidays, Halloween celebrations vary from region to region, and different modern iterations of the traditions stem from different ancient cultural practices, but one common thread is the brutality of imperialism and accompanying forced assimilation. Spanish Imperialism in South America (late 1500s1900s) While English Separatists were fighting for independence during the 1600s and 1700s and then later in the Early Republic, they were also establishing a nation in which citizenship was inextricably liked to and defined by one's relationship to land ownership (i.e., you could only be a citizen if you owned landand you could only own land if you were a white man, hence the power structures we continue to see today). Similar practices were unfolding in other parts of the continent, except in this case, the colonizers were Spanish Catholics. Photo credit: Russell Monk - Getty Images Even as the Spanish Catholic conquistadores subjugated indigenous people to forced conversion, there were still, of course, traces of local worship and culture, resulting in a fusing of indigenous practices with Catholic holidays. That's why figures like Santa Muertewhich the official Catholic church still refuses to recognize as a part of the canonpersist today. Day of the Dead also falls on the Catholic Holiday All Saints, and looks quite different from Americanized Halloweenbut more on that in a minute. British Imperialism during the Victorian Era (1800s1900) This time period, of course, was also one of British expansion and subjugation. Of course, along with colonization came the violent and forced assimilation of other religious practices. According to the Washington Post, "the irony is that, while the British were responsible for spreading Halloween, they also spent several decades trying to stamp it out," when in the late 19th century, "the strict Victorian social code called for, among other things, a rigid class hierarchy, gender roles that privileged men over women, sexual restraint, an obsession with manners and a deep disdain for all things that might be perceived as indulgent." Halloween, having to do with dressing up, superstitions, and death, was of course one of the many practices that come under fire. Photo credit: Alastair Duncan / EyeEm - Getty Images Halloween experienced a resurgence in the U.K. and its colonies all over the globe (like Hong Kong and Singapore, among many others) after Queen Victoria died in 1901 and social attitudes gradually shifted. American Imperialism (1900s) The turn of the century also marked by the rise of U.S. military intervention abroad in countries like the Philippines, Japan, Hawaii, Iran, and others, where the spread of American cultural practices, traditions, and media was one way to fulfill what scholar Homi K. Bhabha deems "colonial mimicry," meaning peripheral access to dominant American culture. Media, of course, includes all that Halloween stuff. So in many of these countries, you'll see local influences fused with the commercialized Anglo-Saxon version of the holiday, emphasizing the pattern of Halloween as both a site of resistance and dominance. Photo credit: Sean Locke / EyeEm - Getty Images By the time the 1950s rolled around, Halloween was incredibly commercial as more and more industries were able to profit off of it. As Vox reports, confectionaries knew candy would be an easy thing to pass out on Hallow's Eve, and predicted that kids would want it (duh), so they increased production, thus, increasing affordability and accessibility and ultimately sales... which finally brings us to some of (presumably) your favorite Halloween staples, like trick-or-treating and dressing up. Behind the Modern Day Motifs Halloween is a hybrid of mythologies and histories born of both resistance and oppression, joy and mourning, life and death, an origin story befitting a holiday that celebrates the obscure and occultand the longevity and persistence of folklore, community, and identity. Follow House Beautiful on Instagram. You Might Also Like (AP) FRANCE superstar Paul Pogba has entered Euro 2020s battle of the bottles - by removing a Heineken from the table in front of him at a post-match press conference. Pogba, a practising Muslim, picked the official sponsors beer and placed it out-of-shot as he sat down to address reporters in Munich after being named man of the match in France's 1-0 Group of Death opening victory over Germany. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Alcohol is considered haram in Islamic faith, although the bottle the Man Utd midfielder plucked from view was apparently alcohol-free. The snub came a day after Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo moved aside Coca-Cola bottles in a similar set-up in Budapest. Ronaldo, sitting beside manager Fernando Santos ahead of his team's match against Hungary, irritably set aside two bottles of the soda, then picked up a bottle of water and appeared to encourage drinking that instead - saying "Agua!" This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The intervention coincided with shares in Coke crashing on Wall Street, wiping $4billion off the value of its US parent company. Coca-Cola's shares were trading around $56.17 when the market opened on Monday, but fell 1.6% to $55.22 by the end of the press conference. That led to a sharp drop in market value from $242 billion to $238 billion. The soft-drink manufacturer's shares closed at $55.41 per share last night. A Euro 2020 spokesperson added: "Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conference." Ronaldo follows a fitness routine that includes eating six meals and taking five naps a day and has told of his irritation of his son Cristiano Jrs taste for Coke. Read More Rudiger escapes Uefa punishment over Pogba bite Pogba confirms Rudiger nibbled him during France win over Germany Did Rudiger bite Pogba? Germany defender nibbled France star - Keane How the London melting pot can be the ideas factory of the world Royal Caribbean was forced to postpone some July sailings and push back its June volunteer test cruise after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19, the company's president and CEO announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday evening. The positive cases were discovered during routine testing of crew onboard the brand-new Odyssey of the Seas, wrote Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean's president and CEO. Of the eight people who tested positive, six were asymptomatic and two had mild symptoms. As a result of the positive tests, Royal Caribbean has pushed back its inaugural Odyssey of the Seas sailing from July 3 to July 31 out of Fort Lauderdale. Additionally, Bayley said the June test cruise would be rescheduled. A spokesperson for the cruise line told Travel + Leisure a new date for the test sailing has not been set yet. The company still plans to sail several other cruises out of international and U.S. ports in June and July. The positive tests were discovered after the ship's 1,400 crew were vaccinated on June 4, but not before they will be considered fully vaccinated on June 18. All crew are now quarantined for 14 days "to protect the remaining crew and prevent any further cases." Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas Courtesy of Royal Caribbean The cruise line has made vaccines optional for guests on most sailings, but requires them for crew. "Two steps forward and one step back!" Bayley said, adding, "Guests and travel partners will be notified and given several options to consider. While disappointing, this is the right decision for the health and well-being of our crew and guests." Last month, Royal Caribbean became the first U.S. cruise line to be approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to begin test sailings ahead of a summer restart. The CDC requires cruise lines to sail "simulated voyages" with volunteer passengers before resuming normal operations out of the United States to test COVID-19-related protocols. The agency has made an exception for any cruise that sails with 98% of crew and 95% of passengers fully vaccinated. Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram. Greensboro, NC (27407) Today Rain ending this morning. Remaining cloudy. High 81F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 60F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. HONOLULU (AP) A police officer was charged with murder and two others were charged with attempted murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy, Honolulu prosecutors said Tuesday. It comes after a grand jury last week declined to indict the officers in the shooting that killed Iremamber Sykap on April 5. Police have said Sykap was driving a stolen Honda linked to an armed robbery, burglary, purse snatching and car theft and led officers on a chase before the shooting. Officer Geoffrey H.L. Thom fired 10 rounds into the rear window of the Honda without provocation, Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Van Marter said in court documents. Eight of the shots hit Sykap in the back of the head, back of the neck, upper back and left arm. Sykap died at a hospital. Officer Christopher Fredeluces fired one shot but did not hit Sykap, Van Marter said. The prosecutor said that while Thom claimed the Honda rammed his patrol car, body-camera footage didnt show that. Thoms patrol car sustained a few minor paint chips and some black scuffmarks, Van Marter said. He said Officer Zackary K. Ah Nee fired multiple times at Mark Sykap, the slain boy's brother who was also in the car. Mark Sykap suffered gunshot wounds in his right shoulder and right hand. Police have refused to release body-camera footage from the shooting. Thom was charged with one count of second-degree murder. Ah Nee and Fredeluces were each charged with one count of attempted second-degree murder. If convicted, each faces life in prison with the possibility of parole. A man who answered the phone at a number listed for Thom said he was not taking calls. Listed numbers for Ah Nee and Fredeluces could not immediately be found. Thom is a five-year veteran of the Honolulu Police Department. Ah Nee and Fredeluces have served with the department for three and 10 years, respectively. Interim Honolulu Police Chief Rade Vanic said he was surprised by the prosecutor's decision to seek charges after a grand jury decided not to indict. This is highly unusual, and we are not aware of a similar action having been taken in the past. While we await the courts decision, we will continue to protect and serve the community as we have always done, he said in a statement. The officers will have their police powers removed and be assigned to desk duty. Malcom Lutu, president of the state police officers' union, said in a statement: We continue to trust the process and will continue to stand by our officers. Matt Dvonch, special counsel to Honolulu prosecutor Steve Alm, said it's not unusual for prosecutors to ask a judge to find probable cause that a crime has likely been committed after a grand jury has declined to indict a person. He said prosecutors weren't bringing any new evidence that they didn't have when the case went before the grand jury. Eric Seitz, an attorney representing Sykaps family in a lawsuit against the city and police, said he was gratified prosecutors were pursuing the case. We have suspected from the beginning when we began to get information about how the events unfolded, that the shooting was entirely unjustified, he said. Now that weve seen the further evidence thats contained and attached to the charges, theres no question in our minds that this was an event that could have been and should have been prevented. The family's lawsuit alleges negligence, assault and battery. It asks a state court to award damages, reimburse costs and declare that the officers use of deadly force was unlawful and unauthorized. Jacquie Esser, a state deputy public defender who is not involved in the case, said its critical that police be held accountable for when they use excessive force and kill unarmed people or if they commit misconduct. This is a huge step towards accountability, which is critical for the communitys trust in their policing system, she said. The three officers were scheduled to appear in court on June 25. ___ This story was first published on June 15, 2021. It was updated on June 17, 2021, to correct that the officers would be eligible for parole if they are convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. County Court Littering Theadore E. Beck, Gresham, fined $100. Dog running at large Kimberly Scott, Benedict, fined $25. Possession of an open alcohol container Carl L. Kosek, III, Omaha, fined $50. Attempt of a Class 4 felony Stephanie Zamora, York, sentenced to 30 days jail, ordered to 18 months probation. Driving under the influence, first offense William Dowty, York, fined $500, ordered to six months probation, drivers license revoked 60 days. Driving under suspension/before reinstatement Curtis X. Dubray, Albion, fined $100. Leaving the scene of an accident/failure to furnish information Marcus D. Moreno, Bayard, sentenced to 10 days jail. Also two counts of failure to appear when on bail, sentenced to two days jail on each count. Driving under the influence, first offense Chloe S. Climenhaga, Boulder, Colo., fined $500, sentenced to seven days jail, drivers license revoked six months. Driving under suspension/before reinstatement Amanda L. Rivera, Waco, fined $100. As Nebraskans, we understand both of these things well. Our pioneer ancestors loved liberty so much they were willing to risk everything to make better lives for themselves on the untamed, and sometimes harsh, prairie. And like all of the states who have joined the union since the Revolutionary War, we chose unity with the rest of the country because we know we are stronger when we are united. Many of the American flags that fly on Flag Day were made right here in Nebraska. MSA Brand Products in Fairbury uses only American-made materials in their flags, and individual employees proudly sew the stars and stripes together in-house. I was honored to see them in action when I had the opportunity to visit their headquarters. Not coincidentally, Fairbury is also home to an annual Flag Day celebration that is hosted by the local Elks Lodge. Each year, they recall the history of our flag and honor the first responders, members of law enforcement, and active duty soldiers and veterans who put their lives on the line to protect all that the flag stands for. New Delhi: Top Bhojpuri actress turned television star Monalisa was recently spotted by the paps on duty. She wasn't clicked in her usual glam look or outside any shooting studios, but this time she was spotted buying veggies. Dressed in smart casuals, Monalisa stepped out wearing orange shorts and a black top. She happily posed for the shutterbugs with a fresh veggies bag in her hand. Check out her pictures here: (Pic Courtesy: Viral Bhayani) Monalisa enjoys a whopping 4.4 million followers on Instagram alone and that explains why her posts go viral in split seconds on social media. The actress has had the opportunity of working with almost all the Bhojpuri big shots in her movie career. In 'Nazar', she played an evil force named Mohana. And received immense adulation for her work on TV. Monalisa was seen this year in 'Nazar 2' as Madhulika Chaudhary. She sure knows how to keep her social media fam happy and smiling. The sensational star was seen as a popular contestant in the reality show 'Bigg Boss 10' and in fact, got married to her then-boyfriend Vikrant Singh inside the BB 10 house. She is these days seen in popular daily soap 'Namak Issk Ka'. New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case on a complaint from Bank of Baroda filed on behalf of a consortium of lending banks against M/s Ruchi Global Ltd and others including its directors, Umesh Sahara, Saket Barodia, Asutosh Mishra and unknown public servants. Ruchi Global Ltd is a subsidiary of Ruchi Group of Industries, which operates in areas like wholesale sales of metals, metal ores, cereals and pulses. The companys registered office is in Mumbai, (Maharashtra) and its Corporate Office is located in Indore (MP). The bank has alleged that the accused fraudulently indulged in the diversion of funds, speculation transactions, non-routing of sale proceeds in consortium bank accounts, transactions with related parties/sister concerns etc. The alleged fraud caused a loss of Rs.188.35 Crores (approx) to the lending banks. The other consortium banks such as Punjab National Bank and Jammu & Kashmir Bank have given their mandate to the Bank of Baroda to file the complaint with CBI on their behalf. Searches were conducted today at six places including Indore, Mumbai and Bangalore at the premises of the accused which led to the recovery of various incriminating documents. Live TV #mute New Delhi: Vistara airlines on Wednesday (June 16) flew Indias first flight with fully COVID-19 vaccinated pilots and cabin crew. The company said that the flight departed the Delhi International Airport at 8:50 AM on June 16 and reached the Mumbai Airport at 11:10 AM. Flight UK963 was expected to return with the same pilots and crew to Delhi at 14:05 PM. The flight departed from Mumbai at 11:55 AM. The Tata Sons-led carrier plans to operate similar flights in the coming days to boost confidence in flyers so that they can start travelling with Vistara soon. Vistara noted that the number of fully vaccinated staff is increasing rapidly. With that, the company plans to increase the frequency of flights with fully COVID-19 vaccinated pilots and cabin crew. Taking the announcement to Twitter, Vistara said, India's first flight with fully vaccinated cabin crew and pilots landed in Mumbai today and we couldn't be more excited. Your safety will always be our top priority! The company also used the hashtag #FlyingFeelsSafeAgain in its tweets to make travellers confident of flying again without the fear of coronavirus. India's first flight with fully vaccinated cabin crew and pilots landed in Mumbai today and we couldn't be more excited. Your safety will always be our top priority! #FlyingFeelsSafeAgain#VforVaccine pic.twitter.com/yqfcIODnVu Vistara (@airvistara) June 16, 2021 In a recent announcement, Vistara had said that 100% of its eligible employees, including its corporate staff, have taken at least their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The company is now striving to fully vaccinate all its employees against COVID-19. Also Read: Travelling abroad? Negative RT-PCR report with QR code now mandatory for international flights Vinod Kannan, Chief Commercial Officer, Vistara, said, Vaccination is the best-known defence against the pandemic that is helping the world get back to normalcy, subsequently aiding the recovery of the aviation industry. We have been consistently getting our staff vaccinated in our endeavour to ensure safety for them, their families and our customers whom they serve. This special flight operated by our fully vaccinated cabin crew and pilots is a sign of our continued commitment towards making flying feel safe again, he added. Also Read: Air travel alert! Domestic flights to cost 15% more from June 1, check revised rates here Live TV #mute New Delhi: India Oil Corp Ltd has made it very convenient for its customers to book Indane LPG cylinders via its missed call facility. Introducing the smart way to #Indane refill! Just give us a missed call to 8454955555 and find your #LPG refill at your doorsteps! Customers in Odisha and Kota can register for a new connection by giving a missed call to this number, Indian Oil has tweeted. Introducing the smart way to #Indane refill! Just give us a missed call to 8454955555 and find your #LPG refill at your doorsteps! Customers in Odisha and Kota can register for a new connection by giving a missed call to this number. pic.twitter.com/MzFdEVIctH Indian Oil Corp Ltd (@IndianOilcl) June 15, 2021 Some advantages of missed call refill booking facility over IVRS facility are: Quick booking, customer dont have to hold call for long time. No call charges to customers as compared to IVRS calls where normal call rates are applicable. People who are not adept with IVRS or old age customers who face issues in using IVRS facility can opt for refill booking via missed call. Will ease life of rural consumers. The missed call facility was launched for the first time by Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan in January this year. New Delhi: Public sector banks have agreed to settle bad loans worth Rs 4,863 crore at just Rs 323 crores in the Siva Industries and Holdings case. With the recovery rate standing at just 6.5%, many are raising serious questions regarding how banks are making their way out of the disaster. However, all the members of the Committee of Creditors (CoC) are yet to grant their blessings to the out of court settlement that is facing criticism for allegedly eloping the rules under the Bankruptcy Act. For instance, Indias largest state-owned bank and a CoC member, SBI, is standing against the settlement proposal which is all set to result in a loss of approximately Rs 4,700 crore in public money. On the other hand, the likes of Canara Bank has reportedly sold its exposure worth Rs 1,148 crore privately to International Asset Reconstruction Company Private Limited (IARC), which is an asset reconstruction company, according to a report by ZeeBusiness. Also Read: Businessman arrested for Rs 101 crores GST fraud in Ghaziabad IDBI Bank is settling the Siva Industries case as the lead banker. Other lenders of the firm which have agreed to the settlement include the Central Bank of India, LIC and PNB, among others. However, many are fearing that the case is expected to set a bad precedent of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. The out of court settlement also defeats the purpose of the code brought to protect public money with banks. If more cases are settled out of court, then theres no point in having IBC. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Chennai Bench, is examining the application for withdrawing insolvency proceedings. The next hearing is on June 18, 2021. The application was filed by lenders of Siva Industries and Holdings Limited under 12A of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 (IBC). The lead banker of CoC IDBI Bank has noted that "there was no successful resolution applicant thats why the OTS route is adopted for resolution of debt but as per reports the bidder Royal Partners Investment Fund alleged that the bid was deliberately ignored, according to a report by ZeeBiz. Also Read: Cafe Coffee Day on the verge of bankruptcy? India's popular hangout chain has a debt of Rs 280 crore Live TV #mute Gurugram: The Gurugram health department will start trials of Russia`s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine within 2-3 days at a private hospital. After the trial, Sputnik V will be officially launched by the Haryana government, a senior official of the district health department said. With this initiative, the Gurugram district will be among the first ones in Haryana, where the Russian-made vaccine trial will begin. A senior health official requesting anonymity said that the Sputnik V vaccine first trial will be conducted on at least 400 staffers of a private hospital. "Sputnik V will be made available in Gurugram through the state government. However, the supply chain and mechanism of vaccination will be followed accordingly. The vaccine trial will be first conducted in Gurugram," he said. The official further said a training session for the health workers related to Sputnik V vaccination and its uploading process on the CoWin app has already been completed. Sputnik V vaccine option is also available on CoWin app. "It was the biggest achievement of the Gurugram district to become first to administer half of its population. This could be possible because of an organised vaccination drive conducted in Gurugram. The district health department had also vaccinated Gurugram residents along with several people of Delhi and NCR. Such vaccine drives will continue in the future as well," Dr MP Singh, district immunization officer. Apart from this, Haryana Health Minister, Anil Vij on Tuesday said that a survey done by the Government of India has ranked Gurugram first among the 24 major urban cities in the country where 49.3 per cent of its population has been vaccinated. Meanwhile, around 8,84,461 people in Gurugram have been administered corona vaccines till Tuesday. Live TV Chennai: In yet another tragedy at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, near Chennai, a 12-year-old lion succumbed to COVID-19 on Wednesday (June 16) morning. The authorities said that the lion had been under intensive treatment since it tested positive for SARS-Cov-2 on June 3. The samples of this lion had tested positive, as per the report from National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal. Earlier, Neela, a 9-year old lioness that was housed in the zoo had died, a day after showing some nasal discharge. The authorities said that the lioness was provided treatment immediately after it showcased symptoms. On June 4, the zoo had mentioned that nine of their eleven captive lions have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19. It was on May 26 that five lions housed in the Animal House 1 of the Safari Park area of the zoo were reported to show loss of appetite (anorexia) and occasional coughing. Following this, an in-house veterinary team along with those from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University(TANUVAS) took immediate action and offered treatment. The big cats blood samples and nasal swabs were sent to TANUVAS. Rectal swab and fecal samples of the 11 lions were sent to NIHSAD, Bhopal, which is among the designated institutes to take up SARS COV-2 testing in captive animals. As per the test results, 9 of the 11 lions tested positive. It was after lions tested positive that the forest officials carried out precautionary testing for captive elephants at the Theppakadu camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. However, all 28 elephants rested negative as per results from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Uttar Pradesh. Live TV New Delhi: BJP MLA Nand Kishore Gurjar on Wednesday (June 16) lodged a complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, actor Swara Bhaskar and others for trying to disrupt communal harmony by tweeting the viral video of an old man being thrashed. The BJP MLA accused them of disrupting social harmony and filed the complaint at the Loni border police station.In the complaint, Gurjar said Rahul Gandhi, Asaduddin Owaisi, and Swara Bhaskar have tried to communalise the incident by sharing the viral video from their verified Twitter account. "They have tried to spoil the atmosphere by bringing a Hindu-Muslim angle into the incident. Two Muslim youths are accused in the matter. The video has been shared as part of a conspiracy to incite riots," he wrote in his complaint. Recently a video went viral on social media in which six people could be seen trashing an elderly man. The assailants also chopped off the victims' beard and it was reported that the victim was made to chant slogans such as "Jai Shree Ram" and "Vande Mataram". Following this, Gurjar has demanded that the police station register a case against all of them. The BJP MLA has alleged that an attempt has been made to spoil the atmosphere by spreading enmity between Hindus and Muslims in Loni and other parts of the country by tweeting the video. Ghaziabad SSP Amit Pathak said three persons have been arrested and an FIR has been registered against nine, including Twitter and Twitter India in connection with the matter. He said no communal angle was found in the incident in Loni where the man was thrashed and his beard chopped off. Pathak said the content published on social media is 'irresponsible' and 'unverified'. The content published on social media regarding this is irresponsible and unverified, he said. After the video went viral, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday condemned the incident saying the "right to dignity of Muslims is being snatched" from them since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre. New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a supplementary chargesheet against diamantaire Mehul Choksi and the other 21 accused in the PNB bank fraud case, in which the fugitive has been charged with destruction of evidence. According to reports, the CBI had filed a chargesheet against 18 accused, including Mehul Choksi; however, in the supplementary chargesheet, the federal agency names four more accused, along with the previous 18 accused. Among the 21 people named in the chargesheet include former officials of Gitanjali and Punjab National Bank. The chargesheet was filed on June 10, under Section 120B r/w 477-A, 201 Indian Penal Code and Section 7 of PC Act. The two of four accused, who have been named in the chargesheet by the CBI are Sagar Sawant and Sanjay Prasad. Both are PNB Employees and two private people, Dhanesh Seth and Sunil Verma, who were employees of Mehul Choksi. Sunil Verma is the former international head of the Gitanjali Group of Companies. The CBI found out during the investigation that 165 LoU (Letter of Understaking) and 58 FLC (Foreign Letter Credit) were issued by the PNB bank, Brady House and these two named officials of the bank helped Choksi to get these LoU and FLC. Officials of PNB took illegal gratification for issuing the LoU and FLC. CBI had registered the case on February 15, 2018 against Mehul Choksi, his companies, 10 Directors and officials of PNB bank on the complaint of bank itself. It was alleged that accused persons had hatched criminal conspiracy and defrauded PNB to the tune of Rs 7080.86 crore by fraudulently issuing letters of undertaking to overseas banks for obtaining buyers credit and also issuing foreign letter of credit in favour of the three companies of Mehul Choksi without any sanctioned limit or cash margin and without making entries in the CBS system of the bank. Investigation revealed that during the period from 2015 to 2017, accused officials of PNB issued large no of LoU and FLC in a conspiracy with Mehul Choksi. Mehul Choksi fled from the country before being arrested. Choksi already had citizenship of Antigua, so he escaped to the island and hid there until he was caught and arrested in Domica for entering illegally into the country. Live TV New Delhi: As over 14 lakh students of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) await their class 12th results, speculations are rife that they will be evaluated on the basis of their performance in class 10th and class 11th. The board is likely to calculate the marks on the basis of students' scores in class 12 pre-boards and class 10 and 11 final exams. The 13-member committee constituted by CBSE to work out objective criteria for assessment of class 12 students is also reportedly in favour of this. As per a report in the Times of India, the committee is mulling a 30:30:40 formula where 30% weightage each will be based on class X and XI final exams, whereas, 40% will be evaluated on the basis of class XII pre-board performance. This is to be noted that the CBSE class 12 board exams were cancelled on June 1 in view of the COVID-19 situation in the country. The call was taken at a high-level meeting chaired Prime Minister Narendra Modi who asserted that the decision was taken in the interest of students and the anxiety among students, parents and teachers must be put to an end. The Prime Minister had also directed officials to ensure that the results are prepared in accordance with well-defined criteria, in a fair and time-bound manner. It was also decided in the meeting that in case some students desire to take the exams, such an option would be provided to them by the CBSE 'as and when the situation becomes conducive'. Following the announcement, the CBSE had constituted a 13-member committee on June 4 to work out objective criteria for the assessment of class 12 students. "In view of the uncertain conditions due to COVID-19 and the feedback obtained from various stakeholders, it was decided that class 12 board exams of CBSE will not be held this year. It was also decided that CBSE will take steps to compile the results as per well defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner," CBSE had said. The panel was supposed to submit its report within 10 days, but there are no updates on it yet. The members of the panel include -- Ministry of Education Joint Secretary Vipin Kumar; Delhi Education Director Udit Prakash Rai; Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan Commissioner Nidhi Pandey; Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti Commissioner Vinayak Garg; Chandigarh School Education Director Rubinderjit Singh Brar; CBSE Director (IT) Antriksh Johri and CBSE Director (Academics) Joseph Emanuel. The panel also have one representative each from UGC and NCERT and two representatives from schools. Meanwhile, the board has asked schools to complete the pending practical and internal assessment through online mode only and upload it by June 28. It said that in subjects where an external examiner has not been appointed, the concerned school teacher of the subject will conduct the internal assessment based on the instructions given in Curriculum in an online mode and upload the marks awarded at the link provided by the Board. However, where external examiners are appointed by CBSE, the external examiner will decide the date of examination in consultation with internal examiners and take viva voce through online mode. The exams were scheduled to be conducted in May-June and were postponed in view of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CBSE had also cancelled class 10 board exams and had announced an alternative marking policy. New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday (June 16) dismissed media reports claiming there was dissent from technical experts about increasing the gap between two Covishield doses and said the decision was based on scientific reason about the behaviour of adenovector vaccines. The Centre on May 13 had approved extending the gap between the two doses of the Covishield vaccine from six to eight weeks to 12 to 16 weeks following a recommendation from the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI). The 22nd meeting of COVID-19 Working Group of NTAGI was held on May 10. There, a proposal for a change in dose interval for Covishield, used under the National Vaccination Policy, was considered. Based on the real-life evidences, particularly from the United Kingdom, the COVID-19 Working Group agreed to increase the interval between two doses of Covishield Vaccine to 12 to 16 weeks, the Health Ministry said in a statement. This recommendation was taken up for discussion at the meeting of the Standing Technical Sub-Committee (STSC) of NTAGI held on May 13 under the joint chairpersonship of the secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, the secretary of Department of Health Resources and the DG of the Indian Council of Medical Research, it said. "The STSC of NTAGI gave the following recommendation: 'as per the COVID-19 Working Group recommendation, a dosing interval of minimum three months between two doses of Covishield vaccine was recommended'," the statement said. "It may be noted that the decision of increasing the gap is based on scientific reason regarding behaviour of adenovector vaccines and has been discussed thoroughly in meetings of COVID-19 Working Group and STSC of NTAGI with no dissent from any member," it said. In both the meetings -- of the COVID-19 Working Group and of the STSC -- no dissent was given by any of the three members who have been quoted in the news report, namely Dr Mathew Varghese, Dr M D Gupte and Dr J P Muliyil, the statement said. It also said that Dr Varghese has denied talking to the reporter on the issue of his alleged dissent. Live TV New Delhi: Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan on Wednesday (June 16) addressed a press briefing where he accused his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras and five party MPs to hatch a conspiracy against him and the party while he was unwell. He said that the manner in which he was removed as the chief of Lok Janshakti Party is 'illegal' and contested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's decision to name Pashupati Kumar Paras as the leader of the party in the House. "I was removed illegally as the chief of LJP. The Constitution was not followed for my removal as the party president. I tried to save the party whereas some people were making attempts to break the party when my father was hospitalised. My father asked party leaders, including my uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras about the same. Some people weren't ready for the struggle we had to go through, Chirag Paswan said during the press briefing. He added that he stand by his decision to exit the NDA and added that he didn't want to work with Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) Nitish Kumar. "I did not want to work with Nitish Kumar anymore. JD(U) tried to create fissures in LJP. A conspiracy was hatched when I was was unwell. I haven't recovered completey yet. I didn't compromise on my principles. LJP performed well in Bihar assembly elections. However, then uncle Pasupati Kumar Paras had not participated in the elections," he said. Live TV New Delhi: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader and MP Chirag Paswan, who alleged a coup against him by a few members in the party, on Wednesday (June 16) appointed Raju Tiwari as Bihar's LJP state president in place of Prince Raj. The development came as a woman lodged a complaint with the Connaught Place Police in Delhi against Prince Raj, an LJP MP from Samastipur in Bihar, and cousin of Chirag Paswan. In her three-page police complaint registered on June 15, the woman accused Prince of sexual assault. This came as Chirag Paswan on Tuesday revealed a letter dated March 29 on Twitter, addressed to his uncle, which mentions the involvement of Prince in an alleged sexual act with a woman leader of the party. Media reports mention that Delhi Police sources have said that they have received a complaint and investigations are on. No FIR has been lodged, sources said. Prince Raj is the son of late Ram Chandra Paswan, the brother of late Ram Vilas Paswan, the founder of LJP, and Chirag's father. After Ram Chandra Paswan passed away, Prince Raj contested from Samastipur with Chirag Paswan campaigning for him. There has been high drama in LJP since Monday after Chirag Paswan was unseated as the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras. Along with Pashupati Kumar Paras, Prince Raj, Chandan Singh, Veena Devi and Mehboob Ali Keshar revolted against Chirag. Chirag Paswan, son of late LJP founding president Ram Vilas Paswan, who has been cornered in the very party he had been heading for nearly a year, had at a press conference in Delhi earlier in the day raised questions over the Lok Sabha Speaker giving recognition to the rebel faction which has chosen Paras as its leader. Shortly after Chirag was done with his media briefing, Paras, his fathers youngest brother and MP from Hajipur constituency which Paswan senior represented a number of times, landed at the Patna airport whre he received a rousing welcome by enthusiastic supporters. He challenged Chirag's contention that the election of the former as the head of the parliamentary party was invalid since such a decision could be taken 'only by the national president or the chairman of the parliamentary board'. Live TV New Delhi: Announcing his plan to tackle the possible third COVID-19 wave, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday (June 16) announced that 5000 youths will be trained as health assistants in order to meet the shortage of medical staff. Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said that these youths will be accorded with basic nursing, home care and first-aid training including reading oxygen levels, vaccinating and so on. The health assistants or community nursing assistants will be imparted two weeks' basic training, PTI reported. In 1st and 2nd waves, we saw shortage of medical and paramedical staff. So, the government has an ambitious plan to prepare 5000 health assistants. 5000 youth will be trained by IP University for 2 weeks each. They will be given basic training at Delhi's 9 major medical institutes. Further, he added, They'll work as doctors and nurses' assistants. They'll be given basic training in nursing, paramedics, life-saving, first aid and home care. The online applications will be available from June 17, while the training will commence from June 28, the Delhi CM informed. Candidates should have cleared class 12 and must be 18 or above. The assistants will be paid according to the number of days they work, Kejriwal added. The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic is likely to hit in October and affect children. Many states have started preparations to deal with the third wave. Meanwhile, private hospitals including Jaipur Golden Hospital and Batra Hospital in the national capital have started installing their own oxygen generation plants in order to avoid deaths due to oxygen shortage that occurred during the second wave. On Tuesday, Delhi recorded 228 COVID-19 cases and 12 fatalities, the lowest since April 3, while the positivity rate was at 0.32 per cent, according to the health bulletin. (With agency inputs) Live TV New Delhi: There are many news today but most of them are fake. It is up to the audience to decide whether they want authentic news or fall for fake news. Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Wednesday (June 16) discussed the fake news factory thriving on Twitter and the Centres crackdown on the microblogging platform for failing to check it. Recently, a fake story was widely circulated on Twitter that showed an elderly Muslim man being thrashed by some people. Some journalists and opposition leaders linked the incident to the slogan of Jai Shri Ram and portrayed it as a communal matter. However, Uttar Pradesh police clarified that 72-year-old Abdul Samad was beaten up in Ghaziabad on June 5 because he had sold some people talismans that had a bad effect on them. Consequently, the UP police registered FIR on nine people including Twitter for spreading fake news and creating communal disharmony. Among the accused is Mohammad Zubair, who is the co-founder of Alt News. Zubair, who calls himself a fact-checker himself propagated fake news. Journalist Rana Ayyub, who is famous for writing articles against the Indian government in western media, has also been named in the FIR. Apart from this, news website The Wire, Congress leader Salman Nizami, former president of Aligarh Muslim University Students' Union and Congress leader Maskoor Usmani, Congress national spokesperson Dr Shama Mohammad and journalist Saba Naqvi are are also named in this. All of them are active members of the Tukde Tukde Gang. Even Twitter Inc and Twitter India have been named in the FIR. This is the first time in India, when a social media platform has been made an accused in such a case. The question is that after this FIR, will Twitter suspend the accounts of these people and will it take back the blue ticks from these people. It is important to understand how Twitter was made accused in an FIR for the first time in India. The central government has ended the legal protection given to Twitter. It has withdrawn the Intermediary status accorded to it. Technology companies in India have got this legal protection under section 79 of the IT Act 2000. Under this, if any objectionable content is shared or any fake news is spread from the social media platform of these companies, these companies will not be held responsible for it. Till now these foreign companies were taking advantage of the exemption given in Indian law, but now this will not be possible. Now, these companies will also come under the legal purview and they can be held responsible for objectionable content and fake news. This has started with Twitter. On February 25 this year, the Government of India, while making new IT rules, gave three months to all technology companies to create a compliance mechanism. But despite this, Twitter did not comply. It may the reason behind the action that has been taken against Twitter. Appearing on DNA, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the country cannot run according to Twitter. "Foreign companies are free to do business in the country but they have to adhere to laws. The country is not dependent upon Twitter," the Union IT Minister said. Slamming Twitter, Prasad said that it is astounding that Twitter that portrays itself as the flag bearer of free speech, chooses the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to the Intermediary Guidelines. Live TV Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to make `English medium` compulsory across all government, private aided, and unaided degree colleges across the state from the academic year 2021-22, as per the state government`s release. The Department of Higher Education of Andhra Pradesh "strongly feels" that the introduction of English medium education at the undergraduate (UG) level would enhance the career prospects of graduates, said the statement. It further said, "According to the findings in India Skills Report of 2019, English figured among the top three skills, along with learning agility and adaptability, that employers look for in India. Out of over 2.62 Lakh students who have taken admissions into degree colleges across the state, only 65,981 students are admitted into Telugu medium background during 2020-21." "Out of 65981 Telugu medium students, 24007, 16925, and 24960 have enrolled themselves in BA, BCom, and BSc courses respectively. This particular decision is bound to immensely benefit these students as well," it added. The state government cited a 2016 report of Cambridge University titled `Findings of English at Work: Global analysis of language skills in the workplace` which highlights that about 90 per cent of employers look for in India say that English language skills are important for their organization. The government noted the language skill will help the students in the further studies as well as in finding employment in the future. Highlighting other important advantages of making English compulsory, the state government said that the public sector recruitment process held through UPSC, APPSC, SSC, and BSRB also test the language proficiency. "As the 4th year of UG curriculum is in research orientation, it would be difficult to pursue quality work in PhD, if UG is studied in Telugu Medium. The `Future of work` demands knowing English which will be met with studying UG in English Medium so that the inherent inhibition wanes away. By studying core subjects in English Medium, the fluency in English increases. The transition from Telugu Medium in intermediate to English Medium in Degree would be easier when compared to the transition from Telugu Medium in Degree to English Medium in Post-Graduation," the release said. In order to facilitate a smooth transition, the Department of Higher Education has also introduced life skill courses like Personality development and leadership and Human values and Professional Ethics. Every student should mandatorily select at least one life skill course in the first two semesters and two in third. "Curriculum is thoroughly revised with effect from 2020-21 with a mandatory internship for 10 months. 30 per cent of the revised curriculum consists of skilled-oriented programs. The department is also developing spoken English courses at levels 1,2 and 3," the release added. Live TV New Delhi: A fire broke out at Delhis AIIMS Convergence block building on Wednesday night and several fire fighting vehicles have reached the spot to douse the fire. #WATCH | A fire breaks out at the ninth floor of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in Delhi. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/uOas2zxKM5 ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2021 "As many as 20 firetenders have been rushed to the spot," Delhi Fire Service Director, Atul Garg told ANI. The fire department said the incident took place at 10.22 pm on the ninth floor of the building, the rescue efforts are underway. Meanwhile, no loss of life or injuries have been reported so far. The incident site is reportedly away from the hospital where patients are admitted. The convergence block is in the campus where classes are held, it also houses laboratories. (This is a breaking story, ore details are awaited) New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday (June 16, 2021) said that India calls for a free, open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific. During the virtual address at the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), Singh said, "India calls for a free, open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific, based upon respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and adherence to international rules and laws." The Defence Minister stated that India has strengthened its cooperative engagements in the Indo-Pacific based on converging visions and values for the promotion of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. "Premised upon the centrality of ASEAN, India supports the utilization of ASEAN-led mechanisms as important platforms for the implementation of our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific," Singh added. Addressing the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) via video conference. Watch https://t.co/YoR80bjcVs Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 16, 2021 Rajnath Singh's comments come at a time when India marks one year of the Galwan Valley faceoff with China. Remembering the #Bravehearts of #Galwan Maj Gen Akash Kaushik, Officiating GOC #FireandFuryCorps laid a wreath at #Leh War Memorial & paid homage to #Bravehearts who laid down their lives at #Galwan on 15 Jun 2020 while fighting for the #Nation.#IndianArmy pic.twitter.com/qMayWT8mhY ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) June 15, 2021 The meet also saw the participation of defence ministers from China, Japan, Russia and the US Defence secretary. During the address, Rajnath Singh expressed that India shares a deep connection with ASEAN and has continued its active engagement in many areas contributing to regional peace and stability, particularly through ASEAN led mechanisms, such as East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum and ADMM-Plus. He also spoke on terrorism and radicalization and said that they are the gravest threats to peace and security that the world is facing today. "As a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), India remains committed to combat financing of terrorism," he said. He also commented on the developments in the South China Sea and said that India supports freedom of navigation, over flight, and unimpeded commerce in these international waterways. This is to be noted that the ADMM Plus is a significant platform involving 10 ASEAN member countries and eight dialogue partners - Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States. Live TV New Delhi: A woman has allegedly lodged a complaint with the Connaught Place Police in Delhi against Prince Raj, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP from Samastipur in Bihar, and cousin of Chirag Paswan. She has accused Prince of sexual assault, according to media reports. According to sources, she has lodged a 3-page complaint on June 15. On that very day, Chirag Paswan had revealed a letter dated March 29 on Twitter, addressed to his uncle, which mentions the involvement of Prince in an alleged sexual act with a woman leader of the party. Media reports mention that Delhi Police sources have said that they have received a complaint and investigations are on. No FIR has been lodged, sources said. Prince Raj is the son of late Ram Chandra Paswan, the brother of late Ram Vilas Paswan, the founder of LJP, and Chirag's father. After Ram Chandra Paswan passed away, Prince Raj contested from Samastipur with Chirag Paswan campaigning for him. There has been high drama in LJP since Monday after Chirag Paswan was unseated as the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras. Along with Pashupati Kumar Paras, Prince Raj, Chandan Singh, Veena Devi and Mehboob Ali Keshar revolted against Chirag. Live TV Ghaziabad: Ghaziabad Police has filed an FIR against nine entities, including Twitter India in connection with the Loni incident, in which a man was thrashed and his beard was chopped off. A video recently went viral on social media where six people could be seen trashing an elderly man. The assailants also chopped off the victims` beards and it was reported that the victim was made to chant slogans like "Jai Shree Ram" and "Vande Mataram". In the FIR, the Police, however, said, "There is no communal angle to the incident in Loni where a man was thrashed and his beard was chopped off. The following entities -- The Wire, Rana Ayyub, Mohammad Zubair, Dr Shama Mohammed, Saba Naqvi, Maskoor Usmani, Salman Nizami -- without checking the fact, started giving communal colour to the incident on Twitter and suddenly they started spreading messages to disrupt the peace and bring differences between the religious communities." Police further said that Twitter has done nothing to prevent the video from getting viral, and named "Twitter, Twitter Communications India Pvt, The Wire, Rana Ayyub, Mohammad Zubair, Dr Shama Mohamed, Saba Naqvi, Maskoor Usmani, Salman Nizami" as accused in the FIR.Police in the FIR noted that there is no communal angle in the incident." According to the FIR, "The victim Abdul Samad Sufi and the accused have known each other for a long time. The victim sold a tabeez (amulet) to the key accused with the promise that it will bring him prosperity but he [Parvesh] complained that it had an adverse effect on his family. When the tabeez did not work, the accused got angry and had beaten the victim." The FIR further said that a case in the matter has been filed and Ghaziabad police have arrested the three accused who had trashed the elderly victim. On Tuesday, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the incident stating that the "right to dignity of Muslims is being snatched" from them since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre. AIMIM Chief alleged that such incidents against Muslims are happening because these attackers know they will receive political support from the ruling party. He told media persons, "A 72-year-old man was brutally beaten up and his beard was forcefully cut off. The persons who attacked him are of the same kind who are inducing hatred in Muslims of this country. While beating the old man brutally, these attackers have recorded the video and have posted it on social media." Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also said that the incident in Ghaziabad was shameful for the society, evoking a sharp response from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who accused him of "spreading poison". Tagging a report on the incident, Rahul Gandhi said, "I am not willing to accept that true devotees of Lord Ram can do such a thing." He tweeted in Hindi to say, "Such cruelty is far removed from humanity and is shameful for both society and religion." Meanwhile, the Ghaziabad Police have ruled out any communal angle in the incident, saying Sufi Abdul Samad was attacked by six men -- Hindus and Muslims -- who were unhappy over the amulets he had sold to them. Citing the police's statement, CM Adityanath tagged Gandhi's tweet and said, "The first lesson Lord Ram taught was to 'speak the truth' which you have not done in your life." -" " , pic.twitter.com/FOn0SJLVqP Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) June 15, 2021 Attacking Gandhi, Yogi further said in his tweet in Hindi, "You should be ashamed that even after the police has put forth the truth, you are spreading poison in the society," adding "In the greed of power, you are shaming humanity. Stop humiliating and defaming the people of Uttar Pradesh." The arrested youths have been identified as Kalloo and Adil. Apart from them, Polly, Arif, Mushahid and Parvesh Gurjar were also involved in the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police Amit Pathak told PTI. (With Agency Inputs) Live TV Lucknow: A day after reports of some suspended BSP MLAs meeting with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav surfaced, BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday said it is an illusion. In a series of tweets, she attacked the Samajwadi Party (SP) accusing it of being an expert in "narrow politics". "The Samajwadi Party, which is an expert in narrow politics of despicable manipulations, malice, and casteism, is publicising through the media that some BSP MLAs are breaking away to join the SP. This is an intense illusion," she tweeted in Hindi. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief said that those MLAs were suspended from the party long back for colluding with the SP and an industrialist during the Rajya Sabha elections for defeating a Dalit candidate. She added, "Had the SP been even a bit honest towards these suspended MLAs, it would have not kept them in lurch. The SP knows that if these MLAs join their party, then there will be a rebellion and disunity in SP, whose leaders are eager to cross over to the BSP." "The SP has always been anti-Dalit and they do not want to improve. This is why the SP government had stopped the welfare works undertaken by the BSP. Bhadohi was not made a new district as Sant Ravidas Nagar, which is extremely condemnable," Mayawati said in another tweet. She alleged that the "drama" of publicising the meeting of suspended BSP MLAs with Yadav is a new "stunt" by the SP ahead of the upcoming zila panchayat elections. "BSP has emerged as a party to fulfill the aspirations of the people in Uttar Pradesh and it will continue to do so," she tweeted. On Tuesday, at least five MLAs suspended by the BSP last year met Yadav, triggering speculation that they may join his party. Handia legislator Hakimlal Bind said he, along with Chaudhary Aslam Ali, Mujtaba Siddiqui, Hargovind Bhargav, Aslam Raini and Shushma Patel met the SP chief. The two other suspended legislators are Ramveer Upadhyay and Anil Singh, he said. However, Hargovind Bhargav had told PTI that he was not present at the meeting. "I was in Sidhauli (his Assembly constituency) and did not go there. I also saw my name being flashed on news channels," he said. Mungra Badshahpur MLA Sushma Patel had told PTI, "The meeting with Akhilesh Yadav, which lasted for 15-20 minutes, witnessed discussions on the upcoming UP Assembly elections." When asked about the future course of action, Patel said, "Personally, I have made up my mind to join the Samajwadi Party." In October 2020, seven BSP MLAs were suspended by party president Mayawati. Apart from the MLAs whose name cropped up with regard to the meeting with the SP chief, Vandana Singh is the seventh legislator to be suspended. Earlier this month, Mayawati had expelled BSP's legislative party leader Lalji Verma and Akbarpur MLA Ram Achal Rajbhar. Live TV New Delhi: Two days after the announcement that the Novavax vaccine 'Covovax' is highly effective against COVID-19, the Serum Institute of India (SII) has now said that they will be ready to launch it in India by September. SII CEO Adar Poonawalla on Wednesday (June 16, 2021) told an English news channel that the coronavirus vaccine will be available by the month of September if they get the required regulatory nod from the Centre. Poonawalla also said that they are planning to start clinical trials of Covovax for children from the next month. This is to be noted that the Serum Institute of India has a vaccine manufacturing agreement with Novavax Inc, a US-based company. Earlier on Tuesday, Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, had also commented on the Novavax vaccine and said that its efficacy data is 'promising'. "What we are learning from the available data that this vaccine is very safe and it is highly effective but what makes this vaccine relevant for today is the fact that this vaccine will be produced in India by the Serum Institute of India," Dr Paul said. He added that the preparatory work has already been accomplished by the Serum Institute and it is also conducting a bridging trial, which is in advanced stages of completion. "I am also hoping that they will also start trials on children which is of special interest to all of us," he said. (With agency inputs) Live TV New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (June 16) called for focus on 'repair and prepare' as the nation emerges out of a devastating pandemic. "Over the past year, we have witnessed a lot of disruption in different sectors. Much of it is still there. Yet, disruption does not have to mean despair," he said at VivaTech Summit. "Instead, we must keep the focus on the twin foundations of repair and prepare," he said referring to the need to augment healthcare infrastructure in the country as well as prop up the economy. Indian economy suffered its worst contraction in decades in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, as the pandemic-induced lockdown impaired economic activity. The government, however, continued with the reforms that would help sustain higher growth rates after the world emerges from the pandemic. India implemented huge reforms across sectors - from mining to space, from banking to atomic energy, he said. "This goes on to show that India as a nation is adaptable and agile, even in the middle of the pandemic." "India offers what innovators and investors need," Modi said. "I invite the world to invest in India based on the five pillars of talent, market, capital, eco-system and culture of openness." Stating that India's strides in the world of tech and start-up are well-known, he said the country is home to one of the world's largest start-up eco systems and several unicorns have come up in recent years. Live TV New Delhi: The Punjab government on Tuesday (June 15) eased lockdown curbs taking into account the COVID-19 positivity rate dropping to 2 percent. Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced a slew of new relaxations which will remain in effect till June 25, after which the situation will be reviewed again. Check what is allowed to open: 1. All restaurants (including in hotels), cafes, coffee shops, fast food outlets, dhabas can open at 50 per cent capacity from Wednesday (June 16). 2. Gathering of people, including for weddings and cremations, has been limited to 50 persons. 3. Cinemas and gyms can operate at maximum 50 per cent of capacity, subject to all their employees getting at least one dose of coronavirus vaccination. 4. AC buses are allowed to ply with 50 per cent occupation. The District Authorities have been directed to decide the opening timings of non-essential shops, including on Sunday, on the basis of the local situation, while ensuring that it does not lead to crowding. What are the restrictions: 1. Daily night curfew will continue to be in effect from 8 pm to 5 am, while weekend curfew will continue from 8 pm on Saturday upto 5 am on Monday, across the state. 2. Bars, pubs and `Ahatas`will continue to remain closed. 3. All educational institutions including schools and colleges will continue to be closed. All essential activities, including those covered under existing exemptions, will remain exempted from curfew restrictions. On Tuesday, Punjab logged 38 coronavirus-related deaths and 642 fresh cases pushing the state's infection count to 5,89,153. The death toll in the state stands at 15,650, as per official data. (With inputs from agencies) Live TV Visakhapatnam: Six naxals including females were killed in an encounter with Andhra Pradesh police in the early hours on Wednesday (June 16). The exchange of fire took place between CPI (Maoist) and Greyhounds police parties at Theegalametta forest area in the Visakhapatnam district, informed Krishna Rao, Superintendent of Police (SP), Visakha Rural district. Today at morning hours, an exchange of fire took place between CPI (Maoist) and Greyhounds parties at Theegalametta forest areas (Koyyru surrounding areas) under PS limits of Mampa, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, said the official statement. Six dead bodies including female dead bodies are recovered. One AK, one SLR, one Carbine, three 303 Rifles and one Tapancha are also recovered from the spot, it added. No casualties among the police personnel were reported. Rao said that further details of the encounter would be made public later today. Also Read: 13 Naxals killed in encounter in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli Live TV Agra: A 40-year-old woman from Brazil was one of the early tourists to step inside the premises of Taj Mahal as it opened on Wednesday after having been closed for around two months amid the COVID-induced lockdown. As many as 1,919 tourists, including two foreign nationals, visited the monument on the first day, officials said, adding 221 people visited Agra Fort, 75 Fatehpur Sikri and 151 Akbar's Tomb in Sikandra. Melissa Dalla Rosa from Brazil told PTI that it was a "special moment for me to see the Taj Mahal during sunrise and being totally alone at the wonderful place". The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had announced the reopening of all centrally protected monuments, sites and museums from Wednesday. However, the Agra administration capped the number of visitors at the Taj Mahal to 650 people at a time. Melissa, who was on a nine-week yoga tour in India when the lockdown was announced, said: "I came to Agra yesterday from Lucknow only to explore the city as I knew monuments were closed due to the pandemic. But (when I arrived here), I got to know that the Taj Mahal is reopening so I rushed to book a ticket." "I came here very early and was the first tourist to have stepped inside. It was magical. Thank you India for this opportunity," she said. A couple from Lucknow described their experience as 'memorable'. "I've visited Taj Mahal many times but today's visit was memorable. I booked tickets online and was able to see the most beautiful white marble mausoleum in the world," said Amir. For him, it was a 'wah Taj!' moment with birds chirping during the sunrise at the monument that looked 'so clean and beautiful' with few visitors. Mamta Tomar, who travelled from Ghaziabad with her family, said they had been waiting for a long time to visit the monument. "I and my other family members clicked photos from the central tank and captured every moment on our phone," she said. The visitors followed COVID protocol with their masks on. They were thermal screened and sanitised before entering the premises of the monument. One could sense huge enthusiasm among all, including the shopkeepers and vendours outside the tomb complex. Some tourist guides were also spotted at the Shilpgram parking area. Superintending Archaeologist, ASI Agra Circle Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, said that of the 1,919 visitors, 1,850 were adults and 67 children. At Itmad-ud-daulah, 30 tickets were sold, at Mehtab Bagh 59, at Ram Bagh 45 and at Mariam Tomb 19 tickets, he said. Live TV New Delhi: With IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slamming Twitter once again, ironically in a series of tweets, leading experts on Wednesday began a debate on whether the micro-blogging platform has actually lost its "legal shield" in the country from prosecution over posts. There is no doubt that India needs to ensure that the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 do not become a mere paper tiger and are effectively implemented. However, can the country stipulate stringent liabilities against social media firms like Twitter for failing to comply with its directions? By virtue of Rule 7 of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines) rules 2021, the moment any intermediary including any significant social media intermediary does not comply with the IT rules, they automatically lose their statutory exemption from legal liability. Also Read: Facebook rewards Rs 22 lakh to Indian hacker for reporting dangerous Instagram bug "Further, they become liable for being punished for various offences under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Indian Penal Code, 1860. In this case, Twitter by not complying with the IT rules 2021 has lost its statutory immunity after the expiry of 90 days from February 25," leading cyberlaw expert Pavan Duggal told IANS. According to him, Twitter no longer has the "suraksha kavach" or statutory exemption from legal liability. "This effectively means that they are liable to be sued in civil and criminal actions across the country and they are liable to defend each one of them for third party data or information made available by them," Duggal added. However, according to non-profit Internet Freedom Foundation, the "intermediary status" is not a registration that is granted by the government. "The present concerns arise from Rule 7 of the IT Rules, but Rule 7 only says that the provisions of Section 79 of the IT Act won`t apply to intermediaries that fail to observe the IT Rules," the foundation said in a series of tweets. "The new IT Rules, as per several digital rights organisations, are unconstitutional. In fact, they have been challenged in several state High Courts (like by TM Krishna, a prominent Carnatic music vocalist and cultural critic in Madras HC)," the foundation added. According to Virag Gupta, the lawyer of former RSS ideologue K.N. Govindacharya, who is arguing the social media Designated Officers` matter before the Delhi High Court, there are three aspects of new IT Rules. "However, there is debate only on one aspect of Grievance Officer. Facebook, Google, WhatsApp and other tech giants including Twitter have yet not fully complied with rules related to Nodal Officer and Compliance Officer," Gupta told IANS. Article 14 of the Constitution mandates equality, but the government is "singling out Twitter and not taking action against other social media companies which are not compliant with the law", Gupta argued. According to Minister Prasad, Twitter was given multiple opportunities to comply with the same, but has "deliberately chosen" the path of non-compliance. "In certain scenarios, with the amplification of social media, even a small spark can cause a fire, especially with the menace of fake news. This was one of the objectives of bringing the Intermediary Guidelines," he said in a series of tweets. "Further, what is perplexing is that Twitter fails to address the grievances of users by refusing to set up process as mandated by the law of the land. Additionally, it chooses a policy of flagging manipulated media, only when it suits, its likes and dislikes," the IT Minister added. Twitter was yet to react to the latest tweets by IT Minister. Experts argued that India needs to come up with effective legal provisions stipulating the consequences to be faced by social media companies in case they do not take effective steps to fight the menace of fake news/misinformation on their platforms. The options for the government are now to start legal proceedings against Twitter for third-party data and information. "Further, all affected persons who have been affected by the inactions of the service provider, can sue the service provider, both for legal action and also for criminal liability," said Duggal. Since Twitter, as a service provider, has not complied with the new IT rules, the government can also start initiating action to prevent them from offering their service in "a seamless manner in the Indian context", the experts noted. Also Read: Nomoskaar Assam! Koo launches app in Assamese as Twitter comes under fire On Wednesday, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had visited Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs of India, Pralhad Joshi. The governor had arrived in the capital late on Tuesday night. Dhankar took to Twitter and spoke about the meating with Joshi. His tweet read: "Had useful interaction with Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs of India @JoshiPralhad on varied issues." Meanwhile, Joshi had also taken to the social media platform to acknowledge the meeting. He tweeted, "Welcomed Hon'ble Governor of West Bengal, Shri @jdhankhar1 ji, earlier today at my residence. During our visit to Kolkata, we had extended an invite to the Hon'ble Governor. Grateful that he paid a courtesy visit." The West Bengal governor has been in news in recent times because of his repeated spat with WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her state government. On Tuesday, Dhankhar had hit out at Banerjee, stating that none of the state government officer or minister has visited the sites where post-poll retributive violence took place, despite his writing a letter, ANI reported. In response, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government slammed the governor, stating that the contents of the letter were "not consistent with real facts". The post Assembly poll violence in Bengal has been in news in the last few weeks, with the state being accused by the BJP of not taking action against the party workers and alleged perpetrators. Live TV New Delhi: Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) has invited applications for direct recruitment of male and female candidates for the post of Sub-Inspector in Group C of the police department. Out of the total 465 openings, 400 vacancies are meant for male candidates, while there are 65 vacancies for female Sub Inspector position. Interested candidates can apply on the official website at hryssc.in. The application window will open on June 19, 2021. The last date to submit online application is July 2, 2021. The tentative date of the OMR-based exam is August 1, 2021. Age Limit for HSSC Sub-Inspector recruitment: A candidate must be between 21 and 27 years of age to be eligible. Certain relaxation will be provided as per the government rules. Educational qualification required for HSSC Sub-Inspector recruitment: 1. Graduation from a recognized university or its equivalent 2. Matric with Hindi or Sanskrit as one of the subject or higher Salary of HSSC Sub-Inspector: Pay Scale: Rs.35400- 112400- Level-6, Cell-I. How to apply for HSSC Sub-Inspector recruitment: Step 1: The candidate should fill all details while filling the Online Application Form. Once the window opens, the online application can be filled up at: http://adv3/2021.hryssc.in/StaticPages/HomePage.aspx Step 2: After applying online, Registration No. and Password will be generated. Take print out of the registration no. and password screen for future reference. Step 3: After successful submission of application, candidates can again take final print out of application form and e-Challan. Important dates: Opening date for submission of online applications June 19, 2021 Closing date for submission of online application July 2, 2021 (By 11:59 pm) Closing date for deposit of fee July 6, 2021 Examination date: August 1, 2021 (Tentative) Live TV Lucknow: The notification of the Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test 2021 (UPTET) exam was expected to be released on May 11 but got postponed due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the UPTET exam was scheduled to be conducted on July 25. However, was delayed due to the delay in the registration process. Since the unlock is around the corner and Uttar Pradesh is easing the lockdown restrictions, the notification for the recruitment process is expected to be released soon. The Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test (UPTET) Exam Regulatory Authority Secretary has already sent a proposal to the government for the same, KhabarSatta reported. The online application process is likely to begin on July 15, 2021. The UPTET notification will consist of important details regarding the exam, application process, eligibility criteria, important dates, exam pattern, syllabus among other things. The qualified candidates will receive their UPTET eligibility certificate once the results are out. The UPTET eligibility certificate will be valid for five years. Qualified candidates will be eligible to be recruited as primary or upper-primary level teachers in the government schools of Uttar Pradesh. The state-level exam is held once a year by the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Board. Around 17 lakh candidates appear for the UPTET exam every year. It is mandatory to clear the UPTET exam for the job of a teacher in the state. As the COVID-19 situation is coming under control UPTET Exam Regulatory Authority may conduct exams in the month of August if the conditions remain favourable. ALSO READ: UP Board Exam Result 2021: Important update for class 10 and 12 students Live TV Bengaluru: Amid growing resentment among some BJP MLAs against the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa-led government, Karnataka BJP in-charge Arun Singh will visit the southern state on Wednesday to meet the party MLAs. Singh will also hold a party core committee meeting on June 18. During his three-day visit to the southern state, BJP national General Secretary Arun Singh is expected to give a patient hearing to the ministers and legislators, many of whom had recently expressed dissent over the CM`s functioning. The central BJP leader will seek feedback from the party MLAs and then give a detailed report to the BJP central leadership about the situation in Karnataka. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj KS Eshwarappa said, "BJP`s state in-charge Arun Singh is coming to Karnataka on Wednesday. There will be a meeting of state ministers on Wednesday and Thursday headed by Singh. MLAs will present their opinions on CM BS Yediyurappa and their grievances." "There will be a core committee meeting on June 18. Its BJP, we believe in democracy. Central leaders are sending Arun Singh to listen to the leaders here in Karnataka. It`s not like Congress where no one listens or asks," Eshwarappa said. "It`s BJP that believes in democracy. Central leaders are sending Arun Singh ji to listen to leaders here in Karnataka. Its not like Congress wherein no one listens and asks", he added. On June 12, a day after BJP's Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh ruled out his replacement, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had asserted that he will continue to be the chief minister for the next two years and work for the development of the state. "Our state in-charge Arun Singh himself has said that Yediyurappa is the Chief Minister for the next two years. I will try to do my best work in the remaining two years. No need to talk about speculations. I promise to continue working as the Chief Minister for the next two years," Yediyurappa said while speaking to reporters. Yediyurappa maintained that there is no uncertainty about his continuation as the Chief Minister of the state. "We are united and working together. There is absolutely no confusion in the party," he asserted. Meanwhile, Karnataka's all-powerful Lingayat community seers have extended their full backing to BSY, saying that those who raise the issue of age forget that it was BS Yediyurappa who toiled day and night to ensure that the BJP crossed the 100-seat mark in Karnataka. Live TV Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan on Tuesday said that the idea to make Common Entrance Test (CET) performance as the criteria for admission to Bachelor of Science (BSc) course has been dropped. Narayan, who also holds the Higher Education portfolio and held a meeting with Vice-Chancellors, with regard to academic activities, clarified that the idea to make CET marks as the parameter for admission to B.Sc has been dropped, his office said in a release. Earlier, it was said that in view of the cancellation of the 2nd PUC (class 12) examination, the department of higher education had been mulling to make CET marks as the basis for admission to the B.Sc courses. The government had recently decided to cancel the 2nd PUC exams this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from this, matters related to finding ways to accommodate the number of students whose number will be increased for the degree courses, implementation of e-Office software were among the other subjects that were discussed, the release added. The universities of the state have been asked to act towards starting the undergraduate courses from the current academic year, as per NEP, Narayan said, this year the number of students seeking admission will increase as the 2nd PUC examination is cancelled. If the universities start 4-year graduate courses, that will help to accommodate more students and it is also an opportunity at the right time for varsities to initiate this, he said. Further, the Unified University College Management System, a web portal-based software developed by the department of e-Office has been given permission to go on the trial run from June 25. Keeping in mind the calendar of events, it has been decided to dedicate 'The Unified University College Management System' by July 15, and to facilitate this, the trial will be conducted, Narayan said, as he asked all the concerned institutions to be ready with this system by July 15. He also directed all the vice-chancellors of the universities to do all the correspondence with the government only through e-Office mode and told them that it has been made mandatory to implement it. The DCM also said that Vice-Chancellors have been asked to begin admission for the first-year degree courses in the first week of October as per the calendar. It was discussed in the meeting about conducting semester exams that are pending because of Covid, he said. Live TV BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan on Wednesday said that the states have suffered huge losses due to the ''corona curfew'' that was imposed to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The Chief Minister said that he had appealed to the Prime Minister to increase the states borrowing limit to 5.5% of the GDP to cover revenue losses incurred due to 'Corona curfew'. States have suffered revenue loss due to 'Corona curfew'. I urged PM to allow states' borrowing limit to 5.5% of the GDP to continue development work, which has been reduced to 4.5% this year. Centre will look into this matter, the Madhya Pradesh CM said. The BJP leader further informed that an initiative to purchase 'moong' has begun in Madhya Pradesh after the PM agreed to buy it from farmers of the state. Minimum support price came down to Rs 5,000 from Rs 7,196. But now, its purchase will be beneficial for farmers, CM Shivraj said. The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister is in Delhi and due to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today during which he will apprise him about COVID-19 management in the state. According to a source in the Madhya Pradesh government, Chouhan would apprise the Prime Minister about measures taken to control the second wave of COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh and the current situation of the virus infection. Chouhan would also apprise the Prime Minister about the Madhya Pradesh government`s preparations for handling a possible third wave of COVID-19. He would also inform the Prime Minister about an ongoing vaccination drive in the state and a special vaccination drive to be held across Madhya Pradesh between July 1 and July 3. The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister would also discuss the PM Garib Kalyan Yojna and other development works in the state. Chouhan is also likely to meet Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and D V Sadananda Gowda. The BJP sources said that Chouhan may also meet party Chief JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Live TV Mumbai: Bombay High Court on Tuesday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of alleged drug peddler Sahil Shah in connection with the drug case related to actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Sahil Shah is absconding in the drugs case related to the actor`s death. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has been investigating the case. To avoid arrest, Shah` lawyer had filed an anticipatory bail in the High Court that was heard on Tuesday."NCB has started searching for Sahil Shah. He is still absconding. Sahil Shah is the prime suspect in the Sushant Singh Rajput drugs case. He used to supply drugs to Sushant," NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede told ANI. "For the last 6 months, Sahil Shah was a puzzle for us. Late on April 13, we raided his Malad house where his mother and wife were present. Incidentally, he lived in the same complex where Sushant Singh Rajput used to live earlier," added Wankhede. Earlier on June 4, Sushant Singh Rajput`s flatmate Siddharth Pithani was sent to 14-day judicial custody in connection with the drug case linked to the actor`s death after he was arrested by the NCB on May 26 from Hyderabad. The NCB had also questioned Rajput's bodyguard and former domestic helps, Neeraj and Keshav. Apart from that NCB also arrested a drug peddler named Harish Khan in the drugs case linked to the actor`s death. The NCB, which has been probing the drugs angle in the actor`s death case, started the investigation after it received official communication from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in which there were various chats related to drug consumption, procurement, usage and transportation. The ED had on July 31 last year registered an Enforcement Case Information Report in the late actor`s death case after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed by Rajput's father KK Singh against actor Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28. Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14 last year. New Delhi: 52 lakh central employees and 61 lakh pensioners are all set to start receiving increased dearness allowance from July 1, as part of the 7th pay commission. The employees are also expected to get their DA arrears. In another good news for Central government employees working with the Navodaya Vidyalaya School (NVS), the government has increased medical claim in addition to dearness allowance. Medical claim reimbursement increased The central government has increased the reimbursement limit for medical claims of employees of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti schools. the Department of School Education and Literacy, which works under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, has notified a circular, stating that the medical claim reimbursement has been increased five times. Also Read: 7th Pay Commission: Govt employees to get hiked salary from July 1, check out the expected pay matrix The Commissioner of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti schools has given the approval for the revision in the limits of medical claim reimbursements for treatment of day-to-day ailments for themselves and their family members. The circular notifies that the limit of the medical claim of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti schools employees has been increased from Rs 5000 to Rs 25,000 per annum. The circular states that If the treatment is done in a government or CGHS recognized hospital, then the limit of medical reimbursement has been increased from the existing limit of Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000, i.e. the amount of claim has been increased five times. Medical reimbursement for AMA treatment also increased The central government has also revised the limit of medical reimbursement for AMA (Against Medical Advice) treatment. The employees of NVS will now get a medical claim of Rs 15,000 instead of Rs 5000. AMA is used in situations wherein a patient gets himself/herself discharged without consulting the doctor. There is no additional change in the rest of the terms and conditions for NVS employees. Also Read: 7th Pay Commission: Crucial meet on DA, DR arrear benefits fixed on THIS Date, increased salary coming from July 1 Live TV #mute Geneva: President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are starting their diplomatic talks in Geneva. The two were first greeted by the Swiss president before sitting down for a small meeting that includes just Biden, Putin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with a translator for each side. They'll then move to larger talks, which will include more senior aides and are expected to last hours. The two plan to discuss everything from cybercrime to Russia's alleged interference in America's elections, as well as arms control and Russia's intrusion in Ukraine. Both sides have played down expectations for any major breakthroughs, but both Biden and Putin have stressed the need to restore more stable relations between the two nations. Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday demanded a thorough probe in the alleged scam for Ram Temple land. Yadav called for the resignation of the trust members who are accused in the scam till the probe is completed. The SP leader said, "People from all over the country have donated, the allegations should be investigated." Further, he criticized the Yogi Adityanath-led for not giving proper compensation to the Ayodhya farmers for taking up their land for Ayodhya airport. "In Ayodhya, a land worth Rs 2 crores is bought for Rs 18 crores, but the administration is not giving land compensation to Ayodhya farmers at circle rate," he said. Talking about BJP's allegations that his party is creating obstacles in the construction of Ram temple, Akhilesh Yadav said that no one can stop the construction of Ram temple, it is being built on the orders of the Supreme Court. "No one will stop the construction of the temple," he assured. Meanwhile, Shriram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai has refuted the allegation of fraud by Opposition parties in purchasing land worth at an inflated price for the Ram temple premises. He also termed the charges as "misleading and motivated by political hatred". According to general secretary of the trust some political leaders are misleading people. "It is meant to mislead society, the people concerned are political and hence motivated by political hatred," he said. Live TV Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav claimed that he will take the COVID-19 vaccine only after all the people in the state are vaccinated, he made an appeal to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to vaccinate all citizens by Diwali. On June 16, Yadav said, "I will be the last person to get the vaccine, when the whole of UP gets the vaccine, I will get it done but my people should get the vaccine." In a press conference in the state capital the former chief minister spoke a host of topic including the alleged Ayodhya Ram Temple land scam and the party's aspirations for the 2022 state assembly elections. Akhilesh Yadav demanded a thorough probe in the alleged scam for Ram Temple land, saying, "People from all over the country have donated, the allegations should be investigated... In Ayodhya, a land worth Rs 2 crores is bought for Rs 18 crores, but the administration is not giving land compensation to Ayodhya farmers at circle rate," he said. He also hinted at forming an alliance with his uncle Shivpal Yadav and said his party will not field its candidate on the latters seat in Jaswantnagar. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government informed that it will be launching its cluster approach strategy to ensure that maximum persons in the target age group are covered. The purpose is to go in phases and saturate the selected area to ensure that no one is missed out. Chennai: Liquor is an important part of life for many people and you can evaluate its importance by just seeing the happiness they get the liquor stores open after a long lockdown Something like that happened in Tamil Nadus Madurai city when a person was spotted worshiping his liquor bottles as he got them after a long time on Monday (June 14) following a strict lockdown since May 10. In a video posted by news agency ANI, a man is seen performing aarti outside a liquor shop and then kissing the two alcohol bottles he bought from the shop. One other man also joins the worship and puts his bottle also in the course. The news agency tweeted the video with the caption that read, A local in Madurai worships bottles of liquor after Tamil Nadu govt permits the reopening of liquor shops in the state. #WATCH | A local in Madurai worships bottles of liquor after Tamil Nadu govt permits the reopening of liquor shops in the state pic.twitter.com/sIp9LUR0GM ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2021 This came after the Tamil Nadu government eased the restrictions on Monday (June 14) following a decline in active COVID-19 cases in the country. The video went viral and racked more than 30 thousand views. ALSO WATCH: Kamal ki ladki: Girl catches King Cobra bare-handed, leaves netizens stunned Moscow: It is said that 'unity is strength' and it is indeed true when it comes to doing something beyond the imagination, something that seems impossible to an individual. Something like that happened when three Russian men joined their hands to rescue the children trapped inside a building that was on fire. In a video shared on Twitter, the men are seen climbing a drainpipe outside a 3-story building and forming a human chain to save the children trapped inside a burning apartment in Kostroma, Russia. The incident happened when the kids were alone at their home. When the fire broke out, the neighbours tried to knock down the front door but failed in doing so. Seeing the fire intensifying, one of the three men climbed the drainpipe up to the third floor and pulled the first kid out of the window. He then passed the child to the second person who was below and he then passed the child to the third man. The child was then safely handed to a woman on the ground. They followed the same process to rescue other children. Rescue of three children from a burning apartment in Kostroma. Passers-by staged a real rescue operation as it was necessary to act urgently. pic.twitter.com/EB6DxT6Xti Amazing Posts (@AmazingPosts_) June 12, 2021 Later, fire extinguishers arrived and doused the fire. The men who saved the children have been nominated for bravery awards for their heroic efforts. All the 3 men hailed as heroes and were praised by Twitter users. ALSO WATCH: Kamal ki ladki: Girl catches King Cobra bare-handed, leaves netizens stunned New Delhi: As West Begal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar reached at the national capital for a four-day trip on Tuesday night, Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday accused him of violating constitutional norms and asked him not to return. Dhankhar, who shares a strained relationship with the state government had not specified any reason for his Delhi visit. TMC spokesperson Sougata Ray criticised Dhankhar for not taking the state government into confidence over various decisions and statements he has made in the recent past accusing him of allegedly violating constitutional norms. "We have never seen such a governor who has no regard for the Constitution and its norms. He has been violating every constitutional norm. According to our Constitution, the governor is supposed to act as per the instructions of the council of ministers headed by the chief minister. But he doesnt follow any such norm and acts as per his whims and fancies," Ray was quoted as saying by PTI. While, another TMC MP Mahua Moitra asked Dhankar not to return to the state. "Uncleji going to Delhi on June 15th he says... Do us a favour WB Governor Sahib - don't come back," she said in a tweet. On Wednesday, Dhankhar met Union ministers Prahlad Joshi and Prahlad Singh Patel. "Had useful interaction with Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs of India Pralhad Joshi on varied issues," he wrote on Twitter. Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar had a courtesy meeting in New Delhi with former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Arun Kumar Mishra, Chairperson National Human Rights Commission @India_NHRC pic.twitter.com/7q7yAVIWDN Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) June 16, 2021 Meanwhile, the BJP has alleged that it is the Trinamool which has no respect for the Constitution and asked the Mamata Banerjee-led party to respect constitutional posts. Live TV Bogota: A car bomb explosion at a military base in the Colombian border city of Cucuta injured 36 people on Tuesday, the defense minister said, casting blame for the attack on leftist rebels. The explosion took place at a base used by the 30th Army Brigade in the northeastern city near the border with Venezuela. "We reject and repudiate this vile and terrorist act which sought to attack the soldiers of Colombia," Defence Minister Diego Molano told journalists. "Thirty-six people were injured. Three of them with a degree of gravity." One of the injured has had surgery, Molano said, and 29 are hospitalized. Two men drove a white Toyota truck into the base after passing themselves off as officials, he said, adding there were two explosions. Despite a 2016 peace deal with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, Colombia`s military continues to battle National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas, crime gangs and former FARC members who reject the accord. The ELN, FARC dissidents and crime gangs are all present in sometimes-restive Norte de Santander province, where the 30th Brigade operates. "The initial hypothesis is that the ELN are behind this demential and vile act," Molano said. "Also being investigated is the involvement of FARC dissidents." The injury toll could have been higher but most personnel were in preventative isolation because of coronavirus, a high-ranking official told Reuters earlier on Tuesday. Photos and video circulating on social media showed a destroyed white vehicle in flames. President Ivan Duque said on Twitter he would travel to Cucuta to meet with military leaders and local authorities. Social media videos showed what appeared to be U.S. military personnel on the base after the attack. Dozens of U.S. advisors are stationed in Colombia, but the U.S. military`s Southern Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The government blamed FARC dissidents for a car bomb attack in March in Cauca province which injured more than 40 people. A 2019 ELN car bomb attack at Bogota`s police academy killed 22 people and ended nascent peace talks between the group and the government. Maharajganj: Indian weddings are definitely fun to enjoy as they possess as much drama, nothing less than a television daily soap series. However sometimes, situations go out of hand and bizarre things happen, leaving both parties amused and shattered at times. A similar thing happened at a Muslim wedding - nikah when they found out that the groom was unable to pronounce Urdu words correctly during the rituals. A man, masquerading as a Muslim to marry a girl of his choice but different religion, was caught and handed over to the police after he failed to pronounce Urdu words correctly during the marriage ceremony. The incident took place in the Kolhui police station area in Maharajganj district on June 14. The accused, who belongs to Siddhartha Nagar, was in a relationship with a girl from the Kolhui area. They met on a social media platform. The girl was aware of the boy's identity and decided decided not to reveal the same to her family. In fact, she persuaded the boy to marry her according to Muslim customs. During the marriage, the groom could not pronounce some Urdu words correctly and this made the girl's family suspicious. When the groom fumbled over Urdu words, the girl's family checked his PAN card and his true identity was revealed. The bride's family and the villagers caught hold of the accused along with his friends, while they attempted to flee from the scene. After this, he was handed over to the police. The marriage has been called off for now. Inspector in-charge Dilip Shukla said that the groom and the bride were brought to the police station and were being interrogated. The girl admitted that she was aware of the boy's religion. He said the further action would be decided later. Live TV New Delhi: The Israeli Air Force launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday in response to the incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian territory into southern Israel, Reuters reported. This is the first flare-up since the end of 11 days of cross-border fighting in May. Tensions rose after a march was conducted in East Jerusalem on Tuesday by Israeli nationalists which drew threats of action by Hamas, the ruling militant group in Gaza. The Israeli army accepted it attacked Hamas compounds and that it was "ready for all scenarios, including renewed fighting in the face of continued terrorist acts emanating from Gaza, the agency reported. The Israeli military said that the strikes come in the wake of Hamas launching balloons with explosives, which Israeli fire brigade reported caused 20 blazes in open fields in communities near the Gaza border. A Hamas spokesman confirmed the attack and told Reuters that Palestinians will "brave resistance and defend their rights and sacred sites" in Jerusalem. On May 21, a ceasefire was declared between Israel and Hamas, leading to the end of 11 days of fighting during which hundreds of rockets were launched from both Israel and Palestine sides. As per Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, 253 Palestinians were killed during the conflict, including 66 children, while 13 Israelis, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier lost their lives, ANI reported. (With inputs from agencies) New Delhi: Amid the deteriorating healthcare system due to the February 1 military coup, Myanmar on Tuesday (June 15, 2021) confirmed the first detection of three new COVID-19 variants. According to a report in Hindustan Times, the Southeast Asian nation reported 11 cases of Alpha, Delta and Kappa COVID variants. Out of the 11, one each was recorded in Yangon and Kalay, four in Mandalay, three in southern Myeik and two in northwestern Tamu. Two people were infected with Alpha variant, five with Delta variant, and four with Kappa. Earlier on Monday, the former head of Myanmar's COVID-19 immunisation programme was arrested and faced charges of high treason for colluding with opponents of the military authorities. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), Myanmar has so far seen 1,46,051 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,248 deaths. New Delhi: A militia group in Myanmar's conflict-torn Kayah State announced a halt to attacks on military targets on Tuesday, after appeals from local communities to cease fighting that had damaged homes and displaced more than 100,000 people. The Karenni National Defence Force (KNDF), one of the largest of several civilian militias formed in recent weeks to oppose a Feb. 1 military coup, said it had temporarily suspended offensives but remained opposed to the military takeover. "The KNDF urge people to be united," it said in a statement. People`s Defence Forces allied with pro-democracy groups have stifled the junta`s bid to impose order, but some activists say the well-equipped military`s use of heavy weapons in response to their attacks has put innocent lives in danger. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi`s government, citing its refusal to address what it said was fraud in a November election. International observers have said the ballot was fair. Suu Kyi appeared in court on Tuesday for the second day of her trial over a slew of charges that her supporters say are bogus and intended to kill off her political career. Her lawyers declined to disclose details of Tuesday`s court proceedings, but said the 75-year-old was in a better condition than the first day, when they said she had appeared unwell. "She is resilient as always. She looks healthy," said Min Min Soe, a member of Suu Kyi`s legal team. "We just realised that she is suffering toothache. Because she told us. If not, we would not know. She is strong and confident as before." Min Min Soe said the court addressed the charge of incitement. The case centres on efforts in the days after the coup by Suu Kyi`s allies to urge embassies and international organisations not to recognise the junta. `TREASONOUS` OPPONENTS The military has since outlawed many of its opponents, labelling them as treasonous or terrorists, including a self-proclaimed National Unity Government (NUG) that seeks to lobby the international community and prevent the junta from consolidating power. The NUG in early May announced the creation of People`s Defence Forces, many armed only with hunting rifles, who have for weeks been ambushing security forces in border lands after unmet demands for the release of people arrested for joining anti-coup protests. The NUG did not immediately respond to a request for comment and a military spokesman did not answer calls on Tuesday. The KPDF`s announcement it was halting attacks comes a few days after United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet condemned the army`s "outrageous" use of heavy weapons, including in Kayah State in the east of the country, but urged militias to keep civilians from harm. The junta on Monday said Bachelet failed to mention "acts of sabotage and terrorism" and "the sufferings and deaths of the security forces". Amnesty International on Tuesday called for Suu Kyi`s release and sharply criticised the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, whose non-interference policy, it said, was "enabling the military`s deadly rampage". The U.N. and Western and Asian powers have backed ASEAN`s role as a mediator in the Myanmar crisis, but some of its members have criticised the junta`s failure to implement a plan it agreed to in April, which included halting violence and starting dialogue. "Millions of people in Myanmar are losing faith in ASEAN," said Emerlynne Gil, Amnesty International`s Deputy Regional Director for Research. "The regional bloc must change course and offer a lifeline to people in Myanmar by getting behind international efforts to protect civilians and urge the release of all those arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi." Islamabad: Pakistan`s Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed lashed out at the Sindh government over unauthorised constructions and encroachments on public spaces and said that the provincial government is being run from Canada. Daily Times reported that while hearing of a case relating to the construction of a tower on Shahrah-e-Faisal, the chief justice remarked that one Younus Memon was running the affairs of provincial government from Canada. "If you can`t clean a nullah, how can you run a province," asked Chief Justice, irked at the Sindh government for not paying attention to Karachi`s civic issues. "There is a building control authority, [but you can] give [them] money and do whatever you like. There is no government in Sindh," observed the judge. The court also asked the advocate general of Sindh what the provincial government will do to ensure these practices are kept in check. The top judge said that a parliamentary form of government is a strong one but reiterated that when such was the state of affairs that a provincial government cannot clean a nullah (watercourse), how will it run an entire province. "We gave the orders to clean the nullah over a year ago yet there seems to be a new excuse every day," he said. The chief justice spoke about the city`s main artery, Shahrah-e-Faisal, saying that it has never declined in width but has only grown. ALSO READ: US, worst COVID-19 hit country, touches grim milestone of over 6 lakh deaths The service roads on both sides have encroached, it further reported. Justice Gulzar noted and said Rs 2.6 trillion were allocated for an education project that was started in 2014 and was finished in 2017. He also observed that Rs 1.5 trillion have been set aside for reverse osmosis plants yet people in Tharparkar are dying of thirst. He said authorities should decide what to do about the city`s civic issues and added that when authorities pass budgets, they allocate funds for themselves, not for the welfare of the people. He also slammed the railway ministry and secretary of Pakistan Railways over frequent accidents and poor functioning of railways and urged the Prime Minister to take steps to improve the railways and also look into the recent irresponsible statement of the railways' minister, who said he was willing to resign if it would cover the losses and casualties in the Ghotki train accident. The court was hearing civil miscellaneous applications (CMAs) filed against the apex court`s decisions on a petition seeking its intervention to get the amenity plots vacated from `land mafia and political parties` in the city. ALSO READ: Israel launches air strikes on Gaza Strip, first since declaration of ceasefire in May